K-P Assembly: ‘Peshawar base attackers mostly foreigners’
New Age Islam News Bureau
19
Dec 2012
Pakistan
• K-P Assembly: ‘Peshawar base attackers mostly foreigners’
• Three more polio workers shot in Pakistan; eight dead in 48 hours
• No military solution for Kashmir: Imran
• War on terror: Army rues ‘absence of political ownership’
• Warrants for Musharraf in judges’ detention case
• US committed to supporting education in Punjab: Fite
• Altaf praised for staying off clash course
• Musharraf and Elahi looted national resources: Shahbaz
• Love thy neighbour: Indian visitors say borders divide land, not hearts
• No Obama tears for children killed by drones in Pakistan
South Asia
• Kabul sets ambitious 'roadmap for peace' with Taliban
• Afghan, Taliban Leaders to Meet in Paris
• Many insider attacks in Afghanistan stem from personal motives, data suggest
• Afghan army beset by desertions as NATO pullout looms
• Maldives could seek compensation, says its AG
• 30 Jamaat-Shibir men sent to jail in Pabna
• Kabul: 5-STEP PLAN for peace with Taliban
North America
• 'MyJihad' campaign hits Chicago buses, along with opposition
• US inquiry slams ‘grossly inadequate’ Benghazi security
• U.S. depleted uranium casts horrific shadow on Iraq’s newborns
• Chicago Muslims aim to reclaim meaning of 'jihad' from extremists
• CAIR Urges Increased Vigilance After Calif. Mosque
• Panetta cites budget woes, Afghan war progress
• Details Are Revealed in Brothers’ Terror Case
• US journalist Engel freed after Syria kidnapping: TV
• FBI agent heads to S.Sudan to investigate journalist's killing
• ISI, Pasha & Taj enjoy immunity in 26/11 NY Court case: US government
• Backed by John Kerry, US aid to Pakistan flows again
Southeast Asia
• 83% of Customers to Abortion Clinics in Indonesia are Married: Study
• Malaysia in 'final stages' for Islamic finance legal framework
• SBY tells men to respect women, marriage
• Malaysia saves 40 Myanmar shipwreck survivors
Europe
• 4 EU nations to condemn latest Israel settlements
• EU Nobel cash to kids from Syria, Colombia, Congo, Pakistan
• 'No religion' third world group after Christians, Muslims
• Alleged Uzbek jihad fundraisers face trial in France
• WUC Celebrates 20th Anniversary of UN Declaration on Minorities, Calls for More to Be Done
• UN allows blacklisted Taliban to travel for peace talks
• U.N. Suspends Immunization Work in Pakistan
• Further Afghanistan troop withdrawal to be announced
• Russia Sends Warships Toward Syria for Possible Evacuation
Arab World
• Doomsday rumours spread by ‘big losers’, says Imam
• Qatar to produce $1b movie on Prophet
• OIC blames Syria regime, rebels for Palestinian camp clashes
• A defector’s account of Syrian chemical weapons on the move
• Saudis ban Brazil beef over mad cow fears
• Egyptian judges in Ismailiya to oversee referendum after ending strike
• Syria rebels fear chemical weapons
• 86% jobs ‘not fit for Saudis’
• OIC chief to visit Myanmar soon to address Rohingya concerns
• International Halal body to be set up
• Ministry of Labor to launch rating system for Saudis under Nitaqat
• Former Grand Mosque imam Al-Subail buried
• Libya faces ‘impossible’ task closing desert borders
• Ramses III’s 3,000-year-old murder mystery ‘solved’
• Rubble and Despair of War Redefine Syria Jewel
• Iraqi President Is Said to Be in a Coma
• Seven online activists 'arrested in UAE'
• Syrian troops battle rebels in Damascus suburbs
• Egyptian triathlete Nour embarks on a challenging mission in Abu Dhabi
• Egypt court cancels 5-year verdict against Mubarak era housing minister
• Egypt's judicary and presidency: A tug-of-war
Mideast Asia
• Iran’s Ahmadinejad says Western oil, banking sanctions will not stop Tehran’s nuclear push
• Turkey urges Iran to pressure Syria for end to violence
• Iran leader gets the clicks with Facebook rumour
• Mahmoud Abbas offers to take Palestinian refugees fleeing Syria war
• How Israel collected information about Pakistani nukes
• Iran reopens Afghan consulate after protests
• Israel Charges Tel Aviv Bus Bomb Suspect
• Ex-Israeli Military Chief and Minister Dies at 68
• Israeli Arabs unenthusiastic about January 22 vote
• Former Iranian diplomat wanted by US arrives in Tehran
• Yemenis impeding transition to face sanctions: UN
• Israel charges Tel Aviv bus bomb suspect
• School opens for displaced Syrians on Turkey border
India
• Former militants occupy top posts in J&K government
• Three day 121st Annual Convention of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamat to begin on December 29
• Samjhauta accused ‘claims’ his group planted ’06 Malegaon bombs
• 5 Indian Sailors Kidnapped Off Coast of Nigeria
• Rs 31.40 crore spent on Kasab's protection
• Rehman Malik fails to keep word on MHA team’s Pak visit
• 5 LeT men killed in Sopore: Cops
• Mollah puts party in dock, says CPM too did nothing for Muslims
Africa
• Tunisia: rioting, calls for jihad, black flags (Al Rey) and more ‘Arab Spring’ fallout
• Kenya: Somali Refugees Are the Target of a Roundup
• Congolese Rebel Leader Is Acquitted of War Crimes
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: 'MyJihad' campaign hits Chicago buses, along with opposition
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Pakistan
K-P Assembly: ‘Peshawar base attackers mostly foreigners’
December 19, 2012
PESHAWAR: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told the K-P Assembly on Tuesday that four of the Peshawar airport attackers were Pakistanis, three were Chechens, one Kyrgyz, one Uzbek and one from Dagestan.
Speaking at the floor of the assembly, Hussain said that body parts of the attackers have been sent for DNA tests. He added that militants are using their trainers for attacks, which meant that now their local ranks have been eliminated and they are on the verge of collapse.
The minister said that the ‘demonic’ tattoo on one of the attackers’ body reinforced their ‘devilish’ acts of targeting mosques and innocent children.
Meanwhile, Hussain told reporters outside the K-P Assembly that it was for the first time that militants used rocket launchers to pave their way and if they had succeeded in doing so, they would have been followed by others, adding that it would have taken 10 to 12 days to clear the area.
He also said that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) were operating in close coordination.
Hussain also took back his initial statement that one terrorist was caught by security agencies, saying, instead, that all 10 terrorists were killed in the operation. He also said that since the militants were mostly foreigners, it suggested the involvement of foreign money and an ‘international agenda’.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/481396/k-p-assembly-peshawar-base-attackers-mostly-foreigners/
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Three more polio workers shot in Pakistan; eight dead in 48 hours
Three working on a polio vaccination campaign in Pakistan killed by armed group
19 Dec 2012
Three workers in a polio eradication campaign were shot in Pakistan on Wednesday, and two of them were killed, the latest in a string of attacks that has partially halted the U.N.-backed global health campaign to stamp out the crippling disease.
Following the violence, the United Nations in Pakistan has pulled all staff involved in the immunization campaign off the streets, spokesman Michael Coleman said.
Wednesday saw at least three separate attacks. In the northwestern district of Charsadda, men on motorbikes shot dead a woman and her driver, police and health officials said.
Hours earlier, a male health worker was shot and badly wounded in the nearby provincial capital of Peshawar. He remains in a critical condition, said a doctor at the Lady Reading Hospital where he is being treated.
Four other women health workers were shot at but not hit in nearby Nowshera, said Jan Baz Afridi, deputy head of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation.
It is not clear exactly who is behind the violence but some Islamists, including Taliban militants, have long opposed the campaign, with some saying it is aimed at sterilizing Muslims.
The Taliban have repeatedly issued threats against the polio eradication campaign and health workers said they received calls telling them to stop working with the "infidels".
But a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, Ihsanullah Ihsan, told Reuters his group was not involved in the violence.
On Monday and Tuesday, six female health workers were killed in attacks in the southern port city of Karachi and in Peshawar. The youngest was 17.
The shootings, five of which happened in Karachi, home to 18 million people, led provincial health authorities to suspend the polio eradication campaign in the province of Sindh.
But authorities in Khyber Paktunkhwa province, where the capital is Peshawar, said they would not accept a recommendation to suspend the campaign even as the United Nations ordered their staff to suspend work.
"You know halting the campaign at this stage would create more problems as it's not a one-day phenomenon. If we stopped the campaign it would encourage the forces opposing the polio vaccination," said an official in the province, Javed Marwat.
Despite this, many health workers told Reuters they would not be going to work until the security situation improved.
The Taliban have repeatedly said the campaign is a Western conspiracy to sterilize or spy on Muslims or said the vaccinations could only continue if attacks by U.S. drone aircraft stopped.
Their suspicions increased after it emerged that the CIA had used a fake vaccination campaign to try to gather information about Osama bin Laden, before he was found and killed in a northern Pakistani town last year.
On Wednesday, Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said the campaign needed to go on.
"We cannot and would not allow polio to wreak havoc on the lives of our children," he said in a statement.
Pakistan had 20,000 polio cases in 1994 but vigorous vaccination efforts had brought the number down to 56 in 2012, the statement said.
A global vaccination campaign has eradicated the disease from everywhere except Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.
Polio can paralyse or kill within hours of infection. It is transmitted person-to-person, meaning that as long as one child is infected, the disease can be passed to others.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/60842/World/International/Three-more-polio-workers-shot-in-Pakistan;-eight-d.aspx
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No military solution for Kashmir: Imran
19 December 2012
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf chief Imran Khan has said the Kashmir issue cannot be resolved through military means or through militancy, adding that the problem can only be solved politically.
“A delay in resolution of the long-running dispute has kept the people of India and Pakistan hostage and it is proving to be a big hurdle to progress and prosperity in the region,” Mr Khan said while speaking at a joint press conference with leaders of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) here on Tuesday.
Unfortunately, he said, there had been a big change in approach and thinking after the 9/11 incident and liberation movements of Muslims were being dubbed ‘terrorism’.
“We are concerned over the plight and blood-letting in Kashmir. We support withdrawal of Indian forces from Kashmir and a political solution to the problem,” he added.
Mr Khan said his party was opposed to military solution to political problems, adding that the present leaderships in both India and Pakistan were not capable of taking big decisions like the Kashmir dispute. After coming to power, the PTI would take solid steps to resolve the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the wishes of Kashmiris, he added.
Mr Khan said the subcontinent was among the most poverty-stricken regions in the world and this could be tackled only if there was peace in the region. But, he said, peace could not be restored without resolving the Kashmir dispute.
APHC chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said Kashmiris should be included in India-Pakistan dialogue. “We are not against India-Pakistan talks and better relations between them, but Kashmiri leaders should be included in the dialogue.”
He regretted that there had been improvement in the relations between India and Pakistan, but there was no breakthrough as far as the Kashmir issue was concerned.
“The Kashmir issue should be given importance.”
He was of the opinion that better relations between the two countries on a permanent basis were not possible without resolution of the Kashmir dispute.
The Mirwaiz urged New Delhi to do away with the black laws being applied in the Indian-held Kashmir and remove Indian forces from there. Kashmiris living on both sides of the border should be freely allowed to hold negotiations and meetings and do trade with each other.
The APHC leader said India also realised that sentiments of the people of Kashmir could not be suppressed through use of force.
“Political dialogue is the only solution,” he added.
http://dawn.com/2012/12/19/no-military-solution-for-kashmir-imran/
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War on terror: Army rues ‘absence of political ownership’
December 18, 2012
ISLAMABAD: The recent brazen terrorist attack on the Peshawar airport appears to have exposed differences between the civilian government and the country’s powerful security establishment on how to fight, what many believe to be, the battle for survival.
With the country still reeling from the latest attack, the Pakistan Army has voiced concerns over what it says is the ‘absence of political ownership’ of the ongoing battle against militancy, The Express Tribune has learnt.
In a background briefing, senior security officials claimed that political ownership was needed for the decisive push against militants, who, in recent months, have launched some of the most daring attacks.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/481071/war-on-terror-army-rues-absence-of-political-ownership/
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Warrants for Musharraf in judges’ detention case
19 December 2012
ISLAMABAD, Dec 18: A court here on Tuesday issued warrants for Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s arrest in the judges’ detention case.
Civil judge-cum-judicial magistrate Abbas Shah issued the warrants on a request of the SHO, Secretariat Police, against the former president for allegedly detaining over 60 judges, including Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, following proclamation of the state of emergency in the country on Nov 3, 2007.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/12/19/warrants-for-musharraf-in-judges-detention-case/
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US committed to supporting education in Punjab: Fite
December 19, 2012
LAHORE: The American people and the US government are committed to ensuring that Pakistan’s children have access to a quality basic education, as well as opportunities for higher education, US Consul General Nina Fite said on Tuesday.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\12\19\story_19-12-2012_pg7_15
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Altaf praised for staying off clash course
December 19, 2012
ISLAMABAD: People from all walks of life have welcomed Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Quaid Altaf Hussain’s message, instructing his party workers not to go to the Supreme Court on January 7, 2013.
People believe that it was a wise move on his part, which will help reduce tensions in an environment of extreme hostilities. Political, social, diplomatic and public circles are of the view that Altaf’s message shows that MQM leadership is in capable and sensible hands.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-19561-Altaf-praised-for-staying-off-clash-course
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Musharraf and Elahi looted national resources: Shahbaz
December 19, 2012
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Tuesday said former president Pervez Musharraf and then Punjab CM Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi mercilessly looted national resources in the name of development projects.
The Punjab government has utilised unprecedented funds for the development of education sector and equipping the youth with the latest knowledge.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\12\19\story_19-12-2012_pg13_4
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Love thy neighbour: Indian visitors say borders divide land, not hearts
By Sarfaraz Memon
December 18, 2012
SUKKUR: You can take a person out of Karachi, but not Karachi out of the person. Indira Wazirani, 76, who left the city even before Partition has been unable to forget the neighbourhood she spent the early years of her life in.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/481003/love-thy-neighbour-indian-visitors-say-borders-divide-land-not-hearts/
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No Obama tears for children killed by drones in Pakistan
December 19, 2012
“MERE words cannot match the depths of your sorrow, nor can they heal your wounded hearts … These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change.” Every parent can connect with what President Barack Obama said about the murder of 20 children in Newtown, Connecticut. There can scarcely be a person on earth with access to the media who is untouched by the grief of the people of that town.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/12/19/no-obama-tears-for-children-killed-by-drones-in-pakistan/
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South Asia
Kabul sets ambitious 'roadmap for peace' with Taliban
In an effort to broker peace ahead of the withdrawal of Western troops, Kabul has laid out a five-step plan that could draw Taliban Islamists into the government
18 Dec 2012
Kabul has laid out an ambitious five-step plan that could bring hardline Taliban Islamists into government as efforts to broker peace accelerate ahead of the withdrawal of Western troops.
The first step in the "Peace Process Roadmap to 2015", obtained by AFP this week, calls for a focus on "securing the collaboration of Pakistan", which Kabul accuses of harbouring Taliban insurgents.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/60782/World/International/Kabul-sets-ambitious-roadmap-for-peace-with-Taliba.aspx
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Afghan, Taliban Leaders to Meet in Paris
Ayaz Gul
December 19, 2012
ISLAMABAD — Afghanistan peace negotiators and leaders are set to meet with the Taliban and other rebel groups in France on Thursday to discuss ways to end the conflict in Afghanistan as NATO troops prepare to withdraw in 2014. .
France is hosting the Afghan conference -- only days after completing its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. The meeting will be at an undisclosed location near Paris, and media coverage is not permitted.
Full report at:
http://www.voanews.com/content/afghan-leaders-taliban-leaders-meet-in-paris/1567693.html
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Many insider attacks in Afghanistan stem from personal motives, data suggest
By Ernesto Londoño
December 19,2012
The Taliban has billed a rash of insider attacks targeting international troops in Afghanistan as an effective battlefield strategy, but detailed data disclosed recently by the U.S. military suggest that the largest percentage of such incidents probably stemmed from personal motives rather than enemy infiltration.
Full report at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/many-insider-attacks-in-
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Afghan army beset by desertions as NATO pullout looms
19 December 2012
JALALABAD: Far from home, poorly paid and discriminated against, Mushtaq and Sefadullah are among thousands of Afghans who are deserting the army in a worrying trend two years before NATO troops leave.
It is not that they have joined the Taliban. Like many, they simply got fed up with life in the army, fighting a war. So they went back to the eastern city of Jalalabad, where they both have blossomed in new jobs.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\12\19\story_19-12-2012_pg14_1
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Maldives could seek compensation, says its Attorney General
R. K. RADHAKRISHNAN
Dec 19, 2012
Azima Shukoor: We terminated the pact with GMR on the grounds of void ab initio
Maldivian Attorney General Azima Shukoor has said the Maldives government could opt to seek compensation from infrastructure group GMR after it decided to void the India-based company’s concession agreement to develop Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA), a local English language website, Minivan News, said.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/maldives-could-seek-compensation-says-its-ag/article4214632.ece
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Kabul: 5-STEP PLAN for peace with Taliban
Dec 19, 2012
Kabul has laid out an ambitious and conten-tious five-step plan that could bring hardline Taliban Islamists into government as efforts to broker peace accelerate ahead of the withdrawal of Western troops.
The Taliban regime was ousted by a US-led invasion in 2001 and there are concerns that their return to any sort of power could see an erosion of gains in democracy and human rights.
But with the the United States and Nato due to withdraw their combat troops in 2014, there are also concerns that a multi-sided civil war could erupt, and the search for peace has taken on a new urgency.
http://www.asianage.com/india/kabul-5-step-plan-peace-taliban-934
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30 Jamaat-Shibir men sent to jail in Pabna
December 19, 2012
Thirty Jamaat-Shibir men, accused in a case for attacking policemen and vandalising vehicles in Ishwardi on December 4, were sent to jail yesterday.
They accused are Ishwardi upazila Jamaat Ameer Md Jobair Rahman, and upazila Jamaat and Shibir activists Md Abdur Rahman Pathan, Abdul Aziz Pathan, Saidur Rahman, Abu Isha, Md Mizan, Md Faridul Islam, Md Alam Pramanik, Md Jahid Pramanik, Md Sabbir, Md Abdur Rahman Master, Md Eunus, Md Montaz, Md. Intaz, Md Khaled, Md Abdul Baten, Md. Hasan, Md Asadullah, Md. Eusuf, Md. Zia, Md. Likhon, Md. Amirul, Md. Bellal, Md Akkas, Md Mojibar, Md Toibur Rahman, Md Nur Alam, Md Mamun, Md Masud and Md Faruk Hossain.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=261760
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North America
'MyJihad' campaign hits Chicago buses, along with opposition
By Manya A. Brachear, Chicago Tribune reporter
December 18, 2012
Chicago buses have become a battleground for two groups promoting different definitions of jihad.
This past weekend, the Council on American-Islamic Relations launched "MyJihad," a national ad campaign featuring individuals' testimonies about what the central tenet of Islam means to them.
Full report at:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/religion/ct-met-jihad-ads-20121218,0,6323650.story
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US inquiry slams ‘grossly inadequate’ Benghazi security
19 December 2012
WASHINGTON: A long-awaited inquiry into a deadly militant attack on the US mission in the Libyan city of Benghazi late on Tuesday slammed State Department security arrangements there as “grossly inadequate.”
But the months-long probe also found there had been “no immediate, specific” intelligence about a threat against the mission, which was overrun by dozens of heavily armed militants on September 11 who killed four Americans.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/12/19/us-inquiry-slams-grossly-inadequate-benghazi-security/
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U.S. depleted uranium casts horrific shadow on Iraq’s newborns
19 December 2012
American ammunitions may be the reason behind the mounting number of babies born with birth defects in Iraq, a study revealed on Tuesday.
Accounts of children being born with cancer and birth defects have been highlighted in German newspaper Der Spiegel, where Iraqis who were interviewed were not sure of the explanation behind so many dead and deformed newborn babies in the Iraqi city of Basra.
"Some had only one eye in the forehead. Or two heads,” Askar Bin Said, an Iraqi graveyard owner, told the newspaper, describing some of the dead newborn babies that are buried in his cemetery.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/12/19/255949.html
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Chicago Muslims aim to reclaim meaning of 'jihad' from extremists
By Mark Guarino, Staff writer / December 14, 2012
New ad campaign on Chicago buses, launched Friday, aims to raise awareness of how most Muslims experience 'jihad' – as personal struggle, not 'holy war.'
An Islamic-American advocacy group is trying to reclaim the word “jihad,” one city bus at a time.
Full report at:
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2012/1214/Chicago-Muslims-aim-to-reclaim-meaning-of-jihad-from-extremists
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CAIR Urges Increased Vigilance After Calif. Mosque
Threatened with Shooting Spree
12/14/12
(SANTA CLARA, CA, 12/14/12) -- The San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA) today called for increased community vigilance after a man reportedly entered a mosque in Fremont, Calif., claimed he had a gun, and threatened to kill everyone inside the house of worship.
CAIR-SFBA also urged local law enforcement to ensure that the incident is thoroughly investigated and for local elected officials to unequivocally condemn bigotry and Islamophobia.
Full report at:
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Panetta cites budget woes, Afghan war progress
By Lolita C. Baldor and Robert Burns
December 18, 2012
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta warned Congress on Tuesday that the budget stalemate and lawmakers’ spending choices are among the greatest threats to the U.S. military today, increasing the stress on the force and making it difficult to fund programs that best keep troops ready to fight.
Full report at:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/dec/18/panetta-cites-budget-woes-afghan-war-progress/
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Details Are Revealed in Brothers’ Terror Case
By LIZETTE ALVAREZ
19 December 2012
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — One of two brothers accused of conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction traveled to New York City last month to scout targets for his plan to set off a bomb, a federal prosecutor said in court on Tuesday.
The brother also searched for ways to acquire the same explosive used by the “shoe bomber” and sought to detonate the bomb to avenge military drone strike deaths in Afghanistan, the prosecutor said.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/19/us/details-are-revealed-in-brothers-terror-
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US journalist Engel freed after Syria kidnapping: TV
After being kidnapped and held in Syria for five days, US television journalist Richard Engel and his production crew were freed following a firefight between his captors and Syrian rebels and flown out of the country
18 Dec 2012
US television journalist Richard Engel, kidnapped in Syria and held for five days, was freed after a firefight between his captors and Syrian rebels, his employer NBC News said Tuesday.
"After being kidnapped and held for five days inside Syria by an unknown group, NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel and his production crew members have been freed unharmed," the network said in a statement.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/60789/World/International/US-journalist-Engel-freed-after-Syria-kidnapping-T.aspx
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FBI agent heads to S.Sudan to investigate journalist's killing
Following the death of South Sudanese journalist in early December, FBI official is set to travel to the newly independent country to investigate the killing
18 Dec 2012
A senior US Federal Bureau of Investigation official will travel to South Sudan to help investigate the killing of a journalist critical of the government, the US embassy said on Tuesday.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/60819/World/Region/FBI-agent-heads-to-SSudan-to-investigate-journalis.aspx
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ISI, Pasha & Taj enjoy immunity in 26/11 NY Court case: US government
Dec 19, 2012
NEW YORK: The US government has informed a New York court that the ISI and its former director generals "enjoy immunity" in the case related to 26/11 filed by the relatives of victims of the Mumbai terror attack and asked Pakistan to dismantle LeT and support India's efforts to counter terrorist threat.
"In the view of the United States, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is entitled to immunity because it is part of a foreign state within the meaning of the FSIA (Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act)," Stuart Delery, the principal deputy assistant attorney general told a federal court in New York on December 17 in a submission on a case filed by relatives and family members of the American victims of the Mumbai terrorist attacks.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/ISI-Pasha-Taj-enjoy-immunity-in-26/11-NY-Court-case-US-government/articleshow/17673935.cms
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Backed by John Kerry, US aid to Pakistan flows again
Dec 19, 2012
WASHINGTON: The United States has resumed bankrolling Pakistan with American tax dollars despite the unstable country ramping up nuclear weapons production and its political leadership paying little or no taxes.
The Obama administration has reportedly sent to the Congress on December 7, Pakistan's tab for a $688 million payment that constitutes Islamabad's bill for deploying its troops and providing infrastructural support to the US in its war in Afghanistan.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Backed-by-John-Kerry-US-aid-to-Pakistan-flows-again/articleshow/17672750.cms
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Southeast Asia
83% of Customers to Abortion Clinics in Indonesia are Married: Study
December 19, 2012
Married women make up the majority of customers to abortion clinics in Indonesia, according to the Indonesian Family Planning Association.
The organization, known as PKBI, said on Tuesday that of the 32,517 women who had abortions from one of 13 clinics in 11 provinces between 2008-2011, 83 percent were married. Only 8 percent of them were students or teenagers.
The total number of abortion patients across the 13 clinics rose from 31, 697 in the 2004-2007 period.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/83-of-customers-to-abortion-clinics-in-indonesia-are-married-study/562539
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Malaysia in 'final stages' for Islamic finance legal framework
Dec 19, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is in the final stages of introducing a new legislation for Islamic banking and takaful products, the country's central bank governor said on Wednesday, which gives a stronger legal basis to contracts devised by financial institutions.
Governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz did not give a time frame for launch of the legal framework. She said the legislation will help the Malaysian central bank better regulate and supervise the Islamic finance industry, which globally is valued at $1.3 trillion.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Malaysia-in-final-stages-for-Islamic-finance-legal-framework/articleshow/17674908.cms
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SBY tells men to respect women, marriage
December 19 2012
In the wake of the outcry over the controversial four-day marriage by a West Java regent, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called on men, particularly those serving as public officials, to respect women and marriage.
Yudhoyono made the call during a ceremony commemorating the 84th National Mother’s Day at the Small and Medium Enterprises Tower in South Jakarta on Tuesday.
“We need to build a culture of respect and honor. Men must respect and honor women and vice versa. Hence, I ask men, in particular those who serve as leaders, both formal and non-formal, to respect marriage and to uphold and obey the 1974 Marriage Law. All Indonesians must promote ethics in matters relating to marriage,” the President said.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/12/19/sby-tells-men-respect-women-marriage.html
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Malaysia saves 40 Myanmar shipwreck survivors
19 December 2012
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's maritime agency yesterday said it "rescued" 40 Myanmar shipwreck survivors, who are thought to be Muslim Rohingya fleeing ethnic violence, after having denied entry to Singapore.
The agency told AFP the survivors of a wreck off the Myanmar coast on Dec. 4, in which 160 others were reportedly drowned, were in good health and being transported to southern Johor state on one of its vessels.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/malaysia-saves-40-myanmar-shipwreck-survivors
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Europe
4 EU nations to condemn latest Israel settlements
19 December 2012
PARIS: A European diplomat says Germany and three other European members of the UN Security Council are preparing a statement condemning Israel’s latest settlement plans in east Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The so-called E4 grouping — Britain, France, Germany and Portugal — has expressed concerns that such activities could threaten the possible two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.
The diplomat said the details of the joint statement are being finalized. He spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the work was not yet completed.
On Monday, Israel said it was pushing forward with plans to build 1,500 apartments in east Jerusalem — the Palestinians’ hoped-for capital.
http://www.arabnews.com/4-eu-nations-condemn-latest-israel-settlements
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EU Nobel cash to kids from Syria, Colombia, Congo, Pakistan
The thousands of children affected by war in Syria, Colombia, Congo and Pakistan were the ones to whom the European Union donated their Nobel peace prize cash, with an additional one million euro
18 Dec 2012
The European Union on Tuesday donated its 2012 Nobel peace prize cash, plus a one million-euro top-up, to thousands of children impacted by war in Syria, Colombia, Congo and Pakistan.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/60814/World/International/EU-Nobel-cash-to-kids-from-Syria,-Colombia,-Congo,.aspx
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'No religion' third world group after Christians, Muslims
Dec 18 2012
People with no religious affiliation make up the third-largest global group in a new study of the size of the world's faiths, placing after Christians and Muslims and just before Hindus.
The study, based on extensive data for the year 2010, also showed Islam and Hinduism are the faiths mostly likely to expand in the future while Jews have the weakest growth prospects.
It showed Christianity is the most evenly spread religion, present in all regions of the world, while Hinduism is the least global with 94 percent of its population in one country, India.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/no-religion-third-world-group-after-christians-muslims/1047143/
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Alleged Uzbek jihad fundraisers face trial in France
18 December 2012
By Tony Cross
Ten men, most of them Turkish, went on trial in Paris on Monday, accused of raising funds for the Al Qaida-linked group, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). They are alleged to have raised 300,000 euros for the group, most of it intended to finance training jihadis in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Prosecutors asked for the network’s alleged leader, Turkish-Dutch national Irfan Demirtas, to be sentenced to 10 years in prison, claiming that he met notorious IMU chief Qari Tahir Yuldashev, who was killed by a US drone in 2009, on several occasions.
Full report at:
http://www.english.rfi.fr/asia-pacific/20121218-alleged-uzbek-jihad-fundraisers-face-trial-france
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WUC Celebrates 20th Anniversary of UN Declaration on Minorities, Calls for More to Be Done
18 December 2012
Twenty years after its adoption by the United Nations General Assembly, the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities continues to serve as a benchmark towards which States should aim in order to guarantee the flourishment of their respective minority communities. The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) greatly welcomes the 20th year of this milestone declaration, though it calls on the international community to do more to ensure the universality of its implementation, including in the People's Republic of China.
Full report at:
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UN allows blacklisted Taliban to travel for peace talks
19 December 2012
UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council renewed its Taliban sanctions regime on Monday, but made it easier for blacklisted people to get an exemption to travel outside of Afghanistan for peace and reconciliation talks.
There are 132 individuals and four entities on the UN Security Council’s sanctions list. Some diplomats hope the flexibility to grant travel exemptions will help induce moves toward peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\12\19\story_19-12-2012_pg7_5
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U.N. Suspends Immunization Work in Pakistan
By DECLAN WALSH
19 December 2012
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The United Nations suspended all polio-related field activities in Pakistan on Wednesday after more attacks on public health workers attempting to immunize children. Two people were killed and another wounded around the northwestern city of Peshawar.
The shootings followed a day of violence on Tuesday in the port city of Karachi in which four female health workers were killed. The attacks Wednesday brought the death toll from the three-day polio immunization campaign to eight people, most of them women.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/20/world/asia/un-suspends-immunization-work-in-
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Further Afghanistan troop withdrawal to be announced
19 December 2012
The government is expected to announce that up to 4,000 British troops - almost half of the current force serving in Helmand province - could return from Afghanistan next year.
Troop numbers are already being reduced from 9,500 to 9,000 before Christmas.
And numbers could fall to about 5,000 after next summer, the prime minister is expected to tell MPs.
All Nato operations are due to finish by the end of 2014, with responsibility being transferred to Afghan forces.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20778561
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Russia Sends Warships Toward Syria for Possible Evacuation
By ELLEN BARRY and THOMAS ERDBRINK
19 December 2012
MOSCOW — Russia sent warships to the eastern Mediterranean Sea on Tuesday, the Defense Ministry announced, in what appeared to be preparation for a possible evacuation of Russian citizens from Syria.
Russian officials began formulating plans during the summer for an evacuation, but have delayed announcements, analysts say, to avoid signaling a loss of confidence in President Bashar al-Assad, a longtime strategic ally. Moscow staunchly opposes international intervention in Syria and has blocked United Nations Security Council resolutions meant to force Mr. Assad from power. Officials have repeatedly said that Russia’s position has not changed.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/19/world/middleeast/russia-sends-warships-toward-syria-
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Arab World
Doomsday rumours spread by ‘big losers’, says Imam
Ahmed Shaaban / 19 December 2012
Scholars here have denied the end of the world prophecies tied up with the Mayan apocalypse hyped for this week, saying it is a sin to spread them.
They have advised the public not to believe, promote or share the rumours being propagated online with the end of the Mayan calendar on December 21.
The Fatwa Section of the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments said the end of the world, the start of the Doomsday, is not known to anyone, including the prophets.
“According to Islam, there are extremely mighty major signs before the Day of Resurrection, and none of these has shown up,” a Mufti with the Authority said.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-
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Qatar to produce $1b movie on Prophet
Scholars say movie to foster world’s understanding of genuine Islamic values
By Habib Toumi
December 19, 2012
Manama: A $1 billion epic movie on the life and teachings of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) is set to be produced by Doha-based Al Noor Holding.
The media company said that the movie endorsed by Islamic scholars, including Yusuf Al Qaradawi, the Chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, would be in seven parts and would be produced according to the highest international standards using the most sophisticated technical and audio-visual systems.
Full report at:
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/qatar/qatar-to-produce-1b-movie-on-prophet-1.1120609
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OIC blames Syria regime, rebels for Palestinian camp clashes
The Organization for Islamic Cooperation – the world's largest Muslim body – blamed both the Syrian regime's troops and the rebels for the clashes rocking the Yarmuk Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus
18 Dec 2012
The world's largest Muslim body condemned on Tuesday the clashes rocking a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus and held both government troops and rebels responsible for the unrest.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/60815/World/Region/OIC-blames-Syria-regime,-rebels-for-Palestinian-ca.aspx
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A defector’s account of Syrian chemical weapons on the move
By David Ignatius
December 18
Reports from inside two Syrian chemical weapons facilities offer chilling new evidence that President Bashar al-Assad’s regime developed special vehicles last year for moving and mixing the weapons — and an unconfirmed allegation that Lebanese allies of the regime, presumably in Hezbollah, may have been trained 11 months ago in the weapons’ use.
Full report at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-defectors-account-of-syrian-chemical-weapons-on-the-move/2012/12/18/d5130d86-492e-11e2-ad54-580638ede391_story.html
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Saudis ban Brazil beef over mad cow fears
Kingdom follows China, Japan, South Africa
December 18, 2012
Sao Paulo Saudi Arabia has suspended imports of Brazilian beef, Brazil’s agriculture ministry said on Tuesday, and became the largest country to stop purchases after confirmation of a 2010 case of atypical mad cow disease.
The decision, confirmed by a ministry press official in Brasilia, follows Egypt’s ban of beef on Monday from Parana state, where a cow that died two years ago had developed atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease. Egypt will continue to import from other states.
Full report at:
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/saudis-ban-brazil-beef-over-mad-cow-fears-1.1120825
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Egyptian judges in Ismailiya to oversee referendum after ending strike
Ismailiya primary court judges decide to suspend strike and oversee the second round of the constitutional referendum
18 Dec 2012
Judges of Ismailiya Primary Court ended their strike on Tuesday and decided to supervise the second phase of Egypt's referendum on a new constitution, which takes place on Saturday.
The general assembly of the court had earlier decided to take part in a strike held by many judges across Egypt, in protest at President Mohamed Mori's November constitutional decree which they regarded as a threat to their independence.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/60821/Egypt/Politics-/Egyptian-judges-in-Ismailiya-to-oversee-referendum.aspx
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Syria rebels fear chemical weapons
19 December 2012
ANTAKYA, Turkey: Syrian rebels have been closely monitoring the regime’s chemical weapons sites, but don’t have the means to seize and secure them, their newly elected military commander told The Associated Press.
Gen. Salim Idris, who defected from the Syrian army in July, said he was ”very afraid” a cornered Syrian President Bashar Assad would unleash such weapons on his own people.
Syria is said to have one of the world’s largest chemical arsenals.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/12/19/syria-rebels-fear-chemical-weapons/
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86% jobs ‘not fit for Saudis’
19 December 2012
Labor Minister Adel Fakeih said yesterday that 86 percent of jobs done by expatriates are not suitable for Saudis. However, he said the new Saudization drive was aimed at creating more jobs for two million unemployed citizens.
Speaking to Al-Sharq daily, he said 85 percent of Saudi job seekers are women. “Moreover, 330,000 Saudis, who graduate from secondary schools every year, also look for jobs,” he added.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/86-jobs-%E2%80%98not-fit-saudis%E2%80%99
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OIC chief to visit Myanmar soon to address Rohingya concerns
19 December 2012
Organization of Islamic Cooperation Secretary-General Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said yesterday that he would soon visit Myanmar as the head of a high-level delegation including OIC foreign ministers as part of efforts to stop the attacks against Rohingya Muslims.
Addressing a press conference, he said the visit came in response to an invitation he received from Myanmar President Thein Sein. “We have not canceled our pre-planned visit to Myanmar but it was postponed due to insecure conditions in the country,” he told Arab News.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/oic-chief-visit-myanmar-soon-address-rohingya-concerns
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International Halal body to be set up
19 December 2012
Abdullah bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Turki, secretary-general of the Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL), will chair the maiden meeting of the general assembly of the new Halal International Authority (HIA) in Riyadh on Wednesday. During the meeting, Al-Turki will announce the names of the members of the HIA’s first board of directors, who will hold their meeting immediately afterwards at the same venue to discuss several important subjects, including the formation of the authority’s legal committee.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/international-halal-body-be-set
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Ministry of Labor to launch rating system for Saudis under Nitaqat
19 December 2012
In an attempt to promote the slow and sometimes difficult process of Saudization in the workplace, the Ministry of Labor has come up with a system designed not only to ease Saudis into the workplace but to keep them there, as well, according to a local newspaper.
This new Nitaqat program is aimed at employees in the private sector. Four designations - red, yellow, green and platinum - are included in the new Nitaqat in an attempt to instill the culture of work in young men and women through commitment to the work assigned them, compliance with work contracts and avoidance of quitting a job without giving prior notice.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/ministry-labor-launch-rating-system-saudis-under-nitaqat
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Former Grand Mosque imam Al-Subail buried
19 December 2012
Saudi Arabia mourned the passing of Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Subail, imam and preacher of the Grand Mosque in Makkah. Prayers took place for him yesterday following afternoon prayers and he was buried in Al-Adel graveyard.
At the age of 92, he drew his last breath in the afternoon of Monday, Dec. 17 at the National Guard Hospital in the city of Jeddah after a period of illness in which he suffered complications in the heart and lungs.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/former-grand-mosque-imam-al-subail-buried
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Libya faces ‘impossible’ task closing desert borders
18 December 2012
TRIPOLI: Libya’s decision to shut its desert frontiers is a tall order for its fledgling army, which is ill-equipped to seal largely uninhabited Saharan wastes stretching more than 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles).
Prime Minister Ali Zeidan told the national assembly on Tuesday that the measure requires further study and warned that “rash decisions should not be made when we are incapable of implementing them.”
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/libya-faces-%E2%80%98impossible%E2%80%99-task-closing-desert-borders
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Ramses III’s 3,000-year-old murder mystery ‘solved’
19 December 2012
PARIS: An assassin slit the throat of Egypt’s last great pharaoh at the climax of a bitter succession battle, scientists said yesterday in a report on a 3,000-year-old royal murder.
Forensic technology suggests Ramses III, a king revered as a deity, met his death at the hand of a killer, or killers, sent by his conniving wife and ambitious son, they said.
And a cadaver known as the “Screaming Mummy” could be that of the son himself, possibly forced to commit suicide after the plot, they added.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/ramses-iii%E2%80%99s-3000-year-old-murder-mystery-%E2%80%98solved%E2%80%99
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Rubble and Despair of War Redefine Syria Jewel
By C. J. CHIVERS
19 December 2012
ALEPPO, Syria — Inside the classrooms where they once studied, the boys darted like a pack. Their banging and clanking could be heard for a city block.
The playground outside had been hit by a Syrian Air Force airstrike, which fractured the school’s walls. Now the children were smashing the furniture, prying off wooden desktops and bench seats, rushing away with what they could.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/19/world/middleeast/aleppo-residents-battered-by-war-
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Iraqi President Is Said to Be in a Coma
By DURAID ADNAN
19 December 2012
BAGHDAD — Jalal Talabani, the president of Iraq, whose influence in mediating disputes among the country’s many political factions has far outweighed the limited powers of the office he occupies, suffered a stroke and was in grave health on Tuesday in a Baghdad hospital.
Mr. Talabani’s illness cast a shadow over the Kurdish lands in the north where he once fought a guerrilla war and where he now lives, and added a new element of uncertainty to the country’s divided politics a year after the departure of the American military left Iraq’s leaders to steer the country’s shaky democracy on their own.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/19/world/middleeast/iraqs-president-hospitalized-with-medical-emergency.html?ref=world&gwh=6E88BB4D03065AF6C6E9803D1DF81110
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Seven online activists 'arrested in UAE'
By Bill Law
19 December 2012
Seven online activists are reported to have been arrested in a continuing crackdown in the United Arab Emirates.
The Emirates Centre for Human Rights said three UAE nationals were detained in Saudi Arabia on Monday and then handed over to the UAE authorities.
It came days after four other activists were arrested in connection with a Twitter account that is critical of the government, the UK-based group added.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20768205
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Syrian troops battle rebels in Damascus suburbs
19 December 2012
Syria’s state media say the military is carrying out a broad operation against rebels in the suburbs of Damascus.
The state-run SANA news agency says the troops have killed “scores of terrorists” the government term for opposition fighters trying to topple President Bashar Assad.
It says Wednesday’s fighting was taking place in southern districts of Daraya, Harasta, Douma and Hajar Aswad, which is near the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/syrian-troops-battle-rebels-in-damascus-suburbs/article4217302.ece
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Egyptian triathlete Nour embarks on a challenging mission in Abu Dhabi
19 December 2012
Egyptian Omar Nour is a triathlete on a mission. Eager to blaze a trail across the Arab world for the sport he loves and with a passion to inspire young people to become more active, the short-course specialist is preparing to set new records in 2013 with a double Abu Dhabi tri assault.
The emirate has long-been Arabia’s home of triathlon, with two world-class events - the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon on March 2 and Tri Yas on February 8 - taking place on its doorstep yet their elite field had, to date, never attracted a genuine Arab challenger.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/sport/inside_sport.asp?xfile=/data/nationsports/2012/December/nationsports_December245.xml§ion=nationsports
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Egypt court cancels 5-year verdict against Mubarak era housing minister
Mubarak era housing minister, Ahmed El-Maghrabi's five year sentence for illegal sale of land cancelled on Tuesday
18 Dec 2012
Egypt's Court of Cassation on Tuesday cancelled a verdict incriminating Mubarak era Minister of Housing Ahmed El-Maghrabi for squandering and profiteering from public funds, state news agency, MENA, reported.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/3/12/60813/Business/Economy/Egypt-court-cancels-year-verdict-against-Mubarak-e.aspx
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Egypt's judicary and presidency: A tug-of-war
Nada El-Kouny
19 Dec 2012
President Mohamed Morsi and Egypt's top judges have been in a game of tug-of-war for almost three months. The climax of the crisis occurred late November, when Morsi ordered Mubarak-era prosecutor-general Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud to retire and the repercussions continue as Egypt prepares to go to the polls for the second stage of the constitutional referendum on Saturday.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/60801/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-judicary-and-presidency-A-tugofwar.aspx
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Mideast Asia
Iran’s Ahmadinejad says Western oil, banking sanctions will not stop Tehran’s nuclear push
December 18
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s president said Tuesday that Western sanctions could at the most cause a “quick tap on the brakes” in Tehran’s nuclear program but will not slow it down substantially, state TV reported.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is quoted as saying that the “West is not happy with Iran’s progress” in technological fields including uranium enrichment — a possible pathway to nuclear arms.
“You think that by resorting to oil and currency issues, you are able to press the Iranian nation and stop it from its path? You are wrong. Maybe this works like a quick tap on the brakes in driving, but the Iranian nation will find its way quickly and will continue,” said Ahmadinejad.
Full report at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/irans-ahmadinejad-says-western-oil-
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Turkey urges Iran to pressure Syria for end to violence
Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu urges Iran to pressure Syrians into stopping violence
18 Dec 2012
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu urged Tehran on Tuesday to use its leverage and "send a clear message" to Syria's embattled regime to stop the violence against its own people.
"Instead of criticising the (Patriot missile) system, Iran should say stop to the Syrian regime that has been continuously oppressing its own people and provoking Turkey through border violations," Davutoglu told reporters in Ankara.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/60824/World/Region/Turkey-urges-Iran-to-pressure-Syria-for-end-to-vio.aspx
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Iran leader gets the clicks with Facebook rumour
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei' Facebook page attracted nearly 10,000 followers although the site's content and style raise serious questions about its authenticity
18 Dec 2012
A Facebook page purportedly created by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attracted nearly 10,000 followers on Tuesday although the site's content and style raise serious questions about its authenticity.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/60791/World/Region/Iran-leader-gets-the-clicks-with-Facebook-rumour.aspx
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Mahmoud Abbas offers to take Palestinian refugees fleeing Syria war
19 December 2012
RAMALLAH: The Palestinian president said he was ready to take in Palestinian refugees fleeing Syria’s civil war.
Mahmoud Abbas said he had asked UN chief Ban Ki-moon to help in bringing the refugees to the Palestinian territories.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/12/19/mahmoud-abbas-offers-to-take-palestinian-refugees-fleeing-syria-war/
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How Israel collected information about Pakistani nukes
19 December 2012
WASHINGTON: One of the major tasks of Jonathan Pollard, an Israeli spy in the United States, was to collect information about Pakistan’s nuclear programme, according to a document released this week.
In 1984 and 1985, Mr Pollard passed on to his Israeli handlers several sets of official US documents about the Kahuta plant.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/12/19/how-israel-collected-information-about-pakistani-nukes/
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Iran reopens Afghan consulate after protests
19 December 2012
DUBAI: Iran has reopened its consulate in the Afghan city of Herat, a week after it was reported closed following anti-Iranian protests outside the compound, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
The demonstrators were protesting against the alleged killing of Afghan migrants by Iranian police, an assertion Tehran has denied. Iran's state news agency IRNA reported on Dec. 11 that Iran had shut the consulate. "Based on the request of Afghan officials and people, Iran's consulate in Herat resumed its activities yesterday (Monday)," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said. "The issue of the damage inflicted (on the consulate) is being pursued." On Sunday, the Iranian consul general to Herat, Rahim Mohammadi Yekta, said Tehran was demanding the Afghan government compensate it for damage to the compound, the Iranian official English-language Press TV reported.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\12\19\story_19-12-2012_pg14_3
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Israel Charges Tel Aviv Bus Bomb Suspect
19 December 2012
TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israel charged an Israeli Arab citizen on Wednesday over a bomb explosion on a Tel Aviv bus during Israel's November military offensive in the Palestinian Gaza Strip, the Justice Ministry said.
The bus was driving close to Israel's defense ministry complex when the bomb went off on November 21, wounding 15 people.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/12/19/world/middleeast/19reuters-palestinians-israel-bus.html?ref=middleeast&_r=0
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Ex-Israeli Military Chief and Minister Dies at 68
19 December 2012
JERUSALEM (AP) — Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, a former Israeli military chief who later became a Cabinet minister, has died after a long battle with cancer. He was 68.
Lipkin-Shahak died Wednesday in Jerusalem.
Lipkin-Shahak started his military service in the paratrooper brigade and was twice decorated with Israel's Medal of Courage for his conduct in special operations. He rose through the ranks, commanding elite infantry units and holding several top key positions — including five years as head of military intelligence.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/12/19/world/middleeast/ap-ml-israel-obit-lipkin-shahak.html?ref=middleeast&gwh=D187A065944E4E0462B441E91CB81FCC
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Israeli Arabs unenthusiastic about January 22 vote
Dec 19, 2012
NAZARETH, Israel: Israeli Arab activist Rasool Saada is crisscrossing the country to encourage fellow Arab citizens to vote in January 22 parliamentary elections, convinced they can make a difference. Numerically, he's right. Historically, it hasn't worked out that way.
Arabs make up about a fifth of Israel's population, but their voter turnout has been much lower than that of the Jewish majority. Many Arabs are disillusioned with politics, feeling alienated as a minority in a Jewish state and dissatisfied with their own squabbling, ineffective representatives.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Israeli-Arabs-unenthusiastic-about-January-22-vote/articleshow/17676139.cms
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Former Iranian diplomat wanted by US arrives in Tehran
RDec 19, 2012
DUBAI: A former Iranian diplomat arrested in London for trying to export night-vision weapons' sights to Iran arrived back in Tehran on Tuesday after winning a six-year legal battle in Britain.
A British court last month blocked the extradition of Nosratollah Tajik, wanted by the United States after agents from the US department of homeland security posed as arms dealers seeking to sell the military kit in violation of arms embargoes.
"Tajik was welcomed by some officials and family members at Tehran's Mehrabad airport," the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) reported.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Former-Iranian-diplomat-wanted-by-US-arrives-in-Tehran/articleshow/17671748.cms
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Yemenis impeding transition to face sanctions: UN
The UN envoy to Yemen says the international community could impose sanctions on "those impeding" the democratization process in the country after meeting with President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi
19 Dec 2012
The UN envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, has warned that the world body could impose sanctions on those impeding the political transition in the impoverished country, state news agency Saba reported.
There was a "possibility (the United Nations would) impose individual or group sanctions against whoever creates an obstacle or attempts to delay the track of the (political) settlement," a Saba report late on Tuesday quoted Benomar as saying.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/60848/World/Region/Yemenis-impeding-transition-to-face-sanctions-UN.aspx
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School opens for displaced Syrians on Turkey border
19 December 2012
KILIS (Turkey) — In a Turkish town across the border from Syria, a few dozen exiled schoolteachers have established a makeshift school for children displaced by their native country’s brutal civil war.
The school, on the ground floor of a three-storey building in southwest Kilis, lacks all but the the most basic of supplies while all the teachers work for no pay in cramped classrooms where five children often squeeze into desks made for three.
And teachers and administrators note that many of the students appear to be suffering from psychological problems that they have no training in how to address.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-
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India
Former militants occupy top posts in J&K government
By M Saleem Pandit, TNN | Dec 19, 2012
SRINAGAR: Over the years, several former militants have made it to top posts in Jammu & Kashmir government after qualifying for either Kashmir Administrative Service or police service exams, besides judicial exams held by state public service commission.
This came to light after the appointment of this year's topper in the higher judiciary exam was stopped until February, pending CID verification. The candidate is now demanding treatment at par with other officers who were appointed despite past affiliations to militant outfits.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Former-militants-occupy-top-posts-in-JK-government/articleshow/17672173.cms
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Three day 121st Annual Convention of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamat to begin on December 29
By Yudhvir Rana, TNN | Dec 18, 2012
AMRITSAR: Ahmadiyya's from across the world including Pakistan would converge at Qadian in Gurdaspur district to participate in the three day 121st Annual Convention of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamat, India beginning on December 29th.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim community within Islam was founded in 1889 and spans over 250 countries with membership exceeding tens of millions having current headquarters in UK, informed Secretary Press Committee, Sheikh Mujahid Ahmad while talking to TOI on Tuesday.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Three-day-121st-Annual-Convention-of-Ahmadiyya-Muslim-Jamat-to-begin-on-December-29/articleshow/17669546.cms
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Samjhauta accused ‘claims’ his group planted ’06 Malegaon bombs
Dec 19 2012
New Delhi, Mumbai : A man accused of planting bombs on the Samjhauta Express in 2007 has allegedly told investigators that he was part of a group of Hindu extremists who planted bombs at a mosque in Maharashtra’s Malegaon town in 2006 which killed 37 people and wounded more than 300.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/samjhauta-accused--claims--his-group-planted--06-malegaon-bombs/1047358/
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5 Indian Sailors Kidnapped Off Coast of Nigeria
19 December 2012
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Gunmen stormed a tanker ship off the coast of Nigeria's oil-rich southern delta, ransacking the vessel and kidnapping five Indian sailors in the latest attack targeting foreign workers in the volatile region, a shipping company said Wednesday.
The attack targeted the SP Brussels tanker as it sat about 40 miles (64 kilometers) off the coast of Nigeria's Niger Delta, Medallion Marine said in a statement. The gunmen stole personal belongings on board the ship in the attack Monday and kidnapped the sailors, the company said.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/12/19/world/africa/ap-af-nigeria-oil-unrest.html?ref=africa
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Rs 31.40 crore spent on Kasab's protection
Dec 19, 2012
NEW DELHI: Nearly Rs 31.40 crore has been spent by the government on the protection of Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Ajmal Kasab, who carried out the Mumbai terror attack and was hanged last month.
Minister of state for home R P N Singh said as per information furnished by Maharashtra government and Indo-Tibetan Border Police, as on November 23, 2012, an amount of Rs 31,39,02,589 has been spent on the protection of Kasab.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Rs-31-40-crore-spent-on-Kasabs-protection/articleshow/17677207.cms
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Rehman Malik fails to keep word on MHA team’s Pak visit
By Bharti Jain, TNN | Dec 19, 2012
NEW DELHI: With the tentative date (Wednesday, December19) agreed to by both India and Pakistan for an MHA team's visit to Islamabad for finalizing modalities of the Pakistani judicial commission's second visit all but gone, New Delhi is still awaiting confirmation for a new date.
According to sources in the home ministry, the Pakistani delegation — led by interior minister Rehman Malik — had indicated December 19 as the tentative date for hosting the MHA team.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Rehman-Malik-fails-to-keep-word-on-MHA-teams-Pak-visit/articleshow/17672024.cms
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5 LeT men killed in Sopore: Cops
Bashaarat Masood
Dec 19 2012
Srinagar : The Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Army have killed five militants in a fierce gun battle in north Kashmir’s Sopore town on Tuesday.
Police sources said that the dead militants were part of a group that had recently infiltrated into the Valley and three of its members were killed four days ago in a nearby village.
“We have killed five militants so far. One of them was a local militant. Others were Pakistani nationals. The encounter continues and we believe that one or two more are holed-up inside,” said Sopore SP Imtiyaz Hussain.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/5-let-men-killed-in-sopore-cops/1047341/
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Mollah puts party in dock, says CPM too did nothing for Muslims
Dec 19 2012
Kolkata : Veteran CPM leader Abdur Rezzak Mollah, who has been known for speaking his mind, on Tuesday put his party in the dock by saying no political party, including the Left Front, was “truly concerned” about the minorities and treated them as votebanks.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mollah-puts-party-in-dock-says-cpm-too-did-nothing-for-muslims/1047435/
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Africa
Tunisia: rioting, calls for jihad, black flags (Al Rey) and more ‘Arab Spring’ fallout
December 17, 2012
TUNISIA Protesters have thrown tomatoes and stones at Tunisia’s President Moncef Marzouki in Sidi Bouzid, where the Arab Spring started exactly two years ago.
Mr Marzouki was swiftly evacuated by security officers, disrupting his rally to mark the anniversary.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20760363#TWEET455339
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Kenya: Somali Refugees Are the Target of a Roundup
By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN
19 December 2012
The Kenyan government posted a notice in newspapers on Tuesday asking all Somali refugees in the country to report to camps along the Kenya-Somalia border. “The government of Kenya has decided to stop reception, registration and close down all registration centers in the urban areas,” the notice said. Kenyan security forces have blamed ethnic Somalis for a recent spate of fatal grenade attacks and attacks on churches. The attacks began after Kenya sent troops into Somalia last year in the most extensive military operation in Kenya’s history.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/19/world/africa/somali-refugees-are-the-target-of-a-
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Congolese Rebel Leader Is Acquitted of War Crimes
By MARLISE SIMONS
19 December 2012
PARIS — The International Criminal Court in The Hague said Tuesday that it found testimony against a former rebel leader “too contradictory and too hazy” to convict him of a gruesome 2003 attack on a village in the Democratic Republic of Congo in which some 200 people were hacked to death and female survivors were raped and held in camps as sex slaves.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/19/world/africa/congolese-rebel-leader-is-acquitted-of-
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