Pakistani Mullahs Condemn Removal of Jihad Related Verses from Text Books as anti-Islamic
Woman axed to death by son for ‘honour’ in Pakistan
Muslim juror removed from jury after refusing to take off veil
American charged with hate crime for attacking temple, mosque
Obama calls Palestinian President Abbas to discuss Middle East peace
Maldives president opens Parliament amid protests
NATO must probe Libya civilian deaths
New report lifts lid on torture in Afghan prisons
Explosions across Iraq, 39 dead
Iraqi Shias protest against government corruption
Hindu conversions: Families plead for meeting with their daughters
Forced conversions, abductions instilling insecurity in Pak Hindus
Syrian Defectors Clash with Security Forces in Capital
Pakistan: Terror incidents surge pushes 2,000 tribal families out of Bara areas
Egypt: Brother of Al Qaeda’s Leader Is Acquitted
When a Kashmiri teen hijacked plane with a toy pistol
Obama focused on defeating al-Qaida in Afghanistan: White House
Freed British journalists leave Libya for home
Gaddafi spy chief to be extradited
4 militants killed in Khyber blast
Woman among two killed in Balochistan
Gunman kills 4 at Jewish school in France
Pakistan: Chief of a banned outfit is dead, claims IGP
Pak’s support for Haqqani network has increased: report
Dr Chishti finally released from Indian prison, deported to Pakistan
Taliban militant responsible for flogging woman arrested from Swat
Engineer lodges FIR against Balochistan minister
Pakistani panel concludes proceedings in Mumbai
US to apologise over NATO air raid – finally
Pakistani parliament says no to US drones
‘Zardari sets historic precedent’ by addressing parliament for the fifth time in office
UN tries to back effort to end Syria conflict
Fierce clashes rock Syria, Annan team arrives
'Rogue' soldier Bales may be charged within a week
Russia against U.S. drawdown in Afghanistan
Russia joins Red Cross call for daily truce in Syria
Kingdom vows measures to bring down oil prices
German-Afghan man being tried on Qaeda charges
Osama’s kin moves court for sister’s custody
US, NATO must fulfill UN mandate in Afghanistan
Deadly clashes rock Damascus as Red Cross aims for truce
Situation has improved in Karachi: DIG Headquarters
Iranian deputy FM offers condolences over death of Egyptian Coptic Pope
Afghan killings suspect owes $1.5mn in fraud case
Lawyer prepares to meet US Afghan killings suspect
German-Afghan man being tried on al Qaeda charges
Year of revolt in Syria fails to loosen Assad’s grip
U.S. red tape delaying visas for Iraqi allies
U.S. War Game Sees Perils of Israeli Strike Against Iran
Osama's children were born in Pakistan: Report
Bangladesh rules out dawn-to-dusk curfew in border areas
India: UP to get its first Muslim chief secretary
Complied by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: A Muslim woman was barred from her jury duty after refusing to take off her veil
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Pakistani Mullahs Condemn Removal of Jihad Related Verses from Text Books as anti-Islamic
March 20, 2012
PESHAWAR - Ulema belonging to Jamiat Ulema Ittihad condemned exclusion of Quranic verses, relating to commandments on jihad, from the syllabus of ninth and tenth classes and termed the act tantamount to committing infidelity.
They demanded of the government to restore the syllabus of Islamiat in its old position. “The rulers, in fact, want to enforce secularism and the removal of jihad related verses in addition to inclusion of Helen Keller’s ‘Three Days to See’ while excluding a lesson regarding the Holy Prophet (PBUH). “It was the first step towards anti-Islam system,” they said while addressing a news conference here at press club on Monday.
The Ulema who spoke on the occasion included Pir Mohammad Chishti, Maulana Abd-ul-Barq, Maulana Ata-ur-Rahman, Maulana Dr Altaf-ur-Rahman, Alama Abid Hussain Shakari, Maulana Yousaf Qureshi, head Masjid-e-Mahabat Khan, Maulana Ghulam-ur-Rahman and Maulana abd-ul-Chitrali.
“Those shared their ideas regarding new syllabus and replacement of our Prophet’s (PBUH) lesson with a non-Muslim writer’s lesson committed ‘kufr’ so they should renew their faith in Allah,” a decree issued by the Ulema said.
The Ulema said while giving details that ‘Voice of God’ was replaced with ‘Giant Man’ and ‘Hazrat Omar second caliph of Islam’ was replaced with ‘Quaid-e-Azam.’ They said that Pakistan had been brought into being in the name of Islam but the government erased the religious lessons and Quranic verses from class ninth and 10th. They said it exposed un-Islamic thinking of the rulers, who wanted merely to please the US.
Criticising the rulers for beign pro-US, they said they were ineligible to rule a Muslims-run country, adding that the Constitution of Pakistan also ordered to follow Islamic commandments. “The rulers want Islam but as per their wishes not according to command of Allah and Prophet,” they blamed.
“Cruelty and brutality crossed and for sake of dollars, Muslims are being killed,” Maulana Yousaf Qureshi claimed and predicted for bloodshed revolution in the country because of anti-Islamic activities and thoughts of the government.
They said “A conspiracy against Islam is being hatched while the rulers help conspirators in this regard for money”. “We will not allow our youth to be misguided by secularists,” they challenged.
They, therefore, demanded of the government to restore Islamic Ayaat in the syllabus and lessons of Islamic stories otherwise, a big protest demonstration of Islamists will be made in Peshawar and movement against the against ANP-led government on March 25, 2012.
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/20-Mar-2012/ulema-for-undoing-first-step-towards-anti-islam-system
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Woman axed to death by son for ‘honour’ in Pakistan
March 20, 2012
HAFIZABAD - A woman was axed to death by her son ‘apparently’ over suspicion of illicit relations here in Maghoke village on Monday.
The police have registered a case against Zaigham for killing his mother. According to police source, Zubaida Bibi developed illicit relations with a young man and his friends often taunted Zaigham about the immorality of his mother. The son advised his mother to mend her ways time and again but she lent deaf ear to his son’s complaints. Thereupon he had harsh words with his mother and then allegedly attacked her with an axe, killing her on the spot.
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/20-Mar-2012/woman-axed-to-death-by-son-for-honour
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Muslim juror removed from jury after refusing to take off veil
20 March 2012
A Muslim juror has been excused from sitting on a case because her veil concealed her facial expressions.
The woman was about to take the oath in the attempted murder trial when Judge Aidan Marron QC interrupted to ask if she was prepared to remove her niqab.
The black fabric garment covered her hair and face, leaving a narrow slit through which her eyes could be seen.
When she said she was not prepared to take it off, she was asked to step down and a white male member of the jury pool was sworn in her place at Blackfriars Crown Court in London.
In the presence of the rest of the jury panel, Judge Marron said: 'I wonder whether I can address the lady who is veiled.
'Would you prefer not to remove your veil in this particular case?'
The woman, who was otherwise wearing western clothing including a fitted grey jacket, replied: 'Yes.'
Judge Marron added: 'I entirely understand that, but in this particular case it is desirable that your face is exposed, so I'm going to invite you to stand down.
'I hope you understand.'
The woman said she did and went to sit in the public gallery with the rest of those whose names had not been called, before following the usher from court.
She was expected to return to the jury waiting room where jurors are chosen for other cases.
Massoud Shadjareh, chairman of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, told the Daily Mail the decision by the judge was "unacceptable".
"I really can’t understand why facial expressions could have any impact on the judge, the judgment or anyone else in a trial. It has no relevance," he said.
"I’m speechless that you can exclude someone on the basis of the way that they dress.
"It’s very worrying that a judge is being prejudiced against women wearing a veil."
According to guidance from the Judicial Studies Board's equality advisory committee in 2007, Muslim women should be allowed to serve while wearing the veil as long as it did not interfere with the administration of justice.
The guidelines said: "Each situation should be considered individually in order to find the best solution in each case."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/9154573/Muslim-juror-removed-from-jury-after-refusing-to-take-off-veil.html
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American charged with hate crime for attacking temple, mosque
Mar 20, 2012
New York: A 40-year-old man from New-York has been charged with hate crime for throwing firebombs at four locations across the city, including a Hindu temple and a mosque, on New Year’s Day this year.
An indictment unsealed yesterday in Brooklyn federal court charges Ray Lazier Lengend, also known as ‘Suraj Poonai’, with hate crimes and explosives offenses stemming from his racially and religiously motivated fire-bombings of the Imam Al-Khoei Foundation mosque and a Hindu temple housed in a private residence in Queens on 1 January, 2012, US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Loretta Lynch said in a statement here. Lengend is also charged with an explosives offense in connection with his fire-bombing of a convenience store in Queens. He will be arraigned on 26 March before US Magistrate
Judge Ramon Reyes.
If convicted, Lengend will face a minimum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and a maximum sentence of life.
Lengend’s fire-bombing spree began on the evening of 1 January when he threw a flaming bottle filled with gasoline at a local convenience store. A store employee extinguished the flames. No one was hurt in the incident.
Lengend’s next target was a private residence, which caught fire when he hurled moloto cocktails at the building. He later went to the Imam Al-Khoei Foundation mosque, where he threw glass bottles containing gasoline at the building with the goal of inflicting damage on the mosque and harming Muslims and Arabs.
Lengend’s final fire-bombing in Queens targeted the Hindu temple, located inside the residence of the temple’s leader. Lengend was arrested within two days of the attack.
http://www.firstpost.com/fwire/american-charged-with-hate-crime-for-attacking-temple-mosque-250127.html
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Obama calls Palestinian President Abbas to discuss Middle East peace
Mar 20, 2012
Washington: US President Barack Obama has called Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the two leaders have agreed on the necessity of the two-state solution, the White House said.
“The two leaders agreed on the necessity of the two-state solution, and President Obama noted that Jordan’s efforts to foster direct discussions between Israel and the Palestinians are an important contribution to the cause of peace,” the White House said in a statement.
Obama and Abbas yesterday also discussed the ongoing need to build trust between the parties and for all sides to refrain from provocative actions that make it more difficult to build such trust.
During the talks, Obama reaffirmed United State’s commitment to Middle East Peace and to the overall objectives outlined by the Quartet. Obama noted the positive efforts by King Abdullah of Jordan and his Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh to advance dialogue between the parties, it said.
“The President also noted the need for all parties to reinforce the efforts that have brought an end to the recent fighting and thanked President Abbas for his contributions in that regard,” the White House said.
http://www.firstpost.com/fwire/obama-calls-palestinian-president-abbas-to-discuss-middle-east-peace-249960.html
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Maldives president opens Parliament amid protests
19 MARCH 2012
Amidst opposition supporters picketing Parliament and violence on the streets, Maldives President Mohammed Waheed on Monday gave his maiden Presidential address saying he was open for early elections.
Vowing to uphold the constitution, Waheed delivered his his 15-minute address, during which he said he had no objection to early elections, provided all parties agree and necessary constitutional amendments are made.
“This is the time for all of us to work together in one spirit, the time to bring political differences to the discussion table in order to formulate solutions”, said the President, who formally opened the Parliament on Monday .
This was Waheed’s second attempt to address the Parliament since he took office last month in a contentious power transfer.
For Full Report:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/world/51001-maldives-president-opens-parliament-amid-protests.html
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Nato must probe Libya civilian deaths
19 March 2012
Amnesty has called on Nato to investigate civilian deaths from its bombing campaign in Libya last year.
The human rights group said it had evidence that 55 civilians, including 16 children and 14 women, were killed in air strikes.
It acknowledged Nato tried to minimise civilian deaths, but said it must compensate families of those killed.
Nato said it had looked into all credible reports of civilians being harmed, and would continue to do so.
Amnesty issued its report on the anniversary of the start of the Nato bombing campaign against Col Muammar Gaddafi's forces, acting under a UN mandate to protect civilians.
For Full Report:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17429117
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New report lifts lid on torture in Afghan prisons
March 20, 2012
* AIHRC raises ‘serious concerns’ about US policies on detainee transfers and safeguards
KABUL: A new report suggests that torture in Afghan prisons is more widespread than previously thought and that detainees arrested by US troops have been tortured after being transferred to Afghan custody.
Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) raised ‘serious concerns’ about US policies on detainee transfers and safeguards intended to make sure the United States was not complicit in torture.
The US Embassy told AFP on Monday it was taking the allegations seriously. “We are looking into it,” a spokesman said.
The report said detainees were tortured at nine National Directorate of Security (NDS) prisons and at several police centres, based on monitoring and interviews with more than 100 detainees between February 2011 and January 2012.
Beatings, being suspended from the ceiling, electric shocks, threatened or actual sexual abuse, and other forms of abuse, were used routinely to obtain confessions or other information, the AIHRC said.
For Full Report:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\03\20\story_20-3-2012_pg7_11
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Explosions across Iraq, 39 dead
Mar 20 2012,
Baghdad : Explosions rocked two more towns in Iraq on Tuesday, raising the toll in a string of bomb attacks across the country to 39 dead and 188 wounded, police and hospital sources said.
A car bomb targeting a police patrol in Mahmudiya in the south killed three people and wounded 12, while a car bomb blast near a convoy carrying the governor of Anbar province killed one of his security men and wounded eight other people.
At least 14 other explosions hit various Iraqi cities and towns earlier on Tuesday, extending a spate of militant violence ahead of next week's Arab League summit in Baghdad.
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/926026/
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Iraqi Shias protest against government corruption
19 March, 12
Tens of thousands of Iraqi Shias have marked the ninth anniversary of the US-led invasion which overthrew Saddam Hussein with a large rally in the southern city of Basra.
Supporters of the Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr used the protest to demand better living conditions.
They shouted slogans criticising government corruption and held electric cables to highlight power cuts.
Meanwhile, at least three people were killed in bomb attacks east of Baghdad.
Dozens others were injured in the bombings in Diyala province, Iraqi officials said.
Uneasy relationship
During the rally in Basra, followers of Mr Sadr said the Iraqi government must provide better-paid jobs, improve public services and tackle corruption.
"We have suffered a lot in this rich country," protester Hassan Saleh was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.
For Full Report:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17437064
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Hindu conversions: Families plead for meeting with their daughters
March 20, 2012
KARACHI: On Monday, Lata and Rinkle Kumari’s families wept and appealed to the government to let them meet their daughters, while 15-year-old Asha’s family demanded that the authorities should find and rescue their missing daughter.
While speaking in Sindhi at a press conference at Karachi Press Club, Rinkle’s mother begged and pleaded for an opportunity to meet her daughter. According to Asha’s mother Reshma, her daughter went missing 18 days ago from Jacobabad. While wiping her tears with her dupatta, she said that it was cruel that the authorities had not found her as yet. While talking to The Express Tribune, Asha’s brother Vinod Kumar said that he used to drop and pick his sister from the parlour where she was doing a course. “When I went to pick her up on March 3, the parlour owner told me that she had already left,” he said. “She was so tired of the course. She did not want to go there anymore but I kept pushing her to do so.”
The family registered the FIR and nominated the parlour owner. So far the case is still under investigation.
For Full Report:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/352362/hindu-conversions-families-plead-for-meeting-with-their-daughters/
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Forced conversions, abductions instilling insecurity in Pak Hindus
Mar 19 2012
Islamabad : Forced conversions and increasing incidents of kidnapping have instilled a "deep sense of insecurity" in the minority Hindu community in Balochistan province of southwest Pakistan, a provincial minister has said.
A total of four girls and three boys of the Hindu community were forcibly converted to Islam last year, said Minister for Human Rights and Minority Affairs Basant Lal Gulshan.
At least 25 Hindus were kidnapped for ransom this year.
"There were 55 cases last year and we are witnessing a sharp rise this year," he said.
Rajesh Kumar, a pharmacist, was kidnapped from outside the Bolan Medical College Complex in Quetta about one-and-half months ago. His whereabouts are still unknown.
Hindu families had been migrating from Quetta, the provincial capital, following the increase in abductions and forced conversions, Gulshan told The Express Tribune."
At least 50 Hindu families have migrated from Quetta alone," he said.
For Full Report:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/925597/
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Syrian Defectors Clash With Security Forces in Capital
By ANNE BARNARD
March 19, 2012
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Armed Syrian defectors took their uprising into the heart of a heavily guarded and wealthy district of Damascus on Monday, clashing with security forces in what activists and residents called the most intense fighting in such a strategic area since the protests against President Bashar al-Assad began a year ago.
The flaring of violence in the Syrian capital followed a weekend in which bombers struck at government targets in both Damascus and Aleppo, Syria’s largest cities, raising concerns that the scope of the armed uprising was expanding into places that had been largely spared from violence.
The clashes in Damascus also coincided with the arrival of a monitoring team sent by Kofi Annan, the special representative on Syria for the United Nations and the Arab League. Mr. Annan is trying to advance his effort to start a dialogue between the antagonists in the Syria conflict and open the way for humanitarian aid.
There were also signs that Russia, Mr. Assad’s most important foreign supporter, For Full Report:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/20/world/middleeast/heavy-fighting-rocks-damascus-neighborhood.html?ref=middleeast
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Pakistan: Terror incidents surge pushes 2,000 tribal families out of Bara areas
By: Ahmad Nabi
March 20, 2012
KHYBER AGENCY – More than 2,000 tribal families have evacuated their homes and left the area to take refuge in safe places as fresh violence activities have been resumed in Bara, local sources said on Monday.
They said over 2,000 families from Shlobar, Malikdin Khel, Aka Khel, and Sepah and Kamr Khel areas fled to settled areas to their relatives and to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps.
For Full Report:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/20-Mar-2012/terror-incidents-surge-pushes-2-000-families-out-of-bara-areas
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Egypt: Brother of Al Qaeda’s Leader Is Acquitted
March 20, 2012
The brother of Al Qaeda’s leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, and seven others were cleared of terrorism charges after a retrial in an Egyptian military court on Monday, their lawyer said. The court overturned an earlier conviction of Mohamed al-Zawahri and seven others on charges of planning to overthrow the state, said the lawyer, Mamdouh Ismail. Mr. Zawahri, Mohamed Islamboli and Abdelaziz el-Gamal were sentenced to death in the 1990s in the first trial, Mr. Ismail said. The others had received prison terms of five years to life.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/20/world/middleeast/egypt-brother-of-al-qaedas-leader-is-acquitted.html?ref=middleeast
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When a Kashmiri teen hijacked plane with a toy pistol
IANS
SRINAGAR, Mar 20, 2012, : Forty-three years after it happened, few remember that one of the earliest plane hijacks in the world was carried out with a toy pistol by a 16-year-old Kashmiri boy. But in the mind of Hashim Qureshi, that boy who is now 59 years old, the incident still ticks away like the script of a high voltage Hollywood thriller.
He hijacked an Indian Airlines Srinagar-Jammu flight to Lahore Jan 30, 1969, armed with a toy pistol and a wooden grenade. From a freedom fighting hijacker to an advocate of peace and progress today, his journey has been arduous.
Hashim, who is still facing a hijack case in a Srinagar court - the trial has been going on for 12 years, says he first went to Pakistan in 1968 to see his sister who had married there.
For Full Report:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/When-a-Kashmiri-teen-hijacked-plane-with-a-toy-pistol/articleshow/12340057.cms
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Obama focused on defeating al-Qaida in Afghanistan: White House
Mar 20, 2012,
WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama is focused on his goal of disrupting, dismantling and defeating al-Qaida in Afghanistan and is confident of achieving that, a top presidential aide said on Monday.
"The fact is that the everything that we do there in Afghanistan is focused on our goal of disrupting, dismantling and defeating al-Qaida, of stabilising Afghanistan sufficiently so that we can train up and transfer authority to Afghan security forces and withdraw our troops as we do that," White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters.
"The bravery and courage of our men and women in uniform has been astounding throughout, and they continue to focus on that mission, in very difficult circumstances. So the president's focused on that," he said responding to questions on the recent developments in Afghanistan.
Obama, he said, had called his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai after 16 Afghan civilians were killed by a US soldier in Kandahar.
The soldier has been arrested and has been brought back to the US where he faces criminal charges.
For Full Report:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Obama-focused-on-defeating-al-Qaida-in-Afghanistan-White-House/articleshow/12334752.cms
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Freed British journalists leave Libya for home
March 20, 2012
TRIPOLI - Two British journalists detained by a Libyan militia a month ago and accused of spying left Tripoli for the United Kingdom on Monday after being cleared of all charges.
Nicholas Davies-Jones and Gareth Montgomery-Johnson, who were working for Iran's English-language Press TV, were detained on February 22 by the Swehli brigade, one of dozens of militias which last year helped force out Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Earlier this month, the Swehli militia said the Britons, initially detained for entering Libya illegally, were suspected of spying. Both men were transferred to government custody last week and were released on Sunday after charges were dropped.
For Full Report:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/international/20-Mar-2012/freed-british-journalists-leave-libya-for-home
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Gaddafi spy chief to be extradited
March 20, 2012
NOUAKCHOTT - Libya's vice-premier said Monday his country was determined to have Muammar Gaddafi's ex-spy chief, also wanted by the International Criminal Court, extradited to stand trial on home soil. "We are determined to get (Abdullah) Senussi back, because this man has committed crimes against Libyans. He must answer to these in Libya, in front of Libyan courts," Mustafa Abu Shagur said on arrival in Mauritania where Senussi was arrested Friday. "We are in Mauritania among our brothers. Without doubt there are common interests between Mauritanians and Libyans which we value," he added.
For Full Report:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/international/20-Mar-2012/gaddafi-spy-chief-to-be-extradited
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4 militants killed in Khyber blast
March 20, 2012
KHYBER AGENCY - At least four militants were killed and a number of others sustained injuries, some of them seriously, when an explosive device went off in Dwathoai, a remote area of Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency, official and local sources informed on Monday.
However, identification of the deceased militants could not be ascertained. There was also no arrest.
It is worth mentioning here since long various militant groups have been fighting to get hold of the area.
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/20-Mar-2012/4-militants-killed-in-khyber-blast
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Woman among two killed in Balochistan
By: Bari Baloch
March 20, 2012
QUETTA - A man was killed and two others wounded, including a police constable in separate acts of violence in different towns of Balochistan while a tortured body of a woman was found in Pishin.
Unidentified armed men opened fire in Usta Muhammad Chowk within the limits of Dera Allahyar police station Jaffarabad, seriously wounding Shahzad Solangi. He was being shifted to Civil Hospital where he died. The deceased was resident of Rohjan Jamali, however, motive behind the killing is yet to be ascertained.
Police handed over the body to heirs after completing medico-legal formalities and registered a case against unidentified people. In another incident in the same town of Usta Muhammad, a police constable was wounded when armed men attacked a police post in Kanki area.
For Full Report:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/20-Mar-2012/woman-among-two-killed-in-balochistan
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Gunman kills 4 at Jewish school in France
Mar 20 2012,
Toulouse : A motorcycle assailant opened fire with two handguns Monday in front of a Jewish school in the French city of Toulouse, killing a rabbi, his two young sons and a schoolgirl. One of the guns had also been used in other deadly motorcycle attacks in the area, officials said.
Authorities ordered increased security at schools and synagogues around the country after an attack that revolted France, where school shootings and deadly attacks on Jews are extremely rare. The attack, the third motorcycle-based slaying in the area in a week, also produced high-level uproar in Israel and drew condemnation from the US government.
For Full Report:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/925730/
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Pakistan: Chief of a banned outfit is dead, claims IGP
March 20, 2012
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Inspector General (IG) Akbar Hoti claimed on Monday that Mangal Bagh, chief of a banned outfit, was killed in a military operation in Kurram Agency. Talking to reporters, Hoti said the warlord was killed during a skirmish with security forces in the tribal region where a military offensive is underway. Bagh’s banned Laskhar-e-Islam (LI) operates in Kurram and Orakzai agencies. At least 51 terrorists and four soldiers have been killed in air strikes and clashes with security forces in Kurram and Orakzai over the past week, officials said on Sunday. On the other hand, the banned outfit rubbished the claims and said Bagh was alive and staying at a safe place.
For Full Report:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\03\20\story_20-3-2012_pg1_4
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Pak’s support for Haqqani network has increased: report
Mar 20, 2012
Washington: Pakistan’s support for Haqqani network has increased through both facilitating additional sanctuary and providing strategic and operational guidance, a top US think tank has said.
In its report yesterday, the Institute for the Study of War has asserted that the network represents a strategic threat to the enduring stability of the Afghan state and US national security interests in the region.
“The Haqqani Network is the primary proxy force backed by elements of Pakistan’s security establishment. Pakistan’s support for the Haqqani Network has increased, through both facilitating additional sanctuary and providing strategic and operational guidance,” the report “The Haqqani Network: A Strategic Threat” said.
Pak-based terrorist outfit, the Haqqanis, are currently Afghanistan's most capable and potent insurgent group.
For Full Report:
http://www.firstpost.com/world/paks-support-for-haqqani-network-has-increased-report-249921.html
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Dr Chishti finally released from Indian prison, deported to Pakistan
By Aditi Phadnis
March 20, 2012
NEW DELHI: Pakistani virologist Mohammad Khalil Chishti, who was serving life term in Ajmer jail for murder, was sent back home after he was granted clemency by the Indian government, the Indian Supreme Court was told late on Monday.
Chishti, 80, has been ailing for a long time and is suffering ischemic heart disease, and left ventricular failure. He also had a hip fracture.
He had been on a visit to his family to Ajmer in 1992 when he was involved in a fight resulting in the murder of his relative, Sayyed Idris Chishti, on the premises of the famous Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti.
On Feb 14, 1992, Chishti went to attend a wedding in the neighbourhood and got into an argument with his relative and some others. The same evening, a mob, including Idris, came to Chishti’s brother’s house and a scuffle broke out between the two groups.
According to the prosecution, Chishti opened fire and killed Idris.
Chishti and four others were arrested in March 1992. He was, however, released on bail and shifted to his brother’s farmhouse at Hatundi, 12 km from Ajmer and kept under house arrest. Chishti never violated bail conditions until he was formally re-arrested and put behind bars.
For Full Report:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/352536/dr-chishti-finally-released-deported-back-to-pakistan/
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Taliban militant responsible for flogging woman arrested from Swat
By Fazal Khaliq
March 20, 2012
SWAT: Charbagh Police claimed to have nabbed Fazal Hadi, a high profile Taliban militant on late Monday evening on a tip-off received from the Swat valley of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Hadi was allegedly involved in flogging a married girl, Saira Bibi in Asharbanr village of Charbagh tehsil.
He was arrested after returning to Asharbanr village from Hyderabad.
Saira who was married to Fazal Amin, a day labourer, was handed 30 lashes in 2009 by a self-styled Taliban Sharia court without having heard her plea - for a crime she had never committed.
She was accused of having illicit relations with a man in her in-laws by Hadi and Maulvi Abdur Rehman and other relatives of her husband.
For Full Report:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/352543/taliban-militant-responsible-for-flogging-woman-arrested-from-swat/
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Engineer lodges FIR against Balochistan minister
March 20, 2012
QUETTA: A chief Engineer lodged an FIR against Balochistan Minister for Communication accusing him of opening fire at his residence in Railway Housing Society and threatening him with dire consequences.
Balochistan Engineers Association (BEA) has demanded of Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani to sack Ali Madad Jatak from the provincial cabinet and launch a probe into the matter on charges of vandalism and violence.
Chief Engineer Ameer Hamza Badini told reporters that Ali Madad Jatak of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) called on him Sunday night and pressured him to award the tender of a construction project to his acquaintance without publishing the notice in newspapers.
He added: “The minister threatened me with dire consequences when I refused to obey his directives and sent armed men with sophisticated weapons in three vehicles who opened fire at my residence”.
“The firing lasted several minutes, damaging my vehicle and the boundary wall of the house,” he said.
For Full Report:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/352456/criminal-behavior-engineer-lodges-fir-against-balochistan-minister/
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Pakistani panel concludes proceedings in Mumbai
By Asad Kharal
March 20, 2012
LAHORE: The Pakistani panel investigating the 2008 Mumbai attacks has completed its proceedings in Mumbai, but may make little headway after the commission was not allowed to interrogate Ajmal Kasab or cross-examine other witnesses.
An eight-member panel of defence lawyers, prosecutors and a court official had reached India on March 14 to record the statements of the chief investigator and magistrate who had interrogated Kasab and doctors who had conducted autopsies on terrorists and victims. Ajmal Kasab is the lone surviving gunman of the 2008 attacks in Mumbai that killed 166 people.
“The Pakistani judicial commission was not allowed to cross-examine the chief investigator, magistrate and doctors,” an official said.
For Full Report:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/352425/2008-attacks-probe-pakistani-panel-concludes-proceedings-in-mumbai/
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US to apologise over NATO air raid – finally
By Kamran Yousaf
March 20, 2012
ISLAMABAD: After months of diplomatic squabbling over a deadly cross-border air raid by Nato troops on Pakistani posts, the United States now plans to offer a formal public apology to Islamabad, officials said on Monday.
Until now Washington was reluctant to apologise over the November 26, 2011 air strike on Pakistani border posts in the Salala area of Mohmand Agency that killed two dozen troops. It has ‘regretted’ the incident, though.
“The apology may come from the highest level and will be offered during or soon after the joint session of Parliament, which is scheduled to open a debate today on new terms of engagement (with the US),” a senior leader in the PPP-led ruling coalition told The Express Tribune.
For Full Report:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/352452/delayed-response-us-to-apologise-over-nato-air-raid--finally/
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Pakistani parliament says no to US drones
AP | Mar 20, 2012, 02.23P
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani parliamentary commission demanded on Tuesday an end to American drone attacks inside the country as part of proposed new terms of engagement with the United States.
The demand could complicate efforts to rebuild US-Pakistani ties that were all but severed by US airstrikes in November along the Afghan border that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. The attack also led to Pakistan's closure of Nato supply lines to Afghanistan.
The parliament commission suggested Tuesday that the supply lines would not be permanently cut, as many Pakistanis would like, though it did not explicitly link the issue of the drones and the border closure.
Washington wants to rebuild its relationship with Pakistan, which is important to the success of striking a deal with insurgents in neighboring Afghanistan.
For Full Report:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistani-parliament-says-no-to-US-drones/articleshow/12340998.cms
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‘Zardari sets historic precedent’ by addressing parliament for the fifth time in office
March 20, 2012
LAHORE – Member Federal Council of PPP Dr Zia Ullah Khan Bangash has said that President Asif Ali Zardari has set a historic precedent by addressing parliament for the fifth time in office.
Addressing a gathering of PPP workers from Northern Lahore at his residence after hosting a reception, the former MPA and member of FC stated that the hue and cry raised by PML-N during the Presidential address was reflection of its frustration as it had been politically isolated due to its anti democratic stance.
Dr Bangash said that the language used by Shahbaz Sharif against the elected head of the country was highly condemnable and proved that political isolation of PML-N was constantly tormenting its leadership.
The reception was also attended by former President of PP-143 Shahid Sulehri, Arshad Mehmood, Liaqut Shah, Abdul Rasheed, Zahid Mian, Shabir Mughal and others.
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/lahore/20-Mar-2012/-zardari-sets-historic-precedent
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UN tries to back effort to end Syria conflict
Mar 20, 2012
United Nations: Key Western nations are hoping the divided UN Security Council will unite and act swiftly to adopt a a nonbinding statement backing international envoy Kofi Annan’s proposals to broker a cease-fire in Syria and kick-start a political dialogue between the government and opposition.
German Ambassador Peter Witting said the proposed statement “is a clear message to the Syrian authorities to cooperate with Kofi Annan and to cooperate with the Security Council. And immediately end the violence that is still raging in a very brutal way, as we speak.”
France circulated the draft statement on Monday and council experts and ambassadors were scheduled to discuss it on Tuesday, with several hoping it could be approved possibly late in the day.
Annan, a former United Nations secretary-general who is the newly appointed UN and Arab League envoy on the Syrian conflict, asked the council Friday to unite behind his effort to end the yearlong bloodshed that the United Nations says has killed more than 8,000 people. According to UN diplomats, he said the stronger and more unified the message from the Security Council, the better the chances of shifting the dynamics of the conflict.
For Full Report:
http://www.firstpost.com/world/un-tries-to-back-effort-to-end-syria-conflict-249997.html
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Fierce clashes rock Syria, Annan team arrives
19 MARCH 2012
Fierce clashes between rebel troops and Syrian forces rocked a Damascus district bristling with security facilities on Monday, just hours before experts sent by peace envoy Kofi Annan arrived in the capital.
The fighting, the heaviest in Damascus since a revolt against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime erupted a year ago, came as the capital was still reeling from deadly weekend bombings.
State television said three “terrorists” and a security force member were killed in the clashes that erupted early morning in the upscale and heavily guarded Mazzeh neighbourhood of Damascus, where several security facilities are housed.
It said several people were also wounded on both sides.
Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said at least 18 security troops were wounded in the fighting that broke out before dawn in Mazzeh.
For Full Report:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/world/51035-fierce-clashes-rock-syria-annan-team-arrives.html
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'Rogue' soldier Bales may be charged within a week
NARAYAN LAKSHMAN
March 19, 2012
Robert Bales, Staff Sergeant alleged to have killed 16 Afghan civilians — including nine women and three children — to death may be charged within a week, according to reports.
Even as the incident rocked U.S.-Afghan relations and inflamed passions in a country already stinging from last month's Koran-burning episode, Afghan President Hamid Karzai questioned the theory that Bales acted alone.
The U.S. army pulled Bales off Afghan soil last week and, after a brief stopover in Kuwait, brought him back to a prison in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
While he is held in solitary confinement there, he may have the opportunity to meet his family, who were moved out of their home in Lake Tapps near the Tacoma area of Washington State for safety.
For Full Report:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article3013537.ece
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Russia against U.S. drawdown in Afghanistan
VLADIMIR RADYUHIN
March 19, 2012
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has come out against the withdrawal of the international military forces from Afghanistan in 2014.
In an interview to the Afghan TV channel TOLO, Mr. Lavrov said the NATO-led forces should not pull out until they fulfil a U.N. mandate to establish a stable government and credible defence forces in Afghanistan.
“I don't think the goal has been achieved,” said Mr. Lavrov when asked whether the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) should leave Afghanistan in 2014 as proposed.
For Full Report:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article3013518.ece
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Russia joins Red Cross call for daily truce in Syria
19 March 2012
Russia has joined the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in calling for a daily two-hour humanitarian ceasefire in Syria.
In a statement, the foreign ministry called on the government "and all armed groups who oppose it" to agree to ceasefires "without delay".
Russia has twice vetoed Western-backed draft resolutions on Syria at the UN Security Council.
Its call came hours after clashes erupted in part of the Syrian capital.
The head of the ICRC, Jakob Kellenberger, had travelled to Moscow to discuss a ceasefire arrangement with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The organisation says a daily pause in fighting is needed to evacuate the wounded from the worst affected areas and allow in food and medicine.
Mr Kellenberger said Russia's support for its appeal was "very important" and that he noted it with "satisfaction and gratitude".
"The most important issue for us is to ensure humanitarian ceasefires as soon as possible," Russian media quoted him as saying.
For Full Report:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17438937?print=true
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Kingdom vows measures to bring down oil prices
Mar 20, 2012
Saudi Arabia announced yesterday it would work individually and in coordination with the GCC countries and other producers to ensure an adequate oil supply to bring down prices to reasonable levels that could accelerate global economic recovery.
The Council of Ministers, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, took the landmark decision after realizing the negative impact of rising oil prices on the world economy, especially on the economies of developing countries.
The Cabinet meeting reiterated Saudi Arabia’s efforts to stabilize the international oil market as it was the largest oil producer and exporter in the world enjoying surplus production capacity and maintaining good relations with other countries.
“The Kingdom will work individually and in cooperation and coordination with GCC and other producers inside and outside OPEC … to ensure adequate oil supply, stabilize oil market and bring down oil prices to reasonable levels acceptable to both producers, consumers and the petroleum industry,” the Cabinet said.
The Cabinet made this statement while reviewing the results of a ministerial conference organized by the International Energy Forum in Kuwait, which drew delegates from more than 70 countries.
For Full Report:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article589449.ece
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German-Afghan man being tried on Qaeda charges
March 20, 2012
KOBLENZ: A German-Afghan man whose information prompted terrorism warnings across Europe in 2010 went on trial in western Germany on Monday; on charges he was a member of al Qaeda and another terrorist group.
Ahmad Wali Siddiqui looked relaxed as his trial opened at a court in the western city of Koblenz. No pleas were entered under the German system and Siddiqui did not immediately address the charges against him, telling the court about his upbringing and how he immigrated to Germany as a teenager. The 37-year-old was captured by US troops in Afghanistan in July 2010 and, while in custody, provided details on alleged al Qaeda plots supposedly targeting European cities. No attacks materialised. He is accused of membership in al Qaeda and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and faces a possible 10 years in prison. Prosecutors alleged that Siddiqui trained with both terrorist groups in Pakistan and in the border region with Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010, with an aim of taking part in jihad, or holy war. For Full Report:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\03\20\story_20-3-2012_pg7_26
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Osama’s kin moves court for sister’s custody
March 20, 2012
ISLAMABAD: Slain al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden’s brother-in-law has filed a petition in the civil judge Islamabad’s court for the custody of his sister Amal Asada and her children. Zakariya has filed the petition through his counsel. According to the petition, the Pakistani officials indicated that he could take his sister and her children to Yemen. The petition also read that a case had been registered against them. Zakariya requested the court to permit him to meet his sister. The court has reserved its judgement in this regard. On the other hand, according to a report issued by an intelligence agency, Osama bin Laden’s three wives, Khaira, Saham and Amal, and two daughters, Mariyam and Samia, entered Pakistan illegally. The report also read Osama’s wives and daughters also gave birth to children in Pakistan and hid their identity when admitted to a hospital. The report read further Osama’s family was not cooperating with the investigation officials. staff report
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\03\20\story_20-3-2012_pg7_10
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US, NATO must fulfill UN mandate in Afghanistan
March 20, 2012
KABUL: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Sunday said that US-led NATO troops must not withdraw from Afghanistan until local forces are able to ensure security for the country. Lavrov told a local television channel that it was a point of “international law” that the Afghan government must “possess the capabilities to maintain law and order” before international forces leave. “The presence of the international stabilisation force in Afghanistan has been mandated by the UN Security Council. The mandate is clear. They must fulfill this mandate before they leave,” he said. After more than 10 years of war there are still about 130,000 NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops in fighting against an ongoing Taliban insurgency. Foreign combat troops are due to leave by the end of 2014 and increasing efforts have been made to train the Afghan army and police to take responsibility for their country’s security. Meanwhile, Washington is negotiating a strategic partnership agreement with Kabul, and looking at the issue of permanent US bases in Afghanistan post-2014. Lavrov said it was “strange” to insist on the withdrawal of troops while at the same time “Washington is discussing with Afghanistan very purposefully about establishing four or five military bases for the post 2014 period”. afp
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\03\20\story_20-3-2012_pg7_3
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Deadly clashes rock Damascus as Red Cross aims for truce
March 20, 2012
* Three rebels, member of security forces killed in Mazzeh neighbourhood
* Kofi Annan arrives in Damascus for talks
BEIRUT: Deadly clashes on Monday rocked a district of the capital of Syria, as pressure grew for a daily humanitarian truce and for international monitors to be deployed across the violence-swept country.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s security forces, meanwhile, launched attacks in several regions, opposition activists said.
The pre-dawn fighting in a heavily guarded area of Damascus, the capital’s heaviest since a revolt against Assad’s regime erupted a year ago, came as residents were still reeling from deadly bombings at the weekend.
At least three rebels and a member of the security forces were killed in the upscale western neighbourhood of Mazzeh, state television and monitors reported.
“Three terrorists were killed and a fourth was arrested in the fighting between security forces and an armed terrorist gang sheltered in a house of a residential district,” the television said.
For Full Report:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\03\20\story_20-3-2012_pg7_1
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Situation has improved in Karachi: DIG Headquarters
March 20, 2012
KARACHI: Due to intelligence sharing and day-to-day targeted search of individuals and groups involved in target killing and extortion, the situation in Karachi has improved. From January 1, 2011 till March 17, 2012, 183 accused involved in extortion have been arrested by the Sindh Police while 37 accused have been arrested in target killing cases.
This was stated by the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Headquarters Sindh Sardar Abdul Majeed in his presentation to the visiting delegation of 96th National Management Course (NMC) at the Central Police Office on Monday.
NMC Chief Instructor Shafiq Hussain Bukhari led the delegation while briefing presided over by Additional Inspector General Sindh Police Falak Khursheed. All senior officers of the department attended the meeting.
DIG Headquarters highlighted the measures adopted to counter extortion incidents in the province especially in Karachi. He said that under the directives of IG Sindh Mushtaq Ahmed Shah all police pickets in market areas have been manned and some 800 extra policemen provided to the identified affected police stations.
For Full Report:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\03\20\story_20-3-2012_pg12_5
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Iranian deputy FM offers condolences over death of Egyptian Coptic Pope
19 March 2012 11:51
TEHRAN – An Iranian Foreign Ministry official issued a message on Sunday offering his condolences to Egyptian Christians over the death of the Egyptian Coptic Pope.
Pope Shenouda III, the head of the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church for 40 years, died in Cairo on March 17 at the age of 88.
In his message of condolence, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who is the deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs, wrote that the Egyptian Pope had made great efforts to promote peace and justice.
http://www.tehrantimes.com/politics/96439-iranian-deputy-fm-offers-condolences-over-death-of-egyptian-coptic-pope-
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Afghan killings suspect owes $1.5mn in fraud case
Mar 20, 2012
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: The soldier accused in the massacre of 16 Afghan civilians owes $1.5 million from a 2003 arbitration ruling that found him guilty of securities fraud.
The National Association of Securities Dealers found that Robert Bales, another man and his company “engaged in fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, churning, unauthorised trading and unsuitable investments.”
Records show Gary Liebschner of Columbus, Ohio, filed the complaint in 2000, when Bales was a stockbroker.
For Full Report:
http://www.firstpost.com/fwire/afghan-killings-suspect-owes-1-5mn-in-fraud-case-249892.html
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Lawyer prepares to meet US Afghan killings suspect
Mar 19, 2012
Seattle: A Seattle defense attorney prepared to meet Monday with US Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, who is facing formal charges in an attack on two slumbering Afghan villages that left 16 people dead, including nine children.
John Henry Browne flew to Kansas Sunday ahead of his first face-to-face meeting with the 10-year Army veteran, who is being held in an isolated cell at Fort Leavenworth’s military prison.
Bales, 38, hasn't been charged in the 11 March shootings. Reuters
Fort Leavenworth spokeswoman Rebecca Steed said Bales would be able to meet Browne in what is described as a privileged visit. Along with medical visits, such meetings are generally more private than others conducted in the prison.
Bales, 38, hasn’t been charged in the 11 March shootings, which have endangered relations between the US and Afghanistan and threaten to upend US policy over the decade-old war.
For Full Report:
http://www.firstpost.com/fwire/lawyer-prepares-to-meet-us-afghan-killings-suspect-249225.html
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German-Afghan man being tried on al Qaeda charges
March 20, 2012
KOBLENZ: A German-Afghan man whose information prompted terrorism warnings across Europe in 2010 has gone on trial in Germany on charges he was a member of al Qaeda and another terrorist group.
Ahmad Wali Siddiqui, who is accused of training with those terrorist groups in Pakistan, looked relaxed as his trial opened in the western city of Koblenz on Monday.
“We wanted to fight … against Americans,” Siddiqui told the court in a lengthy statement.
He said he expected to go to war against US forces in Afghanistan after undergoing his training in Pakistan.
No pleas are entered under the German system and Siddiqui did not immediately address the charges against him, telling the court about his upbringing and how he immigrated to Germany as a teenager.
The 37-year-old was captured by US troops in Afghanistan in July 2010 and while in custody provided details on alleged al Qaeda plots supposedly targeting European cities. No attacks materialized.
For Full Report:
http://www.dawn.com/2012/03/20/german-afghan-man-being-tried-on-al-qaida-charges.html
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Year of revolt in Syria fails to loosen Assad’s grip
20 March 2012
BERLIN — Middle East analysts acknowledge that they underestimated Syrian President Bashar Assad, who remains in power and on the offensive a year after protests against his regime erupted.
They say that with continued backing from Russia and China, Mr. Assad could cling to power for years.
"In contrast to the crisis in Libya, regional and international variables have complicated and exacerbated the situation in Syria, and that is why one year later, Assad is still there," said Fawaz A. Gerges, director of the Middle East Center at the London School of Economics.
"We underestimated the staying power and strength of Assad's regime."
Neighborhoods that had become strongholds for opposition groups have been decimated swiftly. The United Nations reported that more than 8,000 people have been killed in the brutal crackdown over the past year.
For Full Report:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/mar/19/year-of-revolt-in-syrua-fails-to-loosen-assads-gri/print/
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U.S. red tape delaying visas for Iraqi allies
By Kristina Wong
March 19, 2012
Thousands of Iraqis, including many who served as interpreters and contractors for the U.S., are caught in bureaucratic delays as they await visas or refugee status to come to the U.S., according to regional experts, who say the lives of some are in danger.
About 30,000 Iraqis who have been approved conditionally for refugee status cannot come to the United States because of a cumbersome security-clearance process, a panel of experts hosted by the Truman National Security Project said Monday.
Conditional approval for refugee status means that the U.S. has verified that the applicants would be persecuted in their home country.
For Full Report:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/mar/19/us-red-tape-delaying-visas-iraqi-allies/
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U.S. War Game Sees Perils of Israeli Strike Against Iran
y MARK MAZZETTI and THOM SHANKER
March 19, 2012
WASHINGTON — A classified war simulation held this month to assess the repercussions of an Israeli attack on Iran forecasts that the strike would lead to a wider regional war, which could draw in the United States and leave hundreds of Americans dead, according to American officials.
The officials said the so-called war game was not designed as a rehearsal for American military action — and they emphasized that the exercise’s results were not the only possible outcome of a real-world conflict.
But the game has raised fears among top American planners that it may be impossible to preclude American involvement in any escalating confrontation with Iran, the officials said. In the debate among policy makers over the consequences of any Israeli attack, that reaction may give stronger voice to those in the White House, Pentagon and intelligence community who have warned that a strike could prove perilous for the United States.
For Full Report:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/20/world/middleeast/united-states-war-game-sees-dire-results-of-an-israeli-attack-on-iran.html?_r=1&ref=middleeast
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Osama's children were born in Pakistan: Report
Mar 20, 2012,
ISLAMABAD: Investigative agencies that submitted reports in the court of senior civil Judge Farrukh Arjumand regarding former al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden's existence in Pakistan, has said his children were born in that South Asian country.
The report said what is shocking is that despite the fact that his children were born in Pakistan, no record was available with any hospital as apparently they were registered under fake names, The Express Tribune reports.
For Full Report:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Osamas-children-were-born-in-Pakistan-Report/articleshow/12339144.cms
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Bangladesh rules out dawn-to-dusk curfew in border areas
TNN
NEW DELHI, Mar 20, 2012, Bangladesh on Monday virtually ruled out imposing a dawn-to-dusk curfew on its side of the porous border as done by India to check illegal cross-border movement at night even as both the countries agreed on expanding ground-level cooperation to maintain peace and preparing fresh lists of criminals.
"We don't believe in curfew, rather we believe in sensitizing the border areas' population so that they are aware of the consequences of crossing the border without any documents. We don't believe in curfew or any other restriction within the territorial boundary of Bangladesh," Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) director general Major General Anwar Hussain said after the border coordination conference.
Asked about enforcement of a dusk-to-dawn curfew at the border as a confidence-building measure to its Indian counterpart BSF that has implemented such a step, Hussain said their (BGB) stand was that "each citizen has the right to move" and a curfew was not needed.
For Full Report:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Bangladesh-rules-out-dawn-to-dusk-curfew-in-border-areas/articleshow/12335229.cms
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India: UP to get its first Muslim chief secretary
TNN
NEW DELHI, Mar 20, 2012: Javed Usmani could be the next chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh, giving the state its first Muslim chief secretary in a long time.
Sources said the senior IAS officer, who was joint secretary in Manmohan Singh's PMO, is likely to be picked to head the huge babudom of UP. Usmani is on a sabbatical in the US after his stint in World Bank ended in late 2010. He has also worked in the PMO under Atal Bihari Vajpayee and I K Gujral.
While newly-appointed chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has continued with Anoop Misra who was appointed chief secretary by predecessor Mayawati, he is likely to be shifted out soon.
Usmani's joining the top post would mark a seminal moment in the state's history as the only Muslim to adorn the chair after independence was Mahmood Butt, who was chief secretary in 1975-76.
For Full Report: