Sudan: Gov't troops kill 40 Darfur rebels Nigeria: At least 11 killed in Christmas Eve blasts Pak Protestors warn of anarchy if blasphemy law changed Pak Army should declare "jihad" against US forces' ground raids in tribal areas: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Strike in Balochistan against Shahzain Bugti’s arrest Pakistani drone victim seeks to put U.S. on trial Iraqi kills daughter recruited as al-Qaida bomber Moles in A Q Khan ring may expose CIA secrets Kabul raid kills two after US embassy threat: Isaf PAKISTAN: Sharia Court Launches Major Challenge to Protection of Women Act Christmas requiem for Iraq's Christian community Haia men ready to block New Year festivities Christmas church bombing wounds six in Philippines Italy bombers wanted revenge on Chile, Swiss Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza after rocket attack WikiLeaks: British Outreach to Muslim Community Fails UK Muslim hate group launches ‘poster campaign’ terming Christmas "evil" Is “islamophobia” a word made up to cover up the islamist agenda? New leads in Ajmer blast case Israeli anti-polygamy activists run into Islamic opposition School bombed in Peshawar, four children injured Nato backtracks on ‘Iran arms smuggler’ held in Afghanistan Qatar says it is ready to hold military drills with Iran Pakistani girl undergoes sex change operation Indonesian bishop: Muslim radicals are "colonizing" the country Israel destroyed Syrian nuclear reactor: cables Assange fears for his life UNSC members political retards: Ahmadinejad 2010 bloodiest year for Pakistan since 2001: Report 'WikiLeaks to expose Mossad' US asks Yemen for 'forceful action' against al-Qaida US flight alert warns of thermos bombs Saudi police kill shooter dressed as woman JEDDAH: Girl power evident all around in IYWA’s Edutainment event UAE: She kindled hearts with passion and patience Gazans deny getting expert help from Iran, Syria Munich hosting Iran, Land of Worship exhibit Bashir: Sharia law will be strengthened if South Sudan votes to secede Montreal Joins the War against Israel First women-only call centre opens in Saudi Arabia Pak arrests top Taliban commander Nasiruddin Haqqani Pilgrims, clergy reach Bethlehem for Christmas Musharraf gets questionnaire After 14 Fridays, Mirwaiz allowed to give sermon Pakistan gets $633m US anti-terror aid Turkey hails US decision on genocide resolution 3 intruders killed by Jordan guards US trauma treatment center assists Iraqi refugees ABU DHABI: Radio talk show on changes in labour law tomorrow Two terrorists, FC soldier killed in Bara clash Quaid’s birth anniversary to be celebrated in befitting manner KARACHI: Two shot dead; newly married woman commits suicide Pakistani onions poor, claim Chandigarh wholesalers Compiled by New Age Isalm News Bureau Photo: Left: Volunteers work at the annual Red Andrews Dinner in 2010 in Oklahoma City.Islamic World News 25 Dec 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com 
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Muslim community plans free Christmas meal
Dec 25, 2010
The Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma and two other Muslim organizations are teaming up to provide a free Christmas meal for the homeless.
A free Christmas meal for the homeless will be served from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City’s mosque, 3815 N St. Clair Ave.
The society will partner with the Islamic Council of Oklahoma and the Council on American Islamic Relations-Oklahoma City chapter to provide the dinner.
Islamic Society spokesman Saad Mohammed said transportation from the Jesus House and City Rescue Mission will be provided to the mosque. He said free blankets will be provided in addition to the meal.
“This is a time of giving and providing for those who cannot provide for themselves,” he said.
Imad Enchassi, the society’s president and imam, said the meal is the Muslim community’s way of recognizing the “Season of Giving.”
“Our faith teaches us to reach out to those who are in need,” Enchassi said.
?SALVATION ARMY: Toys were distributed last week to families who applied for toy assistance through the Angel Tree program, said Maj. Dan Proctor, commander of the Central Oklahoma Area. Additional toys are on hand “in case there’s somebody who falls through the cracks.” The organization’s two shelters, with a total capacity of 100, serve meals year-round but no special meal is planned on Christmas.
?RED ANDREWS DINNER: Red Andrews Christmas Dinner, 10 a.m. Saturday, Cox Convention Center. Checks to help with event expenses can be mailed to Red Andrews Christmas Dinner, P.O. Box 54856, Oklahoma City, OK 73154.
?SOONER BAR B Q: 3519 S Western Ave., will serve a free Christmas dinner starting at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Phone: 632-0077.
?ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF GREATER OKLAHOMA CITY: The society will partner with the Islamic Council of Oklahoma and the Council on American Islamic Relations-Oklahoma City chapter to provide a free dinner to the homeless at 4 p.m. Saturday at the society’s mosque, 3815 N St. Clair Ave.
http://newsok.com/muslim-community-plans-free-christmas-
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Female suicide bomber kills 45 in Pakistan
Dec 25, 2010
Islamabad: A suspected female suicide bomber detonated her explosives among a group of people receiving supplies from a UN food distribution centre in Pakistan's tribal region Saturday, killing at least 42 people, an official said.
Seventy others were injured in the attack at Khar, the main town in Bajaur tribal district where government forces are fighting Taliban and Al Qaeda militants.
Imtiaz Khan, a government official, said that around 300 people were gathered to get food when the bomber struck. "According to initial reports, the bomber was a woman wearing a burqa."
If confirmed it would be only third suicide attack in Pakistan by a woman.
"Forty-two people have been confirmed dead while more than 70 people are injured. Seven to eight people are in critical condition," Afif Khan, a medical officer at emergency department in Khar's main hospital said over phone.
Thousands of families displaced by fighting between Taliban and government forces rely heavily on food provided by the government and the UN World Food Programme.
The bombing came a day after 150 Taliban fighters carried out coordinated attacks on five security posts in neighbouring Mohmand district. Eleven soldiers and 24 militants died, officials said.
http://www.sify.com/news/Female-suicide-bomber-kills-42-in-Pakist-news--
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Sudan: Gov't troops kill 40 Darfur rebels
12/25/2010
KHARTOUM, Sudan — Sudan says government troops have killed at least 40 rebels in a new offensive in the country's troubled Darfur region.
Army Spokesman Capt. Khalid Sawarmy says the rebels were killed during fighting on Friday night, when army forces attacked joint positions of two rebel groups — the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Movement.
The spokesman, whose comments were carried on Saturday by the official Sudan News Agency, says three soldiers also died and 13 were wounded in the fighting.
Darfur has been in turmoil since 2003, when ethnic African rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated government, accusing it of discrimination and neglect of their region. The U.N. says some 300,000 people died 2.7 million fled their homes because of the conflict.
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=200915
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Nigeria: At least 11 killed in Christmas Eve blasts
12/25/2010
JOS, Nigeria — An official says at least 11 people have been killed in multiple Christmas eve blasts in central Nigeria, a region violently divided between Christians and Muslims.
The Plateau state information commissioner told The Associated Press Saturday that he counted 11 dead bodies at two sites rocked by bomb blasts within the central city of Jos Friday evening.
Gregory Yenlong said nobody has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
He said the attack "is unfortunate, especially at this time when we want to ensure sustainable peace in the state."
Jos is the epicenter of religious violence in Nigeria's "middle belt," where dozens of ethnic groups vie for political and economic control. The violence often falls along religious lines and has claimed more than 500 lives this year.
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=200917
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Pak Protestors warn of anarchy if blasphemy law changed
Dec 25, 2010
LAHORE: Thousands of people rallied in major Pakistani cities on Friday threatening further protests and anarchy if the government moves to amend a controversial blasphemy law.
A ruling Pakistan Peoples Party lawmaker sparked outcry last month by seeking to end the death penalty for blasphemy, after a Christian mother of five was sentenced to hang for defaming the Prophet Mohammed.
Demonstrators marched in the eastern city of Lahore, the port city of Karachi and the central city of Multan, after influential religious parties called for protests to defend the law.
A crowd of nearly 1,500 people gathered in Lahore, calling for “Jihad” and pledging to sacrifice their lives to protect the honour of Prophet Mohammad. They also warned that attempts to soften the law would trigger nationwide protests.
“Pakistan was created in the name of Islam and we will not tolerate any attempt to amend the law,” a leader of the pro-Taliban Jamiatul Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), Maulana Ahmad Khan told the participants.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/24/protestors-warn-of-anarchy-if-blasphemy-law-
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Pak Army should declare "jihad" against US forces' ground raids in tribal areas: JUI-F
Dec 25, 2010
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazalur Rehman has strongly criticised US media reports on the military operation in Pakistan's tribal region, saying the Pakistan Army should declare 'jihad' in response to the US forces' ground raids in North Waziristan.
Speaking in the National Assembly, Fazl expressed dismay over the policies adopted by the Pakistan People's Party-led government, particularly regarding the ongoing war against terror in the country.
Referring to a US newspaper report that "senior American military commanders in Afghanistan are pushing for an expanded campaign of Special Operations ground raids across the border into Pakistan's tribal areas", he announced that his party would not let any foreign troops into the country's soil, and also urged the army to announce jihad in case US troops carried out any such attack.
Full report at:
http://www.sify.com/news/pak-army-should-declare-jihad-against-us-forces-ground-raids-
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Strike in Balochistan against Shahzain Bugti’s arrest
Dec 25, 2010
QUETTA: A shutter-down strike was observed in parts of Balochistan and the provincial metropolis on Friday, to protest the arrest of Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) leader Shahzain Bugti.
He was produced before an anti-terrorism court along with 26 others on Friday following recovery of a large quantity of weapons allegedly from his possession.
The strike call was given by the JWP and was supported by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Ideological) and trade unions. Business and commercial centres remained closed at Liaquat Bazaar, Mezan Chowk, Prince Road, Abdul Sattar Road, Sirki Road, Saryab Road and Zarghoon Road. Traffic remained thin on the roads.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\25\story_25-12-2010_pg7_2
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Pakistani drone victim seeks to put U.S. on trial
By Chris Brummitt
Dec 25, 2010
Sadaullah Wazir says he was relaxing in his front yard when the missile struck, hurling him against the wall and mangling his legs so badly that they had to be amputated. Three of his relatives died. Now the 17-year-old and his family want justice from America, which they say was behind the attack.
Detailed accounts by casualties such as Wazir rarely make it outside the tribal regions. He and other tribesmen recently traveled to Islamabad, the capital, to meet with lawyers who are planning to sue the CIA for damages, possibly adding a new layer of scrutiny to the agency's covert war inside Pakistan.
American officials do not acknowledge that war or discuss who is being killed in drone-fired missile attacks on al-Qaida and Taliban targets, which have surged this year to average about two a week. But they have said privately that the strikes are highly precise and harm very few innocents. Some locals agree about their accuracy, especially when compared to bombing runs by Pakistani jets.
Full report at:
http://www.tehrantimes.com/Index_view.asp?code=232805
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Iraqi kills daughter recruited as al-Qaida bomber
Dec 25, 2010
BAGHDAD: Iraqi police say a man has killed his 19-year-old daughter after discovering al-Qaida had recruited her as a suicide bomber.
Diyala province police spokesman Maj. Ghalib al-Karkhi says security forces raided the man's house in the former Sunni-insurgent stronghold of Baqouba north of Baghdad in search of the girl on suspicion she had ties to al-Qaida. Police did not find her.
Al-Karkhi says the father, Najim al-Anbaky, told police he killed his daughter a month earlier because he found out she intended to blow herself up in a suicide attack for al-Qaida.
Al-Karhki said Friday al-Anbaky showed police what he said was the woman's grave.
Al-Qaida recruits women for suicide attacks because they can pass police checkpoints easier than men.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Iraqi-kills-daughter-recruited-as-al-
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Moles in A Q Khan ring may expose CIA secrets
Dec 25 2010
New York : A seven-year effort by the CIA to hide its relationship with a Swiss family who once acted as moles inside the world’s most successful nuclear black market hit a turning point Thursday after a Swiss magistrate recommended charging the men with trafficking in technology and information for making nuclear arms.A prosecution and public trial may expose some of the CIA’s deepest secrets if defence lawyers try to protect their clients — the Tinner family of Haag, Switzerland — by revealing how they operated on behalf of the CIA.It could also tarnish what the Bush administration once hailed as a resounding victory in breaking up the nuclear arms network by laying bare how much of it remained intact. “It’s like a puzzle,” Andreas Müller, the Swiss magistrate, said at a news conference in Bern Thursday. “If you put the puzzle together you get the whole picture.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/moles-in-a-q-khan-ring-may-expose-cia-
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Kabul raid kills two after US embassy threat: Isaf
Dec 25, 2010
KABUL: Afghan and foreign troops killed two men during a raid in downtown Kabul after receiving a “credible threat” to attack the US Embassy in the capital, the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said on Saturday.
Isaf confirmed Friday’s operation after Afghan security officials had said foreign troops were involved in a night raid that targeted a compound belonging to a private security firm.
The raid came after Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security said this week it had separately detained three people it said had been instructed by the Pakistani Taliban to attack the presidential palace and US embassy in Kabul.
“After receiving a credible threat to attack the US Embassy, Isaf coordinated with Afghan security forces to move on an area of interest,” Isaf said in a statement late on Friday.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/25/kabul-raid-kills-two-after-us-embassy-threat-isaf.html
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PAKISTAN: Sharia Court Launches Major Challenge to Protection of Women Act
Dec 25, 2010
On 22 December 2010, after three years and four petitions, the Federal Shariat Court (FSC) of Pakistan declared several critical clauses of the Protection of Women (Criminal Laws Amendment) Act of 2006 unconstitutional. In place of this act that created protections for women, the FSC supports the reinstatement of the Hudood Ordinances VII of 1979, which were used to discriminate against, falsely convict and imprison, and otherwise destroy the lives of hundreds of women.
Although the FSC does not have the power to make or change law, Article 203DD of the Constitution does give the FSC to rule any law which is “repugnant†to Islam based on the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). The dangerous, potentially destabilising implications will not be legal but rather primarily social and political, as the FSC declaration will incite Islamic fundamentalists and their supporters to suppress the rights of women for fair trial which they have achieved after a long history of struggle.
Full report at:
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/MCOI-8CFFW8?OpenDocument
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Christmas requiem for Iraq's Christian community
Dec 25, 2010
Slaughter of the innocents. "Christmas requiem for Iraq's Christian community," by Zvi Bar'el for Haaretz, December 24 (thanks to AINA):
In order to meet Iraq's Christians this year, Santa Claus will have to steer his sleigh to Jordan, Syria, Kurdistan or Europe. After Al-Qaida's October 31 massacre at a central Baghdad church, thousands of Christians have decided that their homeland is no longer safe. [...]
"Contacting the authorities forces us to identify ourselves, and we aren't certain that some of the people threatening us aren't the people in the government offices that are supposed to be protecting us," one Christian Iraqi told the newspaper Sawt al-Iraq. Others have reported masked men coming to their homes at night and demanding that they "convert to Islam, leave or die."
Full report at:
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/12/christmas-requiem-for-iraqs-christian-community.html
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Haia men ready to block New Year festivities
Dec 25, 2010
JEDDAH: The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) has directed all its branch offices to be on the lookout for any year-end celebration, the director general of the Haia in Makkah province Sheikh Ahmad Al-Ghamdi said in a statement to Arab News on Friday.
"The Haia will immediately dismantle any form of preparations for the celebrations but if these preparations are out of its jurisdiction, it will take up the matter with the authorities concerned," he said, pointing out such prohibitions apply to the celebration of the Hijra new year or the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Sheikh Al-Ghamdi asked the parents to consolidate the Islamic identity of their children and said Saudi citizens and Muslim expatriates should stick to the calls of their Islamic identity.
"This, however, does not prevent Muslims from participating in the celebrations of the non-Muslims on condition that this participation should not touch the basics of the Islamic faith," he said.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article222393.ece
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Christmas church bombing wounds six in Philippines
Dec 25, 2010
ZAMBOANGA: Six people were wounded Saturday when a bomb went off in a church during Christmas mass on a southern Philippine island known as a hotbed of Islamic extremism, the military said.
Military officials would not immediately name any suspects in the blast on Jolo island but the island is a known bastion of the Abu Sayyaf, a group linked to the al-Qaida network.
"The explosion occurred at around 7:15 in the morning while the mass was going on. Six people were slightly wounded in the explosion," military spokesman Lieutenant Randolph Cabangbang said.
Among those wounded was the priest officiating the mass, he added.
Police investigators were searching the site for clues as to who might be responsible, he said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Christmas-church-bombing-wounds-
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Italy bombers wanted revenge on Chile, Swiss
Dec 25, 2010
ROME: A top Italian official says purported anarchists who sent mail bombs to the embassies of Chile and Switzerland wanted to avenge blows by those countries against their movement. Small packages exploded when they were opened, seriously wounding two people at the Rome embassies.
Alfredo Mantovano, undersecretary of the interior ministry, says the Swiss were targeted because intensified Swiss-Italian cooperation led to the recent arrest of several anarchists. Mantovano also told Italian radio Friday the Chileans were targeted because last year an anarchist died in Chile.
Almost immediately after the twin blasts, Italy's interior minister said anarchists were the likely bombers.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Italy-bombers-wanted-revenge-on-Chile-
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Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza after rocket attack
Dec 25, 2010
JERUSALEM: Israeli warplanes hit four targets in the Gaza Strip early Saturday, wounding at least two people, officials and witnesses said and knocking out power in a large swathe of the strip.
The strikes came after militants fired a mortar and rocket into Israel on Friday, according to the army.
One of the strikes in central Gaza targeted a car as it was pulling up near a site used by Hamas' military wing. Two of the occupants were wounded and taken to hospital, medics said.
Adham Abu Selmiya, a spokesman for the Hamas-run medical services said the two men were civilians. However, witnesses said they appeared to be militants.
The blast also damaged a nearby power station, knocking out electricity in much of the area.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Israeli-airstrikes-hit-Gaza-after-
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WikiLeaks: British Outreach to Muslim Community Fails
Dec 25, 2010
According to one of the cables released by WikiLeaks, the U.S. believes that the British have made “little progress” in winning over its Muslim community. The author is right to be alarmed but shouldn’t be surprised. The U.K., like the U.S., has been courting extremists in moderate clothing as part of its outreach and has failed to stop Islamist trends in the country as a result.
The August 2006 document says that although the British government invested “considerable time and resources” into reaching out to the Muslim community after the terrorist attacks in London on July 7, 2005, a productive relationship has not been established. As an example, the cable mentioned “The Muslim community’s reaction to the arrests of 24 of its own sons—a kneejerk reaction blaming [the government]—shows that its leaders too have far to go.” It complained about how Muslim leaders attributed homegrown extremism to British foreign policy, using the problem to vindicate their political views.
Full report at:
http://frontpagemag.com/2010/12/24/wikileaks-british-outreach-to-muslim-community-
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UK Muslim hate group launches ‘poster campaign’ terming Christmas "evil"
Dec 25, 2010
London - Fanatics from a banned Islamic hate group have launched a nationwide poster campaign in Britain denouncing Christmas as evil and hoping that it will lead to Britons converting to Islam, a media report said.
Organisers plan to put up thousands of placards around Britain claiming the season of goodwill is responsible for rape, teenage pregnancies, abortion, promiscuity, crime and paedophilia, the Daily Mail reported.
They hope the campaign will help ‘destroy Christmas’ in this country and lead to Britons converting to Islam instead.
The placards, which have already appeared in parts of London, feature an apparently festive scene with an image of the Star of Bethlehem over a Christmas tree, the daily said.
But a banner announcing ‘the evils of Christmas’ features a message mocking the song the ‘12 Days of Christmas’.
Full report at:
http://www.indiatalkies.com/2010/12/islamic-group-launches-poster-campaign-christmas-
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Is “islamophobia” a word made up to cover up the islamist agenda?
Dec 25, 2010
Check the stats for hate crimes in America: the most targeted groups are Blacks, Hispanics, gays and Jews. Muslims are near the bottom. Yet all you hear is “Islamophobia, Islamophobia.”
Some of Israel’s most blatant critics have written that for every Israeli killed, about a hundred Palestinians were killed. A half-truth is worse than a lie, but this is not even a half truth. This is deception. Because months and years of rockets fired at a civilian population are not a matter for bloody accounts. It is a nuisance that no country, neither Syria nor Sweden, would tolerate. It is a provocation that requires a tough response. And if we are already going for bloody accounts, we should do the overall math. We can suffice with just the accounting in the Arab-Muslim world.
So, since the establishment of the State of Israel, close to 12 million Arabs and Muslims have been butchered, most of them by Arabs and Muslims. Israel’s “contribution,” since its establishment, is 60,000, and that includes all the wars and the two Intifadas. In other words, half a percent.
Full report at:
http://www.ajmanlocallaws.uaegcclaws.com/2010/12/24/is-islamophobia-a-word-made-up-
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New leads in Ajmer blast case
Dec 25, 2010
The Rajasthan Anti Terrorist Squad has claimed new leads in the 2007 Ajmer Dargah blasts case. According to the Rajasthan ATS, five new names have emerged in connection with the blasts.
The ATS is reportedly looking for five people who have been identified as Bhavesh, Divesh, Sunny, Mukesh and Mehul.
The investigators have also managed to trace the car, a black Hyundai Santro, used for transporting explosives to Ajmer to carry out the explosion. According to the ATS, the explosives were taken from Indore to Godhra and then to Ajmer
Around 5000 devotees were present in the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti when a bomb ripped through it in October 2007.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/New-leads-in-Ajmer-blast-
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Israeli anti-polygamy activists run into Islamic opposition
By DAVID E. MILLER
Dec 25, 2010
Negev clerics and politicians infuriated by women's campaign to stop polygamous marriages among Israeli Beduin.
A women’s group campaigning to stop polygamous marriages among Israeli Beduin is running into strong resistance from Islamic groups and even some politicians.
The organizers of the "No Excuse for Polygamy" campaign, launched at the end of November, have been called infidels in newspaper editorials and accused of serving the Zionist agenda by limiting the Arab birth rate. Last Friday’s sermon in a mosque in the Beduin town of Rahat warned worshipers to protect their wives and daughters from the woman's movements.
Even heads of Negev regional councils representing Beduin towns have publicly denounced the anti-polygamy campaign.
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=200806
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School bombed in Peshawar, four children injured
Dec 25, 2010
PESHAWAR: A bomb fitted with a timer exploded in a private boys’ primary school in Peshawar’s Pelosi neighbourhood, wounding four children, senior police official Shafiullah Khan said on Friday. “Four children were wounded in the bomb blast at a primary school,” Khan said, adding that the children were in the playground during break time when the bomb exploded indoors. Peshawar is the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and has seen several bombings and suicide attacks blamed on the Taliban.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\25\story_25-12-2010_pg1_3
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Nato backtracks on ‘Iran arms smuggler’ held in Afghanistan
Dec 25, 2010
KABUL: A man accused of smuggling weapons into Afghanistan was not a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s elite al-Quds unit, coalition forces said Friday, withdrawing a previous claim.
The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) had previously said the man, who was captured by US special forces Saturday, was from al-Quds, which specialises in foreign operations.
It later retracted the statement but still accused him of being involved in smuggling weapons from Iran into Kandahar, a Taliban heartland in the south of Afghanistan where fighting is among the fiercest in the country.
ISAF added that the man, who was captured in Zhari district, had direct links to Taliban leaders in the province. Its spokesman would not comment on whether he was Iranian.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/24/iranian-officer-captured-in-afghanistan-nato.html
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Qatar says it is ready to hold military drills with Iran
12/25/2010
The chief of staff of Qatar's armed forces on Friday said his country is prepared to hold joint land and sea army drills with Iran in the Persian Gulf, PressTV reported citing Iranian news agency IRNA.
Major General Hamad bin Ali al-Attiyah met with the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) commander of the fleet of Iranian military boats which were visiting Qatar on Friday, and praised Iranian-Qatari military cooperation and growing bilateral ties between the two countries, said PressTV.
During the meeting, Attiyah also said Doha is ready to improve ties with Teheran in military and defense matters, which include the transfer of experience, training and joint exercises in Persian Gulf waters.
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=200914
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Pakistani girl undergoes sex change operation
Dec 25, 2010
Islamabad, Dec 25 – A 13-year-old Pakistani girl underwent a successful sex change operation after doctors said her physiology was that of a male.
The teenaged girl, Aisha, was brought to the Hafizabad district headquarters hospital in Punjab province after she complained of chronic pain in her stomach.
Zahoor Ahmed, a urologist, examined her and told her family that her physiology was that of a male and not a female. He recommended a sex reassignment surgery.
She underwent a sex change surgery Wednesday, and the family later changed her name to Usman, The Express Tribune reported.
Usman’s father, Sharif, a resident of Dhariwal village, said the girl had been suffering from stomach ache for more than four years.
Full report at:
http://www.indiatalkies.com/2010/12/pakistani-girl-undergoes-sex-change-operation.html
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Indonesian bishop: Muslim radicals are "colonizing" the country
Dec 25, 2010
No word from the Mideast on whether this might also be a Zionist plot, all the way over in Indonesia.
Indeed, one again finds Islam's vaunted "tolerance" being "misunderstood" with striking uniformity in places far removed from one another, by local Islamic groups. So, how did that happen? Did these guys call each other? "Muslim radicals colonising the country, Indonesian bishops say," by Mathias Hariyadi for Asia News, December 24:
Jakarta (AsiaNews) - Mgr Mathinus D Situmorang, president of the Indonesian Bishops of Conference's (KWI), warned Indonesian political elites on a potentially serious threat to the national interest. The prelate, who is the bishop of Padang (Western Sumatra), delivered his word of caution during the admission ceremony for new members of the Indonesian Catholic University Student Association (PMKRI). In his address, he criticised the state for its powerlessness in the face of dozens of attacks carried out by Islamic fundamentalist groups against churches and Christians.
Full report at:
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/12/indonesian-bishop-muslim-radicals-are-colonizing-the-
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Israel destroyed Syrian nuclear reactor: cables
Dec 25, 2010
Jerusalem: Israel destroyed a Syrian nuclear reactor in an air raid just weeks before it went online in 2007, said a U.S. diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks and published on Friday in an Israeli daily.
“On September 6, 2007, Israel destroyed the nuclear reactor built by Syria secretly, apparently with North Korea's help,” then U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice wrote in the cable published in Yediot Aharonot newspaper.
“Our intelligence experts are convinced that the attack targeted by the Israelis is in fact an atomic reactor of the same type built by North Korea in Yongbyon,” she wrote in the message dated April 2008.
“We have good reason to believe that the reactor was not built for peaceful purposes,” she said, adding the attack came only weeks before the reactor was to become operational.
Ms. Rice also noted the secrecy surrounding the construction of the nuclear facility, with the Syrian authorities refusing to invite the International Atomic Energy Agency or any media to inspect the site.
Full report at:
ttp://www.hindu.com/2010/12/25/stories/2010122567502100.htm
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Assange fears for his life
Hasan Suroor
Dec 25, 2010
LONDON: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Friday expressed fear for his life if he was extradited to America where authorities are reported to be exploring ways of charging him with espionage for releasing thousands of classified official documents.
Mr. Assange said there was a “high risk'' of him being killed “Jack Ruby-style'' in the U.S. prison system, a reference to Jack Leon Ruby, a Texas nightclub operator who was jailed for the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of John F. Kennedy, and died while awaiting a fresh trial.
The Australian whistleblower is on bail pending court proceedings to decide whether he should be extradited to Sweden to answer allegations of sexual assault made by two Swedish women.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/12/25/stories/2010122567422100.htm
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UNSC members political retards: Ahmadinejad
Dec 25, 2010
TEHRAN: Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the member states of the UN Security Council were "political retards" for still believing in the effectiveness of sanctions, the news agency ILNA reported on Friday.
"The officials of those countries who in the third millennium still think sanctions are an effective means are politically retarded," the ILNA news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying during a visit to Istanbul.
The member states of the UN Security Council with the exception of Brazil, Turkey and Lebanon voted overwhelmingly for a fourth sanctions resolution against Iran in June over the Islamic state's nuclear programme.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/UNSC-members-political-retards-
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2010 bloodiest year for Pakistan since 2001: Report
Dec 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD: A total of 1,224 people were killed and 2,157 more injured in 52 suicide attacks across Pakistan since January, making 2010 one of the bloodiest years since the turn of the century.
Though the total number of suicide bombings decreased 35 per cent this year as against the past year, 2010 was the bloodiest year since 2001 in terms of the number of the people killed in such attacks, The News daily reported today.
Pakistan witnessed 80 suicide attacks in 2009 that killed 1,217 people and injured 2,305 others.
On an average, suicide bombers killed 102 persons a month this year, compared to last year's average of 101 killings a month.
The bombers, on an average, killed more than 23 Pakistanis every week and over three persons every day in 2010.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/2010-bloodiest-year-for-Pakistan-since-
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'WikiLeaks to expose Mossad'
Dec 25, 2010
DUBAI: Dubai's police chief today said leaked US diplomatic cables to be released soon will prove his claim that the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad was involved in the murder of Hamas commander Mahmoud Al Mabhouh here almost a year ago.
"The documents will surely prove to those who doubted us," despite the leaked documents," Lt Gen Dahi said.
"But I still believe that some people will still deny the fact," Dahi was quoted as saying by Gulf News said, WikiLeaks founder has Julian Assange in an interview with Al Jazeera on Wednesday, has vowed to release 3,700 more files related to Israel particularly dealing with the Al Mabhouh killing in Dubai and the second Lebanon war.
Mabhuh, a founder of the military wing of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, was found dead in his room at Al-Bustan Rotana hotel here. He was wanted in Israel for the alleged murder of two Israelis.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/WikiLeaks-to-expose-
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US asks Yemen for 'forceful action' against al-Qaida
Dec 25, 2010
HONOLULU: The United States on Friday called on Yemen to step up its fight against al-Qaida and terrorism one year after a botched attempt to blow up a US passenger plane by a Nigerian with Yemeni links.
Counter-terrorism advisor John Brennan called Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh "to emphasise the importance of taking forceful action against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in order to thwart its plans to carry out terrorist attacks in Yemen as well as in other countries, including in the US Homeland," the White House said in a statement.
Brennan stressed the need for cooperation between the two countries, "including the timely acquisition of all relevant information from individuals arrested by Yemeni security forces."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/US-asks-Yemen-for-forceful-action-
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US flight alert warns of thermos bombs
Dec 25, 2010
THE US Homeland Security has issued a terror alert on use of thermos on planes, saying terrorists might conceal explosives inside insulated beverage containers.
"The possible tactics terrorists might use includeconcealmentofexplosivesinsideinsulated beverage containers, so in the coming days, passengers flying within and to the US may notice additional security measuresrelatedtoinsulatedbeveragecontainers,"saidTransportationSecurityAdministration in a statement issued on Thursday.
TSA is responsible for maintenance of security at all US airports. US Homeland Security regularly alerts law enforcement about evolving terror tactics as counter terror officials learn about them through intelligence exchanges.
Full report at: Indian Express
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Saudi police kill shooter dressed as woman
Dec 25, 2010
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: Saudi police have shot and killed a man dressed as a woman after he opened fire at the troops at a checkpoint southwest of the capital, Riyadh.
The kingdom’s Saudi Press Agency carried a police statement saying the shooter was traveling with another man in a vehicle in the Wadi Al-Dawasir area late Friday.
It says the man stepped out of the car and started shooting at security officials who had asked for ID papers.
The police returned fire, killing the man. His companion was arrested.
The police said the case was under investigation.
Saudi Arabia has pursued an aggressive anti-terror campaign since militants launched attacks inside the kingdom in May 2003. In November, nearly 150 Al-Qaeda suspects were reported arrested over the past eight months.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article222430.ece
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Girl power evident all around in IYWA’s Edutainment event
Dec 25, 2010
JEDDAH: “Girl power” was evident in the Indian Youth Welfare Association (IYWA)-organized “Edutainment 2010 – Learning With Fun” event at the Indian Consulate premises on Thursday.
The event comprised a Spelling Bee contest for children from different schools, competing in an inter-school format, and an Islamic calligraphic competition for students of two age groups — seniors and juniors.
The aim of the event was not only to inculcate in children the habit of learning new words and their spellings, but to also emphasize that these words could take them into the realms of the magical world of reading and writing in a language, English, that is becoming a binding force in this global village. The mode of learning was through a fun-filled contest that even saw adults interact freely.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article222375.ece
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UAE: She kindled hearts with passion and patience
Asma Ali Zain
Dec 25, 2010
Salma can rightly be called the Florence of the UAE and is the rightful winner of the Hamdan Award for Individuals working in the field of medicine and health for serving the people.
Salim Al Sharhan has touched the lives of thousands of people for over five decades. Devoting her life to helping the sick, the Florence of the UAE, remains elusive to the thousands of UAE’s nurses.
Salma, 78, was recently awarded the Hamdan Award for Individuals working in the field of medicine and health for serving the UAE people. Her nephew, who received the award on her behalf, could only give sketchy details of her life.
Salma was the first nurse in a country where even now only three per cent of the nursing workforce is Emirati. In 1955, Salma was chosen by a pharmacist to help in his work at the only such store in Ras Al Khaimah where she was trained to use medical equipment. She later worked at the British Council as an assistant to a British doctor. It was here that she learnt the several aspects and regulations of the profession. Later, she joined the first hospital in the emirate — Al Nakheel Hospital.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/December/
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Gazans deny getting expert help from Iran, Syria
By HISHAM ABU TAHA
Dec 25, 2010
GAZA CITY: Palestinian political factions in Gaza have denied Israeli reports that military experts from Iran and Syria had entered the Gaza Strip to improve the military capability of the resistance against Israel.
Nafez Azzam, a senior leader in the Islamic Jihad Movement, said in a statement issued on Thursday that the accusations are an attempt to target resistance leaders in the Gaza Strip.
Abu Mujahed, spokesman for Al-Nasser Brigades, also made similar comments, saying the Israeli occupation is exaggerating the military capabilities of the Palestinian resistance in order to be able to destroy key infrastructure in Gaza Strip in the future.
On Wednesday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told European Union officials during a meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah that he was concerned about a new Israeli military escalation against the Gaza Strip. He warned that any new Israeli aggression on Gaza will endanger the fragile peace process.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article221763.ece
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Munich hosting Iran, Land of Worship exhibit
Dec 25, 2010
TEHRAN -- The exhibition “Iran, Land of Worship” was inaugurated Tuesday in Munich in the presence of Iranian and German cultural officials.
A selection of Persian paintings, typography, calligraphy, photography, and artistic bookbindings created by Iranian masters are on display for two months at the Postplatz in Munich, the Persian service of ILNA reported on Wednesday.
Master of art and Islamic architecture Mahmud Maheronnaqsh, master of calligraphy Mohammad Salahshur, veteran photographer Fakhreddin Fakhreddini and scholar Abdolmajid Hosseini, as well as the chairman of the German Bundestag’s foreign affairs Peter Gauweiler attended the opening ceremony.
In his opening speech, Iran’s ambassador to Berlin Alireza Sheikhattar referred to the historical relations between Iran and Germany and regarded the exhibit as an opportunity to strengthen bilateral ties.
Full report at:
http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=232782
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Bashir: Sharia law will be strengthened if South Sudan votes to secede
By Alex Thurston
Dec 25, 2010
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir recently said that if mostly-Christian South Sudan votes to secede in a Jan. 9 referendum, the predominantly Muslim north will begin adhering more strictly to sharia law.
As part of my own research on Islamic law in Northern Nigeria, I’ve been thinking about parallels between Nigeria and Sudan: both countries have a Muslim-Christian split, both have experienced civil war, and both have implemented Islamic law to varying degrees. So I was interested to see this weekend that Sudanese President Omar al Bashir is saying North Sudan will intensify its adherence to shari’a if southern Sudan secedes in the Jan. 9 referendum.
“If south Sudan secedes, we will change the constitution and at that time there will be no time to speak of diversity of culture and ethnicity,” President Omar Hassan al-Bashir told supporters at a rally in the eastern city of Gedaref.
Full report at:
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2010/1223/Bashir-Sharia-law-will-
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Montreal Joins the War against Israel
David Solway
Dec 25, 2010
Montreal is a diverse and cosmopolitan city, primarily French speaking but with an exotic mix of many of the world’s languages and cultures enlivening the atmosphere. There’s a bit of New York here, a soupçon of Paris, the flavor of pre-Katrina New Orleans, perhaps a touch of London before it became Londonistan. A big city with a congenial small-town feel, it is a nice place to live. Or at least, it was a nice place to live until, as in many other Western cities, Islam began making its muscular presence felt—less so, clearly, than in Hamburg or Malmo or Amsterdam, but the census is not encouraging,
For Montreal—like Canada in general—has not been immune to the demographic invasion of immigrants from Muslim countries. Many of these newcomers have integrated peacefully into mainstream culture; nevertheless a significant radical presence has concentrated in the city. Journalist Fabrice de Pierrebourg’s 2007 book Montréalistan profiles a veritable Who’s Who of terrorist plotters who have settled here. “All the ingredients of radical Islamism are present in Montreal,” he says. (One can listen to an informative French interview with the author on the Jeremaykovka blog site.)
Full report at:
http://frontpagemag.com/2010/12/24/montreal-joins-the-war-against-israel/
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First women-only call centre opens in Saudi Arabia
Dec 25, 2010
JEDDAH: Saudi women, who are prohibited by society from living or working independently without written permission from a male guardian, will now be part of a first-of-its-kind "women-only" call centre in the country.
Kanoo Travel, one of the leading travel management companies in the Middle East, said 20 female employees have undergone telephone operation training as the company started a "ladies-only" call centre, Xinhua quoted Arab News as saying.
"Kanoo Travel is also one of the first travel companies in the country to introduce exclusive ladies centres," said Ali Abdullah Kanoo, the company's director.
The call centre has earned praise from the company's clients.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/First-women-only-call-centre-opens-
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Pak arrests top Taliban commander Nasiruddin Haqqani
Dec 25, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Top Taliban commander Nasiruddin Haqqani, a key fundraiser of his outfit, has been arrested by Pakistani security agencies apparently in response to US demands for action against militant networks in the restive North Waziristan tribal region.
Pakistani agents picked up Nasiruddin, whose 'jihadist' code name is 'Dr Khan', this week while he was "travelling" by car with four militants from Peshawar to North Waziristan, Newsweek magazine reported.
The arrest of Nasiruddin, son of Taliban's Haqqani network's top leader Jalaluddin Haqqani, seemed to be in answer to "US calls for greater toughness against Taliban networks" operating on Pakistan's border, from where they launch attacks on foreign troops in Afghanistan, the report said.
The US has stepped up pressure on Pakistan to act against the Haqqani network though reports have said the military establishment is reluctant to do so because of its links to the group.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pak-arrests-top-Taliban-commander-
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Pilgrims, clergy reach Bethlehem for Christmas
December 25, 2010
Thousands of tourists, pilgrims and clergy converged on Bethlehem on Friday as the town of Jesus’ birth prepared to celebrate Christmas Eve.
Boy Scout marching bands played in Manger Square, just outside the Church of the Nativity, which Christian tradition identifies as the site of Jesus’ birth in a stable two millennia ago. Pilgrims lit candles inside, and Palestinian policemen deployed around the town to keep the peace. “This is where Jesus Christ was born and walked the earth. So I just want to walk the same earth,” said Mary Healy, a tourist from Missouri, who said she was in Bethlehem for the fourth time.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/306035/Pilgrims-clergy-reach-Bethlehem-for-Christmas.html
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Musharraf gets questionnaire
December 25, 2010
Pakistani authorities probing the 2007 assassination of ex-premier Benazir Bhutto have sent a questionnaire to former President Pervez Musharraf, currently living in self-exile in Britain, amid reports that it focuses on alleged security lapses on his part. The questionnaire was sent to Musharraf, who was the President at the time of Bhutto’s killing in December 2007, by the Interior Ministry to record his statement as part of efforts to expand the investigation into the case.
“We have sent the questionnaire to Gen Musharraf and are waiting for his reply,” said Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali, the prosecutor for the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in the trial of five suspects charged with involvement in Bhutto’s assassination in a suicide attack in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007. The questionnaire reportedly focuses on alleged security lapses and Musharraf’s perceived failure to provide adequate security to Bhutto even after she expressed fears about threats to her life.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/306039/Musharraf-gets-questionnaire.html
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After 14 Fridays, Mirwaiz allowed to give sermon
RIYAZ WANI
Dec 25, 2010
AFTER 14 Fridays, the Jammu and Kashmir government finally allowed moderate Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq to lead congregation prayers at the Jamia Masjid today.
The government's refusal to letthesamewasthreateningto renew the old political rivalry between the ruling National Conference and Mirwaiz's own political outfit, Awami Action Committee, with Mirwaiz seeing it as an attack on his traditional political turf.
Last week, Mirwaiz shifted base to his ancestral house in Rajouri Kadal, which falls in the immediate neighbourhood of Nowhatta, where the Jamia Masjid is located.
The government had put a banonMirwaiz'sentryintothe mosque after his Friday congregations led thousands to come to the masjid during the peak of the protests in the summer, leading to stone-throwing and violence.
Full report at: Indian Express
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Pakistan gets $633m US anti-terror aid
Dec 25, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Washington transferred more than $600 million to the Pakistani government this week to pay for its efforts in the fight against violent extremists, the US Embassy said.
The $633 million payment under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) program came Wednesday, amid reports that top US military commanders in Afghanistan were pushing to expand special forces ground raids across the border into Pakistan's tribal areas.
"The Coalition Support Fund is designed to reimburse the government of Pakistan for expenses incurred fighting violent extremist groups," the embassy said in a statement.
It added that the payment covered the first six months of this year and Pakistan had now received "approximately 8.76 billion dollars" since 2001 under the scheme.
The CSF process reimburses 27 nations, including Pakistan, for logistical, military and other support provided to Washington's overseas military operations.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article222372.ece
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Turkey hails US decision on genocide resolution
Dec 25, 2010
ISTANBUL: Turkey’s foreign minister has welcomed a decision by US lawmakers not to take up a resolution declaring last century’s mass killings of Armenians a genocide.
Ahmet Davutoglu said Thursday approval of the resolution would have harmed US-Turkish ties and hampered Turkey’s efforts to normalize ties with longtime foe Armenia. Davutoglu said “common sense has prevailed once again.” Supporters of the resolution made a push for approval in the final days of Congress, despite opposition from the Obama administration. Instead, the House of Representatives ended its two-year term Wednesday without taking up the matter. Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks. Turkey denies the deaths constituted a genocide.
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article221722.ece
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3 intruders killed by Jordan guards
Dec 25, 2010
AMMAN: Three men have been killed while trying to infiltrate Syrian territory by Jordanian border guards, security sources said.
The victims — two Egyptians and their Jordanian helper — were among a group of people who planned to enter Syrian territory illegally, the sources said. The Jordanian border guards opened fire on the group Wednesday after they refused to stop killing two Egyptians and the Jordanian who was supposed to guide them to the Syrian territory, the sources said. At least 10 of the infiltrators belonging to more than one nationality were arrested by the Jordanian authorities and were being interrogated. On previous occasions, people reportedly infiltrated through the Jordanian-Syrian border on their way to Iraq for fighting against the US-led invasion troops stationed there.
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article221754.ece
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US trauma treatment center assists Iraqi refugees
Dec 25, 2010
STERLING HEIGHTS, Michigan: Ekhlas Gorgees kept her composure as she recounted the horrific traumas she and her family endured in Iraq.
She calmly recalled how her husband was severely wounded after a bomb exploded outside of his Baghdad plumbing shop, how she was threatened at gunpoint while walking home from church and how her family tried to escape north to the city of Mosul just before a bloody attack on civilians sent them fleeing back to the capital. It wasn't until later when she talked about the difficulty of leaving her homeland that the tears came.
“We are the native people of Iraq — it's hard for us to leave our native country,” she said through an interpreter. “The hope — even now — is to go back to my country.” Such stories are told with increasing regularity in the Detroit suburb of Sterling Heights, the center of a growing population of refugees who fled the war in Iraq and home to a new facility for refugee victims of post-traumatic stress, torture and other war trauma. The center, run by the nonprofit Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services, has become a hub for healing as thousands of Iraqis, both Christian and Muslim, try to put their lives back together.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article222427.ece
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ABU DHABI: Radio talkshow on changes ?in labour law tomorrow
Dec 25, 2010
ABU DHABI - The Sharjah Radio will host on Sunday at 1.30pm a talkshow on the new amendments on the UAE labour law which was promulgated ?recently.
The show, produced as part of the radio channel’s outreach programme, will host the Undersecretary of the Labour Ministry, Bin Deemas to answer a number of questions about the country’s labour law.
To be aired live in Arabic, the programme titled ‘On Time’ will be anchored by Hassan Yaqoub of the Sharjah Radio.
The programme seeks to shed light on the law of transfer of sponsorship as enacted by the Labour Ministry and the conditions which will give an employee the right to change sponsor.
The listeners will be able to ask questions, which will be answered by Bin Deemas.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/December/
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Two terrorists, FC soldier killed in Bara clash
Dec 25, 2010
PESHAWAR: A Frontier Corps soldier and two terrorists were killed in an attack on a press club in Bara on Friday, officials said. The Bara Press Club has been shut down for the last two years due to the deteriorating security situation. The club building is now being used by FC soldiers as a checkpost. The press club was closed some two years back partly for groupings among tribal journalists and then a curfew was clamped on the town in September 2009. “Friday afternoon, terrorists attacked the club building, mainly targeting the security personnel, and resultantly a soldier was killed while two attacking terrorists were also killed in the cross-fire,” administration officials said. staff report
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\25\story_25-12-2010_pg1_2
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Quaid’s birth anniversary to be celebrated in befitting manner
Dec 25, 2010
KARACHI: The 134th birth anniversary of the founder of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah would be marked today in the metropolis in a befitting manner.
An impressive change of guard ceremony would be held at the mausoleum of the Father of the Nation. Cadets of the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA), Kakul will mount the guard at the Mazar. The PMA has the singular honour of being the only military institution designated as Quaid-e-Azam’s own. Quaid-e-Azam was the first and the only Colonel-in-Chief of the PMA Kakul.
Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah along with the provincial cabinet will lay floral wreaths and offer Fateha at the Mazar. People from various walks of life will visit the Mazar-e-Quaid to pay homage to the Father of the Nation.
Newspapers would publish articles on various aspects of the life, ideas and achievements of Quaid-e-Azam. The electronic media will also air special programmes on this very occasion.
A number of organisations have chalked out programmes to mark the birth anniversary of the Founder of the Nation.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\25\story_25-12-2010_pg12_1
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KARACHI: Two shot dead; newly married woman commits suicide
Dec 25, 2010
KARACHI: Two people were shot dead while a newly married woman committed suicide in different parts of the metropolis on Friday.
A newspaper hawker was gunned down in an incident of target killing near Maskan Chowrangi, Gulshan-e-Iqbal police said.
A 50-year-old newspaper hawker Tahir Khan, son of Nasir Khan, was sitting at a newspaper stall when two armed men appeared there on a motorcycle and demanded a newspaper but suddenly one of the two pulled out a pistol and opened fire on him. He received five bullets.
Police shifted him to a nearest private hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. SHO Kenson Dean said the victim was the resident of Jamali Goth, Gaddap Town, and hailed from Quetta, adding that police believed that personal enmity was a motive behind the incident. The victim was the father of five children. Later, police handed over the body to heirs.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\25\story_25-12-2010_pg12_8
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Pakistani onions poor, claim Chandigarh wholesalers
Dec 25, 2010
Chandigarh, Dec 25 – Chandigarh has refused to accept ‘poor quality’ onions from Pakistan and wholesalers here Saturday said they will take supplies of the commodity – whose prices have been skyrocketing – from Rajasthan and Gujarat at competitive prices.
As many as 177 truckloads of onions reached Punjab from Pakistan through the Attari-Wagah border check-post Tuesday. Each truck carried around 10 tonnes of onions.
However, Chandigarh did not accept onions coming from Pakistan and sent them to other places Thursday.
‘The Pakistani onions were of poor quality. They were wet and unripe. Therefore, we sent two trucks of onions to Himachal Pradesh,’ said Balbir Singh, chairman of the Chandigarh wholesalers association.
Full report at:
http://www.indiatalkies.com/2010/12/pakistani-onions-poor-claim-chandigarh-
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=3829
9:52 PM
Moderate Islamist here
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