'Adultery, Prostitution and Obscenity': Egyptian Salafi Preacher Describes Valentine’s Day
New Age Islam News Bureau
15 Feb 2013
Arab World
• 'Adultery, Prostitution and Obscenity': Egyptian Salafi Preacher Describes Valentine’s Day
• Hariri slams Hezbollah’s arms, 'monopoly' over Shiites
• Monitoring of Twitter ‘too difficult’, says Saudi Govt.
• 150 killed Aleppo clashes, say Syria activists
• ‘The Crisis in Bahrain in 10,000 Photos,’ A Revolution in Images
• Sunnis gather in Iraqi cities in mass protests
• F M Spokesman Breaks Silence, Speaks Of Escape from Syria
• Trial of al Qaeda plot suspects begins in Jordan
• Saudi Kingdom hosting global counter-terrorism confab
• When Muhammad Mursi’s English becomes ‘comic relief’
• Iraq’s top judge removed over ties to Saddam party
• 11 gunmen, including 4 Syrians, arrested in Arsal: Army
• Gunmen kidnap more than 100 civilians in Syria: NGO
Pakistan
• K-P chief minister escapes assassination attempt in Mardan
• Eight militants killed in Orakzai
• Meet the ex-Hindu who converted 108,000 people to Islam
• Ex-chief of Ogra jailed for violating UAE laws
• Pakistan owns about 90-110 nuclear warheads: report
• Violence claims six lives in Karachi
• Pakistani Taliban rejects Malik's demand for ceasefire before talks
• Pakistani tribesmen pushing Taliban to talk peace
• Pakistanis’ trust in civilian govt has nosedived: US survey
• Pak successfully tests nuclear-capable Hatf-II missile
• Honouring a hero: In New York, a street now bears Salman’s name
• Karachi Literature Festival begins today
South Asia
• Maldives slams 'mediator' India
• China emerges as smuggling platform for Iranian nuclear programme
• Nasheed still in Indian High Commission
• For fair polls, Waheed must quit: Nasheed
• India should stop meddling with Maldives’ domestic matters, says Home Minister
• Nasheed gives India a second chance to correct diplomacy
• Adhaalath Party opt out of presidential race for sake of “national stability”
• Secularism fundamental to constitution: Bangladesh CJ
• War Crimes and the Global War on Terrorism: US Arms Al Qaeda in Syria, Mass-Slaughters
• US, Kabul discuss civilian deaths
• Afghan senators to get India lesson
• Bangladesh bans Japanese cartoon to halt Hindi invasion
Mideast Asia
• Extremists vandalise old Muslim graveyard in Jerusalem
• Top Photo Prize for Picture of Dead Gaza Children
• Prisoner X Is Linked to Dubai Assassination in a New Report
• Nuclear Watchdog Says No Deal Reached With Iran
• Spy case highlights Israel media gagging: Reporter
• Iran denies transferring arms to Somali militants
• Turkey: 8 Retired Military Officers Arrested
India
• France wants India to convince Tehran on nuclear issue
• I'm God's accountant, says hotelier who has saved 54 lives till date
• Terrorist can be from any section of society, says Union minister
• J-K: Army foils infiltration bid, 1 militant killed
• India tries to resolve 'unusual' situation in Maldives
• Embassy in Pak wants money for sending back Indian’s body
• 26/11 accused Lakhvi enjoys VVIP treatment in Pak jail
• Indo-Pak expo from today, over 70 Pak stalls this time
• Flight companion sought for ailing Indian worker’s repatriation
Southeast Asia
• Cyber Attacks against Media on the Rise, Rights Group Says
• Islamic Religious Group to Demonstrate Against Catholic Church in Jakarta
• Gunmen Refuse to Leave in Malaysia Border Standoff
• Malaysians openly tell Bank Islam to reinstate economist
• Malaysia in Borneo standoff with Filipino intruders
• Little love for Valentine's Day from hard-line Muslim groups
Europe
• Britain warns of Western jihadists returning from Syria
• U.N. estimates 40,000 have fled heavy fighting in eastern Syria
• Russia: Violence in Dagestan
• Extremism, the British Government Ignores
• UN ‘concerned’ about jailed Palestinian hunger-strikers
• Bulgaria Asks 3 Hamas Lawmakers to Leave
• Child murderer Subhan Anwar killed in Long Lartin Prison
North America
• Nasheed must be accorded due process under the law: US
• Saudis say Syria death toll may be 90,000: Kerry
• As U.S. Withdraws Troops, Fears That Afghan Aid Will Dry Up
• US on same page with Afghanistan, Pakistan: official
• American citizen Sadiq sentenced to life without air travel
• 9/11 suspect defies judge over Guantanamo cell search
• US govt targets finances of leader of al Qaeda in Mali
• Obama says public deserves to know more on drones
• Guantanamo defendants’ legal documents were seized, lawyers say
• CAIR Seeks DOJ Probe of FBI 'Retaliation' in Minnesota
Africa
• Al-Qaeda left a manifesto spelling out strategy for conquering northern Mali
• Nigeria journalists get bail in polio attacks case
• Mali sets 7 July election date, says minister
• Libyans fear violence on uprising anniversary
• US sanctions al-Qaida chief in North Africa
Australia
• Uproar at Mossad over Australia spy story: Reporter
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Hariri slams Hezbollah’s arms, 'monopoly' over Shiites
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Arab World
'Adultery, Prostitution and Obscenity': Egyptian Salafi Preacher Describes Valentine’s Day
15 February 2013
An Egyptian Salafi preacher said those celebrating Valentine’s Day or selling items related to the event are “committing a sin and will burn in hell”.
In an online video posted Wednesday, Ahmad Mahmoud Abdullah, known as “Abu Islam” and owner of the private television channel of “al-Ummah,”referred to February 14 as ‘adultery day’.
“February 14th, we celebrate “adultery” day. The Christian church will surely celebrate this day but I urge all Muslims and those who fear God, not to use anything tinted in red. Even al-Ahli team will not wear its red jersey” he said referring to the Egyptian national football team.
Abu Islam added that women going out to celebrate this day are considered ‘adultery and prostitution’.
“We [Muslims] do not have fornicators, we do not commit sins. Valentine’s Day represents for the Christians, a celebration for adultery and prostitution, and those who go out on this day are prostitutes. Each prostitute would choose a guy with whom she will spend her day and night” he said.
Abu Islam then further decided to ban all Muslim females in the Arab world from enjoying this day and indulging in what the celebrations has to offer.
“That was only the beginning, because they celebrate each and every saint’s day. They spend their life in celebration and “promiscuity”. What does love mean for them? Adultery, prostitution and obscenity” the preacher added.
The preacher has previously been accused of the defamation of religion. The Public Prosecution has received several notifications accusing him of defaming Christianity through statements he had made to the “Tahrir” newspaper.
He and his son also previously tore and burnt a bible in front of the U.S. Embassy in Egypt during last year’s protest against a U.S.-made film mocking Islam’s founder.
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/02/15/266334.html
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Hariri slams Hezbollah’s arms, 'monopoly' over Shiites
February 15, 2013
By Jana El Hassan
BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri slammed Thursday Hezbollah’s arms and what he said were attempts to monopolize and exploit the Shiite sect in Lebanon, reiterating his commitment to the March 14 coalition.
“The existence of the Shiites in Lebanon goes back to more than 1,000 years, while Hezbollah is a phenomenon that appeared with Iran, thirty years ago,” said Hariri speaking via a giant screen at memorial ceremony for the eighth anniversary of his father’s assassination.
Hariri said that Hezbollah spreads concern among Shiites over the fate of their sect in order to keep control over them and exploit them in service of the party’s own interests.
“Hezbollah is using a large part of the Shiite sect as a base for its internal and regional project,” said the former prime minster.
“This is the painful truth…I am almost certain that quite a few realize this, but condone it under the pressure of the fear that Hezbollah spreads about the fate of the sect,” he added.
Hariri, who heads Lebanon’s Future Movement, was addressing supporters at Beirut’s Biel, who came to commemorate the anniversary of the death of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated in a car blast that rocked Beirut in Feb. 2005.
During the commemoration ceremony, Hariri also renewed his commitment to the principles of March 14, vowing to fulfill the principles of the protests that were triggered by Hariri’s killing.
“On the eighth commemoration of this martyrdom, I renew the vow before you, to adhere to the path of national moderation, and do everything to protect the unity of Lebanon, and the safety of coexistence between all its sons,” said the former prime minister.
As Hariri delivered his speech, celebratory gunshots were fired in the air in the northern city of Tripoli, a major Future Movement stronghold.
Hariri also denounced the presence of all illegitimate arms in the country, mainly Hezbollah’s, and said such paramilitary weapons constitute the biggest threat to the country.
“The problem of weapons in Lebanon, the illegal weapons in all their regional, internal, sectarian, family, jihadist and expiatory functions is the mother of all problems in Lebanon,” Hariri said.
The Future leader added that the small amount of weapons in the hands of different groups and families in the country have minimal influence in comparison to Hezbollah’s arsenal.
“There are small amounts of weapons in the hands of groups and outlawed Lebanese and Palestinian factions, which have practically resorted to this choice under the pretext of self-defense, in the shadow of the major armed incubator of Hezbollah and Hezbollah brigade,” he said.
According to Hariri, Hezbollah’s military power and groups are not limited to the southern suburbs of Beirut, but are spread across Lebanon.
“Hezbollah brigades are practically present in Tripoli, Akkar, Minieh, Dinniyeh, Zogharta, Batroun, Koura, Keserwan, Jbeil, Metn, Baabda, Aley, Chouf, and Sidon, in addition to Beirut, the southern suburbs, and the entire South and the Bekaa,” Hariri said.
The former prime minister went on in his criticism to the party, four members of which were indicted by an international tribunal over his father’s assassination, and said that Hezbollah is willing to do anything to keep its weapons.
“Hezbollah totally refuses to admit this fact [the risk of arms], and clings to the following formula: all policies in the service of the weapons,” Hariri said.
He added that Hezbollah offered Prime Minister Najib Mikati a ministerial bribe at the expense of the party’s share to make sure its weapons remain intact to the Cabinet and agreed to go along with the Orthodox proposal for the elections to please its Christian ally, Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement.
The former prime minister, who is out of the country for security reasons told supporters he would be back in Lebanon for the coming parliamentary elections, scheduled in June 9.
“I assure you today that I'll be by your side in the next electoral battle, whatever the law, the challenges and the risks,” he said.
Hariri also voiced confidence that the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad will definitely come to an end, adding that the positive repercussions of Assad’s fall will spread to the region.
“Bashar Assad’s regime will inevitably fall, and its fall will be resounding in Syria, the Arab world and the world.”
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-14/206505-hariri-slams-hezbollahs-arms-monopoly-over-shiites.ashx#ixzz2KxX5u48O
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Monitoring of Twitter ‘too difficult’, says Saudi Govt.
15 February 2013
It is very difficult to monitor Twitter, one of the most popular social networking sites in Saudi Arabia which at the moment has more than 3 million active users, according to Abdulaziz Khoja, minister of culture and information.
“The ministry cannot monitor everything published on Twitter,” Khoja said in a statement.
He stressed the difficulty of monitoring what everybody writes, relying on the need to raise awareness among society members regarding what they write and publish on Twitter, a local paper reported.
Nonetheless Khoja declared that the ministry is following up what is happening on Twitter with a number of government agencies.
The minister highlighted the need to raise the consciousness of the active users of social networking sites and to assist the Ministry of Culture and Information in the monitoring process.
However, Khoja refused to compare the situation of social sites with online newspapers, which have been streamlined following a recent regulation.
Khoja stressed that the control on Twitter should originate from individual values and community culture. “With time, individuals will learn to express their opinions and to deal with the events in a more understanding, knowledgeable and accommodating approach,” Khoja said.
http://www.arabnews.com/govt-monitoring-twitter-%E2%80%98too-difficult%E2%80%99
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150 killed Aleppo clashes, say Syria activists
15 Feb 2013
Activists say some 150 rebels and government troops have been killed in fierce fighting for control of the international airport in the northern city of Aleppo and a major military air base nearby.
The director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that death toll is from fighting on Wednesday and Thursday and is almost evenly divided between opposition fighters and regime soldiers.
The Observatory and the Local Coordination Committees activist group say rebels and President Bashar Assad’s forces are shelling each other in renewed clashes on Friday in and around the airports.
Rebels launched a major attack on Aleppo’s civilian airport and the nearby air base of Nairab on Wednesday. They have captured most of the “Brigade 80” force that is in charge of protecting the area.
DPA adds from Istanbul:
TURKEY FIRES ON SYRIAN TARGETS
Turkey struck Syrian military targets in response to a mortar shell fired from Syria landing on the Turkish side of the border, the Anatolia news agency reported on Friday.The mortar shell exploded about a km from a Turkish military base, in a wooded area in the southern province of Hatay.
Relations between the two neighbours have deteriorated since the Assad regime started cracking down on its opponents in March 2011.
The United States, Germany and the Netherlands have sent Turkey Patriot missile batteries to help their NATO ally defend its border, where rockets from Syria have hit civilian areas.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/150-killed-aleppo-clashes-say-syria-activists/article4418807.ece
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‘The crisis in Bahrain in 10,000 photos,’ a revolution in images
14 February 2013
A Bahraini publisher has released a book charting the political uprising in the country.
The collection of photos are from both local and international sources, they depict the true nature of what happened in Bahrain according to publisher Khaled Jamaan.
He believes the media did not portray an accurate picture of the events in Bahrain.
This project is an attempt to do just that.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/02/14/266324.html
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Sunnis gather in Iraqi cities in mass protests
February 15, 2013
BAGHDAD: Tens of thousands of Sunni Muslims have gathered in several Iraqi cities to protest against what they describe as unfair treatment by the country's Shiite-led government.
In the western cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, former insurgent strongholds, demonstrators blocked the main highway to Jordan and Syria to perform Friday noon prayers. Others gathered in main squares in the northern cities of Samarra and Mosul, and outside a prominent Sunni mosque in the Baghdad.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-15/206587-sunnis-gather-in-iraqi-cities-in-mass-protests.ashx#ixzz2KyGYAh5v
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F M Spokesman Breaks Silence, Speaks Of Escape from Syria
13 February 2013
By AL ARABIYA WITH AGECIES
Syria’s former foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi on Wednesday broke his silence for the first time in months saying he left the country because there was no middle ground left in Syria’s brutal conflict, but he denied reports that he fled to the United States or Europe.
Makdissi, once one of the most recognizable faces of President Bashar al-Assad’s embattled regime who disappeared from public view in December, made the remarks in an emailed statement to the media and obtained by Al Arabiya. Makdissi did not disclose his whereabouts and his future plans.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/02/13/266126.html
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Trial of al Qaeda plot suspects begins in Jordan
Feb 15 2013
AMMAN (Reuters) - Eleven men went on trial on Thursday in a Jordanian military court accused of plotting to carry out suicide attacks in the capital, including on shopping malls and the U.S. Embassy, judicial sources said.
The Jordanian defendants, all suspected supporters of al Qaeda, pleaded not guilty to charges of "possession of explosives and plotting to undertake terror attacks and infiltration across borders", the sources said.
Full report at:
http://news.yahoo.com/trial-al-qaeda-plot-suspects-begins-jordan-143241811.html
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Kingdom hosting global counter-terrorism confab
15 February 2013
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia will host an international conference on Feb. 16-17, 2013, to promote counter-terrorism collaboration among national, regional and international centers and initiatives.
Prince Dr. Turki bin Mohammed bin Saud Al-Kabeer, foreign affairs undersecretary for multilateral relations, will open the conference on behalf of Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the SPA reported.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/kingdom-hosting-global-counter-terrorism-confab
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When Muhammad Mursi’s English becomes ‘comic relief’
15 February 2013
CAIRO: Videos of Egyptian President Muhammad Mursi speaking some English have put him in a hotspot. Opposition members have derided his incompetence in the foreign language.
On Jan. 30, Mursi gave a speech in Berlin with the attendance of around 200 guests invited by Körber Foundation, known for promoting social development. But till this date, Egyptians are continuing circulating the “comic relief” online, according to Al Arabia.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/when-leader%E2%80%99s-english-becomes-%E2%80%98comic-relief%E2%80%99
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Iraq’s top judge removed over ties to Saddam party
14 February 2013
BAGHDAD: The Iraqi panel tasked with purging government ranks of former members of Saddam Hussein’s party said on Thursday that it has removed the country’s top judge from his post because of alleged ties to the now-dissolved Baath party.
The removal of Chief judge Medhat Al-Mahmoud from the leadership of the Supreme Judicial Council and the Supreme Federal Court was not expected to spark a political outcry, unlike some previous dismissals of politicians and government officials.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/iraq%E2%80%99s-top-judge-removed-over-ties-saddam-party
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11 gunmen, including 4 Syrians, arrested in Arsal: Army
February 15, 2013
BEIRUT: The Lebanese Army said Friday it arrested 11 men, including four Syrian nationals, for possession of arms in the eastern town of Arsal.
“Army units deployed in the Arsal area arrested yesterday [Thursday] and this morning [Friday] 11 individuals, including four Syrian nationals, in the barren terrain leading to the Lebanese-Syrian border,” a statement issued by the Lebanese Army said.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-15/206575-11-gunmen-including-syrians-arrested-in-arsal-army.ashx#ixzz2KyGdyN70
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Gunmen kidnap more than 100 civilians in Syria: NGO
2013/02/15
BEIRUT: More than 100 civilians have been abducted by armed groups in the Syrian province of Idlib in separate incidents, a watchdog said on Friday, expressing alarm over what it said were “sectarian kidnappings”.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the kidnappings in the north-western province occurred on Thursday in two separate incidents.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/02/15/gunmen-kidnap-more-than-100-civilians-in-syria-ngo/
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Pakistan
K-P chief minister escapes assassination attempt in Mardan
February 15, 2013
MARDAN: A suicide bomber blew himself up on the route of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti’s convoy in Mardan on Friday, reported Express News.
The convoy had left the area when the blast took place and no casualty was reported in the incident.
The chief minister was on its way to address a rally in Mardan.
Police have cordoned off the area while the rescue officials have initiated a rescue operation.
According to the police, the bomber had also hurled a hand grenade at the convoy before blowing himself up.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/507763/k-p-chief-minister-escapes-assassination-attempt-in-mardan/
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Eight militants killed in Orakzai
Feb 15 2013
PESHAWAR: At least eight militants were killed on Friday in an operation carried out by security forces in the Orakzai tribal region, DawnNews reported.
Sources said the action was carried out in Upper Orakzai’s Mamozai area.
Jet fighters were also used in the operation in which two militant hideouts were destroyed.
Security officials have claimed in the past that up to 92 per cent of Orakzai has been cleared of insurgents in the ongoing military offensive in the restive tribal region.
Orakzai is one of Pakistan’s seven semi-autonomous tribal regions in the northwest, where Pakistani Taliban and Al Qaeda-linked militants are said to have carved out strongholds.
http://dawn.com/2013/02/15/eight-militants-killed-in-orakzai-8/
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Meet the ex-Hindu who converted 108,000 people to Islam
By Shah Hasan
February 14, 2013
MATLI: Such are Deen Mohammad Shaikh’s powers of persuasion that he has converted 108,000 people to Islam since 1989, the year he left his birth religion Hinduism behind.
His multi-coloured business card describes the Matli dweller as the president of the Jamia Masjid Allah Wali and Madrasa Aisha Taleem-ul Quran – an institute for conversions to Islam.
The reedy 70-year-old brandishes an embellished cane. A red-and-white keffeiyah perched on his shoulder offers people a hint to his theological leanings.
Full report at:
http://alhittin.com/2013/02/14/meet-the-ex-hindu-who-converted-108000-people-to-islam/
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Ex-chief of Ogra jailed for violating UAE laws
Feb 15 2013
RAWALPINDI, Feb 14: Former chairman of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) Tauqir Sadiq, who was arrested in UAE on charges of violating local sponsorship laws, was sent to jail on Thursday after a 14-day investigation.
The former chairman of Ogra is wanted by Pakistan for his alleged involvement in a Rs82 billion corruption scam and the Supreme Court of Pakistan has already ordered authorities concerned to bring him back so that he may face charges in Pakistani courts.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/02/15/ex-chief-of-ogra-jailed-for-violating-uae-laws/
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Pakistan owns about 90-110 nuclear warheads: report
Feb 15 2013
Washington : Pakistan's atomic arsenal probably consists of between 90 to 110 nuclear war heads, a latest Congressional report has said, informing the American lawmakers that Islamabad is interested in concluding a nuclear cooperation deal with the US, which would require their approval.
"Pakistan's nuclear arsenal probably consists of approximately 90-110 nuclear warheads, although it could be larger," said the report of the Congressional Research Service (CRS), an independent research wing of the US Congress.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pakistan-owns-about-90110-nuclear-warheads-report/1074764/
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Violence claims six lives in Karachi
Feb 15 2013
KARACHI: Six people were killed and seven others were injured in incidents of violence in different areas of Karachi, DawnNews reported on Friday.
One person was killed and a child was injured in a firing incident in the Baloch Goth area of Karachi’s Orangi Town.
A body, bearing marks of torture was found in Karachi’s Landhi No 4 area. The deceased was gunned down after being tortured.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/02/15/violence-claims-six-lives-in-karachi-2/
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Pakistani Taliban rejects Rehman Malik's demand for ceasefire before talks
Feb 15, 2013
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Taliban have rejected interior minister Rehman Malik's demand that any peace talks should be preceded by a ceasefire, saying any truce will follow the dialogue process.
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan said the issue of a ceasefire could be one of the topics on the agenda for possible talks.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistani-Taliban-reject-Rehman-Maliks-demand-for-ceasefire-before-talks/articleshow/18513169.cms
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Pakistani tribesmen pushing Taliban to talk peace
Associated Press
Feb 15 2013
Peshawar : Five years after setting up an umbrella organization to unite violent militant groups in the nation's tribal regions, the Pakistani Taliban is fractured, strapped for cash and losing support of local tribesmen frustrated by a protracted war that has forced thousands from their homes, analysts and residents of the area said.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pakistani-tribesmen-pushing-taliban-to-talk-peace/1074749/
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Pakistanis’ trust in civilian govt has nosedived: US survey
Feb 15 2013
WASHINGTON, Feb 14: Most Pakistanis have lost faith in their US-allied government and instead trust the military, says a Gallup survey released on Thursday.
Ninety-two per cent of Pakistanis disapprove of US leadership and 55pc of them fear greater interaction between Muslim and western societies could be harmful.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/02/15/pakistanis-trust-in-civilian-govt-has-nosedived-us-survey/
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Pak successfully tests nuclear-capable Hatf-II missile
Feb 15 2013
Pakistan on Friday successfully tested the nuclear-capable Hatf-II ballistic missile with a range of 180 km, marking the second test of a missile system in four days as part of measures to evaluate the capabilities of its Strategic Forces.
The test of the Hatf-II or Abdali short range surface-to-surface ballistic missile was part of the “process of validation of land-based ballistic missile systems”, the military said in a statement.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/pak-successfully-tests-nuclearcapable-hatfii-missile/article4418360.ece
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Honouring a hero: In New York, a street now bears Salman’s name
February 15, 2013
KARACHI: Once suspected to be a terrorist, Karachi-born Pakistani-American Salman Hamdani is finally being recognised as a hero. The 26-year-old New York resident went missing on September 11, 2001, shortly after American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Centre.
In the chaos of that day, his mother Talat Hamdani was initially not worried when she couldn’t get in touch with him and assumed that Salman, an NYPD cadet and paramedic, had gone to work as usual. But then the night came and went and he still didn’t get in touch. The next day she went to Salman’s office at the Rockefeller University in Manhattan, only to learn that he had not shown up for work on September 11.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/507614/honouring-a-hero-in-new-york-a-street-now-bears-salmans-name/
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Karachi Literature Festival begins today
Feb 15 2013
KARACHI: Despite an unexpected pull-out of distinguished Indian poet and filmmaker Gulzar, the three-day fourth Karachi Literature Festival beginning at the Beach Luxury Hotel on Friday promises a lot for the country’s book lovers and art buffs. (Click here for an exclusive coverage of the festival)
Like the previous three editions of the festival, this year too intellectually stimulating sessions with a galaxy of internationally renowned writers, authors and performing artistes are in store.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/02/15/karachi-literature-festival-begins-today/
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South Asia
Maldives slams 'mediator' India
Feb 15, 2013
MALE: India's effort to play peacemaker between Maldivian president Waheed Hassan Manik and his deposed predecessor Mohamed Nasheed has left the Indian High Commission in the Maldives capital a virtual war room.
From the outside, the Indian mission on the Indian Ocean island remained closed and deserted on Thursday, but diplomatic circles were on an overdrive, as the Male government hit out at India, saying in its statement about Nasheed, who's hiding in the mission to escape arrest, that India was "undermining Maldives's democratic institutions."
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Maldives-slams-mediator-India/articleshow/18509732.cms
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China emerges as smuggling platform for Iranian nuclear programme
February 15, 2013
As enforcement efforts have tightened globally, Iran is using China as a platform to smuggle sanctioned goods for its controversial nuclear programme, according to a US think-tank.
A report, titled 'Ring Magnet for IR-1 Centrifuges' by the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), said that China needs to do more to show that it is a responsible member of the global economy.
The six-page report alleged that Iran uses private Chinese front companies which provide suppliers with false end-user statements.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/americas/China-emerges-as-smuggling-platform-for-Iranian-nuclear-programme/Article1-1012093.aspx
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Nasheed still in Indian High Commission
Feb 15 2013
The Indian High Commission in Male will remain the new home of the former Maldivian President, Mohamed Nasheed, till a solution is found to the extreme positions that he and the government have taken over the issue of his refusal to heed a local court summons.
Mr. Nasheed and his party, the Maldivian Democratic Party, have demanded “an interim arrangement to oversee free and fair elections,” while President Mohammed Waheed Hassan has refused to entertain the demand.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/south-asia/nasheed-still-in-indian-high-commission/article4415863.ece
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For fair polls, Waheed must quit: Nasheed
February 15, 2013
Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed has demanded that President Mohammed Waheed quit and an interim, caretaker government be set up to ensure free and fair elections in September.
"The events of the past year, the mass arrests, the police brutality, the politically motivated trials, demonstrate that Dr Waheed cannot be trusted to hold a free and fair election," Nasheed said in a statement posted on the website of his Maldivian Democratic Party.
"Waheed should do the right thing and resign from office. An interim, caretaker government should be established that can lead the Maldives to genuinely free and fair elections," 45-year-old Nasheed said.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/maldives/For-fair-polls-Waheed-must-quit-Nasheed/Article1-1011934.aspx
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India should stop meddling with Maldives’ domestic matters, says Home Minister Jameel
By Mohamed Naahee | February 14th, 2013
Home Minister Mohamed Jameel Ahmed has expressed his disappointment over the Indian government’s decision to provide refuge to former President Mohamed Nasheed in the Indian High Commission.
The former President was due to attend a hearing regarding his detention of Chief Judge of the Criminal Court Judge Abdulla Mohamed in January 2012.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/india-should-stop-meddling-with-maldives-domestic-matters-says-home-minister-jameel-52931
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Nasheed gives India a second chance to correct diplomacy
Venky Vembu
Feb 14, 2013
Having played a stupendously bad hand in the diplomatic game with Maldives a year ago, when former President Mohamed Nasheed was ousted in a coup, India has been given a rare second chance to get its priorities right in the Indian Ocean island.
On Wednesday, Nasheed sauntered into the Indian High Commission in Male and sought refuge there from imminent detention by the police. An arrest warrant had been issued in his name for failing to appear before a local court in connection with events that preceded the coup that displaced him in 2012.
Full report at:
http://www.firstpost.com/world/nasheed-gives-india-a-second-chance-to-correct-diplomacy-625221.html
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Adhaalath Party opt out of presidential race for sake of “national stability”
By Minivan News | February 14th, 2013
The Adhaalath Party (AP) will not be nominating a presidential candidate in the upcoming elections for the sake of “national stability”, the party president was quoted as saying in local media.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/category/news-in-brief
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Secularism fundamental to constitution: Bangladesh CJ
Feb 15 2013
Secularism is one of the fundamental principles of the country's constitution, as its people are non-communal by nature, Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain said yesterday.
He said lawyers had a very important role to play in order to ensure the development of this non-communal spirit and human and fundamental rights of all people.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=269191
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War Crimes and the Global War on Terrorism: US Arms Al Qaeda in Syria, Mass-Slaughters Civilians in Afghanistan
By Tony Cartalucci
February 14, 2013
AFP has reported that a recent NATO airstrike in Afghanistan has killed over 10 civilians in an all-too-familiar headline glossed over by the Western media in an exercise of both depravity and hypocrisy. RT’s article, “NATO airstrike kills 10 Afghan civilians, mostly women and children – officials,” notes in particular that up to 11,864 civilians were killed in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2011, and that civilian deaths before 2007 were not even tracked by the UN.
Full report at:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/war-crimes-and-the-global-war-on-terrorism-us-arms-al-qaeda-in-syria-mass-slaughters-civilians-in-afghanistan/5322826
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US, Kabul discuss civilian deaths
15 February 2013
KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai yesterday demanded an explanation from the new top commander of US and NATO troops for an airstrike that local officials say killed 10 civilians, half of them children.
The death of Afghan civilians during military operations has been one of the most contentious issues of the 11-year-old war.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/us-kabul-discuss-civilian-deaths
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Afghan senators to get India lesson
Feb 15 2013
New Delhi : Afghanistan has sent 94 of the 102 members of its Upper House, Meshrano Jirga, for a training in legislative and budgetary processes to the Bureau of Parliamentary Studies and Training here.
Thirty-four people in the Jirga are elected for four years by provincial councils. Another set of one-third members is elected by district councils for three years. The remaining 34 are nominated by the President for five years. Half of the Presidential nominees have to be women.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/afghan-senators-to-get-india-lesson/1074433/
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Bangladesh bans Japanese cartoon to halt Hindi invasion
Feb 15, 2013
DHAKA: Bangladesh has banned the Japanese manga cartoon Doraemon from its TV screens over fears that youngsters who are hooked on the Hindi-dubbed version are struggling to learn their native Bengali.
Information minister Hasanul Haque Inu told parliament on Thursday that television channels which have been screening Doraemon had been sent official notifications ordering them to take the series off air.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Bangladesh-bans-Japanese-cartoon-Doraemon-to-halt-Hindi-invasion/articleshow/18513465.cms
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Mideast Asia
Extremists vandalise old Muslim graveyard in Jerusalem
Feb 15 2013
JERUSALEM: Suspected Jewish extremists scrawled anti-Arab graffiti on the headstones in an ancient Muslim cemetery in west Jerusalem, police and witnesses told AFP on Thursday.
“The words ‘price tag’ and Stars of David were scrawled on around a dozen tombs in the Muslim cemetery in Mamilla in central Jerusalem,” a police spokeswoman told AFP, saying an inquiry had been opened.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/02/14/extremists-vandalise-old-muslim-graveyard-in-jerusalem/
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Top Photo Prize for Picture of Dead Gaza Children
15 February 2013
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A photograph of two dead children, who were killed in an Israeli missile strike on Gaza City, won the top World Press Photo prize on Friday for Swedish photographer Paul Hansen of newspaper Dagens Nyheter.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2013/02/15/world/europe/15reuters-photography-prize.html?ref=middleeast
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Prisoner X Is Linked to Dubai Assassination in a New Report
By JODI RUDOREN
15 February 2013
JERUSALEM — The Australian-Israeli man recently identified as Prisoner X — found dead in 2010 in a maximum-security prison cell — may have been involved in the assassination of a Hamas leader that year, an episode that was among the most embarrassing in the history of Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/15/world/middleeast/israels-prisoner-x-linked-to-dubai-
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Nuclear Watchdog Says No Deal Reached With Iran
By ALAN COWELL
15 February 2013
PARIS — A senior official of the United Nations nuclear supervisory body said Thursday that talks a day earlier in Iran had ended inconclusively and that international inspectors had not been given access to a site that they suspect may have been used for testing bomb triggers.
The official, Herman Nackaerts, deputy director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said the discussions “could not finalize” a document that “once agreed, should facilitate the resolution of outstanding issues regarding possible military dimensions of Iran’s nuclear program.”
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/15/world/middleeast/nuclear-watchdog-says-no-deal-
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Spy case highlights Israel media gagging: Reporter
Feb 15, 2013
SYDNEY: The reporter who broke the story of the secret arrest and suicide of "Prisoner X" said Friday the spy case mystery had brought to a head simmering resentment at how Israel suppresses information.
Trevor Bormann's expose on Australian television sparked an extraordinary week in Israeli politics including frantic and ultimately futile efforts to keep the lid on a case that had been under a strict court gagging order since 2010.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Spy-case-highlights-Israel-media-gagging-Reporter/articleshow/18510921.cms
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Iran denies transferring arms to Somali militants
Feb 15 2013
United Nations : Iran is rejecting allegations that it transferred weapons to Islamic militants in Somalia as an "absurd fabrication.''
Iran's U.N. Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee said in a letter to the U.N. Security Council obtained Thursday by The Associated Press that the allegations in a report by experts monitoring sanctions against Somalia and Eritrea were part of a "malicious campaign.''
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/iran-denies-transferring-arms-to-somali-militants/1074695/
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Turkey: 8 Retired Military Officers Arrested
15 February 2013
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey's state-run news agency says authorities have arrested eight more retired officers over their alleged involvement in the ousting of an Islamic-led government in the late 1990s.
Anadolu Agency reports say the eight, including seven retired generals, were detained on Wednesday and late Thursday pending a trial over a military campaign that forced former Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan to resign. No trial date has been set.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2013/02/15/world/europe/ap-eu-turkey-
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India
France wants India to convince Tehran on nuclear issue
Feb 15 2013
France, a key player in the P5+1 talks with Iran on its contentious nuclear programme, on Friday asked India to “convince” its “close friend” Tehran to enter into serious negotiations and respect international obligations with regard to nuclear non-proliferation.
French President Francois Hollande also extended an olive branch to Iran during a public lecture here, saying the people of France also consider them as “friends” and urged the oil-rich nation to fulfil its obligations.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/france-wants-india-to-convince-tehran-on-nuclear-issue/article4418385.ece
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I'm God's accountant, says hotelier who has saved 54 lives till date
Navjeevan Gopal
Feb 15 2013
Amritsar: Dubai-based hotelier S P Singh Oberoi, who was instrumental in securing the release of 17 men convicted for the murder of a Pakistani in UAE, had earlier saved the lives of 37 people from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines and India in similar cases.
He is now fighting for the release of four Nepali nationals. Till date, he claimed to have saved 54 lives. “Though I am a Punjabi by birth, I never discriminated when it came to saving lives. Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/im-gods-accountant-says-hotelier-who-saved-17/1074518/
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Terrorist can be from any section of society, says Union minister
Feb 15 2013
New Delhi: Voicing concern over "innocent" Muslim youths lodged in prisons without a trial, Union minister Harish Rawat today said "law cannot have different yardsticks".
Observing that terrorism has no religion, Rawat said “all organisations, including right-wing outfits, which indulge in terror activities, should be condemned in the same spirit”.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/terrorist-can-be-from-any-section-of-society-says-harish-rawat/1074827/
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J-K: Army foils infiltration bid, 1 militant killed
February 14, 2013
A suspected militant was killed as the Army foiled an infiltration bid after a fierce gunbattle along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Troops guarding the border line in Laam forward area in Nowshera sector observed movement of some militants around 3.30pm on Thursday and launched a search, Army officials said.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/jandk/J-K-Army-foils-infiltration-bid-1-militant-killed/Article1-1011804.aspx
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India tries to resolve 'unusual' situation in Maldives
Feb 14, 2013
NEW DELHI/MALE: India on Thursday sought to resolve the "unusual situation" arising from ex-Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed taking refuge in the Indian high commission in Male, with external affairs minister Salman Khurshid having a "good, very useful and long" conversation with his Maldivian counterpart.
After talking for 40 minutes on phone with Abdul Samad Abdullah, Khurshid voiced the hope that a solution "to the satisfaction of everybody" would be found. But it was still an on-going process, he said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/India-tries-to-resolve-unusual-situation-in-Maldives/articleshow/18503769.cms
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Embassy in Pak wants money for sending back Indian’s body
Feb 15, 2013
AMRITSAR: The Indian High Commission in Islamabad is ready to make arrangements to send the body of an Indian prisoner beaten to death in a Lahore jail to his family—but wants to be paid for it.
Chamel Singh, from Pragwal village in Jammu & Kashmir, was beaten up by Kot Lakhpat jail staff on January 15 when he was washing clothes. He succumbed to his injuries two days later. The body has been kept at a morgue in Lahore's Jinnah Hospital.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Embassy-in-Pak-wants-money-for-sending-back-Indians-body/articleshow/18509072.cms
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26/11 accused Lakhvi enjoys VVIP treatment in Pak jail
Feb 15, 2013
NEW DELHI: It's not only the Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) top boss Hafiz Saeed who roams freely in Pakistan, but even his next-in-command Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, imprisoned at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail for his role in the 26/11 attacks, moves out of the prison from time to time to visit his family and friends. Lakhvi, who is treated as a VVIP within the confines of the high-security prison, enjoys these outings under a thick security cover facilitated by the jail authorities, sources in the Indian security establishment have told TOI.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/26/11-accused-Lakhvi-enjoys-VVIP-treatment-in-Pak-jail/articleshow/18508535.cms
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Indo-Pak expo from today, over 70 Pak stalls this time
Feb 15 2013
Ludhiana : Bilateral trade between India and Pakistan has increased by a whopping 66% as compared to previous year. Looking at the good response of the previous year’s Indo-Pak expo (IPEX), this year the stalls by Pakistani participants in Ludhiana have increased from 50 to more than 70.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/indopak-expo-from-today-over-70-pak-stalls-this-time/1074426/
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Flight companion sought for ailing Indian worker’s repatriation
15 February 2013
Indian community workers are looking for a passenger who can accompany an ailing person to India who is scheduled to leave on Friday.
31-year-old Mohammed Anwar, from Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh in India, had arrived to work as a domestic driver with a Saudi family in Abha in December 2012 and had developed psychiatric problems and his sponsor decided to have him returned to India. He was originally scheduled to leave to India on Feb. 7 through an Air India flight departing from King Khalid Airport in Riyadh but airport staff did not allow him to board the flight following a row, said Mr. Shihab Kottukad of NORKA, a grassroots organization in Saudi Arabia.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/flight-companion-sought-ailing-indian-worker%E2%80%99s-repatriation
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Southeast Asia
Cyber Attacks against Media on the Rise, Rights Group Says
February 15, 2013
Cyber attacks against journalists and media organizations around the world have increased over the past few years as criminal hackers provide a cheap and easy way of censoring the press, a media rights group said on Thursday.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said media cyber attacks, such as those that recently occurred at The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, were simply part of a growing global trend.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/international/cyber-attacks-against-media-on-the-rise-rights-group-says/571910
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Islamic Religious Group to Demonstrate Against Catholic Church in Jakarta
Lenny Tristia Tambun & Camelia Pasandaran | February 15, 2013
A religious forum that has been calling on the government to shut down a Catholic church in Tambora, West Jakarta, plan to hold a protest at the church on Friday afternoon.
“Two hundred demonstrators, mostly women from an Islamic study group, will submit residents' rejection [letter] towards the plan to change social facility permits into church permits [from the government] as well as [plans] to renovate the building,” Tambora police chief Comr. Donny Eka Syahputra said on Friday.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/islamic-religious-group-to-demonstrate-against-catholic-church/571886
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Gunmen Refuse to Leave in Malaysia Border Standoff
15 February 2013
KUALA LUMPUR/MANILA (Reuters) - About 100 armed men holed up in a village in the Malaysian state of Sabah are refusing to leave, saying they have links with the Sultanate of Sulu in the Philippines which has a historic claim over the northern tip of Borneo island.
Malaysia police and army officials have formed a tight security ring around the village, media said, with navy boats patrolling nearby islands. The gunmen landed near the coastal town of Lahad Datu on Tuesday.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2013/02/15/world/asia/15reuters-malaysia-
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Malaysians openly tell Bank Islam to reinstate economist
February 15, 2013
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 15 — What made a group of mainly Malaysian academics and organisations take out an advertisement asking Bank Islam Malaysia to lift its suspension of chief economist Azrul Azwar Ahmad Tajudin?
Some of them told The Malaysian Insider today that the advertisement in The Sun daily yesterday was in support of his professionalism in his duties and his suspension was not justified. Azrul (picture) was suspended last month over his prediction that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) would likely score a narrow win in Election 2013.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malaysians-openly-tell-bank-islam-to-reinstate-economist/
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Malaysia in Borneo standoff with Filipino intruders
14 February 2013
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian security forces in Borneo are attempting to persuade more than 100 armed intruders from the southern Philippines to leave peacefully, police said on Thursday.
The standoff with the men who apparently call themselves part of a “royal army” belonging to a Philippine Muslim sultanate has sparked one of the biggest security scares in recent years in Malaysia’s eastern Sabah state, which is less than an hour by speedboat from the southern Philippine provinces.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/malaysia-borneo-standoff-filipino-intruders
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Little love for Valentine's Day from hardline Muslim groups
February 14, 2013
Indonesian officials and Muslim clerics called for young people to skip Valentine's Day on Thursday, saying it's an excuse for couples to have forbidden sex. People in one province were banned from buying holiday gifts.
Many teenagers use the Western holiday as a time to express their love, which often leads to premarital sex, said Idris Abdul Somad, deputy mayor of Depok, a town on the outskirts of Jakarta, the capital.
Full report at:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57569339/little-love-for-valentines-day-from-hardline-muslim-groups/
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Europe
Britain warns of Western jihadists returning from Syria
British Foreign Secretary William Hague says war-torn Syria had become the "number one destination" for jihadists and Islamic extremists from around the world
15 Feb 2013
Islamic extremists from Western countries who have gone to fight in Syria could carry out terrorist attacks when they return home, British Foreign Secretary William Hague warned on Thursday.
Hague said war-torn Syria had become the "number one destination" for jihadists from around the world.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/64826/World/International/Britain-warns-of-Western-jihadists-returning-from-.aspx
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U.N. estimates 40,000 have fled heavy fighting in eastern Syria
February 15, 2013
GENEVA: An estimated 40,000 people have fled a town in eastern Syria after three days of heavy fighting between government troops and rebels, the United Nations food agency said.
Rebels seized al-Shaddadeh in Syria's oil-producing east on Thursday after the clashes which killed 30 of their fighters and 100 Syrian government troops, a violence monitoring group told Reuters.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-15/206585-un-estimates-40000-
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Russia: Violence in Dagestan
15 February 2013
Russian security forces tracked down and killed six rebels suspected of involvement in a suicide bombing on Thursday that left four police officers dead in the southern province of Dagestan, officials said. The driver of a vehicle blew himself up after officers just outside the town of Khasavyurt tried to pull him over, killing the four officers and wounding six others, Russia’s Investigative Committee said. Security forces began searching for the bomber’s accomplices and surrounded them near the village of Mironovo in the Khasavyurt region. In the gun battle that followed, six suspects and a special forces officer were killed, said a spokesman for the regional branch of Russia’s Interior Ministry.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/15/world/europe/russia-violence-in-
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Extremism, the British Government Ignores
12/02/201
Following his recent trip to Algeria, David Cameron said that Britain would do all in its power to tackle Islamist extremism at home and abroad, adding that we must "address the poisonous narrative they feed on". He said this fight could take a generation, but it would could well take longer than that if the British government continues to ignore the extremism right under its nose; the extremism that is the Islamic Sharia Council, the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal, and all the other Sharia bodies springing up with increasing regularity in Britain - acting as courts and hearing and deciding upon matters of family and criminal law, and representing an intolerant and misogynistic version of Islam.
Full report at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/anne-marie-waters/sharia-law-extremism-the-_b_2668212.html
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UN ‘concerned’ about jailed Palestinian hunger-strikers
15 February 2013
JERUSALEM: A UN official expressed concern about the well being of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons and in particular about the condition of hunger striker Samer Issawi.
A UN statement said that Humanitarian Coordinator James W. Rawley met in Ramallah with Palestinian Prisoner Affairs Minister Issa Qaraqe, where Rawley “expressed the UN continued concern about Palestinian detainees in Israeli custody.”
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/un-%E2%80%98concerned%E2%80%99-about-jailed-palestinian-hunger-strikers
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Bulgaria Asks 3 Hamas Lawmakers to Leave
15 February 2013
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria has asked three lawmakers from the Palestinian Hamas party to leave the country, after they arrived at the invitation of an NGO.
Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov said on Friday that the lawmakers had entered the country with regular visas "issued, however, on different motives from what they have demonstrated here." He said they had left the country.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2013/02/15/world/europe/ap-eu-bulgaria-
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Child murderer Subhan Anwar killed in Long Lartin Prison
15 Feb 2013
A man who was jailed for torturing and murdering his partner's two-year-old daughter has been killed in prison.
Subhan Anwar was convicted in February 2009 of the murder of Sanam Navsarka, of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire and given a minimum 23-year sentence.
He died on Thursday night at Long Lartin Prison in Worcestershire, the Ministry of Justice said. Two inmates were arrested on suspicion of murder.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-21473294
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North America
Nasheed must be accorded due process under the law: US
Feb 15, 2013
WASHINGTON: Expressing concern over the ongoing events in Maldives, US said the country's Former President Nasheed must be accorded due process under the law regarding his pending court cases and asked all sides to reject the use of violence.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Nasheed-must-be-accorded-due-process-under-the-law-US/articleshow/18510199.cms
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Saudis say Syria death toll may be 90,000: Kerry
Feb 15 2013
WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday the death toll in Syria may have reached 90,000, citing figures given to him by his Saudi counterpart Prince Saud al-Faisal.
“I had occasion … to speak this morning with the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia. The first thing he mentioned to me was in his estimate perhaps as many as 90,000 people who have been killed in Syria,” Kerry told reporters.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/02/14/saudis-say-syria-death-toll-may-be-90000-kerry/
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As U.S. Withdraws Troops, Fears That Afghan Aid Will Dry Up
By RICHARD W. STEVENSON
15 February 2013
WASHINGTON — President Obama’s decision to bring home more than half of the American troops in Afghanistan over the next year is setting off intensified debate over an issue with big consequences for Afghanistan’s future: how long the United States and its allies should pour civilian aid into the country.
The 12-year effort to modernize and stabilize Afghanistan is by some measures the most ambitious nation-building program ever undertaken by the United States. It is also among the most scrutinized and second-guessed.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/15/world/asia/as-us-withdraws-troops-fears-that-afghan-aid-will-dry-up.html?ref=asia
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US on same page with Afghanistan, Pakistan: official
Feb 15 2013
WASHINGTON: The United States is seeking Pakistan’s support to secure Afghanistan as it prepares to pull out from the war-ravaged country by the end of next year, says the State Department.
The issue came up when the new US Secretary of State John Kerry called President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday to show his interest in continuing close ties with a key ally which shares a long and often troubled border with Afghanistan.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/02/15/us-on-same-page-with-afghanistan-pakistan-official/
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American citizen Sadiq sentenced to life without air travel
BY GADEIR ABBAS AND ADAM SOLTANI
February 13, 2013
Years ago, Saadiq Long — an American citizen born in Oklahoma — served in our Air Force with distinction. For a time, he even provided technical support to military aircraft destined for combat. Who could have guessed that such a man would be deemed too dangerous to board commercial aircraft?
But that is what the FBI has done to Saadiq. Earlier this month, the FBI prevented him from boarding his flight from Oklahoma to Qatar where he lives with his wife and daughter. Last year, the FBI twice prevented Saadiq from flying to Oklahoma from Qatar to visit his gravely ill mother.
Full report at:
http://newsok.com/cair-officials-man-sentenced-to-life-without-air-travel/article/3754641/?page=2
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9/11 suspect defies judge over Guantanamo cell search
February 15, 2013
One of the alleged September 11 plotters protested angrily in court and defied a judge Thursday over searches of his cell at the Guantanamo Bay prison and the seizure of confidential files. Walid bin Attash's outburst came on the last day of a round of pretrial hearings for five suspects
who face the death penalty if convicted over the 2001 hijacked plane attacks on the United States. Nearly 3,000 people died.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/southamerica/9-11-suspect-defies-judge-over-Guantanamo-cell-search/Article1-1012004.aspx
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US govt targets finances of Yahya Abu Al-Hamman, leader of al Qaeda in Mali
Feb 15 2013
Washington : The Treasury Department said on Thursday it was freezing any assets the new leader of al Qaeda's branch in Mali may have in the United States and prohibited Americans from doing business with him, taking steps aimed at starving the finances of his militant group.
The sanctions targeted Yahya Abu Al-Hamman, leader in the Sahel of al Qaeda's North African wing AQIM, or al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/us-govt-targets-finances-of-yahya-abu-alhamman-leader-of-al-qaeda-in-mali/1074741/
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Obama says public deserves to know more on drones
Feb 15, 2013
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama said on Thursday that Americans needed more than just his word to be assured he was not misusing his powers in waging a secret drone war overseas.
The president was asked about the debate over the deadly tactic, a backbone of the US campaign against Al-Qaeda, and whether the Constitution allows the use of drones against Americans who have turned against their country.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Obama-says-public-deserves-to-know-more-on-drones/articleshow/18509980.cms
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Guantanamo defendants’ legal documents were seized, lawyers say
Feb 14, 2013
(Reuters) – Guards rifled through defendants’ cells and seized their confidential legal documents while the accused were in the courtroom listening to assurances that no one reads their private attorney-client mail, defense lawyers charged on Thursday.
The accusations were made during a pretrial hearing at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base for five prisoners accused of plotting the September 11 hijacked plane attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center.
Full report at:
http://www.firstpost.com/world/guantanamo-defendants-legal-documents-were-seized-lawyers-say-626125.html
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CAIR Seeks DOJ Probe of FBI 'Retaliation' in Minnesota
2/13/2013
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/13/2013) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate an apparent act of retaliation against a local community leader by FBI agents at the Minnesota field office.
CAIR says the alleged retaliation, in the form of an FBI visit to the home of the director of the civil rights group's Minnesota chapter Lori Saroya, followed just two business days after public disclosure by that chapter of an FBI investigation into alleged intimidation tactics used on a local Somali Muslim by two agents.
Full report at:
American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
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Africa
Al-Qaeda left behind a manifesto spelling out strategy for conquering northern Mali
Associated Press
Feb 15 2013
Timbuktu, Mali : In their hurry to flee last month, al-Qaeda fighters left behind a crucial document: Tucked under a pile of papers and trash is a confidential letter, spelling out the terror network's strategy for conquering northern Mali and reflecting internal discord over how to rule the region.
The document is an unprecedented window into the terrorist operation, indicating that al-Qaeda predicted the military intervention that would dislodge it in January and recognized its own vulnerability.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/in-timbuktu-alqaeda-left-behind-a-manifesto-spelling-out-strategy-fo.../1074724/
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Nigeria journalists get bail in polio attacks case
15 February 2013
KANO, Nigeria: Two Nigerian journalists and a cleric were granted bail yesterday after being charged over a controversial radio program on polio vaccines days before deadly attacks on polio clinics.
Gunmen attacked two polio clinics in the northern city of Kano on Feb. 8, killing at least 10 people, after Wazobia FM broadcast a story on claims of forced vaccinations.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/nigeria-journalists-get-bail-polio-attacks-case
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Mali sets 7 July election date, says minister
15 Feb 2013
Mali will hold nationwide presidential elections on 7 July, the interim government's territorial administration minister has announced.
It would be a key step to stabilising Mali following the intervention of French troops to oust Islamist fighters from the north of the country, he said.
Legislative elections will follow on 21 July, along with a presidential run-off if required.
Thousands of troops from France and African nations are currently in Mali.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21471186
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Libyans fear violence on uprising anniversary
February 15, 2013
Libya on Sunday will mark the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled the regime of strongman Moammar Gaddafi, amid fears of fresh violence and calls for demonstrations across the country.
The government has already taken a series of measures to contain any attempt by supporters of the former regime to "sow chaos" amid anger from protesters who accuse the new rulers of failing to push for reform.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/africa/Libyans-fear-violence-on-uprising-anniversary/Article1-1012003.aspx
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US sanctions al-Qaida chief in North Africa
Feb 15, 2013
WASHINGTON: The United States has designated an alleged senior North African al-Qaida leader a "terrorist" as part of Washington's support of French-led troops who wrested northern Mali back from Muslim extremists.
The US Treasury on Thursday targeted Yahya Abu Hammam, an alleged senior leader in al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) with an executive order used to designate "terrorists and their supporters."
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-sanctions-al-Qaida-chief-in-North-Africa/articleshow/18517017.cms
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Australia
Uproar at Mossad over Australia spy story: Reporter
Feb 15, 2013
SYDNEY: Mossad went into crisis mode when it heard the "Prisoner X" story was about to break, the Australian reporter responsible said Friday, amid claims the jailed man had been set to reveal sensitive operations.
The prisoner, identified by media as Australian-Israeli Mossad agent Ben Zygier, died in December 2010 while in isolation at Ayalon prison near Tel Aviv, in a case Israel went to extreme lengths to cover up.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Uproar-at-Mossad-over-Australia-spy-story-Reporter/articleshow/18510370.cms
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/adultery,-prostitution-obscenity-egyptian-salafi/d/10432