Iran executes woman accused of murdering lover's wife
Three terrorists blow themselves up in Buner
Trainee policeman kills six US troops in Afghanistan
Spain arrests eight over links to Mumbai attacks
Would respond if India attacked: Zardari told US after 26/11
Online, whistleblower gets feted as war hero
Asma Jahangir assails LHC’s Aasia order
Plot to blow up Pakistani PM's rally foiled
“Encyclopedia of Islam and Iran” converted into French
42 converted to Islam in Brunei
Non-Muslims Quoting Verses From Quran, A Good Development
Pakistani leadership ‘okayed’ drone attacks: Wikileaks
Zardari feared coup, named sister as successor if killed
Nothing will stop Pak Army from supporting anti-India militants'
‘Kasab wasn’t waging war against nation’
Taseer censures those opposing him on Aasia
10,000 Muslim Men Against Domestic Violence
Iran introduces new video game ratings based on Islamic values
Beyond the Mosque: Bloomberg and New York’s Muslims
Turkey Strengthens Nuclear Cooperation with Russia
J&K DGP slams staged encounter slur
US town showing support for Islamic center
Arson eyed in Islamic center fire
PM pledges to expose Benazir’s killers
Jinnah Institute meeting calls for review of blasphemy laws
Mothers stealing own children
US soldier accused of killing Taleban prisoner
Balochistan governor escapes bomb attack
Arrest warrant for WikiLeaks chief as chaos spreads
US has deployed 200 nukes in Europe: WikiLeaks
Kashmiri babus to stay on in capital, says HC
Foreign press club hosts Mirwaiz, bars Indian media
Af govt releasing top Taliban men for cash
9 Afghan guards abducted in Kabul
Wikileaks illegal and dangerous: Nato
Us Tried To Get Rid Of Gitmo Detainees
`We're a free country, why tap phones?'
Qaida tries to peddle terror couched in sarcasm
Whistleblower site says it's under fresh cyber attack
China opposed UNSC expansion: Wikileaks cable
Afghan Taliban mock Nato over ‘fake’ negotiator incident
Bus blast kills at least four in Colombia
Wikileaks on 26/11: Pak oppn alerted JuD about UN sanctions
Ugandan court sets free 18 suspects in World Cup bombings
BJP activists attack Kashmiri separatist leader
Vaiko, a born fighter: Farooq
How to manipulate govt: 'Kayani learned the lesson from Musharraf'
French ex-PM Villepin questioned over Pakistan bomb attack
WikiLeaks’ next target will be a major US bank
Woman empowerment stressed
Iraq foils plot to bomb French Embassy
Transparency International faces closure in Pakistan
Kingdom shines at mental math contest
A success story from Bab Rizq Jameel
Princess Benedikte confers Royal Medal on Fatima
Man denies molesting girl
Pakistan seeks life imprisonment for five Americans
Khushnood, Jamil Ather become presidents of divided CPNE
Islamic Dakwah Centre held Khatam al-Quran
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/iran-executes-woman-accused-murdering/d/3751
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Iran executes woman accused of murdering lover's wife
Dec 1, 2010
Shahla Jahed, convicted of murdering the wife of an Iranian footballer, was hanged before morning call to prayer, reports say
An Iranian woman convicted of murdering the wife of her football player lover was hanged in Iran early today, state news agencies reported.
"A few minutes ago, Shahla Jahed was hanged in the courtyard of Tehran's Evin prison after 3,063 days of being kept in prison," the Fars news agency said.
Islamic Republic Student Agency (ISNA) said that Jahed was hanged at 5am, in the presence of the murdered wife's family. According to Iranian law, her life could have been spared if the family of the murdered woman pardoned her. Iran executes those sentenced to death before the Islamic morning call for prayer.
Jahed was found guilty of the 2002 murder of Laleh Saharkhizan, the wife of Naser Mohammadkhani, a football legend who rose to fame in the mid-1980s and coached Tehran's Persepolis club.
Jahed, who was held in Tehran's notorious Evin prison for nine years, was sentenced to death on the basis of her confession, which she later repeatedly retracted at her public trial.
Her execution is a defeat for human rights activists around the world who campaigned in the past nine years to stop Iran from carrying out her sentence. Last night, Amnesty International and several human rights campaigners called on Iran to stop her execution.
In 2008, the then chief of Iran's judiciary, Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi, ordered a fresh investigation and did not sanction her execution to be carried out. But today Iran defied the international and domestic outcry by hanging her.
Activists in Iran widely suspect that Jahed was forced to confess to the stabbing. Karim Lahidji, the president of the Iranian League for Human Rights, described her as "a victim of a misogynous society" and said: "Shahla Jahed has never had a fair trial in Iran and has always insisted that she is innocent. Although Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani's case is about adultery, her case is similar to that of Shahla Jahed because both are victims of the flaws of the Iranian judicial system."
He added: "We are approaching the Human Rights Day on 10 December and once again Iran is executing another woman. That's a clear signal that Iran wants to challenge the world on human rights issues."
Following the murder, Jahed was arrested as the prime suspect, but she refused to talk for nearly a year. Mohammadkhani was also imprisoned for several months on charges of complicity but was finally released after the authorities said Jahed had confessed to committing the crime alone.
Jahed told the judge at her public trial: "If you want to kill me, go ahead … if you send me back there [where her confessions were taken], I'll confess again and not only will I confess to killing her but I'd also confess that I killed those who have been killed by others." She then repeatedly reiterated that she was innocent and that she had not committed any crime.
Mohammadkhani was in Germany when the killing happened, but it emerged later that he was "temporarily married" to Jahed, a practice allowed under Shia Islam. Temporary marriage or "sigheh", as it is known in Iran, allows men to take on wives for as little as a few hours to years on the condition that any offspring are legally and financially provided for. Critics of the tradition see it as legalised prostitution.
Shahla Jahed's case drew huge attention when Iran took the unprecedented decision of holding her trial in public.
In 2005 a documentary about her case and her affairs with the footballer showed footage from her public trial. The documentary, Red Card, was subsequently banned by Iran.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/01/shahla-jahed-executed-iran
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Three terrorists blow themselves up in Buner
Dec 1, 2010
SWAT: Three terrorists blew themselves up when security forces besieged their hide out in Pir Bala of Buner district on Tuesday, official sources said. The security forces, on a tip-off of regarding presence of terrorists and storage of arms and ammunition, besieged the Elaum Mountain in Pir Bala and started a search operation. Upon seeing the security forces, three terrorists blew themselves up with explosive devices after failing to escape from the scene. The security forces have started search operation after the incident and recovered seven Kalashnikovs, nine hands grenades and two pistols from the area. a
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\01\story_1-12-2010_pg1_4
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Trainee policeman kills six US troops in Afghanistan
Dec 1, 2010
ASADABAD – Six American soldiers training Afghan police in a Taliban flashpoint were shot dead by one of their students in the deadliest such incident in at least two years, officials said Tuesday.
The shooting, which follows a string of similar attacks on NATO troops, underscores the challenges faced by the US-led mission as it aims to build the national army and police to take responsibility for security by 2014.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said the gunman, identified as a local resident who had been in training with Western troops for only a few days, was also killed, and an investigation was underway.
Wearing Afghan border police uniform, the man turned his weapon against ISAF troops during the training mission on Monday, killing the six soldiers in Taliban-infested eastern Afghanistan, NATO announced.
A US defence official identified the six troops as Americans but declined to give further details.
A Taliban spokesman praised the attack in comments emailed to the media, but the militant group did not claim credit for the killings.
President Hamid Karzai ordered security chiefs to investigate the incident with NATO, and the interior ministry later announced their own probe.
"The president offers his sympathy to the family of the victims and NATO troops based in Afghanistan," a statement from Karzai's office said.
Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province where the incident took place, named the gunman as Azat Gul, a policeman being schooled at the training centre in the Pachir Agam area of Khogyani district.
"After a few days of training, yesterday he opened fire and killed six American soldiers," Abdulzai told AFP.
Americans make up most of the foreign troops based in eastern Afghanistan, one of the worst flashpoints in the nine-year Taliban insurgency that erupted after the 2001 US-led invasion brought down their regime.
Monday's deaths bring the number of coalition troop fatalities this year to 668, according to an AFP tally based on that of the independent icasualties.org website.
It is the highest annual toll since the US-led invasion in late 2001. Last year 521 NATO soldiers died.
The United States is bankrolling a massive programme -- 9.2 billion dollars in fiscal 2010 -- to build Afghanistan's army and police so they can take over responsibility for security by 2014.
But the programme has been troubled by a series of shootings, either by insurgents dressed in Afghan security uniforms or by rogue officers.
An ISAF spokesman said Monday's incident was the deadliest of its type since their database was started more than two years ago.
This month NATO said it was investigating whether an Afghan soldier killed two coalition troops on a military base in the volatile town of Sangin in southern Helmand province.
In July, an Afghan soldier killed two American contractors inside a military base in north Afghanistan. A week later another Afghan soldier killed three British Gurkha soldiers.
In 2009, five British soldiers were killed by an Afghan policeman.
Leading think tank the International Crisis Group has issued a damning review of the war, saying Afghan security forces "have proven a poor match for the Taliban" and were "corrupt, brutal and predatory".
Afghanistan now has about 80,000 police officers, and US and NATO forces say they hope to increase this number to 134,000 by October 2011, at the same time as boosting the Afghan army to a 170,000-strong force.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101130/wl_asia_afp/afghanistanunrest_20101130085123
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Spain arrests eight over links to Mumbai attacks
Dec 1, 2010
MADRID: Eight men have been arrested in Barcelona, accused of having links to radical Islamic cells in Pakistan and collaborating with the group that carried out the attacks in Mumbai in 2008, media reported on Wednesday.
Seven Pakistani men were arrested on Tuesday and one North African man was arrested on Wednesday morning, media said.
The men belonged to a group that made fake identification documents which were sent to Pakistan to be used in attacks, the media reported.
They were also accused of sending money and fake documents to the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which was blamed for the attacks in India in November 2008 in which 166 people were killed.
No one was immediately available at the Interior Ministry to confirm the reports.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Spain-arrests-eight-over-links-to-Mumbai-attacks/articleshow/7022299.cms#ixzz16quEPNKy
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Would respond if India attacked: Zardari told US after 26/11
Dec 1, 2010
Washington : In the tense post 26/11 scenario, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari had told the US that Islamabad would have no option but to respond militarily if India chose to launch an attack on its territory, secret US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks show.
In a meeting with the then US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson on January 2, Zardari had however assured that his government would not allow non-state actors to dictate state policy.
Patterson had called on Zardari to discuss the follow-up to the Mumbai investigation, and Zardari told her that there was no way that he could let India attack Pakistan.
"There was no more politically sensitive issue in Pakistan than Kashmir," Zardari said according to the cable.
Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/would-respond-if-india-attacked-
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Online, whistleblower gets feted as war hero
Shreya Roy Chowdhury
Dec 1, 2010
For one set,no punishment is severe enough for Bradley Manning;for another,hes a real war hero. Accused of leaking the infamous Collateral Murder video of Americal soldiers gunning down civilians in Baghdad in 2007 as well as a giant cache of secret papers to WikiLeaks,the 23-year-old private was arrested in May 2010.
WikiLeaks,of course,hasnt confirmed that Mannings the whistleblower.Editor-in-chief Julian Assange has maintained in interviews that WikiLeaks rarely ever knows the identity of its own sources.But the private from Oklahoma who was an intelligence analyst is being hailed as a hero by many.
Mannings got a website dedicated to him that is trying to rally in support from various organizations and individuals and collect funds to pay for defense.It lists among a host of peace and anti-war o r g a n i z at i o n s,Noam Chomsky,as supporter.
Chomsky has also provided a comment.He writes,It is a privilege to join the campaign to support Bradley Manning for his courage and integrity in serving his country by helping make the government accountable to its citizens,and to inform the world of what its people should know.
Times of India
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Asma Jahangir assails LHC’s Aasia order
Dec 1, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court Bar Association President Asma Jahangir denounced on Tuesday the stay granted by the Lahore High Court against any action leading to a presidential pardon for blasphemy accused Aasia Bibi.
In her first comment on the LHC order, Ms Jahangir expressed surprise that a stay had been granted on an action that was yet to take place. She disapproved of the idea of suspending the constitutional prerogative of the executive.
“If they want to get popular there are other ways to do it. Do not twist the laws as court verdicts become precedence,” she remarked.
Ms Jahangir was speaking at a seminar on ‘The blasphemy laws: a call for review, organised by Jinnah Institute,’ a think-tank launched by former information minister Sherry Rehman.
Constitutional expert Basharat Qadir read out article 45 of the Constitution which empowers the president to grant pardon, reprieve and respite, and to remit, suspend or commute any sentence passed by any court, tribunal or other authority.
Ms Jahangir criticised the blasphemy law in its present form and observed that laws should be made to protect religious minorities and not to provide a tool to some people to exploit it in the name of religion.
She said people did not want to commit blasphemy. “I have never seen anybody committing blasphemy. Why would somebody do it in front of a religious leader.” She pointed out that most of the time the complainant was a religious leader. She said only a mad person would do it and mentally challenged persons deserved mercy.
Federal Minister for Minorities’ Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti said the law was created by Gen Ziaul Haq to appease religious elements with a mala fide intent to prolong his rule. He said he had recommended repeal of the amendments to the law introduced by General Zia or some significant changes. He said the president had announced formation of a high-level committee which after consultations with all stakeholders, including religious scholars and political leaders, would submit its recommendations to the parliament.
Chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) Anis Haroon said the commission was concerned about Aasia Bibi’s security. She said minorities were not harming the interests of the country.
Former chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology Dr Khalid Masood said there was ‘religious illiteracy’ even among the literates. He said nowhere in the Holy Quran there is mention of death sentence for those committing blasphemous acts.
Other speakers, including Sherry Rehman, Tahira Abdullah and Ali Hassan, rejected the blasphemy law as discriminatory and called for either repealing or suitably amending it.
http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/01/asma-jahangir-assails-lhc%E2%80%99s-aasia-order.html
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Plot to blow up Pakistani PM's rally foiled
Dec 1, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security officials have arrested two militants and unearthed a plot to carry out a bomb blast at a public rally of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani in Sukhur district of Sindh province, media reports said on Wednesday.
The prime minister addressed several gatherings of people and party workers in the country Tuesday to mark the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party's 44th foundation day. He reached Sukhur in the evening.
"Some terrorists belonging to a banned militant outfit had plotted to sabotage the rally with explosives and time devices," Dunya TV reported.
Police, acting on a tip off, intercepted a goods truck that was coming from Peshawar. "Upon searching the truck, huge cache of arms including at least 12 Kalashnikovs and over three thousand bullets were recovered," the channel added.
An official, on condition of anonymity, said that two suspected militants were arrested in the operation.
"They have revealed in the initial interrogation that the plan was to target the public rally of the Prime Minister," the official said.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik last week had confirmed arrest of two militants from Islamabad who wanted to carry out suicide bombings at the parliament and other sensitive buildings besides targeting important personalities.
Thousands of people have been killed in the past couple of years in various terrorist activities carried out in retaliation to the massive crackdown launched by the Pakistani military in the country's troubled northwestern tribal region.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Plot-to-blow-up-Pakistani-PMs-rally-foiled/articleshow/7020441.cms#ixzz16qLNGyiH
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“Encyclopedia of Islam and Iran” converted into French
Dec 1, 2010
The head of the Center for Organizing Translation and Publication of Humanities' Books said that “The Encyclopedia of Islam and Iran, Dynamics of Culture and the Living Civilization" by Ali-Akbar Velayati has been translated into French. The book will be published by Humanities' Translation Center
(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The head of the Center for Organizing Translation and Publication of Humanities' Books said that “The Encyclopedia of Islam and Iran, Dynamics of Culture and the Living Civilization" by Ali-Akbar Velayati has been translated into French. The book will be published by Humanities' Translation Center.
Asghar Saberi said: the book, authored by the senior advisor to the leader of the Islamic Revolution, was translated into French with the cooperation of UNESCO; the 2 volume collection is in its binding process.
Full report at:
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&Id=215226
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42 converted to Islam in Brunei
Dec 1, 2010
Bandar Seri Begawan: Forty-two new converts from Brunei's four districts participated in a Khatam Al-Quran ceremony to mark the participants' completion in reciting the whole of the Quran. The ceremony was held at the Islamic Da'wah Centre yesterday.
(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Bandar Seri Begawan: Forty-two new converts from Brunei's four districts participated in a Khatam Al-Quran ceremony to mark the participants' completion in reciting the whole of the Quran. The ceremony was held at the Islamic Da'wah Centre yesterday.
The converts, 18 males and 24 females, were participants of the Converts' Guidance Course (KBM) and al-Quran classes organised by the centre. Present as the guest of honour was Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Datin Hjh Adina Othman, who congratulated the converts for their achievement and encouraged them to continue to take active participation in Quranic learning.
Full report at:
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&Id=215190
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Non-Muslims Quoting Verses From Quran, A Good Development
Dec 1, 2010
Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim Monday said that the action of a non-Muslim delegate from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in quoting verses from the Quran when speaking at PKR's annual congress which concluded in Petaling Jaya Sunday, was a good development.
SHAH ALAM, Malaysia (Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim Monday said that the action of a non-Muslim delegate from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in quoting verses from the Quran when speaking at PKR's annual congress which concluded in Petaling Jaya Sunday, was a good development.
He said what the delegate, identified as S. Kesavan, did was good because it would prompt others to also use the Quran as reference.
Full report at:
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&Id=215185
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Pakistani leadership ‘okayed’ drone attacks: Wikileaks
Dec 1, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Documents released by Wikileaks indicate that Pakistan’s political leadership has allegedly been in agreement with US drone attacks.
The leaked cables quote former US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson as saying that the country’s political leadership approved the strikes in Pakistan’s tribal regions.
Patterson’s cable states: Malik suggested we hold off alleged Predator attacks until after the Bajaur operation. The PM brushed aside Rehman’s remarks and said “I don’t care if they do it as long as they get the right people. We’ll protest in the National Assembly and then ignore it.”
Full report at: http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/01/pakistani-leadership
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Zardari feared coup, named sister as successor if killed
Dec 1, 2010
LONDON: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari had informed the US ambassador to Pakistan that "he had instructed his son Bilawal to name his sister, Faryal Talpur, as president" in the eventuality of his assassination, the Guardian reported today.
According to the latest cache of WikiLeaks published by the British daily, Zardari has made extensive preparations in case of his own assassination.
Last year Zardari told US ambassador Anne Patterson, that if he was assassinated, "he had instructed his son Bilawal to name his sister, Faryal Talpur, as president".
Zardari is frank about the strength of the Taliban - "I'm sorry to say this but we are not winning" the war against extremists he told US Vice-President Joe Biden in 2009, one of the leaked US cables state.
"I am not Benazir, and I know it," he told US ambassador Anne Patterson after his wife's death.
Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Zardari-feared-coup-
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Nothing will stop Pak Army from supporting anti-India militants'
Dec 1, 2010
London : Four militant groups, including India focussed Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), receives covert support from Pakistan's influential army and "no amount of money" from America will change the policy, according to a newspaper report today.
Pakistan's army is covertly sponsoring four major militant groups, the US ambassador in Pakistan warned in a frank critique revealed by the US state department cables, the Guardian reported.
Pakistan, it said, had received more than USD 16 billion in American aid since 2001, but "there is no chance that Pakistan will view enhanced assistance... as sufficient compensation for abandoning support to these groups", US Ambassador Anne Patterson wrote in a secret review of Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy in September 2009.
Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/nothing-will-stop-pak-army-from-
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‘Kasab wasn’t waging war against nation’
Dec 1, 2010
The defence in the 26/11-terror attack case on Tuesday argued before the court that the charge of waging a war against the nation was not applicable to the convicted Pakistani gunman Ajmal Amir Kasab. Advocate Amin Solkar, appointed to defend the Lashkar-e-Taiba operative contended that the he had
not attacked government officers or property during the horrendous terror strikes. He added that the prosecution’s case was that Kasab and his slain accomplice had fired at innocent passengers and there was no evidence to suggest they wanted to attack any government office or officers.
The contention prompted the division bench of justice Ranjana Desai and justice RV More to observe that Kasab had fired at people at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, which is government property. He also killed policemen, the bench added.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Kasab-wasn-t-waging-war-against-nation/Article1-632962.aspx
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Taseer censures those opposing him on Aasia
Dec 1, 2010
LAHORE: Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer on Monday said that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance, and denounced those who opposed his support to Aasia Bibi, a blasphemy convict.
While addressing the launch ceremony of a book by Indian writer and mystic, Muzaffar Ali, titled “The Sufis of Punjab”, at the Governor’s House, Taseer said peace, mercy and justice were the message of Islam. He questioned the philosophy being promoted by terrorists in the name of Islam. He added that the universities and institutions established under the Abbasids and other Muslim kingdoms were centres for promotion of tolerance.
The governor said it was the Sufis who spread Islam across the globe, not terrorists and suicide bombers, and Muslims remained the most peace loving and tolerant people throughout the history. He said Sufis were the true followers of Islam. Talking about his support to Aasia Bibi, Taseer said he had been warned that hate mongers would oppose him over this but he drew strength from the support of tens of thousands of Pakistanis who, he said, backed him.
Full report at: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\30\story_30-11-2010_pg13_3
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10,000 Muslim Men Against Domestic Violence
Ahsan Sayed
Dec 1, 2010
There are many battles we Muslims need to fight and many struggles we need to overcome. The Muslim Ummah is transitioning into another era in its history. The Ummah of tomorrow will be radically different from the Ummah of today. As we strive to follow Allah’s guidance and the path laid down by our beloved Prophet (SAW) we will encounter countless obstacles. Where we find ourselves in fifty years, will depend on how our Ummah copes now. The decisions we have made as a community have been fraught with mistakes. But each day we strive ahead because our love for our Creator and fellow brothers and sisters is too overwhelming.
Even as the community struggles to fight extremism, Islamophobia, progressivism and the onslaught of mass hysteria about Islam, we are losing one of the biggest battles within our own community. This fight threatens to shock the very fundamentals of our society; the very pillars that each Muslim is supposed to be nurtured upon. That fight is the fight against domestic violence. We risk losing our families if we cannot take a stand against this social ill.
Full report at: http://muslimmatters.org/2010/11/30/10000-muslim-men-against-domestic-violence/
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Iran introduces new video game ratings based on Islamic values
Dec 1, 2010
Index Conferences and Exhibitions Organisation Est. – a member of INDEX Holding announced during a press conference held today at the Dubai World Game Expo, in cooperation with the Iran National Foundation of Computer Games; the launch of Entertainment Software Rating Association (ESRA).
The press conference was headed by Eng. Anas Al Madani, Vice President of Index Holding and Dr. Behrouz Minaei, the Managing Director at Iran National Foundation of Computer Games. The Press Conference was attended by representatives of game developing companies who are taking part at the expo in addition to local an international Media.
The Entertainment Software Rating Association (ESRA) was created by a research team at the National Foundation of Computer Game, in order to evaluate the games and rate them based on their content. The system illustrates the Islamic values and rates the content of the games based on parameters such as violence, promoting tobacco or drugs, sexual diversity or nudity, with the aim of maintaining the balance of children and player’s psychological behaviour. The system works as a monitor for the games content and makes sure that games should indicate education and entertainment at the same time.
Dr. Behrouz Minaei, the Managing Director at Iran National Foundation of Computer Games said: “The approach of Islam is based on Human being innateness “Al Fitra”, and the most important innate trends are truth, virtue, benevolence, excellence tendency, innovation and creativity. That’s why we made sure that ESRA team are proficient in these areas; Religion, Psychopathology, Educational psychology, Social psychology, Sociology of the family, Family Sociology, Emotional Psychology, Family therapy and Educational technology.”
Dr. Minaei also mentioned that the process of compiling and searching for computer game rating organization went through the following levels; studying and analyzing the computer game rating organizations in other countries, considering the contents in those organizations and their usages, extracting the game contents, providing the contents in 7 main sectors, defining the age group and presenting the distinguishing points of each, considering the level and the kind of relation of each content with the age group, and finally designing the process of devoting and defining the computer game age rating. He finally mentioned that: “The rating system is designed based on the culture, society and the special values of Islam”.
ESRA system is considered the first evaluating system which works according to the Islamic values, while giving the chance for parents to monitor the game content and understand its effect on their children’s behaviour especially from the social aspect, bearing in mind that the Islamic society is considered a conservative society.
Eng. Anas Al Madani, Vice President of Index Holding said: “we as organisers endorse this initiative which aims at evolving the Islamic values and maintain the conservative aspect within the children and the society in general. We are keen on encouraging game developers and publishers to use the ESRA system, as it enables publishers to understand the nature of the Islamic society and the different aspects that it emphasizes”.
He also stated: “we so support the ESRA system and we would like to announce that there will be a communication approach between the developers of the ESRA system and game developers to use this system while promoting their games.”
“ESRA will work as an indicator for game companies in order to know whether the games approve with the Islamic values, and do not violate any of the Islamic traditions in Islamic countries.” Added Eng. Al Madani
Earlier today the Dubai World Game Expo got underway for the third consecutive year at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre with the participation of more than 200 local and international exhibitors. The Dubai International Character Fair and MYCONTENT are also running in conjunction with Game Expo, and will last till the 1st of December. The organising committee is expecting more than 10,000 visitors for the three days event.
http://tbreak.com/megamers/16296/news/iran-introduces-new-video-game-ratings-based-on-islamic-values.html
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Beyond the Mosque: Bloomberg and New York’s Muslims
Dec 1, 2010
Bloomberg’s defense of the Park51 proposal will never be forgotten but neither should be his mixed record in regards to the Muslim community.
When Mayor Michael Bloomberg strongly defended the proposed Islamic community center and mosque near Ground Zero last August even as polls showed most New Yorkers opposed the project, he garnered some favorable media coverage and praise for his stance.
A New York Times editorial called Bloomberg “the leader with the courage to make the case” for the center. Tom Robbins, a Village Voice columnist and frequent critic of the mayor, wrote, “Mike Bloomberg did a brave and good deed for this city” when he spoke out in favor of the project, known as Park 51. Errol Louis called Bloomberg’s speech on Governors Island defending the proposed center “the finest speech of his career.” And the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights organization, praised Bloomberg for “defending the rights of Muslims and other Americans to build houses of worship.”
Full report at: http://www.islamophobiatoday.com/2010/11/29/beyond-the-mosque-
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Turkey Strengthens Nuclear Cooperation with Russia
Dec 1, 2010
Turkish Energy Minister, Taner Yildiz, welcomed the recent progress in Turkey’s first nuclear power plant project that will be built by Russia and underscored Ankara’s determination to develop nuclear energy through foreign partnerships. Yildiz told reporters that Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, signed the inter-governmental agreement, which was recently ratified by both houses of the Russian parliament (Anadolu Ajansi, November 29).
After various futile efforts to issue a license for the construction of the country’s first nuclear plant in Akkuyu-Mersin on the Mediterranean coast through competitive bidding, Ankara opted for a more controversial method. Instead of an open tender, Turkey pursued a bilateral cooperation route and signed an inter-governmental agreement with Russia in May during Medvedev’s visit to Turkey (EDM, May 20). Under this agreement, Rosatom will build, own and operate the Akkuyu-Mersin plant comprising four 1,200 mega watt (MW) units. Full report at:
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J&K DGP slams staged encounter slur
December 01, 2010
Jammu & Kashmir Police on Tuesday dismissed ruling National Conference MP Shariefuddin Shariq’s claim that the three youngsters killed on Monday were shot dead in cold blood by local policemen.
Police maintained the slain youngsters were “terrorists belonging to a Jaish-e-Muhammad module”, who died in a “full public view” shootout at Qamarwari.
The controversy into the death of motorcycle-borne “militants” erupted when the NC MP from Baramulla claimed that the police theory on the encounter was baseless and demanded arrest of the policemen involved in the killings. Shariq said he would take up the issue with Union Home Minister P Chidambaram and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
“We cannot control the imagination of anybody. The militants were killed in an encounter. One of our men also died in the shootout that took place in full public view,” said DGP Kuldeep Khoda, who flew in from Jammu for a Press conference. He gave a detailed explanation of the slain youngsters’ background and their involvement in alleged militant activities.
Full report at: http://www.dailypioneer.com/300286/JK-DGP-slams-staged-encounter-
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US town showing support for Islamic center
Dec 1, 2010
PORTLAND, Oregon: Residents in the Oregon town of Corvallis are showing their support for an Islamic center where a teenager accused of plotting mass killings in Portland occasionally worshipped.
Mohamed Osman Mohamud pleaded not guilty Monday in federal court in Portland to attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. The 19-year-old was arrested Friday.
The FBI is investigating a Sunday fire that destroyed part of the Islamic center where Mohamud attended while going to Oregon State University.
The parking lot in front of the charred prayer center drew community members and Corvallis religious leaders Monday to offer prayers and support against what they called an abhorrent act of arson.
People have left plants, flowers and cards in front of the entrance.
http://arabnews.com/world/article204803.ece
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Arson eyed in Islamic center fire
Dec 1, 2010
CORVALLIS, Oregon: The fire at an Islamic center where the man accused of plotting a bombing in Portland sometimes worshipped appears to have been started by someone who broke an office window and tossed a container of flammable liquid inside, police said Tuesday.
Corvallis police Capt. Jonathan Sassaman said the window to the center’s office was not broken enough for someone to enter, and the fire inside burned hot enough to melt many items.
Sassaman said evidence — including the entire window — has been shipped to the FBI crime lab in Quantico, Virginia, in hopes of finding fingerprints, DNA and identifying the type of flammable liquid that was used.
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/world/article204799.ece
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PM pledges to expose Benazir’s killers
Dec 1, 2010
PESHAWAR/SUKKUR: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani pledged on Tuesday to unveil the killers of former premier Benazir Bhutto with the help of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) workers.
Addressing a public gathering held in connection with the 43rd Foundation Day of the PPP at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor’s House, the prime minister said that there were some procedural requirements and the government was following them. He said the murderers of Benazir Bhutto would be brought to justice. The PM was accompanied by federal ministers Syed Naveed Qamar, Rehman Malik, Najmuddin Khan, Arbab Alamgir Khan, Lal Muhammad Khan and Adviser to the Prime Minister Asma Alamgir.
“The procedural requirements into the case will be completed to award punishment to the killers,” he announced amidst slogans of demands for the arrest of Benazir’s killers.
Paying tributes to the former premier, Gilani said that Benazir had not been the leader of Pakistan only but of the whole world. He directed Interior Minister Rehman Malik to take measures to bring the accused to justice immediately.
Full report at: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\01\story_1-12-
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Jinnah Institute meeting calls for review of blasphemy laws
By Mahtab Bashir
Dec 1, 2010
ISLAMABAD: There was consensus of opinion at a roundtable meeting on Tuesday that “the blasphemy law should be amended to prevent persecution of minorities”.
Members of civil society, religious scholars and lawyers gathered to discuss the amendments to the blasphemy laws in light of the recent case of Aasia Bibi.
Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti also attended the event, organised by the Jinnah Institute on Tuesday.
Former information minister Sherry Rehman, who is also the president of the Jinnah Institute, has submitted a bill in the National Assembly, seeking to amend sections 295A-C and 298 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CCP) as amended under former president Ziaul Haq. It is intended, that the bill will ensure that all citizens of Pakistan have an equal right to constitutional protection and that miscarriages of justice in the name of blasphemy are avoided at all costs.
Full report at: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\01\story_1-12-
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Mothers stealing own children
Dec 1, 2010
FROM time to time, newspapers report stories about children who go missing.
Then days later, we hear reports of the child being found with his mother who “kidnapped” him before he is reunited with his father. These types of stories crop up from time to time.
The problem lies in the reason of why the mother kidnapped the child. I would not call it a kidnapping because the mother is not the criminal in this case, but the victim.
Yes, she is a victim when she is deprived of the right to see her children. The mother will do anything to see her children even if that means storming into schools with a machine gun, just like what one did recently in Hail.
This problem will not be solved by returning the child to his father. We need a system that gives rights to the mother enabling her to see her child and fulfill her duties.
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article204820.ece
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US soldier accused of killing Taleban prisoner
Dec 1, 2010
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado: A 20-year-old US Army private is accused of shooting and killing a Taleban leader who was shackled in a cell in Afghanistan.
The attorney for Pfc. David Lawrence says the soldier is taking medication for schizophrenia and isn’t mentally fit to stand trial.
But The Gazette in Colorado Springs reports that prosecutors said during a hearing Monday that he was calculated on Oct. 17 when he fired a single shot into the head of a prisoner north of Khandahar.
The Army is holding what’s called an Article 32 hearing at Fort Carson in Colorado to determine if there’s enough evidence to try Lawrence. Testimony continued Tuesday.
http://arabnews.com/world/article204738.ece
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Balochistan governor escapes bomb attack
Dec 1, 2010
QUETTA: A convoy of Balochistan Governor Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi escaped a bomb blast in Mangochar area of Kalat, some 126km from here, on Tuesday.
The Balochistan Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for the explosion.
The governor was returning to Quetta from Kalat after attending the funeral of his mother-in-law.
“It was a remote-controlled device concealed in a destroyed Nato trailer lying along the Quetta-Karachi highway,” a senior official told Dawn.
Governor Magsi and members of his convoy remained safe. Sources said the device exploded late because of jammers installed in vehicles in the convoy.
Security personnel cordoned off the area and arrested a suspect, identified as Hidayatullah Samalani.
http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/01/balochistan-governor-escapes-bomb-attack-2.html
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Arrest warrant for WikiLeaks chief as chaos spreads
Dec 1, 2010
WASHINGTON: Interpol on Wednesday issued a global arrest warrant for the shadowy founder of WikiLeaks, as the chaos from its massive dump of secret US cables spread from governments to financial markets.
The United States suspended the military's access to some sensitive US diplomatic correspondence in a bid to stop new leaks, as the leaders of France and Pakistan were the latest to be stung by cables obtained by the website.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, a 39-year-old Australian computer hacker, is wanted in Sweden for questioning over the alleged rape and molestation of two women. Assange has denied the charges.
Interpol, which is based in Lyon, France, said early Wednesday local time that it had alerted all member states to arrest Assange if he is spotted. He spends much of his time in Britain and Sweden.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Arrest-warrant-for-WikiLeaks-chief-as-chaos-spreads/articleshow/7020402.cms#ixzz16qLhro2n
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US has deployed 200 nukes in Europe: WikiLeaks
Dec 1, 2010
LONDON: The US has deployed nearly 200 tactical nuclear weapons across Europe, particularly in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Turkey, leaked cables by whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks have revealed.
While the international community has long suspected that the US has warheads remaining in Europe, the locations of the bombs have never been revealed -- until now.
A cable, sent from Berlin, details discussions last year in which US assistant secretary of state Philip Gordon talks to Germany's foreign policy adviser Christoph Heusgen about weapons in the four countries.
"Heusgen said that from his perspective, it made no sense to unilaterally withdraw 'the 20' tactical nuclear weapons still in Germany while Russia maintains 'thousands' of them," the 'Daily Express' quoted the cable as saying.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/US-has-deployed-200-nukes-in-Europe-WikiLeaks/articleshow/7021563.cms#ixzz16qLtQ9SG
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Kashmiri babus to stay on in capital,says HC
Abhinav Garg
Dec 1, 2010
New Delhi: Kashmiri Pundits, representing the central government in the valley and systematically hounded out more than two decades ago, will not be evicted from their temporary government allotments in the capital, the Delhi high court has ruled in an important judgment.
Justice Gita Mittal on Tuesday quashed the eviction notices issued against a set of retired Kashmiri bureaucrats and directed the government to make all endeavours to adequately, effectively and reasonably rehabilitate and resettle the petitioners who are internally displaced within the country. This case is testimony to events which led to unprecedented ethnic cleansing of a minority community from the Kashmir valley on account of the inability of the State to protect them and their property from violence, who as a result were rendered homeless, an anguished Justice Mittal noted in her verdict, wondering how, without first making sure the displaced were rehabilitated back in their homeland, the government could evict them. For subjecting the government employees to harassment and agony, the court asked the government to cough up Rs 25,000 as costs to each of the petitioners.
Full report at: Times of India
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Foreign press club hosts Mirwaiz,bars Indian media
Dec 1, 2010
New Delhi: Indian media,including Times Now channel,was on Tuesday kept out of Kashmiri separatist leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooqs press conference hosted by Foreign Correspondents Club that operates out of a sprawling government bungalow on prime Mathura Road.
Members of the FCC management said the conference was organised so that journalists working for foreign media could hear the Mirwaiz,who has been facing public anger for his pro-independence remarks.The club management also said the event was only for a select number of invitees.
But eyewitnesses said a representative of the Pakistan high commission was allowed in by one of the organisers,even though he was not on the list of invitees.The gentleman (from the high commission ) came in and identified himself with a request to be allowed in.One of the organisers told the policemen manning the gate to let him in, an eyewitness told TOI.
Times of India
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Af govt releasing top Taliban men for cash
Dec 1, 2010
Kabul: Afghan security forces are freeing captured senior Taliban for payment or political motives,with President Hamid Karzai and his powerful brother among those authorising and requesting releases.
The practice is so systemic that the Taliban have a committee focused on getting their fighters out of jail.It undermines the deterrent effect of arrest and the potential of the prisoner population as a card to play in peace talks,analysts say.
The releases,which were confirmed by several sources familiar with a range of cases,also raise questions about the capacity and political will of Afghan security forces meant to be taking over from foreign troops starting next year.
Full report at: Times of India
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9 Afghan guards abducted in Kabul
Dec 1, 2010
Afghan gunmen attacked a construction company in Kabul province,wounding one security guard and kidnapping nine others,the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.Gunmen opened fire on 18 Afghan guards in the mountainous Sarobi district,about 27 miles east of the capital,Kabul.Nine guards were kidnapped and nine escaped,said Zemeri Bashary,a spokesman for the Afghan interior ministry.
Times of India
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Wikileaks illegal and dangerous: Nato
Dec 1, 2010
S:Nato is condemning the release by Wikileaks of diplomatic cables detailing the deployment of US tactical nuclear weapons in Europe.
Nato spokeswoman Oana Lungescu on Tuesday described the leaks as “illegal and dangerous“.
Leaked US cables show that most of about 200 US tactical nuclear bombs still left in Europe are based in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Turkey. The four nations have been long suspected of hosting the warheads, but Nato and the governments involved have always refused to confirm this.
The B-61 bombs, America's oldest nuclear weapons, date back to the 1950s. They were part of US's effort to demonstrate a commitment to Nato's defence during the Cold War.
Hindustan Times
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US TRIED TO GET RID OF GITMO DETAINEES
Dec 1, 2010
State Department cables obtained by WikiLeaks and made available to a number of news organizations reveal the efforts by the US to safely reduce the population of the Guantánamo Bay prison in Cuba so that it could eventually be closed.
American diplomats went looking for countries that were not only willing to take prisoners but also could be trusted to keep them under close watch.
The officials sweet-talked and haggled with their foreign counterparts in an effort to resettle the detainees who had been cleared for release but could not be repatriated for fear of mistreatment, the cables show.
Slovenia, seeking a meeting with President Obama, was encouraged to “do more“ on detainee resettlement if it wanted to “attract higher-level attention from Washington“. The Maldives tied acceptance of prisoners to US help in obtaining International Monetary Fund assistance, while the Bush administration offered the Pacific nation of Kiribati “an incentive package“ of $3 million to take 17 Chinese Muslim detainees.
Hindustan Times
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`We're a free country, why tap phones?'
Dec 1, 2010
Union minister for new and renewable energy Farooq Abdullah came out strongly against tapping of phones, echoing agriculture minister Sharad Pawar's views over the leak of tapes involving corporate heads, lobbyists and media personalities.
“We are a free country...why are you tapping phones? If you tap mine, I could be talking to my girl friend. How does it help tapping phones?“ he said, alluding to the row over the leaks of tapes in the wake of the controversy over the 2G spectrum.
Abdullah spoke after releasing MDMK leader Vaiko's book on US President Barrack Obama, titled Yes: We Can -the History of Emancipation of Blacks. Earlier in the day, Pawar said the government should take note of Ratan Tata's statement that India risked turning into a `banana republic' by leaks of tapes.
Full report at: Hindustan Times
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Qaida tries to peddle terror couched in sarcasm
Dec 1, 2010
WASHINGTON: US-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki may rely on sermons to recruit jihadis, but his Yemen-based understudy, 24-year-old New York-raised Samir Khan, uses sarcasm and idiomatic English.
As Khan himself has said, "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that I [am] al-Qaida to the core." According to ABC News, Khan solidified his extremist credentials last month when he published a "special edition" of the English-language 'Inspire'.
In the first issue of Inspire, Khan titled an article on assembling homemade explosives, 'How to make a bomb in the kitchen of your mom.' In the most recent issue, Khan's used a mocking tone to respond to Western security procedures intended to prevent further bombs sent via cargo shipments. "The British government said that if a toner weighs more than 500g it won't be allowed on board a plane. Who is the genius who came up with this suggestion? Do you think that we have nothing to send but printers?"
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Qaida-tries-to-peddle-terror-couched-in-sarcasm/articleshow/7019791.cms#ixzz16piCJTsO
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Whistleblower site says it's under fresh cyber attack
Dec 1, 2010
WASHINGTON: Governments and diplomats across the world are dying a death from a thousands cuts. The rate at which Wikileaks is releasing cables — less than 300 in three days so far — it might take years for its full tranche of 250,000+ documents comes into public domain.
But each leak, each cable is a little slash to some government, some leader, some diplomat, somewhere. Mostly, it is another huge embarrassment for the US — because the cables are mostly notes, observations and views of US diplomats relayed back to Washington.
So predictably on Tuesday, Wikileaks reported powerful cyberattacks that brought the site to a crawl. The site was not accessible for long hours in the US and many countries, and the number of documents uploaded went up from 243 to only 276 at the time of writing. Uncle Sam doesn't even want it to crawl; it wants it buried.
The greatest heist of secrets in history may yet turn out to be the greatest tease.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Whistleblower-site-says-its-under-fresh-cyber-attack-/articleshow/7019741.cms#ixzz16piEzQth
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China opposed UNSC expansion: Wikileaks cable
Dec 1, 2010
WASHINGTON: China expressed concern over building "momentum" on UN Security Council reform and asked the United States not to be "proactive" on the matter in exchanges between the two sides in April 2009, according to a diplomatic cable released by Wikileaks.
The exchanges pre-date the recent policy change by the Obama administration resulting in support for India's UNSC permanent seat bid (announced by the US President during his visit to New Delhi) but it offers an insight into Chinese anxiety over disturbing the status quo which ensures perpetual permanent seats with veto rights for the P-5.
While India's UNSC aspirations are not subject of the discussion, Beijing makes it clear that it is not ready to accommodate Japan in any expanded permanent club.
The Chinese view on the matter, recorded in an April 30, 2009 cable, is expressed by an unnamed official at a dinner hosted by the US charge d' affairs during which they discuss a whole gamut of issues ahead of the G-20 summit.
Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/China-opposed-UNSC-
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Afghan Taliban mock Nato over ‘fake’ negotiator incident
Dec 1, 2010
KABUL: The Taliban praised an imposter who reportedly duped British intelligence agents into believing he was a top militant commander in a position to negotiate peace in exchange for cash.
Britain’s foreign intelligence service MI6 believed the man to be insurgent leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, a figure capable of negotiating with US and Afghan officials, The Times and The Washington Post reported last week.
The Taliban, in a statement posted on its website on Tuesday and released through the SITE Monitoring service, said the episode has become “a stigma on the forehead of the Americans and their allies”.
The imposter exposed the American position towards talks with the militant group, the statement added, repeating the Taliban’s stance that it will not negotiate while Afghanistan remains under occupation.
Full report at: http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/01/afghan-taliban-mock-nato-over
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Bus blast kills at least four in Colombia
Dec 1, 2010
BOGOTA: A bomb on a bus detonated by suspected leftist militants in southern Colombia Tuesday killed three army troops and a civilian and injured another 16 people, local authorities said.
Authorities blamed the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) for the blast in Huila province, which occurred at about 2145 GMT.
The public bus was rigged with explosives and blown up outside a police station in Vegalarga, authorities said.
Founded in 1964, the Marxist Farc is Latin America’s oldest and largest insurgency, with some 7,000 fighters, according to the Ministry of Defence.
http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/01/bus-blast-kills-at-least-four-in-colombia.html
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Wikileaks on 26/11: Pak oppn alerted JuD about UN sanctions
Dec 1, 2010
Washington : Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif – Opposition leader Nawaz Sharif's brother – alerted the Jamaat-ud-Dawa to impending UN sanctions after the Mumbai terror attacks.
Following this tip-off, the terror outfit emptied its bank accounts before they could be frozen.
President Asif Ali Zardari gave this information to the then US ambassador Anne Patterson at a meeting in January 2009 called to discuss the follow-up of the Mumbai probe, secret US cables released by WikiLeaks show.
"He (Zardari) said that Pakistani Muslim League-Nawaz Chief Minister Shabbaz Sharif had tipped off the JuD about the UNSCR 1267 mandated asset freeze, resulting in almost empty bank accounts," said the State Department cable coming out of the US Embassy in Islamabad which gave minutes of the meeting between Zardari and Patterson on January 2, 2009.
Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/wikileaks-on-26-11-pak-oppn-alerted-
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Ugandan court sets free 18 suspects in World Cup bombings
Dec 1, 2010
KAMPALA: A court in the Ugandan capital Kampala Tuesday dismissed charges against 18 suspects in the July bombings that killed more than 70 World Cup fans who were watching a televised match.
The court said it did not find adequate proof to continue the prosecution of the 18 for their alleged involvement in the bombing attacks on two restaurants in Kampala. The dead had gathered to watch a World Cup match that was broadcast from South Africa.
The Somali insurgent group al-Shabaab, which is battling the Somalia's Western-backed government, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was in revenge for the presence of Ugandan peacekeepers in their country.
The prosecution of 18 remaining suspects was to continue. Two additional suspects were still being sought.
Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Ugandan-court-sets-
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BJP activists attack Kashmiri separatist leader
Dec 1, 2010
NEW DELHI: The youth wing of BJP on Tuesday attacked Kashmiri separatist Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umer Farooq's car when he was entering Foreign Correspondent's club here to attend a seminar.
As the news about his presence at the seminar came out, activists of Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha assembled outside the venue and shouted slogans against the Mirwaiz.
Shouting slogans like "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "Vande Mataram", the demonstrators hurled eggs, water bottles and a few stones at the SUV of the Mirwaiz, damaging the windscreen of the vehicle.
Nearly one company (120 personnel) of CRPF and Delhi Police personnel escorted the Mirwaiz into the venue of the seminar.
"We are here to protest the Mirwaiz's presence. He should not be allowed to participate in any programme as he furthers anti-India agenda," BJYM activist Anil Sharma told reporters while he was being detained.
Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/BJP-activists-attack-Kashmiri-
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Vaiko, a born fighter: Farooq
Dec 1, 2010
NEW DELHI: The English translation of the book authored by MDMK general secretary Vaiko recalling the history of emancipation of blacks – “Yes; We can!” – was released here on Tuesday by New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah. Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal received the first copy.
Paying rich encomiums to Mr. Vaiko, who “is a born fighter and he has never given up his struggle for a cause” for bringing out the book, Dr. Abdullah said the book not only referred to the sufferings of the black in the United States for over 200 years but the world over and how they fought against oppression and gained their rights and independence.
Referring to the struggles faced by India to come to this level of development, the minister said the country never wanted enemies and it was never indulged in aggression and always wanted to be on the defensive.
Full report at: http://www.hindu.com/2010/12/01/stories/2010120158670700.htm
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How to manipulate govt: 'Kayani learned the lesson from Musharraf'
Dec 1, 2010
Islamabad : Pakistan Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has "learned the lesson" of his predecessor Gen Pervez Musharraf and prefers staying behind the scene while manipulating the government's decision-making on key issues, according to secret American documents released by WikiLeaks.
Jasmine Zerinini, head of the French government's interagency Afghanistan-Pakistan cell, told Richard Kessler, staff director of the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, in January that Kayani was playing a behind the scenes role in issues like the war against terrorism and stirring up a controversy over linking civilian control of the military to increased American aid.
"On the role of the Pakistani military, Zerinini said General Kayani has 'learned the lesson of Musharraf' and was staying behind the scenes.
Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/how-to-manipulate-govt-kayani-
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French ex-PM Villepin questioned over Pakistan bomb attack
Dec 1, 2010
Paris : A French judge questioned former prime minister Dominique de Villepin today about a Pakistani bombing in 2002 that killed 11 French submarine engineers, sources close to the inquiry said.
He was questioned for two hours by anti-terrorist magistrate Marc Trevidic, who is leading an inquiry into the attack that has sparked allegations of political corruption and revenge-taking in France.
Villepin was questioned last Thursday for four hours as a witness in a separate probe into whether French officials received illegal payments related to arms deals in 1995.
Witnesses have alleged the Pakistan bombing was revenge for the cancelling of kickbacks paid to officials in the arms deals, in a complex case linked to alleged illegal political funding and implicating President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/french-expm-villepin-questioned-over-
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WikiLeaks’ next target will be a major US bank
December 01, 2010
As the United States mulls severe action against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange after his massive diplomatic assault, the Australia-born Internet maverick now plans to target a major US bank early next year.
In an interview to Forbes, an unfazed Assange says he’s still sitting on a trove of secret documents, about half of which relate to the private sector. All he ventures to say about his next target is that it is ‘a big US bank’.
“It will give a true and representative insight into how banks behave at the executive level in a way that will stimulate investigations and reforms, I presume,” he said, adding: “For this, there’s only one similar example. It’s like the Enron (the collapsed energy giant) emails.”
Assange’s boast came even as the US establishment let it be known that it will go all out to prosecute all those responsible for the megaleak of a quarter million diplomatic cables.
Full report at: http://www.dailypioneer.com/300268/WikiLeaks%E2%80%99-next-target-
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Woman empowerment stressed
Dec 1, 2010
JEDDAH: A two-day Forum on the Participation of Women in National Development” ended on Tuesday with a series of recommendations to improve the lot of women in the Kingdom and empower them.
The recommendations made at the event — held at the Hilton in Jeddah to mark the Khadijah bint Khuwallid Businesswomen Center’s sixth year of operations — included suggestions that women be included in committees relating to the economy, legislation of laws awarding women maternity leave, women’s participation in the Council of Senior Scholars, their appointment as advisers to the grand mufti and inclusion in the Supreme Advisory Commission to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.
“Women still need to improve their presence in banking and information technology. Procedures need to be set up to achieve equal opportunities in education and training,” said Minister of Culture and Information Abdul Aziz Khoja, adding that women are increasingly appearing on TV and radio.
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article204880.ece
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Iraq foils plot to bomb French Embassy
Dec 1, 2010
BAGHDAD: Iraqi security forces foiled a plot to bomb the French Embassy in Baghdad after arresting 12 suspected Al-Qaeda members in connection with an attack on a Christian church, security officials said on Tuesday.
The Al-Qaeda cell responsible for the Oct. 31 church assault, which ended with 52 hostages and police killed, intended to prepare a car bomb for an attack on the embassy, which is located in Baghdad's Karrada district, officials said.
In April, suicide bombers launched coordinated car bomb attacks on the Iranian, Egyptian and German embassies in the capital, killing up to 40 people and wounding more than 200.
Iraqi security forces said on Saturday they had arrested Al- Qaeda's Baghdad leader and 11 other members of the militant group for involvement in the attack on the Our Lady of Salvation cathedral. Militants took more than 100 Christian hostages during Sunday mass.
"The reason for targeting the embassy was because the French embassy is very active... and there is investment activity among French companies in the whole country," a senior Iraqi security official said.
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article204804.ece
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Transparency International faces closure in Pakistan
Dec 1, 2010
BERLIN: Transparency International (TI) is concerned about media reports suggesting Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik may issue an order to shut down Transparency International Pakistan, the accredited national chapter of TI, active in the country since 2000.
On Nov. 28, the news agency Asian News International (ANI) published an article that quoted Pakistani Federal Minister of the Interior, Rehman Malik, apparently accusing TI Pakistan of acting like a “detective agency” and seeming to threaten that it will not be allowed to continue operating in the country.
Following earlier allegations published in Pakistan’s media against TI Pakistan in early November, Transparency International wrote to the president of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari expressing concern about the threats that undermined the operation of TI Pakistan, and urged him to guarantee the rule of law and freedom and safety of staff at TI Pakistan.
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/world/article203794.ece'
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Kingdom shines at mental math contest
Dec 1, 2010
JEDDAH: Seventy-five students who participated in an annual mental arithmetic competition in Malaysia brought glory for the Kingdom by grabbing second position worldwide.
The 16th annual Universal Concept of Mental Arithmetic System (UCMAS) competition was held in Cyberjaya, Malaysia, on Nov. 28 in which contestants from the Kingdom bagged 57 awards to grab second position.
The Kingdom participated in eight categories and won all of them, said Mohammad Rafi, chief executive of UCMAS-Saudi Arabia.
“Saudi children from Jeddah, Tabuk, Riyadh and Alkhobar won awards apart from the Indian children who won three championships from Dammam and Jubail,” said Rafi.
Talking to Arab News from Malaysia, Rafi said the children are excited to bring such pride to the nation.
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article204816.ece
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A success story from Bab Rizq Jameel
Dec 1, 2010
JEDDAH: Brimming with ambition and determined to succeed, Turki Abdullah Awashiz, a young Saudi from Abha, managed to open his own pharmacy thanks to Bab Rizq Jameel (BRJ), one of several ALJ Community Services initiatives.
Awashiz, who graduated with a diploma in pharmaceutical studies, dreamed of having his own pharmacy, which — thanks to BRJ — he subsequently opened on Al-Arbaeen Street, in Abha’s Al-Mansak district.
“I didn’t expect a Saudi young man would come to us to open his own pharmacy and volunteer to work in his project himself,” said Abdullah Al-Zahrani, director of BRJ in Asir province.
“However, we examined his details, including the feasibility study, and the job creation specialist visited the location suggested for the project to see the preparations.”
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article204812.ece
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Princess Benedikte confers Royal Medal on Fatima
Dec 1, 2010
1 December 2010, ABU DHABI — Princess Benedikte of Denmark, who is the sister of the Queen of Denmark, patron of the Olave Baden Powell Society (OB-PS) and patron of the Global Girls Fund, decorated on Tuesday Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union (GWU) and of the Family Development Foundation (FDF) and Honorary President of the Girl Guides Association of the United Arab Emirates, with the Royal Medal of Merit in recognition of her distinguished contributions to and support for the scouting movement in the world.
Shaikha Fatima was the third personality to be awarded this honour after Egyptian First Lady Suzanne Mubarak and Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden. The latest honour recognises Shaikh Fatima’s vital role in empowering women in the UAE. She assumed honorary presidency of the Girl Guides Association of the United Arab Emirates in 1975 and became the chief commissioner in 1988.
Full report at: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/December/
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Man denies molesting girl
Dec 1, 2010
1 December 2010 DUBAI — A man on Tuesday denied molesting a teenager on a flight bound ?for Dubai.
The 36-year-old Indian national, who works as a blacksmith, pleaded not guilty to the molestation charge as he appeared before Presiding Judge Al Saeed Bargouth of the Court of First Instance. He, however, admitted to consuming ?liquor.
According to the arraignment sheet, the defendant was drunk when he molested the 15-year-old Moroccan who was travelling by herself from Casablanca to Dubai. Even though his seat was not booked next to hers, he sat by her side and allegedly fondled her and held her hands as the lights were dim.
The girl, who is a student, told the prosecutor that she was sitting in a window seat on her flight to Dubai on June 26. The seat beside her was vacant. “Around five hours after departure, the defendant came and sat next to me. He smelled of liquor,” she said.
Full report at: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/December/theuae
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Pakistan seeks life imprisonment for five Americans
Dec 1, 2010
LAHORE: A Pakistani prosecutor says his government is seeking life imprisonment for five Americans convicted of plotting terrorist attacks and sentenced each to 10 years in prison.
Rana Bakhtiar, deputy prosecutor general in Punjab, said Tuesday that the Lahore High Court has agreed to take up the request soon.
The court is also scheduled to hear an appeal by the defense for the Americans’ convictions to be overturned.
The five young Americans from the Washington, D.C. area were arrested in Sargodha last December and convicted in June.
Prosecutors said evidence proved the men used the Internet to plot attacks and meet militant organisations in Pakistan. Defense lawyers said the evidence was faked and the men were innocent.
http://www.dawn.com/2010/11/30/pakistan-seeks-life-imprisonment-for-five-americans.html
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Khushnood, Jamil Ather become presidents of divided CPNE
Dec 1, 2010
ISLAMABAD: A newly elected 35-member standing committee of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) unanimously elected Khushnood Ali Khan as its new president and Amir Mehmood as the secretary general for 2010-11 on Tuesday.
Out of 280, 165 council members attended the annual general meeting (AGM), held by Khushnood group. The meeting authorised a three-member election commission, headed by Shakeel Turabi with Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi, to dissolve the current office bearers and standing committee and conduct elections to elect a new body for the next years.
All 35 members of the new standing committee were elected unopposed, declared the chief election commissioner at the end of the election process. The standing committee then held its first meeting to elect its new president and secretary general for the next year.
In a dramatic development, some members of the CPNE, led by Shaheen Qureshi, Jamil Ather and Sarmad Ali, held a parallel meeting in the same hotel and announced that since they had a majority, thus they had the legitimate claim on the CPNE affairs. During this meeting, they decided to dislodge the outgoing president and secretary general of the CPNE Khushnood Khan and Amir Mehmood, and announced Jamil Ather as the president of the CPNE.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\01\story_1-12-2010_pg7_17
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Islamic Dakwah Centre held Khatam al-Quran
Dec 1, 2010
Great reward will be gained for reading al-Quran Pahala.
(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Great reward will be gained for reading al-Quran Pahala. Those who read every single letter will be awarded with certain degree of rewards and in every one sentence, the reward will become higher as well as different specific rewards will be given for every verse. The great reward has encouraged 42 new converts who attended new converts guidance classes throughout the country, successfully completed the reading of 30 chapters or juzuz of Al-Quran.
New converts who have completed the reading of 30 juzuz Al-Quran participated in the khatam al-Quran ceremony. They comprised of new coverts who attended the new convert guidance classes, new converts who attended the al-Quran classes and new converts who have completed the whole chapters of the al-Quran. The event also injected encouraging spirits of new converts to be more active in learning al-quran properly and accordingly. Present was the Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Datin Hajjah Adina Hj Othman.
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&Id=215195
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/iran-executes-woman-accused-murdering/d/3751