America regards ISI as 'terrorist' organization
New Age Islam News Bureau
26 Apr 2011
A
former Guantanamo detainee on the death of Osama bin Laden -The ...
(Washington
Post)
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• Former Gitmo detainee now America's ally in Libya
• Two bombs hit Pak navy buses in Karachi, 4 dead
• US charges four Pakistanis in Mumbai attack plot: Agencies
• Eight killed in Karachi violence, Pak
• Al-Qaida leaders were in Karachi on 9/11: WikiLeaks
• IAS officer offers to reveal Modi's anti-minority stance
• IAEA terms Pak nuclear program safe, secure
• Libyan rebels claim Misrata success
• Qaddafi escapes NATO bombing of his office complex
• Baby abandoned near mosque in Ras Al Khaimah : Kuwait
• 'Qaida chief ran helter-skelter in Af for months after 9/11'
• Saudi Arab appreciates Yemen’s cooperation
• Arab unrest: OIC should intervene
• 165 killed in one week of south Sudan clashes
• NATO Airstrikes Target Gadhafi Compound
• 25 killed in Syria crackdown on Daraa: activist
• Rain prayers conducted in all parts of the Kingdom: Saudia Arabia
• Sadhvi alleges “harsh treatment” in jail
• Chidambaram lauds Gujarat police officer
• Punjab CM denies statement on ‘Karachi province’
• 2 shot dead, scores hurt at huge Yemen protests
• SIT submits second report
• Suspects in Jeddah floods being grilled
• Taliban free hundreds in Afghan jailbreak
• EU powers push UN council to condemn Syria
• Syria has opted for military solution: activist
• Yemen opposition agrees to Saleh exit plan
• Clashes in Iraq’s Mosul wound at least 10
• US eyes possible sanctions on Syrian officials
• With big deals ahead, Antony warns military against graft
• Italy says its air force can bomb Libya military targets
• Anti-nuclear protesters in France, Germany mark Chernobyl
• For Egyptians, happiness is a warm gun
• Many injured in Meerut violence Special Correspondent
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/america-regards-isi-terrorist-organization/d/4523
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America regards ISI as 'terrorist' organisation
HASAN SUROOR
26 APR 2011
Pakistan may see itself as America's strategic ally in fighting terror, but American authorities regard its intelligence agency, the ISI, as a terrorist organisation along with some of the world's most notorious terror groups, including the Al-Qaeda.
The dramatic revelation emerges from a secret document published by The Guardian on Monday.
Dated September 2007 and called the Joint Task Force Guantanamo Matrix of Threat Indicators for Enemy Combatants, it reportedly lists 36 groups and says being linked to any of these organisations is an indication of terrorist or insurgent activity.
The Matrix is used to assess the terror links of Guantanamo Bay prisoners and the threat posed by them.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article1766957.ece
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Former Gitmo detainee now America's ally in Libya
26 APR 2011
DARNAH: For over five years, Abu Sufian Ibrahim Ahmed Hamuda bin Qumu was a prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay prison, judged "a probable member of al-Qaida". Now, Qumu, 51, is a notable figure in the Libyan rebels' fight to oust Muammar Gaddafi.
According to the New York Times, he is reportedly a leader of a ragtag band of fighters known as the Darnah Brigade in northeast Libya.
The paper further says that this former enemy and prisoner of the US is now an ally of sorts, a remarkable turnabout resulting from shifting American policies rather than any obvious change in Qumu.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Former-Gitmo-detainee-now-Americas-ally-in-Libya/articleshow/8086358.cms
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Bombs hit Pak navy buses in Karachi, 4 dead
26 APR 2011
Two bombs exploded near buses carrying navy officials in Pakistan’s southern city of Karachi on Tuesday, killing four people and wounding 56, officials said.,
Police said the bombs targeting the buses in two different parts of the city exploded simultaneously using remote controlled devices.
A junior naval officer and a civilian female doctor were among those killed in the twin blasts, Pakistan Navy spokesman Commander Salman Ali said.
Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attacks yet, but analysts said that the attacks may be part of a wider militant campaign to hit security forces across the country.
“It appears to be part of the same militant campaign but I don’t see any logic in targeting the navy because unlike army and air force they are not involved in any operations against the militants,” said Tasneem Noorani, a security analyst and former interior secretary.
“They may have targeted navy out of desperation because the other forces (air force and army) may have become very careful and are difficult to attack.”
The attack on the military in Karachi was the first since 2004 when gunmen ambushed a convoy escorting the Karachi army corps commander. The general narrowly escaped that attack.
Karachi is Pakistan’s biggest city and commercial hub. It hosts the country’s central bank, the main stock exchange as well as the two main ports. Most foreign companies working in Pakistan have offices in Karachi, which is also the main base for the navy.
“Explosive devices were planted on the road and they exploded as the buses were passing. Both buses were carrying navy officials,” senior police officer Iqbal Mahmood said.
In 2002, 11 French engineers and technicians working on the construction of submarines for the Pakistani navy were killed, along with three Pakistanis in a suicide car bombing outside a hotel in Karachi.
Separately, gunmen attacked and set fire to a bus in Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan province late on Monday, burning 15 people to death, including four children and two women, a senior government official said.
The attack took place in Sibi town, about 160 km east of the provincial capital of Quetta when the bus was parked at a roadside restaurant. Ethnic Baluch militants have waged a low-level insurgency for decades for more autonomy and greater control of natural resources of their region. They frequently attack government installations and security forces in their violent campaign
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/April/international_April1128.xml§ion=international
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US charges four Pakistanis in Mumbai attack plot:Agencies
26 APR 2011
CHICAGO: Four Pakistanis have been charged as co-conspirators in the 2008 Mumbai attack that killed 166 people, including six Americans, US prosecutors said on Monday.
The four were previously mentioned, but not named, in indictments charging American David Headley and Pakistani-born Chicago businessman Tahawwur Rana with helping to identify targets in Mumbai.
Headley and Rana have also been charged in a plot to attack a Danish newspaper that was never carried out.
Headley pleaded guilty in March 2010 and is cooperating with US investigators about taking several trips to India —and later to Denmark —to scout targets for the coordinated and lethal assault.
Rana has been held since his arrest in 2009 as a conspirator with Headley, and his US trial is scheduled to begin May 16. His attorney was not immediately available for comment.
All of the four newly-indicted figures are linked to the Lashkar-e-Taiba. The group is blamed for the November 2008 attacks on Mumbai, which killed 166 people in India’s commercial capital.
Those newly indicted were Sajid Mir, Abu Qahafa, Mazhar Iqbal, and a fourth defendant known only by the alias “Major Iqbal.”
None are in US custody. All four are believed to be in Pakistan.They were charged with six counts of aiding and abetting the murder of US citizens and other charges related to the Mumbai attack and providing support to Lashkar, identified as a terrorist organisation by the United States.
Mir was also charged in the plot against Denmark’s Jyllands-Posten newspaper aiming to revenge the publication of cartoons of the prophet Mohammad that enraged many Muslims and prompted protests.
US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald in Chicago had requested the superseding indictment handed up by a grand jury on April 21 charging the four to be sealed to give the government time to alert US agencies and consult with foreign authorities.
The Mumbai attack strained already difficult India-Pakistan relations.
India has said it is not satisfied with the pace of Pakistan’s investigation, and has demanded more people be put on trial for the attack, including the founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hafiz Mohammad Saeed.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/04/26/us-charges-four-pakistanis-in-mumbai-attack-plot.html
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Eight killed in Karachi violence, Pak
26 APR 2011
KARACHI: Eight people were killed in separate incidents of violence and target killing in different parts of metropolis
here on Monday.
A man was shot dead and his brother injured by a mentally handicapped person at Paper Market within the remits of Kharadar police station. The tragic incident took place at Qasim Oil Shop situated at Paper Market, Kharadar, when an armed man, Hanif alias Kasoo, reached at the shop and opened fire on the siblings. Resultantly, Ejaz, 30, son of Mohammad Qasim, died on the spot while his brother Noor Mohammad, 58, received injuries. Upon getting the information police rushed to the spot and arrested the killer along with the weapon. SHO Ghulam Nabi Afridi said that the victims, who lived in the same area, were the owners of oil shop. In another incident, a drug peddler was killed by his accomplices over a money dispute at Baldia within the jurisdiction of Saeedabad police station. According to police, the deceased Anees Mujahid, 22, a resident of Baldia, arrived at the residence of his accomplice Farhan Baloch 30, in Saeedabad Sector D-3. Both were in the house when their associate Rasheed Lala reached and fired multiple gunshots. Both sustained severe bullet injuries and were rushed to the CHK for treatment where Anees succumbed to his injuries during treatment while doctors termed Farhan’s condition critical.
Separately, police found bullet-riddled body of a youth from Jalbani Goth within the jurisdiction of Khokhrapar police station. The identity of the victim is yet to be ascertained. Police said that the victim received four bullets and had several torture marks adding that he appeared to be of Baloch descent.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\04\26\story_26-4-2011_pg7_21
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Al-Qaida leaders were in Karachi on 9/11: WikiLeaks
26 APR 2011
WASHINGTON: Some senior al-Qaida leaders were in Pakistan's Karachi city on Sep 11, 2001 and most returned to Afghanistan within a day, Washington Post reported on Monday citing documents accessed by WikiLeaks.
The media report said that core al-Qaida leaders were in Karachi. While one of them was recovering at a hospital from a tonsillectomy and another was buying lab equipment for a biological weapons programme, key al-Qaida members were watching the scenes from New York and Washington on television.
But, within a day, most were on their way back to Afghanistan.
Classified military documents have been accessed by WikiLeaks that show the whereabouts of al-Qaida leaders Sep 11, 2001, and later.
The documents speak of a major gathering of some of al-Qaida's senior operatives in early December 2001 in Afghanistan's mountainous Zormat region.
The leaders who gathered there planned new attacks.
The documents show that just four days after 9/11, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden went to a guesthouse in Afghanistan's Kandahar province.
He told the guerrillas there "to defend Afghanistan against the infidel invaders" and to "fight in the name of Allah".
For the next three months, bin Laden and his confidant Ayman al Zawahiri travelled by car to several areas in Afghanistan. It was during that time that he delegated control of al-Qaida to the group's Shura Council.
Osama bin Laden and Zawahiri also used a secret guesthouse in or relatively close to the Afghan capital Kabul. Bin Laden met a string of visitors and gave orders.
Bin Laden alongwith Zawahiri and a few close associates escaped to his Tora Bora cave complex in November.
He and his deputy left Tora Bora in mid-December 2001.
The media report said that during that time, bin Laden was apparently so strapped for cash that he borrowed $7,000 from one of his protectors. He, however, returned the money within a year.
Washington Post said there were few geographic references in the WikiLeaks documents for bin Laden after his flight into Pakistan.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Al-Qaida-leaders-were-in-Karachi-on-9/11-WikiLeaks/articleshow/8080434.cms
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IAS officer offers to reveal Modi's anti-minority stance
26 April 2011
The Hindu,A Gujarat cadre IAS officer, Pradip Sharma, who is in jail for an alleged land scam, has attempted to reveal Chief Minister Narendra Modi's alleged anti-minority stance during the 2002 communal riots in the State. In a cryptic note addressed to the ..
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Libyan rebels claim Misrata success
26 APR 2011
MISRATA: Rebels in Misrata said they have pushed troops loyal to Moamer Kadhafi out of the besieged city, after the Libyan leader's compound took direct hits in a NATO air strike.
Several rebel sources Monday said regime forces were ejected from Misrata, 215 kilometres (132 miles) east of Tripoli, but rockets continued to rain down on the country's third city.
"There may be some soldiers hiding in the city, afraid of being killed, but there are no groups of soldiers left," one rebel said.
However, the claim was greeted sceptically in the western city of Benghazi, bastion of the rebellion that erupted in mid-February against the veteran strongman.
The Transitional National Council's military spokesman Colonel Ahmed Omar Bani dismissed reports of progress in Misrata.
"It is a disaster there," he said. "Kadhafi is not going anywhere. Misrata is the key to Tripoli. If he lets go of Misrata, he will let go of Tripoli. He is not crazy enough to do that."
In Tripoli, Kadhafi's son Seif al-Islam called the overnight NATO raid on the Bab al-Aziziya compound "cowardly."
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=14699
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Qaddafi escapes NATO bombing of his office complex
26 APR 2011
TRIPOLI, Libya: NATO airstrikes targeted the center of Muammar Qaddafi’s seat of power early Monday, unleashing guided bombs that destroyed a multistory library and office in his compound and badly damaged a reception hall for visiting dignitaries.
A government official said at a news conference at the site that three people had been killed and 45 injured, 15 of them seriously. However, a security official had told journalists when they first visited the scene hours earlier that only four people had been slightly injured. There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy.
Qaddafi’s whereabouts at the time of the attack on his sprawling Bab Al-Aziziya compound were unclear. He has made infrequent public appearances in Tripoli during the fighting that broke out in February between his forces and rebel groups.
Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said Qaddafi is not in hiding.
“He is well. He is healthy. He is in high spirits,” said Ibrahim, adding that officials considered the airstrike an attempt on Qaddafi’s life and “an act of terrorism.” The strike on the compound — a military base where Qaddafi maintains an official residence — was a sign of mounting pressure on the regime. While NATO said the site was targeted as a military command post, it also delivered a strong message to the embattled leader that the alliance is widening its range of targets.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article372189.ece
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Baby abandoned near mosque in Ras Al Khaimah : Kuwait
26 April 2011
RAS AL KHAIMAH — An infant was found abandoned near a mosque on the Al Kuwait Hospital Street in Ras Al Khaimah, police confirmed here on Monday.
Residents called the police on Sunday evening after finding the baby boy near a mosque. ‘‘He was crying,’’ said Major Marwan Jikka Al Mansouri, head of the Public Relations and Moral Guidance Department at the RAK Police.
The baby, suspected to belong to Asian parents was thought to be a few weeks old and was taken to Saqr Hospital for medical tests. “The boy will be kept there until his parents are found,” said Al Mansouri.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2011/April/theuae_April740.xml§ion=theuae
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'Qaida chief ran helter-skelter in Af for months after 9/11'
26 APR 2011
WASHINGTON: Al-Qaida supremo Osama bin Laden and his deputy spent a frantic three months traveling non-stop across Afghanistan after 9/11, according to secret US military files released by WikiLeaks. The documents, part of intelligence assessments of Guantanamo detainees, showed that bin Laden told fighters just four days after the September 11, 2001 attacks to take up arms in Afghanistan against the "infidel invaders," according to the Washington Post.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Qaida-chief-ran-helter-skelter-in-Af-for-months-after-9/11/articleshow/8086365.cms
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Saudi Arab appreciates Yemen’s cooperation
By ARAB NEWS
Apr 25, 2011
RIYADH: The Council of Ministers on Monday praised the cooperation of the Yemeni government and opposition with the mediation effort of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to reach an agreement that would bring peace and stability to the country.
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has agreed to a proposal by the GCC to step down within 30 days and hand power to his deputy in exchange for immunity from prosecution, state television announced Saturday. The opposition demanding Saleh’s departure earlier said it has also agreed to the Gulf mediators’ proposal but with reservations. It objects to an article that gives Parliament the right to reject the president’s resignation.
The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, also urged the international community to activate the Middle East peace process and force Israel to take part in the peace process seriously and sincerely. The Kingdom denounced Israel’s continuing settlement policy.
While reviewing developments in some Arab countries and their implications, the Cabinet stressed the need for dealing with them in such a way that would restore peace and stability in those countries.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article372657.ece
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Arab unrest: OIC should intervene
By SEIF A SOMALYA
26 APR 2011
Some Muslim countries are going through a difficult phase in their history.
What is the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) doing in these trying times?
The very relevance of the OIC is being questioned when there is nonstop violence and killing in Yemen, Libya and Syria. There is a dire need for reconciliation, magnanimity and general amnesty to defuse the situation.
The most pressing problem now is to save lives and stop destruction of vital assets of all these nations affected by protests and demonstrations. The OIC should rise above petty sectarianism and forge one common platform to address these issues without further loss of lives. The OIC needs to provide genuine leadership in bringing all parties together in an attempt to resolve the issues peacefully and in a spirit of compromise and accommodation.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/opinion/letters/article372540.ece
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165 killed in one week of south Sudan clashes
26 APR 2011
JUBA, Sudan: At least 165 people have been killed in the past week in fighting between south Sudan’s army and militia, the army said on Monday, part of a wave of violence in the territory ahead of its independence in July.
Forces loyal to two renegade army commanders fought the southern army (SPLA) in Jonglei and Unity states, killing soldiers, rebels, northern tribesman and civilians, SPLA spokesman Malaak Ayuen said.
South Sudanese voted in January to separate from the north, which will split Africa’s largest nation in July. The poll was promised in a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war.
The violence has undermined the peace process and analysts warn the oil-producing south risks becoming a failed state after independence and destabilizing the whole region.
This year the SPLA has been at war with at least seven rebel militia, while the region is wracked by traditional tribal conflicts and faces routine raids in its west from Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army rebels, according to the United Nations.
The violence in nine of the south’s 10 states has killed more than 800 people — excluding those who died in the last two weeks — and displaced nearly 100,000 people, the UN said. Ayuen said an offensive in Unity state by renegade SPLA officer Peter Gadet since Tuesday has killed 101 people.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article372616.ece
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NATO Airstrikes Target Gadhafi Compound
Apr 25, 2011
TRIPOLI, Libya - NATO airstrikes targeted the center of Moammar Gadhafi's seat of power early Monday, destroying a multi-story library and office and badly damaging a reception hall for visiting dignitaries.
Gadhafi's whereabouts at the time of the attack on his sprawling Bab al-Azizya compound were unclear. A security official at the scene said four people were lightly hurt.
Monday's strike came after Gadhafi's forces unleashed a barrage of shells and rockets at the besieged rebel city of Misrata, in an especially bloody weekend that left at least 32 dead and dozens wounded.
The battle for Misrata, which has claimed hundreds of lives in the past two months, has become the focal point of Libya's armed rebellion against Gadhafi since fighting elsewhere is deadlocked.
Video of Misrata civilians being killed and wounded by Gadhafi's heavy weapons, including Grad rockets and tank shells, have spurred calls for more forceful international intervention to stop the bloodshed in the rebel-held city.
In Brussels, a NATO spokesman said the alliance is increasingly targeting facilities linked to Gadhafi's regime with government advances stalled on the battlefield.
"We have moved on to those command and control facilities that are used to coordinate such attacks by regime forces," the spokesman said of the strike on Bab al-Azizya. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with military briefing regulations.
Gadhafi's son, Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, struck a tone of defiance. He claimed that Gadhafi has "millions of Libyans with him" and said NATO's mission was doom to fail.
Full report at:
http://www.kristv.com/news/nato-airstrikes-target-gadhafi-compound/
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25 killed in Syria crackdown on Daraa: activist
April 25, 2011
NICOSIA: At least 25 people were killed when thousands of troops backed by heavy armour pounded Syria's southern flashpoint town of Daraa on Monday, an activist told AFP by telephone.
The militant, Abdullah Abazid, told AFP Syrian forces were bombarding Daraa with heavy artillery and that "at least 25 martyrs have fallen."
"There are still bodies sprawled on the streets," he said as loud explosions and shooting could be heard in the background.
"They are pounding the town with heavy artillery and machine guns," Abazid said, adding that snipers posted on rooftops were also shooting.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=14677
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Rain prayers conducted in all parts of the Kingdom: Saudia Arabia
26 APR 2011
RIYADH: Following a directive from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Istisqa (rain-seeking) prayers were performed throughout the Kingdom on Monday morning.
According to the Prophet's Sunnah, Istisqa prayers are conducted in the event of a drought or delay in rainfall.
The prayers were also performed at universities and schools in various provinces. There were rains in Riyadh on Monday afternoon following the prayers.
Riyadh Gov. Prince Salman attended Istisqa prayers at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in the capital.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article372578.ece
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Sadhvi alleges “harsh treatment” in jail
A.M. Faruqui
26 APR 2011
Mumbai: Counsel for Malegaon blast key accused Sadhvi Pragnya Singh Thakur on Monday alleged harsh treatment by the police authorities a day after she was taken to Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, to be produced before the magistrate there in connection with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activist Sunil Joshi murder case.
Rameshwar Gite, the Sadhvi's counsel in the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court here, alleged that the Byculla women's prison jailer sent her by second class of the Mumbai-Indore Awantika Express despite knowing that her medical condition was not good. He said the Sadhvi had been suffering from back-related ailments.
Medical check-up
But the jail authorities claimed that she was being regularly checked in the prison by doctors, and they did not find it necessary to send her by air or by first class in the train. Inspector-General, Prisons, Surendra Kumar said: “She was taken to Dewas with proper security measures. We did not find it necessary to send her by first class.” He said she was shifted to the Byculla prison after being kept in hospitals for months only after she was found to be fit.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2011/04/26/stories/2011042666771000.htm
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Chidambaram lauds Gujarat police officer
26 APR 2011
KOLKATA: Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram commended the “courage” of senior IPS officer Sanjiv Rajendra Bhatt in speaking out against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. He said more people were willing to come forward to speak the truth.
Mr. Bhatt, in his affidavit before the Supreme Court on Friday, said Mr. Modi directed top State police officials to “allow Hindus to vent their anger” and “teach a lesson” to Muslims following the Sabarmati Express carnage in which 59 kar sewaks were killed in 2002.
‘Major improvement'
“Today another IAS officer has also made a similar statement…I am glad that people are standing out and speaking what they think had happened on that day [eve of the 2002 riots]. I think it is a major improvement,” Mr. Chidambaram said.He pointed out that anyone who closely watched the turn of events in the case were aware of the truth that it was only now that people were mustering the courage to speak up in public.
Though Mr. Bhatt made the same revelation before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Supreme Court, it did not take it seriously.
WikiLeaks cables'
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2011/04/26/stories/2011042663381400.htm
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Punjab CM denies statement on ‘Karachi province’
26 APR 2011
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif Monday denied issuing a statement on making Karachi a separate province, saying he had only raised a question: ‘Whether Karachi be converted into a province?’
Addressing a press conference at Chief Minister House, Shahbaz Sharif said his party will discuss Sraiki and Bahawalpur provinces.
To a question on the possible coalition of Q-League and ruling Pakistan People’s Party, he said if two parties are willing to go ahead with it then ‘who are we to have any objection?’
Shahbaz Sharif said Pakistan has the required technology to strike down drones. China, he added, had also assured to extend its expertise and to provide technology on the issue of terrorism.
He said agreements on Taunsa Hydel Project and Lahore Mass Transit had been inked with China.
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=14693
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2 shot dead, scores hurt at huge Yemen protests
26 APR 2011
Yemeni security forces and loyalists of embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh shot dead two protesters and wounded scores in separate demonstrations yesterday, medics and witnesses told AFP.
"Security forces shot dead a protester and wounded 30 others, eight of them by live rounds," a medical source in Ibb, south of Sanaa, told AFP.
At least 30 others needed treatment for tear gas inhalation, witnesses said.
In the southeastern province of Al-Baida, gunmen "belonging to the ruling party" opened fire at a sit-in, killing one protester, according to a witness.
Another witness identified the victim as Salem Abdullah.
In Taez south of the capital, police and "gunmen in civilian clothes" opened fire with live rounds and tear gas, wounding 50 protesters, 25 with bullets, and leaving at least 250 suffering from breathing problems, witnesses said.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=183225
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SIT submits second report
J. Venkatesan
26 APR 2011
New Delhi: The Special Investigation Team headed by the former CBI Director, R.K. Raghavan, on Monday submitted its second report to the Supreme Court on the probe into the complaint by Zakia Jaffrey, wife of the slain former Congress MP Ehsan Jaffrey, in the Gulberg Society massacre case against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and others.
Informed sources told The Hindu that the report was submitted to the Registry in a sealed cover. The report assumes significance in the context of a senior Gujarat police officer, Sanjiv Rajendra Bhatt, filing an affidavit alleging that Mr. Modi gave instructions for orchestrating violence to ‘teach a lesson' to Muslims.
No evidence to corroborate claim
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2011/04/26/stories/2011042663431400.htm
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Suspects in Jeddah floods being grilled
26 APR 2011
JEDDAH: Investigators have started questioning officials and businessmen involved in the Nov. 25, 2009 Jeddah floods after collecting evidence against them. Those involved in the case will be brought to court.
Security authorities have obtained confessions from some officials — including top executives of the Jeddah Mayoralty and the Water and Sewage Department — that they took bribes from contractors. Acceptance of bribes is the main accusation against most of those involved.
An Interior Ministry spokesman said 302 people and 30 companies and consultancy firms are involved in the scandal; their names have been passed to investigation authorities to determine their roles and punish them accordingly.
The floods had resulted in the deaths of more than 120 people and rendered about 10,000 people homeless. Thousands of homes, buildings and vehicles were also destroyed.
The investigation authorities are to call 15 of the accused, including a water and sewage department official, within a few days to question them regarding the embezzlement of funds set aside for the Jeddah water projects. These officials are accused of paying more than SR90 million to contractors extra using their authority.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article372584.ece
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Taliban free hundreds in Afghan jailbreak
26 APR 2011
KANDAHAR: Hundreds of prisoners escaped from a prison in Afghanistan’s south on Monday through a tunnel dug by the Taliban, officials said, a “disaster” for the Afghan government and a setback for foreign forces planning to start a gradual withdrawal within months.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s chief spokesman said the incident, in which many Taliban commanders were said to have escaped, exposed serious vulnerabilities in the Afghan government.
“This is a blow, it is something that should not have happened ... we are looking into finding out ... what exactly happened and what is being done to compensate for the disaster that happened in the prison,” spokesman Waheed Omer told a news conference.
“It shows a great vulnerability in the Afghan government.”
Tooryalai Wesa, governor of southern Kandahar province, said around 500 prisoners escaped due to the negligence of the Afghan security forces at the province’s main jail. He said the start of the tunnel had been traced to a house near the prison.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\04\26\story_26-4-2011_pg1_2
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EU powers push UN council to condemn Syria
26 April 2011
Britain, France, Germany and Portugal are asking the UN Security Council to condemn Syria’s violent crackdown against protesters and urge restraint by the government, council diplomats said on Monday.
But it was unclear whether Russia and China would support the idea. The two permanent veto-wielding council members have become increasingly critical of the UN-backed intervention to protect civilians in Libya, which UN diplomats say Moscow and Beijing worry aims at ousting Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
“We would like council members to condemn the violence in Syria and to urge restraint,” a diplomat told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
At least 18 people were killed on Monday when Syrian soldiers and tanks stormed the southern city of Deraa, prominent activist Ammar Qurabi said.
Western powers which took up arms against Gaddafi’s forces, citing the United Nations principle of the responsibility to protect civilians, have confined themselves so far to verbal condemnations of the killing of hundreds of people in Syria.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/April/middleeast_April559.xml§ion=middleeast
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Syria has opted for military solution: activist
25 April 2011
DAMASCUS — Syria has chosen a military solution to crush nationwide pro-democracy demonstrations, prominent rights activist Rami Abdel Rahman said on Monday, as the army launched assaults in towns.
“It is clear that the Syrian authorities have taken a decision for a military and security solution,” Abdel Rahman, head of the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP by telephone.
Other rights activists and witnesses said thousands of Syrian troops early on Monday launched assaults on the southern town of Daraa as well as on Douma and Al-Muadamiyah near Damascus.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/April/middleeast_April548.xml§ion=middleeast
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Yemen opposition agrees to Saleh exit plan
26 April 2011,
Yemen’s opposition said it had agreed to a plan under which President Ali Abdullah Saleh would step down after 30 days, as two protesters were shot dead amid continued demonstrations.
“We have given our final accord to the (Gulf Cooperation Council) initiative after having received assurances from our Gulf brothers and American and European friends on our objections to certain clauses in the plan,” opposition spokesman Mohammed Qahtan told AFP.
He added that the Common Forum, a Yemeni parliamentary opposition coalition, had notified GCC secretary general Abdullatif al-Zayani of the decision.
The opposition said its acceptance of the plan would not mean an end to protests, as witnesses said hundreds of thousands of people rallied again on Monday.
“The plan does not foresee a suspension of the protest sit-ins, which are a constitutional right of Yemenis,” another Common Forum official, Hamid al-Ahmar, told AFP.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/April/middleeast_April562.xml§ion=middleeast
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Clashes in Iraq’s Mosul wound at least 10
25 April 2011
MOSUL, Iraq - At least 10 people were wounded on Monday in clashes between Iraqi security forces and people protesting in the northern city of Mosul against the US troop presence in the country, a medic and witnesses said.
The fighting erupted when security forces used water cannon and fired shots in the air to prevent around 3,000 protesters from reaching the city’s main square, the witnesses said.
Rallies in the square have been growing since April 9, with demonstrators protesting against any extension of the US troop presence in Iraq beyond the end of the year.
“We received 10 wounded people, including some policemen. Their injuries were caused by batons and stones,” said a medical source at Mosul hospital, who declined to be named.
The United States is due to withdraw its remaining troops by Dec. 31 as part of a joint security agreement with Iraq, more than eight years after the US-led invasion, but some Iraqis suspect the deadline may be extended.
Two rallies against a US troop extension have been held in Baghdad in recent days by followers of anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who has vowed to unleash his Mehdi Army militia unless the Americans leave on schedule.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/April/middleeast_April555.xml§ion=middleeast
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US eyes possible sanctions on Syrian officials
25 April 2011
WASHINGTON — The United States is considering targeted sanctions against Syrian officials to respond to “completely deplorable” violence used by Damascus’s forces to crush dissent, an official said Monday.
Signs of a more muscular US response to violence in Syria followed an assault by Syrian troops backed by tanks in the flashpoint town of Daraa, which killed at least 25 people, as a building crackdown reached new heights.
“The brutal violence used by the government of Syria against its people is completely deplorable and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms,” said National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/April/middleeast_April552.xml§ion=middleeast
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With big deals ahead, Antony warns military against graft
26 APR 2011
NEW DELHI: With several mega defence deals in the final stages now, including the hotly-contested $10.4 billion project to supply 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) to IAF, defence minister A K Antony on Monday warned the top military brass against succumbing to corrupt practices or wrongdoings.
"Time and cost overruns apart, there is always the danger of falling prey to corrupt practices perpetrated by vested interests in the garb of aggressive marketing. I strongly urge you all to stand guard with resolve against any such overtures," said Antony, speaking at the IAF and Army commanders conferences here.
"You must strive to uphold sincerity, probity and fair play, even in your day-to-day administrative work...At times, vested interests bring about unnecessary pressure and resort to corrupt practices that can wreak serious havoc upon our security in more ways than one. We must resist such efforts collectively and resolutely in national interest," he added.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/With-big-deals-ahead-Antony-warns-military-against-graft/articleshow/8085403.cms
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Italy says its air force can bomb Libya military targets
26 APR 2011
ROME: Italy, which has been playing a limited role in NATO operations in Libya, decided on Monday that its air force will be allowed to bomb selected military targets in the former Italian colony.
The surprise decision immediately opened a fresh crack in Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government, with a minister in a key coalition party, the Northern League, saying he strongly opposed it. Other League officials also dissented.
Italy was one of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's best friends in Europe until his violent suppression of an uprising prompted the UN Security Council to pass a resolution authorising the use of force to protect civilian lives.
A statement from Berlusconi's office said he had informed US President Barack Obama in a telephone conversation of the government's decision, and that he would call other European leaders to tell them personally as well.
It said the government had decided to "increase the operative flexibility of its aircraft with actions aimed at specific military targets on Libyan territory with the aim of protecting the civilian population".
Rome has made several air bases available for NATO forces and has contributed eight aircraft to the Libya mission.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Italy-says-its-air-force-can-bomb-Libya-military-targets/articleshow/8086683.cms
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Anti-nuclear protesters in France, Germany mark Chernobyl
26 APR 2011
STRASBOURG: Anti-nuclear activists in France and Germany staged mass protests on Monday to demand reactors be closed, on the eve of the 25th anniversary of Chernobyl and after Japan's Fukushima nuclear accident.
As organisers said tens of thousands of demonstrators joined nationwide protests in Germany to call for an end to nuclear power, hundreds of activists at the French-German border at Strasbourg staged a dramatic "die in".
Nearly 145,000 German protesters took part in demonstrations at 12 different sites in Germany and France, organisers said, as part of the traditional annual peace protest known as the Easter March.
Between 6,000 and 9,000 mostly German activists took to different bridges on the Rhine between Germany and France, AFP journalists reported, with the main Easter Monday demonstration involving hundreds in the "die in".
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Anti-nuclear-protesters-in-France-Germany-mark-Chernobyl/articleshow/8084874.cms
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For Egyptians, happiness is a warm gun
26 APR 2011
In addressing the purpose of life, Sigmund Freud said: “Work and love, love and work – that’s all there is.” Living in a third world country afflicted with work related problems while at the same time adapting to an emerging individualistic, consumerist society has left many Egyptians struggling to achieve Freud’s equation. (Work here does not mean employment, but rather work that has a purpose or is pursued with passion.)
“Egyptians had a beefy unused energy because of the corruption and routine work environment, so they revolted to let their energy out,” says Hani Henry, assistant professor of Psychology at The American University in Cairo (AUC).
Also Egyptians, who tend to experience their happiness through earning money and going to a shopping mall, have become consumerist by nature. “Buying things to impress people you might not even like is very common yet not fulfilling at all,” explains Henry. This shift to an individualistic society is changing the way Egyptians perceive and seek love. Romantic movies are full of action and drama and are in direct contrast to the classics, which led many to aspire to love. Today’s neglect of love means, says Henry, that “many Egyptians are thirsty for love now, leading to a cooler life.”
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/2/10712/Egypt/Society/For-Egyptians,-happiness-is-a-warm-gun.aspx
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Many injured in Meerut violence
26 APR 2011
LUCKNOW: A heavy police force has been deployed in Meerut district after incidents of violence in Qazipur village on Sunday following a tiff between the muezzin of the village mosque and some persons. Violence and arson left many persons injured. Among the injured were the ADM (City) of Meerut and Station House Officer of the Jaani police station.
Special D-G (Law and Order) Brij Lal said here on Monday that nine companies of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and four companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF) have been deployed in the district and vigil has been intensified in the village and surrounding areas.
Mr. Lal said three persons involved in the attack on the muezzin were arrested on Monday and sent to jail.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2011/04/26/stories/2011042659910300.htm
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/america-regards-isi-terrorist-organization/d/4523