Pakistan Taliban Presence Turns Syria into a Theatre of Global Jihad
New Age Islam News Bureau
16 Jul 2013
For representational Picture
Arab World
• Pakistan Taliban Presence Turns Syria into a Theatre of Global Jihad
• Syrian university strips Turkish PM of PhD
• Saudi show criticized for pulling Ramadan prank on girl
• Attacks across Iraq kill 9 people: police
• Three soldiers, four militants killed in Iraq violence
• Egypt turmoil: Seven killed in Cairo clashes
• Egyptian General Sisi candidate for first deputy prime minister
• Egypt says Syria visa rules only a temporary measure
• Syrian rebel leader: Britain betrayed us
• Pro-Assad militia kills Syrian reconciliation team in Homs village
• Nine Syrians ‘executed’ at checkpoint
• Facebook adds Islamic Hijri calendar feature
Pakistan
• First batch of fighters reaches Syria, confirms Pakistani Taliban
• ‘Foreign tourists killed in GB to avenge Wali ur Rehman’s killing’
• Violence in Karachi claims five more lives
• 4 Hazaras among 6 killed in Quetta
• 1,726 killed in Karachi during last six months
• Presidential elections to be held on August 6, ECP
• No double standards on drone attacks, says Nawaz
India
• Charities Give Healthy Iftar Food for Jail Inmates, For Two Decades
• 15% Muslim kids in board-less madrasas
• NIA releases two sketches of Bodh Gaya blasts suspect
• Gujarat 'encounters' may be linked, suspects CBI
• David Headley did not name Ishrat, NIA tells Home Ministry
• Punjab border favourite for Bangla nationals on way to Pakistan
• Sohrabuddin case: Behind-the-scenes efforts to bail out top Andhra cop
• Turkish cargo ship with 24 Indians feared hijacked off Gabon, central Africa
South Asia
• Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi terms B’Desh tribunals’ verdict anti-Islamic
• PPM undecided over leaving government despite “concerns” with President
• Official says bomb kills two Afghans in east
• Afghan MPs pass election watchdog bill
• Bangladesh elections will be true test of political strength
• Plight of Muslim minority threatens Myanmar Spring
North America
• US seeking more information on presence of Pakistani Taliban in Syria
• US Should Cease 'Meddling' in Egyptian Affairs
• US outraged after Israel backs out of terror suit
• Boston bombing accused seeks to beef up legal team
• Senior US diplomat affirms Washington backs 'democratic process' in Egypt
Europe
• Britain giving Syrian rebels protection against chemical weapons
• Putin accuses US of 'trapping' Snowden in Russia
• West demands tougher U.N. action against Iran arms to Syria
• UN envoy in Syria talks as child toll mounts
• UK, Sagay, Others Kick Against Al-Bashir's Presence in Nigeria
• Snowden Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
• Cyberwar is reality world must fight: UN official
Mideast
• Turkey to invest $1 billion in Pakistan over 3 years
• Iran slams 'destructive' Israeli role on atomic dispute
• Qaeda militants shoot dead Yemeni 'gay'
• Israel condemns EU directive on settlements
• Palestinians protest Israeli plan to evict Bedouins
• PKK threatens to call off truce with Turkish government
Africa
• Nigerian officials claim ceasefire agreement with militant group
• Under Islamist group attacks, schools empty out in Nigeria
• New Islamic Affairs minister spent years in Qaddafi jails
• Foreign training of Libya’s army and police is necessary– Zeidan
• Congo refugees pour into Uganda after attack by Islamist rebels
• Diplomat: Sudan leader Omar al-Bashir has fled Nigeria
Southeast Asia
• Vatican envoy sorry for misunderstanding over Allah issue in Malaysia
• Muslim groups to send reprimand note to Vatican envoy
• Govt Aims to Broker Sampang Shiite Solution
• Malaysian, French Nationals Sentenced for Drug Smuggling in Bali
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/pakistan-taliban-presence-turns-syria/d/12625
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Arab World
Pakistan Taliban Presence Turns Syria into a Theatre of Global Jihad
ATUL ANEJA
16 Jul 2013
The Pakistani Taliban’s revelation that its fighters, drawn from various countries, have joined the Syrian rebels in battling President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces points to Syria becoming a theatre of global jihad.
Quoting Taliban commanders in Pakistan, Reuters reported that hundreds of fighters joined the opposition combating the Syrian army. The report said the purpose of the exercise was to establish closer links with al-Qaeda’s central leadership.
Fighting group
In Syria, the Taliban has been operating with groups such as the al-Qaeda linked Jabhat al-Nusra, whose fighters have been drawn from neighbouring countries such as Libya and Tunisia, forming a nucleus of fighters in the Levant that can mutate in the service of global jihad.
Analysts say outfits such as the al-Nusra, the al-Qaeda in Iraq and a number of other extremists groups have organised themselves under the Syrian Islamic Front (SIF) umbrella group, forming the most potent fighting core of the Syrian opposition.
According to Reuters, Taliban fighters had gone to Syria to fight alongside their “Mujahedeen friends”. “When our brothers needed our help, we sent hundreds of fighters along with our Arab friends,” said one senior Taliban commander. He added that the group would soon release videos demonstrating the “victories” recorded by the group in Syria.
“Since our Arab brothers have come here for our support, we are bound to help them in their respective countries and that is what we did in Syria,” another commander was quoted as saying. “We have established our own camps in Syria. Some of our people go and then return after spending some time fighting there.”
After overrunning the strategic town of Qusair on Syria’s border with Lebanon and tightening its grip around the militant stronghold of Homs, the Syrian army is aiming for peripheral consolidation around the capital Damascus. Iran’s Press TV has posted video footage of the Syrian army’s advance along Al-Qaboun and Jobar — suburbs of Damascus. Troops have blocked a tunnel and established control over an industrial zone that was used by the opposition in Al-Qaboun to reinforce fighters in Jobar. The Syrian military has also claimed that it has recovered chemical agents and chlorine from a militant hideout in Jobar.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/pak-taliban-presence-turns-syria-into-a-theatre-of-global-jihad/article4918221.ece
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Syrian university strips Turkish PM of PhD
AFP | Jul 16, 2013
DAMASCUS: Syria's Aleppo University has stripped Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of an honorary doctorate citing his support for Syrian rebels and crackdown on Turkish protesters, state media reported on Tuesday.
State news agency SANA said Erdogan was being stripped of the PhD because of "his plots against the Syrian people" and his use of "arbitrary" violence against protesters in Turkey.
SANA quoted Khudur Orfaly, dean of Aleppo University, describing the decision as "a message of solidarity to the friendly Turkish people, who reject Erdogan's hostile policies".
Relations between Syria and Turkey have deteriorated sharply since the uprising broke out against President Bashar al-Assad's rule in March 2011 and Erdogan became one of Assad's most outspoken critics.
Turkey is now home to more than 400,000 Syria, refugees and harbours many of the opposition's top civilian and military leaders.
At home, Erdogan has faced a wave of protests since June, demanding his resignation.
Human rights groups have accused Turkish police of using excessive force against the demonstrators, and Syrian state television has frequently aired footage of Turkish security forces putting down the protests.
Syria's state media does not acknowledge the existence of any popular anti-Assad movement, instead blaming the violence on foreign-backed "terrorists".
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Syrian-university-strips-Turkish-PM-of-PhD/articleshow/21103970.cms
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Saudi show criticized for pulling Ramadan prank on girl
16 July 2013
A Saudi TV show came under heavy criticism this week after pulling a “Ramadan prank” on a child, prompting many to call for penalizing the show’s producers.
“Pranks,” a show that airs on Saudi channel Ajial during the holy month of Ramadan, pulled a prank on a girl, no more than 10 years old. The prank included yelling at her, which brought her to tears towards the end.
Media officials requested that the show’s crew be penalized and suspended “for manipulating a child’s feelings in order to make the audience laugh.”
Twitter users also launched a campaign against the show and its employees and accused them of manipulating children’s feelings and verbally insulting them.
Salah al-Shyhi, a writer at Saudi daily Al-Watan, told Al Arabiya that the prank pulled on the child was “a violation of her rights.”
He added that this prank was not the only one that prompts concern and that the entire show’s episodes adopt the same style in prompting children to cry.
Shyhi also said that “if the child’s father is fine with what happened to his daughter, then he too must be held accountable.”
Meanwhile, Ajial’s supervisor Khaled al-Bayti told Al Arabiya that they “do not seek to intimidate children,” adding that the video of the child, which appeared on YouTube, “does not deserve all this fuss.”
Bayti added that the sketch was recorded upon the consent and presence of the child’s guardian and that the child and her father both watched it and agreed to air it.
“[We] have been airing this show for four years on the channels and it’s been very successful to the point that some parents call us to have their children participate in it,” he added.
Many Saudis, however, did not find the prank funny as Twitter users said what happened was verbal abuse and not professional because the show’s crew requested the girl to lie and then yelled at her for doing so.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/variety/2013/07/16/Saudi-show-criticized-for-pulling-Ramadan-prank-on-girl.html
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Attacks across Iraq kill 9 people: police
July 15, 2013
Attacks across Iraq killed nine people on Monday, including a 10-year-old boy out swimming with friends, the latest in a surge of violence rocking the country during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Violence in Iraq is now at its deadliest level in half a decade, raising fears the country is returning to the widespread bloodshed that pushed the country to the edge of civil war. More than 2,800 people have been killed since the start of April.
Police said Monday's deadliest attack was a mortar barrage near a group of people trying to escape the blistering summer heat by swimming in the Tigris River near Samarra, about 95km (60 miles) north of Baghdad.
Four people were killed in the mortar shelling, including the boy, and 11 others were wounded, according to police.
Temperatures in Baghdad soared above 45 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit).
In the northern city of Kirkuk, a car bomb went off near a passing security patrol, killing a policeman and wounding 11 other people, including four civilians.
The blast left a crater two meters (six feet) wide near the side of the road, and the charred hull of the blue police pickup truck lay mangled in the street.
Hours later, a suicide bomber slammed his explosives-laden car into an army checkpoint near Kirkuk, killing two soldiers, according to Lt Gen Mohammed Khalaf, a senior military commander in the city.
More than 140 people have been killed since Muslims in Iraq began observing Ramadan on Wednesday.
The American and British embassies each issued statements on Monday condemning the daily rash of attacks.
"That these attacks have taken place during the holy month of Ramadan, a time for charity and compassion is especially disturbing," said Britain's charge d'affaires in Iraq, Robert Deane. "This continued violence is clearly intended to fuel sectarian strife and destabilise the country."
Pious Muslims go without food, drink, smoking and sex in the daytime during the holy month, when feelings of spiritual devotion are high. In the years following the 2003 US-led invasion, the start of Ramadan often also brought a wave of insurgent attacks - a pattern being repeated this year.
In other violence on Monday, police said gunmen sprayed a security checkpoint with bullets just south of Baghdad, killing two soldiers and wounding four others.
Hospital officials confirmed the death toll. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.
Monday's attacks came a day after a wave of coordinated bombings in mostly Shiite cities and other attacks left at least 38 dead and scores wounded.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/restofasia/Attacks-across-Iraq-kill-9-people-police/Article1-1092903.aspx
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Three soldiers, four militants killed in Iraq violence
July 16, 2013
Three soldiers and four militants were killed on Tuesday in attacks targeting Iraqi troops in central and northern areas of the country, police said.
Militants clashed with army forces near a military checkpoint in the central city of Tikrit. Two soldiers and four insurgents were killed, including a senior al-Qaeda member, a police official told DPA.
In the northern city of Mosul, a soldier was killed and two others were injured when a bomb targeting their patrol went off.
The attacks come amid a surge in violence in Iraq, raising fears of a return to the sectarian violence that pushed the country to the brink of civil war in 2006-07.
Militants increase their attacks in Iraq during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/three-soldiers-four-militants-killed-in-iraq-violence/article4920947.ece
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Egypt turmoil: Seven killed in Cairo clashes
July 16, 2013
Seven people have been killed in Cairo in overnight clashes between security forces and supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi.
Police used tear gas to drive back protesters, some hurling rocks, who had blocked a main road in the capital.
The clashes came as a senior US envoy visited Egypt, saying it had been given a "second chance" at democracy.
William Burns met interim leaders but was snubbed by rival groups, including Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.
Mr Morsi was ousted on 3 July in what many have said was a military coup. The army says it was fulfilling the demands of the people after mass anti-Morsi protests.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23323874
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Egyptian General Sisi candidate for first deputy prime minister
16 July 2013
Egyptian General Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, who removed Islamist president Mohammad Mursi from power following a popular uprising, has been nominated to become first deputy prime minister, Egyptian media reported on Monday.
The daily al-Masry al-Youm quoted “informed sources” as saying that Gen. Sisi will also keep his post as defence minister.
Egypt's military-appointed leadership has been trying to install a new cabinet that would oversee the transition to parliamentary and presidential elections, according to Reuters.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/07/16/Report-Egyptian-General-Sisi-candidate-for-first-deputy-prime-minister.html
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Egypt says Syria visa rules only a temporary measure
15 July 2013
Egypt's new visa rules for Syrians imposed after the army's removal of President Mohamed Mursi are only a temporary security measure and will not erode Egyptian support for the Syrian revolution, state media said on Monday.
Last week, Egypt introduced visa requirements for Syrians after local media and some officials accused Syrian Islamists of joining deadly clashes between Mursi's supporters and the military that ousted him earlier this month.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/07/15/Egypt-says-Syria-visa-rules-only-a-temporary-measure.html
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Syrian rebel leader: Britain betrayed us
July 16, 2013
Syria's top rebel commander has accused David Cameron of betrayal after the British prime pinister abandoned plans to arm the Syrian opposition, Britain's The Telegraph reported Tuesday.
General Salim Idris, head of the Free Syrian Army, said the decision would "leave us alone to be killed" by President Bashar Assad, and pave the way for al-Qaeda to dominate the rebel ranks.
"What are our friends in the West waiting for?" Idris asked. "For Iran and Hezbollah to kill all the Syrian people?"
"The West promises and promises. This is a joke now," he concluded.
"I have not had the opportunity to ask David Cameron personally if he will leave us alone to be killed," Idris said. "On behalf of all the Syrians, thank you very much".
Full report at:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4405553,00.html
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Pro-Assad militia kills Syrian reconciliation team in Homs village
16 July 2013
Gunmen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad shot dead at least six mediators sent to try to reconcile warring sectarian groups in the province of Homs, where people on opposing sides in Syria’s war had until now been able to coexist, residents said on Tuesday.
The negotiators were from the National Reconciliation Committee, which the government set up to foster talks in a two-year conflict that has taken more than 100,000 lives.
The killings, which happened on Monday evening in the village of Hajar al-Abyad, highlight the growing challenge of mediating between towns held by rebel groups and those controlled by pro-Assad militias known as “shabbiha”.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/07/16/Pro-Assad-militia-kills-Syrian-reconciliation-team-in-Homs-village.html
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Nine Syrians ‘executed’ at checkpoint
16 July 2013
At least nine Syrians, including a child, were executed by regime forces at a checkpoint in Damascus province, a watchdog said on Tuesday.
“Nine citizens, including a child, were shot dead by regime forces near the town of Qara, in the Qalamun area of Damascus province, yesterday [Monday] evening,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/07/16/Nine-Syrians-executed-at-checkpoint.html
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Facebook adds Islamic Hijri calendar feature
July 16th, 2013
Facebook announced the launch of a new feature for birthdays, aimed at people who wish to use the Islamic Hijri calendar.
The new feature is an addition to the Gregorian calendar and will be rolled out first to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with other markets added soon.
People who use Facebook in Saudi Arabia will be notified about the Hijri calendar option by means of 'a??megaphone’, giving more information about the feature and offering the option to add their birthday to the '??about me’ section. The information can be hidden or made visible in accordance with personal preference.
http://www.albawaba.com/business/facebook-hijri-calendar-507019
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Pakistan
First batch of fighters reaches Syria, confirms Pakistani Taliban
Jul 16 2013
PESHAWAR: The first of batch of Pakistani Taliban fighters has reached Syria and has established a command and control center to launch operational activities alongside Syrian rebels against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
A key commander of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Abdul Rashid Abbasi, confirmed the developments while speaking to Dawn.com on Monday. He also confirmed that “another batch of 120 to 150 fighters is on its way from different routes and will reach Syrian cities this week to join the force.”
“We shall be sending more volunteers, but can not give the exact numbers at this moment. We will provide whatever support is needed by our Syrian brothers,” Abbasi remarked.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/news/1029260/first-batch-of-fighters-reaches-syria-confirms-pakistani-taliban
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‘Foreign tourists killed in GB to avenge Waliur Rehman’s killing’
By Tanveer Ahmed
Jul 16 2013
ISLAMABAD: The foreign tourists at Nanga Parbat base camp in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) were killed to avenge the killing of Waliur Rehman, the senior commander of Tehreek-e-Talban Pakistan (TTP), the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan was informed on Monday.
The committee, which met under Senator Haji Adeel, was told that the four persons, nabbed by law enforcement agencies, have revealed that they had been directed to kill the foreign tourists to avenge Wali’s killing in a US drone attack. GB Chief Secretary Younas Dhaga told the committee that the porters who were taken hostage to guide the terrorists to the site also told the authorities during the investigation that the assailants raised the slogans that “we took revenge of Wali’s killing in drone attacks after massacring the foreign tourists”.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\07\16\story_16-7-2013_pg7_3
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Violence in Karachi claims five more lives
Jul 16 2013
KARACHI: Five people were killed and five others including two Rangers personnel were wounded in separate incidents of violence across the city here on Monday.
A slaughtered bodied man and woman were found in a house located in Bilal Jhokiyo Goth within the remits of Malir Cantt police station.
Police officials said that after being informed, they rushed on the spot and shifted the bodies to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) for autopsy. According to the police, the victims were identified as Majid Ali, 30, son of Abdul Karim and Kaneez Sakina, 20, daughter of Iyaz Hussain Shah. Police suspects that Sakina’s father along with his brother killed both the victims and later managed to escape. The deceased Majid was working as a cameraman in a private television channel. A case has been registered against the culprits Ilyaz Hussain and his brother Ameer Hussain, while further investigation is underway.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\07\16\story_16-7-2013_pg7_16
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4 Hazaras among 6 killed in Quetta
July 16, 2013
Quetta - Six people, including four Hazaras, were gunned down in two separate hits in Quetta on Monday.
Four people of Shia Hazara ethnicity were shot dead and two passers-by were seriously wounded in a targeted killing incident Monday evening.
Hazara Democratic Party (HDP) has given a strike call for today while the Balochistan Shia Conference has announced one-day mourning against the killings.
According to police, the incident occurred few minutes before iftar on Masjid Road when the killers intercepted the car of a local businessman Raza Hussain near Kaghan Hotel and pumped bullets into him and his three companions. The four men died on the sight while two more men who happened to be there also got injured by the firing. The investigation is underway, but the incident appeared to be a case of targeted killing, police said.
Full report at:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/16-Jul-2013/4-hazaras-among-6-killed-in-quetta
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1,726 killed in Karachi during last six months
July 16, 2013
LAHORE: As many as 1,726 people fell victim to target killings and sectarian violence in Karachi, during last six months of the current year, according to a report prepared by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).
In its report released from Lahore, the HRCP said in the previous year this figure was 1205 during the same period of time.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-109548-1,726-killed-in-Karachi-during-last-six-months
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Presidential elections to be held on August 6, ECP
July 16, 2013
ISLAMABAD: Presidential elections have been scheduled for August 6 by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and a letter was sent to the Chief Election Commissioner Fakhrudin G Ibrahim in this regard, sources told Express News on Tuesday.
The chief election commissioner of Pakistan approved the date for presidential elections. According to the official schedule, the last day to submit presidential nomination papers will be July 24.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/577615/presidential-elections-to-be-held-on-august-6-say-sources/
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No double standards on drone attacks, says Nawaz
Jul 16 2013
FAISALABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said here on Monday that unlike the previous government, his government would not adopt double standards on the issue of drone attacks. The previous regime used to criticise drone attacks, but silently supported them, he said.
“We hope that drone attacks will end in the days to come,” Mr Sharif said in an address to industrialists, exporters, traders and media personnel.
He said terrorism, suicide bombings and violence were a threat to the country’s sovereignty and the government needed public support to get rid of the menace. All political parties would also be consulted on the issue.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/news/1029307/no-double-standards-says-nawaz
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India
Charities Give Healthy Iftar Food for Jail Inmates, For Two Decades
July 16, 2013
Hyderabad: For more than two decades now, Dawat-e-Islam, a city-based Islamic charity organisation, has been providing Iftar to the prisoners in Chanchalguda jail, both women’s and men’s sections in Cherlapally, and Saidabad juvenile home.
After taking a count of prisoners who are observing the fast, the organisers supply fruits and other food items to the jail authorities, who distribute them among the devotees every day in the evening.
Usually, the jail authorities do not give Iftar to prisoners. So the organisers took the responsibility and started the practice. Dawat-e-Islam president Khaja Ali Babar says that it has been 21 years since the organisation began providing fruits and sweets to the prisoners.
“We started this in 1991, after visiting Chanchalguda jail. We saw the hardships of prisoners who observe the fast and decided to give iftar to them,” he said, adding that they had obtained permission from the DIG prisons for their mission.
Full report at:
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130716/news-current-affairs/article/charities-give-healthy-iftar-food-jail-inmates
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15% Muslim kids in board-less madrassas
July 16, 2013
In a first of its kind, comprehensive survey regarding Muslim religious studies in the state, it has been found that over 1.48lakh Muslim students study in 1,889 religious schools (madrassas). The largest figures came from Nashik, where over 13,240 children study in 47 madrassas. Thane, Buldhana, and Aurangabad follow with over 10,000 children studying in madrassas (see box).
“The actual number of students in religious studies could be over two lakh as large number of madrassas refused to share details suspecting a political motive behind the survey,” Nuruddin Mulla, deputy director, Directorate of Minorities and Adult Education told dna.
The data obtained was based on a survey launched by the directorate in 2012. Gender-wise data is still not available. The figures don’t include the 10 lakh students studying in 20,000 Urdu medium schools of the Maharashtra State Board, which comes under formal education. This implies that of all the Muslim students in the state, close to 15% study in madrassas. The Sachar Committee in 2005 had highlighted the poor state of Muslim community in India. The report stated that 3% of Muslim children go to madrassas.
Full report at:
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/1860807/report-dna-exclusive-15pct-muslims-kids-in-board-less-madrassas
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NIA releases two sketches of Bodh Gaya blasts suspect
Agencies Gaya, July 16, 2013
About 9 days after the Bodh Gaya blasts, the NIA on Tuesday has released two sketches of a single suspect in a monk's robe in New Delhi. The man in the sketch is suspected to have planted four bombs on the main Mahabodhi temple complex in Gaya, Bihar. According to media reports, the sketches have been prepared on the basis of eyewitnesses account and CCTV camera footages of the temple.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/NIA-releases-two-sketches-of-Bodh-Gaya-blasts-suspect/Article1-1093357.aspx
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Gujarat 'encounters' may be linked, suspects CBI
July 15, 2013
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sleuths probing the motive behind the June 2004 fake encounter in Ahmedabad are verifying if it had any alleged links with the January 2003 Sadiq Jamal Mehtar fake encounter that occurred in the same city.
The CBI suspect’s one of the four deceased in the June 2004 fake encounter, Javed Shaikh alias Pranesh Pillai, may have allegedly been an Intelligence Bureau (IB) informer who was in touch with a few state Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB) officials, according to a CBI source.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/newdelhi/Gujarat-encounters-may-be-linked-suspects-CBI/Article1-1093059.aspx
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David Headley did not name Ishrat, NIA tells Home Ministry
Jul 16 2013
New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is learnt to have told the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that 26/11 suspect David Coleman Headley has not mentioned Ishrat Jahan in his “official” confession.
The MHA had sought a report after Congress leader Digvijaya Singh asked Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde to clear the air on the issue.
Confirming this, NIA sources said the agency has, however, asked the MHA not to refer to Headley’s statement in any other case, as it is part of the “sovereign assurance” given to the US.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/headley-did-not-name-ishrat-nia-tells-mha/1142285/
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Punjab border favourite for Bangla nationals on way to Pakistan
Yudhvir Rana, TNN | Jul 16, 2013,
AMRITSAR: They travel both in groups and individually, carrying handful of belongings stacked in handbags and a few hundred rupees, all the way from Bangladesh, with dreams of getting good jobs in Pakistan. Soon they will get trapped by human trafficking gangs of Bangladesh and West Bengal, who promise them lucrative jobs. But little do these hapless Bangla nationals know that they would be deserted near Indo-Pak border only to be arrested or killed.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Punjab-border-favourite-for-Bangla-nationals-on-way-to-Pakistan/articleshow/21094961.cms
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Sohrabuddin case: Behind-the-scenes efforts to bail out top Andhra cop
TNN | Jul 16, 2013
HYDERABAD: Even as the controversy over the Ishrat Jahan case continues to rage, highly informed sources say that the chief of a central police organization has informally moved top officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take a lenient view of an inspector general of police of Andhra Pradesh who has been chargesheeted in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case. However, CBI officials have, last heard, refused to accede to the request.
The inspector general of police - now the number two man in the intelligence department of the AP police - had not been responding to summons of the court in Mumbai where the case is being heard. In avoiding the court summons, he probably had had the support of his bosses because the plea put by the officer is that he is 'busy' with official work. Analysts pointed out that a court will allow for an accused not turning up after being summoned only with a certificate from the official's bosses that he was really immersed in pressing official work. Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Sohrabuddin-case-Behind-the-scenes-efforts-to-bail-out-top-Andhra-cop/articleshow/21103115.cms
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Turkish cargo ship with 24 Indians feared hijacked off Gabon, central Africa
Ravik Bhattacharya, Hindustan Times Kolkata, July 16, 2013
A Turkish cargo ship with 24 Indians aboard is suspected to have been hijacked by pirates near Port Gentil off the coast of Gabon in central Africa.
The panicked family of MT Cotton's captain on Tuesday said the Turkish owners had lost all contact with the ship. Captain Sishir Wahi is from Alipore in south Kolkata.
"Around 12.30pm, we called up the company officials who said the ship was suspected to have been hijacked by pirates," Wahi's daughter Richa told HT. At least five others from West Bengal are among the Indian crew on MT Cotton.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Kolkata/Turkish-cargo-ship-with-24-Indians-feared-hijacked-off-Gabon-central-Africa/Article1-1093395.aspx
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South Asia
Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi terms B’Desh tribunals’ verdict anti-Islamic
July 16, 2013
KARACHI - Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi chief Hussain Mehanti has termed the verdict of Bangladeshi tribunals against JI leader Professor Ghulam Azam, ex-chief JI Bangladesh, an anti-Islamic and anti-Muslim verdict.
He was addressing a protest rally of JI workers, supporters and sympathisers against the 90 years of imprisonment to Professor Ghulam Azam by Bangladeshi tribunals outside the Karachi Press Club here on Monday.
JI workers also raised banners inscribed with the slogans of “We condemn the 90 years sentence to Prof Ghulam Azam.” They also raised party flags and chanted slogans against Bangladeshi government.
Full report at:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/karachi/16-Jul-2013/ji-terms-b-desh-tribunals-verdict-anti-islamic
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PPM undecided over leaving government despite “concerns” with President Waheed
By Neil Merrett | July 15th, 2013
PPM undecided over leaving government despite “concerns” with President Waheed thumbnail
The government-aligned Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) has said no formal decision has yet been taken on whether to retract support for the government, despite growing ”complaints” from its members over the conduct of President Dr Mohamed Waheed.
MP Ahmed Nihan today told Minivan News that both the PPM’s senior leadership and ordinary members held significant “concerns” over the conduct of President Waheed in the build up to this year’s presidential election, with the party accusing the incumbent and his supporters of unfair campaigning.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/ppm-undecided-over-leaving-government-despite-%E2%80%9Cconcerns%E2%80%9D-with-president-waheed-61140
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Official says bomb kills two Afghans in east
Jul 16 2013
KABUL: An Afghan official says a bomb planted on a bicycle in eastern Nangarhar province has killed two civilians and wounded three others.
Provincial spokesman Ahmad Zia Abdulzai says the incident took place early Tuesday on the outskirts of Jalalabad, Nangarhar's capital. He says the target of the bomb is unknown.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but most such bombings are carried out by the Taliban.
Nato also says one of its service members has been killed in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday from a ''direct fire'' attack.
It provided no other details or the nationality of the service member.
http://dawn.com/news/1029437/official-says-bomb-kills-two-afghans-in-east
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Afghan MPs pass election watchdog bill
July 16, 2013
KABUL : Afghan lawmakers have passed a bill to give the country's controversial electoral complaints watchdog more power and independence for the upcoming elections, officials said Monday.
The law, delayed for months in parliament, also defines the role and structure of the country's election commission, MP Naqibullah Fayeq told AFP.
"They have approved the existence of the ECC (Electoral Complaints Commission), but with no foreign members," he said, adding that the commission will have five members who will all be Afghans.
Full report at:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/international/16-Jul-2013/afghan-mps-pass-election-watchdog-bill
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Bangladesh elections will be true test of political strength
July 16, 2013
Even by the standards of south Asia, politics and history in Bangladesh make a particularly combustible mix. Indeed, the two have never really been separated. The past decades of the volatile, poor, overcrowded south Asian state define its present arguably more obviously than almost any other state in the region.
In 1947, the British hurriedly split the bulk of their south Asian dominions into India and Muslim-dominated Pakistan. Pakistan had two wings – an Urdu-speaking West Pakistan bordering Afghanistan and, 1,400 miles away, East Pakistan, bordering Burma. The two were never likely to remain united. They spoke different languages, had different religious traditions, followed different leaders.
Full report at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/15/bangladesh-elections-awami-league-bnp
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Plight of Muslim minority threatens Myanmar Spring
By Andrew R.C. Marshall
July 16, 2013
TAKEBI, Myanmar, June 15 (Reuters) This village in northwest Myanmar has the besieged air of a refugee camp. It is clogged with people living in wooden shacks laid out on a grid of trash-strewn lanes. Its children are pot-bellied with malnutrition.
But Takebi's residents are not refugees. They are Rohingya, a stateless Muslim people of South Asian descent now at the heart of Myanmar's worst sectarian violence in years. The United Nations has called them "virtually friendless" in Myanmar, the majority-Buddhist country that most Rohingya call home. Today, as Myanmar opens up, they appear to have more enemies than ever.
Full report at:
http://www.trust.org/item/20120615052100-5rjpn/?source=hptop
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North America
US seeking more information on presence of Pakistani Taliban in Syria
PTI | Jul 16, 2013
WASHINGTON: United States is seeking more information on the presence of the Pakistani Taliban in Syria, an official has said.
"We have seen that report and seeking more details," said Jen Psaki, state department spokesperson, adding that the US was concerned about the presence of foreign fighters among the Syrian rebels.
"We've been very clear about our longstanding concerns over the influx of foreign fighters into Syria who seek to capitalise on the situation in Syria and foment violence for their own benefit," Psaki said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-seeking-more-information-on-presence-of-Pakistani-Taliban-in-Syria/articleshow/21095600.cms
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US Should Cease 'Meddling' in Egyptian Affairs
Jul 16 2013
As the United States marks their first trip to Egypt by a senior official since the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi, one thing all sides seem to agree on is displeasure at the meddling influence of the United States on Egyptian politics.
Leaders from all sides of the civil discord, which has plagued the Middle Eastern country since Morsi's forcible removal, are snubbing talks with Deputy Secretary of State William Burns following his arrival in Cairo on Sunday.
The slight comes amidst growing calls for the United States to acknowledge the military coup behind Morsi's overthrow, something the global superpower has thus far refused to do in order to maintain the roughly $1.5b in annual aid to the army—seen as a means of securing the border for ally Israel and bolstering interests in Egypt and the Middle East.
Full report at:
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/07/15-4
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US outraged after Israel backs out of terror suit
Shimon Shiffer
July 16, 2013
Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren was called back to Israel to take part in an emergency meeting convened this weekend by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu so that Oren could pass on messages sent by the US administration and Congress in the wake of tensions between the two countries.
The tensions and lightening visit stem from the US's outrage at Israel's decision to back out of their commitment to a terror prosecution involving a Chinese bank allegedly laundering monies for Hamas so that Netanyahu and his family could embark on their State visit to the country last May.
Full report at:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4405213,00.html
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Boston bombing accused seeks to beef up legal team
July 16, 2013
NEW YORK CITY: Alleged Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is seeking to beef up his legal team by hiring an additional attorney who specializes in death penalty and terrorism cases, it emerged Monday.
In a nine-page document seen by AFP, one of Tsarnaev's lawyers, Judy Clarke, sought the recruitment of Virginia-based lawyer David Bruck citing the "extraordinary nature" of the case.
Tsarnaev, 19, faces a 30-count indictment -- including 17 counts punishable by death -- for his role in the April attacks in Boston which left three people dead and more than 260 injured.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-109542-Boston-bombing-accused-seeks-to-beef-up-legal-team-
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Senior US diplomat affirms Washington backs 'democratic process' in Egypt
16 July 2013
A senior US diplomat has dismissed accusations Washington backs any one side in Egypt, saying the administration supports a balanced and inclusive democratic process.
Deputy secretary of state William Burns is making the highest level visit to Egypt by an American official since Islamist President Mohammed Morsi was overthrown by the military on 3 July following days of mass protests.
Burns held talks Monday with Egypt's interim leaders and the head of the military.
Police and protesters clashed in central Cairo early on Tuesday after fights broke out between supporters of Morsi and locals angered when they tried to block major thoroughfares crossing the river Nile.
Full report at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/15/us-diplomat-democratic-process-egypt
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Europe
Britain giving Syrian rebels protection against chemical weapons
16 July 2013
Britain is to give Syrian rebels equipment to protect themselves against chemical and biological weapons as “a matter of special urgency,” saying it would allow them to potentially survive a sarin gas attack.
In a written statement to parliament on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary William Hague said Britain would deliver 5,000 escape hoods, nerve-agent pre-treatment tablets and chemical weapons detector paper to the Syrian National Coalition on or after Aug.3.
“There is evidence of attacks using chemical weapons in Syria - including sarin,” he said. “We believe that the use of chemical weapons is sanctioned and ordered by the Assad regime.”
Britain has repeatedly said it believes forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have made limited use of chemical weapons, something the Syrian government denies.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/07/16/Britain-giving-Syrian-rebels-protection-against-chemical-weapons.html
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Putin accuses US of 'trapping' Snowden in Russia
July 16, 2013
MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday accused the United States of trapping US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden in Moscow, saying he would leave Russia as soon as possible.
"As soon as there's the chance to move somewhere he will certainly do this," Putin said in his first public remarks since Snowden summoned several rights activists and lawyers for a dramatic meeting Friday at state-controlled Sheremetyevo airport.
Putin accused Washington of preventing Snowden from leaving Russia after the fugitive ex-intelligence analyst arrived from Hong Kong on June 23.
Full report at:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/international/16-Jul-2013/putin-accuses-us-of-trapping-snowden-in-russia
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West demands tougher U.N. action against Iran arms to Syria
16 July 2013
Tougher U.N. action on Iran’s arms supplies to Syria should be implemented, the United States said on Monday, leading Western calls to confront Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah.
The U.S. government called on the U.N. Security Council and its sanctions committee to tackle Iran’s alleged breach of U.N. measures with “increased vigor,” AFP news agency reported.
“The committee should also address the steady of flow of Iranian arms, military support, advisors and training to groups in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen, Iraq and beyond,” said U.S. acting ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2013/07/16/West-demands-tougher-U-N-action-against-Iran-arms-to-Syria-.html
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UN envoy in Syria talks as child toll mounts
AFP | Jul 15, 2013
DAMASCUS: The UN's special envoy on children in war was in Syria for talks on Monday as concern mounts over the rising child death toll in the bloody two-year conflict.
Six children were among 29 people killed in a devastating army bombardment of five villages in the northwest as residents prepared to break the daytime fast observed by Muslims during the holy month of Ramzan, a watchdog reported on Monday.
As US- and Russian-backed efforts to convene a Syria peace conference have faltered, regime forces have launched counter-attacks against the rebels in the northwest, in the centre and around the capital.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/UN-envoy-in-Syria-talks-as-child-toll-mounts/articleshow/21087947.cms
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UK, Sagay, Others Kick Against Al-Bashir's Presence in Nigeria
16 JULY 2013
The question of whether Nigeria should arrest and hand over President Omar Al-Bashir of Sudan, who arrived Nigeria on Sunday for an African Union, AU, Summit on HIV/AIDS, has sharply divided Nigerians, with Professor Itse Sagay (SAN) and Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), disagreeing on what the Nigerian government should do.
Irked by the presence of Al-Bashir in Nigeria, rights groups, including Coalition on the International Criminal Court, NCICC and Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, have insisted on his being arrested and handed over to International Criminal Court, ICC in The Hague, over his indictment for alleged crimes in Darfur.
Full report at:
http://allafrica.com/stories/201307160250.html?viewall=1
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Snowden Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
Andrea Germanos
Jul 16 2013
A Swedish professor has nominated NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden for the Nobel Peace Prize for revealing the extent of the NSA's vast surveillance program "in a heroic effort at great personal cost."
In his letter to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, Stefan Svallfors, a professor of sociology at Sweden's Umeå University, added that awarding the prize to Snowden would "also help to save the Nobel Peace Prize from the disrepute that incurred by the hasty and ill-conceived decision to award U.S. President Barack Obama 2009 award."
In revealing the extent of the NSA's extensive spying, "conducted in contravention of national laws and international agreements," Snowden "has helped to make the world a little better and safer," the professor writes. He "has also shown that individuals can stand up for fundamental rights and freedoms."
Full report at:
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/07/15-3
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Cyberwar is reality world must fight: UN official
July 16, 2013
GENEVA : The international community must wake up to the reality of cyberwar and strive to find ways to stem it, the head of the UN's telecommunications agency said Monday.
"There is a cyberwar going on," Hamadoun Toure, secretary general of the International Telecommunication Union, said during a cybersecurity debate at the Geneva Press Club. "Just like a conventional war, there are no winners, only destruction," he warned an audience of reporters, diplomats and technology experts. While Toure declined to pin the blame on individual countries, such attacks have become common currency.
Full report at:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/international/16-Jul-2013/cyberwar-is-reality-world-must-fight-un-official
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Mideast
Turkey to invest $1 billion in Pakistan over 3 years
July 16, 2013
ISLAMABAD: Turkey has decided to invest one billion dollars in Pakistan’s communication, textile and automotive sectors during the next three years, according to Turgat Bayan, founder of the Pak-Turk Business Council.
According to the Board of Investment (BOI), Bayan informed the newly appointed Chairman Board of Investment Mohammad Zubair about the incoming investments from Turkey. Turkey has previously invested $370 million in direct investments in Pakistan.
The news is seen as a significant development that may boost dwindling investments long affected by red tape, a fact the PML-N government is trying to change. For the current year, the government has set an ambitious target of $ 2 billion in investment, more than double the investment that came in the last fiscal year. The Turkish investment, which matures in three years, will help increase an extremely low investment to GDP ratio that has plunged to historical lows.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/577334/helping-hand-turkey-to-invest-1-billion-in-pakistan-over-3-years/
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Iran slams 'destructive' Israeli role on atomic dispute
16 Jul 2013
Iran on Tuesday accused arch-rival Israel of attempting to poison the mood against its moderate president-elect Hassan Rowhani, who has raised hope to end a dispute over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called Rowhani "a wolf in sheep's clothing" who would "smile and build a bomb".
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi, speaking to reporters on Tuesday, said Netanyahu was "angry" that Rowhani's June election had created "a positive atmosphere in the international community".
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/76585/World/Region/Iran-slams-destructive-Israeli-role-on-atomic-disp.aspx
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Qaeda militants shoot dead Yemeni 'gay'
Jul 16 2013
ADEN: Two militants from an Al Qaeda-linked group shot dead a Yemeni man in the southern Lahj province, accusing him of being a homosexual, a police source said on Tuesday.
The attackers from the Ansar al-Sharia group, which is on the US terror list, opened fire at 20-year-old Hashem al-Asmi late Monday in the provincial capital of Huj, the source told AFP, adding that the gunmen fled on their motorbike after killing Asmi.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/news/1029440/qaeda-militants-shoot-dead-yemeni-gay
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Israel condemns EU directive on settlements
AP | Jul 16, 2013
JERUSALEM: A senior Israeli official is condemning the European Union's new directive banning EU dealings with settlements as "worrying" and counterproductive to peace talks.
From 2014, Israeli authorities must guarantee that all EU funding and cooperation projects are conducted within Israel's pre-1967 border and not in east Jerusalem, the West Bank or Golan Heights.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Israel-condemns-EU-directive-on-settlements/articleshow/21100085.cms
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Palestinians protest Israeli plan to evict Bedouins
16 Jul 2013
Palestinians took to the streets inside the Green Line on Monday to demonstrate against Israel’s Prawer Plan, Palestine's Ma’an News Agency reported.
Protesters blocked a key road to Ben Gurion University before being removed by Israeli security forces.
Fourteen protesters were arrested, while two Israeli police officers were hurt during the protest, a police spokesperson told Ma’an.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/76523/World/Region/Palestinians-protest-Israeli-plan-to-evict-Bedouin.aspx
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PKK threatens to call off truce with Turkish government
July 16, 2013
Kurdistan’s Workers Party-or P K K- has threatened to call off a truce deal with Turkey which was reached several months ago.
The PKK has reshuffled its top commanders and they say if the Turkish government does not change its ways, the settlement process will be put to a halt.
The Turkish government and the PKK called for a historic truce in March after decades of war that has left 40,000 people dead. The truce called on PKK militants to lay down their arms and retreat to Northern Iraq. But the PKK's new commander says the situation is changing and the PKK militants will not lay down their
Full report at:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/07/16/314018/pkk-threatens-to-call-off-truce-with-turkish-government/
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Africa
Nigerian officials claim ceasefire agreement with militant group
July 16, 2013
Nigerian officials say they’ve signed a ceasefire agreement with the Salafist Boko Haram group. The Chairman of Nigeria’s Presidential Task Force on Negotiations and Dialogue say the deal is aimed at ending the cycle of violence in the troubled northern parts of the country,
But the leader of Boko haram group has denied the reports. Abubakar Shekau? has said his group will not sign a peace agreement with what he called non-belivers.
Abubakar Shekau has also denied reports that ?his group was responsible for the ?cold-blooded murder of forty one ?children in a school in the north ?eastern state of Yobe?.
But experts say it's high tim for this militant group to come to terms with its own objectives.
Nigrian officials have announced a stat of emergncy in three norhern states due to the rising violence which are blames on th salafist Boko Haram group. Exprts are also calling on Nigerian authorities to show more sincerity to rsolve the crisis.
Full report at:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/07/16/313988/nigerian-officials-claim-ceasefire-agreement-with-militant-group/
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Under Islamist group attacks, schools empty out in Nigeria
Jul 16 2013
Isaac Abrak
They crept up to the school under the cover of darkness, armed with petrol and automatic weapons.
Most of the teachers and pupils had fled, but some students, one teacher and headmaster Adanu Haruna were still in the compound, one of many rural boarding schools in Nigeria surrounded by forest and farmland.
“They made the students line up and strip naked,” Haruna said, eyes wide with horror at describing the attack on the iron-roofed school built by British colonisers in the 1950s. “They shot them point blank then set the bodies on fire.”
The Mamudo government school, charred and smelling of scorched blood after 22 students and a teacher were killed there in the July 6 attack near Potiskum in Nigeria’s northeast, was the fourth to be targeted by suspected Boko Haram militants in less than a month.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/under-islamist-group-attacks-schools-empty-out-in-nigeria/1142434/
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New Islamic Affairs minister spent years in Qaddafi jails
July 16, 2013
The new Islamic Affairs and Awqaf Minister, Ali Mohamed Al-Bashir Hamouda spent eight years in Qaddafi’s jails and has been head of the Libyan Political Prisoners branch in his home town of Misrata.
The 51 year old Hamouda graduated in 1980 from Al-Quairi Institute for religious studies in Misrata. From 1984 until 2002 he was held as a political prisoner.
Full report at:
http://www.libyaherald.com/2013/07/15/new-islamic-affairs-minister-spent-years-in-qaddafi-jails/
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Foreign training of Libya’s army and police is necessary– Zeidan
July 16, 2013
Defending his decision to seek the foreign training of Libya’s security forces at Sunday’s press conference, Prime Minister Ali Zeidan said that from the first day that he received office he was intent on training Libya’s security forces.
However, he noted that during his first four months in office there was not much interest in joining the army and the police. This was due to the low wages being offered.
Zeidan said that he now has a plan to raise wages from 2014 to those who join, turn up to work and have an intention to stay in the army or the police.
Full report at:
http://www.libyaherald.com/2013/07/16/foreign-training-of-libyas-army-and-police-is-necessary-zeidan/
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Congo refugees pour into Uganda after attack by Islamist rebels
July 16, 2013
Some 66,000 Congolese refugees have poured across the border into Uganda after a surprise attack by an Islamist rebel group, aid agencies say, stretching humanitarian resources to breaking point.
The Uganda Red Cross Society said the influx began after the Allied Democratic Forces launched a deadly assault on Kamangu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo last week.
The refugees, many with possessions piled on their heads, entered Uganda though the frontier district of Bundibugyo and had to sleep in school grounds under the stars or on shop verandas. The Red Cross said an estimated 2,000 of the refugees were pregnant women, and Uganda's New Vision newspaper reported that at least five gave birth while fleeing.
Full report at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/15/congo-refugees-uganda-attack-islamist
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Diplomat: Sudan leader Omar al-Bashir has fled Nigeria
16 July 2013
Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir has left Nigeria, a diplomat at his embassy said Tuesday, following demands from human rights activists for the arrest of the man indicted for genocide and war crimes in Darfur.
Human rights lawyers filed a suit in the Federal High Court on Monday to try to compel Nigeria's government to arrest al-Bashir. And a civil rights group urgently appealed to the International Criminal Court to refer the government to the United Nations Security Council for allowing the visit.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/07/16/Diplomat-Sudan-leader-Omar-al-Bashir-has-fled-Nigeria-.html
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Southeast Asia
Vatican envoy sorry for misunderstanding over Allah issue in Malaysia
BY RITA JONG
JULY 16, 2013
The Vatican’s envoy to Malaysia today asked Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman to convey his apologies if his comments on the “Allah” issue have caused any misunderstanding and inconvenience.
Archbishop Joseph Marino said he never intended to interfere in the internal affairs of Malaysia.
The archbishop said this in a statement after he was summoned to Wisma Putra this afternoon.
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/vv
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Muslim groups to send reprimand note to Vatican envoy
BY TRINNA LEONG
JULY 16, 2013
Muslim groups will submit a protest note on Friday to reprimand the first Vatican envoy to Malaysia for supporting the Christian Federation’s use of the word 'Allah' in texts, and describing the usage as “quite logical and acceptable”.
The Jati and Perkasa representatives hope Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Joseph Marino will personally receive the protest note at the embassy in Kuala Lumpur after Friday prayers.
"The memo is to reprimand him for his words and to let him know that what he said is offensive to Muslims," Jati president Datuk Hasan Ali told reporters today.
"He should respect the responsibilities and conduct of an ambassador."
Hasan said the memorandum was to serve as a lesson to Marino and others to be mindful of their comments.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/muslim-groups-to-send-reprimand-note-to-vatican-envoy
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Govt Aims to Broker Sampang Shiite Solution
July 16, 2013.
The Indonesian government is hoping to forge a lasting solution for a displaced Shiite group from Sampang, East Java, by holding peace talks with their erstwhile neighbors, a minister said on Monday.
“[Relocating them to Sidoarjo, East Java] was a temporary solution,” Coordinating Minister of Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto said.
“We are conducting a reconciliation process by holding a meeting between the two groups.”
The origins of the case began in August, 2012, when a mob of 500 Sunni Muslims attacked a group of Shiite students and teachers with swords and machetes in the village of Nangkernang. Two Shiites were killed and seven others were injured, and the mob also torched dozens of homes belonging to Shiite residents. The homeless Shiites were relocated to a sports center in Sampang for nine months, where conditions were squalid, government food supplies frequently ran short and medical attention was sparse.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/govt-aims-to-broker-sampang-shiite-solution/
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Malaysian, French Nationals Sentenced for Drug Smuggling in Bali
Jul 16 2013
A Malaysian national caught by custom’s officials with more than 370 grams of heroin in his underwear was sentenced to 12 years in jail by the Denpasar District Court on Monday.
Sargunan M. Suppiah, 27, attempted to smuggle Rp 850 million ($85,000) worth of heroin through Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport on Jan. 5. Prosecutors originally demanded a 17-year sentence, explaining that Sargunan had “tainted” the image of Bali, a common statement in Bali courts.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/bali-court-jails-malaysian-french-men-over-drug-smuggling/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/pakistan-taliban-presence-turns-syria/d/12625