India has decided to send over 100 specially trained commandos to protect its mission in Yemen amid rising threats from terror groups including Al Qaeda in that country. The deployment of Indian securitymen in the Middle Eastern country comes at a time when the government has ordered "maximum security" for Indian Missions and other assets in Afghanistan in the wake of a heightened threat from Taliban and other Pakistan-based terror groups which could carry out a wave of attacks, including car bomb blasts. The Indian Embassy in Yemen and its Chancery are located in the southern part of the country at Sana. The elite contingent, drawn from paramilitary force Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), will be deployed soon at the Embassy after necessary clearances from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), official sources said. The personnel have been trained in VIP, mobile and static security duties and would also deliver technical support responsibilities, they said. An assessment report on the present security situation in context of the Embassy and the deployment of the commandos has already been forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the sources said. The almost 40000-personnel strong SSB guards the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders and is a vital intelligence gathering force at these ’open’ borders. A decision was taken on the deployment of Indian guards to Yemen after a need was felt to protect the Embassy from any possible terror or militant strike, they said. The contingent has also been trained in vehicle driving, unarmed combat and providing proximate security to the officials and staff of the Indian Embassy. The Yemeni government has been fighting against Houthi rebels in the North of the country since 2004 and the fighting, which originated in Saada, has spread to the neighbouring areas of Al-Jawf, Amran, and Hajja. The US State Department has been regularly warning of threats from terror groups like Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which claimed responsibility for many attacks in that country. Indian commandos mainly drawn from CISF are already posted to guard the Indian Mission in Afghanistan which is facing high threat from terror groups.

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MORADABAD: Two sisters belonging to the Dalit community were allegedly burnt alive in Kothiwal Nagar here by a mob protesting a double murder for which their brother was accused, police said on Sunday. "An FIR has been registered in which the victim girls’ mother has identified 12 people who were part of the mob," SP (City) Rahul Yadavendra told PTI.

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The Supreme Court on Dec. 15 reserved its judgement on the CBI’s plea for awarding death sentence to Dara Singh, main accused in brutal killing of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons in January 1999. A bench of justices P Sathasivam and B S Chauhan reserved its judgement after hearing at length the arguments of the CBI’s counsel and Additional Solicitor General Vivek Tankha, and various counsel for the convicts.

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Muslims, Buddhists and Christians organized a signature campaigns and continuous prayer services to appeal the king of Saudi Arabia for pardon housemaid, Rizana Nafeek Christian and Muslim groups are organizing signature campaigns and prayer services in support of an appeal to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to pardon condemned housemaid, Rizana Nafeek. Seventeen-year-old Nafeek was sentenced to death in October after being declared guilty of killing the four-month-old baby of her Saudi employer in 2005. She went to Saudi Arabia with a fake ID that put her age at 23 and was employed as a housemaid. Her death sentence was suspended when her appeal was filed. It will remain so until confirmed by the king.

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Allow them to write exams if they have proof of fees paid. Dubai: Dubai’s Campus Educational Institute, which functioned as the affiliated distance study centre for the University of Madras (UOM) in India, owes the university Dh1.3 million and hence will no longer function as its study centre, university officials disclosed on Friday. In a statement issued to Gulf News, the university said it has initiated criminal case in India against Nandan Balakrishnan, who runs Campus. A team of senior officials from the university are now in Dubai to hold talks with more than 62 students, who were allegedly conned by the institute by promising degrees from the university.

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Saudi police arrested 38 people in the holy city of Medina after fighting erupted near Islam’s oldest mosque Al-Quba on the Shiite religious holiday of Ashura, Saudi media reported on Saturday.

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The resolution says that the new employment permit will only be granted to the worker after the end of his work relationship with his employer.

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Viji John (42), an Indian nurse working at the medical department of the Qatar Petroleum died on Thursday evening. Her husband Biju Varghese is a pharmacist at the Hamad General Hospital. The couple has two children, Riya Eliz Biju and Reeba Merin Biju, both studying at DPS Modern Indian School. Prayers will be held today at 5.30 pm at Hamad Hospital mortuary. Her body will be flown home tomorrow.

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Manama, December 18: Shaikh Rashid Bin Isa Al Khalifa, the brother of king Hamad, died on Friday in Germany, the Royal Court said. The deceased will be buried in Riffa, south of Manama, on Saturday and condolences will be accepted at the Riffa Palace on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, the court said

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Students in Punjab hail Australian visa review

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‘Harassment’ by Manipal cop forces person to attempt suicide

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India’s over 150 million Muslim population is largely unattracted to extremism, U.S. diplomatic cables have said, endorsing India’s vibrant democracy, inclusive culture and nationalistic nature of the minority community. “Separatism and religious extremism have little appeal to Indian Muslims, and the overwhelming majority espouse moderate doctrines,” Former U.S. envoy to India, David Mulford said in a cable released by whistle-blower website WikiLeaks.

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Typing centres approved by the EIDA could not register residents over the past few days as the system had been jammed due to the large number of residents trying to register before the deadline.

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Here’s wishing you and your family festive greetings of Christmas and an eventful 2011. CELEBRATE THE FESTIVE SEASON BY CONTRIBUTING CLOTHES TO THE NEEDY. The Bombay Catholic Sabha, Orlem Unit , Jaago Re Nagrik Manch along with GOONJ, winner of the “Indian NGO of the Year2007” have organized a collection drive for clothes in Orlem on Sunday, December 19 between 9.00 a.m. and 12.00 noon.

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PADUBIDRI: The Nagarjuna officials, it is learnt, were trying to forcibly evict a lone woman who is residing in Tenka Ermal panchayat limits, in order to facilitate its pipeline works.Though the UPCL authorities had forcibly evicted several people for the pipeline works passing through the Tenka Ermal panchayat office, now, following the failure of the works and the company planning to have steel pipelines, it was eying the land of the lone woman Lalitha Acharya whose house also has daivas installed and worshipped.

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Dubai: An overnight Emirates airline to Colombo was forced to return to Dubai due to a "technical failure," the airline said in a statement on Thursday. The flight "returned to Dubai Airport 20 minutes after it was airborne due to a technical failure. The aircraft landed safely and all passengers disembarked," an Emirates spokesperson said in the statement.

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Manama: Kuwait’s Labour Ministry has submitted three proposals to the government to help put an end to the controversial sponsorship system. The proposals are based on studies and recommendations prepared by the ministry, the Arab Labour Organisation and the International Labour Organisation, a source from the ministry has said.

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ABU DHABI - Christmas came in extravagant fashion to the Muslim desert emirate of Abu Dhabi as a glitzy hotel unveiled a bejewelled Christmas tree valued at more than 11 million dollars on Wednesday. It is the "most expensive Christmas tree ever," with a "value of over 11 million dollars," said Hans Olbertz, general manager of Emirates Palace hotel, at its inauguration.

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Udupi, Dec 16: Ahead of Moharam, Panchyat Elections and the Christmas celebrations, deputy commissioner (DC) Hemalata P called a peace meeting here on Thursday December 29 in order to take precautionary measures to maintain the law and order situation in the district.

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Paul D’Souza (44)Working for Qatar Airways Doha Qatar, Son of late Monthu Apoline Dsouza, Husband of Audrey, Father of Adrian, Brother of Cyril, Johnny Julie passed away on 15Dec 2010.

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