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Suicide bombers kill 9 civilians near Indian consulate in Jalalabad
KABUL: Three suicide attackers killed at least nine civilians, most of them children, in a botched attack on Saturday on the Indian consulate in an eastern Afghan city near the border with Pakistan, security officials said.
The police fired on the militants as they approached a checkpoint near the consulate in Jalalabad, prompting one of them to set off their explosives-laden car, said Masum Khan Hashimi, the
Deputy Police Chief of Nangarhar province. The blast killed nine bystanders, and wounded another 24
persons, including a policeman.
All three attackers also died, although it was not clear how many were killed by
the police fire and how many by the explosion.
In New Delhi, India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin
said all Indian officials in the consulate were safe.
Afghanistan’s main insurgent group, the Taliban, denied in a text message that it had carried out the attack. Smaller militant groups based in Pakistan have targeted Indian interests in Afghanistan in the past.
In 2010, two Kabul guest houses popular among Indians were attacked, killing more than six Indians. India blamed that attack on the Pakistan-based militant group LeT.
The Indian Embassy was bombed in 2008 and 2009, leaving 75 people dead.
The attack came as the US planned to close its embassies in the Muslim world for the weekend due to an al-Qaeda threat. — AP
Statehood demand: Fresh violence rocks Assam's
Karbi Anglong district
GUWAHATI: Violence continued to rock Karbi Anglong district where various government offices were torched and train tracks removed by activists of different organisations today demanding a separate state on the lines of Telangana. The agitationists set ablaze veterinary, irrigation, agriculture, health, Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) and Public Works Department (PWD) offices across the district last night, officials said today.
The protestors removed a portion of the railway track between Diphu and Doldoli stations today, halting train movement, they said. The indefinite curfew in West Karbi Anglong police district continued today, while prohibitory order in the district headquarters town of Diphu was relaxed for three hours from 8 AM today, they said. Flag marches by the army, that was called in by the civil administration, was continuing across the violence-hit district for area domination and to instill confidence among the people, officials said.
Meanwhile, the United Peoples Democratic Solidarity (UPDS), which had signed a tripartite Memorandum of Settlement for peace with the Centre and Assam government in Delhi on November 5, 2011, tore the MoS in Diphu today claiming it no longer honoured the peace accord.The then UPDS general secretary, Haren Sing Bey and joint secretary Wazaru Mukrang in the presence of their supporters tore up the MoS. Both of them are now the Karbi Anglong Autonomous District Council members after the UPDS surrendered in December 2011 following the peace accord. — PTI
Soldier, militant killed in anti-infiltration operation in Kashmir
SRINAGAR: The Army has killed another infiltrating militant in Tangdhar sector of Jammu and Kashmir but lost one of its soldiers in the operation. Army officials said today that one more militant was killed during the night in Tangdhar sector in north Kashmir's Kupwara district.
The operation began when troops along the LoC noticed a group of two militants trying to sneak into the Valley from across the border on Thursday night. The militants were challenged by the soldiers and in the ensuing gun battle, one militant was killed. The operation continued for the second day and another militant was killed during the night, the officials said. One AK 47 rifle, three magazines were recovered from the scene of the encounter.
A soldier was also killed in the operation that is still continuing, officials said. The number of militants killed in different counter-infiltration operations along the LoC in Kupwara district has risen to 12 in the past six days. Five militants were killed when
the Army foiled an infiltration bid in Hafruda forest area of Handwara
on Thursday, while four infiltrating militants were killed in Macchil
sector on Tuesday. One ultra was shot dead in Keran sector of Kupwara district on Monday. Five militants were killed in a failed infiltration bid in Keran
sector on July 9. — PTI
Activist moves NCW over Bhati's comments against Durga Shakti
NEW DELHI: Taking strong objection to alleged improper comments made by SP leader Narinder Bhati against suspended IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal, social activist Nutan Thakur today filed a complaint with the National Commission for Women against the UP Agro chairman.
In her complaint, Thakur raised objections over the alleged usage of words like "aurat" and "behudgi" against the IAS officer, who clamped on sand mining mafia in Gautam Budh Nagar, in a video footage.
"I watched the video on YouTube where a lot of time beep was used. Moreover, usage of words like 'aurat' and 'behudgi' are abjectly improper and I have written a letter to Mamata Sharma, chairperson of the NCW to take cognisance of this serious issue and inquire into the matter. I have also requested her to initiate all legal proceedings as per the inquiry report," she said.
The video footage of the Samajwadi Party minister showed him bragging how he got the IAS officer suspended in 41 minutes.
"I spoke to Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav at 10.30 am and at 11
am the suspension order arrived... She behaved so badly and couldn't last for 40 minutes after
that. Within 41 minutes, the order came from Lucknow and she was suspended," the video showed him as saying.
Thakur had earlier also filed a PIL in the Allahabad High Court for a direction to Department of Personnel and Training (cadre controlling authority of IAS officers) to summon the file related to the suspension of Nagpal and cancelling the suspension if it was found to be illegal and improper.
The NCW Chairperson, however said that she has not yet received the complaint.
"I have not yet received any such complaint. If we get a complaint, we will definitely inquire into the matter and do the needful," Sharma said. — PTI
US to track hate crimes against Sikhs, minorities
WASHINGTON: Ahead of Monday's anniversary of the Oak Creek Gurdwara tragedy, the US Justice Department has announced that it will begin tracking crimes committed against Sikhs and six other groups as hate crimes.
Making the announcement on Friday, Attorney General Eric Holder said the Federal Bureau
of Investigation director Robert Mueller had approved a recommendation from the agency's advisory policy board to track hate crimes against Sikhs, Hindus, Arabs, Buddhists, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses and Orthodox Christians.
"As we look toward the future — I'm confident that this change will help us better understand the law enforcement challenges we face," Holder wrote in a Justice Department blog post.
"It will empower us to better enforce relevant laws to protect everyone in this country. And it is emblematic of our unwavering resolve to prevent and seek justice for acts of hate and terror," he said.
"This Monday, August 5th, marks the one-year anniversary of the senseless murders of six Sikh worshippers
— Satwant Singh Kaleka, Paramjit Kaur, Prakash Singh, Ranjit Singh, Sita Singh and Suveg Singh
— at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, in Oak Creek, at the hands of a lone gunman," Holder wrote.
"In the aftermath of this terrible tragedy, individuals and communities of faith across the country were badly shaken," he wrote in the blog titled "Healing Communities and Remembering the Victims of Oak Creek."
Holder also announced that the Justice Department's Office for Victims of Crime will offer an emergency assistance grant to the Wisconsin Department of Justice providing over $512,000 to help reimburse, and continue to pay for, mental health and trauma services for the victims and survivors of this horrific shooting.
"These funds are intended to assist all those affected - including family members, witnesses, first responders and the wider Oak Creek community - as they continue to rebuild their lives and keep displaying the extraordinary resiliency so many of us have come to admire," he said.
"More broadly, we also must engage in an inclusive dialogue about how we can prevent these tragedies in the future
— including through the improved tracking of hate crimes reporting," Holder said.
The Justice Department decision was commended by the community as also several lawmakers including the lone Indian-American House member Ami Bera and the first Hindu-American legislator Tulsi Gabbard.
Other lawmakers applauding the decision were Joe Crowley, Eliot Engel, Bill Pascrell, Michael Honda, Adam Schiff, Gary Peters and Eric Swalwell
"One year after the Oak Creek killings, we are thrilled the FBI has agreed to begin tracking and documenting hate crimes against Sikh, Hindu and Arab Americans," they said in a statement.
"This groundbreaking decision to collect valuable hate crime data will go a long way towards protecting communities living in fear of being victims of a hate crime."
Amardeep Singh, programme director of the Sikh Coalition, said that while he welcomed the announcement as a "critical first step," the underlying conditions that caused the killings remain.
"The last year has once again seen violent shootings and beatings of Sikhs throughout the country," he said. "It will take more than tracking hate crime statistics to stem the tide." — IANS
Omar Abdullah lashes out at BCCI for not fielding
Rasool in ODI series
SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday lashed out at the BCCI for not fielding all-rounder Parvez Rasool in any of the five ODI games against Zimbabwe.
"Did you really have to take him all the way to Zimbabwe to demoralise him? Wouldn't it have been cheaper to just do it at home?" Omar said in a sarcastic tweet after Rasool was not included in the last game against the minnows.
Disappointed at Rasool's non-inclusion in the playing XI of the Indian cricket team in the ongoing Zimbabwe tour, Omar on Friday urged the BCCI to give him a chance to prove himself.
"Come on BCCI give the young man (Rasool) a chance to prove himself," Omar wrote on his twitter page on Friday.
The Chief Minister, an avid cricket follower, had expressed disappointment that the Jammu and Kashmir cricketer has not been given a game even though India has taken an unassailable lead in five-match the ODI series.
"Really disappointed that Parvez Rasool hasn't been given a game in Zimbabwe," he said.
Rasool is the only member of the 15-member squad who has not seen any action so far. Ajinkya Rahane was warming the bench alongside Rasool but the opening batsman got his chance in Saturday's game.
Rasool shot to fame with a brilliant all-round performance in the Ranji Trophy last season by scoring 594 runs and grabbing 33 wickets.
His selection to national squad was fast-tracked after he took seven wickets in one innings of a tour game against visiting Australians earlier this year. — PTI
Ego of politicians to blame for corruption: Advani
PUNE: Terming corruption as the biggest problem facing the country, BJP leader L.K. Advani said it emanated from the ego of the political class. "Corruption is the biggest problem confronting society. It stems from 'ahankar' (ego) of politicians who think they are all powerful and indispensable, and can do whatever they want," he said
The former Deputy Prime Minister was speaking at a function organised in connection with the 95th birthday celebrations of Sindhi spiritual leader Dada J.P. Vaswani here.
Advani, who spoke in Sindhi, asked politicians to cultivate a spirit of giving and said that corruption
could be removed if spiritual quotient in an individual was increased. Paying tributes to Dada Vaswani, he said his teachings were relevant to present times and lauded the Sadhu Vaswani Mission's work which aimed at increasing spiritual quotient in the society.
Dada Vaswani said the need of the hour was to have men and women of character who worked selflessly for the country. — PTI
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