In Afghanistan, father-in-law held for mutilation of teenager
VARANASI BLAST: Big bang, smoke and cries for help
She was on mother's lap when pellet hit her
IM sends email, ‘biased’ Babri verdict its theme
Varanasi blast: Two questioned in connection with terror mail
FBI informant scares Muslim suspects so much with his talk of violent jihad that they report him to authorities
Saudi wants nuclear power 'soon': US
Jihad is the Quran Teaching not Terrorism
The Gray Lady Wears Islamophobia on Her Sleeve
Urgent action needed to tackle Islamophobia
Balochistan CM survives assassination bid
Al Jazeera English comes to India
Clan fighting in central Somalia kills 20
Girls’ school bombed in Peshawar
Kashmir interlocutor team won’t be allowed to visit PoK
Birthday girl died with prayer on her lips
VHP demands ban on entry of non-Hindus into Kashi
Chronology of terrorist attacks in India
Mumbai terror suspect Rana's trial set for Feb 14
Illegal portions of 754-yr-old dargah razed
`Refusing to defend terrorists, rapists unconstitutional'
Govt's soft policy has emboldened terrorists: BJP
Should we believe the hype about Malaysia's Eastern Promise
When two Muslims meet: The media (ted) case of Madani and Shahina
Muslim Media Has To Pull It's Weight
Iran unveils world's 1st wooden Qur'an
Iran’s Divorce Rate Stirs Fears of Society in Crisis
In This Show, an Islamic World Brimming With Innovation
North Korean Tantrums Again Reveal Russia’s Geopolitical Dilemmas
Why Are We in Afghanistan – Still?
'Activists' wage Operation Payback
Afghan war progress must be 'irreversible' in 2011: British PM
US mulls reviving indirect Middle East peace talks
'Don't rent to non-Jews,' Israeli rabbis warn
Report flays police crackdown at G-20 meeting in Toronto
Indians wear saris, Pakistanis shalwar kameez
'US lobbied with Pachauri to prevent appointment of Iranian'
Hezbollah has built up arsenal of 50,000 rockets: WikiLeaks
US shared with India Lashkar plot to kill Narendra Modi
Curb terrorism, Sarkozy tells Pakistan
Iran optimistic on co-operation
Haqqani-linked militants demand Rs 2 cr to broker peace deal
Forum seeks to find answers to women's employment hurdles
Slack security at Madinah hospital allowed infant to be kidnapped: NSHR
'Arabic National Geographic not threatened by Net'
Let’s make Kingdom’s universities the best: Rector of King Saud University
US judge rejects lawsuit against targeted killing
Pirates hijack cargo ship with 25 people off India
Two killed, six injured in Kohlu landmine blast
Security forces kill 3 terrorists in Swat
Baloch nationalists won’t succeed by killing influential figures: Magsi
Gul confers ‘Jamhuriyat Nishan’ on Gilani
Raisani survives suicide attack
Chilean court frees Pakistani student
Karachi swoop Taliban leaders among 300 held
Mullah Barader: the man who knew too much
Pak-Turk collaboration vital for two democracies: Gilani
Compiled by New Age Isalm News Bureau
Photo: A relatice with the body of Swastika Sharma, who succumbed to multiple splinter injuries in the explosion in Varanasi on Tuesday. MANSOOR ALAM/HT PHOTO
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Suicide bomber kills 15 in northwest Pakistan
Dec 8, 2010
PESHAWAR: A suicide bomber on Wednesday targeted a crowded bus terminal at Kohat in Pakistan's restive northwest, killing at least 15 people and injuring 20 others in the latest in a string of deadly terrorist attacks.
The attacker blew himself up close to a bus in the terminal located near a busy market in Kohat, located 60 km from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa capital Peshawar.
State-run PTV put the death toll at 15 while local provincial legislator Kalb-e-Hasan told the media that 17 people were killed.
Twenty others were injured in the blast, which occurred on the first day of the Islamic holy month of Muharram.
Authorities have put in place strict security arrangements across Pakistan as sectarian and militant violence has occurred during the month in past years.
"It was a suicide blast and we have found the head of the bomber," Kohat district police chief Dilawar Khan Bangash said.
Other officials said several of the injured were in a serious condition.
Witnesses said they had seen human flesh and bodies lying at the site of the blast.
The bomber struck at about 1 pm, when the bus terminal was crowded with people travelling to the adjoining Kurram and Orakzai tribal regions.
The blast destroyed the bus targeted by the bomber and damaged several other vehicles. The bodies and injured were rushed to two nearby hospitals.
Authorities declared an emergency at all hospitals in Kohat and staff and doctors were recalled for duty.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack. This was the second suicide attack in northwest Pakistan in three days.
On Monday, 50 people were killed and over 100 others injured when two suicide bombers disguised as policemen struck a government compound in Mohmand tribal region.
Taliban claimed responsibility for Monday's attack.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Suicide-bomber-kills-15-in-northwest-Pakistan-/articleshow/7065125.cms#ixzz17Vl4Tk5m
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In Afghanistan, father-in-law held for mutilation of teenager
Dec 9, 2010
KABUL: The father-in-law of a young Afghan woman who said her nose and ears were sliced off to punish her for running away from her violent husband has been arrested, officials said. The woman, Aisha, gained worldwide attention when she appeared on the August 9 cover of Time magazine. Under orders from a Taliban commander acting as a judge, she was disfigured last year as punishment for fleeing her husband's home, according to Time's story in August and other accounts. Just 18 years old at the time, Aisha said she ran away to escape her in-laws' beatings and abuse.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/In-Afghanistan-father-in-law-held-for-mutilation-of-teenager/articleshow/7068856.cms#ixzz17aEAsInz
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VARANASI BLAST: Big bang, smoke and cries for help
Dec 8, 2010
VARANASI BLAST Witnesses recount evening of horror during aarti We are naturally shocked beyond words. It is a horrible and terrible feeling.
C L I R O M A C H R I S T N I A , witness We came from Patna (Bihar) ... were watching the Ganga Arti when a bang rattled us.
a tourist guide He (P Chidambaram) is the most casual, confused home minister of the country.
M U K H TA R A B B A S N A Q V I , BJP
A five-member Italian group was near the gathering at the Old Dashwashwamedh Ghat in this temple town when the powerful blasts shattered the calm along the river.
A member of the group, Cliroma Christina, 30, shuddered as she narrated the horror.
“There was the sound of a big explosion, followed by billowing smoke as everyone was crying for help and running helter-skelter,“ she said.
“Fortunately, all five of us remained on the boat in the Ganga river watching the gory tale unfold,“ said Cliroma.
“Five young guys dressed in ritualistic dresses were performing the Ganga Aarti in a truly celestial style when the big bang created chaos on the ghat. We watched and held on to each other on the boat,“ she said.
“In my country the mafia in engaged in shootouts and blasts but they fight among themselves and don't target innocents as it happened on the banks of the sacred river in Varanasi on Tuesday evening,“ Cliroma said.
Manju Sharma, 26, a resident of Bihar who is in Varanasi to attend a wedding said, “Six of us had come to view this world-famous Ganga Aarti when the blast took place and the entire ghat was covered with dust and smoke and cries for help.
All six of us broke away from each other and united after an hour.“
One of the injured at Varanasi Divisional Hospital, Prem Lata Verma, 42, a resident of Patna, said she and her husband were at the ghat when the blast took place.
“I was standing near the blast spot. A stone hit my head and many others were injured, including my husband. My husband who works in a cycle shop in Patna was lying on the ground. I managed to drag him to safety,“ she said.
While Prem Lata is safe her husband was unconscious when she spoke to HT.
“I am trying to get connected with my three kids in Patna but have not succeeded till now.
Please save my husband.“
Hindustan Times
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She was on mother's lap when pellet hit her
Dec 8, 2010
SWASTIKA Sharma, who died in the blast, would have turned one on December 18.
The only child of her parents, she was sitting on her mother's lap when the blast took place.
"A pellet hit her in the head andshefelldown.Thenshegot trampled in the stampede," said her uncle Sanjay Sharma.
The child was rushed to the Laxmi Narayan Marwari HinduHospitalwheredoctors declaredherdeadonarrival.
Apart from her mother Suman Sharma, her maternal grandmother Urmila had gone along to watch the Ganga aarti. Both suffered injuries but were discharged after first aid at the hospital.
The girl's father Santosh Kumar Sharma is a lecturer at the Dhirendra Mahila Vidyalaya. The family stays in Asi Ghat area of Varanasi.
Sanjay Sharma said Suman, along with her daughter, was visiting her mother who lives near Dasashwamedh Ghat.
Indian Express
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IM sends email, ‘biased’ Babri verdict its theme
Dec 8, 2010
New Delhi : The Indian Mujahideen (IM) claimed to have carried out the Varanasi bomb blast as revenge for what it called the “biased” Babri Masjid verdict, according to an email it purportedly sent to some media houses after the blast this evening.
The email was sent from a Mumbai suburb, top sources in the Mumbai Police said late on Tuesday evening. A wireless broadband datacard was probably used, they said. A September 19 email believed to have been sent by IM had used the same technology.
Titled “Let’s feel the pain together”, and dated December 6, 2010 — the anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition — the email slams the judiciary for the September 30 Ayodhya verdict.
Holding the disputed site as the birthplace of Lord Ram, the majority on the Bench of the Allahabad High Court said that each party — the Hindu Mahasabha, the Sunni Waqf Board and the Nirmohi Akhara — would be entitled to one-third share of the disputed land, with Lord Ram’s idol continuing to stay where it was placed.
“Allahabad High Court’s verdict of ‘Aastha over Facts’ is exemplary of the bias(ed) judiciary although Ram is a mythical figure,” reads the email, which also refers to reports last week that the SIT had given a clean chit to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 riots case, and the recent heckling of Kashmiri activists in Kolkata and New Delhi.
With the Indian Mujahideen logo in place, the email is signed “Al-Arbi,” the same signature as on all previous IM mails. The email — and the attack — have come on the first day of the Islamic new year, and on the first Tuesday after the anniversary of the Babri demolition.
The email is almost completely dedicated to the Babri verdict. It calls judges and Parliament “Taghut” (false), attacks the Congress for perpetrating its “hidden agenda,” and points fingers at the party for the shilanyaas, breaking of the locks and demolition of the Babri Masjid.
It accuses the judiciary of bias — “Supreme Court, the High Courts, the lower courts and all the Commissions have utterly failed to play an impartial role regarding Muslim issues” — and says that all the anti-Muslim “pre-planned riots, arson, rapes, losses of lives and properties are still awaiting justice”.
Warning that any plans to build a temple at the Babri Masjid site would attract attacks, the email asks Muslim scholars and bodies not to negotiate over the disputed premises.
“All India Muslim Personal Law Board nor the Babri Masjid Action Committee nor the Sunni Waqf Board nor any litigant has any right to alter or compromise on any of these aspects whatsoever regarding the Babri Masjid. All sorts of bartering and bargaining is totally unacceptable to Allah and thus to the Muslims”, the email says.
The email uses the word “kuffar”, which is a variation of ‘kafir’, but which is used almost exclusively by Punjabi Muslims. This could be a possible pointer to the origins of the email. Also, several references to India in the email are in the third person — “your” country, “your greatest democracy”, etc.
The first IM email had come just before the Jaipur serial blasts of May 13, 2008. Since then, several emails, all in English, and all borrowing heavily from verses of the Quran, have been received. One came just before the serial bombings in Ahmedabad on July 26, 2008, one after Gujarat Police claimed to have cracked the blasts case, and one just before the five blasts in Delhi on September 13, 2008.
All mails were laden with rhetoric — calling on Gujarat’s Muslims “to unite and answer these irresolute kafireen of India”, and announcing the IM’s resolve “to assault any city of India at any time with the Help and Permission of our Almighty Allah”.
The previous emails have poured contempt and ridicule on investigating agencies and rubbished Gujarat Police chief P C Pande’s claim of having cracked the Ahmedabad blasts case. In a mail sent on September 14, 2008, the IM refers to the IB (Intelligence Bureau) as “Ignorance Bureau” and forensic experts as “foren-’sicks’.”
An email on July 26, 2008, slammed the chiefs of investigating forces in Gujarat and Rajasthan, said Vilasrao Deshmukh and R R Patil were on the hit-list, and attacked Mukesh Ambani for building his house on land that was waqf property.
Their email on the anniversary of the Batla House encounter (September 19, 2010) talked about the “criminal silence of the international community” being far more dangerous than the “oppression perpetuated on the helpless Kashmiri Muslims by the imperialist and expansionist attitude of the Indian state”.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/im-sends-email-biased-babri-verdict-its-theme/721703/
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Varanasi blast: Two questioned in connection with terror mail
Dec 8, 2010
Mumbai : A father-son duo were picked up for questioning here in connection with the e-mail sent by banned terror group Indian Mujahideen to several media houses claiming responsibility for the Varanasi blast.
The terror mail traced to a residential complex in Navi Mumabi had claimed responsibility for yesterday's blast at a crowded bathing ghat in Varanasi that left a child dead and 37 others injured.
The five-page email sent by Indian Mujahideen has been sent using an unsecured WiFi of Airtel Broadband of the two, official sources said.
The two were questioned and later released, they said.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/varanasi-blast-two-questioned-in-connection-with-terror-mail/721895/
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FBI informant scares Muslim suspects so much with his talk of violent jihad that they report HIM to authorities
Dec 8, 2010
An FBI informer sent to infiltrate a California mosque was made the subject of a restraining order after scaring Muslim worshippers with demands for holy war.
Craig Monteilh was known to members of the Irvine Islamic Center as Farouk al-Aziz, an apparently devout and at times over-zealous Muslim.
But when he began speaking of jihad and plans to blow up buildings, senior figures at the mosque reported him the FBI - the very people who sent him.
Now the FBI is facing criticism for its use of such stooges which have backfired in a number of cases.
The law enforcement agency's problems have been confounded after Monteilh, a petty criminal with forgery convictions, went public with claims he received $177,000 tax free in 15 months for his work.
Shakeel Syed, of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California which represents more than 75 mosques told the Washington Post: 'The community feels betrayed.
Full report at:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1336166/FBI-informant-Craig-Monteilh-scares-
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Saudi wants nuclear power 'soon': US
Dec 8, 2010
Riyadh : Saudi Arabia plans to produce nuclear power within 10 years, a senior US trade official said here today.
"They want to have civil nuclear power as a part of their mix... relatively soon," said Under Secretary of Commerce Francisco Sanchez, after meetings with Saudi officials.
The world's largest supplier of oil wants to have nuclear power "within the next 10 years", he told journalists.
Riyadh has begun to move towards nuclear power to replace burning valuable oil and natural gas in power plants.
The country signed a cooperation agreement on civil nuclear technology with the United States in 2008, and has held talks with France and Russia in the past year on similar agreements.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/saudi-wants-nuclear-power-soon-us/721450/
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Jihad is the Quran Teaching not Terrorism
Dec 8, 2010
Jihad means strive, efforts, labor and fatigue. In real Jihad is in the way of ALLAH. Jihad is effort to practice religion. Jihad is the fighting with evil. Evil is not an independent creation of ALLAH. Evil can be of your thoughts, your heart etc. The Quran teaching is for jihad and not for the terrorism. Quran describe jihad as the checks and balances. Muslims have the authority to check themselves and others to keep right track. There are several verses of Quran that describes jihad.
“And did not Allah check one set of people by means of another, the earth would indeed be full of mischief; but Allah is full of Bounty to all the worlds” -Qur’an 2:251
Terrorism on the other hand is to damage others. It is in the case of aggression. Islam never tolerates aggression. Even destroying or hurting animals is forbidden in Islam. Islam gave the message of peace and prosperity. War is only held to save the Islamic community against oppression. Qur’an says that “persecution is worse than slaughter” and “let there be no hostility except to those who practice oppression” (Qur’an 2:190-193).
Full report at:
http://www.onlinereadingcorner.com/religion/jihad-is-the-quran-teaching-not-terrorism/
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The Gray Lady Wears Islamophobia on Her Sleeve
Dec 8, 2010
This Sunday morning, like most mornings, I opened -- from years of habit -- the home page of The New York Times. Peering at the lead story without my glasses, I was horrified to find the image of Muslim men praying near Mecca next to a cable excerpt from (the now hard to access) WikiLeaks. The Times had decided this was the top story for us this Sunday.
However, next to the excerpt, which began "Terrorist funding emanating from Saudi Arabia remains a serious concern," there was the unmistakable image of Muslim men praying near Mecca wearing the requisite Ihram during pilgrimage.
Is The Times saying that all Muslim men who go for the Hajj or Umrah pilgrimages to Mecca are a part of terrorism emanating from Saudi Arabia? Are all Muslims stepping into that holy (and unjustly Wahabi controlled land) getting classes in Terrorism 101?
Living in the U.S., I am now unsurprised by the Islamophobia of others. I cringe when cartoons depict our (undepictable) Prophet. And yet as a moderate Muslim, I always fight for freedom of expression (I usually attach the rider: "with responsibility").
Full report at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/parvez-sharma/the-grey-lady-wears-islam_b_792181.html
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Urgent action needed to tackle Islamophobia
Sabby Dahlu
Dec 8, 2010
The recent report Islamophobia and anti-Muslim Hate Crime: UK case studies, published by the European Muslim Research Centre based at the University of Exeter, documents the grim reality of a sharp increase in violence against Muslims and their religious institutions in Britain since 2001. Whether it is assaults on individual Muslims or arson attacks on mosques much goes unreported in the media, so little is understood outside the communities subject to this wave of violence.
For twelve months a team of researchers investigated the intimidation and discrimination experienced by Muslim communities. Amongst their findings are a disturbing number of assaults on Muslim women wearing hijabs, niqabs or burkas, incidents that have invariably taken place in public places – streets, shopping centres, trains or buses – and in full view of passers-by and onlookers who have generally not intervened to help. The researchers came across many harrowing incidents alongside what they describe as the more “mundane” assaults such as a mother being punched and abused by an unknown assailant while returning home on a bus from a shopping centre while her petrified infant daughter watched on.
Full report at:
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010/12/urgent-action-needed-to-tackle-islamophobia/
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Balochistan CM survives assassination bid
Dec 8, 2010
Balochistan Chief Minister Aslam Raisani on Tuesday survived an assassination attempt by a suicide bomber, who killed one person and injured 10 others in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta.
The attacker initially lobbed a grenade at the Chief Minister’s motorcade as it slowed down to cross a railway crossing at Saryab Road, a key thoroughfare in provincial capital Quetta, but it failed to explode. The bomber then detonated his suicide vest, police said.
One person was killed while five policemen and as many civilians were injured. Two of the injured were in a serious condition, officials said.
Raisani, who belongs to the ruling Pakistan People’s Party, was travelling from his home to the Provincial Assembly at the time of the attack. Police said the bomber had carefully chosen the spot for the attack as cars usually slowed down to pass the railway crossing.
Police officials said the Chief Minister was safe and later reached the Provincial Assembly. Raisani’s chief security officer, Muhammad Iftikhar, was among the injured, who were taken to a military hospital for treatment.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/302072/Balochistan-CM-survives-assassination-bid.html
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Al Jazeera English comes to India
Dec 8, 2010
NEW DELHI: Finally launching in India after a four-year wait for government approvals, Al-Jazeera's English news channel plans a marketing blitz next month to correct the “myths and misconceptions” surrounding it.
“We want people to start recognising us as an international channel dedicated to good journalism…which does not look at the world through any particular prism,” said Al Jazeera English managing director Al Anstey, when asked about the current perception of his brand as the Arabic channel that had exclusively broadcast al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden's video messages after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. “We are planning an extensive marketing, brand awareness and grass roots campaign in India early next year…in print, digital, broadcast and outdoor platforms,” he told reporters.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/12/08/stories/2010120863632400.htm
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Clan fighting in central Somalia kills 20
Dec 8, 2010
MOGADISHU, Somalia: Residents say clashes between rival clans in central Somalia have killed at least 20 people.
Eyewitness Liban Abdi said Tuesday that he had seen the bodies of at least 20 people killed in fighting in the central Mudug region. Most of the dead were militia members.
There have been sporadic clashes between the Majerteen and the Sa’ad clans over access to land and water for several weeks. The most recent fighting began in the early hours of Monday night and stopped in the evening.
Damerale village elder Hassan Mohamud says he has called for calm. But he says residents are fleeing the area around Damerale and Docle Omane villages, and more gunmen are arriving.
http://arabnews.com/world/article210230.ece
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Girls’ school bombed in Peshawar
Dec 8, 2010
PESHAWAR: Terrorists blew up another government school for girls in Peshawar on Monday night, police said.
A Chamkani Police Station police official told Daily Times that Taliban terrorists blew up a government primary school in Jogian on the GT Road near Tarnab Farm. The blast destroyed the whole building, he said. “We heard a huge blast,” said Mohammad Nazir, a resident of Jogian. He added that police reached the spot and launched a hunt for suspected people in the surrounding areas. Nazir said local villagers had seen six suspected Taliban before the school was blown up. Taliban have stepped up attacks on schools in Peshawar, and at least nine have so far been blown up during the past few months, terrorising school-going children and their parents. Amn Tehrik Convener, Idrees Kamal, criticised the government for not providing sufficient protection to schools, saying it had done nothing despite several Taliban attacks. He asked the government to deploy police at schools to prevent such attacks. akhtar amin
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\08\story_8-12-2010_pg7_4
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Kashmir interlocutor team won’t be allowed to visit PoK
Dec 8, 2010
THE UNION government has ruled out the three J& K interlocutors visiting Pakistan- occupied Kashmir ( PoK) in their endeavour to find a political solution to the Kashmir dispute.
A source in the government on Tuesday said there was no move to approach Pakistan to let the interlocutors visit PoK. The three interlocutors in the past have claimed that Pakistan must be involved in talks for a lasting solution to the Kashmir dispute.
The source said the government expected that the interlocutors would have the “ broad contours of a political solution” ready by February so that it could be put before the cabinet committee for security ( CCS). “ It is then that the government will give them ( the interlocutors) a mandate on how to achieve the political solution. “ Ultimately there have to be talks at the level of the Union home minister and the Prime Minister to reach a settlement.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Birthday girl died with prayer on her lips
Piyush Srivastava
Dec 8, 2010
IT WAS Swastika’s second birthday. So Suman Sharma, 33, had taken her to the Shitala Mata Mandir. Little did Suman know that her daughter’s life would be cut short at the very place where she had gone to pray for her long life.
The blast took place when Suman was climbing the temple’s stairs with her daughter in her arms.
“ The blast was so intense that I fell about five metres away from the place where I was standing. My daughter was in my arms when the explosion took place. I don’t know how she slipped from my arms. There was smoke all over for about five minutes. Then I saw her lying about 10 metres from me. She was unconscious,” an inconsolable Suman said.
She said there was orange smoke all over and people were screaming on the ghat. “ I knew something unpleasant had happened to all those who were there in an area of 10 square metres. But it took a few minutes to realise that it was a bomb blast,” she said.
Her husband Santosh Sharma, too, was supposed to go to the temple with his daughter and wife. But he got delayed because of some work and told his wife that he would meet them at the temple.
He said: “ A stranger called me on my mobile phone and asked me to reach Marwari Hospital. When I reached there, the doctors refused to give any information. Later on, some mediapersons informed me that my daughter was dead.”
Mail Today
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VHP demands ban on entry of non-Hindus into Kashi
Dec 8, 2010
ALLAHABAD: Dubbing the explosion in Varanasi as "a heinous act of Jehadi terrorism", Vishwa Hindu Parishad today demanded the holy city of Kashi be accorded the status of a "protected heritage site" and entry of non-Hindus into it be banned.
"It is the second time that a heinous act of Jehadi terrorism has been committed at the holy city of Varanasi on a Tuesday, a day held sacred by millions of Hindus.
"It was a Tuesday when the Sankatmochan temple was rocked by a bomb explosion and now there is a blast at a spot where the Ganga arati was underway", VHP international secretary general Praveen Togadia said in a statement.
He said the government, which has been "defaming Hindus by coining phrases like Hindu terrorism", "must now show the courage to act tough and conduct a thorough search of the numerous mosques where jehadi elements have been taking shelter".
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/VHP-demands-ban-on-entry-of-non-Hindus-into-
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Chronology of terrorist attacks in India
Dec 8, 2010
VARANASI: Following is a chronology of some recent major terror attacks in the country:
Pune, Feb 13, 2010 : 17 people killed and over 60 injured when a bomb rips out the famous German bakery in the city.
Mumbai, Nov 26, 2008 : 166 people killed in coordinated serial explosions and indiscriminate firing across Mumbai including the crowded CST railway station and two five-star hotels -- Oberoi and Taj.
Assam, Oct 30, 2008 : At least 77 killed and over 100 injured in 18 bombings across Assam.
Imphal, Oct 21, 2008 : 17 killed in a powerful blast near Manipur Police Commando complex.
Malegaon, Maharashtra, Sep 29, 2008 : Five people killed after a bomb kept in a motorbike goes off in a crowded market.
Modasa, Gujarat, Sep 29, 2008 : One killed and several injured after a low-intensity bomb kept on a motorcycle goes off near a mosque.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Chronology-of-terrorist-attacks-in-
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Mumbai terror suspect Rana's trial set for Feb 14
Dec 8, 2010
CHICAGO: Pakistani-Canadian terror suspect Tahawwur Hussain Rana, co-accused with Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Headley in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks case, will go on trial in a federal court here on Feb 14.
Wearing an orange jumpsuit and leg shackles Rana stood before US District Judge Harry Leinenweber here on Monday as defence and prosecution attorneys hashed out dates and details of the trial, according to Fox News.
Rana, 49, and Pakistani American Headley, who has confessed to his role in the November 2008 attacks that killed 166 people, were indicted Feb 15 for their "roles in India and Denmark Terrorism Conspiracies".
Rana, who has pleaded not guilty, is accused of providing "material support" for the attack. Rana and Headly were also allegedly part of a plot to attack a Danish newspaper that printed a controversial cartoon about prophet Mohammed.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Mumbai-terror-suspect-Ranas-trial-set-for-Feb-
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Illegal portions of 754-yr-old dargah razed
Nivedita Khandekar
Dec 8, 2010
n unauthorised portion of the Dargah Baddrudin Samarqandi on the southwest side of Feroz Shah Kotla fort within the Acharya Narendra Dev Garden was demolished on Tuesday, following a Delhi High Court order.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) along with the officials of the dargah jointly carried out the demolition.
The Feroz Shah Kotla fort, or Firozabad as it was then known, is one of Delhi's seven historic cities. The fort and the adjoining dargah are frequented by sufi believers, specially on Thursdays.
Peer Sayyad Mairajuddin had filed a case in 2008 against the Delhi Wakf Board and other persons, claiming that the dargah had carried out unauthorised extension even though it is right next to the 14th-century fort which is under ASI protection.
Full report at: Hindustan Times
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`Refusing to defend terrorists, rapists unconstitutional'
Satya Prakash
Dec 8, 2010
Decrying the growing tendency among bar associations to pass resolutions preventing advocates from accepting briefs of persons such as 26/11 accused Ajmal Kasab, the Supreme Court has declared all such resolutions unconstitutional and against professional ethics.
“The action of any Bar Association in passing such a resolution that none of its members will appear for a particular accused, whether on the ground that he is a policeman or on the ground that he is a suspected terrorist, rapist, mass murderer, etc. is against all norms of the Constitution, the statute and professional ethics,“ a bench headed by justice Markandey Katju said.
“Professional ethics requires that a lawyer cannot refuse a brief, provided a client is willing to pay his fee, and the lawyer is not otherwise engaged...it is against the great traditions of the Bar which has always stood up for defending persons accused for a crime,“ it said.
Full report at: Hindustan Times
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Govt's soft policy has emboldened terrorists: BJP
Dec 8, 2010
THE opposition BJP on Tuesday blamed the government and, what it called, its "soft policy" on terror for the Varanasi blast that killed a child and left 20 others injured, including a few foreigners.
"The soft-on-terror policy hasonlyemboldenedelements like IM who keep on making theirpresencefelt.Tentatively, it appears to be a security lapse and lack of proper intelligence,"saidBJPspokesperson RaviShankarPrasad.
"Those behind the attack should be nabbed and punished without the government being deterred by extraneous considerations. The government should assure the nation that the country is safe as far as diabolical designs of this terror outfitgo,"headded,appealing for communal calm.
Condemning the bomb blast, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said it was an attempt to "weaken" India's resolve to fight the "evil forces of terrorism" in which they would not succeed. "It is the most unfortunate incident. It was an attempt to weaken our resolve to fight the evil forces of terrorism and the terrorists will not succeed," he said. "My heart goes out to those suffering families and we will provide succour to them."
Full report at: Indian Express
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Should we believe the hype about Malaysia's Eastern Promise
By Paul Hopkins
Dec 8, 2010
The view that Malaysia is one of the most beautiful countries in the world is often bandied about but rarely quantified
It’s no secret that Penang is the jewel in Malaysia’s already substantial crown.
To the northwest lies the famed Shangri-La, with its miles of golden beaches, warm waters, exotic sights and startling sunsets, but as fabulous as its beaches are — and they are — some of Penang city’s deeper mysteries shouldn’t be missed. And what better way to do it than by trishaw, which passes as a taxi in this neck of the woods.
Although Islam is the national religion, Malaysia's relative tolerance and love of all religions is no more evident than in the large number of Buddhist and Hindu temples that line the landscape.
Local lore claims that Snake Temple is inhabited by slithering reptiles, which crept out of the jungle the night the temple was completed. Don't worry, the pit vipers are rendered harmless by the smoke of the burning incense. Or so they tell you...
Full report at:
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/business-news/should-we-believe-the-hype-
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When two Muslims meet: The media(ted) case of Madani and Shahina
Dec 8, 2010
Shahina K K, a journalist with Tehelka weekly, went to Karnataka to prepare an investigative report on the case against Abdul Nasar Madani, Chairman of People’s Democratic Party. Madani had spent almost 10 years in jail as an under-trial in the 1998 Coimbatore blast before he was let off without any charges on 1 August 2007. In her report (Why is this man still in prison?, Tehelka Magazine, December 4th, 2010), Shahina tried to look into the police story that Madani had conspired in the Bengaluru blasts in separate meetings two years ago — one which took place in Madani’s rented home in Kochi and the other in the Lakkeri estate in Kodaku, Karnataka.
Here, she not only talks about the many people who have questioned the Karnataka police story -- like James Varghese, the owner of Madani’s rented house in Kochi, and Madani’s brother Jamal Mohammed – but she also investigates the witnesses whose accounts have led the court to deny Madani bail.
Full report at:
http://twocircles.net/2010dec07/when_two_muslims_meet_mediated_case_madani_and_shahina.html
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Muslim Media Has To Pull It's Weight
Bill O Muhammad
Dec 8, 2010
Communication and Media play a vital role in society. Imam WD Mohammed was quite conscious of these facts, and commented concerning the role of media in society on several occasions. I remember him saying once (paraphrasing) that we (the muslim community), the Islamic society cannot, and will not accept nor appreciate (Islamic) media efforts that avoid serious news worthy issues in society. We cannot appreciate a "feel good" media that essentially seeks to make money and avoid bringing light to problems in the world, or working in the "transparency movement" when other media sources take great risk in exposing wrong, oppression, and abuse in the world. Muslim media must carry its wieght in the struggle to inform the public.
We must help in carring the load for justice, especially among ourselves first, then carring that exact same yard stick in the world. One Rule For All! It is easy to point the finger at what other people and communities are doing, or aren't doing, or wrongs they are commiting, but what about the wrongs in our ranks. Why don't we expose that? Why do we have to wait for all the time for outside sources to inform us of wrongs in our ranks when we should do that for ourselves? Clean up our house first. I trhink then we will be respected more, and accepted as colleges by other media sources.
Full report at:
http://www.youracreator.com/profiles/blogs/muslim-media-has-to-pull-its
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Iran unveils world's 1st wooden Qur'an
Dec 8, 2010
Iran has unveiled the world's first exquisite wooden Qur'an during a ceremony at the country's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.
The unique handicraft has been designed and made by Iranian artist Mohsen Fouladi and is adorned with pieces of stone, metal and silk.
“The work weighs between 10 to 12 kilograms and is 45cm long, 35cm wide and 15cm thick,” Fouladi told IRNA.
The unveiling ceremony was attended by head of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) Hamid Baqaei, and the Deputy Culture Minister for Qur'anic affairs Hojjatoleslam Hamid Mohammadi.
The book contains 900 divine names and features a variety of scripts such as Naskh, Nasta'liq and Thuluth, Fouladi explained.
“It took me several years to do research and three years to complete the project with an average work of 12 to 17 hours per day,” he said, adding, “The work is the first of its kind in the world and I hope it can be registered in the Guinness Book of Records.”
The book is already registered by the National Library of Iran.
Fouladi said that if Iranian officials financially support the work, it can be internationally distributed within the next two years.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/154232.html
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Iran’s Divorce Rate Stirs Fears of Society in Crisis
By WILLIAM YONG
Dec 8, 2010
TEHRAN — The wedding nearly 1,400 years ago of Imam Ali, Shiite Islam’s most revered figure, and Fatemeh al-Zahra, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, is commemorated in Iran’s packed political calendar as a day to celebrate family values.
But in a sign of the Iranian authorities’ increasing concern about Iran’s shifting social landscape, Marriage Day, as it is usually known in Iran, this year was renamed No Divorce Day. Iran’s justice minister decreed that no divorce permits would be issued.
Whether the switch was effective or not, the officials’ concerns are understandable. Divorce is skyrocketing in Iran. Over a decade, the number each year has roughly tripled to a little more than 150,000 in 2010 from around 50,000 in 2000, according to official figures. Nationwide, there is one divorce for every seven marriages; in Tehran, the ratio is 1 divorce for every 3.76 marriages, the government has reported.
While the change in divorce rates is remarkable, even more surprising is the major force behind it: the increasing willingness of Iranian women to manipulate the Iranian legal system to escape unwanted marriages.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/world/middleeast/07divorce.html?partner=rss&emc=
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In This Show, an Islamic World Brimming With Innovation
By CLYDE HABERMAN
Dec 8, 2010
In David Lean’s majestic film “Lawrence of Arabia,” the beleaguered Arab leader Prince Feisal reminds his British Army adviser, T. E. Lawrence, of a glory that once was.
“You know, Lieutenant,” he says, “in the Arab city of Córdoba were two miles of public lighting in the streets when London was a village.”
“Yes, you were great,” Lawrence says. To which Feisal replies ruefully, “Nine centuries ago.”
There lies the heart of the problem. An awfully long time has passed since anyone thought of the Muslim world in general, let alone the Arab world in particular, as an incubator of great ideas in science or technology. Not to be flippant, but radicals’ devising ways to equip suicide bombers doesn’t cut it.
The fact, however, is that some of history’s finest scientists and scholars once emerged from predominantly Muslim societies, extending from Spain to China across a long stretch of time that began in the seventh century.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/nyregion/07nyc.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss
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North Korean Tantrums Again Reveal Russia’s Geopolitical Dilemmas
Dec 8, 2010
On November 22, the Russian government expected to bask in the light of a successful NATO Summit in Lisbon. President Dmitry Medvedev attended while NATO had produced a new Strategic Concept that treated Russia as a partner and not as a problem. European missile defense seemed to be on track to reflect Moscow’s concerns. NATO-Russian cooperation against terrorism, piracy, narcotics trafficking, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction was reaffirmed. There was even serious talk about deeper cooperation with regards to Afghanistan. Yet, hardly had the weekend news cycle ended when attention was diverted from Europe to the Far East where the government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) had responded to US and Republic of South Korea naval exercises off the North’s coast by using its artillery to shell the island of Yeonpyeong, on which is located both a military base and a civilian community. The artillery fire from the North killed and wounded both military personnel and civilians. The government of the Republic of Korea (ROK) responded by ordering its own artillery to silence the attacking North Korean batteries (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, November 22).
Full report at:
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Why Are We in Afghanistan – Still?
Tom Gallagher
Dec 8, 2010
You have to wonder what it might take to get the man in the White House to acknowledge just how absurd the current U.S. military effort in Afghanistan has become. Would the president of Afghanistan himself telling us to start getting our troops out do it? Nah. How about the leader of the last country to send its army there telling us "Victory is impossible in Afghanistan"? Nope. Finding out that some of the guards who protect NATO bases were Taliban -- but the top Taliban guy we'd been negotiating with actually wasn't? Neither. A Hollywood agent might push this story as farce. But it's real life and that qualifies it as tragedy.
Given that candidate Obama was so widely seen as a man of "new thinking," one to deliver the country from tired old debates and morasses, one hoped President Obama would listen hard to what Mikhail Gorbachev had to say about the damage that a fruitless nine-years-plus war in Afghanistan can do to a country. But if so, no evidence yet.
Full report at:
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/12/07-0
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Afghan war progress must be 'irreversible' in 2011: British PM
Dec 8, 2010
KABUL: British Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday told reporters in Kabul that "real progress" made this year in the nine-year Afghan war must be made "irreversible" in 2011.
"2010 was without a doubt a year in which we made real progress. 2011 must be the year in which that progress becomes irreversible," he told a joint press conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
"There's no scope for complacency... but I'm cautiously optimistic we have the right strategy. We are now a year into that strategy. We have put in the right resources to back it up," Cameron said.
"President Karzai gives me confidence that our plans for transition are achievable," he said, referring to plans to begin drawing down troops next year and end NATO's combat mission by the end of 2014.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Afghan-war-progress-must-be-
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US mulls reviving indirect Middle East peace talks
Dec 8, 2010
WASHINGTON: The United States is weighing a return to indirect Israeli-Palestinian peace talks following its failure to revive direct negotiations because of disagreements over Israeli settlement construction, two US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said on Tuesday.
Earlier, a senior US official said the United States had abandoned its effort to persuade Israel to extend its partial moratorium construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, a significant blow to US efforts to broker a peace deal.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there were three reasons why the Obama administration decided to abandon that effort.
First, they said that while Israel was willing to extend the moratorium it was not willing to freeze construction in East Jerusalem, something Palestinian officials had demanded. East Jerusalem, which Palestinians want as the capital of a Palestinian state, was not included in the original freeze.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/US-mulls-reviving-indirect-Middle-
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'Don't rent to non-Jews,' Israeli rabbis warn
Dec 8, 2010
JERUSALEM: Fifty Israeli rabbis have signed an open letter warning Jews not to rent or sell property to non-Jews, saying those who do should be "ostracised," a copy of the letter showed on Tuesday.
The advice was condemned by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said "this kind of speech should be banned in a Jewish and democratic state."
The letter instructs that "it is forbidden in the Torah to sell a house or a field in the land of Israel to a foreigner," referring to the Pentateuch -- the first five books of the Bible.
Signed mostly by state-employed rabbis, the document warns that "he who sells or rents them a flat in an area where Jews live causes great harm to his neighbours."
"After someone sells or rents just one flat, the value of all the neighbouring flats drops... He who sells or rents (to non-Jews) causes his neighbours a big loss and his sin is great," the letter said, in what was largely understood to refer to Israel's Arab minority.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Dont-rent-to-non-Jews-Israeli-rabbis-
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Report flays police crackdown at G-20 meeting in Toronto
Dec 8, 2010
TORONTO: Canadian authorities have been slammed for using a secret regulation that "amounted to martial law" to detain protesters at the June G-20 meeting.
The secret regulation to detain protesters at the June G-20 meeting in Toronto had "dubious legality" and probably violated the Canadian Constitution by creating "extravagant police authority," André Marin, the ombudsman for the province of Ontario has said.
In his report, "Caught in the Act", Marin described the regulation to the Public Works Protection Act (PWPA), as being of "dubious legality".
He told a press conference yesterday that regulations enacted under a World War II-vintage law on sabotage had given the police "go directly to jail cards," and that the police had exceeded even those exceptional powers.
The report strongly criticised the regulations implemented ahead of the G20 which gave the police extraordinary powers, and said that it "amounted to martial law" being implemented during the event.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Report-flays-police-crackdown-at-G-
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Indians wear saris, Pakistanis shalwar kameez
Dec 8, 2010
Islamabad : After Britain-based literary journal Granta's special issue on Pakistan featuring a satire on "how to write about Pakistan", cyber-tongues are giving their takes on "how to write about India".
Granta decided to follow up its well-known satirical piece "How to write about Africa" to pin the many clichés that exist about Pakistan arguably "the most dangerous country in the world," according to some sections of the Western media.
African author Binyavanga Wainaina advised potential authors to "always" use the word "Africa" or "darkness" or "safari" in the title of the piece, and 'Zanzibar, 'Masai', 'Zulu' in the subtitles.
For an equivalent for Pakistan, which according to the magazine's editors "seemed only appropriate" for the special edition, four Pakistani authors Mohsin Hamid, Mohammed Hanif, Daniyal Mueenuddin and Kamila Shamsie were asked to put their heads together.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/indians-wear-saris-pakistanis-shalwar-
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'US lobbied with Pachauri to prevent appointment of Iranian'
Dec 8, 2010
Washington : US lobbied with top UN scientist R K Pachauri to prevent appointment of an Iranian scientist to a key position in the Inter-Government Panel on Climate Change, according to a secret American memo leaked by WikiLeaks.
However, Pachauri has denied any such allegations and asserted that he was not influenced by any one during the selection process of the said post, which ultimately went to an Argentinean.
"USDEL (US delegation) is working actively to prevent the election of an Iranian scientist to the developing-nation co-chairmanship of Working Group Two, a position which would pair him with a US scientist running unopposed for developed nation co-chair of the same group," says a confidential State Department memo, dated September 02, 2008.
The United States, which has charged the Wikileaks of indulging in a criminal act by stealing and releasing these cables, has neither confirmed nor denied the authenticity of these documents.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/us-lobbied-with-pachauri-to-prevent-appointment-of-
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Hezbollah has built up arsenal of 50,000 rockets: WikiLeaks
Dec 8, 2010
Washington : Militant group Hezbollah has acquired an arsenal of more than 50,000 rockets as well as 50 Fateh missiles capable of reaching Tel Aviv raising fears of a conflict to Israel which could turn into a full-scale regional war.
The Lebanese have also covertly received more land-to-land Scud-D missiles from Syria, New York Times reported despite assurances given by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that Damascus was not channelling arms to the Lebanese militant group.
The Times said the Obama administration had lodged a confidential protest with accusing Syria of "doing precisely what it had denied doing".
Quoting leaked US diplomatic cables, the paper said Hezbollah's arsenal now include upto 50,000 rockets and missiles, including 40 to 50 Fateh-110 missiles capable of reaching Tel Aviv and most of Israel and 10 Scud-D missiles.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hezbollah-has-built-up-arsenal-of-50-000-rockets-
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US shared with India Lashkar plot to kill Narendra Modi
Dec 8, 2010
The Lashkar-e-Toiba's plan to kill Narendra Modi last year, as gleaned from a Wikilieaks cable, was shared by the United States with India, sources have said.
Sources have said the US tipped off the Ministry of Home Affairs here, which in turn, alerted the police of both Gujarat and Maharashtra about the planned attacks on Modi
The specific intel received was that Modi would be targetted by the terrorist group when he campaigned in Maharashtra before the state's Assembly elections. Around this time, intelligence had also sniffed a plot to blow up the Somnath Temple in Saurashtra, Gujarat.
The Bharatiya Janata Party will also request Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to upgrade the security cover of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi who is on the hitlist of the Lashkar-e-Toiba and other terrorist groups.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/us-shared-with-india-lashkar-plot-to-kill-narendra-
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Curb terrorism, Sarkozy tells Pakistan
Vinaya Deshpande
Dec 8, 2010
French President compares 26/11 with 9/11; “We will stand by India till justice is done”
Mumbai: Comparing the 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai with the 9/11 attack, French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday slammed Pakistan and asked the Pakistani authorities to show resolve in fighting terrorism emanating from its territory.
“It is unacceptable for the world that terror attacks originate or are masterminded in Pakistan and terrorists are trained there,” he said, during a commemorative event at the Oberoi-Trident Hotel, one of the luxury hotels targeted during the terror attacks two years ago here.
“France won't forget the martyred city of Mumbai. We will stand by India till justice is done,” he said. Even as he praised the Indian government for showing “remarkable restraint” after the attack, he called for greater global cooperation to curb the menace.
[FATF]. As a full member of FATF, India looks forward to contributing to formulation and redefining of In the last leg of his four-day visit to India, he showed a strong resolve to fight global terrorism and urged the international community to introspect on the causes of its alarming increase. He was accompanied by the French First Lady Carla Bruni.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/12/08/stories/2010120862661600.htm
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Iran optimistic on co-operation
Atul Aneja
Dec 8, 2010
DUBAI: Iranian officials, at the end of the Geneva talks on Tuesday, expressed optimism that global powers may no longer impose pressure on Tehran and the next round of nuclear talks, scheduled in January in Istanbul, are likely to focus on co-operation.
Iran's Fars News Agency (FNA) quoted diplomatic sources as saying at the conclusion of the two-day dialogue with the six global powers that “talks for cooperation” and “finding common grounds for cooperation”, will now be on the agenda.
Analysts point out the Iranians have been firm that another set of sanctions will stall negotiations indefinitely. Writing on Monday in the Financial Times, Sadegh Kharrazi, Iran's former deputy Foreign Minister and a Tehran insider, stressed the U.S. and its allies must do away with their old “carrot-and-stick” approach. “Now new additional sanctions are threatened in the event of the current talks not bearing fruit, including another set of sanctions at the UN. This is unhelpful.”
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/12/08/stories/2010120862911900.htm
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Haqqani-linked militants demand Rs 2 cr to broker peace deal
Dec 8, 2010
Representatives of the Haqqani militant network engaged by Pakistani authorities to broker a peace deal between rival tribesmen in the country’s restive northwestern tribal belt have reportedly demanded Rs 2 crore from each of the factions to bring back normalcy.
A member of a 50-strong ‘jirga’ or council that held talks in Islamabad during November 28-December 7 told PTI on condition of anonymity that Ibrahim Haqqani, who represented the Haqqani network, demanded Rs 2 crore each from the Shia Turi tribe, the Sunni Mengal tribe and other communities in Kurram Agency to restore peace and reopen closed roads.
“Pay me the amount and I will guarantee smooth passage, opening of all roads blocked due to skirmishes between the Sunnis and Shias and maintenance of peace in the area,” the Haqqani representative was quoted as saying by the jirga member.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/302058/Haqqani-linked-militants-demand-Rs-2-cr-to-broker-peace-deal.html
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Forum seeks to find answers to women's employment hurdles
Dec 8, 2010
JEDDAH: Only 15 percent of the Kingdom’s employed manpower is female and there are several questions about women’s employment that need answers, said Princess Lolowah Al-Faisal at the first day of the Women in Leadership Forum at the Park Hyatt Jeddah hotel on Tuesday.
Answers to questions such as why so few Saudi women are employed, what women can do to get employment and what sort of plans are required to effect change need to be found at the forum, said Princess Lolowah while delivering her opening speech at the two-day event.
Speaking about the SR70 billion in women-owned disposable wealth lying untapped in banks, Princess Lolowah, who is vice chair and general supervisor of Effat University’s board of trustees, said “this question needs to be directed at businesswomen.”
“Empowerment of women can only be achieved with the cooperation of the private and government sectors, and the Kingdom’s chambers of commerce,” she said.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article210539.ece
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Slack security at Madinah hospital allowed infant to be kidnapped: NSHR
Dec 8, 2010
MADINAH: Lax security at the Madinah Maternity and Child Hospital allowed a woman to kidnap a newborn baby boy from the hospital, said Muhammad Al-Oufi, chairman of the Madinah branch of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR).
Speaking to media following a visit to the hospital on Tuesday, the NSHR chief said the hospital’s corridors and exits are not monitored by surveillance cameras, and that there is no practice of recording the details of visitors.
Al-Oufi visited the hospital after a one-day-old baby boy, named Anas, went missing on Sunday. The child’s grandmother alleges a large dark woman with honey eyes — who frequently visited the room where the child and mother were — is behind the kidnapping.
“I came to know from her that she was divorced and loved children. Though she had no ID, I did not doubt her. She asked me to go to sleep and said she would take care of Anas, but I refused. However, after a little while I dozed off because I hadn’t slept for three nights. When I woke up around six, Anas wasn’t there,” she said.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article210505.ece
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'Arabic National Geographic not threatened by Net'
Dec 8, 2010
JEDDAH: The editor in chief of the Arabic version of National Geographic, which recently launched in October, said he is optimistic the specialist magazine will do well and not be negatively affected, like other sections of the print media, by the growing widespread use of the Internet in the Middle East.
The Abu Dhabi Media Company launched the well-known magazine’s Arabic version, National Geographic Al-Arabiya, in October. Although the magazine’s publishers are optimistic about its success, skeptics say the burgeoning growth in digital media in the Arab world and shift of media to online may be detrimental to the magazine’s success.
Mohamed Al-Hamadi, the magazine’s editor in chief, said the decision to publish the magazine in Arabic was made after a study of the region, adding that they received positive indications from 70 percent of people questioned.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article210448.ece
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Let’s make Kingdom’s universities the best: Rector of King Saud University
Dec 8, 2010
DOHA: The rector of King Saud University (KSU) in Riyadh vowed on Tuesday to help make the Kingdom’s universities among the best in the world.
Professor Abdullah bin Abdul-Rahman Al-Othman said education has changed so drastically that it is virtually unrecognizable from how it was taught in Saudi Arabia before the turn of the century. Al-Othman made the comments on the first day of the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in Doha, Qatar.
“There’s absolutely nothing that links the 20th and 21st centuries in terms of education,” he said. “This is why we must focus on reviving the education system.”
He said the Kingdom had to transform itself from an economy based on a depleting source of wealth, oil, to one based on the infinite resource of knowledge.
“We are aware of the need for transition,” he added. “And we will guarantee that transition under Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.”
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article210507.ece
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US judge rejects lawsuit against targeted killing
Dec 8, 2010
WASHINGTON: A federal judge on Tuesday threw out a lawsuit aimed at preventing the United States from targeting US-born anti-American cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki for death.
US District Judge John Bates said in a written opinion that Al-Awlaki’s father does not have the authority to sue to stop the United States from killing his son. But Bates also said the “unique and extraordinary case” raises serious issues about whether the United States can plan to kill one of its own citizens without judicial review.
Al-Awlaki has urged Muslims to kill Americans and has been linked to last year’s shooting at a US Army base in Texas, and the attempted bombing of a US-bound flight last Christmas Day, Dec. 25. He is believed to be hiding in Yemen and has issued videos online repeatedly calling for Muslims to kill Americans.
Administration officials have confirmed to The Associated Press that Al-Awlaki is on a capture or kill list, although the Obama administration declined to confirm or deny it in court proceedings.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article210393.ece
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Pirates hijack cargo ship with 25 people off India
Dec 8, 2010
DHAKA, Bangladesh: Suspected Somali pirates hijacked a Bangladeshi ship carrying nickel ore in the Arabian Sea and appear headed to the lawless East African nation, officials said Monday.
The Bangladesh-flagged M.V. Jahan Moni appears to have been hijacked Sunday off the Indian coast as it was heading from Singapore to Europe, said Rear Adm. Bazlur Rahman, chief of the Bangladesh Shipping Department.
The 25 Bangladeshis on the cargo ship include the wife of one crewman, said Capt. Habibur Rahman, principal officer of the government’s Mercantile Marine department.
Satellite images showed the ship heading toward Somalia, he said. It had loaded 41 tons of nickel ore from Indonesia to reach Greece via Singapore.
Somali pirates currently hold 22 ships and 521 crew, according to the European Union Naval Force. Hostages and ships have been held for months and released only for multimillion-dollar ransoms.
Somalia has been mired in anarchy since 1991, enabling piracy to thrive off its Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden coasts. A multinational force patrols the seas, but the vast distances and pirates’ ability to attack further offshore mean hijackings have continued.
http://arabnews.com/world/article209291.ece
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Two killed, six injured in Kohlu landmine blast
Dec 8, 2010
QUETTA: Two security personnel were killed and six others suffered injuries in a landmine blast at Bala Dhaki area of Kohlu district, official sources said on Tuesday. According to official sources, a vehicle of security forces travelling towards Chamalang from Kohlu hit a landmine planted by unknown persons along a road in Baladhaki area of Barkhan. As a result, two security personnel Bahar and Fazal Mohammad Marri died on the spot while six others sustained multiple wounds. The injured, later identified as Haider Khan, Rasool Mohammad, Sher Afzal, Musa Khan, Pir Mohammad and Rab Nawaz Marri, were taken to a hospital in Multan where the condition of two of them was stated to be serious, an official said. A security contingent reached the site soon after the blast and cordoned off the area. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a banned outfit, claimed the responsibility for the attack.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\08\story_8-12-2010_pg7_10
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Security forces kill 3 terrorists in Swat
Dec 8, 2010
LAHORE: Three terrorists were killed in a clash with the security forces in Mingora, Swat on Tuesday, a private TV channel reported. The forces conducted a raid on a hideout of terrorists in Shakardarra. The terrorists opened fire at security forces and three of them were killed when the soldiers returned fire, the channel said. daily times monitor
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\08\story_8-12-2010_pg7_11
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Baloch nationalists won’t succeed by killing influential figures: Magsi
Dec 8, 2010
QUETTA: Those who are struggling for national rights cannot be successful in their aims by targeting influential people in Balochistan, provincial Governor Nawab Zulfiqar Magsi said on Tuesday.
He expressed these views while talking to reporters after distributing certificates to graduating students at the sixth convocation of Balochistan University of Information, Technology, Engineering and Management (BUITEMS).
Magsi, who was the chief guest at the occasion, announced Rs 100,000 for gold medalists and invited them for a lunch with him at the Governor’s House. Around 403 students from different faculties and disciplines were awarded masters and bachelors degrees and certificates. “People are raising slogans for an independent Balochistan, but they will not get freedom by killing innocent, unarmed people like hairdressers, laundry men, bakers, labourers and daily-wage earners because the attackers are actually cowards,” the governor added.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\08\story_8-12-2010_pg7_21
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Gul confers ‘Jamhuriyat Nishan’ on Gilani
Dec 8, 2010
ANKARA: Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Tuesday conferred his country’s prestigious ‘Jamhuriyat Nishan’ (Republic Order) on Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, in recognition of his services for furthering the “ever-growing” bilateral elations between Pakistan and Turkey.
The Turkish president presented PM Gilani with the award at a special investiture ceremony held at the presidential Cankaya Palace, followed by talks between the two leaders. The citation mentioned Gilani’s contributions to strengthening Pak-Turk relations by taking them to the level of brotherly cooperation in various fields.
Gilani said it was a great honour for him to receive the award from the Turkish president and said the honour had “overwhelmed” and “touched his heart”.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\08\story_8-12-2010_pg7_29
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Raisani survives suicide attack
Dec 8, 2010
QUETTA - A suicide bomber tried to kill the top elected official in the province of Balochistan on Tuesday, damaging his motorcade but leaving the minister unhurt, officials said.
The blast killed one person and wounded nine others near the convoy of Nawab Aslam Raisani in Quetta, the capital of a province where separatist, sectarian and Taliban violence has surged this year.
One person died in the attack, but his identity was not clear and police said they were investigating whether it was the bomber.
A purported spokesman for banned extremist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, claimed responsibility, saying Raisani had been targeted for efforts to provide security to Shiite Muslims, who are frequently attacked in Balochistan.
“It was a suicide bombing. The convoy of the chief minister was damaged,” Quetta administration official Nasim Lehri said.
Full report at:
http://dailymailnews.com/1210/08/FrontPage/index.php?id=5
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Chilean court frees Pakistani student
Dec 8, 2010
Chile – Chilean courts declared Pakistan student Saif-ur-Rehman innocent against charges of terrorism and ordered his release on Tuesday, said TV reports. Rehman was accused of entering the US embassy in Chile with traces of explosives on his clothes.
Fourth Court Judge of Santiago, Jorge Norambuena, rejected the charges of terrorism on Rehman and said the charges were lies. Norambuena also said that the allegations on Saifur Rehman were not in sync with article 248 of Chilean code of criminal procedure. The government also failed to present concrete proofs against Rehman.
Referring to the courts decision, Rehman said that today wais a day of pride for the Chilean Judiciary system, Pakistan and for its peoples.
“It is wrong to label terrorism with Islam. Not a single religion taught negative teachings and political use of religion should be abandoned. I was mentally disturbed since the past seven months and the Chilean government should apologise for wrong charges,” said Rehman.
The members of the Human Rights Commission at the Chilean Parliament also asked the government to apologise to Rehman for the wrong charges. However, Chilean Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter refused to apologise and said that he was not ashamed and no illegal citizen could live in Chile but said he respected the court’s decision.
http://dailymailnews.com/1210/08/FrontPage/index.php?id=8
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Karachi swoop Taliban leaders among 300 held
Dec 8, 2010
KARACHI - Rangers have arrested more than 300 terrorists, including Taliban leaders after conducting a search operation in Manghopir, Karachi. Rangers sources said that they had arrested a suspect, Zain-ul-Abedin, a few days ago and initiated the search operation on information provided by him in Manghopir and its surroundings areas, early Tuesday morning.
Sources say that the Sindh government had received information from secret agencies that terrorists have planned terror activities in Karachi during Muharram-ul-Haram.
As per details, rangers and police jointly operated in different areas of Karachi including Kanwari Colony, Mian Wali Colony and Awan Colony and arrested more than 200 suspects during door-to-door search operation.
Sources added that during the search operation news about the presence of the office of Banned organization was also disclosed over that police operated in the area and arrested banned organization eminent member Sadiq Masood along with 13 companions including Raheel Masood, Fakhar Masood and Gola.
Full report at:
http://dailymailnews.com/1210/08/FrontPage/index.php?id=9
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Mullah Barader: the man who knew too much
Dec 8, 2010
An Afghan militant arrested in near the Pak-Afghan border. The Beradar arrest was raised at a Feb 24 tripartite meeting in Islamabad of FBI Director Robert Mueller, (Interior) Minister Rehman Malik and (Afghan interior) Minister Atmar Hanif. There was no agreement from either side about the transfer of “wanted persons”. – AFP Photo
Classified By: Anne W. Patterson for reasons 1.4 (b) (d) Feb 26, 2010
A court decision preventing (Taliban leader Mullah) Barader`s extradition to Afghanistan comes amid renewed anti-American hostility in the media. The Americans speculate that the Pakistanis might swap Barader for a Baloch nationalist leader hiding in Kabul, but feel he `knows too much`.
The Beradar arrest was raised at a Feb 24 tripartite meeting in Islamabad of FBI Director Robert Mueller, (Interior) Minister Rehman Malik and (Afghan interior) Minister Atmar Hanif. There was no agreement from either side about the transfer of “wanted persons”.
In the meeting, Malik provided a list of Pakistans Most Wanted to Atmar, and requested the same from Atmar. Malik named one of the Most Wanted, known Baloch separatist Bramdagh Bugti, and asked Atmar to assist in locating the individual and returning him to Pakistan.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/07/mullah-barader-the-man-who-knew-too-much.html
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Pak-Turk collaboration vital for two democracies: Gilani
Dec 8, 2010
ANKARA: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday said Pakistan wishes to take its relations with Turkey to a higher level, with an aim to transform them into an enhanced 21st century partnership in political, security, economic and cultural domains.
He was addressing the Turkish Grand National Assembly. Gilani is the first Pakistani head of government to address the Turkish Grand National Assembly, which was also attended by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Speaker Mehmet Ali Shaheen.
The Prime Minister said the cultures and civilizations of Pakistan and Turkey have germinated from centuries of intense mutually enriching interplay.
“It is a relationship predating our modern States, an affinity transcending generations. Our people’s affection for Turkey is spontaneous, their love, deep and sincere,” he said.
“There may be a distance of thousand miles between Jinnah Cadesi in Ankara and Ataturk Avenue in Islamabad, but there are no spaces between our hearts. We are one nation living in two states.”
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/07/pak-turk-collaboration-vital-for-two-democracies-
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=3777
5:21 AM
Moderate Islamist here
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