Salman Rushdie Named In Al-Qaida's 'Most-Wanted List of Islam Critics to Kill'
New Age Islam News Bureau
2 March 2013
Arab World
• Opposition reveals 72 villagers ‘massacre’ by Syrian regime
'• They beat us like animals': Egypt's children detained, abused
• Syria’s one of the oldest Synagogues in the world destroyed by regime forces
• Saudi arrests 176 at demo for Islamist prisoners
• Dozens of opposition fighters, troops die in north Syria battle
• One dead, dozens hurt in Egypt clashes
• Unofficial 'morality police' launches in Egypt
• Bahrainis hope dialogue will tackle fissures
• Royal Opera House in Oman issues apology
• Bearded policemen demand support from President Morsi
Pakistan
• Cremation ground: Hindus claim over land accepted
• SHC orders govt to ensure freedom of worshippers to enter temple
• Pak origin al-Qaida men plead guilty to plotting terror attack in Britain
• LeJ men top wanted terrorists list in Pakistan
• Jihadis flock to Pakistan from more diverse backgrounds
• Gunmen kill four in Balochistan’s Tump
• Violence claims 11 lives in Karachi
• TTP peace talks: Fazl hails formation of grand tribal jirga
• Gunmen kill Pakistani reporter in southwest
• Of remembrance: Relatives relive horror of Hazara massacre
• Musharraf assets to remain frozen, says Pak court
South Asia
• Temple, houses of Hindu Bangladesh Awami League men torched
• Khaleda pleads for Jamaat; extra cover for Hindus
• Bangladesh students held for murder of anti-Islam blogger
• Maldives in election mode, six months ahead
• 'Shibir man behind blogger killing'
• Afghan media groups unite to defend rights
• Dhaka erupts amid dreams of new chapter
• ‘Pak Hand in Bangladesh Bloody Stir’
• Exodus to India as Bangladesh burns
Africa
• Ethiopian Imam Calls for Armed Jihad in Virginia
• The Most Powerful Salafist Street Commander in Tripoli
• American Shabaab fighter urges Muslims to join the 'fronts' of jihad
• Zanzibar church killing mars music festival promoting religious tolerance
• Nigeria underestimated Boko Haram's brutal power
Southeast Asia
• Islamic Subject Teacher Arrested for Allegedly Molesting 13 Students
• Do more for a better Palestine, says Najib
• Bomb Kills Two in Thai South, Tests Peace Talk Deal with Muslim rebel group
• Philippines President Aquino urges Sabah clan to surrender
• Malaysia threatens 'drastic' steps in Borneo siege
Europe
• Belgian Islamophobia: MPs vow to ‘impeach’ Muslim extremists
• Uzbeks Sentenced For Fundamentalism
• Radical Islamists Seek To Exploit Frustration In Bosnia
• French troops may stay back in Mali beyond July, say officials
• Muslims Seek Dialogue with Next Pope
India
• Salman Rushdie named in al-Qaida's 'most-wanted list of Islam critics to kill'
• Syria reaches out to India to resolve crisis
• 'Narrow window of opportunity' in Maldives to resolve internal strife
• Hyderabad cops want to keep blast probe to themselves
• AIMPL to take up the issue of Muslim youth booked in 'false' terror charges
• Bhatkal wanted to carry Fidayeen strike in train with foreign passengers in 2011
• Hyderabad blasts: 2 Indians in Saudi under scanner
• Malegaon blasts accused gets army pay
• Mumbai attacks: Trial in Pakistan adjourned till March 16
• DRDO staffer gets bail in terror case
Mideast Asia
• Israel is not responsible for Gaza attack: Military spokesman
• No peace without freedom for Palestinian political prisoners: Abbas
• A Snapshot of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Khalid Meshaal
• Al Qaida posts new issue of online magazine
North America
• NY police officer conspired with butcher in India to torture wife
• Former Insiders Criticize Iran Policy as US Hegemony
• Algerian suspect in "Jihad Jane" case faces U.S. extradition
• Obama, Putin to seek new plans to end Syria civil war
• US asks Bangladesh to help calm the situation
• Raymond Davis pleads guilty in Colorado assault case
Australia
• Fiji police investigate claims of Taliban links
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Temple, houses of Hindu Bangladesh Awami League men torched
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Salman Rushdie named in al-Qaida's 'most-wanted list of Islam critics to kill'
March 02, 2013
Indian-origin British author Salman Rushdie has been named in the 'most-wanted list of Islam critics to kill' released by al-Qaeda in the new issue of its English online magazine.
The shocking article in the Inspire magazine read 'Wanted: Dead or alive for crimes against Islam.'
A fatwa was issued against Rushdie by Iran's late leader Ayotollah Khomeini in 1989 over passages in his book The Satanic Verses.
Iran's Khordad Foundation has raised the reward offered for his killing by 500,000 pounds to 2.5 million pounds.
According to the Sun, the magazine also lists American pastor Terry Jones, who burned the Koran on a 9/11 anniversary, among its targets.
Alongside the images is the slogan: "Yes we can. A bullet a day keeps the infidel away."
The list includes Molly Norris, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Flemming Rose, Morris Swadiq, Salman Rushdie, Girt Wilders [sic], Lars Vilks, Stephane Charbonnie, Carsten Luste, Terry Jones, and Kurt Westergaard.
The article also states: “Defend Prophet Muhammad. Peace be upon him.”
The banned extremist web magazine is published by the Middle East Media Research Institute based in Washington D.C.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/europe/Rushdie-wanted-dead-or-alive-for-crimes-against-Islam-by-al-Qaeda/Article1-1019905.aspx
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NY police officer conspired with butcher in India to torture wife
AP | Mar 1, 2013
NEW YORK: A New York City police officer and a butcher in India chatted online about the officer's plans to torture and cook his soon-to-be wife and a former college roommate, an FBI agent testified on Wednesday.
"I have longed to butcher and cook female meat," Officer Gilberto Valle, 28, told the man identified as Aly Khan early last year, according to the testimony of FBI agent Corey Walsh. Khan offered to provide a place in Pakistan to kill the woman once she was brought to India, Walsh said.
The exchange was among numerous internet chats offered by prosecutors to support charges that Valle conspired with others on the internet to kidnap, rape, kill and eat women that he knew. Also charged with illegally accessing a government database to research potential victims, Valle could face life in prison if convicted.
No women were injured, and defence lawyers have argued he was merely fantasizing on the internet with no intent to harm.
For two days, Walsh has testified about chats Valle participated in last year with a New Jersey co-defendant and two co-conspirators: a man in Great Britain and Khan, both of whom posed on the internet as veterans of cannibalism who could teach Valle the skills he would need.
In several emails read by Walsh, Valle seemed eager to make the woman he would marry a few months later an offering of sorts to Khan, though he added: "She is a sweet girl. I like her a lot. But I will move on."
Valle wrote that he could talk her into going on a trip to India before they took her to Pakistan, where they could gag her and take her to a basement, where they could hang her from her feet and take turns sexually assaulting her before slitting her throat and cooking her.
"I just love the thought of stringing her upside down," Valle wrote in an email displayed to the jury. He also said he would like "to see her suffer" and "slowly roast her until she dies."
In a later email, Khan taunted Valle for failing to deliver a woman.
"Are you really into it?" he asked.
"Yes," Valle answered.
"Are you sure?" Khan asked.
"Definitely," Valle said.
Khan, apparently pleased with the response, said: "Get your mind ready. I will guide the rest."
As the instant messages progressed over a series of weeks, Valle began discussing plans to attack a 27-year-old Ohio woman he knew in college.
"I want her to experience being cooked alive," he said in one exchange. "She'll be trussed up like a turkey. ... She'll be terrified, screaming and crying."
He wrote that her death would "definitely make the news" and there will be "plenty of suspects" because she is a prosecutor.
The woman, Andria Noble, testified on Monday that she never knew Valle to be violent when they were at the University of Maryland together.
Under cross examination, defence attorney Robert Baum attacked the FBI agent's statement that 40 of the thousands of internet communications of Valle that he reviewed contained "elements of real crimes."
Baum aimed to show little or no distinction existed between chats or emails the FBI deemed real evidence of a crime and those dismissed as fantasy.
The agent conceded both had similar elements: Valle discussing how to cook women, how much it would cost to abduct them and which women would make good targets.
Walsh, the agent, conceded that some chats or emails considered fantasies contained photographs and names of real women and dates and references to past crimes, the kind of factual information that prosecutors have insisted proves Valle meant to carry out gruesome crimes including kidnapping, rape, torture, murder and cannibalism.
The agent also conceded that no women were kidnapped or harmed and that Valle never had contact with his supposed co-conspirators outside the Internet.
In addition, the agent said, no evidence of a crime was found in Valle's apartment besides a computer. There was no rope, pulleys or chemicals to render someone unconscious despite Valle's Internet boasts that he wanted to assemble a torture chamber or that he had an upstate property where he could cook women, Walsh said.
If jurors are offended or horrified by the gruesome testimony, they haven't shown it. Three of them even yawned during the reading of the internet exchanges.
The six men and six women sitting on the jury mostly sat stone-faced and silent on Tuesday and Wednesday as they listened to the agent's monotone recitation of seemingly grimace-worthy evidence _ remarks by Valle like, "I'm dying to taste some girl meat" and discussions about using one potential victim's severed head as a centerpiece for a feast of body parts.
Valle's 27-year-old wife, Kathleen Mangan-Valle, has testified that she fled their New York City home in September with their infant daughter after discovering that Valle spent hours at night on extreme sexually violent websites, including one that catered to those interested in cannibalism and asphyxiation. In Nevada, she turned over a computer to the FBI that contained hundreds of Valle's emails and instant messages with what the government has described as co-conspirators.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Cannibal-cop-trial-New-York-police-officer-conspired-with-butcher-in-India-to-torture-wife/articleshow/18753057.cms
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Arab World
Opposition reveals 72 villagers ‘massacre’ by Syrian regime
2 March 2013
BEIRUT: The Syrian opposition has accused government forces of having executed 72 people and burned their bodies in a village near the embattled northern city of Aleppo.
President Bashar Assad’s “terrorist regime executed 72 people after a raid on Malkiyeh village near the town of Sfeira in the east of Aleppo province,” the National Coalition charged in a statement.
It said at least 49 of the bodies had been identified after the killings carried out on Monday. “These repeated massacres carried out by the regime’s death squads show a criminal methodology clearly aimed at sowing terror and hatred between Syrians,” the country’s main opposition group said.
The Aleppo Press Centre, run by a network of anti-regime activists, said children, women and elderly people were among the victims, who it said were targeted on charges of having collaborated with rebel fighters.
“Cases of rape and torture were recorded and houses burned down,” it said, giving the names of 49 people including seven children aged between eight months and 12 years.
“Twenty-three other people have not been identified because their bodies were too badly burnt,” it said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights spoke of reports of “dozens of civilians killed in Malkiyeh” after a government raid aimed at securing access for reinforcements to Aleppo international airport.
The Britain-based Observatory called for the United Nations to investigate the case, for which there was no independent confirmation.
Meanwhile, fighters of Al-Nusra Front have seized control of a checkpoint on Syria’s border with Iraq.
http://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/opposition-reveals-village-%E2%80%98massacre%E2%80%99-syrian-regime
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'They beat us like animals': Egypt's children detained, abused
1 Mar 2013
In an impoverished district of Alexandria, Sherifa Abdel-Meneem described finding bruises and gashes all over her 13-year-old son's body, Abdel-Rahman, who was picked up by Egyptian security forces at a protest on 27 January and detained for over two weeks.
"He won't tell me where the marks come from or what the security forces did to him, he's too scared… when he went missing no words can describe how I felt, I wasn't sure I'd see my son ever again," said Abdel-Meneem.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentP/1/65829/Egypt/-They-beat-us-like-animals-Egypts-children-detaine.aspx
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Syria’s One of the oldest Synagogues in the world destroyed by regime forces
02 March 2013
One of the oldest Synagogues in the worlds was destroyed Friday by Syrian regime forces in the Damascus district of Jobar.
A video posted online by the Syrian opposition military council shows the Synagogue severely damaged after shelling in the area by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.
The Jobar Synagogue was reportedly built in commemoration of the biblical prophet Elijah, with centuries of Jewish pilgrimage.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/03/02/269101.html
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Saudi arrests 176 at demo for Islamist prisoners
March 02, 2013
RIYADH: Saudi police have arrested 176 people, including 15 women, for holding an illegal protest to demand the release of Islamist prisoners, the official SPA news agency reported late Friday.
The agency, quoting a police spokesman, said protesters were arrested "after refusing to break up a gathering outside the offices of the investigation bureau and the prosecution in Buraida," in central Saudi Arabia.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Mar-02/208556-saudi-arrests-176-at-demo-for-islamist-prisoners.ashx#ixzz2MNHnuChP
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Dozens of opposition fighters, troops die in north Syria battle
02 March 2013
A battle on the outskirts of the northern city of Raqa, near the Turkish border, killed dozens of Syrian troops and rebel fighters on Saturday, a watchdog reported.
“Fierce clashes pitting rebel fighters from several battalions against regular troops have raged since dawn on the outskirts of Raqa city,” AFP news agency reported, citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/03/02/269132.html
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One dead, dozens hurt in Egypt clashes
2 March 2013
One person was killed and dozens injured in overnight clashes between police and protesters in Egypt’s Nile Delta city of Mansura, a security official told AFP on Saturday.
A week of demonstrations in Mansura turned violent late on Friday when police fired tear gas at protesters outside the governorate headquarters, witnesses said.
“One protester died while 30 protesters and 10 policemen were injured in the clashes,” the security official said.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-
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Unofficial 'morality police' launches in Egypt
Self-proclaimed Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice launches in Cairo, vows to use non-violent methods to promote 'Islamic morality'
1 Mar 2013
An unofficial Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice announced its existence at a press conference in Cairo on Thursday.
Founder Hisham El-Ashri said the committee would seek to implement Islamic Sharia law without resorting to violence.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/65868/Egypt/Politics-/Unofficial-morality-police-launches-in-Egypt.aspx
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Bahrainis hope dialogue will tackle fissures
By Habib Toumi
March 1, 2013
Manama: The main road in Daih was strewn with stones, debris and broken lampposts, bearing witness to the clashes that pitted anti-government demonstrators against anti-riot police.
The scars on the once-fine road traversing the village west of the Bahraini capital Manama were ugly reminders of what has hit the country recently.
Two were killed, a 16-year-old demonstrator, and a 23-year-old policeman. They left behind emotions that ran deep in the small community and confirmed an emerging disturbing picture of the onslaught on the deep-rooted conviviality that has been Bahrain’s hallmark since time immemorial.
Full report at:
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/bahrain/bahrainis-hope-dialogue-will-tackle-fissures-1.1152537
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Royal Opera House in Oman issues apology
Member of American jazz band recites verses from Quran during performance
By Sunil K. Vaidya
March 2, 2013
Muscat: The Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) has issued a public apology, regretting a band member of American Jazz pianist Jason Moran reciting verses of the Quran during the performance on Thursday night.
The ROHM posted a statement on its website on Friday that expressed “its deep regret” over the incident.
Full report at:
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/oman/royal-opera-house-in-oman-issues-apology-1.1152883
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Bearded policemen demand support from President Morsi
Egyptian interior ministry refuses to allow bearded policemen to return to work despite a court decision ordering it to do so
1 Mar 2013
On 20 February, Egypt's administrative court said the policemen, who were suspended for growing beards, could return to work.
Despite the court ruling they remain suspended.
"We went to court after we failed to convince the interior ministry that having a beard is line with the teachings of the Prophet," said Mohamed, a lower-ranking officer who has been suspended from work since March 2011.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/65872/Egypt/Politics-/Bearded-policemen-demand-support-from-President-Mo.aspx
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Pakistan
Cremation ground: Hindus claim over land accepted
Mar 2, 2013
RAWALPINDI, March 1: The revenue department of the city district government has accepted the claim of the Hindu community that their cremation ground at Tipu Road was 10 kanals and 17 marlas, which has now shrunk to just two kanals.
In November 2012, the federal government had written to the Punjab Revenue Board to settle the dispute between the community and the Evacuee Trust Property Board over the measurement of the Shamshan Ghat or cremation ground.
The letter was forwarded to the revenue department of Rawalpindi in January 2013 to verify the land record.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/03/02/cremation-ground-hindus-claim-over-land-accepted/
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SHC orders govt to ensure freedom of worshippers to enter Tando Adam temple
March 2, 2013
KARACHI: Thanks to the Sindh High Court (SHC), the students of Dr Ziauddin Primary School in Tando Adam will learn an important lesson on interfaith harmony.
On Thursday the court ordered government officials and the administration of a school built on the same site as a century-old temple to allow members of the Hindu community to visit the place of worship freely.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/514462/freedom-for-all-shc-orders-govt-to-ensure-freedom-of-worshippers-to-enter-tando-adam-temple/
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LeJ men top wanted terrorists list in Pakistan
ANITA JOSHUA
Mar 02 2013
No one from LeT, its incarnates on the list
Under attack for being soft on jihadi outfits — because of a tacit understanding the outfits have with the Pakistan Muslim League of former Premier Nawaz Sharif — the Punjab Police have recently updated their list of most wanted terrorists to include a number of people from the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) — being held responsible for the series of sectarian attacks across the country in recent months.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/south-asia/lej-men-top-wanted-terrorists-list-in-pakistan/article4466190.ece
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Pak origin al-Qaida men plead guilty to plotting terror attack in Britain
PTI | Mar 2, 2013
LONDON: Four Pakistani-origin al-Qaida militants have pleaded guilty to plotting a terror attack in Britain with home-made bombs.
Zahid Iqbal, 31, Mohammed Sharfaraz Ahmed, 25, Umar Arshad, 24, and Syed Farhan Hussain, 21, admitted to one charge of engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism at a hearing in Woolwich Crown Court in London yesterday.
All four men were arrested at their homes in Luton, Bedfordshire, in April last year following a series of raids by British security forces.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/Pak-origin-al-Qaida-men-plead-guilty-to-plotting-terror-attack-in-Britain/articleshow/18766763.cms?
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Jihadis flock to Pakistan from more diverse backgrounds
January 28, 2013
PESHAWAR: Despite the fact that new battlegrounds have sprung up in Africa and the Middle East, the number of foreign militant recruits smuggled into the north-western tribal belt of the country is increasing and they now come from more diverse countries.
As Washington and Nato prepare to end their combat mission in Afghanistan, the Taliban say their foreign allies are drawn to other conflicts, despite their support networks in a region outside direct government control.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/499559/jihadis-flock-to-pakistan-from-more-diverse-backgrounds/
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Gunmen kill four in Balochistan’s Tump
Syed Ali Shah
Mar 2, 2013
QUETTA: Four people were shot at and later burnt to death in Tump, a town in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, Levies officials said on Saturday.
Mujeeb Ahmed, a Levies official said armed militants opened fire at a vehicle in Tump tehsil of district Kech. He said all four persons were killed inside the vehicle.
“The assailants put the vehicle on fire after the incident,” Ahmed said. The assailants managed to escape after the attack.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/03/02/gunmen-kill-four-in-balochistans-tump/
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Violence claims 11 lives in Karachi
Mar 2, 2013
KARACHI: At least 11 people were killed Saturday in separate incidents of violence in different parts of Karachi, DawnNews reported.
Three people were gunned down and one person was injured in during firing in the city’s Orangi Town. The assailants managed to flee the scene and the bodies and the injured were shifted to a hospital.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/03/02/violence-claims-eight-lives-in-karachi-3/
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TTP peace talks: Fazl hails formation of grand tribal jirga
March 2, 2013
PESHAWAR: JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman late Friday said that formation of an authoritative grand tribal “Jirga” has passed a message to world community that serious peace initiatives has got underway for bringing durable peace in FATA and KP by holding talks with the militant leadership.
The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief was briefing media representatives along with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Engineer Shaukatullah after chairing a meeting of the 87 members grand tribal Jirga at the governor house.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/03/02/ttp-peace-talks-fazl-hails-formation-of-grand-tribal-jirga/
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Gunmen kill Pakistani reporter in southwest
By By ABDUL SATTAR, Associated Press
Mar 2, 2013
QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani police say gunmen on a motorcycle have shot and killed a reporter in southwest Pakistan.
Senior police officer Ahmed Shah Lango says Mahmood Ahmed Afridi was killed on Friday as he walked to a press club in the town of Kalat.
Full report at: Copyright © 2013 The Associated Press.
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Of remembrance: Relatives relive horror of Hazara massacre
By Mohammad Zafar
March 2, 2013
QUETTA: Bibi Razi struggles to describe the worst day of her life.
January 10, 2013. A day scorched in her mind, possibly forever. The day she learnt that her son Awais Ahmed, 27, had been killed in the suicide attack. That he was never coming back.
“What do you want to hear and what do you expect me to say?” she asks, as anguished tears stream down her face. “My son Awais is gone. That is all. I never dreamt that my new year would start off in this way.”
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/514632/of-remembrance-relatives-relive-horror-of-hazara-massacre/
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Musharraf assets to remain frozen, says Pak court
March 02, 2013
A Pakistani anti-terrorism court on Saturday rejected an application against the confiscation of former president Pervez Musharraf's property and freezing of his bank accounts for his failure to appear before it in the murder case of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, court officials said.
The court has already declared the former military president an "absconder" in the 2007 Bhutto assassination case as he has not agreed to clarify his position in court despite several notices and arrest warrants, reported Xinhua.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/pakistan/Musharraf-assets-to-remain-frozen-says-Pak-court/Article1-1020106.aspx
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South Asia
Temple, houses of Hindu Bangladesh Awami League men torched
Mar 2, 2013
Unidentified miscreants set fire to a temple and houses of two Hindu Awami League men in different parts of Morelganj upazila in Bagerhat early Saturday.
The temple was situated at Ramchandrapur union of the upazila while the houses at Banagram union and Baharbula village of the same union, reports our Bagerhat correspondent.
Miscreants set fire to Dumuria Sarbojanin Puja Mandir in Ramchandrapur union at any time from 12:00am to 1:00am, said Aslam Hossain, officer-in-charge of Morelganj Police Station.
The dress of goddess Durga gutted before the locals managed to douse the fire, the OC added.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=45134
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Khaleda pleads for Jamaat; extra cover for Hindus
AFP | Mar 2, 2013
DHAKA: The number of people killed in clashes in Bangladesh over the conviction of Islamist leaders for war crimes rose to 53 on Friday as fresh violence erupted in the Muslim-majority nation.
Two people were killed when hundreds of pro-government supporters and followers of the rival Jamaat-e-Islami party battled each other with sticks in two northern districts of Gaibandha and Chapainawabganj , police chiefs said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Khaleda-pleads-for-Jamaat-extra-cover-for-Hindus/articleshow/18759315.cms?
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Bangladesh students held for murder of anti-Islam blogger
AFP | Mar 2, 2013
DHAKA: Bangladesh Police arrested five students of an elite private university on Saturday on charges of murdering an anti-Islamist blogger whose death triggered nationwide turmoil.
The students allegedly confessed to hacking to death Ahmed Rajib Haider, 35, on February 15 after he helped organise protests against leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami party on trial for war crimes, police said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Bangladesh-students-held-for-murder-of-anti-Islam-blogger/articleshow/18764479.cms?
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Maldives in election mode, six months ahead
R. K. RADHAKRISHNAN
Mar 02 2013
The presidential elections in The Maldives are more than six months away, but some political parties have already started campaigning while others are busy finalising candidates.
The first round of elections will be held on September 7. If no clear winner emerges, a run-off would be held later the same month. First off the block was Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which announced former President Mohamed Nasheed as its candidate in an uncontested primary last year.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/south-asia/maldives-in-election-mode-six-months-ahead/article4466147.ece
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'Shibir man behind blogger killing'
Mar 2, 2013
An Islami Chhatra Shibir activist orchestrated the killing of blogger Ahmed Rajib Haidar, detectives on Saturday quoted five students of North South University (NSU) as saying.
The mastermind, whom the NSU students referred to as Borobhai or elder brother, and another killer one who took part in the killing mission are absconding, according to the Detective Branch (DB) of police.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=45126
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Afghan media groups unite to defend rights
By Tahir Khan
March 2, 2013
ISLAMABAD: Media outlets in Afghanistan have enjoyed a considerable amount of freedom over the past 10 years. However, journalists expect they will face challenges following the expected withdrawal of foreign forces next year.
Keeping this in mind, nine Afghan journalist groups have joined hands and formed a federation to defend their rights, support freedom of expression and resist any attempts to suppress the independence of media.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/514568/afghan-media-groups-unite-to-defend-rights/
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Dhaka erupts amid dreams of new chapter
Saurabh Shukla
Mar 02 2013
GROUPS of young men and women coalesced with a renewed sense of purpose in Dhaka’s Shahbag Square after evening prayers on Friday to press their demand for death to the ‘ razakars’ of 1971.
Razakar is the Bangla term for those who conspired with Pakistani forces during the nation’s 1971 war of independence.
Young men carried coffins into the square; banners calling for death to the razakar s fluttered alongside those seeking deportation of the conspirators to Pakistan.
Full report at: Mail Today
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‘Pak Hand in Bangladesh Bloody Stir’
Mar 02 2013
AS Bangladesh punishes those found guilty of the wave of violence that saw millions butchered during the 1971 war of independence, home minister Moiuddin Khan Alamgir says Pakistan continues to “foment trouble in the nation”. “Pakistan has to change its ways, they have to apologise for what happened in1971. It is not a democracy like India and Bangladesh. Pakistan is ruled by arms and ammunition,” Alamgir told M AIL T ODAY in an interview.
On the country’s alleged support for Jamaat- e- Islami, the outfit at the centre of the country’s war crimes trial, Alamgir admits Pakistan encourages communal elements in Bangladesh.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Exodus to India as Bangladesh burns
Mar 2, 2013
MAHADIPUR (Bangladesh border): Hundreds of Bangladeshis have poured into the border district of Malda, fleeing the violence that has broken out after Jamaat-e-Islami vice-president Delwar Hossain Sayedee was sentenced to death on Thursday for his role in the '71 atrocities.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Exodus-to-India-as-Bangladesh-burns/articleshow/18759460.cms?
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Africa
Ethiopian Imam Calls for Armed Jihad in Virginia
Mar 2, 2013
Sheik Shaker Elsayed, the imam of the Dar al-Hijrah Mosque in Falls Church, Va., advocated armed jihad before an Ethiopian Muslim group gathered at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va. last week.
“Muslim men when it is a price to pay, they are first in line,” Elsayed said in comments seen on a YouTube video found by the Creeping Sharia blog. “They are the first in the prayer line. They are the first in the zakat (charity) line. They are the first in the hajj line. They are the first in the clean-up line. They are the first in the community-service line. They are the first in jihad line. They are the first in the da’wa line.”
Full report at:
http://www.algemeiner.com/2013/03/01/ethiopian-imam-calls-for-armed-jihad-in-virginia/
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The Most Powerful Salafist Street Commander in Tripoli
Mar 2, 2013
Hussam Abdullah Sabbagh (a.k.a. “Abu Hassan”) is an important anti-Assad Lebanese Salafist commander in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli. A popular commander of Salafist fighters in Tripoli’s northern, impoverished and restive Sunni neighborhoods, Sabbagh is reported to have been named the amir of the majority of the armed Salafist organizations in Tripoli and its surrounding regions in northern Lebanon (ash-Sharq [Riyadh], December 9, 2012). As amir of the majority of Tripoli’s Salafist fighters, Sabbagh is reported to have been coordinating and leading these organizations’ attacks on Tripoli’s Alawite-majority, pro-Assad neighborhood of Jebel Mohsen (al-Akhbar, January 17).
http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=40518&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=228&cHash=90cf548dc8f8ca1492a79a685387aedf
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American Shabaab fighter urges Muslims to join the 'fronts' of jihad
By BILL ROGGIO
Mar 2, 2013
A previously unidentified American who fights in the ranks of Shabaab, al Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia, appeared on a videotape and urged Muslims to join one of the numerous fronts of the global jihad.
The American, who is identified as Abu Ahmed al Amriki, is seen on a videotape that was produced by Shabaab's media arm and posted on jihadist Internet forums on Feb. 25. The video was obtained and translated by the SITE Intelligence Group.
Full report at:
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/02/american_shabaab_fig_1.php#sthash.sXDtJP1R.dpuf
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Zanzibar church killing mars music festival promoting religious tolerance
Mar 2, 2013
Catholic priest shot dead and church torched during Sounds of Wisdom festival in latest examples of hate crimes on holiday island
Beneath a starry sky and between the twin turrets of the 18th-century Old Fort on Stone Town's seafront, one of Africa's most prestigious and amiable music festivals, Sauti za Busara – "sounds of wisdom" in Swahili – was celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Full report at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/25/zanzibar-music-festival-priest-murdered
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Nigeria underestimated Boko Haram's brutal power
Donu Kogbara
28 February 2013
The Islamic militant group's incursion into Cameroon shows its readiness to take its terror campaign to new areas
Until Boko Haram staged Nigeria's first suicide bombing in 2010, most of their compatriots (this writer included) complacently assumed that home-grown Islamic militants could be controlled and were, although undoubtedly dangerous, pretty tame compared to their counterparts elsewhere. How wrong we were.
Full report at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/28/nigeria-underestimated-boko-haram
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Southeast Asia
Islamic Subject Teacher Arrested for Allegedly Molesting 13 Students
Farouk Arnaz | March 01, 2013
A teacher of Islamic studies in East Java was arrested on Friday for allegedly molesting at least 13 elementary school students.
“The suspect, S., 48, holds a degree in Islamic studies and teaches at an elementary school in Gandu, Nganjuk. He has been detained as of today for molesting his students,” Nganjuk Police Chief Adj. Comr. Anggoro Sukartono told the Jakarta Globe on Friday.
Anggoro said that S. often called his students into private meetings on the pretext of grading their tests.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/islamic-subject-teacher-arrested-for-allegedly-molesting-13-students/575582
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Do more for a better Palestine, says Najib
Mar 2, 2013
KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today called on Malaysians to go beyond providing funds, medical aid and other emergency relief to Palestinians and help plan for a better Palestine.
“What we can offer is a vision of the future for Palestine, as well as our resources to share our assistance where needed.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/do-more-for-a-better-palestine-says-najib/
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Bomb Kills Two in Thai South, Tests Peace Talk Deal with Muslim rebel group
March 2, 2013
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Suspected insurgents detonated a motorcycle bomb in southern Thailand on Saturday, killing two military rangers and wounding 11 people, the second serious attack in as many days after one of the Muslim rebel groups operating in the area agreed to hold peace talks.
The blast on a road in Yala province, in which two civilians were among the wounded, followed a similar motorcycle bombing in neighbouring Narathiwat province on Friday that wounded six people.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2013/03/02/world/asia/02reuters-thailand-
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Philippines President Aquino urges Sabah clan to surrender
Mar 2, 2013
Philippine President Benigno Aquino has called on members of a clan occupying a Malaysian village to surrender to avoid further bloodshed.
He told the group to "surrender now without conditions", a day after 12 members of the clan and two Malaysian police officers were killed in clashes.
The Muslim clan from the Philippines is demanding recognition as the rightful owners of Sabah province.
Full report at:
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Malaysia threatens 'drastic' steps in Borneo siege
March 02, 2013
By M. Jegathesan
LAHAD DATU, Malaysia: Malaysia threatened Saturday to take "drastic action" against intruding followers of a self-proclaimed Filipino sultan after a tense standoff erupted into a shootout that killed 14 people.
Twelve followers of the little-known sultan of Sulu and two Malaysian security personnel were killed in Friday's firefight, police said, as the more than two-week-old siege in a remote corner of Malaysia turned deadly.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2013/Mar-02/208546-malaysia-threatens-drastic-steps-in-borneo-siege.ashx#ixzz2MNIRDHCc
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Europe
Belgian Islamophobia: MPs vow to ‘impeach’ Muslim extremists
February 28, 2013
Belgian politicians have submitted a proposal to impeach or limit the influence of Muslim extremists in power. MPs fear that Muslim politicians do not shake hands with women and are creating an isolated community.
Alain Destexche, a liberal member of the Federation Wallonia-Brussels, and Deputy Mayor of Koekelberg Philippe Pivin submitted the proposal in front of the Belgian Parliament on Wednesday to exclude extremist parties from a range of local functions. The proposal is currently open for signatures by other members of Parliament.
Full report at:
http://rt.com/news/proposal-belgium-limit-muslims-612/
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Uzbeks Sentenced For Fundamentalism
Mar 2, 2013
A court in Uzbekistan has handed prison sentences to people deemed to have been members of an Islamic fundamentalist group.
A law-enforcement official said on February 27 that 11 members of the organization known as Jihadism received prison terms of between five and 12 years.
The group was operating in the country's eastern region of Namangan in the restive Ferghana Valley, which is shared with neighboring Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Full report at:
http://www.rferl.org/content/uzbeks-sentenced-fundmentalism/24914303.html
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Radical Islamists Seek To Exploit Frustration In Bosnia
By Robert Coalson and Maja Nikolic
March 01, 2013
TUZLA, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- Nearly 20 years after the guns fell silent in Bosnia-Herzegovnia, a growing number of the country's Muslims have become frustrated with the democratic path their country has taken.
And that frustration is being exploited by Islamists.
Unlike ethnic Croats and Serbs in Bosnia, Muslim Bosniaks receive no economic, political, or moral support from neighbouring countries.
Full report at:
http://www.rferl.org/content/bosnia-islamists/24916517.html
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French troops may stay back in Mali beyond July, say officials
2 March 2013
PARIS: French troops will stay in the West African country of Mali at least until July, amid tougher-than-expected resistance from rebel fighters, officials have told The Associated Press, despite earlier government promises to begin a quick pullout within weeks.
France’s leadership has painted the intervention against Al-Qaeda-backed radicals in Mali, which began in January, as a swift and limited one, and said that France could start withdrawing its 4,000 troops in Mali in March and hand over security duties to an African force.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/world/french-troops-may-stay-back-mali-beyond-july-say-officials
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Muslims Seek Dialogue With Next Pope
By HARVEY MORRIS
March 2, 2013
LONDON — As the Catholic Church’s cardinal electors gather at the Vatican to choose a new pope, Muslim leaders are urging a revival of the often troubled dialogue between the two faiths.
During the papacy of Benedict XVI, relations between the world’s two largest religions were overshadowed by remarks he made in 2006 that were widely condemned as an attack on Islam.
Full report at:
http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/01/muslims-seek-dialogue-with-next-
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India
Two cops shot dead by militants in Handwara area of north Kashmir
Mar 2, 2013
SRINAGAR: Two local policemen were killed by separatist guerrillas in a hit-and-run attack in Kupwara district of north Kashmir on Saturday.
A senior police officer told IANS that militants fired from close range at two constables of an armed battalion near the bus stand in Handwara town, 75 kilometres from here this morning.
"The two constables belonging to the Indian Reserve Police (IRP) were removed to the hospital in a critical condition, where they succumbed to injuries," the officer said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Two-cops-shot-dead-by-militants-in-Handwara-area-of-north-Kashmir/articleshow/18762048.cms
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Syria reaches out to India to resolve crisis
Mar 2, 2013
NEW DELHI: Syrian president Bashar-Al-Asad is sending his top aide Buthaina Shabaan to India to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and brief him about the ongoing conflict in the country.
Buthaina, who is Asad's political and information advisor, is expected to meet Manmohan Singh on Tuesday when she will deliver a special message.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Syria-reaches-out-to-India-to-resolve-crisis/articleshow/18765142.cms
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'Narrow window of opportunity' in Maldives to resolve internal strife
By Sachin Parashar, TNN | Mar 2, 2013
NEW DELHI: The standoff in the Maldives may have ended for now with former president Mohamed Nasheed no longer holed up inside Indian High Commission, where he had taken shelter, but India is not all that optimistic about the situation in the Indian Ocean archipelago. Indian officials had successfully managed to end the crisis by negotiating with the government in Male and other stakeholders in the country allowing Nasheed the freedom to walk out of the Indian High Commission and - as New Delhi wanted him to — resume his political life.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Narrow-window-of-opportunity-in-Maldives-to-resolve-internal-strife/articleshow/18765243.cms
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Hyderabad cops want to keep blast probe to themselves
TNN | Mar 2, 2013
HYDERABAD: In a clear rebuke to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) that has been pressing for transfer of the Dilsukhnagar twin blasts case to it, the Hyderabad police on Friday transferred the case to its own Special Investigation Team (SIT). Headed by additional CP, crimes, of Hyderabad police, Sandeep Shandillya, SIT comprises six teams who have been informally probing the blasts till now.The question of who will probe the twin blasts is turning out to be a prestige issue, with the NIA trying to take over the probe ever since the blasts rocked the city on February 21. Frustrated at not being handed over the case, NIA officials had sought the intervention of the Union home ministry and New Delhi had dropped hints to chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy on the issue.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Hyderabad-cops-want-to-keep-blast-probe-to-themselves/articleshow/18757460.cms?
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AIMPL to take up the issue of Muslim youth booked in 'false' terror charges
ByAshish Tripathi, TNN | Mar 2, 2013
LUCKNOW: The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has decided to take up the issue of harassment of Muslim youth on false charges of terror acts across the country with the UPA government. The Board has decided to send a letter to the central government on the issue.
Though the issue of Muslim youth being falsely implicated in terror acts has been debated for long, it acquired political colour in 2012 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, when the Samajwadi Party (SP) promised that it will review the terror cases lodged against Muslim youth and release those found innocent. The SP came to power with majority. Muslims voted overwhelmingly for the SP. The SP government also formed a commission to review the cases. Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/All-India-Muslim-Personal-Law-Board-to-
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Bhatkal wanted to carry fidayeen strike in train with foreign passengers in 2011
BySmriti Singh, TNN | Mar 2, 2013
NEW DELHI: Yasin Bhatkal, the operational head of banned terror outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM), was planning to carry out a "fidayeen attack in a train having foreigner passengers" in 2011, and members of the outfit had already conducted a reconnaissance of the train, one of his close associates has revealed.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Bhatkal-wanted-to-carry-fidayeen-strike-in-train-with-foreign-passengers-in-2011/articleshow/18758352.cms?
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Hyderabad blasts: 2 Indians in Saudi under scanner
Abhishek Sharan, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, March 02, 2013
Investigators probing the Hyderabad blasts are verifying the role of two Saudi Arabia-based Indians, who are suspected of being the handlers of a terror module, of which 12 alleged operatives were recently chargesheeted in Bangalore for plotting attacks.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/IndiaSectionPage/chunk-ht-ui-indiasectionpage-
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Malegaon blasts accused gets army pay
Rahul Singh, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, March 02, 2013
Lieutenant Colonel Shrikant Purohit, who was allegedly involved in the September 2008 Malegaon blasts and is currently lodged in a Maharashtra jail, continues to draw his pay and allowances from the army, despite serious terror charges against him.
According to information revealed under the RTI Act, Purohit "is in full receipt of pay and allowances till date."
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/newdelhi/Malegaon-blasts-accused-gets-army-pay/Article1-1019774.aspx
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Mumbai attacks: Trial in Pakistan adjourned till March 16
Mar 02 2013
Islamabad : The trial of seven Pakistanis charged with involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks was today adjourned for two weeks after prosecutors informed the judge that they were awaiting an undertaking from Indian authorities regarding the visit of a Pakistani judicial commission.
Anti-terrorism court Judge Chaudhry Habib-ur-Rehman, who is conducting proceedings behind closed doors at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, put off the case till March 16 after prosecutors failed to submit an undertaking from Indian authorities that the Pakistani commission would be allowed to cross-examine four key witnesses in Mumbai.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mumbai-attacks-trial-in-pakistan-adjourned-till-march-16/1082201/
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DRDO staffer gets bail in terror case
Mar 1, 2013
BANGALORE: A youth among 15 people arrested in August-November 2012 in what has come to be known as the Bangalore terror module case was granted bail on Thursday.
Ejaj Ahmed Mirza worked as a DRDO staffer. He was among the four youths not charge sheeted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Two of the four youths, journalist Muthi ur-Rehman Siddiqui and electrician Syed Yusuf Nalaband, were discharged as the NIA charge sheet failed to find "prosecutable evidence" against them. Mirza was not named among 12 accused in the charge sheet.
Full report at:
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-03-01/bangalore/37372558_1_nia-chargesheet-terror-case-special-nia-court
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Mideast Asia
Israel is not responsible for Gaza attack: Military spokesman
Terrorist organizations, not Israel, are responsible for Friday's attack in Gaza Strip, military spokesman claims
Friday 1 Mar 2013
The spokesman of the Israeli military, Avichay Adraee, denied on his Facebook page Israel's launching of a military strike near central Gaza border on Friday.
"Israel's army has no relation with the incident; terrorist organizations should be blamed for it", Adraee claimed.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/65891/World/Region/Israel-is-not-responsible-for-Gaza-attack-Military.aspx
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No peace without freedom for Palestinian political prisoners: Abbas
Without freedom for Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jail there can be no 'peace or stability', says Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
1 Mar 2013
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Authority (PA) members have met the family of Arafat Jaradat, who died on Saturday after allegedly being tortured in an Israeli jail.
Abbas said the Middle East will see "no peace or stability" unless Israel releases all Palestinian prisoners, pointing out that some prisoners have spent more than 25 years in jail, the Palestinian Maan news agency reported Thursday.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/65860/World/Region/No-peace-without-freedom-for-Palestinian-political.aspx
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A Snapshot of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Khalid Meshaal
February 27, 2013
By: Nathaniel Manni
While Ismail Haniyah is the prime minister of Hamas, many have speculated that the chief of the organization’s political bureau, Khalid Meshaal, has been the true leader of the group. Meshaal is a charismatic statesman who has maintained top leadership positions while in exile. Meshaal has arguably been the highest-ranking member of Hamas since the assassination of one of Hamas’ founders, Abdel Aziz Rantisi in 2004. Meshaal has been unhindered by travel restrictions imposed by Israel that pertain to key Hamas leaders within the Palestinian territories—because he resides outside of the Palestinian territories—which has allowed him to act as a diplomat, fundraiser and spokesperson for Hamas; meeting foreign dignitaries, speaking at public events and conducting interviews with various media outlets. Being the primary public voice of Hamas explains Meshaal’s popularity and illustrates why he has so much influence within the group. While Meshaal has openly stated he believes that violent resistance against Israel is a justified means to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands, he has also voiced willingness to make concessions in certain areas to establish Palestinian statehood. [
Full report at:
http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=40519&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=13&cHash=629406ffb68af3c3862f45fe1f237b78
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Al Qaida posts new issue of online magazine
March 2, 2013
Cairo: Yemen’s Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula - considered to be the terror network’s most dangerous branch - is urging for holy war in a new edition of its online English-language magazine.
The edition appeared on militant websites Thursday after an almost nine month interval.
The magazine’s former editor, American Samir Khan, was killed in a US drone strike in September 2011 in Yemen, together with the US-born militant cleric Anwar Al Awlaki.
Full report at:
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/al-qaida-posts-new-issue-of-online-magazine-1.1152870
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North America
Former Insiders Criticize Iran Policy as US Hegemony
27 February 2013
By Gareth Porter, Inter Press Service
Washington - "Going to Tehran" arguably represents the most important work on the subject of U.S.-Iran relations to be published thus far.
Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett tackle not only U.S. policy toward Iran but the broader context of Middle East policy with a systematic analytical perspective informed by personal experience, as well as very extensive documentation.
Full report at:
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/14829-former-insiders-criticize-iran-policy-as-us-hegemony
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Algerian suspect in "Jihad Jane" case faces U.S. extradition
Mar 2, 2013
An Irish court on Thursday began extradition hearings against an Algerian man facing two terrorism charges in the United States connected to the so-called Jihad Jane conspiracy.
Ali Charaf Damache is wanted by the FBI for conspiracy in a failed international plot to murder a Swedish cartoonist whose depiction of the Prophet Mohamed with the body of dog inflamed public opinion in Muslim countries.
Damache, originally arrested in Ireland in March 2010, appeared at Dublin's extradition court on charges of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and attempted identity theft to facilitate an act of international terrorism.
Full report at:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/28/us-ireland-usa-trial-idUSBRE91R1LH20130228
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Obama, Putin to seek new plans to end Syria civil war
Mar 02 2013
The Presidents of Russia and the United States agreed in a telephone conversation to seek “new initiatives” to end the civil war in Syria.
U.S. President Barack Obama took time off the budgetary crisis at home to call Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday evening, Moscow time, to discuss international flashpoints and bilateral issues.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/obama-putin-to-seek-new-plans-to-end-syria-civil-war/article4469316.ece
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US asks Bangladesh to help calm the situation
PTI | Mar 2, 2013
WASHINGTON: Expressing concern over eruption of violence in the country that has killed more than 46 people, the US has asked Bangladesh to help calm the ongoing situation and demanded citizens to engage in peaceful protest.
"While engaging in a peaceful protest is a fundamental democratic right, we believe violence is never the answer. We encourage all Bangladeshis to peacefully express their views, and we welcome peaceful efforts by the government of Bangladesh to help calm the situation," State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell told reporters.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-asks-Bangladesh-to-help-calm-the-situation/articleshow/18760324.cms
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Raymond Davis pleads guilty in Colorado assault case
March 2, 2013
DENVER: A former CIA contractor who triggered an international incident in 2011 when he killed two men in Pakistan pleaded guilty on Friday to assaulting a Colorado man in a dispute over a parking spot, prosecutors said.
Raymond Allen Davis entered the plea in Douglas County District Court to misdemeanour third-degree assault and received a two-year probationary sentence, said Lisa Pinto, spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/514722/raymond-davis-pleads-guilty-in-colorado-assault-case/
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Australia
Fiji police investigate claims of Taliban links
March 2, 2013
SUVA: Fiji police said Saturday they were working with Interpol to investigate reports of Fijian militants joining the Taliban.
Although the Fiji Muslim League rejected the claims, police criminal investigation department director Luke Rawalai told AFP they were “taking this very seriously”.
He said Fijians joining the Taliban would violate the Pacific island country’s counter-terrorist laws and it would be treated as “a major crime”.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/514734/fiji-police-investigate-claims-of-taliban-links/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/salman-rushdie-named-al-qaida/d/10619