Taliban Execute Pregnant Woman In Afghanistan
India: Teacher wins burqa battle at university in Kolkata
Flooding's devastation in Pakistan is seen as opportunity for Taliban
First to move in, Islamists win hearts
Mosque once used by Sept 11 attackers shut down
Ahmadinejad under fire from Iran judiciary chief
2 women plead not guilty in Somali terror probe
World should do more to help Pakistan, says US
Netanyahu: Action against Gaza aid ship was ordered as 'last resort'
Former bin Laden cook reaches secret sentencing deal with U.S. government
Leader calls for unity among Muslim nations
The “humanitarian” campaign for the war in Afghanistan
Kashmiri group demands safety of Hindus in the Valley
INDIA: NIA probing top cops’ Islamist links
Kerala Muslim bodies vow to weed out extremist elements
UK Muslim youths in summer camp against extremism
In US, shrill protests against new mosques
Mosque at ground zero would send right message
Cheer Pak's I-Day, mark Aug 15 as black day: Geelani
Pak ready to walk 'extra mile' with India: Qureshi
$1 billion loan from India suicidal: Khaleda Zia
Bomb kills NATO soldier in Afghan south
Muslims Face Religious Intolerance in American Communities
WikiLeaks to publish new documents
Voices of strife-torn Kashmir echo in Delhi
'Mullah Omar not Karzai can guarantee no threat to US'
Heavy rain worsens Pak flood; toll reaches 1,700
Life finds a way; day begins at night in Srinagar’s dark hour
Guantanamo gears up for 1st trial under Obama
Netanyahu to testify before Gaza boat raid inquiry
Radical Indonesian cleric arrested for terrorism
Coalition forces not losing the Afghan war: US official
J&K In Grip Of Anarchy: L.K.
Baghdad's traffic cops on militants hit list
Ethnic minorities want identities recognised
All ethnic groups to be on official list: Azad
Five Kurdish rebels killed in clashes with army
Castro warns of nuclear war between US and Iran
Journalists up in arms against so-called democratic govt
Haqqani cancels banquet, donates proceeds for flood victims
‘Long march’ against terrorism
Musharraf donates Rs 10 million for flood affectees
‘Govt should think before inking Afghan trade agreement’
Turkey holds 15 for links to al Qaeda
Ramadan plan for Prophet's Mosque finalized
Taleban launch attacks on US, Afghan military posts
Al-Qaeda claims attack in Yemen oil province, vows more strikes
Make Makkah the most beautiful city: Prince Khaled
Competition between Islamic channels peaks in Ramadan
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/taliban-execute-pregnant-woman-afghanistan/d/3260
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Taliban Execute Pregnant Woman In Afghanistan
Aug 9, 2010
HERAT (Afghanistan): The Taliban publicly flogged and then executed a pregnant Afghan widow by emptying three shots into her head for alleged adultery, police said on Monday.
Bibi Sanubar, 35, was kept in captivity for three days before she was shot dead in a public trial on Sunday by a local Taliban commander in the Qadis district of the rural western province Badghis.
The Taliban accused Sanubar of having an "illicit affair" that left her pregnant. She was first punished with 200 lashes in public before being shot, deputy provincial police chief Ghulam Mohammad Sayeedi said.
"She was shot in the head in public while she was still pregnant," Sayeedi said.
The execution is a grim reminder of the Taliban's harsh six-year rule from 1996 to 2001 in Afghanistan. The radical Islamists staged public stonings or lashings of those found to have committed adultery or sex outside marriage.
The then-Taliban government would also chop off the hands and feet of those accused of theft and robbery.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Taliban-execute-pregnant-woman-in-Afghanistan/articleshow/6281731.cms
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India: Teacher wins burqa battle at university in Kolkata
Shiv Sahay Singh
Aug 10 2010
Kolkata: Eleven days after The Indian Express reported that a 24-year-old teacher of West Bengal’s first Muslim university had not been able to hold classes for more than three months because she refused to heed the student union’s diktat to wear a burqa, Sirin Middya has won her battle.
The university administration contacted Middya on Monday, asking her to resume duties without a burqa, assuring that she would face no problem. The student union too said the teacher was free to decide what she wore, as long as it was “decent”. The general secretary of the West Bengal Students’ Union, Hasanur Zaman, added that Middya had gone to the media and “created an issue” where none existed.
While Aliah University that became functional in 2008 does not have any dress code, the student union had told women teachers to come in a burqa. While other women teachers agreed, Middya, who joined in March, had refused to do so.
As a result, since the second week of April, she hasn’t been able to go to Aliah University’s Calcutta Madrasa campus to teach Bengali. Instead, she reports for work at the library on the university’s Salt Lake campus.
While traditional Islamic studies are conducted on the Calcutta Madrasa campus, with the student union commanding considerable clout, the Salt Lake campus is the administrative headquarters of Aliah University.
Following the Express story on July 29 of Middya not receiving help from any quarters — despite appeals to Vice-Chancellor Syed Shamshul Alam — and of the university putting the issue on the backburner, there had been a public outcry. On August 2, Middya wrote again saying she should be allowed to resume her teaching duties with the new session beginning.
The minister in charge of minority affairs and madrasa education, Abdus Sattar, had intervened on Middya’s behalf. “I told the Vice-Chancellor that she must be allowed to teach. We have already given notice that there is no dress code at the university,” he says.
On Monday, Deputy Registrar S K Ashfaque Ali, in-charge of the Calcutta Madrasa campus, finally wrote to Middya saying she could teach.
While her stand remains that she is not against the burqa but wearing it should be a personal choice, Middya remains apprehensive about the reception she will receive when she goes back to the campus. “I want the university to ensure security for me so that there is no unpleasant situation.”
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/teacher-wins-burqa-battle-at-university/658211/
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Flooding's devastation in Pakistan is seen as opportunity for Taliban
August 9, 2010
CHARSADDA, PAKISTAN -- The slow-motion disaster underway in Pakistan as floodwaters seep into virtually every corner of the nation has devastated basic infrastructure and could open the door to a Taliban resurgence, officials here say.
The emerging landscape in areas where the water has receded is one in which bridges, roads, schools, health clinics, power facilities and sewage systems have been ruined or seriously damaged. With swollen rivers still churning south, the destruction is spreading by the hour.
On a visit to a newly flooded area in Pakistan's south on Sunday, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani said the overall impact of the flooding now tops that from the 2005 Kashmir earthquake -- a view echoed by international aid officials.
Although the quake killed far more people -- at least 73,000, compared with the 1,600 who have died in the floods -- Gillani called the scale of physical damage "beyond imagination. . . . Our country has gone back several years."
Pakistan can ill afford that kind of regression as it battles a vicious insurgency that capitalizes on the government's failure to provide basic services.
Over the past year, Pakistan's army has succeeded in driving Taliban fighters out of key sanctuaries in South Waziristan and the Swat Valley. But the damage from the floods could jeopardize those gains, officials acknowledged, unless infrastructure is quickly rebuilt -- an undertaking that will cost billions of dollars and will probably take years.
Swat, one of the worst-affected areas, is a prime example.
Although the valley was once known for its moderate public attitudes and picture-perfect mountain views, militants were able to take over in recent years by capitalizing on residents' hostility toward a government that often seemed distant and indifferent.
Last summer, the army took the valley back with a major offensive, and it launched a series of public works projects intended to repair the damage. The efforts were starting to pay off: Just last month, residents celebrated traditional agricultural festivals without fear of violence, and tourists packed newly reopened hotels.
But on July 28, the floods hit. Army officials say that every major bridge in the valley was destroyed, and aerial photographs of the region show that rivers have been diverted -- perhaps permanently -- down the center of once-thriving bazaars.
"It will take us months just to get the electricity back in Swat. For now, people are living in darkness," said Rahim Dad Khan, the planning minister for northwestern Pakistan.
Khan said all plans for development in the northwest have been canceled and the money diverted to reconstruction. "We thought we would build roads, hospitals and schools. But now, everything we were planning is ruined," he said.
Army officials said that they are aware the Taliban could try to seize the opportunity but that they will not let that happen.
"We have not let down our guard. The safeguards are still in place," said Brig. Gen. Tippu Karim, who is overseeing relief efforts for Swat and other northwestern areas.
Karim said reconstruction will be the top priority as soon as Pakistan can get past the immediate challenge of rescuing stranded residents and providing them with food and shelter.
But even that has proved a monumental challenge, and by the account of flood victims, the government has failed. At the provincial disaster management office, beleaguered staff members admitted that they lack the necessary resources. More than 15 million people nationwide have been affected by the floods, according to government estimates, and a majority are in the northwest.
"We never imagined this scale of disaster, so we were not prepared," said Asif Ali, the province's relief director. Even when the scope of the crisis became clear, he said, "each district was cut off from the others. The communications networks were jammed. So the government machinery was paralyzed."
Relief is stymied
The continuing rains have not helped, thwarting efforts to reach some of the most isolated victims.
The U.S. military has sent six helicopters, 91 troops and hundreds of thousands of meals from neighboring Afghanistan to help with relief efforts in Swat. But since Thursday, when the crews flew in supplies and evacuated hundreds of stranded residents, storms and overcast skies have kept the choppers grounded.
Frustrated pilots -- both Pakistani and American -- sipped tea and waited for the go-ahead to fly on Sunday at an air base in northern Pakistan. The presence of U.S. troops on the ground in Pakistan has the potential to kick up controversy, given the deep mistrust here of American motivations. But U.S. Maj. Daniel Rice, who is overseeing U.S. efforts, said the reaction so far to his troops' presence has been "smiles, waves and thumbs up."
That view is reflected by residents in the informal refugee camps that have sprung up in schools and public parks and along roadsides across the northwest. Those left homeless -- at least 1.5 million in the northwest alone -- said they will take help from anywhere they can get it.
Islamic charities, including ones that are known fronts for banned militant groups, have begun distributing assistance in some areas, as have Western nongovernmental organizations. But for the most part, residents said they are receiving no aid at all.
Stuck in the middle
In the median strip of the recently completed highway that links the northwest with the rest of Pakistan, thousands of displaced villagers have set up tents in the mud and tethered livestock to the guardrails.
From the strip, they can see what's left of their humble brick homes, which were inhabited only weeks ago but now resemble long-abandoned ruins. Above a sea of gray waters that have yet to drain away, the tips of their corn and sugar cane plants are also visible. Once a vibrant green, they are fast rotting to brown.
"All the local roads are destroyed. All the schools are destroyed. We never had any medical facilities," said Obaid ur-Rehman, 26, who was forced to relocate to the median strip.
The national highway authority has tried to shoo the residents away, wanting to maintain appearances along a roadway that is one of the most visible signs of modern Pakistani infrastructure. But residents said they say have nowhere to go because everywhere else is vulnerable to flooding.
"This is the basic reason for militancy: anger at the government," Rehman said. "If we had a place to live, if we had food, if we had schools, there would be no militancy in Pakistan."
Mohammed Riaz, a fellow median resident and a father of seven, said the only sign of government assistance he has seen in the 10 days since floodwaters destroyed his home came when a helicopter swooped low. From the side of the chopper, soldiers dropped packages of food. A mad scramble ensued. But the contents turned out to be rancid, and the government's gesture only added to the hostility.
"Some old biscuits were thrown from the helicopter," Riaz said. "But the people threw them back."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/08/AR2010080801642.html?hpid=sec-world
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First to move in, Islamists win hearts
Aug 10, 2010
ISA KHEL: Pakistani Islamists have been quick to step in to help after this month's devastating floods, winning hearts and minds as frustration with the government grows.
The army was quick to respond with rescue efforts, saving many lives as the torrent struck. The government, overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster, has been blasted as ineffective. But as the authorities and international aid agencies marshal supplies and staff, it is often nimble Islamist charity workers who are first to arrive to help people pick up their lives as the worst of the surge begins to ebb. They may not bring huge resources to bear but they establish a presence. reuters
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/First-to-move-in-Islamists-win-hearts/articleshow/6284474.cms#ixzz0wAdTXEjD
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Mosque once used by Sept 11 attackers shut down
August 10, 2010
Berlin : A Hamburg mosque once frequented by some of the Sept 11 attackers was shut down on Monday because German authorities believe the prayer house was again being used as a meeting point for Islamic radicals.
The Taiba mosque was closed and the cultural association that runs it was banned, Hamburg officials said in a statement.
"We have closed the mosque because it was a recruiting and meeting point for Islamic radicals who wanted to participate in so-called jihad or holy war," said Frank Reschreiter, a spokesman for Hamburg's state interior ministry.
He said that 20 police officers were searching the building and had confiscated material, including several computers. He was not aware of any arrests.
Authorities have said the prayer house, formerly known as the al-Quds mosque, years ago was a meeting and recruiting point for some of the Sept 11 attackers before they moved to the United States.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/657995/
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Ahmadinejad under fire from Iran judiciary chief
August 10, 2010
Tehran: Iran's judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani has hit out at President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for criticising a court verdict against the former head of state news agency IRNA, media reports said today.
Ahmadinejad used a meeting yesterday with prayer leaders to denounce as "strange" a court's decision to hand Mohammad Jafar Behdad, who is also the deputy chief of the presidency office, a suspended seven-month jail sentence.
"Such remarks from the president of the country in an official meeting is not justifiable... it is not right," Iran's Shargh newspaper quoted the justice chief as saying.
The outburst was the latest example of souring ties between Ahmadinejad and the powerful conservative camp behind him.
Behdad received the suspended jail term from a judge for writing an article against Ali Larijani, who is the parliament speaker and the judiciary chief's brother.
His article criticised the speaker for congratulating opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi on "winning" last year's presidential election before Ahmadinejad was declared the official victor.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ahmadinejad-under-fire-from-iran-judiciary-chief/658104/
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2 women plead not guilty in Somali terror probe
August 10, 2010
ST. PAUL, Minnesota: Two women have pleaded not guilty to federal charges of supporting a Somali terrorist group.
Amina Farah Ali and Hawo Mohamed Hassan, both of Rochester, Minnesota, entered their pleas Monday before in federal court.
Keyes set a trial date of Oct. 12, but prosecutors told him that may change.
The two women were among 14 people named in indictments unsealed last week. They are accused of being part of a pipeline that routed money and fighters from the US to the Somali insurgent faction Al-Shabab.
Attorneys for the women declined comment. About a dozen Somali women demonstrated outside the courthouse on behalf of the two defendants. They said the women were engaged in legitimate aid efforts for the poor in Somalia.
http://arabnews.com/world/article98509.ece
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World should do more to help Pakistan, says US
By Anwar Iqbal
10 Aug, 2010
WASHINGTON: The United States said on Monday that the world’s response to the worst ever flood in Pakistan was not adequate and urged the international community to do more. “I am concerned that people do not see it as yet another catastrophe” that often beset Pakistan, US special representative Richard Holbrooke told a briefing in Washington. “It is a huge catastrophe.”
Also on Monday, the US decided to send more helicopters to Pakistan for relief and rescue operations.
The United States also contacted a number of allied nations, urging them to step forward to help Pakistan deal with this catastrophe.
“It is not just a talk. We are calling some of our allies and asking them to help,” Mr Holbrooke said, noting that the international community’s response to the flood was not adequate.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/19-world-should-do-more-to-help-pakistan,-says-us-080-hh-05
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Netanyahu: Action against Gaza aid ship was ordered as 'last resort'
By Joel Greenberg
August 10, 2010
JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday told an Israeli commission investigating a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May that the action was ordered as a "last resort" after diplomatic efforts failed, and that the army was told to make every effort to avoid casualties.
Netanyahu, the first witness to testify before the inquiry panel, said that the Israeli government had anticipated resistance aboard the largest ship carrying Turkish activists and tried to plan for the public relations fallout of a confrontation.
Statements by the flotilla organizers indicated that they wanted to break Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip by "creating a provocation" and instigating "media-covered friction at sea with the Israel Defense Forces" that would create "international pressure to remove the naval blockade," Netanyahu said.
Yet in a ministerial consultation a few days before the raid, the consensus was that "despite the expected propaganda damage, the blockade must be enforced because of the matter's importance for Israel's security," Netanyahu said.
Late Monday, Israel threatened to stop cooperating with a U.N. inquiry into the raid if it tries to call Israeli soldiers to testify, the Associated Press reported.
A statement from Netanyahu's office said the prime minister "makes it absolutely clear that Israel will not cooperate with and will not take part in any panel that seeks to interrogate Israeli soldiers," according to the Associated Press. The statement came in response to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's comment at a news conference that there was no agreement to exempt Israeli soldiers from questioning before the panel.
Full report at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/09/AR2010080900598.html?hpid=moreheadlines
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Former bin Laden cook reaches secret sentencing deal with U.S. government
By Peter Finn
August 9, 2010
GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA -- A former cook for Osama bin Laden's entourage in Afghanistan has reached a agreement with the U.S. government that will allow him to serve any sentence at a minimum-security facility at Guantanamo Bay, according to statements by lawyers at a military commission on Monday.
Ibrahim al-Qosi, a 50-year-old native of Sudan, who worked for bin Laden for years before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, pleaded guilty last month to conspiracy and material support for terrorism as part of a pre-trial agreement. The case marked the first conviction at Guantanamo Bay under President Obama, whose administration had promised that reformed military commissions would offer greater due process and more transparency.
But the government and the defense, with the blessing of Judge Nancy J. Paul, an Air Force lieutenant colonel, have sealed the newly reached agreement, including the maximum sentence that Qosi can serve.
A spokesman for the military commission's prosecutors, Navy Capt. David Iglesias, refused to discuss the agreement or explain why it was kept secret, except to say the plea raises "security issues" and is to the benefit of both Qosi and the government.
Iglesias said Qosi's period of confinement would be made public after military officials review the record of trial, a process that he said could take several weeks. Another military official said the process could take several months.
Full report at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/09/AR2010080903720.html?hpid=moreheadlines
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Leader calls for unity among Muslim nations
Aug 10, 2010
TEHRAN -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has called on Muslim nations to maintain unity and increase cooperation.
Islamic countries are full of talent and opportunities and they should extend the hand of friendship and increase cooperation in every corner of the world, the Leader said at a meeting with Guinea-Bissau President Malam Bacai Sanha in Tehran on Monday.
“If cooperation between Muslim countries is perfectly realized, all the world’s Muslims will benefit,” he noted.
“The interfering hands of the colonial powers have created many problems for African countries for many years, but nowadays, nations have awakened and seek cooperation with each other,” the Leader observed.
Full report at:
http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=224548
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The “humanitarian” campaign for the war in Afghanistan
10 August 2010
The US media has launched a full-scale effort to suppress growing popular opposition to the war in Afghanistan, using one-sided propaganda about Taliban atrocities to conceal the murderous character of the American intervention. Beginning with the cover of Time magazine, showing a young woman mutilated by her Taliban husband, the media blitz now focuses on the killing of 10 medical aid workers Friday in the northeastern province of Badakhshan. Six of the ten were American citizens.
Both of these events are, without a doubt, terrible human tragedies. But they are being used in the most cynical fashion to browbeat the American people into accepting an indefinite continuation of the war in Afghanistan, under conditions where a clear majority of the population now regards the war with hostility and favors a rapid US pullout.
The July 29 issue of Time marked the official kickoff of the campaign, with the cover photo of the young woman whose nose and ears were hacked off for attempting to flee her husband, and an accompanying headline declaring this atrocity to be “What Happens if We Leave Afghanistan.” The political message was unmistakable: those who advocate withdrawal of US forces are condemning Afghan women to butchery.
Full report at:
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/aug2010/pers-a10.shtml
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Kashmiri group demands safety of Hindus in the Valley
Aug 09 2010
Washington : An organisation representing the interests of the Kashmiri Pandits in the US asked the Indian government to protect the lives of the Hindu community in the Valley, which has witnessed violent protests.
"We are deeply concerned at this loss of lives and property and urge the state Government to make sure the remaining few hundred Kashmiri Hindu families are safe and secure," said Deepak Ganju, international coordinator for Kashmir Hindu Foundation (KHF).
KHF noted that the Kashmir Valley had witnessed violent incidents resulting in loss of lives and property.
Meanwhile, a group of Kashmiri Americans under the aegis Kashmiri American Council (KAC), which sympathises with the separatist movement in the Valley held a peaceful protest outside the Indian Embassy in Washington and submitted a memorandum.
They urged the Prime Minister to restore the right of peaceful association, assembly and demonstration and asked for an immediate and complete cessation of military and paramilitary action in Jammu & Kashmir.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/kashmiri-group-demands-safety-of-hindus-in-the-valley/657960/
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INDIA: NIA probing top cops’ Islamist links
VR Jayaraj
Aug 09 2010
The NIA has started examining whether Islamist terror men have been getting help from senior officials of the Kerala Police even as the Central Intelligence Bureau has reportedly learnt that organisations having links with Al Qaeda and Taliban have been operating dozens of accounts in the primary cooperative banks in Kerala.
An anonymous letter received last week by the Special CBI Court (2) in Kochi, which is handling the terror cases being probed by the NIA, had alleged that an official in the rank of Superintendent of Police had provided help for those who had been recruiting youth into terror outfits. The court had handed over the letter to the NIA for inquiries.
The investigating agency had earlier got indications that certain persons accused in the case regarding the recruitments into an LeT-linked outfit based in Edakkkad, Kannur had received assistance from certain police officials. But the anonymous letter has expanded the scope of its investigations.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/274824/NIA-probing-top-cops%E2%80%99-Islamist-links.html
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Kerala Muslim bodies vow to weed out extremist elements
Ramesh Babu
Aug 09 2010
Under siege after the recent attack on a lecturer, Muslim organisations in Kerala have chalked out a strategy to weed out extremist elements from the community.
Muslim organisations have decided to isolate radical organisations such as Popular Front of India (PFI) and Jammat-eIslami.
The organisations will hold a campaign throughout the state to sensitise `mahal' and mosque committees about the need to boycott these outfits.
“A miniscule section is out to discredit the entire community. We will not allow their designs. We have started an allout campaign to isolate these elements,“ said P.K.
Kunhalikutty, general-secretary of the All India Muslim League.
T.J. Joseph's right hand was chopped off in July for preparing an allegedly blasphemous question paper. Investigations revealed PFI had carried out the attack.
During the probe, the police also unearthed information about the growing fundamentalist network in the state.
Full report at: Hindustan Times
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UK Muslim youths in summer camp against extremism
By PAISLEY DODDS AND SYLVIA HUI
Aug 9, 2010
LONDON: Britain's first "anti-terror" summer camp opened Saturday, with the goal of teaching Muslim youth how to rebuff extremists who try to recruit them at schools and in online chat rooms.
The three-day event hopes to equip hundreds of students with arguments from the Qur'an on how to respond to people with radical beliefs, encounters some at the camp said happen regularly.
The issue of Islamist recruiting has made steady headlines in Britain after suspects in high-profile terrorism cases were reportedly radicalized while studying at elite UK
universities or after listening to imams who preach holy war.
"We want to give youngsters a balanced view of Islam and to remove the misconception of what jihad actually is," organizer Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri told The Associated Press. "Extremists have confined the act of jihad to the act of militancy and violence. This is totally wrong according to Qur'anic commandments." In March, the Pakistani scholar who now lives in Toronto issued a 600-page fatwa, or religious edict, against terrorist acts like suicide bombing.
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/world/article97304.ece
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In US, shrill protests against new mosques
Aug 09 2010
New York : While a high-profile battle rages over a mosque near ground zero in Manhattan, heated confrontations have also broken out in communities across the country where mosques are proposed.
In Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Republican candidates have denounced plans for a Muslim center near a subdivision, and hundreds of protesters have turned out for a march. In June, in Temecula, California, members of a Tea Party group took picket signs to Friday prayers at a mosque that is seeking to build a worship center on a vacant lot nearby. In Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Christian ministers led a fight against a Muslim group that sought permission to open a mosque in a former health food store bought by a Muslim.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/in-us-shrill-protests-against-new-mosques/657937/
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Mosque at ground zero would send right message
August 9, 2010
Days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush went to a Washington mosque to deliver a clear and courageous message: We are not at war with Islam.
As much as the murderers who plotted and carried out the hijackings that killed 3,000 Americans tried to twist the tenets of a peaceful religion to justify their evildoing, the true followers of the faith knew better. This was not about Islam vs. the West, as much as Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda terrorists wanted to incite the passions of the Muslim world.
Bush, a born-again Christian, justly called for religious tolerance in those jittery times.
Now it is New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg who is showing grace and perspective under pressure. Bloomberg, who is Jewish, has stood tall in supporting the right of an Islamic group to build a 13-story mosque and community center near ground zero.
Full report at:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/08/EDFG1EQC2Q.DTL#ixzz0w6yN7HuC
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Cheer Paks I-Day,mark Aug 15 as black day: Geelani
M Saleem Pandit
Aug 09 2010
Srinagar: A day after Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani spurned home minister P Chidambarams dialogue offer,moderate separatist Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Sunday followed suit,saying the talks will have no meaning because the Union government is lacking in sincerity.
Geelani,meanwhile,asked New Delhi to fulfil the promise of giving Kashmiris the right to self-determination. Nehru promised Kashmiris the chance to decide their fate in 1948,but never fulfilled the promise, he said. He showed the sky but snatched the ground beneath our feet. He asked people to observe Pakistans foundation day as a day of solidarity on August 14 and called for observing August 15 as a black day.
Mirwaiz said he had proposed specific steps like demilitarization,revocation of repressive laws and release of political prisoners to build trust to take the dialogue process forward. But,unfortunately,these demands were not heeded, he said.
Times of India
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Pak ready to walk 'extra mile' with India: Qureshi
Aug 09 2010
New Delhi : Notwithstanding the lack of progress in July 15 talks, Pakistan has said it is ready to walk the "extra mile" as it wants to "move forward" in building relations with India but insisted that the two countries need to be "mutually accommodative".
Pressing for a "comprehensive and sustained" engagement, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi maintained that Kashmir issue would have to be the part of any discussions and "selective" approach would not be helpful.
"It is true that we have not been able to map the future course of engagement. This, however, does not mean that we have reached a cul de sac," Qureshi said in an email interview.
He was responding when asked whether the efforts to bridge the trust gap had received a serious blow during his July 15 talks with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pak-ready-to-walk-extra-mile-with-india-qureshi/657988/
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$1 billion loan from India suicidal: Khaleda Zia
Aug 9, 2010
DHAKA: Bangladesh's opposition leader Khaleda Zia has termed as "suicidal" the $1 billion deal the government signed with India's Exim Bank last Saturday.
The Sheikh Hasina government has rejected the charge.
"There was no need to borrow the amount from India now. People will have to shoulder the burden," Zia was quoted as saying by New Age newspaper on Monday.
Zia, who is the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's chairperson, called the deal suicidal.
BNP has alleged that the interest on the loan Bangladesh would have to pay would be "seven times higher than the international rates".
The interest rate is 1.75% for a 20 year loan that carries a five-year grace period for repayment.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/1-billion-loan-from-India-suicidal-Khaleda-Zia/articleshow/6280602.cms
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Bomb kills NATO soldier in Afghan south
9 August 2010
KABUL - A NATO soldier was killed by a bomb in southern Afghanistan on Monday, the military said, adding to a toll of victims of explosives laid by insurgents which is rising almost daily.
NATO’s International Security Assistance Force gave no further details in their statement.
Eight international troops were killed over the weekend, six of them by homemade bombs — the Taliban’s weapon of choice in their southern heartlands of Helmand and Kandahar provinces, where 30,000 foreign troops are deployed.
The latest death brings the overall number of foreign troops killed in Afghanistan this year to 426, compared to 520 for all of 2009, according to an AFP tally based on that kept by the independent icasualties.org website.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/August/international_August399.xml§ion=international&col=
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Muslims Face Religious Intolerance in American Communities
Aug 9, 2010
All Mosques are Houses of Worship - Michael Streich Photo Image
The proposed Ground Zero Islamic Inter-Faith Center is not the only focus of protesters across the nation opposing the building of mosques.
The Cordoba Initiative which proposes to build an Islamic Center that will include a mosque near New York City’s Ground Zero has brought out the best and the worst responses by concerned Americans. Mayor Michael Bloomberg supports the project and made an impassioned speech about religious freedom and tolerance in America on August 3, 2010. Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin decried the building of the center, referring to ground zero as “hallowed ground” in her Facebook blog on July 22, 2010.
Full report at:
http://news.suite101.com/article.cfm/muslims-face-religious-intolerance-in-american-communities-a271630#ixzz0w6y9r8Yn
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WikiLeaks to publish new documents
Aug 9, 2010
BERLIN: The online whistle-blower WikiLeaks said it will continue to publish more secret files from governments around the world despite US demands to cancel plans to release classified military documents.
“I can assure you that we will keep publishing documents — that's what we do,” said a WikiLeaks spokesman, who says he goes by the name Daniel Schmitt in order to protect his identity, in an interview Saturday.
Schmitt said he could not comment on any specific documents but asserted that the publication of classified documents about the Afghanistan war directly contributed to the public's understanding of the conflict.
“Knowledge about ongoing issues like the war in Afghanistan is the only way to help create something like safety,” Schmitt said. “Hopefully with this understanding, public scrutiny will then influence governments to develop better politics.” He rejected allegations that the group's publication of leaked US government documents was a threat to America's national security or put lives at risk.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article97255.ece
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Voices of strife-torn Kashmir echo in Delhi
Indrani Basu
Aug 09 2010
New Delhi: A protest at Jantar Mantar on the violence in Kashmir took an ugly turn when Muslims from the state and Kashmiri Pandits exchanged heated words and one group charged at the other accusing them of anti-national activities.It took prompt police action to prevent the situation from turning worse.More than 25 Kashmiri Pandits were detained.
Earlier,the two groups refused to sit with each other even though they had assembled for a common cause.Both groups addressed the urgent need for peace in Kashmir and bemoaned the number of deaths in the last few weeks.While Kashmiri Pandits expressed the loss of identity and representation afforded to them,the Kashmiri Muslims expressed pain and regret over the number of lives lost in mindless firing at civilian protests.The Muslim group kept urging the Pandits to sit together but the latter refused.
Full report at: Times of India
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'Mullah Omar not Karzai can guarantee no threat to US'
Aug 09 2010
Washington : Backing the Pakistani military line on the Afghan issue, former ISI chief Hamid Gul has claimed that its only Taliban and its elusive chief Mulla Omar who can guarantee that there would be no threat to the US from this part of the world.
Gul, very often known in the western world as the father of the Taliban said the Taliban should be recognised as a national resistance movement and the United States should hold talks with its leader Mullah Omar for peace in the region.
"This (the Taliban) is a national resistance movement. It should be recognised as such. They are Mujahideen of Afghanistan, as they were during the occupation by Soviet Union of Afghanistan.
I think they are gaining momentum, gaining strength by the day. This should be now understood properly," Gul told Fareed Zakaria in an interview aired on Sunday.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mullah-omar-not-karzai-can-guarantee-no-threat-to-us/657973/
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Heavy rain worsens Pak flood; toll reaches 1,700
Aug 09 2010
Islamamdad : HEAVY monsoon showers hit the flood-hit regions of Pakistan on Sunday, worsening the flooding and impeding relief operations, compounding a humanitarian crisis that has affected over 14 million people across the country and claimed nearly 1,700 lives so far.
Flood waters that have inundated the northwest and central parts of the country raced southward into Sindh province along the Indus river, which officials said was in “exceptionally high flood”.
Over 700 villages were flooded as water levels of 1,128,000 cusecs and 1,115,300 cusecs were recorded at the Guddu Barrage and Sukkur Barrage respectively as authorities struggled to cope with the impact of the worst deluge in 80 years. The protective bunds at Bachal Shah Mayani and Torhi near Sukkur in northern Sindh were breached and several other barrages and embankments were at risk.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/heavy-rain-worsens-pak-flood;-toll-reaches-1-700/657815/
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Life finds a way, day begins at night in Srinagar’s dark hour
Muzamil Jaleel
Aug 09 2010
Srinagar : For the past five weeks, Srinagar has been caught in a different time zone. Signs of normal life begin only in the silence of the dark night, when security personnel implementing curfew restrictions have retreated to their fortified bunkers and protesters have finally gone home.
At 3 am, families wake up and rush out to the milk vans, as shopkeepers wait with their shutters half open. Within minutes, hundreds of men and women gather to buy the day’s supply — milk, bread, biscuits and other food items. And as the day starts to break, street vendors line up with vegetables. The prices have gone up but not many seem to mind.
As the mosque loudspeakers come alive with the call for prayer, the hustle and bustle increases. While joggers take to the roads, some neighbourhood teachers squeeze in their tuition classes in these early hours.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/life-finds-a-way-day-begins-at-night-in-srinagars-dark-hour/657882/
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Guantanamo gears up for 1st trial under Obama
Aug 09 2010
GUANTANAMO BASE, Cuba : US military officers were flying on Sunday to serve as jurors in war-crimes proceedings as the Guantanamo tribunal system geared up for one of its busiest weeks under President Barack Obama.
The Pentagon is holding military commission sessions this week for two detainees: a young Canadian going on trial for the slaying of a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan and an aide to Osama bin Laden who is to be sentenced after pleading guilty in a deal with prosecutors.
The tribunal system that ground to a halt after Obama took office is coming alive with lawyers, human-rights observers and more than 30 journalists who are at the U.S. Navy base in southeastern Cuba to attend Monday's proceedings in two courtrooms.
Obama has introduced some changes designed to extend more legal protections to detainees, but the tribunals' long-term future remains cloudy as the president struggles to fulfill a pledge to close the prison altogether.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/guantanamo-gears-up-for-1st-trial-under-obama/657945/
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Netanyahu to testify before Gaza boat raid inquiry
Aug 09 2010
Jerusalem : Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to appear before an Israeli commission of inquiry on Monday to explain a commando raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla which killed nine Turkish activists.
He will be the first of three top officials to give sworn testimony about the May 31 incident in which naval commandos stormed six aid ships trying to run the blockade on Gaza, killing the activists and wounding scores of others.
The bloody raid caused a diplomatic crisis between Israel and Turkey and sparked global calls for an inquiry - prompting Netanyahu's government to set up the so-called Tirkel Commission to look into the legality of the operation.
But Netanyahu is not likely to face any awkward questions when he takes to the stand at 9:00 am (0600 GMT) to testify before the five panel members, two foreign observers and hundreds of members of the press and public.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/netanyahu-to-testify-before-gaza-boat-raid-inquiry/657951/
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Radical Indonesian cleric arrested for terrorism
Aug 09 2010
Jakarta : Radical Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, once imprisoned for his links to the terror group behind the Bali bombings, was arrested today for alleged involvement with a new militant network.
His lawyer, Muhammad Ali, said the arrest took place on Monday morning in West Java's Ciamis district.
Bashir is best known as the founder and spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, the al-Qaida-linked terrorist group responsible for the 2002 bombings on Indonesia's resort island of Bali that killed 202 people, many of them foreign tourists.
He spent several years in prison for his involvement with the group, but was released in 2006.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/radical-indonesian-cleric-arrested-for-terrorism/657962/
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Coalition forces not losing the Afghan war: US official
Aug 09 2010
Islamabad : Contradicting President Asif Ali Zardari's assertion that coalition forces in Afghanistan were "losing the war against the Taliban", a senior American official has said the US-led troops were neither losing nor planning to pull out of the country.
Asked by journalists whether the US forces were losing the war in Afghanistan, US Under-Secretary of Defence Michele Flournoy said: "No sir, you are badly mistaken. Neither are we losing nor is July 2011 set for the forces to pack their bags. We are not going anywhere."
Flournoy, who is in Islamabad for a meeting of the US-Pakistan Defence Consultative Group, made the remarks during an interaction with a group of journalists at the US embassy.
She said the plans announced by the US were "just the beginning of a process to evaluate our strategy in Afghanistan".
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/657347/
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J&K In Grip Of Anarchy: L.K.
Aug 09th, 2010
Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani on Sunday claimed that the state of Jammu and Kashmir is in the “grip of anarchy”. The BJP leader also alleged that the government is “clueless” about dealing with the ongoing law and order situation in the region. Writing on the issue in his blog, Mr Advani has also mentioned that the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 was “only in the nature of an interim arrangement”.
“It is very clear from the deliberations of the Constituent Assembly (in 1949) that the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir state under Article 370 was only in the nature of an interim arrangement. The rationale was Pakistan’s invasion, and the UN dimension. This article had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Jammu and Kashmir is a Muslim majority state, the argument that is being advanced today to condemn our demand for its abrogation,” Mr Advani mentioned. He claimed for the BJP, the issue of “Kashmir’s complete integration with India is one which the party has pursued relentlessly since its birth as Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS).”
http://www.asianage.com/india/jk-grip-anarchy-lk-859
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Baghdad's traffic cops on militants hit list
Aug 9, 2010
BAGHDAD: Baghdad's traffic cops are demanding their own guards meet their demands.
"Yes, they only have pistols so we are giving them heavier firearms," said police Brig. Gen. Nijim Abed Jaber, chief spokesman for the traffic police force. "But let me remind everyone that combat is not the job of traffic policemen. They are peaceful individuals whose job is to help people."
Persistent violence across the country has raised concerns about the readiness of Iraqi forces to take over their own security less than a month before the US military ends combat operations and draws down to 50,000 troops, a step toward a full withdrawal by the end of next year.
However, Gen. Ray Odierno, the commander of US forces in Iraq, maintained on Sunday that Iraq's military is ready and able to take over security operations even with the violence and Iraqi politicians continuing to squabble over the formation of a new government five months after an inconclusive election.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Baghdads-traffic-cops-on-militants-hit-list/articleshow/6280866.cms
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Ethnic minorities want identities recognised
Shahiduzzaman and Abdullah Juberee
Aug 9, 2010
Ethnic minority groups have demanded that the amendments to the constitution, a special committee is now working on, should recognise their existence, identities, culture and rights, with provisions for establishment of an ethnic minority rights commission, protection of their traditional and collective land rights, reserved parliamentary seats for them, and retention of constitutional provision for Bangladeshi citizenship.
They have already prepared a preliminary draft containing a set of proposals which they would submit to the special committee.
They are also discussing the draft proposals with like minded lawmakers and having consultations among themselves to finalise them.
The Parliamentary Caucus on Adivasi Issues in Bangladesh also discussed the issues with five lawmakers from ethnic minority communities and the ethnic minority leaders on Saturday night.
Full report at:
http://www.newagebd.com/2010/aug/09/front.html
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All ethnic groups to be on official list: Azad
Aug 9, 2010
The government will very soon incorporate all of the country’s ethnic minority groups into the official list, said the minister for cultural affairs Abul Kalam Azad on Sunday.
Addressing the inaugural session of a two-day photography, painting and documentary exhibition titled ‘Life and Culture of Indigenous Peoples in Bangladesh’, the minister said the government has seriously taken the complaints by the ethnic minority leaders that the Small Anthropological Groups’ Cultural Institution Bill, 2010, gave recognition to only 27 ethnic groups in the country.
‘We have come to know that there are more groups and we will incorporate them in the list,’ he added.
Abul Kalam Azad expressed his satisfaction that people of different religious and ethnic groups have been living peacefully in Bangladesh, showing mutual respect and trust to each other.
Full report at:
http://www.newagebd.com/2010/aug/09/front.html
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Five Kurdish rebels killed in clashes with army
August 09, 2010
DIYARBAKIR: Turkish armed forces killed five Kurdish rebels in clashes in Turkey's southeast Batman province that also left two soldiers wounded, the provincial government said Monday.
The clashes between the army and members of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) took place late Sunday near the town of Besiri in a rural area of Batman province, the local government's statement said.
Among the rebels killed was a woman, it added.
Earlier on Sunday, a roadside bomb, planted by PKK rebels, killed three Turkish soldiers in the province of Mardin, which borders Batman.
Police in Diyarbakir, the main city in Turkey's Kurdish majority southeast, also last week seized some 90 kilogrammes (198 pounds) of plastic explosives from the Kurdish rebels, local governor Mustafa Toprak announced Monday.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/8-9-2010/69705.htm
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Castro warns of nuclear war between US and Iran
August 09, 2010
HAVANA: Fidel Castro has used a rare speech to warn that the tension between the US and Iran could degenerate into a nuclear holocaust.
The 83-year-old addressed Cuba's National Assembly on Saturday for the first time since stepping down as president in 2006.
He looked little different from the closing days of his regime as he entered the assembly chamber wearing his trademark fatigues and sporting his familiar straggly beard, as deputies cheered and shouted "Viva Fidel".
Although renowned for his lengthy addresses, he restricted his speech to just ten minutes and ignored Cuba's current financial plight, instead focusing on foreign affairs.
The revolutionary leader revealed that he believes the US and Israel may launch a nuclear attack on Iran, as the dispute about the Tehran government's own nuclear programme continues.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/8-8-2010/69662.htm
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Journalists up in arms against so-called democratic govt
August 09, 2010
ISLAMABAD: The journalist community across the country protested against the burning of copies of The News and Daily Jang, and blocking of Geo TV transmission in the so-called democratic era.
Various press clubs held emergency meetings to discuss the acts against media freedom. Journalists vowed that curbs on the media would not be tolerated at any cost. The Punjab Union of Journalists (PUJ) and the Lahore Press Club (LPC) on Sunday announced that a protest demonstration would be staged today (Monday) against the burning of copies of newspapers of the Jang group by miscreants in Karachi.
In a joint statement, PUJ President Rai Hasnain Tahir, General Secretary Rana Mohammed Azim, LPC President Sarmad Bashir, Secretary Ziaullah Khan Niazi and members of its governing body condemned the burning of the copies of The News and the daily Jang.
Full report at:
http://thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=30604
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Haqqani cancels banquet, donates proceeds for flood victims
August 09, 2010
By Sami Abrahim
WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani has cancelled a banquet that he was scheduled to host for Pakistan Air Force (PAF) chief Rao Qamar Suleman at the embassy, and decided to donate the money that would have been spent on the banquet to the fund for flood victims.
The PAF chief has supported the ambassador’s decision and chosen to have a much more austere bilateral visit than is usually the case. The PAF chief’s visit is part of the traditional visits by Pakistani services chiefs to the US on invitation of their counterparts. During the last two years, the army and navy chiefs also visited the US and had been hosted by the ambassador to a banquet attended by senior US civil and military officials, media personalities and senators and congressmen.
Full report at:
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=255662
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‘Long march’ against terrorism
August 09, 2010
The Sunni Ittehad Council has announced a “long march” against terrorism and failure of the Punjab government in nabbing Data Darbar attackers on October 16.
The announcement was made at a peace conference to mark the Data Darbar incident on Sunday. People from all four provinces participated in the conference which was held in front of Data Darbar. The participants also passed resolutions against Indian aggression in Kashmir and Israeli aggression in Palestine, for pullout of US forces from Afghanistan and an end to drone attacks. SIC Chairman Fazal Karim while addressing the conference said the “long march” would start from Lahore and end in Islamabad. He said the objective was to implement Nizam-e-Mustafa, restore peace and end terrorism from the country.
He said that terrorists in the name of Islam and Jihad had killed thousands of people.
Full report at:
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=255560
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Musharraf donates Rs 10 million for flood affectees
August 09, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf has donated Rs 10 million for the flood affectees, Chaudhry Shahbaz Hussain, All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) chief coordinator and former federal minister said on Sunday. He made these remarks while addressing a press conference. Hussain said that both the federal and provincial governments had failed to provide any relief to the flood affectees. The APML chief coordinator said that millions of people were still waiting for relief goods from the higher authorities. He informed the media that Musharraf had announced the donation following the mass devastation caused by the floods. Hussain said that amount would be given in the form of cash and relief goods.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\09\story_9-8-2010_pg7_19
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‘Govt should think before inking Afghan trade agreement’
By Tahir Rashid
August 09, 2010
RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan People’s Party-led (PPP) government should think about national interests before signing the Afghan transit trade agreement, as the three provinces, including Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the business community at large opposed it, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Chairman Senator Raja Zafarul Haq said on Sunday.
Addressing as chief guest, the ceremony of 23rd Achievement Awards of Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), Haq said, “Now the government should take all stake holders into confidence before finalising the trade agreement.”
He announced on behalf of Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif that the Punjab Transport Department in collaboration with the Capital Development Authority (CDA) will launch a mass transit system in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. “CDA has invited expression of interest in this regard and soon, work on the mega project would be initiated,” Haq said.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\09\story_9-8-2010_pg7_28
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Turkey holds 15 for links to al Qaeda
August 09, 2010
ANKARA: Turkish police detained on Sunday 15 people with suspected links to the al Qaeda network who were allegedly trying to win supporters to their cause, the Anatolia news agency reported.
The suspects, rounded up in the town of Gebze and Darica in western Kocaeli province, included three men who had received weapons and bomb-making training in camps in Afghanistan, the report said. The detainees had set up an association in Darica where they spread al Qaeda propaganda and tried to persuade people to join the network.
The police and local prosecutors were to question the suspects before releasing them or sending them to court to be charged. Turkish police regularly target suspected al Qaeda supporters since two sets of twin suicide bombings hit the country’s biggest city Istanbul five days apart in November 2003.
A Turkish cell of al Qaeda was held responsible for the attacks, in which explosive-laden trucks first targeted two synagogues, and then the British consulate and a British bank, killing a total of 63 people, including the British consul.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\09\story_9-8-2010_pg7_34
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Ramadan plan for Prophet's Mosque finalized
Aug 9, 2010
MADINAH: The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Prophet’s Mosque has intensified its preparations to welcome the huge influx of worshippers during Ramadan, which is likely to begin on Wednesday.
The presidency aims to make the visit and worship at the mosque most comfortable to the faithful.
As part of its activities the presidency completed a training program for the workers in the mosque on the courteous and helpful treatment of pilgrims.
The presidency has started implementing various plans, such as increasing the number of people employed to serve pilgrims. There are also elaborate arrangements to conduct lectures, issue fatwas, and distribute booklets to the visitors on how to conduct themselves inside the holy precincts.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article97876.ece
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Taleban launch attacks on US, Afghan military posts
Aug 9, 2010
KABUL: Taleban insurgents staged attacks on three combat posts of Afghan and US forces on Monday in a southeastern Afghan province, an official for the US military said.
The official did not say how many militants were involved in the attacks or give any details about the type of the strikes in Paktika province, which lies near the border with Pakistan.
"The fighting is going on. I can't give you further details," Sergeant Stephanie Widemond told Reuters by phone.
The resurgent Taleban have staged a number of commando style strikes, involving suicide bombers, against Afghan and foreign bases and key targets in the past two years.
http://arabnews.com/world/article98216.ece
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Al-Qaeda claims attack in Yemen oil province, vows more strikes
Aug 9, 2010
DUBAI: Al-Qaeda's Yemen-based arm said it was behind an attack that killed at least six soldiers in an oil province last month, and threatened more strikes on government targets.
The attack in the southern Shabwa province on July 25 was among five raids on state targets since June which have been blamed on the resurgent militant group.
Officials have said Al-Qaeda may have been also behind an attack that killed three soldiers on Thursday.
"Anyone who stands with (Yemeni President) Ali Saleh and his government, and with the Crusader (Western) campaign is against our Muslim people is our enemy and a legitimate target for us," Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula said in a statement posted on an Islamist website on Saturday.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article97305.ece
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Make Makkah the most beautiful city: Prince Khaled
By GALAL FAKKAR
Aug 9, 2010
JEDDAH: Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal has emphasized the need for preparing a well thought out and comprehensive development plan for Makkah to make it one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
“We’ll be responsible before God and coming generations if we do not work to make Makkah one of the most beautiful and modern cities in the world,” the governor told a meeting of top executives.
He said Saudi Arabia has the potentials to achieve this goal. “We have a strong and determined leadership that provides all-out support to this direction. We have also enough funds and good people who are capable of achieving this objective.”
Prince Khaled said the new Makkah transport system should consider the ongoing development works in the city and ensure smooth movement of pilgrims and visitors to and from the city, using modern transport systems and advanced technology.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article97872.ece
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/taliban-execute-pregnant-woman-afghanistan/d/3260