‘Allah’ Is For Muslims Only, Malaysian Minister Tells Christians
New Age Islam News Bureau
19
Aug 2013
Photo: Hindus to celebrate Raksha Bandhan together in Peshawar this year
Arab World
• Syrian Army Kills Al-Qaeda Commander, 17 Terrorists in countryside of Lattakia
• 36 killed in Egypt prison truck escape attempt
• Saudi prince sacks TV chief for Muslim Brotherhood ties
• Parliament Speaker: Syria Facing Systematic International Terrorism
• Xenophobia on the rise in polarised Egypt
• Egypt govt says 79 people died in violence on Saturday
• Muslim Brotherhood faces ban, 800 odd dies
• Egypt: At least 24 policemen killed in Sinai attack
• Hungry and scared, thousands enter Iraq from Syria
• Qatar says it gives aid to Egypt, not Muslim Brotherhood
• All new Dubai mosques will be eco-friendly
• Saudi men barred from flight for turning up in sleeping gowns
India
• First Sharia-based NBFC to open in Kerala after RBI nod
• 'Pak military deliberately ratcheting up tension with India': American expert
• Union home ministry plans to provide legal assistance to jailed Muslim youth
• Separatist slogans on banknotes in J&K, to be verified by the police
• Muslim share in govt jobs moving upwards
• Failed in my dream of becoming pilot: Abdul Kalam in new book
• Pakistan continues to violate ceasefire; heavy exchange of fire underway
• Tunda was training thousands of Jihadis in his madrasas
• Tunda wanted LeT to bomb India for helping Rohingyas
• Abdul Karim Tunda says met Hafiz Saeed before I-Day, ISI helped
• Dawood safe under ISI cover, says Tunda
• Lakhvi calls the shots in Lashkar, Tunda tells cops
South Asia
• 72 militants, 11 policemen killed in Afghanistan clash
• Bangladesh Cops on hunt for 100 Jihadis
• Afghanistan’s attorney general sacked over secret Taliban meeting: official
• Peace process: Taliban ponder options to relocate Qatar office
• Developments to recommence by 2014 after Nasheed’s bills settled: President
Mideast
• PLO charges Israel with ‘war crimes, anti-human, racist acts’
• Israel quietly maintains ties with Egyptian army
• Iran to teach drone-hunting to school students
• Turkey accuses OIC of inaction on Egypt violence
Africa
• Nigeria vigilantes take on Islamist extremists Boko Haram
• In turnaround, ruling Tunisia Islamists will meet rivals
• Janjaweed militia kidnaps families fleeing Darfur ethnic violence: Report
Pakistan
• Hindus to celebrate Raksha Bandhan together in Peshawar this year
• By-polls: Marriage of convenience between pro and anti Taliban forces
• Afghan peace process: Pakistan may release more Taliban prisoners
• School blown up in Mohmand Agency
• Muslim Zion: Pakistan As A Political Idea
• 110 killed, 300,000 affected due to heavy rain in Pakistan
• End of immunity?: Six cases may be opened against President Zardari
• Two FC personnel among three dead in Quetta violence
• LHC discards appeal against death sentence of GHQ attack mastermind
Europe
• Norway’s Far Right May Come to Power despite Memory of Anders Breivik’s Killing Spree
• Protests in UK over persecution of Pak Hindus
• Elite forces in secret raids against Taliban bomb-makers
• More than 20,000 Syrian refugees cross into Iraq: UN
• France urges Saudi Arabia, Qatar to help resolve Egypt crisis
• UN turns to social media for annual humanitarian campaign
• Al-Qaeda 'targeting European rail network': report
• European officials hold emergency talks to plot course on Egypt
• British headquarters in Afghanistan moves to Camp Bastion
North America
• U.S. Congress divided over blocking aid to Egyptian military
• Muslim youths in Boston plan peace rally
• NYPD faces prospect of two new, separate watchdogs
• Some of Guantanamo's hardest cases to get new look
Southeast Asia
• ‘Allah’ Is For Muslims Only, Malaysian Minister Tells Christians
• No more laws that restrict human rights, Najib promises
• Most inmates recaptured from Indonesia jail break
• Crackdown on illegal immigrants in Sabah imminent, says Musa Aman
• PM: Safety of Malaysian students in Egypt remains top priority
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
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‘Allah’ Is For Muslims Only, Malaysian Minister Tells Christians
19 August 2013
The word “Allah” is reserved only for followers of Islam and non-Muslims must stop challenging this “absolute” right, Malaysia’s Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said on Sunday, reported The Malay Mail Online.
Malaysia has been witness to a long-term dispute concerning the right to use “Allah” in Christianity, the minister’s fresh remarks came ahead of court proceedings, over the point of contention, which are due to start next week.
The home minister appealed to Muslim groups to unite as the local Catholic Church applied to uphold a landmark High Court ruling that allows Christians the right to also call their lord “Allah.”
“I urge Muslims and leaders of Muslim organizations to agree to defend the word ‘Allah’ and put aside political differences or any differences in interpretation or any individual’s or organization’s personal interest,” said Hamidi.
The tug of war over the word “Allah” will return to court on August 22, when the Court of Appeal hears the Catholic Church’s bid to strike out the appeal against the 2009 High Court ruling upholding the Christians’ right to use the Arabic word.
The row first erupted in 2008 and then in 2009 the High Court made a landmark ruling in favor of the Catholic Church, when it said the word was not the exclusive right of Muslims.
In January 2010, the Home Ministry filed an appeal against the ruling, but there was a three-year hiatus before the dates were fixed for hearing at the Court of Appeal.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/life-style/art-and-culture/2013/08/18/-Allah-is-for-Muslims-only-Malaysian-minister-tells-Christians-.html
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Arab World
Syrian Army Kills Al-Qaeda Commander, 17 Terrorists in countryside of Lattakia
August 19, 2013
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian army troops killed 18 militants, including a notorious Al-Qaeda commander, during their mop-up operations in Reef (countryside of) Lattakia.
The army killed Sharif Dandesh, the ringleader of Abdellah Bin Al-Mubarak terrorist group, an offshoot Al-Qaeda and a division of Ahrar Al-Sham movement. The Syrian army also killed 17 other militants during the heavy clashes in Reef Lattakia.
Yesterday, the Syrian army killed another wanted terrorist commander in Damascus.
The army killed Abu Ammar Al-Qabas, commander of the Al-Qaeda-linked Lashkar Al-Bara terrorist group, in the Syrian capital Damascus.
The conflict in Syria started in March 2011, when sporadic pro-reform protests turned into a massive insurgency following the intervention of western and regional states.
The unrest, which took in terrorist groups from across Europe, the Middle-East and North Africa, has transpired as one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent history.
As the foreign-backed insurgency in Syria continues without an end in sight, the US government has boosted its political and military support to Takfiri extremists.
Washington has remained indifferent to warnings by Russia and other world powers about the consequences of arming militant groups.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13920527001120
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36 killed in Egypt prison truck escape attempt
August 19, 2013
CAIRO: Egyptian police fired tear gas Sunday in an attempt to free a guard from rioting detainees, killing at least 36 as the country’s military leader vowed to tolerate no more violence after days of clashes that killed nearly 900 people.
The deaths of the prisoners, captured during the fierce fighting in recent days around Cairo’s Ramses Square, came as Gen. Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi also called for the inclusion of Islamists in the government. Meanwhile, security forces detained Muslim Brotherhood members in raids aimed at stopping more planned rallies supporting ousted President Muhammad Mursi — which the military-backed government says fuels the violent unrest.
The suspects killed were part of a prison truck convoy of some 600 detainees heading to Abu Zaabal prison in northern Egypt, security officials told The Associated Press. Detainees in one of the trucks rioted and managed to capture a police officer inside, the officials said,
Security forces fired tear gas into the truck in hopes of freeing the badly beaten officer, the officials said. The officials said those killed died from suffocating on the gas.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to journalists.
However, the officials’ version of event contradicted reports about the incident carried by state media. The official website of Egyptian state television reported that the deaths took place after security forces clashed with militants near the prison and detainees came under fire while trying to escape. The official MENA state news agency also said the trucks came under attack from gunmen.
State media also said all those killed and the gunmen belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood, the organization that Mursi hails from. The officials who spoke to AP said some of the detainees belonged to the Brotherhood, while others didn’t.
The differences in the accounts could not be immediately reconciled Sunday night.
The violence adds to the ever-rising death toll in days of unrest. On Saturday alone, clashes between Mursi supporters and police killed 79 people, according to a government tally released Sunday and carried by MENA. That raised the death toll for four days of unrest across the country to nearly 900 people killed. Some 70 police officers were killed in clashes with protesters or retaliatory attacks during the same period, according to the Interior Ministry.
The clashes began Wednesday when security forces dismantled two encampments in Cairo of Mursi supporters, who demanded his reinstatement. The military overthrew Mursi in a bloodless July 3 coup after millions took to the street demanding him to step down.
Egypt’s military-backed interim government declared a state of emergency after Wednesday’s clashes and imposed a curfew, turning the capital into a ghost town after 7 p.m. every night. The government also began taking harsher measures to crippling the Brotherhood.
Security forces arrested hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood members early Sunday morning in raids on their homes in different cities, aimed at disrupting planned rallies to support Mursi. The Cabinet also held an emergency meeting to discuss potentially banning the group, a long-outlawed organization that swept to power in the country’s first democratic elections a year ago.
A possible ban — which authorities say would be implemented over the group’s use of violence — would be a repeat of the decades-long struggle between the state and the Brotherhood. It also would drain the group’s financial resources and allow for mass arrests of its members. That likely would diminish the chances of a negotiated solution to the crisis and push the group again underground.
The Brotherhood has shown no signs of backing down though.
Under the banner of an anti-coup alliance, the group held protests Sunday, though many appeared smaller in scale than others held in recent days. In the coastal city of Alexandria, protesters clashed with residents. In the southern city of Assiut, security forces fired tear gas to disperse hundreds rallying in front of a mosque.
“They think they can end the movement,” said Muslim Brotherhood senior member Saad Emara. “The more killings, the more people join us.”
However, the government blames Islamists for series of attacks on churches and police stations, increasing public anger against the group.
In his first appearance since the violence began, el-Sissi spoke at length in an hour-long speech about the motives behind ousting Mursi. The general said the Islamist president exploited democracy to monopolize power. He again said the military’s action “protected Egyptians from civil war,” despite the ongoing violence on the streets.
“We will not stand by silently watching the destruction of the country and the people or the torching the nation and terrorizing the citizens,” el-Sissi said in a speech aired on state television. “I am not threatening anyone. ... If the goal is to destroy the country and the people, no!“
The general said that the military didn’t seek power but instead “have the honor to protect the people’s will — which is much dearer (than) ruling Egypt.”
El-Sissi also said Islamists must be included in the country’s politics moving forward. A military timetable calls for the nation’s constitution to be amended and for presidential and parliamentary elections to be held in 2014.
El-Sissi’s speech was an attempt to consolidate internal support in the face of international criticism. In a joint statement Sunday, the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council said it was the responsibility of the army and the interim government to end the violence, warning against the use of force. They said EU will “urgently review in the coming days its relations with Egypt” — meaning much-need financial aid could be on the line.
“We regret deeply that international efforts and proposals for building bridges and establishing an inclusive political process ... were set aside and a course of confrontation was instead pursued,” the statement by Jose Manuel Barroso and Herman Van Rompuy read.
They warned: “This path will not succeed.”
Nearly two weeks of international diplomacy by the EU, US and Arab nations failed to broker a peaceful end to the standoff. Lawmakers in the US expressed greater discontent Sunday with Egypt — and concern about $1.3 billion in annual military aid it gives the nation.
Egypt also lost one of the few doves in the country’s military-backed administration Sunday as Mohamed ElBaradei, who resigned as vice president in protest of the use of force against Mursi’s supporters, flew out of Cairo to Vienna. ElBaradei declined to speak to journalists as he left Egypt, where pro-military news outlets have become increasingly hostile toward him.
http://www.arabnews.com/news/461758
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Saudi prince sacks TV chief for Muslim Brotherhood ties
19 August 2013
A well-known Kuwaiti preacher, Tareq al-Suwaidan, has been sacked from his job as the director of a Saudi religious TV channel because of his links to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Channel owner Prince Alwaleed bin Talal said there was no place for Muslim Brotherhood members in his business.
Mr Suwaidan has been a fierce critic of Egypt's military-backed government.
Saudi King Abdullah has, however, given strong backing to the new Egyptian administration.
Prince Alwaleed wrote on his Twitter account that he had dismissed Mr Suwaidan "for admitting he belongs to the Brotherhood terrorist movement".
The preacher had reportedly identified himself as "one of the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood" during a lecture in Yemen, according to Reuters news agency.
The king's nephew, Prince Alwaleed, wrote in Mr Suwaidan's dismissal letter - which he tweeted a copy of - that the preacher had been warned several times against publicly declaring his political affiliations.
Mr Suwaidan, who is known across the Arab world for his lectures on self-improvement from an Islamic perspective, was the director-general of the Al Risala (The Message) religious channel.
It belongs to Prince Alwaleed's Rotana Group, which is a large pan-Arab media conglomerate based in Riyadh and serves the Middle East, North Africa and Europe.
Message of support
Mr Suwaidan is one of the Muslim world's richest preachers with more than 1.9 million Twitter followers, says the BBC's Farhana Dawood.
Following the news of his dismissal, the preacher thanked Prince Alwaleed for the opportunity to manage the channel and "for leading it to success" on his Twitter account.
On Friday, Saudi King Abdullah called on all Arabs to stand together against "attempts to destabilise" Egypt, in a message of support for the military leadership.
The country pledged $5bn in aid to Egypt's interim leaders after former Islamist leader Mohammed Morsi was ousted as president at the beginning of July.
Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood has been staging daily demonstrations since the security forces cleared two of the group's protest camps in Cairo last week. More than 600 people were killed during the operations, including dozens of security forces personnel.
Mr Suwaidan has written a stream of tweets supportive of Mr Morsi and his followers, and condemning what he calls a "military coup" in Egypt.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23747381
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Parliament Speaker: Syria Facing Systematic International Terrorism
August 19, 2013
TEHRAN (FNA)- Syrian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Jihad al-Laham stressed the need for increasing public awareness about the reality of the plots being hatched against the Arab nation by the US and western intelligence centers.
During a meeting with a delegation representing a number of Mauritanian unions and parties, al-Laham pointed out that the systematic international terrorism facing Syria at the hands of the armed takfiri groups does not only target it, but also seeks to fragment the entire Arab nation so as to come to control its resources, SANA reported Saturday.
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13920527000695
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Xenophobia on the rise in polarised Egypt
Ian Blackthe guardian
August 19, 2013
Cairo: Egypt’s violence is fuelling a furious backlash against the US, Britain and other western countries for supposedly supporting the Muslim Brotherhood in its bloody confrontation with the military-backed government that overthrew Mohammad Mursi.
From state-controlled newspapers and private pro-government TV channels to ordinary people on the tense streets of Cairo, the message is that Egypt is facing a foreign “conspiracy” to undermine its stability.
Full report at:
http://gulfnews.com/news/region/egypt/xenophobia-on-the-rise-in-polarised-egypt-1.1221600
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Egypt govt says 79 people died in violence on Saturday
Reuters | Aug 19, 2013
CAIRO: Seventy-nine people died across Egypt on Saturday during political violence and 549 were wounded, the state news agency MENA said on Sunday, quoting government figures.
The latest tally means at least 830 people have died in Egypt since Wednesday in clashes pitting supporters of deposed Islamist President Mohamed Morsi against the security forces.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Egypt-govt-says-79-people-died-in-violence-on-Saturday/articleshow/21900862.cms
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Muslim Brotherhood faces ban, 800 odd dies
Aug 19, 2013
Egypt's military-backed government is considering banning the hard-line Muslim Brotherhood whose supporters are demanding reinstatement of ousted President Mohammed Morsi, even as the death toll in street battles over the past four days rose to over 800. Interim Prime Minister Hazem
Beblawi has put forward a proposal to legally dissolve the Brotherhood.
In a related development, Former Egyptian interim vice-president Mohamed ElBaradei has boarded a flight to Austria after his resignation was accepted by Egypt's interim president Adly Mansour, the state-run EGYnews site said today.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/africa/Muslim-Brotherhood-faces-ban-800-odd-dies/Article1-1109465.aspx
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Egypt: At least 24 policemen killed in Sinai attack
August 19, 2013
At least 24 Egyptian policemen were killed in an attack by militants who fired rockets at two buses in the Sinai peninsula on Monday, medical and security sources told AFP. Another two policemen were injured in the attack, which took place near the town of Rafah along the border with the
Palestinian Gaza Strip, in the north of Sinai.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Africa/Egypt-At-least-24-policemen-killed-in-Sinai-attack/Article1-1109754.aspx
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Hungry and scared, thousands enter Iraq from Syria
August 19, 2013
QURU GUSIK (Iraq): Faced with brutal violence and soaring prices, thousands of Syrian Kurds have poured into Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, seeking respite from privation and fighting between Kurdish fighters and jihadists.
The sudden influx of Syrians across the border, the vast majority of them women, children or elderly, has forced the UN refugee agency to scramble aid to the region.
They are being housed at a camp on the outskirts of the Kurdish regional capital Arbil that is still under construction and lacks many basic services.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Hungry-and-scared-thousands-enter-Iraq-from-Syria/articleshow/21896959.cms
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Qatar says it gives aid to Egypt, not Muslim Brotherhood
19 August 2013
Qatar's foreign minister said Monday his country had never given aid to Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and that all assistance went to Egypt as a whole.
"As far as Qatar's support for the Muslim Brotherhood, there are some wrong impressions about the aid Qatar is providing," said Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiya, whose country is perceived as a backer of the embattled Islamist group.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/79376/World/Region/Qatar-says-it-gives-aid-to-Egypt,-not-Muslim-Broth.aspx
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All new Dubai mosques will be eco-friendly
Ahmed Shaaban / August 19, 2013
All mosques to be built in Dubai starting next year will be environment-friendly.
Dubai’s Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation (AMAF) secretary-general Tayeb Al Rais said the first of these eco-mosques, which is also the first in the Middle East, was expected to be completed and opened in the first quarter of next year, with some 60 per cent of the work already finished.
“We do want to make all mosques built in the emirate in the future power- and water-saving, and help reduce harmful gas emissions from the air-conditioners.”
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?xfile=data/nationgeneral/2013/August/nationgeneral_August167.xml§ion=nationgeneral
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Saudi men barred from flight for turning up in sleeping gowns
August 19, 2013
Two Saudi men were barred from boarding a plane for wearing sleeping gowns, and were ordered to take out new sets of clothes from their bags for a flight between Madinah and Tabuk. According to the Gulf News, a Saudi Airlines public relations officer pointed out that the two passengers had to comply with the regulations. The officer said short clothes, shorts and sleeping gowns were not allowed and all employees were aware of the restrictions and that any attire that was disturbing to passengers could not be allowed.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/restofasia/Saudi-men-barred-from-flight-for-turning-up-in-sleeping-gowns/Article1-1109582.aspx
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India
First Sharia-based NBFC to open in Kerala after RBI nod
August 19, 2013
After refusing to allow Islamic banking in the country for long, the Reserve Bank seems to have moved closer to changing its stand by permitting the state-run Kerala Industrial Development Corporation to launch an NBFC that will offer services compatible with Sharia law.
"The RBI has permitted KSIDC to float a non-banking finance company and offer products based on Islamic finance principles," the Central bank spokesperson Alpana Killawala told PTI here today.
Outgoing Governor Duvuuri Subbarao, who is retiring on September 4, had earlier said that Islamic banking was not possible in the country.
"Islamic banking is not possible in the country as there are some legal problems," Subbarao had said last November and added that RBI could look at other avenues to help productively channelise the huge NRI funds.
Full report at:
http://www.business-standard.com/article/finance/first-sharia-based-nbfc-to-open-in-kerala-after-rbi-nod-113081800575_1.html
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'Pak military deliberately ratcheting up tension with India': American expert
August 19, 2013
Pakistan military is deliberately ratcheting up tension with India to prevent any meaningful peace talks and demonstrate that it still calls the shots on bilateral ties, an eminent American expert has said.
"It is possible the Pakistani military establishment is deliberately ratcheting up the tension to demonstrate to the Sharif government that it still calls the shots regarding India-Pakistan relations," Lisa Curtis of The Heritage Foundation said.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/northamerica/Pak-military-deliberately-ratcheting-up-tension-with-India/Article1-1109837.aspx
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Union home ministry plans to provide legal assistance to jailed Muslim youth
PTI | Aug 19, 2013
NEW DELHI: Amid demand for expeditious trial of terror cases involving Muslim youth, the Union home ministry is contemplating providing legal assistance to those jailed in connection with such cases.
The move comes after the Centre set up 39 special courts across the country to take up terror cases registered by National Investigation Agency (NIA), in which most of the accused were Muslims.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Union-home-ministry-plans-to-provide-legal-assistance-to-jailed-Muslim-youth/articleshow/21916066.cms
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Separatist slogans on banknotes in J&K, to be verified by the police
M Saleem Pandit, TNN | Aug 19, 2013
SRINAGAR: An unknown Kashmiri separatist group called Kashmir Graffiti has become active in Jammu & Kashmir, stamping separatist slogans on Indian currency notes to voice their demands.
According to their statement posted on social networking site Facebook, the group has stamped currency worth Rs 30 crores in the last four months. The group has also put a video on YouTube about it.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Separatist-slogans-on-banknotes-in-JK/articleshow/21906103.cms
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Muslim share in govt jobs moving upwards
Subodh Ghildiyal, TNN | Aug 19, 2013
NEW DELHI: The intake of Muslims in central government bodies has increased by over 3% in six years, reflecting a visible improvement in the community's share of public sector jobs that the UPA marked out as priority after coming to power in 2004.
Government figures show that the recruitment of minorities in central government organizations stood at 10.18% in 2010-11, up from 6.93% in 2006-07.
The 3% increase in employment across sectors in the last six years coincides with the directives that the Centre issued to ministries and departments that they should take special measures — publicity campaigns about recruitment drives and inclusion of minority members in interview panels — to boost minority presence in jobs.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Muslim-share-in-govt-jobs-moving-upwards/articleshow/21906500.cms
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Failed in my dream of becoming pilot: Abdul Kalam in new book
Aug 19, 2013
NEW DELHI: For former President A P J Abdul Kalam, becoming a fighter pilot was a "dearest dream" but he failed to realise it by a whisker as he bagged the ninth position when only eight slots were available in the IAF.
In his new book "My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions", published by Rupa, Kalam, who specialized in aeronautical engineering from Madras Institute of Technology, says he was desperate to pursue a career in flying.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Failed-in-my-dream-of-becoming-pilot-Abdul-Kalam-in-new-book/articleshow/21899611.cms
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Pakistan continues to violate ceasefire; heavy exchange of fire underway
Aug 19 2013
Poonch (J&K) : Pakistani troops opened heavy fire on Hamirpur and Balakote border belts along the LoC in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir and also pounded civilian areas of Mankote and Mendhar belts here, an Army official said on Monday.
"There was yet another firing by Pak Army along Hamirpur and Balakote border belts along the LoC in Poonch from last night," Defence Spokeman S N Acharya said.
They fired mortars, RPGs and automatic weapons and Indian troops retaliated strongly, resulting in exchanges which, after continuing throughout the night, were going on intermittently till Monday morning.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pakistan-continues-to-violate-ceasefire--heavy-exchange-of-fire-underway/1157114/?indian_top
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Tunda was training thousands of jehadis in his madrasas
Aug 19, 2013
Known as one of the leading motivators of young jihadis, Abdul Karim Tunda ran a network of at least 10 madrasas in Karachi, Pakistan.
The Lashkar-e-Taiba’s top bomb expert, now in the custody of Delhi Police special cell, has told interrogators that his religious seminaries were funded by rich businessmen, private organisations and political parties.
It was in these madarasas, run under the banner of Mehdud-Taleem-Islam-e-Dar-Al-Funoon, that Tunda used to indoctrinate young men. He also trained them in making bombs and putting together improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/newdelhi/Tunda-was-training-thousands-of-jehadis-in-his-madrasas/Article1-1109572.aspx
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Tunda wanted LeT to bomb India for helping Rohingyas
August 19, 2013
Nabbed terror ideologue Syed Abdul Karim ‘Tunda’ had promised Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed that he will train Rohingya Muslims in making bombs and in motivating them, but only if they carried out a bomb blast in India, an intelligence official has told HT.
Confirming such conditions to be Tunda’s signature style of functioning, the source said: “So strong is his hatred for India that when Saeed sought Tunda’s help to train Rohingyas, Tunda made it subject to a bombing in India by his Lashkar-e-Taiba.”
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/newdelhi/Tunda-wanted-LeT-to-bomb-India-for-helping-Rohingyas/Article1-1109585.aspx
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Abdul Karim Tunda says met Hafiz Saeed before I-Day, ISI helped
Aug 19 2013
New Delhi : Lashkar-e-Toiba operative Abdul Karim ‘Tunda’ has told interrogators that he met Mohammed Hafiz Saeed just a few days before Independence Day and that he had met Dawood Ibrahim several times in the past.
Tunda, held by Delhi Police on Friday, reportedly from the Nepal border, has also claimed that Pakistan’s ISI was helping his operations and he was very sure Dawood too was protected by the agency.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/tunda-says-met-saeed-before-iday-isi-helped/1157021/
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Dawood safe under ISI cover, says Tunda
Aug 19, 2013
Abdul Karim Tunda, one of India’s most wanted terrorists who has been arrested, has told his interrogators he was in constant touch with Pakistan’s ISI and worked closely with it and also met leaders of several anti-India outfits during his stay in that country.
A top Delhi police official while stating this on Sunday said that 70-year-old Tunda claimed during his interrogation that underworld don Dawood Ibrahim whom he met in Karachi several times stays in a safe house in Pakistan’s port city and is guarded by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/dawood-safe-under-isi-cover-says-tunda/article5035164.ece
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Lakhvi calls the shots in Lashkar, Tunda tells cops
Dwaipayan Ghosh, TNN | Aug 19, 2013
NEW DELHI: Arrested terrorist Abdul Karim Tunda has told interrogators that Mumbai attacks mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi was managing the affairs of Lashkar-e-Taiba from jail while the terror outfit's chief, Hafiz Saeed, had taken on the role of a guide and motivator.
Lakhvi has been in jail for the 26/11 attacks since December 7, 2008, and is currently lodged in Rawalpindi prison. According to Tunda, he still runs the show at LeT, raising questions about the nature of Lakhvi's detention.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Lakhvi-calls-the-shots-in-Lashkar-Tunda-tells-cops/articleshow/21904410.cms
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South Asia
72 militants, 11 policemen killed in Afghanistan clash
19 August 2013
At least 72 militants and 11 policemen were killed in a clash between the two sides in the western Afghan province of Farah on Monday.
“The public protection police force was Sunday escorting a convoy travelling from Herat province to Helmand province,” Xinhua quoted one lieutenant colonel Farid as saying.
“Several hundred militants launched an attack on the convoy. The clash lasted until Monday morning. The gunfight killed 72 militants and 11 cops,” he said.
The incident took place in Gulistan district in Farah, he noted.
Up to 20 policemen and several militants were wounded in the clash, Xinhua reported, adding that several vehicles were also destroyed in the incident.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/south-asia/72-militants-11-policemen-killed-in-afghanistan-clash/article5038552.ece
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Bangladesh Cops on hunt for 100 Jihadis
August 19, 2013
Mufti Jasimuddin Rahmani, the spiritual leader of Ansarullah Bangla Team, had as many as 3,000 followers and over 100 of them believe in armed Jihad (struggle), detectives said.
“Primary investigation suggests over 100 of his [Jasim's] followers are inclined to engage in armed struggle. Some even took part in armed struggle abroad,” Mashiur Rahman, additional deputy commissioner of Detective Branch, told The Daily Star yesterday.
The group even included members of banned militant outfits Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami (Huji) and Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh, the official added without specifying any name.
“Many of them believe in armed struggle or Jihad and they are under our watch. We’re trying to arrest them,” said Mashiur, who is leading an investigation and operation against the Ansarullah network.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/cops-on-hunt-for-100-jihadis/
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Afghanistan’s attorney general sacked over secret Taliban meeting: official
Aug 19, 2013
KABUL: Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, has sacked his attorney general of almost five years, after the chief law officer held an unsanctioned meeting with Taliban peace negotiators in the United Arab Emirates, a senior Afghan official and a legislator told Reuters on Monday.
Attorney General Muhammad Ishaq Aloko met members of a Taliban peace negotiation team in Dubai, despite being told by the Presidential Palace not to attend the meeting, the official said.
The meeting in Dubai was held in the first week of August and involved other prominent Afghans including members of the government's High Peace Council, which Karzai set up in 2010 to pursue talks with the Taliban.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/news/1036876/afghanistans-attorney-general-sacked-over-secret-taliban-meeting-official
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Peace process: Taliban ponder options to relocate Qatar office
By Tahir Khan
August 19, 2013
ISLAMABAD: The Afghan Taliban are exploring options to relocate their political office to another Islamic country following the deadlock over the Qatar peace process, a Taliban official claimed on Sunday.
He, however, said the Taliban will not fully wind up the Qatar process and their representatives will still stay there.
The Taliban official, who had been to Qatar last month and requested anonymity, told The Express Tribune that the Taliban leadership is likely to appoint a new team of negotiators if a final decision to open an office in another country is taken.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/592081/peace-process-taliban-ponder-options-to-relocate-qatar-office/
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Developments to recommence by 2014 after Nasheed administration’s bills settled: President Waheed
By Neil Merrett | August 19, 2013
President Dr Mohamed Waheed has claimed the country will be in a position to restart development projects next year as a result of his government repaying millions of US Dollars in bills incurred through the previous administration’s borrowing.
The government announced it would be suspending state-financed development projects in April after exhausting its annual budget for recurrent expenditure (including salaries, allowances and administration costs) in the first quarter of 2013.
The current government has continued throughout the last year to try and establish loan and credit facilities with foreign nations and banks for the stated purpose of “budget support”.
Full repor at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/state-developments-to-recommence-by-2014-after-nasheed-administrations-bills-settled-president-waheed-62680
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Mideast
PLO charges Israel with ‘war crimes, anti-human, racist acts’
19 August 2013
The PLO leadership on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Israel and threatened to go to international agencies to punish it for its “war crimes, anti-human, racist acts and violations of international laws.”
The attack came during a meeting in Ramallah of the PLO Executive Committee under the chairmanship of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
The PLO leaders said they would not accept a situation where the peace talks with Israel, which resumed recently, would become a “political cover for the implementation of the largest settlement project.”
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/PLO-charges-Israel-with-war-crimes-anti-human-racist-acts-323504
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Israel quietly maintains ties with Egyptian army
19 August 2013
Israel is quietly and carefully watching the turmoil in neighboring Egypt while maintaining close contacts with the Egyptian military amid concerns that the escalating crisis could weaken their common battle against Islamic militants in the Sinai Peninsula, officials said.
As the week's death toll in Egypt rises, this alliance has put Israel in a delicate position. Wary of being seen as taking sides in the Egyptian military's standoff against Islamist supporters of the ousted president, Israel also needs the Egyptian army to maintain quiet along their shared border — and to preserve a historic peace treaty.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/79401/World/Region/Israel-quietly-maintains-ties-with-Egyptian-army.aspx
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Iran to teach drone-hunting to school students
Aug 19, 2013
An Iranian newspaper is reporting that the country's powerful Revolutionary Guards paramilitary units plan to teach drone-hunting to school students.
The Monday report by pro-reform Etemad daily quotes Gen. Ali Fazli, acting commander of the Guard's Basij militia, as saying the new program will be taught as part of a "Defensive Readiness" lesson in high schools.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/iran-to-teach-drone-hunting-to-school-students.aspx?pageID=238&nID=52798&NewsCatID=352
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Turkey accuses OIC of inaction on Egypt violence
19 August 2013
Turkey's Islamic-rooted government on Monday accused the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and its Turkish secretary general of remaining indifferent to the bloodshed in Egypt.
"I would say I resign because ... I couldn't accept the stance of an Islamic organisation whose name carries the word Islam in the face of such brutality," Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said in televised remarks.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/08/19/Turkey-accuses-OIV-of-inaction-on-Egypt-violence.html
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Africa
Nigeria vigilantes take on Islamist extremists Boko Haram
August 19, 2013
Maiduguri: The battered old car, cutlasses and nail-studded clubs poking out of its windows, careens down the road and squeals to a stop. Its young occupants pile out, shouting with glee, and set up a roadblock.
“Get down!” ‘’Open the trunk!” ‘’What’s in that parcel?” They yell as a line of stopped cars and minivan taxis forms that will become nearly two kilometers (a mile) long.
They are part of a vigilante force that has arisen here as a backlash against Boko Haram, the Islamist extremist network responsible for 1,700 deaths in Nigeria since 2010, according to a count by The Associated Press.
Full report at:
http://gulfnews.com/news/world/other-world/nigeria-vigilantes-take-on-islamist-extremists-boko-haram-1.1220784
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In turnaround, ruling Tunisia Islamists will meet rivals
TNN | Aug 19, 2013
TUNIS: Tunisia's governing Islamist party Ennahda switched course on Sunday and agreed to meet with opposition parties to seek a consensus on resolving the country's worst political crisis since its 2011 Arab Spring revolution.
Fethi Ayadi, chairman of the party's supreme council, told journalists the talks could start by the end of the week and could consider opposition demands for a caretaker technocrat government to find a way out of the current standoff.
Ennahda chairman Rached Ghannouchi firmly rejected that demand on Thursday, prompting criticism from opposition leaders who accuse his party of incompetent leadership and complacency toward threats from violent hardline Salafis.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/In-turnaround-ruling-Tunisia-Islamists-will-meet-rivals/articleshow/21907936.cms
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Janjaweed militia kidnaps families fleeing Darfur ethnic violence: Report
AFP | Aug 19, 2013
KHARTOUM: Janjaweed militia in Sudan's Darfur region kidnapped more than 20 members of a tribe fleeing deadly inter-ethnic violence, prompting their group to boycott a ceasefire process, a local leader said Sunday.
Five families, a total of 24 people from the Maaliya tribe, were abducted on Saturday night just outside the East Darfur state capital Ed Daein, said Zekria Suliman, a local Maaliya leader.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Janjaweed-militia-kidnaps-families-fleeing-Darfur-ethnic-violence-Report/articleshow/21907659.cms
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Pakistan
Hindus to celebrate Raksha Bandhan together in Peshawar this year
19 August 2013
PESHAWAR: Hindus from around Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) will converge in Peshawar to celebrate Raksha Bandhan at Kalibari temple.
Talking to The Express Tribune, All Pakistan Hindu Rights Movement Chairman Haroon Sarab Dayal said after a long time the community’s elders have decided to make Raksha Bandhan a grand event. The day will be marked on August 21 this year.
“We collectively celebrate the Raskha Bandhan festival in Peshawar and this year, the elders have decided to celebrate with Hindus from around the province at Kalibari temple. It will be a grand event for everybody,” he said, adding the celebrations will last 15 days.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/591959/raksha-bandhan-all-hindus-to-celebrate-together-in-peshawar-this-year/
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By-polls: Marriage of convenience between pro and anti Taliban forces
ZULFIQAR ALI
Aug 19, 2013
The electoral alliance between pro and anti Taliban political forces against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf for the August 22 by-elections has made the contest quite interesting in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, especially in NA-1 Peshawar.
PTI candidate Gul Badshah is contesting against Awami National Party stalwart Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour for National Assembly seat NA-1. Religious, liberal, secular and right wing parties like Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, Pakistan People’s Party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party have entered into seat adjustment to outclass the PTI candidate in Peshawar.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/news/1036833/by-polls-marriage-of-convenience-between-pro-and-anti-taliban-forces
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Afghan peace process: Pakistan may release more Taliban prisoners
August 19, 2013
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan may release another batch of Afghan Taliban detainees at the request of the Hamid Karzai administration in a new push to revive a nascent peace process in Afghanistan, officials said on Sunday.
A government official confirmed to The Express Tribune that the release of more Taliban prisoners would be on the agenda of talks during the upcoming visit of President Karzai to Pakistan. The official requested not to be named in the report because he is not authorised to speak to the media on the subject.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/592137/afghan-peace-process-pakistan-may-release-more-taliban-prisoners/
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School blown up in Mohmand Agency
August 19, 2013
GHALLANI: A state run boy’s school was blown up in Mohmand Agency on Monday. The number of destroyed schools in Mohmand has been recorded at 110, where about 30 are under construction.
The school Malik Meer Dad is located in Mozi Kor Ghazi Baig area of upper Mohmand Tehsil Haleemzai. The two-room school building was partially destroyed as a result of the explosion.
Twelve people, including the school owner, have been arrested in the search operation under the joint responsibility clause of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), said Upper Mohmand Assistant Political Agent Jamshed Khan.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/592197/school-blown-up-in-mohmand-agency-2/
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Muslim Zion: Pakistan As A Political Idea
August 19, 2013
“Pakistan is, like Israel, an ideological state. Take out the Judaism from Israel and it will fall like a house of cards. Take Islam out of Pakistan and make it a secular state; it would collapse.”
By the time he uttered these words in a 1981 interview with The Economist magazine, Pakistan’s president Zia-ul-Haq was simply mouthing a stereotype. For Zionism had long provided a model for Muslims who sought to carve a new state out of India. Over the course of the nineteenth century, after all, European Jewry had come to represent the archetypical minority for states that were increasingly being defined as the property of their national majorities.
Full report at:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/international/19-Aug-2013/muslim-zion-pakistan-as-a-political-idea
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110 killed, 300,000 affected due to heavy rain in Pakistan
Aug 19, 2013
KARACHI: At least 110 people have been killed and 300,000 others affected due to the heavy monsoon rains and flooding in many parts of Pakistan, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Sunday.
Senior NDMA officials said heavy rain and flooding had caused havoc in the provinces of Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa, Punjab and Balochistan.
"In two weeks, the heavy rain have affected more than 300,000 people who have been displaced while around 110 people have died in the flooding and other incidents caused by the rain," an official said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/110-killed-300000-affected-due-to-heavy-rain-in-Pakistan/articleshow/21900016.cms
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End of immunity?: Six cases may be opened against President Zardari
August 19, 2013
RAWALPINDI: Six accountability cases against President Asif Ali Zardari are going to be opened in the second week of September.
According to Daily Express the accountability court judges will reopen all these references and will issue summons to the accused.
The Supreme Court, in its judgment on the NRO case had assigned the right of reopening accountability cases to accountability courts.
All the cases were being heard in three different accountability courts in Rawalpindi but now they have been transferred to accountability court No1 in Islamabad. These include ARY Gold, Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/592035/end-of-immunity-six-cases-may-be-opened-against-president-zardari/
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Two FC personnel among three dead in Quetta violence
SYED ALI SHAH
Aug 19, 2013
QUETTA: Armed militants killed two Frontier Corps (FC) personnel and injured another one in Sariab road area of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan on Sunday evening, police said.
Shabeer Ahmed, a police official told Dawn.com that two armed militants opened fire at the checkpost of FC in Sariab road area of Quetta.
He said one FC personnel was killed on the spot, whereas another succumbed to injuries on the way to the hospital.
Ahmed said one attacker was also killed when FC personnel retaliated after the attack. He said another attacker was arrested alive in an injured condition and was shifted to an unknown location for interrogation.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/news/1036715/two-fc-personnel-among-three-dead-in-quetta-violence
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LHC discards appeal against death sentence of GHQ attack mastermind
Aug 19, 2013
RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi division bench of the Lahore High Court on Monday discarded an appeal against the death sentence of Aqeel Ahmed alias Dr Usman, the man convicted for the 2009 attack on the Army General Headquarters (GHQ), DawnNews reported.
The intra-court appeal was heard by a bench comprising Justice Mazhar Iqbal and Justice Ibadur Rahman Lodhi.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/news/1036882/lhc-discards-appeal-against-death-sentence-of-ghq-attack-mastermind
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Europe
Norway’s Far Right May Come to Power Despite Memory of Anders Breivik’s Killing Spree
By Charlotte McDonald-Gibson / Oslo
Aug. 19, 2013
Prableen Kaur has arrived at Grorud Naersenter, a drab shopping mall on the outskirts of Oslo, armed with hundreds of red roses and an unshakable faith in Norway’s democracy. The roses are an easy sell. “It’s an icebreaker — people usually don’t say no,” the 20-year-old Labor Party candidate says as she thrusts flowers and campaign leaflets into shoppers’ hands.
Harder to understand is her tolerance toward those sharing the views of Anders Behring Breivik, the white supremacist who left her cowering under the bodies of her friends as he calmly shot dead 69 people at a Labor Party youth camp on Utoya Island two years ago. He claimed to be on a crusade against multiculturalism and immigration, intent on wiping out the future generation of a party he blamed for the “Islamic invasion” of Norway.
Full report at:
http://world.time.com/2013/08/19/norways-far-right-may-come-to-power-despite-memory-of-anders-breiviks-killing-spree/#ixzz2cOww8wbn
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Protests in UK over persecution of Pak Hindus
Aug 19, 2013
LONDON: Demanding equal rights for Hindus living in Pakistan, a protest demonstration against the persecution of the minority community was held outside the Pakistan High Commission here.
"The Hindus in Pakistan are facing a lot of suppression by the Muslim majority for the only reason that they are Hindu. Destruction of temples, abduction of Hindu girls and forced conversion and marriages, mass violence and economic and political marginalisation are just a few problems," the Alliance of Pakistani and British Hindus said in a statement.
The protesters, carrying placards reading "No More Forced Conversions", also handed over a petition to the High Commission at Lowndes Square in central London yesterday asking the Pakistani government to take immediate steps to ensure the well being and safety of Hindus in the country.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/Protests-in-UK-over-persecution-of-Pak-Hindus/articleshow/21898821.cms
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Elite forces in secret raids against Taliban bomb-makers
By Ben Farme
August 19, 2013
An officer of the unit, known as the Special Forces Support Group (SFSG), disclosed details of the raids in an Army magazine, commenting that close-up killing is "exactly what we all joined up to do".
The disclosures in Pegasus, the journal of the Parachute Regiment, come two weeks after reports emerged that 80 British troops had been sent on a secret mission to help Afghan troops to clear Taliban fighters from Sangin. According to the article, understood to have been written by a senior officer in the unit, the unit's A Company arrived in Afghanistan in Full report at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/10251377/Elite-forces-in-secret-raids-against-Taliban-bomb-makers.html
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More than 20,000 Syrian refugees cross into Iraq: UN
August 19, 2013
More than 20,000 Syrian refugees have entered northern Iraq since Thursday in one of the largest crossings in the more than two-year-old conflict and the influx is continuing, the United Nations said on Monday. Syrians began pouring into the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq last
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/europe/More-than-20-000-Syrian-refugees-cross-into-Iraq--UN/Article1-1109836.aspx
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France urges Saudi Arabia, Qatar to help resolve Egypt crisis
AFP | Aug 19, 2013
PARIS: France on Sunday called on Saudi Arabia and Qatar to help find a solution to the crisis in Egypt as it received senior diplomats from the two rival regional powers.
Qatar, considered an ally of ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, has strongly condemned the intervention by the authorities against the Islamist leader's supporters.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/France-urges-Saudi-Arabia-Qatar-to-help-resolve-Egypt-crisis/articleshow/21906172.cms
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UN turns to social media for annual humanitarian campaign
August 19, 2013
The United Nations (UN) is turning to social media to raise money and awareness of humanitarian crises that have fallen off the global agenda, said UN Undersecretary-General Valerie Amos.
The United Nations will unveil the social media campaign on Monday during World Humanitarian Day, the organization’s annual day to remember aid workers who have died while in the field and promote humanitarian aid.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/592181/un-turns-to-social-media-for-annual-humanitarian-campaign/
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Al-Qaeda 'targeting European rail network': report
August 19, 2013
Al-Qaeda is plotting attacks on Europe's high-speed rail network, German mass circulation daily Bild reported on Monday, citing intelligence sources.
The extremist group could plant explosives on trains and tunnels or sabotage tracks and electrical cabling, said Bild, Europe's most widely read daily.
Bild said the information came from the National Security Agency (NSA) in the United States, which had listened in to a conference call involving top al-Qaeda operatives.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/europe/Al-Qaeda-targeting-European-rail-network-report/Article1-1109662.aspx
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European officials hold emergency talks to plot course on Egypt
19 August 2013
Top European Union officials on Monday held a first round of emergency talks on the crisis in Egypt, which has claimed nearly 800 lives over five days.
Ambassadors were recalled from their summer break for the meeting expected to start in Brussels at 0800 GMT, AFP news agency reported.
On Sunday, the bloc warned it would “urgently review” ties with Cairo in the coming days.
The European Union has pledged nearly five billion euros ($6.7 billion) in aid to Egypt but the bloc has cautioned this too was under “constant review” after Islamist President Mohammad Mursi’s ouster.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/08/19/Top-European-ambassadors-prepare-emergency-talks-on-Egypt.html
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British headquarters in Afghanistan moves to Camp Bastion
Aug 19, 2013
The headquarters of the British military operation in Afghanistan has moved from Lashkar Gah to Camp Bastion, the Ministry of Defence has said.
Task Force Helmand, which co-ordinates the military operations, has been based in Lashkar Gah since 2006.
It was moved to Camp Bastion, the main UK base, in an early morning helicopter operation earlier this month.
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the transfer was a "key milestone" in the drawdown of the military presence.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23755134
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North America
U.S. Congress divided over blocking aid to Egyptian military
19 August 2013
The Associated Press, Washington
Members of Congress are split over whether the U.S. should cut off military aid to Egypt, highlighting the difficult choices facing the Obama administration amid spiraling violence on the streets of an important Middle East ally.
Democratic leaders have generally supported the president’s approach. But on Sunday, Democratic Congressman Keith Ellison said he would end aid to Egypt. Ellison is the first Muslim elected to Congress and is co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
“I would cut off aid but engage in intense diplomacy in Egypt and in the region to try to say, look, we will restore aid when you stop the bloodshed in the street and set up a path towards democracy that you were on before,” Ellison said. “In my mind, there’s no way to say that this was not a coup. It is. We should say so. And then follow our own law, which says we cannot fund the coup leaders.”
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2013/08/19/U-S-Congress-divided-over-blocking-aid-to-Egyptian-military.html
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Muslim youths in Boston plan peace rally
August 19, 2013
BOSTON (AP) — A group of Muslim youths is planning a rally on Boston Common, saying they want to emphasize that true Islam is a religion of peace.
The organizers of the Muslims for Peace rally Sunday afternoon say they’re responding to recent violence, including the Boston Marathon bombings in April and the killing of a soldier in London in May. Both incidents have been linked to Islamic extremists.
Full report at:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2013/08/17/muslim-youths-boston-plan-peace-rally/V23Udu1ixGteoxgPB1S0nM/story.html
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NYPD faces prospect of two new, separate watchdogs
Aug 19, 2013
NEW YORK: After years of burnishing a reputation as one of the most potent police forces in the US, the New York Police department appears poised to become one of the most closely monitored.
A federal judge this week said the department made thousands of racially discriminatory street stops and appointed a monitor to direct changes. And city lawmakers are readying for a final vote Thursday on creating an inspector general for the NYPD and widening the legal path for pursuing claims of police bias.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/NYPD-faces-prospect-of-two-new-separate-watchdogs/articleshow/21902897.cms
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Some of Guantanamo's hardest cases to get new look
Associated Press
Aug 19 2013
Cuba : As the U.S. renews its effort to close the Guantanamo Bay prison, it will soon begin reconsidering the fate of prisoners such as Mohammed al-Shimrani.
The 38-year-old Saudi is in a special category among the 166 prisoners at Guantanamo — one of nearly 50 men who a government task force decided were too dangerous to release but who can't be prosecuted, in some cases, because proceedings could reveal sensitive information. While the rest of the prisoners have been cleared for eventual release, transfer or prosecution, al-Shimrani and the others can only guess at their fate.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/some-of-guantanamo-s-hardest-cases-to-get-new-look/1157082/
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Southeast Asia
No more laws that restrict human rights, Najib promises
August 19, 2013
The government will not introduce laws which restrict human rights and liberties to rein in crime, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak (pic) promised.
The recent spate of violent crimes involving firearms has led to a growing chorus of demands from certain quarters for the government to reinstate preventive laws.
But Najib disagreed with the demands, saying he will not reinstate the powers to detain individuals without trial that he has abolished.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/no-more-laws-that-restrict-human-rights-najib-promises
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Most inmates recaptured from Indonesia jail break
AGENCIES
19 August 2013
30 inmates escape from a prison in North Sumatra province after riot
Security forces have retaken control of an overcrowded prison in western Indonesia following a riot, and have recaptured most of the estimated 30 convicts who escaped.
At least 30 inmates escaped a prison in Indonesia’s North Sumatra province after prisoners rioted and set fire to the building, police said on Monday.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/most-inmates-recaptured-from-indonesia-jail-break/article5037443.ece
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Crackdown on illegal immigrants in Sabah imminent, says Musa Aman
BY RUBEN SARIO
August 19, 2013
KOTA KINABALU: A massive crackdown on the thousands of illegal immigrants in Sabah is in the final stages of planning and set to kick off soon, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said.
The integrated operation to be coordinated by the Federal Special Taskforce on illegal immigrants will involve the police, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and the military as well as the National Registration and Immigration departments, he said when responding to a question from Datuk Joniston Bangkuai (BN-Klias) at the state assembly sitting.
Full report at:
http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2013/08/19/Sabah-crackdown-on-illegal-foreigners.aspx
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PM: Safety of Malaysian students in Egypt remains top priority
August 19, 2013
KUALA LUMPUR: The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the safety of Malaysian students in Egypt remained a top priority.
"The safety of our students in Egypt remains a top priority. We will do what is necessary to ensure they can be brought home safe," he said.
Najib had reportedly directed that preparations be made to bring back Malaysian students who are pursuing studies in Egypt in view of the current developments in the country.
Full report at:
http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2013/08/18/PM-Safety-of-Malaysian-students-in-Egypt-remains-top-priority.aspx
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/‘allah’-muslims-only,-malaysian-minister/d/13100