| Islamic World News | |
| 20 Apr 2011, NewAgeIslam.Com |
| Zahida Kazmi: Pakistan's ground-breaking female cabbie | ||
A law to emancipate Muslim women in India Quickie divorce banned, Muslim women empowered UK to send military advisers to Libyan rebels At least 846 killed in Egypt protests: Govt. Fact Finding Mission Airline Apologizes To Muslim Woman Taken Off Flight 26 kids killed in 2 months of Yemen unrest: UN Feminist killed in Afghanistan French police warned against arresting veiled Muslim women near mosques Syria arrests opponent as emergency move derided Christian leaders hold icebreaker talks in Bkirki: Beirut Pakistan tests short-range Surface to Surface Missile After Pakistan missile test, India flexes muscle Pak, U.S. cannot allow ties to unravel: Mullen Govt in contact with MQM, JUI over cabinet expansion: Gilani Pak-Afghan water talks under way Drone attacks are counterproductive: Pak PM Yemeni police open fire on protesters, killing 3 Libya warns UK could worsen war Gaddafi must be toppled 'by force: Rebels Libya rebels seek UK, France help Fighting rages in Misrata; NATO frustrated NATO does not need US for Libya: Biden Libya rebels plead for help; Gaddafi son defiant Nato strikes Gaddafi command sites Around 3,000 more Libyans seek refuge in southern Tunisia U.K. held talks with oil firms before Iraq invasion Baghdad protest ban is undemocratic: Sadr U.S. helped Israel contain U.N. Gaza war probes: Foreign Policy Report Yemeni opposition urges protests as talks stall UN council members call for restraint in Yemen Iran lawmakers: Ahmadinejad must back intel chief Gunfire erupts as Yemen protesters test limits Syria vows to suppress 'armed revolt' as protesters dig in Syria govt lifts emergency law, limits protests Syria cracks down on “armed revolt Iran-Saudi Arabia rift widens over Bahrain Iran to build relations with BRIC Group of Nations Yemen police kill 3 as protests escalate Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau Photo: Zahida has had to drive long distances on treacherous routes to northern areas | ||
Fresh wave of violence claims five lives in Karachi--------
Zahida Kazmi: Pakistan's ground-breaking female cabbie
April 20, 2011
Zahida has had to drive long distances on treacherous routes to northern areas
Zahida Kazmi has been hailed as Pakistan's first female taxi driver. She has driven from the crowded markets of Islamabad to the remote tribal country in the north. Here she tells Nosheen Abbas about her two decades in a male-dominated world.
In 1992 at the age of 33, newly widowed Zahida Kazmi decided to take her fate in her own hands and become a taxi driver.
Born into a conservative and patriarchal Pakistani family, she flew in the face of her family's wishes but with six children to support, she felt she had no choice.
She took advantage of a government scheme in which anybody could buy a brand new taxi in affordable instalments. She bought herself a yellow cab and drove to Islamabad airport every morning to pick up passengers.
In a perilous and unpredictable world, Zahida at first kept a gun in the car for her own protection and she even started off by driving her passengers around wearing a burqa, a garment that covers the entire body.
Her initial fears soon dissipated."I realised that I would scare passengers away," she said. "So then I only wore a hijab [head covering]. Eventually I stopped covering my head because I got older and was well-established by then."
Exposing herself to the hot, bustling city streets of Islamabad and by driving to the rocky and remote districts adjoining Pakistan's tribal areas, Zahida says she learned a lot about the country she lived in and its people.
The Pathans of the tribal north-west, despite a reputation for fierce male pride and inflexibility, treated her with immense courtesy on her journeys.
Eventually she became the chairperson of Pakistan's yellow cab association. Once she was established, she offered to teach young women how to drive taxis, but there was little interest. Even her daughters didn't express enthusiasm."They don't need to make a living," she says wistfully. "They are all married."
Zahida is not one of Pakistan's metropolitan liberal middle class - there are plenty of educational and career opportunities for privileged women in Pakistan but not for women from Zahida's background.
Pakistan has an exceptionally low number of women in work: 33.7% according to the Sustainable Development Policy Institute. Most women who work come under the category of "unpaid family workers".
Pakistan's legal system does little to protect women, so harassment is commonplace. Campaigners say it is little wonder that women do not choose livelihoods that make them even more vulnerable.
"Girls shy away from non-traditional jobs in a setting where there is a particular mindset... of intimidation," says Anees Haroon, chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women in Pakistan.
'Curious and amazed'
But had Zahida been starting out now, things would be quite different as she would be entering the workforce in a country torn between the forces of liberalism and Islamic radicalism.
Pakistan in 1992 was a more moderate place: it was opening up to the world; the dish antenna had been introduced; Pakistan had won the cricket world cup. Zahida says society felt fairly open to her.
But the Taliban presence in many parts of Pakistan has intensified over the years.
The roads in the northern areas of Pakistan can be perilous
Zahida has had to drive long distances on treacherous routes to northern areas such as Balakot, Chitral, Dir and even the Swat valley.
"Police at checkposts would be interested in why I was driving a taxi, but they were simply curious and amazed," she said.
Passengers seek her out as well. Adnan Waseem, a businessman from Haripur, told me that he always books Zahida for his journeys.
"I saw her and the first thought that came to my mind was that she's my mother's age. I liked her driving and in these days where one feels insecure in Pakistan I felt very relaxed," he said.
Another traveller, Sohail Mazhar, had to be driven through rocky terrain up to the northern city
Zahida Kazmiof Abbott bad.
"Even the policemen who stopped us at security checkpoints also knew her... we were so happy to see a woman driving a taxi."
Although Zahida has been feted for being Pakistan's first female taxi-driver, she still has many bitter memories of her struggles as a single mother working hard on the road.
Her own mother disapproved of her career choice and only resentfully accepted it when the media gave her positive coverage.
And she is estranged from her children now.
"I am old now and I get tired. It's hard for me to drive all the time but what can I do? My sons don't help," she said.
"If I had a chance I would have become a doctor."
Just as she said that to me, a passing taxi driver stopped his car and got out to reverentially greet Zahida.
Despite her travails, she is clearly a respected presence on the streets of Islamabad.
http://www.urdutahzeeb.net/women/muslim-womens-newsletter/an-inspiration-zahida-kazmi-pakistans-ground-breaking-female-cabbie-2
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Fresh wave of violence claims five lives in Karachi
April 20, 2011
KARACHI: Five people were on Tuesday killed in Karachi, Pakistan's biggest city and financial hub, in the fresh wave of violence and target killings.
Police said during the last 24 hours as many as 11 people were killed in different parts of the city.
Unknown gunmen opened fire on Tuesday morning in Sarjani town, killing one person, In Shah Latif town, another person was killed when gunmen opened fire near a petrol station.
Three bodies were also recovered from Korangi, FC Area and Gulbahar, they said.
On Monday, a worker of the Pakistan People's Party and another of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement were killed in separate incidents of firing, followed by an arson attack on a passenger bus in Gulistan-i-Jauhar.
According to the Sindh home ministry, 500 murders have taken place during the current year, while 114 lives have been lost due to target killing.
Meanwhile, police claimed to have arrested five persons involved in target killings.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Fresh-wave-of-violence-claims-five-lives-in-Karachi/articleshow/8028790.cms
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A law to emancipate Muslim women in India
April 20, 2011
Lucknow, Mar 13: The All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) has come up with a set of proposals that if becomes a reality will then go on a long way to the empowerment of Women in the Muslim community of India.
The Times of India has reported that the AISPLB has come up with a proposal that can lead to social boycott of men who fore-go their responsibilites the wife of their wife on frivolous grounds or resort to violence against them. The daily wrote that the proposal may be formally cleared on Mar 13.
According to the report, the proposed law will include a three-level redressal system, a helpline for the aggrieved party, reference to the 'Majlis-e-Aala-e-Dini' (expert panel of ulema) to investigate allegations and free legal aid by 'vakla' (lawyers' committee), if the victim's charges are proved right.
But the most important aspect of the proposed laws is the social boycott of men who leave wives without any substantial reason and go on for another marriage. The entire family may be boycotted, which according to the board spokesman Yasoob Abbas, as stated by the Times of India can even lead to the funeral being let unattended by others.
Abbas was quoted by the daily as explaining, "A noticeable spurt in the divorce rate has prompted us to take such a step. Also, a survey by the Board came up with startling finding that every fourth marriage was either ending in a divorce or heading towards irreconcilable differences."
The daily quoted, AISPLB president Maulana Mirza Mohammad Athar as saying, "Similar restriction will also apply to those who opt for infanticide and selective termination of pregnancy to rule out giving birth to a girl child. No one has a right to play God and eliminate a life in the making due to gender bias. The AISPLB strongly condemns it."
If these proposed laws get sanctioned, then the long-standing view on the community being gender-biased will be out to rest for once and for all.
http://news.oneindia.in/2011/03/13/a-law-to-emanicipate-muslim-women-aid0120.html
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Quickie divorce banned, Muslim women empowered
April 20, 2011
Enumerating the other grounds on which a Muslim woman was empowered to divorce her husband, Amber said: "Islam allows a woman to seek divorce if the husband does not have physical relationship with the wife for more than a year, or suffers from AIDS, or has illicit relationship with other women or tortures her in any manner."
The new nikahnama also lays down that a husband is expected to provide "cooked food" and "stitched clothes" to his wife.
New network to raise profile of Muslim women scientists
A network has been created to promote the role of Muslim women scientists in science and technology development.
The Islamic Network for Women Scientists (INWS) was announced at a meeting of the Consultative Council for the Implementation of the Strategy for the Development of Science and Technology in the Islamic Countries held in Rabat, Morocco last week (28 July).
The announcement follows a recommendation made at the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) summit in March (see Islamic conference boosts S&T with new resolutions). It will be officially approved at the Islamic Conference of Ministers of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Baku, Azerbaijan, in October.
The network will help women scientists to share experiences and network more efficiently at the national level. Activities include setting up a database of Muslim women scientists, organizing training programmes and disseminating information about funding available for joint research projects.
INWS will highlight scientific achievements from female Muslim scientists and cooperate with similar international and regional networks such as the Bahrain-based Arab Network of Science and Technology for Women (See Arab network for women in science launched).
The network also intends to promote the establishment of national committees for promoting the role of Muslim women in science and technology, and encourage Muslim women to apply more for regional awards and prizes, such as the Islamic Development Bank's Prize for Women's Contribution in Development.
A study commissioned by the OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation in April found that there are only 18 women scientists among the top 381 OIC scientists.
"Women constitute half the intellectual potential of nations, but only a few OIC countries are encouraging women to adopt scientific careers," says Syeda Tanvir Naim, a consultant to the OIC and a member of the UN Advisory Board on Women and Science.
"Women in Pakistan are increasingly adopting engineering careers, although their ratio to the total enrolments has not exceeded ten percent.”
"There are also very few women elected members of the Islamic World Academy of Sciences or TWAS (the Academy of Sciences for developing world)," adds Naim
http://www.urdutahzeeb.net/women/muslim-womens-newsletter/quickie-divorce-banned-muslim-women-empowered
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UK to send military advisers to Libyan rebels
April 20, 2011
An anti—aircraft gun is seen as volunteer fighters rest during a weapon training session at a military camp in Benghazi on April 13, 2011. — Reuters pic
LONDON, April 20 — Britain said yesterday it would send military officers to advise Libyan rebels, worrying critics who fear the country is being dragged into a civil war.
London said it would send about a dozen officers to Libya to help insurgents improve their organisation and communications, but would not arm the rebels or train them to fight.
With the Libyan conflict risking getting bogged down in a long stalemate, Western powers are searching for ways to bolster the rebels, whose military campaigns have been disorganised.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/world/article/uk-to-send-military-advisers-to-libyan-rebels/
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At least 846 killed in Egypt protests: Govt. Fact Finding Mission
April 20, 2011
Cairo : At least 846 Egyptians died in the nearly three-week-long popular uprising that toppled long-serving President Hosni Mubarak, electrifying the region, according to a government fact-finding mission.
In its report, released Tuesday, the panel of judges described police forces shooting protesters in the head and chest with live ammunition and presented a death toll more than twice that of previous official estimates.
''The fatal shots were due to firing bullets at the head and the chest,'' the report read, adding that ''a huge number of eye injures'' filled hospitals, and hundreds lost their sight.
Earlier, official estimates put out by a Mubarak associate had put the toll from the days of demonstrations, in which protesters battled heavily armed legions of riot police, at 365, but local groups had put the figure much higher.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/778663/
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Airline Apologizes To Muslim Woman Taken Off Flight
April 20, 2011
Local Islamic Group: Southwest Airlines Deemed Irum Abbasi 'Suspicious,' Removed Her from Flight
SAN DIEGO -- Southwest Airlines apologized on Wednesday to a Muslim woman taken off one of the carrier's jets before a flight out of Lindbergh Field, due to concerns about a comment she made while awaiting takeoff. Carmel Valley resident Irum Abassi, a graduate student at San Diego State University and mother of three, was wearing an Islamic head scarf when she was told Sunday that she had to leave the plane because a flight attendant considered her "suspicious."
Full report at:
http://www.10news.com/news/27217241/detail.html
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26 kids killed in 2 months of Yemen unrest: UN
April 20, 2011
GENEVA: At least 26 children have been killed during violent protests in Yemen over the last two months, the UN children's fund said on Tuesday.
Most died of wounds from live ammunition during clashes between security forces and anti-government demonstrators , said Unicef spokeswoman Marixie Mercado.
At least 36 more children have been wounded by live ammunition and 47 were injured with sticks or rocks, she said.
"We have absolutely no indication that the children were targeted, and we don't know who shot them," said Mercado. "They were participating in, or bystanders to, protests."
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/26-kids-killed-in-2-months-of-Yemen-unrest-UN/articleshow/8033291.cms
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Feminist killed in Afghanistan
April 20, 2011
Sitara Achakzai, a female provincial official known for fighting for women's rights was gunned down in southern Afghanistan on Sunday.
A Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmedi, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Four men drove up on two motorcycles and shot Sitara Achakzai as she was getting out of her car, just outside her home in Kandahar city and then rode off.
Full report at:
http://www.urdutahzeeb.net/women/muslim-womens-newsletter/feminist-killed-in-afghanistan
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French police warned against arresting veiled Muslim women near mosques
April 20, 2011
London, Apr 5(ANI): French Interior Minister Claude Guent has warned the country's police against arresting Muslim women covering up 'in or around' mosques.
The strict instructions are contained in a nine-page circular issued to officers prior to a full-blown burqa ban, which will come into effect on April 11.
"The areas in and around mosques will be exempt from the ban. The aim of this new law is not to cause humiliation, or even persecution. It is to make sure that people do not cover their faces in public in a manner which will upset others," the Daily Mail quoted an Interior Ministry source, as saying.
Full report at:
http://www.newkerala.com/news/world/fullnews-183283.html
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Syria arrests opponent as emergency move derided
April 20, 2011
DAMASCUS: Syrian authorities arrested an opposition figure in the city of Homs, an activist said Wednesday as rights groups derided the government's move to end decades of draconian emergency rule.
Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Mahmud Issa was taken into custody in Homs Tuesday, hours after the cabinet approved a bill to rescind the state of emergency.
The bill will now go before parliament, which is not due to meet until after May 2.
The cabinet had also agreed to abolish the state security court and approved a bill regulating demonstrations, after the interior minister imposed a total ban on political gatherings and security forces shot dead protesters in Homs.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/Apr/20/Syria-arrests-opponent-as-emergency-move-derided.ashx#axzz1K3pEXAnU
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Christian leaders hold icebreaker talks in Bkirki: Beirut
April 20, 2011
BEIRUT: Rival Christian leaders agreed to shelve talks on politically divisive issues and focus instead on matters of mutual concern in the Christian community at “a touch base meeting” held under the sponsorship of Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai Tuesday.
“The meeting ended in the same spiritual way it started and will be followed by other meetings and future gatherings whenever the need arises,” a statement released by the patriarchate’s press office in Bkirki said.
The icebreaker meeting began at 9 a.m., shortly after the arrival of Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, Kataeb (Phalange) Party leader Amin Gemayel, Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea and Marada Movement head Suleiman Franjieh.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Apr/20/Christian-leaders-hold-icebreaker-talks-in-Bkirki.ashx#axzz1K3pEXAnU
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Pakistan tests short-range Surface to Surface Missile
April 20, 2011
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday successfully test-fired a newly developed short-range, surface-to-surface nuclear capable missile, the army said.
Nasr, a ballistic missile of Hatf series, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead can hit targets up to 60 km, reported Geo News.
"This quick response system addresses the need to deter evolving threats," Xinhua quoted the Pakistani army as saying.
Pakistan in February successfully tested a nuclear-capable cruise missile, Hatf-VII, with a range of up to 600 km.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistan-tests-nuclear-capable-short-range-missile/articleshow/8024951.cms
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After Pakistan missile test, India flexes muscle
April 20, 2011
NEW DELHI: Diplomatic re-engagement may have begun afresh but both sides
are keeping their powder dry. The 1.13-million strong Indian Army is honing its war-fighting machinery with a major combat exercise, codenamed "Vijayee Bhava'' (Be Victorious), in the Thar desert to practice "high tempo'' operations to cut across the border.
Squeamish for long with India's "pro-active conventional war strategy'', or what is colloquially dubbed the "cold start'' doctrine, Pakistan in turn test-fired a new nuclear-capable ballistic missile Hatf-IX on Tuesday.
Given that Hatf-IX has a strike range of only 60 km, it is clearly intended for brandishing as a "battlefield nuclear weapon'' to deter Indian armoured forces from launching rapid thrusts into its territory.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/After-Pakistan-missile-test-India-flexes-muscle/articleshow/8031113.cms
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Pak, U.S. cannot allow ties to unravel: Mullen
April 20, 2011
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO: U.S. and Pakistani leaders agree they cannot afford to let security ties unravel, the top U.S. military officer said on Tuesday.
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, made the comments before a trip to Islamabad as he visited U.S. bases in Afghanistan that are grappling with violence by insurgents.
Mullen acknowledged that "we've had a very turbulent time," but added that despite the tensions, all sides acknowledged the relationship was vital. "I think that all of us believe that we cannot afford to let this relationship come apart," Mullen said, referring to U.S. and Pakistani military and intelligence chiefs.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=14400
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Govt in contact with MQM, JUI over cabinet expansion: Gilani
April 20, 2011
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani Tuesday said that his party is in contact with JUI and MQM among all political parties in order to expand the size of the Federal Cabinet.
Talking to media in Islamabad, Prime Minister said that nothing is definite in the politics, adding that the negotiation is the continuous process.
In a reply to a question, Gilani said that government has already public the clear-cut policy over drone attacks issue.
He termed his visit to Afghanistan very significant.
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=14392
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Pak-Afghan water talks under way
April 20, 2011
ISLAMABAD: The United States is facilitating initial talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan on a bilateral water treaty as part of its efforts for Afghanistan-Pakistan-US cooperation on water, informed sources told Dawn on Tuesday.
The US-led international organisations are currently engaged in Afghanistan under a ‘donor-funded Afghan Rebuild Programme’ in the assessment of the current situation and the strategy development for short- and long-term water sector projects and rehabilitation of irrigation system in the war-ravaged country.
The US is also working with multilateral lenders to help Pakistan prepare a long-term water sector strategy, creation of a water council and a water regulatory body for better management of water resources.
A separate Pakistan-US water working group is also in place under the strategic dialogue process.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/04/20/pak-afghan-water-talks-under-way.html
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Drone attacks are counterproductive: Pak PM
April 20, 2011
ISLAMABAD (APP): Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani said drone attacks are counter productive as the government loses sympathy of local tribesmen in its efforts to isolate militants. In an interview to Russia on Tuesday, he said, "We have successfully planned our strategy from military and political points of view. We have to isolate the militants from the local tribes and we have been successful." He said, "the local tribes are supporting us and not supporting the militants, but once there is a drone attack then the sympathy of the local tribes is created for the militants." "These are the problems. They are counter productive, neither in favour of military strategy nor political. They make our work difficult. We have told the US if there is any actionable information or something very concrete, you share with us, so we will hit them ourselves.
Full report at:
http://www.thefrontierpost.com/News.aspx?ncat=ts&nid=2230
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Yemeni police open fire on protesters, killing 3
April 20, 2011
Yemeni security forces opened fire on anti-government protesters Tuesday, killing at least three amid rising international concern over the strategically located nation.
The United Nations Security Council met late Tuesday for a first-ever briefing and discussion about the deteriorating situation in Yemen, where rights groups say two months of protests calling for the president to step down have claimed 120 lives.
But the UN's most powerful body couldn't agree on a statement proposed by Lebanon and Germany expressing concern at the political crisis, calling on the parties "to exercise restraint and to enter into a comprehensive dialogue to realise the legitimate aspirations of the Yemeni people," and supporting the mediation role of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The Security Council met as a Yemeni government delegation headed to nearby Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, for talks with the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council over a proposal for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to transfer power to his deputy to end the crisis. The opposition held similar talks in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=29424
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Libya warns UK could worsen war
April 20, 2011
Libya's foreign minister says a British plan to send a military team to advise rebels fighting Col Gaddafi would harm chances of peace in the country.
A UK military presence in rebel-held Benghazi would "prolong" fighting, Abdul Ati al-Obeidi told the BBC.
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said the move complied with a UN resolution to protect civilians in Libya, which forbids foreign occupation forces.
The team is set to provide logistics and intelligence training in Benghazi.
The BBC understands about 10 UK officers and a similar number from France will be despatched on the mission.
Libya is embroiled in a two-month uprising by rebels based in the eastern city of Benghazi to end Col Gaddafi's 42-year rule.
Following the fall of presidents in neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt, Libya's revolt has developed into an armed conflict, with rebels pitted against pro-Gaddafi forces for control over territory.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=29422
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Gaddafi must be toppled 'by force: Rebels
April 20, 2011
Muammar Gaddafi can only be toppled by force, Libya's rebel president said yesterday during a visit to Rome in which Italy said the opposition could be aided with military equipment and foreign oil sales.
"Gaddafi will never give up power except by force," Mustafa Abdel Jalil said after talks with Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, as his advisers said that no type of political mediation with the Gaddafi regime was planned.
"He cannot be compared to Ben Ali or Mubarak," he said, referring to the Tunisian and Egyptian presidents ousted by uprisings earlier this year.
Jalil also thanked France, Italy and Qatar, for giving official recognition to the Libyan opposition.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=182401
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Libya rebels seek UK, France help
April 20, 2011
MISRATA: A rebel official in Libya's besieged city of Misrata pleaded for Britain and France to send troops to help fight Moamer Kadhafi's forces, while a son of the strongman said he was "very optimistic" his father's regime will prevail.
A senior member of Misrata's governing council, Nuri Abdullah Abdullati, said they were asking for the troops on the basis of "humanitarian" principles, in the first request by insurgents for boots on the ground.
Previously, he told reporters, "we did not accept any foreign soldiers in our country, but now, as we face these crimes of Kadhafi, we are asking on the basis of humanitarian and Islamic principles for someone to come and stop the killing."
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=14405
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Fighting rages in Misrata; NATO frustrated
April 20, 2011
TRIPOLI: Heavy fighting raged Tuesday in the western Libyan city of Misrata, witnesses said, while a NATO commander complained the alliance was having trouble destroying Muammar Qaddafi’s mortars and rockets attacking rebels there and Britain said it would send senior military officers to advise the opposition in the east.
A senior Libyan official, meanwhile, ruled out the possibility of allowing foreign troops to escort humanitarian aid convoys in Libya, saying the government would view such a deployment as a military mission.
Explosions and gunfire were heard in central Misrata, Libya’s third-largest city, with clashes between government troops and rebels, said a resident who identified himself only by his given name, Abdel Salam, for fear of retaliation. The city has been besieged by government forces for more than a month.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article366076.ece
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NATO does not need US for Libya: Biden
April 20, 2011
WASHINGTON: US Vice President Joe Biden said in an interview published Tuesday that NATO can handle Libya without US help, saying Washington's efforts are better focused on places like Pakistan or Egypt.
"If the Lord Almighty extricated the US out of NATO and dropped it on the planet of Mars so we were no longer participating, it is bizarre to suggest that NATO and the rest of the world lacks the capacity to deal with Libya -- it does not," Biden told the Financial Times.
"Occasionally other countries lack the will, but this is not about capacity," he told the daily amid deep unease among the US public and lawmakers over military action in Libya.
Washington coordinated operations in the first days of allied intervention in Libya after the United Nations Security Council approved international military action to thwart attacks by Kadhafi forces on rebel-held cities.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=14401
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Libya rebels plead for help; Gaddafi son defiant
April 20, 2011
A senior member of Misrata's governing council, Nuri Abdullah Abdullati, said they were asking for French and British troops on the basis of "humanitarian" principles, in the first request by insurgents for boots on the ground.
Previously, he told reporters, "we did not accept any foreign soldiers in our country, but now, as we face these crimes of Gaddafi, we are asking on the basis of humanitarian and Islamic principles for someone to come and stop the killing."
"Before we were asking for no foreign interference, but that was before Gaddafi used Grad rockets and planes. Now it's a life or death situation."
His plea came as Gaddafi and rebel forces engaged in fierce fighting in southeast Misrata.
The din subsided only briefly when NATO planes were heard overhead, but picked up immediately afterwards.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/~/NewsContent/2/8/10413/World/Region/Libya-rebels-plead-for-help;-Gaddafi-son-defiant.aspx
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Nato strikes Gaddafi command sites
April 20, 2011
Nato has fired a barrage of missiles against Muammar Gaddafi's command and control centres as Britain and France announced yesterday to step up actions against the regime, officials said yesterday.
The military alliance conducted "deliberate, multiple strikes against command and control facilities of the Gaddafi regime" on Monday night, Nato said in a statement.
The targets included communications infrastructure used to coordinate attacks against civilians, and the headquarters of the 32nd Brigade located 10 kilometres south of Tripoli.
The brigade "has been used to lead and coordinate military actions against the Libyan civilian population," Nato said.
Meanwhile, Britain is sending a team of experienced military officers to advise Libyan rebels fighting Muammar Gaddafi's regime, Foreign Secretary William Hague said yesterday.
Hague said the "military liaison advisory team" would advise the opposition fighters on improving their organisation, communications and logistics, but they would not be involved in training or arming them.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=182396
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Around 3,000 more Libyans seek refuge in southern Tunisia
April 20, 2011
GENEVA: About 3,000 people fled Libya’s mountainous west for Remada and Dehiba in Tunisia Saturday, the U.N. refugee agency said, doubling the number to seek refuge in the area since March.
“Nearly 3,000 arrived yesterday. It is a number confirmed by the Tunisian authorities,” Andrej Mahecic, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, told AFP Sunday.
Another 2,000 had arrived the day before, bringing to about 6,000 the number of people to have crossed the border to that southeastern part of Tunisia since the beginning of March.
“It may be more,” the spokesman said, explaining that many may not be registered with the authorities. Some humanitarian aid workers have put the figure at over 12,000.
The UNHCR said many of those who fled in recent days were of the Berber minority, setting up camp at Remada, about 47 kilometers north-west of Dehiba. The camp counts about 750 inhabitants.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/Apr/18/Around-3000-more-Libyans-seek-refuge-in-southern-Tunisia.ashx#axzz1K3pEXAnU
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U.K. held talks with oil firms before Iraq invasion
April 20, 2011
LONDON/KIRKUK, Iraq: Britain discussed plans to exploit Iraq’s oil reserves with some of the world’s biggest oil companies five months before it joined the United States in invading the country, the Independent newspaper said Tuesday.
Citing documents it said were obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request by campaigner and author Greg Muttitt, the newspaper said at least five meetings were held between government officials and oil majors BP and Royal Dutch Shell in October and November 2002.
“Shell and BP could not afford not to have a stake in [Iraq] for the sake of their long-term future,” Edward Chaplin, the Foreign Office’s former Middle East director was quoted as saying after a meeting with oil groups in October 2002.
“We were determined to get a fair slice of the action for U.K. companies in a post-Saddam Iraq,” he said, according to minutes of the meeting which could not be independently verified.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Apr/20/UK-held-talks-with-oil-firms-before-Iraq-invasion.ashx#axzz1K3pEXAnU
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Baghdad protest ban is undemocratic: Sadr
April 20, 2011
Iraq's government announced last week demonstrations would be allowed only at three football stadiums, ostensibly because shopkeepers in the city's main Tahrir Square complained of losing trade during weekly protests.
"The government claims democracy, and this is undemocratic," Sadr said on Wednesday, in a written response to queries about the protest ban from his supporters.
Sadr loyalists have staged several large rallies in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq, most recently when tens of thousands turned up for an anti-US protest earlier this month in the capital.
"I think this decision shows the government's fear of demonstrations. The move is ridiculous and meaningless," said the cleric, who is currently based in Iran to further religious studies.
Protests against poor supply of basic services such as electricity have grown in Iraq since late February, after uprisings toppled entrenched regimes in Tunisia and Egypt and spread across the Arab world.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/10417/World/Region/Baghdad-protest-ban-is-undemocratic-Sadr.aspx
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U.S. helped Israel contain U.N. Gaza war probes: Foreign Policy Report
April 20, 2011
WASHINGTON: The U.S. worked behind the scenes to help Israel contain U.N. probes into possible war crimes committed during the 2008-09 Gaza war, Foreign Policy reported Tuesday.
The online foreign affairs magazine cited exclusive WikiLeaks cables detailing moves by the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice to prevent a more thorough U.N. investigation of alleged abuses during the conflict.
Some 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed in the three-week-long Israeli offensive in December 2008 and January 2009, which Israel said was aimed at halting Palestinian rocket attacks.
According to one cable, Rice spoke with U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon three times on May 4, 2009, to urge him to remove recommendations for a wider probe from a board of inquiry report into attacks on U.N. sites in Gaza.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Apr/20/US-helped-Israel-contain-UN-Gaza-war-probes-report.ashx#axzz1K3pEXAnU
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Yemeni opposition urges protests as talks stall
April 20, 2011
Members of the UN Security Council also failed to come up with a joint statement on Yemen after adding the country's presidential crisis to their agenda for the first time.
The organising committee of youth protests called in a statement for "marches in millions" across the country in protest at the killing of protesters on Tuesday, and to stress rejection of any deal that does not include the immediate departure of embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Confrontations between security forces and protesters demanding the ouster of Saleh raged on, with medics and witnesses reporting eight people, including a passer-by and a policeman, shot dead.
One protester was killed when a gunman on a motorbike opened fire at dawn on Wednesday at demonstrators staging a sit-in at Al-Nasr Square in the western Red Sea city of Hudaydah.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/10418/World/Region/Yemeni-opposition-urges-protests-as-talks-stall.aspx
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UN council members call for restraint in Yemen
April 20, 2011
A U.N. Security Council closed-door meeting, requested by Germany, failed to agree on a public statement on Yemen, where anti-government protests are in their third month, because some envoys wanted to consult their capitals, diplomats said.
The meeting came as Yemeni police opened fire on protesters in two cities, killing at least three people, as protesters tried to escalate their campaign to end President Ali Abdullah Saleh's 32-year rule.
Gulf mediators, meanwhile, met with a Yemeni government delegation in Abu Dhabi to discuss a transfer of power in the poor Arab state. That meeting ended with a brief statement saying the talks had been constructive.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/10411/World/Region/UN-council-members-call-for-restraint-in-Yemen.aspx
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Iran lawmakers: Ahmadinejad must back intel chief
April 20, 2011
Iran's parliament is telling President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to obey an order from the country's supreme leader to reinstate Iran's intelligence minister.
The statement from lawmakers deepens the high-level political battle over Heidar Moslehi, who resigned Sunday over an apparent rift with Ahmadinejad. But Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei quickly ordered Moslehi to remain.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=iran-lawmakers-ahmadinejad-must-back-intel-chief-2011-04-20
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Gunfire erupts as Yemen protesters test limits
April 20, 2011
The Yemeni police opened fire near protesters who set up barricades of burning tyres in a city on Tuesday, killing one as Gulf mediators tried to bring the sides to talks on a presidential transfer of power.
The UN Security Council was also due to meet late in the day to discuss the situation in Yemen, where Western and Gulf Arab allies fear a prolonged standoff could lead to clashes between rival military units in Sanaa and elsewhere.
Full report at:
http://newagebd.com/newspaper1/international/15905.html
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Syria vows to suppress 'armed revolt' as protesters dig in
April 20, 2011
BEIRUT: Syrian security forces opened fire before dawn on hundreds of anti-government protesters staging a sit-in, shooting live ammunition and tear gas before chasing them through the streets for hours, witnesses said on Tuesday.
There were casualties but the exact number was not immediately clear.
"They shot at everything, there was smoke everywhere," an activist in the central city of Homs told The Associated Press by telephone, asking that his name not be used because he feared for his personal safety. "I saw people on the ground, some shot in their feet, some in the stomach."
The streets were largely deserted by early afternoon, with people staying inside their homes.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/worldarticlelist/articleshow/8026876.cms
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Syria govt lifts emergency law, limits protests
April 20, 2011
DAMASCUS: Syria's government passed a bill on Tuesday lifting emergency law after nearly half a century but adopted new legislation to "regulate the right of peaceful protest", the state news agency said.
A senior lawyer said President Bashar al-Assad has to sign the legislation for it to take effect but that his signature was a formality.
The official agency said the cabinet, which has little power and rubber-stamps Assad's orders, also passed a law to abolish a special security court that human rights lawyers says violates the rule of law and the universal right to fair trial.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Syria-govt-lifts-emergency-law-limits-protests/articleshow/8027992.cms
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Syria cracks down on “armed revolt
April 20, 2011
DAMASCUS: Syria imposed on Tuesday a total ban on all demonstrations after warning of a crackdown on an “armed revolt” by Islamist radicals and security forces fired on protesters in the city of Homs, killing at least four.
Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim al-Shaar told people “to refrain from taking part in all marches, demonstrations or sit-ins under any banner whatsoever”, state news agency SANA reported.
He warned that if demonstrations were held, “the laws in force in Syria will be applied in the interest of the safety of the people and the stability of the country”.
Mr. Shaar was understood to be alluding to the emergency law in place since 1963. Its repeal has been a central demand of reformists demonstrating since March 15, and President Bashar al-Assad promised at the weekend to rescind it within a week.
The law restricts civil liberties, imposes restrictions on public gatherings, freedom of movement and allows the “arrest of anyone suspected of posing a threat to security”.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2011/04/20/stories/2011042057311800.htm
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Iran-Saudi Arabia rift widens over Bahrain
April 20, 2011
Atul Aneja
DUBAI: The war of words between oil-rich Iran and Saudi Arabia is escalating dangerously following Riyadh's military intervention in Bahrain, where a security crackdown against pro-democracy dissidents shows no signs of abating.
On Monday, Major-General Yahya Rahim Safavi, a top advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, bluntly warned Saudi Arabia that its intervention in Bahrain could boomerang. “The presence and attitude of Saudi Arabia [in Bahrain] sets an incorrect precedence for similar future events, and Saudi Arabia should consider this fact that one day the very same event may recur in Saudi Arabia itself and Saudi Arabia may come under invasion for the very same excuse,” General Safavi asserted. Chairman of Iran's Joint Chiefs of Staff Major-General Hassan Firouzabadi reinforced the warning on Tuesday by calling the movement of Saudi Arabian troops into Bahrain, “as a blunder committed by the Saudi government”.
Embassy attacked
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2011/04/20/stories/2011042057631800.htm
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Iran to build relations with BRIC Group of Nations
April 20, 2011
Tehran : Realising the growing global importance of BRIC group of nations, Iran hopes to build its relations with them, a top official said here.
Ali Agha-Mohammadi, a high-ranking economic planning official in the Iranian Vice President's Office, said that international studies show that Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC) will emerge as dominant global economic powers in the next five to ten years.
BRIC, a group of nations which has been tipped by investment bank Goldman Sachs to surpass the current combine of richest economies of the world by 2050, has just had an annual meeting in Sanya, China. South Africa is the latest entrant to the group with the name now being changed to BRICS.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/778692/
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Yemen police kill 3 as protests escalate
April 20, 2011
Anti-government protesters shout slogans during a rally to demand the ouster of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh outside Sanaa University on April 10, 2011. — Reuters pic
SANAA, April 20 — Yemeni police opened fire on protesters in Sanaa and Taiz yesterday, killing at least three people, as protesters tried to escalate their campaign to end President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 32—year rule.
The clashes came as Gulf mediators met with a government delegation in Abu Dhabi to discuss a transfer of presidential powers in the poor Arab state, strategically important in the US—led fight against al Qaeda.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/world/article/yemen-police-kill-3-as-protests-escalate/
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=4487
10:28 PM
Moderate Islamist here
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