Gandhi grandson in Palestine cry

Jaipur (PTI): Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Arun Gandhi will kick off an unarmed Palestinian movement against Israeli occupation.

Arun, the head of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Non-Violence in the US, will be the star attraction at three mass rallies planned in Ramallah, Abu Dis and Bethlehem on August 26.

The campaign is being organised by a group of Palestinian social and political activists in Ramallah, who have joined hands with anti-fence activists and NGOs. The rallies come in the wake of the International Court of Justice’s ruling condemning the construction of the West Bank barrier by Israel.

Arun told the daily Ha’aretz from the US that he intends “to promote the philosophy of non-violence, the approach that non-violence is the only venue that can solve our problems”.

“I am coming both to learn and to teach his (Gandhi’s) philosophy. I understand that many bad things happened 55 years ago, but the attempt to get justice by revenge accomplishes nothing,” he is quoted to have said.

“I’ve dedicated my life to explain to people how damaging prejudices can be, and how to form better relations. That is the basis of non-violence. Relations must be based on love, understanding and honour, not on negative foundations.”

Indian held in Pakistan

Lahore (AP): Security forces arrested a man they claim to be an Indian national and believed to be a close aide of a militant leader suspected to be involved in an assassination attempt on a top Pakistan army general.

Maqsood Ansari was picked up on Thursday in Lahore, an intelligence official who asked not to be named said on Friday.

Ansari was arrested on information from Rao Khalid, a senior figure in Jundallah, a militant group believed linked with al Qaida.

Khalid, who was arrested on Thursday in Karachi, is suspected of taking part in an ambush in Karachi against Lt Gen. Ahsan Saleem Hayat. The general escaped unharmed but 10 people were killed in the shooting and bombing attack on June 10. Police described Khalid alias Harris as the No. 3 leader in Jundallah.

The official said Ansari came to Pakistan nine years ago. He married a Pakistani and had been living in Lahore and Karachi, working closely with Khalid.

Decade-high rain in Jaipur

Jaipur (PTI): Five persons have been killed in Jaipur, which received the decade’s heaviest rainfall in a day, while many dams across the state are overflowing.

Three persons drowned and two were electrocuted as incessant rains lashed the city and its suburbs, police said. Jaipur recorded a rainfall of five inches — the highest in 10 years.

Water in the Chandman dam crossed the danger mark at Phagi in the district. The army has been alerted and 11 places have been marked flood-affected.

Pak boy surgery

Coimbatore (PTI): A 10-year-old Pakistani boy, who had lost his eyes and hands in a toy bomb blast in Rawalpindi two years ago, is undergoing plastic surgery at a city hospital. Doctors said a multi-staged approach was the only option to reconstruct Talha Masood’s hands.

Aishwarya film

Bangalore: Aishwarya Rai’s and Kamal Hassan’s movies could not be released across Karnataka on Friday as the row over entertainment tax on non-Kannada films continued. Distributors of Aishwarya’s Kyun! Ho Gaya Na… had prints in hand but were told to hold them back by the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce. The release of I, Robot and Kamal Hassan’s Tamil movie Vasool Raja MBBS was also stalled.

I-Day haul

Srinagar (PTI): Police and the BSF have seized a huge cache of arms and explosives dumped by militants in a field near Bakshi Stadium where official celebrations for Independence Day are to be held.

NCERT textbooks

Jaipur (PTI): Rajasthan High Court has passed an injunction that no changes will be made to NCERT textbooks in the current academic session. Petitioners educationist T.N. Bhardwaj and a student said mid-session changes would create problems for students.

Farmer suicide

Karimnagar (AP): Six more farmers have committed suicide in Andhra in the past 24 hours. Ridden by mounting debts, four farmers consumed pesticides.

The Tamil Nadu government has sanctioned mobile dispensaries in Coimbatore’s tribal belt. Eight blocks, with a population of about 30,000 have been selected for the project.