Attacks in 17 cities across Iraq kill 66
Taliban blame US economy, London riots on Af war
Pakistan denies giving China access to US chopper wreckage
Rebel gains show Gaddafi's 'days are numbered': US
Zawahiri tells Muslims to target US, avenge ‘Imam of the Mujahideen’
Eight members of a family killed in Peshawar
Eight die in incidents of violence, mishaps in Karachi
Drone kills four militants in North Waziristan
17 militants, 3 soldiers killed in Yemen fighting
Libya Rebels in Zawiyah Threaten Supply Line to Tripoli
Allow EUs Pak package to go through, says Indian PM
Islam teaches peace, harmony, says Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman
Gilani greets Manmohan Singh on India’s Independence Day
Nuclear weapons a waste of money: Iran
Bangladesh to mourn 'Bangabandhu' today
It’s a desperate act of a desperate govt.: Suspended Gujarat IPS
Five hurt in Israeli raids on Gaza
Judge halts live broadcasts of Mubarak’s trial
Al Qaeda in North Africa seeks Arab Spring jihad
Three NATO oil tankers burnt
Somalia famine aid stolen, UN investigating
Frequent flier fracas: Muslims face travel woes
Non-Muslim expats learning more about Islam during Ramadan
Jordan Islamists see proposed constitutional amendments inadequate
Syria ‘will be better off’ without Assad: White House
Punjabis fleeing Baluchistan: Report
Australia 'collar-bomb' suspect arrested in US
Enemies of the state? In a first, terror suspects charged under anti-state laws
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/attacks-17-cities-across-iraq/d/5260
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Attacks in 17 cities across Iraq kill 66
Aug 16, 2011
Kut,Iraq: Attacks in more than a dozen cities across Iraq killed 66 people Monday, including 40 in twin blasts blamed on al-Qaida in the southern city of Kut,in the countrys bloodiest day in more than a year.
The surge of violence raises questions over the capabilities of Iraqs forces after its leaders agreed to open talks with the US over a military training mission to last beyond a projected year-end US withdrawal.
The attacks,which took place in 17 cities and wounded nearly 250 people,were condemned by parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi,who blamed security leaders for unspecified violations,and one of Iraqs most senior clerics,who called for officials to give clear answers over failings.
Times of India
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Taliban blame US economy, London riots on Af war
Aug 16, 2011
T he Taliban blamed the state of the US economy and last weeks London riots on the war in Afghanistan in a statement published on its website.The insurgents claimed both situations were linked to the US and Britain spending hundreds of billions of dollars on the 10-year war in Afghanistan.With no doubt,the immense and basic reason of the financial crises,deprivation and riots that United States and UK are facing now is because of the offensive and imperialistic policies and designs of these countries, a statement published on the Talibans website said.
Times of India
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Pakistan denies giving China access to US chopper wreckage
Aug 16, 2011
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani military today rejected reports in the Western media that it gave China access to the top secret stealth helicopter that crashed during the covert American raid that killed Osama bin Laden in May.
Reacting to the media reports that quoted unnamed US officials as saying that Pakistan gave China access to the wreckage of the helicopter despite requests from the CIA not to do so, Inter-Services Public Relations chief Maj Gen Athar Abbas said, "The assertion made is not true and therefore we reject this report."
Abbas expressed surprise at the extent of "kite flying" that some sections of the foreign media was indulging in. He criticised a section of the foreign media for "launching a malicious campaign against Pakistan's security organisations".
He asked the media "to verify and cross check" matters rather than relying on "unnamed officials".
During the raid against al-Qaeda chief bin Laden on May 2, a Black Hawk helicopter modified with stealth technology malfunctioned and crashed. It was destroyed with explosives by US commandos but its tail section was largely left intact.
The media reports said Pakistan, which enjoys a close military relationship with China, allowed Chinese officials to take pictures of the tail section and samples of its special "skin" that allowed the helicopter to evade radar.
The Financial Times daily reported that Pakistan Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani had denied that China had been given access to the helicopter. The tail section was returned to the US after a trip to Islamabad by Senator John Kerry in May.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistan-denies-giving-China-access-to-US-chopper-wreckage/articleshow/9616472.cms
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Rebel gains show Gaddafi's 'days are numbered': US
Aug 16, 2011
CANNON FALLS (MINNESOTA): Recent rebel military gains in Libya show that strongman Muammar Gaddafi's "days are numbered," White House spokesman Jay Carney said today.
"It's becoming increasingly clear that Gaddafi's days are numbered, that his isolation grows more extreme as each day passes," Carney told reporters as US President Barack Obama traveled to Minnesota to open a campaign-style bus tour.
"As we have for a long time, we believe that the people of that country, of Libya, deserve the right to choose their own future," said Carney.
"We have obviously done a lot to support their efforts to ensure that Gaddafi's regime no longer had the capacity or has the capacity to attack the Libyan people."
His comments came as Libyan loyalists and rebels met today in Tunisia and the top UN envoy also jetted in as efforts to negotiate an end to Gaddafi's four-decade-old rule intensified.
The flurry of diplomatic activity came amid the Western-backed rebels' first significant military advance in weeks, rumors that Gaddafi was preparing to flee and that his deputy interior minister could be seeking to defect in Cairo.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Rebel-gains-show-Gaddafis-days-are-numbered-US/articleshow/9616526.cms
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Zawahiri tells Muslims to target US, avenge ‘Imam of the Mujahideen’
August 16, 2011
DUBAI: Al Qaeda’s leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has urged Muslims to target the United States and avenge the killing of his predecessor Osama bin Laden, the SITE Intelligence Group reported Monday.
SITE, quoting a video posted on jihadist online forums, said the new head of al Qaeda asking Muslims to “pursue” the United States over the killing of Bin Laden.
“America today is staggering… Follow it where you know it is, follow it to cut what remains of its corruption,” said Zawahiri in the 12-minute video addressed to “Muslim brothers everywhere.”
“Pursue America, which killed the ‘Imam of the Mujahideen’ and threw his body into the sea, and then captured his women and sons,” he said about Bin Laden who was killed in a covert US raid in Pakistan on May 2.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/232229/zawahiri-tells-muslims-to-target-us-avenge-imam-of-the-mujahideen/
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Eight members of a family killed in Peshawar
Aug 16, 2011
PESHAWAR: Eight members of a family, including children and women, were killed in a firing incident on early Tuesday morning, DawnNews reported.
Unknown armed men break into a house in the area of Khazana and opened indiscriminate fire, killing three women, two children and three men on the spot, said police officials.
Police termed the incident a family dispute and said the deceased were Afghan migrants.
Bodies of the family have been shifted to the Khyber Medical College. Police have cordoned off the area and started a search operation.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/08/16/eight-members-of-a-family-killed-in-peshawar.html
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Eight die in incidents of violence, mishaps in Karachi
Aug 16, 2011
KARACHI: Eight people died in separate incidents of violence and mishaps, which occurred in different parts of the city here on Monday.
Tension prevailed in parts of Orangi town where intense firing was reported between two groups at Kati Pahari area after the sunset. A 12-year-old boy was killed whereas a middle-aged man wounded in the crossfire. A heavy contingent of police and Rangers were called at the scene to control the situation but the firing continued.
Police officials said that deceased Naseeb, 12, son of Wahid and pan shop owner Naseem, 52 received bullets in the crossfire. The deceased used to run a burger stall and was shot once in the head. The victims were taken to the Qatar hospital for medico-legal formalities and treatment. Police said victim was a resident of the same area.
Separately, police found bodies of two youngsters abandoned near UBL Sports Complex, FB Area within the precincts of Jauharabad police station. The victims were later identified as 18-year-old Liaquat Khan, son of Kuchay Khan and 22-year-old Zubair, son of Dehshat Khan.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\08\16\story_16-8-2011_pg7_21
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Drone kills four militants in North Waziristan
Aug 16, 2011
MIRAMSHAH: A US drone strike in a Pakistani tribal area considered home to the most dangerous enemy of American troops in eastern Afghanistan killed at least four militants on Tuesday, officials said.
The unmanned aircraft fired two missiles, hitting a compound and a vehicle parked outside it in Miramshah, the main town of North Waziristan tribal district, a senior security official told AFP.
“At least four militants were killed,” the official said, adding that two others were also wounded. Another security official and an intelligence official confirmed the attack and casualties.
Washington has called Pakistan’s semi-autonomous northwest tribal region the global headquarters of Al Qaeda, where Taliban and other al Qaeda-linked networks have rear bases in the 10-year war in Afghanistan.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/08/16/drone-kills-four-militants-in-pakistan-officials.html
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17 militants, 3 soldiers killed in Yemen fighting
Aug 16, 2011
SANAA, Yemen — A new wave of fighting erupted in Yemen in a southern provincial capital that has been overrun by extremist militants, killing at least 17 Al Qaeda-linked fighters and three soldiers, a military official said Sunday.
The official said the clashes took place in and around Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province. The city, along with several southern towns, has been overrun by Al Qaeda-linked militants in the last two months of ongoing political turmoil in Yemen.
The United States and neighboring Saudi Arabia are particularly concerned about Al Qaeda in Yemen, which is the terror group’s most active branch.
Al-Qaeda-linked militants quickly overtook towns in Abyan and its capital Zinjibar shortly after the June departure of longtime leader Ali Abdullah Saleh to Saudi Arabia. Saleh left for medical treatment after an attack on his palace.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/August/middleeast_August350.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
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Libya Rebels in Zawiyah Threaten Supply Line to Tripoli
By KAREEM FAHIM
Aug 16, 2011
BENGHAZI, Libya — After a period of political turmoil, fighters opposing Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi advanced on several fronts on Sunday, seizing ground in the strategic city of Zawiyah that placed them on Tripoli’s doorstep and threatening to cut off an important supply line for the colonel’s loyalists.
Battle for Libya
Tribal Rifts Threaten to Undermine Libya Uprising (August 14, 2011)
A rebel raised his arms as a convoy of residents fled fighting between rebels and forces of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi near Zawiyah. More Photos »
The incursion late Saturday into Zawiyah, joined by fighters inside the city, promised to bolster the flagging morale of the rebel movement, which is still reeling from the assassination of a top military leader.
A rebel military spokesman reported that the rebels had also taken control of Surman, farther west along the road to Tunisia; that claim could not immediately be confirmed. Clashes were reported near the Ras Ajdir border crossing with Tunisia, the spokesman said, as well as in Gheryan, a city in the Nafusah Mountains that straddles another important route connecting Tripoli with Sabha, a Qaddafi stronghold in the south.
Full report at: New York Times
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Allow EUs Pak package to go through, says Indian PM
Josy Joseph
Aug 16, 2011
New Delhi: The prime minister yet again made a personal intervention to extend a significant unilateral concession to Pakistan,just a few days ahead of Independence Day.Senior sources said PM Manmohan Singh has ordered officials to withdraw Indias official opposition at the World Trade Organisation to a concessional trade package offered by the European Union to Pakistan.
According to sources,the decision to reverse Indias year-old stand was at the behest of Singh,and came after more than half-a-dozen meetings of WTO general council where India opposed the trade package.
They said Singhs order would be implemented soon.India,supported by Bangladesh and Peru,mounted an opposition in the WTO to the package,challenging the unprecedented EU move.
Full report at: Times of India
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Islam teaches peace, harmony, says Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman
Aug 16, 2011
LAHORE: Speaking in a programme titled “Deen-e-Islam” on Business Plus TV channel on Monday, Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi said that Islam teaches peace and harmony.
He said that Islam not only looks after the right of human beings but it also protects rights of other creatures, including animals and trees. He also said that it was the time to spread the real teachings of Islam all over the world. Islam teaches patience and tolerance as it says murder of an innocent person is tantamount to killing of the humankind. He said, “Unfortunately, we are not following the message of Islam in its true sense and are engaged in terrorism, barbarism in the name of Islam.”
He said the holy Quran and Hadith are the property of all Muslims and they do not belong to any Peer or Maulvi. It is the duty of every Muslim to learn the holy Quran and Hadith and teach others and oppose those who misuse the religion for their personal benefits, he said. “In Islam, there are set rules for jihad and our religion is not responsible for acts and deeds of any individual against the teachings of Islam,” he said.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\08\16\story_16-8-2011_pg7_17
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Gilani greets Manmohan Singh on India’s Independence Day
Aug 16, 2011
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, on Monday, sent a message of greetings to his Indian counterpart Dr Manmohan Singh on the Independence Day of his country.
In his message, the prime minister said, “On behalf of the people of Pakistan and on my own behalf, I avail this opportunity to extend my greetings and felicitations to you and to the people of India on the Independence Day of India.” He said, “On this day, I would like to reiterate our desire to have harmonious, cooperative and friendly relations between our two countries to achieve our shared goal of peace, progress and prosperity.”
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\08\16\story_16-8-2011_pg7_5
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Nuclear weapons a waste of money: Iran
Aug 16, 2011
Moscow : Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called nuclear weapons a waste of money today as he prepared to receive a top Russian security official for crisis mediation talks.
Ahmadinejad said he was looking to build a closer relationship with Moscow and expecting to see the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant -- Iran's first – start producing electricity next year, after many delays.
He brushed aside suggestions that his previous meetings with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev were clouded by disagreements and said the two neighbours could offer "joint solutions" to global problems.
"Nuclear weapons are the means of the previous century," Ahmadinejad told Russia Today television.
"If any country tries to build a nuclear bomb, they waste their money and their resources," Ahmadinejad told the cable news network.
His comments came as Russia's Security Concil Secretary Nikolai Patrushev prepared to open two-day talks in Tehran on Monday during which he is also expected to meet his Iranian counterpart and Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi.
Patrushev's visit comes amid continuing efforts by Russia to revive Iran's negotiations with Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/nuclear-weapons-a-waste-of-money-iran/831847/
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Bangladesh to mourn 'Bangabandhu' today
Aug 16, 2011
When India celebrates its Independence Day on Monday, the Bangladesh High Commission here will hoist its national flag at half mast to mourn the massacre of Father of the Nation ‘Bangabandhu' Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 26 others.
Only two of his daughters survived the attack, one of whom, Sheikh Hasina Wajed, is now the country's Prime Minister.
Bangladesh has hanged five of the accused, all former Army officers, in January last after the Supreme Court rejected their mercy petition. Six of the accused are absconding, some believed to hiding in the United States, Canada and Libya and one died during trial.
The trial began 21 years after his assassination and primarily because the Awami League led by Ms. Hasina had come to power four months earlier.
His killers, all Army officers, had claimed that they had resorted to the massacre for putting in place a one-party government and cracking down on his political opponents who had protested.
But pro-liberation activists said the massacre was aimed at derailing the country from the path of secularism and socialism, on which Mujibur Rahman had embarked after leading East Pakistan to Independence in 1971 from West Pakistan.
The killers remained free because the military government led by Khandaker Mostaque Ahmed that came to power after the Bangabandhu's murder issued an order granting them immunity from prosecution.
General Ziaur Rehman, who succeeded him, enshrined the indemnity to the killers and plotters in the Constitution. The next three rulers either shielded the killers or did not take interest in bringing the accused to book.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2356956.ece
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It’s a desperate act of a desperate govt: Suspended Gujrat IPS
Aug 16, 2011
Suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, who was DCP with the IB in Gujarat in 2002, tells Prashant Dayal and Harit Mehta why he was silent till 2009 about the meeting in CM Narendra Modi’s residence on the night before the post-Godhra riots started. Excerpts:
SANJIV BHATT
Why did you speak out so late?
• I could not have revealed any information that I was privy to as an intelligence officer unless I was under a binding legal obligation to do so. I was never summoned by the Nanavati Commission till May 2011. This was despite the fact that the most important affidavits before the Nanavati Commission were based on reports authored by me during my stint with the IB. My reports and messages are amongst the most crucial documents that have been annexed with the
affidavits filed by Sreekumar
and other police officers. I was summoned for the very first time by the SIT in November 2009. That is when I came out with all the details regarding the Gujarat riots of 2002. My deposition before the SIT was somehow leaked in 2010. It is surprising that the Nanavati Commission did not call me till May 2011.
Full report at: Times of India
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Five hurt in Israeli raids on Gaza: Palestinians
16 August 2011
JERUSALEM — Israeli warplanes carried out five raids on the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, wounding five people, Palestinian medics said.
The raids came after an Israeli police spokeswoman said that at least one rocket had been fired from the Gaza Strip at the southern town of Beersheva, without causing casualties.
The Palestinian sources said the first raid targeted Zeitun to the east of Gaza City, seriously wounding three people, while two other Palestinians were wounded in two separate raids, also east of the city.
Two further raids were carried out east of Khan Yunis and against a tunnel dug under the border with Egypt near Rafah, both in the south of the Strip, but no one was wounded.
An Israeli military spokeswoman did not immediately confirm or deny the attacks.
Israeli public radio said a second rocket had been fired at Beersheva, but it was not immediately clear where it landed.
Since last month there has been an increase in the number of rockets fired at southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, which are usually followed by Israeli air force reprisal raids.
The incidents have interrupted several months of calm following a flare-up in April, when an anti-tank missile hit an Israeli school bus, killing a teenager.
Israel responded to that attack with a series of air strikes that killed at least 19 Palestinians in the deadliest violence since Israel’s devastating 22-day assault on Gaza in December 2008-January 2009.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/August/middleeast_August377.xml§ion=middleeast
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Judge halts live broadcasts of Mubarak’s trial
16 August 2011
CAIRO — The judge trying ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on charges of complicity in the killing of protesters who toppled his regime ordered a halt to the live broadcast of his trial Monday after a chaotic session in which lawyers pushed, shoved and scuffled to get on television.
Showing the hearings live on state television had been a nod by Judge Ahmed Rifaat to activists who complained that the military rulers now in charge of the country were dragging their feet bringing Mubarak and stalwarts of his regime to justice.
“The aim is to remove the humiliation. Now, God knows how long it (the trial) will take,” said best-selling novelist and prominent rights activist Alaa el-Aswany.
The decision was met with suspicion by Ramadan Ahmed, father of a 16-year-old protester killed during the 18-day uprising that toppled the regime.
“This is not correct. How can I be reassured and feel the justice,” said Ahmed, who was refused access to the courtroom. “I want to see justice realized before my eyes.”
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/August/middleeast_August373.xml§ion=middleeast
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Al Qaeda in North Africa seeks Arab Spring jihad
Aug 16, 2011
PARIS: Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) wants to put its footprint on the Arab Spring now that violence is fueling the uprisings, and in a two-part video is trying to lure new followers for revolt by jihad.
The push comes as the group has sought to expand its operations beyond its Algerian base and desert outposts to countries around Africa, from Nigeria to Libya, after the death of Osama bin Laden and after being sidelined when the Arab revolts erupted earlier this year.
During the mostly peaceful uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, the al Qaeda offshoot kept up sporadic attacks on Algerian security forces in its bid to overthrow the government and install an Islamic state. But the world was looking elsewhere.
Now, with Arab uprisings meeting increasingly violent resistance from autocratic regimes in countries such as Libya and Syria, AQIM wants to be seen as an alternative force.
Seeking a peaceful change of leaders is “like giving aspirin to a cancer patient,” a member of AQIM’s military board, Commander Abu Saeed al-Auresi, says in the lengthy video, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. SITE has made the video available and said it was posted on August 3 on jihadist forums.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\08\16\story_16-8-2011_pg7_33
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Three NATO oil tankers burnt
Aug 16, 2011
LANDIKOTAL: A bomb attached to a NATO oil tanker exploded while it was on Torkham road on Monday. The explosion resulted in a fire, in which two other NATO oil tankers were set ablaze. Administration sources confirmed that two oil tankers had caught fire after a bomb explosion near Qasab Khan on Torkham road. According to sources, the fire led to the closure of the road for traffic. Administration fire fighters rushed to the road to extinguish the fire. Earlier, security forces had defused a bomb that had been attached to an armoured US vehicle on Landikotal bypass. No casualties were reported in the incident, administration sources said.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\08\16\story_16-8-2011_pg7_13
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Somalia famine aid stolen, UN investigating
16 August 2011
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Sacks of grain, peanut butter snacks and other food staples meant for starving Somalis are being stolen and sold in markets, an Associated Press investigation has found, raising concerns that thieving businessmen are undermining international famine relief efforts in this nearly lawless country.
The UN’s World Food Program acknowledged for the first time that it has been investigating food theft in Somalia for two months. The WFP strongly condemned any diversion of “even the smallest amount of food from starving and vulnerable Somalis.”
Underscoring the perilous security throughout the food distribution chain, donated food is not even safe once it has been given to the hungry in the makeshift camps popping up around the capital of Mogadishu. Families at the large, government-run Badbado camp, where several aid groups distribute food, said they were often forced to hand back aid after journalists had taken photos of them with it.
“They tell us they will keep it for us and force us to give them our food,” said refugee Halima Sheikh Abdi. “We can’t refuse to cooperate because if we do, they will force us out of the camp, and then you don’t know what to do and eat. It’s happened to many people already.”
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/August/international_August714.xml§ion=international&col=
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Frequent flier fracas: Muslims face travel woes
Aug 16, 2011
McLEAN, Virginia: A Muslim civil rights group is taking up the case of two young Muslim men who have been unable to board international flights.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations sent letters Monday to the State Department and FBI seeking clearance for two US citizens to travel freely. CAIR says the men have been improperly placed on either the no-fly list or travel watchlist and are being denied fundamental travel rights as American citizens.
Government officials did not comment on the specific cases but have argued in similar court cases that barring a person from flying does not infringe on their constitutional rights.
Gadeir Abbas, a CAIR lawyer, says he gets calls at least once a month from Muslim men who find themselves unable to travel because of government scrutiny.
http://arabnews.com/world/article489108.ece
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Non-Muslim expats learning more about Islam during Ramadan
Aug 16, 2011
JEDDAH: Ramadan is a special month, and it is a very joyful time for Muslims who fast and celebrate this month. But how do non-Muslims living in the Kingdom feel about Ramadan? To find out, Arab News spoke to several non-Muslims, who said they saw Ramadan as a beautiful month and a good chance for them to learn about Islam firsthand.
Raju Phillips, a non-Muslim expatriate who works in a construction company, said that he was going to read an English translation of the Holy Qur’an. “It is a very good chance to learn about Islam. Especially since I get some hours off work, because timings change in Ramadan,” he said.
Jedish Nair, who is also a non-Muslim expatriate, said that he was very amazed by Ramadan, and tries to learn more about Islam.
“In my municipality in India there are no Muslims, so I never even knew about Ramadan until I came to Saudi Arabia and saw Muslims fasting. They fast with such perfection! I don’t eat or drink anything during lunchtime, just to get a little of it. My Muslim friends invited me to iftar parties, which were very nice,” said Nair.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article489154.ece
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Jordan Islamists see proposed constitutional amendments inadequate
Aug 16, 2011
AMMAN: Jordan’s main opposition party, the Islamic Action Front (IAF), said Monday the recommended amendments to the constitution included "positive aspects”, but fell short of meeting the people’s aspirations.
"We see that the amendments, despite their importance, do not respond completely to the demands of the Jordanian people, given the transformations currently experienced by the region,” the IAF said in a statement.
A royal committee that was set up three months ago by King Abdullah for the revision of the constitution submitted its recommendations to the monarch on Sunday.
The king described the proposed amendments as a "historical” achievement that put Jordan on the threshold of a new era of political reform.
The panel proposed, among other things, the setting up of a constitutional court, the supervision of general elections by an independent body, the trial of cabinet ministers by civil courts and strictly defining the need for the government to adopt temporary laws.
The IAF, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, described the proposed amendments as "positive aspects”, but demanded further revisions of the constitution in order to ensure "a promising transition to the future and to surmount the crisis we live”.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article489136.ece
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Syria ‘will be better off’ without Assad: White House
16 August 2011
CANNON FALLS, Minnesota — The United States said Monday it was working with “a broad array” of other countries to pressure Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to end the “outright murder of his own people.”
Assad “has to cease the systematic violence, mass arrests, and the outright murder of his own people,” White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters as President Barack Obama launched a three-day campaign-style bus tour here.
“By his actions he has demonstrated that he has lost legitimacy to lead, and the president has no doubt that Syria will be better off without him,” said Carney.
“The Syrian people deserve a peaceful transition to democracy; they deserve a government that doesn’t torture them, arrest them and kill them. And we are looking, together with a broad array of international partners, to increase pressure on President Assad,” said the spokesman.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/August/middleeast_August371.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
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Punjabis fleeing Baluchistan: Report
Aug 16 2011
Karachi : The trend of violence against Punjabis and other non-Baluch people in restive Baluchistan has forced many of them to flee the region, a Pakistani media report has said.
The disturbing trend of ethnic and sectarian violence in Baluchistan also shows that the separatists and criminal groups are also taking advantage of the unrest to mint money.
Although the state media and private television channels have mostly ignored the serious situation in Baluchistan where separatists have even threatened schools from having the national anthem sung in their assemblies reports say the province is in a crisis situation.
While the government has been focusing on violence in Pakistan's biggest city of Karachi, the trend violence of against "Punjabis" and other non-Baluch people in the province has forced many of them to flee the province.
A report in the "Express Tribune" daily newspaper also claims that property dealers are increasing panic among non-Baloch residents by sending threatening letters, which scare people into fleeing Quetta and selling their property at low rates.
Nadir Sumalani, a property dealer in Saryab, an area where incidents of target killings are high, confirmed that some property dealers were involved in sending threatening letters to people from non-Baloch communities.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/punjabis-fleeing-baluchistan-report/832289/
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Australia 'collar-bomb' suspect arrested in US
August 16, 2011
Police struggled for 10 hours to free Madeleine Pulver from the collar bomb
An Australian man has been arrested in the US in connection with an attack on a teenager who had a fake bomb strapped to her neck, the FBI says.
The suspect, 50-year-old Paul "Doug" Peters, was arrested in Kentucky, in an operation involving Australian police and the FBI, officials said.
The Australian authorities said they would ask the US to extradite the man.
Madeleine Pulver, 18, was targeted at her home in Sydney earlier this month. It took 10 hours to remove the device.
The FBI said Mr Peters had been apprehended on Monday at his ex-wife's house near La Grange, north-east of Louisville.
Mr Peters is to appear in court on Tuesday in Louisville.
The extradition process is expected to take about two months, the FBI agent Elizabeth Fries told the Associated Press news agency.
'Range of evidence'
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14538010
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Enemies of the state?: In a first, terror suspects charged under anti-state laws
By Faraz Khan
August 16, 2011
Razzak and Iqbal were allegedly recruiting suicide bombers. They are being tried for indulging in anti-state activities. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE
KARACHI: The authorities have charged two alleged terrorists Abdul Razzak also known as Omer and his accomplice Rashid Iqbal alias Basit under section 122 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). They claim that this is the first time terrorists have been charged under the anti-state section.
Section 122 of the PPC states that whoever collects arms with the intention of waging a war against Pakistan will be punished with imprisonment for life or a term not exceeding ten years and should also be liable to a fine. Since the formation of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan by Baitullah Mehsud in 2007, more than a hundred Taliban members have been arrested from the city but none of them have been charged because the authorities were unable to gather solid evidence against them.
The alleged terrorists are in their early thirties and had links with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Punjab chapter. They were arrested by the Crime Investigation Department’s (CID) Anti-Extremism Cell on June 12 in a raid on Frontier Colony.
The authorities claim to have seized a massive supply of arms and ammunition, including 20 kilogrammes of explosives and hand grenades. The men were accused of sending young people to Waziristan for training and preparing them for suicide bombings and sectarian killings.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/232240/enemies-of-the-state-in-a-first-terror-suspects-charged-under-anti-state-laws/
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/attacks-17-cities-across-iraq/d/5260