Sufi Maha Panchayat denounces Wahhabi extremism
Kazakhstan plans to train 30-40 Imams Annually to work in Mosques - Mufti
U.S. pegs Haqqani as most lethal foe
Hunting for Haqqanis, US deploys troops along N Waziristan border
'Qaida, Taliban plotting to abduct Bilawal'
Pak money scam targets UK Gujaratis
Pakistan running out of patience on drone strikes: Defence Min
US troops massed on Pak border: reports
Drone in Pakistan said to kill jailed cleric’s son
UK held ‘secret briefing’ for India on missiles in Libyan war
Pak-US ties improving but challenges remain: Haqqani
Saudi Arabia takes Iran to UN over alleged plot
NATO violated Pakistan airspace in Balochistan: ANP
NGOs call on Arab League to act on Syria
3 out of every 4 terror suspects in Pakistan's Punjab province go free
Libya militias must be integrated with new regime
Libya govt. says its flag flies over Bani Walid
Libyans bulldoze Gaddafi's Tripoli compound
Deadly calm in Sirte after fierce fighting
Weapons smuggling bid foiled by Peshawar police
Tanks and jets: Kenyan military moves into Somalia
Iraq: Bomb Kills 7; Target Is a Question
9 security men, 15 militants killed in Pakistan clash
5 Syria troops killed fighting 'defectors'
Three suicide attackers killed in Afghanistan
Yemeni troops gun down 6 protesters
Syria forces shoot at activist funeral
Libya's NTC forces claim Bani Walid advance
Clinton arrives in Malta to discuss Libya with PM
Pro-Qaddafi Enclave in Desert Is Said to Fall After a Battle
Failed Attack on U.S. Base Rattles an Afghan Valley
Assad govt. has made mistakes: Grand Mufti
Suspected US airstrikes take out top Yemen Qaeda leaders
Militants assault US base in eastern Afghanistan
NY judge: Al-Qaeda owes $9.3 billion for 9/11 damage
Iran warns against ‘inappropriate action’ on US plot claims
Protests in New York and Rome turning into global movement
Majority of Israelis support prisoner swap deal
Pakistan wants Afghan action on Fazlullah
Afghan provincial intelligence chief targeted in bombing
Anti-Saleh protest continues in Yemen
Greece heads for standstill before austerity vote
We are finding a solution on issue of drone attacks: Pak Defence
Karachi tops in overall province-wide crimes
Pakistan will recognize new Libyan government: Gilani
PML-N's politics will not succeed, government working satisfactory: Gilani
Hillary Clinton set to visit Islamabad next week
Israel sees charged debate over release of prisoners
Zardari perturbed over Mirza’s allegations, says aide
Pak: MQM Chief returns ‘home’ to central jail
Overseas Pakistanis may have right to vote in elections: ECP
Tunisians to vote in historic post-revolution polls
Telephonic conversation: Malik apprises Hussain of security situation
By-polls: ECP announces schedule for Mirza's former constituency
Pak: KU teachers and administration still at war over Malik’s degree
Compiled By New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/sufi-maha-panchayat-denounces-wahhabi/d/5707
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Sufi Maha Panchayat Denounces Wahabi Extremism
VIDYA SUBRAHMANIAM
All India Ulama and Mashaikh Board president Hazrat Syed Muhammad Ashraf Ashrafi addressing the Muslim Maha Panchayat of board in Moradabad on Sunday.
“When anyone tries to recruit you into terrorism, hand him over to the police”
The All India Ulama & Mashaikh Board (AIUMB) on Sunday gave a call to Sunni Muslims across India to reject and rebuff hardline Wahabism so that Islam could return to its tolerant, Sufi roots: “When an extremist turns up at your door seeking your support, when anyone tries to recruit you into terrorism, hand him over to the nearest police station,” said Board general secretary Maulana Syed Mohd Ashraf Kachochavi, addressing a large-sized Maha Panchayat of Sunni Muslims here.
The Maulana also asked the government to immediately pass legislation to set up a Central Madrasa Board so that fundings to madrasas could be audited and a watch kept on the flow of Saudi petro-dollars into madrasa education.
The Maha Panchayat was a sort of “coming out” event for the AIUMB, which claims to represent 80 per cent of Sunni Muslims (themselves accounting for the largest share of Indian Muslims) and yet has been barely visible on the Indian Muslim political and cultural scene. The AIUMB's case is that despite their huge numbers, they have not been able to assert themselves because the Deobandis and the Wahabis have captured key Muslim institutions such as the Wakf Board and the madrasas, and also wield political influence far beyond their size: “The government listens only to the hardliners. It has handed over Wakf properties and Masjids, which belong to us, to them.”
Board members stressed the threat from Wahabi extremism over and over in their speeches to the Maha Panchayat, arguing that a small group of people had succeeded in giving a bad name to Islam and Muslims, most of whom were Sunni Sufis and therefore peace-loving, tolerant and intensely patriotic. Speakers also emphasised the essentially inclusive nature of Sufism which did not differentiate between Muslims and non-Muslims and allowed all communities to pray in their shrines. The Deobandis, on the other hand, did not allow their followers to go to Sufi dargahs.
“The time has come for us to come out and claim our rights. Let us take a pledge that we will never support Wahabi extremism — not today, not tomorrow. Let us take a pledge that we will work for the unity and integrity of our motherland,” Maulana Kachochavi told the gathering.
Later talking to the press, the Maulana made a strong pitch for a Madrasa Board saying: “Right now the madrasas are under the control of Wahabi-inspired organisations which run on Saudi money. The ideology they teach and spread is hardline Wahabism. These organisations have put pressure on the government not to enact the Act. We want the funds to go to the really needy and poor.”
Remarkably, the Maha Panchayat appeared to have been boycotted by the influential Urdu press. Last week, when the Board held a press conference in Delhi, Urdu journalists were openly hostile to the organisers, arguing that the AIUMB was trying to divide Muslims, and was no different from the Sangh Parivar, which saw all Muslims as terrorists.
Opposed to Congress
When journalists brought up the issue of the AIUMB's political leanings on Sunday, AIUMB members insisted that they were apolitical. However, Maulana Kachochavi made it clear that the AIUMB was opposed to the Congress, “which propped up hardline organisations like the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind.” Asked if the AIUMB would put up its own candidates in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, he admitted that it was an idea they were considering, as “that seems to be the only way to make people and the government hear us.” But for now, “we will vote whoever supports all our demands.”
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2543620.ece
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Kazakhstan plans to train 30-40 imams annually to work in mosques - Mufti
Oct 17 2011,
Astana, 15 October: The Spiritual Board of Muslims of Kazakhstan [SBMK] has plans to train 30-40 imams annually to ensure proper staffing at the country's mosques, the chairman of the SBMK, Mufti Absattar kazhi Derbisali, has said.
"We now have our own university, centre and nine madrassahs [religious schools]. And if we train 30-40 imams annually, the problem (with staffing - Interfax-Kazakhstan) will be solved. It will be staff who would also know the local language, traditions and history," the mufti said, speaking at a conference entitled "Islam is the religion of solidarity and unity" held in Aktobe.
I once asked my colleague in Turkey: "Do you have problems like we do? And he answered that they had gone through those extremes that we are experiencing today in matters of religion, but it was easy to tackle them. How? Train your own staff and send them to your mosques, and there will be no place for other teachings, and people will only liste! n to you, he advised me," the chairman of the SBMK told the audience.
"When I got this post at the SBMK, there were 1,402 mosques in Kazakhstan, of which only 284 belonged to the Mufti Office, the others worked independently, and there was no unity, no system. Nobody cared who worked there. The first thing to do was an appraisal for all imams. Now all the imams have got registration, and they even go on holiday with our permission," the mufti said.
"It is easy to open a mosque, but you need to make it work in the right direction. We must provide it with staff and maintain it. We cannot solve this problem on our own," the head of the SBMK said, drawing the attention of the local authorities to this issue.
Aktobe Region Governor Arkhimed Mukhambetov, who was also taking part in the conference, said that the leadership of the region were also interested in solving these issues.
"A branch of the Zeket foundation under the Spiritual B! oard of Muslims of Kazakhstan has been opened in the region. Today 10 business structures were the first to make donations to it - 200,000 tenge each. This is only the beginning. The incoming money will primarily be used to pay local imams' salaries and for the maintenance of mosques in the villages. Now we are busy solving problems with transportation and housing for the imams," the governor said.
The governor said that there were 62 mosques in the region.
Source: Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Almaty, in Russian 0652 gmt 15 Oct 11
http://en.tengrinews.kz/religion/5088/
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U.S. pegs Haqqani as most lethal foe
October 18, 2011
The family criminal enterprise known as the Haqqani Network conducts terrorist attacks inside Afghanistan by keeping in constant phone contact with its suicide bombers before and during attacks.
This level of sophistication, coupled with hands-on terrorist operations, is one reason the U.S. now considers Haqqani its most lethal enemy, even more so than al Qaeda and the Taliban.
The network is operating out of a safe haven across the border in the town of Miram Shah, Pakistan, with near impunity and little to fear from NATO troops or Islamabad.
Meanwhile, al Qaeda is using Afghanistan as a training ground for Arab recruits. If the recruits do well in the fight, they are reprogrammed to attack the United States.
This assessment of al Qaeda and the Haqqani Network is contained among roughly 1,250 pages of documents and exhibits released by U.S. Central Command in the investigation of the Aug. 4 CH-47 helicopter downing that killed 30 Americans, including 17 Navy SEALs.
Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Colt and his team began the investigation by receiving a briefing in Kabul from senior U.S. military war planners and intelligence officers. CentCom included a declassified 134-page transcript of the briefing. Gen. Colt wanted to understand the enemy in Afghanistan and how a special operations task force decides to target them.
The network is led by Sirajuddin Haqqani and his brother Badruddin.
“[They have a] tremendous amount of ability to push forces cross the board,” one unnamed briefer told Gen. Colt. “We consider them the most lethal, resolute and resilient of the insurgent element we are fighting today. They have the ability to push forces across, conduct attacks.”
The briefer said the U.S. has intercepted calls between Haqqani - which one is not specified - and his fighters as they carried out an attack.
As an example, the briefer talked about Haqqani deploying nine suicide bombers to attack the Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul in June, one of the most brazen attacks in Afghanistan’s well-fortified capital.
The briefer said: “The end of June, the Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul, these guys all had suicide vests on, they were using small arms, [and] as they were attacking from the roof of the hotel, they were calling back [situation reports] to Badruddin Haqqani, who was just across the border during this. So very hands-on. See, it is very easy for them to attack and get back across the border, lick their wounds, re-arm, re-equip, and prepare for another attack at a later date.”
All nine attackers were killed. The intercepts are the likely reason the NATO command so quickly named Haqqani as the mastermind.
In one of his last public statements as Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen accused Islamabad of providing Haqqani a safe haven and aiding the network in attacks in Afghanistan.
The briefing also disclosed that al Qaeda is repositioning fighters from Pakistan’s tribal areas into Afghanistan’s Kunar province. A briefer said al Qaeda is under pressure, presumedly from Pakistani forces, prompting the move to a rugged border area largely abandoned by NATO troops.
“The other thing is they are very much invested in the Taliban fight,” the briefer stated. “If the Taliban wins at the end of the day over here in Afghanistan, then that is a win for al Qaeda. So they are ‘all in’ as far as the Taliban is concerned.”
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/oct/17/us-pegs-haqqani-as-most-lethal-foe/
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Hunting for Haqqanis, US deploys troops along N Waziristan border
Oct 18, 2011,
ISLAMABAD: The US has moved hundreds of new troops to the Afghan area bordering Pakistan's insurgentinfested North Waziristan tribal region along with heavy artillery, helicopter gunships and sealed movement on the border.
US forces deployed to new positions in the border areas facing Ghulam Khan in Pakistan between Saturday and Sunday night. The troops occupied nearby vantage heights on hilltops, setting up observation posts, The News International said quoting Pakistani security officials and tribal elders.
Geo television reported that tribesmen living in the border areas said Afghan and US authorities had clamped a curfew in parts of Afghanistan's eastern Khost province and started house-to-house search.
The News reported that the abrupt deployment of US forces near the border area with Pakistan has escalated tension in the militancyplagued North Waziristan tribal region as US forces immediately sealed the main road connecting Pakistan border town of Ghulam Khan and Khost for traffic.
Pakistani security officials in North Waziristan confirmed the latest development and said they were monitoring the situation on the border with Afghanistan, The News reported.
There is no word from the US and NATO forces on the Pakistani media reports.
The American troop movement has been reported as US unmanned spy planes have stepped up strikes in the Waziristan tribal belt over the past few days. Washington Post quoting US officials has said that US has opened a new more aggressive approach towards the dreaded Haqqani network.
"The Obama administration has launched the opening salvos of a new, more aggressive approach towards an Afghan insurgent group it asserts is supported by Pakistan's government," the report said. The post quoted officials as saying that the new operation may include intensified drone strikes on Miranshah, centre of North Waziristan and was made "at a National Security Council meeting chaired by President Obama two weeks ago" .
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Hunting-for-Haqqanis-US-deploys-troops-along-N-Waziristan-border/articleshow/10396413.cms
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'Qaida, Taliban plotting to abduct Bilawal'
Oct 18, 2011,
ISLAMABAD: Al-Qaida and Pakistani Taliban are planning to kidnap President Asif Ali Zardari's son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik said on Monday.
The 23-year-old , who is based in England, frequently visits Pakistan and is the ruling People's Party's cochairman. "The necessary
measures have been taken for Bilawal's security," Malik said.
Malik said the interior ministry's crisis management cell learnt about this threat in September and issued notifications to top aides to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and Asif Ali Zardari, saying the al Qaida was planning to abduct high profile officials including Bilawal.
For Full Report:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Qaida-Taliban-plotting-to-abduct-Bilawal/articleshow/10396382.cms
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Pak money scam targets UK Gujaratis
October 18, 2011
Gujarati-speaking people in the English city of Leicester have been targeted by a money transfer scam originating from Pakistan, local officials have warned.
The city has a large minority of Indian origin people, many of whom are Gujarati-speakers with roots in Gujarat.
Reports from Leicester say that officials have warned Gujarati-speaking people not be taken in by the scam that operates through the phone and asks unsuspecting victims to deposit money in a bank account via the Western Union money transfer.
City residents have reportedly been called by a man who claims they have won 50,000 pounds, but must deposit 275 pounds into a bank account via a Western Union transfer to access the money.
The caller identifies himself as Mohammed Musafa Khan, speaks in Gujarati and calls from a mobile traced to Pakistan, according to a report in the Leicester Mercury. Local resident Chandra Parmar, who received such a call, said: "We knew straight away it was a scam but it is worrying because vulnerable people might not realise".
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pak-money-scam-targets-uk-gujaratis/861119/
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Pakistan running out of patience on drone strikes: Defence Min
Oct 18, 2011
With the US stepping up drone strikes on the Waziristan region in recent days, Pakistan's Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar has said his government was running out of patience and Washington must not test its limits.
Pakistan has repeatedly protested the unilateral strikes, and Mukhtar said his government would unveil a revised policy on drone attacks soon.
The warning came as the US spy aircraft carried out four strikes in Pakistan's Waziristan tribal region in three days and killed nearly 10 people including three al-Qaeda linked Egyptians.
For Full Report:
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/198559/pakistan-running-patience-drone-strikes.html
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US troops massed on Pak border: reports
October 18, 2011
in the border areas facing Ghulam Khan in Pakistan between Saturday and Sunday night.
The troops occupied nearby vantage heights on hilltops, setting up observation posts, The News International said quoting Pakistani security officials and tribal elders.
Geo television reported that tribesmen living in the border areas said Afghan and US authorities had clamped a curfew in parts of Afghanistan's eastern Khost province and started house-to-house search.
The villagers in Ghulam Khan said NATO warplanes were also seen flying over the border region several times during the day.
The News reported that the abrupt deployment of US forces near the border area with Pakistan has escalated tension in the militancy-plagued North Waziristan tribal region as US forces immediately sealed the main road connecting Pakistan border town of Ghulam Khan and Khost for traffic.
For Full Report:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/US-troops-massed-on-Pak-border-reports/Article1-758274.aspx
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Drone in Pakistan said to kill jailed cleric’s son
Oct 17, 2011,
PESHAWAR, Pakistan: One of three militants killed in a drone strike in Pakistan Friday was the son of a blind Egyptian cleric serving a life sentence in the U.S. for plotting to attack New York City landmarks, an Afghan Taliban commander said Saturday.
The U.S. drone attack killed Ahmad Omar Abdel Rahman, son of Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, who was jailed in the United States in 1995, and also had a long history of violent opposition to the Egyptian government.
The cleric’s grandson and another Egyptian were also killed in the attack in North Waziristan, said the Afghan Taliban commander, referring to a tribal area near the Afghan border.
For Full Report:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2011/Oct-17/151480-drone-in-pakistan-said-to-kill-jailed-clerics-son.ashx#axzz1b2b1ecan
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UK held secret briefing for India on missiles in Libyan war
PTI, Oct 16, 2011,
MANCHESTER: At a time when NATO forces were destroying the bases of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, Britain gave a secret presentation to the Indian Air Force (IAF) about the performance in the Libyan war of MBDA missiles, which have been offered to New Delhi.
"A presentation was given to the Indian Air Force two months ago where senior officers including the present chief (Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne) were present, about the performance of the Brim Stone precision guided missile," Frank Morgan, a senior MBDA executive, told a group of Indian reporters here.
MBDA is a four-nation European missile manufacturing consortium and has its facilities spread across Italy, the UK, France and Germany.
For Full Report:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/UK-held-secret-briefing-for-India-on-missiles-in-Libyan-war/articleshow/10379496.cms
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Pak-US ties improving but challenges remain: Haqqani
Oct. 17, 2011
WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s Ambassador in Washington Hussain Haqqani said that the democratic government in Pakistan was pursuing the country’s national interests while conducting the country’s international relations, while indicating an improvement in Pakistan-US ties after weeks of heated rhetoric appeared to give way to the normal course of diplomacy.
Ambassador Haqqani, while addressing a gathering of the Pakistani American community in Portland in the Oregon state, said that challenges remained in the bilateral ties but that relations were returning to normalcy through quiet diplomacy.
Officials in both capitals were toning down tough rhetoric. “Both Islamabad and Washington realise they need each other and a strong, positive bilateral relationship is in the best interest of the two countries and their people,” he told the gathering.
For Full Report:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C10%5C17%5Cstory_17-10-2011_pg7_8
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Saudi Arabia takes Iran to UN over alleged plot
Oct 17 2011
DUBAI/TEHRAN: Saudi Arabia has taken a first step to have Iran reported to the United Nations Security Council, a move that could lead to new sanctions, but Tehran dismissed allegations it plotted to kill a top Saudi envoy as a ploy to isolate it. “Saudi Arabia’s permanent mission to the United Nations... formally requested the United Nations Secretary General notify the Security Council of the heinous conspiracy,” the Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported, citing a statement from the kingdom’s UN mission. The United States on Tuesday said it had uncovered a plot by two men with links to Iran’s security forces to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Adel al-Jubeir, by planting a bomb in a Washington restaurant. Iran’s leadership says the allegation has been cynically engineered to further isolate Tehran, whose disputed nuclear programme has triggered several rounds of international sanctions against it. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday said the alleged plot was a “meaningless and nonsensical accusation”. The Saudi step follows remarks by US President Barack Obama that he would press for “the toughest possible sanctions” against Iran over the alleged plot, and vowed not to take any options off the table - a phrase commonly used to mean the possibility of using force. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said on Wednesday in Vienna that Iran “was responsible” for the alleged plot and said Riyadh would adopt a “measured response”. Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have risen in recent months as Arab uprisings have altered the balance of power in the Middle East. reuters
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\10\17\story_17-10-2011_pg1_5
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NATO violated Pakistan airspace in Balochistan: ANP
Oct 17, 2011
By Shehzad Balcoh
QUETTA: The Awami National Party (ANP) on Monday informed the Balochistan Assembly that North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces had violated Pakistani airspace in Qila Abdullah, a district that shares the border with Afghanistan.
ANP Parliamentary Leader, Provincial Minister Zamurk Khan raised the issue on a point of order during a Balochistan Assembly session on Monday. Deputy Speaker Matiullah Agha was chairing the session.
Khan said Nato forces had violated Pakistani airspace by making a 20 minute low flight in the area two days back.
For Full Report:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/275831/nato-violated-pakistan-airspace-in-balochistan-anp/?print=true
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NGOs call on Arab League to act on Syria
17 Oct 2011
Dina Ezzat,
Silence is not an option on Syria, say a group of NGOs to an Arab foreign ministers meeting convened today in Cairo
Over 120 Arab and international non-governmental organisations Sunday called on the Arab League to be "on the right side of history" and to act promptly to end the bloodshed of Syrian demonstrators that have been since last March calling for an end to the rule of Syrian President Bashar Assad and his regime.
In a letter sent to the Arab League ahead of the emergency meeting, the organisations state they are acting to stop alleged crimes against humanity and the use of brutal force against civilians.
The letter, of which Ahram Online was sent a copy, alerted Arab foreign ministers on the UN-estimated death toll in Syria, put at around 3000, "in the war that the Syrian president has been waging against his own people".
"The letter states that the confirmed shelling of residential neighbourhoods, the arrest, disappearance and torture of thousands of peaceful protesters and their families have become routine occurrences in many Syrian cities, and must end," states a press release circulated by the signatories of the letter.
For Full Report:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentPrint/2/0/24323/World/0/NGOs-call-on-Arab-League-to-act-on-Syria.aspx
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3 out of every 4 terror suspects in Pakistan's Punjab province go free
Oct 17.2011
LAHORE: Even as Pakistan talks about strict action against terrorists, 75% of terror suspects arrested in the Punjab province in Lahore over the last two decades were set free by the courts due to lack of evidence, according to data compiled by the provincial government.
"If you were accused of being a terrorist in Punjab over the past two decades, there was about a 75% chance that you would be acquitted," 'The Express Tribune' daily said.
Since 1990, there have been 800 incidents of terrorism in Punjab, of which 475 have actually been prosecuted.
For Full Report:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/3-out-of-every-4-terror-suspects-in-Pakistans-Punjab-province-go-free/articleshow/10388252.cms
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Libya militias must be integrated with new regime
17 Oct 2011
Integrating Libya's many militias into the country's new regime, two months after they drove Muamer Gaddafi from power is high on the agenda of British Foreign Secretary Hague to Tripoli
During the visit to the Libyan capital, British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Monday held talks with Libyan interim leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil, re-opened the British embassy and announced the appointment of John Jenkins as new ambassador to Libya
"It is important for the militias to be integrated into the work of the National Transitional Council (NTC), and then of course into the national transitional government that will be formed once the liberation of the country is declared," Hague told journalists in Tripoli.
There are dozens of different militias, or brigades, in the Libyan capital alone, some of which have shown themselves reluctant to take orders from the NTC leadership, although so far any disagreements have been peacefully resolved.
For Full Report:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentPrint/2/0/24370/World/0/Libya-militias-must-be-integrated-with-new-regime.aspx
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Libya govt says its flag flies over Bani Walid
Oct 17.2011
TRIPOLI: Libyan interim government forces said on Monday they had raised the country's new flag over Bani Walid, one of the last bastions of pro-Muammar Gaddafi loyalists, but it was not yet clear if the town had been completely captured.
Along with Gaddafi's hometown Sirte, Bani Walid has been one of only two towns in Libya where there is still armed resistance to the rule of the National Transitional Council (NTC).
"We have reached the city centre (of Bani Walid) and have raised the flag," Colonel Abdullah Naker, head of the Tripoli Revolutionist Council, told Reuters on Sunday.
Fighters taking part in the assault on Bani Walid also told Reuters they had entered the town which is nestled into rocky hills some 150 km (90 miles) south of Tripoli.
Bani Walid is an ancestral home to the Warfalla, Libya's biggest and one of its most politically-influential tribes. They number about a million out of the country's six million population and were traditional supporters of Gaddafi.
For Full Report:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Libya-govt-says-its-flag-flies-over-Bani-Walid/articleshow/10388082.cms
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Libyans bulldoze Gaddafi's Tripoli compound
Oct 17, 2011,
TRIPOLI, Libya: Libyan revolutionary forces bulldozed the green walls surrounding Moammar Gaddafi's main Tripoli compound, saying it was time "to tear down this symbol of tyranny."
The sprawling, fortress-like compound known as Bab al-Aziziya has long been hated by Libyans who feared to even walk nearby during Gaddafi's more than four decades in power and its capture was seen as a turning point in the civil war as revolutionaries overran the capital in late August.
Ahmad Ghargory, commander of a revolutionary brigade, said Sunday that the area will be turned into a public park accessible to all Libyans.
"It's the revolutionary decision to tear down this symbol of tyranny," Ghargory said. "We were busy with the war, but now we have the space to do this."
Already, the courtyard in front of Gaddafi's former house, which he used for many fiery speeches trying to rally supporters during the uprising, has been turned into a weekly pet market. Tripoli residents roam the premises as if at a museum, with vendors selling revolutionary flags and other souvenirs.
Full Report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Libyans-bulldoze-Gaddafis-Tripoli-compound/articleshow/10388170.cms
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Deadly calm in Sirte after fierce fighting
October 17, 2011
Fighting around the last pockets of resistance in Muammar Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte abated sharply yesterday with some besieging troops saying they were deliberately holding fire after an exodus of civilians.
An AFP correspondent heard only intermittent rocket and small arms fire around the Dollar and Number Two residential neighbourhoods in the northwest of the city where Gaddafi loyalists are holed up.
A National Transitional Council fighter told AFP that there had been an exodus of civilians from the two neighbourhoods in early morning and that the besieging troops were eager to give others the chance to leave.
For Full Report:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=206853
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Weapons smuggling bid foiled by Peshawar police
Oct 17, 2011,
The men were subsequently arrested and the weapons were seized by the police. — Photo by Reuters
PESHAWAR: Two men who were attempting to smuggle weapons to Islamabad were arrested by Peshawar police on Monday, DawnNews reported.
The suspects were carrying the weapons in a vehicle which was apprehended after being stopped for checking near Peshawar’s Chamkani area.
The men were subsequently arrested and the weapons were seized by the police.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/10/17/weapons-smuggling-bid-foiled-by-peshawar-police.html
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Tanks and jets: Kenyan military moves into Somalia
Oct 17, 2011,
Kenyan tanks, artillery and hundreds of fighters are moving through militant territory in Somalia, residents said on Monday.
Fighter jets and helicopters have been flying overhead since Kenyan forces moved en masse into Somalia on Sunday.
The invasion came one day after Kenyan defense officials said the country has the right to defend itself against al-Shabab militants after a string of kidnappings inside Kenya. Four Europeans have been abducted and one killed.
Witnesses in the Somali town of Dhobley on Monday said an estimated 40 Kenyan military vehicles entered the town on Sunday.
Ali Abdullahi, a resident in Dhobley, said the army vehicles were towing what he described as 'big guns'.
For Full Report:
http://www.asianage.com/international/tanks-and-jets-kenyan-military-moves-somalia-231
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Iraq: Bomb Kills 7; Target Is a Question
October 18, 2011
A bomb blast near a Baghdad liquor store killed seven people and wounded 18 on Monday, officials said.
Three of the dead and five of the wounded were police officers. It was not immediately clear whether the primary target was the liquor store, a target of conservative Shiite militants, or the police officers, a target of Sunni militants.
A roadside bomb exploded near a police patrol, killing one civilian.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/world/middleeast/target-is-a-question-as-bombing-kills-7-in-iraq.html?_r=1&src=twr&gwh=E85E10C00375D1CB3748F09DC020CB87
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9 security men, 15 militants killed in Pakistan clash
Oct 18, 2011,
ISLAMABAD: At least nine Pakistani security personnel and 15 militants were killed Monday during an armed clash triggered by an attack on a security check post in the country's northwestern tribal region, media reports said.
Local Urdu TV Geo News quoted security sources as saying that 30 to 35 militants attacked a security check post in Bara area of Khyber Agency, Pakistan's northwestern tribal region bordering Afghanistan, Xinhua reported.
Militants used automatic weapons along with hand grenades and rockets that killed nine soldiers.
For Full Report:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/9-securitymen-15-militants-killed-in-Pakistan-clash/articleshow/10392739.cms
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5 Syria troops killed fighting 'defectors'
Oct 18, 2011,
Syrian soldiers fought gunmen suspected to be army defectors in the flashpoint central province of Homs yesterday in clashes that left five troops dead, a human rights group said, while a crackdown focused on the provincial capital left two civilians dead.
"Five soldiers were killed and others wounded as a result of clashes pitting the army and security forces against gunmen believed to be defectors at a checkpoint near the town of Qurayn in Homs province," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP.
The Observatory said some "20 soldiers fled to the surrounding orchards."
In another confrontation with gunmen thought to be defectors in the northwestern province of Idlib, "17 in the army's ranks were wounded," the Britain-based watchdog said.
Syrian security forces opened fire in a residential area in the city of Homs, a hotbed of dissent, killing one person and wounding six others, the same rights group said.
For Full Report:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=206997
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3 suicide attackers killed in eastern Afghanistan
Oct 17, 2011,
Kabul: Afghan police shot dead three suicide bombers attempting to target mayoral offices in the east of the country on Sunday, but a car bomb set up for the attack blew up, killing one worker, an official said.
"At around noon, three suicide attackers with an explosives-packed vehicle tried to enter the municipality building in Gardez and target the city hall, but they were stopped and killed by the police," Rohullah Samoon, spokesman for Paktia provincial governor said.
He said the attackers left their bomb-rigged vehicle, which detonated before foreign troops were able to arrive to defuse it, killing one worker.
For Full Report:
http://zeenews.india.com/news/south-asia/3-suicide-attackers-killed-in-eastern-afghanistan_736932.html
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Yemeni troops gun down 6 protesters
16 OCTOBER 2011 , AFP
Yemeni troops shot dead six people in the capital on Sunday as they attempted to block a new bid by activists to bring 10 months of protests against veteran President Ali Abdullah Saleh to a head.
Medical officials stationed at a makeshift field hospital near Change Square said four protesters and two dissident soldiers were killed, and at least 59 others wounded.
The defiant march by tens of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators in Sanaa came despite the deaths of atleast 12 people in a similar protest in the capital on Saturday.
For Full Report:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/world/13723-yemeni-troops-gun-down-6-protesters.html
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Syria forces shoot at activist funeral
October 17, 2011
Syrian security forces opened fire on a funeral procession for an activist in the oil-rich east yesterday as they pressed a crackdown on dissent, a human rights group said.
Syrian security forces in Deir Ezzor fired live bullets at a funeral procession of 7000 for Ziad al-Obeidi, who was killed by regime forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Meanwhile, security forces carried out raids and arrests in the flashpoint central province of Homs and in the outskirts of Damascus, with 19 people arrested in Dmeir, the Observatory said.
President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday appointed a committee to draft a new constitution within fours months as activists reported more killings, arrests and gunfire in several protest hubs across Syria.
A key demand of the opposition has been the removal of Article 8 of the constitution which stipulates that the Baath party is the sole "leader of state and society," giving it a monopoly on power.
Security forces killed 12 people in Syria on Saturday alone, activist and sources said.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=206858
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Libya's NTC forces claim Bani Walid advance
Oct 18, 2011,
Forces loyal to Libya's interim authorities say they have entered Bani Walid, one of the last towns still loyal to Gaddafi.
NTC military commanders said they met heavy resistance from Gaddafi loyalists in the town, some 170km south-east of Tripoli.
Meanwhile, fighting is continuing for Col Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte. And a pro-Gaddafi television station has confirmed reports the ex-leader's son, Khamis, was killed in late August.
Arrai television, based in Syria, said he had died during fighting with NTC forces in the city of Tarhouna, 90km south-east of Tripoli.
Gaddafi's intelligence chief, Mohammed Abdullah al-Sanussi, was also killed during the battle, Arrai TV said. Khamis Gaddafi has been reported dead twice before since the uprising against his father began, only to reappear.
For Full Report:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=206990
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Clinton arrives in Malta to discuss Libya with PM
October 18, 2011
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton arrived in Malta early on Tuesday for talks with Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi on the situation in Libya. She was welcomed at the airport by Maltese foreign minister Tonio Borg. Clinton is due to meet Gonzi later on Tuesday in the capital
Valletta.
Malta has been involved in the Libyan crisis by serving as a logistics point for the evacuation of workers and the provision of humanitarian aid. It has also had a role in air traffic control over Libya.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague visited Malta on Sunday and Monday before flying on to Libya.
Clinton is the most senior US administration official to visit the Mediterranean island since President George Bush (senior) and Secretary of State James Baker were here for the superpower meeting with then Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev in 1989.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/europe/Clinton-arrives-in-Malta-to-discuss-Libya-with-PM/Article1-758568.aspx
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Pro-Qaddafi Enclave in Desert Is Said to Fall After a Battle
By RICK GLADSTONE
October 18, 2011
Libyan forces fighting the vestiges of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s toppled government said Monday that anti-Qaddafi fighters were in complete control of Bani Walid, a loyalist desert enclave south of Tripoli, the capital, but had yet to proclaim total victory in his Mediterranean hometown of Surt.
Bani Walid and Surt, the last holdouts of pro-Qaddafi resistance, have prevented the Transitional National Council, the interim government, from declaring the official end of the Qaddafi era in the nearly two months since Colonel Qaddafi fled Tripoli and went underground.
Western news agencies with correspondents close to Bani Walid said anti-Qaddafi fighters had driven into the center of the enclave, raised the new Libyan flag, fired machine guns into the air and screamed “God is great!” in victory chants.
For Full Report:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/world/middleeast/bani-walid-seized-anti-qaddafi-fighters-say.html?src=twr
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Failed Attack on U.S. Base Rattles an Afghan Valley
October 18, 2011
By JACK HEALY
ROKHA, Afghanistan — As the suicide bombers threaded their way past patchwork farms and snow-dusted mountains here in eastern Afghanistan, they had to stop for directions. It was 4 a.m. and, apparently in need of help finding their target, they pulled up to a police station and asked the overnight guards, Which way to the Americans?
There was really only one answer: Forward Operating Base Lion, a small roadside outpost that is one of the last vestiges of the United States presence in the stable and fiercely independent Panjshir Valley. After years of the area’s being overlooked by insurgents, the war finally found its way here on Saturday morning.
The five assailants rammed a car loaded with explosives into the base’s red front gate and for half an hour in the chilly predawn buffeted the base with rocket-propelled grenades. At least two of the attackers were able to breach the walls, running a few feet inside before being cut down by American and Afghan bullets.
For Full Report:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/world/asia/failed-attack-on-us-base-rattles-panjshir-valley-in-afghanistan.html?src=twr&gwh=E5E96F6637BE1E7B9A77EF02CE240DD2
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Assad govt has made mistakes: Grand Mufti
October 18, 2011
Dr Ahmad Badr Al-Din Hassoun, who is the Grand Mufti of the Syrian Arab Republic, lost his 22-year-old son when he was gunned down by undientified assailants on October 3 near Ibla university in north-western Syria.
Hassoun, while confessing his close association with the president, measured his words and said, “I am personally not with the government. This government committed political, economic, educational mistakes. But that does not mean that by killing people, you can correct the mistakes. They need to correct the mistake through dialogue, and not by killing people.”
The seven month-old uprising against Assad, 46, is the toughest crisis he has faced since coming to power in 2000. The UN has put the death toll from the uprising at 3,000.
“I didn’t lose my son alone,” said the Grand Mufti, “All 3,000 people are my sons”. Wearing a white turban and a black robe, he sat in a large room with a framed photograph of the Syrian president kissing the Koran.
For Full Report:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/861263/ -------
Assad govt has made mistakes: Grand Mufti
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Suspected US airstrikes take out top Yemen Qaeda leaders
Octber 17,2011
Suspected US air strikes took out a raft of top al-Qaeda leaders in Yemen barely two weeks after a drone killed US-born jihadist cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi, provincial and tribal sources said today.
The seven killed in last evening's triple raid included a son and cousin of Awlaqi, as well as three other members of his tribe and the media chief of Al-Qaeda's feared Yemen arm, the sources said.
The Yemeni defence ministry confirmed that seven Al-Qaeda militants, including its regional media chief, had been killed in a raid.
But it reiterated its standard denial of US involvement in offensive operations on Yemeni soil and insisted its own forces carried it out.
A member of the Awlaqi tribe said the tribal members killed included Awlaqi's 21-year-old son Abderrahman and Sarhan al-Qussa'a, brother of Fahd al-Qussa'a, a leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula he said was on a US wanted list.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/suspected-us-airstrikes-take-out-top-yemen-qaeda-leaders/860306/
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Militants assault US base in eastern Afghanistan
Octber 17,2011
Militants assaulted the gate of an American base in eastern Afghanistan today, striking before dawn with rocket-propelled grenades and a vehicle packed with explosives.
The attackers failed to breach the gate of the base in Panjshir province's Rakha district, though they did hit a security tower with a rocket-propelled grenade, said provincial Police Chief Gen Mohammad Qasim Jangalbagh.
Three of the men attacked on foot, shooting, while a fourth detonated the explosives-laden vehicle outside the gate, Jangalbagh said. All four of the attackers were killed and two Afghan security guards were wounded, he said.
A NATO spokeswoman confirmed the attack but said there were no American deaths or injuries and no significant damage to facilities.
"There was a complex attack attempted, but it was repelled," Capt. Ebony Calhoun said. She said the guards' wounds were not life-threatening but they had been evacuated to a larger US base for treatment.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/militants-assault-us-base-in-eastern-afghanistan/860304/
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NY judge: Al-Qaeda owes $9.3 billion for 9/11 damage
Octber 17,2011
A judge in New York has recommended al-Qaeda be assessed $9.3 billion for the damage done to properties and businesses in the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Federal Magistrate Judge Frank Maas in a ruling Friday sent the recommendation to a district judge presiding over a lawsuit brought by several insurance companies.
The companies in 2003 sued various defendants, seeking damages for the 2001 terror attacks, which demolished the World Trade Center's twin towers. Al-Qaeda never responded to the lawsuit and was found in default in 2006. Maas determined the actual damages and then tripled them as allowed by law.
At this time, the companies were only seeking an assessment of damages against al-Qaeda. The organization founded by Osama bin Laden is blamed for orchestrating the terror attacks.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ny-judge-alqaeda-owes-9.3-billion-for-9-11-damage/860287/
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Iran warns against ‘inappropriate action’ on US plot claims
AFP
TEHRAN: Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned on Sunday of a “decisive response” to any “inappropriate action” over US claims of a Tehran-directed assassination plot.
“If American officials are entertaining any illusions, they should know that any inappropriate action, whether political or security-related, will meet with the Iranian people’s decisive response,” he said in a speech in western Iran, according to his official website.
Khamenei, who has already labelled the plot claims “absurd,” warned: “The Islamic republic of Iran will face off any plot, or destructive or obstructive measures, with all its might.”
The remarks came as US officials consult with allies and other countries on ratcheting up pressure on Iran, which is already subject to UN and US sanctions over its controversial nuclear programme.
For Full Report:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/10/16/iran-warns-against-inappropriate-action-on-us-plot-claims.html
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Protests in New York and Rome turning into global movement
October 17, 2011
Clashes erupted in New York and Rome and protesters camped out yesterday in worldwide demonstrations seen as a show of force by a rising global movement against corporate greed and government cutbacks.
There were rallies in 951 cities in 80 countries around the globe on Saturday in an extension of a campaign born on May 15 with a rally in Madrid's central Puerta del Sol square by a group calling itself "Indignados" ("Indignants").
"The fact is there is now clearly an international movement. Its preface was the 'Arab Spring' seen in Cairo, Tunis and Benghazi," Eugenio Scalfari, a columnist for the Italian daily La Repubblica.
For Full Report:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=206851
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Majority of Israelis support prisoner swap deal
oct 17 ,2011
A new poll shows that Israelis overwhelmingly support a lopsided prisoner swap, in which 1,027 Palestinian prisoners will be released for one captured soldier.
The poll shows that 79 per cent of Israelis support a deal under which Sgt. Gilad Schalit will be released by his Hamas captors on Tuesday.
Only 14 per cent said they opposed the deal. Schalit has been held in Gaza for more than five years. Among those to be freed in return for the soldier are Palestinian militants responsible for deadly suicide bombings and other attacks against Israelis.
The poll was carried out by the Dahaf Institute and published in the daily Yediot Ahronot on Monday. Pollsters interviewed 500 respondents, and the margin of error was 4.4 percentage points.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2545580.ece
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Pakistan wants Afghan action on Fazlullah
Oct 17 2011,
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Monday that Afghan and US-led forces had failed to hunt down a Taliban cleric responsible for a spate of cross-border raids despite repeated requests from Islamabad, a complaint likely to deepen tensions between the neighbours.
The attacks in which militants loyal to Maulvi Fazlullah took part killed about 100 members of Pakistan’s security forces, angering the military which faces threats from multiple militant groups.
“The problem refuses to go away,” Pakistani army spokesman, Major-General Athar Abbas, told Reuters.
For Full Report:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/10/17/pakistan-wants-afghan-action-on-taliban-cleric.html
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Afghan provincial intelligence chief targeted in bombing
Oct 17 2011
KABUL: A suicide bomber attacked a car carrying a provincial head of Afghanistan’s intelligence agency on Monday, wounding the spy and killing a child in the north of the country, police said.
The bomber detonated next to a car in which the National Directorate of Security (NDS) official was travelling at 8:20am in Maymanah in Faryab province, Lal Mohammad, police spokesman for the northern region, told AFP.
“The chief of NDS was going to his office when the attacker, a person wearing a suicide vest, detonated near his car.
“One child is killed and six other people, including the provincial chief of NDS, are injured,” said Mohammad.
Mohammad had said initially that a “number of civilians” were killed.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/10/17/afghan-provincial-intel-chief-targeted-in-bombing.html
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Anti-Saleh protest continues in Yemen
Oct 17 2011
Activists urge UN intervention as 5 more killed
Yemeni troops shot dead five demonstrators in the capital yesterday as they attempted to block a new bid by activists to bring 10 months of protests against veteran President Ali Abdullah Saleh to a head.
The defiant march by tens of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators in Sanaa came despite the deaths of at least 12 people in a similar protest in the capital on Saturday.
Medical officials stationed at a makeshift field hospital near Change Square said three protesters and two dissident soldiers were killed, and at least 40 people wounded in Sunday's crackdown.
For Full Report:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=206854
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Greece heads for standstill before austerity vote
Oct 17, 2011,
ATHENS: Greece faces a crucial test this week, when much of the country is expected to be shut down by a 48-hour strike reaching a peak on Thursday as parliament votes on a sweeping package of austerity measures demanded by international lenders.
Greece’s two main unions, representing about half the four million-strong workforce, have promised one of the biggest strikes since the crisis began two years ago, hitting food and fuel supplies, disrupting transport and leaving hospitals run by skeleton staff.
Prime Minister George Papandreou, trailing badly in opinion polls, has defied the protests, pledging to push through a deeply unpopular package that includes tax rises, pay and pension cuts, job layoffs and changes to collective pay deals.
For Full Report:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/10/17/greece-heads-for-standstill-before-austerity-vote.html
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We are finding a solution on issue of drone attacks: Pak Defrence Minister
Mukhtar,DAWN.COM , 16 10 11
LAHORE: Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar has said that there were no agreements signed in the past on the issue of drone attacks.
“The present government has not worn bangles,” he said.
While meeting with Dengue patients at Sheikh Zayed Hospital in Lahore, Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar spoke to media persons and said that he is hopeful that a solution on the issue of drone attacks will be found soon.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/10/16/we-are-finding-a-solution-on-issue-of-drone-attacks-mukhtar.html
For Full Report:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\10\17\story_17-10-2011_pg7_2
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Karachi tops in overall province-wide crimes
Oct. 17 10 11
KARACHI: Although Sindh police claims decline of overall crime incidents in Sindh this year as compared to last year, the murder, robbery, vehicle snatching/theft, abduction and kidnapping for ransom cases have registered an increase. The Karachi tops in murders and other kinds of crimes, according to official statistics.
A report compiled by Sindh police department, containing comparative figures of the crimes committed from Jan 01 to Sept 15 this year and the corresponding period last year, says the murder cases registered an increase of 328, robberies 16 and kidnapping/ abduction 75 in the province. In Karachi, the murder cases surged by 382, robberies by 186 and vehicle theft/snatching by 329.
For Full Report:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C10%5C17%5Cstory_17-10-2011_pg7_2
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Pakistan will recognize new Libyan government: Gilani
October 17, 2011
LAHORE: Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani has said that Pakistan will recognize the new government in Libya.
Talking to newsmen in Lahore on Sunday Gilani said that Pakistan believes in the sovereignty and independence of all countries, and does not interfere in the internal affairs of any country.
As reported earlier in The Express Tribune, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had asked the government to recognise the National Transitional Council (NTC) government in Libya that has taken control of the country after toppling Muammar Qaddafi’s regime.
In a letter written to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, PML-N Senator Ishaq Dar asserted that lives and jobs of over 55,000 Pakistani expatriates would be highly vulnerable if there is a further delay in recognising the council.
On August 25 this year, the Libyan envoy in Islamabad, Ibrahim al Ebad, removed the green coloured flag, associated with the Qaddafi regime, and hoisted the de facto flag of Libya, used by the National Transitional Council at the Libyan embassy in Islamabad. For Full Report:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/275207/pakistan-will-recognize-new-libyan-government-gilani/
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PML-N's politics will not succeed, government working satisfactory: Gilani
October 17, 2011
Gilani says PML-N politics to bring the government down before March senate elections will not be successful and the PPP will come out as the major party.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yusaf Raza Gilani said that the PML-N was working very hard to bring down the Pakistan People’s Party led government before the senate elections next year, and expressed his satisfaction over the workings of the government.
“There are all indications that PPP will emerge as a single largest party in the Senate after March elections with its coalition partners, and they (the PML-N leaders) want the fall of government before March by hook or by crook,” Gilani said while giving an interview to a private news channel. He further said that if anyone in the opposition had proof of corruption by the government, they could approach the independent courts and initiate cases.
For Full Report:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/274927/pml-ns-politics-will-not-succeed-government-working-satisfactory-gilani/
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Hillary Clinton set to visit Islamabad next week
October 17, 2011
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is scheduled to arrive in Islamabad next week as part of her trip to several Islamic countries and is likely to make a policy statement on Pakistan and Afghanistan, a news report said on Sunday.
She would call on President Asif Ali Zardari during a day-long visit and will deliver a message from President Barrack Obama, ‘Jang’ newspaper reported.
Clinton will also speak at a gathering of Pakistani defence and analysts of strategic affairs and will make a policy statement on Pakistan and Afghanistan, it said.
Earlier a private TV channel ‘Dunya’ had also reported that Hillary Clinton would visit Islamabad on October 20. There was no confirmation of the visit by the Government and the US Embassy.
For Full Report:
remarks as contrary to the bilateral cooperation in the joint efforts against militants.
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Israel sees charged debate over release of prisoners
October 17, 2011
DANIELLA CHESLOW
The relatives of Israelis killed in Palestinian attacks waged a charged debate on Sunday over the release of militants this week in a deal to free an Israeli soldier held by Hamas for five years.
Several families have filed a court appeal against the deal, though it is not expected to halt the swap in which Hamas militants will release Sgt. Gilad Schalit in exchange for 1,027 Palestinians in Israeli prisons.
Among the prisoners to be released on Tuesday are militants involved in deadly bombings and other attacks targeting Israeli civilians and soldiers.
In Gaza and the West Bank, Palestinians were preparing a hero’s welcome for the returning prisoners, seen as resistance fighters.
For Full Report:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/world/13660-israel-sees-charged-debate-over-release-of-prisoners.html
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Zardari perturbed over Mirza’s allegations, says aide
By Khawar Ghumman
17 10 11
ISLAMABAD: A senior aide at the Presidency has said the ‘big boss (President Asif Zardari) is disturbed over Dr Zulfikar Mirza’s continuous harangues, initially targeting the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and its leadership, but later turning his gun on his colleagues in the PPP.
Besides, he told this correspondent, Dr Mirza’s persistent interaction with the media has adversely affected the popularity of the Pakistan People’s Party. The recent incidents of violation of party discipline in Sindh, the aide who didn’t want to be named said, were worrying the president.
Full Report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/10/17/zardari-perturbed-over-mirzas-allegations-says-aide.html
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Pak: MQM Chief returns ‘home’ to central jail
October 17, 2011
Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi (MQM-H) chief Afaq Ahmed returned to Central Jail, Karachi (CJK) from District Jail, Malir (DJM) on Friday night.
Jail authorities say that they shifted Ahmed to CJK for protection. They plan to hold an trial inside as he cannot be protected at a trial held outside the jail.
The chief was shifted to DJM in anticipation of his release after the court approved bail for the last of the cases he was implicated in. However, he was imprisoned once again when an old case of kidnapping cropped up on October 7. The case was filed at the Landhi police station by an employee of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board.
IG Prisons Ghulam Qadir Thebu told The Express Tribune that the jail administration shifted Ahmed to CJK late on Friday night. He said that one of the main reasons behind the shift was the inside trial because all of Ahmed’s previous hearings took place in the judicial complex in the CJK and they could protect him there.
For Full Report:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/274913/afaq-ahmed-returns-home-to-central-jail/
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Overseas Pakistanis may have right to vote in elections: ECP
October 17, 2011
Secretary ECP says recommendations have been formulated and will be forwarded to Law Ministry soon. PHOTO: SANA/ FILE
For the first time in the country’s history, overseas Pakistanis and people with dual nationalities may have a right to vote in Pakistan’s elections.
Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Ishtiaq Ahmad told Express News that they have formulated recommendations in this regard and will soon forward them to the Law Ministry.
For Full Report:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/275192/overseas-pakistanis-may-have-a-right-to-vote-in-elections-ecp/
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Tunisians to vote in historic post-revolution polls
Oct 17, 2011,
TUNIS: Tunisia, which launched the “Arab Spring” when its outraged citizens ousted a seemingly entrenched dictator in January, again takes the lead with a historic vote Sunday for the drafters of a new constitution.
“It is a historic turning point. Tunisians do not have the right to make mistakes, the world is watching this first test on the road to democracy,” a European diplomat said, amid an election campaign dotted with violent outbursts, some by Islamists.
Ten months ago, Tunisian fruitseller Mohamed Bouazizi from Sidi Bouzid, a neglected town in the west of the country, set himself on fire to protest abuses under the 23-year-old regime of Zine el Abidine Ben Ali.
For Full Report:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/10/17/tunisians-to-vote-in-historic-post-revolution-polls.html
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Telephonic conversation: Malik apprises Hussain of security situation
October 17, 2011
Interior Minister Rehman Malik disclosed there were intelligence reports that attacks would be carried out on the offices of political parties in order to create a ‘bad blood’ among them.
In a telephonic conversation with the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain, the minister said that the government was taking steps for foiling conspiracies, but needed the support of all religious and political parties.
According to a press release issued on Saturday, the conversation between Malik and the MQM chief focused on the law and order situation of the country.
Malik told Hussain that some elements wanted to derail the law and order situation in Karachi and Dera Ismail Khan, and were conspiring to pit political parties against each other. The MQM chief expressed grave concerns over the reports and said it was time for all political and religious parties to unite in the face of the current challenges.
He appealed to the leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Awami National Party, Pakistan Muslim Leagues and Jamiat Ulama-i-Islam to take notice of the elements that have threatened to worsen the law and order situation in the country.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/275122/telephonic-conversation-malik-apprises-hussain-of-security-situation/
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By-polls: ECP announces schedule for Mirza's former constituency
October 17, 2011
ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced a schedule for by-elections in Sindh constituency PS-57 Badin, Express 24/7 reported on Sunday.
The ECP said that the by-election in the constituency would be held on December 12.
According to the ECP, interested candidates can submit their nomination papers on October 26 and 27, while the last date for withdrawal of names is November 17.
The constituency was left vacant after the resignation of PPP leader and former home minister Zulfiqar Mirza.
Mirza tendered his resignation during a fiery press conference in Karachi on August 28 from the posts of senior vice-president of the party, member provincial assembly (MPA), member Central Executive Committee (CEC), minister for works and services and senior minister.
On September 7 this year, the Governor of Sindh Dr Ishratul Ebad accepted Mirza’s resignation as Sindh’s senior minister and minister for works and services.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/275339/ecp-announces-election-schedule-for-mirzas-constituency-ps-57-badin/?print=true
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Pak: KU teachers and administration still at war over Malik’s degree
October 17, 2011
Out of the 550 faculty members at the University of Karachi (KU), 307 signed a petition to revert the university’s decision to award Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik with an honorary doctorate degree.
The KU Teachers Guild and faculty members launched a three-day campaign and plan to submit the petition to the chancellor, syndicate and Chief Justice of Pakistan. While talking to The Express Tribune, the pro-vice chancellor Dr Shahana Urooj Kazmi said that the chancellor and vice-chancellor had the authority to award an honorary degree to whoever they wanted. The guild’s general secretary Dr Shakeel Farooqui, however disagreed with Kazmi’s statement and said that the chancellor and vice-chancellor had presented three candidates for an honorary doctorate and they had been rejected by the syndicate. Meanwhile, more than 60 members of the faculty have asked the KU teachers society to hold an emergency general body meeting and demand that Malik’s degree should be taken back.
For Full Report:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/274922/ku-teachers-and-administration-still-at-war-over-maliks-degree/
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/sufi-maha-panchayat-denounces-wahhabi/d/5707