Secularism to be restored in Bangladesh constitution
Muslims should conform to German values: Merkel
Rape not possible in marriage: Muslim cleric
New Indonesia breastfeeding law stokes controversy
Iranian woman could be stoned Wednesday: activist
Non-Saudis not to teach Qur’an
Grand Ayatollah Sistani condemns attack on Baghdad church
Shia Muslims the Most Killed in Series of Blasts in Baghdad, 300 Killed/ Injured
Two Pakistan Army generals caught in Rs.75 mn loan scam
A Monument of Tolerance in the Heart of Dubai
The verdict has brought some clarity to the vexed issue
My brother and the deadly lure of al-Shabab jihad
Shia clerics detained by Saudi authorities
Amnesty asks Obama to raise Bhopal, Kashmir with India
4 small mail bombs explode in Athens
Yemeni jet bomb plotters may have done 'dry run'
Parcel bombs could rip 50 planes in half
Plane-bomb plot tip-off came from Al-Qaida insider
Terrorists blow up girls’ school in Mohmand
Cong launches scathing attack on RSS but stays mum on BJP
Awlaki's trial begins in absentia
Yemen jails 16 for trying to join Qaeda in Iraq
Pakistan PM sees no chance of military coup
Maid who poisoned infant to be executed after Eid
84 illegal migrants held near Gwadar
Mulayam brings SP's Muslim face Azam Khan
Will Muslims voters back 'secular' Nitish?
60,000 Turkish pilgrims reach Mecca, Medina as 7 die
Christian Science Monitor: Israel arrested 100 children from Silwan in October
Top American officials believe Britain fails in Iraq & Afghan wars
Ethiopian Islamic council allocates 20 million Birr for HIV prevention campaign
Sushma may talk terror with Obama
West Bengal govt to initiate more welfare measures for Muslims: Buddhadeb
Gosabara landing shook Mumbai, India
Kashmir panel submits report to Chidambaram
Bumpy ride awaits Omar in Jammu
Pak SC directs authorities to trace 11 missing men
NSA calms frayed US nerves on Headley
Woman knifed British MP for Iraq war vote
US professor sent back from Delhi airport, J&K group says because of partner’s work in Valley
Two terrorists killed in Swat
NATO choppers violate Pakistani airspace
Misaq-e-Pakistan: PML-N’s olive branch to PPP
Israeli interrogators abused Palestinians: rights group
Iran envoy dismisses tougher terms for nuclear fuel swap
Afghan candidates, MPs call for new election
Germany wants bigger non-military China role in Afghanistan
New Yorker accused of plan to attack US troops
Crucial talks with IMF, WB put off for three days
Hariri indictment would be ‘explosive’: Hezbollah
YouTube faces new ban in Turkey
180 students participate in second Muscat Youth Summit
Haj Terminal gets equipment to check visa forgeries
Ahmadinejad comes under criticism from elite military force
Fishermen rally behind colleagues detained in Qatar
Rights groups: Israel abused Palestinian detainees
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Bangladesh prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
--------
100 Killed, 300 Injured in Series of Blasts in Baghdad
Nov 3, 2010
BAGHDAD: Rapid-fire bombings and mortar strikes in mostly Shia neighbourhoods of Baghdad killed over 76 people and wounded more than 200 on Tuesday, calling into question the ability of Iraqi security forces to protect the capital.
The blasts _ at least 17 separate attacks _ came just two days after gunmen in Baghdad held a Christian congregation hostage in a siege that ended with 58 people dead. Tuesday morning, hundreds of Christians gathered at a downtown church to mourn their lost brethren.
''They murdered us today and on Sunday, they killed our brother, the Christians,'' said Hussein al-Saiedi, a 26-year-old resident of the Shia slum of Sadr City where 21 people were killed in the most deadly incident of the day. He said he was talking to friends on a busy street, when the blast occurred.
''We were just standing on the street when we heard a loud noise, and then saw smoke and pieces of cars, falling from the sky,'' he said. People were fleeing the site in panic, frantically calling the names of their relatives and friends. ''They (the government) say the situation is under control. Where is their control?''
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. But the coordination of the blasts, the complexity of the operation and the predominantly Shia targets point to al-Qaida insurgents.
The bombings began at about 6:15 p.m. The assailants used booby-trapped cars, roadside bombs, mortars and at least one suicide bomber on a motorcycle. Though most of the neighbourhoods hit were Shia-dominated, a couple struck Sunni neighbourhoods as well.
The attacks stretched from one side of Baghdad to the other and were spread out over hours, indicating a high degree of coordination and complexity from an insurgency that just a few months ago US and Iraqi officials were saying was all but defeated.
The casualty information all came from police and hospital officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Earlier Tuesday, hundreds of grieving Christians and other Iraqis packed a funeral service for members of the faith killed in the militant siege on a Baghdad church.
The attack, which an al-Qaida-linked group claimed it carried out, left 58 people dead and dozens wounded.
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=211605
---------
`Secularism to be restored in Bangladesh constitution
Nov 3, 2010
Bangladesh will shortly restore the word secularism in its constitution. However, it will remain an Islamic state, allowing functioning of religion-based parties, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said.
The government will reprint the constitution following a Supreme Court directive to restore secularism, but no political party bearing names of religions would be banned, a cabinet meeting chaired by Hasina decided Monday.
She told a weekly cabinet meeting that the reprinted constitution would restore secularism "as a fundamental state principle", New Age newspaper said quoting a minister who attended the meeting.
Hasina asked her ministerial colleagues to "go to people and make sure they have no confusion about constitution amendments", the minister said.
Her government would sit with the political parties named after Islam "to make them understand that secularism was not against religious faiths".
The official cited many countries where Christianity was state religion but had secular polity, the Daily Star newspaper said.
A large majority of Bangladeshs 156 million people are Sunni Muslims with Hindus, Buddhists and Christians forming less than ten percent of the population.
Religion-based political activity was banned in Bangladesh that separated from Pakistan in 1971 as these parties, including the Muslim League and the Jamaat-e-Islami, had opposed the freedom movement.
They were brought back to the political mainstream after the changes triggered by the assassination of the countrys founding leader and president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in August 1975.
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a175575.html
---------
Muslims should conform to German values: Merkel
Nov 3, 2010
German Chancellor Angela Merkel demanded Monday that Muslims living in Germany conform to "fundamental German values", saying there was no leeway on the issue.
She spoke a day after Germanys largely ceremonial president, Christian Wulff, had reached out to Muslims in a speech marking 20 years of reunification, assuring them they belonged.
Wulffs remarks were welcomed by one of the countrys main Islamic groups, the Central Council of Muslims.
The Christian Democrat chancellor, in remarks promoting a fiercely conservative book by one of her supporters, said Muslims in Germany must orient themselves without reservation to Germanys fundamental values and constitution.
"There is no leeway on this," she said, adding that Germans perceptions of Islam were dominated by Sharia (Islamic law), the lack of equality between men and women and honour killings.
The book by Roland Koch, a former premier of the state of Hesse who retired this year to go into business, is titled "Conservative. No State Can Be Built Without Values and Principles".
Germany had freedom of religion, and Islam was welcome, "but it must be a form of Islam that feels devoted to our fundamental values", Merkel said. If it were not, fears would develop among Germans, "and that is hardly something we want to happen".
Merkel also criticised talks that have been under way for years between the federal interior ministry and leading Muslim groups in which both sides have tried to articulate concerns about the other.
The results had been "unsatisfactory", said Merkel, adding, "extra work will have to be done". She said she wanted German Muslim children to be taught their faith in public schools and she wanted imams at German mosques who spoke German.
President Wulff had spoken more embracingly the previous day, saying, "Christianity belongs in Germany. Judaism belongs in Germany. And by now, Islam also belongs in Germany."
It was in Germanys national interest to prevent prejudice from festering and people being excluded, he said.
In remarks to the mass-circulation newspaper Bild, the Central Council of Muslims responded, "Wulffs speech was a sign that Muslims are not second-class citizens."
The speech was a "clear, unambiguous and important signal to Muslims living in Germany", Council president Aiman Mazyek said, adding, "Different conceptions of ones life and diversity are being welcomed."
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a172148.html
---------
Rape not possible in marriage: Muslim cleric
Nov 3, 2010
There cannot be rape within marriage, a Muslim cleric in Britain has ruled. A key Muslim leader in the country promptly denounced the views as "misguided" and "inappropriate".
"In Islamic Sharia, rape is adultery by force. So long as the woman is his wife, it cannot be termed as rape," The Independent quoted cleric Sheikh Maulana Abu Sayeed as saying.
Men accused of raping their wives should not be prosecuted as "sex is part of marriage", said Sayeed, president of the Islamic Sharia Council in Britain.
He made the comments to the blog The Samosa -- and reiterated them to the The Independent.
Sayeed told the website: "Clearly there cannot be any rape within the marriage. Maybe aggression, maybe indecent activity... Because when they got married, the understanding was that sexual intercourse was part of the marriage, so there cannot be anything against sex in marriage.
"Of course, if it happened without her desire, that is no good, that is not desirable."
British law makes rape within marriage illegal.
Sayeed also suggested that women who claim to have been raped by their husbands should not immediately go to the police.
"Not in the beginning, unless we establish that it really happened. Because in most of the cases, wives... have been advised by their solicitors that one of the four reasons for which a wife can get a divorce is rape, so they are encouraged to say things like this."
Asked how men found to have raped their wives were to be punished, he said: "He may be disciplined, and he may be made to ask forgiveness. That should be enough."
Muslims4UKs chairman Inayat Bunglawala said: "Sheikh Sayeeds comments are woefully misguided and entirely inappropriate. Rape - whether within marriage or outside it - is an abominable act and is clearly against the law."
Dave Whatton, spokesman on rape for the Association of Chief Police Officers, told the daily: "We know that the majority of rapes do not take place through strangers attacking women late at night but between acquaintances and within marriages and partnerships.
"It is a fundamental principle that Sharia law should not replace the laws of the UK. Putting out views that rape can be dealt with in another way fundamentally undermines everything we are trying to do," he said.http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a174685.html
---------
New Indonesia breastfeeding law stokes controversy
By Karishma Vaswani
Nov 3, 2010
New law stipulates all babies should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life. From early next year, anyone who stands in the way of this will be fined up to $11,000 and sentenced to up to a year in prison
IN Indonesia a new law has been passed that stipulates all babies should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life. From early next year, anyone who stands in the way of this will be fined up to 100m rupiah ($11,000) and sentenced to up to a year in prison.
When you enter the slum of Cilincing in north Jakarta, the first thing that hits you is the stench; a curious mixture of shellfish and rubbish. Cilincing overlooks the sea. Children play in its dark alleyways as fishermen weave through, selling their wares. People live on top of one another here, in tin shacks stacked up against the walls. Cilincing is typical of many impoverished areas in Jakarta.
Children here get sick often, which is why US-funded charity group Mercy Corps began teaching mothers about the merits of breastfeeding a few years ago. Health workers say one of the easiest and most effective ways to build up immunity in young children is to breastfeed them exclusively for the first six months. The programme has now extended to more than 30 slums in the area.
At a monthly seminar, young mums with their babies gather in a cramped room, to learn about the benefits. Cucu Alowiya, the group’s leader, told me how difficult it was initially to convince the women to exclusively breastfeed their children. “In the beginning they didn’t believe me,” she said. “They told me they had seen commercials on TV saying formula milk was better. But I told them breast milk is cheaper and more practical, and better for their children.”
The merits of exclusive breast-feeding for six months have been espoused by the World Health Organization and Unicef. Both these organisations say that if Indonesian children get this kind of care, it could help to address high malnutrition rates in the country.
In a 2007 government survey, almost 40% of the children under five who were surveyed reported stunted growth due to malnutrition. Almost all Indonesian women traditionally breastfeed their children at some point after birth, but the problem lies in the fact that many don’t do it exclusively. In fact, recent data has shown that exclusive breastfeeding rates in Indonesia have dropped by 10% between 2006 and 2008.
Back to work: But exclusive breastfeeding for most women – especially those who need to go back to work to support their families - is a very real challenge. Diana, 22, works in a garment factory, and took time off after she gave birth to her son.
Indonesia provides women with three months’ paid maternity leave. Diana has seen the merits of breastfeeding her son. When he was first born, she fed him breast milk but then switched to formula milk when she thought about going back to work.
Diana says he became very sick, and lost weight. She switched back to breast milk, and delayed her return to work - but she can’t afford to put it off any longer - she needs the money. “It’s very difficult as a working woman to breastfeed my child for six months,” she told me as we sat in her house in the slum.
“The factory where I work doesn’t have the necessary facilities, and they don’t care about us to be honest. “Some of my friends who have gone back to work have had no choice but to give their children formula milk.” But the Indonesian government says the new law will help young mothers like Diana by enforcing rules that companies must provide female employees with breastfeeding facilities.
Formula milk debate: Indonesia has also yet to adopt the International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes, which regulates the milk formula industry by ensuring that its products aren’t freely marketed to new and easily influenced mothers. But while Indonesia’s new law has been applauded for being a step in the right direction – some in the medical community feel it doesn’t go far enough.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\03\story_3-11-2010_pg4_9
---------
Iranian woman could be stoned Wednesday: activist
Nov 3, 2010
BERLIN — An Iranian activist said a woman sentenced to death by stoning could be executed as early as Wednesday, citing sources close to the court.
“We received the information three days ago,” exiled human rights activist Mina Ahadi told AFP by telephone Tuesday, citing a letter sent from a court in the northwestern city of Tabriz where Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani is in custody.
“If the decision is taken, she could be executed on Wednesday. We are very afraid.”
Mohammadi-Ashtiani was sentenced to death by two different courts in Tabriz in separate trials in 2006.
The first death sentence, by hanging, for her involvement in the murder of her husband, was commuted to a 10-year jail term by an appeals court in 2007.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/November/middleeast_November38.xml§ion=middleeast
---------
Non-Saudis not to teach Qur’an
By DIANA AL-JASSEM
Nov 3, 2010
JEDDAH: A total of 1,240 non-Saudi Qur’an teachers have been stopped from teaching in Jeddah.
The Makkah region branch of the organization in charge of Qur’an memorization (tahfiz) schools has said reports published in a local Arabic newspaper that expatriate teachers have not been stopped from teaching Qur’an are untrue.
“Qur’an memorizing classes have not been stopped. The classes continue but only with Saudi teachers … All expatriate teachers who work for the society have been stopped from teaching,” said Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah Hanafy, chairman of the Charitable Society for Holy Qur’an Memorization (Makkah Region).
“We received a statement from the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance ordering us to stop expatriate teachers from teaching the Qur’an. We also received orders not to transfer the iqamas of expatriate teachers to us,” he said.
“We’ve stopped them from teaching the Qur’an, but have not fired them yet,” he said.
Criticizing the move, the chairman said there is a dearth of qualified Saudi Qur’an teachers. “We only have 100 Saudi Qur’an teachers. Now we need a large number of qualified Saudi teachers who would also be willing to work for us,” said Hanafy.
He said Saudis are often reluctant to teach the Qur’an because of low salaries. “Saudis show no interest in teaching the Qur’an because we only pay SR1,000 per month. Qur’an lessons also start in the afternoon, which is when most Saudis have their siestas.
There are other sessions that are held during the evening, but Saudis usually refuse to attend them because this is the time when people usually socialize,” he said.
The chairman also denied reports that only Saudi students will now be allowed to attend tahfiz lessons. “All students who are interested in memorizing the Qur’an are welcome to attend. Memorizing the Qur’an is a right for every Muslim. We never put restrictions on teaching the Qur’an to expatriates,” added Hanafy.
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance said in a report that it wishes for Saudis to teach the Qur’an because of violations committed by expatriate teachers. No one from the ministry was available to discuss this matter further.
“We received a statement saying that expatriate teachers are committing violations and breaking rules, but we do not know what these violations are. Most of the expatriate teachers are qualified enough and never create problems,” said Hanafy.
He further called on the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance to allow expatriate teachers to continue teaching the Qur’an until they find enough Saudi teachers.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article178669.ece
---------
Grand Ayatollah Sistani condemns attack on Baghdad church
Nov 3, 2010
(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has strongly condemned the hostage-taking incident at a Catholic church in Baghdad.
Grand Ayatollah Sistani, who is based in Najaf, also advised Iraqi security forces to take more responsibility for the protection of Iraqi citizens, Iraq’s Buratha News Agency reported.
Grand Ayatollah Sistani is Iraq’s most important religious leader, which is a Shia cleric regarded as a source of emulation.
The attack on Our Lady of Deliverance church on Sunday left at least 52 people dead and 67 wounded.
The attack, which an Al-Qaeda-linked organization claimed responsibility for, was the deadliest against Iraq's Christian minority since the U.S.-led occupation began in 2003. It chilled the hearts of the remaining members of the Iraqi Christian community, who have so far resisted the urge to flee from the war-torn country.
Full report at:
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=211608
---------
Shia Muslims the Most Killed in Series of Blasts in Baghdad, 300 Killed/ Injured
Nov 03rd, 2010
Baghdad: More than 100 people were killed and at least 200 injured in a series of car bombings, suicide bombings and explosions from improvised devices that rocked the Iraqi capital on Tuesday, security sources and witnesses said.
The blasts - 21 in all - targeted cafes, restaurants and popular markets. Eleven of them were car bombs and attacks by suicide bombers, witnesses told DPA.
Police rushed to close all roads leading to the sites of the explosions as the sound of ambulances wailed throughout the city.
A curfew was imposed by police in the capital, with patrols going around the city telling people not to leave their homes.
Earlier on Tuesday, five people died and two were injured in unrelated attacks, security sources said.
Three policemen and an Al Qaeda militant were killed in a bomb attack targeting a police convoy in the al-Khaneqeen area, 60 km northeast of Baghdad. Two policemen were injured in the blast.
The convoy had been transporting Emad Rawkan, an Al Qaeda leader in the al-Saadiya area, to the village of al-Hafayif to investigate his involvement in a bomb attack that left four policemen dead last week.
In a separate incident, a man was killed in a bomb attack outside his home in the city of Fallujah, 60 km west of Baghdad.
The latest round of attacks comes just two days after militants reportedly affiliated with Al Qaeda took worshippers hostage at a church in Baghdad. More than 52 people were killed and more than 75 injured in the incident.
A day earlier, more than 30 people had been killed and more than 67 injured when a suicide bomb blast ripped through a crowded coffee shop in the Iraqi city of Baquba, some 57 km north of Baghdad.
The attacks come amid a political stalemate surrounding the formation of a new government that has dragged on for nearly eight months.
http://www.asianage.com/international/over-100-dead-baghdad-blasts-294
---------
Two Pakistan Army generals caught in Rs.75 mn loan scam
Nov 3, 2010
Two Pakistan Army generals have been found to be involved in a Rs.75 million scam, a parliamentary committee was told. The top army officers gave a huge loan to a power company without any guarantees.
The Public Accounts Committee meeting Tuesday was informed that the two top army generals, who were with the National Logistics Cell (NLC), gave the massive loan without guarantees. The firm never returned the money, the Express Tribune reported Wednesday.
The loan was given to the company which was payable by Dec 31, 2007. But the loan was never returned.
The two army generals, both of whom have now retired - Lt.Gen. Muhammad Afzal and Maj.Gen. Khalid Zaheer Akhtar - were held responsible by the auditor general.
General Junaid Rehmat, a top NLC official who appeared before the committee, admitted that the actions of his predecessors were not defensible.
The PAC members were also told that 88 vehicles, including seven luxury Prado cruiser, were imported duty-free by the NLCs top officials by using fake certificates that testified that they were being imported for "defence purposes".
The media report said that the luxury SUVs were actually being used by junior officers, mostly from the army.
The PAC chairman Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, said that the once profitable organisation has become bankrupt as army officers who were running it played havoc with its financial health.
This is the second scam to hit the NLC that was troubled with a Rs.1.8 billion scam involving three military officers. The three officers were found guilty of making investment in the nations volatile bourses after borrowing cash from the banks. They eventually lost it.
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a179013.html
---------
A Monument of Tolerance in the Heart of Dubai
Nov 3, 2010
Nestled in one of Bur Dubai's older districts is one of the emirate's best kept architectural secrets: the Ismaili Centre of Dubai. It is a 13,000-square-meter structure designed by the Egyptian duo Rami El Dahan and Soheir Farid, who drew inspiration from Cairo's Fatimid mosques.
This prime plot of land was generously given to the Ismaili community by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, in 1982 prior to becoming Ruler of Dubai to celebrate the Aga Khan's Silver Jubilee as the imam of the community. It is a testament to Sheikh Mohammed's long-term vision and respect for other cultures that such a generous donation was given when he was 33 years old. Today, because of this long-term vision, Dubai is a culturally and architecturally richer emirate.
Full report at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sultan-sooud-alqassemi/a-monument-of-tolerance-i_b_776563.html?view=print
---------
The verdict has brought some clarity to the vexed issue
By Sandhya Jain
Nov 3, 2010
The historical experience of northern India is that since 1000 AD, every Hindu temple has been desecrated, razed, or appropriated; not one stands intact, save those built after the Mughal Empire went into terminal decline and could not be accessed. Hindus then became pro-active about regaining the lost sacred spaces; Akharas were formed and armed sadhus waged pitched battles at several temple sites to reclaim the sacred heritage.
The Shia Nawabs of Awadh did not perform namaz at Ayodhya, and most likely prayed at the Imambara. There are doubts if the Babri structure was ever a functional mosque as there is no wazu for washing before prayers, which is mandatory in Islam. Hence there was never a regular namaz there, and hence the obscurity over its denominational status.
Full report at:
http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=369&page=7
---------
My brother and the deadly lure of al-Shabab jihad
By Jenny Cuffe
Nov 3, 2010
Among Britain's Somali community there are alarming rumours about the number of young men heading to Somalia to fight with the Islamist militia al-Shabab.
But when we asked to meet someone who has gone or knows someone who has gone, we were met with blank faces.
Then, in a draughty community hall in north London, we were introduced to a young woman - we will call her Amina - with a story to tell.
Amina is Somali-born but international in her outlook. A student in London, she works part time in a fashionable clothes shop and likes to travel the world.
She says her younger brother was much the same, a true Brit who liked his friends and football. But there is a lot about her brother that she does not know.
Full report at:
---------
Shia clerics detained by Saudi authorities
Nov 3, 2010
Saudi police arrested since Tuesday a cleric and two other people from Qatif city on allegations of establishing a memorial ceremony on the anniversary of the death of the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran Al-imam Al-Khomeini.
(AhlulBayt News Agency) - According to reliable sources, Saudi authorities detained Sheikh Saeed al Bahhar, the imam of Imam Reza Mosque in Tarot Island, and the administrator of the mosque Mr. Mohammad Hassan al Hubail.
In a similar event, Saudi police also arrested the administrator of Imam Al-Hadi Mosque in the village of Sanabis, Mr. Hussien al Dubaisy.
Family sources said that the three arrests were under the pretext of establishing a memorial day to commemorate the death of the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran Al-Imam Al-Khomeini.
Full report at:
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&Id=211379
---------
Amnesty asks Obama to raise Bhopal, Kashmir with India
Nov 3, 2010
WASHINGTON: Amnesty International has asked US President Barack Obama to support the survivors of the Bhopal gas disaster who are demanding accountability, justice and an end to 25 years of human rights violations.
"It is essential that your administration and Government of India cooperate to ensure that those accused of causing Bhopal disaster, including UCC, are made to face trial and that Bhopal survivors are able to obtain redress," Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA said in a letter to the President.
"On June 7, seven Indian former-executives of UCC and the Indian subsidiary of UCC, Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) were convicted of criminal offences for their role in the disaster. However, the US-based UCC and its former Chairman Warren Anderson have refused to face trial for the charges that were also brought against them in 1987," he said.
Cox said that both UCC and Warren Anderson have been identified as absconders in June 7 judgement.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Amnesty-asks-Obama-to-raise-Bhopal-Kashmir-with-India-/articleshow/6862837.cms#ixzz14Bl9Z3qQ
---------
4 small mail bombs explode in Athens
Nov 3, 2010
4 mail bombs exploded outside the Russian and Swiss embassies in Athens on Tuesday.
ATHENS: Small mail bombs exploded outside the Russian and Swiss embassies in Athens on Tuesday and police destroyed at least three other packages as they tried to halt a wave of attacks blamed on far-left domestic extremists.
Police closed down sections of Athens that host embassies, and checked dozens of potential targets including the German and Panamanian embassies.
The wave of attacks began on Monday when a mail bomb addressed to the Mexican embassy exploded at a delivery service in central Athens, lightly wounding one worker.
Authorities searched surrounding streets and arrested two suspects shortly after the blast. Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/4-small-mail-bombs-explode-in-Athens/articleshow/6860508.cms#ixzz14BlRiZ8K
---------
Yemeni jet bomb plotters may have done 'dry run'
Scott Shane & Robert F Worth
Nov 3, 2010
WASHINGTON: American intelligence officials in September intercepted several packages containing books, papers, CDs and other household items shipped to Chicago from Yemen and considered the possibility that the parcels might be a test run for a terrorist attack, two officials said.
Now the intelligence officials believe that the shipments , whose hour-by-hour locations could be tracked by the sender on the shippers' websites, may have been used to plan the route and timing for two printer cartridges packed with explosives that were sent from Yemen and intercepted in Britain and Dubai on Friday.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Yemeni-jet-bomb-plotters-may-have-done-dry-run/articleshow/6862785.cms#ixzz14BlEqeIG
---------
Parcel bombs could rip 50 planes in half
Nov 3, 2010
INK cartridges turned into powerful bombs by suspected al- Qaeda militants contained ample explosives to blow up 50 jets, experts say.
“Had even one of the powerful devices gone off, it would have ripped an aircraft in half,” British home secretary Theresa May was quoted as saying by The Sun. May said the murderous capability of al-Qaeda’s latest weapons confirmed that fanatics in Yemen, who hatched the plot, were planning fresh strikes in the US and Europe.
The Sun, quoting UK forensic experts, said 300g of the powerful substance PETN was found in the bomb hidden in a printer cartridge and the other bomb had even more lethal potency of 400g. Hans Michels, professor of safety engineering at University College London, told the paper that just 6g — around 50 times less than was used — would be enough to blast a hole in a metal plate twice the thickness of an aircraft’s skin.
Full report at: Mail Today
---------
Plane-bomb plot tip-off came from Al-Qaida insider
Nov 3, 2010
Information that helped thwart the plot of U.S.-bound mail bombs wired to explode on cargo planes came from an al-Qaida insider who was secreted out of Yemen after surrendering to Saudi authorities, according to Yemeni security officials.
The tip reflects how Saudi Arabia has worked aggressively for years to infiltrate al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which is operating in the unruly, impoverished nation on its southern doorstep.
The tip came from Jabir al-Fayfi, a Saudi who was held for years at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and was released to Saudi Arabia in 2007. Soon after, he fled Saudi Arabia and joined the al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen, until he turned himself in to Saudi authorities in late September.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/293917/Plane-bomb-plot-tip-off-came-from-Al-Qaida-insider.html
---------
Terrorists blow up girls’ school in Mohmand
Nov 3, 2010
LAHORE: Unidentified miscreants blew up a girls’ school in Mohmand Agency, a private TV channel reported on Tuesday. According to official sources, two explosions occurred near a Government Girls Primary School in Saggi area of Safi tehsil. The blasts damaged three classrooms and the corridor of the school completely. So far, about 59 schools have been destroyed by the terrorists in the Mohmand Agency out of which 21 were of the girls, the channel reported. daily times monitor
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\03\story_3-11-2010_pg7_8
---------
Cong launches scathing attack on RSS but stays mum on BJP
Nov 3, 2010
THE AICC session came down heavily on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), while it was surprisingly silent on the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Party chief Sonia Gandhi set the tone for RSS-bashing in her inaugural speech, saying the Congress government would resist all attempts to abuse religion for political gains. As if on cue, almost every other speaker, including finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, followed suit. On the Allahabad High Court verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit, Gandhi said the Congress “in no way condones the demolition of the disputed structure on December 6, 1992”.
Full report at: Mail Today
---------
Awlaki's trial begins in absentia
Atul Aneja
Nov 3, 2010
DUBAI: Yemen has charged American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki with incitement and plotting to murder foreigners during a trial in absentia that began on Tuesday in Sana'a.
However, Yemeni authorities have stressed that once captured they would not handover the cleric to the Americans.
Mr. Awlaki was charged after trial opened for 19-year-old Hisham Muhammad Asim, who has been accused of killing a French national and injuring a British citizen during an October 6 attack outside Sana'a.
The prosecutor during the trial sought to link Mr. Asim to the cleric and his cousin Osman al-Awlaki. He said Mr. Asim had acknowledged that Mr. Awlaki incited him to kill foreigners by passing internet messages. Analysts point out the Americans want their own trial of Mr. Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/11/03/stories/2010110364952000.htm
---------
Yemen jails 16 for trying to join Qaeda in Iraq
Nov 3, 2010
ADEN, Yemen — Fifteen Yemenis and a Saudi were on Tuesday sentenced to four years in prison by a court in southeast Yemen for attempting to join Al-Qaeda in Iraq, a judicial source said.
Abdu Ali Awadi, the presiding judge of the court in Mukalla in the Hadramawt province, also took pledges from the men’s parents and families that they would prevent them from returning to extremism, according to the source.
The 16 were accused of forming, in 2007-2008, “a group for committing terrorist plots” and preparing passports for travelling to Iraq to join Al-Qaeda’s branch there.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/November/middleeast_November32.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
---------
Pakistan PM sees no chance of military coup
By MUNIR AHMED
Nov 3, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s prime minister on Tuesday rejected calls by opposition politicians for midterm elections and said there was no chance of the country’s powerful army seizing power as it has often done in the past.
The government of President Asif Ali Zardari is unpopular among many Pakistanis and is under pressure from the Supreme Court over corruption allegations. It has been dogged by speculation and rumors that it is on its way out almost from the day it took office.
Zardari, the husband of slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, insists he will see out his five-year term until it ends in 2013. His supporters note that his party has a majority in parliament, meaning there is no constitutional way of ending it early.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article178466.ece
---------
Maid who poisoned infant to be executed after Eid
By FAIZ AL-MAZROUIE
Nov 3, 2010
DAMMAM: An Indonesian maid who was found guilty of killing a four-month-old child in her care by putting rat poison in his milk will be executed after Eid Al-Adha.
The child’s father, Ahmad Al-Boshal, said the case has been concluded and that the execution will take place after Eid.
“I visited the court last Saturday and they asked me to bring some papers. One of the papers was a letter from my wife authorizing me to ask for the maid’s execution on her behalf,” he said.
He added that the child’s death was traumatic for his family and that his four-year-old daughter continues to ask about her baby brother Mishari.
The maid put on trial and sentenced to death after she confessed to placing poison in the child’s milk.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article178621.ece
---------
84 illegal migrants held near Gwadar
Nov 3, 2010
KARACHI: The Pakistan Coast Guard on Tuesday apprehended 84 illegal migrants near Gwadar. Officials said 67 Afghanis and 17 Pakistanis were held as they were proceeding without valid documents towards Iran, adding that 290 illegal immigrants, including 32 Afghan nationals, were arrested during the month of October 2010.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\03\story_3-11-2010_pg12_11
---------
Mulayam brings back SP's Muslim face Azam Khan
Nov 03 2010
Lucknow : Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday revoked the expulsion of senior leader Azam Khan, who was expelled from the party after Lok Sabha polls last year.
"SP National General Secretary Ram Gopal Yadav has written a letter to Khan informing him about Mulayam Yadav's decision to revoke his suspension," party sources said here.
"I am extremely happy to inform you that the SP national president Mulayam Singh Yadav has revoked your expulsion from the party," Ram Gopal said in the letter.
"You are requested to continue to serve the party like before," he said.
Azam Khan, formerly a general secretary of the party, was considered a close aide of the SP leader since his early days in politics.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/706496/
---------
Will Muslims voters back 'secular' Nitish?
Sachin Parashar
Nov 3, 2010
PATNA/HAJIPUR: One of the most intriguing aspects of the ongoing Bihar elections, and the subject of much speculation of course, is how the Muslims, who comprise over 15% of the electorate, will vote.
What has further compounded matters is the emergence of a new class of "progressive" Muslim voters who are said to be most influenced by chief minister Nitish Kumar, whose disapproval of his Gujarat counterpart has certainly and warmed the cockles of many in the community.
According to the influential and respected Mohammed Wali Rahmani, who is trying to replicate the success of Bihar Super-30 with his own Rahmani-30 for IIT aspirants from the community, Nitish would have gained much more if he had displayed a little more 'hunar'.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Will-Muslims-voters-back-secular-Nitish/articleshow/6862508.cms#ixzz14BkloaUl
---------
60,000 Turkish pilgrims reach Mecca, Medina as 7 die
Nov 3, 2010
Sixty thousand Turkish pilgrims reached Mecca and Medina on Monday, although seven of their number died after arrival.
(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Sixty thousand Turkish pilgrims reached Mecca and Medina on Monday, although seven of their number died after arrival.
A total of 100,000 Turkish pilgrims, 90,000 from Turkey itself and 10,000 from other countries such as those in Europe, earned the right from the Religious Affairs Directorate to perform the annual hajj pilgrimage. While 60,000 of them reached Saudi Arabia, seven pilgrims, Ahmet Yagan, 71, Ayse Serin, 90, Kasim Seçim Ekeryilmaz, 60, Resat Salik, 80, Kittan Acar, 86, Ayten Aydin 57, and Mustafa Benderlioglu, 87, died, five from heart failure.
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=211520
---------
Christian Science Monitor: Israel arrested 100 children from Silwan in October
Nov 3, 2010
The Christian Science Monitor newspaper stated in a report that Israel arbitrarily arrested a 100 children, most of them under age 13 last month in Silwan district, east of occupied Jerusalem.
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The Christian Science Monitor newspaper stated in a report that Israel arbitrarily arrested a 100 children, most of them under age 13 last month in Silwan district, east of occupied Jerusalem.
The Israeli police claims that only 40 people were arrested throughout east Jerusalem for allegedly throwing stones at policemen and engage in violence on their way to or from school, according to the newspaper.
A human rights group argued otherwise saying it received complaints that many arrests were conducted by undercover forces without any disturbance or stone throwing beforehand and that the children kidnapped as they were at the entrance to their homes or in adjacent roads and alleys that serve as their playground. Some other children were kidnapped from their homes at three or four o'clock in the morning.
Full report at:
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=211517
---------
Top American officials believe Britain fails in Iraq & Afghan wars
Nov 3, 2010
A majority of American officials believe Britain has failed in Iraq and is failing in Afghanistan, says an advisor to the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC).
(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Professor Julian Lindley-French, an associate fellow at the Chatham House think tank in London, told Channel 4 News that there are many in the senior ranks of the US military and the US government as well as on Capitol Hill who believe British forces have not succeeded in Iraq and will not succeed in Afghanistan.
Lindley-French went on to say that “British forces, although technically capable, simply lack the critical mass and technology to dominate the space in which they have been conducting operations.”
"A true strategic partnership between the world's fifth and sixth largest economies and the second and third biggest cash spenders on defense could finally create a European pole of security and defence power that could in turn help to reinvigorate and re-balance a tired transatlantic relationship,” he added.
Full report at:
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&Id=211606
---------
Ethiopian Islamic council allocates 20 million Birr for HIV prevention campaign
Nov 3, 2010
The Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council Development Agency has allocated a 20 million Birr budget to undertake a programme aimed at preventing HIV/AIDS at the national level.
HAWASSA, ETHIOPIA (Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council Development Agency has allocated a 20 million Birr budget to undertake a programme aimed at preventing HIV/AIDS at the national level.
The agency's Management Information System Officer, Mubarek Se'id, said at the opening of a relevant training programme here Sunday that the programme would be implemented with the support of the Global Fund.
The objective of the programme is to support orphans in the country.
Mubarek said the five-year programme would assist some 7,000 needy children and establish income generating mechanisms during the current Ethiopian year
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&Id=211508
---------
Sushma may talk terror with Obama
Mohua Chatterjee
Nov 3, 2010
NEW DELHI: BJP is likely to raise India's concerns on terror (Pakistan's role in it) and outsourcing of jobs, among other things, with Barack Obama when Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj calls on the US president during his visit here next week.
The main opposition party is keen to communicate to Obama that the US should take a stand on Pakistan's role in fuelling terror activities in India, and not have "double standards" on the issue of fighting the menace. According to party sources, with David Coleman Headley now having revealed to the US Pakistan's link to the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, US support to Pakistan should be considered on the basis of Islamabad's actions vis-a-vis its role in terror activities emanating from its territory. While BJP will avoid taking up contentious issues like Kashmir with the US president, as it does not want it to be internationalised, the party will keenly watch what Obama himself says in his addresses while he is here.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Sushma-may-talk-terror-with-Obama/articleshow/6860925.cms#ixzz14BktdxKe
---------
West Bengal govt to initiate more welfare measures for Muslims: Buddhadeb
Nov 3, 2010
KOLKATA: In a bid to woo minority voters ahead of next year's West Bengal assembly polls, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Tuesday said his government would initiate more welfare measures for Muslims and provide them jobs and education facilities.
"Left Front government is committed to uplift the minorities in West Bengal and do its best for their welfare," he said launching a vocational training course of Alia University here.
He said the state government would spend Rs 30 crore for the purpose.
The chief minister said the state government would ensure that under no circumstance Muslim students are forced to leave study for want of money.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/West-Bengal-govt-to-initiate-more-welfare-measures-for-Muslims-Buddhadeb/articleshow/6860728.cms#ixzz14Bl0TA81
---------
Gosabara landing shook Mumbai, India
Prashant Dayal
Nov 3, 2010
AHMEDABAD: The acquittal of 17 persons accused in the Gosabara RDX landing case by a TADA court in Porbandar is bound to send ripples across the country, especially in India's economic powerhouse, Mumbai. For, the Porbandar coast, within striking distance of Mahatma Gandhi's birthplace, has been a launch pad for two of the deadliest terror attacks on Indian soil.
A cache of RDX, hand grenades and AK-47 rifles meant for reprisal attacks in Mumbai after the demolition of Babri Masjid landed in Gosabara in 1993. Almost 15 years later, a fishing boat, Kuber, from the same region was used again by Ajmal Kasab and his allies for the 26/11 attack.
While the Bombay bombings of 1993 established underworld don Dawood Ibrahim as an international terrorist, the 26/11 attack brought international attention on Pakistan.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/17-acquitted-for-role-in-93-blasts/articleshow/6862149.cms#ixzz14Bln0rRK
---------
Kashmir panel submits report to Chidambaram
November 03, 2010
Nov 3, 2010
The Jammu and Kashmir interlocutors on Tuesday submitted their report to Home Minister P Chidambaram after their week-long maiden visit to the State. Talking to media after the meeting, head of interlocutors Dileep Padgaonkar said he is “hopeful” of a solution on the issue but did not have a “magic formula”.
The three-member group briefed Chidambaram about its visit to J&K and presented its report which included recommendations. “This was our first visit to the State. We gave our set of recommendations,” said Padgaonkar, refusing to divulge details about the contents of the report.
He said, “Let it be between Government and the interlocutors”. When asked about their next visit to the State and possibility of talks with separatist groups, Padgaonkar said, “We do not have any magic formula other than to keep with our efforts to be engaged with them (separatists). We are hopeful and that’s why our second visit will take place in less than a fortnight.”
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/294145/Kashmir-panel-submits-report-to-Chidambaram.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11667690
---------
Bumpy ride awaits Omar in Jammu
November 03, 2010
Spontaneous street protests across Kashmir Valley forced Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to stay put inside his official residence or drive through the empty city streets before reaching his office in the otherwise 'locked down' civil secretariat building during the last four months.
Now as the entire State Government machinery is engaged in the arduous task of shifting the 'durbar move 'offices from Srinagar to Jammu, the state unit of the BJP has begun galvanising the party machinery in advance to ensure a 'bumpy ride' for Omar on November 8, the day the durbar offices are scheduled to reopen in Jammu.
Seeking an apology from the Chief Minister for mouthing controversial statements with regard to the accession of the State with the Union of India, state BJP Chief Shamsher Singh Manhas on Tuesday told reporters, "We have decided to welcome the State Chief Minister by organising a complete shut down in Jammu on November 8."
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/293987/Bumpy-ride-awaits-Omar-in-Jammu.html
---------
Pak SC directs authorities to trace 11 missing men
November 03, 2010
Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday directed authorities to trace 11 men who have been reported missing from a jail in Rawalpindi after a court acquitted them of charges of involvement in several terror attacks, including an attempt on the life of former President Pervez Musharraf.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry directed Punjab Chief Secretary Nasir Mehmood Khosa to trace the men by November 10 and report back to it. The order was issued while the bench was hearing a petition filed by one Atiq-ur-Rehman.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/293970/Pak-SC-directs-authorities-to-trace-11-missing-men.html
---------
NSA calms frayed US nerves on Headley
By Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury
Nov 3, 2010
INDIA on Tuesday tried to clear the air over the David Coleman Headley issue that was threatening to overshadow US President Barack Obama’s visit to India beginning on Saturday.
Setting the tone for the visit by the 44th US President, national security adviser ( NSA) Shiv Shankar Menon called for focusing on the big picture that was often not appreciated because “ we get caught in transactional issues, such as outsourcing and Headley”. Menon pointed out that the access to Headley ( given by the US to India) was unprecedented and such cooperation might not have been possible even five years ago. These remarks, coming a week after home secretary G. K. Pillai’s disappointment over the US not sharing specific information on Headley, was essentially meant to put to rest controversy over counter- terror cooperation ahead of the big visit. Home minister P. Chidambaram on Monday virtually seconded Pillai.
Full report at: Mail Today
---------
Woman knifed British MP for Iraq war vote
Nov 3, 2010
A WOMAN student was found guilty at a London court on Tuesday of trying to murder a British politician in revenge for him voting for the Iraq war.
Roshonara Choudhry, 21, knifed former treasury minister Stephen Timms twice in the stomach during a regular monthly advice surgery at an east London community centre in May. She had been converted to violence by a radical preacher being hunted in Yemen, a security source said.
Choudhry attacked the Labour politician as a punishment and to get revenge for the people of Iraq, prosecutor William Boyce had told the Old Bailey court in central London.
The decision to go to war in 2003 was the most controversial episode of the former Labour government ousted in May.
Full report at: Mail Today
---------
US professor sent back from Delhi airport, J&K group says because of partner’s work in Valley
Nov 03 2010
Srinagar : A prominent US academic was sent back to America from Delhi airport on Monday, allegedly because his partner is associated with a human rights group in the Kashmir Valley.
According to the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition for Civil Society (JKCCS), immigration officials at the airport initially put an entry stamp on the passport of Prof Richard Shapiro, but cancelled it after they examined the passport of his partner, Angana Chatterji.
Chatterji is co-convener of the International People’s Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice, a voluntary organisation investigating alleged human rights abuses in Kashmir. She is professor of social and cultural anthropology at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), where Shapiro is Chair and associate professor of the Department of Social and Cultural Anthopology.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/us-professor-sent-back-from-delhi-airport-j&k-group-says-because-of-partners-work-in-valley/706236/
---------
Two terrorists killed in Swat
Nov 3, 2010
PESHAWAR: Security forces killed two terrorists in clashes in Swat district, tehsil Matta on Tuesday. The security personnel signaled the terrorists to stop after seeing suspected movement in the area but they started firing on the forces resultantly one soldier was injured. In retaliation, forces shot dead two of them. Three main tribes of Matta tehsil have announced to support the security forces against the terrorists in their area.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\03\story_3-11-2010_pg7_3
---------
NATO choppers violate Pakistani airspace
Nov 3, 2010
LAHORE: NATO helicopters have violated Pakistani airspace near the Pak-Afghan border, a private TV channel reported on Tuesday. According to official sources, NATO gunship helicopters violated Pakistan’s border limits in the areas of Burkha and Kharlacha of the Kurram Agency, the channel reported. The gunship helicopters came 600 meters inside Pakistani borders, and after flying in the area for 10 minutes they retreated to Afghanistan, the channel reported. daily times monitor
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\03\story_3-11-2010_pg7_7
---------
Misaq-e-Pakistan: PML-N’s olive branch to PPP
Nov 3, 2010
LAHORE: PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif’s proposal for 10 years political accord with the name of Misaq-e-Pakistan is an olive branch to the PPP government so as to enable the later to complete five years in the office, informed PML-N sources told Daily Times on Tuesday.
The sources said the PML-N chief was ready to meet President Asif Ali Zardari soon after seeing that tangible development had been made on the matter with the support of the PPP. The sources said the PML-N leadership was of the considered view that it could co-exit with PPP better than joining hands with the ‘unscrupulous and non-trustworthy’ Muslim Leagues including those who had formed an alliance and those chose to stay away from it after first joining the establishment-sponsored PML bandwagon with Pir of Pagara made to sit on the steering wheel.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\03\story_3-11-2010_pg7_30
---------
Israeli interrogators abused Palestinians: rights group
Nov 3, 2010
JERUSALEM: Israeli Shin Bet undercover agents have abused Palestinians during questioning at a detention centre, some detainees have alleged in a report published on Tuesday by Israeli human rights group B’Tselem. The report was based on the testimonies of 121 Palestinians held in 2009 at the Petah Tikva holding facility near Tel Aviv, with 9 percent of those interviewed accusing interrogators of using physical violence against them. Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\03\story_3-11-2010_pg4_6
---------
Iran envoy dismisses tougher terms for nuclear fuel swap
Nov 3, 2010
VIENNA: Iran’s envoy to the UN nuclear agency dismissed on Tuesday a US suggestion that Tehran should agree to tougher conditions than those it rejected last year for a possible nuclear fuel swap.
“I’m afraid there is no logic for these kind of statements,” Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh said when asked about a US media report that Iran would be required to part with some two tonnes of its uranium stockpile under a revised proposal.
The New York Times said it would require Iran to send about 2,000 kg of LEU out of the country. That would represent a more than two-thirds’ increase from the amount required under a tentative deal a year ago that later collapsed.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\03\story_3-11-2010_pg20_4
---------
Afghan candidates, MPs call for new election
Nov 3, 2010
KABUL: Disgruntled lawmakers, candidates and their supporters called for Afghanistan’s parliamentary election to be scrapped on Tuesday, with no results declared more than six weeks after the poll amid major fraud concerns. About 150 protesters took to the streets in the capital, Kabul, describing the September 18 election as illegal and undemocratic.
The demonstrators, including several prominent MPs, marched past one of the gates to President Hamid Karzai’s palace. “This election was full of fraud. We should hold another election this time next year,” said Najla Anjila, a female candidate from Kabul. Many others agreed. “This election was unlawful and we do not accept it. We urge President Karzai to annul this fraudulent election,” one protester shouted through a loudspeaker.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\03\story_3-11-2010_pg20_2
---------
Germany wants bigger non-military China role in Afghanistan
Nov 3, 2010
BEIJING: Germany called on China on Tuesday to do more to help stabilise Afghanistan in the face of a growing insurgency and worsening violence, but also stressed there was no military role for the Chinese to play.
“We have a shared interest when it comes to the question of at what time do we reach a stable, or at least an agreeably stable, Afghanistan, with a security that we can accept,” German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said. “There is no military role for China. I absolutely do know that,” he said at the Germany embassy in Beijing.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\03\story_3-11-2010_pg20_6
---------
New Yorker accused of plan to attack US troops
Nov 3, 2010
NEW YORK: A New York man accused of trying to join the US military with the intent of attacking US troops in Iraq did not enter a plea as he faced a US judge in New York on Tuesday.
Abdel Hameed Shehadeh, 21, a US citizen, was arrested on Oct. 22 in Hawaii and transferred to the US District court in Brooklyn, where he is charged with making materially false statements in a matter involving international terrorism. He faces eight years in prison.
In a brief hearing, US District Judge Ramon Reyes arraigned Shehadeh and ordered him held without bail. Shehadeh, who had shoulder-length hair and wore grey track pants, spoke only once, to answer “yes” to a judge’s question.
Full report at:
http://public.dawn.com/2010/11/03/new-yorker-accused-of-plan-to-attack-us-troops.html
---------
Crucial talks with IMF, WB put off for three days
By Khaleeq Kiani
Nov 3, 2010
ISLAMABAD: The crucial talks between the government and twin missions of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank remained suspended for a day on Tuesday and then put off for another two days to seek top level political intervention in difficult economic decisions.
Informed sources told Dawn that the two sides were originally scheduled to conclude on Tuesday, or latest by Wednesday, their negotiations on macroeconomic framework and on a strategy for economic stabilisation and containing the rising fiscal deficit.
Officials said the talks did not take place on Tuesday because President Asif Ali Zardari had called to Karachi the economic team, including Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and Finance Secretary Salman Siddique.
Full report at:
http://public.dawn.com/2010/11/03/crucial-talks-with-imf-wb-put-off-for-three-days.html
---------
Hariri indictment would be ‘explosive’: Hezbollah
Nov 3, 2010
BEIRUT — Hezbollah’s number two warned on Tuesday of the risks of an explosion in Lebanon if members of his party are indicted by a UN-backed tribunal on the assassination of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri.
“We have nothing to say regarding what we might do if the indictment accuses members of Hezbollah,” Sheikh Naim Qassem told BBC Arabic in an interview, a transcript of which was distributed by Hezbollah.
“The options are many and it depends on the circumstances at that time,” he added.
“What we do know is that such an indictment is a warning bell equivalent to lighting the fuse, to igniting the wick for an explosion, and is dangerous for Lebanon.”
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/November/middleeast_November47.xml§ion=middleeast
---------
YouTube faces new ban in Turkey
3 November 2010
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s telecommunications authority will again block access to YouTube unless the video-sharing site removes a sex video of a former opposition party leader, the state-run news agency reported Tuesday.
The threat of a new ban comes just three days after Turkey had ended a more than two-year ban on YouTube.
The Anatolia news agency said a court, considering a complaint by lawyers representing former opposition party leader Deniz Baykal, ruled that YouTube must be blocked and notified the telecommunications authority of its decision on Tuesday.
Telecommunications officials would now either ask YouTube to remove the video or block access to the site, the agency said.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/November/international_November96.xml§ion=international&col=
---------
180 students participate in second Muscat Youth Summit
3 November 2010
MUSCAT - Some 180 students from 13 countries, aged between 15 and 24 years, have gathered here for the second Muscat Youth Summit.
The four-day conference inaugurated on Monday by Sayyid Faisal bin Turky Al Said, Chief Executive officer (CEO) of Oman Brand Management Unit (OBMU), will focus on three main issues — encouraging the youth to set up their own businesses and challenges facing jobseekers, problems related to urban development and utilisation of non-traditional media, such as blogging and social web sites.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/November/middleeast_November44.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
---------
Ahmadinejad comes under criticism from elite military force
Nov 3, 2010
TEHRAN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has come under unprecedented criticism from the Revolutionary Guards, the elite military force usually considered his staunch supporter.
A harshly worded article in the Guards’ monthly magazine echoes criticism of Ahmadinejad from other parts of the Iranian establishment and shows attempts to mend rifts within the Islamic Republic’s ruling elite have yet to work.
Ahmadinejad and his close aides have faced criticism from lawmakers, the judiciary and some powerful clerics for saying parliament is no longer at the center of affairs and promoting an “Iranian” rather than an “Islamic” school of thought.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article178642.ece
---------
Haj Terminal gets equipment to check visa forgeries
By MUHMMAD HUMAIDAN
Nov 3, 2010
JEDDAH: Passport authorities at King Abdulaziz International Airport’s Haj Terminal have turned away 61 pilgrims so far because of discrepancies in their documents and fingerprint records, a senior official said on Tuesday.
The General Directorate of Passports has installed state-of-the-art equipment to detect fraudulent Haj visas at the Haj Terminal in Jeddah.
The equipment can accurately detect forgeries using techniques such as ultraviolet rays, fingerprint comparisons and infrared.
Any illegal additions, deletions and alterations can be detected with the help of these devices.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article178601.ece
---------
Fishermen rally behind colleagues detained in Qatar
By FAIZ AL-MAZROUIE
Nov 3, 2010
DAMMAM: The Association of Fishermen in the Eastern Province has asked the Saudi sponsors of 28 Indian fishermen detained in Qatar for illegally entering its waters in August for an urgent meeting to discuss the two-year prison sentences handed to the men and the fines of 5,000 Qatari riyals imposed for each of the six Saudi fishing boats that the men were in.
The society has also called for those involved to appeal the verdict and have the fishermen and their boats freed. It has called for the support of the owners of the boats and the fishermen’s sponsors.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article178619.ece
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=3620
10:03 PM
Moderate Islamist here
0 comments:
Post a Comment