An Eye for an Eye: Saudi Knifeman to Have Spine Cut as Punishment
New Age Islam News Bureau
4 Apr 2013
Arab World
• An Eye for an Eye: Saudi Knifeman to Have Spine Cut as Punishment
• 3rd generation al-Qaida is 'deadliest yet'
• Monitors for rituals installed in Riyadh mosques
• Serious efforts needed to tackle Islamophobia, says OIC official
• Syrian guerrilla fighters being sent to Iran for training
• Egypt’s Salafis get together to confront the Shiite ‘tide’
• Lebanese suspect in Saudi spy cell ‘most dangerous’: report
• Egyptian Court Blocks Extradition of Ex-Qaddafi Aide to Libya
• Syrian Government's Opposition Mostly Has Strong Islamic Roots
• Saudi Arabia quits IILM Islamic Finance Corporation
• Returning Jihadists from Syria Target Maghreb Expats
• ‘Citizenship for expats can solve labour issues’
Europe
• Saudi paralysis sentencing 'grotesque' - UK
• Hackney council worker admits storing terrorist material
• World powers seek rare progress in Iran nuclear talks
• Up to 600 Europe jihadists have fought in Syria
• Stop extra aid to Pakistan unless tax reform: Britain
• Kazakhstan and Egypt consider experience exchange in law-making
India
• Centre to bear ticket fare of Saudi Arabia expatriates wishing to return
• King Khan Lives up to his image as DDLJ completes 910 weeks breaking all records
• Liyaqat surrender: NIA finds fault with J&K govt
• Rahul Gandhi raps Narendra Modi for alienating Muslims, hurting India
• 14 Pakistani fishermen released from Kerala jail
• 11/7 blasts: IM co-founders testimony being recorded
South Asia
• Taliban’s room-to-room Afghan court massacre: officials
• Maldives Ministers fail to attend P C hearing on proposed pork and alcohol ban
• Asian Muslim Action Network Statement On Recent Violence In Myanmar
• China, Russia, Pak. discuss Afghanistan situation
• Taliban Doha office could help Afghan peace: Karzai
• “I will lead Maldives out of a failing democracy”: PPM presidential candidate
• H C judges file case against C J over suspension of Nasheed trial
• Hefazat-e-Islam entangled with Jamaat-e-Islami’s conspiracy’
• BNP leader killed after abduction in Rajbari
• Temple vandalised, torched in Bagerhat, Bangladesh
• NATO Airstrike Kills 6 in eastern Afghanistan
• The Afghan Threat: Reality or Uzbek Political Games?
• Myanmar police: 42 arrested over sectarian unrest
Mideast Asia
• Israel-Gaza Fighting Renews Spotlight on Salafist Militants
• Kurdish rebel chief urges unarmed pullout: Turkish paper
• Salafists say Hamas made arrests for rocket attacks
• Erdogan’s ‘wise’ step to help Kurd peace talks
• Mavi Marmara victim to donate compensation to Hamas, Islamic Jihad
• Yemenis want a waiver for Yemeni citizens working in the Saudi Kingdom
Africa
• Tunisian Salafist held after defending jihad on TV
• Mali's lax laws make an anti-slavery activism tough
• Tunisia politician arrested as gay sex suspect: Lawyer
• Libya ordered to pay $1.28m to Palestinian doctor in HIV case
• Tunisia jails militant for provoking youth
• Jack Straw fails to explain role in Libyan dissident seizure
Pakistan
• Pak men object to beardless Shahbaz Sharif's candidature
• Democracy to flourish despite conspiracies: Zardari
• Voters to get 'none of the above' choice
• Pakistan remembers Bhutto on his 34th death anniversary
• Four militants killed in attack on Khurram check post
• Five injured in Gujranwala Muslim-Christian clash
• Pakistan expels Frenchmen over militant links
• Gunmen kill two, injure three in Balochistan’s Dalbandin area
• Blast kills four paramilitary soldiers
• Bhutto gave voice to oppressed people: Gilani
• Pakistani protesters call for Musharraf’s arrest
• ‘Discrimination in power supply a constitutional violation’
• PPP member files objection to Nawaz Sharif's nomination papers
North America
• Jewish-Muslim Passover Seder Commemoration
• US think tank calls for peaceful Kashmir solution
• U.S. Official Puts Onus on Iran in Upcoming Nuclear Talks
• American Islamic group seeks maximum penalty for man who beat a Sikh
Southeast Asia
• Militants abduct and kill Muslim marine in Thai south: Police
• Thousands Rally in Indonesia’s Aceh for Separatist Flag
• Malaysia's Najib Warns Against Opposition ‘Gamble’
• Indonesia Abstains From UN Arms Trade Vote, Calling Treaty 'One-Sided'
Australia
• Australia Pledges Additional $99 Million for Poverty Program in Indonesia
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Afghan policemen stand at the site of a Taliban attack in Farah province, April 4, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer
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Arab World
An Eye for an Eye: Saudi Knifeman to Have Spine Cut as Punishment
By KAREN MORRISON
03rd April 2013
Ali al-Khawahir left his victim paralysed a decade ago and is now facing the same fate from the waist down if he fails to pay compensation of one million riyals (£176,000).
Khawahir, 24, who has already served ten years in jail, was only 14 at the time of the stabbing but this is not taken into account under Islamic Sharia law.
The ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom is known for its severe punishments – including flogging, amputation and beheading.
Al-Khawahir’s mum has been begging wealthy philanthropists to come forward to contribute to the fund.
She said: “Ten years have passed with hundreds of sleepless nights. My hair has become grey at a young age because of my son's problem.
"I have been frightened to death whenever I think about my son's fate and that he will have to be paralysed.”
The compensation was initially twice the amount now needed.
Amnesty International, the human rights group, said the sentence "should on no account be carried out".
Ann Harrison, a boss at Amnesty, said: "Paralysing someone as punishment for a crime would be torture.
"That such a punishment might be implemented is utterly shocking, even in a context where flogging is frequently imposed as a punishment for some offenses, as happens in Saudi Arabia.
"It is time the authorities in Saudi Arabia start respecting their international legal obligations and remove these terrible punishments from the law."
Amnesty said a similar sentence of paralysis was imposed in 2010 but that it was unknown if it had been carried out.
The Saudi Ministry of Justice denied that paralysis had been considered as a punishment in that case.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4872083/saudi-man-to-have-spine-cut-as-punishment.html#ixzz2PT2NVJKa
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3rd generation al-Qaida is 'deadliest yet'
April 3, 2013
BEIRUT, Lebanon, April 3 (UPI) -- Despite Western claims that al-Qaida's on the ropes, counter-terrorism experts warn that jihadist forces remain as dangerous as ever as they gather strength across the Muslim world and exploit the Middle East's political upheaval.
Indeed, the so-called third generation of jihadists "may prove to be the most deadly al-Qaida yet," observes veteran CIA analyst Bruce Riedel, now with the Brookings Institution.
Riedel is a hard-line conservative for whom jihadists are an existential threat to the West. Yet al-Qaida has been unable to replicate the horrors of Sept. 11, 2011.
The last major attack in Europe was the multiple bombings of London's transport system July 7, 2005, in which 54 people and four suicide bombers people were killed.
But then al-Qaida is no longer the highly centralized network it was in 2001.
Its founder and mastermind, Osama bin Laden, was killed by U.S. Navy SEALs in Pakistan May 2, 2011.
Dozens of his top- and mid-level commanders have been killed, mainly in U.S. drone strikes, decapitating the leadership of al-Qaida Central.
These days, the threat is more diffuse, coming from regional affiliates which run their own wars. The threat to the West is largely directed at its interests in regions far distant from the United States or Europe.
The jihadist storming of Algeria's In Amenas desert gas complex in January, apparently in retaliation for France's military push against jihadists in Mali, is a case in point.
So although the current surge of jihadist operations aren't a direct threat to Western civilization, they still cause deep concern among the West's intelligence services.
The mushrooming jihadist influence in Syria's civil war, now in its third year, threatens to destabilize the entire Middle East and ignite new sectarian conflicts in Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.
Meantime, the maelstrom of turmoil triggered by the pro-democracy uprisings of the so-called Arab Spring that began in January 2011 has opened immense opportunities for the jihadists.
They were originally thought to have been marginalized by these revolutions, but they've exploited the chaos and strengthened their power.
The assassination of bin Laden "signaled a watershed in the West's long struggle with jihadism," the Financial Times observed.
But nearly two years on, "unease has returned and a new chapter in the battle against Islamic extremism appears to be underway ... U.S. and European governments have a right to be worried.
"Now the threat is more widely scattered and therefore more complex."
British Prime Minister David Cameron warned after the In Amenas slaughter, "We face a large and existential terrorist threat from a group of extremists based in different parts of the world who want to do the biggest possible amount of damage to our interests and way of life."
Echoes of George W. Bush in 2001 but, as al-Qaida expert Jason Burke observed, "A gas refinery in southern Algeria is not the Pentagon."
That may be so. But al-Qaida is attracting increasing numbers of Western Muslims and converts, particularly in Syria, just as the war in Iraq did a few years ago.
The International Center for the Study of Radicalization at King's College, London, concluded a yearlong survey of the Syrian conflict by noting, "We can say with certainty ... that hundreds of Europeans have joined the fight in Syria."
And here things get more complex, because there's a school of thought that Saudi Arabia and the other Arab monarchies are supporting the secondary uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia because they don't want democratic Muslim governments to succeed lest they threaten the future of their own absolute regimes.
Nigel Inkster, a former senior official with Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, observed: "When al-Qaida was largely holed up in the badlands of Pakistan and the tribal areas, the U.S. had the capability to deal with them in a much more focused way through drone attacks.
"But now we have a far more disaggregated threat that no one country has the capability to tackle."
Riedel says of al Qaida 3.0: "It's an adaptive organization and it has exploited the chaos and turmoil of revolutionary change to create operational bases and new strongholds ..."
It's "a complex and decentralized enemy that requires strategies tailored to each franchise. There's no one answer to each challenge. There's no 'strategic defeat' of al-Qaida in sight."
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2013/04/03/3rd-generation-al-Qaida-is-deadliest-yet/UPI-37831365016063/
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Monitors for rituals installed in Riyadh mosques
4 April 2013
Some mosques in Riyadh have begun installing electronic monitors inside in order to guide worshippers on how to correctly perform prayer rituals.
"The project is still in its pilot phase. We want to test how technology can be of help in guiding people to do the right thing. We also want to see how worshippers react to the idea," said Abdullah Al-Huwaimil, deputy minister of Islamic affairs.
Al-Huwaimil said the projected mosque system and dawah (call to faith) will include an automated programming system through which mosque data and staff will be connected with the operational divisions of the ministry.
He said that many divisions of the ministry benefited from the electronic project known as "TID".
http://www.arabnews.com/news/446993
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Serious efforts needed to tackle Islamophobia, says OIC official
April 04, 2013
JEDDAH — A diplomat has said international law clearly states that denigration of symbols or personalities deemed sacred to any religion is a criminal offense.
Addressing members of the Pakistan Executive Group (PEG) at Marhaba Restaurant in Jeddah Tuesday evening, Rizwan Saeed Shaikh, who heads the department of cultural affairs at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, said enforcement of this law in true spirit depends on the will of member states despite his organization’s clear stance on the subject.
He said the OIC is making an effort to get this law enforced globally through a UN Human Rights Council resolution, an outcome of the Istanbul Process.
Full report at:
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20130404159822
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Syrian guerrilla fighters being sent to Iran for training
Fighters and activists reveal that the Syrian government sends pro-regime members of armed militias to Iran for training
4 Apr 2013
The Syrian government is sending members of its irregular militias for guerrilla combat training at a secret base in Iran, in a move to bolster its armed forces drained by two years of fighting and defections, fighters and activists said.
The discreet programme has been described as an open secret in some areas loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, who is trying to crush a revolt against his family's four-decade hold on power.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/68437/World/Region/Syrian-guerrilla-fighters-being-sent-to-Iran-for-t.aspx
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Egypt’s Salafis get together to confront the Shiite ‘tide’
4 April 2013
The Salafi Daawa and Al-Nur Party will hold a popular conference at a mosque in Egypt on Friday to confront the alleged Shiite ‘tide’ in the country.
"One of the Shiite doctrines is that their awaited Imam (The Mahdi) will not arrive until Egypt is a follower of them," said Sheikh Sharif al-Hawari, a member of the Salafi Daawa board, adding Egypt is the Shiite's biggest target because it is the leader of the Sunnis.
Twelfth Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi is said to have disappeared from the earth in the 10th century and is said to be due to return, accompanied by Jesus, to save mankind.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/04/04/Egypt-s-Salafis-get-together-to-confront-the-Shiite-tide-.html
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Lebanese suspect in Saudi spy cell ‘most dangerous’: report
April 04, 2013
BEIRUT: A Lebanese man accused by Saudi authorities of spying on behalf of a foreign country has been identified as the ringleader of a cell that was uncovered last month, a report published Thursday said.
The report published by the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat said that the Lebanese suspect, a Shiite businessman, was the most “dangerous” detainee in the network.
The report added that the man holds dual a nationality with an unidentified European country.
Full report at:
http://dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Apr-04/212558-lebanese-suspect-in-saudi-spy-cell-most-dangerous-report.ashx#ixzz2PVFkxYVe
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Egyptian Court Blocks Extradition of Ex-Qaddafi Aide to Libya
April 4, 2013
An Egyptian court ruled Wednesday against the extradition to Libya of a former close aide of ousted dictator Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. Ahmed Qaddaf al-Dam, a relative of Qaddafi’s who for decades coordinated relations between Libya and Egypt, challenged a Libyan request to extradite him following his arrest last month at his Cairo home. Two other Libyan officials arrested along with him have already been sent back to Libya. Libyan authorities sought the men for alleged corruption and roles in Libya’s eight-month civil war that ended with Colonel Qaddafi’s death in 2011. Libya has also asked Egypt to hand over around 100 other former government officials. In its ruling, Egypt’s Administrative Court suspended the extradition procedures, saying Mr. Dam had asked not to be extradited. The court said Mr. Dam is being treated as an asylum seeker and that Egypt is obliged to respond to his request because he fears he will not be guaranteed his full rights in Libya.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/04/world/middleeast/egypt-court-rules-against-
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Syrian Government's Opposition Mostly Has Strong Islamic Roots
By DAVID IGNATIUS
3 April 2013
ISTANBUL — As the decisive battle for Damascus approaches, the array of Syrian opposition forces facing President Bashar Assad appears to share one common trait: Most of the major rebel groups have strong Islamic roots and backing from Muslim neighbors.
The Free Syrian Army has developed a rough "order of battle" that describes these rebel groups, their ideology and sources of funding.
This report was shared last week with the State Department. It offers a window on a war that, absent some diplomatic miracle, is grinding toward a bloody and chaotic endgame.
The disorganized, Muslim-dominated opposition prompts several conclusions: First, the U.S. will have limited influence, even if it steps up covert involvement over the next few months.
Second, the post-Assad situation may be as chaotic and dangerous as the civil war. Muslim rebel groups will try to claim control of Assad's powerful arsenal, including chemical weapons, posing new dangers.
Full report at:
http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials-on-the-left/040313-650386-syrian-government-faces-off-agains-muslim-fundamentalist-groups.htm'
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Saudi Arabia quits IILM Islamic Finance Corporation
KUALA LUMPUR
Apr 3, 2013
IILM did not give a reason for Saudi Arabia's exit. The central banks of Qatar and Malaysia bought out Saudi Arabia's share.
Issuance of the first sukuk has been delayed twice, as IILM faced a major challenge to ensure compliance with laws in all of the 12 member countries situated across Asia and the Middle East. The likely value of the sukuk is between $300 million and to $500 million.
Full report at:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/04/islamicfinance-iilm-idUSL3N0CR05M20130404
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Returning Jihadists From Syria Target Maghreb Expats
By Mawassi Lahcen
April 3, 2013
Authorities in the Netherlands raised the country’s terrorism alert level last month, citing concerns over the radicalisation of young people and jihadists traveling to and from Syria.
The news also set off alarm bells in the country’s expatriate Moroccan community, where extremist groups have taken aim at recruiting youths for jihad. Experts fear these newly radicalised Moroccan expatriates could end up exporting salafist ideology back home, threatening Maghreb security.
Full report at:
http://www.eurasiareview.com/03042013-returning-jihadists-from-syria-target-maghreb-expats/
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‘Citizenship for expats can solve labor issues’
3 April 2013
A popular Saudi columnist has urged the government to replace the sponsorship system with the Western migrant system to solve the problem of illegal workers in the country. Khalaf Al-Harbi said granting citizenship to qualified foreign workers would help solve the country's labor shortage.
“No country in the world can spare foreign workers. Even the US, Canada and European countries depend on them for many professions and they naturalize a large number of foreigners because today’s world depends on participation and exchange of expertise,” he wrote in Okaz Arabic daily.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/news/446911
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Europe
Saudi paralysis sentencing 'grotesque' - UK
Apr 4, 2013
The UK has urged Saudi Arabia not to carry out a reported sentencing of paralysis for a Saudi man as punishment for paralysing another man.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said London was "deeply concerned" by the sentence, describing it as "grotesque".
Such punishment was "prohibited under international law", the official added.
Saudi media reports earlier said the 24-year-old man could be paralysed from the waist down if he could not pay his victim £250,000 in compensation.
Ali al-Khawahir was 14 when he stabbed a friend in the back in the Eastern Province town of al-Ahsa. He has been in prison for 10 years.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22029881
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Hackney council worker admits storing terrorist material
4 Apr 2013
A council worker from east London has admitted storing 300 computer discs of terrorist material in his car and home.
Khalid Baqa, 48, who worked as a revenue officer for Hackney Council, had one of the discs in his office computer, the Old Bailey heard.
Baqa, of Priory Road, Barking, pleaded guilty to two offences of disseminating terrorist publications.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22007059
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World powers seek rare progress in Iran nuclear talks
4 Apr 2013
ALMATY, Kazakhstan: World powers meet negotiators from Iran in Kazakhstan on Thursday in the hope of seizing a possible window of opportunity presented by rare signs of progress in February talks over Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme.
The two-day talks at the foot of the snow-capped Tien Shan mountains in Almaty come five weeks after the two sides met at the same venue for what Tehran described as “positive” and the world powers more coolly as “useful”discussions.
The “P5+1” world powers — Germany plus United Nations Security Council permanent members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — are seeking to coax Iran into softening years of defiance over its disputed nuclear programme, using a combination of demands and encouragement including a slackening of sanctions.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/04/04/world-powers-seek-rare-progress-in-iran-nuclear-talks/
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Up to 600 Europe jihadists have fought in Syria
April 3, 2013
London: As many as 600 Europeans have joined the rebels fighting government forces in Syria, according to a British study.
Jihadists from 14 European countries including France, Germany, Britain and the Netherlands are among those to enter the conflict, according to research published Tuesday by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) at King’s College London.
“Between 140 and 600 Europeans have gone to Syria since early 2011,” said researcher Aaron Y. Zelin.
Up to 441 Europeans are still in the country, he added.
The ICSR based the figures on some 250 “martyrdom notices” posted on jihadist websites as well as hundreds of Arab and Western media reports.
Full report at:
http://gulfnews.com/in-focus/syria/up-to-600-europe-jihadists-have-fought-in-syria-1.1166400
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Stop extra aid to Pakistan unless tax reform: Britain
AFP | Apr 4, 2013
LONDON: Britain should not increase aid to nuclear-armed Pakistan unless Islamabad tries to make its wealthy elite pay more taxes, British lawmakers recommended on Thursday.
Britain is due to double its assistance to Pakistan to £446 million ($675 million) in 2014-2015, making it the biggest recipient of British aid.
But parliament's International Development Committee said it was unfair for Britain to fund health and education projects unless Pakistan's new government, due to be elected in May, tackles "rife" corruption and tax evasion.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/Stop-extra-aid-to-Pakistan-unless-tax-reform-Britain/articleshow/19382321.cms?
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Kazakhstan and Egypt consider experience exchange in law-making
Thursday, 04.04.2013,
Kazakhstan and Egypt will consider an experience exchange in law-making, Tengrinews.kz reports citing the Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan.
"Kazakhstan ambassador to Egypt Berik Aryn met with chairman of Egypt's consultative council Ahmed Fahmy. They exchanged opinions on ways of development of cooperation between the two countries in different areas. They noted the importance of boosting the connection between the higher representative bodies of the countries that requires studying the opportunities of establishment of regular consultations and experience exchange in law-making work and creation of friendship groups in upper chambers of Kazakhstan and Egyptian parliaments," the message states.
Full report at:
http://en.tengrinews.kz/politics_sub/Kazakhstan-and-Egypt-consider-experience-exchange-in-law-making-18274/
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India
Centre to bear ticket fare of Saudi Arabia expatriates wishing to return
PTI | Apr 3, 2013
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Centre has responded positively to Kerala's request to bear full ticket fares of expatriates in Saudi Arabia wishing to return to the state due to the implementation of a new labour law in that country, chief minister Oommen Chandy said here on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting that discussed various issues faced by emigrants there, he said overseas Indian affairs minister Vayalar Ravi had informed the state that the Centre would take care of the expenses.
Chandy said the cabinet came up with a three pronged approach to extend all possible help to the expatriates.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Centre-to-bear-ticket-fare-of-Saudi-Arabia-expatriates-wishing-to-return/articleshow/19365921.cms
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King Khan lives up to his image as DDLJ completes 910 weeks breaking all records
New Age Islam News Bureau
April 4, 2013
Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol starrer Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge completed its 910 weeks in Maratha Madir Cinema, Mumbai breaking all records in the history of films all over the world. Earlier, another blockbuster Sholay held the record of longest running film in India as it ran for 286 weeks in Mumbai’s Minerva theatre. With the crowds still drawing in to watch the movie, DDLJ could well become a movie to complete twenty years in one theatre. The film was released on July 25, 1995 and is still drawing movie goers. The film has made Shah Rukh Khan an iconic figure in the film industry which has earned him the nickname King Khan. The film, directed by Yash Chopra’s son Aditya Chopra has been declared an all time blockbuster. It won 10 Filmfare Awards in 1996 and the British Film Institute commissioned a book on it written by Anupama Chopra.
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Liyaqat surrender: NIA finds fault with J&K govt
Apr 04 2013
New Delhi : Apart from the poor coordination among central agencies, the NIA probe into the arrest of the surrendered Hizbul Mujahideen militant Liyaqat Ali Shah has revealed that the J&K administration had not informed the Kupwara police about his surrender petition.
Shah’s first wife had filed a petition in February 2011 for his surrender with the J&K police. But it has been found that the Kupwara police told their Delhi counterparts that Shah is wanted in several terror plots.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/liyaqat-surrender-nia-finds-fault-with-j-k-govt/1097340/
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Rahul Gandhi raps Narendra Modi for alienating Muslims, hurting India
Apr 04 2013
New Delhi : In comments that may be seen as an attack on Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi today said alienation of minorities hurts the India's growth.
The Congress Vice President was talking to top business leaders of the country during an hour-long interaction at CII meet here, emphasising on the need for bringing about structural changes to empower common people and providing basic infrastructure in all respects.
Underlining that Congress is the only party which believes in taking everyone along, he said the country has witnessed faster economic growth under the UPA because it had greatly lowered tensions among communities and fostered harmony.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/rahul-gandhi-raps-narendra-modi-for-alienating-muslims-hurting-india/1097617/
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14 Pakistani fishermen released from Kerala jail
April 04, 2013
Fourteen Pakistani fishermen lodged in the central prison in Thiruvananthapuram after being taken into custody by the Indian Navy six months back for crossing into the Indian waters near Lakshadweep islands, have been sent back to their country.
The Pakistani nationals left for the Wagah border by train last evening escorted by Kerala police personnel after completing the official procedures for their release, ADGP (Prisons) Alexandar Jacob said.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/kerala/14-Pakistani-fishermen-released-from-Kerala-jail/Article1-1037145.aspx
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11/7 blasts: IM co-founder’s testimony being recorded
April 04, 2013
The special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court on Wednesday started recording the deposition of co-founder of terror outfit, Indian Mujahideen (IM), Mohammed Sadiq Israr Sheikh, in the July 2006 serial train blasts case.
The special MCOCA judge Yatin Shinde had on Saturday allowed the defence advocates’ appeal that Sheikh be examined as a defence witness in the case because of the confessional statement given by him in 2008.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/mumbai/11-7-blasts-IM-co-founder-s-testimony-being-recorded/Article1-1037043.aspx
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South Asia
Taliban’s room-to-room Afghan court massacre: officials
4 April 2013
Taliban gunmen who killed 46 people at an Afghan court complex in a bid to free insurgents standing trial moved ruthlessly from room to room, shooting everyone they found, officials recounted Thursday.
Defenceless civilians, judges, lawyers and court staff were left dead after nine militants disguised as Afghan soldiers launched an eight-hour assault on Wednesday which only ended after security forces finally killed the last surviving gunman.
Taliban fighters frequently target government compounds, but the unprecedented massacre at a court house in the remote province of Farah raised new fears about the insurgency’s strength as NATO forces withdraw from the battlefield.
Three attackers died when their explosive-laden vehicle, stolen from the Afghan army, drove into the entrance of the court in Farah city early Wednesday.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/asia/2013/04/04/Taliban-s-room-to-room-Afghan-court-massacre-officials.html
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Maldives Ministers fail to attend P C hearing on proposed pork and alcohol ban
By Mohamed Naahee | April 3rd, 2013
Government-aligned Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) MP Shifag Mufeed has heavily criticised President Mohamed Waheed Hassan and his ministers for failing to cooperate with parliament.
Shifag made the remark while speaking during parliament’s National Security Committee on Wednesday, during the committee’s review of a bill proposing a nationwide ban on sale of pork and alcohol.
In October 2012, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Nazim Rashad submitted the bill, which was accepted to parliament in a narrow vote in which Speaker Abdulla Shahid cast the deciding vote after it reached a stalemate, with 24 votes on either side.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/ministers-fail-to-attend-parliament-committee-hearing-on-proposed-pork-and-alcohol-ban-55652
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Asian Muslim Action Network Statement On Recent Violence In Myanmar
By Eurasia Review
April 3, 2013
AMAN is deeply saddened and concerned with the current and ongoing violence in Myanmar.
There are many reports of killing and the destruction of properties and places of worship, particularly in the Meikhtila Township, majority of who are Muslims. AMAN would like to categorically condemn such acts.
We extend our deepest condolences to the families who have lost family members, friends and property in the violence. We would like to also extend our solidarity with those affected by this violence.
Full report at:
http://www.eurasiareview.com/03042013-asian-muslim-action-network-statement-on-recent-violence-in-myanmar/
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China, Russia, Pak. discuss Afghanistan situation
ANANTH KRISHNAN
Apr 4, 2013
Back greater role for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
Officials from China, Russia and Pakistan on Wednesday held talks here to coordinate their positions on Afghanistan and said they would back the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) grouping to play a greater role as Nato forces prepare to withdraw in 2014.
The talks followed a similar meeting India, China and Russia held in Moscow recently, reflecting the delicate balancing act — and increasingly complicated regional dynamics — as different countries look to push their interests in the lead up to 2014.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/china-russia-pak-discuss-afghanistan-situation/article4577718.ece
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Taliban Doha office could help Afghan peace: Karzai
4 Apr 2013
DOHA: A Taliban office in Doha could “facilitate”talks with the militants, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in an interview with Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television broadcast on Wednesday.
Karzai, who held talks Sunday with the emir of Qatar to discuss opening a Taliban office in the Gulf state, said he was keen on working with the Taliban to help bring about peace in Afghanistan before Nato ends combat operations there next year.
“We never planned to eliminate the Taliban. Not me, not the Afghan people, not the Afghan government,” Karzai told Al-Jazeera, according to excerpts of the interview to be aired in full at 1900 GMT on Al-Jazeera English.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/04/03/taliban-doha-office-could-help-afghan-peace-karzai/
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“I will lead Maldives out of a failing democracy, we don’t want a phobiocracy”: PPM presidential candidate
By Mariyath Mohamed | April 3rd, 2013
The newly elected presidential candidate of Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) Abdulla Yameen on Tuesday night delivered his first address to supporters following the conclusion of the primaries.
“Our motto is ‘nation first’”, Yameen stated. “Any other parties who genuinely want to join us can come knock on our door anytime. You are welcome at any time, whether it be day or late at night.”
“I am not trying to be elected President for want of a castle. I don’t want such a palace. It is also not with the intention of challenging competitors. This is why I’m telling my opponent in the party itself, too, to stop competing with me. I do not intend to compete with anyone. I am here to fight the battle of solving the many issues our country is facing now,” Yameen said.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/%E2%80%9Ci-will-lead-maldives-out-of-a-failing-democracy-
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High Court judges file case against Chief Judge over suspension of Nasheed trial
By Mohamed Naahee | April 3rd, 2013
Eight judges of the High Court’s nine-member bench have filed a case with the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) against Chief Judge of the High Court Ahmed Shareef , for suspending the Hulhumale Magistrate Court’s trial of former President Mohamed Nasheed without allegedly registering the case in court.
The High Court on Monday ordered the Hulhumale’ Magistrate Court to suspend former President Mohamed Nasheed’s trial until it determined the legitimacy of the panel of judges appointed to examine his case. The stay order, signed by Chief Judge Ahmed Shareef, stated that the court was of the view that Nasheed’s ongoing trial must come to a halt until the legitimacy of the bench was established.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/high-court-judges-file-case-against-chief-judge-over-suspension-of-nasheed-trial-55636
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Hefazat-e-Islam entangled with Jamaat-e-Islami’s conspiracy’
4 Apr 2013
Hefazat-e-Islam is entangled with the conspiracy of Jamaat-e-Islami, Sammilito Sangskritik Jote President Nasiruddin Yusuf Bachchu claimed on Thursday.
“Though we do not have faith in the culture of hartal, we called the shutdown from Friday 6:00pm to Saturday 6:00pm to resist the Dhaka long march of Hefajat-e-Islam, which entangled with the conspiracy of Jamaat,” he said.
Bachchu was reading a joint statement of the organisations at a press briefing at Teachers-Students Centre of Dhaka University on Thursday.
Twenty-four pro-liberation organisations Wednesday night decided to call the nationwide 24-hour hartal.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/hefajat-entangled-with-jamaats-conspiracy/
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BNP leader killed after abduction in Rajbari
4 Apr 2013
Criminals have killed a BNP leader after abduction in Rajbari district.
Police recovered his body at Lakhmandia village in Pangsha upazila yesterday noon.
Identified as Abdus Sabur Khan, 45, the deceased was vice-president of Machpara union unit BNP, also a former member of Machpara union parishad.
Abdus Shahid Khan, elder brother of the deceased told the journalist that Sabur was abducted by a gang at about 8:30 pm on Tuesday when he was returning to his Lakhmandia home from Machpara bazaar.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/bnp-leader-killed-after-abduction-in-rajbari/
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Temple vandalised, torched in Bagerhat, Bangladesh
4 Apr 2013
Criminals torched a Hindu temple after damaging three idols in it in Morelganj upazila of the district early yesterday.
A gang broke into the Sarbojanin Durga Temple at Herma Bazar under Teligati union anytime after midnight and damaged the idols of Hindu god Ganesh and goddesses Laksmi and Saraswati, said Khandakar Rafikul Islam, superintendent of police (SP) in Bagerhat.
The criminals left the scene after setting straws in the temple on fire, the SP said, adding that police were trying to arrest the culprits.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/temple-vandalisedtorched-in-bagerhat/
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NATO Airstrike Kills 6 in eastern Afghanistan
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
4 Apr 2013
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan official says an airstrike by U.S.-led forces has killed four policemen and two civilians in eastern Afghanistan.
The official said on Thursday that the airstrike occurred the day before as NATO troops and Taliban militants were fighting about 10 kilometres (six miles) away from an Afghan police checkpoint in the Deh Yak district of Ghazni province.
District chief Fazel Ahmad Toolwak says the two civilians killed were brothers who were in a car that was being searched by police at the checkpoint.
The coalition says it is looking into the report.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2013/04/04/world/asia/ap-as-
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The Afghan Threat: Reality or Uzbek Political Games?
Igor Rotar
4 Apr 2013
A shootout occurred on March 21, on the border of Afghanistan and Tajikistan, between armed Afghans and residents of the Shuroabad District (in southwestern Tajikistan). Four people died. According to local residents, three armed Afghan smugglers entered Dekhi Qozi village. They took four local residents hostage, wanting to kidnap them to Afghanistan. But the hostages resisted the captors’ attempts; in the ensuing shootout, the smugglers and a 52-year old hostage were killed. A source in the State Committee for National Security, which protects Tajikistan’s state border, confirmed the incident but said no details were available (Fergananews.com, March 23).
Full report at: Jamestown Foundation
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Myanmar police: 42 arrested over sectarian unrest
April 04, 2013
YANGON: Myanmar's government has arrested dozens of people for their role in an outbreak of sectarian violence in central Myanmar last month, and some of them will go on trial within days, authorities said Thursday.
Advocate-General Ye Aung Myint said the accused "will be put on trial as quickly as possible ... to deter further acts of violence," but he gave no specific date on when hearings would begin.
Full report at:
http://dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2013/Apr-04/212563-myanmar-police-42-arrested-over-sectarian-unrest.ashx#ixzz2PVFekHHD
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Mideast Asia
Israel-Gaza Fighting Renews Spotlight on Salafist Militants
Michael Lipin
April 03, 2013
The heaviest exchange of fire between Israel and Gaza in months is drawing attention to Salafist groups in the Palestinian territory.
A group calling itself the Mujahedeen Shura Council says it has launched several rocket strikes on southern Israel since Tuesday. In the latest salvo, Israelis rushed to bomb shelters early Wednesday. Hours earlier, the Israeli military sent warplanes to attack militant targets in open areas of northern Gaza.
There have been no reports of casualties from the rocket fire or air strikes, the first Israel has launched since a November cease-fire with Hamas militants who control Gaza.
The Salafist group said the rocket attacks were in revenge for perceived Israeli mistreatment of a 64-year-old Palestinian prisoner who died of cancer on Tuesday.
Israel said it offered medical care to Maysara Abu Hamdiyeh, who was serving a life sentence for attempted murder in a 2002 bomb plot against a Jerusalem cafe.
Full report at:
http://www.voanews.com/content/israel-gaza-palestinians-salafist-militants/1634176.html
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Kurdish rebel chief urges unarmed pullout: Turkish paper
April 4, 2013
ISTANBUL: Jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan called on his fighters to leave Turkey without their weapons under a peace process to end a decades-old insurgency, the Yeni Safak daily reported on Thursday.
A weapons-free withdrawal by Ocalan’s Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), as sought by the government, would be a significant step towards ending a conflict which has killed more than 40,000 people.
Yeni Safak, which is close to the government, said Ocalan gave the message on Wednesday to a delegation from the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) which visited him in his prison on Imrali island, south of Istanbul.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/531046/kurdish-rebel-chief-urges-unarmed-pullout-turkish-paper/
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Salafists say Hamas made arrests for rocket attacks
4 April 2013
The Palestinian movement Hamas which rules Gaza has arrested two hardline Islamists in connection with rocket attacks on Israel, sources close to a Salafist group said Thursday.
The Hamas interior ministry, however, denied any arrests had been made for “resistance against the occupation.”
Hamas’s “internal security apparatus in the last two days arrested two mujahedeen. One was released after several hours. The other is still detained,” a Salafist source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/04/04/Salafists-say-Hamas-made-arrests-for-rocket-attacks-.html
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Erdogan’s ‘wise’ step to help Kurd peace talks
4 April 2013
ANKARA: Turkey said yesterday it has set up a consultative body of "wise people" to help shape public opinion on the latest peace process with Kurdish rebels.
The initiative, which involves an array of figures including popular actors and singers, follows a cease-fire call last month by jailed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan.
The group of "well-respected people whose common ground is democracy and freedoms" is due to have its first meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan today, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc told reporters.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/news/446933
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Mavi Marmara victim to donate compensation to Hamas, Islamic Jihad
April 4 2013
One of the victims of the Israeli raid on the Mavi Marmara aid flotilla has announced that he will donate the compensation to Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Israel apologized to Turkey for the Mavi Marmara raid in which nine Turkish nationals died and agreed to pay compensation to the families of the victims.
Activist Mehmet Tunç said he would donate the compensation to Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Palestine himself, adding that he would not touch even “one Turkish Lira” of it at a press conference today.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/mavi-marmara-victim-to-donate-compensation-to-hamas-
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Yemenis want a waiver for Yemeni citizens working in the Saudi Kingdom
4 April 2013
The Yemeni government has sent a high-level ministerial delegation to discuss new Saudi labour regulations that demand that expat workers work only for their sponsors.
The delegation aims to obtain a waiver from the Saudi government for Yemeni citizens working in the Kingdom.
“The Supreme Council of Yemeni Communities (SCYC) is very much concerned about the status of the Yemeni community in Saudi Arabia in view of the recent developments,” said Muhammad Al-Ahdal.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/news/447009
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Africa
Tunisian Salafist held after defending jihad on TV
April 3rd, 2013
TUNIS — A Tunisian Salafist who fought in Syria was arrested on Wednesday after defending jihad, or Islamic holy war, in a television broadcast, a justice ministry source said.
Abou Zeid Ettounsi was detained under an arrest warrant issued by the public prosecutor after appearing on a private Tunisian TV channel, which questioned him about Tunisians taking part in the Syrian conflict, the source added.
During the programme, Ettounsi sparked controversy by admitting having killed several people in the war-ravaged country and saying he was ready to wage jihad in Tunisia if such a fatwa, or religious edict, were issued.
Full report at:
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/tunisian-salafist-held-defending-jihad-tv-183707865.html#J9ged4X
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Mali's lax laws make an anti-slavery activism tough
Intamat Ag N'kadewane
3 April 2013
Being an anti-slavery activist is not easy: one faces powerful enemies, practices rooted in centuries-old traditions and beliefs. The government is not always there to protect you. Add in military conflict and insecurity and the job becomes impossible.
Even though slavery is formally abolished in Mali's constitution, slavery in its most traditional sense still exists throughout the country, especially in the northern regions. Slavery practices are culturally accepted by the elites of all groups and are underpinned by discrimination of people of slave descent.
Full report at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development-professionals-network/2013/apr/03/mali-slavery-lax-laws
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Tunisia politician arrested as gay sex suspect: Lawyer
Mounir Baatour, Tunisian opposition leader, arrested on 'sodomy charges'; he denies the accusations
4 Apr 2013
Tunisian authorities on Wednesday arrested and jailed Mounir Baatour, head of the opposition Liberal party, on sodomy charges but he denied any wrongdoing, his lawyer told AFP.
Baatour, himself a lawyer, "totally denied the charges against him and it is wrong to say he was caught in the act," Koutheir Bouallegue added.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/68420/World/Region/Tunisia-politician-arrested-as-gay-sex-suspect-Law.aspx
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Libya ordered to pay $1.28m to Palestinian doctor in HIV case
April 04, 2013
TRIPOLI — A Dutch court has ordered Libya to pay a Palestinian doctor €1 million (approximately $1.28 million) in damages for his eight years of imprisonment after being falsely accused by the Gaddafi regime of infecting 400 Libyans with the HIV virus.
The doctor, Ashraf El-Hagoug had brought the case in The Netherlands where he now lives. If Libya does not pay promptly the amount awarded to Hagoug by the civil court in the Hague, his lawyers say that they will raise the matter with the Dutch Foreign Ministry or failing that, the European Union.
Full report at:
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20130404159857
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Tunisia jails militant for provoking youth
4 April 2013
TUNIS: Tunisia has jailed a militant on suspicion of incitement to terrorism after he called on television for young compatriots to join the armed uprising in Syria, a Justice Ministry spokesman said yesterday.
He said Abu Zaid Tounsi issued the call after returning from a stint with rebels fighting in Syria, heightening fears of young men coming home radicalised from battle there jeopardizing security in their North African homeland.
President Moncef Marzouki last month likened young Tunisians returning from service in Syria's increasingly rebel insurrection to Algerians who joined a 1990s insurgency against their government after fighting in Afghanistan.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/news/446931
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Jack Straw fails to explain role in Libyan dissident seizure
Richard Norton-Taylor and Ian Cobain
2 April 2013
Former foreign secretary Jack Straw and Sir Mark Allen, a former senior MI6 officer, have said they cannot respond to allegations of conspiracy in the torture of a prominent Libyan dissident, pleading the need to protect official secrets.
They do not deny being involved in rendering Abdel Hakim Belhaj into the hands of Muammar Gaddafi's secret police in 2004 but say they did nothing unlawful.
Their blanket refusal – and that of MI6, MI5, the Foreign Office, and the Home Office – to explain their alleged role in the seizure of Belhaj and his wife in Malaysia and their flight to Libya on a CIA jet is contained in court documents seen by the Guardian.
Full report at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/apr/02/abdel-hakim-belhaj-jack-straw
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Pakistan
Pak men object to beardless Shahbaz Sharif's candidature
Apr 04 2013
Lahore : Two Pakistani men have formally objected to PML-N leader Shahbaz Sharif's candidature in the May 11 polls on the ground that he does not have a beard, which they contended is the mark of a good Muslim.
Babar Amin and Saeed Iqtidar challenged the nomination papers filed by Sharif to contest polls from two constituencies of the Punjab Assembly in Lahore.
They told returning officers that all the prophets of Allah had sported a beard but Sharif, the younger brother of former premier and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, did not follow Islamic teachings despite being a Muslim.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pak-men-object-to-beardless-shahbaz-sharifs-candidature/1097636/
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Democracy to flourish despite conspiracies: Zardari
4 Apr 2013
NAUDERO: President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday said that many forces were hatching conspiracies against democracy and hoped that the real democracy would flourish in the country with the support of people.
Addressing a gathering here on the eve of 34th martyrdom anniversary of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the President said, “We took bold decisions in the larger interest of the country and people, and to secure the future of our coming generations despite so many challenges.”
President Zardari said that the PPP government had proved that only democracy was a panacea to all problems and the people were conscious, who could not be betrayed through any drama.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/04/04/democracy-to-flourish-despite-conspiracies-zardari/
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Voters to get 'none of the above' choice?
PTI | Apr 4, 2013
For the first time, Pakistani voters may get the choice of not voting for any of the candidates in the fray for the May 11 general election, with the Election Commission on Wednesday deciding to incorporate "none of the above" option in ballot papers. The decision to include the "none of the above" option in ballot papers was made at a meeting of the poll panel chaired by chief election commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim, officials told the media. Since the measure will require legal backing, a formal proposal will be sent by the Election Commission to the prime minister about issuing an ordinance, the officials said. A blank slot will be included in ballots along with the names of candidates in every constituency. If 51% of voters opt for the blank slot, a re-election will be held in the constituency, the officials said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Voters-to-get-none-of-the-above-choice/articleshow/19373238.cms
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Pakistan remembers Bhutto on his 34th death anniversary
New Age Islam News Bureau
April 4, 2013
Islamabad: Pakistan remembers Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto, the former prime minister of Pakistan, on his 34th death anniversary today. He was hanged during the dictatorship of Gen Ziaul Haque in 1979 after the Pakistan Supreme Court found him guilty of getting a political opponent assasinated. Bhutto was the founder of Pakistan People’s Party and was the prime minister of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973.
A number of ceremonies will be held today in his memory across the country.
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Four militants killed in attack on Kurram checkpost
4 Apr 2013
PESHAWAR: Four militants were killed and two security officials were injured when militants from Afghanistan attacked the Bhitai checkpost in the Kurram tribal region near the Pak-Afghan border on Thursday.
According to official sources, militants attacked the checkpost in lower Kurram’s Shabak area at 5:30 am. The attack lasted until 7:00 am and injured two security forces personnel.
Security forces retaliated killing four militants whose bodies were shifted to a hospital.
Kurram is one of seven districts in Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal belt, where Taliban and Al Qaeda-linked militants have carved out strongholds used to plot attacks on Pakistani, Afghan and Western targets.
http://dawn.com/2013/04/04/four-militants-killed-in-attack-on-kurram-checkpost/
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Five injured in Gujranwala Muslim-Christian clash
4 Apr 2013
GUJRANWALA: Just hours after the Supreme Court concluded hearing of suo motu notice of Lahore Badami Bagh mob attack, at least five people were injured in a fresh Muslim-Christian clash in Gujranwala on Wednesday.
The incident occurred in Francisi Colony, the joint residential area of both the communities. According to reports few people belonging to Christian community were playing loud music at their house near a mosque in the area. Local people say few Muslims who were offering prayer in the mosque complained to the prayer leader who requested on the loudspeaker that the volume be turned down. The reports say that few angry Christian youths damaged Muslims homes and subjected the prayer leader to torture after a quarrel with him over the announcement.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\04\04\story_4-4-2013_pg7_3
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Pakistan expels Frenchmen over militant links
2013/04/04
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has deported three Frenchmen who have been held in secret since they entered the country illegally 10 months ago to fight Nato troops in neighbouring Afghanistan, officials said Thursday.
Investigators are expected to question the men in France, where the case is likely to draw parallels with Mohammed Merah, the 23-year-old who shot dead seven people in southwest France in March 2012 after returning from Pakistan.
Investigators said Pakistani police arrested the trio on May 28 last year after they entered the country illegally from Iran.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/04/04/pakistan-expels-frenchmen-over-militant-links/
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Gunmen kill two, injure three in Balochistan’s Dalbandin area
Syed Ali Shah
2013/04/04
QUETTA: At least two persons were killed and another three injured in a firing incident in Dalbandin town of Balochistan on Thursday.
Levies officials told Dawn.com that armed militants opened fire at a vehicle on ByPass road area of Dalbandin town near the Pak-Afghan border in Balochistan province.
Officials further added that two persons were killed on the spot whereas another three sustained serious wounds.
The injured were soon rushed to nearby district hospital for medical treatment where the condition of two persons was reported as critical.
Levies said Haji Muhammad Tahir Shahozai, a tribal leader was also among the dead.
They said armed militants managed to escape from the spot.
http://dawn.com/2013/04/04/gunmen-kill-two-injure-three-in-balochistans-dalbandin-area/
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Blast kills four paramilitary soldiers
4 Apr 2013
KARACHI: A bomb exploded near a paramilitary complex in Karachi on late Wednesday, killing four soldiers and wounding three others, officials said.
“It was a bomb blast, the target seems to be a van carrying soldiers,” police official Karim Khan told AFP.
The blast happened near the Rangers’ headquarters in the city’s eastern district of Korangi, he added.
Police cordoned off the area and ambulances rushed the casualties to the state-run Jinnah Hospital.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\04\04\story_4-4-2013_pg7_4
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Bhutto gave voice to oppressed people: Gilani
4 Apr 2013
LAHORE: Former prime minister and Senior Vice Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani has said Zulfikar Ali Bhutto gave voice to the downtrodden, workers, students and peasants who were subject to the worst type of exploitation by the ruling elite in collusion with the upper echelons of the society.
In his message on the death anniversary of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto here on Wednesday, he said the founder of the PPP Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto offered sacrifice his life but refused to bow before anti-people and anti-democratic forces. He said ZA Bhutto gave the 1973 Constitution to the people of Pakistan that successive dictators though distorted it to perpetuate their draconian rule but could not discard it despite treating the scared document with contempt. Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\04\04\story_4-4-2013_pg7_17
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Pakistani protesters call for Musharraf’s arrest
Apr 03, 2013
These protestors want his immediate arrest and prosecution for handing over thousands of people to the US under the cover of so-called war on terror.
General Musharraf’s attempt to appear in public has so far met with humiliation----- not very different from these images of the past.
The former army general returned home only after Saudi Arabia reportedly used its clout on the ruling Pakistani elite to go soft on prosecution against him on a number of criminal cases and allow him to contest in forthcoming general elections in May this year.
The courts in Pakistan seem finally in the mood of enforcing the writ of law on the former military Chief.
Full report at:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/04/03/296248/pakistani-protesters-call-for-musharrafs-arrest/
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‘Discrimination in power supply a constitutional violation’
4 Apr 2013
LAHORE: Judicial Activism Panel chairman, Muhammad Azhar Siddique moved an application before Lahore High Court (LHC) against unscheduled load shedding, especially in Lahore.
He filed this application in his already pending petition against unscheduled load shedding and alleged that government residences and Bahria Town housing society were exempt from load shedding.
The applicant stated that the suffering of public-at-large is increasing by the day, with power outages hitting eighteen hours in parts of Punjab.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\04\04\story_4-4-2013_pg13_1
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PPP member files objection to Nawaz Sharif's nomination papers
April 4, 2013
LAHORE: A Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) member filed an objection to the nomination papers of Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif, Express News reported on Thursday.
Nawaz had filed his nomination papers for NA-120.
In his objection, PPP member Sohail Malik said that Nawaz was a defaulter in the Asghar Khan case.
Malik – in his complaint – also said that Nawaz was not “sadiq” and “ameen” because he brokered a deal in order to escape Pakistan when his government was toppled in 1999.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/531022/ppp-member-files-objection-to-nawaz-sharifs-nomination-papers/
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North America
Jewish-Muslim Passover Seder Commemoration
Local multi-religious celebrations and interfaith dialogue inspire communities nationwide.
By Andrea Worker
April 2, 2013
With one foot in Fairfax County and the other in Loudoun, (yes, they needed permits from both counties during construction) the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Centre in Sterling couldn’t have been a better choice of venue for an interfaith commemoration of Passover, the ancient Jewish holiday celebrating the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt over 3,000 years ago. The building, with its cross-counties placement, symbolizes the bridge building that took place on Saturday, March 30, when members of the ADAMS Centre co-sponsored a Passover Seder with the Washington Area Jews for Jewish-Muslim Understanding, led by Andrea Barron. Sitting side-by-side in the small meeting room were Jews and Muslims as well as Christian pastors from Falls Church and Reston.
Full report at:
http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2013/apr/02/jewish-muslim-passover-seder-commemoration/
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US think tank calls for peaceful Kashmir solution
4 April 2013
The Center for Dialogue and Peace in the United States has asked India to listen to the saner voices of the Kashmir movement to bring peace to its people. Raja Muzaffar, who is currently heading the Kashmir Committee at the Peace Center, said yesterday in Jeddah that the world has enormously changed and that there is no longer any room for lingering on an issue that has been festering for decades, and which has consumed thousands of lives.
The center is a Dallas-based think tank to promote peace in the world and has a specific committee for peace in the Middle East, besides focusing on the Kashmir issue.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/news/446948
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U.S. Official Puts Onus on Iran in Upcoming Nuclear Talks
4 Apr 2013
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Progress in this week's nuclear talks between Iran and six major powers depends on how Tehran responds to a proposal offered by the six in February, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday.
"How far we get ... depends on what the Iranians come back with in terms of a response on the substance to our proposal," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"There has been a very positive line out of Tehran on the talks so far. We hope that that positive talk will now be matched with some concrete responses and actions on the Iranian side," the official added.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2013/04/04/world/middleeast/04reuters-nuclear-iran-usa.html?ref=middleeast&gwh=B1014864FCDC882F8D03DCFEF43CE4E0
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American Islamic group seeks maximum penalty for man who beat a Sikh
PTI | Apr 4, 2013
WASHINGTON: An American Islamic group sought maximum penalty for a man from Washington who has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Seattle on charges of hate crime against a 50-year-old Sikh man.
"We ask that federal prosecutors seek the maximum penalties in order to send the message that anti-Muslim violence, or violence targeting any minority group, will not be tolerated in our state or in our nation," Jennifer Gist, civil rights coordinator of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a statement.
"There has been a troubling spike in hate crimes against Muslim individuals and institutions, as well as those perceived to be associated with the Muslim community, and law enforcement must send a strong message that justice will be served in these cases," she said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/American-Islamic-group-seeks-maximum-penalty-for-man-who-beat-a-Sikh/articleshow/19375311.cms
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Southeast Asia
Militants abduct and kill Muslim marine in Thai south: Police
April 04, 2013
NARATHIWAT, Thailand — A Thai marine has been abducted and killed in Thailand’s deep south in a revenge attack by militants who carried out a botched raid on a military base, police said Wednesday.
Maela Tolu, a 24-year-old Muslim private at the base, was snatched from his home by eight gunmen on Monday evening, his wife told police in Narathiwat, one of several insurgency-plagued provinces near the Malaysian border.
His blindfolded body was found with two gunshot wounds and his hands bound on a village road in another district late Tuesday, as killing in the region continues despite recent peace talks between Thailand and one of the rebel groups.
Full report at:
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20130404159900
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Thousands Rally in Indonesia’s Aceh for Separatist Flag
April 04, 2013
Banda Aceh. Thousands of demonstrators rallied in Indonesia’s Aceh on Thursday in support of local leaders’ bid to adopt a separatist flag as the staunchly Islamic province’s official emblem.
A 3,000-strong crowd, including many women wearing the Islamic head scarf, waved the flag — a white crescent and star on a red background — during the protest in provincial capital Banda Aceh, police and witnesses said.
Soldiers and tanks were deployed as the Indonesian Interior Minister Gamawan Fauzi met local leaders to demand they reverse the local parliament’s decision allowing use of the flag in the country’s only province with Islamic Shariah law. The flag was used by the now defunct Free Aceh Movement (GAM) which fought a 30-year separatist war against the Indonesian state until a peace deal was struck in 2005, and the row over the emblem is being seen as a test of the accord.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/thousands-rally-in-indonesias-aceh-for-separatist-flag/583677
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Malaysia's Najib Warns Against Opposition ‘Gamble’
April 04, 2013
Kuala Lumpur. In his televised announcement of the dissolution of parliament, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Wednesday urged political parties to observe the rule of law and promised a smooth transition of power if the opposition wins.
“If there is change in power, it will and must happen peacefully. This is our commitment,” he said.
Najib is facing his first test at the ballot box since taking over in 2009, after the coalition lost its traditional two-thirds parliamentary majority in a shock election result. In Wednesday’s broadcast, he urged the electorate not to “gamble” away their vote by opting for an untested opposition, the three-party Pakatan Rakyat (People’s Pact).
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/international/malaysias-najib-warns-against-opposition-gamble/583546
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Indonesia Abstains From UN Arms Trade Vote, Calling Treaty 'One-Sided'
Daurina L. Sinurat | April 04, 2013
Indonesia abstained from a landmark United Nations treaty regulating the global arms trade on Tuesday, arguing that it provided an unfair advantage to major arms exporters like the United States, Russia and China.
The Arms Trade Treaty aims to rein in the $70 billion global arms trade by making it harder for countries and armed groups with dodgy human rights to purchase weapons. It would require arms exporters to vet clients’ human rights records agreeing to a sale.
The treaty was voted in 154-to-3 by the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. Twenty-three countries, including Indonesia, abstained from the vote.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/world/indonesia-abstains-from-un-arms-trade-vote-calling-treaty-one-sided/583649
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Australia
Australia Pledges Additional $99 Million for Poverty Program in Indonesia
Jakarta Globe | April 04, 2013
Australia will give Indonesia an additional $99 million over the next two years to help boost the country's flagship poverty reduction program, Foreign Minister Bob Carr announced on Thursday.
Senator Carr said the National Program for Community Empowerment (PNPM) benefited around 40 million of Indonesia's poorest people through community grants.
“Today [Thursday] I’m visiting Manarul Huda Madrasah, an Islamic School that has already seen the benefits of Australian aid through school building repairs and better sanitation facilities,” Senator Carr said in a statement. “Under the PNPM program, more than 30,000 schools and 7,800 health facilities have been built or rehabilitated since 2008.”
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/australia-pledges-additional-99-million-for-poverty-program-in-indonesia/583647
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/an-eye-eye-saudi-knifeman/d/11009