| Islamic World News | |
| 27 Oct 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com | |
| Germany: 'Veil martyr' trial to open | |
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Yemen rebels 'fight Saudi forces' Saudi sex TV producer spared lash Baghdad bomb fatalities pass 160 Kuwaiti Islamist MPs call to enforce hijab Makkah gears up for Haj As Indonesia debates Islam's role, U.S. stays out Marwa el-Sherbini trial to begin, Arabs watch and wait Pakistan 'holds elite Iran force' 'Crime' and punishment for Muslim women Israeli police storm holy site Al Fayed wants to be 'Scot Prez' Tunisia goes to the polls Pak gunmen kill minister as troops take Taliban den Lashkar publications back in Pak: Jaish opens new madrasa in Masood town South Waziristan There they go again Hizbul Islam threaten Somalia journalists Taliban now out of control of Pakistan Israeli Police Clash with Palestinians at Sacred Compound in Jerusalem Iran May Ship 'Part' of Its Uranium Abroad The crisis in Afghanistan An unwanted second round Iran Hints At Acceptance of Nuclear Deal Israeli PM Netanyahu: international rule of law should be changed The Road to Success in Afghanistan Prosecutor seeks harsher punishment for woman journalist Balochistan Education minister shot dead in Quetta NATO probes death of four Afghan civilians Maximum penalty sought for killer of veiled woman Iraqi security forces on high alert after day of carnage UN experts begin inspection of Iran's n-site Den lost, Hakimullah warns of more attacks across Pakistan Pak Army captures Key Mountain in Waziristan 'US spying on Pak N-plans for years' Bangla PM accuses 2 of terror links Israel storms holy site in Jerusalem Baghdad's Bloodiest day in Months Iran's secret nuke site opens for UN UK reviews Lockerbie crash case The Roman Catholic and Anglican churches unleashing the Counter-Reformation Wasim Akram's wife dies of heart attack, body to be taken to Pakistan Compiled by Syed Asadullah URL: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamCurrentAffairs_1.aspx?ArticleID=1996 -----
Germany: 'Veil martyr' trial to open October 26, 2009 DRESDEN, Germany (AFP) – A man accused of killing a pregnant Egyptian woman in court in a frenzied anti-Islamic attack goes on trial in Germany Monday in a case that inflamed tempers throughout the Muslim world. Prosecutors say the defendant, identified according to German legal practice only as Alex W., stabbed Marwa al-Sherbini at least 16 times in three minutes on July 1, in the same courthouse where his three-week trial will be held. Some 200 police officers will guard the proceedings this time in the eastern city of Dresden, as German media reported Internet death threats against the defendant, who will appear in court behind bulletproof glass. The 28-year-old Russian-born German allegedly plunged an 18-cm (seven-inch) kitchen knife into the chest, back and arm of Sherbini, 31, who was three months pregnant at the time with her second child. She bled to death at the scene in the presence of her son Mustafa, aged three and a half at the time, in what prosecutors say in the charge sheet was a killing motivated by "a pronounced hatred of non-Europeans and Muslims". Town grieves for slainin priest CHATHAM, New Jersey (AP) -- An arrest in the brutal slaying of a Roman Catholic priest has brought little solace to his parishioners in this affluent community, who widely view the suspected role of the long-time church janitor as a second tragedy. More than 150 people at St. Patrick's Church for Sunday's early Mass prayed for Rev. Ed Hinds, whose body was discovered in the church rectory Friday, and for Jose Feliciano, who is charged with stabbing the priest 32 times with a kitchen knife. "This is a tragedy for this community," Rev. Owen Moran said after leading Mass. "It's a tragedy for Father Ed and his family, and it's a tragedy for the Feliciano family." Authorities say the slaying occurred at about 5 p.m. Thursday after an argument between Hinds and Feliciano in the rectory. Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi told CNN on Saturday that the two men argued "over Feliciano's continued employment." Karzai questions U.S. reliability as partner WASHINGTON (AFP) – Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai questioned the reliability of the United States as a partner Sunday, as he fought off criticism of his government's legitimacy following fraud-marred elections. Karzai's main challenger, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, warned in an interview with CNN that the US strategy will not succeed without a credible partner in Kabul, blaming Karzai for deteriorating conditions. But underscoring the political headache that Washington faces if Karzai wins a run-off against Abdullah next month, Karzai pointed the finger at the United States in a separate, pre-recorded CNN interview. "Is the United States a reliable partner with Afghanistan? Is the West a reliable partner with Afghanistan?" Karzai asked. "Have we received the commitments that we were given? Have we been treated like a partner?" Karzai said a partnership to him was "where the Afghan lives are respected, where Afghan property is respected, where the Afghan traditions are respected, where we know the direction we are moving to." Ex-guerrilla, rival in Uruguay runoff MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) – A blunt-talking former guerrilla seeking to maintain the left's hold on power in Uruguay easily got the most votes in presidential elections Sunday, but failed to win the majority needed to avoid a runoff. Jose "Pepe" Mujica got about 48 percent of the votes compared to 30 percent for former president Luis Alberto LaCalle, a free-marketeer who wants to cut government and taxes and reduce alliances with Latin American leftists. Two voter initiatives — one to remove amnesty for human rights abuses under the 1973-85 dictatorship and another to enable mail-in votes by citizens living outside Uruguay — also failed to win majorities, according to exit polls by the companies Cifra, Factum and Equipos Mori. Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/226483/veil-martyr-trial-open ----- Saudi female journalist to be whipped over TV sex show October 26, 2009 Saudi female journalist to be whipped over TV sex show RIYADH: A Saudi court on Saturday sentenced a female journalist to 60 lashes after she had been charged with involvement in a Lebanese TV show in which a Saudi man publicly talked about sex. Rozanna al-Yami, 22, is believed to be the first Saudi female journalist to be given such a punishment, but there were conflicting accounts about how the court issued its verdict. Yami, who worked as a coordinator for the program but has denied working on the sex-show episode, said it was her understanding that the judge at the court in the western city of Jiddah dropped the charges against her. They included involvement in the preparation of the show and advertising the segment on the internet. But she said he still handed down the lashing sentence "as a deterrence." "I am too frustrated and upset to appeal the sentence," said the journalist. Yami refused to provide contact details for her lawyer to ask about the legal proceedings, including the basis in Islamic law for the punishment and whether the charges were really dropped. Sulaiman al-Jumeii, the lawyer for Mazen Abdel-Jawad, the man who appeared in the show, said such "physical punishment is not an indication of innocence or a drop of charges." "If the judge had dropped the charges, then why did he give her the 60 lashes?" he asked. Abdel-Rahman al-Hazza, the spokesman for the Culture and Information, Ministry said that he had no details of the sentencing and could not comment on it. In the program, which aired in July on the Lebanese LBC satellite channel, Abdel-Jawad appears to describe an active sex life and shows sex toys that were blurred by the station. The same court sentenced Abdel-Jawad earlier this month to five years in jail and 1,000 lashes. Jumeii maintains his client was duped by the television station and was unaware in many cases he was being recorded. On Saturday, the lawyer said that not trying Yami before a court specialized in media matters at the Culture and Information Ministry was a violation of Saudi law. "It is a precedent to try a journalist before a summary court for an issue that concerns the nature of his job," he said. The case has scandalized this ultraconservative country where public talk about sex is taboo and the sexes are segregated. The government moved swiftly in the wake of the case, shutting down LBC's two offices in the kingdom and arresting Abdel-Jawad, who works for the national airline. Three other men who appeared on the show, "Bold Red Line," were convicted of discussing sex publicly. – AP Source: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=107932 ----- Yemen rebels 'fight Saudi forces' Rebels in northern Yemen say they have clashed with Saudi forces at the site of building work for a fence along the border between the two countries. A statement on the rebels' website said there were a number of deaths and injuries on both sides. There was no immediate response from Saudi authorities. The rebels, known as Houthis, say they are fighting discrimination in Yemen and accuse Saudi Arabia of supporting the Yemeni government. The group accused Saudi forces of firing on them in the same area on Monday in support of a Yemeni government offensive. A Yemeni government official told AP news agency that the claim of Saudi involvement in the ongoing conflict was a lie. The rebels condemned the building of the barrier on the Saudi border: "Residents of the area reject any fence which would have a negative economic impact on them and cut them off from their brethren on the other side," the statement said. New wave Yemeni officials accuse the rebels in the north of the country of wanting to re-establish Shia clerical rule, and of receiving support from Iran. Houthi rebels say they want greater autonomy and a greater role for their version of Shia Islam. They complain that their community is discriminated against. Earlier in the week, 10 rebels captured in 2008 were sentenced to death. The Zaidi Shia community are a minority in Yemen but make up the majority in the north of the country. The insurgents first took up arms against the government in 2004. The government launched a fresh offensive in August 2009 which has precipitated a new wave of intense fighting. Aid agencies say tens of thousands of people have been displaced. Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/8321073.stm -- Saudi sex TV producer spared lash Map locator The Saudi king has waived a sentence of flogging on a female journalist working for a TV channel which aired graphic accounts of sex in the kingdom. King Abdullah cancelled the sentence of 60 lashes against Rozanna al-Yami, after being briefed on the case. The programme broadcast by Saudi-owned Lebanese channel LBC caused a huge scandal in the conservative kingdom. Three men who bragged about their sexual adventures in the show, as well as the cameraman, have been jailed. No reason has been given for the king's decision. It is the second time he has intervened in a high-profile flogging sentence in two years. The original programme was part of a series called Red Lines, examining taboos in the Arab world, including extra-marital sex in Saudi Arabia. Mazen Abdul Jawad provoked outrage by describing his techniques for meeting and having sex with Saudi women. He has apologised and claimed LBC tricked him, but he was jailed for five years and sentenced to 1,000 lashes. Three of his friends who appeared on the show got two years each and the cameraman was jailed for two months. The station's offices in Saudi Arabia were closed down and two of its producers - both female - put on trial. LBC has made no comment about the cases. Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8326520.stm ---- Baghdad bomb fatalities pass 150 The moment a bomb hit Baghdad Iraqi officials have raised the death toll from Sunday's bombings in Baghdad to 155 and they say another 500 people were wounded in the explosions. The co-ordinated attacks, near the justice and local government ministries and the provincial government HQ, were Baghdad's bloodiest since April 2007. Suicide bombers detonated two vehicles, a lorry at a busy junction near the two ministries and a car in a parking bay. US President Barack Obama branded the attacks "hateful and destructive". American troops have been called in to help the investigation and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has pledged that the perpetrators will be brought to justice. Mr Obama said in a statement: "I strongly condemn these outrageous attacks on the Iraqi people, and send my deepest condolences to those who have lost loved ones. "These bombings serve no purpose other than the murder of innocent men, women and children, and they only reveal the hateful and destructive agenda of those who would deny the Iraqi people the future that they deserve."Iran's foreign ministry joined international condemnation, saying such actions "aim to wreck stability and the process of reinforcing democratic structures". 'Cowardly terrorism' Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8325600.stm ------ Kuwaiti Islamist MPs call to enforce hijab Oct 25, 2009 Kuwaiti Islamist lawmakers are pressing the authorities to force women to wear the hijab headscarf ahead of a court ruling on Wednesday concerning two women MP who refuse to wear it. "Hijab is a legal and religious obligation," MP Jamaan al-Harbash told a rally late Saturday organised by Islamist lawmakers to enforce the hijab in the oil-rich emirate. In early October the emirate's Fatwa Department, which issues religious edicts, ruled that Muslim women must wear the hijab in line with Islamic sharia law. "The government must apply the law and the fatwa," regarding the hijab, MP Faisal al-Muslim said told the rally. Liberal MPs have said that the fatwa is non-binding, insisting that the rule of law and the constitution should be the only points of reference. And on October 11, Rula Dashti, a liberal woman lawmaker, filed an amendment to the electoral law, saying sharia regulations in the electoral law is a breach of the constitution. Full Report at: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidANA20091025T115253ZILY72/Kuwaiti%20Islamist%20MPs%20call%20to%20enforce%20hijab ----- Makkah gears up for Haj Badea Abu Al-Naja, 26 October 2009 MAKKAH: The Presidency of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques has begun preparations to implement its plan for this year's Haj season, which will begin on Nov. 3 until Dec. 18. A total of 6,058 persons — including 1,756 regular staff members, 1,800 temporary employees and 2,502 male and female laborers — will be working under the presidency. Presidency staff will also be guiding pilgrims to enable them to perform Haj rituals correctly. The presidency's plans also include increasing the number of muftis and study circles in the Grand Mosque, and completing the expansion of the Masa (the chamber between Safa and Marwah). The presidency is also working on completing the bridge that leads from the Masa to the bus terminal, preparing the eastern courtyard to accommodate more worshippers, setting up more drinking water points, keeping up with cleanliness, completing studies to determine the hydraulic specifications of the well of Zamzam in collaboration with the Geological Survey Department, and developing the sterilization system of Zamzam water. Under the rules made by the presidency, no food, drinks or bags will be allowed into the Grand Mosque. It also called on pilgrims not to use Zamzam water for ablution, not to sleep inside the Grand Mosque and to dispose of garbage in bins. The presidency asked pilgrims to send their observations, complaints or suggestions by fax no: 02 573 9992 or via its website: www.gph.gov.sa ----- As Indonesia debates Islam's role, U.S. stays out David Sapsted, October 26. 2009 Anjem Choudary, centre, is planning a major protest in London to call for Sharia to be adopted in Britain. PA Photo LONDON // Police in London fear widespread violence in the heart of the city Saturday when a group of militant Muslims stage a demonstration calling for Sharia to be introduced in Britain. Though the march, from the Houses of Parliament to Trafalgar Square, is expected to attract only 100 or so supporters, it has spawned plans for a counter-demonstration by a right-wing group made up largely of football hooligans. The rival demonstrations are expected to meet in Trafalgar Square where at least two other protests being organised by moderate Muslims, who are opposed to both sets of extremists. Plans for the Sharia march have been made by a group calling itself Islam4UK, led by Anjem Choudary, a former lawyer and previous leader of two extremist groups in the UK, which the government outlawed. Both the leading Islamic groupings in Britain – the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and the Islamic Society of Britain – have condemned the march, saying it will only foster Islamophobia. Since news of the Sharia march was published last week, Casuals United, a far-right group with links to the anti-Islam English Defence League, have said that its "lads" will meet the marchers in Trafalgar Square. Philip Davies, a Conservative MP, is now calling on Mr Choudary to cancel his demonstration. "These marchers are inciting racial tensions by what they are doing. For that reason alone it is not wise for a march to take place," he said. Patrick Mercer, another Conservative MP and ex-army officer, told the Daily Express: "It is extremely distasteful and is stoking the fires of fear within the British public. If anyone thinks that those views are a step forward in society they are seriously deluded." However, Mr Choudary, who has called on the Queen to convert to Islam and who has applauded the deaths of British soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, remains determined to press ahead. Forecasting that up to 1,000 Muslims could attend the march, he said: "There is a large proportion of society who are ignorant of Islam and Sharia. This march will be a good vehicle to engage the public." However, Muhammad Abdul Bari, general secretary of the MCB, said that it was Full Report at: http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091026/FOREIGN/710259883/1002/NEWS ----- Marwa el-Sherbini trial to begin, Arabs watch and wait Joseph Mayton, 26 October 2009 CAIRO: Marwa el-Sherbini's name has become synonymous with the cultural and religious fight ongoing in Europe following her tragic death in early July of this year. The courtroom stabbing at the hands of a German extremist, neo-Nazi, radical named Alex, left much of Egypt and the Arab world crying foul, saying it revealed the turn toward anti-Islamic sentiments in Europe. Small demonstrations were organized, the most popular received international attention, as Egyptians in Alexandria chanted anti-German sentiments. On Monday, Alex's trial is set to begin. Prosecutors are expected to demand the death penalty in the case, which left her family stunned. The Egyptian Lawyers Syndicate in Cairo is also expected to participate in the hearings. Hamdi Khalifa, the head of the syndicate, is to present the case in 11 sessions, beginning with five days of witness testimony, he said. (see also our scoop: Egyptian woman stabbed to death in Germany as a result of veil) The syndicate is coordinating its case with the German Embassy in Cairo. Still, it may not be enough to appease Egyptians, who had called for Alex to be put to death for his gruesome killing – he stabbed el-Sherbini 17 times in the middle of the Dresden courtroom – but the situation has apparently calmed somewhat. The Dresden orchestra is scheduled to perform in Cairo soon, but despite calls from the Alexandria Pharmaceutical Syndicate – of which el-Sherbini was a member – the culture ministry has said the performance will go ahead as scheduled. "This is a cultural matter. Let us allow the rule of law to play out in the case of a personal crime," said Culture Minister Farouk Hosni. He believes that Germany will convict the man and that "a cultural organization should not be punished for a crime they did not commit." For many Egyptians, especially the family of the 32-year-old woman – who was three months pregnant when she was knifed down in front of her husband and her three-year-old son – who are demanding the orchestra be barred from playing in Egypt. Full Report at: http://bikyamasr.com/?p=5232 ----- Pakistan 'holds elite Iran force' Eleven members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards force have been arrested in Pakistan after illegally entering the country, police there say. They were detained in Mashkel near the Pakistan-Iran border, they added. It comes eight days after a suicide bomb killed 42 people, among them six Revolutionary Guard commanders, in Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan province. Iran said a Sunni militant group had launched the attack from Pakistan. Islamabad denied any involvement. Pakistani officials said the 11 Revolutionary Guards arrested on Monday were being questioned. Two vehicles were also reportedly seized. Last week, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on Pakistan to arrest the attackers, believed to belong to a group called Jundallah, or Soldiers of God. Pakistan condemned the bombing and said it would co-operate in the search for those responsible. But Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Basit dismissed Iranian claims that Jundallah's leader was in Pakistan. Tehran had previously accused the US of contributing to the attack. The US dismissed the accusation. Full Report at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/8326517.stm
'Crime' and punishment for Muslim women 26 Oct, 2009 A SAUDI court recently sentenced a female journalist to 60 lashes for her involvement in a TV show in which a Saudi man publicly talked about sex. Rozanna al- Yami, 22, is believed to be the first Saudi woman journalist to be given such a punishment. Al- Yami, who worked as a coordinator for the programme but has denied working on the sexshow episode, said it was her understanding that the judge at the court in Jiddah dropped the charges against her. But she said he still handed down the lashing sentence " as a deterrence". " I am too frustrated and upset to appeal the sentence," al- Yami said. In the programme, which aired in July on the Lebanese LBC satellite channel, the man, Mazen Abdul- Jawad appears to describe an active sex life and shows sex toys blurred by the station. The same court sentenced Abdul- Jawad earlier this month to five years in jail and 1,000 lashes. In a similar incident, two Sudanese women were sentenced on October 22 to 20 lashes for " indecently" wearing trousers. The case came weeks after a similar case sparked worldwide controversy. The two were arrested at the same party as Lubna Hussein, a former journalist who was also charged with wearing trousers and who publicised her case as part of a campaign against Sudan's public order laws. Hussein was arrested by Sudan's public order police at a Khartoum party in July with 12 other women, 10 of whom pleaded guilty to similar charges and were flogged, she has said. If in Sudan it was flogging for wearing trousers, in Malaysia an Islamic court last month sentenced a Muslim woman to be flogged for having beer in a nightclub. Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno was sentenced to six lashes and a fine of 5,000 ringgit ($ 1,400) for consuming alcohol, said a Shariah High Court official who declined to be identified. Shukarno, a 32- year- old model, pleaded guilty to a charge of drinking beer when Islamic authorities raided a nightclub in August 2008. The nightclub operators were not charged with any offence. The punishment " is aimed at making the accused repent and serves as a lesson to Muslims", a newspaper quoted Judge Abdul Rahman Yunus as saying. ----- Israeli police storm holy site October 26, 2009 Jewish conquest, say Muslim leaders; compound is closed JERUSALEM: Israeli forces stormed Jerusalem's holiest shrine on Sunday, firing stun grenades to disperse hundreds of stone-throwing Palestinian protesters in a fresh eruption of violence at the most volatile spot in the Holy Land. A wall of Israeli riot police behind plexiglass shields closed in on the crowd, sending many protesters — overwhelmingly young men — running for cover into the black-domed Al-Aqsa mosque. The mosque is one part of the compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. Dozens of protesters remained holed up inside the mosque for several hours, occasionally opening shuttered doors to throw objects at police. The Israeli forces did not enter the building, and the protesters eventually left peacefully and the compound was closed, police said. There were no serious injuries. Israel's national police chief, David Cohen, accused a small group of Muslim extremists of trying to foment violence — echoing a charge made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu two weeks ago. "The police will act with a strong hand against anyone who disrupts order on the Temple Mount and against those incite to riot," said Mr. Cohen. Full Report at: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/10/26/stories/2009102654461300.htm ----- Al Fayed wants to be 'Scot Prez' Oct 25, 2009 Egyptian billionaire Mohammed Al Fayed wants to be the "first President of an independent Scotland, according to a report. The 80-year-old Harrods boss, who owns a 65,000-acre estate in Scotland, said he hoped to be "offered Scottish citizenship" if a referendum on independence, to be moved the ruling Scottish National Party in 2010, leads to the break-up of the United Kingdom. "You Scots have been living in a coma for too long," he told the Sunday Times. "It is time for you to waken up and detach yourselves from the English and their terrible politicans." "Whatever help is needed for Scotland to regain its independence, I will provide it. When you Scots regain your freedom I'm ready to be your President. I have lived here [in England] for 40 years, but now the home that I want is Scotland," he said, making his ambitions clear. Mr Al Fayed, who has been unsuccessful in getting British citizenship, hoped that Scotland would become a Republic after independence and evict the royals from their Scottish home. "If you Scots retain the royal family you will have no hope. You will be like Bangladesh," he said. "But once you get rid of the royals, I will buy Balmoral Castle and open it up. I will run it for the public as a museum," he added. Full Report at: http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/news/international/al-fayed-wants-to-be-%E2%80%98scot-prez%E2%80%99.aspx ----- Tunisia goes to the polls October 26, 2009 TUNIS (TUNISIA), OCT. 24. Tunisians voted on Sunday in presidential and parliamentary elections that few expected to disrupt the 17-year rule of the President, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. The 68-year-old Ben Ali is widely expected to win a fourth term and his ruling party is guaranteed domination in Parliament. Only 20 per cent of the 189 legislative seats are allotted to the Opposition's five parties, so the ruling Constitutional Democratic Rally is assured a strong majority. One Opposition party withdrew from the legislative race three days before the vote, saying the elections were a sham. Full Report at: http://www.hindu.com/2004/10/25/stories/2004102503181400.htm ----- Pak gunmen kill minister as troops take Taliban den 26 October 2009 GUNMEN on a motorcycle shot dead the minister of education in the provincial government in Balochistan in Pakistan, where separatist rebels have been waging a low- level insurgency for decades. A spokesman for a separatist group called up the Online news agency to claim responsibility for killing provincial education minister Shafiq Ahmed Khan. He was shot in the provincial capital, Quetta, the news agency said. In South Waziristan, Pakistani troops on Sunday captured a strategic mountain top and pushed deeper into Taliban- held territory after consolidating their hold on areas around the hometown of Hakimullah Mehsud. Fifteen rebels and a soldier were killed in the fighting. A day after taking control of Kotkai, Taliban chief Mehsud's hometown, troops secured the strategic mountain top of Tarkona Narai and other important spots in the Sherwangi area after intense engagements that lasted 16 hours, the military said. Security forces had been facing stiff resistance from the Taliban in and around Sherwangi over the past few days. Troops cleared several hideouts and bunkers to secure the mountain top at Tarkona Narai. "Several militant hideouts had been destroyed in the bombing," said a government official, adding he had no information about casualties. Military spokesman were not available for comment. ----- Lashkar publications back in Pak, Jaish opens new madrasa in Masood town Oct 26, 2009 New Delhi: Months after Jamaat-ud-Dawa publications were taken off stands in Pakistan following the UN Security Council ban on the outfit, the periodicals are said to be back in circulation under new names. And the other anti-India terror outfit, Jaish-e-Mohammed, has inaugurated a new madrasa in Bahawalpur on behalf of its head Maulana Masood Azhar. This flies in the face of India's diplomatic efforts to get Pakistan to rein in these outfits after the Mumbai terror attack. With the Pakistan government failing to build a credible case against LeT founder and JuD head Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, sources said, the outfit's propaganda machine has suddenly become more energetic. JuD's weekly newspaper Ghazwah is said to have reappeared as Jarrar. Women's monthly Tayyibat is now replaced by Al Sifat, students monthly Zarb-e-Taiba is said to have been renamed Akhbaar-e-Taiba while another periodical Al-Daawa is said to have the hit stands under the name Al-Harmain. According to information available with New Delhi, these new publications have gradually come back into circulation in the past five to six months. The publications are cautious not to mention JuD or LeT, or even give names of militants killed in Kashmir but glorify activities of recently mushroomed front organisations like Tehreek-e-Azadi-e-Kashmir and Tehreek-e-Hurmat- Rasool. It is widely known that these fronts have been leading the fight against proscribing JuD and many of the JuD leaders are part of these organisations. ---- South Waziristan There they go again Oct 22nd 2009 War-weary refugees hope that this time the army finishes the job THIS time the signs are that Pakistan's army means business in South Waziristan. Civilians, who have fled the ground offensive launched on October 17th in their tens of thousands, tell of intense aerial bombardment. Three previous campaigns against the Pakistani Taliban there since 2004 petered out. Either they were carried out half-heartedly, or bafflingly abandoned in the midst of battle. They left the obscurantist thugs in even firmer control of the region. Now the army seems determined to wrench it back. With journalists kept away from the fighting, and the two sides giving differing accounts, the progress of the campaign is not clear. But the size of the exodus from South Waziristan suggests fighting is intense. By the middle of this week over 17,500 now destitute families, an estimated 128,000 individuals, had registered as displaced people with the authorities in the towns of Dera Ismail Khan and Tank. As further evidence that the army has at last decided to close down the terrorists' haven for good, locals point to the huge scale of the troop mobilisation seen rumbling through on its way to South Waziristan. Moreover, the authorities have also tried hard to rid Dera Ismail Khan of the sectarian violence that usually plagues it. Pakistan's international allies, as well as the terrorised locals, have long pressed for real action in a mountainous lawless area that had become a jihadist playground. Afghan insurgents, al-Qaeda commanders and Pakistani extremists have had their own fiefs. The army's campaign, however, is not aimed at the anti-Western Taliban groups which are not at war with Pakistan. They operate from one half of South Waziristan and from North Waziristan, against foreign forces in Afghanistan. Rather, the target is the other half of South Waziristan, the part occupied by the fierce Mehsud tribe. It provides the base for the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), led by Hakimullah Mehsud, a bloodthirsty jihadist. Ahead of the operation, the TTP unleashed a 12-day terrorist spree on Pakistan, killing at least 166 people in a wave of suicide-attacks and gun assaults. This week, extremists even attacked an Islamic university in Islamabad, killing eight, in a twin suicide-bomb blast that forced all educational institutions across Pakistan to close to allow time to beef up their security. Full Report at: http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14710416 ----- Hizbul Islam threaten Somalia journalists Oct 24, 2009 A member of Hizbul Islam rebel faction that is fighting to topple Somalia's interim government has threatened Somali journalists and accused them of supporting the government, Radio Garowe reports. Sheikh Mohamed Moallim Ali, the information secretary for Hizbul Islam, told a Friday press conference in the capital Mogadishu that Somali journalists interview government officials and African Union (AMISOM) commanders. The news you report is against the jihad and you are not nationalists willing to defend your people and your country," Sheikh Mohamed told reporters. He urged journalists to "defend the country by using your voice." As an example, he accused Somali news organizations in Mogadishu of "exaggerated reporting" on a story covering AMISOM compensation payments to camel owners after AMISOM peacekeepers mistakenly killed a group of camels. "We will know what you are in the coming days," said Sheikh Mohamed. Somalia is considered Africa's most dangerous country for journalists to operate. Source: Garowe Online ---- Taliban now out of control of Pakistan By Tanveer Jafri, Mon, 26 Oct 2009 Pakistan, notorious in the world for patronising and nurturing terrorism, has today itself become prey to it. There is nothing new about terrorist activities on Pakistani soil. But the way last few days, the Pakistan based terrorist organisation Tehrik-e-Taliban has acted, it now clearly seems that perhaps no place in Pakistan is out of reach of these Taliban terrorists. The recent attacks by the Taliban at the headquarters of Pakistan Army and the ISI have in a way warned the Pakistani administration that a nationwide mission of Tehrik-e-Taliban has started. During last month, Tehrik-e-Taliban and its sister organisations have carried out about more than a dozen attacks in different important places of Pakistan, which resulted in heavy casualties. The attack at the Army headquarters has really become as a shock to the Pakistani state. In the aftermath of this attack, the army has entered its 30000 troops in Waziristan, the stronghold of the Taliban. According to reports, the frightening fight is on between the army and the Taliban. There are reports of hundreds of Talibans killed in this anti-Taliban operation. Thousands of people have to leave their homes due to ongoing operation. While the winter season has commenced, the refugee count is also increasing very fast. As always, common people have to bear the brunt of this anti-terror operation. Indeed, the same history is repeating itself in Pakistan which teaches us same lesson again and again that by promoting or patronising terrorism, oneself becomes its victim. Pakistan is facing the same truth. But continuously deteriorating situation in Pakistan is not only a matter of concern for its rulers; it has worried the entire world including its neighbours like India, Afghanistan and Iran. Full Report at: http://www.modernghana.com/news2/245675/1/taliban-now-out-of-control-of-pakistan.html ----- October 26, 2009 Israeli Police Clash With Palestinians at Sacred Compound in Jerusalem By ISABEL KERSHNER JERUSALEM — Israeli police officers clashed Sunday with stone-throwing Palestinians at a site sacred to Muslims and Jews, in the latest sign of tension in this volatile city. The police said that their forces had entered the Temple Mount compound twice after Palestinians hurled rocks at officers patrolling there, and that they dispersed rioters with stun grenades. Palestinian medics at the scene said at least 17 Muslims were wounded. Nine police officers were slightly hurt by rocks, a police spokesman said. The Temple Mount, revered by Jews as the site of two ancient temples and by Muslims as the site of the Dome of the Rock and Al Aksa Mosque, has been the focus of simmering unrest recently. The compound sits in contested territory that Israel took from Jordan in the 1967 war. The Israeli police chief, David Cohen, said the disturbances were precipitated by calls from right-wing Jewish activists and an Islamist group, the Islamic Movement, for their supporters to ascend the mount on Sunday. Anticipating violence, hundreds of riot police officers took up positions in and around the Old City, prompting Muslims to accuse Israel of provocation. A police spokesman said no Jewish groups had tried to enter the compound. Full Report at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/world/middleeast/26mideast.html?ref=global-home&pagewanted=print ---- October 26, 2009 Iran May Ship 'Part' of Its Uranium Abroad TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran's foreign minister said Monday that Tehran may agree to ship part of its stockpile of low enriched uranium abroad for further enrichment, the first official indication that Iran could at least partly sign onto a U.N.-drafted plan aimed at easing nuclear tensions. The plan is seen by the international community as a way to delay Iran's ability to build a nuclear weapon by getting a large part of its enriched uranium stock out of the country, preventing it from being reworked into a warhead. Iran says its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Tehran's final decision over the plan will ''will be made in the next few days.'' As an alternative to the U.N. plan, Mottaki said Iran was weighing whether to buy enriched uranium abroad and keep its own supply. The fuel is needed for a research reactor that makes medical isotopes. ''To supply fuel, we may purchase it like in the past, or we may deliver part of (the low enriched uranium) fuel which we currently don't need,'' Mottaki said. In either case, Mottaki said Iran will continue to enrich its own uranium as well -- a step opposed by the U.S. and its allies over fears they could produce weapons-grade material. ''Iran's legal peaceful nuclear activities will continue and this issue (Iran's enrichment program) has nothing to do with supplying fuel for the Tehran reactor,'' he said. Full Report at: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/10/26/world/AP-ML-Iran-Nuclear.html?ref=global-home&pagewanted=print ---- The crisis in Afghanistan An unwanted second round Oct 22nd 2009 From The Economist print edition The presidential run-off offers only a cosmetic improvement. Afghanistan needs real reform IT HAS taken over eight weeks of counting and recounting—and pressure from America, Britain and France—for President Hamid Karzai to acknowledge reality: the first round of the presidential election on August 20th was so crudely stolen by his supporters that he must do it all over again in a run-off against his challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, on November 7th. In accepting a second round, Mr Karzai was widely praised as a statesman. In truth, he has been acting as a corrupt chieftain. The election has exposed much that is wrong with Afghanistan: the rottenness of Mr Karzai's government, the inability of NATO to bring security, the ineffectiveness of Western attempts at state-building and the failure of the UN to supervise a decent election. The only thing that can be said for this sorry affair is that it has, unwittingly, enhanced the stature of two figures. It has established Mr Abdullah as the authoritative opposition leader; his firm but calm response to the blatant fraud has cast him as more of a statesman than Mr Karzai. And John Kerry, the chairman of the Senate's foreign-relations committee (and a failed presidential candidate), has proven himself to be an able international troubleshooter. Some see his impromptu diplomacy, during a fact-finding trip, as evidence that Mr Karzai can still be managed with "tough love" from America. But the fact that it was administered by a visiting senator raises worries about the value of the Obama administration's frustrated Afghan power-brokers: Karl Eikenberry, its ambassador in Kabul, and the now-absent Richard Holbrooke, the special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Full Report at: http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14699885 ---- October 26, 2009 Iran Hints At Acceptance Nuclear Deal By REUTERS TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran said on Monday it could endorse a U.N. deal for it to send potential nuclear fuel abroad for processing, the first official indication that Tehran could respond positively to the outline agreement. The remark by Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was the most positive yet from a senior Iranian official and hinted at a shift in backroom debate between hardliners and moderates in the faction-ridden Iranian leadership on whether to accept the deal. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said it was urgent for world powers to make a lasting deal with Tehran to avert an Israeli strike over its disputed nuclear programme. "They (Israel) will not tolerate an Iranian bomb. We know that, all of us. So that is an additional risk and that is why we must decrease the tension and solve the problem. Hopefully we are going to stop this race to a confrontation," Kouchner said. "There is the time that Israel will offer us before reacting, because Israel will react as soon as they know clearly that there is a threat," he added in an interview published by Britain's Daily Telegraph daily. In Iran, Iranian officials said U.N. inspectors were given access to a hitherto secret uranium enrichment site bunkered inside a mountain near the holy Shi'ite city of Qom. The four senior experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency intended to verify Tehran's stance that the plant was designed to make only low-enriched fuel for electricity, not the high-purity version for nuclear arms. Full Report at: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/10/26/world/international-uk-iran-nuclear.html?ref=global-home&pagewanted=print --- Israeli PM Netanyahu: international rule of law should be changed 26th October 2009, By Olivier Schotel As a reaction to the Goldstone report on the Gaza war last December, the Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, has instructed his cabinet that Israel must advance diplomatic attempts to change the international laws of war. Currently, as Netanyahu states, laws of war do not recognise the different nature of the war on terror. He argues that Israel was not fighting a normal enemy in Gaza but a terrorist group, thus different laws should apply. Netanyahu's goal, as Tel Aviv-based newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth writes, "is to delegitimize the continuing attempt to delegitimize the State of Israel." The UN mission led by South African judge Richard Goldstone has concluded that Israel as well as Hamas have, "committed war crimes, possibly crimes against humanity." The mission's conclusion and methods have caused much controversy in the Israeli and US administrations as well as some EU-members. The Goldstone commission notes in its report that crimes of war were committed by the Israeli Defence Force, Fattah and Hamas. The Goldstone report sees the Israeli "military assault on Gaza" as "a deliberately disproportionate attack designed to punish, humiliate and terrorize a civilian population, radically diminish its local economic capacity both to work and to provide for itself, and to force upon it an ever increasing sense of dependency and vulnerability". Furthermore, the report sees the Hamas missile attacks on South Israeli towns as war crimes. The report recommends Hamas and Israel to investigate the mission's findings internally. The UN Human Rights Council in Geneva has endorsed the report and has forwarded it to the UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon and the Security Council. Full Report at: http://www.theyorker.co.uk/news/news/3531 ----- The Road to Success in Afghanistan By Elise Cooper, October 26, 2009 Former CIA officials feel that America should pursue a counter-insurgency policy in Afghanistan that would secure populated areas, build up the Afghan government and acquire the support of the powerful warlords. They do not agree with Vice President Biden, who proposed only a narrow anti-terrorism policy. A former high ranking official explained the difference: Counter-insurgency is all about nation building, providing security and protecting the population. The Biden anti-terrorism policy is "just to go after the bad guys." Going Rogue by Sarah Palin FREE Why is a comprehensive counter insurgency policy important? Former officials have noted that anti-terrorism is important, but that it's impossible to kill every last terrorist. The goal must be to create an Afghan infrastructure and security system. "Counter-terrorism will allow us to either kill or capture the bad guys. If we kill off all the bad guys it's a good thing but if we don't have a counter insurgency program new bad guys get trained and then will come back in. We have to make Afghanistan completely inhospitable to Al Qaeda and its friends," a former operative explains. This security strategy would help to establish that supporting the U.S. mission in Afghanistan is in the locals' best interest. The only way to successfully neutralize the Taliban is to have a counter insurgency commitment for a minimum of ten years. A former operative explained that it will take many years to achieve this goal "because it is a not a reconstruction program but a construction program." Robert Grenier, a former station chief, wants Americans to understand that this will not be "a clean war where you defeat the enemy and go home. Over time the Taliban can be marginalized and the Afghans can control them but that will take a very long time, years." Full Report at: http://townhall.com/columnists/EliseCooper/2009/10/26/the_road_to_success_in_afghanistan ----- Prosecutor in LBC case seeks harsher punishment for woman journalist Muhammad Humaidan, October 26, 2009 JEDDAH: The prosecutor in the case of a woman journalist who was handed 60 lashes for her role in an LBC program covering the sex exploits of a Saudi man has appealed the ruling and called for a harsher punishment. Suleiman Al-Jumaei, lawyer for sex braggart Mazen Abdul Jawad, said the prosecutor appealed the sentence handed to LBC media person R.A., one of seven accused in the case. "The public prosecutor challenged the punishment of 60 lashes saying it was too light and not in sync with her role as a coordinator and the one who prepared and advertised the program," said Al-Jumaei. "The verdict, however, is only at its primary stage. It will not be executed without the approval of the appeals court. The court may either uphold or revoke it," he added. He also expressed his worry at how slowly the Disputes Committee for Publications is dealing with Abdul Jawad's complaint against the LBC. The complaint was submitted three months ago to the committee, which operates under the Ministry of Culture and Information. Full Report at: http://arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=127765&d=26&m=10&y=2009&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom ----- Balochistan Education minister shot dead in Quetta October 26, 2009, By Malik Siraj Akbar Unidentified motorcyclists gun down minister outside residence BLUF claims responsibility g PPP announces three days of mourning QUETTA: Unidentified gunmen killed Balochistan Education Minister Shafiq Ahmed Khan (55), a member of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), outside his residence in the provincial capital on Sunday – a day before the provincial government's announcement to reopen all educational institutions in the province. The Baloch Liberation United Front (BLUF) – an underground organisation that demands independence for Balochistan – claimed responsibility for the high-profile killing. Police in Quetta said unidentified motorcyclists gunned down the provincial minister outside his residence on Thogai Road, while his brother's father-in-law, Hydayat Jaffar, was injured in the same attack. The minister was shot in the head and torso, and died while being taken to hospital. The ruling PPP has announced three days of mourning, and strongly condemned the killing. The minister's assassination came two days after the Balochistan Assembly passed a resolution asking the centre to allow the duty-free import of bulletproof vehicles for ministers. Born to Punjabi settlers, the slain minister vocally opposed target killings of teachers in Balochistan. According to him, "Indians and elements hiding in Afghanistan" are responsible for such killings. Full Report at: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\10\26\story_26-10-2009_pg1_1 ----- NATO probes death of four Afghan civilians October 26, 2009 KABUL: The NATO-led force in Afghanistan has launched an investigation into the deaths of four civilians it killed by firing on their vehicle in the southern city of Kandahar, the alliance force said. NATO's International Security Assistance Force said its troops opened fire Saturday "when the driver of a local vehicle failed to stop when approaching ISAF troops." "According to the initial report, ISAF troops tried repeatedly to signal the fast-approaching vehicle with passive measures, but fearing for their safety fired on the vehicle," the ISAF statement said. Afghan authorities had earlier said two women and a child were among the dead, while two or three other civilians were also wounded. Civilian casualties is a deeply sensitive issue in Afghanistan, where more than 100,000 international soldiers -- deployed under NATO and a separate US-led coalition -- are fighting a Taliban-led insurgency. Full Report at: http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=154386 ----- Maximum penalty sought for killer of veiled woman 26 Oct, 2009 CAIRO, Oct 25: Cairo is seeking a life sentence for a man standing trial in Dresden for the murder of a veiled Egyptian woman in a case that stoked anger against Germany in the Muslim world. "A team of senior German lawyers have been hired by (Egypt) to defend the interests of the deceased's family... in order to secure the maximum penalty allowed by German law," a foreign ministry statement said. The defendant, for legal reasons named only as Alex W, is accused of stabbing to death Marwa al-Sherbini on July 1 in a Dresden courtroom, after she had sued him for calling her an "Islamist" and a "terrorist."—AFP ----- Iraqi security forces on high alert after day of carnage 26 October 2009, BAGHDAD - Iraqi security forces were on high alert on Monday, a day after twin suicide vehicle bombs blamed on Al-Qaeda killed 99 people and blasted government offices in Baghdad. More than 700 people were also wounded in the near-simultaneous attacks, which the government said were carried out by Al-Qaeda and supporters of ex-dictator Saddam Hussein's banned Baath Party. US President Barack Obama led international condemnation of Sunday's attacks and offered his condolences by telephone to both Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani. In Iraq's deadliest violence for more than two years, the twin bombings left streets littered with charred bodies and torn-off limbs, and buildings in ruins. One of the attackers exploded a truck bomb at a busy intersection near the justice and municipalities ministries, while the other detonated a car bomb opposite the nearby Baghdad provincial government offices. Several people railed against the government and the security forces in the aftermath of the attacks, blaming them for the carnage and accusing them of negligence. "Where were the security forces?" demanded Mohammed Radhi, who was searching for his sister, a justice ministry employee. "Where were their searches? The government bought devices to search cars for explosives, but they don't work, and the security forces didn't do their job." Full Report at: http://khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2009/October/middleeast_October679.xml§ion=middleeast ----- UN experts begin inspection of Iran's n-site Oct 26, 2009 Tehran: A team from the UN nuclear watchdog inspected a nuclear site in Iran on Sunday that has heightened Western fears of a covert programme to develop atomic bombs, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported. Iran added to global concerns in September by revealing the existence of the centrifuge plant in a military compound inside a mountain near the holy city of Qom. The inspectors visited the facility in central Iran. They are expected to visit the site again, Mehr reported, without giving a source. There was no immediate confirmation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA inspectors arrived in Iran early on Sunday to examine the site. Refined uranium can be used to fuel nuclear power plants and also to provide material for bombs if enriched further. Iran, which says it wants only peaceful nuclear energy, agreed to open the new site to monitoring at talks with six world powers held in Geneva on October 1. But a second understanding stumbled on Friday when Iran cast doubt on a plan to send abroad its enriched uranium for processing into fuel for a reactor used to create radioactive isotopes for medical purposes. The four-strong team from the IAEA's safeguards division, led by Herman Nackaerts, who oversees the West Asian region including Iran, declined to comment. They are likely to stay in the country for several weeks. The inspectors intend to compare engineering designs to be provided by Iran with the actual facility, interview employees and take environmental samples to verify the site has no illicit military dimension. Full Report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/un-experts-begin-inspection-of-irans-nsite/533221/ ----- Den lost, Hakimullah warns of more attacks across Pakistan Oct 26, 2009 Islamabad: The Pakistani Army claimed advances in its eight-day-old offensive in the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan on Sunday, while the militants' chief warned of more terrorist attacks around the country unless the military halted the assault. In a call from an undisclosed location, Pakistani Taliban chief Mehsud told an AP reporter, "We have not suffered any significant losses in Waziristan." He threatened to turn Pakistan into "another Afghanistan or Iraq" unless the assault stopped. This came a day after the military announced the capture of Kotkai, Mehsud's hometown. Most homes in Kotkai had been converted into bunkers and the town had hosted a training camp for suicide bombers, said army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas. He did not comment on Mehsud's threat. The town lies on the way to the militant base of Sararogha, and an army statement said troops had captured two key fronts between Kotkai and the base and a significant mountaintop. Full Report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/den-lost-hakimullah-warns-of-more-attacks-across-pakistan/533225/ ----- Pak Army captures key mountain in Waziristan SHAFQAT ALI, Oct 25, 2009 The Pakistan Army on Sunday killed 15 militants in the lawless South Waziristan Agency in the ongoing military operation and captured the important Tarkona Narai mountain, officials said. "Fifteen militants were killed and one soldier was martyred (killed) and three officials were wounded during the operation", a military statement said. After intense engagements, security forces on Sunday have secured the significant mountain top of Tarkona Narai after an effort lasting 16 hours and also progressed well on Jandola-Sararogha Axis securing important ridges in South Waziristan Agency, the statement added. "After securing Kotkai town, security forces adv-ancing further have secured important ridge, point 1125 north of Shishwam and also secured an important feature, which is one km west of Gharlai. Terrorists have fled from the area and are firing sporadic rockets at positions of security forces from distant heights", the statement said. Meanwhile, a curfew has been imposed in Charbagh area of Swat and search operation started against the miscreants. "Security forces have closed all routes to Charbagh, Khwaza Khela and Shangla road. Search operation has been started against militants in Khwaza Khela and outskirts," a security official said. Full Report at: http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/news/international/pak-army-captures-key-mountain-in-waziristan.aspx ----- 'US spying on Pak N-plans for years' Oct 25, 2009 Islamabad: A website report has revealed that there are sufficient evidence to prove that the United States is secretly keeping a close watch on Pakistan's nuclear programme, and confirmed that American diplomats and officials were spying on Kahuta, one of the major nuclear establishments of the country, for years. A report by the International Analyst Network, said American officials were spying on Pakistan's nuclear course, and that several elements of the Pakistani government were assisting them. The report also raised questions over the role of interior minister Rehman Malik and his ministry for allowing the US authorities to perform dubious activities inside the country's territory. "A trail of internal ministry documents sharply bring Mr Malik's role into focus, especially in a case where his ministry appears to have permitted US defence contractors to conduct suspicious activities on Pakistani soil without informing Pakistani intelligence agencies", the report said. Days ago it was reported that the US officials have been keeping an eye on the Kahuta nuclear site since 2003 through its Police College Training College in Sihala, which is situated close to the site. Full Report at: http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/news/international/%E2%80%98us-spying-on-pak-n-plans-for-years%E2%80%99.aspx ----- Bangla PM accuses 2 of terror links Oct 25, 2009 Dhaka: Two people have been arrested as Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina accused killers of her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, of organising a bomb attack on a legislator. Mehnaz Rahman, who was detained on Saturday, is the eldest daughter of Lt. Col. Khondkar Abdur Rashid, a fugitive condemned to death in the August 1975 killing of the country's founding father. She said that her father is living in Libya with the rest of the family. Mehnaz told investigators that her father received funds from Khaleda Zia's husband General Ziaur Rahman, later President of Bangladesh, the Daily Star said. She has been running the Freedom Party that her father set up with other officers who have publicly acknowledged their role in the killing of Sheikh Mujib. Police officials said Mehnaz contested the parliamentary polls in 2001 and 2008 on Freedom Party ticket, but lost. Also arrested earlier on Thursday was Kamrul Haque Swapan, younger brother of Major Shariful Haq Dalim (Retd.). Dalim was the officer who had announced the killing of Sheikh Mujib. Full Report at: http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/news/international/i-was-forced-to-accept-nov-7-runoff-karzai.aspx ----- Israel storms holy site in Jerusalem RAWHI RAZIM Oct 25, 2009 Israeli forces stormed Jerusalem's holiest shrine on Sunday, firing stun grenades to disperse hundreds of Palestinian protesters who were pelting them with stones. Although there were no serious injuries, it was one of the most intense incidents of violence in recent unrest around the hilltop compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. In the past, clashes at the site have erupted into deadly violence. Muslim leaders had urged the crowd to gather at the site's Al-Aqsa Mosque early on Sunday in response to what they said was "Jewish conquest." The Israeli police said the protesters hurled a fire bomb and poured oil on the ground to make the forces slip. A large wall of the riot police, holding plexiglass shields, closed in on the crowd, sending many protesters — overwhelmingly young men — running into the mosque for cover. Full Report at: http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/news/international/israel-storms-holy-site-in-jerusalem.aspx ----- Baghdad's Bloodiest day in Months QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Oct 25, 2009 Two suicide car bombs exploded in downtown Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least 136 people and delivering a powerful blow to the heart of the fragile city's government in the worst attack of the year, officials said. While violence has dropped dramatically in the country since the height of the sectarian tensions, such bombings like Sunday's demonstrate the precarious nature of the security gains and the insurgency's abilities to still pull off devastating attacks in the centre of what is supposed to be one of Baghdad's most secure areas. Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said he was in a hotel when the bombs went off and he and others around him were showered in glass. He said he suspected Al Qaeda or remnants of Saddam Hussein's former government were behind the attacks. "The initial analysis shows that it bears the fingerprints of Al Qaeda and the Baathists," said Mr Dabbagh, who was at the al-Mansour hotel at the time. Black smoke could be seen billowing from the frantic scene, as emergency service vehicles sped to the area. Even civilian cars were being commandeered to transport the wounded to hospitals. "The walls collapsed and we had to run out," said Yasmeen Afdhal, 24, an employee of the Baghdad provincial administration, which was targeted by one of the car bombs. "There are many wounded, and I saw them being taken away. They were pulling victims out of the rubble, and rushing them to ambulances." The car bombs, which targeted the justice ministry and the Baghdad provincial administration, come as Iraq is preparing for elections scheduled this January, and many Iraqi officials have warned that violence by insurgents intent destabilizing the country could rise. Full Report at: http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/news/international/baghdad%E2%80%99s-bloodiest-day-in-months.aspx ----- Iran's secret nuke site opens for UN ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Oct 25, 2009 TEHRAN: UN inspectors got their first look on Sunday inside a once-secret uranium enrichment facility that has raised Western suspicions about the extent of Iran's nuclear programme. The semi-official Mehr news agency reported the four-member team visited the heavily-protected facility, carved into a mountainside south of Tehran. The tour marked the first independent examination of the site, but no results were expected until after the inspectors leave Iran later this week. The review also coincides with the countdown to Iran's expected decision on whether to accept a UN-brokered deal to process its nuclear fuel abroad — a plan designed to ease Western fears about Iran's potential ability to produce weapons-grade material. The disclosure in September of Iran's second enrichment facility — known as Fordo after a village believed to have the largest percentage of fighters killed in the 1980-88 war with Iraq — raised international suspicion over the extent and aim of Tehran's nuclear programme. Full Report at: http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/news/international/iran%E2%80%99s-secret-nuke-site-opens-for-un.aspx ----- UK reviews Lockerbie crash case Oct 25, 2009 London: Britain is reviewing the Lockerbie bombing and the police could reinvestigate the case, reports our London correspondent. The crown office and procurator fiscal service, which oversees prosecutions in Scotland, has contacted relatives of the Lockerbie victims, informing them of the possibility of a fresh police probe, according to the media reports on Sunday. The Labour government in Britain and the SNP government in Scotland faced tough criticism over the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi on compassionate grounds in August. The Libyan intelligence agent had been convicted of murder and sentenced to 27 years in prison on January 31, 2001. ----- The Roman Catholic and Anglican churches Unleashing the Counter-Reformation Oct 22nd 2009 The pope makes it easier for Anglicans to convert to Catholicism en masse—but creates a rod for his own back SINCE the Church of England voted 17 years ago to admit women to the priesthood, disenchanted individual members of the 80m-strong worldwide Anglican Communion have been quietly converting to Roman Catholicism. Since 2003, when the Episcopalian church, the American branch of the Communion, first ordained an openly gay bishop, the number of alienated conservatives has been swollen by those dismayed by their Church's growing tolerance of homosexuality. Many traditionalist Anglicans, nevertheless, have held back, reluctant to sacrifice their liturgy and heritage. On October 20th Pope Benedict offered them a way out of their unease and into the Catholic church. In so doing, he created a new headache for the beleaguered Anglican leadership—and resuscitated an old conundrum for the Vatican. For years, the pope's officials have been mulling over what to do about Anglican splinter groups which sought to join the Catholic church as a body. Foremost among these is the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC), led by an Australian archbishop, John Hepworth. It had been thought the pope might offer the TAC a status within the Roman Catholic Church like that given to the conservative fellowship, Opus Dei—one that gives its members their own pastors rather than putting them under the local diocesan bishop. Full Report at: http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14700662 ----- Wasim Akram's wife dies of heart attack, body to be taken to Pakistan 26 October 2009 CHENNAI: Former Pakistan cricket captain Wasim Akram's wife Huma passed away at 9.20am on Sunday following a cardiac arrest at Apollo Hospitals here. Huma, a hypnotherapist in Pakistan, was admitted to the hospital last Tuesday after she had a heart attack when the air ambulance on which she was being flown to Singapore landed at Chennai airport for a scheduled refuelling. She was being flown from Lahore to Singapore for treatment at Mount Elizabeth Hospital. She was treated for "fever of unknown origin", suspected to be brain fever. She also suffered from multi-system organ failure, hospital sources said. She was under critical care throughout the week as her blood pressure dropped drastically and her vital parameters like heart rate, pulse and urine output did not stabilise. Huma was put on ventilator and developed sepsis an inflammation of several tissues, including blood that led to kidney failure. She was under dialysis and did not respond to medicines. Full Report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Huma-Akram-dies-of-heart-attack-body-to-be-taken-to-Pakistan/articleshow/5161464.cms ---------- URL: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamCurrentAffairs_1.aspx?ArticleID=1996
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Saudi female journalist to be whipped over TV sex show
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