| Islamic World News | |
| 21 May 2011, NewAgeIslam.Com |
Another US drone strike kills four in North Waziristan
Blasts in NATO tankers, 16 dead in LandiKotal, Pakistan
Responsible of Abbottabad incident be held accountable: Nawaz
Karachi police ‘foil Taliban terror attacks’
No intention to pit army against US: Pakistan PML-N Leader
NATO hits 8 Kadhafi ships; Tripoli calls Obama 'delusional'
Mirwaiz under house arrest, Valley tense
Al Qaeda should watch its back: Obama
US forces working with Pakistani counterpart since 2009
Netanyahu lectures Obama in Oval Office
US troops’ morale in Afghanistan plummets, report says
Israeli rebuke of Obama exposes divide on Mideast
Obama flexes muscle, warns al Qaeda
Taliban not unhappy with Osama demise
Obama angers Israel by mooting 1967 borders as starting point for peace deal
Pak army’s opposition to drone strikes mere public posturing
Are Pakistani forces really ashamed?
Pakistan paid heavy price in terror war: PM
Pak Army denies Kayani asked for US drone support
Gen. Hussain named new military chief of Dammam, Saudi Arab
Pakistani minister denounces Saudi diplomat’s killing
Jordanians want ‘corrupt, oppressive’ govt sacked
Obama names Patterson to key post of envoy to Egypt
US will also target other Al Qaeda leaders: Clinton
Control of Shamsi airfield of Pakistan shrouded in mystery
Pak, China to launch satellite on Aug 14
India had insufficient evidence against Pakistan: Cable
Shahbaz had agreed on temporary restoration of CJ: WikiLeaks
Palestinians bemoan failure to exploit social media
Iran says US biggest loser from Mideast upheaval
ZA Bhutto rules from his grave: Sanam
Barack Obama praises CIA officials' role in Osama bin Laden killing
Iran had prior info about 9/11 strikes, defectors tell court
Arab League calls for action on Palestinian statehood
Saleh calls for early elections
Cops’ role in maintaining security in Saudi Arabia highlighted by Grand Mufti
Many find driving on Kingdom’s roads a harrowing experience
Let’s subsidize Saudis’ salaries at small firms
Siemens to create over 1,000 Saudi jobs
Judgment Day: Amid fears the end is nigh, Americans are ready
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Syrian security forces shot dead at least 34 people Friday, including a child
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At least 34 killed in protests across Syria
May 20, 2011
Syrian security forces shot dead at least 34 people Friday, including a child, as pro-democracy protests swept the country, with demonstrators pressing on with calls for more freedom in defiance of a fierce crackdown, activists said.
In Washington US President Barack Obama piled pressure on Syria, saying it was of "acute concern" for Washington and Israel -- days after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and key aides were hit by US sanctions.
Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency and rights watchdog Human Rights Watch expressed concern about an influx of Syrians who have fled to neighbouring Lebanon to escape the violence at home.
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The child was among 12 people killed in the central city of Homs. Another 15 died in the town of Maaret al-Naaman, located near the western city of Idlib, the activists said.
They said two people were also killed in the southern region of Daraa, epicentre of protests that have gripped Syria since March 15, one in the Damascus suburb of Daraya, one in the port city of Latakia, two in the eastern town of Deir Ezzor and one in the central town of Hama.
"The victims in Maaret al-Naaman were gunned down at the entrance of the city where many people were converging from other nearby towns to join the protest," an activist said.
Another activist in Homs said security services stormed a local hospital and carried away several wounded people along with the body of a victim.
State television blamed the violence on armed gangs which, it said, had opened fire on civilians and security forces in the region of Idlib and on the outskirts of Homs, resulting in unspecified casualties.
Assad's government has blamed the violence on "armed terrorist gangs" backed by Islamists and foreign agitators.
Protests were also reported in several other towns across Syria, including in Damascus where an activist said security forces quickly dispersed a rally outside a mosque.
In the mainly Kurdish region of Ain Arab, near the northern city of Aleppo, hundreds took to the streets holding olive branches and chanting "No to violence, yes to dialogue," said Radif Mustapha, head of a Kurdish rights group reached by telephone.
"No one is calling for the downfall of the regime," he said, as protesters could be overheard shouting "azadi, azadi," or freedom in Kurdish.
In Banias, thousands of men, women and children marched, with many of the men bare-chested to show proof they were unarmed, Rami Abdel Rahman, of the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP.
The accounts could not be independently verified as foreign journalists are prevented from travelling in the country to report on protests challenging Assad's authoritarian regime.
In a keynote Thursday speech on the Middle East, Obama urged Assad to lead a political transition or "get out of the way."
"President Assad now has a choice," said Obama, whose government this week imposed sanctions on Assad and key aides.
"The Syrian government must stop shooting demonstrators and allow peaceful protests."
Damascus defiantly rejected the warning.
"Obama is inciting violence when he says that Assad and his regime will face challenges from the inside and will be isolated on the outside if he fails to adopt democratic reforms," the official news agency SANA said.
Obama renewed the pressure on Friday during talks with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, outlining the US sanctions against Damascus and saying Syria's actions was an "acute concern" for Israel and the United States.
Western powers were initially hesitant to criticise Assad's regime due to Syria's strategic importance in the region and fears of possible civil war if the regime were to collapse.
More than 850 people have been killed and thousands arrested since the protests began in mid-March, according to human rights groups and the United Nations.
The UN refugee agency said Friday that some 1,400 Syrians fled to Lebanon last week alone to escape the violence at home.
"Most of the people who have crossed the border in recent weeks are women and children. In addition to their immediate need for food, shelter and medical help, they also need psycho-social support," UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic said in Geneva.
Human Rights Watch said Lebanon should grant asylum to Syrians fleeing the unrest instead of detaining them "and above all refrain from deporting them back" to their country.
"Lebanon's security forces should stop detaining Syrian refugees who cross the border into Lebanon to escape violence and persecution in their country," the New York-based rights group said.
Reports from Lebanon say at least 5,000 refugees have entered the country from Syrian border villages in recent weeks.
Rare support for Syria came Friday from Venezuela where President Hugo Chavez described Assad as his "brother" and said Syria is the "victim of a fascist attack."
© 2011 AFP
This story is sourced direct from an overseas news agency as an additional service to readers. Spelling follows North American usage, along with foreign currency and measurement units.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/at-least-34-killed-in-protests-across-syria-20110520-1ex5h.html
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Another US drone strike kills four in NWA
21 May 2011
MIRANSHAH: A US drone strike destroyed a vehicle in Pakistan's Taliban-infested North Waziristan district on the Afghan border Friday, killing four suspected militants, local officials said.
The two missiles struck the Tappi area, 10 kilometres (six miles) east of Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan, where US officials want Pakistan to launch an offensive against networks fighting in neighbouring Afghanistan.
"A US drone targeting a militants' vehicle fired two missiles killing four militants," a security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Another local security official confirmed the strike and casualties, saying the identity of those killed in the attack was not immediately known.
Friday's attack was the seventh to be reported in Pakistan's tribal areas near the Afghan border since US commandos killed Saudi-born terror mastermind Osama bin Laden in a secret raid in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad on May 2.
Pakistani analysts said any expectations that the CIA would abandon the drone campaign were misplaced, even if Pakistani leaders, for domestic political purposes, criticised the strikes.
The drone strikes inflame anti-US feeling, which heightened further after the operation against bin Laden.
Missile attacks doubled in the area last year, with more than 100 drone strikes killing over 670 people in 2010, compared with 45 strikes that killed 420 in 2009, according to an AFP tally. (AFP)
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=15825
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Blasts in NATO tankers, 16 dead in LandiKotal, Pakistan
21 May 2011
LANDIKOTAL: NATO oil tankers were set ablaze in two separate incidents late Friday night at Landikotal and Torkham killing at least 16 people, including 8 members of a family.
The sources said in the first incident at 10:30 p.m. the militants torched a Nato oil tanker in Khugakhel area on the Landikotal bypass. The tanker was parked on the roadside when it was dynamited with a time device, the sources said.
Six people died immediately after the incident while injured were taken to hospitals where 10 more succumbed to their injuries.
Meanwhile, yhe second incident took place after a few minutes at Torkham where an explosive device went off in an oil tanker at the Torkham parking hub, officials said. Soon after the blast, the fire spread and engulfed three more oil tankers parked near it.
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=15841
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Responsible of Abbottabad incident be held accountable: Nawaz
21 May 2011
GUJRAT: PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif has reiterated that Pakistanis would not ask for charity and would not endanger self-respect, Geo News reported on Friday.
Addressing workers convention in Gujrat, Nawaz said those responsible for Abbottabad incident would be held accountable, adding that this incident could not be forgotten.
PML-N Chief said no one would be allowed to disgrace Pakistani honorable nation.
He demanded an independent commission on Abbottabad incident, saying that truth could be made public so that such incidents could not be repeated. Investigation through an independent commission would let the world know that this is a sovereign nation and its sovereignty could not be challenged, he said and added that any hurdle by the government would be defended in this regard.
PML-N Qaid termed the issue of loadshedding as the major issue that could not be resolved in 63 years.
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=15808
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Karachi police ‘foil Taliban terror attacks’
21 May 2011
KARACHI: Pakistani police said they arrested a would-be suicide bomber and two of his handlers on Friday who were planning “terror attacks” in the prosperous financial hub Karachi.
Ful report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/05/20/karachi-police-%E2%80%98foil-taliban-terror-attacks%E2%80%99.html
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No intention to pit army against US: Pakistani PML-NLeader
21 May 2011
KARACHI: Pakistan Muslim League-N leader and MNA Khwaja Saad Rafiq Wednesday said that his party had no intention to pit Pak Army against the US but warned the government not to put a label of slavery on the nation ‘in a bid to prolong its rule’, Geo News reported.
Addressing a news conference here at Karachi Press Club (KPC), Saad Rafiq said that PML-N had recommended impartial names for the independent commission to probe Abbottabad incident. I hope the commission would soon be formed, he added.
Ful report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=15704
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NATO hits 8 Kadhafi ships; Tripoli calls Obama 'delusional'
21 May 2011
TRIPOLI: NATO warplanes hit eight vessels of Moamer Kadhafi's navy, the alliance said Friday as US President Barack Obama answered constitutional questions regarding the length of the Libyan conflict.
Ful report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=15840
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Mirwaiz under house arrest, Valley tense
21 May 2011
SRINAGAR: Authorities imposed curfew in old city areas of Srinagar on Saturday to foil separatists' call for march towards Eidgah to commemorate the killing of Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq and Abdul Gani Lone today. The normal life was thrown out of gear by the shutdown call given by the moderate Hurriyat Conference.
A senior police official said the restrictions on the movement of the public were imposed in nine police station areas of the old city in order to scuttle Saturday's separatist gathering at the Eidgah grounds.
Chairman of the Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq appealed to the people to observe complete shutdown across the Kashmir Valley and told them to peacefully assemble at the Eidgah grounds in the afternoon, where a public meeting would be held to commemorate the death anniversaries of the slain separatist leaders besides laying the foundation stone for martyrs' wall at Eidgah.
While Mirwaiz of Kashmir Molvi Mohammad Farooq was killed by unknown Hizbul Mujahedeen militants in his Nigeen residence in 1990, Abdul Gani Lone, a senior Hurriyat leader was killed while attending the commemorative function of the former Mirwaiz in the Eidgah grounds in 2002.
A senior police official said Mirwiaz Umar, son of the former Mirwaiz Kashmir Molvi Farooq was placed under house arrest and restrictions were imposed in Safa Kadal, MR Gunj, Khanyar, Rainawari, Nowhatta, Nigeen, Soura, Lal Bazar and Kralkhud police station areas to maintain law and order in the city.
A Hurriyat (Mirwaiz) spokesman said that huge contingents of police were deployed outside the houses of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Professor Abdul Gani Bhat, Shabir Ahmed Shah, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Shahid-ul-Islam and others. Hurriyat leaders, according to the spokesman, were informed that they were placed under house arrest.
Talking to TOI over phone, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said the state government cannot stop the separatists to pursue their goal of getting the Kashmir issue settled. "The state authorities imposed curfew and deployed forces in every nook and corner of the Valley to thwart the laying of foundation of martyrs' memorial wall at Eidgah today," Mirwaiz said.
Schools and educational institutions were closed for the day in the Valley.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Mirwaiz-under-house-arrest-Valley-tense/articleshow/8489155.cms
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Al Qaeda should watch its back: Obama
21 May 2011
LANGLEY: President Barack Obama warned Friday Al-Qaeda members must watch their backs, as the United States acts on a trove of intelligence seized from Osama bin Laden's compound.
Ful report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=15836
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US forces working with Pakistani counterpart since 2009
21 May 2011
KARACHI: Wikileaks has disclosed that the U.S. special operation forces were embedded with Pakistani troops for exchange of information since summer of 2009 and they were deployed within the Pakistani territory in September for the joint operation.
Ful report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=15846
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Netanyahu lectures Obama in Oval Office
21 May 2011
WASHINGTON: Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu lectured President Barack Obama in his own office Friday, warning him not to chase "illusions" of Middle East peace and opening a deep rift in US-Israel ties.
Ful report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=15839
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US troops’ morale in Afghanistan plummets, report says
May 21, 2011
WASHINGTON (Agencies): As fighting and casualties in Afghanistan’s war have reached an all-time high, U.S. soldiers and Marines there reported plunging morale and the highest rates of mental health problems in five years.The grim statistics in a new Army report released Thursday dramatize the psychological cost of a military campaign that U.S. commanders and officials say has reversed the momentum of the Taliban insurgency.Military doctors said the findings from a battlefield survey taken last summer were no surprise given the dramatic increase in combat, which troops reported was at its most intense level since officials began doing mental health analyses in 2003.
Ful report at:
http://www.thefrontierpost.com/?p=16780
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Israeli rebuke of Obama exposes divide on Mideast
21 May 2011
WASHINGTON - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bluntly told President Barack Obama on Friday his vision of how to achieve Middle East peace was unrealistic, exposing a deep divide that could doom any US bid to revive peace talks.
Ful report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/My/middleeast_May564.xml§ion=middleeast
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Obama flexes muscle, warns al Qaeda
21 May 2011
President Barack Obama has warned that al Qaeda members must watch their backs, as the US evaluates a treasure trove of information related to terrorists, seized from Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad. "Every terrorist in the al Qaeda network should be watching their back, because we're goin
g to review every video, we are going to examine every photo, we're going to read every one of those millions of pages, we're going to pursue every lead. We are going to go wherever it takes us," Obama said on Friday.
Ful report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/americas/Obama-flexes-muscle-warns-al-Qaeda/Article1-700145.aspx
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Taliban not unhappy with Osama demise
21 May 2011
In their missives to the world, the Taliban greeted Osama bin Laden's death as a call to arms - a killing that would incite "waves of jihad." Privately, many Taliban commanders are probably breathing a sigh of relief. The ties that bound al Qaeda and the Taliban were anchored by their two leaders -
Ful report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/afghanistan/Taliban-not-unhappy-with-Osama-demise/Article1-700012.aspx
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Obama angers Israel by mooting 1967 borders as starting point for peace deal
May 21, 2011
S Rajagopalan
US President Barack Obama has proposed that the borders existing before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war should be the starting point for negotiating a peace deal with the Palestinians, provoking a prompt and angry reaction from Israel.
Ful report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/340016/Obama-angers-Israel-by-mooting-1967-borders-as-starting-point-for-peace-deal.html
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Pak army’s opposition to drone strikes mere public posturing
Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury
21 May 2011
CONTRARY to public posturing, Pakistan’s top military brass has strongly supported the US military’s drone strikes in their country and even requested Washington for drones for its own operations.
Leaked US embassy cables reveal this support dates back to the Pervez Musharraf government.
Ful report at:
http://epaper.mailtoday.in/epaperhome.aspx?issue=2152011
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Are Pakistani forces really ashamed?
By SYED ATIQ UL HASAN
May 20, 2011
Today the Pakistani nation is ashamed of those whom they have always held in high esteem. Now, the civic society, political gurus and the public are protesting over the intelligence failure of Pakistan's agencies and the US violation of Pakistan's sovereignty.
Ful report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article417964.ece
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Pakistan paid heavy price in terror war: PM
BEIJING: Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has reiterated that Pakistan could not be held solely responsible for failure to trace Osama bin Laden’s whereabouts in Pakistan, Geo News reported Friday.
Ful report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=15829
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Pak Army denies Kayani asked for US drone support
By AZHAR MASOOD
May 20, 2011
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army has denied WikiLeaks report that army chief Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani had sought US drone assistance during Malakand army operations against the Taleban in 2008.
An Inter-Services Public Relations press statement questioned the authenticity of the WikiLeaks cables and said that the army conducted operations in Malakand with its own resources.
Ful report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article417436.ece
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Gen. Hussain named new military chief of Dammam, Saudi Arab
By SIRAJ WAHAB
May 20, 2011
DAMMAM: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah announced Friday in a royal decree that Gen. Hussain bin Abdullah Al-Qabil has been promoted from deputy chief of general staff to chief of general staff. He replaces Gen. Saleh bin Ali-Al-Mohayya. Al-Qabil was previously a lieutenant general and was promoted to Ful report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article417843.ece
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Pakistani minister denounces Saudi diplomat’s killing
By GHAZANFAR ALI KHAN
May 20, 2011
RIYADH: Pakistan’s Information Minister Firdous Aashiq Awan, who arrived here Friday, strongly condemned and offered her condolences for the assassination of the Saudi diplomat in Karachi on Monday during her talks with senior Saudi officials here.
Ful report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article417849.ece
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Obama names Patterson to key post of envoy to Egypt
21 May 2011
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama on Friday named former Pakistan troubleshooter Anne Patterson as the next US ambassador to Egypt, a key ally which Washington hopes will become a model for Arab democracy, the White House said.
Ful report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/05/21/obama-names-patterson-to-key-post-of-envoy-to-egypt.html
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US will also target other Al Qaeda leaders: Clinton
By Anwar Iqbal
21 May 2011
WASHINGTON: The United States expects its allies to go after Al Qaeda leaders if they are located within their territories and if they do not, the Americans will get them, says US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Also on Friday, the US media reported that the Obama administration had revived its covert drone campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan’s tribal areas after several months of slow activity.
Ful report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/05/21/us-will-also-target-other-al-qaeda-leaders-clinton.html
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Control of Shamsi airfield of Pakistan shrouded in mystery
By NAHAL TOOSI
May 19, 2011
ISLAMABAD: During a recent, rare briefing to Parliament, a top Pakistani Air Force commander made a surprising claim: A remote southwestern airfield long suspected of housing US drones used in missile strikes was actually under the control of the United Arab Emirates.
Ful report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article414982.ece
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Pak, China to launch satellite on Aug 14
By Iftikhar A. Khan
21 May 2011
BEIJING: Pakistan and China would jointly launch a communication satellite on August 14 to replace the SAT-1 which is on the verge of expiry, officials said.
The satellite would be sent into the orbit on the Independence Day of Pakistan as a mark of the Sino-Pak friendship, an official said after Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani`s visit to China`s Academy of Space Technology (CAST) here on Friday.
The prime minister went around several sections of the academy and observed the activities and research being carried out there.
Ful report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/05/21/pak-china-to-launch-satellite-on-aug-14.html
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India had insufficient evidence against Pakistan: Cable
21 May 2011
KARACHI: US ambassador to Pakistan Anne W Patterson, as a result of no progress on Mumbai attacks investigation, had made it clear to the Washington in 2009 that India had presented insufficient evidence against the senior leaders of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, according to a cable released by WikiLeaks on Friday.
Ful report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=15814
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Shahbaz had agreed on temporary restoration of CJ: WikiLeaks
21 May 2011
WASHINGTON: According to a fresh leak by the international whistleblower WikiLeaks, Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif had agreed on temporary restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry just for the sake of face saving.
Ful report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=15805
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Palestinians bemoan failure to exploit social media
By DAVID E. MILLER
May 19, 2011
RAMALLAH: The person behind the “People Want to End the Division” Facebook page must have been celebrating two months ago ahead of planned rallies across the West Bank and Gaza Strip calling for Palestinian national unity. Almost 41,000 people promised to turn out and close to another 6,700 said they would try.
But on March 15, the day of the event, only 4,000 turned out in Ramallah, which was the largest gathering. Another 1,500 assembled in Nablus. In the Gaza Strip, 3,000 rallied but their demonstration was quickly dispersed by Hamas operatives.
Hamas and its arch-rival, Fatah, did sign a unity agreement in early May, just as the Facebook campaigners were demanding, but most analysts say the two movements acted in response to regional politics. Compared to the size and persistence of the social-media-inspired protests at Cairo’s Tahrir Square that brought down Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Palestinian social media was barely a blip.
Ful report at:
.
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article415256.ece
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Iran says US biggest loser from Mideast upheaval
By REUTERS
May 20, 2011
TEHRAN: Iran called the United States the biggest loser from the upheaval in the Middle East on Friday, a day after President Barack Obama made a speech reaching out to Arab people seeking greater democracy.
In its first reaction to Obama’s speech, the secretary-general of Iran’s National Security Council said US Middle East policy, particularly its support for Israel, had proven a failure.
Ful report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article417657.ece
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ZA Bhutto rules from his grave: Sanam
21 May 2011
ISLAMABAD: Benazir Bhutto’s sister Sanam, who lives in London and stays away from Pakistani politics, has issued a surprise statement to defend her father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, asserting that the Hamoodur Rehman Report on the 1971 debacle had exonerated her father.
Ful report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=15770
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Barack Obama praises CIA officials' role in Osama bin Laden killing
21 May 2011
WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama has visited headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to congratulate the top spy outfit for its role in killing of the al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.
Ful report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Barack-Obama-praises-CIA-officials-role-in-Osama-bin-Laden-killing/articleshow/8483758.cms
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Iran had prior info about 9/11 strikes, defectors tell court
Benjamin Weiser & Scott Shane
21 May 2011
Two defectors from Iran's intelligence service have testified that Iranian officials had "foreknowledge of the 9/11 attacks," according to a court filing in a federal lawsuit in Manhattan that seeks damages for Iran's "direct support for, and sponsorship of, the most deadly act of terrorism in American history."
One of the defectors also claimed that Iran was involved in planning the attacks, the filing said.
Ful report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Iran-had-prior-info-about-9/11-strikes-defectors-tell-court/articleshow/8479082.cms
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Arab League calls for action on Palestinian statehood
21 May 2011
Arab League chief Amr Moussa called on the US president, Barack Obama, to follow through with his support for a Palestinian state based on Israel’s 1967 borders, Egypt’s state news agency MENA said on Friday.
Obama reaffirmed the US commitment to Israel’s security on Thursday and called for a peace deal to result in two states, Israeli and Palestinian, sharing the border that existed before Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war.
Ful report at:
http://newagebd.com/newspaper1/international/19448.html
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Saleh calls for early elections
By SAEED AL-BATATI
May 20, 2011
SANAA: Yemen’s embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh called Friday for early presidential elections, urging the countries that asked him to leave to objectively assess his leverage in the country.
“I call upon all brothers and friends to wear white glasses not black glasses to be able to see the crowds of our people saying “yes to the constitutional legitimacy. No to chaos, coups.’” “I call for an early election to prevent the bloodshed and to preserve traditions, and in a democratic and smooth manner,” Saleh told a crowd of tens of thousands.
Ful report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article417660.ece
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Cops’ role in maintaining security in Saudi Arabia highlighted by Grand Mufti
By MAHER ABBAS
May 21, 2011
RIYADH: Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh, who is also chairman of the Council of Senior Scholars and the Administration of Scholarly Research and Ifta, has strongly lauded the efforts being made by the police force in the Kingdom to combat crime.
Ful report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article417854.ece
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Many find driving on Kingdom’s roads a harrowing experience
By MARIAM NIHAL
May 21, 2011
JEDDAH: Drivers in Saudi Arabia consider road rage, damaged roads and hectic traffic a disturbing phenomenon in their daily lives. According to the Saher website, there are 9 million traffic violations annually in the Kingdom.
Ful report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article417565.ece
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Let’s subsidize Saudis’ salaries at small firms
By ABID KHAZANDAR
May 20, 2011
We have grown old repeating the word “Saudization.”
We hoped that the gradual replacement of foreign workers with Saudis would have progressed greatly by now, but nothing of the sort has happened. In many cases we have replaced the word “Saudization” with “the nationalization of jobs.” Due to the many articles on the subject I have gained a lot of experience on the issue.
But before I say what I have on the topic, let us read the latest statement by the labor minister on the process of Saudization. He has classified private establishments into three categories, giving them different colors according to the level of Saudization they have achieved.
The establishment that has achieved Saudization is assigned green. The other two colors are for noncompliance to the assigned quota (which depends on job classification) — yellow and red, respectively.
Ful report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article417884.ece
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Siemens to create over 1,000 Saudi jobs
By KHALIL HANWARE
May 20, 2011
JEDDAH: Siemens is to create 1,000 new jobs in a double investment in the Kingdom. The German company is to build a switchgear manufacturing plant and a service center and when fully operational, the plant is expected to provide 1,000 more jobs for Saudis and international experts. In addition, another 3,000 jobs will be created in the Eastern Province as an indirect result of the company's plans.
In Saudi Arabia Siemens is committed to supporting the careers of young Saudis through targeted professional recruitment programs. This goes along with Siemens program Generation21 that strongly supports educational activities in order to inspire tomorrow's young scientists or engineers, says Siemens Chief Executive Officer Peter Löscher.
Ful report at:
http://arabnews.com/economy/article417507.ece
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Judgment Day: Amid fears the end is nigh, Americans are ready
21 May 2011
WASHINGTON: With an aging fundamentalist Christian preacher warning that Saturday is Judgment Day, Americans have been getting ready.
A handful quit their jobs and were traveling around the United States to urge others to repent before it's too late.
Eighty-nine-year-old Harold Camping's prediction is that at 6:00pm local time in each of the world's regions -- starting in New Zealand at 0600 GMT -- the Rapture will happen and good Christians will be beamed up to heaven, making a tight squeeze for repenting.
Ful report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Judgment-Day-Amid-fears-the-end-is-nigh-Americans-are-ready/articleshow/8482818.cms
nal/19444.html
http://www.newageislam.com/Controlpanel/ArticleDetails.aspx?Article_ID=4679
1:56 AM
Moderate Islamist here
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