New Delhi, Aug 25 : The Supreme Court today extended the ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) by six weeks.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan also fixed September 24 as the date for next hearing in this case.

The Centre had challenged the decision of the Special Tribunal headed by Justice Geeta Mittal to lift the ban on SIMI.

On August 6, a bench headed by the Chief Justice Balakrishnan stayed a special tribunal order that had earlier ordered lifting restrictions on its activities.

Dhaka  - Border officials of India and Bangladesh reached a deal pledging to bury the mistrust and bitterness of the past while strengthening ties between the border guards of each countries, officials said Monday.

Closing four days of talks on Sunday, officials of both countries appeared upbeat by the discussions about border incursions, frontier fencing, skirmishes and cross-border trade.

Srinagar, Aug 25 : Nearly 24 protesters were injured on Monday as stone pelting mobs defied curfew and fought street battles with security forces in Srinagar and at many places across the Kashmir Valley.

According to reports, defying curfew the protesters tried to march for a sit-in at Lal Chowk this morning. Security forces had to cane-charge, lob tear gas shells and fire several rounds in air to disperse the protesters.

Similar reports of mass defiance of curfew came from Hajan in Bandipora district, Kupwara town, Bijbehara in Anantnag district, Sopore in Baramulla district, Beerwah in Budgam district, Kulgam district town and several places in Srinagar city. Protesters also clashed with police at Digiana on the Jammu-Pathankot highway.

Queensland, Aug 25 : Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has said that she was not aware of adoptions of stolen Indian children during her term as Child Safety Minister.

Bligh said the Queensland Government was assisting in the investigation but she could not recall concerns about child stealing during her time as Child Safety Minister.

“Not to the best of my recollection, but there is material being gathered by the department about the child concerned so there may well be something that I don''t recall, but as you''ll appreciate it is a long time ago,” she said.

News. com. au quoted Bligh as saying that she did not wish to speculate about the validity of the adoption, should the case go to court.

Srinagar/ Jammu, Aug 25: Despite curfew in all the ten districts of the Kashmir Valley, the Hurriyat leaders’ decision to go ahead with today’s Lal Chaowk rally prompted the State Government to place some of its senior leaders under house arrest, while detaining several other second-rung leaders.

With house arrests of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Yasin Malik and arrests of second-rung leaders, the Government has decided to clamp down on mass mobilisation by separatists in the heart of the city.

Police and paramilitary forces have been deployed in strength to tackle any untoward situation and preventing people’s movements without valid curfew passes.