‘Gaddafi forces regrouping in Algeria’
US-Pak crisis: Khar recalled, Kayani meets generals
Iran eyes saffron ties, Invites India’s Main Oppn. Party Chief
Saudi king gives women right to vote
Nigerian Celebrated Activist Who Saved Two Women From Being Stoned To Death
Pak Christian girl accused of blasphemy
Ahmadiyyas’ Quran exhibition cut short by protests, Bukhari detained
Pakistans nuclear architect A Q Khan letter reveals Paks N-tryst with China
Haqqanis ISIs proxy force that triggered US-Pakistan standoff
Rabbani exchanged notes with Naga talks interlocutor
Thousands of Muslims rally against extremism in London
Glad that US recognised Haqqani, ISI links: Indian Foreign Minister
Linking ISI with terrorism reflects policy disarray in US: Gilani
Three blasts kill 12 in Iraq's Kerbala
Suicide bomber kills three at Indonesia church: Witnesses
14 killed as Filipino troops clash with militants
10 Indians die in Kathmandu crash
Yemeni troops fire on protesters, killing one
NATO service member killed in Afghanistan
NTC forces assault Gaddafi city
US asks Saleh to initiate a full transfer of power immediately
Steeled by support to UN statehood bid, Abbas cold-shoulders Quartet talks plan
Bharatpur clashes: Cops file five FIRs
India-Bangladesh to discuss bilateral border security
In search of Afghan peace, India reaches out to Iran
ATS zeroes in on Indian Mujahideen
Kishtwar boy released, SSP tells father ‘your child is brilliant’
NC, Cong in a fix over vote on Afzal Guru plea
J& K drug peddlers take Mughal Road shortcut
Kayani meets top army commanders after U.S. claims
Pakistan: Greater role for women in decision-making stressed
Pak shared nuclear secrets with Iran, Libya: ISI report
Pakistan wants to see Afghanistan stable and successful: FM Hina Rabbani Khar
World Bank to provide $300m to Pakistan for education
MQM chief Altaf Hussain deplores Mullen’s allegations against Pakistan
China turns to its Muslims to tap the West Asian halal food market
Egypt’s military ruler testifies in Mubarak trial
Afghan police foil suicide attacks in the south
GCC asks Saleh to hand over power
Dozens protest killing of Chechens in Turkey
JEDDAH: Nation in enthusiastic show of patriotism and unity
Hafiz Saeed ask Pakistani's to pray for forgiveness of sins
Pakistan claim stops Christie’s auction of Buddha
Pakistani tangent in an American life
Iraq’s Freedom Radio goes quiet
2 Americans Released From Iranian Prison Head Home
From allies to America’s Afghan nemesis
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/‘gaddafi-forces-regrouping-algeria’/d/5555
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‘Gaddafi forces regrouping in Algeria’
Sep 26 2011
Tripoli : Gunmen loyal to Muammar Gaddafi have crossed the Libyan border from Algeria and attacked revolutionary forces in a town near the frontier, killing six people, officials said Sunday.
The cross-border attack on Saturday shows loyalist forces have managed to escape Libya and regroup and collect arms in the neighbouring country, bolstering fears that Libya could face a protracted insurgency.
Col Ahmed Bani, a military spokesman for the government, said the attack on Ghadamis occurred Saturday but they had intelligence that cars filled with weapons had crossed the border. Ghadamis is about 450 km southwest of Tripoli. He said the loyalist forces were believed to belong to a unit that had been under the command of Gaddafi’s son Khamis, who was reportedly killed in fighting before the revolutionary forces seized Tripoli. Bani said revolutionary forces had repelled the attack but the assailants escaped back across the border. An official from Ghadamis, Ali al-Mana, said fighting was ongoing. He claimed that six people had been killed and 63 wounded.
Gaddafi’s wife and three of his children, including daughter Aisha, fled to Algeria through Ghadamis after Tripoli’s fall last month.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/gaddafi-forces-regrouping-in-algeria/851685/
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US-Pak crisis: Khar recalled, Kayani meets generals
Sep 26 2011
Islamabad : The tense standoff between Pakistan and the US over the ISI’s links with the terrorist Haqqani network escalated sharply today after Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani recalled Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar from New York, and announced a meeting of all political parties to “apprise them on the security situation in the wake of threats emanating from outside the country”.
Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani chaired a six-hour meeting with his top commanders to review the “security situation”, and Pakistan’s second highest ranking general complained to a top US commander about “negative statements emerging from the US”.
Over the past few days, top US officials have repeatedly accused the ISI of encouraging the Haqqani network, describing the Afghan terrorist organisation as a “veritable arm” of the Pakistani intelligence service.
On Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican member of the Armed Services Committee, said that if Islamabad “continued to embrace terrorism as part of their national strategy”, the US would have to “put all options on the table”.
A statement issued by Prime Minister Gilani’s office said Foreign Minister Khar had been “summoned to reach Pakistan soon to be present in the briefing, which will be given by all the concerned authorities”.
The proposed meeting with all political parties “will send a strong message that the nation stands united when the defence and security of the country is at stake”, the statement added. “Political differences in domestic politics do not come in the way of national and foreign policy issues, which are above party politics.”
Khar was expected to fly back to Islamabad tonight, TV channels quoted official sources as saying. Gilani had sent Khar to the UN after pulling out of the trip himself, reportedly after President Barack Obama refused to meet him on the sidelines of the UN meet.
The foreign minister would meet both Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari on her return, reports said. She has been called back because her presence is vital at the meeting of the country’s political leadership, official sources were quoted as saying. Khar was the only member of the civilian leadership to have had direct contact with US officials regarding the allegations about the ISI. In a strongly worded statement, the minister had rejected the US charges and warned Washington not to alienate an ally.
Earlier in the day, a six-hour meeting of the Pakistan Army corps commanders reviewed the security situation in the country in the backdrop of growing tensions and sharp escalation of rhetoric with the US. The meeting rejected the US accusations and decided to give a “fitting response” to any cross-border attacks by militants based in Afghanistan, Geo News reported.
The commanders also agreed that Kayani would meet Zardari and Gilani to take the political leadership into confidence, the channel reported.
At a meeting with the visiting US vCentral Command chief Gen James Mattis today, Gen Khalid Shameem Wynne, chairman of Pakistan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, expressed “concern about the negative statements emanating from the US”. Wynne called for “addressing the irritants” in the relationship which are “a result of an extremely complex situation”, a military statement said.
Gilani spent the day contacting leaders of various political parties to develop consensus on the US accusations. Chief of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Maulana Fazlur Rehman called on Gilani, and the prime minister spoke on the phone with PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Altaf Hussain, Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Jamaat-e-Islami head Munawar Hassan.Rezaul H Laskar
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/uspak-crisis-khar-recalled-kayani-meets-
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Iran eyes saffron ties, Invites India’s Main Oppn. Party Chief
By Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury
Sep 26 2011
IRANIAN President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is not just keen to develop closer ties with the UPA government but also wants to woo the main Opposition party BJP. On Friday, as Ahmadinejad invited Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to visit Tehran following the meeting between the two inNew York, the Iranian government is also learnt to have called on BJP chief Nitin Gadkari to undertake a visit.
Iran’s tilt towards the BJP can be understood from the fact that bilateral ties between both countries had gained significant momentum between 1998 and 2004, when the NDA was in power.
The NDA government had in 2003 invited Iranian President Mohammad Khatami as the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations.
A visit by the BJP chief to Iran is likely to have an impact among the Shia voters in India.
The meeting between Singh and Ahmadinejad on Friday was the first since 2008 when the Iranian President was here for a couple of hours en route to Tehran from Colombo.
Of late, there have been few attempts by New Delhi to reach out to Tehran following the strain in bilateral ties after India voted against Iran at the IAEA in 2009 and pulled out of the multi- billion dollar Iran- Pakistan- India ( IPI) pipeline, apparently at the behest of the US. While senior Iranian ministers have been visiting India at regular intervals, the Indian government has failed to reciprocate satisfactorily. External affairs minister S. M. Krishna is the only senior minister who has visited Iran in the past couple of years.
The ties between the two countries received a further jolt last year when despite invitations to the external affairs minister and national security adviser ( NSA) to a nuclear summit organised in Tehran, India sent a joint secretary- level officer from the MEA. This year though there have been improvements in relations between the two countries with senior government officials such as NSA Shivshankar Menon and former foreign secretary Nirupama Rao visiting Tehran in March and July respectively Iran is India’s second biggest oil supplier and accounts for 12 per cent of the country’s oil supplies.
Following the imposition of sanctions, the two sides have been in constant touch over the delay in payments for oil imported from Iran.
India has also put on fast track its involvement in expanding the strategic Chabahar port in Iran which connects the Delaram- Zaranj road in Afghanistan.
Mail Today
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Saudi king gives women right to vote
Sep 26 2011
Riyadh : Saudi King Abdullah announced today he was giving women the right to vote and run in municipal elections, the only public polls in the ultra-conservative Gulf kingdom.
He also announced that women would have the right to join the all-appointed Shura (consultative) Council, in an address opening a new term of the council.
"Starting with the next term, women will have the right to run in municipal elections and to choose candidates, according to Islamic principles," he said.
This means that women will be able to take part in the elections that will be held in four years as the next vote is due to take place on Thursday and nominations for those polls are already in.
"We have decided that women will participate in the Shura Council as members starting the next term," the king also said in an unexpected move to enfranchise women in the ultra-conservative kingdom.
Women rights activists have long fought to gain the right to vote in the kingdom that applies a strict version of Sunni Islam and bans women from driving or travelling without the consent of a male guardian.
More than 5,000 men will compete in Thursday's municipal elections, only the second in Saudi Arabia's history, to fill half the seats in the kingdom's 285 municipal councils. The other half are appointed by the government.
The first elections were held in 2005, but the government extended the existing councils' term for two more years.
More than 60 Saudi intellectuals and activists have called for a boycott of the ballot for excluding women.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/saudi-king-gives-women-right-to-vote/851627/
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Nigerian Celebrated Activist Who Saved Two Women From Being Stoned To Death
25 September 2011
Hauwa Ibrahim is a world-acclaimed Nigerian human rights activist, who in 2002, rose to global prominence, after she was able to secure justice for two Nigerians found guilty of adultery by Sharia law and were subsequently sentenced to death by stoning.
Since that period up till now, Hauwa has been consistent in defending the cause of the defenceless. SEYI GESINDE reports.
Hauwa Ibrahim is a prominent Nigerian human rights activist and lawyer. She became the toast of the world in 2002, when she appealed against the death sentence passed on Safiya Hussaini and Amina Lawal for adultery and conceiving a child out of wedlock by a Sharia law court.
This case, apart from winning a global accolade for Hauwa, also drew world attention to Nigeria, especially Zamfara State that inaugurated the Islamic Sharia law in Nigeria. After a lot of outcry, both within Nigeria and the international community, Hauwa was able to save the lives of these two condemned women, as the case was overruled after she appealed against it.
Hauwa was globally celebrated for her unrepentant stand against religious fundamentalism, most importantly the breaching of fundamental human rights of these helpless Nigerians, who would have been stoned to death.
Full report at:
http://www.tribune.com.ng/sat/index.php/youth-achiever/5384-hauwa-ibrahim-celebrated-
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Pak Christian girl accused of blasphemy
Sep 25 2011
Islamabad : A teenage Pakistani Christian girl who misspelt a word while answering a question on a poem written in praise of Prophet Mohammed was accused of blasphemy and expelled from school, according to a media report today.
Faryal Bhatti, an eighth grade student at Sir Syed Girls' High School in the Pakistan Ordnance Factories colony at Havelian near Abbottabad, misspelt the word in an Urdu examination on Thursday.
While answering the question on a poem written in praise of Prophet Mohammed, Bhatti misspelt the word 'naat' (hymn) as 'laanat' (curse). This was an easy error for a child to make as the written versions of the words are similar, The Express Tribune daily reported.
The error led to accusations of blasphemy against Bhatti and uproar among local religious leaders.
According to the school's administration and religious leaders who took exception to the student's mistake, the error was "serious" enough to fall within the realm of blasphemy.
Bhatti's Urdu teacher Fareeda Bibi noticed the error while collecting answer sheets from her students. She reportedly summoned Bhatti, scolded her and beat her.
When Bhatti's classmates learnt of the alleged blasphemy, the teacher brought the matter to the notice of the principal, who in turn informed the school's management.
The news also spread through the Pakistan Ordnance Factories colony. The next day, male students of the school and some religious leaders organised a rally and demanded the registration of a criminal case against Bhatti and her expulsion from the area.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pak-christian-girl-accused-of-blasphemy/851523/
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Ahmadiyyas’ Quran exhibition cut short by protests, Bukhari detained
Maroosha Muzaffar
Sep 25 2011
New Delhi : Three-day exhibition of Quran in 53 languages closed on Day 2, 56 detained at Daryaganj police station
The three-day Quran exhibition put up by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat-Delhi at the Constitution Club was cut short on Saturday, the second day of exhibition, after protests by Muslims.
The exhibition showcased the Holy Quran in 53 languages, translated by Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat. It was scheduled to be held from September 23 to 25, between 11 am and 8 pm daily. The organisers put up a board reading ‘Exhibition Closed’ outside the main entry around 2.15 pm on Saturday.
A contingent of police, some in riot gear, was also deployed at the spot.
As the protests grew, police took a few persons, including the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid and his younger brother, in preventive custody.
According to police, at least 56 people were detained from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Marg in Daryaganj. “They were planning a rally towards the Constitution Club. We took them into preventive custody so that law and order is not disturbed,” said a senior police officer.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ahmadiyyas-quran-exhibition-cut-short-by-protests-
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Pakistans nuclear architect A Q Khan letter reveals Paks N-tryst with China
Chidanand Rajghatta
Sep 26 2011
Washington: In an angry, bitter, self-exculpatory letter he wrote to his wife, Pakistans nuclear architect A Q Khan has seriously implicated the Pakistani military and the Chinese government in proliferation of nuclear technology and material, and instructed her to take a tough stand if Pakistani establishment plays any mischief with me.
Tell them the bastards first used us and now playing dirty games with us, Khan concludes in a letter to his Dutch wife Henny, asking her to contact the media, in particular British journalist Simon Henderson, his confidante for many years, in a December 2003 letter.
Henderson, custodian of many of Khans secrets revealed to him as an insurance against harassment or worse by the Pakistani establishment, has periodically leaked them to the western media each time Islamabad has turned the screws on Khan, who has been under house detention and close watch ever since Pakistans proliferation activities were exposed early last decade.
In the latest such expose, Henderson last week provided Fox News with Khans letter to his wife in which the nuclear engineer reveals a stunning degree of proliferation between Islamabad and Beijing, evidently with government compliance. Pakistan has insisted that the proliferation was a rogue operation by Khan and the government or the military had nothing to do with it.
Full report at: Times of India
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Haqqanis ISIs proxy force that triggered US-Pakistan standoff
Mark Mazzetti,Scott Shane & Alissa J Rubin
Sep 26 2011
Washington: They are the Sopranos of the Afghanistan war, a ruthless crime family that built an empire out of kidnapping, extortion, smuggling, even trucking. They have trafficked in precious gems,stolen lumber and demanded protection money from businesses building roads and schools with American reconstruction funds.
They safeguard their mountainous turf by planting deadly roadside bombs and shelling remote US military bases. And they are accused by US officials of being guns for hire: a proxy force used by the Pakistani intelligence service to carry out grisly, highprofile attacks in Kabul and throughout the country.
Today, American intelligence and military officials call the crime clan known as the Haqqani network led by a wizened militant named Jalaluddin Haqqani who has allied himself over the years with the CIA, Saudi Arabias spy service and Osama bin Laden the most deadly insurgent group in Afghanistan.
Full report at: Times of India
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Rabbani exchanged notes with Naga talks interlocutor
Sep 26 2011
New Delhi : Barely a couple of months before he was assassinated in his own home by a suicide bomber, former Afghanistan president Burhanuddin Rabbani had spent over an hour with New Delhi’s interlocutor for Naga talks R S Pandey in a bid to understand the Indian experience of reconciliation efforts.
Pandey is understood to have given him a detailed account of efforts made by India over the past several years to deal with insurgent Naga groups through dialogue. Rabbani was given examples of how many old insurgent leaders had gone on to become ministers and chief ministers, without the dialogue compromising on the primacy of the Indian Constitution.
Rabbani is learnt to have shown a lot of interest in the Indian approach. The Afghan leader, who was chairman of the High Peace Council to negotiate with the Taliban, had many questions, and expressed the desire to meet more Indian interlocutors in future.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/rabbani-exchanged-notes-with-naga-talks-interlocutor/851731/
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Thousands of Muslims rally against extremism in London
25 September 2011
LONDON: Thousands of Muslims gathered together for a peace rally to commemorate the 10th anniversary of September 11 attacks, expressing their condemnation of terrorism and extremism.
The Peace for Humanity conference has been organised by the Islamic group Minhaj-ul-Quran, which is also launching a campaign to get one million people to sign an online declaration of peace by 2012.
Islam is against terrorism, a leading Islamic scholar told the 12000-strong gathering at Wembley.
Islamic scholar Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri said the conference will send a message that 10 years of extremist activity should end.
"We should strive together, to bring an end to the era of extremist terrorism so that the peace and love and fraternity - which is lost because of unfortunate extremistic activity in the last decade - should come to end and we may restore the peace, love and smiles on the faces of mankind," Tahir-ul- Qadri, the founder of Minhaj-ul-Quran, said.
He added: "We reject unequivocally all terrorism because at the heart of all religions is a belief in the sanctity of the lives of the innocent. The indiscriminate nature of terrorism, which has in recent years killed far more civilians and other non-combatants than it has combatants."
Video messages of support from politicians, including deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, opposition leader Ed Miliband and communities secretary Eric Pickles were also due to be played along with a collective multi-faith prayer.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/Thousands-of-Muslims-rally-against-
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Glad that US recognised Haqqani, ISI links: Indian Foreign Minister
Sep 25, 2011
NEW YORK: India on Sunday said it was for good that the US recognised the link between the Haqqani network and the Pakistan intelligence agency ISI, both of which have been blamed for the assassination of former Afghan President Burhanudin Rabbani.
"We have always been saying it. I am glad US finds it is also suffered under the ISI," external affairs minister SM Krishna said here.
The two countries will discuss their bilateral relationship when Krishna meets secretary of state Hillary Clinton on Monday. Krishna said it was fine to differ with the US on Syria and Libya, noting that bilateral relations depended on entirely different set of conditions.
"We don't have to agree on everything," he said.
Referring to support of nations like China in India's bid for permanent membership of the Security Council, Krishna said "this is a question which India is very serious about."
He noted that the restructuring of the UNSC will be a long and arduous journey. "But India believes that ultimately it will find its rightful place in the Security Council," he added.
Krishna met the Indian ambassador and its consul generals in the country and discussed ways to improve the consular services and deal with public grievances.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Glad-that-US-recognised-Haqqani-ISI-links-
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Linking ISI with terrorism reflects policy disarray in US: Gilani
Sep 25, 2011
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said US assertions that Pakistan's spy agency ISI has links with the Haqqani terror network is a reflection of "policy disarray" within the Obama administration on achieving peace in Afghanistan.
"We strongly reject the assertions of complicity with the Haqqanis or of proxy war (in Afghanistan). It will only benefit the enemies of peace. Only terrorists and militants will gain from any fissures and divisions," Gilani told a gathering of diplomats on Saturday at a hotel here.
"The allegations betray a confusion and policy disarray within the US establishment on the way forward in Afghanistan," he said.
Gilani contended that several countries had "maintained direct contacts with the Haqqanis" and singling out Pakistan was "not fair". However, he did not identify these countries.
He also said Pakistan could not be "held responsible for the security of US, NATO and ISAF forces in Afghanistan".
Gilani's comments marked the latest round in a war of words between the two sides that was triggered by US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen's accusation that the ISI had supported the Haqqani network in carrying out a string of terror attacks in Afghanistan, including an assault on the US embassy in Kabul.
The premier described the US allegations as a "propaganda blitz against Pakistan" that "vitiates the atmosphere and is counter-productive".
He added: "It tends to ignore the sacrifices by the people of Pakistan and negates all that we have endeavoured to achieve over the last so many years."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Linking-ISI-with-terrorism-reflects-
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Three blasts kill 12 in Iraq's Kerbala
Sep 25, 2011
KERBALA, IRAQ: Three blasts in the Iraqi city of Kerbala killed at least 12 people and wounded 30 more as they lined up outside a local government building, police said on Sunday.
A bomb in a car exploded outside the offices where national ID cards and passports are issued and two other blasts went off as emergency services arrived at the site.
"When people and security personnel were busy evacuating the dead and the wounded, another two explosions hit the place, causing more casualties," a Kerbala police official said.
Kerbala, a major Shi'ite holy city 80 km (50 miles) southwest of the capital Baghdad, has often been attacked in the past by Sunni Islamist insurgents targeting Shi'ite pilgrims who flock to the city's religious sites.
A suicide bomber targeting pilgrims on their way to Kerbala killed four people and wounded 17 others on Thursday.
Violence has eased since the height of sectarian strife in 2006-2007, but insurgents tied to al-Qaeda and Shi'ite militias still carry out almost daily attacks that are testing Iraq's government as U.S. troops prepare to withdraw at the end of the year.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Three-blasts-kill-12-in-Iraqs-
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Suicide bomber kills three at Indonesia church: Witnesses
September 25, 2011
A suicide bomber attacked a church in Indonesia's central Java on Sunday, killing three people and himself, witnesses said. "I can confirm that there was a suicide bomb attack in Church Bethel Injil at 10.55," Central Java provincial police spokesman Djihartono said on broadcast by
ElShinta radio.
"The suicide bomber was killed in the blast," he said.
A witness, also on broadcast by the local radio said that four people killed in the blast and several others were wounded.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/restofasia/Suicide-bomber-kills-three-at-
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14 killed as Filipino troops clash with militants
25 September 2011
MANILA — Suspected militants attacked government troops guarding a school construction site in a rebel stronghold in the southern Philippines on Sunday, igniting a clash that killed 12 gunmen and two soldiers, a marine commander said.
About 50 gunmen attacked a marine detachment in hilly Talipao town in Sulu province at dawn, setting off two hours of fierce fighting that killed 12 suspected militants and two soldiers, marine commander Col. Romeo Tanalgo said. Six other military personnel were wounded before the gunmen split and withdrew into the forest, he said.
It was not immediately clear if the attackers belonged to the notoriously violent Abu Sayyaf, an al-Qaida-linked group regarded as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the Philippines. A larger rebel group, the Moro National Liberation Front, has a presence in the impoverished, far-flung community.
Government troops recovered seven rebel firearms at the scene of the fighting and were checking if there were more bodies of slain gunmen in the area. Reinforcement troops were pursuing the fleeting militants, Tanalgo said.
Washington has blacklisted the Abu Sayyaf as a terrorist organization, blaming it for many bomb attacks, kidnappings for ransom and beheadings. The militants have attacked and killed American citizens in the past.
Most of the Moro rebels, however, did not lay down their arms and now complain that the Philippine government reneged on many political and economic promises under the 1996 pact. They have occasionally been blamed for launching attacks against government forces and have been suspected of harboring Abu Sayyaf militants in Sulu, about 610 miles (980 kilometers) south of the capital, Manila.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/Septembe
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10 Indians die in Kathmandu crash
26 Sep, 2011
Kathmandu: A Sunday morning flight to view Mt Everest turned into a tragedy when 19 people on board the aircraft were killed in a crash minutes before it was due to land at Kathmandus Tribhuvan International Airport.
Ten of those killed were Indians eight tourists from Tamil Nadu and a couple working for the United Nations in Kathmandu.
The ill-fated Buddha Air Beech aircraft took off from Kathmandu around 6.30am and was returning from Everest an hour later when it lost contact with the air traffic control (ATC).It crashed, apparently on fire,just about 20km from Kathmandu, killing 18 people instantly. The 19th passenger,36-year-old Nirajan Karmacharya, was rescued from the wreckage by a team of locals and security personnel, but he died of his injuries while being treated at a hospital in Lalitpur.
Full report at: Times of India
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Yemeni troops fire on protesters, killing one
25 September 2011
25 September 2011, 1:32 PM SANAA — Troops opened fire on Sunday on anti-regime protesters calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to be tried for crimes against Yemenis, killing one person, an AFP correspondent said.
The protester was shot in the head as he shouted into a megaphone while perched on top of a minivan that was leading the march of tens of thousands of people in the city, where more than 170 people have been killed in a week.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/September/
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NATO service member killed in Afghanistan
25 September 2011
KABUL/HERAT: NATO forces said an insurgent attack killed one service member in Afghanistan on Saturday.
The alliance said the attack occurred in the south of the country. NATO did not release other details. The death brings to 440 the number of international troops killed so far this year in Afghanistan.
Separately, Afghan officials said four Afghans were wounded in suicide bombings in eastern and northern Afghanistan.
A local Afghan government spokesman said a vehicle packed with explosives blew up in front of a district police office in eastern Afghanistan, wounding two people. Provincial spokesman Din Muhammad Darwesh said police fired at the parked vehicle after the two people inside refused to move it. The vehicle then exploded.
The Taliban claimed the explosion killed foreigners and Afghan policemen attending a security meeting at the office in the Khosi district of Logar province. But Darwesh said no one died except the two attackers.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\09\25\story_25-9-2011_pg7_29
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NTC forces assault Gaddafi city
Sep 25, 2011
SIRTE, LIBYA: Fighters for Libya's interim rulers entered Muammar Gaddafi's hometown Sirte on Saturday in a surprise assault that NATO said it backed to halt brutal acts by followers of the ousted regime.
National Transitional Council (NTC) chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil said an interim government would be announced next week and that the new authorities had control over Gaddafi 's internationally "banned weapons".
Misrata military council spokesman Abdel Ibrahim said seven NTC fighters were killed and 145 injured in what appeared to have been a pincer movement launched from the south and east.
Using tanks and pick-up trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns, the NTC forces cleared away roadblocks set up by Kadhafi forces and drove toward the city centre before putting up their own defences in advanced positions.
On a beach road surrounded by craters and pock-marked buildings, a 106mm anti-tank cannon repeatedly pounded Gaddafi positions, backed by a barrage of mortars and multiple rocket-launchers.
"We are pushing them back" after a "surprise" order to attack issued by the NTC's military top brass, commander Mohammed al-Aswawi said in a radio truck monitoring units on the front.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/NTC-forces-assault-Gaddafi-
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US asks Saleh to initiate a full transfer of power immediately
Sep 25, 2011
WASHINGTON: Deeply concerned over the current situation in Yemen, the US on Sunday asked President Ali Abdullah Saleh to begin a "full transfer of power" immediately after a week of unrest claimed nearly 200 lives in the country.
"We again urge President Saleh to initiate a full transfer of power without delay and arrange for presidential elections to be held before the end of the year within the framework of the GCC initiative," the State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said.
The Yemeni people have suffered enough and deserve a path toward a unified, stable, secure, and democratic Yemen, she said in a statement noting that the US will continue to work with the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) and others in the international community to support Yemeni people's aspirations.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/US-asks-Saleh-to-initiate-a-full-
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Steeled by support to UN statehood bid, Abbas cold-shoulders Quartet talks plan
Sep 25 2011
United Nations : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas strongly suggested Saturday that he would reject a peacemaking blueprint put forward by international mediators, saying he would not agree to any proposal that disregarded Palestinian conditions for the resumption of peace talks.
Abbas, who returned to the West Bank on Saturday after submitting a statehood bid at the United Nations a day earlier, said he was still studying the proposal by the Quartet — the US, European Union, UN and Russia.
But he appeared to tip his hand by saying “we will not deal with any initiative’” that doesn’t demand a halt to Israeli settlements or negotiations based on borders before the 1967 War when Israel captured land the Palestinians claim for their state.
The Quartet statement made no such demands.
Abbas dug into his positions after resisting heavy, US-led pressure to abandon his bid to have the UN recognize a state of Palestine in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. His willingness to stand up to Washington has won him newfound respect at home, where he had been considered a lackluster leader. The unilateral bid for statehood and UN membership reflects deep-seated Palestinian exasperation over 44 years of Israeli occupation.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/steeled-by-support-to-un-statehood-bid-abbas-
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Bharatpur clashes: Cops file five FIRs
Sep 25, 2011
ALWAR/JAIPUR: Even as chief minister Ashok Gehlot met the families of the victims of Bharatpur communal clash, the police on Saturday told the one-man inquiry commission that they have registered five FIRs since the violence broke out on September 15.
The police also said they registered a case against imam Abdul Rashid for disturbing peace through his provocative statements. The opposition BJP has demanded action against him.
Nine people -- three in police firing and the rest in clashes -- were killed when Meo Muslims and Gujjars clashed over a graveyard land in Gopalgarh village.
"It was found that the imam was responsible for issuing inflammatory statements from the mosque through a loudspeaker. We have booked him and others for promoting enmity between the groups on communal grounds," said Sunil Dutt, inspector general of police, on Saturday.
On his first visit to the village since the violence, CM Gehlot met the grieving families and members of the two communities. He told them the state government would ensure that their rights and interests were safeguarded.
The one-man judicial commission headed by Justice S K Garg also met members of the two groups and assured them justice.
On Sunday, the district administration has decided to relax the curfew from 7am to 7pm.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Bharatpur-clashes-Cops-file-five-
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India-Bangladesh to discuss bilateral border security
25 September 2011
India and Bangladesh will discuss cross-border terror and effective patrolling of frontiers as top officers of border guarding forces of both countries begin their six-day meeting in Dhaka from Sunday.
A 21—member delegation led by Border Security Force (BSF) Director General Raman Srivastava will today leave for the Bangladeshi capital.
The visit assumes significance as it comes after recent official trips of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P. Chidambaram where important security issues were discussed between the leaders of both the sides.
The Indian delegation will meet the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) top officials led by its chief Major General Anwar Hussain and discuss issues like presence of Indian insurgent groups in that country and their deportation.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2484432.ece
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In search of Afghan peace, India reaches out to Iran
PRAVEEN SWAMI
25 September 2011
Manmohan accepts invitation to visit Tehran
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has accepted an invitation to travel to Iran, opening the way for the first visit to the country by an Indian head of government in a decade.
India's announcement came after a bilateral meeting between Dr. Singh and Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai told journalists that the two leaders had agreed to set up a joint commission on economic issues, discussed bilateral industrial projects, and reviewed regional security issues.
Even though the Prime Minister is unlikely to announce early dates for a visit, which, diplomatic sources told The Hindu, Iran had been pressing for since 2009, the announcement is significant in the context of the growing power of the Islamist insurgency in Afghanistan — the cause of deep concern in both New Delhi and Shi'a-majority Iran.
The United States, though deeply hostile to Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons capabilities and its geostrategic ambitions, has been calling for regional states to participate in a dialogue aimed at building a stable future for Afghanistan. Iran has substantial influence with Afghan groups in the country's west and, along with India and Russia, was part of a group of nations which backed the anti-Taliban resistance before 2001.
“Let's put it this way,” a U.S. government source told The Hindu, “whatever our problems with Iran might be, we welcome whatever India can do to persuade Iran to play a constructive role.”
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2482785.ece
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ATS zeroes in on Indian Mujahideen
STAFF REPORTER
25 September 2011
‘We are looking at IM-related sleeper cells'
Having gathered “good inputs” on the July 13 Mumbai triple blasts, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is believed to have zeroed in on the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen.
Ajit Parasnis, Director General of Police, Maharashtra, in a recent statement to the media reportedly said that the ATS has identified the group behind the blast. “The ATS has gathered a lot of information and all they need to do is tie up the loose ends and plug the holes,” Mr.Parasnis told The Hindu on the phone on Saturday.
While ATS chief Rakesh Maria could not be contacted for his comment on the development, ATS sources said, the Indian Mujahideen, run by the Bhatkal brothers, was the alleged group responsible for the blasts.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2482633.ece
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Kishtwar boy released, SSP tells father ‘your child is brilliant’
Arun Sharma
Sep 25 2011
Jammu : With annual exams less than a month away, they have unnecessarily wasted my 12 days of study.” These were the first words of Shariq Ahmed to his father when he was released by the Jammu and Kashmir Police at Kishtwar last night, less than 24 hours after the cops had secured his remand for a further six days.
Having spent a harrowing time waiting for his 15-year-old son, picked up for the September 7 Delhi High Court blast, Mohd Rafi said even the cops acknowledged Shariq was a “brilliant” child. “My son is hale and hearty,” said the relieved forest department employee.
Senior Superintendent of Police Bhim Sen Tuti called Rafi to his office to take the boy home last night. “The SSP told me your child is very brilliant and that they had kept him separate from the other two suspects,” Rafi said.
He added that Shariq was arrested as Abid Hussain, who is now in NIA custody for the blast, was a neighbour. The police had come to apprehend Abid, Rafi claimed, and Shariq was picked up as Abid led the cops to their house.
A Class XI student of Islamia Faridia Higher Secondary School, Shariq cleared his Class VIII and Class X boards with distinction.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/kishtwar-boy-released-ssp-tells-father-your-child-is-
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NC, Cong in a fix over vote on Afzal Guru plea
Randeep Singh Nandal
Sep 26 2011
Srinagar: On September 28,J&Ks 87 MLAs will vote on the clemency plea of Afzal Guru,the man sentenced to death in the Parliament attack case. The main opposition party,the PDP,has announced that its 21 MLAs will vote for the resolution.The BJP shall vote against.The National Conference-Congress combine,though, are yet to make up their mind.
Congress had decided to abstain,but then came the news they might allow their MLAs to vote according to their conscience.NCs indecision reflects the political difficulties that would follow from whatever stance it takes on the issue.Voting against the plea would alienate their voters in Kashmir.Voting for clemency would embarrass its partner,the Congress.Within the NC,however,there is realization that the vote is perhaps a self-inflicted wound,and the man most insiders blame is chief minister Omar Abdullah.
Full report at: Times of India
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J& K drug peddlers take Mughal Road shortcut
Arjun Sharma
Sep 26 2011
THE ROUTE hasn’t been thrown open officially yet. But the Mughal Road, which directly connects the Muslim- dominated districts of Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu with the Shopian district in Kashmir, has already become a favourite with drug peddlers.
Though the road is not officially open, some taxi operators and tourists have started using it.
Lack of security on the route is the prime reason for which drug peddlers prefer this route over the regular national highway to smuggle drugs from the Valley to other states in the country.
Rajouri SSP Vijay Singh Sambyal, who recently joined the post, said Mughal Road was being used by drug peddlers who regularly bring brown sugar and other narcotics from the Valley to Jammu. A large number of intoxicant capsules have also been recovered in the recent past, he added.
On July 10 this year, the Rajouri police had seized brown sugar worth ` 1 crore from a gang of peddlers while they were on their way to Jammu. The latest case at Mughal Road came to light on September 22 when two narcotics smugglers were arrested by the police.
Acting on a tip- off, police intercepted a taxi at Thanamandi and frisked all the passengers. During the search, 500 gm of brown sugar worth ` 50 lakh was recovered from a man identified as Ishfaq Ahmed Sofi, a Shopian resident. His accomplice Iftar was also held at Rajouri.
Mail Today
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Kayani meets top army commanders after U.S. claims
25 September 2011
Pakistan Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Sunday convened a special meeting of his top commanders to review the security situation against the backdrop of mounting tensions with the U.S. over its asssertion the military-run ISI had links to the Haqqani network.
The “Special Corps Commanders Conference” held at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi will “review the prevailing security situation in the country”, said a brief statement from the military.
The meeting will be attended by all Corps Commanders and Principal Staff Officers, the statement said.
The move comes in the wake of a sharp escalation of rhetoric between Pakistan and the U.S. following American military chief Admiral Mike Mullen’s accusation that the Inter-Services Intelligence is backing the Haqqani network, blamed for a string of high-profile terror attacks, including a recent assault on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.
Pakistan has angrily rejected the allegations, with Gen. Kayani saying they were not “based on facts.”
Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar had warned that the U.S. risked losing its partnership with Pakistan if it continued criticising Islamabad.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2484566.ece
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Pakistan: Greater role for women in decision-making stressed
25 September 2011
LAHORE: The South Asia Partnership Pakistan (SAP-PK) orgainsed a seminar titled ‘National Interaction: Exploring the Gender Friendliness in Democratic Institutions’ on Saturday.
The speakers at the seminar said that the laws of the Election Commission of Pakistan regarding women’s representation should be amended and that political parties should be compelled to give 33 percent representation to women in decision-making positions.
Consulting Editor Raza Rumi said that women’s representation was still low in parliament and that the women’s quota should be implemented. He said that with the exception of the Balochistan High Court, no woman had been made a judge in the superior judiciary. He said that the male-dominated culture of political systems in Pakistan should be discouraged in order to firmly establish women politicians in decision-making positions. He said that almost every political party of Pakistan lacked democracy within the party. He said that the LG system used to facilitate women at a lower level and that its removal reduced women’s representation. He also said that the media was biased towards women.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\09\25\story_25-9-2011_pg13_8
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Pak shared nuclear secrets with Iran, Libya: ISI report
Sep 25 2011
Washington : Pakistan, which used every "legal and illegal" means to go nuclear, shared its secret atomic technology and equipment with countries like Iran and Libya, says an ISI report, based on disgraced scientist A Q Khan's questioning, which was circulated among western intelligence agencies.
"It is most unfortunate that these things (transfer of nuclear technology) happened due to the peculiar nature of the circumstances and loose arrangements in those early days and because of the personal obligations of previous governments to these countries," says the undated ISI report obtained and released by the Fox News today.
The ISI report, Fox News said, was based on the questioning of A Q Khan and others by the Pakistani spy agency.
The report was circulated to western intelligence agencies after Pakistan refused to produce Khan for questioning, the news channel said.
However, the report has no reference to North Korea, which the western countries say was also a recipient of the clandestine nuclear technology from Pakistan.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pak-shared-nuclear-secrets-with-iran-libya-isi-
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Pakistan wants to see Afghanistan stable and successful: FM Hina Rabbani Khar
25 September 2011
NEW YORK: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Hina Rabbani Khar said that Pakistan and Afghanistan share the same future and Pakistan will stand by Afghanistan for its prosperity and progress despite all circumstances, DawnNews reported.
During a meeting with her Afghan counterpart, Dr Zalmai Rassoul, Khar offered her condolences on the assassination of Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani, and said that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan is in the interest of Pakistan.
The Afghan FM assured Khar that Afghanistan will cooperate and work with Pakistan on all fronts.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/09/25/pakistan-wants-to-see-afghanistan-stable-and-
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World Bank to provide $300m to Pakistan for education
25 September 2011
WASHINGTON: The World Bank (WB) will provide $300 million to Pakistan to support higher education programmes, according to officials. An agreement was inked by WB Country Director Rashid bin Masood and Economic Affairs Division Secretary Abdul Wajid Rana, who is here with the Pakistani delegation attending IMF-World Bank meetings. Under the programme, Pakistan will get an idle loan on concessional terms. According to officials, “The money will be available to Pakistan immediately under the disbursement-linked and indicator-based loan as soon as a certain indicator is achieved. The money will be spent on scholarships, centres of excellence and other support for tertiary and higher education in Pakistan.”
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\09\25\story_25-9-2011_pg7_3
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MQM chief Altaf Hussain deplores Mullen’s allegations against Pakistan
25 September 2011
KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain has strongly condemned the allegations levelled by Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States (US) Admiral Mike Mullen against Pakistan, the armed forces of Pakistan and the Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI).
In a statement issued on Saturday, Altaf said a large province of the country was in the grip of the dengue virus epidemic, while floods had devastated Sindh province.
He said terrorists were carrying out bomb attacks in different parts of the country one after other, killing innocent people.
“The US and its high-ranking officials should have sympathised Pakistan instead of giving such negative statements that undermined the highly sensitive institutions of the country and also hurt the feelings of every Pakistani, Hussain said. He said the US government and the heads of its armed forces must never forget that Pakistan had not only played the role of the frontline state in the war against terror, but the armed forces of Pakistan had also offered the sacrifices of its officers and men in combating terrorism.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\09\25\story_25-9-2011_pg7_14
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China turns to its Muslims to tap the West Asian halal food market
ANANTH KRISHNAN
25 September 2011
When Chinese officials discovered a business opportunity in the fast-growing West Asian halal food market, they turned to Wang Meng, who prefers to introduce himself as “Sayyid” when he meets foreigners.
Twelve years ago, Mr. Wang, who is from China's Hui Muslim minority group, founded a halal food company in Beijing to cater to the city's Muslim community.
In a country where pork is the dominant meat — consumed in every restaurant and found on most dinner tables — Mr. Wang felt there was a crying need for a brand of food that ensured the strictest quality control. A brand, he said, that Chinese Muslims could trust.
“As a Muslim, I wanted to do something for my community,” Mr. Wang said. “So I started this business, from the heart.”
Today, Mr. Wang's Xiangjuzhai Foods Group is one of Beijing's biggest halal food suppliers, and has been approached by the government to play a role in its ambitious plan to build a dominant halal foods export industry to cater to West Asian markets.
With the support of the government, Mr. Wang's company will, next year, begin exporting its halal products to West Asian countries, Malaysia and Indonesia, at competitive prices that traders say will challenge dominant halal exporters around the world, including those from Brazil and India.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2482006.ece
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Egypt’s military ruler testifies in Mubarak trial
25 September 2011
The trial of Hosni Mubarak came to a halt on Saturday after lawyers demanded a change in the court and judges after highly anticipated testimony from Egypt’s military ruler, a former confidant of the ousted president.
Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi gave his testimony under a total media blackout, with journalists barred from the court and forbidden to report any leaked details of what he told the court. Many believe Tantawi — who was Mubarak’s defence minister for two decades — can be crucial in addressing the key question of whether Mubarak ordered lethal force used against protesters during the 18-day uprising against his rule.
Mubarak is charged with complicity in the deaths of nearly 840 protesters in the crackdown against the uprising, which ended with his ouster on Feb. 11 and the handover of power to a military council headed by Tantawi. Mubarak could face the death penalty if convicted, but so far most testimony, including from police officers, has distanced Mubarak from any orders to shoot at protesters.
After Tantawi’s nearly hour-long testimony, lawyers representing the families of slain protesters demanded a new court, several lawyers who were present told The Associated Press. The demand appeared to be in connection to Tantawi’s statements, which were covered by the publication ban.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/September/
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Afghan police foil suicide attacks in the south
Sep 25, 2011
KABUL, Afghanistan: Afghan police say officers have shot dead two men wearing explosive vests, foiling a planned suicide attack on a government building.
The Ministry of Interior says the shooting on Sunday morning in the southern Zabul province detonated the attackers’ explosives and both died.
Separately, the ministry says more than 340 rockets have been fired in the past week from Pakistan into two east Afghan provinces.
Shells landing in Dangam district of Nuristan province destroyed six houses, two mosques and displaced at least 50 families.
The ministry says it’s unclear who is firing the artillery rounds — including more than 100 that rained down Saturday night in Nuristan and Kunar provinces — but insists they are being fired from Pakistani soil.
http://arabnews.com/world/article506498.ece
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GCC asks Saleh to hand over power
25 September 2011
SANAA: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) urged Ali Abdullah Saleh to sign a power transfer plan "immediately" as forces loyal to the Yemeni president attacked pro-opposition troops with mortar shells and heavy gunfire Saturday and rooftop snipers picked off unarmed protesters fleeing in panic. The streets of the capital were littered with bodies with more than 40 people killed.
The GCC states "affirm their commitment to help their brothers in Yemen to reach an agreement for the immediate implementation of the Gulf Initiative," they announced at a meeting in New York late Friday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.
The GCC states want to see Saleh "immediately sign the initiative and ensure a peaceful transition of power ... to meet his people's aspirations for change and reform," the Saudi Press Agency said.
Yemen's Gulf neighbors have been trying for months to persuade Saleh to accept a plan under which he would transfer power in return for a promise of immunity from prosecution. Their statement came following a report on Yemen presented by GCC Secretary-General Abdullatif Al-Zayani to foreign ministers and international diplomats in New York.
The GCC ministers "condemned ... the use of weapons, especially heavy weapons against unarmed protesters," said the statement.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article506354.ece
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Dozens protest killing of Chechens in Turkey
25 September 2011
ANKARA, Turkey: A news agency says dozens of protesters have marched toward the Russian Consulate to denounce the killing of three Chechens in Istanbul last week.
The three were gunned down on Sept. 16 from shots that apparently were fired with a silencer gun from a car that sped away. Their deaths increased to six the number of Chechens who have been killed in Turkey since 2008.
Turkey-based Chechen groups have blamed Russia’s secret service for the killings. Turkish authorities have not commented.
Turkey’s Dogan news said Saturday that dozens of Chechens and members of Turkish pro-Islamic groups marched toward the consulate to protest the deaths and demand that that killer or killers be arrested.
Dogan said police prevented the group from approaching the heavily guarded consulate building.
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article506207.ece
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JEDDAH: Nation in enthusiastic show of patriotism and unity
Sep 25, 2011
25 September 2011
JEDDAH: Education Minister Prince Faisal bin Abdullah launched the National Day celebrations of Saudi scouts at the historical region of Abrag Al-Raghama on Saturday with the participation of more than 8,000 scouts from different parts of the world.
“King Abdul Aziz laid the foundation for this country of goodness and now the wise leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah is leading the Kingdom to international horizons,” the minister said to the applause of the audience.
Saudis all over the Kingdom marked the National Day on Sept. 23 with a variety of programs to remember King Abdul Aziz’s efforts to unify the country and celebrate its achievements over the past years under its various leaders.
Prince Faisal also launched the messengers of peace program initiated by Abdullah to encourage the youth to play an effective role in promoting world peace and stability. The program aims to find 20 million messengers of peace all over the world.
Faisal also toured a photography exhibition at Abrag Al-Raghama, including photos of King Abdul Aziz and his battles to unify the Kingdom, the beginning of the scout movement in the Kingdom, and the scouts’ role in serving the guests of God in Makkah.
Saudi men, women and children in different regions took part in the celebrations. In Madinah, a variety of programs were held — fireworks, processions with decorated vehicles, folk dances, dramas and recreational contests.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article506363.ece
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Hafiz Saeed ask Pakistani's to pray for forgiveness of sins
25 September 2011
Lahore : Lashkar-e-Toiba founder and Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed has issued advertisements in Pakistani newspapers asking people to seek "forgiveness from God for their sins" so that they could be spared from calamities like floods and dengue outbreak.
The advertisement – printed simultaneously by the Urdu newspapers Nawa-e-Waqt, Express, Pakistan, Khabrain, Waqt and Din yesterday – featured an appeal by Saeed, who said floods and the dengue virus had caused havoc in Sindh and Punjab provinces and the people were dejected and in despair.
"And this is because of our sins and disobeying God," said Saeed, the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.
"It is time that our rulers and the people should seek pardon from God for their sins so that God has mercy on us and spares us from these calamities and makes the country a peaceful state," he said.
Saeed asked the people to donate generously for those affected by the floods in Sindh.
The Nawa-e-Waqt daily carried the advertisement on its front page while the others had it on their back and other pages.
A leader of a political party, who did not wish to be named, expressed concern at the "expensive advertisement" and questioned its funding.
"How is the JuD, which claims to be a charity organisation, spending people's money on its cheap publicity through such ads?" he asked.
The politician said he felt the government should take note of such developments.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hafiz-saeed-ask-pakistanis-to-pray-for-forgiveness-of-
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Pakistan claim stops Christie’s auction of Buddha
By Jamal Shahid
25 September 2011
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has claimed a fasting Buddha statue put up for auction by Christie with a starting price of $4.45 million and wants it back.
Dawn has learnt that at UNESCO’s intervention, the world famous fine arts auction house has stopped the planned auction and has asked the Pakistani authorities to prove their claim. Sources in the Capital Administration Development Division (CADD) a sharp-eyed UNESCO official in Paris raised alarm after seeing a Christie advertisement about the auction.
The advertisement described the grey schist figure of the emaciated Siddhartha, or ‘Fasting Buddha’, as the most fascinating 3rd/4th century Gandhara piece in Christie’s entire collection. It came to the auctioneer from a private collector who acquired it in Germany back in 1981.
The UNESCO official’s alertness, made Islamabad’s Department of Archaeology and Museums (DOAM) look deeper for Pakistan-origin artifacts that might have reached the auctioneer surreptitiously for sale.
Indeed search revealed 60 more relics of Gandhara period lying with Christie with price tags from $2,000 to $200,000.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/09/19/pakistan-claim-stops-christies-auction-of-buddha-2.html
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Pakistani tangent in an American life
By Archana
25 September 2011
JABEEN Akhtar is more American than what many would assume her be given her Pakistani origins.
She was born in London but grew up the US and that’s what she is, an American. And she thinks that the unconscious insistence of the generation of her parents to cling to their country of origin is one of the few unglamorous truths that all immigrants in the US suffer from.
Clearly, Akhtar hates being labelled. One has to touch the term chick- lit’, therefore, with extreme caution in her case as she not only abhors labels but finds this particular one outright ‘ insulting.’ She won’t let you assume her debut novel, Welcome To Americastan , to another chick- lit just because it looks so thanks to its cover.
It’s not about shopping or clothes parties. My book may be about a young girl but it addresses issues that have not been attempted before — of what it means to be a Muslim American girl in the U. S., especially after 9/ 11, especially if she finds herself on the FBI’s terror watch list because she tried running over her ex- boyfriend,” says Akhtar, putting her book in perspective while on a promotional tour through India recently.
Washington, D. C.- based Akhtar, who spent seven years writing environmental regulations for the S. federal government ( and now works for PETA after having taken a break for writing her debut novel), has put quite a bit of her own life in creating Samira, the protagonist her novel, though it is not autobiographical.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Iraq’s Freedom Radio goes quiet
25 September 2011
An apricot sunrise burns through the gray haze over Baghdad, which wakes up Friday to the jocular baritones of two staff sergeants in a ramshackle, mostly disassembled sound booth in a squat, Saddam-era bunker on a dusty side street of the Green Zone. “Baghdad, you are not cloudy, you are
not partly cloudy. You have blotch. That’s the weather. Gonna get up to 106 today. It’s gonna be a hot one.”
It’s 100 days before the deadline for US troop withdrawal, and Baghdad-based Freedom Radio — after nearly eight years of broadcasting talk and music to service members and Iraqis — terminates its live transmission at midnight and cedes the airwaves to military satellite signals from Europe and Afghanistan.
Sgts Adam Prickel, 29, and Jay Townsend, 30, have tag-teamed their Freedom Radio show, ‘Morning P-T’, since December, doing the weather, jazzing up military announcements, taking requests for top-40 hits and golden oldies, smudging the conservative brass with their ribald humor.
One constant of modern warfare since 1942 has been the American Forces Radio and Television Service Network, a communications arm of the Defense Department that broadcasts to 175 countries and US territories and is now headquartered at Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/restofasia/Iraq-s-Freedom-Radio-goes-
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2 Americans Released From Iranian Prison Head Home
25 Sep, 2011
MUSCAT, Oman (AP) — Two Americans freed from an Iranian prison were believed to be on a flight heading to the United States on Sunday from Oman, the Gulf state that helped mediate their release after more than two years in custody on accusations of spying.
Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer were scheduled to arrive home on Sunday, according to Samantha Topping, a spokeswoman for their families. The two were released from Tehran's Evin prison under a $1 million bail deal and arrived in Oman on Wednesday in the first leg of their journey home. There they were reunited with joyful relatives.
Iran's Foreign Ministry called their release a gesture of Islamic mercy.
Before boarding the plane in the Omani capital Saturday night, the men made brief statements and thanked Oman's ruler for helping secure their release.
"We hope to someday return to this wonderful country, but for now we are eager to go home at last," Fattal told reporters.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/09/25/world/middleeast/AP-Iran-US-
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From allies to America’s Afghan nemesis
Sep 26 2011
Washington : They are the Sopranos of the Afghanistan war, a ruthless crime family that built an empire out of kidnapping, extortion, smuggling, even trucking. They have trafficked in precious gems, stolen lumber and demanded protection money from businesses building roads and schools with American reconstruction funds.
They safeguard their mountainous turf by planting deadly roadside bombs and shelling remote American military bases. And they are accused by American officials of being guns for hire: a proxy force used by the Pakistani intelligence service to carry out grisly, high-profile attacks in Kabul and throughout the country.
Today, American intelligence and military officials call the crime clan known as the Haqqani network — led by a wizened militant named Jalaluddin Haqqani who has allied himself over the years with the CIA, Saudi Arabia’s spy service and Osama bin Laden — the most deadly insurgent group in Afghanistan. In the latest of a series of ever bolder strikes, the group staged a daylong assault on the US Embassy in Kabul, an attack Adm Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, charged Thursday was aided by Pakistan’s military spy agency, ISI. According to two American officials, cellphones used by the attackers made calls to suspected ISI operatives before the attack, although top Pakistani officials deny their government played any role.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/from-allies-to-americas-afghan-nemesis/851695/
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/‘gaddafi-forces-regrouping-algeria’/d/5555