Alleging blasphemy, fanatics in Kerala hack lecturer's hand
Mike Tyson to perform UmrahAfghan, NATO troops kill 63 Taliban
Woman and daughter stripped, thrashed in Pakistan
Iran hangs two for ‘waging war against God’
Joint Saudi-Indian space research planned
Imran Khan: Can solve issue in 90 days
Clerics vow to join hands with govt against terrorism
Reshma Harbaksh Singh to unite secular Hindus to fight against injustice to Muslims
Ignoring the bloodbath by the naxals dangerous: Maulana Arshad Madani
'Sachar Committee Report owes mostly to Syed Hamid': Justice Rajender Sachar
‘Prince of Poets’ contest gets huge response
12 Taliban killed, 2 soldiers injured in Orakzai Agency
Movement in Kashmir indigenous: Mirwaiz
Denies training camps in S. Punjab: Shrines caretakers applying for arms licences: Kazmi
Taliban to launch media regulatory authority
Bhutto was hanged for promoting Socialism’
Gilani, Shahbaz to meet today to discuss terrorism
Branding a positive Bangladesh
Iraq's nostalgia for Saddam
Music becomes the center of fatwa spat in Saudi Arabia
London Ulema for ouster of Punjab law minister
India pressures Iran on key port
Israeli defence minister to meet Palestine PM
No op in Punjab without ‘solid’ proof: Gilani
‘We are in war to win in Afghanistan’
Curfew lifted, Valley peaceful again
India, China discuss joint initiatives in Afghanistan
Iran could halt 20% uranium enrichment if given fuel
Queen To Visit Ground Zero 1st Time
Petraeus Says Afghan War At ‘Critical Stage’
Zardari Flies To China To Close Nuclear Deal
Gilani Gives Nod To Terror Meet
India, China to tie up for Afghan ore
Balochistan package to give jobs to 3,974
Gilani convenes CMs’ meeting on law, order
Jafria Alliance Pakistan to host conference
‘Al Qaeda man travelled on Pakistani passport’
India comes up with six new names in Mumbai case
Lashkar man among three killed in Darra blast
Veiled men force closure of shops
Iran submits evidence of scientist’s abduction
Netanyahu lying over Shalit talks, says Hamas
Rights group to combat slavery in Yemen
Biden urges Iraqi leaders to break deadlock
Clerics demand Sanaullah’s sacking over terrorist ties
Two soldiers injured in attack on convoy in N Waziristan
Afghan appeals court acquits former British soldier
Iranian, Turkish leaders expected for D8 summit
National Conference convened to review anti-terror strategy
Page on dictatorship turned over in constitutional history: Zardari
Nudge on arms divides US, Israel
Pak, China war games at full swing
Punjab to swoop on 17 banned outfits
Helping cleaners beat the heat
‘Abbas never offered Israel control over Al-Buraq Wall’
Officials: Female bomber kills 4 in western Iraq
No eatables allowed inside Grand Mosque
King Abdullah receives Moroccan prince
India Hindutva Party threatens stir against 15% quota for Muslims
Mubarak flies to Algeria on condolence trip4
Yemeni rebels fire on troops, straining truce
Stuck in the Afghan quagmire
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson holds talks with Dr. Muhammad Al-Oqala, president of the Islamic University in Madinah
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Alleging blasphemy, fanatics hack lecturer's hand
Ananthakrishnan G
Jul 5, 2010
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a horrific instance of Talibanism, Muslim fanatics in Kerala on Sunday chopped off the right hand of a college lecturer, accusing him of setting a question paper with a derogatory reference to the Prophet.
Lecturer T J Joseph was returning home from church with his mother and sister around 8.30 am in Muvattupuzha in Ernakulam district when he was accosted by the attackers. "We had just got into our car when a van pulled up in front. Around eight people armed with swords and knives emerged and pulled out Joseph after smashing the windscreen.
They then chopped off his right hand and stabbed him in the left thigh," said Joseph's sister, Mary Stella, a nun.
"When we tried to prevent them, they attacked me and and our mother before exploding bombs and fleeing."
A police team recovered the severed hand from the compound of a house about 200m away. The 52-year-old lecturer was rushed to a private hospital where his condition is serious.
Police recovered the van in which the fanatics reached the scene. Two men, said to be activists of the Popular Front, a new incarnation of the hardline National Democratic Front, have also been taken into custody. Special police squads are searching sensitive areas in and around the town. "Personnel from this district and neighbouring places are working as a team and we'll nab the assailants soon," said IG B Sandhya.
In March this year, Islamic outfits had carried out protests against Joseph, who was a lecturer in the church-run Newman college in Thodupuzha in Idukki district over a portion in the Malayalam question paper for an internal examination for BCom students. They claimed that the question paper insulted the Prophet. The college later suspended Joseph who had set the questions and a criminal case was registered against him. The case is pending trial.
Reacting to the incident, state home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told reporters in New Delhi that the police would probe if any communal or terrorist outfit was involved. The BJP alleged that the home department could not evade responsibility for the growth of terror outfits in Kerala. "This is a direct consequence of the soft attitude adopted by the Left and Congress towards terrorist outfits," said BJP state chief V Muraleedharan.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Alleging-blasphemy-fanatics-hack-lecturers-hand/articleshow/6129146.cms
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Mike Tyson to perform Umrah
Jul 4, 2010
MADINAH: Former boxing champion Mike Tyson, who embraced Islam while serving a prison sentence in the 1990s, is on his first visit to the Kingdom to perform Umrah. He arrived in the holy city of Madinah on Friday to perform prayers at the Prophet’s Mosque.
While in Madinah, Tyson met Dr. Muhammad Al-Oqala, president of the Islamic University, who briefed the world heavyweight champion on the services being rendered by the university to students from across the world.
From Madinah, Tyson will travel on to Makkah to perform Umrah, press reports said. He will also visit Jeddah, Abha and Riyadh as part of his Saudi tour. His visit to Saudi Arabia was arranged by the Canadian Dawa Association (CDA) as part of visits it organizes for new Muslim celebrities to the Islamic sites in the Kingdom. Shazad Mohammed, president of CDA, was present at Prince Muhammad International Airport in Madinah to receive Tyson.
Mohammed, an ambassador of peace with the United Nations, said Tyson would be in the Kingdom for one week, visiting the holy places as well as important landmarks in the country and meeting with Saudi people to get to know their culture and traditions.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article78669.ece
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Afghan, NATO troops kill 63 Taliban
Jul 5, 2010
KABUL: Afghan authorities said on Sunday that they killed more than 60 Taliban in raids against them and their drug-trafficking backers in a restive part of southern Afghanistan. More than 16 tonnes of drugs — mostly opium — were also seized in Bahramcha district of Helmand province, centre of a Taliban-led insurgency and Afghanistan’s biggest poppy-growing region, the interior ministry said. “Sixty-three terrorists were killed,” the ministry said in a statement, referring to Taliban-linked insurgents. “The operation was successfully completed today (Sunday),” the statement said. Two factories for converting opium into heroin were destroyed and “a large number” of weapons and ammunition were also seized in the raids, which began on Friday by Afghan counter narcotics commandos supported by NATO troops, it added. The commandos also freed 10 villagers captured by the Taliban for allegedly working with the government while arresting 10 Taliban and drugs traffickers, the statement said.d. War-ravaged Afghanistan is the world’s largest heroin producer, with annual exports worth $3 billion dollars helping fuel the Taliban insurgency. afp
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\05\story_5-7-2010_pg7_7
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Woman and daughter stripped, thrashed in Pakistan
By Malik Tahseen Raza
05 Jul, 2010
MUZAFFARGARH: Fourteen people are reported to have stripped naked a woman and her daughter on Saturday and thrashed them in the presence of a large number of people in Shehr Sultan, a town near Mirwala.
Sources said the suspects got hold of 50-year-old Allah Wasai and her 14-year-old daughter Ashraf Mai when they came out of their home in Berwali to go to their fields.
They then proceeded to teach the women “a lesson for the wrongdoing of Allah Wasai’s son”.
SHO Mahboob Tangwani said the main accused, Safdar, alleged that Allah Wasai’s son Saddam Husain had an affair with his daughter. He and his 13 accomplices held the woman and her daughter at gunpoint, stripped them naked and thrashed them.
A large number of people were there but none of them came forward to rescue the women from the assailants.
Local resident Allah Ditta later informed police.
A police team freed the women from the accused and gave them clothes.
A case was registered against the 14 accused, including Safdar, Mirza Khan, Siraj, Haji Afzal, Jameel, Akbar and Athar under 354/148 and 149 sections of the Pakistan Penal Code. Akbar and Jameel have been arrested.
According to police, the accused justified their action and said that a dispute over distribution of irrigation water had caused a clash in which people from both sides were injured.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/06-woman-and-daughter-stripped%2C-thrashed-570-rs-07
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Iran hangs two for ‘waging war against God’
05 Jul, 2010
TEHRAN: Iran hung on Sunday two men convicted of ‘waging war against God’ after they were found guilty of drug trafficking, armed robbery and abduction, a report said. The two Amanollah Pourian and Younes Rahmani were hanged in the south eastern city of Zahedan, Fars news agency reported quoting a local judiciary statement. The report said the two were found guilty of “Moharebeh” (waging war against God), a crime punishable by death under Iran’s sharia law, as they were charged with selling opium, armed robbery, abduction and criss-crossing the Iranian border illegally, the report added. The latest hangings bring to at least 84 the number of people executed in Iran so far this year, according to an AFP count based on media reports. Last year, at least 270 people were hanged. Murder, rape, armed robbery, drug trafficking and adultery are all punishable by death in Iran
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\05\story_5-7-2010_pg20_6
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Joint Saudi-Indian space research planned
Jul 4, 2010
RIYADH: A Saudi delegation is to visit the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) later this month to sign an agreement to boost cooperation in space science that will help Riyadh develop its indigenous space program for peaceful purposes.
The delegation will be composed of scientists from the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and other scientific institutions in the Kingdom. Details of the visit were disclosed by Rajeev Shahare, outgoing deputy chief at the Indian mission, here on Saturday night.
Shahare was speaking during a farewell party held by the India Business Forum (IBF). The event was attended by a number of businessmen and diplomats, Shahare’s wife Preeti Shahare, and many IBF office bearers including Owais Ahmed, Nadeem A. Tarin, S. Ziaur Rahman, Tareq Masood, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed and Mir Mahmood Ali.
Asked about the details of the space cooperation between Riyadh and New Delhi, Shahare Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article78663.ece
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Imran Khan: Can solve issue in 90 days
05 Jul, 2010
Islamabad: Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan on Sunday claimed that if he was the PM of Pakistan, he would have eliminated the menace of terrorism within 90 days. Mr Khan said that Pakistan is paying the price for fighting a proxy war for America. He said the real terrorists should be eliminated but “if we treat the enemies of America as our enemies the war will continue”.
Mr Khan noted that the war on terror has taken a heavy toll on Pakistan’s economy and only a small group of ruling elite are profiting from the aid and loans.
The Asian Age
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Clerics vow to join hands with govt against terrorism
05 Jul, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Religious clerics from various schools of thought on Sunday vowed to join hands with the government to foil terrorists’ designs in order to maintain sectarian harmony in the country.
They also decided to observe a day against terrorism to express solidarity amongst their ranks.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik had called up the exclusive meeting of clerics in the backdrop of the triple suicide bombing on the Data Darbar in Lahore, where 42 people lost their lives.
Maulana Abu Bakar Sadiq, Maulana Muhammad Asad Thanwi, Maulana Abdul Jaleel Naqvi, Mufti Muhammad Usman, Nazir Farooqi, Zahoor Alwi, Maulana Mahmoodul Hassan, Maulana Bashir Ahmad, Asad Alam Naqvi, Maulana Naeem Shehzada, Maulana Aneesul Hasnain, Qazi Muhammad Zahoor, Hafiz Ishaq Zafar, Farhat Hussain Shah, Maulana Akhtar Abbas, Syed Izhar Bukhari and other clerics participated in the meeting.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\05\story_5-7-2010_pg7_1
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Reshma Harbaksh Singh to unite secular Hindus to fight against injustice to Muslims
New Age Islam News Bureau
July 5, 2010
The wife of a Haryana cadre IAS, Ms Reshma Harbakhsh Singh has been elected the President of the Secular Council of India. It has been decided that a meeting of the Council will be held in July in Delhi to discuss the foreign policy of India. The meeting will be attended by Rajya Sabha MP, Md Adeeb and other social and political personalities. Ms Reshma has founded the organisation to fight for the implementation of Liberhan Commission, Nanavati Commission, Sachar Committee and Ranganathan Commission recommendations. The intellectuals, advocates, MPs, retired judges and social figures will be roped in. The Secular Council of India will also extended full support to the efforts of the MP Md Adeeb who has been fighting for the cause of the Muslims. Mr Reshma said that the programmes of the Secular Council will be started from Delhi and later on secular Hindus from across the country would be brought at one platform to create an atmosphere to do away with the injustices meted out to the Muslims. She further said that the secular parties needed Muslim vote but when it came to give them equal social, educational and economic rights, they followed the BJP agenda. She said that this way of thinking should change now.
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Ignoring the bloodbath by the naxals dangerous: Maulana Arshad Madani
New Age Islam News Bureau
July 5, 2010
New Delhi: The President of Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind, Maulana Arshad Madani has once again criticised the central government for going soft on the naxals and urged it to take decisive action against them. He further said that the government's helplessness and inaction in this matter was a cause for concern. He said that unfortunately the government had taken the same position vis a vis the RSS and other communal organisations. The Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Hind had time again demanded a ban on the shakhas of the anti-Muslim organisaition RSS but for the last 60 years it was the Muslims who were persecuted and worse it was they who were thrown into jails. And this trend continued even today. He added that like the naxals, the communal outfits also were active trying to destroy the country.
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'Sachar Committee Report owes mostly to Syed Hamid': Justice Rajender Sachar
New Age Islam News Bureau
July 5, 2010
New Delhi: The Delhi Urdu Academy organised "An Evening with Syed Hamid" at the Engineering Faculty Auditorium of Jamia Millia Islamia. The ceremony was presided over by Justice Rajinder Sachar while the Election Commissioner of India S. Y. Quraishi attended the function as the Chief Guest. In his Presidential speech, Mr Rajinder Sachar said that Syed Hamid had put in the largest amount of effort in the Sachar Report. He added that one important trait of his personality was that he controlled his emotions amid the most provocative situations and found solutions to problems in a very calm manner. Urdu Academy Vice-Chairman said that this ceremony was held with a purpose to make our new generation aware of the services of Mr Hamid.
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‘Prince of Poets’ contest gets huge response
5 July 2010,
ABU DHABI — The Poetry Academy at the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) has received hundreds of requests from poets to take part in the coming session of “Prince of Poets” competition.
Poets from Arab and other parts of the world have shown great interest in the fourth session of the competition dedicated to choose the best classical Arabic poet since the registration process was opened in mid-June.
Sultan Al Amimi, Director of the Poetry Academy, said the forthcoming session would generate great competition between the poets as they strive to win the fourth ‘Prince of Poets’ title.
“The competition is well respected and popular and has become the premier cultural and literary competition specialising in classical poetry,” said Amimi.
“There have been a change in the broadcast time for the next competition which is expected to attract millions more viewers to the world of classical Arabic poetry,” he added.
Amimi stressed that the competition, which is organised by ADACH, serves to enhance Arabic poetry and reinstate the popularity of Arabic literature.
“The competition brings poetry back into the spotlight, gives it the exposure it deserves and honors its status accordingly,” he said.
The Poetry Academy opened registration for the fourth session of the competition on June 15 which will continue until August 15. —
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/July/theuae_July97.xml§ion=theuae
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12 Taliban killed, 2 soldiers injured in Orakzai Agency
5 July 2010,
HANGU: At least 12 Taliban were killed when fighter jets pounded their hideouts in Orakzai Agency on Sunday, security sources said.
The sources told Daily Times that the fighter jets targeted Taliban hideouts in Mamozai, Khadezai, Molazai, Dabori and Alikhel areas of Upper Orakzai, killing 12 Taliban and inuring another 10.
Four terrorist hideouts were destroyed in the strikes as well.
Separately, two security forces personnel were injured in a landmine blast in Mashti Meela area of Lower Orakzai.
Meanwhile in Bajaur Agency, the security forces and volunteers of a tribal lashkar arrested five wanted Taliban, sources said. They said the Taliban were arrested from Bindari area of Mamoond tehsil.
The arrested Taliban were identified as Inayatullah, Zakirullah, Muhammad Faiz, Rasool Khan and Muhammadullah. Also, the political administration gave the Samsi tribe a two-day deadline to expel terrorists from their area, else strict action would be taken against the tribe. Also on Sunday, National Assembly member from Bajaur Agency Syed Akhunzada Chatan called upon the government to take steps to make changes in the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR).
Addressing a press conference, he demanded the government compensate the people whose houses had been damaged during the military operation in the agency.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\05\story_5-7-2010_pg7_5
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Movement in Kashmir indigenous: Mirwaiz
Monday, 05 Jul, 2010
MIRPUR (AJK),: Rejecting Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s charge that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) is behind recent violent protests in occupied Kashmir, All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq says that the ongoing movement is indigenous and demonstrations are a manifestation of people’s sentiments.
“It is unfortunate that the Indian home minister has labelled the protesters as hooligans and rioters and remarked that LeT is behind the street protests. Kashmir freedom movement is indigenous which has to be addressed politically,” the Mirwaiz said while talking to reporters at his residence in Srinagar late on Saturday.
He said that labelling of Kashmiri protesters as rioters and hooligans by Mr Chidambaram was unacceptable to people and reflected an ‘ostrich-like mindset’ of the Indian government.
“Instead of accepting (the fact) that innocent people are being killed at the hands of the Indian occupation forces, the Indian leaders are misleading their people. It is time to call a spade a spade,” the Mirwaiz said, according to a report received from across the Line of Control on Sunday.
He urged India to stop looking at Kashmir issue from the Pakistani prism. “It is not Pakistanis who are getting killed in Kashmir but the Kashmiris. Out of 100,000 persons killed in last 20 to 25 years, how many were Pakistanis?” he asked.—APP
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/movement-in-kashmir-indigenous-mirwaiz-570
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Denies training camps in S. Punjab: Shrines caretakers applying for arms licences: Kazmi
05 Jul, 2010
MULTAN, July 4: Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi says that after the Data Darbar attack, a large number of caretakers of shrines across the country have applied for Kalashnikov licences.
Talking to journalists here on Sunday, Kazmi said: “What will be the fate of society if the government distributes arms licences on a large scale.”
He said people got their children admitted to seminaries because of poverty and backwardness while there were no training camps in south Punjab belt.
“However, in some seminaries students are taught about jehad which may prompt them to go for training in tribal areas.”
He said members of banned outfits had accompanied the provincial law minister during the campaign for by-election and the minister’s statements reflected ignoring moral values.
He said none of the militants could be convicted by the court of law so far due to the prevailing fear.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/denies-training-camps-in-s.-punjab-shrines-caretakers-applying-for-arms-licences-kazmi-570
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Taliban to launch media regulatory authority
Jul 4, 2010
ISLAMABAD: The Taliban will soon launch their own "media regulatory authority" to monitor press and TV reports to prevent "false" statements about Islam, a militant spokesman said on Sunday, warning that a second-time violator of its media guidelines will "be executed".
In an email sent to journalists, Taliban Media Centre spokesman Muhammad Omer said the militants were working on the "Taliban Media Regulatory Authority", which would be "operational in the next few days".
"Its main objective is to monitor the media closely so that not a single false statement regarding Islam and Islamic ideologies should be broadcast nor any disputed matter could be discussed in media," the statement said.
Anyone violating the Taliban's media guidelines for the first time would be fined, Omer said.
Anyone who commits a second violation will "be executed while taking the suo moto action," he added. Omer said other details of the regulatory authority "will be given shortly."
He also sought suggestions and comments from journalists, and assured that the Taliban would respond to any questions. The spokesman claimed TV channels and newspapers were working as allies of the government and intelligence agencies.
They should "be prepared for what they deserved", he added. Omer also indicated that the decision to set up a media regulatory authority was a response to the media's failure to highlight the Taliban Media Centre's statement distancing the militants from last week's suicide attack on the Data Darbar shrine in Lahore.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Pakistan/Taliban-to-launch-media-regulatory-authority/articleshow/6128292.cms
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Bhutto was hanged for promoting Socialism’
05 Jul, 2010
HYDERABAD, July 4: Veteran leftist leader Jam Saqi has said that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was executed because he had introduced socialist ideas.
He said that the murder of Mr Bhutto could be avenged only by bringing about a socialist revolution in the country. He said that popular movements erupted when the people’s frustration with the system reached its peak.
He was speaking at a seminar on “Reasons and results of Gen Ziaul Haq’s bloody dictatorship” organised by the Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign (PTUDC) and Berozgar Noujawan Tanzeem in collaboration with Sindh People’s Students Federation and People’s Labour Bureau here on Sunday on the eve of the 33rd anniversary of the military coup.
Zohaib Butt, the president of the Punjab chapter of the PSF, said that a revolutionary struggle would have to be launched on the pattern of 1968-69’s movement during which people had refused to pay transport fares and workers had taken over factories.
SPSF leader Saddam Khaskheli said that the 1968-69 movement was a harbinger of a revolution launched by Z.A. Bhutto and it needed to be completed now.
Dr Haresh, the editor of Sindhi magazine Tabqati Jaddojehad, said that Z.A. Bhutto had launched a struggle against poverty and hunger and tried to bring about a revolution by nationalising factories and distributing land among haris and he was hanged for it.
“We can avenge the murder of Z.A. Bhutto only by creating a classless society,” Dr Haresh said, and added that it was written even in the basic document of the PPP.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/bhutto-was-hanged-for-promoting-socialism-570
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Gilani, Shahbaz to meet today to discuss terrorism
05 Jul, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif will meet today (Monday) to discuss strategies to combat terrorism. The two leaders will also discuss ways to de-escalate tension between the ruling Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, APP quoted a private TV channel as saying. The talks will include issues such as the aftermath of the Data Darbar attacks, ways to curb terrorism and finalising the national conference on terrorism. Mandate for the PML-N leader’s parley with the prime minister was decided in a high-level party meeting convened by PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif in Raiwind on Sunday. Punjab Chief minister Shahbaz, Khwaja Saad Rafiq, Pervez Rasheed and other PML-N leaders were present in the meeting. app
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\05\story_5-7-2010_pg7_4
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Branding a positive Bangladesh
Maswood Alam Khan
A BANGLADESHI who has been living abroad as an expatriate professional knows how humiliating it is when he does not find or remember anything of his own country to boast about that he can refer at least as a near comparison, if not better, with something similar people on the street, friends in a club or colleagues in the workplace in his host country usually flaunt or talk about. Even worse, his heart sinks when he reads or views reports of news that tell horrible stories of avoidable human losses in natural and manmade disasters and strange stories of chaos and corruption in Bangladesh. And lastly, tonnes of insults are added to his ounces of injuries when a news report quotes a prominent Bangladeshi political leader saying all the ills of his or her own country, portraying the country as a failed nation and discouraging the foreign tourists and investors from visiting or investing in Bangladesh.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh and the Eastern Bank on June 02 jointly organised a seminar on ‘Branding Bangladesh’ where a number of scholars presented their ideas on how to brighten the country’s image at home and abroad with a view to dispelling the downbeat perceptions about our people and our culture that are still prevalent among foreigners. The speakers highlighted the gifts of nature and potentials of business Bangladesh is blessed with and eulogised the remarkable achievements already made possible by a new breed of young and energetic entrepreneurs in the fields of commerce and industry, especially in building up a huge reserve of foreign exchange through exporting goods and services. American ambassador in Bangladesh James F Moriarty attended the function as a special guest.
Full report at:
http://www.newagebd.com/2010/jul/05/edit.html
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Iraq's nostalgia for Saddam
July 05, 2010
It’s almost insulting that US Vice President Joe Biden chose the 4th of July to visit one of Saddam Hussein’s old palaces in Iraq and later press Iraqi leaders to end a power struggle that has gripped the country since its general elections four months ago.
July 4, after all, celebrates those Americans who in 1776 freed themselves of their British occupiers by declaring their nation’s independence. And many of Iraq’s problems, including the current feud in Baghdad, are in one way or another tied to America’s own illegal invasion and ensuing occupation of the country.
But perhaps Biden’s only saving grace is that these days it is the occupied – and not the occupiers – who are becoming the bigger troublemakers in Iraq. All of the nation’s multiple woes have been put on the back burner while two of the top Iraqi leaders, Nouri al-Maliki and Iyad Allawi, engage in a protracted tussle over the premiership.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&article_id=116702&categ_id=17#ixzz0smtaWU8F
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Music becomes the center of fatwa spat in Saudi Arabia
July 04, 2010
Paul Handley
RIYADH: One cleric’s endorsement of breastfeeding for grown men and another’s saying music is not un-Islamic have opened up a pitched battle in Saudi Arabia over who can issue fatwas, or Islamic religious edicts.
Hard-line and progressive religious scholars, judges and clerics have taken the fight public in what some describe as outright “chaos” in the once ivory-tower world of setting the rules that govern life in the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom.
Much of the fight in the past week has focused on a fatwa endorsing music issued by Adel al-Kalbani, a Riyadh cleric famed as the first black imam at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam’s holiest city.
Kalbani, popular for his soulful baritone delivery of Koranic readings, said he found nothing in Islamic scripture that makes music haram, or forbidden.
But, aside from some folk music, public music performance is banned in Saudi Arabia, and conservatives say it is haram even in the home.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=4&Article_id=116573#ixzz0smu2u9sW
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London Ulema for ouster of Punjab law minister
July 05, 2010
By Murtaza Ali Shah
LONDON: Ulema have blamed the federal and the Punjab governments for complete failure to protect the lives of innocent worshippers and the sanctity of sacred Sufi shrines, especially in the Punjab and the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
At a press conference here to condemn the terror attacks on Hazrat Ali Hajvery (RA) Data Gunj Bakhsh’ shrine in Lahore, the Sunni Ittehad Council leaders charged the government of not doing anything to curb the sustained terror attacks on shrines and for actively patronising the sectarian terrorist groups in some cases.
Markazi Jamaat Ahl-e-Sunnat leader Allama Professor Syed Riaz Hussain Shah held the federal and provincial governments responsible for the loss of lives in Lahore and demanded the resignation of Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah.
“The Punjab government has recently given funds to groups linked with terror activities. The law minister is a supporter of sectarian groups and he has provided them sanctuaries. He must resign if the government is serious in tackling the problem of terrorism,” Professor Shah demanded.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=248993
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India pressures Iran on key port
Indrani Bagchi
Jul 5, 2010
NEW DELHI: India wants to speed up its development of the Chahbahar port, and will push the Iranian government this week to put its facilitation on fast track.
Shamsuddin Husseini, the Iranian economic and finance minister, will lead a delegation of mainly economic and energy department officials for the India-Iran joint commission, which takes place here ON July 8-9. The Indian side will be led by foreign minister S M Krishna. The Iranian visit comes days after the US signed a tough set of sanctions against Tehran, which followed UN sanctions and a more difficut set of sanctions from the EU.
Although the Chahbahar port has been an Indian project for some time, the Iranian side has been notoriously lax in keeping to its end of the bargain.
The port is strategically important -- serving as the entry point for India's outreach into Afghanistan and Central Asia, bypassing Pakistan. For this purpose, India also spent a lot of money and human lives to build the Zaranj-Delaram road in Afghanistan's Nimroz province, which was intended to link up with the Chahbahar port. But establishing those linkages turned out to be more difficult than India imagined. The political situation in Iran over the past year has scarcely helped.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-pressures-Iran-on-key-port/articleshow/6128471.cms
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Israeli defence minister to meet Palestine PM
Jul 5, 2010
TEL AVIV: Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak will meet Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Monday to discuss the ongoing indirect Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Israel Radio reported.
There was no indication where the meeting, the first between the two men since February, would take place.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who leaves on Monday for Washington, told his Cabinet on Sunday morning that he hoped his talks with US President Barack Obama would lead to the indirect talks being replaced by direct negotiations.
The White House said last week that the indirect talks, which got underway late in April, have been "quite substantive" so far.
However, Palestinian officials denied that the negotiations have made progress.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Rest-of-World/Israeli-defence-minister-to-meet-Palestine-PM/articleshow/6129583.cms
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No op in Punjab without ‘solid’ proof: Gilani
Jul 5, 2010
LAHORE: Despite terrorists striking at their will in Pakistan’s Punjab province, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has ruled out any immediate military operation in the region, saying an offensive would only be carried out if there is ‘solid and credible’ information about the existence of terrorist outfits in the province.
After visiting people injured in Thursday’s suicide attack on Hazrat Data Gunj Bukhsh shrine, Gilani said action against militants in south Punjab would only be initiated if interior ministry or Punjab government provide information.
“We will also take action against terrorists now wherever they challenge the writ of the government,” Gilani said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Pakistan/No-op-in-Punjab-without-solid-proof-Gilani/articleshow/6129232.cms
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‘We are in war to win in Afghanistan’
Jul 5, 2010
KABUL: General David Petraeus formally assumed command of the 130,000-strong international force in Afghanistan on Sunday, telling Nato and Afghan officials ‘we are in this to win” despite rising casualties and growing skepticism about the direction of the nearly 9-year-old war.
Petraeus received two flags, one for the US and the other for Nato, during a ceremony marking the formal assumption of command. “We are in this to win,” he told a crowd of several hundred Nato and Afghan officials at the ceremony at a grassy area just outside coalition headquarters. “We are engaged in a contests of wills,” he said. “We have arrived at a critical moment.”
Petraeus succeeded general Stanley McChrystal, who was fired last month for intemperate remarks he and his aides made to Rolling Stone magazine about Obama administration officials who were mostly on the civilian side. “Upfront I also want to recognise the enormous contributions of my predecessor, gen Stanley McChrystal,” Petraeus said. He said the progress made reflects McChrystal’s “vision, energy and leadership”.
The change of command comes at a time when the Taliban are at their strongest since being overthrown in 2001, with ISAF casualties mounting daily. Petraeus, wearing camouflage fatigues and speaking near a marble column dedicated to ISAF forces who have died in the Afghan campaign, said his appointment signaled a change in command, not strategy.
Petraeus landed in Kabul on Friday after his appointment was confirmed by the Senate and the House of Representatives approved $33 billion in funding for a troop surge he hopes will turn the tide of the war. agencies
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/South-Asia/We-are-in-war-to-win-in-Afghanistan/articleshow/6129225.cms
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Curfew lifted, Valley peaceful again
Khursheed Wani | Srinagar
Life returned to normal in Kashmir on Sunday after prolonged spells of curfew and separatist-sponsored strikes, with exception of southern Anantnag district, where curfew was reimposed following protests against the recent killing of civilians.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah held a meeting with prominent citizens in Srinagar city in a bid to make an all-inclusive effort to bring peace and normalcy to the embattled State.
Shops opened and traffic plied on Sunday morning to break the past week’s monotonous omnipresence of security forces and their vehicles. Despite a holiday, roads in Srinagar and inter-district links witnessed traffic jams and a huge rush of commuters. Most of the people were seen shopping for fresh fruits, eatables and essential commodities.
Srinagar city and other major towns were cloaked under curfew following widespread protest demonstrations against the killing of 11 civilians between June 11 and 29, allegedly at the hands of police and the Central Reserve Police Force. Authorities clamped restrictions and rounded up separatist leaders in a bid to avoid repetition of 2008, when the entire Valley erupted against a controversial land transfer order favouring the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/267111/Curfew-lifted-Valley-peaceful-again.html
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India, China discuss joint initiatives in Afghanistan
KJM Varma | Beijing
India and China on Sunday discussed the possibility of working in collaborative projects in third countries, including joint initiatives in Afghanistan to tap large mineral resources, as part of efforts to broad base their relationship.
National Security Adviser (NSA) Shiv Shankar Menon, who arrived here on Saturday on a four-day visit as Prime Minister Manmohan’s special envoy began his high-level engagements by holding talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Sunday.
After one-and-half-hour talks at the Foreign Ministry here, Yang accompanied by Menon told the Indian media that “talks went off very very well... We have a tour of the whole horizon” of issues.
A significant part of the discussions between Menon and Yang reportedly centred on economic issues and the booming trade between the two countries that is expected to touch a new of high of $60 billion this year.
Apparently issues relating to Pakistan and the visit of Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari to China beginning from July 6 reportedly to firm up cooperation to build two nuclear power plants figured in the talks.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/267052/India-China-discuss-joint-initiatives-in-Afghanistan.html
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Iran could halt 20% uranium enrichment if given fuel
Jul 05th, 2010
A top Iranian lawmaker said on Sunday that Tehran could stop refining uranium to 20 per cent purity level, the most controversial part of its atomic programme, if it gets nuclear fuel required for a research reactor.
“If the fuel for the Tehran research reactor is given, Iran will not insist on continuing the production of the fuel domestically,” state news agency IRNA quoted Alaeddin Borujerdi, head of Parliament’s commission on foreign policy, as saying.
Iran has infuriated world powers by refining since February uranium to 20 per cent level which when converted into fuel plates or rods can be used to power nuclear reactors.
World powers want Iran to suspend the sensitive atomic work, accusing Tehran of secretly aiming to make nuclear weapons. The Islamic republic says its programme is purely for peaceful purposes.
On June 23, Iran’s atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi said that Iran was “not in a hurry” to produce 20 per cent enriched uranium even if it can process 5 kg every month.
“We will adjust the production in a way that the workshop for making the fuel plates is equipped,” he said.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/267046/Iran-could-halt-20-uranium-enrichment-if-given-fuel.html
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Queen To Visit Ground Zero 1st Time
Jul 05th, 2010
Queen Elizabeth II will visit Ground Zero for the first time and make her first address to the UN General Assembly in over half a century when she arrives in New York on Tuesday. The 84-year-old monarch, accompanied by her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, will lay a wreath at the former site of the World Trade Centre to pay tribute to victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks.
She will also open the British Garden of Remembrance in nearby Hanover Square to honour the 67 British citizens killed on 9/11. Royal aides say she was personally concerned about the tragedy, but had not had an opportunity to go to New York herself.
In 2002, on the first anniversary of the attacks, she sought to console the grieving British community living there by sending them a personal message, expressing her sympathy and thanking New Yorkers for their support for grieving Britons.
http://www.asianage.com/international/queen-visit-ground-zero-1st-time-445
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Petraeus Says Afghan War At ‘Critical Stage’
Jul 05th, 2010
General David Petraeus formally assumed command of the 130,000-strong international force in Afghanistan on Sunday, declaring “we are in this to win” despite rising casualties and growing scepticism about the nearly nine-year-old war.
During a ceremony at Nato headquarters, Gen. Petraeus received two flags — one for the US and the other for Nato — marking his formal assumption of command.
He said it was important to demonstrate to the Afghan people and world that Al Qaeda and its extremist allies will not be allowed to once again establish sanctuaries in Afghanistan from which to launch attacks on the United States and other countries.
“We are in this to win,” Gen. Petraeus told a crowd of several hundred Nato and Afghan officials at the ceremony held on a grassy area just outside coalition headquarters. “We have arrived at a critical moment.”
Full report at:
http://www.asianage.com/international/petraeus-says-afghan-war-%E2%80%98critical-stage%E2%80%99-444
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Zardari Flies To China To Close Nuclear Deal
Jul 05th, 2010
In a bid to cement the nuclear deal, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari will leave on Tuesday on a six-day official visit to China.
During the visit, the President will hold talks with the top Chinese leadership, including President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, and will meet with provincial political leaders and chiefs of corporate sector.
China demonstrated strong support to Pakistan by categorical reiteration that it will go ahead with installation of two new nuclear reactors in Pakistan as the agreement ‘goes along well with the international non proliferation obligations of China and Pakistan’.
The agreement was signed during President Zardari’s China visit last year and reiterated on the eve of President Zardari’s fresh visit.
Full report at:
http://www.asianage.com/international/zardari-flies-china-close-nuclear-deal-442
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Gilani Gives Nod To Terror Meet
Jul 05th, 2010
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani will convene a national conference here next week to evolve a common strategy to combat terrorism and extremism.
Leadership of major political parties will attend the conference which is being called after Prime Minister Gilani on Saturday night called Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) chief Nawaz Sharif and they both agreed to work together on the issue.
In his discussion with Mr Nawaz Sharif, the Prime Minister assured that federal government would extend full support to all the provincial governments to fight terrorism.
The Prime Minister said as the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is a coalition partner in the provincial governments, it will be in the forefront of efforts to eradicate terrorism.
Full report at:
http://www.asianage.com/international/gilani-gives-nod-terror-meet-443
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India, China to tie up for Afghan ore
July 5th, 2010
Beijing, July 4: India and China on Sunday discussed the possibility of working in collaborative projects in third countries, including joint initiatives in Afghanistan to tap large mineral resources, as part of efforts to broadbase their relationship.
The national security adviser, Mr Shivshankar Menon, who reached Beijing on Saturday on a four-day visit as Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh’s special envoy, held talks with Chinese foreign minister, Mr Yang Jiechi on Sunday. After 90-minute talks at the foreign ministry, Mr Yang, accompanied by Mr Menon, said the talks “went off very, very well” and covered “the whole horizon” of issues.
They also discussed economic issues and bilateral trade, which is expected to touch $60 billion this year.
Pakistan-related issues, also figured in the talks.
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/international/india-china-tie-afghan-ore-067
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Balochistan package to give jobs to 3,974
By Saleem Shahid
05 Jul, 2010
QUETTA: The Balochistan government issued on Sunday appointment letters to 3,974 people, 1,362 women among them, who had cleared tests and interviews for jobs announced under the Aghaz-i-Huqooq Balochistan package.
“Appointment letters have been issued to 3,974 successful candidates from 25 districts,” sources said, adding that the names of successful candidates from Quetta, Musakhail and Mastung districts would be announced soon.
Test and interviews could not be held in Barkhan and Chagi districts because of protests by candidates. These will be held soon.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/06-3%2C974-get-jobs-under-balochistan-package-570-rs-05
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Gilani convenes CMs’ meeting on law, order
By Ahmad Hassan
05 Jul, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has convened a meeting of chief ministers on Monday to discuss the law and order situation in the aftermath of terrorist attacks on Data Darbar.
The meeting to be held at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat will also be attended by provincial chief secretaries and IGs, representatives of the military and heads of intelligence agencies, Rangers, Frontier Corps and Frontier Constabulary.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is expected to hold a one-to-one meeting with the prime minister to discuss a number of issues, including the proposed national conference.
Informed sources told Dawn that Mr Gilani who had visited Lahore after the gruesome incident extended complete support to the Punjab government in tracking down the culprits. Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/06-gilani-convenes-cms-meeting-on-law%2C-order-570-rs-04
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Jafria Alliance Pakistan to host conference
Monday, 05 Jul, 2010
KARACHI: The Jafria Alliance Pakistan has convened an all-parties conference in Karachi on Wednesday (July 7) to discuss target killings of innocent people, including doctors, in different parts of the country and the terrorist attack on Data Darbar.
The alliance made the announcement after a JAP delegation, headed by its chief Allama Abbas Kumaili, held at meeting with Sunni Rehbar Council’s leader Mufti Munib-ur-Rehman here on Sunday.
Mufti Munib and Allama Kumaili agreed to work for peace and harmony.
Earlier, Mufti Munib-ur-Rehman addressed a press conference in which he strongly condemned the attack on Data Darbar and called for devising an effective strategy to combat terrorism.
Mufti Munib said that the attack on Data Darbar was a highly condemnable terrorist act.
He said he would take all parties on board in the month of Shawwal to work out a line of action. In the meantime consultations will be held with all parties.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/06-jap-to-host-conference-570-rs-06
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‘Al Qaeda man travelled on Pakistani passport’
05 Jul, 2010
KARACHI, July 4: An Iraqi member of Al Qaeda travelled to Bangkok early this year on a Pakistani passport, the Herald reports in its cover story in its latest issue, citing an official report.
At large without a trace as the Pakistani authorities lost his trail after he left for Bangkok, the man goes by the name of Abu Baseer (or Basir) Al-Yamani. He is reported to be an aide to Khalid Sheikh Mohammad who is imprisoned at Guantanamo on multiple charges of terrorism, including the murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.
The magazine in its July issue that hits the news-stands across Pakistan on Monday describes how agents working in connivance with officials facilitated terrorists and hardened criminals in obtaining fake documents. These agents and their accomplices can possibly fake any document, the report says. It quotes agents and the government officials as saying that anyone could get a Computerised National Identity Card and a Pakistani passport “with fake data and fake fingerprints, only if they could pay the right price – ranging anywhere between 300,000 rupees to 500,000 rupees”.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/al-qaeda-man-travelled-on-pakistani-passport-570
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India comes up with six new names in Mumbai case
By Baqir Sajjad Syed
04 Jul, 2010
ISLAMABAD: The government has started examining a list of six suspects given by New Delhi during talks between the two foreign secretaries in Islamabad last week.
Most of the suspects have been identified by their aliases and cover names.
“A list of six more suspects — Sajid Mir, Maj Abdur Rehman, Brig Riaz, Abu Kafa, Abu Qama and Abu Hamza — has been given by India,” a security official said.
The names of the alleged handlers and controllers of the attack’s perpetrators emerged from interrogation by India of American suspect David Coleman Headley, who is being tried in the US for a plot to attack offices of a Danish newspaper that published blasphemous caricatures in 2005.
Indias National Investigation Agency (NIA) is likely to again get access to Mr Headley for further questioning.
According to the sketchy details provided by the Indians about the new suspects, Sajid Mir is allegedly an ex-armyman and the international operations commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/india-comes-up-with-6-new-names-in-mumbai-case-470
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Lashkar man among three killed in Darra blast
05 Jul, 2010
KOHAT, July 4: Three persons, including a child, were killed and as many injured when a remote control blast targeting a member of tribal lashkar went off in the semi-autonomous tribal area of Kohat on Sunday.
Official sources told Dawn that a Suzuki pick-up was on its way from Ibrahim Khel area in the Frontier Region of Kohat to Ara Khel when an improvised explosive device (IED) planted along the roadside exploded, killing Kabil Khan, his son Shah Wali and seven-year-old Fayyaz on the spot.
Two brothers Mohammad Umer, 8, and Shane-e-Umer, and Nasir were injured in the explosion.
Spokesman of Tehrik-i-Taliban Darra Adam Khel and Khyber Agency claimed responsibility for targeting the member of the tribal lashkar that took part in the operation against them some time ago.
MIRAMSHAH: One suspected militant was killed in exchange of fire with the security forces near checkpost in Miramshah, North Waziristan Agency, on Sunday amid curfew in the area, eyewitnesses said.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/lashkar-man-among-three-killed-in-darra-blast-570
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Veiled men force closure of shops
Monday, 05 Jul, 2010
TOBA TEK SINGH, July 4: On the call of Markazi Anjuman Tajiran, fruit and vegetable market commission agents association and Jamat Ahle Sunnat (JAS), a shutter down strike was observed here on Sunday to condemn the Data shrine suicide attacks.
Young veiled religious activists holding sticks kept wandering on roads and made shopkeepers pull down their shutters.
Meanwhile, a joint rally was taken out at here by Shia and Sunni
religious organisations. A big rally was taken out in Pirmahal by political and religious activists.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/veiled-men-force-closure-of-shops-570
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Iran submits evidence of scientist’s abduction
Monday, 05 Jul, 2010
TEHRAN: Iran has submitted “evidence” to the Swiss embassy that its nuclear scientist was abducted by US intelligence agents, the English language Press TV website reported on Sunday.
“The evidence related to the abduction of Shahram Amiri by the CIA has been handed over to the Swiss embassy in Tehran” foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanaparast was quoted as saying.
The Swiss embassy manages US interests in Iran since Washington and Tehran have no diplomatic ties. “We expect that based on the US administration’s obligations... the US authorities will announce the results of their investigation regarding this Iranian national,” Mehmanaparast said. Iranian officials have long maintained that Amiri was kidnapped by US agents from Saudi Arabia last year.
On June 29, Iranian television had screened a video of a man claiming to be Amiri and saying that he had managed to escape from the hands of US intelligence agents in Virginia.—AFP
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/iran-submits-evidence-of-scientists-abduction-570
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Netanyahu lying over Shalit talks, says Hamas
Monday, 05 Jul, 2010
GAZA CITY: Hamas on Sunday accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of “lying” to the Israeli people about a prisoner swap deal to secure the release of captured soldier Gilad Shalit.
Shalit was snatched by Gaza-based militants, some of them from the Islamist Hamas movement, in June 2006 and efforts to free him in a prisoner swap deal collapsed last December.
But Hamas, which rules the tiny coastal strip, accused the Israeli leader of misleading the public over the reason behind the collapse of negotiations.
“Your leaders are lying to you — don’t believe these people,” senior Hamas leader Mahmud Zahar told reporters in Gaza City during a protest by the families of prisoners being held in Israel.—AFP
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/netanyahu-lying-over-shalit-talks%2C-says-hamas-570
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Rights group to combat slavery in Yemen
Monday, 05 Jul, 2010
SANAA: A Yemeni rights organisation said on Sunday it has launched a campaign against slavery, which was abolished in 1962 but still appears to be the lot of hundreds of people in the impoverished country.
Hood “will work with its partners in civil society ... to end this crime,” the non-governmental organisation's coordinator Mohammed Naji Allaw said on its website.
“A committee of dignitaries will visit the regions where those who practice slavery live, in order to explain to them the gravity of their crime,” he said.
He also warned that the organisation would “prosecute those who install themselves as masters and enslave other citizens, in criminal acts that the Yemeni law punishes by 10 years imprisonment.” The campaign follows a series of articles on al-Masdaronline news website on practices which affect “500 slaves” across the country.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/rights-group-to-combat-slavery-in-yemen-570
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Biden urges Iraqi leaders to break deadlock
Monday, 05 Jul, 2010
BAGHDAD, July 4: US Vice President Joe Biden on Sunday pleaded to Iraqi leaders to end the bickering and delays that have threatened to derail the conflict-torn nation's democracy since an inconclusive general election.
Mr Biden, on the second day of a visit to Baghdad, made his comments after separate meetings with the two men whose feud over who should lead Iraq's new government as prime minister has deadlocked the political process.
He also stressed America had no “hidden agenda” over the outcome of the dispute which has overshadowed a phased withdrawal of US combat troops after seven years of operations since the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
Biden met first with Iyad Allawi, a former prime minister who narrowly beat incumbent premier Nuri al-Maliki into second place in the election.
The US leader later appealed to them and other Iraqi politicians to break the impasse, at an evening reception after talks with Maliki.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/biden-urges-iraqi-leaders-to-break-deadlock-570
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Clerics demand Sanaullah’s sacking over terrorist ties
Monday, 05 Jul, 2010
LAHORE: Tahafuz-e-Namoos-e-Risalat, a consortium of religious clerics from different Sunni organisations, on Sunday announced a complete boycott of the Punjab government unless they sack Law Minister Rana Sanaullah for his ties with banned terrorist organisations. The consortium made these comments during a seminar organised on the Qul rituals of those who lost their lives in the Data Darbar attack. The clerics said terrorists were able to operate freely in Punjab due to their ties with Punjab government officials, especially Sanaullah. Peace could not prevail in Punjab unless the terrorists’ network is busted, and the first step to do so is to remove Sanaullah from office, they added. Separately, a private TV channel reported the Punjab chief minister has rejected the demand to remove Sanaullah from office, terming it “unrealistic”, according to APP. staff report/app
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\05\story_5-7-2010_pg7_2
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Two soldiers injured in attack on convoy in N Waziristan
05 Jul, 2010
PESHAWAR: Two soldiers were injured when unidentified terrorists attacked a security forces convoy in North Waziristan on Sunday. The assailants ambushed the convoy that was on way to Datta Khel from Miranshah at Sargardan Chowk, injuring Subedar Muhammad Shafiq and another soldier. The forces returned the fire, killing one of the attackers. The injured and the deceased assailant were moved to a hospital. The agency’s political agent had enforced a curfew in the area at 5:30am on Sunday. staff report
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\05\story_5-7-2010_pg7_6
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Afghan appeals court acquits former British soldier
05 Jul, 2010
KABUL: A Kabul appeals court on Sunday acquitted a former British soldier convicted of bribery in Afghanistan, with a judge citing lack of evidence in a case that tested confidence in the country’s fragile court system.
Bill Shaw, 52, was originally given a two-year sentence in April after being found guilty by the newly established anti-corruption court of trying to pay a $25,000 bribe for the release of two vehicles impounded by the intelligence services.
“I thank the judge and the court for reading and understanding what I was trying to do,” a teary Shaw said after the ruling as he stood with his legs still in prison chains.
Shaw had repeatedly protested his innocence and said he thought he was paying a fine to an Afghan official, rather than an illegal bribe. The officials who took the money have since disappeared.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\05\story_5-7-2010_pg20_7
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Iranian, Turkish leaders expected for D8 summit
05 Jul, 2010
ABUJA: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Turkish President Abdullah Gul are due in Nigeria this week for the D8 summit of developing nations, the foreign ministry said on Sunday.
Ministry spokesman Ozo Nwobu said in a statement the two leaders were expected at the D8 summit due to open in Abuja on Thursday. The D8 group comprises Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey. Besides the host country, either prime ministers or ministers will represent the other developing nations.
Nigeria on Sunday took over the rotational two-year chairmanship of the group from Malaysia at talks building up to the summit due on Thursday. “The Nigerian chair is committed to ensuring that the various challenges facing the organisation are effectively addressed,” Nigerian foreign affairs permanent secretary Martin Uhomoibhi said at a pre-summit meeting of the D8 commissioners. afp
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\05\story_5-7-2010_pg20_9
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National Conference convened to review anti-terror strategy
By Shakeel Ahmed
ISLAMABAD—Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani will convene a national conference here next week to evolve a common strategy to combat terrorism and extremism. Leadership of major political parties will attend the conference which is being called after Prime Minister Gilani Saturday night called PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif and they both agreed to work together on the issue.
In his discussion with Nawaz Sharif, the Prime Minister assured that federal government would extend full support to all the provincial governments to fight terrorism. The Prime Minister said as Pakistan People’s Party is a coalition partner in provincial governments, it will be in the forefront of efforts to eradicate terrorism.
The Prime Minister’s call to Nawaz Sharif was part of his initiative to develop national consensus on issue of terrorism. “PM believes in national consensus” a PM secretariat source told APP while giving reasons for holding the conference. Ahead of the conference, the Prime Minister will chair a meeting of provincial chief ministers and home ministers on Monday at PM Secretariat to discuss and review the security situation. The government also recently got passed a resolution in the parliament to promote collective efforts to fight terrorism.
Full report at:
http://dailymailnews.com/0710/05/FrontPage/index.php?id=1
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Page on dictatorship turned over in constitutional history: Zardari
By Saad Saud
ISLAMABAD—President and Co-chairperson of the Pakistan People’s Party Asif Ali Zardari said that July 5 is one of the darkest days in the history of the country and will be remembered as the “Black Day” for spawning militancy, sectarianism, tyranny and oppression and systematically dismantling the constitutional and legal edifice of the country.In a message, the President said the nation however can take some comfort in the fact that on July 5 this year the Constitution that had been disfigured by the dictator has been restored by the people of Pakistan through the 18th Amendment.
This triumph of people and the Parliament is a stinging rejection of the dictator and dictatorship and a warning to all those who reject the will of the people expressed thorough their elected representatives, the President said. The President said that in his message on this day last year he had urged the people to “vow to banish from the Constitution all undemocratic insertions made by the dictators from time to time.”
Full report at:
http://dailymailnews.com/0710/05/FrontPage/index.php?id=2
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Nudge on arms divides US, Israel
05 Jul, 2010
WASHINGTON—The United States has yielded to demands by Arab nations that the final document on nuclear non proliferation treaty must urge Israel to sign the NPT, a way of spotlighting its historically undeclared nuclear weapons. An Israeli official said this is another sign of unreliability by its most important ally. In a recent visit to Washington, Israel’s defense minister, Ehud Barak raised the issue in meetings with senior American officials.
With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scheduled to meet President Obama on Tuesday at the White House, the flap may introduce a discordant note into a meeting that both sides are eager to portray as a chance for Israel and the United States to turn the page after a rocky period.
Full report at:
http://dailymailnews.com/0710/05/FrontPage/index.php?id=3
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Pak, China war games at full swing
05 Jul, 2010
BEIJING/RAWALPINDI—Joint exercises of special forces of Pakistan and China to root out terrorism are at its peak and commandos of both countries on Sunday participated in different trainings operations, which will be useful against militancy.
Most professionals of both countries are participating in the war exercises, which will be prolonged for eleven days. Used of modern technologies alongwith physical returning have been assured in the joint exercises.
Commandos of Pakistan and China demonstrated their skills to destroy the hideouts of militants and special area of China was selected in this regard. Forces of both countries also displayed shift of heavy arms to other places during security operations. Superior officials of both forces are monitoring the military exercises on daily basis.
Full report at:
http://dailymailnews.com/0710/05/FrontPage/index.php?id=4
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Punjab to swoop on 17 banned outfits
Monday, July 05, 2010
RAWALPINDI: The Punjab Home Department has set up task forces comprising police officials at the district level to crack down against 17 banned organisations following the suicide attacks at the Data Darbar in Lahore.
The task forces will comprise officials from the CID, the Special Branch and the Anti-Terrorism Squad. They have also been advised to establish close contacts with intelligence officers in the districts to exchange information with regard to 17 banned organisations.
An official of the Punjab Home Department told the BBC Urdu Service that orders had been issued to launch crackdowns on secret hideouts of banned outfits and arrest those connected with them immediately.
The task forces have been asked to trace out those who had been financing the banned organisations and their other funding sources and take action under the Anti-Terrorist Act. Headed by District Police Officers (DPOs), the task forces will submit their reports to the Punjab Home Department.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=29837
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Helping cleaners beat the heat
By RIMA AL-MUKHTAR
05 Jul, 2010
JEDDAH: Locals are launching a new campaign to help street cleaners through the summer heat.
The campaign urges volunteers to freeze a bottle of water overnight and to give the bottle to a street cleaner when they are out in the city the following day.
“I heard about this campaign after receiving an SMS from one of my friends, said local resident Ahmed Basrawi.
“I thought it was a brilliant idea and I have started doing this on a daily basis. It’s just a small gesture from all of us to give a helping hand to those who work under the summer sun.”
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article78653.ece
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‘Abbas never offered Israel control over Al-Buraq Wall’
By MOHAMMED MAR’I
05 Jul, 2010
RAMALLAH: The Palestinian Authority (PA) on Sunday denied reports that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas offered Israel continued control over Al-Buraq Wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque Complex.
Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said in a press statement that Abbas did not make such an offer. Erekat added that the current US-brokered indirect talks were to remain secret.
The London-based Arab daily Al-Hayat said that Abbas had agreed that the Al-Buraq Wall and the Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem remain under Israeli sovereignty in the context of a peace agreement between the PA and Israel. The city would also remain open to followers of all religions.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article78603.ece
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Officials: Female bomber kills 4 in western Iraq
By SAMEER N. YACOUB
05 Jul, 2010
BAGHDAD: Militants attacked government offices and Iraqi officials across the country on Sunday, killing four people and raising fears that extremists are exploiting the country's political deadlock to destabilize Iraq as the US forces draw down.
A female suicide bomber killed four people and injured 23 in an attack on a government building in Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's western Anbar province. Councilman Aeefan Sadoun said the attacker detonated explosives strapped on her body in the reception room of the provincial government headquarters.
In Mosul, Iraq's third largest city and a northern stronghold of Al-Qaeda, police shot a suicide bomber near the provincial government's headquarters, although the bomber still managed to detonate his explosive belt, a US
military official with knowledge of the incident said.
Iraqi police said two policemen were wounded in the blast.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article78562.ece
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No eatables allowed inside Grand Mosque
By MUHAMMAD HUMAIDAN
Jul 4, 2010
JEDDAH: Director of the department of the gates of the Grand Mosque in the Presidency of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques Talal ibn Saleh Al-Thaqafi has asked the pilgrims and visitors not to take food, drinks and other disposable material inside the mosque in order to keep the place of worship clean and sanitary.
He also asked them to cooperate with the door guards and to abide by the rules aimed at keeping the mosque clean and hygienic for their own comfort.
“Only small quantities of dates and Arabian coffee are allowed inside the Holy Haram,” he told Arab News in a statement on Sunday.
He pointed out that bags and suitcases will also not be allowed to be taken inside the mosque.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article78665.ece
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King Abdullah receives Moroccan prince
By ARAB NEWS
Jul 5, 2010
CASABLANCA: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, who is on his third leg of a foreign tour, met with Prince Ismail bin Abdullah of Morocco, at his residence here on Sunday.
The audience was attended by Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Intelligence Chief Prince Muqrin, Education Minister Prince Faisal bin Abdullah, other princes and senior officials.
King Abdullah arrived in Casablanca on Friday after visiting Canada and the United States and attending the G20 summit in Toronto. He will return to the Kingdom after visiting France.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article78752.ece
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India Hindutva Party threatens stir against 15% quota for Muslims
05 Jul, 2010
BANGALORE: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday threatened to launch a mass agitation if the central government implemented the Ranganath Mishra Commission report which recommended 15 percent reservation for Muslims in education and government employment.
"We will launch a massive agitation if the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government implements the commission's recommendations as it would deprive the other backward classes (OBCs) of reservation in jobs and educational institutions," BJP president Nitin Gadkari said here.
Addressing a massive convention of backward classes, organised by the state unit of the party at the Bangalore Palace grounds here, Gadkari said the report smacked of vote bank politics of the Congress.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/BJP-threatens-stir-against-15-quota-for-Muslims/articleshow/6128565.cms
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Mubarak flies to Algeria on condolence trip
Jul 4, 2010
ALGIERS: Egypt's 82-year-old president, Hosni Mubarak, flew to Algeria on Sunday to offer condolences over the death of the Algerian leader's brother, a trip that follows months of tension between the two countries.
Algeria and Egypt had a diplomatic row late last year over ill-tempered qualification for the soccer World Cup, and since then investments in Algeria by Egyptian firms Orascom Telecom and Ezz Steel have hit problems.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article78566.ece
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Yemeni rebels fire on troops, straining truce
Jul 5, 2010
SANAA: Yemeni rebels opened fire on Sunday on government troops sent to quell fighting between the rebels and pro-government tribes, a government official said, threatening a truce in the country’s civil war.
Tensions between the rebels and tribes in the country’s north have been rising in the Harf Sufyan area for months, and exploded after rebels attacked a tribal leader’s home on Friday, killing three of his followers in an explosion.
The Sanaa government, with agreement of the rebels, sent troops to the area on Sunday to restore calm. Rebels said gunfire erupted when the contingent of several hundred soldiers turned out to be much larger than the several dozen they had expected.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article78604.ece
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Stuck in the Afghan quagmire
3 July 2010
The Taleban have wasted no time in throwing a welcoming party for General David Petraeus. It’s not even 48 hours since the new US and Nato commander in Afghanistan, having replaced the ‘runaway’ General Stanley McChrystal, had appeared before US lawmakers as part of his confirmation process.
General Petraeus had to struggle to persuade the wise men on the Hill that the US-led coalition could still win in Afghanistan.
Given the audacity of the Taleban attack on a heavily fortified crucial Nato base in Jalalabad though, the confidence of General Petraeus and his bosses in Washington looks misplaced and far from justified.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/editorial/2010/July/editorial_July5.xml§ion=editorial&col=
4:19 AM
Sultan Shahin
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