Fatwas Are Not Necessarily Binding On Muslims: Islamic Scholars React
Age Islam News Bureau
10 Dec 2012
India
• Fatwas Are Not Necessarily Binding On Muslims: Islamic Scholars React
• India against Allocation of Certain Domain Names like ‘Indians,’ ‘Islam’ And ‘Ram’
• Why Muslims don’t count in Gujarat
• UAE Cabinet approves extradition agreement with India
• SC bench refuses to go into Zakia Jafri's plea
• Salman Khurshid advises caution over Markandey Katju's views on Kashmir
• Pak fires along LoC, violates truce 4th time in 5 days
• India plans treaty with Oman, Azerbaijan on criminal matters
• Aamir aid for wife of honour killing victim
• 'Evidence on 26/11 needs to be accepted by Pak court'
• Modi selects his side, rejects Muslim candidates
• Bangladeshi infiltrators influencing politics in NE: RSS chief
Pakistan
• Pak Extremists Earn Up To Rs 800 Mn by Selling Animal Skins
• Malala Yousufzai’s Father Appointed UN Special Advisor on Global Education
• Six killed in Taliban attack on Pak police station
• Silence resonates after Ahmadi graves’ vandalised
• TTP claims responsibility for attack on Bannu police station
• Extremists will not be allowed to impose their agenda: PM Ashraf
• Protests in Pakistan to get writer booked for 'blasphemy'
• Balochistan cries out for rehabilitation effort
• High ratio of acquittal: Punjab to review ATC prosecutors’ working
• Hakimullah Mehsud not to be replaced: TTP
• Forced into exile, Pashto TV’s ‘Janan’ longs for home
• Artists asked to portray Islamic culture
Arab World
• Arabs offer Palestinians $100 million a month "financial safety net"
• Sectarian Conflict Kills at Least 17 in Northern Lebanon
• Qatar calls Quartet ‘failure,’ seeks Arab peace offer rethink
• Jihadis presence ‘getting bigger’ in messed up Syria
• Syrian rebels capture key areas near Turkish border
• Fighting Drives an Old Sense of Peace from Damascus
• Egypt crisis: Morsi gives army arrest powers before vote
• Friends of Syria head to Morocco to bolster opposition
• Protests continue in Egypt against proposed referendum
• Isuzu to export trucks with logo ‘made in Saudi Arabia’
• First of its kind ‘disability research’ forum held in Riyadh
Southeast Asia
• Indonesian Shiites Persecuted as 'Heretics' Live in Limbo
• Protests mark International Human Rights Day in Indonesia
Mideast Asia
• For Iran, Unrest in Syria Is Noise, Not Brutal War
• Data decoded from CIA drone captured in 2011: Iran
South Asia
• Kabul's $100m mosque: a sign of a heavyweight battle for post-2014 Afghanistan
• Afghanistan Seeks Divorce from Long-Standing Marital Traditions
• Maldives denies China role in GMR row
• Economist magazine faces contempt in Bangladesh
• Kabul envisages Taliban inclusion in future govt
• No talks with Afghan govt at Paris meet says Taliban
• Bomb kills provincial Afghan police chief
• I tried hard, but initially GMR was stubborn: Waheed
• Systemic flaws playing havoc with Maldivian democracy: Waheed
• Bangladesh free to explore resources in Bay: PM Sheikh Hasina
• Afghans attack Iran consulate over alleged killings
• US soldier killed in Afghan rescue mission
Africa
• South Sudanese army shoots dead 10 protesters in Wau
• Nigerian finance minister's mother kidnapped
• Ghana's presidential election: John Mahama declared winner
Europe
• Atheists around World Suffer Persecution, Discrimination: Report
• U.S. and Russia Still Back Syria Settlement: U.N. Envoy
North America
• Norwalk supports mosque after lawsuit, fed inquiry
• No community programs at 'Ground Zero' mosque a year after the controversy
• GOP Asked to Reach Out to Muslim Voters, Reject Anti-Islam Bias
• Illness forces Clinton to briefly delay trip to meeting on Syria
• US Envoy Urges Prosecution for Bahrain Crackdowns
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Sectarian Conflict Kills at Least 17 in Northern Lebanon
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/fat-necessarily-binding-muslims-islamic/d/9617
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India
Fatwas Are Not Necessarily Binding On Muslims: Islamic Scholars React
Dec 08 2012
New Delhi: Recent Darul Uloom's fatwas advising Muslim women against working as receptionists and its decrees on tattoos and perfumes may have caused a stir, but Islamic scholars are of the view that such decrees are not necessarily binding on Muslims.
Most of the scholars believe that fatwas cannot be mandatory for everyone as their application may differ according to situation and context.
They, however, were of the view that fatwas pertaining to general faith should be followed by every Muslim.
A fatwa (decree) is not binding on everybody, according to Professor Akhtarul Vase, head of department of Islamic studies at Jamia Milia Islamia.
"Fatwas cannot be mandatory for everybody to follow. Usually, a fatwa is an answer to a specific question. So here it's important to understand the context and situation in which that question was asked. For example, the recent fatwa which says Muslim women cannot work as receptionists, this cannot be binding on everybody," he said.
Shahi Imam of Fatehpuri Masjid, Mufti Mukarram Ahmed said, "Fatwa should not be considered as an order or a directive. It is an Islamic outlook which people can follow. It is the duty of every Muslim to follow what has been said in Shariyat (Islamic law)."
On a daily basis, Darul Uloom issues 30-40 fatwas, they are even issued online. Similarly, Bareilly Markaz also issues fatwas, the scholars said.
Recently, several fatwas issued by Darul Uloom made headlines, which included one saying that prayers of those who have tattoo on their bodies or have sprayed perfume with alcohol in it, is not valid.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/fatwas-are-not-necessarily-binding-on-muslims-islamic-scholars/1042692/
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India against Allocation Of Certain Domain Names Like ‘Indians,’ ‘Islam’ And ‘Ram’
T. RAMACHANDRAN
December 10, 2012
India has made it clear that it does not favour the allocation of certain terms like ‘Indians,’ ‘Islam’ and ‘Ram’ as new generic Top Level Domain names (gTLDs), the concluding part of the web address that follows the dot, as the global web address system prepares itself for a phase of massive expansion in the coming months.
Applicants from different parts of the world have sought the addition of hundreds of such new terms, but the allotment of some of these gTLDs has been opposed by some countries, including India. The organisation that oversees the administration of the global web address system, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), set the ball rolling in January for the global expansion drive, inviting applications from interested parties. The Indian government has also shown the red signal to applications for the allocation of a few other gTLDs as well — ‘Bible,’ ‘army,’ ‘navy’ and ‘air force.’ It has also expressed its reservations about two others — ‘shiksha’ and ‘halal.’
These ‘early warnings’ on gTLDs from the members of ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee indicates “that an application is seen as potentially sensitive or problematic by one or more governments.”
But it does not constitute a formal objection and need not “directly lead to a process that can result in rejection of the application.”
The applicants can inform ICANN that they wish to withdraw their applications or hold discussions with the respective governments and try to address their concerns.
Reliance India had applied for the gTLD.indians, which has not been favoured by the Indian government. Documents enunciating the official viewpoint posted on the ICANN website said: “An exclusive right granted to a private company could be against the public interest of the Indian community.” And it went on to say this gTLD should be managed by the government “for the interest of all members of the community, including private companies.”
Citing trade mark laws, it said the term Indian denotes a geographical region in relation to goods and services, and it is also used extensively to represent products and services from India. It should “belong to the Indian community as a whole.”
India is also against the allotment of three other gTLDs — ‘.ram,’ ‘.islam’ and ‘.bible’ under a Section of the Indian Trade Mark Act that states a mark “shall not be registered if it contains or comprises any matter likely to hurt the religious susceptibilities of any class or section of the citizens of India.”
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-against-allocation-of-certain-domain-names/article4181900.ece
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Why Muslims don’t count in Gujarat
Varghese K George, Hindustan Times
December 10, 2012
Of the 6 crore people in Gujarat, about 55 lakh or 9% are Muslims. But their presence in state politics in terms of representation or discussion is next to nothing. Since 1998, there hasn’t been a single Muslim minister in Gujarat and for a long time the ruling BJP has not even had a Muslim MLA.
The outgoing assembly has five Muslim MLAs — all from the Congress — constituting 2.7% of the house’s strength of 182.
The Congress has fielded seven Muslims this time while the BJP and Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) have fielded none.
Though the 2002 pogrom against the community is not talked about at all and Muslims are not sought after, the prevalent suspicion about them is invoked in this election too. “The Congress wants to make Ahmad mian Patel the chief minister of Gujarat,” said CM Narendra Modi at election rallies. Though their 9% presence is too small to be of any electoral consequence, it’s large enough to constitute a significant ‘other’.
In states where Muslims wield political influence, they comprise a much larger proportion of the population – 18.5% in Uttar Pradesh, 16.5% in Bihar and nearly 25% in Kerala.
“Moreover, in Gujarat, Muslims are fragmented into 87 sub-groups. The Bohras, Khojas and Memons, who are mercantile, have entirely different political preferences compared to artisans, fishermen and pastoralists,” says social scientist Achyut Yagnik.
In the Congress’s Kshatriya-Harijan-Adivasi-Muslim (KHAM) alliance until the 1980s, Muslims had a place in Gujarat.
Their subsequent marginalisation is linked to the unique format of caste and Hindutva politics that took shape in the state compared to UP and Bihar from the early 1990s. In the friction between caste and Hindu identities, in Gujarat, the Hindu identity prevailed while in Bihar and UP, caste triumphed.
Yadavs, the dominant caste excluded from Congress politics, allied with Muslims who had broken away from Congress after the Babri Masjid demolition, and made a formidable alliance.
In Gujarat, however, the Patels, who were excluded from Congress politics, sought empowerment in Hindutva. “Caste identity is very important in Gujarat, but that operates within and is secondary to the Hindu identity. Patels were the core of the BJP through the 1990s,” points out political scientist Mona Mehta.
Even now, when a section of Patels is fighting Modi’s dominance by floating the GPP, they don’t look at Muslims as potential allies. On the contrary, Keshubhai Patel taunted Modi for trying to appease Muslims through his sadbhavana initiative.
After the 2002 pogrom Muslims were pushed into further isolation as Hindutva mopped up a sizeable section of scheduled castes and tribes, who were once part of the KHAM alliance.
After the defeats of 2002 and 2007, the Congress concluded that raising the issue of the 2002 riots would only lead to Hindu consolidation in favour of Modi and therefore decided to stay silent this season. Muslims are neither out of sight nor out of mind. They are there, but only as the ‘other’.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Specials/Coverage/Gujarat-Assembly-Elections-2012/Chunk-HT-UI-GujaratAssemblyElections2012-TopStories/Why-Muslims-don-t-count-in-state/SP-Article10-970704.aspx
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UAE Cabinet approves extradition agreement with India
Dec 10, 2012
DUBAI: The UAE Cabinet has approved an extradition agreement that the Gulf nation had signed with India for facilitating the transfer of Indian convicts to spend the remaining jail term in their home country.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/UAE-Cabinet-approves-extradition-agreement-with-India/articleshow/17553990.cms
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SC bench refuses to go into Zakia Jafri's plea
Dec 10, 2012
NEW DELHI: A Supreme Court bench said it cannot go into the issue of supplying Special Investigation Team (SIT) documents relating to the Gulburg Housing Society riot case in Ahmedabad in 2002 to the widow of slain Congress leader Ehsan Jafri.
A bench of justices D K Jain and Madan B Lokur refused to examine the issue on the ground that the previous order concerning it was passed by a larger bench.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Gujarat-riots-SC-bench-refuses-to-go-into-Zakia-Jafris-plea/articleshow/17555674.cms
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Salman Khurshid advises caution over Markandey Katju's views on Kashmir
Dec 10, 2012
NEW DELHI: Days after Press Council of India chief Markandey Katju favoured reunification of India and Pakistan to resolve Kashmir issue, external affairs minister Salman Khurshid has cautioned against picking up issues which may raise people's emotions unnecessarily.
Khurshid said the Press Council of India (PCI) chairperson has freedom to say a lot of things which he does not have.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Salman-Khurshid-advises-caution-over-Markandey-Katjus-views-on-Kashmir/articleshow/17554280.cms
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Pak fires along LoC, violates truce 4th time in 5 days
By Sanjay Khajuria
Dec 10, 2012
JAMMU: Pakistan troops on Saturday opened unprovoked fire on Indian posts along the Line of Control ( LoC) in Poonch district, Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said. This is the fourth ceasefire violation by Pakistan in the last five days.
"The firing started at around 7:30pm and continued till 11:30pm on Saturday. The Army retaliated effectively. There was no loss of life or injury to anyone," a defence ministry spokesperson said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pak-fires-along-LoC-violates-truce-4th-time-in-5-days/articleshow/17550473.cms
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India plans treaty with Oman, Azerbaijan on criminal matters
Dec 9, 2012
NEW DELHI: India plans to sign a mutual cooperation treaty with Oman and Azerbaijan among other countries to pursue criminal investigation and confiscation of money or property involved therein.
"India plans to sign Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) in criminal matters with Israel, Oman, Azerbaijan and Nepal," the ministry of home affairs said in reply to an RTI query.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-plans-treaty-with-Oman-Azerbaijan-on-criminal-matters/articleshow/17548285.cms
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Aamir aid for wife of honour killing victim
By Piyush Srivastava in Lucknow
December 10, 2012
ACTOR Aamir Khan is busy reading these days, not the script of his next film but stories about Mehwish.
Her husband, Abdul Hakim, who had made an appearance in the reality TV show Satyamev Jayate anchored by the superstar, was shot dead recently in an apparent honour killing.
Everyday, on the Internet, Aamir is reading stories on Mehwish in newspapers published from Bulandshahr.
Full report at: Mail Today
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'Evidence on 26/11 needs to be accepted by Pak court'
December 10, 2012
India on Monday welcomed presenting of evidence in a Pakistani court conducting trial of seven accused in 26/11 Mumbai attack case but said it will get a sense of relief and satisfaction only when they are convicted.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Evidence-on-26-11-needs-to-be-accepted-by-Pak-court/Article1-970842.aspx
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Modi selects his side, rejects Muslim candidates
Harinder Baweja, Hindustan Times
December 10, 2012
Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and his core team thought long and hard about fielding a Muslim candidate, especially after his September 2011 sadbhavana fast where he tried to reach out beyond his core Hindu constituency, but they developed cold feet and finally decided against it.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Specials/Coverage/Gujarat-Assembly-Elections-
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Bangladeshi infiltrators influencing politics in NE: RSS chief
Dec 9, 2012
RAIPUR: Claiming that Bangladeshi infiltrators were influencing the politics in the north-east region, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat today said these "unwanted elements" from across the border had taken over the government in Assam.
"These infiltrators enrol their names in the voters' list and influence the politics in the country. They have accessed the power to run government in states like Assam," he said while delivering a key-note address at the concluding ceremony of RSS' three-day 'chintan shivir' here.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Bangladeshi-infiltrators-influencing-politics-in-NE-RSS-chief/articleshow/17549309.cms
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Pakistan
Pak Extremists Earn Up To Rs 800 Mn by Selling Animal Skins
Dec 10 2012
Islamabad : Extremist groups like the Jamaat-ud-Dawah and Jaish-e-Mohammed earned over Rs 780 million by selling animal skins gathered during Eid-ul-Azha despite restrictions imposed by Pakistani authorities on the collection of hides by such organisations.
The groups earned an estimated Rs 78,210,500 from the sale of hides, the Dawn newspaper quoted reports of the Intelligence Bureau as saying.
Members of the outlawed and extremist groups intimidated officials who tried to stop them from collecting the hides of animals sacrificed during Eid-ul-Azha, the report said.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pak-extremists-earn-upto-rs-800-mln-by-selling-animal-skins/1043070/
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Malala Yousufzai’s Father Appointed UN Special Advisor on Global Education
December 10, 2012
KARACHI: The United Nations has appointed Ziauddin Yousufzai, the father of child activist Malala Yousufzai, as a special advisor for the UN on global education, DawnNews reported.
The announcement in this regard was made by for British premier and UN Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/12/10/ziauddin-yousufzai-appointed-un-special-envoy-for-global-education/
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Six killed in Taliban attack on Pak police station
December 10, 2012
Taliban militants armed with a rocket, hand grenades and automatic weapons attacked a police station in north-western Pakistan on Monday, killing six people, police said.
The attack occurred in the city of Bannu, which serves as a gateway to the North Waziristan tribal area, the main sanctuary for Taliban and al-Qaida militants in Pakistan. The city has been hit by repeated attacks over the year.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/six-killed-in-taliban-attack-on-pak-police-station/article4183884.ece
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Silence resonates after Ahmadi graves’ vandalised
December 10, 2012
LAHORE: Walls of the recently desecrated Model Town Ahmadi graveyard stand high, while an armed guard patrols the gate. On the very same road stands a Muslim graveyard with an open gate, low boundary walls and no armed guard on duty.
The beefed up security follows in the wake of fifteen masked men’s attack on the Ahmadi cemetery on December 3, when they razed tombstones of over a hundred graves.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/477541/violation-of-minority-rights-silence-resonates-after-ahmadi-graves-vandalised/
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TTP claims responsibility for attack on Bannu police station
December 10, 2012
BANNU: Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan while talking to Dawn.com’s correspondent accepted responsibility for today’s attack on Kaki police station near Bannu, which killed eight people and injured six others.
The TTP spokesman said that two suicide bombers were sent to carry out the mission adding that the attack was carried out in retaliation to the recent killing of Ibrahim Mehsud, a nephew of former TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud who was killed in a US drone strike in August 2009.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/12/10/militant-attack-on-bannu-police-station-injures-three-policemen/
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Extremists will not be allowed to impose their agenda: PM Ashraf
December 10, 2012
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Monday said the government would safeguard the fundamental rights of the people, adding that, extremists would not be allowed to impose their agenda on the public, DawnNews reported.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/12/10/extremists-will-not-be-allowed-to-impose-their-agenda-pm-ashraf/
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Protests in Pakistan to get writer booked for 'blasphemy'
Dec 10, 2012
Hundreds of people, including local residents and students of religious seminaries, staged a protest demonstration in the city demanding to book a writer, Dr Iftikhar Khan, under blasphemy law.
The protest took place after Dr Khan's nephew Shaikh Usman accused him of committing blasphemy by writing objectionable comments on Islam in his book, reports the Daily Times.
Full report at:
http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report_protests-in-pakistan-to-get-writer-booked-for-blasphemy_1775697
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Balochistan cries out for rehabilitation effort
Faiza Ilyas
December 10, 2012
KARACHI: “I can’t afford to send my kid to school when there is hunger at home. I spend the whole day looking for labour now while my only son, who used to be a school student, now tends to animals,” Irshad Ali, a resident of Ghulam Nabi Jamali village of tehsil Usta Mohammad, explains how the floods that struck Jafarabad district in Balochistan about three months ago have affected his life.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/12/10/balochistan-cries-out-for-rehabilitation-effort/
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High ratio of acquittal: Punjab to review ATC prosecutors’ working
Malik Asad
December 10, 2012
RAWALPINDI, Dec 9: A worried Punjab government has decided to hold a monthly review of the performance of all prosecutors attached with anti-terrorism courts (ATCs) following a revelation that an extraordinarily high number of the accused in terrorism and kidnapping for ransom cases have been acquitted.
The 14 ATCs of Punjab have acquitted people facing terrorism charges in 370 cases over the past 11 months.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/12/10/high-ratio-of-acquittal-punjab-to-review-atc-prosecutors-working/
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Hakimullah Mehsud not to be replaced: TTP
December 10, 2012
PESHAWAR: The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has rejected any rift among their ranks and have said that there is no plan to replace Hakimullah Mehsud with Waliur Rehman as new chief of the outlawed organisation.
The Pakistani Taliban spokesman Eshanullah Eshan while speaking to Dawn. Com said: “The reports have no truth, we held the main shura meeting two weeks back in North Waziristan Agency and all the 42 members or their representatives attended the meeting chaired by Hakimullah Mehsud which is sufficient enough to rebuff reports of any change in TTP top slot.”
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/12/10/hakimullah-mehsud-not-to-be-replaced-ttp/
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Forced into exile, Pashto TV’s ‘Janan’ longs for home
December 10, 2012
PESHAWAR: Alamzaib Mujahid, a veteran in the Pashto television industry and one of it’s most famous comedians, did not bow out of the limelight for reasons common amongst stars of his calibre.
His story befits the dramas that he had spent most of his life working on. First kidnapped by militants, then released only on the condition that he will never work in showbiz again, Mujahid currently works as a cab driver in Singapore.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/477522/curtain-call-forced-into-exile-pashto-tvs-janan-longs-for-home/
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Artists asked to portray Islamic culture
December 09, 2012
ABBOTTABAD: Renowned calligraphist Hafiz Elahi Bakhsh Matti here Saturday asked the artists to portray Islamic culture in their work in addition to changing trends so that the paintings could convey the true reflections of their thoughts.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-7-147395-Artists-asked-to-portray-Islamic-culture
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Arab World
Arabs offer Palestinians $100 million a month "financial safety net"
Dec 10, 2012
DOHA: Arab states agreed to provide the Palestinian Authority with a $100 million monthly " financial safety net" to help President Mahmoud Abbas's government cope with an economic crisis after the United Nations granted de facto statehood to Palestine.
Israel has responded to the November 29 UN vote by ordering 3,000 Jewish settler homes be built in the occupied West Bank and announced it would hold back payments of customs duties it collects on behalf of the Palestinians to pay an outstanding electricity bill.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Arabs-offer-Palestinians-100-million-a-month-financial-safety-net/articleshow/17552636.cms
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Sectarian Conflict Kills at Least 17 in Northern Lebanon
By JOSH WOOD
December 10, 2012
TRIPOLI, Lebanon — Clashes between Sunni Muslim and Alawite militias have killed at least 17 people here recently in perhaps the worst spillover of violence from the civil war in neighboring Syria.
Tripoli, which is Lebanon’s second-largest city and is close to the northern border with Syria, has long been the scene of conflict between Sunni Muslims in the city’s Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood and Alawites in the hilltop section of Jabal Mohsen, with each group maintaining militias.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/10/world/middleeast/syria-conflict-spills-over-to-
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Qatar calls Quartet ‘failure,’ seeks Arab peace offer rethink
10 December 2012
DOHA: Qatar called at an Arab League ministerial meeting yesterday for a rethink of an Arab offer of normal ties with Israel in return for its pullout from occupied land and branded the international Quartet a failure.
“It is logical after 10 years to objectively reconsider the peace process, including the Arab initiative,” said Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem Al-Thani, the country’s prime minister.
He called for a “thorough look into developments in the region and the world, and to decide carefully on our future steps and roadmap.” The League has proposed a normalization with the Jewish state in return for its pullout from occupied lands, notably the Palestinian territories.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/qatar-calls-quartet-%E2%80%98failure%E2%80%99-seeks-arab-peace-offer-rethink
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Jihadis presence ‘getting bigger’ in messed up Syria
December 10, 2012
Washington: Syrian rebels have ramped up their assaults on Syria’s capital Damascus, and the country’s largest city Aleppo.
The United Nation’s peace envoy met with US and Russian diplomats in Moscow again, trying to broker a ceasefire, and there’s growing concern over al Qaeda’s influence in the rebel ranks.
Full report at:
http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/jihadis-presence-getting-bigger-in-messed-up-syria_815850.html
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Syrian rebels capture key areas near Turkish border
December 10, 2012
Syrian rebels said on Monday that they had full control of areas linking two key northern provinces, which will ease movement of supplies near the Turkish border area.
“Controlling the Sheikh Suleiman base enabled our rebels to control the area that links Idlib and Aleppo province, thus opening more roads for supplies,” rebel commander Abu Omar al-Halabi told DPA.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/syrian-rebels-capture-key-areas-near-turkish-border/article4184248.ece
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Fighting Drives an Old Sense of Peace From Damascus
By an EMPLOYEE of THE NEW YORK TIMES in SYRIA and ANNE BARNARD
December 10, 2012
DAMASCUS, Syria — Business has been terrible for Abu Tareq, a taxi driver, so last week, without telling his wife, he agreed to drive a man to the Damascus airport for 10 times the usual rate. But, he said later, he will not be doing that again.
On the airport road, he could hear the crash of artillery and the whiz of sniper fire. Dead rebels and soldiers lay on the roadsides. Abu Tareq saw a dog eating the body of a soldier.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/10/world/middleeast/syria-fighting-damascus.html?ref=middleeast
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Egypt crisis: Morsi gives army arrest powers before vote
Dec 10 2012
Egypt's President Morsi has ordered the military to maintain security and protect state institutions in the run-up to a referendum on the constitution.
The army has also been given the power of arrest.
Mr Morsi has tried to calm public anger by annulling a decree giving him huge powers, but rejected a call to scrap the 15 December vote on a new constitution.
Opposition leaders rejected the move and called for protests on Tuesday.
Islamist groups have said they will hold counter demonstrations, raising fears of further bloody clashes on the streets of the Egyptian capital.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20661758
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Friends of Syria head to Morocco to bolster opposition
The 'Friends of Syria' will meet on Morocco to find ways of backing the political transition in the event of President Al-Assad's fall, and mobilising vital humanitarian aid as winter sets in
10 Dec 2012
The Friends of Syria nations that support regime change meet in Morocco on Wednesday for the first time since the creation of a new opposition coalition seeking wider international recognition.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/60171/World/Region/Friends-of-Syria-head-to-Morocco-to-bolster-opposi.aspx
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Protests continue in Egypt against proposed referendum
Dec 10, 2012
CAIRO: Egypt continued to witness protests as opposition members, despite annulment of the controversial decree by President Mohamed Mursi, staged demonstrations against the proposed referendum slated for next Saturday.
Large number of people marched towards the presidential palace yesterday for joining demonstrators camping there for past one week.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Protests-continue-in-Egypt-against-proposed-referendum/articleshow/17551288.cms
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Isuzu to export trucks with logo ‘made in Saudi Arabia’
10 December 2012
Dr. Saleh Al Rashid, general director of the Saudi Industrial Property Authority (MODON), declared that “the Isuzu Motors factory in Dammam will launch its production this weekend”. He said that the factory is considering exportation after covering the needs of the local market. He pointed out that the factory will encourage industrial investments related to the automotive industry while at the same time working accordingly to create investment opportunities in this field.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/isuzu-export-trucks-logo-%E2%80%98made-saudi-arabia%E2%80%99
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First of its kind ‘disability research’ forum held in Riyadh
RIYADH: ABDUL HANNAN TAGO
10 December 2012
Some 40 experts from 20 countries, both local and from abroad, participated in a three-day conference on disability research. The event was part of the Saudi Forum on Universal Design held here yesterday coinciding with the Prince Salman Center for Disability Research (PSCDR) 20th Anniversary celebrations that took place here on Saturday.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/first-its-kind-%E2%80%98disability-research%E2%80%99-forum-held-riyadh
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Southeast Asia
Indonesian Shiites Persecuted as 'Heretics' Live in Limbo
December 10, 2012
Sampang, Indonesia. Condemned as heretics, a community of around 200 Shiite Muslims have for months lived as pariahs in a sports hall, driven from their Indonesian village after a deadly clash with Sunnis.
In August, a mob of hundreds armed with sickles and swords hacked a Shiite man to death and torched more than 30 houses, forcing villagers to seek refuge at the sports hall.
Since then they have slept on thin mattresses surrounded by flies, sharing few communal toilets and eating modest meals at the Sampang district indoor tennis courts in eastern Java.
Now their future appears more bleak than ever.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/indonesian-shiites-persecuted-as-heretics-live-in-limbo/560804
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Protests mark International Human Rights Day in Indonesia
Ainur Rohmah, Bambang Muryanto
December 10 2012
International Human Rights Day, which falls on Monday, is being marked with rallies staged by the marginalized throughout the archipelago, protesting against human rights violations that still mar the country’s development.
Dozens of farmers, for example, staged a rally on Jl. Pahlawan in Semarang, Central Java, protesting against their forced eviction by the government to make way for the construction of the Logung Dam in Kudus Regency.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/12/10/protests-mark-international-human-rights-day-indonesia.html
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Mideast Asia
For Iran, Unrest in Syria Is Noise, Not Brutal War
By THOMAS ERDBRINK
December 10, 2012
TEHRAN — When Syria’s agricultural minister, Subhi Ahmad al-Abdullah, arrived in the Iranian capital for a visit last week, everybody involved stuck to a well-worn script.
There were welcoming ceremonies, handshakes in front of cameras and tête-à-têtes on rococo chairs. Stern-faced Iranian and Syrian officials discussed “expanding economic and agricultural ties” and signed a contract for the joint production of a vaccine for foot-and-mouth disease.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/10/world/middleeast/iran-has-rosy-view-of-unrest-in-syria.html?ref=world&_r=0
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Data decoded from CIA drone captured in 2011: Iran
Dec 10, 2012
TEHRAN: ran says the country's Revolutionary Guard has decoded all of the data from an advanced CIA spy drone captured last year.
Tehran has previously said it recovered information from the RQ-170 Sentinel craft, but Monday's announcement on state-run Press TV suggests technicians may have broken encryptions.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Data-decoded-from-CIA-drone-captured-in-2011-Iran/articleshow/17558497.cms
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South Asia
Kabul's $100m mosque: a sign of a heavyweight battle for post-2014 Afghanistan
As Nato prepares to withdraw, Afghans will find it hard not to get caught up in the competing interests of regional powers
Catriona Luke
9 December 2012
Last month it emerged that Saudi Arabia is funding a $100m mosque and Islamic education centre in Kabul, very similar to the Faisal mosque constructed in Islamabad in the 1980s. Dr Dayi al-Haq Abed, the Saudi minister of hajj and Islamic affairs, has sought to make assurances that the building is not designed to bolster the Gulf state's role in Afghan affairs after Nato's withdrawal in 2014, but the claim sounds hollow.
Full report at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/dec/09/kabul-mosque-afghanistan
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Afghanistan Seeks Divorce From Long-Standing Marital Traditions
By Farangis Najibullah
December 09, 2012
In Afghanistan, few bat an eye when a young suitor spends a small fortune to secure his bride.
The payment of a "walwar" -- essentially a premarital fee paid to the bride-to-be's parents -- can run into the thousands of dollars, adding to the already exorbitant costs plunked down for the wedding itself.
Now there is a movement within the country's government to divorce the Afghan people from such long-standing but financially crippling customs.
Full report at:
http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-marriage-debt-traditions-/24793260.html
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Maldives denies China role in GMR row
R. K. RADHAKRISHNAN
December 10, 2012
Maldives President Mohamed Waheed has denied the suggestion in the media that China nudged his country to push out the Male airport operator, Indian multinational company GMR.
“Absolutely no. Absolutely no,” he said. “The only significant cooperation we have with China at this time is through development assistance… like building the museum, housing projects. I don’t think India should worry about it at all.”
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/maldives-denies-china-role-in-gmr-row/article4181805.ece
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Economist magazine faces contempt in Bangladesh
December 09, 2012
A Bangladesh war crimes tribunal has accused the British magazine The Economist of hacking the computer of its presiding judge to record conversations and read emails he exchanged with a lawyer.
The magazine did not directly address the charges, but said it is in possession of conversations and documents that raise serious questions about the workings of the tribunal.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Bangladesh/Economist-magazine-faces-contempt-in-Bangladesh/Article1-970668.aspx
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Kabul envisages Taliban inclusion in future govt
December 10, 2012
WASHINGTON: The Afghan government is pursuing a new initiative in which Pakistan will play a major role in negotiating a peace deal with the Taliban while the United States will ensure that the process moves smoothly, diplomatic sources have told Dawn.
Britain, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, which is hosting an Afghan-Pakistan summit meeting in Ankara on Tuesday, are also backing the initiative called the “Peace Process Roadmap to 2015”.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/12/10/major-role-for-islamabad-proposed-kabul-envisages-taliban-inclusion-in-future-govt/
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No talks with Afghan govt at Paris meet says Taliban
December 10, 2012
ISLAMABAD: Amidst speculation that the Afghan Taliban will reach out to their historical nemesis – the Northern Alliance – at an international conference in France this month, the ultraorthodox militia says it will not negotiate with any Afghan group or government official.
“We accepted the invitation to attend the conference in Paris neither to hold talks with the Afghan government nor with its peace council,” Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told The Express Tribune on Sunday.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/477582/no-flexibility-no-talks-with-afghan-govt-at-paris-meet-says-taliban/
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Bomb kills provincial Afghan police chief
Dec 10, 2012
HERAT (Afghanistan): A roadside bomb killed the police chief of Afghanistan's western Nimroz province on Monday, a police official said.
General Mohammad Musa Rasoli's vehicle was struck by the bomb as he was heading to work, the official said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Taliban insurgents have targeted provincial officials in the past.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Bomb-kills-provincial-Afghan-police-chief/articleshow/17554570.cms
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I tried hard, but initially GMR was stubborn: Waheed
R. K. RADHAKRISHNAN
December 10, 2012
Asserting that Maldives throwing out the Male airport operator, Indian multinational company GMR, had not affected India-Maldives ties, President Mohamed Waheed said he had tried his best to avert the awkward situation.
“I really want to assure you that we tried as much as we could under the circumstances. It just did not happen. But this should not be taken as change of policies or any lessening of our will to continue to work with foreign investors, especially from India,” he told The-Hindu in his first interview ever since the government’s differences with GMR came out in the open.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/i-tried-hard-but-initially-gmr-was-stubborn-waheed/article4181808.ece
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Systemic flaws playing havoc with Maldivian democracy: Waheed
R. K. RADHAKRISHNAN
December 10, 2012
“We want a free and fair election and a completely transparent process”
With the next Presidential elections barely eight months away, it appears that there is no coordinated effort to set right the serious systemic flaws in Maldivian democracy which is barely four years old.
“Elections will be held in the end of August or beginning of September. Although they have not given a specific date, I have requested the Election Commission to come out with a timetable and also the government has gone ahead and invited international observers and monitors. So we want a free and fair election and a completely transparent process,” Maldivian President Mohamed Waheed said in an interview to The Hindu here.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/systemic-flaws-playing-havoc-with-maldivian-democracy-waheed/article4181804.ece
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Bangladesh free to explore resources in Bay: PM Sheikh Hasina
December 10, 2012
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday said various resources of the Bay of Bengal can play an epoch-making role in the economic development of Bangladesh as mineral resources in the deep-sea blocks can be explored now without any dispute with the neighbours.
“There is no alternative to utilising the vast potential of marine resources to ensure sustainable development,” she said.
The prime minister was addressing the Commemoration Ceremony of the 30th Anniversary of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the city.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=43076
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Afghans attack Iran consulate over alleged killings
December 10, 2012
HERAT: Hundreds of angry demonstrators tried to storm the Iranian consulate in the western Afghan city of Herat on Sunday in protest at the alleged killing of Afghan immigrants by Iranian security forces.
The 200-strong crowd threw rocks and broke consulate windows before security forces drove them back by firing warning shots into the air, an AFP correspondent at the scene said.
The crowd claimed 13 Afghans who had crossed the border into Iran were seized and later shot dead by Iranian security forces about three months ago.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/12/09/afghans-attack-iran-consulate-over-alleged-killings/
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US soldier killed in Afghan rescue mission
December 10, 2012
A US commando was killed during a mission to rescue an American doctor kidnapped by the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan, the White House has said.
President Barack Obama said the US rescue team had shown "selfless service" in carrying out the raid.
Earlier, US officials said Dr Dilip Joseph had been freed in a joint operation by US and Afghan forces.
They said that seven of his captors died in the operation but did not reveal the US casualty until later.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20661756
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Africa
South Sudanese army shoots dead 10 protesters in Wau
December 10, 2012
The South Sudanese army killed 10 people when it opened fire on demonstrators angry at the relocation of a local council HQ in the north-west of the country, the UN says.
A United Nations spokesman said the troops had demonstrated "excessive use of force" in breaking up protests on Saturday night, when four people died.
Six more people died when troops fired on a further demonstration on Sunday.
The army said it had launched an investigation.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20658915
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Nigerian finance minister's mother kidnapped
Dec 10 2012
Officials in Nigeria say the mother of Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been kidnapped.
Kamene Okonjo, a professor, was taken from her home in Delta State on Sunday.
A finance ministry spokesman said Mrs Okonjo-Iweala had been threatened recently but did not know whether this was linked to the kidnapping.
Nigeria is one of the worst countries in the world for kidnapping, where it is a lucrative criminal enterprise worth millions of dollars a year.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20660791
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Ghana's presidential election: John Mahama declared winner
December 10, 2012
Ghana's presidential election has been won by incumbent John Mahama, the electoral commission has announced.
The commission said that Mr Mahama had won 50.7% against opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo on 47.74%.
However, the opposition NPP says it will contest the result, accusing the governing NDC party of conspiring with commission staff to fix Friday's poll.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20661599
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Europe
Atheists Around World Suffer Persecution, Discrimination: Report
December 10, 2012
GENEVA (Reuters) - Atheists and other religious skeptics suffer persecution or discrimination in many parts of the world and in at least seven nations can be executed if their beliefs become known, according to a report issued on Monday.
The study, from the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), showed that "unbelievers" in Islamic countries face the most severe - sometimes brutal - treatment at the hands of the state and adherents of the official religion.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/12/09/world/09reuters-religion-
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U.S. and Russia Still Back Syria Settlement: U.N. Envoy
December 10, 2012
BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.S. and Russian officials have given their commitment to a political solution for the deepening Syrian conflict, a United Nations envoy said on Sunday, but Moscow dismissed speculation it was preparing for President Bashar al-Assad's exit.
With rebels now fighting on the doorsteps of Damascus, Assad's forces kept up their now daily artillery strikes and air raids on eastern suburbs as well as some rebel-held districts on the capital's outskirts.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/12/10/world/middleeast/10reuters-syria-
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North America
Norwalk supports mosque after lawsuit, fed inquiry
By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN
Associated Press / December 8, 2012
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — When Norwalk received a proposal to build the city’s first mosque; it was rejected by officials who said the structure was too big for the largely residential area and would create too much traffic.
The applicants filed a federal lawsuit alleging religious discrimination and the U.S. Justice Department, which has been intervening in mosque projects around the country, launched an inquiry into the handling of the proposal.
Full report at:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/2012/12/08/norwalk-supports-mosque-
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No community programs at 'Ground Zero' mosque a year after the controversy
By ISABEL VINCENT and MELISSA KLEIN
December 9, 2012
It’s all pray and no play.
The Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero that opened with great fanfare a year ago is now an empty space with no community programs.
And while the developers behind Park51 insisted for two years that the project was more than a mosque, it now appears to be just that. Dozens of worshipers gather at the site on Park Place Friday for prayer services — but that’s the only activity in the building.
Full report at:
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/it_mosque_rade_E4bLtxvo3yIwrCnYm1fRL
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GOP Asked to Reach Out to Muslim Voters, Reject Anti-Islam Bias
December 10, 2012
(WASHINGTON, D.C.,) -- A coalition of 11 major American Muslim organizations* today called on the Republican Party to reach out to Muslim voters by rejecting anti-Islam bias and discriminatory legislation.
At a noon news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., the coalition announced the publication of a full-page advertisement in the conservative Washington Times newspaper outlining recent examples of intolerant speech and actions by Republicans and offering recommendations to help improve GOP relations with the Muslim community.
Full report at:
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Illness forces Clinton to briefly delay trip to meeting on Syria
December 10, 2012
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been taken ill with a stomach virus and will delay by one day her trip to Morocco for a meeting on the future of Syria's opposition, the State Department said on Sunday.
Clinton, who had been due to depart for the meeting in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh on Monday, will now leave on Tuesday, spokesman Philippe Reines said in an emailed statement.
"Because she has a stomach virus, our departure for Morocco has been moved from Monday to Tuesday. She will not have any schedule tomorrow in Washington," Reines said.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=43065
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US Envoy Urges Prosecution for Bahrain Crackdowns
December 10, 2012
MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — A senior U.S. envoy is calling on Bahrain to prosecute those responsible for widespread crackdowns during the early stages of an anti-government uprising in the Gulf kingdom last year.
Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner also urged Bahrain's leadership to drop charges against activists involved in "non-violent political expression" and voiced concern about recent measures, including revoking citizenship for 31 activists.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/12/10/world/middleeast/ap-ml-bahrain.html?ref=middleeast
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