If a church or Hindu temple okay at ground zero, why not mosque?: Obama

President Barack Obama Friday again backed controversial plans to build an Islamic centre near the site of 9/11 attacks in New York reminding critics that the US was at war against terrorism not Islam.

'All men and women are created equal, they have certain inalienable rights, and one of those is to practice their religion freely,' he said at a White House press conference.

'You can build a church on a site, you can build a synagogue on a site, if you could build a Hindu temple on a site, you should be able to build a mosque.'

Obama's comments came amidst a controversy about a Florida pastor's plans to burn the Quran on the ninth anniversary of the Sep 11, 2001 terror attacks unless the proposed Islamic centre was moved away from ground zero in exchange for the burning being called off.

Obama said he recognised the sensitivity in the area because of the 9/11 attacks and acknowledges that family members are continuing to experience pain and anguish over their losses.

However, he urged people to remember who their real enemies are. 'We are not at war against Islam. We are at war against terrorist organizations that have distorted Islam or falsely used the banner of Islam,' Obama said.

'If we're going to deal with the problems ... (of) reducing the terrorist threat, we need all the allies we can get.'

Obama pressed that in fact, the anti-Islam sentiment and a war between the West and Islam is exactly what terrorist organizations are hoping for.

'Al Qaeda, that's what they've been banking on,' Obama said. 'The overwhelming majority of Muslims are peace-loving - are interested in the same things that you and I are interested in.'

Obama stressed it is important that Americans do not believe the entire religion of Islam is offensive.

Rahul Gandhi's land gyan

The government should create an amicable mechanism for corporates acquiring land from farmers for big-ticket projects. It must understand that these projects—like Singur (scrapped two years ago), Niyamgiri and Yamuna Expressway—are key growth drivers for the Indian economy. At the same time, the government must ensure that the farmers rendered landless after acquisition by private companies are given their dues, both in letter and spirit. Notably, key policymakers of the government have completely endorsed Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi's proposals to make the draft land acquisition Bill more effective so that it is well-received by both India Inc and the farmer community.

Gandhi has proposed to the PM that the Centre redraft its current land acquisition policy along the lines of what Haryana has done. As part of the proposed amendment, there could be a huge jump in compensation for farmers as compensation is revised in tune with prevailing market prices in respective areas. Gandhi has also proposed that the affected farmers should be given sweat equity, in the form of a 10% share of the developed land after project completion. Indeed, the proposals have stronger foundations than the rules embedded in the existing draft Bill. The new proposals seek land for land, whereas the current Bill has demanded farmers' shares in projects. The former suggestion is far better in the sense that farmers should hold instruments that they fully understand
Last but not the least, Gandhi has proposed that there should be a fresh definition for 'arable land'. According to Haryana's policy, arable land is land that is capable of growing at least two crops. If this clause is included in the Bill tabled in the Winter session of Parliament, corporates would be barred from touching arable land, no matter what compensation they offer.
Gandhi's focus is rightly placed. He is garnering people's support by pushing for a farmer-friendly land policy. He seems to be the flagbearer of a party that has realised that its roots lie among the people. This is not just an attempt at ensuring a secure future for farmers; it also aims at making farmers some kind of partners in prosperity that projects generate on their land, as farmers benefit from the appreciation that accrues to their land because of infrastructure development.

India, Russia to develop missiles having speed of 6,000 kmph

India will soon become the first country to have cruise missiles with hyper speed of over 6,000 km per hour, as an agreement for their joint development will be signed with Russia during the visit of President Dmitry Medvedev here in December. The first unit of Kudankulam nuclear plant, built by Russia in Tamil Nadu, will also be commissioned during the visit slated to begin from December 21.
Medvedev will be undertaking the visit for annual India-Russia Summit with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, during which the two sides will discuss ways to further enhance their relations in various fields. One of the highlights of the visit would be signing of a contract for joint development of hypersonic version of the BrahMos cruise missile, Defence Ministry sources told PTI here.
This version of the missile will have a speed of over 6,000 kms per hour, making India the only country in the world to possess such missiles of this speed. The speed of the existing variant of BrahMos is half than that of the proposed ones.
With a range of 290 kms, the hypersonic missiles are expected to be ready by 2015-16, the sources said. The much-delayed first unit of Kudankulam nuclear power plant is also expected be made operational during the visit of Medvedev, who will be visiting the site for the purpose, they said.
The commissioning of the 1,000 MW Kudankulam-I, work on which began three years back, will set in motion the roadmap that the two countries are working on in the field of atomic energy cooperation. Under the roadmap, a number of nuclear reactors would be set up by Russia in India.
Four of the reactors are envisaged to be established in Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu and one in Haripur in West Bengal, with scope for more in future. The proposal to set up a Russian nuclear plant in Haripur is facing resistance from local people, but the government is hopeful of convincing them about its utility and allay their apprehensions.
The second unit of Kudankulam power plant will be made operational within six months of commissioning of the Unit-I. During the visit of the Russian President, a number of other defence deals are also expected to be signed.

Yamuna water may cross danger mark; authorities on alert

The water level in the Yamuna is likely to rise by at least two metres above the danger mark by tomorrow evening due to release of over 8 lakh cusec water by Haryana, a prospect that has prompted authorities to ask people living in nearby low-lying areas to shift elsewhere. The river was flowing at 204.52 metres this morning, slightly less than the danger level of 204.83 metres.

A senior official of the Flood Control Department said Haryana has released 6.60 lakh cusec water yesterday and 2.13 lakh cusec water today. The water will reach Delhi by tomorrow evening and the Yamuna water level may raise upto 207 metres, he said.
Considering the possible flood-like situation due to the rising water level, the Delhi government has asked people living in low-lying areas near the river to shift to safer places. "We are taking all precautionary measures to handle the situation," the official said.
Last month too, the Yamuna water level was above the danger level for several days, prompting authorities to shift a large number of people to relief camps.

Pastor cancels plans to burn Qurans on 9/11

Washington/Gainesville, (US), Sep 10(DPA) A Florida pastor who wanted to burn Qurans to protest Islamic extremism said late Thursday that he might reconsider his earlier decision to call off the event.




The Reverend Terry Jones told NBC News that 'we are a little back to square one' after what he claimed was a deal to relocate a controversial mosque near the former site of the World Trade Centre in New York appeared not to have materialised.



Jones had planned to burn copies of the Quran Saturday on the ninth anniversary of the Sep 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.



Jones said earlier Thursday that he was dropping the plans in exchange for relocating the mosque. But mosque officials in New York denied there was an agreement to move the construction site.



'Given what we are now hearing, we are forced to rethink our decision,' Jones told NBC after the mosque officials denied a deal was in the works. 'So as of right now, we are not cancelling the event, but we are suspending it.'



In an earlier press conference, Jones said he would cancel the event, adding that he accomplished his goal. 'The American people don't want the mosque there and of course Muslims do not want us to burn their Quran'.



Jones said he planned to fly to New York Saturday to meet with the mosque's leader Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, but he later clarified he would not burn the Qurans regardless of what happens with the mosque. Late in the evening, he then appeared to waffle on that promise after the mosque's denial.



Jones earlier spoke to reporters in Gainesville, Florida, the site of the his Dove World Outreach Centre, which has a congregation of about 50 people. He had declared Saturday 'International Burn a Koran Day', drawing fierce criticism from religious leaders of all faiths and top US officials, including President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.



Rauf plans to build the mosque and Islamic cultural centre, which sparked controversy because of the close proximity to the site of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre.



Rauf issued a statement denying any deal with Jones to relocate the mosque and said he had not spoken to Jones. He added he had no intention to 'barter' with Jones.



'I am surprised by their announcement,' Rauf said. 'We are not going to toy with our religion or any other. Nor are we going to barter. We are here to extend our hands to build peace and harmony.'



Rauf had previously said cancelling plans to build the mosque would equally anger Muslims and fuel anti-American sentiment.



Muhammad Musri of the Islamic Society of Central Florida, who appeared at the press conference with Jones, said he was arranging a meeting with Rauf.



Musri said burning the Quran would have been 'a clear provocation' to Muslims, and he was grateful Jones backed off.



'I want to thank him for making the decision today to defuse the situation and bring to a positive end what has become the world over a spectacle that no one would benefit from except extremists and terrorists,' Musri said.



Secretary of Defence Robert Gates took the unprecedented step of telephoning Jones directly to urge him to abandon the his plan, warning it could put US troops serving in Muslim countries in greater danger, CNN reported.



Jones was widely condemned for the plans from US officials who considered it an outrage but were also concerned burning the Quran would cause violent reprisals against US soldiers in Muslim nations as well as American diplomats and citizens overseas. They were also concerned it would fuel Islamic extremism. Despite the outrage, officials could not stop Jones because freedom of religious speech and expression is guaranteed under the Constitution.



Obama weighed in Thursday, saying it would be a 'recruitment bonanza for Al Qaeda'. US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton denounced the plans and said it did not represent American values. Several US officials referred to Jones and his congregation as a 'fringe' group and urged the media to ignore him.



Jones' plans also sparked worldwide outrage. Demonstrations took place in Afghanistan and Indonesia, and the State Department urged Americans travelling abroad to exercise caution. Interpol, based in Paris, issued a warning of possible violent reprisals.



Local residents initially expressed relief that the burning would not move forward, but nevertheless Gainesville police were maintaining added security measures.



'We hope for the best, but we're still continuing to plan for the worst,' said Bob Woods, city spokesman.

Top US commander: Burning Quran endangers troops

he top U.S. and NATO commander inAfghanistan warned Tuesday an American church's threat to burn copies of the Muslim holy book could endanger U.S. troops in the country and Americans worldwide.

Meanwhile, NATO reported the death of an American service memberin an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday.

The comments from Gen. David Petraeus followed a protest Monday by hundreds of Afghans over the plans by Gainesville, Florida-based Dove World Outreach Center — a small, evangelical Christian church that espouses anti-Islam philosophy — to burn copies of the Quran on church grounds to mark the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States that provoked the Afghan war.

"Images of the burning of a Quran would undoubtedly be used by extremists in Afghanistan — and around the world — to inflame public opinion and incite violence," Petraeus said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen echoed those sentiments Tuesday, saying any burning "would be in a strong contradiction with the all the values we stand for and fight for."

Muslims consider the Quran to be the word of God and insist it be treated with the utmost respect, along with any printed material containing its verses or the name of Allah or the Prophet Muhammad. Any intentional damage or show of disrespect to the Quran is deeply offensive.

In 2005, 15 people died and scores were wounded in riots in Afghanistan sparked by a story in Newsweek magazine alleging interrogators at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay placed copies of the Quran in washrooms and flushed one down the toilet to get inmates to talk. Newsweek later retracted the story.

Responding to Petraeus' comments, Dove World Outreach Center's senior pastor Terry Jones acknowledged Petraeus' concerns as legitimate but said the church still planned to go ahead with the burning.

"We are at this time not going to cancel it. We're still considering it and praying about it," Jones told The Associated Press. "We are also just also concerned and wondering, when do we stop? How much do we back down? ... Instead of us backing down, maybe it's to time to stand up."

The church, which made headlines last year after distributing T-shirts that said "Islam is of the Devil," has been denied a permit to set a bonfire but has vowed to proceed with the burning. The congregation's website estimates it has about 50 members, but the church has leveraged the Internet with a Facebook page and blog devoted to its Quran-burning plans.

The American's death brings to at least six the number of U.S. forces killed in Afghanistan this month, along with at least four other non-American members of the international coalition.

Engagements with insurgents are rising along with the addition of another 30,000 U.S. troops, bringing the total number of international forces in the country to more than 140,000.

At least 322 U.S. troops have died in Afghanistan so far this year, exceeding the previous annual record of 304 for all of 2009, according to an AP count.

Petraeus is asking for 2,000 more trainers and field troops for the international force, NATO officials said Monday. It was unclear how many would be Americans.

Also Tuesday, authorities confirmed the ambush killing of a district chief by suspected insurgents in the northern province of Baghlan on Monday afternoon. Nahrin district chief Rahmad Sror Joshan Pool was on his way home after a memorial service for slain anti-Soviet guerrilla leader Ahmad Shah Massoud when rocket-propelled grenades hit his vehicle, setting it on fire, said provincial spokesman Mahmood Haqmal.

Pool's bodyguard was also killed in the attack, and one militant died and two were wounded in the ensuing fire fight with police, Haqmal said.

Five children were killed and five wounded in Yaya Khil district in the southern province of Paktika when an insurgent rocket fired at an Afghan army base hit a home Monday evening, provincial government spokesman Mokhlais Afghan said.

Kidnappers also seized two electoral workers and their two drivers in the western province of Ghor, according to deputy provincial police chief Ahmad Khan Bashir.

Insurgents have waged a campaign of violence and intimidation to prevent Afghans from voting, especially in rural areas, while some pre-election violence has also been blamed on rivalries among the candidates.

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Call for Papers: National Seminar on NATURAL RESOURCES AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT November 19-20, 2010

The School of Economics, a university teaching department of Devi Ahilya University, Indore, is organizing a two days National Seminar on "Natural Resources and Economic Development" on 19-20 November, 2010 under UGC-SAP at DRS-II level. This seminar is aimed to explore the linkages between availability & usage of natural resources and its impact on economic development and further to assess the reasons responsible for economic growth/stagnation in resource-rich/poor economies. Papers are invited from academicians and subject experts on the above theme for discussion in the seminar and later on for publication in a book form latest by October 31, 2010. You can send your papers to Dr. Kanhaiya Ahuja, seminar coordinator & convener, through e-mail: kanhaiya.ahuja@gmail.com. The authors of the selected paper would be invited to present their papers in the seminar. The institute will reimburse maximum up to AC III to only one author. For details, login to: http://www.dauniv.ac.in 

Dr. Ganesh Kawadia

Professor & Head