| Islamic World News | |
| 13 Dec 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com |
Iraqi officials say 17 killed in car bomb blast
15 civilians killed in Afghan blast
Troops kill 9 terrorists in Swat, Mohmand
Islamic Extremists Held for Church Blast in Bangladesh
Phones are a feminist issue in Bangladesh
Fury over 'no Muslim inside' sign in US store
Doctor arrested for blasphemy: police
Banned SIMI cadres regrouping under new banner?
US diplomat in Peshawar quits after Taliban threat
'Pope wanted Turkey out of European Union'
Delhi institute mistaken for Pakistan intelligence agency
Pak terror camps revived ops after brief post-26/11 lull
Iran TV shows Sakineh 're-enact' murder
Was 'Hizbul' man planning attack on IMA?
Pakistan: Back channel diplomacy on Kashmir underway
Terrorist nabbed in Dehradun
Karkare’s widow slams claims about husband’s death threat
Rajnath slams Digvijay for Karkare remarks
Terrorism in Pakistan linked to Afghanistan, India: Musharraf
Yemen convicts, sentences 12 Al-Qaeda activists
Mastermind in Aden blast given death sentence
Attacks kill Afghan civilians ahead of Obama review
Iranian Film Today Festival Returns to the High Museum of Art for the 13th Year
2 Palestinian militants killed, 1 Israeli soldier hurt in Gaza clash
Teen arrested in Oregon car bomb plot led 2 lives
Two blasts hit Stockholm, linked to Afghanistan
Germany to take up terror issue with Pakistan
Secure your WiFi connection as terrorists may use it
Bhutto case: Pak court orders probe against 2 police officers
Holbrooke 'a towering figure' in US foreign policy: Obama
Madoff's eldest son hangs himself in NYC apartment
Top Gun: Petraeus named most fascinating person of 2010
President Obama calls leaders, slams 'deplorable' WikiLeaks
Holbrooke in critical condition
The Man Who Took America Head-On
Why India can’t have its WikiLeaks
EX- U. S. ENVOY NAILEDCONG’ S 26 / 11POLITICS
Assange hacktivists stir world web war
Alive but still on death row
Compiled by New Age Isalm News Bureau
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British varsities 'hotbeds for breeding terrorists'
Dec. 12, 2010
London : British universities have become hotbeds for breeding radicals and recruiting grounds for terror network like al-Qaeda, an academician has claimed.
Professor Anthony Glees, Director of security studies at Buckingham University, has said the varsities are failing to properly monitor students who could become terrorists, the 'Sunday Express' reported.
"Campuses are seen as safe spaces for radicalisers. There is long history of students and recent graduates who turn to terror," he was quoted as saying.
Prof Glees said MI5 had identified 39 campuses as "vulnerable to violent extremism". Birmingham City and East London are the only ones to be named so far.
All universities were told they may seek 10,000 pounds grant to help counter the threat but 14 have not bothered to apply. The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, a unit of MI5, is concerned by the response of some academics to the warnings.
Last month, 12-year-old Roshonara Choudhry, a former student at King's College, London, was jailed for life for attempting to kill former Labour minister Stephen Timms in May over his support for the Iraq invasion.
Former King's College students Asif Hanif and Omar Khan Sharif carried out a suicide bomb attack in Tel Aviv in 2003.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/british-varsities-hotbeds-for-breeding-terrorists/723692/
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Iraqi officials say 17 killed in car bomb blast
Dec 12, 2010
BAGHDAD: A car bomb exploded Sunday outside government offices in a province west of the Iraqi capital, killing 17 people, officials said. It was the latest deadly hit on a favorite insurgent target.
At least 23 people were also wounded in Sunday's blast, according to police and hospital officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
Anbar deputy gov. Saadoun Obeid said a traffic jam outside the provincial council compound in Ramadi, capital of Anbar province, kept the suicide bomber from reaching the front gate.
He said Gov. Qasim al-Fahadawi, who lost an arm in a similar strike a year ago, and other senior Anbar officials were not in the building during the explosion, which he blamed on al-Qaida.
"The attack is a hallmark of al-Qaida, and we expect such attacks on government buildings as a natural reaction by this terrorist group to the arrest of most of its senior leaders in Anbar," Obeid said. "They want to take revenge for their latest defeats."
Police found a second bomb in a nearby parking lot a few minutes later, but said they detonated it in a safe area.
The compound in Ramadi, 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad, also houses the Anbar police headquarters and the governor's office.
Government officials in Anbar, a former stronghold of al-Qaida militants and Sunni insurgents, have frequently been targeted by insurgents.
Last December, the Islamic state of Iraq, an al-Qaida front group, claimed responsibility for an attack on the same compound. That attack caused al-Fahadawi to lose an arm and undergo leg surgery in the United States.
And in July, a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a reception room outside al-Fahadawi's office. Al-Fahadawi was not there at the time, but the blast coincided with a trip to Iraq by Vice President Joe Biden, undercutting his optimistic predictions of a peaceful transition of power as the nation was beset by political uncertainty.
The attacks highlight the persistent efforts by insurgents to undermine security in Iraq as US troops prepare to leave by the end of next year as part of an agreement between Washington and Baghdad.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Iraqi-officials-say-17-killed-in-car-bomb-blast/articleshow/7087379.cms#ixzz17tp8dX9J
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15 civilians killed in Afghan blast
December 12, 2010
A roadside bomb planted by the Taliban killed 15 civilians in remote southern Afghanistan and a shootout with NATO forces killed seven people in the east on Saturday, as Afghanistan saw a wave of violence, authorities said.
The roadside bomb struck on Friday afternoon as a pickup truck carrying villagers to a nearby bazaar rolled over the bomb in the Khan Neshin district of Helmand province, Daoud Ahmadi, spokesman for the provincial Governor, said on Saturday.
NATO forces have poured troops into the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar, making some progress in routing the Taliban. But fighting and insurgent attacks have continued there as well as in the volatile eastern provinces such as Paktia.
In Paktia on Saturday, about 500 people gathered and shouted “Death to Americans!” amid local reports that a NATO operation killed seven members of a private security company. NATO said it was investigating the shootout, which occurred after coalition forces detained a suspected insurgent and tried to clear the area.
NATO forces then shot a man who approached them armed with an assault rifle. “Multiple other armed individuals then engaged the force, which resulted in a total of seven individuals killed,” NATO said in a statement.
“The security force takes civilian casualty allegations seriously and is currently accessing who the individuals were, why they were armed and why they were in that area at that time of the morning.” Also on Saturday, a car bomb exploded outside a police headquarters in Kandahar, wounding at least six people and blowing out the windows of buildings up to a mile (a kilometer and a half) away, officials said.
Two civilians and four police officers were wounded, said Zalmai Ayubi, a spokesman for the Governor of Kandahar province. Police cordoned off the area around Kandahar’s police building.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/303073/15-civilians-killed-in-Afghan-blast.html
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Troops kill 9 terrorists in Swat, Mohmand
Dec. 12, 2010
PESHAWAR: Security forces killed nine terrorists in separate incidents, a security official said on Saturday. According to details, security forces killed five terrorists after they opened fire at a foot patrol in the Swat district. The security officials said that some terrorists were caught and taken to indicate the location of an absconding terrorist. Shah Faisal, in Swat. Terrorists opened fire at the security forces when they reached the place. The forces retaliated, as a result of which five terrorists were killed. Separately, security forces killed four terrorists in the Mohmand Agency. Security forces killed the terrorists as they repelled an attack on a checkpost in the Saagi area of the Saafi tehsil. Official sources confirmed that terrorists had attacked the Saagi checkpost with rocket launchers and automatic weapons, but security forces repelled the attack.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\12\story_12-12-2010_pg7_8
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Islamic Extremists Held for Church Blast in Bangladesh
Dec. 12, 2010
Police in Bangladesh said they believe at least two Islamic extremists are responsible for a bomb blast in a Catholic church building that killed 10 young Christians and maimed dozens of others in 2001.
After a district court remanded the two extremists of the banned Harkat-ul-Jihad Al-Islami (HuJi) group, including its chief leader, to police for seven days on Dec. 7, Police Inspector Sheikh Mohammad Akhteruzzaman of the Criminal Investigation Department told Compass that they believe the militants are responsible for the long-unresolved case.
“We took Mufti Abdul Hannan and Arif Hassan Sumon on remand for interrogation for three days in the middle of November, and we found their involvement in the bombing inside the church,” Akhteruzzaman said. “We took them again on remand on Dec. 7 for seven days to verify their previous information found after interrogation. If the previous information matches this time’s interrogation, then we can be sure that they were involved in the bombing inside the church.”
Full report at:
http://www.rightsidenews.com/2010121212312/world/terrorism/islamic-extremists-held-
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Phones are a feminist issue in Bangladesh
Dec. 12, 2010
DHAKA: Dressed in a colourful sari, clutching boxes of herbal tea in one hand and a battered old Nokia mobile phone in the other, Monowara Talukder doesn’t look like the average business executive.
But in just six years, Talukder has built an international herbal tea empire in Bangladesh that employs 1,500 female farmers, wins orders from major Western health food chains, and has a turnover of 44 million taka (625,000 dollars).
She was among the first people to sign up for a mobile phone when they arrived in the country in 1997. The costs were high, but the 48-year-old mother of four says she has never regretted the investment.
“My mobile phone has helped so much with the business – it is absolutely crucial for distribution and marketing,” Talukder told AFP over a cup of her signature Tulsi, or Holy Basil, tea in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/11/phones-are-a-feminist-issue-in-bangladesh.html
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Fury over 'no Muslim inside' sign in US store
Dec 12, 2010
NEW YORK: A store in Alabama has garnered national attention for posting a new sign outside his electronics store, which read 'BBQ pork restaurant is safest — no Muslims inside' . However, the fuss over the sign has shocked its owner who said he does not understand why it is such a big deal.
Electronic Repair Company owner Chuck Biddinger, who put up the sign last week, said he meant the message as a joke, reports the New York Daily News.
"Muslims do not eat pork. It's a known fact that Muslims have tried to commit crimes in this country," he said.
Signs outside his shop are changed every week, but the coverage of this one, he said, has been unbelievable.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Fury-over-no-Muslim-inside-sign-in-US-store/articleshow/7085949.cms#ixzz17tpXjgkU
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Doctor arrested for blasphemy: police
Dec. 12, 2010
KARACHI: A doctor has been arrested for insulting the Prophet Mohammed in Pakistan, police said on Sunday, in a second high profile case throwing the spotlight on the country’s controversial anti-blasphemy laws.
Naushad Valiyani was detained on Friday following a complaint by a medical representative who visited the doctor in the city of Hyderabad.
“The arrest was made after the complainant told the police that Valiyani threw his business card, which had his full name, Muhammad Faizan, in a dustbin during a visit to his clinic,” regional police chief Mushtaq Shah told AFP.
“Faizan accused Valiyani of committing blasphemy and asked police to register a case against the doctor.”
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/12/doctor-arrested-for-blasphemy-police.html
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Banned SIMI cadres regrouping under new banner?
Dec 12, 2010
BANGALORE/NEW DELHI: Cadres of banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) are understood to have been fast regrouping under the banner of Popular Front of India (PFI), an outfit which has expanded its tentacles to north after carrying out initial recruitment in south India.
This, according to an arrested militant Madoor Isubbu -- a person considered as a vital link in the terror groups-ISI- underworld-Naxals nexus, was aimed at keeping the flock of SIMI together after it was banned on February eight, 2006.
Sources privy to interrogation of Madoor, who was nabbed in Bangalore by police earlier this week on his return from a Gulf country, said ISI and other terror modules in Pakistan were worried over the depleting cadre strength of SIMI and were working out plans to keep them under one banner.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Banned-SIMI-cadres-regrouping-under-new-
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US diplomat in Peshawar quits after Taliban threat
Dec 12, 2010
ISLAMABAD: The US consulate officer in Peshawar, Elizabeth Rudd has refused to serve in Pakistan and returned to Washington after receiving threats from Taliban militants, a media report said on Saturday.
"She was under stress after receiving threats from Taliban," Daily Express reported . Peshawar is the capital of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and has been worst hit by terrorism in the last few years.
The spokesperson of the US embassy in Islamabad, Alberto Rodriguez confirmed that "Elizabeth has returned to Washington three days ago" . He, however, attributed this development to "her personal problems instead of threats from any quarters" . Meanwhile, the US political consul in Peshawar has been given temporary charge as consulate officer while a new appointment is expected within the next few days.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/US-diplomat-in-Peshawar-quits-after-Taliban-threat/articleshow/7085923.cms#ixzz17tplrmxR
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'Pope wanted Turkey out of European Union'
Dec 12, 2010
Secret US diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks have revealed that Pope Benedict is responsible for the Vatican's growing hostility towards Turkey, the Muslim state, joining the European Union (EU).
The Guardian quoted the cables as saying that in 2004, Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, was the leading voice behind the Holy See's unsuccessful drive to secure a reference to Europe's "Christian roots" in the EU constitution.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Pope-wanted-Turkey-out-of-European-Union/articleshow/7085937.cms#ixzz17tpvJdYQ
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Delhi institute mistaken for Pakistan intelligence agency
Supriya Sharma
Dec. 12, 2010
RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh special prosecutor TC Pandya on Friday claimed that civil rights activist Dr Binayak Sen's wife Ilina was in correspondence with the ISI — a huge gaffe. For, the ISI she had links with was the Indian Social Institute, not the Pakistani intelligence agency.
Pandya was deposing in a local sessions court and said that Sen had dealings not just with local Maoist networks but also international terrorist groups as well.
He claimed Sen had links with international terrorist organisations and in that connection named Yaseen Malik of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front ( JKLF) and Asgar Khan of Al Qaeda, among others.
Then he delivered the punchline. He read out an email Ilina had purportedly written to "some Fernandes of the ISI". This said: "There is a chimpanzee in the White House."
Pandya smelt mischief in the missive: "This may be code language... this perhaps means terrorists are annoyed with the US... We do not know who this Fernandes is, but ISI, as we all know, means Pakistan."
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Delhi-institute-mistaken-for-Pakistan-intelligence-
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Pak terror camps revived ops after brief post-26/11 lull
December 12, 2010
Pakistan has 43 terror camps, including 22 in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK), and some of these resumed operations after a brief lull following the Mumbai attacks, India conveyed to the United States in June last year.
A diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks on Saturday cites former Army Chief Gen Deepak Kapoor as telling the then US National Security Adviser James Jones that several incidents of infiltration had occurred in the post-26/11 period. Alluding to Pakistani complicity, Kapoor was emphatic that infiltration across the Line of Control cannot occur “unless there is some of kind of assistance and/or degree of support that is institutional in nature”, quizzing: “If we can catch them (the infiltrators), why can’t the Pakistani military?”
“Although the Pakistanis raided some camps in the wake of 26/11, Kapoor averred, some camps have reinitiated operations…He described several incidents of infiltration that occurred this year, including that of 40 terrorists in March who were found possessing significant ammunition and other equipment,” said the cable, dated June 29, 2009.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/303080/Pak-terror-camps-revived-ops-after-brief-post-26/11-
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Iran TV shows Sakineh 're-enact' murder
Dec 12, 2010
TEHRAN: Iranian television aired a documentary on Saturday in which a woman whose stoning sentence caused global outrage staged a graphic reconstruction of her husband's murder for which she faces possible hanging.
State-run English language Press TV said its half-hour film was meant to show the other side of a story that has been misrepresented by international media, but it may prompt yet more questions about human rights and press freedom in Iran.
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani's sentence to be stoned for adultery — the only crime that carries that penalty under Iran's Islamic sharia law — was declared to have been suspended in September after an international outcry.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Iran-TV-shows-Sakineh-re-enact-
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Was 'Hizbul' man planning attack on IMA?
Dec 12, 2010
DEHRADUN: An alleged Hizbul Mujahideen militant was arrested from Dehradun's Patel Nagar on the eve of the Indian Military Academy's Passing Out Parade (POP).
Police said Ghulam Nabi Sheikh (33), a resident of J&K's Doda district, was arrested along with his cousin, Tanveer Ahmad (21) on Friday night. Ahmad was arrested for sheltering Sheikh.
IGP (Garhwal range) M A Ganpati said the two were arrested from Ahmad's residence after an intensive search operation ahead of the POP on Saturday.
"The operation was conducted on a tip off that some militants, planning sabotage ahead of the POP, could be hiding in Dehradun," said Ganpati.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Was-Hizbul-man-planning-attack-on-IMA/articleshow/7086105.cms#ixzz17tqq4Oub
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Pakistan: Back channel diplomacy on Kashmir underway
December 12, 2010
Pakistan has said that “back channel diplomacy” is being conducted with India to resolve the Kashmir issue.
“Back channel diplomacy with India is underway to resolve the Kashmir issue. However, we are stressing India should hold tripartite talks (with Pakistan and the Kashmiris). The Kashmiris must be involved in parleys for a peaceful solution to the conflict,” Pakistan’s Kashmir Affairs Minister Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo said.
Wattoo did not give details of the back channel contacts.
Recent media reports in the neighbouring country have suggested that former Foreign Secretary Riaz Khan has been holding talks with former Indian envoy SK Lambah as part of the back channel contacts.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/303068/Pakistan-Back-channel-diplomacy-on-Kashmir-underway.html
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Terrorist nabbed in Dehradun
December 12, 2010
A Hizbul Mujahideen divisional commander was arrested with his aide in Dehradun on Friday night.
The two have been identified as Moulvi Ghulam Nabi alias Javed Qureshi (33) and his aide Tanvir Ahmed. A foreign pistol and some live cartridges were also recovered from them.
Senior Superintendent of Police Ganesh Singh Martolia said, “Javed Qureshi had arrived in Dehradun on December 2 and was living with Tanvir Ahmed. Javed come here for treatment of his injured leg. So far, the accused has not admitted of coming in Dehradun for executing any terrorist activities, he said.
According to SSP, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had tipped off the local police about the presence of some hard core terrorists in Dehradun. On the basis of tip off, the conducted intensive search operations in Dehradun on the eve of the passing-out parade of the Indian Military Academy and arrested them.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/303094/Terrorist-nabbed-in-Dehradun.html
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Karkare’s widow slams claims about husband’s death threat
By Krishna Kumar
Dec. 12, 2010
SLAIN Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Karkare’s wife Kavita rubbished Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh’s claim that her husband had told the politician that his life was under threat from Hindu extremists, a few hours before he was killed in the 26/ 11 terror attack.
Kavita told a television channel, “ I want the world to know that Pakistan was behind the ( 26/ 11) attack and no one else.” She accused the Congressman of playing politics and said Karkare’s death should not be attributed to Hindu groups.
Karkare’s colleagues too slammed Singh’s statement and said the slain ATS chief was not one to get scared. They also expressed doubt about Singh’s statement that he had spoken to the ATS chief around 7pm on 26/ 11.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Rajnath slams Digvijay for Karkare remarks
December 12, 2010
Censuring All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Digvijay Singh’s remarks that Hemant Karkare — Mumbai ATS chief who was martyred in the 26/11 strike — had expressed apprehension that he might be killed by Right-wing extremists, the BJP demanded a high-level probe into the episode.
Speaking to the media on Saturday, former BJP chief Rajnath Singh said Digvijay’s statement was a deep-rooted conspiracy. “It has been a habit of Congress leaders to indulge in vote bank politics even if the issues are related to national security. Be it the issue of Bangladeshi migrants or PM’s assertion that Muslims have the first right over the country’s natural resources,” he pointed out.
Flaying Digvijay, the former BJP chief questioned why he kept mum for two years about his so-called conversation with Karkare. “How long was he acquainted with Karkare? Why did Karkare chose to speak to Singh him while he was neither a Union Minister nor the Home Secretary ? Moreso, why Karkare conveyed his apprehensions to Digvijay Singh instead of intelligence agencies and lastly has the officer’s family not endorsed Digivijay’s views till now,” asked Singh.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/303091/Rajnath-slams-Digvijay-for-Karkare-remarks.html
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Terrorism in Pakistan linked to Afghanistan, India: Musharraf
Dec. 12, 2010
LONDON: Former president Pervez Musharraf said on Sunday that the chain of terrorism in Pakistan is linked to India and Afghanistan.
In an article written in Wall Street Journal, Musharraf said that the curriculum in religious schools must be changed to curb terrorism. He also urged proper partaking of Pakhtuns in the Kabul government to ensure a stable Afghanistan because historically, Pakhtuns have always ruled in Afghanistan.
Musharraf said that the triumph in the Afghan jihad was due to Pakistan’s efforts but the West had taken advantage of that.
He also added that he had advised the international community to accept the Taliban government but by not doing so, a huge blunder had been made.
http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/12/terrorism-in-pakistan-linked-to-afghanistan-india-musharraf.html
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Yemen convicts, sentences 12 Al-Qaeda activists
Dec. 12, 2010
SANAA, Yemen: A Yemeni court has convicted 12 men of belonging to Al-Qaeda, planning terrorist attacks and trying to take up arms in Afghanistan, Somalia and Iraq. It has sentenced them to prison terms ranging from four to seven years.
Security officials also say that an appeals court on Saturday upheld prison sentences ranging from seven to 10 years for four people convicted of being Al-Qaeda members.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to brief the media.
Yemen’s government has been struggling with a growing Al-Qaeda threat from militants who are increasing their operations in the impoverished and largely lawless country on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula.
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article213332.ece
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Mastermind in Aden blast given death sentence
Dec. 12, 2010
SANAA: A court in Aden sentenced to death a man who masterminded the bombing of the city’s Al-Wahda Stadium in October, according to a statement on the Yemeni Defense Ministry website.
Aden Specialized Criminal Court sentenced Faris Abdullah Saleh to death and his brother Raid to five years in prison for their role in the explosion. The court cleared Faris’ second brother, Ali, and two other men — Hazim Yahia Saleh and Mukhtar Muhsen Ahmed.
The public prosecutor accused the defendants of inserting two TNT bombs in different places of the stadium, killing four, injuring 21 and destroying property. The explosion happened when the city was gearing up to host the Gulf 20 tournament.
Meanwhile, a Specialized Criminal Court in Hadramout sentenced 12 Al-Qaeda men to prison for being part of a terrorist group, conspiring to attack public and security buildings, and destabilizing society.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article213452.ece
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Attacks kill Afghan civilians ahead of Obama review
Dec. 12, 2010
KANDAHAR: Violence in north, south and east Afghanistan killed more than a dozen civilians and wounded several more as US President Barack Obama prepares to unveil a review of his strategy for the near decade-long war.
The latest string of attacks comes near the end of the deadliest year since the 2001 overthrow of the Taleban, with the escalating insurgency costing the lives of a record number of both ordinary Afghans and foreign troops.
Obama said on a visit to Afghanistan last week that troops are making “important progress” and Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in Kabul soon after that he was convinced the war was on the right track.
In southern Afghanistan, a roadside bomb killed 15 civilians and a car bomb wounded five police, in the north a suicide bomber driving a police car wounded nine, and in the east seven men died in a disputed incident that sent hundreds pouring onto the streets of Gardez city in a protest that turned violent.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article213318.ece
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Iranian Film Today Festival Returns to the High Museum of Art for the 13th Year
Dec. 12, 2010
ATLANTA, GA.- The High Museum of Art will host the 13th annual Iranian Film Today film festival in January 2011. Featuring six films, this year’s festival includes both seasoned, award-winning filmmakers Bahman Motamedian (“Sex My Life”) and Ramtin Lavafipour (“Be Calm and Count to Seven”) and the feature debuts of several filmmakers including Shalizeh Arefpour (“Heiran”) and Shirin Neshat (“Women Without Men”).
“Despite the repression of dissenting voices in Iran, its filmmakers continue to produce cinema that holds its own on the world’s screens,” said Linda Dubler, curator of media arts at the High. “The 13th annual Iranian Film Today presents diverse views of Iranian society, from the edgiest documentary to the most elegant art film. Ranging from the exploration of the role of women in an Islamic theocracy to the marginalization of gays and lesbians and the fate of refugees, this year’s festival is full of revelations and new discoveries.”
Full report at:
http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=43159
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2 Palestinian militants killed, 1 Israeli soldier hurt in Gaza clash
Dec. 12, 2010
(CNN) -- Two members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad were killed and an Israeli soldier was wounded in a clash Saturday in Gaza, Palestinian and Israeli officials said.
The incident occurred Saturday evening when Israeli soldiers saw two suspects near a security fence in the central Gaza Strip, according to an Israel Defense Forces statement. The troops fired and killed both.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad sources confirmed that two members had died, saying it happened during a clash with Israeli special unit forces in that area, east of Albraij.
While Israeli forces subsequently checked the area, shots were fired -- leaving one of the soldiers "moderately wounded," the Israeli statement said. Gunfire continued for a short time, but it did not result in any more injuries or deaths.
A helicopter transported the wounded soldier for treatment.
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/12/11/israel.gaza.gunfight/
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Teen arrested in Oregon car bomb plot led 2 lives
Dec. 12, 2010
The plot described by the FBI was horrific: a 19-year-old Somali-born Muslim with a grudge against the West, ready to kill and maim thousands at a busy Portland Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
But while the FBI describes Mohamed Osman Mohamud as a would-be terrorist, there were few hints of that hidden life to Mohamud's friends, who knew him as "Mo," a quiet, suburban teen who liked to drink gin and play video games.
The teen who allegedly thought he was going to kill thousands of people the day after Thanksgiving in the name of Islamic radicalism is the same one who, three days earlier, wrote and read a Kwanzaa poem about unity with two Christian college students.
Court documents and Mohamud's friends describe the slender Somali-American as juggling contradictory lives _ that of an immigrant struggling to fit in and a Muslim who had become radicalized and was bent on holy war.
Full report at:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/dec/12/us-portland-car-bomb-plot/
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Two blasts hit Stockholm, linked to Afghanistan
Dec 12, 2010
STOCKHOLM: Two blasts rocked the centre of Stockholm on Saturday in a possible attack inspired by Sweden's presence in Afghanistan, killing the bomber and wounding two other people, police and media said.
Swedish news agency TT said that 10 minutes before the first blast, when a car exploded near a busy shopping street, it received an email with threats over the Swedish presence in Afghanistan and over a years-old case of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad by a Swedish artist.
Police spokesman Kjell Lindgren said the car exploded at peak shopping hours at 5 p.m. (1600 GMT). About 10 to 15 minutes later another explosion took place on a street 300 metres (984 ft) away.
A man was found dead near the second explosion and two people with minor injuries were also found nearby.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Two-blasts-hit-Stockholm-linked-to-
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Germany to take up terror issue with Pakistan
Sachin Parashar
Dec. 12, 2010
BERLIN: After getting the European Union (EU) to come down heavily on cross-border terrorism and terror safe havens, India scored another diplomatic victory on Saturday when Germany said Pakistan cannot use terror as a means to any end. After a bilateral meeting with PM Manmohan Singh, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, while talking about terrorist attacks against India, Berlin would take up the terror issue with Islamabad.
"We want to do whatever we can to make it clear to Pakistan that terror cannot be a means to an end in solving a political problem. We will make it clear to Pakistan that terror is unacceptable," said Merkel. On Friday, at the 11th EU-India summit, the two sides for the first time had issued a joint declaration on international terrorism.
According to senior officials accompanying the PM, this was the first time such a strong statement had come out from the EU. While the German Chancellor also complimented India for the stand taken by India at the Cancun conference on climate change, Singh said the world must continue to build upon the progress that has been made at the conference.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Germany-to-take-up-terror-issue-with-
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Secure your WiFi connection as terrorists may use it
Dec 12, 2010
NEW DELHI: A Navi Mumbai disc jockey was baffled and shocked when police came to his house on Tuesday night asking him about an Indian Mujahideen e-mail claiming responsibility for Varanasi blast.
The e-mail was sent by Akhil Talreja's unsecured WiFi connection, minutes after the blast. Later, it was found that his connection, which did not require a password, was hacked into by IM terrorists and used for the purpose.
Akhil and his brother Nikhil were detained and questioned for hours.
According to cyber experts, one must secure his or her connection by keeping a password or any hacker can use it for wrong purpose, putting the subscriber in trouble.
"Terrorists do not have much time to crack passwords because security agencies immediately start investigating the terror attacks. So they use WiFi connections which are available to them easily," Mumbai-based cyber expert Ashish Sharma told PTI 'Bhasha'.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Secure-your-WiFi-connection-as-terrorists-may-
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Bhutto case: Pak court orders probe against 2 police officers
Dec 12, 2010
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani anti-terrorism court conducting the trial of five suspects in ex-premier Benazir Bhutto's assassination case has ordered police to conduct a formal investigation against two of their top officers who were responsible for her security.
Judge Rana Nisar Ahmed of the court directed police on Saturday to include former Rawalpindi police chief Saud Aziz and ex-Superintendent of Police Khurram Shahzad in the investigation.
Both police officers will be questioned about their alleged failure to provide adequate security to Bhutto during an election rally in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007, the day she was killed in a gun-and-bomb attack.
The two police officers, for whom the judge had recently issued non-bailable warrants, were present during proceedings held in Adiala Jail.
They submitted an application for confirmation of their bail. The judge scheduled the next hearing for December 18.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Bhutto-case-Pak-court-orders-probe-against-2-police-officers/articleshow/7087634.cms#ixzz17tp5Vup3
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Holbrooke 'a towering figure' in US foreign policy: Obama
Dec 12, 2010
WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama has described critically ill Richard Holbrooke as "a towering figure" in American foreign policy and said that he was praying for the recovery of the "tireless public servant", who is a key member of his Af-Pak team.
69-year-old Holbrooke, the special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, is in critical condition following a surgery on Saturday to repair a tear in his aorta.
Obama spoke to Holbrooke's wife Kati and told her that he and the First Lady are praying for him.
"Richard Holbrooke is a towering figure in American foreign policy, a critical member of my Afghanistan and Pakistan team and a tireless public servant who has won the admiration of the American people and people around the world," the president said.
"I know that secretary (of state, Hillary) Clinton, Admiral (Mike) Mullen (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff), Tom Donilon (national security adviser), and other members of our team have been with him at George Washington hospital, and we continue to pray for his recovery, and support his family in this difficult time," Obama said in a statement.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Holbrooke-a-towering-figure-in-US-foreign-
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Madoff's eldest son hangs himself in NYC apartment
Dec 12, 2010
NEW YORK: Every day for two years, he carried the toxic burden of a name that meant fraud to the world. On Saturday, the eldest son of disgraced financier Bernard Madoff hanged himself in his Manhattan apartment, another casualty in the saga that sent his father to prison and swindled thousands of their life savings.
On the second anniversary of the day his father was arrested in the worst investment fraud in American history, Mark Madoff, 46, was found dead in the living room of his SoHo loft. He was hanging from a black dog leash while his 2-year-old son slept nearby.
People close to him said he was despondent over press coverage of his father's case, an ongoing criminal investigation of Madoff family members in the multibillion-dollar scheme and his struggle to rebuild his life.
The intense scrutiny approaching the anniversary "became too much for him," said a person who had recent contact with him, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Madoffs-eldest-son-hangs-himself-in-NYC-
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Top Gun: Petraeus named most fascinating person of 2010
Dec 12, 2010
LOS ANGELES: General David Petraeus , the top military commander in Afghanistan, has been named the "most fascinating person of 2010", beating the cast of MTV reality show 'The Jersey Shore' and teen singer Justin Bieber.
Veteran journalist Barbara Walters called Petraeus a "true American hero" and placed him top of her annual list of the 10 most fascinating people of 2010 in a TV broadcast. Network ABC said on Friday that 12.2 million Americans watched the show.Petraeus, 58, was named in June to head US and Nato forces in Afghanistan after serving as head of the US Central Command . He is also credited with having pulled Iraq back from the brink of an all-out sectarian war in 2007.
"In life, it seems, there are people who break things and people who fix them. This man is a fixer, "Walters said.
"A lot depends on General Petraeus and his combination of humanity and strength." Others on Walter's annual list included 16 year-old Canadian singer Justin Bieber, future British princess Kate Middleton who is engaged to marry prince William, veteran actress Betty White and politician Sarah Palin.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Top-Gun-Petraeus-named-most-fascinating-person-of-2010/articleshow/7085958.cms#ixzz17tpUzypt
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President Obama calls leaders, slams 'deplorable' WikiLeaks
Dec 12, 2010
WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama called Turkey's prime minister and Mexico's president on Saturday to discuss the "deplorable action" by WikiLeaks, and said the cable releases should not harm bilateral ties.
"The President expressed his regrets for the deplorable action by WikiLeaks and the two leaders agreed that it will not influence or disrupt the close cooperation between the United States and Turkey," the White House said, referring to Obama's call with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Obama also telephoned his Mexican counterpart Felipe Calderon, and the pair "agreed (WikiLeaks') irresponsible acts should not distract our two countries from our important cooperation," according to a readout of the call.
The comments were Obama's most forceful publicized by the White House against the website, which has come in for intense criticism -- and support -- for its disclosure of secret US diplomatic cables among a treasure trove of some 250,000 documents believed to have been supplied by a US Army analyst.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/President-Obama-calls-leaders-slams-
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Holbrooke in critical condition
December 12, 2010
Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was in critical condition after doctors completed surgery to repair a tear in his aorta, the State Department said on Saturday. “This morning, doctors completed surgery to repair a tear in his aorta. He is in critical condition and has been joined by his family,” State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said.
Sixty-nine-year-old Holbrooke was admitted to the intensive care unit of the nearby George Washington University and was being treated for blood clot, the ABC news reported.
He was meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when he gasped and clearly was undergoing some sort of medical situation, it added.
Holbrooke, the Obama Administration’s point man for Afghanistan and Pakistan, has fallen ill when the annual Af-Pak policy review of White House is being carried out.
Holbrooke is the Obama Administration’s point man for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was also admitted to George Washington University Hospital for treatment for a kidney stone yesterday.
“He will have a minor surgical procedure this afternoon to remove the kidney stone, and his physician expects that he will be discharged tomorrow with orders to rest this weekend. He has been told that he should be able to return to work on Monday,” a Treasury statement said.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/303077/Holbrooke-in-critical-condition.html
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The Man Who Took America Head-On
Neha Tara Mehta
Dec. 12, 2010
Loner without a home, an alleged rapist, boss from hell and Twitter addict. Who is Julian Assange? Why does he elicit extreme emotions?
Afront-runner for Time magazine’s Person of the Year, 2010. The 2009 awardee of the Amnesty International Media Award. Twenty-third on New Statesman’s 2010 list of “The World's 50 Most Influential Figures”, and a speaker at top journalism school UC Berkeley’s seminar on investigative journalism. There are almost as many ways of describing Julian Assange, 39, the reigning deity of investigative journalism, as the confidential documents he has published on his million-document leaking baby, WikiLeaks. For every accolade, there is an accusation that could have anyone blanche as much as Assange’s faded mop of hair. Earlier this week, he was arrested in London, and his extradition to Sweden on the charges of alleged sexual abuse is pending.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Why India can’t have its WikiLeaks
By Neha Tara Mehta
Dec. 12, 2010
DON’T EXPECT a Julian Assangne clone to start a desi version of WikiLeaks on Indian soil anytime soon. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out the reasons. The government can instantly block such a site. And the penalties are gargantuan. Supreme Court advocate Pavan Duggal, who specialises in cyber law, points out that starting a site like WikiLeaks could make you liable to paying a fine of up to Rs 5 crore per contravention under the IT (Amendment) Act, 2008. You can also attract criminal liability of three to ten years in jail under various statutes and the Indian Penal Code. If that doesn’t kill your urge to blow the whistle online, you should also consider the burden of liability you could attract. Or the possible raids on your home and office premises, besides the likelihood of the state agencies restraining the distribution and transmission of a potential leak. Theoretically, though, it is possible for someone from India to set up a WikiLeaks-inspired site. “The Internet allows you to host content anywhere and view it in India.
Full report at: Mail Today
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EX- U. S. ENVOY NAILEDCONG’ S 26 / 11POLITICS
By Aman Sharma
Dec. 12, 2010
Secret cable on WikiLeaks says Cong used Hemant Karkare killing to pander to Muslim fears ahead of 2009 elections
IN A CONFIDENTIAL cable to the State Department, the then US ambassador, David Mulford, made scathing observations on the Congress’s “ old caste/ religious- based politics” following the controversy over who killed Maharashtra’s Anti Terrorism Squad chief, Hemant Karkare, on 26/ 11.
The cable was out on the whistleblower website WikiLeaks on a day when the Congress was grappling with the cat set among the pigeons by party general secretary Digvijay Singh’s revelation that Karkare had called him a few hours before the Mumbai terrorist strike on November 26, 2008, to share how he feared he would be targeted by the Hindutva
terror outfits he had exposed in the Malegaon blast probe. Mulford, who was President George W. Bush’s nominee and served in New Delhi between 2004 and 2008, wrote his cable at 1.30 pm on December 23, 2008, within an hour of home minister P. Chidambaram informing Parliament that Karkare was killed by the 26/ 11 terrorists from Pakistan and not Hindutva fanatics.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Assange hacktivists stir world web war
Dec. 12, 2010
SPANISH online supporters of Julian Assange called for worldwide demonstrations on Saturday to press for the release of the WikiLeaks founder, who is in a London jail awaiting possible extradition to Sweden to face rape charges.
The Spanish website Free Wikileaks urged rallies in eight Spanish cities, including Madrid and Barcelona, while similar demonstrations were planned in Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Bogota and Lima.
In a manifesto entitled ‘ For freedom, Say No to State Terrorism’, it demanded the release of Assange in the UK and the restoration of the WikiLeaks domain. Given that no one has proved that Assange is guilty of the offences he is accused of and that Wikileaks is not implicated in any of those, the website also urged that credit card giants Visa and Mastercard rescind their decisions to cut off payments from the whistleblowing website’s supporters.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Alive but still on death row
Dec. 12, 2010
MYSTERY surrounded the fate of the Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning after reports that she had been freed swept the world on Friday.
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani has been the subject of an international outcry since being sentenced for alleged adultery, and human rights campaigners reacted triumphantly at suggestions she was released.
But last night it appeared their hopes had been dashed and she could still be hanged for a charge of colluding with her lover in the murder of her husband.
Talk of her freedom appeared to have been triggered by photographs released by the Iranian state- run Press TV channel on Thursday.
One showed the 43- yearold mother- of- two with her son. But Press TV later confirmed the images were from a documentary, which was due to air on Friday. In it she is filmed confessing to killing her husband.
Full report at: Mail Today
http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=3795
10:05 PM
Moderate Islamist here
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