Rethinking Islam with Sultan Shahin

Islamic World News
08 Oct 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com
14 die in Karachi suicide hits

In Makkah, tenants are forced to vacate during Ramadan, Haj

German militants training in Pakistani border area

Interpol red corner notice against five Pakistanis

Ahmadinejad thanks Pope for condemning Quran burning

Taliban set preconditions for formal peace talks

Afghan contractors fund Taliban, says US Senate report

Delhi Imam says Cong muzzling the Muslims

Shia personal law board favours mediation on Ayodhya verdict

Can court decide on matters of faith, belief, asks CPM

UN rules out Kashmir role

BJP condemns Omar's remarks

Haqqanis in direct talks with Kabul, indirect contact with US

Pakistan doesn't reopen border despite US apology

Pak's main threat 'failure' of governance, not India: Musharraf

Strong quake strikes waters off eastern Indonesia

Dutch PM-elect forms government backed by anti-Islam MP

No excuses for inaction against terror: US tells Pak

Obama accused of inflating Europe terror threat for political gain

Blast kills Afghan provincial head

Mullen condoles NATO attack deaths with Gen Kayani

Drone strikes could backfire in long-term

Pak border situation difficult, complex: US

Palestinians killed in Israeli raid

US offers incentives to extend settlement freeze: Israeli

Abbas seeks Arab League backing

UN says civilian working for peacekeepers abducted in Darfur

India awaits formal Pak proposal for 26\11 Commission

Drone strikes a violation of sovereignty, says FO

Fresh attack kills 4

IMF calls for debate on reforms in Pakistan

Palestinians find work in settlements

Chinese, Afghan activists lead race for Peace Nobel

Europe offers trade-tied aid to Pakistan, suspends import duties

Israel wants US to honour Bush pledge

GACA, EgyptAir resolve differences

Gunmen kill 4 police in Iran's Kurdish area

Compile by New Age Islam News Bureau

Photo: Blast site of Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s shrine

URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=3510

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14 die in Karachi suicide hits

From Mohammad Tariq

KARACHI—At least 14 people, including women and children, were killed and more than 90 injured in two suicide bombings on the premises of Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s shrine late Thursday evening.

Police have found the heads of the suicide bombers and cordoned off the site after the hits. Emergency was declared in the city’s major hospitals. Bilawal House is near the shrine, and earlier rumours had it that it has been struck.

The first blast took place at the walk-through gate and the second blast occurred within the next few minutes outside the office of the Manager Auqaf on the shrine premises.

More than 90 injured including women and children were taken to Jinnah Post-Graduate Medical Centre and other hospitals. Following the attacks, security was beefed up across the city, especially at shrines, and all shrines were closed on the orders of Sindh’s Home Minister.

Describing the deadly scene, eyewitnesses said that just after the evening prayers, two young boys in the ages of 18 exploded themselves. Nine bodies were and the heads of the bombers were shifted to Jinnah Hospital where Director Dr Seemi Jamali personally supervised the emergency department. Earlier there were rumours that Bilawal House had been attacked. Security has been further tightened around Bilawal House and Bilawal Chowrangi where President Zardari is staying these days.

The deadly incident spread panic in the city as hundreds of ambulances hooted through the main roads in their bid to reach to the blast site near the Arabian Sea. Eyewitnesses said thousands of people were on the premises of the Mazar, including women, children and men of all ages. Thursday attracts huge crowds as the Langar (free meal) also attracts a large number of people. Sindh Home Minister Zulfikar Mirza and senior police officials visited the site and sympathised with the victims. They appealed to the people to remain calm as the government would provide them all possible medical facilities. The situation in the city is tense and heavy contingents of Rangers and police are posted around the Mazar while in the city and on the major roads, security has been further beefed up.

President Asif Ali Zardari said he condemned the incident “in the strongest possible terms”.He blamed the attacks on “those who want to impose an extremist mindset and lifestyle upon our country”, but said the government would not be deterred.

“We remain committed to fighting these murderers and expelling them from our land,” he said.

TWO DIE IN FIRING INCIDENTS:

In separate incidents of killings by firing in Karachi, two people, including a police inspector, were killed, while two were injured.According to details, Sub-Inspector Muhabbat Khan Niazi of Docks Thana was killed by three armed persons, Javed Niazi, Saddam Niazi and unknown accomplices, while the deceased was reading newspapers at his nephew’s shop.

Meanwhile, unknown motorcyclists killed an unidentified 22-year-old youth in Gulberg area, while in another firing incident, two persons were injured; 28-year-old Zaheer was injured in Orangi Town, while 30-year-old Nauman was wounded in Korangi Town.Both have been admitted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for medical treatment.

Agencies add: Law enforcement agencies have been deployed at sensitive places including Bibi Pak Daman’s shrine and Data Darbar in Lahore. Visitors are not allowed entry to Bibi Pak Daman’s shrine.

http://dailymailnews.com/1010/08/FrontPage/index.php?id=1

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In Makkah, tenants are forced to vacate during Ramadan, Haj

By BADEA ABU AL-NAJA

Oct 8, 2010

MAKKAH: The holy city of Makkah is considered one of the most densely populated cities in the Kingdom, bustling with people throughout the year after the Umrah season was extended to nine months.

The landlords promptly took advantage of the situation, making more money through introducing what is known as a "seasonal renting" system.

With this new system, Makkah now offers three kinds of rent, including a rent for students, a seasonal rent that allows landlords to rent out properties to pilgrims and visitors during Ramadan and Haj, as well as the normal yearly rent, which is very expensive.

enting out to students means the property is empty during the school mid-year and summer vacations.

After the school semester, which is three months, the landlord will rent out the property to pilgrims and visitors to make more money.

As part of a seasonal rent agreement, the landlord will ask tenants to vacate the property during the months of Ramadan and Haj and come back afterward. During this time, he will also rent out to pilgrims and visitors.

The yearly rent agreement is very expensive because landlords are keen to make up for the windfall they would otherwise lose out on during Ramadan and Haj.

A number of residents in Makkah complained to Arab News about the high rent in Makkah. "The rent consumes my entire salary," one of them said.

Ali Fallatah, a Saudi tenant, said he has been living in rented apartments for more than 15 years as he does not have a house of his own.

"Rents are increasing every year because of ongoing development in the Holy City," he said. He claimed that about a decade ago, annual rent would not exceed SR10,000, but it is now in excess of SR25,000.

According to him, landlords used to hunt for tenants because they were scarce. "Now the landlords are virtually fighting with us to vacate their buildings so they can rent them out at much higher prices during the Umrah and Haj seasons," he said.

Fallatah said the landlords make more money during Ramadan and Haj than they make during the rest of the year. "They do not only make much money, but their buildings are also left empty and clean," he added.

Hussain Ayidh, another Saudi tenant, said his problems with securing accommodation started three years ago when he got married. "I accepted an apartment in a building on condition that I vacated it by the end of Dhul Qada (the month before the Haj season starts) and return to it at the beginning of Muharram," he said.

Ayidh said although he was paying SR25,000 for his annual rent, the landlord would bluntly ask him to vacate the apartment during the Haj season and come back after it was over.

He said all tenants agreed to the landlord’s conditions but asked him to give each of them a room to keep their furniture. "We were surprised this year when he asked us to leave before the start of Ramadan so that he could rent out his building to pilgrims and visitors," he said.

Ayidh said all the tenants had to live in furnished apartments until Ramadan and Haj was over. "We suffer greatly because the rent for furnished apartments is very high and also because much of our furniture gets damaged while we move back and forth," he added.

Ali Tankar said tenants had no option but to give in to landlords who exploit the need for accommodation.

"The landlords took advantage of the scarcity of buildings available for rent and started imposing difficult conditions on tenants, who were forced to accept them. We had no choice because we would not know where else to go," he said.

Ayidh said he pays an annual rent of SR20,000 for his apartment, which he has to vacate from the beginning of Ramadan until the end of Haj.

"During this period I will pay between SR4,500 and SR6,000 for a furnished apartment, which is not usually well-furnished. When you add this to the cost of my annual rent, I am paying at least SR26,000 for my accommodation," he said.

Tenants urged authorities to step in and stop this trend before it is too late.

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article156325.ece

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German militants training in Pakistani border area

October 08, 2010

The video at first seems like many others filmed in Pakistan's tribal areas: The bearded militant sits cross-legged on the floor, an AK-47 propped against the wall behind him. But as he applauds his three companions' decision to join jihad, the words come out in fluent German: "Wir sind die Soldaten Allahs," he says "We are the soldiers of Allah."

Between 15 and 40 Germans and a smaller contingent of other Europeans are believed to be getting militant training in Pakistan's lawless border region, intending to join the Taliban's fight against NATO forces in neighbouring Afghanistan or return to Europe and strike at the soft underbelly of those countries. Their presence has attracted fresh scrutiny after a European terror warning based on information from a German-Afghan captured in Afghanistan, and a CIA drone strike on Tuesday that allegedly killed eight German militants in North Waziristan an Al Qaeda and Taliban hub that the Pakistani army has so far left largely alone. The German speaker in the jihad video, Mounir Chouka, is one of two Bonn-born brothers of Moroccan background well known for appearances in videos made by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan apparently aimed at recruiting more militants from Germany. The clip appeared on a militant website earlier this summer, a nearly 40-minute video telling new recruits of the legitimacy of jihad, or holy war."

http://www.dailypioneer.com/288362/German-militants-training-in-Pakistani-border-area.html

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Interpol red corner notice against five Pakistanis

Jiby Kattakayam

NEW DELHI: Interpol has issued red corner notices against five Pakistani nationals, including two serving Army officers, for their alleged role in plotting terror attacks in India including the 26/11 Mumbai strike.

The notices have been issued against Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives Sajid Majid and Syed Abdur Rehman Hashim, Major Iqbal, Major Sameer Ali, and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami chief Ilyas Kashmiri.

http://www.hindu.com/2010/10/08/stories/2010100859660100.htm

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Ahmadinejad thanks Pope for condemning Quran burning

Oct 7, 2010

In a letter to Pope Benedict XVI, the Iran President has thanked him for condemning aUS pastor's threat to burn the Quran on 9/11 anniversary.

TEHRAN: Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has written a letter to Pope Benedict XVI thanking him for condemning an American pastor's threat to burn the Quran on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

"I thank you for your stance in condemning the unwise act of a church in Florida, America, in insulting the word of God which hurt the hearts of millions of Muslims," Ahmadinejad said in the letter which was posted on the website of his office.

Ahmadinejad told the pontiff that there was a "need for a close cooperation of divine religions to restrict destructive moves such as ignoring of religious teachings, influencing people to be materialistic which were eroding human societies, especially families and the young generation."

The letter was delivered yesterday to the pontiff himself by the Iranian Vice President in charge of parliamentary affairs Mohammad Reza Mirtajodini.

The pope last month denounced pastor Terry Jones' threat to burn the Muslim holy book.

"I pray for the victims and I ask respect for religious freedom and that the logic of reconciliation and peace prevail over hatred and violence," the pontiff said at the Vatican.

Jones cancelled the plan to burn Qurans after enormous pressure from world leaders including US President Barack Obama. But the mere threat to burn the Muslim holy book sparked riots and protests around the world.

On the eve of the planned destruction of the Qurans, Ahmadinejad had said the plan was part of a "Zionist plot" that would end up in the speedy "annihilation" of Israel. (AFP) DBR NSA 10071559 NNNN

Read more: Ahmadinejad thanks Pope for condemning Quran burning - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/worldarticlelist/articleshow/6706655.cms#ixzz11jmGl726

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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#ixzz11jnVO8qG

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Afghan contractors fund Taliban, says US Senate report

Oct 8, 2010

WASHINGTON: Heavy US reliance on private security in Afghanistan has helped to line the pockets of the Taliban because contractors often do not vet local recruits and wind up hiring warlords and thugs, Senate investigators said on Thursday.

The finding, in a report by the Senate Armed Services Committee, follows a separate congressional inquiry in June that concluded trucking contractors pay tens of millions of dollars a year to local warlords for convoy protection.

Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate panel, said he is worried the United States is unknowingly fostering the growth of Taliban-linked militias at a time when Kabul is struggling to recruit its own soldiers and police officers.

"Almost all are Afghans. Almost all are armed," Levin, a Democrat, said of the fleet of young men working under US contracts.

"We need to shut off the spigot of US dollars flowing into the pockets of warlords and power brokers who act contrary to our interests and contribute to the corruption that weakens the support of the Afghan people for their government," he said.

The Defense Department does not necessarily disagree but warns that firing the estimated 26,000 private security personnel operating in Afghanistan in the near future is not practical.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Afghan-contractors-fund-Taliban-says-US-Senate-report/articleshow/6710684.cms#ixzz11jmAp5Lw

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Delhi Imam says Cong muzzling the Muslims

By A. M. Jigeesh in New Delhi

THE ALL India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) is yet to take a final decision on filing an appeal in the Supreme Court against the Ayodhya verdict delivered by the Allahabad High Court.

But a section of the Muslim leaders alleged on Thursday that Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh was putting pressure on some board members and clerics to keep mum on the judgment.

At a meeting of maulvis and representatives of ulemas, Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari claimed that the Congress was backing communal forces on the issue.

Bukhari said Singh had asked senior Muslim clerics and AIMPLB members that no stand should be taken against the Ayodhya verdict.

“Ahead of the verdict, Singh camped in Lucknow. He met many leaders of the community, including AIMPLB members. Many of them later told me that he was putting pressure on them to keep silent on the Ayodhya verdict,” Bukhari said after the meeting.

However, the Congress denied the allegation, with Singh himself saying: “I completely deny this.” Bukhari said the judges who delivered the verdict were under pressure from the government and the Congress. “ The Congress is playing the Hindu card. There was pressure on the judges,” Bukhari told mediapersons.

Full report at: Mail Today

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Shia personal law board favours mediation on Ayodhya verdict

Oct 7, 2010

Tags:ayodhya verdict|all india shia personal law board|aisplb president maulana mirza mohammad athar

MUZAFFARNAGAR: All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) has said that Muslims would respect the verdict of the Supreme Court on Ayodhya title suit issue and appealed the community to maintain peace.

Favouring initiation of talks between the two communities involved, AISPLB President Maulana Mirza Mohammad Athar said, "The Muslims would respect the verdict as such but initiating negotiations through talks and mediation is a right direction."

He said the Supreme Court is the last hope for all the parties and people should ensure that peace and communal harmony in the country is not disturbed.

Read more: Shia personal law board favours mediation on Ayodhya verdict - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Shia-personal-law-board-favours-mediation-on-Ayodhya-verdict/articleshow/6705513.cms#ixzz11jm2bxIR

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Can court decide on matters of faith, belief, asks CPM

Oct 8, 2010

NEW DELHI: Persisting with its criticism of the Ayodhya ruling by the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court, CPM on Thursday said the Supreme Court would have to deliver justice since the Babri Masjid existed for 400 years while the HC relied on the faith that Lord Ram was born in the disputed site.

"The truth is that the Babri Masjid existed for over four centuries. The High Court relied on the 'faith' of the people who believe that Lord Ram was born at this very spot," party leader Sitaram Yechury wrote in an editorial in the party weekly, People's Democracy. "The Supreme Court will now have to deliver justice upholding people's faith in the rule of law," he said. Yechury also demanded that justice be delivered on the separate legal proceedings pending on cases relating to the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

Maintaining that the rule of law cannot be based on faith, he said the HC dismissed the title deed petitions and delivered the judgement directing a three-way division of land "based more on faith and belief".

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Can-court-decide-on-matters-of-faith-belief-asks-CPM/articleshow/6709818.cms#ixzz11joxEgsQ

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UN rules out Kashmir role

Oct 8, 2010

UNITED NATIONS: Secretary general Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday the United Nations would play a role in resolving the situation in Kashmir only when both India and Pakistan wanted it 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.

The 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."

While India maintains that Kashmir is an internal matter, Pakistan asserts that it is on the UN docket and has been calling for international intervention.

Read more: UN rules out Kashmir role - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/UN-rules-out-Kashmir-role/articleshow/6710151.cms#ixzz11joVztxO

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BJP condemns Omar's remarks

Oct 8, 2010

NEW DELHI: Opposition BJP on Thursday described Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah's remarks in the state assembly about Kashmir's accession to India as "shameful, regretful and suspicious" and alleged that it was an attempt by him to divert attention from his own "failures". The party also demanded a reply from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on whether Omar should continue as CM after having made remarks that were "worse than those made by separatists" so far.

"Omar Abdullah's statement in the assembly is shameful, regretful and suspicious that seeks to create anxiety. Nobody has given him the right to raise questions on Jammu and Kashmir being an integral part of India," BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said reacting to Omar's remarks in the J&K assembly on Wednesday.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/BJP-condemns-Omars-remarks/articleshow/6709882.cms#ixzz11jomL6g3

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Haqqanis in direct talks with Kabul, indirect contact with US

By Julian Borger and Declan Walsh

08 Oct, 2010

KABUL, Oct 7: Hamid Karzai’s government held direct talks with senior members of the Haqqani clan over the summer, according to well-placed Pakistani and Arab sources. The US contacts have been indirect, through a western intermediary, but have continued for more than a year.

The Afghan and US talks were described as extremely tentative.

The Haqqani network has a reputation for ruthlessness and has close ties with Al Qaeda. But Kabul and Washington have come to the conclusion that they cannot be excluded if an enduring peace settlement is to be reached.

A senior western official said the US now considered the Haqqani network to be more powerful than the Quetta Shura, the 15-man leadership council headed by the Taliban’s leader, Mullah Omar. “The Quetta Shura is still important but not as much as people thought two years ago... . Now the military threat comes from the Haqqanis,” the official said.

Full report at:

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/haqqanis-in-direct-talks-with-kabul,-indirect-contact-with-us-800

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Pakistan doesn't reopen border despite US apology

Oct 7, 2010

Pakistani paramilitary soldiers stand guard beside burnt out NATO supplies fuel tankers a day after an attack by Taliban in Quetta on October 7, 2010. (AFP Photo)

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said Thursday it has not decided when to reopen a key border crossing NATO uses to ship supplies to Afghanistan despite a U.S. apology for a helicopter attack that killed two Pakistani soldiers.

A suspected US missile strike, meanwhile, killed three people in a north-western Pakistan tribal region along the border, the latest in a surge of such attacks on militant strongholds, intelligence officials said.

Both the US and NATO expressed their condolences Wednesday for the Sept. 30 attack and said American helicopters mistook the Pakistani soldiers for insurgents being pursued across the border from Afghanistan.

The apologies raised expectations that the Torkham border crossing along the famed Khyber Pass could reopen very soon. But Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said at a news conference Thursday that authorities were still evaluating the situation and would make a decision ``in due course.''

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistan-doesnt-reopen-border-despite-US-apology/articleshow/6707280.cms#ixzz11jmieYg6

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Pak's main threat 'failure' of governance than India: Musharraf

Oct 8, 2010

LONDON: Dubbing his political detractors as "cowards," Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has said that the greatest threat his country is facing today is "failure" of governance than India or Taliban.

"I would say, failure of governance is the greatest threat today," Musharraf, who has announced his return to active Pakistani politics from London where he has been living in self-imposed exile since the general election of 2008, said.

The wily commando-turned-politician said the immediate necessity on the ground in Pakistan is a "functional governance structure free of corruption".

In an interview here to Indian publication 'The Week,' Musharraf said the current Pakistan People's Party-led government has failed to effectively govern the country.

"The PPP government has failed to do so. Nawaz Sharif came to power twice but could not do anything productive because he is actually brainless," Musharraf said.

His remarks came amid criticism of the PPP-led government for its inept handling of the catastrophic floods and corruption.

Asked if he planned to return to Pakistan, the 67-year-old Musharraf said he would as soon as election is announced.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Paks-main-threat-failure-of-governance-than-India-Musharraf/articleshow/6713404.cms#ixzz11lXKPNav

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Strong quake strikes waters off eastern Indonesia

Oct 8, 2010

JAKARTA: A strong offshore earthquake has shaken parts of eastern Indonesia.

The country's geophysics agency says no tsunami warning was issued after Friday's quake, which struck off the Maluku islands, and there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The US Geological Survey put the preliminary magnitude of the quake at 6.3.

The temblor struck 145 miles (235 kilometre) from the town of Ternate and 90 miles (144 kilometre) beneath the ocean floor.

Indonesia straddles a series of fault lines that make the vast island nation prone to volcanic and seismic activity.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Strong-quake-strikes-waters-off-eastern-Indonesia/articleshow/6712749.cms#ixzz11lXixYzz

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Dutch PM-elect forms government backed by anti-Islam MP

Oct 8, 2010

Dutch Prime Minister-elect Mark Rutte on Friday started work to forge a new rightist, minority government that will rely heavily on the support of anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders.

With Wilders support expected to come at the cost of a burqa ban and a halving of immigration, Rutte met his future vice-premier, Maxime Verhagen, leader of the Christian Democratic CDA, in The Hague.

Some analysts, however, predicted that the government headed by Rutte's rightist pro-business VVD party, which narrowly won June 9 general elections, would be short-lived.

Rutte would meet colleagues over the coming days in order to form his 20-strong cabinet comprising half VVD members and half CDA.

"There is no stability," University of Amsterdam politics professor Paul Scheffer told AFP of the first minority cabinet since 1918. "I don't expect the cabinet will last longer than six months to a year."

Dutch Queen Beatrix on Thursday night cleared Rutte to form a VVD-CDA government that has 52 seats out of 150 in the Dutch lower house of parliament. He said he hoped to complete the task within a week.

As a result of a deal struck with the controversial Wilders last week, his Party for Freedom (PVV) will remain outside of government but throw its 24 parliamentary seats behind the VVD-CDA coalition to enable it to pass decisions through parliament.

In return, the PVV will get a say in policy-making.

Observers said Friday the new power wielded by Wilders will test the Netherlands' reputation for multi-cultural tolerance.

Full report at:

http://www.expatica.com/nl/news/dutch-news/dutch-pm-elect-forms-government-backed-by-anti-islam-mp_101827.html

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No excuses for inaction against terror: US tells Pak

October 08, 2010

Asking Pakistan to do more against extremist elements, the US has said the "status quo" in the country's restive tribal areas is unacceptable and that there cannot be "excuses" for not taking action against militants at the Af-Pak border. White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs said the US

acknowledges that the situation in the Taliban-infested region is difficult and complex but insisted that status quo is not acceptable.

"... the status quo being where we are now also isn't acceptable, which you saw in some of the reporting that went to Capitol Hill in the last few days," Gibbs said referring to the White House report sent to the Congress this week that was highly critical of Pakistan's inaction against terrorism in the region.

Amidst reports of increased tensions between the US and Pakistan over a cross-border NATO air strike that killed two Pakistani soldiers, Washington has apologised to Islamabad for the incident.

Full report at:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/No-excuses-for-inaction-against-terror-US-tells-Pak/H1-Article1-609925.aspx

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Obama accused of inflating Europe terror threat for political gain

08 Oct, 2010

LONDON: A US terror alert issued this week about Al Qaeda plots to attack targets in western Europe was

politically motivated and not based on credible new information, senior Pakistani diplomats and European intelligence officials have told the Guardian.

The non-specific US warning, which despite its vagueness led Britain, France and other countries to raise their overseas terror alert levels, was an attempt to justify a recent escalation in US drone and helicopter attacks inside

Pakistan that have “set the country on fire”, said Wajid Shamsul Hasan, the high commissioner to Britain.

Mr Hasan, a veteran diplomat who is close to PresidentAsif Zardari, suggested the Obama administration was playing politics with the terror threat before next month’s mid-term congressional elections, in which the Republicans are expected to make big gains.

He also alleged President Obama was reacting to pressure to demonstrate that his Afghan strategy and this year’s troop surge, which are unpopular with the American public, were necessary.

“I will not deny the fact that there may be internal political dynamics, including the forthcoming mid-term American elections. If the Americans have definite information about terrorists and Al Qaeda people, we should be provided [with] that and we could go after them ourselves,” Mr Hasan said.

Full report at:

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/obama-accused-of-inflating-europe-terror-threat-for-political-gain-800

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Blast kills Afghan provincial head

08 Oct 2010

The governor of Kunduz province has been killed along with many others in a huge explosion at a mosque in northern Afghanistan, according to an Afghan official.

Mohammad Omar, the Kunduz governor, was inside the mosque at the time of the blast, said Abdul Jabar Taqwa, the governor of Takhar province, where the attack occurred.

The blast occurred during Friday prayers at the Shirkat mosque in Taluqan, the main city of Takhar.

Omar may have been the target, Taqwa said.

"We believe a bomb was set up in the mosque to kill the governor," he told the Associated Press news agency.

Shah Jahan Noori, Takhar's police chief, told the AFP news agency: "There was a blast in the mosque. The governor, the imam, altogether 15 people have been killed."

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/10/2010108101226418853.html

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Mullen condoles NATO attack deaths with Gen Kayani

08 Oct, 2010

ISLAMABAD: US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen on Thursday expressed his condolences for the deaths and injuries of Pakistani soldiers, involved in the September 30 border incident with Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

“I want to send my most sincere condolences for the regrettable loss of your soldiers near the border with Afghanistan. The death of our soldiers in combat is always tragic, but under these circumstances, it is even more difficult to accept,” Mullen said in a letter addressed to Kayani. Mullen stays in regular contact with Kayani and had visited Pakistan around 20 times since he became Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in October 2007.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\10\08\story_8-10-2010_pg1_5

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Drone strikes could backfire in long-term

08 Oct, 2010

ISLAMABAD: Escalated drone attacks in the tribal areas, could hurt the US war on militancy by alienating residents and hardline army officers.

Such strikes... could jeopardise US strategic interests in what is considered to be a global hub for terrorists. “It seems Americans want short-term gains and are not interested in long-term ways through which militants can be sidelined by turning the public against them,” said Rahimullah Yousafzai, an expert on militancy.

A rare public opinion poll conducted in the tribal areas by the New America Foundation showed US drone strikes were deeply unpopular among the population, now likely to have stronger objections after wider strikes.

That’s good news for al Qaeda.

Full report at:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\10\08\story_8-10-2010_pg1_6

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Pak border situation difficult, complex: US

08 Oct 2010

WASHINGTON — The United States Thursday admitted the situation in Pakistani tribal areas was “difficult and complex”.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs habitually declines to comment on the strikes by unmanned drone aircraft armed with missiles, believed to be carried out by the CIA, and did not immediately respond directly to Basit’s remarks. But despite current elevated tensions, as the Afghan war moves into its 10th year, he praised Pakistan’s role in the US anti-terror campaign.

“We understand the situation is difficult and complex. We are heartened by the activities that the government of Pakistan has undertaken to put Al-Qaeda under the type of pressure in the tribal areas that it has never faced before.”

The US military’s top officer on Thursday said the United States remained committed to tracking down Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in an interview that Al-Qaeda had been weakened in the past two to three years and predicted that the network’s top two leaders eventually would be hunted down. He said that “it would certainly be significant if we were to find and kill Bin Laden or Zawahiri. We are seeking to do that. “I actually believe that some point in time it will happen.”

Full report at:

http://dailymailnews.com/1010/08/FrontPage/index.php?id=5

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Palestinians killed in Israeli raid

08 Oct 2010

Israeli raid on West Bank city leaves at least two people dead and several others injured

At least two Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Hebron.

The deaths occurred following an early morning raid on Friday on a house in the Old City of Hebron, Al Jazeera's Nour Odeh, reporting from the West Bank city of Ramallah, confirmed.

"Eyewitnesses have confirmed two Palestinians have been killed; there are also reports of several injuries and several people having been detained," she said.

Odeh said that Hamas confirmed that the two killed are Nash'aat Al-Karmi, a senior military commander and Mamoun Al-Natshe, a local commander in Hebron.

"The Hamas military wing has called this a murderous attack and has avowed revenge," she said.

Full report at:

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/10/20101087303530816.html

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US offers incentives to extend settlement freeze: Israeli

Oct 8, 2010

WASHINGTON: Israel's ambassador to Washington today said the United States has offered Israel incentives in return for extending a freeze on settlements to help keep the Palestinians in peace talks.

"The administration has come back to Israel with a number of suggestions, incentives if you would, to the Israelis that would enable the government to maybe pass a limited extension of two or three months," Ambassador Michael Oren told the Washington Post.

The Palestinians have pledged to carry through on their frequently repeated threat to quit the month-old direct peace talks with Israel, if the Jewish state fails to extend a settlement freeze that expired September 26.

On the eve of an Arab League meeting in Libya where the Palestinians were due to make a final decision, Oren said "by Friday we will have a clearer picture" of what is happening.

The White House last week denied reports that US President Barack Obama had written a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that offered Israel incentives in exchange for a 60-day extension of the moratorium on settlement building in the West Bank.

Read more: US offers incentives to extend settlement freeze: Israeli - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/US-offers-incentives-to-extend-settlement-freeze-Israeli/articleshow/6709602.cms#ixzz11jmPVMi8

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UN says civilian working for peacekeepers abducted in Darfur

Oct 8, 2010

KHARTOUM: A civilian with the joint UN- African Union UNAMID peacekeeping force was kidnapped by gunmen in Sudan's El Fasher in Darfur as a UN Security Council delegation visited the town, UN officials said.

"A member of the peacekeeping force has been kidnapped in El Fasher," a UN official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

UNAMID spokesman Kemal Saiki yesterday confirmed to AFP that an expatriate civilian working for the force had been abducted at nightfall in El Fasher, historic capital of Sudan's troubled western region.

"Four armed men burst into a UNAMID residence building. Two people inside were tied up and another two were obliged to follow the gunmen in a UNAMID vehicle.

"As the vehicle was leaving, one UNAMID employee was able to flee. The other is still missing," Saiki said, adding that the incident took place in the centre of the town and not on the UN base where the senior delegation was.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/UN-says-civilian-working-for-peacekeepers-abducted-in-Darfur-/articleshow/6709922.cms#ixzz11jmcX0Yn

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India awaits formal Pak proposal for 26\11 Commission

Oct 8, 2010

NEW DELHI: India is treading cautiously over Pakistan's proposal to send a Commission to interview the magistrate, who recorded 26/11 gunman Ajmal Kasab's statement, and the investigating officer of the case as New Delhi is still awaiting a formal communication from Islamabad.

"The Union home ministry would like to examine the Pakistani proposal and respond after consulting legal experts. We are awaiting for a formal communication from Pakistan," a top government official said.

India may seek clarifications from Pakistan on what exactly the Commission would do if it is allowed access to the additional chief metropolitan magistrate R V Sawant Waghule and IO Ramesh Mahale.

The issue figured in the telephonic conversation between home minister P Chidambaram and Pakistani interior minister Rehman Malik on Wednesday.

Malik raised the issue in the wake of an anti-terrorism court seeking a clarification from the Pakistani government on whether it has received permission from Indian authorities for the Commission to travel to India.

Read more: India awaits formal Pak proposal for 26\11 Commission - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-awaits-formal-Pak-proposal-for-2611-Commission/articleshow/6709832.cms#ixzz11jotuHWc

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Drone strikes a violation of sovereignty, says FO

By Baqir Sajjad Syed

08 Oct, 2010

ISLAMABAD, Oct 7: The American apology on the violation of Pakistani airspace by Isaf helicopters and the deaths of Pakistani border guards may have healed a bruised national ego, but on Thursday it brought into the limelight the government’s half-hearted criticism of drone attacks.

Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit had to face a volley of questions at the weekly media briefing from a host of reporters who were all interested in finding out why the government stayed so quiet on drone attacks that targeted Pakistani citizens.

The question on everybody’s lips is: Why couldn’t the government have protested in a similarly strong manner the drone strikes in the tribal areas that have been killing people since 2004?

There have been so far close to 170 attacks in total, but can anyone remember when Islamabad last lodged a protest with the US or summoned the American ambassador on the issue? This year has seen the highest number of attacks in the country since 2004.

But all they could get from Mr Basit was the usual rigmarole — Islamabad had conveyed its position on drone strikes to Washington and expected it (Washington) to revisit its policy. “We have been articulating our position on drone attacks. We believe those are counterproductive and also a violation of our sovereignty. We have been expressing our reservations and we hope that the US will revisit its policy which goes back to the Bush administration,” the spokesman said.

Full report at:

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/drone-strikes-a-violation-of-sovereignty,-says-fo-800

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Fresh attack kills 4

08 Oct, 2010

MIRAMSHAH: Four suspected militants were killed on Thursday when a drone targeted a car in a wooded area near Khaisur village in Mirali tehsil of North Waziristan, sources said.

The car caught fire after the missiles fired by the unmanned aircraft hit it, the sources said, adding the fire engulfed several trees. The bodies were burnt beyond recognition, they said.—Correspondent

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/fresh-attack-kills-4-800

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IMF calls for debate on reforms in Pakistan

By Anwar Iqbal

08 Oct, 2010

WASHINGTON, Oct 7: The International Monetary Fund urged Pakistan on Thursday to hold a national debate on economic reforms and take some difficult political decisions to implement them.

Adnan Mazarei, IMF Mission Chief to Pakistan, also warned that Pakistan’s next budget would have to be adjusted to deal with the consequences of the recent floods that devastated the country’s economy, reducing its growth estimates from above four per cent of the GDP to about two per cent.

Stressing the need for economic reforms, Mr Mazarei noted that last year Pakistan spent $2 billion on power subsidies which only benefited big corporations and the rich.

He instead urged the country to withdraw the subsidies given to the rich and introduce “very low electricity rates” for the poor.

Similarly, he said, Pakistan only taxed the poor while ignoring the rich and this would have to change as well.

One example, he said, was that of the subsidies given to big corporations like the railways, airlines and the steel mill.

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/imf-calls-for-debate-on-reforms-in-pakistan-800

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Palestinians find work in settlements

08 Oct, 2010

BEIT SIRA CROSSING (Palestinian Territories), Oct 7: They line up every morning at Israeli checkpoints: Palestinian workers who are paid to build the Jewish settlements that are eating away at their hope for a future state.

President Mahmud Abbas is on the verge of quitting US-backed peace talks over the resumption of settlement building last month, but in the occupied West Bank it provides vital income for thousands of Palestinians.

At the Beit Sira crossing point in Israel’s controversial separation barrier near the sprawling settlement of Modiin Illit, the workers all give the same response when asked why they do it: There is no alternative.

Full report at:

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/palestinians-find-work-in-settlements-800

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Chinese, Afghan activists lead race for Peace Nobel

By Wojciech Moskwa

08 Oct, 2010

OSLO: A Chinese activist and an Afghan women’s campaigner lead candidates for this year’s Nobel Peace prize as the Norway-based committee seeks a more traditional candidate after criticism of the choice of US President Barack Obama last year.

The row triggered by the award to Mr Obama less than nine months into his term is likely to push the secretive panel to select a laureate with a longer record of accomplishment this year, Nobel watchers said.

“They may instinctively opt for someone more traditional, with a strong track record in human rights or peace-making,” said Kristian Berg Harpviken, head of the PRIO peace think-tank.

The Nobel watchers said last year’s decision to give the award to Mr Obama drew more criticism than the Nobel Committee expected, which could favour a “safer” choice this time round.

Full report at:

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/chinese,-afghan-activists-lead-race-for-peace-nobel-800

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Europe offers trade-tied aid to Pakistan, suspends import duties

08 Oct, 2010

BRUSSELS: Europe offered a major trade boost to Pakistan on Thursday, proposing to lift duties on 75 of its imports as part of an aid-linked package designed to help recovery from the floods.

The unilateral suspension of duties, available for the next three years, concerns goods accounting for 27 percent of Pakistan’s current imports to the EU.

Lifting duties on the products, which include textiles, would result in an estimated increase of EU imports from Pakistan to the tune of around 100 million euros, the EU said.

European trade commissioner Karel De Gucht said the proposal “will offer a real boost to Pakistan’s economic recovery while at the same time take into account sensitivities of EU industries”, which are fearful of preferential treatment for Pakistan’s cheaper textiles.

De Gucht said he hoped the offer could be applied as of January 1 next year.

Full report at:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\10\08\story_8-10-2010_pg1_2

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Israel wants US to honor Bush pledge

Oct 8, 2010

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked US President Barack Obama to abide by commitments his predecessor in the White House made to Israel in 2004, an Israeli newspaper reported Thursday.

Netanyahu "is demanding that US President Barack Obama reaffirm the commitments that were given by his predecessor George W. Bush to then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon," the mass circulation Yediot Aharonot daily said. "First and foremost among these, the American support for Israeli annexation of the settlement blocs as part of any final status arrangement," the daily quoted Netanyahu as saying.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article156331.ece

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GACA, EgyptAir resolve differences

By GALAL FAKKAR

Oct 8, 2010

JEDDAH: Haj flights will officially resume between Madinah and Cairo on Oct. 26 after aircraft from the Egyptian capital were barred from landing in the holy city for more than a year.

A new agreement was signed for the transport of Egyptian pilgrims this year, Samir Embabi, regional manager for EgyptAir in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, told Arab News on Thursday.

He said negotiations between Egypt's national carrier and the Saudi General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) were constructive and will enable pilgrims from Egypt to land in Madinah, rather than having to travel by road from the Haj Terminal at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah.

He said those eligible to travel from Egypt would include pilgrims who have been chosen by lottery, tourist Hajis, and those coming through various societies.

“Flights to and from Madinah will run smoothly after we resolved our differences,” he added.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article156348.ece

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Gunmen kill 4 police in Iran's Kurdish area

Oct 8, 2010

TEHRAN: A pair of gunmen opened fire on a police patrol in Iran's Kurdish region on Thursday, killing four officers and a bystander, an Iranian news agency reported.

The attack took place in Sanandaj, the capital of Iran's Kurdistan province some 310 miles (500 kilometers) west of Tehran, where authorities have been battling a separatist Kurdish movement for years.

«In this terrorist incident five were killed including four policemen and a pedestrian,» Ebrahim Kazeminejad, the provincial deputy police chief told the semiofficial Mehr news agency.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article156384.ece

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Abbas seeks Arab League backing

08 Oct 2010

There are some 500,000 illegal Israeli settlement homes on occupied Palestinian territories [Al Jazeera]

Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, is set to present his case to the Arab League for suspending peace talks with Israel until it extends a moratorium on illegal settlement construction.

Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for Abbas, said the Palestinian leader will tell Arab foreign ministers in the Libyan city of Sirte on Friday that "resuming negotiations requires a full freeze of settlement activities" in the occupied West Bank.

"Settlement is an impediment to negotiations and creates an atmosphere in which Israel alone is to be blamed for the obstruction of the political process," he told the Reuters news agency.

Full report at:

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/10/2010108543712810.html

URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=3510