Bihar Changes “Surya Namaskar” Order as Muslim Groups Protest
New Age Islam News Bureau
17 Feb 2013
Arab World
• Iraqi officials say 28 killed in series of blasts in Shia populated areas
• Shooting in Saudi Shiite town wounds woman, child
• Committed to wiping out terror, Saudi Arabia eyes world help
• Bahrain dismantles ‘terror cell’ linked to Iran
• Egypt's political rivals meet amid tension
• Syria rebels on offensive as UN rights chief urges action
• Egypt chief of staff says army will avoid politics
• Syrians Freed in Abductions That Stoked Fears of More Strife
Southeast Asia
• Jakarta moves to save five housemaids on death row in Saudi Arabia
• Pakatan ties smooth but PAS will quit pact if Islam, Malays lose out
Pakistan
• Jets pound suspected militant hideouts in Orakzai tribal region
• Pakistan faces growing anger over sectarian bombings
• Kohat warning: Militants rough up transgender guru, spark exodus
• Pakistanis train Taliban militants in western Afghanistan
• Pak asks UK to limit Indian influence in Afghanistan
• Hazara Democratic Party gives government 48-hour deadline
• Language barriers hinder learning in Pakistan, say experts
• MQM quits provincial, federal govts
• Sikhs fear part of centuries-old Gurdwara may be demolished
• Tirah valley: The land of pure hashish
North America
• US can’t stop ‘if Iran wants N-bomb’
• US seeks closer relations with Pakistan
• Brennan says casualties from drone strikes should be public
South Asia
• Karzai strongly condemn deadly bombing in Pakistan’s Quetta city
• Maldives' judicial watchdog denies making anti-India remarks
• Bangladesh hopes India would take ‘liberal view’ to resolve Teesta
• Bangladesh shuts Islamist website after blogger murder
• Bangladeshi PM hints at backing ban of Islamic party
• Maldives rallies to support ex-president
• Nasheed remains in Indian mission in Male for 4th day
• MDP calls for international community to be “mindful” of Maldives judiciary
• Former defence minister to depose against Nasheed
• Afghan president orders cameras to combat torture
• Afghan warlord sends out curse to democracy in Afghanistan
• Afghan forces ready to secure country after 2014: Hamid Karzai
• NATO accepts Afghan leader Karzai's air strikes decree
Europe
• Irish hospital's doctors failed to treat Savita Halappanavar
• Three militants shot dead in Russia's Dagestan: Media
• UN's rights chief: Assad should face war crimes probe
• UN chief to attend Congo peace signing
Mideast Asia
• Iran confiscates Buddha statues from shops
• Erdogan appeals for backing for peace talks with Kurds
• Iran to avenge killing of Revolutionary Guards commander in Syria
• Eliminate atomic weapons: Iran
India
• Bihar Changes “Surya Namaskar” Order as Muslim Groups Protest
• Global watchdog sees Chennai’s tiny shop as supplier to Iran’s nuclear programme
• Visa operations resume at Indian high commission in Male
• India, Bangladesh sign numerous MoUs and exchange strip maps
• More Gulf migrants return home, thanks to IMRWF’s efforts
• 4 terror strikes in '07-'11 when Fasih was in India: Police
• Yasin Malik aimed to boost his relevance at home, Pak?
• Demanding Afzal's body is constitutional right of family: Kashmiri Pandit outfit
Africa
• Foreigners arrested for trying to spread Christianity in Libya
• Nigeria foreign workers abducted in Bauchi state - police
• Islam is the leading religion in the Senegambia region
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Pakistan faces growing anger over sectarian bombings
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Bihar Changes “Surya Namaskar” Order as Muslim Groups Protest
Feb 17 2013
Patna : Following objections from socio-religious Muslim organisations, the Bihar government on Saturday amended a circular to schools to “ensure attendance” of students of class IV to class VII for “Surya Namaskar” function to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda at all district headquarters on February 18.
Prominent Muslim groups Imarat Shariah, Idarah Shariah and Zamiet Ulema had demanded that the Human Resource Development department amend its circular and add words like “optional or voluntary” to allow minority students to stay away from the function.
Secondary Education Director K K Sinha told The Sunday Express that the government has issued an amended circular to all district education officers, saying it was optional for school students to take part in the Surya Namaskar.
In a circular dated February 9, Sinha had written to all district education officers to “ask school and college principals to ensure attendance of students at functions organised by Swami Vivekamand Shard Shati Samaroh Samiti at the district headquarters”.
Protesting that circular, Imarat Shariah Nazim Maulana Anisur Rahman Quasmi had said: “HRD department must have made it clear that minority students can stay away from the function that has surya Namaskar, bowing to the Sun god. Islam does not permit obeisance to any god other than Allah.”
Quasmi said they had nothing against the celebrations on Vivekananda’s birth anniversary. “Today, the government allows school students to attend surya namaskar for one great personality. Such functions can be held for other great personalities in future, making a mockery of education.”
Trainers for the surya Namaskar will be from RSS, Patanjali Yogapeeth, Asaram Bapu’s organisation and other socio-religious groups.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/bihar-changes-surya-namaskar-order-as-muslim-groups-protest/1075443/
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Arab World
Iraqi officials say 28 killed in series of blasts in Shia populated areas
17 February 2013
BAGHDAD: A series of car bombs exploded within minutes of each other in and around Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least 28 people and wounding dozens in overwhelmingly Shia populated areas.
The attacks come amid rising sectarian discord in Iraq. The explosions, mostly in outdoor markets, struck at the start of the local work week and appeared aimed at causing mass casualties among residents going about their morning shopping.
Violence in Iraq has fallen since the height of sectarian fighting in 2006 and 2007, but insurgents still launch lethal attacks frequently against security forces and civilians in an attempt to undermine the Shia-led government.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but similar ones have been orchestrated by Sunni extremists, such as al-Qaida’s local arm. The group, known as the Islamic State of Iraq, favours large-scale, coordinated attacks. It frequently targets Shiite Muslims.
Police and hospital officials provided the death toll, and said more than 80 people were wounded. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief reporters.
The detonation of a parked car loaded with explosives in the sprawling Shia district of Sadr City heralded the start of the attacks late Sunday morning. Two more parked cars later exploded elsewhere in the poor neighbourhood. Other blasts erupted in the Baghdad neighbourhood of al-Amin, in an open-air market in Husseiniya, just northeast of the capital, and in the Kamaliya area in Baghdad’s eastern suburbs.
As sectarian strife mounts, protesters drawn overwhelmingly from Iraq’s Sunni community have been staging weekly demonstrations and sit-ins since late December to rally against the government, which is led by Shia Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The protesters have rejected calls for violence and distance themselves from extremists groups such as al-Qaida.
There are also concerns that Sunni insurgents could step up attacks ahead of provincial elections scheduled for April 20. The ballot would be the first country-wide vote since the US troop withdrawal more than a year ago.
Sunday’s attacks bring to more than 100 the number of people killed in violent attacks in Iraq since the start of the month. A total of 178 were killed in January attacks, according to an Associated Press count.
http://dawn.com/2013/02/17/iraqi-officials-say-28-killed-in-series-of-blasts/
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Shooting in Saudi Shiite town wounds woman, child
February 17, 2013
RIYADH: Unknown gunmen opened fire at a prison and police targets in Saudi Arabia's Shiite-populated Eastern Province, wounding a woman and her child, police and rights activists said on Sunday.
The gunmen carried out three separate shootings in two Shiite towns on Saturday, provincial police spokesman Ziad al-Rukaiti said.
"The prison in Qatif came under fire from an unknown source," said Rukaiti, referring to the prison in the Shiite town of Awamiya in the Qatif district.
Rukaiti said the shots directed at the prison were "followed by shooting at a police checkpoint" in Awamiya, and another shooting targeting a police patrol in a separate Shiite town.
Rights activists confirmed that an 18-year-old woman and her two-year-old child "were wounded by random gunfire in Awamiya."
Since early 2011, mainly Shiite towns in Eastern Province have seen sporadic protests and confrontations between police and Shiite residents who complain of marginalisation.
There are an estimated two million Shiites in the Sunni-dominated kingdom of around 27.5 million people.
The unrest first erupted after violence between Shiite pilgrims and religious police in the Muslim holy city of Medina in February 2011.
The protests escalated when Saudi Arabia led a force of Gulf troops into neighbouring Bahrain the following month to help crush Shiite-led pro-democracy demonstrations in the tiny Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdom.
Saudi King Abdullah on January 14 appointed Prince Saud bin Nayef as the new governor of Eastern Province, replacing Prince Mohammed bin Fahd who was in office since 1985 but was strongly criticised by Shiite activists for his aggressive policy towards them.
Prince Saud's appointment was welcomed by Shiite dignitaries in Eastern Province.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-17/206783-shooting-in-saudi-shiite-town-wounds-woman-child.ashx#ixzz2L9ccaQID
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Committed to wiping out terror, Saudi Arabia eyes world help
17 February 2013
Saudi Arabia told an international conference on security yesterday that the terror threat remains and sought global cooperation to combat it.
"The danger of terrorism and terrorists still persists and affects several countries," Prince Turki bin Mohammed bin Saud Al-Kabeer, undersecretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told delegates on Saturday in an opening address at the two-day International Conference on United Nations’ Collaboration with Counter Terrorism Centres.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/committed-wiping-out-terror-ksa-eyes-world-help
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Bahrain dismantles ‘terror cell’ linked to Iran
17 February 2013
MANAMA: Bahrain has dismantled a “terrorist cell” linked to Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon, the interior minister said, slamming what he called “escalation” in the kingdom as the Shiite opposition intensifies its protests.
Security services “have, with the help of a brotherly country, arrested the members of a terrorist cell made up of eight Bahraini elements,” state news agency BNA late Saturday quoted Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa as saying.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/bahrain-dismantles-%E2%80%98terror-cell%E2%80%99-linked-iran
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Egypt's political rivals meet amid tension
17 February 2013
Liberal and Islamist political leaders met privately on Saturday to try to ease tensions that have sparked protests in which some 60 Egyptians have died since late January, politicians said.
The protests erupted after the second anniversary of the uprising which overthrew Hosni Mubarak and reflected competing visions for Egypt's future. Political turbulence has slowed negotiations for a $4.8 billion dollar loan from the International Monetary Fund.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=44818
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Syria rebels on offensive as UN rights chief urges action
17 February 2013
DAMASCUS: Rebels have heightened their offensive in northern Syria, attacking Aleppo airport and two airbases, as the UN rights chief urged international action against President Bashar al-Assad.
Regime troops on Saturday fended off fierce rebel onslaughts around Aleppo international airport and the adjacent Nayrab military airbase, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
East of Aleppo, rebel attacks around the Kwiyres military airbase sparked counter-strikes from regime warplanes.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/02/17/syria-rebels-on-offensive-as-un-rights-chief-urges-action/
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Egypt chief of staff says army will avoid politics
February 17, 2013
ABU DHABI: Egypt's armed forces, for decades at the centre of power, will avoid involvement in politics but could have a role if things became "complicated", the chief of staff said on Sunday.
It also expects rival political groups to solve disputes by dialogue, Major General Sedki Sobhi told Reuters.
The military ran Egypt for six decades from the end of the colonial era and through an interim period after the overthrow of former air force chief and president Hosni Mubarak two years ago.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-17/206803-egypt-chief-of-staff-says-army-will-avoid-politics.ashx#ixzz2LAEcbgY4
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Syrians Freed in Abductions That Stoked Fears of More Strife
By ANNE BARNARD and HWAIDA SAAD
2013/02/17
BEIRUT, Lebanon — The tit-for-tat kidnappings of more than 140 people have provoked fears of expanded sectarian conflict in Syria’s northern Idlib Province in recent days, but one set of hostages was released in good condition on Saturday after negotiations between residents of two of the affected villages, according to a rebel commander.
Kidnappings for money or political reasons have become common in Syria as government control has eroded. The recent series of events demonstrated not only the high level of insecurity in the area, but also the determination of residents to defuse tensions.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/world/middleeast/syrian-kidnappings-raise-fear-of-
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Southeast Asia
Jakarta moves to save five housemaids on death row in Saudi Arabia
17 February 2013
Indonesia has stepped up efforts to save the lives of five housemaids currently on death row in Saudi Arabia.
The five cases are critical because the workers involved in these cases have exhausted all legal options following their convictions by Saudi courts on different criminal charges.
The workers are now seeking clemency from the victims’ families and from the Saudi government.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/jakarta-moves-save-workers-death-row
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Pakatan ties smooth but PAS will quit pact if Islam, Malays lose out
17 February 2013
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 17 — Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang has said that the Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) three partners are working well with each other but PAS will not hesitate to quit the pact should Islam and Malays lose out in coalition politics.
The Islamist party president’s declaration last night, reportedly made in front of a 10,000-strong crowd in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, appeared an attempt to shore up support from the country’s biggest demographic group ahead of Election 2013.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/hadi-pakatan-ties-smooth-but-pas-will-quit-pact-if-islam-malays-lose-out/
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Pakistan
Jets pound suspected militant hideouts in Orakzai tribal region
17 February 2013
PESHAWAR: Bombardment by Pakistan’s military jets destroyed three suspected militant hideouts and killed six militants in Orakzai tribal region’s Mamozai area, DawnNews reported.
The military has conducted several airstrikes since the beginning of this year, killing around 50 suspected militants, according to a DawnNews report.
Security officials have claimed in the past that up to 92 per cent of Orakzai has been cleared of insurgents in the ongoing military offensive in the restive tribal region.
Orakzai is one of Pakistan’s seven semi-autonomous tribal regions in the northwest, where Pakistani Taliban and Al Qaeda-linked militants are said to have carved out strongholds.
http://dawn.com/2013/02/17/jets-pound-suspected-militant-hideouts-in-orakzai-tribal-region/
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Pakistan faces growing anger over sectarian bombings
17 February 2013
QUETTA, Pakistan: Pakistan’s unpopular government, which is gearing up for elections expected within months, came under fire on Sunday for failing to improve security after a sectarian bombing in the city of Quetta killed 81 people and injured nearly 200.
The nuclear-armed country’s leaders have done little to contain hard-line Sunni Muslim groups which have stepped up a campaign of bombings and assassinations of minority Shiites.
On Saturday, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), seen as the most ruthless Sunni sectarian group, claimed responsibility for the attack in Quetta, which deepened suspicions among Shiites that Pakistan’s intelligence agencies were turning a blind eye to the bloodshed or even supporting extremists.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/pakistan-faces-growing-anger-over-sectarian-bombings
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Kohat warning: Militants rough up transgender guru, spark exodus
February 17, 2013
KOHAT: A senior member of the transgender community was tortured and threatened at the hands of militants in the southern Kohat district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday.
A police official said that three unidentified attackers entered a market in the Tirah Adda area of the region and barged inside a balakhana (den), where five transgendered persons along with their ‘guru’ resided.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/508521/kohat-warning-militants-rough-up-transgender-guru-spark-exodus/
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Pakistanis train Taliban militants in western Afghanistan
By SAYED JAWAD
16 Feb 201
According to local authorities in western Badghis province of Afghanistan, Pakistani citizens are busy with training Taliban militants in this province in a bid to enable them to fight with the Afghan and coalition security forces.
The officials further added Pakistani nationals have increased their illegal presence in various parts of Badghis province which can create a major security threat for the Afghan government.
Full report at:
http://www.khaama.com/pakistanis-train-taliban-militants-in-western-afghanistan-2202
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Pak asks UK to limit Indian influence in Afghanistan
Feb 17, 2013
NEW DELHI: With the UK trying to broker an agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan on Taliban reconciliation, Islamabad, it is learnt, has asked London to limit Indian activities in war-torn Afghanistan. It is not clear what the UK response has been, but diplomatic sources said Afghan and the British role in a possible Taliban reconciliation deal between Islamabad and Kabul would be high on the agenda, when British PM David Cameron meets Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for talks on Tuesday. Cameron is on a working visit to India.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pak-asks-UK-to-limit-Indian-influence-in-Afghanistan/articleshow/18538188.cms
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Hazara Democratic Party gives government 48-hour deadline
17 February 2013
QUETTA: The Hazara Democratic Party (HDP) has given the government a 48-hour deadline to arrest those responsible for Saturday’s suicide blast in Quetta, DawnNews reported.
HDP leader Azizullah Hazara, accompanied by members of his community, warned that if those behind Saturday’s blasts in Quetta were not arrested then protests would be held daily outside the Balochistan High Court.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/02/17/hdp-gives-government-48-hour-deadline/
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Language barriers hinder learning in Pakistan, say experts
February 17, 2013
KARACHI: “People say that private schools are winning the race in terms of education; but are children from either government or private sector schools getting a half way decent education?” This question, raised by writer and educator Abbas Rashid, was discussed at great length at a session titled ‘The State of Education in Pakistan’ on day two of the fourth Karachi Literature Festival.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/508476/language-barriers-hinder-learning-in-pakistan-say-experts/
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MQM quits provincial, federal govts
17 February 2013
KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement announced on Saturday that it had decided to quit the federal and provincial governments in protest against what it described as ‘negative attitude’ of the People’s Party.
The decision of the MQM coordination committee came at a time when the national and provincial assemblies are going to complete their tenure in a matter of a few weeks and the office of the leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly has gained much importance because of its role in finalising a caretaker set-up in the province with the outgoing chief minister.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/02/17/mqm-quits-provincial-federal-govts/
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Sikhs fear part of centuries-old Gurdwara may be demolished
February 17, 2013
PESHAWAR: The renovation work on the centuries-old Gurdwara Bhai Biba Singh is nearing completion, but two parts of the building which constitute the musafir khana (lodging for pilgrims) and langar khana (free meal centre) have not been restored, enraging Sikhs who had been waiting for the reopening since long.
Work at Biba Singh started in January 2012. It was initiated by the chairman of the Evacuee Trust Property Board, with a budget of around Rs5.5 million. Biba Singh, within the walled city, is one of the two gurdwaras in the city and has not been used for worship since partition.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/508480/sikhs-fear-part-of-centuries-old-gurdwara-may-be-demolished/
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Tirah valley: The land of pure hashish
February 17, 2013
JAMRUD: Trekking through the secret, narrow passes in the mountains of Tirah, Landikotal and Jamrud tehsils of Khyber Agency, Haji Zubair Afridi and his aides smuggle goatskins in a pickup through Kacharo Kosa. Hidden underneath it are kilos of hashish ingredients, what Afridi refers to as his “black gold.”
Their final destination is a clandestine warehouse in Jamrud Bazaar, where Zubair exchanges the animal skin for bundles of cash. He hands out Rs5,000 to the pickup driver and Rs3,000 to a teenage assistant. The rough terrain, he says, has nothing much to offer except for the unending clashes between rival groups. It is, however, rich in abundance as far as hashish is concerned.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/508485/tirah-valley-the-land-of-pure-hashish/
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North America
US can’t stop ‘if Iran wants N-bomb’
17 February 2013
TEHRAN: Iran has no intention of developing nuclear weapons but if it wanted to, the United States could not thwart it, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said yesterday.
“We believe nuclear weapons must be abolished and we have no intention of building” such weaponry, Khamenei said in remarks posted on his website leader.ir.
But, Khamenei said, “if Iran had such intentions, the US could in no way prevent it” from building an atomic bomb.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/us-can%E2%80%99t-stop-%E2%80%98if-iran-wants-n-bomb%E2%80%99
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US seeks closer relations with Pakistan
17 February 2013
WASHINGTON: The United States seeks to boost its relationship with Pakistan, though it is committed to winding up its combat operations in Afghanistan by the end of next year, says a top Pentagon commander.
Gen Lloyd J. Austin, nominee for commander of US Central Command (Centcom), told his confirmation hearing earlier this week that the conflict in Afghanistan remained Centcom’s top priority despite the Obama administration’s determination to end the war by December 2014.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/02/17/us-seeks-closer-relations-with-pakistan/
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Brennan says casualties from drone strikes should be public
17 February 2013
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama’s pick for CIA director, John Brennan, promised senators who will vote on his nomination more openness about US counter-terrorism programmes, saying the closely guarded number of civilian casualties from drone strikes should be made public, according to his written responses to questions released on Friday.
Brennan was questioned sharply by Democrats and Republicans alike during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on his nomination last week.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/02/17/brennan-says-casualties-from-drone-strikes-should-be-public/
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South Asia
Karzai strongly condemn deadly bombing in Quetta city
17 Feb 2013
Afghan president Hamid Karzai strongy condemned deadly terrorist attack in Quetta city of Pakistan where hundreds of people were killed or injured.
Karzai said the bombing was carried out by enemies of the ordinary people who are against the peace and stability of the region. He offered his condolences to the families of the victims and once again urged for joint and honest war against terrorism.
A suicide-bomb targeting Shia Hazaras in a busy market in Pakistan’s restive southwest killed 79 people including women and children and wounded 180 others, officials said Sunday.
Full report at:
http://www.khaama.com/karzai-strongly-condemn-deadly-bombing-in-quetta-city-1387
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Maldives' judicial watchdog denies making anti-India remarks
February 17, 2013
Maldives has said a forged letter of the Judicial Services Commission was used by elements inimical to India to attack the Indian high commissioner in Male in the midst of a controversy over former President Mohamed Nasheed taking refuge in the Indian Mission where he continued to stay for the fifth day on Sunday.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/restofasia/Maldives-judicial-watchdog-denies-making-anti-India-remarks/Article1-1012889.aspx
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Bangladesh hopes India would take ‘liberal view’ to resolve Teesta
17 February 2013
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday hoped that India would take a “liberal view” to resolve the longstanding Teesta river water sharing issue.
Ms. Hasina made the remarks when visiting External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid called on her here and assured India’s support to further strengthen bilateral cooperation and taking forward the friendly ties.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/bangladesh-hopes-india-would-take-liberal-view-to-resolve-teesta/article4424743.ece
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Bangladesh shuts Islamist website after blogger murder
Feb 17, 2013
DHAKA: Bangladesh has shut down a blog site after it was linked to the murder of an anti-Islamist blogger who helped organize protests against the leaders of the largest Islamic party, officials said on Sunday.
Blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider, 35, was hacked to death near his home in the capital Dhaka on Friday night after he joined a huge protest demanding the execution of Jamaat-e-Islami party leaders who are on trials for war crimes.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Bangladesh-shuts-Islamist-website-after-blogger-murder/articleshow/18541050.cms?
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Bangladeshi PM hints at backing ban of Islamic party
Feb 17, 2013
DHAKA: Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina indicated today that she would back a ban on the country's largest Islamic party, as tens of thousands of people joined the funeral of an anti-Islamist blogger and demanded death penalty for 1971 war criminals.
Protesters chanted slogans promising to avenge architect Rajib Haidar's assassination as his national flag draped coffin reached Shahbagh in the afternoon for the Namaaz-e-Janaza.
Haidar, 30, an architect and Shahbagh protest activist, was stabbed to death near his house at Pallabi in the capital last night.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Bangladeshi-PM-hints-at-backing-ban-of-Islamic-party/articleshow/18537454.cms
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Maldives rallies to support ex-president
Feb 17, 2013
MALE: Thousands of Maldivians took to the streets demanding safety for their former president Mohamed Nasheed and formation of a caretaker government in place of President Waheed Hassan Malik's government to ensure free and fair elections in September.
Around 10pm local time on Friday (half an hour behind IST), about 5,000 supporters of Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party gathered at Usfasgandu, the southern beach of Male city. Anti-riots police and the military lined the streets as protesters took out a rally towards Waheed's house on Orchid Magu. Nasheed, the first democratically elected president who stepped down last year after protests over the arrest of a judge, had on Wednesday taken refuge in the Indian high commission in Male fearing arrest.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Maldives-rallies-to-support-ex-president/articleshow/18538204.cms
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Nasheed remains in Indian mission in Male for 4th day
February 16, 2013
Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed remained holed up in the Indian Mission here for the fourth day in a row even as the country's judicial watchdog accused Indian High commissioner DM Mullay of interfering in judicial process.
Nasheed has remained at the High Commission since Wednesday, when he took refuge there to evade getting arrested for failing to appear in court last weekend to face charges of abuse of power while he was President.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/maldives/Nasheed-remains-in-Indian-mission-in-Male-for-4th-day/Article1-1012745.aspx
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MDP calls for international community to be “mindful” of Maldives judiciary
By MinivanNews | February 17th, 2013
The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has called for the international community to be “mindful” of the status of the Maldives judiciary, claiming it to be systematically flawed and biased.
The party’s sentiments were echoed in last night’s (February 16) protest as thousands of supporters of Nasheed once again took to the streets of Male’.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/further-protests-as-mdp-calls-for-international-community-to-be-mindful-of-maldives-judiciary-53082
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Former defence minister to depose against Nasheed
Feb 17, 2013
MALE: Monday could prove crucial for deposed Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed — and India which wishes to see him in the September presidential race — as a former defence minister of the Nasheed cabinet is likely to depose against him in a magistrate court. Nasheed has taken refuge in the Indian high commission in Male fearing arrest in the case which pertains to the arrest of a judge, that led to protests and Nasheed's ouster on February 7 last year.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Former-defence-minister-to-depose-against-Nasheed/articleshow/18538183.cms
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Afghan president orders cameras to combat torture
February 17, 2013
KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ordered that all interrogation facilities should be equipped with video cameras in a bid to prevent torture, after a recent UN report said detainees were abused.
The decree follows a government investigation into the UN report about prisoner abuse, which found detainees were tortured at the time of arrest and during interrogations.
"Relevant authorities are required to equip the intelligence and investigating agencies... with modern equipment (and) devices... and videotape the interrogation process," Karzai said in a decree released by his office late on Saturday.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2013/Feb-17/206753-afghan-president-orders-cameras-to-combat-torture.ashx#ixzz2LAEnsWav
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Afghan warlord sends out curse to democracy in Afghanistan
By MIRWAIS ADEEL
16 Feb 2013
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar Afghan warlord and founder of Hezb-e-Islami (Islamic Party of Afghanistan) said around 1000 people were killed during the Afghan civil war and denied to agree with the current Afghan institution, democracy and freedom of speech.
While speaking during an exclusive interview with the 1TV Gulbuddin Hekmatyar said he sends out curse to the current democracy in Afghanistan.
Full report at:
http://www.khaama.com/hekmatyar-send-out-curse-to-democracy-in-afghanistan-2203
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Afghan forces ready to secure country after 2014: Hamid Karzai
Feb 16, 2013
KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai reiterated Saturday that the Afghan security forces are entirely ready to ensure national security after NATO-led forces withdraw from the country by the end of 2014.
"Once the foreigners leave, Afghans will demonstrate to the world that they are able to secure the country and provide security for the nation," Karzai said in his speech delivered at an army officers's gathering at Afghan National Military Academy, reported Xinhua.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Afghan-forces-ready-to-secure-country-after-2014-Hamid-Karzai/articleshow/18531733.cms
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Nato accepts Afghan leader Karzai's air strikes decree
17 February 2013
Nato has said it accepts President Hamid Karzai's order banning Afghan security forces from calling in foreign air strikes in residential areas.
The commander of the US-led Nato forces, Gen Joseph Dunford, said Nato respected Afghan sovereignty and had other ways to support Afghan forces.
Mr Karzai announced his decree followed last week's killing of 10 civilians in a night raid in eastern Kunar province.
Full report at:
modern equipment and devices and videotape the interrogation process," the decree read.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21490432
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Europe
Irish hospital's doctors failed to treat Savita Halappanavar
Feb 16, 2013
LONDON: Indian dentist Savita Halappanavar died as a result of a litany of failures by hospital staff, a leaked draft of a probe report said, proving her family's claim that her death was avoidable.
The report by Ireland's health ministry revealed that doctors caring for the 31-year-old dentist seriously failed to investigate, recognize and treat the infection which led to her death.
Savita died at Galway University Hospital last October 28 after she was admitted to the hospital on October 21 with severe backpain. She was 17-weeks pregnant and was found to be miscarrying.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/nri/other-news/Irish-hospitals-doctors-failed-to-treat-Savita-Halappanavar-leaked-death-probe-report-says/articleshow/18533779.cms?
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Three militants shot dead in Russia's Dagestan: Media
February 17, 2013
MOSCOW: Security officers shot dead three militants on Sunday in Russia’s volatile North Caucasus republic of Dagestan, local media reported.
Russia has tightened security in the surrounding region less than a year ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics, which it is planning to host on the western side of the Caucasus mountains, 1,000 km (620 miles) from Dagestan.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/508621/three-militants-shot-dead-in-russias-dagestan-media/
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UN's rights chief: Assad should face war crimes probe
02/16/2013
LONDON - The United Nations human rights chief said on Saturday Syrian President Bashar Assad should be probed for war crimes and called for immediate action by the international community, including possible military intervention.
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=303471
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UN chief to attend Congo peace signing
Feb 17, 2013
UNITED NATIONS: UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has sent out invitations to a signing ceremony later this month for the large-scale peace agreement aimed at ending the fighting in Congo, the United Nations said Saturday.
UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said the UN chief will attend the Feb. 24 event in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The peace agreement had been expected to be signed at the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Jan. 28 but was delayed over what Ban called "procedural issues" and not over any fundamental differences in the agreement.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/UN-chief-to-attend-Congo-peace-signing/articleshow/18540033.cms
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Mideast Asia
Iran confiscates Buddha statues from shops
February 17, 2013
TEHRAN: An Iranian newspaper is reporting that government authorities are confiscating Buddha statues from shops in Tehran to stop the promotion of Buddhism in the country.
Sunday's report by the independent Arman daily quotes Saeed Jaberi Ansari, an official for the protection of Iran's cultural heritage, as saying that authorities will not permit a specific belief to be promoted through such statues.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-17/206776-iran-confiscates-buddha-statues-from-shops.ashx#ixzz2LAEiAIjP
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Erdogan appeals for backing for peace talks with Kurds
February 17, 2013
ANKARA: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the people of the Kurdish-majority southeast on Sunday to support new peace negotiations with outlawed rebels.
"We have initiated a process... to give a chance to a political solution. As long as you stand behind us, we will tackle this problem determinedly," Erdogan told party supporters in the town of Midyat, where the population is a mix of Kurds. Turks and Arabs.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-17/206795-erdogan-appeals-for-backing-for-peace-talks-with-kurds.ashx#ixzz2LAESAJHp
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Iran to avenge killing of Revolutionary Guards commander in Syria, Khamenei aide says
Feb 16, 2013
DUBAI: Iran will soon exact revenge on Israel for the recent killing of a Revolutionary Guards commander in Syria, an aide to Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted on Saturday as saying.
Iran said on Thursday that an Iranian military commander named Hessam Khoshnevis, also called Hassan Shateri in some news accounts, had been killed in Syria by rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Tehran.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Iran-to-avenge-killing-of-
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Eliminate atomic weapons: Iran
ATUL ANEJA
February 17, 2013
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday his country wanted the elimination of all atomic weapons—a pacifist assertion seemingly intended to counter apprehensions in the West about Tehran’s real intentions about its nuclear programme.
“We believe that nuclear weapons must be obliterated, and we do not intend to make nuclear weapons, but if we had not had this belief and had decided to possess nuclear weapons, no power could have prevented us,” said Ayatollah Khamenei in an address to thousands of clerics, officials and people of the north-western Iranian city of Tabriz.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/eliminate-atomic-weapons-iran/article4422156.ece
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India
Global watchdog sees Chennai’s tiny shop as supplier to Iran’s nuclear programme
Feb 17, 2013
CHENNAI/NEW DELHI: A tiny firm in a dark alley in Chennai's electronic spare parts hub on Meeran Sahib Street has been unwittingly catapulted into the midst of a suspected nuclear smuggling operation. A reputed proliferation watchdog has cited the company as a likely supplier to Iran's nuclear programme.
Ferrito Plastronics, a modest establishment with a reported turnover of Rs 2 crore-Rs 5 crore, has found a mention in a report published by the Institute of Science and International Security (ISIS) for an enquiry of one lakh ring magnets posted on a Chinese commercial website by an Iranian trading firm, Jahan Tech Rooyan Pars.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Global-watchdog-sees-Chennais-tiny-shop-as-supplier-to-Irans-nuclear-programme/articleshow/18536431.cms
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Visa operations resume at Indian high commission in Male
Feb 17, 2013
MALE: After remaining closed for five days following a political turmoil in Maldives and public holidays, the Indian high commission in Male opened for visa operations on Sunday.
The high commission was not issuing visas since Wednesday after Mohamed Nasheed, the former Maldivian president and leader of the Maldivian Democratic Party took refuge here on Wednesday fearing arrest by the Waheed Hassan government in connection with a case of arrest of a chief judge of a criminal court. Long queues were seen in front of the high commission on Sunday, the first working day of the week. Maldives, a Muslim country, has Friday as a public holiday. Offices remain closed on Saturdays, too.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Visa-operations-resume-at-Indian-high-commission-in-Male/articleshow/18541847.cms?
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India, Bangladesh sign numerous MoUs and exchange strip maps
February 17, 2013
In a major step forward to resolve the land boundary issue, India and Bangladesh on Saturday exchanged maps of demarcated stretches, as New Delhi said it was ready to release $50 million out of a $200 million credit line to Dhaka.
The strip maps were exchanged by external affairs minister Salman Khurshid and his Bangladesh counterpart Dipu Moni, as they discussed a wide spectrum of issues at the second meeting of the Indo-Bangla Joint Consultative Commission in Dhaka.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/bangladesh/India-Bangladesh-sign-numerous-MoUs-and-exchange-strip-maps/Article1-1012667.aspx
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More Gulf migrants return home, thanks to IMRWF’s efforts
17 February 2013
Relentless efforts by the Indian Migrants Rights & Welfare Forum (IMRWF) , represented by its president Kotapati Narsimham Naidu have resulted in the return of 20 more migrants who were subjected to suffering in the Gulf countries.
On Saturday morning, a group of 20 migrants who were granted amnesty in the United Arab Emirates flew back home, to Andhra Pradesh because the Forum facilitated their flight tickets.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Vijayawada/more-gulf-migrants-return-home-thanks-to-imrwfs-efforts/article4424659.ece
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4 terror strikes in '07-'11 when Fasih was in India: Police
Feb 17 2013
New Delhi : Fasih Mehmood, an alleged Indian Mujahideen (IM) founding member who was deported from Saudi Arabia last October, visited India on five occasions between 2007 and 2011, and four of those visits coincided with a terrorist attack in the country, police have said.
In a chargesheet filed in court on Saturday, the Delhi Police Special Cell said Fasih and other founding members of the IM received “generous support from many people in Pakistan who are well placed in the government there”. The chargesheet — based on Fasih’s confession — describes him as a “motivator” of the IM.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/4-terror-strikes-in-0711-when-fasih-was-in-india-police/1075434/
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Yasin Malik aimed to boost his relevance at home, Pak?
Feb 17, 2013
NEW DELHI: The Indian security agencies suspect that JKLF chief Yasin Malik may have secretly met 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed during his stay in Pakistan, apart from sharing the dais with him at a protest in Islamabad. Even as his alleged one-on-one meeting with the LeT boss is kept carefully under wraps, Malik, intelligence officials say, ensured a photo opportunity alongside Saeed to "score" over moderate Hurriyat's "secret" meeting with him last December.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Malik-aimed-to-boost-his-relevance-at-home-Pak/articleshow/18538529.cms
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Demanding Afzal's body is constitutional right of family: Kashmiri Pandit outfit
Feb 17 2013
Srinagar : A Kashmiri Pandit organisation today demanded that the body of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru be returned to his family members, saying it is their constitutional right.
"Kashmir Pandit Sangharsh Samiti (KPSS) request the Government of India to return mortal remains of Afzal Guru to his legal and legitimate heirs. It is the constitutional right of the family to ask for the same," president of the organisation, Sanjay Tickoo said in a statement.
He said the Government should accept the "collective conscience" of the people of Kashmir and the genuine and legitimate request of the family by returning the body. 43-year-old Guru was hanged and buried in Tihar Jail in Delhi on February 9.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/demanding-afzals-body-is-constitutional-right-of-family-kp-outfit/1075587/
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Africa
Foreigners arrested for trying to spread Christianity in Libya
Feb 17, 2013
BENGHAZI (Libya): Four foreigners have been arrested in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on suspicion of being Christian missionaries and printing books about Christianity, a security official said on Saturday.
"They were arrested on Tuesday at a publishing house where they were printing thousands of books that called for conversion to Christianity," security official Hussein Bin Hmeid said.
"Proselytising is forbidden in Libya. We are a 100 percent Muslim country and this kind of action affects our national security."
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Foreigners-arrested-for-trying-to-spread-Christianity-in-Libya/articleshow/18541224.cms?
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Nigeria foreign workers abducted in Bauchi state - police
17 February 2013
At least six construction workers, some of them foreigners, have been seized by gunmen who attacked a camp in northern Nigeria, officials say.
One of the workers seized was Italian and at least one other was said to be Lebanese.
But UK officials could not confirm a report that another was British.
No-one has admitted the abductions but the Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, has staged a series of attacks in northern Nigeria.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21491628
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Islam is the leading religion in the Senegambia region
15 February 2013
Islam is the majority religion of the Gambia, with around 90 percent of the population being Muslims and most have a Catholic relative/relation. The other religions include Christians, Catholics, Methodist, Baptist and Traditional African religion. Islam in the Gambia is unique in its unity with other religions and hold Jesus close to their hearts as they do Muhammad (peace be upon them). Gambia's Muslim population grew largely because of the efforts of 19th-century Muslim Dawah works and the peaceful period during British colonization. The religious freedom that the Gambia enjoys is largely the work of leadership, past and present that has decided to build on the colonial legacy of religious pluralism.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/leading-religion-senegambia-region
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/bihar-changes-“surya-namaskar”-order/d/10451