Hajj Timeline: 2.5 Million Pilgrims and a Journey of a Lifetime
Events Galore for Eid in Dubai
Iran says ready for the worst, warns US of collision course
NATO vows immense pressure on Haqqanis in Afghanistan
Bangladesh celebrates Constitution Day today
Convicted cop killer, drug trafficker hanged in Iran
Bangladesh: Widow for exemplary punishment of killers
Madrasa student killed in Noakhali
Troops kill 20 in Syria amidst peace deal
New York: Indian man dies after being attacked for $15
Drone attack kills three in Miranshah
No change or shift in US strategy in Afghanistan: Pentagon
Indian Army feels handicapped without draconian laws in IOK
Pakistan to train Afghan army
‘India made MFN under US pressure’
Pakistan not backtracking on India MFN status: FO
Pakistan, IMF officials to meet on November 9
Pakistan “backtracked” on normalising India trade
‘Confusion’ in Pak a day after granting MFN status to India
MFN status for us will give Indo- Pak trade a fillip
Move by Pakistan is based on logic
CIA will inform Pakistani leaders in advance about drone attacks
US cuts civilian funding to Pakistan, Afghanistan
India trying to change demography of IHK: Syed Ali Gilani
Pak: 'Terrorists called militant commander from Lahore jail'
Time to change policy towards Pakistan: US lawmaker Ackerman
Pakistan has made no attempt to shut down LeT: US Congressman
US tightens drone strikes in Pakistan: report
CIA turns sights to Twitter, Facebook
US pledges financial aid for Pakistan
Syria accepts Arab peace plan
Israel holds major war time drill
Osama bin Laden 'was dead in 90 seconds': book
Obama raises eyebrows over Iran’s N prog
They thought crime pays, says Imran
Malik requests legal aid for spot-fixing trio
Human Rights Rapporteur On Iran
Compiled By New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/hajj-timeline-2.5-million-pilgrims/d/5831
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Hajj timeline: 2.5 million pilgrims and a journey of a lifetime
Nov. 04, 2011
By Thursday November 3rd, the vast majority of the 1.8 million pilgrims from around the world will have arrived in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to participate in the hajj, or pilgrimage. The Saudi authorities estimate another 800,000 pilgrims from within the kingdom will be taking part.
Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam. The pilgrimage to the birthplace of Islam is undertaken by many Muslims at least once in their lifetime so long as they can afford it and they are physically able.
The hajj is a demanding journey that follows a circuit of about 40 kilometres over several days. And before setting out on that journey on Friday, pilgrims will perform the umrah, or the 'lesser pilgrimage', at the main mosque, or Masjid Al Haram, in Mecca.
What is involved in the 'lesser pilgrimage'? Pilgrims perform seven circles around the Kaaba, the black cube structure at the centre of the mosque. It is the most sacred structure in Islam and said to have been built by the Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael. Inside the mosque, pilgrims will also run between the hills of Safa and Marwaa, recreating the steps of Hagar as she ran in search of water for her infant child Ishmael; they will drink from zam zam, the well that sprang from where the infant Ishmael hit his heels in to the ground.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/hajj-timeline-25-million-pilgrims-and-a-journey-of-a-lifetime/article2222434/
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Events galore for Eid in Dubai
4 November 2011
DUBAI — Dubai will be decked up this Eid with the Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment (DEPE) unveiling exciting events for ‘Eid in Dubai’.
Starting from the first day of Eid Al Adha, ‘Eid in Dubai’ will feature a host of entertainment activities including concerts, fireworks and international character shows.
Organised for the fourth consecutive year, ‘Eid in Dubai’ aims at promoting Dubai as a festive destination during Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha celebrations through various entertainment events. It also aims at bringing together the diverse cultures and nationalities residing or visiting Dubai to celebrate this joyous occasion in festivities designed to cater to all ages.
Ibrahim Saleh, Festivals Coordinator General and Deputy CEO of DEPE, said: “Into its fourth year, ‘Eid in Dubai’ has succeeded in making Eid Al Adha a unique celebration for residents and visitors in Dubai. This city proudly boasts of over 200 nationalities and ‘Eid in Dubai’ is a platform for diverse cultures to interact and celebrate Eid. Through this celebration, everyone in Dubai will be introduced to the core values of Eid that incorporates giving and sharing, tolerance and caring for the others, as well as highlight the Emarati tradition of celebrating this occasion.
“Our aim is to position Dubai as a main destination during Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha and in the process contribute to Dubai’s exciting annual events calendar,” he added.
Emaar Boulevard
A ten-day heritage celebration named Min Bladi Al Emarat will start today at the Emaar Boulevard. Held between 5pm and 11pm each day, activities cover art, culture, heritage, entertainment and music. One of the main highlights will be the heritage zone where visitors will be welcomed with sweets. The zone presents an ideal opportunity to explore Emarati tradition and features a souk, craftsmen, Emarati cuisine, a traditional band, a henna-designing area and a majlis for visitors to rest. Children can also look forward to an exciting fun fair including inflatables, skill games and activities such as face painting, colouring and entertainment by performers. Horse and camel riding add to the list of fun activities. A display of paintings is also being organised along the Boulevard in addition to pottery-making demonstrations. Various products crafted by inmates of penal institutions are also being displayed. Solo musicians will be performing along the Boulevard.
Character shows
Barbie is all set to stage a brand new show titled “It’s a Barbie World” at Mirdif City Centre. Organised for free, the interactive musical show will feature Barbie and her long-term friend Ken. Also awaiting children is a Marvel heroes show at the Dubai Festival City featuring super heroes like Captain America, Spiderman, the Hulk and others. Both shows are being brought to Dubai for
the first time and are open to all for free.
Global Village
In addition to diverse cultures presented through the different pavilions, Global Village will host Tannoura performers and the Dubai Drums Community Drum Circles.
Concerts
Famed Saudi singer Rabeh Saqr is all set for a Eid concert on November 7 at the Ritz Carlton DIFC. Renowned Arab singers Fadel Shaker and Elissa will follow with a scintillating concert on November 9.
Iranian musicians Dariush and Faramarz Aslani will perform at the Dubai World Trade Centre on November 6. Indian heartthrob Sonu Nigam is also coming to Dubai to perform at the Madinat Arena, Madinat Jumeirah, on November 7.
Fireworks by Al Zarouni
A highlight of every Eid celebration, fireworks will be held for three days of Eid Al Adha at 8pm. The display can be seen from the Al Seef Street in Bur Dubai.
Dhiyafat Al Eid
Dhiyafat Al Eid is a key part of Emarati tradition centered on welcoming guests on Eid days. According to the tradition, guests are welcomed with Arabic coffee and traditional sweets. The Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment will organise the Dhiyafat across select mosques on the first day of Eid, and across shopping malls and the Dubai International Airport through specially set up hospitality tents.
City decoration
To add to the festivity of Eid, the DEPE, in cooperation with government departments, will decorate the main streets across Dubai including bridges, underpasses and prominent
landmarks. — news@khaleejtimes.c
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/darticlen.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2011/November/theuae_November101.xml§ion=theuae
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Iran says ready for the worst, warns US of collision course
Nov 4, 2011,
Iran's foreign minister said on Thursday that Tehran was "prepared for the worst" and warned the US against putting itself on "collision course" with his country. On the sidelines of a news conference in the Libyan city of Benghazi, minister Ali Akbar Salehi was asked about news reports of US accelerating plans for a strike on Iran over its controverial nuclear programme .
"The US has unfortunately lost wisdom and prudence in dealing with international issues. It depends only on power. They have lost rationality ; we are prepared for the worst but we hope they will think twice before they put themselves on a collision course with Iran," Salehi said. US and Western powers suspect Tehran is seeking to build nuke weapons, a charge Iran denies. It says its nuclear programme is for purely peaceful ends.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Iran-says-ready-for-the-worst-warns-US-of-collision-course/articleshow/10601642.cms?prtpage=1
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NATO vows immense pressure on Haqqanis in Afghanistan
Nov 4, 2011,
BRUSSELS – NATO vowed on Thursday to put "severe military pressure" on the Haqqani military network, suspected of being behind recent attacks on Western troops in Afghanistan.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that despite the violence seen at the weekend, the NATO mission was heading in the right direction and insurgent attacks were down in the July-September period, compared with last year.
"Spectacular attacks capture the headlines, but they don't capture more ground," he told a news briefing. "And the bigger picture is different: overall enemy attacks are decreasing and the enemy has been weakened." Rasmussen said NATO was determined to put a stop to attacks on its soldiers by the Haqqani network.
"To that end we will keep the Haqqani network under severe military pressure," he said. "The best way to ensure the insurgents and the terrorist networks realize they need to go to the negotiating table and find a peaceful resolution... is to keep up a strong military pressure." Officials in Afghanistan say the Haqqani network -- a powerful insurgent group which says it owes allegiance to the Afghan Taliban. – Agencies
http://dailymailnews.com/1111/04/FrontPage/index.php?id=11
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Bangladesh celebrates Constitution Day today
Shahiduzzaman
Nov 4, 2011,
Bangladesh celebrates Constitution Day today with the main opposition BNP-led alliance continuing with its protests against the recent amendment to the country’s constitution which abolished the election time non-party caretaker government system.
The recent 15 amendment became controversial for abolishing the caretaker system with the objective of the ruling Awami League perpetuating its hold on power, say critics.
It also brought a number of other sweeping changes to the constitution.
On November 4, 1972, the Constituent Assembly adopted the written Constitution of People’s Republic of Bangladesh after its emergence as a sovereign country
in 1971 through its War of Independence.
The Constitution, written in independent Bangladesh, came into effect on December 16, 1972, the firs anniversary of victory in the War of Independence.
Bangladesh’s long quest for parliamentary democracy and constitutional rule was interrupted time and again by a series of amendments which changed the very basic character of the constitution.
They also interrupted democracy for which Bangladesh fought its War of Independence in 1971.
The constitution has so far undergone 15 amendments.
The first amendment made on July 15, 1973, seven months after its adoption in 1972, empowered the government to make laws necessary to prosecute the perpetrators of war crimes in 1971.
The second amendment made on September 22, 1973 incorporated the provision to empower the government declare a state of emergency and to make laws for preventive detention.
The third amendment made on November 28, 1974 ratified the 1974 Mujib-Indira Land Boundary Agreement.
The fourth amendment, made on January 25, 1975, introduced on-party BKSAL rule in Bangladesh and presidential system of government replacing parliamentary system.
The switch over to one-party presidential rule is regarded by constitution experts and exponents of multi-party parliamentary system of government as one the most controversial change in the country’s constitutional history.
The country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated on August 15, 1975 in coup by disgruntled junior military officers, some of them had been sacked earlier.
The fifth amendment, made on April 16, 1979, ratified martial law rule from 1975 to 1979. It also inserted ‘Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim’ before the preamble of the Constitution and dropped ‘secularism,’ one of the four basic state principles in the 1972 constitution.
The sixth amendment, made on July 10, 1981, following assassination of president Ziaur Rahman, the founder of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, enabled the then vice-president Justice Abdus Sattar to contest the presidential polls.
The seventh amendment of November 11, 1986 ratified the martial law rule of Lieutenant General HM Ershad, who later founded Jatiya Party.
The eighth amendment also brought by General Ershad on June 9, 1988 made ‘Islam’ the state religion of Bangladesh. It also incorporated the provision for setting up benches of the High Court Division in a number of cities outside the capital.
The ninth amendment of July 11, 1989 incorporated the provisions for direct election of a vice-president.
The 10th of June 23, 1990 extended for 10 years the provision for reserved seats for women in parliament.
The 11th amendment of August 10, 1991 facilitated the return of Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed to the office of the Chief Justice after serving as the acting president of the first caretaker government, which was formed in December 1990 after a mass upsurge brought down from power autocratic ruler Ershad.
Bangladesh returned to parliamentary form of government through the 12th amendment brought through the consensus of the government and the opposition on September 18, 1991. It remains a rare example in the political history of Bangladesh what consensus between the government and the opposition can do.
The election-time non-party caretaker government was introduced in Bangladesh through the 13th amendment on March 28, 1996.
The 14th amendment of 2004 allowed the political parties to get women lawmakers from reserved seats proportionately in accordance with their representation in parliament. It made a departure from the earlier practice under which all the lawmaker from the reserved seats went to the ruling party.
It also extended the retirement age of Supreme Court judges.
On June 30 the controversial 15th amendment was adopted in the absence of the opposition bringing sweeping changes to the constitution, including abolition of the election time non-party caretaker government system. It also retained the provision of state religion and Bismillah.
At least five lawmakers in the ruling coalition, Rashed Khan Menon and Fazley Hossain Badshah of Workers Party, Hasanul Haq Inu, Mainuddin Khan Badal and Shah Zikrul Ahmed of JSD (Inu) – recorded their objections to five of the 54 amendments.
They objected to the retention of the provision of state religion, Bismillah and allowing religion-based political parties and the provision of Bangladeshi citizenship.
They also objected to incorporation of the new article on ‘the culture of tribes, minor races, ethnic sects and communities’ instead of recognising the national minorities as ‘indigenous’.
The opposition has taken to the streets opposing the 15th amendment and pres the demand for the restoration of the system of non-party caretaker government for holding parliamentary elections.
The opposition is of the view that the Awami League-led government abolished the election time non-party caretaker government system to perpetuate in power by rigging polls.
The Supreme Court has so far scrapped three of the 15 amendments in entirety and one partially.
On February 2, 1010, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court struck down the fifth amendment.
On May 10, 2011, it declared the 13th amendment void and on May 15, 2011 it struck down the seventh amendment.
On September 2, 1989 the apex court had partially struck down the eighth amendment relating to the 1988 bifurcation of the High Court Division.
However, on June 8, 2011, the High Court issued a rule asking the government to explain the constitutionality of the eighth amendment which incorporated Article 2A making Islam the state religion.
However, no other amendment has yet been challenged in the Supreme Court.
A number of organisations took programmes to celebrate the Constitution Day.
Gana Forum will host a discussion at its office at Eden Complex at 4 PM.
Ekatturer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee will hold a discussion at Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs auditorium at Dhanmandi at 3 PM.
http://newagebd.com/newspaper1/frontpage/39189.html
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Convicted cop killer, drug trafficker hanged in Iran
24 October 2011
This file photo shows Iranian drug traffickers hanging limply from the nooses after their execution. A man convicted of drug trafficking and another of killing a police officer have been hanged in separate cities in Iran, local media reported on Monday.
AFP - A man convicted of drug trafficking and another of killing a police officer have been hanged in separate cities in Iran, local media reported Monday.
The ISNA news agency said the man sentenced on drug charges was hanged in the northwestern city of Ardebil.
For Full Report :
http://www.france24.com/en/20111024-convicted-cop-killer-drug-trafficker-hanged-iran
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Bangladesh: Widow for exemplary punishment of killers
Rashidul Hasan, from Narsingdi
Nov 4, 2011,
Nusrat Tamanna Bubli, the widow of slain mayor Lokman Hossain, yesterday said she will do “everything necessary” to ensure that the killers of her husband are given exemplary punishment.
Mother of two children, she also vowed to fulfil the incomplete tasks of her husband who was brutally killed in the district Awami League office Wednesday night. He won gold medals twice as the country's best mayor.
A tearful Nusrat was speaking to the municipality's councillors who came to console her at Lokman's Basail residence.
“I lost my loving husband and have nothing else to lose. If necessary, I will demonstrate on the highways for the trial of his killers,” she said.
“I use log for cooking. But I think I need to come on the highway with this log demanding trial of the killers,” a crying Nusrat said while holding a photograph of her husband with the chest.
For Full Report :
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=209220
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Madrasa student killed in Noakhali
Nov 4, 2011,
Star Online Report
A madrasa student was hacked to death in Noakhali Sadar upazila Thursday night.
Locals said unknown criminals swooped on Borhan Uddin, a Dakhil student of Dharmapur Obaidiya Sultania Madrasa, around 7:00pm and hacked him indiscriminately, leaving him critically injured,
Borhan, the son of Atajol Haque, of Hatiya upazila in the district, was whisked to Noakhali Medical College Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries at 9:00pm, reports our Noakhali correspondent.
Mosharrof Hossain, officer-in-charge of Shudharam Police Station, told The Daily Star that they are investigating the reason behind the murder.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=33438
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Troops kill 20 in Syria amidst peace deal
Nov 4, 2011,
DAMASCUS – Syrian troops killed 20 civilians and arrested dozens on Thursday, a rights watchdog said, a day after Damascus pledged to withdraw its forces from protest hubs under a deal with the Arab League to end months of bloodshed.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the victims fell in various neighbourhoods of the flashpoint protest city of Homs, in central Syria, where government forces reportedly used heavy tank-mounted machineguns.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton joined world leaders in welcoming the Arab deal and urging Syria to comply quickly with the terms. But activists remained sceptical and called for mass demonstrations on Friday to test the government’s commitment to the peace dead while the largest opposition group met Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi to voice its concerns.
For Full Report :
http://dailymailnews.com/1111/04/FrontPage/index.php?id=9
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New York: Indian man dies after being attacked for $15
Nov 4, 2011,
New York : A 59-year-old Indian cabbie was beaten to death by two men in a neighbourhood near here as they tried to steal USD 15 dollars from him.
Kolkata native Bimal Chanda died yesterday from severe injuries he sustained during the assault.
The police have released a video of the two suspects but has not made any arrests yet.
Police said Chanda, who lived with his wife and teenage daughter in New York's Bronx neighbourhood, was returning home at night last weekend after buying packing tape from a nearby store.
Two men followed him into his building and grabbed him behind on the second-floor stair case.
For Full Report :
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/870699/
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Drone attack kills three in Miranshah
Nov 4, 2011,
MIRANSHAH – Three people were killed in a US drone strike in Miranshah area of North Waziristan on Thursday, said officials.
The drone fired four missiles on a house in an area near Miranshah, the main town of troubled tribal agency. Under President Barack Obama, the United States has drastically stepped up drone strikes in Pakistan but refuses to discuss them publicly.
Nearly 60 US drone strikes have been reported in Pakistan so far this year, dozens of them since US Navy SEALs killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad on May 2, 2011.
Agencies Add: A suspected U.S. drone fired two missiles at a house in Pakistan's rugged tribal region Thursday, killing two insurgents from the Haqqani network — considered the most dangerous militant group fighting U.S. forces in neighboring Afghanistan, Pakistani intelligence officials said. – Agencies
http://dailymailnews.com/1111/04/FrontPage/index.php?id=4
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No change or shift in US strategy in Afghanistan: Pentagon
Nov 4, 2011,
WASHINGTON: The Pentagon has ruled out any change in the US strategy in Afghanistan and said it is currently focused on successful security transition in the war-torn country.
"The role of the US military has not shifted or changed. The only firm plans that we have at this point is to drawdown some of the surge forces by the end of this year and additional tranche of surge forces by summer of next year. Beyond that any change that may be done in consultation with the government of Afghanistan and Nato partners," Pentagon Press Secretary, George Little told reporters.
The drawdown between now and 2014 would be at a steady pace, it would be conditions based and that remains the trajectory for US' effort as it continues to fight this war with Afghan and Nato partners, Little said in response to a question about reports that Pentagon and White House were planning to change the mission in Afghanistan.
"While the military drawdown would occur by the end of 2014, a strong partnership with Afghanistan would not end by the end of 2014. It will be a long term partnership, the contours of which are still be worked through," he said.
For Full Report :
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/No-change-or-shift-in-US-strategy-in-Afghanistan-Pentagon/articleshow/10602653.cms?prtpage=1
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Indian Army feels handicapped without draconian laws in IOK
Nov 4, 2011,
Teetwal – Amidst raging debate over occupied Jammu and Kashmir government's intention to revoke AFSPA from parts of the state, Indian Army Thursday made its case clear saying any such move will handicap the capability of the force to conduct counter insurgency operations.
"We have a situation which has now carried on for more than 20 years and the Army requires the provisions to enable it to act... Without the provisions, the Army will be handicapped," General Officer Commanding in Chief for Northern Command Lt Gen KT Parnaik told reporters here, 200 kms from Srinagar.
The Army commander, who visited this village - located on the Line of Control - in north Kashmir's Kupwara district, said removing the AFSPA from certain areas of the state will make it difficult for the Army to operate.
"It is a question of the confidence and trust that you repose in your Army. If you are removing the Act from certain areas then it will become difficult for the Army to operate in the manner.
http://dailymailnews.com/1111/04/FrontPage/index.php?id=6
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Pakistan to train Afghan army
By Iqbal Mustafa
Nov 4, 2011,
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Army would train Afghan National Army as well as Police under the trilateral pacts signed in Istanbul on the other day, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tehmina Janjua said on Thursday.
Answering a question in the weekly briefing, the spokesperson said two protocols were signed in the Summit on November 1 under which the three countries have agreed to cooperate in military exercises, and training in addition to coaching the Afghan Police.
Tehmina Janjua said in the trilateral presidential summit held in Istanbul, the three countries agreed on two protocols of police training and military training to enhance the capacity of the forces of the three countries against terrorism. She said that Pakistan stance regarding Afghanistan is based on principles and clear, adding, “We want economic development along with peace and security in Afghanistan.”
The Istanbul Conference on Afghanistan adopted a broad ranging document that stipulates certain principles and CBMs which constitute an expression of the regions solidarity and support for Afghanistan.
She said that President Asif Ali Zardari was in Istanbul on the invitation of PresidentAbdullah Gul to participate in the Sixth Trilateral meeting among Afghanistan- Pakistan- Turkey and bilateral discussions with President Gul.
http://dailymailnews.com/1111/04/FrontPage/index.php?id=5
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‘India made MFN under US pressure’
Nov 4, 2011,
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD – Opposition benches in senate have strongly protested against giving Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India by cabinet and declaration of two weekly offs by government.
Senator Professor Khurshid Ahmad said according MFN status by cabinet to India runs counter to desire of people and this decision has been taken without taking parliament into confidence. “We are not opposed to trade but national interest should be kept supreme in this regard. Our fiscal deficit will further grow owing to trade with India and India will be beneficiary in this way”, he cautioned. India has been declared MFN under US pressure, he charged.
He pointed out country was suffering loss of Rs 20 to 25 billion daily due to one weekly off.
http://dailymailnews.com/1111/04/FrontPage/index.php?id=7
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Pakistan not backtracking on India MFN status: FO
Nov 4, 2011,
“Pakistan is not backtracking,” said foreign office spokeswoman Tehmina Janjua after a senior Indian official earlier said the nuclear-armed rival was bowing to domestic business interests opposed to finalising MFN status.
“Pakistan clearly stated that our cabinet gave approval to move forward on MFN status in principle,” she said.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/11/04/pakistan-not-backtracking-on-india-mfn-status-fo.html
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Pakistan, IMF officials to meet on November 9
Nov 4, 2011,
“We will meet with IMF in Dubai for article IV consultations,” the official said, referring to annual talks the fund holds with each member government to assess the health of the economy.
Pakistan opted out of both the extension of the $11 billion loan programme and a new loan programme, saying it had no balance of payments crisis.
Analysts say the government is taking the risky move of choosing short-term political gain over long-term economic stability.
Pakistan’s current account deficit in the first three months of the 2011/12 fiscal year widened to $1.209 billion from $597 million in the same period last year.
Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves stood at $17.15 billion in the week ending October 28 and hit a record $18.31 billion in the week ending July 10. They have since eased due to scheduled debt payments.
The IMF loan repayments are also due to start from early next year but the country’s finance minister said recently that Pakistan will have no trouble repaying a loan from the IMF.
Analysts, however, have said that Pakistan will eventually have to go back to the IMF for a new loan.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/11/04/pakistan-imf-officials-to-meet-on-november-9.html
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Pakistan “backtracked” on normalising India trade
Nov 4, 2011,
The MFN status would help normalise trade relations between the two states by ending heavy restrictions on what India is allowed to export across the border. New Delhi granted its neighbour such a status in the mid-nineties.
Business and political lobbies in Pakistan appear to have forced the move to be put on hold, leaving India to “wait and watch” as to when the process would resume, the source told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
For Full Report :
http://www.dawn.com/2011/11/04/pakistan-%E2%80%9Cbacktracked%E2%80%9D-on-normalising-india-trade.html
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‘Confusion’ in Pak a day after granting MFN status to India
By Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury in New Delhi
Nov 4, 2011,
WHILE a meeting between the PMs of India and Pakistan seems certain now on the sidelines of the SAARC summit at Maldives between November 10 and 11 amid grant of the much- delayed MFN status to India, confusion has emerged with different statements being issued by Pakistani ministries over the MFN status.
India on Wednesday “ deeply appreciated” the decision by the Pakistan cabinet to grant ‘ Most Favoured Nation’ status to India — the biggest ‘ Confidence Building Measure’ in recent times particularly in the post 26/ 11 period — reciprocating Delhi’s gesture after 15 years.
This came after Pakistan information minister Firdous Ashiq Awan told a press meet in Islamabad on Wednesday evening that the federal cabinet had unanimously approved status. Statements issued by the government on the same night, however, said the cabinet had cleared a proposal for normalisation of trade relations without any reference to the MFN status.
For Full Report :
http://epaper.mailtoday.in/epaperhome.aspx?issue=4112011
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MFN status for us will give Indo- Pak trade a fillip
Nov 4, 2011,
PAKISTAN’S decision to confer most favoured nation ( MFN) trade status to India represents a huge step towards ensuring lasting peace and economic prosperity in the region. The decision, if implemented in the right spirit, will not only benefit trade and industry in the two countries, but make goods cheaper for consumers.
The current level of official trade between India and Pakistan is valued at a measly $ 2.7 billion. However, goods exchanged between the two neighbours through third countries, mainly UAE and Singapore, are valued anywhere between $ 4 billion and $ 8 billion, according to an estimate of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
With the MFN status, trade hitherto carried out through this circuitous route can be channeled directly via the Attari- Wagah border or the sea port of Karachi. This will bring down sharply the transport and other costs involved in the transhipment of goods through Dubai and Singapore.
For Full Report :
http://epaper.mailtoday.in/epaperhome.aspx?issue=4112011
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Move by Pakistan is based on logic
by Vivek Katju
Nov 4, 2011,
PAKISTAN’S decision to extend Most Favoured Nation ( MFN) status to India is a welcome step. It has the potential of a positive and far reaching impact on India- Pakistan bilateral ties especially in the area of commercial relations.
In order to assess its significance it is necessary to place it in the context of Pakistan’s overall policies and approaches towards India.
All member states of the World Trade Organisation ( WTO) are obliged to extend MFN status to each other. This is a basic rule of the organisation. India had granted MFN status to Pakistan in 1996. However Pakistan consistently refused to fulfil its obligation.
The real causes of its position had nothing to do with trade. The main technical point it put forward was that India had erected non tariff barriers that discriminated against Pakistan’s exports to India. Whenever it was asked to point out these so called barriers it gave vague responses and refused to get into specifics. In his meeting with the media on November 2 the Pakistan Information Minister acknowledged that his country’s commitments to the WTO required that it extends MFN status to India. Thus while Pakistan’s decision should be welcomed it should not be construed as a great concession to India.
For Full Report :
http://epaper.mailtoday.in/epaperhome.aspx?issue=4112011
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CIA will inform Pakistani leaders in advance about drone attacks
Nov 4, 2011,
The US spy agency (CIA) has quietly tightened its rules on missile strikes by unmanned aircrafts in Pakistan over concerns about their impact on tense relations with Islamabad, the Wall Street Journal said.
The Journal, citing senior officials, said the new rules resulted from a behind-the-scenes battle between an aggressive Central Intelligence Agency and US military and diplomatic officials concerned about relations with Pakistan.
A high-level review reaffirmed support for the drone program -- which has killed hundreds of militants, including top commanders, in recent years -- but established new rules to minimize the diplomatic blowback, the Journal said.
For Full Report :
http://nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/04-Nov-2011/CIA-will-inform-Pakistani-leaders-in-advance-about-drone-attacks
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US cuts civilian funding to Pakistan, Afghanistan
Nov 4, 2011,
Support on Capitol Hill for aid to Pakistan has plummeted amid accusations that some in the Pakistani government have aided anti-US militants, the State Department said in a new report.
The State Department report said Congress had slipped on its 2009 promise to triple nonmilitary aid to Pakistan over five years. The appropriations reached the promised level of $1.5 billion in 2010, but last year amounted to only $1 billion, the document said.
It said, however, that the Obama administration intended for assistance to Islamabad to continue and wants to focus on "signature" projects in Pakistan. US officials are currently looking to select a major new infrastructure project "that would both contribute to power generation and water management" in Pakistan, it said.
US civilian aid to Afghanistan has peaked, the report said, declaring the United States would spend less on development assistance there as it withdraws troops from the country.
"We have reached the high water mark of our civilian funding levels" for Afghanistan, the department said in a status report on civilian efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan that was sent to congressional offices.
US economic and humanitarian aid to Afghanistan has fallen from $4.1 billion in 2010 to $2.5 billion this year, the report by the Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan said.
http://nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/04-Nov-2011/US-cuts-civilian-funding-to-Pakistan-Afghanistan
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India trying to change demography of IHK: Syed Ali Gilani
Nov 4, 2011,
The veteran Kashmiri Hurriyet leader, Syed Ali Gilani has said that India is trying to change Muslim majority into minority in the territory.
Syed Ali Gilani in a 37-page booklet released on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha discusses the present challenges Kashmir faces and way out of them. He said that attempts were being made to reduce the Muslim majority into minority in the occupied territory. "No outsider could purchase land or construct house here during the rule of Hari Singh. But this protection is being eroded by power thirsty rulers of today," he said.
The veteran leader said that on one hand, India was holding futile dialogue but on the other, violence and brutality in the territory was going on unabated. He said that there had been more than 150 rounds of parleys between New Delhi-Islamabad and New Delhi-Srinagar but they failed to yield any result.
For Full Report :
http://nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/04-Nov-2011/India-trying-to-change-demography-of-IHK-Syed-Ali-Gilani
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Pak: 'Terrorists called militant commander from Lahore jail'
Nov 4, 2011,
Islamabad : Two terrorists lodged in a Lahore jail on charges of involvement in a plot against ex-President Pervez Musharraf made a call to a militant commander in Pakistan's lawless Khyber tribal region which was intercepted by an intelligence agency, sending authorities in a tizzy.
The terrorists were identified in a report prepared by the intelligence agency as Ibrahim Ilyas and Qari Waqas, the media here reported today.
They are being held in the Kot Lakhpat jail for allegedly being part of a terrorist plot that targeted Musharraf in 2008.
The men were shifted to the Lahore prison from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi two months ago for security concerns.
The intercepted call has raised concerns among authorities because four circulars were sent to jail officials by the federal Interior Ministry and Punjab's Home Department this year to stop clandestine communications from prisons, The Express Tribune reported.
The Interior Ministry and Home Department had asked jail authorities to make sure that jammers were installed in all prisons, particularly in areas where high-profile terrorists are held so that they could communicate with anyone outside.
For Full Report :
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/870766/
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Time to change policy towards Pakistan: US lawmaker Ackerman
Nov 4, 2011,
WASHINGTON: Pakistan is making no effort to reign in the Lashkar-e-Taiba or other terrorist organisations and it was time America changed its policy towards the country, a top US lawmaker has said.
"It is not a secret that LeT which was responsible for the horrific November 2006 massacre of civilians in Mumbai, an attack that clearly implicated the Pakistani military, operates openly in Pakistan," Congressman Gary Ackerman said at a Congressional hearing on Thursday.
The government of Pakistan, he said, has made "no effort to interfere, disrupt, arrest, or shut down any of these groups or their activities" and it is "no secret" that Osama Bin Laden was living comfortably in Abbottabad.
For Full Report :
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Time-to-change-policy-towards-Pakistan-US-lawmaker-Ackerman/articleshow/10601734.cms?prtpage=1
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Pakistan has made no attempt to shut down LeT: US Congressman
Nov 4, 2011,
Accusing Pakistan of abetting terrorist groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), responsible for the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, a key lawmaker wants the Obama administration to adopt a more realistic policy towards a key ally.
We need to rid ourselves of the absurd notion that we can change Pakistan, reform its government, or create real trust," Gary Ackerman, top democrat on a house foreign affairs sub-panel, said at a Congressional hearing on Thursday.
Asserting "Pakistani military establishment is not our friend. They are not our allies. They are not our partners. They are not on our team," he said "It's not a secret that the Haqqani network is responsible for numerous attacks on the Afghan government and our troops.
"It's not a secret that Lashkar-e-Taiba, which was responsible for the horrific November, 2008, massacre of civilians in Mumbai, India, an attack that clearly implicated the Pakistani military, operates openly in Pakistan."
"The government of Pakistan has made no effort to interfere, disrupt, arrest or shut down any of these groups or their activities," Ackerman said noting "It's no secret that Osama bin Laden was living comfortably in Abbottabad."
For Full Report :
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/764624.aspx
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US tightens drone strikes in Pakistan: report
Nov 04 2011,
Washington : In secret concessions to Pakistan, the US has tightened rules on drone strikes inside the country, apparently making them more selective as part of efforts to shore up its fragile relationship with Islamabad.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has changed the rules on drone attacks, giving the State Department greater sway in strike decisions and intimating Pakistan in advance about more operations, Wall Street Journal reported quoting officials.
The changes in the pattern of drone strikes -- which have killed hundreds of militants, including top commanders – were undertaken after a high-level review which strongly backed the drone programme, but raised the bar on operations to minimise diplomatic blowback.
The concessions by the CIA, the paper said, came after military and diplomatic officials complained that large strikes were damaging the already fragile relations with Pakistan.
The change in engagement rules includes suspending strikes when Pakistani officials visiting the US.
For Full Report :
ttp://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/870715/
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CIA turns sights to Twitter, Facebook
Nov 04 2011,
Virginia : In an anonymous industrial park in Virginia, in an unassuming brick building, the CIA is following tweets -- up to 5 million a day.
At the agency's Open Source Center, a team known affectionately as the 'vengeful librarians' also pores over Facebook, newspapers, TV news channels, local radio stations, Internet chat rooms -- anything overseas that anyone can access and contribute to openly.
From Arabic to Mandarin Chinese, from an angry tweet to a thoughtful blog, the analysts gather the information, often in native tongue. They cross-reference it with the local newspaper or a clandestinely intercepted phone conversation. From there, they build a picture sought by the highest levels at the White House, giving a real-time peek, for example, at the mood of a region after the Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden or perhaps a prediction of which Mideast nation seems ripe for revolt.
“Yes, they saw the uprising in Egypt coming; they just didn't know exactly when revolution might hit”, said the center's director, Doug Naquin.
The centrr already had “predicted that social media in places like Egypt could be a game-changer and a threat to the regime”, he said in a recent interview with The Associated Press at the center. CIA officials said it was the first such visit by a reporter the agency has ever granted.
For Full Report :
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/870717/
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US pledges financial aid for Pakistan
Nov 4, 2011,
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is pledging robust assistance to Pakistan despite demands on US finances and a sometimes rocky relationship with Islamabad, according to a status report on Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The State Department report outlines US goals in the region more than a decade after the Sept. 11 terror attacks triggered the war against Al Qaeda , and the progress after billions of dollars have been spent and American lives lost. It also outlines the steps forward, looking ahead to the withdrawal of US combat forces by the end of 2014.
The report was delivered to Congress on Thursday. The Associated Press obtained a copy.
“Though a tremendous amount has been accomplished, we also have no illusions about the task before us,” the report said about Afghanistan. “We expect that ongoing violence, lack of institutional and human capacity, discrimination against women and vulnerable groups, and Afghanistan’s incredibly low economic baseline will remain difficult challenges.”
The report said the US has reached its “high water mark” for civilian funding and the government in Kabul must move toward establishing revenue sources. The report said the US will build a foundation for the Afghans to assume responsibility for their future.
On Pakistan, the department said the relationship with Islamabad “is not always easy, but it is vital to our national security and regional interests.”
The relationship has been extremely strained the last few months to the point of breaking. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton recently traveled to the region to pressure Pakistan to crack down on the Taliban-linked Haqqani network, a major threat to American forces in the region. Adm. Mike Mullen, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Pakistan’s intelligence agency was a “veritable arm” of the Haqqani.
For Full Report :
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/November/international_November146.xml§ion=international&col=
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Syria accepts Arab peace plan
Nov 4, 2011,
Syria on Wednesday fully accepted an Arab League plan to end nearly eight months of bloodshed, a League official said, but Washington said President Bashar al-Assad still had to go.
Assad's regime had come under huge pressure from fellow Arab states to sign up to the deal brokered by the pan-Arab bloc to end its deadly crackdown on anti-government protests to avoid the internationalisation of the crisis.
Under the hard-won deal announced at a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo after months of prevarication by Damascus, the regime agreed to a complete halt to violence against civilians and to consultations by Arab mediators aimed at opening up a dialogue with the opposition.
"The Syrian delegation accepted the Arab League plan without reservations and in its entirety," the League official said.
The blueprint, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, provides for a "complete halt to the violence to protect civilians."
But Syrian troops killed three people in the flashpoint central city of Homs yesterday, a human rights group said, just a day after the pledge.
For Full Report :
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=209138
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Israel holds major war time drill
Nov 4, 2011,
Afp, Tel Aviv
Israel yesterday completed a major civil defence drill in the Tel Aviv region aimed at simulating a response to conventional and non-conventional missile attacks, the military said.
The four-hour exercise began shortly after 10:00am with the sounding of sirens for a full minute and a half throughout the region around the coastal city of Tel Aviv.
The rescue units of the police, the fire service, the Magen David Adom emergency services and the civil defence units all participated in the exercise, the Israeli military said.
"We are going to test all the possible scenarios, including attacks causing significant damage," civil defence official Colonel Adam Zussman told army radio ahead of the drill.
Rescue teams were being dispatched to "evacuate hundreds of wounded after conventional and non-conventional missile attacks" to hospitals participating in the simulation, he said.
On Wednesday, Haaretz newspaper reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak were seeking to win cabinet support for a strike on Iran, which Israel and the West suspect is looking to build an atomic bomb.
A poll published by the Haaretz daily yesterday found Israeli public opinion divided on a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, with 41 percent in favour, 39 percent opposed and 20 percent undecided.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=209146
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Osama bin Laden 'was dead in 90 seconds': book
Nov 04 2011,
London : Six months after his death, a new book has claimed that Osama bin Laden was shot dead within 90 seconds of the beginning of a raid on his Pakistani hideout by US commandos, and not killed after a 45-minute firefight.
Author Chuck Pfarrer, a former commander of elite US Navy Seal Team Six, whose members carried out the raid in May this year, claims in his book that bin Laden was shot dead "almost instantly", challenging the official version of how the al-Qaeda founder died.
Bin Laden was dead within 90 seconds of the beginning of the raid, not after an extended firefight. Four suppressed rounds were fired," Pfarrer said.
For Full Report :
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/870767/
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Obama raises eyebrows over Iran’s N prog
Nov 4, 2011,
CANNES – President Barack Obama says Iran's nuclear program continues to pose a threat, and that he and the president of France want the international community to keep pressuring Iran to come clean about its intentions.
Obama commented Thursday as the International Atomic Energy Agency was preparing to soon reveal intelligence on Iran's alleged nuclear arms experiments.
Iran has consistently denied that it is trying to build nuclear weapons. It insists its program is for peaceful purposes.
The U.S., Britain and France want the IAEA to share what it knows. Russia and China are pressing for the report to be delayed or scrapped entirely.
Obama mentioned Iran as he spoke in Cannes, France, after meeting one-on-one with French President Nicolas Sarkozy (sar-koh-ZEE') on the sidelines of a global economic summit.
For Full Report :
http://dailymailnews.com/1111/04/FrontPage/index.php?id=8
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They thought crime pays, says Imran
Nov 4, 2011,
LAHORE – Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan reacting to the sentences in the spot-fixing case on Thursday said he felt deep sorrow for the three players.
Speaking to a private TV channel, Khan said he felt sorry for the family members of the three players and especially for youngster Mohammed Amir who he called a great talent wasted.
"In a way I also feel sorry for these cricketers because they are from Pakistan where there are massive corruption cases against president (Asif Zardari) and they must have thought crime pays," said Imran Khan.
He said he was pained to hear the news of Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer being jailed for fixing parts of a Test match against England.
Pakistan former Test captain Butt, 27, received 30 months, fast bowler Asif, 28, received one year in jail and 19-year-old Aamer was jailed for six months.
Imran Khan said it was painful to listen to the news. – Agencies
http://dailymailnews.com/1111/04/FrontPage/index.php?id=3
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Malik requests legal aid for spot-fixing trio
November 4, 2011
Interior Minister Rehman Malik, while commenting on the spot fixing verdict, said that the decision was taken on first level in the court and that he had requested Pakistan’s High Commissioner to United Kingdom (UK) Wajid Shamsul Hassan to provide necessary legal aid to the trio, Express 24/7 reported Friday.
Speaking to the media, he said that if it were a conspiracy against our players, it should be revealed to the world and a commission should investigate the issue from scratch.
Malik said, “We cannot rule out the possibility of any of the convicted players being innocent.”
He said that the players will not be left alone and that legal aid will be provided to them.
Earlier on Thursday, Malik had vowed that the government will defend players tainted in the spot-fixing trial as citizens of Pakistan if they are found innocent.
(Read: Govt to defend spot-fixing trio if found innocent: Rehman Malik)
He said that the government will see if the charges against the players are true or is there a conspiracy against them.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/287578/malik-requests-legal-aid-for-spot-fixing-trio/?print=true\
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Human Rights Rapporteur On Iran
10-28-2011
Ahmed Shaheed, UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, attends a meeting of the General Assembly’s Third Committee on the promotion and protection of human rights, October 19, 2011
The U.N. Special Rapporteur for human rights in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, has filed his first report to the General Assembly.
First-hand testimonies from individuals and organizations reveal "a pattern of systemic violations of... fundamental human rights."
The U.N. Special Rapporteur for human rights in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, has filed his first report to the General Assembly. First-hand testimonies from individuals and organizations, he wrote, reveal "a pattern of systemic violations of... fundamental human rights."
They include severe deficits in the administration of justice; practices amounting to torture, the imposition of the death penalty without proper judicial safeguards; the unequal status of women; the persecution of religious and ethnic minorities, and the erosion of civil and political rights, "in particular the harassment and intimidation of human rights defenders and civil society actors."
The report highlights the house arrest and forced isolation of opposition leaders Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, and their wives –- with all forms of communications removed from the places where they are detained. Mr. Mousavi and his wife Zahra Rahnavard have no control over their health care, access to publications, privacy, or ability to live a normal life.
For Full Report :
http://www.voanews.com/policy/editorials/Human-Rights-Rapporteur-On-Iran-132799138.html
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/hajj-timeline-2.5-million-pilgrims/d/5831