| Islamic World News | |
| 10 Jul 2011, NewAgeIslam.Com |
| Mass grave with 222 bodies found in Iraq | ||
 Sunni Official: Enemies to Hijack Islamic Awakening
J&K college students defy radicals, hold music fest
A look at the history, people of South Sudan
Kurram violence: 10 Taliban killed as military crackdown continues
Taliban blamed as 108 die in Karachi
Afghan Spy Agency kills 2 US soldiers, Suicide attack injures 10 civilians
Malaysia arrests over 1,600 as people join anti-Govt rally
Libya: Rebels continue to push west from Misrata
Iran fires test-fires missiles to Indian Ocean for first time
US, India dialogue to focus on Afghan, counter-terrorism
US, Britain impose visa restrictions on 50 Iranians
Pakistan military rejects ‘mischievous’ NYT reports
Malaysian PM defends protest crackdown
'Iran, absolute power in Muslim world': Foreign Minister
157 target killers arrested this year so far: Sindh Home Minister
Rangers shooting in Pak: Extrajudicial killing caught on tape
Austrian may be senior Al Qaeda figure
Muslim gal assaulted in Harlem
Shahzad case: Judicial Commission laments lack of cooperation
Hasina helped Yunus get Nobel Prize
Qaida defeat within reach, says Panetta
Militants kill six, attack Nato tanker
Headley wants his son to be a top Pakistani commando
Pak couple sues American airline for racial profiling
Pak asks US to share actionable intelligence on Zawahiri
Egypt orders arrest of 12 police officers for murder
ISI inimical to Pakistan, US interests
We share terror intelligence with India: John Key
Show proof of Indian role: Pakistani panel
Bodies of six kidnapped Afghan deminers found
Pakistan troops take control of Karachi after violence
Syria opens 'national dialogue' with opposition
Afghan, Pakistan forces agree on more border talks
US to hold back $800m in aid to Pak: NYT
Hundreds spend night in Cairo's Tahrir Square
Ayman al-Zawahri living in Pakistan: Panetta
Saudi arrests hardline cleric al-Ahmed: activists
Yemeni troops killed civilians 'like chicken'
Egypt says no Gulf pressure to halt Mubarak trial
Lebanon sees no big Syrian cash flow: Banker
Saudi Agriculture 2011 to be held after Ramadan
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: The remains of 222 people, probably Kurds killed under Iraq's former regime in 1987, were extracted from a mass grave south of Baghdad, the authorities said on Sunday.
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| Mass grave with 222 bodies found in Iraq | |
Sunni Official: Enemies to Hijack Islamic Awakening
J&K college students defy radicals, hold music fest
A look at the history, people of South Sudan
Kurram violence: 10 Taliban killed as military crackdown continues
Taliban blamed as 108 die in Karachi
Afghan Spy Agency kills 2 US soldiers, Suicide attack injures 10 civilians
Malaysia arrests over 1,600 as people join anti-Govt rally
Libya: Rebels continue to push west from Misrata
Iran fires test-fires missiles to Indian Ocean for first time
US, India dialogue to focus on Afghan, counter-terrorism
US, Britain impose visa restrictions on 50 Iranians
Pakistan military rejects ‘mischievous’ NYT reports
Malaysian PM defends protest crackdown
'Iran, absolute power in Muslim world': Foreign Minister
157 target killers arrested this year so far: Sindh Home Minister
Rangers shooting in Pak: Extrajudicial killing caught on tape
Austrian may be senior Al Qaeda figure
Muslim gal assaulted in Harlem
Shahzad case: Judicial Commission laments lack of cooperation
Hasina helped Yunus get Nobel Prize
Qaida defeat within reach, says Panetta
Militants kill six, attack Nato tanker
Headley wants his son to be a top Pakistani commando
Pak couple sues American airline for racial profiling
Pak asks US to share actionable intelligence on Zawahiri
Egypt orders arrest of 12 police officers for murder
ISI inimical to Pakistan, US interests
We share terror intelligence with India: John Key
Show proof of Indian role: Pakistani panel
Bodies of six kidnapped Afghan deminers found
Pakistan troops take control of Karachi after violence
Syria opens 'national dialogue' with opposition
Afghan, Pakistan forces agree on more border talks
US to hold back $800m in aid to Pak: NYT
Hundreds spend night in Cairo's Tahrir Square
Ayman al-Zawahri living in Pakistan: Panetta
Saudi arrests hardline cleric al-Ahmed: activists
Yemeni troops killed civilians 'like chicken'
Egypt says no Gulf pressure to halt Mubarak trial
Lebanon sees no big Syrian cash flow: Banker
Saudi Agriculture 2011 to be held after Ramadan
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Mass grave with 222 bodies found in Iraq
Jul 10, 2011
The remains of 222 people, probably Kurds killed under Iraq's former regime in 1987, were extracted from a mass grave south of Baghdad, the authorities said on Sunday. (AFP Photo)
SHANAFIYAH, Iraq: The remains of 222 people, probably Kurds killed under Iraq's former regime in 1987, were extracted from a mass grave south of Baghdad, the authorities said on Sunday.
"We have found 222 bodies and we have transferred them to the morgue in the province of Najaf," said Karim Ziad, the official in charge of mass graves at the Department of Human Rights.
Iraqi authorities announced on Wednesday they had discovered another mass grave with 900 corpses in the Shanafiyah region near the city of Diwaniyah.
Ziad said several factors suggested that the victims, most with bullet wounds, were Kurds killed during the regime of ousted dictator Saddam Hussein.
"The mass graves are made up of six trenches, and we have done (work) on only three of them," he said, suggesting the number of victims could be much higher.
Dakhil Saihoud, provincial head of the Justice and Accountability Commission which investigates issues relating to the former regime, said he was informed there were 17 trenches at the site.
"It is possible there are hundreds of bodies in there," he said.
"The mass graves are crimes against humanity committed in 1987," said Human rights minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. "This is one of 84 sites listed at our ministry, and we have completed work on 34 of them," he said.
Widad Hatem, director of the Committee for Human Rights in Diwaniyah's provincial council, said women and children were among the victims.
Maghoul Abdullah, an old man of more than 90, said he remembered people being rounded up in town.
"The security forces of the old regime evacuated the area and forced us to leave the place. After a few days, large trucks took away people at night, and we even clearly heard their cries," he said.
During Iraq's 1980-1988 war with Iran, deserters were executed and the Sunni Arab dictator intensified a crackdown on Shiites suspected of sympathising with Iraq's predominantly Shiite neighbour.
Kurds were persecuted because they were the main opposition to Saddam.
The number of people missing as a result of atrocities committed by Saddam, who came to power in 1979, is estimated at anywhere between 300,000 and 1.3 million, according to various sources.
Human rights groups believe there are hundreds of mass graves in Iraq of people killed during Saddam's rule.
Shortly after the 2003 invasion, the US-led coalition said there were 263 mass reported graves of people executed in Iraq under Saddam, including 40 containing evidence of systematic killings.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Mass-grave-with-222-bodies-found-in-Iraq/articleshow/9175300.cms
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J&K college students defy radicals, hold music fest
M Saleem Pandit
Jul 10, 2011
SRINAGAR: Srinagar's Government Medical College went ahead with its dance and musical golden jubilee celebrations on Saturday defying a fringe group of junior doctors detained for protesting the event in the name of "morality" a day earlier.
Police said three students were picked up from the college campus while distributing pamphlets titled "Golden Jubilee - Time to Introspect". The pamphlets asked students and the faculty to refrain from attending the music and dance programme in the name of "religion and culture". They asked students not to celebrate in the "tormented regions like ours".
Srinagar police chief Ashiq Hussian Bukhari confirmed the detention but refused to identify the three. "A decision has been taken and they may be released," he said.
Police said the three were detained for "preaching hatred against the college authorities".
Chief minister Omar Abdullah was the chief guest at the function that included cultural and musical shows. Around 1,500 alumni from around the world and the country participated in the college celebrations.
The Kashmir University authorities cancelled a charity musical programme for similar reasons earlier this week.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/JK-college-students-defy-radicals-hold-music-fest/articleshow/9168408.cms
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Sunni Official: Enemies to Hijack Islamic Awakening
Jul 10, 2011
Deputy of President in Sunni affairs said enemies of Islam are trying to hijack the Islamic awakening formed in Muslim countries.
Mowlavi Es'hagh Madani, the Iranian president's advisor in Sunni affairs said the plot of the enemies to hijack Islamic awakening is foiled by vigilance of the Muslims.
He said," These efforts of the world arrogant powers to divert the path of public revolutions has a long history and Muslims have to stay vigil against this dangerous plot."
Madani, also, member of the Supreme Council of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought noted that the signs of Islamic Revolution of Iran are appearing around the world.
"Certainly Islamic awakening in the region is a blessing of the Islamic Revolution of Iran," the sunni cleric said.
He added that Islamic Revolution is not the absolute reason for Islamic awakening and public uprisings in the region because every country has its special condition.
"Too much of stress on the point may push the enemies to misuse the opportunity and breach the Muslim nation but what is obvious is that Islamic Revolution of Iran has had a role in formation of the Islamic awakening," Es'hagh Madani said.
This outstanding Sunni figure said," Muslim nations have to set Iranian nation as a model and prevent enemies of Islam to ruin their unity."
He called unity and solidarity as the secrets to victory of the Muslims and said," Boosting the unity and religious beliefs make a great obstacle for the enemies of Islam to penetrate into Muslim communities."
He called on Muslim nations to defend the religion, resources and interests of the Muslim countries against the invasions of the enemies and warned against the efforts of the enemies to hijack the Islamic awakening to their own interest.
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=252421
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A look at the history, people of South Sudan
Jul 9, 2011
THE LAND: Sudan is currently the largest country in Africa but on Saturday will lose the Texas-sized south, which becomes its own nation. South Sudan shares a 1,300 mile- (2,100-kilometer-) border with northern Sudan. South Sudan also will border Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Central African Republic and Congo.
THE PEOPLE: The south's population is disputed. A 2008-09 census found that it had 8.26 million, but the southern government argued that the south has between 11 million and 13 million. Of more than 200 ethnic groups, the majority practice traditional or indigenous faiths and Christians remain in the minority. The percentage of southern Muslims is much smaller, though immigrants from the north who practice Islam are well represented in the southern capital.
CHALLENGES: It is one of the least developed regions in the world, where an estimated 85 percent of the population is illiterate. The U.N. says a 15-year-old girl in Southern Sudan has a higher chance of dying in childbirth than finishing school. There was only a mile or two of pavement in its capital just a little over a year ago. Food prices have soared in recent months and unemployment is high: Many southerners are self-sustaining cattlekeepers or farmers, while others subsist off small sales of tea and other goods.
THE ECONOMY: Sudan is sub-Saharan Africa's third-largest oil producer, and the south should assume control of more than 75 percent of the daily oil production of 490,000 barrels. But negotiations between north and south over the future of the oil industry _ worth billions per year _ are mired in dispute.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/A-look-at-the-history-people-of-South-Sudan/articleshow/9162655.cms?prtpage=1
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Kurram violence: 10 Taliban killed as military crackdown continues
By Manzoor Ali
July 10, 2011
PESHAWAR: At least 10 militants were killed and four security personnel injured in an ongoing military operation on Saturday, sources said.
The deaths occurred after Taliban mounted an attack on a security check post in the Shor Kot area of Central Kurram.
Security forces fired back and destroyed a vehicle belonging to the militants.
Sources claimed that security forces were reinforcing their positions in the areas of Dhalki, Kurtt and Kund and that militants had now moved to the Ali Sherzai area in central Kurram.
Full report at: http://tribune.com.pk/story/206462/kurram-violence-10-taliban-killed-as-military-crackdown-continues/
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Taliban blamed as 108 die in Karachi
Jul 10, 2011
PAKISTANI forces regained control on Saturday over trouble spots in the nation’s largest city, where five days of political and ethnic violence has killed at least 108 and forced many to stay at home in fear.
The fighting in Karachi, a sprawling southern port city of 18 million people, has added to the political instability in this nucleararmed, US- allied country and provided another distraction for the government as it fights a Taliban- led insurgent movement.
It also undercuts the country’s struggling economy because Karachi is its main commercial hub.
Full report at: http://epaper.mailtoday.in/epaperhome.aspx?issue=1072011
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Afghan Spy Agency kills 2 US soldiers, Suicide attack injures 10 civilians
July 10, 2011
KABUL (AIP): An operative of National Directorate of Security (NDS), Afghan spy agency, shot and killed two US troops on Saturday after a verbal clash in northern Punjsheer province, police said Saturday.The shooting happened in Dara area of Punjsheer district, Panjsheer province, when a guard of General Hassamuddin Hassam, a high-ranking NDS official, exchanged hot words with American troops late this morning.He said two US troops and NDS personnel, Amanullah, were killed and a US soldier wounded in exchange of fire.Another source, however, said two NDS operatives were also wounding in the shootout.Taliban, meanwhile, gave different account of the incident saying their fighters attacked the same area, killing three PRT workers and wounding several others.Two ISAF personnel were killed in an attack on Saturday in eastern Afghanistan, the NATO-led force said in a statement.“One International Security Assistance Force service member and one ISAF civilian died following an attack in eastern Afghanistan today,” the multinational force said in a statement.ISAF did not disclose the nature of the attack, adding “The incident is under investigation.”“There has been a shooting incident in Panjshayr province.
Full report at: http://www.thefrontierpost.com/?p=36954
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Malaysia arrests over 1,600 as people join anti-Govt rally
July 10, 2011
Breaching a lockdown imposed by authorities, more than 50,000 people on Saturday poured onto the streets of Malaysian capital in the biggest political rally in years to demand electoral reforms.
People came out in large numbers for the Opposition- backed rally to bring pressure on Prime Minister Najib Razak’s long ruling coalition to usher in electoral reforms and more transparency ahead of national polls early next year.
Police fired tear gas and detained more than 1,600 people as they sealed off all major roads leading to the city centre in the capital, closed train stations and deployed trucks mounted with water cannons to thwart the rally.
Full report at: http://www.dailypioneer.com/351969/Malaysia-arrests-over-1600-as-people-join-anti-Govt-rally.html
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Libya: Rebels continue to push west from Misrata
By Gabriel Gatehouse
Scenes from the front line near Misrata, as the rebels push towards Zlitan
Libyan rebels are continuing to make progress as they battle west from Misrata towards the key town of Zlitan, on the road to Tripoli.
After more than six weeks of stalemate, the rebels have in recent days pushed back the forces of Col Muammar Gaddafi, despite rocket and mortar fire.
Progress is slow and the rebels have taken heavy casualties, but they say morale is high.
The capital remains some 200km (125 miles) away.
Digging in
Full report at: ttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14094671
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Iran fires test-fires missiles to Indian Ocean for first time
Jul 10, 2011
Tehran: Iran said on Saturday it test-fired two long-range missiles into the Indian Ocean earlier this year, the first time it has fired missiles into that sea, according to state television.
In the month of Bahman (Jan 21-Feb 19) two missiles with a range of 1,900 km (1,180 miles) were fired from Semnan province(in northern Iran) into the mouth of the Indian Ocean, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Revolutionary Guards' aerospace division, told a news conference some of which was shown on television.
Iran usually tests its missiles in extensive deserts in the heart of the country, so the firing into the Indian Ocean is an unusual move, aimed to prove Tehran's long-standing claims it can hit targets beyond its borders.
Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/815213/
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US, India dialogue to focus on Afghan, counter-terrorism
July 10, 2011
S Rajagopalan
Cooperation on counter-terrorism and the evolving situation in Afghanistan are among a host of key issues set to be taken up at the high-power India-US strategic dialogue, to be held in New Delhi on July 19.
Issues relating to the nuclear waiver for India, defence cooperation, economic ties and an upcoming bilateral education summit are all likely to feature in this second round of strategic dialogue.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who co-chairs the meeting with External Affairs Minister SM Krishna, will be arriving in New Delhi with a team of senior officials drawn from various departments of the Obama administration.
“The depth of the US-India strategic dialogue demonstrates the United States’ strong support for India as an important actor on the world stage and is representative of the broad and multifaceted US-India relationship,” a State Department announcement said.
It spoke of the expanding partnership between the two countries that now cover "issues ranging from counter-terrorism and defence cooperation to climate change, high-tech trade and scientific innovation".
Clinton’s two-day visit will also take her to Chennai, said to be the first visit by a serving Secretary of State to the southern metropolis which, the announcement noted, has "emerged as a hub of trade, investment and people-to-people engagement that is driving the US-India relationship”.
Full report at: http://www.dailypioneer.com/351978/US-India-dialogue-to-focus-on-Afghan-counter-terrorism.html
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US, Britain impose visa restrictions on 50 Iranians
July 10, 2011
The US and Britain have imposed visa restrictions on 50 Iranians, including Government Ministers and military officers, for alleged human rights violations in their country.
The restrictions cover those who have played a role in the ongoing repression of students, human rights defenders, lawyers, artists, civil society representatives, women’s rights leaders, and religious and ethnic minorities, the State Department said on Friday.
Canada also announced support for the new restrictions which will be imposed on more than 50 Iranian officials, including Government Ministers, military and law enforcement officers, and judiciary and prison officials.
“The actions are an important reminder to Iran that the international community will continue to hold accountable those officials who commit human rights abuses,” the Secretary of State said.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/351974/US-Britain-impose-visa-restrictions-on-50-Iranians.html
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Pakistan military rejects ‘mischievous’ NYT reports
July 10, 2011
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military on Saturday rejected as “baseless” stories in the New York Times accusing it of colluding with militant groups and Pakistani intelligence services of approving a journalist’s killing.
A statement quoting spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said the general “rejected the allegations levelled against the Army and ISI, and described them as baseless and mischievous”.
Abbas drew parallels between these stories and the newspaper’s reporting in the run-up to the Iraq war, some of which it later retracted.
“In recent weeks the NYT has continued to publish wild claims presented as news stories on the basis of information supposedly provided by unnamed US officials,” he said in the statement.
“If the paper continues with its vilifying campaign without any concrete evidence, I am afraid at some point it may end up expressing its deep regret the way it did in the case of its Iraq coverage,” he said.
Full report at: http://www.dawn.com/2011/07/09/pakistan-military-rejects-mischievous-nyt-reports.html
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Malaysian PM defends protest crackdown
Jul 10, 2011,
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Sunday defended the government's handling of street protests amid a firestorm of criticism heightened by the death of a demonstrator.
Riot police fired tear gas and water cannon at thousands of chanting protesters on Saturday, sparking scenes of mayhem in the capital Kuala Lumpur and stinging criticism from human rights watchdogs.
Officers also arrested more than 1,600 people, including prominent opposition figures, in the crackdown although the police said all had been freed by midnight Saturday.
Speaking at a government function Sunday, Najib lashed at the opposition-backed protesters saying they were trying to paint a picture of Malaysia as a repressive state, according to the official Bernama news agency.
"They said they wanted to hold a peaceful rally. If the police had not monitored it, it would not have been peaceful," the prime minister said.
Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Malaysian-PM-defends-protest-crackdown/articleshow/9173110.cms
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Iran, absolute power in Muslim world': Foreign Minister
Jul 10, 2011
Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi
Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi says the Islamic Republic is “an absolute power” in the region and the world of Islam.
Referring to scientific, technological, economic, cultural, and public hygiene levels as power indexes of a country, the Iranian foreign minister said that such important indicators are reflective of the fact that the “Islamic Republic has turned into an indisputable power” and that it is gradually establishing such clout at the global stage, IRNA reported Saturday.
Salehi, who was speaking in a live TV news show, pointed to the recent popular uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa and said Iran's trend of progress in the past 30 years as well as its significant achievements in various fields has set a model as a freedom-seeking and oppression-defying nation.
Responding to a question on Iran's position regarding the developments in Bahrain, Salehi said, “We support the demands of the people of Bahrain just as we have supported the uprising of the people of Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen.”
He added that the Islamic Republic will continue to back the legitimate rights of the Bahrainis by taking into account “the principle of noninterference in the internal affairs of other countries.”
Full report at: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/188387.html
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157 target killers arrested this year so far: Wassan
July 10, 2011
Karachi (PPI): Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Hussain Wassan said that the law enforcement agencies have arrested 157 alleged target killers from January till now from different parts of Karachi.After the taken charge of Sindh Home Department, he was addressing is first press conference on Saturday at Central City Police Office (CCPO) Karachi.
Full report at: http://www.thefrontierpost.com/?p=37114
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Rangers shooting in Pak: Extrajudicial killing caught on tape
By Faraz Khan
June 9, 2011
KARACHI: A youth was killed when Rangers shot him in a busy area of Karachi, Boat Basin, television channels reported late on Wednesday.
Five men from the Ghazi wing of the Rangers are said to be involved in the incident, of whom two have been arrested.
Video footage of the incident showed the Rangers killing the man, Sarfaraz Shah, who allegedly had a pistol in his hand, after beating him up.
Before being shot, Shah had tried to grab the security forces’ weapons.
Initially, the police and Rangers had claimed that they were informed that a dacoit had held a family hostage in Benazir Bhutto Park. The security personnel claimed that they went inside the park and asked the man to surrender. When he refused to do so, the Rangers shot at him in retaliation. Shah was injured and died after reaching Jinnah Hospital, security personnel said.
Shah was the brother of Salik Shah, a reporter of Samaa TV. The family of the deceased along with journalists held a protest at the chief minister’s house in Karachi. The chief minister has taken notice of the incident.
The Sindh information minister, Sharjeel Memon has said that no leniency will be shown to the culprits.
Political parties, including the ANP and the MQM, have condemned the incident.
For more on this issue follow: rangerskilling
http://tribune.com.pk/story/185274/unarmed-youth-shot-dead-by-rangers-at-point-blank/
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Austrian may be senior Al Qaeda figure
10 July 2011
VIENNA — Prosecutors in Vienna have opened an investigation into a young Austrian suspected of being a senior member of al-Qaeda, according to a report in Sunday’s edition of the Austrian Die Presse.
The suspect, known as “Driss”, is thought to have led a group of fighters of Austrian origin on the Afghan-Pakistan border, says the report, citing a US specialist on terror groups, Paul Cruickshank.
Austrian intelligence agents picked up on “Driss” in 2005 and believe he had become a close aide to Saleh Al Somali, who was one of Al Qaeda’s most senior figures before he was killed by a US drone in 2009.
“Driss” is understood to be a convert to Islam and was born in the Austrian capital in 1983, the paper said.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/July/international_July489.xml§ion=international&col=
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Muslim gal assaulted in Harlem
By JAMIE SCHRAM and MAURA O'CONNOR
July 9, 2011
A Muslim woman was beaten by two female thugs who ripped off her headdress during a Harlem attack that cops are investigating as a possible hate crime, The Post has learned.
Aissatou Diallo, 56, said she was pummeled after asking one of the women to stop taking her picture as she walked to her husband's store Wednesday.
"I was minding my business. I was fully covered. So, why did they attack me -- just because I am a Muslim?" Diallo told The Post.
Diallo said she politely asked Francesca Johnson, 28, to quit snapping cellphone shots as she walked down St. Nicholas Avenue near West 141st Street.
UNDERCOVER ASSAULT: Aissatou Diallo says she was beaten, called a terrorist and had her burqa torn off by two women.
Johnson, who is black, ducked into a building and reappeared with Linda Paplow, 60, who is white.
Full report at: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/muslim_gal_assaulted_in_harlem_tpbqmgjLNjlRdJzTtcpnKO#ixzz1RiMTwQ41
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Shahzad case: Judicial Commission laments lack of cooperation
From Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, Jul 10 (PTI) The head of a Pakistani commission investigating the killing of journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad has expressed concern at the lack of cooperation from reporters and the public, saying this could slow down the probe.
Justice Saqib Nisar of the Supreme Court, who heads the commission set up to investigate the kidnapping and murder of Shahzad, said that no one had come forward to help the panel despite requests made through media advertisements.
The commission had only received a call from someone who suggested it should approach a "Pir Baba" at Chakwal in Punjab who would lead it to the murderer and a compact disc from a person in Quetta, Nisar said while presiding over the second meeting of the panel yesterday.
Full report at: http://news.in.msn.com/international/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5278396
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Hasina helped Yunus get Nobel Prize
10 July 2011
The LGRD minister has said it was Sheikh Hasina who helped Muhammad Yunus get the Nobel Peace Prize by making him familiar globally.
‘Had our prime minister Sheikh Hasina not introduced Muhammad Yunus at the Global Microcredit Summit in Washington, the economist would not become so familiar and win the Nobel Prize,’ Syed Ashraful Islam said on Saturday.
Addressing a programme in the city, he said, ‘She [Hasina] had also introduced microcredit worldwide through the [first] global summit in Washington [in 1997] in presence of the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, the then US first lady, and the Queen Sophia of Spain and many more.’
‘Our country is a place of history distortions, and everyone forgets these,’ he told the programme, organised at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre, marking the 12 years of Palli Daridra Bimochon Foundation.
Hasina inaugurated the programme, addressed, among others, by state minister for LGRD Jahangir Kabir Nanak and chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the ministry Mohammad Rahmat Ali.
Full report at: http://newagebd.com/newspaper1/frontpage/25670.html
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Qaida defeat within reach, says Panetta
Elisabeth Bumiller
Jul 10, 2011
KABUL: Defence secretary Leon E Panetta, who arrived in Kabul on Saturday, said the US was within reach of strategically defeating al-Qaida and that the American focus had narrowed to capturing or killing 10 to 20 crucial leaders of the terrorist group in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen. Panetta, who took over as defence secretary from Robert M Gates on July 1, made his comments aboard his plane before arriving on an unannounced trip to Kabul.
They were Panettas first public remarks as defence secretary and among the most positive from a senior American national security official about the decade-old war against the terrorist organization. Panetta, who as director of the CIA ran the American commando raid that killed bin Laden in Pakistan on May 2, said that one of his goals was to defeat Qaida.
Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Qaida-defeat-within-reachsays-Panetta/articleshow/9169602.cms?prtpage=1
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Militants kill six, attack Nato tanker
Jul 10, 2011
PESHAWAR: At least five people were killed when militants fired on two vehicles in northwest Pakistan on Saturday, while the driver of a Nato oil tanker was shot dead in the southwest, officials said.
Five people died and 11 others were wounded when militants fired on the two vehicles in the northwestern Jawakai tribal area, some 50 kilometres east of Peshawar, senior government official Sahibzada Mohammad Anis told AFP.
Regional police chief Mohammad Masood Khan Afridi confirmed the shooting and deaths, and said it was “the work of militants”. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
Full report at: http://www.dawn.com/2011/07/10/militants-kill-six-attack-nato-tanker.html
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Headley wants his son to be a top Pakistani commando
Jul 10, 2011
Headley's deadly plans: The LeT operative has been grooming his son to become a top Pakistani commando and serve the Special Service Group
WASHINGTON: LeT operative David Headley wants his five-year-old son to one day become a soldier in Pakistani army's elite Special Service Group (SSG), which is known for its anti-India operations including the Kargil incursion and wars of 1965 and 1971.
Headley, who was the star government witness in the Chicago trial of his childhood friend Tahawwur Rana last month, had been grooming his son keeping this in mind.
So much so that when his son's football coach asked him to kick the ball one day by saying shoot, he instead of kicking the ball, laid down on the ground and posed like he was shooting a gun indicating the level of his indoctrination.
Headley -- who told the court that he joined Pakistan- based LeT, which is responsible for several terror strikes in India, including the Mumbai attacks, because he wanted to fight against Indian forces in Kashmir -- shared this incident between his son and football coach with LeT leader Pasha during a telephonic conversation, according to transcripts presented before the Chicago court.
Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Headley-wants-his-son-to-be-a-top-Pakistani-commando/articleshow/9172906.cms?intenttarget=no
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Pak couple sues American airline for racial profiling
Jul 10, 2011
NEW YORK: A Pakistan couple are suing American Airlines after they were handcuffed and escorted out of a plane based on a phone call with a hijacking threat, which turned out to be a hoax.
"The only reason police went to them is because their names were Maheen Ghani Taseer and Shahbaz Ali Taseer," Joel Siegal, their lawyer, was as quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.
"They were singled out and treated as the most vile terrorists," he said.
The Daily Mail reported that Shahbaz is the son of Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab province who was assassinated by an Islamic extremist in January.
The incident occurred on August 19 last year, and the case was transferred from the San Francisco Superior Court to the federal court this week.
The couple were vacationing in the US and were heading to New York to catch a flight back to Pakistan. They are currently in Pakistan.
In a statement, American Airlines said that it would move to dismiss the claims.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Pak-couple-sues-American-airline-for-racial-profiling/articleshow/9171843.cms
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Pak asks US to share actionable intelligence on Zawahiri
Jul 10, 2011
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan military asked the US to share "actionable intelligence" about terrorist leaders believed to be hiding in the country's tribal belt, including al-Qaida's new emir Ayman al-Zawahiri, so that it could conduct targeted operations against them.
"We expect the US intelligence establishment to share available information and actionable intelligence regarding al-Zawahiri and other high value targets with us, enabling the Pakistan Army to carry out targeted operations," said a spokesman for the Inter-Services Public Relations.
The military spokesman was responding to US defence secretary Leon Panetta's statement about al-Qaida leaders being present in Pakistan's tribal belt.
The Pakistan Army is "already carrying out intense operations against al-Qaida and its affiliates who are a threat to the security of our country and people," the spokesman said.
Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pak-asks-US-to-share-actionable-intelligence-on-Zawahiri/articleshow/9173666.cms
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Egypt orders arrest of 12 police officers for murder
Jul 10, 2011
CAIRO: The prosecutor in Egypt's second city Alexandria ordered the arrest of 12 police officers accused of torturing to death a suspect in a deadly New Year's church attack, a judicial official said.
Adel Emara ordered the arrest of the officers, who allegedly killed Sayed Belal, a Salafi (Muslim fundamentalist), who was arrested a week after a bombing attack that killed more than 20 people.
Belal's bruised body was handed to his family the day after he was arrested, rights groups said at the time.
Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Egypt-orders-arrest-of-12-police-officers-for-murder/articleshow/9164521.cms?prtpage=1
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ISI inimical to Pakistan, US interests
Jul 10, 2011
Charging ISI with being inimical to the interests of the US and Pakistan, a leading daily in Kathmandu has asked Washington to seek the removal of its chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha and slap sanctions against its officials involved in terror activities.
“The United States needs to use its influence to hasten Pasha’s departure,” The New York Times said in an editorial, as American officials blamed the military-run Pakistani intelligence agency for the killing of investigative journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad.
“It (the US) should tell Pakistan’s security leadership that if Washington identifies anyone in ISI or the army as abetting terrorists, those individuals will face sanctions like travel bans or other measures.” The influential US daily added that the “ISI has become inimical to Pakistani and American interests.”
The Times in a lead story early this week had said that the Obama administration now has evidence implicating the ISI in this brutal killing.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/719395.aspx
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We share terror intelligence with India: John Key
Jul 10, 2011
Mumbai: Expressing concern over the attack on the Inter-Continental hotel in Kabul, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key on Wednesday said his country had put in all efforts to tackle terrorism and was partnering with India on many fronts.
“We do share information with India. New Zealand is working very hard to combat the global threat of terrorism. Obviously we are very concerned about the terrorist attack that India suffered in Mumbai very recently. We are working with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and other [bodies] and doing everything we can to make the world a safer place.” Mr. Key told journalists here.
He was responding to a question, on intelligence sharing, on the sidelines of a visit to the indigenously built fast attack craft, ‘INS CANKARSO.'
Full report at: http://www.hindu.com/2011/06/30/stories/2011063063712000.htm
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Show proof of Indian role: Pakistani panel
Anita Joshua
ISLAMABAD: Balochistan is fast sliding into chaos and the situation is very precarious with the tortured bodies of 140 missing persons turning up between July 2010 and May 2011, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). As per HRCP's conservative estimate, another 143 persons are still missing in Pakistan's largest province.
Briefing journalists here about the findings of an HRCP team which visited the violence-prone province in May, Secretary-General I.A. Rehman likened the situation in Balochistan to what prevailed in East Pakistan before 1971. He and the former HRCP chairperson, Asma Jehangir, were one in stating that security forces were trying to create the very same narrative of external forces being responsible for the violence in the resource-rich but under-developed province.
“Are you trying to suggest that all Balochis have sold out to foreign elements? Has the government tried even one person for treason,” asked Ms. Jehangir. To a question on the oft-repeated charge that Indians were stirring up trouble, she shot back: “When the government makes such an allegation, we expect it to show some evidence. Full report at: http://www.hindu.com/2011/06/30/stories/2011063056981400.htm
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Bodies of six kidnapped Afghan deminers found
The bodies of six Afghan deminers who were kidnapped last week have been found, officials have said.
They were among a group of about 30 seized in western Farah province. None have been released.
Elsewhere, three foreign troops were killed in separate incidents, while three Afghan police officers were killed by a roadside bomb in Kandahar.
The deaths follow those of two US soldiers on Saturday, killed by an Afghan intelligence officer.
Full report at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14096985
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Pakistan troops take control of Karachi after violence
By Shahzeb Jillani
The surge in violence is widely blamed on armed gangs linked to rival political and ethnic groups
Security forces in Pakistan have taken control of parts of its largest city, Karachi, where at least 100 people have been shot dead this week.
For the first time since violence started on Tuesday, paramilitary troops and police commandos are patrolling the city's western neighbourhoods.
On Friday police were ordered to shoot-on-sight anyone involved in violence.
Ambulances and armoured vehicles have been evacuating families trapped inside their homes for days.
Full report at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14091896
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Syria opens 'national dialogue' with opposition
The Syrian government is holding a two-day meeting with members of the ruling Baath party and its opponents.
The government says the Damascus meeting will begin discussion of possible reforms, including multi-party elections and a new media law.
But many opposition leaders and protest organisers have refused to attend.
Rights groups estimate that more than 1,750 people, including 350 security personnel, have been killed as the government tries to quell the protests.
The government has blamed "armed criminal gangs" for the unrest, which began in mid-March as protests swept other nations in the Middle East and North Africa.
The question is whether the process of national dialogue is believable; whether it is going to happen, whether it has any credibility and whether it will take along the opposition with it.
It is quite clear that many of the people who actually represent those who are protesting are not turning up. They say they can't do so as long as the government is killing and torturing people.
The president has said really quite big things in terms of the extent of the reform that's on offer.
Full report at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14096981
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Afghan, Pakistan forces agree on more border talks
July 10, 2011
KABUL: Military officials from Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to hold more high-level talks to defuse a row over a series of attacks across their porous border, the Afghan defence ministry said Saturday.
Officials from both militaries and from the United States met Thursday in the northwest Pakistani city of Peshawar to discuss a spike in tensions on the lawless border that has allegedly killed dozens of villagers in recent weeks.
Afghan and Pakistani delegations agreed to do what they could “to stop and prevent repetition of the attacks, and to pave the ground for further strengthening of mutual, friendly relations” said ministry spokesman Mohammad Zahir Azimi in a statement.
“There should be more coordination and high level talks between the authorities of the two countries to seek solutions for the present problems and future issues,” he said.
“…. Higher delegations will hold talks with each other in the near future.” On Friday the Pakistan army said it had proposed a hotline to create one single point of contact with all Afghan security forces, including the border police.
Full report at: http://www.dawn.com/2011/07/09/afghan-pakistan-forces-agree-on-more-border-talks.html
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US to hold back $800m in aid to Pak: NYT
July 10, 2011
WASHINGTON: The Obama administration will hold back about $800 million in aid to the Pakistani military because Washington is unhappy with Pakistan's expulsion of US military trainers and its campaign against militants, the New York Times reported on Saturday.
Relations between the two governments have been strained with the United States wanting Pakistan to intensify its counterterrorism efforts. The relationship also has been tense due to the surprise US raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden on May 2, US drone attacks that have killed civilians and a raft of other issues.
The Times, citing three U.S. senior officials, said the United States was suspending or canceling $800 million in aid and equipment -- more than a third of the $2 billion it gives Pakistan for security assistance.
Full report at: http://www.thenews.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=18447
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Hundreds spend night in Cairo's Tahrir Square
July 10, 2011
CAIRO: Hundreds of protesters spent the night in Cairo's Tahrir Square, reporter of this agency said on Saturday, after mass nationwide rallies to press the new military rulers to make good on promises of reform.
Dozens of tents were pitched in the square -- the focus of protests that ousted veteran president Hosni Mubarak in February -- and traffic was blocked around the usually busy plaza where music blasted from loudspeakers.
Pro-democracy activists who had handled security at Friday's mass rally, were still guarding the entrances to the square, searching anyone walking in.
Among the key demands raised at Friday's protests were an end to military trials of civilians, the dismissal and prosecution of police officers accused of killing protesters, and thorough and transparent trials for former regime officials.
Full report at: http://www.thenews.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=18443
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Ayman al-Zawahri living in Pakistan: Panetta
July 10, 2011
KABUL: US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has said that Ayman-al-Zawahri was living in Pakistan's tribal areas, adding that he wanted to see Pakistan's action against al Qaeda Chief.
According to a foreign news agency, Panetta, prior to his arrival in Kabul on a surprise visit, said that it was strategically possible to defeat Al-Qaeda if the United States could kill or capture up to 20 remaining leaders of the core group and its affiliates.
He added that these individuals were in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=18422
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Saudi arrests hardline cleric al-Ahmed: activists
Jul 10, 2011
Hardline Saudi cleric Sheikh Youssef bin Abdallah al-Ahmed, known for his controversial views on Saudi society, was arrested on Friday, Saudi activists told Reuters on Saturday.
Interior Ministry officials were not immediately available to comment.
"The sheikh was arrested on Friday and is now being questioned by the authorities, the reason might be because he has called for the release of political prisoners," said a Saudi-based activist.
The world's biggest oil exporter is counting on government handouts of an estimated $130 billion, nearly 30 percent of its annual economic output, to lessen grievances among its growing, and increasingly young, population that could lead to a challenge to the conservative status quo.
Al-Ahmed was arrested in Dammam, capital of the kingdom's eastern province, during a visit to his father, another Saudi-based activist said.
Known for his controversial and often extreme views on Saudi society, al-Ahmed has called for the Grand Mosque in Mecca to be demolished and rebuilt in a circular shape to allow full segregation of men and women.
Full report at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/09/us-saudi-cleric-arrest-idUSTRE76815W20110709
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Yemeni troops killed civilians 'like chicken'
Jul 10, 2011
SANAA: Yemeni troops may have killed dozens of civilians caught in the crossfire over the past two months as government forces battled Al-Qaeda linked militants in the country's restive south, a leading human rights group said Saturday.
Human Rights Watch cited accounts from several residents who fled the fighting in southern Abyan province, where Yemeni troops are fighting militants after losing control of the provincial capital, Zinjibar, and another town, Jaar.
In a statement released Saturday, the New York-based group also said the militants in Abyan "may have unlawfully placed civilians at risk by deploying in densely populated areas and engaging in looting and other abuses."
There are concerns Al-Qaeda's branch in Yemen is exploiting the country's turmoil amid a months-long popular uprising seeking the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The president has been in Saudi Arabia since June 5, undergoing treatment for injuries sustained in an attack on his presidential compound, but massive daily street protests demanding he relinquish power have continued unabated.
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article469260.ece
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Egypt says no Gulf pressure to halt Mubarak trial
Jul 10, 2011
CAIRO: Egypt’s foreign minister dismissed talk of any pressure on Cairo from Gulf Arab states to prevent the trial of ousted President Hosni Mubarak, according to an interview published on Saturday. Mubarak, overthrown in February by a popular uprising, is due to stand trial on Aug. 3 for the killing of protesters on charges that could carry the death penalty.
Many Egyptians, including those who took to the streets on Friday, have accused the military rulers of reluctance in trying former air force commander Mubarak and some have suggested Gulf Arabs have urged Cairo not to humiliate their former ally.
Asked whether Egyptian officials had faced such pressure, Mohammed El-Orabi told Asharq Al-Awsat, “This subject was not opened, and this did not happen during our visit to the Gulf.”
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article469177.ece
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Lebanon sees no big Syrian cash flow: Banker
Jul 10, 2011
BEIRUT: Lebanon has not received significant inflows of money from neighboring Syria, a senior Lebanese banker said, despite reports of Syrian capital outflows triggered by the unrest against President Bashar Assad.
Makram Sader, Secretary General of the Association of Banks in Lebanon, said reports of many billions of dollars of capital flight from Syria were exaggerated, and there was little sign of Syrian money piling into Lebanese banks.
“Our deposit growth in the last five and a half months was $3.3 billion — less than our normal growth,” Sader told Reuters. Annual deposit growth had averaged 15 percent for the last five years, he said.
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article469176.ece
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Saudi Agriculture 2011 to be held after Ramadan
By MD RASOOLDEEN
Jul 10, 2011
RIYADH: Saudi Agriculture 2011 has been scheduled following the holy month of Ramadan from Sept. 19 to 22 in Riyadh, a senior official at Riyadh International Exhibition Center said Saturday. It has been the leading international agriculture, water and agro-industry show in the region for 30 consecutive years.
The trade show, which is accredited by UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, will be held under the patronage of the Ministry of Agriculture at Riyadh International Exhibition Center.
The event is to be held concurrently with Saudi Agro-Food 2011 – the 16th international exhibition for food processing and packaging. Saudi Agro-Food 2011 will feature the latest products, technologies and services in areas ranging from frozen and chilled foods, confectionery, chocolates, health and natural foods, to presentation, processing and packaging equipment.
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/economy/article469233.ece
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9:04 PM
Moderate Islamist here
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