| Islamic World News | |
| 05 Apr 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com Pak plans biggest-ever wargame to counter Indian threat |
 10 killed as bombings target US consulate in Peshawar
U.S. faces domestic fallout from Karzai outburst
Karzai, White House escalate war of words
Egypt releases ElBaradei backer
'Suicide bomb' at north-west Pakistan political rally, 43 killed
Once again, Pak is close to the brink
Karzai Slams the West Again
Karzai threatens to join Taliban
Police at Sania's residence to quiz Shoaib
Shoaib alleges nikahnama was forged; cops quiz Ayesha
'I am not going anywhere, I am here to clear my name,' says Shoaib Malik
Wrong people trying to hijack Islam: UK Indian Muslims
Halal becomes big business
‘Bombings bear Qaeda mark’
Second Moscow Metro bomber 'was teacher'
Family jihad tour: European parents are 'taking children to terror training camps'
Egyptian police arrest publisher of ElBaradei book
Downloading a document from the Internet can land you in jail
‘Israel to attack Iran by November’
Muslim quota soon: CM
Carnage in Iraq
J&K rail link vulnerable to terror attacks: PIL
Devotees throng Dargah Dera Banda Nawaz
The Urs of Mian Meeran Shah concludes
Internal differences the biggest problem for the Muslim ummah, says Mufti Abdur Rehman
Misunderstanding Islam
Dubai court upholds kissing British couple’s sentence
Death sentence to 17 Indians subject to appeal: UAE
India in no mood to hand over Kasab, Ansari to Pakistan
Benazir covered up my father's murder, says Fatima Bhutto
There's something about Fatima
Indian godmen a hit in Nepal
Iran to host nuclear disarmament conference
Ingushetia hit by suicide attack
Taliban holding Japan journalist in northern Afghanistan
Troops kill 38 terrorists in NW Pakistan
Now Imarat Shariah puts its weight behind Muslim reservation demand
Iranian ex-vice president returns to jail
Afghanistan seeks arrest of ex-minister over graft
Hamas accuses Fayyad of treason
India to flag nuke-terror concern at US summit
Israeli warplanes strike Gaza
World’s tallest tower reopens deck; goes solar
Crisis in “Azad” Kashmir over issue of ‘sacked’ CJ
Compiled by Akshay Kumar Ojha
Photo: President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai
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Pak plans biggest-ever wargame to counter Indian threat
April 05, 2010
While the Indian Army has announced a month-long wargame in Rajasthan [ Images ] along the Pakistan border, the Pakistani Army too will launch its biggest ever wargame next week.
The Pakistani wargame will train troops along the Indian for the threat of a conventional war with India, top military officials said on Monday.
"These exercises will be focused only on conventional war on (Pakistan's) eastern border," Major General Muzammil Hussain, the director general of military training, told a news briefing in Rawalpindi.
The exercise, codenamed Azm-e-Nau (New Resolve) 3, will involve close to 50,000 troops and aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force.
The wargame, to begin on April 10 and continue till May 13, will be the largest manoeuvres conducted by the army since the Zarb-e-Momin exercise in 1989. The wargame will be conducted in Punjab [ Images ] and Sindh provinces, which border India, officials said.
The upcoming exercise is of a conventional nature and "aimed at ensuring peace in the region by encountering threats through a strategic approach", said chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas.
He added that India had been informed about the manoeuvres.
The Pakistani Army has traditionally perceived India, as its main threat though security experts, including those from the US, have said the force now needs to focus on tackling the Taliban [ Images ] and other militant groups active along the western border with Afghanistan. Hussain said the army is aware of internal security issues but could not "be oblivious to what could happen on the eastern border" with India.
The six-week field exercise will involve troops from all arms and services and aircraft and equipment of the Pakistan Air Force, he said.
"The exercise is the culmination of a long and deliberate process of wargames, discussions and logical evolution of the concept of warfare that is fully responsive to a wide range of emerging threats," Hussain said.
The exercise is also aimed at validating and refining tactics and operations, he said. It will validate concepts formulated during the year of training initiated by army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani [ Images ], he added.
A special feature of the exercise will be the use of technological achievements and advancement in intelligence- gathering, surveillance, reconnaissance and communication. These measures will reduce the reaction time of troops, Hussain said.
© Copyright 2010 PTI
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U.S. faces domestic fallout from Karzai outburst
By Sue Pleming and Susan Cornwell
April 5,2010
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Irritated by Afghan President Hamid Karzai's anti-Western outbursts, the Obama administration is expecting some fallout in the U.S. Congress and further erosion of public support for the war.
With congressional elections looming in November, many from President Barack Obama's Democratic Party see a fight at the polls not only on economic issues but also on whether the war in Afghanistan is worth it. Karzai's tone may weigh on that.
Karzai accused embassies of perpetrating election fraud in Afghanistan last year and of seeking to weaken him, claims the White House said were "just not true" and "disturbing."
"These public comments have a certain constituency in Afghanistan but it could have a ripple effect on Capitol Hill," said a senior U.S. official, who asked not to be named.
"We are seeking funds for Afghanistan as it is in our interest but obviously we will need to sustain political support on Capitol Hill and these comments will not be well received."
The Afghan leader also told tribal elders on Sunday that government officials should not let "foreigners" interfere in their work, statements likely to get close scrutiny when U.S. lawmakers return next week after the spring break.
What is embarrassing for Washington is the timing of Karzai's comments, less than a week after Obama made his first trip to Afghanistan since he took office in January 2009.
Obama pressed Karzai to follow through on promises after last year's fraud-plagued election to tackle corruption and govern in a way that helped rather than hindered the U.S. counter-insurgency strategy.
David Obey, who chairs the powerful House of Representatives committee that appropriates money for the war, echoed some of the doubts in Congress.
"Mr. Karzai's performance demonstrates why I have raised the question of whether or not, in the government of Afghanistan, we have a tool that is in any way reliable in implementing our policies in that region," Obey said.
Representative Ike Skelton urged Karzai to retract or clarify his statements but suggested Americans should not overreact.
"I do not think that we should allow some intemperate remarks clearly designed for domestic political purposes to undermine what I continue to believe is the best strategy to protect American security," Skelton said.
Senator Russ Feingold, an outspoken proponent of a timetable to bring U.S. troops home, said even before Karzai's recent comments that the Obama administration's strategy depended upon a "less-than-reliable partner."
"Rather than pursuing a large-scale, open-ended military strategy in Afghanistan, we should focus on achievable counterterrorism goals," said Feingold.
The White House, fighting to keep public opinion on its side, has acknowledged frustration with Karzai.
"I think that families all over this country have watched their loved ones go off a long way away to serve bravely in our armed forces and to help a country establish peace and security," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.
But experts agree that for the U.S. counter-insurgency strategy to work, Washington needs the support of Karzai and his government and that U.S. criticism can go only so far.
"You can't have a population-centric strategy without the support of an Afghan government and the problem at this point is that both sides are playing hardball and doing it from different perspectives," said Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Analyst Brian Katulis of the Center for American Progress said the Obama team was trying its best to work with Karzai and to play down the latest conflict.
"Karzai will be with us for the next five years and I think it is a more difficult road to embark on if they try to undermine Karzai," said Katulis. "Many see the comments for what they are worth -- trying to shore up his domestic political base."
Afghanistan expert Lisa Curtis of the Heritage Foundation predicted U.S. public opinion would swing more on how military efforts pan out rather than any war of words.
"If we have a really tough summer, that will affect public opinion even more than what Karzai is saying. That is more of a driver," she said of U.S. military action against the Taliban that will focus on Kandahar, Afghanistan's second-biggest city, in the coming months.
(Editing by John O'Callaghan)
© Thomson Reuters 2010
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Karzai, White House escalate war of words
By Peter Graff and Patricia Zengerle
April 5,2010
KABUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A war of words between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the White House escalated on Monday, with Washington expressing frustration that an attempt to smooth over the feud had so far failed.
Karzai said he stood by remarks from last week accusing the West of carrying out election fraud in Afghanistan, and appeared to sharpen the criticism still further by singling out the United States specifically for blame.
The White House said it was frustrated on behalf of the American public, and invoked the sacrifice made by families who send their loved ones off to fight. There are more than 120,000 Western troops in Afghanistan, including more than 80,000 Americans, set to rise to 100,000 Americans this year.
Karzai's continued defence of his anti-Western remarks could signal that he is pursuing a deliberate new policy of distancing himself from his Western backers, rather than simply having expressed frustration in a one-off outburst last week.
That could complicate U.S. counter-insurgency war strategy, which depends on showing a united front with Karzai's government and persuading Afghans that troops are there to support it.
Karzai phoned U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday to smooth over the quarrel, but White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that since that phone call "it obviously didn't get any better.
"The remarks are troubling and the substance of the remarks is simply just not true," Gibbs said.
"On behalf of the American people we are frustrated with the remarks. I think that families all over this country have watched their loved ones go off a long way away to serve bravely in our armed forces and to help a country establish peace and security."
In other public remarks in recent days, Karzai told elders in the southern town of Kandahar on Sunday: "Afghanistan will be be fixed when its people trust their president is independent ... when its people trust the government is independent and not a puppet."
Karzai, who enjoyed close personal relations with President Barack Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, has had a frosty relationship with the Obama administration from the outset. It worsened during a three-month election fraud dispute last year.
Obama made the first visit to Afghanistan of his presidency last week, nearly 15 months since taking office. The entire visit took place under cover of darkness and Obama refused to answer questions alongside Karzai, gestures some Afghans saw as snubs.
The Obama administration has consistently accused Karzai of doing too little to fight corruption, an issue Karzai says is exaggerated in Western media and largely the fault of Western countries for poorly managing their own aid projects.
Among other issues that may have provoked his more confrontational stance last week is a quarrel with parliament and Western countries about the role that foreigners would play in a parliamentary election in September.
Karzai has launched a push this year to reach out to insurgents for talks, meeting a sceptical response from U.S. officials who say it is too soon to talk with Taliban leaders.
U.S. officials have also briefed reporters that they would like to sideline Karzai's half brother, now a powerful figure in Kandahar, as part of their offensive there. Karzai has stood by his brother despite requests from Washington to push him aside.
(Editing by Ron Popeski)
© Thomson Reuters 2010
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Egypt releases ElBaradei backer
April 5,2010
The Egyptian publisher of a book supporting the former UN nuclear watchdog head Mohamed ElBaradei has been released from jail, officials say.
Publisher Ahmed Mahanna was detained on Saturday and released a day later.
Mr ElBaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has recently returned to Egypt and launched a campaign for political reform.
He is emerging as a potential challenger to Hosni Mubarak, who has been in power for nearly three decades.
The unnamed official did not give any reason for the detention, it was reported.
Appeal
The Arab Network for Human Rights said that Ahmed Mahanna's office was raided and his computer confiscated.
Mr ElBaradei has hinted he may stand against 81-year-old President Mubarak, who has ruled since 1981, in an election due in 2011. Observers believe Mr Mubarak wants his son Gamal to succeed him.
Analysts say Mr ElBaradei's appeal for many Egyptians is that he is a civilian in a country long ruled by soldiers, and that he is untainted by corruption allegations.
But detractors writing in state media have portrayed him as a figure who is out of touch with Egyptian life, having lived abroad for so many years.
Mr ElBaradei, 67, built a strong reputation as head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8603420.stm
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10 killed as bombings target US consulate in Peshawar
April 5 2010, IANS
Peshawar: At least 10 people were killed as multiple bombings during rush hour Monday targeted the US consulate in the high-security zone of this northwestern Pakistan city, officials said.
Among the dead were four attackers, two security personnel and three foreigners, whose identities were, however, not immediately known.
The blasts came hours after a powerful explosion ripped through a political rally in the Lower Dir area of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). That attack occurred in Timer Girah sub-district of Lower Dir during a political rally taken out by the province's Awami National Party (ANP).
The blasts in Peshawar, the capital of the NWFP, took place near the US consulate situated on Khyber road in the city's Sadar area within a space of 20 minutes and were followed by heavy firing as the security forces moved in against the attackers.
The first blast occurred around 1.15 p.m. near the consulate's checkpost and the second and third at 1.31 p.m. and 1.35 p.m. as the attackers attempted to ram their explosives-laden vehicles into the building's gates, Online news agency reported.
The blasts were so intense that mobile phone services went on the blink for some time. Ambulances, with their sirens blaring, rushed to the area to carry the wounded to hospital.
One witness said it appeared to be a suicide attack.
"I saw the attackers in two vehicles. Some of them carried rocket-propelled grenades. They first opened fire at security personnel at the post near the consulate and then the blasts went off," a Peshawar resident said.
The security forces asked journalists to keep away from the area as more blasts were feared.
The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the blasts.
Senior North West Frontier Minister Bashir Bilour told reporters at the site of the blasts that four attackers were among the dead.
"They brought in a lot of explosives and some are being disposed of. They were well-armed," Bilour said.
"They came in two vehicles. The militants were well-equipped. It was a well-organised attack," Bilour said, adding: "The situation is now under control."
"They (the security forces) have killed four militants. Four dead bodies are lying on the spot. The whole area is encircled by the army. The militants were trying to enter the American consulate, but they did not succeed," he said.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani condemned the blasts and vowed to continue the war against terrorism to its logical conclusion.
The US too strongly condemned the terror attack on the consulate.
According to an embassy spokesperson in Islamabad, the US "is grateful for the support of Pakistan's security forces in Peshawar, who responded quickly to this attack on the US consulate".
"Personnel at the US consulate in Peshawar are at the forefront of US support for the government of Pakistan's security and development agenda in the FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) and NWFP," an embassy statement said.
At least two Pakistani security guards employed by the consulate were killed in the attack and a number of others were seriously wounded.
In Brussels, the European Union's top diplomat Catherine Ashton condemned Peshawar and expressed the EU's solidarity with Pakistan.
The attack was an attempt to undermine democracy in Pakistan, she said.
Some 600 people, mostly civilians, died in a series of blasts that rocked a vast region from the NWFP to Pakistan's commercial capital Karachi in the last three months of 2009.
In the most horrendous of these bombings, 177 people, including a large number of women and children, were killed Oct 28, 2009, in a suicide attack at a crowded market in Peshawar.
The attacks are linked to the military operations being conducted against the Taliban in their North and South Waziristan tribal regions along the border with Afghanistan and which had begun in early October 2009.
Shaken by the Monday's Peshawar blasts, the authorities have strengthened security at the Iranian and Afghan consulates in Balochistan capital Quetta.
Heavy police contingents have been deployed outside sensitive government installations and police patrolling has also been stepped up.
Security has been strengthening outside Governor House, the Chief Minister House, he civil secretariat and other important installations.
http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=175659
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'Suicide bomb' at north-west Pakistan political rally, 43 killed
5 April 2010
At least 43 people have been killed in a suspected suicide attack at a political party rally in north-west Pakistan, police say.
Witnesses said the detonation occurred near the stage at the outdoor rally, attended by hundreds of people.
The party targeted, the ethnic Pashtun Awami National Party, heads a coalition in North West Frontier Province.
Separately, a series of large explosions has hit Peshawar, one of the major cities in the region.
Witnesses reported seeing plumes of thick grey smoke over the garrison part of the city. US officials said the US consulate was the target of the attacks.
A protracted gun battle followed the blasts.
Militant target
The political rally was taking place in Lower Dir district, scene of a major offensive against the Taliban last year.
Peshawar hit by explosions
Pakistan state TV said hundreds of people were taking part in the rally, in the town of Timergara.
They were celebrating plans to change the name of North West Frontier Province to Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa - meaning "Khyber side of the land of the Pakhtuns".
"Our party had arranged a thanksgiving day to celebrate the changing of the name after 200 years of colonial legacy," an ANP spokesman told Geo television.
The renaming is likely to be endorsed by the national parliament this week.
More than 50 people were said to have been injured in the attack.
ANP, a secular-nationalist party, has been the target of Taliban militants in Swat, Dir and Buner districts.
Dozens of its local leaders were killed by militants during the two years that the Taliban controlled these districts, but last year's operation cleared most areas of the threat.
This is the first major attack in Dir since 4 February, when a suicide car bomb killed at least eight people, including three US citizens and a number of schoolgirls.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8603184.stm
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Once again, Pak is close to the brink
Says an editorial in The Asian Age, New Delhi
Apr 05 2010
With no institutional bulwark other than that of its Army (questions have been raised about this too) to act as a protective shield, Pakistan is an uncertain place at the best of times. An unsettling tradition of military coups, of political parties cosying up to the Army for short-term gains, and a historically supine judiciary that managed to find strange arguments to rally around successful coup-makers, has tended to enervate the national spirit, although its people have on occasion shown the gumption to take matters into their own hands as they did by launching successful public protests to end the presidency of Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Looking at recent developments, it is not unthinkable that the people might once again be called upon to take the lead to urge all national institutions to respect one another, not precipitate matters, and display a sense of maturity and balance. The failure of civil society to rise to the occasion can plunge the country into chaos at a time when the internal security scenario is grim and the economic outlook just short of disastrous.
Full report at: The Asian Age, New Delhi
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Karzai Slams the West Again
By MATTHEW ROSENBERG And HABIB ZAHORI
KABUL, Afghanistan—President Hamid Karzai lashed out at his Western backers for the second time in three days, accusing the U.S. of interfering in Afghan affairs and saying the Taliban insurgency would become a legitimate resistance movement if the meddling doesn't stop.
Mr. Karzai, whose government is propped up by billions of dollars in Western aid and nearly 100,000 American troops fighting a deadly war against the Taliban, made the comments during a private meeting with about 60 or 70 Afghan lawmakers Saturday.
At one point, Mr. Karzai suggested that he himself would be compelled to join the other side —that is, the Taliban—if the parliament didn't back his controversial attempt to take control of the country's electoral watchdog from the United Nations, according to three people who attended the meeting, including an ally of the president.
Mr. Karzai blamed the lawmakers' resistance to his move on a foreign conspiracy, they said. The Afghan president's latest remarks came less than 24 hours after he assured U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that he was committed to working with the U.S. That phone call was precipitated by a similar—but less vitriolic--anti-Western diatribe Mr. Karzai delivered earlier last week.
After Friday's call, U.S. and Afghan officials said they were putting the incident behind them and moving on.
Full report at:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303917304575162012382865940.html
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Karzai threatens to join Taliban
05 Apr, 2010
WASHINGTON, April 4: Afghan President Hamid Karzai has threatened to join the Taliban if the country’s parliament did not back his bid to take control of a UN-led electoral watchdog, the US media reported on Sunday.
On Wednesday, the Afghan parliament voted down a proposal to allow Mr Karzai to appoint three of the five members the Electoral Complaints Commission that monitors election fraud. The commission had stripped President Karzai of nearly one-third of his votes in last year’s presidential election.
The Wall Street Journal reported that on Saturday Mr Karzai had a private meeting in Kabul with up to 70 Afghan lawmakers where he also accused the United States of interfering in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.
Full report at: dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/karzai-threatens-to-join-taliban-540
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Police at Sania Mirza's residence to quiz Shoaib
Apr 5, 2010
Hyderabad,(PTI) Police today reached the residence of tennis star Sania Mirza apparently to question Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik in the wake of a cheating case lodged against him by the father of Ayesha, the Hyderabad girl who claims to be his wife.
In fresh trouble for 28-year-old Shoaib, who is scheduled to get married to 23-year-old Sania here on April 15, the Hyderabad Police have alerted the immigration authorities about the criminal complaint, a move that could pose difficulties for Shoaib to leave the country.
There was no immediate official word on why the police have gone to the Mirza residence.
The charges against Shoaib are that of harassment of Ayesha, cheating to marry another girl and criminal intimidation including threats to her to keep quiet, Hyderabad Police Commissioner A K Khan said.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/595666_Police-at-Sania-Mirza-s-residence-to-quiz-Shoaib
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Shoaib alleges nikahnama was forged; cops quiz Ayesha
Hyderabad, April 05, 2010
On a complaint filed by Ayesha Siddiqui, Hyderabad police have questioned Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, who is slated to get married to Sania Mirza on April 15. Ayesha, who claims to be Shoaib's first wife accused Shoaib Malik of cheating.
Police is beleived to have grilled Shoaib Malik for two hours. They have also recorded Ayesha's statement.
Sources say Shoaib might have to undergo scientific tests. The cricketer continues to deny his marriage and has reportedly alleged that the nikahnama was forged. Police have reportedly told him that if he continues to deny links with Ayesha, he might be arrested.
Ayesha also accused Malik, a former Paksitani skipper, of trying to buy her silence for $1 million, muddying the waters ahead of the April 15 marriage of Sania and Shoaib.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner A.K. Khan said Shoaib would not be allowed to leave India without police permission.
"We have alerted all immigration gateways not to allow Shoaib to leave," he said.
This followed a complaint filed by M.A. Siddiqui, Ayesha's father, under sections 498 A (harassment), 420 (cheating) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
The police registered an First Information Report (FIR) on the complaint.
On his part, the cricketer issued a statement claiming that no 'nikah' (marriage) took place with Ayesha and hence there was no need for him to divorce her before marrying Sania.
Full report at:
hindustantimes.com/Shoaib-alleges-nikahnama-was-forged-cops-quiz-Ayesha/H1-Article3-527241.aspx
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'I am not going anywhere, I am here to clear my name,' says Shoaib Malik
5th April, 2010
Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik, who is scheduled to marry tennis star Sania Mirza on April 15 in Hyderabad, on Monday said that he was in the city to clear his name vis-'-vis the alleged marriage with Hyderabad girl Ayesha Siddiqui , as he would not like to lose the respect that he had earned.
Addressing a press conference with Sania this evening, Shoaib said: "I have not married the girl who goes by the name of Ayesha. I have never met her. I have met Maha Apa, and Apa in Islam means elder sister. I won't apologise. I am not leaving the country, I am cooperating with the police here."
"I would not like to lose the respect that I have earned. If you want to question the validity of the 'so-called marriage', go and ask the clergy. Ten years ago, I was 18-years-old. I now believe that I was trapped by Maha Apa. I am here to clear my name. The Siddiquis are doing this for cheap publicity. You people are from the media; I would like to ask why this Ayesha is not appearing in public? Why is she talking to television channels behind the scenes? I believe in God. I represent Pakistan. I am strong and believe I will see this through," Malik added.
Full report at:
http://www.pakistannews.net/story/620150
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Wrong people trying to hijack Islam: UK Indian Muslims
05 April 2010
New Delhi: A group of young and prominent British Muslims hailing from India, who last week visited the country, are worried over the violence perpetrated by terrorists in the name of Islam, and also decry the western media relating such violence to their religion.
They admit that there was a Islamic revivalism but caution against tracing the causes of terrorism to this phenomenon.
They feel that no religion whether Islam, Hinduism or Christianity teaches hatred and violence against innocent people.
''I feel that those who killed Muslims in Gujarat were not really Hindus. Hinduism teaches values of religious tolerance and respect for humanity. Followers of this religion cannot be the men who executed the pogrom in 2002,'' said Ibrahim Mogra, who hails from Gujarat and is an Imam in Leicester and chairman of the high profile Masjid and Community Affairs Committee of the Muslim Council of Britain.
Mogra along with Faizal Patel, Remona Aly and Sajda Mughal was part of the Prominent British Muslims delegation which came here under the auspices of the British High Commission.
Full report at: www.sahilonline.org/english/news.php?catID=nationalnews&nid=7763
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Halal becomes big business
IMAN KURDI
When my local delicatessen in France closed, it was replaced by a fast-food outlet selling halal fried chicken. When my local kosher butcher closed, it was replaced by a halal butcher. In my local supermarket, there is now a well-stocked halal section. Last week, I received a leaflet proposing Islamic banking services. Suddenly it seems halal has not only become fashionable but big business.
Halal fast food certainly sells. For a start, in many parts of Europe the late night staple is the kebab. That it is halal hardly matters to non-Muslim partygoers who stumble out of nightclubs hungry for a meaty sandwich in the early hours. It’s a noteworthy trend that extends beyond the humble kebab: Halal food is popular with both Muslims and non-Muslims.
But the main market is clearly Muslims eager to eat in line with their religious precepts. And a big market it is. There are 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide. In Europe alone, there are 18 million Muslim consumers with an estimated market value of $2.63 billion per annum according to Halal Journal.
Full report at: arabnews.com/opinion/columns/article39140.ece
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‘Bombings bear Qaeda mark’
5 April 2010
The Sunday suicide bombings in Baghdad bear the mark of Al-Qaeda, but it is too early to say definitively who was behind the attacks, said Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari.
“It looks like (Al-Qaeda),” Zebari said in a telephone interview following the blasts, which killed 30 people and left 168 wounded.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/246900/%E2%80%98Bombings-bear-Qaeda-mark%E2%80%99.html
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Second Moscow Metro bomber 'was teacher'
5 April 2010
A 28-year-old female schoolteacher from the North Caucasus may have been the second suicide bomber who attacked the Moscow Metro, a Russian newspaper says.
The woman's father, Rasul Magomedov, told Novaya Gazeta that he recognised his daughter Mariam Sharipova in a photograph circulated on the internet.
"The last time my wife saw our daughter she was wearing the same red scarf as in the photograph," he said.
The blasts last week killed 40 people. The other bomber has been identified.
A Chechen militant leader, Doku Umarov, has said he ordered the 29 March rush-hour bombings, which also injured more than 80 people, most of whom are still in hospital.
Mr Magomedov said he and his wife "cannot imagine how Mariam turned up in Moscow".
His daughter had been teaching computer science since 2006 at a school in the village of Balakhani in Dagestan, he said. She lived with her parents, both of whom are teachers in Balakhani.
http://images.google.co.in/images?q=Hot%20girl%20image&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wihttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8603195.stm
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Family jihad tour: European parents are 'taking children to terror training camps'
By Allan Hall
05th April 2010
German intelligence is warning of a new breed of terrorist - whole family groups travelling to training camps on the Afghan-Pakistan border where they graduate in explosives, fundraising and suicide bombing training.
Parents travelling with children have in the past raised less suspicion than single men or women travelling to and from Germany.
Now officials have the names of 100 suspects they believe may be radicalised and ready to strike.
Germany is braced for a terror attack after repeated threats because of its involvement in the armed mission in Afghanistan.
Full report at:
dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1263720/Family-jihad-tour-European-parents-taking-children-terror-training-camps.html#ixzz0kEKXmcye
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Egyptian police arrest publisher of ElBaradei book
5 April 2010
CAIRO: Egyptian police have arrested the publisher of a book about former UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei and his calls for political change in Egypt ahead of elections this year and next, a security source said.
ElBaradei, who returned to Egypt in February after 12 years as head of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has said he would consider running for president if certain conditions were met.
Ahmed Mahanna, head of Dawan publishing house, was arrested on Saturday, the source said.
ElBaradei, in a twitter statement, said: "The detention of a publisher of a book about me and my ideas of reform shows a repressive regime afraid of its own shadow." The book "ElBaradei and the Dream of the Green Revolution" was written by Egyptian journalist Kamal Gabrayal, who also works in the state-run Roze Al-Yusef publishing house, which publishes a daily newspaper and a weekly magazine.
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article39210.ece
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Downloading a document from the Internet can land you in jail
Apr 5, 2010
New Delhi: When does downloading a document from the Internet land you in jail? In the strife-torn Jammu and Kashmir, the Official Secrets Act (OSA) can do the trick. Like it did for journalist Iftikhar Gilani back in 2003.
When does calling upon “Dalits, women, minorities, farmers and adivasis to build organisations in order to fight for their rights” (among other things) qualify as sedition? In the police notice to Dr. Rati Rao, vice president of the People's Union for Civil Liberties, it does.
Mr. Gilani and Dr. Rao were among the journalists and activists who spoke of State repression at a conference of Media and Law organised by the Human Rights Law Network, here on Sunday.
“When they arrested me they said it was in the national interest. When I was released, they said it was in public interest,” Mr. Gilani told the audience. Jailed for seven months, he said several victims like him were “rotting” in the prisons of J&K. He recalled a man who had spent 12 years in jail under the Public Security Act (PSA) for digging up a cricket pitch.
Full report at: www.hindu.com/2010/04/05/stories/2010040561171000.htm
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‘Israel to attack Iran by November’
05 Apr, 2010
NEW YORK, April 4: Israel would attack Iran’s nuclear facilities by November unless the US and its allies enact “crippling sanctions that will undermine the regime in Tehran”.
This was stated by the former Israeli deputy defence minister Brig Gen Ephraim Sneh in a newspaper article published in Newsmax, an online magazine on Sunday.
The Newsmax report followed an article in the Israeli left-wing daily, Haaretz, in which Sneh argues that Iran will probably have “a nuclear bomb or two” by 2011.
“An Israeli military campaign against Iran’s nuclear installations is likely to cripple that country’s nuclear project for a number of years. The retaliation against Israel would be painful, but bearable.”
Sneh does not foresee any US military strikes on Iran, an analysis that is shared by most observers in Washington, who see the Obama administration moving toward containment as opposed to confrontation with Iran.
Sneh believes that the “acquisition of nuclear weapons by Iran during Obama’s term would do him a great deal of political damage,” but that the damage to Obama resulting from an Israeli strike on Iran “would be devastating”.
The sanctions currently being discussed with Russia, China and other major powers at the United Nations are likely to be a slightly-enhanced version of the UN sanctions already in place, which have had no impact on the Iranian regime.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/israel-to-attack-iran-by-november-540
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Muslim quota soon: CM
5 April 2010
Calcutta, April 4: Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today tried to woo Muslims back into the CPM fold, announcing quick implementation of a promised 10 per cent quota for the minority community in government jobs with an eye on the elections to 82 civic bodies in May.
“My department is working full swing and the quota will be implemented soon,” the chief minister, who also heads the minority ministry, said.
“If there can be reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, why can’t we have reservations for backward Muslims?” he asked.
Bhattacharjee was speaking at a programme organised by the West Bengal Minorities Development and Finance Corporation where scholarships and loans worth Rs 3 crore were given to 1,321 people, among them students and entrepreneurs from the minority communities.
Full report at: telegraphindia.com/1100405/jsp/bengal/story_12303100.jsp
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Carnage in Iraq
Apr 5, 2010
As Iraqi politicians grapple to build a new coalition government, the men of violence are attempting to seize back the streets.
The triple car bombings that took place in Baghdad on Sunday were an abrupt end to a period of relative calm since last month’s elections, when police and security forces mounted a major clampdown.
At least 30 people were slain and approaching 200 people injured in the latest blasts. This crime comes on top of the cold-blooded murder Saturday of 25 members of a Sunni militia in a village south of the capital, after they thought they had been arrested by Iraqi police. The terrorists wearing stolen uniforms were almost certainly from a group still allied to Al-Qaeda, possibly from another village in the region. Arrests have already been made. It seems possible that the attackers hoped the killings would be blamed on renegade Shiite police and so inflame inter-ethnic tensions. It was certainly an opportunity to settle scores with the Sunni militias whose defection to and support for the American authorities has done so much to blunt the insurgency.
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/opinion/editorial/article39144.ece
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J&K rail link vulnerable to terror attacks: PIL
Manoj Mitta
Apr 5, 2010
NEW DELHI: In an uncanny coincidence, just a day before the first terror strike on a rail track in the Kashmir valley on Friday, the Railway Board had given an extraordinary hearing to advocate Prashant Bhushan on the even greater security risks involved in the existing alignment of the eight-year project to link that region through the Himalayas to the rest of the country.
The one-hour hearing on April 1 by the board followed a Delhi High Court direction four months ago on a PIL filed by Bhushan. The PIL challenged the board's decision to carry on with the existing slope-skirting alignment without taking into account the safety hazards that arise from its reliance on a large number of bridges and heavily curved tunnels.
Full report at:
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/JK-rail-link-vulnerable-to-terror-attacks-PIL/articleshow/5761293.cms
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Devotees throng Dargah Dera Banda Nawaz
April 5 2010
New Age Islam News Bureau
Saharanpur: Hundreds of devotees thronged the Dargah Sharif of Banda Nawaz Syed Rafat Hussain(R.A.) on the occasion of the 39th Urs and sought his blessings. Pilgrims from all over the country and abroad were present. In the morning the custom of Chadar was performed while in the evening Syed Itrat Hussain conducted special prayer session. On this occasion ,Syed Itrat Hussain shed some light on the life of Syed Rafat Hussain. Bollywood actress Amina Nazia was also among the pilgrims.
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The Urs of Mian Meeran Shah concludes
April 5, 2010
New Age Islam News Bureau
Sambhal: The 3-day Urs Qul of Mian Meeran Shah concluded on Sunday.The Urs was organised with the same devotion and enthusiasm as usual. The 3-day Urs was alos marked by qawwali presented by local qawwals as well as ones from other cities and continued till late night .The programme ended with Qul Sharif and prayers.
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Internal differences the biggest problem for the Muslim ummah, says Mufti Abdur Rehman
April 4, 2010
New Age Islam News Bureau
Panipat:The Muslim community is besieged by multiple problems and the greatest problem is the internal differences of the Muslim ummah which prevents it from comming to a common platform, said Mufti Abdur Rahman addressing the members of Ghausia Education Society and the guardians of the students at the end of the annual examinations of Jamia Ashrifia Ghusia School and Madrasa.He told the gathering that the cure for all the maladies of the Muslim society was in the Holy Quran and so they should follow Quran in evey sphere of life.
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Misunderstanding Islam
5 April 2010
Islam is a great religion guided by high principles and civilized laws.
Due to the actions of some people who got strayed from the right path, the entire Muslim community is facing some problems. Both the Muslim extremists and detractors of Islam should know that Islam teaches its followers to fight evil, not to spread it.
We should fight the growing prejudice against Islam among non-Muslims and the Western media. A Jew can grow his beard in order to practice his faith, but when Muslim does the same, he is regarded as an extremist and terrorist! A nun can be covered from head to toe in order to devote herself to God, right? But, hijab or head dress is seen as sign of illiteracy and backwardness. When a Western woman stays at home to look after her home and kids she is hailed by the entire society for sacrificing her life for the family. But when a Muslim woman does so by her free will, some in the West say, "She needs to be liberated"!
Who will liberate them from such prejudices?
http://arabnews.com/opinion/letters/article39138.ece
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Dubai court upholds kissing British couple’s sentence
5 April 2010
Dubai’s appeals court upheld the one-month sentence to a British couple accused of kissing in public, weeks after two Indians were sentenced to jail for exchanging lewd text messages here.
The pair, 24-old-year marketing executive Ayman Najafi and 25-year-old tourist Charlotte Adams, were convicted in January and sentenced to one month in jail followed by deportation, and fined USD 272 for consuming alcohol.
The pair, which has so far remained free on bail, can mount a final legal challenge with a higher cassation court, the defendants’ lawyer Khalfan Al-Hosani said.
“There isn’t much of a chance but it’s worth a try,” he told reporters. The lawyer said his clients haven’t yet decided whether to appeal.
Full report at:
dailypioneer.com/246889/Dubai-court-upholds-kissing-British-couple%E2%80%99s-sentence.html
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Death sentence to 17 Indians subject to appeal: UAE
5, 2010
NEW DELHI: Amid concerns here over capital punishment given to 17 Indians in Sharjah, UAE on Monday said its legal system guarantees fair trial and the death sentence is subject to appeal and annulment by the rule of law without any interference from the parties concerned.
"The UAE embassy in New Delhi has been following press reports with regard to convicted Indian nationals in Sharjah. Death penalty in UAE legal system is subject to appeal and cassation by the rule of law without any interference from the parties.
"We fully trust our legal system and its procedures and we are sure that it will provide and guarantee a fair trial to the convicted," the UAE embassy in New Delhi said in a statement.
Moreover, the court (in UAE) provides lawyers for those unable to get legal help themselves and gives them the right and the means to defend themselves in court, it said.
Seventeen Indians were sentenced to death on March 29 by a Sharjah shariah court for allegedly killing a Pakistani and leaving three others injured in an attack last year.
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna has termed as "very unfortunate" the death sentence given to 17 Indians and has instructed his ministry to assist them in filing an appeal and also bear all the expenses involved.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Death-sentence-to-17-Indians-subject-to-appeal-UAE/articleshow/5761957.cms
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India in no mood to hand over Kasab, Ansari to Pakistan
Apr 4, 2010
NEW DELHI: India on Sunday virtually ruled out handing over Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist caught during the 26/11 strikes, or his associate Fahim Ansari to Pakistan as it emphasised that "justice" was taking its course in this country in the Mumbai attacks case.
"We are trying Kasab and others here in India following the Mumbai terrorist attacks," foreign secretary Nirupama Rao said when asked to comment on Pakistan approaching Interpol for arresting Kasab and Ansari for trial in that country.
"The case against Kasab has proceeded over the last few months. Verdict is expected by May 3 in all likelihood," she said, adding "justice is taking its course in India on this subject."
Pakistan's Special Public Prosecutor Malik Rab Nawaz Moon, during trial in the 26/11 case in Rawalpindi on Saturday, said Interpol had been approached to issue Red Corner Notice for arrest of Kasab and Ansari.
Full report at:
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-in-no-mood-to-hand-over-Kasab-Ansari-to-Pakistan/articleshow/5760447.cms
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Benazir covered up my father's murder, says Fatima Bhutto
Apr 5, 2010
New Delhi: Fatima Bhutto, niece of slain Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader and the former Pakistan Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, has said her aunt had covered up the 1996 killing of her (Ms. Fatima's) father Murtaza.
Ms. Fatima alleged that Benazir's husband Asif Ali Zardari, now Pakistan President, was also involved in the killing of Murtaza on September 20, 1996.
When asked by Karan Thapar in Devil's Advocate programme on CNN-IBN whether Mr. Zardari was involved in the killing, Ms. Fatima said, “Yes.”
No charges were, however, proved against Mr. Zardari.
On whether she believed Benazir Bhutto — who was then Prime Minister of Pakistan — had a role to play, she replied, “Yes. Unfortunately.”
Full report at: http://www.hindu.com/2010/04/05/stories/2010040561471200.htm
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There's something about Fatima
Apr 4, 2010
NEW DELHI: Her book couldn't be published in Pakistan but in India, it's already caused some stir. It was only a matter of time before Fatima Bhutto, granddaughter of former Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, wrote her memoir. Songs of Blood and Sword, telling the story of the Pakistan's influential but blighted Bhutto family that has seen much violence and death was released here on Saturday.
At the open-air venue of a five-star hotel, Fatima Bhutto chatted with William Dalrymple, read extracts and talked of life with her father and even with her aunt, Benazir before she became prime minister. Suspected to have been behind the killing of her father Murtaza Bhutto, current Pakistan president, Asif Ali Zardari emerged a villain, of course. She recalled how "cruelly" Zardari had broken the news of Murtaza's killing to 14 year-old Fatima on September 20, 1996 and later, delivered his first address on the 12th death anniversary.
Full report at:
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Theres-something-about-Fatima/articleshow/5760106.cms
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Indian godmen a hit in Nepal
Apr 5, 2010
KATHMANDU: They might have large fan following in India and larger controversies but Indian babas have begun to enjoy a headier experience in neighbouring Nepal: incredible political clout.
The recent camp held by Indian yoga guru Baba Ramdev is a case in point. The saffron-clad bearded yoga teacher, lately foraying into politics, was feted by the president of Nepal while the prime minister of Nepal laid the foundation of his yoga ashram — even Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' attended his camp where he advocated a fusion of Maoism and spiritualism.
Now, even before the ripples created by Ramdev die down, Kripalu Maharaj, the man hailed by his followers as the greatest seer of his age, will be holding a two-day discourse at Bankali, the sprawling land close to the famed Pashupatinath temple, from April 10.
Last month, the 88-year-old maharaj faced a lot of negative publicity in India after a stampede in his Radha Madhav Society ashram in UP killed at least 63 people.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and his Art of Living also enjoy a large following in Nepal; so does Sai Baba, who has several ashrams with Nepal's late PM G P Koirala and his daughter Sujata, the deputy PM of Nepal, being his devotees. Osho has had a resurrection in Nepal with his Nepalese disciples now taking the movement to the UK, Russia and other countries.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indian-godmen-a-hit-in-Nepal/articleshow/5761281.cms
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Iran to host nuclear disarmament conference
05 Apr, 2010
TEHRAN, April 4: Iran said on Sunday it will host a nuclear disarmament conference later this month, part of Tehran’s efforts to show it is not seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, was quoted by state television as saying the two-day meeting — dubbed “Nuclear Energy For All, Nuclear Weapons For No One” — will start April 17, just days after a US-hosted summit on nuclear security.
“Iran, as a country supporting global disarmament, invites the world to disarm and prevent proliferation,” Jalili said.
Jalili also said that China, which has resisted US-led efforts to impose new UN sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear programme, would attend the meeting in Tehran.
However, a duty officer at the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that Beijing had received an invitation to the conference, but added that no decision had been made yet on whether to attend. The duty officer declined to give his name.—AP
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/iran-to-host-nuclear-disarmament-conference-540
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Ingushetia hit by suicide attack
5 April 2010
A suicide attacker has killed at least two police officers in the Russian republic of Ingushetia, in the latest in a series of such bombings.
Shortly after the first attack, a car bomb was detonated in the same place in the town of Karabulak, officials said.
Forty were killed by a twin attack on Moscow's Metro system last week, and another North Caucasus republic, Dagestan, has also been targeted.
The Kremlin blamed Islamists from the North Caucasus for the earlier attacks.
Russian media reports have published images of a woman they say carried out one of the attacks in Moscow, saying she was from Dagestan.
http://images.google.co.in/images?q=Hot%20girl%20image&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wihttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8603119.stm
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Taliban holding Japan journalist in northern Afghanistan
Apr 5, 2010
TOKYO: A Japanese freelance journalist missing in Afghanistan since last week is being held by the Taliban in the country's north, media reports in Japan citing unnamed insurgent sources said on Monday.
Kosuke Tsuneoka, 40, is in the hands of a Taliban group in the northern province of Kunduz, the Jiji Press news agency reported, citing an unnamed Taliban commander.
The Yomiuri Shimbun daily, also citing an anonymous Taliban source, reported that the journalist was kidnapped in Baghlan province to the south of Kunduz and was now being held in one of those two provinces.
Criminal groups and Taliban insurgents have kidnapped several dozen foreigners, many of them journalists, since the 2001 US-led invasion that ousted the Taliban regime in Kabul and sparked the current insurgency.
In his last Twitter posting on Thursday, Tsuneoka, who has covered conflicts in Russia's Chechnya, Iraq and Afghanistan, said he had gone into a Taliban-controlled area in the country's north early on Wednesday.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Taliban-holding-Japan-journalist-in-northern-Afghanistan/articleshow/5761696.cms
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Troops kill 38 terrorists in NW Pakistan
05 Apr, 2010
Security forces killed 38 militants in two separate operations on Sunday in an area near the Afghan border where the army recently launched an offensive targeting the Pakistani Taliban, a local official said.
The offensive in the Orakzai tribal area is the latest push by the Pakistani army to rout the Islamist extremists. Many Taliban fighters fled to the rugged, mountainous region last year after a separate operation in nearby South Waziristan, which had served as the group’s main base.
Militants attacked an army checkpoint in Sayd Khalil Baba village on Sunday morning, but troops backed by artillery fire repulsed the assault and killed 26 insurgents, said Samiullah Khan, a senior Government administrator in the Orakzai region.
Also Sunday, soldiers invaded militant hide-outs in another area of Orakzai, killing 12 Taliban fighters, said Khan. It is impossible to independently verify the government’s claims because the area is off-limits to journalists. Taliban fighters in the area are not available for comment.
Pakistani forces began their operation in Orakzai in mid-March, and more than 250 militants have been killed, Khan said
http://www.dailypioneer.com/246897/Troops-kill-38-terrorists-in-NW-Pakistan.html
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Now Imarat Shariah puts its weight behind Muslim reservation demand
5 April 2010
Patna: As all Muslim religious and social organizations are demanding reservation for the Muslim community in the light of Ranganath Mishra Commission recommendations for some time, North India’s reverend Islamic seminary Imarat Shariah (Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa) also put its weight behind the demand. The seminary also demanded quota for Muslim and other backward class women in the Women Reservation Bill.
At the end of daylong meeting of its Advisory Board – where various issues confronting the Muslim community were discussed, the Imarat Shariah here yesterday demanded 10% reservation for Muslims in the light of Mishra Commission report and quota for Muslim and other backward women in the Women Reservation Bill that will secure 33% seats in legislative bodies for women.
Over 200 members of Advisory Board of Imarat Shariah from Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa were here to attend its annual meeting. The meeting also discussed AMU campus in Kishanganj and Right to Education Act.
Full report at:
twocircles.net/2010apr05/now_imarat_shariah_puts_its_weight_behind_muslim_reservation_demand.html
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Iranian ex-vice president returns to jail
5 April 2010
TEHRAN: Iran's state television says a former vice president and prominent pro-reform activist convicted of spreading propaganda against the ruling clerical establishment has returned to prison to serve his one-year sentence.
State TV reported Sunday that Hossein Marashi was taken back into custody two weeks after being temporarily released for the Iranian new year holiday, which ended April 2.
Marashi was among the hundreds of activists and opposition figures who were rounded up in the turmoil following President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election in June's election.
Marashi is a spokesman for the liberal Kargozaran political party and supported opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi in June's vote. He served as vice president from 1997 to 2005.
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article39223.ece
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Afghanistan seeks arrest of ex-minister over graft
Apr 5, 2010
KABUL: Afghanistan has asked Interpol to seek the arrest of a former acting cabinet minister accused of corruption and believed to be living in Britain, an official said on Sunday, a rare bid to prosecute graft as demanded by the West.
Western nations with troops in Afghanistan have stepped up pressure on President Hamid Karzai to take stern steps to crack down on corruption, which they say is endemic and feeds the Taleban-led insurgency as well as the illegal drugs trade.
Afghanistan says up to 17 former and current cabinet ministers have had cases investigated by the attorney general, but has so far announced few actual prosecutions.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article39028.ece
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Hamas accuses Fayyad of treason
By MOHAMMED MAR'I
Apr 5, 2010
RAMALLAH: The Hamas movement on Sunday has demanded that Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad be put on official and people's trial for treason.
Hamas said in a press statement that Fayyad "recognized" Israel as a Jewish state in the interview with the Israeli daily Haaretz on Friday, and agreed to accept a peace agreement in which Palestinian refugees would be moved into a Palestinian state and not into Israel.
"That is our vision and a reflection of our will to exercise our right to live in freedom and dignity in the country (where) we are born, alongside the State of Israel, in complete harmony", Fayyad said.
When asked about the need to absorb refugees, Fayyad said: "Palestinians would have the right to reside within the State of Palestine."
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article39181.ece
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India to flag nuke-terror concern at US summit
Apr 5, 2010
NEW DELHI: India will seek to establish itself as a responsible nuclear power at the forthcoming nuclear security summit in Washington next week. India will flag its core concern of nuclear terrorism with no prizes for guessing the subject of its international lobbying efforts.
Briefing journalists before the summit, foreign secretary Nirupama Rao said, "Nuclear terrorism is a global challenge and we see the summit and its associated preparatory process as important elements in strengthening international resolve to cooperate on nuclear security and supporting the expanded use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. This will be to India’s benefit given our concerns on terrorism as well as our interest in the expansion of civil nuclear energy."
PM Manmohan Singh is likely to have a separate "pull-aside" meeting with US President Barack Obama. But there are no plans of meeting Pakistani PM Yousaf Gilani, who will also be present.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-to-flag-nuke-terror-concern-at-US-summit/articleshow/5760466.cms
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Israeli warplanes strike Gaza
By HISHAM ABU TAHA
5 April 2010
GAZA CITY: Israeli warplanes opened fire at a group of Palestinians in the central Gaza Strip, while troops supporting a number of bulldozers advanced into the east of Al-Qarara village in the southern part of the Strip, witnesses and local sources said.
Israeli military sources said that the soldiers identified armed Palestinians in the central Gaza Strip and warplanes fired at them. However, local Palestinian sources said that Israeli combat helicopters opened fire at houses but no one was reportedly wounded.
In Al-Qarara village, Israeli troops backed by helicopters entered the village and leveled agricultural land with bulldozers. No one was reportedly wounded, but the use of intensive and heavy fire caused fear and panic among residents of the village.
Full report at: arabnews.com/middleeast/article39229.ece
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World’s tallest tower reopens deck; goes solar
Apr 5, 2010
The 124th floor observation deck at the world's tallest tower Burj Khalifa was thrown open on Sunday for public again, two months after a faulty lift forced its closure depriving visitors of the panoramic view.
The deck, also called 'At the Top', was closed for public on February 7 after reports of a faulty lift and Emaar, the company that developed the project, said it was for 'maintenance' reasons. The 828 metre skyscraper, however, is now open for business and new bookings.
Meanwhile, the tallest tower has also announced that it is tapping solar power to meet a bulk of the water heating requirements of its residents. Burj Khalifa uses solar panels to heat 140,000 litres of water every day, which will be distributed to homes and commercial entities within the tower.
Full report at:
dailypioneer.com/246916/World%E2%80%99s-tallest-tower-reopens-deck;-goes-solar.html
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Crisis in Azad Kashmir over issue of ‘sacked’ CJ
By Tariq Naqash
05 Apr, 2010
MUZAFFARABAD, April 4: “Azad” Jammu and Kashmir faced what appears to be a serious judicial and political crisis on Sunday after a clash between the offices of the president and prime minister over the filing of a reference against Chief Justice Reaz Akhtar Chaudhry and appointment of Justice Syed Manzoor Hussain Gillani as acting CJ.
The chief of the ruling Muslim Conference, Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, threw his weight behind the president and, in a statement issued from Saudi Arabia, urged the people of AJK to take to the streets.
The reference accusing Justice Reaz of violating and subverting AJK’s interim constitution and committing misconduct was filed by acting president Shah Ghulam Qadir on the advice of Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider before the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) which rendered him non-functional and issued notice to him to appear before it on April 7.
Full report at: dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/crisis-in-azad-kashmir-over-issue-of-sacked-cj-540
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