‘Destroy the Idols,’ Egyptian Jihadist Calls For Removal of Sphinx, Pyramids
Age Islam News Bureau
14 Nov 2012
• Hamas Military Chief, Jabari, Killed In Gaza Air Strike
Arab World
• ‘Destroy the Idols,’ Egyptian Jihadist Calls For Removal of Sphinx, Pyramids
• Zawahiri calls on Muslims to implement Sharia
• Assad forces clash with rebels, 10 soldiers killed
• More than 100 killed across Syria
• Iraq bombings kill 15 on eve of Muslim New Year
• Saudi student jailed for plot to attack Bush's home
• Egypt's Brotherhood denies report about Muslim Sisters demanding top posts
• Zawahiri calls on Muslims to implement Sharia
• Teacher-turned-smuggler keeps Syria’s rebellion alive
• Qaeda Chief Rejects Nation States, U.N. as Conflict Mediator
• Emirate aims high in quest for cultural cachet
• Saudi govt spends SR 3.6 m on every Saudi employed in 10 years
• 40 percent of Arabic tweets are from Saudi Arabia
• Kingdom deports 65 Sri Lankan workers
India
• Lakhvi Being "Treated Like a State Guest and Not a Terrorist'', 26/11 Plotter Fathers Kid in Jail
• J&K CM’s Uncle calls India ‘biggest enemy’ of Kashmir
• Army foils infiltration bid in J&K; 2 militants, 3 Jawans killed
• Lower Assam districts fear fresh wave of riots
• Hizbul militant killed after south Kashmir encounter
• For every hijack or bomb scare, a draining, straining drill
• Muslim forum slams Gehlot govt for inaction
South Asia
• Afghan Warlord’s Call to defend the country against the Taliban Rattles Officials
• MDP MP calls for debate on sale of alcohol to tourists in Maldives
• Killings of Myanmar Muslims organized, sources tell Reuters
• Pakistan left guessing as reports emerge of ‘no show’ by Bangladesh PM
• Afghan Haqqani faction would consider talks under Taliban
• Govt firm to try war criminals: Sheikh Hasina
• Army Seeks Death Penalty in Afghan Massacre
• Insurgent Rockets Hit 3 Kabul Targets
North America
• American connected to bringing in Christianity books blacklisted from Maldives
• President Obama calls world leaders of Afghanistan, Italy, Jordan, Qatar, Russia and Spain
• CAIR Asks President to Address Attacks on Myanmar Muslims during Visit
• CAIR Asks Myanmar, Bangladesh to Protect Rohingya Muslims
• US war general not accused of affair: Pentagon source
• US announces $30 million in aid to Syrians
• Telephone was recovered from Osama bin Laden's compound: US official
Mideast Asia
• Israel’s Mossad ‘tried and failed’ to kill Saddam with ‘book bomb’
• Israel considers resumption of Gaza assassinations
• • Israel: Palestinian UN Bid Could Threaten Accords
Turkey in 'gesture' to end Kurdish hunger strike
• Israel ministry proposes 'toppling' Abbas over UN bid
• Iran helicopter on rescue mission crashes, killing 10
Pakistan
• Pakistan agrees to free several Afghan Taliban prisoners
• ‘Hina Khar downplayed human rights abuses in Balochistan’
• Having lost faith in govt, doctors plead ‘target killers’ to spare them
• Had directed ISI to close political cell: Musharraf
• Around 70 pc of Taliban’s income comes from drugs: Malik
• Balochistan govt increases compensation amount for terrorism victims
• Pak SC withdraws contempt notice against Prime Minister Ashraf
• Violence continues in Karachi as six more killed
• Remote-controlled Bicycle bomb kills two in Quetta
• Bomb kills two brothers in Quetta
• Police arrest 5 TTP Punjab militants
• School education is now compulsory
• Hindu community celebrates Diwali with devotion
• Journalist, writer and dramatist Asghar Butt passes, aged 91
Africa
• Qaddafi’s ex-PM goes on trial for mass rape, graft
• Libyan Chargé D'affaires denies link with detained nationals
Europe
• UN: Military Action Avoidable in Mali
• EU 'approves $6.4bn Egypt financial aid package
• France Grants Its Recognition to Syria Rebels as U.S. Waits
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: ‘Destroy the Idols,’ Egyptian Jihadist Calls For Removal of Sphinx, Pyramids
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/‘destroy-idols,’-egyptian-jihadist-calls/d/9299
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Arab World
‘Destroy the idols,’ Egyptian jihadist calls for removal of Sphinx, Pyramids
12 November 2012
An Egyptian jihad leader, with self-professed links to the Taliban, called for the “destruction of the Sphinx and the Giza Pyramids in Egypt,” drawing ties between the Egyptian relics and Buddha statues, local media reported this week.
Murgan Salem al-Gohary, an Islamist leader twice-sentenced under former President Hosni Mubarak for advocating violence, called on Muslims to remove such “idols.”
“All Muslims are charged with applying the teachings of Islam to remove such idols, as we did in Afghanistan when we destroyed the Buddha statues,” he said on Saturday during a television interview on an Egyptian private channel, widely watched by Egyptian and Arab audiences.
“God ordered Prophet Mohammed to destroy idols,” he added. “When I was with the Taliban we destroyed the statue of Buddha, something the government failed to do.”
His comments came a day after thousands of ultraconservative Islamists gathered in Tahrir Square to call for the strict application of Sharia law in the new constitution.
But in retaliation to Gohary’s remarks, the vice president of Tunisia’s Ennahda party, Sheikh Abdel Fattah Moro, called the live program and told Gohary that famous historic military commander Amr ibn al-Aas did not destroy statues when he conquered Egypt.
“So who are you to do it?” he wondered. “The Prophet destroyed the idols because people worshiped them, but the Sphinx and the Pyramids are not worshiped.”
Gohary, 50, is well-known in Egypt for his advocacy of violence, Egypt Independent reported.
“He was sentenced twice, one of the two sentences being life imprisonment. He subsequently fled Egypt to Afghanistan, where he was badly injured in the American invasion. In 2007, he traveled from Pakistan to Syria, which then handed him over to Egypt. After Mubarak's fall in early 2011, he was released from prison by a judicial ruling,” the newspaper added.
In recent months, fears have surfaced that the ultra-conservative Salafi political powers may soon wish to debate new guidelines over Egyptian antiquities.
Islamists have swept the recent presidential and parliamentary elections in the country’s post-revolutionary stage, with the Muslim Brotherhood and the ultra-conservative Salafi Islamists rising to political power.
“The fundamental Salafis have demanded to cover Pharaonic statues, because they regard them to be idols,” Egyptian author on ancient history Ahmed Osman told Al Arabiya English, explaining that Salafi Muslims follow conservative religious principles which view statues and sculptures as prohibited in Islam.
“But so far the government has done nothing to indicate what is the future of Egyptian antiquities,” adds Osman.
Many hope that Egypt’s new President Mohammed Mursi will help usher better preservation of Egypt’s proud cultural heritage. Egyptian officials have recently announced the country will reveal more of its ancient buried treasures.
The tomb of Queen Meresankh III, the granddaughter of Khufu, of Great Pyramid fame, is set to be opened to tourists later this year, with the last resting places of five high priests also slated to be put on show.
Officials are also believed to be reopening the underground Serapeum temple at Sakkara, to the south of Cairo.
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/11/12/249092.html
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Hamas Military Chief Killed In Gaza Air Strike
Hamas has said an Israeli air strike in Gaza killed Ahmed Jabari, the head of its military wing, in an attack on a vehicle on Wednesday.
By Barney Henderson, and agencies
14 Nov 2012
Jabari is the most senior Hamas official to be killed since an Israeli invasion of Gaza four years ago. He has long topped Israel's most-wanted list, the Associated Press reported. His son was also reportedly killed in the targeted airstrike, according to Osama Hamdan, a Hamas representative in Lebanon, talking to Al Jazeera in Doha.
"We will respond [to the assassination], this I have to say clearly," he said.
"The Israelis are working to target the local leaders and political leaders in Gaza. We are expecting acts and reactions from the Palestinians."
At least six Gazans were killed in more than 20 Israeli air strikes, according to Hamas.
Israel's Shin Bet domestic intelligence service confirmed it had carried out the attack, saying it had killed Jabari because of his 'decade-long terrorist activity'
Israeli officials had said in recent days that they were considering assassinating top Hamas officials following a wave of heavy rocket fire from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Israel's Shin Bet domestic intelligence service confirmed it had carried out the attack, saying it had killed Jabari because of his "decade-long terrorist activity".
"One citizen was killed and another moderately injured in a Zionist strike on a car in Gaza City," spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told AFP.
The Israeli army said that the military was prepared for a ground operation in Gaza, with a spokesman saying: "All options are on the table."
Palestinians extinguish fire from the car of Ahmaed Jabari, head of the military wing of the Hamas movement, the Ezzedin Qassam Brigades, after it was hit by an Israeli air strike in Gaza City
Another Israeli military spokesman, Brigadier-General Yoav Mordechai, said the aerial assault on the Gaza Strip on Wednesday could draw cross-border Palestinian rocket attacks and stretch into days of fighting.
"The days we face in the south will, in my estimation, prove protracted," he told Channel 2 TV. "The homefront must brace itself resiliently."
Asked if Israel might send ground forces into Gaza, Mordechai said: "There are preparations, and if we are required to, the option of a entry by ground is available."
Meanwhile, an Israeli official said they may try to topple President Mahmoud Abbas if he carries out a plan to ask the United Nations this month to upgrade the status of the Palestinian Authority.
The upgrade would give the Palestinians a place in the world body akin to that of the Vatican – short of full membership as a sovereign state but as close as they can get without the full recognition that Israel says can only come from a peace treaty.
A draft document from the office of Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, seen by Reuters, said Israel must confront this challenge by means that could include "toppling (Abbas) and dismantling the Palestinian Authority".
Lieberman said in a speech at the settlement of Ariel in the occupied West Bank that if the Palestinian upgrade request was accepted by the UN General Assembly – as is widely predicted – it could force Israel to punish the Palestinians.
"If the ... proposal is adopted at the United Nations General Assembly, as far as we are concerned this would be a complete breaking of the rules and it will elicit an extreme response from us," Lieberman said on Wednesday.
Newspaper reports say Israel instructed its ambassadors to warn it may revoke all or part of the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation, which set up the Palestinian Authority under an interim peace agreement.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/palestinianauthority/9677782/Hamas-military-chief-killed-in-Gaza-air-strike.html
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Zawahiri calls on Muslims to implement Sharia
By THOMAS JOSCELYN
November 13, 2012
Al Qaeda has released a statement written by Ayman al Zawahiri this past summer in which the terror chieftain outlines several goals for Muslims to strive toward. While failing to mention the toll al Qaeda's attacks have taken on Muslim civilians, Zawahiri says that the Muslim Ummah faces the "most vicious Crusader campaign in its history," according to a translation provided by SITE Intelligence Group.
Zawahiri does not call on Muslims to strike the US. Instead, al Qaeda's emir says that "secular and Crusader forces" are attempting to prevent Muslims from implementing sharia law. And to combat this supposed anti-Muslim coalition, Zawahiri argues, Muslims should first work "to liberate the occupied Muslim lands" and reject "any treaty or agreement or international resolution that grants the disbelievers the right to take over the lands of the Muslim."
In this context, Zawahiri cites the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, "Russia's takeover of the lands of Chechnya and the Caucuses," India's presence in Kashmir, Spain's control of formerly Muslim lands, and "China's takeover of East Turkistan."
Second, Zawahiri says that Muslims should be ruled according to sharia, while rejecting all other bases for law. Zawahiri specifically rejects the "international order" and the United Nations.
The remaining several goals outlined by Zawahiri focus on similar themes, calling on Muslims to "establish a Caliphate."
The revolutions ushered in by the Arab Spring are unfinished, according to Zawahiri. Muslims must be made aware "of the necessity of being ruled by Sharia and adhering to the judgments of Islam," Zawahiri says, according to SITE's translation. And the people must "continue in their revolution until they uproot the remains of the corrupt regimes, and purify their lands of external humiliation and internal corruption."
Zawahiri's focus on so-called "local" concerns is not new. Al Qaeda has always fantasized about acquiring power in the heart of the Muslim world.
The call to implement sharia immediately has become a common rallying cry for al Qaeda, as well as jihadists who are either ideologically or operationally linked to the terror group. It provides a point of contrast to the Islamist governments that have risen to power since early 2011. The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, for example, has advocated a more gradual approach to implementing sharia.
Mohammed al Zawahiri, Ayman's younger brother, is one of several al Qaeda-linked jihadists who have called upon the Brotherhood to set aside all forms of law other than sharia, which is often poorly defined.
During a recent interview with Cairo's Al Masry al Youm, the younger Zawahiri was asked what he wants Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi to do. "I demand [that Morsi] and all Muslims to hold on to Allah's creed, to be pious, to know that they are accountable, to strive to avoid the forbidden and to apply Islamic Sharia," Mohammed al Zawahiri responded. Sharia "has the solution to all our problems," he claimed.
Other prominent al Qaeda-affiliated ideologues in Egypt have made the same demand.
Al Qaeda has attempted to rebrand itself in the wake of the Arab Spring as the true defender of Islamic law. In Yemen, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula adopted the name Ansar al Sharia as a new brand for winning converts. Similarly, al Qaeda-linked organizations have risen under the Ansar al Sharia banner elsewhere.
Zawahiri's call for Muslims to implement sharia is no accident. Al Qaeda's brand has been damaged after years of indiscriminate violence inside the Muslim world and the group is attempting to remake its image as the true protector of Islamic law.
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/11/al_qaeda_has_release.php#ixzz2CAxmDUc
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Assad forces clash with rebels, 10 soldiers killed
Nov 14 2012
Beirut : Fierce clashes between Syrian regime forces and rebels near Damascus on Tuesday left 10 soldiers and a rebel dead, while warplanes again bombed the strategic border town of Ras al-Ain, a watchdog said.
The fighting in the east Damascus suburb of Ghuta came after rebels launched an attack on public buildings in the area, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
At Daraya, a neighbourhood south of Damascus, a rebel was killed when insurgents launched an attack on a military checkpoint, while four rebels died in fighting and shelling in other outlying areas of the capital, the Observatory said. The watchdog also reported fresh bombings by warplanes of Ras al-Ain, in northeastern Syria on the Turkish border, where it said at least 16 people had died on Monday in air strikes and shelling of rebel positions.
The air strikes have sent a new wave of civilians pouring across the frontier to the Turkish side, adding to the 9,000 refugees who already fled late last week when rebels overran the town, a source said.
The Local Coordination Committees, a major network of activists on the ground, said dozens of military vehicles were headed on Tuesday towards Ras al-Ain, while the Observatory reported heavy shelling of the town.
In other violence across the war-torn country, the army shelled rebel positions in the southern province of Daraa, in the central province of Homs, in Idlib in the northwest and in the northern city of Aleppo, said the Observatory.
At least 151 people were killed across Syria on Monday, including 61 civilians, said the Observatory, which relies for its information on a network of activists, lawyers and medics. The watchdog has given an overall death toll of more than 37,000 since the revolt broke out in March 2011.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/assad-forces-clash-with-rebels-10-soldiers-killed/1030920/
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More than 100 killed across Syria
November 14, 2012
DAMASCUS: More than 100 people were killed on Tuesday across Syria, including 41 civilians, 33 rebels and 32 soldiers, according to Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies for its information on a network of activists, lawyers and medics. The bloodshed came as fierce battles and army shelling in Damascus province on Tuesday killed more than 40 people, most of them civilians, while warplanes again bombed Ras al Ain, a strategic town on the Turkish border, the watchdog said. The fighting in the Eastern Ghuta area east of Damascus came after rebels launched an attack on public buildings in the area. The army used tanks to shell several towns east of Damascus, including Harasta, Zabadani and Irbin, killing at least seven civilians including an unknown number of women and children, the Observatory said. The Syrian Observatory also reported fresh air raids on Ras al Ain, in northeastern Syria on the border with Turkey, and said 1,000 government troops had been sent to the town. In other violence, the army shelled rebel positions in the southern province of Daraa, in the central province of Homs, in Idlib in the northwest and in the northern city of Aleppo, said the Observatory.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\11\14\story_14-11-2012_pg7_8
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Iraq bombings kill 15 on eve of Muslim new year
On the eve of the Islamic new year, 11 bombings and shootings took place in Baghdad and six other cities, leaving 15 people dead and more than 100 wounded according to official.
14 Nov 2012
A spate of apparently coordinated attacks across Iraq on the eve of a Muslim festival marking the Islamic new year killed 15 people and wounded more than 100 others on Wednesday, officials said.
The 11 bombings and shootings struck in Baghdad and six other cities, the security and medical officials said, and will likely raise tensions in a country mired in political deadlock and only relatively recently emerged from a brutal sectarian war.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/58069/World/Region/Iraq-bombings-kill--on-eve-of-Muslim-new-year.aspx
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Saudi student jailed for plot to attack Bush's home
November 14, 2012
A Saudi student who plotted to attack the Texas home of ex-President George W Bush and other targets has been sentenced to life in jail.
A judge said he had no doubt Khalid Aldawsari, convicted in June of trying to use a weapon of mass destruction, was serious about his plans.
The FBI found bomb-making materials in the 22-year-old's Lubbock, Texas home just before his February 2011 arrest.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=42432
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Egypt's Brotherhood denies report about Muslim Sisters demanding top posts
Country's leading Islamist group refutes recent press report suggesting that members of its female wing were agitating for top positions within the organisation
13 Nov 2012
Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Mahmoud Ghozlan on Tuesday denied media claims that the Muslim Sisters, the Brotherhood's female wing, were demanding leading positions within the prominent Islamist organisation.
On Tuesday, private daily Al-Masry Al-Youm reported that the Muslim Sisters were demanding more political participation and leading positions within the group.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/57983/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-Brotherhood-denies-report-about-Muslim-Sist.aspx
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Teacher-turned-smuggler keeps Syria’s rebellion alive
10 November 2012
Abu Abdo is a school teacher turned gun-runner and smuggler extraordinaire, a can-do middleman helping to keep the Syrian rebellion alive through an illicit lifeline across the Turkish border.
When brigades fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad want Internet access, walkie-talkies, telephones, fatigues, bullet-proof vests, weapons or ammunition, Abu Abdo is the man they call.
He may not be the one scrambling through the olive groves of no-man’s land, laden with contraband and dodging Turkish soldiers, but he knows the Turks who are selling and the Syrians who are buying.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/11/10/248730.html
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Qaeda Chief Rejects Nation States, U.N. as Conflict Mediator
November 14, 2012
DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda's leader has rejected the notion of nation states and any United Nations role in arbitrating solutions to conflict - long the pillars of international order - in a document outlining how Muslims should run their affairs.
The statement by Ayman al-Zawahri, entitled "Supporting Islam" and posted by the jihadi militants' publishing arm on an Islamist website, also calls for the re-establishment of the medieval Islamic Caliphate to unite Muslims.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/11/14/world/14reuters-qaeda-zawahri.html?ref=africa
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Emirate aims high in quest for cultural cachet
BY: TIM DOUGLAS
The Australian
November 13, 2012
ABU Dhabi is a city built on possibility and paradox. A bustling Middle Eastern metropolis where conservative cultural and Islamic traditions happily co-exist alongside closed-door libertarianism and untold wealth, the capital of the United Arab Emirates remains, like the desert that envelops it, a landscape forever evolving yet remaining the same.
But in Abu Dhabi, an emirate that has grown rich on its oil deposits, the sands are beginning to shift. In a tacit acknowledgment of the country's finite natural resources, art has been embraced as the new cultural currency, a government-driven leap towards a sustainable future economy.
Full report at:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/visual-arts/emirate-aims-high-in-quest-for-cultural-cachet/story-fn9d3avm-1226515391733
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Saudi govt spends SR 3.6 m on every Saudi employed in 10 years
14 November 2012
JEDDAH: The Saudi government spent an average of SR3.6 million for each Saudi citizen employed in the private sector over the past 10 years, a recent study revealed.
The finding is based on the simple math that the government granted SR1.512 trillion, in loans and direct financial assistance to the private sector, which succeeded in employing only 418,100 more Saudis in the period between 2000 and 2011.
The huge funding included SR552 billion in loans given through government agencies for general investment, agricultural development and industrial development. Another SR960 billion worth of loans was allocated to real estate development and the credit and savings bank, besides governmental subsidies, according to a study conducted by Al-Eqtisadiah business daily.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-govt-spends-sr-36-m-every-saudi-employed-10-years
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40 percent of Arabic tweets are from Saudi Arabia
13 November 2012
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia is the largest digital market in the region, with 40 percent of Arabic tweets coming from Saudi Arabia. Saudis also contributed to 50 percent of the Arabic Wikipedia contents and 35 percent of the Arabic content on the Internet Arabic. Furthermore, 60 percent of Saudi Internet users have accounts on Facebook and 70 percent of them surf the web in Arabic.
However, despite these figures, the Arabic content on the World Wide Web is less than 2 percent, according to Omar Christidis, founder and CEO of ArabNet.net.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/40-percent-arabic-tweets-are-saudi-arabia
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Kingdom deports 65 Sri Lankan workers
13 November 2012
The government deported 65 Sri Lankan migrant workers yesterday, said the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau (SLFEB).
“The deported migrant workers, arrested by Saudi police for violations of Saudi residency laws during the last few months, arrived in a special flight at the international airport in Katunayake in Sri Lanka yesterday,” said a statement released by the SLFEB.
“The Sri Lankan Embassy was not aware of this mass deportation,” said an embassy spokesman.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/kingdom-deports-65-sri-lankan-workers
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India
Lakhvi Being "Treated Like a State Guest and Not a Terrorist'', 26/11 Plotter Fathers Kid in Jail
Harinder Baweja
November 13, 2012
Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, a top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander - second only to Hafiz Saeed - who was arrested by Pakistan for masterminding the 26/11 attacks that killed 166 in Mumbai, has fathered a child while being held on terror charges at the high-security Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, highly placed sources have revealed.
Abu Jundal, a 26/11 plotter who was in the control room in Karachi along with Lakhvi, told intelligence officials that Lakhvi's youngest wife was allowed to visit him in jail, despite him being on trial.
Lakhvi, who has been in prison since December 7, 2008, is being "treated like a state guest and not a terrorist'', according to a senior intelligence official who was part of the team that interrogated Abu Jundal.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/26-11-plotter-Zaki-ur-Rehman-Lakhvi-fathers-kid-in-jail/Article1-958691.aspx
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J&K CM’s Uncle calls India ‘biggest enemy’ of Kashmir
Nov 13 2012
Jammu, Srinagar: A day after his uncle and National Conference additional general secretary Mustafa Kamal described India, and not Pakistan, as the “biggest enemy” of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said that his relatives were making things difficult for him.
“They say never work with animals and children. I think it’s safe to add relatives to that list as well. Funny thing is I don’t need anyone to make things difficult for me when I have relatives to do it for me,” Omar tweeted on Monday.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/uncle-calls-india--biggest-enemy--of-kashmir-omar-criticises-him/1030532/
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Army foils infiltration bid in J&K; 2 militants, 3 jawans killed
Nov 14, 2012
SRINAGAR: Army on Wednesday foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara district of north Kashmir, killing two militants while three Army jawans were also killed.
"A major infiltration bid was foiled in Nowgam sector of Kupwara district after alert troops noticed movement of a group of about five militants near the LoC," Army spokesman Colonel A Vashisht told .
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Army-foils-infiltration-bid-in-JK-2-militants-3-jawans-killed/articleshow/17216249.cms
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Lower Assam districts fear fresh wave of riots
Nov 14, 2012
GUWAHATI: Kokrajhar and its neighbouring districts in lower Assam were haunted by fear on Diwali as three deaths over the past week have triggered fears of a fresh wave of ethnic riots, which claimed 99 lives in July and August.
All three deaths have been linked to the rise in tension in Bodo pockets of Kokrajhar and Chirang, after the rehabilitation of displaced Bengali-speaking Muslims from relief camps. A security official said, "There is tension all around. There is a probability of a breakdown of law and order and these three incidents cannot be written off as sporadic ones. There can be a flare-up if preventive measures are not taken well in advance."
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Lower-Assam-districts-fear-fresh-wave-of-riots/articleshow/17212102.cms
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Hizbul militant killed after south Kashmir encounter
November 13, 2012
A Hizbul Mujahideen militant was killed in an encounter with security forces in Kulgam district of south Kashmir on Tuesday, police said.
Shoukat Ahmad Tak, a militant affiliated with Hizbul Mujahideen outfit, was killed in a gunfight at village Kujjan in Kulgam district, 75 km
from Srinagar, a police spokesman said.
He said the encounter broke out when police, Army and CRPF personnel launched a joint search operation in the village following specific information about presence of militants.
The militant was asked to surrender but he opened fire at the search parties and was killed in retaliatory action, the spokesman said adding some arms and ammunition were recovered from the possession of the slain militant.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Srinagar/Hizbul-militant-killed-after-south-Kashmir-encounter/Article1-958875.aspx
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For every hijack or bomb scare, a draining, straining drill
Nov 14 2012
New Delhi : Last week, a city court sentenced chartered accountant Jitendra Kumar Mohla, 45, to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of having created a hijack scare on an Indigo flight three years earlier. The ruling was the first of its kind but the kind of scare that he was convicted of having created, whether it is about a hijack or a bomb, is very frequent.
In the past two years, there have been 30 such hijack alerts, say officials of security agencies involved in airline and airport operations. They say the alerts, which always turn out to be hoaxes, are a drain on resources, besides creating a strain on passengers.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/for-every-hijack-or-bomb-scare-a-draining-straining-drill/1030904/
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Muslim forum slams Gehlot govt for inaction
Nov 14 2012
Jaipur : Upset with the government inaction over the Gopalgarh firing incident that killed 10 Meo Muslims and left 39 seriously injured, the Rajasthan Muslim Forum (RMF) has decided to take the issue to the Congress high command. The community has threatened to withdraw support to the Congress party in the upcoming elections following the ruling party’s apathy.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/muslim-forum-slams-gehlot-govt-for-inaction/1030899/
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South Asia
Afghan Warlord’s Call to defend the country against the Taliban Rattles Officials
By GRAHAM BOWLEY
November 13, 2012
HERAT, Afghanistan — One of the most powerful mujahedeen commanders in Afghanistan, Ismail Khan, is calling on his followers to reorganize and defend the country against the Taliban as Western militaries withdraw, in a public demonstration of faltering confidence in the national government and the Western-built Afghan National Army.
Mr. Khan is one of the strongest of a group of warlords who defined the country’s recent history in battling the Soviets, the Taliban and one another, and who then were brought into President Hamid Karzai’s cabinet as a symbol of unity. Now, in announcing that he is remobilizing his forces, Mr. Khan has rankled Afghan officials and stoked fears that other regional and factional leaders will follow suit and rearm, weakening support for the government and increasing the likelihood of civil war.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/13/world/asia/ismail-khan-powerful-afghan-stokes-
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MDP MP Mariya Ahmed Didi calls for debate on sale of alcohol to tourists in local guest houses
By Mohamed Naahee | November 13th, 2012
Former Chairperson of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), MP Mariya Ahmed Didi, has called for debate over the sale of alcohol to tourists in local guest houses, in a bid to promote mid-market travel to local islands.
Didi made the remarks during the debate in parliament over the proposed bill calling for the blanket prohibition of pork and alcohol imports to the country, sponsored by fellow MDP MP Nazim Rashad.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/mdp-mp-mariya-ahmed-didi-calls-for-debate-on-sale-of-alcohol-to-tourists-in-local-guest-houses-47270
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Killings of Myanmar Muslims organized, sources tell Reuters
By Jason Szep and Andrew R.C. Marshall
11/12/2012
Scores killed, hundreds of homes burned as sectarian violence escalates to a new level
PAIK THAY, Myanmar — On a hot Sunday night in a remote Myanmar village, Tun Naing punched his wife and unleashed hell.
She wanted rice for their three children. He said they couldn't afford it. Apartheid-like restrictions had prevented Muslims like Tun Naing from working for Buddhists here in Rakhine State along Myanmar's western border, costing the 38-year-old metalworker his job.
The couple screamed at each other. Tun Naing threw another punch. Neighbors joined in the row.
Full report at:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49786092/#.UKNSceRthm4
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Pakistan left guessing as reports emerge of ‘no show’ by Hasina
November 14, 2012
ISLAMABAD: Controversy beckoned as Bangladesh’s foreign ministry revealed that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed has turned down an invitation to a summit in Islamabad next week — a development that officials in Pakistan’s foreign ministry insist they are not aware of.
“The prime minister is not going to attend the summit,” Syed Masud Khundoker, a director-general in Bangladesh’s foreign ministry, told AFP.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/465388/burgeoning-controversy-pakistan-left-guessing-as-reports-emerge-of-no-show-by-hasina/
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Afghan Haqqani faction would consider talks under Taliban
November 14, 2012
PESHAWAR: The Haqqani network, seen as the most lethal insurgent faction in Afghanistan, would take part in peace talks with the United States but only under the direction of their Afghan Taliban leaders, a top faction commander said on Tuesday.
The rare flexibility exhibited by an Afghan militant commander was accompanied by a warning that the Haqqanis would keep up pressure on Western forces with high-profile attacks and would pursue their goal of establishing an Islamic state. The Haqqanis, who operate out of the unruly border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan, say they are part of the Afghan Taliban and must act in unison in any peace process. The commander, who declined to be identified, accused the United States of being insincere in peace efforts and trying to divide the two organisations.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\11\14\story_14-11-2012_pg7_4
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Govt firm to try war criminals: Sheikh Hasina
November 14, 2012
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday expressed her government's firm commitment to try the war criminals despite any attempt to foil the trial.
"This is our moral duty to complete the trial. This is our nation's moral responsibility to bring the war criminals to book," said Hasina.
Reiterating her firm resolution the premier said, their trial must take place on this very soil of Bangladesh.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=42445
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Army Seeks Death Penalty in Afghan Massacre
By KIRK JOHNSON
November 14, 2012
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. — A military prosecutor on Tuesday said the evidence against Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, presented over the last week here in a pretrial inquiry into the killings of 16 Afghan civilians, was so damning that the case should go forward as a capital crime.
“Terrible, terrible things happened — that is clear,” said the prosecutor, Maj. Rob Stelle. “The second thing that is clear,” he added, “is that Sergeant Bales did it.”
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/us/army-seeks-death-penalty-for-robert-bales-in-massacre.html?ref=world
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Insurgent Rockets Hit 3 Kabul Targets
November 14, 2012
KABUL, Afghanistan — Insurgents fired four rockets into the capital early on Tuesday, hitting a taxi, the grounds of a television studio and the international airport, the Afghan police and other officials said.
One passenger in the taxi was killed and three passengers were wounded, but there were no other casualties, according to the Kabul police spokesman, Hashmat Stanakzai.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/world/asia/afghanistan-
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North America
American connected to bringing in Christianity books blacklisted from Maldives
By Minivan News | November 14th, 2012
An American man has been blacklisted and banned from entering the Maldives after he was linked with a Bangladeshi national who imported books on Christianity into the country.
Maldives Customs said sufficient evidence had been collected by police to connect the American, Kevin Thomas Greenson, with the Bangladeshi, Jathis Biswas, 44.
Jathis Biswas, who arrived in Maldives on 27 September 2012, has also been deported following accusations of spreading other religions in the Maldives.
Customs found 11 books on Christianity in the possession of Jathis Biswas when he entered the country.
http://minivannews.com/category/news-in-brief
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President Obama calls world leaders of Afghanistan, Italy, Jordan, Qatar, Russia and Spain
Nov 14, 2012
WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama on Wednesday called half-a-dozen world leaders, including his Afghan and Russian counterparts, and expressed his desire to continue close cooperation with them, the White House said.
Obama spoke with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, Prime Minister Mario Monti of Italy, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Amir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani of Qatar, President Vladimir Putin of Russia and President Mariano Rajoy of Spain.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/President-Barack-Obama-calls-world-leaders/articleshow/17213712.cms
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CAIR Asks President to Address Attacks on Myanmar Muslims During Visit
11/13/12
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 11/13/12) – America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization today called on President Obama to use his upcoming visit to Myanmar (formerly Burma) to address the systematic persecution of that nation's Rohingya Muslim minority.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says the Rohingya people are denied citizenship and land rights, despite having lived in Myanmar for centuries. Hundreds of Rohingya have been killed and thousands displaced by what appears to be systematic ethnic-cleansing backed by elements of the Myanmar government.
Full report at:
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CAIR Asks Myanmar, Bangladesh to Protect Rohingya Muslims
11/13/12
WASHINGTON-- A prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization today sent letters to the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh seeking protection for Rohingya Muslims who are facing a renewed wave of ethnic and religious persecution.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) also urged the international community to address the suffering of the almost one million Rohingya in Myanmar (formerly Burma), as well as those who have fled to neighboring Bangladesh.
According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), which yesterday released a report on the humanitarian crisis:
" Full report at:
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cair-asks-myanmar-bangladesh-to-protect-rohingya-muslims-164784556.html
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US war general not accused of affair: Pentagon source
Nov 13, 2012
WASHINGTON: The sheer volume of emails sent by General John Allen to a Tampa socialite "may be inappropriate" but does not constitute proof of an affair, a senior US military officer told AFP on Tuesday.
Allen, the US commander in Afghanistan, "strongly denies" having had a relationship with 37-year-old Jill Kelley -- a key figure in the scandal that brought down CIA chief David Petraeus -- according to the Washington Post.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-war-general-not-accused-of-affair-Pentagon-source/articleshow/17208297.cms
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US announces $30 million in aid to Syrians
14 November 2012
PERTH, Australia: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Wednesday announced $30 million in extra humanitarian aid to those affected by the conflict in Syria, as she welcomed its new opposition coalition.
Clinton, in Australia for annual security and defense talks, said the formation of a new Syrian opposition coalition was “a good beginning.”
“We agreed today that the formation of the new Syrian opposition coalition is an important step forward and will help the international community better target our assistance where it is needed most,” she said.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/us-announces-30-million-aid-syrians
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Telephone was recovered from Osama bin Laden's compound: US official
Nov 14 2012
Washington: A telephone was recovered from Osama bin Laden's Abbottabad compound in Pakistan, a senior US official claimed, shedding new light on the so far known description of the safe hideout of the dreaded al-Qaeda chief.
Bin Laden was killed on May 2, 2011, by US commandos in a daring night raid in Abbottabad.
So far top US officials have insisted there was no internet or telephone service connection coming into the compound and that bin Laden completely relied on human courier to send his messages across or communicate with his other commanders.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/telephone-was-recovered-from-osama-bin-ladens-compound-us-official/1030987/
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Mideast Asia
Israel’s Mossad ‘tried and failed’ to kill Saddam with ‘book bomb’: Documentary
Nov 13 2012
Washington : Israeli’s intelligence agency Mossad tried and failed to kill Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein with a book bomb in the 1970s, a new documentary has revealed.
The film, titled ‘Sealed Lips’, said that the notoriously paranoid Hussein refused to open the package containing the book himself, and instead had another Iraqi official open it.
According to ABC News, Brigadier-General Tzuri Sagi, the mastermind of the alleged operation, told filmmakers the device was prepared by an Israeli bombmaker identified only as "Natan."
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/israel-s-mossad--tried-and-failed--to-kill-saddam-with--book-bomb--documentary/1030795/
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Israel considers resumption of Gaza assassinations
Israeli defense officials reveals that they might revisit their assassination policy with Islamist groups in Gaza
13 Nov 2012
Israel is considering resuming its contentious practice of assassinating militant leaders in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip in an effort to halt intensified rocket attacks on Israel's south, according to defense officials.
That Israel might renew a practice that brought it harsh international censure is evidence of the tight spot Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in. With Israeli elections two months away, rocket barrages from Gaza are disrupting the lives of 1 million residents of southern Israel, pressuring the government to come up with an effective response.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/58002/World/Region/Israel-considers-resumption-of-Gaza-assassinations.aspx
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Israel: Palestinian UN Bid Could Threaten Accords
November 14, 2012
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli diplomats have put foreign leaders on notice that their country will consider its historic peace accords with the Palestinians null and void if they ask the United Nations for a state, according to a document obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press.
The list of Foreign Ministry talking points also instructs diplomats to tell world leaders that Israel will retaliate against the move, without specifying details.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/11/14/world/middleeast/ap-ml-israel-
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Turkey in 'gesture' to end Kurdish hunger strike
Turkish govt submits bill to parliament giving Kurds right to use Kurdish language in court as prisoners' hunger strike enters 63rd day
13 Nov 2012
Turkey's government submitted a bill to parliament Tuesday to give Kurds the right to use their own language in court, a key demand of hundreds of prisoners who have been on hunger strike for two months.
The move came as a Turkish rights group warned about the deteriorating health of the estimated 700 people on hunger strike, saying some could be at death's door as the action entered its 63rd day.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/58037/World/Region/Turkey-in-gesture-to-end-Kurdish-hunger-strike.aspx
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Israel ministry proposes 'toppling' Abbas over UN bid
If a Palestinian bid of state observer status at the United Nations is approved later this month, Israel has threatened to "topple" Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and his regime
14 Nov 2012
Israel's foreign ministry has proposed in a policy paper "toppling" Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas if a Palestinian bid for state observer status at the United Nations is approved later this month.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/58066/World/Region/Israel-ministry-proposes-toppling-Abbas-over-UN-bi.aspx
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Iran helicopter on rescue mission crashes, killing 10
14 November 2012
An Iranian rescue helicopter carrying victims of a car accident has crashed, killing 10 people.
Iranian media said the crash happened when the helicopter, flying at low altitude due to bad weather, hit high-voltage power lines in dense fog.
Those on board were being taken to hospital in the north-eastern city of Mashhad.
Those killed in the crash included four members of the helicopter crew, five wounded people and a doctor.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20323167
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Pakistan
Pakistan agrees to free several Afghan Taliban prisoners
Nov 14, 2012
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has agreed in talks with Afghan peace negotiators to free several Afghan Taliban prisoners, officials from both countries said on Wednesday, the clearest sign that Pakistan will put its weight behind Afghan reconciliation efforts.
"We aren't too certain whether they can play an important role in peace negotiations but it is a positive gesture from Pakistan in helping peace efforts," an Afghan official said.
A senior Pakistani army official said it had not yet been decided if the former Afghan Taliban second in command, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, would be released.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Pakistan-agrees-to-free-several-Afghan-Taliban-prisoners/articleshow/17214021.cms
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‘Hina Khar downplayed human rights abuses in Balochistan’
November 14, 2012
LAHORE: Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and her delegation tried to downplay the grave human rights situation in Balochistan during her presentation on October 30 to the United Nations (UN) Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Pakistan, civil society representatives told a press conference on Tuesday.
Sharing their critique of Pakistan’s submissions to UN in Geneva before the Working Group of Human Rights Council, they said people continue to protest against the many people missing in Balochistan while arrests and human rights abuses continue.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/465234/half-truths-hina-khar-downplayed-human-rights-abuses-in-balochistan/
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Having lost faith in govt, doctors plead ‘target killers’ to spare them
November 14, 2012
KARACHI: The doctors in the city have lost faith in the government’s security measures and have requested the target killers to spare them.
Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Sindh president Dr Samrina Hashmi made the request claiming that target killers seem to roam around the city at will. “Targeting doctors is easy,” she said. “They can be readily identified and killed.”
Members of PMA Sindh, Pakistan Paramedical Association, Sindh Doctors Welfare Association, Pakistan Nursing Association, Peoples Paramedical Association and Sindh Paramedical Association gathered at Lyari General Hospital on Tuesday to condemn the killing of the hospital’s resident medical officer, Dr Nisar Sehto, on Monday. He was shot dead allegedly by two men who came to his clinic disguised as patients.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/465286/having-lost-faith-in-govt-doctors-plead-target-killers-to-spare-them/
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Had directed ISI to close political cell: Musharraf
14 Nov 2012
KARACHI: Pakistan’s intelligence agencies were told by former President Pervez Musharraf to “stay away” from politics and stop their interference in the country’s political affairs, the former president said in an interview.
Former President and Chief of Army Staff General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf told the BBC that he had directed then Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt-Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani – who is now the current Army chief – that his institution’s interference in politics should end.
However, Musharraf added that the directions were only verbal and not written.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/11/14/had-directed-isi-to-close-political-cell-musharraf/
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Around 70 pc of Taliban’s income comes from drugs: Malik
14 Nov 2012
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Tuesday said that around 70 per cent of Taliban’s income comes from managing and taxing the illicit drug business.
He said that the cooperation among opium producers, mafia and Taliban had detrimental impact on the security of both Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Chairing the concluding session of a two-day Regional Ministerial Conference entitled “Counter narcotics, enhancing cooperation for effective coordinated and sustainable narcotics control,” Malik said that US $ 58 billion narcotics trade was going on in the world.
He said that there was a need to have a long term collaborative strategy rather than sporadic destruction of poppy fields.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/11/13/around-70-pc-of-talibans-income-comes-from-drugs-malik/
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Balochistan govt increases compensation amount for terrorism victims
14 Nov 2012
QUETTA: The Balochistan government, in compliance with the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s directives, increased compensation amount being paid to the victims of terrorism from Rs 0.4 million to the tune of Rs 1 million.
The heirs, of those whose mutilated dead bodies were found in the province, will also receive the same amount, while compensation amount paid to the injured of subversive acts has been doubled from Rs 100,000.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/11/14/balochistan-govt-increases-compensation-amount-for-terrorism-victims/
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Pak SC withdraws contempt notice against Prime Minister Ashraf
Nov 14, 2012
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Supreme Court on Wednesday withdrew a contempt notice issued to Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf earlier this year after he failed to approach Swiss authorities to revive graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.
A five-judge bench headed by Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali retracted the contempt notice after law minister Farooq Naek presented a receipt that showed the Swiss authorities had received the government's recent letter for the revival of the graft cases on November 9.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pak-SC-withdraws-contempt-notice-against-Prime-Minister-Ashraf/articleshow/17214456.cms
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Violence continues in Karachi as six more killed
14 Nov 2012
KARACHI: Incidents of violence and targeted killings claimed at least six lives in the city on Wednesday, DawnNews reported.
A man was shot dead in Junejo town of Baloch Colony. Two other men were shot dead in the area of 51-C and Manghopir.
A cleric was shot dead in the area of Jamshed quarters. Tension prevailed in the area after his killing and angry protestors forced people to shut their shops.
Earlier today, two people became the victim of indiscriminate firing in the areas of New Karachi and Orangi town.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/11/14/violence-continues-in-karachi-as-six-more-killed/
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Remote-controlled Bicycle bomb kills two in Quetta
November 14, 2012
QUETTA: A massive bomb blast the in Balochistan capital on Tuesday left two civilians dead and nine others, including three Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, wounded.
According to police, a remote-controlled bomb was attached to a bicycle which was parked at Allamo Chowk on Airport Road. It went off when an FC convoy was passing by, the police sources said, adding that as the FC convoy passed from the Allamo Chowk, a busy junction of the provincial capital, the bomb went off with a huge bang. As a result, two brothers who were passing through the area were killed on the spot. They were identified as Muhammad Rafiq and Sanaullah. At least nine others, including three FC personnel, were wounded.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\11\14\story_14-11-2012_pg1_3
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Bomb kills two brothers in Quetta
November 14, 2012
QUETTA - Two brothers were killed and 10 people, including three Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were wounded, in a remote controlled bombing in Quetta on Thursday.
According to the police, the explosives were planted with a bicycle which was parked at Allamo Chowk on Airport Road which exploded when a patrolling vehicle of the FC was passing from there. Two brothers identified as Muhammad Rafiq and Sanaullah were killed on the sight while 10 others, including three FC personnel were wounded.
Full report at:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/14-Nov-2012/bomb-kills-two-brothers-in-quetta
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Police arrest 5 TTP Punjab militants
By Asad Kharal
November 14, 2012
LAHORE: Five militants belonging to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)’s Punjab faction, who are said to have been involved in carrying out terror bids, were arrested on Wednesday when they were on their way to Dera Ismail Khan from Sher Kot.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Punjab Habibur Rehman reveleaed that the militants were involved in the killing of 10 jail employees residing in a hostel located in the Rasool Park area of Lahore and other terrorism acts, including an attack on a police check post in Babu Sabu.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/465528/police-arrest-5-ttp-punjab-militants/
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School education is now compulsory
By Tanveer Ahmed
November 14, 2012
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a legislation to provide free education to children between five and 16 years before the House witnessed a walkout by the MQM over poor law and order in Karachi.
On a private member day, the bill moved by PPP MNA Yasmeen Rahman received support from all parties. PPP Chief Whip Syed Khursheed Shah said the bill, the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Bill 2012, takes the support even from constitution that calls for provision of free education to all citizens of the state.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\11\14\story_14-11-2012_pg1_5
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Hindu community celebrates Diwali with devotion
November 14, 2012
By Asad Farooq
KARACHI: Like other parts of the country, Diwali, the Hindus’ festival of lights, colours and love, was celebrated in the metropolis with religious fervour and spirit, despite dread and anxiety that looms large over Hindu community, here on Tuesday night.
The festival is associated with earthen lamps and is celebrated to mark the arrival of Shri Ram by flying after self-exile of 14 years during which, he also defeated Ravan (Satan), as per Hindus belief.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\11\14\story_14-11-2012_pg12_4
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Journalist, writer and dramatist Asghar Butt passes, aged 91
November 14, 2012
LAHORE – Noted journalist, writer and dramatist Asghar Butt passed away on Tuesday at his home in Lahore after a brief illness. He was 91.
He is survived by his widow Nisar Aziz Butt and two sons, Dr Ahmar Aziz Butt and Ashar Aziz Butt. He was brother-in-law of Editor-in-Chief The Nation Majid Nizami and former federal minister Sartaj Aziz.
Full report at:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/14-Nov-2012/journalist-writer-and-dramatist-asghar-butt-passes-aged-91
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Africa
Qaddafi’s ex-PM goes on trial for mass rape, graft
13 November 2012
TRIPOLI: Deposed Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s former prime minister went on trial yesterday over allegations including corruption and of ordering mass rape during the war last year.
Al-Baghdadi Al-Mahmoudi could face life in jail or execution if convicted. He served as the ousted Libyan leader’s prime minister from 2006 until he fled to neighboring Tunisia around the time rebel fighters took Tripoli in August last year.
Tunisia extradited him in June, making him the first senior former Qaddafi official to be returned for trial under Libya’s transitional leadership.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/qaddafi%E2%80%99s-ex-pm-goes-trial-mass-rape-graft
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Libyan Chargé D'affaires denies link with detained nationals
November 14, 2012
Libyan Chargé D'affaires to Dhaka MS Kamel Al Mahjoub on Wednesday refuted a media report that he had connection with three Libyan nationals who were arrested for their involvement with an illegal manpower business.
Detective Branch of police on October 24 arrested the three Libyan nationals and a Bangladeshi woman from a hotel in the capital's Gulshan area and seized 684 Bangladeshi passports, $US1.81 lakh and Tk 10.66 lakh in cash from their possession.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=42447
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Europe
UN: Military Action Avoidable in Mali
November 14, 2012
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N.'s Secretary General's special envoy to the Sahel region of Africa says he believes military intervention is avoidable in Mali where al-Qaida-linked Islamist rebels have taken control of the northern part of the country.
Former Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said Tuesday he believed there was still room for diplomatic maneuvering ahead of any possible military action to dislodge the Islamists. He placed a priority on humanitarian aid and development saying, "without them there will be no solution on the Mali problem."
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/11/13/world/africa/ap-un-un-prodi-
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EU 'approves $6.4bn Egypt financial aid package'
14 November 2012
The European Union has approved a 5bn-euro ($6.4bn) financial support package for Egypt, Egyptian officials say.
A statement by President Mohammed Mursi's office said the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) would each provide 2bn euros.
The remaining 1bn euros would come from EU member states, the statement added.
The announcement came after Mr Mursi held talks with the EU's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, in Cairo.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20322407
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France Grants Its Recognition to Syria Rebels as U.S. Waits
By STEVEN ERLANGER, RICK GLADSTONE and ALAN COWELL
November 14, 2012
PARIS — Syrian authorities ordered airstrikes for a third straight day close to the tense Turkish border on Wednesday, and said a French decision to recognize and consider arming a newly formed Syrian rebel coalition was an “immoral” act “encouraging the destruction of Syria.”
The French move was depicted by analysts as an attempt to inject momentum into a broad Western and Arab effort to build a viable and effective opposition to hasten the end of a stalemated civil war which has further destabilized the Middle East. For its part, the United States on Wednesday signaled a reluctance to go beyond its characterization of the rebel alliance as a legitimate representative of the Syrian people, rather than as their sole representative.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/15/world/middleeast/syria-war-
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