7 Hindus Shot Dead In Pak23rd Marriage: 108 year old woman wants baby with 38 year old husband
Zardari takes note of Christians’ killing, controversy over temple
Imams in the modern age
Targeted killings toll rises to 10 in 24 hours
HEADLEY NAILS PAKISTAN STATE ROLE IN TERROR
‘1,101 Baloch missing since 1992’
Spain rejects proposal to ban burqa
Minoui Reveals Saga of Yemen Divorce at Age 10
Muslim Rashtriya Manch defends RSS
Muslims face bank ‘profiling’ barrier
Saeed, Lakhvi part of larger conspiracy: NIA
Delhi’s claim of Headley links given shut up call
Gaza women smoulder over hookah ban
Pakistan cries foul over Google’s Pornistan tag
Kabul meet wants Karzai to clean up before handover
Each day Paks terror link is getting stronger
Peace process should be Afghan-led: India
UN lists US-born Muslim cleric as Al-Qaeda member
Landmark Saudi flight arrives from Baghdad
Top Harkat-ul-Mujahideen militant among 2 killed in Sopore encounter
Saudi men abandon 598 families abroad: panel
US READY FOR TALKS WITH TALIBAN
`Close terror hubs for Afghan peace'
No link between Iraq and 9/11: Ex-M15 spy chief
‘Pak state actors terror sponsors’
Madhuri’s Pakistani love story with ‘Jim’
Kyrgyz forces torturing Uzbeks: UN
‘Elements in Pak govt know where Osama is hiding’
Osama not in Pakistan: Gilani
Bomb-making tips, hit list behind Blogetery closure
22 killed in clashes between Yemen rebels, pro-government tribesmen
Indonesian Muslims allowed drinking civet coffee
Dubai, Cairo Film Festivals promote Arab film production
15 injured in southern Iran quake: reports
Kurdish rebels kill 7 Turkish soldiers
Haia arrests 2 men for threatening to cast spell on woman
23,221 new teachers to be appointed
Shoura mulling action on 300 rights petitions
Bashir to visit Chad despite arrest warrant
Uganda defends 1,700 Rwandans repatriation
BNP-M leader Liaquat Mengal killed in Kalat
Hillary speaks out for Afghan women
Facebook users in Kashmir being harassed: rights group
Kashmir root cause of terrorism in S Asia: Maleeha
US, UK leaders cite peaceful solution to Iran issue
Pandey’s PoK Links To Be Probed
SMK Warns Against ‘Selective Terror Ops’
21st century is Quran’s century: Zahid Malik
New German study: boys growing up in pious Muslim families are more likely to be violent
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Malaysian woman Wook Kundor, 108 with husband Noor 38
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Demolition of Hindu temple triggers protest in Rawalpindi
Jul 20, 2010
Islamabad The demolition of part of an 87-year-old temple triggered protests by the minority Hindu community in the Pakistani garrison city of Rawalpindi before authorities said they would prevent the rest of the shrine from being pulled down.
Hundreds of Hindus were joined by Muslim residents when they took to the streets to protest the demolition of a large section of the temple by a man who had leased the structure from the Auqaf Department, an autonomous body of the Provincial Government.
The temple on Tipu Road, opposite the Rawalpindi Medical College, is located near a 'shamshan ghat' or cremation ground.
It was built in 1923 by Lala Tansukh Rai, the Raees-e-Azam of Rawalpindi, in memory of his wife.
Muslim residents of the area joined Hindu and Sikh protesters to express solidarity with them and blocked the road for an hour.
Following an assurance from police that the demolition would be stopped, the protesters dispersed.
Channa Lal, the chief Hindu priest for Rawalpindi and Islamabad, said that religious rites were performed at the temple before bodies were cremated at the shamshan ghat.
Hindu Sabha president Jag Mohan said local residents noticed some labourers demolishing the structure and digging up its foundations yesterday morning.
Jag Mohan said he and some other people went to the site and asked the labourers to stop the work and produce orders authorising them to demolish the temple.
The staff of the Auqaf Department too said the labourers were not allowed to demolish the building, he added. Before partition in 1947, the 'shamshan ghat' was spread over 277 kanals of land.
When a majority of Hindus migrated from Rawalpindi, the families that stayed behind handed over surplus land to the government for educational purposes during President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's tenure.
The total area of the shamshan ghat and the temple complex now was over two kanals, Jag Mohan said.
The Auqaf Department rented out the building to a welfare society despite protests by the Hindu community, he said.
The welfare society failed to pay rent to the Auqaf Department in 2000, following which the latter got the building vacated.
The Auqaf Department then leased the building to Raja Abdul Wahid, who further leased it to a private media group in 2005.
Following protests by Hindus, the Auqaf Department set up a committee that declared the building was not a temple, Jag Mohan said.
"It is unfair that we have been performing religious rituals in the building for the many years but the Auqaf Department gave it to a private company for commercial purposes," Jag Mohan added.
Over 100 Hindu families living in Rawalpindi and foreigners, including some diplomats, used the shamshan ghat for rituals, Jag Mohan said.
Ibadur Rehman Lodhi, a lawyer, told the Dawn newspaper that the Auqaf Department could not lease out places of worship where religious rituals are performed.
He said the authorities can only lease property adjacent to religious shrines or properties that were
abandoned for many years.
Commissioner Zahid Saeed said Hindu members of the Auqaf Department had verified that the building was not a temple.
Saeed said he had directed the district administration chief to verify whether the building was a temple.
Members of the Hindu community said there were several temples along Tipu Road and Nullah Leh in Rawalpindi.
Some of them were demolished before partition while many were razed after the Babri Masjid in India was demolished in 1992.
Most of the temples are under the control of the Auqaf Department, which has rented them out.
There are several temples in the Raja Bazar area which are now being used as residential apartments.
The Hindu community has demanded that the President, Prime Minister and Chief Justice of Pakistan should take steps to protect the temple and shamshan ghats.
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Demolition-of-Hindu-temple-triggers-protest-in-Rawalpindi/649340/
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7 Hindus Shot Dead In Pak
Jul 21st, 2010
Islamabad, July 20: Seven members of a Hindu family were killed in Pakistan’s Jaffarabad district on Tuesday by unknown extremists, the police said.
“The deceased include children and a woman. Three persons have been injured the attack,” a police official said. A police official said the unidentified gunmen forcibly entered the house of Shankar Lal and opened fire at the family in Suhbatpur area which resulted in the death of seven people.
The police said that the deceased included a woman Malka and five children while the injured were identified as Ashiq, Akash and a woman Miraa.
The police said that eight assailants equipped with latest weapons committed the crime.
On Monday, two Christian brothers accused of writing a blasphemous pamphlet critical of Prophet Mohammed were shot dead outside a court in eastern Pakistan. Sub-inspector, Mr Mohammed Javed, was bringing Sajid Masih and his brother Rashid Masih back to the police station after producing them before a magistrate in a blasphemy case when the assailants opened fire at them. As a result, Sajid and Rashid were killed on the spot. while sub-inspector Javed was injured seriously. After the incident, Christians took out a rally and blocked Aminpur Bungalow and Eidgah Roads for an hour. They also burnt tyres.
http://www.asianage.com/international/7-hindus-shot-dead-pak-261
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23rdMarriage: 108 year old woman wants baby with 38 year old husband
July 19, 2010
Malaysia-A 108 year old Malaysian woman , wants to fulfill her long awaited dream of having a baby. It gets stranger: she is married to a 38 year old man, who has just returned from an 18 month stint in re-hab. But the piece de resistance: this is her 23rd marriage!
According to the the Malaysian Star reports,Wook Kundor, and her husband, Mohd Noor Che Musa, want to adopt a baby and they’re not very picky….well other than the husband preferring a toddler, (easier on his 108 year old wife, he says, since he will have to work to support his family).
Mohd Noor went on to say that they will even take “your spare babies or a baby born out of wedlock.”
The blissful couple has been married now for five years.108 year old woman and a 38 year old drug addict…..do I hear any offers of babies for adoption, anyone? Hmmmm.
The Star, Malaysia
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Zardari takes note of Christians’ killing, controversy over temple
July 21, 2010
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday took a strong note of the murder of two Christian brothers outside a court in Faisalabad, and the controversy surrounding a historic Hindu temple in Rawalpindi.
Zardari directed the provincial authorities to take all-out measures for the arrest of the culprits involved in the murder of the two brothers, accused of writing a blasphemous pamphlet. Condemning the incident, he said it had brought a bad name to the country. He said the life of every person was sacred and nobody could be allowed to take the law into their hands.
He expressed sympathy with the families of Pastor Rashid Emmanuel and his brother Sajjad, and directed the provincial government to pay them suitable compensation. Zardari also took note of the media report about demolition of a building, claimed to be a Hindu temple, in Rawalpindi. He asked Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti to probe into the matter and report to him the factual position.
APP adds: President Asif Ali Zardari has asked the federal government to take necessary steps on a priority basis for completion of the ongoing projects in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. He directed this during a meeting with a delegation from AJK including President AJK Raja Zulqarnain Khan and Prime Minister Raja Muhammad Farooq Khan at the Aiwan-e-Sadr on Tuesday. Minister for Population Welfare AJK Naheed Tariq, PPP AJK president Abdul Majeed Chaudhry, former prime minister AJK Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan, Chief Secretary M Arbab Shehzad, Secretary Serra Abid Shah and Commissioner Mangla Raising Project Chaudhry Munir were also accompanied the president and AJK PM.
Water and Power Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Secretary-General M Salman Faruqui, Chairman Erra Altaf M Saleem and Chairman Wapda Shakil Durrani were also present during the meeting besides Federal Secretary Water and Power Shahid Rafi. Matters related to progress on various development projects with particular emphasis on issues relating to the Mangla Dam Raising Project and reconstruction programme in AJK were discussed during the meeting.
Prime Minister AJK Raja Muhammad Farooq Khan briefed Zardari about the reconstruction programme in AJK and the four other new towns exclusively meant for the victims of the ongoing Mangla Dam Raising Project. While briefing the president, he said the raising of the main dam and spillway have been completed in December 2009 and the main raising work was ready to accommodate additional storage during the flood season. The raised Mangla Dam will be able to store additional 2.88MAF of water over and above its original capacity of 4.54MAF. He said that over Rs 40 billion have been paid as compensation for land and trees, however, an amount of nearly Rs 5 billion was yet to be provided to the government of AJK for disbursement among the victims.
Zardari assured the AJK leaders that he would ask the federal government to urgently address the issues relating to rehabilitation and payment of compensation to the victims who were displaced due to the raising of Mangla dam. He directed Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervaiz Ashraf to immediately hold a meeting with the relevant federal government agencies in this regard and apprise him of the progress made. He said the government gave special attention to the development of AJK and completion of various ongoing development projects were among the foremost priorities of the government.
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=252009
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Imams in the modern age
By Al-Jumuah
Jul 21 1010
How can the Imam fulfill his responsibility of being murabbi to his community as his voice continues to fade in this digital age? What transformations and adaptations will he have to make to reclaim the authority and influence that he historically enjoyed over the centuries? Historically, the ulama were at the center of the creation of culture within the Muslim community. They were the trendsetters. This is no longer the case. The various sciences used to be the domain of the ulama. Traditionally, memorization of the Qur’an and the hadeeth was a basic prerequisite for pursuing a career in the natural and social sciences. This led to ulama who were also doctors, engineers and philosophers. It was these kinds of people who interpreted the world for the Muslim masses based on the principles of the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
Full report at: http://muslimvillage.com/2010/07/21/imams-in-the-modern-age/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=imams-in-the-modern-age
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Targeted killings toll rises to 10 in 24 hours
July 21, 2010
KARACHI: At least 10 innocent persons, mainly annexed with political parties, were gunned down within last 24 hours in a spurt of violence on Tuesday here in metropolis, police sources said.
The incidents, which sparked violence and arson attacks in the east zone of the police organisational structure, caused bafflement among the investigators as they looked for causes behind the wave of attacks.
DIG (East) Amir Sheikh confirmed to media that eight people were shot dead in Al-Falah and Gulistan-i-Jauhar.
Full report at: http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/7-21-2010/68703.htm
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HEADLEY NAILS PAKISTAN STATE ROLE IN TERROR
By Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury
Jul 21st, 2010
ISI- military- terrorists nexus makes it harder for India to deal with Islamabad says National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon
NATIONAL Security Adviser ( NSA) Shiv Shankar Menon has confirmed the existence of a deep nexus between terrorist groups and the Pakistan establishment.
Pointing to the revelations made by David Coleman Headley during his interrogation by Indian investigators in Chicago, the NSA asserted that the link between the terrorists and state actors in Pakistan had made it difficult for India to tackle terrorism.
Addressing a conference on terrorism in New Delhi on Tuesday, Menon minced no words when he said, “ For us, it has been brought home most recently by what we learn from Headley which confirmed many of the things we knew before. And it is really the links ( of the terror groups) with the official establishment and the existing intelligence agencies. It is that nexus which makes it a much harder phenomenon for us to deal with.” India believes that the existence of the dangerous terrorist- state nexus in Pakistan, which is now unraveling, meant “ there was less possibility of being optimistic” — especially because the link was growing stronger.
Full report at: Mail Today
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‘1,101 Baloch missing since 1992’
July 21, 2010
Around 1,101 Baloch have gone missing since 1992, a leader of the Baloch Unity Conference (BUC) Majeed Baloch said at a seminar on the Case of Missing Persons of Balochistan held at the Karachi Press Club on Tuesday.
“This figure is based on cases which have been reported in the media. In reality, thousands of Baloch political activists, students, and common people have disappeared without any trace. Thousands others have been killed since the insurgency started in the province.”
According to a report of the Asian Human Rights Commission, which has been published in a booklet form by the BUC, some 168 children and 148 women have disappeared from the province.
Majeed Baloch demanded that the government take immediate notice of the alarming situation and take steps for the recovery of missing persons. “The Baloch have always been deprived of their rights. Our people have been abducted without any reason, illegally detained and murdered. We demand an end to the atrocities and recovery of those missing.”
Full report at: http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=251915
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Spain rejects proposal to ban burqa
Jul 21, 2010
MADRID: Spain's Parliament has rejected a proposal to ban women from wearing in public places Islamic veils that reveal only the eyes.
The proposal was debated late Tuesday; 183 lawmakers opposed the ban, 162 lawmakers voted for it and two abstained.
The nonbinding proposal had been put forward by the leading opposition Popular Party, which portrayed it as a measure in support of women's rights. The ruling Socialist Party opposed the ban.
Other European countries have also debated banning body covering clothing such as burqas or niqabs. Within Spain, the city government of northeastern Barcelona and some neighboring town councils have banned the wearing of such garb in public buildings such as town halls and hospitals.
Opponents of a ban say it will harm democracy and violate religious rights while supporters say it is a matter of national security and of adaptation to local customs.
http://arabnews.com/world/article87461.ece
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Minoui Reveals Saga of Yemen Divorce at Age 10
By Anna Louie Sussman
Jul 21, 2010
Delphine Minoui's book, now out in English, puts the reader in the shoes of a Yemeni girl married at age 10. When the girl divorced her husband, she spotlighted the sufferings of child brides. Book royalties now support the ex-bride and her parents.
(WOMENSENEWS--When Delphine Minoui first began reporting on Iran in 1997 for a French newspaper, reformist President Mohammed Khatami had just been elected, press restrictions were light and the government was beginning to engage with the foreign media.
Now 35, Minoui recalls that back then, the French public held many prejudices and cliches about the Middle East that she hoped to dispel through her reporting.
In contrast to the stereotype of submissive, obedient housewives, Minoui found a strong, defiant female population. One example was a female cousin who had been flogged by police for attending a party, but who vowed to make no changes in her social life. Giving that up, she said, implied surrender to the authorities.
In another instance, a police officer ordered a young woman on a street corner to spit out the gum she was chewing. Instead, the young woman swallowed the frowned-upon substance and smiled.
Full report at: http://www.womensenews.org/print/8213
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Muslim Rashtriya Manch defends RSS
New Age Islam News Bureau
New Delhi: Muslims Rashtriya Manch put a silent domonstration at Jantar Mantar here protesting against the arrest of the RSS activists allegedly involved in bomb blasts in the country especially in Muslim majority areas. The proteters said that the Sangh was not involved in the incidents and that it was a conspiracy of the Congress to malign the RSS. Among the participants were Md Afzaal, Girish Joyal, C S Parcha, Narendra Bundel, Dr J K Jain , Dushyant Kumar Gautam, Vandana Pathak, Hafiz Md Haroon, Vipin Jain, Anil Garg, Haryana chief of Manch, Aurangjeb, Zaheer Ahmad from Moradabad, Md Shahzad and Shama Khan from Agra, Md Yasin from Gujarat, Imamul Haq from West Bengal, Muniawwar Choudhury from Rajasthan and Ghulam Ali from J&K among a host of others.
The demonstrators expressed their views and proposals on a 200 metre cloth and did a round of Jantar Mantar with it. The demonstrators said that the Congress had launched such a campaign in Bihar and UP to garner minority votes in these states. Until now, the alllegation of garnering Hindu votes has been made against the BJP and the RSS, but the activists of the issue of maligning the RSS was linked to Muslim votes. They said that if the violent activities had been proved to be by the RSS, the security agencies would have arrested them by now. It means that the RSS which is running a campaign for the strengthening the country was being maligned for vote politics. Some officers were running this campaign to divert the attention of the public from Bhopal Gas Tragedy and risig prices, they argued. They further said that the media was publishing such news because it had been bought over by the Congress. They also said that since the Manch had raised the issue of protection of Waqf properties and the RSS had supported it, this conspiracy was hatched to divert the attention from the Waqf. Presenting another logic the speakers said that since after the Kalyan-Mulayam alliance, Muslims had drifted away from Mulayam, the Congress wanted to woo the Muslim sympathy and to achieve the goal it has planned to create bitteness in Muslim-RSS relations by involving the RSS in terrorism. The effigy of the UPA government was burned on the occasion.It was also informed that a 'Save Democracy' campaign would be launched on August 8-9.
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Muslims face bank ‘ profiling’ barrier
By Maneesh Pandey
Jul 21st, 2010
THE NATIONAL Commission of Minorities ( NCM) received a record number of complaints from Muslims — up from 1,508 in 2007- 08 to 2,268 in 2009- 10 — alleging discrimination by scheduled commercial banks in the opening of accounts and getting loans. And the figures for 2009- 10 are for only nine months — July 1, 2009, to March 31, 2010.
The most shocking case of discrimination comes from Andhra Pradesh, where no bank last year was prepared to open accounts for over 90,000 Muslim students to deposit their scholarship amounts.
NCM chairperson Mohammed Shafi Qureshi pointed out a substantial drop in the number of bank accounts operated by Muslims in the scheduled commercial banks. “ The number of accounts decreased by the end of March 2009 by 47 per cent in Assam, which has about 32 per cent Muslims, 17.44 per cent in West Bengal, 46.2 per cent in Karnataka and 6.99 per cent in Kerala,” he said.
Uttar Pradesh is the only state to record a marginal increase of 3.14 per cent.
Banks, too, admit there’s a problem.
However, they point out that they are taking remedial action. Indian Banks’ Association ( IBA) deputy chief executive officer K. Unnikrishnan said: “ We are implementing the guidelines issued by the central government and the Reserve Bank of India. Bank officials are also being sensitised about the matter ( lending to people belonging to the minority communities). Banks are also making an effort to open more branches in neighbourhoods dominated by the minorities.”
Full report at: Mail Today
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Saeed, Lakhvi part of larger conspiracy: NIA
Jiby Kattakayam
Jul 21st, 2010
NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA), seeking in a Delhi court non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Jama-ut-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, Lashkar-e-Taiba head of operations Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi and four other Pakistani citizens, said its case was based on a “larger conspiracy” against India.
To District and Sessions Judge S.P. Garg's poser on the need for warrants against Saeed and Lakhvi, against whom a Mumbai trial court hearing the 26/11 terror attack case had issued NBWs in June 2009, NIA counsel Dayan Krishnan said the agency's investigation was “separate” and it had evidence to show that the duo was part of a larger conspiracy against the country and that the 26/11 terror attack was just one part of it.
NIA counsel also briefed the court that the NBW would help the agency approach Interpol for a “United Nations Security Council Interpol Special Notice” against Saeed and Lakhvi besides the Red Corner Notice. This special notice is issued for groups and individuals who are the targets of U.N. sanctions against the Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
Consolidated list
Full report at: http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/21/stories/2010072162141500.htm
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Delhi’s claim of Headley links given shut up call
21 Jul, 2010
ISLAMABAD—Pakistan has strongly refuted assertions made by India’s National Security Advisor, Mr. Shivshankar Menon alleging links between Pakistan’s establishment and David Headley. When asked to comment, Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said Mr. Menon’s baseless accusations were yet another manifestation of the Indian establishment’s propagandistic stance toward Pakistan.
The Spokesman said this was entirely inconsistent with the understanding reached between the leadership of the two countries at Thimphu (Bhutan) that terrorism was a common threat which needed to be addressed in a cooperative manner.
India’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Shivshankar Menon said on Tuesday. that Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley’s interrogation, an accused in the Mumbai terror attack case, has pointed to links between official establishments ( without naming Pakistan) and militants, which he said, are growing stronger and the nexus has left no room for India to be optimistic.
“Headley’s interrogation has revealed militant link with official establishments and the nexus with existing agencies is making it difficult.,” Menon said while addressing a conference on terrorism in New Delhi. Menon said India now has a “much clearer picture” on the infrastructure of terrorism and its support systems in South Asia.
Full report at: http://dailymailnews.com/0710/21/FrontPage/index.php?id=1
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Gaza women smoulder over hookah ban
Jul 21st, 2010
Gaza City: There are few pleasures left for Gaza’s 1.5 million people, squeezed by both a blockade and Hamas efforts to impose its strict Muslim lifestyle. And women here just lost another one.
Gaza’s Hamas rulers have banned women from smoking water pipes in cafes, sending plainclothes agents through popular beachside spots on Sunday to enforce the edict. Some women in the Palestinian territory are grumbling.
“This is silly,” said Haya Ahmed, a 29-year-old accountant who said she has smoked water pipes for 10 years. “We are not smoking in the streets but in restaurants, where only a few people can enter.” She predicted the ban would actually make water pipes more tempting for rebellious young women. “Everything forbidden becomes desirable.
The decision will lead to more smokers,” Ahmed said.
Many Gazans pile into beach cafes in the evenings to puff on water pipes well into the wee hours of the morning. Islamic law does not ban women from smoking the traditional tobacco-infused pipes, but many frown upon the practice.
The water pipe restrictions are just the latest in a yearlong Hamas campaign to gradually enforce a strict Muslim life code on the people of Gaza - many of whom are conservative Muslims themselves and not entirely opposed. But the secular minority feels the crunch.
Hamas, the Islamic militant group that overran Gaza three years ago, has banned women from riding motorbikes - mostly impoverished women riding behind their husbands on cheaply bought Vespas. Teenage girls are pressured by their Hamas-loyal school teachers to cover up in loose robes and headscarves.
Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/gaza-women-smoulder-over-hookah-ban/648741/
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Pakistan cries foul over Google’s Pornistan tag
Jul 21st, 2010
MOST Pakistanis may be crying foul over their country being nicknamed Pornistan following media reports that it topped the list of porn searches on Google. But a few admit to watching porn.
“ Yes. I have watched ( and accessed) porn websites,” an old bearded man confessed to DawnNews, which did a special report on Internet search trends in Pakistan. Even as the others grinned at the old man's admission, he said: “ They ( Google) may be right. What's wrong with it?” According to a FoxNews report that quoted Google Trends and Google Insights, Pakistan tops searches perperson for various forms of sex.
After speaking to people in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta, Dawn- News concluded that there may be some inaccuracies in Google Trends and yet the trends are not altogether inaccurate.
While most Internet surfers denied surfing cyberspace for porn or sex on camera, they were quite vocal once the camera was switched off.
However, the Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan has contested the findings of Google Trends, saying not a single porn site features in the list of the top 40 Pakistani and international websites visited most often by residents of the country.
Mail Today
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Kabul meet wants Karzai to clean up before handover
Jul 21st, 2010
Kabul: The international community at a conference on Afghanistan on Tuesday gave more control over aid money to the Afghan government,but also approved a plan to hand over security responsibility to national forces by 2014.
The one-day conference,attended by around 70 international representatives,including 57 countries and 11 regional and international organisations,also tasked Kabul with political and economic reforms and improving governance,including the fight against endemic administrative corruption within specific timelines.
Participants affirmed support for the Afghan governments leadership in exercising its sovereign authority, read the final declaration,which was drafted after six hours of deliberation by the delegates,including nearly 40 foreign ministers.
Earlier,rockets fired at the Kabul airport on Tuesday forced the diversion of a plane carrying UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Swedens foreign minister.
Full report at: Times of India
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Each day Paks terror link is getting stronger
Jul 21st, 2010
New Delhi: National security adviser on Tuesday carried on from where Union home secretary G K Pillai left off on the ISIs hand in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.Menon backed Pillai,saying David Coleman Headleys revelations confirmed ISI links.Menons remarks were also interpreted as a clear sign that India was not ready to acquiesce in Pakistans attempt to put J&K and Siachen on the negotiating table even when it refuses to act against the 26/11 masterminds despite evidence growing stronger by the day.
I think we know what needs to be done and we also know who is responsible for terrorism.I think what has happened is we have a much clearer picture today of the infrastructure of terrorism,the eco-system that supports terrorism which frankly is not confined to South Asia but affects the entire world, Menon said at ORF-Heritage Foundation Dialogue on counter-terrorism here.
His comments came on a day when foreign minister S M Krishna said the evidence given by Headley could not be swept under the carpet.The minister who was in Kabul stressed that sanctuaries for terrorists needed to be destroyed forthwith.
Times of India
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Peace process should be Afghan-led: India
Jul 21st, 2010
Krishna Pledges Indias Support To Karzai Govt,Says Would Like To Invest In Mining
New Delhi: In a direct message to Pakistan and countries hoping for a quick reconciliation with the Taliban,India on Tuesday said the sanctuaries of terrorists should be destroyed and any peace process should be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned.
In a statement at the Kabul peace conference,foreign minister S M Krishna pledged Indias support for Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his government,but said,The international community should also ensure that there is no selectivity in dealing with terrorism.Terrorism cannot be compartmentalised.As President Karzai said today,it is the vicious common enemy we face.Today,one cannot distinguish between al-Qaida and the plethora of terrorist organisations which have imbibed the goals and techniques of al-Qaida.It is,therefore,essential to ensure that support,sustenance and sanctuaries for terrorist organisations from outside Afghanistan are ended forthwith. However,Krishna gave a thumbs up to an Afghan-led and Afghanowned reconciliation process.
Full report at: Times of India
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UN lists US-born Muslim cleric as Al-Qaeda member
21 Jul, 2010
UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations blacklisted a US-born Muslim cleric as member of Al-Qaeda on Tuesday, just days after the United States put him on its own blacklist, diplomats said.
Anwar al-Awlaki, now operating in Yemen and suspected of having helped direct a failed attempt to blow up a US passenger jet on Christmas Day 2009, was placed on a UN list of people linked to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban under the decision by a Security Council committee.
The listing requires UN member states — virtually all the world's countries — to impose an assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo against Awlaki, 39, who joins more than 250 people on the list said to be tied to al Qaeda.
Last Friday, Awlaki was blacklisted by the US Treasury Department as a “specially designated global terrorist,” freezing any assets he may have under US jurisdiction and prohibiting Americans from engaging in transactions with him.
Full report at: http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/14-un-lists-us-born-muslim-cleric-as-al-qaeda-member-zj-01
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Landmark Saudi flight arrives from Baghdad
By SULTAN AL-TAMIMI
Jul 21, 2010
Umrah pilgrims from Iraq queue at the immigration counter Jeddah’s King Abdul Aziz International Airport on Monday night. The pilgrims were passengers of a chartered Alwafeer Airlines flight, the first to make a direct flight between the Kingdom and Iraq in 20 years. (AN photo)
A Saudi Arabian plane carrying Umrah pilgrims traveled from Iraq to the Kingdom for the first time in 20 years. A chartered Alwafeer Airlines flight carrying 384 Iraqis landed in Jeddah’s King Abdul Aziz International Airport on Monday night.
“On behalf of all my colleagues and staff I want to express our utmost happiness and welcome the arrival of our first flight coming from Iraq to King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah,” said Mohammed Bagaba, head of commercial activities for Alwafeer.
“I am truly glad to have made it to Saudi Arabia to visit the holy places of Makkah and Madinah. This trip means a lot to me and my family back home, as this is my first visit to Makkah in long time,” 50-year-old Yaquob from Baqubah in Iraq told Arab News.
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article87408.ece
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Qaida chief is not in country, insists Gilani
Jul 21st, 2010
Islamabad: A day after secretary of state Hillary Clinton said Osama bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan,PM Yousaf Raza Gilani on Tuesday insisted that the al-Qaida chief was not in his country and asked the US to provide evidence about his whereabouts.
Gilani said Osama was not in Pakistan and that there was no discussion on the al-Qaida chief with Hillary during her visit here.The US should provide evidence if they think Osama bin Laden is in Pakistan, Gilani was quoted as saying by the news channels.
Hillary told reporters on Monday that she believed Osama bin Laden was still in Pakistan and that it would be helpful if he and other al-Qaida leaders were killed or captured.
Times of India
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Top Harkat-ul-Mujahideen militant among 2 killed in Sopore encounter
Jul 21, 2010
SRINAGAR: A top Harkat-ul-Mujahideen militant was among two ultras killed in an encounter with security forces in Sopore town of North Kashmir on Wednesday.
A defence spokesman said the encounter started on Tuesday in Haigham, 50 kms from here, in which an Army jawan was killed.
The slain self-styled divisional commander was identified as Nouman. He was a Pakistani national and involved in an attack on Lal Chowk here in February, 2010.
Sepoy Sanjay Kumar belonging to the Rashtriya Rifles was killed in the encounter on Tuesday.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Top-Harkat-ul-Mujahideen-militant-among-2-killed-in-Sopore-encounter/articleshow/6194520.cms
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Saudi men abandon 598 families abroad: panel
21 July 2010
JEDDAH — Saudi husbands and fathers have abandoned 598 families abroad, according to Awasir — the Society for the Welfare of Saudi Families Abroad.
Awasir counsellor Ali Al Hinaki said in a press statement on Sunday that the situation of the families had been brought about by the death of the father, his illness, imprisonment or absence, or failure to care for his children.
He added that foreign women sought marriage to Saudis in order to obtain Saudi nationality, and not to build a family or married life.
“As soon as they get nationality, they change. They then want to get a khula divorce and afterwards bring into the kingdom men of their own nationality to work and later marry them,” he said.
Full report at: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/July/middleeast_July355.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
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US READY FOR TALKS WITH TALIBAN
Ewen MacAskill
Jul 21st, 2010
The White House is revising its Afghanistan strategy to embrace the idea of negotiating with senior members of the Taliban through third parties -a policy to which it had previously been lukewarm.
Negotiating with the Taliban has long been advocated by Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, and the British and Pakistani governments, but resisted by Washington.
While the US government is still officially resistant to the idea of talks with Taliban leaders, behind the scenes a shift is under way and Washington is encouraging Karzai to take a lead in such negotiations.
The US has no agreed position on who among the leaders of the insurgency should be wooed and who would be beyond the pale.
The Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, would be a problem as he provided Osama bin Laden with bases before the 9/11 attacks.
Full report at: Hindustan TImes
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`Close terror hubs for Afghan peace'
Jul 21st, 2010
There are clear links between Pakistan's official establishment and PakistaniAmerican terrorist David Headley, who acted as advance scout for the 26/11 attackers, said National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon on Tuesday.
“It's been brought home recently by what we learnt from Headley, which confirms many of the things we knew before,“ said Menon, addressing an international conference on terrorism in the Capital. “And it's really the links between the official establishment and with existing intelligence agencies.“
His comments come soon after Home Secretary G.K. Pillai maintained Headley's interrogation had made it clear both Pakistan's ISI and Lashkar-eTayyeba founder Hafiz Saeed were involved in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
Menon, however, did not name Pakistan.
His comments drew a prompt denial from Pakistan, which termed them part of the Indian establishment's “propagandist stance“.
Full report at: Hindustan TImes
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No link between Iraq and 9/11: Ex-M15 spy chief
21 July 2010
LONDON — The war in Iraq led to a loss of focus on the threat from al-Qaida, emboldened al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and helped to breed a generation of homegrown terrorists, Britain’s former domestic spy chief told a U.K. inquiry Tuesday.
Making the sharpest criticism so far aired in the inquiry, Eliza Manningham-Buller, director of the MI5 agency between 2002 and 2007, said Britain’s government paid little attention to warnings that the war would fuel domestic terrorism.
Manningham-Buller also said Iraq had posed little threat before the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, and insisted there was no evidence of a link between former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
“There was no credible intelligence to suggest that connection and that was the judgment, I might say, of the CIA,” she told the inquiry. “It was not a judgment that found favor with some parts of the American machine.”
The ex-spy chief said those pushing the case for war in the United States gave undue prominence to scraps of inconclusive intelligence on possible links between Iraq and the 2001 attacks. She singled out the then-U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
“It is why Donald Rumsfeld started an alternative intelligence unit in the Pentagon to seek an alternative judgment,” said Manningham-Buller, who was a frequent visitor to the U.S. as MI5 chief.
“Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with 9/11 and I have never seen anything to make me change my mind,” she said.
Manningham-Buller also indicated that MI5 disagreed with then-Prime Minister Tony Blair over a key justification for the war — Iraq’s purported harboring of weapons of mass destruction.
Full report at: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/July/international_July865.xml§ion=international&col=
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‘Pak state actors terror sponsors’
Jul 21st, 2010
which is now unraveling, meant “ there was less possibility of being optimistic” — especially because the link was growing stronger.
“ Unfortunately what we know and what we see suggest that these links or this nexus, in fact, will not be broken soon,” Menon said, indicating that Pakistan will continue to encourage terror groups against India. According to him, Headley’s interrogation proved that India’s “ worst fears” had come true and the situation was as bad as anticipated.
Menon said India now had a “ much clearer picture” on the infrastructure of terrorism and its support systems in South Asia.
“ We know what needs to be done and we also know who is responsible for terrorism. ... We have a much clearer picture today of the infrastructure of terrorism, the ecosystem that supports terrorism which is not confined to South Asia but affects the entire world.” Menon’s remarks come close on the heels of the home ministry’s disclosure that Lt- Gen Shuja Pasha, the chief of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence ( ISI) met 26/ 11 accused Zaki- Ur- Rehman Lakhvi and Sajid Mir in jail. This too was geared to expose the close link between the terrorists and the establishment in Pakistan.
The elucidation of the terroriststate network is seen by some to be an effort to underline Pakistan’s promotion of terrorism to a largely American and Western diplomatic audience. The conference on ‘ Countering terrorism in South Asia: Perspective from US and India’ that Menon addressed was organised by US think- tank the Heritage Foundation and the Observer Research Foundation.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Madhuri’s Pakistani love story with ‘ Jim’
Jul 21st, 2010
THE ‘ LOVE story’ of Madhuri Gupta, a junior diplomat arrested on charges of spying for the Inter- Services Intelligence ( ISI), and her Pakistani handler surfaces through the chargesheet filed against her.
On Tuesday, the Delhi Police filed the chargesheet in the court of chief metropolitan magistrate Kaveri Baweja, who will take up the matter on Wednesday. Gupta was sent to judicial custody for a day.
Gupta, who has been accused of being in touch with two ISI officials — Mubshar Raza Rana and Jamshed — has denied all charges against her and said she was being framed.
In its 700- page chargesheet and annexures, the prosecution has implicated Gupta, the Group B IFS officer under various provisions of the Official Secrets Act and the Indian Penal Code.
The evidence against her includes a letter she wrote to Rana on October 3, 2009.
Signing off as Javeria, she wrote in the letter: “ I have done my best for him ( Jamshed) but he treats me like a dog. He has no consideration for me nor does he make any effort to understand my position. Till we are married and as long as I am in the present job, I have to behave accordingly.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Kyrgyz forces torturing Uzbeks: UN
Jul 21, 2010
GENEVA: Security forces have rounded up ethnic Uzbeks in southern Kyrgyzstan and tortured some, pulling out their fingernails and burning them with cigarettes, the United Nations said Tuesday.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, citing a range of sources in the Central Asian state, said the arrests and mistreatment violated domestic and international laws.
The violations also jeopardized a fragile peace six weeks after clashes between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in which at least 300 people were killed and thousands of homes burned down in the main southern cities of Osh and Jalalabad.
"My staff in Kyrgyzstan have received information suggesting that local authorities are routinely turning a blind eye to illegal arrests, torture and ill-treatment of detainees leading to forced confessions," Pillay said in a statement. "We have reports of sustained, or repeated, beatings."
The UN human rights office was in close touch with authorities in Osh, who say they have received very few complaints of torture and mistreatment, thus making it hard for them to take action, Pillay's spokesman Rupert Colville said.
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/world/article87463.ece
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‘Elements in Pak govt know where Osama is hiding’
July 21, 2010
WASHINGTON: Elements in the Pakistan government know where Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader, is hiding inside the country, the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said, declaring America will not be satisfied till it gets the most wanted fugitive of the world.
“I don’t want to put a proximity or timeline on it (getting bin Laden). As I’ve said, we have gotten closer because we have been able to kill a number of their trainers, their operational people, their financiers.”
In an interview with Fox News in Islamabad, Clinton said a good relationship with Pakistan was vital to the United States economic interests as well as its security. “This is where the principal terrorist threat to the United States emanates from,” Clinton told Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren during her Pakistan visit.
She said the US and international forces were getting closer to the fugitive. “But I won’t be satisfied until we get it done,” she said. The Secretary of State said she believed that some elements in the Pakistan government knew where Osama was hiding.
Full report at: http://thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=30193
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Osama not in Pakistan: Gilani
Anita Joshua
Jul 21st, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday asserted that the world's most wanted man — Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden — and Taliban spiritual head Mullah Omar were not in Pakistan as alleged by United States of America Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Reacting to Ms. Clinton's contention during her two-day visit to Pakistan which concluded on Monday, Mr. Gilani said if anyone has credible and verifiable information establishing their presence on Pakistani soil, then it should be shared with the Government of Pakistan.
Interacting with a delegation of the All Pakistan News Agencies Council, Mr. Gilani was also reported as stating Ms. Clinton did not bring it up in her meetings with the top leadership of the Pakistan Government during her stay in the Capital.
Responding to questions from television anchors, Ms. Clinton had on Monday said that she believed Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar were in Pakistan.
Repeat
Essentially, Ms. Clinton was repeating something she had said in her first visit to Pakistan as Secretary of State in October 2009.
http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/21/stories/2010072154681600.htm
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22 killed in clashes between Yemen rebels, pro-government tribesmen
By Khaled al-Mahdi, Sapa-dpa
Jul 21, 2010
At least 22 people were killed and more than 50 injured in two days of fierce clashes between Shiite rebels and tribesmen loyal to the government in north-western Yemen, tribal sources said Tuesday.
Seven tribesmen and five Shiite rebels were killed and more than 20 from both sides were wounded in battles in the Harf Sufian and al- Amashiya districts of Amran province, some 70 kilometres north-west of the capital Sana'a, the sources told the German Press Agency dpa.
They said the clashes, in which machineguns and mortars were used, broke out late on Monday and continued Tuesday.
A clash in neighbouring Saada province, which borders Saudi Arabia, left six tribesmen and four rebels dead as well as around 30 from both sides injured on Tuesday, said the sources who asked not to be named.
Full report at: http://www.timeslive.co.za/world/article561065.ece/22-killed-in-clashes-between-Yemen-rebels-pro-government-tribesmen
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Indonesian Muslims allowed drinking civet coffee
21 July 2010
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia’s top Islamic body declared Tuesday that Muslims can drink civet coffee — the world’s most expensive coffee, which is extracted from the dung of civet cats.
A preacher recently suggested the beverage might not be “halal” — or religiously approved — because its provenance makes it unclean. But after a long discussion Tuesday, the influential Indonesian Ulema Council said that the coffee, known locally as Kopi Luwak, could be consumed as long as the beans were washed.
Kopi Luwak, which takes it name from the Indonesian word for civets, is made from hard beans that have been eaten by the nocturnal critters and then fermented in their stomachs before being pooped out and roasted. Civet cats are mongoose-like animals.
The coffee is highly prized for its smooth flavor and bitterless aftertaste, sometimes fetching well over $200 a pound ($440 per kilogram) online.
Full report at: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/July/international_July862.xml§ion=international&col=
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Dubai, Cairo Film Festivals promote Arab film production
21 July 2010
DUBAI -- In a significant regional first, the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) has joined hands with Cairo International Film Festival to further strengthen the Arab film industry.
Aimed at lending momentum to regional film production, DIFF is partnering with Cairo Film Festival through a collaboration of the co-production markets of the two festivals.
DIFF’s successful co-production market, Dubai Film Connection (DFC) - established in 2007 - will partner with the newly formed Cairo Film Connection to provide Arab filmmakers access to potential financial and infrastructure support as well as valuable industry connections.
With the new partnership, filmmakers can apply to both DFC and Cairo Film Connection for support in realising their film projects. DIFF will award a selected project from Cairo Film Connection and invite the selected filmmaker to attend DIFF to explore further funding opportunities at DIFF through meetings with established industry players who attend the festival.
Full report at: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/July/theuae_July497.xml§ion=theuae&col=
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15 injured in southern Iran quake: reports
21 July 2010
A 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Iran, injuring 15 people and damaging residential buildings in four villages near the town of Lamerd, state media reported on Wednesday.
State news agency IRNA reported the tremor was followed by nine aftershocks, and was also felt on the Gulf island of Kish but gave no further details.
The quake damaged 30 percent of buildings in the four villages, on the border of the southern provinces of Fars and Hormuzdan, state television reported on its website.
It cited a Red Crescent official as saying that, 15 people were injured.
The US Geological Survey said the moderate 5.8 quake jolted Iran’s southern coast late Tuesday.
Full report at: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/July/middleeast_July364.xml§ion=middleeast
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Kurdish rebels kill 7 Turkish soldiers
By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA
Jul 21, 2010
ISTANBUL: Kurdish rebels killed six Turkish soldiers and wounded nine in an overnight raid Tuesday on a military outpost along the border with Iraq, indicating the resiliency of their low-level insurgency and the failure of efforts to reach a peace accord. Another soldier died in a separate attack.
Troops backed by helicopter gunships surged into the mountainous area after the attack, even as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan acknowledged that military action alone would not end a 26-year conflict rooted in the grievances of Turkey's Kurdish minority.
"There is no magic wand," Erdogan said in a weekly address in Parliament. "If we look at it as merely a question of security, we would be wrong. We have done so for years. The results are clear. But this issue has sociological, psychological, diplomatic and many other aspects."
According to the prime minister and Anatolia news agency, rebels from the Kurdistan Workers' Party, known by its Kurdish acronym PKK, fired rockets and other weapons at the unit at around 2 a.m. At least one rebel was killed, and clashes were underway later in the day.
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article87346.ece
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Haia arrests 2 men for threatening to cast spell on woman
By MUHAMMAD AL-SULAMI
Jul 21, 2010
JEDDAH: The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (HAIA) arrested two young Saudis in Tabuk for sending a young Saudi woman text messages saying they would cast a spell on her if she did not succumb to their sexual demands.
Sheikh Muhammad bin Awad Al-Zubaidi, spokesman for the Haia, said the young woman told the Haia that the two young men were sending her text messages threatening to do magic on her if she did not comply to their demands.
Al-Zubaidi did not identify the youths but said copies of the messages and pornography were found in their mobile phones.
He further called on young women who are blackmailed by such men not to hesitate to inform the Haia.
“We will conceal your names and arrest the blackmailers,” he said.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article87417.ece
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23,221 new teachers to be appointed
By P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR
Jul 21, 2010
RIYADH: The Ministry of Education announced Tuesday its plan to appoint 23,221 new teachers two months before the beginning of the new academic year (2010-11).
“The procedure for the appointment of 10,839 female teachers will be completed shortly,” said Saad Al-Fehaid, undersecretary for school affairs.
He said the appointment of 6,277 graduates of teachers’ colleges and 6,105 teachers nominated by the Ministry of Civil Affairs have already been completed.
“We have already distributed these new teachers among the various education departments” in the 13 regions,” the ministry official said.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article87432.ece
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Shoura mulling action on 300 rights petitions
By MD RASOOLDEEN
Jul 21, 2010
RIYADH: The Shoura Council is studying more than 300 petitions on human rights, a senior member of the consultative body told Arab News on Tuesday.
“We are in the process of studying these submissions, which include complaints and suggestions on various problems related to human rights,” said Dr. Ibrahim Al-Sheddi, chairman of the Committee on Human Rights.
He added that members of the public are welcome to send their grievances and ideas on issues related to human rights. “They will be useful for our study and we can make use of them for future policy planning and implementation,” he added.
On the instructions of Abdullah Al-Asheikh, chairman of the Shoura Council, an 11-member committee headed by Al-Sheddi was formed early this year to look into human rights abuses in the Kingdom.
Thanking Al-Asheikh for the initiative taken with regard to the formation of the special committee on human rights, Al-Sheddi said members of his committee are carefully scrutinizing all petitions received from the public.
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article87411.ece
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Bashir to visit Chad despite arrest warrant
Jul 21, 2010
KHARTOUM: Sudanese President Omar Bashir will travel to Chad on Wednesday, presidential sources said, his first visit to a member state of the court demanding his arrest for war crimes and genocide.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant in 2009 for Bashir to face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the war-torn Darfur region. Last week it added three counts of genocide to the list of charges.
Bashir refuses to recognize the court.
"He will go to Chad tomorrow," one presidential source told Reuters on Tuesday. "He will attend the summit of the Sahel-Saharan states," the source added. Another source in the presidency said the visit would last three days.
Chad became a full member of the ICC in 2007 when relations with neighboring Sudan were at a low point. Member countries promise to cooperate with the court's investigations and the ICC can ask states to arrest suspects on their territory.
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article87301.ece
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Uganda defends 1,700 Rwandans repatriation
By GODFREY OLUKYA
Jul 21, 2010
KAMPALA: Uganda’s government on Tuesday defended the forced repatriation of 1,700 Rwandan refugees, action that the UN refugee agency condemned for being heavy-handed. Two people died while trying to escape the roundup.
The Rwandans were forced out of Uganda last week because they had no refugee status and had become a security risk, said Tarsis Kabwegyere, Uganda’s minister of relief and disaster preparedness.
Security concerns have risen in Uganda since twin bombings on July 11 killed 76 people during the World Cup final.
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said last Friday that Ugandan authorities used false pretenses to round up the refugees.
Rwandan asylum-seekers had gathered for food distributions but were forcefully rounded up onto trucks without their possessions on July 14, UNHCR said. At another site, people gathered believing they would be informed of the results of their asylum claim, but police intervened, fired shots and forced people onto trucks, the agency said.
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/world/article87361.ece
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BNP-M leader Liaquat Mengal killed in Kalat
21 Jul, 2010
QUETTA: Unidentified armed men gunned down another leader of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) on Tuesday in Kalat district, 145-kilometres from Quetta. Former president of BNP-M Kalat Liaquat Ali Mengal was on way to his house from Kalat bazaar when three persons riding a motorcycle opened fire on him near Moughalzai area. Mengal was killed on the spot. The attackers managed to escape. Police and other law enforcement agencies rushed to the area and cordoned it off. The body was taken to a nearby hospital for autopsy. Mengal was also affiliated with the Zamindar Action committee. Police termed the incident a case of target killing and started investigations. BNP-M held a protest demonstration outside the Quetta Press Club to condemn Mengal’s killing.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\21\story_21-7-2010_pg1_5
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Hillary speaks out for Afghan women
21 Jul, 2010
KABUL, July 20: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton used part of her address to a key conference in Kabul on Tuesday to defend Afghan women concerned that peace efforts with the Taliban could jeopardise their rights.
“I speak from experience when I say that the work of Afghan women and civil society groups will be essential to this country’s success,” she told the gathering of 70 representatives from international organisations and nations.
“If these groups are fully empowered to help build a just and lasting peace, they will help do so. If they are silenced and pushed to the margins of Afghan society, the prospects for peace and justice will be subverted.” Clinton congratulated Afghan President Hamid Karzai for saying he would not sacrifice the rights of women, ethnic minorities or civil society groups in the quest for peace.
Full report at: http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/hillary-speaks-out-for-afghan-women-170
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Facebook users in Kashmir being harassed: rights group
21 Jul, 2010
SRINAGAR, July 20: A leading human rights group in Indian-held Kashmir said on Tuesday Facebook users were being intimidated by police for uploading images of ongoing deadly protests in the disputed region.
Young Kashmiris have been uploading photos and videos on social networking site Facebook and video-sharing sites like YouTube.
Coalition of Civil Society said some Facebook users had been asked to report to police stations as a consequence. “It is intimidation, nothing else,” said Khurram Parvez, coordinator of Coalition of Civil Society.
“The protests by Kashmiri youth even on virtual spaces like Facebook are not being tolerated, not to speak of the fate meted out to the protesters on the streets of Kashmir,” Mr Parvez said.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/facebook-users-in-kashmir-being-harassed-rights-group-170
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Kashmir root cause of terrorism in S Asia: Maleeha
July 21, 2010
By Murtaza Ali Shah
LONDON: Pakistan’s former ambassador to the UK & USA, Dr Maleeha Lodhi, has said the youth-led unprecedented protests in the Indian-held Kashmir have exposed the spectacular failure of India in the valley.
Referring to the on-going street rage against Indian security forces, Dr Lodhi, a known academic and journalist, said terrorism in the South Asian region was the consequence of the Kashmir problem and it was highly critical to deal with the causes and not just the symptoms of the problem.
Dr Lodhi was speaking at an event in the House of Commons organised by Commonwealth Journalists Association (UK) and also addressed by Brian Hanrahan, BBC Diplomatic Correspondent; M J Akbar, Editor, India on Sunday and Sunday Guardian, and Sir Hilary Synnott, Consulting Fellow International Institute for Strategic Studies, author and former diplomat.
Maleeha briefed the audience that India’s belligerence and its refusal to look beyond its own paradigm had led to the failure of last week’s peace talks or what she described as a protracted diplomatic dance held between Pakistan and India and it also reinforced the pattern of the inability of both neighbours to manage differences.
Full report at: http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=252012
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US, UK leaders cite peaceful solution to Iran issue
July 21, 2010
WASHINGTON: The US president and British prime minister have held wide-ranging talks at the White House on issues facing their two countries.
Barack Obama and David Cameron discussed a range of difficult topics on Tuesday, including the war in Afghanistan, reviving the global economy, BP's responsibilities over the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the controversial release of the Lockerbie bomber.
Two leaders also hinted at peaceful solution of Iran’s nuclear issue though bilateral talks but feared that Iran’s strong stance may lead to mounting fresh curbs on it.
Speaking after their talks, the leaders, who referred to each other by their first names, said that their discussions had gone well, despite transatlantic tensions over BP's role in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the controversial release of Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber.
Cameron said he "completely understands the anger that exists right across America" over BP's role in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and that it must cap the leak, clean up the mess and pay for victims' losses.
Full report at: http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/7-21-2010/68691.htm
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Pandey’s PoK Links To Be Probed
Jul 21st, 2010
With the Bombay high court deciding to book Malegaon blast accused under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), investigating agencies, including Rajasthan ATS, which are probing Ajmer, Mecca Masjid and Malegaon blasts, are likely to probe the connections of Swami Dayanand Pandey, alleged co-conspirator in Malegaon blast, with his large number of sympathisers based in the PoK.
Sources said that agencies had also initiated probe into the funding for his ashram, located in Jammu, Faridabad and other places in the country. According to sources, Dayanand Pandey, alias Swami Amritanand Dev, moved to Jammu in 2003 and his ashram was located close to the cantonment area, sources added.
“Swami Dayanand reportedly met Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit, prime accused in the Malegaon blast, in Jammu in 2003. Swami Dayanand, who used to move around Jammu under police escort, had been regularly visiting Kashmiri Pandit camps — the Sharda Peeth shrine in the PoK. During the Jammu agitation over the Amarnath shrine land controversy, he played an important role,” sources said. He reportedly changed his name from Sudhakar Dwivedi to Dayanand Pandey when he moved to Jammu, sources said.
Full report at: The Time of India
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SMK Warns Against ‘Selective Terror Ops’
Jul 21st, 2010
India cautioned the international community on Tuesday against selective counter-terrorism saying terrorism could not be compartmentalised as there were many terrorist outfits in region and beyond that were as vicious as the Al Qaeda.
“It is, therefore, essential to ensure that support, sustenance and sanctuaries for terrorist organisations from outside Afghanistan are ended forthwith,” external affairs minister S.M. Krishna said in his speech at the day-long Afghanistan Conference held in Kabul.
He reminded the gathering of foreign ministers and representatives from regional and international organisations that augmenting the capacity of Afghanistan’s security forces and other institutions should receive as much attention as the reintegration of the reconcilable Taliban into the Afghan society.
Full report at: http://www.asianage.com/india/smk-warns-against-%E2%80%98selective-terror-ops%E2%80%99-297
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21st century is Quran’s century: Zahid Malik
21 July 2010
Mazameen-i-Quran-i-Hakim being translated in French, German, Chinese languages
Islamabad—Editor-in-Chief, Pakistan Observer, Mr. Zahid Malik in his welcome address at the launch of the book ‘Mazameen-i-Quran-i-Hakim’ said, the 21st century is Quran’s century.
Elaborating he said, “What I am perceiving is that not only people of Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia and other Muslim countries but also people of rest of the world including the United States are coming closer to the Holy Quran.” They want to know the secret of its magnetism and its healthy impact, he said and added that the people are curious to know the characteristics of the holy book which were termed as magic by the infidels of the time when the Quran was being revealed. “ The non-Muslims are baffled to see more and more people coming to believe in the holy book in spite of all sorts of resistance and discouragement. More and more people are getting closer to Islam.”
Mr. Zahid Malik said, though one may not realise it, the reality is that increasing number of people are taking interest in Islam and its message. He said there was no cause for despair. “If there is darkness of night, there must be dawn around”.
Full report at: http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=42620
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New German study: boys growing up in pious Muslim families are more likely to be violent
21 July 2010
A new German study shows that boys growing up in pious Muslim families are more likely to be violent.
The study, which involved intensive questioning of 45,000 teenagers from 61 towns and regions across the country, was conducted by Christian Pfeiffer of the criminal research institute of Lower Saxony.
Pfeiffer was quick to assure the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper that he was not a racist or 'Islamophobe' and that, in fact, he had been dismayed by the results of the survey....
News flash, Pfeiffer: there are few, if any, actual "Islamophobes," and this caveat will not prevent you from being labeled one. Those who are called "Islamophobes" are those who have studied the texts and teachings of Islam and how those texts and teachings are applied in Islamic societies and among Muslims in the West. Often many of these "Islamophobes" were dismayed by what they were seeing.
[...] Pfeiffer said that even when other social factors were taken into account, there remained a significant correlation between religiosity and readiness to use violence.
Full report at: http://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/07/new-german-study-boys-growing-up-in-pious-muslim-families-are-more-likely-to-be-violent.html
9:44 PM
Sultan Shahin
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