18 Oct 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com
27 killed in Karachi violence
Saudi Prince faces execution for being gay
500,000 Saudis unemployed
Iran orders hand amputation of confessed thief
Indonesia needs death penalty for graft, says judge
Pakistan tense over reports of judges' removal
Iran frees US businessman held for 30 months
Jeddah's infamous lake drained
Ramlilas losing charm in Ayodhya
Another Headley wife also warned of his terror and India links
US says 'threat info' shared with India before 26/11 attacks
''Muslim representation in science, govt. jobs low in India''
Pak Taliban eye toxic gas for attacks: Intel
Attacks hit Kandahar, killing two Afghan civilians
Pregnant Pakistani woman burnt to death in UK
Arabs may ask UN to recognize Palestinian state
Arab-Israeli Search for Co-Existence: From Animosity to Insanity
Ex-Pak Army major trained terrorists for CWG attack
Terrorism, Hindus not related to each other: RSS
Advani seeks Omar's resignation over remarks on J&K
Lankan soil not used by LeT to train terrorists: Peiris
2 held in Kasargod, Ajmer for '08 Bangalore blast
AIMPLB free to appeal against Ayodhya verdict: BJP
Pak judge wants Kasab in his court
US terror war in Yemen frustrated by politics
I'm sorry if I've let anybody down, says Rahman
Nasrallah offers Israeli weapon to visiting Iran leader
Pak model Veena ‘ pulls a Rakhi’ on Bigg Boss 4
Afghan peace council is hope for future: Karzai
Assad to visit Kingdom today
Israel must apologize for ‘state terrorism’: Turkey
Yemen puts $100,000 on heads of Al-Qaeda suspects
Israeli envoy says only peace can halt settlements
Thousands protest at Israeli citizenship bill
EU proposes talks with Iran from Nov 15-18
Tower Hamlets extremist vote poses Ed Miliband's first big election test
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Prince Saud Abdul Aziz
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27 killed in Karachi violence
Oct 17, 2010
ISLAMABAD: At least 27 people were killed and over 60 injured in various incidents of violence that broke out on Saturday night, hours ahead of the by-poll being held on Sunday for an assembly seat in Karachi, capital of Pakistan's Sindh province.
Most of the killings are believed to be the result of political enmity between the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Awami National Party (ANP).
ANP Sindh chief Shahi Syed addressed a press conference Saturday evening and announced the party would "boycott the polls in protest". "The provincial government has failed to control the law and order and we don't think it is advisable to go to polls in such an environment," he argued.
MQM central leader Wasim Aftab said that the "PS-94 seat belonged to MQM as our candidates have been winning from there with thumping majority. ANP wanted to run away from the contest fearing defeat and are raising a storm in a tea cup", he remarked.
Soon after these fiery statements, clashes broke out in various parts of the city and supporters of both parties resorted to indiscriminate firing in a bid to take control ahead of the polling.
A mob torched five vehicles as the city came to a virtual standstill, police said.
Ironically, the MQM and the ANP are both members of the Sindh's coalition that is headed by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari is the PPP co-chair
Earlier, a spokesman of the Sindh Rangers had warned of "firing and a suicide attack during the polls Sunday". But the election commission announced that "the voting will take place as per schedule".
Police officer Fayyaz Leghari said that "joint teams of police and Rangers had been deputed to control the situation. The polling in PS-94 is going smoothly and fool-proof security arrangements have been made," he said, while conceding that "there was unrest in the city otherwise".
The Orangi Town area that forms a major part of the constituency has been a MQM stronghold and the ANP had called for the army to take over for a fair by-election. After the demand was not heeded to, the ANP boycotted the election.
MQM candidate Safullah Khalid said the "opponents tried to block entry of the voters to the polling stations but did not succeed".
The Urdu-speaking Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pashto-speaking Awami National Party (ANP) have been constantly at loggerheads for the past several years to take political control of Karachi, the country's financial hub.
The PS-94 constituency was vacated after the target-killing of MQM legislator Raza Haider Aug 3. MQM blamed the killing on ANP, who vehemently denied the allegation. More than 100 people were killed in violent clashes after the assassination.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/27-killed-in-Karachi-violence/articleshow/6764118.cms#ixzz12gIIya66
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Saudi Prince faces execution for being gay
Oct 16 2010
London: The Saudi Prince, who allegedly killed his manservant at a posh London hotel, faces execution in his homeland -- not for the murder but "for being gay", a media report said.
A British court was told that homosexuality is illegal in Saudi Arabia and carries death penalty which could well be applied if the 34-year-old Prince's family decide that he has brought shame on them, 'The Sun' reported.
"Homosexuality is illegal in Saudi Arabia and carries the death penalty," prosecutor Bobbie Cheema was quoted as telling the Old Bailey court.
Prince Saud Abdulaziz bin Nasser al Saud has admitted manslaughter but strenuously denies having a "gay fling" with his victim -- found beaten and strangled at a five-star London hotel where the pair were allegedly on a holiday. He pleads not guilty to murder.
Servant Bandar Abdullah Abdulaziz, 32, had bite marks on him, said to have been caused during a sex romp. His master - captured on CCTV attacking him in a hotel lift - is grandson of the Saudi king.
Cheema said any prosecution by the Saudis depended on "the wishes of his family". "There have been cases where the family have pushed for the most severe penalty."
The Prince could also be in peril from his victim's family "although as he is a member of the Saudi royal family, this risk would be reduced", the prosecutor added.
Gay Saudis have applied for asylum here on the grounds they faced execution back home, the report said.
The Prince's counsel John Kelsey-Fry, however, said: "That all is predicated on, if it was the case as alleged, the defendant had engaged in homosexuality."
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/698435/
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500,000 Saudis unemployed
By MAHER ABBAS
Oct 17, 2010
RIYADH: Labor Minister Adel Fakieh on Saturday estimated the number of unemployed Saudis at 500,000, adding that they represent about 10 percent of the expatriate work force.
“We have to solve this unemployment problem as one team with responsibility,” the minister told some 170 businessmen from different parts of the country at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
It is unclear whether the figure included unemployed Saudi women. According to a recent study, 78.3 percent of jobless women hold university degrees and at least 1,000 of them doctorate degrees.
“During the past 15 years, only a few jobs were Saudized,” Fakieh complained, adding that the Saudization program failed to replace 10 percent of the foreign manpower with unemployed Saudis.
Prominent Saudi businessman Saleh Kamel, who is chairman of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CSCCI), proposed the appointment of an international consultancy firm to find solutions for the Kingdom’s labor problems.
“Our ministry welcomes all observations,” Fakieh said and called for combined efforts to find solutions. The businessmen told the minister that they wanted his quick intervention to solve their problems.
The ministry is in a dilemma. It has to approve recruitment of foreign workers as required by private companies to carry out new projects and fears the new recruitment would affect Saudization.
“We have to be realistic while taking up the issue of Saudization,” said Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid, chairman of Asharqia Chamber, adding that it would be difficult to achieve Saudization targets with the surge of giant development projects across the country.
Following his two-hour meeting, Fakieh told the businessmen that the proposals he received from them were “not matured.”
Fahd Al-Sultan, secretary-general of the CSCCI, had earlier made a presentation about the views of the business sector on labor issues. He stressed the need to issue a required number of recruitment visas, especially for technically skilled workers.
Some participants called for joint panels including Labor Ministry officials and businessmen to work out mechanisms for the Saudization of jobs in the private sector. One delegate turned the minister’s attention to the successful Malaysian experiment in dealing with surplus foreign workers.
The meeting proposed the establishment of a government authority to Saudize jobs and regulate recruitment of foreign workers. The businessmen urged the authorities to treat Saudi and foreign investors equally in terms of providing incentives and issuing recruitment visas.
During the meeting, Abdul Rahman Al-Haqabani criticized the Labor Office for its repulsive behavior toward Saudis. “It gives a bad image as the citizens who approach them feel humiliated and dishonored. It’s a department that makes people hate the country.”
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article162643.ece
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Iran orders hand amputation of confessed thief
Oct 17, 2010
TEHRAN: An Iranian judge has ordered the amputation of the hand of a man who confessed to robbing a candy shop, local media reported Saturday.
Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency said the chief judge of a Tehran court also sentenced the 21-year-old man, who was not identified, to a year in jail and ordered him to return the stolen items.
The ruling comes days after Iranian authorities amputated the hand of another man convicted of theft in the northeastern city of Mashhad.
While Iran’s hard-line judiciary follows a strict interpretation of Islamic law, enforcement of punishments such as amputation are rare.
Iranian authorities occasionally issue harsh rulings in an effort to stem the spread of corruption and disorder.
Critics, however, say amputations, public executions or floggings hurt Iran’s international image and reflect badly on Islam.
Tehran has recently provoked an international outcry with the case of an Iranian woman who is sentenced to death by stoning for adultery.
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article162623.ece
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Indonesia needs death penalty for graft, says judge
Oct 16, 2010
JAKARTAa: Indonesia needs to follow China’s example and sentence officials convicted of corruption to death in order to stamp out massive graft in the country, a top judge said Saturday.
Indonesia’s current sentences for corruption are too soft and do nothing to deter corrupt officials, said Mohammad Mahfud, the chief justice of the Constitutional Court.
Officials “are sentenced to only three to four year in jail, which is lighter than sentences given to petty criminals,” Mahfud said.
He advocated the use of a provision in Indonesia’s Anti-Corruption Law that allows judges to sentence convicts to death. It has never been used.
“In China, which carries out the death sentence for those convicted of corruption charges, there is a deterrent effect,” he said. “If death sentences were used in Indonesia for corruption, it would reduce the cases.” China is trying to reduce the number of crimes that get the death penalty, but a legislator last month said China’s lawmakers have never considered dropping the death penalty for corruption. People convicted of corruption should be subject to harsh penalties, lawmaker Chen Sixi said in an online chat with citizens, according to the People’s Daily newspaper.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article162407.ece
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Pakistan tense over reports of judges' removal
Anita Joshua
ISLAMABAD: The war of wits and nerves between the executive and the judiciary in Pakistan reached a shrill pitch over the past 24 hours as the Supreme Court in a midnight decision took suo motu notice of an alleged bid by the government to dismiss the higher judiciary.
Though Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani himself stepped in to quell the rumours by issuing a statement close to midnight on Thursday, stating that the speculation was baseless, the Supreme Court on Friday sought a signed explanation from the him while observing that toppling the judiciary would be a subversion of the Constitution and, therefore, an act of high treason.
The 17-member bench gave Attorney-General Anwar-ul-Haq time till Monday to furnish the written statement. Later, addressing the media in the evening, Federal Law Minister Babar Awan said the Prime Minister would address the nation on Sunday to clear the air.
The drama began to unfold late on Thursday night after a couple of television channels reported that the government was considering to withdraw the March 16, 2009, notification to restore the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) and the entire superior judiciary at the apex court level and in the High Courts.
CJP convenes meeting
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/10/16/stories/2010101654471100.htm
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Iran frees US businessman held for 30 months
17 October 2010
WASHINGTON - Iran has freed a 71-year-old US businessman who had been held in prison for 2 ½ years on accusations of giving money to an alleged anti-government group, ABC News reported on Saturday.
“Sometimes I feel relief, sometimes, I feel angry,” Reza Taghavi told ABC after his release.
Taghavi was accused in May 2008 of giving $200 to a group called Tondar, or Thunder. He said he did so unwittingly and the Iranian authorities eventually agreed.
He shared a 16-bed cell with 33 inmates in the same prison as US hikers Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer. On Monday, the hikers will have been in jail for 444 days, matching the time the US Embassy hostages were held in Iran from 1979 to 1981.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/October/middleeast_October235.xml§ion=middleeast
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Jeddah's infamous lake drained
By SULTAN AL-TAMIMI
Oct 17, 2010
JEDDAH: The Musk Lake in east Jeddah has been totally emptied of sewage, a feat that has been accomplished in record time, said Minister of Water and Electricity Abdullah Al-Hussayen. “The National Water Company has finished drying the lake in a record time of three months since the company was assigned the task in accordance with orders from the higher authorities last year,” said Al-Hussayen, speaking at a press conference on Saturday. The Musk Lake, located east of Jeddah’s expressway, had at its peak an estimated 10 million cubic meters of stagnant sewage water. Al-Hussayen said all efforts were taken to drain the lake and dispose of the leftover waste, and that the National Water Company began working on the project last July.Water from the lake was transferred mainly to two water treatment plants — one near the Jeddah airport and the other in Briman. The remaining sewage water was pumped out to nine smaller lakes to evaporate. Leftover sludge was also transferred to other locations after samples were taken to a laboratory for analysis where it was found that it was free of any substances that could be harmful to the environment.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article162649.ece
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Ramlilas losing charm in Ayodhya
Oct 17, 2010
AYODHYA: A massive gate bearing `Ramnagari mein apka swagat hai' welcomes the visitor to Ayodhya. About hundred meters ahead of the gate is a Durga Puja pandal. And by the time one reaches the disputed site of Ramjanmabhoomi, one has already crossed over a dozen pandals housing Durga in her Mahishasurmardini avatar. What appears to be an irony of sorts is that the twin cities of Ayodhya-Faizabad have few patrons of Ramlila. And unexpectedly, there are over 200 Durga Puja pandals in the town alone. Against this, there are just seven committees staging the story of Ramayana.
So is Ramlila losing its charm in the land of Rama? Convener, Central Durga Puja Committee (CDPC) Vijay Gupta has to agree with this. "We are trying our best to keep the tradition alive,'' he says as he takes stock of the preparations for the Visarjan slated for Sunday.
On the banks of Saryu, municipal authorities were busy desilting a patch so that over 275 idols of Durga could be immersed ritualistically by listed committees. Gupta said that CDPC which is the umbrella organisation of all Durga Puja and Ramlila committees in Faizabad has 775 listed members of which less than ten represent Ramlila.
Even the royal family which organised a major `maidani Ramlila' under the aegis of the Pratap Dharam Setu Waqf did away with the tradition about 22 years ago. "I have fond childhood memories associated with Ramlila in our Mahal. Lanka dahan and raj gaddi episodes were a hallmark. But I don't know why the tradition died,'' said Yatindra Mishra, Rajkumar Ayodhya.
Rakesh Dubey, a government contractor who has been associated with Ramlila since he was seven, examined the reasons behind the problem. "Nothing in this world can run without money. Finances are the first roadblock. No one is ready to patronise these committees,'' he said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Ramlilas-losing-charm-in-Ayodhya-/articleshow/6761352.cms#ixzz12bWYkTMO
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Another Headley wife also warned of his terror and India links
Oct 17, 2010
WASHINGTON: Less than a year before the Mumbai terrorists attacks, a second wife of David Coleman Headley warned US officials in Pakistan that she believed her husband was plotting an attack, according to the New York Times. She also told them he was passionately anti-Indian yet travelled to India all the time but she appeared not to have been taken seriously.
The new revelation about the warning by a young Moroccan woman came a day after a report that in 2005, an American woman who was also married to Headley told federal investigators in New York that she believed he was a member of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), created and sponsored by Pakistan's powerful intelligence agency.
Despite those warnings by two of his three wives, Headley roamed far and wide on LeT's behalf between 2002 and 2009, receiving training in small-calibre weapons and countersurveillance, scouting targets for attacks, and building a network of connections that extended from Chicago to Pakistan's lawless northwestern frontier, the Times said.
Headley, 50, it said, was a longtime informer in Pakistan for the US Drug Enforcement Administration whose roots in Pakistan and the US allowed him to move easily in both worlds.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Another-Headley-wife-also-warned-of-his-terror-and-India-links-/articleshow/6762623.cms#ixzz12bVzpftX
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US says 'threat info' shared with India before 26/11 attacks
Oct 17, 2010
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK: Amid reports that two of David Headley's three wives had warned the FBI beforehand of the Mumbai attacks, the US today said the "threat information", though general in nature, was duly shared with India.
"Had we known about the timing and other specifics related to the Mumbai attacks, we would have immediately shared those details with the government of India," Mike Hammer, spokesman of the National Security Council, White House, said.
He made the remarks when asked about an investigative report on Mumbai attacks published by ProPublica, an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.
The New York Times also said that two of 50-year-old Headley's three wives had warned American law enforcement authorities -- in 2005 and less than a year before the 2008 Mumbai attacks -- of his links with the Pakistan-based LeT terror outfit and the plot to strike India's financial hub.
"Despite those warnings by two of his three wives, Mr Headley roamed far and wide on Lashkar's behalf between 2002 and 2009, receiving training in small-caliber weapons and counter surveillance, scouting targets for attacks, and building a network of connections that extended from Chicago to Pakistan's lawless northwestern frontier," the daily said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-says-threat-info-shared-with-India-before-26/11-attacks/articleshow/6762998.cms#ixzz12bVHgLCW
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''Muslim representation in science, govt. jobs low in India''
Oct 17,2010
Bhopal, Oct 17 (PTI) Eminent Educationist and founder Vice-Chancellor of the Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) Prof Shamim Jairajpuri said here today that the representation of Muslims in the fields of science, all-India competitive services and government jobs in the country was "extremely low." "Muslims are said to be about 15 per cent of India''s population, but only two per cent of them are working in science and six per cent in government jobs," Jairajpuri told PTI here today.He however said that there was no way in which anyone else can be blamed for this gloomy picture. "For this, only Muslims must share the blame," Jairajpuri said."Efforts to improve the situation for the Muslims have to be made by this community alone and no one else," he added.Jairajpuri said that for him India was one of the most wonderful countries in the world and pointed out that 99 per cent of his friends were non-Muslims."During my long career, I had never faced any discrimination simply because I was a Muslim," he said.The former Vice-Chancellor of MANUU said it was sad that many Muslims had left India to live in Pakistan after the country''s partition in 1947.
http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/muslim-representation-in-science-govt-jobs-low-in-india/422613.html
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Pak Taliban eye toxic gas for attacks: Intel
Oct 17, 2010
Lahore: The Tehreek-e- Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is planning to carry out terrorist attacks using poisonous gases, Pakistani intelligence agencies have warned.
According to intelligence reports, terrorists may target sensitive installations, important buildings, busy shopping malls, markets, public places, mosques and other places of worship.
Sources said that the warnings came after the intelligence agencies collected information from intercepts of conversations among the TTP militants.
After receiving the reports , the interior ministry has directed police to make all necessary and foolproof security arrangements to avert any untoward incident, Daily Times reports. ANI
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pak-Taliban-eye-toxic-gas-for-attacks-Intel/articleshow/6762169.cms#ixzz12bXuGV1B
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Attacks hit Kandahar, killing two Afghan civilians
Oct 17 2010
KANDAHAR: A series of blasts killed at least two civilians and wounded several others in Afghanistan’s main southern city, the scene of several recent deadly attacks on police.
Helicopters patrolled above the city Saturday as Nato and Afghan troops were deployed to seal off the attack sites. Ambulances with sirens wailing ferried victims to local hospitals.
In one attack, a motorized rickshaw carrying explosives detonated behind police headquarters in the center of the city, said Zelmai Ayubi, spokesman for the governor of Kandahar province. One bystander was killed and three others wounded, Ayubi said.
On the eastern side of the city, insurgents attacked an oil tanker with gunfire, causing it to explode. One civilian was killed and at least two others were wounded.
A rocket fired by militants slammed into a prison compound in the city’s west, police said. No casualties were immediately reported. Another explosion went off in the city’s business district, also in the west. Details were not immediately available.
Kandahar city has been a target for militants this month. Two explosions killed nine people and wounded two dozen others on Oct. 6. Three blasts just minutes apart killed three Afghan police officers in the city Oct. 5.
Full report at:
http://public.dawn.com/2010/10/17/attacks-hit-kandahar-killing-two-afghan-civilians.html
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Pregnant Pakistani woman burnt to death in UK
Oct 17 2010
London : A 23-year-old pregnant Pakistani woman, who had moved to the UK early this year after marriage, was found dead in suspicious circumstances with her body severely burnt.
Asiyah Khan had arrived in the country earlier this year and was living with her husband Naveed, mother-in-law and two sisters-in-law.
The family of the woman which went out shopping, found the house locked when they returned home.
The girl's husband then climbed over the gate only to find his wife's charred body in the back garden, the Daily Mail reported.
One of the family's neighbours said the victim's husband came screaming for help and she rushed with him to his house and found the body in garden but there were no flames.
"Nav came round to get me saying 'help me, help me'. I didn't know what to expect when I got round there, I thought she might have fallen over or the baby was coming early. I thought I'd have to be a midwife.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/698662/
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Arabs may ask UN to recognize Palestinian state
Oct 15 2010
Brussels : Arab nations may seek U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state, if Israel continues to build settlements in the West Bank, Egypt's foreign minister said Friday.
Ahmed Aboul Gheit said an Arab League request to the U.N. May come next month.
"If Israel does not respect the settlements freeze," Gheit said, "the Arab League will study some other option aside from the peace process such as going to the United Nations and ask for the recognition of the Palestinian state."
Gheit spoke as he arrived at a Friends of Democratic Pakistan meeting in Brussels. The group is made up of two dozen nations and international institutions committed to stabilize Pakistan with long-term economic support.
U.S.-sponsored, Israeli-Palestinian peace talks resumed last month after a hiatus of nearly two years. But they already have run aground over Israel's refusal to renew a moratorium on West Bank settlement construction.
On Thursday night, Israel's government said it has approved the building of 238 homes in Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem, ending a nearly yearlong, unofficial freeze on new building there.
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/698078/
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Arab-Israeli Search for Co-Existence: From Animosity to Insanity
17 Oct 2010
Politics is a game of pretension like a stage drama enacted by planned scheme of things, casts, dresses, clichés, performance images and the end goals- a willing suspicion of the disbelief of the performed act. The actors pretend to be something; they are not but make the audience feel entertained with unthinkable. The Western democracies enjoin systematic programs of political good time with billions of dollars budgeted for the information media, performers, perks, imposters and the real actors – politicians making stage shows to win the game. Politics is about winning, not losing the invisible battlefield. There exists a wide gulf in ideas and perceptions how the Israeli politicians define political games and what the Arab rulers perceive of the intents and purposes of politics. The puppet show goes on for ages with the blessings of the European colonialists and the US intermediaries claiming to be the proponent of peace but none knows what peace means in the real world. The Europeans, the US, Israelis and Arab rulers, all have role-plays in instigating animosity and perpetuating insanity in public affairs, relations and conflict management.
Full report at:
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=41987
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Ex-Pak Army major trained terrorists for CWG attack
Oct 17 2010
New Delhi: A retired major from the Pakistan military, who was with the ISI, had trained terrorists in a camp on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border to carry out an attack on a Commonwealth Games venue.
This information was part of the western intelligence input on a probable attack on October 12-13, reported in The Indian Express on Saturday.
The warning, which reached New Delhi on October 9 evening, gave clear details of the plot, which included a strong possibility of a frontal attack on a venue with multiple weapons including rocket launchers. The attack would have been similar to some terrorist strikes in Pakistan, sources said.
The antecedents of the retired Pakistan Army major are now under investigation by western agencies. It is learnt that the agencies picked up information on his camp while tracking leads on Al-Qaeda’s planned Mumbai-style plot in Europe. Stepped-up drone attacks along the Af-Pak border in the last couple of weeks are said to have targeted many terror training camps, including the one run by the retired major.
But with no confirmation on whether the Commonwealth Games plot had been foiled, an alert was sent to airports across the Middle-East, and in Bangladesh, Nepal and other countries in the region. Sources said Bangladesh had actually detained some people, who are currently under investigation.
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/698592/
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Terrorism, Hindus not related to each other: RSS
Oct 17, 2010
NAGPUR: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has taken a strong exception to the use of the term 'Saffron or Hindu terror' and said that terrorism and Hindus cannot be related to each other.
Addressing the annual Dussera rally at Reshim Bagh ground, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said, "Terrorism and Hindus are the oxymoron and can never be related to reach other. This was an attempt to weaken the strength of the Hindus in India and at the same time to appease the Muslims."
Noted musician, Hridaynath Mangeshkar was the chief guest of the occasion.
A handful of incidents involving Hindus were reported and for that to blame the entire Hindu community was improper and unjust, Bhagwat said.
"Hindus are generally not involved in terrorism," he said.
Ridiculing the inept handling of terrorism in the country, Bhagwat said that has probably prompted the government to describe Hindu terror in the country.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Terrorism-Hindus-not-related-to-each-other-RSS/articleshow/6763502.cms#ixzz12bYQg1cx
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Advani seeks Omar's resignation over remarks on J&K
Oct 17, 2010
NEW DELHI: Attacking Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah for his statement that the state has not merged with India but acceded to it, senior BJP leader L K Advani today demanded his resignation saying he is "out of tune with the national mood".
"The demand for Omar Abdullah's resignation that was being made till recently was on the ground that he had totally failed to deal with the situation in the Valley created by stone-pelting mobs. There were elements willing to attribute it to his administrative inexperience.
"But this latest speech of his reveals that he is not just an administrative failure, but that in so far as J&K is concerned, he is totally out of tune with the national mood. The earlier he quits the better it would be for Jammu and Kashmir as well as for the nation," Advani said in his blog.
In his latest post entitled 'An Unpardonable Gaffe', the BJP leader said in a sarcastic tone that the Chief Minister "has indeed made history".
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Advani-seeks-Omars-resignation-over-remarks-on-JK/articleshow/6763348.cms#ixzz12bVhbFDD
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Lankan soil not used by LeT to train terrorists: Peiris
Oct 17, 2010
NEW DELHI: Despite a probe by its defence authorities, Sri Lanka has found no evidence to suggest that the island nation's territory is being used by terror group LeT to train terrorists. Sri Lankan foreign minister G L Peiris, who is on a four-day visit to India, said on Saturday there is no merit in such claims.
Earlier, one of the accused in the Pune bakery blast case had said LeT operatives were being trained in Lanka. "The matter was brought to our notice. It was examined by our defence authorities but we have not found anything to establish it," Peiris told TOI, adding that the two countries were involved in an intelligence sharing mechanism to prevent any such activity.
Indian security agencies had taken up with their Lankan counterparts about the disclosure made by the Pune bakery blast accused. Though the training was said to have taken place in an area close to Colombo, Lankan authorities denied this citing heavy presence of security personnel in the area.
Over the issue of growing Lankan proximity to China, Peiris said Colombo will continue to have a special relationship with India while advancing its economic cooperation with China. He also said there is no question of allowing any country to use its territory against India.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Lankan-soil-not-used-by-LeT-to-train-terrorists-Peiris/articleshow/6760595.cms#ixzz12bXb3R7g
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2 held in Kasargod, Ajmer for '08 Bangalore blast
Oct 17, 2010
AJMER/THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Rajasthan police and Karnataka anti-terrorist squad (ATS) on Friday arrested two alleged LeT members from Kasargod (Kerala) and Ajmer for their role in the 2008 blasts in Bangalore in which one person was killed and over a dozen people were injured.
The suspects were identified as Umar Farooq and Ibrahim Moulvi. "Umar was held in Ajmer and Ibrahim in Kasargod in Kerala," said Bangalore police commissioner Shankar Bidari. Both were arrested on Friday, he said.
The two will be brought to Bangalore for interrogation and will be produced before a court in Bangalore, he said. The police have named 32 people in the chargesheet in the blasts case. There were reports that an accomplice of
Farooq was also caught in Ajmer, but it could not be confirmed.
Sources said Farooq was picked up from the railway station, where he had gone to receive a guest. Farooq and another suspect had been staying in Nala Bazaar area of Ajmer for two months and were under Karnataka ATS surveillance. An alert has been sounded in Ajmer and security beefed up in the crowded markets and in the Dargah area.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/2-held-in-Kasargod-Ajmer-for-08-Bangalore-blast/articleshow/6761644.cms#ixzz12bWqwBMo
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AIMPLB free to appeal against Ayodhya verdict: BJP
Oct 16, 2010
NEW DELHI: BJP on Saturday said the All India Muslim Personal Law Board had the right to approach the Supreme Court on the Ayodhya title suit verdict but insisted that there was growing opinion among the people that the issue should be resolved through reconciliation and dialogue.
"Any party is free to appeal against any verdict in the Supreme Court and this right is inherent in the constitution. As far as I know, AIMPLB was not one of the parties fighting the Ayodhya title suit (in Allahabad high court) but it can go to the apex court," BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
Incidentally, Prasad was also the advocate for Ramlala Virajmaan in the Ayodhya title suit.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/AIMPLB-free-to-appeal-against-Ayodhya-verdict-BJP/articleshow/6760802.cms#ixzz12bX5cbf7
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Pak judge wants Kasab in his court
Oct 17, 2010
NEW DELHI: The Pakistani anti-terrorist court conducting the trial of Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi and other Lashkar terrorists for their involvement in the 26/11 attack on Mumbai said that the proceedings could not proceed till Ajmal Kasab and Fahim Ansari are examined.
The judge of the court in Rawalpindi, Malik Muhammad Akram, made the observation on Saturday after prosecuting agencies failed to satisfy him.
The development was being seen here as yet another evidence of the reluctance of prosecuting agencies, in fact, authorities in general, to bring the 26/11 attackers to book.
Lakhvi played a key role in conceiving and executing the barbaric attack on Mumbai.
According to an agency report from Islamabad, Judge Akram was unhappy with the response of the prosecuting agencies on the court's insistence that Fahim Ansari as well as all the witnesses including Kasab be brought before the court.
Indian officials were seething with resentment, pointing out that all the details about Ansari, the alleged Lashkar terrorist whose acquittal in the 26/11 case has been challenged and who is still in jail in connection with the attack on CRPF camp at Rampur in UP, have been provided to Pakistan. Besides, New Delhi has to allow a Pakistani commission to examine both the investigating officer of the case against Kasab as well as the magistrate who recorded the confessional statement of the sole survivor from among the terrorists who attacked Mumbai.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pak-judge-wants-Kasab-in-his-court/articleshow/6760790.cms#ixzz12bXJqYqG
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I'm sorry if I've let anybody down, says Rahman
Oct 17, 2010
New Delhi: Double Oscar winner A.R. Rahman, who composed the Commonwealth Games theme song ‘Yaaro India Bula Liya', on Friday said he was “sorry” his number had attracted criticism in some quarters.
“I am sorry if I have let anybody down on this but definitely I am proud of the composition and the anthem,” the famed composer said.
Rahman said it was difficult to satisfy everyone but “I will try my best” in future.
He said he had realised that next time he should be more careful about testing it out on every generation — older, younger.
He, however, said there was a positive reaction when the theme song was tested on people from different nationalities.
“Of course, some people did not like it and it became a huge controversy,” he said.
Rahman said in his view the number was “great” during the opening day ceremony.
“It had lovely feedback from Australia, England and all those places, who had not heard about the controversy and they loved the song,” he added. — PTI
http://www.hindu.com/2010/10/16/stories/2010101664341400.htm
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Nasrallah offers Israeli weapon to visiting Iran leader
Oct 15 2010
Bierut : Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad met with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah who offered him a weapon that had been seized from an Israeli soldier, the Shiite militant group said.
The two men met on Thursday at the Iranian embassy in Beirut at the end of Ahmadinejad's controversial two-day visit to Lebanon during which he toured the country's southern border with Israel in a show of defiance against the Jewish state.
Hezbollah said in a statement that Ahmadinejad and Nasrallah had discussed the Iranian leader's "historic" visit.
It added that in a gesture of gratitude and loyalty Nasrallah offered Ahmadinejad the personal weapon of an Israeli soldier which had been seized during Hezbollah's devastating 2006 war with the Jewish state.
Ahmadinejad's visit underscored Iran's reach in Lebanon through its proxy Hezbollah, the most powerful military and political force in the country.
But the visit was denounced by the United States and Israel as well as members of Lebanon's pro-Western parliamentary majority who described it as a provocation and a bid to portray Lebanon as an "Iranian base on the Mediterranean".
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/698076/
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Pak model Veena ‘ pulls a Rakhi’ on Bigg Boss 4
By Priyanka Srivastava in New Delhi
IS VEENA Malik trying to be the new Rakhi Sawant? Going by her antics on Bigg Boss 4 , it would appear so.
Veena, a Pakistani model and actress whose claim to fame has been getting embroiled in Pakistan cricket’s match fixing scam, is one of the housemates on the new Bigg Boss season.
She is making the most of her stay in the house by pulling off all kinds of staged stunts. Veena has been fighting, bickering, gossiping and crying in front of the camera, just as Rakhi did during the show’s first season.
Veena’s name first came into limelight when she claimed to have implicated Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Asif in the matchfixing scandal.
In recent episodes, Veena, who was reportedly Asif’s girlfriend at one time, discussed how the cricketer often turned violent when they were in a relationship.
Playing ‘ agony aunt’ to Veena on the show is TV actress and co- contestant Shweta Tiwari.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Afghan peace council is hope for future: Karzai
Oct 17 2010
KABUL: Just a few weeks after breaking down in tears while talking about his son’s future in Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai said he has high hopes for a new peace council to negotiate with Taliban leaders he’s been meeting, according to a statement released Saturday by his office.
”I have had personal meetings with some Taliban leaders, and my colleagues from my government have had some meetings in and outside Afghanistan with the Taliban,” he said in an interview with Al-Jazeera’s David Frost, according to the statement.
”These have mostly been unofficial after contact was initiated, countryman-to-countryman talks,” he said. ”But now is the time for us to begin to talk with the Taliban at a fixed address and with a more open agenda to tell us how to bring peace to Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
In the interview, aired Friday, Karzai said the formation of the peace council was an important step toward finding an end to the 9-year-old war, the statement said. The 70-member council is charged with setting up a formal dialogue with insurgents.
The Taliban, which has denied that its leaders are in talks, has long said it will not come to the negotiating table until after US and Nato troops leave the country.
Full report at:
http://public.dawn.com/2010/10/16/afghan-peace-council-is-hope-for-future-karzai.html
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Assad to visit Kingdom today
Oct 17, 2010
JEDDAH: Syrian President Bashar Assad will visit Saudi Arabia on Sunday for talks with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.
The two leaders are expected to discuss major regional and international issues and explore prospects of boosting bilateral cooperation.
This is Assad's second visit to the Kingdom in a year. The Syrian leader visited the Kingdom in January 2010.
King Abdullah met with Assad in Damascus in July when both leaders flew to Beirut for a tripartite summit with the Lebanese President Michel Suleiman.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article162705.ece
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Israel must apologize for ‘state terrorism’: Turkey
Oct 17, 2010
ANKARA/GAZA CITY: Turkey's prime minister has again accused Israel of “state terrorism” and called on the Jewish state to apologize and compensate victims of a raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: “The Israeli government must apologize and compensate (victims) for the state terrorism in the Mediterranean.” He was addressing members of his party at a weekend retreat Saturday.
Eight Turks and one person with American and Turkish nationality were killed in the May 31 raid on a ship carrying pro-Palestinian activists trying to breach Israel's naval blockade of Gaza. Israel says its commandos opened fire after they were attacked by activists. Relations between the two have been deteriorating since Israel's Gaza war and hit a low point after the raid.
Meanwhile, a delegation from the Elders group of retired prominent world figures was in the Gaza Strip on Saturday to press for the easing of Israeli restrictions on the Hamas-ruled enclave. Former Irish President and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, Indian women's rights campaigner Ela Bhatt and former Algerian Foreign Minister and UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi entered Gaza from Egypt through the Rafah border crossing.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article162612.ece
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Yemen puts $100,000 on heads of Al-Qaeda suspects
Oct 17, 2010
SANAA: Yemen's Interior Ministry has promised a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of any eight Al-Qaeda suspects it named, state news agency Saba reported on Saturday.
The Interior Ministry promised a reward of 20 million riyals ($100,000) for anyone providing information leading to the capture of any of the “terrorist extremists.”
It identified them as Amin Abdullah Abdul Rahman Al-Othmani, Bashir Mohammed Ahmed Al-Hlaisi, Showqi Ali Ahmed Al-Baadani, Abdul Elah Ali Qasem Al-Mesbahi, Abdul Hamid Ahmed Mohammed Al-Hubaishi, Mohammed Ali Abdullah Al-Nashri, Musleh Abdullah Ahmed Al-Hlaisi and Yusef Ahmed Muthana Zayud.
The ministry did say why the men are wanted but an official told Saba they had been recruited by Al-Qaeda militants “obsessed with murder and destruction.”
The official warned against giving them shelter or withholding information on their whereabouts.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article162610.ece
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Israeli envoy says only peace can halt settlements
17 October 2010
UNITED NATIONS — Israel will only stop its disputed settlement building when the Palestinians make a peace agreement, its UN ambassador said ahead of new Security Council talks Monday on the Middle East conflict.
But Israel would be concerned if Arab nations pressed ahead with a campaign to get United Nations recognition of a Palestinian state before any accord, the envoy, Meron Reuben, told AFP in an interview.
Reuben will face new international pressure when he appears before a UN Security Council meeting on Israeli-Palestinian hostilities. The United States and most world powers have backed Palestinian demands that Israel renew a freeze on settlement building in the occupied territories.
“People understand,” Reuben declared. “I don’t think they agree with the way we are going, but they definitely understand the fact that settlements are not a burden on the peace process and not something that will stop the peace process.”
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/October/middleeast_October236.xml§ion=middleeast
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Thousands protest at Israeli citizenship bill
17 October 2010
TEL AVIV — Several thousand Jewish and Arab Israelis protested peacefully on Saturday against a bill requiring non-Jewish new citizens to swear allegiance to the country as a Jewish state, an AFP reporter witnessed.
The rally, organised by left-wing opposition parties and human rights organisations, came six days after the mainly right-wing government voted overwhelmingly in favour of the controversial legislation.
The measure has been widely condemned as racist by Israel’s Arab minority but appeared designed to placate hardline ministers ahead of a decision to extend a settlement moratorium seen as key to US-backed peace efforts with the Palestinians.
Demonstrators marched through central Tel Aviv to the defence ministry, brandishing banners that read “Jews and Arabs refuse to be enemies” and “No to hatred”, criticising Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/October/middleeast_October234.xml§ion=middleeast
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EU proposes talks with Iran from Nov 15-18
16 October 2010
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has proposed reconvening long-stalled talks between world powers and Iran over its controversial nuclear programme in a month’s time, her spokesman said Saturday.
‘It is from 15th to 18th of November,’ spokesman Darren Ennis said, if possible in Vienna.
Ashton, who represents world powers in the nuclear dialogue with Iran, won a favourable response from Teheran after proposing November talks in the Austrian capital on Thursday.
‘We have always said that dialogue on cooperation with the Islamic republic of Iran is the only option,’ top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili told state television.
Dialogue between Iran and the group of 5+1 nations which Ashton represents—Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany—has been stalled since October 1, 2009, when the two groups met in Geneva.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/October/middleeast_October229.xml§ion=middleeast
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Tower Hamlets extremist vote poses Ed Miliband's first big election test
By Andrew Gilligan
17 Oct 2010
Lutfur Rahman was sacked by the Labour Party last month as its candidate for mayor of Tower Hamlets amid deep concerns about his links with a Muslim supremacist group, the Islamic Forum of Europe (IFE), and a number of powerful local businessmen.
Mr Rahman also signed up entire families of "sham" paper Labour members – some of whom do not even support the party – to win nomination as Labour's candidate.
Mr Rahman is now running as an independent and his supporters say he is "hopeful" of victory.
"Things look very good," said one of his major business backers, Shiraj Haque, a millionaire restaurateur.
Labour sources said the contest between Mr Rahman and their new candidate, Helal Abbas, was "extremely close" and would depend on turnout in Thursday's election.
Unlike a conventional leader, a directly-elected mayor has almost complete power over a council's finances and cannot be controlled, checked or sacked by councillors.
Tower Hamlets moved from a conventional leader system to a mayoralty this year as a result of a campaign spearheaded by the IFE.
In secret filming earlier this year, Abu Talha, an IFE activist, told an undercover reporter for The Sunday Telegraph and Channel 4's Dispatches: "The mayor is going to have a lot more control. That's why we need to get someone, one of our brothers, in there. Which we will do."
Full report at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/8068839/PICS-AND-PUBLISH-Tower-Hamlets-extremist-vote-poses-Eds-first-big-election-test.html
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=3543
12:22 AM
Moderate Islamist here
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