31 Aug 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com
US commits $40 million to advance women’s rights in Pakistan
Security forces kill 40 ‘militants’ in Tirah
Blasts kill four US soldiers in Afghanistan
Poison Gas Used on Girls’ Schools, Afghan Officials Say
Dutch police arrest two terror suspects on US flight: Report
SC upholds life term for man who killed woman over burqa
Military jets kill eight militants in Khyber agency
New York voters say build mosque elsewhere
Saudi Arabia to raise wages for most military
'Al-Qaida leadership remains anchored in AfPak border region'
Palestinian state must be ‘demilitarised’: Israel
‘Serious concerns’ over Chinese troops in Gilgit
Gunman kills seven, wounds 15 in Slovakia
Clerics form body to counter anti-Islam conspiracies
Operation ‘samosa’ and the Pakistani connection
Fire at Tennessee mosque site probed by US
Second superstore employs women cashiers
Southern Sudan to purge child soldiers from army
Pak court dismisses Lakhvi's bail plea
Obama marks the symbolic end of Iraq operations
India announces additional USD 20m aid to flood-hit Pak
Pakistan should not accept Indian aid even through UN: Pak media
Afghan concern about Pakistan is legit: Petraeus
Pre- poll goodies fail to impress Bengal Muslims
Iran’s ‘cyber army’ hacks 1,000 US, British, French govt websites
US ends combat in Iraq but instability lingers
Palestinian PM Fayyad says time for Israeli answers
Key Saudi prince stays abroad after US surgery
US election skews NY Muslim center debate
German Muslims shrug off attacks by central banker
Iran MPs hail judge’s suspension in torture deaths
NYC community board head wants interfaith center
Algeria’s Merbai is winner ?of Dubai Quran award Ahmed Shaaban
Malaysians will come together today to mark 53rd National Day Lily B. Libo-on
Strong Saudi-Malaysian ties key to growth
Iraqi authorities demand Israel return antique Torah scroll
Boy's death in firing spirals tensions in Kashmir
Notice to ATS on Sadhvi's plea of illegal detention
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Women in Pakistan continue to suffer from violence in different forms
-----------
US commits $40 million to advance women’s rights in Pakistan
31 August 2010
ISLAMABAD: The US is launching a new $40-million Gender Equity Grants Programme in Pakistan to advance women’s rights and support the government of Pakistan’s policies against gender inequities. “The US and Pakistan are focused on empowering women and advancing women’s rights,” Ambassador Anne W Patterson said.
The US will work with the Aurat Foundation, in partnership with the Asia Foundation, to provide 400 to 500 grants to local organisations. The grantees would include NGOs, policy think tanks, academic research and training, business associations, media, as well as relevant government entities that address women’s equality.
The grants would be used to strengthen the capacity of organisations in Pakistan that advocate for gender equity, women’s empowerment and the elimination of gender-based violence. The programme would strengthen women’s rights organisations through specialised training, leadership development, coalition building, advocacy and public outreach.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\31\story_31-8-2010_pg7_18
-----------
Security forces kill 40 ‘militants’ in Tirah
By Ibrahim Shinwari
01 Sep, 2010
LANDI KOTAL: Security forces claimed to have killed more than 40 militants in shelling in different areas of the Tirah valley on Tuesday.
According to officials, over a dozen militants were killed in Nari Baba, 13 in Nakai and 18 in Takhta Kai and Qilla areas.
The claims could not be verified independently, while some reports suggested civilian casualties in the heavy shelling.
According to earlier reports, six suspected militants were killed and four others injured when a military plane attacked a moving vehicle in Tirah.
However, officials said women and children were among the dead and injured. The injured were taken to a hospital in Peshawar.
A security official said the authorities had information about the presence of dozens of militants in the area.
Independent sources insisted that most of those killed were non-combatants and all of them belonged to the Kukikhel tribe.
Military officials said they had clear orders to avoid civilian casualties. “It is never our deliberate effort to hit civilians,” an official said, adding that all the dead and injured in Tuesday’s attacks were militants.
The remote Tirah valley is an important junction for militants operating in Orakzai Agency and Bara sub-district of Khyber tribal region. Bara in particular has seen an uptick in violent incidents in recent weeks, including attacks on security forces. Peshawar has also come under pressure from militants operating in Bara, prompting calls from the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for action against militants in and around the provincial capital.
In other incidents, two people were shot dead in Bara and Jamrud.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/06-40-militants-killed-in-tirah-190-rs-02
-----------
Blasts kill four US soldiers in Afghanistan
Sep 1, 2010
KABUL: Four US soldiers were killed in a bomb attack in Afghanistan Tuesday, Nato said, bringing the toll of Americans to 21 dead since Friday.
Nato spokesman James Judge confirmed to AFP that four American soldiers were killed in eastern Afghanistan by an improvised explosive devise (IED).
The deaths bring to 484 the total number of foreign troops killed in the Afghan war this year, compared to 521 for all of 2009, according to an AFP tally based on that kept by the independent icasualties.org website.
The deaths come a day after eight Nato troops — seven of them American — were killed in similar bomb attacks in southern Afghanistan.
The eighth soldier to die on Monday was not American, Isaf said.
The Canadian military said one of its troopers died Monday in a German hospital of injuries sustained in a bomb attack on August 22.
Makeshift bombs are responsible for most of the military deaths in Afghanistan, deployed by insurgents, made from fertiliser and detonated by pressure or remote control.
The United States and Nato have almost 150,000 troops in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban-led insurgency, most of them in the southern hotspots of Helmand and Kandahar provinces.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/04-four-us-troops-killed-afghanistan-qs-06
-----------
Poison Gas Used on Girls’ Schools, Afghan Officials Say
Sep 1, 2010
KABUL, Afghanistan — Blood tests have confirmed that a series of mysterious mass sickenings at girls’ schools across the country over the last two years were caused by a powerful poison gas, Afghan officials said Tuesday.
The sickenings had long been officially dismissed as episodes of mass hysteria, caused by the frequency of arson and acid attacks directed at schoolgirls by the Taliban and other extremists who oppose their education.
How the gas was delivered — and even whether the poisonings were deliberate — remained a mystery, the officials stressed. There have been no fatalities, and no one has ever claimed responsibility for the episodes. But the cases have been reported only in girls’ schools, or in mixed schools during hours set aside only for girls.
Blood samples from victims in 10 attacks over the past two years showed toxic levels of organophosphates, according to Dr. Kargar Norughli, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health, who said his ministry and the World Health Organization carried out the tests at laboratories in Turkey.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/01/world/asia/01gasattack.html?ref=world
-----------
Dutch police arrest two terror suspects on US flight: Report
Sep 1, 2010
WASHINGTON: Dutch police have charged two men taken off a flight from the United States with "preparation of a terrorist attack," ABC News reported Monday, citing US and Dutch law enforcement officials.
A spokesman for the Dutch public prosecutor told the news network that the men were arrested "at the request of American authorities," adding that "the investigation is ongoing."
ABC News identified the men as Ahmed Mohamed Nasser al-Soofi and Hezam al-Murisi, and said Soofi was from Yemen, citing one of the man's neighbors.
The men were apparently allowed to board a United Airlines flight from Chicago, Illinois to Amsterdam despite a slew of security concerns, beginning in Birmingham, Alabama, where Soofi appears to have started his journey.
Airport screeners there reportedly stopped him because of his "bulky clothing." They uncovered he was carrying 7,000 dollars in cash, and then opened his luggage, ABC News said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Dutch-police-arrest-two-terror-suspects-on-US-flight-Report/articleshow/6465436.cms#ixzz0yCZ72nap
-----------
SC upholds life term for man who killed woman over burqa
Dhananjay Mahapatra
31 August 2010
NEW DELHI: Taking a serious view of moral policing over enforcement of burqa turning brutal, the Supreme Court has upheld life term to a man who slashed a woman repeatedly resulting in her death.
The enforcement of burqa by force happened in Annu Nagar in Bhopal in December 1997. Zarina was sitting outside her house and was rolling beedis when the accused, Rafiq Khan, came and objected to her being without a burqa.
He offered her money to buy one. She refused to take the money and asked him to mind his own business. This enraged Khan no end. He picked up a knife and slashed and stabbed her repeatedly in front of her minor daughter Farida. Zarina died of the injuries.
Challenging the conviction and life term before the apex court, Khan had pleaded that Farida was a minor and her testimony could not be relied upon. But a Bench comprising Justices H S Bedi and C K Prasad said the girl was 13 years old and understood what the accused was upto.
The next line of defence put up by Khan for a lenient sentence was that there was no previous enmity between him and the deceased and that it happened on the spur of the moment. Arguing for the state of Madhya Pradesh, counsel Vibha Datta Makhija said it was a clear case of enforcing burqa code and the accused did not deserve any leniency.
Agreeing with the counsel, the Bench said, "It appears that the appellant was doing a bit of moral policing and compelling her to wear a burqa and on her refusal to do so, had got infuriated and picked up a knife and caused 13 injuries with it."
The SC found corroboration of Farida's evidence from the statement of another witness Maqbool Ahmed, who had been attracted to the place of incident on the shouts of the victim and had met Farida outside the house and had seen Khan running away.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SC-upholds-life-term-for-man-who-killed-woman-over-burqa/articleshow/6464953.cms#ixzz0yAHEWbzN
-----------
Military jets kill eight militants in Khyber agency
Sep 1, 2010
PESHAWAR: A Pakistani official says government airstrikes have killed eight suspected insurgents in the Khyber tribal region bordering Afghanistan.
Local official Ameerzada Khan says fighter jets and helicopter gunships pounded suspected insurgent hideouts in Nare Baba and Sheen Drand villages in Teerah Valley on Tuesday and killed eight militants.
Two intelligence officials also confirmed the airstrikes but said 30 insurgents were killed. The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/provinces/12-military+jets+kill+eight+militants+in+khyber+agency--bi-05
-----------
Iran slams remaining US deployment in Iraq
Sep 1, 2010
TEHRAN: Iran has dismissed as “unacceptable” the continued deployment of American troops in Iraq as US President Barack Obama was to announce on Tuesday the end of combat operations in the country.
“You see in practice that the massive presence of US forces under different pretexts such as training (Iraqi) forces is not acceptable,” foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told reporters.
It “shows that they have not taken serious measures for pulling forces out of Iraq,” he said.
Seven years after Iraq's invasion, Obama marks on Tuesday the symbolic date of the end of US combat operations in the country in a White House speech.
The size of the US force in Iraq has dropped below a symbolic threshold of 50,000 troops. Starting Wednesday, their mission will be to “advise and support” the Iraqi army.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/44-iran-slams-remaining-us-deployment-in-iraq-fa-06
-----------
New York voters say build mosque elsewhere
Sep 1, 2010
New York voters overwhelmingly do not want a mosque to be built near the New York City site of the September 11, 2011 terrorist strikes, according to a new poll out Tuesday.
By a 71-21 percent margin, those surveyed by Quinnipiac University agreed that the project’s backers “should voluntarily build the mosque somewhere else” to accommodate the feelings of relatives of those killed in the attacks.
And 71 percent said that New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo should investigate the financing of the project, a community center including a mosque two blocks from “Ground Zero” where the World Trade Center towers once stood.
The study, conducted August 23-29, had an error margin of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/August/international_August1767.xml§ion=international
-----------
Saudi Arabia to raise wages for most military
Sep 1, 2010
RIYADH - Saudi Arabia will raise wages for most of its army staff, a move that follows a surge in inflation and the kingdom¡¯s first military engagement in almost 20 years against rebels in Yemen.
At about $41 billion, military expenditure accounted for some 33 percent of the budget of the world¡¯s top oil exporter last year, according to the finance ministry¡¯s website.
A weekly cabinet meeting chaired by King Abdullah approved late on Monday a proposal to raise wages for all soldiers as well as senior officers such as generals and lieutenants.
Defence Minister and also Crown Prince Sultan did not attend the cabinet meeting.
The wage increase would be the second for the army since 2008 when Saudi Arabia offered state employees a 15 percent wage hike spread out over a three-year period.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/August/middleeast_August614.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
-----------
'Al-Qaida leadership remains anchored in AfPak border region'
Sep 1, 2010
WASHINGTON: As the United States approaches into the 10th year of its combat operation in Afghanistan, President Barack Obama said that the leadership of Al-Qaida remains anchored in the border regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"As we approach our 10th year of combat in Afghanistan, there are those who are understandably asking tough questions about our mission there. But we must never lose sight of what's at stake," Obama said in his address to the nation to announce the end of combat mission in Iraq.
"As we speak, al-Qaida continues to plot against us, and its leadership remains anchored in the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan. We will disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al-Qaida, while preventing Afghanistan from again serving as a base for terrorists," Obama said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Al-Qaida-leadership-remains-anchored-in-AfPak-border-region-/articleshow/6472139.cms#ixzz0yFa6AFda
-----------
Palestinian state must be ‘demilitarised’: Israel
Sep 1, 2010
JERUSALEM — As Israel’s prime minister flew to Washington for new Middle East peace talks, President Shimon Peres insisted on Tuesday that any future Palestinian state must be demilitarised.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu headed to the United States “determined to represent his people to implement a widely agreed solution here, namely to have a two-state solution, a Palestinian demilitarised, united, democratic country on the side of Israel,” Peres said.
“All other solutions are dangerous,” he told participants at a World Jewish Congress gathering in Jerusalem.
Israel has also insisted it would retain control of the borders of a future Palestinian state, while the Palestinians are demanding full sovereignty.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/August/middleeast_August617.xml§ion=middleeast
----
‘Serious concerns’ over Chinese troops in Gilgit
31 August 2010
India on Monday said it was making an “independent verification” about the reported presence of Chinese troops in the Gilgit-Baltistan region in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). It also said it would be a matter of “serious concern” if reports turn out to be true.
External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash said, “We have seen media reports...and are seeking an independent verification. If true, it would be a matter of serious concern and we would do all that is necessary to ensure safety and security of the nation.”
He said this when asked about reports in the New York Times about the influx of an estimated 7,000 to 11,000 soldiers of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in strategic Gilgit-Baltistan region in the PoK.
According to the US newspaper, “China wants a grip on the strategic area to assure unfettered road and rail access to the Gulf through Pakistan,” and for this purpose is building high-speed rail and road link.
The link up would enable Beijing to transport cargo and oil tankers from eastern China to the new Chinese-built Pakistani naval base at Gawadar, Pasni and Ormara in Balochistan, just east of the Gulf in 48 hours.
“Many PLA soldiers entering Gilgit-Baltistan are expected to work on the railroad. Some are extending the Karakoram Highway, built to link China’s Xinjiang province with Pakistan. Others are working on dams, expressways and other project,” the paper said.
As regards the visa issue and reports that New Delhi might retaliate against Beijing — which issues stapled visas to people from Jammu & Kashmir — by issuing similar visas to those hailing from Tibet, the spokesman refrained from speculating.
He said, “You are aware that there have been cases where Indian nationals domiciled in Jammu & Kashmir have been issued stapled visas and our view on the matter is very well-known.”
For the past two years, China has been refusing to stamp visas on passports of people hailing from Jammu & Kashmir and instead issuing visas on loose sheets of paper, resulting in India lodging a strong protest over this action. However, China has not relented so far and described it as a usual practice.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/279717/%E2%80%98Serious-concerns%E2%80%99-over-Chinese-troops-in-Gilgit.html
-----------
Gunman kills seven, wounds 15 in Slovakia
31 August 2010
BRATISLAVA: A gunman killed seven people and wounded at least 15 in an attack at an apartment building in Bratislava on Monday, then committed suicide, police said.
The attacker, armed with a machine gun and two pistols, could not immediately be identified and his motive was not known, said police chief Jaroslav Spisiak. The shooting took place at midmorning in the Devinska Nova Ves neighbourhood on the outskirts of the Slovak capital. Six of the fatalities – five women and a man – were gunned down inside the apartment and another man was shot and killed outside it, Spisiak told a news conference. The attacker, about 50 years old, did not see that several police had arrived at the building as he was leaving it, and he fired indiscriminately at people in the area, wounding at least nine of them, including a policeman, said Spisiak. Previous news reports had said 14 people were wounded.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\31\story_31-8-2010_pg4_5
-----------
Clerics form body to counter anti-Islam conspiracies
31 August 2010
PESHAWAR: Prominent religious clerics on Monday announced the formation of the World United Ulema and Mashaikh Council (WUUMC) to counter all anti-Islam conspiracies and tackle them at national and international forums.
This was announced by WUUMC Chairman Maulana Shoaib and Secretary General Mahmoodul Hassan during a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club. They said that the WUUMC would work for the promotion of peace and discouraging sectarianism in the region. The council would also take concrete steps to resolve differences amongst religious leaders of different sects. The clerics said that religious leaders from India, Afghanistan and Iran would also be invited to join the council. They said that a committee consisting of clerics from all sects of Islam would be established to solve differences to promote peace and stability in the region.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\31\story_31-8-2010_pg7_17
-----------
Operation ‘samosa’ and the Pakistani connection
By Ali K Chishti
31 August 2010
Pakistani intelligence agencies played a crucial role in uncovering a terrorism plot in Canada, which led to the arrest of three suspected terrorists earlier this month.
According to official sources, Pakistani agencies tipped off their Canadian counterparts, who then launched ‘Operation Samosa’, one of the biggest clandestine efforts in the history of Canada.
The operation culminated in the arrest of Misbahuddin Ahmed (26), Hiva Alizadeh (30) and 28-year-old Dr Khurram Sher from Ontario on August 18.
Ahmed and Alizadeh both are from Ontario, while Khurram is a resident of London.
All three of them have now been charged with “conspiracy to knowingly facilitate a terrorist activity”.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\31\story_31-8-2010_pg7_19
-----------
Fire at Tennessee mosque site probed by US
31 August 2010
MURFREESBORO, Tennessee: Supporters from across America have called to give encouragement to a suburban Nashville mosque where a fire was the latest setback for a planned new building, officials said Sunday.
Authorities told the center that four pieces of heavy construction equipment on the site were doused with an accelerant and one set ablaze, said Camie Ayash, spokeswoman for the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro. Federal investigators have not ruled it arson, saying only that the fire was being probed and asked the public to call in tips.
Earlier, Ayash said that gasoline was poured on the equipment but later backed off that statement.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article120115.ece
-----------
After Panda, it's Marhaba: Second superstore employs women cashiers
By FATIMA SIDIYA
Aug 31, 2010
JEDDAH: Marhaba superstores has started employing women cashiers, according to one of its new recruits.
The move follows a similar initiative from competitor Panda that has caused much controversy.
A young Saudi woman, who chose to remain anonymous, says she accepted a job offer at Marhaba after she failed to find a teaching job. She is paid SR3,000 a month.
“I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history but the only teaching job that I was offered paid only SR500 a month.”
She added that she works along with five other girls. “We work for eight hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., but in Ramadan we start only at 10 a.m. and work until 4 p.m.”
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article120225.ece?comments=all
-----------
Southern Sudan to purge child soldiers from army
31 August 2010
* SPLA will release all children in its rank by end of the year
* UN children’s fund estimates that around 900 children serve as soldiers
JUBA: The government of Southern Sudan said on Monday it would purge child soldiers from the ranks of its former rebel army by year’s end, a policy change that could see thousands of young troops pushed out of the military.
The Sudan People’s Liberation Army launched a new “Child Protection Department” intended to help the army fulfil an agreement it signed with the United Nations in November. The agreement commits the army to release all children in its ranks by the end of the year and to end the use of child soldiers across Southern Sudan. The UN Children’s Fund estimates that about 900 children serve as soldiers in the south. The southern military did not say how many child soldiers it believes it has, but the chief of staff indicated it was several thousand.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\31\story_31-8-2010_pg4_3
-----------
Pak court dismisses Lakhvi's bail plea
31 August 2010
A Pakistani anti-terrorism court conducting the trial of seven suspects charged with involvement in the Mumbai attacks dismissed a bail petition, on Monday, filed by Lashker-e-Tayyeba operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.
Judge Malik Muhammad Akram Awan of the Rawalpindi-based anti-terrorism court dismissed Lakhvi's bail application on the ground that it could not be maintained, sources said.
Lakhvi's lawyer Khwaja Sultan, who has been accused by the prosecution of filing numerous petitions to delay the trial, told PTI that his client would now approach the Lahore High Court for bail. "We will decide on the date for filing the application in the High Court after getting the anti-terrorism court's detailed order," Sultan said.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/279729/Pak-court-dismisses-Lakhvis-bail-plea.html
-----------
Obama marks the symbolic end of Iraq operations
31 Aug, 2010
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama marks the symbolic date of the end of US combat operations in Iraq on Tuesday, seven years after an invasion he opposed and at a time when the country still seems far from being stabilized.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Obama will address Americans in a nationally televised speech at 8 pm (midnight GMT). Before that he will go to a military base in Texas to meet with soldiers who have recently returned from Iraq.
The size of the US force in Iraq has dropped below a symbolic threshold of 50,000 troops. Starting Monday, their mission will be to “advise and support” the Iraqi army.
Under a timetable set by Obama when he took office, all US troops are supposed to be out by the end of 2011, although officials have said a small residual military presence is likely to remain indefinitely.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/03-obama-marks-the-symbolic-end-of-iraq-operations-ss-01
-----------
India announces additional USD 20m aid to flood-hit Pak
Aug 31, 2010
NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday announced an additional USD 20 million assistance to Pakistan which is grappling with the worst floods in recent history of the region.
The announcement by external affairs minister S M Krishna in the Lok Sabha comes in the wake of Pakistan's readiness to accept India's initial aid offer of USD 5 million which is to be routed through the United Nations.
"As a more concrete assessment of the damage inflicted by this natural disaster and the urgent needs of the people of Pakistan emerges, government has decided to increase its assistance to Pakistan from USD 5 million, announced earlier, to USD 25 million," he said in a suo motu statement.
Of the total aid, USD 20 million would be contributed to the 'Pakistan Initial Floods Emergency Response Plan' launched by the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian efforts, he said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-offers-additional-20m-aid-to-flood-hit-Pak/articleshow/6467271.cms#ixzz0yCARSAjS
-----------
Pakistan should not accept Indian aid even through UN: Pak media
Aug 31, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan should not accept the Indian aid of $5 million for flood victims, or even have any kind of ties with its neighbour unless India allows the Kashmiri people to determine their own future, an editorial in a Pakistani paper said on Tuesday.
"Until India is willing to give Kashmiris the freedom of deciding their own future, we will not like any sort of ties with India and the $5 million dollar it gave as aid to Pakistan for the flood victims is not acceptable to us and it should be returned forthwith. It (the aid) is not acceptable even if channelled through the UN," the editorial in the Urdu daily Nawa-i-Waqt said.
The editorial claimed that the Indian government had also realised that all their efforts had failed to quench the ardour of the Kashmiris for freedom and the Indian Army chief and even home minister P Chidambaram had admitted that there was no solution to the issue except a political one.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistan-should-not-accept-Indian-aid-even-through-UN-Pak-media/articleshow/6468686.cms#ixzz0yCAUuuCh
-----------
Afghan concern about Pakistan is legit: Petraeus
31 Aug, 2010
KABUL: President Hamid Karzai's recent complaints that the war should focus on militant leaders hiding in neighboring Pakistan instead of Afghan villages doesn't mean the government no longer supports the US war strategy, the top Nato commander said Tuesday.
Gen. David Petraeus said he shared Karzai's concern about threats across the border in Pakistan but said the Pakistanis deserve credit for waging what he described as an ''impressive counterinsurgency campaign'' during the past 18 months.
The Karzai government has been increasingly vocal in recent days about the need to destroy Taliban and al-Qaida sanctuaries in Pakistan.
Afghan National Security Adviser Rangin Dadfar Spanta has argued that US support of Pakistan amounts to nurturing the terrorists' ''main mentor'' and that the Afghan people are no longer ready to ''pay the price for the international community's miscalculation and naivety.''
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/03-afghan-concern-about-pakistan-is-legit-petraeus-ss-07
----------
Pre- poll goodies fail to impress Bengal Muslims
D. P. Bhattacharya in Kolkata
31 August 2010
WEST Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is leaving no stone unturned in his bid to woo Muslim voters back to the Left fold. But his overtures have failed to cut ice with the community.
Bhattacharjee’s recent announcement on according Other Backward Classes ( OBC) status to nearly 1.4 crore Muslims in the state not only came under the Opposition’s fire — the CM’s political rivals called it a “ pre- poll gimmick” — but also that of the community.
The state cabinet had on September 22 agreed to issue OBC certificates to Muslims but this has attracted some criticism from the community’s leaders.
“ This is an effort to divide the community and also a shrewd political stunt,” said Rehmat Ali Khan, president of the West Bengal Jamat- e- Islami.
Full report at: Mail Today
-----------
Iran’s ‘cyber army’ hacks 1,000 US, British, French govt websites
31 August 2010
TEHRAN: An Iranian cyber group announced that it has hacked more than 1,000 important governmental websites of the US, Britain and France in protest at their support and financial aids to anti-Iran terrorist groups. “To commemorate the day of campaign against terrorism and the martyrdom anniversary of (former Iranian President Mohammad Ali) Rajayee and (his Prime Minister Mohammad Javad) Bahonar (by the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organisation), the group rose to protest at the inhumane measures of the supporters of terrorism, with the US and Britain standing on top of them, through a new method and hacked and changed the pages of more than 1,000 of their websites,” Behrouz Kamalian, head of the Iranian Ashiyaneh (nest) cyber group, told FNA on Monday. If you open the hacked sites now, you can see a logo of Iran and some pictures of martyrs Rajaee and Bahonar and a bi-lingual text in Persian and English expressing our group’s protest at the US, Britain and France’s attitude towards terrorism, Kamalian added. Noting that the project started on Saturday and continued until Monday morning, he reminded that the group managed to hack more than 1,000 governmental sites of the aforementioned countries, including the official website of Louisiana state in the US, Britain’s Pevensey city council and other websites. “All of the hacked websites have been registered at this address:
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\31\story_31-8-2010_pg20_7
-----------
US ends combat in Iraq but instability lingers
31 August 2010
BAGHDAD - The US military formally ends combat operations in Iraq on Tuesday as President Barack Obama seeks to fulfil a promise to end the war despite persistent instability and attacks that kill dozens at a time. News Highlights End of combat operations but not the end of war Iraqis fearful as US military scales back 50,000 US soldiers staying on US troop numbers were cut to 50,000 in advance of the Aug. 31 milestone in the 7-1/2-year-old war launched by Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush, whose stated aim was to destroy Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. No such weapons was found.
The six remaining US military brigades will turn their focus to training and advising Iraqi police and troops as Iraq takes on responsibility for its own destiny ahead of a full withdrawal of US forces by the end of next year.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/August/middleeast_August595.xml§ion=middleeast
-----------
Palestinian PM Fayyad says time for Israeli answers
31 August 2010
RAMALLAH, West Bank - The Palestinian prime minister on Monday forecast a “moment of reckoning” in the coming weeks when the Israeli prime minister is forced to explain what kind of state he has in mind for the Palestinians.
The Palestinians are set to resume direct negotiations with Israel in Washington on Thursday. They will be the first direct talks in 20 months and are the result of painstaking U.S. diplomacy aimed at reviving the peace process.
Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has expressed doubt about whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ready to offer the Palestinians a state on terms they could accept.
Last year, Fayyad said Netanyahu appeared to have a “Mickey Mouse” state in mind for the Palestinians on lands occupied by Israel, using the Disney character’s name as slang for unimportant or trivial.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/August/middleeast_August587.xml§ion=middleeast
-----------
Key Saudi prince stays abroad after US surgery
31 August 2010
RIYADH - Saudi Arabia’s Prince Salman bin Abdul-Aziz, a key player in the world’s top oil exporter, left the United States on Monday after successful spine surgery, the state news agency SPA said.
The agency said the prince would continue to recuperate outside the kingdom but did not say where the governor of Riyadh province, who is in his 70s, would stay or for how long.
Treatments of senior royal members are watched as the Gulf Arab state has an ageing leadership.
King Abdullah is around 86 while Crown Prince Sultan, believed to be in his mid-eighties, was for much of last year out of the country for unspecified treatment. Diplomats said he was treated for cancer.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/August/middleeast_August590.xml§ion=middleeast
-----------
US election skews NY Muslim center debate
31 August 2010
DUBAI/NEW YORK - A US debate over plans for an Islamic center near New York’s World Trade Center site has been politicized ahead of the congressional election, the Muslim cleric heading the project and other city imams say.
Kuwait-born Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, who is touring Gulf Arab countries to speak about religious radicalism, said his plan for a $100 million cultural center and mosque in Lower Manhattan had become a campaign issue for the Nov. 2 vote.
US President Barack Obama and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg support the project, but it faces fierce opposition from some conservative politicians and people who consider its location insensitive to families of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the Sept. 11 attacks by al Qaeda militants in 2001.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/August/international_August1704.xml§ion=international
-----------
German Muslims shrug off attacks by central banker
31 August 2010
BERLIN - Descendants of Germany’s Muslim migrant workers respond with a mixture of defiance, dismay and laughter to the theories of central banker Thilo Sarrazin, who has spent the past week railing against Muslim immigrants.
Sarrazin sparked strong criticism from the German government and party colleagues in his centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) over his comments that Muslim immigrants undermine German society, refuse to assimilate, and sponge off the state.
Turkish-born electrician Halis Soenmez laughts at the mention of Sarrazin’s name, patting the bulge of his stomach to show how well he has integrated in German society.
He says there was no question some Turkish migrants to Germany in the 1960s struggled to fit in — because nobody thought they would stay.
“After three years they were expected to go back. In the 60s, 70s or 80s there was never any talk about integration. That came later,” he said in flawless German with a Berlin accent.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/August/international_August1697.xml§ion=international&col=
-----------
Iran MPs hail judge’s suspension in torture deaths
31 August 2010
TEHRAN - Iranian MPs have praised the judiciary for suspending Tehran’s former prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi over the torture deaths of three protesters in custody after last year’s presidential election, a newspaper reported on Monday.
Earlier this month, the judiciary announced the suspension of three high-ranking but unidentified judiciary officials, paving the way for their trial over the deaths in Iran’s Kahrizak detention centre.
“The suspension of the former prosecutor and two other judges accused in this case is comforting,” said 216 of 290 lawmakers in a statement published by the Shargh newspaper.
“What happened in Kahrizak ... broke the heart of ... our Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei).”
Kahrizak was closed in July on the orders of Khamenei after at least three people, arrested during the post-election unrest, died in custody there.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/August/middleeast_August591.xml§ion=middleeast
-----------
NYC community board head wants interfaith center
31 August 2010
NEW YORK — The chairwoman of the community board that voted for an Islamic center and mosque near ground zero said she believes adding an interfaith dimension would help unite people, saying a nondenominational chapel built at the Pentagon as part of a Sept. 11 memorial did just that.
Julie Menin of Manhattan Community Board 1 reiterated Monday that she supports the project going up in the proposed location two blocks from the World Trade Center site, and that it contain a mosque as developers plan. But she suggested another section of the community center be turned into an interfaith, nondenominational area for people of all religious backgrounds.
“What it could do is it could really get to the heart of the matter of making this project one that brings people together,” she said.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/August/international_August1684.xml§ion=international&col=
-----------
Algeria’s Merbai is winner ?of Dubai Quran award Ahmed Shaaban
31 August 2010
DUBAI — Algerian contestant Mohamed Irchad Merbai won the top position and the Dh250,000 prize money in the 14th session of the Dubai International Holy Quran Award, pushing Bangladeshi Maswoud Ridwan and Bahraini Mesab Essa to second and third spots respectively.
Ridwan won Dh200,000 for his Quran recital and Essa went home with Dh150,000.
They were followed in order by Ahmed Youssri (Egypt), Khaled Abobakr (Yemen), Khalil Tahir (Libya), Mbwana Assaa (Tanzania), Ammar Bugis (Saudi Arabia), Naser Sarram (Kuwait), Mohammed Latrache (Morocco), and Mohamed Osman (Sudan). The prize money ranged from Dh35,000 to Dh65,000.
Contestants who scored 80 per cent and above, were given Dh30,000 each, while those whose performance was estimated at 70 to 79 per cent, received Dh25,000 each. Participants with scores less than 70 per cent got Dh20,000 each.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/August/theuae_August813.xml§ion=theuae&col=
-----------
Malaysians will come together today to mark 53rd National Day Lily B. Libo-on
31 August 2010
DUBAI — More than 3,000 Malaysian expatriates in Dubai and the Northern Emirates will converge at the Shangrila Hotel on Shaikh Zayed road tonight to celebrate their 53rd National Day, with a get-together Iftar.
The celebration will continue until Friday, September 3, in another get-together Iftar to mark the farewell party for their outgoing Consul General Syed Md Hasrin, who will be promoted as the deputy chief of mission at Jakarta, Indonesia. Hasrin’s wife will also assume a diplomatic post at the ASEAN mission there.
Consul General Hasrin told Khaleej Times that the joint Iftar on September 3 will also feature a Food Bazaar where Malaysian families can purchase their favourite Malay food. “Families will bring their home-made food — mostly their favourite Malaysian cuisine. “Some seven families are participating in the Food Bazaar, which resembles what we have in Malaysia — where we go to buy prepared Iftar packs.”
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/August/theuae_August814.xml§ion=theuae&col=
-----------
Strong Saudi-Malaysian ties key to growth
Dato' Syed Omar Al-Saggaf
31 August 2010
I extend my warm greetings and best wishes to all Malaysian nationals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the occasion of Malaysia's 53rd National Day.
Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, despite the geographical distance separating these two nations, have many common elements underpinning our strong and sound relations. What we differ in cultural and historical background, we make up in areas such as economic, political and social institutions. To this end, Malaysia is keen to further strengthen our bilateral cooperation especially in trade and investment for mutual benefits.
The official visit made by the Prime Minister of Malaysia Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak in January this year marks the pinnacle of our excellent rapport and Malaysia is greatly indebted to the government of Saudi Arabia for the warm hospitality you extended to our leader which had consequentially contributed greatly to the success of the visit. We appreciate Saudi Arabia's willingness to open doors for Malaysian companies to invest here. Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article119913.ece
-----------
Iraqi authorities demand Israel return antique Torah scroll
31 August 2010
Iraq is demanding Israeli authorities return an antique Torah scroll smuggled into Israel in the early 1950s.
Israel's Arutz Sheva reported that the ancient scroll, written in the early twentieth century, was extracted from Iraq after the Gabbai family in the Iraqi city of Al-Hila bribed a local official. The family patriarch, Moshe Gabbai, worked in the town's synagogue.
The scroll was then donated by the family to the Center for the Heritage of Babylon Jewry in the Israeli city of Or-Yehuda.
"This scroll is part of Iraq's cultural heritage, just like the heritage of other countries in the world," Abd Al-Zahra Al-Talqani, a spokesman for the Iraqi Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, told The Media Line.
"When we discovered the publication in the Israeli media, we began to investigate the matter and turned to the National Center for Manuscripts in Iraq. They told us the scroll was not stolen from the center."
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article120208.ece
-----------
Boy's death in firing spirals tensions in Kashmir
31 August 2010
With an 11-year-old boy being killed in police firing and another critically injured, tensions have spiralled in the Kashmir Valley prompting authorities Tuesday to impose curfew in this summer capital and other towns. Irshad Ahmad Parray, 11, was killed when a huge mob of stone pelters attacked
the Sherbagh police post in Anantnag town on Monday evening after which security forces fired rubber bullets at the protesters.
With Parray's death, the number of people who have lost their lives in the ongoing unrest which started here June 11 has risen to 65.
“Curfew has been imposed in Srinagar city, Anantnag and Pulwama towns while restrictions will remain in place in some areas close to the airport road in central Badgam district,” a police officer said here.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Boy-s-death-in-firing-spirals-tensions-in-Kashmir/H1-Article1-594128.aspx
-----------
Notice to ATS on Sadhvi's plea of illegal detention
J. Venkatesan
31 August 2010
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad on a special leave petition filed by Sadhvi Pragnya Singh Thakur, accused in the Malegaon bomb blast case, seeking bail by default of the ATS keeping her in “illegal” detention without recording her arrest. The notice is returnable in four weeks.
Counsel Mahesh Jethmalani alleged that she had been kept in illegal custody from October 10, 2008 till October 23, 2008, when she was first produced before a Mumbai magistrate.
On October 10, 2008 when she went from Jabalpur from Surat, where the ATS asked her to come for interrogation, she was taken into custody and taken to Mumbai and kept in illegal detention, counsel said.
“Harassed”
When Justice J.M. Panchal asked counsel whether the magistrate was informed of the illegal custody or whether the allegation was an afterthought, counsel said the Sadhvi was so harassed that she was not in a position to say anything at that time.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/08/31/stories/2010083164341100.htm
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=3366
8:09 AM
Moderate Islamist here
0 comments:
Post a Comment