Turkey Presents Prophet's Sayings for the 21st Century
New Age Islam News Bureau
23 May 2013
Photo: ‘Barbaric Attack’ in London
Europe
• ‘Barbaric Attack’ in London Prompts Meeting on Terror
• Anti-Islamist protests flare following brutal London attack
• London Attacker Was British-Born of Nigerian Descent: Source
• Mother of two tried to talk down London attackers
• We want to start a war in London, suspect tells eyewitness
• Man hacked to death in London; attack heightens terror fears
• Soldier's murder is attack on Britain, betrayal of Islam: David Cameron
• You will never be safe: London attacker
• Detained by Interpol: Pak fugitive in Bosnia gets British help
• Woolwich attack: UK will "never give in to terror", PM
• U.N. to unveil maternal healthcare drive, targets Muslim countries
Arab World
• Iraqi Fundamentalists’ War Against Vice Targets Alcohol and Prostitution
• Facebook pages belonging to Syrian opposition deactivated
• Nations to boost aid to Syrian rebels until Assad goes
• Saudi to ‘protest strongly’ against Iranian spying, says FM
• Twitter boosts security after attacks by pro-Assad hackers
• At least six killed in Syria-linked clashed in Lebanese city
• World Bank proposes $150 mln loan to help Jordan with refugees
• $15 billion Saudi bailout package to Pakistan likely
India
• Kashmir's self-styled Godman arrested for rape of young girls
• Indian Imams to visit Auschwitz for Holocaust awareness
• Centre toughens stand on Kashmiri separatist leaders’ travels abroad
• Need to get back PoK, says Subramanian Swamy
• Srinagar: wanted LeT militant killed in encounter
• Wary of Pakistan, India hesitant over Karzai wish list for military hardware
• Consider parole for Mumbai blast convict: HC
Pakistan
• American who was killed by drone had been arrested by Pakistan
• Will Pakistan continue to turn a blind eye to minorities?
• Car bomb kills 12, wounded 23 in southwest Pakistan
• Indo-Pak relations and the curse of 24/7 TV
• Five persons including four women gunned down in Balochistan
• Chinese PM Li Keqiang effusive in praise of Pakistan, but not everyone buys it
• Nawaz Sharif seeks civil nuclear technology from China
• Most favoured nation status to India soon: Pakistan minister
• Nawaz nominates Shahbaz for CM Punjab slot
• Solving Balochistan’s issues is simple, if you have the courage for it: Akhtar Mengal
• Li moots China-Pak eco corridor
• TTP welcomes Nawaz's call for peace talks
Southeast Asia
• ‘Religious councils, association can be parties in Allah dispute’
• Bank Indonesia Taps Religious Groups to Expand Banking Outreach
• Amnesty International Report Bashes Indonesia Rights
• Police Arrest Alleged Myanmar Embassy Bombing Plot Mastermind
• Bogor Politician Named Suspect in PDI-P Sex Video Case
• SBY Pledges Freedom for Papuan Political Prisoners: Lawmaker
South Asia
• Maldives Chief of Defence Force warns of youth enrolling in terror training camps
• Maldives UN team calls for abolition of death penalty, flogging
• China-Pak relations ‘higher than mountain, deeper than ocean’
• Uninterrupted democracy must for development: Bangladesh PM
• Govt urged to boost ties with Myanmar
• Press Myanmar to facilitate humanitarian access
• Maldives Presidential election regulations unveiled
Africa
• At least 18 soldiers killed in gun battle in Niger: Military sources
• Clashes in Tripoli kills five, more than 50 wounded
• Crackdown on radical Islamists tests Tunisia's stability
• DR Congo: M23 rebels declare truce for Ban Ki-moon visit
• Simultaneous Car Bomb Attacks in Niger
North America
• FBI shoots, kills man linked to Boston bomb suspect
• US condemns terrorist attack in London
• Drone strikes in Pakistan have fallen sharply: NYT
• Kerry Begins Round of Talks with Israel, Palestinians
• One Drone Victim’s Trail from Raleigh to Pakistan
• U.S. Fears the Fighting in Syria Might Spill Over Into Lebanon, Kerry Says
Mideast
• Turkey Presents Prophet's Sayings for the 21st Century
• Israel Finding Itself Drawn into Syria’s Turmoil
• Iran election: Rafsanjani criticises leaders' 'ignorance'
• IAEA: Iran is expanding its nuclear activities
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
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Turkey Presents Prophet's Sayings for the 21st Century
By Tom Heneghan, Religion Editor
May 22, 2013
(Reuters) - Scholars around the Muslim world were alarmed five years ago by news reports that Turkey planned a new, possibly heretical compilation of the Prophet Mohammad's sayings that might scrap those it thought were out of date.
Turkish religious leaders and theologians received anxious calls asking about Western media reports they would edit a "radical" new set of Hadiths, scriptures that are second only to the Quran in Islam.
"Will you write a new Quran next?" one irate Arab scholar asked a baffled Turkish academic.
The new work, finally ready after six years in the making, is nothing like the 95 Theses in which Martin Luther condemned practices in the Roman Catholic Church and launched the Protestant Reformation.
Instead, its 100 authors have selected a few hundred of the about 17,000 reported quotes from Mohammad to examine Islamic views on God, faith and life in terms that the average modern Turk can understand.
"We don't live in the 20th century anymore," said Mehmet Ozafsar, director of the project and vice-president of Ankara's Religious Affairs Directorate, or Diyanet, a state agency.
"We needed a new work with Islamic beliefs in the perspective of today's culture."
The Hadiths record Mohammad's words and acts during his life. Preachers and jurists use them to understand the Quran and support Muslim teachings and Fatwas (religious edicts) on all aspects of life, from prayer to education for women.
Digests of selected Hadiths are nothing new in Islam. Scholars have produced them for centuries to help Muslims learn about the Prophet's sayings without having to navigate through the long and sometimes confusing classical compilations.
What makes this one different is that it selects and explains the Hadiths from the perspective of today's Turkey, whose mix of a secular state, dynamic economy and Muslim society has aroused considerable interest in the Middle East since the Arab Spring revolts two years ago.
A senior religious official in Egypt, where traditional Islamic scholars, the ruling Muslim Brotherhood and radical Salafis differ over key issues in the faith, said the Hadith collection could bring a new perspective to the debate.
"Among intellectuals in Egypt, there is a welcome for this new interpretation which they think is very important for the Arab world to be exposed to," said Ibrahim Negm, advisor to Egypt's grand mufti, the highest Islamic legal authority there.
"CONSERVATIVE MODERNITY"
The Hadith project first attracted attention in 2008 when the BBC called it "a revolutionary reinterpretation of Islam and a controversial and radical modernization of the religion."
Diyanet, Turkey's top Islamic authority called this and other reports "entirely wrong" and based on Christian misreading of Islamic practice. Media interest dropped off and the project went ahead, leaving scholars abroad wondering what to expect.
What has emerged is a seven-volume encyclopaedia of what its authors considered the most important Hadiths. Grouped according to subjects, they are followed by short essays that explain the sayings in their historical context and what they mean today.
The collection is the first by Turkey's "Ankara School" of theologians who in recent decades have reread Islamic scriptures to extract their timeless religious message from the context of 7th-century Arab culture in which they arose.
Unlike many traditional Muslim scholars, these theologians work in modern university faculties and many have studied abroad to learn how Christians analyze the Bible critically.
They subscribe to what they call "conservative modernity," a Sunni Islam true to the faith's core doctrines but without the strictly literal views that ultra-orthodox Muslims have been promoting in other parts of the Islamic world.
"There are different perspectives in the Islamic world and some are closed-minded. Turks have a different idea of Islamic culture," project director Ozafsar said.
That includes a strong secular tradition allowing alcohol consumption and Western dress for women, although Turkish society has turned more conservative and religious in the past decade under the conservative AKP government. Turkey also has women preachers in mosques and female deputy muftis in several large cities.
Mehmet Pacaci, Diyanet's general director for foreign affairs, said Muslims shouldn't simply "open the Quran or a Hadith compilation; find a verse or saying of the Prophet and say, 'Aha! This is the judgment of this action'.
"If we do that, its literalism and ignorance," he told Reuters. "Unfortunately, we have such ignorance in the Muslim world."
Although neither this collection nor much other recent Turkish theology has been translated into Arabic, these views have stirred interest among Arab thinkers struggling to reconcile their more traditional Islam with modern democracy.
Negm said Turkish religious delegations now regularly visit Al-Azhar in Cairo, the leading seat of Sunni learning, and Arabic translations of the late Turkish theologian Said Nursi have begun appearing in bookshops in the Egyptian capital.
"Egyptian intellectuals are very impressed with the Turkish model, not only in the economic and political realm but also in its moderate religious orientation," he said, adding Turkey was seen as "the antithesis of the Wahhabi-Salafi model."
Wahhabism is the stern official school of Islam in Saudi Arabia and one of the inspirations for militant Salafis, the literalist Sunnis who have been attacking Shi'ites and Sufis and trying to impose Sharia law in several Muslim countries.
NOT A RULE BOOK
The first edition of "Islam with the Hadiths of the Prophet," as the collection is called, has started rolling off the printing presses in Turkish. It will be officially released during Ramadan, which is due to start in early July.
Displaying the first green-bound volumes, the officials said the essays dealt with modern issues such as women's rights, but were not presented as a compendium of official positions that imams must preach or Islamic judges must implement.
"The aim was not to produce an answer to today's agenda topics like gender issues, punishment and jihad," Pacaci said.
For example, the question of schooling for girls comes up in the section about education, which starts with the Hadith "Seeking knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim" in Arabic and a few supporting Hadiths and Turkish translations underneath.
Several pages of commentary in Turkish follow and explain that since the Hadiths say education is obligatory for all Muslims, it is a right for girls and women as well.
Another essay on women stresses that they attended mosques and ran businesses when Mohammad governed the city of Medina. "They were active in every part of social life," Pacaci said.
Hadiths calling for harsh punishments such as severing thieves' hands were put into historical perspective so they are not taken as models for modern times, Ozafsar said.
"You can find these punishments in the Prophet's time because society needed these rules for social peace," he said. "Today, we have different social systems. We can say these rules and punishments are historical."
Saban Ali Duzgun, a professor in Ankara University's theology faculty, said imams liked to pepper their preaching with Hadiths because they dealt with so many aspects of everyday life. But if they consult the original source books, they might pick Hadiths that don't suit life in modern Turkey, he said.
"We object to preachers using so many Hadiths," said Duzgun. With this new reference work from Diyanet, which employs the imams, most Turkish preachers would only use hadiths and interpretations they find in it, he said.
While the collection is mainly for domestic use, Diyanet has begun preparing a translation into Bosnian, the language of Muslims in former Yugoslavia who were once under Ottoman rule.
It is also considering bilingual Turkish-German edition for the large Turkish minority in Germany, Diyanet officials said.
Editions in languages such as Arabic or English were not planned right away, they added, but publishers in Egypt and Britain have recently expressed interest in translating the collection to make it widely available soon.
(Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/22/us-turkey-islam-hadiths-idUSBRE94L0OJ20130522
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Europe
‘Barbaric Attack’ in London Prompts Meeting on Terror
By JOHN F. BURNS
May 23, 2013
LONDON — In an attack that raised new fears of terrorism in Britain, a man walking near a military barracks in south London on Wednesday was rammed by a car and then hacked to death by two knife-wielding assailants, according to witness accounts carried by British news media.
British officials did not identify the victim, but the French president, François Hollande, referred to him as “a soldier” in expressing France’s sympathy to the visiting British Prime Minister, David Cameron. Mr. Cameron had been en route to Paris from Brussels when the attack took place.
Two suspects were shot and wounded by the police, officials said, and were in separate hospitals under police guard, one in serious condition. One of the men shouted “Allahu Akbar,” or “God is great,” as the attack proceeded, government officials said.
Mr. Cameron, at a news conference at the Élysée Palace in Paris, said the killing was “an appalling murder” and “absolutely sickening.”
“There are strong indications that it is a terrorist incident,” Mr. Cameron said. He interrupted his European tour to return to London on Wednesday night.
ITV News showed a video taken with a Cellphone at the scene in Woolwich in which a man who appears to be in his 20s or early 30s holds a cleaver in one of his bloodied hands. He offers what seems to be a political message before the police arrive.
“I apologize that women had to see this today, but in our lands women have to see the same thing,” he says. “You people will never be safe. Remove your governments! They don’t care about you.”
He then refers to what appears to be a motive for the attack, saying it was carried out “because of what’s going on in our own countries.”
The BBC reported Wednesday night that British security officials had identified at least one of the two men as having family origins in Nigeria.
Organizations representing Britain’s 2.5 million Muslims were quick to condemn the attack. “No cause justifies this murder,” the Muslim Council of Britain said in a statement on behalf of the network of mosques, schools and charities it represents. It described the killing in Woolwich as “a barbaric act that has no basis in Islam,” and added that the “vast majority of British Muslims acknowledge the armed forces for the work they do.”
The assault took place near a heavily trafficked junction a short walk from the London headquarters of the Royal Artillery, a unit that has deployed soldiers, including tank units, to Iraq and Afghanistan. A primary school is nearby, and witnesses said some of those who had seen the attack were parents and children returning home.
A small blue car — apparently the vehicle used to ram the victim — appeared to have hit a telephone pole after mounting the sidewalk. Photographs and TV footage from the scene showed extensive damage to the car’s hood and windshield.
Witnesses said two men had gotten out and attacked the prone victim with large bladed weapons. Some said the men had beheaded him.
A number said the victim was wearing a T-shirt labelled with the words Help for Heroes, the name of a charity that supports some of the thousands of British military personnel who have returned wounded from Afghanistan and Iraq, and to the families of the more than 600 servicemen and women who have been killed in those conflicts.
A man who said he had seen the entire attack told the BBC that the assailants had lingered at the scene, talking to passers-by about what they had done.
Some witnesses said a man had leapt from an unmarked car and aimed a handgun at the assailants, shouting to pedestrians to clear the area.
The witness who said he had seen the full attack said a policewoman with a handgun fired on the two suspects after one of them rushed toward a group of police officers.
Britain has suffered more than any other country in Northern Europe from Islamic terrorist plots in recent years, and it has worked assiduously to prevent more. Security officials have said that at any given time they are tracking hundreds of young men in extremist networks.
But small-scale attacks can be hard to detect. The SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadi Web sites, distributed a posting from one on Wednesday after the London killing. Dating from July 2011, the message on Shumukh al-Islam, a militant Web site that has been linked to Al Qaeda, urges followers to mount “lone-wolf operations” that might include beheadings.
With Mr. Cameron in France on Wednesday, the home secretary, Theresa May, called an emergency meeting of the Cobra committee, a group of cabinet ministers and high-level security officials that oversees the operations of police and security agencies at times of high security alerts. Officials said the group had ordered a tightening of security around all military barracks in London.
Stephen Castle contributed reporting.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/23/world/europe/london-attacks.html?ref=europe&gwh=1592EAEF06086E4A08C2B8538402A431
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Anti-Islamist protests flare following brutal London attack
23 May 2013
British police on Wednesday arrested two people as they tried to quell anti-Islamist disorder following the brutal murder in London of a man, believed to be a soldier.
A 43-year-old man was arrested in Braintree, east of London, after reportedly walking into a mosque with a knife shortly after news broke of the London murder.
Local lawmaker Brooks Newmark wrote on Twitter: “Local mosque in Braintree attacked by man with knives and incendiary device. Man arrested. No one injured.”
Elsewhere, a man was in custody in Gillingham, south east England, on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage to a mosque, a Kent Police spokesman said.
In the hours following the attack, around 250 supporters of the anti-Islamist English Defence League (EDL) gathered at Woolwich Arsenal train station.
The group hurled bottles and became involved in minor skirmishes with the police, but later dispersed without any arrests being reported.
EDL leader Tommy Robinson was among the crowd and explained: “They're chopping our soldiers' heads off. This is Islam. That's what we've seen today... Our next generation are being taught through schools that Islam is a religion of peace.
“It's not. It never has been. What you saw today is Islam,” he added. “There has to be a reaction, for the government to listen, for the police to listen, to understand how angry this British public are.”
Eyewitnesses to the horrific London attack described how the two suspects set upon a man in the street in broad daylight with knives and a gun.
They then stayed at the scene, asking passers-by to photograph and film them.
Armed police shot and wounded the two attackers after being called to the incident in Woolwich, south east London, by bystanders.
Prime Minister David Cameron has said the attack appeared to be terror-related.
The brutal daylight attack galvanized this city and raised fears that terrorism had returned to London.
Authorities did not identify the victim by name, but French President Francois Hollande referred to him as a “soldier” at a news conference in Paris with visiting British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Calling it "an appalling murder," Cameron said there were "strong indications" it was an act of terrorism, and two other officials said there were signs the attack was motivated by radical Islam.
The Cabinet's emergency committee was immediately convened and security was stepped up at army barracks across London. Cameron cut short his Paris trip to return to London and his office said he would chair another session Thursday.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2013/05/23/Anti-Islamist-protests-flare-following-brutal-London-attack.html
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London Attacker Was British-Born of Nigerian Descent: Source
May 23, 2013
LONDON — One of the attackers who hacked a soldier to death in London was British-born and of Nigerian descent, a source with knowledge of the investigation said.
The other man may also be British with a Nigerian background, the source told Reuters.
British media identified one of the men as Michael Adebolajo, citing police sources.
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge)
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2013/05/23/world/europe/23reuters-britain-killers-nigeria.html?ref=europe&gwh=9F07BA11E16B07432E3B4B65FC7AAA03
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Mother of two tried to talk down London attackers
PTI | May 23, 2013
LONDON: A mother of two is being hailed for her bravery after it emerged she attempted to talk down the two Islamic extremists who killed a British soldier in a gruesome machete attack on the streets of London.
Ingrid Loyau-Kennett, 48, was one of the first people on the scene after the two attackers yesterday butchered the soldier near army barracks in Woolwich, south-east London.
Loyau-Kennett, a cub scout leader trained in first aid, put her own life on the line to try and persuade the murderers to hand over their weapons, when one of them told her: "We want to start a war in London tonight."
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/Mother-of-two-tried-to-talk-down-London-attackers/articleshow/20224694.cms
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We want to start a war in London, suspect tells eyewitness
AFP | May 23, 2013
LONDON: British counter-terrorism police were on Thursday investigating the murder of a man thought to be a soldier, who was butchered and beheaded on a busy London street by two men shouting Islamist slogans.
The attackers, wielding knives including a meat cleaver, carried out the attack a few hundred metres (yards) from the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, southeast London, then delivered an Islamist tirade to passers-by.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/We-want-to-start-a-war-in-London-suspect-tells-eyewitness/articleshow/20222674.cms
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Man hacked to death in London; attack heightens terror fears
AP | May 23, 2013
LONDON: Two men with butcher knives hacked another to death on Wednesday near a London military barracks and one then went on video to explain the crime - shouting political statements, gesturing with bloodied hands and waving a meat cleaver. Soon after, arriving police shot and wounded the unidentified assailants and took them into custody.
The brutal daylight attack galvanized this city and raised fears that terrorism had returned to London.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/Man-hacked-to-death-in-London-attack-heightens-terror-fears/articleshow/20220745.cms
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Soldier's murder is attack on Britain, betrayal of Islam: David Cameron
AFP | May 23, 2013
LONDON: Prime Minister David Cameron said on Thursday the brutal murder of a soldier by two suspected Islamists on a London street was an attack on Britain and a betrayal of Islam.
"This was not just an attack on Britain and on the British way of life. It was also a betrayal of Islam and of the Muslim communities who give so much to our country," he said.
"There is nothing in Islam that justifies this truly dreadful act."
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/Soldiers-murder-is-attack-on-Britain-betrayal-of-Islam-David-Cameron/articleshow/20225818.cms
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You will never be safe: London attacker
May 23, 2013
One of the two alleged killers of a British soldier on a street in south-east London on Wednesday explained his actions on an amateur video obtained by the television channel ITV.
The young black man, who is wearing jeans, sports shoes, a jacket and a black hat and holding a bloody kitchen knife and a meat cleaver, is filmed approaching the camera.
"We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you unless you leave us alone," he says.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/europe/You-will-never-be-safe-London-attacker/Article1-1064638.aspx
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Detained by Interpol: Pak fugitive in Bosnia gets British help
May 23, 2013
ISLAMABAD: The British embassy in Bosnia is said to be providing legal help to an influential Pakistani fugitive wanted by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), to wriggle him out of his current trouble.
Corruption suspect and former chairman of Water and Power Development Authority Lt Gen (retd) Zahid Ali Akbar was detained by Interpol earlier this month at the request of NAB. The retired general is now being provided consular services by the UK embassy there, sources in the corruption watchdog say.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/553193/detained-by-interpol-pak-fugitive-in-bosnia-gets-british-help/
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Woolwich attack: UK will "never give in to terror", PM
May 23, 2013
The UK will "never give in to terror or terrorism", Prime Minister David Cameron has said, following the killing of a serving soldier in south-east London.
Two men were shot by police following the attack and remain under arrest in hospital - one in a serious condition.
One of the suspects is understood to be Michael Adebolajo, according to BBC sources.
Police have raided two addresses - one in Greenwich and one in Lincolnshire.
Shortly after the killing in Woolwich, one man - his hands covered in blood- was filmed by a passer-by, saying he carried out the attack because British soldiers killed Muslims every day.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22634468
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U.N. to unveil maternal healthcare drive, targets Muslim countries
23 May 2013
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), will launch two new initiatives to improve maternal health in some of the most-hard-to-reach areas around the world, according to a statement on Wednesday.
The initiatives, set to be unveiled at next week’s 2013 Women Deliver Conference, which will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will focus on increasing women’s access to family planning clinics.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/features/2013/05/23/U-N-to-unveil-maternal-healthcare-drive-targets-Muslim-countries.html
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Arab World
Iraqi Fundamentalists’ War Against Vice Targets Alcohol and Prostitution
By Palash Ghosh | May 22 2013
Islamic gunmen in Iraq are intensifying their campaign against forms of behaviour they regard as contrary to the teachings of Islam.
A dozen people – seven women and five men -- were shot to death in a brothel in the affluent Zayouna neighborhood of Baghdad on Wednesday, the same area where gunmen targeted liquor stores last week.
It is unclear who staged the attack on the brothel, and no group has yet taken responsibility.
CNN reported that one of the gunmen scrawled the word "wanted" on the wall of the house of ill repute.
During last week’s attack on local liquor stores, 10 Christians (who tend to run them since Muslims are not supposed to drink) were murdered, although customers were permitted to leave unharmed.
Full report at:
http://www.ibtimes.com/iraq-fundamentalists-war-against-vice-targets-alcohol-prostitution-1274903#
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Facebook pages belonging to Syrian opposition deactivated
23 May 2013
A number of Facebook pages belonging to Syrian opposition groups have been disabled recently by the social media website’s administration, accuses Syrian businessman Firas Tlass.
His profile page had become a platform for tens of thousands of Syrians, both supporters and opponents of Assad, to air their views on the ongoing crisis in the country.
In an interview with Al Arabiya’s Arabic website, Tlass said: “Facebook’s administration is not responding to us.”
He went on to air his suspicions as to why the social media giant was refraining from communication with Tlass.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/05/23/Facebook-pages-belonging-to-Syrian-opposition-deactivated.html
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Nations to boost aid to Syrian rebels until Assad goes
23 May 2013
World powers urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to commit to peace but warned Thursday that if he fails to negotiate a political transition they would boost their backing of the opposition.
The stark warning came from a meeting of the Friends of Syria group, which held talks on Wednesday in Amman to try to agree the contours of a peace conference to end the war.
The conflict, now in its third year, has claimed some 94,000 lives.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/05/23/Nations-to-boost-aid-to-Syrian-rebels-until-Assad-goes.html
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Saudi to ‘protest strongly’ against Iranian spying, says FM
23 May 2013
Saudi Arabia “will protest strongly” against Iranian espionage, “and inform international agencies, including the United Nations and the Arab League, in order to adopt a suitable stance against Iran,” Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told Arab News on Wednesday.
The presence of an Iranian espionage cell in Saudi Arabia exemplifies Tehran’s hostile attitude toward the kingdom, said Prince Saud during a meeting in Ankara with the editors in chief of Saudi newspapers.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/05/23/Saudi-to-protest-strongly-against-Iranian-spying-says-FM.html
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Twitter boosts security after attacks by pro-Assad hackers
23 May 2013
Twitter has boosted its security measures following attacks on accounts run by media firms like The Associated Press, several of which were blamed on pro-Assad hackers.
The micro blogging site, which transmits some 400 million messages a day, said on Wednesday that it had begun rolling out an optional “login verification” service to thwart hackers seeking to hijack accounts with stolen passwords.
The move follows a spate of attacks on accounts of prominent media companies including AP, the BBC, The Guardian, CBS and the Financial Times.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/business/media/2013/05/23/Twitter-boosts-security-after-attacks-by-pro-Assad-hackers.html
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At least six killed in Syria-linked clashed in Lebanese city
23 May 2013
Fighting in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli killed at least six people overnight, as supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad clashed, a security source said on Thursday.
“Very violent fighting took place last night until 5:00 am (0200 GMT) that killed six people and wounded 40. The clashes and shelling affected several areas of the city, including the center,” the source told AFP.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/05/23/At-least-six-killed-in-Syria-linked-clashed-in-Lebanese-city.html
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World Bank proposes $150 mln loan to help Jordan with refugees
23 May 2013
The World Bank has proposed a $150 million loan for Jordan to help it with the cost of thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing the civil war in Syria, Jordanian and World Bank board sources said on Wednesday.
“The [World Bank] board should act on it in June,” one source told Reuters. “Pressure on Jordan is increasing and the loan should help ease the economic burden.”
Close to 500,000 Syrian refugees, out of a total of 1.5 million, have sought shelter in Jordan from an escalating civil war between forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and rebel fighters trying to overthrow him.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/2013/05/23/World-Bank-proposes-150-mln-loan-to-help-Jordan-with-refugees.html
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$15 billion Saudi bailout package to Pakistan likely
May 23, 2013
SLAMABAD, May 22: With an ‘amiable’ government in place, Saudi Arabia is expected to extend a bailout package of about $15 billion to Pakistan’s highly indebted energy sector by supplying crude and furnace oil on deferred payment to enable it to resolve the chronic circular debt issue.
A senior government official said the Saudis had been taking reasonable interest in helping out the incoming PML-N government led by Nawaz Sharif.
They had extended a similar special package to Pakistan soon after it went nuclear in 1998 and faced international economic sanctions.
Full report at:
http://beta.dawn.com/news/1013070/15-billion-saudi-bailout-likely
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India
Kashmir's self-styled Godman arrested for rape of young girls
M Saleem Pandit, TNN | May 23, 2013
SRINAGAR: A 42-year-old self-styled Sufi dervish Gulzar Ahmed Bhat was arrested on Wednesday by Jammu and Kashmir police for raping and sexually abusing several young girls at his religious centre, Khansahib in Budgam district.
Gulzar Bhat, who went by the name Syed Gulzar, ran a residential institution for girls which offered short duration courses in religious studies. The self-styled dervish used to promote himself on local TV channels and publish promotional advertisements in local newspapers.
The scandal came to light when one of Gulzar's disciples, Imtiyaz Ahmad Sofi saw him indulging in a sexual act with a young girl. Police said Gulzar was arrested after four girls recorded their confessional statement before the court of the sub-judge in Budgam on Tuesday.
Police said at his centre with over 500 girl students, the self-styled god-man had been repeatedly exploiting the girls sexually on the pretext of "purifying" them. The charlatan had employed a few women who would motivate the girls to please the Godman.
SP Budgam Uttam Chand said that the police were looking for two of his close associates - Abdul Gani Ganaie and Bashir Ahmed Mir. DSP Bashir Ahmad of Khansahib said that a local court on Wednesday remanded Gulzar Ahmed Bhat to police custody for 15 days to investigate the case. He said that medical examination of the victims had confirmed the allegations. Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kashmirs-self-styled-godman-arrested-for-rape-of-young-girls/articleshow/20224692.cms
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Indian imams to visit Auschwitz for Holocaust awareness
May 22, 2013
A delegation of 22 Muslim clerics, including from India, would visit the former Nazi Auschwitz death camp in southern Poland this week as part of a Holocaust awareness programme.
"These imams wield influence in their communities and the idea is that they would have a first hand understanding of what kind of hatred the Nazi's perpetrated here, and also to spread the message around that humanity should not fail again and be vigilant in the face of similar incitements in the future," a spokesperson for the organisers said.
The visiting imams are from India, Bosnia, Indonesia, Jordan, Morocco, Nigeria, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United States.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/restofasia/Indian-imams-to-visit-Auschwitz-for-Holocaust-awareness/Article1-1064189.aspx
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Centre toughens stand on Kashmiri separatist leaders’ travels abroad
May 22, 2013
Hurriyat leader Umar Farooq's statement last Friday that "Kashmir would have naturally gone to Pakistan given its religious-political affinities" has strengthened the home ministry's belief that the Mirwaiz was no different from fellow separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and thus he should not be allowed to travel abroad. Seen internationally as a face of Kashmir, the Awami Action Committee chairman had applied for a passport on January 3, 2013.
"There are communication intercepts that clearly show that Mirwaiz was in touch with his Pakistani masters. There is no difference between Mirwaiz and Syed Ali Shah Geelani for us," said a senior official. Mirwaiz was not given permission to travel abroad for UN Human Right Conference in Geneva this March and home ministry was in no hurry to grant him passport to travel in near future unless there was a change in his behaviour.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/delhi-nation/Centre-toughens-stand-on-Kashmiri-separatist-leaders-travels-abroad/Article1-1064476.aspx
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Need to get back PoK, says Subramanian Swamy
May 23, 2013
Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy, whose party is a constituent of the National Democratic Alliance, said on Wednesday the need of the hour was to recover the part of Kashmir held by Pakistan and not cede an inch of land further.
“We are not ready to compromise even on an inch of land in Kashmir. The only thing to be done is to get back the Pakistan-occupied part of Kashmir. Kashmir is an integral part of India and there is nothing to be resolved,” Swamy, who was here for a national council meeting of his Party, said at a press conference.
“Plebiscite was not promised by the Indian government to the people of Kashmir,” he said.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/srinagar/Need-to-get-back-PoK-says-Swamy/Article1-1064591.aspx
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Srinagar: wanted LeT militant killed in encounter
May 23, 2013
Security forces killed a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant in a gunfight in the heart of Jammu and Kashmir capital Srinagar on Thursday morning, police said.
"Hilal Moulvi of LeT was killed in an encounter with police in Narparistan (Fatah Kadal) area of old Srinagar city," Syed Ashiq Bukhari, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Srinagar, said.
Three police officials -- one sub inspector and two constables were injured in the gunfight, he said.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/srinagar/Srinagar-wanted-LeT-militant-killed-in-encounter/Article1-1064627.aspx
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Wary of Pakistan, India hesitant over Karzai wish list for military hardware
Indrani Bagchi, TNN | May 23, 2013
NEW DELHI: In the backdrop of a Nato withdrawal and fears of a Taliban resurgence, Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday said he had given the Indian government a 'wish list' for military equipment. The list, said sources, comes after considerable discussions with Afghanistan on what exactly they would want. New Delhi has committed to provide training, equipment and capacity building for Afghan armed forces as part of the strategic partnership pact signed in 2011.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Wary-of-Pakistan-India-hesitant-over-Karzai-wish-list-for-military-hardware/articleshow/20225781.cms
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Consider parole for Mumbai blast convict: HC
PTI | May 22, 2013
MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Wednesday asked the Maharashtra government to consider parole for a 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blast case convict who is presently serving life sentence.
Mohammad Mushtaq Moosa Tarani, whose death penalty was recently reduced to life imprisonment by the Supreme Court, approached the high court seeking to be released on parole next month to enable him to attend his daughter's wedding.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Consider-parole-for-Mumbai-blast-convict-HC/articleshow/20212592.cms
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Pakistan
American who was killed by drone had been arrested by Pakistan
May 23, 2013
PESHAWAR: Pakistani authorities once arrested an American citizen now known to have been killed in a US drone strike in the country, but he escaped after being released on bail.
The Obama administration revealed Wednesday that Jude Kenan Mohammad died in a US drone strike in Pakistan’s tribal region, making him the fourth American citizen killed by unmanned aircraft in Pakistan and Yemen.
Mohammad was indicted by federal authorities in 2009 as part of an alleged plot to attack the US Marine Corps base in Quantico, VA.
Before he could be arrested, Mohammad fled to Pakistan.
Pakistani officials said in 2008 that Mohammad was arrested when he tried to enter the Mohmand tribal area without permission.
He was released on bail and failed to show up at a 2009 court hearing.
http://beta.dawn.com/news/1013237/american-who-was-killed-by-drone-had-been-arrested-by-pakistan
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Will Pakistan continue to turn a blind eye to minorities?
May 23, 2013
With the Sharifs now in power, much is being said and written about the main issues PML-N needs to address after taking over the reins. Militancy, a failing economy and the energy crisis remain on top of the agenda, followed by issues like development projects, health and education.
But then, there are issues stacked up on the shelves unattended, which face reluctance and hesitance on part of politicians – and on top of that list are the issues faced by religious minorities.
Full report at:
http://beta.dawn.com/news/1012998/will-the-state-continue-to-turn-a-blind-eye-to-minorities
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Car bomb kills 12, wounded 23 in southwest Pakistan
23 May 2013
A car bomb targeting a police vehicle killed 11 policemen and one civilian Thursday in an area of southwest Pakistan wracked by a separatist insurgency and Islamic militancy, police said.
The bombing on the outskirts of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, also wounded 23 people, said senior police officer Fayaz Sumbal. The car was packed with around 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of explosives and was parked alongside a road in the city. It was detonated by remote control when a vehicle carrying members of the police’s special forces team passed by, said Sumbal.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/asia/2013/05/23/Police-Car-bomb-kills-12-in-southwest-Pakistan.html
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Indo-Pak relations and the curse of 24/7 TV
May 23, 2013
ISLAMABAD: By snubbing Nawaz Sharif’s invitation to be part of his swearing in, the Indian prime minister hardly surprised anybody.
War lobbies in both India and Pakistan continuously focus on the issues that prevent reconciliation, and the media happily stokes differences.
A recent appearance in a live debate on one of the prime Indian channels made me wonder whether such militant attitudes can help in peace-building at all?
Arnab Goswami, the host of the one of Times Now’s popular talk shows, came across as somebody bent upon demolishing the offer that Nawaz made two days after his election victory.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/552968/analysis-indo-pak-relations-and-the-curse-of-247-tv/
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Five persons including four women gunned down in Balochistan
May 23, 2013
QUETTA: At least five persons including four women were killed whereas another two injured in a firing incident in Balochistan’s Sibi town on Thursday, police said.
Police said four gunmen on two motorcycles opened indiscriminate fire at a house in Killi Dur Muhammad area of Sibi town.
The attack left four women and a man dead on the spot whereas the assailants managed to escape unhurt.
Police said another two women were critically wounded in the attack.
The casualties were rushed to Civil Hospital Sibi for medical treatment.
Police sources, not wanting to be named, told Dawn.com that the house could have been targeted by religiously-motivated militants for suspected involvement in ‘immoral’ activities allegedly taking place at the premises.
http://dawn.com/2013/05/23/five-persons-gunned-down-in-balochistans-sibi-area/
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Chinese PM Li Keqiang effusive in praise of Pakistan, but not everyone buys it
Reuters | May 23, 2013
ISLAMABAD: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang praised the Sino-Pakistan relationship to the hilt on Thursday, urging the "all-weather friends" to boost cooperation in business, trade, energy and infrastructure and build a long-vaunted economic corridor.
But not everyone is convinced China has Pakistan interests totally at heart.
Li arrived in the Pakistani capital on Wednesday on the second leg of his first official trip since taking office in March and after a visit to Pakistan and China's arch rival, India. He leaves for Switzerland and Germany later on Thursday.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Chinese-PM-Li-Keqiang-effusive-in-praise-of-Pakistan-but-not-everyone-buys-it/articleshow/20224117.cms
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Nawaz Sharif seeks civil nuclear technology from China
PTI | May 23, 2013
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister-designate Nawaz Sharif on Thursday sought civil nuclear technology to overcome Pakistan's energy crisis during a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.
Sharif called on Li at a hotel here this morning and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations in different fields.
He focussed on civil nuclear technology, trade and foreign investment during his talks with Li, Geo News channel quoted its sources as saying.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Nawaz-Sharif-seeks-civil-nuclear-technology-from-China/articleshow/20221889.cms
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Most favoured nation status to India soon: Pakistan minister
TNN | May 23, 2013
AMRITSAR: "Pakistan will soon announce the most favoured nation (MFN) status to India," said Naeem Anwar, minister (trade) Pakistan high commission, while addressing a session on "Doing business with Pakistan" organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here on Wednesday.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Most-favoured-nation-status-to-India-soon-Pakistan-minister/articleshow/20219236.cms
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Nawaz nominates Shahbaz for CM Punjab slot
May 23, 2013
LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif has nominated his brother Shahbaz Sharif for the post of chief minister of Punjab, Express News reported on Thursday.
Shahbaz had served as Punjab CM in the last government.
Shahbaz, in his earlier tenure, was equally praised and criticised for his decisions such as Metro Bus project and free laptops to students.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/553345/nawaz-nominates-shahbaz-for-cm-punjab-slot/
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Solving Balochistan’s issues is simple, if you have the courage for it: Akhtar Mengal
May 23, 2013
It may have taken years for Balochistan to descend into chaos, but Akhtar Mengal says the underlying issues, however intractable they may appear, can be resolved in a few days. There is however, a caveat.
The Balochistan National Party-Mengal’s chief says this can only be achieved by a political party that is prepared to take all affairs in its own hands and negate the role of ‘undemocratic forces’ in the province.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/553244/solving-balochistans-issues-is-simple-if-you-have-the-courage-for-it-akhtar-mengal/
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TTP welcomes Nawaz's call for peace talks
May 23, 2013
PESHAWAR: Nawaz Sharif's call for peace talks made to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan was welcomed by the proscribed militant organisation on Thursday.
Talking to Dawn.com from an undisclosed area, TTP spokespersons Ehsanullah Ehsan said that the offer for peace talks made by Prime Minister-elect Nawaz Sharif was a positive sign and that the militant organisation was devising a strategy over the course of action to be taken in response to the peace talk offers.
Full report at:
http://beta.dawn.com/news/1013236/nawazs-call-for-peace-talks-welcomed-by-ttp
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Southeast Asia
‘Religious councils, association can be parties in Allah dispute’
May 23, 2013
PUTRAJAYA, May 23 — Six state Islamic religious councils and an association were allowed to be made parties in a dispute over the use of the word “Allah” in the Catholic Weekly publication The Herald.
This means that lawyers representing the Terengganu, Selangor, Kedah, Malacca, Wilayah Persekutuan and Johor councils and the Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association can participate and make submissions at the hearing of the government’s appeal.
The government and home ministry are appealing against a High Court’s decision in 2009 to allow the Roman Catholic Church’s judicial review to lift the Home Ministry’s ban on the use of the word “Allah” in its weekly paper, to refer to the Christian God.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/court-religious-councils-association-can-be-parties-in-allah-dispute/
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Bank Indonesia Taps Religious Groups to Expand Banking Outreach
May 23, 201
Manado. Indonesia’s central bank is considering making North Sulawesi a pilot project for its possible partnership with religious organizations, aimed at expanding the Indonesian banking industry’s outreach to local communities.
Suhaedi, the head of Bank Indonesia’s North Sulawesi representative office, said religious institutions in the province, such as the Minahasa Evangelical Christian Church, the Manado Diocese and some Islamic groups, could facilitate the banking industry to connect with villages.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/business/bank-indonesia-taps-religious-groups-to-expand-banking-outreach/
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Amnesty International Report Bashes Indonesia Rights
By Gabriel Kereh
May 23, 2013
Amnesty International has decried a repressive human rights climate in Indonesia and a worrying lack of progress in addressing past abuses, in a report that is also the third in as many weeks to criticize rising religious intolerance in the country.
The 2013 report on “The State of the World’s Human Rights,” released today, cited problems in six areas, including “persistent allegations” of rights violations by police, repressive legislation invoked against peaceful political activists and the continued criminalization of freedom of religion.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/amnesty-report-bashes-indonesia-rights/
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Police Arrest Alleged Myanmar Embassy Bombing Plot Mastermind
By Farouk Arnaz
May 23, 2013.
The National Police anti-terror unit Densus 88 arrested late on Wednesday a man believed to be the mastermind behind the Myanmar embassy bombing plot.
“Sigit [Indrajit], who allegedly planned the Myanmar embassy bombing, was arrested at around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta,” National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said on Thursday.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/police-arrest-alleged-myanmar-embassy-bombing-plot-mastermind/
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Bogor Politician Named Suspect in PDI-P Sex Video Case
May 23, 2013
Bogor. The West Java Police has named Bogor Deputy District Head Karyawan Farturahman a suspect for his alleged involvement in spreading a pornographic video that purportedly features a politician.
“K.F. was named a suspect on Monday,” West Java Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Martinus Sitompul said on Thursday. “Today, we summoned him to be questioned by the police.”
The sex video said to have been made in 2010 allegedly involves the former head of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) West Java chapter, Rudi Harsa Tanaya, and a university student.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/bogor-politician-named-suspect-for-spreading-sex-video/
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SBY Pledges Freedom for Papuan Political Prisoners: Lawmaker
By Banjir Ambarita
May 23, 2013.
Jayapura. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has promised to free all Papuan political prisoners, a legislator claimed here on Wednesday.
The prisoners will reportedly be offered clemency as part of the priority points under the government’s “special autonomy plus” program.
“The president has promised to offer clemency and freedom for inmates who were involved in the politics of Papuan freedom,” said Yunus Wonda, a deputy speaker of the provincial legislature.
Yunus said that the president had made the promise in a recent meeting at his private residence in Cikeas, which was attended by Papuan figures including Papua Governor Lukas Enembe.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/sby-pledges-freedom-for-papuan-political-prisoners-lawmaker/
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South Asia
Maldives Chief of Defence Force warns of youth enrolling in terror training camps
By Mariyath Mohamed | May 22nd, 2013
Chief of Defence Force Major General Ahmed Shiyam has warned of a rising risk of terrorist attack in the Maldives, during a joint local and US military inauguration to establish a level of alerts for terrorism in the country.
Shiyam cautioned against assuming the country was completely safe from terrorist attacks simply based on the fact that no major terrorist activities have been uncovered in the country to date, warning there was an increased risk of terrorist attacks stemming from “religious extremism and political turmoil.”
He added that while messages encouraging such activities are circulating via social media, these focused mainly against a certain group of people, or to encourage youth to partake in activities of ‘jihad’.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/chief-of-defence-force-warns-of-increasing-risk-of-terrorist-attacks-as-youth-enroll-in-training-camps-58361
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Maldives UN team calls for abolition of death penalty, flogging
By JJ Robinson | May 22nd, 2013
The UN country team in the Maldives has issued a statement calling for the abolition of both corporal punishment and the death penalty in the Maldives.
While the Maldives still issues death sentences, these have traditionally been commuted to life sentences by presidential decree since the execution of Hakim Didi in 1956, for the crime of practicing black magic.
Recent calls for presidential clemency to be blocked led former attorney general Azima Shukoor to draft a bill favouring the implementation of the penalty via lethal injection. It was met with opposition by several religious groups such as the NGO Jamiyyathul Salaf, which called for the draft to be amended in favour of beheadings or firing squads.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/maldives-un-team-calls-for-abolition-of-death-penalty-flogging-58326
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China-Pak relations ‘higher than mountain, deeper than ocean’
May 22, 2013
“Higher than the mountains and deeper than the ocean.” Seldom is the diplomatic relation between two countries described in such lofty adjectives. But then China and Pakistan evidently share a special bond even if another neighbour has arguably played a role in bringing them so close. The
friendship between Beijing and Islamabad was described by the Chinese state media in glowing terms as Premier Li Keqiang began his day-long Pakistan visit on Wednesday.
“China and Pakistan have shaped a paradigm of neighbour-to-neighbour relations. Their time-tested friendship, described by some as "higher than the mountains and deeper than the oceans," is not just a bunch of empty words,” a commentary in the state-run Xinhua news agency said.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/china/China-Pak-relations-higher-than-mountain-deeper-than-ocean/Article1-1064410.aspx
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Uninterrupted democracy must for development: Bangladesh PM
May 23, 2013
In This May 02 photo, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addresses a meeting at the Gono Bhaban in the capital. Photo: PMO
Underling the importance of uninterrupted democracy for the continuation of ongoing development projects, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said the present government has adopted the policy of ‘justice for peace’ to establish the ideals of secularism, democracy and progressivism.
“Uninterrupted democracy is a must to ensure overall development and continuation of ongoing development projects,” she said while addressing a function marking the celebration of 40 years of receiving the Juliot-Curie Peace Medal by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/uninterrupted-democracy-must-for-development-pm/
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Govt urged to boost ties with Myanmar
May 23, 2013
Four diplomats yesterday suggested that the government strengthen Bangladesh’s relations with Myanmar to boost both the countries’ economic and trade development.
They said keeping the Rohingya issue aside, Bangladesh should approach Myanmar considering the significance of regional, political and economic affairs.
China and India are improving their economic and trade relations despite some ongoing conflicts between them, they said, adding that Bangladesh will remain behind if it does not engage with its neighbouring countries.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/govt-urged-to-boost-ties-with-myanmar/
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Press Myanmar to facilitate humanitarian access
May 23, 2013
The international community, including the UK government, must press the Myanmarese authorities to facilitate unimpeded humanitarian access while the authorities themselves must take steps to address the culture of marginalisation and discrimination against Rohingyas, said Bangladesh-born British MP Rushanara Ali.
The UK shadow minister for International Development was recently reporting in the UK following a trip to Rangoon and Rohingya, Kaman and Rakhine camps in Rakhine State of Myanmar with Refugees International.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/press-myanmar-to-facilitate-humanitarian-access/
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Maldives Presidential election regulations unveiled
By Neil Merrett | May 22nd, 2013
The Elections Commission (EC) has unveiled new regulations for the presidential election set for September 7 this year, claiming “comprehensive changes” have been made to the legal framework used five years ago.
EC Vice President Ahmed Fayaz told Minivan News that the latest regulations were drawn up with consultation from political parties and NGOs – providing more than just a “cosmetic change” to the framework used for the country’s first ever multi-party democratic elections in 2008.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/presidential-elections-regulations-unveiled-as-rival-parties-slam-state-commitment-to-free-and-fair-polls-58336
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Africa
At least 18 soldiers killed in gunbattle in Niger: Military sources
Reuters | May 23, 2013
NIAMEY: At least 18 soldiers and four suspected Islamists were killed in a fierce gunbattle following a dawn car bomb attack at a barracks in the northern Niger town of Agadez, military sources and a local official said.
"There are 18 soldiers and four attackers dead in Agadez," said one source. "One of the attackers has taken two or three soldiers hostage and is holed up in a house. We have him surrounded."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/At-least-18-soldiers-killed-in-gunbattle-in-Niger-Military-sources/articleshow/20226449.cms
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Clashes in Tripoli kills five, more than 50 wounded
May 23, 2013
Five people were killed and more than 50 wounded in overnight clashes in Tripoli between Lebanese gunmen backing rival factions in Syria's civil war, doctors and security sources said on Thursday.
Tripoli has suffered sporadic sectarian violence since the Sunni Muslim-led uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad broke out in March 2011, but after a night of mortar, grenade and machinegun fire, residents said this was the fiercest so far.
At least 18 people have been killed and more than 170 wounded in the Lebanese port city since the latest bout of fighting started on Sunday.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/restofasia/Clashes-in-Tripoli-kills-five-more-than-50-wounded/Article1-1064781.aspx
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Crackdown on radical Islamists tests Tunisia's stability
23 May 2013
For the first time since the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011, relations between mainstream Islamists in government and radical Salafist Muslim activists have reached breaking point, sparking deadly clashes in two Tunisian cities.
The rupture between the Ennahda party, the Tunisian arm of the Muslim Brotherhood which governs in coalition with secular parties, and the Ansar al-Sharia movement could have ramifications across North Africa, potentially fuelling armed insurrection in Tunisia and neighboring Algeria.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/2013/05/23/Crackdown-on-radical-Islamists-tests-Tunisia-s-stability.html
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DR Congo: M23 rebels declare truce for Ban Ki-moon visit
May 23, 2013
M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have declared a ceasefire to ease the way for UN chief Ban Ki-moon to visit the conflict hit area, a spokesman for the group says.
Mr Ban is due to visit the regional capital Goma, where one person was killed in a rocket attack on Wednesday.
He was deeply concerned by the renewed fighting, Mr Ban said.
Earlier, the World Bank unveiled a $1bn (£660m) aid package to help DR Congo and its neighbours.
World Bank head Jim Yong Kim, who is also visiting DR Congo, said the money would be used for health, education, cross-border trade and hydroelectricity projects.
At least 20 people have been killed since Monday in heavy fighting between government and M23 forces.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-22634535
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Simultaneous car bomb attacks in Niger
By DALATOU MAMANE and RUKMINI CALLIMACHI
23 May 2013
NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Attackers in Niger detonated two car bombs at dawn on Thursday, one in the city of Agadez where a military barracks was targeted and one in Arlit where a French company operates a uranium mine, injuring more than a dozen people.
Paris-based nuclear giant Areva said in a statement that 13 employees were hurt in the attack in Arlit, in the northern part of Niger where in 2010, al-Qaida's branch in Africa kidnapped five French citizens working for the mining company. Residents in the two towns said that both attacks occurred at around 5:30 a.m., indicating a level of coordination among the attackers.
Full report at:
http://news.yahoo.com/simultaneous-car-bomb-attacks-niger-084157573.html
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North America
FBI shoots, kills man linked to Boston bomb suspect
May 23, 2013
MIAMI: A man being questioned by the FBI over the Boston Marathon bombings was killed on Wednesday in an altercation after becoming violent, the FBI said.
US media outlets said the man knew one of the Boston bombers and was shot by an FBI agent in the early morning incident in Orlando, Florida.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said the man initiated a “violent confrontation” during the questioning and was killed and that an FBI agent suffered “non-life threatening injuries.”The FBI did not name the killed man, but the Orlando Sentinel newspaper identified him as Ibragim Todashev, 27.
Full report at:
http://beta.dawn.com/news/1013004/fbi-shoots-kills-man-linked-to-boston-bomb-suspect
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US condemns terrorist attack in London
May 23, 2013
The US has condemned the gruesome killing of a British soldier in London by the two reported Islamists who were later shot and wounded by the police.
"The United States condemns today's attack in the Woolwich district of London. We stand with our UK allies in the face of such senseless violence," State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said on Wednesday.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/americas/US-condemns-terrorist-attack-in-London/Article1-1064646.aspx
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Drone strikes in Pakistan have fallen sharply: NYT
May 23, 2013
NEW YORK, May 22: Ahead of President Obama’s long-awaited address on drones at Washington’s National Defence University on Thursday, the New York Times said that drone strikes in Pakistan have fallen sharply since their peak in 2010, perhaps in response to increasing scrutiny of the programme by Congress and the American public.
President Obama embraced drone strikes in his first term, and the targeted killing of suspected terrorists has come to define his presidency.
However, writing about the declining drone strikes, Bruce Riedel, a former CIA analyst and Brookings Institution scholar, said in Foreign Policy magazine there were many reasons for the declining number of strikes in Pakistan.
Full report at:
http://beta.dawn.com/news/1013071/drone-strikes-in-pakistan-have-fallen-sharply-nyt
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Kerry Begins Round of Talks With Israel, Palestinians
May 23, 2013
JERUSALEM — Secretary of State John Kerry began a round of separate talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials on Thursday but acknowledged there was considerable skepticism that the two sides would resume peace negotiations.
Kerry has now visited Israel four times in his four months in office to try to restart peace talks.
The negotiations broke down in late 2010 in a dispute over Israeli building of Jewish settlements on occupied West Bank land that the Palestinians want for a state.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2013/05/23/world/middleeast/23reuters-israel-palestinians-kerry.html?ref=middleeast&gwh=8A4BE55651090AE2703952C0C3D601B7
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One Drone Victim’s Trail From Raleigh to Pakistan
By SCOTT SHANE and ERIC SCHMITT
May 23, 2013
WASHINGTON — When Jude Kenan Mohammad was about 18 and living in Raleigh, N.C., according to people who knew him, he came under the influence of an older man, Daniel Patrick Boyd, who taught him a violent, radical version of Islam.
Mr. Boyd would be charged in 2009 and eventually imprisoned as the ringleader of a group of North Carolina residents who had vowed to carry out a violent jihad both in the United States and overseas. Mr. Mohammad was also charged, but by then, partly at the direction of Mr. Boyd, he had traveled to Pakistan, where he had joined a group of militants in that country’s tribal area.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/23/us/one-drone-victims-trail-from-raleigh-to-pakistan.html?ref=world&gwh=DEB56ECC60FE66AB7A90F3380F6E8ACA
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U.S. Fears the Fighting in Syria Might Spill Over Into Lebanon, Kerry Says
By MICHAEL R. GORDON and MARK LANDLER
May 23, 2013
AMMAN, Jordan — Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that the United States was increasingly concerned that the escalating fighting in Syria might slip across the border with Lebanon and destabilize that country.
“We’re deeply concerned about this spilling over into Lebanon,” said Mr. Kerry, who came to Jordan to attend an 11-country meeting on the deteriorating situation in Syria.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/23/world/middleeast/us-fears-syria-fighting-might-spill-into-lebanon.html?ref=middleeast&gwh=14959B93AADDC7A7BE71B1F336A65352
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Mideast
Israel Finding Itself Drawn Into Syria’s Turmoil
By JODI RUDOREN
May 23, 2013
JERUSALEM — For more than two years, Israeli leaders have insisted they had no intention of intervening in the civil war raging in neighboring Syria, but they vowed to stop sophisticated weapons from being transferred to Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia group, and to respond to intentional fire into their territory.
Now, having followed through with a pair of airstrikes on weapons shipments this month and, on Tuesday, the destruction of a Syrian Army position, Israelis are asking what their options are, as if they feel it has become impossible to avoid deeper involvement.
Already, the language has grown more heated on both sides, with Syrian officials declaring they are prepared for a major confrontation with Israel — and Israel’s military chief warning of dire consequences.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/23/world/middleeast/israel-is-drawn-into-syrias-turmoil.html?ref=middleeast&gwh=61A3AFBF075BD8D45A7B2E2A24A61F39
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Iran election: Rafsanjani criticises leaders' 'ignorance'
May 23, 2013
Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has accused Iran's leaders of incompetence and ignorance, an opposition website reports.
Mr Rafsanjani's comments come two days after he and another candidate were disqualified from next month's presidential election.
"I don't think the country could have been run worse," he was quoted as saying on the Kaleme website.
The Guardian Council approved only eight potential candidates to stand.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22637086
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IAEA: Iran is expanding its nuclear activities
22 May 2013
Iran is making significant progress in expanding its nuclear program, including in opening up a potential second route to developing the bomb, a new U.N. atomic agency report showed Wednesday.
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s latest quarterly update said Tehran had accelerated the installation of advanced uranium enrichment equipment at its central Natanz plant.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/05/22/Iran-expanding-nuclear-activities-says-IAEA.html
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/turkey-presents-prophet-sayings-21st/d/11703