Libyan rebels' military commander killed by own comrades
Osama poetry contest at Pakistan's varsity
'Enforced disappearances in Balochistan tied to ISI, army'
Muslim Soldier Arrested For Plotting Attack on Ft. Hood
German Muslims ‘took bomb manuals into UK’
'26/11 accused in Pak will be prosecuted'
Maulana Vastanvi’s Removal was pre-planned: Convenor Investigation Committee
Indonesia rejects outrage over anti-Ahmadi mob sentences
Hina Khar unhappy over her depiction as 'fashion icon'
26/11 samples sought by FBI already destroyed
Two Malaysian girls held for kissing!
The book ‘Ross Masaud’ released by Vice President Hamid Ansari
Obama administration accuses Iran of 'secret deal' with al-Qaida
Security chief: Norway attacks work of lone wolf
Rogue Afghan who killed three British soldiers 'not seen as risk', inquest told
Four more killed in Karachi
Ex-Tunisian president Ben Ali given 16 years for corruption
US special ops chief warns of Qaida 2.0
Pakistan releases 14 Indian fishermen
Pakistan: Jihadi threat to expel journalists
40 dead in clash between Yemen army and tribes
South African fast bowler Wayne Parnell converts to Islam
Human rights abuses: ‘We can torture, kill, or keep you for years’
New al Qaeda leader slams Syrian president, praises protesters
Kasab appeals death sentence
Roadside bombs kill 23 in south Afghanistan: Officials
Gilani govt vows to defend 'supremacy of Parliament'
Nine militants killed in Kurram clash
Clinton slams Republican push to slap new terms for aid to Pak, others
It’s face- off between Pak government and judiciary
3 Indonesians get jail for attack on Islamic sect
Skeletal, frail and hours from death
US accuses Iran of ‘secret deal’ with Al Qaida
Iqraa to telecast multilingual programs in Ramadan
Enrollment closes for regular programs at Umm Al-Qura
Ministry says no foreign teachers in girls’ schools
OIC calls on Somali sides to stop fighting
Indian Embassy announces Ramadan work timings
Khar says Manmohan ready to 'walk extra mile' on resolving all issues
Pakistani Taliban say they have Swiss tourists
Egyptian army in a bind over Mubarak trial
Body of human rights activist found in Sri Lanka: UN
Libyan Woman Who Claimed Rape Arrives in U.S.
Lebanon Tribunal Names Suspects in Hariri Killing
Ex-Counterterrorism Aide Warns Against Complacency on Al Qaeda
Tens of thousands rally in Syria; 1 killed
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/libyan-rebels-military-commander-killed/d/5134
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Libyan rebels' military commander killed by own comrades
Jul 29, 2011
BENGHAZI: The head of the Libyan rebel's armed forces and two of his aides were killed by gunmen on Thursday, the head of the rebel leadership said.
The death of Abdel-Fattah Younis was announced at a press conference in the de facto rebel capital, Benghazi, by the head of the rebels' National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil. He told reporters that rebel security had arrested the head of the group behind the killing.
Rebel security had arrested Younis and two of his aides early Thursday from their operations room near the rebels' eastern front. Security officials said at the time that Younis was to be questioned about suspicions his family still had ties to Muammar Gaddafi's regime.
Younis was addafi's interior minister before defecting to the rebels early in the uprising, which began in February.
Abdel-Jalil said that Younis had been summoned for questioning regarding "a military matter." He said Younis and his two aides were shot before they arrived for questioning.
Abdel-Jalil called Younis "one of the heroes of the 17th of February revolution," a name marking the date of early protests against Gaddafi's regime.
While he criticized Gaddafi for seeking to break the unity of rebel forces, he did not say directly that Younis' killers were associated with the regime. Instead, he issued a stiff warning about "armed groups" in rebel-held cities, saying they needed to join the fight against Gaddafi or risk being arrested by security forces.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Libyan-rebels-say-their-military-chief-shot-dead/articleshow/9402589.cms
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Osama poetry contest at Pakistan's varsity
Salman Masood
Jul 29, 2011
The posters were plastered around the campus of Pakistan’s largest university last month, inviting students to enter a poetry and essay contest eulogising a major historical figure who spent his last years living in seclusion in this nation. The subject of such an outpouring of praise,
Osama bin Laden.
The contest may have seemed out of place here at the University of the Punjab, a century-old prestigious institution in this eastern city, known as the artistic and cultural capital of the country. After all, there had been no campus protests denouncing the death of Bin Laden, who was killed in a nighttime raid by United States Navy Seal commandos in the northern garrison town of Abbottabad.
But the big surprise was not the contest itself, at least not in a nation where 63 percent of the people disapprove of the operation that killed Bin Laden, according to a June survey by the Pew Research Center.
Indeed, the big surprise was just the opposite: that the contest organizers chose to remain anonymous, providing nothing more than an e-mail address to send submissions.
For over three decades, this campus has been a stronghold of an Islamic student group known as Islami Jamiat Talaba. The group forcefully imposes its Islamic interpretations on the students, has effectively banned music and cultural activities and scoffs at interaction between men and women outside the classrooms. Its vigilantes regularly attack male students who are found sitting close to their female colleagues. Students have been hospitalized, a dorm was stormed by supporters brandishing guns, and anti-Western and pro-Jihad literature is easily available.
It would seem all but natural that Jamiat, as the student group is commonly referred to, would not only hold such a contest, but do it proudly.
So why all the mystery?
“We are trying to find out who is behind it,” Khuram Shahzad, public relations officer of the university, said, referring to the contest. “We feel it is objectionable political activity, and disciplinary action will be taken against the organisers.”
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Osama-poetry-contest-at-Pakistan-s-varsity/Article1-726738.aspx
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'Enforced disappearances in Balochistan tied to ISI, army'
Jul 29, 2011
NEW YORK: Pakistan's military and intelligence agencies are indulging in "enforced disappearances" of individuals in the restive Balochistan, which the civilian government has not been able to stop, Human Rights Watch has said in a scathing attack.
The 132-page report, 'We Can Torture, Kill, or Keep You for Years: Enforced Disappearances by Pakistan Security Forces in Balochistan", documents dozens of enforced disappearances, in which the authorities take people into custody and then deny all responsibility or knowledge of their fate or whereabouts.
The report details 45 alleged cases of enforced disappearances, the majority in 2009 and 2010.
While hundreds of people have been forcibly disappeared in Balochistan since 2005, dozens of new enforced disappearances have occurred since Pakistan returned to civilian rule in 2008.
"Pakistan's government should immediately end widespread disappearances of suspected militants and activists by the military, intelligence agencies, and the paramilitary Frontier Corps in the southwestern province of Balochistan ," Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in the report released on Thursday.
"Pakistan's security forces are engaging in an abusive free-for-all in Balochistan as Baloch nationalists and suspected militants disappear , and in many cases are executed ," Brad Adams, Asia director at HRW said.
Victims told Human Rights Watch that they had been picked up from their homes at night by gangs of armed men, questioned and beaten without being told who was holding them or why.
The government in Islamabad has cracked down on dissent in Balochistan since rebels rose up in 2004 demanding autonomy and a greater share of profits from the region's oil, gas and mineral resources.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Enforced-disappearances-in-Balochistan-tied-to-ISI-army/articleshow/9403603.cms
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Muslim Soldier Arrested For Plotting Attack on Ft. Hood
By Aaron Goldstein
Jul 29, 2011
The FBI has arrested a U.S. soldier in a motel near Fort Hood where he was found with bomb making material. It is believed that he was plotting another attack on Fort Hood.
Pfc. Nasser Abdo has been AWOL from Fort Campbell since the Fourth of July. He had applied for conscientious objector status last August after refusing deployment to Afghanistan. It was granted last month but did not take effect after Abdo was charged with possessing child pornography on his computer.
Andy McCarthy wrote a piece at National Review Online about Abdo after he was granted conscientious objector status. Sharia law forbids Muslims from assisting non-Muslims in fighting other Muslims. McCarthy chastised the Obama Administration and the Pentagon for embracing this tenet of Sharia law in granting Abdo's application. In light of Abdo's arrest, the following passage is rather chilling:
Private Abdo may not approve of al-Qaeda. He may not want to see the Taliban retake control of Afghanistan. But that is not the point. They are Muslims. He, like the Muslims of Afghanistan, sees himself as a Muslim first. He is not going to side with us over them. It doesn't matter that he may privately believe they are reprehensible. Since they are Muslims, he sees it as Allah's place, not his, to condemn them. In this life, in the sharia schema of Muslims versus non-Muslims, he is with his fellow Muslims - and would risk grave peril, both here and in the afterlife, were he to cross over to the other side.
Well, by all appearances, Abdo has indeed crossed over to the other side. Yet it's not exactly a state secret that the U.S. military has been engaged in Afghanistan for nearly a decade and still has roughly 50,000 troops in Iraq. If American Muslims object so fiercely to being sent into a war where they might have to kill their fellow Muslims then why on earth sign up in the first place? We haven't had conscription in this country in nearly forty years. It's not like they are compelled into military service. Unless, of course, the idea is to infiltrate and then kill from within. If that is the objective then I say diversity be damned. It is, after all, the solemn duty of our military personnel "to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic." Any American, Muslim or otherwise, who is not prepared to uphold that oath has no business enlisting in our armed forces.
http://spectator.org/blog/2011/07/28/muslim-soldier-arrested-for-pl#
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German Muslims ‘took bomb manuals into UK’
By ANDY CRICK
Jul 29, 2011
TWO German Islamic converts were caught with bomb-making instructions, gun manuals and jihad magazines as they entered Britain, a court heard yesterday.
Robert Baum, 23, and Christian Emde, 28, were stopped after officials doubted their reason to visit.
After searching their bags, authorities in Dover found literature which included "How to make a bomb in the kitchen of your mother", "39 ways to support jihad" and "Destroying buildings".
They also found al-Qaeda emblems on a laptop and holy war pamphlet "Inspire".
Prosecutor Colin Gibbs told Westminster Magistrates Court: "These are terrorism offences of some seriousness."
Mr Gibbs said officials "did not believe the pair" after they claimed they had intended to fly to Egypt from Brussels in Belgium but found the flights were too expensive and came to Dover.
Blue-eyed Emde converted in 2003 and Baum within the past three years.
They were charged with possessing information that may be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism. Neither entered a plea.
Both refused to stand, calling it "a forbidden act of worship". They were remanded to top-security Belmarsh jail until next month.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3718672/Two-German-Islamic-converts-were-caught-with-bomb-making-instructions-gun-manuals-and-jihad-magazines-as-they-entered-Britain-court-hears.html?OTC-RSS&ATTR=News#ixzz1TTvaFMsO
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'26/11 accused in Pak will be prosecuted'
Jul 29, 2011
LONDON: Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik on Thursday reiterated that "nine non-state actors" facing trial in a Rawalpindi court for their involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks would be convicted.
"I'm hopeful, with the credible evidence which we have brought on record with the court, we know that they will be inshallah convicted." Malik said at London's International Institute for Strategic Studies. He said New Delhi had permitted a Pakistani judicial commission's visit.
Malik said either Ajmal Kasab has to be present before the Pakistani court or another method has to be adopted for conviction under Pakistani law.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/26/11-accused-in-Pak-will-be-prosecuted/articleshow/9403032.cms
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Maulana Vastanvi’s Removal was pre-planned; We were not allowed to meet the teachers and students, says Convenor Investigation Committee
New Age Islam News Bureau
29 July 2011
New Delhi: Darul Uloom Deoband’s Mufti Mohammad Ismael, Convenor of the Committee asked to look into allegations of misconduct against its vice-chancellor Maulana Vastanavi has claimed that Vastanvi’s sacking from the post was a pre-planned event and had nothing to do with the investigation. Supposed investigation Committee members were not even allowed to meet the students who had caused disturbance or who had supported the Maulana, perhaps for fear that the real truth will come out and the powers-that-be at Deoband will not be able to misuse the students and teachers in future for any such undignified activities.
The investigation committee had been asked to find out the truth of its vice-chancellor Maulana Vastanavi’s remarks allegedly exonerating Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi from atrocities against Muslims in his state and the disturbances caused in the wake of this alleged statement by students were supporting or opposing the Maulana.
The statements and write ups of the concerned people of Darul Uloom, Deoband being published in various Urdu newspapers are the proof of the confusion prevailing there. Most surprising is the statement of the concerned people who are saying that the decision taken regarding Maulana Vastanvi was a taken hastily, although full three months were given for the investigation. This also is clear that the group opposing Maulana Vastanvi was doing so because of outside pressure.
Maulana Mufti Md. Ismail, senior member of Shoura and Convenor of the Investigation team said on phone to Shahnawaz Badar Quasmi of Urdu Daily Jadeed Khabar that, “Some members of the Shoura had already decided to take Maulana Vastanvi’s resignation, even before the meeting on July 24, 2011 had started. We had investigated and prepared the report with much attention as it concerned a very respectable member of Shoura. Maulana Vastanvi’s personality has never been under any scrutiny before. We, three members of the Investigation Team were taking all the precautionary measures. In this regard talking to the students who were behind many agitations and demonstrations was one of the most important tasks.”
He further stated, “Students cannot dare take any such action unless they are backed by the teachers. And the teachers cannot do so unless they are assured of no action being taken against them.” Maulana Ismail further added, “The report we have submitted is half baked as we were not allowed to talk to the teachers and students. And the saddest part of it is that even that half report was not discussed and not given any importance.” Mufti Saheb is of the opinion that all this was a pre planned game. Maulana Vastanvi kept saying that he will resign; let the investigation be completed. But he was not heard or paid any heed in the noise created there.”
Maulana Vastanvi should have been provided an opportunity even if the investigation report had gone against him. And when he did not resign, he was dismissed from the post of Vice Chancellor.
Mufti Ismail told Quasmi, that, “Darul Uloom, Deoband and its administration will lose its integrity if the teachers and student are used like this and if they lost fear of the law. According to Mufti Ismail, had they been permitted to talk to the students the names of the teachers involved in malpractices would have come to light. Asked about the way the members of the Shoura be elected, Mr Mufti said it should be a unanimous decision of the members of Shoura. If this is not done Shoura will lose its dignity and Darul Uloom Deoband will face new dangers in future. What comes to light from what Mufti Ismael said to the said correspondent is that the debate on Maulana Vastanvi’s unceremonious removal is not going to end in the near future.
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Indonesia rejects outrage over anti-Ahmadi mob sentences
July 29, 2011
JAKARTA: Indonesia on Friday dismissed expressions of outrage and disbelief over the perceived light sentences handed down to extremists who killed three minority sect members in a mob frenzy.
(Read: Indonesian court lets anti-Ahmadi mob perpetrators off ‘lightly’)
The United States and the European Union expressed strong misgivings while local rights groups and international watchdogs issued strong condemnations and calls for action to address rising intolerance in the mainly Muslim country.
But religious affairs ministry spokesman Zubaidi said the sentences of three to six months for the men accused of leading the murderous assault on the Ahmadiyah sect members in February were the result of a fair trial.
“As an executive body, we cannot interfere in the legal system. We believe in the law enforcers. They have the right to come up with the sentences,” he told AFP.
“Whether the sentences are light or harsh, how it’s perceived is relative.”
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, often held up by the United States and others as a champion of pluralism and democracy, made no comment on the sentences. Foreign ministry officials were unavailable to comment.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/219867/indonesia-rejects-outrage-over-anti-ahmadi-mob-sentences/
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Hina Khar unhappy over her depiction as 'fashion icon'
Jul 29 2011
Lahore : She might have caught the fancy of Indian media with her precious South Sea pearls, Roberto Cavalli shades and Birkin bag, but Pakistan's youngest Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar is not pleased by her depiction as a "fashion icon".
Khar, Pakistan's first woman Foreign Minister who returned to Pakistan last evening after a visit to India for talks with her counterpart S M Krishna, reacted angrily to questions pertaining to coverage of her fashion style in leading Indian dailies.
"You see paparazzi are every where. Besides, you (referring to media) should not do such acts," Khar said, replying to a question at the Lahore airport on her arrival from India.
So irked was she at the question that she refused to take any more questions and left for Islamabad.
During her visit to New Delhi, she was the talk of the town, with the media closely following her fashion accessories.
Such was the focus that even The Wall Street Journal too carried a story on the Indian media's reporting of Khar's fashion style.
"From her blue tunic pants ensemble to her Roberto Cavalli shades, everything grabbed Indian eyeballs, with media coverage of her accessories practically overshadowing the India-Pakistan dialogue...," the Journal said.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hina-khar-unhappy-over-her-depiction-as-fashion-icon/824296/
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26/11 samples sought by FBI already destroyed
Sagnik Chowdhury
Jul 29 2011
Mumbai : The Mumbai Police will not be able to share with the FBI all the samples of evidence collected in the 26/11 terror attack case that the American investigators had asked for. Sources revealed several items on the FBI’s long wish list have already been disposed of by local authorities.
Early in January, a Chicago court sent a Letter Rogatory (LR) to the trial court in Mumbai seeking some of the evidence collected during the 26/11 probe. The LR was received by the 37th Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court, which forwarded it to Principal Sessions Judge M L Tahaliyani, who presided over the 26/11 trial.
According to sources, the FBI had requested for access to 406 items of evidence in the possession of the court of which several are now found to have been destroyed according to standard procedure. “There are 406 items of various kinds on the list that was sent by the FBI. Of these some cannot be shared as they have been disposed of after tests were conducted on them and reports were submitted by the forensic lab,” said a source.
In a bid to reply to the LR sent from Chicago, the process of identifying the samples on the FBI’s list from among roughly 1,800 articles under court custody has been initiated. Once this check is completed, the Mumbai Police Crime Branch will inform the court about the articles that can be shared. If the court decides to give its assent, FBI officials will visit the city and shoot photographs of the samples.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/26-11-samples-sought-by-fbi-already-destroyed/824049/
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Two Malaysian girls held for kissing!
Jul 29, 2011
Kuala Lampur : Two teenage Muslim girls have been arrested by Malaysian Islamic officials for hugging and kissing each other publicly in Tawau town in the state of Sabah.
The girls aged 16 and 17 were detained during an integrated operation by the Sabah Islamic Religious Affairs Department together with the Tawau Municipal Council on Tuesday, news reports said today.
The department's officer Abdul Imam Basiron said the two girls faced charges under the Islamic Shariah Criminal Offences Enactment that carries a maximum fine of RM 1,000 (15,000 rupees) or jail of up to six months or both upon conviction.
Abdul Imam said during the operation they also detained three Muslim men aged between 20 and 60 for gambling.
They were caught buying 4D lottery tickets. Malays Muslims are not allowed to drink liquor and gamble.
However, ethnic Chinese and ethnic Indians who are the other components of the 27 million population can buy lottery tickets and liquor.
During the operation, they also acted against two restaurants for displaying copies of the halal logo from other establishments.
He said restaurants were allowed to sell food to Muslims but they could not consume it within the premises during fasting hours.
He said the department would be conducting checks on Muslims who were not fasting during Ramadan.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/two-malaysian-girls-held-for-kissing/823751/
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The book ‘Ross Masaud’ released by Vice President Hamid Ansari
Jul 29, 2011
New Delhi: Vice President of India, M. Hamid Ansari on 28th July released a book entitled “Ross Masaud” written by Prof. Hakim Syed Zillur Rehman at a function here in New Delhi. Congratulating the author for such a valuable book Hamid Ansari said that the book portrays very interesting aspects of the life of Sir Ross Masaud. Sir Masaud was a true academician and had served the Aligarh Muslim University in an ideal manner. He always believed in perfection.
The book is a biography of Sir Ross Masaud, an eminent educationist of the first half of 20th century and the grand-son of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, the founder of Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh. He was one of the founders of Osmania University, Hyderabad and also served as Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University from 1929 to 1934. He had written many books and was the President of Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu (Hind) for 12 years.
http://twocircles.net/2011jul28/book_%E2%80%98ross_masaud%E2%80%99_released_vice_president_hamid_ansari.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Twocirclesnet-IndianMuslim+%28TwoCircles.net+-+Indian+Muslim+News%29
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Obama administration accuses Iran of 'secret deal' with al-Qaida
Jul 29, 2011
WASHINGTON: The Obama administration is accusing the Iranian government of entering into a "secret deal" with al-Qaida to funnel money and insurgents from the Middle East to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The treasury says Iran has allowed al-Qaida operatives to build a "core pipeline" to funnel cash and extremists to the front lines. It says Iran had become a "critical transit point" for money and recruits, and slapped sanctions on six alleged al-Qaida agents.
They include an Iran-based member allegedly operating with the permission of authorities in Tehran. The sanctions freeze any assets the six may have in the US and ban Americans from commercial or financial transactions with them.
Treasury said its exposure of the deal and the sanctions would further set back Iran and al-Qaida's extremist agenda.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Obama-administration-accuses-Iran-of-secret-deal-with-al-Qaida/articleshow/9403344.cms
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Security chief: Norway attacks work of lone wolf
Jul 29, 2011
OSLO: The Norwegian right-wing extremist who killed 76 people in a bombing and youth camp massacre appears to be a lone-wolf sociopath who kept his plans to himself for more than a decade, a top security official said Thursday.
"It's a unique case. It's unique person. He is total evil," Janne Kristiansen, the director of the Norwegian Police Security Service said.
Anders Behring Breivik claims he carried out the July 22 attacks as part of a network of modern-day crusaders plotting a revolution against a multicultural Europe, and that there are other cells ready to strike.
But investigators have found no signs - before or after the attacks - of a larger conspiracy, though it's too early to rule it out completely, Kristiansen said.
"On the information we have so far, and I emphasize so far, we have no indication that he was part of a network or had any accomplices, or that there are other cells," Kristiansen said.
She said Breivik doesn't appear to have shared his plot with anyone, and lived a lawful and moderate life before carrying out the attacks with "total precision."
Breivik has admitted that he set off a car bomb in the government district of Oslo, killing at least eight people, then drove several miles (kilometers) northwest of the Norwegian capital to an island where the youth wing of the ruling Labor Party was holding its annual summer camp. He arrived at Utoya island posing as a police officer, then opened fire on scores of unsuspecting youth, executing them one after the other as they tried to flee into the water. Sixty-eight people died, many of them teenagers.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Security-chief-Norway-attacks-work-of-lone-wolf/articleshow/9398445.cms
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Rogue Afghan who killed three British soldiers 'not seen as risk', inquest told
Steven Morris
Jul 29, 2011
A coroner has rejected the suggestion that the British government and army should have done more to protect three soldiers who were killed in Helmand by a rogue Afghan colleague.
Coroner David Ridley ruled on Thursday that Talib Hussein, a member of the Afghan National Army (ANA), unlawfully killed the three British soldiers he had worked and lived alongside.
But he did not agree that the men's human rights had been infringed because the government should have done more to safeguard them.
Hussein shot dead Major James Bowman as he slept in his tent at a patrol base and then fired a rocket-propelled grenade into a command centre, killing Lieutenant Neal Turkington and Corporal Arjun Purja Pun.
Ridley, the Wiltshire and Swindon coroner, said it was important to "guard against hindsight". He said the possibility of an attack by the ANA was known but was not perceived as "a real risk, an actual risk" by personnel based at patrol base 3, where the killings took place, or by those further up the chain.
Full report at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/28/rogue-afghan-killed-british-soldiers-inquest
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Four more killed in Karachi
Jul 29, 2011
KARACHI: Tension prevailed in different areas of the metropolis as four more people were killed and 12 others injured in separate incidents of violence, while a private TV channel van was set on fire in Kati Pahari.
According to details, a team of a TV channel reached Kati Pahari area along with Anti Car Lifting Cell (ACLC) party, where gunmen intercepted the van and the police party, showering bullets. As a result, the police party and the TV channel team managed to flee, while miscreants set the van on fire.
The TV channel team reached the area to cover the raid on a den of car lifters when incident took place. Orangi Town and its adjacent vicinities were already in grip of violence and fear after a rickshaw driver was shot dead near Mehfooz Biryani House in Sector 6-E. The 25-year-old driver, Mohammad Arif Khan, was sitting in his rickshaw near Bilal Mosque in Sector 6-E when unidentified armed men shot him dead. The body was shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for legal formalities.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\07\29\story_29-7-2011_pg7_17
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Ex-Tunisian president Ben Ali given 16 years for corruption
Jul 29 2011, 09:10 hrs
Tunis : A court sentenced Tunisia's exiled former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to 16 years in prison for corruption and property fraud, in the latest sentence handed to the ex-President.
Ben Ali, who fled to Saudi Arabia last January after a popular revolt against his 23-year regime, has already been sentenced in his absence to a total of more than 50 years in two separate trials.
On Thursday, the court also handed down an eight-year prison sentence to Ben Ali's daughter and 16 years to his son-in-law Sakhr al-Materi over two separate cases.
One involved the fraudulent acquisition of a plot of land in an upscale Tunis district following the “personal intervention” of the former President.
The other concerned the acquisition of a plot in the same neighbourhood initially intended to be a park but subsequently reclassified as building land, considerably boosting its value.
According to the indictment, the plots were acquired for 23 dinars (11.50 euros) per square metre, well below their real value of 350 dinars and then resold for 1,500 dinars per square metre.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/extunisian-president-ben-ali-given-16-years-for-corruption/824109/
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US special ops chief warns of Qaida 2.0
Jul 29, 2011
Aspen: The top commander of US special operations forces said on Wednesday that Osama bin Ladens al-Qaida is bloodied and nearing its end, but he warned the next generation of militants could keep special operations fighting for a decade to come.
Navy Seal Adm Eric T Olson described the killing of bin Laden 2 as a near-killing blow for what he called al-Qaida 1.0, as created by bin Laden and led from his hideout in Pakistan.
Olson said the group had already lost steam because of the revolts of the Arab Spring,which proved the Muslim world did not need al-Qaida to bring down governments,from Tunisia to Egypt.I think the death of bin Laden was an uppercut to the jaw, Olson told a packed crowd,opening the Aspen Security Forum.It just knocked them on their heels.
Olson echoed other administration officials who are predicting al-Qaidas demise if a few more key leaders can be eliminated.But the admiral warned of the fight to come against what he called al-Qaida 2.0,with new leaders like American-born radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen,who Olson said understands America better than Americans understand him.
Full report at: Times of India
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Pakistan releases 14 Indian fishermen
Jul 29, 2011
KARACHI: In a view to strengthen friendly relationship with the neighbouring country, some 14 Indian fishermen, who were found trespassing the Pakistani territory, were on Thursday released from Malir jail. According to official sources, Pakistan has shown its keenness to strengthen the bilateral relations with India by releasing the fisherman.
They said that we have firm belief that every issue, presently an apple of discord between these two countries, will be resolved on table not in the battlefield. With the hope to receive reciprocal response from the Indian authority, the Pakistani government has issued release order of 14 Indian fishermen with handsome subventions, they maintained. Moreover, they said these Indian fishermen would be returned to their country through Wagah border.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\07\29\story_29-7-2011_pg7_5
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Pakistan: Jihadi threat to expel journalists
Jul 29, 2011
Islamabad: The dreaded Taliban group in North Waziristan tribal region has threatened to expel those journalists from their controlled areas who are feeding baseless news about their leaders.
The threat came a day after reports appeared in a section of media that the Taliban faction led by Hafiz Gul Bahadar has asked militants from South Waziristan and other areas to leave North Waziristan.
A Taliban statement to local correspondents in North Waziristan has highlighted the risks,journalists in tribal region face.
Times of India
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40 dead in clash between Yemen army and tribes
29 July 2011
SANAA, Yemen - Clashes between Yemeni soldiers and armed tribesmen in a mountainous region north of the capital killed at least 40 people on Thursday, a military official said.
The fighting in the Arhab region is one example of the wider security collapse across Yemen since the outbreak of a massive uprising seeking to topple President Ali Abdullah Saleh six months ago.
Armed tribesmen are battling security forces in Arhab, the southern city of Taiz and elsewhere, while militants believed to be linked to al-Qaida have overrun entire towns in the impoverished country’s restive south.
The U.S. and Yemen’s powerful Gulf Arab neighbors worry that al-Qaida and other militant groups will exploit the security vacuum in Yemen to step up operations.
Thursday’s clashes northeast of Sanaa’s international airport began when tribesmen attacked a base belonging to the Republican Guard, said Sheik Hamid Assem of the Arhab tribe. The elite unit responded by shelling and bombing tribal positions, Assem said, killing and injuring a number of civilians, though he was unsure how many because the battle was still happening.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/July/middleeast_July595.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
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South African fast bowler Wayne Parnell converts to Islam
Jul 29, 2011
Johannesburg: South African fast bowler Wayne Parnell has converted to Islam after a period of personal study and reflection and will celebrate his 22nd birthday on Friday as a Muslim.
Parnell confirmed in a statement on Thursday that he converted to Islamic faith in January this year and is considering a name change to Waleed, which means 'Newborn Son'.
"While I have not yet decided on an Islamic name I have considered the name Waleed which means Newborn Son, but for now my name remains Wayne Dillon Parnell. I will continue to respect the team's endorsement of alcoholic beverages. I am playing cricket in Sussex and this is my immediate focus," said Port Elizabeth-born Parnell.
"As I am approaching my first period of fasting, I ask that this special time is treated with respect. I am a young man, a professional cricketer by trade, and while I can appreciate and am grateful for the public interest in my personal life, my faith choice is a matter which I would like to keep private," said the promising Warriors left-arm seam bowler.
Proteas team manager Mohamed Moosajee, himself a Muslim, said Parnell's Muslim teammates Hashim Amla and Imran Tahir had not influenced his decision to convert from Christianity.
Full report at:
http://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/news/item/176446-south-africas-wayne-parnell-converts-to-islam
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Human rights abuses: ‘We can torture, kill, or keep you for years’
By Saba Imtiaz
July 29, 2011
Human Rights Watch report details systematic campaign of enforced disappearances in Balochistan.
KARACHI: Contrary to popular belief, extreme deprivation is not all that the people of Balochistan are being subjected to. Discrimination, insecurity and human rights abuses are the order of the day in the largely overlooked province.
Recent months have seen an increase in the cases of alleged disappearances and unlawful killings of the Baloch.
The involvement of security agencies in these abductions, torture and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan is brought to light in the explosive new report by the Human Rights Watch (HRW), a New York based advocacy group.
It details cases of human rights abuses, violations of international and domestic laws and state-sponsored brutality that has claimed victims as young as 12 years old.
The 132-page report titled ‘We Can Torture, Kill, or Keep You for Years’ was released on Thursday. It documents 49 cases of enforced disappearances, 36 of which originated in 2009-2010.
The report implicates the Military Intelligence (MI) and Frontier Corps (FC) as well as the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) for being involved in enforced disappearances.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/219540/human-rights-abuses-we-can-torture-kill-or-keep-you-for-years/
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New al Qaeda leader slams Syrian president, praises protesters
July 29, 2011
CNN) -- The new head of al Qaeda describes Syria's president as "the leader of criminal gangs, the protector of traitors," and applauds anti-government protesters seeking to topple him, in a video that appeared on extremist websites this week.
But one prominent Syrian activist, Loay Hussein, rejected the praise of the terror network's leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, telling CNN "we will not permit him or his organization to toy with our revolution and our movement."
"Syria is not a playground for jihad," said Hussein, who said he wouldn't be surprised if the regime exploited the message to escalate its crackdown against anti-government protesters.
Al-Zawahiri's message is believed to be his first since he was named leader of the terror network, following the death of former leader Osama bin Laden in a U.S. raid in Pakistan in May. CNN could not independently verify its authenticity.
In the video, the bespectacled 60-year-old, dressed in a white robe, gestures and points with his finger as he speaks. He uses the seven-minute video, which first appeared Wednesday, to discuss Syria and address the protesters seeking to oust President Bashar Al-Assad. The protests have sparked a bloody government crackdown in various cities, according to witnesses.
"Oh free people of Syria and its mujahedeen," the al Qaeda leader said. "It is better for you not to ally yourself with the colonialist powers of the world and the new crusades."
Al-Zawahiri said the United States changed its stance on Syria after similar uprisings led to the ousting of the longtime leaders of Tunisia and Egypt.
"America, which had committed itself to Bashar for the length of his rule, announces today that it stands with you," Al-Zawahiri said. "After what it saw and the ground shook from the thunder of your rage and after it was devastated by the loss of its two biggest agents in Egypt and Tunisia."
Full report at:
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/07/28/al.qaeda.leader.message/index.html
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Kasab appeals death sentence
Jul 29, 2011
NEW DELHI: The lone surviving gunman from the 2008 Mumbai attacks that left 166 dead has approached th Supreme Court asking for his death sentence to be overturned.
The request by Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab had been filed via jail authorities in Mumbai, where he has been held since the attacks, and lodged with the secretary general of the court.
He filed the appeal through the Arthur Road jail authorities.
Pakistani national Kasab, one of 10 gunmen who laid siege to Mumbai for nearly three days, was first convicted and sentenced by a trial court in the Indian commercial and entertainment capital in May 2010.
The death sentence was confirmed by the state high court in February in the first failed appeal by the 23-year-old school drop-out from a poor farming area in Pakistan's Punjab state.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kasab-appeals-death-sentence/articleshow/9406042.cms
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Roadside bombs kill 23 in south Afghanistan: Officials
Jul 29, 2011
LASHKAR GAH: Roadside mines killed 23 civilians in southern Afghanistan on Friday when a minibus and a tractor separately struck explosives in Helmand province, officials said.
The minibus was travelling from Nahr-e-Saraj district to the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah when it hit a mine and all 19 people inside were killed, said Kamaludden, head of the National Directorate of Security in Helmand.
When security forces arrived at the scene they were attacked by Taliban insurgents, said Hekmatullah Akmal, a highway police commander.
He said it appeared at least 17 people had been killed, but the devastation caused by the blast made it difficult to determine how many people had been on the bus.
In Garmsir district, south of Lashkar Gah, a tractor also hit a roadside bomb, killing four civilians, officials said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Roadside-bombs-kill-23-in-south-Afghanistan-Officials/articleshow/9406520.cms
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Gilani govt vows to defend 'supremacy of Parliament'
Jul 29 2011
Islamabad : Notwithstanding the tough stance taken by the Supreme Court over non-compliance of its orders by the government, Pakistan's ruling coalition has vowed to defend the "supremacy of Parliament" and made it clear that it would not back off on the key issue of authority of executive.
During a two-and-a-half-hour meeting of leaders of the coalition parties at the Presidency, which was jointly presided over by President Asif Ali Zardari and Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani, it was decided that they would defend the "supremacy of Parliament", the Dawn daily reported today.
"Coming as it does against the background of a tough stance taken by the Supreme Court over non-compliance of its orders by the government (in corruption cases and other issues), the decision may have serious implications for the future of national politics," it said of the last night meeting.
Legal community has expressed concern over the possible government-judiciary clash.
It has been decided that Gilani would address the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, on Monday.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/gilani-govt-vows-to-defend-supremacy-of-parliament/824201/
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Nine militants killed in Kurram clash
Jul 29, 2011
PARACHINAR, July 28: Nine militants were killed and six volunteers of a tribal lashkar were injured in a clash in central Kurram Agency on Thursday, sources said.
They said that the clash between tribal lashkar and militants erupted in Mosizai area and both the sides used heavy weapons against each other.
The members of the lashkar claimed that nine militants were killed and seven injured in the fighting. Six volunteers were also injured in the clash. However, militants could not be contacted to confirm the casualties. The tribesmen said that dozens of houses of militants were also set on fire.
Meanwhile, hundreds of tribal vacated their houses and shifted to safer places in lower Kurram Agency before launch of a military operation in Mosizai.
Security forces asked tribal people to vacate their houses. Security forces claimed that they took control of Zemashat area and government writ was established there. The militants, occupying the area, were either killed or they fled, they said.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/07/29/nine-militants-killed-in-kurram-clash.html
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Clinton slams Republican push to slap new terms for aid to Pak, others
Jul 29, 2011
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has threatened to recommend to President Barack Obama to veto a Republican-led legislation slapping new conditions on aid to Pakistan, along with restrictions on foreign aid to several others, including Egypt, Lebanon, Yemen and the Palestinian Authority.
The set of proposed measures, which includes slashing payments to the United Nations, “would be debilitating to my efforts to carry out a considered foreign policy and diplomacy, and to use foreign assistance strategically to that end”, Clinton said in a letter to Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the Republican chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
In her strongly-worded missive, Clinton went on to say: “The Department of State opposes this bill. Should this bill be presented to the President, I will recommend personally that he veto the bill.”
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/356621/Clinton-slams-Republican-push-to-slap-new-terms-for-aid-to-Pak-others.html
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It’s face- off between Pak govt & judiciary
Jul 29, 2011
A SHOWDOWN between Pakistani judiciary and the civilian government appears imminent as Pakistani Supreme Court chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry has made it clear that the Gilani government will have to submit to its orders or be ready to face the music.
Chaudhry on Thursday extended the deadline by 24 hours to reinstate establishment secretary, Sohail Ahmed, who notified the posting of Inspector General Police ( Gilgit Baltistan) Husain Asghar in the Federal Investigation Agency ( FIA) to probe the multi- billion Hajj scam also involving the PM Yousuf Raza Gilani’s elder son Abdul Qadir Gilani.
Chaudhry has vowed to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, saying any deviation from it under any circumstances must be resisted. He made the remarks at a full court meeting on Wednesday night convened at a time when legal experts, opposition leaders and former judges fear that the government is heading towards a direct clash by not implementing orders of the apex court to end corruption in government departments.
Gilani told his partymen that the situation has reached an extent where there was an intervention in his authority and he will not allow this. Quoting Gilani, a PPP member Babar Awan said: “ We will follow the SC orders but will not allow anyone to encroach upon our authority and start running a parallel system of governance.” The PM in a meeting with his allies has reportedly sought their support in case a “ final showdown” with superior judiciary is inevitable.
The PML- Q and ANP leadership have assured their support, Awan said.
Mail Today
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3 Indonesians get jail for attack on Islamic sect
Jul 29, 2011
SERANG, Indonesia: An Indonesian court has sentenced three Muslims to up to six months in jail for involvement in a fatal attack against followers of a minority Islamic sect.
Critics said Thursday the sentence was much too lenient.
Hundreds of people stormed a house being used by members of the Ahmadiyah sect — considered deviant by many Muslims because they believe that Muhammad was not the final prophet. The machete-wielding mob killed three men and badly wounded six others in the February attack.
The Serang District court in Banten province found three of the suspects — Adam Damini, Idris bin Mahdani, Dani bin Misra — guilty of either illegal possession of weapons or violent action that led to deaths.
They got three to six months in jail.
http://arabnews.com/world/article479317.ece
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Skeletal, frail and hours from death
Jul 29, 2011
CRADLED in his mother’s arms, this is the face of a skeletal seven- month- old baby starving to death in the Horn of Africa.
Weighing just seven pounds — as much as a newborn — Mihag Gedi Farah stares wide- eyed, his skin pulled taut over his ribs and tiny arms.
Mihag is just one of eight lakh children who officials warn could die across the region in the worst drought for decades.
Aid workers are rushing to bring help to dangerous and previously unreached regions of drought- ravaged Somalia. Many starving children and adults remain in the country far from the feeding tubes and doctors in field hospitals in refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia.
Sirat Amine, a nurse- nutrionist with the International Rescue Committee, said Mihag has just a 50- 50 chance of survival. The little boy should weigh three times what he does now.
His mother, Asiah Dagane, said: “ In my mind, I’m not well. My baby is sick. In my head, I am also sick.” A nurse at the camp said Mihag was “ severely, severely malnourished”. She added: “ We never tell the mother, of course, that their baby might not make it. We try to give them hope.” Dagane brought Mihag and four siblings from Kismayo to Kenya after all their sheep and cattle died. Their journey took a week.
Tens of thousands of Somalis are fleeing the starvation, many of them on foot, from Kismayo and the capital Mogadishu.
Mail Today
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US accuses Iran of ‘secret deal’ with Al Qaida
29 July 2011
WASHINGTON - The Obama administration accused Iran on Thursday of entering into a “secret deal” with an al-Qaida offshoot that provides money and recruits for attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Treasury Department designated six members of the unit as terrorists subject to U.S. sanctions.
The U.S. intelligence community has in the past disagreed about the extent of direct links between the Iranian government and al-Qaida. Thursday’s allegations went further than what most analysts had previously said was a murky relationship with limited cooperation.
David S. Cohen, Treasury’s point man for terrorism and financial intelligence, said Iran entered a “secret deal with al-Qaida allowing it to funnel funds and operatives through its territory.” He didn’t provide any details of that agreement, but said the sanctions seek to disrupt al-Qaida’s work in Iraq and deny the terrorist group’s leadership much-needed support.
“Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism in the world today,” Cohen said in a statement. “We are illuminating yet another aspect of Iran’s unmatched support for terrorism.”
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/July/middleeast_July594.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
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Iqraa to telecast multilingual programs in Ramadan
Jul 29, 2011
JEDDAH: To mark the launching of multilanguage Islamic religious programs on Iqraa Global Channel from the first day of Ramadan, the channel will air a special program at 10 p.m. Makkah time Friday.
The channel’s Islamic programs will eventually be transmitted in seven world languages. Initially they will be only in English but gradually the programs will be presented in French, Urdu, Malay, Chinese, Afrikaans and Russian.
The special event on Friday will feature meetings with the Iqraa stars, focusing on the achievements of the channel that has an ambitious plan to reach the largest possible number of viewers around the globe.
The participants will include founder of the channel Saleh Kamel, religious figures, such as Abdullah Al-Harthy and Muhammad Nuh Al-Qudah, media personalities, including Iman Riyad and Ala Al-Tamimi, as well as a number of television presenters from around the world.
Founded in 1998 by the Arab Media Corporation, Iqraa is the first Islamic satellite channel.
A major objective of the channel is to take the message of Islam to viewers in all parts of the world, particularly in the West where viewers may not have had opportunities to learn first-hand the values of the Islamic faith.
The channel can be received in Asia and Australia on Asia Sat 5: Freq. 3760H; in Africa on Intelsat 10 Freq. 4129 H Polarization: vertical symbol rate 27500 FEC: 3/4; and in Europe on Hotbird 8: Freq. 12015 H, Polarization: Horizontal.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article479676.ece
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Enrollment closes for regular programs at Umm Al-Qura
Jul 29, 2011
MAKKAH: Umm Al-Qura University has completed enrollment of regular students in various programs in the university departments for the 2011-12 academic year, an official of the university said on Thursday.
“In addition to 10,000 students enrolled in approved seats, 185 students have been admitted on the recommendation of the University Council, which assessed that the university’s faculties and laboratory have the potential to accommodate the additional number,” President of the University Bakri Assas said in a statement.
Assas added that the completion of enrollment did not mean that the door of the university has been closed for students who want to continue their education. He said 8,000 more students will be admitted but not as regular students.
The president said 2,600 students would be admitted to community colleges and the freshman year in the Continuing Education Department, Islamic Studies, Arabic Language and Social Sciences, Applied Sciences, Education, courses in the university college in Qunfudah, evening courses in colleges of Islamic architecture and engineering, computer and information systems, applied sciences, administration and tourism sciences.
Another 4,600 students would be admitted to off-campus programs in addition to 800 seats available for various diploma courses.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article479665.ece
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Ministry says no foreign teachers in girls’ schools
Jul 29, 2011
RIYADH: There is not a single foreign teacher in any government schools for girls in Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Education announced Thursday.
It was responding to reports that some 27,000 teaching jobs in girls and boys public schools in the Kingdom were occupied by non-Saudis. "There is no truth to these claims," said ministry spokesman Muhammad bin Saad Al-Dikhaini.
The spokesman said there were no contracts signed with any foreign woman to teach in government schools in the Kingdom.
He, however, admitted that there were foreign men teaching in boys schools but their number hardly exceeded 3,000. “We needed to make up for the shortage in teachers in government boys schools, particularly in subjects such as mathematics,” he said.
The spokesman said the 27,000 foreign teachers reportedly working in Saudi Arabia are probably based at private schools, which contract non-Saudi teachers to fill staff shortages.
He said the ministry was coordinating with private schools to benefit from the men and women Saudi university graduates and fill teaching vacancies. “A number of actions are being taken in this regard, including not granting work visas to various subject specialties available in the Kingdom,” he added.
Al-Dikhaini said the ministry had begun Saudizing teaching jobs for a long time, but said it was still facing a shortage in some specialties, including math and science.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article479672.ece
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OIC calls on Somali sides to stop fighting
Jul 29, 2011
ISTANBUL: Member states of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) gathered in Istanbul Thursday to coordinate an emergency response to the devastating drought in Somalia.
"In such a large-scale disaster, we need to join hands together and to act collectively so as to counter the spread of the calamity and to save as many lives as we possibly can," OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu of Turkey told a meeting of the organization's relief aid agencies.
"For this reason, we call for the establishment of a large coalition under the banner of the OIC to address the emergency situation in Somalia and the Horn of Africa in general," he added.
Nongovernmental organizations agreed at the meeting to let the OIC coordinate the humanitarian efforts of its 57 member countries.
The United Nations last week officially declared famine in two parts of southern Somalia, as the world slowly mobilized to help 12 million people battling hunger in the region's worst drought in 60 years.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article479699.ece
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Indian Embassy announces Ramadan work timings
29 July 2011
ABU DHABI - During the Holy month of Ramadan, the Passport & Visa outsourcing centers of the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of India in Dubai, operated by BLS International Services Ltd will observe revised timings during the Holy month of Ramadan.
The centers in Abu Dhabi, Dubai & Sharjah will work from 8:00am to 6:00pm Saturday to Thursday and the centres in other places will work from 9:am to 12:00 pm and then from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm during weekdays.
The new timings will be in force from 1st of August to Eid ul Fitr, after which the normal working hours will resume, said a release from the embassy.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2011/July/theuae_July771.xml§ion=theuae
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Khar says Manmohan ready to 'walk extra mile' on resolving all issues
Jul 29, 2011
Lahore, July 29 (ANI): Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has claimed that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is ready to 'walk the extra mile' on all outstanding issues between the two countries.
Khar said the Indian Prime Minister had also accepted an invitation to visit Pakistan.
"Their message is that India wants a stable Pakistan. The effort is to converge on mutually agreed points despite divergently stated positions," Khar was quoted, as saying by The Nation.
The foreign minister said that there was an emerging need for reducing tensions between the two countries after the Mumbai attacks.
"We can safely say that a new era of engagement, understanding, confronting the challenges and relations to continue has begun," Khar said.
"Both countries are moving ahead though they can have different outlooks. We are willing to face all challenges," she added.
Khar also mentioned that she had held meetings with the Kashmiri separatist leaders much to the disliking of the Indians and their media.
She also said that both sides had agreed to continue the dialogue process and were looking forward to resolve all outstanding issues.
"Relations between Pakistan and India will be taking a new direction since the Indian government has shown its determination to continue towards resolving issues," Khar said.
About Mumbai attacks and belligerence of the Indian media, Khar said that it was important to reduce tensions between the two countries, despite existence of harshness on both sides of the border.
http://in.news.yahoo.com/khar-says-manmohan-ready-walk-extra-mile-resolving-055010386.html
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Pakistani Taliban say they have Swiss tourists
July 29, 2011
The Pakistani Taliban's number two commander says his group has custody of two kidnapped Swiss tourists, and that it will free them if the US releases an imprisoned female Pakistani scientist. The Swiss pair were abducted in the southwest Baluchistan province earlier this
month.
Taliban commander Waliur Rehman spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday in South Waziristan, a northwest tribal region.
He says his group ordered the kidnapping in order to gain freedom for Aafia Siddiqui, a U.S.-educated mother of three who is serving 86 years in an American jail for trying to kill U.S. officials in Afghanistan.
Rehman says the Swiss have not been tortured.
But he says that if Siddiqui is not freed, a Taliban court will decide the fate of the pair.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/pakistan/Pakistani-Taliban-say-they-have-Swiss-tourists/Article1-726964.aspx
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Egyptian army in a bind over Mubarak trial
Jul 29, 2011
An effigy hanging from a lamppost shows the fate some protesters in the Egyptian port city of Suez would like to see meted out to former President Hosni Mubarak. But they don’t believe the army will ever let it happen to their former commander.
“Our impression right now is that Mubarak is still protected by someone, maybe the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, maybe someone from outside. Some countries still protect him,” said Mohamed Mahmoud, 33, a youth movement coordinator in Suez, one of the most violent spots in the uprising that unseated Mubarak.
Shortly after he spoke, dozens of protesters marched past Suez’s burned-out police headquarters and on to a military barracks chanting slogans against the army for foot-dragging. Barbed wire and army vehicles blocked the road approaching it.
Mubarak’s trial, set to start on Aug. 3, has put the army in a tight spot. It is squeezed on one side by protesters demanding the ousted president be held to account and on the other by conservative Gulf Arab states quietly pressing for Egypt not to humiliate a former ally, partly — analysts say — because this might set a dangerous precedent for their own rulers.
Officers privately admit the military has no appetite for trying the decorated veteran who led Egypt’s air force in the 1973 war against Israel. Publicly, however, they insist they are not taking sides and it is in the hands of the judiciary.
Full report at:
http://english.libya.tv/2011/07/28/egyptian-army-in-a-bind-over-mubarak-trial/
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Body of human rights activist found in Sri Lanka: UN
Jul 29 2011
Geneva : The UN's human rights office says the body of a prominent human rights activist missing since February 2010 has been found in Sri Lanka – where more than 5,000 such cases remain unresolved.
Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told reporters Friday the body of Pattani Razeek was exhumed based on tips from two suspects arrested in the case in recent weeks.
She said the UN hopes ''investigation and prosecution of this crime will now be expedited'' and urges Sri Lankan authorities to resolve all 5,653 missing persons cases.
The UN says Razeek, managing trustee of Community Trust Fund, was last seen near a mosque in Polonnaruwa and for months afterward his family and co-workers got calls demanding a ransom.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/body-of-human-rights-activist-found-in-sri-lanka-un/824301/
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Libyan Woman Who Claimed Rape Arrives in U.S.
By J. DAVID GOODMAN
Jul 29, 2011
After fleeing to Tunisia and then heading for Europe, Eman al-Obeidy, the Libyan woman who said she was brutally raped by forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, arrived in the United States this week, CNN reported on Friday.
Ms. Obeidy landed in New York late on Wednesday and then left for another location in the country where she will settle, the network reported; that location was not disclosed.
Ms. Obeidy became internationally known in March after she burst into the Rixos Hotel in Tripoli, which housed more than 100 journalists covering the conflict there under close watch of the Qaddafi government, and described a horrific rape at the hands of government forces. Her pleas, and her eventual detention after rough treatment by government minders and hotel staff, were captured by cameras and broadcast around the world.
Now in the United States, Ms. Obeidy did not appear on camera for CNN and said she would not be making news media appearances just yet. But she did speak with one of the network’s producers, who reported on its Web site that she was happy to be in the United States and hoped to meet Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton some day.
Before escaping Libya, Ms. Obeidy was said to be under house arrest in Tripoli. She managed to flee to Tunisia in early May and from there made her way to Romania, where she spent more than two months in a United Nations refugee center. CNN reports that she was granted asylum in the United States.
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/29/libyan-woman-who-claimed-rape-arrives-in-u-s/?ref=world#
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Lebanon Tribunal Names Suspects in Hariri Killing
Jul 29, 2011
AMSTERDAM/BEIRUT (Reuters) - The U.N.-backed Lebanon tribunal released on Friday the names, photographs and details of four men wanted for the assassination of statesman Rafik al-Hariri in a bid to speed up their arrest.
Lebanon received the indictments and four arrest warrants from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) last month. While the suspects were not named then, Lebanese officials said the accused were members of the Shi'ite militant movement Hezbollah.
Hezbollah accuses the tribunal of being a tool of the United States and Israel and denies any link to the 2005 assassination. There was no immediate reaction from Hezbollah.
Earlier this month, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the authorities would never arrest members of the Shi'ite militant group. He dismissed the accusations as unfounded and a failed attempt to sow strife and bring down Lebanon's new Hezbollah-backed government.
"They cannot find them or arrest them in 30 days or 60 days, or in a year, two years, 30 years or 300 years," Nasrallah said at the time.
Under the court proceedings, Lebanese officials have 30 days to make arrests after receiving indictments.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2011/07/29/world/middleeast/international-us-lebanon-hariri-investigation.html?ref=world
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Ex-Counterterrorism Aide Warns Against Complacency on Al Qaeda
By ERIC SCHMITT
Jul 29, 2011
ASPEN, Colo. — The recently departed director of the nation’s main counterterrorism center said Thursday that Al Qaeda in Pakistan still posed a serious threat to the United States, and he warned that assessments that Al Qaeda was on the verge of collapse lacked “accuracy and precision.”
The comments by the official, Michael E. Leiter, who stepped down three weeks ago as head of the National Counterterrorism Center, are the most significant pushback to a growing chorus of statements by American officials that the death of Osama bin Laden and years of Central Intelligence Agency drone strikes in Pakistan have brought the United States “within reach of strategically defeating Al Qaeda,” as Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta put it recently.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/29/world/29leiter.html?_r=1&ref=world
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Tens of thousands rally in Syria; 1 killed
29 Jul 2011
The protests, which have become a weekly ritual following Friday prayers, came hours after a bomb blast struck a major oil pipeline in western Syria, causing oil to spill into a nearby lake. State television said the explosion was a "terrorist" attack by a group of "saboteurs."
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops on Friday opened fire in the Mediterranean town of Latakia, killing at least one protester there.
The Local Coordination Committees, which also tracks anti-government protests, confirmed the death, and said another person was killed in a shooting by security forces in the southern city of Daraa.
Troops beat up protesters in the northwestern coastal town of Banias and fired tear gas in several other locations. There were also marches in the countryside around Damascus despite an intense crackdown there in the past few days.
Opposition groups have dubbed Friday's protests "Your silence is killing us," in an attempt to mobilize sections of the population that have not yet joined the protests and Arab leaders who remain silent about the crackdown in Syria.
Syrian authorities have unleashed a brutal crackdown in an effort to crush the revolt against President Bashar Assad, and activists say more than 1,600 civilians have died since the protests erupted in mid-March. The government blames the unrest on terrorists and foreign extremists, not true reform-seekers.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/~/NewsContent/2/8/17621/World/Region/Tens-of-thousands-rally-in-Syria;--killed.aspx
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/libyan-rebels-military-commander-killed/d/5134