Amnesty
blasts Pak's human rights situation
'ISI guided LeT at every step for 26/11'
‘Attack on Ahmedis conspiracy to repeal laws against
them’
Comic book publisher praised for reflecting 'tolerance of
Islam'
Pakistani Hindus demand protection from
government
4 mln living under Taliban rule in Pakistan:
Amnesty
Ministry bans music, dancing in schools
Israel grants amnesty to 73 Fatah fighters
Israelis desecrate mosque
Asir businesswomen organize fashion show
Explosion kills at least 39, injures 73 at wedding in
Afghanistan
Some Arab sympathy for burqa bans
Pakistani dentist? rejoins family?after being freed Asma Ali Zain
UN sanctions should be 'thrown in dust bin':
Ahmadinejad
Hindu trader shot dead, son kidnapped in
Pakistan
Protest in Balochistan assembly over Hindu trader’s
killing
Bolton mosques among 100 most ‘women-friendly’
London taxis to extol virtues of Islam
Canadian Muslim woman to lead mixed-gender prayers in London
Sky's the limit for Muslim women in Kanodar
American gets 15 years for aiding Al-Qaeda
22 bonded laborers rescued in Sialkot
Russia freezes missile supply to Iran
Most Pakistanis are pacifist, says survey
Bomb blast outside Pak Navy office in Karachi kills
one
2 Bosnian Serbs given life imprisonment for Srebrenica
genocide
Turkey is calling for a jihad against Israel
Anti-mosque protestors anti-American, too
Pakistani detained in Chile says he was framed
12 killed in Mogadishu violence
Ten rebels killed in Chechnya
Two soldiers, 20 Taliban killed in FATA
Attack unlikely to impact Nato supplies:
Pentagon
Hamas says Gaza needs cement, not soft
drinks
Darfur rebels free 35 Sudan army prisoners
Abayas that mirror World Cup frenzy
Scientists decode camel DNA
Obama calls for a better approach in Gaza
Strip
Iran sanctions ‘impetus’ for diplomacy: Russia
Nine killed in series of Iraq attacks
US to ensure weapons to Pak not used against
India
Pakistan for joint fight against terror
Gaza: India for collective response
India to press Pak for voice samples of Saeed,
Lakhvi
NIA continues to grill Headley
What does India want us to do on terror front, asks
Qureshi
Compiled by Asit kumar
Photo: Irani journalist Jila Baniyaghoob
-----------
Woman journalist gets 30-year ban on writing in
Iran
Jun 10, 2010
Iran sentenced award-winning woman journalist Jila Baniyaghoob to
jail for one year and banned her from writing for 30 years over post-election
unrest, a newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Baniyaghoob, 39, “has been sentenced to one year in jail and banned
from journalistic work for 30 years,” moderate daily Shargh
said.
Baniyaghoob, who had been working for a string of best-selling but
now closed reformist newspapers, was arrested on June 20 last year with her
husband and released on bail two months later.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/261614/Woman-journalist-gets-30-year-ban-on-writing-in-Iran.html
-----------
Amnesty blasts Pak's human rights situation
Jun 10, 2010
LONDON: Millions of Pakistanis in the country's northwest tribal
areas live in a 'human rights-free zone' where they have no legal protection
from the government and are subjected to abuses by the Taliban, the Amnesty
International has said.
In a report titled 'As if Hell Fell on Me: The Human Rights Crisis in
Northwest Pakistan', the London-based rights organisation urged the Pakistan
government and Taliban to comply with international humanitarian law.
"Nearly four million people are currently living under the Taliban in
Pakistan in northwest Pakistan without rule of law and effectively abandoned by
the Pakistani government," Amnesty International's interim Secretary General
Claudio Cordone said.
"There are still more than one million people who were displaced from
their homes in Pakistan's northwest tribal belt by the conflict with the Taliban
(and) whose plight is largely ignored and who are in desperate need of aid."
According to Amnesty, at least 1,300 civilians were killed in the
fighting in northwest Pakistan in 2009.
A teacher who fled Swat with family in March 2009 was quoted as
saying: "The government just gave away our lives to the Taliban. What's the
point of having this huge army if it can't even protect us against a group of
brutal fanatics? They took over my school and started to teach children about
how to fight in Afghanistan.
"They kicked out the girls from school, told the men to grow their
beards, threatened anybody they didn't like. Our government and our military
never tried to protect us from this."
Cordone said that for years, the tribal areas have been treated as a
stage for geopolitical rivalries and are currently in focus because of the
conflict in neighbouring Afghanistan and the search for al-Qaeda militants,
rather than the rights of the people living there.
"The Pakistani government should not just respond using military
force; it needs to provide and protect the basic rights of its citizens living
there."
"The Pakistani government has to follow through on its promises to
bring the region out of this human rights black hole and place the people of
FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) under the protection of the law and
constitution of Pakistan," Cordone said.
There is no quick-fix solution for decades of "misrule" and the
conflict of the past few years, but the road to recovery starts with recognising
the rights of the people of FATA, he said.
Amnesty said the US' use of drones to target insurgents in northwest
Pakistan has generated considerable resentment inside the country.
It called on the US to clarify its chain of command and rules of
engagement for the use of drones and ensure proper accountability for civilian
casualties.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Amnesty-International-blasts-Pakistans-human-rights-situation/articleshow/6032097.cms
-----------
'ISI guided LeT at every step for 26/11'
Diwakar & Vishwa Mohan
Jun 10, 2010
NEW DELHI: Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley has confirmed
that Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists carried out the Mumbai attack under the
"guidance" of Pakistan's ISI.
Headley, who is being interrogated in the US by a team of NIA
officials, has said that the notorious ISI was engaged with the Lashkar
commanders responsible for the 26/11 carnage at "each and every stage of the
plot".
The account of the terrorist, who receed targets for Lashkar
terrorists across the country, corroborates India's stand about the involvement
of Pakistani state actors in terrorism, trains the spotlight on LeT-ISI tandem,
and explains Pakistan's unwillingness to clamp down on the Lashkar leadership.
Headley has mentioned serving officers of Pakistan army — Major
Sameer Ali, Major Iqbal and Major Haroon — as those who collaborated with the
Lashkar terrorists. Major Sameer and Major Iqbal figured in the dossier India
gave to Pakistani foreign secretary Salman Bashir.
NIA's sessions with Headley tally with what he is learnt to have told
the FBI, including the crucial bit about Hafiz Saeed being in the loop through
the plot.
Whether the disclosures that undercut its denial will lead Pakistan
to step up its cooperation with the 26/11 probe remains unclear.
Home minister P Chidambaram is to demand voice samples of seven
Lashkar commanders including Zakiur
Rahman Lakhvi, Zarar Shah, Abu Al Qama and others when he meets his
Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik during his visit to Islamabad for the
conference of home ministers from SAARC region. Pakistan has so far refused to
give voice samples which could help investigators ascertain the identity of
those who instructed the 26/11 attackers as they went about their deadly
assignment.
Headley has also spoken of how post-26/11, ISI wanted Lashkar to
disown the Mumbai attack to turn the global attention away from the terror
outfit that Pakistan considers to be an important strategic asset to be used
against India. With Ajmal Kasab snared, and investigations by India and FBI
homing in its nexus with Lashkar, ISI planned to blame the carnage on al-Qaida.
It even prepared a list of 4-5 al-Qaida figures who were to be projected as the
conspirators.
Significantly, the ploy did not work because of resitance from
Lashkar leaders, particularly Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi, one of the 26/11
masterminds. Lashkar leaders who have proclaimed themselves to be innocent and
have accused India of levelling baseless charges, felt that the increased
notoriety after 26/11 had raised the terror profile of the group and was going
to help them with recruitment and funds.
Headley also admitted that while he had started off as a Lashkar
recruit, he started drifting towards Al Qaida under the influence of Major Abdul
Rahman Saeed. Saeed, who served with 6 Baloch Regiment of Pakistan army, took
voluntary retirement in 2002 to devote himself full time to Al Qaida's cause.
Headley, who respected Saeed for his "sacrifice", went high in the retired
major'e esteem because of precise inputs he provided for the 26/11 attack.
Saeed, with the help of Ilyas Kashmiri, drafted him for the plan to
attack Danish newspaper Jylland Posten which published controversial cartoons of
Prophet Mohammad. This, when Headley's original handler Sajid Mir wanted him to
focus on Lashkar's anti-India mission.
During his Pakistan visit, Chidambaram will also ask Islamabad to
locate and arrest 13 absconders found guilty by Indian
courts.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/ISI-guided-LeT-at-every-step-for-26/11/articleshow/6030261.cms
-----------
‘Attack on Ahmedis conspiracy to repeal laws against
them’
09 Jun, 2010
LAHORE: A gathering of the leaders of 13 religious and political
parties in Lahore claimed that the attack on Ahmedis on May 28 was part of a
conspiracy to repeal the laws against them, BBCUrdu
reported.
The meeting was held in an office of the Majlis Ahrar Islam in
Lahore's Muslim Town. The parties concluded that a conspiracy was in place to
debate the laws against Ahmedis, the report said.
Maulana Zahidul Rashdi, who is a founding member of the Muttahida
Tehrik-i-Khatm-i-Nabuwat and also the Secretary-General of the Pakistan Shariat
Council, read the joint statement at the meeting’s conclusion: The attack on
Ahmedis is being used as an excuse to generate suspicions regarding the concept
of khatm-i-nabuwat.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/04-ahmedis-laws-religious-groups-qs-08
-----------
Comic book publisher praised for reflecting 'tolerance of
Islam'
JUNE 10, 2010
Washington (CNN) --Kuwaiti publisher Naif al-Mutawa is having a week
even his comic book superheroes might envy.
On Monday, President Obama singled him out for special praise for
promoting international understanding with his "The 99"
comics.
"His comic books have captured the imagination of so many young
people with superheroes who embody the teachings and tolerance of Islam," Obama
said.
And on Tuesday, Mutawa was treated like a rock star at the
president's Summit on Entrepreneurship, with people lining up to get his flashy,
superhero-embossed business cards and polite words of
encouragement.
Full report at:
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/04/27/kuwait.comics/index.html?eref=rss_latest&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+rss/cnn_latest+(RSS:+Most+Recent)
-----------
Pakistani Hindus demand protection from
government
Jun 10 2010
Islamabad : The Pakistan Hindu Council has asked authorities to
ensure the protection of the minority community and its temples even as
lawmakers walked out of the Balochistan assembly to protest the killing of a
Hindu trader.
The Pakistan Hindu Council called on the governments of Sindh and
Balochistan provinces to protect Hindus in the wake of protests in Mithi town in
Sindh against the desecration of an ashram.
Such protection will enable Hindus to play their role in Pakistan's
development, PHC leaders said.
PHC patron Ramesh Kumar Vankwani and president Raja Assermal Manglani
told reporters at the Karachi Press Club yesterday that a man named Photo Bajeer
had entered the Saint Nenuram Ashram at Islamkot in Tharparkar district on
Sunday and indulged in "sacrilegious" acts.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pakistani-hindus-demand-protection-from-government/632020/
-----------
4 mln living under Taliban rule in Pakistan:
Amnesty
June 10, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Human rights group
Amnesty International said Thursday that nearly four million people are
effectively living under Taliban rule in northwest Pakistan and have been
abandoned by the government.
The 130-page report entitled "As if Hell Fell on Me: The Human Rights
Crisis in Northwest Pakistan" is likely to ruffle Pakistani officials who
believe they made great strides last year in regaining ground from the
Taliban.
The London-based organisation said there were credible reports that
at least 1,300 civilians were killed during fighting in the northwest in 2009.
There has been little official word on civilians hurt in anti-Taliban
campaigns.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/6-10-2010/66432.htm
-----------
Ministry bans music, dancing in schools
By MUHAMMAD AL-SULAMI
Jun 10, 2010
JEDDAH: The Ministry of Education issued on Wednesday a circular to
all schools in the Kingdom ordering that no music or dancing be allowed during
upcoming graduation celebrations. School events may also not be advertised in
local media.
Graduation celebrations, it added, are to take place in the morning
within the last three weeks of the academic year.
“The celebrations should not disrupt the school day, lead to the
cancellations of classes or cause students and teachers to absent themselves the
next day,” the ministry said, adding that no cameras should be allowed in
schools.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article63501.ece
-----------
Israel grants amnesty to 73 Fatah fighters
By MOHAMMED MAR'I
Jun 10, 2010
RAMALLAH: Israel has granted amnesty to a group of 73 Palestinian
fighters from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an offshoot of President Mahmoud
Abbas' Fatah movement, Palestinian security sources said on
Wednesday.
The sources said that out of the 73 militants, 13 were given full
amnesty, giving them complete freedom of movement. The other 60 are free to move
within Palestinian Authority-controlled areas or in the Palestinian security
headquarters they serve.
According to the sources, the gesture was made in the framework of
2007 amnesty agreement between Israel and the Palestinian
Authority.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article63452.ece
-----------
Israelis desecrate mosque
By MOHAMMED MAR’I
Jun 10, 2010
RAMALLAH: Jewish vandals desecrated a mosque on Wednesday in the Arab
village of Ibtin, to the east of Haifa. The Islamic Movement’s northern branch
said that “unknown extreme Jewish elements” vandalized the village’s Omar Ibn
Al-Khattab Mosque.
Worshippers who arrived early Wednesday morning for prayer at the
mosque discovered three slanderous messages sprayed on the mosque’s walls. The
slogans read: “There will be a war over Judea and Samaria (West Bank),” “price
tag” and “this structure is destined for demolition.” The graffiti also included
Stars of David signs.
Locals suspect residents of the nearby Jewish community of Rechasim
were behind the act.
Israeli media sources said the police have launched an investigation,
but no one has been arrested.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article63494.ece
-----------
Asir businesswomen organize fashion show
By HAYAT AL-GHAMDI
Jun 10, 2010
ABHA: Ten Saudi businesswomen in the southern region Asir ended their
first conference last week, titled "Thought and Investment," with the region’s
first fashion show in which they modeled traditional costumes watched by over 80
women spectators.
Haifa Himoud, chairwoman of the Businesswomen Committee at the Abha
Chamber of Commerce and Industry, led the show wearing a traditional dress. She
was followed by two of the region’s most famous businesswomen, Nura Al-Ghamdi
and Muna Al-Biraik.
The clothes they modeled were designed by Aisha
Al-Qahtani.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article63444.ece
-----------
Explosion kills at least 39, injures 73 at wedding in
Afghanistan
Jun 10, 2010
KANDAHAR: At least 39 people were killed and 73 wounded by a massive
explosion at a wedding in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar on Wednesday,
a senior official said.
The cause of the devastating blast was unclear, especially as
insurgent attacks in the province, the heartland of the Taliban, are normally
aimed at military or police targets and generally cause fewer casualties.
The toll was one of the highest in a single incident in recent months
in war-torn Afghanistan.
"There was an explosion at a wedding at Nangahaan in Arghandab
district. At least 39 bodies were transported to Kandahar central hospital.
Seventy three people were wounded," said Mohammad Anaas, a senior official with
the city administration present at the hospital.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6030355.cms?prtpage=1
-----------
Some Arab sympathy for burqa bans
Jun 10th, 2010
AMMAN, Jordan — As European country after European country banned
Muslims from wearing the burqa, niqab or other Islamic clothing that covers a
woman’s face completely, several Arab nations stood quietly
by.
Few, if any, Arabs support such bans and the prohibitions raise
questions among them about anti-Muslim sentiment in the West. However, many
people in Jordan can at least understand where European countries are coming
from, especially regarding security concerns.
In most cases, European politicians in support of banning complete
facial covering avoided making religious arguments, instead arguing that
clothing of any kind that hid a person’s face constituted a security
threat.
Full report at:
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/egypt/100601/arab-burqa-ban-muslim-freedom
-----------
Pakistani dentist?rejoins family?after being freed Asma Ali
Zain
10 June 2010
DUBAI — The Pakistani dentist
reunited with his family in Lahore on Wednesday after being freed by the UAE
authorities.
Speaking to Khaleej Times from Lahore, Haseeb Tahir Baig,
brother-in-law of Dr Ayaz Ali Khan said the UAE authorities did not specify why
he was being held in detention. “Right now he is tired and has been resting
since he arrived in Lahore from Islamabad at 5am on Wednesday,” said
Baig.
Dr Khan was detained by authorities on April 5 along with seven other
Pakistanis from Ras Al Khaimah College of Dental Sciences. Two men were released
on the same day.
“The UAE authorities have not barred Dr Khan from coming back to the
country but he does not wish to return,” said Baig.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/June/theuae_June284.xml§ion=theuae&col=
-----------
UN sanctions should be 'thrown in dust bin':
Ahmadinejad
June 10, 2010
Hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad led a chorus of defiant
Iranian criticism of new UN sanctions imposed on the Islamic republic in the
wake of yesterday's UN Security Council(UNSC) meeting, saying they deserved to
be "thrown in the dust bin."
"These resolutions are not worth a dime for the Iranian nation," he
said. "I gave one of them (world powers) a message that the resolutions you
issue are like a used hanky which should be thrown in the dust bin. They are not
capable of hurting Iranians."
The UN Security Council slapped a fourth set of punitive measures on
Iran, hoping to persuade Tehran to curb its suspect nuclear programme through
broadened military and financial sanctions. The vote in the 15-member council
was 12 in favour of the US-drafted resolution, with Lebanon abstaining and
Brazil and Turkey voting against.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/restofasia/UN-sanctions-should-be-thrown-in-dust-bin-Ahmadinejad/Article1-555590.aspx
-----------
Hindu trader shot dead, son kidnapped in
Pakistan
Jun 10, 2010
A Hindu businessman was shot dead and his son kidnapped by
unidentified men disguised as paramilitary personnel in the southwestern
Pakistani city of Quetta, media reports said on Wednesday.
Police said four armed men wearing uniforms of a paramilitary force
intercepted Ramesh Kumar and his son Rajesh Kumar while they were passing
through the Satellite Town area of Quetta in their car on
Tuesday.
The men tried to kidnap both the Hindus.
When the father and son resisted, the men opened fire. Ramesh Kumar
was killed instantly while his son was kidnapped by the armed
men.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/261609/Hindu-trader-shot-dead-son-kidnapped-in-Pakistan.html
-----------
Protest in Balochistan assembly over Hindu trader’s
killing
By Saleem Shahid
10 Jun, 2010
QUETTA, June 9: Balochistan ministers belonging to minority
communities staged a walkout from the provincial assembly on Wednesday in
protest against incidents of killing and kidnapping of Hindu businessmen in
Quetta and other parts of the province.
Minister Jay Prakash Narain drew the attention of the house to
Tuesday’s incident in which a Hindu businessman was killed and his son was
kidnapped in Satellite Town area.
He said such incidents had become the order the day, causing a sense
of insecurity among Hindus and other minority communities.
Ministers Basant Lal Gulshan and Jaffar George condemned the
incidents and stressed the need for taking immediate steps for protecting the
life and property of minority communities.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/protest-in-balochistan-assembly-over-hindu-traders-killing-060
-----------
Bolton mosques among 100 most ‘women-friendly’
10th June 2010
THREE Bolton Mosques are among the top 100 “women-friendly” in
England.
A new directory has been launched after consultations with Muslim
women across the country, and Zakariyyah Masjid mosque in Peace Street,
Daubhill; Farnworth Mosque in Granvill Street, Farnworth; and Masjid Noor Ul
Islam mosque in Prospect Street, Halliwell, all feature.
The document awards star ratings to mosques judged by a series of
requirements, including providing separate prayer space to
women.
Other criteria include services and activities for women, an imam
accessible to women — or a woman scholar — women holding office on mosque
committees and the inclusion of women in decision-making at operational and
strategic levels in the mosque.
Full report at:
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/8211845.Bolton_mosques_among_100_most____women_friendly
-----------
London taxis to extol virtues of Islam
10th June 2010
Fifty eight per cent of the British public associate Islam with
extremism but a new campaign is promoting the religion on London
transport
The purple, pink and green sign on the yellow London taxi reads: “The
rights of women are sacred.”
This is not some spiritual feminist mantra born of the New Age, but
comes out of one of the most traditional religions in the
world.
The advertisement marks the launch of a campaign to promote a
positive image of Islam, a religion not widely known for its promotion of the
rights of women.
The negative view of a faith followed by nearly 1.6 billion people,
or one fifth of the world’s population, is the main reason for the launch of the
Inspired by Muhammad campaign.
Besides London taxis, the advertisements are to appear on Underground
trains and bus stops.
Full report at:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article7146085.ece
-----------
Canadian Muslim woman to lead mixed-gender prayers in
London
10th June 2010
London, June 10 (IANS) A Canadian author may become the first
Muslim-born woman to lead the prayers at a mixed-gender congregation in Britain
Friday as mosques bow to demands from modern Muslim women for their right to
pray and representation.
Raheel Raza, a resident of Toronto, has been invited to deliver the
'khutbah' at a congregation in Oxford by Taj Hargey, according to The
Independent. Hargey is a self-described Imam and considered a liberal
interpreter of Islam believing in mixed-gender prayers and female imams leading
such congregations.
Raza is a rights activist and a Muslim feminist fighting for
leadership roles for women in mosques. She had received death threats after
leading a mixed-gender prayer congregation in Toronto five years ago.
Full report at:
http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=183290
-----------
Sky's the limit for Muslim women in Kanodar
Pramod Panwar
Jun 10, 2010
PALANPUR: When Aalmin Mansuri of Kanodar village stood fifth in
Banaskantha district, it did not come as a surprise for this 13,000-strong
village on Ahmedabad-Delhi Highway, about 140 km from Ahmedabad. Aalmin is an
example of the progressive outlook of the Shia Muslim community of the village,
which comprises 90 per cent of the population. She scored 93.69 per cent marks.
There may be myths attached to women of this community across the
country, but things are different in Kanodar. The women are considered equal to
men in every respect. And, the village is close to achieving cent per cent
literacy.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/rajkot/Skys-the-limit-for-Muslim-women-in-Kanodar/articleshow/6015902.cms
-----------
American gets 15 years for aiding Al-Qaeda
June 10, 2010
NEW YORK: A Pakistani-born American man accused of providing support
for Al-Qaeda's efforts to combat US forces in Afghanistan was sentenced
Wednesday to 15 years in prison, officials said.
A Justice Department statement said Syed Hashmi, 30, who pleaded
guilty on April 27 to a charge of conspiracy to provide material support or
resources to the terror network, received the maximum sentence under law from US
District Chief Judge Loretta Preska.
US Attorney Preet Bharara said that "Hashmi was held accountable for
his conduct, and his sentence makes clear that individuals who provide material
will be brought to justice."
"Terrorist organizations like Al-Qaeda depend upon a wide array of
individuals across the world to accomplish their violent objectives. This
support network includes individuals like Syed Hashmi who embrace Al-Qaeda's
violent ideology and stand ready to translate ideology into action," the
prosecutor said.
Full report at:
http://thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=106360
-----------
22 bonded laborers rescued in Sialkot
June 10, 2010
SIALKOT: Police Wednesday claimed to have rescued a total of 22
persons of a family who were chained in a bricks-baking compartment near
Sialkot, Geo news reported.
According to police sources, the rescued family was hailing from
Bahawalpur whose 22 persons were allegedly chained in an imprisonment for two
months by Sajjad Ahmed and Munawwar Hussain.
According to details, people in captivity would be pressed for bonded
labor during day times and would be kept chained by legs in a compartment meant
for baking bricks at night.
The head of imprisoned family namely Allah Datta managed to flee
detention by someway or other and apprised police of his heart-captivating
story.
Later, police contingents led by Inspector Shahid Ikram raided the
house, rescuing the poor labourers and rounding up Shahbaz, Sajjad and Nazir
Ahmed.
http://thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=106357
-----------
Russia freezes missile supply to Iran
Jun 10, 2010
MOSCOW: Hours after UN Security Council imposed fresh tough sanctions
against Iran, Russia said it was freezing a contract to deliver S-300
anti-missile system to Tehran.
"Under the latest sanctions delivery of S-300 missiles is ruled out,"
Director of defence think-tank CAST, Ruslan Pukhov was quoted as saying by
Interfax.
The sanctions given the go-ahead by the Security Council last night
target supply of weapons to Iran's powerful revolutionary guards, ballistic
missiles and nuclear related investments.
The new resolution also bans Iran from pursuing "any activity related
to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons and prohibits the
country from buying several categories of heavy weapons including attack
helicopters.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Russia-freezes-missile-supply-to-Iran/articleshow/6033165.cms
-----------
Most Pakistanis are pacifist, says survey
By Amir Wasim
09 Jun, 2010
ISLAMABAD: A majority of Pakistanis don’t approve of Islamabad’s
decision to join the US-led war on terror but, at the same time, they don’t
believe that the Taliban are fighting for Islam, according to a survey carried
out by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies (Pips).
Findings of the “Radicalisation in Pakistan” survey released on
Tuesday show that 63.6 per cent of the respondents were against joining the war
on terror, and 46.3pc were of the opinion that the Taliban were not fighting for
Islam.
Even among those who sounded sympathetic to the militant
organisation, 39.7pc condemned its acts of violence, such as attacks on girls’
schools, cinemas and CD shops. But about 22pc of them did not know how to
respond to such acts.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/most-pakistanis-are-pacifist,-says-survey-960
-----------
Bomb blast outside Pak Navy office in Karachi kills
one
Jun 10, 2010
KARACHI: A bomb went off outside a Pakistan Navy office in the
southern port city of Karachi, killing at least one person and injuring three
others.
The bomb was hidden in a motorcycle that was in a parking area for
two-wheelers outside the office at the Naval Colony in Baldia Town area, police
officials said.
The identity of the dead and injured could not immediately be
ascertained. Police said two suspects were arrested soon after the blast.
The Pakistan Navy office disbursed salaries of naval employees. It
windows were blown out by the blast, which also damaged several motorcycles in
the parking lot.
Personnel from the navy and Pakistan Rangers cordoned off the site
after the blast and launched an investigation.
Ambulances rushed the injured to nearby hospitals. No group claimed
responsibility for the attack. Karachi is the main base for the Pakistan Navy.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Pakistan/Bomb-blast-outside-Pak-Navy-office-in-Karachi-kills-one-/articleshow/6031675.cms
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2 Bosnian Serbs given life imprisonment for Srebrenica
genocide
Jun 10, 2010
THE HAGUE, Netherlands: A UN tribunal has sentenced two Bosnian Serb
army officers to life imprisonment for committing genocide at the UN-declared
safe zone of Srebrenica in 1995.
If Thursday's convictions are upheld, Vujadin Popovic and Ljubia
Beara will be the only defendants sentenced for genocide by the UN Yugoslav
tribunal.
Another officer has been found guilty of aiding and abetting genocide
in the ``summary execution'' of more than 7,000 Bosnian Muslims in the enclave.
He was given 35 years in prison.
Four other Bosnian Serb army and police officers also were convicted
of war crimes and given sentences ranging from five to 19 years.
The Srebrenica case is the largest trial ever conducted by the UN
Yugoslav court.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/2-Bosnian-Serbs-given-life-imprisonment-for-Srebrenica-genocide/articleshow/6032524.cms
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Turkey is calling for a jihad against Israel
JUNE 10, 2010
Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called the Israeli
raid on the Mava Marmaris "murder conducted by a state". Photograph: Umit
Bektas/Reuters
Support for Turkey is at an all-time high in the Arab world. The last
time Turkish flags were carried through the streets of Middle Eastern capitals
was during the first world war, as people took to the streets in continued
support for the Ottoman sultan-caliph against the western entente powers. The
sultan-caliph had proclaimed a jihad. Thanks to Turkish government support of a
blockade-running mission led by a group of Hamas sympathisers, they are flying
once again. No ruling Arab leader is as popular as the Turkish prime minister,
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose discourse amounts to calls for a jihad against
Israel.
Full report at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jun/08/turkey-jihad-israel-flotilla
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Anti-mosque protestors anti-American, too
JUNE 10, 2010
An angry mob showed up in lower Manhattan to protest the opening of
an extremist Islamic center that aims to mock the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, and
create an army of jihadists who'll wage a battle that will eventually, if
successful, destroy the America.
Sound far-fetched? That's because it is.
The above statement is pure fabrication. Pure fabrication - with the
exception of the angry mob. They actually did show up.
Egged on by right-wing talk radio and the rest of the tea party
crowd, these people descended to protest a "mosque" they perceived to be too
close to Ground Zero.
Every mosque, they argued, is a breeding ground for terrorists, as
Islam is based in cruelty and terror and its logical outcome is the fight
against modernity, democracy and tolerance.
Full report at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wires/2010/06/09/antimosque-protestors-ant_ws_605461.html
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Pakistani detained in Chile says he was framed
10 Jun, 2010
SANTIAGO: A Pakistani man being investigated in a terror probe after
being detained at the US Embassy told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he
thinks it all must be a mistake.
“Everything is so weird. I am still trying to think what happened,”
Mohammed Saif-Ur-Rehman Khan said in an interview in his public defender’s
office.
Khan, 28, repeated his denials that he has anything to do with
terrorism, and said he can’t figure out why Chilean police say they found traces
of tetryl, a chemical used to boost the power of explosives, in his bag, on his
cell phone and on clothing in his apartment.
Khan had been called to the US Embassy to be told his visa was
revoked because of information received by the US government, the State
Department has said.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/14-pakistani-detained-in-chile-says-he-was-framed-zj-02
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12 killed in Mogadishu violence
10 Jun, 2010
MOGADISHU, June 9: Fighting between government forces and rebels, and
a roadside blast on Wednesday killed at least 12 people in the Somali capital
and wounded 22 others, a medic and residents said.
The anarchic country's UN-backed Transitional Federal Government
controls just a few blocks of the war-scarred coastal city and its security
forces have been fighting to regain Mogadishu's north.
Residents in the first incident said rebels attacked government
forces between the president's palace and the main Bakara Market, prompting an
exchange of shells and machinegun fire.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/12-killed-in-mogadishu-violence-060
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Ten rebels killed in Chechnya
June 10, 2010
MOSCOW: Ten rebels including a Jordanian were killed during an
operation by Russian forces in the volatile Chechnya region, local news agency
reported Thursday.
The operation took place in a forest in the Vedeno region of
southwest Chechnya, an official with the Russian special forces in the north
Caucasus told the agency.
"Ten rebels were shot dead. One of them has been identified," he
said, naming the man as Yassir Amarat, a Jordanian who was leader of the rebel
group.
Amarat was suspected of several crimes against Russian soldiers and
local residents, the official said.
Authorities in Russia's volatile North Caucasus region, which
includes Dagestan, Ingushetia and Chechnya, are battling an insurgency that has
seen almost daily shootings and bomb attacks.
http://thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=106377
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Two soldiers, 20 Taliban killed in FATA
10 Jun, 2010
HANGU/KHAR: As many as 14 militants were killed and three security
forces personnel injured in clashes in various areas of Upper Orakzai Agency,
sources told Daily Times on Wednesday.
The sources said that 6 militants were killed and a soldier injured
in a clash in Arhagand Kandao while 8 militants were killed and two security
personnel injured in Sunpaka Kandao.
Also on Wednesday, a government official said that militants had
attacked two security checkpoints in Mohmand near the Afghan border, sparking an
intense gun battle that killed two soldiers and six Taliban
militants.
Maqsood Khan said that several soldiers and militants were wounded in
the overnight fight.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\06\10\story_10-6-2010_pg7_8
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Attack unlikely to impact Nato supplies:
Pentagon
10 Jun, 2010
WASHINGTON, June 9: An insurgent attack that left a large Nato convoy
in flames in Pakistan is unlikely to disrupt the supply of US and allied forces
in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
Gunmen torched up to 60 trailers and killed seven people in the
attack on a truck depot south of Islamabad, one of the biggest losses of its
kind, officials in Pakistan said.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman called it a “vicious attack of some
scale” but said it represented only a small fraction of the supplies pouring
into Afghanistan amid a major build-up of US and Nato forces.
“Fifty or 60 containers is not a small attack by any means, but you
look at that in terms of its impact on our overall operations, it’s not going to
have an effect,” he said.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/attack-unlikely-to-impact-nato-supplies-pentagon-060
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Hamas says Gaza needs cement, not soft drinks
Jun 10, 2010
GAZA: Israel is easing its Gaza embargo to allow snack food and
beverages into the Palestinian enclave, Palestinian officials said on Wednesday,
following an international outcry over Israel's raid on an aid
flotilla.
Hamas, the Islamist group that rules the Gaza Strip, said the
territory needs cement — banned by Israel and essential for reconstruction after
a December 2008-January 2009 war — not soft drinks.
An Israeli government official said the decision, announced hours
before US President Barack Obama was to host Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
in Washington, was unrelated to Israel's May 31 takeover of the convoy that
challenged its Gaza blockade.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article63449.ece
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Darfur rebels free 35 Sudan army prisoners
Jun 10, 2010
KHARTOUM: Darfur rebels said on Wednesday they had freed 35 Sudanese
soldiers captured in recent clashes — the latest confirmation of continued
fighting in the strife-torn region.
The release, confirmed by the International Committee of the Red
Cross, coincided with a surge of violence in Darfur, after the rebel Justice and
Equality Movement (JEM) suspended its participation in peace
talks.
JEM told Reuters this week that it had grabbed the soldiers during
almost "continuous" clashes with Sudan's army in central and southern Darfur.
"We handed over 35 prisoners of war in south Darfur. Nine of them are injured,"
senior JEM official Al-Tahir Al-Feki told Reuters.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article63486.ece
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Abayas that mirror World Cup frenzy
By DIANA AL-JASSEM
Jun 10, 2010
JEDDAH: Even though the Saudi national football team has not
qualified for the 2010 World Cup that is to begin in South Africa on Friday,
Saudi designers are insisting on celebrating the tournament with flair with the
launch of a new selection of abayas with World Cup themes.
Many Saudis and abaya designers are divided whether to welcome the
abayas, which are brocaded with colorful fabric and logos of the different
international teams participating in the tournament.
Rania Khogaer, a Saudi designer and design teacher at King Abdulaziz
University, is leading the way with the new abayas.
“Designing these World Cup abayas is a very normal and welcome step.
Most of my students at university have asked me to specially design them … I
decided to design the abayas following requests from my students, children and
their friends,” she said.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article63471.ece
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Scientists decode camel DNA
By SARAH ABDULLAH
Jun 10, 2010
JEDDAH/RIYADH: Over 20 scientists from Saudi Arabia and China said on
Wednesday that they had completed mapping the genome of the Arabian camel which
could lead to potential medical discoveries.
Speaking at a press conference in Riyadh, scientists from King
Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and China’s Shenzhen-based
Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) explained how the single-humped Arabian camel
(known by its scientific name as Camelus dromedarius) is part of a select few
mammals that have been studied in this way.
“The Arabian camel today enters a highly exclusive club of selected
few mammals which have had their full genome sequenced and analyzed,” the two
institutions said in a joint statement.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article63495.ece
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Obama calls for a better approach in Gaza Strip
By BARBARA FERGUSON
Jun 10, 2010
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama described the increasingly tense
environment in the Mideast as “unsustainable” and called on Wednesday for a
“better approach” in blockaded Gaza, one that would satisfy the security and
other needs of both Israel and the Palestinians.
Welcoming Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the White House for
talks, Obama also predicted “real progress” in coming months in US efforts to
nudge the Israelis and Palestinians toward direct peace
talks.
The two leaders also discussed specific projects to help improve the
plight of Palestinians in Gaza, the status of the peace process and the latest
developments in the region.
Obama also discussed a “long-term strategy for progress that we will
advance through consultations” with the Palestinians, Israelis, Egyptians and
other partners, a White House official said.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article63487.ece
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Iran sanctions ‘impetus’ for diplomacy: Russia
10 June 2010
MOSCOW - Russia’s foreign
ministry said Wednesday new UN sanctions on Iran aiming to rein in its suspect
nuclear programme were designed as an incentive to resolve the issue through
diplomatic channels.
“It is clear that the sanctions will not settle the problem of Iran’s
nuclear programme by themselves,” it said in a statement. “Our efforts aim to
give impetus to a political and diplomatic settlement of the
issue.”
It added that a UN Security Council resolution adopted earlier
Wednesday did not impose “stifling or paralysing” sanctions on Iran and ruled
out the use of force.
“Nothing in the resolution would warrant measures or actions that go
beyond the limits of the resolution including the use of force or threats to use
force,” it said.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/June/middleeast_June345.xml§ion=middleeast
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Nine killed in series of Iraq attacks
June 10, 2010
Nine people were killed, including three jewellers and two members of
an anti-Qaeda militia, in violence across Iraq yesterday, security officials
said.
In the southern port city of Basra, the jewellers were killed and two
civilians wounded when a gang of four armed men attacked shops in the city's old
town at around 8:00 pm (local time). The men shot the jewellers before
ransacking the shops, Basra police said.
Two other people were killed and five wounded when a suicide bomber
on a motorcycle targeting a US military convoy detonated his explosives in
central Iraq. The attack, which occurred at around noon in Al-Muqdadiyah, north
of Baghdad in Diyala province, also damaged an American humvee, an official at
Diyala operations command said.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/restofasia/Nine-killed-in-series-of-Iraq-attacks/Article1-555591.aspx
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US to ensure weapons to Pak not used against
India
Jun 10, 2010
ADDRESSING India’s apprehensions over the end- use of US military aid
to Pakistan, the Barack Obama administration said the US has sought assurances
from that country to ensure weapons provided were not used against
India.
This is for the first time the US has come out in public to state it
was taking appropriate steps to ensure its military aid to Pakistan was not
diverted for use against India.
Indian concerns over Pakistan aid issue was discussed during last
week’s firstever strategic dialogue between India and the US — co- chaired by
external affairs minister S. M. Krishna and secretary of state Hillary Clinton
in Washington.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Pakistan for joint fight against terror
Vinay Kumar
Jun 10, 2010
ISTANBUL: Pakistan's Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi
has said he is looking forward to the visit of Home Minister P. Chidambaram
later this month to Islamabad for the South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC) Home Ministers' meeting, and expressed the hope that the two
neighbours would jointly root out the menace of terrorism.
“Mr. Chidambaram will be visiting Islamabad soon. I want to know from
him what India would want from us and what more steps Pakistan can take in its
operations against terrorists. I want both the countries to build more
confidence and clear the air on issues like fighting terrorism,” Mr. Qureshi
said on Tuesday.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/06/10/stories/2010061062971300.htm
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Gaza: India for collective response
Atul Aneja
Jun 10, 2010
DUBAI: India has acknowledged that Israel's Gaza blockade has created
a humanitarian crisis but asserted that the problem cannot be resolved through
unilateral means.
At a press conference, Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand
Sharma, who has arrived here after participating in a security conference in
Turkey, said: “ This [blockade by Israel] has created a humanitarian crisis of
immense proportion [and] the international community collectively has a duty to
address it and give relief to the civilian population.”
Mr. Sharma made his remarks at a time when the Free Gaza Movement
(FGM), which is the overarching group behind the Gaza aid flotilla that Israel
raided on May 31, has announced it would breach the Gaza blockade unilaterally
by sending more ships, within the next two months.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/06/10/stories/2010061063311500.htm
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India to press Pak for voice samples of Saeed,
Lakhvi
Rajendra Khatry
Jun 10 2010
New Delhi : India will seek to press Pakistan to hand over the voice
samples of Lashkar-e-Toiba founder Hafiz Saeed and commander Zaki-ur-Rehman
Lakhvi when Union Home Minister P Chidambaram meets Pakistan’s Interior Minister
Rehman Malik in the bilateral engagements between the two neighbours during the
SAARC Interior Ministers’ Conference later this month.
As per sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), India is
expected to renew its demand for voice samples of the key LeT operatives so that
it can match them with the voices of the handlers of the 10 terrorists who
attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008. “All we want is the voice samples of
people like Hafiz Saeed and Lakhvi so that we can match them with voices of
those who were supervising the terrorists on the phone during the 26/11 attack,”
said a government functionary. “What could be Pakistan’s objection to
that?”
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/india-to-press-pak-for-voice-samples-of-saeed-lakhvi/631792/
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NIA continues to grill Headley
Jun 09 2010
Chicago : Lashkar-e-Toiba operative David Headley, a key accused in
26/11 attacks, continues to be grilled by a four-member team of Indian
investigators, who will return home with the details of the questioning next
week.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) team, led by Loknath Bahera,
has been questioning Pakistani-American Headley face-to-face, eliciting
information about his role in the Mumbai attacks, the wider conspiracy and all
those involved in the carnage, sources said.
The interrogation of Headley, who is accused of having conducted
recce for the Mumbai attacks, is expected to shed more light on the LeT's plans
regarding terror attacks in India.
The questioning of 49-year-old Headley, currently being held in the
federal lock-up Metropolitan Correctional Centre here, revolved around the
places he had visited in run up to the Mumbai terror attacks of November 2008
and the people he had been in touch with.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/nia-continues-to-grill-headley/631564/
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What does India want us to do on terror front, asks
Qureshi
Jun 09 2010
Istanbul : As it prepares to receive Home Minister P Chidambaram
later this month, Pakistan on Wednesday said it wanted to know from him as to
what India wants to be done on terrorism front so that relations could
normalise.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said if the two
countries are able to end trust deficit and improve relations, it would have a
spin-off effect on a number of activities, including trade and
tourism.
"In my view, both countries have suffered on account of terrorism. In
my view, both countries should engage to deal with this issue of terrorism. We
can do it collectively in a more effective manner," he told an interview
here.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/what-does-india-want-us-to-do-on-terror-front-asks-qureshi/631602/
9:37 PM
Sultan Shahin
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