News Update: 27 July 2007

1) Blast near Lal Masjid: Radicals strikes back. In protest against the recent crackdown on Lal Masjid, protesters clashed with the police today. They tried to seize Lal Masjid and painted it with red color (the government had painted it with green). The Mosque was reopened for Friday Prayer for the first time since the bloody battle that claimed 102 lives.

According to latest reports, a powerful blast occurred outside the Mosque in which at least 13 people have been killed.

2) Charges against Haneef Dropped: The Australian court dropped all charges against Dr. Md. Haneef. He is all set to be released from prison and will be on his way back to India.

3) Yakub Memon gets Death Sentence: The designated TADA sentenced Yakub Memom to death in the 1993 Mumbai Bomb Blast case. The other three members of Yakub family - Essa, Yusuf and Rubeena – were handed out life imprisonments. With this, 12 people have been handed over death sentence in the Mumbai blast case so far.

4) Sacred Temple Bull Shambo Slaughtered: Shambo, the temple bullock has been slaughtered, it was confirmed today in Wales. The six-year-old Friesian, which tested positive for bovine tuberculosis, was put down following a three-month fight by members of a Hindu community to keep him alive.

5) Benazir meets Musharraf: In the backdrop of radical movement against Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, former PM Benazir Bhutto held fresh talks with him and discussed the current political scenario. A new equation in Pakistan politics cannot be ruled out.