Pakistan Supreme Court Orders Arrest of Prime Minister on Corruption Charges

 

Memorandum

Sir/Madam,

India, home of second largest population of Muslims all over the world, with a well recognized and rich Sufi culture contributing to the peace, amity and tolerance in the society, occupies a high place in the comity of Muslim nations.

Indian Muslims are aggrieved over the intention and impending move to deface the Tomb of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) in holy city of Madinah and demand that the government of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia should assure the world including the government of India that they are not going to do any harm to any of the Islamic signs and sites in their country.

It is to be noted that Indian pilgrims going to perform Hajj in Saudi Arabia are often not allowed to perform the rituals according to their profession and established practices. They are coerced to practice the infamous Wahabi ideology against their own beliefs. The Indian officers deployed to take care of the pilgrims on most of the occasions side with the Saudi Authorities and do nothing substantial to help Indian hajis in performing hajj on the rightful lines of the age old Sufi tradition/practice. It is because the selection is done at the behest of Wahabi organisations and government authorities send those officers who themselves are also the practitioners of extreme Wahabi ideology. These people have gained access to the political, governmental and administrative quarters by duping the Government authorities and faking themselves as the true representatives of Indian Muslims. Let it be also mentioned here that in our beloved nation Wahabism, which endorses extremism, has gradually gained a powerful position by projecting themselves as the real representatives of Indian Muslims, which is totally untrue because more than 80% of the Indian Muslims profess and practice Sunni Sufi ideology which preaches love to human kind. Almost all the bodies of government requiring Muslim representations have been hijacked by these Wahabis and thereby the vast majority of Muslims goes unheard & unrepresented and badly ignored. Let it also be mentioned that Wahabis, getting their foot hold in the corridors of political power are now trying to dictate politics and their activities which started with a socio religious message finally turning into political entity thus becoming threat for the democracy of India and the social fabric of our beloved nation. These elements play with emotions of peace-loving Muslims and arouse the religious sentiments to create chaos and benefit themselves both socially and politically.

All India Ulema and Mashaikh Board, through this memorandum request your kindness to come to the aid of the Indian Muslim community and make the KSA Government to respond about the plans of expansion of Masjid-e-Nabvi [Mosque of Prophet] and other sacred Islamic places in Makkah and Medinah. This is in no way any interference in domestic affairs of Saudi Arabia because these sacred places are center of reverence for the Muslim Ummah all over the world.

It will be in the fitness of things if the Government of Saudi Arabia agrees to issue a White Paper and spells out all about the expansion program and signs a treaty with all the governments of the world assuring not to deface, demolish or destroy any of the signs of Islam and restore all those sacred sites including Jannat-ul-baqee and Jannat-ul-Moallah that have been bulldozed in the last century by the Saudi dictators.

                                                                                                                   ……… Continued

 

Ulama & Mashaikh who have expressed their anguish over this sorry state of affairs include:

Hazrat Maulana Syed Mehdi Miya Chishti, Gaddi Nashin Ajmer Sharif (Raj.)

Hazrat Maulana Syed Alamgir Ashraf, Nagpur (Maharashtra)

Hazrat Syed Jawed Naqshbandi, Delhi

Hazrat Farid Nizam, Dargah Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia, Delhi)

Hazrat Maulana Nooruddin Asdaq, Nalanda Bihar Sharif

Hazrat Mujiburrahman Urf Bablu Mia, Mainpuri (U.P.)

Hayatunnabi Khan, Sajjada Nashin Dargah Hafiz Sb. Moradabad

Syed Ali Naim Chishti, Sajjada Nashin, Dargah Sultan Mia Sb.

Hafiz Iftikhar Husain Sabir,  Sajjada Nashin, Dargah Pahalwan Sb. Lajpat Nagar, Moradbad

Syed Shibli Mia, Sajjada Nashin, Dargah Shah Mukammal Sb., Eidgah, Moradabad

Maulana Mohammad Noorani, Sri Nagar (Jammu & Kashmir)

Haji Yunus Solanki, Vadodra (Gujrat)

Maulana Farooq Razvi, Ludhiyana (Punjab)

Syed Hammad Ashraf, Lucknow (U.P.)

Shahnwaz Warsi (Uttrakhand)

Maulana Ghulam Dastgir, Ranchi (Jharkhand)

The insanity of the Wahabi-Saudi regime has reached its zenith and now the Tomb of Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) is under their threat, hence this earnest appeal from this apex body of vast majority of Indian Muslims.

Thanking you.

                  

Regards

(Maulana Syed Mohammad Ashraf Kicchouchhwi)

General Secretary

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Human rights group Indian and Pakistani Citizens lament 'religious terrorism' in Pak

 Jan 15, 2013

MUMBAI: A group of Pakistani and Indian citizens under the banner of South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR) has expressed concern over "growing religious terrorism" in Pakistan. "(This emerging phenomenon) is daily targeting people on the basis of their faith.

The first ten days of January alone have seen two major attacks on members of the Shia sect in Balochistan, including those from Hazara community, killing hundreds of people," said SAHR member Jatin Desai, a journalist-activist from Mumbai.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Human-rights-group-laments-religious-terrorism-in-Pak/articleshow/18033338.cms

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No 'business as usual' with Pakistan after Jawans' killings: PM Manmohan Singh

 Jan 15, 2013

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh warned on Tuesday that there "cannot be business as usual" with Pakistan after last week's deadly flare-up along the LoC in Kashmir.

"It cannot be business as usual" with Pakistan, he told reporters on the sidelines of an Army function. "What has happened is unacceptable," he added in reference to the killing of two Indian soldiers, one of whom was beheaded.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/No-business-as-usual-with-Pakistan-after-jawans-killings-PM-Manmohan-Singh/articleshow/18033269.cms

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India will try its best to save peace process: Khurshid

 Jan 14, 2013

THIMPU: Notwithstanding Army chief Gen Bikram Singh's tough talk on Pakistan on the recent ceasefire violations on the LoC, the government said on Monday it will try its best to ensure that the peace process was not derailed.

External affairs minister Salman Khurshid, who is here on a two-day official visit, said the assessments of what has happened can only be received from the Army which is in control on the ground.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-will-try-its-best-to-save-peace-process-Khurshid/articleshow/18022981.cms

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Moderate Hurriyat Conference decries Army chief's stand on AFSPA

Jan 15, 2013

SRINAGAR: Moderate Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said on Tuesday Army chief General Bikram Singh's stand on AFSPA was like "rubbing salt into the wounds" of Kashmiri people.

"Gen Singh's statement on AFSPA is like rubbing salt into the wounds of Kashmiris. The controversial law which gives sweeping powers to seven lakh armed forces stationed in the Valley has made life difficult for the people," Hurriyat said in a statement.

 Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Hurriyat-decries-Army-chiefs-stand-on-AFSPA/articleshow/18034838.cms

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Manipur Muslim online forum launched

 Jan 14th, 2013

IMPHAL, Jan 13 NNN: The Manipur Muslim Online Forum (MMOF) has come up with a first Newsletter and launches its own website in a simple function held at Hotel Classic in Imphal today.

The function was presided by Janab Alhaj Abdus Salam,(MCS) Deputy Secy. Education(S), Taxation, Adult Education with MLA Fajur Rahim and Sirajuddin Sheikh, Chairman IRDC, Babupara,Imphal, as Chief Guest and Guest of Honour respectively. This is the first website for a Muslim Organization in Manipur. Various persons including the newly recruited Muslim MPSC candidates spoke on the occasion. Janab Adbus Salam beautifully cited the importance of education among Muslims in Manipur giving vivid examples he himself encountered. He suggested adding ‘serve humanity’ to the motto. Sirajuddin Sheikh emphasized on the need for spiritual charity in our efforts.

Full report at:

http://manipur-mail.com/manipur-muslim-online-forum-launched/

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India, Bangla to share border maps, may ink extradition pact during Shinde’s visit

Jan 15 2013

New Delhi : India and Bangladesh will, for the first time, exchange strip-maps of their 4,096 km-long border to resolve boundary dispute locally. A strip-map is an unscaled drawing of a route that will include critical points along the border, roadside features and town facilities on a simple flip-over style map. The map also shows distances and areas covered locally. The maps were finalised after a meeting between Directors of Survey and Land Record of the two countries.

Full report at:

http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/1059311/

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Army orders instant retaliation to any Pak provocation, but says 'India does not want war'

 Jan 15 2013

Jammu : India today accused Pakistan of committing three ceasefire violations after a Brigadier-level flag meeting between the two countries but said it will "not act in haste or anger".

The Indian Army along the LoC has been ordered to retaliate simultaneously on the spot to any ceasefire violations by Pak troops in future.

Full report at:

http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/1059611/

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India-Pak visa agreement put on hold after LoC killings fallout

Harinder Baweja, Hindustan Times

 January 15, 2013

The visa agreement between India and Pakistan, which was to be operationalised on Tuesday, to allow free and easy access to senior citizens on both sides, has been put on hold, top government sources told HT.

The visa regime was signed amid fanfare by home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik, only in December 2012.

Full report at:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/newdelhi/India-Pak-visa-agreement-put-on-hold-after-LoC-killings-fallout/Article1-989985.aspx

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After 'Chhota Pakistan', now a 'Bangladesh' in Mumbai

 Jan 15 2013

Thane : Weeks after an electricity bill from Nallasopara slum colony brought a 'Chhota Pakistan' to light in this district, a birth certificate issued to a resident from Gandhinagar locality in Mira-Bhayander here, has revealed a settlement called 'Bangladesh Zopadpatti'.

This slum pocket in Bhayander West, housing around 700 people from rural Maharashtra, is just a stone throw away from Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC) and finds a place in the government records too.

Full report at:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/after-chhota-pakistan-now-a-bangladesh-in-mumbai/1059628/

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Flag meeting with Pakistan flops, Army talks tough

Rahul Singh, Hindustan Times

 January 15, 2013

A meeting of senior Indian and Pakistani army officers failed to defuse heightened tension between the neighbours after two jawans were murdered last week, and India's army chief alleged the attacks had been premeditated, threatening a “fitting reply”. The flag meeting between the two sides, each led by a brigadier, fell flat after Pakistan denied all of India's allegations over the January 8 violation of the Line of Control in which one jawan was beheaded and the other had his throat slit.

Full report at:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/newdelhi/Flag-meeting-with-Pakistan-flops-Army-talks-tough/Article1-989812.aspx

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'Gujarat among states with poorer Muslims'

Prasad Nichenametla , Hindustan Times

January 15, 2013

Gujarat may have a small Muslim population but the state, according to the Planning Commission, contributes significantly to the high incidence of poverty among the community nationally. In the 12th Plan approved by the National Development Council, the plan panel lists Gujarat along with

UP, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam as the states accounting for high urban and rural poverty ratio among Muslims.

Full report at:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/newdelhi/Gujarat-among-states-with-poorer-Muslims/Article1-989788.aspx

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Hockey India sends Pakistan players packing

Hemraj beheading row

 Jan 15 2013

New Delhi: The India-Pakistan tensions at the LoC today spilled over to the sporting arena with Hockey India deciding to send back four Pakistani recruits of HIL franchise Mumbai Magicians after protests over the killing of Indian soldiers on the border.

After Shiv Sena protests in Mumbai forced the team to shift training base to Delhi, Hockey India decided to play safe and send the team's Pakistani signings back.

Full report at:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hil-sends-back-mumbais-pakistan-recruits-over-protests-due-to-the-killing-of-indian-soldiers/1059659/

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Neighbours can’t be wished away, talks must continue: Ansari

RAGHUVIR SRINIVASAN

 Jan 15, 2013

India has to continue negotiating with Pakistan and from a position of dignity, said Vice-President Hamid Ansari. He was talking to the media on board the special aircraft taking him to Hanoi, Vietnam, on a ceremonial visit.

“The definition of diplomacy is to continue negotiating at all times under all conditions. So there is work for diplomats to do. Neighbours can’t be wished away; they are a fact of life. So we have to continue talking… from a position of dignity and rectitude,” he said in answer to a question on whether there was a need to review the country’s relationship with Pakistan in light of the killing and mutilation of two Indian soldiers last week.

Full report at:

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/neighbours-cant-be-wished-away-talks-must-continue-ansari/article4307652.ece

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Parents of Indian hostages turn to Ansar Burney for help

BINDU SHAJAN PERAPPADAN

 Jan 15, 2013

“Centre unwilling to take responsibility for the safety of our children”

The rising tension with Pakistan is clearly no deterrent for parents of the 17 Indian crew members on board chemical tanker MT Royal Grace — hijacked on March 2 last near Oman by Somali pirates — and they have now written to Pakistani human and civil rights activist Ansar Burney seeking his intervention to help rescue their children.

Full report at:

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/parents-of-indian-hostages-turn-to-ansar-burney-for-help/article4307811.ece

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Over 100 J&K panchs resign fearing for life

Jan 15, 2013

SRINAGAR: Over a hundred panchayat members in Kashmir resigned from their posts on Monday, the fourth day of relentless action after sarpanch Habibullah Mir was shot dead in Bomai village in north Kashmir's Sopore town on Friday. On Saturday, Zoona Begum, a 45-year-old woman panch at Hardshiva, also near Sopore, was killed by a bullet in her neck. And Sunday saw the resignation of 20 Kashmiri panchayat members.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Over-100-JK-panchs-resign-fearing-for-life/articleshow/18025628.cms

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12-month extension for NIA authority probing into blast cases

 Jan 15, 2013

NEW DELHI: As the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is expected to move the home ministry shortly to get prosecution sanction against four recently caught accused in Malegaon, Samjhauta Express and Mecca Masjid blast cases, the Centre has given an extension to the authority, which makes an independent review of the evidence gathered in the course of investigation, upto December 31.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/12-month-extension-for-NIA-authority-probing-into-blast-cases/articleshow/18027304.cms

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LoC tension: Govt cautions against jingoism

 Jan 15, 2013

NEW DELHI: Government on Tuesday cautioned against "jingoism" after the BJP upped the ante on the issue of beheading of an Indian soldier by Pakistani army along the Line of Control.

"Professional armies respect rules of engagement. Transgressions are surmounted through tactical responses and not driven by jingoism," information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari said on micro-blogging site Twitter.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/LoC-tension-Govt-cautions-against-jingoism/articleshow/18030403.cms

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Pak row Congress Chintan Shivir’s focus

Jan 15, 2013

NEW DELHI: Congress is likely to brainstorm on the peace process with Pakistan and hit an aggressive pitch, apprehensive that the border flare-up after the beheading of an Indian soldier can add another polarizing issue to the election debate.

The Jaipur 'chintan shivir' may be used to flag the Congress priority on Pakistan. The party objective is to condemn Pakistani provocations while stressing the importance of the peace process, to be capped by a strong verdict against the neighbour to pre-empt accusation of being a "soft state".

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pak-row-Congress-chintan-shivirs-focus/articleshow/18025736.cms

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Mumbai attacks case: Prosecutors want 30 years for Chicago businessman Tahawwur Rana

Jan 15, 2013

CHICAGO: Prosecutors are asking a federal judge to give the maximum 30-year sentence to a Chicago businessman convicted of supporting a terrorist group that staged the deadly 2008 attacks on Mumbai, India.

US prosecutors made the request in a filing Monday evening in the case of Tahawwur Rana. He was convicted in 2011 of aiding terrorism in Denmark and aiding a terrorist group that staged the India attacks that left more than 160 people dead.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Mumbai-attacks-case-Prosecutors-want-30-years-for-Chicago-businessman-Tahawwur-Rana/articleshow/18027977.cms

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Arab World

 

Saudi King Invites Women To Join The Debate ... From Another Room

THOMAS W. LIPPMAN

January 15, 2013

King Abdullah kept a promise to Saudi Arabia's women last week, when he appointed 30 of them to four-year terms in the new Consultative Assembly, the pseudo-legislature that advises the monarch on laws and regulations.

As usual with such developments in Saudi Arabia, there is a catch: The women will have to meet in a room separate from the men.

Still, in Saudi Arabia, this passes for a landmark event. It advances the glacial progress of women, not toward equality, but at least toward the margins of public participation in society. It is an important symbolic separation from a past in which women were entirely excluded from visible roles in the political, economic, professional and legal life of the kingdom.

Full report at:

http://www.npr.org/2013/01/14/169323302/saudi-king-invites-women-to-join-the-debate-from-another-room?ft=1&f=1009

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More than 100 Saudi clerics call for fair trial of detained militants

 January 15, 2013

JEDDAH: More than 100 Saudi clerics have signed a petition calling for fair hearings for prisoners held on security grounds in the conservative kingdom, which has arrested thousands of people in a campaign against militants.

The petition, prompted by the detention earlier this month of 11 women who staged a protest to demand the release of jailed relatives, also called on the authorities to treat women prisoners properly.

Full report at:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/494081/saudi-clerics-call-for-fair-trial-of-detained-militants/

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15 killed in blast at Syria's Aleppo University: NGO

 Jan 15, 2013

BEIRUT: Fifteen people were killed and dozens others injured in a blast on Tuesday that rocked Aleppo University, the top academic institution in northern Syria's embattled city, said a monitoring group.

The explosion struck an area between the university dormitories and the architecture faculty, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which added that the cause of the blast was not immediately known.

"At least 15 people were killed and dozens were injured," the watchdog said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/15-killed-in-blast-at-Syrias-Aleppo-University-NGO/articleshow/18034328.cms

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Iraq frees prisoners in gesture to Sunnis

 January 14, 2013

Baghdad: Iraq’s government has released more than 300 prisoners held under anti-terrorism laws as a goodwill gesture to try to appease Sunni demonstrators who are staging protests against Shiite Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki.

Three weeks of demonstrations, mainly in Sunni-dominated Anbar province, have evolved into a tough challenge for the Shiite premier, increasing worries that Iraq could slide back into the sectarian confrontation of its recent past.

Full report at:

http://gulfnews.com/news/region/iraq/iraq-frees-prisoners-in-gesture-to-sunnis-1.1132283

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More Saudi women married non-Saudis in 2011

 15 January 2013

The number of Saudi women marrying citizens of other countries increased in 2011 compared to previous years, according to a Ministry of Justice report. The report showed that 1,988 Saudi women and 2,640 Saudi men married to foreigners last year. Most of the women were in Makkah, while Riyadh came second, Eastern Province third and Al-Baha with the least number of interracial marriage. Yemen nationals topped the list with 456 marriage contracts, followed by Kuwaitis with 351 contracts, then Qataris, Syrians, Emiratis, Egyptians, Lebanese and Pakistanis. Dr. Tawfiq Al-Suwailem of Awaser Society shared his views to Arab News on the topic.

Full report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/more-saudi-women-married-non-saudis-2011

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Morsi’s Slurs Against Jews Stir Concern

By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK

January 15, 2013

CAIRO — Nearly three years ago, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood delivered a speech urging Egyptians to “nurse our children and our grandchildren on hatred” for Jews and Zionists. In a television interview around that time, the same leader described Zionists as “these bloodsuckers who attack the Palestinians, these warmongers, the descendants of apes and pigs.”

That leader, Mohamed Morsi, is now president of Egypt — and his comments may be coming back to haunt him.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/world/middleeast/egypts-leader-morsi-made-anti-

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Cairo train derailment leaves 19 dead

January 15, 2013

A military train carrying army recruits has derailed south of Egypt's capital, Cairo, killing 19 people and injuring more than 100, officials say.

The train was heading to an army camp in Cairo when a carriage became detached and crashed into a goods train in the Badrashin area of Giza.

bystanders.

Full report at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21021391

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NAUSS to co-organize forum on human rights in Bahrain

15 January 2013

The second Scientific Forum of Arab Police will take place in Bahrain from Jan. 20 till the 23 to discuss human rights issues in security organs. The forum will be jointly organized by Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior and Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS).

The forum comes in the framework of NAUSS’s efforts to boost the culture of human rights, Head of Media and Public Relations at NAUSS Khaled Al-Harfash was quoted by Saudi press agency as stating.

Full report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/nauss-co-organize-forum-human-rights-bahrain

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Special setting for juveniles at Dar Al-Mulahada

15 January 2013

Juvenile correctional facility Dar Al-Mulahada in Jeddah has incarcerated 11 underage murder convicts. Two hundred other prisoners between 12 and 18 years old were convicted of other moral crimes. Sixty percent of the inmates are Saudi, Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported.

The main crimes that were referred to the court involved theft and stealing, at 40 percent, then moral cases at 20 percent, following that drugs at 10 percent and various other crimes at 30 percent.

Full report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/special-setting-juveniles-dar-al-mulahada

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Egypt unfreezes assets of 10 Mubarak-era officials

January 15, 2013

Cairo: Egypt’s Prosecutor-General Talat Ebrahim Abdullah on Monday decided to lift an asset freeze imposed on ten officials who worked during the rule of then president Hosni Mubarak, the official Mena news agency reported.

The former officials accused of taking gifts from the state-run Al Ahram Press Foundation include former speaker of the People’s Assembly or lower house of parliament, Ahmad Fat’hi Sorour, former minister of legal affairs and parliamentary councils Mofeed Shehab, and Mubarak’s secretary Abul Wafa Rashwan.

Full report at:

http://gulfnews.com/news/region/egypt/egypt-unfreezes-assets-of-10-mubarak-era-officials-1.1132386

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Jordan sets up office to deal with refugees

14 January 2013

AMMAN - Jordan has set up an office affiliated with its interior ministry to deal with the influx of Syrian refugees fleeing their country’s civil war.

The kingdom has sheltered about 300,000 Syrians who escaped the 22-month conflict. But its single refugee camp in Zaatari has had scores of problems, including recent flooding, flimsy tents and miserable conditions.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-

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Madinah governor known for his humanitarian work

 15 January 2013

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah appointed Prince Faisal bin Salman as governor of Madinah yesterday. Prince Faisal, who presides over the largest media empire of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region called the Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG), is widely known for his business skills and acumen, for his unflinching support to humanitarian causes and, above all, for his rare charitable disposition.

Full report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/madinah-governor-known-his-humanitarian-work

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Assad can't be excluded from 2014 vote: minister

Jan 15, 2013

DAMASCUS — President Bashar al-Assad should be allowed to stand in the 2014 election like any other candidate and it is up to the Syrians themselves to decide their future leadership, a senior official has said.

"We are opening the way for democracy, or deeper democracy. In a democracy you don't tell somebody not to run," said Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad in an interview with the BBC on Monday.

Full report at: Copyright © 2013 AFP. All rights reserved. More »

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Africa

 

Mali Islamists counter attack, promise France long Afghanistan-style ground war

R Jan 14, 2013

BAMAKO/PARIS: Al-Qaida linked Islamist rebels launched a counter-offensive on Monday in central Mali after four days of air strikes by French warplanes on their strongholds in the desert north, promising to drag France into a long and brutal Afghanistan-style ground war.

France intensified its air raids on Sunday using Rafale aircraft and Gazelle attack helicopters to pummel training camps at the heart of the vast area seized by rebels in April, while pouring hundreds of troops into the capital Bamako.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Mali-Islamists-counter-attack-

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Mali rebels make gains, vow to avenge French bombs

AJan 15, 2013

BAMAKO, Mali: Despite a punishing bombardment by French warplanes, al-Qaida-linked insurgents grabbed more territory in Mali on Monday, seizing a strategic military camp that brought them far closer to the government's seat of power.

Declaring France had "opened the gates of hell" with its assault, the rebels threatened retribution.

"France ... has fallen into a trap much more dangerous than Iraq, Afghanistan or Somalia," said Omar Ould Hamaha, a leader of the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, one of the rebel groups controlling the north, speaking on radio Europe 1.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Mali-rebels-make-gains-vow-to-avenge-French-bombs/articleshow/18027041.cms

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Sudan: Civil Society Organizations Shut Down in Sudan

14 JANUARY 2013

Sudan should immediately rescind its decision to shut down four civil society organizations in Khartoum in December 2012, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should allow independent groups to operate freely and conduct peaceful protests.

International donors, diplomats, and organizations involved in Sudan, including the United Nations' independent expert on Sudan, should all insist the government halt its crackdown and repair the damage already done.

Full report at:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201301150257.html?viewall=1

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Nigeria 'arrests Boko Haram militant'

January 14, 2013

The Nigerian military says it has arrested a leader of the Islamist militant group, Boko Haram.

Mohammed Zangina was detained in the Government Reserved Area (GRA) of the north-eastern city of Maiduguri on Sunday afternoon, a statement said.

Mr Zangina, also known as Mallam Abdullahi and Alhaji Musa, was planning "deadly attacks" against civilians and security personnel there, it added.

Full report at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21011340

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Europe

 

Warplane Sale on French Agenda in UAE

January 15, 2013

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — France's president opened talks with top leaders in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday in hopes of pushing ahead efforts to sell up to 60 Rafale fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates and strengthen French ties in Gulf energy and defense industries.

The meetings by Francois Hollande, which include the UAE's president and head of the armed forces, also could test Gulf Arab support for France's attempts to weaken Islamist insurgents in Mali, including airstrikes launched last week.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2013/01/15/world/middleeast/ap-ml-emirates-

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France Seeks Arab Backing for Mali Campaign as Airstrikes Continue

By STEVEN ERLANGER, ALAN COWELL and ADAM NOSSITER

January 15, 2013

PARIS — Despite intensive airstrikes by French warplanes, Islamist fighters overran a strategic village and military post in central Mali on Monday, offering an indication that the war against extremists who have carved out a jihadist state in the nation’s north could be a long and difficult one.

The assessment seemed to underpin a call by France on Tuesday for Arab support to bolster an African force to pursue the campaign against the insurgents.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/16/world/africa/france-mali-

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UK Studies Anti-Islam Extremism

14 January 2013

CAIRO – Seeking a glimpse into far-right groups, a British university has established a centre to study their trends, amid concerns that a decline in support for rightists could lead to a gradual shift from race-based far-right activism towards "cultural nationalism", notably against Islam.

“For the first time since, I believe, the National Front in the late 70s and early 80s, the far-right is really going for popular support,” Dr Matthew Feldman, an academic at the Centre for Fascist, Anti-Fascist and Post-Fascist Studies at Teesside University, told The Guardian.

“It's moving out into the mainstream, with some success.”

Full report at:

http://www.onislam.net/english/news/europe/460877-british-center-tackles-growing-extremism.html

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Swiss hold Mubarak millions as Egypt remains volatile

 14 January 2013

ZURICH - Switzerland has said it will delay the return of millions of dollars of assets linked to deposed Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak while it evaluates the institutions requesting the money.

Swiss authorities have frozen about $700 million in assets connected to Mubarak and his entourage. Since Mubarak was toppled in February 2011, Egypt’s new rulers have made three formal requests to Switzerland for judicial assistance to recover the money.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-

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UN leader Ban Ki-moon supports French operation in Mali

Jan 15, 2013

UNITED NATIONS: UN leader Ban Ki-moon has welcomed France's military operation in Mali to prevent Islamist guerrillas from advancing on the capital.

Ban called for speeding up the deployment of African troops in the country and for work towards a political accord to end the crisis, his office said in a statement yesterday.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/UN-leader-Ban-Ki-moon-supports-French-operation-in-Mali/articleshow/18027596.cms

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750 French Troops in Mali and More on Way: Hollande

January 15, 2013

France's President Francois Hollande on Tuesday said 750 French troops have joined the Mali offensive and their numbers will be boosted, on a visit to the Gulf overshadowed by the crisis in the African state.

"For now, we have 750 men and the number will increase... so that as soon as possible we can leave the place to the African forces," said Hollande during a visit to Peace Camp in Abu Dhabi, his country's only military base in the region.

Full report at:

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/international/750-french-troops-in-mali-and-more-on-way-hollande/565800

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UN Security Council to meet on Syria this month: Diplomat

 January 15, 2013

MOSCOW: The five permanent members of the UN Security Council are set to discuss the deteriorating situation in Syria at a meeting at the end of January, a Russian diplomat said Monday.

Russia’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mikhail Bogdanov, told the Interfax news agency that the meeting is likely to take place as Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN’s peace envoy to Syria, presents a new report on the situation in the country.

Full report at:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/494221/un-security-council-to-meet-on-syria-this-month-diplomat/

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Bristol’s First Muslim Lord Mayor

12 January 2013

CAIRO – Making history in the south-west British county, a Labour councilor has been selected as Bristol’s first Muslim lord Mayor, being the youngest person to hold the office.

“I'm absolutely jubilant to have been selected,” Faruk Choudhury told This Is Bristol.

Being the first Asian and the first Bangladeshi, Choudhury will also be the youngest person to hold the office at the age of 38.

Full report at:

http://www.onislam.net/english/news/europe/460841-bristols-first-muslim-lord-mayor.html

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'Red October' cyber-attack found by Russian researchers

By Dave Lee

January 15, 2013

A major cyber-attack that may have been stealing confidential documents since 2007 has been discovered by Russian researchers.

Kaspersky Labs told the BBC the malware targeted government institutions such as embassies, nuclear research centres and oil and gas institutes.

It was designed to steal encrypted files - and was even able to recover files that had been deleted.

Full report at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21013087

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Paris delays decision on Lebanese release

15 January 2013

PARIS: A French court has postponed its decision until Jan. 28 on whether to release a pro-Palestinian Lebanese militant who has spent 28 years in jail,

a judicial source said yester-day.

The court has already signalled that it favors freeing Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, the 61-year-old former head of the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Faction (LARF).

But do to so it first needs the interior ministry to deliver an order to expel him from French territory.

Full report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/paris-delays-decision-lebanese-release

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North America

 

We favour steps to defuse India-Pak tension: US

Jan 15, 2013

BHUBANESWAR: Voicing concern over the tension between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control ( LoC), the United States favoured steps to defuse it and resolve the immediate problem through measures like enhancing people to people contacts.

"I think we have already been doing that. Me and my counterpart in Pakistan have reached out to the respective host governments to express our concern," US Ambassador to India Nancy J Powell told a local television channel here.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/We-favour-steps-to-defuse-India-Pak-tension-US/articleshow/18032439.cms

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Harsh New Restrictions Imposed on disabled Muslim Cleric, Lawyers Say

By BENJAMIN WEISER

January 15, 2013

Lawyers for a disabled Islamic preacher jailed in Manhattan said on Monday that the Federal Bureau of Prisons had recently imposed harsh new restrictions on their client, which have made it harder for him to prepare for his trial.

The preacher, Mostafa Kamel Mostafa, 54, has been held in a highly secure wing of the Metropolitan Correctional Center since his extradition from Britain in October. He has pleaded not guilty to charges that he conspired in a 1998 kidnapping of tourists in Yemen and in an attempt to establish a terrorist training camp in Oregon.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/nyregion/new-restrictions-imposed-on-mostafa-kamel-

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Leon Panetta Says U.S. Has Pledged to Help France in Mali

By ELISABETH BUMILLER

January 15, 2013

LISBON — In what could draw the United States into another conflict in North Africa, the Obama administration has pledged to help the French who are fighting Islamist militants in Mali, and that assistance could include air and other logistical support, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said on Monday.

The United States was already sharing intelligence with the French when their warplanes on Sunday struck camps, depots and other militant positions deep inside extensive Islamist-held territory in northern Mali. Defense officials said no decisions had been made on whether the United States would also offer help with midflight refueling planes and air transport, but they said those options were under review.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/world/africa/leon-panetta-says-us-has-pledged-to-

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South Asia

 

U.S. to Give Spy Drones to Afghans, Karzai Says

By AZAM AHMED

January 15, 2013

KABUL, Afghanistan — President Hamid Karzai announced Monday that the United States would give Afghanistan its own fleet of aerial surveillance drones and would speed up the handover of detainees held by American forces. It was his first public comments since returning from a visit to Washington.

Mr. Karzai said repeatedly that the meetings in Washington had yielded nearly everything his country hoped for, including the promised end to raids conducted by foreign forces in Afghan homes and villages. He and President Obama held a joint news conference on Friday announcing an accelerated turnover of security responsibility to Afghan forces next year, the end of foreign raids by spring and the handover of detainees still under American control.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/world/asia/us-to-give-spy-drones-to-afghans-karzai-

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'Militant atheist' blogger stabbed in Bangladesh

 January 15, 2013

A self-styled "militant atheist" who is famed for his anti-religious blogs was fighting for life on Tuesday after he was stabbed in the capital of Muslim-majority Bangladesh, police and medics said.

Asif Mohiuddin, 29, was attacked on Monday night by three unidentified men near his office in Dhaka's upscale Uttara district.

"We operated on him for more than three hours. He is improving but still not out of danger. He has six deep cuts including two grave ones in the shoulder," Haridas Saha, a surgeon at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, told AFP.

Full report at:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/bangladesh/Militant-atheist-blogger-stabbed-in-Bangladesh/Article1-989966.aspx

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Footage leaked of museum vandals destroying pre-Islamic artefacts in Maldives

By Ahmed Naish | January 14th, 2013

Private broadcaster Raajje TV has aired leaked security camera footage showing a group of men vandalising pre-Islamic artefacts in the national museum on February 7, 2012.

Around 35 exhibits were destroyed when half a dozen men stormed into the museum amid the political chaos of February 7, after former President Mohamed Nasheed resigned under controversial circumstances during a police and army mutiny.

Full report at:

http://minivannews.com/politics/footage-leaked-of-museum-vandals-destroying-pre-islamic-artifacts-51117

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600 opposition men get bail in Bangladesh

January 15, 2013

A High Court bench yesterday granted anticipatory bail to around 600 leaders and activists of BNP and its front organisations in 10 cases filed on different charges.

The cases were filed following the opposition's countrywide blockade on December 9 last year and its hartal on January 6.

Zainul Abedin, principal counsel for the accused petitioners, told The Daily Star the police filed the cases on charges of torching cars and preventing police from discharging duties on last December 9 and January 6.

Full report at:

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=265246

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Bangladesh: Yunus urges Indian youth to create own politics

January 15, 2013

Nobel Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus has urged the Indian youth to create their own politics with a new vision for the new generation to face the future challenges.

"Don't remain under the spell of traditional politics, look to the future, the world is changing very fast, the youth have to redesign the institutions to face the new challenges," he said.

Yunus said the Indian youth should not think only about India, but all the youth of the Saarc countries.

Full report at:

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=265245

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Maldives Court sentences Lance Corporal Adam Haleem’s murderer to death

By Ahmed Nazeer | January 14th, 2013

The Criminal Court has found Ahmed Samah of Kaashidhoo guilty of murdering Police Lance Corporal Adam Haleem and sentenced him to death.

The Criminal Court ruling stated that the court had obtained statements from three of the four heirs of Adam Haleem, all of whom who had informed the court that they approved the passing of the death sentence against Samah if the court were to find him guilty.

Full report at:

http://minivannews.com/society/court-sentences-lance-corporal-adam-haleems-murderer-to-death-51124

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Mideast Asia

 

Yemen Says Al Qaeda Holding Western Hostages

January 15, 2013

SANAA (Reuters) - A Finnish couple and an Austrian man abducted in Yemen last month are being held by members of al Qaeda after being sold to the militant group by tribesmen, a senior Yemeni official said on Tuesday.

The three Westerners, who were studying Arabic in Yemen, were snatched by gunmen in the capital Sanaa on December 21. An Interior Ministry official had said they were being held by tribesmen who were demanding a ransom.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2013/01/15/world/europe/15reuters-yemen-

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Palestinians say Avigdor Lieberman mosque visit a 'provocation'

Jan 15, 2013

HEBRON: (Palestinian Territories) The Palestinian Authority has slammed a pre-election visit by hardline Israeli nationalist leader Avigdor Lieberman to a West Bank mosque as a "provocation" and "completely unacceptable."

"This visit is a provocation to Palestinian feeling," government spokeswoman Nour Odeh told AFP yesterday. "Especially by Lieberman, who has declared his aggression against the Palestinian people and who supports settlement."

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Palestinians-say-Avigdor-Lieberman-mosque-visit-a-provocation/articleshow/18027219.cms

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Illuminating Jewish Life in a Muslim Empire

By ISABEL KERSHNER

January 15, 2013

JERUSALEM — A batch of 1,000-year-old manuscripts from the mountainous northern reaches of war-torn Afghanistan, reportedly found in a cave inhabited by foxes, has revealed previously unknown details about the cultural, economic and religious life of a thriving but little understood Jewish society in a Persian part of the Muslim empire of the 11th century.

The 29 paper pages, now encased in clear plastic and unveiled here this month at the National Library of Israel, are part of a trove of hundreds of documents discovered in the cave whose existence had been known for several years, with photographs circulating among experts. Remarkably well preserved, apparently because of the dry conditions there, the majority of the documents are now said to be in the hands of private dealers in Britain, Switzerland, and possibly the United States and the Middle East.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/world/middleeast/documents-illuminate-jewish-life-

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Turkey Patriot missiles operational by Feb: NATO

14 January 2013

BRUSSELS - The Patriot missile system being deployed to help protect Turkey from any spillover of the conflict in neighbouring Syria should be operational by early February, perhaps sooner, NATO said Monday.

A NATO spokesperson said transport of troops and material got underway in early January and would continue over the next few weeks.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-

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Iran could be nuclear capable by 2014, think tank warns

 January 15, 2013

WASHINGTON: Iran is on track to be able to produce material for at least one nuclear bomb by mid-2014 as sanctions hit its economy but failed to stop the atomic program, a US think tank claimed on Monday.

The Institute for Science and International Security, a private group opposed to nuclear proliferation, called for tougher US economic sanctions against Iran and pressure on major trading partners to isolate Tehran.

Full report at:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/494099/iran-could-be-nuclear-capable-by-2014-think-tank-warns/

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Starring in Drama in Iran: TV Itself

By THOMAS ERDBRINK

January 15, 2013

TEHRAN — On Sunday, as they do each week, Shahnaz and her elderly mother turned on the smuggled satellite receiver, its dish carefully hidden on the balcony, and sat back to watch their favourite soap opera, “The Tulip Age.”

For months, they had happily immersed themselves in the luxe world of the square-jawed Cinar and the long-legged Yesim, whose complicated love triangles and out-of-wedlock pregnancies offer a daily distraction from real-world problems, like sanctions and a currency collapse, for millions of Iranians.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/world/middleeast/soap-operas-disappearance-adds-

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Iran: Khamenei's Ban of Nuclear Weapons Binding

January 15, 2013

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A religious decree issued by Iran's supreme leader banning nuclear weapons is binding for the Iranian government, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday, suggesting that the edict should end the debate over whether Tehran is pursuing atomic arms.

Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said the West must understand the significance of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's edict for Iran, saying "there is nothing higher than the exalted supreme leader's fatwa to define the framework for our activities in the nuclear field."

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2013/01/15/world/middleeast/ap-iran-

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Nine on trial over killing of 86 Yemen troops

 14 January 2013

SANAA - Yemen on Monday put on trial nine Al Qaeda suspects accused of involvement in a suicide attack in Sanaa that killed 86 soldiers last May.

The hearing, at a Sanaa court specialising in terrorism cases, was being held under tight security, an AFP correspondent reported.

The defendants, identified as members of a group known as the “Saawan cell”, are accused of having “planned to assassinate security leaderships and targeting civilian and military establishments using explosive belts and silent guns,” according to the chargesheet read out in the court.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-

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Iran hosts UN agency for dialogue tomorrow

15 January 2013

VIENNA: Tehran hosts the UN atomic agency for talks tomorrow, marking the start of a new and perhaps last-ditch diplomatic push aimed at resolving the crisis over Iran’s nuclear program peacefully.

The visit comes ahead of the first talks since June between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, possibly later this month.

Some observers suggested that Iran is waiting until after the International Atomic Energy Agency meeting before responding to the six powers’ proposal to meet in January. Hopes were however not high that the IAEA and Iran would reach a deal, with the UN body’s head Yukiya Amano saying on Friday that he was “not necessarily optimistic.”

Full report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/iran-hosts-un-agency-dialogue-tomorrow

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Southeast Asia

 

Thailand arrests over 150 Rohingya

 15 January 2013

BANGKOK/LAIZA, Myanmar: Thailand arrested and pledged to deport more than 150 Myanmar Rohingya migrants discovered in a hidden camp near the country's southern border with Malaysia, police said yesterday.

The 71 men and 85 women and children were found on a rubber plantation in Songkhla Province, local police colonel Krisakorn Pleetanyawong said, four days after some 400 Rohingya were discovered in another raid in the province.

Full report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/thailand-arrests-over-150-rohingya

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Indonesian Supreme Court justice Hopeful Apologizes for Remarks on Rape

Jakarta Globe | January 15, 2013

Supreme Court justice candidate M. Daming Sanusi made an emotional public apology on Tuesday after facing widespread condemnation for his insensitive remarks about rape.

“I apologize to the Indonesian public from the bottom of my heart,” Daming told Indonesian news portal detik.com. “I realize those words shouldn’t have come out from anyone, let alone a justice hopeful. I really, really regret that.”

Daming has been a judge for 24 years and was recently appointed the chief of the Palembang High Court.

Full report at:

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/justice-hopeful-apologizes-for-remarks-on-rape/565798

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Gerakan slams Kedah PAS’ ‘sexist’ rule

Athi Shankar

January 15, 2013

Penang Gerakan says the Kedah government ruling in entertainers is infringing on the right of non-Muslims.

GEORGE TOWN: Penang Gerakan condemns PAS-government ruling to bar adult women stage performers during the forthcoming Chinese New Year celebration in Kedah as an encroachment of non-Muslim rights.

“PAS’ ruling is sexist, trampling and infringing on the rights of non-Muslims,” said Gerakan state vice-chairman Ong Thean Lye in a statement today.

Full report at:

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/01/15/gerakan-slams-kedah-pas

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Seven Indonesian Migrants Still Missing After Boat Capsizes in Malaysia

January 15, 2013

Kuala Lumpur. Seven people are missing after a boat carrying 48 Indonesians capsized off Johor in Malaysia on Monday.

 Local authorities managed to save 41 passengers including two children and four women, after the boat capsized in Ramunia Bay just 300 meters off the beach.

As of Tuesday, seven people were still missing including two crew members of the boat, who were allegedly trying to leave Malaysia illegally for Batam in Indonesia's Riau islands.

Full report at:

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/seven-indonesian-migrants-still-missing-after-boat-capsizes-in-malaysia/565794

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Indonesian Lawmakers Want Tougher Laws for Sexual Offenders

Ezra Sihite, Bayu Marhaenjati& Vento Saudale | January 15, 2013

Lawmakers are pushing for tougher penalties for people who commit sexual offenses involving children following another case of rape involving a child in Indonesia.

“I agree that there must be more severe punishment for crimes victimizing children, including sexual assault,” Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) lawmaker Martin Hutabarat said on Monday.

Full report at:

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/lawmakers-want-tougher-laws-for-sexual-offenders/565727

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