23 Sep 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com
SC defers Allahabad HC verdict on Ayodhya title suit till September 28
Cancer of terror lies in Pak, says Obama
India tells Pak to end illegal occupation in J&K
CIA runs 3,000-strong covert army to hunt down al-Qaida in Pakistan
‘Amityville’ in Ayodhya snubs VHP
Pak Govt won’t tell what ISI spent Rs 5bn on
Al-Qaida claims to have killed 19 Mauritanian soldiers
Amid 9/11 mosque debate, film bats for Muslims in US
10 more terrorists killed in Peshawar operation
Saudi Arabia: Much to appreciate this National Day
No restriction on Muslims practising yoga
ROMANTIC MESSAGE IN AN AGE OF SMS BREAKUPS
React calmly to Ayodhya verdict: Chidambaram
All J&K protesters are not separatists, says Jaitley
Pak seeks US role in J&K; no way, says India
China pledges another $200m in Pakistan flood aid
U.S in-fighting over Afghan war
Israeli police storm Al-Aqsa Mosque
Jerusalem flare-up after Israeli kills Palestinian
From start, Bush team focused on war with Iraq
Musharraf to join unified Muslim League: Pir Pagaro
US blamed for parade blast in Iran; Mahabad explosion toll hits 12
Al-Qaida claims it has abducted 5 French nationals
Vietnam finds mass grave of communist soldiers
Islamic states push UN to condemn Quran burning
SC sets 2-day deadline for reopening Zardari cases
Al- Qaida warns France not to attempt rescue of hostages: SITE
Six dead in suspected Philippine clan war: Police
1 lakh more displaced by lake burst in Pak, says UN
'Saddam delighted in terror attacks on US'
UN experts: Israel flotilla raid broke international law
Modi appeals for peace
Faizabad faith shows way to tense nation
CPM blasts Church for prof’s dismissal
White House: Book shows Obama strong war leader
Pasban man among four shot dead in Karachi
Nato soldier killed in Afghan bombing
Four killed as forces thwart Taliban attack in Bajaur
Movie on Algeria freedom sparks controversy
ATC refuses bail to Times Square bombing suspects
Why do banks sack women workers?
‘1001 Inventions’ inspires Turkish visitors
Diplomats, officials welcome amnesty
Verbal spat between Egypt, Israel at IAEA
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: US president Barack Obama
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SC defers Allahabad HC verdict on Ayodhya title suit till September 28
Dhananjay Mahapatra
Sep 23, 2010
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday deferred Allahabad High Court verdict on Ayodhya title suit by one week. The verdict was due to have been pronounced on Friday.
The court issued notice to all the parties to the title suit and asked the attorney general to be present in the court when the case is heard on September 28.
The SC said there's no harm in giving negotiations a last try. It's a matter of consequences which will affect vast majority. A judgement will harden the parties. So give negotiations a chance.
Though one of the judges felt the plea to defer should be dismissed. He bowed to other judge's wish.
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court decided to examine this afternoon the plea for deferment of the Allahabad High Court verdict on the Ayodhya title suit.
The apex court had yesterday declined to hear urgently the plea to postpone the Ayodhya title suit verdict by the Allahabad High Court tomorrow.
A bench of the court, while refusing to hear the petition filed by retired bureaucrat Ramesh Chand Tripathi, said that it did not have the "determination" to take up the issue and added that it will be listed before another Bench.
Tripathi had yesterday approached the apex court five days after the High Court's Ayodhya bench rejected his petition for deferring the verdict and to allow mediation to find a solution to the contentious dispute.
The Allahabad High Court had also imposed "exemplary costs" of Rs 50,000, terming Tripathi's effort for an out-of-court settlement of the dispute as a "mischievous attempt".
The Special Leave Petition by Tripathi, which sought some time to allow mediation, also challenged the costs imposed on him.
Like his petition before the High Court, Tripathi in his petition in the apex court, claimed that the verdict might disturb communal harmony and lead to violence in the country.
In the petition filed through advocate Sunil Jain, Tripathi had cited several reasons for deferment of the verdict, which he said would be in "public interest" in view of the apprehension of communal flare up, upcoming Commonwealth Games, elections in Bihar and violence in Kashmir Valley and Naxal-hit states.
The petition had feared that there would be inadequate security personnel in Uttar Pradesh to provide security.
Tripathi had also referred to an earlier order of the Court on July 27 last that parties concerned are at liberty to approach the Officer on Special Duty for formation of the bench if there was any possibility of disposal of the dispute or arrival at an understanding through consensus.
One of the three judges in the Lucknow bench, however, disagreed with the majority order rejecting the plea for deferring the Ayodhya verdict to allow mediation and gave a dissenting opinion that an amicable settlement could have been explored.
Justice Dharam Veer Sharma, while not concurring with the view of the other two judges--Justice S U Khan and Justice Sudhir Agarwal--also said in his dissenting judgement that he wasn't consulted when the three-judge bench gave the order while dismissing the plea for mediation.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SC-defers-Allahabad-HC-verdict-on-Ayodhya-title-suit-till-September-28/articleshow/6612574.cms#ixzz10LXvTjII
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Cancer of terror lies in Pak,says Obama
Chidanand Rajghatta
Sep 23, 2010
Washington: US president Barack Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will have plenty to discuss and commiserate with each other when they meet in New Delhi in November.
Like the Indian PM,Obama is hobbled by discord and mutual contempt among many of his senior colleagues,aides,and policy-makers,according to new book by Bob Woodward (of Watergate fame) that has hit Washington DC like a thunderclap.
The book,Obamas War,portrays a president anxious to pull US troops out of Afghanistan as soon as possible,and at odds with his military commanders and some senior advisers,who openly question whether his strategy will work.The book,which is officially slated to hit the stands next Monday but excerpts of which were published in the US media on Tuesday,also shows Obamas deep distrust of Pakistan,a possible explanation for relentless drone strikes on the country despite its misery from floods.
According to the book,Mike McConnell,the then director of National Intelligence tells Obama soon after his victory in 2008 elections that Pakistan is a dishonest and untrustworthy partner,unwilling or unable to stop elements of its intelligence service from giving clandestine aid,weapons and money to Taliban.By the end of the 2009 strategy review,Obama concludes that no mission in Afghanistan could be successful without attacking the al-Qaida and Taliban havens operating in Pakistan's tribal region.
We need to make clear to people that the cancer is in Pakistan, Obama is quoted as saying at an Oval Office meeting on November 25,2009.Creating a more secure Afghanistan is imperative,Obama says,so the cancer doesnt spread there.
But it is the picture of a dissent-ridden and dysfunctional administration that emerges from the book which is considered most damaging to the Obama presidency six weeks ahead of a major mid-term election in which Democrats are fighting to save their majority in the Congress and Senate.
Besides military commanders butting heads with the civilian leadership,the book also details personality clashes within the administration.National security adviser James Jones privately refers to Obamas political aides as the water bugs,the Politburo,the Mafia,or the campaign set while Gen David Petraeus describes presidents senior adviser David Axelrod as a a complete spin doctor.At another point,Petraeus,feeling undermined by the administration,tells aides,the administration was ( expletive ) with the wrong guy. Defense secretary Robert Gates threatens to walk out of another meeting after an offensive comment against one general by an Obama aid.
The book shows that Obama is not so much interested in winning the war outright as securing America.In an interview with Woodward in July,Obama says he didnt think about the Afghan conflict in classic terms of winning or losing: I think about it more in terms of: Do you successfully prosecute a strategy that results in the country being stronger rather than weaker at the end
Times of India
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India tells Pak to end illegal occupation in J&K
September 24, 2010
Stating that Jammu and Kashmir is an internal matter of India, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna has asked Pakistan to end its illegal occupation of some parts of the state before advising New Delhi.
"Kashmir is an internal matter of India," said Krishna, who is here on a 10-day visit to attend the annual UN General Assembly meeting.
Pointing out that Pakistan is in "illegal occupation of some parts of Jammu and Kashmir", Krishna said, "it is desirable that they vacate that and then start advising India as to how to go about doing things in Kashmir."
"We have taken certain actions in terms of assisting what needs to be done in Kashmir... An all party delegation has just gone back to Delhi and they have had wide ranging discussions across the board from all shades of opinion.
"So, Government of India is fully conscious of its responsibilities... Institutional mechanism and individual mechanism will be put in place so that the genuine grievances of Kashmir and the people of Kashmir will be addressed squarely and directly," the External Affairs Minister told NDTV news channel.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/285139/End-illegal-occupation-of-JK-before-lecturing-us-Krishna-to-Pak.html
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CIA runs 3,000-strong covert army to hunt down al-Qaida in Pakistan
Sep 23, 2010
NEW YORK: America's CIA is running a 3,000-strong covert army to hunt down key leaders of Taliban and al-Qaida in not only Afghanistan but across the border in Pakistan.
This heavily-armed irregular force manned entirely by Afghan personnel operates in small units called Counter- terrorism Pursuit Teams, the New York Times reported today quoting extracts from a new book 'Obama's wars' by journalist Bob Woodward.
The stunning disclosures in the book which is making waves for laying bare the policy divisions and the personality clashes among the Obama advisors on the Afghan policy may complicate relations between Washington and Islamabad, the paper said.
"Firing missiles from unmanned drones patrolling over Pakistan's turbulent northwest tribal region at a rate that has outstripped the Bush administration's record is bad enough and now to have brigade size paramilitary units operating inside Pakistan marks a significant expansion of the covert war that the Obama administration has waged there," the book claims.
These forces, the paper said, conducted clandestine raids into Pakistan as part of stepped-up campaign against al-Qaida and Afghan Taliban havens there.
The CIA directs and funds the force, which is being billed as the best Afghan fighting force which has made major contributions to stability and security, the book claims.
"The covert army captures and kills Taliban fighters and seeks support in Tribal areas," the NYT reported and quoted Pentagon officials as saying that these Afghan units were closely working with American Green Berets to go after Taiban fighters.
According to the Woodward's book, by the end of 2009 strategy review, the President had concluded that the task in Afghanistan could not succeed without wiping out al-Qaida and Afghan Taliban havens operating with impunity in the border tribal areas of Pakistan.
The book says that Obama has remarked, "We need to make clear to the people that the cancer is in Pakistan", so the CIA had turned into its classic old strategy of setting up of a lethal proxy unit.
The book says that such "kill teams" were also operating within Afghanistan to target groups like Haqqani network, closely linked to Taliban and al-Qaida.
The members of these hot pursuit units have been probably recruited from the private militias of warlords.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/CIA-runs-3000-strong-covert-army-to-hunt-down-al-Qaida-in-Pakistan/articleshow/6612459.cms#ixzz10LXE21fi
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‘Amityville’ in Ayodhya snubs VHP
By Piyush Srivastava
Sep 23, 2010
THE VISHWA Hindu Parishad ( VHP) has a proposal for the residents of Shahnawan, a village barely 10 km from Ayodhya.
It has offered to build the ‘ Babri Masjid’ there, but in turn wants the disputed site in Ayodhya to be handed over to Hindus to build the Ram temple.
But Shahnawan with its population of 2,500 Muslims and a 1,000 Hindus has collectively rejected the offer.
This village is home to a Sufi shrine dedicated to Mir Baqi, who allegedly demolished a temple in Ayodhya to build the Babri Masjid. But the shrine is revered by both Hindus and Muslims.
Ram Vilas Vedanti, a former BJP MP and member of the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust, confirmed on Tuesday that the VHP had offered to built a mosque at Shahnawan.
“ This village is an example of Hindu- Muslim unity. There is a mazar of Mir Baqi, which is revered by both Muslims and Hindus.
Some of the Muslim villagers served in the mosque at Ayodhya and have respect for temples.
“ So we have offered to help them build a mosque there if the Sunni Central Waqf Board withdraws its claim over the disputed site,” Vedanti, who is a priest of Hindu Dham temple in Ayodhya, said.
But the residents suspect it is a conspiracy to disturb the social harmony of the village.
“ We already have two mosques and three mazars. We don’t need any more. Besides, these people cannot be trusted. Our village will become a hub of VHP activities if we agree to their offer,” Mohammad Raees, a villager, said.
“ Our ancestors, Hindus as well as Muslims, taught us to respect each other’s culture and religion.
It is not our fault that our ancestors were Imams and caretakers of the Babri Masjid,” he added.
Another resident, Rahmat Ali, said: “ We don’t want to invite disputed issues into our village and lose our peace.” Even the Hindus of Shahnawan are wary of the saffron parivar’s designs. A youth of the village, Rakesh Maurya, said: “ We don’t need suggestions from the VHP or the BJP. Such offers are meant for creating trouble for us. And who in the village will give his land for a mosque or a temple anyway?” For the entire village the mazar of Mir Baqi is an auspicious place where they all pray before starting on anything new.
“ Mir Baqi was not a name but an honour bestowed upon Huzabbbar Ali, the governor of Awadh. He was a Sufi and his five sons used to help not only Muslims but also Hindus. They had constructed many temples in the area,” said 76- year- old Nabi Hasan.
Hasan, a Shia Muslim and one of the oldest in the village, has the history of his ancestors on his finger tips. “ We are descendants of Razab Ali, the eldest son of Mir Baqi. There was nothing there when he had constructed Babri Masjid. He named it Babri because it was built on a huge rock. Babri means rock in Persian.
Mir Baqi was a great admirer of Hinduism. But now some people want Hindus and Muslims to kill each other,” he said. Maulana Abdul Gaffar of the same village was the Imam of the Babri Masjid till December 22, 1949.
“ He was my maternal uncle. He used to tell us that the Babri Masjid was not related to Babar.
He had great respect for the Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur and used to give financial help to many temples in Ayodhya. We are following the same tradition,” said Sayed Mohammad Ahmed, who retired last year as a mechanic.
Shamsher Singh ( 67), a retired postmaster said, “ We have a strong oral history. Muslims of this village used to maintain not only the Babri Masjid but also the temples, including Hanuman Garhi in Ayodhya. The descendants of Razab Ali used to clean the Masjid and also donate funds for temples there. Maulana Abdul Gaffar, the last Imam of the Babri Masjid would offer support to the Mahants of temples there.
My father Kanhaiya Baksh Singh was village chief for 45 years because Muslims voted for him.
He would clean the mazars every day. We clean it even today whenever we get time. Our sons and daughters offer prayer there.” “ When the Masjid was razed by some zealots and curfew was clamped, I stayed in Muslim hamlets and some Muslims used to stay in Hindu hamlets. This may appear unusual to an outsider.
But for us it is routine,” he added.
Mail Today
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Govt wont tell what ISI spent Rs 5bn on
Sep 23, 2010
Islamabad: Top Pakistani officials are refusing to disclose how and on what the countrys powerful spy agency ISI spent a whopping Rs 5.55 billion allocated to it during 2007-08.
This is highly sensitive information and hence I cant talk about it at an open forum, finance secretary Salman Siddiqui told the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly or lower house of parliament.
He merely told the parliamentary watchdog that the money was released to the ISI for operations.But opted to keep quiet when asked for details,reports said on Wednesday.The huge sum was paid to the ISI as a supplementary grant.But the spy agency has so far not accounted for it.The meetings of most Pakistani parliamentary panels are open to media.
Full report at: Times of India
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Al-Qaida claims to have killed 19 Mauritanian soldiers
Sep 23, 2010
NOUAKCHOTT (MAURITANIA): Al-Qaida's north African wing claimed to have killed 19 soldiers during a weekend offensive by the Mauritanian army, in a communique published today by the online Nouakchott News.
In what it referred to as a "crushing blow" to the Mauritanian army, al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed to have also injured "dozens of soldiers", captured five vehicles and destroyed two others.
Mauritanian military sources had reported a death toll of eight soldiers and at least 12 AQIM fighters.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Al-Qaida-claims-to-have-killed-19-Mauritanian-soldiers/articleshow/6609419.cms#ixzz10KTJi2zB
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Amid 9/11 mosque debate,film bats for Muslims in US
Sep 23, 2010
New York: The makers of a new movie about family life for black Muslims in America want to highlight challenges facing followers of Islam,just as Spike Lees Do the Right Thing revealed the racism and harsh realities facing black youth in Brooklyn two decades ago.
MOOZ-lum was filmed in Michigan,which has a large Muslim population,and premiered to packed theaters at the Urbanworld Film Festival in New York.
I hope people can walk out of the theatre thinking more and trying to understand what we're facing here, said director Qasim Basir,adding the movie's portrayal of discrimination mirrored his own Muslim-American experience.
Full report at: Times of India
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10 more terrorists killed in Peshawar operation
Sep 23, 2010
PESHAWAR: Ten terrorists and three security personnel were killed on Wednesday in an ongoing military operation in Frontier Region (FR) Peshawar, security sources said.
The latest killings bring to 52 the total number of terrorist deaths, sources said. Security forces’ casualties stand at five dead and four injured. The forces cleared the Pastawana area, which is the hub of terrorists in FR Peshawar, and recovered 25 improvised explosives devices, mortars and an explosive-laden vehicle which was to be used in a suicide attack.
Sources said security forces were busy clearing Pakhi area of terrorists.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\09\23\story_23-9-2010_pg7_2
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Saudi Arabia: Much to appreciate this National Day
By SAMAR FATANY
Sep 23, 2010
Saudi Arabia celebrates National Day this year with a new 21st century approach based on global understanding and interfaith dialogue and a mission to spread economic prosperity and peaceful coexistence worldwide.
As the people of the heartland of Islam and its two holy cities, we Saudis have a responsibility to stand against evil. Terrorists should not represent us, and the extremists should not deter us to work hand in hand with all the peaceful nations of the world to put an end to conflicts and wars. There are many proud citizens who support Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s initiatives to resolve issues of major concerns to humanity through peaceful negotiations and strong trade relations that contribute to global prosperity.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/national_day_supplement/article144765.ece
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No restriction on Muslims practising yoga
By Savita Verma
Sep 23, 2010
A TOP Muslim cleric has advocated yoga for Muslims and said in future, the community may be taught yoga in mosques.
“ There are misconceptions… people think yoga is not for Muslims. Yoga is good for all,” Umair Ilyasi, general secretary of the All India Association of Imams ( AIAI), said.
He was speaking at an event held to announce an interfaith summit on HIV/ AIDS to be held in Bangalore next week.
Ilyasi’s comment is a welcome departure from the fatwas issued by the Darul- Uloom Deoband some time ago, prohibiting Muslims from working in banks and the women from working alongside men in offices.
The general secretary of the AIAI, which claims to have a membership of about half a million Imams, brushed aside reservations aired in some Islamic countries about yoga due to the use of the world ‘ Om’ during some of the exercises.
Full report at: Mail Today
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ROMANTIC MESSAGE IN AN AGE OF SMS BREAKUPS
By Archana
Sep 23, 2010
IN AN AGE when even cell phone service providers offer talk time plans suited for instant love and breakups, reliving a love story that has lasted beyond the irrevocable smack of death is, to use a cliché, poignant. And so gripping that at the end, when the woman calls out to her dead husband, still hoping that he would return one day, not only the actress playing the part wipes off a couple of tears from the corner of her eyes, but so do many members of the audience.
It was not just fine performance on the part of Shabana Azmi when tears broke out of her eyes in the climax, but also the fact that she was playing her mother in the play, Kaifi Aur Main , and enacting the stirring love story of her parents — Kaifi Azmi ( 1918- 2002) and Shaukat Kaifi.
Full report at: Mail Today
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React calmly to Ayodhya verdict: Chidambaram
Sep 23, 2010
New Delhi: Hours after the Supreme Court declined to hear a plea to postpone the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit verdict,the Centre on Wednesday appealed for peace with home minister P Chidambaram saying it would be inappropriate to reach any hasty conclusion that one side has won or that the other side has lost.
Chidambaram said,It is possible that there will be one or more judgments delivered by the three-judge special bench.The judgments would have to be read carefully,and the findings of the judges on each of the issues in the four suits would have to be analysed meticulously,before any conclusions may be drawn.
Full report at: Times of India
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All J&K protesters are not separatists,says Jaitley
Sep 23, 2010
New Delhi: While formulating a strategy to fight separatism and separatists in Kashmir,the government should differentiate between separatists and the common people,senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said after his two-day visit to the Valley as part of the all-party delegation to Srinagar.
Pointing out that all protesters arent separatists and are upset for being seen as siding with Pakistan,he said people came up to say that many were protesting against harassment that they face every day.
Blaming the ruling political class for its string of historical blunders right from the time of Jawaharlal Nehru Jaitley seized upon the comment made by PMs media advisor Harish Khare,about the Congress party being an election machine and one without conviction.
Full report at: Times of India
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Pak seeks US role in J&K;no way,says India
Sep 23, 2010
New Delhi: While admitting that it would be naive for India not to expect Pakistan to rake up the Kashmir issue at the UN,India on Wednesday said there was no scope for any third party mediation in the dispute.It added that despite Islamabads desperate attempts to internationalize the issue,Kashmir remained an integral part of India.
The assertion by highly placed government officials came in response to a statement by Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi calling upon the US to intervene in J&K.There is no scope for third party or international mediation.And this has been made clear on a number of occasions,including at the UN... there can be wishes expressed but there is no further corollary to that, said a source.
Full report at: Times of India
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China pledges another $200m in Pakistan flood aid
23 Sep, 2010
BEIJING: China is to give another 200 million dollars in emergency flood aid to Pakistan, Premier Wen Jiabao announced during a visit to New York for a UN anti-poverty summit.
The announcement comes a month after Beijing faced sharp criticism of its relief pledges from Washington’s pointman on Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, who called on Islamabad's close ally to “step up to the plate” and do more to help.
“I wish to take this opportunity to announce that China will, on top of the pledged assistance, provide another 200 million dollars of assistance to Pakistan,” Wen said.
China had previously offered about 47 million dollars in aid to Pakistan following the devastating floods, which UN agencies say affected 21 million people and left 12 million in need of emergency food aid.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/19-china-pledges-another-200m-in-pakistan-flood-aid-hh-03
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U.S in-fighting over Afghan war
Sep 23, 2010
WASHINGTON: U.S. President Barack Obama struggled to craft an Afghan war strategy amid political infighting and fierce differences between the White House and the Pentagon, media accounts of a new book said on Wednesday.
The U.S. leader rejected any U.S. effort for “long-term nation-building,” according to the book Obama's Wars by veteran reporter Bob Woodward, to be released Monday.
The book reveals internal fissures, distrust and infighting among the White House national security team as it debated every aspect of the Afghanistan war, a conflict which is seen as defining Mr. Obama's entire presidency.
With access to administration officials and even Mr. Obama himself, Mr. Woodward paints a picture of a White House national security team consumed by dissension as the President seeks a way to extricate the U.S. military from Afghanistan.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/09/23/stories/2010092363601300.htm
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Israeli police storm Al-Aqsa Mosque
Sep 23, 2010
JERUSALEM: An Israeli security guard killed a Palestinian in an Arab neighborhood of Jerusalem on Wednesday, triggering clashes between police and rioters, including in the compound of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Israeli police stormed the holy site to stop Palestinians from throwing stones at Jewish worshippers, reports said.
The Palestinians withdrew into the mosque, Islam’s third-holiest shrine, and there were no immediate reports of casualties or further confrontations, a spokesman said.
Palestinian officials said the killing of a 32-year-old resident of East Jerusalem and subsequent police response had undermined nascent U.S-sponsored peace negotiations. Israeli authorities said the guard, who provided government-funded protection for a small Jewish settlement in the Silwan district, opened fire on dozens of Palestinians who had blocked and stoned his car before dawn.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article144698.ece
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Jerusalem flare-up after Israeli kills Palestinian
Sep 23, 2010
An Israeli security guard killed a Palestinian in an Arab area in Jerusalem, triggering clashes between police and rioters, including in the al-Aqsa mosque compound.
Police said they entered the plaza to push back Palestinians who had thrown rocks at the nearby Jewish prayer site the Western Wall.
The Palestinians withdrew into the mosque, Islam’s third-holiest shrine, and there were no immediate reports of casualties or further confrontations, a spokesman said.
Palestinian officials said the killing of a 32-year-old resident of East Jerusalem and subsequent police response had undermined nascent US-sponsored peace negotiations. Israeli authorities said the guard, who provided government-funded protection for a small Jewish settlement in the Silwan district, opened fire on dozens of Palestinians who had blocked and stoned his car before dawn.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/September/middleeast_September474.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
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From start, Bush team focused on war with Iraq
23 September 2010
WASHINGTON — Former president George W. Bush’s advisers focused on toppling Saddam Hussein’s regime as soon as he took office and discussed how to justify a war in Iraq shortly after invading Afghanistan in 2001, official documents showed on Wednesday.
A few hours after the September 11 attacks in 2001, then defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld spoke of attacking Iraq as well as Osama bin Laden, according to notes of a meeting on that day, newly declassified papers show.
Rumsfeld told a Pentagon lawyer to go to his deputy to get “support” showing a supposed link between the Iraqi regime and Al-Qaeda’s founder, according to the papers posted by the Washington-based National Security Archive, an independent research institute.
The US government has since acknowledged that Saddam’s regime had no role in the 9/11 attacks.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/September/middleeast_September483.xml§ion=middleeast
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Musharraf to join unified Muslim League: Pir Pagaro
Sep 23, 2010
KARACHI: Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf would not return to Pakistan to become the president of the country but to join the unified Muslim League, stated PML-F Chief and spiritual leader of Hurs, Pir Pagaro on Wednesday.
He said this while talking with media persons after meeting with a delegation of Musharraf-led All-Pakistan Muslim League leaders who had called upon him at the Kingri House.
The delegation members included former federal minister Chaudhry Shahbaz, former federal law minister Sher Afgan Niazi, presidential spokesperson Rashid Qureshi, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif and others. Their meeting with Pagaro was in continuation of the meetings in recent days of leaders belonging to different factions of the Muslim League in an attempt to unify all Muslim League groups.
Pagaro said that Musharraf was not being elected as president of the unified Muslim League, however, the party’s general council could elect anybody as the president from the members of the unified party.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\09\23\story_23-9-2010_pg7_31
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US blamed for parade blast in Iran; Mahabad explosion toll hits 12
Sep 23, 2010
TEHRAN: Twelve people were killed and dozens injured when a bomb exploded among a crowd watching a military parade in northwestern Iran on Wednesday that a local official blamed on “anti-revolutionary” militants.
Some 35 people were wounded, 15 critically, in the blast in the city of Mahabad, in a predominantly Kurdish area near the borders of Iraq and Turkey, the ISNA news agency reported.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but local officials blamed militants, possibly helped by foreign countries wishing to harm the Islamic republic during “Sacred Defense” celebrations, an annual ceremony for the Iranian military.
“This bomb was a time-bomb planted on a tree among the people and it went off at 10.20 (0650 GMT),” the website of state-run television IRIB quoted a military official as saying.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article144833.ece
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Al-Qaida claims it has abducted 5 French nationals
Sep 23, 2010
Al-Qaidas North Africa branch claimed responsibility in an audio message broadcast for kidnapping five French nationals that disappeared in the deserts of Niger last week.Seven foreign workers were kidnapped from a uranium mine operated by the French company Areva in Niger on Thursday.The men were able to attack the mine of Arlit in Niger which is considered one the most important sources of uranium that France has been stealing from for decades, said the excerpt purported to be from al-Qaida in the North Africa that was broadcast on Al-Jazeera news channel.
Times of India
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Vietnam finds mass grave of communist soldiers
Sep 23, 2010
HANOI, Vietnam: An official says a mass grave has been found containing the remains of 47 communist commandos killed during the Vietnam War.
Lu Dinh Phu says eight of the bodies have been identified. Phu is the deputy chief of Nghia Hanh district in central Quang Ngai province, where the grave is located.
The commandos were believed to have been killed during their attack on a building used by the U.S.-backed Saigon government in January 1968.
Former commandos who survived the attack tipped the government to the site of the grave.
The war ended in 1975 when communist North Vietnamese forces overran Saigon, the former capital of South Vietnam, now known as Ho Chi Minh City. About 58,000 Americans and 3 million Vietnamese were killed in the conflict.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Vietnam-finds-mass-grave-of-communist-soldiers-/articleshow/6611231.cms#ixzz10KSS5ojR
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Islamic states push UN to condemn Quran burning
Sep 23, 2010
Islamic states on Wednesday urged the UN human rights council to condemn a US pastor's suspended plan to burn Qurans,saying it was part of a pattern of global anti-Muslim violence.A resolution submitted by Pakistan for the Organisation of the Islamic Conference asked the council to speak out against what it dubbed the recent call by an extremist group to organise a Burn a Koran Day. It came amid efforts by OIC to have the UN recognise Islamophobia" as racism.
Times of India
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SC sets 2-day deadline for reopening Zardari cases
Sep 23, 2010
Pakistans supreme court on Wednesday gave authorities time till September 24 to initiate a move to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari in Switzerland even as it ordered the arrest of two former officials convicted for graft.During the hearing of a suo moto case regarding the implementation of the apex courts order striking down a graft amnesty called the National Reconciliation Ordinance,a bench headed by chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry asked the attorney general why a letter had not yet been sent by the government to Swiss authorities to reopen the corruption cases.The bench also summoned law secretary Masood Chishti to explain the governments position.
Times of India
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Al- Qaida warns France not to attempt rescue of hostages: SITE
Sep 23, 2010
DUBAI: Al-Qaida has warned Paris not to attempt to rescue five French nationals kidnapped by the jihadists in Niger, SITE monitoring group said Thursday, as France mobilised its forces to find them.
Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb posted a statement on jihadist forums in which it said the kidnappings came in the "context of retaliation" promised by AQIM leader Abu Musab Abdul Wadud to France, the US-based group said.
SITE said the statement carried a warning to France that they should not attempt another rescue mission "like they had done for Michel Germaneau."
AQIM militants have made increasing threats against France and its citizens since a deadly Sahara raid in a bid to rescue French hostage Michel Germaneau in which seven of its members were killed.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/-Al-Qaida-warns-France-not-to-attempt-rescue-of-hostages-SITE-/articleshow/6611641.cms#ixzz10KdWmIj3
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Six dead in suspected Philippine clan war: Police
Sep 23, 2010
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines: Six members of a family were killed and two other relatives wounded in an attack linked to a suspected clan war in the southern Philippines, police said on Thursday.
Gunmen opened fire on the victims' house on the island of Jolo late Wednesday, said provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Joseph Ramac, adding: "This is a 'rido' (clan war)."
Police are investigating the possible involvement of a neighbour who had accused a relative of the targeted family of rape and arson.
"Rido", or violent feuds among rival Muslim clans, have plagued the southern third of the mainly Roman Catholic Philippines for decades, with families fighting over land, political power or matters of honour.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Six-dead-in-suspected-Philippine-clan-war-Police-/articleshow/6611808.cms#ixzz10L2okU7O
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1 lakh more displaced by lake burst in Pak, says UN
Sep 23, 2010
KARACHI: Some 100,000 more people have been displaced after a lake burst in southern Pakistan where massive floods have already affected millions of people, a UN spokesman said today,
The Manchar lake in southern Sindh province overflowed on Friday, forcing people living in the area to seek refuge elsewhere, UN spokesman Maurizio Giuliano said.
"More than a hundred thousand (have) been displaced. Not only houses, but boats were also found in pieces (in the affected areas, and) crops are completely washed away," Giuliano said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/1-lakh-more-displaced-by-lake-burst-in-Pak-says-UN-/articleshow/6607031.cms#ixzz10KT7Jgbl
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'Saddam delighted in terror attacks on US'
Sep 23, 2010
WASHINGTON: Former Iraqi foreign minister Tariq Aziz, a prominent member of Saddam Hussein's inner circle, told the FBI that the dictator "delighted" in the 1998 terrorist bombings of two US embassies in East Africa but had no interest in partnering with Osama bin Laden, declassified documents show.
"Saddam did not trust Islamists," Aziz said, according to handwritten notes of a June 27, 2004 interrogation, although he viewed al-Qaida as an "effective" organisation.
The FBI notes are among hundreds of pages of interrogation records of top Iraqi officials including Saddam provided to the AP this week in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Saddam-delighted-in-terror-attacks-on-US/articleshow/6610807.cms#ixzz10KTAU6ay
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UN experts: Israel flotilla raid broke international law
Sep 23, 2010
GENEVA: A report by three UN-appointed human rights experts Wednesday said that Israeli forces violated international law when they raided a Gaza-bound aid flotilla killing nine activists earlier this year.
The UN Human Rights Council's fact-finding mission concluded that Israel's naval blockade of the Palestinian territory was unlawful because of the humanitarian crisis there, and described the military raid on the flotilla as brutal and disproportionate.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry responded late Wednesday by saying the Human Rights Council, which commissioned the report, had a "biased, politicized and extremist approach."
The Islamic militant group Hamas that controls Gaza, meanwhile, praised the report and called for those involved in the raid to be punished.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/UN-experts-Israel-flotilla-raid-broke-international-law/articleshow/6610297.cms#ixzz10KTGbAfE
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Modi appeals for peace
Sep 23, 2010
GANDHINAGAR: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has urged the people to maintain the peace and communal harmony in the context of the September 24 Allahabad High Court judgment in the Babri title dispute. As the case has been pending for very long, it is natural for the people to be inquisitive about the outcome, but “madness does not serve any purpose,” he said in an open appeal.
“Now that the festival season is coming, which also provides good earnings to many workers, do not destroy your enjoyment by crazy behaviour in the wake of the court judgment.”
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/09/23/stories/2010092363971400.htm
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Faizabad faith shows way to tense nation
September 23, 2010
There is an uneasy calm in the twin cities of Faizabad and Ayodhya. Schools and colleges have been closed and business establishments told to keep their shutters down on September 24. The air is thick with apprehension about events after the Ayodhya title suit verdict is pronounced on Friday afternoon.
For Vinod Kumar Singh, a student waiting at the local stop for a bus to Gonda, it seems like a long wait. His college has been closed and he plans to go back home. “I have been waiting for over three hours. It seems the bus service has dried up,” Singh said. He has no idea as to when his college would re-open. Singh has been asked to inquire from the college on September 26. “We have been asked to return only if the situation remains normal in Faizabad and the adjoining areas,” he said.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/285083/Faizabad-faith-shows-way-to-tense-nation.html
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CPM blasts Church for prof’s dismissal
September 23, 2010
The Kerala CPI(M) on Wednesday unleashed a severe attack against the Catholic church and management of Thodupuzha’s Newman College it controlled for dismissing Prof TJ Joseph, victim of a brutal Islamist attack, from service even as allegations came up to the effect that the State police had slowed down the investigation into the attack.
“Whose interest was the Church trying to protect by sacking the professor? Of secularism or of the extremists?” asked State CPI(M) secretary Pinarayi Vijayan while inaugurating a seminar organised by SFI, the party’s students’ wing. “Surely, they were not protecting secularist interests,” he said.
The Congress in Kerala is yet to take an unequivocal position on the dismissal from service of Prof Joseph in the name of “hurting the entire Muslim community” – as the Church and the college management put it – by preparing a question paper that allegedly blasphemed Prophet Muhammad. However, certain Congress leaders in Idukki district have already made statements defending the Church.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/284940/CPM-blasts-Church-for-prof%E2%80%99s-dismissal.html
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White House: Book shows Obama strong war leader
Sep 23, 2010
NEW YORK: The White House has seized on a new expose of President Barack Obama's Afghan war deliberations by ace reporter Bob Woodward, saying it proved he was a thoughtful, decisive leader.
The Washington Post legend's past blockbusters have often wounded presidents, with their inside-the-room details of political infighting, indecision on the part of the commander-in-chief and West Wing turf wars.
But senior US officials said they hoped Americans would read the book " Obama Wars" which is published on Monday, and reflect on the president's efforts to frame an exit strategy from the brutal nine-year war.
Excerpts from the book published in two newspapers showed that Obama groped for just such a strategy amid fierce divisions among top advisors and powerplays by the military for more troops last year.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/White-House-Book-shows-Obama-strong-war-leader-/articleshow/6610891.cms#ixzz10KSVT5iR
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Pasban man among four shot dead in Karachi
23 Sep, 2010
KARACHI: Four people, including an activist of Pasban, were gunned down in different localities of the metropolis on Wednesday, police said.
In Korangi, 28-year-old Akbar, the Pasban worker, was sitting outside his home along with two friends. He was spotted by two men on a motorbike in Korangi 100 Quarters and one of them fired multiple shots at him, the police added.
“Hit by three bullets, he died on the spot,” said Zaman Town SHO Sub-Inspector Abdul Nabi Khokhar. “Akbar was attacked when he was sitting with two friends — Irfan and Shahbaz — outside his home. The friends told the police that they did not recognise the assailants.”
The police initially questioned the two friends, but released them later after finding no link with the killing, he said, adding that the victim’s association with the youth organisation was not the motive of the killing.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/local/pasban-man-among-four-shot-dead-in-city-390
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Nato soldier killed in Afghan bombing
Sep 23, 2010
KABUL: A Nato soldier was killed in a bomb attack in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, the force said.
The latest death took to 531 the number of Nato-led troops killed in Taliban-linked violence so far this year, according to an AFP count based on the independent icasualties.org website.
This year's foreign military toll is the highest since the war began in 2001, when US-led troops toppled the Taliban from power for sheltering al-Qaeda leaders wanted for the September 11 attacks.
Last year, 521 foreign soldiers lost their lives in the war.
About 150,000 Nato and US troops are operating in Afghanistan, tasked with implementing a counter-insurgency strategy designed to reverse Taliban momentum and allow American forces to start drawing down in 2011.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/04-nato-soldier-killed-qs-03
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Four killed as forces thwart Taliban attack in Bajaur
Sep 23, 2010
KHAR: Security forces thwarted on Wednesday an attempt by the Taliban to capture Spray and Bandaray, two border villages in tehsil Mamoond of Bajaur Agency, killing four militants and injuring eight others. A political administration official said dozens of Taliban, who were heavily armed, entered these areas in early morning from Kunar. The security forces attacked the Taliban who retreated from the area and fled to Afghanistan. Security forces killed four militants and injured eight others. staff report
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\09\23\story_23-9-2010_pg7_3
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Movie on Algeria freedom sparks controversy
Sep 23, 2010
PARIS: An explosive thriller about Algeria’s independence struggle hit French screens on Wednesday amid controversy over its alleged anti-French bias and accusations it distorts colonial history. “’Outside The Law’, the film that disturbs,” was Le Parisien newspaper’s front-page headline about the movie that opens with the 1945 massacre of mostly unarmed Algerian civilians by French soldiers in the town of Setif. When the movie was shown at Cannes in May, riot police were deployed outside the film festival hall to hold back demonstrators angered that French public funding had gone to a movie they considered falsified history. And at a pre-release screening on Monday in Marseille, far-right National Front members and former French residents of colonial Algeria brandished banners denouncing “French financing for an anti-French film.” The protests were a new reminder that the lengthy battle for Algerian independence – the north African country finally won freedom in 1962 – is still a highly sensitive subject for many in France. The movie by French-Algerian film-maker Rachid Bouchareb takes place between 1945 and 1962 and focuses on three Algerian brothers living in France after surviving the Setif massacre. afp
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=201\09\23\story_23-9-2010_pg4_12
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ATC refuses bail to Times Square bombing suspects
Sep 23, 2010
RAWALPINDI: A judge of the Anti-Terrorist Court No 1, Malik Muhammad Akram Awan rejected the bail applications of three accused, Muhammad Shahid, Hunbal Akhtar and Muhammad Shoaib, in the Time Square’s attempted-bombing case. The three, who had been arrested from Pakistan, were alleged to have helped Pakistani-American Faisal Shahzad, the main suspect behind the Times Square incident. The counsel for the defendant pleaded that the three accused had no connection either with the Times Square incident or Shahzad. However, the special prosecutor proving the connection of the three accused with Shahzad, said the record showed that Shahid, Akhtar and Shoaib had close contact with Shahzad. The special prosecutor prayed for the rejection of the bail on the basis of the proofs presented by him before the learned court. After listening to arguments of both parties, Judge Awan rejected the bail applications of the three accused.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\09\23\story_23-9-2010_pg7_11
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Why do banks sack women workers?
By ABDULLAH SAYEL
Sep 23, 2010
I HAVE received a number of e-mails from Saudi women working in the banking sector. Actually, I did not want to rush in presenting their problem until I had enough time to thoroughly examine what was going on in the sector.
Therefore, I am writing about this issue after around one month.
In one message, a woman staffer shares with me her major concern.
“I have been supporting my mother, a divorcee, and five sisters for several years with a monthly salary not exceeding SR4,000. Of course, this was a great support for us until I got fired from my job. I do not know the reason why the financial organization where I worked sacked me. I did not receive any letters or warning notice explaining the reasons for my dismissal,” she wrote.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article144746.ece
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‘1001 Inventions’ inspires Turkish visitors
Sep 23, 2010
JEDDAH: The “1001 Inventions” exhibition has welcomed more than 200,000 visitors in its first month in Turkey.
Inaugurated by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month, the exhibition is organized by Abdul Lateef Jameel Community Initiatives and the Foundation of Science, Technology and Science.
Visitors from different nationalities, cultures and age categories lined up to enjoy the event, which explores Muslim scientific heritage and examines the role of Islamic world in the history of science, technology and arts.
Visited by an average of 6,000 visitors a day, 1001 Inventions takes visitors on a tour of replicas of astonishing inventions from the Middle Ages.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article144797.ece
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Diplomats, officials welcome amnesty
By RODOLFO ESTIMO JR.
Sep 23, 2010
RIYADH: Diplomats, officials and community leaders on Wednesday welcomed the six-month amnesty announced by the Saudi government allowing hundreds of illegal foreigners overstaying their visas to leave the Kingdom without punishment.
“I have informed the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Philippines about this development. We are indeed thankful to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for this generous gesture,” Ambassador Antonio P. Villamor said.
Villamor said he would also seek a meeting with officials at the Interior Ministry to gain a clearer understanding of the procedures in order to properly guide overstaying Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).
The Ministry of Interior said the amnesty would cover those who arrived in the Kingdom on Haj, Umrah, visit or any other type of visas that have expired, as well people who have violated Passport Department laws.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article144793.ece
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Verbal spat between Egypt, Israel at IAEA
By FREDRIK DAHL
Sep 23, 2010
VIENNA: Egypt hit out at Israel on Wednesday for questioning its commitment to nuclear non-proliferation, underlining tension between the Jewish state and Arab countries at an annual meeting of the UN atomic watchdog.
In an unusually blunt statement at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an Egyptian delegate told its 151-nation assembly that Israel’s representative had demonstrated “the full meaning of the word chutzpah.” The Yiddish word, also used in the English language, means “gall” or “nerve.”
“Unlike Israel, which is widely known to pay no more than lip-service to the objective of a nuclear weapon free Middle East, Egypt’s consistent efforts... are extensively and well documented,” Aly Omar Sirry said in English.
Arab countries have put forward a resolution at the IAEA calling on Israel, the only country in the Middle East outside the pact, to join the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and put all its atomic facilities under the agency’s oversight.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article144699.ece
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=3458
9:42 PM
Moderate Islamist here
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