Forty-Five Dead, 150 Injured In Karachi's Shia Area Bomb Attack

Forty-five dead, 150 injured in Karachi's Shia area bomb attack

AFP | Mar 4, 2013

KARACHI: A huge car bomb blast in a mainly Shia Muslim area of Karachi on Sunday killed at least 45 people, officials said, amid a spate of sectarian violence that has come as Pakistan prepares for elections.

The explosion blew the front off two five-storey apartment blocks in the Abbas town area of Pakistan's largest city, setting one on fire and trapping people beneath piles of rubble.

Karachi is plagued by sectarian, ethnic and political violence, with more than 2,200 people killed in shootings and bombings last year, but bomb blasts on this scale are rare.

Pakistan's parliament is due to dissolve in two weeks in preparation for elections, but rising violence against Shias, who make up around 20 percent of the 180 million population, has raised serious questions about security.

"At least 45 people have been killed and 150 injured. The death toll may rise because the condition of half of the injured is severely critical," Hashim Raza Zaidi, the top government official in Karachi told AFP.

Hundreds of shops and houses were badly damaged in the blast, which came as worshippers were leaving nearby mosques, and the balconies of the apartment blocks were destroyed.

In Patel hospital, where many wounded were taken for treatment, a weeping mother frantically searched for her son.

"He was standing in the balcony, where is he?" she cried.

Ijaz Ali was on the third floor of one of the blocks of flats with his wife and two sons when the bomb went off.

"All of a sudden I heard a huge blast and we thought the building was going to collapse — it was like an earthquake," he told AFP from hospital.

"The windows of my flat exploded towards me, something hit my head and knocked me unconscious. I opened my eyes in hospital and I am just relieved that my family survived."

Suresh Kumar, the health secretary for Sindh province told AFP that more than 40 were killed in the blast and the death toll could rise.

Abbas town is dominated by Shias, but officials said the victims of the blast also included members of the majority Sunni group.

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, who is in Karachi, condemned the attack and cancelled engagements to oversee the rescue effort.

More than 400 Shias were killed in sectarian attacks in 2012, according to Human Rights Watch, and two deadly bombings targeting the minority in the southwestern city of Quetta have already killed nearly 200 this year.

On Monday a bomb at a Sufi shrine regularly visited by Shias in southern Shikarpur district, some 400 kilometres (250 miles) northeast of Karachi, killed two people and wounded 10 others.

A day later the Supreme Court ordered the authorities to come up with a strategy to protect Shias after a wave of bloody attacks in the southwest.

Two major bombings in the space of five weeks targeting Shia Hazaras in Quetta, capital of Baluchistan province — which has been a focus of sectarian violence — killed nearly 200 people.

Both attacks, the most recent on February 16, were claimed by the banned extremist Sunni group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and have highlighted the government's inability to stem sectarian violence.

The Pakistani Taliban have also increased their campaign of violence in recent months, leading to fears that it could mar the general election which is scheduled to take place by mid-May.

Last month the group proposed talks with Islamabad but the government insists the militants must declare a ceasefire before coming to the negotiating table — a condition militants have rejected.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Forty-five-dead-150-injured-in-Karachis-Shia-area-bomb-attack/articleshow/18784745.cms

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May you die with cancer: Saudi clerics curse labour minister for promoting women’s freedom

New Age Islam News Desk

 March 3, 2013

Riyadh: 200 Saudi clerics have cursed the Labour minister Abdul Fakeh for promoting vulgarity in the name of women’s freedom. Recently lingerie stores were opened in Riyadh in which women were permitted to work as saleswomen. Some of the lingerie stores have already been closed following unavailability of saleswomen under the pressure of the clerics. A section of the Saudi clergy has opposed the opening of  lingerie stores in Saudi Arabia. They wished that the labour minister die of cancer in the same way as the previous labour minister died. They demanded that working of women in the lingerie stores should be banned within one month. They criticised the minister for leading the country in the footsteps of the west.

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India

Muslim outfits side with Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami

Mar 03 2013

Kolkata: A group of Muslim outfits sympathetic to Bangladesh’s Jamaat-e-Islami, whose leader Delwar Hossain Sayeedee has been awarded death sentence by a special war crime tribunal hearing the cases torture that took place in 1971 during the Liberation War, on Saturday expressed concern over the recent clashes in the neighbouring country and urged India to stop Bangladesh from plunging into a "civil war" like situation.

In a statement issued by Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, it said: "It was not in the interest of either Bangladesh or our country that Bangladesh should become victims of chaos. As a neighbour it is our duty to save Bangladesh from plunging into a civil war. So, we urge our government to impress upon Dhaka to abolish the so called war crimes tribunal and stop atrocities on Jamaat-e-Islami and other Islamic organisations."

Expressing solidarity with the Jamaat-e-Islami of Bangladesh , the Indian outfit said the war tribunal is neither international, nor is it based on principles of justice but a manifestation of "political vendetta." This comes on a day when the toll in the clashes between Jamaat supporters and people demanding justice for the war crimes left sore to nearly 50.

A press conference was later organised by a dozen Muslim and human rights organisations at the Press Club here in Kolkata. They criticised policies of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and lauded Sayeedee. “We had recently filed a deputation to the Bangladesh High Commissioner and it clearly didn't have any effect. We now urge our President Pranab Mukherjee to cancel his trip to Bangladesh as a mark of protest against the government atrocities there,” said Mohd Qamruzzaman, general secretary, All Bengal Minorities Youth Federation.

Abdul Aziz, president, Milli Ittehad Parishad, termed the death sentence to the Muslim orator as unfair. “After 42 years, there is hardly any witness or evidence left to sentence him to death. There should be a fair trial and not a point blank death punishment,” he said.

However, thousands of Shahbagh protesters in Dhaka have upheld the ruling of the International War Crimes Tribunal, saying those found guilty of crimes against humanity like rape, murders and genocide in Bangaldesh’s war of Liberation must be given death penalty. The protesters pointed out that Awami League government came to power with the twin promise of giving capital punishment to war criminals and to eliminate religion-based political outfits from the country that had been fomenting trouble and violence.

They also said that Sayeedee was found guilty of crimes against humanity on eight counts out of a total of 20 charges brought against him.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/muslim-outfits-side-with-jamaat/1082401/

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No exodus from Bangladesh, security beefed up on border: Govt

 Mar 03 2013

Kolkata:The West Bengal government on Saturday denied that there has not been any exodus from Bangladesh to West Bengal following violence in the neighbouring country over a top Jamaat-e-Islami leader being sentenced to death for crimes against humanity during the 1971 liberation war. “We have no such report,” Home Secretary Basudeb Banerjee told PTI when asked if there was an exodus from Bangladesh. “Security arrangements have been strengthened along the border,” he said on the measures that the state government has suggested to the BSF. In Malda, the BSF has been asked to intensify patrolling along the border. Top BSF officials said that the border outposts have been alerted all along and till now there was no report of any influx from either side. Some of the worst trouble spots in Bangladesh were said to be located quite close to the West Bengal borders and round the clock vigil was mounted.

Shutdown halts border tradeKolkata:The three-day shutdown in Bangladesh starting Sunday has virtually crippled trade across the international borders between Bangaldesh and West Bengal . Trade traffic from Petraple or Benapole in North 24-Parganas or Mahadipur in Malda has come to a total halt and several hundred trucks laden with goods were said to stranded at he border check posts. Revenue loss was expected at several hundred crores. According to Border Security Force officials, truck drivers in some points were rescued and escorted out in consultation with the Bangladesh Border Guards but the trade transaction was totally nil. Bengal National Chamber of Commerce and Industry secretary D P Nag said Indo-Bangla border trade could be adversely affected if the current political unrest in Bangladesh persists further. “So far there is no major impact except in the Malda border where trade got stranded, but if the unrest persists then it will have a negative impact,” Nag told PTI. Main border trade takes place from the Petrapole-Benapole border and this land route accounts for almost one-third of total bilateral trade of around USD 5.5 billion. India exports to Bangladesh include cotton, vehicles & parts, cereals, animal feed/ food waste, boilers iron & steel organic chemicals, mineral fuels, waxes and bituminous items. The main Bangladesh items of exports to India include raw jute, jute goods, fish & oils etc.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/no-exodus-from-bangladesh-security-beefed-up-on-border-govt/1082403/

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Bangladesh rolls out red carpet for President Pranab Mukherjee

Mar 03 2013

New Delhi : Bangladesh today rolled out the red carpet for President Pranab Mukherjee who arrived here today on a three-day state visit to boost bilateral ties amidst a general strike called by Jamaat-e-Islami to protest conviction of its three top leaders for the 1971 war crimes.

President Zillur Rahman received Mukherjee at the VVIP lounge of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Four Bangladeshi air force jets escorted as the special Air India aircraft entered the country's airspace carrying the president.

A 21-gun salute heralded his arrived as he disembarked from the aircraft.

Rahman escorted Mukherjee to a makeshift stage near the runway where he was given a guard of honour and the military band played the national anthems of both the countries.

The visit by Mukherjee, his first foreign tour since he took office seven months ago, takes place in the backdrop of spiralling violence by Jamaat-e-Islami, whose three leaders have been convicted by an international war crimes tribunal of genocide, rape and crimes against humanity during Bangladesh's liberation war in 1971.

The visit by the President and his wife Suvra Mukherjee rides high on symbolism especially when Mukherjee receives Bangladesh's highest award from his Bangladeshi counterpart Mohammed Zillur Rahman on March 4 for his contribution to the independence of the country.

Symbolism apart, Mukherjee, during his interaction with the top leadership of Bangladesh, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, will convey India's commitment to sort out unresolved issues, including Teesta river water-sharing and approval of land boundary agreement, with its eastern neighbour.

Ahead of the visit, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai has said Mukherjee's visit "is not designed to engage in political negotiations. What the President will convey to the top Bangladesh leadership is the Indian government's commitment to take bilateral relations to a higher level and to resolve unresolved issues".

Opposition leader Khaleda Zia will also call on Mukherjee. The President will be conferred an honorary Doctorate of Law degree by the University of Dhaka at a special convocation.

On the concluding day of his tour, he will go toBhadrabila village in Narail district of Bangladesh to visit the ancestral house of his in-laws.

He will also visit Shelaidah in Kusthia district where the family estate of Rabindranath Tagore is located and where the poet had written many of his memorable poems, short stories and essays.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/bangladesh-rolls-out-red-carpet-for-president-pranab-mukherjee/1082444/

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DRDO scientist held in terror plot set to be freed, MoD sacks him

 Mar 03 2013

Bangalore : On the eve of his release, the Defence ministry has terminated the services of Aijaz Ahmed Mirza, 25, a junior research scientist at the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) who was arrested by the Bangalore police in an alleged terrorism plot last August. Mirza is set to be released on bail next week following the special court’s order, as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has not filed a chargesheet against him.

Full report at:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/drdo-scientist-held-in-terror-plot-set-to-be-freed-mod-sacks-him/1082332/

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Hyderabad blasts: 3 grilled for ‘providing’ bikes to Indian Mujahideen for recce

TNN | Mar 3, 2013

HYDERABAD: In a significant breakthrough in the Dilsukhnagar bomb blasts, the city police have zeroed in on the three persons who had allgedly supplied motorcycles for Indian Mujahideen activists Syed Maqbool and Imran Khan to conduct the recce of three areas in the city including Dilsukhnagar sometime last year.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Hyderabad-blasts-3-grilled-for-providing-bikes-to-Indian-Mujahideen-for-recce/articleshow/18770821.cms?

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NIA’s initial report points to Bhatkal

Presley Thomas, Hindustan Times

Mumbai, March 03, 2013

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) in its preliminary report to the Union home ministry said that Syed Ahmed Zarar Siddibappa infamously known as Yasin Bhatkal, the Indian Mujahideen (IM) operational commander, planted the second bomb in Hyderabad’s Dilsukhnagar area on February 21.

Full report at:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/mumbai/NIA-s-initial-report-points-to-Bhatkal/Article1-1020341.aspx

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S P Chief Mulayam pulls out all stops to woo Muslims

ATIQ KHAN

March 03, 2013

“No convergence between demands of SP and BJP on Kashmir and Ram temple”

In a bid to re-affirm his commitment to the Muslim cause and allay fears of having an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the backdrop of his recent statement in the Lok Sabha, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh has pulled out all stops to woo the minority community ahead of next year’s general election.

Full report at:

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/mulayam-pulls-out-all-stops-to-woo-muslims/article4469864.ece

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I & B Minister reminds Modi about Vajpayee's remarks after 2002 riots

PTI | Mar 3, 2013

NEW DELHI: Taking a dig at Narendra Modi, information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari today said then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had reminded the Gujarat chief minister about 'Raj Dharma' in the wake of the 2002 riots in the state.

Reacting to comments by Modi in his speech at BJP's national council meeting, he also said it was under the prime ministership of Indira Gandhi that the country had conducted its first nuclear test in 1974.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Manish-Tewari-reminds-Modi-about-Vajpayees-remarks-after-2002-riots/articleshow/18776910.cms

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South Asia

Amnesty launches petition to overturn “disgraceful” flogging sentence of Teen Rape Victim

By JJ Robinson | March 2nd, 2013

Amnesty International has launched a petition calling on the Maldivian government to overturn a court ruling sentencing a 15 year-old rape victim to 100 lashes for an unrelated fornication offence.

The story of the girl from Feydhoo in Shaviyani Atoll, who was convicted of premarital sex in the Juvenile Court February 26 and sentenced to 100 lashes and eight months of house arrest, has been reported by media around the world and been widely condemned by international NGOs and embassies.

“It’s so horrific that it’s hard to believe it’s true: a 15 year old rape survivor has been sentenced to 100 lashes for ‘fornication’ in the Maldives,” stated Amnesty International, which has followed the case since January.

Full report at:

http://minivannews.com/politics/so-horrific-that-it%E2%80%99s-hard-to-believe-amnesty-

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Bangladesh: violence continues, 15 more killed

 March 03, 2013

At least 15 people were killed on Sunday in fresh violence in Bangladesh over death sentence given to a top leader of fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami for "crimes against humanity" during the 1971 liberation war, taking the death toll to 65.

Violence broke out on Thursday after 73-year-old Delwar Hossain Sayedee, vice-president of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), was sentenced to death by International Crimes Tribunal.

The two-day strike called by Jamaat coincides with President Pranab Mukherjee's visit as does another shutdown called by the fundamentalist outfit's alliance partner and main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by Khaleda Zia on the last day of the visit on March 5.

Full report at:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/bangladesh/Bangladesh-violence-continues-15-more-killed/Article1-1020404.aspx

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Bangladesh moves Supreme Court for death penalty to Abdul Quader Mollah

Mar 3, 2013

DHAKA: Bangladesh government today moved the Supreme Court seeking death penalty for Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Quader Mollah, who escaped with life imprisonment from a court here for committing "crimes against humanity" during the country's independence war in 1971.

The attorney general's office submitted the 484-page appeal to the section concerned of the apex court in this morning.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Bangladesh-moves-Supreme-Court-for-death-penalty-to-Abdul-Quader-Mollah/articleshow/18777056.cms?

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Army sent to north Bangladesh to tackle violence

AP | Mar 3, 2013

DHAKA, Bangladesh: Soldiers have been deployed in a northern Bangladeshi district after activists of the country's largest Islamic party clashed with police, leaving three people dead during a nationwide general strike called to denounce an ongoing war crimes trial.

The Daily Star newspaper quoted police official Mokbul Hossain in Bogra district as saying that three men died in the clashes on Sunday.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Army-sent-to-north-Bangladesh-to-tackle-violence/articleshow/18774339.cms?

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Nato says two Afghan boys accidentally killed, commander apologizes

Mar 3, 2013

KABUL: International forces accidentally killed two Afghan boys during an operation in southern Afghanistan, the US-led coalition said.

Marine Gen Joseph Dunford, the commander of US and allied forces in Afghanistan, offered his "personal apology and condolences to the family of the boys who were killed" and said the coalition takes full responsibility for the deaths.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Nato-says-two-Afghan-boys-

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Africa

Islamist militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar 'killed in Mali'

03 March 2013

Islamist militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar has been killed by Chadian soldiers in Mali, Chad's armed forces say.

His death was announced on Chadian state television but has not been confirmed by other sources.

Mokhtar Belmokhtar is a former al-Qaeda leader said to have ordered January's attack on an Algerian gas plant where at least 37 hostages were killed.

Chadian troops are fighting Islamist militants in Mali as part of an international force led by France.

Full report at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21645769

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Boko Haram denies peace talks with Nigeria

March 03, 2013

The leader of the radical Islamic terrorist network Boko Haram has denied in a video that his group is taking part in any peace talks with Nigeria’s government, threatening more violence in a region under near constant guerrilla attack by extremists.

In a video given to a local journalist in northeast Nigeria, Abubakar Shekau also threatens the man who in recent months claimed to be a leader of Boko Haram and said that the group wanted to agree to a ceasefire with Nigeria’s security forces.

Full report at:

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/boko-haram-denies-peace-talks-with-nigeria/article4471861.ece

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Somali woman cleared in 'false rape' case

03 March 2013

A court in Somalia has dropped charges against a woman who was given a jail sentence after alleging she was raped by security forces.

She and a journalist who interviewed her were convicted a month ago by a Mogadishu judge on charges of offending state institutions.

The appeal court said the woman would be freed but the journalist who did not report the story would stay in jail.

Full report at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21647203

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Independence won, freedom yet to come for South Sudan

03 March 2013

It was the pouring rain on his parched lips that woke South Sudanese lawyer Ring Bulabek, left for dead in a cemetery after three days of bloody beatings by attackers who wanted him to drop a legal case.

“Maybe they thought I was dead, and so they threw me there,” said the 23-year-old, who was grabbed by attackers off the streets of the capital, Juba, late last year, driven to an abandoned house and beaten.

Full report at:

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/03/03/269314.html

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Pakistan

At least 15 suspected militants killed in Orakzai, Khyber regions

March 03, 2013

PESHAWAR: Pakistan’s security forces conducted operations in the Khyber and Orakzai tribal regions killing 15 suspected militants and destroying three militant hideouts, DawnNews reported on Sunday.

At least seven suspected militants were killed during a security forces operation conducted in Sipah Lakhkar area of Khyber tribal region.

Full report at:

http://dawn.com/2013/03/03/at-least-15-suspected-militants-killed-in-orakzai-khyber-regions/

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Goodwill ambassadors share their formulas on how to counter myths about Pakistan

By Mashal Usman

 March 3, 2013

KARACHI: When Danial Shah, a writer and photographer, took some time off from college to explore the positive side of Pakistan which has failed to attract the international media’s attention, he was shocked to learn that it wasn’t just foreigners who make erroneous assumptions.

On Saturday, Shah and 19 other panellists headed to the Institute of Business Management (IoBM) where they shared their efforts to battle negative stereotypes with the students. Full report at:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/514904/goodwill-ambassadors-share-their-formulas-on-how-to-counter-myths-about-pakistan/

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Pak Taliban threaten to bomb mobile phone shops

Mar 3, 2013

PESHAWAR: Pakistani Taliban have threatened to bomb a mobile phone market in the northwestern city of Peshawar for the "shameless" selling of video clips, ring tones and accessories, officials said on Saturday.

Some 60 shopkeepers received letters in the post ordering them to burn the offending stock, including memory cards and speakers for MP3 players, and stick to selling only mobile phones and essential accessories.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pak-Taliban-threaten-to-bomb-mobile-phone-shops/articleshow/18772029.cms?

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No role left for Unicef in social mobilisation in anti-polio campaign

March 03, 2013

PESHAWAR: The Emergency Operational and Security Guidelines issued by the government for polio vaccination after the killing of 15 people in Karachi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has ended the role of Unicef in social mobilisation campaigns, officials claimed.

The Unicef, which is supporting the government in polio eradication in the country, had signed a contract with the government of Pakistan and CHIP Training and Consulting (private) Limited under which the former had pledged Rs230 million to create demand for oral polio vaccine (OPV) in the 33 ‘high risk’ districts of the country.

Full report at:

http://dawn.com/2013/03/03/anti-polio-campaign-no-role-left-for-unicef-in-social-mobilisation-2/

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The blame game continues as Hazaras search for answers

By Mohammad Zafar

 March 3, 2013

QUETTA: Weeks after the second Hazara massacre turned Quetta red, no answers and no concrete solutions have surfaced.

Some experts claim that the Hazaras are caught in a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, while others blame religious extremists.

However, most of those who suffered directly and lost loved ones point at the government and law enforcement agencies.

Full report at:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/515034/solutions-conclusions-the-blame-game-continues-as-hazaras-search-for-answers/

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Mass exodus: Moving on, or moving out? Same thing?

 March 3, 2013

QUETTA: MWM’s Domki, when asked about the Hazara migration, vehemently rejects the suggestion that the majority of the people are leaving Quetta.

“Yes, people do move abroad in search of a better future, but it is an economical issue. You cannot link it with these incidents,” he states.

And yet, HRCP’s Hussain tells The Express Tribune that 20,000 people from the community have left for Australia and Europe.

Full report at:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/515036/mass-exodus-moving-on-or-moving-out-same-thing/

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Asif Ali Zardari dismisses US opposition to Iran-Pak pipeline project

 Mar 03 2013

Lahore : No power in the world can halt the 7.5 billion Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, President Asif Ali Zardari has said, dismissing mounting US opposition to the venture that will be formally inaugurated on March 11.

"Nobody has the power to halt this project," Zardari said during an interaction with senior editors and TV anchors at his private residence in Lahore late last night.

Pakistan, he said, is a sovereign and independent country that it acting in its national interests by going ahead with the pipeline.

Full report at:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/asif-ali-zardari-dismisses-us-opposition-to-iranpak-pipeline-project/1082481/

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Pak anti-terrorism court rejects plea by Pervez Musharraf's wife

Mar 3, 2013

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani anti-terrorism court has rejected a plea by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf's wife challenging the confiscation of his property and freezing of his bank accounts after he was declared a "proclaimed offender" or fugitive.

Judge Chaudhry Habib-ur-Rehman upheld the court's earlier decision to seize Musharraf's assets and disposed of the petition filed by Sehba Musharraf.

Rehman gave his ruling after Sehba's lawyer could not present record of her income deposited in the couple's joint bank accounts.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pak-anti-terrorism-court-rejects-plea-by-Pervez-Musharrafs-wife/articleshow/18775014.cms?

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PPP and MQM agree to thrash out differences

March 03, 2013

KARACHI: The People’s Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement left little doubt whatsoever that they had kept channels of communication open when Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad called on President Asif Zardari in Lahore and the interior minister met Altaf Hussain in London on Saturday.

“The two parties have decided to begin a dialogue on `all discordant issues’ at the core committee level,” a source said after the London meeting between Rehman Malik and the Muttahida supremo.

Full report at:

http://dawn.com/2013/03/03/ppp-and-mqm-agree-to-thrash-out-differences/

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Arab World

Shiite Fighters Rally to Defend Damascus Shrine

Mariam Karouny | March 03, 2013

Beirut. Shiite fighters from Iraq and Lebanon have joined fellow Shiite Syrian gunmen to defend a shrine south of Damascus which they fear is threatened by Sunni rebels battling President Bashar al-Assad.

The presence of Shiite combatants from neighboring states — confirmed by sources in Iraq and Syria and highlighted in videos glorifying their mission — underlines how Syria’s conflict is inflaming sectarian feelings in the region.

Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas brigade, named after a seventh century martyr son of Imam Ali who is considered the father of Shiite Islam, was formed several months ago and fights mainly around the shrine of Sayyida Zeinab on the southern outskirts of the Syrian capital, a source close to the brigade said.

Full report at:

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/international/shiite-fighters-rally-to-defend-damascus-shrine/575782

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Al-Qaeda leader calls for armed actions to free Saudi Arabia prisoners

 03 March 2013

Ibrahim Rubaish, an al-Qaeda leader, was shown in a video posted on YouTube calling to use arms and weapons to release all detainees in Saudi Arabia.

In the video, Rubaish urged all members released in Saudi Arabia to proceed with their armed work to set prisoners free. Further, he demanded to exploit the sympathy of citizens with the detainees.

Full report at:

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/03/03/269329.html

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Al Qaeda issues English-language advice magazine for militants

 March 3, 2013

RIYADH: Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has released an English-language magazine advising would-be militants on how to torch parked cars and cause traffic accidents.

The magazine, released on various websites, also warns France to pull back from Mali and lists 11 public figures in the West, including author Salman Rushdie, who it says are “wanted dead or alive for crimes against Islam”.

Full report at:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/515172/al-qaeda-issues-english-language-advice-magazine-for-militants/

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200 Syria troops, rebels die in police academy battle: NGO

 March 03, 2013

Almost 200 troops and rebels were killed in an eight-day battle for a police academy in the north Syrian province of Aleppo, as insurgents seized control of most of the complex, a watchdog said on Sunday.

"Rebels have seized most of a police academy in Khan al-Assal in Aleppo province... after eight days of fighting that left 200 troops and rebels dead," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Full report at:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/restofasia/200-Syria-troops-rebels-die-in-police-academy-battle-NGO/Article1-1020484.aspx

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Bomb blasts leaves 4 killed in Iraq

March 03, 2013

Three separate attacks in Shiite-dominated areas on Sunday in central Iraq have killed at least four people and wounded 14, officials said.

The deadliest attack was in the Husseiniya area in northeast of Baghdad, where three roadside bombs went off simultaneously, killing three civilians, a police officer said. He said 11 persons, including three policemen, were wounded.

Full report at:

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/bomb-blasts-leaves-4-killed-in-iraq/article4471851.ece

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Syria and Iran condemn US plan to aid anti-Assad rebels

March 03, 2013

BEIRUT: Syria and Iran joined forces on Saturday to condemn moves by Western powers to aid rebels fighting against President Bashar al-Assad, with the Syrian leader singling out Britain as a “shallow and immature” power.

In an television interview with The Sunday Times newspaper shown in London late on Saturday, Assad said Britain’s involvement in the Syria crisis had been naive and unrealistic.

“I think they (Britain) are working against us, and they are working against the interests of the UK itself,” Assad said in English-language remarks broadcast by Britain’s Sky TV.

Full report at:

http://dawn.com/2013/03/03/syria-and-iran-condemn-us-plan-to-aid-anti-assad-rebels/

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Syrian President Assad accuses UK of 'bullying'

AFP | Mar 3, 2013

LONDON: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has accused the British government of wanting to arm "terrorists" in his country, in a rare interview with a UK newspaper.

"How can we expect them to make the violence less while they want to send military supplies to the terrorists and don't try to ease the dialogue between the Syrians?" Assad told The Sunday Times in a video-taped interview.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/Syrian-President-Assad-accuses-UK-of-bullying/articleshow/18773431.cms?

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Egypt sets Mubarak retrial for April 13: Report

Reuters | Mar 3, 2013

CAIRO: Egypt's Appeals court has set April 13 as the date for a retrial of former president Hosni Mubarak, his interior minister and aides in the case of ordering the killing of protesters, MENA state news agency reported on Sunday.

Mubarak is in a military hospital. In January a Cairo court granted him the retrial after he was jailed for life over the killing of protesters by security forces trying to quell the uprising against him.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Egypt-sets-Mubarak-retrial-for-April-13-Report/articleshow/18776415.cms

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Syrian army captures key Aleppo airport road

AFP | Mar 2, 2013

DAMASCUS: The Syrian army said on Saturday it has seized control of a key road linking the central province of Hama to Aleppo international airport, scene of weeks of fierce battles with rebel fighters.

The capture of the road will allow the army to deploy fresh reinforcements and send supplies to the area near the airport, where fighting has raged since mid-February.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Syrian-army-captures-key-Aleppo-airport-road/articleshow/18767014.cms

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Egypt: Missing Muslim woman found after riot

  3 March 2013

LUXOR, Egypt — A senior security official says a missing Muslim woman suspected of conversion to Christianity has been found. Her disappearance set off rioting in southern Egypt.

Muslims stormed a church in Kom Ombo, charging that the woman was being held there.

Major General Hassan Abdul-Hay, security chief of Aswan, told reporters late Saturday that "family and social reasons," not religion, were behind her disappearance, and she had not converted. He gave no other details.

Full report at:

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20130303155285

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DAH workshop highlights role of mediation in conflict resolution

 March 03, 2013

JEDDAH — In conjunction with Walker Consultancy, Dar Al-Hekma College (DAH) recently organized a mediation workshop that was open to all. The workshop was attended by the college’s legal studies students, faculty members, staff members and women working in law firms in the Kingdom.

“The aim of the workshop was to train people in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), specifically in mediation, so that they could develop the necessary skills required to resolve cases without litigation,” said Sharia Walker, an instructor at the workshop.

Full report at:

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20130303155202

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Jeddah police arrest 8,000 suspects in 3-month period

 3 March 2013

Jeddah Police have arrested 8,000 suspects involved in criminal cases and violations of residency and work laws over the last three months.

The arrests were based on investigations after members of the public informed the police of various violations and suspicious behavior by using the tips telephone line at 02-6425550.

Full report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/jeddah-police-arrest-8000-suspects-3-month-period

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Mideast Asia

Iran building 3,000 advanced uranium-enrichment centrifuges: Reports

Reuters | Mar 3, 2013

DUBAI: Iran is building about 3,000 advanced uranium-enrichment centrifuges, Iranian media reported on Sunday, in a development likely to add to Western concerns about the Islamic state's disputed nuclear programme.

Iran announced earlier this year that it would install the new-generation centrifuges at its Natanz uranium enrichment plant, but Sunday's reports in Iranian agencies appeared to be the first time a specific figure had been given.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Iran-building-3000-advanced-uranium-enrichment-centrifuges-Reports/articleshow/18778725.cms?

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Talks Gave Iran More Time for Atomic Weapon: Israel

March 03, 2013

Nuclear talks between Iran and world powers have only given the Islamic republic more time to pursue its quest for a nuclear weapon, a senior Israeli official told AFP on Saturday.

Two days of talks on Tehran’s controversial atomic drive with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council — the United States, China, Russia, Britain and France — plus Germany ended on Wednesday.

The latest round of talks, in the Kazakh capital Almaty, were aimed at breaking the decades-old deadlock over Iran’s atomic program.

Full report at:

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/international/talks-gave-iran-more-time-for-atomic-weapon-israel/575768

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Netanyahu, King Abdullah II discuss Mideast peace: Diplomat

AFP | Mar 3, 2013

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordan's King Abdullah II met in Jordan last week and discussed the Middle East peace process, a diplomatic source said on Sunday.

"Last week, Netanyahu travelled to Jordan and met King Abdullah II," the source told AFP today, speaking on condition of anonymity. "In the meeting, they discussed the Middle East peace process."

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Netanyahu-King-Abdullah-II-discuss-Mideast-peace-Diplomat/articleshow/18772225.cms

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Assad 'will take part' in 2014 Syria presidential poll: Iran

 March 02, 2013

Bashar al-Assad will take part in Syria's next presidential election in 2014, the foreign minister of close Damascus ally Iran said on Saturday.

"In the next election, President Assad, like others, will take part, and the Syrian people will elect whomever they want," Ali Akbar

Salehi said at a news conference with his visiting Syrian counterpart, Walid Muallem.

Assad has steadfastly rejected calls from Western leaders, Arab countries, Turkey and the Syrian opposition to relinquish power and has kept quiet on whether he would contest the next presidential election.

Full report at:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/restofasia/Assad-will-take-part-in-2014-Syria-presidential-poll-Iran/Article1-1020217.aspx

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One killed, 4 hurt in Yemen rally

 3 March 2013

killed one activist and wounded at least four other people yesterday during clashes with southern separatists who had blocked roads and attacked police, medics and witnesses said.

US-allied Yemen, thrown into political disarray in early 2011 when mass protests ousted long-time ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh, still faces frequent fighting between separatists and security forces.

Full report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/one-killed-4-hurt-yemen-rally

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Southeast Asia

Rights Commission Warns of ‘Retaliatory Acts’ on Densus 88 Alleged Torture Video

Yeremia Sukoyo | March 03, 2013

he National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) on Sunday warned of fresh violence in the Central Sulawesi town of Poso and Maluku after the publication of a YouTube video depicting the torture of terrorism suspects.

Komnas HAM expressed concern on Sunday, two days after the nearly 14-minute video was uploaded on Youtube by user ArrahmahChannel.

It shows several topless men, said to be terrorist suspects, bound and lying on the ground, while dozens of other men in the uniforms of anti-terror police unit Densus 88 and the mobile brigade (Brimob) unit yell at the suspects and carry guns.

Full report at:

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/rights-commission-warns-of-retaliatory-acts-on-densus-88-alleged-torture-video/575777

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Five Malaysian police killed in Borneo clash

Mar 3, 2013

LAHAD DATU, MALAYSIA: Five Malaysian policemen died in a fresh clash with gunmen as violence linked to a deadly stand-off with Filipino intruders spread to another area of Borneo island, police said Sunday.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Five-Malaysian-police-killed-in-Borneo-clash/articleshow/18774448.cms?

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Europe

France’s terror risk grows with Mali effort

 3 March 2013

PARIS: The longer that France’s military intervention goes on in Mali, the greater the risk that homegrown militants will organize to plot attacks back in France, a top French counter terrorism investigator said.

Investigating Judge Marc Trevidic said young radicals in France see the Paris government as enemy No. 1 in the “new jihad” and consider France’s intervention in Mali, which started last month to help the Malian government fight Al-Qaeda-linked militants, as an aggression against Islam. Small groups of France-based militants have already headed to Mali.

Full report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/world/judge-france%E2%80%99s-terror-risk-grows-mali-effort

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Hague: Giving arms to Syrian rebels cannot be ruled out

03 March 2013

Britain cannot rule out providing arms to the Syrian opposition in the future, Foreign Secretary William Hague says.

The situation in Syria now is "too dangerous to the peace and security of that entire region, and thereby to the world, to ignore it", he said.

His words come after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accused Britain in the Sunday Times of bullying and naivety over the conflict in his country.

Full report at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21647014

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North America

Kerry presses Egypt president, military on reform

AP | Mar 3, 2013

CAIRO: US secretary of state John Kerry is wrapping up a visit to deeply divided Egypt with an appeal for unity and reform to the country's president and military chief.

A day after warning the country's bickering politicians they must overcome differences to get Egypt's faltering economy back on track and maintain its leadership role in the volatile Middle East, Kerry was bringing a similar message on Sunday to President Mohammed Morsi and his defense minister. The US is deeply concerned that continued instability in Egypt will have broader consequences in a region already rocked by unrest.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Kerry-presses-Egypt-president-military-on-reform/articleshow/18775320.cms

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Zero Dark Thirty troubles Americans

By Deborah Orr

March 03, 2013

LONDON: No big prizes for working out why Argo won the Oscar for best picture this week. It is a superb movie — clever, witty, beautifully paced, brilliantly acted, exciting, suspenseful, characterful etc, etc… And, of course, it’s based on the true story of how CIA agent Tony Mendez (played by director Ben Affleck) put together the “Canadian Caper”, in which he faked the production of a sci-fi movie in order to rescue six US diplomats from Tehran during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis.

Full report at:

http://dawn.com/2013/03/03/zero-dark-thirty-troubles-americans/

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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/forty-five-dead,-150-injured/d/10624