7 killed in Day of Rage in Iraq
Gaddafi tells supporters to prepare for battle of Tripoli
Sharif's PML-N no more part of PPP in Punjab province
Black market for Indonesian maids thrives in Makkah
US forces pulling out of Pech valley in Afghanistan
Gaddafi forces strike back as rebels close in on Tripoli
Libya on agenda in Clinton's visit to Geneva next week
Gaddafi militias open fire at protesters, several dead
Defiant Qadhafi says ‘we will beat them’
Qaddafi sets stage for last stand
Gaddafi’s son portrays a peaceful Tripoli
US hits Libya with sanctions, shuts embassy
With eyes on Libya, protests continue in West Asian countries
At Tunisian border, tales of terror from Libya
Situation very chaotic in Tripoli
Tens of thousands hold rival rallies in Yemen
ISI asks CIA to unmask covert operatives in Pak
Bomb making techniques and information on RDX searched most on Google
Communal Violence Bill not acceptable in present form: Shabnam Hashmi
Minority education is more important than minority status: BJP
Urs of Hadhrat Qazi Burhanuddin held
Uma Bharti to meet Sadhvi Pragya in jail
Sentence reserved in Godhra train burning case
Pak security agencies behind killings in Balochistan: PML-N
FBI arrests Saudi student plotting terror attacks
US closes Libya embassy, freezes Gadhafi assets
Davis’ family arrives in Pakistan
Immunity issue may affect trial
Official asked to inform Gilani of precarious Balochistan situation
Talks possible if Taliban decommission arms: PM
US national arrested in Peshawar for overstay
Raymond Davis refuses to sign charge sheet
‘Osama against attacks on civilians’
Pakistan, Kuwait vow to enhance ties in diverse fields
Karachi’s only children hospital lacks surgeons
Kingdom raises oil output amid Libyan crisis
King Abdullah’s help sought to resolve Lebanon crisis
Saudi student gets sentence reduced in maid abuse case
Thieves strike cars during Isha prayer
Remorseful killer hopes for mercy
Victim of mistaken identity, Umrah visitor with a clean chit can’t fly out
Impact of Gulf crisis on family life in focus
OIC to host meet on Afghanistan
Palestinian, Israeli and foreign activists rally in Hebron
Man in US convicted of shipping items to Iran
Darfur rebels attacked by Sudan Army
Indian musician plays in Dammam
Ivorian rebels seize town, threaten advance
Prince Naif in Kuwait to attend celebrations
Khaleej Times partners with ‘Indo-Pak Express’
Iran to ‘remove fuel’ from Bushehr atomic plant
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/7-killed-day-rage-iraq/d/4191
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7 killed on 'Day of Rage' in Iraq
Feb 25, 2011
Rated the fourth-most corrupt country in the world, Iraq suffers from poor electricity and water provision, as well as high unemployment nearly eight years since the 2003 US-led invasion.
BAGHDAD: Angry protesters hurled stones in Baghdad on Friday as thousands of demonstrators flooded streets across Iraq for a "Day of Rage" that left seven people dead in clashes with police.
Around 5,000 demonstrators gathered at Baghdad's Tahrir Square, crowds of them angrily throwing stones, shoes and plastic bottles at riot police and soldiers blocking off Jumhuriyah bridge.
Demonstrators overturned two concrete blast walls, which had been erected to seal off access to Baghdad's heavily-fortified Green Zone, home to the US embassy and parliament, the journalist added.
Security was deployed in force, imposing a city-wide vehicle ban after Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki claimed al-Qaida insurgents and loyalists of deposed dictator Saddam Hussein organised the demonstrations.
Troops also brought out water cannons, but had yet to use them.
Rallies in Iraq have called for improved public services, more jobs and less corruption, and some for broader political reforms.
Rated the fourth-most corrupt country in the world by Transparency International, Iraq suffers from poor electricity and water provision, as well as high unemployment nearly eight years since the 2003 US-led invasion.
MP Sabah al-Saadi, who turned up at the Baghdad protest, was met with shouts and jeers, with one protesters asking: "Why are MPs taking millions of dinars (thousands of dollars) in salaries?"
"You have to cut your salary -- we have nothing! Why are you taking so much money when we have no money?"
Friday's rally, in keeping with similar protests across the region, has largely been organised on social networking website Facebook by groups such as "Iraqi Revolution of Rage" and "Change, Liberty and a Real Democracy."
Mostly young men gathered in Tahrir square, which shares the name of the square in Cairo where Egyptians rallied to overthrow president Hosni Mubarak. Protesters held up placards that read, "No silence, we must speak".
"We don't want to change the government, because we elected them, but we want them to get to work!" said Darghan Adnan, a 24-year-old student.
"We want them to enforce justice. We want them to fix the roads. We want them to fix the electricity. We want them to fix the water."
Shashef Shenshun, 48, said he walked two hours from the eastern Baghdad slum of Sadr City "because I want the government to change the situation."
"I am jobless. I want work, I want for my children to go to school."
Press watchdog Reporters Without Borders criticised the vehicle ban, saying television channels would not be able to park their satellite trucks near the protests and thus were unable to broadcast live.
Similar curfews were slapped on the central cities of Samarra, Tikrit and Baquba, and the western city of Ramadi -- all places that endured some of the worst violence after the 2003 US invasion ousted Saddam.
In the north, clashes between security forces and demonstrators in the city of Mosul and town of Hawija left seven dead and dozens wounded.
Protesters set fire to provincial government offices in Mosul and the city council building in Hawija. Eight other people were injured elsewhere in the north and west.
In the port city of Basra, the provincial governor resigned after 3,000 protesters gathered. Soldiers and police fired into the air to disperse the rally. No injuries were reported.
Crowds chanted, "Liar, liar, Maliki!" in the southern cities of Nasiriyah, Karbala and Kut, where security forces arrested 14 demonstrators.
A government official told AFP on condition of anonymity that Maliki in fact fired Basra's governor over recent protests, and asked the governor of Mosul's Nineveh province to step down, though the latter had yet to do so.
Maliki had urged protesters to stay at home, citing security concerns and claiming the organisers were Saddam loyalists and al-Qaida insurgents.
Friday's protests have been billed as Iraq's "Day of Rage," in reference to events in Egypt that forced Mubarak's resignation.
In a bid to head off protests, Iraq slashed politicians' pay, increased food funds for the needy and delayed a planned law that would raise import tariffs and, thus, prices of goods in markets.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/7-killed-on-Day-of-Rage-in-Iraq/articleshow/7572114.cms#ixzz1F1zUr4fd
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Gaddafi tells supporters to prepare for battle of Tripoli
Feb 26, 2011,
TRIPOLI: An embattled Muammer Gaddafi said he would throw open the country's arsenals to his supporters in a rabble-rousing speech Friday that presaged a bloody battle for the Libyan capital.
In a brief but chilling address in Tripoli's Green Square, Gaddafi told hundreds of cheering supporters to prepare themselves for a fight to defend the city.
His loyalists had earlier killed several people in shooting that spread through the capital and French President Nicolas Sarkozy became the first world leader to openly demand the Libyan leader's ouster.
As outraged Western governments scrambled to craft a collective response to a bloody crackdown which has claimed hundreds of lives, the United States said it was moving ahead with unilateral and multilateral sanctions against the regime.
The European Union agreed to slap an arms embargo, asset freezes and travel bans on Libya.
The move came hours before the UN Security Council was due to meet to discuss options to respond to Libya's repression of its people, and following complaints that the international response was too slow. UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged the Security Council to take "decisive action" on the crisis where he said more than 1,000 people have now been killed. "Loss of time means more loss of lives," he told the 15-nation council.
In a rooftop address, Gaddafi called on his partisans in the square below to "defend Libya." "If needs be, we will open all the arsenals. "We will fight them and we will beat them," he said as frenzied supporters raised portraits of the leader and waved the country's green flag.
Almost the entire east of the oil-rich North African country has slipped from Gaddafi's control since a popular uprising began with protests in the port city of Benghazi on February 15. Hundreds of people have been killed in a brutal crackdown, and tens of thousands of foreigners have scrambled to leave the country.
State television showed the 68-year-old leader repeatedly raising his arms and shaking his fists during the brief appearance while shouting that the Libyan people "love Gaddafi." "Life without dignity has no value, life without green flags has no value," Gaddafi told them.
"Sing, dance and prepare yourselves." Some of the crowd chanted "God, Moamer, Libya and that's all." This was Gaddafi's third public statement this week. He previously called on his followers to crush the insurrection and later said Al-Qaeda was behind what he called "drug crazed mobs" of young people trying to unseat him.
In Ankara, meanwhile, Sarkozy said "Mr Gaddafi must go," becoming the first world leader to demand the ouster of the 68-year-old former army colonel who seized power in a 1969 coup. "The systematic violence against the Libyan people is unacceptable and will be the subject of investigations and sanctions," Sarkozy added at a joint news conference with Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul.
In Tripoli, security forces opened fire indiscriminately on worshippers leaving prayers, desperate to prevent any new protests on the weekly Muslim day of rest, residents said. Two people were killed in the Fashlum neighbourhood and several more in Sug al-Jomaa, witnesses said.
Both are eastern suburbs where security forces had opened fire on previous days, but sustained gunfire was also reported in the western district of Ghut Ashaal. With police and troops deployed in force outside their mosques, prayer leaders followed texts for their sermons that had been imposed by the authorities calling for an end to "sedition," worshippers said.
The United States withdrew embassy personnel from Tripoli and "shuttered" its embassy for security reasons, the White House said on Friday. It also said it was using "the full extent" of its intelligence assets to gather evidence of violence or atrocities by the Libyan government against its people.
The second city Benghazi, where the unprecedented protests against Gaddafi's four-decade rule first erupted, remained firmly in the hands of rebels, a report said. Libya's ambassador to Lisbon, Ibrahim Emdored, became the latest member of its foreign diplomatic corps to defect, denouncing Gaddafi's regime as "fascist, tyrannical and unjust" and calling on him to quit.
Tripoli's ambassadors to France and to the UN cultural organisation UNESCO also resigned. The Paris embassy had already been seized by protesters calling themselves the "children of the revolution." Gaddafi, meanwhile, sought to shore up dwindling support by deploying the country's oil wealth. State television said Libyan families would be eligible to receive $400 or €290 each and that some public sector workers could get pay rises of as much as 150 per cent. A "psychologically unstable" Gaddafi may kill himself rather than be caught by his opponents, Libya's deputy UN ambassador said Friday. "Gaddafi has the choice between being killed or commit suicide," said the diplomat, Ibrahim Dabbashi, who has turned against the Gaddafi regime. "He might seek to send some of his family members abroad but I believe he prefers to die in Libya because of his narcissistic character -- he wants to act like a hero," he said.
Western governments faced mounting domestic criticism for their failure to organise evacuations more speedily as oil workers stranded in remote desert camps spoke of their supplies being looted amid growing lawlessness. Italy is preparing a "military operation" to rescue some nationals trapped in the southeast whose food has run out, defence minister Ignazio La Russia said.
An Italian navy assault ship, the San Giorgio, loaded 245 evacuees in the Libyan port of Misrata and set sail for Sicily. Nigeria said it was sending two jumbo jets to Libya to bring home some of its 50,000 nationals living there.
Crude prices rose again as markets continued to fret about the turmoil in the Middle East, despite a promise from the OPEC oil cartel to make up for any loss of production in Libya. Brent North Sea crude for delivery in April rose 76 cents to $112.12 per barrel, having rocketed the previous day to $119.79 -- the highest level since August 22, 2008 -- before sliding lower as many traders took profits.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Gaddafi-tells-supporters-to-prepare-for-battle-of-Tripoli/articleshow/7577704.cms#ixzz1F2026pZN
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Sharif's PML-N no more part of PPP in Punjab province
Imtiaz Ahmad
February 26, 2011
Struggling with fall out of the Raymond Davis affair, the government of President Zardari faced another challenge on Friday when the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party said it was parting ways with the ruling party in the Punjab province, where the two were coalition partners.
"Enough is enough, we will no longer be a friendly opposition," said PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif who addressed a press conference in Islamabad on Friday, following a meeting of the party high command.
Sharif said that it had taken him three years to come to this decision and that the party backed him fully. He told reporters that President Zardari had "used" him first to get rid of General Musharraf and then lied to him on many occasions.
The PML-N leader said that the provincial cabinet in Punjab would be dissolved and a new cabinet would be announced soon after.
While the short-term stability of the Zardari government is assured because the party has retained the support of smaller, but key, allies, there are questions over long term political future of the government.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Sharif-s-PML-N-no-more-part-of-PPP-in-Punjab-province/H1-Article1-666894.aspx
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Black market for Indonesian maids thrives in Makkah
Feb 25, 2011
MAKKAH: The black market for Indonesian domestic workers in Makkah has received a boost after the recruitment of workers from Indonesia was recently suspended.
There are several Indonesian women brokers actively involved in the flourishing trade.
One Saudi family has to pay up to SR1,500 as monthly salary in addition to SR500 as brokerage to hire a maid.
Before, the salary for a domestic help ranged between SR900 and SR1,000. There has been a slight increase in this cost during the holy month of Ramadan and the Haj season. The brokerage was not more than SR200 previously.
After announcing the decision to suspend the recruitment of Indonesian workers from Feb. 14, the National Recruitment Committee at the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry advised recruitment offices not to process any work visas for Indonesians, claiming the Indonesian Labor Federation had failed to abide by the terms and conditions of a bilateral agreement.
The decision has prompted several Saudi families to approach manpower recruitment offices with a request to withdraw their visa applications and obtain a refund. They are also now turning to the black market. Some Indonesian women living in the holy city have several maids on their books and anybody can hire them if they fulfill their conditions. The scope of the Indonesian maid trade was unearthed during a raid carried out by the Passport officials at Al-Oteibiya, one of the undeveloped districts in the city.
Maj. Saleh Al-Qahtani, commander of Passport patrol units in Makkah, said that 33 illegal residents, including Indians and Indonesians, were arrested in the raid on a residential flat in the district on Monday. This was the second raid in the last 10 days. The arrested foreigners were engaged in various illegal activities.
One of the arrested women confessed to officials that she was working as a broker for maids.
The Passport Department has intensified raids in the holy city, especially in undeveloped districts at the start of the Umrah season.
Al-Qahtani urged residents not to contribute to this illegal practice and to inform authorities if they know of anyone engaged in such acts.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article285563.ece
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US forces pulling out of Pech valley in Afghanistan
By Masood Haider
NEW YORK: The United States is withdrawing its forces from Pech valley in the Kunar province of Afghanistan, after years of fighting for the control of the region it once called vital to its campaign against Taliban and Al Qaeda, the New York Times reported on Friday.
The withdrawal formally began on Feb 15. The military says that the withdrawal will take about two months, part of a shift of western forces to the province`s more populated areas. Afghan units will remain in the valley, a test of their military readiness.
While American officials say the withdrawal matches the latest counter-insurgency doctrine`s emphasis on protecting civilians, Afghan officials worry that the shift of troops amounts to an abandonment of territory where multiple insurgent groups are well established, an area that Afghans fear they may not be ready to defend on their own, the newspaper reported.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/26/us-forces-pulling-out-of-pech-valley-in-afghanistan.html
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Gaddafi forces strike back as rebels close in on Tripoli
Feb 25 2011
Libyan forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi attacked anti-regime protesters with machine guns and rocket- propelled grenades at a mosque in Zawiyah leaving nearly 100 people dead, as outraged western nations today prepared to slap sanctions against Tripoli.
Undeterred by the brutal military action, protesters, who have gained control of several eastern cities, advanced closer to 68-year-old Gaddafi's stronghold of Tripoli.
Speculation was rife over the whereabouts of the Libyan ruler who, in a marked contrast to a 75-minute address from a podium outside his Tripoli home on Tuesday, told the state TV on telephone last evening from an undisclosed destination that al-Qaeda of Osama bin Laden was responsible for unprecedented protests against his 41-year rule.
An increasingly isolated Gaddafi said the uprising against his regime was not a people's revolt in the style of Egypt and Tunisia, but inspired by Osama's outfit.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/gaddafi-forces-strike-back-as-rebels-close-in-on-tripoli/754820/
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Libya on agenda in Clinton's visit to Geneva next week
Feb 25 2011
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would travel to Geneva next week to address a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council and mobilise the international community against the Gaddafi regime of Libya which has been using lethal force against its own people.
Clinton, at the direction of President Barack Obama, would be travelling to Geneva on February 27 and 28, State Department spokesman P J Crowley said.
"While in Geneva, she will hold consultations with her counterparts on the situation in Libya, and events and trends in the broader Middle East," he said.
Clinton will also address the high-level segment of the 16th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, he said.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/libya-on-agenda-in-clintons-visit-to-geneva-next-week/754722/
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Gaddafi militias open fire at protesters, several dead
February 26, 2011
BENGHAZI: Militias loyal to Muammar Gaddafi opened fire on Friday on protesters streaming out of mosques and marching across the Libyan capital to demand the regime’s ouster, witnesses said, reporting multiple deaths.
In rebellious cities in the east, tens of thousands held rallies in support of the first Tripoli protests in days. Protesters described coming under a hail of bullets as they tried to march from several districts around the city toward Tripoli’s central Green Square. One man among a crowd of thousands said gunmen on rooftops and in the streets opened fire with automatic weapons and even an anti-aircraft gun.
“In the first wave of fire, seven people within 10 metres of me were killed. Many people were shot in the head,” the man said. Militiamen opened fire on other marches in the nearby Souq al-Jomaa and Fashloum districts, where witnesses reported four killed. In the evening, Gaddafi appeared before a crowd over more than 1,000 supporters massed in Green Square and called on them to fight back against protesters and “defend the nation.”
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\02\26\story_26-2-2011_pg1_3
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Defiant Qadhafi says ‘we will beat them
February 26, 2011
TRIPOLI: An embattled Moamer Qadhafi addressed a crowd in Tripoli on Friday shouting “we will fight them and we will beat them”.
On a day that protesters against his iron-fisted rule braved deadly gunfire in several parts of the capital, Qadhafi called on his partisans to “defend Libya” adding that “if needs be, we will open all the arsenals”.
Speaking from atop a building in the central Green Square, he shouted that the Libyan people “love Qadhafi,” drawing cheers from the crowd below.
This was Qadhafi’s third statement this week. He previously called on his followers to crush the rebellion against him that began last week and later said Al-Qaeda was behind what he called “drug crazed mobs” of youth trying to unseat him.
Meanwhile, outraged Western governments scrambled to craft a collective response to the bloody crackdown in the oil-rich North African state.
In a first step, the European Union agreed to slap an arms embargo, asset freezes and travel bans on Libya, an EU diplomat said.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/25/defiant-qadhafi-says-we-will-beat-them.html
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Qaddafi sets stage for last stand
Feb 26, 2011
TRIPOLI: Militias loyal to Muammar Qaddafi opened fire Friday on protesters streaming out of mosques and marching across the Libyan capital to demand the regime’s ouster, witnesses said, reporting multiple deaths. In rebellious cities in the east, tens of thousands held rallies in support of the first Tripoli protests in days.
The Libyan leader, speaking from the ramparts of a historic Tripoli fort, told supporters to prepare to defend the nation.
Witnesses said gunmen on rooftops and in the streets were shooting at crowds with automatic weapons and even an anti-aircraft gun.
“It was really like we are dogs,” one man who was marching from Tripoli’s eastern Tajoura district told The Associated Press. He added that many people were shot in the head, with seven people within 10 meters of him cut down in the first wave.
Also Friday evening, troops loyal to Qaddafi attacked a major air base east of Tripoli that had fallen into rebel hands.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article285547.ece
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Gaddafi’s son portrays a peaceful Tripoli
26 February 2011
TRIPOLI - For the son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the streets of Tripoli are full of jubilant crowds shooting fireworks, chanting songs and celebrating his father’s long rule — a picture painted on state television.
“Everything is calm,” Saif Al Islam Gaddafi told a group of foreign journalists invited to the Libyan capital after 10 days of unrest during which media access has been limited.
“If you hear fireworks don’t mistake it for shooting,” the 38-year-old London-educated younger Gaddafi said, smiling.
Outside the luxury hotel where we met, the city was indeed quiet — but the quiet of empty streets where there would more normally be animation on a Friday night.
As we arrived at Tripoli’s international airport, the fear that has gripped the city was evident on the faces of thousands of desperate migrant workers besieging the main gate trying to get out of the country.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/February/international_February930.xml§ion=international
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US hits Libya with sanctions, shuts embassy
Feb 26 2011
The United States imposed sanctions on the Libyan government on Friday and said the legitimacy of longtime Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi had been reduced to zero.
In response to Gaddafi's bloody crackdown on an uprising against his 41-year rule, President Barack Obama signed an executive order freezing the assets of Gaddafi, his family and top officials, as well as the Libyan government, the country's central bank and sovereign wealth funds.
These sanctions therefore target the Gaddafi government, while protecting the assets that belong to the people of Libya, Obama said in a statement.
By any measure, Muammar Gaddafi's government has violated international norms and common decency and must be held accountable, he added.
The US Treasury said the action would block substantial sums of Libyan money and prevent it being looted by the Gaddafi government, but declined to offer a dollar value.
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Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/us-hits-libya-with-sanctions-shuts-embassy/755166/
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With eyes on Libya, protests continue in West Asian countries
Feb 26, 2011
CAIRO: Hundreds of thousands of protesters turned out in cities across West Asia on Friday to protest the unaccountability of their leaders and express solidarity with the uprising in Libya that Muammar Qadhafi is trying to suppress with force.
In Iraq, demonstrations for better government services spiralled out of control in many places. Protesters burned buildings and security forces fired on crowds in Baghdad, Mosul, Ramadi and in Salahuddin Province, north of the capital, killing at least four people.
Large-scale demonstrations in Yemen appeared to proceed more peacefully, even festively. More than 100,000 people poured into the streets on Friday, after Yemen's embattled President pledged on Wednesday not to crack down on protesters.
In Egypt, tens of thousands of people returned to Tahrir Square in central Cairo to celebrate one full month since the start of the popular revolution that toppled President Hosni Mubarak.
In Bahrain, pro-democracy demonstrations on a scale that appeared to dwarf the largest ever seen in the tiny Persian Gulf nation blocked kilometres of downtown roads and highways in Manama, the capital, on Friday. The crowds overflowed from Pearl Square in the centre of the city for the second time in a week.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/26/stories/2011022654061800.htm
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At Tunisian border, tales of terror from Libya
By HADEEL AL-SHALCHI
Feb 25, 2011
RAS AJDIR, Tunisia: One Egyptian said he was forced to kneel in front of members of the Libyan army who carried out a mock execution. Another man locked himself in his home for five days, running low on supplies and hearing shots and screams outside. A group of Indian workers hid in the desert while awaiting a rescue plane.
Thousands of expatriate Egyptians, Indians, Turks and Tunisians crossed the border into Tunisia on Friday, and many of them appeared to be in shock. They carried their belongings and horrific memories of the violence tearing apart Muammar Qaddafi’s Libya.
Tunisian aid groups offered them embraces, food and shelter.
Many Egyptians who had crossed Thursday night said they lived in the embattled towns of Zawiya and Zwara, which encountered some of the worst fighting in recent days.
Volunteer doctors and nurses tended to the new arrivals in medical tents, and volunteers from the Tunisian Red Cross, Boy Scouts, and the Tunisian Trade Union handed out soup and sandwiches.
At sunset, hundreds more crossed the border — many of them families. They collected a free blanket, some cartons of milk and sandwiches as they waited for buses to take them to the airport or to shelters. Red Crescent worker Khaled Faqeeh said 7,050 people — 4,200 of them Egyptian — arrived from Libya from morning until about 6 p.m.
Doctors said they hadn’t seen any serious wounds but added that most were suffering from shock and trauma.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article285479.ece
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Situation very chaotic in Tripoli
Feb 26, 2011
DUBAI: Libyan protesters have clashed with government forces after Friday prayers in Tripoli, mounting a fresh challenge to the Qadhafi-regime which had earlier come down in the capital to suppress the revolt.
“The situation is chaotic in parts of Tripoli now,” The Associated Press quoted an eyewitness as saying. Armed loyalists of President Qadhafi in truckloads were now roaming the streets, while sounds of gunfire could be heard in the city.
Amid the chaos in the Libyan capital, the United Nations World Food Programme has said food supplies are at risk, as imports are not reaching ports and violence is inhibiting distribution around the country.
The clashes in Tripoli began at a time when Libyan authorities in the capital and the opposition headquartered in the eastern city of Benghazi, appeared to be preparing for a bloody showdown, amid a keenly anticipated meeting on Libya, of the United Nations Security Council on Friday.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/26/stories/2011022654031800.htm
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Tens of thousands hold rival rallies in Yemen
February 26, 2011
SANAA: Tens of thousands of supporters and opponents of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh held rival demonstrations in the capital on Friday, in a test of support for the veteran leader’s 32-year rule.
Protesters outside Sanaa University, repeating slogans, which have echoed round the Arab world since the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, chanted: “The people demand the downfall of the regime.”
About four kilometres across town, loyalists shouted support for a leader they said was holding the fractured and impoverished tribal country together. “The creator of unity is in our hearts. We will not abandon him,” they chanted.
Seventeen people have died in the past nine days in a sustained wave of nationwide anti-Saleh protests galvanised by the fall of the Tunisian and Egyptian presidents. Saleh has said he will not give in to “anarchy and killing”. A US ally against the Yemen-based al Qaeda wing that has launched attacks at home and abroad, the Yemeni leader is struggling to end protests flaring across the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest state.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\02\26\story_26-2-2011_pg7_25
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ISI asks CIA to unmask covert opeatives in Pak
February 26, 2011
LONDON: Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has asked its American counterpart Central Intelligence Agency CIA) to unmask all its covert operatives in Pakistan after arrest of Aaron DeHaven in Peshawar, a British paper said in its report.
Pakistani authorities arrested US national Aaron DeHaven in Peshawar on Friday, over visa expiry. Peshawar police arrested DeHaven, saying that his visa had expired.
DeHaven runs a company named Catalyst Services which provides security to foreigners and its office is in Islamabad.
A case has been registered against DeHaven for living illegally in Pakistan. He will be produced before Peshawar court tody.
US embassy spokeswoman Courtney Beale said DeHaven was not a direct employee of the US government but added that details could not be confirmed until a consular officer had met him.(GEO URDU)
http://www.thenews.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=11771
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Bomb making techniques and information on RDX searched most on Google
New Age Islam News Bureau
Mumbai: Most of the searches on Google are on the techniques of bomb making and on RDX, an explosive used in bombs, according to a report. Punjab, Delhi, Bangalore and Maharashtra are the states where a large number of surfers search for the techniques of bomb making on the net. This is a disturbing trend among the techno savvy youth in the country. According to the report, Delhi was on top of the list. Maharashtra is on No. 2. Mahape, a town adjacent to Mumbai which houses many BPOs and IT companies has emerged as the town that has millions of surfers searching for bomb making techniques on Google. Bangalore comes at No 5. It means the people in IT companies and BPOs are busy searching for bomb making techniques and for that they also search information on RDX.
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Communal Violence Bill not acceptable in present form: Shabnam Hashmi
New Age Islam News Bureau
New Delhi: The Chairperson of Anhad, an organisation working for communal harmony and protection of human rights, Shabnam Hashmi termed the Communal Violence Bill to be presented in the current session of the Parliament full of drawbacks and loopholes and asked the secular and democratic people of the country to oppose it and demand the inclusion of the suggestions of the civil society in the bill. She said that the organisations and the activists of the civil society had been demanding such a law that could resolve issues of communal violence. The civil societies have rejected the Communal Violence Bill 2005 earlier as well on the basis that the bill does not make people masterminding the conspiracy and assisting in it accountable and does not include the issue of the protection of the rights of the survivors. She said that the components for the proposed law had been provided by anti-communalism organisations after consultations held by them on the national level. The National Advisory Council had also included them in their agenda. ‘I was also involved in the process of the NAC and the civil societies when the work was started on the bill in July 2010. Having been involved with the NAC on this issue, I am aware that the draft that has been finalised is not sufficient for the solution of the issue and most of the lacunae are still in the draft bill of 2005’, she said.
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Minority education is more important than minority status: BJP
New Age Islam News Bureau
New Delhi: The BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the minority status of Jamia Millia Islamia was not as important as the education and empowerment of the minorities. He said that the minority status of Jamia Millia was indeed an issue but if you grant minority status to it but do not pay attention to the enhancement of education and empowerment of the minorities it would be a shame. He asked the government what it was doing for the welfare and educational upliftment of the minorities. Terming Aligarh Muslim University also a minority institution, Mr Prasad said that everyone knew what kind of tug of war goes on in that institution. So instead of making false claims of welfare of the minorities, real work should be done in this direction, he opined.
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Urs of Hadhrat Qazi Burhanuddin held
New Age Islam News Bureau
Bachhraun (UP): The Urs of Hadhrat Qazi Burhanuddin and Hadhrat Shah Mohammad Azam was celebrated with customary devotion and enthusiasm. The ceremonies started with the recitation of the Quran in the afternoon. The Chadar was offered at the mazar of Hadhrat Qazi Burhanuddin. The organisor of the Urs Rauf Ramish delivered a speech on the life and services of Hadhrat Burhanuddin. Prof Tauqeer Ahmad Khan of the Delhi University shed light on the contributions of the Sufis in the spread and propagation of Islam. Prof Talha Rizvi Barq also spoke on the services of the Sufis in the spread of Islam.
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Uma Bharti to meet Sadhvi Pragya in jail
New Age Islam News Bureau
Mumbai: The former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Uma Bharti will meet Sadhvi Pragya who was arrested on charges of involvement in Malegaon blasts and is lodged in a Maharashtra jail. The BJP office in charge Surendra said that Uma Bharti had sought permission to meet Sadhvi Pragya in jail through her lawyer.
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Sentence reserved in Godhra train burning case
Manas Dasgupta
AHMEDABAD: A special fast track court has reserved till March 1 its order on the quantum of punishment to 31 persons convicted in the 2002 Godhra train carnage case.
Judge P.R. Patel, who on February 22 pronounced them guilty of a “pre-planned conspiracy” to set fire to coach S-6 of the Sabarmati Express on the outskirts of Godhra station on February 27, 2002, reserved verdict on the sentence after hearing both the prosecution and defence on Friday.
The court proceedings during the special sitting in the high security Sabarmati central jail in Ahmedabad were held in camera.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/26/stories/2011022665681300.htm
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Pak security agencies behind killings in Balochistan: PML-N
Feb 25 2011
Pakistan's security agencies are behind the kidnapping and killing of political workers and national activists in Balochistan province of southwest Pakistan, a leading PML-N parliamentarian has alleged.
Lt Gen (retd.) Abdul Qadir Baloch, who served as the army's corps commander in Quetta and was also Governor of Balochistan, made the allegation while speaking in Parliament.
He also questioned the role of security forces and intelligence agencies in the province.
"If not the agencies then who are the people responsible for daily kidnappings and mutilated bodies found in streets almost every other day? And if not the agencies, why are these people not being apprehended and tried in the courts of law?" Baloch said.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pak-security-agencies-behind-killings-in-balochistan-pmln/754745/
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FBI arrests Saudi student plotting terror attacks
Feb 25 2011
A 20-year-old Saudi student has been arrested and charged by the FBI for plotting to build bombs and carry out terrorist attacks in the US, targetting nuclear power plants and the residence of former President George Bush.
Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, a Saudi citizen and Texas resident, attempted to "use a weapon of mass destruction" and researched online on how to construct an improvised explosive device using several chemicals as ingredients.
According to the criminal complaint unsealed yesterday, Aldawsari conducted research on potential terror targets in the US including hydroelectric dams, nuclear power plants and the Dallas address for former President Bush.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/fbi-arrests-saudi-student-plotting-terror-attacks/754719/
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US closes Libya embassy, freezes Gadhafi assets
February 26th, 2011
Washington: The Obama administration on Friday shuttered the U.S. Embassy in Libya and froze all assets held in the United States by the Libyan government, Moammar Gadhafi and four of his children, ending days of cautious condemnation by all but calling for the unpredictable leader's immediate ouster.
President Barack Obama said the sanctions were justified by Libya's "continued violation of human rights, brutalization of its people and outrageous threats" that have drawn condemnation from the world.
"By any measure, Moammar Gadhafi's government has violated international norms and common decency and must be held accountable," Obama said in a statement announcing the penalties.
He said the sanctions were designed to target Gadhafi's government and protecting the assets of Libya's people from being looted by the regime.
In an executive order detailing the sanctions and signed by Obama, the president said the instability in Libya constituted an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to U.S. national security and foreign policy.
Full report at:
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/international/us-closes-libya-embassy-freezes-gadhafi-assets-968
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Davis’ family arrives in Pakistan
February 26, 2011
LAHORE: Raymond Davis’ alleged family reached Pakistan between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, DawnNews reported.
The family that arrived at Allama Iqbal International Airport included a woman, two men and three children. They were escorted out of the airport under high security arrangements and were taken to an unidentified location.
The vehicles that were carrying Davis’ alleged family had false number plates, DawnNews reported.
The name of one of the men and the woman, listed in their travelling documents, were as Randy Field and Beth Page, claimed sources.
According to sources, two individuals with similar names had previously been deployed in Pakistan, as USAID employees.
The US Embassy and Pakistani officials have not yet accepted nor rejected any claims.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/26/car-carrying-daviss-family-had-fake-number-plates-sources.html
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Immunity issue may affect trial
By Baqir Sajjad Syed
ISLAMABAD: The unrelenting confusion over whether or not US citizen Raymond Davis enjoys diplomatic immunity has, expectedly, bogged down his trial on charges of double murder in Lahore.
The adjournment by the Lahore trial court on Friday has caused legal experts, especially those connected to Davis, to predict that the case cannot proceed further till the immunity dispute is settled one way or the other.
“The US embassy is pleased that the court has realised the importance of diplomatic immunity,” US embassy spokesperson Courtney Beale told Dawn. However, this realisation may not easily lead to the resolution of the dispute which is quite complex.
Indeed, the question of Davis`s immunity has been made complicated by serious blunders committed by the Foreign Office, the US embassy and the Punjab government.
The story started with his Jan 20, 2010, notification of posting in Pakistan.
US legal experts insist that the January 2010 notification is the `controlling document` and provides the basis for his immunity. “The sending state (US in this case) is free to appoint anyone until the host government (Pakistan) definitely tells the mission that the person is not acceptable,” an international law expert said.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/26/immunity-issue-may-affect-trial.html
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Official asked to inform Gilani of precarious Balochistan situation
By Nasir Iqbal
The court said it had failed to understand why the federal government was not playing its role in containing the situation through a meaningful coordination with the provincial government. — File Photo
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court ordered Attorney-General Maulvi Anwarul Haq on Friday to seek an audience with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and convey to him people`s concern over the precarious law and order situation in Balochistan.
A three-judge bench that had taken up a petition moved by Balochistan High Court Bar Association president Hadi Shakeel asked the attorney-general to apprise the court about the outcome of his meeting with the prime minister in three days.
The bench said the director-general, Inter-Services Intelligence, should also take up the burning issue with the prime minister and told an ISI officer present in the court-room to communicate the court`s desire to him.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/26/official-asked-to-inform-gilani-of-precarious-balochistan-situation.html
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Talks possible if Taliban decommission arms: PM
By Raja Asghar
Prime Minister, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani addresses National Assembly session at Parliament House in Islamabad on Friday, February 25, 2011. - File Photo
ISLAMABAD: Using a term he sees as more palatable to the Pakhtun culture, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday set a new condition for peace talks with Pakistani Taliban rebels: decommissioning, rather than laying down, of weapons.
He told the National Assembly his government would be prepared for dialogue with the Taliban decommissioning or destroying their weapons and surrendering themselves to authorities such as political agents administering the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), but not with those pursuing a “foreign agenda”.
The prime minister spoke on the issue after a former interior minister, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, urged the government to initiate a dialogue with the Pakistani Taliban as the Afghan government was doing with the Afghan Taliban.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/26/talks-possible-if-taliban-decommission-arms-pm.html
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US national arrested in Peshawar for overstay
By Zahir Shah Sherazi
Aaron Mark Dehaven was arrested in Peshawar for overstaying illegally in Pakistan, sources told DawnNews.
An American national Aaron Mark Dehaven has been arrested in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa Capital, Peshawar for overstaying illegally in Pakistan, sources told DawnNews but the US embassy said they were assessing the situation and would comment after the causes are revealed to them officially.
“The American arrested from the University Town Police Station’s jurisdiciton is believed to have converted to Islam three-years back and is now living in Peshawar by the name of Haroon” sources told.
Dehaven has also married a Pakistani girl two years ago who was his colleague in a security agency office in University Town area of Peshawar.
The official sources said that the US national was responsible for provision of security to the foreign nationals’ visiting Pakistan and had an office in University Town which at present had been shifted to Islamabad.
Mark hailed from the state of West Virginia in the United States and had been arrested from University Town Police Station’s jurisdiction for illegal overstay, the sources revealed.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/25/us-national-arrested-in-peshawar-for-overstay.html
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Raymond Davis refuses to sign charge sheet
February 26, 2011
LAHORE: Raymond Davis, a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) contractor charged with double murder after shooting dead two men in Pakistan, refused to sign a charge sheet in a court on Friday and insisted he had diplomatic immunity, lawyers said.
The hearing in the murder case against Davis took place amid high security in Kot Lakphat Jail, where he is being held, and was adjourned until March 3.
“Davis refused to sign the copy insisting that he be released and claiming that he enjoys immunity,” public prosecutor Abdul Samad told AFP.
Samad said that Davis, who claimed he acted in self-defence when he shot the men in a busy Lahore street last month, was handcuffed during the hearing which was guarded by more than 300 armed police officers in and around the prison.
A separate legal process to determine the diplomatic immunity issues returns to the Lahore High Court (LHC) on March 14.
Samad said that the immunity case before the LHC would not affect the murder charge hearings, unless the higher court barred them from proceeding.
US Consul General Carmella Conroy and other American officials were present at Friday’s hearing.
Asad Manzoor Butt, lawyer for the families of the men who were shot dead, rejected the American’s immunity claim.
“We have also received copies of the charge sheet. We will pursue this case as we want Davis to be punished for his act. We believe he does not enjoy immunity,” he said.
Washington is pushing hard for Pakistan to free Davis, arguing that he has immunity and backing his claim that he acted in self-defence.
The US postponed a round of high-level talks with Afghanistan and Pakistan following failed attempts to get Davis out, and US lawmakers threatened to cut payments to Pakistan unless he is freed. afp
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\02\26\story_26-2-2011_pg1_5
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‘Osama against attacks on civilians’
February 26, 2011
DUBAI: Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden has asked his deputy to remind group’s members to avoid attacks on civilian targets, the group’s No 2 said in a message posted on the Internet on Thursday. “There are certain operations attributed, rightly or falsely, to the mujahideen, in which Muslims are attacked in their mosques, market places or gatherings. Me and my brothers in al Qaeda distance ourselves from such operations and condemn them,” Ayman al Zawahri said in an audio recording. Taliban leader Mullah Omar, bin Laden and others have taken similar stands earlier, Zawahri said, but added that bin Laden wanted this pointed out again. “Sheikh Osama Bin Laden assigned me again to reiterate this matter. Therefore, I urge the mujahideen to consider the rulings of sharia (Islamic law) and the interests of Muslims before undertaking any jihad operation,” he said. Al Qaeda members should refrain from indiscriminate attacks on “Muslim or non-Muslims”, Zawahri said, without referring to any particular attack. Zawahri said a New Year’s Day bombing that killed 23 people at a Coptic Orthodox church in Egypt was caused by church leaders’ “transgressions” against Muslims, but he denied that al Qaeda had any links to the attack. An al Qaeda-linked group in Iraq has frequently claimed responsibility for bombings resulting in civilian deaths. Al Qaeda was behind the September 11, 2001 attacks on US cities, which killed about 3,000 people. The recording could not be independently authenticated but it was posted on radical websites, which are often used by al Qaeda supporters and the speaker sounded like Zawahri. reuters
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\02\26\story_26-2-2011_pg7_7--------
Pakistan, Kuwait vow to enhance ties in diverse fields
February 26, 2011
KUWAIT: President Asif Ali Zardari and Kuwait’s Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, on Friday vowed to further strengthen ties between the two countries through enhanced trade cooperation and joint ventures.
Zardari, who arrived in the country on Friday, discussed with Sabah the potential of cooperation in diverse fields, for the mutual benefit of the two countries and their people. The two leaders in their talks at the airport discussed a whole range of bilateral matters, with particular focus on increased trade and economic cooperation.
President Zardari said the signing of a bilateral treaty between Pakistan and Kuwait would promote investment in the two countries. He mentioned that the Kuwait-Pakistan Investment Company had the potential to expand commercially feasible joint ventures in upstream and downstream petroleum and gas sectors, agriculture, mines and export of halal meat to Kuwait.
He proposed that Kuwait may encourage the public sector institutions, such as the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development and Kuwait Investment Authority, to invest in Pakistan.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\02\26\story_26-2-2011_pg7_16
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Karachi’s only children hospital lacks surgeons
February 26, 2011
KARACHI: National Institute of Child Health (NICH), the only public sector hospital in Karachi, that caters to surgical needs of child patients is severely under-staffed for almost past six years.
Caretakers of these patients told APP on Friday that shortage of surgeons has extended the waiting list for surgeries to almost two years.
“It is particularly difficult for us who have to bring our children from interior parts of Sindh and Balochistan,” Allah Bachayo Rind said. Father of six-year-old Rehmat, suffering from intestinal complications, referred to difficulties they face as while abandoning jobs back home they also have to bear extra expenses due to absence of any shelter or food arrangement for them in the city.
NICH Executive Director Prof Jamal Raza acknowledged that there was serious shortage of surgeons at the hospital with the post of professor in the surgery department almost non-existent.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\02\26\story_26-2-2011_pg12_1
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Kingdom raises oil output amid Libyan crisis
Feb 26, 2011
DUBAI/PARIS: Saudi Arabia has raised oil output about eight percent to above nine million barrels per day (bpd) to make up for a near halt in Libyan exports, an industry source said, helping prices fall further from the highest since 2008.
Some European oil firms said they were looking to buy more crude from Iran and the West’s energy watchdog, the International Energy Agency, said on Friday there was no need for an immediate strategic stock release.
The Saudi move follows reassurances from Riyadh earlier in the week that it was prepared to act to prevent shortages as a result of the rebellion in Libya that has sharply reduced the fellow OPEC producer’s 1.3 million bpd of exports.
“We have started producing over 9 million barrels per day. We have a lot of production capacity,” the industry source familiar with Saudi production told Reuters. That would be up more than 700,000 bpd from January.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/economy/article285525.ece
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King Abdullah’s help sought to resolve Lebanon crisis
Feb 26, 2011
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani and caretaker state minister Adnan Qassar have appealed to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to intervene and resolve the Lebanese political stalemate over a UN-backed court investigating the 2005 assassination of the country's former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
The separate appeals came after the king returned to Riyadh from Morocco on Wednesday after a period of post-surgery recuperation.
“The Arab world and the Islamic world are in dire need for the Saudi king’s wisdom and foresight to strengthen solidarity among the Arab and Muslim peoples,” Qabbani said in a statement.
Alongside these statements are reports that Syrian President Bashar Assad is scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia next week to meet the king. Informed sources in Damascus said that it would be a congratulatory visit by Assad.
They also added that the two leaders would address the political developments that have taken place in the Arab world during the past three months, including the situation in Lebanon.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article285538.ece
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Saudi student gets sentence reduced in maid abuse case
By WALAA HAWARI
Feb 26, 2011
RIYADH: Humaidan Al-Turki, a Saudi research student who was convicted in 2006 in the United States for abusing his maid, won his appeal to get his sentence reduced. He received a revised sentence of eight years, instead of the 28-year punishment he was handed by a Colorado court, on Friday.
Al-Turki, 36, was convicted of sexually assaulting his Indonesian housekeeper and keeping her as a virtual slave for four years.
Al-Turki’s lawyers on Friday succeeded in convincing the court hearing the appeal. The lawyers lodged an appeal to revise the 28-year sentence that he was handed, saying it contained a legal error.
The lawyers, according to family spokesperson Fahd Al-Nassar, had submitted documents and supporting letters requesting the case to be dropped or the sentence to be reduced.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article285708.ece
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Thieves strike cars during Isha prayer
By SULTAN AL-TAMIMI
Feb 25, 2011
JEDDAH: Police here are on the hunt for a number of people suspected of breaking into and stealing from multiple vehicles parked near a mosque Thursday night during Isha prayers in the Salamah neighborhood.
Several worshippers that night reported to police that cash was among the items stolen from their vehicles.
Police investigators arrived at the scene, which included forensic experts, and collected evidence from around the vehicles, including fingerprints left by the suspects, police said.
“The perpetrators apparently took advantage of the quiet and empty roads during the prayer, broke into these vehicles and stole some valuable items from them,” said a police officer involved in the case.
“Stolen items included electronic devices and cell phones. The suspects also appear to have fled the area through the nearby alleys.”
A number of local residents pointed out that the thieves were probably attracted to the location due to a lack of proper lighting in the area.
“I hope that the Jeddah municipality will look into fixing some of these broken light poles in the district, at least the ones near the mosques,” said one 25-year-old resident who chose not to be named.
“This could act as deterrent to those who might otherwise take advantage of the situation and break into parked vehicles.”
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article285565.ece
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Remorseful killer hopes for mercy
Feb 25, 2011
AHASA: Ibrahim Ahmad Al-Mowais is a young Saudi man who, being on death row for murder at Al-Hasa Prison, has a glimmer of hope that the relatives of the man he killed will pardon him at the last minute.
The 35-year-old spends his days and nights praying and hoping Allah will accept his repentance by enabling the relatives of his victim to pardon him. Al-Mowais killed a neighbor following an argument in 2006, Al-Watan daily reported.
“After an exchange of heated words, I stabbed him. He succumbed to his wounds two days after being taken to hospital. It wasn’t a premeditated murder. I committed the crime in a fit of fury and was instigated by Satan,” he said.
Al-Mowais continually repents the murder and even thought of taking his own life the day he committed the crime. “Now I’m behind bars praying to Allah to forgive me. I pray that He changes the hearts of the dead man’s relatives and that they pardon me. All reconciliation efforts have failed as his children, who are grown up, are adamant not to excuse me,” he said, while calling on the intervention of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article285415.ece
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Victim of mistaken identity, Umrah visitor with a clean chit can’t fly out
By IBRAHIM NAFFEE
Feb 25, 2011
JEDDAH: A 22-year-old Nigerian is being prevented from returning home with his mother despite being freed by a court following an identity mix-up.
Abdullahi Suleiman Sarah was taken into custody when he arrived with his mother in Jeddah for Umrah last September, according to press reports in Nigeria.
According to his widowed mother, the nightmare started when the two of them arrived at Jeddah’s King Abdul Aziz International Airport on Sept 7, 2010.
At immigration, they were instructed by an immigration officer to step aside. A few minutes later policemen arrived, arrested Abdullahi and led him away in handcuffs. He was suspected of having duped a Saudi businessman in an airline business deal in 2007.
“I tried to prove to the immigration officer that my son was a victim of mistaken identity, but they ignored me. Instead, I was shouted at and ordered to leave,” Hajiya Saratu Ahman, Abdullahi's mother, reportedly said.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article285411.ece
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Impact of Gulf crisis on family life in focus
By MUHAMMAD HUMAIDAN
Feb 25, 2011
JEDDAH: Many counseling experts in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries will participate in a program organized by the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation to discuss the psychological impact of the current crisis in the Arab and Gulf region on family life.
The program commencing on Saturday also aims to train Saudi family counselors on the latest techniques in family therapy.
The participants at the 10-day event include Saudi psychiatrist Dr. Tariq Al-Habib, Dr. Mahmoud Al-Qashaan, rector of the Community College at the University of Kuwait and Dr. Alwi Atarji, a family therapist. Atarji said stress can lead to family and social problems such as an increase in domestic abuse, higher divorce rates and drug addiction. Participants will also receive certificates from the National Council of Family Therapy.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article285433.ece
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OIC to host meet on Afghanistan
By P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR
Feb 26, 2011
JEDDAH: A large number of Muslim countries are expected to attend a meeting of the International Contact Group on Afghanistan at the OIC headquarters here on March 3. The meeting will focus on the political issues, mainly the reintegration and reconciliation process, and the civilian aspects of transition.
A high-level Afghan delegation headed by Foreign Minister Zalmay Rassoul will attend the meeting. The participation of the newly appointed US Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan Marc Grossman, who replaced the late Richard Holbrooke, is also expected, an OIC statement said.
“More OIC member states are expected to take part in the meeting, which indicates the active involvement by the OIC and its member states to resolve the Afghan issue,” it said. Invitations have been extended to the Saudi and Pakistani foreign ministers and those of other OIC member countries, it added.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article285397.ece
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Palestinian, Israeli and foreign activists rally in Hebron
By MOHAMMED MAR'I
Feb 25, 2011
RAMALLAH: Some 2,000 Palestinian, foreign and leftist Israeli activists rallied in the West Bank city of Hebron to mark the Al-Ibrahimi Mosque massacre and the closure of a major street in the city on Friday.
Issa Amr, a member of the "Youth Against Occupation" group which organizes the rally, said that dozens of activists were wounded by rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas canister Israeli soldiers fired against the protesters.
Amr said that Israeli soldiers attacked Mustafa Al-Barghouthi, a Palestinian lawmakers and secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative. He said the Israeli soldiers tried to arrest Al-Barghouthi.
The activist said that Hebron Gov. Kamil Hmaid, member of Fatah's Central Committee Jamal Muhaisen, representatives of Palestinian political factions and dozens of Israeli activists from the human rights organization Breaking the Silence participated in the rally.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article285335.ece
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Man in US convicted of shipping items to Iran
Feb 25, 2011
PHILADELPHIA: An Iranian man who lives outside Philadelphia faces more than six years in prison after being convicted of shipping banned products and equipment to his native country.
A federal jury on Thursday convicted 43-year-old Mohammad Reza Vaghari, of Broomall, of sending the products to Iran by way of the United Arab Emirates.
Prosecutors say he and another man sent laboratory equipment, laptop computers and other products to Dubai, where coconspirators forwarded them to Iran.
Vaghari is being held under house arrest until a bail hearing Tuesday. His attorney says he conceded the items were shipped to Dubai but denied they ever reached Iran.
Vaghari’s business partner, 44-year-old Mir Hossein Ghaemi, pleaded guilty to related charges last year.
http://arabnews.com/world/article285211.ece
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Darfur rebels attacked by Sudan Army
Feb 25, 2011
KHARTOUM: The Sudanese Army said it had attacked a Darfur rebel stronghold to open roads in the central Jabel Marra region and killed 25 rebels, the latest step in an escalation of fighting in western Sudan.
UN humanitarian officials said some 13,000 new refugees had arrived this month at Zam Zam camp in North Darfur from areas which peacekeepers said had witnessed heavy clashes and government bombardment.
President Omar Bashir has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and genocide during Darfur’s eight-year insurgency, but denies the charges.
“The attack came in the context of armed forces’ operations to open roads and secure villages at eastern Jabel Marra from ... rebels,” army spokesman Al-Sawarmi Khaled said in a statement on the state news agency SUNA late Thursday. He said the army had killed 25 rebel fighters and lost two of its own soldiers.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article285222.ece
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Indian musician plays in Dammam
By SIRAJ WAHAB
Feb 26, 2011
DAMMAM: More than 500 Saudis and expatriates from India turned out Thursday to hear legendary musician Amjad Ali Khan perform at the Sheraton Hotel in Dammam.
Khan is the world’s foremost player of the sarod, a classical, northern Indian lute with four main strings and several sympathetic strings. He was accompanied by his two musician sons Amaan and Ayaan.
Khan and his ensemble have been performing around the globe for decades, but this was their first performance in the Kingdom, and the select audience of Saudis and Indians gave him an enthusiastic response.
“I have been performing since I was 12, and I wonder why it took so long for me to come to Saudi Arabia? This is my tribute to Dammam,” Khan told the crowd at the beginning of his performance.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/lifestyle/offbeat/article285213.ece
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Ivorian rebels seize town, threaten advance
Feb 26, 2011
ABIDJAN: Rebels controlling northern Ivory Coast have seized a town in government territory and said on Friday they were still advancing, raising the prospects of a return to open war.
Loyalists of Laurent Gbagbo, clinging to power after an election most of the world says he lost, confirmed the fall of Zouan-Hounien in an overnight attack and said they would fight to take it back.
“We’re in the process of re-organizing ourselves,” Yao Yao, head of operations of the pro-Gbagbo Front for the Liberation of the Greater West militia told Reuters by phone from the region.
The small, remote town lies in western Ivory Coast near the forested border with Liberia and is not on a key axis, but the fighting there marks a major escalation.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that clashes this week in the main city, Abidjan, and in the west have taken the world’s top cocoa grower closer to the brink of a new civil war.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article285494.ece
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Prince Naif in Kuwait to attend celebrations
Feb 26, 2011
KUWAIT: Second Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Prince Naif arrived in Kuwait on Friday on a state visit.
On behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Prince Naif will attend Kuwait’s national celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of its liberation from the Iraqi occupation.
The celebrations also mark the 50th anniversary of the country's independence from Britain and the fifth anniversary of Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s accession to the throne of the country in 2006.
The emir and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received Prince Naif at the Kuwait International Airport.
Prince Khaled bin Sultan, Saudi assistant minister of defense and aviation for military affairs, also arrived in Kuwait on Friday to join the celebrations, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article285537.ece
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Khaleej Times partners with ‘Indo-Pak Express’
26 February 2011
The UAE’s leading English daily, Khaleej Times, supported the doubles team of Rohan Bopanna and Aisam Qureshi in their campaign at the ongoing 2011 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
The ‘Indo-Pak Express’, as they are popularly known, bagged headlines across the globe as finalist at the US Open 2010 and for their strong and unique message of ‘Stop War Start Tennis’.
The duo, known for their successful partnership and humanitarian activities around the world, was an obvious choice for this collaboration, according to Khaleej Times Executive Editor Patrick Michael.
“Their efforts to spread the message of peace and provide support to various humanitarian causes have gathered momentum over the last year and we hope that the support we extend will help strengthen the campaign and their partnership,” Patrick said.
Speaking on the partnership, Bopanna said: “We’re delighted to be supported by Khaleej Times, one of the leading media agencies in the country. It is partnerships such as these that are testament to the fact that we are playing good tennis.”
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2011/February/theuae_February675.xml§ion=theuae
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Iran to ‘remove fuel’ from Bushehr atomic plant (AFP)
26 February 2011
TEHRAN - Iran will remove the fuel from the reactor of a Russian-built nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr, a top official said on Saturday, citing technical advice from Moscow.
The plant, which has seen a roller-coaster ride since its construction began in the 1970s, was scheduled to generate electricity from April 9, and the latest development signals a likely delay in achieving that aim.
“Based on the recommendation of Russia, which is in charge of completing the Bushehr atomic power plant, the fuel inside the reactor core will be taken out for a while to conduct some experiments and technical work,” Iran’s envoy to the UN atomic watchdog, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, told the ISNA news agency.
“After the experiments, it will again be installed in the core of the reactor.” He did not specify when the experiments would be completed.
Iran had started loading the fuel into the plant on August 21, which Moscow at that time said was the “physical launch” of the facility.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/February/middleeast_February773.xml§ion=middleeast
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/7-killed-day-rage-iraq/d/4191