Delhi dials Dhaka
after alert on Lashkar plan to target Indians
Iraq’s Ancient Ruins Face New Looting
Hamas is a threat to the Palestinian cause
4 soldiers, 66 Taliban killed in Orakzai,
Bajaur
Six killed as suspected US missiles hit South
Waziristan
Troops kill 10 militants in Kurram
Four Norwegian soldiers killed in
Afghanistan
Karachi yells as 8 more killed in cold blood
Swat anti-terrorism judge, family threatened by
Taliban
In Iran, prayer sellers' trade is booming
20 militants killed in Orakzai
Bury political differences to end riots:
Mufti
Panel
to study law on marriages between Saudis and foreigners
King to press Obama on Israel
Furious US lawmaker blocks Afghan aid
French PM urges Muslims to reject ‘hijacked
Islam’
Report faults U.S. for being too optimistic about Afghan security
capabilities
U.S. and Afghan forces launch major assault in eastern province of
Konar
Saudi bank deposits rise to SR921.71 billion in
May
6 foreign militants, 3 armymen killed in LOC gunbattle in
J&K
Curfew in Baramulla, parts of Srinagar as violence
spreads
Mobile services blocked in north Kashmir following
violence
Bangladesh:No Alia Madrassah students involved in militancy: board
Israeli diplomats sport jeans, sandals in wage
protest
20 militants killed in Orakzai
Panel to study law on marriages between Saudis and
foreigners
Nawaz calls for end to ‘conspiracies against
judiciary’
Indonesia militant jailed over Jakarta bomb
attacks
Female hypocrisy on Gaza
Now is the time to move beyond Mumbai
New Muslim women magazine promotes being 'modest and
fabulous'
6 'guilty' of 26/11 still free, Pak told
US, India leery of Pak's Haqqani card in
Afghanistan
Bagfuls of currency flying out of Kabul
India to US: Headley info needs action
India expects ‘credible action’ from Pak before Krishna
visit
Turkey closes airspace to some Israeli flights
NIA wants 2 terrorists be declared as
absconders
5 killed in Baghdad bombing, shooting
Manmohan to Obama: Pakistan must act against
terrorists
'Prince of Jihad' given five years in
Indonesia
Seven Israeli Arabs charged in attacks
Iran Says CIA Waging Psychological Warfare
Israel Probe Into Gaza Flotilla Raid Starts
VALLEY ON THE BOIL - Tense Omar dials Delhi
India: Bid to tone down AFSPA
Headley sings on Saeed’s 26/ 11 role
SANA to hold 26th annual convention in US
General McChrystal to retire from US Army:
Official
Benazir Bhutto inscribed into law by NA vote
UN condemns attack on children facility in
Gaza
Afghan war may be lost in Pakistan’s
battlefields
More the better: MPA wants end to birth control to spur
‘jihad’
Nuclear talks postponed: Ahmadinejad vows to ‘discipline’
West
Arab countries, West hope for continuity in
Egypt
Kabul dismisses report Karzai met Haqqani
Zardari for early transfer of drone tech to
Pakistan
Kingdom urges reforms to avert financial crises
UN chief urges new talks on Iran nuclear
program
Western oil firms stop business with Iran; UAE freezes bank
accounts
Mothers walk to support autistic children
5 leaders suggest Arab peacekeeping role
Gaza banks on strike to protest Hamas raid
Israeli airstrike kills Gaza fighter
Sudan to close Libyan border over rebel
threat
Israeli flotilla inquiry to question premier
Saudi acquitted of terror charges
NATO, Afghans give two accounts of fatal
operation
BEATING-UP OF WOMEN IN ABBAS’S HOUSE
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
Photo:
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
--------
Up to 150 Taliban killed in Afghanistan
June 29, 2010
A force of about 700 US and Afghan troops has killed up to 150
Taliban insurgents in a major offensive along eastern Afghanistan's border with
Pakistan, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday.
The US-led operation, which began on Sunday, was one of the largest
yet in the region around Kunar province, said the newspaper, which cited US
officials as calling it "one of the most intense battles of the past year" in
Afghanistan.
In a statement on Sunday, NATO's International Security Assistance
Force (ISAF) said more than 600 ISAF and Afghan troops were pursuing al-Qaeda
and Taliban militants in Kunar and that "a number of insurgents" had been
killed.
Two US troops had been killed in the battle, according to ISAF, which
had no immediate update to offer on Tuesday.
The Washington Post said the offensive was designed to flush out
growing numbers of Taliban militants bidding to open up a second front in Kunar,
as the US-led ISAF battles to root out insurgents in southern
Afghanistan.
"The Taliban know we are bringing our surge of forces, and they
realise they can't just let that happen, so they are pursuing their own surge,"
Major General John Campbell, the senior commander in eastern Afghanistan, told
the newspaper.
In addition to Afghan Taliban trying to spread the war from the
south, loosely affiliated fighters with the Pakistani Taliban had gone into
Kunar to escape a military offensive across the border, the report
said.
"Once the battle began, others from the area tried to manoeuvre into
the area," US Colonel Andrew Poppas was quoted as saying.
"This was a tough fight."
The US-led force in Kunar gave no prior warning of the offensive,
unlike before an onslaught in Marjah in southern Afghanistan earlier this
year.
"We needed the element of surprise in that terrain," Poppas
said.
The US and Afghan troops were flown in pre-dawn on Sunday on Black
Hawk helicopters and seized mountainous high ground in Kunar's Marawara
district, and soon came under attack from as many as 200 insurgents, the report
said.
It said the heaviest fighting had ended by Monday morning, and the US
and Afghan forces were now trying to restore Afghan government authority in
Marawara's main village.
"The tough part is still ahead," Poppas said.
-----
Delhi dials Dhaka after alert on Lashkar plan to target
Indians
Shubhajit Roy
Jun 29 2010
New Delhi : Indian diplomats and nationals working in Bangladesh face
the threat of a possible Lashkar-e-Toiba attack, Indian intelligence agencies
have warned the Ministry of External Affairs.
Last week, the intelligence agencies communicated that the Lashkar
was planning to target Indian diplomats and nationals working in different
projects in Bangladesh, and could try and create a hostage
situation.
Sources said intelligence agencies picked up specific inputs of
attacks on pilgrims headed for a Rath Yatra mid-July in Dhamrai village in
Manikganj district near Dhaka.
The terror threat has alarmed New Delhi since the Sheikh Hasina
government in Dhaka has been cracking down on terror groups and elements,
including those belonging to the Lashkar, ever since it returned to power in
2008.
New Delhi has already taken up the matter with Dhaka, and has been
assured increased security for Indians living in
Bangladesh.
While it is relatively easy to secure Indian diplomats who number
about 30, it is not exactly the same with Indian nationals working there — they
are estimated to be around 30,000, working in government projects and private
establishments .
The High Commission in Dhaka and the consulates in Chittagong and
Rajshahi are guarded by local police.There has been a security review and talks
are on to assess whether Indian security agencies should be asked to secure the
missions.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/delhi-dials-dhaka-after-alert-on-lashkar-plan-to-target-indians/639816/
--------
Iraq’s Ancient Ruins Face New Looting
By STEVEN LEE MYERS
June 29, 2010
DHAHIR, Iraq — The looting of Iraq’s ancient ruins is thriving again.
This time it is not a result of the “stuff happens” chaos that followed the
American invasion in 2003, but rather the bureaucratic indifference of Iraq’s
newly sovereign government.
Thousands of archaeological sites — containing some of the oldest
treasures of civilization — have been left unprotected, allowing what officials
of Iraq’s antiquities board say is a resumption of brazenly illegal excavations,
especially here in southern Iraq.
A new antiquities police force, created in 2008 to replace
withdrawing American troops, was supposed to have more than 5,000 officers by
now. It has 106, enough to protect their headquarters in an Ottoman-era mansion
on the eastern bank of the Tigris River in Baghdad and not much
else.
“I am sitting behind my desk and I am protecting the sites,” the
force’s commander, Brig. Gen. Najim Abdullah al-Khazali, said with exasperation.
“With what? Words?”
The failure to staff and use the force — and the consequent looting —
reflects a broader weakness in Iraq’s institutions of state and law as the
American military steadily withdraws, leaving behind an uncertain
legacy.
Many of Iraq’s ministries remain feeble, hampered by corruption, the
uncertain divisions of power and resources and the political paralysis that has
consumed the government before and after this year’s
election.
In the case of Iraq’s ancient ruins, the cost has been the
uncountable loss of artifacts from the civilizations of Mesopotamia, a history
that Iraq’s leaders often evoke as part of the country’s once and, anticipating
archaeological research and tourism, future greatness.
“The people who make these decisions, they talk so much about history
in their speeches and conferences,” said the director of the State Board of
Antiquities and Heritage, Qais Hussein Rashid, referring to the plight of the
new police force, “but they do nothing.”
The looting today has not resumed on the scale it did in the years
that immediately followed the American invasion in 2003, when looters — tomb
raiders, essentially — swarmed over sites across the country, leaving behind
moonlike craters where Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian and Persian cities once
stood.
Even so, officials and archaeologists have reported dozens of new
excavations over the past year, coinciding with the withdrawal of American
troops, who until 2009 conducted joint operations with the Iraqi police in many
areas now being struck by looters again. The antiquities police say they do not
have the resources even to keep records of reported
lootings.
Here in Dhahir, the looting is evident in the shattered bits of
civilization — pieces of pottery, glass and carved stone — strewn across an
expanse of desert that was once a Sumerian trading town known as
Dubrum.
The bowls, vases and other pieces are destroyed and discarded by
looters who seek gold, jewelry and cuneiform tablets or cylinders that are easy
to smuggle and resell, according to Abdulamir al-Hamdani, a former antiquities
inspector in Dhi Qar Province. The nearest city, Farj, is notorious for a black
market in looted antiquities, he said.
“For me, for you, it is all priceless,” he said, “but for them it is
useless if they can’t sell it in the market.”
The Dubrum site — which stretches for miles in a sparsely populated
region — is pocked by hundreds of trenches, some deeper than 10 or 12 feet. At
the bottom of some is the brickwork of tombs, marking the area as a cemetery.
Mr. Hamdani said tombs were the most highly valued targets — of archaeologists
and looters alike.
Many of the trenches date to the postinvasion chaos, but others have
been freshly dug. Just last month someone used a bulldozer and plowed a
two-foot-deep gash in the desert, unearthing the brick and bitumen remains of a
stairway possibly leading to another cemetery. The materials dated it to the
Babylonian period in the seventh century B.C.
The precision of the new looting indicates expertise. “The thief is
in the house,” Mr. Hamdani said, suggesting that many of those involved worked
on the sites years ago when legitimate archaeological excavations took place,
before the war that toppled Saddam Hussein.
A Bedouin reported the new excavation to the local police in Dhi Qar,
but officers there could do little except to draw public attention to the
problem.
Mr. Hamdani’s successor as antiquities inspector for the province,
Amir Abdul Razak al-Zubaidi, said he did not even have the budget to pay for gas
to drive to the sites of new looting.
“No guards, no fences, nothing,” Mr. Hamdani said. “The site is huge.
You can do whatever you want.”
Until the creation of the antiquities police in 2008, responsibility
for protecting archaeological sites rested with the Federal Protection Police,
created, equipped and trained by the American military. The federal police,
however, also guard government officials and buildings, like schools and
museums. The ruins, some just desolate patches of desert, slipped down the list
of priorities.
Rather than filling the gap, the creation of the antiquities police
deepened it. Iraq’s various military and police forces simply left the issue to
an agency that effectively still does not operate, nearly two years
later.
Mr. Rashid, director of the antiquities board, also said his agency’s
request for a $16 million budget in 2010 had been slashed to $2.5 million. The
police officers promised by the Ministry of the Interior simply have yet to
materialize, despite an order last year from Prime Minister Nuri Kamal
al-Maliki.
“Not everything the prime minister requests from his ministers is
obeyed,” he said. A spokesman for the Interior Ministry declined to comment on
the status of the antiquities police.
Mr. Rashid went on to complain that the looters in some southern
provinces — including Dhi Qar and Wasit — operated with the collusion of the law
enforcement authorities. “The hand of law cannot reach them,” he
said.
The extent and lasting impact of the looting in sites like Dubrum may
never be known, since they have never been properly excavated to begin
with.
Mr. Zubaidi, the inspector in Dhi Qar, compared the current crisis to
the looting of the National Museum in Baghdad, a convulsive ransacking that
shocked the world into action. The museum’s fate continues to attract far more
attention from the government and international donors.
“Most of the pieces that were stolen from the National Museum will
come back,” Mr. Zubaidi said. “Each piece was marked and recorded.” Nearly half
the 15,000 pieces looted from the museum have been returned. “The pieces that
were stolen here will never be returned,” he said. “They are lost
forever.”
Khalid D. Ali contributed reporting.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/26/world/middleeast/26looting.html?scp=1&sq=iraq%20heritage&st=cse
--------
Hamas is a threat to the Palestinian cause
By Richard Cohen
June 29, 2010
It's a pity that Israel, while substantially loosening its grip on
Gaza, will continue to enforce a blockade when, with just a little imagination,
it could insist on a deal with the activists once again steaming its way: You
can proceed to Gaza if, once you get there, you demand that Hamas cease the
persecution of women, institute freedom of religion, halt the continuing
rocketing of Israel, release an Israeli hostage, ban torture and rescind an
official charter that could have made soothing bedtime reading for Adolf Hitler.
This may take some time.
In fact, these demands would never be met. Gaza is a mean and brutal
place with a totalitarian government steeped in a cult of violence and death.
This hardly means that the government does not have a measure of popular support
and did not, as some of the activists naively point out, come to power by
democratic means. So did the Nazis.
The term "Islamic fascism" gets thrown around a lot. I initially
recoiled from it because I prefer to reserve fascism for fascists. The term is
too loosely employed -- New York City cops were called fascists by Vietnam-era
peace demonstrators -- but Paul Berman, in his new book "The Flight of the
Intellectuals," makes a solid case that it can, with justice, be applied to
Hamas.
Berman traces Hamas's intellectual pedigree to Egypt's Muslim
Brotherhood, whose founder, Hassan al-Banna, greatly admired Hitler, and to Haj
Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem who spent much of World War II in
Germany cozying up to Hitler, organizing a Muslim SS unit and, on occasion,
remonstrating with the Nazis for not killing enough Jews. (See also Robert S.
Wistrich's recent book, "A Lethal Obsession.") It's appalling not only that
Husseini was granted sanctuary in Arab countries after the war but also that he
continues to be revered as a Palestinian patriot.
The successor to both Banna and Husseini was Sayyid Qutb (1906-66),
an Egyptian intellectual of uncontested importance whose influence can be found
in the writing of the Hamas charter. Qutb was an indefatigable author (more than
20 books, some written while in an Egyptian prison where he was tortured), but
the article that should interest the pro-Hamas activists the most is called "Our
Struggle with the Jews." It is a shocking and repellent work of anti-Semitism
that, among other things, says the "Jews will be satisfied only with the
destruction" of Islam. Qutb cites that hoary anti-Semitic forgery "The Protocols
of the Elders of Zion" for substantiation -- suggesting that his status as an
intellectual is somewhat due to heroic grade inflation.
The extremely useful term "useful idiots" was originally coined to
describe Soviet sympathizers in Western countries. But there is no reason it
cannot be applied to so-called activists who wish to break the blockade, which
is an increasingly untenable exercise that Israel, bit by bit, is loosening.
That's a good thing. But if Israel is expected to release its grip on Gaza, it's
entitled to a bit of reciprocity -- at the very least the release of the hostage
Gilad Shalit, who was captured not in Gaza but on the Israel side of the border.
He has been held for four years now and has never once been visited by an
outsider. How about maybe one ship in the approaching flotilla just for
him?
Now is the time, I suppose, to say that Israel is not exactly perfect
either. It continues to overreact, uses too much force and has often trampled on
the rights of Palestinians. Still, Israel is Thomas Jefferson's idea of heaven
compared with Gaza, which could serve as a seaside Club Med for Jew-haters. One
country is consonant with the Enlightenment; the other is a dark place of
religious intolerance where the firmest principles of anti-Semitism -- not
anti-Zionism or pro-Palestinianism -- are embedded in the Hamas
charter.
The irony is that Israel is often called a colonialist power. In some
sense, the charge is true. But the ones with the true colonialist mentality are
those who think that Arabs cannot be held to Western standards of decency. So,
for this reason, Hamas is apparently forgiven for its treatment of women, its
anti-Semitism, its hostility toward all other religions, its fervid embrace of a
dark (non-Muslim) medievalism and its absolute insistence that Israel has no
right to exist. Maybe the blockade ought to end -- but so, too, should anyone's
dreamy idea of Hamas. It's not just a threat to Israel. It's a threat to the
eventual Palestine
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/28/AR2010062803753.html
--------
4 soldiers, 66 Taliban killed in Orakzai,
Bajaur
29 Jun, 2010
* 40 under-treatment Taliban killed as jets bomb Taliban-run hospital
in Orakzai
HANGU: At least 66 Taliban were killed and another 30 injured in
airstrikes and clashes with the security forces across the country’ northwest on
Sunday, security sources said.
In Orakzai Agency, the forces said they killed at least 63 Taliban in
the last 24 hours.
The sources said around 15 Taliban were killed and another six
injured in a clash with the forces in the agency’s Dabori
area.
Three soldiers were critically injured in the
clash.
Separately, eight Taliban were killed and another 24 injured in a
clash with the security forces in the Bakar Ghari area of Upper
Orakzai.
Also, the sources added that fighter jets attacked a Taliban-run
makeshift hospital in Upper Orakzai late on Sunday, killing 40 Taliban under
treatment at the facility.
Meanwhile, in Khar, four soldiers were killed when the Taliban
ambushed an army patrol in Bajaur Agency, officials told
AFP.
The terrorists attacked the troops during a patrol in the border town
of Kharaki, 25 kilometres north of Khar.
“Four soldiers were killed in the attack”, which in turn triggered
retaliation from the soldiers in which three terrorists were killed, he said.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\06\29\story_29-6-2010_pg7_5
--------
Six killed as suspected US missiles hit South
Waziristan
29 Jun, 2010
PARACHINAR: Suspected US missiles hit a house Tuesday in the South
Waziristan tribal region along the Afghan border where the army has been
battling Taliban fighters, intelligence officials said. At least six suspected
militants were killed, including a possible al-Qaeda
operative.
The two missiles struck the house, which was near Wana, the main town
in South Waziristan. The house was known to be frequented by al-Qaeda members,
the intelligence officials said. They would not speculate on the exact identity
of those killed.
The four officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were
not authorised to speak to media on the record.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/04-drone-attack-swaziristan-qs-02
--------
Troops kill 10 militants in Kurram
29 Jun, 2010
PESHAWAR: Security forces killed at least 10 militants were killed
and four were wounded in the Kurram tribal region.
Three vehicles owned by militants were also destroyed in the military
action in central Kurram’s Ghalu Ghundi area.
Security forces have been engaged in an operation against militants
in the region for the past eight months.
After securing control of areas in lower Kurram, troops have also
established control in some areas of central Kurram.
However, some areas are still under militant
control.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/04-kurram-10-militants-killed-qs-05
--------
Four Norwegian soldiers killed in Afghanistan
Jun 29 2010
In this photo provided by ABC, CIA Director Leon Panetta is
interviewed on ABC's "This Week" Sunday, June 27, 2010. The U.S. has driven
al-Qaida into hiding and undermined its leadership, but is struggling to oust
its primary sympathizer, the Taliban, from Afghanistan, Panetta
said.
The Norwegian military says four of its soldiers have died after a
roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in northern
Afghanistan.
A military statement says the soldiers were killed while on a mission
in Faryab province on Sunday evening. The military has not specified the nature
of the mission.
The Defence Ministry says the soldiers were part of a stabilization
force in the province. The ministry says this is the highest number of Norwegian
troops killed in a single attack since the start of the war. Until Sunday, only
five Norwegian troops had been killed in the entire war.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article490231.ece
--------
Karachi yells as 8 more killed in cold blood
June 29, 2010
KARACHI: At least eight more
casualties have been reported and scores others were injured in firing-related
incidents occurred in different localities here on Monday, Geo news
reported.
A man was found dead in Malir Goth locality in Karachi who, had been
killed by shooting, remained unidentified, police sources
said.
Unknown gunmen shot dead a man near NIPA Chowrangi while in Metro
Wool area in Site Karachi; five men were shot-injured by unidentified bike
riders.
Another man received injuries when some unknown gunmen open fire on
him in Nayaabad locality.
According to hospital sources, a 24-years-old youth, Muharram Ali,
was shot injured at Kashmir Road.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/6-29-2010/67504.htm
--------
Swat anti-terrorism judge, family threatened by
Taliban
By Rauf Klasra
June 29, 2010
ISLAMABAD: The family of anti-terrorism judge, Malakand Division,
Mohammad Asim Imam, who is currently dealing with terrorism cases of Sufi
Mohammad and his group of the Taliban arrested last year during the military
operation, received threats from the three armed Taliban, who visited the
residence of the judge in Peshawar city on Saturday.
As the judge’s wife, his two daughters and a son were not at home
when the Taliban visited their place, they left a message for the family and the
judge to fall in line or be ready for the consequences. They also told the
family cook, the only person present in the house at that time, to tell the
judge that they were after him and would soon sort him out. This is the first
time since the completion of the military operation in Swat last year that a
judge dealing with the anti-terrorism cases has received threats from the
Taliban. The judge, whosefamily is now under serious threat, is the son-in-law
of retired Justice Javed Nawaz Gandapur of the Peshawar High Court. Justice
Gandapur, who refused to support Musharraf, was sent home in 2000 although he
was supposed to retire from service in 2009.
Full report at:
http://thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=29728
--------
In Iran, prayer sellers' trade is booming
28 Jun, 2010
TEHRAN: In Iran where clerics rule, unofficial “prayer sellers”, who
promise to intercede with the divine to solve all manner of life's problems, are
seeing their business boom.
Backstreet spiritual guides like YaAli are tolerated by the
authorities and increasingly sought after by Iranians seeking help from on
high.
“People from all walks of life – mostly young women – come here
asking for prayers that can solve their problems,” says YaAli sitting on a chair
in a crumbly old alley in Tehran.
Stroking his white beard, YaAli – a nickname he has been given by his
customers – explains how each prayer must be used in its own specific
way.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/17-in+iran-prayer+sellers-trade+is+booming-ek-03
--------
20 militants killed in Orakzai
29 Jun, 2010
PESHAWAR—At least 20 militants were killed and nine others received
injuries when security forces retaliated to militants who ambushed a security
check post at Sangh Bakaow Kahdaow, in which thee security officials were
injured.
Militants attacked a security check post in Sangh Bakaow Kahdaow area
of Upper Orakzai overnight, inflicting injuries to three troops including a
Captain, official sources said Monday. “The security forces swiftly retaliated
with heavy gunfire at militant’s positions. Twenty militants were killed and
nine others received injuries,” official sources said.
Official sources said a group of militants ambushed a security forces
check post with automatic weapons and rockets, which was efficiently countered
and a swift response from the security forces avoided casualties on part of
security forces as well as used severe damage to the
attackers.
Full report at:
http://dailymailnews.com/0610/29/FrontPage/index.php?id=7
--------
Bury political differences to end riots: Mufti
Sameer Arshad
Jun 29, 2010
NEW DELHI: People's Democratic Party president and opposition leader
Mehbooba Mufti called on J&K's leadership to bury political differences and
come together to salvage the situation in the Valley that seemed to be
spiralling out of control again with the killing of two young boys on Monday.
"The situation is so bad that people are getting killed everyday. Our
priority is how to salvage the situation," she told TOI from Srinagar. She said
the opposition won't seek CM Omar Abdullah's resignation, even as the present
regime has frittered away gains of her father and former CM Mufti Mohammed
Saeed's healing touch policy. "The question of resigning is a moral one and we
can't demand morality from anybody," said Mehbooba, adding that her father
teamed up first with former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and then Manmohan Singh to
usher in an era where Kashmiris started believing in the system.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Bury-political-differences-to-end-riots-Mufti/articleshow/6103770.cms
---------
Panel
to study law on marriages between Saudis and foreigners
By
MD RASOOLDEEN
Jun
29, 2010
RIYADH:
The Shoura Council set up a special committee on Monday to study a draft law
concerning marriages between Saudis and foreigners.
The
council’s 38th meeting presided over by its Chairman Abdullah Al-Asheikh
discussed the draft law that contains 12 articles pertaining to Saudis marrying
non-Saudis and vice versa, Shoura Council Secretary-General Mohammad Al-Ghamdi
said.
Al-Ghamdi
said the members strongly felt the need for such a law. He explained that the
regulation should be drafted in accordance with the Islamic law and keeping in
mind the social and cultural environment of the Kingdom. He said that a family
is the nucleus of the society and the Kingdom’s intention is to strengthen the
family for a better society.
Full
report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article75071.ece--
---------
King to press Obama on Israel
Jun 29, 2010
WASHINGTON: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah will
press US President Barack Obama in Washington this week to take a stronger
stance with Israel over stalled peace talks with the Palestinians, analysts and
diplomats said.
The king will meet Obama on Tuesday after attending a G20 summit in
Canada in the latest summit in the seven decades-old relationship between
Washington and the world's top oil exporter and a key regional
ally.
The Saudis say Obama has not put enough pressure on Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to impose a total freeze on Jewish settlements on
occupied Arab land, an obstacle to the resumption of peace talks. Netanyahu
meets Obama on July 6.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article75138.ece
--------
Furious US lawmaker blocks Afghan aid
Jun 29, 2010
WASHINGTON: A senior US lawmaker on Monday angrily blocked billions
of dollars in aid to Afghanistan, vowing not to give "one more dime" until
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai acts against corruption.
Representative Nita Lowey, who sits on the powerful committee in
charge of the budget, said she would hold hearings into allegations that top
Afghan officials flew suitcases full of cash from US aid to foreign safe havens.
"I do not intend to appropriate one more dime for assistance to
Afghanistan until I have confidence that US taxpayer money is not being abused
to line the pockets of corrupt Afghan government officials, drug lords and
terrorists," she said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/US/Furious-US-lawmaker-blocks-Afghan-aid-/articleshow/6104224.cms
--------
French PM urges Muslims to reject ‘hijacked
Islam’
June 29, 2010
* Fillon says extremists oppose Muslim integration
* Says veil ban needed to uphold basic rules of
society
PARIS: Prime Minister Francois Fillon urged France’s Muslims on
Monday to reject full-face veils as a sectarian representation of Islam, a week
before parliament debates a law banning burqas and niqabs in
public.
Inaugurating a mosque in a northwestern Paris suburb, he said French
Muslims should combat a tiny radical minority using face veils as a way to
combat the integration of a tolerant Islam that respects the separation of
church and state.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\06\29\story_29-6-2010_pg4_1
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Report faults U.S. for being too optimistic about Afghan security
capabilities
By Karen DeYoung
June 29, 2010
The U.S. military has systematically overstated or failed to
adequately measure the capabilities of Afghan security forces, whose performance
is key to the Obama administration's exit strategy for the war, according to a
new government audit.
Efforts to prepare and equip Afghan forces are also plagued by a
shortage of U.S.-led coalition trainers and mentors and a corrupt and inadequate
Afghan logistics system, the report by the special inspector general for
Afghanistan reconstruction said.
The coalition did not challenge the findings and acknowledged
significant ongoing problems. But it said the report, released Monday, was
outdated and failed to take sufficient account of recent improvements in the
training program.
Full report at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/28/AR2010062805114.html
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U.S. and Afghan forces launch major assault in eastern province of
Konar
By Greg Jaffe
June 29, 2010
A force of about 700 U.S. and Afghan troops launched a major assault
along Afghanistan's border with Pakistan in an attempt to destroy a growing
insurgent haven and blunt rising violence in the area, senior Army officials
said Monday.
The assault represents one of the largest in eastern Afghanistan in
the past several years and reflects growing concern among U.S. commanders and
Afghan leaders that Taliban insurgents are seeking to intensify pressure in the
east as troops prepare for a tough summer of fighting in the
south.
Full report at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/28/AR2010062804376.html?hpid=moreheadlines
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Saudi bank deposits rise to SR921.71 billion in
May
By JOHN SFAKIANAKIS
Jun 29, 2010
A series of new financing deals concluded and in the pipeline
continue to support improvement in Saudi bank private sector credit growth,
which in May rose for a fifth month to its fastest pace of expansion in nine
months. The latest Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency’s (SAMA’s) data support Banque
Saudi Fransi’s view that momentum is building behind an economic recovery in
Saudi Arabia; bank deposits increased for the first time in three months, the
central bank added to its foreign asset holdings, money supply growth - while
still weak - is showing signs of stabilization, and new letters of credit are
being opened to accommodate greater trade flows.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/economy/article75141.ece
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6 foreign militants, 3 armymen killed in LOC gunbattle in
J&K
Jun 28, 2010
JAMMU: Six armed foreign militants were killed on Monday and three
armymen lost their lives in a fierce gunbattle that broke out along the Line of
Control (LOC) in Kupwara sector of Jammu and Kashmir.
Acting on a tip off, troops picked up the movement of a group of
infiltrating militants in 104 forward location along LoC in Kupwara belt and
launched an operation, triggering the encounter, a senior Army official at
Udhampur-based Northern Command said on Monday.
Six foreign militants and three Army jawans were killed in the
gunbattle, which was on when reports last came in from the
area.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/6-foreign-militants-3-armymen-killed-in-LOC-gunbattle-in-JK/articleshow/6103329.cms
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Curfew in Baramulla, parts of Srinagar as violence
spreads
Jun 29 2010
Srinagar : With violence spreading to more places, curfew was on
Tuesday imposed in Baramulla and seven police station areas of the city as the
situation remained tense in troubled Sopore following the killing of youths in
alleged CRPF firing.
Additional contingents of police and paramilitary forces were
deployed in curfew-bound Sopore and other areas to maintain calm, police sources
said.
Two persons including a 9-year-old boy died and 65 others, including
32 policemen, were injured in the violent clashes in various parts of the valley
yesterday. One of the two persons killed was a native of
Baramulla.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/curfew-in-baramulla-parts-of-srinagar-as-violence-spreads/639921/
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Mobile services blocked in north Kashmir following
violence
Jun 29, 2010
SRINAGAR: Mobile services in north Kashmir and SMS service in the
entire valley have been blocked on the instructions of the state government
following incidents of violence, an official said on Tuesday.
"We blocked the SMS service on the instructions of the Director
General of Police, who cited security reasons for the disruption," Bharat
Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), General Manager, Mahesh Shukla said.
Almost all the mobile service providers including BSNL jammed the SMS
service in the valley after midnight last night while mobile services in north
Kashmir were disrupted yesterday.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Mobile-services-blocked-in-north-Kashmir-following-violence/articleshow/6105329.cms
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No Alia Madrassah students involved in militancy:
board
Siddiqur Rahman Khan
The madrassah education board has disputed the findings of a World
Bank study that some madrassah graduates have been involved in extremism and
harassment of girls.
Militants identified so far in Bangladesh are not from Alia Madrassah
background, the board said.
The World Bank recently sought comments and observation of the
education ministry on the report titled ‘Secondary School Madrassah in
Bangladesh: Incidence, Quality, and Implications for
Reform’.
‘Some extremist madrassah
school graduates in Bangladesh have indeed been involved in despicable acts such
as killing of judges and bombing traditional musical festivals – i.e. targeting
symbols of the state and secular society,’ said the bank’s
findings.
Full report at:
http://www.newagebd.com/2010/jun/29/front.html
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Israeli diplomats sport jeans, sandals in wage
protest
Jun 29, 2010
JERUSALEM: Israeli diplomats have started wearing jeans and sandals
to work and caused a series of diplomatic faux pas in a protest over salary
conditions, a foreign ministry official said Tuesday.
The increasingly public dispute has compounded Israel's diplomatic
woes at a time when it is struggling to contain the backlash from a deadly raid
on a Gaza-bound aid fleet last month that frayed relations with key ally Turkey.
"For several days now foreign ministry employees have come to work in
jeans and sandals, without wearing ties, to protest their treatment," the
official said on condition of anonymity.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Israeli-diplomats-sport-jeans-sandals-in-wage-protest-/articleshow/6105505.cms
--------
Panel to study law on marriages between Saudis and
foreigners
By MD RASOOLDEEN
Jun 29, 2010
RIYADH: The Shoura Council set up a special committee on Monday to
study a draft law concerning marriages between Saudis and
foreigners.
The council’s 38th meeting presided over by its Chairman Abdullah
Al-Asheikh discussed the draft law that contains 12 articles pertaining to
Saudis marrying non-Saudis and vice versa, Shoura Council Secretary-General
Mohammad Al-Ghamdi said.
Al-Ghamdi said the members strongly felt the need for such a law. He
explained that the regulation should be drafted in accordance with the Islamic
law and keeping in mind the social and cultural environment of the Kingdom. He
said that a family is the nucleus of the society and the Kingdom’s intention is
to strengthen the family for a better society.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article75071.ece
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Nawaz calls for end to ‘conspiracies against
judiciary’
29 Jun, 2010
LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz's chief Nawaz Sharif on
Tuesday urged for an immediate end to conspiracies being hatched against the
judiciary, DawnNews reported.
Nawaz was speaking at a briefing to PML-N leaders at Chief Minister
Shahbaz Sharif's residence. The meeting was being chaired by Shahbaz Sharif and
was called to inform the leadership regarding the Punjab government's various
initiatives in the province.
"If we fail to serve the people of Pakistan, then they will not
forgive us," Nawaz said.
"We believe in the politics of reconciliation but weakening the
state's institutions is not in national interest," he
said.
Nawaz advised the Punjab government to utilise the solid waste
management system for power generation and thereby control electricity
shortfalls.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/04-nawaz-judiciary-qs-06
--------
Indonesia militant jailed over Jakarta bomb
attacks
29 June 2010
An Indonesian militant has been jailed for five years over the deadly
attacks on luxury hotels in Jakarta last year.
Mohammed Jibril Abdurahman, also known as the Prince of Jihad, was
convicted of hiding information about terrorist crimes and falsifying
documents.
Abdurahman maintained the charges were "fabricated" and said he would
appeal.
The JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotel bombings killed seven people
and two suicide bombers and ended a four-year hiatus in attacks in
Indonesia.
Full report at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/asia_pacific/10443593.stm
-------
Female hypocrisy on Gaza
Anav Silverman
29 June 2010
Free Gaza women back Hamas, a group committed to shunning women's
rights
For much of the world, 69 year-old Greta Berlin, spokeswoman and
co-founder of the Free Gaza Movement, is a hero. Berlin recently gained
international attention for orchestrating the Gaza aid flotilla, calling Israel
"a terrorist state" in interviews and articles.
Along with other leading members of her movement, mostly retired and
well-to-do California-based women, Berlin has spewed anti-Israel hate rhetoric
while simultaneously campaigning for the Palestinian
cause.
It is ironic that these self-professed humanitarians, with Greta
Berlin in the lead, choose to side with and support Hamas, the radical Islamic
terrorist organization that seeks to drastically limit the rights of Gaza women
and eradicate any form of liberalism in the Strip.
Full report at:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3912144,00.html
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Now is the time to move beyond Mumbai
BY UDAY SHANKER
29 June 2010
26/11 is stuck as a bone in
throat in India- Pakistan relations. The
world has changed, but Delhi and Islamabad have not. Despite
several opportunities to look
beyond the Mumbai terror attacks of November 26-28 , 2008, which have become an
albatross around neck of the two countries, the two sides have shut their doors to
build a special relationship.
The discourse should have
moved forward during the meetings of
Home Minister P. Chidambram
and his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik, when they met on the sidelines of SAARC interior ministers conference in
Islamabad. There was a grand opportunity to do so.
Full report at:
http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2010/Jun/29/26-11-syndrome-20.asp
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New Muslim women magazine promotes being 'modest and
fabulous'
By Philip Lim
29 June 2010
Aquila targets 'cosmopolitan Muslim women' as it breaks from
traditional school of thought.
Flip through the pages of Aquila Asia magazine and it soon becomes
apparent that the publication is different from other glossy women's magazines
sold across the region.
Side by side with ads for expensive handbags and luxury cars are
fashion spreads featuring professional models in Muslim headscarves -- and
articles on topics like virginity and hymen
reconstruction.
To be "modest and fabulous" is the motto of the bi-monthly magazine,
whose name means "intelligence" in Arabic, said its vivacious founder and
publisher Liana Rosnita, a Singaporean Muslim married to a Swiss
man.
Full report at:
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/culture/?id=39808
--------
6 'guilty' of 26/11 still free, Pak told
Jun 29, 2010
NEW DELHI: India expects Pakistan to move against as many as six
individuals connected with the 26/11 Mumbai attacks who have not been touched by
the investigators so far. India sees action against these persons as central to
bringing the Mumbai guilty to book.
Senior sources said that the Indian position on the six was conveyed
to Pakistan during the recent meeting of home minister P Chidambaram with his
Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik. It was pointed out that the evidence against
the suspects was sufficient to warrant a fullscale investigation.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/6-guilty-of-26/11-still-free-Pak-told/articleshow/6103806.cms
--------
US, India leery of Pak's Haqqani card in
Afghanistan
Chidanand Rajghatta
Jun 29, 2010
WASHINGTON: The Obama administration is weighing with skepticism
Pakistan’s effort to forcefully insert itself as a broker in Afghanistan by
pushing its (Islamabad's) terrorist proxies as peace-makers, amid warning from
India about its neighbour's bonafides.
In significant developments in the region in the past few days,
Pakistan has initiated talks between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the
terrorist "Haqqani group," presenting this Taliban faction backed by its
intelligence agency ISI as a major force that it can persuade to participate in
a Kabul government.
The ISI-backed Haqqani group is charged with multiple attacks on the
Indian Embassy and other facilities in Kabul that killed dozens of people,
including a bombing that took the life of a popular Indian diplomat. It is also
thought to have played a role in the attack on the CIA forward post in
Afghanistan that killed seven people, including some of the Agency's most valued
assets.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/US-India-leery-of-Paks-Haqqani-card-in-Afghanistan/articleshow/6102943.cms
--------
Bagfuls of currency flying out of Kabul
Jun 29, 2010
WASHINGTON: Cash outflow of as much as more than $3 billion has been
reported out of Kabul in the past three years, raising fears among US
investigators that it could be ill-gotten gains of the top Afghan officials
being stashed away to financial safe havens abroad.
The cash — packed into suitcases, piled into pallets, loaded into
airplanes — is declared and legal to move, but Wall Street Journal quoting
American and Afghan officials reports it appears to be money siphoned off from
US and Western aid projects.
"Profits reaped from the opium trade are also a part of the money
flow, as is cash earned by the Taliban from drugs and extortion," officials
said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/South-Asia/Bagfuls-of-currency-flying-out-of-Kabul/articleshow/6103448.cms
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India to US: Headley info needs action
Jun 29, 2010
TORONTO: Raising the terror issue with US President Barack Obama,
India said Pakistan must rein in terror groups and act on disclosures made by
David Coleman Headley on the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
The issue was raised during bilateral talks with the US on sidelines
of the G20 Summit here, during which the Indian side, led by PM Manmohan Singh,
said Pakistan must act on reining in terror groups. The talks between Singh and
Obama took place two days after home minister P Chidambaram took up with his
Pakistani counterpart New Delhi's continuing concerns over terror emanating from
the Pakistani territory.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/India-to-US-Headley-info-needs-action/articleshow/6103800.cms
--------
India expects ‘credible action’ from Pak before Krishna
visit
Jun 28 2010
New Delhi : India expects that Pakistan will initiate some “credible
action” against LeT operatives and handlers involved in the Mumbai terror attack
before July 15 when External Affairs Minister S M Krishna visits
Islamabad.
Officials said this was the indication given by Pakistani side during
their interaction with Indian delegation on the sideline of the just-concluded
SAARC Home Ministers’ conference in Islamabad.
“They told us that India will not be disappointed this time. We are
expecting some credible action by Pakistan against the LeT operatives and
handlers before the Foreign Minister’s visit,” an official
said.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/india-expects-credible-action-from-pak-before-krishna-visit/639518/
--------
Turkey closes airspace to some Israeli flights
Jun 29 2010
Ankara : Turkey has closed its airspace to some Israeli military
flights following a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship, the Turkish prime
minister and officials said on Monday. An official said civilian commercial
flights were not affected.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Toronto that Turkey imposed a
ban on Israeli flights after the May 31 raid on a Turkish ship that was part of
a six-vessel international aid flotilla, according to the state-run Anatolia
news agency.
The prime minister, who is in Canada to attend a summit of the Group
of 20 major industrial and developing nations, did not
elaborate.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/turkey-closes-airspace-to-some-israeli-flights/639495/
--------
NIA wants 2 terrorists be declared as
absconders
VR Jayaraj
Jun 29 2010
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday requested the
Special CBI Court (NIA court), Kochi to declare Muhammad Azhar (28) and KP Yusuf
(29) — second and seventh accused, respectively, in the Kozhikode twin blasts
case — as absconders. The agency had found that the two had been hiding in the
Gulf but several efforts to bring them back to Kerala had
failed.
According to the NIA, Azhar of Urakalli, Thalassery and Yusuf of
Puthiyapura, Thalipparambu — both in Kannur district — had played key roles in
the planning and execution of the twin explosions in Kozhikode city on March 3,
2006. The blasts were believed to be a dry run for the
Lashkar-e-Tayyeba-sponsored terror attacks in Bangalore and other cities in
2008.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/265668/NIA-wants-2-terrorists-be-declared-as-absconders.html
--------
5 killed in Baghdad bombing, shooting
Jun 29 2010
Five people were killed on Monday in a shooting and a bombing in
Baghdad, including two teenage girls suspected of prostitution who were slain by
gunmen after they stormed their home, Iraqi police said.
Street crime and vendettas appear to be soaring in Iraq as sectarian
fighting wanes and the US military prepares to withdraw its forces by the end of
next year. Criminals and insurgents are exploiting security gaps as Iraqi
politicians bicker over the formation of a new Government more than three months
after parliamentary elections.
None of Iraq’s main political groups won a clear majority in the
March 7 vote and the new 325-seat legislature has met only once since then. It
is scheduled to meet next July 14.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/265627/5-killed-in-Baghdad-bombing-shooting.html
--------
Manmohan to Obama: Pakistan must act against
terrorists
Jun 29 2010
Extradition of Anderson did not come up during meeting: Nirupama
Rao
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday pressed United States
President Barack Obama to convince Pakistan to take strong action against
terrorists involved in anti–India activities in that country following
disclosures made by Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David
Headley.
Briefing reporters about the 30–minute–long Singh–Obama meeting on
the sidelines of the G-20 Summit here, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said the
two leaders discussed the situation in the region and they spoke of
counter–terrorism cooperation in Afghanistan to stabilise the situation
there.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article490484.ece
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'Prince of Jihad' given five years in Indonesia
29 June, 2010
JAKARTA — An Indonesian publisher and Islamist blogger known as the
"Prince of Jihad" was sentenced to five years in jail Tuesday for abetting
suicide attacks on two luxury hotels in Jakarta last year.
Women robed from head-to-toe in black Islamic dress shouted abuse at
the judges as the sentence -- lighter than the seven years sought by prosecutors
-- was handed down in the South Jakarta district court.
Mohammed Jibril Abdurahman, publisher of extremist literature and a
militant blog, was arrested at his Ar-Rahmah media company weeks after the JW
Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotel bombings that killed seven people on July 17,
2009.
Full report at:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iOJacDruCMPTxFVk0d3iAiovmEdg
--------
Seven Israeli Arabs charged in attacks
Jun 29 2010
Israel’s internal security service says seven Israeli Arabs inspired
by al—Qaeda have been indicted in the killing of an Israeli cab driver and other
attacks on Jews and Christians.
The Shin Bet security service says the seven underwent a process of
Islamic radicalization in recent years through material published on the
Internet.
Monday’s indictment did not allege direct ties to the al—Qaeda global
terror network. But it says two of the suspects unsuccessfully attempted to
reach Somalia, where they wanted to fight “infidels” and American
targets.
Israeli Arabs, unlike Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip,
enjoy the rights of citizenship. But they have long complained of
discrimination, and in recent years, Israeli officials have expressed concern
about growing radicalization among the Arab minority.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article490436.ece
--------
Iran Says CIA Waging Psychological Warfare
Jun 29th, 2010
Iran on Monday accused the US Central Intelligence Agency of waging
psychological warfare against it through “fake reports,” saying the CIA knows
Tehran’s nuclear programme has no military aims.
Foreign ministry spoke-sman Ramin Mehmanparast dismissed CIA director
Leon Panetta’s comments that Iran could have nuclear weapons ready to use by as
early as 2012. “Such remarks fall within the framework of psychological warfare
aimed at creating a negative perception about Iran’s peaceful nuclear
activities,” Mr Mehmanparast told state news agency IRNA. “The American
officials, especially their intelligence apparatus, know that Iran’s nuclear
programme is in no way a military one but is aimed at peaceful purposes,” he
said.
Full report at:
http://www.asianage.com/international/iran-says-cia-waging-psychological-warfare-588
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Israel Probe Into Gaza Flotilla Raid Starts
Jun 29th, 2010
Israel’s Prime Minister and defence chief will be called to testify
in an investigation into a deadly raid on a Gaza aid flotilla, the leader of an
Israeli commission of inquiry said in an opening statement on
Monday.
An international observer on the commission said everyone involved
was determined it would be rigorous. Turkey, angered by the killing by Israeli
commandos of nine Turkish pro-Palestinian activists in a melee on a Gaza
blockade-running vessel intercepted on May 31, has said the Israeli probe would
be biased. Rejecting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s proposal for an
international inquiry, Israel’s Cabinet set up the commission, headed by retired
Supreme Court Justice Jacob Turkel, two weeks ago. The panel includes two other
Israelis — an international law expert and a former general — and two non-voting
foreign observers: David Trimble, a Northern Ireland politician and Nobel Peace
Prize laureate, and Canadian jurist Ken Watkin.
Full report at:
http://www.asianage.com/international/israel-probe-gaza-flotilla-raid-starts-587
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VALLEY ON THE BOIL - Tense Omar dials Delhi
Jun 29 2010
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is turning out to be a bone
in the flesh for the government of Jammu & Kashmir.
On Sunday, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had spoken to Home Minister
P. Chida- mbaram and expressed concern at the deaths of civilians at the hands
of the central police organisation in the valley.
Eight persons died in Kashmir in police/paramilitary action in the
past 15 days.
While last week Abdullah had ordered a massive reshuffle in the
police department follow- ing the deaths, the administra- tion has no such
powers when it comes to the central forces.
Hence he has sought New Delhi's help to bring an end “to the cycle of
deaths“.
Full report at: Hindustan Times
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Bid to tone down AFSPA
By Aman Sharma
Jun 29 2010
THE bitter tussle between the security forces and the J& K
government over who will prosecute the accused officials in two recent cases of
extra- judicial killings has reopened the debate on the need to dilute the Armed
Forces ( Special Powers) Act ( AFSPA).
The ministry of home affairs ( MHA) has circulated a note to other
ministries in this regard.
It has suggested that the Act should be amended to ensure that an
officer accused of killing an innocent person in a fake encounter should be
prosecuted by a civilian court rather than through an internal inquiry under the
Army Act or BSF Act.
The MHA’s intention, which is strongly endorsed by J& K chief
minister Omar Abdullah, is to give out a message of
fairness.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Headley sings on Saeed’s 26/ 11 role
By Harinder Baweja
Jun 29 2010
DAVID Coleman Headley has confirmed what India has been saying for
ages — the mastermind of the 26/ 11 attack in Mumbai was Jamaat- ud- Dawa chief
Hafiz Saeed.
Talking to the National Investigation Agency ( NIA) team which had
flown to the US to interrogate him, Headley also revealed the names of the
Pakistani handlers, Union home secretary G. K. Pillai told Headlines Today in an
exclusive interview.
Pillai said: “ Headley told us about the role of Hafiz Saeed ( in 26/
11) and of him being the mastermind. He also gave us the names of the handlers.”
This is the first time any senior official has gone on record to talk about what
Headley told the NIA team in Chicago.
Union home minister P. Chidambaram had gone to Pakistan armed with
the details of Headley’s interrogation. Pillai’s revelations came a day after
the home ministry delegation returned from Islamabad.
Full report at: Mail Today
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SANA to hold 26th annual convention in US
By Raja Zahid A Khanzada
June 29, 2010
DALLAS: Sindhi Association of North America (SANA) is to hold its
26th annual convention at Westin Galleria Hotel, Houston TX from July 2-5.
SANA is the largest representative, secular, democratic organization
of overseas Pakistanis who belong to Sindh province living in USA and Canada.
Its annual convention is the most popular and a major community event
attended by a large number of Pakistanis.
A number of programs have been planned for the upcoming convention
where participants from US, Canada, Pakistan, India and other countries will
present their views on various subjects.
Full report at:
http://thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=107547
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General McChrystal to retire from US Army:
Official
29 Jun, 2010
WASHINGTON: General Stanley McChrystal, who President Barack Obama
fired last week as the top US and Nato commander in Afghanistan, has informed
the US Army he plans to retire, an official said on
Monday.
McChrystal had been widely expected to retire after he and his aides
enraged the White House by disparaging the president and other top civilian
advisers in an article for Rolling Stone magazine. He was fired on
Wednesday.
Obama said McChrystal's dismissal was needed to safeguard the unity
of the war effort.
“McChrystal informed the Army today that he intends to retire,” an
Army spokesman said. McChrystal has yet to submit formal paperwork so it is
unclear when his retirement will take effect, he added.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/06-general-mcchrystal-to-retire-from-us-army-official-rs-07
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Benazir Bhutto inscribed into law by NA vote
By Raja Asghar
29 Jun, 2010
ISLAMABAD: In a historic move, the National Assembly inscribed
Benazir Bhutto’s name into law by its vote on Monday, unanimously passing a
pro-poor bill after the main opposition party gave up a blocking amendment amid
“long live” slogans for the assassinated leader.
However, the Benazir Income Support Programme Bill, based on a
presidential ordinance already in operation, will need approval by Senate to
become a permanent law.
An amendment in the name of the opposition PML-N’s 87 members had
sought to rename the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) provided in the
bill as Qaumi (national) Income Support Programme but was greeted with “no, no”
chants and slogans of “long live Shaheed Benazir Bhutto” from members of the
ruling PPP, and was withdrawn after Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called for
giving a legislative recognition to the former prime minister’s sacrifice for
democracy.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/06-benazir-inscribed-into-law-by-na-vote-960-rs-01
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UN condemns attack on children facility in Gaza
By Masood Haider
29 Jun, 2010
UNITED NATIONS, June 28: The United Nations has condemned Monday’s
attack on a recreational facility used by children in occupied Gaza territory,
the second such incident in a month.
A group of about 25 armed and masked men attacked and set fire to the
facility on the beach in Nuseirat that was being used to host the Summer Games,
run by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
No one was hurt in the incident, which follows a similar attack on
May 23 when a group of 30 armed and masked men attacked and set fire to an UNRWA
Summer Games facility that was under construction on the beach in Gaza City.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/un-condemns-attack-on-children-facility-in-gaza-960
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Afghan war may be lost in Pakistan’s
battlefields
29 Jun, 2010
WASHINGTON: The Afghanistan war may be lost on the battlefields of
Pakistan, where Pakistan authorities are fighting a vicious conflict against a
home-grown insurgency spawned by the war across its western frontier, warns a
report released on Monday by the Atlantic Council.
“The situation in Pakistan remains on edge,” warns Shuja Nawaz,
director of the Council’s South Asia Centre, who wrote the report, “Pakistan in
the Danger Zone: a Tenuous US-Pakistan Relationship”.
“Domestic politics remain in a constant state of flux, with some
progress towards a democratic polity overshadowed by periodic upheavals and
conflicts between the ruling coalition and the emerging judiciary.”
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/21-afghan-war-may-be-lost-in-pakistans-battlefields-report-960-sk-03
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More the better: MPA wants end to birth control to spur
‘jihad’
By Zulfiqar Ali
29 Jun, 2010
PESHAWAR, June 28: Liberal and the religious-minded members of the
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday debated the issue of population growth
with great seriousness but for different reasons.
While PML-N’s Javed Abbasi wanted the population growth to be curbed
and proposed that the government levy a tax of Rs5,000 on the MPAs and senior
officers who have more than three children, the MMA legislators wanted everyone
to produce more children for swelling the ranks of ‘Mujahideen’.
“The more children are born, the more Mujahid (jihadists) would be
there,” said Mufti Kifayatullah of MMA. Speaker Karamatullah Khan Chagharmati
presided over the proceedings.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/more-the-better-mpa-wants-end-to-birth-control-to-spur-jihad-960
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Nuclear talks postponed: Ahmadinejad vows to ‘discipline’
West
29 Jun, 2010
TEHRAN, June 28: Iran will “discipline” the West by holding off talks
with world powers over Tehran’s nuclear programme until the end of August,
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday.
The hardliner said at a Tehran news conference that Iran would also
seek the inclusion of Brazil and Turkey in nuclear fuel swap negotiations with
the United States, France and Russia.
Asked when Tehran would talk with world powers over its overall
nuclear programme, Ahmadinejad said the “negotiations (would likely occur) after
the middle of Ramazan,” around the end of August.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/nuclear-talks-postponed-ahmadinejad-vows-to-discipline-west-960
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Arab countries, West hope for continuity in
Egypt
By Missy Ryan
29 Jun, 2010
CAIRO: As Egyptians contemplate an end to President Hosni Mubarak’s
30-year rule, Egypt’s neighbours and Western allies want and expect continuity
in a nation that has been a bulwark of moderation in the stormy Middle East.
For Western powers like the United States, seeking an end to decades
of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, continuity means ensuring Egypt remains a voice
for diplomatic moderation and a buttress against the spread of radical Islam.
For leaders in the Middle East, a region known for opaque governance
and intolerance of dissent, another term for Mubarak or victory for his
hand-picked successor may be preferable as they worry any democratic opening in
Egypt may force change at home.
“The states in the region look at Egypt and say, ‘Well, Mubarak has
delivered stability’,” said Hani Sabra, an analyst with the Eurasia Group in New
York.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/arab-countries,-west-hope-for-continuity-in-egypt-960
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Kabul dismisses report Karzai met Haqqani
29 Jun, 2010
KABUL: Afghanistan’s government on Monday angrily dismissed as
baseless a media report that President Hamid Karzai had met face-to-face with an
al Qaeda-linked Taliban leader in Kabul. Karzai’s spokesman said the report on
Al-Jazeera TV on Sunday was part of a conspiracy to undermine a
government-initiated peace plan aimed at ending almost nine years of war.
Al-Jazeera said Karzai had met with Sirajuddin Haqqani, who heads the notorious
al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network, at his palace in the Afghan capital as a
prelude to peace talks. “The report is totally baseless, it is a lie and there
is no truth in it,” Karzai’s spokesman Waheed Omar told reporters. He said the
report “was a source of some concern for us because we believe there is a
connected chain of irresponsible rumours about the government of Afghanistan”.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\06\29\story_29-6-2010_pg1_2
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Zardari for early transfer of drone tech to
Pakistan
29 Jun, 2010
* President says Pak-US defence collaboration must remain strong
* Says strategic dialogue has bridged trust deficit
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday urged the US for
early transfer of drone technology to Pakistan for its effective use by security
forces to curb militancy.
He said this while talking to visiting US Air Force Chief of Staff
Gen Norton A Schwartz, who called on him at the President’s House.
The president said that the strategic dialogue process and the
frequent interactions between US and Pakistani leadership had replaced the trust
deficit between the two countries with a “new sense of partnership” and set
their bilateral relations in a positive direction. Matters relating to Pak-US
bilateral relations, including defence cooperation, Pakistan’s fight against
extremism and security situation in the region, came under discussion during the
meeting.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\06\29\story_29-6-2010_pg7_1
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Kingdom urges reforms to avert financial crises
Jun 29, 2010
JEDDAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, who attended
the G20 summit in Toronto, has emphasized the need for global financial reforms
to avoid future international economic crises, according to a statement issued
by the Council of Ministers.
Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and
aviation who chaired the Cabinet meeting, commended King Abdullah’s
participation in the summit and said it reflected the Kingdom’s international
stature and the success of its political and economic
policies.
“King Abdullah’s speech at the G20 meeting contained important
affirmations on global economic situations, financial systems and oil market
developments and support to developing countries, especially poor ones,” Prince
Sultan told the Cabinet.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article75115.ece
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UN chief urges new talks on Iran nuclear
program
Jun 29, 2010
UNITED NATIONS: The UN chief on Monday called for more talks on
Iran's atomic program, saying new sanctions against Tehran have not shut the
door to a diplomatic resolution of its nuclear standoff with the
West.
"Even with the Security Council's resolution adopted on other
sanctions, the door is still open for a negotiated settlement,"
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told reporters.
Ban was responding to a question about Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad's announcement that Iran is ready to resume talks on its nuclear
program but wants to delay them for several weeks to punish the West for
imposing new sanctions.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article75134.ece
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Western oil firms stop business with Iran; UAE freezes bank
accounts
Jun 29, 2010
ABU DHABI: Iran faced growing economic pressure on Monday after two
Western oil firms halted business with it, and a Gulf country seen as a trade
lifeline for Tehran moved to freeze some Iranian-linked bank
accounts.
The developments underlined the major oil producer's increasing
international isolation over a nuclear program it says is aimed at generating
electricity but major powers suspect is intended for making
bombs.
France's Total joined an expanding list of companies that have
stopped gasoline sales to Iran, and Spain's Repsol said it had pulled out of a
contract to develop part of the country's huge South Pars gas field in the
Gulf.
"Total has suspended its sales of gasoline or refined products to
Iran," a company spokesman said in Paris.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article75111.ece
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Mothers walk to support autistic children
By SULTAN AL-TAMIMI
Jun 29, 2010
JEDDAH: The first-ever walk for autism will take place on Wednesday
at Roshan Mall from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The walk was organized by a group of
mothers of autistic children called Mommy Cares Support
Group.
“Our group gets together once a month to discuss issues related to
autism, share experiences and treatment trials, listen to professionals in the
field of autism in the local community and provide any support and encouragement
for mothers,” said Jill Bashore, one of the mothers.
“We chose walking, because it’s for our children, grandchildren,
parents, siblings, families, uncles, aunts, friends and our community. We walk
to show we care and to make a difference in our society,” said Nada Nazer, head
of the group.
The event will start near Toys ‘R Us inside the mall and it will stop
at the food court in the upper floor.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article75133.ece
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5 leaders suggest Arab peacekeeping role
Jun 28, 2010
TRIPOLI: Five Arab leaders meeting in Libya recommended Monday that
Arab nations to prepare a military force to take part in peacekeeping missions,
according to a statement at the end of the meeting.
The one-day mini-summit also recommended holding two full Arab League
summits every year. Issues would be discussed and recommendations would be made
at the first one, and decisions would be made at the second, the statement
said.
Another recommendation was establishing an executive council of heads
of government to supervise implementing Arab summit resolutions, as well as
other councils for economic and trade ministers.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article75122.ece
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Gaza banks on strike to protest Hamas raid
By MOHAMMED MAR'I
Jun 28, 2010
RAMALLAH: Banks closed in the Gaza Strip on Monday to protest the
seizure of $16,000 by Hamas police during a raid a day earlier, the Palestine
Monetary Authority (PMA) said.
In a joint press statement with the Association of Banks, the West
Bank-based PMA denounced the raid, which was carried out following a Hamas court
order to release funds belonging to a charity that had been frozen by the
Palestinian Authority.
"This kind of irresponsible behavior will reduce the ability of banks
to provide services that relieve the suffering of our besieged people in Gaza,"
the authority said in a statement announcing the one-day
strike.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article74989.ece
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Israeli airstrike kills Gaza fighter
Jun 28, 2010
GAZA: An Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip on Monday killed at
least one Palestinian fighter and wounded two other people, medical workers
said.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said a military aircraft had "targeted a
Palestinian who fired a rocket-propelled grenade at soldiers" that struck inside
Israel. Israeli media said a mortar bomb was also fired from Gaza at Israel,
causing no injuries.
"A direct hit was identified" in the Israeli attack, the army
spokeswoman said. There were no reported casualties from the grenade attack that
prompted the air raid.
Israel frequently carries out air raids over Hamas-ruled Gaza,
targeting Palestinians suspected of firing rockets into the Jewish
state.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article75082.ece
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Sudan to close Libyan border over rebel threat
Jun 28, 2010
KHARTOUM: Sudan said on Monday it was closing borders with Libya to
protect travelers and traders from attacks by rebels, a likely reference to
Darfur insurgents who have taken refuge in Tripoli.
Sudan planned to block land crossings from July 1, said a statement
on the Interior Ministry's website which did not give details on the identity of
the potential attackers.
The announcement comes a day after Sudan said it had called on Libya
to expel the leader of Darfur's rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) Khalil
Ibrahim, accusing him of making statements undermining peace efforts in Darfur
and threatening attacks on Khartoum.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article75121.ece
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Israeli flotilla inquiry to question premier
By MATTI FRIEDMAN
Jun 28, 2010
JERUSALEM: The Israeli commission of inquiry into last month's deadly
naval raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla will summon the country's prime minister to
testify, the chief investigator announced Monday as the five-member panel
officially began work.
Alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's defense
minister and military chief of staff will also face the commission investigating
the events leading up to the deaths on May 31 of eight Turks and one
Turkish-American on a ship trying to break the Gaza blockade, commission head
Jacob Turkel told reporters.
The panel's main job, Turkel said, was to investigate whether
Israel's actions leading up to the incident, which took place in international
waters, "meet the norms of international law." He said public hearings would
begin within weeks.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article75127.ece
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Saudi acquitted of terror charges
Jun 29, 2010
JAKARTA: A reired Saudi Arabian teacher was acquitted Monday of
charges he helped finance last year’s attacks on two hotels in the capital that
left seven dead and more than 50 wounded.
A panel of judges at the South Jakarta District Court, however,
sentenced Al-Khelaiw Ali Abdullah to 18 months in prison for violating
immigration laws. They said the 55-year-old, who had been running an Internet,
entered the country several times since 2008 and ran business without a proper
visa. The July 17, 2009, attacks on the J.W. Marriott and Ritz Carlton hotels in
Indonesia ended a four-year lull in bombings blamed on the Al-Qaeda-linked
network, Jemaah Islamiah and its affiliates. Together, over 260 people died,
many of them foreigners.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article75041.ece
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NATO, Afghans give two accounts of fatal
operation
Jun 29, 2010
KANDAHAR: NATO said Monday that a Taleban commander was among several
armed people killed during a search operation in Kandahar, but residents claimed
the troops killed eight innocent civilians, including two elderly
men.
NATO said in a statement that coalition and Afghan troops went to a
compound outside Kandahar city where they immediately came under hostile fire.
The troops returned fire in self-defense and killed several armed men, including
Taleban commander, Shyster Uhstad Khan, who was involved in the purchase and
distribution of roadside bombs, NATO said.
The coalition said the combined force also detained an individual who
was suspected of having direct contact with senior Taleban leaders in Kabul and
facilitated the delivery of explosive devices to the
capital.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article75095.ece
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BEATING-UP OF WOMEN IN ABBAS’S HOUSE
Jun 29, 2010
Sahara snubs Matin Khasru’s plea for action against offenders
Home minister Sahara Khatun on Monday snubbed a plea from senior
Awami League leader Abdul Matin Khasru that action should be taken against the
persons involved in beating up women in the house of BNP standing committee
member Mirza Abbas during Sunday’s opposition-sponsored
hartal.
‘I saw on television [lawmen] beating up women after entering into a
house; it is in no way acceptable. Awami League cannot do it. Who are these
overenthusiastic people,’ Abdul Matin Khasru MP said in the parliament,
referring to Sunday’s attack on the house of Mirza Abbas who he did not
name.
Full report at: The Daily Star, Bangladesh
9:16 PM
Sultan Shahin
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