Bomb kills nine civilians in Afghanistan
Two policemen gunned down in Karachi
Gaddafi’s son offers talks with protesters
Bahraini opposition leader back home
Tribal chiefs join opposition to Yemeni president
“India can help build democracy in Arab world”
Reveal your agents in Pak: ISI to CIA
Raymond Davis family not in Pakistan: US embassy
Sadhvi Pragya held in Joshi murder case
Census period should be extended, demand Muslims
Sabotage? Iran's N-reactor runs into trouble
J&K Police gears up for crowd management
Pak court adjourns 26/11 case till March 5
Leading Pak artistes oppose curbs on travelling to India
Russia vows to sell missiles to Syria
Obama calls on Qaddafi to step down
‘Gaddafi forces shooting from ambulances’
Gaddafi won't destroy oil wells'
World powers struggle to find way to stop Gaddafi
Terror in Tripoli as Gaddafi braces for battle
Libya placed billions of $ at U.S. banks: cables
Amid fear for family, Libyans in US take to streets
Nurse stands by Gaddafi, for better or for worse
British military planes in daring Libya desert rescue
World’s religious leaders call for end to violence in Libya
Pluralism is God's Will: Indonesian religious leader
Attack shuts Iraq's largest oil refinery, kills 1
After Mubarak, Egypt fixes president's term at 8 years
Army says sorry after protester clashes
King discuss regional issues with UN chief
World Assembly of Muslim Youth, Muslim Aid in cooperation pact
Students studying abroad on their own to benefit from king’s scholarship program
Two hurt in Israeli raids on Gaza
UAE replaces US as India's top trading ally
Pakistani delegate's money confiscated
Stereotypes break on Kuwait's I-Day
Leading Pak artistes oppose curbs on travelling to India
J&K Police gears up for crowd management
Pak court adjourns 26/11 case till March 5
Afghan defence minister sees better Pakistan cooperation
US Army must prepare for complex threats: Gates
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/bomb-kills-nine-civilians-afghanistan/d/4198
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Bomb kills nine civilians in Afghanistan
February 27, 2011
KHOST/MAZAR-I-SHARIF: A roadside bomb killed nine civilians, including women and children, when it struck the vehicle they were travelling in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, provincial police said.
The civilians were driving into Khost city, capital of Khost province, when the blast hit their van, deputy provincial police chief Mohammad Yaqoub Mandozai said.
“Three women, four children and two men were killed by the roadside bomb explosion. They were all civilians,” Mandozai said.
He blamed the attack on “enemies of Afghanistan” a term often used to refer to Taliban militants who have waged a bloody insurgency against Afghan and foreign forces in Afghanistan.
Homemade bombs, or improvised explosive devices, are the weapon of choice for the Taliban and the main cause of casualties among Afghan and foreign forces.
The terrorists also use suicide bombings and rocket attacks.
Three rockets were fired into the heart of Kabul on Saturday morning, with one landing close to the presidential palace, interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary said.
However the attack came before the start of the rush hour when the city was almost empty and caused no casualties.
Separately, a suicide bomber detonated explosives strapped to his body at a sports field in northern Afghanistan on Saturday killing three and wounding 38, a provincial governor said.
Abdulhaq Shafaq, the Faryab governor, said the attack took place in Shirin Tagab district during a buzkashi game, a traditional sport involving grabbing a dead goat or calf from the ground while riding a horse at full gallop.
“A suicide bomber detonated explosives strapped to his body in a crowd of people who had gathered to watch a buzkashi game today”, Shafaq said.
“Thirty eight of our countrymen were injured and three others including one child were martyred, in the blast,” he added. Earlier he gave a toll of one killed and 24 wounded.
The governor also said that some of the wounded were in critical condition, and the death toll might rise.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility by Taliban or other armed insurgent groups, but the Afghan interior ministry condemned the attack as an “un-Islamic act” carried out by “enemies of peace and stability”, a term often used by government officials to refer to Taliban. afp
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\02\27\story_27-2-2011_pg7_5
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Two policemen gunned down in Karachi
February 27, 2011
KARACHI: Two policemen were gunned down in Quaid-e-Azam Colony within the limits of Mobina Town police station on Saturday.
Police officials said that the incident took place during crossfire between two political groups over kidnapping of a political worker. SHO Sattar Gul said that the policemen were killed during crossfire between Awami National Party (ANP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). The victims were shifted to the nearest private hospital where both succumbed to their injuries during treatment.
The deceased policemen were identified as police constable Maqsood, 42, a resident of Essa Nagri and a Head Constable Zahir Shah, 48, resident of Azeem Goth. Shah was the father of five children and posted as Head Muhrir at the Mobina town police station.
Tension prevailed in the locality and a heavy contingent of law enforcers, including police and Rangers, were deployed to conduct an operation. No arrest was made in this regard and no case was registered till the filing of this story.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\02\27\story_27-2-2011_pg7_22
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Gaddafi’s son offers talks with protesters
February 26, 2011
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi offered to withhold attacks on regime opponents Saturday and negotiate. In remarks delivered late Friday, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi also denied that mercenaries have taken part in attacking protesters after witnesses said mercenaries from C
had, Mali and other African countries have been involved in attacks on protesters.
“We are dealing with terrorists,” the son said.
“The army decided not to attack the terrorists and give them an opportunity for negotiation. We hope to do this in a peaceful way, and we will do so by tomorrow.”
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi vowed that the state would regain control over eastern cities.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Gaddafi-s-son-offers-talks-with-protesters/H1-Article1-667267.aspx
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Bahraini opposition leader back home
Feb 27, 2011
MANAMA: A prominent Bahraini opposition leader returned from exile Saturday and urged the kingdom’s rulers to back up reform promises with action.
Hassan Mushaima, who heads Haq movement, was embraced and kissed by a small group of supporters as he returned from months of voluntary exile in London.
Mushaima, who had been among a group of activists previously accused of plotting to overthrow Bahrain’s rulers, called on the government to be more responsive to protesters’ demands for far-reaching political reforms. “Dialogue ... is not enough. Promising is not enough. We have to see something on the ground,” he said on arrival at the airport.
Mushaima said any changes should grant more power to the people. Asked if he hoped to lead the protest movement, he said: “I’m always saying to the people, ‘I’m your servant’.”
Prominent opposition activist Muneera Fakhro welcomed the fast-changing developments. “The firing of the three ministers on Friday and the granting of royal pardon to Hassan Mushaima are good signs. These are clear indicators that the government is responding, and responding positively to the demands of the activists,” she said.
She said passions are running very high in the streets and the situation needs to be handled deftly and carefully. “People are very emotional and there is a reason for that; they have lost some of their near and dear ones in the violence last week,” she said. “We met the families of some of the victims on Saturday and they were pretty emotionally surcharged,” she added.
Fakhro felt that the arrival of Mushaima will help speed the process of dialogue with the government. “He is a Bahraini citizen and we welcome his return to his homeland,” she said. “He will soon meet representatives of the opposition and then we will open a dialogue with the government as to where we should go next,” she said. “Since people are restless, they are expecting rapid changes, but such things take time. I am very optimistic that Bahrain will emerge stronger from all these developments.”
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article287147.ece
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Tribal chiefs join opposition to Yemeni president
February 27, 2011
SANAA: Pressure on Ali Abdullah Saleh to resign intensified on Saturday when the leaders of two of Yemen’s most important tribes abandoned the president and joined the anti-regime movement. The news came as an official denied reports that police killed four people on Friday in an assault on an anti-government protest in Aden, blaming a southern secessionist group for the attack. Powerful tribal leaders, including those of the Hashid and Baqil, pledged to join protests against Saleh at a gathering north of the capital, a tribal source told AFP. “I have announced my resignation from the General People’s Congress in protest at the repression of peaceful demonstrators in Sanaa, Taez and Aden,” Hashid tribal chief Sheikh Hussein bin Abdullah al-Ahmar was quoted as saying, in reference to the ruling party. The Hashids are considered Yemen’s most powerful tribal confederation and include nine clans, among them the Sanhan, long a bulwark of Saleh’s regime. The announcement was warmly received by a large crowd of tribesmen, including members of Yemen’s second largest tribe, the Baqil, who gathered for the meeting, according to the tribal source. The two tribes announced they would support the popular uprising against Saleh, who has refused to step down after three decades in power, to chants of “the people want the fall of the regime!” According to an AFP tally based on reports by medics and witnesses, at least 19 people have now been killed in almost daily clashes at anti-regime protests since they erupted on February 16. afp
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\02\27\story_27-2-2011_pg7_4
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“India can help build democracy in Arab world”
Feb 27, 2011,
KUWAIT: India has said it would be “very positive” to requests by Arab countries to usher in democracy and help build institutions that sustain it. However, the offer made by External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishana was laced with circumspection.
“India does not believe in interfering in the affairs of another country. We will take the cue at an appropriate time depending on how they want India to help. India will be willing to be of some assistance to them. But let the situation arise,” he observed while interacting with newspersons on his way to Kuwait.
Changes hailed
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/27/stories/2011022765391700.htm
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Reveal your agents in Pak: ISI to CIA
February 26, 2011
Pakistan’s premier spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence has demanded an accounting by the US’ Central Intelligence Agency of all its contractors working in the country as a fallout from the arrest of alleged CIA agent Raymond Davis, a senior Pakistani intelligence official has claimed. Davi
s, who is facing murder charges for killing two Pakistani men in Lahore, is currently kept in a high-security detention centre, and is expected to stay there until a court hearing next month.
The senior official said the ISI was enraged that Davis worked as a contractor in Pakistan on covert CIA operations without the knowledge of the Pakistanis, and it estimated that there were “scores” of more such contractors “working behind our backs,” The New York Times reports.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Reveal-your-agents-in-Pak-ISI-to-CIA/H1-Article1-667260.aspx
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Raymond Davis family not in Pakistan: US embassy
Feb 26, 2011,
ISLAMABAD: The family of US official Raymond Davis, who shot dead two men in Lahore, is in Pakistan, a media report said on Saturday, prompting the American embassy to reject it as "false".
US embassy spokesperson Courtney Beale said that "media reports stating that family members of Raymond Davis are in Pakistan are false."
"Raymond Davis' alleged family reached Pakistan between Wednesday night and Thursday morning," DawnNews reported.
The family that arrived at Allama Iqbal International Airport included a woman, two men and three children. They were escorted out of the airport under high security arrangements and were taken to an unidentified location.
The vehicles that were carrying Davis' alleged family had false number plates, the report added.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Raymond-Davis-family-not-in-Pakistan-US-embassy/articleshow/7582460.cms#ixzz1F7ybBtAR
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Sadhvi Pragya held in Joshi murder case
Suchandana Gupta
Feb 27, 2011
BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh police have arrested Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast, for the murder of Samjhauta Express blast suspect Sunil Joshi.
The sadhvi, who's part of a saffron terror network, is already in custody under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in Malegaon blast case. Six people were killed and many wounded in the blast on September 29, 2008.
Inspector-general of police (law and order) A K Soni confirmed that Pragya Singh was an accused in the murder of Joshi, who's name figures in the list of accused in the Ajmer blast case. He was shot dead by a group of unidentified people on December 29, 2007 near his house in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh. He is said to be a part of a Hindu terror group that orchestrated blasts across the country.
His name surfaced in the purported confessional statement of senior RSS functionary Aseemanand, currently in Ambala jail. Aseemanand said that in March 2006, he along with Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, Sunil Joshi and Bharat Riteshwar had decided to give a "befitting reply to the Sankatmochan blasts (Varanasi)" by triggering blasts at Muslim religious places.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Sadhvi-Pragya-held-in-Joshi-murder-case/articleshow/7584150.cms#ixzz1F7u7WZJG
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Census period should be extended, demand Muslims
New Age Islam News Bureau
New Delhi: The Muslims of Delhi have demanded that the period of Census should be extended as the Census department has not be able to address the complaints of the Muslim community. The Muslims have been complaining in Delhi and other parts of the country that the Census officials have been filling information in the Census form arbitrarily. Most of the residents of the city said that the officials were using pencils instead of black ball pen to fill the forms and they filled Hindi instead of Urdu in the language form. Most of the localities said that no official came to them take the details and hence the census had not covered all the areas. Mirza Zaki Ahmad, the President of a social organisation of Delhi TMF, has demanded the extension of the census period so that the issues raised by the Muslim community could be addressed and all the areas could be covered.
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Sabotage? Iran's N-reactor runs into trouble
William J Broad & Davis E Sanger
Feb 27, 2011
Iran told atomic inspectors this week that it had run into a serious problem at a newly completed nuclear reactor that was supposed to start feeding electricity into the national grid this month, raising questions about whether the trouble was sabotage, a startup problem, or possibly the beginning of the project's end.
In a report on Friday, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran told inspectors on Wednesday that it was planning to unload nuclear fuel from its Bushehr reactor — the sign of a major upset. For years, Tehran has hailed the reactor as a showcase of its peaceful nuclear intentions and its imminent startup as a sign of quickening progress.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Sabotage-Irans-N-reactor-runs-into-trouble-/articleshow/7583992.cms#ixzz1F7wuu8RK
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J&K Police gears up for crowd management
February 27, 2011
Ahead of the beginning of a long summer season in Kashmir valley, the Jammu and Kashmir police has started gearing up its 'men and women in uniform' for better crowd management and to ensure minimal collateral damage in the form of loss of human life and property.
To begin with, the State police has set a target of training more than 5000 jawans in specialsied 'law and order duties' and use of non-lethal weapons to prevent any flare up in the coming season.
For the purpose, the State police has procured adequate quantity of non -lethal weapons including tear smoke shells, plastic bullets, rubber bullets, air guns, anti riot protective gear to avoid any loss of human life.
More than 100 civilian lives were lost in spontaneous street protests and incidents of stone pelting and tear gassing during last summer in Kashmir valley alone. Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda on Saturday witnessed a similar mock drill and training module of jawans currently undergoing basic law and order training along with senior police officers at the State police traning centre, Sunjwan.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/320752/JK-Police-gears-up-for-crowd-management.html
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Pak court adjourns 26/11 case till March 5
February 27, 2011
A Pakistani court on Saturday adjourned till March 5 the trial of LeT's Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and six other suspects charged with involvement in the Mumbai attacks after hearing arguments by defence and prosecution lawyers on a move to declare Ajmal Kasab and Fahim Ansari as fugitives.
Prosecutors from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) renewed their request to the Rawalpindi-based anti-terrorism court to declare Kasab, the lone surviving attacker, and terror suspect Ansari as "proclaimed offenders" or fugitives and issue arrest warrants for them.
The prosecutors had initially filed the request in May last year.
They were forced to withdraw a petition on the same issue in the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court on Thursday after a bench observed that Kasab and Ansari were not wilfully absconding and could not be declared fugitives.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/320649/Pak-court-adjourns-26/11-case-till-March-5.html
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Leading Pak artistes oppose curbs on travelling to India
Feb 26 2011
Leading Pakistani artistes have joined hands against the government's decision to impose curbs on travelling to India, saying they have the right to approach the Supreme Court to oppose the order to obtain a no-objection certificate to visit the neighbouring country.
Samina Ahmed, Madiha Gauhar, Usman Pirzada and other theatre artistes and actors have protested the decision, saying Interior Minister Rehman Malik's announcement that they would require an NOC from the government to travel abroad was a huge disappointment to all those who are "fighting for a liberal and democratic Pakistan".
The move will take Pakistan back to the era of late military ruler Zia-ul-Haq, when such NOCs were the norm, the artists said. It is also disappointing that the Pakistan People's Party-led government was behind the move, they said.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/leading-pak-artistes-oppose-curbs-on-travelling-to-
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Russia vows to sell missiles to Syria
February 27, 2011
MOSCOW: Russia announced Saturday that it intended to fulfil its contract to supply Syria with cruise missiles despite the turmoil shaking the region and the furious condemnation of the deal by Israel.
“The contract is in the implementation stage,” news agencies quoted Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov as saying.
Russia initially agreed to send a large shipment of anti-ship Yakhont cruise missiles to Syria in 2007 under the terms of a controversial deal that was only disclosed by Serdyukov in September 2010.
The revelation infuriated both Israel and the United States and there had been speculation that Russia would decide to tear up the contract amid the current turmoil plaguing north Africa and the Middle East.
Israel — which is still technically in a state of war with Syria and fears its close ties with Iran — suspects that the shipment is ultimately aimed at supplying Hezbollah militants in neighbouring Lebanon.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/26/russia-vows-to-sell-missiles-to-syria.html
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Obama calls on Qaddafi to step down
Feb 27, 2011
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama dropped the careful condemnation, threats of consequences and the reminders to Muammar Qaddafi’s regime about its responsibility to avoid violence. In their place he delivered a more forceful message to the Libyan leader: Leave.
The president called on Qaddafi to step down for the first time Saturday, saying that the Libyan government must be held accountable for its brutal crackdown on dissenters.
The administration also announced new sanctions against Libya, but that was overshadowed by the sharp demand for Qaddafi’s immediate ouster.
“The president stated that when a leader’s only means of staying in power is to use mass violence against his own people, he has lost the legitimacy to rule and needs to do what is right for his country by leaving now,” the White House said.
The statement summarizing Obama’s telephone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel came as Libya’s embattled regime passed out guns to civilian supporters and sent armed patrols around its capital to quash dissent and stave off the rebellion that now controls large parts of the North African nation. Violence continued, a day after pro-Qaddafi militiamen and snipers fired on protesters trying to march in Tripoli and their leader told supporters to defend the nation.
Until Saturday, US officials held back from fully and openly throwing all their support behind the protest movement, insisting that it was for the Libyan people to determine how they want to be led. The refrain echoed the public position maintained by the administration during the Egypt crisis, when the US gradually dropped its support for longtime ally Hosni Mubarak but never explicitly demanded his resignation after nearly three decades in power.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article288141.ece
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‘Gaddafi forces shooting from ambulances’
Feb 27 2011
An increasingly gruesome picture began to emerge Saturday of the violent tactics used by the government of Muammar Gaddafi to quell protesters in Tripoli, with several witnesses confirming that forces loyal to the government had been shooting people from ambulances and using antiaircraft guns against crowds.
Witnesses to the violence in Tripoli also said the government had removed dead bodies as well as the wounded from hospitals to disguise the mounting death toll.
Gaddafi’s forces had put down demonstrators, who took to the streets after Friday prayers to mount their first major challenge to the government’s crackdown, with snipers from rooftops, buckshot and tear gas, witnesses said. There were unconfirmed reports that an armed rebel force was approaching the city on Saturday.
In neighbouring Tajoura, where there has been significant fighting, residents barricaded a street with television sets and cinderblocks to try to keep out pickup trucks full of men with machine guns.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/gaddafi-forces-shooting-from-ambulances/755354/
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Gaddafi won't destroy oil wells'
February 26th, 2011
Tripoli: Muammar Gaddafi would never destroy the country's oil wells - its main source of wealth - to quash the anti-government protests, the Libyan leader's son Saif al-Islam has said.
As the world's 12th largest oil exporter, Libya has the potential to unsettle the global economy if its violent anti-government protests disrupt supplies.
"We will never demolish the sources of oil. They belong to the people," Saif told Turkish news channel CNN-Turk on Friday.
In an interview translated from English into Turkish on the CNN-Turk website, he said the Gaddafi family had no intention of fleeing Libya, and claimed the government was in control of the west, south and centre of the country.
"We have plans A, B and C. Plan A is to live and die in Libya. Plan B is to live and die in Libya. Plan C is to live and die in Libya," Saif said.
Full report at:
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/international/gaddafi-wont-destroy-oil-wells-110
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World powers struggle to find way to stop Gaddafi
Feb 26 2011,
World powers struggled to find a way to stop Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi lashing out at his people as he clings to power in Tripoli, the last big city where an uprising against his rule has yet to take hold.
President Barack Obama signed an order prohibiting transactions related to Libya and blocking property, the first major step to isolate the North African leader, who has used army, police and irregular forces to try to crush the protests.
"By any measure, Muammar Gaddafi's government has violated international norms and common decency and must be held accountable," Obama said in a statement on Friday.
Diplomats at the United Nations said a vote on a draft resolution calling for an arms embargo on Libya as well as travel bans and asset freezes on its leaders might come on Saturday after U.N. chief Ban ki Moon said it could not wait.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/world-powers-struggle-to-find-way-to-stop-gaddafi/755207/
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Terror in Tripoli as Gaddafi braces for battle
February 27, 2011
TRIPOLI: Terrified residents braced Saturday for bloody battles in an eerily quiet Tripoli after Muammar Gaddafi’s forces prepared to defend the city from a rebellion controlling much of the rest of
the country.
The embattled regime of Gaddafi is arming civilian supporters to set up checkpoints and roving patrols around the Libyan capital to control movement and quash dissent, residents said Saturday.
The reports came a day after protesters demanding Gaddafi’s ouster came under a hail of bullets when pro-regime militiamen opened fire to stop the first significant anti-government marches in days in the Libyan capital.
The Libyan leader, speaking from the ramparts of a historic Tripoli fort, told supporters to prepare to defend the nation as he faced the biggest challenge to his 42-year rule, with rebels having seized control of about half of the country’s coastline.
“At the suitable time, we will open the arms depot so all Libyans and tribes become armed, so that Libya becomes red with fire,” Gaddafi said.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\02\27\story_27-2-2011_pg1_3
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Libya placed billions of $ at U.S. banks: cables
February 27, 2011
LONDON: Libya's secretive sovereign wealth fund has $32 billion in cash with several U.S. banks each managing up to $500 million, and it has primary investments in London, a confidential diplomatic cable shows. The cable, obtained by WikiLeaks and revealing the details of a January meeting between the head of the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) and the U.S. ambassador in Tripoli, comes as the United States and European governments explored the possibility of freezing assets belonging to the Libyan government.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=11807
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Amid fear for family, Libyans in US take to streets
February 27, 2011
CHICAGO: Amid fear for those caught in the bloodshed in Libya, hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Chicago Saturday to voice their disgust with Moamer Kadhafi's deadly crackdown.
Chanting "Libya, Libya don't you cry, we won't let your freedom die" and "Enough is enough, Kadhafi's time is up," they waved monarchist Libyan flags and stomped on posters of the grim-faced dictator.
"We were hoping it would be a victory rally, but he's a madman holding the country hostage," said Abdularahman Aduib, 20, a Libyan studying in Chicago.
Much of Aduib's family is in the western city of Misurata and the last time he was able to reach them they told him mercenaries were patrolling the streets in an attempt to quash the mass uprising.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=11804
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Nurse stands by Gaddafi, for better or for worse
Feb 27, 2011,
Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's 'voluptuous blonde' personal nurse is on his side even when power is slipping through his fingers, it has emerged.
LONDON: Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's 'voluptuous blonde' personal nurse is on his side even when power is slipping through his fingers, it has emerged. Galyna Kolotnytska is said to be at his side despite his vow to 'martyr' himself in a bloody final stand, reports the Sun.
Gaddafi 'cannot travel' without the 38-year-old—thought to be his lover—as she 'knows his routine', leaked documents have revealed.
Ukrainian officials have said they had not had a request to evacuate her. One added, "As far as we know she''s with Gaddafi." Meanwhile, the widow''s 20-year-old daughter said, "My mother has not been in touch for a long time. I cannot reach her."
A secret 2009 memo to US Secretary of state Hillary Clinton released by Wikileaks revealed that the tyrant 'appears to rely' on her. It said he once sent a private jet to ferry Galyna from Libya to Portugal to meet him when she was delayed by visa problems.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Nurse-stands-by-Gaddafi-for-better-or-for-worse-/articleshow/7583985.cms#ixzz1F7xC01oY
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British military planes in daring Libya desert rescue
February 27, 2011
LONDON: Two British military aircraft swooped into strife-torn Libya on Saturday and evacuated more
than 150 foreign nationals from remote camps in the desert, the defence minister said.
The Royal Air Force C130 Hercules transport planes involved in the daring rescue later landed in
Malta after picking up the civilians from south of Benghazi, said Defence Secretary Liam Fox.
Britain also closed its embassy in Tripoli after evacuating all staff on the last government-chartered
flight out of the the capital, amid mounting violence by forces loyal to Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=11809
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World’s religious leaders call for end to violence in Libya
Arghea Desafti Hapsar
The ongoing brutal attacks by government security forces on thousands of peaceful protesters in Libya are utterly reprehensible and must stop, an international coalition of religious leaders says.
The secretary-general of the New York-based Religions for Peace, William F. Vendley, said in a release received by The Jakarta Post on Friday that religious leaders around the world condemned and called for a cessation of the violence in Libya.
“The people of Libya deserve to be protected should the Libyan government continue violent attacks against them.
“Mindful of the grave danger that the people in Libya face, Religions for Peace calls on the United Nations, the African Union, the Arab League, other regional intergovernmental bodies and all governments to undertake responsible and legal actions to help to ensure the safety and full rights of the people in Libya,” he said.
The members of Religions for Peace, he added, also condemn these heinous acts of violence against civilians in Libya.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/02/25/world’s-religious-leaders-call-end-violence-libya.htm
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Pluralism is God's Will: Din Syamsuddin
February 27, 2011
Muhammadiyah head Din Syamsuddin said in Bali Saturday that pluralism and tolerance are part of God's plan. (Antara Photo)
Denpasar. Pluralism is God`s way of testing man`s ability to live peacefully with those who are different in terms of religion, ethnicity and other ways, a noted Islamic leader and government critic said here Saturday
"People who do not want to live side by side in peace with others who are different from them, and who then try to expel or even kill others because of the difference, do not pass God`s test," said Din Syamsuddin, the head of Muhammadiyah.
He said pluralism was part of God`s plan. "Those who were born in Bali are also determined by God. I happen to be born in Sumbawa and it was not because of my wish. This is important so that we can develop brotherhood in a pluralistic community," he said during the inauguration of the executive boards of the Bali chapters of Muhammadiyah and Aisyiah, the organization's s women wing.
In recent weeks, Dn has joined forces with a number of religious leaders of different faiths to criticize what he has called government "failings" on many fronts. The influential leader has said the government needs to confront challenges to religious tolerance more forcefully.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/pluralism-is-gods-will-din-syamsuddin/425383
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Attack shuts Iraq's largest oil refinery, kills 1
Feb 26, 2011,
In this September 18, 2003 file photo, Iraqi firefighters battle an oil pipeline explosion along the main line from Iraq to Turkey near the northern Iraqi town of Beiji, Iraq. (AP Photo)
BAGHDAD: Gunmen attacked Iraq's largest oil refinery before dawn Saturday, killing a guard and detonating bombs that sparked a fire and forced the facility to halt operations, officials said.
A few hours later, a small refinery in the south shut down after a technical failure sparked a fire in a storage unit, an official said.
If not fixed swiftly, the two shutdowns could translate into long lines at fuel stations and longer electricity outages. The dearth of reliable electricity, some Iraqis get just a few hours a day, was one of the leading complaints of protesters during violent anti-government protests across Iraq on Friday.
The attack on Iraq's largest refinery, Beiji, began at about 3:30 am. Assailants carrying pistols fitted with silencers attacked guards and planted bombs near some production units for benzene and kerosene, said the spokesman for Salahuddin province, Mohammed al-Asi.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Attack-shuts-Iraqs-largest-oil-refinery-kills-1/articleshow/7582271.cms#ixzz1F7yt4Gw4
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After Mubarak, Egypt fixes president's term at 8 years
Feb 27, 2011,
CAIRO: Future presidents of Egypt will only be allowed to stay in office for eight years according to constitutional amendments that will open up competition for the position held for three decades by ousted leader Hosni Mubarak.
The proposed amendments outlined by a judicial panel appointed by Egypt's ruling military council will be put to a referendum ahead of parliamentary and presidential elections that will hand power back to a civilian government.
Mubarak was serving in his fifth, six-year term when he was toppled on Feb 11, forced from office by a mass uprising driven in large part by demands for reform to put an end to the one-man rule.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/After-Mubarak-Egypt-fixes-presidents-term-at-8-years/articleshow/7584003.cms#ixzz1F7y8Xy8D
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Army says sorry after protester clashes
February 26, 2011
Soldiers used force on Saturday to break up a protest demanding more political change in Egypt in the toughest move yet against demonstrators who accused the country's military rulers of "betraying the people". Protesters said the soldiers had moved against them after midnight, firing in the air an
d using sticks to break up the remnants of a demonstration urging the military to enact deeper reforms including a complete overhaul of the cabinet.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which has been ruling Egypt since president Hosni Mubarak stepped down in the face of a mass uprising, apologised, said there had been no order to assault the protest and the incident was unintentional.
Protesters detained overnight would be released, it said, without stating how many of them there were. It said "infiltrators" had thrown bottles and rocks at soldiers.
"What happened last night was ... the result of unintentional altercations between the military police and the children of the revolution," the council said on a Facebook page that has become a main tool in its public relations effort.
Ashraf Omar, a demonstrator, said soldiers had used tasers and batons against the protesters.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Army-says-sorry-after-protester-clashes/H1-Article1-667154.aspx
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King discuss regional issues with UN chief
Feb 27, 2011
JEDDAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah held talks on Saturday with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on regional and international developments.
According to a report carried by the Saudi Press Agency, the king received a telephone call from the UN chief. King Abdullah arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday after a three-month-long medical tour abroad.
Earlier in the day, King Abdullah received a call from Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh, who congratulated the Saudi leader on his safe return.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article287327.ece
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World Assembly of Muslim Youth, Muslim Aid in cooperation pact
By P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR
Feb 26, 2011
JEDDAH: The Riyadh-based World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) signed a memorandum of understanding with Muslim Aid, an international relief and development organization in the UK, on Saturday to strengthen their cooperation in global relief activities.
Saleh Babaeer, WAMY’s assistant secretary-general for executive affairs, said both organizations have agreed to support each other to realize their common goals. “The two sides will also exchange books, magazines and other publications,” he said.
WAMY and Muslim Aid will establish a joint committee to plan, coordinate and review their activities, Babaeer said, adding that the committee would meet whenever required.
Muslim Aid Chairman Sir Iqbal Sacranie said his organization highlighted his organization’s activities in 70 countries during the last 20 years.
“We have carried out a large number of projects to fight poverty and its reasons by developing advanced and sustainable solutions,” he said.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article287104.ece
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Students studying abroad on their own to benefit from king’s scholarship program
By WALAA HAWARI
Feb 26, 2011 23:08
RIYADH: Saudi students who pay for their studies abroad will be included in the King Abdullah Scholarship Program, a move that will lift the financial burden from many middle-income families.
This follows an announcement by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah announced on Wednesday.
Mohammad Al-Hizan, spokesman for the Ministry of Higher Education, said there are around 10,000 to 12,000 Saudis paying for their studies abroad. He added that 109,000 Saudis are studying abroad on the flagship scholarship program.
Al-Hizan said that conditions to enroll in the program remain the same and that students need to be enrolled in an approved course at an approved university or institute.
“The mistake that many students make is that they do not understand that the specialties listed have sub-specialties. For example, business administration also includes marketing, finance etc,” said Al-Hizan, adding that some students might withdraw from applying thinking they do not meet the requirements. In 2010, King Abdullah issued a directive to include all Saudi students at educational institutes in the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand to be brought under the program. The Ministry for Higher Education, however, made it clear at the time that some students do not meet the requirement to join the program.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article287099.ece
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Two hurt in Israeli raids on Gaza
Feb 27, 2011
GAZA: Israeli warplanes bombed half a dozen targets in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, wounding a seven-month-old girl and a Palestinian man, medics in the coastal territory said.
An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed there were at least two air strikes launched at militant targets, saying they were in response to rocket and mortar attacks at Israel.
Medics said one strike was launched on a military post of the enclave’s ruling Hamas movement in Rafah, on Gaza’s border with Egypt. In a home nearby, a baby was hit in the head by fragments, though medics said the injury was light.
The wounded man, described by medics as a civilian, was injured in an earlier strike on a training camp for fighters in Gaza. The described his condition as moderate.
Two strikes launched later in the day targeted buildings empty of residents near the Israeli border. The owner of one of them received a telephone warning beforehand, and there were no reported injuries, medics and witnesses said.
Palestinian medics also reported two Israeli air strikes before dawn on Saturday against targets of the Islamic Jihad group. There were no injuries.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article287062.ece
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UAE replaces US as India's top trading ally
By WALID MAZI
Feb 27, 2011
NEW DELHI: The US, which had been India's top trading ally until 2007-08, has since been relegated to the third position with the UAE and China assuming first and second positions in trade relations with Asia's third biggest economy, revealed a new survey.
The figures of India's new Economic Survey also pointed out that the country's trade with the UAE in both 2009-10 financial year and the first nine months of current fiscal year were higher than its imports on the back of rising demand for Indian goods rises in the Gulf countries. India recorded bilateral trade surplus with five countries — the UAE, the US, Singapore, the UK and Hong Kong — in 2009-10 and the first half of 2010-11. India's export-import ratio in the case of China was not only low but has been stagnating at around 0.3 percent, said the survey.
The cumulative export growth of the country in April-December 2010-11 stood at 29.5 percent with cumulative exports reaching $64.7 billion during this period, according to the survey.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/economy/article287111.ece
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Pakistani delegate's money confiscated
Feb 27, 2011,
New Delhi: Author-poet Zafar Ullah Poshni, who is heading a team of All Pakistan Progressive Writers Association members to India for the ongoing Faiz Ahmed Faiz centenary celebrations, was deprived of his money by the Indian customs officials at the Attari border on Wednesday.
He was carrying Indian rupees 40,000 to shop in India. The officials confiscated this money stating it was illegal to carry Indian money from across the border.
Told to move court
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/27/stories/2011022765441700.htm
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Stereotypes break on Kuwait's I-Day
Feb 27, 2011,
KUWAIT CITY: Friday night broke many stereotypes in this Gulf country. From the air, while accompanying External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna for the twin Independence and Liberation Day celebrations, the city looked clinical in its layout. Roads, surgically straight and neat, interspersed with neatly constructed houses and commercial complexes.
But there was an aberration. Two red slashes seemed to cut across the city. As it became clear an hour later, it was a traffic jam of gigantic proportions. It seemed as if the entire population had decided to turn out on the streets. Children in Mohawk wigs sat on car rooftops waving Kuwaiti flags, a door opened and the unthinkable happened as one long suffering driver chucked his empty Coke bottle on the road.
As Mr. Krishna's convoy edged forward, there were scenes that many of us, brought up on a diet of stereotypes about Arab impulses, had to abandon.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/27/stories/2011022765421700.htm
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Afghan defence minister sees better Pakistan cooperation
February 27, 2011
WASHINGTON: The Afghan defence minister said Friday that security has ”vastly improved” in his country as Afghan and Nato forces have targeted militant leaders and prospects are brightening for cooperation with Pakistan in defeating the Taliban-led insurgency.
Afghanistan has long accused Pakistan of harboring the Taliban and plotting terrorist attacks although both countries are allies of the US in its fight against al-Qaida.
Defence Minister Rahim Wardak told The Associated Press on Friday ”the prospect for cooperation is much brighter” after meetings in recent months, involving Afghanistan, Pakistan and US officials.
Wardak said he also met in early February with Pakistan’s army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on the sidelines of an international security conference in Munich, Germany.
”We are really hopeful there are very good relations between our governments, (between) our president, their president and prime minister. I think all this will have some impact,” he told The Associated Press. ”But we still have to see how it will be implemented.”
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/26/afghan-defence-minister-sees-better-pakistan-cooperation.html
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US Army must prepare for complex threats: Gates
February 27, 2011
NEW YORK: The US Army must prepare itself for the complex threats it will face in the future, including terrorists seeking weapons of mass destruction, outlier nations capable of nuclear warfare and the modern militaries being assembled in Russia and China, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday.
He also warned against committing the US military to big land wars in Asia or the Middle East, saying anyone proposing otherwise “should have his head examined”.
Gates offered the blunt advice – hard won after a decade of bitter conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq – in what he said would be his last speech to cadets at the US Army’s premier school for training future officers.
“The odds of repeating another Afghanistan or Iraq – invading, pacifying, and administering a large third world country – may be low,” Gates said.
“In my opinion, any future defense secretary who advises the president to again send a big American land army into Asia or into the Middle East or Africa should ‘have his head examined,’ as General MacArthur so delicately put it,” Gates said.
Douglas MacArthur, the World War II hero of the Pacific campaign, made the comment at a meeting with then-president John F Kennedy in 1961 regarding US military intervention in mainland Asia.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\02\27\story_27-2-2011_pg7_3
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/bomb-kills-nine-civilians-afghanistan/d/4198