“Koran says
– you're free in your religion” – Muslim cleric
Al Qaeda woman held in S. Arabia
Qaeda urges Saudis to abduct royals,
Christians
Riyadh Fashion contest opens up opportunities for
women
Women join online campaign against unemployment
‘Obama May Allow Nuke Strike On Iran’
Kasab moves HC against death sentence, seeks
lawyer
New aid ship heading for Gaza
Wedding photographers draw flak for unethical
practices
Saudi religious police probe MTV programme for
'sin'
Sachar effect: Govt jobs for minorities up
40 Pak Militants to Enter Through J&K?
Two Christian aid groups suspended in
Afghanistan
Trader, eunuch acquitted in gay marriage case
India no threat to Pakistan: US
The "peace jirga" and Afghan women
Mideast rivals vie for influence over Iraq
govt
Death toll in Bangladesh fire rises to 108, over 100
injured
Gaza flotilla tragedy can boost Mideast peace efforts, says
Obama
US 'confident' that Pak will not use weapons against
India
Ukraine drops NATO membership plans
‘Epicentre of terror in our neighbourhood'
Sarkozy took Pak kickback?
Journey into America: The Challenge of Islam: ‘Victims and
Victimizers’
Aga Khan Islamic center under way in Toronto
Feminized Christianity Meets Alpha Male
Islam
Even jeans are too alluring for the Sharia police in
Aceh
Turkey honors slain activists, including US
teen
Afghan Elders Debate Opening To Taliban
Al-Qaeda replaces lost leaders with ease
At least 21 civilians killed in Mogadishu battle:
medics
Pakistani captain of hijacked ship killed
159,600 Pakistanis to perform Haj this year
Four killed for ‘honour’ in Balochistan
JI urges Muslim states to boycott Israel
Differences remain at Afghan peace
conference
Students launch campaign for rights
South Sudan army clash with militia, nine
dead
Returning soldiers get hero’s welcome in Abha, Khamis
Mushayt
Facebook to remove offensive contents
Father dies after stalking of daughter
North Yemen clash kills four, threatening truce
Number of illegal workers in Bahrain declines
8 Afghan civilians killed in fighting, bombing
Meet On Muslim Women's Literacy
Gaza flotilla: Turkey threat to Israel ties over
raid
Pakistan terror attack probe links Sarkozy to
corruption
Compiled by Asit kumar
---------
Indian Mujahideen declared terror outfit
Jun 04 2010
New Delhi: The Government on declared Indian Mujahideen, believed to
be a shadow outfit of banned SIMI and Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Toiba, as a
terrorist organisation.
The terror outfit, which has been allegedly involved in serial bomb
blasts in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bangalore and Mumbai, has been added by the
Government in the list of terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act.
"An order has been issued adding Indian Mujahideen and all its
formations and front organisations to the list of Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act, 1967," Home Ministry said in a
statement.
The Indian Mujahideen came under spotlight on February 23, 2005 when
it allegedly carried out a blast in Varanasi leaving eight people
injured.
The terror group, which is believed to be under the direct control of
Pakistan's ISI, has so far carried out over 10 blasts in various parts of the
country killing nearly 500 people, a senior Home Ministry official
said.
The deadliest attack of the Indian Mujahideen was in the national
capital in 2006 when as many as 66 people were killed in serial
blasts.
Amir Reza Khan was the founding members of the Indian Mujahideen,
which was created by ISI ostensibly to spread terror through Indian front
outfits. The terror group is at present headed by Iqbal
Bhatkal.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/indian-mujahideen-declared-terror-outfit/629547/
---------
“Koran says – you're free in your religion” – Muslim
cleric
Jun 4, 2010
Only multiculturalism can provide a peaceful atmosphere for mankind,
and the first Islamic society created by Prophet Muhammad was multicultural, Dr
Mohammed Tahir ul-Qadri told RT.
Speaking about his recently-issued religious ruling – a fatwa – which
condemns terrorism and suicide bombings, Dr Tahir ul-Qadri also said “holy war”
is the incorrect translation of jihad and Koran says that there should be
freedom of religion.
RT: Here in the UK we mostly know the word fatwa from the one that
was issued against Salman Rushdie and his book – The Satanic Verses. Could you
explain what fatwa is?
TQ: Fatwa literally means a decree and a ruling and this has a very
significant place in sources of Islamic laws and Islamic
rulings.
RT: Why are you doing it now and why you didn't issue this fatwa
after 9/11 for example?
TQ: I normally never issue a fatwa. But now I thought this was the
time because terrorism as a wave became much stronger than earlier in Pakistan
and that part of the world last year. Then terrorists started slaughtering
people, then terrorists started even killing the people, then taking their dead
bodies out of the graves and hanging them on the trees, and they started bombing
everywhere and they captured the particular areas, you know, and they took over
and then Pakistan military started a very strong operation against them. That
was last year. And at that time I found that many scholars and many preachers
and even religious political leaders kept silent on that act of brutality
committed by the terrorists.
RT: Can we talk in detail – what exactly do you say in the fatwa? Why
hasn’t jihad or holy war been mentioned? Why did you miss that
out?
TQ: Because I concentrated only on the subject of terrorism. But I
mentioned in my book categorically, that an act of terrorism is not
jihad.
RT: So in fact terrorism can't be considered as a part of holy
war?
TQ: Absolutely not. The holy war is a wrong translation, and I would
be clear and you would be the means to communicate this message faster to the
world. Its meaning is struggle. That’s it. The word war is not included in the
origin and the meaning of the word jihad. Jihad is a much wider concept which
means just to strive for, to struggle. If you put your energy and abilities,
efforts to achieve your good end – that's known as jihad. So there's no place
for aggression in the concept of jihad, no place for brutality when we speak
about jihad. The holy war isn't the concept – it is holy
struggle.
RT: So did terrorists hijack the concept of
jihad?
TQ: Yes they did. They misguided people and youth and their efforts
have no links with jihad.
RT: You used terms like “terrorism” and “innocent people” in your
fatwa – these are terms that hugely open to interpretation. What did you mean by
them?
TQ: I understand they again create an excuse on the base of innocent
– the word innocent. I’d like to make it clear: in case of killing or
non-killing, the word innocent has never been used in the Koran. This exception
of innocent has never been given in Koran. The word which is used in Koran
means: if anyone kills a human being without the lawful right which the court
exercises if the person was an intentional murderer, so he was liable to capital
punishment or he was a rebel, so as the punishment of rebellion with killing of
man – he is liable to capital punishment and if he is a terrorist and he kills a
person, so as punishment of the act of terrorism he is liable to death
punishment. So the Koran says if the person is neither an intentional murderer
nor a terrorist, killer, rebel… so if anyone kills a person who doesn't fall
within these three categories, then they kill innocent people. Any peaceful
population, all men who aren't fighting with you one to one on the battlefield –
everybody has a right to kill anyone on the battlefield – so every single
civilian person who is non-combatant is innocent.
RT: The aim of your fatwa seems to go against everything that suicide
bombers and fundamentals believe about themselves. Who do you think they aimed
at and what effect do you think it will have?
TQ: Millions of youngsters who aren't potential extremists but who
are available. Some people who are always behind the youth, they again trap them
and they again put wrong ideologies in their minds and misguide them by using
wrong meanings of this terminology. First of all this will effect them, they'll
be clear and they'll never be “kidnapped” by the terrorist people. Secondly,
thousands of youth who haven’t been totally brainwashed and who haven't become
suicide bombers yet, but they're on the same track. They’re going forward –
they've become conservative, living an isolated life, they believe in isolation
and don't want to be integrated and we can see a tendency which could lead them
to radicalism and terrorism. These thousands of youth will stop. And I hope
nobody in the whole Muslim world would be in position to rebut it. They can
disagree with me just in slogans, and I can't say to be 100 per cent sure about
those who were thoroughly brainwashed – but their number is little. Much larger
in number are those thousands who are waiting behind to enter. At least it will
stop them and this will have a very big effect on Islam and
humanity.
RT: Let’s talk about what is increasingly being known as
Islamophobia, particularly in Europe. Dutch politician Geert Wilders made a film
which says that Koran is a fascist book – what would you say to
him?
TQ: I think these are the same kind of activities – not Osama and
Taliban, but their supporters who are acting against non-Muslims. If in Western
world some people start to do the same kind of thing, it won't help in
developing the peace process. It'll only create hatred. The question is what do
they want to achieve out of that? Just hatred? Just reaction? Further disputes?
Clashes and further division of humanity?
RT: There's quite a lot of opposition to Islam in Europe at the
moment. The Swiss for example have banned the building of more minarets. France
is talking about banning the burqa… do you think Europe is ready to accept
Islam?
TQ: The best solution for peaceful atmosphere for the mankind is
multiculturalism. There should be full democracy, freedom of religions, freedom
of cultures and no freedom for terrorism, extremism, no freedom of creating
brutality and divisions in the society. The first Islamic society created by the
Prophet Muhammad, prophet of Islam in Medina, was a multicultural society. He
started this society instead – alliance with Jews, Christians and their allied
tribes. And their local customs, cultures, traditions, religions and customary
laws were given guaranteed protection. Koran says – there should be freedom of
religion. Koran says: you're free in your religion and we are free in our
religion.
http://rt.com/Top_News/2010-03-09/islam-qadri-fatwa-jihad.html#
---------
Al Qaeda woman held in S. Arabia
04 Jun, 2010
DUBAI, June 3: Al Qaeda urged supporters in Saudi Arabia to kidnap
Christians and Saudi princes to press for the release of a woman militant the
group said was nabbed north of Riyadh, in an audio message released on Thursday.
“Form cells to kidnap Christians and princes from the Saud family and
their ministers and top officers,” Saeed Al-Shihri, a prominent Saudi leader of
Al Qaeda in Yemen, said in the message.
The Dubai based Al-Arabiya news channel described Qsayer as “the most
dangerous woman” in Al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia.
Shihri, who is purportedly number two in the Yemen-based Al Qaeda in
the Arabian Peninsula, insisted that families of prisoners held in Saudi Arabia
should take arms to secure their release instead of grovelling to
officials.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/al-qaeda-woman-held-in-s.-arabia-460
---------
Qaeda urges Saudis to abduct royals, Christians
June 04, 2010
Al-Qaeda has urged supporters in Saudi Arabia to kidnap Christians
and Saudi princes to press for the release of a female militant the group says
was nabbed north of Riyadh, in an audio message released on
Thursday.
"Form cells to kidnap Christians and princes from the Saud family and
their top officials of ministers and officers," Saeed al-Shihri, a prominent
Saudi leader of Al-Qaeda franchise in Yemen, said in the
message.
He said that "preacher" Heila al-Qsayer, a widow of a Saudi Al-Qaeda
militant killed six years ago by the Saudi authorities, was arrested in Qassim,
north of the capital, but did not specify when.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/world/Qaeda-urges-Saudis-to-abduct-royals-Christians/Article1-552685.aspx
---------
Riyadh Fashion contest opens up opportunities for
women
By WALAA HAWARI
Jun 4, 2010
RIYADH: A Saudi businessman has launched a pioneering fashion
competition to showcase the talents of aspiring women.
A sense of social responsibility was what motivated Shoorq Al-Mahmoud
to launch “Pallamano”.
"The objective of the event is to serve Saudi society and to maintain
ongoing development of new talents," said Al-Mahmoud, who is the general manager
of events company Atoz.
The competition, which is supervised and judged by a panel of women
from the business, academic and fashion communities, aims to encourage and
nurture girls who have designing talents, according to
Al-Mahmoud.
Many ambitious young Saudi girls have applied to participate in the
competition, although Al-Mahmoud admits that marketing efforts were not as
intense as it could have been. Only seven girls were chosen as semi-finalists
and will be judged across three categories.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article60507.ece
---------
Women join online campaign against unemployment
By FATIMA SIDIYA
Jun 4, 2010
JEDDAH: Unemployed Saudis are looking to the Internet to campaign
against unemployment. One of the recent campaigns launched was titled "A Job is
a Right and Not a Gift!" Another campaign launched recently was called "Employ
Us or We Will Travel."
Women also started to campaign recently saying that while the idea of
Saudi women working as maids is rejected, other jobs are not given to them.
Another campaign is by Dalal Al-Batti, a beauty specialist, who along with 100
beauty centers, called for increased Saudization of this
sector.
One of the most famous campaigns launched recently and called "Her
Dream," is directed against the unemployment of women. The campaign has a
website and it lists a number of jobs available in different regions. Each
member can write her story about her fruitless effort to find
work.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article61004.ece
---------
‘Obama May Allow Nuke Strike On Iran’
Jun 04th, 2010
Cuban ex-President Fidel Castro wrote in an article out on Thursday
that it was unlikely that US President Barack Obama would be re-elected without
first letting the US military or Israel launch a nuclear attack on
Iran.
Mr Castro, 83, convalescing away from government since 2006, writes
regular columns for Cuban media commenting on world events. “Is it possible,” Mr
Castro wondered, for Mr Obama to be re-elected “without the Pentagon of the
state of Israel... Use nuclear weapons against Iran?” Mr Castro
wrote.
Mr Castro described Israel’s interception of aid ships bound for the
Gaza Strip as “Nazi fascist fury,” and that Israeli commandos that boarded the
ships fired “frenetically” into the aid workers. “Mr Obama can deliver hundreds
of speeches trying to smooth over contradictions that are irreconcilable with
truth, dream with the magic of his well-articulated speeches, while he makes
concessions” to unethical people and groups, Mr Castro
wrote.
Mr Obama “can paint worlds of fantasy... That unscrupulous advisers,
knowing his tendencies, plant in his head,” Mr Castro
wrote.
http://www.asianage.com/international/%E2%80%98obama-may-allow-nuke-strike-iran%E2%80%99-223
---------
Kasab moves HC against death sentence, seeks
lawyer
Jun 4, 2010
MUMBAI: A month after being sentenced to death for the Mumbai terror
attacks, Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab has filed an appeal in the Bombay High
Court challenging the verdict and sought a lawyer from the legal aid panel to
argue his case.
Kasab filed the appeal through the jail authorities and his plea for
a lawyer has been forwarded to the Court Legal Services Committee (HCLSC), jail
sources said today.
The HCLSC would now forward Kasab's request for a lawyer before
Acting Chief Justice J N Patel, who is patron in chief of Maharashtra State
Legal Services Authority and senior Judge and Chairperson of HCLSC, Justice
Ranjana Desai.
Kasab has a right to remain present before the High Court bench which
would hear his appeal and in such an event the state would have to ensure that
he is brought amidst tight security from the Arthur Road Jail where he is
currently lodged.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kasab-moves-HC-against-death-sentence-seeks-lawyer/articleshow/6010809.cms
---------
New aid ship heading for Gaza
Jun 4, 2010
DUBLIN: An aid ship expects to arrive in Gaza by Saturday morning if
given clear passage by Israel, just days after another aid vessel was boarded by
Israeli commandos who killed nine people and injured several, crew member Derek
Graham said.
The MV Rachel Corrie, a converted merchant ship bought by
pro-Palestinian activists and named after an American woman killed in the Gaza
Strip in 2003, set off on Monday from Malta.
He said all on board were determined to continue with the journey
following Monday’s deadly raid by Israeli commandos on a Turkish-backed aid
convoy.
“We expect to be in Gaza late Friday night, early Saturday morning
... We’re on our way to Gaza,” Graham, who is Irish and an owner of the ship,
said over telephone. “Everybody was very upset at what happened. Everbody has
been more determined than ever to continue on to Gaza.”
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Middle-East/New-aid-ship-heading-for-Gaza/articleshow/6009285.cms
---------
Wedding photographers draw flak for unethical
practices
By MUHAMMAD AL-SULAMI
Jun 4, 2010
JEDDAH: The privacy of conservative Saudi society is under attack by
foreign female photographers who are contracted to film or photograph wedding
parties for women to document the happy occasion.
Many of these photographers, in their quest to make more money, sell
copies of the films to studios and women beauty centers who will in turn put
them on CDs and sell to buyers longing to see what Saudi women do in their
special parties.
The issue came to light recently when the Commission for the
Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Madinah confiscated a number of
CDs containing films about wedding parties. The CDs were found in a studio run
by a number of foreign workers who told investigators that they received the
media from foreign female photographers.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article61014.ece
---------
Sachar effect: Govt jobs for minorities up
Zia Haq
June 04, 2010
The share of minorities — including Muslims — in government jobs is
rising steadily on the back of the Prime Minister’s 2007 directive to focus on
their employment, latest government data reveals.
The last three years saw a significant rise in government recruitment
of minorities: 6.9 per cent in 2007 to 8.3 per cent in 2008 and 9.24 per cent
last year. Between ’08 and ’09, the share of minorities on government rolls
increased 24 per cent.
The PM’s directive in 2007 came after the Sachar Committee, which
probed the disadvantages faced by Muslims — who make up more than 85 per cent of
India’s minority population — found the community lagging on various
socio-economic parameters.
Full report at: Hindustan Times
---------
40 Pak Militants To Enter Through J&K?
PRAMOD KUMAR
Jun 4, 2010
Around 40 hardcore terrorists of different Pakistan-based militant
outfits will attempt to cross into the Indian territory this month. The latest
intelligence inputs reveal that these militants will try to enter India through
Gurez and Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir. Sources said that the majority of the
militants who would attempt infiltration belong to
Lashkar-e-Tayyaba.
Radio conversation between code A-3 (control station LeT in
Pak-Occupied-Kashmir) and code delta-1 (base headquarters LeT in PoK)
intercepted on April 24, at about 1410 hours revealed that militants would try
to cross Indian border through J&K in the month of June, sources
said.
“A total of nine hardcore militants of Hizbul Mujahideen, 10 of LeT,
12 of both LeT and HM and 15 militants of other outfits will try to cross the
border. All Over Ground Workers (OGWs) and guides of these outfits have already
been alerted,” sources added.
Full report at:
http://www.asianage.com/india/40-pak-militants-enter-through-jk-153
---------
Two Christian aid groups suspended in
Afghanistan
June 03, 2010
Afghan authorities suspended two Christian foreign aid groups today
on suspicion of proselytising in the strictly Islamic nation and said a
follow-up investigation would include whether other groups were trying to
convert Muslims.
US-based Church World Service and Norwegian Church Aid will not be
allowed to operate while the allegations, aired yesterday on Afghan television,
are investigated, said Mohammad Hashim Mayar, the deputy director of the Afghan
government office that oversees nongovernment organisations, known as
NGOs.
An investigation commission including officers from the National
Security and Interior Ministries had been appointed, he said. Both organisations
denied the allegation, and Mayar said officials did not have any evidence of
proselytising beyond the television report. "They are investigating whether the
groups were proselytising or not," Mayar said. "They will report back and also
assess what is the impact of closing these NGOs. The investigation will include
whether other groups or individuals are involved."
http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/afghanistan/Two-Christian-aid-groups-suspended/Article1-552414.aspx
---------
Trader, eunuch acquitted in gay marriage case
Jun 4, 2010
PESHAWAR—A local court Thursday bailed a local trader and a Eunuch,
who were arrested by local police allegedly for marrying each other. Additional
Session Judge Tahir Mehmood Thursday granted bail to Malik Iqbal and Eunuch
identified as Rani in a case of illegal marriage.
The lawyer of the accused said that both the trader and the Eunuch
were arrested when they were busy in a birthday ceremony along with 43 others
and further said that allegations levelled against them were baseless. “Fake
charges were levelled against them,” the lawyer insisted. Hearing the arguments,
the judge granted bail to the accused. Police had arrested Malik Iqbal, Rani and
43 others allegedly attending the marriage ceremony.
The police stated in the first information report (FIR) that Malik
Iqbal was getting married with eunuch Kashif alias Rani, a resident of
Shabqadar, and a function was being held in this connection at Malik
Plaza.
http://dailymailnews.com/0610/04/FrontPage/FrontPage6.php
---------
India no threat to Pakistan: US
Jun 04 2010
Washington : The United States has clarified that it does not see
India as a threat to Pakistan, thus it would continue to urge Islamabad to move
out troops from the eastern border to focus more on the volatile western border
with Afghanistan.
During a web chat with Indian reporters, US Assistant Secretary of
State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake acknowledged that
Pakistan has redeployed troops away from the border with India, and maintained
that Pakistan was ‘indispensable for Washington for success in
Afghanistan.
'We are very encouraged that the Pakistani army has redeployed troops
away from the Indian border. We do not see India as a threat to Pakistan and so
we would encourage that process to continue,' The Dawn quoted Blake, as
saying.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/india-no-threat-to-pakistan-us/629506/
---------
The "peace jirga" and Afghan women
Jun 04 2010
What would a truce with the Taliban mean for the liberation of the
country's women?
As the third and final day of Afghanistan's three-day peace
conference gets underway, it's worth asking what its implications are for the
country's women. After all, the "jirga" is focused on a proposal to offer money
and jobs to the Taliban -- a group not exactly known for valuing the rights of
women -- if they give up their violent ways.
Soon after President Obama took office, Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton reaffirmed her commitment to Afghan women, and resistance to the
Taliban. Now, President Obama is backing Karzai's proposal and, according to the
Guardian's Jonathan Steele, many women
in Afghanistan do too, despite potential setbacks to their freedoms. After
interviewing a diverse sample of Afghan women, he came to the conclusion that
their desire for peace trumps their desire for liberation.
Full report at:
http://www.salon.com/life/broadsheet/2010/06/04/peacejirga_women/
---------
Mideast rivals vie for influence over Iraq govt
04 Jun, 2010
BAGHDAD: The United States might be trying to disentangle itself from
Iraq, but there is no shortage of contenders to take its
place.
A battle between Iraq's neighbours for influence in Baghdad is being
played out between Iraq's Sunnis, Shias and Kurds, complicating efforts to
stitch together a government three months after an inconclusive parliamentary
election.
Failure to reconcile their rival interests could yet delay the
government for months to come, further testing stability as all but 50,000 US
troops withdraw over the hot Iraqi summer.
“The train leading to the formation of an Iraqi government will
depart from Saudi Arabia, passing through Iran, Turkey and Syria, before
reaching Baghdad,” an Iraqi political analyst said on condition of
anonymity.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/04-mideast-iraq-govt-influence-qs-08
---------
Death toll in Bangladesh fire rises to 108, over 100
injured
Jun 4, 2010
DHAKA: Rescuers called off the search for survivors on Friday as the
death toll from one of Bangladesh's worst fires rose to 108 after flames ripped
through a packed neighbourhood of Dhaka, officials said.
The blaze raged for three hours, destroying a row of multi-storey
apartment buildings and trapping hundreds of residents in Dhaka's densely
populated Kayettuli area, city police chief A.K.M Shahidul Haq told AFP.
"At least 108 people have died including those who expired in
hospitals. The toll may rise as quite a few are in critical condition," district
administrator Muhibul Haque said.
The blaze has been put out and a search-and-rescue effort halted
after firefighters scoured "every inch of the fire-hit buildings", Dhaka fire
department chief Abu Nayeem told AFP.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/South-Asia/Death-toll-in-Bangladesh-fire-rises-to-108-over-100-injured/articleshow/6009323.cms
---------
Gaza flotilla tragedy can boost Mideast peace efforts, says
Obama
Jun 4, 2010
WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama said on Thursday the deadly
Gaza flotilla incident was "tragic," but he expressed hope it could provide an
opening to boost Middle East peace efforts.
Obama, in an interview with CNN's Larry King days after an Israeli
raid on Gaza-bound aid ships, said Israel "has legitimate security concerns"
about the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Rockets are regularly fired from there into the Jewish state. But he
also said Israel's blockade of Gaza "is preventing people" from pursuing
economic opportunities," according to an advance transcript of the interview to
be broadcast on Thursday night.
"I think what's important right now is that we break out of the
current impasse, use this tragedy as an opportunity," to advance the
Israeli-Palestinian peace process, he said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Middle-East/Gaza-flotilla-tragedy-can-boost-Mideast-peace-efforts-says-Obama/articleshow/6009885.cms
---------
US 'confident' that Pak will not use weapons against
India
Jun 3, 2010
WASHINGTON: The US, which is offering a range of sophisticated
weapons to Pakistan to fight terrorists, is confident that these will not be
used against India "in any way" and promised to ensure that the armaments are
not misused through end-use monitoring.
"They are not to be used against India in any way," Assistant
Secretary of State for South Asia and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake has
said.
"This is a question I often receive, and I'd like to reassure all of
our friends in India that whatever military assistance we are providing to
Pakistan is to be used in its fight against terrorism - particularly in its
border areas with Afghanistan," Blake said yesterday during a webchat ahead of
the US-India Strategic Dialogue here.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/US-confident-that-Pak-will-not-use-weapons-against-India/articleshow/6008069.cms
---------
Ukraine drops NATO membership plans
Vladimir Radyuhin
Jun 4, 2010
MOSCOW: Ukraine has officially taken NATO membership off its agenda
in a volte face on policy ardently pursued by the previous President, Viktor
Yushchenko.
The Ukrainian Parliament on Thursday approved in first reading a Bill
that amends a 2003 national security law to exclude the goal of “integration
into Euro-Atlantic security and membership in NATO”. The Bill submitted by
President Viktor Yanukovych commits Ukraine to “a non-bloc policy which means
non-participation in military-political alliances”.
Kiev formally applied to join NATO in 2008, and even though the
alliance failed to immediately give the green light to the Ukrainian bid, Mr.
Yushchenko vowed to win NATO membership as the only way to “safeguard Ukrainian
sovereignty”.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/06/04/stories/2010060455931600.htm
---------
‘Epicentre of terror in our neighbourhood'
Jun 4, 2010
Washington: Without naming Pakistan, India said on Thursday the
“epicentre” of global terrorism was in its neighbourhood and asked the United
States to make sure that no particular extremist group was left out in the fight
against terrorism.
In his opening remarks at the first-ever India-U.S. Strategic
Dialogue, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said the global nature of the
security challenges that the world faced today, particularly the threat posed by
transnational terrorism, required India and the U.S. to cooperate more closely
than ever before.
“Though the epicentre of this threat lies in India's neighbourhood,
it reaches far and wide all across the world as we have seen time and again and
most recently a few weeks back in Times Square,” Mr. Krishna
said.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/06/04/stories/2010060464821400.htm
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Sarkozy took Pak kickback?
Dipankar De Sarkar
Jun 4, 2010
Did French President Nicolas Sarkozy take kickbacks from an arms deal
his country signed with Pakistan in 1994?
The long-standing allegation was revived on Thursday after the French
media reported that police in the tax haven of neigh- bouring Luxembourg had
named Sarkozy as the man behind a company registered there, which is alleged to
have received the illegal payments.
The money is said to have funded the 1995 French presi- dential
campaign of former prime minister Edouard Balladur. Sarkozy, who had served
under Balladur as the budgets minister, was the cam- paign
spokesman.
The president's office described the media reports as “nonsense“ and
“grotesque“.
The deal referred to was the sale of three Agosta 90B sub- marines to
Pakistan for Euro 800 million (Rs 4,800 crore).
Full report at: Hindustan Times
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Journey into America: The Challenge of Islam: ‘Victims and
Victimizers’
June4, 2010
By Rafia Zakaria/DAWN – If the attacks on Ahmadis in Lahore last week
were not horrifying enough, the ensuing debate on Pakistani talk shows and
television programmes was even more chilling. While condemning the attack, it
seems Pakistanis were unwilling to deal with the underlying bigotry that permits
such hatred.
Across the globe in the United States, on the same day as the attack
in Lahore, the Manhattan Community Board in New York City voted to allow the
construction of a mosque near Ground Zero despite opposition from several
groups. This curious juxtaposition presents a timely illustration of ideas of
American pluralism and Muslim identity brought into proximity by globalisation
and migration.
Full report at:
http://craigconsidine.wordpress.com/2010/06/02/dawn-review-of-journey-into-america-the-challenge-of-islam-victims-and-victimizers/
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Aga Khan Islamic center under way in Toronto
Jun 4, 2010
TORONTO — The Aga Khan, leader of the world's 15 million Ismaili
Muslims, has broken ground on a $300 million Islamic center that will include
the first museum of Islamic art and culture in North
America.
More than a decade in planning and design, the complex will be home
to the 100,000-square-foot Aga Khan Museum, designed by acclaimed Japanese
architect Fumihiko Maki.
Nearby, the larger Ismaili Centre Toronto will contain meeting and
multi-purpose rooms, a prayer room, youth lounge and
library.
According to the Aga Khan Foundation, the museum will house and
exhibit "some of the most important works of Islamic art in the world." Some 200
pieces from the Aga Khan's personal 1,000-piece collection will be on display in
a permanent gallery. Some artifacts date back 1,000 years.
Full report at:
http://www.northjersey.com/arts_entertainment/art/95486384_Aga_Khan_Islamic_center_under_way_in_Toronto.html
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Feminized Christianity Meets Alpha Male Islam
By William Kilpatrick
We’ve grown accustomed to video images of ten-year-old boys in
Palestinian training camps, dressed like mujahideen and wielding AK-47’s.
Luckily, the West knows how to respond to such shows of aggressiveness. For
instance, in the last few years “tag” and similar games have been banned from
numerous school playgrounds in the U.K. and the U.S. on the grounds that they
are “hazardous” and “inappropriate.” So there, take that, you little
jihadist!
As it did in the seventh century, Islam is taking on the appearance
of an unstoppable masculine force. But in the West the masculine spirit looks
more like a ghost. In The Suicide of Reason, Lee Harris puts the matter in stark
biological terms: “While we in the West are drugging our alpha boys with
Ritalin, the Muslims are doing everything in their power to encourage their
alpha boys to be tough, aggressive, and ruthless.”
Full report at:
http://grendelreport.posterous.com/feminized-christianity-meets-alpha-male-islam
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Even jeans are too alluring for the Sharia police in
Aceh
04 June 2010
INDONESIA – Sharia police in the Indonesian province of Aceh are
stopping women dressed in jeans and forcing them to change into long government
issued skirts.
The semiautonomous province on the northern island of Sumatra has the
highest proportion of Muslims in the country. In order to bring an end to
decades of fighting between Muslim separatists and the army, the national
government consented to the adoption of Sharia law in Aceh in 2002. To enforce
the new laws, a special unit of police, called Wilayatul Hisbah or “the vice and
virtue patrol”, was established.
On 26 May, the West Aceh district of the province intensified their
crackdown on women wearing tight fitting trousers by issuing the local police
with 20,000 long skirts. Women who are stopped at checkpoints for breaching the
bylaw are now furnished with a skirt and have their trousers confiscated. The
women cannot be arrested however.
Full report at:
http://updatednews.ca/?p=23068
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Turkey honors slain activists, including US
teen
04 June 2010
ISTANBUL – Thousands of mourners hailed activists killed in an
Israeli commando mission as martyrs Thursday, hoisting their coffins to cheers
of “God is great,” while Turkish leaders said Israel had jeopardized its
relationship with its closest Muslim ally despite meeting Ankara’s demand to
release the hundreds captured in the raid.
The father of the youngest of the nine activists killed — 19-year-old
high school student Furkan Dogan, who had dual U.S.-Turkish citizenship —
praised his son for dying in a just cause.
Ahmet Dogan told the state-run Anatolia news agency he identified his
boy in the morgue and he had been shot through the forehead. Still, he said, the
family was not sad because they believed Furkan had died with
honor.
“I feel my son has been blessed with heaven,” he said. “I am hoping
to be a father worthy of my son.”
Full report at:
http://updatednews.ca/?p=23054
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Afghan Elders Debate Opening To Taliban
Sayed Salahuddin And Sanjeev Miglani
Jun 4, 2010
Afghan tribal elders discussed ways to reach out to the Taliban on
Thursday, despite a rocket and gunfire attack by the insurgents aimed at
disrupting a national conference seeking an end to nearly nine years of war.
President Hamid Karzai, who launched the traditional “peace jirga” of tribal
elders on Wednesday amid the gunfire is hoping to get national support for his
plans to reach out to the Taliban ahead of a gradual US military withdrawal from
2011.
Nearly 1,600 delegates, many wearing turbans and long beards, were
huddled in a giant tent in the west of the capital to finalise a resolution on a
peace plan to end the deadly insurgency.
Full report at:
http://www.asianage.com/international/afghan-elders-debate-opening-taliban-224
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Al-Qaeda replaces lost leaders with ease
June 04, 2010
The death of Al-Qaeda’s third-ranking leader in a drone strike was
portrayed by US officials as a severe setback to the terrorist
organiation.
But if history is any guide, the network will have no problem
replacing him.
On at least 10 occasions in the past decade, Al-Qaeda has sustained
the loss of a senior operative described at some point as the No. 3 figure in
its hierarchy.
Each time, the group has moved quickly to appoint a successor,
demonstrating a resilience that has enabled it to survive a dozen years of open
warfare with the US and defy repeated predictions of its
demise.
Full report at: Hindustan Times
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At least 21 civilians killed in Mogadishu battle:
medics
June 04, 2010
At least 21 Somali civilians were killed on Thursday and 59 wounded
in fierce Mogadishu clashes pitting government forces backed by African Union
troops against Islamist insurgents, medics said.
The fighting broke out when newly-trained government forces backed by
the soldiers of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) apparently
launched a major offensive to recapture key Mogadishu
neighbourhoods.
The internationally-backed government had lost ground last month when
insurgents, mainly from the Al Qaeda-inspired Shebab movement, punched through a
strategic frontline and closed in on the presidential
compound.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/At-least-21-civilians-killed-in-Mogadishu-battle-medics/H1-Article1-552908.aspx
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Pakistani captain of hijacked ship killed
04 Jun, 2010
NAIROBI: Security forces from Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland
region stormed a hijacked cargo vessel early on Thursday and outgunned the
pirates holding it after they fatally shot the ship’s Pakistani captain,
authorities said.
Authorities decided to try and free the Panama-flagged ship by force
after pirates refused pleas to surrender and instead killed the captain, said
Saeed Mohamed Raage, who is the minister of marine transport and ports in the
region.
“We can’t afford letting pirates capture Somali-charted ships. If we
don’t act so decisively they will continue hijacking all Somali-bound cargo
ships,” Raage said.
Two officers were wounded during a brief shootout with the pirates
and ultimately all seven pirates were detained, he said.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/pakistani-captain-of-hijacked-ship-killed-460
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159,600 Pakistanis to perform Haj this year
04 Jun, 2010
ISLAMABAD: A total of 159,647 Pakistanis will perform Haj this year —
half of them under the regular scheme and the remaining through private group
operators.
Under the Haj policy for the current year, the expense for pilgrims
boarding flights in Karachi and Quetta will be Rs2,26,000 and for those
travelling from other airports in the country Rs238,000.
Main commercial banks, NBP, UBL, MCBL, HBL and ABL will receive
applications under the regular (government sponsored) scheme from June 10 to 25.
There will be balloting if there are more applications than the number envisaged
in the policy.
The Saudi Ministry of Haj has stated that only those private tour
operators who have the business previously will get the quota, whereas the
government has sought the addition of a few new companies on the directives of
the Supreme Court.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/159,600-pakistanis-to-perform-haj-this-year-460
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Four killed for ‘honour’ in Balochistan
June 04, 2010
QUETTA: Four people, including two women, were killed in two separate
incidents of “honour killings” in Jaffarabad and Kachhi districts on Thursday.
According to official sources, a man identified as Mahmood opened fire on his
sister-in-law Sakina and Barkat Ali, in the Chatan Pati police precincts. Both
the victims passed away instantly and the police have arrested the suspect.
Separately, in another incident at Haji Shahr area in Kachhi, a man and his sons
shot dead his daughter Sadaf and Jewan Khan for allegedly having “illicit
relations”. Police has registered a case and started investigations. Meanwhile,
in the outskirts of Quetta a man was shot dead near Bhosa Mandi at Eastern
Bypass. The assailants managed to escape from the scene. The victim Shahbaz Khan
was taken to Government Sandman Hospital for a post mortem. Later the body was
handed over to relatives for burial. staff report
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\06\04\story_4-6-2010_pg7_8
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JI urges Muslim states to boycott Israel
June 04, 2010
LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami chief Syed Munawar Hasan on Thursday urged
the Muslim states to boycott Israel in all fields and start an immediate relief
move for Gaza Strip via the Rafah border between Egypt and Palestine.
Presiding over a high-level meeting of the party held at Mansoora,
the JI chief called the Israeli attack on the Freedom Flotilla an insult to
humanity and international laws, saying that the Muslim countries should not let
Israel go unpunished.
Munawar, however, said that the attack could have been averted had
Egypt not blocked the Rafah border with Palestine.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\06\04\story_4-6-2010_pg7_20
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Differences remain at Afghan peace conference
By KATHY GANNON & AMIR SHAH
Jun 4, 2010
KABUL, Afghanistan: Hundreds of Afghan leaders held hours of talks
Thursday on ways to end the insurgency wracking their country, but remained
divided over whether to reach out to Taleban leaders and a host of other
issues.
Discussions meant to guide President Hamid Karzai's next steps toward
ending nearly nine years of war ranged from strengthening Islamic law to the
role of the United Nations and the tens of thousands of NATO forces in the
country, delegates told The Associated Press.
Ethnic and political fissures opened up in committee sessions held
Thursday, the second day of the peace conference, or jirga, which is to end
Friday.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article60959.ece
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Students launch campaign for rights
Jun 4, 2010
JEDDAH: A number of Saudi male and female school and university
students have launched a Facebook campaign calling for the protection of their
rights and have received support from around 2,000 people, including teachers,
academics, lawyers and journalists, Al-Madinah newspaper
reported.
“This is a normal reaction to the violence and aggression faced by
students from teachers. We have grown up and demand that our rights are
protected and preserved,” said one of the campaign’s 45 organizers, Hanan Ali
Al-Qarni, a pharmacy student at King Abdulaziz University in
Jeddah.
Al-Qarni added that the students will forward their demands to the
Ministry of Education and the National Society for Human Rights, especially
since many people have pledged their support.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article61010.ece
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South Sudan army clash with militia, nine dead
Jun 4, 2010
KHARTOUM: South Sudan's army said on Thursday it had clashed with a
militia leader, killing eight of his men, and promised capture him dead or
alive, the latest battle in the oil-producing region since April's
elections.
Under a 2005 north-south peace deal ending Africa's longest civil
war, southerners will vote in a plebiscite on independence in seven months, but
the semi-autonomous region has accused the north of arming militias to
destabilise it ahead of the vote, which most analysts believe will result in
secession.
"Yesterday we ambushed the forces of Galwak Gai ... and we killed
eight of his men and we captured 13," south Sudan's army (SPLA) spokesman Kuol
Diem Kuol said on Thursday. "They killed one from our side and two were
wounded."
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article60854.ece
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Returning soldiers get hero’s welcome in Abha, Khamis
Mushayt
By HAYAT AL-GHAMDI
Jun 4, 20108
ABHA: Soldiers returning from the Kingdom’s southern borders where
fierce battles took place between Saudi forces and Houthis who had tried to
infiltrate into the Kingdom late last year were given hero’s welcomes by
residents of the southern cities of Abha and Khamis Mushayt on
Thursday.
Crowds of people assembled in Ras Aqabat Dhilie, a crossroad between
Asir and Jazan, to cheer the returning soldiers. A source at Asir Governorate
told Arab News that the reception was spontaneous and that members of the public
expressed their happiness at the soldiers’ return and
victory.
Soldiers held high the Kingdom's flag, raised victory signs and
shouted slogans expressing their readiness to defend the Kingdom. The returning
soldiers were from the 10th and 18th brigades.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article61008.ece
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Facebook to remove offensive contents
Jun 04, 2010
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission has started the
process of unblocking Facebook, as the website authorities have agreed to remove
offensive contents.
BTRC Chairman Zia Ahmed informed BBC Bangla Service of this
development after receiving feedback from the social networking
site.
“I look forward to learn more about your local standards and work
together to promote safe use of Facebook in Bangladesh,” said Joe Sullivan,
chief security officer of Facebook.
Sullivan, in a mail to BTRC, also said, “My team is responsible for
managing law enforcement relations on Facebook and promoting a safe experience
on the site for our users.”
He added, “I can be your main point of contact as we work through and
establish detailed processes for removing troubling content in the
future.”
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=141313
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Father dies after stalking of daughter
Jun 04, 2010
The father of a stalked girl died of heart attack being overwhelmed
with the fear that media attention would make it very difficult for him to marry
her off.
Saiful Islam Munna, a resident of Jaleshwaritola in Bogra town, died
outside Jaleshwaritola police camp moments after pleading to newsmen not to run
the story of his daughter being stalked.
Around 3:00pm yesterday Munna handed over to police stalker Shamim
Ahmed. He had apprehended Shamim with the help of relatives when Shamim was
stalking his daughter Shila, a class-VIII student of Bogra Government Girls'
High School.
Hearing the news, journalists rushed to the police camp and began
taking pictures of Shamim and collecting information for their
report.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=141307
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North Yemen clash kills four, threatening truce
4 June 2010
SANAA - Four people were killed in a gun battle between northern Shia
rebels and religious rivals on Thursday, Yemen’s Interior Ministry said, in
violence that could strain the region’s uneasy four-month
truce.
Yemen’s government agreed a truce in February with the northern
Houthi rebels to halt a war that has raged on and off since 2004 and displaced
250,000 people.
The ceasefire has largely held but instability still threatens a
country neighbouring top oil exporter Saudi Arabia, which was briefly drawn into
the war last year when rebels seized Saudi border areas.
In a statement on its website, the Interior Ministry said Houthi
rebels in their stronghold Saada region had tried to stop members of a rival
Shia group of the same Zaidi sect from distributing competing statements from
local Shi’ite scholars.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?col=§ion=middleeast&xfile=data/middleeast/2010/June/middleeast_June163.xml
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Number of illegal workers in Bahrain declines
4 June 2010
MANAMA — The number of
illegal workers in Bahrain dropped by 5,000 in the last three months. The number
of runaway expatriates stood at 48,000 in February which declined to 43,000 by
the end of May.
The drop in the numbers was achieved as a result of concerted efforts
by members of a national committee formed to oversee and address the issue of
illegal residents and employment of such individuals in the
kingdom
CEO of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA), Ali Radhi,
attributed the drop to an easy exist campaign launched on May
25.
The campaign allows workers who overstayed in Bahrain and those who
ran away from their sponsors with expired work permits to leave Bahrain after
paying a BD25 fine.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?col=§ion=middleeast&xfile=data/middleeast/2010/June/middleeast_June148.xml
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8 Afghan civilians killed in fighting, bombing
4 June 2010
KABUL, Afghanistan - A clash
between Afghan forces and Taliban militants left four civilians dead in a
southern district where a major NATO operation early this year was meant to
reassert government control, a provincial official said
Thursday.
Also, a roadside bombing in the same province killed four other
civilians.
The clash happened early Wednesday after militants fired on an Afghan
forces patrol in Marjah district, sparking a gunbattle, Helmand provincial
spokesman Daoud Ahmadi said. The civilians — three men and one woman — were
killed when a rocket hit a house, he said.
No security forces were hurt, Ahmadi added. It was not clear if there
were any militant casualties.
Four other civilians — two men and two young boys — were killed when
their motorbike hit a roadside bomb in Helmand’s Nawzad district on Wednesday
afternoon, he said.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/June/international_June137.xml§ion=international&col=
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Meet On Muslim Women's Literacy
4 June 2010
The convention will aim at eradicating illiteracy among Muslim women,
and also at instilling values according to Quran and
Hadeeth.
3rd Jun, 2010: The Jamiatul Mominath, an Islamic seminary dedicated
to imparting knowledge to Muslim women, will organise a 2-day convention in the
state on June 5 and 6.
Jamiatul Mominath reception committee president Syed Shah Noor-ul-Haq
Quadri said that the program is aimed at creating awareness on education among
women of the country, educating them on the advantages of adult education and
the losses they will incur on dropping out of school.
Noor-ul-Haq Quadri said that the convention will aim at eradicating
illiteracy, particularly among Muslim women, and also at instilling values
according to Quran and Hadeeth.
Full report at:
http://www.fullhyderabad.com/hyderabad-news/meet-to-create-awareness-on-muslim-womens-literacy-from-june-5-745
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Gaza flotilla: Turkey threat to Israel ties over
raid
4 June 2010
Turkey has warned it may reduce economic and defence ties with Israel
following the deadly raid on a Gaza aid flotilla.
Deputy PM Bulent Arinc said Ankara was "assessing deals with Israel",
once its close ally.
Nine Turkish activists were killed when Israeli troops clashed with
passengers on a ship trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza on
Monday.
Another aid ship - the Rachel Corrie - is on its way to the Hamas-run
enclave.
Israel has been widely criticised over the raid, which took place in
international waters.
There are conflicting reports as to what happened - the activists say
they were attacked, while Israel says its commandos were beaten, stabbed and
shot at first.
Israel says it will not allow the ships to dock at Gaza, fearing the
cargo might contain weapons and other items it wants to prevent reaching
Hamas.
Full report at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/10236884.stm
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Pakistan terror attack probe links Sarkozy to
corruption
Jun 4, 2010
PARIS: A broad investigation into a 2002 terrorist attack in Pakistan
that killed 11 French naval engineers has linked French president Nicolas
Sarkozy to a complex kickback affair.
As a result, the lawyer representing the families of the victims of
that suicide bombing in Karachi has demanded Sarkozy's resignation.
"We consider that Sarkozy lied to the families when he met with
them," Olivier Morice said. "The families are indignant. We think this was a
state lie. Sarkozy must therefore resign".
Morice based his demand on the fact that the judges investigating the
May 8, 2002 attack believe it was not part of Al Qaeda's terror war against the
West, but rather the result of political infighting among French right-wing
politicians, in which Sarkozy apparently played a major role.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Pakistan-terror-attack-probe-links-Sarkozy-to-corruption/articleshow/6011729.cms
9:14 PM
Sultan Shahin
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