| Islamic World News | |
| 01 Apr 2011, NewAgeIslam.Com |
| Maulana Fazlur Rehman escapes second suicide attack in 24 hours; 13 killed | ||
US shouldn’t train rebels, Gaddafi still strong: Gates Anti-terror legislation to replace emergency law in Syria Rebels cheer cracks in Gaddafi rule Qatar: Arab inaction in Libya led to West strikes Hezbollah denies training Bahraini protesters Is the Muslim Brotherhood internally divided? Military no cure for Libya crisis: Germany NATO takes command of Libya campaign India, Pak should overcome 'war phobia': Gilani Pak rules out US role in resolving bilateral issues with India Foreign troops kill Afghan civilians in Kandahar Controversial Wafd former head to run for Egypt president Kuwait says Iranian Guards behind spy cell Kuwait to oust envoys in blow to Iran-Gulf ties New York boy, 12, charged with hate crime on Muslim Loyalists of Jordan’s king deny link to violence Hijacking the Arab revolution Britain says no immunity offered to Libya's FM Kadhafi aide in secret talks with Britain: report Israel rules out freeze on east Jerusalem building Muslims say Obama failing to keep Cairo promises Yemen protesters remember dead, talks stall Syria’s Assad takes steps towards political reforms Al Qaeda's magazine calls Gaddafi 'lunatic' Gaddafi aide defects as his troops score Senior Gaddafi envoy in Britain for talks Western hold on Libyan opposition grows Saleh makes new offer to protesters Libya rebels head towards Brega More than 400 rebel supporters missing in Libya Libya: arms for ‘democracy’ NATO probes report of Libyan civilian deaths Gaddafi will stay in Libya till the end: spokesman Baghdad Christians in firing line, want to flee More effort needed to improve Muslim ties: Obama US welcomes India-Pakistan cricket diplomacy Five killed in Turbat bomb blast The revolution's honeymoon is over 35 tonnes of tobacco seized from tyre repair shop in Abu Dhabi Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau Photo: Top religio-political leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman | ||
West started something it cannot control: Gaddafi--------
Maulana Fazlur Rehman escapes second suicide attack in 24 hours; 13 killed
APR 01 2011
ISLAMABAD — Top religio-political leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Thursday narrowly escaped a second back-to-back suicide attack within 24 hours in Charsadda near Peshawar that killed at least 13 peoploe and wound several others.
The bomber targeted Fazl’s convoy as it entered Charsadda town where he was due to address a public rally, the last of a series of public mobilisation campaign he had launched in Khyber Pukhtunkhawa (KP) province. About 13 people were killed on Wednesday near Swabi.
“The explosion took place only 15 feet from our van in which former provincial chief minister Akram Khan Durrani and Senator Azam Swati were accompanying me,” the Maulana told this correspondent on telephone.
All the inmates escaped unhurt but the wind shield of the van was slightly damaged when bomb splinters hit it.
Fazl, who heads Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), said he could not identify the people masterminding attacks on him. “We are moderate and democratic people who believe in peaceful politics to achieve our objectives,” he said.
Thursday’s blast also hit a police vehicle deployed for security of the convoy and two policemen were among those killed while four others were injured.
District administration official of Charsadda, Ajmal Khan Naimat, said according to preliminary report nine people were killed and Fazlur Rehman was apparently the target.
Fazl blamed current policies of the government and priorities set by foreign powers in the region for the prevailing violence. He has been advocating dialogue with tribal militants and also mediated peace accords with tribal Taleban in Waziristan opposed by the US.
Senior provincial minister Bashir Bilour told reporters that he could not comment on who was behind the blast, but said that Taleban militants were trying to destabilise government by attacking politicians.
“Taleban want to destabilise the government and they do not want the politicians to meet the people,” Bilour said.
Fazl’s party walked out of the national ruling coalition on December 14 after the prime minister sacked one of its three cabinet ministers over a war of words with religious affairs minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi, who was also fired.
The spat related to a corruption scandal over accommodation for tens of thousands of Haj pilgrims that reportedly implicated Kazmi’s ministry.
Fazl has demanded Gilani’s resignation, and has also led rallies that forced the government to abandon possible changes in the country’s blasphemy law.
“Terrorists have no religion. If they can bomb mosques, they can attack religious and political leaders also,” provincial information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said.
“Every politician is under threat here,” he said, referring to frequent militant attacks on government and security officials and places of worship in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, which borders Afghanistan.
An eyewitness at the site of the blast said the bombing left seven shops and three vehicles wrecked, with walls scarred by blood spots and pellet marks. Fruit from nearby stalls littered the ground, scattered among quantities of broken glass.
“I was sitting in my shop when a I heard an ear-splitting blast. I saw a fireball on the road and then smoke filled the area. I was not hurt but I have difficulty in hearing now,” fruit vendor Shaukat Khan said.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/April/international_April5.xml§ion=international&col=
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West started something it cannot control: Gaddafi
APR 01 2011
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi warned yesterday that the West has started something in Libya which it cannot control, the state news agency JANA reported.
"They have started something dangerous, something they cannot control. It will be out of their control no matter what methods of destruction they have at their disposal," Gaddafi said.
He was referring to the Western coalition led by Britain, France and the United States which launched a military campaign against Libya on March 19 to enforce a UN no-fly zone and to protect civilians.
Shells rained down along the road outside of the eastern Libyan town of Brega yesterday as rebels struggled to regain momentum after a rout by forces loyal to strongman Muammar Gaddafi.
A day after Gaddafi's forces overran the key oil hub Ras Lanuf and neighbouring villages, the frontline ebbed and flowed on the outskirts of Brega, about 800 kilometres from Tripoli.
Artillery shells thumped across the desert north of the road, sending up black clouds of smoke, as the rebels responded with a barrage of Grad rockets that flared through the sky before disappearing off in the distance.
Clashes also ensued around an oil terminal, but it was unclear who was in control of the town, which the rebels had seized back at the weekend, only to lose again on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Nato finally took full command of all Libyan operations yesterday, but only a minority of the 28 allied nations will conduct the bombings that had been under US leadership until now.
Gaddafi specifically addressed, without naming them, "the leaders who decided to launch a second Crusader war between Christians and Muslims across the Mediterranean sea," saying they must resign.
"They want to impose their strength and have destroyed mutual interests between the Libyan people and their own people... They want to drag us back to mediaeval times," JANA quoted Gaddafi as saying.
"The solution is that they resign immediately and their people should find new leaders to replace them who will respect relations between peoples."
Several Western leaders have urged Gaddafi, who has been in power for more than four decades, to quit in the face of the deadly uprising against his iron-fisted rule.
An armada of ships and warplanes from the United States, France, Britain, Canada and other coalition nations came under Nato control after the alliance overcame internal divisions to take over the mission.
"On Thursday morning at 0600 GMT, Nato took sole command of international air operations over Libya," said Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
Warplanes and other military assets from several allies began to operate under the Nato umbrella on Wednesday and the process was completed early yesterday.
A Nato diplomat said the operation began a day later than planned "because of the complexity" of the transfer, with dozens of warplanes required to switch from national to alliance command.
The United States, already stretched after a decade of combat in Afghanistan and a fragile situation in Iraq, had been eager to hand over control of the mission to someone else.
The Nato mission, codenamed "Operation Unified Protector," is being directed by a Canadian general, Charles Bouchard, from the alliance's regional command centre in Naples, Italy.
Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said yesterday he opposed arming Libyan rebels, stressing Nato was in the country to protect and not to arm Libyans.
"We are there to protect the Libyan people, not to arm people," Rasmussen told reporters.
France also rejected arming Libyan rebels as such a move is not compatible with a UN resolution on the conflict, France's defence minister said yesterday.
"Such assistance is not on the agenda because it is not compatible with resolution 1973,", minister Gerard Longuet told reporters.
OBAMA SIGNS COVERT ORDER TO ARM REBELS
ABC News reported that President Barack Obama has signed a presidential order, or "finding", authorizing covert CIA operations to "aid the effort" in Libya.
The Central Intelligence Agency has inserted operatives into Libya to gather intelligence for air strikes and make contact with rebels, New York Times reported.
White House spokesman Jay Carney declined to confirm or deny the report, citing "common practice" not to comment on intelligence matters.
Obama has said he would not commit US ground troops to the Libyan campaign, but has not ruled out supplying arms to the rebels.
Dozens of British special forces and MI6 officers also were working in Libya.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=179998
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US shouldn’t train rebels, Gaddafi still strong: Gates
APR 01 2011
WASHINGTON- US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday it should not be up to Washington to train and assist Libyan rebels or do nation-building after any fall of Muammar Gaddafi — jobs better left to others.
The comments by the outgoing defense chief, who is expected to retire this year, came during a day of tense testimony to Congress as lawmakers questioned whether the United States might deepen its involvement in Libya, where poorly organized rebels are struggling against better armed loyalist forces.
The top US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, acknowledged in his testimony that the Libyan leader was not close to a military breaking point despite nearly two weeks of coalition air strikes.
Gaddafi’s forces have used superior arms and tactics to push back rebels trying to edge westward along the coast from their stronghold of Benghazi toward the capital Tripoli.
Gates, a holdover from the Bush administration, agreed that rebel forces needed better training and organization but played down prospects the United States would directly assist them.
“In terms of providing that training, in terms of providing assistance to them, frankly, there are many countries that can do that,” Gates said.
“That’s not a unique capability for the United States. And, as far as I’m concerned, somebody else should do that.”
The comments underscored the intensity of the debate in Washington about what to do next in Libya. The Obama administration had previously declined to rule out the possibility of arming the rebels.
Revelations that President Barack Obama has signed an order authorizing covert US support for rebel forces fanned fears of “mission creep” among critics who warn the US military is stretched by a decade of war.
“With Iraq and Afghanistan already occupying a considerable share of American resources, I sincerely hope that this is not the start of a third elongated conflict,” said Republican Howard McKeon, chairman of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.
Mission creep
Gates stressed the limits of US military action, saying no US troops would deploy in Libya while he was in the job and that ousting Gaddafi was not part of the mission.
“I am preoccupied with avoiding mission creep and avoiding having an open-ended, very large-scale American commitment,” Gates said.
He also played down any major US role in a post-Gaddafi Libya, saying “the last thing this country needs is another enterprise in nation-building.”
“My view is that the future of Libya — the United States ought not take responsibility for that, frankly,” he said.
Mullen, chairman of the US military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said coalition strikes had taken a toll on Gaddafi’s loyalists but he signaled a long struggle ahead.
“We have actually fairly seriously degraded his military capabilities ... We’ve attrited his overall forces at about the 20 to 25 percent level,” Mullen said.
“That does not mean he’s about to break from a military standpoint because that’s not the case.”
The rebels have said too much reliance on foreign military support would undermine their credibility and stressed they do not want foreign “boots on the ground.” But they have appealed for arms to knock out Gaddafi’s heavy weapons and tanks.
NATO formally took command of the coalition mission from the US military earlier on Thursday, a milestone the Obama administration was keen to flag.
But Republican Senator John McCain, one of the strongest proponents of greater intervention in the North African country, criticized the US military for transferring command “at a time when the Gaddafi forces have literally, tragically routed the anti-Gaddafi forces.”
“The fact is that your timing is exquisite,” McCain said.
Gates and Mullen acknowledged there was only limited US intelligence on the rebels who might eventually take control of the oil-producing country.
“To be honest, other than a relative handful of leaders, we don’t have much visibility into those who have risen against Gaddafi,” Gates said, describing them as a “disparate” and “scattered” movement with competing agendas.
Mullen estimated there were only 1,000 militarily trained fighters.
Lawmakers complained Obama had not adequately consulted them before deciding to effectively launch an air war on Libya.
“This mission is unclear and the goals are unclear,” said Representative Michael Turner, a Republican. “If you placed a resolution on this floor today for a vote for approval ... I doubt that it would pass.”
Gates, who has speculated about cracks within the Libyan government, predicted political and economic measures would pave the way for Gaddafi’s ouster, over time, by his own people.
To that end, the White House cheered the defection of Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa, saying it delivered a “significant blow” to Gaddafi. It urged Gaddafi’s other aides to “get on the right side of history.”
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/April/international_April15.xml§ion=international&col
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Anti-terror legislation to replace emergency law in Syria
APR 01 2011
DAMASCUS: Syrian President Bashar Assad, facing a wave of protests demanding greater freedoms, took steps Thursday toward addressing grievances including lifting emergency law and granting disenfranchised Kurds rights.
Assad also ordered an investigation into protest deaths in the flashpoint city of Deraa and the port of Latakia.
It was doubtful that Assad's gestures would defuse the outbreak of public discontent in the country. Online activists have called on protesters to demonstrate across the country on what they have dubbed the "Friday of Martyrs" until their demands for democratization are met.
Critics, diplomats and Syrian officials doubted Assad would abolish the emergency law, used to snuff out any opposition, justify arbitrary arrest and give free rein to the security apparatus, without replacing it with similar legislation.
The state news agency SANA said Thursday the panel would study and prepare "legislation including protecting the nation's security and the citizen's dignity and fighting terrorism, paving the way for lifting the emergency law".
It said the committee would complete its work by April 25.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article338162.ece
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Rebels cheer cracks in Gaddafi rule
APR 01 2011
Rebels cheered the defection of a Libyan minister as a sign that Muammar Gaddafi's rule was crumbling, but US officials warned he was far from beaten and made clear they feared entanglement in another painful war.
After former Libyan foreign minister Moussa Koussa arrived in Britain, London urged others around Gaddafi to follow suit. "Gaddafi must be asking himself who will be the next to abandon him," Foreign Secretary William Hague said.
Soon afterwards Ali Abdussalam Treki declined to take up his appointment by Gaddafi as UN ambassador, condemning the "spilling of blood" in Libya.
But reports of defections of more senior Gaddafi aides remained unconfirmed.
Asked about an Al Jazeera TV report that he was one of several who had fled to Tunisia, top oil official Shokri Ghanem told Reuters by phone late on Thursday: "This is not true, I am in my office and I will be on TV in a few minutes."
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=29155
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Qatar: Arab inaction in Libya led to West strikes
APR 01 2011
The West intervened in Libya after the Arab League, many of whose members also face revolts, failed to live up to its duty to protect civilians, Qatar's emir said in an interview broadcast Thursday.
Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani told Aljazeera television, based in Doha, that he hoped the 22-member organisation would now step up and meet its responsibility "amidst the ongoing changes" sweeping the region.
His country has joined the Western-led air strikes on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces under a UN Security Council resolution after the Arab League backed a no-fly zone over the country.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/9012/World/Region/Qatar-Arab-inaction-in-Libya-led-to-West-strikes.aspx
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Hezbollah denies training Bahraini protesters
APR 01 2011
BEIRUT: The Lebanese group Hezbollah denied on Thursday it had given military training to Bahraini protesters who have been demanding reforms in the Gulf Arab kingdom.
Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said in an interview with pan-Arab Al Hayat newspaper on Wednesday that Hezbollah had trained Bahraini “elements” in Lebanon.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article337873.ece
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Is the Muslim Brotherhood internally divided?
APR 01 2011
A Facebook call inciting the Muslim Brotherhood youth to overthrow their leadership has stirred much debate as to whether Egypt’s largest Islamist group is facing an internal crisis. Also Egypt’s largest opposition group, members officially deny that internal divisions are rife.
Within a few days of the overthrow of Mubarak, a Facebook event entitled “Muslim Brotherhood Youth Revolution” was established, calling on the Muslim Brotherhood Youth to overthrow the upper echelons of the group. The event was supposed to be a demonstration planned to take place in front of the Brotherhood's Guidance Office on 17 March. The group stated that their disagreement was related to the organisation’s position during Egypt’s 25 January Revolution, arguing that the leadership was not in touch with the “25 January revolutionary spirit”. The demonstration did not take place.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/~/NewsContent/1/64/8949/Egypt/Politics-/Is-the-Muslim-Brotherhood-internally-divided.aspx
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Military no cure for Libya crisis: Germany
APR 01 2011
The crisis in Libya cannot be resolved militarily, Germany’s foreign minister said in Beijing, calling for efforts for a political solution for the oil-rich North African nation.
Germany broke ranks with the United States, France and Britain and joined China, Russia, India and Brazil in abstaining on a United Nations vote authorising the use of force to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya and protect civilians.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/April/international_April28.xml§ion=international
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NATO takes command of Libya campaign
APR 01 2011
NATO finally took full command Thursday of all Libyan operations, but only a minority of the 28 allied nations will conduct the bombings that had been under U.S. leadership until now.
Ankara has ruled out taking part in combat operations, but five of its warships and a submarine were put at NATO’s disposal to enforce the arms embargo. More than 1,000 troops and officers are aboard the vessels.
An armada of ships and warplanes from the United States, France, Britain, Canada and other coalition nations came under NATO control after the alliance overcame internal divisions to take over the mission. “On Thursday morning at 0600 GMT, NATO took sole command of international air operations over Libya,” said NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=nato-finally-takes-full-command-of-libya-campaign-2011-03-31
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India, Pak should overcome 'war phobia': Gilani
APR 01 2011
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani today said that Pakistan and India should overcome "war phobia" to address their outstanding issues as a "third power" cannot come and do it for them.
"We need to give attention to the poor people of the two countries and that can happen when the war phobia ends," Gilani said while speaking in the Senate or upper house of parliament on his meeting with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh on the margins of the cricket World cup semi-final at Mohali on Wednesday.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/328482/India-Pak-should-overcome-war-phobia-Gilani.html
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Pak rules out US role in resolving bilateral issues with India
APR 01 2011
Islamabad : Pakistan has ruled out any possibility of a US role in resolving its outstanding issues with India as it clearly stated that both Islamabad and New Delhi should endeavour to “take ownership of their own affairs” without the interference of any third country.
Without naming the United States, Foreign Office spokesperson Tehmina Janjua said in a media briefing: “We do not need a third country for us to take ownership of our own affairs.”
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/770303/
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Foreign troops kill Afghan civilians in Kandahar
APR 01 2011
KANDAHAR: Foreign troops killed two Afghan civilians in restive southern Kandahar city on Thursday, a police detective said, days after the publication of gruesome photos of the body of an unarmed teenager murdered by US soldiers nearby.
NATO soldiers opened fire after a car with brake failure sped towards a checkpoint set up by foreign and Afghan troops, who thought the vehicle was part of a suicide attack, said Fazel Ahmad Sherzad, a senior detective in Kandahar city.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\04\01\story_1-4-2011_pg7
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Controversial Wafd former head to run for Egypt president
APR 01 2011
Noaman Gomaa, the former head of the Wafd Party, announces he plans to run in the Egyptian presidential elections set for November.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/9013/Egypt/Politics-/Controversial-Wafd-former-head-to-run-for-Egypt-pr.aspx
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Kuwait says Iranian Guards behind spy cell
APR 01 2011
KUWAIT: Kuwait’s foreign minister accused Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards of being behind a spy cell in the Gulf Arab state and said three Iranian diplomats would be expelled, according to a newspaper report.
The remarks by Sheikh Mohammad Al-Salem Al-Sabah, published by the Kuwaiti daily Al Qabas, came after a Kuwaiti court sentenced three men to death for being part of an alleged Iranian spy ring in a case that has strained relations between Kuwait and Tehran.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article337769.ece
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Kuwait to oust envoys in blow to Iran-Gulf ties
APR 01 2011
Kuwait announced on Thursday it is to expel a number of Iranian diplomats for alleged spying, in a fresh blow for Arab-Persian ties across the Gulf.
Sunni-ruled Bahrain, a fellow Gulf state and scene of protests led by its Shiite majority, has accused Shiite Iran of meddling in its affairs and elements of the Bahraini opposition of links with Tehran.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/9009/World/Region/Kuwait-to-oust-envoys-in-blow-to-IranGulf-ties.aspx
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New York boy, 12, charged with hate crime on Muslim
APR 01 2011
NEW YORK: A 12-year-old boy accused of trying to rip the head scarf off a Muslim classmate during recess has been charged in New York City with a hate crime. The boy appeared Thursday in family court with his father and his lawyer.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/New-York-boy-12-charged-with-hate-crime-on-Muslim/articleshow/7841112.cms
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Loyalists of Jordan’s king deny link to violence
APR 01 2011
AMMAN: Supporters of Jordan’s king on Thursday denounced reports alleging they were behind bloody clashes that left one person dead in the worst violence in three months of protests in this key US ally.
Clashes between protesters demanding reforms and government supporters also left 120 injured last Friday in a central Amman square after security forces charged the two sides, which had been pelting each other with stones.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article337960.ece
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Hijacking the Arab revolution
APR 01 2011
SO it has come down to this. After Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan, Libya now finds itself in the line of fire of the Coalition of the Willing.
Of course, unlike Afghanistan and Iraq, the West is not fighting “Islamist terrorism” in Libya or is on the quest of the holy grail called Weapons of Mass Destruction. The mission now is to “save lives” and take out the monster that just refuses to fade away like the other friendly, neighborhood dictators in Tunisia and Egypt.
He must hang on in there like a bad dream, an evil spell over Libya. Those who thought Muammar Qaddafi would soon follow his fellow travelers into the sunset were clearly mistaken. The demented author of the Green Book seems to sincerely believe he’s God’s gift not just to the people of Libya but to the whole of humankind. But then Col. Qaddafi, distinctly delusional that he is, isn’t the only one to live in this make-believe world.
There are many out there who have persuaded themselves their leadership is crucial to the survival of their people and their departure would bring on the end of the world. Such is the power of delusions of grandeur. You tend to believe you are at the center of universe.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/opinion/columns/article338090.ece
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Britain says no immunity offered to Libya's FM
APR 01 2011
Libya's foreign minister has not been offered immunity after his unexpected arrival in Britain, London said Thursday, while urging other members of Muammer Gaddafi "crumbling" regime to quit.
Mussa Kussa, a former head of Libyan intelligence and one-time ambassador to Britain, arrived "under his own free will" at Farnborough airport southwest of London on Wednesday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said.
He was now in talks with British officials but Hague stressed that Kussa, who has been accused of masterminding the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, had not been offered immunity from prosecution.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/9004/World/Region/Britain-says-no-immunity-offered-to-Libyas-FM.aspx
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Kadhafi aide in secret talks with Britain: report
APR 01 2011
LONDON: A senior aide from Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's regime has been in talks with the British government, the Guardian newspaper reported on its website Thursday.
Britain's Foreign Office (FCO) refused to comment on the the report which asserted that British officials met with Mohammed Ismail, a senior aide to Kadhafi's son Saif al-Islam, for confidential discussions.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=13453
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Israel rules out freeze on east Jerusalem building
APR 01 2011
TEL AVIV: Israel on Wednesday ruled out a freeze on the building of new settler homes in east Jerusalem, defying world powers who have warned the issue risks wrecking peace talks.
"There has never been a freeze on construction in Jerusalem and there never will be such a freeze - that has been the policy of Israeli governments for 40 years," cabinet secretary Zvi Hauser told public radio.
Full report at:
http://www.thepost.com.pk/IntNewsT.aspx?dtlid=264899&catid=1
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Muslims say Obama failing to keep Cairo promises
APR 01 2011
CAIRO: President Barack Obama's pledge on Wednesday to strive for better relations with the Muslim world drew skepticism in Cairo, where last year he called for a new beginning in the Middle East after years of mistrust. In a visit to Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, Obama acknowledged more needed to be done to repair ties with the Muslim world.
Full report at:
http://www.thepost.com.pk/IntNewsT.aspx?dtlid=264900&catid=1
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Yemen protesters remember dead, talks stall
APR 01 2011
SANAA: Yemenis on Thursday commemorated dozens of people killed in weeks of street protests demanding President Ali Abdullah Saleh resign, as efforts continued to negotiate his exit from power within the next year.
Weeks of protests in Sanaa and elsewhere have brought Saleh’s 32-year-old rule to the brink of collapse but the United States and Saudi Arabia, an important financial backer of its poverty-stricken neighbor, are worried over who might succeed their ally.
A senior Western diplomat said Saleh, whose comments have at times sounded like he was preparing to leave office soon and at others as if he intends to see out his term, was torn between the options.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article337791.ece
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Syria’s Assad takes steps towards political reforms
APR 01 2011
DAMASCUS: Syrian President Bashar al Assad, facing a wave of protests demanding greater freedoms, took steps on Thursday towards addressing grievances including lifting emergency law and granting disenfranchised Kurds rights.
Assad, who drew international criticism for failing to spell out reforms in his first public comments on Wednesday since unrest swept Syria, also ordered an investigation into protest deaths in the flashpoint city of Deraa and the port of Latakia.
Inspired by popular revolts elsewhere in the Arab world, the unrest has presented the gravest challenge to Assad’s 11-year rule in Syria, which maintains an anti-Israel alliance with Iran and supports militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas. It was doubtful that Assad’s gestures would soon defuse the unprecedented outbreak of public discontent in one of the Middle East’s most tightly controlled countries.
Online activists have called on protesters to demonstrate across the country on what they have dubbed the “Friday of Martyrs” until their demands for democratisation are met.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\04\01\story_1-4-2011_pg7_2
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Al Qaeda's magazine calls Gaddafi 'lunatic'
APR 01 2011
New York : The terror outfit al Qaeda's English-language magazine 'Inspire' has described Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi as a "lunatic" and "false leader".
The spring issue of the magazine, extracts of which are available online, has a cover story called "The Tsunami of Change" written by firebrand Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.
"The unfolding revolution has brought with it a wave of change," says the cover.
Muammar Gaddafi will certainly go down in history as the most "lunatic of the tawaghit (false leaders)" due to his repeated contradictions, beating around the bush, hilarious conspiracy theories and pure stupidity.
The thick magazine also features, al-Qaeda number two, Ayman al-Zawahiri, who explains the "short and long term plans after protests".
"We don't know what's funnier," the article said.
"His contradiction quoting himself from his green book or how he opened the BBC interview with an arrogant laughed and then asked 'What is the question?' We have thus dedicated a place to laugh at this enemy of Allah," it said.
Inspire is believed to be a magazine aimed at recruiting isolated English-speaking Muslims in the West.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/770267/
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Gaddafi aide defects as his troops score
APR 01 2011
Despot takes over key town after the rebels scoot without afight
THE DEFECTION of Libya’s foreign minister, a member of Muammar Gaddafi’s inner circle, is the latest sign that the embattled regime is cracking at the highest levels as the West keeps up pressure on the leader to relinquish power.
In another blow to the regime, US officials revealed on Wednesday that the CIA had sent small teams of operatives into rebel- held eastern Libya while the White House debated whether to arm the Opposition.
Full report at:
http://epaper.mailtoday.in/epaperhome.aspx?issue=142011
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Senior Gaddafi envoy in Britain for talks
APR 01 2011
LONDON - Libya has sent a senior aide to one of leader Muammar Gaddafi’s sons to London for talks with British officials, the Guardian newspaper reported on Friday.
Citing unidentified British government sources, the newspaper said Mohammed Ismail, an aide to Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, visited London in recent days in what it said was one of many contacts between Libya and the West in the past two weeks.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/April/international_April23.xml§ion=international&col=
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Western hold on Libyan opposition grows
APR 01 2011
DUBAI: Failing to hold ground on its own despite the enforcement of a no-fly-zone, the Libyan opposition battling the regime of strongman Muammar Qadhafi is set to deepen its military dependence on the West.
The opposition's high-speed retreat on the battlefield is now exposing the strategic town of Ajdabiyah for a possible takeover by the better armed and trained regime forces. The opposition militia was earlier on Thursday practically dislodged from the oil town of Brega. Mr. Qadhafi's loyalists are now also in control of Ras Lanuf, famous for its oil refinery. Apart from making deep inroads in Libya's oil heartland, the regime forces, with Ajdabiyah exposed, can soon threaten Benghazi, the opposition's capital, which is only a 90- minute drive away. Ajdabiyah's takeover can also radiate some nervousness among opposition supporters further to the east in Tobruk, as a well-developed road, which regime forces can use for a rapid advance, links the two cities.
On Thursday, there was more bad news for the opposition from Misurata, Libya's third
largest city where pro-Qadhafi forces seemed to tightening their grip. An opposition spokesman told Reuters that civilian casualties in the city, which was being heavily shelled by regime forces, were mounting. “Massacres are taking place in Misurata,” said opposition spokesman, who identified himself as Sami. Desperate for a bail-out, the opposition, hardly with leverage to impose conditions, is now seeking advanced weaponry from the West.
Unsurprisingly, CIA operatives are reportedly on ground in Libya, to prepare for the transfer of weapons to opposition fighters.
Two prominent American newspapers, the New York Times and Washington Post are reporting that CIA personnel are gathering information about the composition of the opposition. They say that the Obama administration, several weeks ago, signed a secret order that authorises the CIA to supply covertly, weapons and other support to the anti-Qadhafi groups.
Vital intelligence
The Times elaborates that dozens belonging to the British Special Forces, as well as MI6 intelligence officers are already on ground in Libya. They have been providing vital intelligence about the location of regime heavy weapons and missiles — information that is vital for British fighter jets engaged in seeking ground targets from the sky.
But adding a note of caution, before an elaborate project to steel the opposition with weapons and training commences, the Washington Post pointed out that the CIA's history as witnessed in Afghanistan after the Afghan militant groups were armed “is replete with efforts that backfired against US interests in unexpected ways”.
Meanwhile, rejecting exhortations in some Western capitals that Mr. Qadhafi should quit Libya, a government spokesman said on Thursday the Libyan leader will stay put “until the end,” and emerge victorious.
http://www.hindu.com/2011/04/01/stories/2011040166101900.htm
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Saleh makes new offer to protesters
APR 01 2011
SANAA: Yemen’s president has made a new offer to protesters demanding his ouster, proposing he stays in office until elections are held but transferring his powers to a caretaker government, an opposition source said on Wednesday.
Ali Abdullah Saleh made his offer at a meeting on Tuesday night with Mohammed Al-Yadoumi, head of the Islamist Islah party. It was the first time Saleh had dealt with Islah, once a partner in his government, an opposition spokesman said.
“The opposition could pick a head of government of its own choosing and there would be parliamentary elections by the end of the year,” an opposition source said of Saleh’s offer.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article336780.ece
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Libya rebels head towards Brega
APR 01 2011
AJDABIYAH - Rebels moved rockets and other equipment forward towards Brega on Friday, seeking to retake the oil town and regain momentum against better equipped forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi.
At a checkpoint on the outskirts of the strategic eastern town of Ajdabiyah, rebels prevented unarmed Libyans seeking to join battle from going beyond the town’s boundaries towards Brega, where rebels and Gaddafi’s troops fought on Thursday.
Rebels said neither side could claim control of Brega, one of a string of oil towns along the coast that have been taken and retaken several times by each side in recent weeks. Rebels, even helped by Western air strikes, have failed to hold gains.
“Some military have come and strengthened the rebel lines. God willing, they will begin with Ajdabiyah and go to Brega and Ras Lanuf,” said Khaled al-Farjani, a captain in the Libyan air force who is now fighting with the rebels.
Oil towns of Ras Lanuf and Es Sider are now in the control of the Libyan leader’s forces, Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/April/international_April31.xml§ion=international
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More than 400 rebel supporters missing in Libya
APR 01 2011
BENGHAZI - More than 400 people have gone missing in east Libya since the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi began six weeks ago, many feared killed or captured by government forces, human rights officials say.
Relatives have stuck posters on the walls of hospital lobbies with photos of missing young men and telephone numbers to call with any information.
Ahmed Mahdy Hussein, unheard from since Feb. 20, was one of the names listed at Al Jala hospital in Benghazi. Saleh Ukel Hussein, born in 1976, was another, missing since the same date.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/April/international_April30.xml§ion=international
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Libya: arms for ‘democracy’
APR 01 2011
In the West, it has been mentioned that western intelligence has had its fingers in parts of the Libyan opposition for years. At the same time, today’s ‘democracy’ mongers were arms contractors of Gaddafi. They had vibrant business with the ruler. They now plan to take the ruler to the international criminal court, the arrangement one world power does not recognise. History, it seems, is on the side of the world powers, writes Farooque Chowdhury
Full report at:
http://newagebd.com/newspaper1/editorial/13620.html
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NATO probes report of Libyan civilian deaths
APR 01 2011
BRUSSELS: NATO has launched a probe to determine whether the alliance was involved in any air raid that may have killed civilians, the general in charge of the operations said Thursday.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=13434
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Gaddafi will stay in Libya till the end: spokesman
APR 01 2011
TRIPOLI – Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi will stay in the country "until the end" to lead it to victory against its enemies, a government spokesman said on Thursday.
Speaking after former Foreign Secretary Moussa Koussa defected and flew to Britain on Wednesday, the spokesman said Western air strikes against Libya had only united its top leadership against "a clear enemy."
Full report at:
http://dailymailnews.com/0411/01/FrontPage/index.php?id=10
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Baghdad Christians in firing line, want to flee
APR 01 2011
BAGHDAD: A string of anti-Christian bombings has cost six more lives in the wake of the Baghdad church bloodbath, sowing panic in Iraq's 2,000-year-old minority on Wednesday, many of whom now want to flee.
"Since Tuesday evening, there have been 13 bombs and two mortar attacks on homes and shops of Christians in which a total of six people were killed and 33 injured," a defence ministry official said. "A church was also damaged."
An interior ministry official earlier gave a casualty toll of three dead in 12 of the attacks across the Iraqi capital early on Wednesday.
Full report at:
ttp://www.thepost.com.pk/IntNewsT.aspx?dtlid=264894&catid=1
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More effort needed to improve Muslim ties: Obama
APR 01 2011
JAKARTA: President Barack Obama said on Wednesday much more needs to be done to repair frayed US relations with the Muslim world in an acknowledgement of the difficulties in eradicating "years of mistrust."
In a speech highlighting a nostalgic visit to Indonesia, where he spent four years as a young boy, Obama spoke fondly of his formative years in the world's most populous Muslim country.
Full report at:
http://www.thepost.com.pk/IntNewsT.aspx?dtlid=264896&catid=1
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US welcomes India-Pakistan cricket diplomacy
APR 01 2011
WASHINGTON — The United States has commended Pakistan and India for their “cricket diplomacy” and says dialogue between the neighboring nuclear rivals is encouraging for the world.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/April/international_April20.xml§ion=international&col=
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Five killed in Turbat bomb blast
APR 01 2011
QUETTA: Five people, including a man and his son, were killed in a remote controlled explosion near Tump area of Turbat city on Thursday evening.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\04\01\story_1-4-2011_pg1_3
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The revolution's honeymoon is over
APR 01 2011
The movement, which emerged as one of the main players in the Egyptian revolution, accompanied the video with an invitation to the “Save the Revolution Friday” million man march on 1 April. The purpose of the event, they say, is to press on with the rest of the revolution’s demands, rid Egypt of the “institution of corruption” with all its figures and symbols and to challenge the counter-revolution initiated by the old regime which, they say, is playing behind the scenes to end the Egyptian revolution.
“The Egyptian people will not accept the laundering of the old regime and presenting it back to them in a new form,” wrote the group in the invitation, explaining that they insist on the complete removal of the remnants of Mubarak’s regime from every institution in the country.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/8914/Egypt/Politics-/The-revolutions-honeymoon-is-over.aspx
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35 tonnes of tobacco seized from tyre repair shop in Abu Dhabi
APR 01 2011
ABU DHABI — The Municipality of Abu Dhabi city has seized 35 tonnes of tobacco from a vehicle tyre repair and sale shop located near Al Saadah Bridge at Al Diffaa Road in the Capital.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2011/April/theuae_April3.xml§ion=theuae&col=
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=4381
10:50 PM
Moderate Islamist here
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