'March of a million' in Egypt, army says won't use force
Egypt gives ‘pharaoh’3 days to quit
‘ElBaradei is not our leader’
Lashkar militants gun down two sisters in North Kashmir
Omar condemns killing of sisters in Sopore
Malik hails Chidambaram's remarks on Samjhauta
Rayeesuddin: Acquitted in Mecca Masjid blast, still facing police witch hunt
Feb. 3: Yemen’s ‘Day of Anger’
Seminar on Role of Urdu Language in Secular Independent India held at Aligarh
“Greatness of the Quran & Hadees Conference” held In Chennai
TN Govt forms panel to monitor implementation of Muslim quota
Malaysian team to study mosque structures in Kerala
Mosque near Ground Zero shakes off controversial Imams
One killed in attack on Nato tanker in Mastung
Pakistan bans BB services for foreign missions
Pak’s nuke stockpile crosses 110
Suraj kund gets slice of Uzbekistan
Egyptians stock up on food, water
6 scribes stopped from leaving: Al-Jazeera
Six killed in attacks on police in northwest Pak
India probes Somalian pirates’ links with Pak
Ex-Army captain held for ISI ‘links'
“The symptoms were around, and the virus was waiting to be caught”
Mubarak 'will have to go': US senator
Indonesia jails rocker over online sex tapes
US issues terror warning to US citizens worldwide
Second AI flight with 280 Indians from Egypt reaches Mumbai
Mubarak’s Grip on Power Is Shaken
Ground Zero imam: ‘True’ Muslims implement Shariah
Man who said he was God is hanged
South Carolina Mulls Ban on Sharia Law
New jundullah leader abdulrauf rigi arrested in pakistan
Colonel imam, pakistan’s “godfather” to the afghan taliban, no more
No contact with Muslim Brotherhood: US
Indian girl falls to death in Abu Dhabi
Saeed slams Pope, pledges to fight for blasphemy law
Pak rejects US demand to release diplomat
Mubarak 'will have to go': US senator
Netherlands freezes ties after Iran hangs woman
'Jasmine revolution spreading its scent'
Clashes between Christians, Muslims rock Nigeria:
RSS man seeks FIR against CBI, magazine over confession leak
For Egypt rescue flight, AI charged up to 55,000
EU urges Egypt: Seek peaceful shift to democracy
SC to hear Pragya's bail plea on Feb 23, sadhvi claims torture
HC notice to J&K cops on civilian killings
MP’s amnesty misfires, 5 SIMI men walk free
Turkish film on flotilla raid may damage ties with Israel
Taliban abduct 21 Afghan tribal elders
Security forces kill 21 terrorists in Mohmand Agency
Senator moves privilege motion against woman activist
US defends diplomat accused of killing two in Pakistan
Military calls Egyptian people’s demands ‘legitimate’
Afghan drug war to be won with crops, not jails: judge
Mubarak’s deputy linked to secret CIA program
Google launches Twitter workaround for Egypt
Yemeni president announces new incentives
16 killed in shootout between Somali army, police
Iran summons American woman for trial
Yemen Qaeda suspect gets seven years in jail
Al Jazeera says journalists freed in Egypt
Bomber kills senior Pakistan police official
Iran condemns two to death over porn sites
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/march-million-egypt,-army-says/d/4043
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'March of a million' in Egypt, army says won't use force
Feb 1, 2011
CAIRO: Preparations began Tuesday for the million people march in the Egyptian capital to oust President Hosni Mubarak as the army said that they will not "use force against the Egyptian people". Another million-strong march is being planned at the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria.
The fierce protests against Mubarak entered the eighth day Tuesday, with defiant demonstrators determined to end the octogenarian's 30-year rule.
The protests received a shot in the arm when the army said "freedom of expression" was guaranteed to all citizens using peaceful means.
"To the great people of Egypt, your armed forces, acknowledging the legitimate rights of the people" stress that "they have not and will not use force against the Egyptian people," said an army statement, reported Al Jazeera.
The statement came just a day before the march of the million people was to take place.
The media report said that another million-strong march was planned in Alexandria, as national train services were cancelled.
In a desperate attempt to tackle the situation, the Egyptian president has asked the newly appointed vice president to hold talks with the opposition.
Vice President Omar Suleiman said Monday that President Mubarak had appointed him to hold immediate dialogue with the opposition, Xinhua reported.
According to Suleiman, the president highlighted the importance of executing court's orders to correct the last year's parliamentary elections results.
Suleiman said there would even be a review of some disputed seats in parliament, from last November's election. The ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) swept the election, amid accusations of widespread fraud.
Suleiman, a former intelligence chief, was appointed as Egypt's vice president Friday in response to the massive protests that broke out in various cities last week.
However, protesters refused to accept Mubarak's new cabinet and decided to scale up their uprising.
At least 150 people have died so far in violence linked to the unrest.
DPA reported that tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Tahrir Square until the early hours of Tuesday said they would not relent until President Mubarak stepped down and the country was put on the path towards serious economic and democratic reforms.
Officials and media reports said the government was planning to shut down the country's mobile networks ahead of Tuesday's "march of a million". It would be the second time since Friday that Egypt's government would have taken such a move.
Internet has been down across the country since late Thursday. Internet monitor Renesys said another Egyptian internet service provider, Noor Group, appeared to have been taken down.
In response, Google said it would offer demonstrators a means of sending tweets to Twitter by calling a telephone number, where their words would be automatically converted into text.
In Tahrir Square, the vice president's statement was seen as a concession to the opposition, after they earlier derided the new cabinet as one mostly filled with loyalists and former ministers.
"We will spend as many nights here as it takes to get the snake out," chanted the demonstrators in Tahrir Square, referring to Mubarak.
The European Union issued a statement, supporting "free and fair elections" in Egypt, following a similar message the day before from Cairo's main ally, the US - upping the international pressure on the embattled Mubarak, DPA reported.
Unrest was also widespread in other remote regions across the vast and mostly poor country of 80 million people, almost half below the age of 35. The protests are the largest in a generation.
Egypt's economy was suffering with its bonds being downgraded. The country's stock market and banks were also to remain closed.
The port in Alexandria was also closed, according to traders. But the Suez Canal, vital for international trade, remained functional.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/March-of-a-million-in-Egypt-army-
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Egypt gives ‘pharaoh’3 days to quit
1 February 2011
Mubarak served ultimatum as a million protesters converge in Cairo today to up the ante against him
THE DIN of protesters calling for Hosni Mubarak to step down is set to grow louder. A million demonstrators will flood Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Tuesday to demand the Egyptian President’s ouster. The ‘million march’ was called on Monday as Egyptians served an ultimatum on Mubarak to leave by Friday.
The demand came even as Mubarak overhauled his government to try to defuse a popular uprising against his 30-year rule.
In what is seen as a sop to the protesters, a new cabinet line-up was announced in which widely hated interior minister Habib al-Adly as well as the finance and culture ministers of the previous cabinet were axed.
The Muslim Brotherhood also served an ultimatum, telling the powerful army to choose between Egypt and Mubarak, indicating that a decisive stage in the confrontation may be near. The death toll in seven days of violence has already crossed 150.
Faced with the biggest protests of his presidency, an increasingly embattled Mubarak appointed his first ever Vice-President — his intelligence chief and close aide Omar Suleiman — and a new Prime Minister, former Air Force general Ahmed Shafiq, in a desperate attempt to hold on to power.
The new cabinet unveiled on Monday did little to placate the protesters but the departure of Adly, who controls Egypt’s notorious security forces who are accused of systematic human rights violations, was welcomed. Adly’s ouster was among one of the main demands of the demonstrators. But angry protesters rejected the changes and said they won’t be satisfied with anything less than Mubarak surrendering power.
Protester Omar el-Demerdash, a 24-year-old research executive, said of Mubarak’s cabinet reshuffle: “This is all nonsense. The demand is clear.
We want Mubarak and his men to get out. Anything other than that is just not enough.” “Get out! We want you out!” was a chant that echoed through Egypt’s streets as the nation entered the seventh day of unrest.
Indeed, troops backed by tanks and armoured personnel carriers made no effort to disperse the crowd even two hours after a curfew started, although helicopters flew overhead. Tens of thousands of protesters on Monday carpeted Tahrir Square, the epicentre for those calling for an end to corruption and police oppression indelibly associated with Mubarak’s 30-year rule.
“We will stay in the square until the coward leaves,” the crowd chanted. The army has positioned tanks around the area and was checking identity papers but letting protesters in. Civilian popular committee members were also checking papers to make sure no plainclothes police get in.“We are looking for police trouble makers, they want to come in and break our unity,” an organiser said.
NEARBY, soldiers scrubbed furiously at their tanks in a bid to wash off some of the anti-Mubarak graffiti they have been covered in over the last three days. Eid Mohammed, one of the protesters and organisers, said of Tuesday’s million march: “It was decided overnight that there will be a million man march on Tuesday. We have also decided to begin an open-ended general strike.”
The strike was first called by workers at a factory in Suez late on Sunday. A million march was also called in Alexandria. But faced with untold numbers potentially trying to converge on the Egyptian capital, authorities stopped all train traffic with immediate effect on Monday afternoon.
External affairs minister S.M. Krishna said on Monday India was “closely monitoring” the situation in Egypt.
“The government of India is of the view that the developments in Egypt are an internal matter of that country. We have very cordial relations with Egypt and we do not intend to involve in the issue,” Krishna said in the Capital.
On another note, whistleblower website WikiLeaks has revealed that the US government has been supporting leading figures behind the violent protests in Egypt in a bid to promote regime change.
A 2008 diplomatic cable leaked by the website outlines how the US state department supported a pro-democracy activist and lobbied for the release of dissidents from custody. The unnamed activist presented an “unwritten plan for democratic transition in 2011” in New York and met with US Congressmembers, the cable said.
Mail Today
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‘ElBaradei is not our leader’
1 February 2011
MOHAMED ElBaradei has become the face of the wave of protests engulfing Egypt right now. But the protesters seem as unhappy with him as President Hosni Mubarak, if not more.
Demonstrators said on Monday they had reservations about opposition leader ElBaradei, who has offered to act as a transitional leader to prepare Egypt for democratic elections.
ElBaradei, former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), returned to Egypt on the eve of the protests which swept the country on Friday, when thousands of people called for the overthrow of Mubarak.
Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the IAEA, ElBaradei and the powerful Muslim Brotherhood said on Sunday he had a mandate from opposition groups to make contact with the army and negotiate a government of national unity.
But at least one opposition party, the Arab nationalist Karama Party of Hamdin Sabahi, has rejected ElBaradei outright as a transitional figure, saying he was trying to jump on the bandwagon of the popular uprising.
“ElBaradei won’t do. He doesn’t have the experience here and he’s weak,” Khaled Ezzat, a 34-year-old information technology engineer who had joined the evening vigil in Tahrir Square on Monday, said. ElBaradei joined protesters at the hub of anti-Mubarak protests in central Cairo on Sunday.
ElBaradei, 68, began overt opposition to Mubarak on his return to Egypt in February 2010 and won a widespread following among the young and the middle classes.
But the Egyptian authorities harassed his supporters and ElBaradei lost much credibility through his long absences abroad. The official media tried to ridicule him, saying he knew nothing about Egypt and had no political experience.
Some elements of the government’s campaign appear to have struck a chord with the protesters. Omar Mahdi, a sales manager, said: “I’m not convinced by ElBaradei, even as a transitional figure, he hasn’t really been present in the country.”
Mail Today
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Lashkar militants gun down two sisters in North Kashmir
Feb 1, 2011
SRINAGAR: In the first major strike targeting civilians this year, Lashkar-e-Toiba militants have shot dead two sisters after dragging them out of their house in Sopore town of North Kashmir's Baramulla district.
Arifa and Akhtar, daughters of Ghulam Nabi Dar, were gunned down by three militants, including a Pakistani, at around 10 pm on Monday night at Muslim Peer in Sopore town, 52 kms from Srinagar, Superintendent of Police Sopore Altaf Ahmad said.
According to preliminary investigations, the three Lashkar militants barged into the house and forcibly took the girls, aged between 16 to 18 years, police said.
"The girls were later shot dead by the militants near the Ziarat (shrine) Rahim Sahib. One of them was shot in the left eye," Ahmad said, adding their bodies were found near their house.
It could not be immediately ascertained why the militants had targeted the sisters. The police officer said the local militants involved in the killing have been identified as Wasim Ganaie and Muzaffar Naikoo.
Both the ultras carried cash reward on their heads. This was the first incident of civilian killings by militants in the Kashmir Valley this year.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Lashkar-militants-gun-down-two-sisters-in-North-
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Omar condemns killing of sisters in Sopore
Feb 1, 2011
SRINAGAR: Chief minister Omar Abdullah has strongly condemned the killing of two teenaged sisters by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants. The two were gunned down after Lashkar men forced them out of their home in Sopore, triggering panic in the area.
Reacting to the incident, the chief minister wrote on Twitter: "If you can't condemn the killing of these two girls irrespective of your political beliefs and do so without qualifying it, then shame on you."
"May Allah grant peace to the souls..., their family the strength to deal with this tragedy and us the strength to learn from it," he said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Omar-condemns-killing-of-sisters-in-
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Malik hails Chidambaram's remarks on Samjhauta
Anita Joshua
1 February 2011
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Monday welcomed his Indian counterpart P. Chidambaram's statement that New Delhi would share details of the investigation into the Samjhauta Express blast with Pakistan once the probe is over.
A day after Mr. Chidambaram made the remarks in Davos, Mr. Malik responded on Twitter: “I welcome the statement of H. E. Mr. Chidambaram on Samjhota Express investigations to be shared with Pak.”
Early this month, Pakistan formally asked India for a progress report on the train blast, which claimed the lives of 42 Pakistanis. The request came in the wake of reports in the Indian media of jailed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader Swami Aseemanand's role in the 2007 blast.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/01/stories/2011020165731200.htm
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Rayeesuddin: Acquitted in Mecca Masjid blast, still facing police witch hunt
Feb 1, 2011
New Delhi: “It was 31st August 2007 and I was returning home from my work when some policemen kidnapped me and kept me in illegal custody for 8 days. After weeks of third degree torture, they made me confess my ‘involvement’ in the May 2007 Mecca Masjid blast,” said Md. Rayeesuddin
Rayeesuddin is one of the several Muslims youths from Hyderabad who were arrested in connection with the Mecca Masjid blast and tortured for the crime they never committed. Though this resident of Hyderabad was acquitted later, the physical, financial and social damages he continues to bear can never be healed, Md. Rayeesuddin said in an exclusive interview with TwoCircles.net.
Talking about the third degree torture by police during his illegal custody at an undisclosed location, Rayeesuddin said, “They used to give me electric shocks besides hitting at my heels after hanging me by hands. The thrust of their torture was to force me to confess, saying ‘if you want to be alive confess the involvement in Mecca Masjid blast.”
Full report at:
http://www.twocircles.net/2011jan31/rayeesuddin_acquitted_mecca_masjid_blast_still_
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Feb. 3: Yemen’s ‘Day of Anger’
1 February 2011
SANA’A, Jan. 30 – Yemen’s coalition of opposition parties, the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP), confirmed that this Thursday will be Yemen’s ‘Day of Anger’ after National Dialogue Committee talks failed to materialize.
Mohammed Saleh, spokesman for the JMP, told the Yemen Times that the opposition has planned for protests around the country.
“It will be huge, all over the country,” he said.
President Ali Abdullah Saleh, head of the ruling General People’s Congress (GPC) party, on Friday called on the JMP to hold talks about the proposed constitutional amendments and the country’s political situation with the ruling party. These talks would have been between the four members of the National Dialogue Committee consisting of: Yemen’s vice-president, the consultant of the president and the leaders of the two main opposition parties.
Full report at:
http://www.yementimes.com/defaultdet.aspx?SUB_ID=35487
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Seminar on Role of Urdu Language in Secular Independent India held at Aligarh
Feb 1, 2011
Aligarh: The Millat Bedari Muhim Committee (MBMC) organized a two-day national seminar on “Role of Urdu Language in Secular Independent India” in collaboration with National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL), Jamia Urdu Aligarh, CCSILC AMU & the Aligarh Movement (Bilingual Monthly Magazine) at Arts Faculty Lounge, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.
Secretary of MBMC & Chief Convener of the National Seminar Jasim Mohammad welcomed eminent scholars and intellectuals who had come to participate the seminar from far flung areas. He dwelled upon the qualities of Urdu in detail and hoped that this two-day seminar will certainly address the problems faced by Urdu language. He pointed out that though Urdu is the language of love and unity some people have denigrated it and the government is failing in discharging its responsibilities.
Full report at:
http://www.twocircles.net/node/237348?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&
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“Greatness of the Quran & Hadees Conference” held In Chennai
Feb 1, 2011
Chennai: The Jamiat Ahle Hadees Hind (Tamil Nadu & Pondicherry) organized a one-day Azmat-e-Quran wa Hadees - “Greatness of the Quran & Hadees - Conference at the Begum Shafia Hospital Campus, Perambur, Chennai on 30th January 2011. It was a well attended conference.
Among the prominent Ulema who addressed on the occasion were Maulana Asghar Ali, Gen. Secretary, Jamiat Ahle Hadees, Delhi, Maulana Abdullah Hyderabadi, Umari Madani, President, Jamiat Ahle Hadees, Tamil Nadu & Pondicherry, Maulana Mohammed Muqeem Faizee, Maulana Hafiz Hafeezur Rahman Azami Umari, Madani, Maulana Khaleelur Rahman Azami Umari, Shaikh Ismail Salafi, Shaikh Aneesur Rahman Azmi Umari, Madani and others. They all stressed the need for unity and following of the teachings of Islam strictly in accordance with the letter and spirit of the holy Quran and Ahaadees and criticized “taqleed” – blind following of any version of the human beings - and approaching the dead thinking that they will solve our problems.
Full report at:
http://www.twocircles.net/2011jan31/%E2%80%9Cgreatness_quran_hadees_conference%
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TN Govt forms panel to monitor implementation of Muslim quota
Feb 1, 2011
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has formed a high-level monitoring committee to ensure unfair and complete implementation of the 3.5% quota for Muslims in the state. The DMK government took the decision following a concerted campaign by Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamath (TNTJ) in this regard.
Chief Minister M Karunanithi has announced the committee under the leadership of Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary Malathi.
The state government had announced 3.5% separate reservation for Muslims in education and government jobs in 2007 but this quota was not properly implemented by the officials.
Full report at:
http://www.twocircles.net/2011jan31/tn_govt_forms_panel_monitor_implementation_
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Malaysian team to study mosque structures in Kerala
Feb 1, 2011
Malappuram (Kerala) : A Malaysian team will arrive next month to study mosque structures in Kerala as a collaborative venture between the International Islamic University, Malaysia (IIUM) and Madin Islamic Academy (MIA) here.
In what is believed to be its first such accord with an Indian institution, the IIUM has entered into an agreement for academic cooperation with the MIA.
A team from IIUM is expected to arrive in the state next month to commence the groundwork of a research study on mosque structures in Kerala.
The MIA in press release here Monday said the agreement was inked between IIUM Rector Syed Arabi Idid and Madin chairman Sayyid Ibrahimul Khaleelul Bukhari in Malaysia.
"We are very happy to sign this agreement with an institution from India, which is the second largest Muslim populated country in the world, and hopeful of getting more students and exchange potentials," said Idid.
Full report at:
http://www.twocircles.net/2011jan31/malaysian_team_study_mosque_structures_kerala.
Mosque near Ground Zero shakes off controversial Imams
Feb 01 2011
New York : The management of the controversial Islamic Centre planned near Ground Zero has distanced itself from two Muslim religious leaders, as one opposed the project while the other preached that people become gay after suffering abuse.
Sharif el-Gamal, the owner of the Park51 property where the mosque is to be built, has refuted the assertions of the first imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf, that another spot could be picked.
"As we have been stating for over a year now, Park51 is not moving its location under any circumstances. Imam Feisal has no authority or control over this project, over its board of directors or over Soho Properties, which controls the real estate.
Park51, the Islamic Community Center in Lower Manhattan, is more than any one personality or imam," Gamal said on Monday, as quoted by The New York Times.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mosque-near-ground-zero-shakes-off-controversial-
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One killed in attack on Nato tanker in Mastung
Feb 1, 2011
QUETTA: A driver was killed and a cleaner sustained bullet injuries in an attack on a Nato oil tanker in the Dasht area of Mastung on Tuesday.
According to Levis Force, the tanker carrying fuel for International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) was on route to Afghanistan from Karachi when armed men opened indiscriminate fire at the vehicle in the Dasht region.
Resultantly, the driver of a tanker died on the spot while a cleaner sustained bullet wounds.
Levis reached the site of the attack and shifted the victims to a nearby hospital.
The assailants, however, managed to escape from the scene. Levis, subsequently, registered a case and launched a probe into the incident.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/01/one-killed-in-attack-on-nato-tanker-in-mastung.html
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Pakistan bans BB services for foreign missions
1 February 2011
KARACHI: Pakistani authorities have asked mobile telephone operators to stop BlackBerry services to foreign missions in the country amid concern about the security of the communications, industry sources said.
Two industry officials confirmed that the regulator, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), had asked them to stop all Blackberry services to foreign missions.
"I can confirm that PTA has asked us to stop all BlackBerry services to foreign embassies and high commissions," a senior official at a mobile company, who declined to be identified, said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/news/telecom/Pakistan-bans-BB-services-for-
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Pak’s nuke stockpile crosses 110
1 February 2011
PAKISTAN has allegedly increased its nuclear arsenal which now totals more than 100 deployed weapons in what is being described as a doubling of nuke stockpile.
Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal totals more than 110 from an estimated 30- 80 weapons four years ago, Washington Post reported on Monday, quoting an international non- proliferation expert.
Compared to this, it was estimated that India had between 40 and 50 warheads in 2005. In November 2008, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists estimated that India has about 70 assembled nuclear warheads, with about 50 of them fully operational.
Other estimates suggest that India has produced enough weapons- grade plutonium for up to 75- 110 warheads. The Post claims that India is estimated to have 60 to 100 nuclear weapons.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Surajkund gets slice of Uzbekistan
1 February 2011
THE SILVER jubilee edition of the globally acclaimed Surajkund Crafts Mela ( fair) begins at Surajkund in Haryana’s Faridabad district on Tuesday, officials said.
The 25th edition of the 15- day event will feature Andhra Pradesh as the theme state for the third time, while Uzbekistan will be donning the mantle of partner country.
The fair will be inaugurated by Union tourism minister Subodh Kant Sahay.
Officials of Haryana tourism said on Monday that one unique feature of this year's fair will be the venue, which has been made eco- and disabled- friendly.
“ The culture and customs of Uzbekistan would mingle with Indian heritage at the Mela,” Haryana’s tourism minister O. P. Jain said.
Often described as ‘ mini- India’, the eagerly- awaited fair comes alive in the month of February every year.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Egyptians stock up on food, water
February 01, 2011
After 24 years in Canada, Rafik and Leila Baladi moved back to Cairo two weeks ago to settle down. Now, like many other residents of the Egyptian capital, they're stocking up on bottled water and essential foodstuffs as chaos engulfs this sprawling city of some 18 million.
"We just don't know what is going to happen," said Leila, who along with her husband was pushing a shopping cart loaded with frozen chicken breasts, fava beans, milk and other items at a grocery store in central Cairo. "People are terrified to death." Everyday life in Cairo has been turned upside down by the largest anti-Government protests in decades in Egypt.
Schools are closed and businesses boarded up; the usual bumper-to-bumper traffic is now little more than a trickle; and the capital's famed nightlife has been snuffed out by a 4 pm to 8 am curfew.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/314477/Egyptians-stock-up-on-food-water.html
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6 scribes stopped from leaving: Al-Jazeera
February 01, 2011
The pan-Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera said on Monday that six of its journalists have been blocked from leaving their hotels in Egypt after authorities ordered the closure of the network's Cairo office. The Qatar-based network initially reported that the staff members were detained.
But an Al-Jazeera official said it was later learned that the journalists were confronted by security forces and not allowed to leave their hotels. They have not been ordered to leave Egypt, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/314475/6-scribes-stopped-from-leaving-Al-Jazeera.html
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Six killed in attacks on police in northwest Pak
February 01, 2011
Six people, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police, were killed and 19 others injured when two police vehicles were targeted by a suicide bomber and a roadside bomb in this northwestern Pakistani city on Monday.
In the first attack, a suicide attacker struck DSP Abdur Rashid Khan's vehicle at an intersection on the busy Ring Road Monday morning.
The police officer, two bodyguards, a driver and another person in a car parked at the site of the blast were killed, officials said.
Officials at the Lady Reading Hospital said they had received 15 injured people.
The condition of two of the injured was described as serious. The bomber was waiting at the intersection.
The DSP was on his way to office when the bomber struck, police said.
DSP Khan had survived two attempts on his life in the Gulbahar area of Peshawar last year.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/314467/Six-killed-in-attacks-on-police-in-northwest-Pak.html
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India probes Somalian pirates’ links with Pak
February 01, 2011
The Government is investigating if the Somalian pirates, who have now started moving towards India, have any links with Pakistan-based terror groups.
Maintaining that Somalian pirates posed a threat to all merchant vessels passing through the high seas between India and the Maldives, Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Director General Anil Chopra on Monday said, “When piracy is (happening) so close to India, there would be speculation about any such linkages (between them and Pakistan-based groups). Intelligence agencies are investigating all the people who are captured to establish if there is connection between them.” He was addressing a Press conference on the eve of the 34th Coast Guard foundation day.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/314516/India-probes-Somalian-pirates%E2%80%99-links-
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Ex-Army captain held for ISI ‘links'
CHANDIGARH: Shyam Sunder Guleri, a retired Army captain, was arrested here on Monday for his alleged links with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence and hawala agents. He was handed over the Himachal Pradesh police.
http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/01/stories/2011020158190100.htm
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“The symptoms were around, and the virus was waiting to be caught”
S. Arun Mohan
1 February 2011
New Delhi: Egypt's Ambassador to India, Khaled El Bakly, on Monday acknowledged that widespread corruption over the years and spiralling food prices had contributed to the recent protests that have rocked Egypt.
However, the Ambassador said that it would be unwise to point fingers at any one individual for the growing unrest. Speaking to TheHindu at the Egyptian embassy here, Mr. El Bakly remarked that the immediate catalyst for the uprising in Egypt were events in Tunisia that led to the overthrow of the Ben Ali regime. On the other hand, “the government is not one person”, he said, referring to President Hosni Mubarak.
The Ambassador conceded that the protesters were clamouring for political and economic reform, but declined to comment on the broad contours of the change needed. The opposition did not have any political backing, he claimed, adding that reports of Dr. Mohammed ElBaradei having received the support of the Muslim Brotherhood were unconfirmed.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/01/stories/2011020159191400.htm
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Mubarak 'will have to go': US senator
1 February 2011
WASHINGTON: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak "will have to go," a top US lawmaker said Monday after a closed-doors Senate meeting on weeklong, deadly protests calling for the authoritarian leader's ouster.
Mubarak "cannot afford to clamp down again, as he initially tried to do by deploying his security forces and shutting down access to the Internet," Senator Bill Nelson wrote in an opinion article after a closed doors meeting of the Select Committee on Intelligence on recent events in Egypt and Tunisia.
"Instead, Mr Mubarak will have to go," Nelson added, though cautioning against the Egyptian government falling and "leaving the door open for extremists," such as the powerful Muslim Brotherhood opposition group.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Mubarak-will-have-to-go-US-
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Indonesia jails rocker over online sex tapes
1 February 2011
BANDUNG ( INDONESIA): An Indonesian court jailed one of Southeast Asia's biggest rock stars for over three years after sex tapes of him with two TV celebrities appeared online.
The sentence drew howls of outrage from singer Nazril Ariel's fans in the court and across the Malay-speaking world, while the "freeariel" hashtag shot to the top list of trending topics on microblogging site Twitter. The 29-yearold frontman of rock band Peterpan was sentenced to three and a half years in jail for "giving an opportunity for others to spread, produce and prepare a pornographic video", the judges said in their verdict.
Islamist hardliners pelted the police van with rotten eggs and tomatoes as he was escorted to the court, while fans of the husky-voiced heart-throb sang his song "Sahabat" (Friend) and chanted "Free Ariel". He said he would consider an appeal. "I'll think about it," he said.
The two videos, apparently filmed on a mobile phone, showed Ariel having sex on separate occasions with female television celebrities Luna Maya and Cut Tari, who is married to another man.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Indonesia-jails-rocker-over-online-
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US issues terror warning to US citizens worldwide
1 February 2011
WASHINGTON: The State Department Monday issued an updated warning on the "continuing threat of terrorist actions" for US citizens worldwide, and a second advisory cautioning travel to Britain.
"Current information suggests that al-Qaida and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks against US interests in multiple regions, including Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East," said the advisory, which updates the last Worldwide Caution post from August 2010.
The State Department warned that militant groups could target areas where US citizens may gather in large numbers, such as sporting events, hotels, or places of worship.
Attacks could involve a variety of tactics "including suicide operations, assassinations, kidnappings, hijackings, and bombings," said the statement.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-issues-terror-warning-to-US-citizens-
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Second AI flight with 280 Indians from Egypt reaches Mumbai
Chinmayi Shalya
1 February 2011
MUMBAI: Another 280 Indians stranded in strife-torn Egypt reached here early Tuesday on a special flight.
The Air India flight - AI-800 - carrying the Indians landed here at 2.30 am., an official said.
This is the second flight to Mumbai in Air India's efforts to bring back the Indians stuck in different Egyptian cities.
Earlier, a planeload of 320 harried Indians were evacuated from the Egyptian capital on Monday and flown to Mumbai.
Soon after the Air India special Boeing-737 landed in Mumbai, vacationers, business travelers and even NRIs settled in Egypt poured out to meet anxious friends and relatives and share stories of horror from the last week.
``The fear spread once violence began. There was the army on the streets. People in buildings had also come out with baseball bats. News of looting spread but there was no police to be seen,`` said Duhita Samaiyar, a designer and social worker settled in Cairo for seven years.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Second-AI-flight-with-280-Indians-from-Egypt-
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Mubarak’s Grip on Power Is Shaken
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
1 February 2011
CAIRO — The government of Egypt’s authoritarian president, Hosni Mubarak, shook Monday night, as the Egyptian Army declared that it would not use force against protesters demanding his ouster and, in an apparent response, Mr. Mubarak’s most trusted adviser offered to talk with the opposition.
Those statements, along with the damage to Egypt’s economy, appeared to weaken Mr. Mubarak’s grip on power just two weeks after a group of young political organizers called on Facebook for a day of protest inspired by the ouster of another Arab strongman, in Tunisia.
Hundreds of thousands have turned out into the streets over the last six days, and organizers called on millions of Egyptians to protest on Tuesday.
Within hours on Monday, the political landscape of the country shifted as decisively as it had at any moment in Mr. Mubarak’s three decades in power. The military seemed to aggressively assert itself as an arbiter between two irreconcilable forces: a popular uprising demanding Mr. Mubarak’s fall and his tenacious refusal to relinquish power.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/01/world/middleeast/01egypt.html?hp
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Ground Zero imam: ‘True’ Muslims implement Shariah
1 February 2011
“True” Muslims who enter the highest levels of Muslim paradise are those who pay the ultimate price of sacrifice for the goal of implementing Shariah Islamic law, declared the imam who has become the new face of the proposed Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero in New York City.
In a recent mosque sermon obtained by WND, Imam Abdallah Adhami opens with an Islamic prayer declaring the supremacy of Allah over the universe.
Adhami stated the message of the Quranic figure Muhammad “is the continuity and the culmination of all the messages of all the prophets before him, from Adam to Noah to Abraham and Moses and Jesus and everyone in between.”
“And that message is the supremacy and the total dominion of the lord (Allah) of the world,” he stated.
Full report at:
http://therealbarackobama.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/klein-ground-zero-imam-true-
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Man who said he was God is hanged
1 February 2011
A man who attracted several disciples after claiming to be God was hanged for apostasy. The Fars news agency said Abdolreza Gharabat, who was hanged last week, deceived people into worshipping him.
Apostasy, murder, adultery, rape, armed robbery and drug trafficking are all punishable by death under Iran's sharia law, which has been practised since the Islamic revolution of 1979.
The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said last month that Iran executed an average of one person every eight hours.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/man-who-said-he-was-god-is-
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South Carolina Mulls Ban on Sharia Law
1 February 2011
(NEWSER) – South Carolina lawmakers are considering a bill that would explicitly state that "foreign law" could not be enforced in the Palmetto State—the latest in a series of laws that some critics say are really just trying to preemptively ban sharia law, Talking Points Memo reports. State Sen. Michael Fair, who introduced the bill, said that "there are some localities around the country that have imposed sharia law in lieu of local laws."
Fair says the bill is necessary to re-establish the primacy of state law in those cases, but he says the bill doesn't target Muslims specifically. "We're big on religious freedom, but we also understand that civil law and criminal law in this country and in the state of South Carolina is not religious law," Fair said. "If we were to ID this as anti-sharia law and statute, then we're being guilty of one of the things we're trying not to do." Oklahoma and Wyoming have tried and failed to implement Sharia bans.
http://www.newser.com/story/110955/south-carolina-mulls-ban-on-sharia-law.html
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New jundullah leader abdulrauf rigi arrested in pakistan
1 February 2011
The successor to the ethnic-Balochi separatist organization Jundullah, Abdulrauf Rigi was reportedly captured in late December 2010 by Pakistani authorities who employed tracking technology to trace his cell phone signal. Rigi’s arrest came shortly after a suicide bombing in the port city of Chabahar in southeastern Iran’s restive Sistan-Baluchistan Province on the Gulf of Oman bordering Pakistan’s equally troubled Baluchistan Province. The December 15, 2010 attack, which killed between 35 and 41 and injured more than 100, hit a Shia mosque in the port city where worshippers were commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the third Shia Imam. Chabahar is notable as the location of a massive Indian development project— believed by many observers to be in competition with the Chinese-led development of the Pakistani port of Gwadar to the east— to modernize the port and create an energy transshipment hub linking Afghanistan and Central Asia to the Persian Gulf (Business Recorder [Karachi], March 24, 2008; Indian Express, August 7, 2010).
Full report at:
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Colonel imam, pakistan’s “godfather” to the afghan taliban, no more
1 February 2011
Former Pakistani Brigadier and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) official Ameer Sultan Tarar, who went by the code name “Colonel Imam” and was a central figure in Pakistan’s 1990s policy of raising the Taliban in Afghanistan, died in captivity in North Waziristan Agency after being kidnapped, along with fellow ex-ISI official Khalid Khawaja, by a Punjabi militant group in March 2010. Imam was captured by an obscure militant outfit calling itself the Asian Tigers, believed to be an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), while on a supposed peace mission in the service of the Pakistani government to help establish a ceasefire between the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Pakistani Army. Though it was first believed Imam was being held by the Asian Tigers/LeJ, he was transferred at an unknown point to the custody of the TTP.
Full report at:
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No contact with Muslim Brotherhood: US
1 February 2011
WASHINGTON: The White House says the Obama administration has had no contact with the Muslim Brotherhood, the deeply conservative Islamic organization that constitutes the biggest organized opposition group in Egypt.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters Monday that before dealing with opposition groups the administration would want assurances that they adhere to the law, that they are non-violent and that they are willing to be part of a democratic process.
Gibbs said there would be no contact with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt unless those assurances were offered.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/No-contact-with-Muslim-Brotherhood-
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Indian girl falls to death in Abu Dhabi
1 February 2011
DUBAI: An Indian teenager died after accidentally falling from the window of a high rise building in Abu Dhabi, according to a news report.
Thirteen-year-old Asma Abdul Rasakh, an eight class student of Indian High School, was fixing a curtain hook at her residence on Saturday when the chair she was standing on slipped and threw her out of the window and she died on the spot, according to eyewitnesses.
"On Saturday around noon, we heard a loud sound. It's only a little later we learnt that a girl had fallen from the 11th floor window. Immediately a lot of people assembled and Abu Dhabi Police soon cordoned off the area. We don't know how the accident happened, but two of the windows of the 11th floor flat remain open," said an eyewitness.
Family members said the body is kept at the Central Hospital morgue and would be cremated in Abu Dhabi once the formalities are complete.
The family hails from Perla, Kasargodu district of Kerala. She is survived by two brothers, Athif and Imad, and parents.
Her father, Abdul Rasak, runs computer shops - Electra Computers and Casina Computers in Abu Dhabi.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/indians-abroad/Indian-girl-falls-to-death-in-Abu-
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Saeed slams Pope, pledges to fight for blasphemy law
1 February 2011
ISLAMABAD: In a rare public appearance, Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed on Sunday addressed a rally in Lahore, capital of Pakistan's Punjab province, and vowed to resist any change in the blasphemy law.
"What business the Pope has when he says that we should repeal the blasphemy law?" he asked, adding that "the foreign countries want to give a message to their public that it is ok to demean Islam".
"We would not tolerate such a stance," he said while referring to a statement of Pope Benedict XVI.
Pope Benedict had issued the statement about the need to repeal the blasphemy law in the aftermath of Punjab governor Salman Taseer's assassination by his security guard on January 4.
Saeed said, "The "anti-Islamic forces are out to conspire against Pakistan and I urge the government to severe all diplomatic ties with these countries, including the US."
Meanwhile, police in Karachi have arrested a student for allegedly writing derogatory remarks against Prophet Mohammed in his examination answer sheets.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Saeed-slams-Pope-pledges-to-fight-for-
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Pak rejects US demand to release diplomat
1 February 2011
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities have rejected the demand of the US to release an American diplomat who shot dead two youths in Lahore, saying the matter would be handled in court according to the country's laws.
Foreign office spokesman Abdul Basit told a TV news channel today that the matter was already in court and the Punjab police were investigating the shooting incident in Lahore on Thursday. "It would not be appropriate to publicly talk on this issue," he said.
US ambassador Cameron Munter raised the issue on Saturday with former premier Nawaz Sharif, whose PML-N party rules Punjab. Munter expressed regret over the death of Pakistani nationals in the incident and contended that the American should be handed over to US custody since he enjoyed diplomatic immunity.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pak-rejects-US-demand-to-release-
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Mubarak 'will have to go': US senator
1 February 2011
WASHINGTON: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak "will have to go," a top US lawmaker said Monday after a closed-doors Senate meeting on weeklong, deadly protests calling for the authoritarian leader's ouster.
Mubarak "cannot afford to clamp down again, as he initially tried to do by deploying his security forces and shutting down access to the Internet," Senator Bill Nelson wrote in an opinion article after a closed doors meeting of the Select Committee on Intelligence on recent events in Egypt and Tunisia.
"Instead, Mr Mubarak will have to go," Nelson added, though cautioning against the Egyptian government falling and "leaving the door open for extremists," such as the powerful Muslim Brotherhood opposition group.
His statement came amid the seventh straight day of nationwide protests against Mubarak's three-decade rule that have shaken Egypt, and left at least 125 people dead as the veteran leader clings to power.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Mubarak-will-have-to-go-US-
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Netherlands freezes ties after Iran hangs woman
1 February 2011
TEHRAN: The Netherlands has frozen contacts with Iran after Tehran hanged an Iranian-Dutch woman for drug smuggling, having initially arrested her for taking part in anti-government protests.
"The Netherlands has decided to freeze all contacts with Iran" after obtaining confirmation of Zahra Bahrami's execution from Iran's ambassador to the Netherlands Kazem Gharib Abadi, Dutch foreign ministry spokesman Bengt van Loosdrecht said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Netherlands-freezes-ties-after-Iran-
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'Jasmine revolution spreading its scent'
1 February 2011
TUNIS: There is no doubt among Tunisians that it was their revolt against authoritarian rule earlier this month that inspired a massive protest movement against president Hosni Mubarak in Egypt.
"We predicted that the 'Jasmine Revolution' would spread its perfume in the neighbourhood. It's now a fact and it seems that the ripples have reached Egypt," Tunisia's French-language daily Le Quotidien said in an editorial.
In the cafes in Tunis on Sunday, the events unfolding in Egypt were the main topic of conversation. "After Tunisia it's Egypt, the mother of all nations, that's kicking off," said Dhafer Naji, an intellectual.
"It looks like exactly the same scenario: the people are in the streets, police stations and ruling party buildings are attacked by the crowd and the president speaks to the nation on television," Naji said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Jasmine-revolution-spreading-its-
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Clashes between Christians, Muslims rock Nigeria:
1 February 2011
Youths dragged people from their cars and murdered them at illegal roadblocks in central Nigeria over the weekend, while rioters burned fuel stations and homes in the latest clashes between Christian and Muslim gangs.
Youths from the mostly Christian Berom ethnic group set up the roadblocks on Saturday at Gada Biu, stopping vehicles and pulling out people they believed to be Muslims.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Clashes-between-Christians-
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RSS man seeks FIR against CBI, magazine over confession leak
1 February 2011
NEW DELHI: Devendra Gupta, an RSS functionary and also an accused in Ajmer blast case, on Monday moved a trial court seeking registration of an FIR against CBI and Tehelka magazine for making public the confessional statement of Swami Aseemanand.
Gupta, who has been chargesheeted by the Rajasthan's Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), moved the application before additional chief metropolitan magistrate Sanjay Bansal alleging that Aseemanand's confessional statement, which was recorded by a metropolitan magistrate under section 164 of the CrPC, was leaked by the CBI to Tehelka magazine in violation of law.
"The media coverage indicates a well-defined leakage that is authored with a design to insulting the judicial process ..... The leakage of court proceedings opened an additional forum of media trial to prejudice the mind of the court in violation of the rights of the accused in custody," his counsel Anupam S Sharma and Sanjeev Nassiar submitted.
Filing the petition, the counsel submitted that the leakage of Aseemanand's statement had given a handle to neighbouring Pakistan to press for their improper demands. The deliberate leakage tantamount to commission of offence under provisions of the IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act, the counsel added.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/RSS-man-seeks-FIR-against-CBI-magazine-over-
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For Egypt rescue flight, AI charged up to 55,000
1 February 2011
MUMBAI: It was not just the violence which spooked those evacuated from Cairo. The fare, charged by Air India for the special flight was almost double that of the usual return ticket.
Most passengers were charged Rs 45,000 and in some cases the ticket fare went upto Rs 55,000. Usually, a one way fare on Mumbai-Cairo sector is between Rs 17,000 to Rs 20,000. Many flyers complained they were forced to pay cash.
AI refused to comment on the fares. An AI official said the fares had to be high as the airline had operated the flight from Mumbai to Cairo empty. ''Also, the airline does not have a base in Cairo. All check-in and take-off formalities had to be managed with whatever small staff available,'' said a senior AI official.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/For-Egypt-rescue-flight-AI-charged-up-to-55000
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EU urges Egypt: Seek peaceful shift to democracy
1 February 2011
Brussels : Egypt needs to build a peaceful transition to democracy, European Union governments said Monday, urging President Hosni Mubarak's government to end its violent crackdown on demonstrators and allow an open dialogue on the country's future.
The 27-nation EU has traditionally had close relations with Egypt as part of its partnerships with countries on the eastern and southern rims of the Mediterranean and its citizens have flocked to Egyptian beached in the winter. In recent days, however, the EU has sought to distance itself from Mubarak's regime but been criticized for not directly challenging the 82-year-old leader's iron-fisted rule.
British Prime Minister David Cameron told the BBC that Mubarak must choose his response carefully to the demonstrations.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/eu-urges-egypt-seek-peaceful-shift-to-
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SC to hear Pragya's bail plea on Feb 23, sadhvi claims torture
1 February 2011
New Delhi : The Supreme Court posted for February 23 the final hearing on the bail application moved by Malegaon bomb blast accused Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, who has claimed she has been tortured and verbally abused by the anti-terror squad (ATS).
A bench of justices J M Panchal and H L Gokhale posted the matter for final hearing after listening to arguments at length put forward by senior counsel Mahesh Jethmalani appearing for Thakur.
Seven people were killed in a bomb blast on September 29, 2008, at Malegaon, a communally-sensitive textile town in Nasik district of Maharashtra. The probe into the blast had brought into focus some right-wing Hindu groups.
Jethmalani submitted that Thakur was entitled to bail as Maharashtra's anti-terrorist squad had failed to file the chargesheet against her within the mandatory 90 days of her arrest on October 23, 2008.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/sc-to-hear-pragyas-bail-plea-on-feb-23-sadhvi-claims-
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HC notice to J&K cops on civilian killings
1 February 2011
Srinagar : Acting on a petition filed by JKLF chief Yasin Malik, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Monday asked the Director General of Police why no FIR has been filed in the alleged 80 killings during last year’s unrest in the Valley. A public interest litigation (PIL), filed by Malik in January, had sought the court’s direction to the police to register FIRs in all the alleged 117 killings during the protests spanning five months.
“The Director General of Police, J&K, shall inform this court about the present stage of investigation in 37 cases which, according to the petitioner, have been registered in various police stations. The investigating officers of these cases be directed to file detailed status reports informing the court about the steps taken during the investigation,” the order issued by a bench of Justice Muhammad Yaqub Mir and Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir read. The HC asked the DGP to inform the court about the reasons for not registering FIRs in the rest of the cases “where alleged deaths have taken place in 2010”.
Malik had described the court’s intervention “as the only hope for justice to families” who have lost their kin in the 2010 unrest. The PIL also asked the HC to monitor the investigation.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hc-notice-to-j&k-cops-on-civilian-killin.../744410/
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MP’s amnesty misfires, 5 SIMI men walk free
Milind Ghatwai
1 February 2011
Bhopal : A routine practice of releasing prisoners on Republic Day, in accordance with norms set a decade ago, has blown up into an embarrassment for the Madhya Pradesh government after five activists of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) were released on January 26.
With the Bajrang Dal now demanding an inquiry and threatening street protests, the Ujjain police on Sunday called a few of the activists to Bhairavgarh police station, and subjected them to 12 hours of questioning.
It is not possible under the law to put the released activists back into jail, as is being demanded by the Bajrang Dal. Even their questioning was against the rules. The state Jail Department has now set up a committee to take a fresh look at the rules to broaden their scope.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mps-amnesty-misfires-5-simi-men-walk-f.../744409/
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Turkish film on flotilla raid may damage ties with Israel
1 February 2011
ISTANBUL: A new Turkish film in which an action-man hero avenges the death of Turkish activists in Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship is likely to put new strain on already tense relations between Turkey and Israel.
"Valley of the Wolves: Palestine," one of the most expensive Turkish films ever made, has drawn accusations at home of excessive violence and abroad of anti-Israeli propaganda, but it attracted big audiences at its opening this weekend.
In the film, Polat Alemdar, a secret agent more akin to Rambo than James Bond, emerges from a series of bloody clashes to track down and kill the Israeli commander who ordered the storming of an aid ship heading for Gaza.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Turkish-film-on-flotilla-raid-may-
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Taliban abduct 21 Afghan tribal elders
1 February 2011
JALALABAD: The Taliban kidnapped 21 tribal elders in Afghanistan close to the Pakistani border whose relatives apparently work for the Afghan government and NATO, an official said on Monday.
The incident happened eight days ago in Marawara, in the eastern province of Kunar, which borders Pakistan’s lawless tribal district. “The Taliban first called them for a meeting at a mosque and after a discussion, the Taliban took all the elders away to an unidentified place,” the local official said. “Negotiations have started with the Taliban for their release, but have produced no result so far,” he added.
The Taliban have been leading a nine-year insurgency against the Western-backed Afghan government and foreign troops since the 2001 US-led invasion brought down their regime in Kabul.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\02\01\story_1-2-2011_pg7_3
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Security forces kill 21 terrorists in Mohmand Agency
1 February 2011
LAHORE: Around 21 terrorists were killed as the security forces launched operations in different areas of Mohmand Agency, a private TV channel reported on Monday. According to official sources, shelling by gunship helicopters killed at least 21 terrorists in Shamshah, Shandrah and Doyezai areas of Mohmand Agency. In another incident earlier, at least two security personnel were injured as unidentified terrorists fired six rockets on the Aranda police checkpost in Shabqadar area of Mohmand Agency, the channel reported. The terrorists fired six rockets from an unknown direction, due to which two security personnel, Haseebullah and Muhammad Azam, were injured, and were immediately taken to the hospital. The police retaliated and an exchange of fire continued for 30 minutes. After that, the police cordoned off the area and launched a search operation, the channel reported. daily times monitor
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\02\01\story_1-2-2011_pg7_9
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Senator moves privilege motion against woman activist
1 February 2011
ISLAMABAD: Senator Humayun Mandokhel on Monday terming Punjab former governor late Salmaan Taseer as a blasphemer, moved a privilege motion against a female civil society activist.
Speaking on the floor of the House, Mandokhel said that Taseer could not be called a martyr, as he was a blasphemer and anyone who calls a blasphemer a martyr also commits blasphemy.
Criticising a female civil society activist, Mandokhel informed the House that a woman, Marvi Sirmad, of the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP), invited him to participate in the Chehlum of Salmaan Taseer through a text message, calling him a martyr. “I replied that he was a blasphemer, not a martyr. I admit I called Taseer a blasphemer and now on the floor of the House I reiterate that he was a blasphemer, but the woman wrongly attributed certain remarks to me in a news item, which I had not made,” Senator Mandokhel said. staff report
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\02\01\story_1-2-2011_pg7_26
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US defends diplomat accused of killing two in Pakistan
1 February 2011
WASHINGTON: The United States on Monday again called for the release of an American diplomat accused of killing two Pakistanis, saying that he acted in legitimate self-defense.
“He is a member of the embassy’s technical administrative staff and therefore entitled to full criminal immunity. He cannot be lawfully arrested or detained in accordance with the Vienna Convention,” said State Department spokesman Philip Crowley.
Crowley said Washington agreed with the US employee’s version of events:
“In our view, he acted in self-defense, when confronted by two armed men on motorcycles.”
The diplomat, Raymond Davis, “had every reason to believe that the armed men meant him bodily harm. And minutes earlier, the two men, who had criminal records, had robbed money and valuables at gunpoint from a Pakistani citizen in the same area,” said Crowley.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/01/us-defends-diplomat-accused-of-killing-two-in-
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Military calls Egyptian people’s demands ‘legitimate’
1 February 2011
CAIRO: The Egyptian people’s demands are “legitimate,”its all-powerful military said on Monday, vowing not to crush mass anti-government protests called for Tuesday.
“To the great people of Egypt, your armed forces, acknowledging the legitimate rights of the people … have not used and will not use force against the Egyptian people,” it said in a statement.
A military spokesman, quoted by Egyptian state television and the official MENA news agency, added that peaceful freedom of expression was guaranteed for all.
“Freedom of expression by peaceful means is everyone’s right. The armed forces are aware of and recognise the legitimate demands of the honourable people,” it said, in several references to the “legitimacy” of the people’s demands.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/01/military-calls-egyptian-peoples-demands-
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Afghan drug war to be won with crops, not jails: judge
1 February 2011
BRUSSELS: Nato’s military might will never win the war against Afghanistan’s heroin trade alone, an Afghan judge said, urging the alliance to put more energy into weaning farmers off opium poppy crops.
Afghanistan’s primary court of counter narcotics in Kabul has handled more than 2,000 cases in the past four years, said Hayatullah Ahadyar, one of the six judges who sit on the court that oversees big drug busts.
“We do not have to always use force, capture people, put them in jail. We have to have alternatives for farmers,” he said.
“How many people should we capture and put in jail? Maybe nobody will be left in Afghanistan, everyone will be in jail,” he told AFP in an interview ahead of a meeting with Nato officials in Brussels on Monday.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/01/afghan-drug-war-to-be-won-with-crops-not-jails-
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Mubarak’s deputy linked to secret CIA program
1 February 2011
WASHINGTON: The man named by President Hosni Mubarak as his first ever deputy, Egyptian spy chief Omar Suleiman, reportedly orchestrated the brutal interrogation of terror suspects abducted by the CIA in a secret program condemned by rights groups.
His role in the shadows of the “war on terror” illustrates the ties that bind the United States and the Egyptian regime, as an unprecedented wave of protests against Mubarak present Washington with a difficult dilemma.
With Mubarak’s rule in jeopardy, Suleiman was anointed vice president last week and is now offering wide ranging talks with the opposition in a bid to defuse the crisis.
Suleiman is a sophisticated operator who carried out sensitive truce negotiations with Israel and the Palestinians as well as talks among rival Palestinian factions, winning the praise of American diplomats.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/01/mubarak%E2%80%99s-deputy-linked-to-secret-cia-
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Google launches Twitter workaround for Egypt
1 February 2011
SAN FRANCISCO: Google Inc. launched a special service to allow people in Egypt to send Twitter messages by dialing a phone number and leaving a voice-mail, as Internet access remains cut off in the country amid anti-government protests.
“Like many people we’ve been glued to the news unfolding in Egypt and thinking of what we could do to help people on the ground,” read a post on Google’s official corporate blog on Monday.
The service, which Google said was developed with engineers from Twitter, allows people to dial a telephone number and leave a voice-mail. The voice-mail is automatically translated into an audio file message that is sent on Twitter using the identifying tag #egypt, Google said.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/lifestyle/science_technology/article248271.ece
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Yemeni president announces new incentives
1 February 2011
SANAA: Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh announced a new package of incentives to the young Yemeni people. In an attempt to defuse the angry unemployed graduates, Saleh instructed the government to expand social security network and adopt additional 500,000 needy families.
Saleh ordered the government to exempt students from the remaining tuition fees of the paid seats at state universities in the academic year (2010-2011) and assigned the universities supreme council to review the tuition for the paid seats to in the universities to ensure easing burdens on students and equality of opportunities among them and achieving the public interest, Saba News Agency reported.
Last year, reports warned that half of Yemeni graduates were unemployed. The report, prepared by high-ranking government body the Supreme Education Planning Council, estimated the unemployment ratio among graduates at 52 percent.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article247984.ece
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16 killed in shootout between Somali army, police
1 February 2011
MOGADISHU: Fighting between Somali government troops and police killed 16 people in Somalia’s capital on Monday, witnesses said, underscoring the weak UN-backed government’s inability to control its armed forces.
The fighting began when police executed a plainclothes soldier they suspected of being an insurgent, police officer Ahmed Nur said. The soldier’s colleagues arrived at the scene of the shooting in Benadir market and began attacking the police, he said.
An Associated Press reporter saw 16 bodies at Medina hospital in Mogadishu. Some of the victims were wearing uniforms. Three of the victims were women. Hospital director Mohamed Yusuf said 30 people were wounded.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article247703.ece
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Iran summons American woman for trial
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI
1 February 2011
TEHRAN: Iran has summoned an American woman to return to the country and stand trial on Feb. 6 along with two other Americans still in custody and accused of spying after crossing the border from Iraq, a judiciary spokesman said Monday.
Their families say the Americans were just intrepid travelers out on a hike in northern Iraq’s scenic — and relatively peaceful — Kurdish region when they were arrested on July 31, 2009. The only woman among them, Sarah Shourd, was released on bail in September and returned to the United States.
The US government has denied the charges against them and demanded their release. Their lengthy detention has added to tensions between the two nations over issues like Iran’s disputed nuclear program.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article247980.ece
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Yemen Qaeda suspect gets seven years in jail
1 February 2011
ADEN — A tribunal in the southeastern Yemeni province of Hadramawt on Monday sentenced a suspected Al-Qaeda activist to seven years in jail, said sources in the judiciary.
Marwan bin Douis was charged with “association with an armed group linked to Al-Qaeda” and for having “engaged in criminal acts.”
Douis said he would appeal.
The same tribunal on Saturday found four others guilty of links to Al-Qaeda and of “perpetrating criminal acts in 2004.” Two of the defendants were sentenced to five years in prison, with the others handed three- and four-year terms, respectively, according to sources within the tribunal.
Several groups are being tried in various provinces.
Yemen is battling Al-Qaeda insurgents, who are increasingly active in the south and east of the impoverished country.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/February/
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Al Jazeera says journalists freed in Egypt
1 February 2011
CAIRO - Qatar-based new channel Al Jazeera said six of its English service journalists were released in Egypt hours after being detained on Monday, a day after the news network was told to shut down its operations in the country.
Al Jazeera, which also saw its signal to some parts of the Middle East cut on Sunday, reported the release in Cairo in a news alert on its Arabic channel. Security forces seized a camera from its staff, it said.
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Egypt demanding an end to President Hosni Mubarak’s authoritarian 30-year rule, in protests that have sent shockwaves through the Arab world.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/January/
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Bomber kills senior Pakistan police official
1 February 2011
PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Four people including three police officers were killed and 11 people wounded when a teenage suicide bomber blew himself up near a police van in northwest Pakistan on Monday, officials said.
The attack was claimed by the Pakistani Taliban.
The police van was on a routine patrol on the outskirts of Peshawar when it came under attack, senior administration official Siraj Ahmed told AFP.
The attack killed three policemen — deputy superintendent Rashid Khan, his security guard and driver — while a civilian passerby also died in the blast, officials said.
“We have received four bodies — three police officials and one civilian,” the head of Peshawar’s main hospital Abdul Hameed Afridi told AFP.
Another 11 people were wounded, four of them police officials, Afridi said.
“The bomber was a teenager, he came on foot and blew himself up near the police van,” Ahmed said.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/January/
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Iran condemns two to death over porn sites
1 February 2011
TEHERAN - Iranian courts on Sunday sentenced two people to death for running porn sites, prosecutor general Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said, quoted on the Islamic republic’s official IRNA news agency.
‘Two administrators of porn sites have been sentenced to death in two different (court) branches and (the verdicts) have been sent to the supreme court for confirmation,’ Dolatabadi said, without naming the two convicts.
Last December, Canada expressed concern over the reported death sentence handed down to an Iranian-born Canadian resident for allegedly designing an adult website.
Saeed Malekpour, 35, was convicted of ‘designing and moderating adult content websites,’ ‘agitation against the regime’ in Teheran, and ‘insulting the sanctity of Islam,’ according to an online campaign calling for his release.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/January/
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/march-million-egypt,-army-says/d/4043