Taliban to
use children as bombers?
Beneath the veil, a sex shop in Bahrain
Pak’s civil society groups for decisive action against
terror
Islamic clerics in Swat ban Taliban's entry
Taliban execute seven-year-old Afghan boy accused of
spying
Israel row claims veteran US scribe
Pakistan's Punjab in denial over local
militants
Making sure that Pak not using military aid against India:
US
Russian Cops Looted Prez Plane After Crash’
US to Pak: Stop India infiltration, try 26/11
suspects
Gunmen destroy NATO supply trucks outside Islamabad, kill
7
Exclusive: Osama Bin Laden Is Living In
Iran
Abbas reaches US for talks with Obama amid Gaza raid
tensions
Capt Saurabh Kalia's torture by Pak army still not 'war
crime'
UN Security Council to vote on Iran sanctions on
Wednesday
Bomb kills 2 US troops; NATO losses at 24 for
June
Belgian school sacks teacher over burqa
No delay in giving access to Headley
UK inmates turn to Islam to enjoy perks
Tension up: Israel seeks arms from US, says
report
Iran uses shell firms to keep military cargo
secret
Iran is 'special case' for UN atomic watchdog:
Amano
Indian Vice-President: strengthen global legal regime against
terrorism
300 Sikh pilgrims leave for Pakistan
Manmohan announces over Rs.1,000-crore sops for
J&K
Five killed as gunmen attack Nato convoy near
Islamabad
Britain to send back Afghan asylum seekers
Orakzai clash kills six soldiers, 30 Taliban
Jails radicalising young Muslims, warns UK
official
Indian Muslims show reservations over Wakf
law
India backs US on Afghan reconciliation
Jordan's king warns candidates against exploiting Palestinian
issue
Yemen won't hand over Al-Awlaki to US
Doha becomes 16th printing point for Asharq
Al-Awsat
Report: 14 Al-Qaeda suspects detained in
Turkey
Iraqi Kurds seek help to halt Iranian incursion
Women students showcase talent at ZU symposium
Saudi to help abandoned families
Two more Palestinians killed by Israel navy wash ashore
No change in Kashmir policy: US
Dubai sends Mumbai blasts accused to India
Tliban using HIV bombs
Gaza ship raid was a failure, admits Israeli Dy
PM
Afghan opium more deadly than Taliban bullets:
UN
Clashes in Orakzai, Mohmand kill 46
militants
Compiled by Asit kumar
Photo: Child bomber Juma with an Afghan soldier
----------
Sharif angers Mullahs – will he seek their
forgiveness?
By Mohammed Abbasi
June 09, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Top leaders of an organisation representing Deobandi
madrassas across the country have reprimanded PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif for
calling members of the Ahmadiyya community as “brothers” of
Muslims.
“Sharif should be ashamed of calling them brothers of Muslims,” said
a statement issued by the Wafaqul Madaris al Arabia (WMA).
Sharif said in Lahore on Saturday that Ahmadis were as important
citizens of Pakistan as people from other religions and called them an
asset.
He made the statement to express solidarity with the Ahmadiyya
community following last month’s two synchronised attacks on their places of
worship in Lahore which claimed more than 80 lives with many more
injured.
In a statement issued here on Sunday, leaders of the Wafaqul Madaris
al Arabia – an umbrella organisation of more than 12,000 Deobandi madrassas –
called Ahmadis “traitors”.
WMA leaders Maulana Salimullah Khan and Qari Hafeez Jahalindri urged
Sharif to retract his statement and advised him not to “defy religion for petty
political gains.”
The statement termed the Ahmadis as “infidels” and said that they
could not be brothers of Muslims until they convert to Islam
again.
Ahmadis were declared a minority under the 1973 constitution – a move
that some people believe intensified hatred against
Ahmadis.
Published in the Express Tribune, June 7th,
2010.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/19379/sharif%E2%80%99s-statement-on-ahmadis-angers-clerics/
---------
Taliban to use children as bombers?
Jun 9, 2010
War ethics are sinking to a new low in Afghanistan. But then
expecting anything better from a mindlessly fanatic outfit like the Taliban is
foolish. An Afghan boy was made to wear a vest laden with explosives by the
taliban and press a button when he came near US or Afghan soldiers. Some reports
say the boy, Juma, was smart enough to figure out the vest contained explosives.
Others say he was picked up at an Afghan army checkpost in Ghazni province,
after he was spotted wandering about looking confused.
Children have not been used as bombers in Afghanistan by the Taliban
till now. Its spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, flatly denied the charge saying it
was a propaganda stunt to tarnish its image.
We don’t need to use a child. Its against Islamic law, it’s against
humanitarian law
, he said emphatically.
But if this is the first instance of a new tactic used by the
Taliban, US forces will be in a dilemma. Should they a shoot child strapped with
bombs? Lieutenant Colonel David Accetta, ISAF eastern regional command
spokesman, elucidates the possible predicament,
The rules of military engagement are easily muddied when a child
poses a direct threat. What we do if we identify the fact that an adult is
wearing a suicide vest is we use whatever force we deem necessary to protect the
lives of our soldiers and any civilians. Of course it makes it more difficult -
it’s a six year-old child
If Taliban do start using children as bombers they will lose whatever
support they have amongst the Afghan populace. They have not made themselves
popular during the years of their rule by their extremely orthodox views on
women and the strict adherence to Sharia.
Times of India
----------
Pak’s civil society groups for decisive action against
terror
Jun 9, 2010
An array of civil society groups has asked the Pakistan Government to
launch a ‘decisive operation’ against terrorists based in Muridke, where the JuD
headquarters is located, and the southern part of Punjab as the province has
become the ‘new hub’ of militants.
The demand was made by ‘Aman Tehrik’ at a meeting of the group’s
steering and coordinating committees from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and the
tribal areas.
The ‘Aman Tehrik’ said a ‘decisive operation’ against militants is
necessary as Punjab has become the “new hub of terrorists”. The meeting
discussed issues related to terrorism in Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and tribal
areas.
Participants said that the wave of terrorism had received a fillip in
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the tribal areas bordering
Afghanistan.
The participants alleged that the PML-N-led Government in Punjab was
“supporting terrorism and patronising terrorists even more than the Muttahia
Majlis-e-Amal Government” that ruled Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa during 2002-07. The
meeting asked the federal Government to eliminate centres of terrorism across
Pakistan.
The meeting also condemned targeted killings in the Swat valley,
tribal areas and parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa as well as the recent attacks on
two mosques of the minority Ahmedi sect in Lahore.
The Aman Tehrik’s demand came close on the heels of a similar call by
senior Awami National Party (ANP) leader Bashir Bilour.
The ANP is part of Pakistan’s ruling coalition.
Bilour has called for a crackdown on Muridke township in Punjab,
where the headquarters of the JuD is located, as part of efforts to eliminate
terrorist camps.
Bilour and other ANP leaders also called for military action in
southern Punjab, which is considered a stronghold of banned groups like the
Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi that have forged close links with the
Taliban and Al Qaeda.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/261296/Pak%E2%80%99s-civil-society-groups-for-decisive-action-against-terror.html
----------
Beneath the veil, a sex shop in Bahrain
Jun 9, 2010
Manama: Where does one buy lingerie and sex toys designed to enhance
female sexual pleasure in a Gulf region which frowns on open displays of
sexuality.
From a lady in a traditional headscarf of course. Khadija Ahmed’s sex
shop has survived against all odds and intense scrutiny from customs officials
since it opened in Bahrain in 2008.
Ahmed’s shop sells a wide range of lingerie, creams to delay male
orgasm and sex toys out of the tiny Khadija Fashion House south of Manama, or
through her website to customers across the region.
A modestly dressed Ahmed in a traditional flowing black abaya and
headscarf said that most of the items she sells are already available in
Bahrain’s fashion shops and pharmacies anyway and that she shuns some products
to avoid stirring public anger.
I don’t sell vibrators for example, as this is against Islam, she
said, adding that her faith banned the replication or display of sensitive parts
of the body.
However, other toys such as vibration rings were fine, she said.
Ahmed said she has not encountered much trouble with the public in Bahrain once
she replaced lingerie in her display window with short dresses after complaints
from neighbours and a nearby mosque.
Discussing and displaying sex in public is a taboo in most Middle
Eastern countries, but Islamic scholars say sex toys are legitimate if used by
married couples.
Times of India
----------
Islamic clerics in Swat ban Taliban's entry
Jun 9, 2010
Peshawar : Islamic clerics and prayer leaders in the restive Swat
district of northwest Pakistan have announced a ban on the entry of Taliban
militants in the area and backed efforts by security forces to maintain law and
order.
Around 250 'Ulema-e-Karam' and 'Pesh Imams' from Swat said they would
extend total support to security forces for maintaining peace and harmony that
was vitiated by the Taliban during the past two years.
The clerics, prayer leaders and members of a peace jirga from Kabal
sub-division, a former hub of militants, announced their decision to ban
Taliban's entry to their area when a delegation led by Maulana Hakeemullah and
Mufti Asmatullah met Brig Salman Akbar, the army officer leading operations
against the Taliban in the area.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/islamic-clerics-in-swat-ban-talibans-entry/631038/
------
Taliban execute seven-year-old Afghan boy accused of
spying
Jun 9, 2010
KABUL: Suspected Taliban militants executed a seven-year-old boy in
southern Afghanistan after accusing him of spying for the government, a
provincial official said Wednesday.
The child was captured by the militants in Sangin district of
southern province of Helmand Tuesday, Daoud Ahmadi, a spokesman for the
provincial governor, said.
"The militants killed the seven-year-old boy in Heratiyan village of
the district, on charges of espionage for Afghan government," Ahmadi said,
citing information provided to police by relatives.
Most areas of the district are controlled by Taliban militants, while
Afghan and foreign troops are only present in the centre, he said.
The Taliban had not yet comment on the reported incident.
After being driven from power in late 2001, Taliban militants have
killed dozens of people accused of spying. But Tuesday's incident was the first
time a child was reportedly executed.
The Taliban insurgents are most active in southern Afghanistan, where
US and NATO forces are planning a major offensive this
year.
Times of India
----------
Israel row claims veteran US scribe
Chidanand Rajghatta
Jun 9, 2010
WASHINGTON: She wanted Jews in Israel to "get the hell out of
Palestine" and "go home" to Germany, Poland, and the US. Instead, she had to get
the hell out of the White House and went home — to retirement.
Journalists write news more often than make news, but Helen Thomas,
89, was no ordinary scribe. The doyenne of the press corps ("Prime Doyenne,"
some called her), who has covered the White House from before President Obama
was born, was an American institution.
She was so revered that she had a reserved front seat in the White
House briefing room, and by convention, because of her seniority, got to ask the
first question at presidential press conferences.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/US/Israel-row-claims-veteran-US-scribe-/articleshow/6025726.cms
----------
Pakistan's Punjab in denial over local
militants
Jun 9, 2010
Islamabad: The government of Pakistan's heartland Punjab province is
using militant groups to drum up electoral support, analysts and officials say,
preventing it from admitting it has a problem with home grown militants and from
dealing with them.
High-profile attacks in Punjab, such as last month's suicide assaults
on two Ahmadi mosques in the eastern city of Lahore that killed scores, have
outraged and horrified Pakistanis.
They have also sparked talk of an operation against Punjabi groups
along the lines of the Pakistani army's push against Taliban militants on the
western border with Afghanistan.
The United States and India are becoming increasingly concerned about
Punjab because it is Pakistan's richest and most populous province. Any
large-scale insurgency there would almost certainly destabilise Pakistan even
more.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pakistans-punjab-in-denial-over-local-militants/631071/
----------
Making sure that Pak not using military aid against India:
US
Jun 9, 2010
WASHINGTON: Addressing one of India's major concerns, Obama
Administration's point man for South Asia has said that US is taking appropriate
steps to ensure that the military aid given to Pakistan is not used against
India.
The issue was discussed during last week's Strategic Dialogue between
India and the US; which was co-chaired by external affairs minister S M Krishna
and secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
"I think they (India) understand that we are trying to build up
Pakistan's counter-insurgency capabilities and we are seeking end use assurances
to insure that the weapons that are provided will not be used against India,"
Assistant secretary of state for south and central asia, Robert Blake said in
response to a question at a state department blog forum.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6026531.cms?prtpage=1
----------
Russian Cops Looted Prez Plane After Crash’
Jun 9, 2010
Poland has accused three Russian police officers of looting the
Polish presidential plane after it crashed in Russian territory in April, but
Russia has strongly denied the accusation.
A Soviet-made Tu-154 crashed near Smolensk city April 10, killing all
96 people on board including President Lech Kaczynski, his wife and senior
government officials. The deceased were on their way to attend a memorial
ceremony for the victims of the 1940 Katyn massacre, in which Soviet secret
police killed thousands of Polish military officers. Polish government spokesman
Pawel Gras on Sunday said three Russian special purpose police unit (OMON)
officers illegally used the bank card of top Polish official Andrzej Przewoznik
who also died in the crash.
Full report at:
http://www.asianage.com/international/%E2%80%98russian-cops-looted-prez-plane-after-crash%E2%80%99-733
----------
US to Pak: Stop India infiltration, try 26/11
suspects
Jun 9, 2010
WASHINGTON: Underlining its hands off policy on the Kashmir issue,
the US has asked Pakistan to first show progress in stopping cross-border
infiltration into India and the trial of the Mumbai terror attack suspects.
"No, there's no change right now" in US policy on Kashmir, US
assistant secretary of state for South Asia, Robert Blake said in an online
conversation on Tuesday with Teresita Schaffer, director of the South Asia
Programme at Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington
think tank.
"I think at this point the top priority for India and Pakistan is,
first, to kind of get their own bilateral dialogue going in a more systematic
way," he said noting that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh "is personally and
deeply committed to achieving peace with Pakistan".
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/US-to-Pak-Stop-India-infiltration-try-26/11-suspects/articleshow/6027032.cms
----------
Gunmen destroy NATO supply trucks outside Islamabad, kill
7
Jun 9, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Gunmen in Pakistan opened fire on trucks carrying supplies
to NATO troops in Afghanistan, torching more than a dozen vehicles and killing
seven people near Islamabad, police said on Wednesday.
The attack took place overnight at Tarnol about 15 kilometres (10
miles) outside the Pakistani capital on the road to the northwestern city of
Peshawar and in turn towards the main NATO supply route into neighbouring
Afghanistan.
Although militants have carried out a series of strikes against
supplies for US and NATO-led foreign forces fighting the Taliban insurgency in
Afghanistan, Wednesday's assault was the first so close to the heavily guarded
capital.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Pakistan/Gunmen-destroy-NATO-supply-trucks-outside-Islamabad-kill-7/articleshow/6026341.cms
----------
Exclusive: Osama Bin Laden Is Living In Iran
Paul Williams
June 09, 2010
Osama bin Laden is alive and well and living in Savzevar, Iran, with
his al Qaeda compatriots.
His hiding place has pinned
down for the first time by the Kuwaiti daily newspaper Al-Siyassa as the
mountain town of Savzevar in the northeastern Iranian province of
Khorasan.
Bin Laden, according to the
report, remains in Savzevar under the protection of SAVAMA, the Iranian
intelligence service.
Other al-Qaeda dignitaries
reportedly are sheltered in Iranian safe-houses, including Dr. Ayman
al-Zawahari, who has been spotted in the guise of an Iranian cleric with a black
turban and a dyed red beard, along with Saad bin Laden, Osama’s eldest son; Yaaz
bin Sifat, a top ranking planner of terror operations; and Mohammed Islam Haani,
who served as the mayor of Kabul under the Taliban.
Full report at:
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.6422/pub_detail.asp
----------
Abbas reaches US for talks with Obama amid Gaza raid
tensions
Jun 9, 2010
WASHINGTON: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas arrived in Washington
on Tuesday seeking "bold decisions" from President Barack Obama on the Middle
East despite tensions after Israel's deadly raid on aid ships.
The Palestinian leader's first stop in Washington will be the White
House on Wednesday, for talks with Obama that are certain to touch on the May 31
raid on a group of boats seeking to break a blockade on the Gaza Strip.
The raid left nine civilians dead, and Obama will be eager to tamp
down regional fury and ensure the incident does not doom indirect
Israeli-Palestinian talks that Washington spent months setting up.
The United States has joined other foreign governments and the United
Nations in calling for an inquiry into the raid to have an international
component, saying it was key to any investigation's credibility.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Middle-East/Abbas-reaches-US-for-talks-with-Obama-amid-Gaza-raid-tensions/articleshow/6026248.cms
----------
Capt Saurabh Kalia's torture by Pak army still not 'war
crime'
Anand Bodh
Jun 9, 2010
CHANDIGARH: On June 9, 1999, NK Kalia had received the body of his
son – Captain Saurabh Kalia – with evidence of torture by the Pakistan Army.
Eleven years later, 62-year-old Kalia is still fighting for justice – he wants
the act to be declared a war crime by the UN.
However, numerous letters to the Centre have failed to move the
government to pursue the matter with the world body. Five other soldiers were
tortured and killed along with Capt Kalia. "I am ashamed of being an Indian. The
country has spineless leaders,"said Kalia.
"In order to declare a war crime, the ministry of defence needs to
write to the ministry of external affairs, which then takes up the matter with
the UN Human Rights Council. The council then refers the matter to the General
Assembly, which can declare war crime. It then goes to the international court
of justice. It is the ministry of external affairs that did not follow up the
case with the UN," says Colonel (retd) SK Aggarwal, former judge advocate
general (JAG) officer.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Chandigarh/Capt-Saurabh-Kalias-torture-by-Pak-army-still-not-war-crime/articleshow/6026040.cms
----------
UN Security Council to vote on Iran sanctions on
Wednesday
Jun 8, 2010
UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council will vote on Wednesday on a
fourth round of UN sanctions against Iran over its refusal to come clean on its
suspect nuclear program, its president said here on Tuesday.
Mexican Ambassador Claude Heller, who chairs the 15-member council
this month, made the announcement to reporters after emerging from a closed-door
session at which members also decided to hold a private session later on
Tuesday.
"The co-sponsors have announced that the resolution will be (put) to
a vote tomorrow morning at 10:00 am (1400 GMT)," Heller said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Middle-East/UN-Security-Council-to-vote-on-Iran-sanctions-on-Wednesday/articleshow/6025515.cms
----------
Bomb kills 2 US troops; NATO losses at 24 for
June
Jun 8, 2010
KABUL: Two American troops were killed by a roadside bomb and a
British soldier was shot dead on patrol on Tuesday, raising the NATO death toll
in Afghanistan to two dozen in little more than a week.
The bloodshed spiked ahead of a major NATO operation in the Taliban's
southern heartland. US commanders have warned of more casualties as the alliance
gears up to clear Kandahar, the biggest city in Afghanistan's south and the
former headquarters of the Taliban.
NATO announced the three deaths today without identifying
nationalities. But US and British authorities provided the nationalities of the
victims, all of whom died in the south.
The deaths took NATO's death toll in June to 24, including 14
Americans, according to a count by The Associated Press based on official
announcements.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/South-Asia/Bomb-kills-2-US-troops-NATO-losses-at-24-for-June/articleshow/6025004.cms
----------
Belgian school sacks teacher over burqa
Jun 9, 2010
BRUSSELS: A Belgian high school today sacked a Muslim maths teacher
after she insisted she would continue to wear the burqa while taking classes.
At the start of the academic year authorities at the school in
Charleroi, south of Brussels, told the Turkish-born teacher to remove her
full-face Islamic veil, which she had been wearing during class for two and a
half years.
The teacher refused and took her case to court. In the first instance
the Charleroi tribunal backed the school board, citing the religious
"neutrality" of the schools serving Belgium's francophone community.
However in March the appeals court ruled that the school in question
came under the jurisdiction of Charleroi, which had not issued rules on the
banning of religious insignia.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Middle-East/Belgian-school-sacks-teacher-over-burqa/articleshow/6025799.cms
----------
No delay in giving access to Headley
Chidanand Rajghatta
Jun 9, 2010
Washington: Asserting that the United States and India have made the
greatest progress in terms of lawenforcement and intelligence cooperation,a key
US official on Monday insisted both sides have been candid and transparent in
the matter of access and interrogation of LeT terror operative David
Headley.
In a review of the just-concluded US-India strategic dialogue,US
assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia Robert Blake challenged
the impression that Washington had been dodgy in allowing Indian investigators
to question Headley,who is said to have scouted locations for the 26/11 massacre
undertaken by the Pakistani group Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Full report at: Times of India
----------
UK inmates turn to Islam to enjoy perks
Jun 9, 2010
London: UK prison inmates are increasingly embracing Islam to entitle
themselves to the protection of the fearsome Muslim gangs,apart from availing
other benefits available only to Muslim prisoners as per prison
regulations.
The new breed of converts have been dubbed convenience Muslims since
they enjoy exemption from work and education while attending Friday prayers,and
relish halal meat,which is provided only to Muslims.
The number of Muslim prisoners has risen dramatically since the
mid-1990 s from 2,513 in 1994,or 5 per cent of the population,to 9,795 in
2008,or 11 per cent.Staff at top-security prisons and youth jails have raised
concerns about the intimidation of non-Muslims and possible forced
conversions.
Full report at: Times of India
----------
Tension up: Israel seeks arms from US, says
report
Jun 09 2010
Jerusalem : Israel is seeking arms and ammunitions in bulk from its
close ally America, triggering speculation of a possible outbreak of a military
confrontation in the region.
The Israeli request includes Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM )
bombs for its Air Force as well as significant expansion of the emergency stores
held by American Army in the Jewish state, daily Ha’aretz
reported.
The request was made during visits to Washington by Israeli Defence
Minister Ehud Barak and Director General of Defence Ministry, Udi Shani, in
their conversations with senior US officials.
The priority list reflects the security threats the defence
establishment believes Israel will face in the next few years, including
possibility of a prolonged war, which would necessitate the country using its
Air Force widely to attack targets, the report said.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/tension-up-israel-seeks-arms-from-us-says-report/631374/
----------
Iran uses shell firms to keep military cargo
secret
Jun 09 2010
New York : On January 24, 2009, a freighter with a Hong Kong flag
arrived in the South African port of Durban. The stop was not on its route. It
stayed just long enough to pick up clandestine cargo: a Bladerunner 51 speedboat
that can be armed with torpedoes and used as a fast-attack craft in the Persian
Gulf.
The name on the ship’s side as it made for Iranian port of Bandar
Abbas was the Diplomat, and its papers showed it was owned by a company called
Starry Shine Ltd. Six months earlier, the Diplomat had been the Iran Mufateh,
part of a fleet owned by state-owned Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines,
known as Irisl.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/iran-uses-shell-firms-to-keep-military-cargo-secret/631381/
----------
Iran is 'special case' for UN atomic watchdog:
Amano
Jun 9, 2010
Vienna : UN atomic watchdog chief Yukiya Amano described Iran as a
"special case" in terms of the agency's monitoring, in view of allegations of
possible military dimensions to its contested atomic
drive.
The West accuses Iran of seeking to build a nuclear bomb, a charge
that Tehran vehemently denies.
But after more than seven years of investigation, the International
Atomic Energy Agency is still not in a position to state that the Islamic
republic's nuclear activities are entirely peaceful.
Iran insists its case should be treated as a routine matter by the
IAEA, as is the case with any other member state.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/iran-is-special-case-for-un-atomic-watchdog-amano/630994/
----------
300 Sikh pilgrims leave for Pakistan
Jun 9, 2010
Attari: Nearly 300 Sikh devotees on Tuesday left for Pakistan in a
special train here to observe the martyrdom day of fifth Sikh master Guru Arjan
Dev at Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Lahore.
The pilgrims would pay obeisance at various historic Sikh shrines
across Pakistan during their nine-day stay in that
country.
The SGPC had arranged for their visas.
The devotees would return to India on June 17.
http://www.hindu.com/2010/06/09/stories/2010060960970700.htm
----------
Manmohan announces over Rs.1,000-crore sops for
J&K
Jun 9, 2010
Srinagar: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday announced a slew
of sops amounting to over Rs. 1,000 crore for Jammu and Kashmir, assuring the
State that the Centre would do all it could to support it.
“Things have improved considerably, fund utilisation is better, but
much more remains to be done,” said Dr. Singh, winding up his two-day visit to
the State during which he held discussions with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and
interacted with leaders of various political parties.
The Prime Minister ordered restoration of cuts amounting to Rs. 400
crore to the State plan outlay for 2009-10. He also announced that the Centre
had decided to dispense with the cut-back of Rs. 691 crore in this year's outlay
in the reconstruction plan, the Prime Minister's Media Adviser said in a
statement.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/06/09/stories/2010060961671300.htm
----------
Five killed as gunmen attack Nato convoy near
Islamabad
June 09, 2010
ISLAMABAD: At least five people were killed and six others sustained
injuries when a group of militants attacked a convoy in the federal capital area
that was ready to take supplies for Nato forces fighting in
Afghanistan.
The Capital City Police with Elite Force and Rangers have cordoned
off the area and started a search operation in and around Sang Jani but no
arrest was reported till the filing of this report.
Unidentified armed men opened fire at a convoy of over 30 vehicles
including trailers carrying supplies and vehicles and tankers carrying oil for
the Nato forces in Afghanistan near Sang Jani, a few kilometres short of Taxila
on the Grand Trunk (GT) Road at around mid-night on Tuesday. All the vehicles
caught fire and despite all out efforts by the fire fighters rushed to the spot
by the Disaster Management Directorate of the Capital Development Authority
(CDA) and the Rawalpindi Municipal Authority, the fire could not be brought
under control till filing of this report.
Full report at:
http://thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=29366
----------
Britain to send back Afghan asylum seekers
June 09, 2010
LONDON: Britain is planning to build a “re-integration” centre in
Afghanistan to forcibly return failed Afghan asylum seekers, including
unaccompanied children, a report said on Tuesday. The new British government
plans to build the four million pound (5.8 million dollar, 4.8 million euro)
centre, which immigration officials hope could help return up to 12
under-18-year-olds per month, said The Guardian newspaper. Returning young
asylum seekers would be a major policy shift, since until now their repatriation
has been blocked by child protection concerns and a vow only to return them if
adequate care arrangements were in place, the daily said.
An official tender for the Afghan centre shows that immigration
officials initially hope to return 12 under-18s a month to Afghanistan and
provide “reintegration assistance” for 120 adults a month. The Home Office
declined to confirm or deny the report.
Full report at:
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=243853
----------
Orakzai clash kills six soldiers, 30 Taliban
08 Jun, 2010
PESHAWAR: Six Pakistani soldiers were killed Tuesday when Taliban
militants stormed a checkpoint in the northwest, prompting a retaliatory strike
by the army that left 30 insurgents dead, officials said.
The clash took place in the village of Karonchi in Orakzai district,
part of a semi-autonomous tribal belt where the military has been waging an
anti-Taliban offensive since late March.
Eight soldiers were wounded in addition to the six dead, a spokesman
for the paramilitary Frontier Corps said.
He said the militants were armed with heavy weapons and that troops
responded with heavy artillery, as a result of which “at least 30 insurgents
were killed.”
Local administration official Sajjad Ahmed confirmed the casualties
and said dozens of armed militants were involved in the
attack.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/16-six+troops+killed+in+orakzai+attack-hs-03
----------
Jails radicalising young Muslims, warns UK
official
By Alan Travis
09 Jun, 2010
LONDON, June 8: The blanket treatment by staff of the 10,300 Muslim
prisoners in England and Wales as potential terrorists risks creating young men
ready to embrace extremism on their release, the chief inspector of prisons
warns on Tuesday.
Dame Anne Owers says the treatment of the rapidly growing population
of Muslim prisoners as potential or actual extremists is prevalent throughout
the prison system despite the fact that fewer than 1 per cent are in prison for
terrorist-related offences.
The chief inspector also voices scepticism over claims by high
security prison staff that gangs are forcing non-Muslim prisoners to convert to
Islam through intimidation. Her report says that while conversions are common
they are more likely to be the result of better food at Ramadan, the benefits of
protection within a group and the discipline and structure provided by observing
Islam through prayer.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/jails-radicalising-young-muslims,-warns-uk-official-960
----------
Indian Muslims show reservations over Wakf law
By Iftikhar Gilani
09 Jun, 2010
NEW DELHI: The All India Muslim Personal Law Board, a top
representative body of Muslims in India, has said that the Wakf (Amendment) Bill
2010 approved by the Indian Parliament last month will jeopardise the Muslims
right over the historic Babri Mosque, which the Hindu extremists demolished in
1992.
The bill aims to strengthen and improve the administration of the
wakf (trust) properties in India. However, the Muslim organisations believe that
the law impinges upon the 60-year-old suit pending in the court over the
ownership of the land on which the mosque, constructed by the first Mughal
emperor of India in 1527 in Ayodhya, stood and where the RSS-backed Hindu
chauvinists want to build the Ram Temple.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\06\09\story_9-6-2010_pg7_30
----------
India backs US on Afghan reconciliation
09 Jun, 2010
WASHINGTON—Two top visiting Indian officials have supported Obama’s
policy on reintegration and reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan . “We are
supportive of the US efforts to fight terrorism in Afghanistan and bring
stability there,” Indian Foreign Secretary, Nirupama Rao, said in her address to
the Brookings Institute — a Washington-based think-tank.
Rao, who was part of the Indian delegation to attend the Indo-US
strategic dialogue, said like the United State, India would like to see the
emergence of a strong, stable and prosperous Afghanistan . “We also believe
therefore that any reconciliation or reintegration effort there should include
only those who abjure violence, renounce terrorism and pledge to abide by the
values of democracy and pluralism and the Afghan Constitution,” she said.
Full report at:
http://dailymailnews.com/0610/09/FrontPage/FrontPage2.php
----------
Jordan's king warns candidates against exploiting Palestinian
issue
By ABDUL JALIL MUSTAFA
Jun 8, 2010
AMMAN: Jordan’s King Abdallah II on Tuesday pledged holding
"transparent" parliamentary elections in the last quarter of the year, but he
warned against using the Palestinian issue to win support.
"The national unity is the cornerstone of our stability and, as such,
is a red line, the crossing of which will not be permitted,” he
said.
In a speech commemorating the anniversary of his accession to the
throne the monarch alluded to a statement issued last month by a number of
retired army personnel who urged the government to stop naturalizing
Palestinians because it empowers the alternative-homeland scheme supported by
right-wing Israelis that would create a Palestinian state by carving out
territory from Jordan.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article62910.ece
----------
Yemen won't hand over Al-Awlaki to US
By AHMED AL-HAJ
Jun 8, 2010
SANAA: Yemen would not hand over a US-born, Al-Qaeda-linked preacher
to the United States if he is captured because its law bans extradition of
citizens, an official said Tuesday.
The radical Yemeni-American preacher, Anwar Al-Awlaki, is believed to
be hiding in Yemen since 2004. The US says he is an active Al-Qaeda recruiter
and has placed him on the CIA's list of terrorist targets to be killed or
captured, despite his American citizenship. Yemen's Al-Qaeda offshoot last month
released a video of Al-Awlaki calling for the killing of
Americans.
Al-Awlaki is also believed to have helped inspire recent attacks in
the US, including the Fort Hood shooting, the Times Square bombing attempt and
the failed Christmas Day airline bombing.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article62977.ece
----------
Doha becomes 16th printing point for Asharq
Al-Awsat
Jun 8, 2010
JEDDAH: Asharq Al-Awsat, a sister publication of Arab News, will now
also be published from Doha, Qatar, which has become the 16th place from where
the international newspaper is being published.
A launching ceremony was held in Doha on Tuesday which was attended
by the Qatari minister of culture, arts and heritage, Dr. Hamad bin Abdul Aziz
Al-Kawwari. The project is a tripartite partnership between the Saudi Research
and Marketing Group (SRMG), Dar Al-Sharq for Printing and Distribution Company
and the Qatari Media Company.
Speaking at the launch, Sheikh Al-Hussain bin Ali bin Ahmad Al-Thani,
CEO of the Qatar Media Company, welcomed the audience and hoped the company
would be the sole agent for the newspaper’s advertisements in the Qatari market.
He said the company was established in 2004 and now has offices in the UAE,
Malaysia and the United Kingdom.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article62982.ece
----------
Report: 14 Al-Qaeda suspects detained in Turkey
Jun 8, 2010
ANKARA, Turkey: Turkey's state news agency says police have detained
14 people suspected of ties to the Al-Qaeda terror
network.
The Anatolia agency says the suspects were detained for questioning
in simultaneous raids in four cities early Tuesday.
It did not cite a source for the report.
Police in the central city of Konya, where most of the raids
reportedly took place, would not comment on the report.
In January, Turkish police launched a major crackdown on suspected
militants, rounding up 120 people Homegrown militants tied to Al-Qaeda carried
out suicide bombings in Istanbul in 2003, killing 58
people.
In 2008, an attack blamed on Al-Qaeda-affiliated militants outside
the US Consulate in Istanbul left three assailants and three policemen
dead.
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article62663.ece
----------
Iraqi Kurds seek help to halt Iranian incursion
9 June 2010
Iraq - Iraq’s semi-autonomous
Kurdistan region on Tuesday demanded the central government in Baghdad take
steps against an incursion into its territory by Iranian forces pursuing Kurdish
rebels.
A Reuters witness saw Iranian soldiers manning a small position some
two kilometres (1.2 miles) inside Iraqi Kurdistan.
Kurdish officials say a small unit of Iranian soldiers penetrated
Kurdistan’s Arbil province on June 3 following days of shelling that they say
has displaced some 300 families from Kurdish border
villages.
Kurdish MPs accused the Shi’ite-led government in Baghdad of turning
a blind eye to the Iranian operation, against rebels seeking autonomy for
Kurdish areas of Iran.
Iraq and Iran fought a war in the 1980s, but since the overthrow of
Sunni dictator Saddam Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/June/middleeast_June306.xml§ion=middleeast
----------
Women students showcase talent at ZU symposium Ahmed Al
Majaida
9 June 2010
DUBAI — Young Emirati women with an interest in culture and
innovation took centrestage last week at the 9th annual academic symposium at
Zayed University.
A group of them showcased their new book on the country’s past in
hopes of setting in stone their vision for the country.
The book, titled ‘The Secrets Behind the UAE Identity’, contains
basic information of the country’s undiscovered culture and ways of
living.
“We have researched, visited museums and spoken to the elderly to
find out the truth behind certain cultural practices,” said Amal Al Mulla, a
media student at the university.
She said the information in the book had never been discussed on the
Internet before.
Marwa Al Tayer, also part of the project, said they had undertaken
the project to answer questions related to Emirati
culture.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/June/theuae_June254.xml§ion=theuae&col=
----------
Saudi to help abandoned families
9 June 2010
JEDDAH — A total of 1,500 widows and children have been abandoned in
19 countries across the world by Saudi husbands and fathers because of
unlicensed marriages, many conducted in secrecy, according to Tawfiq Al
Suwailam, head of Awasir, the Society for the Welfare of Saudi Families
Abroad.
The countries where they are found stretch from the Philippines in
the east to the United States in the west, and approximately 90 per cent of them
are in brotherly nations such as Yemen, Syria, Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan, Morocco,
and the Lebanon, he said.
Al Suwailam said that the society was setting up a database of
information on families left in dire straits by Saudis, and that a precise
survey ordered by Prince Nayef, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior,
revealed data on 575 Saudi families comprising 1,552 widows and children left
fatherless in 19 countries, they are
eligible for help from Awasir.
He said Prince Nayef, as
honorary president of Awasir ordered the study, and also that families be
returned to the Kingdom as soon as possible.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/June/middleeast_June304.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
----------
Two more Palestinians killed by Israel navy wash
ashore
8 June 2010
GAZA CITY - The bodies of two Palestinians killed by Israeli fire in
the seas off Gaza washed ashore on Tuesday, bringing to six the total number of
alleged militants killed by the navy in a raid off the
coast.
The bodies of two men in their 20s who had each been shot in the head
washed ashore and were collected by local medics, the head of Gaza emergency
services, Muawiya Hassanein, said.
On Monday, Israel attacked a boat carrying what it said was “a squad
of terrorists wearing diving suits on their way to execute a terror
attack.”
A survivor who was on shore at the time of the attack said the six
men on the boat were members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, an armed group
which is loosely tied to the secular Fatah movement of Western-backed president
Mahmud Abbas, but that there were no weapons on the boat.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/June/middleeast_June302.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
----------
No change in Kashmir policy: US
Jun 9, 2010
WASHINGTON: Asserting that there is "no change" in its Kashmir
policy, the US on Wednesday hoped that India and Pakistan would make progress on
resolving the "important issue".
"We recognise that this is a very, very important issue between India
and Pakistan," the state department spokesman, P J Crowley, told reporters at
his daily news briefing.
He was responding to a question on the visit of the Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh to Jammu and Kashmir and his offer of talks with the separatist
if they abandon violence and abide by the Indian constitution.
"As the dialogue between India and Pakistan, continues to expand,
including at the leader level, that we would hope that India and Pakistan can
make progress in understanding this issue and moving forward, just as they did a
few years ago," Crowley said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/No-change-in-Kashmir-policy-US-/articleshow/6026710.cms
----------
Dubai sends Mumbai blasts accused to India
By Aman Sharma
Jun 9, 2010
THE CBI on Tuesday succeeded in extraditing underworld don Dawood
Ibrahim’s key aide Taher Mohammed Merchant, who had played a pivotal role in the
1993 Mumbai bomb blasts.
Merchant was extradited to India from the UAE in a quiet operation
and produced before a court in Mumbai to get his custody till June
14.
Indian intelligence agencies had been hot on his trail since 1993 and
initially suspected him to be hiding in Pakistan, before he was nabbed by UAE
authorities in 2004.
Merchant’s extradition after a six- year diplomatic effort is being
seen as a big achievement by the CBI and the Centre.
Also known as Taher Taklya and Taher Mohammed Dada, Merchant, 54, was
born in Mumbai. He is accused of arranging training for terror recruits in
Pakistan before they carried out the blasts in Mumbai.
Full report at: Mil Today
----------
Tliban using HIV bombs
Jun 9, 2010
TALIBAN fighters are burying dirty needles with their bombs in a bid
to infect British troops with HIV, The Sun can reveal.
Hypodermic syringes are hidden below the surface pointing upwards to
prick bomb squad experts as they hunt for devices.
The heroin needles are feared to be contaminated with hepatitis and
HIV. And if the bomb goes off, the needles become deadly flying
shrapnel.
Deadly ... needles become flying shrapnel
The tactic, used in the Afghan badlands of Helmand, was exposed by
Tory MP and ex-Army officer Patrick Mercer.
Senior backbencher Mr Mercer said yesterday: "Are there no depths to
which these people will stoop? This is the definition of a dirty
war."
Razor blades are also being used. All Royal Engineer and Royal
Logistic Corps bomb search teams have been issued with protective Kevlar
gloves.
http://timesofindia.hotklix.com/Hotklix/link/News/World/Taliban-using-HIV-bombs
----------
Gaza ship raid was a failure, admits Israeli Dy
PM
Jun 9, 2010
JERUSALEM: Israel's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Strategic
Affairs Moshe Ya'alon has admitted that the deadly raid on the Gaza-bound aid
ship last week that left nine people dead was characterised by failure.
"In a place where citations should have been given, someone failed to
prepare a standard operating procedure," Ya'alon, a former army Chief of Staff
and the acting Prime Minister on the day of the operation told Council Heads of
the ruling Likud party.
"The decision was right, but there is room for improvement - and I am
not going to elaborate," he was quoted by news portal Ynet as saying.
Ya'alon, who was officiating as the Prime Minister on the day of the
incident because of Benjamin Netanyahu's absence in the country, however,
praised the troops for their bravery.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Middle-East/Gaza-ship-raid-was-a-failure-admits-Israeli-Dy-PM-/articleshow/6028054.cms
----------
Afghan opium more deadly than Taliban bullets:
UN
Jun 9, 2010
MOSCOW: A top United Nations official says that the annual number of
people killed by Afghan heroin in Western Europe exceeds the total death toll of
NATO troops killed in Afghanistan since 2001.
Some 1,800 international coalition troops have been killed in
Afghanistan, including 1,100 Americans.
Speaking at an anti-drug conference in Moscow, the head of the U.N.
Office on Drugs and Crime, Antonio Maria Costa, said that the world's largest
consumer of Afghan drugs is Russia, where more than 70 metric tons of heroin are
sold annually.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told the conference that heroin is
seen as a "serious threat'' to Russian youth.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Europe/Afghan-opium-more-deadly-than-Taliban-bullets-UN/articleshow/6028504.cms
----------
Clashes in Orakzai, Mohmand kill 46 militants
09 Jun, 2010
PARACHINAR: Dozens of militants attacked a security convoy in an area
near Afghanistan where Pakistan declared the Taliban defeated, sparking a battle
that killed six soldiers and 40 militants, an official said
Wednesday.
The clash in Orakzai tribal region illustrated the challenge facing
Pakistan as it tries to oust insurgents hiding along the Afghan border.
Pakistan’s declarations of success in some parts have often been
premature.
Fifteen soldiers were also wounded in the late Tuesday fighting,
government administration official Samiullah Khan said.
The army's offensive in Orakzai came on the heels of an operation
against the Pakistani Taliban in the South Waziristan tribal area. Many
militants in South Waziristan were believed to have fled to Orakzai, though the
top Pakistani Taliban leaders are believed to be in North Waziristan, an area
the Pakistani army has resisted attacking.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/04-orakzai-mohmand-clashes-militants-qs-007
10:07 PM
Sultan Shahin
1 comments:
THE RACE WAR
WHITE ARYANS vs DARKIE IRANIANS
BNP (Black National Party)
The BNP (Black National Party) has been created to expedite the work of the Race Equality Secret Service (RESS).
The BNP (Black National Party) gets stronger as "STORMFRONT" gets weaker.
http://raceequalitysecretservice.blogspot.com/2010/02/bnp-black-national-party.html
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