Photo: Food parcels belonging to the US Pentagon were discovered in Beiji oil refinery in Salahuddin province in Northern Iraq after the refinery and the nearby city were taken back from the ISIL terrorist group in mid-October.
Pentagon's Food Parcels Discovered in ISIL Trenches in Beiji
Ka’aba Imam Says Muslims in India Living In Harmony with Others
ISIL Relocating More Terrorists to Libya
Son of Taliban's Late Leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, Takes Top Council Seat
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Europe
Muslim Students Exempted from Shaking Female Teacher's Hand in Swiss District
French PM Warns Extreme Islam Winning the Propaganda War
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North America
Pentagon's Food Parcels Discovered in ISIL Trenches in Beiji
Honey Maid’s Latest ‘Wholesome’ Ad Takes on Islamophobia in America
Racial Showdown in Dallas: Black Panther Muslims and White Anti-Mosque Activists Face Off With Guns in Texas
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India
Ka’aba Imam Says Muslims in India Living In Harmony with Others
Darul Uloom Must Not Issue Fatwa on Sensitive Issues, Says Islamic Scholar Firangimahal
Aligarh Muslim University not a minority institution: Govt tells SC
Forgotten histories: A library in a Guwahati mosque shares the fate of an old Assamese community
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Africa
ISIL Relocating More Terrorists to Libya
Zaria Massacre: Islamic Movement in Nigeria Rejects Sheikh Zakzaky’s Blindness
Leader of breakaway Boko Haram faction arrested in Nigeria
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South Asia
Son of Taliban's Late Leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, Takes Top Council Seat
Acting Afghan Minister of Defense Says Troops Retreat in Helmand Should Help Battle Taliban
13 Afghan soldiers martyred amid surging violence in past 24 hours
ISIS commander among 6 killed in Nangarhar drone strike
6 dead, over 20 wounded as suicide blast rocks Parwan in north of Afghanistan
Top Taliban commander killed in Afghan army raid in Kunduz province
Afghan intelligence arrest 19 militants for planning attacks in Kandahar
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has changed his conditions for peace process
Afghanistan high on agenda as NATO Secretary General meets Obama
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Arab World
Iraqi Forces Repel ISIL's Attack to Take Control of Key Oilfield in Salahuddin
Iraqi Forces Win 3 New Areas in Heet Region
Syrian Army Wins Back Several Regions in Hama
Syrian Army Launches Operation to Recapture Al-Eis
Mideast Pivot: US Is Militarizing Syria
Yemen's Fugitive President Sacks PM
Iran to Unveil N. Achievements in Fuel, Laser Fields
Russian Official: First S-300 Shipment to Iran to Be Made in Days
1st Iranian Tanker in Post-Sanctions Setting calls at African Port
Official: Iranian Airlines Not Flying in Saudi Airspace
Senior MP Reveals Saudi-Israeli Plots to Tense up Lebanon
Iran Proposes Mediation between Azerbaijan, Armenia over Border Clashes
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Mideast
Turkey Offers $14 Million Bounty for 23 Wanted ISIL Militants
Data of Nearly 50 Million Turks Allegedly Leaked Online
Death toll rises to eight in Diyarbakır bomb attack
Three suspects preparing bombs caught in Turkey’s İzmir
Locals in Turkey’s Maraş protest planned camp for Syrians
Istanbul’s first Arabic bookstore anchors Syrian refugees
Soldier wounded in ISIL shelling in Turkey’s southeast
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Pakistan
Protests Mar Visit Of Fata Reforms Body Members to Khyber
India's Growing Military Spending Threatens Pakistan, Says NSA Janjua
At least one killed as remote-controlled bomb hits Jaffar Express in Sibi
US Navy orders nine AH-1Z Viper Attack Helicopters for Pakistan
Panama Papers not ‘damning’ for PML-N government
766 illegal Afghan refugees arrested in Karachi in past 15 months: report
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Southeast Asia
A Thai Monk Is Using Social Media to Preach Violence against Muslims
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Muslim Students Exempted from Shaking Female Teacher's Hand in Swiss District
Apr 04 2016
Some male Muslim students in Switzerland will no longer need to shake hands with their female teachers, following a ruling that has caused an uproar and consternation in the country.
Education authorities in the northern Swiss municipality of Therwil, in the canton of Basel-Country, reached the controversial decision after two male students complained that the Swiss custom of shaking hands with the teacher is counter to their religious beliefs if the teacher is a woman.
They argued that Islam does not permit physical contact with a person of the opposite sex, with the exception of certain immediate family members.
The decision triggered an outcry across Switzerland with Felix Mueri, who heads the parliamentary commission on science, education and culture, insisting that "shaking hands is part of our culture."
"This is a gesture of respect and good manners," he told the 20Minuten news site.
Christoph Eymann, who heads the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education, meanwhile said that "such exceptions to the rules are not the solution."
"We cannot tolerate that women in the public service are treated differently from men," he told Swiss television.
Christine Akeret, in charge of the Therwil school system, told media she was not satisfied with the decision, but had not seen any other option.
"It is difficult when someone refuses to adopt our way of life," she said, complaining that she had not received any support from the surrounding canton when she had raised the problem with the authorities there.
Basel-Country canton authorities, who have the power to overturn the Therwil decision, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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Pentagon's Food Parcels Discovered in ISIL Trenches in Beiji
Mon Apr 04, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Food parcels belonging to the US Pentagon were discovered in Beiji oil refinery in Salahuddin province in Northern Iraq after the refinery and the nearby city were taken back from the ISIL terrorist group in mid-October.
The Food parcels were discovered by a group of Iranian documentary filmmakers, including Vahid Farahani and Seyed Hashem Moussavi, who were in Iraq in October to prepare a documentary on the Iraqi army's military advances against the ISIL Takfiri terrorist group in Salahuddin province, specially in Beiji city North of Baghdad.
The documentary, 'Conquest of Beiji', provides a complete account of advances by the Iraqi army and volunteer forces against the ISIL terrorist group in Beiji.
A major part of the 'Conquest of Beiji' focuses on the discovery of ammunition and food parcels that all carry Pentagon labels.
Vahid Farahani and his team put on display some of the parcels and emptied their contents at a meeting at Fars News Agency upon their return from Iraq.
The photos of the food parcels will be released on FNA in coming hours.
Beiji lies at a crossroads between several frontlines and control of the area is seen as the key to progress in other regions, including Anbar province where forces were also closing in on ISIL strongholds.
On October 14, the Iraqi army and volunteer forces launched an assault to take back Beiji in Northern Iraq from ISIL terrorists.
Later, they won back full control over Beiji oil refinery after killing ISIL's top military commander (or Emir) of the region.
The army and volunteer forces launched the Beiji Freedom Operation by approaching the city from three different directions.
Besides the US, similar food parcels, arms and munitions that carry the labels of Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and several other Arab Persian Gulf states have been repeatedly found in those positions that have been taken from the terrorists in Syria and Iraq.
Tel Aviv has shown footage of its commandos “risking their lives” to rescue wounded ISIL militants from Syrian warzone. Tel Aviv has save more than 2,000 of their “sworn enemies” since 2013.
The usurper regime has in fact struck a deadly 'deal with the devil' – offering support to the multi-national terrorist group which is fighting the Syrian government in the hope of containing its arch enemies Hezbollah and Iran.
Security sources in the Qatari government disclosed that Israel has sent its Coordinator on Syrian Affairs Afif Shavit to a meeting with Qatari officials in London late in May to discuss supply of more arms to the rebel groups fighting the Syrian government.
"The 4-hour meeting was held in a house in Braum House in London belonging to Khalid a-Abeed, a Qatari citizen residing in Britain, on May 20," the source, who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of his information and for fear of his life, told FNA.
"During the meeting, It was decided that Israel prepare and supply the weapons needed by the terrorists in Syria and enter negotiations with European arms manufacturing companies on arms purchases and money transfer methods, and the Qatari side cover the funds and needed budget for purchases," added the source.
The meeting was held at a time when the EU decided to lift the arms embargo on foreign-backed militants in Syria. British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on May 28 that European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels have reached an agreement to lift the arms embargo on militants in Syria, while maintaining other sanctions on the country. The EU also decided to allow the European banks to open branches and accounts in Syria for use by the opposition.
On August 19, 2015, media reports said that the Turkish government had sent several trucks packed with weapons and ammunition to the Northern parts of Syria.
A number of trucks had crossed Iskenderun and al-Salib border crossings into Lattakia and Idlib provinces, the Arabic-language Al-Watan newspaper said citing the Turkish opposition media reports.
It wrote that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had also ordered blackouts in the border towns to facilitate the smuggling of the weapons into Syria.
On June 16, 2013, security sources in the Qatari government disclosed that Israel had sent its Coordinator on Syrian Affairs Afif Shavit to a meeting with Qatari officials in London late in May to discuss supply of more arms to the rebel groups fighting the Syrian government.
"The 4-hour meeting was held in a house in Braum House in London belonging to Khalid a-Abeed, a Qatari citizen residing in Britain, on May 20," the source, who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of his information and for fear of his life, told FNA.
"During the meeting, It was decided that Israel prepare and supply the weapons needed by the terrorists in Syria and enter negotiations with European arms manufacturing companies on arms purchases and money transfer methods, and the Qatari side cover the funds and needed budget for purchases," added the source.
The meeting was held at a time when the EU decided to lift the arms embargo on foreign-backed militants in Syria. British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on May 28 that European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels have reached an agreement to lift the arms embargo on militants in Syria, while maintaining other sanctions on the country. The EU also decided to allow the European banks to open branches and accounts in Syria for use by the opposition.
In late August 2013, Turkish opposition forces disclosed that Ankara had sent 400 tons of arms supplied by some Persian Gulf states to militants in Syria to bolster their fight against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
"Twenty trailers crossed from Turkey and are being distributed to arms depots for several brigades across the North," said Mohammad Salam, a rebel operative who witnessed the crossing from an undisclosed location in Hatay, agencies reported.
en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950116001275
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Ka’aba Imam says Muslims in India living in harmony with others
April 5, 2016
LUCKNOW: The Imam of Ka’aba shrine in Mecca, who is on a visit to India, has condemned acts of terrorism around the world and said that Muslims in the country are living with love and harmony with other communities.
Amid an intolerance debate, Imam Sheikh Saleh Bin Mohammad Bin Ibrahim Aal-e-Talib expressed his views while speaking at an international seminar on "Islam and World Peace" here last night.
"It is a matter of happiness that second highest population of Muslims is in India. Here Muslims are living with people of other religious communities with love and harmony," the Saudi Imam said.
Expressing concern over recent terror attacks in different parts of the world including Brussels, he said innocent people are being killed in the name of religion.
"The entire world is suffering from terrorism. In Holy Quran Allah has said if a person kills an innocent, it is like he has killed all humans," he said while condemning terrorism in the name of religion.
Presiding over the conference, President of All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Maulana Syyed Mohammad Rabe Hasani Nadwi said Islam was totally against terrorism and persons involved in such activities.
Nadwi said Saudi Arabia had good relations with India since ancient times and added that Ulama of that country have close relations with Nadwa (Islamic institution in Lucknow), while referring to former head Maulana Ali Miyan.
economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/Ka’aba-imam-says-muslims-in-india-living-in-harmony-with-others/articleshow/51682726.cms
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ISIL Relocating More Terrorists to Libya
Mon Apr 04, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The ISIL terrorists arrived in Libya from Syria and Iraq after the Takfiri terrorist organization called on its members to travel to Libya.
The ISIL militants arrived in Sirte city in Libya to prepare for setting up the self-proclaimed caliphate in the African country.
It is estimated that over 5,000 ISIL terrorists have arrived in Libya.
After its defeats in Iraq and Syria, the ISIL extended its operations to Libya and Tunisia in Northern Africa.
The ISIL now prefers to move towards African countries that suffer from a lack of a central government and secured borders.
Moreover, the ISIL has many allied terrorist organization who have voiced their allegiance to ISIL Leader Abu Bakr al-Baqdadi.
The ISIL has been badly defeated by the Iraqi and Syrian armies as well as the Russian air force in Iraq and Syria, respectively.
In a relevant development in early March, informed intelligence sources disclosed that ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had moved from Turkey to Libya to escape the hunt operation of the Baghdad Intelligence Sharing Center after he was traced down and allegedly targeted a number of times in Iraq and the Syria.
"Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi who was injured in Syria was sent to Turkey for treatment and from there he was sent to Libya," the Arabic-language media outlets quoted former Egyptian intelligence officer Hesam Kheirullah as saying.
In relevant remarks in December, sources in Libya said al-Baghdadi had arrived in Sirte, the hometown of the slain Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, which is under the control of the Takfiri groups.
The ISIL Leader is running a secret life as his life is at stake more than anyone in the world now. Al-Baghdad's terrorist group is under massive airstrike by the Syrian, Russian and Iraqi Air Forces all throughout the Western Iraq and Eastern Syria.
While reports earlier this year said the ISIL leader was always on the move between Iraq's Mosul and Syria's Raqqa - the self-proclaimed capital of the terrorist group - tips and intel revealed in November that Al-Baghdadi had moved from the Syrian city of Albu Kamal to the Iraqi city of Mosul in Nineveh province.
Then in October, Iraq's air force bombed his convoy as he was heading to Al-Karable to attend a meeting with ISIL commanders. 25 other ISIL militants were killed in the special operation that was the product of the Baghdad Intelligence Sharing Center where the latest intel arrives from Iranian, Russian, Iraqi and Syrian spy agencies round the clock.
The notorious terrorist leader escaped the attempt on his life narrowly, but with fatal injuries. Few hours after the assault, the spokesman of Iraq's joint forces declared that Al-Baghdadi was injured in the Iraqi airstrike on his convoy and was taken away from the scene by his forces.
The terrorist leader was first transferred to Raqqa, where surgeons saved his life but failed to give him a thorough treatment due to a lack of specialized medical equipment.
Sources disclosed a few days later that the ISIL leader had been taken to Turkey for treatment through a series of coordination measures by the CIA.
"The CIA has done the coordination with the Turkish intelligence service (MIT) for transferring al-Baghdadi to Turkey," the Arabic-language al-Manar TV quoted unnamed sources as saying.
The source said that two companions of al-Baghdadi who were also injured in the attack on the ISIL leader's convoy and were captured by the Iraqi forces confirmed that al-Baghdadi had been injured in the attack.
After specialists said al-Baghdadi needed months of recovery, one of his aides was appointed to run the cult until the so-called caliph would return to duty
Al-Baghdad has, thus far, escaped several attempts on his life, making him suspicious of his team of bodyguards.
"While everyone is looking for him in Iraq and Syria, no one expects him to be in Sirte," the Libyan source told FNA, adding, "If he is to be exposed to danger, Sirte would be the last place on Earth for his life to be endangered as it is the safest Takfiri stronghold in the world."
The Syrian army, the National Defense Forces (NDF), the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Syrian and Russian Air Forces, as well as the Iraqi army and popular forces, Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi, have been conducting large-scale operations in Syria and Iraq to end the ISIL control over swathes of lands in the two Arab countries.
en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950116001305
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Son of Taliban's Late Leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, Takes Top Council Seat
Tue Apr 05 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Afghanistan-based Taliban group appointed the son of its late leader Mullah Mohammad Omar as head of the group's military commission and elected his uncle to its powerful decision-making council, one of Taliban's spokespersons said.
Mullah Omar's eldest son Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob and Mullah Abdul Manan who is the late Taliban leader brother, were both invited to be a members of the group leadership council, Taliban spokesman Qari Yousaf Ahmadi said.
The appointments would appear to strengthen current Taliban leader Akhtar Mansour, who still faces opposition from some factions within the hierarchy of the movement after he took the helm of the militant group last year.
Yaqoob, whose family name still has a great status among Taliban members, was appointed as the head of the Taliban's military commission for all 15 provinces of Afghanistan.
"They agreed to take their new responsibilities and have begun their work since Monday," Ahmadi said.
The development comes nearly seven months after they put aside their opposition to Mansour as Taliban's new leader after the reports on Mullah Omar death was confirmed two years later than his decease. The Taliban late leader's close aides had covered up his death since 2013.
en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950117000647
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Europe
Muslim Students Exempted from Shaking Female Teacher's Hand in Swiss District
Apr 04 2016
Some male Muslim students in Switzerland will no longer need to shake hands with their female teachers, following a ruling that has caused an uproar and consternation in the country.
Education authorities in the northern Swiss municipality of Therwil, in the canton of Basel-Country, reached the controversial decision after two male students complained that the Swiss custom of shaking hands with the teacher is counter to their religious beliefs if the teacher is a woman.
They argued that Islam does not permit physical contact with a person of the opposite sex, with the exception of certain immediate family members.
The decision triggered an outcry across Switzerland with Felix Mueri, who heads the parliamentary commission on science, education and culture, insisting that "shaking hands is part of our culture."
"This is a gesture of respect and good manners," he told the 20Minuten news site.
Christoph Eymann, who heads the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education, meanwhile said that "such exceptions to the rules are not the solution."
"We cannot tolerate that women in the public service are treated differently from men," he told Swiss television.
Christine Akeret, in charge of the Therwil school system, told media she was not satisfied with the decision, but had not seen any other option.
"It is difficult when someone refuses to adopt our way of life," she said, complaining that she had not received any support from the surrounding canton when she had raised the problem with the authorities there.
Basel-Country canton authorities, who have the power to overturn the Therwil decision, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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French PM Warns Extreme Islam Winning The Propaganda War
5 Apr 2016
Prime Minister Manuel Valls said extreme forms of Islam were winning the propaganda war for hearts and minds, warning the veil was being used as a political symbol for the “enslavement of women”.
Speaking at a roundtable on Islamism in Paris on Monday, the premier warned that Salafists were “winning the ideological and cultural battle” in France, home of Europe’s biggest Muslim population.
And he pledged to “massively” increase France’s security and defence budgets in the coming years, as the country grapples with a growing jihadist threat after two deadly attacks last year.
Full report at: breitbart.com/london/2016/04/05/french-pm-warns-extreme-islam-winning-propaganda-war/
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North America
Pentagon's Food Parcels Discovered in ISIL Trenches in Beiji
Mon Apr 04, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Food parcels belonging to the US Pentagon were discovered in Beiji oil refinery in Salahuddin province in Northern Iraq after the refinery and the nearby city were taken back from the ISIL terrorist group in mid-October.
The Food parcels were discovered by a group of Iranian documentary filmmakers, including Vahid Farahani and Seyed Hashem Moussavi, who were in Iraq in October to prepare a documentary on the Iraqi army's military advances against the ISIL Takfiri terrorist group in Salahuddin province, specially in Beiji city North of Baghdad.
The documentary, 'Conquest of Beiji', provides a complete account of advances by the Iraqi army and volunteer forces against the ISIL terrorist group in Beiji.
A major part of the 'Conquest of Beiji' focuses on the discovery of ammunition and food parcels that all carry Pentagon labels.
Vahid Farahani and his team put on display some of the parcels and emptied their contents at a meeting at Fars News Agency upon their return from Iraq.
The photos of the food parcels will be released on FNA in coming hours.
Beiji lies at a crossroads between several frontlines and control of the area is seen as the key to progress in other regions, including Anbar province where forces were also closing in on ISIL strongholds.
On October 14, the Iraqi army and volunteer forces launched an assault to take back Beiji in Northern Iraq from ISIL terrorists.
Later, they won back full control over Beiji oil refinery after killing ISIL's top military commander (or Emir) of the region.
The army and volunteer forces launched the Beiji Freedom Operation by approaching the city from three different directions.
Besides the US, similar food parcels, arms and munitions that carry the labels of Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and several other Arab Persian Gulf states have been repeatedly found in those positions that have been taken from the terrorists in Syria and Iraq.
Tel Aviv has shown footage of its commandos “risking their lives” to rescue wounded ISIL militants from Syrian warzone. Tel Aviv has save more than 2,000 of their “sworn enemies” since 2013.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950116001275
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Honey Maid’s Latest ‘Wholesome’ Ad Takes On Islamophobia In America
04/04/2016
The graham cracker brand’s latest “This Is Wholesome” campaign ad, which features a Muslim woman who’s getting to know her neighbors, shines a spotlight on cultural diversity and acceptance.
“The first time you go out of your house, you’re worried. Is anybody staring at you, is anybody looking?” says the woman, who’s wearing a headscarf.
A second woman, who’s briefly seen peering out of window blinds, adds: “I didn’t know anything about her culture, only what I saw in the news.”
“I was kind of scared of how she’s going to accept me,” the first woman says before both women are seen embracing outside. “But then our girls brought us together.”
The ad was released Monday to what appears to be overwhelming approval by Facebook users, who largely thanked the company for, in one user’s words, “spreading the sweetness of acceptance and friendship!”
Full report at: huffingtonpost.com/entry/honey-maids-latest-wholesome-ad_us_5702bbb3e4b0a06d58066704?section=india
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Racial Showdown in Dallas: Black Panther Muslims and White Anti-Mosque Activists Face Off With Guns in Texas
04/04/2016
A group of black protesters chanted "black power" and faced down a group of white protesters demonstrating against a mosque in a heated racial showdown Saturday in Dallas that was closely monitored by police because both sides carried guns, the Dallas Morning News reported.
The black group showed up to oppose a white contingent who regularly gather outside Dallas-area mosques waving American flags. The protest Saturday against the Nation of Islam mosque was organized by Bureau of American Islamic Relations, which advocates against so-called radical Islam and takes its name from the national Muslim advocacy group CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The group accused the Nation of Islam mosque of “promoting violence against Americans openly and publicly,” according to a Facebook page about the event.
Full report at: ibtimes.com/racial-showdown-dallas-black-panther-muslims-white-anti-mosque-activists-face-guns-2347917
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India
Ka’aba Imam says Muslims in India living in harmony with others
April 5, 2016
LUCKNOW: The Imam of Ka’aba shrine in Mecca, who is on a visit to India, has condemned acts of terrorism around the world and said that Muslims in the country are living with love and harmony with other communities.
Amid an intolerance debate, Imam Sheikh Saleh Bin Mohammad Bin Ibrahim Aal-e-Talib expressed his views while speaking at an international seminar on "Islam and World Peace" here last night.
Full report at: economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/Ka’aba-imam-says-muslims-in-india-living-in-harmony-with-others/articleshow/51682726.cms
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Darul Uloom Must Not Issue Fatwa on Sensitive Issues, Says Islamic Scholar Firangimahal
April 5, 2016
Amidst the row over the issue of chanting ‘Bharat mata ki jai’, noted Islamic scholar Khalid Rasheed Firangimahal on Tuesday said institutions like Darul Uloom should desist from issuing fatwas on sensitive issues which could have a negative impact on the country and the community.
The issue of slogan chanting has political interests involved in it, Farangimahal, who is also a member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), told.
“Communal forces in both the communities have raised this issue with an eye on the coming Assembly elections and if any seminary issues fatwa on such a sensitive and political issue it will only help the communal forces achieve their goal… why are we ready to become a tool in the hands of such vested interests,” he asked.
Full report at: indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/darul-uloom-bharat-mata-ki-jai-must-not-issue-fatwa-on-sensitive-issues-says-islamic-scholar-khalid-r/
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Aligarh Muslim University not a minority institution: Govt tells SC
Apr 05, 2016
Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) is not a minority institution, the NDA government told the Supreme Court on Monday in a move that could trigger a political slugfest ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections next year as it marked a reversal of the stance taken by the UPA dispensation.
The Centre made this submission before two different benches, including the Chief Justice of India’s which is not seized of the government appeal against an Allahabad high court verdict holding the varsity a non-minority institution -- an appeal the goverment has now said it will withdraw.
Full report at: hindustantimes.com/india/aligarh-muslim-university-not-a-minority-institution-govt-tells-sc/story-GYMtOZvFhTSFtiEAlTTJaL.html
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Forgotten histories: A library in a Guwahati mosque shares the fate of an old Assamese community
Tuesday, 05 April 2016
Every time Assam heads into an election, the political discourse in the state invariably veers towards the issue of indigeniety. Who is an original inhabitant (and who is not) becomes a central question, with all the political parties nudging the electorate’s collective memory to recall real and imagined injustices.
With elections having kicked off in Assam again, my thoughts returned to something else, to my childhood when I would accompany my parents to a concrete structure in Guwahati’s Lakhtokia area. The structure was architecturally nondescript, but the images and the experiences of it still coalesced to form fragments of my memory. Known locally as Sirat Library – although the Assamese pronunciation Sirot often rendered the name incomprehensible – it was located within the precincts of a mosque called Lakhtokia Masjid No. 1.
I vaguely recall public meetings being held in the small library. And till the early 2000s, it moonlighted as a voting booth. For a child, it was an unusual sight to see so many people of different religions line up to cast their votes and even more unusual to see them do so in a library inside a mosque.
Full report at: scroll.in/bulletin/2/only-25-percent-of-young-married-couples-want-to-buy-a-house-so-what-do-they-really-want
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Africa
ISIL Relocating More Terrorists to Libya
Mon Apr 04, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The ISIL terrorists arrived in Libya from Syria and Iraq after the Takfiri terrorist organization called on its members to travel to Libya.
The ISIL militants arrived in Sirte city in Libya to prepare for setting up the self-proclaimed caliphate in the African country.
It is estimated that over 5,000 ISIL terrorists have arrived in Libya.
After its defeats in Iraq and Syria, the ISIL extended its operations to Libya and Tunisia in Northern Africa.
The ISIL now prefers to move towards African countries that suffer from a lack of a central government and secured borders.
Moreover, the ISIL has many allied terrorist organization who have voiced their allegiance to ISIL Leader Abu Bakr al-Baqdadi.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950116001305
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Zaria Massacre: Islamic Movement in Nigeria Rejects Sheikh Zakzaky’s Blindness
April 4, 2016
A member of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) has rejected the news that Sheikh Zakzaky has lost his eyesight.
AhlulBayt News Agency - A member of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) has rejected the news that Sheikh Zakzaky has lost his eyesight.
Explaining the latest status of leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, a member of the movement Hassan Bala asserted “the only reliable news is that the physical condition of Sheikh Zakzaky’s wife is improving and the leader himself is still alive.”
In response to a question about some negotiations to prepare grounds for Zakzaky’s family to meet him, Bala said “unfortunately, the efforts to set a meeting with Sheikh Zakzaky have failed so far.”
Full report at: en.abna24.com/service/africa/archive/2016/04/04/745032/story.html
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Leader of breakaway Boko Haram faction arrested in Nigeria
Monday, April 4, 2016
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian security agents have arrested the leader of breakaway Boko Haram faction Ansaru, the Ministry of Defense said.
If confirmed, he would be the highest-level extremist ever captured in the country's 6-year-old war against Islamic jihadis.
Ansaru leader Khalid al-Barnawi has a $5 million reward on his head. The U.S. Department of State named him a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" in 2012.
It is "a breakthrough in the fight against terrorism," Defense Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Rabe Abubakar said in a statement Sunday. He said security agents arrested al-Barnawi, originally named Usman Umar Abubakar, in the central city of Lokoja on Friday.
His presence in a city 1,000 kilometers (more than 600 miles) from the northeastern war front strengthens suspicions that Islamic militants may have infiltrated Fulani Muslim herders who have been creating havoc in Nigeria's Middle Belt in clashes over land and water with Christian farmers. Dozens of people have been killed in recent months.
Ansaru is allied with al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and is known for kidnapping foreigners for ransom.
Full report at: heraldstandard.com/news/world/africa/leader-of-breakaway-boko-haram-faction-arrested-in-nigeria/article_21059148-ef75-5774-8f70-972fcd38b2e4.html
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South Asia
Son of Taliban's Late Leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, Takes Top Council Seat
Tue Apr 05 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Afghanistan-based Taliban group appointed the son of its late leader Mullah Mohammad Omar as head of the group's military commission and elected his uncle to its powerful decision-making council, one of Taliban's spokespersons said.
Mullah Omar's eldest son Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob and Mullah Abdul Manan who is the late Taliban leader brother, were both invited to be a members of the group leadership council, Taliban spokesman Qari Yousaf Ahmadi said.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950117000647
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Acting Afghan Minister Of Defense Says Troops Retreat In Helmand Should Help Battle Taliban
Tue Apr 05 2016
The acting Afghan Minister of Defense Masoom Stanikzai has said the retreat by the Afghan forces in parts of southern Helmand province should help battle the resurgent Taliban.
Admitting that the retreat may leave large areas under Taliban control, Stanikzai said the move should bolster the defenses of the volatile southern region.
Stanikzai further added it made little sense to spread forces across sparsely populated districts like Musa Qala and Naw Zad, where government troops pulled out in February.
He told Reuters during a visit to Helmand last week “We needed reorganization. There was a lot of pressure in different parts of Helmand.”
Full report at: khaama.com/stanikzai-says-troops-retreat-in-helmand-should-help-battle-taliban-0549
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13 Afghan soldiers martyred amid surging violence in past 24 hours
Tue Apr 05 2016
At least 13 Afghan soldiers lost their lives during the counter-terrorism operations being conducted across the country amid surging violence.
The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said the soldiers were martyred in the past 24 hours as they were suppressing the anti-government armed militants.
According to a statement by MoD at least 30 militants were killed and 11 others were wounded as a result of the clearance operations in the past 24 hours.
Full report at: khaama.com/13-afghan-soldiers-martyred-amid-surging-violence-in-past-24-hours-0553
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ISIS commander among 6 killed in Nangarhar drone strike
Tue Apr 05 2016
drone strikeA commander of the militants affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group was killed in a drone strike in eastern Nangarhar province, local officials said Tuesday.
The airstrike was carried out in Kot district which is home to several militants loyal to the terror group.
Provincial governor spokesman Ataullah Khogyani said the airstrike was carried out in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Full report at: khaama.com/isis-commander-among-6-killed-in-nangarhar-drone-strike-0550
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6 dead, over 20 wounded as suicide blast rocks Parwan in north of Afghanistan
Tue Apr 05 2016
A suicide blast rocked Parwan in northern Afghanistan earlier today leaving nearly 30 people dead, local officials said.
The incident took place in Seya Gerd district but the target of the attack has not been ascertained so far.
Full report at: khaama.com/casualties-feared-as-suicide-blast-rocks-parwan-province-0548
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Top Taliban commander killed in Afghan army raid in Kunduz province
Tue Apr 05 2016
Afghan Taliban rejects peace talksA top Taliban commander has been killed in a raid conducted by Afghan army and in coordination with the Afghan police forces in northern Kunduz province.
The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said the Taliban commander was identified as Mawlavi Jahangir who was killed along with 2 others in Qala-e-Zal district.
MoD further added that 12 militants were killed in a separate operation in Dehrawood district of Urugan province and 8 others were wounded.
Full report at: khaama.com/top-taliban-commander-killed-in-afghan-army-raid-in-kunduz-province-0552
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Afghan intelligence arrest 19 militants for planning attacks in Kandahar
Tue Apr 05 2016
terror attacks foiled in KandaharAt least 19 militants operating in 4 groups were arrested by the Afghan intelligence operatives as they were planning to carry out terrorist attacks in Kandahar province.
The Afghan Intelligence, National Directorate of Security (NDS), said the militants were arrested from the vicinity of Kandahar province.
No further details were given regarding possible targets of the militants and regarding the locations from where they were arrested.
Full report at: khaama.com/afghan-intelligence-arrest-19-militants-for-planning-attacks-in-kandahar-0551
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Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has changed his conditions for peace process
Tue Apr 05 2016
Gulbuddin HekmatyarThe leader of Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has reportedly changed his his conditions for peace process with the Afghan government by stepping back from his demands for the complete withdrawal of foreign forces, it has been reported.
An official of Hezb-e-Islami Amin Karim has told The Associated Press that Hekmatyar is no longer demanding that all foreign troops leave Afghanistan.
This comes as Hekmatyar earlier demanded for the complete withdrawal of the foreign forces from Afghanistan in a bid to pave the way for peace talks, a similar demand the Taliban group is sticking to.
Full report at: khaama.com/gulbuddin-hekmatyar-has-changed-his-conditions-for-peace-process-0554
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Afghanistan high on agenda as NATO Secretary General meets Obama
Tue Apr 05 2016
Afghanistan was high on agenda during NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s visit to United States where he met with the US President Barack Obama on Monday.
“NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and US President Barack Obama discussed the Alliance’s response to key security challenges at the White House in Washington D.C. and preparations for the Warsaw Summit in July,” according to a statement by NATO.
The statement further added that the two leaders discussed the common fight against terrorism.
Full report at: khaama.com/afghanistan-high-on-agenda-as-nato-secretary-general-meets-obama-0545
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Arab World
Iraqi Forces Repel ISIL's Attack to Take Control of Key Oilfield in Salahuddin
Tue Apr 05 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iraqi army and volunteer forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) foiled an attempt by the ISIL Takfiri terrorists who were trying to take full control of a strategic oilfield in Salahuddin province in Northern Iraq.
Tens of ISIL terrorists were pushed back from the vicinity of Al'as oilfield in the Northeastern part of Salahuddin province before they could attack the oil field.
At least 15 ISIL terrorists were killed in fierce clashes with the Iraqi army and volunteer forces.
In a relevant development on March 28, the Iraqi popular forces cut ISIL's main supply route from Iraq to Syria after seizing two more important regions near the city of Sinjar.
The Iraqi forces took full control over the strategic Um al-Diban and Um al-Jaris regions in the Northern parts of Iraq.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950117000920
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Iraqi Forces Win 3 New Areas in Heet Region
Tue Apr 05 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iraqi counter-terrorism department announced that the country's joint forces have won back three new regions in the city of Heet in Anbar province in Western Iraq, inflicting heavy losses on the ISIL terrorists.
The Iraqi forces seized back Basa'er Awal, Eastern Basa'er and Western Basa'er regions in the Central part of Heet city on Tuesday.
At least 70 ISIL militants were killed and many others were wounded in heavy clashes with the Iraqi joint forces.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950117000525
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Syrian Army Wins Back Several Regions in Hama
Tue Apr 05 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian army backed by the National Defense Forces (NDF) continued their advance against ISIL terrorists, seizing back several regions around the strategic village of Abu Hanaya in the Eastern part of Hama province, a battlefield source said on Tuesday.
"The Syrian soldiers also made another push near the village of Sheikh Hilal, delivering heavy blows to the terrorist group which is under constant blitz by pro-government forces in this part of Hama province," the source indicated.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950117000802
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Syrian Army Launches Operation to Recapture Al-Eis
Tue Apr 05 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Syrian Army forces and their allies, backed by Syrian and Russian air support, have launched a comprehensive operation to recapture the strategic town of Al-Eis in Aleppo province, a battlefield source said.
"As a preliminary phase of the operation, the Syrian and Russian fighter jets conducted several airstrikes over the terrorists' positions and their fortification in Al-Eis, and the nearby village of Banes, hitting a number of targets to facilitate the advance of the ground forces," the source pointed out.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950117000746
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Mideast Pivot: US Is Militarizing Syria
Mon Apr 04, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The War Party in Washington is escalating what it calls ISIL war in Iraq, and it is not stopping there. It is not taking questions either.
The massive increase in US ground troops in Syria is part of the usual war for imperialism and greed, in the form of a large contingent of Special Forces to be sent to the country’s northeast. The Pentagon wouldn’t say how many troops they are sending, beyond saying that there would be “many times” more troops than are presently there now. Meaning, the US occupying troops in Syria are not going to be confined to Kurdish territory.
And that’s not all. After its “embarrassing failure” last year, the Pentagon says it has begun again with training what it calls “Syrian rebels” to battle ISIL. If you are guessing these are the very same breed of “moderate” terrorists that last year surrendered to al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front outright, handing over their weapons and vehicles in return for safe passage, you are right. They are what they are: Moderate head choppers and ISIL allies.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950116001398
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Yemen's Fugitive President Sacks PM
Mon Apr 04, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Yemen's Saudi-backed former President Mansour Hadi who has been on the run after he declined to step down at the end of his two-year term in a strange move sacked his Prime Minister Khaled Bahah who also lacks a legal mandate.
Hadi appointed Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr as his new prime minister to replace Bahah.
The fugitive Yemeni president also named General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar as his new vice president.
There was no immediate explanation behind Bahah's dismissal, which comes just a week before a UN-brokered ceasefire planned between Yemen's warring parties, which is expected to pave the way for peace talks in Kuwait on April 18.
In early December, Saudi media disclosed that differences between Hadi and Bahah had increased over a cabinet reshuffling.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950116001338
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Iran to Unveil N. Achievements in Fuel, Laser Fields
Tue Apr 05 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi announced that the country will unveil new nuclear products in different fields, including fuel and laser technology, on Thursday.
"New nuclear achievements will be unveiled in fuel, laser, power plants and health fields on the occasion of the National Day of Nuclear Technology," Kamalvandi said on Tuesday.
He said that a ceremony will be held on Thursday to unveil the new nuclear achievements in the presence of the high-ranking officials, figures and elites.
"During the ceremony, a new activity will also start in one of Iran's nuclear centers," Kamalvandi added.
Also, in March, Deputy AEOI Head Asqar Zarean had said the country is set to unveil new hi-tech achievements on the National Day of Nuclear Technology in early April.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950117000314
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Russian Official: First S-300 Shipment to Iran to Be Made in Days
Tue Apr 05 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The first shipment of S-300 air defense missile systems to Iran will be made within days, Special Representative of the Russian President for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said on Tuesday.
“I don’t know if this will happen today, but they (the consignments) will be loaded for shipment to Iran,” Kabulov was quoted by Russia’s Interfax news agency as saying on Tuesday.
In mid-February, the official had said that Moscow would deliver the surface-to-air missile systems to the Islamic Republic in “the nearest time.”
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950117000977
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1st Iranian Tanker in Post-Sanctions Setting calls at African Port
Tue Apr 05 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- An Iranian oil tanker has called at an African port for the first time since the removal of US-led sanctions on Tehran's nuclear program, an official said.
Nasrollah Sardashti, director of commerce at National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC), said NITC's first tanker has berthed in Africa and the company is prepared to enter European markets.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950117001057
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Official: Iranian Airlines Not Flying in Saudi Airspace
Tue Apr 05 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Director of Civil Aviation Organization Reza Jafarzadeh said Iranian airlines have never tried to land or made any request to fly in the Saudi airspace.
In a statement on Tuesday, Jafarzadeh said Saudi authorities should explain why they claim they have withdrawn licenses given to Mahan Air to land in the Persian Gulf kingdom or fly in its airspace over ‘safety’ claims.
“No Iranian airline, including Mahan Air, has ever asked to land in Saudi Arabia or fly in its airspace. Iranian airlines have stopped their flight services to Saudi Arabia altogerther. It just doesn’t make any sense for the Saudis to question the safety of Iranian jet airliners,” he added.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950117000815
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Senior MP Reveals Saudi-Israeli Plots to Tense Up Lebanon
Tue Apr 05 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Saudi Arabia and Israel are plotting to create insecurity and tension in Lebanon through efforts to trouble Hezbollah, a senior Lebanese legislator said on Tuesday.
Faisal al-Daoud, a Lebanese lawmaker and the head of the Arab Lebanese Struggle Movement, predicted exacerbation of security situation in his country, and told FNA, "The main aim of these tensions is weakening the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance group and making it entangled in tensions."
"Today, Saudi Arabia and Israel have hatched plots to trouble and entangle Hezbollah" to attain their goals in Palestine, he added.
Full report at:
en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950117000248
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Iran Proposes Mediation between Azerbaijan, Armenia over Border Clashes
Tue Apr 05 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif offered his country's proposal to the Azeri and Armenian officials to mediate between the two countries over the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.
Zarif made the remarks in a phone conversation with his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian on Tuesday.
During the talks, he reiterated the necessity for stopping clashes in Nagorno-Karabakh, restoration of tranquility in the region and peaceful settlement of differences between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and announced Tehran's preparedness to play its role in this regard with the agreement of both sides.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950117000402
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Mideast
Turkey Offers $14 Million Bounty for 23 Wanted ISIL Militants
Tue Apr 05 2016
Turkey’s Interior Ministry has updated its list of “wanted terrorists” to include 23 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants following the jihadist organization’s twin suicide bombing in the country’s capital on Oct. 10, 2015. The government has offered rewards of more than 42 million Turkish liras (more than $14 million) for any information leading to the suspects’ capture.
The ministry ranks those included on the list in five colour-coded categories from red (most wanted), to blue, green, orange and grey.
Three militants, İlhami Balı, Mustafa Dokumacı and Yunus Durmaz, are on the red list with 4-million-lira rewards offered for each.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-offers-14-million-bounty-for-23-wanted-isil-militants.aspx?pageID=238&nID=97324&NewsCatID=509
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Data of nearly 50 million Turks allegedly leaked online
Tue Apr 05 2016
Hackers have posted a database online that seems to contain the personal information of nearly 50 million Turkish citizens in what is one of the largest public leaks of its kind.
The leaked database contains 49,611,709 entries and divulged considerable private information, putting people at risk of identity theft and fraud. Entries include data such as national ID numbers, addresses, birthdates and parents’ names.
The hackers spotlighted the information for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, his predecessor Abdullah Gül, and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu.
The leak came with the message: “Who would have imagined that backwards ideologies, cronyism and rising religious extremism in Turkey would lead to a crumbling and vulnerable technical infrastructure?”
Full report at:
hurriyetdailynews.com/data-of-nearly-50-million-turks-allegedly-leaked-online.aspx?pageID=238&nID=97321&NewsCatID=341
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Death toll rises to eight in Diyarbakır bomb attack
DİYARBAKIR – Doğan News Agency
Tue Apr 05 2016
The death toll of a car bomb attack that targeted police carried out by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır on March 31 has risen to eight after a deputy police chief succumbed to his injuries at a hospital on April 5.
Deputy police chief Tamer Aktaş was heavily wounded in the attack and later transferred to Diyarbakır Military Hospital. However, Aktaş succumbed to his injuries on April 5, increasing the death toll to eight.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/death-toll-rises-to-eight-in-diyarbakir-bomb-attack.aspx?pageID=238&nID=97317&NewsCatID=341
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Three suspects preparing bombs caught in Turkey’s İzmir
İZMİR – Doğan News Agency
Tue Apr 05 2016
Three suspected militants of the outlawed group Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLKP) were caught in an operation on early April 5 in the Aegean province of İzmir as they were preparing a bomb attack on the city.
İzmir counter-terrorism and intelligence police units had followed the suspected militants, and later raided a cell house where the militants had prepared the explosives in the city’s Buca district.
The militants detained in the operation were members of the MLKP’s armed wing, known as Armed Forces of the Poor and the Oppressed (FESK). Police also seized the equipment used to make bombs and Triacetone Triperoxidean (TATP), a high explosive bomb, during searches inside the house. Fake identity cards were also seized during the operation.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/three-suspects-preparing-bombs-caught-in-turkeys-izmir.aspx?pageID=238&nID=97316&NewsCatID=509
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Locals in Turkey’s Maraş protest planned camp for Syrians
Rifat Başaran - ANKARA
Tue Apr 05 2016
Plans to build a container city for around 27,000 Syrian refugees near predominantly-Alevi populated villages in Turkey’s southern province of Kahramanmaraş has led to uneasiness among villagers.
“Before everything else, this place was originally allocated as a protected natural area but was confiscated unlawfully. Also, people here haven’t yet forgotten the Maraş massacre of 1978,” said Ali Öztunç, a party assembly member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), referring to the killing of over 100 Alevis in the town by right-wing ultra-nationalists.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/locals-in-turkeys-maras-protest-planned-camp-for-syrians.aspx?pageID=238&nID=97304&NewsCatID=509
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Istanbul’s first Arabic bookstore anchors Syrian refugees
ISTANBUL - The Associated Press
Tue Apr 05 2016
A rustic, three story-Arabic bookstore in old Istanbul has become an anchor for many Syrians who have stayed put in Turkey but crave a taste of home.
The founder and owner of Pages Bookstore Café, Samer al-Kadri, a refugee himself, says the store strives to be a bridge between Syrians, Turks and the myriad of foreigners who visit the city.
Its weekly program includes music concerts and, starting soon, language exchanges in Arabic, English and Turkish. Books are available in all three languages. Al-Kadri is acutely aware that the language barrier “has made it difficult for Syrians to really integrate into society.”
Turkey is hosting 2.7 million Syrian refugees and is due to receive many more under a plan with the European Union that aims to halt the smuggling of migrants into Europe. The deal stipulates that for every Syrian returned, another Syrian in Turkey will be relocated to a European country.
Full report at:
hurriyetdailynews.com/istanbuls-first-arabic-bookstore-anchors-syrian-refugees.aspx?pageID=238&nID=97286&NewsCatID=386
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Soldier wounded in ISIL shelling in Turkey’s southeast
GAZİANTEP – Doğan News Agency
Tue Apr 05 2016
One Turkish soldier was injured on April 5 when Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants shelled a military post in the southeastern province of Gaziantep near the Syrian border.
Artillery fire and two shells were fired from an ISIL position at a Turkish military post near the border in the province’s Oğuzeli district.
One soldier was injured in the attack and was reported to be in good condition.
Meanwhile, the Turkish military retaliated against the attack by shelling ISIL positions in the region.
hurriyetdailynews.com/soldier-wounded-in-isil-shelling-in-turkeys-southeast.aspx?pageID=238&nID=97320&NewsCatID=341
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Pakistan
Protests mar visit of Fata reforms body members to Khyber
Tue Apr 05 2016
LANDI KOTAL: Protest demonstrations and boycott by activists of various political parties marred the dialogue process, which a five-member Fata Reforms Committee held with various stakeholders in Khyber Agency on Monday.
The Jirga Hall in Landi Kotal, where the committee members first met with local tribal elders, reverberated with slogans against Frontier Crimes Regulation and the existing system in tribal areas when some of the pro-administration elders spoke in favor of FCR.
Local journalists were not allowed to cover the proceedings of the first session but some insiders told Dawn that former MNA Hamidullah Jan Afridi and some elders were given a tough time by a good number of ‘progressive’ elders, who had managed to secure a seat inside the Jirga Hall by posing as pro-administration.
Full report at: dawn.com/news/1250100/protests-mar-visit-of-fata-reforms-body-members-to-khyber
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India's growing military spending threatens Pakistan, says NSA Janjua
April 5, 2016
ISLAMABAD: India's heavy military spending and acquisition of weapons threatens Pakistan and its efforts for regional peace, said National Security Adviser Lieutenant General (retd) Nasir Khan Janjua on Tuesday.
Speaking at a seminar titled 'Pakistan's role in promoting global peace and security' in the capital, Janjua said that Pakistan is a peace-loving country but its efforts to promote regional peace are hindered by Indian desire to acquire military and strategic weapons.
He was of the view that the two neighbouring countries are nuclear armed and cannot live in an environment of hostility towards each other, especially when both are fighting terror on their soil.
Full report at: dawn.com/news/1250121/indias-growing-military-spending-threatens-pakistan-says-nsa-janjua
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At least one killed as remote-controlled bomb hits Jaffar Express in Sibi
Tue Apr 05 2016
QUETTA: At least one passenger was killed and several others injured as a remote-controlled bomb hit the Quetta-bound Jaffar Express in Balochistan's Sibi district on Tuesday.
The passenger train travelling from Lahore to Quetta was in the Bakhtiarabad area when the bomb detonated, Levis sources said.
One passenger was killed and at least three others injured, while three bogies of the passenger train were derailed as a result of the attack. The victims were shifted to hospitals in Quetta.
Full report at: dawn.com/news/1250107/at-least-one-killed-as-remote-controlled-bomb-hits-jaffar-express-in-sibi
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US Navy orders nine AH-1Z Viper Attack Helicopters for Pakistan
Tue Apr 05 2016
WASHINGTON: The United States (US) Navy awarded a $170 million contract for the manufacture of nine AH-1Z Viper Attack Helicopters to Bell Helicopter, the US Department of Defense said in a statement on Monday.
The combat helicopters will be manufactured and delivered to Pakistan under the Foreign Military Sales Program, the statement said.
The Bell AH-1Z Viper is a twin-engine combat chopper based on the previous SuperCobra model developed for the US Marine Corps, Sputnik reported. It has a top speed of 420 kilometres per hour and a range of 610km.
The contract awarded "for the manufacture and delivery of nine AH-1Z aircraft and nine auxiliary fuel kits for the government of Pakistan" is "expected to be completed in September 2018".
Full report at: dawn.com/news/1250108/us-navy-orders-nine-ah-1z-viper-attack-helicopters-for-pakistan
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Panama Papers not ‘damning’ for PML-N government
Tue Apr 05 2016
ISLAMABAD: The Panama Papers may have generated a worldwide controversy over the financial activities of the global elite, but the revelations made thus far do not look to be too troublesome for the ruling PML-N.
Indeed, legal experts believe that even in the face of these disclosures, the papers prove almost no illegality on the part of the Sharif family or others implicated in the leak.
Reportedly, the leaked documents identify at least 200 Pakistanis, including the family of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the late Benazir Bhutto, Rehman Malik and other prominent politicians and businessmen,
Documents released by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) reveal that Mariam Safdar, Hasan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz “were owners or had the right to authorise transactions for several companies”.
Full report at: dawn.com/news/1250081/
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766 illegal Afghan refugees arrested in Karachi in past 15 months: report
Tue Apr 05 2016
KARACHI: Police claim to have arrested 766 illegal Afghan refugees in districts central and west of Karachi during search operations carried out between Dec 21, 2014 and March 21, 2016.
The statistics are part of a recently prepared report by the DIG-West which will be presented to the home department in the coming days.
These arrests were made under the National Action Plan (NAP) prepared in January 2015 for a countrywide crackdown on terrorism and tracking terror financing by its financiers.
Illegal Afghan refugees were arrested every year in large numbers by the police specifically in the Camp Jadeed and Afghan Basti localities. Most of the arrested Afghans were sent either to Landhi jail or Gadani jail and then deported back home, a police official said.
Out of the 766 arrested Afghans mentioned in the report, 541 were arrested in west district and 225 in central district . Around 730 were sent to jail, out of which 211 were released on bail.
Full report at: dawn.com/news/1249993/766-illegal-afghan-refugees-arrested-in-karachi-in-past-15-months-report
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Southeast Asia
A THAI MONK IS USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO PREACH VIOLENCE AGAINST MUSLIMS
Apr 04 2016
Phra Apichart Punnajanto, the 30-year-old head preacher at Bangkok's popular Marble Temple, tries to suppress a smile as he explains how very angry he is. The baby-faced monk pulls out documents, one after the other, and spreads them across the table. Next to him, a friend whom he has deputized to memorialize this interview snaps away on an expensive smartphone.
This, says Apichart, tapping forcefully on the paper, is a list of the 20 monks killed and 24 injured since 2007 in Thailand’s deep south. An insurgency in the predominantly Malay-Muslim region has been raging since 2004, and more than 6,500 people have been killed. Most of them have been Muslim civilians, though the statistical disparity doesn’t bother him. The death of a single monk, explains Apichart, should be considered a religious attack. “I was stressed before, when monks got killed and injured,” he says. “Now it’s past that point—no stress, just revenge. This is why I said those things about burning the mosques: because I want revenge.”
Full report at: newsweek.com/thailand-monk-apichart-social-media-muslim-violence-443698
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