Police Killed Toulouse Gunman, Mohammed Merah
New Age Islam News Bureau
22 March 2012
• Nearly 1,000 Pakistan women ‘killed for honour’: Human Rights Group
• Renegade
Mali soldiers announce takeover
• Muslim
lawyers block blasphemy alleged Christian victim’s lawyer entering court in
Egypt
• LeT
reviving women cadre in J&K: Govt
• Women
on Afghan Peace Council Say They Are Sidelined
• Bangladesh
court blocks 'blasphemous' Facebook pages
• Egypt’s
Brotherhood eyes end to Gaza blockade
• In
Zimbabwe, Sentenced for Watching News Videos of the Arab Spring uprisings
• Unprecedented
national women’s conference in Sana’a, Yemen
• More
Afghan forces to be deployed against ‘rogue’ Haqqani network
• Thousands
mobilise against planned anti-Islam Denmark demonstration
• Journey
of a jihadi serial killer: From petty crime to jihad
• Libya
says Mauritania agrees to hand over ex-spymaster Senussi
• Clashes
across Syria despite U.N. Pressure
• Gaddafi
spy chief to be tried on home soil: Libya
• Libya
Resists International Court’s Claim on War Crimes Case
• Root
out terror growing from outside Afghan borders: India
• Israeli
hit: Iranian suspect had Indian, Thai visa
• Hillary
Clinton says door still open for Taliban talks
• US
want constructive and mutually beneficial ties with Pak
• Five
terrorists killed in Kurram Agency
• Three
people shot dead in Balochistan
• Car
bomb rocks Mogadishu, Shabaab claims responsibility
• Pakistan
again violates LoC truce
• Contempt
case: Lawyer fears Gilani will not get a fair trial
• Pakistanis
in Afghan jails; LHC seeks reasons for detention
• Osama's
brother-in-law allowed to meet sister
• Pak
Interior Minister urges militants to surrender, hold talks
• Russia,
China joins UN council in call for Syria peace
• UN
chief warns of massive repercussions from Syria crisis
• PM
Sheikh Hasina warns against conspiracy to foil war crimes trial
• Bali
Attack Plot Shows Indonesia Terror Threat Evolving
• India:
Israeli diplomat attack: Other agency not to Question Kazmi
Complied
by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo:
Mohammed Merah French citizen of Algerian extraction
-------------
Police
Killed Toulouse Gunman, Mohammed Merah
22
March 2012
A
police sniper shot and killed the man suspected of killing seven people in
southern France, prosecutors say, after a 32-hour siege in Toulouse.
Police
stormed the flat where Mohammed Merah was holed up at 09:30 GMT.
Interior
Minister Claude Gueant said Merah fired at officers and was found dead after
jumping from a window.
Merah,
23, who claimed to have al-Qaeda training, was suspected of killing four people
at a Jewish school and three soldiers in three separate attacks.
He
had said he was acting to "avenge Palestinian children" and protest
against French military interventions overseas.
It
had been unclear how the gunman died, but prosecutor Francois Molins confirmed
in a news conference that he had been killed by a shot to the head by a police
marksman as he tried to flee.
Mr
Molins said Merah was wearing a bullet-proof jacket and had fired 30 bullets as
the commandos broke in.
Earlier
President Nicolas Sarkozy said in a televised address that everything had been
done to try to bring Merah to justice but it was decided that no more lives
could be put at risk.
He
also vowed a new crackdown on those who visited "hate or terrorism"
web sites or travelled abroad to be indoctrinated in terrorism.
Officers
wounded
Mr
Gueant said officers had thrown grenades and entered by the door and windows of
the flat.
After
surveying the scene and finding no sign of the suspect, they proceeded to the
bathroom, moving slowly as they were wary of booby-traps.
When
officers tried to find out if there was anyone in the bathroom, the suspect
came out firing several weapons.
Mr
Gueant said the suspect was "shooting very violently. The bursts of
gunfire were frequent and hard".
Merah
then jumped from a window, continuing to fire. He was found dead on the ground.
One
police source told Agence France-Presse that Merah had been killed by police as
he fled through the window.
Two
officers were reported wounded in the final assault.
Mr
Gueant said: "A RAID [special police] officer who is used to this kind of
thing told me that he had never seen such a violent assault."
Earlier
Mr Gueant had said it was unclear whether Merah was still alive, because there
had been no contact overnight.
He
had said the object had been to take Merah alive.
A
number of explosions had been set off overnight to intimidate Merah, officials
said.
They
said he was armed with a Kalashnikov high-velocity rifle, a mini-Uzi 9mm
machine pistol, several handguns and possibly grenades.
Street
lights were switched off in the vicinity of the building on Wednesday evening
and surrounding areas evacuated.
In
his TV address, Mr Sarkozy announced an investigation into whether Merah had
accomplices and into possible Islamist indoctrination practices in prisons.
He
also said: "The French should not give rein to anger - our Muslim compatriots
have nothing to do with the crazy actions of a terrorist. We should not embark
on any stigmatisation."
Merah
claimed to have received al-Qaeda training in Pakistan's Waziristan area, and
also said he had been to Afghanistan.
Mr
Gueant defended intelligence services for not preventing the attacks,
describing Merah as a "lone wolf".
"The
domestic intelligence agency tracks a lot of people who are involved in
Islamist radicalism. Expressing ideas... are not enough to bring someone before
justice," Mr Gueant said.
Christian
Etelin, a lawyer who has previously acted for Merah, said his client had
violent tendencies.
"There
was his religious engagement, an increasing hatred against the values of a
democratic society and a desire to impose what he believes is truth," Mr
Etelin said.
He
also denied earlier reports that Merah had been jailed for explosives
offensives in Afghanistan, saying his client was in jail in France for robbery
with violence at the time - from December 2007 to September 2009.
Memorials
The
killings took place in and around Toulouse in three separate incidents earlier
this month.
On
11 March, a soldier was shot and killed while waiting to see a man about
selling his motorcycle.
Days
later, two soldiers were shot and killed and a third was wounded while waiting
at a cash machine.
Then
earlier this week, three children and an adult were shot and killed outside a
Jewish school.
The
four Jewish victims were buried in an emotional funeral in Jerusalem on
Wednesday.
Also
on Wednesday, President Sarkozy attended a memorial for the three murdered
soldiers at a military base in Montauban near Toulouse.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17473207
----------
Nearly
1,000 Pakistan women ‘killed for honour’: Human Rights Group
March
22, 2012
ISLAMABAD:
At least 943 Pakistani women and girls were murdered last year for allegedly
defaming their family’s honour, the country’s leading human rights group said
Thursday.
The
statistics highlight the growing scale of violence suffered by many women in
conservative Pakistan, where they are frequently treated as second-class
citizens and there is no law against domestic violence.
Despite
progress on better protecting women’s rights, activists say the government
needs to do more to prosecute murderers in cases largely dismissed by police as
private, family affairs.
“At
least 943 women were killed in the name of honour, of which 93 were minors,”
wrote the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in its annual report.
Seven
Christian and two Hindu women were among the victims, it said.
The
Commission reported 791 “honour killings” in 2010.
Around
595 of the women killed in 2011 were accused of having “illicit relations” and
219 of marrying without permission.
Some
victims were raped or gang raped before being killed, the Commission said. Most
of the women were killed by their brothers and husbands.
Only
20 of 943 killed were reported to have been provided medical aid before they
died, the Commission wrote.
Despite
the rising number of reported killings, activists have praised parliament for
passing laws aimed at strengthening women’s protection against abuses.
Rights
groups say the government should do more to ensure that women subjected to
violence, harassment and discrimination have effective access to justice.
Last
year, a Belgian court sentenced four members of a Pakistani family to prison
for the murder of their daughter, who defied them by living with a Belgian man
and refused an arranged marriage.
http://www.dawn.com/2012/03/22/nearly-1000-pakistan-women-killed-for-honour.html
--------
Renegade
Mali soldiers announce takeover
22
March 2012
Rebel
troops have appeared on Malian state TV to announce they have seized control of
the country, hours after attacking the presidential palace.
The
soldiers said a nationwide curfew was in force and that the constitution had
been suspended.
The
troops, who staged a mutiny on Wednesday, say the government is not giving them
enough arms to tackle a rebellion by ethnic Tuaregs.
West
African regional body Ecowas has condemned the actions of the troops.
In
a statement, it said it had followed the situation with "dismay and
mounting concern", describing the behaviour of the mutinous soldiers as
"reprehensible" and "misguided".
It
comes after the renegade troops had staged a mutiny traded gunfire with
soldiers loyal to the government.
A
source told the BBC that the foreign minister and a number of other ministers
have been arrested.
On
Wednesday the mutineers had taken over the state radio and TV broadcaster in
Bamako and took it off air.
After
several hours of footage of traditional Malian music and dancing, a group of
soldiers appeared on screen early on Thursday morning, with a caption
identifying them as the "Committee for the Re-establishment of Democracy
and the Restoration of the State".
The
leader of the mutiny was revealed to be Capt Amadou Sanogo, who appeared
briefly to announce the imposition of a national curfew, although he did not
specifying the time.
A
spokesman for the renegade soldiers, identified on screen as Lt Amadou Konare,
said they had ended the "incompetent regime" of President Amadou
Toumani Toure.
Lt
Konare condemned the "inability" of the government to "fight
terrorism", and said the soldiers would look to hand over to a
democratically elected government.
There
has not yet been any reaction from President Toure to the announcement.
The
BBC's Martin Vogl, in Bamako, said the exact whereabouts of the President Toure
were not known.
However,
a loyalist military source close to the president told the AFP news agency on
Thursday morning that he was well and in a safe location.
Our
correspondent said it was not clear whether the mutinous soldiers, up to 15 of
whom were seen on screen, have complete control of the presidential palace or
have the support of all the Malian forces.
He
said an elite force, known as the Red Berets, could still be loyal to President
Toure.
He
said Mali has had democratic rule for the last 20 years, during which it has
come to be seen as a model which other emerging democracies can look to.
'Recruits
riot in the north'
The
Kenyan government said its foreign minister, Moses Wetangula, and three
officials accompanying him are safe in their Bamako hotel after being stranded
in Mali.
They
were in the country to attend an African Union meeting.
The
unrest began on Wednesday as the country's defence minister started a tour of
military barracks north of the capital.
Soldiers
fired in the air during the inspection, prompting an immediate strengthening of
security around the presidential palace.
Troops
are upset with the government's handling of a Tuareg rebellion in the north of
the country, and are also reportedly opposed to any potential talks with the
rebels.
There
was heavy gunfire in Bamako throughout Wednesday, and armoured vehicles had
moved in to protect the presidential palace. Gunshots reportedly continued to
ring out overnight.
A
member of the presidential guard described the fighting to AFP.
"We
are in control of the presidential palace. People are shooting towards us and
we are returning fire," he said.
In
the northern town of Gao, young recruits were said to have begun rioting at a
military base, according to the Associated Press news agency.
Both
the US and France have urged the soldiers and government to resolve their
dispute through peaceful means.
The
Tuaregs have forced the army out of several northern towns in recent months.
A
presidential election was due to take place in the country in just under a month.
The
government had so far refused to postpone the poll, despite the unrest
involving Tuareg-led rebels.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17462111
--------
Hundreds
of Muslim lawyers block blasphemy alleged Christian victim’s lawyer entering
court in Egypt
March
22, 2012
Cairo:
More than 300 Muslim lawyers inside and outside a courthouse in the southern
Egyptian
province
of Assuit today prevented defense lawyer Ahmad Sayed Gabali, who is
representing the Christian Makarem Diab, from going into court. Mr. Diab was
found guilty of ‘Insulting the Muslim Prophet’ and was scheduled today a
hearing on his appeal.
Attorney
Dr. Naguib Gabriell, head of the Egyptian Union of Human Rights Organization,
said there was “terror in the Assiut Court today.” He added that he was on his
way to court when he was advised that Muslim lawyers have issued death threats
to any Christian lawyers who attend the court session. “Makram Diab was
assaulted by Muslim lawyers during his transfer from the courtroom and security
failed to protect him.”
Peter
Sarwat, a Coptic lawyer, said that Muslim lawyers representing the plaintiffs
prevented the defense team from entering court. “They said no Muslim will
defend a Christian. It was agreed that Christian lawyers would take over and
two Coptic lawyers volunteered, but the Muslims decided later that even
Christians would not defend him.” Sarwat said the Muslim lawyers wanted to
assault the chief judge but he managed to leave the court via a rear door.
Adel
Ramadam and Ahmad Mohamad Hossam, two Muslim lawyers and activists from the
renowned NGO Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) went to court to
defend Diab’s right to a fair trial but were assaulted by the other Muslim
lawyers. “They were assaulting us in a beastly and strange way just because we
went there to defend a citizen who happened to be a Christian,” said Adel
Ramadam. He also said that to get out of court was a complex operation and a
huge task for the security personnel. “We left court in a security vehicle
which took us to Security headquarters, otherwise, we don’t know what the
outcome would have been for us.”
Makram
Diab, a school secretary was sentenced by the Abanoub misdemeanor court two
weeks ago to six years imprisonment on charges of insulting Islam’s prophet.
His defense lawyer, Ahmad Sayed Gabali, was also prevented during that session
from entering the court by Muslim lawyers (AINA 3-5-2012).
“I
went to court today because I believe this citizen was stripped of all his
rights,” said Adel Ramadam in an aired interview today. “He had a quarrel with
a Salafi school colleague and then 11 days later, it was suddenly decided by
Muslims that they will report the case. He was detained by the prosecution for
4 days and two days later in a 10-minute session and without any defense lawyer
present, he was sentenced to 6 years, which is way above the maximum of a
misdemeanor case.”
Eyewitnesses
reported that the Muslim lawyers were armed with clubs. A police captain, b two
EIPR lawyer, and two reporters from Ros-el-Youssef and El-Bashayer Egyptian
newspapers were injured in the milieu.
Human
rights groups reported that they were also forced out of the courtroom by the
Muslims. Adel Ramadam said the court session never started because the judge
knew that the defense were prevented from entering the court, and knew of the
assaults. “He just postponed the appeal session to April 5.”
U.S.
taxpayers give Egypt a billion dollars and our corrupt government is forgiving
a billion dollar loan as well. All for sharia. Wake up. The Muslim Brotherhood
permits this and their front groups are all over the U.S. Like CAIR: Former
Hamas-CAIR official running for president in Egypt, pledges to “complete the
implementation of Islamic law in Egypt”.
http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/viewnews.php?newsid=1794
--------
LeT
reviving women cadre in J&K: Govt
March
22, 2012
NewDelhi:The
government on Wednesday said that there have been some unconfirmed reports that
the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) is reviving its womens cadre and planning to
use it in Jammu and Kashmir.
There
have been some unconfirmed reports in this regard.However,there are no reports
of successful infiltration or terrorist activity by LeT women cadre in Jammu
and Kashmir, minister of state for home Jitendra Singh told the Rajya Sabha on
Wednesday.
The
minister said that security forces were keeping a strict vigil on the
activities of the LeT.
In
reply to another question,Singh said Hizbul Mujahideen accounts for nearly
35-40 per cent of all terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir and is the most active
outfit in the Valley next to Lashkar-e-Taiba in terms of strength and
capability to carry our terror strikes.
Times
of India
--------
Women
on Afghan Peace Council Say They Are Sidelined
03/22/2012
KABUL
(Reuters) - Women members of an Afghan government council charged with seeking
reconciliation with the Taliban have been sidelined from main consultations and
are trying to forge a united voice within the council, one of the members said.
The
70-member High Peace Council, which has been struggling to carve out a role in
the negotiations since the assassination of its chief, Burhanuddin Rabbani,
last year, has nine women.
While
the women attend peace workshops and meetings both in the country and abroad,
Gulali Noor Safi said they were not involved in making major decisions.
"We
are trying to be involved in the peace process but in my opinion, most of the
time we're not included in major discussions," she said.
President
Hamid Karzai set up the council two years ago consisting of members drawn from
Afghanistan's different ethnic and political groups to try to negotiate with
the Taliban to end the war now in its eleventh year.
For
Full Report:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/03/22/world/asia/22reuters-afghanistan-
----------
Bangladesh
court blocks 'blasphemous' Facebook pages
21
March 2012
The
High Court in Bangladesh has ruled five "blasphemous" Facebook pages
and a website must be blocked.
The
court heard the pages offended the Prophet Muhammad as well as other religions.
The
lawyer who brought the petition, Muhammad Nawshad Zamir, told the AFP news
agency some of the images were close to pornography.
He
said the court has asked Bangladeshi authorities to find out who posted the
cartoons and comments online.
The
case was brought by two teachers from Dhaka University and Dhaka Centre for Law
and Economics who said the pictures hurt the religious sentiment of Muslims.
Mr
Zamir said the pages also contained disparaging remarks about "the holy
book of the Koran, Jesus, Lord Buddha and Hindu gods".
He
declined to name the Bengali-language website and advised that the government
has been given three weeks to report developments to the court.
Some
bloggers have raised concerns that the ruling is curbing free speech.
For
Full Report:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17465550
--------
Egypt’s
Brotherhood eyes end to Gaza blockade
03/22/2012
CAIRO/GAZA:
The Muslim Brotherhood aims to open the Egyptian border with Gaza to commerce,
a shift that would transform life for Palestinians there but which is hitting
resistance from Egyptian authorities reluctant to change a longstanding policy.
The
biggest party in Egypt’s new parliament, the Islamists are not yet in
government but have been seeking ways to ease the impact of restrictions
imposed by Israel and Egypt on what passes in and out of the territory run by
the Hamas group, an idelogical offshoot of the Brotherhood.
Aiming
to ease chronic power shortages in Gaza, the Brotherhood recently lobbied the
Egyptian government to conclude a deal to supply fuel for the territory’s sole
power station.
For
Full Report:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article591071.ece
--------
In
Zimbabwe, Sentenced for Watching News Videos of the Arab Spring uprisings
By
LYDIA POLGREEN
03/22/2012
JOHANNESBURG
— A court in Zimbabwe decided not to imprison six activists who had been
arrested while watching news videos of the Arab Spring uprisings, sentencing
them instead on Wednesday to 420 hours of community service and fining them
$500 each.
The
activists became something of a cause célèbre in Zimbabwe, where repression is
nothing new but the spectacle of a university teacher being arrested for
watching news coverage and holding what was, he said, a seminar on political
activism and democracy, shocked many Zimbabweans.
Munyaradzi
Gwisai, a law lecturer at Zimbabwe’s main university and a former Member of
Parliament for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, and five other
activists were sentenced to two years in jail, but the sentence was suspended
for five years. Nevertheless, the activists plan to appeal their conviction,
Mr. Gwisai said.
For
Full Report:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/22/world/africa/zimbabwean-activists-
--------
Unprecedented
national women’s conference in Sana’a, Yemen
22
March 2012
SANA’A
— The National Women’s Conference was opened by Prime Minister Mohammed Salem
Basindawa last Monday in Sana’a.
The
two day conference was held by the Ministry of Human Rights in collaboration
with the National Women’s Committee.
It
discussed political, social, economic and health problems that face Yemeni
women. In addition, the conference discussed armed conflicts and gender issues.
Basindawa
described the conference as an unprecedented assembly and as a new event in the
history of Yemeni women, indicating that the conference is a sign of Yemeni
women’s seriousness to encourage real development in the country.
According
to the Minister of Human Rights, Horiya Mashhoor, the conference paves the way
for the upcoming National Dialogue Conference that Yemeni women would
participate in as one of the social and national powers.
The
conference also discussed the aspirations of women and their role in the Arab
Spring in Yemen, Egypt, Tunisia and Libya.
For
Full Report:
http://www.yementimes.com/en/1557/news/618/Unprecedented-national-women%E2%80%99s-conference.htm
--------
More
Afghan forces to be deployed against ‘rogue’ Haqqani network
March
22, 2012
As
the end game approaches in Afghanistan, top US Commander has said that more
Afghan troops could be deployed close to border with Pakistan, if the issue of
terror safe havens in that country is not resolved.
“....If
the issues of safe havens in Pakistani do not resolve in our favour one way or
the other, we’ll probably have to have a larger presence of the forces than
anticipated on the Af-Pak border,” General John R Allen, Commander of US and
NATO forces in Afghanistan told US lawmakers.
Responding
to questions from US Congressmen, Gen Allen said the presence of safe havens in
Pakistan continues to be a threat to the war against terrorism campaign.
His
comments came as US is moving an entire infantry division into the eastern
Afghanistan, where commanders feel that a renewed big push is needed this year
as violence drops in the southern and other parts of the war ravaged nation.
The
troops are to be moved in a mountainous sector that spans 14 provinces and
includes almost 600 kilometres of the Af-Pak border. US military said that
Taliban attacks in that region increased last year as they declined
substantially in the Taliban heartland in the south.
For
Full Report:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/world/51591-more-afghan-forces-to-be-deployed-against-rogue-haqqani-network.html
--------
Thousands
mobilise against planned anti-Islam Denmark demonstration
Mar 22, 2012
COPENHAGEN:
Several thousand people turned out for an open-air concert in Denmark's second
city of Aarhus on Wednesday to protest against a far-right anti-Islam rally
planned for March 31, officials said.
Aarhus
city officials said they organised the concert as a way of showing the city's
tolerance and because "Aarhus does not want to be associated with
extremist groups" that represent "everything we want to distance
ourselves from."
Around
5,000 people attended Wednesday's concert, a spokesman for the mayor's office
said.
Far-right
groups from across Europe are scheduled to meet in Aarhus on March 31 for an
anti-Islam rally organised by the Danish Defence League, a sister organisation
of the English Defence League.
For
Full Report:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Thousands-mobilise-against-planned-anti-Islam-Denmark-demonstration/articleshow/12361279.cms
--------
Journey
of a jihadi serial killer: From petty crime to jihad
Mar 22, 2012
PARIS:
Suspected jihadi serial killer Mohamed Merah is a 23-year-old French petty
criminal of Algerian origin who has spent time in Pakistan and Afghanistan and
claims to be an al-Qaida operative.
Born
in the southwestern French city of Toulouse on October 10, 1988, Merah had been
tracked for years by France's DCRI domestic intelligence service, but nothing
suggested that he was preparing a major crime.
Interior
minister Claude Gueant said he was part of a group of around 15 followers of
Islamic fundamentalist Salafist ideology in Toulouse.
He
then made two trips to Pakistan and Afghanistan, although Gueant said that he
did not think Merah had visited any militant training camps while there. Merah
failed to get into the army, a police source said.
Witnesses
have described the attacker as "white" , around 5'5" tall and
slender. He also reportedly wore an extreme sports camera on a chest harness
during at least one of the attacks.
For
Full Report:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Journey-of-a-killer-From-petty-crime-to-jihad/articleshow/12362309.cms
--------
Libya
says Mauritania agrees to hand over ex-spymaster Senussi
03/22/2012
NOUAKCHOTT:
A Libyan delegation to Mauritania said the West African country had pledged to
hand over Muammar Qaddafi’s intelligence chief Abdullah Al-Senussi when legal procedures
were complete.
But
the delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Mustafa Abu Shagour boarded a plane
to leave Mauritania without Senussi after Mauritanian sources played down
suggestions the deal was finalized and note that other countries had a say in
the case.
“We
have an assurance from Mauritania that it will extradite Abdullah Al-Senussi
but there are legal procedures which must be respected and we will wait,”
Libyan government spokesman Nasser Al-Manee told reporters before boarding the
plane.
Libya
is vying with France and the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) to
try Qaddafi’s former right-hand man, arrested in Mauritania on Friday as he
arrived by plane in the capital Nouakchott with a false passport.
For
Full Report:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article591260.ece
--------
Clashes
Across Syria Despite U.N. Pressure
03/22/2012
BEIRUT
(Reuters) - Clashes flared across Syria on Thursday, opposition activists said,
the day after the U.N. Security Council had called on all sides to stop
fighting and seek a negotiated settlement to the year-long uprising.
U.N.
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the Council's unanimous statement had sent a
clear message to Syria to end all violence, but the appeal had little impact on
the ground, where rebels are seeking to oust President Bashar al-Assad.
Opposition
sources said Syrian tanks had heavily shelled a large neighborhood in the city
of Hama on Thursday after fighting between Free Syrian Army rebels and
pro-Assad forces.
The
shelling destroyed houses in the Arbaeen neighborhood of northeast Hama, which
has been at the forefront of the revolt. Opposition sources said at least 20
people have died in army attacks in the area in the last two days.
It
is impossible to verify reports from Syria because the authorities have denied
access to independent journalists. Syrian troops also attempted to storm the
northern town of Sermeen on Thursday, killing one man and wounding dozens, the
British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said, quoting its
network of contacts within Syria.
For
Full Report:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/03/22/world/middleeast/22reuters-
--------
Gaddafi
spy chief to be tried on home soil: Libya
March
22, 2012
NOUAKCHOTT:
Libya said on Wednesday Mauritania had agreed to hand over Muammar Gaddafi’s
former spy chief for trial on home soil, turning down rival extradition
requests from France and a war crimes court.
“We
have obtained an agreement from Mauritania to deliver (Abdullah) Senussi to
Libya where he will receive a fair trial. No date has been decided upon but it
will be very soon,” government spokesman Nasser al-Manaa said. “We respect the
judicial procedures in Mauritania which will take time to finish, but it is
simply a question of time.”
Manaa
was part of a Libyan delegation which arrived in Nouakchott Monday to lobby for
the handover of Gaddafi’s feared former right-hand man, arrested at the
Mauritanian capital’s airport on Friday. Mauritanian police said he had arrived
on a flight from Casablanca in Morocco, travelling on a false passport.
For
Full Report:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\03\22\story_22-3-2012_pg4_2
--------
Libya
Resists International Court’s Claim on War Crimes Case
By
DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and MARLISE SIMONS
03/22/2012
TRIPOLI,
Libya — Libya’s interim authorities escalated their face-off against the
International Criminal Court on Wednesday over custody of the most significant
confidants to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi taken prisoner since his ouster and
death: his son Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi and his brother-in-law Abdullah
Senussi. The battle over the men’s fate is an early test of the former rebels’
commitment to the rule of the law.
In
both cases, the new Libyan authorities have made statements about the legal
status of the captives in direct contradiction to the views of the court, which
the rebels had lauded as an invaluable ally after it issued indictments
charging Colonel Qaddafi, Mr. Qaddafi and Mr. Senussi with war crimes committed
in their attempt to crush an uprising.
Human
rights groups and some members of the Libyan government acknowledge that Libya
still lacks effective police, prosecutors, courts and prisons, as well as the
wherewithal to protect judges, lawyers or witnesses from potential retribution
by armed militias. But the interim authorities say they are determined to try
both defendants at home because of the secrets they might reveal about the
actions and assets of the former government.
For
Full Report:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/22/world/africa/libya-resists-the-hague-in-war-
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Root
out terror growing from outside Afghan borders: India
March
22, 2012
With
international troops preparing to leave Afghanistan by 2014, India has appealed
to the international community to continue its efforts to root out terrorism
emanating from outside the war-torn nation’s borders and help Kabul in its path
to economic recovery.
Signs
of a “transition recession” were already visible in Afghanistan and progress
has been made in the last one decade since the international community came
together to assist the war-ravaged nation, India’s permanent representative to
the UN, Hardeep Singh Puri said.
Terrorist
violence in Afghanistan has shown no signs of receding and civilian casualties
attributed to anti-government elements have risen over the last five years,
hitting a peak in 2011.
“Terrorism
continues to find sustenance and support from a dangerous osmosis of
ideologies, ambitions, training and operations among the syndicate of terrorism
in the region with suicide terrorism as its main technique, and targets not
limited to Afghanistan.
For
Full Report:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/world/51587-root-out-terror-growing-from-outside-afghan-borders-india.html
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Israeli
hit: Iranian suspect had Indian, Thai visa
Mar 22 2012
New
Delhi : Seyed Ali Sadr Mahdian, one of the three men against whom warrants have
been issued for their alleged involvement in the February 13 attack on an
Israeli diplomat in New Delhi, had been issued a visa for Thailand in April
last year.
This
was around the time that Houshang Afshar Irani, who is suspected to have
attached the bomb to the Israel embassy vehicle, came to Delhi to buy a Scooty
and conduct a recce, a police officer said on Wednesday.
This
reinforces the belief that the attacks in India and Thailand were planned
simultaneously for execution by the same Iranian module, the officer said.
Investigators
in Delhi have obtained a copy of the visa granted to Mahdian by the Royal Thai
Embassy in Tehran on April 12, 2011. Mahdian was issued a one-month visa for
Delhi on July 6, 2011.
Irani
bought a Scooty in April 2011 from a Karol Bagh dealer and handed over a copy
of his passport as proof of identity. The officer said Irani returned to Delhi
in January this year for a reconnaissance of the embassy area with Urdu
journalist Mohammad Ahmad Kazmi who is currently in police custody.
“We
have found some phone numbers in an Iranian SIM card recovered from Kazmi. He
was in regular touch with these people. We are getting these numbers checked,”
the officer said.
For
Full Report:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/israeli-hit-iranian-suspect-had-indian-thai-visa/926798/
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Hillary
Clinton says door still open for Taliban talks
Mar 22, 2012
WASHINGTON:
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday that the door was still
open to talks with Afghanistan's Taliban so long as it renounces violence,
after the militia broke off contacts.
Clinton
said that the United States remained committed to seeking a political solution
in Afghanistan as NATO troops prepare to end the more than decade-old war by
the end of 2014.
"What
the Taliban do is up to them. We have been clear, we are prepared to continue
discussions and our goal is to open the door so that Afghans can be negotiating
among and between themselves," Clinton told a joint news conference with
Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul.
The
Taliban announced last week that it was suspending contacts with the United
States due to a row over a prisoner swap. The United States had hoped the
contacts in the Gulf state of Qatar would ease the way to a political deal.
Clinton
made clear that US troops would keep up force against Taliban who do not
renounce violence and made a new appeal for the rights of women, which were
severely curtailed during the Taliban regime toppled in 2001.
For
Full Report:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Hillary-Clinton-says-door-still-open-for-Taliban-talks/articleshow/12361912.cms
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US
want constructive and mutually beneficial ties with Pak
Mar
22, 2012
WASHINGTON:
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton on Wednesday said Washington wants an
honest, constructive and mutually beneficial relationship with Islamabad as it
remains committed to its ties with Pakistan despite recent ups and downs.
"We
want an honest, constructive, mutually beneficial relationship with Pakistan.
We remain committed through the recent ups and downs. We've been working
through these difficulties and challenges," she told reporters at a joint
news conference with Afghan foreign minister Zalmai Rassoul.
"We
have made it clear we respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of
Pakistan. We also respect the democratic process that Pakistan is engaged in.
We think it is actually quite significant that the democratically elected
government, the democratically elected parliament is engaging in these
matters," she said.
For
Full Report:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/US-wants-constructive-and-mutually-beneficial-ties-with-Pak/articleshow/12360613.cms
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Five
terrorists killed in Kurram Agency
March
22, 2012
PESHAWAR:
At least five terrorists were killed and two security personnel reportedly
injured during clashes in Kurram Agency on Wednesday. Official sources said
clashes between security forces and terrorists took place in Central Kurram on
Wednesday morning in which five terrorists were killed and several others
injured. There were reports about injuries of two personnel of security forces.
On the other hand, members of the Amn Lashkar also gunned down three bomb blast
suspects in Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\03\22\story_22-3-2012_pg7_5
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Three
people shot dead in Balochistan
March
22, 2012
QUETTA:
Three people were killed in different firing incidents in Quetta and the Usta
Mohammad area of Jaffarabad on Tuesday. According to sources, unidentified
armed men shot dead a person near the Jabal-Noorul Quran Western Bypass area of
Quetta. The deceased was identified as Muhammad Allam Satakzai. Police have
shifted the body to a hospital for post-mortem and an FIR against unidentified
persons has been lodged. The motive behind the killing could not be
ascertained. In another incident, two people were gunned down in the Usta
Muhammad area of Jaffarabad district. Bebarg and Abdul Sattar were on their way
home on a motorbike when armed men opened fire on them and then escaped from
the scene. Both men died on the spot. Police have termed the incident a case of
an old enmity and have started their investigation into the killings.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\03\22\story_22-3-2012_pg7_8
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Car
bomb rocks Mogadishu, Shabaab claims responsibility
March
22, 2012
MOGADISHU:
A car bomb exploded in the heart of the Somali capital on Wednesday, wounding
two people in an attack Somalia’s al Shabaab rebel group said was carried out
by its militants.
The
blast, which triggered bursts of gunfire in Mogadishu, was the latest in a wave
of bomb attacks in the country where the embattled UN-backed government is
struggling to secure the city against al Qaeda-linked rebels. “We were behind
the car bomb explosion. We targeted security forces,” Sheikh Abdiasis Abu
Musab, a spokesman for al Shabaab’s military operations, told Reuters. The
blast happened in Mogadishu’s busy administrative district, near the bustling
Kilometre 4 road (K4) junction.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\03\22\story_22-3-2012_pg4_5
--------
Pakistan
again violates LoC truce
Mar
22, 2012
JAMMU:
Pakistani troops resorted to "unprovoked firing" on the Line of
Control (LoC) in the Mendhar sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district late
Wednesday night, which the Indian Army described as "yet another ceasefire
violation".
"There
was unprovoked firing from the Pakistani side on Indian positions in the
Mendhar sector (240 km northwest of Jammu) late last night. We also retaliated
and firing went on for over an hour," an army officer said.
There
was no loss of life on the Indian side.
For
Full Report:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistan-again-violates-LoC-truce/articleshow/12365293.cms
--------
Contempt
case: Lawyer fears Gilani will not get a fair trial
Mar
22 2012
Islamabad
: Pakistan Prime Minister's lawyer said he feared that Yousuf Raza Gilani would
not get a fair trial in the contempt case and that the government could not act
on the Supreme Court's orders to revive graft cases against Asif Ali Zardari as
long as he was the President.
Appearing
before a seven-judge Bench led by Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk that is hearing the
contempt case against the premier, Gilani's counsel Aitzaz Ahsan said he feared
his client would not get a fair trial as the same judges who had issued a show
cause notice to the premier were now hearing the case.
Explaining
the stand adopted by the premier on the apex court's orders to revive cases of
alleged money laundering against Zardari in Switzerland, Ahsan, one of
Pakistan's leading lawyers, said the government cannot comply with the
directives as long as Zardari was the President.
For
Full Report:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/926924/
--------
Pakistanis
in Afghan jails; LHC seeks reasons for detention
22nd March, 2012
LAHORE:
The Lahore High Court ordered the ministry of foreign affairs on Wednesday to
write to the US government a letter seeking reasons for the arrest of Pakistani
citizens and their detention in Afghanistan’s Bagram airbase prison.
The
court, which had taken up a petition challenging illegal detention of Pakistani
citizens in Afghan jails, also told the ministry to ask about the charges
framed against the detainees. If there were no charges, the court said, they
should be released and brought back to Pakistan.
Justice
Mohammad Khalid Mahmood Khan regretted that these people had been picked up in
Pakistan and illegally kept in Afghan prisons.
The
deputy attorney general informed the court that in compliance with its earlier
order a committee had been formed and diplomatic contacts made for the purpose.
Justice
Mahmood said a report filed by the ministry showed that diplomatic negotiations
were cursory at best. He said he would consider that no action had been taken
until the letter was sent to the United States.
Petitioner’s
counsel Barrister Sarah Belal informed the court that under a new memorandum of
understanding signed by the US and Afghanistan, the former had pledged to hand
over to the latter all detention facilities in the country within six months.
For
Full Report:
http://www.dawn.com/2012/03/22/pakistanis-in-afghan-jails-lhc-seeks-reasons-for-detention.html
--------
Osama's
brother-in-law allowed to meet sister
March
22, 2012
The
Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday allowed Zakarya Ahmad Abd Alftah,
brother of Osama bin Laden’s Yemni widow to meet his sister.
The
court issued notices to Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Ministries of
Defence and Interior to submit replies within two weeks over a petition filed
by Osama’s brother-in-law. Chief Justice Islamabad High Court, Justice Iqbal
Hameed ur Rehman heard the case. Muhammad Aamir Khalil, counsel for the
petitioner argued the case
The
petitioner Zakarya Ahmad Abd Alftah filed a petition in the Islamabad High
Court for the quashment of cases registered against Mrs. Amal Ahmad Abdul
Fattah his bona fide sister Amal Ahmad Abdul Fattah, Osma’s Yemni widow by the
Federal Investigation Agency’s Special Investigation Unit Islamabad under
section 14 and 13 Foreigner Act, 1946 and under section 212, 419 and 109 PPC.
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/islamabad/22-Mar-2012/osamas-brother-in-law-allowed-to-meet-sister
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Pak
Interior Minister urges militants to surrender, hold talks
March
22, 2012
Interior
Minister Rehman Malik has said parliament is a supreme body and its
recommendations regarding restoration of NATO supply and relations with the
United States will be implemented.
Talking
to media here in Peshawar on Thursday‚ he said the fight against terrorism will
continue till its elimination. He urged militants to surrender and hold talks.
The
Interior Minister said boarder control management will be improved at
Pak-Afghan border.
Rehman
Malik appreciated sacrifices rendered by Frontier Constabulary‚ police and
other security forces in war against terrorism.
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/22-Mar-2012/rehman-urges-militants-to-surrender-hold-talks
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Russia,
China joins UN council in call for Syria peace
March
22, 2012
UNITED
NATIONS: In a major diplomatic blow for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,
Russia and China joined the Security Council on Wednesday in voicing support
for U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's bid to end violence that has brought
Syria to the brink of civil war.
Western
diplomats said the agreement on a statement voicing the "gravest concern
at the deteriorating situation in Syria" should be a wake-up call for
Assad, who has counted on support from Russia to fend off international
criticism of his yearlong attempt to crush anti-government protests.
The
statement threatens Syria with "further steps" if it fails to comply
with Annan's six-point peace proposal, which calls for a cease-fire, political
dialogue between government and opposition, and full access for aid agencies.
The
US-European push for a council statement backing Annan's mission came after
Russia and China twice vetoed resolutions condemning Assad's assault on
demonstrators, which the United Nations says has killed well over 8,000
civilians.
Unlike
resolutions, which are legally binding and need nine votes in favor and no
vetoes from the five permanent council members to pass, statements are
generally non-binding but require unanimous support from the council.
For
Full Report:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Russia-China-join-UN-council-in-call-for-Syria-peace/articleshow/12358421.cms
--------
UN
chief warns of massive repercussions from Syria crisis
March
22, 2012
Amman
: UN chief Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday that Syria's crisis was extremely
dangerous and had massive repercussions for the world, as more fighting
erupted, with two Damascus suburbs coming under heavy tank bombardment.
We
do not know how events will unfold. But we do know that we all have a
responsibility to work for a resolution of this profound and extremely
dangerous crisis, Ban said in a speech in the Indonesian capital Jakarta.
The
crisis has potentially massive repercussions for the region and the world, he
said.
On
Wednesday, two large Damascus suburbs came under tank bombardment following
renewed Free Syrian Army attacks on forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad,
opposition activists said.
Artillery
and anti-aircraft gun barrages hit the suburbs of Harasta and Irbin, retaken
from rebels by Assad's forces two months ago, and army helicopters were heard
flying over the area on the eastern edge of the capital, the activists said.
For
Full Report:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/926491/
--------
PM
Sheikh Hasina warns against conspiracy to foil war crimes trial
March
22, 2012
Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday urged all religious minded people to beware
of any conspiracy designed to obstruct the trial of the war criminals.
“A
certain quarter is hatching conspiracy to foil the trial of the war criminals.
I urge all religious minded people to beware of any conspiracy designed to
obstruct the trial of the war criminals,” she said at a programme, marking the
37th founding anniversary of the Islamic Foundation, at Bangabandhu
International Conference Centre in the city.
State
Minister for Religious Affairs Advocate M Shahjahan Miah presided over the
programme.
Hasina
said during the Liberation War, Pakistani occupation forces and their allies in
Bangladesh had trampled the ideals of Islam, as their deeds did not match with
the teachings of Islam, the religion of peace.
For
Full Report:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=36619
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Bali
Attack Plot Shows Indonesia Terror Threat Evolving
03/22/2012
JAKARTA/KUALA
LUMPUR (Reuters) - A foiled plot by suspected Islamic militants to attack and
bomb targets in Bali, including a bar popular with tourists, marks an
escalation of the violent threat in Indonesia as authorities race to stay ahead
of rapidly evolving armed groups.
Five
men were shot dead in police raids on Sunday on the island where nightclub
bombings in 2002 killed 202 people - mostly foreign tourists - and forced the
world's largest Muslim country to confront violent Islamist groups on its soil.
Pictures
of a villa where some of the men were shot dead, showing pools of blood on the floor
of a garden hut, starkly illustrated the return of violence to the mostly Hindu
island where militants last launched deadly bomb attacks in 2005.
Ansyaad
Mbai, head of Indonesia's National Counter Terrorism Agency, said the men had
plans to bomb targets on the island, including the beach-front "La Vida
Loca" bar. Police initially said the suspects were planning armed raids on
money changers, jewelers and the bar, partly to raise money for future attacks.
"This
group was planning not only armed attacks against those targets but also
bombings," Mbai said.
For
Full Report:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/03/22/world/asia/22reuters-indonesia-
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India:
Israeli diplomat attack: Other agency not to Question Kazmi
March
22, 2012
The
Delhi Police was specifically told today by a court here not to permit any
other probe agency to interrogate journalist Syed Mohammed Ahmad Kazmi,
arrested for his alleged role in the February 13 bombing of an Israeli diplomat
car.
The
court directed the police in the wake of allegations that Israel's intelligence
agency Mossad was interrogating him.
"This
is expected that the Special Cell will not permit other investigating agencies
to make the applicant (Kazmi) an experimental block," Chief Metropolitan
Magistrate Vinod Yadav said.
The
court, however, said the police was not barred from sharing information with
other investigating agencies.
For
Full Report:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/home/online-channel/top-story/51413-israeli-diplomat-attack-other-agency-not-to-q-kazmi-court.html