71 Killed, 124 Injured In Blasts at Nigeria Bus Station, Suspicion Fell On Boko Haram
New Age Islam News Bureau
14
Apr 2014
Averroes, who was born in present-day Spain and died in Marrakesh, was on Monday celebrated in a ‘Google Doodle’. (Image courtesy: Google)
Africa
• 71 Killed, 124 Injured In Blasts at Nigeria Bus Station, Suspicion Fell On Boko Haram
• Ethiopia slams International Rivers organisation for supporting Egypt
• Libya starts trial of ex-Gaddafi officials, sons absent
• Libya PM quits, says was victim of 'traitorous' attack
India
• Only a mental person would say punish rape victims, says Abu Azmi
• Only one Muslim MP elected from Rajasthan since 1952
• Two militants killed in Srinagar encounter
Arab World
• 13 dead as Syria planes hit rebel bastions near Damascus: NGO
• Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis placed on Egypt terrorist list
• US Produced Gas Sarin Used in Syria, Transported It via Turkey
• Saudi Arabia says no political sermons inside mosques
• Christians’ rights well protected in Kingdom: NSHR
• Sisi says no return to pre-revolution Egypt
• Syrian opposition leader: US should oppose genocide
• Ex-Egypt general wants UNESCO site demolished
• Egypt's army to use armoured buses against militant attacks in North Sinai
South Asia
• 14 Taliban militants killed, 20 others detained in Afghan operations
• PM Sheikh Hasina greets war-wounded FFs on Pahela Baishakh
• Bangladesh Taskforce to track militant financing
• Maldives: Amendments brings mosques under Islamic Ministry, outlaws independent congregations
• Afghan voters turn to social media to fight fraud
• China emerges as key strategic player in Afghanistan
Europe
• Muslim Brotherhood transfers HQ from London to Austria
• Pro-Russian militants ignore Ukraine ultimatum
• Fifteen Birmingham schools to be targeted over an alleged plot by hard-line Muslims
• Nobel Foundation does not rule out PKK leader’s nomination, but denies reports
• Ukraine signals support for referendum
• Syria chemical arms handover nearly two-thirds complete: Watchdog
Mideast
• Israel to close Ibrahimi Mosque to Muslims on Passover: Palestinian official
• Iran deal to trigger ‘Sunni’ nuclear arms race: Israeli official
• Israel police open Al-Aqusa gate to non-Muslims
• Palestinians hold Al-Aqusa sit-in amid tension
• Bereaved family protests mural glorifying Israeli Arab terrorists
• Bennett: Who is Israel's PM - Netanyahu or Abbas?
North America
• ‘Google Doodle’ marks 888th birthday of Muslim philosopher Averroes
• US defence chief talk’s election, terrorism with Egyptian counterpart
• Three people killed in shootings at Jewish centres in Kansas
• Israel warns Kerry over ‘surrender’ to Iran
• US, Pakistan mull innovative financing for Diamer dam
Pakistan
• Pakistan SC dismisses contempt of court petition against Musharraf
• Afghan border forces kill two Pakistani shepherds
• Prisoners released after consulting Army, says Nisar
• Terrorists can conduct attacks in Karachi: Sindh home department
• Attack on NATO trucks near Peshawar kills driver: officials
• Mengal wants end of agencies role in politics
• Separatist movement funded by India: Balochistan PML-N chief
Southeast Asia
• Muslim NGO not happy with use of national language by Seremban church
• Lawyers, lawmakers urge police to act against Muslim convert who defied custody order
• Philippine forces kill 1 militant in new clash
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/71-killed,-124-injured-blasts/d/66546
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Africa
71 Killed, 124 Injured In Blasts at Nigeria Bus Station, Suspicion Fell On Boko Haram
April 14, 2014
A morning rush hour bomb killed at least 71 people at a Nigerian bus station on the outskirts of the capital on Monday, raising concerns about the spread of an Islamist insurgency after the deadliest ever attack on Abuja.
Suspicion fell on Boko Haram, though there was no immediate claim of responsibility from the Islamists who are mainly active in the northeast. As well as 71 dead, police said 124 were wounded in the first attack on the federal capital in two years.
Security experts suspect the explosion was inside a vehicle, said Air Commodore Charles Otegbade, director of search and rescue operations. The bus station, 8 km (5 miles) southwest of central Abuja, serves Nyanya, a poor, ethnically and religiously mixed satellite town where many residents work in the city.
"I was waiting to get on a bus when I heard a deafening explosion, then saw smoke," said Mimi Daniels, who escaped from the blast with minor injuries to her arm.
"People were running around in panic."
Bloody remains lay strewn over the ground as security forces struggled to hold back a crowd of onlookers and fire crews hosed down a bus still holding the charred bodies of commuters.
"These are the remains of my friend," said a man, who gave his name as John, holding up a bloodied shirt. "His travel ticket with his name on was in the shirt pocket."
The attack underscored the vulnerability of Nigeria's federal capital, built in the 1980s in the geographic centre of the country to replace coastal Lagos as the seat of government for what is now Africa's biggest economy and top oil producer.
Boko Haram militants fighting for an Islamic state have largely been confined to the remote northeast. They have been particularly active there over the past few months and are increasingly targeting civilians they accuse of collaborating with the government or security forces.
No surprise
"In some ways it's not a big surprise," said Kole Shettima, director of the Abuja office of U.S. charitable institution, the MacArthur Foundation. "The situation has been escalating.
"It's a statement that they are still around and they can attack Abuja when they want, and instill fear."
The Islamists, who want to carve an Islamic state out of Nigeria, have in the past year mostly concentrated their attacks in the northeast, where their insurgency started.
There had been no such violence near the capital since suicide car bombers targeted the offices of the newspaper This Day in Abuja and the northern city of Kaduna in April 2012.
Security forces at the time said that was because a Boko Haram cell in neighbouring Niger state had been broken up.
A Christmas Day bombing of a church in Madalla, on the outskirts of Abuja, killed 37 people in 2011, although the main suspect in that attack is now behind bars. Boko Haram also claimed responsibility for a bomb attack on the United Nations' Nigeria headquarters that killed 24 people on Aug. 26, 2011.
Boko Haram, which in the Hausa language of largely Muslim northern Nigeria means broadly "Western education is sinful", is loosely modelled on the Taliban movement in Afghanistan, and has forged ties with al Qaeda-linked militants in the Sahara.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/71-killed-124-injured-in-blasts-at-nigeria-bus-station.aspx?pageID=238&nID=65025&NewsCatID=357
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Ethiopia slams International Rivers organisation for supporting Egypt
April 14, 2014
The National Panel of Experts linked to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has slammed the International Rivers Network (IRN) for criticising the Renaissance Dam project, accusing the body of being biased and supporting Egypt against the dam.
The panel accused, in a statement issued Thursday, the US-based environmental organisation "of subverting Ethiopia’s efforts to develop its water resources and lift its vast and growing population out of poverty." It accused the IRN of being paid by Egypt in order to lobby against the Renaissance Dam internationally.
"Again, the IRN never loses opportunity to lobby for its Egyptian paymasters. Not only does the IRN talk about the 'oversize' of GERD, but also about the Egyptians’ negative emotions over GERD: anger and fear."
The IRN issued 31 March 2014 a statement about Renaissance Dam along with a leaked version of the report of the tripartite technical committee assigned to study the probable impact of the dam on Egypt and Sudan issued last year.
"One international dam expert who has seen the report states that it shows that construction on the project is proceeding on an aggressively accelerated schedule with little room for adjusting key elements of dam design to reduce harm or prevent problems," the IRN said in its statement.
The environmental NGO called on Ethiopia to halt construction of the dam until studies on the impact of the dam on the downstream countries are continued.
The IRN added that it would work on keeping international donors from investing in the GERD project while providing alternatives to Ethiopia for water and land reclamation.
Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan formed a tripartite technical committee to study the probable effects of the Renaissance Dam. But the committee's discussions were thwarted in December when Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir announced his support for the dam during a meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.
Talks between Ethiopia and Egypt broke down in recent months. Yet officials from both countries insist they will continue to hold talks in order to solve the dispute over the dam. Earlier this month, the foreign ministers of both Egypt and Ethiopia held talks in Brussels on the dam.
Founded in 1985 as an international NGO, the International Rivers Network is an environmental anti-dam organisation that aims to protect rivers and local communities that depend on those rivers. The US based organisation is known internationally for its stances against dams in general.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/98922/Egypt/Politics-/Ethiopia-slams-International-Rivers-organisation-f.aspx
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Libya starts trial of ex-Gaddafi officials, sons absent
World Bulletin/News Desk
April 14, 2014
Libyan prosecutors opened the trial of deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi's sons and former regime officials on Monday in a major test for the North African state's transition to a democracy.
Neither Saadi Gaddafi or Saif al-Islam were in the courtroom at Tripoli's Al-Hadba prison, but Gaddafi's ex-spy chief Abdullah al-Senussi was among the former officials sitting behind a fenced-off section, a Reuters reporter said.
Chief investigator in the case, Sidiq al-Sour, said Saadi would not appear in court on Monday, because investigations were still ongoing, but procedures would continue against the others.
"Saadi will not be showing up today, and they will take a decision on Saif al-Islam on whether his case will be an open or closed session," he told Reuters by telephone.
Saif al-Islam, long viewed as Gaddafi's heir and still held by a group of former rebels in western Libya, was expected to appear by video-link inside the courtroom.
Post-Gaddafi Libya has so far been defined by a weak interim government and growing unrest as former revolutionary fighters refuse to give up their weapons, and armed protesters blockade the country's crucial oil exports.
The trial began a day after interim prime minister Abdullah al-Thinni announced his resignation after an attack on his family and following the ousting of the previous prime minister barely a month ago.
Senussi was joined in the court by Gaddafi's former prime minister Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, and former foreign minister Abdul Ati al-Obeidi, a Reuters reporter said. Also in the court was ex-intelligence chief Buzeid Dorda, who had appeared at earlier trial proceedings.
The men face charges ranging from corruption to war crimes related to the deaths during the 2011 uprising, which expanded into a civil war that eventually ousted Gaddafi. The former Libyan leader was later killed after his capture.
The International Criminal Court and other human rights organisations are concerned over the fairness of Libya's justice system although the government won the right last year to try Gaddafi's former spy chief domestically instead of at the ICC.
RIGHTS CONCERNS
Libya's nascent democracy has struggled to establish basic institutions and the rule of law as Gaddafi left behind a shell of a government after absorbing all the power into his own hands during his four-decade rule.
"If they don't get fair trials then it casts doubt over whether the new Libya is not about selective justice," Hanan Salah, Libya researcher in the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch said.
"So far, there have been problems with legal representation. Many of those on trial did not have a lawyer from the beginning - a cornerstone of a fair trial."
Saadi Gaddafi, known as a playboy with a brief career in professional soccer, was extradited to Libya from Niger in early March. He had been expected to appear in court for the first time to hear charges.
Gaddafi's more prominent son, Saif al-Islam, is being held by the powerful western Zintan militia group, who have refused to hand him over to the central government, saying they believe it cannot provide a secure trial.
"We have had many cases where the defendants' lawyers were not allowed to review evidence and get access to court documents in the pre-trial phase (the pre-trial chamber) ..." Salah said.
"In some other unrelated cases, judges and lawyers were harassed and there are allegations of forced confessions."
Libya's justice minister insisted that the trial was open to the public who would ensure the process was fair and not turn into a "Mickey Mouse" show trial.
"I will not allow any crazy stuff, I will make sure it meets international standards ... that is why we are having open trials," Salah al-Merghani, the justice minister told Reuters.
"We heard there were complaints from the lawyers ... The court will see if the complaints are genuine or not."
http://www.worldbulletin.net/headlines/133691/libya-starts-trial-of-ex-gaddafi-officials-sons-absent
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Libya PM quits, says was victim of 'traitorous' attack
April 14, 2014
Libya's prime minister Abdullah al-Thani stepped down on Sunday, saying he and his family had been the victims of a "traitorous" armed attack the previous day.
Thani quit less than a week after parliament tasked him with forming a new cabinet and a month after it ousted his predecessor for failing to rein in the lawlessness gripping the North African country.
He said in a statement that he would not accept the premiership after a "traitorous attack" on himself and his family, but he would stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new prime minister is appointed.
Amid controversy over his appointment, Thani, who was defence minister under ousted premier Ali Zeidan, was named on Tuesday.
"I will not accept Libyans killing each other over this post," Thani said in his statement addressed to the General National Congress (GNC).
Thani said the attack on Saturday had terrorised inhabitants of a residential district and "put the lives of some of them at risk", without giving specific details.
A source close to Thani told AFP that the incident took place on the road from the capital to its airport and caused no casualties.
As premier, Thani was faced with the daunting task of bringing former rebel brigades to heel following the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ended Moamer Kadhafi's four-decade rule.
Libya has seen near daily attacks, particularly in the restive east, as well as a challenge from rebels who blockaded vital oil terminals for nine months, and a growing political crisis stemming from the interim parliament's decision to extend its mandate.
Omar Hmidan, a spokesman for the GNC, the country's highest political authority, said Thani was chosen after legislators failed to reach a consensus on other candidates.
He was given one week to form a new government.
The decision to confirm Thani was rejected as illegal by some legislators, who said it had not received the required number of votes.
MP Suad Ganur said the decision, which was approved by 42 votes out of 76 members present, was "null and void" because it required 120 votes out of the 200-member assembly.
But Mokni said the larger margin of votes was not necessary because Thani had already been appointed acting prime minister by 124 votes.
The GNC on March 11 ousted Zeidan after the military failed to prevent rebels from sending a tanker loaded with oil out from a blockaded port.
After his ouster, Zeidan was replaced by the 60-year-old Thani, an army colonel who retired in 1997, initially on a temporary basis.
GNC spokesman Hmidan said Thani would remain in office until the election of a new parliament, the date for which has not been set.
The interim parliament sparked outrage earlier this year when it decided to extend its mandate from February until December.
A wave of protests compelled it to promise early elections and a new electoral law.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/98954/World/Region/Libya-PM-quits,-says-was-victim-of-traitorous-atta.aspx
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India
Only a mental person would say punish rape victims, says Abu Azmi
April 14, 2014
After a furore over his comments, Maharashtra Samajwadi Party chief Abu Azmi has said that his remarks on rape victims were distorted and that he had not asked for rape victims to be punished. According to a report on IBN-Live, Azmi said that he had not advocated punishment for a rape victim and that rapists should be handed out the strictest punishment. Azmi said, "They had asked me if rape victims should be punished and I had said no. I had never said that a victim of rape should be punished. A mental person would say that. I didn't say that." He added, "If women want to have consensual sex, then later they shouldn't file false complaints." Azmi was also quoted in the Times of India as saying that he hadn't committed a crime, and that he had done the interview in the middle of campaigning for the elections and may have said something that was misinterpreted.
Full report at:
http://www.firstpost.com/india/only-a-mental-person-would-say-punish-rape-victim-says-abu-azmi-1478587.html?utm_source=ref_article
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Only one Muslim MP elected from Rajasthan since 1952
MOHAMMED IQBAL
April 14, 2014
It is only the Congress which has maintained a track record of giving at least one ticket to a Muslim candidate in most Lok Sabha elections
The Muslim community’s representation in Lok Sabha from Rajasthan has been negligible since the first general election held in 1952.
Among the 317 MPs elected from the desert State in the past 15 Lok Sabha elections, only one Muslim was elected twice, first in 1984 and subsequently in 1991.
Even as Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s recent meeting with Jama Masjid’s Imam Bukhari in Delhi created a storm, political observers here point out that the community’s representation from Rajasthan is perhaps the minimum among the States where its population is above five per cent. Muslim population in Rajasthan is 11.4 per cent.
Lone victor
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/only-one-muslim-mp-elected-from-rajasthan-since-1952/article5908908.ece
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Two militants killed in Srinagar encounter
Press Trust of India | Srinagar | April 14, 2014
Srinagar police have reportedly killed the two militants who were holed up inside a residential house in the outskirts of the city.
Earlier on Monday, the Police have asked the militants to surrender but the ultras have refused the offer so far.
The militants allowed the wife of the house owner, Abdul Majid Rangrez, to leave the building but have detained him inside, police said.
Full report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/militants-holed-up-in-a-house-in-srinagar-cordon-tightened/
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Arab World
13 dead as Syria planes hit rebel bastions near Damascus: NGO
April 14, 2014
BEIRUT: Syrian warplanes on Sunday launched an offensive against a string of opposition bastions on the edges of the capital, including the besieged Eastern Ghouta area, a monitoring group said.
“Warplanes carried out two air strikes against areas of Douma,” northeast of Damascus, killing 13 people, including three women and three children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
One of the strikes on Douma, an opposition stronghold since early in the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad, hit a crowded marketplace, said the Syrian Revolution General Commission, a network of activists on the ground.
Douma and other towns and villages in Eastern Ghouta have been under army siege for a year.
The Observatory also reported air strikes against Hammuriyeh, east of Damascus, and highly destructive barrel bomb attacks on Daraya, an opposition bastion southwest of the capital.
The air raids came as fighting raged on the edges of Daraya between rebels and the army, which for more than a year has battled to secure the capital.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/695423/13-dead-as-syria-planes-hit-rebel-bastions-near-damascus-ngo/
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Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis placed on Egypt terrorist list
14 April 2014
The Court for Urgent Matters has officially labeled Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis a terrorist organisation.
Lawyer Ahmed Soliman filed a lawsuit to ban the Sinai-based group's activities.
The US State Department has already designated the group a "foreign terrorist organisation."
The group first emerged during the January 2011 uprising which toppled Hosni Mubarak.
Based in the northern Sinai Peninsula, near the Israeli border, its operations expanded dramatically after the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.
Attacks that started in the peninsula are now taking place elsewhere in Egypt.
They have been targeting police and military personnel since Morsi`s ouster last July, in what they call revenge for a government crackdown on Islamists.
It has claimed responsibility for several bombings, including a suicide attack in February that killed two Korean tourists and their Egyptian bus driver.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/98999/Egypt/Politics-/Ansar-Beit-AlMaqdis-placed-on-Egypt-terrorist-list.aspx
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US Produced Gas Sarin Used in Syria, Transported It via Turkey
14 April 2014
New facts were unveiled over the American-Turkish involvement in chemical weapons usage in Syria.
American journalist Jeffrey Silverman commented on an article and a video for the famous American political investigator Gordon Duff, in which Duff proved the chemical weapons used in Syria months ago were produced by the US and transported via Turkey.Chemical weappons used by Syria insurgents
In an interview with “Veterans Today” website that the video, entitled “Syrian Gas Attack Proof Syrian Army Has No Involvement”, was filmed in Syria and shows the chemical weapons which were sent from Georgia.
“The US is standing behind all this. Former US Senator Richard Lugar is the person whose assistance made it possible to transport weapons from Georgia via Turkey into Syria, with the support of the United States and Turkey.”
Full report at:
http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?fromval=1&cid=31&frid=31&eid=145847
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Saudi Arabia says no political sermons inside mosques
April 14, 2014
Manama: Saudi Arabia has warned that it would dismiss any preacher who refers to politics in his mosque sermon on Friday.
“We will sack anyone who changes the religious content of his Friday sermon and turns into a political speech,” Shaikh Abdul Mohsin Bin Abdul Aziz Al Shaikh, the assistant undersecretary for mosque affairs, said.
“The Ministry of Islamic Affairs will assume its responsibilities and have a discussion with the preacher through a religious committee. If the preacher rectifies his sermons to avoid political issues, then he is forgiven and he is allowed to continue delivering them. However, if he refuses to change his orientations or pretends to have changed to avoid action, he will be dismissed,” the official said, quoted by local daily Okaz on Monday.
Full report at:
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/saudi-arabia-says-no-political-sermons-inside-mosques-1.1319193
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Christians’ rights well protected in Kingdom: NSHR
April 14, 2014
DAMMAM – The rights of Christians to practice their religion in Saudi Arabia privately have not been breached despite reports by sections of the Western press claiming otherwise, a Saudi human rights official has said.
Mufleh Al-Qahtani, chairman of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), told Makkah daily on Sunday that the Society had not received any complaints from any Christians living in the Kingdom. He said:
“The rights of Christians are preserved and guaranteed. They can perform their religious rituals at their homes or in private places to avoid hurting the feelings of Muslims.”
Al-Qahtani refuted reports by some foreign newspapers about a Christian girl in the Kingdom who stitched her lips because she was prevented from mentioning the name of Christ. “There is no truth to these allegations, especially as Christ is mentioned several times in the Holy Qur’an, which we always recite,” he added.
Full report at:
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20140414201838
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Sisi says no return to pre-revolution Egypt
World Bulletin / News Desk
April 14, 2014
Former defense minister and potential presidential candidate Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has ruled out the return to pre-January revolution Egypt, according to his campaign.
"There's no going back," al-Sisi said during a meeting with the members of the state National Council for Women, according to a Sunday statement by his campaign.
He said nobody will be able to bring Egypt back to the situation before the 2011 revolution – which ended the 30-year of president Hosni Mubarak.
"Nobody can control the Egyptian people who staged two great revolutions," added the former army chief.
Al-Sisi, seen by many as the driving force behind the army's ouster of elected president Mohamed Morsi last July, resigned last month to contest the presidential elections, scheduled for May 26-27.
Full report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/headlines/133686/sisi-says-no-return-to-pre-revolution-egypt
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Syrian opposition leader: US should oppose genocide
World Bulletin / News Desk
April 14, 2014
The leader of a Syrian opposition group has written to the U.S. secretary of state saying the international community should take a stronger stance against genocide in Syria and the destruction of the historic city of Aleppo.
"Syrian National Coalition and Free Syrian Army will continue to protect all Syrian civilian's including minorities' rights," Ahmed al-Jarba, the leader of the coalition, wrote in a letter of Secretary of State John Kerry.
Full report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/todays-news/133708/syrian-opposition-leader-us-should-oppose-genocide
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Ex-Egypt general wants UNESCO site demolished
April 14, 2014
Citing the supposed threat posed to national security, a retired Egyptian army general has filed a legal case in his efforts to see UNESCO-listed heritage site St. Catherine’s Monastery demolished, Ahram News website reported Sunday.
Ahmed Ragai Attiya claimed the monastery, in south Sinai, was not historic but built in 2006, adding that the area had become a haven for “foreigners.” Attiya also urged for the deportation of the monastery’s Greek monks as he claimed they jeopardizing Egypt’s national security.
The monastery’s lawyer, Ihab Ramzy, said that in May 2012 Attiya obtained 71 administrative orders to demolish the historic site’s multiple churches, monk living quarters, gardens and other places of interest in the grounds.
Attiya, who founded the Egyptian army’s special operations unit in 1978, said in an interview with private channel ONTV on Thursday that he had recently reinitiated his efforts to destroy the monastery.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/life-style/2014/04/14/Ex-Egypt-army-general-wants-UNESCO-monastery-demolished.html
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Egypt's army to use armoured buses against militant attacks in North Sinai
April 14, 2014
Three armoured buses are now in operation to transport army conscripts in North Sinai, a security source told Al-Ahram's Arabic news website.
The buses – given to Egypt by the United Arab Emirates – will transport conscripts between the North Sinai cities of Rafah and Al-Arish – a road famous for militant attacks on unarmed soldiers travelling on leave.
Dozens of Egyptian police conscripts have been killed by terrorist attacks near Rafah since 2012, many of them while being transported on the Rafah-Arish highway.
The Egyptian military is fighting an insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula, launched after the army's ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July after mass protests demanding his overthrow.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/98972/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-army-to-use-armoured-buses-against-militant.aspx
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South Asia
14 Taliban militants killed, 20 others detained in Afghan operations
Apr 14 2014
At least 14 Taliban militants were killed and 6 others were injured during military operations by Afghan security forces in the past 24 hours.
The ministry of interior affairs of Afghanistan following a statement said the operations were conducted jointly by Afghan national police, Afghan national army and Afghan intelligence – directorate of security operatives.
The statement further added that the operations were conducted in Kabul, Nangarhar, Kandahar, Maidan Wardak, Logar and Helmand provinces of Afghanistan in the past 24 hours.
Interior ministry said at least 20 Taliban militants were also injured during the operations and various types of weapons and explosives were confiscated.
Full report at:
http://www.khaama.com/14-taliban-militants-killed-20-others-detained-in-afghan-operations-3570
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PM Sheikh Hasina greets war-wounded FFs on Pahela Baishakh
April 14, 2014
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has greeted the war-wounded Freedom Fighters (FFs) through sending sweetmeats and fruits to them on the occasion of Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bangla New Year 1421.
On behalf of the Prime Minister, her Assistant Private Secretary Saifuzzaman Shikhor and Deputy Press Secretary Ashraful Alam Khokan handed over the sweetmeats and fruits to the state-allowance recipients war-wounded FFs at the Freedom Fighters' Rehabilitation Centre in city's Mohammadpur area on Monday noon, reported BSS.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2014/apr/14/pm-greets-war-wounded-ffs-sweetmeats#sthash.pAMsczAl.dpuf
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Bangladesh Taskforce to track militant financing
April 14, 2014
The government has initiated a move to constitute a taskforce to intensify and coordinate its activities in tracking the financial sources of militant outfits.
Officials at the home ministry said a draft for a proposed taskforce has been prepared.
Following the approval of the state minister for home affairs and senior secretary of the home ministry, the draft would be sent to the Cabinet Division for the final approval of the Prime Minister.
On April 10, a letter signed by Cabinet Division Assistant Secretary Joynal Abedin was sent to the home ministry on the taskforce formation.
According to the draft, the taskforce will be headed by a senior minister and have around 20 members. The taskforce includes the finance minister, the information minister, the religious affairs minister and a number of top-level bureaucrats.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/law-rights/2014/apr/14/taskforce-track-militant-financing#sthash.IdX3lU1m.dpuf
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Maldives: Amendments brings mosques under Islamic Ministry, outlaws independent congregations
By Ahmed Naish | April 14th, 2014
A first amendment to the Protection of Religious Unity Act of 1994 bringing mosques under the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and outlawing independent prayer congregations was ratified by President Abdulla Yameen yesterday.
The amendments (Dhivehi) – passed with 33 votes in favour and 10 abstentions at the sitting of parliament on March 31 – brings all mosques and prayer houses in inhabited islands back under the purview of the Islamic Ministry.
Responsibility for the maintenance and management of mosques was transferred from the Islamic Ministry to local councils by the landmark Decentralisation Act of 2010.
In April 2012, Islamic Minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed called for mosques to be returned to the ministry’s care following the refusal of some island councils to allow scholars to preach in mosques, most recently in the island of Innamaadhoo in Raa atoll.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/amendments-to-religious-unity-law-brings-mosques-under-islamic-ministry-outlaws-independent-congregations-82559
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Afghan voters turn to social media to fight fraud
April 14, 2014
Fed-up with the massive rigging that took place in previous elections, Afghan voters have been using social media to highlight alleged fraud, and officials are starting to take notice.
Smartphone videos of ballots being stuffed at breakneck speed, voter harassment outside polling booths, and papers scattered in the street would raise serious questions about a vote’s viability in the West.
In Afghanistan, bringing such episodes to light is also seen as a major step in overcoming the corruption that has dogged every election since the fall of the Taliban.
“Most of the videos going around (social media) have been recorded in places where the government have had no access, we will review all of them,” Nader Mohseni, spokesman for the Election Complaints Commission, told reporters April 13.
First partial results in the poll for a successor to President Hamid Karzai show former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah leading with 41.9 percent of around 500,000 votes counted so far, with Ashraf Ghani closely behind on 37.6 percent.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/afghan-voters-turn-to-social-media-to-fight-fraud.aspx?pageID=238&nID=65021&NewsCatID=356
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China emerges as key strategic player in Afghanistan
Apr 14 2014
As the NATO-led international coalition forces are preparing to withdraw, China is quietly preparing to play a key strategic role in the future of Afghanistan.
According to a report by Reuters, Beijing could focus on mining and mineral deals in Afghanistan and a conference on Afghanistan will be hosted by China in August.
The conference “Heart of Asia” is expected to be attended by regional leaders including Pakistan and India.
A Western diplomat quoted by Reuters said, China has already held discreet trilateral talks with Afghanistan and other countries.
Full report at:
http://www.khaama.com/china-emerges-as-key-strategic-player-in-afghanistan-3574
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Europe
Muslim Brotherhood transfers HQ from London to Austria
April 14, 2014
Islamist group allegedly moving headquarters in light of British government investigation.
The Muslim Brotherhood is reportedly moving its headquarters to Austria from London due to a new investigation of the group by Prime Minister David Cameron’s government.
The Islamist group, which was named a terrorist entity by both Egypt and Saudi Arabia, has come under increasing scrutiny in Britain and in various Arab countries.
According to a report on Saturday on the Daily Mail website, the group decided to move its headquarters to Graz, Austria after Cameron launched a joint investigation by both its domestic intelligence agency MI5 and its foreign one, MI6.
The group had recently relocated its international office to Cricklewood in northwestern London, above an out-ofbusiness kebab shop.
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/International/Report-Muslim-Brotherhood-transfers-HQ-from-London-to-Austria-348413
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Pro-Russian militants ignore Ukraine ultimatum
AFP | Apr 14, 2014
SLAVYASNK, Ukraine: Ukraine's latest ultimatum to pro-Kremlin militants who have seized buildings across a swath of the separatist east expired on Monday without any sign of the gunmen ready to give in.
The streets of the impoverished coal mining town of Slavyansk remained deserted and silent despite the Western-backed interim president's vow to unleash a "full-scale anti-terrorist operation" involving the army should the gunmen not give up the local police station and state security office by 0600 GMT.
Saturday's raids in the town and the dual threat posed by Russia's deployment of 40,000 troops on Ukraine's border and warning of a possible gas cutoff has left Kiev's untested leaders desperately seeking Western help in averting a further dismemberment of their crisis-hit ex-Soviet state.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Pro-Russian-militiants-ignore-Ukraine-ultimatum/articleshow/33741761.cms
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Fifteen Birmingham schools to be targeted over an alleged plot by hard-line Muslims
April 14, 2014
Fifteen schools are now being investigated over an alleged plot by hard-line Muslims to teach extremist beliefs to children.
Michael Gove is said to have told Ofsted inspectors to fail any schools that appear to be involved.
Following accusations of complacency from MPs, the Department for Education last night confirmed that 15 schools in Birmingham are being inspected.
The results – to be published next month – are expected to show conservative Islamic views being taught, it is claimed.
The Education Secretary is said to have told inspectors to fail schools where ‘religious conservatism is getting in the way of learning and a balanced curriculum’.
It means head teachers and governors judged inadequate on these grounds can be immediately dismissed.
Full report at:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2603720/Probe-allegations-Muslim-extremists-forcing-headteachers-governors-widened-15-schools.html#ixzz2yochuKqa
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Nobel Foundation does not rule out PKK leader’s nomination, but denies reports
April 14, 2014
The Nobel Foundation has denied reports that the nomination of the imprisoned leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Abdullah Öcalan, for the 2014 Peace Prize has been accepted by the Nobel Committee, without ruling out such possibility.
The foundation stressed that it does not provide any information on the nominees and the people or institutions filing the formal applications.
“The information on the list of the nominees can only be disclosed after 50 years. Only the names of the awardees are announced to the public,” an official from the Nobel committee dealing with the nominations told Doğan News Agency on April 14.
Daily Radikal had earlier quoted Iraqi politician Heval Kwestani, a member of the Kurdistan Regional Parliament for the Goran (Change) movement, who said his application for Öcalan’s nomination was accepted by the Nobel Committee.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/nobel-foundation-does-not-rule-out-pkk-leaders-nomination-but-denies-reports.aspx?pageID=238&nID=65009&NewsCatID=338
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Ukraine signals support for referendum
April 14, 2014
Ukraine’s interim president on Monday signaled support for a national referendum on turning the ex-Soviet republic into a federation with broader rights for its heavily Russified east, Agence France-Presse reported.
“We are not against holding a national referendum,” Oleksandr Turchynov told lawmakers.
He added: “I am certain that a majority of Ukrainians will support an indivisible, independent, democratic and united Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that Ukraine’s Russian-speaking eastern regions should be involved in drafting a new state structure that Kiev has said may be put to a referendum next month, Reuters reported.
Lavrov said it was not in Russia’s interests for Ukraine to break up, but that Moscow wanted Kiev to give all its citizens equal treatment.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2014/04/14/Ukraine-hints-support-for-national-referendum-.html
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Syria chemical arms handover nearly two-thirds complete: Watchdog
April 14, 2014
Syria has surrendered almost two-thirds of its chemical weapons with the resumption of transfers from the war-torn country, the global chemical watchdog said Monday, although it again pressed Damascus to step up efforts.
"The Syrian government has completed the delivery of the 13th consignment of chemicals," the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said.
"The deliveries have raised the overall portion of chemicals removed from Syria to 65.1 percent, including 57.4 percent of priority chemicals," it reported in a statement in The Hague.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/99007/World/Region/Syria-chemical-arms-handover-nearly-twothirds-comp.aspx
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Mideast
Israel to close Ibrahimi Mosque to Muslims on Passover: Palestinian official
World Bulletin / News Desk
April 14, 2014
Israeli authorities have ordered the closure of the Ibrahimi Mosque in the West Bank city of Al-Khalil (Hebron) to Muslims on Wednesday and Thursday during the occasion of the Jewish Passover holiday that begins Monday, a Palestinian official said.
"The Israelis have notified us about the closure of the Ibrahimi Mosque as of Wednesday morning until Thursday night," Tayseer Abu Sneineh, director of religious endowments in Al-Khalil, told Anadolu Agency.
"The site is closed to Muslim worshippers during Jewish holidays, while being kept open to Jews on the pretext of providing protection to [Jewish] settlers and allowing them to perform their Talmudic rituals," he added.
Full report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/headlines/133718/israel-to-close-ibrahimi-mosque-to-muslims-on-passover
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Iran deal to trigger ‘Sunni’ nuclear arms race: Israeli official
April 14, 2014
Israel described as “unacceptable” on April 14 remarks by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry suggesting cautious openness to negotiating a nuclear deal that would keep Iran six to 12 months away from bomb-making capabilities.
“In the past, and also recently, what we heard from the Americans, including publicly, and from the Europeans and even from the Russians, was that Iran must be distanced years - not months, but years - from nuclear weaponry,” said Yuval Steinitz, the Israeli cabinet minister in charge of nuclear affairs.
Iran, which denies seeking nuclear arms, is in talks with Washington and five other world powers on rolling back its work on uranium enrichment and a potentially plutonium-yielding reactor.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/iran-deal-to-trigger-sunni-nuclear-arms-race-israeli-official.aspx?pageID=238&nID=65017&NewsCatID=352
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Israel police open Al-Aqsa gate to non-Muslims
April 14, 2014
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM – Israeli police on Sunday opened one of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound’s gates to non-Muslim visitors infuriating Palestinians.
When Palestinians protested, the police used stun grenades and stormed the compound.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian jailed for life in an Israeli prison started a hunger strike against his solitary confinement on Sunday then stopped when his demands were met, a prisoner support group said.
The Ramallah-based Palestinian Prisoners' Club said earlier that Ibrahim Hamed had begun his protest and would be joined by about 200 other inmates.
But early Sunday afternoon a spokeswoman for the club said the issue had been resolved and he was to be transferred to Nafha prison in southern Israel's Negev desert.
Full report at:
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20140414201800
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Palestinians hold Al-Aqusa sit-in amid tension
World Bulletin / News Desk
April 14, 2014
Dozens of Palestinians have flocked to Al-Aqsa Mosque compound since the early hours of Monday after several extremist Jewish groups had asked followers to force their way into the holy site on the occasion of the Jewish Passover, which begins at sundown Monday.
"Palestinian worshippers from Al-Quds [occupied East Jerusalem] and other areas have been inside the mosque compound since the dawn prayers," Al-Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage said in a statement.
It said the Palestinians had come to defend the mosque, considered Islam's third holiest site, after calls by the so-called Jewish Temple Mount groups to storm the compound and perform sacrificial rituals
"Hundreds of Palestinians are also maintaining a sit-in at Al-Aqsa for the second consecutive day," said the foundation, a Palestinian NGO devoted to defending Al-Aqsa against Israeli violations.
Full report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/headlines/133698/palestinians-hold-al-aqsa-sit-in-amid-tension
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Bereaved family protests mural glorifying Israeli Arab terrorists
April 14, 2014
Israeli authorities, acting upon the request of bereaved families, ordered residents of the Israeli Arab town of Baka al-Gharbiya to remove a large roadside mural which paid homage to four convicted terrorists who could be released as part of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Army Radio reported on Monday.
The mural depicts the images of the four Palestinians who hold Israeli citizenship – Walid Daka, Rushdi Hamdan Abu Mukh, Ibrahim Nayef Abu Mukh, and Ibrahim Abdel Razek Bayadseh - who in 1984 abducted and murdered IDF soldier Moshe Tamam. The four men, who had offered the hitchhiking Tamam a ride, were operating as part of a terror cell run by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
According to Army Radio, residents of Baka al-Gharbiya, which is located in the Wadi Ara region, hung the mural in anticipation of their release. They were due to be freed as part of the fourth and final batch of Palestinians convicted of terrorist acts whom Israel pledged to release in a bid to advance the peace process. “Today, it is you, tomorrow it will be all the rest of the prisoners,” the mural reads in Arabic.
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Bereaved-family-protests-mural-glorifying-Israeli-Arab-terrorists-348487
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Bennett: Who is Israel's PM - Netanyahu or Abbas?
April 14, 2014
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu canceled a meeting with Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett Sunday to protest the latter’s recent behavior that Netanyahu’s associates called “childish.”
Bennett threatened publicly Thursday night that if any Israeli Arabs prisoners were released in an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, he would remove Bayit Yehudi from Netanyahu’s governing coalition.
He upped the ante in an interview with Channel 2 Sunday night when he said the country had survived 65 years without him as a minister and would continue to exist afterward.
Sources close to Netanyahu responded by daring Bennett to quit. They accused him of harming the country by unnecessarily flexing his muscles in an effort to obtain positive headlines.
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Bennett-Who-is-Israels-PM-Netanyahu-or-Abbas-348422
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North America
‘Google Doodle’ marks 888th birthday of Muslim philosopher Averroes
April 14, 2014
Google is getting philosophical with its latest ‘Doodle’, which today marks the 888th birthday of the Muslim thinker Averroes.
The search giant regularly transforms its logo to celebrate famous people, historical events or notable dates, and on Monday chose a tribute to the philosopher Averroes, who was also known as Ibn Rushd.
Averroes, who was born in present-day Spain and died in Marrakesh, is described as a “polymath” given his broad interests in Islamic philosophy, theology, music, mathematics.
Born in 1126, he inspired a branch of philosophy called Averroism, and much of his work is said to have integrated Islamic traditions with ancient Greek thought.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/media/digital/2014/04/14/-Google-Doodle-marks-888th-birthday-of-Muslim-philosopher-Averroes-.html
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US defense chief talk’s election, terrorism with Egyptian counterpart
April 14, 2014
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke by phone on Sunday with his Egyptian counterpart Col. Gen Sedki Sobhi, discussing terrorism and the upcoming presidential election.
“Secretary Hagel congratulated General Sobhi on his promotion and expressed his desire to maintain close contact as the general settles into his duties,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a Sunday statement.
Sobhi, formally army chief of staff, was named defense minister and head of the army in late March, replacing Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, who resigned his posts to stand for a presidential poll he is tipped to win easily.
During the 20-minute call, the first conversation between the two senior diplomats, Hagel and Sobhi discussed regional security issues, Kirby said.
These included the "ongoing threat of terrorist networks, as well as the importance of free and fair elections for Egypt's political transition."
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/98986/Egypt/Politics-/US-defense-chief-talks-election,-terrorism-with-Eg.aspx
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Three people killed in shootings at Jewish centers in Kansas
April 14, 2014
Three people, including a 14-year-old boy, were killed on April 13 at two different Jewish community facilities in a Kansas City-area suburb, and a man was in custody as police investigated whether the shootings were anti-Semitic, authorities said.
Police said it was too early to determine a motive, but they were not ruling out the possibility that the shootings were a hate crime.
"We know it's a vicious act of violence. Obviously two Jewish facilities, one might make that assumption," Overland Park Police Chief John Douglass said in a news conference. The FBI has been called in to help with the investigation, he said.
The shootings started around 1 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City in Overland Park, Kansas. Two males were shot in a parking lot outside the center, one dying at the scene and the other later at a hospital, police said.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/three-people-killed-in-shootings-at-jewish-centers-in-kansas.aspx?pageID=238&nID=65001&NewsCatID=358
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Israel warns Kerry over ‘surrender’ to Iran
April 14, 2014
Israel’s intelligence minister Monday slammed as unacceptable comments by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program which he said indicated a “surrender” to Tehran.
“The things Kerry said in the Congress are worrying, they are surprising and they are unacceptable,” Yuval Steinitz, who is also strategic affairs minister, told public radio.
“We watch the negotiations with concern. We are not opposed to a diplomatic solution but we are against a solution which is entirely a surrender to Iran and which leaves it a threshold nuclear state,” Steinitz said.
In remarks to U.S. lawmakers last week Kerry warned that the Islamic republic was two months away from breakout capability to produce enough nuclear material for a bomb should they resume their mothballed enrichment process.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/2014/04/14/Israel-warns-Kerry-over-surrender-to-Iran-.html
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US, Pakistan mull innovative financing for Diamer dam
2014-04-14
WASHINGTON: The United States and Pakistan have agreed to explore innovative financing for the Diamer Bhasha Dam, says a statement issued by the Pakistan Embassy.
The statement said that various options for financing the project were discussed at a meeting between Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah.
The United States opposes major hydro projects due to environmental concerns but appears willing to make an exemption for Pakistan because of its acute energy needs which, if not fulfilled, can de-stabilise the entire region.
The two sides noted that the three equity funds which had been given $20 each under Pakistan Private Investment Initiative were now in the process of raising matching capital and would soon begin lending funds to the small and medium enterprises.They agreed that since the mood of the investors and lenders towards Pakistan was positive; it was an opportune moment to have conferences on Diamer Bhasha Dam in which major construction firms might be invited.
Full report at:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1099755/us-pakistan-mull-innovative-financing-for-diamer-dam
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Pakistan
Pakistan SC dismisses contempt of court petition against Musharraf
Press Trust of India | Islamabad | April 14, 2014
Pakistan Supreme Court today rejected a contempt petition filed against former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in connection with his request to the government to lift a travel ban on him.
Maulvi Iqbal Haider had filed the contempt of court petition in the apex court against the 70-year-old former president.
He had argued that Musharraf had sent an application to the Interior Ministry for removal of his name from the Exit Control List (ECL) without seeking clearance from the Supreme Court which was tantamount to contempt of court.
The court raised objections over Haider’s application, saying that he was not a party to the matter and that he had submitted a wrong address in the petition. The application was thus returned, Dawn News reported.
Full report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/asia/pakistan-sc-dismisses-contempt-of-court-petition-against-musharraf/
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Afghan border forces kill two Pakistani shepherds
2014-04-14
QUETTA: Afghan security forces killed two Pakistani nationals who had mistakenly entered into Afghanistan near Badini area on Monday morning, a Levies official said.
A Levies official who requested not to be named, since he was not authorised to speak to media, told Dawn that two shepherds had mistakenly slipped into Afghanistan from Badini.
He said the Afghan security forces deployed at the border opened unprovoked gunfire without any warning killing the two shepherds on the spot.
The victims belonged to Badini area of Killa Saifullah district.
"I have ordered inquiry into the incident", Home Secretary Balochistan, Syed Asad Gilani told Dawn.
He said a team of senior officers was also dispatched to the area to probe the incident.
However, levies officials stated that the two shepherds were in pursuit of their camels and other livestock when they mistakenly slipped into Afghan territory.
Full report at:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1099831/afghan-border-forces-kill-two-pakistani-shepherds
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Prisoners released after consulting Army, says Nisar
April 14, 2014
ISLAMABAD: Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Sunday said that the government had held consultations with the Army over the issue of freeing Taliban prisoners, DawnNews reported
Moreover, he said that the government wanted the immediate release of non-combatants held captive by the Taliban and added that the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had not demanded the release of militant's and neither would they be freed.
He said that the release of combatant prisoners would take place at a later stage, adding that the holding of talks with the Taliban, which had entered its third stage, was a difficult task.
The federal interior minister added that it was being said that the government and the Army were not on the same page with regard to the release of prisoners.
Full report at:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1099625/prisoners-released-after-consulting-army-says-nisar
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Terrorists can conduct attacks in Karachi: Sindh home department
April 14, 2014
KARACHI- Sindh Home Department today issued a warning that terrorists can conduct a huge terror activity within few days in Karachi.
Sindh Home Department had written a letter to police and other concerned departments, stating that terrorists can target security agencies and their offices. The letter further added that police mobiles and Crime Investigation Department (CID) personnel could be target of terrorists in Karachi.
http://www.nation.com.pk/national/14-Apr-2014/terrorists-can-conduct-attacks-in-karachi-sindh-home-department
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Attack on NATO trucks near Peshawar kills driver: officials
April 14, 2014
PESHAWAR: Gunmen in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on Monday attacked container trucks carrying supplies to Nato troops in Afghanistan, killing a driver, officials said.
The violence took place around 25 kilometres west of Peshawar, according to security officials.
Ali Sher, a local administration official, confirmed the incident.
“Three trucks were attacked at three different locations in Jamrud district of Khyber agency killing one driver and setting his truck ablaze” he told AFP.
“Two other drivers have been injured.”
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/695460/attack-on-nato-trucks-in-pakistan-kills-driver-officials/
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Mengal wants end of agencies role in politics
April 14, 2014
QUETTA- Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP) Chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal said today that involvement of agencies in political matters must end.
Talking to journalists, he said "we don't want more mutilated dead bodies from the province, this process must be ended as enough is enough". The BNP leader warned that his party members would resign from the assemblies if these issues continued in Balochistan.
http://www.nation.com.pk/national/14-Apr-2014/mengal-wants-end-of-agencies-role-in-politics
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Separatist movement funded by India: Balochistan PML-N chief
2014-04-14
QUETTA: Senior Minister and Balochistan PML-N chief Sardar Sanaullah Khan Zehri has alleged that India has been financing a separatist movement in the province and expressed fear that a ‘superpower’ and some other neighbouring countries may also extend financial support to it if the Gwadar port is made operational.
Talking to reporters at his official residence here, he said the Gwadar port had great geo-political importance and making it operational might affect the business of some other ports in the region.
Full report at:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1099743/separatist-movement-funded-by-india-zehri
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Southeast Asia
Muslim NGO not happy with use of national language by Seremban church
April 14, 2014
Muslim NGO Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) has taken offence that a church in Seremban used Bahasa Malaysia to promote its Easter musical which will be held later this week.
In a report on its website, Isma Seremban chief Zamani Ibrahim questioned why the church is using the national language in its posters to promote the Christian event, suggesting that the open promotion, in a public space, is to encourage non-Christians to attend the musical.
The ISMA website showed a photograph of a poster on a lamp post on a road divider bearing the words "Muzikal Easter".
The poster also gave details like the name of the church – Agape Community Church – and the date and time of the event which will be held from April 18 to 20 at 7.30pm, and the location of the event at Jalan Dato Muda Linggi. It also states that admission to the event is free.
Zamani questioned why the Malay language is used to promote the event, when Christians are largely made up of Chinese and Indians.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/muslim-ngo-not-happy-with-use-of-national-language-by-seremban-church
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Lawyers, lawmakers urge police to act against Muslim convert who defied custody order
April 14, 2014
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar has come under more criticism for the failure of the police to take action against a Muslim convert who had allegedly kidnapped his son from his ex-wife after she was granted legal custody of their children.
Lawyers for Liberty said the failure of the police to act against Izwan Abdullah was "appalling".
The group's legal and campaign coordinator Michelle Yesudas said Khalid should not cite "conflicting jurisdictions" as a reason for the police's inaction.
"It was clear that Izwan Abdullah's action was criminal in nature, despite the Shariah Court granting him custody.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/lawyers-lawmakers-urge-police-to-act-against-muslim-convert-who-defied-cust
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Philippine forces kill 1 militant in new clash
April 14, 2014
MANILA — Philippine marines have killed one of several Abu Sayyaf militants blamed for kidnappings and extortion in a new clash with the group in the south, officials said on Sunday.
A group of marines were patrolling a wooded area near a hill in Sulu province’s mountainous Patikul town on Saturday when they stumbled on about 30 militants. An ensuing 30-minute clash killed one militant and wounded an unknown number of other gunmen, marine brigade commander Brig. Gen. Martin Pinto said.
The militants dragged their wounded as they withdrew, leaving blood stains on a jungle trail, Pinto said.
They were led by a young Abu Sayyaf commander, Ninok Sappari, who has been blamed for recent kidnappings, including of two Algerian-born Filipino sisters.
The women, who were abducted last year during a trip to make a video documentary about the lives of poor Sulu coffee farmers, escaped from their captors in February after eight months of captivity.
Full report at:
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20140414201808
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/71-killed,-124-injured-blasts/d/66546