Hard-line
groups target Christianity with sharia law
6-year-old girl lands on US terror-watch
list
Another school blown up in Bajaur
12 extremists killed in Orakzai action
24 killed in Orakzai air attack
I am a Hindu now: A former Muslim’s life story
18 killed in gas explosion in Pakistan's Sindh
province
Five killed in another NWA drone attack
18 killed in tanker explosion in Pakistan
Two killed in J&K protests, situation tense
Commander among six militants killed in
Swat
Another J&K youth dies in firing
LeT planning to target political leaders, separatists in
J-K
'Al-Qaeda weakened, as few as 50 in
Afghanistan'
Islamic schools for women thrive across the
country
Valley feasts on Pandits’ culinary delights
Law to regulate Islamic insurance
The Sofia Khan family to the Sheboygan area community:
'Thanks'
Hijab is a chain around Muslim girls
Forum: Boldly confronting problems of Islam
Burqa bans grow fashionable in Europe
On Malaysia's religious reality show 'Imam Muda', 10 young men
compete to be next top Muslim leader
Transsexual’s memoirs breaks new ground in Arab
world
J&K: 9-yr-old boy killed in Baramulla, sitatuion
tense
Law to regulate Islamic insurance
CIA's Panetta: Iran has enough uranium for 2
bombs
Islamic terrorists target Hindu temples in
Malaysia
‘Iran nukes ready by 2012’
Terror may strike Agra during CWG
Protesters, police clash in Dhaka; 300 held
Kyrgyzstan votes on Constitution
Intel chiefs meet in Islamabad
US aware of Afghan-Pak contacts with
Haqqani
F-16s can be used against any adversary: PAF
chief
Media in Pak welcomes talks
Fake degree holders have no right to parliament:
Mushahid
US mission to correct errors in Pak media
Osama bin Laden is hiding in tribal areas of Pakistan:
CIA
Freed by Pak, 4 Indians land in hospital with
schizophrenia
Peace overture to Taliban upsets Afghan minorities
Somali piracy hurting Saudi shipping badly
Arrests expose myth of Indonesia’s deradicalisation
policy
Egypt: Arab League organizes Arab Media Forum in
Alexandria
Bangalore top cop slams Nazeer media
interaction
Madani’s arrest imminent
Ship had arms for UN mission
'Unfair to say Pak has not done enough'
Qatar: Middle East hopeful for World Cup 2022
bid
Abdallah, Talabani urge pan-Arab stand to face
challenges
UK general says Taleban talks should begin
'soon'
Time-tested Saudi-British ties reaching new
heights
Huge fire breaks out in Al Qouz Shafaat Ahmed
Hamas security men seize money from Gaza bank
US military chief in Israel for top-level talks
Egypt barring Gaza aid ship from Suez Canal:
Iran
No timeframe for Afghan withdrawal: UK
Obama cites 'obsession' on Afghanistan
timeline
Awan tells critics to support govt against
terrorism
Palestinian refugees seek basic rights in
Lebanon
Kyrgyzstan slams Russia over ‘Afghanisation’
fears
Kayani in Kabul, Delhi up against challenge
Man denies he kidnapped daughter
Judge orders father to return girl to
mother
Interim govt in Kyrgyzstan moves to legitimise rule
Reward for information on missing persons
announced
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: A CNN-IBN photo of Alyssa
---------
15 insurgents killed by their own bombs in Afghan
mosque
June 28, 2010
Eight Arab, five Pakistani and two Afghan militants were killed when
bombs they were making exploded prematurely inside a mosque in eastern
Afghanistan, the interior ministry said on Sunday.
The insurgents were assembling bombs in Desi Mosque of Yousifkhela
district in the south-eastern province of Paktika Friday, the ministry
said.
Pakika borders the Pakistani town of Wana, where Taliban militants
are said to have training bases. Afghan officials have repeatedly blamed
Islamabad for not doing enough to clamp down on cross-border infiltration by
insurgents.
In the northern province of Kunduz, several Taliban fighters
including a foreign insurgent commander were killed Saturday by a NATO airstrike
in Chardarah district, NATO said Sunday.
"After verifying insurgent activity and conducting careful planning
to avoid civilian casualties and mitigate collateral damage, coalition aircraft
were called in for the precision airstrike," it said.
The targeted commander coordinated logistical support and operations
"with the Taliban's Pakistan foreign fighter cell leadership", it
said.
NATO also confirmed the death of one of its soldiers in a roadside
explosion in southern Afghanistan Saturday. The alliance had already reported
the deaths of five more troops killed in separate attacks in the country
Saturday.
Saturday's deaths brought the total of foreign soldiers killed in the
war this year to 309, compared with the 157 deaths registered between January
and June of 2009, according to iCasualties.org.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Insurgents-killed-by-own-bombs-in-mosque/H1-Article1-563889.aspx
---------
Hard-line groups target Christianity with sharia
law
Hasyim Widhiarto
June 28, 2010
A joint congress of Muslim organizations demanded the Bekasi regency
and municipality administrations immediately implement Islamic sharia law to
deter the growth of Christianity in the area.
“We will urge the [Bekasi] regency and municipal administrations to
pass more sharia-based bylaws and regulations to limit apostasy and squeeze out
attempts to weaken Muslim unity in the city,” Sulaiman Zachawerus, the chairman
of the Bekasi branch of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), said Sunday at the
conclusion of a congress of more than 500 participants at Al Azhar
mosque.
Apart from hard-line Muslim groups in the area, the congress, which
was held on the past two Sundays, was also attended by local branches of two
mainstream Muslim organizations, Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama.
“[Christians] have gone too far,” Abdul Rouf, the head of the Bekasi
branch of Muhammadiyah, said.
The congress also called for the establishment of the Laskar Pemuda
(Youth Soldiers) paramilitary group to thwart “possible conflict with local
Christians” following the organizations’ joint call to fight what they called
attempts by Christians to convert the local population.
“We are planning to station members [of the group] in every mosque in
the city,” said Tunggal Sawabi, an official with the Bekasi branch of the Islam
Defenders Front (FPI) who was appointed as one of the “field
commanders”.
This first-ever joint forum in the area was held after a series of
clashes between Muslims and Christians.
Rapid development in residential and industrial zones has turned
Bekasi, located in the outskirts of Jakarta, into a more culturally and
religiously diverse city, making it vulnerable to religious conflict, mainly
between Muslims and Christians.
In the past, such conflict has flared up around the city, mostly
triggered by disputes over allegedly unauthorized
churches.
This year, the number of inter-religious conflicts has
grown.
Last month, a Christian school in Pondok Gede was attacked after a
former student allegedly posted a picture showing him putting a copy of the
Koran in a toilet in the school’s blog.
A few weeks later, after protracted pressure from hard-line Islamic
groups, the Bekasi municipal administration finally decided to forcefully take
down the Tiga Mojang (Three Ladies) sculpture from the entrance to the Kota
Harapan Indah residential complex, following the groups’ allegations that the
sculpture was obscene and symbolic of the Christian
Trinity.
Yunahar Ilyas, a chairman of Muhammadiyah, admitted that there were
innate “ethical” problems with religious missionaries in the
country.
The “unwritten” rules among missionaries, he said, stipulated that
one should not attempt to convert those who had already embraced a
religion.
“Once the rule is broken, it becomes a sensitive matter and the local
administration must play an active intermediary role in preventing the conflict
from escalating.”
Yunahar, however, said the sharia law proposal ran counter to
interfaith dialogue in the area, which should have solved the
issue.
“This case proves interfaith dialogue is merely a superficial process
that has little impact,” he said.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/06/28/hardline-groups-target-christianity-with-sharia-law.html
---------
6-year-old girl lands on US no-fly list
June 28, 2010
Washington: Santhosh Thomas, an Indian-American doctor, is at a loss
to understand how his 6-year-old daughter Alyssa turned up on the US
government's terror watch-list or how to get her off it.
The worst thing Alyssa has ever done is probably threatening her
sister and that the doctor from Westlake, Ohio, says he's sure is not enough to
land her on the no-fly list of suspected terrorists.
"She may have threatened her sister, but I don't think that
constitutes Homeland Security triggers," Thomas told CNN.
An airline ticket agent informed the family of their predicament when
they embarked on recent trip from Cleveland to Minneapolis. "They said, 'Well,
she's on the list.' We're like, okay, what's the story? What do we have to do to
get off the list? This isn't exactly the list we want to be on," Thomas was
quoted as saying.
The Thomases were allowed to fly that day, but authorities told them
to contact the US Department of Homeland Security to clear up the matter. Now
they've received a letter from the government addressed to 6-year-old Alyssa,
telling her that nothing in her file will be changed.
Federal authorities have acknowledged that such a no-fly list exists,
but as a matter of national security, they won't comment on whose names are on
it nor why.
"The watch lists are an important layer of security to prevent
individuals with known or suspected ties to terrorism from flying," an unnamed
spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration told Fox
News.
"She's been flying since she was two-months old, so that has not been
an issue," Alyssa's dad said. "In fact, we had travelled to Mexico in February
and there were no issues at that time."
That's likely because of a recent change by the Transportation
Security Administration, which used to check only international passengers'
names against the no-fly list, but since earlier this month has been checking
domestic passengers as well.
The Thomases told CNN they plan on appealing Alyssa's status to the
US Department of Homeland Security again, and will be sure to leave plenty of
extra time for check-in the next time they fly.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/6yearold-girl-lands-on-us-nofly-list/125457-2.html
---------
Another school blown up in Bajaur
June 28, 2010
KHAR: Militants attempted to destroy another school in Bajaur on
Sunday. However, the building of the government-run school was partially damaged
when an explosive device planted by the militants went off in Tangi area near
here on Sunday, official sources said.
The sources said that the militants had panted the explosives device
on the building of the Government High School, Tangi, and triggered the blast.
The sources added that the explosion caused partial damage to the
structure.
Soon after the incident, Political Tehsildar Adalat Khan, along with
a large contingent of the Levies Force, launched a crackdown and arrested 19
suspected persons from the area. Our Bara correspondent adds: Nine suspected
persons were arrested by security forces following an attack on the Frontier
Corps (FC) personnel in Nala area of Bara Tehsil in Khyber Agency, official
sources said on Sunday.
The FC personnel were patrolling in the Nala area when two roadside
improvised explosive devises (IED) exploded close to them. However, the soldiers
remained safe. Soon after the attack, security forces launched a search
operation in the area and arrested nine persons, including two brothers, two
nephews and two nieces of former agency councillor Suhbat Khan, an opponent of
the banned Lashkar-e-Islam (LI), and four of his neighbours.
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=247611
---------
12 extremists killed in Orakzai action
June 28, 2010
PESHAWAR: At least 12
extremists were killed and nine others injured in an action by the security
forces following attack on their check post, Geo News reported
Monday.
According to sources, the extremists attacked on a security check
post in Orakzai area injuring two security personnel including an
officer.
Soon afterwards, the security forces returned the attacked killing 12
extremists and injuring nine others.
It should be mentioned here that offensive against extremists is
underway in Orakzai Agency for last 11 weeks, where at least 1400 extremists
have been killed thus far with 160 hideouts of the militants
pounded.
Meantime, two factions entered in armed conflict over water issue in
Kurram Agency, where three men were killed and various others
injured.
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/6-28-2010/67453.htm
---------
24 killed in Orakzai air attack
28 Jun, 2010
KALAYA, June 27: At least 24 militants were killed and 10 others
injured when military planes attacked Behram Khak area in upper tehsil of
Orakzai on Sunday.
Local people said that a number of empty houses, a market and a
private hospital were destroyed. Officials said the hospital provided treatment
to militants.
The Pakistan Air Force intensified air attacks in the area after
security forces vacated several locations.
Taliban, however, rejected official reports about the casualty.
They accused the forces of attacking civilians and killing innocent
people.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/24-killed-in-orakzai-air-attack-860
---------
I am a Hindu now: A former Muslim’s life story
June 28, 2010
I was born into a very staunch Muslim family in the US. Learning to
read the Quran the moment I could read. I was under the misconception that if I
did not do as Allah told me to do, I would be punished severely. I was also told
that if I didn’t wear modest clothes I was being immoral. Right from a little
girl I wore the head scarf. My friends would ask me why, and I would tell them
“because God said so’.
Around the age of 14, I realized how much of life I was missing out
on. How my father commanded that I do my prayers 5 times a day and never play
any sports because they would only lead me to the devil. One night I was talking
to my parents about college and my father said that I would never go to college
because he had chosen a boy for me and I was about to get married to him as soon
as I turned 18. I was shocked….my mother ran out of the room crying. I began to
plead with my father to let me go to college. But he said no. Full report
at:
http://www.interfaithshaadi.org/blog/?p=298
---------
18 killed in gas explosion in Pakistan's Sindh
province
Jun 28, 2010
ISLAMABAD: At least 18 people were killed and 40 others injured when
a powerful explosion occurred on Monday in Hyderabad city in Pakistan's southern
Sindh province, police said.
The explosion, which was accidental, in an LPG container, killed 18
people at a busy transport hub in the city, a senior police officer said.
The officer said that there was no indication that the blast was an
act of terrorism.
The blast was so powerful that it flattened several buildings and
damaged trucks and buses parked in the area. Rescue teams were rushed to the
site to remove bodies and the injured from the debris.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Pakistan/18-killed-in-gas-explosion-in-Pakistans-Sindh-province/articleshow/6101474.cms
---------
Five killed in another NWA drone attack
June 28, 2010
MIRAMSHAH: Five people were killed and three others sustained
injuries when a US drone fired a missile at a house in Tabbi Tulkhel village in
North Waziristan Agency on Sunday, tribal and official sources said. The sources
said the pilotless plane had been flying in the area for sometime before it
attacked its target.
Dr Ali Muhammad, the deputy medical superintendent of the Agency
Headquarters Hospital, Miramshah, said three wounded persons were brought to the
hospital and their condition was critical. The sources said the dead were local
tribesmen.
Full report at:
http://thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=29703
------
18 killed in tanker explosion in Pakistan
28 June 2010
Islamabad: At least 18 people were killed and 40 others injured when
a powerful explosion occurred on Monday in Hyderabad city in Pakistan's southern
Sindh province, police said.
The explosion, which was accidental, in an LPG container, killed 18
people at a busy transport hub in the city, a senior police officer said. The
officer said that there was no indication that the blast was an act of
terrorism.
The blast was so powerful that it flattened several buildings and
damaged trucks and buses parked in the area.
Rescue teams were rushed to the site to remove bodies and the injured
from the debris. The officer said that about 40 people who were injured were
rushed to nearby hospitals. Doctors at a nearby hospital said they have so far
received 14 bodies.
Full report at: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/18-killed-in-lpg-cylinder-explosion-in-pak/125466-2.html
----
Two killed in J&K protests, situation tense
28 June 2010
SRINAGAR: Two youths were killed as security forces opened fire on
agitated mobs indulging in heavy stone pelting in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla
and Sopore districts, police said.
According to police, Tariq Ahmed Rather, 20, was killed at Delina
locality outside Baramulla town Monday afternoon when a mob proceeding towards
Sopore was intercepted by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the state
police.
The security personnel opened fire as the mob started throwing rocks
and stones at them. Rather succumb to bullet injury while being taken to
Baramulla hospital, a police official said.
Sopore is 14 km from Baramulla.
Earlier in the day, another youth was killed in firing as an agitated
mob flouted curfew restrictions in north Kashmir's Sopore town.
A senior police officer said the victim was identified as Tajamul
Ahmad Bhat, son of Bashir Ahmad Bhat of Wadoora in Sopore.
Bhat succumbed to bullet injury at Sopore hospital, sources said.
Tension continued for the fourth day in Sopore, where authorities had
imposed curfew last Friday after two youths were killed as CRPF personnel fired
at an irate mob that attacked and torched their vehicle.
Another youth was killed in Sopore late Sunday as mobs defied the
curfew restrictions in the town.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Two-killed-in-JK-protests-situation-tense/articleshow/6101943.cms
---------
Commander among six militants killed in Swat
28 Jun, 2010
MINGORA, June 27: Six militants, including an important commander,
were killed in a clash with security forces in Charbagh tehsil of Swat district
here on Sunday.
The security forces also recovered nine hand grenades and other
weapons from the possession of the killed militants.
Sources said that security forces came under attack during a search
operation in Tilligram area of Charbagh tehsil. The security forces retaliated
and exchanged heavy fire with the attackers, killing six of them. An important
militant commander identified as Fazal Rahim alias Karar was also among the
dead, they added.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/commander-among-six-militants-killed-in-swat-860
---------
Another J&K youth dies in firing
M Saleem Pandit
Jun 28, 2010
Srinagar: A 25-year-old youth was killed in CRPF firing at Muslim
Peer Mohalla in Sopore on Sunday evening when a mob defied curfew imposed in the
north Kashmir town since Friday.
In a similar incident on June 25,two teenagers were killed in CRPF
firing triggering protests in Sopore.According to police,the CRPF personnel
fired rubber bullets on Sunday injuring two persons after hundred-strong crowd
took to the street defying the curfew.Of the injured,Bilal Ahmad Wani of
Kralteng died in Srinagar hospital.
On Saturday,the J&K government had ordered a judicial inquiry
into Fridays incident where two teenagers Shakeel Ahmad Gania and Firdous Ahmad
were killed by CRPF firing.
Retired high court judge Syed Bashir-ud-din,who heads the state human
rights commission will submit the report within one month.
Full report at: Times of India
---------
LeT planning to target political leaders, separatists in
J-K
Jun 28, 2010
Srinagar : Security in Jammu and Kashmir has been further beefed up
following intelligence inputs suggesting that Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba was
planning to carry out terrorist strikes in the state including assassination of
a political or a top separatist leader.
Sources in the security establishment said that some intelligence
inputs were intercepted in which Lashkar commanders in the Valley were receiving
instructions from across the border to carry out a terrorist strike in Jammu or
Kashmir which includes targeting any politician or separatist
leader.
The sources said that security around vital installations had been
tightened and a fresh review of the security cover to all the politicians and
important separatist leaders had been conducted.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/let-planning-to-target-political-leaders-separatists-in-jk/639082/
---------
'Al-Qaeda weakened, as few as 50 in
Afghanistan'
28 June 2010
WASHINGTON- Al-Qaeda’s
leadership is weaker than ever and as few as 50 members of the terror group are
in Afghanistan as US forces work to “flush out” mastermind Osama Bin Laden, the
CIA director said Sunday.
Although hard data on the world’s most-wanted fugitive has been
slight since the 2001 attacks on the United States, the Central Intelligence
Agency and US forces have killed or captured at least half the leadership of
Al-Qaeda, spy chief Leon Panetta said.
“We just took down number three in their leadership (Mustafa Abu
al-Yazid) a few weeks ago,” Panetta told ABC’s “This Week”
program.
“We continue to disrupt them. We continue to impact on their command
and control. We continue to impact on their ability to plan attacks in this
country.”
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/June/international_June1165.xml§ion=international&col=
-------
Islamic schools for women thrive across the
country
June 28, 2010
ISLAMABAD: To its detractors, the Al-Huda chain of Islamic schools
across the country is a driver of conservative Islam, especially among the
secular elite. But to the thousands who attend its classes across the country,
it is a blessing.
Al-Huda's popularity and rapid growth - and the criticism of it as a
promoter of intolerance and gender segregation - is a sign of the country's
swing away from the moderate, Sufi Islam-influenced sphere of South Asia toward
the more conservative, Saudi-influenced Middle East.
Founder Farhat Hashmi started Al-Huda (Arabic for "guidance") in her
home with a small group of students in the early 1990s. Now it caters to women
and girls in Pakistan and elsewhere, including in the US and Canada, where
Hashmi now lives.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\06\28\story_28-6-2010_pg7_23
-------
Valley feasts on Pandits’ culinary delights
RIYAZ WANI
Jun 28 2010
Srinagar : Return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley may be mired in
politics, but a Pandit food festival in Srinagar is making many nostalgic about
a shared cultural past.
The festival, coinciding with the annual Pandit pilgrimage to
Kheerbhawani shrine, is attracting a large number of local Muslims. “This
festival has made me realise that our food is more diverse than wazwan,” says
Irfan Ahmad, a Kashmir University student helping himself to a mixed combo feast
of Palak Te Kakur and Nader Yakhni. “ I wonder how this amazing cuisine has not
got the attention it deserves”.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/valley-feasts-on-pandits-culinary-delights/639219/
-------
Law to regulate Islamic insurance
June 28, 2010
Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Economy issued a law on the Islamic
insurance system (Takaful) to regulate the work of Islamic insurance companies
in the country.
Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy and Chairman of the
UAE Insurance Authority, issued the new system yesterday.
This insurance system, which is the first of its kind to be approved
in the Arab region, gives Islamic insurance and reinsurance companies a grace
period of one year to adjust their status in line with the provisions of the
Islamic insurance law.
Fatima Mohammad Al Awadi, Deputy Director General of the Insurance
Authority, said that the introduction of the new law is aimed at regulating the
operations of Islamic insurance companies, many of which were established in the
past few years as per Law No. 9 for 1984 on insurance agencies and Federal Law
No. 6 of 2007 regarding the establishment of the insurance
authority.
Full report at:
http://gulfnews.com/business/general/law-to-regulate-islamic-insurance-1.647033
-------
The Sofia Khan family to the Sheboygan area community:
'Thanks'
BY DAN BENSON
June 28, 2010
Sofia Khan, the nine-year-old girl who vanished into Lake Michigan on
June 9, will always have a presence in the area, thanks to a new playground to
be built and named in her memory at the Islamic Society of Sheboygan County
mosque in the Town of Wilson.
The announcement came Saturday during a picnic and open house at the
mosque hosted by Sophia's family.
Nearly 100 people attended the event, which Sofia's father, Omer
Khan, said was a way of thanking the community for helping in the so-far
unsuccessful search for his daughter.
She was lost when her kayak was blown out into Lake Michigan as Omer
Khan was teaching Sofia, her 10- and 13-year-old brothers and two children of
friends how to kayak along the shore near Smies Road in the Town of Holland. The
family lives in Chicago and was on vacation and staying at a home of a
friend.
"Although (community members) haven't met Sofia, they felt close to
her," he said.
The official search for Sofia by 12 local law enforcement agencies
ended less than two days after she was lost, but hundreds of volunteers from
Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin continued the search or assisted the family in
other ways, he said.
Full report at:
http://www.sheboyganpress.com/article/20100627/SHE0101/6270490/The-Sofia-Khan-family-to-the-community-Thanks-
-------
Hijab is a chain around Muslim girls
By: Tarek Fatah
June 28, 2010
THE memory of Aqsa Parvez is seared in my mind. As a Muslim father of
two daughters and an uncle to at least a dozen nieces, I am aware of the
enormous pressures that Muslim girls face as they are forced to become the flag
bearers of Islam. All this while their brothers -- de facto guardians of their
sisters' honour -- are set free to enjoy the pleasures of
youth.
One way these daughters and sisters are kept in check is to force
them to don the Arab headdress, the hijab; not the Pakistani duppata, nor the
colourful Sudanese headscarf, or the Bangladeshi pallu, but the
Muslim-Brotherhood-prescribed hijab. Aqsa Parvez, like millions of Muslim girls
around the world, said no to the hijab.
For refusing to wrap her head with a piece of cloth, the Mississauga,
Ont. teenager paid with her life, at her family's own hands, on Dec. 20,
2007.
Full report at:
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/fyi/hijab-is-a-chain-around-muslim-girls-97216974.html
-------
Forum: Boldly confronting problems of Islam
By KEVIN FERRIS
June 28, 2010
Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a big believer in freedom of speech. So she
practices it daily, fearlessly, and at great personal
cost.
"Every important freedom that Western individuals possess rests on
free expression," she writes in her new book, "Nomad: From Islam to America: A
Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations." "We observe what is wrong,
and we say what is wrong, in order that it may be
corrected."
What Hirsi Ali wants to correct most are certain aspects of Islam,
the religion and culture she practiced growing up in Somalia. The religion and
culture she abandoned in order to escape an arranged marriage. The religion and
culture she says often conflict with Western values. And in order to make the
necessary corrections, she outlines the wrongs in "Nomad":
Full report at:
http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/062710/opi_661950103.shtml
---------
Burqa bans grow fashionable in Europe
By Jabeen Bhatti and Aida Alami
June 28th 2010
BERLIN — A growing movement in Europe to ban burqas and niqabs, the
face coverings worn by some Muslim women, is igniting a debate over individual
religious freedom vs. broader cultural values.
The movement started in Belgium when a bill making it a crime to wear
a face veil in public passed unanimously in the lower house of parliament in
April. The penalty would be a $19-$31 fine or a week in jail. The measure is
likely to become law by fall, says Denis Ducarme, co-author of the
legislation.
France followed and lawmakers across the continent are considering
similar measures.
Belgium already has a law that forbids wearing masks in public, but
lawmakers said they wanted to enhance the security of the country, promote
gender equality and send a signal to extremists.
Full report at:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-06-27-Burqa_N.htm
---------
On Malaysia's religious reality show 'Imam Muda', 10 young men
compete to be next top Muslim leader
BY MEENA HARTENSTEIN
June 28th 2010
Reality TV shows have crowned stars in every field imaginable,
minting new top models, singers, chefs, designers, and even hair stylists -- but
can the same formula work to create a religious leader?
In Malaysia, one cable station hopes the answer is
yes.
A new show called "Imam Muda" or "Young Leader", now halfway through
its 10-week run, pits 10 young men against each other in the quest to become
Malaysia's next top imam, The Associated Press reports.
Full report at:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/06/27/2010-06-
_on_malaysias_religious_reality_show_imam_muda_10_young_men_compete_to_be_next_to.html
---------
Transsexual’s memoirs breaks new ground in Arab
world
By Natacha Yazbeck
June 28, 2010
In a daring, unprecedented move, a pioneer of the Arab world’s
underground transgender movement has released her memoirs, recounting her
struggle to become a woman against all odds
In a daring, unprecedented move, a pioneer of the Arab world’s
underground transgender movement has released her memoirs, recounting her
struggle to become a woman against all odds.
“Mouzakarat Randa al-Trans”, or “The Memoirs of Randa the Trans”, is
a brutally honest narrative that traces Randa’s battles with family, society,
country, religion and abuse in her native Algeria.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\06\28\story_28-6-2010_pg4_8
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J&K: 9-yr-old boy killed in Baramulla, sitatuion
tense
Jun 28, 2010
NEW DELHI: Tension continued in the state on Monday after a
nine-year-old boy was killed during CRPF firing in the Delina area of Baramulla.
Earlier in the day, a 20-year-old youth Bilal Ahmed Wani was killed
in CRPF firing in Sopore town following which fresh clashes were reported in the
area.
It is being reported that CRPF used rubber bullets on protesters.
They fired warning shots and lobbed tear gas shells in Sopore town of North
Kashmir as protestors defied the curfew and staged a march in the town carrying
the body of the dead youth.
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday night spoke
to Union home minister P Chidambaram and voiced his strong concern over
civilians becoming victims of action by paramilitary forces.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/JK-9-yr-old-boy-killed-in-Baramulla-sitatuion-tense/articleshow/6101943.cms
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Law to regulate Islamic insurance
June 28, 2010
Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Economy issued a law on the Islamic
insurance system (Takaful) to regulate the work of Islamic insurance companies
in the country.
Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy and Chairman of the
UAE Insurance Authority, issued the new system yesterday.
This insurance system, which is the first of its kind to be approved
in the Arab region, gives Islamic insurance and reinsurance companies a grace
period of one year to adjust their status in line with the provisions of the
Islamic insurance law.
Fatima Mohammad Al Awadi, Deputy Director General of the Insurance
Authority, said that the introduction of the new law is aimed at regulating the
operations of Islamic insurance companies, many of which were established in the
past few years as per Law No. 9 for 1984 on insurance agencies and Federal Law
No. 6 of 2007 regarding the establishment of the insurance
authority.
Full report at:
http://gulfnews.com/business/general/law-to-regulate-islamic-insurance-1.647033
---------
CIA's Panetta: Iran has enough uranium for 2
bombs
By ANNE FLAHERTY
Jun 28, 2010
WASHINGTON: CIA Director Leon Panetta says Iran probably has enough
low-enriched uranium for two nuclear weapons, but that it likely would take two
years to build the bombs.
Panetta also says he is doubtful that recent UN penalties will put an
end to Iran's nuclear ambitions. He says the penalties could help to weaken
Tehran's government by creating serious economic problems. But he adds, "Will it
deter them from their ambitions with regards to nuclear capability? Probably
not." Panetta tells ABC television's "This Week" that there is "some debate" as
to whether Iran will proceed with the bomb. Asked about a potential Israeli
military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, Panetta said he thinks Israel is
giving the US room on the diplomatic and political fronts.
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article74533.ece
---------
Islamic terrorists target Hindu temples in
Malaysia
June 28, 2010
KUALA LUMPUR – Temples in Penang and Batu Caves will step up security
following the threat by a group of alleged terrorists to blow up two places of
worship.
The Sri Subramaniar Swamy Devasthanam temple, also known as Batu
Caves Temple (picture), is a prominent religious site for Hindus around the
world.
Temple chairman R Nadarajah said their 24-member temple committee
would meet to discuss additional security, reported The Star. “I was shocked
after reading about the threat. I knew it was Batu Caves after reading it,” he
said.
Mr Nadarajah plans to request more police presence near the temple
grounds. He said they might even consider screening people entering the site.
“We will also install CCTVs within the perimeters of the temple and have more
security guards to carry out patrols,” he said.
Full report at:
http://islamicterrorism.wordpress.com/2010/06/28/islamic-terrorists-target-hindu-temples-in-malaysia/
---------
‘Iran nukes ready by 2012’
June 28, 2010
WASHINGTON: Iran has enough low-enriched uranium to make two weapons,
which it could have prepared and ready for delivery as early as 2012, CIA
director Leon Panetta warned Sunday.
“We think they have enough low-enriched uranium for two weapons,”
Panetta told the ABC network’s “This Week” programme. Tehran would need a year to enrich it fully
to produce a bomb and it would take “another year to develop the kind of weapon
delivery system in order to make that viable,” he said. Iran is under mounting international
pressure over its suspect nuclear programme, which the West fears masks a covert
weapons drive.
Full report at:
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=247580
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Terror may strike Agra during CWG
Preetam Srivastava
Jun 28, 2010
After braving the ominous clouds of pollution, Taj City Agra is faced
with another threat — that of terror strikes by Pakistan-based subversive
groups. The time of these strikes is suspected to coincide with the time of the
delegates of the Commonwealth Games — to be held in Delhi and the National
Capital Region (NCR) — visits to the Monument of Love.
A recent advisory from the Intelligence Bureau has naturally sent the
Uttar Pradesh Police brass into a tizzy and they are checking loose ends. The
Central advisory alerted that Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) has shifted their focus of
strike from Commonwealth Games sites to Agra in UP and Jaipur in Rajasthan.
According to Intelligence inputs, the ultra group intends to target
foreign nationals participating at the Games during their visits to the two
cities which are most sought-after tourism hot spots.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/265446/Terror-may-strike-Agra-during-CWG.html
---------
Protesters, police clash in Dhaka; 300 held
28 Jun, 2010
DHAKA, June 27: Security forces in Bangladesh arrested more than 300
people on Sunday as the first nationwide general strike since elections in 2008
was marred by violence, police said.
In the capital Dhaka, security forces fired tear gas and used batons
to disperse hundreds of opposition activists as they tried to hold marches along
major roads, police said.
An opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) lawmaker was hurt
when supporters and opponents of the strike clashed at Dhaka University, police
spokesman Walid Hossain said, adding the man was later arrested.
At least 12,000 policemen and the elite Rapid Action Battalion were
deployed in Dhaka to try to avert violence as the shutdown brought much of the
capital of 13 million people and the country to a standstill.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/protesters,-police-clash-in-dhaka-300-held-860
---------
Kyrgyzstan votes on Constitution
VLADIMIR RADYUHIN
Jun 28, 2010
Many Kyrgyz voters turned out for a national referendum on a new
Constitution despite a recent flare-up of ethnic violence in the
south.
Two hours before the polling stations closed on Sunday more than 53
per cent of the 2.3 million eligible voters cast their ballots, according to the
Central Election Commission.
The voting was not marred by any major incident, even as authorities
lifted for a day a state of emergency imposed on the violence-hit southern
provinces, where at least 2,000 people had died and hundreds of thousands had
been displaced in four days of anti-Uzbek rioting two weeks
ago.
A minimum turnout threshold was scrapped to ensure the referendum
takes place.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article488989.ece
---------
Intel chiefs meet in Islamabad
Jun 28, 2010
Islamabad: The chiefs of intelligence agencies of India and Pakistan
held a meeting in Islamabad as part of cooperation to fight terrorism and deal
with security issues.
The director general of Intelligence Bureau Rajiv Mathur met his
Pakistani counterpart Javed Noor on Saturday night and are understood to have
discussed cooperation in security and combating terrorrism,sources
said.
Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik had said last evening that
the agencies of the two countries would be working together to prevent any
repeat of Mumbai attacks.At a joint press briefing with home minister P
Chidambaram,he suggested that its Federal Investigating Agency and CBI work
together on the issue of terrorism.
Times of India
---------
US aware of Afghan-Pak contacts with Haqqani
By Anwar Iqbal
28 Jun, 2010
WASHINGTON: CIA Director Leon Panetta said on Sunday he was aware of
Pakistan’s efforts to help negotiate a deal between the Haqqani network and the
Afghan government but did not see a real desire among the militants to seek
reconciliation.
Earlier in the day, Al Jazeera television reported that Afghan
President Hamid Karzai had held face-to-face talks with Sirajuddin Haqqani,
leader of a major anti-government faction.
But official sources told Dawn in Islamabad on Sunday that there had
been no meeting between President Karzai and Mr Haqqani. The sources, however,
said that Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani would visit Kabul on Monday.
Dawn reported on June 15 that Pakistan had dived headlong into the
Afghanistan reconciliation process by taking on the task of acting as a bridge
between the Haqqani network and the government in Kabul.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/210us-aware-of-afghanpak-contacts-with-haqqani,-says-panetta-860-sk-02
---------
F-16s can be used against any adversary: PAF
chief
By Iftikhar A. Khan
28 Jun, 2010
SHAHBAZ AIR BASE (Jacobabad): The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief
Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, has said there is no restriction on the use of
newly-acquired F-16 combat aircraft against any adversary.
“Our mission is to maintain peace in the region with honour, but if
the primary effort fails we will use all our assets, including these aircraft,
to defend our country against any internal or external threats,” he said.
The air chief was talking to reporters at the newly upgraded Shahbaz
Air Base on Sunday after a ceremony held to mark the formal induction of the
first three of 18 advanced F-16 fighter jets into the PAF fleet.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/21-f16s-can-be-used-against-any-adversary-paf-chief-860-sk-02
---------
Media in Pak welcomes talks
Jun 28, 2010
Pakistani media has welcomed the bonhomie between India and Pakistan
following the meeting of their home ministers,but expressed apprehension that
the warmth may fizzle out if the two countries do not move beyond their
entrenched demands.Pakistans daily,Dawn had an editorial No movement,which
pointed out that India was still insisting on substantive action against the
Mumbai attacks suspects in Pakistan,as well as other India-centric militant
groups.
Times of India
---------
Fake degree holders have no right to parliament:
Mushahid
June 28, 2010
ISLAMABAD: PML-Q Secretary General Mushahid Hussain Sayed on Sunday
said the country was fast heading towards a national consensus and political
leadership had evolved consensus on major national issues, which was a positive
sign.
Addressing an extraordinary session of Children Parliament of
Pakistan (CPP) here, he said fake degree holders had no right to become
parliamentarians. Mushahid, while welcoming the decision of the Supreme Court on
fake degrees, said that the agenda of the incumbent government was based on
plundering money and leave the country.
Full report at:
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=247608
---------
US mission to correct errors in Pak media
Karin Brulliard
Jun 28, 2010
Some reports are deemed “a para- noid fabrication,“ such as the claim
that all Pakistanis are stripped naked in the US air- ports. Others are “false
and malicious,“ such as the one about the Americans mov- ing Pakistani Taliban
lead- ers to Afghanistan to pre- pare them for a battle against Pakistan's
army.
So says the US Embassy here, which for nearly eight months has issued
state- ments countering every major error about American foreign policy that it
finds in Pakistan's boisterous media.
It's a herculean task that embassy officials say has been undertaken
by no other the US mission in the world -- because nowhere else, those officials
say, does the US policy face such disdain and
misrepresentation.
Full report at: Hindustan Times
---------
Osama bin Laden is hiding in tribal areas of Pakistan:
CIA
Jun 27, 2010
WASHINGTON: World's most wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden is hiding
in Pakistan's rugged tribal areas, CIA chief said, even as he claimed that the
al-Qaida is probably at its weakest point since 9/11 with only 60-100 militants
left in Afghanistan.
"I think the estimate on the number of al-Qaida (in Afghanistan) is
actually relatively small. I think at most, we're looking at maybe 60 to 100,
maybe less.It's in that vicinity. There's no question that the main location of
al-Qaida is in tribal areas of Pakistan," CIA director Leon Panetta, told ABC
News in an interview.
Panetta said the al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden is in deep hiding in
the tribal areas of Pakistan, but did not give any further details.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Osama-bin-Laden-is-hiding-in-tribal-areas-of-Pakistan-CIA/articleshow/6099052.cms
---------
Freed by Pak, 4 Indians land in hospital with
schizophrenia
Lalmani Verma
Jun 28 2010
Lucknow : For four Indians who were released along with 13 others by
the Pakistan government on June 23 at Wagah, freedom from jail hasn’t meant a
reunion with their families — not yet. The four have been taken to the Institute
of Mental Hospital in Amritsar for treatment of schizophrenia, which could be
the consequence of their long imprisonment.
Among them are two from Uttar Pradesh — Iliyas from Fathepur and
Shambhuram from Kushinagar.
Institute director Dr B L Goyal said, “Two prisoners belonging to UP
and two others from Madhya Pradesh and Punjab were brought to the hospital by
police on Friday. The primary investigation suggests that all four are suffering
from schizophrenia.” Schizophrenia is a kind of mental illness characterised by
abnormalities in the perception or expression of reality. He said the prisoners
have been kept in the hospital, but they would be admitted formally on Monday
after the police obtain permission from court.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/freed-by-pak-4-indians-land-in-hospital-with-schizophrenia/639246/
---------
Peace overture to Taliban upsets Afghan
minorities
Dexter Filkins
Jun 28, 2010
Kabul: The drive by Afghan president Hamid Karzai to strike a deal
with Taliban leaders and their Pakistani backers is causing deep unease in
Afghanistans minority communities,who fought the Taliban the longest and
suffered the most during their rule.
The leaders of the countrys Tajik,Uzbek and Hazara communities,which
make up close to half of Afghanistans population,are vowing to resist and if
necessary,fight any deal that involves bringing members of the Taliban
insurgency into a power-sharing arrangement with the
government.
Full report at: Times of
India
---------
Somali piracy hurting Saudi shipping badly
By MUHAMMAD HUMAIDAN
Jun 28, 2010
JEDDAH: Members of the Shipping Committee at the Jeddah Chamber of
Commerce and Industry say their industry has been seriously affected by Indian
Ocean piracy.
"Small shipowners refuse to operate in the waters off Yemen and
Somalia because pirates mostly target small ships rather than huge vessels,
which have strong defense systems," said committee member Muhammad
Babaydan.
He added that sometimes Saudi businessmen ferry livestock,
commodities or fuel in ships flying non-Saudi flags as a ploy to avoid the
attention of pirates.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article74609.ece
---------
Arrests expose myth of Indonesia’s deradicalisation
policy
27 June 2010
JAKARTA - Indonesia’s vaunted “deradicalisation programme” aimed at
bringing terrorists back into mainstream Islam has been exposed as a myth by
recent arrests of re-offenders, analysts and police said.
Senior police now acknowledge that no such programme exists and are
issuing increasingly stark warnings that, on the contrary, the mainly Muslim
country’s prisons are at risk of becoming schools of violent
jihad.
The final straw appears to have been the re-arrest Wednesday of
Abdullah Sunata, 32, on suspicion of plotting attacks on the Danish embassy and
a police parade.
He was released from jail last year for good behaviour after serving
only a fraction of a seven-year sentence for his role in a 2004 attack on the
Australian embassy, which killed 10 people.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/June/international_June1140.xml§ion=international&col=
---------
Egypt: Arab League organizes Arab Media Forum in
Alexandria
Jun 28, 2010
Egypt (Alexandria) - Arab Media Forum (AMF) Secretary General Madhi
Abdullah stressed the significance of a forum of Arab media leaders due in
Alexandria on Thursday (July 5).
Scores of key Arab media figures, including board chairmen and chief
editors of newspapers and satellite channels are to be partaking in the two-day
media gathering, co-organized by the AMF and Bibliotheca Alexandrina, he said on
Sunday.
During their meeting, Arab media leaders will mainly discuss issues
and problems facing the Arab media movement, and will seek to find professional
and responsible solutions, he said.
The forum comes at a time when all Arab media cadres are aware of a
pressing need for supporting those who are in charge of Arab media blueprints,
given swift changes worldwide, he added.
Full report at: Global Arab Network
---------
Bangalore top cop slams Nazeer media
interaction
Jun 28, 2010
Bangalore City Police Commissioner Shankar M Bidri said on Saturday
protested strongly against the Kerala Police’s act of parading Thadiyantavide
Nazeer, prime accused in the Bangalore bombings case, and his aide and
co-accused Shafaz in public without masks and allowing them to freely interact
with the media even as a warrant was issued by a court for production of the duo
before July 6.
“They were sent to jail and not a zoo. A jail has certain norms for
keeping the accused,” Bidri told a Malayalam television channel in Bangalore.
Referring to the interaction of Nazeer with the media outside the
Special CBI Court in Kochi, Bidri said the statements the accused made outside
the court had no legal validity and there was no need to take their words in
face value.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/265405/Bangalore-top-cop-slams-Nazeer-media-interaction.html
---------
Madani’s arrest imminent
Jun 28, 2010
Karnataka police are said to be in the final stages of their
preparation to arrest Islamist leader and PDP chairman Abdul Nasser Madani, the
31st accused in the 2008 Bangalore bombings case.
He could be arrested any moment, according to sources in
Bangalore.Bangalore City Police officials rejected criticism that they had
delayed the arrest of Madani, against whom the court had issued a non-bailable
warrant as early as June 15. They said investigating officers had to make their
preparations and also see whether he would get an anticipatory bail, the
application for which was to come up in the court on Tuesday. “That doesn’t mean
that he wouldn’t be arrested,” said a source in Bangalore.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/265404/Madani%E2%80%99s-arrest-imminent.html
---------
Ship had arms for UN mission
Jun 28, 2010
Kolkata: MV Aegean Glory,detained by security agencies at Diamond
Harbour on Friday,was brought to the Kolkata Dock System (KDS) on Sunday
afternoon.State and central agencies were present at the port to inspect the
ships cargo and ascertain if it matched with what had been loaded at the
Liberian port of Monrovia.
It is learnt that the UN mission in Liberia has written to India
confirming that the ship was carrying military equipment belonging to
peacekeeping contingents from Bangladesh,Nepal and Pakistan.Customs
officials,however,insisted they would conduct a search and go through all
documents to ensure no part of the cargo was missing.Officials also said there
were certain discrepancies between the statements made by the shipping agent in
India and the Greek captain of the ship.Till news last came in,the cargo bound
for Nepal comprising a container and four vehicles had already been unloaded
from the ship.One of the biggest mysteries is why the agent didnt declare the
nature of the cargo while filling up necessary documents.
Times of India
---------
'Unfair to say Pak has not done enough'
Jun 28, 2010
Pakistan on Sunday termed as "presumptuous" India's contention that
enough was not being done in the Mumbai attacks case, saying the two countries
would understand "each other's challenges and difficulties" only through
engagement.
In an interview to PTI, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood
Qureshi pressed for a common approach to deal with terrorism and promised to
take action against any handler of 26/11, insisting that Islamabad will not
sleep over leads forwarded to it.
As India raises questions over the speed of trial in Pakistan in the
26/11 case, Qureshi said the pace was slow because of "complications" arising
from the fact that the crime was committed in a different country and exchange
of information was a "cumbersome" process.
He said India and Pakistan should work together to send out a message
to terrorists that they cannot "drive a wedge" between the two countries.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/265383/Unfair-to-say-Pak-has-not-done-enough.html
---------
Qatar: Middle East hopeful for World Cup 2022
bid
Jun 28, 2010
A retired Kuwaiti footballer said Qatar's aspired win of World Cup
2022 bid is the wish of not only for Qatar, but all the people of the entire
Middle East region as well.
Interviewed by KUNA, Abdelaziz Al-Anbari, an ambassador for Qatar's
World Cup 2022 bid and football analyst, said all the people of the Middle East
are yearning for this great international event to be held in the region for the
first time.
He even spoke highly of Qatar's current preparations and arrangements
for the football festival, which he said brings the world's peoples
together.
"Qatar will be a wonderful and unique venue for hosting the World Cup
in the future, thus inspiring millions of young people in the region to
represent their countries in the event," he said.
Full report at: Global Arab Network
---------
Abdallah, Talabani urge pan-Arab stand to face
challenges
By ABDUL JALIL MUSTAFA
Jun 28, 2010
AMMAN: Jordan's King Abdallah on Sunday assured Iraqi President Jalal
Talabani of Jordan's full support for efforts that seek to re-establish
stability and security in the violence-torn neighboring
country.
"The king reaffirmed Jordan's full support for their Iraqi brethren
in their endeavors to maintain Iraq's security and stability, which is a
cornerstone for stability in the region," a royal court statement
said.
Talabani made a surprise visit to Jordan, which stirred speculation
among observers that he sought the monarch's backing to defuse the current
political crisis emanating from disagreement to form a new Iraqi government
after the March elections.
Jordan maintains close ties with Iraqi Sunni leaders and former
Shiite Prime Minister Iyad Allawi who formed the Iraqiya
Bloc.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article74550.ece
---------
UK general says Taleban talks should begin
'soon'
Jun 28, 2010
LONDON: The head of the British Army says he believes talks with the
Taleban should begin "pretty soon," but that discussions shouldn't lead
insurgents to think they have an advantage.
Calling his position a "purely private view," Gen. Sir David Richards
told the BBC on Sunday that he didn't know when talks could begin. But Richards,
a former commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, said "there's no reason why we
shouldn't be looking at that sort of thing pretty soon." He said in any
counterinsurgency campaign comes "a point which you start to negotiate with each
other." The military must continue its work alongside development efforts "to
make sure that they don't think that we are giving up. It's a concurrent process
and both are equally important," Richards said.
http://arabnews.com/world/article74544.ece
---------
Time-tested Saudi-British ties reaching new
heights
By RODDY DRUMMOND, CHARGE D’AFFAIRES
Jun 28, 2010
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is lucky enough to have two birthdays
every year. Her Majesty was born on April 21, 1926.
But for many centuries British monarchs have also celebrated an
official birthday in the summer. As many of you who have visited the UK will
know, we have some remarkable weather, and the summer offers the best chance of
ensuring that Her Majesty’s birthday can be celebrated under clement
skies.
It is right to mention Her Majesty, not just because it is her
official birthday we are celebrating, but because of her historic interest in,
and relationship with, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The queen succeeded her
father as monarch in 1952, while King Abdulaziz Al Saud was still alive and has
known all five Saudi kings since that time: King Saud, King Faisal, King Khaled,
King Fahd, and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. She is the
personification of relationship between our two countries and her contribution
to the strength of that relationship is something all of us are very grateful
for.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article74581.ece
---------
Huge fire breaks out in Al Qouz Shafaat Ahmed
28 June 2010
An oil and chemical storage unit of the United Foods Company at Al
Quoz has been gutted by a huge fire, which started around 2:30 in the
morning.
Massive fire breaks out in an oil and chemical storage unit of the
United Foods Company at Al Quoz. - KT Photo By Muaz
Shabandri
No casualties or injuries have been reported.
Around a dozen firefighting units of Dubai Civil Defence are at work
on the site and the blaze has been controlled from spreading to other parts of
the factory.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/June/theuae_June724.xml§ion=theuae
---------
Hamas security men seize money from Gaza bank
27 June 2010
GAZA - Hamas forces seized
$16,000 on Sunday from a Gaza bank that had frozen the funds as part of an
anti-money laundering campaign launched by the West Bank-based Palestinian
Authority.
A senior official at the Palestine Islamic Bank (PIB) said Hamas
police took the cash from tellers at gunpoint. No one was hurt in the incident.
Hamas officials had no immediate comment.
The bank said the money was in an account of an Islamic charity
frozen by the Interior Ministry and Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA), which
acts as a central bank for President Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority,
Hamas’s rival.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/June/middleeast_June641.xml§ion=middleeast
---------
US military chief in Israel for top-level talks
28 June 2010
TEL AVIV - The top US
military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, on Sunday held talks in Tel Aviv with
Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak and other members of the military’s top
brass, officials said.
A US embassy spokesman said Mullen, who was paying a flying visit to
Israel, was also meeting Israeli Chief of Staff Gaby Ashkenazi and senior
military officials.
Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was also to meet
Ashkenazi’s deputy, Benny Ganz, and navy chief Eliezer Marom for talks on
‘cooperation between the two militaries and on mutual security challenges,’ a
statement from the military said.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/June/middleeast_June640.xml§ion=middleeast
---------
Egypt barring Gaza aid ship from Suez Canal:
Iran
28 June 2010
TEHRAN - The Iranian Red Crescent said on Sunday that in addition to
restrictions imposed by Israel, Egypt had barred a Gaza-bound aid ship from
entering the Suez Canal, leading to the trip being
postponed.
“The ship’s departure has been postponed because of more restrictions
imposed by the Zionist Quds occupying regime on the movement of aid to Gaza and
prevention of the ship from using the Suez Canal, despite coordination with
international bodies,” the Red Crescent said in a statement faxed to
AFP.
The statement said the voyage to the blockaded Gaza Strip had been
put off despite the vessel being ready to set sail from the southern port of
Bandar Abbas for the Palestinian territory.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/June/middleeast_June639.xml§ion=middleeast
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No timeframe for Afghan withdrawal: UK
28 June 2010
LONDON - It is hard to set a
timeframe for a withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan, the head of
Britain’s army said on Sunday, days after Prime Minister David Cameron said he
wanted troops home within five years.
General Richard Dannatt said it was important to exert ‘maximum
pressure’ on the Taleban so they were not able simply to sit out the time until
international forces left the country.
The army chief, who once disagreed with former prime minister Gordon
Brown on the issue of helicopter numbers, refused to be drawn on whether
Cameron’s comments were unhelpful.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/June/international_June1151.xml§ion=international&col=
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Obama cites 'obsession' on Afghanistan timeline
June 28, 2010
TORONTO: President Barack
Obama says there's been, as he calls it, "a lot of obsession" about the issue of
when US troops will leave Afghanistan.
Obama says his focus right now is on making sure the US mission in
Afghanistan is successful.
Obama reiterated Sunday that a plan to begin withdrawing troops a
year from now doesn't mean the US will, in his words, "close the door and shut
off the lights" at that time.
He said a political solution is needed as well as a military one. He
argued that the Taliban is a mix of hardcore ideologues and kids who sign up
because it's the best job they can get.
Obama spoke in Toronto as the G-20 summit wrapped
up.
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/6-28-2010/67448.htm
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Awan tells critics to support govt against
terrorism
June 28, 2010
* Law minister says he will continue to provide funds to bar
associations
* Will use every means to visit lawyers across
country
LAHORE: People who criticise the distribution of funds amongst the
bar associations should support the federal government in combating terrorism
and eliminating poverty from the country, Federal Law, Justice and Parliamentary
Affairs Minister Senator Dr Babar Awan said on Sunday.
Awan made these remarks while addressing a cheque distribution
ceremony amongst presidents of different district and tehsil bar associations at
the Governor House in Lahore. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader said that
he would continue making efforts for the welfare of the lawyers community and
would use a plane, car or even a horse to reach and distribute funds amongst
different bar associations.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\06\28\story_28-6-2010_pg7_14
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Palestinian refugees seek basic rights in
Lebanon
June 28, 2010
BEIRUT: Thousands of Palestinian refugees gathered on Sunday outside
UN headquarters in Beirut to demand basic civil rights in Lebanon, such as a
choice of jobs and ownership of property.
The protest organised by Palestinian and Lebanese non-government
organisations was initially due to be held outside the parliament building in
downtown Beirut.
“The police outside parliament usually ban any protest there,” said
Maher Shehadeh, one of the Palestinian organisers. So the protesters gathered
instead several hundred metres (yards) away outside the UN
headquarters.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\06\28\story_28-6-2010_pg4_4
---------
Kyrgyzstan slams Russia over ‘Afghanisation’
fears
June 28, 2010
BISHKEK: Kyrgyzstan’s government on Sunday hailed a robust turnout in
a constitutional referendum and slammed doubters including Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev who warned the country risks breaking up. The interim
government’s deputy leader Omurbek Tekebayev said foreign intelligence services
were spreading the view that the parliamentary democracy envisioned in the
referendum was incompatible with Kyrgyzstan. “Some top officials from different
states have spoken about a possible ‘Afghanization’ of Kyrgyzstan, about a
break-up of the state. I mean the statements by President Dmitry Medvedev and
others,” Tekebayev said. “It is possible they have been misinformed, that they
are blindly believing the officials from their special services who have long
been at the service of the local oligarchs,” he said.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\06\28\story_28-6-2010_pg20_5
---------
Kayani in Kabul, Delhi up against challenge
C. Raja Mohan
Jun 28 2010
New Delhi : As General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani heads to Kabul on Monday
to ratchet up pressure on President Hamid Karzai to share power with extremist
Pashtun groups nurtured by the Pakistan Army, India will soon have to
demonstrate its relevance to Afghanistan’s rapidly evolving political
dynamic.
On his trip to Kabul, Kayani will be accompanied by the chief of
Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha. The two generals,
who dominate the conception and conduct of Pakistan’s national security policy,
have been making frequent visits to Kabul in the past couple of
months.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/kayani-in-kabul-delhi-up-against-challenge/639282/
---------
Man denies he kidnapped daughter
Jun 28, 2010
MADINAH: The father of a three-year-old girl who was accused by his
former wife of kidnapping the child told a local newspaper that his ex-wife had
prevented him from seeing his daughter for a year and insisted on taking her to
the United Kingdom where she is on a scholarship.
“When she (the ex-wife) returned to Jeddah, I asked to see my
daughter. She agreed but only on the condition that I could see her for two
hours and that her grandfather would accompany her. They treat me as if I’m not
her father,” said the man, who asked for his name not to be
published.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article74588.ece
---------
Judge orders father to return girl to mother
Jun 28, 2010
MADINAH: A judge has ruled that a father must return his young
daughter to his ex-wife. Three-year-old Lana went missing more than a week ago
and her mother had been searching for her since then.
Madinah authorities had been looking for the 30-year-old ex-husband
who was accused by the mother of kidnapping the girl and her nanny from the
custody of the mother.
The judge convinced the father to return the child to her mother
until she reaches the marriage age. The father said he wanted to take the
custody because the mother is a scholarship student
abroad.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article74023.ece
---------
Interim govt in Kyrgyzstan moves to legitimise
rule
28 Jun, 2010
OSH (Kyrgyzstan), June 27: Kyrgyzstan on Sunday voted in favour of a
new constitution, its interim leader announced, in a referendum marked by a mass
turnout held just two weeks after ethnic clashes killed hundreds.
The constitution establishes a parliamentary democracy in Kyrgyzstan
and its adoption was crucial for legitimising the new authorities who took power
after the popular April uprising that toppled former president Kurmanbek
Bakiyev.
The interim government pressed ahead with the vote despite horrific
clashes between minority Uzbeks and majority Kyrgyz earlier this month that
killed hundreds.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/interim-govt-in-kyrgyzstan-moves-to-legitimise-rule-860
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Reward for information on missing persons
announced
28 Jun, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik has announce a reward for
anyone able to provide information on missing persons. At the same time he also
announced that money will be given to provide for the families of missing
persons.
While meeting with the families of missing persons Faisal Faraz,
Attique ur Rehman and Masood Janjua, he said that anyone able to provide any
information on their whereabouts will be given a reward of Rs 50
lac.
During the meeting Interior Minister Rehman Malik told the families
of the missing persons that he required a month's respite from them, and
promised that during that period all efforts will be be made to find
them.
The family of missing persons after meeting the home minister
expressed their reassurance on the government pledges.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/06-reward-for-information-on-missing-persons-announced-rs-02
9:04 PM
Sultan Shahin
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