New Age Islam News Bureau
19 Oct 2012
• Top Security Official, Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan among the Dead in Beirut Blast
South Asia
• Taliban Killed More Women and Children: 18 wedding guests Killed in North Afghanistan
• Muslims trapped in ghetto of fear in Myanmar city
• No Myanmar reply to OIC plea for a humanitarian office
• “Make them accountable”: young Maldivians talk democracy
• Bangladeshi Suspect's father says New York bomb plot charge 'false'
• Maldives “enslaving” migrant workers by withholding passports
• Maldives to sign UN convention against organised crime
• Children under attack in Pakistan, Afghanistan
• Karzai asks Pakistan to unite in “honest” fight against extremism
Europe
• Putin opposes Muslim headscarves at schools, says Russia is secular state
• Toulouse gunman: French 'stopped tracking' Mohamed Merah
• EU to help re-conquer north Mali from armed Islamists
• Norway cautions activists against sailing to Gaza
• UN chief: Hezbollah drone launch ‘reckless’
• Terror officer Afiz Khan slept with aide in my house: George Galloway
India
• Kashmiri Separatist Leader Asks To Stop Amarnath 'Road' Construction, Threatens Agitation
• Mecca over Marx: CPM leader goes on Haj
• 40 years on, Bangladesh to honour ‘foreign friends’ who aided liberation
• SC grants bail to Kazmi in Israeli diplomat car attack case
• Naxals forged ties with ISI with SIMI's help: Bengal DGP
• Bihar CM to visit Pakistan from November 9 to 16
• 'Nashik MPA attack conspirator Bilal trained in Pakistan'
• Terrorists open fire outside Srinagar hotel, one person killed
North America
• Despite Islamic rule, US military court says Major Hasan must shave
• US slap sanctions on Pak-based terror facilitators
• US offers $12 mn for Iran-based al Qaeda financiers
• UNESCO pays tribute to Malala Yousafzai
• U.S. Muslims to Mark End of Hajj with Prayers
• Al-Qaida remains number one enemy of US: White House
• Terror plotter considered Obama as a potential target
• Washington to help Pak army fight threat of IEDs
• CIA seeks drone fleet expansion: Report
Pakistan
• Islami Jamiat Talaba activists attack Baloch, Pashtun students
• Block access to blasphemous material on internet: Pak court
• Final battle will have to be fought between people and Taliban: MQM Chief
• Pakistan must take urgent steps to protect students, teachers: HRW
• Jets, helicopter gunships kill 5 militants, 2 civilians
• SC: former Army chief, DG ISI, president involved in rigging 1990 elections
• Post-2014: Pakistan urged to revisit Afghan vision
• No room for Zardari in Pak now: Hamza
Africa
• Leaders to discuss logistics of re-conquering north Mali
• Somalia: 'Al-Shabab weapons seized in Puntland'
• Tunisia Islamist gov't to launch web TV after media strike
• Minneapolis trial opens window on Somalia terror group
Mideast Asia
• Suspected al Qaeda attack on Yemen army base kills 26
• Kurdish rebels blow up Iranian gas pipeline in Turkey
• Israel limited food to Gaza, calorie by calorie
• Palestinians head to polls to vote for the first time since 2006
• Gaza hails anniversary of prisoner swap deal
• Turkey calls for truce in Syria for Muslim holiday
• Tweeting pianist Say denies Turkish religious insult charge
• Ahmadinejad calls for ceasefire, dialogue in Syria
Arab World
• 49 die as Syrian jets blast rebel-held town Maaret al-Numan
• 28,000 Syrians go missing in 19 months of revolt
• Salafists blamed for destroying Morocco stone carvings
• Lebanon blast: Car bombing in Beirut kills eight
• Egypt liberal, leftist forces to protest Brotherhood 'partisan' rule in Tahrir
• Soldiers' families get green light to sue MoD over Iraq deaths
• Air force bombs rebels besieging Syrian base: NGO
• Syrian students back Assad regime
• Syrian children ‘scarred for life’
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Putin Backs Ban on Muslim Head Scarfs at Schools
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/taliban-killed-more-women-children/d/9042
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Taliban Killed More Women and Children: 18 wedding guests Killed in North Afghanistan
October 19, 2012
A massive roadside bomb has killed at least 18 people on their way to a wedding in northern Afghanistan.
At least 15 others have been wounded in what a BBC correspondent called one of the worst such attacks in the country for some time.
A minibus was carrying men, women and children to the wedding in the Dawlatabad district of Balkh province when it was struck by the bomb.
It is not clear whether they were the intended target.
No-one has yet claimed responsibility.
Officials say they expect the number of dead to increase.
Northern Afghanistan has generally been one of the safest parts of the country since the US-led invasion in 2001, says the BBC's Andrew North in Kabul.
But Balkh has seen an increase in Taliban activity in recent years, which Nato forces - despite their extra numbers - have been unable to suppress.
A UN report in August said civilian casualties had actually fallen for the first time in five years in Afghanistan - suggesting both sides in the war are becoming increasingly sensitive to the impact of civilian deaths.
But the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (Unama), which published the report, said it was concerned that the number of civilian deaths and injuries "remains at a high level".
There are no exact figures for the number of civilians killed since the war began in 2001, but most estimates calculate a minimum of 20,000 civilian deaths.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=41791
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Top Security Official, Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan among the Dead in Beirut Blast
By ANNE BARNARD
October 19, 2012
BEIRUT, Lebanon — A large bomb exploded in the heart of Beirut’s Christian section on Friday, killing a top Lebanese security official and at least seven others, wounding dozens and spreading panic in a city where memories of sectarian violence from Lebanon’s long civil war have been resurrected by the conflict in neighbouring Syria.
The security official, Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan, was apparently the intended target of the explosion, which ripped into buildings, upended cars and shattered windows for blocks in the most serious bombing to hit Beirut in at least four years. He was declared dead a few hours after the blast in an announcement on Lebanese television.
The identities of the other victims were not immediately clear, and there was no word on who was behind the blast, which the authorities said had been caused either by a car bomb or a bomb hidden in the street or under a vehicle parked in the affluent Sassine area, about two blocks from a gleaming shopping centre. It exploded mid afternoon just as the school day was ending.
Suspicion quickly fell on groups aligned with President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, the embattled leader who has long been an influential political force in Lebanon and is close with Hezbollah, the militant Shiite organization that is a powerful faction in Lebanon’s own complex web of politics. The offices of two Lebanese political groups that oppose Mr. Assad, the Christian Phalange Party and the March 14 alliance, are in the same area as the blast site.
“It is clear that the Syrian regime is responsible for such an explosion,” said Nadim Gemayel, a member of Parliament and senior member of the Phalange Party, whose father, Bashir Gemayel, was assassinated in an explosion at party headquarters in 1982 just a few weeks after he had been elected president. “It is such a big explosion that only the Syrian regime could have planned it.”
Terraces on apartment buildings were sheared off by the force of the blast, which shattered glass on structures several blocks away. One car’s blackened and ripped hulk appeared to have been thrown on top of another. Shutters were askew on a traditional Lebanese house across the narrow street. Fire trucks, ambulances, police officers and soldiers crowded the neighbourhood.
A number of politicians reacted to the news by pleading that Lebanon not get dragged into tit-for-tat killings or a return to the sectarian conflict that convulsed this Mediterranean seaside city during the 1975-1991 civil war.
“We are all Lebanese,” said Mouen al-Mourabi, a Member of Parliament who has accused Hezbollah of sending fighters into Syria to help Mr. Assad’s forces crush the 19-month-old uprising against him. Mr. Mourabi stopped short of accusing Hezbollah of complicity in the bombing, but said many Lebanese have long feared the Syrian conflict would spread to Lebanon. “There’s always a danger,” he said. “They’re trying to drag Lebanon toward this.”
The explosion shook the neighbourhood just before 3 p.m., sending black smoke rising over the Sassine area, a wealthy shopping and residential district. Beirut cell phones were jammed as people spread the news.
Civil Defence officers who rushed to the scene picked pieces of flesh off a security fence and put them into plastic bags. Wounded people, many of them elderly residents of the neighbourhood, were emerging from houses, sobbing. One woman walked in a bloodied nightgown.
In an upstairs apartment near the blast, Lily Nameh, 73, said she had been taking a nap with her husband, Ghaleb. “I thought it was an earthquake,” she said. “Suddenly everything was falling on us.” Her husband said, “It felt like a plane landed on the building.”
At The Sporting Club, a gathering place for business people and wealthy residents near the beach, word of the blast interrupted a hazy and unseasonably hot afternoon and many beachgoers immediately left.
The physical scars of the civil war that tore apart Beirut are hardly evident today in the vibrant districts of Ashrafiyeh in the largely Christian east and Hamra in the largely Muslim west. Once strongholds of Christian and Muslim factions, they are now usually peaceful areas full of pubs and restaurants where Lebanese mix freely. But vestiges of the divisions remain evident with posters of the leaders of each sect killed over the years in political violence.
Reporting was contributed by Hwaida Saad, Hania Mourtada and Josh Wood from Beirut, and Christine Hauser from New York.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/20/world/middleeast/bomb-blast-in-beirut-lebanon.html?_r=0
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Muslims trapped in ghetto of fear in Myanmar city
October 19, 2012
SITTWE: Barbed wire and armed troops guard the Muslim quarter of a violence-wracked city in western Myanmar, a virtual prison for the families that have inhabited its narrow streets for generations.
The security forces outside the ghetto in the Rakhine state capital Sittwe are not there to stop its residents leaving – although few dare to anyway – but to protect them from Buddhist mobs after an outburst of sectarian hatred.
In the nearby city centre, life has regained some semblance of normality since the authorities imposed a state of emergency in June in response to Buddhist-Muslim clashes that left dozens dead and tens of thousands homeless.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/453758/muslims-trapped-in-ghetto-of-fear-in-myanmar-city/
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No Myanmar reply to OIC plea for a humanitarian office
18 October 2012
JEDDAH: Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said the OIC had not received formal notification from the government of Myanmar that it will not open an OIC humanitarian office in Myanmar.
He noted that the OIC, once this issue is clarified, would discuss developments at the meeting of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Djibouti in November.
Ihsanoglu said that the organization had earlier received an indirect request from the Ministry of Boarders in Myanmar to postpone the office opening although the government representative signed a cooperation agreement with the OIC delegation in Myanmar in September.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/no-myanmar-reply-oic-plea-humanitarian-office
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“Make them accountable”: young Maldivians talk democracy at documentary launch
By Neil Merrett | October 17th, 2012
Six local students – part of a nine person delegation that earlier this year visited key political institutions in the UK – were today invited to share their experiences and views of challenges facing the Maldives’ parliamentary system when compared to its counterparts around the world.
“In many other countries, if there is a hint of a scandal about an MP they will resign or find themselves pressured out,” said one of the female delegates. “Here, many take the attitude of ‘I don’t care’. We need to make [politicians] accountable.”
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/%E2%80%9Cmake-them-accountable%E2%80%9D-young-maldivians-talk-democracy-at-documentary-launch-45582
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Bangladeshi Suspect's father says New York bomb plot charge 'false'
October 19, 2012
The father of a Bangladeshi man accused of plotting an attack at the New York Federal Reserve has told the BBC the allegations are "totally false".
Speaking from his home in Bangladesh, Quazi Mohammad Ahsanullah said his son was "totally innocent".
Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis, 21, was arrested after he allegedly attempted to detonate what he thought was a 1,000lb (454kg) bomb.
There was no public threat, officials said, as he had been closely watched.
Mr Nafis arrived in the US on a student visa in January, purporting to be studying in Missouri, authorities said.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-19994503
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Maldives “enslaving” migrant workers by withholding passports, warns Indian official
By Neil Merrett | October 18th, 2012
A senior Indian diplomatic official in the Maldives has expressed concern over the ongoing practice of confiscating passports of migrant workers arriving to the country from across South Asia – likening the practice to slavery.
The diplomatic source, who wished not to be identified, has told Minivan News that although several government ministries were critical of the practice of withholding the passports of foreign staff coming to work in the country, the state had taken no action.
Some Ministries – such as the Education Ministry – themselves routinely confiscate passports of migrant workers.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/society/maldives-enslaving-migrant-workers-by-withholding-passports-warns-indian-official-45646
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Maldives to sign UN convention against organised crime
By Minivan News | October 18th, 2012
The Majlis’ National Security Committee has agreed to the Maldives becoming signatory to the United Nations (UN) Convention against Transnational Organised Crime, reports Sun Online.
The convention, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2000, has been signed by 147 states before Maldives.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/category/news-in-brief
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Children under attack in Pakistan, Afghanistan
October 19, 2012
DAVE LINDORFF
Six children were attacked in Afghanistan and Pakistan this past week. Three of them, teenaged girls on a school bus in Peshawar, in the tribal region of western Pakistan, were shot and gravely wounded by two Taliban gunmen who were after Malala Yousufzai, a 14-year-old girl who has been bravely demanding the right of girls to an education. After taking a bullet to the head, and facing further death threats, she has been moved to a specialty hospital in Britain. Her two wounded classmates are being treated in Pakistan.
The other three children were not so lucky. They were killed Sunday in an aerial attack by a US aircraft in the Nawa district of Helmand Province in Afghanistan, not so far from Pakistan. Full report at:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/international/19-Oct-2012/children-under-attack-in-pakistan-afghanistan
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Karzai asks Pakistan to unite in “honest” fight against extremism
18th October 2012
KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai called on Islamabad on Thursday to join him in an “honest” fight against extremism, which he said was threatening both neighbouring nations equally.
Karzai said he hoped the shooting of 14-year-old Pakistani activist by the Taliban would convince Islamabad that “using extremism as a tool” against others was not in its interest.
Karzai said that the shooting of schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai, who campaigned for the right of girls to an education, showed that Islamabad’s strategy was hurting Pakistan too.
“I hope this very bitter truth… has convinced our brothers and sisters, the officials in Pakistan… that using extremism as a tool against others is not in the interest of Pakistan,” Karzai said.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/10/18/karzai-asks-pakistan-to-unite-in-honest-fight-against-extremism/
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Europe
Putin opposes Muslim headscarves at schools, says Russia is secular state
18 October 2012
President Vladimir Putin has spoken out against the wearing of headscarves in Russian schools in his first public comment on a potentially explosive issue.
Putin’s statement Thursday follows a recent incident in southern Russia where a school principal forbade girls from Muslim families from wearing headscarves at school. Their parents protested the move and the principal said she was threatened, according to The Associated Press.
Asked to comment on the issue, Putin signaled his opposition to headscarves at schools, saying that Russia is a secular state and must create equal conditions for all its citizens.
“We must always treat the religious feelings of people with great respect. That must be shown in the state’s activities, in the nuances, in everything,” Putin told supporters, quoted by the Interfax news agency.
“Secondly we have a secular state and we must proceed from this basis,” he added, after being asked for his view on the case of a school in southern Russia that banned girls from wearing the Islamic headscarf.
Russian state media interpreted Putin’s ambiguous comments as expressing his backing for a hijab ban.
“Putin spoke out against the wearing of hijabs in schools,” the website of Rossiya 24 rolling news channel reported, according to AFP.
Putin spoke after the Muslim leader of the southern Stavropol region complained this week that female pupils at one school were refusing to go to lessons because the authorities did not permit them to wear hijabs.
The pro-government daily Izvestiya quoted the village school’s headmistress Marina Savchenko as saying that girls would not be permitted to go to lessons in their hijabs, but that they could wear ordinary headscarves instead.
It added that the parents had filed a complaint with the local prosecutor.
The issue of hijabs is particularly sensitive in Russia’s Chechnya region of the North Caucasus, where leader Ramzan Kadyrov has increased pressure on the mainly Muslim inhabitants to observe Islamic traditions including the hijab.
There are about 20 million Muslims in Russia, many of them living in the mountainous North Caucasus, as well as in Tatarstan and Bashkortostan on the Volga River.
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/10/18/244562.html
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Toulouse gunman: French 'stopped tracking' Mohamed Merah
October 19, 2012
French secret services stopped tracking Toulouse gunman Mohamed Merah, despite evidence of his extensive links to jihadists, including in the UK, leaked documents suggest.
Le Monde newspaper says it has seen notes from the domestic intelligence agency DCRI describing his successful efforts to conceal his movements.
The judge investigating the case said he was perplexed by the DCRI decision.
Merah killed seven people in March before being shot dead by police.
The victims included three soldiers and four Jewish people.
The leaked papers suggest there was more than just suspicion on the part of the French intelligence services, says the BBC's Christian Fraser in Paris.
Merah had been tracked by the security services since 2006.
Profile issue
The report prepared for the French government and leaked to Le Monde cites a DCRI officer raising concerns about the man in March 2011.
The officer said Merah rarely left his home and was paranoid and suspicious. He had no internet in his flat, did not appear to have a mobile phone and always used public telephone booths.
Another note, on 26 April 2011, reported that Merah was violent to women for having shown disrespect to a Muslim.
The note said he glorified the murder of "Western infidels" in songs he composed, and he was photographed with a knife and Koran. He travelled frequently to the Middle East.
He had a long list of contacts to Islamist movements in the UK, the same leaked document says.
According to Le Monde, Merah was last questioned in November 2011 and had great difficulty explaining a visit to Pakistan where he had been training with militants.
Just a week later, the DCRI suddenly stopped monitoring him.
Judge Christophe Teissier said he was surprised by the move.
The judge said Merah's profile was typical of a home-grown threat - he was independent, radicalised quickly, and did everything possible to conceal the support and training he was receiving.
In August, Le Monde said other documents it had seen showed Merah had made more than 1,800 calls to over 180 contacts in 20 different countries.
Merah was shot dead on 22 March after a huge manhunt culminated in a 32-hour stand-off with police at an apartment in Toulouse.
The Jewish victims included three children murdered at a school.
Merah's rampage, from 11 to 19 March, terrorised the region.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-20003470
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EU to help re-conquer north Mali from armed Islamists
October 19, 2012
BRUSSELS: European Union leaders on Friday vowed to help Mali reconquer its vast desert north from armed rebels and Islamists by backing up an international military force and training Malian defence forces.
As African and European leaders gathered in Bamako to agree a plan to retake the north, a draft EU summit statement obtained by AFP said the situation "poses an immediate threat to the Sahel region as well as to West and North Africa and to Europe."
"The EU will support Mali in its efforts to restore the rule of law and re-etablish a fully sovereign democratic government with authority throughout Malian territory," the statement said.
Friday's talks in the Malian capital come a week after the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution giving West African nations 45 days to lay out details for a military intervention.
The EU statement said the bloc "will examine support for the envisaged military force" and "speed up planning of a possible Common Security and Defence Policy military operation to help reorganise and train the Malian defence forces."
The EU would also resume development cooperation as soon as Mali's coup leaders provided evidence of moves to restore constitutional order.
"In the meantime the EU will step up its humanitarian response," the statement added.
Military putschists seized power in the capital Bamako in March, ousting President Amadou Toumani Toure, only to see the north and east fall to Tuareg rebels and militias linked to Al-Qaeda.
In Bamako last week, thousands took to the streets demanding armed intervention by a West African force to oust Islamists forcing women to wear veils and destroying ancient tombs as they impose Sharia law.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2012/Oct-19/192003-leaders-to-discuss-logistics-of-reconquering-north-mali.ashx#ixzz29kPsIfnD
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Norway cautions activists against sailing to Gaza
18th October 2012
Norway’s foreign ministry has cautioned a ship with pro-Palestinian activists and Nordic lawmakers from trying to break an Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza strip to deliver humanitarian goods.
Spokesman Svein Michelsen says that Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide regards the mission as inherently dangerous and that activists risk being exploited by groups they would not want to support. The minister believes that there is no humanitarian crisis that would warrant such a delivery.
Activists said on Thursday that the minister’s comments would change nothing and that the ship was expected to arrive in Gaza on Saturday morning.
The Estelle is carrying medical, sports and musical equipment, as well as children’s books. Five European lawmakers two from Greece and one from each Spain, Norway and Sweden are on board.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/norway-cautions-activists-against-sailing-to-gaza/article4009276.ece
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UN chief: Hezbollah drone launch ‘reckless’
October 19, 2012
UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Hezbollah’s recent drone launch into Israeli airspace a “reckless provocation” in a report submitted Thursday to the Security Council, and warned that the war in Syria was destabilising Lebanon.
Ban also criticised Israel, saying its use of drones and fighter jets in Lebanese territory violates Lebanon’s sovereignty.
Israel and Hezbollah, a major political and military force in Lebanon, fought a war in 2006.
The UN chief said he has told Lebanon’s leaders that militias like Hezbollah pose serious risks “to the stability of the country and the region.” He called on Hezbollah to disarm.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/10/19/un-chief-hezbollah-drone-launch-reckless/
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Terror officer Afiz Khan slept with aide in my house: George Galloway
Oct 19 2012
London: An officer of Britain's elite anti-terror squad Detective Inspector Afiz Khan is being investigated for "secret nights of passion" at the residence of maverick MP George Galloway, a leading British daily reported today.
According to Galloway, Khan had an affair with his aide Aisha Ali Khan and both were sleeping in his Streatham, South London house, while he was away in Indonesia.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/terror-officer-afiz-khan-slept-with-aide-in-my-house-george-galloway/1019221/
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India
Kashmiri Separatist Leader Asks To Stop Amarnath 'Road' Construction, Threatens Agitation
M Saleem Pandit
Oct 19, 2012
SRINAGAR: Separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Thursday reiterated his threat to launch an agitation against what he described as the government's plans to build a macadamized road to the ecologically-fragile Amarnath cave shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas.
Geelani said he would announce the programme for the agitation after Eid-ul-Azha (October 27) if the government does not abandon the plan.
"We have also surveyed the area and found that the government has started the road construction. The construction material has been taken to the site in South Kashmir's restricted forest area," Geelani told reporters. "We will make people aware of the long term results of the construction plan that would disturb the area's ecological balance."
Earlier, Geelani had asked the state government to give up the idea of road connectivity to the shrine on September 2. "Two state ministers insisted that no road construction was planned, but governor N N Vohra and chief minister Omar Abdullah agreed to implement a Supreme Court directive on road connectivity to the cave in a recent meeting," Geelani said.
He reiterated his demand for limiting the Amarnath yatra to 15 days, cap on the number of pilgrims and giving Kashmiri Pandits a lead role in conducting it. The separatist leader sough Shri Amaranthji Shrine Board's abolition and said non-state subjects should be kept away from interfering with the yatra.
Geelani insisted that Kashmiris are not against the yatra, but accused the Centre of trying to impose its "political agenda" through it.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Geelani-asks-govt-to-stop-Amarnath-road-construction-threatens-agitation/articleshow/16872351.cms
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Mecca over Marx: CPM leader Rezzak Mollah goes on Haj
Amal Sarkar & Kaushik Sarkar
Oct 19, 2012
KOLKATA: A West Bengal CPM stalwart is on a pilgrimage to Mecca. Days ahead of embarking on Haj, Abdur Rezzak Mollah, credited for sounding an early warning on the Left Front's disastrous land acquisition policy, insisted his faith in Karl Marx figured way below his absolute devotion to Allah and Prophet Mohammed.
Mollah was land and land reforms minister in the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government. Even as minister, he never minced words against the CM's line on Nandigram and Singur that ultimately caused the Left's spectacular electoral crash. The Canning East MLA had distanced himself from the policy, saying he wasn't kept in the loop.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Mecca-over-Marx-CPM-leader-Rezzak-Mollah-goes-on-Haj/articleshow/16870636.cms
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40 years on, Bangladesh to honour ‘foreign friends’ who aided liberation
Seema Chishti
Oct 19 2012
New Delhi : Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni has an eclectic mailing list as Convenor of the National Committee to Honour the Foreign Friends of the Bangladesh War of Liberation. Writing to the 140-odd guests Bangladesh wants to honour this weekend in Dhaka, and again in December, she speaks of the “omission” of there being a lag of 40 years in formally recognizing the “contribution” of foreign friends of Bangladesh.
Although it is generally remembered that a short but bitter war liberated Bangladesh from Pakistan, Dhaka has decided to go beyond honouring just the generals and other armed fighters who fought for the cause.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/40-years-on-bangladesh-to-honour--foreign-friends--who-aided-liberation/1018977/
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SC grants bail to Kazmi in Israeli diplomat car attack case
October 19, 2012
The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to Syed Mohammad Kazmi, who has been behind bars since March 6 in the Israeli diplomat car attack case.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir granted bail and directed him to deposit his passport before the concerned authority.
Kazmi has also been restrained from going abroad.
The bench passed the order on a plea filed by Kazmi challenging the Delhi high court’s order which had dismissed his plea for bail.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sc-grants-bail-to-kazmi-in-israeli-diplomat-car-attack-case/article4012623.ece
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Naxals forged ties with ISI with SIMI's help: Bengal DGP
Vishwa Mohan
Oct 19, 2012
NEW DELHI: Maoists may have been facing all-round reverses in West Bengal ever since chief minister Mamata Banerjee took charge of the state last year, but they have forged a deadly alliance with the Pakistani spy agency ISI through overground radicals and remnants of the banned outfit SIMI during the period.
Revelation was made by the West Bengal police chief Naparajit Mukherjee here on Thursday when he told a gathering of chief secretaries and DGPs of other naxal-affected states about the growing Maoist-ISI nexus in four districts of the state.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Naxals-forged-ties-with-ISI-with-SIMIs-help-Bengal-DGP/articleshow/16872024.cms
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Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to visit Pakistan from November 9 to 16
Faizan Ahmad
Oct 19, 2012
PATNA: Chief minister Nitish Kumar will make an official visit to Pakistan for a week from November 9 to 16. According to official sources, he is expected to visit Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi besides the archaeological sites of Mohenjodaro and Takshila.
He is likely to meet Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, PM Raja Parvez Ashraf and chairman of Pakistan Tahrik-e-Insaf Party, Imran Khan, among other leaders. Khan, in a recent interview, had heaped praise on Nitish.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Bihar-CM-Nitish-Kumar-to-visit-Pakistan-from-November-9-to-16/articleshow/16872147.cms
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'Nashik MPA attack conspirator Bilal trained in Pakistan'
Oct 18, 2012
Suspected LeT operative Bilal Shaikh alias Lalbaba, facing trial for hatching a conspiracy to attack city-based Maharashtra Police Academy (MPA), underwent a special training in Pakistan before 2010, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has said.
Bilal was trained in advanced combat course (Daura-e-Khas) at a camp in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan to launch terror attacks in the country, Pune ATS inspector Sukhlal Varpe told additional sessions court judge KK Tantrapale.
Full report at:
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_nashik-mpa-attack-conspirator-bilal-trained-in-pakistan_1753746
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Terrorists open fire outside Srinagar hotel, one person killed
Oct 19, 2012
SRINAGAR: Suspected terrorists on Friday opened fire near the gate of a four-star hotel at Pantha chowk-Parimpora bypass road on the outskirts of the city, killing an employee.
The ultras opened fire near the gate of the hotel near Lasjan around 4:20pm, resulting in death of one of its employees identified as Farooq Ahmad, police said.
It was not immediately clear whether the hotel or a security forces convoy passing through the area was the target of the militants, they said.
Security forces have cordoned off the area and launched a hunt to track down the militants, the police said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Terrorists-open-fire-outside-Srinagar-hotel-one-person-killed/articleshow/16879150.cms
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North America
Despite Islamic rule, US military court says Major Hasan must shave
Oct 19 2012
San Antonio : A US military court ruled on Thursday that Fort Hood shooting suspect Major Nidal Hasan must shave his beard, which he says he grew because of his Muslim faith, before appearing for court-martial on murder charges connected to the 2009 rampage.
Hasan is accused of opening fire on a group of soldiers who were undergoing medical exams at the Army post in Texas on November 5, 2009, in preparation for their deployment to Iraq. Thirteen people died in the attack and 32 others were wounded.
He could face the death penalty if convicted.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/1019118/
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US slap sanctions on Pak-based terror facilitators
October 18, 2012
The US has imposed sanctions on three Pakistan-based terrorist facilitators who are helping the Taliban, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).
The three -- Maulvi Adam Khan Achekzai, Aamir Ali Chaudhry and Qari Ayyub Bashir -- have been designated for providing material, logistical and financial support to the three designated organisations, according to a statement issued by the US Treasury Department.
The sanctions will freeze any assets under US jurisdiction held by the three individuals, and will prohibit any US citizens from engaging in transactions with Chaudhry, Achekzai and Bashir.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/NorthAmerica/US-slaps-sanctions-on-Pak-based-terror-facilitators/Article1-946720.aspx
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US offers $12 mn for Iran-based al Qaeda financiers
October 19, 2012
WASHINGTON: The United States posted a reward of up to $12 million on Thursday for help in tracking down two Iran-based al Qaeda financial backers, accused of funneling money to extremists in Syria.
The State Department named the men as Muhsin al-Fadhli and his deputy Adel Radi Saqr al-Wahabi al-Harbi, saying both “facilitate the movement of funds and operatives through Iran on behalf of the al Qaeda terrorist network.”
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/10/19/us-offers-12-mn-for-iran-based-al-qaeda-financiers/
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UNESCO pays tribute to Malala Yousafzai
October 18, 2012
October 19, 2012
NEW YORK: The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today praised the bravery of Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani 14-year-old girl who was injured during an assassination attempt on 9 October.
According to a statement on UNESCO's website, the Director-General was speaking at a tribute for the schoolgirl organized by UNESCO’s Executive Board, on the final day of its 190th session.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-72043-UNESCO-pays-tribute-to-Malala-Yousafzai
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U.S. Muslims to Mark End of Hajj with Prayers
October 19, 2012
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 10/18/12) - On Friday, October 26, American Muslims will mark the end of the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca, or Hajj, with communal prayers and celebrations at locations around the country.
The prayers and the holiday that follows are called Eid ul-Adha (EED-al-ODD-ha), or "festival of the sacrifice." Eid ul-Adha also commemorates the Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael at God's command. The holiday is celebrated with the prayers, small gifts for children, distribution of meat to the needy, and social gatherings. During this holiday, Muslims exchange the greeting "Eid Mubarak" or "blessed Eid." Each year, some two million Muslims, including thousands of American Muslims, go on Hajj.
Full report at:
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Al-Qaida remains number one enemy of US: White House
Oct 19, 2012
WASHINGTON: Al-Qaida remains the number one enemy of the US, even as strength of this terrorist outfit has been considerably weakened, the White House said on Thursday.
"Al-Qaida remains our number-one enemy and our number-one foe. That is why we focus so much of our attention on al-Qaida and its affiliates, because the struggle against al-Qaida continues, and the (US) President has been focused on it since the day he took office," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Al-Qaida-remains-number-one-enemy-of-US-White-House/articleshow/16870962.cms
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Terror plotter considered Obama as a potential target
Oct 19, 2012
NEW YORK: A Bangladeshi man snared in an FBI terror sting considered targeting United States President Barack Obama before settling on a car bomb attack on The Federal Reserve in New York City, a law enforcement official said on Thursday.
The official stressed that the suspect never got beyond the discussion stage.
In a September meeting with an undercover agent posing as a fellow jihadist, Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis explained he chose the Federal Reserve as his car bomb target "for operational reasons", according to a criminal complaint. Nafis also indicated he knew that choice would "cause a large number of civilian casualties, including women and children", the complaint said. He had also considered the New York Stock Exchange as a target.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Terror-plotter-considered-Obama-as-a-potential-target/articleshow/16873417.cms
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Washington to help Pak army fight threat of IEDs
October 19, 2012
WASHINGTON: In a bid to counter improvised explosive devices (IED) blasts, the US Department of Defence’s Joint Improvised Explosives Devices Defeat Organisation (JIEDDO) Director Lt Gen Michael Barbero announced that the US has agreed to develop a framework of cooperation with the Pakistani military.
Speaking at an event at the Atlantic Council, Gen Barbero said that after Afghanistan, Pakistan has witnessed the most IED blasts. The director added that in the past two years there has been a substantial increase in IED blasts, with 16,000 just taking place in 2011, whereas June 2012 has seen a record surge compared to previous years. He said, however, that casualties from IEDs have decreased.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/453660/pak-us-relations-washington-to-help-pak-army-fight-threat-of-ieds/
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CIA seeks drone fleet expansion: Report
October 19, 2012
The CIA is urging the White House to approve a significant expansion of the drone fleet, a move that would extend the spy service's decade-long transformation into a paramilitary force, a US daily newspaper said in a report.
Citing a US official, the Washington Post reported that the proposal by CIA Director David H. Petraeus would bolster the agency's ability to sustain its campaigns of lethal strikes in Pakistan and Yemen.
Full report at:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/19-Oct-2012/cia-seeks-drone-fleet-expansion-report
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Pakistan
Islami Jamiat Talaba activists attack Baloch, Pashtun students
By Arsalan Haider
October 19, 2012
LAHORE: The peaceful environment at Punjab University (PU) was disturbed with a scuffle between Pashtun and Baloch students and Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) activists on Wednesday night.
A number of violent incidents have taken place in PU hostels in the last few months. An IJT activist was also killed in one such incident.
The latest skirmish was reported when Pashtun and Baloch students organised a tea party on Wednesday to welcome newcomers from their areas. Jamiat activists asked the organisers not to hold any such ceremony on the premises of PU without permission of IJT, saying that “only” IJT could arrange such functions.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\10\19\story_19-10-2012_pg13_5
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Block access to blasphemous material on internet: Pak court
Oct 19 2012
Lahore : Acting on petition filed by Jamaat-e-Islami leaders, a Pakistani court has directed the federal government to immediately block access to "blasphemous material" on Google and YouTube.
Justice Ijazul Ahsan of the Lahore High Court issued the order yesterday after hearing the petition filed by Jamaat-e- Islami leaders Liaquat Baloch and Farid Ahmed Paracha.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/block-access-to-blasphemous-material-on-internet-pak-court/1019210/
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Final battle will have to be fought between people and Taliban: MQM Chief
October 19, 2012
KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain has said that time has come for the Pakistani nation to decide if they want Quaid-e-Azam’s Pakistan or a Taliban’s Pakistan.
A dividing line should be drawn between the two now. He expressed these views during an interview to a private television channel, says a release issued here on Thursday. Hussain said that the sovereignty of any nation is of the foremost importance, whether we enjoy 100 percent sovereignty or not, it should be decided by the people of Pakistan.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\10\19\story_19-10-2012_pg7_25
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Pakistan must take urgent steps to protect students, teachers: HRW
October 19, 2012
ISLAMABAD: The Government of Pakistan needs to take immediate step to protect all those facing risk of attacks including schools, teachers, students and rights activists, according to a statement issued by the Human Rights Watch on Friday.
The organisation also appealed to Taliban, al Qaeda and it’s affiliates to stop attacks targeting children, schools and educationists.
According to the Human Rights Watch, the Pakistan army should also refrain from turning schools into targets by using them as bases.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/10/19/pakistan-must-take-urgent-steps-to-protect-students-teachers-hrw/
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Jets, helicopter gunships kill 5 militants, 2 civilians
October 19, 2012
BARA: Pakistani jet fighters and helicopter gunships blitzed militant hideouts in the Akka Khel area of Tirah Valley, Khyber Agency, killing five militants and two civilians.
An official of the paramilitary troops in the area said that around 7:00am, two jet fighters pounded Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) hideouts, a banned outfit led by Mangal Bagh in Akka Khel, with bombs.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/453625/military-raid-jets-helicopter-gunships-kill-5-militants-2-civilians/
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SC : former Army chief, DG ISI, president involved in rigging 1990 elections
October 19, 2012
ISLAMABAD: Announcing the short order of a 16-year-old case, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said the then Army chief, president and DG ISI were involved in rigging the elections of 1990 and ordered for an inquiry by the FIA against all those involved, Express News reported on Friday.
The court said that corrupt practices took place in the 1990 elections and the Asghar Khan petition was now admissible for regular hearing as it is a crucial matter of national importance.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/453753/asghar-khan-case-sc-reserves-verdict-to-announce-short-order-today/
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Post-2014: Pakistan urged to revisit Afghan vision
October 19, 2012
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government needs to revisit its Afghan vision if it is to see a friendly, non-hostile Afghanistan, said participants of a seminar on Pak-Afghan relations after 2014.
The seminar ‘Shaping the Future of Afghanistan and Pakistan: Policy Recommendations’, organised by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) on Thursday, was attended by experts from Germany, Afghanistan and Pakistan who came up with policy recommendations to shape the future in the run-up to the 2014 pull-out of the foreign troops from Afghanistan.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/453680/post-2014-pakistan-urged-to-revisit-afghan-vision/
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No room for Zardari in Pak now: Hamza
October 18, 2012
LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-N leader, Hamza Shahbaz Thursday said be it by-polls or general elections the people of Pakistan have decided that 'Zardari' has no room in this country anymore.
He said this while addressing his party workers on the occasion of withdrawal of a candidate's nomination from the by-elections on PP-92, a provincial constituency of Gujranwala.
Hamza Shahbaz said the people of Pakistan have made up their mind not to give any room to the plunderers and thieves.
"Our destination is no longer the governance but to convert the clouds of hopelessness and frustration hovering over the people into the silver lining," he claimed.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-72031-No-room-for-Zardari-in-Pakistan-now:-Hamza
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Africa
Leaders to discuss logistics of re-conquering north Mali
19 Oct 2012
African and European leaders will meet in Bamako on Friday to work on the logistics of re-conquering Mali's desert north from armed Islamists.
The summit comes a week after the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution giving West African nations 45 days to lay out details for a military intervention.
The vast region the size of France fell under control of radical Islamist groups in the chaos that followed a March coup in the country that was once considered one of Africa's most stable democracies.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/55979/World/International/Leaders-to-discuss-logistics-of-reconquering-north.aspx
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Somalia: 'Al-Shabab weapons seized in Puntland'
October 19, 2012
A large consignment of arms destined for suspected Islamist militants in north-eastern Somalia has been seized, a regional governor has told the BBC.
Abdisamad Gallan said a boat said to have come from Yemen delivered sealed sacks full of land mines and artillery.
Correspondents say this is one of the biggest seizures of al-Shabab weapons.
The discovery was made after a tip-off from residents in Qandala, a coastal town in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, Mr Gallan said.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-20003253
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Tunisia Islamist gov't to launch web TV after media strike
18 Oct 2012
Tunisia's Islamist-led administration is to launch an Internet television channel to try to get its message across, a minister said on Thursday after reporters at state media went on strike to protest what they called government attempts to impose control.
Tunisia's once-staid media has enjoyed a new lease of life since last year's removal of autocratic leader Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, but activists accuse the government, led by the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, of now trying to restrict freedom of speech.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/55957/World/Region/Tunisia-Islamist-govt-to-launch-web-TV-after-media.aspx
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Minneapolis trial opens window on Somalia terror group
October 19, 2012
By Amy Forliti
MINNEAPOLIS: The trial of a Minneapolis man convicted in a conspiracy to send young men from Minnesota to the terrorist group al-Shabab in Somalia has provided the most detailed look yet into what has been called one of the largest investigations into the recruitment of U.S. fighters to a foreign terrorist organization.
Mahamud Said Omar, 46, was convicted Thursday on five terrorism-related counts, including one that could land him in prison for life. Authorities say he provided money for al-Shabab weapons and helped some young recruits get plane tickets for Somalia - pushing them toward the terror group after they were indoctrinated in Minneapolis.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Oct-19/192011-minneapolis-trial-opens-window-on-somalia-terror-group.ashx#ixzz29kD0nlyo
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Mideast Asia
Suspected al Qaeda attack on Yemen army base kills 26
October 19, 2012
At least 13 soldiers and 13 suspected al Qaeda members died in an attack on an army base in Yemen's southern province of Abyan on Friday, medical and military sources said.
Violence has intensified in Yemen in recent weeks. The United States, wary of the growing power of al Qaeda, has stepped up drone strikes on suspected militant positions and militants have increased attacks on state and army targets.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=41792
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Kurdish rebels blow up Iranian gas pipeline in Turkey
October 19, 2012
Kurdish rebels have claimed responsibility for a bomb attack on a natural gas pipeline in eastern Turkey.
The blast has halted the flow of gas from Iran. It also wounded 28 Turkish soldiers who, an official said, were driving past in a military vehicle.
It is the second attack in a month on the pipeline. The Kurdish separatist group, the PKK, has also targetted the oil pipeline from Iraq.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-20002779
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Israel limited food to Gaza, calorie by calorie
18th October 2012
The Israeli military meticulously calculated the number of calories Gaza’s residents would need to consume to avoid malnutrition during a sweeping blockade imposed on the Palestinian territory between 2007 and mid-2010, according to a document the Defence Ministry released under a court order and that was made public on Wednesday.
The Israeli military insisted that it never used the 2008 guidelines to restrict the flow of food to Gaza. But critics disputed that, saying the calculations appear to have guided limits imposed on food imports at the time. They said the document provides further evidence that Israel used food as a weapon to put pressure on Hamas, the violently anti-Israel militant group that seized Gaza by force in mid-2007.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/israel-limited-food-to-gaza-calorie-by-calorie/article4009653.ece
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Palestinians head to polls to vote for the first time since 2006
Oct 19, 2012
RAMALLAH: Palestinians in the West Bank will head to the polls tomorrow day for the first time in nearly seven years, casting their ballots in local elections.
But the long-delayed vote will only be held in the West Bank, with the first stage of voting to take place in 91 of the territory's 353 municipalities.
In another 181 localities, candidates were appointed unopposed, with elections to be held in the remaining areas at a date which has yet to be set, the Central Elections Commission (CEC) said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Palestinians-head-to-polls-to-vote-for-the-first-time-since-2006/articleshow/16874098.cms
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Gaza hails anniversary of prisoner swap deal
18 October 2012
GAZA CITY: Hundreds of Hamas militants kicked off celebrations in Gaza yesterday to mark one year since Israel began freeing 1,027 prisoners in exchange for the release of one soldier.
In the first event of a day of celebrations, hundreds of armed and masked militants from the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the ruling Hamas movement, marched through the city in a big show of force, an AFP correspondent said.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/gaza-hails-anniversary-prisoner-swap-deal
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Turkey calls for truce in Syria for Muslim holiday
October 19, 2012
ANKARA: Turkey on Friday joined an appeal for a cease-fire to stop the bloodshed in Syria during a Muslim holiday next week.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said both Syrian forces and rebels should end hostilities "at least" through the four-day Eid al-Adha holiday that begins on Oct. 26. He said the sides should also aim for a truce that lasts beyond the holiday.
The Joint U.N.-Arab League envoy to the Syria conflict, Lakhdar Brahimi, and a number of countries are pushing for a temporary truce. Brahimi has called on the Syrian government to take the initiative, a position echoed by Turkey.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Oct-19/191993-turkey-urges-sides-in-syria-to-observe-cease-fire-over-eid-al-adha-holiday.ashx#ixzz29kCrN8zG
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Tweeting pianist Say denies Turkish religious insult charge
October 19, 2012
By Can Sezer
ISTANBUL: Turkish concert pianist Fazil Say's exuberance has won him fans around the world, but it has also helped land him in court as a cause celebre for those alarmed by Turkey's creeping Islamic conservatism.
On trial for insulting religion in citing a thousand-year-old poem on his Twitter account, the 42-year-old performer and composer told a first brief hearing in Istanbul on Thursday that he denied the charge, which can carry an 18-month sentence.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Oct-19/192001-tweeting-pianist-say-denies-turkish-religious-insult-charge.ashx#ixzz29kDBe0UE
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Ahmadinejad calls for ceasefire, dialogue in Syria
October 19, 2012
KUWAIT CITY (AFP) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has urged a ceasefire in Syria and called for internal dialogue to resolve the crisis, but rejects a Turkish proposal to replace President Bashar al-Assad, Kuwait’s press reported Thursday, while resources added urgency to truce calls by peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi.
“The continuity of the fighting and the killing of innocent and unarmed Syrian citizens...is unacceptable. A ceasefire must be achieved and then a dialogue started,” said Ahmadinejad, cited by the daily Al-Anbaa newspaper.
Full report at:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/international/19-Oct-2012/ahmadinejad-calls-for-ceasefire-dialogue-in-syria
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Arab World
49 die as Syrian jets blast rebel-held town Maaret al-Numan
Oct 19, 2012
SYRIA: Syrian fighter jets blasted the rebel-held town of Maaret al-Numan on Thursday, killing at least 49 people, including 23 children, in a further escalation of violence in the war-torn country, rescuers said.
Amid the bloodshed, UN peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi pressed for a truce during a key Muslim holiday later this month, while the UN's human rights chief appealed to the Security Council for unity over the crisis.
Rescuers said bombs destroyed two residential buildings and a mosque, where many women and children had been taking refuge, in the strategic northwestern town. Among those killed was a nine-month-old baby.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/49-die-as-Syrian-jets-blast-rebel-held-town-Maaret-al-Numan/articleshow/16874132.cms
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28,000 Syrians go missing in 19 months of revolt
October 19, 2012
BEIRUT/MAARET AL NUMAN: At least 28,000 Syrians have gone missing since they were abducted by forces loyal to President Bashar al Assad during the 19-month-old revolt, activist group Avaaz said on Thursday.
Quoting statements from Syrian human rights lawyers and families, Avaaz said security forces had set out to terrorise communities by grabbing people off the street and torturing them. Other rights groups have also accused Syrian rebel groups of abducting people they deem pro-government.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\10\19\story_19-10-2012_pg7_6
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Salafists blamed for destroying Morocco stone carvings
October 19, 2012
Muslim hardliners known as Salafists have been blamed for destroying ancient stone carvings in Morocco's High Atlas mountains.
The rock engravings date back more than 8,000 years and include an image of the Sun depicted as a pagan god.
"They were destroyed several days ago," said Aboubakr Anghir of the Amazigh League for Human Rights.
"One of the carvings, called 'The plaque of the Sun', predates the arrival of the Phoenicians in Morocco."
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-19997327
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Egypt liberal, leftist forces to protest Brotherhood 'partisan' rule in Tahrir
18 Oct 2012
Liberal and leftist political parties and groups are organising a new Tahrir Square protest this Friday against what they consider the domination of one group – the Muslim Brotherhood – over Egyptian political life. Protesters will also voice their rejection of a draft constitution proposed by Egypt's Constituent Assembly.
The planned rally, dubbed "Egypt is not anyone's private estate - Egypt is for all Egyptians," is intended to "send a message to the president and his party and their political allies, namely the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamist parties, that the days of single-party rule are over and that the constitution must represent all Egyptians," the Constitution Party, one of the protest's main sponsors, declared in a statement.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/55951/Egypt/Politics-/Egypt-liberal,-leftist-forces-to-protest-Brotherho.aspx
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Soldiers' families get green light to sue MoD over Iraq deaths
October 19, 2012
The families of two soldiers killed in Iraq have been told they can sue the Ministry of Defence for negligence.
The cases concern a soldier who died in a "friendly fire" incident and one killed when his lightly armoured Snatch Land Rover was attacked.
But the Appeal Court ruled the latter - and two other families - could not pursue claims on human rights grounds.
The MoD argued decisions about battlefield equipment were for politicians and commanders, not courts.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-19992082
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Air force bombs rebels besieging Syrian base: NGO
19 Oct 2012
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says air force carried attacks against rebels camping near a military base in the province of Idlib
Syria's air force carried out raids on Friday morning against rebels besieging a major military base in the northwestern province of Idlib, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
"Military aircraft dropped bombs that targeted rebels camped near (the base at) Wadi Deif," concentrating their firepower on the villages of Talmans and Maashemsha, said the Britain-based monitoring group.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/55976/World/Region/Air-force-bombs-rebels-besieging-Syrian-base-NGO.aspx
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Syrian students back Assad regime
Oct 19, 2012
NEW DELHI: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may be accused of genocide and unheard of brutalities, but he still enjoys support from enough countrymen — something which has probably prevented India from insisting on a change of regime in the war-torn country. On Thursday, the Syrian student community in India, accompanied by officials from the Syrian officials, thanked the Russian ambassador here, Alexander Kadakin, for Russia's unwavering support to Damascus.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Syrian-students-back-Assad-regime/articleshow/16872124.cms
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Syrian children ‘scarred for life’
19 October 2012
GENEVA: The UN’s top human rights official urged nations yesterday to save Syria’s embattled and dying children.
High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay says many Syrian children "will be scarred for life" at the hands of their government, army or neighbors.
She called on the world to prevent another slaughter like that of 8,000 men in July 1995 by Serb forces who overran the Bosnian enclave of Srebrenica, in what became Europe’s worst massacre since the Second World War.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/syrian-children-%E2%80%98scarred-life%E2%80%99
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/taliban-killed-more-women-children/d/9042