Heavily drunk, Gujarat Dy CM's son Nitin Patel misbehaves; taken off flight

Jaimin Patel cleared the immigration and other checks in a wheelchair: Qatar Airways officials

Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel's son was early on Monday prevented by authorities from boarding a Qatar Airways flight to Greece after he arrived in a "heavily drunken" state at the airport and argued with the airline's staff.

Official sources told IANS that Jaimin Patel, who is in his mid-30s, his wife Jhalak and their daughter Vaishvi were stopped from boarding the Qatar Airways flight, which was to take off at 4 a.m.

When Patel, who is a land dealer, reached Ahmedabad International Airport, he was not even able to walk because of his drunken state.

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He cleared the immigration and other checks in a wheelchair due to his inebriated condition, said airport officials.

"Jaimin Patel was prevented from boarding the flight. He also had an argument with the staff of the airways," an official said, requesting anonymity.

Meanwhile, Nitin Patel told reporters in the evening in Gandhinagar that this was a ploy to defame him. "My son, his wife and daughter were going for a vacation. He was not feeling well." Read more

Saudi Arabia announces Islamic military alliance against terrorism

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday announced the formation of an Islamic military alliance comprising 34 countries to fight against terrorism.

The alliance will be led by Saudi Arabia.

The countries in the alliance are the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, Pakistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Turkey, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Djibouti, Senegal, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Gabon, Guinea, Palestine, Comoros, Qatar, Cote d'Ivoire, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Maldives, Mali, Malaysia, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Yemen.

A joint operations centre will be established in Riyadh to coordinate and support military operations against terrorism and to develop the necessary programmes and mechanisms for supporting these efforts.

"The appropriate arrangements shall be developed for coordination with friendly peace-loving nations and international bodies for the sake of supporting international efforts to combat terrorism and to save international peace and security," an official statement said.

More than ten other Islamic countries have expressed their support for the alliance and will take the necessary measures in this regard, including Indonesia.

The statement said the alliance affirmed the principles and objectives of the charter of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which calls for member states to cooperate to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and rejects all justifications and excuses for terrorism.

The alliance affirmed the right of states to self-defence in accordance with the purposes and principles of international law and the UN Charter on the basis of the provisions of the OIC Convention on Combating Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and the elimination of its objectives and its causes.