Four Men from Mumbai Believed To Have Joined Iraq Jihad
New Age Islam News Bureau
14
Jul 2014
ISAS-led Sunni rebels have seized large swathes of north-western Iraq and Syria
India
• Four Men from Mumbai Believed To Have Joined Iraq Jihad
• Met Jud Chief, He Wants to Visit India: ex-Scribe Vaidik
• 'SC ruling must lead to a Muslim personal law code'
• Libya-Gaza strife poses fresh headache for India
• Dilip Kumar's house declared national heritage by Pakistan
• Kashmiri Mujahideen leader resents Sharif's softness towards Modi
• School for Minorities in Govt Lands in Slums
• Iraq crISIS: Qatar's help sought for release of Indians
Arab World
• Over 130 Sunni Militants Killed In Iraq
• ISIS Defector Speaks Of Life inside Brutal Jihadist Group
• 5 Hezbollah, 30 Syrian rebels killed in Lebanon clashes
• 8 killed, 25 injured in explosions in Egypt’s Sinai
• Car bomb kills 10 in Syria's Deir ez-Zor
• Car bombing kills at least 4 in Iraq
• Saudi king orders funds to help Palestinian Red Crescent
• Arab League to meet on Israel's Gaza offensive
• Egypt's internal affairs won't get in the way of helping Palestine: El-Sisi
• 101 Morsi supporters get 3 years in jail for rioting
• Sound system covers Haram prayers up to 9 km
• Bahrain accuses Qatar of ‘sectarian naturalisation’
• Iraq MPs fail again to form govt as militants gain ground
• Scholars ask for deeper understanding of Islam
Europe
• Sunni and Shiite British Imams Denounce Wahabi, Deobandi and ISIS
• Israel holds off on escalating Gaza barrage; West wants truce
• Prison Imams linked to Islamic radicals
• Anti-Israel protesters attack Paris synagogue
• West, Iran say big gaps remain in nuclear talks
• France ends Mali offensive, redeploys troops to Sahel
• UN Security Council to vote on Syria aid access resolution
• Archbishop of Canterbury warns of hysteria over threat of Muslim radicalisation
Pakistan
• Revolution ‘Trumpeters’ Want To Scuttle Zarb-i-Azb: Minister
• Jamaat to challenge Protection of Pakistan Act in court
• Sufis never go against Sharia, says Kokab Noorani
• K-P police prepare list of Afghan refugees allegedly involved in serious crimes
• Plight of Palestinians draws several people to Jamaat-e-Islami rally
• Sharifs cashing in on Qadri-Imran differences effectively
• Jirga asks Afghan govt to stop militants’ infiltration
• Political, religious parties demand govt action on Gaza
• Altaf condemns Gaza’s massacre and UN’s silence
South Asia
• 20 Taliban militants killed in counter-terrorism operations
• Bangladesh: Cabinet condemns Israeli aggression on Gaza
• Sri Lanka Army recruits Tamil and Muslim youths from East as tradesman
Mideast
• Abbas Demands International Protection from Israeli Tyranny
• Gaza toll hits 172 as Israel offensive enters 7th day
• Yemeni leader demands Shia group give up captured city
• Islamic Relief Launches Gaza Fund
• Gazan rocket knocks out power for 70,000 Gazans
• Hamas media campaign taunts Israel, fortifies Gaza public
• Turkey increases aid to Gaza through Israeli crossing
• Israel says it downed drone along coastline
• Palestinian FM arrives in Cairo for urgent meeting on Gaza crisis
North America
• American Muslims' ongoing civil rights fight
• Netanyahu defends Israeli offensive in Gaza on US television
• Kerry to press for 'critical choices' in second meeting with Iran's Zarif
• Pak-Afghan ties key to regional stability: US
Southeast Asia
• Kuala Lumpur HC throws out Muslim scholar’s suit, says can’t rule on Shariah matter
• Bernama recalls Jakarta reporter accused of plagiarism
• Pakatan: Use TPPA as leverage to end Israel’s offensive on Gaza
• Ruminating on Indonesia’s Future amid Uncertainty
Africa
• Nine killed in fighting near Libya's Tripoli airport
• U.N. temporarily moves some staff out of Libya
• Bomb attack kills seven Algerian troops
• Al-Bashir refuses to delay Sudan's presidential poll
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/four-men-mumbai-believed-joined/d/98092
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India
Four Men from Mumbai Believed To Have Joined Iraq Jihad
Written by Praveen Swami | Mumbai New Delhi | July 14, 2014
From the window of his apartment, Ejaz Badruddin Majeed stares out over the grimy suburban heights of Kalyan, willing himself, it seems, to see past the oceans and the deserts, all the way to Iraq — and to his son.
“(He) had asked me for a motorcycle and I said, no, not just yet. He didn’t say anything, but perhaps that’s why he went away,” says the quiet, graying doctor. Adding, moments later, that perhaps that’s not why his son, Arif Fayyaz Majeed, went away.
He talks about a handwritten letter his son, an engineering student, wrote and left behind at home saying “fighting has been enjoined upon you” and telling his mother that the “angel of death” will ask him why he didn’t migrate to “Allah’s land.” In the letter, the son tells his family, “May we all meet in Paradise.”
Arif is believed to be fighting with Sunni insurgents of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) along with Thane residents Fahad Tanvir Sheikh, Aman Naim Tandel and Shaheen Farooqi Tanki — all young men in their twenties, with no known past involvement in radical Islamist politics.
Like Ejaz Majeed, parents of these three men have filed missing persons complaints with the Kalyan police which have been accessed by The Indian Express. Arif’s father has also handed over a copy of his son’s “farewell letter” to the police.
For weeks now, the media’s focus — and the government’s — has been on Indian workers trapped in Iraq and how to get some of them home. The story of the young Indians who have headed into the carnage though, has passed untold.
Fahad Sheikh, a student of engineering, is, like Arif Majeed, the son of another Kalyan-based doctor Maqbool Ahmad Sheikh. Aman Tandel was also an engineering student in Navi Mumbai and the son of Nayeem Ismail Sheikh who works with a private firm. Shaheen Tanki was working at a call centre.
Iraq’s intelligence services have told their Indian counterparts they believe these men had joined ISIS but have no word on where they might be.
Four other young Thane men living in the United Arab Emirates, sources told The Indian Express, are also suspected to have volunteered to fight with ISIS. Three of these men are believed to have returned to their homes, while a fourth is thought to have been killed in combat.
“I want to meet (External Affairs Minister) Sushma Swaraj or (Home Minister) Rajnath Singh”, Arif’s father Ejaz Majeed told The Indian Express, “and ask them to punish the people who seduced our children to participate in this madness. I want to ask them to warn other parents to watch out for their children being led astray. I want to beg them, also, to please help bring these children back. Please help me meet them.”
The families of the other three missing men did not respond to repeated requests to be interviewed for this story.
Police sources have told The Indian Express that the four Kalyan men flew to Baghdad on May 23 as part of a group of 22 pilgrims intending to visit religious shrines in Iraq. Arif called his family from Baghdad on May 24, apologising for having left without telling them. He claimed he had travelled in the hope of finding a job there. Then, he phoned again on May 25, this time to reassure his family he was well.
Late that evening, other pilgrims on the trip have told investigators, the four Kalyan men hired a taxi to Fallujah, a city west of Baghdad that has emerged as the epicentre of Iraq’s lethal insurgency. Then, the men went silent. Iraqi intelligence officials say Arif Majeed’s Cellphone connected to a tower in the Mosul area — and went dead.
Investigators have made little progress in establishing what drove the men or precisely how they made their plans. However, police believe the men paid for their tickets with money saved from their allowances and student fees. “Their radicalisation seems to have taken place online,” a Maharashtra Police official said, “with news of atrocities in the region inflaming their passions.”
Last year, Pakistani al-Qaeda ideologue Asim Umar called on Indians to join the global jihad. The ISIS, too, cited India as key concern for global jihadists. In internet chat rooms where Islamists congregate, messages have been posted calling on Indians to join up, to prepare themselves for what’s being described a coming communal apocalypse.
Internet propaganda on the wars and Iraq and Syria has drawn thousands of young people from distant countries to the conflict. Hundreds of volunteers from Europe, the United States, and Australia have been reported to be participating in the fighting, along with some numbers of Pakistani nationals.
In his letter, Arif Majeed appears to reject his family’s values. “I cried when I saw you all sinning, smoking cigarettes, taking interest, watching TV, illegal sexual intercourse, living luxurious lives, intermingling of sexes, not praying, not growing beards. These things will lead to you burning in the hell-fire,” he says (letter edited throughout for clarity).
Arif Majeed had harsh words, in particular, for his sister, and female cousins, who all watched television, “a professional way to ensure nudity, lewdness, obscenity and disbelief prevail. It is a major sin. In it is music, which is an instrument of Satan.”
“He was a good boy,” says Arif’s father. “He was very religious, never spent time in bad company, never chased after girls, never seemed attracted to violence”
“O’ Mother,” he wrote, “the sun is setting in the backyard of our house, behind the mountain and I have told my friend that we will meet there for our greatest journey. It is a blessed journey for me because I don’t want to live in this sinful country. At the time of my death, the angel of death will ask me why I did not make hijra (migrate) to Allah’s land, which is spacious.”
‘I cried when I saw you all sinning’
Arif Majeed left behind a letter that his father has turned to the police. In the letter, he writes: “At the time of my death, the angel of death will ask me why I did not make Hijra to Allah’s land.”
* Arif is among four who, Iraqi investigators believe, broke away from a pilgrims’ group of 22 from Mumbai. He called his family on May 24. Investigators say Arif’s phone went dead near Mosul.
* Another group of four Thane men living in the UAE are also suspected to have joined ISIS; one of them is feared killed in combat.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/maharashtra/four-men-from-mumbai-believed-to-have-joined-iraq-jihad-a-father-appeals-for-help/99/
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Met Jud Chief, He Wants to Visit India: ex-Scribe Vaidik
Written by Abantika Ghosh | New Delhi | July 14, 2014
Former journalist Ved Pratap Vaidik has kicked up a storm by claiming that he had an hour-long meeting with Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed at the latter’s residence in Lahore earlier this month.
Vaidik, known to be close to yoga teacher Ramdev, claims that Saeed had a candid discussion with him on a range of issues, including about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, terrorism and the recent inclusion of JuD in the list of terrorist organisations drawn up by the US. At the end of the meeting, Vaidik claims, Saeed requested him to invite him to India so that he can hold a large public meeting to clarify his position.
“The meeting was sudden, neither the Government of India nor I knew that I would meet him when I left for Pakistan. It was initially very tense, with a lot of heavily armed security guards and Saeed himself looking on without a word. There were some eatables on the table. When he offered them to me I said ‘I cannot eat this because I know you are fasting for Ramzan and I cannot eat in front of you’. That eased the tension a bit and we started talking,” Vaidik told The Indian Express.
The meeting, he said, had been in the works for more than a year and was arranged by an anchor of prominent Pakistani news channel. Some time into the meeting, the conversation veered to Modi and Saeed, according to the former journalist, did not refrain from asking many personal questions about the PM including about his wife. “I don’t know why they ask such questions but when he persisted I also asked him whether he is a Brahmachari (bachelor). He said he has three wives and I told him he is one short at which he burst out laughing,” Vaidik said.
Saeed claimed roots in Punjab near Ropar and said his parents had fled to Pakistan when his mother was pregnant. He was born in Pakistan.
At the end of the meeting, Saeed walked with Vaidik to his car. “He held the door open for me and requested me if I could invite him to India so that he could hold a large public meeting and clarify his standpoint. I came away with the impression that he is a man that one can hold a dialogue with,” Vaidik said. Vaidik also met Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/met-jud-chief-he-wants-to-visit-india-ex-scribe-vaidik/
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'SC ruling must lead to a Muslim personal law code'
Bader Sayeed,TNN | Jul 14, 2014
The Supreme Court has once again come as a saviour to give a voice to the Muslim woman of our country. Though it has no objection to the continuance of shariat courts, the Supreme Court has ruled that their decisions will have no legal force. The Supreme Court has not touched upon Muslim personal law. But the court has ruled that fatwas that are often issued by shariat courts are not decrees and cannot be enforced. The court has also said that the fatwas are not sanctioned in our constitutional scheme.
Muslim women including in Tamil Nadu have been hit hard by the conservative, inhuman, cruel fatwas that are given on every aspect of their lives and that restrict their freedom and liberties. The Supreme Court has held that a fatwa has no legal validity.
However the jamaaths and the khazis who derive their power from ill-defined sources continue to precipitate a situation where economically marginalised Muslim women are pressured into following their diktats. The women don't realize that the jamaaths and khazis are not the final court of appeal. Instead these fatwas are used by the khazis and the jamaaths to increment their hold on Muslim civil society without legal sanction.
I must state here that the jamaaths are elected bodies under the supervision of the state Wakf boards and exert a significant influence on Muslim civil society. This is a situation which needs correction.
The jamaaths take their toll on the individual insisting that their decision be obeyed and if this does not happen they hold the threat of excommunication and social boycott which is patently inhuman.
Excommunication and social boycott has the effect of denying freedom of speech and movements, access to livelihood, freedom to bury their dead in the local graveyards and preventing those that have been excommunicated
from participating in matrimonial functions of the family. Yet, despite court judgments that such social estrangement is not valid and against constitutional rights they continue to be practised. In Islam the "khazi" is considered as the keeper of the faith and the law since most khazis are highly educated and are scholars of Muslim law. This can hardly be held true in our country though there are exceptions.
The khazis can conduct and register a marriage. But they are not legally authorised to finalise a divorce or perform judicial functions. Yet the reality is that the khazis validate and issue fatwas regarding divorces with total impunity towards the rights of Muslim women. But the final decree of divorce should carry the judicial stamp which will decide over all other allied issues that ariseout of a divorce.
The function of arbitration carried out by the sharia courts has not been inhibited by the Supreme Court. But the court makes it very clear that what emanates from the shariat courts has no legal binding. Yet due to patriarchal attitudes, societal pressures and lack of access to civil courts Muslim women are caught in the web of the khazis, jamaaths and the shariat courts to seek redress which they never achieve.
This judgement should precipitate rapid codification of Muslim personal law, which is the need of the hour.
We owe it to our Muslim sisters that this happens. Silence on this subject will be catastrophic for Muslim society.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Chennai/SC-ruling-must-lead-to-a-Muslim-personal-law-code/articleshow/38350763.cms
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Libya-Gaza strife poses fresh headache for India
Indrani Bagchi,TNN | Jul 14, 2014
NEW DELHI: As the government struggles to bring back its nationals from strife-torn Iraq, the exploding turmoil in both Gaza and Libya have become fresh worries. There are Indian workers in both Gaza and Libya. The government fears that escalating violence in both places may necessitate yet another evacuation operation.
On Sunday, Tripoli's international airport was attacked in fresh violence between the Zintan militia and their rivals, with rockets erupting in the airport. If airports get destroyed, removing people becomes more difficult. Libya has been in turmoil since Muammar Gaddafi was ousted in 2011, with the country becoming a free-for-all between armed militias, some of whom even received government support.
Despite the ongoing violence, Libya went through elections on June 25, which were riddled with allegations of widespread fraud. Violence has worsened since then, with the US state department warning of "widespread conflict".
There is no real assessment of the number of Indians in Libya, though a few Indians in Gaza have indicated they want to be removed. A conflict between Israel and Hamas has escalated in recent days leading to air strikes by Israel in retaliation against persistent rocket attacks by Hamas into parts of Israel.
In 2011, India had to execute a massive evacuation effort from Libya — of 17,000 Indian workers and their families. Since instability has continued since then, it is unlikely there are many Indians who have returned there. But those that are there would be caught in a dangerous situation.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Libya-Gaza-strife-poses-fresh-headache-for-India/articleshow/38347497.cms
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Dilip Kumar's house declared national heritage by Pakistan
Yudhvir Rana,TNN | Jul 14, 2014
AMRITSAR: A house lost in the narrow alleys of the bustling city of Peshawar in Pakistan will soon command undivided attention from both sides of the border. After bestowing him with Nishan-e-Imtiaz in 1998, the country's highest civilian award, Pakistan will give a new life to the site where all-time great actor Dilip Kumar was born as Mohammad Yousaf Khan in a Pashtun family of 12 children on December 11, 1922.
Manzoor Ali Memon, spokesperson of Pakistan high commission in New Delhi, told TOI over phone that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has declared the ancestral house of the actor in Qissa Khawani Bazaar in Peshawar as national heritage.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Dilip-Kumars-house-declared-national-heritage-by-Pakistan/articleshow/38337082.cms
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Kashmiri Mujahideen leader resents Sharif's softness towards Modi
Jul 14, 2014
Islamabad: A Kashmiri Mujahideen leader has asked Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to avoid showing a "unilateral tilt" towards his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, media reported Monday.
"Nawaz Sharif should show consideration for the feelings and sacrifices of Kashmiris. His unilateral tilt towards Modi and exchange of letters and saris is hurting Kashmiris and impairing their cause," Syed Salahuddin, chairman of the United Jihad Council (UJC), said at a gathering Sunday.
The gathering in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-ministered Kashmir, was held to commemorate the sacrifices of 21 Kashmiris who were gunned down by the despotic Dogra regime outside Srinagar's Central Jail in 1931, Dawn Online reported.
Full report at:
http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/syed-salahuddin-resents-sharif-s-softness-towards-modi_947248.html
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School for Minorities in Govt Lands in Slums
JULY 14, 2014
HYDERABAD: The Telangana state government will build schools for minorities in the slums of Hyderabad. Deputy Chief Minister Md Mahmood Ali has said that government lands in slums or near them will be used to build schools for minorities. Educated unemployed Muslim youth will be appointed as teachers, he said.
Mahmood Ali on Sunday distributed Ramzan relief provided by Sahayata Trust to the poor Muslim families at an event at Khaja Mansion, Masab Tank. After learning that still many families in the old city did not have ration and Aadhar cards, he requested the Sahayta Trust to conduct a survey to identify such families.
Full report at:
http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/telangana/School-for-Minorities-in-Govt-Lands-in-Slums/2014/07/14/article2329748.ece
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Iraq crISIS: Qatar's help sought for release of Indians
JULY 14, 2014
Faced with a challenging situation, India is now banking heavily on Qatar to secure the release of 39 workers held captive in Mosul in war-torn Iraq.
HT has learnt that a special envoy of the Indian government visited Qatar this week as part of Delhi’s diplomatic efforts to ensure the safety of the Indian workers.
Among all the governments of the Gulf nations, Qatar is said to have the best leverage with the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), which now calls itself the Islamic State (IS) and controls vast areas of Iraq.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/iraqonthebrink/india-turns-to-qatar-to-ensure-release-of-39-workers-held-captive-in-iraq-/article1-1239956.aspx#sthash.dX2ZcVxv.dpuf
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Arab World
Over 130 Sunni militants killed in Iraq
IANS | Jul 14, 2014
BAGHDAD: At least 133 Sunni militants were killed on Sunday in fierce clashes with security forces across Iraq, officials said.
The clashes with the Sunni militants, claiming to be from the Islamic State (IS), took place in al-Qadsiyah district in Tikrit.
At least 41 militants were killed and 26 of their vehicles destroyed, Xinhua quoted military spokesman Qasim Atta as saying in Baghdad.
The militants were trying to take hold of the district to use it as a launching pad to seize Tikrit, he said.
Atta said Iraqi forces were bracing for a major offensive to retake Tikrit from the Sunni militants within a short period, but the troops were acting cautiously to avoid casualties among civilians.
Also in the province, security forces repelled a new attack by insurgents on Baiji refinery, near Baiji city, 200 km north of the Iraqi capital, Atta said. A total of 20 militants were killed.
In the western Anbar province, security forces repelled a major offensive by militant groups that started on Saturday to seize Haditha city, around 200 km west of Baghdad, and the nearby dam on the Euphrates river, he was quoted as saying.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Over-130-Sunni-militants-killed-in-Iraq/articleshow/38335024.cms
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ISIS defector speaks of life inside brutal jihadist group
Jul 14, 2014
An "Islamic caliphate" has been declared in the Middle East and the group behind it, ISIS, has now rebranded itself simply "the Islamic State". Panorama has spoken to a defector about life inside the feared jihadist group.
ISIS is not an organisation it is easy to leave. We met a man who had - and he was terrified of the consequences. "The brutality of ISIS terrifies everyone," he said. "My family, my cousins, my siblings are all still there. I fear for them. If they can't reach me, they will reach my family."
He was nervous, agreeing to record an interview only after several hours of discussion, over customary tiny glasses of scalding hot, sweet tea. He would talk to us only if we would not reveal his identity. He wrapped himself in a keffiyeh for our camera and we promised not to use his name.
He summed up the jihadists' tactics like this: "If you're against me, then you'll be killed. If you're with me, you work with me. You submit to my will and obey me, under my power in all matters."
Full report at:
Panorama: ISIS: Terror in Iraq is broadcast on BBC One at 20:30 BST on Monday, 14 July.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-28269596
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5 Hezbollah, 30 Syrian rebels killed in Lebanon clashes
World Bulletin / News Desk
Jul 14, 2014
Five Hezbollah fighters and 30 Syrian opposition fighters were killed in fierce clashes late Sunday in the vicinity of the Arsal city in southern Lebanon, according to a security source.
The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Anadolu Agency that clashes had erupted between the Hezbollah fighters and the rebelswho had taken refuge in the border area between Syria and Lebanon after Syrian government forces had seized control of the town of Qalamoun in northern Syria nearly a month ago.
Arsal, a predominantly Sunni area, hosts more than 106,000 Syrian refugees.
Neither Hezbollah nor Lebanese authorities were available for comment.
The Lebanese Shia group fights alongside Bashar forces in Syrian.
http://www.worldbulletin.net/world/140632/5-hezbollah-30-syrian-rebels-killed-in-lebanon-clashes
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8 killed, 25 injured in explosions in Egypt’s Sinai
Associated Press | El- Arish (egypt) | July 14, 2014
Militants in Egypt’s northern Sinai fired mortar rounds late Sunday at a military post in the provincial capital of el-Arish, killing a soldier as well as seven civilians, including two children, in a nearby residential complex, security and hospital officials said.
A senior security official said the attack late Sunday hit the military post, killing one soldier. The military post is located near a compound of residential buildings in the al-Salam district. The main security headquarters and the local government offices are also located in the same area.
The official , who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said a supermarket, pharmacy and a residential building also were hit by mortar fire.
Full report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/middle-east-africa/8-killed-25-injured-in-explosions-in-egypts-sinai/
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Car bomb kills 10 in Syria's Deir ez-Zor
World Bulletin / News Desk
Jul 14, 2014
At least 10 people were killed when a bomb-laden car exploded in the Mayadin district of Syria's eastern Deir ez-Zor city late on Sunday.
The blast left 10 dead and wounded tens of others near the Nadi crossroads of the Mayadin district on Syria's border with Iraq, according to the Syrian Revolution General Council (SRGC).
The group said ambulances rushed the injured to the local hospital after the incident which also inflicted large material damage in the area.
Deir ez-Zor, the oil and gas-rich Syrian city, has been under siege from the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) who also blocked humanitarian aid and medical relief materials reaching the city.
Full report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/world/140628/car-bomb-kills-10-in-syrias-deir-ez-zor
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Car bombing kills at least 4 in Iraq
Jul 14, 2014
Iraqi officials said a car bomb has exploded in a commercial area of central Baghdad, killing at least four civilians.
One police officer said the blast took place on Monday morning in Baghdad’s Allawi neighbourhood. He said 12 people were wounded in the attack.
A medical official confirmed the causality figures.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/car-bombing-kills-at-least-4-in-iraq/article6209393.ece
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Saudi king orders funds to help Palestinian Red Crescent
Jul 14, 2014
Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ordered on Sunday immediate assistance to the Palestinian Red Crescent in Gaza worth more than $50 million, according to the kingdom’s state run news agency.
Finance Minister Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al-Assaf, in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency, said the king had issued a directive to provide the Palestinian Red Crescent in Gaza with 200 million Saudi Riyals.
The minister said that the amount was allocated “for immediate needs of medicines and medical equipment and supplies necessary to treat the victims of the Israeli attacks against the Gaza Strip which claimed the lives of thousands of innocent children, women, elderly and people of special needs.”
Israel has launched daily attacks on the Gaza Strip since Tuesday, in what it has described as part of an operation to halt cross-border rocket fire by militant groups.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/07/14/Saudi-king-orders-funds-to-help-Palestinian-Red-Crescent.html
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Arab League to meet on Israel's Gaza offensive
Jul 14, 2014
Arab League foreign ministers will meet in Cairo later Monday to discuss Israel's deadly offensive against the Gaza Strip, aimed at countering militant rocket attacks.
With the Israeli campaign in its seventh day, at least 172 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,230 wounded.
There have not been any Israeli fatalities.
The Arab League meeting comes amid intense international efforts to end the conflict, and with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas seeking UN intervention.
An Egyptian foreign ministry statement late on Sunday said Monday's meeting, due to begin at 1900 GMT, "is aimed at finding a solution to stop the shedding of Palestinian civilians' blood and to formulate a common Arab stance on the issue".
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/106208/World/Region/Arab-League-to-meet-on-Israels-Gaza-offensive.aspx
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Egypt's internal affairs won't get in the way of helping Palestine: El-Sisi
Jul 14, 2014
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi talked to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon about the ongoing attacks in Gaza, a spokesman for Egypt's presidency said on Sunday.
El-Sisi said Egypt's internal affairs won't interfere with its pursuit of a just settlement for Palestinians that safeguards their rights and allows the Palestinian people to have a livable state inside the June 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, spokesman Ehab Badawi said.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/106177/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-internal-affairs-wont-get-in-the-way-of-hel.aspx
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101 Morsi supporters get 3 years in jail for rioting
Jul 14, 2014
A court in Nile Delta's Damietta city has sentenced 101 supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi to three years in prison on charges of illegal gathering and rioting.
Another 17 were acquitted, judicial sources told Ahram Online.
Last week, 50 Morsi supporters in the Egypt's second city of Alexandria were sentenced to five years on the same charges.
Similar sentences against supporters of Morsi and his now banned Muslim Brotherhood have become common since the Islamist president's ouster last July and the government began to crack down on both Islamist and secular protesters.
Over 200 people, including the Brotherhood's Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie and other Morsi supporters, have received death sentences for an array of charges linked to the violence after Morsi's ouster.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/106170/Egypt/Politics-/-Morsi-supporters-get--years-in-jail-for-rioting.aspx
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Sound system covers Haram prayers up to 9 km
Jul 14, 2014
Authorities at Makkah have installed 4,000 loudspeakers all over the Grand Mosque and surrounding areas to ensure first-class sound quality during the peak Ramadan and Haj seasons, when hundreds of thousands of worshippers flood into the holy city to perform their religious rituals.
“Speakers have also been deployed in corridors and outdoor squares,” said Faras Al-Saadi, operations director at the Grand Mosque, on Saturday.
“Authorities installed 656 speakers in the mosque’s eastern corridor and in the newly opened floors for circumambulation during Ramadan,” Al-Saadi said in a statement.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/news/601131
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Bahrain accuses Qatar of ‘sectarian naturalisation’
Jul 14, 2014
Manama: Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, Bahrain’s foreign minister, attributed the decision by his country to recall its ambassador in neighbouring Qatar to national interests and to show solidarity with Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
“We have deep-rooted ties with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, but there is also a Bahraini aspect to the issue,” Shaikh Khalid said. “Many Bahraini citizens have been lured by the Qatari nationality under the pretext that they have families in Qatar. The issue of nationality has a security dimension. Another issue is that the Qataris are discriminating between the citizens of Bahrain and are acting on a sectarian basis. If the Bahraini is Sunni and member of an Arab tribe in Bahrain, then the door is wide open [for Qatari citizenship]. However, if he is Shiite, the door is shut,” the minister said in an interview with Rotana Khalijia TV channel on Saturday.
Full report at:
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/qatar/bahrain-accuses-qatar-of-sectarian-naturalisation-1.1359196
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Iraq MPs fail again to form govt as militants gain ground
Iraq’s fractious parliament met on Sunday and again failed to make any progress toward forming a new government, as militants gained ground north of Baghdad in a renewed drive.
World powers and Iraq’s top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani have piled pressure on MPs to put aside their differences, with the country facing a major jihadist-led onslaught that has overrun chunks of five provinces.
But acting parliament speaker Mahdi Hafez announced at Sunday’s session that “no type of agreement was reached…between the various blocs”, and the session was adjourned to Tuesday.
The latest stalemate came despite the announcement late on Saturday of an agreement among Sunni Arab lawmakers on a candidate for speaker, a post traditionally held by the minority group that must be filled before the government formation process can progress.
A statement from parliament’s United for Change Sunni grouping said Dr Salim al-Juburi had been selected, but went on to pledge not to accept incumbent premier Nuri al-Maliki for a third term.
Full report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/middle-east-africa/iraq-mps-fail-again-to-form-govt-as-militants-gain-ground/99/
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Scholars ask for deeper understanding of Islam
Ahmed Shaaban / 14 July 2014
Dr Sheikh Wasilluah Abbas and Sheikh Zafar ul-Hasan deliver Urdu lectures at 13th Ramadan Forum in Dubai.
A major reason why the Muslim community is divided is that some do not embrace all the teachings of Islam. One can be free of troubles and anxieties only by fully committing oneself to the teachings of Islam, as described by Almighty Allah and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
This was the crux of the lecture in Urdu given by two eminent scholars, Dr Sheikh Wasilluah Abbas and Sheikh Zafar Ul-Hasan, at the World Trade Centre on Friday night as part of the 13th Ramadan Forum.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?xfile=data/ramadannews/2014/July/ramadannews_July96.xml§ion=ramadannews
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Europe
Sunni and Shiite British Imams Denounce Wahabi, Deobandi and ISIS
Jul 14, 2014
Sunni and Shiite Muslim leaders in the United Kingdom have come together to denounce the Islamic militant group ISIS in a video posted by a group called Imams Online, reports the BBC.
A statement on the Imams Online website says, "Senior British imams have come together to emphasize the importance of unity in the UK and to decree ISIS as an illegitimate, vicious group who do not represent Islam in any way."
They hope the four-minute film will serve to counter the "digital propaganda" disseminated by ISIS, which has been noted for its heavy use of social media. Specifically, their goal is to strongly urge young Britons from traveling to Iraq and Syria to take part in the conflict. They also denounced Sunni-Shiite sectarianism, as earlier this week ISIS destroyed Shiite mosques and shrines.
Full report at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/12/imams-denounce-ISIS_n_5579370.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000051
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Israel holds off on escalating Gaza barrage; West wants truce
Jul 14, 2014
Israel appeared to hold off on a threatened escalation of its week-old Gaza Strip barrage on July 14 despite having balked at Western calls for a ceasefire with an equally defiant Hamas.
On Sunday, the Israeli military warned residents of the northern border town of Beit Lahiya to leave or risk their lives when, after nightfall, it planned to intensify air strikes against suspected Palestinian rocket launchers among civilian homes.
A U.N. aid agency said around a quarter of Beit Lahiya's 70,000 residents fled, fearing Israeli attacks which, according to Gaza officials, have killed more than 166 people, most of them non-combatants, since the cross-border shelling war began.
But other than a lone air strike on farmland outside the town, which the Palestinians said caused no casualties, Beit Lahiya was largely quiet in the early hours of Monday. Israel said one rocket was fired from Gaza, without inflicting damage.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/israel-holds-off-on-escalating-gaza-barrage-west-wants-truce.aspx?pageID=238&nID=69076&NewsCatID=352
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Prison Imams linked to Islamic radicals
Jul 14, 2014
Imams working in jails have links with extremist Muslim preachers and Islamist groups and may be helping to radicalise inmates, The Times can reveal.
Among the groups is one which believes that adulterers should be killed, while a preacher connected to Muslim chaplains condones beating women to “bring them to goodness”.
Full report at:
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/article4146755.ece
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Anti-Israel protesters attack Paris synagogue
Jul 14, 2014
Dozens of young men protesting Israel’s actions in Gaza briefly besieged a Paris synagogue and clashed with security.
At least three Jews were taken to hospital as a result of the clashes the erupted on Sunday between the protesters and young Jewish men who guarded the Synagogue de la Roquette in Paris, a witness told JTA.
“The attackers splintered off an anti-Israel demonstration and advanced toward the synagogue when it was full,” Alain Azria, a French Jewish journalist who covered the event told JTA.
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-News/Anti-Israel-protesters-attack-Paris-synagogue-362643
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West, Iran say big gaps remain in nuclear talks
July 14, 2014
VIENNA - World powers and Iran on Sunday said big differences remained in talks to build a lasting agreement on the Islamic republic’s nuclear activities by the end of next week, as foreign ministers flew into Vienna to push negotiations along.
“We have some very significant gaps,” US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters on arrival. “On practically all the important issues differences persist and we have not been able to narrow them,” one of Iran’s top negotiators, Abbas Araqchi, told Al-Alam television.
The unbridged positions threaten to prevent the much sought-after, historic deal being struck by its July 20 deadline, when a six-month interim accord with Iran runs out. If no agreement is reached by Sunday next week, both sides can decide to extend the interim pact for some weeks or months to keep talking. In a sign of the high stakes at play, Kerry and the foreign ministers of France, Britain and Germany flew into Vienna on Sunday to face off with Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Full report at:
http://www.nation.com.pk/international/14-Jul-2014/west-iran-say-big-gaps-remain-in-nuclear-talks
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France ends Mali offensive, redeploys troops to Sahel
July 14, 2014
PARIS : France said Sunday its military offensive that freed northern Mali from the grip of militants would be replaced by an operation spanning the wider, largely lawless Sahel region to combat extremist violence.
The so-called Serval offensive kicked off in January last year when French troops came to the help of Malian soldiers to stop Al-Qaeda-linked militants and Tuareg rebels from descending south of the sprawling country and advancing on the capital Bamako. France had initially planned to put an end to Serval and redeploy troops to the Sahel region in May but a fresh bout of clashes between rebels and the army in the flashpoint northern town of Kidal forced Paris to delay the pull-out.
"The president wanted a reorganisation of our troops in the (Sahel) zone," Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Sunday in a television interview.
The French-led Serval operation, which saw eight soldiers die in 18 months, has widely been deemed a success by the international community.
Full report at:
http://www.nation.com.pk/international/14-Jul-2014/france-ends-mali-offensive-redeploys-troops-to-sahel
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UN Security Council to vote on Syria aid access resolution
World Bulletin / News Desk
Jul 14, 2014
The U.N. Security Council will vote Monday on a resolution to allow aid access at four border crossings into rebel-held areas of Syria without government consent, said Western diplomats, who were hopeful Russia and China will support the move.
Australian U.N. Ambassador Gary Quinlan, who drafted the resolution with Luxembourg and Jordan, posted on Twitter that the final version of the text had been circulated to all 15-council members. The vote would be held on Monday, at 12 p.m. (1600 GMT).
The United Nations says some 10.8 million people in Syria need help, of which 4.7 million are in hard-to-reach areas, while another three million have fled the conflict.
A key sticking point with Russia and China has been a threat of further measures against parties that did not comply with this resolution or resolution 2139 adopted in February - measures that also aimed to boost aid access but failed. Further measures could include economic sanctions, diplomats said.
Full report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/world/140537/un-security-council-to-vote-on-syria-aid-access-resolution
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Archbishop of Canterbury warns of hysteria over threat of Muslim radicalisation
Jul 14, 2014
London People in Britain are in danger of becoming “too hysterical” as a “national culture of fear” develops about the threat posed by radicalised Muslims, the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has warned.
A number of radicalised young people are travelling to Syria but Welby described this proportion as “extraordinarily small” as he said that differences between Christianity and Islam were no excuse for hostility.
In a wide-ranging interview on the Andrew Marr Show on BBC1 Welby also said:
People would find it incomprehensible if the Church of England refused once again at its Synod in York this week to vote in favour of ordaining female bishops.
The Church of England faces an unstable future over gay marriage. Welby said he was opposed to gay marriage but confirmed that he had been struggling with the issue.
More cases of child abuse in the Church of England would be uncovered by the new public inquiry led by Lady Butler-Sloss.
Full report at:
http://gulfnews.com/news/world/archbishop-of-canterbury-warns-of-hysteria-over-threat-of-muslim-radicalisation-
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Pakistan
Revolution ‘Trumpeters’ Want To Scuttle Zarb-i-Azb: Minister
Jul 14, 2014
LAHORE: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid says those talking about revolution are trying to fail the Zarb-i-Azb military operation being conducted in North Waziristan.
Talking to the media after a function at National College of Arts (NCA) here on Sunday, he questioned the timing chosen by some politicians for their protest movements.
know more: Aug 14: Government urges Imran to change long march date
Referring to the Aug 14 long march on Islamabad by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Dr Tahirul Qadri’s revolution call, he said these calls were being made at a time when the armed forces were engaged in an operation against terrorists.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1119104/revolution-trumpeters-want-to-scuttle-zarb-i-azb
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Jamaat to challenge Protection of Pakistan Act in court
Jul 14, 2014
PESHAWAR: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq has criticised the Protection of Pakistan Act 2014, saying his party will challenge the law in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Addressing a press conference at the provincial headquarters of his party on Sunday, the JI chief termed Protection of Pakistan Act (PPA) a ‘black law’. He said that JI was going to the court against the law very soon because it was against the fundamental rights of people.
“This law is unconstitutional and repugnant to the fundamental human rights. Therefore, JI will raise voice against it on all forums,” Mr Siraj said. He said that the new law would turn the country into a police state as a Grade-15 police officer could issue shooting order to his subordinates. He said that the Act empowered law enforcement agencies including police to keep a suspect in detention for 60 days.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1119108/jamaat-to-challenge-protection-of-pakistan-act-in-court
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Sufis never go against Sharia, says Kokab Noorani
July 14, 2014
KARACHI: The way of Aulia Karam (Sufi Saints) is to love every creation of the Creator and to do everything with the sole objective of appeasing Almighty Allah, said Sawad e Azam Ahle Sunnat Haqiqi chief Allama Kokab Noorani.
Every act of the Aulia is purely for God, whatever they say or do is with an intention of worship and never adopt anything against Sharia and Sunnah, he said during a discussion on Teachings of Aulia Karam with the host of Ramazan Pakistan Allama Nisar Ali Ujagar.
The two hour transmission saw live calls pouring in from across the globe and Kokab Noorani answering a range of questions. Sufis act as a conduit between God and people, their heavenly mandate is to bring people closer to God, and whatever feats they perform are bestowed upon them by Almighty Allah.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/734961/ramazan-pakistan-sufis-never-go-against-sharia-says-kokab-noorani/
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K-P police prepare list of Afghan refugees allegedly involved in serious crimes
July 14, 2014
PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) police prepared a 4000-person list of Afghan refugees allegedly involved in serious crimes, Express News reported on Monday.
According to the list, at least a thousand of these refugees were involved in acts of terrorism while more than 3,000 were involved in acts of murder, attempted murder, robberies and other crimes.
It was reported that the list has been sent to various police stations in the province and a plan of action to arrest the suspects was being prepared.
The photographs of the Afghan refugees on the list are also being collected and the blacklisted refugees are banned from entering cities.
The Afghan government will reportedly be taken into confidence regarding this matter.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/735492/k-p-police-prepare-list-of-afghan-refugees-involved-in-serious-crimes/
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Plight of Palestinians draws several people to Jamaat-e-Islami rally
July 14, 2014
KARACHI: The rage and helplessness on the plight of 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza drew several people to the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) rally on Sunday.
As Israel’s increasingly bloody offensive in Gaza entered its sixth day, soaring up the Palestinian death toll past 150 with over 1,000 injured, the JI organised the rally as an attempt to “voice solidarity with humanity that is currently under siege”.
There were elderly as well as charged youngsters among the participants, who held posters, placards and banners against what they termed is “Israel’s inhumane massacre of Palestinians”. They marched from Numaish Chowrangi to MA Jinnah Road. A few participants also held portraits of Egypt’s ousted president, Mohamed Morsi, the man who helped broker truce between Israel and Hamas less than two years ago in 2012.
The youth appeared to be closely following the day-to-day happenings in Gaza through their television sets and international news websites as they argued their support along with statistics.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/735254/plight-of-palestinians-draws-several-people-to-ji-rally/
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Sharifs cashing in on Qadri-Imran differences effectively
July 14, 2014
ISLAMABAD - With mercury touching its extreme and fasting becoming muggier, political weather is also set to change in the country in the days to come.
Pakistan's political revolutionary leader Dr Tahir ul Qadari of PAT is burning midnight oil to spark a 'bloodless revolution', while another major opposition leader Imran Khan of PTI has given call to his party workers for rephrased 'Azadi March' on August 14 to shake up the rulers.
On the other hand, top notch of ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) with its power bastions in Islamabad and Punjab is busy giving final touches to its counter plans to browbeat the main political rivals.
Full report at:
http://www.nation.com.pk/national/14-Jul-2014/sharifs-cashing-in-on-qadri-imran-differences-effectively
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Jirga asks Afghan govt to stop militants’ infiltration
Jul 14, 2014
KHAR: The elders and members of peace committees of Mamond tribe in Bajaur Agency on Sunday expressed concern over the fresh cross border attack and asked the Afghan government to hand them over the militants who were responsible for aggression in the region.
The demand was made by elders of peace committees of various areas of Mamond tribe during a jirga here on Sunday, a day after militants from across the border attacked a security forces’ vehicle near Ghakhai pass, leaving three security personnel dead and two others wounded.
Participants of the jirga expressed deep concern over the fresh attack in the border area of Mamond tehsil.
They said that such aggression by militants inside Pakistani territory would not be tolerated in future as such attacks were a clear violation of the country’s sovereignty.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1119092/jirga-asks-afghan-govt-to-stop-militants-infiltration
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Political, religious parties demand govt action on Gaza
Jul 14, 2014
LAHORE: As many as 32 religious and political parties, including the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and Christian and Hindu communities have condemned Israel’s brutality against the Palestinians and demanded the government raise its voice over this issue at all the international platforms.
The Pakistan Ulema Council (PAC) Lahore held a Palestine Solidarity Conference at the Lahore Press Club on Sunday. PAC Chairman Maulana Tahir Ashrafi presided over the conference in which Christian scholar Bishop Sabtain, Father Shahid Meraj, Hindu community’s leader Dr Munawar Chand, Dr Ramesh Kumar, Shia Ulema Council leader Hafiz Kazim, Maulana Abul Khabir Azad, JUP’s Sardar Muhammad Khan Leghari, Sunni Ittehad Council’s Per Mehfooz Mashhadi, Jamiat Ahle-e-Hadith’s Dr Abdul Ghaffor, JUI-F’s Hafiz Riaz Durrani and Maulana Amjad, PAC’s Hafiz Muhammad Amjad and Maulana Muhammad Mushtaq, Maulana Abdul Qayyum, Maulana Ashfaq, Maulana Mumtaz Awan, PML-N’s MNA Pervez Malik, and civil society representative Abdullah Malik participated. They spoke on the issue and condemned Israel for its bombardment on innocent and unarmed Palestinians in the last four days.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/punjab/14-Jul-2014/political-religious-parties-demand-govt-action-on-gaza
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Altaf condemns Gaza’s massacre and UN’s silence
July 14, 2014
Karachi- Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain condemned the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza and called for all political parties to stage a joint rally against the massacre.
Talking exclusively to Private TV, MQM chief said that the silence of United Nations Organization and Muslim countries is saddening on the issue.
Altaf Hussain claimed that Israel is doing such activities without fear as powerful countries are backing the state while Muslim leaders are busy in their lavish spending and luxurious living.
Hussain called for all political parties of Pakistan to stage a joint rally to condemn Israeli atrocities against Palestinian populace.
http://www.nation.com.pk/national/14-Jul-2014/altaf-condemns-gaza-s-massacre-and-un-s-silence
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South Asia
20 Taliban militants killed in counter-terrorism operations
Jul 14 2014
At least 20 Taliban militants were killed following military operations in various provinces of Afghanistan in the past 24 hours.
The Interior Ministry of Afghanistan following a statement said the operations were jointly conducted by Afghan National Police, Afghan National Army and Afghan Intelligence – National Directorate of Security (NDS) operatives.
The statement further added that the operations were conducted in Kandahar, Nimroz and Kabul provinces.
At least 12 Taliban militants were also injured and 5 others were detained during the operation, the statement added.
Interior ministry officials also said Afghan security forces also confiscated various types of light and heavy weapons along with ammunition and explosives.
Afghan police forces discovered and seized 7 improvised explosive device (IED) during operations in Kandahar.
The anti-government armed militant groups have not commented regarding the report so far.
http://www.khaama.com/20-taliban-militants-killed-in-counter-terrorism-operations-8312
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Bangladesh: Cabinet condemns Israeli aggression on Gaza
Jul 14, 2014
The cabinet has condemned the Israeli atrocities on the civilian population in Gaza.
In its regular meeting, the cabinet discussed the issue and denounced the Israeli aggression against Gaza.
Cabinet Secretary M Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan briefed the reporters after the meeting at the secretariat on Monday afternoon.
He said the cabinet members also termed the Israeli attacks "unwanted" and "disgraceful."
Bangladesh also called upon international community to create pressure on Israel to stop the air strikes in Gaza.
In the meeting, the cabinet also approved "Bangladesh Railway Board (Repeal) Act, 2014" in principal.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2014/jul/14/cabinet-condemns-israeli-aggression-gaza#sthash.1Izr6ino.dpuf
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Sri Lanka Army recruits Tamil and Muslim youths from East as tradesman
Jul 14, 2014
Sri Lanka Army said that it has recruited 426 Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim youths, resident in the general areas of the East as tradesman.
The youth, recruited following three rounds of interviews are now undergoing introductory military training.
Once the training is completed, they will be deployed as tradesmen in the 6 (v) Sri Lanka Army General Service Corps (SLAGSC) at the Security Force Headquarters - East (SFHQ-E), the Army said.
The interviews were held during April - June 2014 in Trincomalee, Polonnaruwa, Batticaloa, Punani and Ampara areas.
Full report at:
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_14B/Jul14_1405318153CH.php
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Mideast
Abbas demands international protection from Israeli tyranny
Jul 14, 2014
Saudi Arabia has criticized the UN Security Council for not taking effective action to prevent the Israeli military aggression against Gaza. “The Security Council statement on Israel’s attack on the Gazans was not up to the expectations of its members and the stature of the international body,” said Abdullah Al-Muallami, the Kingdom’s permanent representative to the UN.
Al-Muallami, who is also head of the OIC group at the UN, said the Security Council statement had not denounced the Israeli aggression that killed over 160 Palestinians in four days.
“The Organization of Islamic Cooperation had called for setting up a neutral committee to probe the Israeli aggression, especially the killing of Mohammed Abu Khdeir.
“The OIC had also called for providing international protection for the Palestinians,” Al-Muallami said. He expressed hope that Israel would heed the international call for ending its military operation. “If this is not happening, we will again ask the Security Council to adopt more effective measures on the issue,” he said.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/news/601636
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Gaza toll hits 172 as Israel offensive enters 7th day
Jul 14, 2014
Israeli strikes on Gaza claimed the lives of a Palestinian man and a woman early on Monday, medics said, raising the overall death toll to 172 as the campaign entered its seventh day.
Both died of injuries sustained in Israeli air strikes on Sunday, when another eight people were killed.
Late on Sunday Israeli strikes killed a 65-year old man in Deir el-Balah, in the southern part of the strip, a 20-year-old in Rafah adjacent to the Egyptian border, and two in Khan Yunis, also in the south.
One strike on the northern town of Jabaliya struck a house, killing a 14-year-old boy, emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said.
Shortly afterwards, another strike killed a woman in the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, he said.
A man was killed in a raid on Beit Hanun in northern Gaza, where the Israeli army has warned it will sharply escalate its offensive and had urged residents to flee.
Elsewhere another person succumbed to injuries from an earlier strike, Qudra said, giving an overall toll of 172 dead.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/106197/World/Region/Gaza-toll-hits--as-Israel-offensive-enters-th-day.aspx
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Yemeni leader demands Shia group give up captured city
Jul 14, 2014
Yemen's president on Sunday demanded the withdrawal of Shia Muslim tribesmen from a captured provincial city, in a stand-off that threatens to intensify turmoil in the Arab country.
The Houthis, named after their tribal leader, had handed back an army camp to the Yemeni government on Saturday to try to defuse tensions caused by their capture last week of Omran, some 50 km (30 miles) north of the capital Sanaa.
But President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi signalled the government's patience was running out.
"Everyone has to understand very well that there will be no negotiation over the exit of the Houthis with their weapons from Omran," he was quoted as saying by state news agency SABA, in comments he made at a lecture at a military college.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/106180/World/Region/Yemeni-leader-demands-Shia-group-give-up-captured-.aspx
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Islamic Relief Launches Gaza Fund
Jul 14, 2014
PUTRAJAYA: Islamic Relief Malaysia has launched its ‘Palestine Emergency Appeal’ fund to aid the civilian victims of the Israeli bombings in Gaza that has entered its sixth day today, claiming at least 166 lives, mostly women and children, following a deluge of air-to-surface strikes.
The international aid organisation’s country director Zairulshahfuddin Zainal Abidin said the funds donated here will be channelled to its branch in Palestine where full-time staffers will acquire crucial medical aid and other food supplies.
He said the funds would be funds would be directly transferred to the organisation’s branch in Palestine where at least 120 full-timers and more volunteers were working round-the-clock to provide assistance to those injured or displaced by the aerial bombings which has mostly decimated residential areas.
Full report at:
http://www.malaysiandigest.com/frontpage/29-4-tile/508993-islamic-relief-launches-gaza-fund.html
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Gazan rocket knocks out power for 70,000 Gazans
Jul 14, 2014
A rocket fired from Gaza knocked out a power line in Israel that supplied electricity to 70,000 Gazans, according to the IDF Spokesman's Office on Sunday night.
The outage was caused by shrapnel from the rocketfire that hit the high voltage line that feeds electricity into Gaza, the Israel Electric Corporation said.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Minister Silvan Shalom instructed IEC chairman Yiftah Ron-Tal to refrain from endangering the lives of IEC workers, according to the company.
"For this reason, the IEC intends to fix the problem," a company spokeswoman said. "However, in light of the security situation, and the great danger that we foresee for the lives of the IEC workers in the event if they perform the repair under fire, the problem will be fixed as soon as possible in terms of security."
http://www.jpost.com/Operation-Protective-Edge/Gazan-rocket-knocks-out-power-for-70000-Gazans-362682
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Hamas media campaign taunts Israel, fortifies Gaza public
World Bulletin/News Desk
Jul 14, 2014
Hamas militants warned Israel for the first time, and in Hebrew, of an impending rocket attack, adopting psychological warfare with the Jewish state while trying to raise the morale of Gaza's Palestinians harder hit by Israeli bombardment.
Around 160 Palestinians in the tiny overcrowded enclave, most of them civilians, have been killed in six days of conflict while Israel has reported no dead.
On Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV at eight in the evening Saturday, the voice of Abu Ubeida - the perpetually masked and camouflaged spokesman of the group's armed wing - broadcast a warning.
Full report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/news/140650/hamas-media-campaign-taunts-israel-fortifies-gaza-public
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Turkey increases aid to Gaza through Israeli crossing
Jul 14, 2014
Amid the spiraling bloodshed in Gaza, Turkey continues to send aid to the Palestinian enclave through the Kerem Shalom border crossing in coordination with the Israeli army. Turkish agencies have been flowing aid into Gaza worth a total of $2.5 million and most of the assistance is based on local procurement, a Turkish official told the Hürriyet Daily News.
The rest of the Turkish humanitarian assistance, food and medical treatment provided from Turkey, has been delivered into Gaza through Israeli crossings in line with the earlier practices between the two countries, the official added. The Israeli Embassy in Ankara contacted the Turkish authorities late July 11 and offered assistance with the coordination of delivering aid to the Gaza Strip, according to embassy officials.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-increases-aid-to-gaza-through-israeli-crossing.aspx?pageID=238&nID=69074&NewsCatID=510
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Israel says it downed drone along coastline
Jul 14, 2014
Israel's military on Monday said it downed a drone fired from Gaza near its southern coastline, Israeli military officials were quoted by the Associated Press as saying.
This is the first time Israel encountered such a weapon since its campaign against the Gaza Strip militants began last week.
The military said the drone came from Gaza and was shot down near the southern city of Ashdod, the military said. It did not say what the drone was carrying and there was no immediate confirmation from Gaza on the use of unmanned aircraft.
The news comes as Israel appeared to hold off on a threatened escalation of its week-old Gaza Strip barrage on Monday despite having balked at Western calls for a ceasefire with an equally defiant Hamas.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/07/14/Israeli-campaign-on-Gaza-enters-7-th-day.html
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Palestinian FM arrives in Cairo for urgent meeting on Gaza crISIS
Jul 14, 2014
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki has arrived in Cairo to attend an Arab foreign ministers' meeting to discuss Israel's ongoing attacks on Gaza, which have killed more than 100 Palestinians so far, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.
Al-Maliki will be discussing the issue with foreign ministers and Arab League Secretary General Nabil El-Arabi.
Kuwait, which holds the rotating leadership of the Arab League, demanded called an urgent three-day meeting to discuss the deteriorating situation in Gaza.
On Thursday, Egypt opened its border crossing with the Gaza Strip to receive Palestinians injured in an intensifying Israeli offensive against the enclave.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/106200/Egypt/Politics-/Palestinian-FM-arrives-in-Cairo-for-urgent-meeting.aspx
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North America
American Muslims' ongoing civil rights fight
JULY 14, 2014
Washington, DC - Thirteen years after the September 11 attacks, Arabs and Muslim Americans in the US still face continuing bias and prejudice, Arab Americans and civil rights activists say.
"It has gotten worse for us," said Nadia Tonova, the executive director of the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC) in Dearborn, Michigan. "We are a community that is constantly under suspicion. It's really at a point where it's out of control."
The NNAAC is rolling out a $4.5m grassroots mobilisation campaign called " Take on Hate " in New York City on July 15, designed to give Arab Americans and Muslims tools for combating bias and prejudice. The campaign, funded by the Open Society Foundation and the Proteus Fund, will focus on achieving public policy changes, educating the US public about Muslims and giving community activists a platform to battle discrimination.
The campaign aims to challenge acts of discrimination such as an incident that occurred on June 16, during a panel discussion held by the conservative Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC.
Full report at:
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/american-muslims-ongoing-civil-rights-fight-112226937.html#dtTpFhI
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Netanyahu defends Israeli offensive in Gaza on US television
Jul 14, 2014
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rebuffed international calls for a ceasefire while defending his country's offensive in Gaza during appearances on US television on Sunday.
Netanyahu appealed for sympathy for Israelis under siege from militant rockets as a warning siren followed by an all-clear signal punctuated his interview on CBS' "Face the Nation."
"When we began this interview we were under bomb alert and as the minutes passed now we're told people can go out into the open air again," he said.
"This is the kind of reality we're living in. And we'll do whatever is necessary to put an end to it," he said, referring to the escalating violence between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules Gaza.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/106175/World/Region/Netanyahu-defends-Israeli-offensive-in-Gaza-on-US-.aspx
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Kerry to press for 'critical choices' in second meeting with Iran's Zarif
Jul 14, 2014
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will press his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif to make "critical choices" in a second straight day of talks over Tehran's nuclear programme on Monday, a U.S. official said.
Kerry and Zarif met for two hours on Sunday on the sidelines of a meeting between Iran and six major negotiating powers - the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China - as a July 20 deadline for a deal with Tehran looms.
Kerry would "gauge Iran's willingness to make the critical choices it needs to make", a senior State Department official said. "The Secretary will take the time necessary to have that discussion, and that's why they will be meeting again today, to see if progress can be made," the official said.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/kerry-to-press-for-critical-choices-in-second-meeting-with-irans-zarif.aspx?pageID=238&nID=69077&NewsCatID=359
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Pak-Afghan ties key to regional stability: US
Jul 14, 2014
WASHINGTON: The stability of the entire region requires cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan, two top US military commanders have told Congress.
At their confirmation hearings this week, an admiral and a general, who are taking over the command of US forces in Afghanistan and other key regions, also pledged to encourage the two nations to work with each other.
Gen John F. Campbell, who has been nominated to lead American forces in Afghanistan, noted that Pakistan was postured to occupy a significant role in the security situation in Afghanistan.
Admiral William Gortney, who has been nominated to head the US Northern Command, told lawmakers that it was critical for the United States to have a partnership with Pakistan.
know more: Pak-Afghan ties
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1119025/pak-afghan-ties-key-to-regional-stability-us
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Southeast Asia
Kuala Lumpur HC throws out Muslim scholar’s suit, says can’t rule on Shariah matter
BY JOSEPH SIPALAN
JULY 14, 2014
KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 — Muslim intellectual Kassim Ahmad, accused of insulting Islam and defying religious authorities, lost his bid for a judicial review at the High Court today after the civil court ruled the matter to be under the jurisdiction of the Shariah Court.
Justice Datuk Zaleha Yusof, in dismissing the former social activist’s application, ruled in chambers the case could only be adjudged in the Islamic courts.
“The judge ruled that the subject matter was within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Shariah Court,” Senior Federal Counsel Suzana Atan told journalists outside the courtroom.
Malaysia has two legal systems, with the civil courts that apply universally and the Shariah system that only applies to and recognises Muslims.
Kassim, 81, was charged at the Shariah High Court in Putrajaya last March for allegedly insulting Islam and defying religious authorities at a seminar that was officiated by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad a month earlier.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/high-court-throws-out-muslim-scholars-suit-says-cant-rule-on-shariah-matter#sthash.mHgtFy2R.dpuf
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Bernama recalls Jakarta reporter accused of plagiarism
JULY 14, 2014
KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 — The Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) has withdrawn its correspondent in Jakarta, Indonesia effective immediately following the claim by the Jakarta Globe that two of its articles had been plagiarised and published in www.bernama.com last week.
Bernama Editor-in-Chief Datuk Zulkefli Salleh said in a statement here today that a new correspondent would be sent to Jakarta, scheduled in August.
He said that following the allegation, two Bernama management representatives had held a meeting with editors of the Indonesian newspaper in Jakarta at the end of last week.
“Following the meeting, the newspaper considered the matter to have been resolved,” he said.
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/bernama-recalls-jakarta-correspondent-after-plagiarism-allegations#sthash.EOm8FrEq.dpuf
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Pakatan: Use TPPA as leverage to end Israel’s offensive on Gaza
BY PATHMA SUBRAMANIAM
JULY 14, 2014
KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 — Leverage Malaysia’s bargaining power by ending all discussions pertaining to the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) until the Obama administration quits supporting Israel, urged Pakatan Rakyat (PR).
The opposition MPs pointed out that Malaysia, as a small nation, is not capable of ending the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip — which has claimed more than 150 lives.
“Israel’s atrocities are continuing with the support of the United States of America,” said PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali, in delivering a joint statement condemning the air strike initiated Israel since last week.
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/use-tppa-as-leverage-to-end-israels-offensive-on-gaza-pr-urges#sthash.iHSZzqOa.dpuf
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Ruminating on Indonesia’s Future Amid Uncertainty
Jul 14, 2014
Presidential hopeful Joko Widodo and running mate Jusuf Kalla declared they won the July 9 election — an assertion based on quick counts by a number of polling agencies, which show the pair leading by a margin of 3 to 6 percentage points.
“Fat chance,” came the effective retort from opponent Prabowo Subianto’s side soon after, brandishing their own set of in-house survey agencies, albeit with a narrower margin of less than 4 percentage points. Initial reactions by the market shows that it put more credence in Joko’s claim. Still, given the conspicuous absence of a concession, the market still cannot rid itself of the dreary specter of uncertainty for a while more.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/business/ruminating-indonesias-future-amid-uncertainty/
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Africa
Nine killed in fighting near Libya's Tripoli airport
World Bulletin/News Desk
Jul 14, 2014
Nine people were killed and more than 30 others wounded in clashes that marred the Libyan capital Tripoli, the Health Ministry said.
The clashes erupted between Libya Shield forces, serving under the Libyan army, and Al-Qaaqaa and al-Sawaaq militias.
Eyewitnesses said that the Libya Shield troops seized three camps of the two militias and reassumed control of the army command headquarters and Interior Ministry building in the capital.
Earlier in the day, the Libya Shield launched an operation –dubbed "Libya's Dawn" – to restore government buildings and the palaces of the former Muammar Gaddafi regime from militiamen who had occupied them since Gaddafi's fall in 2011.
Eyewitnesses said, meanwhile, that three Grad rockets had fallen inside Tripoli airport.
Two planes were damaged after a fourth rocket hit the runway, they added.
Full report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/world/140592/nine-killed-in-fighting-near-libyas-tripoli-airport
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U.N. temporarily moves some staff out of Libya
World Bulletin/News Desk
Jul 14, 2014
The United Nations said on Sunday it had temporarily relocated some of its international staff out of Libya after heavy fighting broke out between rival militias vying for control of Libya's main airport.
The fighting killed at least seven people and forced a halt to all flights in the worst violence in the capital in six months.
"We can confirm a temporary relocation for security reasons," U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said, without giving figures.
If the security situation continued to deteriorate, U.N. sources did not rule out a temporary relocation of all remaining international staff in Libya. One U.N. source said U.N. staff had been "significantly reduced."
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya, or UNSMIL, has some 200 national and international staff, according to its website.
http://www.worldbulletin.net/news/140631/un-temporarily-moves-some-staff-out-of-libya
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Bomb attack kills seven Algerian troops
World Bulletin/News Desk
Jul 14, 2014
A bomb killed seven members of Algeria's security forces, the defence ministry said on Sunday, the second deadly attack in the country in four months.
Militants attacked a military convoy in Sidi Bel Abbes province in western Algeria late on Saturday, the ministry said in a statement. Three soldiers and four municipal guards were killed.
The statement said "terrorists" carried out the attack, a term used by the authorities to refer to Al Qaeda militants.
Violence and militant attacks are rarer since Algeria ended its decade-long 1990s war, but the North African branch of al Qaeda and other militants are still active, especially in the south where desert borders are porous.
Full report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/headlines/140610/bomb-attack-kills-seven-algerian-troops
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Al-Bashir refuses to delay Sudan's presidential poll
World Bulletin / News Desk
Jul 14, 2014
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir once more turned down calls by the opposition for postponing his country's presidential election, which is slated for April 2015.
“Holding the election in time is a constitutional obligation,” al-Bashir told reporters in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, following a meeting with a group of lawmakers. “There is no reason to postpone it.”
The Sudanese president had repeatedly refused to postpone the election, even as several opposition parties had boycotted a national dialogue preparing for the poll.
Sudan’s Umma and Islah parties, which had boycotted the national dialogue, said no decision should be made on the election before the national dialogue comes to an end.
Full report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/world/140639/al-bashir-refuses-to-delay-sudans-presidential-poll
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