Underage girl moves LHC against forced marriage
Arab jailed for posing as Jew for sex Delhi Court issues non-bailable warrants against Pak army officers
30 militants, 3 soldiers perish in Orakzai clash
Iran says Amiri was its spy
49 killed in Yemen clashes: tribals, rebels
Shoura chairman condemns UN double standard
Syria debates reported ban on student veils
Centre to call all J&K groups for talks
‘Iran scientist gave useful info about CIA’
Deported from UAE, yet Gulshan killer walks free
India, Pak beat retreat at Wagah
Differences over Pak now split wide open
No point in talking till Pak stops sponsoring terror: BJP
SC upholds life term for killer of Mirwaizs father
Shun devilish ManU jersey, Malaysians told
Afghanistan will be America's new Vietnam, says Iran speaker
Iraq car bomb kills 28
Suspected Kurd rebels blow up Iran-Turkey gas pipeline
We're constantly evaluating effectiveness of aid to Pak: US
Two militants killed in gun battle in Kupwara
Lal Chowk attack mastermind killed in encounter
US seems upsets with India for Headley disclosures
Whereabouts of Osama: US wants info from Pak
`Terrorist used Metro after planting bomb in 2008'
Gandhar gamble
Kerala laps up controversial book on Karkare
We're willing to walk the extra mile, says Qureshi
‘Don't talk to Pakistan till it stops aiding terrorism'
A self-styled successor to Indian Union Muslim League
Terrorists from Af-Pak border killing our people, says Obama
Afghanistan: U.K. to follow U.S. timeline
Iraq war was illegal: UK
Drug money being used to foment terrorism: Zardari
Greece, Cyprus urge Turkey to speed up peace talks
Omar Beshir defies ICC
Haj balloting on August 11
Karachi tense as six political workers killed
‘Nato is here to stay beyond the war’
CIA announces new head of spy service
Pakistanis among 73 detained in Bulgaria
LHC orders judicial inquiry into Christians’ murder
New Yorkers enthralled by Pakistani folk songs
US urged to avoid forced transfer of Gitmo prisoners
‘Hrf-e-Akhir’ — a classic case of neglect towards Urdu
‘Muslims must fight savage US, UK terrorism’
15-member committee formed to review constitution
Saudi elected to Arab League rights panel
Egyptian journalist in Riyadh comes under gun attack
Campaign under way to aid 13,000 poor families
Researcher rails at un-Islamic custom of dowry among Asians
Possessed by jinn? 29-year-old in chains for six years
Insurgents behead 6 Afghan police in north: NATO
Malaysia increasingly intolerant of dissent - rights group
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Terror master-mind Ilyas Kashmiri
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Underage girl moves Lahore HC against forced marriage
July 22, 2010
A 13-year-old girl, who was sold for a forced marriage to a 55-year old man by her father, has filed a writ petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday seeking protection and pleading for action against the accused.
Sadia had escaped from the custody of her father and brother-in-law three days ago before her forced marriage against Rs70,000 but her relatives were causing her constant harassment through police.
Through Judicial Activism Panel (JAP), a human rights and public interest litigation association, she has filed the petition before the LHC which was fixed before the court of Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry for hearing on Thursday (today).
Her father Irshad Ahmed and brother-in-law Mahboob Ali were allegedly forcing her to marry a 55-year-old labourer, Ijaz, in exchange for Rs70, 000, she submitted in the petition through JAP Chairman Advocate Muhammad Azhar Siddique. She said they had planned her Nikah for July 19.
Advocate Siddique submitted that Sadia had been separated from her mother three months back when her brother-in-law Mahboob Ahmed threw her mother and her siblings out of their home.
Siddique said she contacted a relative, Arshad Ali, by telephone on Monday who managed to reunite her with her mother and the rest of the siblings after locating their whereabouts as they were residing at some undisclosed place for fear of the accused.
Siddique said Irshad had begun fighting with his wife Kausar after Mahboob requested that Saadia’s elder sister Iqra be married to him but Kausar and her three sons had opposed the marriage and it enraged Mahboob who throw them out of the family home. He said Mahboob wanted Sadia and her sisters to continue to live with him so that he could sell them off for huge sum of money. He said however Kausar had managed to escape with her elder daughter Sumaira but had been unable to recover Sadia and Iqra, with whom, Mehboob solemnised his Nikah two months back.
He said Sadia had learnt of her impending nuptials on July 12 when Ijaz was brought to the house to see her. He said she had run away because she didn’t want to marry Ijaz or any other man for that matter.
He submitted before the court that Mahboob and Irshad were constantly managing police raids in search of Sadia to fulfil their motive but she with her mother had taken shelter at some undisclosed place.
He prayed to the court to issued direction to Punjab Chief Secretary and Secretary Home for protection of fundamental rights of citizens of the province as incidents of violation of human rights were on the rise.
He prayed that the police concerned might be directed not to harass minor Sadia, her siblings, her mother and other relatives, and instead provide protection to them. He also prayed for action against her father and brother-in-law for trying to sell her.
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=252100
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Arab jailed for posing as Jew for sex
Jul 22 2010
Jerusalem: An Israeli courts jailing on a rape charge of an Arab man it ruled had duped a Jewish woman into consensual sex by lying about his ethnicity caused a stir on Wednesday.
The Jerusalem district court has gone too far, the liberal Haaretz daily quoted Elkana Laist of the public defender’s office as saying.
The court sentenced Sabbar Kashur,30,to 18 months behind bars on Monday,after finding that he had had sex with the woman by posing as a Jewish bachelor interested in a long-term relationship.
When the woman found out he was not a Jew,she filed a police complaint that led to charges of rape and indecent assault.In a plea deal,Kashur later agreed to the charge of rape by deception,Haaretz said.
If she hadnt thought the accuser was a Jewish bachelor interested in a serious romantic relationship,she would not have cooperated, judge Zvi Segal wrote in his verdict.
Kashur,who is married and has two small children,called the verdict racist.If I were Jewish,they wouldnt even have questioned me.Thats not called rape, Haaretz quoted him as saying.
The newspaper noted that the Israeli high court set a precedent for the charge of rape by deception in 2008 when it rejected an appeal against a rape conviction by a man who impersonated an housing ministry official,promising women he would get them an apartment if they slept with him.
Lais argued that the Jerusalem court went too far in its application of that High Court ruling,opening the door to a rape conviction every time a person lies regarding details of his identity.
The argument that obtaining sex by false pretences is a form of rape has been used in several countries,including the United States.
Israels Arab community numbers 1.3 million,about 20 percent of the population.It includes the descendants of the 160,000 Palestinians who remained in Israel after the 1948 war and establishment of the Jewish state.Relations between the two communities have always been controversial as Israel describes itself as both a Jewish and a democratic state,with rights for all its citizens.
Times of India
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Delhi Court issues NBWs against Pak army officers
Jul 22 2010
A DELHI court on Wednesday issued non- bailable warrants ( NBWs) against two serving Pakistani Army Majors and three Lashkar- e- Tayyeba ( LeT) operatives for plotting terror attacks in Delhi, Mumbai and other parts of the country.
The National Investigation Agency ( NIA) has charged Pakistani officers Major Iqbal and Major Sameer Ali along with the LeT operatives Sajid Majid, Syed Abdur Rehman and Illyas Kashmiri for planning terror strikes in the key Indian cities.
The accused have been booked under various provisions of the IPC, Unlawful Activities ( Prevention) Act and SAARC Convention ( Suppression of Terrorism) Act, dealing with waging war against the Government of India, conspiracy and procuring arms and ammunitions.
“ I issue NBWs against the five accused.
The warrants are returnable on October 7,” district and sessions judge S. P. Garg said.
The court, however, refused the NIA plea seeking NBWs against JuD chief Hafiz Saeed and LeT’s operations commander Zaki- ur- Rehman Lakhvi as a Mumbai court has already issued NBWs against them. “ A Mumbai court has issued the NBWs against them. This is sufficient for getting red corner notices,” the court said in a statement. The court’s order came in after hearing the contentions of the NIA which said the issuance of the NBWs was necessary for further probe in the case pertaining to the country’s national security.
Mail Today
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30 militants, 3 soldiers perish in Orakzai clash
July 22, 2010
KALAYA: Thirty militants were killed and 18 others sustained injuries in retaliatory fire by the security forces as a convoy of the forces advancing towards Zokhtan area in Dabori in upper Orakzai Agency was attacked by insurgents leaving three soldiers dead and six others wounded on Wednesday, official and tribal sources said.
The sources said the gun battle started when the militants attacked the troops heading towards Zokhtan area from two directions. Sepoy Ghulam Bashir, Sepoy Mehrab and Sepoy Ramzan were killed on the spot during the militant attack. Soldiers, who sustained injuries, included Ghulam Sarwar, Tanvir Shah, Kaleemullah, Nadeem and Qayyum, the sources said. The wounded were airlifted to the Combined Military Hospital, Kohat.
The security forces returned the fire and killed 30 militants and injured several others by using heavy weapons against them, the sources reported. The forces also destroyed two vehicles of the militants.
The sources said the militants retreated from Zokhtan and escaped to the Ghandital area of Orakzai Agency. After securing Zokhtan, the security forces launched door-to-door search operation as curfew was imposed in the area for the purpose, the sources said. The search operation was still going on in the area considered to be a stronghold of the Orakzai-based Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the sources said.
Since March this year, the Pakistan Army has been taking action against the TTP in Orakzai Agency. While the guns are silent in the lower tehsil of the agency after the first part of the military operation was completed, intense fighting was reported from upper tehsil of Orakzai as the insurgents were entrenched in the area.
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=252142
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Iran says Amiri was its spy
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI
Jul 22, 2010
He was planted to find out how much America knew about Tehran’s nuclear activities
TEHRAN: An Iranian nuclear scientist who returned home last week from the United States provided valuable information about the CIA, a semi-official news agency reported Wednesday, adding that his spy's tale would be made into a TV movie.
American authorities have claimed Shahram Amiri willingly defected to the US but changed his mind and decided to return home without the $5 million he had been paid for what a US official described as “significant” information about his country's disputed nuclear program.
The Fars news agency, which is close to Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards, quoted an unidentified source as saying Iran's intelligence agents were in touch with Amiri while he was in the US and that they won an intelligence battle against the CIA.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article87904.ece
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49 killed in Yemen clashes: tribals, rebels
22 Jul, 2010
SANAA: Fighting in mountainous north Yemen between Shiite rebels and army-backed tribes over the past four days have left at least 49 people dead, threatening a fragile truce, tribal and rebel sources said on Wednesday. The major confrontations were taking place in al-Amsheyah, in the northern Amran province, where the tribe of MP Sheikh Sagheer Aziz is allegedly besieged by the Huthi rebels. ‘The confrontations between the Huthi (rebels) and the supporters of the tribal chief Sheikh Sagheer Aziz have resulted in the death of 20 tribesmen and 10 Huthis’, a tribal source told. “Rebels are still besieging the tribe” of Bin Aziz, the source added. But the rebels’ spokesman, Mohammed Abdul Salam, told AFP that 20 rebels were killed in the confrontations, claiming that the clashes were with the army and not with the tribe. ‘We are confronting military positions. These are not tribal areas’, he said. Aziz is a member of the parliamentary bloc of the ruling General People’s Congress party. Six MPs have started a sit-in on Tuesday at the parliament in support of Aziz, demanding government action to end the alleged siege. Meanwhile, 62 MPs have signed a petition demanding the government “to assume responsibility in ending the violations committed by the Huthis”, and threatened to suspend their parliamentary membership if the authorities fail to help Aziz. The Amran region and the neighbouring Saada province have been the scene of sporadic clashes between the rebels and government-backed tribes. In separate clashes on Tuesday, Yemeni tribal chief Sheikh Zaidan al-Moqannay, his son and four of his bodyguards were killed in a rebel ambush in Saada, a security official said. Abdul Salam denied that the rebels ambushed Moqannay, claiming that he was killed in confrontations which also resulted in the death of three rebels.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\22\story_22-7-2010_pg4_8
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Shoura chairman condemns UN double standard
By MD RASOOLDEEN
Jul 22, 2010
RIYADH: The Kingdom has called on the United Nations to intervene and stop ongoing Israeli settlement building in Palestinian territories.
Shoura Council Chairman Abdullah Al-Asheikh said the UN needed to stop Palestinian rights being violated. He was addressing delegates at the third World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, which concluded in Geneva on Wednesday.
The conference is a global summit convened by The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), which focuses on democracy, the role of legislative institutions and their relationship with the United Nations.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article87980.ece
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Syria debates reported ban on student veils
22 July 2010
Reports that authorities had banned fully veiled Muslim women students from university campuses have caused a rare public debate in Syria.
Two Syrian websites reported that the Ministry of Higher Education last week prohibited the niqab, a veil that leaves only the eyes showing, at universities — although in practice it is rarely worn by students at most universities.
Higher Education Minister Ghiath Barakat declined to confirm the decision, telling an official gathering on Tuesday that the government prefers “society to take the lead in fighting extremism”.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/July/middleeast_July394.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
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Centre to call all J&K groups for talks
Jul 22 2010
New Delhi: With the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) last week deciding to begin dialogue with different social and political groups in J&K,the Centre will soon invite all shades of opinion in the state,including Hurriyat Conference,to find ways to resolve the Kashmir issue and restore peace in the state.
Government sources said the invitation would be extended separately to each small and major group,mainstream as well as separatists groups,including both factions of Hurriyat Conference.Letters of invitation will be sent to every party and group for separate meetings with central leaders which may include home minister P Chidambaram, an official said.
The move comes in the wake of repeated demands by J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah asking the central leadership to initiate a political dialogue with all shades of opinion in the state.The Centre has also supported the CMs move to hold elections to local bodies later this year as this would help create another buffer zone in governance.TNN
Times of India
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‘Iran scientist gave useful info about CIA’
Jul 22 2010
Tehran : Semi-official Fars news agency said on Wednesday that Iranian nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri, who returned home last week from the US, provided valuable information about the CIA, adding that his his tale would be made into a movie.
US authorities have claimed Shahram Amiri willingly defected to the US, but changed his mind and decided to return home without the $5 million he had been paid for “significant” information about Iran’s nuclear programme.
The Fars news agency, which is close to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, quoted a source as saying Iran’s intelligence agents were in touch with Amiri while he was in the US and that they had won an intelligence battle against the CIA.
“We sought to obtain good information from inside the CIA. While Amiri was still in the US, we managed to establish contact with him in early 2010 and obtained very valuable information accordingly,” the source told Fars. To support the claim, the source mentioned the licence plate numbers of two cars used by the CIA in Virginia, claiming that some CIA locations, individuals and contacts have been identified.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/iran-scientist-gave-useful-info-about-cia/650157/
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Deported from UAE,yet Gulshan killer walks free
Jul 22 2010
Mumbai: Three years after Abdul Qayyum Shaikh,a close aide of gangster Abu Salem,was deported from Dubai for his alleged role in the murder of music baron Gulshan Kumar,a sessions court on Wednesday acquitted him due to lack of evidence.
Thus another chapter closed in the prosecution of those charged with the murder.Police has had little success in the case as the first trial which ended in 2002 had also led to the acquittal of 18 men.
The trial against Qayyum began in April this year with the prosecution examining nine witnesses against him.Kumar was killed by three persons outside a temple in suburban Andheri on August 12,1997.
Full report at: Times of India
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India,Pak beat retreat at Wagah
Jul 22 2010
Jalandhar: Indo-Pak talks may have yielded little and heartburn between diplomats may still be continuing,but the aggression has cooled a bit on the countries border at Wagah.
However,that was not the case at the daily beating retreat ceremony till two months ago,when BSF guards and Pakistan Rangers would stomp their feet and display aggressive expressions on their faces.India had approached Pakistan twice before that for toning down the gestures,but Pakistan had declined the proposals.The first such suggestion was forwarded three years ago and the second followed a year-and-a-half later.
This time,both sides agreed on the issue, said BSF IG Himmat Singh.The expression of aggression had become almost a tradition during retreat ceremony notwithstanding the ups and downs in relationship between the two countries.
Times of India
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Differences over Pak now split wide open
Jul 22 2010
New Delhi: Foreign minister S M Krishna sprang a surprise on Wednesday,criticizing Union home secretary G K Pillais statement linking ISI to the 26/11 attack that came just on the eve of the formers trip to Pakistan.The foreign ministers remarks showed up the barely concealed fissures within the government,exposing a strong division of opinion and perception within the regime on the issue of Pakistan and how to deal with it.Krishnas criticism of home secretary Pillai came a day after national security adviser Shiv Shankar Menon,in a deliberate move,endorsed the home secretarys remarks focusing on the terrorist-official nexus as one of the most difficult parts of dealing with Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.
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No point in talking till Pak stops sponsoring terror: BJP
Jul 22 2010
BJP on Wednesday said Indias bid to engage Pakistan in talks would prove fruitless as long as state actors like ISI and the army in continued to sponsor terror against it.The situation that has developed recently in India-Pak talks prove BJPs contention that their ISI and army are involved in this statesponsored terrorism, BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said.
Times of India
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SC upholds life term for killer of Mirwaizs father
Dhananjay Mahapatra
Jul 22 2010
New Delhi: More than 20 years after militants gunned down then Mirwaiz Moulvi Farooq at his residence in Srinagar,the Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the conviction and life sentence to Hizbul Mujahideen militant Mohammad Ayub Dar for the murder.
A bench comprising Justices V S Sirpurkar and M K Sharma dismissed an appeal filed by Dar,who was convicted by a J&K Tada court on March 8,2009 and sentenced to life imprisonment.There is no merit in the appeal and it is dismissed, the bench said.The Tada court had also imposed a fine of Rs 6,000 on Dar.
The killing of Mirwaiz Moulvi Farooq on May 21,1990,had led to massive protests in the Valley.A month later,his then 17-year-old son Umar Farooq was appointed Mirwaiz.
Full report at: Times of India
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Shun devilish ManU jersey,Malaysians told
Jul 22 2010
Kuala Lumpur: Muslims must not wear the famous Manchester United red jersey because of the devil emblem on its team crest,Malaysian clerics said.
Manchester United and rest of the English Premier League are popular in Muslim-majority Malaysia and the rest of the Asian region,but conservative religious scholars said the jersey is un-Islamic.Also off limits are the shirts of teams including Brazil,Portugal,Barcelona,Serbia and Norway,all of which carry images of the cross on their team emblems.
This is very dangerous.As a Muslim,we should not worship the symbols of other religions or the devils, Nooh Gadot,a top Islamic cleric from the southern Johor state,said.It will erode our belief in Islam.There is no reason why we as Muslims should wear such jerseys,either for sports or fashion reasons, said Nooh,an advisor to the Johor religious council.Even if it (the jersey) is a gift,we should decline it.It is even more sinful when people realise this is wrong and still buy these jerseys to wear, he added.
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Afghanistan will be America's new Vietnam, says Iran speaker
Jul 22, 2010
GENEVA: Afghanistan will become a new Vietnam for the United States as it was repeating the same mistakes made in Indochina, Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani said in an interview.
"The Americans will have the same success in Afghanistan as in Vietnam," he told French-language Swiss television on Wednesday, a day after an international donors' conference in Kabul.
"Years ago the Soviet Union made exactly the same mistake. Many many people were killed and it finally pulled out," he said. "History repeats itself. We know Afghanistan. We know that Afghanistan will never submit to foreign armies."
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Afghanistan-will-be-Americas-new-Vietnam-says-Iran-speaker/articleshow/6198709.cms
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Iraq car bomb kills 28
Jul 22 2010
BAQUBA, Iraq: A car bomb near a mosque in the city of Baquba, north of Baghdad, killed 28 people and wounded 46 on Wednesday, security officials said.
The bomb in a car parked near a Shiite mosque in the city exploded at around 6:00 pm (1500 GMT), an official from Baquba Operations Command said.
Police have imposed a curfew in the city's Abu Sayeeda neighbourhood as they suspect there may be more bombs in the area, the official said.
Diyala province, of which Baquba is the capital, is confessionally and ethnically mixed and has been a persistent target for attack by Al-Qaeda militants seeking to exploit its communal tensions.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Iraq-car-bomb-kills-28-/articleshow/6197971.cms
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Suspected Kurd rebels blow up Iran-Turkey gas pipeline
Jul 22 2010
ANKARA: Suspected Kurdish rebels blew up a pipeline carrying natural gas from Iran to Turkey, forcing the shutdown of the conduit, officials said Wednesday.
The powerful blast occurred overnight at a section of the pipeline near the eastern Turkish town of Dogubayazit, in Agri province, several kilometres (miles) from the Iranian border, a local official said over telephone, without giving other details.
"The explosion is believed to have been carried out by members of the separatist terrorist organisation," Agri Governor Ali Yerlikaya said in a statement, using officialese for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Security forces are looking for the perpetrators, said the statement, carried by Anatolia news agency.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Suspected-Kurd-rebels-blow-up-Iran-Turkey-gas-pipeline/articleshow/6195815.cms
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We're constantly evaluating effectiveness of aid to Pak: US
Jul 22, 2010
WASHINGTON: The US is constantly evaluating the effectiveness of its aid given to Pakistan for fighting terrorism, a top American official has said.
"We are continually evaluating how to make those as effective as possible, how to channel them so that as much as this assistance as possible gets to the intended beneficiaries," state department spokesman P J Crowley told reporters at his daily news briefing.
Crowley was responding to a question on the letter written by the New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez, urging secretary of state Hillary Clinton to submit a report to the Congress on aid effectiveness and Islamabad's efforts to cease support for terrorist groups. Pakistan has received more than $13 billion worth of US aid post 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Were-constantly-evaluating-effectiveness-of-aid-to-Pak-US/articleshow/6199080.cms
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Two militants killed in gunbattle in Kupwara
Jul 22 2010
Srinagar : Two militants were killed in a gunbattle with security forces in Kupwara district of North Kashmir, a defence spokesman said on Thursday.
The encounter broke out between militants, hiding in Rajwar forest in Handwara, 90 kms from here, and security forces on Wednesday night, defence spokesman Lt Col A S Brar said.
On specific information about the presence of militants in the forest, security forces had cordoned off the area.
The militants opened fire on the search party and in the ensuing gunbattle, two militants, who are yet to be identified, were killed last night, he said.
The gunbattle was going on when reports came in last.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/two-militants-killed-in-gunbattle-in-kupwara/650230/
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Lal Chowk attack mastermind killed in encounter
Jul 22 2010
Srinagar : A top Harkat-ul-Mujahideen militant, suspected to be mastermind behind the suicide attack in Lal Chowk area here early this year, was today killed along with another ultra in an encounter with security forces in Sopore town of North Kashmir.
The 20-hour fierce gunbattle also left a soldier dead and the house of a government employee destroyed, an official spokesman said.
The slain self-styled divisional commander has been identified as Nouman, a Pakistani national, he said.
Giving details of the encounter, a police spokesman said that on specific information, troops of 52 Rashtriya Rifles and police laid a siege to Haigam-Sopore area, 50 kms from here, yesterday.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/lal-chowk-attack-mastermind-killed-in-encounter/649740/
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US seems upsets with India for Headley disclosures
Jul 22 2010
With Indian officials going public with what LeT operative David Headley had told investigators, the US on Thursday said it fully expects "both countries to live up to their
respective responsibilities".
Amid reports that the Obama administration was upset over Indian officials going into the details provided by Headley, State Department spokesman P J Crowley said the US values cooperation with India on combating terrorism but it places responsibility on both countries.
"We fully expect both countries to live up to their respective responsibilities," Crowley told reporters at his daily news conference.
Crowley was responding to a question about an Indian media report that stated that the US is upset about the statements coming out from senior Indian officials, revealing details of information the Mumbai terror suspect provided to Indian interrogators recently.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/270917/US-seems-upsets-with-India-for-Headley-disclosures.html
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Whereabouts of Osama: US wants info from Pak
Jul 22 2010
Insisting that some elements in the Pakistani government knows the whereabouts of al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, US has said that the information should be shared with it.
"I think what the Secretary (of State) was saying was that it's our belief that somewhere within the (Pakistani) government there is this kind of knowledge, and we would hope that if that knowledge is available we can find out and take appropriate action," State Department spokesman P J Crowley told reporters at his daily news conference.
Crowley said Secretary of State Hilary Clinton in an interview during her trip to Pakistan did not suggest that the highest level authorities in Pakistan have specific knowledge of where Ladin is.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/270918/Whereabouts-of-Osama-US-wants-info-from-Pak.html
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`Terrorist used Metro after planting bomb in 2008'
Jul 22 2010
A suspected terrorist of Indian Mujahideen had used the Metro here to travel, after planting the bomb at a place here during the serial blasts on September 13, 2008, Delhi Police told a city court on Wednesday.
“Mohd Shakeel had used the Metro rail from Jhandewalan here after planting the bomb at Karol Bagh before triggering the serial blasts,“ public prosecutor Rajeev Mohan told Additional Sessions Judge Santosh Snehi Mann.
The court, meanwhile, directed the police to provide a copy of the compact disc containing the CCTV footage of Shakeel captured during his movement on the Metro trai following the incident.
The court's order came on an application filedz by Shakeel's counsel Mayur Suresh.
The prosecutor resumed his arguments on charges to be framed against 14 suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorists who were allegedly involved in the serial blasts.
Hindustan Times
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Gandhar gamble
PRAMIT PAL CHAUDHURI
Jul 22 2010
Pakistan may have egged the West to accommodate the Taliban, but India has stopped Islamabad from getting a blank cheque.
AFPAK The West, egged on by Pakistan, is taking a risk by seeking accommodation with the Taliban in Afghanistan. But India has stopped Islamabad from getting a blank cheque.
At the Pakistani embassy in Kabul these days, a visitor is likely to be handed a booklet about the two countries by Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq titled “The Conjoined Twins“.
But unlike in other periods in the fraught Afghanistan-Pakistan relationship, when they might have wanted surgical separation, both sides say they are happy to be locked together.
Full report at: Hindustan Times
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Kerala laps up controversial book on Karkare
Jul 22 2010
The Malayalam translation of a book that alleges that former Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare was killed by Hindu terrorists is witnessing high sales in Muslimdominated parts of Kerala.
The book Who Killed Karkare? The real face of terrorism in India claims that Karkare, who was probing a network of Hindu terror outfits in 2008 and had made some arrests, fell victim to collusion between these outfits and probe agencies.
It challenges the official version that Karkare was shot dead by the Pakistani terrorists who attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008, killing more than 160 people over three days.
Authored by S.M. Mushrif, a former inspector general with Maharashtra police, the book was published last year in English and has been translated into Malayalam, Urdu, Kannada, Marathi and Tamil.
Full report at: Hindustan Times
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We're willing to walk the extra mile, says Qureshi
Anita Joshua
Jul 22 2010
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, according to Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, is willing to walk the “proverbial extra mile” with India in pursuit of peace, but for this the two countries need to return to the negotiating table with the political will to resolve all outstanding issues, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir, peacefully and in accordance with international law and morality.
Mr. Qureshi was addressing a three-day international workshop on “Indian Military's Cold Start Doctrine and its Implications for Strategic Stability of South Asia” here on Wednesday.
Referring to the meeting last week with his Indian counterpart, S.M. Krishna, Mr. Qureshi said Pakistan's efforts to recommence the stalled dialogue in pursuit of “our” endeavours for durable peace in the region did not draw a “corresponding positive response.”
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/22/stories/2010072263461200.htm
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‘Don't talk to Pakistan till it stops aiding terrorism'
Vinay Kumar
Jul 22 2010
NEW DELHI: Accusing the Pakistani establishment of being deeply involved in the terror machinery operating from its own soil, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday cautioned the United Progressive Alliance government not to proceed with talks with Islamabad till Pakistan stopped aiding terrorism.
Addressing a press conference here, BJP spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said that after the recent disclosures made by David Coleman Headley, the American citizen of Pakistani origin who had done the groundwork for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, it was amply clear that the Pakistani government was involved in extending support to the terror structure.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/22/stories/2010072263311200.htm
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A self-styled successor to Indian Union Muslim League
Vidya Subrahmaniam
Jul 22 2010
New Delhi: Indian Muslim League (IML), a new party that styles itself as a successor to the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), has set up State committees in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi with a view to developing itself in north India.
Newly-elected party president Basir Ahmad on Tuesday appointed Syed Shajik Miya and Ariful Islam as the president and national general-secretary of the party's Uttar Pradesh unit. In the party's Delhi unit, the two posts went to Rais Ahmad Siddiqui and Badrudduja Najmi. In a press release, Dr. Ahmad said the “Indian Muslim League will strive for social justice and inclusive progress through peaceful and democratic means.”
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/22/stories/2010072263481200.htm
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Terrorists from Af-Pak border killing our people, says Obama
Narayan Lakshman
Jul 22 2010
Washington: American President Barack Obama said terrorists trained “in Afghanistan and the tribal regions along the Pakistani border” were responsible for killing innocent civilians in the U.S. and the U.K. said with the support he continued receive from U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron he would prevent “an even wider insurgency in Afghanistan [that] would mean an even larger safe haven for Al-Qaeda and its terrorist affiliates to plan their next attack”.
Speaking at a joint press conference at the White House with Mr. Cameron, Mr. Obama said though the fight in Afghanistan was not easy, it was “a necessary one”. However, he expressed confidence that they had the right strategy, arguing, “We're going to break the Taliban's momentum. We're going to build Afghan capacity so Afghans can take responsibility for their future. And we're going to deepen regional cooperation, including with Pakistan.”
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/22/stories/2010072253451600.htm
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Afghanistan: U.K. to follow U.S. timeline
Hasan Suroor
Jul 22 2010
LONDON: Britain could start withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan as early as next year, said Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday.
Previously, Mr. Cameron had refrained from setting out a time-line simply saying he expected Britain's combat role in Afghanistan to end by 2015. His remarks came in a BBC interview on his visit to Washington. American forces are expected to start pulling out from 2011.
Asked whether Britain could follow the Americans, he said: “Yes we can, but it should be based on the conditions on the ground. The faster we can transition districts and provinces to Afghan control, clearly the faster that some forces can be brought home,'' he said adding that it would depend on how well the security situation was progressing.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/22/stories/2010072253411600.htm
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Iraq war was illegal: UK
July 22, 2010
LONDON: The Deputy Prime Minister's statement, while standing in for David Cameron in Prime Minister's Questions, could lead to renewed legal claims against the Government and armed forces.
Clegg's comments angered some Conservative MPs, many of whom, including Mr Cameron, had voted for the 2003 invasion. His remarks came as Mr Clegg clashed with Jack Straw, who was standing in for Harriet Harman, Labour's leader.
Speaking about the former foreign secretary he said: "Maybe he one day - perhaps we will have to wait for his memoirs - could account for his role in the most disastrous decision of all, which is the illegal invasion of Iraq."
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/7-22-2010/68750.htm
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Drug money being used to foment terrorism: Zardari
July 22, 2010
By Asim Yasin
ISLAMABAD: President Zardari on Wednesday said that drug money was being used as a weapon for funding and equipping the militants and the international community must focus on putting an end to drug trafficking.
During his meeting with Secretary General Nato Andres Fogh Rasmussen at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, the president pointed out that drug money was being used for not only offering lavishly attractive packages to militants but also for attracting frustrated and unemployed youth.
Briefing the media, presidential spokesperson Farhatullah Babar quoted the president as saying that the war against terror was not confined to the borders of Pakistan but the whole world was suffering from this menace. “Pakistan, however, is paying the greatest price in terms of human and material losses,” he added.
Full report at:
http://thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=30217
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Greece, Cyprus urge Turkey to speed up peace talks
July 22, 2010
LARNACA, Cyprus: Cyprus and Greece urged Turkey on Wednesday to accept proposals to speed up peace talks on the divided island, saying it could help Ankara’s bid to join the European Union.
“As far as Greece and Turkey is concerned, Cyprus can either divide us or unite us. Obviously we seek the latter,” said Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, on a brief stopover on the Mediterranean island split by war in 1974.
“For us, solving the Cyprus problem is a precondition for full normalisation of Greco-Turkish relations,” Papandreou said.
The island was split in a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup. Greek Cypriots, who represent Cyprus in the European Union, will not agree to Turkey joining until Cyprus’s division is resolved. Several negotiation areas in Turkey’s EU talks are frozen because of Cyprus.
Full report at:
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=252195
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Omar Beshir defies ICC
July 22, 2010
N’DJAMENA: Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Beshir arrived in Chad on Wednesday, his first visit to a full member state of the International Criminal Court demanding his arrest for genocide.
Beshir was indicted by the ICC for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur last year. This month the court added genocide to the charges, accusing him of presiding over rape, torture and murder in the remote west of Sudan.
The ICC said that as a member state Chad was obliged to arrest Beshir.
“The main element concerning Chad and all other member states is to implement judges’ decisions and cooperate with a request for arrest,” ICC representative Fadi El Abdallah said in The Hague as Beshir touched down in N’Djamena.
Full report at:
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=252198
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Haj balloting on August 11
July 22, 2010
Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Hamid Saeed Kazmi on Wednesday said the balloting to select 80,000 intending pilgrims under the government scheme would be held on August 11.
He was talking to media persons after attending a summer camp, which was organised for journalists’ families here at the National Press Club.
He said the ministry has received 83,000 applications from the intending pilgrims, adding, “The number of intending pilgrims is likely to reach 88,000 as 2,000 to 2,500 applications are still in pipeline besides some requests by industrialists for their workers.” This year, around 80,000 pilgrims would perform Haj under the government scheme.
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=252119
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Karachi tense as six political workers killed
22 Jul, 2010
KARACHI: Tension gripped parts of the defunct district East on Wednesday following the targeted killing of six political activists in the city on Tuesday.
The six activists — three belonging to the Awami National Party and as many stated to be associated with the Punjabi-Pakhtun Ittehad (PPI) — were killed on Tuesday in different areas of the defunct district.
The funeral prayers of two ANP activists — Fazl-i-Qadir and Furqan Butt — were offered at Pehlwan Goth and those of the third activist, Saqib, in Al-Falah.
A heavy contingent of police and Rangers escorted the funeral processions.
While tension gripped the areas where the PPI men were killed, some violent incidents took place in Shah Faisal Colony and Gulistan-i-Jauhar, forcing residents to stay indoors.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/local/tension-grips-parts-of-city-270
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‘Nato is here to stay beyond the war’
By Baqir Sajjad Syed
22 Jul, 2010
ISLAMABAD: The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation has signalled that it aspired to playing a role for bringing about peace in South Asia and its periphery even after its combat mission in Afghanistan. Pakistan would be a key partner in the new role.
“We would also stay committed beyond the date our combat mission (in Afghanistan) ends because it is utmost important that we make our contribution to the regional peace and security,” Nato Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said at a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi after their talks here on Wednesday.
Mr Rasmussen, who was on his first visit to Pakistan, however, did not explain how Nato intended to ensure peace and security in the region.
Although Nato has since long been talking of staying committed to Afghanistan after the withdrawal of Western troops, it was probably the first time that the secretary-general spoke of a role for the entire region and not just of a partnership with post-conflict Afghanistan.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/04-rasmussen-in-pakistan-qs-01
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CIA announces new head of spy service
22 Jul, 2010
WASHINGTON: The CIA announced Wednesday it was appointing an experienced spy as the new head of its vast intelligence network, the National Clandestine Service.
John Bennett, who joined the Central Intelligence Agency in 1981 after service in the US Marine Corps, will replace retiring NCS chief Michael Sulick.
Bennett's most recent foreign posting was as the agency's station chief in Islamabad, where he guided a “major improvement” in ties with the Pakistanis, according to Newsweek magazine.
CNN said that while in Pakistan, Bennett was in charge of increasing the use of aerial drones in striking suspected terrorists.
Among those killed by drones on his watch was the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, Baitullah Mehsud, according to CNN.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/14-cia-announces-new-head-of-spy-service-zj-02
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Pakistanis among 73 detained in Bulgaria
22 Jul, 2010
SOFIA: Bulgaria detained 73 illegal immigrants from southern Asia when they tried to cross the Greek-Bulgarian border hidden in a truck travelling to Hungary, the interior ministry said.
The group included people from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, a police spokeswoman said.
The Bulgarian-registered truck, driven by a Greek citizen was declared to be carrying watermelons from Greece to the Hungarian city of Debrecen.
After a routine check on Tuesday, the immigrants were found hidden in a secret air-conditioned compartment.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/16-pakistanis-among-73-detained-in-bulgaria-270-hs-07
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LHC orders judicial inquiry into Christians’ murder
22 Jul, 2010
LAHORE, July 21: Lahore High Court Chief Justice Khwaja Mohammad Sharif ordered on Wednesday a judicial inquiry into the murder of two Christian brothers on the premises of the Faisalabad district courts. The brothers who faced blasphemy charges were being taken out of the court by policemen when they were gunned down on Monday.
The chief justice issued the order at the request of the Punjab government. Faisalabad Labour Court District and Sessions Judge Sheikh Mohammad Yousaf was appointed to conduct the inquiry.
Faisalabad Regional Police Officer (RPO) Aftab Ahmad Cheema submitted a report during the suo motu hearing of the incident by the chief justice.
He admitted that the incident had taken place because of negligence and inefficiency of police officers who had been asked to make stringent security arrangements.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/lhc-orders-judicial-inquiry-into-christians-murder-270
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New Yorkers enthralled by Pakistani folk songs
By Masood Haider
22 Jul, 2010
NEW YORK, July 21: Thousands of New Yorkers danced as singers and dancers from the four provinces of Pakistan presented folk songs and dances at a Sufi festival which opened at the Union Square here on Tuesday night.
Pakistan’s singing legend Abida Parveen literally mesmerised the audience as they stood on their feet and danced to the beats to ‘Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’ and Ho Jamalo.
New Yorkers returning home from a day’s work were surprised to see a song and dance extravaganza at the popular Union Square park and joined in the celebration.
“This is the real face of Pakistan, not soundbites you see on your television,” said Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Abdullah Hussain Haroon.
“We believe in peace, brotherhood and love. Individual acts of violence espoused by any minority cannot be allowed to define us all.”
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/new-yorkers-enthralled-by-pakistani-folk-songs-270
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US urged to avoid forced transfer of Gitmo prisoners
22 Jul, 2010
UNITED NATIONS, July 21: Welcoming the US efforts to close the Guantánamo Bay detention facility, two independent United Nations human rights experts have called upon the Obama administration to ensure that it does not forcibly transfer anyone to another state where the person could be subjected to torture.
The UN Special Rapporteurs on Torture, Manfred Nowak, and on Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism, Martin Scheinin, drew attention to two recent decisions by the US Supreme Court, which paved the way for the transfer of two Algerian detainees held in Guantánamo.
“We are extremely worried that the lives of two Algerian detainees could be put in danger without a proper assessment of the risks they could face if returned against their will to their country of origin,” the experts said in a news release.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/us-urged-to-avoid-forced-transfer-of-gitmo-prisoners-270
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‘Hrf-e-Akhir’ — a classic case of neglect towards Urdu
By Samia Fatima Naqvi
22 Jul, 2010
LAHORE: Despite being the national language of Pakistan, Urdu is not given due importance within the country’s different social and academic quarters. A clear reflective of this negligence is the Kinnaird College (KC) for Women’s annual Urdu magazine, ‘Hrf-e-Akhir’, Daily Times has learnt.
Magazine Adviser Sadaf Bukhari said the primary aims of the magazine were to bring forward the creative abilities of the students and to project the language in an appealing manner. She, however, agreed that these aims were not being fulfilled completely, the chief reason being the students’ lack of interest in studying Urdu or contributing for the Urdu magazine. She said this lack of interest had been evident during the college elections many times, when none of the students wanted to contest for the post of the Urdu magazine editor.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\22\story_22-7-2010_pg13_5
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‘Muslims must fight savage US, UK terrorism’
22 Jul, 2010
* Khamenei says terrorism born out of the evil policies of US
* One dead, dozens injured in Iran earthquake
TEHRAN: Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Wednesday called on Muslims to fight the ‘blind and savage terrorism’ fuelled by the United States and Britain, whom he blamed for deadly bombings of an Iranian mosque.
Evil policies of US: ‘In our region... the blind and savage terrorism is born out of the evil policies of the United States, Britain and their state and non-state mercenaries’, Khamenei said in a statement marking the seventh day of mourning for victims of the bombings of a Shiite mosque in southeastern Iran.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\22\story_22-7-2010_pg20_1
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15-member committee formed to review constitution
22 Jul, 2010
No opposition representative on committee
The parliament on Wednesday instituted a 15-member special committee composed of lawmakers of the ruling Awami League-led alliance to review the amendments made so far to the constitution.
The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, piloted the motion for the special parliamentary committee in the house to examine the amendments to the constitution and to recommend further amendments to the constitution to uphold the Supreme Court verdict that had declared illegal the fifth amendment to the constitution.
‘Amendments to the constitution are extremely necessary to consolidate people’s rights so that state power cannot be usurped and the rights of the people cannot be trampled,’ she said as she placed the proposal for the formation of the committee under Rule 266 of the Rules of Procedure.
Full report at:
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Saudi elected to Arab League rights panel
By WALAA HAWARI
Jul 22, 2010
RIYADH: Hadi Al-Yami, a member of Saudi Arabia’s Human Rights Commission (HRC), was recently voted in to fill a vacant seat on the Arab League’s human rights committee, which monitors the application of the Arab Charter on Human Rights.
Al-Yami expressed his gratitude, adding that the election reflects the Kingdom’s position on both the regional and international levels, and its sincerity in ensuring the charter is carried out. “The charter is an important step the Arab world has taken with regard to human rights,” he added.
Apart from his role at the HRC, Al-Yami is also vice president of the National Committee for Lawyers, an auditor at the Ministry of Justice, and member of bodies like the Saudi Red Crescent, the National Committee to Care for Released Prisoners and their Families and the Money Laundering Combating Committee. HRC head Bandar Al-Iban congratulated Al-Yami and spoke of how the commission is proud of his election to the Arab League body. He added that the HRC is mainly concerned with supervising and monitoring the application of the charter, which the Kingdom participated in organizing.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article87950.ece
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Egyptian journalist in Riyadh comes under gun attack
Jul 22, 2010
JEDDAH: An Egyptian journalist in Riyadh, who works as a correspondent of Kuwait's Al-Rai Arabic newspaper, was injured in a gun attack on Wednesday.
Subhi Rakha, the journalist, was attacked by a group of Saudi youths after he tried to settle a quarrel between them and an Egyptian with the help of others.
The young men, after the quarrel had seemingly been settled, opened fire at Rakha and his compatriot as they were leaving the site.
The two Egyptians suffered minor injuries as a result of the attack and were taken to Shumaisi Hospital for treatment.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article88012.ece
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Campaign under way to aid 13,000 poor families
By MUHAMMAD HUMAIDAN
Jul 22, 2010
JEDDAH: The Makkah governorate is to provide support for over 13,000 poor families in Jeddah.
It acted in response to statistics made available by the charity organization Welfare Storage, one of the many philanthropic groups in the city that extend assistance to the needy citizens and residents.
The governorate will launch a campaign to assess the conditions of these families so it can provide them with much-needed assistance. The campaign will start in September and continue for 15 days.
A number of public and private establishments will participate in the campaign, including departments of education, health affairs departments, the Presidency of Youth Welfare, social affairs, the police and others.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article87966.ece
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Researcher rails at un-Islamic custom of dowry among Asians
By SHAHEEN NAZAR
Jul 22, 2010
JEDDAH: An Asian father who earns SR5,000 a month in Saudi Arabia spends on average 11 years of savings to marry off his daughter in India or Pakistan, while a sweeper from Bangladesh or Kerala demands an equivalent of SR15,000 and other household items from his prospective bride.
These are some of the findings of Aleem Khan Falki, a Jeddah-based writer and campaigner who has submitted his M. Phil dissertation on the subject at an Indian university. Falki made his stunning disclosures at an unusual place on Sunday night. The occasion was a mushaira or poetry evening in honor of a guest poet from Hyderabad, Alamdar Razvi. Invitees were informed of the program and some people were apprehensive that a presentation on dowry was to be delivered at a mushaira. Still, the over 200-capacity hall of Shadab Restaurant in Jeddah’s Aziziah district was full to capacity.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article87961.ece
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Possessed by jinn? 29-year-old in chains for six years
By BADEA ABU AL-NAJA
Jul 22, 2010
MAKKAH: A 29-year-old Saudi in Makkah has been living in chains for over six years because he is, according to his father, possessed by a female jinn who refuses to leave him.
“Medical doctors and religious sheikhs have failed to diagnose my son. When he has fits, he has convulsions and his entire body twists and his eyes become completely white. Then the voice of a woman can be heard coming from him,” said the father of the young man identified only as Turki.
“When my son first began suffering from this problem I took him to sheikhs to recite Qur’an on him but most of them became scared when they heard the female voice telling them that she was a royal jinn and that no one can exorcise her unless Turki dies,” he said.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article87978.ece
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Insurgents behead 6 Afghan police in north: NATO
Jul 21, 2010
KABUL, Afghanistan: Insurgents beheaded six policemen after attacking their checkpoint in northern Afghanistan, NATO said Wednesday.
The military coalition said the militants attacked a number of government buildings Tuesday in Baghlan province's Dahanah-ye Ghori district. The attackers overran the checkpoint and decapitated the six policemen, NATO said.
Also Wednesday, a NATO service member was killed by an explosion in the south, according to NATO. The nationality of the victim was not released. The death brought the number of NATO service members killed this month to 65.
Violence and casualties have surged in recent months in Afghanistan. June was the deadliest month for US and international forces with the deaths of 103 service members, including 60 Americans.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article87752.ece
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Malaysia increasingly intolerant of dissent - rights group
Jul 22, 2010
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia arrested nearly 1,000 anti-government protesters in 2009, signaling "heightened intolerance," an influential and independent human rights group said on Wednesday.
Political tensions rose in this Southeast Asian country following record 2008 polls losses by the government now led by Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Tensions are still high and could rise further with the sodomy trial of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim resuming next month.
"Because the prime minister sought to regain his losses in 2008, 2009 saw a huge crackdown on dissent and the opposition," said John Liu, a coordinator with SUARAM or Voice of the Malaysian People group.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article87990.ece
9:54 PM
Sultan Shahin
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