Suicide bomber, gunmen disguised in police uniforms kill 33 in Iraq
Arab World
Suicide bomber, gunmen disguised in police uniforms kill 33 in Iraq
Moved by Pak convict’s plight, judge at the Jeddah Summary Court helps raise blood money
Outrage in Egypt over video of naked man beaten by police
Egypt’s Government Apologizes After a Beating Is Televised
OIC to address issue of Jewish settlements at Cairo summit
Morocco's ruling Islamists target risky reforms
Syria fighter jets raid Aleppo rebel area: NGO
Former Saudi minister likely to be next OIC secretary-general
Iraq’s Christians still searching for a home
Syrian opposition talks with Russia and Iran
Committee finishes survey of Makkah’s Burmese residents
Africa
30 French warplanes blast Islamist targets in Mali
Militants’ Goal in Algeria Gas Plant Siege: A Giant Fireball
Hepatitis outbreak kills 88 in S. Sudan, aid says agency
Southeast Asia
Indonesia Still Struggling With Violence, Religious Intolerance
PAS president blames Umno for confusing Malaysia's multi-religious community
PAS using ‘Allah’ as vote bait
Al-Qaida-linked militants free 2 Filipino hostages
Malaysian journalist shot dead in Lebanon
India
Israel to partner Gujarat in mega agricultural meet
BJP leader suspect in Sunil Joshi murder, Samjhauta blasts
Maldives Local media “misrepresenting and twisting issues”: Indian High Commission
NIA visits '08 Malegaon blast links with '06 suspect
In J&K, juvenile age is 16 yrs, but minors booked under PSA also
Indian prisoner's body may arrive late: Pakistani advocate
Unfair to boycott Shinde: Khurshid
7/11 blasts: Trouble for ATS if IM man deposes in court
South Asia
Taliban bombs killed five civilians including a family of four
100 Jamaat men sued for assault on cops in Bangladesh
British PM to host Zardari, Karzai for talks on smooth transition
Huji leader disclosed Tarique, top BNP leaders' link with Aug 21 attack
No “definitive answer” from US delegation over issues raised by MDP
Myanmar Rohingya Asylum Seekers Safe in Thailand, For Now
Pakistan
Parties reject commission to create new provinces, demand referendum
Pakistani Taliban expresses conditional willingness to hold talks
IED blast kills two, injures three soldiers in Orakzai: officials
Violence claims three lives in Karachi
Pakistan army battles legacy of mistrust in Taliban heartland
MQM to contest elections independently, says Sattar
Minorities served the worst deal in employment
Pak forensic experts exhume anti-graft investigator's body
ISPR dismisses ‘biased’ HRW report as ‘pack of lies’
‘Cancer now the second leading cause of death in Pakistan’
Ten-year passport validity big relief for Pakistanis, says envoy
Pak parliament passes controversial bill on snooping
Mideast Asia
Iran minister says Kazakhstan to host nuclear talks on February 25
Iran Positive but Noncommittal About Talks With US
‘Diplomacy, not force, apt for Iran nuke concerns
Iran's exiled opposition urges June presidential election boycott
Israeli forces dismantle Palestinian encampment
Turkey: tests confirm leftist bombed US embassy
Turkish Marxist group claims US embassy attack
Iran threat is paramount for new Israel govt: Netanyahu
Internet Wonders Which Monkey Iran Sent Into Space
Europe
French Army to Stay in Mali until 'Sovereignty Restored: President
Russian priest wants church in social networks
Hollande gets hero's welcome in a Mali fearful of future
North America
US conducted ‘intensive counselling’ during LoC crisis
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Suicide bomber, gunmen disguised in police uniforms kill 33 in Iraq
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/suicide-bomber,-gunmen-disguised-police/d/10251
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Arab World
Suicide bomber, gunmen disguised in police uniforms kill 33 in Iraq
Feb 3, 2013
KIRKUK: A suicide bomber driving a car and gunmen disguised in police uniforms killed at least 33 people in the Iraqi city Kirkuk on Sunday when they tried to storm the police headquarters.
It was the third major attack in several weeks in or near the northern city, an ethnically mixed area of Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen at the heart of a dispute over oil and land between Baghdad's central government and the autonomous Kurdistan region.
"A suicide bomber driving a car packed with explosives hit the entrance of the headquarters and after the blast gunmen in explosive vests attacked with AK47s and grenades, but the guards killed them," a police official said.
The huge car bomb blast tore into the police directorate's concrete facade, destroyed cars outside, and left bodies under rubble at nearby government offices. Police said there were at least two gunmen.
Several armed groups are active in Kirkuk, and Sunni Islamist insurgents tied to al Qaeda often attack security forces in an attempt to undermine Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government and stoke sectarian tensions.
Last month a suicide bomber disguised as a mourner killed at least 26 at a funeral at a Shi'ite mosque in the nearby city of Tuz Khurmato, and days earlier a suicide bomber driving a truck killed 25 in an attack on a political party headquarters in Kirkuk, 170 km (105 miles) north of the capital Baghdad.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Suicide-bomber-gunmen-kill-33-in-Iraq/articleshow/18317830.cms
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Moved by Pak convict’s plight, judge at the Jeddah Summary Court helps raise blood money
3 February 2013
A top judge at the Jeddah Summary Court has paved the way for the release on humanitarian grounds of an imprisoned Pakistani convicted of murder.
But bureaucratic wrangles have delayed the release of 50-year-old Mohammad Naeem, who has been incarcerated for 12 years in prison, said a court official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Shaikh Ibrahim Al-Salama, president of Jeddah Summery Court, helped raise SR 110,000 in blood money through philanthropists with intent to get Naeem pardoned.
Naeem was scheduled to be released from custody on Monday.
“The guy should be out and sent back home but his papers are stuck in the prison because of red-tapism,” the court official said. “Usually, it takes few days to release a pardoned inmate but unfortunately it takes longer time to release non-Saudis until deportation papers are finalized.”
The official said that Naeem appeared mentally ill when Al-Salama tried to speak to him during a recent court appearance. “It appeared that Naeem was unaware of his surroundings.”
Naeem’s mental health appears to have deteriorated after his case for a pardon passed over on numerous occasions. The government routinely provides pardons during Ramadan.
“I think being in prison for 12 years for only SR110,000 and seeing his cellmates included in pardons but not him made him lose hope of ever getting out of the jail,” said the official.
Prison officers watching his cell also noticed that he was acting strange lately.
At the time of the murder and subsequent conviction, the court convinced the victim’s family to accept the blood money of SR110,000 and pardon him, but Naeem’s family did not have the ability to raise the money.
The president of Jeddah Summary Court convinced several philanthropists who donated the money. The pardon was approved after the total sum was raised. Release procedures then began.
The official told Arab News that many expatriates are detained in prison for many years in private right cases. Sometimes they spend 10 to 15 years for blood money sums that amount to only SR 100,000 to SR 200,000.
Suicides are not uncommon among prisoners who lose hope of ever achieving freedom.
The court official blamed the current system in courts and the prisons administration for not following up the condition of private right detainees.
He also said that some of the money claimers refuse to pardon defendants, although they spend as much as 10 years in custody. But judges are volunteering to negotiate between the parties. Judges are willing to contact businessmen and philanthropists if necessary to donate for the pardon.
http://www.arabnews.com/moved-pak-convict%E2%80%99s-plight-judge-helps-raise-blood-money
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Outrage in Egypt over video of naked man beaten by police
Feb 3, 2013
CAIRO: A video footage of a man beaten and dragged naked by policemen in Cairo triggered an outrage in Egypt and prompted calls for Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim to resign.
But hours after the presidency expressed disappointment over the incident and Ibrahim offered to resign, the man told state television the policemen were actually trying to save him from protesters -- a claim quickly dismissed by his relatives.
Footage of the incident was broadcast live on television during protests on Friday night against Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.
It has since gone viral on the Internet, triggering an outpouring of condemnation on social media websites.
In the video, riot police can be seen beating a man in his 50s before he was dragged into an armoured vehicle in front of
"The horrible and degrading images showing the central security officers and police beating and dragging a naked man near the presidential palace should lead to the interior minister's immediate resignation," said Khaled Dawoud, spokesman for the main opposition National Salvation Front (NSF).
The presidency said it was "pained by the shocking footage of some policemen treating a protester in a manner that does not accord with human dignity and human rights."
It would follow the interior ministry's investigation of what it called an "isolated act."
Ibrahim's office said he had ordered a probe to "hold accountable" those who who beat the man, and that he would resign if "that's what the people want."
Prosecutors say Saber, a 50-year-old construction painter sent to a police hospital, was found carrying petrol bombs.
Late yesterday, Saber, in an interview with state television, said the police were actually saving him from protesters.
"They gathered around me and roughed me up. They took my clothes then they said 'hey, this guy isn't a policeman, he's an old man,'" Saber said from his hospital bed.
Then, he said, "I tried to resist the police because I didn't want to get into their armoured vehicle, but then I realised that they were trying to save me."
But minutes after his interview, relatives dismissed his claim.
"He's lying, he is scared," his daughter, Randa, told state television.
And an unnamed man claiming to be Saber's nephew said he "is lying because there is lot of pressure on him."
On Friday night people had taken to the streets in several cities in response to an NSF call for a show of opposition to Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood after deadly unrest swept Egypt last week in the worst violence since the president was elected in June.
Hours before Friday's violence erupted, NSF leader Mohamed ElBaradei had suggested unrest would persist if Morsi kept sidelining his opponents.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Outrage-in-Egypt-over-video-of-naked-man-beaten-by-police/articleshow/18316464.cms
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Egypt’s Government Apologizes After a Beating Is Televised
By KAREEM FAHIM and MAI AYYAD
February 3, 2013
CAIRO — Egypt’s interior minister offered a rare apology on Saturday after officers under his command were seen on television beating a naked man two blocks from the presidential palace. But under what his family said was police coercion, the victim, Hamada Saber, said in an interview later that the officers had been helping rather than attacking him.
The spectacle of the beating quickly revived fury at Egypt’s police force, whose record of brutality helped set off the revolt against Hosni Mubarak, the former president, and served as a reminder that nearly two years later, the new president, Mohamed Morsi, had taken few steps to reform the police.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/03/world/middleeast/egypts-government-apologizes- ---------
OIC to address issue of Jewish settlements at Cairo summit
3 February 2013
Leaders of the 56-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation will discuss the issue of Israeli settlement in occupied Arab territories on the first day of their summit in Cairo on Feb. 6, a senior official said.
“During this special session, the OIC leaders will make their proposals to tackle this complicated issue,” said Amr Ramadan, Assistant Foreign Minister of Egypt, following a meeting of OIC officials in Cairo yesterday.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/oic-address-issue-jewish-settlements-cairo-summit
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Morocco's ruling Islamists target risky reforms
Feb 3, 2013
RABAT: Morocco's ruling Islamists are pushing ahead with much-needed reforms, notably of an unsustainable subsidies system and pension fund, to plug the hole in its budget, at the risk of alienating key supporters. A year after coming to power, the moderate Justice and Development Party (PJD) of Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane is battling sharp inflation and deteriorating public finances.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Moroccos-ruling-Islamists-target-risky-reforms/articleshow/18316419.cms
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Syria fighter jets raid Aleppo rebel area: NGO
3 February 2013
ALEPPO: Syrian warplanes raided a strategic district of the embattled northern city of Aleppo on Saturday, a day after insurgents seized the neighbourhood, a monitoring group said.
“Warplanes carried out several air strikes on Sheikh Said” in southern Aleppo, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, adding that fierce clashes pitted insurgents against troops in the heart of Syria’s second city.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/02/02/syria-fighter-jets-raid-aleppo-rebel-area-ngo/
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Former Saudi minister likely to be next OIC secretary-general
y 3 February 2013
Iyad Madani, former Saudi minister of Haj and Information, is likely to be appointed the next secretary-general of the 56-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
“The three African candidates have withdrawn their nominations. Saudi Arabia’s candidate Madani remains the only one to win the position,” said Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister Amr Ramadan.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/iyad-madani-set-become-oic-chief
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Iraq’s Christians still searching for a home
By: Matteo Fagotto
Feb 02 2013
Sitting in the living room of his home in Erbil, capital of the Iraqi Kurdistan region, 63-year-old Rostom Sefarian stops talking, struggling to hold back the tears. It was July 2006 and Sefarian, an Armenian Christian living in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, had been kidnapped by a group of Islamic fundamentalists — the latest victim in a series of abductions and killings of Iraqi Christians that continues to this day.
Full report at:
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/02/02/iraqs_christians_still_searching_for_a_home.html
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Syrian opposition talks with Russia and Iran
Feb 3, 2013
MUNICH: The Syrian opposition leader met the foreign ministers of Russia and Iran on Saturday, opening a window to a possible breakthrough in efforts to broker an end to Syria's civil war.
Russia and Iran have been the staunchest allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad throughout an armed uprising, and any understandings they might reach with Assad's foes could help overcome the two sides' refusal to negotiate.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Syrian-opposition-talks-with-Russia-and-Iran/articleshow/18316642.cms
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Committee finishes survey of Makkah’s Burmese residents
3 February 2013
Burmese community members affiliated with surveying committees have completed their initial surveying work, a local newspaper reported.
Areas of the survey included Misfalah, Alqudwah, Kankaria, Al- Kadi, Nakassa, Al-Zuhoor, Al-Khalidiya and Zahrat Kadi.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/committee-finishes-survey-makkah%E2%80%99s-burmese-residents
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Africa
30 French warplanes blast Islamist targets in Mali
February 03, 2013
Thirty French warplanes on Sunday blasted Islamic extremist training and logistics centres in northeast Mali, just hours after President Francois Hollande visited the country, the military said.
Fighter jets, refuelling and reconnaissance planes took part in the "major" overnight operation in the Tessalit area north of Kidal, military spokesman Colonel Thierry Burkhard told AFP.
Kidal is the last bastion of radicals who occupied the desert north for months before France's surprise intervention.
Full report at:
, adding that the "aerial dimension" of the campaign was particularly important.
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/afp/30-french-warplanes-blast-islamist-targets-in-mali/569316
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Militants’ Goal in Algeria Gas Plant Siege: A Giant Fireball
By ADAM NOSSITER and NICHOLAS KULISH
February 3, 2013
TIGUENTOURINE, Algeria — The goal of the heavily armed militants who seized the desert gas plant here is becoming increasingly clear: to turn the forest of pipes and tubes into a giant bomb, and to blow up everything and anyone around. What none of them knew was exactly how, in the endless maze of metal, to do it.
The hundreds of workers at the plant when it was taken over last month found themselves caught between the ruthless militants on the inside and an Algerian Army ringing the perimeter that was bent on showing no weakness. As the realization dawned on the captors that they, too, were essentially captives, they grew agitated and more aggressive, witnesses say. Moreover, the plant’s operations had shut down during their initial assault.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/03/world/africa/hostage-accounts-detail-events-at-
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Hepatitis outbreak kills 88 in S. Sudan, aid says agency
3 February 2013
JUBA: An outbreak of hepatitis E has killed 88 people in South Sudan after a surge in the virus hit refugee camps near the Sudanese border, an aid agency said yesterday.
More than 175,000 people have sought refuge in the new country of South Sudan after fleeing fighting in Sudan’s restive border states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile, according to the United Nations.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/hepatitis-outbreak-kills-88-s-sudan-aid-says-agency
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Southeast Asia
Indonesia Still Struggling With Violence, Religious Intolerance
Daniella White & Eileen McInnes | February 03, 2013
The year 2012 was a turbulent time for minority rights in Indonesia. Incidents of violence, sometimes resulting in death, were frequent and countless communities are still being denied the opportunity to practice their religion, despite laws guaranteeing their inherent rights.
An annual report by Human Rights Watch released this week suggested that very little effort was being made to protect religious minorities’ rights in Indonesia. The watchdog organization says that radical decentralization as well as discriminatory and ineffective legal infrastructure are major obstacles to achieving equality.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/indonesia-still-struggling-with-violence-religious-intolerance/569209
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PAS president blames Umno for confusing Malaysia's multi-religious community
3 February 2013
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 3 — PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang today blamed Umno for confusing Malaysia's multireligious populace even as Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad accused the Islamist party of using the "Allah" dispute as Election 2013 vote bait.
"This religious issue had been played up by Umno since before.
"In fact they even played up the word 'Allah' and twisted the decision made by the Syura Council a month ago,"Abdul Hadi (picture) said in his speech at a PAS rally in Ampang today.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/hadi-rebuts-dr-m-blames-umno-for-confusing-religious-community/
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PAS using ‘Allah’ as vote bait
3 February 2013
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 3 — PAS has politicised religion and is using “Allah” to fish for votes in Election 2013, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today, warning of intra-faith tension despite Muslim Malaysians all being from the Sunni Islam school.
The former prime minister noted that unlike Islam’s followers elsewhere in the world who were split between two schools of thought, Muslims in Malaysia all followed only the Sunni doctrine, but highlighted that certain political parties were exploiting religion for secular gain.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/dr-m-pas-using-allah-as-vote-bait/
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Al-Qaida-linked militants free 2 Filipino hostages
Feb 3, 2013
MANILA: Abu Sayyaf gunmen have freed two Filipino members of a Jordanian TV journalist's crew who were kidnapped by the al-Qaida-linked militants last year as they set out to interview the extremists in their jungle lairs in the southern Philippines, police said Sunday.
Policemen found frail-looking cameraman Ramel Vela and audio technician Roland Letriro late Saturday and brought them to a hospital in southern Sulu province, where they were kidnapped in June along with Jordanian Baker Abdulla Atyani, provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Antonio Freyra said. Atyani is believed to still be held by the gunmen.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Al-Qaida-linked-militants-free-2-Filipino-hostages/articleshow/18314637.cms
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Malaysian journalist shot dead in Lebanon
3 February 2013
PETALING JAYA, Feb 3 — A Malaysian, who worked as a producer with Al-Jazeera English online, was shot dead in Lebanon at 2.30am local time (8.30am Malaysian time) yesterday, The Star Online reported this afternoon.
Claudia Theophilus, 42, was in Baakleen, a city located in Mount Lebanon, with two friends when she was shot. One of the friends involved contacted the police who subsequently alerted the Malaysian Embassy in Beirut.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malaysian-journalist-shot-dead-in-lebanon/
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India
Israel to partner Gujarat in mega agricultural meet
February 03, 2013
If United Kingdom could soften its stand towards Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Israel agreeing to partner with the State is only natural. The country is all set to join hands with the State in an agricultural meet that Mr. Modi plans on the lines of his much-touted Vibrant Gujarat industrial summit.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/israel-to-partner-gujarat-in-mega-agricultural-meet/article4373201.ece
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BJP leader suspect in Sunil Joshi murder, Samjhauta blasts
Feb 3, 2013
NEW DELHI: Home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde's remarks linking BJP to terrorism may have irked the opposition, but the party may soon find one of its local leaders in National Investigation Agency's (NIA) net. The agency has recovered the pistol suspected to have been used in the murder of former RSS pracharak Sunil Joshi from the house of Jitendra Sharma, a BJP leader in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/BJP-leader-suspect-in-Sunil-Joshi-murder-Samjhauta-blasts/articleshow/18312469.cms
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Maldives Local media “misrepresenting and twisting issues”: Indian High Commission
By JJ Robinson | February 2nd, 2013
The Indian High Commission has issued a statement slamming local media in the Maldives for “misrepresentation and twisting of issues”.
“The High Commission has noted a recent trend in a section of local media to publish negative, unsubstantiated reports, while blacking out objective and positive news on Indian issues,” the Commission said.
“These reports have the potential to create negative public sentiment and reflect a non-serious approach by the media concerned while dealing with sensitive issues,” the statement added.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/society/local-media-misrepresenting-and-twisting-issues-indian-high-commission-52239
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NIA visits '08 Malegaon blast links with '06 suspect
Smita Nair
Feb 03 2013
Mumbai : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has begun retracing the reported trips of a Malegaon inverter dealer to Nashik, Ujjain, Indore and Devas before he was arrested in connection with the 2006 Malegaon bomb blasts as these cities are alleged to be strongly connected to the 2008 bomb blast in the textile town which has been blamed on Hindu extremists.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/nia-visits-08-malegaon-blast-links-with.../1068589/
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In J&K, juvenile age is 16 yrs, but minors booked under PSA also
Muzamil Jaleel
Feb 03 2013
New Delhi : There may be a growing clamour around the country to lower the legally defined age of juveniles to 16 years from 18 years under the Centre’s Juvenile Justice Act, but in Jammu and Kashmir, this age has been set at 16 years under the state’s Juvenile Justice Act, 1997.
And even as efforts to bring the state’s Act at par with the Centre’s Act have failed, minors have been booked under the draconian Public Safety Act and imprisoned with adults in the state.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/in-j-k-juvenile-age-is-16-yrs-but-minors-booked-under-psa-also/1068604/
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Indian prisoner's body may arrive late: Pakistani advocate
Feb 3, 2013
AMRITSAR: Body of Indian prisoner Chamel Singh who was beaten to death in Pakistan's KotLakhpat Jail may not arrive in India in the near future. The court directed Pakistani advocate Awaish Sheikh to approach the interior ministry.
In an email, Sheikh told TOI on Saturday that the high court had sustained objection put up by registrar and had directed him to approach the interior ministry. He had filed a write seeking investigation into the circumstances that led to Chamel's death and action against the guilty.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indian-prisoners-body-may-arrive-late-Pakistani-advocate/articleshow/18314057.cms
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Unfair to boycott Shinde: Khurshid
February 03, 2013
With the BJP deciding to boycott home minister Sushilkumar Shinde over his "Hindu terrorism" remarks, the Congress on Saturday said the party can disagree with his comments but it is unfair to reduce everything to confrontation. "It is a bit unfair. Sushilkumar Shinde is
the home minister. He obviously has information and he is very seasoned. We should respect him. You can always say that you disagree but it is not fair to reduce everything to a confrontation," external affairs minister Salman Khurshid said.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/newdelhi/Unfair-to-boycott-Shinde-Khurshid/Article1-1005728.aspx
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7/11 blasts: Trouble for ATS if IM man deposes in court
February 03, 2013
After Swami Aseemanand’s confession in 2011 put a question mark on the investigation in the 2006 Malegaon blasts, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) may find itself in a spot again, this time in the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts investigations.
That would be if Sadiq Israr Sheikh – the co-founder of banned terrorist organisation Indian Mujahideen – deposes as a ‘defence’ witness in the case.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/mumbai/7-11-blasts-Trouble-for-ATS-if-IM-man-deposes-in-court/Article1-1005710.aspx
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South Asia
Taliban bombs killed five civilians including a family of four
February 3, 2013
KANDAHAR: Taliban roadside bombs killed five civilians, including a family of four, and two police officers in the country’s troubled south at the weekend, officials said Sunday.
The family – mother, father and two daughters aged eight and nine – died along with their driver in Helmand province’s Khanishin district when their vehicle hit an improvised bomb late Saturday.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/502046/taliban-bombs-kill-afghan-family-police-officials/
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100 Jamaat men sued for assault on cops in Bangladesh
3 February 2013
Police early Sunday filed two cases against 100 leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir for Saturday's mayhem in Narayanganj.
Atiar Rahman, a sub-inspector of Narayanganj Sadar Model Police Station, filed the cases against the people naming 22 that included the city unit president of Shibir and its general secretary, Narayanganj correspondent quoting Manjur Quader, officer-in-charge of the police station.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=44533
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British PM to host Zardari, Karzai for talks on smooth transition
February 3, 2013
LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron will meet Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Afghan President Hamid Karzai this weekend as part of moves to prevent a Taliban resurgence when foreign troops withdraw from Afghanistan in 2014, Downing Street said on Saturday.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/501936/afghan-endgame-british-pm-to-host-zardari-karzai-for-talks-on-smooth-transition/
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Huji leader disclosed Tarique, top BNP leaders' link with Aug 21 attack
3 February 2013
Huji leader Mufti Abdul Hannan had said that several top BNP leaders including the party Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman were involved with the August 21 grenade attack cases, a witness said on Sunday.
AHM Hahibur Rahman Bhuiyan, a former additional chief metropolitan magistrate, said this while giving his deposition before a Dhaka court as the 67th witness of the grenade attack cases.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/ec-schedules-presidential-elections-for-september-7-but-warns-of-funding-shortfall-52275
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No “definitive answer” from US delegation over issues raised by MDP
By Luke Powell | February 2nd, 2013
The US delegation who visited the Maldives last week gave no “definitive answer” to political issues raised by former President Mohamed Nasheed, the party has said.
The delegation, consisting of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State James Moore, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Vikram Singh and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Jane Zimmerman, met with the former President on Thursday (January 31).
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/no-definitive-answer-from-us-delegation-over-
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Myanmar Rohingya Asylum Seekers Safe in Thailand, For Now
February 03, 2013
Khao Lak. The future of more than 1,500 recent Rohingya boat arrivals in Thailand is unclear, despite a government reprieve allowing them to stay for another six months.
“Their long-term fate remains uncertain,” Chris Lewa, director of the Arakan Project, an advocacy group for the Rohingya, told IRIN. “In the short-term, they should not be held in overcrowded IDCs [immigration detention centers] and police cells. Alternatives to detention have to be found such as open facilities under regulated conditions where they could at least move around.”
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/international/myanmar-rohingya-asylum-seekers-safe-in-thailand-for-now/569272
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Pakistan
Parties reject commission to create new provinces, demand referendum
February 3, 2013
ABBOTABAD: Leaders of pro-Hazara political parties have objected to the commission formed to report on the creation of new provinces in the country and demanded a referendum on the issue.
Speaking to the media on Saturday, Hazara Qaumi Mahaz (HQM) Chairman Advocate Qazi Muhammad Azhar, senior leader of Hazara Awami Ittehad Advocate Mushtaq Khan, and Naseer Khan Jadoon of Shuhada-e-Hazara party rejected the formation of the commission and termed it unconstitutional.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/501947/hazara-province-parties-reject-commission-demand-referendum/
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Pakistani Taliban express conditional willingness to hold talks
3 February 2013
PESHAWAR: The spokesman for the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Ehsanullah Ehsan has said that the organisation was willing to hold talks with the government and security forces provided that Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif, chief of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman or Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Ameer Syed Munawar Hasan were guarantors for the talks , DawnNews repored on Sunday.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/02/03/ttp-expresses-will-to-hold-talks/
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IED blast kills two, injures three soldiers in Orakzai: officials
3 February 2013
ORAKZAI AGENCY: Two security personnel, including an officer, were killed while three others sustained injuries in an IED blast in Ghunda Mela village of upper Orakzai Agency, officials said.
The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) has confirmed that two soldiers “embraced martyrdom” while three others were injured in the blast during search of an old compound.
Tehsildar Orakzai Agency Nauman Khan has also confirmed that the security forces convoy was hit by a discarded improvised explosive device when they were searching an abandoned compound.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/02/02/ied-blast-kills-two-injures-three-soldiers-in-orakzai-officials/
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Violence claims three lives in Karachi
3 February 2013
KARACHI: Three people were killed in incidents of firing in different areas of Karachi, DawnNews reported on Saturday.
One person was gunned down in the city’s Agra Taj Colony area.
In another incident, one person was shot dead near Karachi’s Burns Road.
Moreover, one person was killed and another was injured in an incident of firing in Karachi’s SITE area.
Separately, the funeral of a man who was gunned down in the city’s Liaquatabad area was held at the Rizvia imambargah today.
http://dawn.com/2013/02/02/violence-claims-three-lives-in-karachi-2/
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Pakistan army battles legacy of mistrust in Taliban heartland
3 February 2013
CHAGMALAI: In a Pakistan army base high in the mountains on the Afghan frontier, a general explains a strategy for fighting the Taliban he calls simply “WHAM”.
The name has a distinctly bellicose ring. But the soldiers are learning to fight a new kind of war in a region US President Barack Obama has called the most dangerous on Earth.
“WHAM – winning hearts and minds,” explains the straight-talking General Nazir Butt, in charge of converting the army’s gains on the battlefield into durable security. “The plan is to turn militant sanctuaries into safe havens for the people.”
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/02/03/pakistan-army-battles-legacy-of-mistrust-in-taliban-heartland/
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MQM to contest elections independently, says Sattar
3 February 2013
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Dr Farooq Sattar on Saturday said that his party would contest the upcoming general elections independently.
Addressing a press conference, he said the MQM has always contested elections independently with its own manifesto. However, he said that seat adjustment could be made with like minded parties.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/02/02/mqm-to-contest-elections-independently-says-sattar/
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Minorities served the worst deal in employment
February 3, 2013
ISLAMABAD: If the share of a religious minority in employment in the federal government can be taken as a measure of its social status, Pakistan’s non-Muslims are not doing too well.
Out of the 449,964 federal government employees, only 2.6 per cent or 11,521 are non-Muslims, according to the Annual Statistical Bulletin of Federal Government Employees 2010-11.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/501862/federal-bureaucracy-minorities-served-the-worst-deal/
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Pak forensic experts exhume anti-graft investigator's body
Feb 3, 2013
LAHORE: The body of a Pakistani anti-graft investigator who died in mysterious circumstances last month while probing corruption charges against Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and other politicians has been exhumed and reburied after forensic experts examined it.
The body of National Accountability Bureau officer Kamran Faisal was reburied after forensic experts examined it at the graveyard in Khanewal district of Punjab province on Saturday.
The experts also took some samples that they said would be used to determine whether Faisal had committed suicide or was murdered.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pak-forensic-experts-exhume-anti-graft-investigators-body/articleshow/18318056.cms
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ISPR dismisses ‘biased’ HRW report as ‘pack of lies’
3 February 2013
RAWALPINDI: The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Saturday dismissed a recent report by a global human rights watchdog, calling it a “pack of lies, propaganda-driven and totally biased.”
The report by the Human Rights Watch (HRW) had accused Pakistani security forces of allowing extremist groups to attack minorities.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/02/02/ispr-dismisses-biased-hrw-report-as-pack-of-lies/
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‘Cancer now the second leading cause of death in Pakistan’
February 3, 2013
LAHORE: “There are five trained oncologists in the Punjab. Four are retiring this year with nobody to replace them. There is a dearth of competent oncologist and currently there isn’t even a single pediatric oncologist in Punjab,” said Oncology Society of Pakistan President Prof Muhammad Arshad Cheema on Saturday.
Prof Cheema was addressing doctors at the Fifth National Cancer Surgery Conference at a local hotel. Professor Cheema, also Head of Surgery at King Edward Medical University, said 40% of deaths due to cancer could be prevented if the disease was diagnosed early.
He said infrastructure needed to be strengthened, adding that Mayo Hospital, the largest hospital in Pakistan, didn’t even have an MRI machine. He said cancer patients couldn’t be handled by oncologists alone and doctors from several disciplines need to work together to treat them.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/501801/increasingly-fatal-cancer-now-the-second-leading-cause-of-death-in-pakistan/
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Ten-year passport validity big relief for Pakistanis, says envoy
3 February 2013
Pakistani Ambassador Muhammad Naeem Khan said Islamabad’s recent decision to extend the validity of machine-readable passports from five to 10 years has done a world of good to the large expatriate community in the Kingdom.
Speaking at the 46th annual prize distribution at the Pakistan International School in Alkhobar at the weekend, Naeem Khan said his government acted in large part on the input from his mission in Riyadh.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/ten-year-passport-validity-big-relief-pakistanis-says-envoy
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Pak parliament passes controversial bill on snooping
Feb 03 2013
Islamabad : A controversial bill that will give Pakistan's intelligence agencies sweeping powers to conduct surveillance and collect electronic data has been passed by both houses of parliament, paving the way for it to be signed into law by the President.
The Fair Trial Bill 2012, which has been criticised by rights groups for posing a threat to privacy and civil liberties, was passed by the Senate or upper house of parliament on Friday.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pak-parliament-passes-controversial-bill-on-snoopi.../1068711/
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Mideast Asia
Iran minister says Kazakhstan to host nuclear talks on February 25
Feb 3, 2013
MUNICH, GERMANY: Iranian foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Sunday that talks with world powers on Iran's nuclear drive would be held in Kazakhstan on February 25.
"I have good news, I've heard yesterday that 5+1 or EU3+3 will be meeting in Kazakhstan 25th of February," Salehi said during a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Iran-minister-says-Kazakhstan-to-host-nuclear-talks-on-February-25/articleshow/18318095.cms
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Iran Positive but Noncommittal About Talks With US
February 3, 2013
MUNICH (AP) — Iran's foreign minister on Sunday welcomed the United States' willingness to hold direct talks with Tehran in the standoff over its nuclear program but didn't commit to accepting the offer — insisting that Washington must show "fair and real" intentions to resolve the issue and complaining about "threatening rhetoric."
Ali Akbar Salehi insisted that no Iranian "red line" is getting in the way of direct negotiations with Washington, but also pointed to deep mistrust between the two countries.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2013/02/03/world/europe/ap-eu-germany-security-
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‘Diplomacy, not force, apt for Iran nuke concerns’
SANDEEP DIKSHIT
February 03, 2013
Is a Persian Spring in the offing? Public statements at the ongoing Munich Security Conference by three of the six countries actively involved in defusing the crises over Iran’s nuclear programme seems to point in that direction. What is awaited is the response by Iran, whose Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi is here and slated to speak on Sunday.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/diplomacy-not-force-apt-for-iran-nuke-concerns/article4373068.ece
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Iran's exiled opposition urges June presidential election boycott
Feb 3, 2013
PARIS: An exiled Iranian opposition group called in Paris on Saturday for a boycott of the June presidential election that will choose a successor to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
"This election whose only candidates are criminals implicated in the torture, massacre and looting of the Iranian people for 34 years, has no legitimacy in the eyes of the Iranian people and must be boycotted," the National Council of Resistance of Iran said in a statement released at an international conference in Paris.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Irans-exiled-opposition-urges-June-presidential-election-boycott/articleshow/18313396.cms
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Israeli forces dismantle Palestinian encampment
February 03, 2013
Israeli troops are firing tear gas and stun grenades to disperse Palestinian activists who have pitched a camp in the West Bank to protest Israeli restrictions on building in the territory.
The soldiers were trying on Saturday to dismantle tents and shacks built on Palestinian-owned farmland near the village of Burin. About a dozen young men and boys, apparently Jewish settlers living nearby, also hurled rocks at the activists. No injuries were immediately reported.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/israeli-forces-dismantle-palestinian-encampment/article4372679.ece
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Turkey: tests confirm leftist bombed US embassy
February 03, 2013
A member of a Turkish leftist group that accuses Washington of using Turkey as its "slave" carried out a suicide bomb attack on the US embassy, the Ankara governor's office cited DNA tests as showing on Saturday.
Ecevit Sanli, a member of the leftist Revolutionary People's Liberation Army-Front (DHKP-C), blew himself up in a perimeter gatehouse on Friday as he tried to enter the embassy, also killing a Turkish security guard.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/restofasia/Turkey-tests-confirm-leftist-bombed-US-embassy/Article1-1005660.aspx
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Turkish Marxist group claims US embassy attack
February 02, 2013
A radical Turkish Marxist group has claimed responsibility for the suicide bomb attack at the US embassy in Ankara, according to a statement posted on the internet on Saturday.
The Revolutionary People's Liberation Front (DHKP-C), which the Turkish authorities had already blamed for Friday's bombing, accused the United States of being the "murderers of the world", according to a statement on the Halkin Sesi (The Voice of the People) website.
The site carried two pictures of the bomber identified as Alisan Sanli, one of which shows him brandishing a gun.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/restofasia/Turkish-Marxist-group-claims-US-embassy-attack/Article1-1005638.aspx
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Iran threat is paramount for new Israel govt: Netanyahu
3 February 2013
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday took on the job of forming a new government and said its most important task would be to ensure that Iran does not gain nuclear arms.
President Shimon Peres formally called on Netanyahu to assemble a new coalition following the January 22 general election in which Netanyahu's rightist Likud-Beitenu emerged as the biggest party. It controls 31 seats in the 120-seat parliament.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=44519
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Internet Wonders Which Monkey Iran Sent Into Space
February 03, 2013
Iran’s announcement that it had successfully sent a monkey into space stirred questions on the Internet on Saturday, with people pointing to differences between official images of the primate before takeoff and after landing.
On January 28, official Iranian media published pictures of a monkey named Pishgam (Pioneer) prior to the launch. The animal had light grey fur and a red mole above its right eye.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/tech/internet-wonders-which-monkey-iran-sent-into-space/569293
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Europe
French Army to Stay in Mali Until 'Sovereignty Restored:' Hollande
February 3, 2013
BAMAKO (Reuters) - France will withdraw its troops from Mali once the Sahel state has restored sovereignty over its national territory and a U.N.-backed African military force can take over from the French soldiers, French President Francois Hollande said on Saturday.
"We have not yet finished our mission. But we do not foresee staying indefinitely. Once the sovereignty of Mali is restored, once MISMA (the African force) can replace our own troops, we will withdraw," he told a news conference in Bamako during a one-day visit to Mali.
Hollande said shortly afterwards in a public speech France's three-week-old military intervention against Islamist rebels had inflicted "heavy losses" on them, but had not eliminated them.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2013/02/02/world/europe/02reuters-mali-rebels-
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Russian priest wants church in social networks
Feb 3, 2013
MOSCOW: Following a high number of anti-church posts that have appeared on the internet, Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church has said the church he leads should be present in social networks to tell the "truth".
"Blogs and social networks give us new opportunities for the Christian mission" at a time when the church comes under attack more often than before, the patriarch said.
"Not to be present there means to display our helplessness and lack of care for the salvation of our brothers.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Russian-priest-wants-church-in-social-networks/articleshow/18316738.cms
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Hollande gets hero's welcome in a Mali fearful of future
Feb 3, 2013
BAMAKO: President Francois Hollande received a rapturous welcome in Mali on Saturday as he promised that France would stay as long as necessary to continue the fight against Islamist rebels in the country's north.
As troops worked to secure Kidal, the last bastion of radicals who occupied the vast desert north for 10 months before the French army's surprise intervention, Hollande told Malians it was time for Africans to take the lead but that France would not abandon them.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Hollande-gets-heros-welcome-in-a-Mali-fearful-of-future/articleshow/18313767.cms
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North America
US conducted ‘intensive counselling’ during LoC crisis
3 February 2013
WASHINGTON: The United States was involved in “intensive counselling” during the recent crisis along the Line of Control, urging both India and Pakistan to revive direct talks, says the State Department.
Last month relations between India and Pakistan deteriorated rapidly after clashes along the LoC left several soldiers dead.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/02/03/us-conducted-intensive-counselling-during-loc-crisis/
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