No Operation, No Death Squads in Balochistan
New Age Islam News Bureau
29 Sept 2012
Pakistan
• No operation, no death squads in Balochistan
• Pak Minister to offer bounties for future blasphemers
• Pakistan uncovered 2 LeT camps used for 26/11 training
• Pakistani boy's Bollywood pursuit ends in juvenile home
• Pakistan High Commission denies receiving journalists' visa applications
• Pakistan lauded the UN-backed initiative to increase efforts in fostering understanding
• Pakistan floods 'kill more than 400' over past fortnight
• No one should abuse process of law in garb of war against terror: CJP
• ATC reserves judgment over Musharraf’s assets, declaration as absconder
• Thousands rally in Karachi against anti-Islam film
• Sharif corruption references: Court adjourns hearing to Oct 10
• Pakistan’s nuclear programme fully secure: FM Khar
• Hina-Bilawal relationship claim is a plot by ISI'
• One killed, 11 injured in Balochistan firings
• Security forces kill five militants in Orakzai
North America
• At United Nations, Muslim world questions Western freedom of speech
• Syria has moved some chemical weapons to boost security: US
• US peace group heading to Pakistan to protest drone strikes
• Citizen Held After 9/11 Wins Right to Be Tried
• US removes Iran group MEK from terror list
• CAIR Banquet Sold Out, Few Remaining Places for Leadership Conference
• CAIR Releases 2nd Arabic Appeal on 'Innocence of Muslims'
• Benghazi attack 'deliberate, organised and linked' to al-Qaida: US Intel
• US, Pakistan should work towards a 'post-alliance future': Husain Haqqani
• Shifting Reports on Libya Killings May Cost Obama
• U.S. Move to Give Egypt $450 Million in Aid Meets Resistance
• American anti-Islam movie maker changed his name in 2002
Europe
• Religious Radicals Sought for Kazakh Mass Murder
• Russia fears 'gigantic Afghan drug stockpile'
• At Annual U.N. General Assembly, a Stage for All the World
• Brazil opposes unilateral military action against Iran
• Tony Blair could have prevented Iraq war: Kofi Annan
• Anti-Islam film declared illegal by Russian provincial court
India
• Woman govt servant, husband held for supplying maps, photos to Pak man
• Andhra BJP chief gets 'death threat from Pak national' on Facebook
• Bhagat Singh Birth day celebration in Lahore on 28th September
• Anti-Islam video sparks protests in Kolkata, American Centre closes
• Maharashtra governor rejects Ajmal Amir Kasab's mercy petition
• India releases 46 Pakistani fishermen
• Centre has been pushing J&K for next level of grassroots empowerment
• Union minister calls for more powers to panchayats in Kashmir
• EU releases 14 million euro for displace people in Assam
• BJP tries to woo Muslims under its 'NDA Plus' plan
• No threat to J&K govt despite NC-Cong war
• Amit Shah’s return to Gujarat may be short-lived
• J&K govt. announces relief for kin of slain Panches, Sarpanches
• Assets seizure: HC rejects pleas of Dawood's mother, sister
• PDP suspects govt hand in Sarpanch-attacks in Kashmir
• Amit Shah back home after exile, says India wants Narendra Modi
• Sanjiv Bhatt moves Gujarat HC to summon Narendra Modi before Godhra Panel
• Altamas Kabir sworn in as Chief Justice of India
Africa
• Somalia, Allies Batter Al Shabaab, but Gains May Be Fragile
• Mali prepares for war with Islamists despite reticent neighbours
• Kenya attacks last stronghold of Somali militants
• Tunisia 'police rape' condemned
Arab World
• UN inaction gives Assad 'green light': Saudis
• Kurds Prepare to Pursue More Autonomy in a Fallen Syria
• Battle for Aleppo Intensifies, as World Leaders Pledge New Support for Rebels
• Saudi Arabia Promoting tourism through the lens
• Compliance with Haj rules a must: King Abdullah
• Peddlers sell fake mobile phones openly following in Saudi Arabia
• Kingdom in forefront in e-government services
• Curfew on Iraqi Town as Security Hunts Escapees
• Clinton unveils new aid for stricken Syrian civilians
• Food for hunger-struck Yemenis
Mideast Asia
• Four members of former Yemen president's party killed in ambush
• At UN, Marty calls for boycott of Israeli products
• Yemen’s Leader Praises U.S. Drone Strikes
• Turkey's Ruling Party to Hold Major Congress
• Turkey Warns Syria After Mortar Strike
• Iran's Rial Currency Dives to Historic Low
• ‘Iran will do anything to support Assad’s regime’
• Netanyahu claims success with Iran bomb warning
• Argentina, Iran meet over Buenos Aires Jewish centre bombing
• WASC accredits public and private schools in the Middle East
• The Onion spoofs Iran news agency on Obama-Ahmadinejad story
Southeast Asia
• Indonesian Politician Says Science 'Irrelevant' in Elementary School
• Lawyers of Indonesian Shia leader file blasphemy annulment papers
• Indonesia Minister proposes extra religious subject to prevent brawls in Schools
• Indonesia: Childhood memories of mass murder in Klaten
• Manila upbeat on HSWs’ protection
South Asia
• 40 Afghans arrested in Dalbandin
• Bomb blast kills two police near Afghan training academy
• Bangladesh: Law Minister terms ICT act world's best law
• About 75,000 Rohingyas in Myanmar camps: Refugee International
• Surge in insider attacks in Afghanistan prompts NATO to re-plan war strategy
• Exclusive: Chinese Halt at Flagship Mine Imperils Afghan Future
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: At United Nations, Muslim world questions Western freedom of speech
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/no-operation,-no-death-squads/d/8829
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Pakistan
No operation, no death squads in Balochistan
Sep 29, 2012
ISLAMABAD: The federal government and the armed forces in a joint statement to the Supreme Court on Friday rejected assertions of Baloch leader Sardar Akhtar Mengal, saying armed forces are neither conducting any military operation in Balochistan nor are there any death squads of intelligences agencies operating in the province.
The federation and the security agencies concerned submitted a joint rejoinder sought by the court after Akhtar Mengal, head of the Balochistan National Party (BNP), recorded his statement a day on Thursday a three-member bench which is hearing a case regarding the law and order situation in Balochistan.
The joint statement said no death squads of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) or Military Intelligence (MI) were operating in the province. Moreover, no missing person was in the custody of the secret agencies.
Balochistan Chief Secretary (CS) Babar Yaqub submitted the reply in the court. The court later adjourned the hearing until October 8. The next hearing will take place in Quetta Registry of the court.
The statement clearly mentioned that every political party in Balochistan was free to work.
Attorney General Irfan Qadir sought the court’s permission to present the federation’s reply.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry snubbed Qadir when he tried to comment on Mengal’s statement. The CJP said, “Mengal’s statement will not be discussed at all. Kindly use your political insight if you have any.” Urging President Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf to acknowledge the gravity of the matter, Justice Chaudhry said Mengal’s homecoming was a significant progress, adding, “It is high time Baloch people’s grievances should be redressed and they are consoled.”
Vowing that the court would make absolute use of its jurisdiction and powers, the CJP said, “The court has to work in tune with law and constitution. No one should have any doubt about court’s powers and jurisdiction. Army is our own army. We will have to address Balochistan problem before we enter into a blind alley.”
The Balochistan CS told the court contacts were made with the PM and heads of the ISI and MI with reference to statement given by Sardar Akhtar Mengal. A joint meeting of the defence minister, the army chief, the attorney general, the information minister and the ISI director general had taken place, he added.
The president, the prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan and others would have to work to evolve a political solution to this problem, the CJP remarked.
Later, the court ordered the CS and the FC inspector general to file a report every week regarding missing persons and law and order situation in the province.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\09\29\story_29-9-2012_pg1_1
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Pak Minister to offer bounties for future blasphemers
By Noorwali Shah
September 29, 2012
PESHAWAR: Undeterred by scathing criticism from several quarters over his bounty offer, the railways minister remains defiant.
Ghulam Ahmed Bilour – who belongs to the liberal Awami National Party (ANP) – said on Friday he would announce head money for anyone who blasphemes against Islam.
Addressing a congregation in Peshawar’s famed Masjid Muhabat Khan, Bilour said it was unfair on the part of the West to defend the sacrilegious movie as “freedom of expression”.
Bilour came under criticism from Western countries as well as others in Pakistan for his $100,000 bounty for the filmmaker who made the anti-Islam film Innocence of Muslims.
However, the bounty offer earned him “goodwill” of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. The TTP praised him and removed him from their “hit list”.
Bilour was, however, unmoved by the TTP decision. He said that he did not fear death because he believes “only God decides how and when someone will die”.
The minister called upon the United Nations to criminalise blasphemy against Islam.
The government and Bilour’s own party have disowned the bounty offer. However, Bilour informed the gathering that he attended a recent meeting of the federal cabinet, where no one objected to his bounty offer.
“Neither the prime minister contacted me on the matter nor did my party issue me any show cause notice.”
The minster condemned rioting, violence and arson attacks on Ishq-e-Rasool Day. “I condemn the rioting and subsequent destruction and the burning of a Church in Mardan. This created a negative image of Islam and sent a wrong message to the world.”
Right-wingers and religious parties have praised Bilour for his “bold” stand on the issue. The Tehrik-e-Khatam-e-Nabuwat announced a ‘Tamgha-e-Shujat’ (Medal of bravery) for Bilour to show its support for him. The award will be presented to him in a Hurmat-e-Rasool conference to be held in Peshawar in the next few days.
Addressing the same congregation, Maulana Tayyab Qureshi extended full support for Bilour and said that the minister was following in the footsteps of saints and companions of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). He said Bilour was the first person to have taken such a “bold step”, adding that Peshawar should also be credited for this because Bilour made the bounty offer in this city.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/444255/bilour-to-offer-bounties-for-future-blasphemers/
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Pakistan uncovered 2 LeT camps used for 26/11 training
Sep 29, 2012
ISLAMABAD: A former head of Pakistan's main investigation agency today offered a peek into the probe of the 2008 Mumbai attack, saying sleuths had uncovered two LeT training camps in Sindh province that were used by militants involved in the assault on India's financial hub.
Tariq Khosa, who supervised the probe of the Mumbai incident while heading the Federal Investigation Agency, said investigators had found the Lashkar-e-Taiba camps at Thatta and Karachi, the capital of Sindh province.
These camps were used by those involved in the attacks, he said.
The investigators also found the Pakistani boat that was used by the team of 10 terrorists to travel from Karachi to Indian waters, Khosa said.
The boat had been repainted when it was traced but the original colours were found underneath, he said while speaking at the first public hearing organised by a parliamentary panel.
The number on the boat's engine had been tampered with by the militants.
Investigators used forensic techniques to ascertain the engine number and then found out that the engine had been imported into Pakistan, Khosa said.
By following up these leads, investigators were able to find the shop in Lahore which had sold the engine, he said.
Khosa said he was aware of more details of the investigation into the Mumbai attacks but it would not be proper to disclose them at a public forum.
He spoke at length on sectarian and extremist groups, including the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and efforts to counter their activities.
He revealed that there were an estimated 25,000 youths in Punjab who had either trained or fought in Afghanistan.
Khosa said he had suggested that these youths should be put under surveillance and that special programmes should be organised to deradicalize them.
However, no action was taken by authorities, he added. The public hearing was the first such event organised by the Standing Committee on Defence and Defence Production of the Senate or upper house of parliament.
The panel, chaired by PML-Q leader Mushahid Hussain Sayed, invited several experts to speak on issues of national security.
Indian officials told PTI in the past that Khosa had played a key role in guiding the investigation of the Mumbai attacks before he was removed as head of the FIA in December 2009 for his role in probing several other high-profile crimes.
Several key breakthroughs against the Pakistani suspects liked to the Mumbai incident were made during Khosa's tenure.
Pakistan has arrested seven suspects, including LeT operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, for planning, financing and facilitating the Mumbai attacks that resulted in the death of 166 people in November 2008.
The trial of these suspects has stalled since last year due to various technical reasons.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistan-uncovered-2-LeT-camps-used-for-26/11-training/articleshow/16597923.cms
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Pakistani boy's Bollywood pursuit ends in juvenile home, Faridkot
Sep 28, 2012
AMRITSAR: Hero worship doesn't follow any rule and defies geographical boundaries.
A dream to meet Bollywood hero Ajay Devgan forced this Pakistani boy to flee his house and cross the India-Pakistan border. But his crazy pursuit ended in vain and landed him in a juvenile home at Faridkot.
Thirteen-year-old Kashif Ali, a resident of Peer Hayat village in Pakistan's Depalpur tehsil, fled his home in Okara district a year ago. He was detained by the BSF at Kasur border for straying into India in September 2011 and sent to the Faridkot juvenile home.
For the past one year, Faridkot administration has been trying to contact his relatives in Pakistan but in vain.
But luck smiled on the boy last Friday when Pakistan's Ajoka Theatre group arrived in Faridkot for a performance where officials of the district administration were also present. They sought the help of Ajoka Theatre's director and actress Madiha Gohar to trace the boy's family.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistani-boys-Bollywood-pursuit-ends-in-juvenile-home/articleshow/16583592.cms
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Pakistan High Commission denies receiving journalists' visa applications
September 29, 2012
The Pakistan High Commission in London has rejected news that two foreign journalists who were invited to cover the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) South Waziristan peace march were denied Pakistani visas. The party had earlier issued a statement claiming that the two journalists had been denied visas.
In a statement sent to The Express Tribune, the Pakistan High Commission categorically denied the news and maintained that it had not received any visa applications from journalists Carol Grayson and Yacine Helali, as claimed by the PTI.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/444362/pti-peace-march-pakistan-high-commission-denies-receiving-journalists-visa-applications/
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Pakistan lauded the UN-backed initiative to increase efforts in fostering understanding
September 29, 2012
UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan Friday lauded the UN-backed initiative that seeks to promote better cross-cultural relations worldwide, and called for stepped up efforts to promote interfaith harmony in the wake of the release of an anti-Islam video that led to protests in Muslim countries.
“The instances of religious intolerance and acts of incitement to hatred such as the release of the blasphemous video are on the increase,” Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said in remarks to the ministerial meeting of the Alliance of Civilizations’ Group of Friends, held on the margins of the high-level debate of the General Assembly.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/444341/pakistan-calls-for-alliance-of-civilizations-to-increase-efforts-in-fostering-understanding/
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Pakistan floods 'kill more than 400' over past fortnight
Sep 29 2012
Monsoon floods in Pakistan over the last two weeks have killed more than 400 people and affected more than 4.5 million others, the government disaster relief agency has said.
In addition, tens of thousands of people have been made homeless by heavy flooding in the provinces of Balochistan and Sindh, officials say.
The floods began in early September in the north of the country.
Pakistan has suffered devastating floods in the past two years.
The worst floods were in 2010, when almost 1,800 people were killed and 21 million people affected.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19763569
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No one should abuse process of law in garb of war against terror: CJP
September 29 2012
KARACHI: Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has dispelled the impression that acquittals in terrorism cases are because of weakness of courts, and said such acquittals are a direct consequence of faulty investigation and poor prosecution.
He stated this in his keynote address at the inaugural session of international seminar on “Combating Terrorism through Law”, organised by the Sindh High Court Bar Association, here on Friday
The Chief Justice said that the steps to be taken for combating terrorism are not to be restricted to the legal realm, and there are other ways to address this issue. He further said no one should abuse the process of law in the garb of war against terror.
Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said that undoubtedly the law needs further improvement and to define the crimes more narrowly.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/09/29/no-one-should-abuse-process-of-law-in-garb-of-war-against-terror-cjp/
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ATC reserves judgment over Musharraf’s assets, declaration as absconder
September 29 2012
ISLAMABAD: The Anti-Terrorism Special Court of Rawalpindi reserved its judgment in the petitions against the declaration of former president Pervez Musharraf as an absconder and against the freezing of the former ruler’s bank accounts and seizing his property, DawnNews reported on Saturday.
The petitions had been filed by Musharraf’s wife, Sehba Musharraf, at the Rawalpindi branch of the ATC. Both petitions were heard at the same hearing.
During the hearing, Sehba’s lawyer, Ilyas Siddiqui, said an inquiry was required before freezing a joint account involving an accused, adding that no inquiry had been carried out in this case.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/09/29/musharraf-declared-absconder-atc-special-court-reserves-its-judgement/
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Thousands rally in Karachi against anti-Islam film
September 29 2012
KARACHI: Thousands of people thronged the streets of Karachi on Saturday in the latest protest against an anti-Islam film, police and witnesses said.
The protesters, who included activists from the ‘Sunni Tehreek’, wore green and white headbands as they marched through the city’s main M.A. Jinnah road while some trampled on the American flag.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/09/29/thousands-rally-in-pakistan-against-us-anti-islam-film/
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Sharif corruption references: Court adjourns hearing to Oct 10
September 29 2012
RAWALPINDI: An accountability court in Rawalpindi adjourned the hearing of a NAB application seeking revival of three corruption references against PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and members of his family until Oct 10, DawnNews reported.
The application filed by the National Accountability Bureau calls for the reopening of three corruption references relating to Hudabiya Paper Mills, Ittefaq Foundries and Raiwind assets in which members of the Sharif family are allegedly involved.
Today’s proceedings over the NAB chief’s application were carried out in the accountability court of judge Chaudhry Abdul Haq.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/09/29/sharif-corruption-references-court-adjourns-hearing-to-oct-10/
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Pakistan’s nuclear programme fully secure: FM Khar
September 29 2012
UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan told the United Nations on Friday that it accords the “highest priority” to ensuring a fool-proof safety and security mechanism for the country’s nuclear programme.
“Nuclear security is both a global challenge and a national responsibility,” Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said in a speech to a high-level meeting on Countering Nuclear Terrorism.
“Over the years,” she said, “we have put in place extensive physical protection measures, robust command and control structures, comprehensive export controls and wide-ranging regulatory regimes,” she said.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/09/29/pakistans-nuclear-programme-fully-secure-fm-khar/
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Hina-Bilawal relationship claim is a plot by ISI'
September 29 2012
Senior Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) figures on Thursday said they believed the claims --their Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari have an affair-- were part of a plot by the country’s feared Inter-Service Intelligence [ISI] agency to damage Hina's reputation, reports London-based The Daily Telegraph.
The PPP figures said it blames their minister for her part in facilitating a UN investigation into thousands of missing people detained by the security forces, the newspaper said.
One PPP official told The Daily Telegraph that the ISI expects the United Nations’ Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances to recommend senior army and intelligence officials be charged for their role and blame Hina for allowing the delegation into the country.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=41248
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One killed, 11 injured in Balochistan firings
Sep 29, 2012
QUETTA: A man was killed while eleven were injured in separate incidents of violence across Balochistan on Friday. In the first incident, a man was killed and two others were wounded in a firing incident in Nushki. According to police officials, unidentified armed men riding a motorbike opened indiscriminate fire in the main Nushki Bazaar and fled from the scene. Police moved the dead and the injured to a nearby hospital and started investigation. The motive behind the killing is stated to be old enmity. Separately, as many as five people sustained injuries in a firing incident in Hana area on Friday. According to police, the injured men had set out for picnic in Hana, a popular picnic spot in Quetta’s suburbs, when unidentified armed men ridding a motorcycle opened indiscriminate fire on them.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\09\29\story_29-9-2012_pg1_2
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Security forces kill five militants in Orakzai
Sep 29, 2012
PESHAWAR: Five militants were killed and two injured when security forces bombarded the Barlas area of upper Orakzai Agency with gunship helicopters, DawnNews reported.
Three militant hideouts were also destroyed during the bombardment.
According to the security sources, 92 per cent of Orakzai Agency has been cleared of militants in the ongoing operation conducted by the security forces. However, they added that militants are still present in some areas of the tribal region.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/09/29/security-forces-kill-five-militants-in-orakzai/
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North America
At United Nations, Muslim world questions Western freedom of speech
September 29 2012
Muslim leaders were in unison at the United Nations this week arguing that the West was hiding behind its defence of freedom of speech and ignoring cultural sensitivities in the aftermath of anti-Islam slurs that have raised fears of a widening East-West cultural divide.
A video made in California depicting the Prophet Mohammad as a fool sparked the storming of US and other Western embassies in many Islamic countries and a deadly suicide bombing in Afghanistan this month. The crisis deepened when a French magazine published caricatures of the Prophet.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said it was time to put an end to the protection of Islamophobia masquerading as the freedom to speak freely.
"Unfortunately, Islamophobia has also become a new form of racism like anti-Semitism. It can no longer be tolerated under the guise of freedom of expression. Freedom does not mean anarchy," he told the 193-nation UN General Assembly on Friday.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=41235
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Syria has moved some chemical weapons to boost security: US
Sep 28, 2012
WASHINGTON: The Syrian regime has moved some chemical weapons to safeguard the material as it wages war against rebel forces but the main storage sites for its arsenal remain secure, US defense secretary Leon Panetta said on Friday.
"There has been some intelligence that with regards to some of these sites there has been some movement ...in order for the Syrians to better secure the chemicals," Panetta told a joint news conference with his Canadian counterpart.
"We still believe, based on what we know and what we're monitoring, that the principal sites remain secure," he said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Syria-has-moved-some-chemical-weapons-to-boost-security-US/articleshow/16592068.cms
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US peace group heading to Pakistan to protest drone strikes
September 29 2012
NEW YORK: A 40-member American peace delegation is leaving for Pakistan next week to protest drone strikes and promote peaceful relations between US and Pakistan, it was announced on Friday.
The delegation, organised by the activist group CODEPINK, a group of women peace activists, will meet with the families of drone victims, lawyers, academics, Pakistani politicians and US officials.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/09/29/us-peace-group-heading-to-pakistan-to-protest-drone-strikes/
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Citizen Held After 9/11 Wins Right to Be Tried
By ETHAN BRONNER
September 28, 2012
A federal judge in Idaho has ruled that the United States, after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, wrongly imprisoned an American under a law designed to keep trial witnesses from fleeing and that since there was evidence that the government may have wilfully misused the law against him, his case should go to trial.
Judge Edward J. Lodge, who was appointed by President George Bush, issued his rulings late on Thursday in the longstanding case of Abdullah al-Kidd, an American who was seized at an airport in 2003, imprisoned for 16 days, repeatedly strip-searched and left naked in his cell. The Justice Department had sought to have his trial request summarily dismissed and denied having misused the law in detaining him.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/29/us/abdullah-al-kidd-held-after-9-11-wins-right-to-be-tried.html?ref=middleeast&gwh=66DC92B4773A1E0E6410A98A8F1AB483
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US removes Iran group MEK from terror list
Sep 29 2012
The US has removed the dissident Iranian group Mujahideen-e Khalq (MEK) from its terror blacklist.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton formally removed the group after sending a classified opinion to Congress earlier in September.
The organisation had been designated a terror group by the US since 1997.
The MEK led a guerrilla campaign against the US-backed Shah of Iran in the 1970s and also opposed Iran's clerical leaders who replaced the Shah.
Also known as the People's Mujahideen Organisation of Iran, the group insists it has renounced violence.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19767043
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CAIR Banquet Sold Out, Few Remaining Places for Leadership Conference
9/28/12
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/28/12) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced tonight that its 18th annual banquet on September 29th in Arlington, Va., is sold out.
While the banquet, with the theme "Upholding Our Constitution, Defending Our Faith," is sold out, there are a few remaining places for CAIR's day-long Leadership Skills Training Conference preceding the evening banquet.
"We thank all those who have demonstrated their support by planning to take part in the leadership conference and banquet," said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad.
Awad urged anyone who cannot attend either event to support CAIR by donating through its web site: www.cair.com
CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
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CAIR Releases 2nd Arabic Appeal on 'Innocence of Muslims'
9/27/12
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/27/12) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today released a second video appeal in Arabic to those protesting an anti-Islam film "Innocence of Muslims."
In the CAIR video, Imam Dr. Syed Abu Abdullah of the Islamic Center of Cleveland tells Arabic-speaking viewers that the U.S. government does not support and did not authorize the film. The imam also says that Muslims should not fall into the "trap" set by the film's producers. (NOTE: The appeal was produced for CAIR by Take1Media of Cleveland, Ohio.)
Earlier this month, CAIR released a similar video appeal in Arabic. In it, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad tells viewers in the Middle East that ordinary Americans and the U.S. government should not be blamed for the religious hatred expressed in the film.
Full report at:
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Benghazi attack 'deliberate, organised and linked' to al-Qaida: US intel
Sep 29, 2012
WASHINGTON: The assault on the US consulate in Libya's Benghazi city was a "deliberate and organised terrorist attack" by groups affiliated with or sympathetic to al-Qaida, America's top intelligence agency has said.
This is a significant turnaround of the previous version of the attack coming from the Obama Administration that this was a spontaneous protest against an anti-Islam video.
The attack resulted in the death of four Americans including the US Ambassador to Libya.
"As we learned more about the attack, we revised our initial assessment to reflect new information indicating that it was a deliberate and organized terrorist attack carried out by extremists," Shawn Turner, the spokesman for the Director of National Intelligence, said in a statement.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Benghazi-attack-deliberate-organised-and-linked-to-al-Qaida-US-intel/articleshow/16600473.cms
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US, Pakistan should work towards a 'post-alliance future': Husain Haqqani
September 28, 2012
Former Pakistan’s ambassador to US Husain Haqqani has said that given their tumultuous relationship, Islamabad and Washington should start working towards a “post-alliance future” to develop a long-term and fruitful relationship.
Talking to Radio Free Europe (REF)/Radio Liberty (RL) Haqqani said that both the countries needed to find a common ground to change the basis of their relationship. He added that Pakistan and US needed to have a long-term relationship rather than a transactional ’alliance’. Working on a military-less post-alliance relation will help both countries burgeon trade, people-to-people relations and friendship.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/444049/us-pakistan-should-work-towards-a-post-alliance-future-husain-haqqani/
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Shifting Reports on Libya Killings May Cost Obama
By MARK LANDLER
September 28, 2012
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration’s shifting accounts of the fatal attack on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, have left President Obama suddenly exposed on national security and foreign policy, a field where he had enjoyed a seemingly unassailable advantage over Mitt Romney in the presidential race.
After first describing the attack as a spontaneous demonstration run amok, administration officials now describe it as a terrorist act with possible involvement by Al Qaeda. The changing accounts prompted the spokesman for the nation’s top intelligence official, James R. Clapper Jr., to issue a statement on Friday acknowledging that American intelligence agencies “revised our initial assessment to reflect new information indicating that it was a deliberate and organized terrorist attack carried out by extremists.”
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/29/us/politics/shifting-reports-on-libya-killings-may-cost-obama.html?hp&gwh=CF73E6753E37E97F466383778E2B7984
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U.S. Move to Give Egypt $450 Million in Aid Meets Resistance
By STEVEN LEE MYERS
September 28, 2012
The Obama administration notified Congress on Friday that it would provide Egypt’s new government an emergency cash infusion of $450 million, but the aid immediately encountered resistance from a prominent lawmaker wary of foreign aid and Egypt’s new course under the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The aid is part of the $1 billion in assistance that the Obama administration has pledged to Egypt to bolster its transition to democracy after the overthrow last year of the former president, Hosni Mubarak. Its fate, however, was clouded by concerns over the new government’s policies and, more recently, the protests that damaged the American Embassy in Cairo.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/29/world/middleeast/white-house-move-to-give-egypt-
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American anti-Islam movie maker changed his name in 2002 - because he had 'a girl's name'
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
28 September 2012
It has been revealed that the man behind the anti-Islamic video that sparked violence in the Middle East legally changed his name because he felt his was too feminine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Dugdale said Friday that Nakoula Basseley Nakoula will be now known as Mark Basseley Youssef in court records.
Court documents filed in Orange County Superior Court today show he was granted a name change petition in 2002 and legally changed his name to Youssef because 'Nakoula is a girl's name and it cause me troubles.'
Nakoula appeared in court yesterday after authorities said he violated his probation from a 2010 check fraud conviction.
Full report at:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2210156/Anti-Islam-maker-changed-2002--girls-name.html#ixzz27qTqeetZ
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Europe
Religious Radicals Sought for Kazakh Mass Murder
September 27, 2012
MOSCOW (AP) — Police in Kazakhstan said Thursday they are seeking two members of a radical religious organization for last month's murder of 12 people at a national park near the commercial capital, Almaty.
The burnt bodies of the victims, including a park ranger known for his fight against poaching, were found in the Ile-Alatau national park in late August. They had been stabbed to death.
Police identified the suspects as Sayan Khairov and Zaurbek Botabayev, born in 1975 and 1978 respectively. They did not identify the organization the two allegedly belong to, describing it only as an "extremist religious group."
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/09/27/world/asia/ap-as-kazakhstan-mass-
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Russia fears 'gigantic Afghan drug stockpile'
September 28, 2012
DUSHANBE: Russia’s anti-drug chief expressed fear Friday that drug trafficking from Afghanistan would increase after the pullout of Nato troops in 2014, saying the country stockpiled enough narcotics to keep the trade going for another decade.
“We estimate that opiates from Afghanistan make up 30% of all narcotics in Russia,” said Viktor Ivanov at a meeting with anti-drug officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan in the Tajik capital Dushanbe.
“The military operation (in Afghanistan) has been going on for 11 years. Who will take responsibility for this?”
The continuing flow of illicit drugs from Afghanistan has long been a sticking point in ties between Russia and the United States, which leads the military contingent in the country.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/443986/russia-fears-gigantic-afghan-drug-stockpile/
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At Annual U.N. General Assembly, a Stage for All the World
By NEIL MacFARQUHAR
September 28, 2012
UNITED NATIONS — The annual United Nations General Assembly debate, which comes to a close on Monday with a final flurry of speeches, might be called a convention of knotty causes, some of them distinct long shots.
With dignitaries flocking here from every corner of the globe, the diplomatic jamboree offers a rare opportunity for people like Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, the caretaker prime minister of Somalia, who spent his time promoting his country this week as an investment opportunity rather than a byword for catastrophe.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/29/world/at-united-nations-general-assembly-a-chance-
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Brazil opposes unilateral military action against Iran
September 29, 2012
BRASILIA: Brazil’s president voiced opposition Friday to any unilateral military action against Iran over its controversial nuclear program, saying this would violate the United Nations charter.
“I am particularly concerned about the growing rethoric in support of unilateral military action in Iran,” Dilma Rousseff said after holding talks with visiting British Prime Minister David Cameron.
“Any such initiative would represent a violation of the UN Charter, with serious consequences for the Middle East,” she added.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/444345/brazil-opposes-unilateral-military-action-against-iran/
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Tony Blair could have prevented Iraq war: Kofi Annan
Sep 29, 2012
LONDON: Former British prime minister Tony Blair was the only person capable of turning George Bush against the 2003 Iraq invasion, ex-United Nations chief Kofi Annan claimed in an interview published Saturday.
Annan argued in an interview published in the Times newspaper that Blair could have changed Bush's mind because of the special relationship between the two nations and the two leaders.
Annan said he often had contemplated what might have happened if "Blair had said 'George, this is where we part company. You're on your own'," following the failure to secure a second UN resolution.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/Tony-Blair-could-have-prevented-Iraq-war-Kofi-Annan/articleshow/16598867.cms
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Anti-Islam film declared illegal by Russian provincial court
29 September 2012
MOSCOW: A court in Russia’s region of Chechnya has banned the anti-Islamic film that sparked deadly protests across the Muslim world, a ruling that in theory should be observed across Russia.
The US-produced “Innocence of Muslims,” a film about the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), has led to massive demonstrations across the Muslim world although so far there have been no major demonstrations in Russia which is home to millions of Muslims.
A court in the Chechen capital Grozny declared the film extremist in response to a request from the regional ministry for national policies, media and information to ban the anti-Islam film, a ministry official told AFP.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/anti-islam-film-declared-illegal-russian-provincial-court
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India
Woman govt servant, husband held for supplying maps, photos to Pak man
Navjeevan Gopal
Sep 29 2012
Tarn Taran: A junior assistant at the Sales Tax department in Amritsar and her husband were arrested on Friday by the Tarn Taran police for allegedly supplying maps and photographs of strategic locations in the country to a man in Pakistan.
Sukhpreet Kaur, 42, went to Pakistan thrice in five years between 2006 and 2011 on a pilgrim visa as part of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) jathas (religious group), said Tarn Taran SSP Kanwaljit Singh Dhillon. Police said she remained in constant touch with a Pakistani smuggler, Yaqoob Rana, to whom she supplied the secret material in return for gold and narcotics.
Police claim to have recovered photocopies of maps and photographs of bridges at Harike, Beas, Goindwal Sahib; Amritsar Military Cantonment, Wagah (Attari) border and army cantonment areas, which they believe have already been sent to Rana.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/woman-govt-servant-husband-held-for-supplying-maps-photos-to-pak-man/1009478/
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Andhra BJP chief gets 'death threat from Pak national' on Facebook
Sep 29 2012
Hyderabad : Andhra Pradesh BJP unit chief G Kishan Reddy on Saturday lodged a police complaint after he allegedly received death threat from a Pakistani national on a social networking site, police said.
In a complaint registered at the Cyber Crime Department, Reddy stated that he had received a threatening message on the Facebook, posted by one Ikram Shah, a Pakistani national.
According to police, the youth had asked Reddy to desist from making statements against the Muslim community, who were staging protests against an American film, or else he would be eliminated.
Requesting a thorough probe into the case, Reddy also urged the state government to find out whether Ikram had any local links.
The BJP leader also requested the state government to review his security.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/andhra-bjp-chief-gets-death-threat-from-pak-national-on-facebook/1009708/
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Bhagat Singh Birth day celebration in Lahore on 28th September
Friday 28 Sep: 3pm at Dayal Singh Auditorium, Nisabat Road,5.30 pm at Bhagat Singh Chouck (Shadman Chouck Lahore)
The Bhagat Singh memorial committee Pakistan met here in Lahore yesterday to finalise the arrangements of the birthday celebration of Bhagat Singh on 28th September.
A seminar on Bhagat Singh life will be held on 28th September at Dayal Singh Auditorium on Nisbat Road Lahore on Friday at 3pm. Prominent experts on Bhagat Singh and political personalities will speak on the occasion. They include Dr Ihsan Karim direct Dayal Singh research and culture society, Yousaf Baluch chairman National Trade Union Federation,Farooq Tariq, member Labour Party federal executive committee, Mirza Zain ul Abdin chairman Peoples Democratic Front, Dr Khalid Javed Jan, prominent revolutionary poet, Irfan Choudry president National Student Federation. Nasir Naqvi chairman All Pakistan Newspapers Employees Confederation,(APNEC)will chair the seminar.
Ajoka Theatre will perform on the occasion and will show its documentary on Bhagat Singh.
Later, at 5.30, a birth day cake will be cut at Bhagat Singh Chouck (Shadman Chouck) to celebrate Bhagat Singh birth day. He was born in a village of Jaranwala in Lyallpur district. on 28 September 1907.
Indian delegation of 32 Persons belonging to various field of life arrived & warmly received to join the seminar.
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Anti-Islam video sparks protests in Kolkata, American Center closes
Sep 27 2012
Kolkata : Hundreds of Muslims today held protests against an anti-Islam video and tried to march to the American Center here, which closed down for the second half of the day.
The protestors, belonging to Muslim organisations, including the All-Bengal Minorities Youth Federation, demanding an apology from the US, broke barricades and tried to approach the highly-fortified American Centre on Chowringee in central Kolkata, but were stopped some distance away, police sources said.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/antiislam-video-sparks-protests-in-kolkata-american-center-closes/1008822/
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Maharashtra governor rejects Ajmal Amir Kasab's mercy petition
Ahmed Ali
Sep 29, 2012
MUMBAI: After Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, the governor of Maharashtra K Sankaranarayan has rejected Pakistani gunman Ajmal Amir Kasab's mercy petition.
Sources said that now the application will be forwarded to the Union home minister who will mark his opinion and forward it to President Pranab Mukherjee. Sources said that it was a good sign that within a span of last ten days the file has been moved so swiftly from one department to other.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Maharashtra-governor-rejects-Ajmal-Amir-Kasabs-mercy-petition/articleshow/16602610.cms
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India releases 46 Pakistani fishermen
Sep 29, 2012
LAHORE: The Indian government on Friday released 46 Pakistani fishermen arrested for violating maritime boundary. The Indian authorities handed over the prisoners to the Pakistan Rangers at the Wagha border, Rangers sources said. The prisoners had been arrested for violating India’s maritime boundary, the sources added. The Edhi Foundation Lahore provided them food and cold drinks at the Wagha Border.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\09\29\story_29-9-2012_pg7_7
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Centre has been pushing J&K for next level of grassroots empowerment
Sep 29, 2012
NEW DELHI: The call for empowerment of local bodies in Jammu & Kashmir may have gained political momentum only now, but the Centre has been pushing the Omar Abdullah government for several months to put in place the next panchayati raj tier: the block committees. The state government initially ignored the central reminders on holding block-level elections, but then indicated a possible July-August 2012 timeframe, only to pull back at the last minute citing its preoccupation with the tail end of a good tourist season and the Amarnath yatra.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Centre-has-been-pushing-JK-for-next-level-of-grassroots-empowerment/articleshow/16596944.cms
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Union minister calls for more powers to panchayats in Kashmir
Sep 29, 2012
NEW DELHI: Congress stirred Kashmir's panchayat pot further with Union minister Kishore Chandra Deo lamenting that the state had not devolved powers to grassroots institutions and had dashed the hopes raised by successful elections held after three decades.
In the wake of killing of sarpanchs by terrorists, panchayati raj minister Deo expressed concern and asked the state to give "adequate security" to representatives of panchayati raj Institutions.
Deo lamented that training imparted by his ministry to 29,719 panchs and 4128 sarpanchs from J&K had come to naught in the absence of any real powers being given to them. "Holding successfully the much-awaited elections to PRIs in J&K had given rise to hopes that the democratic process in the strife-torn state would now be on the rails," he said, in a tone conveying it was an opportunity lost.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kishore-Chandra-Deo-calls-for-more-powers-to-panchayats-in-Kashmir/articleshow/16596573.cms
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EU releases 14 million euro for displace people in Assam
Sep 28, 2012
NEW DELHI: European Union has released over 14 million euro (Rs 95.2 crore approx) for the immediate needs of people displaced following violence in Assam.
A release issued by the European Commission said the funds will provide hygiene and sanitation facilities as well as clean drinking water to over 45,000 people living in 40 camps in Kokrajhar and Chirang districts most affected by the violence.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/EU-releases-14-million-euro-for-displace-people-in-Assam/articleshow/16592910.cms
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BJP tries to woo Muslims under its 'NDA Plus' plan
Sep 28, 2012
SURAJKUND (HARYANA): Keen to win more allies, BJP, which has been identified with the Hindutva tag, on Friday decided to strive for an "imaginative reprojection" of its "commitment to secularism" and reassured minority community that it does not support discrimination on basis of religion.
L K Advani, while delivering the valedictory address at the party national council meet, insisted that as the anti-Congress constituency is rapidly expanding, the NDA should gain from it and transform itself into " NDA Plus".
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/BJP-tries-to-woo-Muslims-under-its-NDA-Plus-plan/articleshow/16592670.cms
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No threat to J&K govt despite NC-Cong war
Aurangzeb Naqshbandi
September 29, 2012
Despite upping its ante against J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah over the empowerment of panchayats, the Congress is in no mood to pull the plug on the National Conference-led coalition government in the state. Sources in both Congress and NC ruled out any imminent threat to the Omar
Abdullah government in the wake of a bitter war over the implementation of the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments — that empower panchayats — in J&K.
Leaders of two parties are not in favour of aggravating the matter further and want the coalition government to last its full six-year term. The next assembly elections in J&K are scheduled to be held in 2014.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/No-threat-to-J-amp-K-govt-despite-NC-Cong-war/Article1-937280.aspx
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Amit Shah’s return to Gujarat may be short-lived
September 28, 2012
More than two years after his arrest in July 2010 in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s trusted lieutenant Amit Shah returned to his house in Ahmedabad on Friday. The ex-minister came back after the Supreme Court (SC) confirmed the bail
granted to him by the Gujarat high court.
Described in the CBI chargesheet as “the kingpin of the staged shootout case involving the murder of Sohrabuddin, wife Kauser Bi and witness Tulsiram Prajapati”, Shah was granted bail by the high court in October 2010 but was told by the SC to leave Gujarat the next day.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Ahmedabad/Amit-Shah-s-return-to-Gujarat-may-be-short-lived/Article1-937278.aspx
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J&K govt. announces relief for kin of slain Panchs, Sarpanchs
September 28, 2012
The Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday announced government jobs to the next of kin of Panchs and Sarpanches who were killed since the first phase of elections ended last year.
A government spokesman said that the State Cabinet expressed deep concern over the recent killings
of Panchayat Raj representatives and condemned the incidents.
In a meeting chaired by chief minister, Omar Abdullah, the cabinet expressed sympathies with the families and kin of the slain Panchayat Raj representatives.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Srinagar/J-amp-K-govt-announces-relief-for-kin-of-slain-Panchs-Sarpanchs/Article1-937237.aspx
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Assets seizure: HC rejects pleas of Dawood's mother, sister
September 28, 2012
The Delhi high court has turned down the pleas of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's mother and sister against the proposed confiscation of their properties by the Centre.
A bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Siddharth Mridul dismissed the pleas of Dawood's mother Amina Bi
and sister Hasina Ibrahim Parker, upholding the single judge order and saying that they were duly served the notices for seizure of their properties in Mumbai under the Smugglers And Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture Of Property) Act (SAFEMA).
The Act provides for forfeiture of "illegally acquired properties" of smugglers and foreign exchange manipulators and their kith and kin.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Assets-seizure-HC-rejects-pleas-of-Dawood-s-mother-sister/Article1-937238.aspx
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PDP suspects govt hand in Sarpanch-attacks in Kashmir
September 28, 2012
Jammu and Kashmir’s main opposition, Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday doubted the claims of chief minister Omar Abdullah that militants were responsible for the attacks on Panchs and Sarpanchs.
Addressing a press conference, senior PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Beigh
described at length "how the attack on grass root representatives will benefit the National Conference". The former deputy chief minister in the PDP-Congress government accused the ruling National Conference of sabotaging the process of empowering the Panchayats in the state.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Srinagar/PDP-suspects-govt-hand-in-Sarpanch-attacks-in-Kashmir/Article1-937158.aspx
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Amit Shah back home after exile, says India wants Narendra Modi
Sep 29 2012
Gandhinagar : Former minister of state (home) Amit Shah, who was barred by the Supreme Court from entering the state in November 2010, returned home Friday evening after a gap of nearly two years amid a grand welcome by supporters and BJP leaders.
Shah, a prime accused in the Sohrabuddin Shiekh encounter case, was asked by the SC to stay away from Gujarat so that he could not influence witnesses. On Thursday, the apex court had ordered to shift the case trial to Mumbai.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/amit-shah-back-home-after-exile-says-india-wants-narendra-modi/1009563/
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Sanjiv Bhatt moves Guj HC to summon Narendra Modi before Godhra Panel
Sep 28 2012
Ahmedabad : Suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt moved Gujarat High Court with the prayer to direct Justice G T Nanavati Commission of Enquiry looking into the riots cases to summon Chief Minister Narendra Modi before it.
In a Public Interest Litigation filed along with People's Union of Civil Liberty, Bhatt has also demanded that the probe panel should be directed to submit its final report, not to the chief minister of the atate but to the office of state Governor.
The hearing on the PIL commenced on Thursday before the Division Bench of Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice J B Pardiwala.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/sanjiv-bhatt-moves-guj-hc-to-summon-narendra-modi-before-godhra-panel/1009187/
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Altamas Kabir sworn in as Chief Justice of India
Sep 29, 2012
NEW DELHI: Justice Altamas Kabir was on Saturday sworn in as the 39th Chief Justice of India by President Pranab Mukherjee.
He took over the post from Justice Sarosh Homi Kapadia, who served as the CJI for nearly two-and-a-half years.
Justice Kabir, 64, took the oath in the name of God at a brief ceremony in the Ashoka Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Justice Kabir was appointed Supreme Court judge on September 9, 2005. He has delivered several landmark judgements, including on human rights and election laws. He will have a tenure of nine months till July 18, 2013.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Altamas-Kabir-sworn-in-as-Chief-Justice-of-India/articleshow/16599658.cms
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Africa
Somalia, Allies Batter Al Shabaab, but Gains May Be Fragile
September 28, 2012
MARKA, Somalia (Reuters) - "Paradise lies under the shade of swords," reads the Arabic inscription on an arch leading into the Somali port of Marka, abandoned last month by Islamist al Shabaab militants under pressure from advancing African Union peacekeepers and government troops.
The inscription, along with a white column by the beach where al Shabaab held public executions, is one of the reminders of the al Qaeda-allied rebels' four-year occupation of the coastal town, 90 km (55 miles) south of the capital Mogadishu.
A determined offensive by African Union (AMISOM) and Somali government forces has made large strides over the last year to oust al Shabaab fighters from their strongholds in south-central Somalia. On Friday, Kenyan troops attacked Kismayu, the rebels' last major bastion.
For the first time since the early 1990s, there are hopes that the Horn of Africa nation, long regarded as the ultimate 'failed state', could be nearing the last stages of a vicious circle of violence.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/09/28/world/africa/28reuters-somalia-conflict-security.html?ref=africa&gwh=9EEE786C37CA0047B8B472297FEEBD9F
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Mali prepares for war with Islamists despite reticent neighbours
Sep 29, 2012
BAMAKO: Mali's rulers are preparing for war to free the north from armed Islamist groups: this was the message from Bamako after a UN meeting, despite the reservations of some of its neighbours to an international taskforce.
"We felt a commitment from the international community at our side, a solidarity with Mali" a source close to President Dioncounda Traore told AFP on Thursday.
He was speaking a meeting on Wednesday in New York, on the sidelines of the General Assembly, which was devoted to discussion of the Sahel crisis.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Mali-prepares-for-war-with-Islamists-despite-reticent-neighbours/articleshow/16597639.cms
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Kenya attacks last stronghold of Somali militants
September 28, 2012
Kenya’s military said its troops attacked the last remaining port city held by al-Qaeda-linked insurgents in Somalia during an overnight attack involving a beach landing.
Kenyan military spokesmen quickly claimed victory early Friday, saying their troops now control the city of Kismayo.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/kenya-attacks-last-stronghold-of-somali-militants/article3945255.ece
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Tunisia 'police rape' condemned
Sep 28 2012
Tunisia's minister for women has condemned the alleged rape by police of a woman who was later - together with her fiance - charged with indecency.
"Nobody is above the law," the minister, Sihem Badi, told reporters.
A lawyer for the woman says she was charged with public indecency after being raped by two officers.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19763641
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Arab World
UN inaction gives Assad 'green light': Saudis
September 29 2012
The Saudi Arabian deputy foreign minister says UN Security Council inaction on the Syrian civil war has given the Bashar Assad regime "a green light to proceed with its crimes against" his people.
Abdulaziz bin Abdullah told the UN General Assembly on Friday that the Assad regime was "in a race against time to accomplish its objectives using the most advanced means of killing and destruction."
Opposition groups say more than 30,000 people have been killed since the uprising began with street demonstrations 18 months ago. Egypt has sought to engage the Saudis along with Turkey and Iran in finding a path to end the fighting.
So far, the Saudis have not participated and Iranian leaders claim they are trying to put together a working group of non-aligned countries.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=41241
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Kurds Prepare to Pursue More Autonomy in a Fallen Syria
By TIM ARANGO
September 28, 2012
DOHUK, Iraq — Just off a main highway that stretches east of this city and slices through a moonscape of craggy hills, a few hundred Syrian Kurdish men have been training for battle, marching through scrub brush and practicing rifle drills.
The men, many of them defectors from the Syrian Army living in white trailers dotting a hillside camp, are not here to join the armed uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s government. They are preparing for the fight they expect to come after, when Mr. Assad falls and there is a scramble across Syria for power and turf.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/29/world/middleeast/kurds-to-pursue-more-autonomy-in-a-fallen-syria.html?_r=1&hp
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Battle for Aleppo Intensifies, as World Leaders Pledge New Support for Rebels
By ANNE BARNARD and STEVEN LEE MYERS
September 28, 2012
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Fierce clashes broke out on Friday on multiple fronts in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, according to the government and its opponents, as frustrated world leaders meeting in New York offered modest new pledges of support for those trying to overthrow the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad.
Rebels mounted what they called a “decisive battle” for Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, after months of brutal but inconclusive fighting, aiming to seize control of predominantly Christian and Kurdish neighborhoods from which, the rebels say, security forces and pro-government militias have attacked.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/29/world/middleeast/syria.html?ref=middleeast&gwh=ABB53DA01A3963E7552B24B2048ABBF7
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Saudi Arabia Promoting tourism through the lens
29 September 2012
The Prince Ahmed bin Salman Applied Media Academy will be the trainer/sponsor in the Saudi Colours Forum to be organized under the aegis of President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities Prince Sultan bin Salman at the Riyadh International Centre for Exhibitions and Conferences on Nov. 25.
The academy will organize two photography workshops on the sidelines of the forum. The workshops will offer 10 scholarship programs for studying photography, which will be conducted by the academy.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/promoting-tourism-through-lens
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Compliance with Haj rules a must: King Abdullah
29 September 2012
The Ministry of Haj affirmed yesterday that pilgrims from all parts of the world are treated alike and that the Haj regulations stipulate that only those who comply with terms and conditions governing Haj visas are allowed to enter the Kingdom.
“A woman below 45 should be accompanied by a mahram for Haj and this fact is clearly stated in the entry visa issued to a woman and her mahram regardless of the nationality of a pilgrim,” spokesman of the ministry Hasan Qadi said in a statement to SPA. The statement was issued following media reports quoting president of the Nigerian Haj Mission that a group of Nigerian women Haj pilgrims who arrived in the Kingdom were denied entry at the airport and flown back.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/compliance-haj-rules-must
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Peddlers sell fake mobile phones openly following in Saudi Arabia
MD RASOOLDEEN
29 September 2012
Fake mobile phones were sold openly on the streets of the capital following Juma prayers yesterday.
Following Friday prayers at a mosque in Malaz, the worshippers thronged to see a young Chinese man selling a counterfeit copy of a popular smart phone for SR 300.
The vendor claimed that they were original phones from the manufacturers. He told his customers that it has all the features of the same model sold in the reputable stores.
On checking the product, Arab News found that they were made in China and differ from the original phone by its appearance, weight and functions. However, some of the worshippers bought the products because of its attractive price, compared to the local market price.
The original model of the identical phone is sold locally for around SR 2,000 in retail stores.
An eyewitness to the sale outside the mosque told Arab News that such phones do not last long and the quality of the battery is weak.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/peddlers-sell-fake-mobile-phones-openly-following-juma-prayers
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Kingdom in forefront in e-government services
MD RASOOLDEEN
29 September 2012
The Kingdom is in the forefront in the region to implement e-government services, according to a panelist at the Third Annual e-Government Summit that concluded in Riyadh Wednesday.
“Unlike other countries in the region, Saudi Arabia has a definite plan for e-government services during the next five to 10 years, Alexander Zarovsky, chief business development officer at InfoWatch, said.
Zarovsky led a panel discussion on national digital information traffic monitoring, data loss prevention, social media monitoring, and other topics. He said people in the Kingdom are fully conversant with information technology and its solutions. He also described the Kingdom as the best market for IT.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/kingdom-forefront-e-government-services
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Curfew on Iraqi Town as Security Hunts Escapees
September 29, 2012
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi authorities enforced a curfew Saturday on Saddam Hussein's hometown so that security forces could track down scores of fugitives including al-Qaida-linked militants who escaped from a prison there, authorities said.
The Interior Minister meanwhile said the jailbreak at the Tasfirat prison in Tikrit, 130 kilometers (80 miles) north of Baghdad, was an inside job. It put the death toll at 20, including 16 inmates and four guards.
Of 303 inmates at the prison, 102 escaped in the jailbreak, including 47 al-Qaida-linked inmates awaiting execution. Some 23 were recaptured, the statement said.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/09/29/world/middleeast/ap-ml-
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Clinton unveils new aid for stricken Syrian civilians
29 September 2012
The United States unveiled $45 million in new aid to Syria, and urged the global community to maintain its resolve as Syrian grassroots activists appealed to world leaders for help.
Hosting a meeting of the Friends of Syria group, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Washington was donating new funds to meet a growing humanitarian crisis caused by the country’s bloody 18-month conflict that has claimed some 30,000 lives.
The announcement came as armed rebels unleashed an unprecedented barrage of mortar fire against troops in Aleppo after announcing a “decisive” battle for Syria’s second city.
Clinton announced an extra $30 million to help get supplies and medical services to “the people suffering under the relentless assaults,” bringing the US commitment to humanitarian funding to over $132 million.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-
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Hajj Ministry: No entry for those who don't comply with regulations
28 September 2012
Medina, Dhu-AlQa'dah 12, 1433, September 28, 2012, SPA -- Ministry of Hajj explained that Hajj's organization and its instructions not to allow the entry to the Kingdom for those who don't comply with terms and requirements of the entry visa to Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj.
These terms require women under age of 45 years to be accompanied with a male sponsor during the pilgrimage journey and that is stipulated in the woman's visa or her sponsor regardless of nationality.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/hajj-ministry-no-entry-those-who-dont-comply-regulations
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Food for hunger-struck Yemenis
(Wam) / 29 September 2012
The Khalifa bin Zayed Humanitarian Foundation has brought food assistance to over 500 Yemeni families in hunger-struck Khofan, a remote desert area which lies 120km from Al Hudaydah Governorate.
Residents of the area, which lacks all kinds of services, were quite surprised at seeing the Foundation’s team carrying foodstuffs which they were in dire need of, according to the members of the Emirati humanitarian team. This is the first time ever that the desolate area has received humanitarian aid.
The residents expressed gratitude to the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for the support. Earlier this year, the President had given orders to the Foundation to allocate Dh500 million to help Yemen counter acute food shortages.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/nation/inside.asp?xfile=/data/nationgeneral/2012/September/nationgeneral_September431.xml§ion=nationgeneral
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Mideast Asia
Four members of former Yemen president's party killed in ambush
Sep 29, 2012
(Reuters) - Armed men killed four members of the political party of Yemen's ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh in an ambush outside Sanaa on Friday night, the party said.
General People's Congress officials were travelling on the road to Maareb province when attacked, the party's website said. Eight were wounded.
It was not clear if the group was targeted because of its party affiliation and a tribal source in al-Jawf where some of the men worked said it could have been a tribal vendetta.
Full report at:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/29/yemen-attack-idUSL5E8KT0LL20120929
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At UN, Marty calls for boycott of Israeli products
Yohanna Ririhena
September 29 2012
Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa is calling for nations to consider reviewing diplomatic ties with Israel and boycotting its products in solidarity with Palestine.
Marty acknowledged that the situation in the occupied territories had grown unfavorable following unilateral Israeli moves.
“There is an unbalanced situation and Israel should bear responsibility for the failure of peace negotiations,” Marty said on the sidelines of the 67th UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/09/29/at-un-marty-calls-boycott-israeli-products.html
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Yemen’s Leader Praises U.S. Drone Strikes
By SCOTT SHANE
September 29, 2012
WASHINGTON — The president of Yemen gave an unqualified endorsement of American drone strikes in his country during a visit here on Friday, cementing his status as a favored counterterrorism partner of the United States.
President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, elected in a one-candidate election in February, said at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars that the precision afforded by drones gave them a marked advantage over the aging Soviet aircraft in the Yemeni Air Force.
“They pinpoint the target and have zero margin of error, if you know what target you’re aiming at,” said Mr. Hadi, a former army officer and the successor to Ali Abdullah Saleh, who stepped down after protests against his three-decade rule.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/29/world/middleeast/yemens-leader-president-hadi-
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Turkey's Ruling Party to Hold Major Congress
September 29, 2012
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey's governing party is holding a major congress this weekend to pick new leaders and try to build on a decade-long record of electoral success, economic growth and a rising regional profile.
At the same time, the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces challenges, including a sharp rise in attacks by Kurdish militants, as well as the potentially destabilizing effect of the war in neighboring Syria, which has sent more than 80,000 refugees fleeing to camps in Turkey.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/09/29/world/europe/ap-eu-turkey-
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Turkey Warns Syria After Mortar Strike
September 29, 2012
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey signaled it would take action if there was a repeat of a mortar strike on its territory from inside Syria.
A mortar bomb fired from Syria hit southeastern Turkey on Friday, damaging homes and workplaces in the Akcakale border area, the private Dogan news agency said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters in New York that Ankara had reported the incident to the United Nations and NATO, in comments broadcast by CNN Turk.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/09/29/world/europe/29reuters-turkey-
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Iran's Rial Currency Dives to Historic Low
September 29, 2012
DUBAI (Reuters) - The Iranian rial slumped on Saturday to a historic low against the U.S. dollar, according to Iranian media and currency tracking websites.
The rial fell by 3.6 percent and was trading at about 27,900 per dollar, compared with about 26,920 on Thursday and about 26,200 on Wednesday, according to Persian-language currency tracking website Mazanex. Another financial site, Mesghal.ir, had the rial at about 27,650 to the dollar on Saturday.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/09/29/world/middleeast/29reuters-iran-
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‘Iran will do anything to support Assad’s regime’
September 29, 2012
Washington: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that even as America would send another batch of financial aid to Syrian rebels, the main concerning fact would remain that ‘Iran would do whatever it takes to protect its proxy and crony’ in Syria.
“Let’s be very frank here. The (Bashar al-Assad) regime’s most important lifeline is Iran. There is no longer any doubt that Tehran will do whatever it takes to protect its proxy and crony in Damascus,” the Christian Science Monitor quoted Clinton, as saying.
Full report at:
http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/iran-will-do-anything-to-support-assads-regime_802683.html
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Netanyahu’s Bomb Diagram During U.N. Speech Stirs Confusion in Israel
By ISABEL KERSHNER and RICK GLADSTONE
September 28, 2012
JERUSALEM — When the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, drew his red line on a cartoonish diagram of a bomb from the podium of the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, he intended to illustrate in simple terms the point at which Iran’s uranium enrichment program must be stopped, at least in Israel’s view, to thwart a final sprint to a nuclear weapon.
Instead, the attention-grabbing performance seems to have created confusion in, of all places, Israel.
Mr. Netanyahu’s bomb was divided into sections marked 70 percent and 90 percent, representing the progress Iran has made, and is expected to make, toward amassing enough enriched uranium for a bomb, Israeli officials and experts said. Mr. Netanyahu drew his red line at 90 percent, asserting that the Iranians would be 90 percent along the way by next spring or summer.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/29/world/middleeast/netanyahus-bomb-diagram-stirs-
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Argentina, Iran meet over Buenos Aires Jewish center bombing
Sep 28, 2012
NEW YORK: The foreign ministers of Argentina and Iran met at the United Nations on Thursday to discuss the deadly 1994 attack on a Jewish association in Buenos Aires, officials said.
Argentina has charged Iran of masterminding the bombing that killed 85 people at a building housing Jewish charities and NGOs in Buenos Aires.
Both sides agreed to continue their dialogue "until a solution is found," Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman said in a statement.
Timerman met with his Iranian counterpart, Ali Akbar Salehi, "and decided to continue negotiations" in Geneva in October, the statement read.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Argentina-Iran-meet-over-Buenos-Aires-Jewish-center-bombing/articleshow/16583509.cms
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WASC accredits public and private schools in the Middle East
FADIA JIFFRY
29 September 2012
For the first time in the Middle East, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) will accredit public and private schools in the Kingdom. A conference to announce the new accreditation program was held in Jeddah under the patronage of Princess Jawaher Bint Abdulaziz bint Abdul Aziz.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/wasc-accredits-public-and-private-schools-middle-east
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The Onion spoofs Iran news agency on Obama-Ahmadinejad story
Sep 29 2012
A news agency in Iran has published a report by the satirical news website, The Onion, saying rural white Americans would rather vote for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad than Barack Obama.
Quoting The Onion word-for-word, Fars states that an opinion poll also found 77% would rather go to a baseball game or have a drink with Mr Ahmadinejad.
A made-up West Virginia resident is quoted as saying: "I like him better."
The report has not yet been published in Farsi on the agency's website.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19764166
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Southeast Asia
Indonesian Politician Says Science 'Irrelevant' in Elementary School
Markus Junianto Sihaloho | September 29, 2012
Comedian-turned-lawmaker Dedi Gumelar on Friday aired his support behind the government’s move to erase science and social science from the curriculum of elementary schools.
Dedi argued that elementary school students should only be taught basic education.
“Elementary school is time to build character and a mind-set with an education that emphasizes patriotic values, courtesy, culture and principles of Pancasila,” the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician said.
Subjects like science, geography and social science, he said, should be taught in higher levels, while high school should provide subjects which serve as the basis for education at the university level, he added.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/indonesian-politician-says-science-irrelevant-in-elementary-school/547150
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Lawyers of Indonesian Shia leader file blasphemy annulment papers
September 29 2012
A group of lawyers representing the incarcerated Shia leader Tajul Muluk submitted documents to the Constitutional Court on Friday and asked the court to annul articles in the Criminal Code on blasphemy.
They said the blasphemy articles could easily be used to persecute those who were not in line with mainstream religious beliefs.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/09/29/lawyers-file-blasphemy-annulment-papers.html
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Indonesia Minister proposes extra religious subject to prevent brawls in Schools
September 27 2012
Following two recent school brawls that have resulted in the deaths of two students, Religious Affairs minister Suryadharma Ali put the blame on a lack of religious discussion in schools.
He claims that 90 minutes a week of religious classes, as regulated in the national curriculum from elementary to high school levels, was not enough to indoctrinate Indonesian youth with religious values.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/09/27/minister-proposes-extra-religious-subject-prevent-brawls.html
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Indonesia: Childhood memories of mass murder in Klaten
September 29 2012
The declaration by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) that the 1965 purge of communists and their supporters was a gross violation of human rights immediately revived my memories of the brutal killings.
As a nine-year-old boy, I saw huge piles of bodies in a remote creek somewhere in Jogonalan district in Klaten, Central Java.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/09/29/childhood-memories-mass-murder-klaten.html
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Manila upbeat on HSWs’ protection
ABDUL HANNAN TAGO & RODOLFO ESTIMO JR.
29 September 2012
Philippines Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Rosalinda Dimapiliz-Baldoz expressed optimism yesterday that household service workers (HSWs) who will work in Saudi Arabia for the first time will be amply protected.
Saudi Labor Minister Adel Fakeih confirmed yesterday that work visas for Filipino housemaids will be issued effective in October. A specific date was not announced.
In his statement available on Facebook, Fakeih said: “I would like to review with you the latest developments on the bilateral talks between the two sides — Saudi Arabia and (the Philippines) — regarding the recruitment issue and would like to inform you that an agreement has been reached with the Philippines.”
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/manila-upbeat-hsws%E2%80%99-protection
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South Asia
40 Afghans arrested in Dalbandin
Sep 29, 2012
CHAGHAI: Law enforcement agencies personnel arrested 40 Afghan nationals under Foreigners Act in Dalbandin area of the district on Friday. Levies force said the Afghan nationals were apprehended from a passenger bus during checking at a checkpost by the agencies personnel. The detained men were trying to cross into Iran illegally without any travelling documents, the agency added. Later, they were handed over to Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for further interrogation.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\09\29\story_29-9-2012_pg7_6
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Bomb blast kills two police near Afghan training academy
September 29 2012
KABUL: A roadside bomb blast killed two policemen in Herat province of western Afghanistan, just hours before a ceremony to hand a nearby police training academy over from Nato to Afghan control, Afghan authorities said.
Raouf Ahmedi, a spokesman for the Afghan police commander for the western region, said one of the policemen killed in Saturday’s explosion was a teacher at the academy in Adraskan district.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/09/29/bomb-blast-kills-two-police-near-afghan-training-academy/
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Bangladesh: Law Minister terms ICT act world's best law
September 29 2012
Law Minister Shafique Ahmed on Saturday said there is no scope for any question about the fairness, neutrality and standard of the ongoing trial against crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War in 1971.
The minister termed the International Crimes (Tribunal) Act, 1973 under which the trial is running as the best law in the world.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=41252
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About 75,000 Rohingyas in Myanmar camps: Refugee International
September 29 2012
Up to 75,000 Muslim Rohingyas are housed in temporary camps under poor conditions, four months after violence broke out between Buddhist and Muslim communities in western Myanmar’s Rakhine state, Refugees International said Saturday.
“There are somewhere between 65,000 to 75,000 Rohingyas living in camps in Sittwe,” said Sarnata Reynolds, programme manager for statelessness at the advocacy group for refugee rights.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/about-75000-rohingyas-in-myanmar-camps-refugee-international/article3948606.ece
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Surge in insider attacks in Afghanistan prompts NATO to re-plan war strategy
29 September 2012
WASHINGTON/KABUL: In the weeks before his death, 21-year-old Mabry Anders had grown increasingly worried that he might not come home from Afghanistan. The Army specialist was battling insomnia and would send brief, worried messages back to his family.
“He talked to me in the day, which would be in the middle of his night,” his father, Dan Anders, said. “He didn’t sleep. He was just worried.”
There were good reasons for concern. During his six-month tour, the Taliban staged a major attack at his base, a suicide bomber had killed one of his brigade’s most revered leaders, and an Afghan villager threw a fire-bomb at a vehicle he was traveling in.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/surge-insider-attacks-afghanistan-prompts-nato-re-plan-war-strategy
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Exclusive: Chinese Halt at Flagship Mine Imperils Afghan Future
September 27, 2012
KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan officials are battling to convince nervous Chinese investors to restart work at a landmark $3 billion mine project and not to worry unduly about insurgent rocket attacks to salvage one of the country's big hopes of economic independence.
Western donors have focused on Aynak, the largest foreign investment project in its history which could help the country, now reliant on development aid, find its feet after most foreign combat troops leave in 2014.
But the giant Aynak copper deposit, among the world's largest, is situated in Logar province, one of the country's most dangerous, southeast of Kabul and insurgents aiming to wreck the government's flagship project have stepped up attacks.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/09/27/world/asia/27reuters-afghanistan-aynak.html?ref=asia&_r=0
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/no-operation,-no-death-squads/d/8829