Pakistan: Women, Children and Scouts Vehicles Being Used To Smuggle Arms and Explosives
New Age Islam News Bureau
7
Feb 2013
Pakistan
• Women, Children and Scouts Vehicles Being Used To Smuggle Arms and Explosives
• I move about like an ordinary person in Pak: Hafiz Saeed
• Security forces kill 12 suspected militants in Orakzai Agency
• Rehman Malik said non-Muslims are terrorists: Minority MPA
• Qadri approaches SC, seeks restructuring of EC
• Pak wants OIC to probe LoC violations
• Pak polls: No room for any delay, says Pervez Ashraf
India
• Kashmir rights group to file suit against Grand Mufti
• Moderate Hurriyat leader hails Pakistan for Kashmir cause
• Hurriyat defends threats of rape as ‘freedom of expression’
• Those who threatened Kashmiri all-girl band won't be spared: Omar Abdullah
• SC allows Zakia Jafri to file fresh petition against SIT clean chit to Modi
• India prepared for US pullout from Afghanistan: Govt
• India repatriates two Pak teenage boys
• Babri Masjid demolition case: SC pulls up CBI for delay in challenging HC order
• India and Bangladesh head for new institutional mechanism to resolve local issues
• Three arrested for online threats to all-girl rock band of Kashmir
• Return to Kashmir: LeT seeks Afghan camps as US pulls out
• Modi has betrayed people of Gujarat by spilling blood: Cong leader
Africa
• Hague war crimes court orders Libya to hand over Gaddafi spy chief
• Ghana Muslim Students worried over denial of Prayer Times on Campus
• French battle Mali rebels in Sahara, Tuaregs an issue
• Tunisia unrest: Ennahda 'rejects Hamadi Jebali's new cabinet'
Mideast Asia
• Palestinian inmates smuggle sperm out of jail
• Israel Plans Attack to Create And Occupy 10 Mile Buffer Zone Inside Syria
• 5,000 Turkish children given to Christian families in Europe
• Iran airs images allegedly extracted from US drone
• Iran’s Khamenei rejects offer of direct talks with US
• Explosion at Yemen weapons depot kills 10
• Turkey asked to extradite Bin Laden son-in-law
• Hamas and Fatah in unity talks, says Khaled Meshaal
• Palestinian official urges Obama to push for peace
Arab World
• OIC chief: We need Shia-Sunni dialogue
• Fierce battle in Damascus kills 64: NGO
• Syria conflict divides OIC summit in Cairo
• 12 Syrian soldiers killed in twin car blasts in Palmyra
• Kuwait MPs give first nod to naturalize 4,000 stateless
• ‘Islam forbids practicing sorcery’: Saudi Arab Justice Minister
• Islamic summit opens with calls for Syrian dialogue
• Saudi varsity students develops drone to monitor rainfall
• Peace hopes dim as Syrian army targets Damascus area
• As Syrians pour in, Lebanon grapples with ghosts of a bloody past
• Saudi Kingdom outlines plan to give e-learning a significant boost
• What the Bulgaria bombing says about Hezbollah today
South Asia
• Bangladesh Bigots torch six tents of Ahmadiyya
• Maldives Minister calls to withdraw all cases against religious scholars
• Taliban claims it shot down a NATO helicopter in Afghanistan
• Maldives Parliament Committee summons Chief Judge of the Criminal Court
• Sedition case against Khaleda dismissed
• After Myanmar violence, almost 6,000 Rohingyas arrive in Thailand
Southeast Asia
• Indonesian House Speaker Says All Men Want Polygamy
• Malaysia deports asylum-seeking Uyghur Muslims to China
• People ready for Chinese New Year, Muslim clerics confused
• Malaysia helped CIA illegally detain Libyans, says report
• Investigation Ongoing Into Baby Trafficking Network in Jakarta
Europe
• French try to root out would-be jihadists at home
• 'Muslim Patrol' police London streets
• France seeks Mali exit, handover to UN peacekeepers
• Half of all Afghans paid bribes in 2012: UN report
• Bulgaria defends blaming Hezbollah for bombing
North America
• Drone policy is far worse than Bush terror policy
• Kenyan role in CIA torture of war on terror suspects
• Barack Obama seeks to reset relationship with Benjamin Netanyahu
• United States expands sanctions on Iran to press nuclear case
• US judge throws out Iraq lawsuit over UN aid program
• For U.S. Leader in Afghan War, Much Time Making Peace
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Turkish girl given to a Christian families in Germany is meeting her mother in Turkey after seven years
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Pakistan
Women, Children and Scouts Vehicles Being Used To Smuggle Arms and Explosives
February 7, 2013
LAHORE: Pakistan’s porous western borders, which continue to play host to militancy and terrorism, are now facing a new threat that has developed innovative ways to smuggle arms.
As the country struggles to eliminate terrorism, recent reports suggest that women and children and vehicles used by scouts are now being used to smuggle weapons and explosives in different parts of the country.
Intelligence and law enforcement agencies recently released a report identifying sources of this smuggling mafia. The report states that official scouts vehicles, used as protective cover against authorities, lead the way while a convoy transporting arms and explosives follow them in the northern areas of the country.
Extracts from the report, available with The Express Tribune, explain in detail how the smuggling mafia operates. Smugglers usually use their privately owned vehicles while transporting arms and explosives but a scouts car now leads the way to ensure clearance from the police force at different check posts.
The report revealed that in some cases women along with infants were also being used to facilitate smuggling. Women clad in the Burqas usually accompany the smugglers while they are transporting their consignment from one place to the other.
The report states that various police and custom officers also facilitate these smugglers at different check posts.
Besides the porous western borders of the country, Darra Adamkhel, southern Peshawar and Sakhakot Market – situated in the north-western region of Mardan – are considered to be places where the weapons and explosives are manufactured.
The smugglers follow five routes to smuggle weapons. The first route usually starts from Darra Adamkhel and ends at Rawalpindi. The smugglers travel from Darra Adamkhel to Peshawar from where they go towards Attock, Haripur and then through Wah to reach Rawalpindi.
The other route is from Darra Adamkhel to Peshawar and then moving towards Mansehra from where they go towards Kaghan, Chilas and then Gilgit.
Two other routes begin from the Sakhkot Market and then move towards Mardan from where one route leads to Rawalpindi while the other route ends in Gilgit.
A fifth route that is used by smugglers only during the summers originates through Chitral, passes Ghizer and ends in Gilgit.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/503800/scouts-vehicles-being-used-to-smuggle-arms-and-explosives/
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I move about like an ordinary person in Pak: Hafiz Saeed
Feb 07 2013
New York: LeT chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed, who has a US $10 million bounty on his head, has said he moves about like an “ordinary person” in Pakistan and his fate is not in the hands of America.
“I move about like an ordinary person, that's my style,” he said in an interview.
“My fate is in the hands of God, not America,” said 64-year-old Saeed, whose compound in Lahore is a “fortified house, office and mosque”.
A media report said Saeed is shielded not only by his supporters who wield “Kalashnikovs” outside his door but also by the Pakistani state.
Saeed, who has been addressing large public meetings and made prime-time television appearances, said he is now talking to Western news media outlets to correct “misperceptions”.
The Lashkar-e-Toiba chief claimed his name had been cleared by the Pakistani courts.
“Why does the US not respect our judicial system?” Saeed said, adding that he has nothing against Americans.
He recalled a visit he made to the US in 1994, during which he spoke at Islamic centres in Houston, Chicago and Boston.
“At that time, I liked it,” Saeed said.
The report said Saeed's freedom to roam around Lahore and across Pakistan “suggests some generals still believe the good jihadis are worth having around”.
According to the report, western intelligence officials say Lashkar's training camps, where LeT operative David Headley received training, in northern Pakistan have not been shut down.
Headley was sentenced to 35 years in prison by a Chicago court last month for his role in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that claimed 166 lives.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/i-move-about-like-an-ordinary-person-in-pak-hafiz-saeed/1070898/
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Security forces kill 12 suspected militants in Orakzai Agency
7 February 2013
ORAKZAI AGENCY: Security forces killed 12 suspected militants in an air raid in Orakzai Agency on Thursday, Express News reported.
Fighter jets targeted militant hideouts in the Mamozai are of Upper Orakzai.
According to sources, five hideouts were destroyed in the attack.
Earlier on February 6, eight suspected militants were killed in a similar raid. It was the fifth such attack on militants this year. According to security forces, the previous four air raids killed around 38 militants, while 11 hideouts were destroyed. However, the exact figures are difficult to verify.
Strategic importance of Orakzai Agency
Orakzai Agency is strategically an important area. Covering an area of 700 square miles, the agency shares its borders with Kurram and Khyber agencies, Hangu district and Kohat, Darra Adamkhel.
It is the only agency among seven that does not share a border with Afghanistan. Its estimated population is 450,000. Since 2010, most of the agency was believed to be a safe haven for local and foreign militants, but security forces launched an operation to eliminate them. The operation is still continuing.
Around 97% of the agency has been reclaimed from militants.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/503949/security-forces-kill-12-suspected-militants-in-orakzai-agency/
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Rehman Malik said non-Muslims are terrorists: Minority MPA
By Hafeez Tunio
February 6, 2013
KARACHI: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) minority MPA Saleem Khurshid Khokhar moved an adjournment motion in the Sindh Assembly on Wednesday against interior minister Rehman Malik, who reportedly declared non-Muslims as terrorists.
Khokhar said that Malik had told the National Assembly that terrorists had been asked to lay down their arms or declare themselves as “non-Muslims”.
“His speech was totally biased and against religious minorities. We condemn it and demand the government get the interior minister mentally checked,” Khokhar told the media after assembly proceedings on Wednesday.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/503424/ppp-minority-mpa-demands-maliks-mental-check-up/
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Qadri approaches SC, seeks restructuring of EC
February 07, 2013
Fiery cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri, who recently led a protest against the Pakistan government to push for electoral reforms, on Thursday approached the Supreme Court to seek the restructuring of the Election Commission.
Talking to reporters after filing a petition on the issue, Qadri said his stance was based on constitutional provisions which stated that the Election Commission could be reconstituted.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/pakistan/Qadri-approaches-SC-seeks-restructuring-of-EC/Article1-1008123.aspx
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Pak wants OIC to probe LoC violations
Feb 07 2013
Rezaul H Laskar
Seeking to again internationalise tensions along the Line of Control, Pakistan has called for an investigation into the recent incidents there by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
“We would welcome an OIC fact-finding mission to investigate the recent incidents of ceasefire violations,” Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said addressing a meeting of the OIC contact group on Kashmir in Cairo Tuesday.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pak-wants-oic-to-probe-loc-violations/1070520/
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Pak polls: No room for any delay, says Pervez Ashraf
Feb 07 2013
Islamabad : Amidst continuing speculation that elements backed by the security establishment are working to delay Pakistan's general election, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Thursday said there could be “no room for any delay” in holding the polls.
During a meeting held at the Prime Minister's House this morning, the premier directed Law Minister Farooq H Naek “to ensure that the Constitution and law are followed in letter and spirit in the run up to the next elections so that there is no room for any delay”.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pak-polls-no-room-for-any-delay-says-pervez-ashraf/1070862/
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India
Kashmir rights group to file suit against Kashmir Grand Mufti
Feb 7, 2013
SRINAGAR: A civil society human rights group on Thursday said they would file a case against Kashmir's Grand Mufti for issuing Fatwas which project the state in bad light internationally.
Pervez Imroze, patron of Jammu and Kashmir coalition for civil society told media persons here on Thursday: "He is a self-appointed religious leader who has been issuing Fatwas, which project Kashmir and Kashmiris in bad light internationally."
Earlier he issued a fatwa against the Christians and now he has issued another one against Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kashmir-rights-group-to-file-suit-against-Grand-Mufti/articleshow/18382540.cms
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Moderate Hurriyat leader hails Pakistan for Kashmir cause
Mail Today Bureau/ Srinagar
7 February 2013
MODERATE Hurriyat Conference leader Shabir Ahmad Shah telephonically addressed several rallies in Pakistan on Tuesday, and thanked the government as well as the Opposition of that country for their support to Kashmir cause.
“I addressed several rallies organised by the government of Pakistan and various other groups over telephone from Srinagar. I thanked the Pakistan government and the Opposition for their support to Kashmir cause…,” he told M AIL TODAY. Various groups in Pakistan observe ‘ Kashmir Solidarity Day’ on February 5.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Hurriyat defends threats of rape as ‘freedom of expression’
Hurriyat calls threats of rape to band ‘views’
February 06, 2013
A day after police registered a case against Facebook users who posted ‘abusive and threatening’ messages against all-eve music band of Kashmir valley, the hard lined Hurriyat conference on Wednesday came out defending the freedom of expression of those booked.
“Across the world nobody is booked for posting views - good or bad - on social networking sites. Nobody considers these views a threat in democratic countries. But here a small issue was blown out of proportion,” a spokesman of Hurriyat conference led by Syed Ali Geelani said in a statement.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/srinagar/Hurriyat-calls-threats-of-rape-to-band-views/Article1-1007747.aspx
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Those who threatened Kashmiri all-girl band won't be spared: Omar Abdullah
Feb 7, 2013
AJMER: Government will not spare those who issued threats to Kashmiri girl band, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdulhah today said, but maintained there was no need for legal action against the grand mufti who issued fatwa terming singing as un-Islamic.
Abdullah, during a visit to dargah of Sufi saint Khawaja Moinuddin Chisiti here, expressed happiness over the arrests made in connection to the online abuse and threats to the all-girl rock band 'Pragaash' and said more arrests were likely.
He said some of those who had issued threats had left the valley and police were trying to nab them.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Those-who-threatened-Kashmiri-all-girl-band-wont-be-spared-Omar-Abdullah/articleshow/18384769.cms
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SC allows Zakia Jafri to file fresh petition against SIT clean chit to Narendra Modi
By Dhananjay Mahapatra
Feb 7, 2013
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday has allowed Zakia Jafri to file a fresh petition before trial court against special investigation team's report giving clean chit to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and others in the Gulberg Housing Society killings during the post-Godhra riots in 2002.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SC-allows-Zakia-Jafri-to-file-fresh-petition-against-SIT-clean-chit-to-Narendra-Modi/articleshow/18382759.cms
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India prepared for US pullout from Afghanistan: Govt
Feb 6, 2013
BANGALORE: India is taking steps to face any eventuality that may arise after the US begins to pull out its troops from Afghanistan next year, defence minister AK Antony said here on Wednesday.
"We are taking steps to safeguard our country from any eventuality that may arise after the US withdraws all its combat troops from Afghanistan," Antony told reporters at an aerospace event here on Wednesday.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-prepared-for-US-pullout-from-Afghanistan-Govt/articleshow/18371069.cms
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India repatriates two Pak teenage boys
Feb 6, 2013
AMRITSAR: In yet another good will gesture Border Security Force (BSF) handed over two Pak teenage boys to Pakistan Rangers after they had entered India on Wednesday.
They were sent back after being satisfied of their innocence. Earlier on January 17th, BSF had handed over a Pak national Sayeed Naseem Hussain Shah to Pak Rangers who had also unintentionally entered India. Giving details of the incident a BSF officials informed that two Pak teenage boys Mohammad Tariq, 14 and Naved, 15, both residents of Shikhupura , Pakistan had entered India from near Border Out Post Rattan Khurd at around 5.30pm on Wednesday.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-repatriates-two-Pak-teenage-boys/articleshow/18370159.cms
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Babri Masjid demolition case: SC pulls up CBI for delay in challenging HC order
Feb 7, 2013
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday questioned the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for the delay in filing an appeal against the Allahabad high court verdict on dropping conspiracy charges against senior BJP leader L K Advani and others in Babri case.
The apex court turned down the CBI's plea to file a fresh affidavit in the case.
The Supreme Court also pulls up CBI for terming Babri Masjid demolition as a national crime. "You can't say it is a national crime till we or trial court decides this way or the other," it said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Babri-Masjid-demolition-case-SC-pulls-up-CBI-for-delay-in-challenging-HC-order/articleshow/18381069.cms
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India and Bangladesh head for new institutional mechanism to resolve local issues
Feb 7, 2013
NEW DELHI: As an additional measure for better border management, India and Bangladesh have — for the first time — agreed to start consultations between the district commissioners\district magistrates of border districts of both the countries for resolving local issues.
"A decision to this respect was taken during the home minister-level talks between the two countries in Dhaka last month. Modalities of such district-level consultations are being worked out", a home ministry official said, adding it would be an additional institutional mechanism to discuss various issues.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-and-Bangladesh-head-for-new-institutional-mechanism-to-resolve-local-issues/articleshow/18380691.cms
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Three arrested for online threats to all-girl rock band of Kashmir
7 February 2013
SRINAGAR: Three people accused of posting threats on social networking sites against the Kashmir girl rock band 'Pragaash' have been arrested, an official said on Thursday. Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said more arrests were possible.
The arrests took place late Wednesday after special investigating team (SIT) headed by a deputy superintendent probed the threats against the three-member all-girl band, police said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Three-arrested-for-online-threats-to-all-girl-rock-band-of-Kashmir/articleshow/18378492.cms
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‘India has designs to annex PoK’: J&K MLA
Mail Today/ Srinagar
7 February 2013
JAMMU and Kashmir MLA Mustafa Kamal believes India has “designs to annex Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK)”. “ The animosity between India and Pakistan is so intense that just two people were killed on the LoC ( Indian soldiers Hemraj Singh and Sudhakar Singh were killed by Pakistani troops on January 8) and they almost came close to war. I am sure they (India) have Azad Kashmir ( PoK) on their target and are not sincere in settling issues with Pakistan,” Kamal said.
Kamal, the brother of former J& K chief minister Farooq Abdullah, also said the Indian Army and the Intelligence Bureau ( IB) were meddling in the state’s politics to secede PoK on the lines of Bangladesh.
Mail Today
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Indian department likely to bag Oman border fencing deal
Feb 7, 2013
NEW DELHI: The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) is likely to construct the border fence between Oman and Yemen. Only two Indian agencies - CPWD and Engineering Projects India Ltd (EPIL) - were shortlisted in a secret bidding by the Oman government.
Sources said the Oman government wanted to give the contract to an agency outside Oman and Yemen to avoid controversy. Government officials said that CPWD had quoted Rs 1,600 crore for the 288-km-long fence work, which is likely to be completed within four years. "We have a good track record in installation of fences along border. It's a prestigious project for us," said a government official.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Indian-department-likely-to-bag-Oman-border-fencing-deal/articleshow/18377204.cms
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Pirates attack Indian ship, four killed
Feb 7, 2013
Four persons, including two soldiers, were killed when a ship belonging to an Indian company was attacked by pirates in Nigeria’s oil-rich southern delta.
The four persons killed, included two soldiers, a retired naval officer and the pilot of the tugboat which ran into an ambush on Tuesday after setting sail from Warri in Delta State to Port Harcourt in Rivers State.
A gun battle between men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) and pirates in Bayelsa State ensued during the ambush.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/pirates-attack-indian-ship-four-killed/article4386050.ece
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Return to Kashmir: LeT seeks Afghan camps as US pulls out
Shishir Gupta, Hindustan Times
February 07, 2013
India’s long-standing concerns that a US military withdrawal from Afghanistan could lead to an increase in terrorist activity by the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) received some confirmation with reports of LeT cadre moving into Afghanistan for bases.
There are worrying reports of LeT cadres moving towards Kunar and Nuristan provinces in eastern Afghanistan, looking for bases that would provide them an independent base for training and collection.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/newdelhi/Return-to-Kashmir-LeT-seeks-Afghan-camps-as-US-pulls-out/Article1-1007894.aspx
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Modi has betrayed people of Gujarat by spilling blood: Cong leader
Feb 07 2013
New Delhi: Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed has hit out at Narendra Modi, saying the Gujarat Chief Minister has betrayed the people of his state by spilling blood.
"Modi says 'Gujarat Ka Namak sab ney Khaya hai Parantu Namak kha ker bhi Modi ney Gujarat ka hi khoon bahaya hai,'" he tweeted.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/narendra-modi-has-betrayed-people-of-gujarat-by-spilling-blood-shakee.../1070817/
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Africa
Hague war crimes court orders Libya to hand over Gaddafi spy chief
February 07, 2013
AMSTERDAM: Libya must hand over the former spy chief and top lieutenant of toppled Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi to the international criminal court, war crimes judges said on Thursday.
"Libya remains under obligation to comply with the surrender request," the judges said, in a ruling that places the court on a collision course with Libyan authorities who have resisted attempts to have Abdullah al-Senussi extradited.
Senussi was charged alongside Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam with committing crimes during the uprising that led to the toppling of Gaddafi. Libya says it wants to try the pair in its own courts.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-07/205464-hague-war-crimes-court-orders-libya-to-hand-over-g.ashx#ixzz2KDUzXGbP
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Ghana Muslim Students worried over denial of Prayer Times on Campus
6 February 2013
The Ghana Muslim Students’ Association (GMSA) has expressed concern over the refusal of school authorities in some Christian Senior High Schools (SHS) to allow Muslim students to observe prayers on campus, but rather compel such students to attend church services.
A statement issued by Mr. Abdul Nasser Salifu, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of GMSA and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday said a nationwide visit to second-cycle schools last year by the national executives of the Association to enable them have firsthand information on the situation revealed that some authorities appeared to compel Muslim students to observe church services against the students' doctrine.
Full report at:
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/regional/artikel.php?ID=264290
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French battle Mali rebels in Sahara, Tuaregs an issue
Feb 6, 2013
KIDAL (MALI): French and Malian troops are fighting Islamist rebels in the Sahara outside northern Mali's biggest town, France's defence minister said on Wednesday, describing the desert campaign against al-Qaida as a "real war" that was far from won.
After driving the Islamists from north Mali's main towns with three weeks of air strikes and a lightning ground advance, France is now pursuing them in the remote northeast where pro-autonomy Tuaregs are pressing their own territorial claims.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/French-battle-Mali-rebels-in-Sahara-Tuaregs-an-issue/articleshow/18369352.cms
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Tunisia unrest: Ennahda 'rejects Hamadi Jebali's new cabinet'
February 7, 2013
Tunisia's ruling party has reportedly rejected moves to dismiss the government and form a cabinet of technocrats after the assassination of an opposition leader.
Ennahda's vice-president said Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali "did not ask the opinion of his party", Reuters reports.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21366235
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Mideast Asia
Palestinian inmates smuggle sperm out of jail
Fertility doctor claims he has used prisoners' sperm smuggled out of Israeli jails to help their wives have babies.
07 Feb 2013
A Palestinian medical centre has said it had successfully carried out artificial insemination procedures by smuggling out the sperm of four Palestinians jailed by Israel.
"The successful experience of detainee Ammar Ziben encouraged other prisoners who managed to sneak out their sperm," the head of the Razan fertility clinic in Nablus, Dr Saalem Abu al-Kheizaran, told a news conference on Wednesday.
Ziben, who is serving 32 life sentences in an Israeli prison, had smuggled a sperm sample to his wife and in August a boy was born to the couple by Caesarian section.
'Very sceptical'
Full report at:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/02/2013275618777526.html
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Israel Plans Attack To Create And Occupy 10 Mile Buffer Zone Inside Syria
February 5, 2013
By Uzi Mahnaimi
February 03, 2013 – ISRAEL is considering creating a buffer zone reaching up to 10 miles inside Syria to protect itself from fundamentalist rebels on the other side of the border.
The proposal, which has been drawn up by the military and presented to Binyamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, is intended to secure the 47-mile border against a growing Islamist threat if President Bashar al-Assad’s embattled regime loses control of the area.
Full report at:
http://alhittin.com/2013/02/05/israel-plans-attack-to-create-and-occupy-10-mile-buffer-zone-inside-syria/
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5,000 Turkish children given to Christian families in Europe
February 5, 2013
More than 5,000 children of Turkish families living in Europe are given to Christian families without any judicial decision.
In an exclusive interview with the Anadolu Agency (AA), Chairman of the Turkish Parliamentary Human Rights Watch Committee, Ayhan Sefer Ustun on Tuesday said that they were receiving applications concerning Turkish children being given to Christian families in various European countries.
Full report at:
http://alhittin.com/2013/02/05/5000-turkish-children-given-to-christian-families-in-europe/
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Iran airs images allegedly extracted from US drone
7 February 2013
TEHRAN:Iran’s state TV has broadcast footage allegedly extracted from the CIA drone captured in 2011. The video, aired late Wednesday, shows an aerial view of an airport and a city, said to be Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Iran has long claimed it managed to reverse-engineer the RQ-170 Sentinel and that it’s capable of launching its own production line for the unmanned aircraft.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/02/07/iran-airs-images-allegedly-extracted-from-us-drone/
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Iran’s Khamenei rejects offer of direct talks with US
7 February 2013
DUBAI: Iran’s highest authority, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Thursday rejected an offer of direct talks made by US Vice President Joe Biden this week, saying they would not solve the problems between them, Iranian media reported.
“Some naive people like the idea of negotiating with America, however, negotiations will not solve the problems,” Khamenei said in a speech to officials and members of Iran’s aerospace force, IRIB reported.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/iran%E2%80%99s-khamenei-rejects-offer-direct-talks-us
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Explosion at Yemen weapons depot kills 10
7 February 2013
SANA, Yemen: A Yemeni military official says an explosion at a military weapons depot in northern Yemen has killed 10 civilians and soldiers.
The blast took place in the city of Abss, some 170 kilometers (106 miles) north of Sanaa, the official said.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/explosion-yemen-weapons-depot-kills-10
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Turkey asked to extradite Bin Laden son-in-law
7 February 2013
ANKARA: The United States has asked Turkey to extradite Osama Bin Laden’s son-in-law Sulaiman Abu Ghaith after his detention in Ankara last week, a Turkish newspaper reported yesterday.
Abu Gaith, the former spokesman of the Al-Qaeda terror network, was seized last week at a luxury hotel in Ankara after a tip-off from CIA, and is being held there by police, the newspaper said.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/turkey-asked-extradite-bin-laden-son-law
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Hamas and Fatah in unity talks, says Khaled Meshaal
February 7, 2013
Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal has told the BBC he is in talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas about forming a national unity government.
Mr Meshaal also said preparations were being made for presidential and parliamentary elections.
The split between the militant group and Mr Abbas's Fatah party has led to Palestinian elections being postponed for several years.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21363104
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Palestinian official urges Obama to push for peace
7 February 2013
A senior Palestinian official is urging President Barack Obama to help restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, a day after the White House said Obama would not announce any new peace initiatives on his upcoming trip to the region.
Jibril Rajoub, a former Palestinian security chief and prominent West Bank official, told Israel’s Army Radio Thursday the U.S. is the only one that can “build a bridge of trust” between the sides. He said he hopes Obama’s visit will help jumpstart talks.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-
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Arab World
OIC chief: We need Shia-Sunni dialogue
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's secretary-general tells Ahram Online that rapprochement between different Muslim sects is essential
Dina Ezzat
6 Feb 2013
“The summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will certainly dedicate attention to examine ways to promote rapprochement among the sects of Islam; followers of all Muslim sects have so much in common and it makes absolutely no sense that they engage in futile debates,” said Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the outgoing secretary-general of the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentP/1/64183/Egypt/OIC-chief-We-need-ShiaSunni-dialogue.aspx
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Fierce battle in Damascus kills 64: NGO
7 February 2013
BEIRUT: Rebel belts around Damascus were rocked by fighting and heavy shelling for a second straight day on Thursday as the army pressed a major offensive that a watchdog said killed 64 people in 24 hours.
Among those killed were five civilians, three of them women, who died when mortars slammed into the Yarmuk Palestinian refugee camp in the south of the capital, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/02/07/fierce-battle-in-damascus-kills-64-ngo/
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12 Syrian soldiers killed in twin car blasts in Palmyra
7 February 2013
BEIRUT — At least 12 members of Syria’s security forces were killed in two suicide car bombings targeting a military intelligence headquarters in the south-central city of Palmyra on Wednesday, a watchdog said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that more than 20 troops were also wounded, some in critical condition, after the simultaneous attacks against the intelligence branch and a nearby security building.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-
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Syria conflict divides OIC summit in Cairo
Feb 7, 2013
CAIRO: Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) leaders met on Thursday for the second and final day of a summit dominated by the Syrian conflict which has divided the Muslim world along sectarian lines.
The closed-door meeting of half of the OIC’s 57 members started at around mid-morning, officials said, with a final press conference expected when the meeting wraps up in the evening.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/02/07/syria-conflict-divides-oic-summit-in-cairo/
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Kuwait MPs give first nod to naturalize 4,000 stateless
February 07, 2013
KUWAIT CITY: A bill to grant Kuwaiti citizenship to at least 4,000 stateless people this year passed the first stage of approval in the Gulf state's parliament on Thursday.
The bill, approved by 33 MPs with 14 others including nine cabinet ministers abstaining, will become effective after it clears a second round of voting later this month and after it is signed by the oil-rich Gulf state's ruler.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-07/205461-kuwait-mps-give-first-nod-to-naturalize-4000-state.ashx#ixzz2KDV6skNn
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‘Islam forbids practicing sorcery’: Saudi Arab Justice Minister
7 February 2013
Justice Minister Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Isa met Tuesday with a delegation from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to discuss the Saudi judiciary system among other topics.
The delegation talked about the sorcery-related issues in detail, seeking answers on the concept of witchcraft and the way the Saudi judiciary handles them.
The minister said the most important guarantee in such cases rests on fair judiciary, which issues verdicts after ensuring the right for compensation for those who have been harmed according to the set criminal and civil responsibility rules.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/%E2%80%98islam-forbids-practicing-sorcery%E2%80%99
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Islamic summit opens with calls for Syrian dialogue
Feb 07 2013
Leaders of Muslim nations called for a negotiated end to Syria's civil war at a summit in Cairo on Wednesday, thrusting Egypt's new Islamist president to centre stage amid turbulence at home.
On the summit sidelines, the leaders of Egypt, Turkey and Iran gathered for talks on the Syria crisis. The Iranian foreign minister came out of the meeting expressing optimism about the prospects for a resolution.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/islamic-summit-opens-with-calls-for-syrian-dialogue/1070714/
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Saudi varsity students develops drone to monitor rainfall
Feb 07 2013
Dubai: A drone that can monitor rainfall and predict any resultant floods has been developed by students of a Saudi Arabian University.
Students of the University of Tabuk have named the drone Saham 2,an Arab News report said.
The aircraft was constructed of high-quality fiber and other materials, said Prof. Salahaddin Hafiz Omar of the supervisor and creativity unit of the varsity. According to him, the drone will also utilize various sensors already present on ground.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/saudi-varsity-students-develops-drone/1070849/
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Peace hopes dim as Syrian army targets Damascus area
February 07, 2013
Syria's army has launched a fierce assault around Damascus, blasting rebel strongholds and sealing the main entrances to the capital, witnesses said, as prospects for peace talks dimmed.
Shattering months of relative calm in the capital, Wednesday's offensive coincided with two suicide car bombings that killed almost 20 members of the security forces in the ancient city of Palmyra, a watchdog reported.
It also came as an offer by opposition leader Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib for peace talks with President Bashar al-Assad's regime suffered setbacks, with Damascus ignoring it and a key opposing faction flatly rejecting the initiative.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/restofasia/Peace-hopes-dim-as-Syrian-army-targets-Damascus-area/Article1-1007982.aspx
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As Syrians pour in, Lebanon grapples with ghosts of a bloody past
February 7, 2013
LEBANON: A new video making the rounds in Lebanon opens with ominous string music reminiscent of a horror film and the title “Before it’s too late.”
Red stains spread across a white map of the tiny coastal country, marking areas where Palestinian refugees settled after they fled or were driven from their homes with the creation of Israel in 1948.
Once settled in Lebanon, the video says, the refugees threatened its sovereignty, attacked its national army and helped cause a 15-year civil war that killed more than 100,000 people. Now Syrians are coming in similar numbers.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/503931/as-syrians-pour-in-lebanon-grapples-with-ghosts-of-a-bloody-past/
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Kingdom outlines plan to give e-learning a significant boost
7 February 2013
The technological revolution has transformed the face of education, allowing people greater access to knowledge and skills in a convenient and easily accessible manner.
In keeping abreast with the latest developments in e-learning, the National Center for E-learning and Distance Learning (NCEL), under the aegis of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah organized the third international conference to further explore this subject.
Entitled “From Practice to Performance,” the weeklong event kicked off on Monday in the presence of a record number of participants and a number of high profile professionals.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/kingdom-outlines-plan-give-e-learning-significant-boost
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What the Bulgaria bombing says about Hezbollah today
February 7, 2013
Investigators announced this week that they’d concluded that Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based anti-Israeli militant group, was behind a 2012 bombing that killed five Israeli tourists in the resort town of Burgas. The United States, which considers Hezbollah a terrorist group, responded by pressing the European Union to designate it as such.
Full report at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/02/07/what-the-bulgaria-bombing-says-about-hezbollah-today/
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South Asia
Bangladesh Bigots torch six tents of Ahmadiyya
7 February 2013
A group of religious bigots torched six tents of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat at Mouchak in Gazipur's Kaliakoir upazila last evening.
The Ahmadiyya Muslims were preparing for their three-day annual convention scheduled to start from tomorrow at Mouchak Scout Ground.
They set up the tents to accommodate the members and hold the functions, said Ahmad Tavshir Chowdhury, an executive committee member of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=268131
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Maldives Minister calls to withdraw all cases against religious scholars
By Mariyath Mohamed | February 6th, 2013
Minister of Islamic Affairs Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali has called on the state to withdraw all court cases filed against Islamic scholars during past administrations.
“The cases filed against scholars during past administrations often involve charges for preaching religious advice without permits,” Shaheem told local media SunOnline.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/islamic-minister-calls-on-state-to-withdraw-all-cases-against-religious-scholars-52461
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Taliban claims it shot down a NATO helicopter in Afghanistan
February 07, 2013
Kabul: A NATO helicopter crashed in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday but there were no fatalities, an ISAF spokesman said, while the Taliban claimed to have shot it down and killed all on board.
"I can confirm an International Security Assistance Force helicopter crashed in eastern Afghanistan today," the ISAF spokesman told AFP.
Full report at:
http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/taliban-claims-it-shot-down-a-nato-helicopter-in-afghanistan-327752
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Parliament Committee summons Chief Judge of the Criminal Court
By Ahmed Nazeer | February 5th, 2013
Parliament’s Government Oversight Committee has decided to summon Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed to clarify details regarding the controversial transfer of power on February 7, 1012.
Speaking to the press today Committee Chair, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ali Waheed, said the committee made the decision as a part of its probe into the CoNI report.
Ali Waheed said that the committee needed to ask Judge Abdulla Mohamed how the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) treated him during his detention.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/parliament-committee-summons-chief-judge-of-the-criminal-court-52402
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Sedition case against Khaleda dismissed
7 February 2013
A Dhaka court summarily dismissed a sedition case on Thursday around five hours after it was filed against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on charge of writing an article against Bangladesh government.
Washington Times published the article of the former premier on January 30.
Advocate Moshiur Malek, president of Bangabandhu Foundation, filed the case with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Dhaka around 10:30am.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=44605
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After Myanmar violence, almost 6,000 Rohingyas arrive in Thailand
7 February 2013
Nearly 6,000 Rohingya Muslims have arrived in Thailand since October, when sectarian violence flared in Myanmar's western Rakhine state and displaced tens of thousands of people, a top Thai security agency said on Thursday.
Entire communities of Rohingyas are languishing in makeshift camps in Myanmar, without access to healthcare or clean water, according to the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) aid group, while Thailand has promised humane treatment for the 5,899 who have arrived on its shores.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=44614
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Southeast Asia
Indonesian House Speaker Says All Men Want Polygamy
Markus Junianto Sihaloho | February 07, 2013
House of Representatives Speaker Marzuki Alie said on Thursday that every man would like to have more than one wife if they could, just like outgoing deputy House speaker Anis Matta.
“As a man, I have to be honest,” Marzuki said. “All men want it, the desire to practice polygamy exists, but [men] don't have the courage to do it. Probably because [they are] afraid of their wife, children and impact on their work.”
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/house-speaker-marzuki-says-all-men-want-polygamy/570158
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Malaysia helped CIA illegally detain Libyans, says report
7 February 2013
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 — Malaysia assisted the US Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) illegal detainee transfer programme by detaining two Libyans in 2004, a US-based NGO said in a report last Tuesday.
The Libyan couple was detained by Malaysian authorities for 13 days under “harsh conditions”, according to a report, titled “Globalising Torture: CIA Secret Detention and Extraordinary Rendition”, released by the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI).
“Malaysia detained and assisted in the extraordinary rendition of Libyan nationals Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (Abdul Hakim Belhadj) and his wife Fatima Bouchar in 2004 in Kuala Lumpur airport,” said OSJI.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malaysia-helped-cia-illegally-detain-libyans-says-report/
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People ready for Chinese New Year, Muslim clerics confused
Indah Setiawati
February 06 2013
Chinese New Year (Imlek) is coming. Decorations are going up in shopping malls as temples plan events to welcome the Year of Water Snake. In Jakarta and in other cities, families prepare traditional food and look forward to celebrating with loved ones.
Muslim clerics, however, have mixed opinions about the festive day.
Harry Palmer, a men’s suit designer and founder of Harry’s Palmer Orchestra, is busy as a bee ahead of the festivity.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/02/06/people-ready-imlek-clerics-confused.html
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Malaysia deports asylum-seeking Uyghur Muslims to China
February 5, 2013
By Parameswaran Ponnudurai
Malaysia has secretly deported six Uyghur asylum seekers to China even though they could be persecuted or tortured on their return home, according to a U.S.-based rights group, citing “credible” sources and criticizing the move as unlawful.
The Uyghurs were repatriated on Dec. 31 in “grave violation of international law” and ahead of a visit to Malaysia this week by China’s top political advisor Jia Qinglin, Human Rights Watch said in a statement.
Full report at:
http://alhittin.com/2013/02/05/malaysia-deports-asylum-seeking-uyghur-muslims-to-china/
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Investigation Ongoing Into Baby Trafficking Network in Jakarta
Bayu Marhaenjati | February 07, 2013
The Jakarta Police will cooperate with Interpol to further investigate an alleged international baby trafficking network uncovered recently in the capital.
“We’re still investigating another group [abroad] that cooperated with this group,” Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said on Thursday.
Police on Tuesday said they had uncovered a baby trafficking network and arrested seven people in West Jakarta on Jan. 9. The seven suspects consist of a dukun beranak (traditional midwife), a former bidan (certified midwife) and housewives who acted as brokers.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/investigation-ongoing-into-baby-trafficking-network-in-jakarta/570153
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Europe
French try to root out would-be jihadists at home
By By ELAINE GANLEY, Associated Press
February 7, 2013
PARIS (AP) — France, waging war against Islamist extremists in Mali, is on the hunt for would-be fighters at home, fearful that they will join militants in the conflict in its former African colony or take radical action on French soil.
With Iraq and Afghanistan no longer magnets for foreign fighters, officials say they worry that some angry youth among the country's large Muslim population are instead looking to test their radicalized faith on the battlefield in Mali or the Syrian civil war.
Police have rounded up youths they suspect of trying to join Islamist extremists in West Africa, arresting four this week, and expelled radical imams and others considered risks to public order. Authorities, who have long viewed France's Muslim community of at least 5 million with a special lens, say they fear they could trigger a spread of radicalization among Muslims in disaffected suburban housing projects where unemployment and resentment against state institutions is rife.
Full report at: Copyright © 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
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'Muslim Patrol' police London streets
FEBRUARY 7, 2013
A group of young men are attempting to create 'Muslim zones' in East London.
In East London, a group under the name of "Muslim Patrol" have been posting YouTube videos showing them patrolling the streets of predominantly Muslim neighbourhoods and harassing people who they think are not conforming to Muslim law, the moral code and religious law of Islam.
Full report at:
http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201302062143-0022530
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France seeks Mali exit, handover to UN peacekeepers
Feb 7, 2013
GAO, MALI: Nearly a month after launching an offensive in Mali to drive out Islamist extremists, France mulled the withdrawal of its troops on Thursday after asking the UN to prepare a peacekeeping force to take the baton.
France's 28-day-old intervention has largely driven the al-Qaida-linked rebels, who controlled northern Mali for 10 months and had threatened to advance on the capital, to the remote mountains of the far northeast, along the Algerian border.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/France-seeks-Mali-exit-handover-to-UN-peacekeepers/articleshow/18383548.cms
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Half of all Afghans paid bribes in 2012: UN report
7 February 2013
KABUL: The cost of corruption in Afghanistan has risen sharply and half of all citizens paid a bribe to public officials last year, a new United Nations study said Thursday.
More than 11 years after a US-led invasion led to billions of dollars in aid flowing into one of the world’s poorest countries, Afghanistan ranks among the most corrupt nations on earth.
And Western nations due to pull their troops out next year have linked future financial support to the aid-dependent nation to a crackdown on graft.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/02/07/half-of-all-afghans-paid-bribes-in-2012-un-report/
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Bulgaria defends blaming Hezbollah for bombing
7 February 2013
SOFIA: Bulgaria’s foreign minister defended himself yesterday against accusations that Sofia lacked the proof to blame Hezbollah for a July bomb attack that killed five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian.
“If Bulgaria did not have enough arguments to announce that the traces in this attack lead to Hezbollah’s military wing, we would not have done it,” Nikolay Mladenov said on BNT television.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/bulgaria-defends-blaming-hezbollah-bombing
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North America
Drone policy is far worse than Bush terror policy
By Jane C. Timm
02/05/2013
Responding to the U.S. White Paper detailing the legal reasoning behind the C.I.A.’s drone wars on terrorists in countries like Pakistan and Yemen, Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough said that the U.S.’s drone policy is far more questionable than President George W. Bush’s long-criticized rendition, interrogation, and torture policies.
“Here you’ve got a situation where the U.S. government is killing Americans without judicial review, without any crimes being charged against them,” Scarborough said. “It’s hard to say how many stop signs were blown through here. But for those that were shocked at the Bush administration “torture memos,” they must be really stunned by this.”
Full report at:
http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/02/05/scarborough-drone-policy-is-far-worse-than-bush-terror-policy/
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Kenyan role in CIA torture of war on terror suspects
February 6, 2013
Security agencies worked with US following 2001 terrorist attacks, claims rights lobby
Government Spokesman Muthui Kariuki said the report had not been given to Kenyan officials.
Kenya is among 54 countries that took part in CIA operations involving torture in the years following the 2001 US terror attacks, a human rights group said on Tuesday.
“Responsibility for the abuses lies not only with the United States, but with dozens of foreign governments that were complicit,” the group says in a report entitled “Globalising Torture.”
It details what the Central Intelligence Agency and its partner governments did to 136 known victims, including as many as four Kenyans.
Full report at:
http://africajournalismtheworld.com/2013/02/06/kenyan-role-in-cia-torture-of-war-on-terror-suspects/
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Barack Obama seeks to reset relationship with Benjamin Netanyahu
Feb 7, 2013
WASHINGTON: After a long and chilly four years, Barack Obama hopes to reset his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he makes his first trip to Israel as president this spring.
Obama won't be carrying any big new Mideast peace plans when he embarks on the trip, which will also include a stop in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, officials say. But repairing the relationship with Netanyahu, a key ally with whom Obama has often been at odds, could itself be a crucial step toward reopening a pathway to peace in the region.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Barack-Obama-seeks-to-reset-relationship-with-Benjamin-Netanyahu/articleshow/18377132.cms
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United States expands sanctions on Iran to press nuclear case
Feb 7, 2013
WASHINGTON: The United States on Wednesday tightened sanctions on Iran to further choke off its oil income, saying it was necessary to increase pressure on Tehran over its suspected nuclear weapons program.
It also set sanctions against Iranian media organizations and Tehran's Cyber Police for what it called human rights abuses for censorship.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/United-States-expands-sanctions-on-Iran-to-press-nuclear-case/articleshow/18375739.cms
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US judge throws out Iraq lawsuit over UN aid program
7 February 2013
A US judge on Wednesday dismissed Iraq’s lawsuit accusing dozens of companies of conspiring with Saddam Hussein’s regime to frustrate the United Nations’ oil-for-food program, and depriving Iraqis of roughly $10 billion of essential aid.
US District Judge Sidney Stein in Manhattan said the government of Iraq could not recover damages and other remedies under an anti-racketeering law because most of the wrongful conduct took place in foreign countries.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-
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For U.S. Leader in Afghan War, Much Time Making Peace
By MATTHEW ROSENBERG
2013/02/0
KABUL, Afghanistan — After 19 months in Afghanistan, Gen. John R. Allen, the commander of American and coalition forces here, is leaving a war that has become as much about damage control and crisis diplomacy as fighting the Taliban.
Dispatched to begin winding down combat operations, General Allen spent much of his final year here contending with a series of disasters that he now refers to as meteor strikes: a video of Marines urinating on Taliban corpses, the accidental burning of Korans by American soldiers, civilian deaths in coalition airstrikes, and the massacre of 16 civilians by an American soldier.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/07/world/asia/general-allen-departing-afghan-war-
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/pakistan-women,-children-scouts-vehicles/d/10315