Mirchi - Hot Topics of the Day

Published on Dec 15, 2008 by Mirchi | 73 Views | General, Politics, Current News, Breaking News | 0 Comments

An Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes, and insults, at George Bush during the US president's surprise visit to Iraq is being questioned over whether anybody paid him for the protest as footage of the incident plays continually on the internet and rolling news channels.Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Iraq to demand the release of Muntadar al-Zeidi, who is being held at the headquarters of the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki.Al-Zeidi, who shouted "dog" at Bush as he threw his footwear at him, is being interrogated over whether he acted alone. He is also being tested for alcohol and drugs, according to an Iraqi official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. His shoes were being held as evidence, the official added.Al-Zeidi's colleagues said the journalist was kidnapped last year by Shia militias and released after his employers, the TV station al-Baghdadia, intervened.The Bush trip, which saw him visit Afghanistan today, was conducted amid... [More]

Tags: George Bush, Baghdad, shoe protest man, Iraq

Published on Dec 15, 2008 by Mirchi | 55 Views | General, Current News, Breaking News | 0 Comments

The Union Cabinet on Monday approved amendments to the law to provide for a tough legal measure and the setting up of a National Investigating Agency (NIA) to combat terror. The Cabinet, which had an unscheduled meeting, gave its approval to the proposal to amend the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 and the setting up of the NIA, an official spokesman said. The Cabinet also approved a proposal for amendment to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Act. There were no details available on what the CISF amendment was but it comes amid demands that key private sector installations be given security cover by the para-military force, which guards state-owned facilities, installations, and undertakings besides airports. The spokesman said the bills will be introduced in Parliament, which is currently in session. [More]

Tags: Mumbai Terror, Hafiz saeed, Maulana Masood Azhar, Dawood Ibrahim, Terrorism, Pakistan

Published on Dec 9, 2008 by Mirchi | 101 Views | General, Politics, Current News, Breaking News | 0 Comments

Pakistan has ruled out giving India access to Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhwi, who is learnt to be behind the Mumbai terror strikes. Pak has said that only its authorities can question Lakhwi to ascertain whether he had any link to the attacks. Pakistan defence minister Chaudhary Ahmed Mukhtar said India's "concerns" can be discussed through a joint investigation mechanism which Islamabad has proposed to be set up to probe the Mumbai attacks. "May be we can have a joint investigation mechanism and find out who these culprits are," Mukhtar said. He said Pak officials will question Lakhwi, who was arrested in the crackdown against terrorists, to find out whether there is any linkage to the Mumbai terror attacks. Lakhwi's name figured during questioning of Ajmal Kasav, the only terrorist caught during the Mumbai attacks, by Indian investigators. "We do not have to rush into things. We have to move slowly to get hold of the right kind of... [More]

Tags: Dawood, Masood, Memon, Mumbai Terror, Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Zakiur Rehman Lakhwi

Published on Dec 9, 2008 by Mirchi | 103 Views | General, Cricket | 0 Comments

A former England cricketer will appear in court today charged with drug smuggling after £200,000 of cocaine was found hidden in fruit tins. Chris Lewis, 40, is due to appear at Crawley Magistrates' Court after being arrested by UK Border Agency staff at Gatwick when 4kg of cocaine was found during a routine search of luggage arriving from St Lucia. The drugs were in a liquid form hidden in the tins, said an official. The fast bowler, who played 32 Tests and 53 one-day internationals in the 1990s, was held along with Chad Kirnon, 26, a basketball player. They were questioned by Customs officials and then charged. Bob Gaiger, a HM Revenue & Customs spokesman, said: “This was an excellent detection by UK Border Agency officers. HMRC, together with UK Borders Agency,(UKBA) play a vital role in the fight to prevent illegal drugs from entering the UK and in protecting our communities from the violence and corruption that always accompany this hideous trade.” A... [More]

Tags: Chris Lewis, Arrested, smuggling

Published on Dec 9, 2008 by Mirchi | 108 Views | Politics, Current News, Breaking News | 0 Comments

A fire broke out between the 20 and 21st floor of the Taj Hotel's new building in south Mumbai early on Tuesday.Fire officials here said the building, one of the sites of the November 26 terror attacks, was empty when the incident happened.There are no casualty reports in the incident and though the cause of the fire is still unknown, unofficial sources attributed it to faulty wiring.The operation to put out the fire is still on, the officials added. [More]

Tags: Taj Hotel, Mumbai, Tuesday

Published on Dec 9, 2008 by Mirchi | 119 Views | Current News, Breaking News, Technology | 0 Comments

An Indian Court has been called to ban Google Earth amid suggestions the online satellite imaging was used to help plan the terror attacks that killed more than 170 people in Mumbai last month. A petition entered at the Bombay High Court alleges that the Google Earth service, "aids terrorists in plotting attacks." Advocate Amit Karkhanis has urged the court to direct Google to blur images of sensitive areas in the country until the case is decided. There are indications that the gunmen who stormed Mumbai on November 26, and the people trained them, were technically literate. The group appears to have used complex GPS systems to navigate their way to Mumbai by sea. They communicated by satellite phone, used mobile phones with several different SIM cards, and may have monitored events as the siege unfolded via handheld Blackberry web browsers. Police in Mumbai have said the terrorists familiarised themselves with the streets of Mumbai's financial capital using satellite... [More]

Tags: Google, Earth

Published on Dec 9, 2008 by Mirchi | 125 Views | Current News, Breaking News | 0 Comments

Pakistani authorities have reportedly imposed restrictions on the movement of Jaish-e-Mohammed founder Maulana Masood Azhar and confined him to his home despite turning down India's demand for handing him over.Azhar, who was freed by Indian authorities along with two other terrorists in exchange for passengers of an Indian Airlines flight hijacked from Kathmandu to Kandahar in 1999, has been confined to his multi-storey building in Model Town area of Bahawalpur, The News daily reported on Tuesday.The report quoted official sources as saying that Azhar's activities had been restricted in the wake of India's demand to hand him over along with criminals Dawood Ibrahim and Tiger Memon.There was no official word on whether Azhar had been restricted to his home. The Pakistan Army on Monday confirmed it had launched an operation against banned militant groups.Lashker-e-Taiba commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhwi is among over 20 militants arrested during the crackdown, sources... [More]

Tags: Maulana Masood Azhar, Pakistan, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashker-e-Taiba, Zakiur Rehman Lakhwi, Terror, Terrorism, Terrorist

Published on Dec 5, 2008 by Mirchi | 136 Views | General, Current News, Breaking News | 0 Comments

A scare was triggered at the Indira Gandhi International airport in the wee hours on Friday after a sound similar to gunshots were reportedly heard from the facility. The control room of the CISF received a call at around 1.10 am from passengers that they heard sound of gunshots from one of the gates of international departure lounge of the airport, official said. "We received a call that some passengers heard a sound similar to two gunshots, but there were no eyewitnesses. No evidence has so far come up to suggest that it was a firing and we cannot confirm it as a gunshot," Udayan Banerjee, DIG, CISF and incharge of security at Delhi airport said. "After the sound, the CISF and Delhi Police deployment swung into action and intensified the checking at the airport," he said adding the passenger movement is normal and arrival and departure is also functioning smoothly. Delhi police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said, "a call was received that three to four rounds... [More]

Tags: New Delhi, Airport, Firing, Terror, Indira Gandhi International airport

Published on Dec 4, 2008 by Mirchi | 130 Views | Current News, Breaking News, Technology | 0 Comments

Islamic extremists are being instructed on how to use the popular video-sharing site YouTube as a way to disseminate propaganda videos, a US-based terrorism monitor said. Militants are being encouraged to use the online site through postings on other Islamic forums on the Internet, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. Last week, an extremist authored step-by-step instructions on posting video to YouTube, which he described as "one of the most famous and biggest international sites that publish sections of videos from all over the world." The posting encourages readers to post scenes of Western forces coming under attack to, it says, "shame the Crusaders by publishing clips of videos showing their losses, which they hid for a long time." Islamic extremists have long used the Internet as a tool to communicate with supporters and distribute propaganda but the latest posting specifically coaxes militants towards YouTube and touts it as a user-friendly tool.... [More]

Tags: Youtube, Pakistan, Terror

Published on Dec 3, 2008 by Mirchi | 155 Views | General, Current News | 0 Comments

Even for a country experiencing the widest possible variety of terrorist attacks, alarmingly recurring at shorter intervals, the terrorist blitzkrieg on Mumbai has chillingly numbed and outraged the nation. The anger, revulsion, distress, disgust, shame and initial helplessness, rising to a crescendo of revenge, have all been captured in images that will continue to torment each one of us. The display of selfless courage and valour in defeating the terrorists will, likewise, evoke salutes of pride, raising the bar of patriotism higher. Clearly, there is a need to overhaul the entire system and rid ourselves of the perennial weaknesses in our intelligence gathering and security apparatus that permit such terrorist attacks to take place. On previous occasions, many suggestions to strengthen and modernise our security forces, and an improved coordination between various agencies involved, have been discussed in this column. Alas. Nothing substantial has happened despite a plethora... [More]

Tags: India, Mumbai Terror, Pakistan, United States, anti-national terrorists