| Islamic World News | |
| 07 Oct 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com |
Interpol issues notice against 2 Pak Army majors in Mumbai attacks case
Two drone strikes in N. Waziristan kill 11
25 NATO fuel tankers attacked in Pakistan, driver killed
Turkey Rolls Back University Scarf Ban
Talks Court Afghan Insurgents
Painting depicting Tipu's victory fetches $1,224,184
Musharraf's remarks confirm India's position: Govt
Cong Defends Rahul On RSS-Simi Remarks
Over 50 tankers torched in Quetta, Nowshera
Taliban claim responsibility for attack
RSS may oppose temple activists' move to appeal Allahabad HC order
US apologises at last for Kurram intrusion
Troops Pledged to Somalia
Two Taliban ‘shadow governors’ killed in Afghanistan
A R Rahman to receive Indira Gandhi Award
LeT steps up targeting of Indian citizens, interests in Afghanistan
Rajasthan identifies 58,000 illegal mosques, temples on govt land
Babel of voices hangs heavy over Ayodhya
I'm not New Delhi's puppet, says Omar
Twin Qaida strikes hit Yemen
Court hears Muslims’ complaints against Dutch MP
Strike in Karachi today over sectarian killings
Briton killed by drone ‘was to be terror chief’
White House supporting Kabul contacts with Mullah Omar’s men
For some, he’s an Afghan war hero, for others a killer
No UN in Kashmir until both parties ask: Ban
Pakistan is powder keg of the world: Bob Woodward
Pak not doing enough to eliminate terrorists: US
Seven workers burnt alive in Dhaka
US ‘sorry’ for killing Pakistanis
Obama voices support for talks with Taleban
Death toll from Indonesian floods nears 110
Omar Uses History For Kashmir Future
Sex, murder & CCTV: Prince caught beating aide
TV docu to show Harry 'abducted' by Taliban
Taliban set preconditions for formal peace talks
Jerusalem eyes first gate in Old City for 112 years: Report
Four wounded in Israeli raids on Gaza: witnesses, Hamas
Kabul, Taliban in secret talks: report
British embassy car attacked: Frenchman shot dead in Yemen
Al-Qaeda man directed Europe plot: report
One year on, no progress in J&K custodial death
Gilani asks NA to leave Musharraf ‘to himself’
Malik urges India to allow Mumbai probe team’s visit
Two militants killed in Mohmand shootout
No plan to impose flood tax in KP, says Hoti
Germany slams US, UK over travel warnings
Rehman offers India security for CWGs
Taleban step up attacks in Kandahar with blasts
US warns Lebanon against Iranian president’s visit to south
Jewish construction begins in West Bank
Freedom flotilla to set sail for Gaza again Muaz Shabandri
S.Korea to suspend Iranian bank as part of sanctions
South Lebanon eager to see Ahmadinejad at Israel's doorstep
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi
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Rahul equates RSS with SIMI, says both 'fundamentalist'
Suchandana Gupta
Oct 7, 2010
BHOPAL: Rahul Gandhi's description of RSS as ``fanatical'' and equating it with Muslim terror group SIMI has set off an ugly political storm, with the Sangh parivar roundly berating the Gandhi scion. On Wednesday, Rahul said the RSS was no different from the banned outfit because both held ``fundamentalist'' views.
When reminded that SIMI was a banned outfit with most of its leaders in jail for alleged involvement in terror attacks, Rahul told reporters in Bhopal, ``I am speaking about ideologies of RSS and SIMI. Both preach the same fundamentalist ideology.''
Sounding a note of caution to Youth Congress members, he said, ``We will not allow people with hardline fundamentalist ideologies of RSS and SIMI to enter our party.''
The man many bill as India's future PM also said the Ayodhya verdict had failed to mention the destruction of the Babri Masjid and the violence surrounding the act of December 6, 1992.``Aggrieved parties are free to approach the Supreme Court,'' he said.
``For the youth today, such issues are not important. For them, education and jobs are more relevant. If we don't transform our educational system, we will have to struggle in future.''
The AICC general secretary and Youth Congress president has been touring BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh since Monday. At closed door meetings with young party workers, he said, ``Bas, sirf vichardhara Congress ki honi chahiye. RSS aur SIMI ki vichardhara nahin (It is necessary to share the Congress ideology and not that of RSS and SIMI).''
Slamming Rahul's statement, RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav said, ``He should brush up his knowledge before making meaningless statements. He must understand India and not just Italy and Columbia.'' He further added, ``He has a long way to go in politics. He should know the difference between RSS and banned outfits and know the history of Congress, which has been accused of fundamentalism in the last six decades.''
Former SIMI president Shahid Badar Falahi told TOI Rahul's statement reflected Congress' duplicity. ``If RSS and SIMI are same, then why is the Centre's attitude different towards the two organisations. While SIMI is banned for the last 9 years, RSS is not,'' said Falahi. In 2008, Justice Gita Mittal heading a special tribunal lifted the ban on SIMI citing lack of fresh evidence. ``But the Congress-led UPA government challenged the decision and sought an absolute ban against us. I request Rahul Gandhi to check SIMI's background,'' he said.
Falahi reminded that RSS had been banned thrice since independence. ``RSS's involvement in terrorism is proven. RSS member Nathuram Godse killed Mahatma Gandhi. They burnt churches in Orissa. Their members burnt alive missionary Graham Staines and his two sons,'' he said.
Incensed over Rahul equating RSS and SIMI, BJP said he has lost his mental balance. ``Only a sick mind can compare RSS and SIMI. He has shown political immaturity and engaged in unruly behaviour,'' said BJP spokesperson Prakash Javedkar. He added, ``Congress knows it is not winning in MP. I can understand its frustration. Congress has been losing elections of late. Rahul Gandhi's magic is not working for the Congress.''
Rahul responded, saying, ``They are more than welcome to call me immature but that does not subtract the fact that these organisations preach fundamentalist ideologies.''
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Rahul-equates-RSS-with-SIMI-says-both-fundamentalist/articleshow/6703036.cms#ixzz11dujGVNy
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Interpol issues notice against 2 Pak Army majors in Mumbai attacks case
Oct 7, 2010,
NEW DELHI: National Investigation Agency (NIA) has secured an Interpol Red Corner Notice against five accused persons, including two serving Pakistani Army majors, for their alleged role in the Mumbai terror strike of 2008.
The Interpol issued the Red Corner Notice after securing a non-bailable warrant from the court Additional Sessions Judge here.
The warrants were issued on the basis of disclosures made by American national and Lashker-e-Taiba terrorist David Headley, who was extensively questioned by the NIA officials in June this year.
The Red Corner Notice has been issued against Major Sameer Ali, and Major Iqbal, both serving in the Pakistani Army, Illyas Kashmiri, an LeT terrorist, Sajid Majid and Syed Abdur Rehman Hashim.
The security agencies have already secured Red Corner notice against Lashker's founder Hafeez Sayeed and his close aide Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi in connection with the 26/11 attacks that left over 160 people dead.
These people, according to NIA officials, had worked in close coordination with Headly in executing the nefarious plans of the Lashker for carrying out terror strikes in Mumbai.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Interpol-issues-notice-against-2-Pak-Army-majors-in-Mumbai-attacks-case/articleshow/6706426.cms#ixzz11fZDrRkk
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Two drone strikes in N. Waziristan kill 11
07 Oct, 2010
MIRAMSHAH, Oct 6: US drones carried out two attacks in North Waziristan on Wednesday, killing 11 suspected militants, sources said.
Six militants were killed and two others injured when two missiles fired by an unmanned aircraft slammed into a house in the Miramshah Bazaar, they said.
Six mutilated bodies and two injured persons were pulled out from the rubbles of the house which had caught fire after the strike.
The injured were taken to the agency headquarters hospital in Miramshah.
The sources said that those killed were local militants. (According to AFP, three of the militants killed in the attack belonged to the Haqqani network. A security official said the missiles hit a compound where foreign militants are believed to have hatched a plan to launch Mumbai-style attacks in European cities.)
Late on Wednesday night, a US drone targeted a house in Hurmaz village, killing five suspected militants.
Two missiles hit the house owned by Qasim Khan, a local tribesman.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/two-drone-strikes-in-n.-waziristan-kill-11-700
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25 NATO fuel tankers attacked in Pakistan, driver killed
Oct 6, 2010
Gunmen torched over two dozen tankers in Pak carrying fuel to NATO troops and killed a driver, the sixth attack on convoys taking supplies to Afghanistan in a week.
QUETTA (Pakistan): Gunmen torched more than two dozen tankers carrying fuel to NATO troops and killed a driver on Wednesday, the sixth attack on convoys taking supplies to Afghanistan since Pakistan closed a key border crossing almost a week ago.
Islamabad shut down the Torkham crossing along the fabled Khyber Pass last Thursday after a NATO helicopter attack in the border area killed three Pakistani troops. The closure has left hundreds of trucks stranded alongside the country's highways and bottlenecked traffic heading to the one route into Afghanistan from the south that has remained open.
In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said an investigation of the helicopter attack was expected to be concluded later Wednesday, and that he expected the spat between allies could be resolved soon.
The US has supply routes through other countries into Afghanistan, and Morrell emphasized that the Torkham closing had not caused fuel problems for NATO troops.
"We don't suspect it will, even if this were to last into the future," he said on Tuesday at the Pentagon. "But we really do have a sense we're making progress and this can be resolved soon."
Hundreds of supply trucks still cross into landlocked Afghanistan each day through the Chaman crossing in southwestern Pakistan and via Central Asian states.
Still, Pakistan is the fastest and cheapest way to get goods to Afghanistan, and trouble with other routes in the past makes it even more vital. Uzbekistan evicted US troops from a base that was used to ferry supplies into Afghanistan, and last year Kyrgyzstan threatened to do the same, though it has since backed down.
The attack early on Wednesday morning came on trucks on their way to the Chaman crossing.
An unidentified number of gunmen in two vehicles attacked the trucks as they sat in the parking lot of a roadside hotel on the outskirts of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province. At least 25 trucks were destroyed by fire that spread quickly from vehicle to vehicle, senior police official Hamid Shakil said.
Of the six attacks on convoys bringing supplies in from the port city of Karachi since the Torkham closure, four were on trucks heading to that crossing and two were on their way to Chaman.
The convoys bring fuel, military vehicles, spare parts, clothing and other non-lethal supplies for foreign troops in Afghanistan.
It was unclear who was behind the latest attack, but the Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for similar assaults on NATO supplies, including one before dawn Monday that killed four people.
The events have exposed the frequent strains in the alliance between Pakistan and the United States, but Morrell downplayed the possibility of any lasting effects.
"There are incidents which create misunderstandings, there are setbacks, but that does not mean the relationship -- this crucial relationship to us -- is in any way derailed."
In addition to ensuring safe passage for NATO supplies, the US needs Pakistan to help target Taliban and al-Qaida militants who stage cross-border attacks against foreign troops in Afghanistan. In return, Pakistan receives billions of dollars in military and civilian assistance that help keep its economy afloat.
Even if the border is reopened, underlying tensions will remain in the US-Pakistan relationship, especially over Pakistan's unwillingness to go after Afghan Taliban militants on its territory with whom it has strong historical ties and who generally focus their attacks on Western troops, not Pakistani targets.
The US has responded by dramatically increasing the number of CIA drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal belt, carrying out 21 suspected attacks in September -- nearly double the previous monthly record.
The US has also stepped up military operations along the Afghan border, but officials in Washington said the recent NATO cross-border helicopter strikes were not a strong-arm tactic aimed at pressuring Pakistan.
The officials said the US did not oppose the temporary closure of Torkham because it lets Pakistan rebuke Washington in a way that plays well to the domestic Pakistani audience without seriously hampering US military operations. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
Read more: 25 NATO fuel tankers attacked in Pakistan, driver killed - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/worldarticlelist/articleshow/6699699.cms#ixzz11duu78qQ
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Turkey Rolls Back University Scarf Ban
By MARC CHAMPION
ISTANBUL—Turkey is quietly resolving an issue that has come to symbolize the country's bitter divisions and nearly toppled its government two years ago: Slowly, women are being allowed to wear Islamic headscarves on university campuses.
The head of Turkey's Higher Education Board confirmed this week that he ordered Istanbul University, one of the nation's biggest, to stop its professors from kicking students out of their classes for any reason. The directive followed a complaint from a student who was sent out of class last November for wearing a hat, worn by some students as a headscarf stand-in.
"Let alone a hat, we are against anybody being sent out of the classroom for any way of dressing," said education-board president Yusuf Ozcan, in comments to Turkey's NTV television channel. "We notified this [to Istanbul University]. If it is needed, we will notify other universities as well."
Full report at:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703298504575534102839883556.html?mod=WSJ_World_LEFTSecondNews
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Talks Court Afghan Insurgents
OCTOBER 7, 2010
By YAROSLAV TROFIMOV and MARIA ABI-HABIB
KABUL—Afghan officials, retired Pakistani security chiefs and former Taliban leaders are meeting in Kabul, trying to find ways to open peace talks with the insurgents—possibly by dropping key Western-backed conditions to such a reconciliation.
U.S. soldiers walk on patrol outside an outpost in Afghanistan's Kandahar province on Wednesday.
The meetings, sponsored by the United Arab Emirates and held Tuesday and Wednesday in Kabul's luxurious Serena Hotel, don't involve insurgents. The Taliban's position is to refuse all peace contacts as long as U.S.-led international forces remain in the country.
President Hamid Karzai's aides and other officials said, however, that the Afghan government would be ready to abandon some previously announced "red lines," such as a demand that the Taliban recognize the Afghan constitution and lay down arms, in an attempt to kick start substantive negotiations.
"Peace means that all the conditions of one side cannot be accepted, and both sides must compromise," explained Mr. Karzai's Islamic affairs adviser, Nematullah Shahrani. In return for such government concessions, he said, the Taliban would be expected to abandon their demand for the immediate departure of all foreign forces as a precondition for talks.
Full report at:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704689804575536152647976426.html?mod=WSJ_World_LEFTSecondNews
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Painting depicting Tipu's victory fetches $1,224,184
Oct 7, 2010
London: A collection of 24 paintings depicting the famous Battle of Pollilur, in which the British Army surrendered to Mysore warrior Tipu Sultan and his father Haider Ali, was sold on Wednesday for a whopping $1,224,184 at Sotheby's.
The British Army suffered many casualties, representing one of the worst defeats suffered in the subcontinent in this 1780 battle. They went on to defeat Tipu Sultan at the Battle of Seringapatam on May 4, 1799.
Head of Sotheby's Middle East department said: “These paintings record Tipu's finest hour. The price achieved for this group of exceptional pictorial accounts of the Battle of Pollilur is true confirmation of their historical importance and rarity.” http://www.hindu.com/2010/10/07/stories/2010100761022000.htm
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Musharraf's remarks confirm India's position: Govt
Oct 7, 2010
NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday officially reacted to former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's admission that Pakistan had trained terrorists and pushed them into Jammu and Kashmir, by saying that his assertions had only vindicated India's official position.
The government said this precisely was the reason for India insisting before the international community that Pakistan dismantle the terror infrastructure operating out of its territory.
``This is a widely accepted fact and General Musharraf's assertion only confirms the veracity of what we have been repeatedly saying over the years,'' said MEA spokesperson Vishnu Prakash.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Musharrafs-remarks-confirm-Indias-position-Govt/articleshow/6703248.cms#ixzz11dtlOlYe
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Cong Defends Rahul On RSS-Simi Remarks
Oct 07th, 2010
The Congress on Wednesday hit back at the RSS and the BJP for its remarks against AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi saying the right-wing outfit is a “master in spreading rumours” and that its statements should not be given any significance.
AICC general secretaries Digvijay Singh and Janardan Dwivedi strongly objected to the remarks of the BJP on Mr Gandhi.
BJP spokesperson Prakash Javedkar said that Rahul Gandhi seems to have lost his mental balance. Mr Digvijay Singh said: “Should he (Javedkar) first get his mental check up done.”
Mr Dwivedi, who is also the chief of the party’s media department said, “What Rahulji had said was a political comment. We believe any comment by any organisation or individual politically opposed to one should be replied in a civilised manner. We don’t believe in making such personal comments.”
Full report at:
http://www.asianage.com/india/cong-defends-rahul-rss-simi-remarks-138
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Over 50 tankers torched in Quetta, Nowshera
By Saleem Shahid and Mushtaq Paracha
07 Oct, 2010
QUETTA / NOWSHERA, Oct 6: More than 50 Nato oil tankers carrying fuel for US and allied forces in Afghanistan were torched in attacks in Quetta and Nowshera on Wednesday.
In the pre-dawn Quetta attack, 25 tankers were burnt and a driver was killed. The tankers were parked at a private terminal in Akhtarabad area, along the Western Bypass.
According to sources, over a dozen gunmen fired two rockets. This was followed by heavy firing which caused a huge fire.
“I heard two huge explosions after half an hour of heavy firing,” Amir Mohammad Kakar, who runs a roadside restaurant, told Dawn. More vehicles caught fire after a burning oil tanker exploded.
The banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack. Talking to journalists by telephone, a spokesman threatened that the TTP would intensify the attacks to avenge US drone attacks.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/over-50-tankers-torched-in-quetta,-nowshera-700
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Taliban claim responsibility for attack
07 Oct. 10
MIRANSHAH: The Taliban said on Wednesday their militants carried out an arson attack on NATO tankers in Pakistan as revenge for a scaled-up US drone strike campaign in the country’s northwest. “We claim responsibility for attacking and torching NATO tankers in Quetta today,” Tehreek-e-Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq told AFP, saying the attack on tankers stationed in the city was carried out by local militants. “We will further intensify attacks with the intensification of US drone strikes on us,” he said. The Taliban vowed further attacks. “We have ordered (local militants) to kill all security force personnel and attack NATO containers that they come across,” said Tariq. “Pakistan’s government has made our job easy by stopping NATO tankers and supplies,” he added. afp
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\10\07\story_7-10-2010_pg1_2
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RSS may oppose temple activists' move to appeal Allahabad HC order
Oct 7, 2010
NEW DELHI: The RSS leadership may oppose the move by the Ram temple activists, including Sangh Parivar affiliate VHP, to appeal the Allahabad High Court order allotting one-third of the disputed Ayodhya site to Muslims to build a mosque.
Senior sources in the Sangh said that its chief Mohan Bhagwat is opposed to the idea of contesting the order which he thinks can clear the way for reconcilation between the two communities.
The view contrasts sharply with VHP's criticism of the HC judgment for awarding one-third of the disputed land to Muslims even after the court had rejected the suit filed by the Sunni Waqf Board claiming the title of the site.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/RSS-may-oppose-temple-activists-move-to-appeal-Allahabad-HC-order/articleshow/6703221.cms#ixzz11duZPksr
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US apologises at last for Kurram intrusion
By Baqir Sajjad Syed
07 Oct, 2010
ISLAMABAD, Oct 6: The US Ambassador to Pakistan, Ms Anne W. Patterson, on Wednesday apologised for last week’s air raids which left at least two Pakistani soldiers dead and four others injured as International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) admitted its helicopters had violated Pakistan’s airspace several times.
A statement of apology issued by the US Embassy’s public affairs section said: “Ambassador Anne W. Patterson today extended an apology to Pakistan on behalf of the American people for the terrible accident on Sept 30.”
This was the first direct apology by a US official, although Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and other functionaries had earlier expressed regrets.
A separate statement issued by Isaf Headquarters in Kabul was, nevertheless, less emphatic.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/us-apologises-at-last-for-kurram-intrusion-700
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Troops Pledged to Somalia
OCTOBER 7, 2010
By JOE LAURIA
KAMPALA—Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni called Wednesday for Western nations and wealthy African countries to support a significant troop buildup in Somalia, where al Qaeda-allied militants are seeking to topple the government.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Museveni pledged enough troops from Uganda to bring the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia up to 20,000 soldiers. The current African Union troop deployment is about 7,200, with some 4,000 from Uganda. The Ugandan president said more financial support is need from countries like Libya and South Africa to muster the numbers required to hold the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu.
"We have the troops, but we don't have that kind of money," Mr. Museveni told reporters following a meeting with ambassadors of the 15-nation U.N. Security Council visiting from New York. "That's why we want the international community to help us."
African Union peacekeepers are propping up a weak transitional government in Somalia that is fighting for its survival against the forces of Al Shabaab, an extreme Islamist sect that has pledged allegiance to al Qaeda. The government isn't able to administer much beyond a thin slice of Mogadishu.
Full report at:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704689804575536220196450364.html?mod=WSJ_World_LEFTSecondNews
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Two Taliban ‘shadow governors’ killed in Afghanistan
07 Oct, 2010
KABUL: Nato and Afghan officials said on Wednesday that air strikes had killed two Taliban “shadow governors”.
The US-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said Qari Ziauddin was killed on Tuesday, describing him as Taliban shadow governor in the northwestern province of Faryab. The Taliban have “shadow” administrations in all the 34 provinces of Afghanistan.
“The shadow governor was directly associated with and took direct operational orders from a Pakistan-based leader,” Isaf alleged in a statement. Intelligence officials tracked him to a remote area of Dawlat Abad district, where “after careful planning to ensure no civilians were present” it said coalition aircraft carried out an air strike.
In a subsequent shootout, Nato said, ground troops killed four militants and confirmed that Ziauddin had died during the air strike. Khalilullah Andarabi, the provincial police chief, confirmed that Ziauddin had been killed. Six of his fighters were also killed, the police commander added.
Afghan authorities said another air strike killed the Taliban shadow governor for Badghis, the neighbouring province to the west. “Mullah Ismail, the Taliban shadow governor along with four of his men were killed last night in an air strike in Bala Murghab district,” Sharafuddin Majeedi, a provincial government spokesman said. A spokesman at Isaf headquarters in Kabul, however, said he had no information on the second raid.—AFP
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/two-taliban-shadow-governors-killed-in-afghanistan-700
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A R Rahman to receive Indira Gandhi Award
Oct 7, 2010
NEW DELHI: Ace music director A R Rahman has been selected as the next recipient of the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for his contributions in promoting national unity.
Rahman, along with Ramakrishna Mission Ashram, Narainpur, Chhattisgarh, will receive the prestigious award at a function here later this year.
Read more: A R Rahman to receive Indira Gandhi Award - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/A-R-Rahman-to-receive-Indira-Gandhi-Award/articleshow/6703236.cms#ixzz11duVdbqw
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LeT steps up targeting of Indian citizens, interests in Afghanistan
Indrani Bagchi
Oct 7, 2010
NEW DELHI: Pakistan's semi-official terror group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, has increased its targeting of Indian citizens and Indian interests in Afghanistan.
Credible intelligence with the Indian government has it that LeT has in fact become the principal dispenser of instructions from Pakistan on Indian targets. Pakistan's army-ISI establishment continues to direct operations and even pay for the attacks while LeT is in charge of executing the attacks. Even though there has been no major attack against Indians since February, the attempts by Pakistan-sponsored LeT are relentless.
The recent attacks against Indians have all been orchestrated by LeT, said sources. They said that LeT sometimes teams up with the Haqqani network, but is not averse to using other terror assets against India. The fact of Indians being LeT targets was also discussed during the recent visit of CIA chief Leon Panetta.
The bottomline here, both Indian and western agencies say, is that the terror groups in Pakistan -- ranging from al-Qaida to Taliban, LeT, Tehreek-e- Taliban etc -- are bleeding into each other. No longer are there distinctions between the various groups. For instance, the Haqqanis have moved beyond their favourite north Waziristan into Pakistan's Kurram agency.
The terror groups are now working together much more than ever before, which means Pakistan can actually get many more terrorists to target Indians in Afghanistan.
The Haqqani network is Pakistan's favourite Taliban group in Afghanistan, and for the past many months Pakistan has been trying to get the Haqqanis to be part of a reconciliation package with the Afghan government and the US.
In July, even US special envoy, Richard Holbrooke, was quoted as saying, "LeT is co-equal threat along with al-Qaida. The LeT, al-Qaida and Taliban are all working closer together than ever before."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/LeT-steps-up-targeting-of-Indian-citizens-interests-in-Afghanistan/articleshow/6703304.cms#ixzz11dr1IfmJ
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Rajasthan identifies 58,000 illegal mosques, temples on govt land
Abhinav Sharma
Oct 7, 2010
JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government has pledged in court to demolish and rebuild over 58,000 illegally-constructed mosques and temples across the the state.
In reply to a PIL on illegal temples and mosques built on government land, advocate general G S Bapna filed an affidavit before the division bench of chief justice Jagadish Bhalla and justice M N Bhandari stating there are more than 58,000 mosques and temples constructed illegally on government land and are encroachments.
The government said that it has framed a policy to demolish mosques and temples, which are on roadside or are causing traffic hazards.
It has also been made clear in the policy that those structures which will be demolished will be relocated in the vicinity. However, the government has decided to regularize those temples and mosques that are not causing any traffic hazard.
It has further been stated in the policy placed before the court that henceforward the master plan of the town as well as in all the upcoming colonies, places for worship will be earmarked besides woodland and public utilities in order to regulate illegal constructions of such places of worship on public land.
According to the PIL, a single judge bench comprising Justice M N Bhandari had on January 6 taken cognizance of the temples and mosques constructed illegally on roadsides and public land. The court had then asked the authorities to explain why, despite an SC verdict on the same, public land was allowed to be encroached by persons in the name of temples and mosques and some even succeeded to get public trusts registered with the Devsthan Department.
Justice Bhandari took suo motu cognizance when a matter relating to one such temple was being argued before him.
According to the petitioner Gauri Shanker Sharma, a public trust was registered in the name of Mandir Shri Hanumaan ji Maharaaj in tehsil Thnagazi of Alwar district before the Assistant Commissioner Devasthan Department but on an objection raised by a few persons it was found that the land of the temple was situated on a government land.
When the court was inclined to reject the writ, the petitioner's counsel prayed for withdrawal of the writ.
The court though dismissed the petition of the temple trust, but it took a suo motu cognizance of the illegal encroachment on the government land in Alwar as well as in other parts of the state.
Justice Bhandari issued show cause notices to the chief secretary, secretary revenue department, commissioner devstahan department, director general police and SP Alwar city.
The court had asked the state government to reply why the Mandir Shir Hanumanji at Thanagazi, Alwar, should not be taken into possession by Devastahan Department and why had the government failed to take care of similar encroachments by way of temples and mosques on government land across the state
In the detailed reply filed on Wednesday, the advocate general G S Bapna told the bench that the government has already conducted a survey in this regard when a similar matter was being contested in Supreme Court and a detailed affidavit was also filed therein.
"We told the court that since the policy has been recently formed and the jurisdiction of the work to be carried out is entire state as such it will take time to get the desired result, hence we prayed for time to address the court's query regarding the result of implementation of the policy. A list of all the illegally constructed temples and mosques identified have also been place on record of the courd," said Bapna.
Read more: Rajasthan identifies 58,000 illegal mosques, temples on govt land - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Rajasthan-identifies-58000-illegal-mosques-temples-on-govt-land/articleshow/6702702.cms#ixzz11dtzmdi7
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Babel of voices hangs heavy over Ayodhya
Pravin Kumar
Oct 7, 2010
LUCKNOW: The Ayodhya arena continues to be a picture of muddle with disparate voices, days after the high court verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri masjid title suits. The saving grace is that most of these voices are saner.
On the positive side, despite the bitter past of the dispute, the country has remained peaceful post-verdict. Yet it remains to be seen how the chief protagonists move from here. Even Sunni Waqf Board that finally decided to challenge the verdict giving it one-third of the disputed land in the Supreme Court, it clearly said the possibility of a compromise still existed.
Since Sunday, when Hashim Ansari, the oldest plaintiff in the case, made the first move calling on influential Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad chief Mahant Gyan Das and requesting him to use his clout for settling the issue out of court, there is no dearth of calls for peace and amicable settlement. But that's all about it, no further.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Babel-of-voices-hangs-heavy-over-Ayodhya/articleshow/6703542.cms#ixzz11du6W2yr
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I'm not New Delhi's puppet, says Omar
M Saleem Pandit
Oct 7, 2010
SRINAGAR: Embattled Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday came down heavily on the Centre, blaming it for the present crisis in the Valley and for undermining his authority by issuing directives without consulting him.
''We're not New Delhi's puppets. We're here for the people and by the people,'' he said, while taking exception to Union home secretary G K Pillai's announcements on imposition and lifting of curfew from the Valley. ''It's for me, the state DGP or the chief secretary to take such decisions. The officers on the ground decide these things when they deem it fit to impose or lift curfew from any area,'' the CM said. He clarified that he was working in tandem with New Delhi to restore peace.
The beleaguered CM expressed his displeasure over New Delhi's directive last month on opening schools and colleges in the Valley and its inclusion in the Centre's eight-point formula to defuse tensions. ''I was consulted on seven out of eight points,'' he said. He said he wouldn't have allowed the directive on schools as it's a state subject.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Im-not-New-Delhis-puppet-says-Omar/articleshow/6703080.cms#ixzz11dudxjER
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Twin Qaida strikes hit Yemen
Oct 7, 2010
SANAA: Suspected al-Qaida militants attacked two western targets in Yemen on Wednesday, firing a rocket at a senior British diplomat's car and killing a Frenchman at a gas and oil installation.
The attacks bore the hallmarks of al-Qaida , which has threatened to strike against western targets and the Yemeni government, which declared war on the group's local arm after it claimed a failed attack on a US-bound airliner in December.
In London, the British foreign office said a missile was fired at a British embassy vehicle in Sanaa carrying the deputy chief of the British mission and one British embassy staff member in the vehicle suffered a minor injury.
The Frenchman died in a shooting incident inside the compound of Austrian-owned oil and gas group OMV.
France's foreign ministry said. A security source said a Yemeni guard working for a private security firm went on a shooting spree, and government forces subsequently disarmed him. Both attacks followed tightened security in the capital of the embattled country.
Read more: Twin Qaida strikes hit Yemen - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Twin-Qaida-strikes-hit-Yemen/articleshow/6703617.cms#ixzz11duqAtnJ
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Court hears Muslims’ complaints against Dutch MP
By TOBY STERLING
Oct 6, 2010
AMSTERDAM: Muslims in the Netherlands say that remarks by politician Geert Wilders have poisoned attitudes toward them, making them feel unwelcome and at risk, according to complaints disclosed at his hate speech trial Wednesday.
“My family and I no longer feel safe in the Netherlands because Mr. Wilders is continually making hateful remarks about Islamic Dutch people,” said one complaint read out by the judge. “It’s getting scary. ... Soon the kids won’t be able to say that they’re Muslim or half-Moroccan,” wrote the citizen, whose name was not released.
Dozens of similar complaints filed with public prosecutors eventually led them to file charges against Wilders, citing frequent statements he has made against Islam and Muslims.
Wilders is charged with inciting discrimination and hatred and with insulting a people on religious grounds, punishable with up to a year in jail and a fine.
Wilders, who polls suggest is the Netherlands’ most popular politician, denies any wrongdoing. He says that his opinions are protected by freedom of speech and endorsed by more than a million people who voted for him in national elections last June.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article155669.ece
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Strike in Karachi today over sectarian killings
07 Oct, 2010
KARACHI: The Sunni Wahdat Council has called for a shutter-down strike on Thursday in protest against increase in killings on sectarian grounds.
“It will be a peaceful strike and we appeal to every segment of society, regardless of their political or sectarian affiliation, to support the call,” Mufti Mohammad Naeem of Jamia Binoria Al-Almia and senior leader of the council said at a press conference here on Wednesday.
“Frequent killings of clerics are part of an evil design to spark sectarian violence in the city, but unfortunately the government and intelligence agencies are unmoved over the issue.”
Mufti Naeem also announced that funeral prayers of Maulana Mohammad Amin, who was gunned down on Tuesday night in Site area, would be held on M.A. Jinnah Road after Zohr prayers and a sit-in would be held to demand the arrest of the killers.
Maulana Amin was a senior faculty member at Jamia Binoria. “Our protest will continue till the government takes its responsibility and comes up with visible measures,” Mufti Naeem said.
The MQM condemned the killing and questioned the role of law-enforcement agencies.
The Dawn, Karachi
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Briton killed by drone ‘was to be terror chief’
07 Oct, 2010
LONDON, Oct 6: A British terror suspect killed in a drone strike in Pakistan last month was being groomed to head a new Al Qaeda splinter group in Britain tasked with attacking Europe, the BBC reported on Tuesday.
Abdul Jabbar, a British citizen living in Pakistan, was being prepared to lead the new group which was to be called the ‘Islamic Army of Great Britain’, the BBC said, citing a senior security source.
Intelligence agencies monitored a meeting of 300 militants three months ago in North Waziristan, attended by Jabbar and members of the Taliban and Al Qaeda, said the BBC.—Agencies
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/briton-killed-by-drone-was-to-be-terror-chief-700
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White House supporting Kabul contacts with Mullah Omar’s men
07 Oct, 2010
WASHINGTON, Oct 6: The White House said on Wednesday that it supports high-level talks between the Afghan government and senior Taliban representatives who also enjoy the blessing of the insurgent leader Mullah Mohammed Omar.
“We’re certainly supportive of that. Obviously, we and the Afghans have said that largely requires a renunciation of Al Qaeda, following Afghan law, and renouncing violence,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters in Washington.
“But this is something that has to be Afghan-led, and we’ve supported for quite some time,” he added.
“What about specifically Mullah Omar’s involvement? If, in fact, that’s the case, does that change the dynamic?” a journalist asked.
“Again, this is about Afghanistan and has to be done by the Afghans,” Mr Gibbs replied.
“So how would you describe the US government's involvement or role in this?” he was asked.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/white-house-supporting-kabul-contacts-with-mullah-omars-men-700
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For some, he’s an Afghan war hero, for others a killer
Oct 06 2010
Billings, Montana : Staff Sgt Calvin Gibbs called to say he did not kill Afghan civilians for the thrill of killing. Nor did he toss severed fingers at the feet of his fellow soldiers to scare them into silence.
“All he said was, ‘I don’t know where these guys are getting this stuff,’” said Eric Thomas, a childhood friend here, after speaking with Sergeant Gibbs by telephone. “Calvin Gibbs is not a murderer,” Thomas said. Many of Gibbs friends and people at Billings claimed he had only been serving his country.
Members of his unit in Afghanistan paint a devastating picture of Sergeant Gibbs, 26. He is one of five soldiers facing potential courts-martial on charges that they killed Afghan civilians for sport, planting weapons near them to fake combat situations, collecting their body parts and taking photographs posing with their corpses.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/693145/
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No UN in Kashmir until both parties ask: Ban
Oct 07 2010
United Nations : Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday said the United Nations would play a role in resolving the situation in Kashmir when India and Pakistan wanted the world body to step in.
"As far as this role of good offices is concerned, the United Nations normally takes that initiative when requested by both parties concerned," Ban told journalists during his monthly briefing at the UN Headquarters.
"India and Pakistan, they are neighbouring countries, important nations in that region -- peace and security would have important implications," he said.
Kashmir Valley has been in grip of violent protests since June.
"I regret the latest loss of life. I have been calling for an immediate end to violence and urge calm and restraint by all concerned," Ban said. "That is the position of the United Nations at this time."
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/693872/
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Pakistan is powder keg of the world: Bob Woodward
Oct 07 2010
Washington: Nuclear powered Pakistan, is home to top al Qaeda leaders and a safe haven for terrorists, is "powder keg" of the world that can blow up any moment now, investigative American journalist Bob Wooward has said.
US President Barack Obama would have to take some tough decisions in the way America handles Pakistan, he said.
"I don't want to overdramatise it, I don't want to under-dramatise it, that Pakistan could blow up. And we remember, they have 100 nuclear weapons," Woodward, author of the latest book "Obama's War", told the Charlie Rose show.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/693878/
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Pak not doing enough to eliminate terrorists: US
Oct 06 2010
Washington: Pakistan is not doing enough to combat terrorists and extremists in its restive tribal belt where some of the most wanted insurgents are hiding, says a new White House report, which also censured President Asif Ali Zardari's leadership.
"The Pakistan military continued to avoid military engagements that would put it in direct conflict with the Afghan Taliban or the al-Qaeda forces in North Waziristan," the 'Wall Street Journal' reported citing the 27-page White House report which is to be given to Congress.
The declassified report seen by the 'Journal' also expressed concerns about Pakistan's refusal to send more troops to the lawless tribal area, which is believed to be hiding some of the most wanted insurgents who are attacking American troops in Pakistan.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/693399/
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Seven workers burnt alive in Dhaka
07 Oct, 2010
DHAKA: At least seven workers were burnt alive in a shoe factory fire at South Jatrabari in the Bangladesh capital, Fire Service director general Abu Nayeem Mohammad Shahidullah said on Wednesday.
Four critically injured persons were admitted in Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s Burn Unit.
However, fire department officials confirmed that the fire was almost extinguished.
Jatrabari Police Station sub-inspector Mohammad Shaheen said the fire broke out around 5pm at Baby Solutions, a firm where adhesives were produced and shoe soles were stuck together.
Six fire fighting units had been despatched to the site.
Assistant commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Mohammad Murad Ali said, “We recovered seven bodies from the tin-shed shanty.
The bodies cannot be identified as they were severely burnt.”
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/seven-workers-burnt-alive-in-dhaka-700
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US ‘sorry’ for killing Pakistanis
By AZHAR MASOOD
Oct 6, 2010
ISLAMABAD: US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson apologized to Pakistan on behalf of the American people on Wednesday for the Sept. 30 incident which resulted in the deaths of two Pakistani Frontier Scouts as gunmen torched more than 50 tankers carrying goods for NATO soldiers.
Forty containers and oil tankers were torched in Quetta in the morning while 15 more NATO containers were attacked by gunmen in Khairabad near Nowshera later on Wednesday.
Patterson said that a joint investigation of the incident had established that the US helicopters had mistaken the Pakistani Frontier Scouts for insurgents they had been pursuing. "We extend our deepest apology to Pakistan and the families of the Frontier Scouts who were killed and injured" said the ambassador. "Pakistan's brave security forces are our allies in a war that threatens both Pakistan and the US."
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article155675.ece
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Obama voices support for talks with Taleban
Oct 6, 2010
WASHINGTON: The White House says President Barack Obama supports recent attempts by the Afghan government to negotiate peace with Taleban insurgents.
Press Secretary Robert Gibbs reiterated on Wednesday, however, that Taleban leaders must first renounce the use of violence and their support for Al-Qaeda and must pledge to respect Afghan law.
However, Gibbs declined to discuss a Washington Post report that President Hamid Karzai’s government has made contact with senior officials of the Afghan Taleban organization based in Pakistan, who represent its leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar.
Gibbs said Obama has long supported a reconciliation process, but it is up to Afghan leaders to decide whom to talk with.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article155662.ece
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Death toll from Indonesian floods nears 110
By LAODE MURSIDIN
Oct 6, 2010
TELUK WONDAMA, Indonesia: Helicopters dropped food to isolated villages and security forces helped clear debris and search for survivors as the number of people killed by floods and landslides across Asia climbed Wednesday to nearly 110.
Three-quarters of the deaths were in eastern Indonesia, where days of torrential downpours caused mud and debris to crash into hillside villages, damaging thousands of homes.
Twenty-six fatalities were reported in Vietnam.
On the nearby Chinese island of Hainan, 64,000 people had to be evacuated.
The greatest panic was caused when a river burst its banks in the hardest-hit Indonesian village of Wasior early this week, sweeping away residents in a fast-moving wall of sludge, rocks and heavy logs that left thigh-high water in its wake.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article155521.ece
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Omar Uses History For Kashmir Future
Oct 07th, 2010 - YUSUF JAMEEL | Srinagar
Chief minister Omar Abdullah asserted on Wednesday that Jammu and Kashmir has not merged with India but only acceded to it under certain conditions and under an agreement.
“The accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India has taken place but the state has not merged with the country. Hence, it can’t be placed at par with Hyderabad or Junagarh,” he said while replying to the debate on the present law and order scenario in the Valley in the state Assembly here. The CM reiterated that the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India occurred under an agreement. “We have not broken that agreement nor have we taken it back, but you have gradually demolished it and people are aggrieved and angry for this act if yours.” Mr Abdullah added, “We both were required to uphold and respect the agreement. Many say that much water has flown down the Jhelum since then. We also agree, but it is still a fact that Jammu and Kashmir’s accession to India is under an agreement and it is not a merger.”
He referred to the special provision made in the Constitution of India and said, “When we talk of autonomy we do talk of granting it under the Indian Constitution... we are not breaking Jammu and Kashmir from the rest of the country but demanding a solution under the Constitution of India.”
Full report at:
http://www.asianage.com/india/omar-uses-history-kashmir-future-121
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Sex, murder & CCTV: Prince caught beating aide
Oct 7, 2010
LONDON: Security camera footage captured a Saudi prince savagely beating his servant in a luxury hotel elevator only weeks before the aide was slain, a British prosecutor has said.
Prince Saud Abdulaziz bin Nasser al Saud is accused of murdering Bandar Abdullah Abdulaziz in a frenzied sex attack at London's Landmark Hotel on February 15. Abdulaziz was found beaten and strangled to death in the room the two shared at London's Landmark Hotel.
Prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw told London's Central Criminal Court that there was evidence of a sexual assault , including bite marks on the victim's cheeks.
Laidlaw also said there was evidence that the 34-year-old royal, whose grandfather is a brother of the current Saudi king, had abused his aide in the past , showing jurors video shot in the Landmark hotel's elevator.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/Sex-murder-CCTV-Prince-caught-beating-aide/articleshow/6703700.cms#ixzz11dv3ds7x
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TV docu to show Harry 'abducted' by Taliban
Oct 7, 2010
LONDON: A British TV channel will air a "dramatised documentary" showing prince Harry being captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan , a media report said.
'The Taking of Prince Harry' , the 90-minute film by Channel 4, will show the prince being subjected to mock executions and forced to appear in propaganda films, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Harry, third in the line of succession to the British throne, served for 10 weeks as a forward air controller in Afghanistan's Helmand province alongside the Gorkhas. However he was pulled out and flown home in February 2008 when the secret was leaked.
His presence in the country was subject to a media black-out because of worries that he could become a Taliban target if it became widely known that he had been deployed , the report said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/TV-docu-to-show-Harry-abducted-by-Taliban/articleshow/6703624.cms#ixzz11dv8BSiA
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Taliban set preconditions for formal peace talks
Oct 7, 2010
KABUL: Taliban officials have engaged in periodic, discreet contacts with Afghan and U.S. officials for months but are unwilling to move to formal peace negotiations until the U.S. agrees to a timetable for the withdrawal of all foreign troops, according to a Pakistani intelligence official and members of a newly formed Afghan peace council.
The White House said Wednesday that President Barack Obama supports attempts by the Afghan government to open peace talks with Taliban leaders, but still wants the insurgents to renounce violence and their support of al-Qaida.
However, press secretary Robert Gibbs said the United States was not taking part in any such talks. ``This is about Afghanistan,'' he said. ``It has to be done by the Afghans.''
The Washington Post reported Tuesday that secret talks aimed at ending the war in Afghanistan have begun between representatives of the Taliban and the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
The Post quoted Afghan and Arab sources as saying they believe for the first time that Taliban representatives are fully authorized to speak for the Quetta Shura, the Afghan Taliban command council based in Pakistan, and its leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar.
Nevertheless, other Pakistanis and Afghans familiar with the process insist all contacts have been limited to indirect message exchanges, using mediators who include former Taliban members. Those contacts were described as exploratory, with all sides trying to assess the other's positions.
Most of those familiar with the contacts spoke on condition of anonymity because the issue is sensitive.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Taliban-set-preconditions-for-formal-peace-talks/articleshow/6703721.cms#ixzz11dvM9UZr
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Jerusalem eyes first gate in Old City for 112 years: Report
Oct 6, 2010
Planners in Jerusalem are considering creating the first new 'gate' into the Old City in more than 100 years, the website of the Haaretz newspaper reported on October 6, 2010. The new 'gate' would take the form of an underground tunnel which would run under the Old City's southern walls between Zion Gate and the Dung Gate and lead to a car park in the Jewish quarter. (AFP Photo)
JERUSALEM: Planners in Jerusalem are considering creating the first new "gate" into the Old City in more than 100 years, the website of the Haaretz newspaper reported on Wednesday.
The gate would take the form of an underground tunnel which would run under the Old City's southern walls between Zion Gate and the Dung Gate and lead to a car park in the Jewish quarter.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Jerusalem-eyes-first-gate-in-Old-City-for-112-years-Report/articleshow/6701541.cms#ixzz11dxLOV9u
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Four wounded in Israeli raids on Gaza: witnesses, Hamas
Oct 7, 2010
GAZA CITY: Israeli warplanes staged three raids in the Gaza Strip overnight wounding four Palestinians, Hamas security officials and witnesses said Thursday.
Two people were wounded in strikes on the east and west of Gaza City and two others were hurt in a third attack on the centre of the Gaza Strip, they said.
An Israeli military spokeswoman refused to comment.
Earlier Wednesday, a rocket fired from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip hit southern Israel but no one was hurt, an Israeli army spokesman said.
Army radio said that another rocket fired at Israel fell short and landed inside the strip.
The number of rocket attacks declined sharply following Israel's massive 22-day offensive against Gaza, which ended in January 2009, and the radical Hamas movement which rules the enclave has taken steps to rein in the attacks, believed to be the work of rival factions.
However, since the start of this year militants have fired more than 120 rockets or mortar rounds into southern Israel, according to the military.
Read more: Four wounded in Israeli raids on Gaza: witnesses, Hamas - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Four-wounded-in-Israeli-raids-on-Gaza-witnesses-Hamas/articleshow/6703752.cms#ixzz11dxQKZY8
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Kabul, Taliban in secret talks: report
Oct 7, 2010
Washington: A rare window of opportunity for peace and political stability in Afghanistan might have opened up, according to a Washington Post article which reported that the Taliban and representatives of Afghan President Hamid Karzai have embarked on “secret, high-level talks” aimed at ending the war in the country.
Quoting unnamed European, Afghan and Arab sources, the article said the Taliban members were authorised to speak for the Quetta Shura, the wing of the Afghan Taliban based in the Pakistani city of Quetta.
In particular, they were said to represent Mohammad Omar, leader of the Quetta shura.
However, the sources mentioned by the Post said the groups kept out of the talks included the Haqqani network, a militant outfit in Pakistan that “U.S. intelligence considers particularly brutal”.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/10/07/stories/2010100764140700.htm
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British embassy car attacked: Frenchman shot dead in Yemen
07 Oct, 2010
SANAA, Oct 6: A British embassy car came under rocket attack in Yemen on Wednesday while a Frenchman working for an Austrian oil firm was shot dead, highlighting the growing dangers in the Arabian peninsula’s poorest nation.
Police in Sanaa said a rocket-propelled grenade targeted the car about three kilometres from the British embassy, the second attack on a British diplomatic vehicle in the city in six months.
“A British embassy vehicle was attacked at approximately 0815 local time (0515 GMT),” the British Foreign Office said in a statement.
“The vehicle was on its way to the British embassy, with five embassy staff on board. One member of staff suffered minor injuries and is undergoing treatment, all others were unhurt,” it added.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/british-embassy-car-attacked-frenchman-shot-dead-in-yemen-
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Al-Qaeda man directed Europe plot: report
07 Oct, 2010
Berlin: Younis al-Mauretani, a top Al-Qaeda leader operating from Pakistan, is behind the plot to stage Mumbai-type attacks on key European countries like the U.K., Germany and France, a media report said on Wednesday.
Ahmed Sidiqi, an Afghan-German detained in Kabul in July, has told Western investigators that Mauretani is directing the conspiracy to stage Mumbai-style attacks on European cities, CNN quoted European intelligence officials as saying.
They say Sidiqi has told interrogators that while in the tribal areas of Pakistan he met Mauretani, who was planning multiple attacks on European countries that would be similar to the strike on Mumbai in 2008.
Little is known about Mauretani, but he is thought to be from North Africa and involved with Al-Qaeda's “external operations”. He is thought to be in the tribal areas on the Pakistan-Afghan border, said the report.
According to Sidiqi, Mauritani has become Al-Qaeda's third most senior leader.
European intelligence officials say Sidiqi has revealed that Mauretani planned to come to Europe with two other Germans to prepare the attacks. The two Germans were part of the group Sidiqi travelled with from Hamburg in 2009.
One was Naamen Meziche, who was of Algerian descent, and the other was Shahab Dashti, a German-Iranian. According to Sidiqi, both were involved in the conspiracy, said a European counter-terrorism official.
The official said German authorities have begun checking Sidiqi's claims with information from another member of the Hamburg group in custody in Germany, Rami Makanesi.
There are around 40 Germans believed still to be with ‘jihadist' groups in the tribal areas of Pakistan. — PTI
http://www.hindu.com/2010/10/07/stories/2010100751710900.htm
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One year on, no progress in J&K custodial death
October 07, 2010
Mohit Kandhari | Jammu
The Government has no answers for the family of a Jammu-based businessman, which has been waiting for justice after its sole breadwinner died a year ago, allegedly following police brutality.
Exactly a year ago, Rajneesh Sharma was found hanging inside Ram Munshibagh Police
Station,
in Srinagar.
Sharma had no criminal background when was picked by the police on September 30 from Jammu in connection with the kidnapping of a girl, whom he had married on August 21, 2009. The girl, identified as Ameena Yousaf, converted to Hindusim and was renamed Anchal Sharma. She had gone against the wishes of her parents.
After her husband’s death, she ran away from Jammu to reunite with her parents and took a U-turn, apparently under pressure from her family.
Earlier, she had blamed her parents and brothers for hatching a conspiracy in connivance with local policemen to eliminate Rajneesh. She had addressed numerous Press conferences in Jammu, alleging her parents’ role behind the brutal torture that led to Rajneesh’s death in police custody.
She retracted all her statements in a Srinagar court.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/288265/One-year-on-no-progress-in-JK-custodial-death.html
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Gilani asks NA to leave Musharraf ‘to himself’
By Amir Wasim
07 Oct, 2010
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly saw a sharp division over the fate of former military ruler Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani advising legislators to leave the former president “to himself” while opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan called for his trial for abrogating the Constitution twice and working against national interests.
The sitting saw a third consecutive walkout by opposition members in as many days — this time over stoppage of funds for development of the areas affected by the 2005 earthquake.
The house passed two government bills and began a debate on an adjournment motion relating to incursion of Nato forces into Pakistan, resulting in losses of lives.
After Chaudhry Nisar made a scathing criticism of Pervez Musharraf for his reported admission that Pakistan army had trained militants to fight in Indian-held Kashmir, the prime minister said: “I have told him (the opposition leader) privately, and say it again, that it will be better to leave him (Gen Musharraf) to himself.”
But a backbencher of the prime minister’s own party, Jamshed Dasti, who apparently disagreed with Mr Gilani’s views, announced that he would register a treason case against Gen Musharraf at a police station in his hometown of Muzaffargarh on Thursday, if the Punjab chief minis- ter directed the police department to entertain his complaint.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/gilani-asks-na-to-leave-musharraf-to-himself-700
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Malik urges India to allow Mumbai probe team’s visit
By Syed Irfan Raza
07 Oct, 2010
ISLAMABAD, Oct 6: Islamabad asked New Delhi on Wednesday to allow a commission formed to investigate the Mumbai terror attacks to visit India to meet several people investigating the case there, interior ministry officials said.
The request was forwarded to India during a telephonic conversation between Interior Minister Rehman Malik and his Indian counterpart P. Chidambaram. Several matters came under discussion.
“Mr Malik informed the Indian home minister that the court in Pakistan desired that, subject to the consent of Indian authorities, the commission may visit India to testify a magistrate who recorded the statement of Ajmal Kasab, the investigating officer and post-mortem report of the terrorists killed in the attacks,” the ministry’s spokesman said.
Ten alleged terrorists had conducted a series of attacks and bomb blasts in the Indian commercial hub from Nov 26 to 29 in 2008, killing about 170 people. Nine of them were reportedly killed by Indian security personnel and the only alleged terrorist who survived was Ajmal Amir Kasab. India accused Pakistan of being involved in the attacks. The allegation was categorically rejected by the government of Pakistan. It was of the view that it might be an act of non-state actors.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/malik-urges-india-to-allow-mumbai-probe-teams-visit-700
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Two militants killed in Mohmand shootout
07 Oct, 2010
GHALANAI, Oct 6: Two militants were killed and as many injured in exchange of fire with security forces in different areas of Mohmand tribal region on Wednesday.
Local and official sources said that militants attacked a security post in Ghanam Shah area of tehsil Baizai near the Afghan border. However, security personnel manning the checkpost repulsed the attack, they said. A militant identified as Amir Nawaz was killed in exchange of fire, they added.
Another group of militants opened fire on a patrolling party of security personnel. However, the security men escaped unhurt.
A militant identified as Hamza was killed and two others wounded when security personnel returned fire.
Militants also fired rockets on Bhai Dag FC camp in tehsil Baizai. No casualty was reported in the attack.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/two-militants-killed-in-mohmand-shootout-700
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No plan to impose flood tax in KP, says Hoti
07 Oct, 2010
PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti on Wednesday ruled out imposition of flood tax in the province and said that undisputed dams should be constructed on priority basis instead of Kalabagh Dam, which was a dead issue.
Talking to journalists after distributing plot allotment letters among members of the Peshawar Press Club, the chief minister said that situation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was totally different from the three provinces as it had been badly affected both by record-breaking floods and militancy.
He added that the government could not put extra burden on poor masses by imposing flood tax.
People from various walks of life including businessmen and traders community were badly affected by terrorism, he said, adding that he can't not consider appropriate to put extra burden on poor people by imposing flood tax.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/kalabagh-dam-a-dead-issue-no-plan-to-impose-flood-tax,-says-cm-700
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Germany slams US, UK over travel warnings
07 Oct, 2010
BERLIN, Oct 6: Germanys interior minister hit out on Wednesday at travel warnings for visitors to Europe issued because of the risk of Al Qaeda attacks, saying such tactics helped “terrorists” spread fear.
“We are taking things seriously. But public accompanying music is also something that terrorists use, because they want to spread fear,” Thomas de Maiziere told radio station Deutschlandfunk.
“We are working without talking a lot.”
This week the United States, Britain, Japan and Sweden issued alert warnings of the “possible terrorist attack” by Al Qaeda and affiliated groups against their citizens travelling in Europe.
This followed reports in British and US media that said that an Al Qaeda plot to carry out attacks in Britain, France and Germany, similar to the siege in Mumbai in 2008 that killed 166 people, had been uncovered.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/germany-slams-us,-uk-over-travel-warnings-700
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Rehman offers India security for CWGs
07 Oct. 10
ISLAMABAD—Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik phoned Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram and discussed progress in the trial of Mumbai attack case.
According to a spokesman, Rehman Malik asked Chidambaram to provide Pakistan with access to the magistrate who recorded the statement of Ajmal Kasab, the investigating officer and postmortem report.
The Interior Ministry has already sent the request following the desire of the court to India through the Foreign Ministry to get access, said the spokesman, adding that Chidambaram promised to look into it and to respond soon.Both the ministers showed satisfaction on the present cooperation between Pakistan and India to assist each other in issues of mutual concern, the spokesman said.
It was also agreed that the last dossier received from India on some issues is under examination and will be responded to in due course of time.Rehman Malik Interior congratulated his Indian counterpart on holding of Commonwealth games and wished him good luck. He assured him of Pakistani government’s all-out support for maintaining law and order during the games.——Agencies
http://dailymailnews.com/1010/07/FrontPage/index.php?id=9
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Taleban step up attacks in Kandahar with blasts
By MIRWAIS KHAN
Oct 6, 2010
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan: President Hamid Karzai condemned the “enemies of Afghanistan” on Wednesday after roadside bombs killed nine people, including five children, as insurgents fight intensified NATO-led operations in the south.
Meanwhile, NATO and Afghan forces reported killing 16 militants — including a “shadow” governor of a northern province.
In the roadside bombings Tuesday night in Kandahar city, Interior Ministry said nine people were killed and 30 injured, including many police officers. The blasts targeted a police vehicle and ripped through an intersection — a day after four officers died in coordinated bombings that were also aimed at police.
Control of Kandahar, the Taleban movement’s birthplace, is seen as key to reversing Taleban momentum in the war.
Afghan and NATO forces are engaged in a major operation there, dubbed Dragon Strike, to keep insurgents from staging attacks inside the city. In response, Taleban have intensified a campaign targeting police and local officials.
On Monday, Noor Ahman, deputy mayor in Kandahar, was also killed in an insurgent attack, and later in the day, Habibullah Aghonzada, a former district chief in Arghistan, was gunned down by assailants as he prayed at a packed mosque.
NATO described the two as “dedicated public servants who sought to improve the lives of their fellow countrymen.”
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article155579.ece
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US warns Lebanon against Iranian president’s visit to south
Oct 6, 2010
WASHINGTON/DAMASCUS: The US State Department said on Tuesday it had warned the Lebanese government about the risks of a visit by Iran’s president to Lebanon next week.
Lebanese officials expect President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, a staunch ally the Lebanese group Hezbollah which dominates southern Lebanon and which the United States views as a terrorist organization, to visit Beirut on Oct. 13-14. Ahmadinejad’s visit is his first to Lebanon as president and comes at a time of greater tension in Beirut in the run up to indictments expected to be issued against Hezbollah members in the 2005 assassination of statesman Rafik Hariri.
Lebanon’s largest parliamentary bloc, the Western-backed “March 14” coalition, voiced concern last week about the visit, saying Ahmedinejad regards Lebanon as “an Iranian base on the Mediterranean.” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton raised the issue of Ahmadinejad’s proposed visit when she met Lebanese President Michel Suleiman in New York last month on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article155604.ece
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Jewish construction begins in West Bank
Oct 6, 2010
RAMALLAH: Israel has started the construction of 350 new housing units in various West Bank settlements, a report said on Wednesday.
The Israeli daily Haaretz said that bulldozers have been working furiously on the construction of the new housing units in the settlements of Talmon, Kedumim, Ariel, Karmei Tzur, Adam, Kiryat Arba, Nariya, Matityahu, Nili, Oranit, Sha'arei Tikvah, Revava, Yakir, Elazar, Kochav Hashachar, Barkan, Kfar Adumim, Tekoa and Dolev.
The development came 10 days after the construction freeze in West Bank settlements expired and two days before the Arab League Follow-up Committee will convene in Libya to discuss the latest developments of peace talks.
The Palestinian leadership on Saturday decided not to continue direct peace talks with Israel unless the latter freezes building works in Jewish settlements that dot the west Bank and Jerusalem.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared recently that he will make his final decision on the fate of direct negotiations with Israel after the Follow-up Committee 's meeting in Libya.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article155611.ece
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Freedom flotilla to set sail for Gaza again Muaz Shabandri
7 October 2010
In an attempt to channel aid to Gaza through the sea, the Free Gaza Movement will launch a second Freedom flotilla operation by the end of this year.
Undeterred by the Israeli army’s attack on the first flotilla fleet, the second attempt will be even bigger, according to the organisers.
Speaking to Khaleej Times on the sidelines of a special programme hosted at the Dubai School of Government (DSG), Adam Shapiro, one of the organisers of the Free Gaza Movement, said: “It is going to be a peace mission with an even bigger participation. We aim to include civilian organisations from individual countries with us.”
A direct response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the peace mission hopes to deliver essential aid items with special emphasis on developing green technology for Gaza civillians.
Huwaida Arraf, Chair — Free Gaza movement, says, “It would be great to have a boat set sail from the UAE and we welcome the people of the UAE to participate with us in this peace mission.”
The Gaza Freedom Flotilla, comprising more than ten ships, is being organised for a second time to break Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
“We will continue to mount pressure through the international community as we hope for a peaceful resolution of the conflict,” added Arraf.
muaz@khaleejtimes.com
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/October/theuae_October173.xml§ion=theuae
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S.Korea to suspend Iranian bank as part of sanctions
7 October 2010
SEOUL — South Korea will suspend the operations of an Iranian bank for two months, financial regulators said Thursday, as part of international sanctions over Tehran’s suspected nuclear weapons programme.
The Seoul branch of Bank Mellat will be suspended from October 11 for violating laws on foreign exchange transactions, the Financial Services Commission said.
“Its operations in Seoul will remain virtually paralysed as most of its business is related to foreign exchange transactions,” a commission official told AFP.
Bank Mellat is one of Iran’s biggest lenders and its Seoul branch is its only operation outside the Middle East and Europe.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/October/international_October258.xml§ion=international
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South Lebanon eager to see Ahmadinejad at Israel's doorstep
07 Oct, 2010
KFAR KILA: Residents of southern Lebanon are brimming with excitement ahead of a visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is expected to tour the border area with his arch-enemy Israel in a message of defiance.
“I can't wait to see Ahmadinejad get close to the barbed wire and show the Israelis that he has them by the throat,” said Abdullah, of the border village of Kfar Kila, who refused to give his real name.
“Can you imagine? He is going to stand barely a metre (yard) from Israel and that's so symbolic,” added Abdullah, who runs a restaurant at Fatima Gate, just beyond the border fence between the two countries.
The Iranian leader's visit to Lebanon October 13 and 14 is at the invitation of his counterpart Michel Sleiman.
The official first day of the trip, his first to Lebanon since he became president, is expected to proceed smoothly.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/35-south-lebanon-eager-to-see-ahmadinejad-at-israels-doorstep-ak-03
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=3507
9:43 PM
Moderate Islamist here
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