Syrian President Assad says he is fighting jihadists
New Age Islam News Bureau
6 Jan 2013
Arab World
• Syrian President Assad says he is fighting jihadists
• KSA: Sectarianism will not bring peace in Iraq
• Kuwait Jails Opposition Tweeter for Insulting Emir
• Egypt Swears in 10 New Ministers in Shuffle
• Syria's Assad calls for mobilization in first speech for months
• Egypt ready to complete IMF talks, says new finance minister
• Assad to make rare speech as Syrian rebels draw nearer
• Al-Harthi: Arab News to take voice of Arabs to the world
• Aleppo Christians find safe haven near front lines
• Egypt’s Mursi to meet IMF aide on $4.8bln loan request
• Qaddafi-era security officer killed in Libya
Pakistan
• Syed Salahuddin: ‘Jihad can resolve Kashmir issue’
• Drone strikes in Waziristan tribal region kill 17
• 3 men killed in tribal animosity over wedding video in Pakistan
• Report indicates drastic increase in sectarian violence in 2012
• Pakistan says one dead in LoC clash with India
• Pakistan accuses India of deadly cross-border raid
• Gunmen fire at train in Pak’s Balochistan province; 4 killed
• Suspected militant hideouts blitzed in Orakzai tribal region
• Qazi Hussain Ahmed’s funeral prayers held in Peshawar
• Will launch a 'political drone attack in three days': Altaf Hussain
India
• Hate speech: 'Akbaruddin will surrender before law'
• Sadiq encounter was stage-managed: CBI chargesheet
• Give Shariah-like death to rapists'
• India wary as Turkey set to broker Afghanistan-Taliban peace
• Pak Taliban faction’s new chief fought in J&K
• Pak's response on India's 26/11 'wishlist' not satisfactory: Khurshid
• IAF to deploy helicopters near Indo-Pak border
• MIM sees conspiracy behind cases against Owaisi
• Lot to be done to strengthen Indo-Pak bilateral ties: Salman Khurshid
• NIA arrests Lokesh Sharma in 2006 Malegaon bomb blasts case
• J&K gives in, plans salary for sarpanchs
• India, Pakistan failed in giving minorities their due: Markandey Katju
• Bangladesh ahead of India in gender equality: Amartya Sen
South Asia
• Afghan endgame: Taliban vow war if US forces stay post 2014
• Twin suicide attack at Afghan tribal meeting kills five
• Afghanistan Pavilion opens at Global Village
• Police clash with anti-government protesters
• Pro-liberation forces must unite to resist militants
• Afghan detainees walk free from jail in push for peace
Africa
• Al-Qaeda man among seven killed in Algeria
• Sudan, South Sudan Agree to Set Up Demilitarized Border Zone
• Gunmen Kill 10 in Remote Northwest Nigeria: Police
Mideast Asia
• Palestinian PM Blasts Arab Donors
• Netanyahu Tries to Hold Back Far-Right Surge Before Israel Votes
• Turkey's Erdogan Rules Out Amnesty for Kurdish Militants
• Iran's minister to visit Cairo for talks on ties, Syria crisis: Report
• Diaspora Jews recoil as Israel veers further right
North America
• Ambassador’s absence not linked to drones: US
• Legislation to honour Malala in US planned
• General Details Pentagon Tensions With Obama on Afghanistan
Southeast Asia
• Philippine troops kill 13 suspects in clash
• Indonesian Anti-Terror Squad Criticized for Deaths
• Ten Political Parties Set to Contest Indonesia's 2014 Legislative Election
• The Big Nonsense About Indonesia's Political Democracy
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: “The Kashmiri people, leadership and the state of Pakistan should prepare themselves for it. Otherwise freedom will remain a distant dream,” Syed Salahuddin said
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/syrian-president-assad-says-fighting/d/9895
------------
Arab World
Syrian President Assad says he is fighting jihadists
Jan 6, 2013
BEIRUT: Syrian President Bashar Assad says his country is being subjected to an unprecedented attack and says the conflict can only be solved through a popular movement.
Assad spoke on Sunday in a rare speech addressing the nation, his first since June.
As in previous speeches, he said his forces were fighting groups of "murderous criminals'' and jihadi elements and denied there was an uprising against his family's decades-long rule.
He struck a defiant tone, saying Syria will not take dictates from anyone.
He called on all Syrians to take part in an initiative that would end the nearly 22-month old conflict, but did not give any details on the plan.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Syrian-President-Assad-says-he-is-fighting-jihadists/articleshow/17912310.cms
------------
KSA: Sectarianism will not bring peace in Iraq
ABDUL HANNAN TAGO | ARAB NEWS STAFF
6 January 2013
RIYADH: Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal told reporters yesterday that peace and security will not return to Iraq as long it is ruled by sectarianism and divisive forces.
Continued street protests have strained Iraq’s fragile political balance and renewed fears of intensified sectarian strife.
“We are convinced that Iraq will not stabilize until it starts handling issues without sectarian extremism ... Until these issues are addressed, we don’t think there will ever be stability in Iraq, which pains us,” Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said.
Prince Saud was addressing a press conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr. The two ministers talked about the historic relations between the two countries and focused mainly on the economic ties between them.
He also stressed the Gulf states’ concerns over Iran's nuclear program and its attempts to interfere in their affairs.
“On the political front, we have discussed the Syrian issue that is worsening as the number of casualties has reached 60,000 according to a recent UN report, in additions to millions of refugees,” Prince Saud said.
Speaking of Saudi-Egyptian relations, Prince Saud said that they are connected by strong bonds and mutual respect in all fields and at all levels and that they are together in serving Arab and Islamic issues in addition to world peace and security.
In this respect, he said the first ministerial meeting was held Saturday for the monitoring committee and political consultation between two countries.
In addition, a number of cooperation issues were raised, including the Saudi-Egypt Business Council that is headed by two ministers of trade of the respective countries. This included ways to ease investment methods with special reference to the economic support lent to Egypt.
The need for the unification of Syria was emphasized, in addition to its sovereignty as an independent country.
With regard to the Palestine issue, the meeting described Israel's last escalation as dangerous. Building further settlements and seizing more Palestinian land, in addition to Israel's policy of blackmail that prevents and blocks money transfer to the Palestinians in an attempt to impose sanctions in the aftermath of gaining observer status at the UN with the support of the world community.
Developments on Palestinian reconciliation were also discussed, in addition to the commendable efforts made by Egypt in its attempt to pursue unity and solidarity.
Regarding the Iranian nuclear program, the issue was discussed with special reference to the GCC’s recent joint communiqué about its concern over the Iranian program and its environmental effects on the Gulf states, in addition to its potential danger on security and peace in the region and the world amid its noncompliance for a diplomatic solution.
On his part, Egyptian Minister Kamel Amr said Egypt and Saudi Arabia consult and communicate with each other on every issue. “Our relations exceed ties and boundaries,” he explained, pointing out that trade relations between two countries had soared to $ 5 billion and headed for further expansion.
Amr said he also had a meeting with Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, to extend President Mohamed Mursi’s invitation to King Abdullah to attend the forthcoming Islamic Summit in Cairo in February.
http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/ksa-sectarianism-will-not-bring-peace-iraq
------------
Kuwait Jails Opposition Tweeter for Insulting Emir
January 06, 2013
A Kuwaiti court on Sunday sentenced an opposition youth to two years in jail for writing tweets deemed offensive to the ruler of the oil-rich Gulf state, a rights activist said.
Rashed al-Enezi, who was in the courtroom to hear the sentence, was immediately arrested by police and taken to jail, the head of the independent Kuwait Society for Human Rights, Mohammad al-Humaidi, told AFP.
Enezi is the first to be sentenced among dozens of tweeters, activists and former opposition lawmakers who face similar charges since the government began a clampdown on the opposition in the lead-up to elections held on Dec. 1 last year.
The opposition has been staging regular demonstrations in protest at an amendment of the electoral law and the holding of the the parliamentary vote on the basis of the amended legislation.
It has announced plans to stage a demonstration later on Sunday to demand that parliament be dissolved and the amendment to the electoral law scrapped.
Humaidi said that more than 200 opposition activists, including former lawmakers, face trial on a variety of charges, mainly criticizing the emir who is protected against criticism in the constitution.
Among those are around 25 young tweeters who were arrested, interrogated and then freed on bail on charges of insulting the emir.
"The charges were not based on solid accusations but on wrong interpretation of the tweets by authorities. Most of the charges are fabricated," Humaidi said.
The same court is slated to issue verdicts on Monday on another youth tweeter and a member of the scrapped parliament on similar charges.
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/international/kuwait-jails-opposition-tweeter-for-insulting-emir/564768
------------
Egypt Swears in 10 New Ministers in Shuffle
January 06, 2013
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's government swore in 10 new ministers on Sunday in a Cabinet shake-up aimed at improving the government's handling of the country's struggling economy.
The top posts that changed hands were the ministers of interior, which handles the police, and finance. Also included in the shuffle are the ministries of civil aviation, communication and information technology, environment and electricity. A new minister for legal and parliamentary affairs was named after the former had resigned.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2013/01/06/world/middleeast/ap-ml-
-------
Syria's Assad calls for mobilization in first speech for months
Jan 6, 2013
BEIRUT: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made his first public appearance in months on Sunday, calling for a "full national mobilization" to fight against rebels he described as al-Qaida terrorists.
"We meet today and suffering is overwhelming Syrian land. There is no place for joy while security and stability are absent on the streets of our country," Assad said in a speech at the opera house in central Damascus. "The nation is for all and we all must protect it."
The remarks were his first in public since a Russian television interview in November when he pledged to stay in Syria and fight to the death if necessary. A 21-month uprising against Assad has become a civil war that the United Nations says has killed 60,000 people.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Syrias-Assad-calls-for-mobilization-in-first-speech-for-months/articleshow/17912347.cms
------------
Egypt ready to complete IMF talks, says new finance minister
Jan 6, 2013
CAIRO: Egypt's incoming finance minister, Al-Mursi Al-Sayed Hegazy, said on Sunday he was ready to complete discussions with the International Monetary Fund on a $4.8-billion loan designed to prop up Egypt's struggling economy.
Hegazy, expected to be sworn in by President Mohamed Mursi later in the day, was speaking after meeting Prime Minister Hisham Kandil.
A senior IMF official is due to meet Egyptian leaders on Monday, a local newspaper reported.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Egypt-ready-to-complete-IMF-talks-says-new-finance-minister/articleshow/17911769.cms
------------
Assad to make rare speech as Syrian rebels draw nearer
Jan 6, 2013
BEIRUT: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will deliver a rare speech on Sunday about the uprising against his rule, which has killed 60,000 people and brought civil war to the edge of his capital.
With insurgents fighting their way closer to the seat of his power, state media said in a statement that Assad would speak on Sunday morning about the "latest developments in Syria and the region", without giving details.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Assad-to-make-rare-speech-as-Syrian-rebels-draw-nearer/articleshow/17910840.cms
------------
Al-Harthi: Arab News to take voice of Arabs to the world
6 January 2013
JEDDAH: Mohammed Fahad Al-Harthi, the newly appointed editor in chief of Arab News, said yesterday that the English daily would focus on developing its content and taking the voice of Saudis and other Arabs to the outside world.
“Arab News’ long history and its huge asset of experience and reputation will certainly enable the paper to play a pivotal role in the Arab media,” said Al-Harthi, who took charge as new editor in chief of the paper yesterday.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/al-harthi-arab-news-take-voice-arabs-world
------------
Aleppo Christians find safe haven near front lines
6 January 2013
ALEPPO: The aging Christians holed up inside a retirement home in the devastated northern Syrian city of Aleppo have no light, no telephone lines, and little idea of what is happening in the outside world.
But fellow Christians and rebel fighters still ensure they do not go hungry, bringing the dozen or so residents whatever food they can every day.
The St. Elie Rest Home, founded in 1863, is behind a black metal door on a street strewn with debris and rubbish a short way from the front line where rebels and regime forces face off against each other.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/aleppo-christians-find-safe-haven-near-front-lines
------------
Egypt’s Mursi to meet IMF aide on $4.8bln loan request
5 January 2013
CAIRO, Jan 5 : A senior official in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will meet Egyptian President and other top officials on Monday to discuss Cairo’s request for a $4.8 billion loan, a major state-run Egyptian newspaper reported on Saturday.
The IMF loan is seen as crucial to easing Egypt’s budget deficit and an economic slump caused by the turmoil that followed the popular uprising that ousted autocratic president Hosni Mubarak in February 2011.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/egypt%E2%80%99s-mursi-meet-imf-aide-48bln-loan-request
------------
Qaddafi-era security officer killed in Libya
5 January 2013
BENGHAZI: A Muammar Qaddafi-era security official has been killed in Libya’s second city Benghazi, local officials said yesterday, in the latest attack highlighting a lack of security in the east of the country.
“Lt. Col. Nasser Al-Magrabi was found dead on his farm last night,” an official in Benghazi’s criminal investigations department told AFP on condition of anonymity.
“He was shot,” the official said.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/qaddafi-era-security-officer-killed-libya
------------
Pakistan
Syed Salahuddin: ‘Jihad can resolve Kashmir issue’
January 06, 2013
MUZAFFARABAD: United Jihad Council chairman and Hizbul Mujahideen ‘supreme commander’ Syed Salahuddin said on Saturday that those calling for settlement of the Kashmir issue through peaceful means were in fact deceiving the innocent Kashmiris, adding that an armed struggle was the only way to resolve the dispute.
Addressing a press conference, he said that experience of the past 65 years should convince any one that only a strong and target-oriented armed struggle across held Kashmir could win freedom from Indian occupation.
“The Kashmiri people, leadership and the state of Pakistan should prepare themselves for it. Otherwise freedom will remain a distant dream,” he said.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/01/06/jihad-can-resolve-kashmir-issue/
------------
Drone strikes in Waziristan tribal region kill 17
January 06, 2013
PESHAWAR: Missiles fired by unmanned US drones in Babargarh area at the border region between South and North Waziristan tribal regions killed 17 persons on Sunday.
Four unmanned drones fired ten missiles at three houses near the Pak-Afghan border region killing 17 people unnamed security officials said while talking to Dawn.com.
The suspected hideouts were completely destroyed in the attacks.
The hideouts belonged to Qari Imran, a militant commander believed to be affiliated with the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, who was the target of the attacks.
Other commanders were also suspected to have been killed in the strikes.
http://dawn.com/2013/01/06/drone-strikes-in-waziristan-tribal-region-kill-12/
------------
3 men killed in tribal animosity over wedding video in Pakistan
Jan 6, 2013
ISLAMABAD: Six months after a jirga in northern Pakistan called for action against a group of men and women purportedly seen dancing in a video, three brothers of one of the men have been killed by the women's tribe, a provincial minister has said.
Three brothers of Mohammad Afzal, who was at the centre of a controversy over the video in June last year, were shot dead and another man was injured in an attack in Kohistan district on Thursday.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/3-men-killed-in-tribal-animosity-over-wedding-video-in-Pakistan/articleshow/17910513.cms
------------
Report indicates drastic increase in sectarian violence in 2012
January 6, 2013
ISLAMABAD: The past year witnessed a 53% increase in sectarian violence, according to an annual report released on Friday by the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies (PIPS). Non-sectarian attacks, on the other hand, decreased by 20%.
Suicide attacks
The number of suicide attacks across the country fell by 27%. There were 33 suicide attacks in 2012 compared to 45 in 2011. About 54% of all suicide attacks in Pakistan in 2012 were concentrated in K-P.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/489677/report-indicates-drastic-increase-in-sectarian-violence-in-2012/
---------
Pakistan says one dead in LoC clash with India
Jan 6, 2013
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and India traded accusations on Sunday of violating the LoC dividing the two sides' forces in the disputed northern region of Kashmir. Pakistan said an Indian cross-border raid on LoC post killed one of its soldiers, while India said its troops had fired into Pakistan to retaliate for shelling that destroyed a home.
The accusation of a cross-border raid resulting in military deaths is rare in Kashmir where a ceasefire has held between these two wary allies for a decade. Tensions over the disputed region are never far from the surface, however, as the two nuclear-armed nations have fought two full-scale wars over Kashmir.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistan-says-one-dead-in-LoC-clash-with-India/articleshow/17910150.cms
------------
Pakistan accuses India of deadly cross-border raid
Jan 6, 2013
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani military is accusing forces from neighbouring India of crossing the boundary between the two sides' forces in Kashmir and attacking a Pakistani border post, killing a soldier.
The military's public relations office said in a statement Sunday that another Pakistani soldier was critically wounded in the incident early Sunday.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistan-accuses-India-of-deadly-cross-border-raid/articleshow/17909812.cms
------------
Gunmen fire at train in Pak’s Balochistan province; 4 killed
January 06, 2013
Unidentified gunmen fired at a train in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province, killing at least four people and seriously injuring 10 others.
The gunmen fired indiscriminately at the Jaffar Express train in Kohsar area of Kachhi Bolan district late last night, officials of the Pakistan Railways said.
The Jaffar Express was on way to the provincial capital of Quetta from Rawalpindi when it was attacked in the mountainous region.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/gunmen-fire-at-train-in-paks-balochistan-province-4-killed/article4279619.ece
------------
Suspected militant hideouts blitzed in Orakzai tribal region
January 06, 2013
PESHAWAR: Bombardment by Pakistani military jets killed eight suspected militants in Orakzai tribal region whereas three persons, including the son of a tribal leader, were killed in another unrelated firing incident in Khyber tribal region on Sunday.
Security sources while talking to Dawn.com said that Pakistani military jets bombarded three suspected militant hideouts, killing eight suspected militants and injuring another in Mamozai area of Orakzai tribal region.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/01/06/suspected-militant-hideouts-blitzed-in-orakzai-tribal-region/
------------
Qazi Hussain Ahmed’s funeral prayers held in Peshawar
January 6, 2013
PESHAWAR: The funeral prayers of former Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed were held near motorway Ring Road in Peshawar on Sunday, reported Express News.
The funeral prayers were led by JI Chief Syed Munawar Hassan and were attended by several political leaders including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) Chief Fazlur Rehman, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Central President Javed Hashmi and Maulana Samiul Haq.
Ahmed’s body will be taken to Nowshera where he will be laid to rest in his ancestral graveyard.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/489844/qazi-hussain-ahmeds-funeral-prayers-held-in-peshawar/
------------
Will launch a 'political drone attack in three days': Altaf Hussain
January 6, 2013
KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain has claimed that he will launch a “political drone attack” on Tuesday January 8, 2013.
In a statement released by the MQM early on Sunday morning, Altaf hoped that once he launches his drone attack in the next 72 hours, no one in Pakistan can launch a counter political drone attack.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/489656/will-launch-a-political-drone-attack-in-three-days-altaf-hussain/
------------
India
Hate speech: 'Akbaruddin will surrender before law'
January 06, 2013
Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi said his brother Akbaruddin Owaisi would return from London and "surrender before law" in the case of alleged hate speeches. "He will come and surrender before law. We are not the ones to run away," Asad Owaisi told a public meeting on Saturday night in Ranga Reddy district.
The police have directed Akbar Owaisi, who is away in London, to appear before Nirmal town police in Adilabad district Monday and at the Nizamabad police station Tuesday in connection with two cases booked against him for delivering alleged hate speeches last month.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Hyderabad/Hate-speech-Akbaruddin-will-surrender-before-law/Article1-985671.aspx
------------
Sadiq encounter was stage-managed: CBI chargesheet
January 06, 2013
Invoking charges of criminal conspiracy and murder against eight policemen, including two retired officers, the CBI on Saturday said the encounter of Sadiq Jamal was stage-managed and he was kept in illegal confinement of city crime branch.
The copies of the charge sheet, which was filed on December 22, were handed over to the accused today by the court.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Ahmedabad/Sadiq-encounter-was-stage-managed-CBI-chargesheet/Article1-985635.aspx
------------
Give Shariah-like death to rapists'
Zia Haq, Hindustan Times
January 05, 2013
The Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, an influential Muslim organisation espousing Islamic values, will make a case for Shariah-style public execution of rapists before the Justice Verma Commission.
The Jamaat's emir, or chief, Maulana Jalaluddin Omari told HT on Saturday that this should not be seen as a sweeping call for Shariah by the group, but said laws on sexual crimes were "very weak".
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Give-Shariah-like-death-to-rapists/Article1-985601.aspx
------------
India wary as Turkey set to broker Afghanistan-Taliban peace
Jan 6, 2013
NEW DELHI: Turkey is emerging as the new player in the unfolding Afghanistan peace process. As Afghanistan and Pakistan work on a peace roadmap, with the active assistance and blessings of London and Washington, Turkey has stepped in, even offering to host senior Taliban leaders released by Pakistan for reconciliation talks with the Afghan government.
Although India is not part of the deal, India will be deeply affected by the outcome of whatever political process is implemented in Afghanistan. And with a strong presence on the ground in Afghanistan, India will be keen to ensure its own red lines about the accommodation of Taliban in a future Afghan government are respected.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-wary-as-Turkey-set-to-broker-Afghanistan-Taliban-peace/articleshow/17907520.cms
------------
Pak Taliban faction’s new chief fought in J&K
Jan 06 2013
Bahawal Khan, named the new chief of a Taliban faction in Pakistan’s South Waziristan region after the killing of Mullah Nazir in a US drone strike on Thursday, fought Indian tro-ops in Jammu and Kashmir.
A member of the Kakakhel sub-tribe of the Ahmedzai Wazirs, Khan fought as a militant in J&K, sources were quoted as saying in Pakistani media reports.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pak-taliban-faction-s-new-chief-fought-in-j-k/1055158/
------------
Pak's response on India's 26/11 'wishlist' not satisfactory: Khurshid
January 06, 2013
Pakistan's response to India's "wishlist" with regard to those behind 2008 Mumbai terror attacks is "critical" to "substantive movement" in the bilateral dialogue, external affairs minister Salman Khurshid said on Sunday. What Islamabad has done so far about it is "not to our satisfaction", he told PTI in an interview while taking stock of the Indo-Pak ties in the year gone by.
Khurshid did not see controversial statements made by Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik while in India recently as a "setback" in the dialogue process.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Pak-s-response-on-India-s-26-11-wishlist-not-satisfactory-Khurshid/Article1-985723.aspx
------------
IAF to deploy helicopters near Indo-Pak border
January 06, 2013
IAF Chief Air Marshal NAK Browne will inaugurate the medium-lift helicopter complex for the new squadron of its latest Mi-17 V5 helicopters at Phalodi airbase near the Indo-Pak border in Jodhpur on Monday. This may be seen as Indian Air Force strengthening its presence along the Pakistan border by deploying the squadron, comprising about 15 aircraft.
The helicopters can undertake all weather, day and night operations in any kind of terrain, defence spokesperson Col SD Goswami said.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Rajasthan/IAF-to-deploy-helicopters-near-Indo-Pak-border/Article1-985734.aspx
------------
MIM sees conspiracy behind cases against Owaisi
January 05, 2013
The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) sees a conspiracy by the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh to target its leader Akbaruddin Owaisi by slapping serious charges of waging war against the nation.
Police in Hyderabad, Adilabad and Nizamabad districts, during the last two days, registered three cases against Owaisi for allegedly making hate speeches last month.
The courts in Hyderabad and neighboring Ranga Reddy district directed the police to book Owaisi under Section 153 (A) of the Indian Penal Code for promoting enmity between different groups.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/AndhraPradesh/MIM-sees-conspiracy-behind-cases-against-Owaisi/Article1-985534.aspx
------------
Lot to be done to strengthen Indo-Pak bilateral ties: Salman Khurshid
Jan 6, 2013
AMRITSAR: India and Pakistan government took some bold initiatives to further strengthen the bilateral ties between the two which includes easing out the visa regime and opening of Integrated Check Post at Attari (India)-Wagha (Pakistan) border but still lot was to be done and hopefully it would be achieved in the near future with sincere and relentless efforts, said Union external affairs minister Salman Khurshid in his opening remarks after inauguration of the 8th South Asian Free Media (SAFMA) Conference-2013 organized for the first time in Punjab.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Lot-to-be-done-to-strengthen-Indo-Pak-bilateral-ties-Salman-Khurshid/articleshow/17912389.cms
------------
NIA arrests Lokesh Sharma in 2006 Malegaon bomb blasts case
Jan 5, 2013
MUMBAI: National Investigation Agency (NIA) today formally arrested key accused in 2007 Samjhauta Express blast case, Lokesh Sharma, in connection with the 2006 Malegaon bomb blasts case.
Sharma, who is already under judicial custody, was produced before a special court here, which remanded him in NIA custody till January 19, police said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/NIA-arrests-Lokesh-Sharma-in-2006-Malegaon-bomb-blasts-case/articleshow/17902292.cms
------------
J&K gives in, plans salary for sarpanchs
Jan 06 2013
Srinagar : Giving in to the demand of panchs and sarpanchs, the Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to provide stipend to them and also to insure them.
“We have taken up the issue with the Centre for funds. Whether the Centre accedes to the request or not, the state will make the provision in the next budget for providing stipend and insurance cover to panchayat members,” CM Omar Abdullah told a rally of panchayat members in Srinagar on Saturday. The move is likely cost the state Rs 100 crore, he added.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/j-k-gives-in-plans-salary-for-panchs/1055160/
------------
India, Pakistan failed in giving minorities their due: Markandey Katju
Jan 05 2013
New Delhi : Both India and Pakistan have failed on the test for a civilised society as minorities in either of the countries are not respected, Press Council of India (PCI) chairperson Justice Markandey Katju said on Saturday.
“For every civilised society, there is a test that how does it treat minorities. Unless minorities can live with dignity and respect, it is not a civilised society. And on that criterion both India and Pakistan have failed,” he said.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/india-pakistan-failed-in-giving-minorities-their-due-markandey-katju/1055045/
------------
Bangladesh ahead of India in gender equality: Amartya Sen
January 06, 2013
Bangladesh has left India behind in all social indicators, he says
Gender-based equality plays a major role in a country’s overall development and India lagged in Human Development Index, according to Nobel laureate Amartya Sen.
He was delivering the G.L. Mehta Memorial Lecture in the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) on ‘India: A Defense and a Critique’ on Saturday.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bangladesh-ahead-of-india-in-gender-equality-amartya-sen/article4277151.ece
-----------
South Asia
Afghan endgame: Taliban vow war if US forces stay post 2014
January 6, 2013
ISLAMABAD: The Afghan Taliban warned on Saturday of a prolonged war in Afghanistan if any foreign troops stay after the end of 2014, as Kabul and Washington prepare to discuss the “residual” US security presence.
US President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai will hold talks in the US next week on a long-term security pact between the two countries, with US troops remaining in Afghanistan at the top of the agenda.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/489722/afghan-endgame-taliban-vow-war-if-us-forces-stay-post-2014/
------------
Twin suicide attack at Afghan tribal meeting kills five
January 6, 2013
KANDAHAR: Two suicide bombers struck a meeting of community leaders in a southern Afghan town near the Pakistan border on Sunday, killing at least five people and wounding 15, officials said.
One gunman on foot opened fire on guards at the entrance of the council building in Spin Boldak, forced his way inside and detonated himself, while a second attacker rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the outside walls.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/489846/twin-suicide-attack-at-afghan-tribal-meeting-kills-five/
------------
Afghanistan Pavilion opens at Global Village
January 5, 2013
Dubai: Take home a piece of Afghanistan—be it leather, carpets or agricultural products from the newly-opened Afghanistan Pavilion at Global Village.
Afghani Counselor Fazullah Reshten, Afghani Consul-General Atiqullah Atifmal, and Global Village CEO Saeed Ali Bin Redha opened the pavilion last week as part of the growing number of pavilions in the theme park this season.
Known for its famed dried fruit and nuts, Afghanistan will showcase its harvest for the year at Global Village. This includes mountain almonds, pistachios, pine, walnuts and dried black and white berries, apricots, figs, and raisins, among others. Visitors may also try the Afghani confetti, ‘Noqol’, which is made from sugar-coated mountain almonds.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/leisure/afghanistan-pavilion-opens-at-global-village-1.1127970
------------
Police clash with anti-government protesters
Jan 6, 2013
DHAKA, Bangladesh: Police in Bangladesh have fired rubbers bullets and tear gas shells to disperse protesters trying to enforce a general strike.
An alliance of 18 opposition parties is enforcing Sunday's dawn-to-dusk strike to protest a 9% hike in fuel prices.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Police-clash-with-anti-government-protesters/articleshow/17909530.cms
------------
Pro-liberation forces must unite to resist militants
January 06, 2013
All the pro-liberation and progressive forces should join hands together and build strong resistance against militants and fundamentalists to establish a secular and prosperous Bangladesh, said discussants at a book publication ceremony yesterday.
They also emphasised raising awareness among the common people against fundamentalism and militancy.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=264046
------------
Afghan detainees walk free from jail in push for peace
January 06, 2013
KABUL: With tears streaming down their faces, scores of suspected Afghan militants embraced waiting relatives and walked to freedom — just one sign of increasing attempts at reconciliation after 11 years of war.
About 80 men, all wearing white skull caps, were released from jail on Friday at a ceremony inside Pul-e-Charkhi, Afghanistan’s largest prison located on dusty flatlands east of the capital Kabul.
Most had been detained by US-led foreign troops hunting down Taliban militants and were held at Bagram airfield, where the international force (Isaf) is based, before being transferred into Afghan custody.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/01/06/afghan-detainees-walk-free-from-jail-in-push-for-peace/
--------
Africa
Al-Qaeda man among seven killed in Algeria
6 January 2013
ALGIERS: The Algerian Army has identified one of seven armed radicals killed east of the capital earlier this month as a key financier of the local affiliate of Al-Qaeda, the El Watan newspaper reported yesterday.
Izza Rezki, also known as Abou Djaffar, took up arms against the government in 1994, early in Algeria's devastating civil war, and was a key aide of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) leader Abdelmalek Droukdel, the paper said.
He and his comrades were killed on Tuesday in a major operation that is still underway in the Boumerdes region, 50 km east of Algiers. A total of nine suspected militants have been killed in the offensive.
http://www.arabnews.com/al-qaeda-man-among-seven-killed-algeria
------------
Sudan, South Sudan Agree to Set Up Demilitarized Border Zone
January 06, 2013
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and South Sudan’s Salva Kiir agreed to set up a demilitarized zone along their border “without further delay” as the African states seek to resume oil flows vital to their economies.
They also agreed to consider establishing a commission to hold a referendum on the status of the disputed Abyei area at a planned meeting on Jan. 13 in Addis Ababa, according to a statement posted on the African Union’s website after the presidents met yesterday in the Ethiopian capital.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/international/sudan-south-sudan-agree-to-set-up-demilitarized-border-zone/564797
------------
Gunmen Kill 10 in Remote Northwest Nigeria: Police
January 06, 2013
KADUNA, Nigeria, Jan 6 - Gunmen shot or hacked to death about 10 people during a raid on two neighboring villages in Nigeria's remote northwestern state of Zamfara, police said on Sunday, in an area plagued by Islamist militancy and lawlessness.
The motive for the attack late on Saturday on the villages of Makera and Usu was not known, police said. It was also unclear whether militant Islamist sect Boko Haram or a criminal gang were behind it.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2013/01/06/world/africa/06reuters-nigeria-
---------
Mideast Asia
Palestinian PM Blasts Arab Donors
January 06, 2013
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The Palestinian prime minister is blaming Arab countries that haven't delivered promised aid for an escalating financial crisis in the Palestinian territories.
Salam Fayyad said in an interview on Sunday that the cash crunch threatens to double the number of Palestinian poor to 50 percent of the population of roughly 4 million.
The crisis worsened late last year, after the Palestinians won U.N. recognition for a state of Palestine. In response, Israel suspended monthly transfers of some $100 million in tax rebates to the Palestinians, one-third of the Palestinian Authority's monthly operating costs.
Fayyad said Arab League states have not kept a promise to pay the money Israel withholds. He says the fundamental reason for the financial crisis of recent years is "Arab donors not fulfilling their pledge of support."
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2013/01/06/world/middleeast/ap-ml-
------------
Netanyahu Tries to Hold Back Far-Right Surge Before Israel Votes
January 06, 2013
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scrambled on Sunday to hold back an opinion-poll surge by a far-right party, appealing in rare radio interviews for his supporters to stand by him in the January 22 election.
There is little doubt in Israel that Netanyahu's conservative Likud, running jointly with former foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman's nationalist Yisrael Beitenu, will win the highest number of parliamentary seats in the coming ballot.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2013/01/06/world/middleeast/06reuters-israel-election-netanyahu.html?ref=middleeast
------------
Turkey's Erdogan Rules Out Amnesty for Kurdish Militants
January 06, 2013
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan ruled out a general amnesty for Kurdish militants on Sunday but said intelligence agents would continue to talk to the rebels' jailed leader in a bid to end a near three-decade insurgency.
Erdogan's chief adviser said last week that Turkish officials had been discussing disarmament with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and on Thursday two Kurdish lawmakers paid a rare visit to the militant group's leader in his island prison.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2013/01/06/world/middleeast/06reuters-turkey-
----------
Iran's minister to visit Cairo for talks on ties, Syria crisis: Report
Jan 5, 2013
TEHRAN:(AFP) - Iran's foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi will visit Egypt next week for talks on bilateral ties and the crisis in Syria, the ISNA news agency reported Saturday quoting an Iranian diplomat.
Salehi will meet with his counterpart Mohammed Kamel Amr and President Mohamed Morsi during his two-day visit which begins on January 9, said Mojtaba Amani, the head of Tehran's interests section in Cairo.
Salehi is expected to discuss "bilateral issues, the issue of Syria as well as other regional and international matters" with Egyptian officials, Amani said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Irans-minister-to-visit-Cairo-for-talks-on-ties-Syria-crisis-Report/articleshow/17901712.cms
------------
Diaspora Jews recoil as Israel veers further right
JONATHAN FREEDLAND
January 06, 2013
Ahead of the elections, ultra-ultra-nationalists are surging in the polls.
In a week when the dead number 60,000 in Syria — a figure considered an underestimate by the U.N. body that produced it — it can seem like displacement activity to speak of any other topic in the region. It is Syria, surely, that matters most, a slaughter whose scale shames a world that does so little to stop it.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/diaspora-jews-recoil-as-israel-veers-further-right/article4276492.ece
------------
North America
Ambassador’s absence not linked to drones: US
January 06, 2013
WASHINGTON: The United States has rejected the suggestion that Pakistan refused to send its ambassador to Washington last week for a key meeting at the State Department in protest against drone attacks.
“My understanding is that the encounter between Ambassador Sherry Rehman and Deputy Secretary Thomas Nides happened on the phone because the ambassador is in Pakistan. She’s not actually in the States this week,” State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told a briefing in Washington.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/01/06/ambassadors-absence-not-linked-to-drones-us/
------------
Legislation to honour Malala in US planned
January 06, 2013
WASHINGTON: A US lawmaker, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, is introducing legislation to honour Malala Yousufzai, the girl who earned worldwide admiration for defying a Taliban ban on women’s education. Ms Jackson Lee, Democrat from Texas and chairperson of the Pakistan caucus in the US Congress, wrote a letter to her colleagues on Wednesday and urged them to support the cause for awarding a Congressional gold medal to Malala Yousufzai.
At the State Department, spokesperson Victoria Nuland noted that Malala’s “bravery and courage are just an inspiration for all of us”.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/01/06/legislation-to-honour-malala-in-us-planned/
------------
General Details Pentagon Tensions With Obama on Afghanistan
By MICHAEL R. GORDON
January 06, 2013
WASHINGTON — In a memoir, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the former American commander in Afghanistan, writes that tensions between the White House and the Pentagon were evident in the Obama administration from its opening months in office.
The beginning of President Obama’s first term “saw the emergence of an unfortunate deficit of trust between the White House and the Department of Defense, largely arising from the decision-making process on Afghanistan,” General McChrystal writes. “The effects were costly.”
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/06/world/asia/mcchrystal-book-details-tensions-with-obama.html?ref=world
------
Southeast Asia
Philippine troops kill 13 suspects in clash
January 06 2013
Philippine officials say army troops and police have killed 13 suspected criminals in a fierce gunbattle that also wounded a police officer in a coastal town southeast of Manila.
Army Lt. Col. Monico Abang says the gunmen aboard two black SUVs opened fire on about 50 police and army special forces troops when they were flagged down Sunday afternoon at a highway checkpoint in Atimonan town in Quezon province, sparking the firefight.
Abang, who led the army troops, tells The Associated Press that gunmen from a third van also opened fire but managed to turn around and escape.
Quezon provincial police chief Valeriano de Leon says 11 gunmen died in the scene of the clash. Two others died while being brought to a hospital.
http://www2.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/01/06/philippine-troops-kill-13-suspects-clash.html
------------
Indonesian Anti-Terror Squad Criticized for Deaths
January 06, 2013
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia's U.S.-funded police anti-terror squad has killed seven suspected militants over the last three days, but the raids are triggering renewed allegations that the force is failing to try and take suspects alive.
Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said Sunday that no shots were fired against officers during the raids Friday and Saturday in eastern Indonesia, but that the suspects in at least one of the locations had explosives "ready" to be detonated.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2013/01/06/world/asia/ap-as-indonesia-militant-
------------
Ten Political Parties Set to Contest Indonesia's 2014 Legislative Election
Jakarta Globe | January 06, 2013
The National Election Committee will on Monday reveal the names of political parties that passed the factual verification process to participate in the April 2014 legislative election.
The factual verification process has been carried out on the provincial level to validate the claims of 34 political parties that had previously passed the administrative verification process.
Analysts said that a maximum of 10 parties will pass the factual verification process — nine are the parties currently represented in the House of Representatives and the other is the National Democrat Party (NasDem).
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/ten-political-parties-set-to-contest-indonesias-2014-legislative-election/564735
------------
The Big Nonsense About Indonesia's Political Democracy
Pitan Daslani | January 06, 2013
In present-day Indonesia, market monopolies are strictly forbidden. Monopoly and oligopoly are considered forms of greed that are against democratic principles and must be abolished.
Under the internationally dictated banner of free-market economics, foreign products are flooding Indonesia endlessly — from coconuts to oranges, salt and rice. Go to any super- or mini-market in Jakarta, and you will see an influx of imported fruits, soft drinks, you name it — almost anything that could otherwise be obtained from inside the country.
That is now an accepted practice, to prove the theory that Indonesia upholds free-market principles as a manifestation of economic democracy.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/the-big-nonsense-about-indonesias-political-democracy/564732
------------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/syrian-president-assad-says-fighting/d/9895