Bangladesh activist Noman wins Magsaysay
MQM MPA Raza Haider assassinated in KarachiObama salutes promised end of US combat in Iraq
Bloodshed in Karachi after MQM MPA Raza Haider killed
12 Taliban killed in Orakzai clash
Hamas targets women's underwear in modesty drive
Saudi women sitting on $11.9bn cash mountain
Makkah court sentences rapists to jail, lashes
Veiled women boarding plane triggers Canadian probe
Pakistani-origin Tory chief defends burka
Coalition losing Afghan war: Pak prez
Pak's blasphemy law used against minorities
LHC disposes of petition regarding Dr Aafia Siddiqui
Madinah records 4,300 violations on first day of Saher
Saudi Arabia: No fatwa without approval
Ban on Al-Gosaibi’s books lifted
Over 2,000 relish ‘Zayed and the Dream’ in UK
Kashmir Valley remains tense, curfew continues
Saudi Arabia wants bigger role in Iraq to counter Iran
Three-quarters of non-Muslims have negative view of Islam
Youth killed in fresh Kashmir clashes, curfew continues
40,000 Indians 'disappear' in Malaysia, visa on arrival scrapped
Sharia Law - not in our back yard.
28 Bangladeshi nationals arrested from Nagpur
Jamaat four in the dock over war crime charges
Amnesty urges Pakistan on human rights
Deceased Raza was on terrorists’ hit list: Malik
Two British soldiers killed in Afghanistan
Obama hopeful of ‘enough cooperation’ from Pakistan
Three million affected by Pakistan floods: UNICEF
Pakistan has struck ‘major blows’ against Qaeda
Afghan war enters decisive phase
Taliban warn media against ‘biased reporting’
Pakistan’s UN envoy slams leakage of US military reports
Azeri woman deprived of documents
Seminar asks govt to ensure protection of women’s rights
US hikers’ mothers say Iran using them as bargaining chips
UN announces panel to probe Gaza flotilla raid
Iran sees ‘positive’ signal from Vienna group over fuel swap
UK envoy called over Cameron’s comments
King’s trip mobilized support for Arab cause
Swiss education facilities continue to attract Saudis
Aramco festival draws 100,000 visitors
Rockets hit Israel, Jordan resorts; one dead in Aqaba
Abbas resists US pressure for direct talks
Israeli forces arrest 11 Palestinians in West Bank
US lawmaker calls for sanctions on China, Russia
Zardari’s Europe trip clouded by terror claims
Israel fears Turks could pass its secrets to Iran
Two men found guilty in New York airport bomb plot case
Malik terms Karachi violence as conspiracy
Ramadan preparations in full swing
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Bangladeshi Magsaysay Award winner A H M Noman Khan
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Bangladesh activist Noman wins Magsaysay
August 03, 2010
Bangladesh’s AHM Noman Khan has been announced one of the seven recipients of the 2010 Ramon Magsaysay Awards.
The trustee board of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation on Monday declared that seven individ-uals from Bangladesh, China, Japan, and the Philippines will receive this noteworthy Asian award.
‘In electing Noman the board recognised his pioneering leadership in mainstreaming persons with disabilities in the development process of Bangladesh, and in working vigorously with all sectors to build a society that is truly inclusive and barrier-free,’ the RMAF web site says.
Noman, the tenth Bangladeshi to receive the award, is the executive director of Centre for Disability in Development, a non-governmental organisation, established in 1996. He is also secretary general of the National Forum of Organisations Working with the Disabled.
Since its establishment, the CDD has trained over 10,000 development workers from 350 organisations in Bangladesh on services, creating opportunities for persons with disabilities.
The six other recipients are: Tadatoshi Akiba from Japan, Christopher Bernido and Ma Victoria Carpio-Bernido from the Philippines, Huo Daishan and Pan Yue and Fu Qiping from China.
They will be conferred the Magsaysay Award at a ceremony to be held on August 31, 2010 at the Cultural Centre of the Philippines, where 277 previous recipients are expected to attend.
This year’s Magsaysay Award winners will each receive a certificate, a medallion bearing the likeness of the late president, and a cash prize.
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MQM MPA Raza Haider assassinated in Karachi
August 03, 2010
KARACHI: Raza Haider, an MQM leader and member Sindh Assembly, and his guard were shot dead here at a mosque in Nazimabad on Monday, Geo News reported.
Unknown armed motorcyclists fired shots at Raza Haider as well as his guard when he was preparing to attend a funeral prayer at a mosque in Nazimabad Block No.2.
Raza Haider succumbed to his wounds died when he was being rushed to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. The guard died later while receiving medical aid at the hospital.
The MQM leader was elected an MPA from PS-94 Karachi 6.
Separate incidents of firing were reported in different parts of the city shortly after the fatal attack on MQM leader while several vehicles were set on fire in different parts of the metropolis.
The incident sent a wave of fear and panic across the metropolis, as shopkeepers pulled down their shutters in view of any violent reaction by enraged people.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik condemned the incident, urging the people to remain calm.
He termed the targeted killings in Karachi as a ‘latest formula’ being used to destabilize the country.
Rehman Malik urged MQM leaders to wait for investigation and called upon the people to observe restraint.
He said he would soon hold a meeting with MQM leaders.
MQM leaders Babar Ghauri and Haider Abbas Rizvi expressed profound grief on the tragic incident.
“It would be difficult to put a cap on the chapter opened (today),” Babar Ghauri asserted.
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/8-2-2010/69391.htm
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Obama salutes promised end of US combat in Iraq
August 03, 2010
ATLANTA: Nearing a milestone in the long and divisive Iraq war, President Barack Obama on Monday hailed this month's planned withdrawal of all U.S. combat troops — "as promised and on schedule" — as a major success despite deep doubts about the Iraqis' ability to police and govern their country.
Portraying the end of America's combat role in the 7-year war as a personal promise kept, Obama said Iraq will have 90,000 fewer U.S. troops by September than when he took office — a steady homeward flow he called "a season of homecomings." But there could still be more fighting involving U.S. forces.
"The hard truth is we have not seen the end of American sacrifice in Iraq," the president said in a speech to the national convention of the Disabled American Veterans. "But make no mistake, our commitment in Iraq is changing — from a military effort led by our troops to a civilian effort led by our diplomats."
A transitional force of 50,000 troops will remain, down from the peak of 160,000 in 2007. Their mission will be to train and advise Iraqi security forces, protect U.S. civilians, manage the chain of supplies and equipment out of Iraq and conduct counterterrorism operations.
Those soldiers and Marines will remain in harm's way and will be likely to engage at times in some form of fighting. Iraqi commanders will be able to ask the U.S. for front-line help.
All American troops are to leave Iraq by the end of next year, as mandated under an agreement negotiated before Obama took office, between the Iraqis and President George W. Bush.
Obama's speech Monday was the first of many, with appearances planned throughout the month by the president, Vice President Joe Biden and other administration officials. The schedule reflects a White House eager, with pivotal congressional elections approaching, for achievements to tout, especially in areas with the emotional significance of the Iraq war.
Obama's campaign pledge to oversee a speedy conclusion to the U.S. fighting was the promise that most defined his presidential campaign, and it brought him significant support.
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/8-3-2010/69394.htm
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Bloodshed in Karachi after MQM MPA Raza Haider killed
By Imran Ayub
03 Aug, 2010
KARACHI: Violence triggered by the murder of Raza Haider, a senior leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and member of the Sindh Assembly, here on Monday claimed at least 26 lives, according to officials at the police surgeon office.
At least 35 persons have been killed and more than 80 have been wounded.
Mr Haider was gunned down, along with his police guard, in the Jama Masjid in Nazimabad, where he had gone to attend the funeral of the mother of a friend.
“The number of attackers and the mode of their transport are not clear, but initial investigations suggest that there were more than two people who came on a motorcycle and they were probably backed by armed men in a car,” said an officer at the Nazimabad police station.
“They first shot at the legislator’s guard Khalid Khan and then entered the mosque and fired at Mr Haider who was in the ablution room.”
Both of them were hit by two bullets fired from a close range. The bullets hit them in the head and on the upper part of the body. Police said that AK-47 rifle and 9mm pistol were used in the attack and the spent bullets were found at the scene.
As the bodies were taken to the Abbassi Shaheed Hospital, the city descended into near anarchy.
Scattered violence, including arson attacks and intense firing, in different areas claimed at least 26 lives.
Over 20 vehicles and a number of restaurants and shops were set on fire.
The Jinnah Postgraduate and Medical Centre received 13 bodies and Civil Hospital and Abbassi Shaheed Hospital two each. The other bodies were taken to different hospitals in the city. Some of the injured died in hospitals.
The city police chief set up a team, headed by DIG West Sultan Khawaja and comprising three SSPs, to investigate the murder.
Capital City Police Officer Waseem Ahmed said Mr Haider had been under threat and he had been provided adequate security.
“Six police guards, including four at his residence, were at the legislator’s service,” he said. “We have approached the leadership of political parties to get the situation normalised and planned adequate security for Tuesday’s funeral of the MPA.”
The MQM leadership came up with serious allegations against the Awami National Party, an ally in the PPP-led coalition government in Sindh.
Faisal Hussain Sabzwari, MQM’s deputy parliamentary leader in the Sindh assembly, said the ANP leadership was in nexus with extremist elements and mafias.
“Arrests of a number of targeted-killing suspects and extremist elements from their (ANP) strongholds are indicators of fault lines,” he added.
The murder of the legislator also sparked violent protests in Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/mqm-sindh-assembly-mpa-raza-haider-shot-dead-jd-01
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12 Taliban killed in Orakzai clash
03 Aug, 2010
HANGU: Security forces killed 12 Taliban while two security personnel were injured in an attack by militants on Monday in Upper Orakzai. Security sources said militants attacked a checkpost in Dabori Afghan Top area and injured two security men. Troops retaliated and killed 12 Taliban.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\03\story_3-8-2010_pg7_9
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Hamas targets women's underwear in modesty drive
Aug 3, 2010
GAZA (Reuters) – The Islamist rulers of the Gaza Strip have ordered lingerie shops to display more modesty.
A week after banning women from smoking water pipes in public places, the Hamas-run police force has told stores selling women's underwear to remove scantily-clad mannequins and any posters of racy undergarments.
"These measures have stemmed from complaints and pressure by ordinary people. They have to do with upholding our traditions," police spokesman Ayman Al-Batniji said Wednesday.
Hamas leaders have repeatedly denied any intention to impose Islamic law on the Gaza Strip, home to 1.5 million Palestinians.
Full report at:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100728/od_nm/us_hamas_lingerie_odd/print
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Saudi women sitting on $11.9bn cash mountain
Aug 3, 2010
RIYADH: A large portion of the Kingdom’s wealth is in the hands of its women who are believed to be sitting on cash totaling $11.9 billion.
“The Kingdom has a veritable treasure trove of human and financial capital in the form of its women who control a large portion of the country’s wealth,” said a report released on Monday by the Cayman Islands-based asset management firm Al-Masah Capital.
Women constitute almost 45 percent of the country’s population, and have a literacy rate of 79 percent. Yet, only 65 percent of them are employed, revealing the huge potential for women employment. In fact 78.3 percent of unemployed women are university graduates.
The report, titled “The Saudi Woman — A catalyst for change,” stated that women could become a major growth driver for the country’s diversification policy with their considerable wealth, which is lying idle, being channeled into the country’s money supply.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/economy/article94526.ece
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Makkah court sentences rapists to jail, lashes
By BADEA ABU AL-NAJA
Aug 3, 2010
MAKKAH: The Makkah General Court has jailed five Pakistani youths after it found them guilty of raping and blackmailing a Burmese woman. The court also sentenced them to lashes.
According to a police report, the woman and one of the youths were friends. On the day of the attack, he took her outside the city, claiming he wanted to give her an expensive gift. Two of his friends were waiting at the place and they raped her and took photos of her. A few days later, another youth disguised as a police detective approached her and asked her to accompany him.
He took her to two of his friends, who raped her. The woman complained to the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia). In a sting operation Haia members arrested the five men.
The friend was jailed for 10 years, the bogus policeman received eight years and the remaining culprits were sentenced to three to six years in prison.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article94484.ece
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Veiled women boarding plane triggers Canadian probe
03 Aug, 2010
MONTREAL: Canada’s Minister of Transportation John Baird ordered a probe after a video posted on YouTube showed two fully veiled women boarding a passenger airplane without showing their faces. Canadian authorities want to ensure that the airline personnel are verifying the identity of all passengers before they board. The video purportedly shows a group of passengers boarding an Air Canada flight from Montreal’s Pierre-Elliott Trudeau airport to London’s Heathrow airport on July 11. The short clip, shot by a British traveller, shows a man boarding a flight with four women, two with face veils and the other two without. The man handed their passports, and the veiled women were allowed to board, apparently without showing their faces. The footage is shot at a distance and it is impossible to see what happens next. “If the reports are true, the situation is deeply disturbing and poses a serious threat to the security of the air travelling public,” Baird said in a statement on Sunday.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\03\story_3-8-2010_pg7_6
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Pakistani-origin Tory chief defends burka
Aug 03 2010
London : Wearing a burka does not prevent Muslim women from engaging in everyday life in Britain, Pakistani-origin Conservative Party chairman Sayeeda Warsi has said.
Defending the right of Muslim women to choose to wear the burka, Sayeeda Warsi said many women wore the veil of their own free will.
Warsi, the first Muslim women to serve in British Cabinet, said: "Just because a woman wears the burka, it doesn't mean she can't engage in everyday life. Why should we tell women what to wear? What it boils down to is choice. If women don't have a choice over what to wear then they are oppressed.
"But if a woman has a choice, and she chooses to wear whatever she chooses to wear then she's not oppressed is she? She's choosing what she wants."
Critics, including some in Warsi's party, claim that the burka alienates Muslim women from the rest of society.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pakistaniorigin-tory-chief-defends-burka/655488/
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Coalition losing Afghan war: Pak prez
Aug 03 2010
Paris : Coalition forces "are losing the war against the Taliban" in Afghanistan, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said in an interview published in France on Tuesday.
"The international community, to which Pakistan belongs, is losing the war against the Taliban. This is above all because we have lost the battle to win hearts and minds," he said, in comments published in French by Le Monde.
Zardari told the daily that the US and NATO-led coalition forces had "underestimated the situation on the ground" in Afghanistan, Pakistan's war-torn western neighbour.
His comments came after military documents leaked to the media pointed to alleged support by Pakistani officials for the Taliban. Zardari has insisted that Pakistan is committed to fighting militants in the region.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/coalition-losing-afghan-war-pak-prez/655485/
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Pak's blasphemy law used against minorities
Aug 03 2010
Washington : Pakistan should repeal its 'Blasphemy law' as its provisions were being misused against the minorities in the country, Commissioner of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom has said.
"It is a precarious status (of minorities in Pakistan), because even though they (the minorities) have certain rights in law, they are constantly vulnerable to accusations that are likely to be false under the blasphemy laws," said Nina Shea, Commissioner of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Asking Pakistan government to repeal the law, Shea said "these kinds of laws are not only repressive, but they also create social turmoil."
She asked the the US, which is one of the largest donors for the country, to impress upon Islamabad to repeal the law.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/paks-blasphemy-law-used-against-minorities/655398/
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LHC disposes of petition regarding Dr Aafia Siddiqui
03 Aug, 2010
LAHORE: Lahore High Court Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry on Monday disposed of a petition seeking directions for the initiation of contempt of court proceedings against officials of the Foreign Ministry for failing to write a letter to a US judge who is conducting the trial of Pakistani national Dr Aafia Siddiqui.
The judge held that that there was no need of the court’s directions, as departments concerned had no tangible evidence in order to prove the innocence of Dr Aafia before the US court.
He remarked that the petitioner, Barrister Javed Iqbal Geoffrey, could write the letter and provide evidence, if he had any, to the US District Court in his personal capacity.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\03\story_3-8-2010_pg7_27
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Madinah records 4,300 violations on first day of Saher
Aug 3, 2010
MADINAH: The Saher traffic monitoring system detected at least 4,300 road violations on the first day of operations in Madinah on Sunday.
The Madinah Traffic Department has set up nine fixed cameras in addition to five mobile ones to detect road offenses.
The fixed cameras have been set up on major roads and intersections, including the Second Ring Road, Hijrah Expressway, Al-Oyoun Road, and Al-Salam Road, Al-Watan daily reported on Monday.
Col. Hamad Al-Harbi, acting director of traffic in Madinah, said that about 200 locations in the holy city will be covered by the electronic traffic monitoring system once the system is implemented in full.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article94478.ece
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No fatwa without approval
By MOHD HUMAIDAN
Aug 2, 2010
JEDDAH: Islamic scholars intending to publish religious edicts (fatwas) on contemporary issues have been told to contact experts at the Ministry of Islamic Affairs or Dar Al-Ifta (the Saudi fatwa authority) before approaching the media.
Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh Al-Asheikh, who gave the instruction, pointed out that many of fatwas issued by individuals recently lack balance. "They should not publish fatwas except after consulting with other experts," he told the scholars.
The minister also advised members of the public to receive religious edicts from authentic sources, which is the Presidency for Scholastic Research and Religious Edicts (Dar Al-Ifta) headed by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article94583.ece
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Ban on Al-Gosaibi’s books lifted
By FATIMA SIDIYA
Aug 3, 2010
JEDDAH: A ban on the sale of books authored by Minister of Labor Ghazi Al-Gosaibi has been lifted, announced Minister of Information Abdul Aziz Khoja on Facebook.
Khoja wrote on his Facebook wall that it is inappropriate not to stock Al-Gosaibi’s intellectual writings in the Kingdom’s libraries.
Al-Gosaibi’s books have been banned for several years but available in neighboring Arab countries such as Bahrain, Lebanon and Egypt. The minister of labor is currently receiving medical treatment at King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh. Among his controversial works is a collection of poetry called “A Battle Without a Flag” and a novel called “The Apartment of Freedom,” which tells the story of a group of young intellectuals who share an apartment in Cairo while at university.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article93998.ece
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Over 2,000 relish ‘Zayed and the Dream’ in UK
3 August 2010
LONDON - In a house full stage, the first show of the musical historical play ‘Zayed and the Dream’ was shown on Sunday at London Coliseum.
The 2,360 seats of London’s oldest theatre were fully booked by Arab community in England in addition to English and European play lovers.
The play is produced by Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) in coordination with renowned Lebanese Caracalla Dance Theatre.
More than 100 artists and poets are taking part in this illuminating artistic vision inspired by the march of the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founder of UAE, and validated by the authenticity of the region’s heritage and roots. Two essential values have been achieved through the performance of this play: artistic value and historical value. The piece carries traditional values that were inserted artistically into the play for the benefit of society, which in turn will reform itself through upholding these values and appreciating this art.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/August/theuae_August82.xml§ion=theuae
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Kashmir Valley remains tense, curfew continues
Aug 3, 2010
SRINAGAR: Curfew remained in force on Tuesday in the Kashmir Valley following violence by rampaging mobs which indulged in stone-pelting, attacked government buildings and looted weapons from police.
The Valley was under the grip of tension for the fifth day.
Seven persons were killed yesterday as police opened fire to disperse the mobs who defied curfew and attacked police stations and CRPF camps in the Valley. 22 people have been killed and over 500 injured, including 200 security force personnel, in violence since last Friday.
Protestors raised pro-freedom slogans at mosques this morning. Schools, shops and business establishments were shut and security personnel restricted movement of people.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kashmir-Valley-remains-tense-curfew-continues/articleshow/6250563.cms
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Saudi Arabia wants bigger role in Iraq to counter Iran
By Ulf Laessing
03 Aug, 2010
BAGHDAD: Saudi Arabia wants to play a bigger role in Iraq to counter Iran’s growing influence during a political stalemate in Baghdad, and to help Saudi companies to catch up with regional rivals in opening up the Iraqi market.
But Riyadh is hoping that Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki does not make a comeback after inconclusive elections created a power vacuum, believing that he is too close to Tehran.
“The Saudis feel that Maliki is a man of Iran,” said Saudi political analyst Khaled al-Dakhil. “It seems to me the king does not want to open an embassy as long as Maliki is there. He’s waiting for another prime minister or government.”
The world’s top oil exporter is trying to contain the regional influence of Iran, which has clout among majority Shias in Iraq, and shares US concerns that Tehran wants to develop nuclear weapons.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/saudi-arabia-wants-bigger-role-in-iraq-to-counter-iran-380
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Three-quarters of non-Muslims have negative view of Islam
By Haroon Siddique
03 Aug, 2010
LONDON: Three-quarters of non-Muslims believe Islam has provided a negative contribution to British society, according to a new poll, which has prompted calls for Muslims to help improve the perception of their faith.
The study for the Islamic Education and Research Academy (iERA) also found that 63 per cent of people surveyed did not disagree with the statement “Muslims are terrorists” and 94pc agreed that “Islam oppresses women”. It included qualitative as well as quantitative data. One respondent said: “If I had my way I’d kick them all [Muslims] out of here.”
The results follow an online YouGov poll, published in June, that found 58pc linked Islam with extremism and 69pc believed it encouraged the repression of women.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/threequarters-of-nonmuslims-have-negative-view-of-islam-380
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Youth killed in fresh Kashmir clashes, curfew continues
Aug 3, 2010
SRINAGAR: Violence again erupted in Srinagar and Budgam districts of the Kashmir Valley on Tuesday where protestors clashed with security forces who opened fire leaving a youth dead and five others injured.
With today's death, a total of eight persons have been killed in the violence in the Valley since yesterday.
Defying curfew, residents of Qamarwari in Srinagar took to the streets and held demonstrations. When the security forces deployed in the area asked them to disperse, they refused, police said.
Security forces then opened fire, killing 25-year-old Mehraj Ahmed Lone and injuring three others.
In Budgam, locals held demonstrations and refused to disperse following which security forces opened fire.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Youth-killed-in-fresh-Kashmir-clashes-curfew-continues/articleshow/6250563.cms
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40,000 Indians 'disappear' in Malaysia, visa on arrival scrapped
Aug 3, 2010
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia revoked its visa on arrival (VOA) facility for Indians after 40,000 visitors from that country "abused" it and "disappeared", Deputy Prime Minister Muhyideein Yassin has said.
The cases of Indians abusing the scheme topped the list of unauthorised immigrants from eight South Asian nations and China to whom the VOA was offered.
The facility has now been "scrapped permanently", The Star newspaper reported Tuesday quoting the deputy prime minister.
The Cabinet Committee on Foreign Workers and Illegal Immigrants felt that it needed to be revoked as it brought certain problems for the country.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/40000-Indians-disappear-in-Malaysia-visa-on-arrival-scrapped/articleshow/6251025.cms
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Sharia Law - not in our back yard.
Aug 3, 2010
As I wrote about earlier, the new Iowa GOP platform includes their opposition to the imposition of Sharia law in America. The implication of including something that on the face of it, is an absurd impossibility shows that many on the far right somehow believe that this is a real possibility with a President who's middle name is Hussein and who spent a few years in an being educated in an Islamic madrassa, despite a complete absence of proof.
Including it in their platform is about as redundant as opposing sexual molestation of children or opposing the reintroduction of slavery but then any conspiracy on the right, no matter how far fetched never seems to go away.
It's an idea that has been floating around on the right for some time now. It's manifested in the opposition to the Muslim center being built, near, not at ground zero as most opponents suggest. The building of a mosque is also at the source of an election battle in Murfreesboro in Tennessee where one Republican candidate has described Islam as a cult, not a religion.
Full report at:
http://irritableliberal.blogspot.com/2010/08/sharia-law-not-in-our-back-yard.html
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28 Bangladeshi nationals arrested from Nagpur
Aug 3, 2010
NAGPUR: Twenty eight Bangladeshi immigrants were arrested on Tuesday by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for illegally staying the city for some time, police said.
The ATS were keeping a close watch on their movements and picked them up from various places early today, Police Inspector Purushottam Choudhary said.
Offences under relevant section of Foreigner's Act 1946 (14) and 1950 of entry in to country without valid documents (Passport) and others have been registered against them, Choudhary added.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/28-Bangladeshi-nationals-arrested-from-Nagpur-/articleshow/6250907.cms
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Jamaat four in the dock over war crime charges
Aug 3, 2010
The international crimes tribunal on Monday asked the prison authorities to keep four top Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami leaders, already in custody, in prison on war crimes charges until further orders.
The tribunal passed the order as Jamaat-e-Islami amir Motiur Rahman Nizami, secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed and assistant secretaries general Mohammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla were produced in the court following its July 29 order.
The order for detention of the Jamaat quartet came in complaint case 1, recorded with the tribunal on July 21.
On the same day, the tribunal posted for August 4 the hearing in another petition filed by the chief prosecutor, Golam Arif Tipu, seeking an order for arrest or detention of Jamaat nayeb-e-amir Delwar Hossain Saydee, now detained in scores of criminal cases, on similar charges in complaint case 2, recorded with the tribunal on July 21.
Full report at:
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Amnesty urges Pakistan on human rights
August 03, 2010
LONDON: Amnesty International urged Pakistan on Monday to tackle human rights violations ahead of a visit to Britain by President Asif Ali Zardari, which has become clouded by a diplomatic row over terrorism.
On the eve of President Zardari’s arrival in London, Amnesty International said the worsening security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had left thousands of civilians dead and over a million displaced, and urged Islamabad to take action.
“The conditions are right for Pakistan to show its seriousness about political solutions to the human rights violations, poverty, and a constitutional rights vacuum in the northwest,” said Amnesty International Asia-Pacific head Sam Zarifi.
“President Zardari should take this opportunity to announce specific, major reforms, like the abolition of the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR) that treat northwestern Pakistan like a human rights-free zone,” he said. The FCR is a colonial-era law that applies only to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/8-3-2010/69404.htm
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Deceased Raza was on terrorists’ hit list: Malik
August 03, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Federal Interior Minister Abdul Rehman Malik Monday night, terming the killing of MQM’s MPA Raza Haider an act of secretion terrorism, has said deceased was on terrorists’ hit list, Geo News reported.
Malik has also raised fear over likely suicide attack at the funeral ceremony of deceased Raza Haider.
Talking to Geo News he dubbed the incident of targeted killing in Karachi as conspiracy being hatched by anti-Pakistan elements.
“Both Raza Haider and Manzar Imam were on the hit list of terrorists”, he said adding government had alerted duo of threat posed on their lives on basis of information gained through anonymous phone calls security agencies had traced earlier.
Deceased were also provided with security police, he observed. People’s reaction over killing of their senior leaders is quiet natural, he justified.
Rangers’ parties have been positioned at sensitive places all across Karachi, he added.
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/8-3-2010/69401.htm
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Two British soldiers killed in Afghanistan
Aug 3, 2010
LONDON: Taliban forces shot dead one British soldier and killed another in a bomb attack in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province over the weekend, the defence ministry said on Monday.
One of the soldiers, from the 1st Battalion Scots Guards, was killed by small arms fire in Lashkar Gah district while the second died when an improvised explosive device went off in the Sangin region while he was on a foot patrol on Sunday, according to a statement.
Their deaths bring the overall number of British troops who have been killed since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 to 327.
Neither were taking part in a major new British offensive called Operation Tor Shezada, or "Black Prince", which began last Friday and is centred around Sayedebad, also in Helmand.
Around 9,500 British troops are currently in Afghanistan, making them the second largest contingent of the 150,000-strong international force battling an insurgency by the Taliban militia.
Around 30,000 international troops are deployed in the southern Taliban heartlands of Helmand and Kandahar provinces.
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/8-2-2010/69377.htm
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Obama hopeful of ‘enough cooperation’ from Pakistan
By Anwar Iqbal
03 Aug, 2010
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama said on Monday that the US had a ‘fairly modest goal’ in the Pak-Afghan region and hoped to achieve this objective with ‘enough cooperation’ from Pakistan.
“Nobody thinks that Afghanistan is gonna be a model Jeffersonian democracy,” Mr Obama said. “What we’re looking to do is difficult, very difficult, but it’s a fairly modest goal, which is, don’t allow terrorists to operate from this region; don’t allow them to create big training camps and to plan attacks against the US homeland with impunity.”
This modest goal, he added, could be accomplished. “We can stabilise Afghanistan sufficiently and we can get enough cooperation from Pakistan that we are not magnifying the threat against the homeland.”
President Obama chose a policy speech on Iraq on Monday to also highlight his strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/19-obama-hopeful-of-enough-cooperation-from-pakistan-380-hh-03
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Three million affected by Pakistan floods: UNICEF
03 Aug, 2010
ISLAMABAD: The worst floods in memory in northwest Pakistan have affected more than 3 million people so far and the death toll has climbed over 1,400, a spokesman for the UN Children's Fund said on Tuesday.
Abdul Sami Malik said 1.3 million people were severely affected by the floods which have brought heavy criticism of the government over its response to the disaster.
Pakistani authorities are struggling to help victims of the flooding, many of whom have lost their homes and livelihood and say they had not received any official warnings that floods were heading their way.
Malik said aid agencies and Pakistani government officials will meet on Tuesday to determine whether they need to make an urgent international appeal for help.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/12-three+million+affected+by+pakistan+floods+unicef--bi-03
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Pakistan has struck ‘major blows’ against Qaeda
03 Aug, 2010
* Obama says US making progress in Afghanistan despite ‘huge challenges’
ATLANTA: US President Barack Obama said on Monday the US mission was making progress in Afghanistan and stressed Pakistan was also in the fight against al Qaeda, pushing back against recently leaked documents that question its commitment.
“In Pakistan, we’ve seen the government begin to take the fight to violent extremists within its borders. Major blows have been struck against al Qaeda and its leadership,” he told the Disabled American Veterans convention.
Challenges: “We face huge challenges in Afghanistan,” he acknowledged, adding, “But it’s important that the American people know that we are making progress and we’re focused on goals.”
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\03\story_3-8-2010_pg1_6
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Afghan war enters decisive phase
03 Aug, 2010
KABUL: With US troop strength approaching 100,000, the Afghan war is entering its decisive phase. Without measurable progress in the coming months, political support for the conflict may collapse.
Back-to-back months of record US military death tolls – 60 in June and 66 in July – shocked many Americans, even though the Pentagon had been warning of higher casualties this summer as the US and its allies push into longtime Taliban strongholds around Kandahar city and in the southern province of Helmand.
The campaign is aimed at securing Kandahar, a city of about a half million, the major urban area of the ethnic Pashtun south and the former Taliban headquarters. Securing the city is considered pivotal if the NATO-led coalition is to reverse the Taliban momentum in their southern stronghold.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\03\story_3-8-2010_pg7_12
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Taliban warn media against ‘biased reporting’
By Sudhir Ahmad Afridi
03 Aug, 2010
LANDIKOTAL: Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesman Azam Tariq on Monday asked reporters and journalists to be impartial in their profession.
“The media should avoid creating rifts in the ranks of mujahideen who are fighting a holy war,” the TTP spokesman said while addressing media organisations on phone from an undisclosed location on Monday.
He said that the US commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, was dictating the government and forces in Pakistan to secure US interests here. Pakistan has become a part of the NATO plan, which would further create problems for the country, he added.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\03\story_3-8-2010_pg7_11
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Pakistan’s UN envoy slams leakage of US military reports
03 Aug, 2010
NEW YORK: Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Abdullah Hussain Haroon has denounced the exposé of US military reports, saying their authors were mostly fed wrong information by Afghan agents who were hostile to Pakistan.
In an interview telecasted in a CBS programme, he said that those reports were not verifiable and even flawed, as has been pointed out by top US officials, experts and some leading newspapers. The release of the secret documents appeared to be part of an orchestrated campaign against Pakistan, taking into account the spate of statements coming out in Kabul and Delhi, Ambassador Haroon pointed out.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\03\story_3-8-2010_pg7_14
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Azeri woman deprived of documents
03 Aug, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Farida Jaffery, a-57-year-old Azeri woman, who is in town to get back her looted money, was deprived of her important documents on her way from Lahore to Islamabad in a passenger train.
Jafery said she was coming to Islamabad after failing in seeking justice from Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif. She said when she reached Rawalpindi Railway Station from Lahore at 10am on Monday she found her all documents missing. The documents included my passport, press clippings and letters, Jaffery said while talking to Daily Times.
Jaffery said she came to Pakistan in 1998 to start leather import and export business in Karachi. “The business did well but I suffered a setback in 2001 when two workers deprived me of $4,000. Since then, I have been running from pillar to post for justice,” she said.
Jaffery said she had visited many government offices and contacted lots of NGOs but they all failed to help her. She also criticised Pakistani judicial system, which according to her, delivers justice too slowly. staff report
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\03\story_3-8-2010_pg11_9
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Seminar asks govt to ensure protection of women’s rights
03 Aug, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Participants at a seminar organised under the auspices of Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) asked the government to live up to its UN obligations and ensure protection for the women. The women rights campaigners and participants of the seminar urged the government to fulfill its obligations under UN Resolution 1325 to ensure protection of women during armed conflicts and their consequent negative impacts. Member of the Planning Commission of Pakistan and former Executive Director of SDPI, Dr Saba Gul Khattak, Executive Director INSAN Foundation Trust Kishwar Sultana, Executive Director Bedari Anbreen Ajaib, and former Executive Director, Bedari Salim Malik spoke at the seminar on “Effectiveness of UN Resolution 1325 on lives of women in Pakistan”.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\03\story_3-8-2010_pg7_30
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US hikers’ mothers say Iran using them as bargaining chips
03 Aug, 2010
WASHINGTON: The mothers of three American hikers detained in Iran for a year said on Monday that the latest comments from Tehran show Iranian officials are using their children as bargaining chips.
In a statement, the parents of the three, said Iranian officials have no evidence to back up new claims that they had threatened Iranian security. “We wonder how many more times Iran is going to say that our children’s case is a judicial issue without doing anything at all to resolve it,” said the statement from Cindy Hickey, Nora Shourd and Laura Fattal.
The mothers said their three children are being held “in almost complete isolation without any semblance of due process in violation of Iranian and international law.” “If Iran believes it has any reason to charge our children, it should do so without delay and give them a fair trial in a public court of law,” the mothers said.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\03\story_3-8-2010_pg20_5
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UN announces panel to probe Gaza flotilla raid
03 Aug, 2010
* Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon says panel will give recommendations to stop such acts in future
*Israel says it will cooperate with UN probe
UNITED NATIONS: UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Monday announced a four-member panel, including an Israeli and a Turk, to probe Israel’s deadly raid in May on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
The panel, chaired by former New Zealand prime minister Geoffrey Palmer and with outgoing Colombian President Alvaro Uribe as vice chairman, will begin work on August 10 and submit a first progress report by mid-September.
Israel’s Haaretz daily reported on its website that a forum of seven top Israeli ministers had given its backing to the probe, but an Israeli government spokesman would not immediately comment on the report.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\03\story_3-8-2010_pg4_5
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Iran sees ‘positive’ signal from Vienna group over fuel swap
03 Aug, 2010
TEHRAN: Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has said Iran was witnessing a “positive” feedback from the Vienna group over a proposal to supply Tehran with nuclear fuel, an Iranian television channel reported. Mottaki said Iran’s response to questions raised by the Vienna group over a proposal brokered by Brazil and Turkey to supply the fuel to Tehran has led to some “readiness” from the members of the group to talk over the issue. “We can say this process is a positive signal reflecting the political determination of the Vienna group,” he told the Al-Alam Arabic-language channel late on Sunday, referring to the US, Russia, France that make up the group. The Vienna group has raised several questions about the proposal submitted by Iran, Brazil and Turkey for the supply of nuclear fuel to power a Tehran-based research reactor. Iran answered the group’s questions on July 26. Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\03\story_3-8-2010_pg20_2
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UK envoy called over Cameron’s comments
03 Aug, 2010
ISLAMABAD—Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, in a meeting with the British High Commissioner, H.E. Mr. Adam Thomson, in the Foreign Office on Monday, conveyed the sentiments of the Government and the people of Pakistan at the remarks made by the British Prime Minister during his recent visit to India regarding Pakistan.
During a recent visit to India, Cameron accused Pakistan having a dual policy that supported terrorism and demanded respect as a democracy both at the same time. The Foreign Minister emphasized that terrorism was a global issue and had to be dealt with by all countries in a spirit of cooperation, rather than putting the entire onus on any one country. He said Pakistan was itself a victim of terrorism and its efforts against violent extremism could not be negated, according to Foreign office spokesman.
Full report at:
http://dailymailnews.com/0810/03/FrontPage/index.php?id=1
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King’s trip mobilized support for Arab cause
By P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR
Aug 3, 2010
JEDDAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on Monday briefed the Council of Ministers on the outcome of his six-week-long foreign tour, which took him to Canada, the United States, Morocco, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.
Presiding over the weekly Cabinet meeting at Al-Salam Palace here, King Abdullah expressed his appreciation of the tremendous cooperation extended by Arab leaders during his tour to strengthen Arab unity and unify Arabs on major global issues.
The king said his foreign tour was instrumental in mobilizing international support to achieve progress in the Middle East peace process and restore Arab rights, especially the right of the Palestinian people to establish an independent Palestinian state.
"The Cabinet highly appreciated the efforts of King Abdullah and other Arab leaders to strengthen Arab unity to confront challenges, especially the Israeli challenge," Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja told the Saudi Press Agency.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article94573.ece
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Swiss education facilities continue to attract Saudis
By K.S. RAMKUMAR
Aug 3, 2010
JEDDAH: Students heading from Saudi Arabia to Switzerland for their education continue to increase, according to the Swiss Consul General.
Hans Stalder said that a sizeable number of them are already pursuing studies there, especially at hotel management schools.
He also claimed the country, which has some major joint Saudi-Swiss ventures in operation, is also receiving a large number of tourists from the Kingdom.
Growing bilateral ties between Switzerland and Saudi Arabia were in focus at the official Swiss National Day celebration at Stalder’s residence on Sunday night. Officials, diplomats, businessmen and members of the community were present in large numbers.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article94476.ece
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Aramco festival draws 100,000 visitors
By RODOLFO ESTIMO JR.
Aug 2, 2010
RIYADH: Some 100,000 visitors have so far visited the 2010 Saudi Aramco Summer Festival which ends on Saturday, said Abdullah bin Sulaiman Al-Jehani, vice president for marketing at the Supreme Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA).
“The festival is witnessing a heavy turnout of visitors from the Kingdom and other countries, mostly from the Gulf. As of last Saturday, around 100,000 domestic and foreign visitors had visited the festival,” said Al-Jehani in a statement.
Al-Jehani made the comments after a field visit to the festival that is being held at the Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz University.
He was accompanied by other SCTA officials who expressed pleasure at the high level of organization and praised Saudi Aramco’s efforts to make the event a huge success.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article94479.ece
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Rockets hit Israel, Jordan resorts; one dead in Aqaba
Aug 3, 2010
AQABA, Jordan: Rockets from Egypt's Sinai, an area where Islamist militants have operated in the past, struck Israel's and Jordan's Red Sea port resorts on Monday, killing a Jordanian civilian and injuring three others, Jordanian and Israeli police said.
A Jordanian interior ministry source said one of the four injured when one rocket exploded near a five star hotel in Aqaba, died from his injuries.
There was no word of casualties in the adjacent Israeli port and holiday resort of Eilat, police said.
Asked where the Aqaba rocket was fired, the Jordanian source said without elaborating: "It came from the west." Experts were investigating the site to find out where the short-range rocket had been launched, he said.
Egyptian security sources were quoted by the state news agency as saying rockets could not have been fired from Sinai.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article94396.ece
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Abbas resists US pressure for direct talks
By MOHAMMED ASSADI
Aug 3, 2010
RAMALLAH, West Bank: The Palestinian president told a visiting US official on Monday that Israel must commit to clear terms of reference for peace talks before the start of direct negotiations, Palestinian officials said.
US President Barack Obama’s administration is putting pressure on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to agree to direct talks which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he is ready to begin immediately.
US official David Hale, a deputy to Obama’s Middle East envoy George Mitchell, had asked Abbas when direct talks could begin, said members of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) executive committee briefed by Abbas.
Mitchell has conducted five rounds of indirect talks between Abbas and Netanyahu since May. Obama has said he wants direct talks to begin by September.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article94532.ece
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Israeli forces arrest 11 Palestinians in West Bank
By MOHAMMED MAR’I
Aug 3, 2010
RAMALLAH: Israeli forces operating in West Bank cities arrested 11 Palestinians, according to Israeli and Palestinian security sources.
Palestinian sources said that three Palestinians were arrested in Nablus, one in Ramallah, six in the Bethlehem area and one in Hebron. They added that all were arrested after meticulous house search operations.
Israeli security sources told the Army Radio that the detainees were wanted by the Israeli intelligence agency Shin Bet and were taken to unknown locations for questioning.
The Israeli defense establishment says the arrest campaigns in Palestinian cities are part of its war against Palestinian armed groups.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) says that the daily Israeli raids hinder its own security efforts to tighten their grip on the Palestinian territories.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article94549.ece
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US lawmaker calls for sanctions on China, Russia
3 August 2010
WASHINGTON — The United States should immediately impose sanctions on Russia and China under a US law that punishes major investments in Iran’s energy sector, a senior US lawmaker said Monday.
“It’s time to implement our sanctions laws and demonstrate to Russia and China that there are consequences for abetting Tehran and flouting US sanctions,” Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said in a statement.
Ros-Lehtinen, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said firms run by the Russian and Chinese governments had invested “huge sums” in Iran’s energy sector, “effectively bankrolling” Tehran’s alleged nuclear weapons program and its backing of Islamist groups.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/August/international_August112.xml§ion=international
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Zardari’s Europe trip clouded by terror claims
3 August 2010
PARIS — President Asif Ali Zardari vaunted Pakistan’s partnership with France in talks with Nicolas Sarkozy Monday, before heading to London for a visit clouded by British allegations Pakistan “exports terror”.
Zardari met the French president at the Elysee Palace at the start of the easier first leg of his visit, amid a diplomatic spat between Pakistan and Britain over claims that some Islamabad officials support the Taliban.
“France feels that Pakistan is a responsible partner with them in the world,” Zardari told reporters in Paris, adding that Sarkozy had said he would visit Pakistan later in the year.
The Pakistani leader did not directly address British allegations, and a senior French official, briefing reporters after the private meeting, said the issue did not come up.
Relations between London and Islamabad soured last week when Prime Minister David Cameron said Pakistan must not “look both ways” in secretly promoting violent extremism while pretending to seek regional stability.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/August/international_August110.xml§ion=international
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Israel fears Turks could pass its secrets to Iran
Aug 3, 2010
JERUSALEM - Israel’s Defence Minister Ehud Barak has voiced concern that once-stalwart ally Turkey could share Israeli intelligence secrets with Iran, revealing a deep distrust as Ankara’s regional interests shift.
The leaked comments by Barak cast doubt on how much Israel is willing or able to reconcile with Turks outraged at its navy’s killing of nine of their compatriots aboard an aid ship that tried to run the Gaza Strip blockade on May 31.
Until relations soured, Turkey had been the Muslim power closest to the Jewish state, a friendship largely based on military cooperation and intelligence sharing.
In a closed-door briefing to activists aligned with his centre-left Labour Party at a kibbutz near Jerusalem on July 25, Barak still called Turkey a “friend and major strategic ally”.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/August/middleeast_August28.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
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Two men found guilty in New York airport bomb plot case
Aug 3, 2010
NEW YORK: Two Islamist militants were found guilty on Monday by a federal jury of plotting to bomb New York's John F Kennedy International Airport.
Russell Defreitas, 67, a US citizen born in Guyana, and Abdul Kadir, 58, of Guyana, conspired to blow up buildings, fuel tanks and pipelines at the airport in the New York City borough of Queens. The men, who were arrested in June 2007, face up to life in prison. They are due to be sentenced on Dec. 15.
Defreitas, who had worked at the airport, provided knowledge of its facilities and layout, US prosecutors said, while Kadir, an engineer, helped with technical aspects such as how to blow up the buried fuel pipelines.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Two-men-found-guilty-in-New-York-airport-bomb-plot-case/articleshow/6250350.cms
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Malik terms Karachi violence as conspiracy
03 Aug, 2010
KARACHI: Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Tuesday termed the recent violence in Karachi as a conspiracy against the coalition partners in the Sindh government and vowed that banned outfits such as Sipah-e- Shaba and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan would be eliminated.
While talking to media persons, Malik condemned the target killing of MQM MPA Raza Haider and said that the “enemies were trying to trap us but we would not let this happen.”
The interior minister said that 20 suspects were held for arson attacks in Karachi.
He lauded the peace call made by the MQM chief Altaf Hussain and said that no incident of violence had taken place since 4 am on Tuesday.
He said that heavy contingents of police and Rangers had been deployed in the city. Strict action would be taken against miscreants involved in arson attacks, he added.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/12-malik+terms+karachi+violence+as+conspiracy--bi-06
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Ramadan preparations in full swing
By MD HUMAIDAN
Aug 3, 2010
JEDDAH: For many Jeddah families, the second half of the month of Shaaban, the month preceding Ramadan, is almost like the holy month itself that is expected to begin around Aug. 11.
Thousands of families have already started fasting and cooking dishes that are considered peculiar to Ramadan.
Muslims generally have to compensate for fasts they might have missed during the previous Ramadan. As a result, many women, who are not required to fast during menstruation and accouchement, wait until Shaaban to make up for missed fasts so they can begin Ramadan with a clean slate.
In most cases, if women are fasting then the men of the family also do the same.
With Ramadan and the annual school vacations coinciding, people have already begun to go out in the evening and sleep late, a habit that is normal in Ramadan.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article94481.ece
9:24 PM
Sultan Shahin
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