Tag Archives: classifieds
Tarun Tejpal claims innocence over rape charge
Tarun Tejpal claims innocence over rape charge (AFP) / 18 February 2014 Investigating officer Sunita Sawant filed a 2,684-page charge sheet before the court on Monday, saying there was enough evidence to prove the charges. A leading Indian editor charged with raping a colleague insisted on Tuesday he was innocent, after a court deferred his plea for bail in the case which has dominated local media. Tarun Tejpal, the founder and editor of top investigative magazine Tehelka, has been in custody since his arrest in late November over the alleged incident in a hotel lift in the southern state of Goa. On Monday Tejpal was charged with a series of offences including sexual harassment, outraging modesty and rape, in one of the highest-profile cases since India toughened its rape laws last year. “The charge sheet against me is out of political vendetta. I am innocent,” the 50-year old told reporters outside the court in Goa’s capital Panaji, after his bail hearing was deferred until March 4 and he was taken back into custody. “The truth is in the CCTV footage and it will be known to the world,” he said, dressed in a white Indian kurta (tunic) for his court appearance, at which his family members were also present. The woman, who has quit the magazine since the scandal broke and who cannot be named for legal reasons, has told police she was molested twice in the lift during a magazine-sponsored event in the state. The case made front-page news in India for days, at a time when sexual assault was under the spotlight following the fatal gang-rape of a student in Delhi in December 2012, which sparked widespread protests. The magazine has reported forcefully on gender inequality in India recently, highlighting police and judicial insensitivity to rape victims as well as the misogynistic attitudes of many Indian men. It has been accused of hypocrisy and trying to cover up a serious crime after magazine staff were sent an email saying Tejpal was stepping down for six months for “misconduct”. Police say their investigation gathered CCTV footage showing the pair entering the elevator — although there was no camera inside it — and other evidence including email and SMS exchanges between them. Investigating officer Sunita Sawant filed a 2,684-page charge sheet before the court on Monday, saying there was enough evidence to prove the charges. Police said they also sought on Monday a fast-track trial that could be completed within 60 days. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Fire destroys 12 warehouses in Sharjah Industrial Area
Fire destroys 12 warehouses in Sharjah Industrial Area Afkar Abdullah / 18 February 2014 Residents of nearby buildings and labour accommodations evacuated. Firefighters from Sharjah, Ajman, Dubai, and Umm Al Quwain are currently fighting massive fire erupted at 9pm at more than 12 warehouses at Sharjah Industrial Area No 13. Fire at the warehouses in the Sharjah Industrial Area 13 on Monday night. – KT photos by M. Sajjad The warehouses were storing clothes, aluminium, glass, furniture and different types of flammable materials. The flames are spreading fast and smoke billowed up the sky because of strong wind and the quantity of flammable materials kept in the warehouses. No casualties have been reported till the time of filing this report but the fire might have caused huge loss, according to a police official. The police cordoned off the area and closed the road to help the firefighters carry out their duty. The police also evacuated the tenants and workers from nearby buildings and labour accommodations for safety. A Civil Defence official said that the firefighters are trying hard to control the fire and prevent it from spreading to nearby premises and other warehouses in the same compound. A source in the civil defence team said it may take long hours to put out the fire considering the speed of the wind and the intensity of the fire. Once the fire is extinguished, experts will start cooling operations, said the source. According to an eyewitness a number of warehouses in the compound have been completely destroyed by the fire. afkarali@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Gargash ridicules Kuwaiti cleric’s remarks against UAE
Gargash ridicules Kuwaiti cleric’s remarks against UAE Mustafa Al Zarooni / 17 February 2014 Kuwaiti cleric Nabil Al Awadi hit out at the UAE on the backdrop of dismissal of 8 Kuwaiti students from UAE’s universities. The deliberate affront and attack on the UAE by Muslim Brotherhood members is still ongoing in a bid from them to disseminate what could distort the country’s image without verifying the authenticity of the news they have. After Qatari Muslim scholar of Egyptian descent Yousuf Al Qaradawi transgressed on the UAE and offended it during a Friday prayer sermon last month from a Qatari mosque, Kuwaiti cleric Nabil Al Awadi, who apparently belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood, hit out at the UAE without having tangible evidence in hand on the backdrop of dismissing eight Kuwaiti undergraduates enrolled in UAE’s universities. However, the state-run news agency Wam denied that the Kuwaiti students were dismissed arbitrarily, but justified that they have been dismissed because of flouting university rules and regulations. Meanwhile, the social networking websites Twitter saw lots of tweets that denounced Al Awadi’s acts for raising groundless offences against the UAE without ascertaining of whether they are true or not before he posted them on his social networking pages. In reply to Al Awadi’s attack against the UAE, Minister of State for UAE Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash tweeted that the transgression by the Muslim Brotherhood’s leading members and figures on the UAE denotes and reflects the despair of those who were given a chance, but failed to seize the occasion. The UAE, he said, was said to be an example of success and achievement. “Trying to make up accusations and blame the UAE for–though they contradict what really is– is a silly losing bet.” “The UAE has the full right to protect its society, maintain and preserve its sovereignty, and safeguard lives of its citizens,” he stated. mustafa@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
