Rethinking Islam with Sultan Shahin

Islamic World News

04 Dec 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com

Pak cleric offers Rs 5 lakhs for killing Christian woman

Bomb blasts kill 13 in Iraq

Muslims reject al Qaeda: Global survey

School bus torched in Srinagar to enforce shutdown

Chasing one criminal, Nigerian Army kills 150 civilians

Minister for minorities condemns threat to Aasia

WikiLeaks: ISI chief conspired against Zardari

Three attackers, soldier killed in Khuzdar clash

China role in PoK, its J-K policies worrisome: Rao

Bangladesh Nobel Laureate Yunus accused of funds diversion

Seven persons to be charged for German Bakery blast

Five militants arrested over suicide attack on ISI headquarters

Allowed surveillance, not strikes by US drones: Mush

No power sharing with the Taliban’

Saudi environmental efforts win global acclaim: Sultan bin Salman

Local Press: A Saudi woman plumber

US suspected Yemen had portable missiles: cables

US sanctions three Pakistan terrorists

US, WikiLeaks wage guerrilla war in cyber world

Aqap deputy leader Al-Shihri urges soldiers of the house of sa’ud to join jihad

OSCE Summit Highlights Disagreements Between Astana and Tashkent

India deserves permanent seat in UNSC: Sarkozy

Pakistan want China to host cricket matches on its behalf as neutral site

Hillary Clinton calls world leaders to express regret on WikiLeaks

'CIA wishlist put envoys on trail of UN biggies'

Obama, troops cheer each other in Afghan visit

Disgraced nuclear scientist A Q Khan allowed to attend public functions

Germans more negative towards Muslims than others

Libya risked nuclear disaster after UN slight: WikiLeaks

Miffed Mush blames babu for Agra fiasco

Folklore, heritage to usher in Aman ki Asha

Dhoni is the most exciting cricketer in the world: Musharaff

Litigants to present solution to Ayodhya row before SC

An opportunity that Pakistan missed

Special Court rejects Pathan's plea in Naroda Gaam case

Asian convoy to Gaza awaits government's nod

Minister scripts a second career

Rushdie ‘girl’ sues UK paper for saying she snogged him

Anwar likely to be suspended from Malaysian Parliament

‘Duplicitous Pakistan can’t survive without US support’

Under attack, WikiLeaks back on Swiss site

Baghdad bus collision kills 24

Pakistan trying to ‘stir the pot’ in Kashmir, Nirupama told US

Kasab's lawyers raise doubts about evidence

Women talent shines at deco fair

Indian goodwill team vows to raise pilgrims’ woes with PM

Pakistan criticizes US support for Indian UN seat

Pak Army offered arbitration with Mullah Omar

2m people lost lives due to US policies: Imran

WikiLeaks conspiracy against Muslims: PPP

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Five parties call for Fauzia’s removal

Spanish judge jails three Pakistanis in forgery probe

US to unveil next ME peace steps

Compiled by New Age Isalm News Bureau

Photo: The wreckage of a bus is seen at the site of a traffic accident in Hillah, about 60 miles (95 kilometers) south of Baghdad on Friday.

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Pak cleric offers Rs 5 lakhs for killing Christian woman

4 December 2010

PESHAWAR: A Muslim cleric of an historic mosque in the capital of Pakistan's Khyber Paktunkhwa province on Friday offered Rs 5 lakhs for killing Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who was recently sentenced to death by a court for allegedly committing blasphemy.

Maulana Yusaf Qureshi, the imam of the well-known Mohabat Khan mosque, announced the reward for killing Asia Bibi during his sermon at the Friday prayers.

He announced that he would pay Rs 5 lakh to the person who killed "blasphemor Asia Bibi". The payment would be made from the mosque's fund, he said.

Qureshi is known for his outspoken ways and has issued several controversial fatwas in the past.

The death sentence given by a lower court in Punjab to Asia Bibu, a 45-year-old mother of five, has triggered a heated debate across Pakistan on the need to repeal or amend a controversial blasphemy law.

A report submitted to President Asif Ali Zardari by Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti concluded that the blasphemy case against her had been registered on "grounds of personal enmity and the story narrated in the FIR was concocted and malafide".

Acting on a petition, the Lahore High Court has barred President Zardari or any other government functionary from pardoning the Christian woman.

Asia Bibi's husband too has filed an appeal against her death sentence in the Lahore High Court.

Hardline religious parties and clerics have threatened they will launch nationwide protests if Asia Bibi is pardoned or if the blasphemy law is changed.

The Taliban too have opposed any move to pardon the woman.

Asia Bibi's case dates back to last year. She was arrested after a Muslim cleric accused her of blasphemy following a row she had with a group of Muslim women. She has denied the charge.

Her case has outraged liberals and rights groups in the country and abroad, amid demands for her release.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pak-cleric-offers-Rs-5-lakhs-for-killing-Christian-woman/articleshow/7036786.cms#ixzz177OYeOir

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Bomb blasts kill 13 in Iraq

Dec 4, 2010

BAGHDAD: A series of car bomb explosions in the Iraqi capital, two of them targeting Iranian pilgrims, killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 80 others, Interior Ministry and police sources said.

Militants blew up a car bomb in front of a house used by Iranians as a rest stop in the Kadhamiya district of Baghdad, as well as explosives planted in an adjacent house, an Interior Ministry source said.

The explosions killed five people, wounded 18 and severely damaged the two houses, the source said.

In Baghdad’s northern Shula district, a car bomb exploded near a bus carrying Iranians, killing two people and wounding 28, the source said.

A police source said seven were killed and 45 wounded in total in the two incidents.

A third car bomb blast struck a market in Baghdad’s southwestern Bayaa district, killing six people and wounding 41 others, the ministry source said.

Baghdad’s northern Kadhamiya area hosts the golden-domed shrine for Imam Moussa al-Kadhim, a medieval Shia holy man.

During a pilgrimage in 2005, rumours of a bombing on the Bridge of the Imams, which leads to the shrine, touched off a stampede that killed 1,000 people.

Hundreds of thousands of Iranian religious tourists have visited Shia holy sites in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/04/bomb-blasts-kill-13-in-iraq.html

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Muslims reject al Qaeda: Global survey

4 December 2010

Muslims in many parts of the Islamic world overwhelmingly reject al Qaeda, support a large role for their faith in government and believe democracy is preferable to any other kind of political structure, according to a new survey released by Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project.

The study also found falling support for suicide bombings, as well as mixed attitudes towards Hamas and Hezbollah, Islamic groups designated as terrorist organizations by Western governments but which operate extensive social services networks in parts of the Muslim world.

The survey, conducted this spring in Jordan, Lebanon, Nigeria, Indonesia, Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey, found that only in Nigeria did Muslim populations have anything approaching a favorable view of al Qaeda, with 49 percent expressing positive views and 34 percent holding an unfavorable opinion.

At least seven in 10 Muslims had unfavorable views of the group in Egypt, Turkey and Lebanon, as did lesser majorities in Jordan and Indonesia, according to the study.

But views of Hamas and Hezbollah were more mixed. Both groups got favorable ratings from a majority of Jordanian Muslims, with 60 percent supporting Hamas and 55 percent holding favorable views of Hezbollah, Pew reported.

Hezbollah received a narrow 52 percent favorable rating in its home base of Lebanon. But that slim majority belies deep divisions across Islamic sects in Lebanon, with 94 percent of Shia supporting Hezbollah and 84 percent of Sunnis looking on the group unfavorably.

Muslims in every nation but Turkey expressed a positive feeling about Islam's influence in their nation's politics. More than nine in 10 Indonesian Muslims said its influence is positive, as did more than eight in 10 Egyptian and Nigerian Muslims. In Jordan, 76 percent of Muslims approved of Islam's influence, as did 69 percent in Pakistan and 58 percent in Lebanon.

In Turkey, 38 percent had a positive opinion of Islam's influence in political life.

At the same time, majorities of Muslims in every country but Turkey said they were concerned about Islamic extremism in the world and their own countries.

Democracy was favored by a majority of Muslims in every country but Pakistan, although even there it received the largest share of responses. Lebanese Muslims were most favorable toward democracy, followed by those in Turkey, Jordan, Nigeria, Indonesia and Egypt.

Support for suicide bombing had also fallen by double digits since 2002 in every country except Turkey, where it was never well-received among Muslims, according to the study.

The survey also found support for gender segregation in the workplace in Pakistan, Egypt and Jordan and positive views of harsh punishments for various crimes in Egypt, Jordan and Pakistan.

The survey was conducted April 12 to May 7. In each of the countries except Pakistan, the sample was nationwide with a 4 percentage point sampling error. In Pakistan, respondents were predominantly urban and the sampling error was 3 percentage points.

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/03/muslims-offer-mixed-views-on-hamas-hezbollah-

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School bus torched in Srinagar to enforce shutdown

Dec 4, 2010

SRINAGAR: A mob torched a school bus in Old City area in Srinagar on Saturday to enforce a shutdown called by hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani across the Kashmir Valley. No one was injured in the incident, police said.

"The bus of a private school was stopped at Khwaja Bazaar in Old City area. The students and the driver were forced to get down and the bus was then torched by the miscreants," a police official said.

Following the incident, some private schools in uptown and downtown areas of Srinagar declared a holiday Saturday. Students were sent back to their homes even though many had already reached their schools.

"The safety of children is our paramount concern and we have shut down the school today (Saturday) to ensure that no harm comes to our children," said the principal of one of the prominent public schools in Srinagar.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/School-bus-torched-in-Srinagar-to-enforce-

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Chasing one criminal, Nigerian Army kills 150 civilians

4 December 2010

Lagos, Nigeria : A Nigerian military attack using heavily armed soldiers and aerial bombing runs has killed as many as 150 people in the oil-rich southern delta, a human rights activist said on Friday.

Oghebejabor Ikim, national coordinator for the Forum of Justice and Human Rights Defense, said, civilians have suffered a heavy toll in the military operation that began Wednesday. He did not say how many of the 150 dead were civilians, but said militants left the area before the offensive began.

The attacks on a village in the Niger Delta continued on Friday as the military tried to kill or capture a militant called John Togo who officials said gave up on a government-sponsored amnesty program. The amnesty program for militants brought an uneasy calm to a region vital to U.S. oil supplies, which is now threatened by new militant attacks and government offensives that put civilians at risk.

Full report at:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/chasing-one-criminal-nigerian-army-kills-150-

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Minister for minorities condemns threat to Aasia

Dec 4, 2010

ISLAMABAD: Minister for minorities condemned a cleric for offering cash to anyone who kills Aasia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman convicted of blasphemy against Islam.

The minister, Shahbaz Bhatti, said the offer is ”immoral, unjust and irresponsible” and should be condemned in the ”strongest possible manner”.

A Pakistani court sentenced Asia Bibi to death last month, triggering protests from human rights groups and Christian organisations. Religio-political parties have demonstrated in support of the sentence and the blasphemy laws.

Cleric Yousuf Qureshi said Friday that if the government did not execute Aasia, his mosque would pay anyone who killed her $5,800.

Bhatti called Saturday for authorities to ensure the safety of Aasia and her family.

http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/04/minister-for-minorities-condemns-threat-to-aasia.html

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WikiLeaks: ISI chief conspired against Zardari

Dec 4, 2010

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik had told then US Ambassador Anne Patterson that it was not chief of army staff Gen Ashfaq Kayani but ISI chief Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha who was hatching conspiracies against President Asif Ali Zardari, according to diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks.

The US embassy cables revealed that Malik sought an urgent appointment with Patterson in November 2009 and said that Pasha was hatching plots against Zardari, adding that the president needed political security, The News International reported.

However, Patterson was certain that the chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) could not do it alone.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/WikiLeaks-ISI-chief-conspired-against-

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Three attackers, soldier killed in Khuzdar clash

4 December 2010

QUETTA: Four people, including a paramilitary soldier, were killed and four others sustained injures in an incident of firing in Suni area of Khuzdar, some 300 kilometres off Quetta, on Friday.

According to official sources, Frontier Corps vehicles were going to Khuzdar from Surab when unknown assailants opened fire on the passing vehicles near Sunni area entrance of the Khuzdar district. Resultantly, a soldier died on the spot while four others received multiple bullet wounds FC soldier, fired back and killed all three assailants.

Police rushed to the spot to take the deceased and injured to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Khuzdar. FC personnel identified the deceased as Sabz Ali and the injured as Major Sohail, Naseer, Naseeb and Halamdar and the assailants who were killed in retaliation were identified as Abubakar, Nabi Bakhsh and Ahmed. They belonged to Pindaran tribe of Kalat.

The assailant’s family members alleged that FC personnel entered the house and forced all of them out of the house and shot them dead.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\04\story_4-12-2010_pg7_5

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China role in PoK, its J-K policies worrisome: Rao

4 December 2010

A HEAD of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao has said the relationship with China will grow stronger as Beijing shows more sensitivity on core issues related to India's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"We believe the IndiaChina relationship will grow even stronger as China shows more sensitivity on core issues that impinge on our sovereignty and territorial integrity. We hope this can be realised," Rao said at a seminar on Sino-India relations organised by Observer Research Foundation in the Capital on Friday.

The Chinese Premier's visit is scheduled on December 16-17.

The Foreign Secretary commented on the China-Pakistan relationship. "India firmly believes a stable and prosperous Pakistan is in India's interest, and we are not against Pakistan's relations with other countries."

Full report at:

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Bangladesh Nobel Laureate Yunus accused of funds diversion

4 December 2010

Muhammad Yunus, the Bangladeshi economist and the founder of Grameen Bank who received the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2006, has been accused of diverting millions of dollars of aid money from the bank.

The bank was set up by Professor Yunus to provide micro-credit, or small loans, to the poor. The original aim of the micro-credit concept was poverty reduction, but in recent years some micro-financial institutions have been criticised over exorbitant interest rates and alleged coercive debt collection.

The BBC quoted Norwegian authorities as saying that they have no suspicions of tax fraud or corruption committed by Grameen Bank.

Full report at: Hindustan Times

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Seven persons to be charged for German Bakery blast

4 December 2010

THEMaharashtraAnti-TerrorismSquad(ATS)isexpectedtofile its chargesheet in the German Bakery blast case on Saturday.

Seven people will be charged for bombing the popular eatery in Pune on February 13 this year, killing 17 people and injuring 65.

"We are ready with the chargesheet and will file it tomorrow.

We have shown Mirza Himayat Baig and six others as accused in the case," Sanjeev Latkar, ATS DIG, Pune, said.

The chargesheet will be filed in the ATS court in Pune. The ATS claimed that Baig, who was arrested in September, had planted the bomb and was also involved in the conspiracy from the beginning along with Mohammed Ahmed Zarar Siddibappa and Pune-based Mohsin Chaudhary.

Full report at:

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Five militants arrested over suicide attack on ISI headquarters

December 04, 2010

Five militants have been arrested for their alleged involvement in a suicide attack on the ISI headquarters and a nearby police building in this eastern Pakistani city last year that killed 35 people and injured over 200 others, police said on Friday.

Lahore police chief Aslam Tareen said the arrested men belonged to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and al-Tauheed al-Jihad. They were arrested from Lahore, he added. The mastermind of the attack, Doctor Moaz alias Umar Kundi, was killed earlier in a shootout with police.

Police officials said weapons and explosives were seized from the five arrested men. The suicide attack on the ISI headquarters and a nearby police building here took place on May 27 last year. An explosives-laden vehicle was used in the strike that had killed 35 people and injured more than 200 others.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/301094/Five-militants-arrested-over-suicide-attack-on-ISI-headquarters.html

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Allowed surveillance, not strikes by US drones: Mush

December 04, 2010

Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has admitted that he allowed the US to carry out drone surveillance inside the country when he was in power but had not permitted them to launch the controversial missile strikes to take out militants.

“Yes indeed, we wanted intelligence, we wanted them (the US) to locate targets,” the former general told Express 24/7’s programme Face-off.

He said that there was only a ‘general kind of carpet agreement’ with the US and surveillance was allowed on a ‘case to case basis.’ However, according to the understanding between the US and Pakistan, the method of striking militant hideouts was left to Islamabad.

Full report at:

http://www.dailypioneer.com/301093/Allowed-surveillance-not-strikes-by-US-drones-

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No power sharing with the Taliban’

4 December 2010

THE US had told India it will not let the Taliban enter a power- sharing agreement in Afghanistan, allaying New Delhi’s fears about peace talks with the rebels, according to diplomatic cables leaked by WikiLeaks.

In January, foreign secretary Nirupama Rao, accompanied by top Indian diplomats, had sought US pressure on Pakistan to break its ties with terrorist groups and to permit Afghanistan’s economic links with India to grow.

During the meeting, while the US special envoy for the Af- Pak region, Richard Holbrooke, insisted that India was not his area, he said some of the “ anxiety stems from confusion between reintegration and reconciliation”, the cable said.

“ The special envoy said the reintegration program is not a political negotiation designed to give Taliban elements a share of power,” the cable said.

Full report at: Mail Today

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Saudi environmental efforts win global acclaim: Sultan bin Salman

4 December 2010

RIYADH: Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities President Prince Sultan bin Salman said the Wadi Hanifa project in Riyadh recently winning the Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2010 is an international recognition for the Kingdom’s efforts to achieve a healthy balance between the rapid modern development and environmental protection.

“What is achieved in the Wadi Hanifa project serves as a successful model for locations that are exposed to vast environmental destruction as a result of an inundation of developmental projects. The project proves that environmentally threatened areas could be restored to locations that enrich the environment of the surrounding regions on the one hand, and on the other, they could be converted to centers of urban development steeped in the local cultural heritage,” the prince said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency on Friday.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article207200.ece

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Local Press: A Saudi woman plumber

4 December 2010

Electrician and maintenance technician: These are two new professions that have opened up for Saudi women thanks to the support of concerned government agencies, vocational courses at King Saud University in Riyadh, the conferring of certificates and the opportunities available, even in the government sector.

KSU held recently three-month, two-days-a-week courses for women in the maintenance of electrical appliances, medical and sanitary instruments, air-conditioners, computers, coating works, and so on. The university arranged specialized laboratories and workshops equipped with electrical appliances, health and sanitary instruments and the like.

It is nice to point out that there has been tremendous response from young Saudi women; there's a waiting list for future courses where a third of the seats are reserved for university students, a third for government employees and a third for women who are neither students nor public workers. Women who complete the courses can find employment at women's colleges and schools for girls, for example.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article207210.ece

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US suspected Yemen had portable missiles: cables

4 December 2010

WASHINGTON — US officials suspected that Yemen had a secret cache of shoulder-fired missiles that could have threatened US forces if it fell in the wrong hands, new cables released by WikiLeaks said on Friday.

An embassy cable marked “secret” and dated August 4, 2009 says an informant whose name has been redacted told US political officers that Yemen’s defense ministry “does indeed have MANPADS, but would never speak of them because they are considered a state secret.”

While Yemen “realizes their MANPADS are of little military value, they consider them better than nothing and would turn them over for destruction only if they were able to get a modern air defense system in return.”

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/December/

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US sanctions three Pakistan terrorists

4 December 2010

US has slapped sanctions against three Pakistan-based key terrorists leaders, including Abdul Rauf Azhar the top commander of Jaish-eMohammed in India, who in 2008 was assigned to organise suicide attacks in the country.

The Treasury Department also slapped sanctions on two other terrorists -Lashkar-e Jhangvi (LJ) senior leader Amanullah Afridi for acting for or on behalf of LJ and LJ chief operational commander Mati ur-Rehman for acting for or on behalf of LJ and al Qaeda.

“Today's actions strike at the heart of two terrorist organisations responsible for deadly attacks against innocent civilians in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India,“ said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levey on Thursday.

Both Lashkar-e Jhangvi and Jaish-e-Mohammed are Pakistan-based terrorist organisations.

LJ has conducted numerous attacks in Pakistan in recent times.

Hindustan Times

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US,WikiLeaks wage guerrilla war in cyber world

4 December 2010

Washington: They seek it here,they seek it there,the Americans seek it everywhere,wanting to finish off the website thats put the diplomatic world in a fearful scare.But like the damned,elusive Scarlet Pimpernel,the whistleblower website keeps surfacing in a new place every few hours after it is ousted from a host,a transparent heaven to some,a ratting hell to others.

While much of the worlds political and diplomatic community is being tortured by the drip-drip-drip of cable leaks from the website,the US is haring after the site in a cat-and-mouse game even as the leaks claimed its first prominent victim on Friday.An aide to the German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle was sacked after it transpired he was the source of some information contained in a leaked cable.

Full report at:

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Aqap deputy leader al-shihri urges soldiers of the house of sa’ud to join jihad

4 December 2010

A new communiqué from the Saudi Arabian deputy leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Abu Sufyan al-Azdi al-Shihri (a.k.a. Sa’id Ali Jabir al-Kathim al-Shihri), urges troops in the service of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to abandon their “apostate” masters and take up arms in the service of jihad (Global Islamic Media Front, November 18).

Al-Shihri was captured on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in December 2001 and sent to the American detention camp at Guantanamo Bay in January 2002. He was released in November 2007 and repatriated to Saudi Arabia, where he completed a government-sponsored rehabilitation program. Following his graduation he immediately traveled to Yemen, where he joined AQAP, quickly becoming its deputy leader under Nasir al-Wuhayshi Full report at:

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OSCE Summit Highlights Disagreements Between Astana and Tashkent

4 December 2010

The situation in Kyrgyzstan generated an emotive exchange between Kazakh and Uzbek officials during the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) summit in Astana, on December 1-2, highlighting continuing disagreements between neighbors.

While Kazakhstan’s President, Nursultan Nazarbayev, affirmed that the OSCE has done everything possible to halt the ethnic violence in Kyrgyzstan, his Uzbek counterpart, Islam Karimov, said that the organization failed to prevent the conflict (www.ca-news.org, December 1). “An acute political crisis in Kyrgyzstan could have served as a catalyst for new conflicts in Central Asia. Together with the US and Russia, Kazakhstan has tried to use all available OSCE instruments to prevent the escalation of the conflict,” Nazarbayev said about the ethnic violence in June in southern Kyrgyzstan.

Full report at:

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India deserves permanent seat in UNSC: Sarkozy

Dec 4, 2010

BANGALORE: French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who arrived here on Saturday on a four-day visit to the country, backed India's bid for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council and its fight against terrorism.

"India deserves a permanent seat in the UNSC," Sarkozy said addressing over 500 scientists, captains of industry and students at the Indian Space Research Organisation in Bangalore. Sarkozy said India, along with Brazil, Germany, Japan, Africa and Arab world should be in the UN Security Council.

The French leader is seeking to drum up business for French firms, with a deal expected on building nuclear plants to feed the India's burgeoning energy needs.

France will provide all help for development of India's nuclear programme, Sarkozy said. He further added that France will be delighted to set up nuclear plant in Jaitapur that will produce 10,000 MW of clean energy.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-deserves-permanent-seat-in-UNSC-

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Pakistan want China to host cricket matches on its behalf as neutral site

Saibal Dasgupta

4 December 2010

BEIJING: Next time India chooses to wield the willow at Pakistan, it may be called upon to play on Chinese soil. At least, this is what the Pakistan Cricket Board wants to happen, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Friday within days of China hosting a cricket match at the Guangzhou Asian Games.

Javed Miandad, former Pakistan captain, has presented a written report to the PCB suggesting China be made a "neutral venue" for international cricket matches. The idea is to counter moves by some cricketing countries including India, who refuse to play in Pakistan on the ground that it posed a security risk.

"We should take immediate and solid steps to decide this issue soon before the time passes away," Miandad, PCB director and Pakistan's cricket ambassador to China, was quoted as saying in the letter.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/top-stories/Pakistan-want-China-to-host-

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Hillary Clinton calls world leaders to express regret on WikiLeaks

4 December 2010

Hillary Clinton spoke to Pak and Argentina president to express regret over the release of secret diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks.

WASHINGTON: US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has spoken with 12 world leaders, including the Presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan, in the past one week to express her regret over the embarrassing release of secret diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks.

On Thursday, Clinton spoke to Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari and president Fernandez de Kirchner of Argentina.

"They did talk about the importance of our relationship in both cases. She did express regret to both presidents for the release of classified documents," state department spokesman P J Crowley said.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Hillary-Clinton-calls-world-leaders-to-express-

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'CIA wishlist put envoys on trail of UN biggies'

Dec 4, 2010

UNITED NATIONS: The CIA prepared a list of information on UN officials and diplomats that it wanted US envoys in New York and around the world to gather, a newspaper reported.

According to one cable published by The Guardian in UK, the state department asked US envoys at UN headquarters and elsewhere to procure credit card and cellphone numbers, email addresses, passwords and other confidential data from UN officials and foreign diplomats . That cable mentioned UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon as a target for informationgathering activities by US diplomats.

It also urged them to get hold of "biometric information" — such as fingerprints, DNA or other data — on ranking North Korean diplomats. Without citing any sources, The Guardian reported it had learned that preparation of the list of information it wanted US diplomats to gather was overseen by the CIA. But the diplomatic cable itself was drafted by the state department, the newspaper noted.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/CIA-wishlist-put-envoys-on-trail-of-UN-

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Obama, troops cheer each other in Afghan visit

Dec 4, 2010

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN: President Barack Obama told U.S. troops in a surprise holiday-season visit Friday that they are making important progress in Afghanistan, and he pledged the country would never again be a "safe haven for terrorists." But a war-strategy meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai was scrapped at the last minute.

"You will succeed in your mission," Obama told more than 3,500 cheering troops in a huge hangar. "We said we were going to break the Taliban's momentum. That's what you're doing. You're going on the offense, tired of playing defense."

Obama had traveled to Afghanistan to thank the troops and to deal with frayed relations with Karzai. But after he flew 14 hours for the visit, the White House said Obama couldn't make the short additional trip to meet with Karzai in Kabul because the weather was too bad for helicopter travel.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Obama-troops-cheer-each-other-in-Afghan-

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Disgraced nuclear scientist A Q Khan allowed to attend public functions

4 December 2010

ISLAMABAD: Disgraced nuclear scientist A Q Khan has been allowed by Pakistani authorities to attend public functions after being kept in "protective custody" for the past six years following his acknowledgment that he ran a clandestine proliferation network.

Khan attended the convocation of a private university yesterday and was seen sitting on the dais alongside Education Minister Aseff Ahmed Ali.

Restrictions on Khan's movements were lifted by the Lahore High Court recently.

In recent weeks, he has been seen shopping in Kohsar Market.

However, he continues to be shadowed by security personnel who also maintain a watch on his residence in the heart of Islamabad.

"The court allowed me to move freely but due to old age and bad health, I spend most of the time at home," Khan told the media during yesterday's convocation.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Disgraced-nuclear-scientist-A-Q-Khan-

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Germans more negative towards Muslims than others

4 December 2010

BERLIN: Only about one third of Germans think positively of their Muslim neighbours, a much lower proportion than in other western European countries, according to a new poll published on Thursday.

In contrast, 62 percent of Dutch and 56 percent of French people responding to the TNS Emnid survey indicated they had positive attitudes towards Muslims.

Detlef Pollack, a Muenster University sociologist who led the study, attributed Germans' views to their lack of contact with Muslims compared to people in other nations surveyed.

"The more often you meet Muslims, the more you view them as generally positive," he said.

The survey broke down the German results into western and eastern responses, reflecting continuing divisions in the once-divided country. Only 34 percent in the west and 26 percent in the east had positive impressions of Muslims, it said.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Germans-more-negative-towards-

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Libya risked nuclear disaster after UN slight: WikiLeaks

Dec 4, 2010

LONDON: Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi was prepared to leave highly enriched uranium potentially unprotected and at risk of hijack in a fit of pique aimed at the UN, US cables revealed by WikiLeaks showed Friday.

British newspaper The Guardian said the leaked secret diplomatic cables showed that seven metal casks sealed only for transport, not for storage, were left at a Libyan nuclear facility with a single armed guard in November 2009.

Scientists warned that the 5.2 kilogrammes (11.4 pounds) of uranium in the casks was highly radioactive and rapidly heating up, making it liable to crack the containers and leak into the atmosphere.

The New York Times, which also published the cables, said the US embassy in Tripoli reported: "If the enriched uranium is not removed from the casks within three months, its rising temperature could cause the casks to crack and to release radioactive nuclear material."

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Libya-risked-nuclear-disaster-after-

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Miffed Mush blames babu for Agra fiasco

Dec 4, 2010

NEW DELHI: Nine years after the Agra Indo-Pak summit, former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf, apparently peeved over India's decision not to grant him a visa, has blamed an Indian foreign ministry official for what proved to be an unmitigated disaster in relations between the two countries. Secretary (west) Vivek Katju, a 1974 batch IFS officer who was then handling the Pakistan division, has been blamed by Musharraf for sabotaging the talks.

Musharraf said in an interview to News 24 channel that things were progressing fine during the summit meeting with then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee till Katju intervened.

"There was someone from the foreign ministry sitting there named Katju. He may still be there, he created a lot of hurdles," said the former Pakistani army chief, adding that both he and Vajpayee wanted the meet to succeed and tried hard to work out a joint statement but these efforts were scuttled.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Miffed-Mush-blames-babu-for-Agra-

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Folklore, heritage to usher in Aman ki Asha

Priyanka Agrawal

4 December 2010

CHANDIGARH: The third Saarc folklore festival kicked off in Chandigarh on Friday taking forward the spirit of the Aman ki Asha initiative to foster closer ties between civil societies of India, Pakistan and other South Asian partners.

This year the theme for the festival is heritage and identity of folklore in the region. ''We feel that Chandigarh is the cultural nerve-center of the Indo-Gangetic region that is why we are holding it here again,'' said main organizer Ajeet Kaur, president of the Foundation of Saarc Writers and Literature. The festival is also aided by the ministry of external affairs.

The festival kicked off with an academic seminar, with intellectuals discussing intricacies of folklore and a cultural program at Shivalik Public School in Mohali.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Folklore-heritage-to-usher-in-Aman-ki-Asha/articleshow/7039026.cms#ixzz177PS4Aqy

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Dhoni is the most exciting cricketer in the world: Musharaff

Dec 4, 2010

NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharaff is in awe of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and rates the current India skipper as the most exciting and entertaining cricketer in world cricket.

"Though Sachin Tendulkar is the world's most consistent cricketer, Dhoni is the most entertaining and exciting" Musharaff said in an interview to News 24.

"Once I praised his hair style. Now he has gone for a shorter haircut, but he is still exciting to watch," Musharaff added.

The former Pakistan president also praised the Indian cricket team for its consistent showings over the past few years.

"Though I am pained to see the state of Pakistan cricket, I am really impressed with the way Indian cricket is progressing. I must say you do have great players at your disposal," he said.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Dhoni-is-the-most-exciting-cricketer-in-the-world-

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Litigants to present solution to Ayodhya row before SC

Dec 4, 2010

AYODHYA: Two main litigants in the Ayodhya title suit case, Mahant Gyan Das and Hashim Ansari, on Friday said they would put forth a formula before the Supreme Court to resolve the vexed issue.

"We would await all the petitioners in the case to reach the apex court for challenging Allahabad High Court judgement as decided by them and there we would present the formula worked out by us in a written form," Das and Hashim Ansari told newspersons in a joint press conference here. On Thursday, Ansari had reportedly said the formula would be made public by December 10.

Das, who was recently removed as president of the Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad at a meeting in Allahabad, blamed VHP and its chief Ashok Singhal for creating a rift in the body.

"VHP is a group of thugs and they do not want the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya at any cost," Gyan Das said, adding they were more interested in politics and instigating riots.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Litigants-to-present-solution-to-Ayodhya-row-before-SC/articleshow/7039006.cms#ixzz177PUmpAf

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An opportunity that Pakistan missed

Sandeep Dikshit

4 December 2010

NEW DELHI: Leaked secret cables from the U.S. embassy in Islamabad, just after the November 26, 2008 attacks in Mumbai, reveal a more complex narrative than that chronicled so far.

The Pakistan government was willing to work with India; New Delhi was not painting Islamabad and the military nerve centre in Rawalpindi with the same brush, and the Europeans were initially keen on dousing any tensions that might have erupted.

Three cables form the basis for the initial account. The fourth and the last cable, sent three months later, details how the media in India and Pakistan, along with the Opposition in Pakistan, led to erosion of enthusiasm in Pakistan to get at the bottom of the Mumbai attack conspiracy.

The four WikiLeaks cables, though forming a narrow window, are a story of a missed opportunity for Pakistan to step up the friendship with India, being constructed through the comprehensive dialogue process.

Full report at:

http://www.hindu.com/2010/12/04/stories/201012046491600.htm

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Special Court rejects Pathan's plea in Naroda Gaam case

Manas Dasgupta

4 December 2010

AHMEDABAD: The Special Court trying the 2002 Naroda Gaam massacre case on Friday rejected the plea of Rais Khan Pathan to enlist him as a witness and also ordered the city civil court registrar to initiate proceedings against him for filling false evidences.

Mr. Pathan, a former close aide of Teesta Setalvad, secretary, Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), a Mumbai-based voluntary organisation, which was fighting for the 2002 Gujarat riot victims, in an application before the court admitted having filed “fabricated evidences” but had claimed that the falsifications were at the behest of Ms. Setalvad. He also requested the court to enlist him as a witness in the case to enable him to “expose” the “misdeeds” of Ms. Setalvad.

Removed in 2008

Mr Pathan was the co-ordinator of the CJP in Ahmedabad and was responsible for filling the affidavits in various courts and commissions on behalf of the riot victims and witnesses before he was removed from the services by the CJP in January 2008.

Full report at:

http://www.hindu.com/2010/12/04/stories/2010120455531300.htm

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Asian convoy to Gaza awaits government's nod

4 December 2010

NEW DELHI: A group of people from India on a humanitarian visit to Gaza are still awaiting permission from the Ministry of External Affairs to cross over to Pakistan on Saturday. The team plans to stage a dharna at the India-Pakistan border in protest. Pakistan also gave 34 visas and denied permission to 17 applicants.

Terming the land yatra a logistical nightmare, Feroze Mithiborwala, one of the organisers, said the group opted for this mode despite the difficulties in order to get ordinary people on board. “It would have been easier to go by air. But then people not very committed would have got on board.”

Under the banner of Asian People's Solidarity for Palestine (APSP), the group was to be joined on the way by around 400 activists from Nepal, Japan, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan during the ‘Asian Land Convoy to Gaza.'

Full report at:

http://www.hindu.com/2010/12/04/stories/2010120455821100.htm

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Minister scripts a second career

4 December 2010

WHAT happens when Union minister of state for corporate and minority affairs, Salman Khurshid, adroitly combines a historical theme with a contemporary touch in terms of dialogue, dramatic stage juxtaposition and relevance? The result is a play titled Sons of Babur that connects the present to the past, leading the audience to introspect the Mughal era in India besides providing some unique reading of Indian history. In his stage debut, Khurshid superimposes a search for India on that identity issue.

The diverse elements in India that have often created the seeds of conflict, should ideally bring in a wholesome idea of modern India. “Hence, I wrote this play to bring this concept in an enjoyable manner to the people,” said Khurshid, at the staging of the play at FICCI Auditorium on Thursday.

Full report at: Mail Today

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Rushdie ‘ girl’ sues UK paper for saying she snogged him

4 December 2010

SERIAL headline- grabber and Booker of Bookers- winning author Salman Rushdie was last in the news in November for saying Iran should be bombed with Nintendo game consoles and Big Macs.

But for now, Rushdie has another bombshell to worry about — a newspaper report that says he was “ snogging” three women at his bachelor’s party in 2004, just before saying ‘ I do’ to model- turned- celebrity TV host ( and now ex- wife) Padma Lakshmi.

On September 26, The Sunday Times carried a report saying that the author and veteran of four marriages “ finished the evening by snogging fellow guests Nigella ( Lawson), Mariella Frostrup and Dannii Minogue in a game of spin the bottle.” One of the women named in the piece — Frostrup, 47, a book show host on Sky Arts and a presenter on BBC’s Radio 4 , has now sued The Sunday Times for carrying the story.

Full report at: Mail Today

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Anwar likely to be suspended from Malaysian Parliament

December 04, 2010

Malaysian Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said on Friday he was likely to be suspended from Parliament, after a disciplinary probe against him refused to hear his defence.

The Government in April urged action against Anwar after he criticised its “One Malaysia” national unity slogan, saying it had been copied from the “One Israel” political alliance of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak in 1999.

Muslim-majority Malaysia has no diplomatic relations with Israel and is a supporter of a Palestinian State. “They charged me, they should hear me,” Anwar told a news conference, after two opposition parliamentarians sitting on the disciplinary committee withdrew, saying the committee had made its decision without hearing Anwar’s testimony.

Full report at:

http://www.dailypioneer.com/301092/Anwar-likely-to-be-suspended-from-Malaysian-

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‘Duplicitous Pakistan can’t survive without US support’

December 04, 2010

The Obama administration may well be looking for an early exit from Afghanistan, but one of its key envoys has warned that it will be a long haul of 10-15 years to defeat the combination of terror brigades stalking the region.

“As we work to prevent Pakistan-based attacks on the US and its forces, we should be clear that Al Qaeda now wants more than just a safe haven in Pakistan,” US envoy to Pakistan Anne Patterson said, stressing: “Defeating a growing witches’ brew of AQ, Taliban, local extremists and criminals will be a long 10-15 year fight.”

In a diplomatic cable leaked by WikiLeaks, Patterson, who has since completed her Islamabad assignment, candidly dwells on Islamabad’s duplicity and the mutual mistrust that has bedeviled US-Pakistan relations.

Full report at:

http://www.dailypioneer.com/301091/%E2%80%98Duplicitous-Pakistan-

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Under attack, WikiLeaks back on Swiss site

December 04, 2010

Whistleblower website WikiLeaks came back online with a Swiss name on Friday around six hours after its wikileaks.Org domain name was shut down because it was suffering massive cyber attacks.

“WikiLeaks moves to Switzerland,” the group declared on Twitter, although an Internet trace of the new domain name suggested that the site itself is still hosted in Sweden and in France.

Webusers accessing the wikileaks.Ch address are directed to a page under the URL http://213.251.145.96/ -- which gives them access to the former site, including a massive trove of leaked US diplomatic traffic.

A separate search via the whois.Net tool indicated that the wikileaks.Ch site name is owned by the Swiss Pirates Party, which campaigns for data privacy and Internet freedoms. It was not immediately available to comment.

Full report at:

http://www.dailypioneer.com/301090/Under-attack-WikiLeaks-back-on-Swiss-site.html

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Baghdad bus collision kills 24

December 04, 2010

Twenty-four people, including 22 Iranian pilgrims visiting Shiite holy sites in Iraq, died on Friday when two buses collided head-on south of Baghdad, official and eyewitnesses said. The spokesman for Babil province police, Maj Muthana Khalid, said the buses carrying Iranian pilgrims and Iraqi travellers overturned in the southern city of Hillah, about 95 km south of the capital.

Passers-by pulled people from the windows in a rush, fearing the buses would explode. Two Iraqis were also killed, and more than 50 Iraqis and Iranians were injured. Dr Saad Al-Nakaash of Hillah hospital confirmed the casualties.

“Our bus was hit by another bus and the passengers in my bus flew over the other,” said Jassim Swadi, 45, a Hillah resident who was traveling in one of the buses on business. “The sky could be seen from the windows, and we realised that the bus must have turned over.”

Swadi, lying in a bed at Hillah hospitals for head and right hand injuries, described other passengers climbing out of windows as he lay in shock.

Eyewitnesses said the two buses were going in opposite directions when one of them tried to pass another vehicle. The buses collided head on and flipped over on the side of the road.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/301081/Baghdad-bus-collision-kills-24.html

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Pakistan trying to ‘stir the pot’ in Kashmir, Nirupama told US

December 04, 2010

Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao categorically told the United States earlier this year that Pakistan’ latest moves indicated that it was trying to ‘stir the pot’ in Kashmir.

At a meeting with the visiting US Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke in January, Rao expressed concern over the “sharp increase in unseasonal Pakistan-inspired violence and preparation for violence”. She pointed to incidents of cross-border shelling along the Line of Control and in Punjab, increased infiltration, and transfer of terrorist hardware.

“They are clearly trying to ‘stir the pot’ in Kashmir,” according to a US diplomatic cable of the meeting, leaked by WikiLeaks on Thursday. “In her view, Pakistan is trying to deflect attention to its eastern border from the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where the focus ought to be.”

Full report at:

http://www.dailypioneer.com/301085/Pakistan-trying-to-%E2%80%98stir-the-

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Kasab's lawyers raise doubts about evidence

4 December 2010

Mumbai: During the hearing of the case against lone surviving Pakistani gunman of the Mumbai terror attacks Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab on Friday, his lawyers raised doubts about the evidence presented before the court on the shooting at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus here on November 26, 2008. “Nobody denies that the incident happened, but different witnesses have given different versions,” defence lawyer Amin Solkar said, pointing to “discrepancies” in the identification done by witnesses.

Mr. Solkar argued that the CCTV footage of the shooting at the CST station was not shown to the court. The shown footage did not depict all the movements and appeared to be concocted.

Kasab did not appear before the judges during the hearing.

http://www.hindu.com/2010/12/04/stories/2010120455801100.htm

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Women talent shines at deco fair

4 December 2010

JEDDAH: Four talented Saudi women working together won top prize in a competition at a deco fair for interior design. Saudi graduates from government and private colleges participated.

The women are graduates of King Abdulaziz University and Dar Al-Hekma College. Ghazal Ka'aki, Radwa Kabli, Nadia Ibrahim and Jumana Azmarli presented the winning design of a living room that satisfies the needs of a Saudi family. They received the top award in addition to a cash prize of SR15,000.

The competition, the first of its kind in the Kingdom, targeted fresh graduates aiming to promote their ideas and show their talent in interior design.

The competition was held as part of Decofair, a furniture, decoration and home accessories exhibition that opened on Nov. 28 at the Jeddah Center for Forums and Events.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article207195.ece

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Indian goodwill team vows to raise pilgrims’ woes with PM

4 December 2010

JEDDAH: There should be compulsory training for Indian pilgrims prior to their embarking on performing the fifth pillar of Islam, and this could alleviate the problems that generally arise during Haj.

This was one of the solutions presented by Mairaj-uddin Ahmed, a member of the Indian Haj goodwill delegation, among the other measures to improve Haj arrangements. Ahmed, who is also a member of the All India Congress Committee, was speaking at a reception hosted by AMU Old Boys Association in Jeddah.

Some of the recommendations include pilgrims being given the complete schedule from start to finish, such as their accommodation, trip itineraries for Makkah and Madinah and transportation arrangements. Dedicated medical services for aged Haj pilgrims and organized transport arrangements for pilgrims staying at a distance from the Haram are the other issues being looked into, Ahmed said.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article207203.ece

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Pakistan criticizes US support for Indian UN seat

4 December 2010

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is protesting American support for India’s attempts to get a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

The government said in a statement Wednesday that President Barack Obama’s recent vow to back India’s bid was “incomprehensible.” Pakistan and India are regional rivals who have fought three wars since 1947, two over the disputed region of Kashmir.

Islamabad does not like anything that increases India’s standing and power in the world.

US support for New Delhi does not mean it will join the five permanent Security Council members anytime soon.

For India to join, the council would have be radically reformed, something that could take years to bring about.

http://arabnews.com/world/article207285.ece

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Pak Army offered arbitration with Mullah Omar

4 December 2010

LAHORE: The latest cache of WikiLeaks cables revealed that Afghan intelligence chief Amarullah Saleh had told a briefing of foreign diplomats that the Pakistan Army offered the US mediation in peace talks with Taliban leader Mullah Omar, a private TV channel reported on Friday. It said that Saleh, in mid-2009, had told the diplomats of the Pakistan Army’s offer but the then US envoy rejected the offer. Also, Afghan President Hamid Karzai feared and strongly believed that the US was being helped by Iran to bring instability in Afghanistan and to oust him from office.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\04\story_4-12-2010_pg1_14

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2m people lost lives due to US policies: Imran

4 December 2010

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that due to irrational and hostile policies of the US, more than 2 million innocent people have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan while drone attacks in Pakistan’s tribal belt in name of terrorism were counterproductive in which thousands of civilians had so far been killed.

Speaking to party leaders over the phone from London on Friday, he said that Pakistan needed a dynamic leader who could stand against imperialism and give preference to national interest over personal gains.

“This is the time to lead the nation from the front,” Imran said, adding that only a leader with vision could make Pakistan respectable among other nations.

Criticising the rulers, Imran said that they had sold the nation to foreign forces for their vested interests. He urged the masses to prepare themselves for a political change in the next elections.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\04\story_4-12-2010_pg7_9

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WikiLeaks conspiracy against Muslims: PPP

4 December 2010

LAHORE: Pakistan People’s Party Punjab President Imtiaz Safdar Warraich has demanded action against the ambassadors and other culprits involved in the WikiLeaks revelations, terming the WikiLeaks report a conspiracy against the Muslim world.

Addressing reporters at a press conference after attending PPP’s Punjab Assembly parliamentary party meeting at the Governor’s House on Friday, Warraich said that there was no truth in these reports and every thing would be clarified with time.

Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer, Punjab Finance Minister Tanvir Ashraf Kaira, the party provincial leadership, including Secretary General Samiullah Khan, Finance Secretary Aurangzeb Barki and Information Secretary Dr Fakhar, were also present on the occasion.

Full report at:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\04\story_4-12-2010_pg7_15

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International Day of Persons with Disabilities

4 December 2010

KARACHI: The International Day of Persons with Disabilities was observed here on Friday (yesterday), during which the disabled persons demanded the government to provide basic facilities.

Scores of disabled persons participated in a peace walk on wheelchairs under the banner of Disabled Welfare Association (DWA), which started from the Karachi Press Club (KPC) and planned to reach the Chief Minister House, but was stopped by the police on Sir Hidayatullah Shaheed Road.

The participants of the walk were carrying placards and banners inscribed with their demands including implementation of two percent job quota for the disabled, establishment of disability centres, provision of basic facilities and their representation in the parliament.

Meanwhile, Association of the Physically Handicapped Adults (APHA) Welfare Trust President Shareeful Muzaffar in a press conference at the KPC has appealed to the government to provide basic facilities to the disabled persons.

Full report at:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\04\story_4-12-2010_pg12_6

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Five parties call for Fauzia’s removal

4 December 2010

ISLAMABAD: Members of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue representing five major parties, including coalition partners, have sought removal of the panel’s chairperson Fauzia Wahab, accusing her of adopting a ‘dictatorial style’ to rush through the reformed general sales tax (RGST) law.

The members, belonging to the ANP, MQM, JUI-F, PML-Q and PML-N, submitted a resolution to the speaker of the National Assembly on Friday to remove Ms Wahab, saying she was incapable of running the affairs of the committee in a ‘parliamentary manner’.

An exchange of hot words between the members and the chairperson took place when PML-Q’s Kashmala Tariq wanted to know how much additional revenue the government wanted to generate from the RGST.

Full report at:

http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/04/five-parties-call-for-fauzia%E2%80%99s-removal.html

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Spanish judge jails three Pakistanis in forgery probe

4 December 2010

MADRID: A judge in Spain Friday remanded in custody three of seven people arrested in an operation against a gang suspected of forging passports for Al-Qaeda-linked groups, court sources said.

The seven, six Pakistanis and a Nigerian, were held in raids in Barcelona on Tuesday night.

Three others, two Pakistanis and a Thai woman, were held in Thailand as part of the same Operation Kampai.

The judge in Madrid’s National Court, which handles terrorism cases, ordered Junaid Humayun and Atiqur Rehman, both Pakistanis, and Nigerian Babatunde Agunbiade held without bail on suspicion of “collaborating or belonging to a terrorist organisation,” the sources said.

Full report at:

http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/03/spanish-judge-jails-three-pakistanis-in-forgery-

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US to unveil next ME peace steps

4 December 2010

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States would make new announcements next week on the next steps in the Mideast peace process and she was not ready to declare the process a failure.

“We are not prepared to make any announcement about what we’re doing and what our next steps are until early next week,” Clinton told Al Hurra television in an interview in Bahrain.

“We’re going to have some additional consultations with both the Israelis and the Palestinians. But there are a number of ways that we’re going to move forward,” Clinton said.

Asked directly if she viewed the process, which a senior Palestinian official said on Thursday had collapsed, as a failure, Clinton demurred.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/December/

URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=3759