Fareed Zakaria returns award over Ground Zero mosque
US, UN declares Harakat-ul Jihad Islami a terrorist groupPakistan president open to talks with Taleban
Iran Starts More Efficient Uranium Enrichment - ISIS
Toll hits 87 as 4 more killed in Karachi
Suicide attack kills seven Afghan policemen
Jewish Leaders Rally in Support of Ground Zero Mosque
Young Indian MPs urge Kashmiri youth to give talks a chance
On quiet day, cops clear Srinagar of rubble
Muzaffar Baig resigns from Assembly?
Proposed burning of the Quran a vicious conspiracy to hurt Muslim sentiments: Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind
For Urdu expertise, Pakistan looks to India
In India, Parliament members clamour to show support for Urdu
Railway Minister ‘hosts’ Urdu soiree in Indian Parliament
Saudi Arabia only Islamic country to send relief items
Women’s State Still Deplorable In Afghanistan
Bikini-clad Briton briefly detained in Dubai mall
Tired of war, thousands of Iraqis want to go to US
UAE walks away with ‘Olympiad’ honours
Kyrgyzstan says coup attempt foiled
Iran plans to launch a manned spacecraft
Imran Khan sees people's revolution looming
Calling all poets: S. Sudan needs national anthem
205 people embrace Islam in two months
BBC Urdu offers a lifeline to flood-hit Pakistanis
Community organizer aided FBI in terrorism cases
26/11 officials to depose via videolink in Pak trial
You have no clue to J&K, Advani tells PM
49 deaths later, Omar reaches out
FM to play Santa, make Bangladesh feel special
UN's new target is Haqqani network
Wave of crises stretches Pak to the limit
Nearly 800 Indian prisoners in Pakistani jails
Mumbai attack by LeT was out of al Qaeda play book:US official
US deems Al-Qaeda in Pakistan top threat
US documents leak part of ‘bigger conspiracy’: Baloch
PML-N wins NA-68; NA-100 goes to PPP
NATO acknowledges Afghan civilian deaths
Kasab jotting notes in jail to prepare his defence: Lawyer
UN calls on Iraq to take steps to end sanctions
‘Increase women quota up to 10% in assemblies’
Israel wary over ‘Hezbollisation’ of Lebanon army
Country’s biggest banking scam aborted
German footballers may eat during Ramadan
Kingdom donates 100 tons of dates for Filipino Muslims
Jamia Nizamia free Qur’an coaching attracts 300 children
Israeli forces arrest 55 Palestinians in West Bank
Canada: Council of Muslim Women opposes addition of honour killings to Criminal Code
Israel Museum Has New Look At History Of Holy Land
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Fareed Zakaria
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Fareed Zakaria returns award over Ground Zero mosque
Aug 7, 2010
Indian-origin Newsweek editor Fareed Zakaria has returned an award he received from the Jewish group Anti-Defamation League over its opposition towards the proposed mosque at Ground Zero in New York. Zakaria returned the Jewish group's Hubert H Humphrey First Amendment Freedoms Prize, which was presented to him in 2005.
"I was thrilled to get the award from an organisation that I had long admired. But I cannot in good conscience keep it anymore. I have returned both the handsome plaque and the $10,000 honorarium that came with it. I urge the ADL to reverse its decision. Admitting an error is a small price to pay to regain a reputation," Zakaria wrote in a letter.
The debate about a building a mosque on the Ground Zero site has been raging in the United States for several months dividing New Yorkers, families of the victims of 9/11, civil society organisations and politicians.
This week, the project received the green light from the Landmarks Preservation Commission, which voted 9-0 for the construction to begin. The following day, The American Centre for Law and Justice, a conservative advocacy group, sued to halt the construction. The Jewish group has also vehemently opposed the mosque.
"But ultimately this is not a question of rights, but a question of what is right. In our judgment, building an Islamic Centre in the shadow of the World Trade Centre will cause some victims more pain unnecessarily and that is not right," ADL said in a statement.
The plan is being pushed by Kuwaiti-born Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and will cost $100 million. Parties that oppose the building of a mosque, which will be called Cordoba House, insist this project is inappropriate since the terrorist attacks were carried out by extremist Muslims.
Abraham H Foxman, ADL National Director, wrote in a response letter to Zakaria that he was "saddened but stunned and somewhat speechless" by the decision to return the prize.
"As someone I greatly respect for engaging in discussion and dialogue with an open mind, I would have expected you to reach out to me before coming to judgment," he said.
Source: reddif.com
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US, UN declares Harakat-ul Jihad Islami a terrorist group
Aug 7, 2010
WASHINGTON: The United States and the United Nations Friday designated Pakistan's Harakat-ul Jihad Islami as a "Foreign Terrorist Organization" and targeted its commander for supporting acts of terrorism, the US Treasury Department said.
Mohammad Ilyas Kashmiri, who the United States labeled a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist," will have any of his assets frozen in US jurisdiction, and the move will also "prohibit US persons from engaging in any transactions with him."
The United Nations, said the Treasury Department, has taken similar action against the HUJI and Kashmiri.
As the militant group's leader, US officials said Kashmiri "provides support to Al-Qaeda operations, including logistical support for Al-Qaeda's terrorist attacks," the Treasury Department said detailing deadly assaults on Pakistani government personnel and facilities.
"In acting together, the United States and United Nations are today taking another important step in combating the threat that Al-Qaeda and its affiliated organizations pose to innocent people around the world," said Stuart Levey, the US under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-UN-declares-Harakat-ul-Jihad-Islami-a-terrorist-group/articleshow/6267768.cms
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Pakistan president open to talks with Taleban
By PAISLEY DODDS
Aug 7, 2010
LONDON: Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari said Friday he's willing to consider reopening negotiations with the Taleban in his country — a statement that came amid a flurry of criticism that some elements within Pakistan remain sympathetic to the extremist movement.
Zardari told The Associated Press that his country never closed the door to talks with the Taleban.
"We never closed the dialogue," Zardari told the AP, skirting the question of when talks could actually resume.
"We had an agreement, which they broke. (Talks will resume) whenever they feel we're strong enough and they realize they can't win, because they won't win. It will be a painful difficult task, but defeat is not an option." Last year, the Pakistani government struck a deal with the Taleban in the Swat Valley that gave them effective control over the region. The militants violated the agreement and moved into another region, prompting an all out offensive by the Pakistani army.
Although some US and British politicians have suggested talking to the "enemy" may be the only way to win the war, many in the US administration and Pakistan's other Western allies have publicly urged the country to continue fighting the Pakistani Taleban, not talk to them.
The group, which is loosely based in the tribal regions close to the Afghan border, was involved in the failed Times Square car bombing and the suicide attack on a CIA base in December in Afghanistan that killed seven CIA employees. It has links with Al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taleban fighting across the border in Afghanistan.
Zardari, the widower of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, said accusations by British Prime Minister David Cameron and others that Pakistan was exporting terrorism were "exaggerated." He also said the military was doing more than what it ever had, ridding the Swat Valley and South Waziristan of militants.
"We have more soldiers on the border now and have lost more soldiers in this war than anyone else," Zardari said, referring to some 2,500 troops killed in battles with militants over the years. "We have also lost more citizens in this war than any other country. Should we have the capability, we would definitely do more." He dismissed assertions that some in the Pakistani government may know the whereabouts of Osama Bin Laden.
The international community has all the modern technology available to it, Zardari said. "We do not have the technology. We do not have the military and counterterrorism intelligence," he said.
Zardari urged the international community to help equip his military with drones and other equipment. He also called for more help in opening up international markets to Pakistani trade and products.
When asked why so few militants had been brought to justice — including those alleged to have killed his wife — Zardari said "most of them we don't catch alive." Friday's comments came after talks with Cameron, roughly a week after the British leader ignited a diplomatic row by accusing Pakistan of exporting terrorism during a trip to the country's nuclear rival, India.
Cameron and Zardari discussed ways to boost trade, cooperation in the fight against terrorism, the situation in Afghanistan and how to help people affected by recent floods in Pakistan that have killed some 1,500 people — the worst floods in some 80 years.
Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a banned charity with alleged links to the Mumbai, India, terror attacks, said Thursday it was helping Pakistani flood victims — raising questions about the government's pledge to crack down on the outfit and whether the crisis was providing a new recruiting opportunities within Pakistan.
"These groups will always exist," the president told the AP.
After talks with Cameron, Zardari described Pakistan's alliance with the UK as unbreakable.
"This is a friendship that will never break, no matter what happens," Zardari said. "Storms will come and storms will go, and Pakistan and Britain will stand together and face all the difficulties with dignity ... we will make sure that the world is a better place for our coming generations." Pakistan is one of Britain's most important allies in fighting terrorism. Nearly 1 million people of Pakistani origin live in Britain, and Pakistani intelligence has been crucial in several terror investigations, including the 2005 suicide attacks that killed 52 London commuters and a 2006 trans-Atlantic airliner plot. The ringleader of the 2005 suicide bombings in London and several others reportedly received terror training in Pakistan.
The US State Department said Thursday that Al-Qaeda's core membership in Pakistan, along with affiliates in Africa and Yemen, posed the most dangerous terrorist threat to the United States and its interests abroad. It said the terror network had expanded through affiliate groups.
The Pakistani president said Al-Qaeda and the threat of its affiliates was not confined to Pakistan.
"It's the mind-set we need to overturn," he said.
Zardari has headed a coalition government since unseating Pakistan's Gen. Pervez Musharraf. The ex-military leader was in power-sharing talks with Bhutto shortly before her assassination at a political rally in December 2007.
Plagued by allegations of corruption and money laundering, Zardari hasn't enjoyed the same support as some members of the Bhutto clan — the most popular being Bhutto's father, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was hanged after his ouster as president of Pakistan.
He said it was just a matter of time before his son — Bilawal Bhutto Zardari — would follow in the footsteps of his mother, Benazir Bhutto. The 21-year-old just graduated from Oxford with a degree in modern history and politics, but said Thursday he was considering getting a law degree before returning to Pakistan.
Analysts predict Zardari's Pakistan Peoples Party — which his son currently chairs — will suffer during the next national elections in 2013 because of Zardari's low approval ratings and the severe challenges currently facing the country.
Zardari, who will address a PPP rally in Birmingham on Saturday, admits he was reluctant to take the job after his wife's assassination.
Still, he believes that many Pakistanis support him — he faced widespread criticism for coming to Britain while his country was faced with the worst floods in some 80 years.
"I think leaders should not look at headlines. They should wait for history to pass judgment," he said. "I think I will wait for my term to be over."
http://arabnews.com/world/article96814.ece
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Iran Starts More Efficient Uranium Enrichment - ISIS
August 7, 2010
VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran has begun using extra equipment installed earlier this year to enrich uranium more efficiently, stepping up its nuclear work despite U.N. sanctions, a Western think-tank said on Friday.
The Institute for Science and International Security said on its website that Iran was now using a second set, or "cascade," of centrifuge machines at its Natanz pilot plant. It did not disclose the source of its information.
Iran has been producing low-enriched uranium for some time and announced in February that it had started enriching uranium to a higher, 20 percent, level to make fuel for a medical research reactor.
Analysts said the single cascade of machines Iran was using for the higher-level enrichment was inefficient because it left over a large quantity of low-enriched uranium alongside the highly enriched material.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, said Iran had subsequently installed a second cascade of centrifuge machines but had not begun using it.
A Vienna-based diplomat with knowledge of the IAEA investigation of Iran's nuclear programme said the Iranians had been preparing the second cascade of machines for use in recent weeks.
Use of the second cascade allows leftover material to be re-fed into the machines more easily, obtaining its full potential and making the work more efficient.
"ISIS has learned that Iran is now using the second cascade at the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP) at Natanz to recycle the tails from the first cascade," ISIS said in its note.
ISIS said the use of the second cascade meant the plant now needed less low-enriched uranium (LEU) than before to produce the same amount of 20-percent enriched uranium. It did not mean the output or enrichment level would increase, ISIS said.
Western powers fear the Islamic Republic aims to stockpile material for possible use, when still more highly enriched, in nuclear weapons. Iran says its aims are purely peaceful.
Western diplomats have said in the past that the second cascade could be reconfigured to enrich uranium to the higher level needed for use in nuclear weapons, a concern echoed by ISIS.
"If Iran enriches to weapon-grade uranium, however, it is expected to use the same type of procedure," ISIS said.
"Thus, Iran's current actions, while superficially justified on civil grounds, mainly make sense in the context of learning how to make significant quantities of highly enriched uranium efficiently."
Tehran has said it was forced to enrich uranium to 20 percent purity after the breakdown of a deal with Western powers and the IAEA, under which it would have sent 1,200 kg of its low-enriched uranium abroad in return for fuel rods for its medical reactor.
It tried to revive the fuel swap in a deal with Turkey and Brazil days before a key U.N. Security Council meeting in June, but the deal did not prevent the Security Council from imposing a fourth round of sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear programme.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/08/06/world/international-uk-iran-nuclear.html
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Kashmir: Protesters stay home on Geelani plea
M Saleem Pandit
Aug 06th, 2010
Srinagar: Hardline Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelanis appeal for peace had a dramatic effect on agitating Kashmiris who,after weeks of violent confrontation with security forces in which 49 people have died,obeyed curfew orders on Thursday and remained off the streets,providing a much needed break from the vicious cycle of protests and killings.
But Omar Abdullah was nearly assaulted by the mother of a victim of police firing at a hospital,forcing his guards to throw a protective ring around the CM.
While the state government spokesman denied this,a source at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences said the cops almost bundled Omar into a helicopter parked in the complex.The fact that the CM took a chopper to reach the hospital a mere 10km from his home also spoke of the tense atmosphere in the city.
Times of India
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Toll hits 87 as 4 more killed in Karachi
August 06, 2010
KARACHI: With a military operation looming in the anarchy-ridden Karachi, daily life started returning to normalcy on Thursday; however, four more people were killed, taking the death toll to 87 since Monday, Geo News reported.
Three days after Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM)’s MPA Raza Haider’s murder, tension still prevailed in some areas, particularly Qasba Colony, Aligarh Colony, Bukhari Colony, Banaras, Kati Pahari, Peerabad, Mominabad and Orangi Town.
By and large, complete calm was witnessed and no major incidents were reported as public and private life started returning to normalcy.
However, pickup driver Mehmood Yaqoob, 35, was shot dead in Faqir Colony in the Mominabad police precincts. The victim was said to be a resident of Orangi Town, and police registered FIR No 514/10 against unidentified culprits.
Similarly, Allah Wasayo, 35, was gunned down near Khyber Masjid in the Paposh Nagar police precincts. The culprits took the victim’s mobile phone and Rs 1,500 cash before escaping.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/8-6-2010/69553.htm
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Suicide attack kills seven Afghan policemen
Aug 06th, 2010
KABUL, Afghanistan — A suicide car bomber struck a convoy of NATO troops and Afghan police Thursday in northern Afghanistan, killing seven police officers and wounding at least 11 people.
A Canadian helicopter, meanwhile, went down in southern Afghanistan. No one was injured and the Taliban claimed it shot the aircraft down.
The suicide bombing occurred in the morning in Kunduz province's Imam Sahib district, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. In addition to the deaths, six police and five civilians were wounded, it said.
No NATO troops were killed in the bombing, said Maj. Michael Johnson, a NATO forces spokesman. Some NATO forces were wounded, but he declined to say how many or how seriously.
The vehicles were stopped in preparation for an operation in the area and the killed police officers had been standing outside of their trucks as they mobilized, said Abdul Rahman Aqtash, deputy police chief of Kunduz province.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack in a text message to The Associated Press. The insurgent group regularly attacks military forces or government workers as part of their campaign against the Afghan government.
Full report at:
Copyright © 2010 The Associated
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Jewish Leaders Rally in Support of Ground Zero Mosque, Call for Tolerance
By Patrick Hedlund
Aug 06th, 2010
LOWER MANHATTAN — A group of Jewish religious leaders rallied Thursday in support of a proposed mosque and community center near Ground Zero.
Representatives from various local and regional Jewish organizations joined with the project’s co-founder to urge tolerance by accepting Cordoba House, the planned $100 million project, which received a go-ahead this week from the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
“It’s true that in each of our traditions there are streaks of blood,” said Rabbi Arthur Waskow, founder and head of the Philadelphia-based Shalom Center, which co-hosted the rally. “But each of those traditions has tried to go beyond those streaks of blood.”
Waskow was joined by leaders from Jewish congregations in Westchester and Brooklyn to spread a message of unity to help offset the divisiveness that has colored much of the debate.
Cordoba House co-founder Daisy Khan accepted a gift of "hallelujah honey" from Rabbi Ellen Lippmann at the rally. (DNAinfo/Patrick Hedlund)
“Islam did not attack our country on 9/11,” said Richard Jacobs, senior rabbi of the Scarsdale-based Westchester Reform Temple, noting that hundreds of his congregants work in lower Manhattan near the proposed mosque.
Full report at:
http://dnainfo.com/20100805/downtown/jewish-leaders-rally-support-of-ground-zero-mosque-call-for-tolerance#ixzz0voqUQj1F
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Young MPs urge youth to give talks a chance
Kay Benedict
Aug 06th, 2010
A GROUP of 40 young MPs, cutting across party lines, on Thursday issued a joint appeal to the “ youth of Jammu and Kashmir” pleading restraint and endorsing the need for dialogue.
The appeal comes in the wake of video footage showing youth and young children pelting stones and setting fire to vehicles.
“ We, as representatives of the people, believe that together with a positive frame of mind we can seek resolution only through open communication,” letter from the MPs, belonging to the Congress, BJP, Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena and the Trinamool Congress, said.
On Wednesday, home minister P. Chidambaram said in a statement in the Lok Sabha “ some armed militants may have mingled with the crowds and fired at the security forces”. With the violence showing no signs of abatement, the government may send a parliamentary delegation to the Valley.
Full report at: Mail Today
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On quiet day,cops clear Srinagar of rubble
Aug 06th, 2010
Srinagar: Kashmir breathed easy on Thursday after hardline separatist Syed Ali Geelanis appeal to protesters the previous day to abjure violence.Ghulam Nabi Bidyari (45) of Srinagar succumbed to his injuries sustained in police firing in a hospital on Thursday.Importantly,however,his burial procession,unlike scores of others in preceding weeks,was peaceful.With two more deaths of people injured in preceding days,the death toll in the 56-day unrest in the Valley rose to 49.
There were peaceful protests in other parts of the Valley like Pulwama,Baramulla,Pampore and Rajbagh as well,where the crowd,instead of chanting anti-India slogans and hurling stones at the police,walked quietly with the bodies.This was despite injuries to five people in Pulwama where security forces fired at protesters near a college,critically wounding one Abdul Rashid Reshi (38),who was taken to a hospital in Srinagar.However,CM Omar Abdullahs political secretary Mubarak Gul was prevented from entering a hospital in Bardella in the outskirts of Srinagar to commiserate with those wounded in police firing.
Full report at: Times of India
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Muzaffar Baig resigns from Assembly?
Shujaat Bukhari
Aug 06th, 2010
SRINAGAR: The former Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and senior People's Democratic Party leader, Muzaffar Baig, on Thursday is said to have resigned as member of the Legislative Assembly.
Local news agency KNS quoted him as saying that the Assembly had failed to protect the lives of people in Kashmir. “I have sent my resignation to party president Mehbooba Mufti for being forwarded to the Speaker,” he said.
“Under the present circumstances there was no meaning being a member of Assembly,” he said in the letter.
Mr. Baig represents Baramulla segment, which he first won in 2002 and retained in 2008.
Ms. Mehbooba told The Hindu that she had not yet received any such communication. The Assembly Secretariat also denied having received the “resignation letter.”
Sources said his decision was the result of a feud between Ms. Mehbooba and Mr. Baig. A statement he made on a TV channel was not endorsed by the party.
http://www.hindu.com/2010/08/06/stories/2010080665411400.htm
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Proposed burning of the Quran a vicious conspiracy to hurt Muslim sentiments: Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind
06 Aug, 2010
New Delhi: The President of Jamit-e-Ulema Hind, Syed Md Usman Mansurpuri and senior leader of Jamiat Maulana Mahmood Madani have expressed their deep anguish at the announcement of the church of Florida to burn the copies of the Quran on the ninth anniversary of the WTC attack in the US. The President of Jamiat condemned the 'satanic' plan in the harshest terms and said that hatred against Muslims and Islamophobia was a deliberate conspiracy being sponsored by Zionist forces and demanded action against the people planning it. He further said that the Quran was the most sacred and respected book to the Muslims and is a messenger of peace not only for Muslims but for the whole humanity. The leader of Jamiat Maulana Mahmood Madani said that this kind of steps were being taken only as a part of plans to provoke and cause anxiety and hurt to Muslims. He warned that if the government of the US did not deal with the Church effectively, it can spread hatred and enmity between the followers of two major religions. He also appealed to the Muslims to protest through peaceful means and avoid violence.
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For Urdu expertise, Pakistan looks to India
Zia Haq
Aug 06th, 2010
Three Pakistani universities have started outsourcing the evaluation of dissertations on Urdu literature to the Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu-e-Hind, a 110-year-old Delhi-based institution.
The manuscripts give me a unique view of current Pakistani politics and life.
KHALIQ ANJUM, Urdu expert The collaboration shows Pakistani trust of competen- cy of Indian Urdu expertise.
SHAHID KHAN, Shibli Memorial Library
gious Pakistani universities have started outsourcing evaluation of dissertations on Urdu literature to Indian experts. The exercise underpins the unusual ways in which the two countries -often tethering on the edge of war -continue to connect.
India is where Pakistan's official language -Urdu -was born and many of its men of letters had migrated to Pakistan after the Partition, such as Saadat Hassan Manto.
Full report at: Hindustan Times
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In LS, members clamour to show support for Urdu
Aug 06th, 2010
AFTER SPEAKER ALLOWED A FEW MPS TO SPEAK, MORE HANDS WENT UP SEEK- ING PERMISSION TO SPEAK... EVEN BJP'S MUNDE JOINED THE BANDWAGON
A plea to support Urdu newspapers through advertisements triggered a race among members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
The leaders clamoured to speak for promoting the language, which ended with Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee making a pitch for quota for minorities.
The demand for giving Urdu newspapers a fair share of government advertisements was first raised by Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav.
When a few other members rose in his support, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar initially told them to have their names recorded.
Full report at: Hindustan Times
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Mamata ‘ hosts’ Urdu soiree in Lok Sabha
By Poornima Joshi
Aug 06th, 2010
EMPEROR and poet Bahadur Shah Zafar would have turned in his grave, albeit with pleasure, as railway minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday invoked his famous lines in the Lok Sabha.
She was trying to assert that India was burying the Urdu language.
“ Umr- e- daraaz se maang ke laye the char din, Do aarzu mein guzar gaye, do intezaar mein. Hai kitna badnaseeb Zafar dafn ke liye, Do gaz zameen bhi na mili koo- e- yaar mein . ( Two days which I borrowed from my four- day- long life were wasted in pining and the rest two in waiting.
So unfortunate is Zafar that he did not even get two yards to be buried in the land of the beloved),” recited Banerjee in her Bengali accent to brighten the prospects of Urdu getting greater government support.
She was speaking in the Lower House during a zero hour discussion.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Saudi Arabia only Islamic country to send relief items: KP
Aug 06th, 2010
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government said on Thursday that no Islamic country, other than Saudi Arabia, had sent any relief supply so far for the flood victims.
“By Thursday, there has been no relief supply from any Islamic country except Saudi Arabia,” KP Information Minister Iftikhar Hussain said. “Last (Wednesday) night, a Saudi plane brought some 150 tents,” he added.
However, the KP government spokesman said the Saudi government should send more tents as over 700,000 people were marooned by the monsoon flooding. “We thank the Saudi government and the people for this assistance, but would like it to send more relief goods.”
Full report at
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\06\story_6-8-2010_pg7_18
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Women’s State Still Deplorable In Afghanistan
Aug 06th, 2010
Aug. 5: Ms Naderi, who heads the group, Women for Afghan Women, would be the first to concede that things are already bad enough for women in Afghanistan without a return to a government run by the Taliban.
Noorin TV in Kabul has been running what it has called an investigative series suggesting that the shelters, all operated by independent charities, are just fronts for prostitution. The series has offered no evidence, and the station never sent anyone to visit the principal shelters.
The Afghan President, Mr Hamid Karzai, once seen as a champion of women's causes until he failed to deliver on promises to appoint many women to Cabinet posts, convened a commission to investigate complaints against women's shelters. A report is expected soon. The panel's chairman is a conservative mullah, Nematullah Shahrani, who has publicly bandied about the prostitution claim.
Full report at:
http://www.asianage.com/international/women%E2%80%99s-state-still-deplorable-afghanistan-282
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Bikini-clad Briton briefly detained in Dubai mall
06 Aug, 2010
DUBAI: A British woman was briefly detained after stripping down to a bikini and walking in her beach wear through a five-star mall in Dubai, a police official in the Gulf emirate said on Thursday.
According to the official, the British woman was shopping in the mall on Wednesday, when a conservatively dressed Emirati woman came up to her and criticised her for wearing a low-cut top.
The two woman started arguing, then the Briton stripped down to her bikini and walked away like that through the mall, popular for its many luxury shops.
The mall, one of the world’s largest, has signs asking shoppers to dress modestly, although westerners in short skirts and revealing blouses routinely ignore the advisories.
The mall security subsequently detained both women and took them to a police station for questioning.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/bikiniclad-briton-briefly-detained-in-dubai-mall-680
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Tired of war, thousands of Iraqis want to go to US
6 August 2010
BAGHDAD - Ahmed is desperate to get out of Baghdad, after Islamists threatened to kill him or his children because he worked for Western media after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Like thousands of others, he hopes to land a U.S. refugee visa to escape bombings, shootings and death threats in his homeland.
“Fundamentalists told me over the phone: if you don’t quit work we will either kill you or one of your children,” said Ahmed, a father of a son and two daughters who said he was afraid to give his full name.
The journalist hopes to join over 4.7 million Iraqis who have left their homes since 2003, in what the United Nations refugee agency, the UNHCR, calls the worst humanitarian crisis in the Middle East since 1948. Some 700,000 people, half the Arab population of Palestine in May 1948, fled or were forced to flee from their homes after Israel was created.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/August/middleeast_August104.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
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UAE walks away with ‘Olympiad’ honours Sebugwaawo Ismail
6 August 2010
RAS AL KHAIMAH — The four-member UAE national team had a dream win at the sixth Arab Chemistry Olympiad with all the participants bagging all but one of the gold medals at stake.
This propelled the UAE to the top place in the competition which concluded here on Tuesday. The lone remaining gold went to a Palestinian student.
His Highness Shaikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qassimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, presented the medals and prizes.
The UAE team displayed mastery of the subject in the laboratory as well as the theoretical tests in the three- day event, taking the country to the top the medal chart with 16 points,?followed by Palestine with 13 and Saudi Arabia on 11.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/August/theuae_August186.xml§ion=theuae
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Kyrgyzstan says coup attempt foiled
Aug 6, 2010
BISHKEK: Kyrgyz forces arrested an opposition party leader on suspicion of plotting the overthrow of the government on Thursday, after troops fired blank rounds into a crowd trying to join mass demonstrations near Parliament.
Acting President Roza Otunbayeva said security forces seized firearms and grenades from Urmat Baryktabasov and 26 supporters after a day of protests in the capital of the Central Asian state, which plans to hold parliamentary elections in October.
"All who attempt to destroy the peace of the citizens will be punished," said Otunbayeva.
Her interim government has struggled to impose its authority since an uprising in April toppled President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. Savage ethnic fighting followed in June, killing more than 350 people over several days and forcing thousands from their homes.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article96159.ece
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Iran plans to launch a manned spacecraft
Aug 6, 2010
TEHRAN: Iran plans to launch a manned spacecraft in seven years’ time, two years earlier than its previous target, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday.
“In the near future we will be sending a communications probe into space whose lifespan will be one year,” the semi-official Mehr news agency quoted him as saying in a live conversation on state television in the western city of Hamadan.
“The government has undertaken plans so that we would be sending a manned spacecraft into space in seven years.” Ahmadinejad said last month Iran would send its first manned shuttle into space by 2019. In February Iran test-fired a domestically-made satellite carrying rocket Kavoshgar-3 (Explorer-3).
Western countries suspect Iran is trying to build nuclear bombs and are concerned the long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit could be used to launch warheads.
Iran, the world’s fifth-largest oil exporter, has always insisted its nuclear program is for generating electricity.
In 2009, Iran launched a domestically-made satellite and put it into orbit for the first time. It said the Omid satellite was launched for peaceful telecommunications and research purposes.
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article96108.ece
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Imran Khan sees people's revolution looming
August 06, 2010
DALLAS: The chairman of Pakistan Tehrike Insaf has said today that president Zardari was enjoying on the people’s money. In the hotel in London in which he would stay during his tour of Europe, the rent of his room for one day is Rs 2 million, he said.
Besides, another hefty amount of Rs.6 million is being spent on the ceremony to induct his son Bilawal Bhutto in Pakistan’s politics.
He was addressing a fund raising mass gathering organized by Tehrike Insaf local chapter in American city of Dallas.
He said that our country was undergoing a very critical situation and we are responsible for that, becuase the biggest criminal was no one else but the president of Pakistan himself, who has also employed a team of crooks and criminals in the cabinet and has imposed upon the people.
He opined that the honorable nations under such tyranny conditions always agitate. However, under a persistent fear people refrain from entering politics.
Pakistan politicians should deter of the point at which the nation starts revolution.
http://thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=109830
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Calling all poets: S. Sudan needs national anthem
By MAGGIE FICK
Aug 6, 2010
JUBA, Sudan: Calling all poets and writers in Southern Sudan: new national anthem needed.
Officials in Southern Sudan issued a call this week for citizens to compose lyrics for a new national anthem.
The government and many citizens here hope the anthem will be needed after a vote in January that could see the south break away from the Khartoum-based northern Sudanese government.
If the south votes for unity, then no new anthem is needed. But if the push for secession wins, then the Juba-based government will need a new country name, a new flag and a new anthem, said Malaak Ayuen Ajok, a member of the Committee for South Sudan National Anthem.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article96106.ece
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205 people embrace? Islam in two months Ahmed Shaaban
6 August 2010
DUBAI — As many as 205 people from different nationalities converted to Islam in the last two months, according to a top official of the Dar Al Ber Society.
Yusuf Al Saeed, Head of Islamic Information Centre, said his centre is witnessing an increase in the number of new Muslims.
“While 105 people embraced Islam in June, 100 others became Muslims in July.”
Saeed said the centre provides authentic information on Islam in a friendly and tolerant atmosphere.
“Simplified books and audio cassettes explaining the principles and teachings of Islam as well as the meanings of the Holy Quran and Sunnah are distributed to new Muslims in several languages, including Chinese, Russian, Philippines, English, and Urdu amongst others.”
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/August/theuae_August187.xml§ion=theuae
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BBC Urdu offers a lifeline to flood-hit Pakistanis
Aug 6, 2010
JEDDAH: In response to the devastating floods in northern Pakistan, lifeline radio programs are to start in the most severely affected areas through the BBC Urdu service.
Developed by BBC World Service Trust and Internews, the new 'infoasaid' service will transmit lifesaving information to the hundreds of thousands of people currently cut off from emergency aid efforts and most at risk.
BBC Urdu will transmit six daily bulletins in Urdu (at local times at 12.30, 15.30 and 18.30) and Pashto (at 12.45, 15.45 and 18.45) providing vital information including how to stay safe, avoid disease and access aid.
With much of the region's transport and communication links destroyed, the service will plug a critical gap in delivering information in the immediate aftermath of the disaster using one of the only media channels still available - radio.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article96089.ece
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Community organizer aided FBI in terrorism cases
By Donna Leinwand and Oren Dorell
Aug 6, 2010
When community organizer Abdirizak Bihi learned recruiters from the Somali terrorist organization al-Shabaab targeted youth in his Minneapolis neighborhood to fight in Somalia, Bihi did his own outreach to take them back.
"It was difficult to fight against al-Shabaab in the beginning. They had a lot of money," Bihi says. Those aligned with al-Shabaab "were telling people we were informers working against the mosque and the community" and warned families that speaking to the FBI would land them in Guantanamo.
ON DEADLINE: Read excerpt on Holder's remarks
Yet Bihi eventually persuaded 20 families to talk to the FBI.
On Thursday, FBI Executive Assistant Director Sean Joyce thanked the Somali community in Minneapolis for their efforts as he and Attorney General Eric Holder announced charges against 14 people in the USA and Somalia, who allegedly recruited fighters or raised money or fought for al-Shabaab.
Full report at:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-08-05-minnesota-somali-terror-charges_N.htm
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26/11 officials to depose via videolink in Pak trial
Aug 06th, 2010
New Delhi: India will not send to Pakistan the magistrate who recorded the confessional statement of the sole surviving 26/11 gunman Ajmal Kasab,but may let him and the investigating officer (IO) of the case depose through video conferencing before a Pakistani court trying the Mumbai attack accused.
In fact,government is even ready to send the IO,Ramesh Mahale,in case the anti-terror court in Pakistan does not agree to his deposition through video conferencing.
Indias decision comes in response to the Pakistan courts insistence on depositions from Mahale and additional chief metropolitan magistrate R V Sawant Waghule.It is aimed at eliminating any alibi for Pakistani authorities to let off those,including Laskhar commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi,who have been arrested.Kasabs confessional statement is crucial for Lakhvis trial.
Full report at: Times of India
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You have no clue to J&K,Advani tells PM
Aug 06th, 2010
New Delhi: A meeting between the PM and BJP leaders over the crisis in J&K took a serious turn,with L K Advani telling Manmohan Singh that he did not have much of a clue about the situation in the troubled state.The PM,however,assured the opposition party that he was agreeable to an all-party meeting on the J&K issue.
According to sources,Advani told Singh that separatists had taken to stone pelting because internatioal opinion no longer approved of acts of terror under any pretext and after recognizing that Indias security forces were more than a match for them.Your government failed to notice the switch of tactics, sources quoted the BJP veteran as bluntly telling the PM.
Full report at: Times of India
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49 deaths later, Omar reaches out
Aug 06 2010
Srinagar : After 55 days of street protests and police action which left 49 dead and more than a thousand injured, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah finally reached out to the people, visiting the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Srinagar today to check on the injured and face, for the first time, public anger.
Abdullah didn’t, however, risk driving to the hospital and flew there in a helicopter instead. The government kept the visit under wraps to avoid trouble.
Srinagar city was relatively quiet today, a day after separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani urged people not to indulge in stone-throwing or acts of arson.
Geelani’s call had ensured that even the funeral of a protester in the volatile Chanapora-Natipora neighbourhood Thursday passed off peacefully despite the presence of a massive crowd. The Geelani appeal opened a little window for the government but it seemed slow in seizing this opportunity.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/49-deaths-later-omar-reaches-out/656787/
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FM to play Santa,make Bangladesh feel special
Indrani Bagchi
Aug 06th, 2010
New Delhi: India will signal its seriousness in engaging Bangladesh with a special gesture : finance minister Pranab Mukherjee will personally go to Dhaka on Saturday to sign a $1-billion credit agreement,the largest package that India has ever given to any country.
Mukherjees personal appearance is deemed crucial because PM Manmohan Singh wants to send an important message to its eastern neighbour,that Bangladesh is very high on the priority list.This signal is important because there were speculation lately that Bangladesh was unhappy about the slow progress in bilateral matters after the visit of its PM Sheikh Hasina.
Mukherjee is expected to meet the foreign and finance ministers in Dhaka as well as have a one-on-one meeting with the PM herself,before returning on Saturday night.He will announce a gift of 3 lakh tonnes of rice,but much more important,will tell the Dhaka government that India is ready to schedule a meeting of the joint boundary working group after the Eid festival.
Full report at: Times of India
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UN's new target is Haqqani network
Anirudh Bhattacharyya
Aug 06th, 2010
TERROR LIST Pak not for blacklisting of Tehreek-e-Taliban members
While the United Nations committee overseeing sanctions against individuals and entities linked to the Al Qaeda and Taliban has received attention recently for delisting a number of Taliban leaders, it has also added a dozen more to the blacklist this year with a focus on groups like the Haqqani Network and the Al Qaeda in Yemen.
Formally known as the 1267 Committee, those who are on the list are subject to travel restrictions, having their assets frozen and other action.
In recent months, with the Hamid Karzai government seeking greater reconciliation with the Taliban, figures from the previous regime have been delisted.
But the focus on the Haqqani Network is new as it emerges as a serious threat to the Afghan government.
Full report at: Hindustan Times
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Wave of crises stretches Pak to the limit
Griff Witte
Aug 06th, 2010
4 million The number of people hit by Pakistan's worst floods in 80 years.
A Taliban suicide bomber assassinated a topranking Pakistani security official and key US ally on Wednesday, adding to a string of crisis here that have raised alarm in recent days over whether the government can cope.
Severe flooding across the northwest, in particular, threatens to take Pakistani leaders' attention away from efforts to eliminate key Al Qaeda and Taliban sanctuaries.
Pakistani officials insist that they are doing their best with limited resources to assist flood victims and that their efforts will not detract from the fight against extremist groups.
But US officials say they are concerned that the flood could become a major internal catastrophe if more is not done to help the victims.
Full report at: Hindustan Times
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Nearly 800 Indian prisoners in Pakistani jails
Aug 06th, 2010
New Delhi : There are 793 Indians in Pakistani jails, out of which 582 are fishermen.
Of the remaining 211, who are all civilians, India has so far been given consular access to 33 prisoners only, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said, adding "it is believed that there are 178 other Indian nationals in Pakistani jails, who have not been provided consular access."
Release of Indian prisoners from Pakistani jails has been one of the priorities of the government and it has been consistently taking up the issue with Pakistan at all appropriate levels, Krishna said while replying to a question in Rajya Sabha.
An India-Pak Judicial Committee on Prisoners consisting of four retired judges from each side has been set up to recommend steps from humane treatment and expeditious release of prisoners of the respective countries in each other's jails, the minister said.
The committee has so far had three meetings.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/nearly-800-indian-prisoners-in-pakistani-jails/656496/
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Mumbai attack by LeT was out of al Qaeda play book:US official
Aug 06 2010
Washington : The Mumbai terrorist attack by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba was out of al Qaeda play book, a top American counter-terrorism official has said, adding the terrorist outfit now has global ambition.
"We haven't said that it (LeT) is directly targeting America. But it is certainly true that LET's recent targets, particularly in Mumbai, was out of the al Qaeda play book," Daniel Benjamin, Co-coordinator, Office of Counter-terrorism in the State Department said.
"Of course six Americans were killed there, and there were international targets, and there clearly was a desire to kill Westerners, Israelis, you know, the usual kinds of targets," he said at a State Department news conference.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mumbai-attack-by-let-was-out-of-al-qaeda-play-bookus-official/656826/
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US deems Al-Qaeda in Pakistan top threat
August 06, 2010
WASHINGTON: Al-Qaeda in Pakistan is top threat, says US report. Al-Qaeda's leadership in Pakistan and its affiliates in Africa remain the biggest threats to US and its interests abroad, a US government report says.
The annual terrorism report states that al-Qaeda encountered setbacks in 2009 but has proved to be "resilient and adaptable".
Iran was said to be the most active "state sponsor" of terrorism, as with previous years.
But attacks globally fell to the lowest level in five years, it said.
The report identified Pakistan and Yemen as of particular risk and said al-Qaeda had been able to create proxy groups, and managed to recruit citizens in the US and Europe, for attacks across the world.
Full report at:
http://thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=109815
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US documents leak part of ‘bigger conspiracy’: Baloch
August 06, 2010
SWABI: Jamaat-e-Islami General Secretary Liaqat Baloch said Thursday that the secret US military documents leaked recently were part of America’s bigger conspiracy against Pakistan.
Talking to journalists here, he said the incident was an eye-opener for the country’s rulers and pro-American clique as to how the White House dealt with Pakistan to damage the country. He said the Americans had been displaying double standards, telling Pakistani leaders they were helping the country but instead working on a strategy to defame it.
“India and Israel are part of the entire game and the tripartite conspiracy is very much in place but despite that our leaders have failed to wake up and break alliance with the US,” he added.
Full report at:
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=255051
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PML-N wins NA-68; NA-100 goes to PPP
August 06, 2010
SARGODHA: Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) candidate Shafqat Hussain Baloch won the by-election in NA-68 Sargodha 5. Shafqat Baloch bagged 90253 votes and defeated his closest rival with the big margin of over 33206 votes as the PPP-P backed independent candidate got 56747 votes.
According to unofficial results the PPP candidate Tassaduq Masood Khan in NA-100 Gujranwala won by-election with difference of 4000 votes, however, PPP workers manhandled the Presiding Officer after accusing him of rigging the results, media reports said.
Independent candidate Akhtar Kanju had won the NA-155 Lodharian seat in the bye-elections on Thursday by securing 79867 votes, according to unofficial results.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/8-6-2010/69555.htm
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Nato acknowledges Afghan civilian deaths
August 06, 2010
KABUL: Nato has admitted that it killed Afghan civilians when battling the Taliban in the east of the country.
The undetermined number of deaths occurred on Thursday in the Shirzad district of Nangarhar province. Nato's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) promised in a statement that the families of the victims would be compensated.
"Following information received from provincial and local Nangarhar officials, it appears that between four and a dozen or more civilians were killed," the statement said.
Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan's president, has ordered a probe into the death of at least 12 civilians after a district chief said a total of 26 people had been killed in two separate incidents in the area.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/8-6-2010/69559.htm
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Kasab jotting notes in jail to prepare his defence: Lawyer
Aug 6, 2010
MUMBAI: As the deadline for filing an appeal in the Bombay High Court draws to a close, Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab, sentenced to death for his role in 26/11 terror attacks, is busy jotting down notes in Arthur Road Central jail to help his lawyers in preparing his defence.
Kasab's lawyers Amin Solkar and Farhana Shah met him recently in prison to ask him whether he had anything to say as they were drafting an appeal to be filed in the High Court next week.
"Kasab told us that he needed a pen and some papers to note down certain points which he had come across during the trial. We forwarded his request to prison authorities who have now provided him with the stationery," Shah said.
Kasab also told us that "he had full faith in both of us and that he would accept whatever legal advise we gave him," Shah said.
"We are currently going through the 1,500-page judgement and the chargesheet supplied to us. The appeal is being prepared and would be filed shortly," Shah said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kasab-jotting-notes-in-jail-to-prepare-his-defence-Lawyer/articleshow/6265499.cms
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UN calls on Iraq to take steps to end sanctions
August 06, 2010
UNITED NATIONS: The U.N. Security Council called on Iraq Thursday to address all outstanding issues related to Kuwait, oil-for-food program contracts, and disarmament so it can cancel sanctions and more than 70 resolutions adopted after the 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
In a resolution adopted unanimously extending the U.N.'s civilian mission in Iraq for a year, the council said it recognized "the importance of Iraq achieving international standing equal to that which it held" before the first resolution was adopted immediately after Saddam Hussein's invasion.
Iraq's U.N. Ambassador Hamid al-Bayati told the council Wednesday that "the most important issue facing Iraq ... remains to get rid of the burden" of resolutions adopted under Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter, which can be militarily enforced.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/8-6-2010/69556.htm
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‘Increase women quota up to 10% in assemblies’
06 Aug, 2010
ISLAMABAD: National Assembly’s Standing Committee of Human Rights has asked all political forces to increase the women quota up to 10% for general seats in the parliament and provincial assemblies.
The NA standing committee met on Thursday at the Parliament House under the chairmanship of MNA Riaz Fitiana to discuss the current situation with regards to children’s rights as well as women empowerment in the country.
The officials of the Committee said that there is an earnest need for financial, social, political and legal empowerment of women and appealed to the civil society and other institutions to play their role accordingly.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\06\story_6-8-2010_pg7_21
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Israel wary over ‘Hezbollisation’ of Lebanon army
06 Aug, 2010
*Jerusalem charges two Druze, Arab Israeli with spying
* Three charged with spying and having contact with the enemy
JERUSALEM: An Israeli official on Thursday warned of the danger of Hezbollah gaining influence over Lebanon’s army just days after a deadly exchange of fire along the border left four people dead.
“There is a danger of the Hezbollisation of the Lebanese army, if the army begins to behave like Hezbollah”, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon told public radio referring to the Lebanese Shiite militia group.
“If Hezbollah manages to take control of the army, we will have to treat (the army) in a completely different manner”, he said. Top Israeli officials have said that Hezbollah was not involved in Tuesday’s deadly exchange of fire with the Lebanese army, and have for the most part sought to play down the confrontation as an isolated incident.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\06\story_6-8-2010_pg4_1
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Country’s biggest banking scam aborted
By Tariq Khattak
06 Aug, 2010
SBP accused of uncertainty and rules contravention for blue-eyed
Summit Bank plan in doldrums
Development shrouded by mystery shrouds
Islamabad—The plan of a shady syndicate to buy three small banks to convert them into a strong banking company could not be materialised despite full support and various illegal relaxations by the regulator.
SBP has facilitated the Suroor Investments Limited (SIL) out of the way, violating its own rules and regulations, but to no avail, sources close to the development said.
Mystery shrouds the whole episode which has created uncertainty in the banking circles, they added.
According to the details, in October 2008, renowned banker Mr. Hussain Moosa Lawai managed to buy majority stake in Arif Habib Bank Limited (AHBL). Subsequently he became its president and CEO after fulfilling fit and proper test criteria of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). Both the developments were in violation of the rules and regulations but right political connections helped him.
Full report at:
http://dailymailnews.com/0810/06/FrontPage/index1.php
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German footballers may eat during Ramadan
6 August 2010
BERLIN — Muslim professional football players may eat normally during the holy month of Ramadan beginning next Wednesday following an agreement between Muslim leaders and German sports officials over fasting.
The Central Council of Muslims in Germany said it had initiated talks with the country’s professional football associations and sought the advice of Islamic scholars to resolve a dispute about players fasting.
The Al-Azhar University in Cairo concluded that an exception to the strict Ramadan fasting rules could be made for professional players.
“The contract between the player and the team requires players to deliver a certain performance and if this work, contractually (and not for amateur or hobby football), is his only source of income and if he has to play during this time, then he may break the fast,” Al-Azhar, the foremost authority in Sunni Islam, wrote.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/August/international_August238.xml§ion=international&col=
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Kingdom donates 100 tons of dates for Filipino Muslims
By RODOLFO C. ESTIO JR.
Aug 6, 2010
RIYADH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s donation of 100 metric tons of dates for Muslims in the Philippines, especially for people in war-torn Mindanao, was delivered on Thursday.
“The donation worth SR530,000 was administered through the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), and the United Nations-attached World Food Program (WFP),” according to statement from SPA.
The donation arrived in the Philippines early this week in four container vans for the observance of the holy month of Ramadan, which is expected to start on Aug. 11.
On Thursday at the Saudi Embassy in Makati City, Saudi Ambassador Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al-Hassan formally turned over the donation to representatives of three agencies, including NCMF Secretary Bai Omera Lucman, PNRC Manager Lucy Beltran and Stephen Anderson, WFP director and country representative.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article96144.ece
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Jamia Nizamia free Qur’an coaching attracts 300 children
Aug6, 2010
JEDDAH: Dar-ul-Ilm is a summer coaching program for the children of Asian expatriates living in Jeddah. Under this banner, the alumni of Jamia Nizamia, Hyderabad, offer free Qur’an teaching for one month.
They have been running this program since 1997. This year the program has attracted up to 300 boys and girls. Al-Atiaf School in Al-Azizia district has offered its premises for the classes that are held from 7 to 10 p.m.
Nearly 20 graduates of Jamia Nizamia are giving lessons in the proper recitation of the Holy Qur’an, memorization of verses of the Hadith and practical application of prayers and ablution.
Quizzes based on the general knowledge of Islamic history is also part of the coaching.
On Wednesday, a speech competition in Urdu and English was held in which children spoke on a variety of topics, including the importance of acquiring knowledge, studying science to the benefits of prayer to duties toward parents.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article96143.ece
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Israeli forces arrest 55 Palestinians in West Bank
By MOHAMMED MAR’I
Aug 6, 2010
RAMALLAH: Israeli forces operating in the West Bank on early Thursday arrested 55 Palestinians, Israeli and Palestinian security sources said on Thursday. Forty-six of those that were detained were released later the same day.
The Palestinian sources said that 49 Palestinians were arrested in the village of Jalboun to the east of Jenin, one in the village of Dair Istya to the southwest of Nablus and five in the Asirah Al-Shamaliyah to the west of Nablus. The sources added that the 55 were arrested after houses were searched.
The sources added that the Israeli forces transferred the Jalboun detainees to the nearby interrogation centers of Salim and Jalameh. Forty-six of those that were detained were released later on the day after questioning by the Israeli internal intelligence agency Shin Bet.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article96117.ece
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Canadian Council of Muslim Women opposes addition of honor killings to Criminal Code
August 6, 2010
Now wait a minute: the mainstream media has told us, whenever an honor killing has taken place in North America or Europe, that honor killing is a cultural practice that has nothing to do with Islam -- despite the fact that Muslims commit 91 percent of honor killings worldwide. What's more, a manual of Islamic law certified as a reliable guide to Sunni orthodoxy by Al-Azhar University, the most respected authority in Sunni Islam, says that "retaliation is obligatory against anyone who kills a human being purely intentionally and without right." However, "not subject to retaliation" is "a father or mother (or their fathers or mothers) for killing their offspring, or offspring's offspring." ('Umdat al-Salik o1.1-2).
In other words, someone who kills his child incurs no legal penalty under Islamic law.
Full report at:
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/08/canadian-council-of-muslim-women-opposes-addition-of-honor-killings-to-criminal-code.html
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Israel Museum Has New Look At History Of Holy Land
06 Aug, 2010
JERUSALEM (Reuters Life!) - A new Jerusalem exhibit displaying a million years of history in the Holy Land offers Bible buffs and skeptics alike a chance to say: "I told you so!"
The Israel Museum, fresh-faced after a three-year, $100 million upgrade, offers an unparalleled look into the development of monotheistic religions, while leaving plenty of room for both science and faith.
The museum's more devout visitors may feel vindicated by a collection of three-thousand-year-old weapons used by ancient warriors in the Battle of Lachish, verifying the fighting as depicted in the Bible.
The scientifically minded can point to a set of 1.5 million year old bull horns on display around the corner, by far predating Earth's creation as described by the book of Genesis.
One museum employee told how an ultra-Orthodox Jewish couple touring the museum was confused by the discrepancies.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/08/06/test/life-us-exhibition-holyland.html?hp=&pagewanted=print
11:33 PM
Sultan Shahin
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