Former Brit MP Wants 'Neutron Bomb' Exploded In AfPak Border to Eliminate Terror
Europe
Brit MP wants 'neutron bomb' exploded in AfPak border to eliminate terror
Norway mass killer Breivik criticizes prison conditions
Pakistan
Hafiz Saeed offers funeral prayers in Absentia for Quassab
Bombing of Shiite procession kills 7 in Pakistan
Ancient tombs discovered in Pakistan's Swat
Blast in Khyber kills two anti-Taliban militiamen
Pakistan denies visas to 971 Guru Nanak Dev devotees
Muharram security: suspension of cell phones in 50 cities
Healing scars: In G-B, Muharram blurs sectarian differences
Jamming cell phones will not stop us: Taliban spokesman
Police and Rangers can handle security over Ashura on their own
Report claiming Imran Khan's party demanded Sarabjit's execution false: Spokesperson
Southeast Asia
Muslims threaten churches in W. Sumatra, Indonesia
Spiritual Guru in Jakarta Rejects ‘Misguided’ Imprisonment for sexual harassment
India
Who will return me these precious years of my two sons’ life? Little cheer from acquittals
Popular Front of India questions ‘hastiness’ in Quassab hanging
'Important to bring 26/11 perpetrators to justice': Salman Khurshid
Several hurt in clash during Muharram procession in Meerut district
Top Jaish-e-Muhammed militant commander killed in J&K
Indian Mujahideen founder Amir Reza Khan still hiding in Pak: NIA
Sohrabuddin case: court refuses to send accused policemen back to Gujarat
65th International Tablighi Ijtema begins in Bhopal
Accused cops face SIMI threat in Mumbai, Gujarat tells court
Prohibitory orders in Srinagar as man sets himself on fire
Arab World
Egyptian leftist leader accuses Brotherhood 'thugs' of assault
Saudi dynasty faces generational choice
Egypt's top judges slam Morsi's new powers
Egypt’s Morsi promises democracy as protests rage
Syria says Turkey's bid for NATO missiles 'provocative'
Violence erupt across Egypt as President Morsi defends new powers
Powers aimed at ex-regime 'weevils', Egypt's Morsi says
Syria: Blast Kills 4 in Camp
Opponents of Egypt's Mursi Call Cairo Protest for Tuesday
SR 3.3 billion spent to help disabled
1200 entered Islam in Khober, Saudi Arabia in 2011: reports
Africa
Nigeria offers rewards for Boko Haram leaders
Congo Rebels Push on After Repelling Counter-Attack
Mideast Asia
Arafat's Remains Said to Be Exhumed Tuesday
Turkish hackers deface Google Pakistan's webpage
Iran president congratulates Hamas on 'victory'
Gaza crowds surge at Israel's border fence, 1 dead
Truce hurts, but Israel PM still ahead in poll race
Back to school in Gaza after Israel offensive
Iran accuses US Navy of 'illegal' acts in Gulf
Tension and Confusion Linger in Gaza Strip after Cease-Fire
Iranian blogger Beheshti 'may have died of shock'
South Asia
Suicide Bomber Devastates a Government Hub in Afghanistan
UN “shamefully silent” on Maldives’ human rights abuses: MDP
15 injured as Jamaat, Shibir clash with cops in Uttara
Buddhists pray for religious harmony
Zaki’s remarks “threat to national security,” claims Maldivian Defence Ministry
North America
Middle East Nuclear Talks Will Not Occur Next Month: U.S.
Pope elevates 6 cardinals to choose successor
US expresses concern over Egyptian President Mursi seizing more power
Success depends on Pakistan’s commitment: US
US urges Bahrain to use 'restraint' against protestors
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Bombing of Shiite procession kills 7 in Pakistan
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/former-brit-mp-wants-neutron/d/9419
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Europe
Former Brit MP wants 'neutron bomb' exploded in AfPak border to eliminate terror
Nov 24 2012
Islamabad: A former British defence minister stunned peers after he suggested that a neutron bomb could be used to create a ‘cordon sanitaire’ (quarantine line) in troubled border regions like the one between Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to a report.
During a debate in House of Lords on multi-lateral nuclear disarmament, Lord Gilbert said the use of such weapons could ‘greatly reduce problems of protecting those borders’.
The Labour minister said that what used to be called a neutron bomb, and was actually an enhanced radiation reduced blast weapon (ERRB), could have ‘many uses’ today, The Nation reports.
“I think you could use an ERRB warhead to create a cordon sanitaire around various borders where people are causing trouble these days,” he said, citing the mountainous border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan as an example, where he said no one was living ‘except a few goats’.
Acknowledging his idea might seem ‘impractical’ to peers, Lord Gilbert added, “If you told them there was going to be some ERRB warheads dropped there, it would be a very unpleasant place to go and they wouldn’t go there.”
Lord Gilbert also said he was ‘delighted’ that nuclear weapons had been invented because, by acting as a deterrent, they had prevented a possible third world war and helped save lives, the paper said.
However, his comments led Labour former defence secretary Lord Browne of Ladyton to criticise Gilbert, accusing him of being at his ‘most challenging and contrarian’.
Cabinet Office spokesman for Lord Wallace of Saltaire also said the government did not share Gilbert’s ‘rumbustious’ views on the sensitive issue. “The UK retains a firm commitment to the long-term goal of a world without nuclear weapons,” he said.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/brit-mp-wants-neutron-bomb-exploded-in-afpak-border-to-eliminate-terror/1035768/
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Norway mass killer Breivik criticizes prison conditions
Nov 24, 2012
OSLO: Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik accused prison officers of trying to drive him to suicide in conditions he describes as "a mini Abu Ghraib."
Breivik wrote a 27-page letter addressed to prison officials, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press.
"If it wasn't for the fact that I am an exceptionally patient person, I would most likely have lost my mind in pure frustration," Breivik said in the letter dated October 15 that was updated on October 26 and October 30. "Anyway, there are limits to what a person can take."
Breivik wrote that he is frustrated that guards do not cooperate with his carefully planned daily schedule, where he times his various activities down to the minute.
"One cannot exclude that Ila Prison's leadership has assured itself that 'loyal social democrats' dominate the ward to prevent possibly benevolent people gaining access," Breivik said.
He also alleges that the prison director keeps the security regime tight out of personal vengefulness against Breivik.
The 33-year-old right-wing fanatic killed 77 people in twin attacks last year in Norway's worst peacetime massacre. He detonated a car bomb outside government offices in Oslo killing eight people and then drove to the island of Utoya where he massacred 69 in a shooting spree at the summer camp of the governing Labor Party's youth wing.
Ellen Bjercke, spokeswoman at Ila Prison where Breivik is being held, said the prison had not lifted any security restrictions on Breivik in response to his letter, although he had recently been allowed a normal pen instead of a rubber safety pen, which he had also avidly used during the 10-week trial to make notes.
Breivik said the experience of having to use the stab-free pen was as "an almost indescribable manifestation of sadism."
The self-confessed killer described numerous prison practices as "degrading" in his letter, including that he is watched when swallowing his vitamin pills, that he's not allowed a mop to clean his cell and that he is subjected to daily strip searches, sometimes by female prison guards.
Keeping up his personal hygiene is also a challenge, he said.
"Use of a toothbrush and electric shaver is always under supervision. One is therefore under mental pressure to finish quickly as the guards are tapping their feet outside the cell ... This limits brushing to once a day and shaving to once a week in order not to have to go through the mental ordeal more often than necessary," he wrote in the letter.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Norway-mass-killer-Breivik-criticizes-prison-conditions/articleshow/17342869.cms
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Pakistan
Hafiz Saeed offers funeral prayers in absentia for Quassab
November 24, 2012
LeT founder Hafiz Mohammad Saeed led a gathering of thousands in offering funeral prayers for Ajmal Quassab, the lone surviving terrorist involved in the Mumbai attacks who was hanged earlier this week, a media report said on Saturday. Saeed, mastermind of the 2008 assault on Mumbai, offered 'ghayabana namaz-e-janaza' (funeral prayers in absentia) for Quassab at the conclusion of a two-day training session of the Jamaat-ud-Dawah at its headquarters at Muridke near Lahore.
The event was attended by thousands of people, the Urdu newspaper Daily Express reported.
It did not say when the event was held.
25-year-old Quassab, who was part of a team of 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists who killed 166 people during three days of carnage in Mumbai four years ago, was hanged in a Pune jail on Wednesday.
The Pakistani Taliban has threatened to target Indians to avenge Quassab's execution.
The LeT has described Quassab as a "hero" who will inspire more terror attacks.
Shortly after Quassab's hanging, the JuD refused to comment on the issue.
"We have decided not to issue any statement on the hanging of Quassab as we think it is not appropriate," Habibullah Salfi, a member of the JuD's media arm, told PTI.
The JuD claims it has no links with LeT.
Following the Mumbai attacks, the UN Security Council had declared the JuD a front for the banned LeT.
Earlier this year, the US offered a 10-million-dollar bounty for Saeed.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Pakistan/Hafiz-Saeed-offers-funeral-prayers-for-Quassab/Article1-963710.aspx
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Bombing of Shiite procession kills 7 in Pakistan
Nov 24 2012
Seven persons were killed and 18 injured when a Shia procession was targeted with a roadside bomb in Pakistan’s restive north-west on Saturday, the latest in a string of attacks against the minority community during the Islamic month of Muharram.
The bomb, which was hidden in a mound of garbage, went off as a procession from an imambargah on the outskirts of Dera Ismail Khan was on its way to the main procession in the city, witnesses and police officials said.
Seven persons, including four children, were killed by the powerful blast. Two children and a policeman were among the injured, who were taken to a nearby hospital.
Police officials said the bomb contained an estimated 10 kg of explosives and ball bearings. Footage on television showed the walls of several houses had been pitted by the ball bearings.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/bombing-of-shiite-procession-kills-7-in-pakistan/article4129805.ece
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Ancient tombs discovered in Pakistan's Swat
November 24, 2012
Italian archaeologists say they have discovered a cemetery that reveals complex funeral rites dating back more than 3,000 years in Pakistan's Swat valley, recently controlled by the Taliban.
The Italian mission began digging in the 1950s at Udegram, a site of Buddhist treasures in Swat, the northwestern district formerly known as the Switzerland of Pakistan for its stunning mountains, valleys and rivers.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Pakistan/Ancient-tombs-discovered-in-Pakistan-s-Swat/Article1-963658.aspx
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Blast in Khyber kills two anti-Taliban militiamen
Zahir Shah Sherazi
November 24, 2012
KHYBER AGENCY: At least two members of an anti-Taliban militia were killed Friday evening when a roadside bomb exploded in Khyber tribal region, Khyber, one of seven agencies in Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, officials said.
Local officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak to the media, said the attack in Khyber’s Bara tehsil was carried out through a remote-controlled explosive device.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/11/23/blast-in-khyber-kills-two-anti-taliban-militiamen/
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Pakistan denies visas to 971 Guru Nanak Dev devotees
Nov 24, 2012
AMRITSAR: Pakistan High Commission has refused to give visa to 971 out of 1,860 devotees who had applied for visa to visit the country to celebrate birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar informed on Friday that he had appealed to Pakistan High Commission to reconsider its decision to deny visas to Sikh pilgrims. While stating that it was unfortunate that a large number of Sikh devotees would be deprived of an opportunity to pay obeisance at gurdwaras in Pakistan, he informed that only 889 devotees have been granted visas. "There is resentment among Sikhs who wanted to celebrate the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev at Gurdwara Nankana Sahib," he said. SGPC is sending a Sikh jatha to Pakistan under the leadership of Jangbahadur Singh on November 25. The jatha would return on December 4.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistan-denies-vises-to-971-devotees/articleshow/17343965.cms
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Muharram security: suspension of cellphones in 50 cities
Iftikhar A. Khan
November 24, 2012
ISLAMABAD: After a series of suicide bombings and attacks in which explosive devices were said to have been detonated by mobile phones, the government decided on Friday to suspend the cellphone network for varying periods in about 50 cities across the country on Saturday and Sunday, the 9th and 10th of Muharram, to provide security to mourners.
The cellphone network was blocked in Karachi and Quetta for up to 11 hours on Friday. After its restoration at about midnight, the service again blocked at 6 in the morning on Saturday.
The government also enforced a blanket ban on motorbikes in Hyderabad and Quetta on Friday for three days. There is a ban on pillion riding across the country till Sunday.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/11/24/muharram-security-suspension-of-cellphones-in-50-cities/
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Healing scars: In G-B, Muharram blurs sectarian differences
November 24, 2012
GILGIT: The religious harmony apparent at a Muharram procession in Gilgit on Friday suggests the scars left by bloody sectarian strife do not have to haunt the region and its people forever.
Dozens of Sunnis led a mourning procession in the heart of the city, where until recently Shias and Sunnis were victims of violent incidents stage-managed by extremist elements. The move is also a blow to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which had threatened to attack Muharram processions in Gilgit-Baltistan. G-B’s administration was informed of these threats in a letter by the interior ministry last week.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/470524/healing-scars-in-g-b-muharram-blurs-sectarian-differences/
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Jamming cell phones will not stop us: Taliban spokesman
Zahir Shah Sherazi
November 24, 2012
KHYBER AGENCY: A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban has claimed that suspending mobile phone services in the country will not hold back the militant group from carrying out its activities.
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan, speaking on the telephone to a Dawn.com correspondent from an undisclosed location, claimed the banned group does not carry out bombings using cellular phones as detonators.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/11/23/jamming-cell-phones-will-not-stop-us-taliban-spokesman/
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Police and Rangers can handle security over Ashura on their own, claims chief minister
November 24, 2012
KARACHI: Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah is confident that the police and Rangers are capable enough to keep a check on the law and order situation in Karachi during Ashura.
Accompanied by Inspector General Police Fayyaz Ahmed Leghari, the chief minister took a trip around the city on Friday to check whether the mapped out security plans were being followed. Some of the places he visited included II Chundrigar Road, MA Jinnah Road, Memon Masjid and Empress Market.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/470358/law-and-order-police-and-rangers-can-handle-security-over-ashura-on-their-own-claims-chief-minister/
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Report claiming Imran Khan's party demanded Sarabjit's execution false: Spokesperson
Nov 24, 2012
NEW DELHI: The official spokesperson of Imran Khan's party Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI), Shafqat Mahmood, has slammed reports claiming his party had demanded the execution of Indian prisoner Sarabjit in retaliation to the hanging of Ajmal Quassab on November 21.
A report had appeared in the TOI on Thursday quoting PTI leader Naeemullah Khan who said his party wanted Sarabjit, sentenced to death on charges of terrorism, to be hanged at the earliest.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Report-claiming-Imran-Khans-party-demanded-Sarabjits-execution-false-Spokesperson/articleshow/17348579.cms?
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Southeast Asia
Muslims threaten churches in W. Sumatra, Indonesia
Syofiardi Bachyul Jb
November 24 2012
Although the dust from the persecution of minority Shiite Muslims in Sampang, Madura, has not settled, another religious controversy has emerged, this time in West Pasaman, West Sumatra.
A mob numbering in the hundreds and grouped under the banner of the Islamic Organizations Communication Forum (FKOI) descended on two churches on Tuesday: Stasi Mahakarya and GPSI (Gereja Pentakosta Sion Indonesia).
Those in the crowd threatened to use force to stop the congregations from building additional structures in their compounds, nailing wooden boards outside the churches.
However, the mob was not able to come too close to the houses of worship, which were guarded by nearly 200 police officers and Indonesian Military (TNI) troops.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/11/24/muslims-threaten-churches-w-sumatra.html
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Spiritual Guru in Jakarta Rejects ‘Misguided’ Imprisonment for sexual harassment
Rangga Prakoso | November 24, 2012
Spiritual guru Anand Krishna has declined for a second time to begin serving his jail term after the Supreme Court sentenced him in August to 2.5 years for sexual harassment.
“Pak Anand rejected the summons. He doesn’t want to obey the misguided appeal verdict,” Anand’s lawyer Andreas Nahot Silitonga said in Jakarta on Friday.
An official with the South Jakarta Prosecutors Office, Agung Ardianto, said this was the second time Anand refused to fulfil his summons, after rejecting the first one issued on Nov. 13.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/spiritual-guru-anand-khrisna-rejects-misguided-imprisonment/557982
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India
Who will return me these precious years of my two sons’ life? Little cheer from acquittals
AHMED ALI FAYYAZ
Nov 24 2012
Paadshah in Kashmiri means the king but 65-year-old Paadshah Begam of Shamswari, in the congested downtown Srinagar, has been reduced to something worse than a beggar by the protracted separation from two of her sons. First one, Mirza Iftikhar Hussain, returned to her after fourteen years of lodgement in Delhi’s Tihar Jail when he acquitted by Patiala House court in the Lajpat Nagar bomb blast case of May, 1996, in April 2010. Her third son, Mirza Nissar Hussain, who was awarded death sentence in the same case by the trial court, was among the two convicts acquitted by Delhi High Court on Thursday last.
Neither of the acquittals has, however, faded the sombre ambience at Mrs. Paadshah Begum’s home. Once an imposing heritage building, her four-storeyed house stands ruined by a fire and apparently no maintenance in over a decade. She remains statue to the breaking news in Kashmir that brings cheer to thousands of families across the Valley.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/for-two-families-little-cheer-from-acquittals/article4127629.ece
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Popular Front of India questions ‘hastiness’ in Quassab hanging
Shaju Philip
Nov 24 2012
Thiruvananthapuram: Reacting to the hanging of Ajmal Quassab, right wing Popular Front of India’s mouthpiece Thejas on Friday said that populist action would weaken democracy.
In an editorial titled, ‘Gallows for Ajmal Quassab’, Thejas said the unusual hastiness shown by the ruling machinery in hanging Quassab was mysterious. The edit said it was accidental that Quassab was buried in a jail which was closely associated with Mahatma Gandhi, the symbol of ahimsa. The secretly and hastily carried out death gives a clear message that the country would blindly take action with regard to terrorism.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pfi-questions--hastiness--in-Quassab-hanging/1035590/
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'Important to bring 26/11 perpetrators to justice': Salman Khurshid
November 23, 2012
India on Friday said it is important to bring to justice the Mumbai terror attacks perpetrators in Pakistan, including LeT founder Hafiz Saeed, not only to bring a closure for Indians but also to prevent yet another attack.
Making it clear that India will not give up pursuing Pakistan on the issue of the JuD chief, external affairs minister Salman Khurshid said giving up would be unfair to Indians and the government itself and stressed the need for a "logical conclusion" in the matter.
"We are not giving up and we haven't given up. It would be unfair on many people in the country and on ourselves if we did give up," Khurshid told a news channel.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Important-to-bring-26-11-perpertators-to-justice/Article1-963436.aspx
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Several hurt in clash during Muharram procession in Meerut district
Nov 24, 2012
MEERUT: At least two dozen people were injured when a clash broke out between two groups of Muslims during a Muharram procession in the district, police said.
The clash broke out between two groups of minority community at Abdulahpur village yesterday, after one side asked the other group to stop beating of drums during the Muharram procession as a 'majlis' (religious gathering) was going on, SSP K Satyanarayan said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Several-hurt-in-clash-during-Muharram-procession-in-Meerut-district/articleshow/17348281.cms
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Top Jaish-e-Muhammed militant commander killed in J&K
Nov 24, 2012
SRINAGAR:A top Jaish-e-Muhammed militant commander was killed in an encounter with security forces in Sopore in north Kashmir's Baramullah district in the wee hours today.
Sopore Police and 22 Rashtriya Rifles cordoned Chatlora village, 55 kms from here, at around 1am after receiving information that a self-styled divisional commander of foreign origin of the outfit was hiding in a village, official sources told PTI.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Top-Jaish-e-Muhammed-militant-commander-killed-in-JK/articleshow/17346646.cms
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Indian Mujahideen founder Amir Reza Khan still hiding in Pak: NIA
By Deeptiman Tiwary
Nov 24, 2012
NEW DELHI: Indian Mujahideen (IM) founder Amir Reza Khan is still holed up in Pakistan, and has not shifted base to Luxembourg as suggested by certain reports.
The Letter Rogatory (LR) sent to Luxembourg seeks details of some threat calls that have been traced to the European nation. Sources say these calls were most likely routed from Luxembourg, and not made from there.
"There is no information that Khan has moved out of Pakistan, and least of all to Luxembourg. Lashkar-e-Taiba is unlikely to have safe haven there because of the country's minimal relations with Pakistan. Luxembourg also has an extremely low population of Muslims," said an official from the security establishment.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indian-Mujahideen-founder-Amir-Reza-Khan-still-hiding-in-Pak-NIA/articleshow/17343051.cms
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Sohrabuddin case: court refuses to send accused policemen back to Gujarat
ALOK DESHPANDE
Nov 24 2012
The special court in Mumbai on Friday sent the nine accused in the Soharabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case to the Jail in Mumbai, refusing their plea to send them back to Gujarat, citing a possibility of assassination by banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).
Followed by the court order, the accused were first taken to Arthur
Road jail in Mumbai. The Arthur road jail official however, refused to take them due to inadequate space and security threat. They were then taken to Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/sohrabuddin-case-court-refuses-to-send-accused-policemen-back-to-gujarat/article4127639.ece
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65th International Tablighi Ijtema begins in Bhopal
Nov 24 2012
Bhopal : The three-day 65th annual Aalmi Tablighi Ijtema (International Islamic congregation) began at Eintkheri on Saturday morning with the 'Namaz-e-fajir' (morning prayer) in the presence of a number of Islamic scholars from India and abroad.
Special prayers were offered in the name of Allah for the well-being of the community, peace and harmony in the country and in the world, Ijtema Committee spokesman, Atique-ul-Isalm said.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/65th-international-tablighi-ijtema-begins-in-bhopal/1035773/
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Accused cops face SIMI threat in Mumbai, Gujarat tells court
Nov 24 2012
Mumbai : A city court on Friday rejected a Gujarat police plea requesting transfer of nine accused in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case to a jail in the neighbouring state, as they faced danger to their lives from the banned Students’ Islamic Movement of India activists (SIMI).
The nine accused were produced before Metropolitan Magistrate A A Khan here on Friday, and sent to Arthur Road jail till December 7.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/state-claims-simi-threat-to-accused/1035561/
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Prohibitory orders in Srinagar as man sets himself on fire
Nov 23 2012
Srinagar : Three policemen and a woman were today injured in sporadic clashes that broke out in parts of the city after security personnel tried to stop Shia mourners from taking out Muharram processions, even as one person made a self-immolation bid in protest.
Three policemen and a woman were injured when some miscreants pelted stones on police deployments near Fire Services headquarters in Batmaloo area of central Srinagar, police said.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/prohibitory-orders-in-srinagar-as-man-sets-himself-on-fire/1035432/
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Arab World
Egyptian leftist leader accuses Brotherhood 'thugs' of assault
Former presidential candidate El-Hariri says thugs from the Brotherhood's political arm attacked him and his wife in Alexandria Friday in front of party offices
24 Nov 2012
The head of the Socialist Popular Alliance party and former presidential candidate, Abul-Ezz El-Hariri accuses the Muslim Brotherhood's political arm of hiring thugs to physically assault him and his wife in Alexandria, Egypt.
El-Hariri detailed to Ahram Arabic news portal Saturday that the attack took place in front of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) offices in the Smouha neighbourhood, where he was supposed to meet with the Alexandria security director to get a status on a group of protesters who were arrested earlier in the day.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/59010/Egypt/Politics-/Egyptian-leftist-leader-accuses-Brotherhood-thugs-.aspx
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Saudi dynasty faces generational choice
Two royal deaths and two cabinet reshuffles in just over a year have edged Saudi Arabia's ruling family toward a tough decision: turning to a new generation after 60 years of rule by sons of the founding patriarch
24 Nov 2012
The succession beyond King Abdullah - the fifth of Ibn Saud's sons to reign and who is, at 89, recovering from major surgery - is a sensitive subject among the al-Saud dynasty's hundreds of princes; but it will determine the path of the world's top oil exporter and main Arab ally of the United States as it navigates domestic change and regional turmoil.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/59016/World/Region/Saudi-dynasty-faces-generational-choice.aspx
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Egypt's top judges slam Morsi's new powers
Nov 24, 2012
CAIRO: Egypt's official news agency says that the country's highest body of judges has called the president's recent decrees an "unprecedented assault on the independence of the judiciary and its rulings."
In a statement carried on MENA Saturday, the Supreme Judicial Council says they regret the declarations President Mohamed Morsi issued on Thursday.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Egypts-top-judges-slam-Morsis-new-powers/articleshow/17350494.cms?
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Egypt’s Morsi promises democracy as protests rage
November 24, 2012
CAIRO: President Mohamed Morsi insisted on Friday that Egypt is on the path to “freedom and democracy” after granting himself sweeping powers, which sparked clashes between his supporters and foes and raised concerns abroad.
“Political stability, social stability and economic stability are what I want and that is what I am working for,” he told a gathering of fellow outside the presidential palace.
Morsi opponents began a one-week sit-in in Tahrir Square — the symbolic heart of protests that toppled Hosni Mubarak last year — and called for a mass protest on Tuesday.
Clashes erupted between police and protesters near the square, with demonstrators setting fire to a police truck, witnesses said.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/11/24/egypts-morsi-promises-democracy-as-protests-rage/
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Syria says Turkey's bid for NATO missiles 'provocative'
Nov 24, 2012
BEIRUT: Syria on Friday condemned Turkey's request for NATO to deploy Patriot defence missiles near their common border, calling it "provocative", after a spate of clashes there that has raised fear of the Syrian civil war embroiling the wider region.
The 20-month-old uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has turned increasingly bloody and heavy fighting has often erupted right along Syria's northern border with Turkey. Ankara has repeatedly scrambled fighter jets and responded in kind to stray shells and mortars flying into its territory.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Syria-says-Turkeys-bid-for-NATO-missiles-provocative/articleshow/17343763.cms
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Violence erupt across Egypt as President Morsi defends new powers
Nov 23, 2012
CAIRO: Thousands of opponents of Egypt's Islamist President Mohamed Morsi clashed with his supporters in cities across the country on Friday, burning several offices of the Muslim Brotherhood.
These are the most violent and widespread protests since Mohamed Morsi came to power, sparked by his move to grant himself sweeping powers on Thursday.
The violence reflected the increasingly dangerous polarization in Egypt over what course it will take nearly two years after the fall of autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Violence-erupt-across-Egypt-as-President-Morsi-defends-new-powers/articleshow/17340880.cms
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Powers aimed at ex-regime 'weevils', Egypt's Morsi says
Nov 23, 2012
CAIRO: Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi told thousands of supporters that his latest decisions granting himself sweeping powers were meant to stop "weevils" from the former regime from stopping progress.
Morsi's speech on Friday came while thousands of opponents and supporters clashed in the streets over the decree that critics fear allows him to be a virtual dictator.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Powers-aimed-at-ex-regime-weevils-Egypts-Morsi-says/articleshow/17339936.cms
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Syria: Blast Kills 4 in Camp
November 24, 2012
A bomb blast in a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus killed four people and seriously wounded a member of a faction that has backed President Bashar al-Assad in the country’s civil war, activists said Friday. The explosion late Thursday in the Yarmouk camp targeted the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, the Palestinian group said. Four people died and an activist with the group was seriously wounded when the bomb planted under his car went off, the group said, blaming the rebel Free Syrian Army for the attack. The refugee camp is near two southern neighborhoods of the capital — Tadamon and Hajar Aswad — where rebels and government troops have clashed for weeks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/24/world/middleeast/syria-blast-kills-4-in-camp.html?ref=middleeast&gwh=F725F73822E9409E3C3AF75F3A88E8A3
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Opponents of Egypt's Mursi Call Cairo Protest for Tuesday
November 24, 2012
CAIRO (Reuters) - Political parties angered by President Mohamed Mursi's decision to grant himself sweeping new powers have called on their supporters to protest against the move on Tuesday in Cairo.
Leftist, liberal, socialist parties and others have said their followers should march to Tahrir Square with the aim of "toppling the fascist, despotic constitutional declaration" issued by Mursi on Thursday, according to a statement from one of the parties.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/11/24/world/middleeast/24reuters-egypt-crisis-protest.html?ref=middleeast
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SR 3.3 billion spent to help disabled
24 November 2012
The Ministry of the Social Affairs has spent SR 3.3 billion to support the disabled people across the Kingdom from Nov. 26, 2011 to Nov. 14, according to a ministry statement.
“The Department of Social Care provided SR 3.3 billion in cash to assist 328,817 disabled persons last year,” the statement said. “This is apart from the assistance in kind such as special chairs and equipment supplied to them at the cost of SR 37 million and subsidies for individual projects worth SR 1 million.”
The ministry plans to launch a SR 50 million home care service for the disabled shortly in addition to offering training, guidance and rehabilitation programs at the cost of SR 68 million. The care homes under the ministry in different parts of the Kingdom accommodate 8,961 people.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/sr-33-billion-spent-help-disabled
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1200 entered Islam in Khober in 2011: reports
24 November 2012
AL-KHOBER: As many as 1213 foreigners residing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including 150 women, embraced Islam in Khober last year, a new record of Muslims is embracing Islam in Saudi Arabia over the last years.
In a statement, Sheikh Jumaa Al-Rimaihi, Director of the Islamic Call, Guidance and Foreign Communities Illuminating Office in Al-Khober, said the newcomers include Europeans, Americans, Asian and Africans, with the Filipinos (1005) representing the largest entering community.
http://www.arabnews.com/1200-foreigners-embrace-islam-khober-last-year-%E2%80%94-reports
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Africa
Nigeria offers rewards for Boko Haram leaders
November 24, 2012
Nigeria's military is offering large rewards for information leading to the capture of leaders of the militant Islamist group Boko Haram.
Military officials said 50m naira ($317,000; £197,709) was offered for help in tracking down the group's suspected leader Abubakar Shekau.
Other alleged commanders have around 10m naira on their head.
Boko Haram has been waging an insurgency since 2009 to impose strict Sharia law across Nigeria.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20473296
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Congo Rebels Push on After Repelling Counter-Attack
November 24, 2012
SAKE/GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Rebels advanced in eastern Congo on Friday, seeking to strengthen their grip before a regional summit intended to damp down the insurgency in an area long plagued by ethnic and political conflict.
Fighters from the M23 group, who are widely thought to be backed by neighboring Rwanda, pushed south along Lake Kivu near the new rebel stronghold of Goma on the Rwandan border.
In the capital Kinshasa, protesters accused the rebels of abuses including the rape of pregnant women while the United Nations reported killings of civilians and kidnappings.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/11/24/world/africa/24reuters-congo-
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Mideast Asia
Arafat's Remains Said to Be Exhumed Tuesday
November 24, 2012
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The remains of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will be exhumed Tuesday as part of a renewed investigation into his death, a Palestinian investigator said Saturday.
Arafat died in November 2004 in a French military hospital, a month after suddenly falling ill. Palestinian officials claim he was poisoned by Israel, but have not presented evidence. Israel has denied such allegations.
Earlier this year, the detection of a lethal radioactive substance in biological traces on Arafat's clothing sparked a new investigation. Tests were inconclusive, and experts said they need to check his remains to learn more.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/11/24/world/middleeast/ap-ml-palestinians-
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Turkish hackers deface Google Pakistan's webpage
November 24, 2012
Early Saturday morning, attempts to access search engine Google led to a page which appeared and behaved in a manner quite unlike the familiar logo and search bar one is used to. Google had been hacked and defaced.
The defaced webpage appeared only on the Pakistan sub-site for the search engine, www.Google.com.pk. Those who access Google from within Pakistan are usually redirected to this portal. Though soon, the redirect stopped working and one was taken to the international page Google.com for search queries.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/470594/turkish-hackers-deface-google-pakistans-webpage/
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Iran president congratulates Hamas on 'victory'
Days after Iran confirmed it supplied military aid to fighters in Gaza, Ahmadinejad congratulates Hamas for their "great victory" against Israeli aggression
24 Nov 2012
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulated Gaza's Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya for their "great victory" over Israel in a phone call on, the two sides said on Saturday.
Haniya in turn "thanked Iran for its support," they added, days after Tehran confirmed it had supplied military aid to Gaza.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/59027/World/Region/Iran-president-congratulates-Hamas-on-victory.aspx
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Gaza crowds surge at Israel's border fence, 1 dead
Nov 24, 2012
GAZA CITY: Israeli troops fired on Gazans surging toward Israel's border fence on Friday, killing one person but leaving intact the fragile two-day-old cease-fire between Hamas and the Jewish state.
The truce, which calls for an end to Gaza rocket fire on Israel and Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, came after eight days of cross-border fighting, the bloodiest between Israel and Hamas in four years.
In a letter to the UN Security Council, the Palestinian UN observer Riyad Mansour called the situation in Gaza "extremely fragile" and said Israel's cease-fire violations and other illegal actions risk undermining the calm that was just restored.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Gaza-crowds-surge-at-Israels-border-fence-1-dead/articleshow/17350624.cms?
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Truce hurts, but Israel PM still ahead in poll race
Nov 24, 2012
JERUSALEM: Discontent over the ceasefire Benjamin Netanyahu struck with Hamas in Gaza has cost the Israeli prime minister support but he should still win a January 22 election, an opinion poll showed on Friday.
Maariv newspaper conducted the survey after an eight-day Israeli offensive against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip ended with an Egyptian-mediated truce. The survey said the newlymerged party of Netanyahu and foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, Likud Beitenu, would take 37 of the 120 parliamentary seats up for grabs on January 22. A poll before the conflict suggested they would win 43. The two factions presently hold 42 seats combined.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Truce-hurts-but-Israel-PM-still-ahead-in-poll-race/articleshow/17344429.cms
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Back to school in Gaza after Israel offensive
Nov 24 2012
Tens of thousands of children are returning to school in the Gaza Strip after eight days of cross-border fighting between Israel and Hamas, which rules the coastal enclave.
The Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights said that 156 Palestinians were killed, including 33 children and minors under 18. Rockets from Gaza killed six Israelis. The group says most of more than 1,000 wounded Gazans were civilians. Dozens of Israelis were also hurt.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/back-to-school-in-gaza-after-israel-offensive/article4130167.ece
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Iran accuses US Navy of 'illegal' acts in Gulf
November 24, 2012
Iran is accusing the US Navy of carrying out "illegal and provocative acts" in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman.
In identical letters to UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council, Iran's UN ambassador Mohammad Khazaee said the Navy repeatedly violated the country's
airspace.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Americas/Iran-accuses-US-Navy-of-illegal-acts-in-Gulf/Article1-963608.aspx
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Tension and Confusion Linger in Gaza Strip After Cease-Fire
By JODI RUDOREN and ISABEL KERSHNER
November 24, 2012
KHAN YUNIS, Gaza Strip — In the 12 years that he has lived here in the Abassam neighborhood adjacent to Gaza’s eastern border, Eyad Qudaih said, he had never ventured more than 20 yards east of his white stucco home because Israel said the area was off limits.
But on Friday morning, emboldened by the new cease-fire, he took his four young daughters 300 yards east, to the small plot of land where he dreams of growing wheat as his father once did.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/24/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-
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Iranian blogger Beheshti 'may have died of shock'
November 24, 2012
Iranian prosecutors say the death of blogger Sattar Beheshti in police custody may have been due to "excessive psychological stress".
Mr Beheshti died after being held on charges of "actions against national security on social networks".
Following his arrest on 30 October, he was handed to police for interrogation and died on 3 November.
The exact circumstances of his death remain unclear. Some reports have suggested he was tortured.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20463078
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South Asia
Suicide Bomber Devastates a Government Hub in Afghanistan
By ALISSA J. RUBIN
November 24, 2012
MAIDAN SHAHR, Afghanistan — A suicide bomber driving a truck made his way to the heart of a provincial capital in Afghanistan on Friday and exploded his bomb, leveling many government and security buildings, badly damaging a prison and leaving the governor without an office.
The bomber struck in Maidan Shahr, in Wardak Province, killing two police officers and a young woman and wounding 90 others, including police officers and civilians, officials said. Though the province has long been sharply contested, this was the first such attack on Maidan Shahr, about an hour’s drive from the nation’s capital, Kabul, residents said.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/24/world/asia/suicide-bomber-kills-3-in-
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UN “shamefully silent” on Maldives’ human rights abuses: MDP
By JJ Robinson | November 24th, 2012
The provisional findings of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)’s human rights mission to the Maldives should “act as a wake-up call” for other members of the international community, the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has said in a statement.
“Sadly, since February’s overthrow of the Maldives’ democratically-elected government, key parts of the international community have remained silent regarding the widespread human rights violations taking place,” said the party’s spokesperson, MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/un-shamefully-silent-on-maldives-human-rights-abuses-mdp-47831
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15 injured as Jamaat, Shibir clash with cops in Uttara
November 24th, 2012
At least 15 people were injured when the activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir clashed with police at the city's Uttara Saturday afternoon.
The clash erupted around 4:30pm as police intercepted a procession brought out the Jamaat-Shibir men at Uttara Sector-3.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=42692
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Buddhists pray for religious harmony
November 24th, 2012
Thousands of Buddhists yesterday attended the concluding session of the two-day Kathin Chibor Dan, the biggest religious festival of the Buddhist community in Chittagong Hill Tracts, in Rajban Bihar of Rangamati with prayers for peace and religious harmony.
Chakma circle chief Barrister Raja Devasish Roy offered a Kathin Chibor (robe) to Progya Lanker Mohathero, disciple of the late most venerable monk Bana Bhante and now chief monk of Rajban Bihar.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=258706
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Zaki’s remarks “threat to national security,” claims Maldivian Defence Ministry
By Ahmed Naish | November 24th, 2012
The Ministry of Defence has said widely-reported remarks by Special Envoy of former President Mohamed Nasheed, Ibrahim Hussain Zaki that the previous government would have sought Indian military assistance to protect its economic interests in the Maldives, constitute a “threat to national security”.
In a statement on Friday, the Defence Ministry condemned the remarks “in the harshest terms” and contended that “such actions are very dangerous [threats] to national security and encourage activities that would harm the country’s independence and sovereignty.”
“If we were in the government, definitely we would have done it by now… definitely [asked for] their [Indian forces] to be on the ground,” Zaki was quoted as saying during a recent visit to the country.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/zakis-remarks-threat-to-national-security-claims-defence-ministry-47803
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North America
Middle East Nuclear Talks Will Not Occur Next Month: U.S.
November 24, 2012
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Talks planned for next month on banning nuclear weapons in the Middle East will not take place, the United States said on Friday, a development likely to anger Arab states but please Israel.
The State Department announced that the mid-December conference on creating a zone free of weapons of mass destruction, or WMD, would not occur and did not make clear when, or whether, it would take place.
Earlier this month, diplomats told Reuters that the talks were likely to be postponed, rather than canceled outright.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/11/23/world/middleeast/23reuters-nuclear-
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Pope elevates 6 cardinals to choose successor
Nov 24, 2012
VATICAN CITY: Six new cardinals are joining the elite club of churchmen who will elect the next pope, bringing a more geographically diverse mix into the European-dominated College of Cardinals.
Pope Benedict XVI will formally elevate the six at a ceremony Saturday, bestowing red hats and gold rings on prelates from Colombia, India, Lebanon, Nigeria, the Philippines and U.S.
In explaining his choices for this "little consistory," Benedict said he was essentially completing his last cardinal-making ceremony held in February, when he elevated 22 cardinals, the vast majority of them European archbishops and Vatican bureaucrats.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Pope-elevates-6-cardinals-to-choose-successor/articleshow/17346387.cms
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US expresses concern over Egyptian President Mursi seizing more power
Nov 24, 2012
WASHINGTON: Following the Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi's decision to seize more power for himself through a decree, US has expressed concern for Egyptians and for the international communities, as country witnessed new round of protests.
"The decisions and declarations announced on November 22 raise concerns for many Egyptians and for the international community," the State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, on Friday said in a statement.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/US-expresses-concern-over-Egyptian-President-Mursi-seizing-more-power/articleshow/17344773.cms
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Success depends on Pakistan’s commitment: US
November 24, 2012
WASHINGTON, Nov 23: The US success in Afghanistan depends on having a Pakistan that is willing to confront terrorists, says US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta.
In a related report, a US think-tank urges the Obama administration to scale back its relationship with Pakistan in its second term, while maintaining a long-term tie with the country.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/11/24/success-depends-on-pakistans-commitment-us/
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US urges Bahrain to use 'restraint' against protestors
The United States on Friday said it was concerned about rising violence in its Arab ally Bahrain, and urged the government to exercise "restraint" in responding to protests
24 Nov 2012
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland expressed concern that "police, protesters, and bystanders have been killed" in clashes between demonstrators and Bahraini authorities over the past month.
There is tension in Bahrain -- home port on the Gulf of the US Fifth Fleet -- between supporters of the Sunni monarchy and members of the Shiite majority, tension that has led to recent protests and crackdowns on dissent.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/59024/World/Region/US-urges-Bahrain-to-use-restraint-against-protesto.aspx
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/former-brit-mp-wants-neutron/d/9419