Sunday, August 23, 2009 WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama has issued a special Ramadan message to the Muslim World, expressing hope for a more peaceful and secure world. In a video message to Muslims, Obama said the US was committed to keeping its pledge to build a safer world, end the Iraq war and isolate violent extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan. "All of these efforts are part of America's commitment to engage Muslims and Muslim-majority nations on the basis of mutual interest and mutual respect," Obama said in the message posted on the White House website. "And at this time of renewal, I want to reiterate my commitment to a new beginning between America and Muslims around the world." "We are also committed to keeping our responsibility to build a world that is more peaceful and secure," he said. Obama also mentioned the common Muslim-Christian principals and rituals, saying that people of the both faiths are in search of "advancing justice, progress, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings." He said that the US would help recognize the rights of Israelis and Palestinians for them to live in peace and security. Since taking his oath of office in January, Obama has tried to reconcile US relations with the Muslim World, which were soured after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 20003. The US President visited Turkey and Egypt, telling both Muslim audiences that "America is not - and never will be - at war with Islam." Ramadan, the ninth month on the Islamic calendar, is a time for Muslims to fast from dawn to sunset and focus on their faith, self-accountability and self-restraint. Muslims believe it was in this month that the first verse of the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet of Islam, Hazrat Mohammad (PBUH).
Friday, August 14, 2009 MUMBAI: A 26-year-old woman died Thursday of H1N1 swine flu in the southern city of Bangalore, raising India's death toll from the virus to 20, authorities said.The death was the first reported in India's information technology capital, the Press Trust of India reported.Meanwhile in Pune, the worst-affected in India, two more victims of the virus died Thursday, raising the death toll in that western city near Mumbai to 12, the report said. The victims were an 11-month-old boy and a 75-year-old old woman.US media reported movie halls, schools and colleges were ordered closed Thursday for three days to a week in Mumbai, the commercial and financial capital of the country, as fear of the pandemic spread.Prajakata Lavangare, a spokeswoman for the government of Maharashtra state of which Mumbai is the capital, said similar orders were issued in Pune, which is also located in the state.The woman who died in Bangalore was identified only as Roopa, a teacher in
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