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Islamic World News ( 9 Oct 2012, NewAgeIslam.Com)

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Saudi cleric allows visits to non-Muslim places of worship, social media use


New Age Islam News Bureau

9 Oct 2012 


Arab World

 Saudi cleric allows visits to non-Muslim places of worship, social media use

 Assad’s agents killed son of Syria’s grand mufti: Leaked files

 Watchdog says over 32,000 killed in Syria conflict; army steps up bid to crush Homs

 Gulf States must tackle Muslim Brotherhood threat: UAE

 Westerners with Roots in Syria Trickle in to Help Rebels

 Egypt's President Mursi pardons all political prisoners

 Police: Attacks across Iraq Kill 3 Soldiers

 Saudi Arabia through the eyes of expatriates

 IIROSA participates in OIC-Qatar Charity meeting on situation in Myanmar

 Procedures for foreign pilgrims to be digitized

 Bahrain rejects requests for Rights Activist’s release: Lawyer

 Syria rebels bomb Air Force Intelligence complex

 Harb files lawsuit against Syrian officials over journalist Tueni’s killing

 

Pakistan

 Twice Cursed: Trials of Being Labelled an Ahmadi and a Blasphemer

 6 volunteers, 4 militants killed in Khyber Agency

 Eight killed in Mortar Attack in Orakzai, Khyber

 SC Takes Suo Motu Notice Of Balochistan Vani, Girls Bartered To Settle a Blood Feud,

  Incident

 Pakistan rejects Karzai’s preconditions

 After ban, no Pakistani papers getting through border to Afghanistan

 Armed men attack bus in Kurram; three injured

 PM says govt ready to hold talks with Baloch leaders

 Bank of Khyber’s Islamic branch starts operations

I ran deports 22 Pakistanis living there despite expiry of their visa

 Imran seeks UN help to stop drone attacks in Pakistan

 MQM flays murderous attack on Malala

 Pakistan begins anti-pneumonia drive

 

India

 Indian Embassy to hold Open House to allow Indian community residing in the Saudi Kingdom

 Fresh war of words over Kashmir between India, Pak at UN

 Nasheed should not be barred from contesting poll: India

 Terrorism is a 'Frankenstein monster': L K Advani in UN General Assembly

 Rushdie's Midnight's Children 'to be released in India'

 Sessions court to try Kazmi on October 12

 Sarabjeet Singh allowed meeting with attorney

 Jundal alleges 'torture' during probe

 

South Asia

 Nasheed treated like “a fugitive”: MDP

 Nasheed’s arrest the “end of Maldivian democracy”: MDP

 Punishment for attackers of Buddhists must: Bangladesh PM

 Fear of civil war makes Afghans unwilling to return

 Maldives ex-president held for defying court, India wary

 Car bomb blast hits Afghan intelligence office, kills two

 Afghan addicts help run daring new restaurant in Kabul

 Man detained after hoax call grounds plane in troubled northwest China's Xinjiang province

 Defence Minister launches defamation case against Nasheed over “traitor” allegations

 Discontent over Renaming of Kabul College Turns Into Violence

 

Europe

 Radicalism Prompts Warnings in France

 EU welcomes Manila- biggest Muslim rebel group peace accord

 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Award for Translation celebrates winners in Germany

 

Southeast Asia

 Eleven dead in Thai Muslim militant attacks: police

 Indonesia: FPI rejects vice governor-elect to lead Islamic bodies

 Overseas Filipino Workers welcome Filipino peace agreement

 Indonesian Maid Back Home after Abuse in Saudi Arabia

 

Mideast Asia

 Yemen busts Iran spies posing as investors: Ministry

 Iran could make the bomb within 10 months: experts

 NATO: Plans Ready to Defend Turkey

 Yemen detains 'American' on al-Qaida wanted list

 Israel Launches Airstrikes after Attacks from Gaza militants

 Two Saudis among 8 kidnapped in Yemen

 Israeli ‘apartheid wall’ threatens Arab farmers

 Iran Warns UAE Relations Are at Risk Over Gulf Island Claims

 Defiant Gaza fans cheer Barca despite Hamas threats

 Strict New Procedures for Iran Currency Trading After Protest

 

Africa

 Libya says has 'considerable' evidence to try Gadhafi son

 Somalia: Rebels Ban Relief Group from Their Territory

 ICC debating where Qaddafi’s son should be tried

 

North America

 US state department had extended stay of security team in Libya

 Romney slams Obama on Middle East

 

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

Photo: UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan

URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/saudi-cleric-allows-visits-non/d/8931

 

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Arab World

 

Saudi cleric allows visits to non-Muslim places of worship, social media use

 08 October 2012

Sheikh Dr. Abdullah bin Suleiman al-Manee, member of the Board of Senior Ulama and Adviser to the Royal Court, told Saudi university students in Malaysia that they are allowed to visit worship places of other religions and encouraged them to heavy usage of the social media, Al Riyadh newspaper reported online on Monday.

Dr. Abdullah explained to the recipients of H.H. the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques foreign scholarship program, that he doesn’t object visiting worship places of non-muslims and watch their rituals, even if they have to pay entrance fees, as this will strengthen the muslim’s attachment to his religion and shows the ignorance of the followers of other religions.

He was speaking in Malaysia at the Saudi Students club in Malaysia, in presence of H.E. Fahed Bin Abdullah Al-Rasheed, Saudi Ambassador to Malaysia, and Dr. Abdulrahman Bin Mohamad Fousayyal, the saudi cultural attaché, and Mohamad Omar abou Sabaa, head of the students’ club.

Dr. Abdullah encouraged Saudi youth to use heavily all available social media tools, namely facebook, twitter, emails and what’s app, in order to spread the message of Islam as “We need to reach the people in modern and suitable means”.

According to Arriyadh Newspaper, he reminded students about the importance of spreading the message of tolerance in face of the fierce attacks against Islam, and refrain from any violent reactions, and be messengers of peace.

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/10/08/242630.html

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Assad’s agents killed son of Syria’s grand mufti: Leaked files

07October 2012

Thousands of Syrians have been killed since the outbreak of an uprising in mid-March 2011 and dozens of those were murdered with clear orders from the Syrian regime, “top secret” files obtained by Al Arabiya have revealed.

Since Al Arabiya began broadcasting a series of Syria leaks last week, it was the first time on Sunday that the channel disclosed Syrian intelligence files labeled “top secret.”

One file titled “Operational Order” was sent by the operations branch of the Syrian foreign intelligence to agent Samir Haddad to “eliminate” activists in various provinces.

Intelligence agents are often identified in documents by designated codes instead of names, and the fact that the agent’s name was mentioned in the file could explain why it was labeled “top secret.”

The document was dated July 29, 2011 and is believed to have played a role in the several assassinations against top activists who were behind the outbreak of last year’s uprising.

Dr. Hassan Shalabi, a member of the political bureau of the Syrian National Front, told Al Arabiya, “the regime knew that there are people who are the true instigators of this revolution,” but these people are not specifically identified and that is why open orders were given to the Shabbiha (thugs) militias and intelligence agents to choose and kill who they think are “instigators.”

This led to the assassinations of figures that the regime would not have killed otherwise, Shalabi said.

Ghiath Matar, a young activist who offered flowers and drinking water to the regime’s soldiers shortly before they detained him, was murdered in September 2011 in Daria. Matar was known for having sought hard to keep the uprising peaceful and non-violent. His assassination had a negative impact and sped up the militarization of the uprising.

Another “top secret” document dated Aug. 5, 2011 and titled “operational order” was sent to Lt. Col. Mohammed Bilal from the Syrian foreign intelligence service to go to the city of Duma on the outskirts of Damascus to “eliminate” activists there.

Dr. Shalabi said Duma was one of the earliest revolting cities in the country and had produced many activists who played a major role in spreading the uprising to other parts of the country. He said the regime was aware of Duma’s danger and tried to silence it by killing its activists.

Killing of Saria Hassoun

A third “operational order” -- signed by head of branch 291 of the air intelligence, special missions section, Brigadier Saqr Mannon -- was sent to Lt. Col. Suhail Hassan asking him to go “immediately and secretly to the northern region,” which includes Aleppo, to murder Saria Hassoun, son of Syria’s Grand Mufti, Shiekh Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun.

The order was signed on Sept. 28, 2011, and Hassoun was shot dead near Ibla University on the Idleb-Aleppo highway. Hassnoun was shot with two bullets, one to his chest and another to his stomach. He was taken to Idleb National Hospital and he died there.

The Syrian authorities immediately blamed “armed gangs” for the murder of Hassoun, whose father, the country’s grand mufti, was known for his pro-regime stances. By Killing Hassoun and blaming the opposition, the regime was apparently seeking to attract people’s sympathy and support and turn them against those who seek its ouster.

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/10/07/242344.html

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Watchdog says over 32,000 killed in Syria conflict; army steps up bid to crush Homs

09 October 2012

Violence across Syria has killed more than 32,000 people, most of them civilians, since the outbreak of an anti-regime revolt in March last year, a monitoring group said, as the Syrian army pressed an offensive against rebel-held areas of the central province of Homs.

On Monday, as many as 183 people have been killed by the fire of Syrian forces across the country, Al Arabiya reported citing Syrian activists.

Some 1,000 people have been killed in the past week alone, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, as violence escalates across the country.

“At least 22,980 civilians, 7,884 soldiers and 1,215 defectors have been killed in violence in Syria,” Observatory director Rami Abdul Rahman told AFP, adding the latest figures excluded Monday’s preliminary toll of 141.

September saw at least 4,727 people killed, including 305 on the 26th -- the bloodiest single day since the conflict began, said the Observatory. The highest monthly toll came in August, when the watchdog recorded 5,440 deaths.

The Observatory’s civilian toll includes non-military defectors who have taken up arms against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

But the tallies do not count the many unidentified victims of the bloody conflict, nor do they account for thousands of people missing and thought to be in detention.

They also exclude thousands of pro-regime militiamen, Abdul Rahman said.

The Britain-based Observatory relies on a network of activists, lawyers and medics in Syria for its information.

The revolt began as pro-reform protests but morphed into an armed insurgency when demonstrations were brutally crushed. Most rebels, like the population, are Sunni in a country dominated by a minority Alawite regime. Alawites are an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

Meanwhile, Abdul Basset Sayda, the head of the main opposition Syrian National Council, entered the country on Monday for the first time since assuming his post in June, rebel sources said.

Sayda paid a visit to the town of Bab al-Hawa in the northwestern province of Idlib, on the border with Turkey, where he met several leaders of the rebel Free Syrian Army, the sources said.

Among the rebel commanders taking part were the military council chiefs for Idlib province and for neighboring Aleppo province -- scene of fierce fighting since July in the city of the same name, Syria’s second city and commercial capital.

Sayda was accompanied on his visit to rebel-held territory by several other SNC members and by General Mustafa al-Sheikh, the highest-ranking Syrian army officer to have defected to the opposition.

The visit came as the exiled opposition said it was planning a major makeover to address concerns about its representativeness. SNC member Louay al-Safi told AFP that the group would unveil the changes at a meeting in the Qatari capital Doha next week.

Last month, the SNC agreed to expand to include more opposition groups, but not the National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change, which favors non-violent regime change and opposes foreign military intervention in Syria.

Also on Monday, the Syrian army pressed an offensive against rebel-held areas of the central province of Homs, seeking to eliminate the last pockets of resistance to free up troops for the north.

The assault targeted two neighborhoods of Homs city where rebel forces have been under siege for more than four months, and the nearby town of Qusayr which has been surrounded by the army since late last year, sources on both sides said.

“The army is in the midst of trying to cleanse the last rebel districts of the city of Homs,” a Syrian army commander told AFP.

“The army has already cleansed the villages surrounding Qusayr, and is now trying to take back the town itself,” the commander said on condition of anonymity.

Homs province has suffered some of the worst bloodshed and destruction of the uprising which erupted against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in March last year as the army has mounted repeated attempts to recapture rebel-held areas.

The province’s porous border with northern Lebanon makes it strategically important -- the rebels have used ties to sympathizers over the frontier to smuggle supplies in and wounded fighters out, while the army has sought to block the supply lines.

Homs is Syria’s third largest city and the army’s assault focused on the rebel-held Khalidyeh and Old City neighborhoods, activists said.

“The army is using all kinds of weapons, and we are seeing enormous levels of destruction,” an Old City-based activist who identified himself as Abu Bilal told AFP by Internet.

“Right now, there is still resistance from the (rebel) fighters, but if the army manages to enter the district, there will be a real massacre.”

The government deployed fighter jets over Homs for the first time on Friday, bombing Khaldiyeh, the Observatory said.

In Qusayr, a town just five kilometers (three miles) southwest of Homs, activists said troops were attacking from three sides.

“The army is trying to storm Qusayr from three entrances to the town,” Qusayr-based activist Hadi al-Abdallah told AFP via the Internet.

“The situation here is bad. The shelling is very, very violent,” he said.

State television said the army had “restored security” to the village of al-Atifiyeh, just outside Qusayr. “It has also killed many terrorists,” it added, using the government's term for rebel fighters.

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/10/09/242644.html

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Gulf states must tackle Muslim Brotherhood threat: UAE

October 9, 2012

ABU DHABI: Gulf Arab countries should work together to stop Islamist group the Muslim Brotherhood plotting to undermine governments in the region, the United Arab Emirates’ foreign minister said on Monday.

The UAE, a major oil exporter and business hub, has arrested around 60 local Islamists this year, accusing them of belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood – which is banned in the country – and conspiring to overthrow the government.

Thanks to cradle-to-grave welfare systems, the UAE and other Gulf Arab monarchies have largely avoided Arab Spring unrest that has unseated rulers elsewhere.

Full report at:

http://dawn.com/2012/10/08/gulf-states-must-tackle-muslim-brotherhood-threat-uae/

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Westerners With Roots in Syria Trickle In to Help Rebels

By J. DAVID GOODMAN

2012/10/09

The night before leaving his parents’ home in Wayne, Tex., to join the rebels trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, Obaida Hitto left a bouquet of white roses for his mother, with a sterling silver locket and a note: “You’ve made me what I am. But now I need to go and do what I need to do.”

Mr. Hitto, 25, a former high school football player, deferred his plans for law school to sneak into Syria to assist the rebels by making videos and spreading information on the Internet to help their cause.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/09/world/middleeast/westerners-with-syrian-ties-trickle-in-to-help-rebels.html?_r=1&ref=world

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Egypt's President Mursi pardons all political prisoners

 Oct 9, 2012

CAIRO: Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi pardoned on Monday all political prisoners detained since the start of protests that toppled Hosni Mubarak last year.

The pardon covers citizens facing trial and those serving jail sentences except for those convicted of murder, the presidential spokesman said, but did not give a specific number for the pardoned prisoners.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Egypts-President-Mursi-pardons-all-political-prisoners/articleshow/16732715.cms

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Police: Attacks across Iraq Kill 3 Soldiers

October 9, 2012

BAGHDAD (AP) — Authorities say three Iraqi soldiers have been killed and 16 people have been wounded in the latest attacks across the country.

A police official says a roadside bomb struck an army patrol in Baghdad's western suburb of Abu Ghraib early on Tuesday, killing three soldiers and wounding three others.

A medic at a nearby hospital confirmed the casualties. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/10/09/world/middleeast/ap-ml-

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Saudi Arabia through the eyes of expatriates

FADIA JIFFRY & ARJUWAN LAKKDAWALA

 9 October 2012

JEDDAH: What is life like for expatriates in Saudi Arabia? Is it a pleasant place to live? How do they feel about the prospect of having to leave the country in the future? Arab News asked around.

Saudi Arabia is a family friendly society and most recreational places are designed for families. Unlike in other Arab countries, such as Dubai, singles have fewer options here for entertainment.

Sarfaraz Khan lives in Jeddah with his family. He really appreciates the family oriented lifestyle in the Kingdom, and finds living here peaceful and secure.

“For me Saudi Arabia is just perfect! You can take your family and go anywhere on an outing. The people are decent and all the places are suitable to take your family,” he said. Khan is only worried about his family members in his country of origin. When something serious would happen to him, he wouldn’t be able to be by their side as soon as he would like to be.

Full report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia-through-eyes-expatriates

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IIROSA participates in OIC-Qatar Charity meeting on situation in Myanmar

9 October 2012

Members of some influential organizations have gathered in Doha, Qatar, to discuss the deadly sectarian unrest between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

The meeting was organized by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Qatar Charity and attended by about 30 regional and international organizations including the International Islamic Relief Organization-Saudi Arabia (IIROSA). The event followed the first consultative meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, earlier last month.

The Doha meeting was the first of its kind in the Arab region having all the organizations under one umbrella to discuss the gravely deteriorating situation in Myanmar. The outcome of the meeting was to plan and make a strategy of human intervention in Rakhine State.

Full report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/iirosa-participates-oic-qatar-charity-meeting-situation-myanmar

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Procedures for foreign pilgrims to be digitized

9 October 2012

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has ordered an e-channel project for foreign Haj pilgrims.

“As part of the project, Haj visa issuing procedures, including finger printing, should be completed at the country of departure before pilgrims leave for the Kingdom. All procedures that a pilgrim has to undergo should be transparent. A pilgrim should also be able to verify services he/she is entitled to receive, including housing, transport and food and their subcategories and price before his arrival in the Kingdom,” Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja said after a weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah at the Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on Monday.

Full report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/procedures-foreign-pilgrims-be-digitized

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Bahrain rejects requests for Rights Activist Rajab’s release: Lawyer

9 October 2012

DUBAI: A Bahraini court yesterday denied a request to release rights activist Nabeel Rajab who is serving a three-year sentence for taking part in anti-regime protests, his lawyer said.

The request was made by Rajab’s defense team, lawyer Muhammad Al-Jishi said.

The court “rejected a request to release Nabeel Rajab and suspend” his sentence, Jishi said on his Twitter account.

Rajab, 48, went on hunger strike on Oct. 6 after the authorities denied his request to attend a three-day condolences gathering for his mother.

Full report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/bahrain-rejects-requests-rajab%E2%80%99s-release-lawyer

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Syria rebels bomb Air Force Intelligence complex

October 9, 2012

Rebels have carried out a suicide bomb attack overnight on an intelligence agency compound in a suburb of the Syrian capital, Damascus, reports say.

The al-Nusra Front, a jihadist militant group, said explosives-filled vehicles had been blown up outside the Air Force Intelligence complex in Harasta.

Residents said there were several huge blasts, followed by fierce clashes.

One activist group said dozens of people were killed and expressed fears for the fate of the agency's prisoners.

Full report at:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-19880669

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Harb files lawsuit against Syrian officials over journalist Tueni’s killing

October 09, 2012              

BEIRUT: MP Butros Harb filed a personal lawsuit against Syrian officials mentioned in Al-Arabiya’s allegedly leaked documents over the assassination of journalist Gebran Tueni, he said Tuesday.

“On behalf of Tueni’s family, I have filed a lawsuit against Syrian officials mentioned in the documents to verify their involvement in the crime,” Harb told reporters during a press conference.

Last week, Al-Arabiya television released what it claimed were leaked communiqués between Syrian intelligence and the state's leadership.

Full report at:

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/Oct-09/190719-harb-files-lawsuit-against-syrian-officials-over-tuenis-killing.ashx#ixzz28o3jFNdl

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Pakistan

 

Twice Cursed: Trials of Being Labelled an Ahmadi and A Blasphemer

By Rabia Mehmood

 October 9, 2012

LAHORE: In year 2010, Mian Irshad* was acquitted in a blasphemy case by the Lahore High Court. Despite the court order, Irshad’s life has resembled that of a fugitive since then.

In 2004, Irshad – who had accepted the Ahmadi faith a few years back – was taken to a local cleric in his village in central Punjab by his father. Irshad’s father wanted him to revert back to Islam. The cleric tried to persuade him but to no avail. On Irshad’s refusal, the cleric then nominated him in a case under section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

Irshad tried to evade the police for a while but was told by his community elders to present himself before the authorities and fight a legal battle.

Life in prison

Leaving behind a wife and a toddler with the same family which ostracized him for converting, Irshad moved from one jail to another. Eventually, he requested the court to put him in a prison with better security because the militants in some prisons posed a threat to him.

He was then moved to a central jail, which had many criminals and terrorists but also enough security to keep Irshad and other blasphemy convicts safe.

During his confinement, Irshad said he avoided confrontation with prisoners who provoked him – many of whom were militants.

Full report at:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/448710/twice-cursed-trials-of-being-labelled-an-ahmedi-and-a-blasphemer/

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6 volunteers, 4 militants killed in Khyber Agency

 October 09, 2012

PESHAWAR: Bodies of six volunteers belonging to Aman Lashkar (peace militia) were found from Tirah valley of Khyber Agency while four militants were also killed in a blast Tuesday, Geo News reported.

According to sources, bodies of six peace volunteers having bullet wounds were found from Tirah valley.

Full report at:

http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-70788-6-volunteers,-4-militants-killed-in-KA

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Eight killed in Mortar Attack in Orakzai, Khyber

October 9, 2012

PESHAWAR: Four people were killed and two others injured when a mortar fell on a house in the Orakzai tribal region’s Mamozai area on Tuesday, DawnNews reported.

According to a political Tehsildar posted in the area, a mortar fell on a house in Mamozai killing four people, including two women. Moreover, two people, including a four-year-old child, were also injured in the attack.

Full report at:

http://dawn.com/2012/10/09/mortar-attack-kills-four-in-orakzai-agency-four-militants-killed-in-khyber-blast/

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SC Takes Suo Motu Notice Of Balochistan Vani, Girls Bartered To Settle a Blood Feud,

 Incident

 October 9, 2012

QUETTA: The Supreme Court Tuesday took suo motu notice of an incident where 13 minor girls were bartered to settle a blood fued between tribes in the Dera Bugti district of Balochistan, Express News reported.

Initiating the hearing, a three-member bench called for a report from the chief secretary Balochistan and the deputy commissioner of Dera Bugti and issued an order for the arrest of suspects involved.

Full report at:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/449068/supreme-court-take-suo-motu-notice-of-balochistan-vani-incident/

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Pakistan rejects Karzai’s preconditions

October 9, 2012

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday strongly rejected comments by Afghan President Hamid Karzai which attached preconditions for a proposed strategic partnership pact between Islamabad and Kabul.

Last week, Karzai told a news conference in Kabul that conditions would be attached to negotiations on the strategic agreement with Pakistan.

Listing the conditions, the Afghan president said that Pakistan must stop what he calls “the export of terrorism, suicide bombers, interference and all the other things which result in killing and disturbing the Afghan people’s tranquillity and destabilising Afghanistan”.

Full report at:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/448950/strategic-partnership-agreement-pakistan-rejects-karzais-preconditions/

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After ban, no Pakistani papers getting through border to Afghanistan

By Ayesha Hasan / Taha Siddiqui

 October 9, 2012

KABUL: There is confusion on a reported ban on Pakistani newspapers’ entry into Afghanistan. Embassies in Kabul have not been getting newspapers since September 20, which is a cause for concern, said Pakistan Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq while talking to a delegation of Pakistani journalists on a 10-day visit to Afghanistan on Sunday.

But the Afghan authorities insist the ban is just on 15 Urdu dailies and not English papers.

The ambassador said he was not informed why the mainstream English media from Pakistan, including The Express Tribune, were being stopped by the border post.

Full report at:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/448348/after-ban-no-pakistani-papers-getting-through-border-envoy/

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Armed men attack bus in Kurram; three injured

October 9, 2012

PESHAWAR: Unknown armed men attacked a bus in the Kurram tribal region on Tuesday injuring at least three passengers.

The region’s political administration said the bus, which was heading from Parachinar towards Peshawar and was carrying 20 passengers, was attacked with rockets and automatic weapons.

The injured passengers were shifted to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Tull for treatment, whereas, security forces had surrounded the area and had started a search operation.

Kurram is one of the seven Pashtun tribal regions in Pakistan on the Afghan border, an area widely considered the headquarters of Al Qaeda militants and their allies.

Kurram, the only part of Pakistan’s border region that has a significant Shia population, has been racked by sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia tribes.

http://dawn.com/2012/10/09/armed-men-open-fire-on-bus-in-kurram-three-injured/

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PM says govt ready to hold talks with Baloch leaders

October 9, 2012

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Tuesday said that the government was ready to hold talks with Baloch leaders but the talks must take place under a constitutional framework, DawnNews reported.

Addressing a session of the Senate in Islamabad, Prime Minister Ashraf stated that Balochistan was the government’s first priority.

He added that true representatives were the ones elected by the people and therefore the Baloch leadership must participate in the elections.

Full report at:

http://dawn.com/2012/10/09/pm-says-govt-ready-to-hold-talks-with-baloch-leaders/

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Bank of Khyber’s Islamic branch starts operations

October 9, 2012

Islamabad: The Bank of Khyber (BoK) Raast Islamic Banking Branch started operations in Islamabad after a formal inauguration by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti in a graceful ceremony held at F10 Markaz on Monday. Hoti appreciated the efforts of the BoK management in enhancement of the bank’s network across the country, which alternatively helps the socio-economic activities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The ceremony was also attended by Bank of Khyber Managing Director Bilal Mustafa, Political Secretary to Chief Minister Hoti Syed Massom Shah, BoK Group Head (Credits) Imran Samad, Group Head (Raast Islamic Banking) Kamran Masood Khan, Group Head (HRD) Muhammad Tariq Naseem, SVP (Business Development Islamic) Sohail Khan, head of marketing team Syed Ali Nawaz Gilani, Islamabad Blue Area branch Chief Manager Muhammad Fawad Sadozai and Raast Islamic Banking Rawalpindi Manager Noor Nawaz Khan.

Full report at:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\10\09\story_9-10-2012_pg11_6

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Iran deports 22 Pakistanis living there despite expiry of their visa

October 9, 2012

QUETTA: Iranian security handed over 22 Pakistani nationals to Levies Force on the Taftan border. Levies sources said on Monday that Iranian security officials had arrested these Pakistani workers because they were living in Iran despite expiry of their visa. Levies officials deployed at Taftan Zero Gate on Pak-Iran border received these deportees and later handed them over to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for further interrogation.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\10\09\story_9-10-2012_pg7_7

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Imran seeks UN help to stop drone attacks in Pakistan

October 09, 2012

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday said that the United Nations (UN) will be requested to intervene for stopping US drone attacks in tribal areas of Pakistan bordering with Afghanistan, DawnNews reported.

Speaking to a press conference, Khan vowed to take the matter to the UN as it was in violation of its own charter.

Full report at:

http://dawn.com/2012/10/09/imran-seeks-un-help-to-stop-drone-attacks-in-pakistan/

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MQM flays murderous attack on Malala

 October 09, 2012

LONDON: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Quaid Altaf Hussain has strongly condemned the terrorists’ murderous attack on the vehicle of the award winner Malala Yusufzai.

 In a statement issued here, Altaf Hussain said that the firing on innocent girl students was inhuman and the elements involved in it deserve no leniency. He said that Malala Yusufzai have been playing a role for the promotion of education in Swat with courage and determination and the attack on her was in fact the attack on learning.

Full report at:

http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-70799-Altaf-flays-murderous-attack-on-Malala

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Pakistan begins anti-pneumonia drive

October 09, 2012

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday launched a drive to vaccinate 5.5 million children against pneumococcal disease to fight pneumonia, which kills tens of thousands of youngsters in the country every year.

Pakistan is the first country in South Asia to launch a campaign against the disease, according to UN children’s agency UNICEF, which is working with the government on the project.

More than 325,000 under-fives die in Pakistan every year, UNICEF said, and the lung condition is among the main culprits.

Full report at:

http://dawn.com/2012/10/09/pakistan-begins-anti-pneumonia-drive/

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India

 

Indian Embassy to hold Open House to allow Indian community residing in the Saudi Kingdom

9 October 2012

The Embassy of India, Riyadh, will hold an “Open House” for the members of the Indian community residing in the Kingdom on Thursday in the embassy premises from 10 a.m. to noon.

Members of the community can meet Indian Ambassador Hamid Ali Rao and other embassy officials to discuss their problems and seek solutions ranging from consular affairs to labour issues and many other community concerns.

“All interested members of the Indian community are invited to attend the Open House,” said Surinder Bhagat, a spokesman of the Indian embassy, here yesterday.

For those whose applications related to passport renewal and attestation are pending at the embassy or have problems dealing with such matters, may directly come to the embassy to raise their grievances at the open house.

Full report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/indian-embassy-hold-open-house-allow-workers-air-complaints

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Fresh war of words over Kashmir between India, Pak at UN

Oct 09 2012

United Nations: Just a week after they sparred over Kashmir at the UN General Assembly, India and Pakistan got into a fresh verbal duel on the issue after Islamabad made "gratuitous references" to it at the world body.

During the General Debate of the Special Political and Decolonisation Committee here yesterday, Pakistan's Deputy Permanent Representative Raza Bashir Tarar said the decolonisation agenda of the UN would be "incomplete without resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute."

He said Pakistan is committed to finding a peaceful resolution of the issue "acceptable to all sides, especially the people of Jammu and Kashmir."

Full report at:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/fresh-war-of-words-over-kashmir-between-india-pak-at-un/1014214/

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Nasheed should not be barred from contesting poll: India

SANDEEP DIKSHIT

October 9, 2012

A due process seems to be have been followed in arresting the former Maldivian President

In an indication of how far India and the former Maldivian President, Mohd. Nasheed, have travelled since the February change of power in Male, New Delhi has expressed little sympathy with his arrest on Monday that has further contributed to the political turmoil in the island nation.

At the same time, India feels Mr. Nasheed’s arrest, for not obeying a court summons, should not be used as a means to bar him from contesting elections in the future. “It is very important that he should not be prevented from contesting the elections. There are court cases and the requirement of Mr. Nasheed appearing before the court should be fulfilled,” said well placed sources.

Full report at:

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/nasheed-should-not-be-barred-from-contesting-poll-india/article3979207.ece

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Terrorism is a 'Frankenstein monster': L K Advani in UN General Assembly

Oct 09 2012

United Nations: Terming terrorism as a "Frankenstein monster", senior BJP leader L K Advani has said that the global community cannot afford to adopt "selective approaches" in dealing with terrorist groups and use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy is short-sighted.

Advani, who is among a group of visiting Indian Parliamentarians here attending sessions of the UN General Assembly, said India has faced the scourge of terrorism for over two-and-a-half decades with the South Asian region having been wracked by activities of the biggest terrorist actors in the world like Al-Qaeda, Taliban, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamat-ud Daawa.

"The fight against terrorism has to be unrelenting and fought across all fronts. The international community cannot afford selective approaches in dealing with terrorist groups or in dismantling the infrastructure of terrorism," Advani said in his address on 'Measures to eliminate international terrorism' yesterday.

Full report at:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/terrorism-is-a-frankenstein-monster-l-k-advani/1014130/

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Rushdie's Midnight's Children 'to be released in India'

October 9, 2012

A film based on Sir Salman Rushdie's novel Midnight's Children is reportedly to be released in India after fears it would not find a distributor.

PVR Pictures says it has bought the film for India and is considering a December release date.

Director Deepa Mehta had said that the film was struggling to find a distributor in India.

Sir Salman is a controversial figure in India. His 1988 book The Satanic Verses remains banned in India.

Full report at:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-19880743

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Sessions court to try Kazmi on October 12

Oct 9, 2012

NEW DELHI: A trial court on Monday sent to a sessions court the case against journalist Syed Mohammad Kazmi, an accused in the Israeli diplomat attack case.

Chief metropolitan magistrate Vidya Prakash committed the case to the sessions court for trial and the next date of hearing is October 12. Meanwhile, Delhi Police again failed to file the sanction to prosecute Kazmi under the Explosive Substances Act.

In the last hearing, Prakash had granted police more time because the police said the delay was caused due to an ongoing process of transferring district magistrates' power to grant sanction for prosecution to district deputy commissioners. The police said the process would take another 15 to 20 days.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Sessions-court-to-try-Kazmi-on-October-12/articleshow/16731063.cms

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Sarabjeet Singh allowed meeting with attorney

 October 9, 2012

LAHORE: Indian death row prisoner Sarabjeet Singh was allowed to meet his counsel Advocate Awais Sheikh at Kot Lakhpat Jail on the directives of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday.

Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial passed the order to the inspector general (IG) of prisons, Punjab while disposing of a petition moved by Advocate Sheikh against the Punjab secretary and the IG Prisons for not allowing him to meet his client. On the court’s orders the IG Prisons submitted his reply, which stated that all petitions and mercy appeals of Singh had been dismissed and no case pertaining to him was pending before any court of law in Pakistan, therefore, there was no need to allow the Indian convict to meet with any lawyer.

Full report at:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/448877/sarabjeet-singh-allowed-meeting-with-attorney/

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Jundal alleges 'torture' during probe

Oct 9, 2012

NEW DELHI: The alleged 26/11 key handler and LeT terrorist Abu Jundal on Monday claimed before a trial court that he was "tortured" physically and mentally during the probe by various agencies since his arrest in June this year.

Jundal made these allegations when he was produced before District Judge (DJ) H S Sharma during an in-chamber proceeding. The National Investigation Agency sought his 15 days police custody saying he is required to be "thoroughly investigated" and that he has never been in their custody before.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Jundal-alleges-torture-during-probe/articleshow/16732577.cms

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South Asia

 

Nasheed treated like “a fugitive”: MDP

October 9th, 2012

By SRUTHI GOTTIPATI

The former president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, was detained on Monday for failing to turn up for a court hearing in a case involving the unlawful arrest of a High Court judge when Mr. Nasheed was president.

Mr. Nasheed was arrested by the police while on a campaign stop in Fares-Maathodaa island, one of the 1,200 islands that make up the tiny Indian Ocean nation of the Maldives, ahead of the presidential elections in July next year.

While there’s little argument that the police took Mr. Nasheed into custody, there’s plenty of disagreement concerning the manner in which it took place.

Mr. Nasheed’s supporters said he had just eaten breakfast at a party member’s home when masked police broke into the house armed in full riot gear, spewing obscenities, and swept the former president out in what his supporters contend was a politically motivated move solely aimed at stopping him from campaigning.

Full report at:

http://minivannews.com/category/news-in-brief

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Nasheed’s arrest the “end of Maldivian democracy”: MDP

By JJ Robinson | October 8th, 2012

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has called for protests following the arrest of former President Mohamed Nasheed by masked riot police on Monday morning.

Nasheed was in the Dhoonidhoo island detention centre on Monday night, awaiting his trial on Tuesday.

“October 8, 2012 will be remembered as the day that democracy died in the Maldives,” said MDP spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor in a statement.

“The reality is it has been on life-support since February, but today the plug was pulled and the lights turned off,” Ghafoor said.

Full report at:

http://minivannews.com/politics/nasheeds-arrest-the-end-of-maldivian-democracy-mdp-45107

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Punishment for attackers of Buddhists must Bangladesh PM tells rally in Ramu

October 9, 2012

Terming the recent attacks on Buddhist temples and homes in Ramu pathetic and inhuman, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday renewed her assurance to hunt down the perpetrators and hand down exemplary punishment.

“The investigation committee is working to identify those responsible for the attacks. They will surely be given exemplary punishment,” she said while addressing a 'Sompritee Somabesh' (amity rally) at the Khizari Model High School in Ramu.

“We've got lot of information and are looking for more,” the prime minister said.

“It can't be tolerated. Islam speaks for peace. We've learnt from our prophet that Islam does never believe in interfering in other religions. Those who launched the attacks don't believe in any religion,” Hasina observed.

Full report at:

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=253049

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Fear of civil war makes Afghans unwilling to return

By Imdad Hussain

October 9, 2012

ISLAMABAD: Afghan refugees fearing civil war in post withdrawal scenario are unwilling to return as the deadline of December 2012 for ending their refugee status in Pakistan is approaching.

Refugees’ representative in various major camps of the country said that they are facing dilemma of increasing difficulties in Pakistan and uncertain future with rising issues in Afghanistan.

“And it is easy to choose for difficulties here than destruction in Afghanistan,” Wali Gul, a refugee in Islamabad, told Daily Times.

Some of the refugees’ camp representatives have visited related NGO officials in Islamabad to raise their concerns in this connection.

Full report at:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\10\09\story_9-10-2012_pg7_8

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Maldives ex-president held for defying court, India wary

Oct 9, 2012

NEW DELHI: India had anticipated the turmoil in the Maldives caused by the arrest of its first democratically president, Mohamed Nasheed, when it issued a statement last week asking all political parties to adhere strictly to "democratic principles and the rule of law''. With Nasheed arrested for defying a court's directive seeking to prosecute him for ordering the arrest of a senior judge when he was the president, government sources on Monday admitted the Indian Ocean archipelago was in for tough times.

India has tirelessly worked since the 'coup' in February that knocked out Nasheed to emphasize the importance of holding early polls. In the process, it has also renewed its ties with Abdul Gayoom, Maldives' dictator for 30 years, who is accused of using Nasheed's successor Mohamed Waheed to further his own agenda.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Maldives-ex-president-held-for-defying-court-India-wary/articleshow/16731293.cms

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Car bomb blast hits Afghan intelligence office, kills two

October 9, 2012

KANDAHAR: Police said a car bomb blast killed at least two people, both Afghan intelligence officers, in Lashkar Gah, capital of the southern Helmand province.

Police spokesman Fareed Ahmed said the explosives had been hidden in a vehicle parked outside an office of the National Directorate of Security in the provincial capital.

Ahmed said the bomb went off on Monday afternoon, wounding another three intelligence officers and four civilians.

He said that he could confirm at least two deaths and that he was still waiting for information about whether there were more deaths.

http://dawn.com/2012/10/08/car-bomb-blast-hits-afghan-intelligence-office-kills-two/

-------------

 

Afghan addicts help run daring new restaurant in Kabul

Oct 09 2012

Kabul : Inhaling deeply on a cigarette, Laila Haidari sits on the floor of a new Kabul restaurant wondering if it will one day allow her to repay an eye-watering $26,000 borrowed from friends to launch a daring project to aid Afghan drug addicts.

Haidari plans to find staff for her Taj Begum (Woman's Crown) restaurant through the shelters she runs, giving addicts a chance to rebuild their lives and learn new skills while helping her run a business.

Haidari's idea is revolutionary in a poverty and war-stricken country where treatment options for opiate addicts in Afghanistan vary from the non-existent to limited.

There is just one methadone substitution project, despite there being over one million users, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

Full report at:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/afghan-addicts-help-run-daring-new-restaurant-in-kabul/1014112/

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Man detained after hoax call grounds plane in troubled northwest China's Xinjiang province Oct 9, 2012

BEIJING: China Police has detained a man on charges of bomb hoax which triggered panic among the passengers and crew members, forcing an emergency landing in troubled northwest China's Xinjiang province.

About 196 passengers and crew travelling on the China Southern Airlines flight CZ680 from Istanbul to Beijing via Xinjiang provincial capital Urumqi had a harrowing time as the plane made a forced landing at the Zhongchuan Airport in Lanzhou, in China's Gansu province, hours after it took off from Urumqi.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/Man-detained-after-hoax-call-grounds-plane-in-China/articleshow/16734367.cms

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Defence Minister launches defamation case against Nasheed over “traitor” allegations

By Ahmed Nazeer | October 8th, 2012

The first hearing of a defamation case filed by Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim against former President Mohamed Nasheed took place at the Civil Court today, with MVR 3.75 million (US$243,506) being sought in compensation.

The hearing was attended by legal representatives for both Mohamed Nazim and former President Nasheed, who was today detained by police for a separate criminal trial over the detention of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed.

Nazim’s lawyer told the court that the defence minister’s good name and reputation had been affected by claims made by Nasheed, who had called his client a traitor during a public address at a rally following February’s controversial transfer of power.

Full report at:

http://minivannews.com/politics/defence-minister-launches-defamation-case-against-nasheed-over-traitor-allegations-45086

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Discontent Over Renaming of Kabul College Turns Into Violence

By ROD NORDLAND

October 9, 2012

KABUL, Afghanistan — The student, a social sciences major named Abdul Basir, was in the middle of giving an interview on Monday about why he did not want his university renamed.

“We don’t want politics at the university,” he said, speaking softly, in conciliatory tones. “It should not be named after a political figure.”

Suddenly Mr. Basir was punched in the face by someone who disagreed, and yet another melee was under way on Monday between rival groups over the decision by President Hamid Karzai to change the name of Kabul Education University to the Martyr of Peace Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani University.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/09/world/asia/students-in-kabul-fight-over-name-of-

-------------

Europe

 

Radicalism Prompts Warnings in France

By MAÏA de la BAUME

2012/10/09

PARIS — Jewish and Muslim leaders here warned on Monday of rising anti-Semitism among young Muslims, two days after the police arrested 11 men and fatally shot one in raids in a handful of cities aimed at young radical French Muslims.

President François Hollande met with Jewish and Muslim leaders on Sunday and promised tighter security at Jewish religious sites. He said that a new law would soon make it a crime to travel to militant training camps. “Nothing will be tolerated; nothing should happen,” Mr. Hollande said in a statement. “Any act, any remark will be prosecuted with the greatest firmness.”

News of the raids added to the anxieties of France’s Jewish and Muslim populations, which were already unnerved by the killings in March of three French service members, a rabbi and three Jewish children in the Toulouse region by a French Muslim who had trained with Islamic militants in Pakistan. Muslim and Jewish spokesmen say they worry about the domestic expansion of radical Islam.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/09/world/europe/in-france-jews-and-muslims-warn-of-

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EU welcomes Manila- biggest Muslim rebel group peace accord

 9 October 2012

BRUSSELS: EU foreign affairs head Catherine Ashton welcomed yesterday an accord between Manila and the Philippines’ biggest Muslim rebel group to end a decades-long separatist insurgency in which more than 150,000 people died.

“The early signature of this truly historical document is a major step towards a long-lasting peace in Mindanao, which will lead the island to stability and prosperity,” Ashton said in a statement.

“The EU, as a member of the International Monitoring Team and major development partner in poverty alleviation in Mindanao since 1990, will continue to lend its full support.”

The agreement provides for a new semi-autonomous Muslim area in the resource-rich southern Philippine region of Mindanao, which the 12,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front regards as its ancestral homeland.

Full report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/eu-welcomes-manila-rebel-peace-accord

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Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Award for Translation celebrates winners in Germany

9 October 2012

Berlin: In the presence of Prince Abdul-Aziz bin Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz International Award for Translation, and Mayor of Berlin Claus Wowereit, a handing-over ceremony of the Award in its fifth year was held Monday in Berlin.

Addressing the ceremony, Prince Abdul-Aziz bin Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz said that this ceremony resulted from close friendly relations between Saudi Arabia and Germany and joint keenness of the two leaderships to achieve continuous progress of bilateral relations between the two friendly countries as well as effective coordination about common issues.

Full report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/custodian-two-holy-mosques-award-translation-celebrates-winners-germany

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Southeast Asia

 

Eleven dead in Thai Muslim militant attacks: police

October 9, 2012

BANGKOK: Suspected Muslim militants have shot dead 11 people including three paramilitary rangers in a single day of bloodshed in Thailand’s insurgency-plagued deep south, police said Tuesday.

The rangers were ambushed while travelling in a pick-up truck on Monday in Pattani province in the Muslim-majority border region, where an eight-year conflict has claimed thousands of lives.

On the same day, four Buddhist rubber tappers died on their way to work in two separate gun attacks in Pattani, while a pair of Muslim men were killed in a drive-by shooting in neighbouring Yala province, police said.

Full report at:

http://dawn.com/2012/10/09/eleven-dead-in-thai-militant-attacks-police/

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Indonesia: FPI rejects vice governor-elect to lead Islamic bodies

 October 09 2012

Early rejection: Members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) protest in front of the Jakarta City Council on Tuesday. They held a rally to register their rejection of the current gubernatorial decree that states the deputy governor must also lead eight Islamic organizations in the capital. (Antara/Reno Esnir)

The Islam Defenders Front (FPI) staged a protest in front of Jakarta City Council on Tuesday, rejecting the current gubernatorial decree that mandates vice governor to lead several Islamic bodies.

Full report at:

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/10/09/fpi-rejects-vice-governor-elect-lead-islamic-bodies.html

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Overseas Filipino Workers welcome Filipino peace agreement

9 October 2012

Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) have welcomed the agreement on Sunday between the Filipino government and the country’s biggest Muslim rebel group to end a decades-long separatist insurgency that killed more than 150,000 people.

The agreement calls for a new semi-autonomous Muslim area in the resource-rich southern Philippine region of Mindanao, which the 12,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front regards as its ancestral homeland.

“This framework agreement paves the way for a final and enduring peace in Mindanao,” Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III said in a nationally televised address.

“It brings all former secessionist groups into the fold. No longer does the Moro Islamic Liberation Front aspire for a separate state.”

Full report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/ofws-welcome-filipino-peace-agreement

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Indonesian Maid Back Home After Abuse in Saudi Arabia

October 09, 2012

An Indonesian worker who allegedly fell victim to inhumane treatment by her Saudi Arabian employer returned to her hometown in East Java on Monday, after spending more than one week at a Jakarta hospital.

In early August, Sulami, a resident from Dagangan village, had to be treated at the Dammam Al Markazi hospital in the town of Qatif, Saudi Arabia, where she worked.

Her sister Sulika said Sulami actually arrived in Indonesia on Oct. 1, but had to undergo treatment at the police hospital in Jakarta first.

“According to the hospital’s diagnosis, Sulami had a stroke because of rising blood pressure,” Sulika said on Monday.

Full report at:

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/indonesian-maid-back-home-after-abuse-in-saudi-arabia/549013

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Mideast Asia

 

Yemen busts Iran spies posing as investors: Ministry

8 October 2012

SANAA: Yemen has dismantled a spy ring that included Iranians who entered the country posing as investors looking to set up a factory, the defense ministry said on its website yesterday.

The spy cell also had members from Syria and Yemen, a news website said, citing an informed source.

“Iranian, Syrian and Yemeni elements were arrested during the past period” across Yemen as part of “Iranian spy cells held in Yemen,” the site reported.

It said the Iranians had entered Yemen posing as investors with authorization to start a factory.

Full report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/yemen-busts-iran-spies-posing-investors-ministry

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Iran could make the bomb within 10 months: experts

 9 Oct 2012

Experts say Tehran can reach an atomic bomb within two to four months as a recently-published IAEA report says the nuclear-ambitious state has made progress in its uranium enrichment effort

Iran could produce enough weapons-grade uranium to make an atomic bomb within two to four months and then would need an additional eight to 10 months to build the device, experts said Monday.

The authors of a new report on Iran's nuclear program say Tehran has made progress in its uranium enrichment effort but that the United States and UN weapons inspectors would be able to detect any attempt at a "breakout" -- at least for the moment.

Full report at:

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/55112/World/Region/Iran-could-make-the-bomb-within--months-experts.aspx

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NATO: Plans Ready to Defend Turkey

October 9, 2012

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO is ready to defend alliance member Turkey amid artillery exchanges along its tense southeastern border with Syria, its top official said Tuesday.

Turkey and Syria have exchanged mortar and cannon fire across their common border since errant Syrian shells killed five Turkish civilians last week, sparking fears of a wider regional crisis.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen backed Turkey's right to defend itself.

"I would add to that that obviously Turkey can rely on NATO solidarity, we have all necessary plans in place to protect and defend Turkey if necessary," he said ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/10/09/world/middleeast/ap-ml-

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Yemen detains 'American' on al-Qaida wanted list

Oct 9, 2012

ADEN: Yemeni security forces on Monday detained a man believed to be an American who appeared on a list of wanted al-Qaida suspects.

The suspect was detained in Ataq, the capital of Shabwa province, a jihadist stronghold in the south of Yemen, a security official told AFP.

He spoke in English, said he was a Muslim and had three passports in his possession two American and one German, he added.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Yemen-detains-American-on-al-Qaida-wanted-list/articleshow/16730935.cms

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Israel Launches Airstrikes After Attacks From Gaza militants

By ISABEL KERSHNER and FARES AKRAM

October 9, 2012

JERUSALEM — Gaza militants fired a barrage of rockets and mortar shells into Israeli territory on Monday, causing no casualties but some property damage, after an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza on Sunday killed one Palestinian and wounded at least nine others.

Israeli warplanes responded immediately, striking a number of rocket-launching squads as they fired toward Israel, according to the military, and hitting several facilities belonging to Hamas, the Islamic group that controls Gaza. The military said the sites were being used to store weapons.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/09/world/middleeast/israel-launches-airstrikes-after-

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Two Saudis among 8 kidnapped in Yemen

9 October 2012

Two Saudis are among eight people who were kidnapped by tribesmen yesterday in southwestern Yemen in a bid to secure the release of two fellow tribesmen.

“Tribesmen from the Subayha tribe intercepted several trucks on the coastal road between the provinces of Lahj and Aden, kidnapping two Syrians, two Saudis and four Yemenis, among them a colonel in the army,” Wahib Al-Mansub, a tribal chief, told AFP.

“They were taken to an unknown destination.”

The security chief of Lahj province, Abdelhakim Shayif, confirmed that “armed tribesmen kidnapped Syrians and others,” without providing further details.

http://www.arabnews.com/two-saudis-among-8-kidnapped-yemen

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Israeli ‘apartheid wall’ threatens Arab farmers

LINDA GRADSTEIN

 9 October 2012

Water from natural springs burbles in the ancient Roman stone aqueduct as it carries water downward to this village’s ancient terraces. Palestinian families grow olives, cabbage and eggplant today the same way they did more than 2,000 years ago.

“Each family here gets water one day a week, but the week lasts eight days since there are eight families,” Kayan Manasra, the Palestinian Coordinator of Friends of the Earth Middle East (FOEME), a joint Israeli-Palestinian-Jordanian NGO, told The Media Line. “There are 13 springs and seven are still in use. We farm here the same way we are doing for thousands of years.”

Full report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/israeli-%E2%80%98apartheid-wall%E2%80%99-threatens-arab-farmers

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Iran Warns UAE Relations Are at Risk Over Gulf Island Claims

October 9, 2012

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran warned the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday it would consider cutting diplomatic ties if the federation pressed its claim to three disputed tiny Gulf islands which both countries say are theirs, Iranian media reported.

The three islands of Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunb sit near important oil shipping channels at the mouth of the strategic Strait of Hormuz and were claimed by the U.S.-backed Shah of Iran in 1971, just before the seven Gulf emirates won independence from Britain and formed the UAE.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/10/09/world/middleeast/09reuters-iran-

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Defiant Gaza fans cheer Barca despite Hamas threats

Oct 9, 2012

GAZA CITY: Palestinian fans of the wildly popular football club Barcelona defiantly turned out on Sunday evening to cheer it on against Real Madrid, ignoring a call by their Islamic militant rulers and local activists for a boycott after the team accidently waded into Mideast politics by inviting a former Israeli captive to the archrivals' Clasico showdown.

Some Palestinians cried foul after Barcelona gave a complimentary ticket to Gilad Schalit to attend Sunday's match in Camp Nou, the team's home stadium. Schalit was seized by militants loyal to Gaza's ruling Hamas movement in 2006 and exchanged for over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners last year, many of whom were involved in deadly attacks.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Defiant-Gaza-fans-cheer-Barca-despite-Hamas-threats/articleshow/16731231.cms

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Strict New Procedures for Iran Currency Trading After Protest

By THOMAS ERDBRINK

October 9, 2012

TEHRAN — Iranian police officers moved to arrest unlicensed currency dealers and increase patrols in the center of the capital on Monday to prevent unofficial trading from disrupting new government-imposed rates of exchange for the national currency, the rial.

Over the past days, Iran’s leaders have sought to stabilize the value of their currency after a market panic last week when the rial fell by about 40 percent against the United States dollar and other foreign currencies.

Now, only those traders licensed by Iran’s Central Bank may buy and sell the rial for foreign currency, and at rates that value the rial at 25,500 to the dollar — substantially more than last week, when it took as many as 37,500 rials to buy one dollar.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/09/world/middleeast/iran-places-new-restrictions-on-

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Africa

 

Libya says has 'considerable' evidence to try Gadhafi son

October 09, 2012

THE HAGUE: Libya has already gathered "considerable' evidence to prosecute the son of slain Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi for crimes against humanity, a lawyer told the International Criminal Court on Tuesday.

The domestic investigation "has already produced considerable results," Philippe Sands said at a two-day hearing to decide where Seif al-Islam should face justice.

"There is a wide range of evidence that will constitute an indictment the same as that presented by the ICC's prosecutor," said Sands, who is representing Tripoli in a two-day hearing before the Hague-based court.

Full report at:

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Oct-09/190711-icc-to-debate-where-gadhafis-son-should-be-tried.ashx#ixzz28o3u8WGj

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Somalia: Rebels Ban Relief Group From Their Territory

October 9, 2012

Militant Islamist rebels in Somalia on Monday announced a ban against another aid group working in a region of Somalia hit hard by hunger. The Shabab militant group said on Twitter that it had banned the aid group Islamic Relief, which is registered in Britain. The Shabab accused the group of working with the United Nations’ World Food Program, which the militants will not allow in its territory in south-central Somalia. The regional director for Islamic Relief, Iftikhar Shaheen, said that none of his group’s activities were financed by the World Food Program. He said the ban would jeopardize “our work providing food, water, sanitation, health care and support for income generation to 1.3 million people in Somalia.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/09/world/africa/somalia-rebels-ban-relief-group-from-their-territory.html?ref=world&gwh=FD846AF283FC611370F90D11EAD3C19D

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ICC debating where Qaddafi’s son should be tried

 9 October 2012

THE HAGUE, Netherlands: Libya insisted Tuesday that it should be allowed to prosecute one of former Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi’s sons, telling international judges that trying him at home will be “a unique opportunity for national reconciliation.”

Libyan lawyer Ahmed Al-Jehani, was speaking at the start of a two-day hearing at the International Criminal Court that will go a long way to deciding where Seif Al-Islam Qaddafi will be put on trial for crimes against humanity — in Libya or The Hague.

Seif Al-Islam is charged by the international court with crimes against humanity for his alleged involvement in the deadly crackdown on dissent against his father’s rule.

Full report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/icc-debating-where-qaddafi%E2%80%99s-son-should-be-tried

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North America

 

US state department had extended stay of security team in Libya

Oct 9, 2012

WASHINGTON: A state department document shows the US embassy in Tripoli requested that a 16-member security team remain in Libya four months beyond the end of its scheduled deployment.

A department official says the request made in February was granted.

The commander of the security team that made the request told ABC News that slain US ambassador Chris Stevens wanted the team to stay even longer, past the end of its deployment in August. Stevens and three others Americans were killed in an attack in Benghazi, Libya on Sept 11.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/US-state-department-had-extended-stay-of-security-team-in-Libya/articleshow/16730879.cms

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Romney slams Obama on Middle East

Oct 9, 2012

LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney delivered a sweeping critique on Monday of President Barack Obama's handling of threats in the Middle East, saying Obama's lack of leadership had made the volatile region more dangerous.

In what his campaign called a major foreign policy address, Romney called for a more assertive use of American influence in the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Romney, speaking before the white-uniformed cadets at Virginia Military Institute, questioned Obama's handling of the episode in Libya last month in which US ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed after the US consulate in Benghazi came under militant attack.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Mitt-Romney-casts-Obamas-foreign-policy-as-weak-dangerous/articleshow/16734639.cms

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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/saudi-cleric-allows-visits-non/d/8931

 

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