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Kabul: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that he will meet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in Lahore on his way back to New Delhi.
Now in Kabul, Modi tweeted that he spoke to Sharif over telephone and wished him on his birthday.
“Looking forward to meeting Sharif in Lahore today afternoon when I will drop by on my way back to Delhi.”
(Agencies)
Mumbai: Veteran actress Sadhana Shivdasani, known for films like “Mera Saaya”, “Wo Kaun Thi” and “Waqt”, died here today after a brief illness. She was 74.
Sadhana, who is credited for introducing the fringe hairstyle in Indian film industry, passed away at a private hospital here, sources said.
Her body was taken to her residence in suburban Mumbai where Bollywood personalities, including her former colleague and friend Waheeda Rehman, went to pay their last respects.
Sadhana was admitted to a suburban hospital here last year for a lesion in her mouth and underwent a surgery.
Born in 1941 in a Sindhi family, she was named after her father’s favourite actress Sadhona Bose. Her father and actor Hari Shivdasani were brothers. Hari’s daughter is actress Babita Kapoor.
Sadhana was the only child and and her mother home-schooled her until she was eight. In 1955 she played a chorus girl in the song “Mur mur ke na dekh mur mur ke” in Raj Kapoor’s “Shree 420”. She made her full-fldged film debut in the first ever Sindhi film “Abana”.
Some of her memorable films include “Love in Simla”, “Hum Dono”, “Ek Musafir Ek Hasina”, “Asli-Naqli”, “Mere Mehboob” and “Woh Kaun Thi”.
(PTI)
Kabul: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to discuss a wide range of issues, including security and bilateral cooperation.
Modi met Ghani soon after his arrival here from Moscow in the wee hours. He was accorded a ceremonial welcome after which Ghani warmly received him at presidential palace.
“A meeting between friends…President @ashrafghani warmly welcomes PM @narendramodi as they begin their meeting,” Prime Minister’s office tweeted.
“The embrace of a friend, the strength of a true partner. Prez @ashrafghani welcomes PM @narendramodi in Kabul,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted.
On his arrival here, Modi was received by Afghan National Security Adviser Mohammad Hanif Atmar and deputy Foreign minister Hekmat Karzai.
“From Russia to Afghanistan. A pre-dawn arrival in Kabul begins a day of engagements with another dost,” Swarup tweeted.
Modi will also be holding talks with other Afghan leaders, including Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Abdullah Abdullah and former President Hamid Karzai.
His talks with Afghan leaders will be focused on key bilateral issues including security co-operation and the ways to help the war-torn country where India has committed over USD two billion assistance.
He will also inaugurate the Parliament building which has been constructed by India at a cost of USD 90 million. He is expected to address the Afghan lawmakers.
The Parliament building project, which was initially conceived at a cost of USD 45 million, was started by India in 2007 as a mark of friendship and cooperation to help rebuild Afghanistan.
Significantly, prior to the Prime Minister’s visit, India has delivered three Mi 25 attack helicopters to Afghanistan, in what is seen as a shift in its strategy towards the strife-torn country.
Defence sources said that three such choppers have already been delivered to the Afghan government, which will boost its capability against Taliban terrorists.
(PTI)
New Delhi: AAP MLAs have been in the news lately for the proposal of 400 per cent hike in salaries.
An AAP MLA made headlines on Wednesday after his children’s names were removed from school register due to non-payment of fees.
According to a report in The Indian Express, Amanatullah Khan, AAP MLA from Delhi’s Okhla, said he had failed to pay his children’s school fees for the last six months due to his ‘abysmal’ salary.
Amanatullah Khan says it’s embarrassing for him as a parent. Also, he says his wife has been inconsolable due to the incident.
“I could not afford to pay the fees; how can you manage with such an abysmal salary,” the AAP MLA said.
According to the AAP MLA, the outstanding amount was already Rs 58,000 for both of his children.
Khan gets Rs 83,500 every month as salary.
Out of Rs 83,500 every month as salary, the AAP MLA says he ‘spends’ Rs 62,000 in running his office.
Union Home Ministry is yet to give its nod to the bill passed by the Delhi legislative assembly proposing a 400 per cent hike in the salaries of MLAs and ministers.
(Agencies)
At least 25 killed and more than 100 injured in blaze in Jizan, which began on floor housing ICU and maternity ward.
![At least 20 brigades from the civil defence directorate were deployed to fight the blaze [Saudi Civil Defence Directorate]](https://i0.wp.com/nasheman.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Saudi-fire.jpg)
At least 20 brigades from the civil defence directorate were deployed to fight the blaze [Saudi Civil Defence Directorate]
At least 25 people have been killed and 107 injured in a fire at a hospital in Jizan, Saudi Arabia, authorities said.
The Saudi civil defence directorate said in a post on Facebook that the fire at the Jizan General Hospital started at about 2.30am local time.
It is not yet known what caused the blaze, which began on the first floor of the hospital.
The intensive care unit and maternity ward are both on the first floor.
Saudi Arabian authorities are on the scene investigating.
At least 20 brigades from the civil defence directorate were deployed to fight the blaze, which has now been brought under control.
Dr. Ahmad Alsum, an emergency doctor at Jizan’s King Fahd Hospital, told Al Jazeera that most of those injured in the fire were patients.
Patients were transferred to a number of other nearby public and private hospitals.
Alsum said early indications were that the blaze was an electrical fire.
“Twenty-five people died in this fire. It is very devastating,” he said.
Jizan is the capital of the Jizan region in southwest Saudi Arabia, located immediately north of the Yemen border.
إحدى وعشرون فرقة دفاع مدني وعدد من الجهات ذات العلاقة تباشر حريق مستشفى جازان العام. https://t.co/vuJpC1zUcm pic.twitter.com/MPcTlYyYTt
— الدفاع المدني (@KSA_998) December 24, 2015
The Taliban has taken control of most of the strategic district of Sangin where heavy fighting continues.
![Afghan commanders have appealed for NATO close air support to bombard Taliban positions in the Helmand province of Afghanistan [Abdul Khalik/AP Photo]](https://i0.wp.com/nasheman.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Afghan.jpg)
Afghan commanders have appealed for NATO close air support to bombard Taliban positions in the Helmand province of Afghanistan [Abdul Khalik/AP Photo]
US aircraft carried out two attacks in Sangin, the district in southern Afghanistan overrun by Taliban fighters this week, officials said as the battle for the strategic province of Helmand continued.
“US forces conducted two strikes in Sangin on December 23 against threats to the force,” a spokesman for the military coalition said.
Earlier on Thursday, Afghanistan’s government sent reinforcements to help besieged forces as Taliban claim to have taken control of almost all of Sangin district.
The Taliban spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, said on Wednesday that their fighters had seized the entire district including police and military installations and their flags had been raised.
However, Helmand’s deputy governor, Mohammad Jan Rasoolyar, denied the claim.
“We are still fighting to push back the Taliban. Parts of Sangin are under the Taliban control but not the police and military installations,” he told Al Jazeera.
“The military planes have dropped food and supplies to the Afghan forces on ground.”
The UK Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday that British troops had been deployed to the province to support local forces after the Afghan Defence Minister called for a desperate international support and air cover.
“As part of the UK’s ongoing contribution to NATO’s Resolute Support Mission, a small number of UK personnel have been deployed to Camp Shorabak in Helmand Province in an advisory role,” a spokesman said.
“In total the UK has around 450 troops in Afghanistan mentoring and supporting the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces and the Afghan Security Ministries.”
Sangin has seen more than 100 British troops losing their lives during the decade long combat mission in Afghanistan.
The Taliban statement regarding the British troops deployment said that before entering Afghanistan “they should have studied the history of their ancestors and should have learned a lesson from the repeated defeat”.
“For that reason they would have not come with the intend to invade our country,” the statement said.
“They were defeated even after the presence of thousands of troops and the same will happen with these few hundred troops, this means nothing else but a shameful humiliation for them.
“They have made no accomplishment even after fighting for the past 14 years. We are still strong.”
David Sedney, a foreign policy analyst at the Wilson Center in Washington D.C, told Al Jazeera that the Afghan army is showing its weakness.
“The Taliban have made big advances in Helmand province in summer and into the winter and the offensive is increasing,” he said.
“They [Taliban] put a lot of fighters a lot of weapons in Helmand province that is right in the border with Pakistan and most of the fighters and weapons come across the border, there is nothing that stops them.
“The Afghan National Army core that was charged with the defending Helmand was the newest one and when the United States and NATO pulled back, they decided not the leave any serious advisors with them, just a few special forces troops, so you have force that is poorly equipped and is really struggling to survive.”
No end to violence
The northern city of Kunduz briefly fell to the Taliban in late September – the biggest victory for the group in 14 years of war.
Earlier this week, a suicide bomber attacked a joint Afghan-NATO convoy near Bagram airbase near Kabul, killing six foreign soldiers and wounding three others. The Taliban claimed responsibility.
“Recently, the Taliban has shown an extraordinary capability to launch major attacks on government forces. They have proven capable of using both guerrilla fighters and engaging in conventional warfare,” Hashmatullah Moslih, Al Jazeera’s political analyst said.
“At the same time, the government soldiers are static – sitting in their outposts defensively, effectively handing the initiative to the Taliban.”
This month marks a year since the US-led NATO mission in Afghanistan transitioned into an Afghan-led operation, with allied nations assisting in training local forces.
US President Barack Obama announced in October that thousands of US troops would remain in Afghanistan past 2016, keeping the current force of 9,800 troops, amid a surge in Taliban attacks.
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said that women drivers and two-wheeler riders would be exempted from the odd-even transport formula to be implemented from January 1 here.
“Only women (drivers) or women with kids below 12 years will be exempted from the odd-even formula. Two-wheeler riders will also be exempted,” Kejriwal told the media.
He announced a fine of Rs.2,000 for not following the odd-even formula.
Kejriwal also said that the vehicles of the president, vice president, prime minister, speaker of Lok Sabha and deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha will be exempted.
Those who would be exempted also include Leaders of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, chief ministers of states except Delhi, judges of the Supreme Court and the High Court and the Lokayukta will be exempted from the odd-even formula.
“Deputy speaker of Lok Sabha, governors of states, Lt governor, chief justice of India and union ministers will also be exempted.”
He said those on way to hospital for medical emergency will also be exempted, if they carry proof.
He said that the emergency vehicles like ambulances, fire tenders, prison vans, hearses and enforcement vehicles will also exempted.
(Agencies)
Hyderabad: Telangana DGP Anurag Sharma has slammed the random arrests of innocent Muslim youths post bomb blasts in recent years.
In his presentation at a conference of Director Generals of Police (DGPs) in Bhuj, Sharma went on to claim that socio-economic exclusion of Muslims and random arrests of youths from the community in the aftermath of a terror attack are leading to radicalisation among the minorities.
While there were 10 presentations on various aspects of internal security at the annual meet organised by the Intelligence Bureau, the one on radicalisation, presented by Sharma, was the most critical in the context of threats from the Islamic State.
According to sources, Sharma said there was a sense of alienation among Muslims as “expected social and economic benefits” had not reached them. He highlighted how areas inhabited by minorities were generally bereft of civic amenities and dearth of economic opportunities. All this, he said, made the community vulnerable to radicalisation.
To illustrate how random arrests of Muslim youths has led to radicalisation, Sharma cited the 2007 Makkah Masjid blasts in Hyderabad. He pointed out how, immediately after the blasts, police arrested Muslim youths who were found to be innocent. The blasts were found to have been executed by Hindu outfits.
(Agencies)
New Delhi: BJP veterans L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Shanta Kumar and Yashwant Sinha, who have been vocal against party leadership, today went into a huddle over developments in the party in the wake of MP Kirti Azad’s suspension after he attacked Arun Jaitley over DDCA issue.
Azad has sought intervention of the ‘margdarshak mandal’, comprising Advani, Joshi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh, which was formed by BJP president Amit Shah after he took over the party reins.
Sources said Advani drove down to Joshi’s residence and Shanta Kumar and Sinha joined them at noon for a meeting that lasted about an hour. The four leaders, who had virtually revolted against the Modi-Shah team after BJP’s drubbing in Bihar Assembly election last month, are learnt to have discussed the situation arising out of Azad’s suspension.
They had made a strong public statement after the Bihar poll debacle, saying the party has been “emasculated” in the last one year and was being “forced to kow-tow to a handful”.
Cracking the whip yesterday, BJP suspended Azad, who has been leading a campaign against Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on alleged corruption in DDCA, charging him with anti-party activities and accusing him of “colluding” with Congress and AAP to bring it into “disrepute”.
The action of the BJP Parliamentary Board to suspend him from the party’s primary membership with immediate effect came three days after his press conference attacking Jaitley and subsequent acts of defiance both inside and outside Parliament.
(Agencies)
Supporters of Houthi rebels and militiamen shout slogans during a rally against the Saudi-led coalition, which has been leading the war against the Iran-backed rebels, on December 15, 2015 in Sanaa. (AFP/Abdel Rahman Abdallah)
by Press TV
Houthi rebels and allied forces have captured a strategic mountain in the southwestern province of Ta’izz.
Yemen’s al-Masirah TV network reported on Wednesday that the Houthi forces were able to take Mount Jubah in the al-Mesrakh district of Ta’izz and kill a number of Saudi mercenaries.
According to the report, several Saudi-backed forces were also killed or captured during a raid on al-Shukah Mountain in Ta’izz.
In another development on Wednesday, the Houthis fired a Qaher 1 ballistic missile at the al-Faisal military base in Saudi Arabia’s southwestern city of Khamis Mushait in retaliation for Riyadh’s unrelenting military campaign against Yemen.
Separately, several soldiers loyal to embattled Yemeni president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, were killed after Yemeni troops fired a missile at the Dhubab district of Tai’zz.
Meanwhile, Saudi bomber aircrafts pounded Yemen’s northern province of Sa’ada, killing five civilians and wounding six others.
Saudi Arabia started its military aggression against Yemen in late March in a bid to bring Hadi back to power.
To curb the increasing violence, a seven-day ceasefire under the United Nations’ auspices was agreed in Yemen, which went into effect on December 15, but was repeatedly violated.
Saudi Arabia’s attacks against Yemen have so far claimed the lives of more than 7,500 people and injured over 14,000 others.