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Man held under blasphemy law burnt to death by mob in Pak
Second phase of Egypt’s referendum witnesses irregularities
A woman casts her vote at a polling station in Giza, south of Cairo, on Saturday. AFP |
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Obama’s choice for Secretary of State is a friend of India
John Kerry (R) with Barack Obama in Washington on Friday. AFP
Pak minister among 8 killed in bomb blast
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Man held under blasphemy law burnt to death by mob in Pak
Islamabad, December 22 The unidentified man in his thirties was assaulted and burnt to death, while several policemen looked on and did nothing to stop the mob, the reports said. Usman Memon, the prayer leader of a mosque at Sita village, told the media that the man, who was lynched by the mob, was apparently a traveller and had stayed at the mosque for a night. "He offered Isha prayers (on Thursday) and spent the night here. When (worshippers) came to the mosque for Fajr prayers (on Friday morning), we found charred copies of the Holy Koran," Memon was quoted as saying. People suspected the man was responsible for the act since he was alone in the mosque. They handed him over to the police and filed an FIR against him. After the village mosques made announcements about the incident, over 1,000 persons from Sita village and its surrounding areas attacked the police station at 8 am. The mob overpowered policemen and assaulted the man before setting him on fire at the main chowk in Sita village, located 2 km from the police station. Senior Superintendent of Police Usman Ghani said 10 policemen present in the police station at the time of incident, including police station chief Baharuddin Keerio, were suspended. The 10 policemen have been charged with negligence. There were more than 200 persons against half a dozen policemen," said Ghulam Mustafa Tunio, the new police station chief. Separately, Ghani told reporters: "We have arrested around 24 residents of the village." Two separate FIRs have been filed against policemen and village residents. More than 200 villagers have been booked for murder and obstructing the police from performing their duty. The situation in Sita village remained out of control for several hours. It took police reinforcements several hours to reach the area and shift the body of the man to a health centre, where an autopsy was performed. Senior medical officer Mohammad Bux said the body was completely burnt.
— PTI
‘Guardians’ of religion
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Second phase of Egypt’s referendum witnesses irregularities Cairo, December 22 The second phase of referendum on the first post-revolutionary Constitution in Egypt began this morning. The referendum is
being held in 17 governorates which hold half of Egypt's electorate. As many as 10governorates voted during the first phase last weekend, after which initial results showed a turnout of about 31 per cent and a prevalence of votes in favour of the draft by about 57 per cent. The voting is taking place in 176 general polling stations and 6,274 sub-stations in Giza, Qalyubiya, Monufiya, Beheira, Kafr al-Sheikh, Damietta, Port Said, Ismailia, Suez, Marsa Matrouh, Red Sea, New Valley, Beni Suef, Fayoum, Minya, Luxor and Qena. Egypt Independent provides updates on the voting process in those different places throughout the day. As soon as the referendum started social media users were reporting irregularities in various stations. The irregularities included absence of judicial supervision and guiding of voters to say yes. Also some political groups, particularly Islamist ones, set up laptops near polling stations to help voters look up their number on voting lists. The most serious irregularity was reported in Upper Egypt as well as Suez where Copts were said to have been kept from casting their votes. Meanwhile, Egyptian Vice- President Mahmud Mekki announced his resignation today, saying he was stepping down because "political work does not suit my professional character as a judge".
— PTI
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Obama’s choice for Secretary of State is a friend of India
Washington, December 22 If for Clinton Washington's relationship with New Delhi was an "affair of the heart", Kerry (69), who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, looks at India-US ties as "without doubt one of the most significant partnerships in the US foreign policy". "There are fewer relationships that will be as vital in the 21st century as our growing ties with India and its
people," Kerry said at the confirmation hearings for Obama's nominee to be the US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell in February. "On all of the most critical global challenges that we face, India really has a central role to play. And that means that Washington is going to be looking to New Delhi not only for cooperation, but increasingly for innovation, for regional leadership," he then said. "India's growing significance has been clear to many of us for some time now," said Kerry who has been to India many times since the 1990s when he took one of the first business trade missions to India right after its economic reforms. The senator from Massachusetts, who is noted for having the experience, gravitas and relationship-building skills, was also a strong supporter of Obama's endorsement of India to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council. Making the announcement about Kerry's appointment on Friday, Obama praised the senator's "extraordinarily distinguished Senate career" and military service "with valour".
— IANS
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Pak minister among 8 killed in bomb blast
At least eight persons, including minister of
Khyber Pakhtunkhawa Bashir Ahmed Bilour, were killed and about 15 injured on Saturday when when an explosion ripped through a busy neighbourhood in Peshawar.
“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa minister Bilour was critically injured in the attack and rushed to hospital, where he succumbed to injuries,” his brother and federal railways minister Ghulam Ahmed Bilour confirmed. Bashir Bilour, 69, was regarded as one of bravest leaders of the province who began his political career in the National Awami Party in 1970, later renamed as the ANP. Being an outspoken critic of the Taliban, Bilour was always on its hit list and had earlier escaped attempts on his life at least two times. Ghulam said Taliban is using Islam’s name for their heinous crimes.
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Amid allegations of irregularities, Egyptians today voted in the second and final round of a referendum on a controversial new Constitution backed by President Muhamed Mursi that has deeply divided the nation.
Senator John Kerry, President Barack Obama's choice to replace Hillary Clinton as the next Secretary of State, a former Democratic presidential candidate, is considered a true friend of India.
If for Clinton Washington's relationship with New Delhi was an "affair of the heart", Kerry (69), who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, looks at India-US ties as "without doubt one of the most significant partnerships in the US foreign policy".
