Islamabad: Sunday was a big day for Hindus in Pakistan as the bill to regulate their marriages has become a law after President Mamnoon Hussain gave his approval. A statement from the PM's office said, “On the advice of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the President of Pakistan has assented to the The Hindu Marriage Bill 2017.” The law aims to protect marriages, families, mothers and their children while safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of Hindu families. “It is a consolidated law for solemnisation of marriages by Hindu families residing in Pakistan,” the statement said.
US man charged with hate crime for assaulting Indian-American
Washington: A US man has been indicted on a hate crime charge for assaulting an Indian-origin man and hurling racial slurs, mistaking him for a Muslim. Jeffrey Allen Burgess, 54, was accused of intentionally harming Ankur Mehta on November 22 because of his "perceived race, colour and national origin", said a report. A federal grand jury indicted Burgess in connection with the alleged assault at Red Robin restaurant in Pittsburgh's South Hills Village. According reports, at the time of the incident, Burgess was seated next to Mehta at the restaurant's bar. Burgess then launched an unprovoked attack on the victim, striking Mehta in the face with his elbow and fist multiple times, said the police. Witnesses said Burgess struck Mehta four or five times and called him a "(expletive) Muslim," according to the complaint.
UK envoy attack: Bangla SC upholds death sentences
Dhaka: The Bangladesh Supreme Court rejected the appeal by banned Harkatul-Jihad al-Islami's former chief and two of his accomplices against death sentences imposed for a grenade attack in 2004 on Britain's then envoy to Dhaka. Three militants, including Mufti Abdul Hannan, HuJI head, Sharif Shahedul Alam and Delwar Hossain, were sentenced to death in 2008. In May 2004, then UK high commissioner Anwar Choudhury came under a grenade attack while coming out of the Hazrat Shahjalal's shrine in Sylhet. Assistant sub inspector Kamal Uddin and two constables died in the attck. A panel of three judges rejected the petition that sought a review of the death terms.
Kabul hospital attack toll rises to 50
KABUL: The official death toll from last week's militant assault on a Kabul military hospital has risen to 50. Officials originally put the death toll at 30 for the March 8 attack. But the investigating team now updated the figure to 50. There were five attackers in whole and was claimed by the Islamic State group. Investigators said 24 people have been arrested and are under investigation - either for involvement in planning the attack or dereliction of duty in failing to prevent it. "There is no evidence to prove that insiders were involved in the attack," sources said.
25 killed in attack on Damascus court house
BEIRUT: At least 25 people were killed in a suicide attack at a court house in the Syrian capital Damascus. The attack targeted the Palace of Justice in central Damascus not far from the Old City. The bomber set off his explosive device after the police tried to stop him from entering the building, a senior state legal official said. A few days earlier, a number of people, most of them Iraqi Shi'ite pilgrims, were killed in a double suicide attack in Damascus claimed by an alliance of jihadist groups known as Tahrir al-Sham.
Six militants killed in Bangladesh raid
Chittagong: Five suspected militants and a young boy were killed as police raided extremist hideouts. Police stormed a building in Chittagong, sparking a 15-hour stand-off with militants with around 20 civilians trapped inside. Four members of Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh, including one woman died in that operation, police said. Two other were killed after they detonated a suicide vest. Police also raided a second hideout in the area where they arrested a husband and wife tied to JMB. A sixth person died in a separate raid in a border town. Police identified him as a member of the group Harkat-ul Jihad al Islam.
Racial attack on Chinese in US
Beijing: For the first case of a racial attack on a Chinese citizen, a woman hit a man on a bus in New York, saying she hated Chinese. The Chinese man, 68-year-old Wang Zenxin, was whacked on the head with an umbrella on March 7. When Wang asked why she was behaving in a violent manner, the middle-aged Hispanic woman said, “Because I hate Chinese people“. She asked Wang to go back to his country, saying the US was no place for the Chinese.
This girl sang Gayatri Mantra before Pak PM
Karachi: The Hindus of Karachi hosted Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif at Holi celebrations on March 15. The PM talked about his 'strong commitment' to protect the rights of minorities. He stressed that forcible conversion is a crime in Islam. However, a girl named Narodha Malni stole the show with her rendition of the Gayatri Mantra. The reaction of those on the dais and in the crowd is also worth watching.
Taiwanese model robbed and strangled to death
Taipei: The 22 -year - old Taiwanese model Naomi Chen met a tragic end at the hands of a man who claimed to be her photographer. The accused has been identified as Cheng Yu, and his girlfriend Liang Ssu - Hui. The duo were arrested by the police. According to reports, Cheng pretended to be a photographer and invited Naomi to a photoshoot via his girlfriend. Naomi and Liang were friends for two years. A case of sexual assault has also been charged on the accused after the victim's body was found naked in the underground parking space of an abandoned shopping mall in Taipei.
Man threatens to bomb White House
Washington: The US Secret Service tightened security at the White House after a man was arrested after making threats. The man claimed he had a bomb in his car, following which he was arrested and the car in which he was travelling seized. Hours earlier, a person was held after jumping over a bike rack in an apparent bid to reach the fence outside the White House. The individual was detained immediately and criminal charges are pending.
Sufi leader, daughter killed in Bangladesh
Dhaka: A Sufi spiritual leader and his daughter were murdered by unidentified attackers in Bangladesh, amid a series of systematic assaults targeting minorities, Sufis and bloggers in the Muslim-majority nation. Farhad Hossain Chowdhury, 55, and his adopted daughter Rupali Begum were found murdered in a Khanqah -a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood - close to the man's home in Dinajpur's Bochaganj upazila, police said. “Both of them had bullet marks on their bodies and the young woman's neck was slit with a sharp weapon,” Dhaka Tribune reported. Police said there was a power cut in the area when the incident took place. Farhad, a Pir or Sufi spiritual leader, was also the former president of Setabganj municipality unit of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Pak court declares MQM leader as proclaimed offender
Islamabad: The anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Pakistan has declared Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) leader Farooq Sattar as a proclaimed offender and issued a warrant for his arrest. Earlier, the police had submitted a report in the court requesting it to take action against Sattar. This came after the police were unable to execute the warrants issued against Sattar, Altaf Hussain, Amir Khan and 30 other persons. Sattar was taken to police custody earlier, but was released after few hours on the intervention of a top provincial authority. The police were directed by the ATC court to put the names of MQM leaders Farooq Sattar, Khalid Maqbool and Amir Liaquat on the Exit Control List. The instructions were issued after the police repeatedly failed to produce the absconders in recent hearings of five identical cases regarding the facilitation of hate speech and sedition.
