Twenty-Three ‘Beheaded’ In Nigeria on Election Eve
New Age Islam News Bureau
29
March 2015
Tunisian protesters shout slogans as they wave banners and their national flag during a demonstration on Bourguiba Avenue, capital of Tunis, March 20, 2015, during Independence Day celebrations marking the 58th anniversary of independence in Tunis. (Reuters)
Africa
• Twenty-Three ‘Beheaded’ In Nigeria on Election Eve
• Tunisian Forces Kill Nine Militants Before World
Leaders Attend 'Bardo' March
• Tunisians march against extremism after attack
• Libya’s Tripoli parliament says troops pull back from
major oil ports
• Nicolas Anelka talks football, discrimination, and his
Islamic faith
Mideast
• 50 Houthis Killed In Clashes with Shabwa Tribes
• Arab Coalition Air Strikes Kill 15 Yemeni Rebel Troops
• Israel Seeking to Demolish Ancient Palestinian Village
• Rebellion among Houthi militia ranks in Taez
• Iran nuclear talks go down to wire as Israel lashes
out
• Turkey welcomes fall of key city in Syria’s north
Arab World
• Iraqi Army Kills over 27 ISIL Terrorists in Tikrit
• Yemen Intervention to Go On Until Houthis ‘Surrender’:
Arab League Chief
• Scores of Insurgents Killed by Syrian Army in Deir Ezzur
Province
• Syria Terms Israeli Occupation of Muslims' Territories
as Root Cause of Mideast Tensions
• Syrian regime troops regroup after losing Idlib
• Saudi FM responds to Putin’s letter on Syrian crisis
• Saudi Blogger Tells of Flogging Ordeal
India
• Common Consensus Needed For Anti-Cow Slaughter Bill:
Home Minister
• Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's 'Art of Living' Gets ISIS
Threat Letters
• Swamy Sabotaged Islamic Banking
• 8 Militants Sneaked Into India, 4 of Them Killed:
Intelligence Agencies
• Beware Of Draconian Counter-Terrorism Measures,
Cautions NHRC Chief
• Strategic Chabahar Transit Deal Soon, Will Bolster
Trade Ties with India: Afghan Ambassador
• ‘Russia calls for continuation of dialogue between
Pakistan, India’
Pakistan
• Army Chief Vows Terror-Free Pakistan for Next
Generation
• Nawaz Has Ensured 'All Potentials of Pakistan Army' To
Kingdom: Saudi Press Agency
• Five Banned Outfit Men Killed In Mastung, Baluchistan
• FC kills four BRA militants; council chairman abducted
• Conspiracy
to Discredit Islam in Middle East Cause of Concern: Permanent Representative of
Pakistan in UN
• Police use rickshaw to transport ‘TTP militants’ to
court
• Pakistanis not getting correct information in Yemen:
Dr Abdul
• 80,000 Pakistanis killed in US 'War on Terror': report
South Asia
• Separate Military Actions Leave Six Taliban Killed, 11
Injured In Maidan Wardak
• ‘Take Immediate Action against Terrorism’, Bangladesh
Govt. Urged
• Civilians killed in military operation in Ghazni
• No love for ISIS (Daesh) in Afghanistan, says
ex-president Hamid Karzai
North America
• European Anti-Islam Group’s Canadian Protest Fizzles
• U.S. Drops 60,000 Propaganda Leaflets on ISIS Stronghold
Raqqa
• US “deeply troubled” by Maldives’ questionable
commitment to democracy, human rights
• US says Pakistan making sincere effort for Afghan
peace
Europe
• Hundreds Turn Out To Support Muslim Youth Festival in
London
• UK Muslims to Get First National Radio Station
• Explainer: Why the western media refuses to call the
Germanwings pilot a ‘terrorist'
• ISIS followers send ‘up to 100,000 tweets a day’ warns
EU police chief
• UN staff flee war-torn Yemen, Russia voices concern
• Yemen crisis won´t ‘impact’ Iran nuclear talks:
Russian negotiator
• Soyuz spacecraft with Russian, US astronauts blasts
off to ISS
Southeast Asia
• PAS Man Slams Emotional Comments on Hudud in Social
Media
• Fix job quota for women in all fields, says PAC
chairman
• New anti-terrorism bill will also see Penal Code
amended, says home minister
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
---------
Africa
Twenty-three ‘beheaded’ in Nigeria on election eve
29 March, 2015
KANO, NIGERIA: Suspected Boko Haram gunmen beheaded 23
people and set fire to homes in Buratai, northeast Nigeria, on the eve of
Saturday´s general elections, a federal lawmaker representing the area told
AFP.
"There was an attack on Buratai late Friday by
gunmen suspected to be insurgents....They beheaded 23 people and set homes on
fire," said Mohammed Adamu, who represents the town some 200 kilometres
(125 miles) from Borno´s capital Maiduguri.
"At least half the village has been burnt,"
he added.
A nurse at the nearest major hospital, in Biu, said
the 32 injured who were receiving care also reported that many were decapitated
during the attack.
Further details of the violence were not immediately
available, but the attack is consistent with Boko Haram´s past strikes in the
area in the south of the state, where defenceless civilians have been
repeatedly targeted.
It was not clear if the raid late Friday was linked to
Saturday´s polls, but Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau had vowed to disrupt
the vote.
Elsewhere in Nigeria´s restive northeast, suspected
Islamist militants killed at least seven people in separate attacks in the
Gombe state.
Witnesses reported that the assailants in Gombe made
clear their intention was to disrupt the polls.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-179629-Twenty-three-beheaded-in-Nigeria-on-election-eve
---------
Tunisian forces kill nine militants before world
leaders attend 'Bardo' march
29 March, 2015
Tens of thousands of Tunisians marched through the
capital in a show of solidarity against Islamist militants on March 29, hours
after the government said its forces had killed nine members of a group suspected
of carrying out this month's deadly Bardo Museum attack.
The March 18 attack in Tunis killed 21 foreign
tourists and a policeman, shaking a country that has been praised as a peaceful
democratic model since leading the first of the Arab Spring uprisings in 2011.
A red-and-white sea of Tunisian crescent and star
flags filled a major boulevard in Tunis where several world leaders, including
French President Francois Hollande, planned to rally under the slogan "Le
Monde est Bardo" (The World is Bardo).
"We have shown we are a democratic people,
Tunisians are moderate, and there is no room for terrorists here," said
one of the demonstrators, Kamel Saad. "Today everyone is with us."
Thousands of police and soldiers were positioned
around the capital.
One of the most secular countries in the Arab world,
Tunisia has mostly avoided violence in the four years since the toppling of
autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali. In contrast with Libya, Yemen and Syria which
have plunged into war and chaos, it has adopted a new constitution and held
free elections.
But the Bardo massacre was one of the worst attacks in
its history. Japanese, Polish, Spanish and Colombian visitors were among those
killed in the attack, which the government says was aimed at destroying
Tunisia's vital tourism industry.
'Strong response'
"Tunisia wanted France with them, and France is
on the side of Tunisia, the origin of the Arab Spring, and now a victim of a
hateful act," Hollande said in France after voting in local elections
before flying to Tunis.
Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi was also due to
take part in the demonstration, along with leaders from Palestine, Poland,
Belgium, Libya and Algeria.
Tunisia's Prime Minister Habib Essid earlier told
reporters a raid in the southern Gafsa region had killed nine militants from
the local group Okba Ibn Nafaa, including Algerian Lokman Abu Sakhr, suspected
of orchestrating the museum attack.
"We have killed most of the leaders of Okba Ibn
Nafaa who were behind many recent attacks," Essid said. "This is a
clear and strong response to terrorism after the Bardo attack."
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)
claimed the attack, though the Tunisian government has pointed the finger at
Okba Ibn Nafaa, which has a base in the Chaambi mountains bordering Algeria.
The group was previously more allied to al Qaeda but
has made vague statements on its
position toward the ISIL, the al Qaeda splinter group that now controls large
parts of Iraq and Syria.
The Tunis attack underscored how Islamist militant
loyalties are blurring as they seek a new North African front, especially in
Libya, where political chaos and factional fighting has allowed Islamic State
to gain an outpost.
The two Bardo gunmen were trained over the border in
Libya at camps operated by Tunisian militants, officials say. Both were killed
by the security forces.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tunisian-forces-kill-nine-militants-before-world-leaders-attend-bardo-march-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=80314&NewsCatID=357
---------
Tunisians march against extremism after attack
29 March 2015
Thousands of Tunisians set off on Sunday for a march
"against terrorism" through the capital following the massacre of
foreign tourists at the country's national museum.
Some 12,000 people were present for the start of the
march, a police official said, with many waving Tunisian flags to chants of
"Tunisia is free! Terrorism out!"
On March 18, two gunmen targeted the National Bardo
Museum in an attack claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)
militant group, dealing a severe blow to a country that was the cradle of the
Arab Spring and is highly dependent on tourism.
The dead tourists were from Italy, Japan, France,
Spain, Colombia, Australia, Britain, Belgium, Poland and Russia.
A Tunisian policeman was also gunned down. On Saturday
the death toll rose to 22 after a Frenchwoman succumbed to injuries sustained
in the attack.
The march is set to begin in Tunis at 1000 GMT, going
from Bab Saadoun Square to the museum where a stone tablet will be dedicated to
the memory of the victims.
The attack was “a big blow, but this blow did not kill
us, it made us stronger”, Tourism Minister Salma Elloumi Rekik said on
television on Saturday.
President Beji Caid Essebsi will host the foreign
dignitaries including his counterparts from France, Francois Hollande, and
Poland, Bronislaw Komorowski, as well as the Palestinians' Mahmud Abbas.
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Algeria's
premier, Abdelmalek Sellal, as well as the foreign ministers of Spain, Jose
Manuel Garcia-Margallo, and the Netherlands, Bert Koenders, are also expected.
Essebsi called earlier in the week for a huge turnout
for the march to the museum, which is due to reopen to the public on Monday.
The Bardo's doors were open on Friday to
schoolchildren and students only, and an AFP journalist said bullet holes could
still be seen on some of the walls inside.
“I was a little (scared) but now that we are here I
can see that things are safe,” Lena Bottlender, a 17-year-old German student,
told AFP.
Soumeya, a young Tunisian who visited on Friday, said
she was “scared when she watched (the attacks on) the television”.
“We are here to show people that there is nothing to
be afraid of,” she added.
Tunisia has seen an upsurge in Islamist extremism
since overthrowing longtime strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011, but has
taken pride in forming a democratic government since the Arab Spring - in
marked contrast to countries such as Libya, Syria and Yemen.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/03/29/Tunisians-march-against-extremism-after-museum-massacre.html
---------
Libya’s Tripoli parliament says troops pull back from
major oil ports
28 March 2015
A rival Libyan parliament based in the capital Tripoli
has ordered the withdrawal of troops loyal to it from frontlines near Libya's
biggest oil ports, a senior lawmaker said on Saturday.
The move raised hopes of a reopening of the ports of
Es Sider and Ras Lanuf, which closed in December when fighting broke out
between forces loyal respectively to Libya’s competing governments and
parliaments.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/business/economy/2015/03/28/Libya-s-Tripoli-parliament-says-troops-pull-back-from-major-oil-ports.html
--------
Nicolas Anelka talks football, discrimination, and his
Islamic faith
29 March 2015
It is exactly 18 years since Nicolas Anelka started a
career which has seen him become one of the most successful footballers of all
time.
Now, in an exclusive interview with Al Arabiya, the
36-year-old has spoken about his new footballing project in North Africa, his
conversion to Islam, and how growing up with French Algerians in the Paris
suburbs helped forge his personality.
Anelka’s cumulative transfer fees are more than £112m
– placing him among the most expensive players in history – and he has turned
out for the biggest clubs in Europe, including Real Madrid, Juventus, Chelsea,
Arsenal, and Liverpool.
But it was at the Aurassi Hotel in Algiers, the
capital of Algeria, where he is currently acting as a consultant to homegrown
football club NA Hussein Dey (NAHD) that Anelka spoke.
“I have an affinity with Algeria, because I grew up
with plenty of Algerian friends in the suburbs of Paris,” he said.
“We had lots in common, including Islam. In fact,
people kept telling me that I had an Algerian character. I was very touched by
that because they are a very proud people. I’m proud but not arrogant.”
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/sports/2015/03/28/Nicolas-Anelka-talks-football-discrimination-and-his-Islamic-faith-.html
---------
Mideast
50 Houthis killed in clashes with Shabwa tribes
29 March 2015
At least 50 Houthi rebels have been killed in clashes
with armed tribes in Yemen’s Shabwa province, located to the east of the
capital Sanaa.
The tribes had initially launched the attacks on
Houthi militias and forces allied to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The Houthis had joined forces with the loyalists of
former President Saleh in their offensive to take control of Yemen.
Saudi Arabia is leading a 10-state coalition to combat
the Houthi’s advancement of Yemen in support of the country’s legitimate
President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi and his government.
Following the clashes, Arab coalition warplanes hit
Houthi positions in Shabwa.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/03/29/50-Houthis-killed-in-clashes-with-Shabwa-tribes.html
---------
Arab coalition air strikes kill 15 Yemeni rebel troops
29 March 2015
Arab coalition air strikes hit the headquarters of the
rebel republican guard in Yemen's capital, killing 15 soldiers, a military
official told Agence France-Presse Sunday.
The overnight raid struck the al-Subaha base in
western Sanaa, the official said.
A medic at a military hospital in the capital said it
had received 12 bodies and 18 wounded soldiers after the raid.
Saudi Arabia is leading a 10-state coalition to combat
the Houthi’s advancement of Yemen in support of the country’s legitimate
President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi and his government.
Air strikes have eliminated most of the ballistic
missiles which Houthi fighters captured from Yemen's army, a Saudi military
officer said on Saturday.
Saudi-led airstrikes struck military targets and
weapons depots controlled by Houthi rebels in the Yemeni city of Saada on
Sunday, where members of the militia released hundreds of convicted criminals
and took control of the Kahlan military camp, Al Arabiya News Channel reported.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/03/29/Arab-coalition-air-strikes-kill-15-Yemeni-rebel-troops.html
---------
Israel Seeking to Demolish Ancient Palestinian Village
29 March, 2015
Israel is seeking to demolish the ancient Palestinian
village of Susya in the Southern part of the occupied West Bank under the
pretext of doing “archaeological work” at the site.
The regime is trying to obtain permission from a high
court to flatten the Palestinian village to prepare that ground for “more
archaeological work at the site,” the Islam Times reported on Sunday.
Tel Aviv plans to relocate the village residents to
the nearby city of Yatta in al-Khalil (Hebron).
This comes as the locals had obtained a temporary
injunction against the demolition in 2014.
The Tel Aviv regime calls the Palestinian houses
“illegal outposts,” with the Israeli military prohibiting residents from
setting up homes in the area.
This is while there is an illegal Israeli settlement
near Susya with the same name.
Attorney Kamar Mishraki-Asad, representing the Susya
residents, said, “It’s incredible, but with the settlements, it was already
ruled that Susya land is privately owned and thousands of dunams of land in the
area are privately owned by Palestinians.”
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940109000609
---------
Rebellion among Houthi militia ranks in Taez
29 March 2015
Yemeni security forces in Taez, who had allied
themselves with the Houthi militia and supporters of former President Ali
Abdullah Saleh, rebelled against orders of marching to Aden, Al Arabiya News
Channel reported Sunday citing local sources.
Members of Taez’s military police refused to head to
Aden, where the country’s legitimate government has been holding court since
the Houthi takeover of Sanaa earlier this year.
Separately, local sources said around 300 Houthi
militants – supported by army forces and tanks – stormed the al-Jalila area in
the al-Dalea governorate south of Yemen.
The Houthis were met by local armed groups in clashes
that left a number of people wounded, Al Arabiya reported citing eyewitness
accounts. The militia also managed to take control of military camps from local
armed groups.
Sources said scores fled their homes in al-Dalea, as
clashes continued in the al-Jalila area between locals and Houthis which left
an unidentified number of casualties.
Al Arabiya reported that antiaircraft weapons were
fired at Arab coalition warplanes as they flew over the al-Jalila.
Saudi Arabia is leading a 10-state coalition to combat
the Houthi’s advancement of Yemen in support of the country’s legitimate
President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi and his government.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/03/29/Rebellion-among-Houthi-militia-ranks-in-Taez.html
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Iran nuclear talks go down to wire as Israel lashes
out
29 March, 2015
High-stakes negotiations to rein in Iran’s suspect
nuclear programme looked set to go down to the wire on March 29 with only three
days left until a midnight deadline for the outlines of a deal.
In a sign that the complex talks were coming to a
head, top US diplomat John Kerry cancelled plans to attend a high-profile event
in his beloved Boston on March 30 to stay at the negotiating table.
"Given the
ongoing nuclear negotiations, (Kerry) will not be able to share this special
time ... in person," deputy State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said
of Monday’s dedication of new institute in honour of late senator Ted Kennedy.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose
country is widely believed to have nuclear weapons itself, denounced as
"dangerous" the accord that is on the table.
"The dangerous accord which is being negotiated
in Lausanne confirms our concerns and even worse," Netanyahu said in
remarks broadcast on public radio.
Kerry met again early March 29 with Iranian Foreign
Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, the latest in a flurry of closed-door
discussions at a luxury hotel in the Swiss town of Lausanne.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/iran-nuclear-talks-go-down-to-wire-as-israel-lashes-out.aspx?pageID=238&nID=80311&NewsCatID=359
---------
Turkey welcomes fall of key city in Syria’s north
29 March, 2015
Turkish officials have expressed their satisfaction at
the seizure of the northern Syrian city of Idlib by opposition forces,
stressing that the Ankara-supported Free Syrian Army (FSA) was part of the winning
side.
The coalition that seized Idlib city on March 28 was
composed of the al-Nusra Front, the official Syrian affiliate of al-Qaeda, as
well as several Islamist factions.
“The al-Nusra Front and its allies have captured all
of Idlib,” the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said,
according to AFP. “There is still a group of soldiers fighting in the security
quarter of the city, but they will not be able to reverse the situation,”
Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman added.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-welcomes-fall-of-key-city-in-syrias-north.aspx?pageID=238&nID=80306&NewsCatID=352
---------
Arab
World
Iraqi Army Kills over 27 ISIL Terrorists in Tikrit
29 March, 2015
The Iraqi army, backed by popular fighters, continued
to make more gains in its huge offensive against the ISIL terrorists in the
strategic city of Tikrit, leaving more than 27 terrorists dead and injured, a
military source said.
A senior army official, speaking on condition of
anonymity, said that the army troops made major advances in their confrontation
with the ISIL Takfiri group in the areas of Albu Tuma and Jazira in Tikrit
city, and managed to kill at least 27 terrorists.
Iraqi military forces, backed by Shiite and Sunni
volunteer fighters, have won control over 90 percent of Tikrit after inflicting
hefty losses on the ISIL.
Some 30,000 Iraqi troops and thousands of allied
Shiite and Sunni militias have been involved in a week-long operation to
recapture Tikrit and other key towns and villages in the Northern part of
Salahuddin province from the ISIL militants.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940109000069
---------
Yemen intervention to go on until Houthis ‘surrender’:
Arab League chief
29 March 2015
Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said on Sunday a
Saudi-led offensive in Yemen will continue until the Houthi Shiite rebels
"surrender" their weapons and withdraw from areas they seized.
The "operation will continue until the Houthi
militia withdraws and surrenders its weapons," Arabi said at the start of
the second day of a summit in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Yemen's President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi had attended
the first day of the summit, calling for the offensive to continue until the
Iran-backed rebels surrender and hand over their leaders and weapons.
Meanwhile, Arab leaders have agreed to form a joint
military force, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced Sunday on the
second and final day of a summit.
"The Arab leaders had decided to agree on the
principle of a joint Arab military force," Sisi said in a speech at the
gathering in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/03/29/Yemen-intervention-to-go-on-until-Houthis-surrender-.html
---------
Scores of Insurgents Killed by Syrian Army in Deir
Ezzur Province
29 March, 2015
The Eastern Province of Deir Ezzur has been the scene
of bloody clashes between the rebel groups and the Syrian soldiers, who have
gained the upper hand against the foreign-backed enemies in recent months.
An informed military source in the province said that
scores of militants were killed and wounded in the Syrian army's operations,
and meantime, huge amounts of rebels' weapons and ammunition depots were
targeted in al-Tharda Mountain in Deir Ezzur, which borders the Iraqi
crisis-hit Anbar province.
Syria has been the scene of insurgency since 2011 when
certain western powers and their regional allies voiced loudly that Syrian
protests have no diplomatic solution and they started supplying the country's
opposition groups with their arms and funds.
Since 2014, specially after victory of President
Bashar al-Assad in the country's presidential election in summer, the army has
gained upper hand in its anti-terrorism campaign, and has been partly
successful in sealing borders with Turkey and Jordan.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940109000371
---------
Syria Terms Israeli Occupation of Muslims' Territories
as Root Cause of Mideast Tensions
29 March, 2015
Syrian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Jihad al-Laham said
that the Israeli occupation and divisive plots are the main sources of
violence, extremism, terrorism and civil wars in the Middle-Eastern region.
In a speech during a hearing session of the Human
Rights Committee of the 132nd session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
Assembly in Hanoi, in Vietnam, al-Laham called on the world parliaments to
press Israel to end its occupation of Arab territories, including the Syrian
Golan Heights, considering this occupation as the root cause of chaos,
terrorism, and tensions in the region.
He further added that ending this occupation would
contribute to the restoration of security and stability to the Middle East.
The Geneva-based Inter-Parliamentary Union, which is
an important non-governmental parliamentary institution, was founded in 1889.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940109000424
---------
Syrian regime troops regroup after losing Idlib
29 March 2015
Syrian troops were regrouping outside Idlib city on
Sunday, a day after it became the second provincial capital to fall from regime
control, a security source and media said.
"Forces are repositioning on the outskirts of
Idlib in order to face the terrorist battalions... and be in the best position
to repel their attack," a security source in Damascus told AFP.
The Al-Watan newspaper, which is close to the
government, said that troops had carried out a "successful operation
regrouping south of the city".
"Army reinforcements were sent to start a
military operation to regain control of the areas that were vacated after the
evacuation of the local population to safe areas," the daily added, citing
a source on the ground.
Opposition forces including Al-Qaeda's Syrian
affiliate Al-Nusra Front seized control of Idlib on Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/03/29/Syrian-regime-troops-regroup-after-losing-Idlib.html
---------
Saudi Blogger Tells of Flogging Ordeal
29 March, 2015
Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, who has been sentenced to
1,000 lashes and 10 years in prison for insulting Wahhabism, said his ordeal
was merely because of an expression of opinion.
“All this cruel suffering happened to me because I
expressed my opinion,” Badawi said in his first letter from prison since he was
jailed in 2012, press tv reported.
The Saudi blogger received his first 50 lashes at a
square outside al-Jafali Mosque in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah on January
9. Eight other rounds of the punishment have been suspended in straight weeks.
According to German weekly magazine Der Spiegel,
Badawi said that he had “miraculously survived 50 lashes.”
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940109000385
---------
Saudi FM responds to Putin’s letter on Syrian crisis
29 March 2015
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said
Sunday that Russia proposes a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis while it
continues to provide arms to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
The Saudi foreign minister said Assad has “lost his
legitimacy” as Russia continues to supply his government with arms that are
killing the Syrian people.
Al-Faisal noted that Arab states are looking forward
to have better relations with Russia if it shows more “positivity.”
His statements over the Syrian crisis responded to a
message sent earlier by Russian President Vladimir Putin to participants at the
Arab League summit, held at Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh.
In the message carried by the Russian Interfax news
agency, Putin stated that he insists on settling the Syrian crisis peacefully
and based on international law principles.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/2015/03/29/Saudi-FM-responds-to-Putin-s-letter-over-Syrian-crisis-.html
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India
Common consensus needed for anti-cow slaughter bill: Home
Minister
Bagish Jha,TNN | Mar 29, 2015
INDORE: Considering the requests of the saints at
religious programme, Union Rajnath Singh supported the idea to ban cow
slaughter nationally and assured to take efforts for creating common consensus
on bringing anti-cow slaughter bill in Parliament.
Rajnath, who was in Indore on Sunday to participate in
a religious programme of Jain community, clarified that bringing such law would
not be easy as present NDA government is struggling to pass other important
bill in absence of clear majority in Rajya Sabha.
"Such bill can be introduce only with common
consensus and we will try for it," said Singh adding that previous NDA
government led by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had introduce a
bill in Parliament to ban cow slaughter, but the bill was not cleared by the
Parliament.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Common-consensus-needed-for-anti-cow-slaughter-bill-Rajnath-Singh/articleshow/46735870.cms
---------
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's 'Art of Living' gets ISIS
threat letters
29 March, 2015
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian chapter of Sri Sri Ravi
Shankar's Art of Living has received threatening letters from the Islamic State
terror group, a close aide of the spiritual leader claimed on Saturday.
"Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is touring some countries
in the far east and he landed in Malaysia yesterday and few days ago while he
was in Cambodia, we received threat letters from ISIS, one was received by the
hotel manager, one was received by the director of Art of Living and one by
senior faculty and the content of the letter is very threatening saying if you
go ahead with the programme there will be consequences," said Nakul, an
aide of Ravi Shankar.
"The authorities have immediately notified the
local authorities. We also contacted the Indian Embassy and we also conducted
an investigation to find the source of the letter. We are going ahead," he
said.
The Art of Living had a yoga programme in the morning
which was attended by 10,000 people and there is a programme underway in Penang
attended by 70,000 people which Sri Sri will be attending, he added.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Sri-Sri-Ravi-Shankars-Art-of-Living-gets-ISIS-threat-letters/articleshow/46727580.cms
---------
Swamy sabotaged Islamic banking
NAVTAN KUMAR
New Delhi | 29th Mar 2015
Pressure from Bharatiya Janata Party leader
Subramanian Swamy led to the suspension of the launch of Islamic banking in
India. The launch of State Bank of India (SBI) Sharia Mutual Fund, designed to
invest in Sharia (Islamic law) compliant companies, was "deferred" at
the last moment in December 2014 as Swamy wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi
about his grievances against the system and got it stalled.
Though SBI Mutual Fund termed the
"deferment" as a commercial decision, Swamy admitted to The Sunday
Guardian that he wrote a letter to the Prime Minister in December saying that
introducing Islamic banking would be "politically and economically
disastrous for our country". "Yes, I wrote a letter to him (Narendra
Modi) and he acknowledged it. He acted immediately and asked the concerned
officials to stop it. So it was deferred at the eleventh hour," Swamy
said.
In his letter, Swamy spoke about the Kerala
government's decision to introduce a Sharia compliant bank there, which was
challenged by him in court. "...The Reserve Bank under the then Governor
Dr Y.V. Reddy had filed an affidavit stating that under Indian secular laws and
under the Reserve Bank Act, Sharia compliant is not permitted," reads the
letter.
Full report at:
http://www.sunday-guardian.com/news/swamy-sabotaged-islamic-banking
---------
Beware of draconian counter-terrorism measures,
cautions NHRC chief
A Subramani,TNN | Mar 29, 2015
MUMBAI: While terrorism needs to be condemned
unequivocally, draconian counter-terrorist measures, including draconian laws,
are matters of concern, said chairperson of the National Human Rights
Commission (NHRC) and former chief justice of India Justice K G Balakrishnan on
Sunday.
Addressing a gathering of judges, lawyers and law
students attending a conference on international terrorism in Mumbai, Justice
Balakrishnan said anti-terrorist laws had put a large number of people in jail
without trial and conviction. "It is a matter of worry," he said.
Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, Chief justice of
Bangladesh, said his country always supported global war against terrorism, but
its ability to combat terrorism was undermined by weak institutions, porous
borders and limited law enforcement capacity.
"At present, the government is trying hard by
keeping no stone unturned for reviving a sense of security among its people so
that they can contribute to national economy and political progress," he
said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Beware-of-draconian-counter-terrorism-measures-cautions-NHRC-chief/articleshow/46735789.cms
---------
8 militants sneaked into India, 4 of them killed:
Intelligence agencies
TNN | Mar 29, 2015
NEW DELHI: The Centre on Saturday warned that four
terrorists may have sneaked into India to carry out terror attacks, including
in the national capital.
According to a senior official, the group of
terrorists may have sneaked in along with the four terrorists who carried out
two separate attacks in Samba and Kathua last week. Security agencies were
expected to step up security precautions in the wake of the alert.
According to government sources, there is credible
information by now that at least eight terrorists may have infiltrated into
Jammu & Kashmir via Samba last week. Two of those terrorists were killed by
the army on March 21 after they attacked a camp in Meshwara area of Samba
district. The other two were killed when they stormed Rajbagh police station in
Kathua on March 20
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/8-militants-sneaked-into-India-4-of-them-killed-Intelligence-agencies/articleshow/46731911.cms
---------
Strategic Chabahar transit deal soon, will bolster
trade ties with India: Afghan ambassador
Partha Maitra,TNN | Mar 29, 2015
BHOPAL: A trilateral transit deal between Afghanistan,
India and Iran will be signed shortly with the strategic Chabahar port project
in Iran nearing completion — a giant leap to bypass Pakistan and boost trade
ties with landlocked Afghanistan. "The draft agreement is ready, the finer
points are being hammered out and we are waiting for a date to sign the
tri-nation accord in Tehran. This alternative route will directly connect India
with Afghanistan without hindrance. Our trade volume will catapult from current
$700mn to trillions of dollars," said Afghanistan ambassador to India,
Shaida Mohammad Abdali in an exclusive interview to TOI.
Last year, India announced $100mn investment in
Chabahar, which is just 72 km from Pakistan's Gwadar port and 1000 km closer
than Karachi port, which handles Afghanistan's imports. The deal will
effectively shut out India's dependence on Pakistan, which disallows overland
transit trade to Afghanistan. Abdali, who was in Bhopal on a three-day visit,
also announced visa-on-arrival for Indians who want to do business in
Afghanistan.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Strategic-Chabahar-transit-deal-soon-will-bolster-trade-ties-with-India-Afghan-ambassador/articleshow/46732474.cms
---------
‘Russia calls for continuation of dialogue between
Pakistan, India’
29 March, 2015
ISLAMABAD – Welcoming resumption of dialogue between
Pakistan and India, Russian ambassador to Islamabad Alexey Y. Dedov on Sunday
called for continuation of efforts for resolution of outstanding issues between
two nuclear-capable neighbours.
We also welcome this kind of developments after the
visit of Indian secretary of foreign affairs Subrahmanyan Jaishankar to
Islamabad early this month. This process needs continuation in the practical
terms, he said in exclusive interview with APP here. He said that there was a
will in the two countries to pursue dialogue as both Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had demonstrated they wanted to improve
their relations.
This is a very good trend, said the ambassador who
took his assignment in Islamabad last year and currently visiting different
Pakistani cities to explore avenues of economic cooperation between Islamabad
and Moscow. Questioned on Afghanistan situation he supported Pakistan's stance
by saying that his country wanted an Afghan-led and Afghan owned reconciliation
process for ensuring peace and stability in war-battered country.
Full report at:
ttp://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/29-Mar-2015/russia-calls-for-continuation-of-dialogue-between-pakistan-india
---------
Pakistan
Army chief vows terror-free Pakistan for next
generation
29 March, 2015
LAHORE: Chief of Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif has
called for making collective efforts to give the next generation a
terrorism-free and prosperous Pakistan and to provide them a conducive
environment which could help them apply their knowledge and creativity to
achieve optimum effects for national growth.
“Our young and upcoming generation is our future. And
it can only be saved if we make joint efforts for giving them a terror-free and
prosperous Pakistan,” the COAS said while addressing the third convocation of
CMH Lahore Medical College on Saturday.
“We are taking menace of terrorism head on and will go
anywhere in the country to eliminate it completely,” he pledged.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1172593/army-chief-vows-terror-free-pakistan-for-next-generation
---------
Nawaz has ensured 'all potentials of Pakistan Army' to
Kingdom: Saudi press agency
29 March, 2015
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has ensured full support
to Saudi Arabia, stressing that “all potentials of the Pakistan Army are
offered to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”, Saudi Press Agency reported on
Saturday.
King Salman Abdul Aziz telephoned the prime minister
on Saturday, and both leaders reviewed bilateral relations between the two
countries, and developments on regional and international arenas, the press
agency stated.
King Salman went on to thanks Prime Minister Nawaz for
Pakistan’s support.
Elaborating on the telephonic contact between King
Salman and the prime minister, Foreign Office spokesperson Aizaz Chaudhry in a
press briefing said PM Nawaz reiterated that Pakistan attached utmost
importance to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Saudi Arabia, as two
of the most sacred monuments of Islam and the Muslim world were present in the
Kingdom.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/860469/nawaz-has-ensured-all-potentials-of-pakistan-army-to-kingdom-saudi-press-agency/
---------
Five Banned Outfit Men Killed In Mastung, Baluchistan
29 March, 2015
MASTUNG: Five militants were killed in exchange of
fire with Frontier Corps (FC) in district Mastung of Balochistan.
According to FC spokesman, the paramilitary force, on
a tip-off, launched search operation in Kardgap area, where the militants
opened fire. In retaliation, five militants were killed and six others injured.
The spokesman said the dead and injured belong to a
banned outfit. The FC personnel also recovered four trucks and the drivers,
abducted four days back, from the possession of the accused.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-179685-Five-banned-outfit-men-killed-in-Mastung
---------
FC kills four BRA militants; council chairman abducted
29 March, 2015
UETTA: The Frontier Corps (FC) has reportedly killed
at least four suspected militants belonging to banned Baloch Republican Army
(BRA) during a search operation in Kalat district of Balochistan, spokesperson
for FC Balochistan said on Saturday.
According to an FC spokesperson, security forces
acting on a tip-off launched a massive search operation in Mangocher area of
Kalat. “The FC used helicopter and ground forces during the operation,” the
spokesperson said. There was an exchange of fire between militants and security
forces, which lasted for hours.
The FC seized 500kg explosives, 150 rockets and 1,500
detonators, while automatic weapons were also recovered, he said.
Meanwhile, a group of armed men kidnapped the chairman
of Kharan District Council near Patken area of Kharan district on Saturday.
According to a senior official of Balochistan Levies,
newly elected Kharan District Council Chairman Sagheer Badini was going to a
friend’s house for offering fateha when a group of armed men intercepted his
vehicle in Patken area and kidnapped him.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/29-Mar-2015/fc-kills-four-bra-militants-council-chairman-abducted
---------
Conspiracy to Discredit Islam in Middle East Cause of
Concern: Permanent Representative of Pakistan in UN
29 March, 2015
NEW YORK: Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the
United Nations Dr Maleeha Lodhi said on Saturday the conspiracy to discredit
Islam in the Middle East was a cause of concern.
Dr Lodhi emphasised that the security and sovereignty
of all countries should be respected. She added that Islam teaches love,
brotherhood, tolerance and humanity.
According to Dr Lodhi, the Security Council can
contribute to restoring peace and defeating extremist and violent groups by
helping to evolve a global consensus on the principles and structure for the
solution of the challenges confronted in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Palestine.
“In this, the Council cannot but adhere to the
principles of the UN Charter and its own unimplemented Resolutions."
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-179563-Conspiracy-to-discredit-Islam-in-Middle-East-cause-of-concern:-Lodhi-
---------
Police use rickshaw to transport ‘TTP militants’ to
court
29 March, 2015
KARACHI: In what appears to be a major security lapse,
police on Saturday brought two suspected militants of the proscribed
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and as many suspected killers of a policeman to an
antiterrorism court in a rickshaw and a Suzuki Hi-roof to obtain their remand.
Despite the fact that some alleged militants had
managed to escape when they were transported to courts from police stations in
rickshaws, Investigation Officer Rana Abdul Jabbar along with two constables
brought the two ‘TTP militants’ — Tayyab and Tassaduq — to the ATC-II in a
rickshaw.
The IO claimed that he had no other option but to use
a rickshaw since no police mobile van was available.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1172466/police-use-rickshaw-to-transport-ttp-militants-to-court
---------
Pakistanis not getting correct information in Yemen:
Dr Abdul
29 March, 2015
ADEN: Dr Abdul Ghani, one of the stranded members of
Pakistani community in Yemen, Saturday said the citizens were not getting
correct information in connection with their evacuation in the war-torn Aden
city.
Talking to Geo News, Dr Abdul Ghani demanded of the
Pakistan government to immediately evacuate Pakistanis stranded in Aden and
Southern Yemen.
We can't even trust the local neighbours here, all the
markets of Aden are closed and the people have run out of food supplies and
have nothing to eat", Dr Ghani informed Geo News.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-179623-Pakistanis-not-getting-correct-information-in-Yemen:-Dr-Abdul
---------
80,000 Pakistanis killed in US 'War on Terror': report
29 March, 2015
At least 80,000 Pakistanis have been killed in the
US-led War on Terror, a study conducted by a group of international physicians’
organisations revealed.
A report titled ”Body Count: Casualty Figures after 10
Years of the ‘War on Terror” was released by the Nobel Prize-winning
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, along with
Physicians for Social Responsibility and Physicians for Global Survival.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/860790/80000-pakistanis-killed-in-us-war-on-terror-report/
------
South
Asia
Separate military actions leave six Taliban killed, 11
injured in Maidan Wardak
29 March, 2015
Six Taliban have been killed and eleven others injured
in separate military actions in Maidan Wardak province.
Security officials say one Taliban fighter was killed
and another wounded after a short gun battle erupted between security forces
and Taliban in close to Antan security post of Day Mirdad District around 07:00
AM This morning.
Also, five Taliban insurgents have been killed and
eleven wounded during military operation in Alishah area of Chak District.
According to local officials Mullah Abdul Ghafar alias
Malang a Taliban commander is among the ones killed in the operation.Wardak
Full report at:
http://www.khaama.com/separate-military-actions-leave-six-taliban-killed-11-injured-in-maidan-wardak-3073
---------
‘Take Immediate Action against Terrorism’, Bangladesh
Govt. Urged
29 March, 2015
Professionals from different sectors urged the
government to identify the sources of terrorism and militancy, considering the
context of world militant activities including Middle East, and take immediate
action at a convention yesterday.
The convention titled “Against Violence, Terrorism and
Militancy and to Build a Secular, Democratic and Rich Bangladesh” was held at
capital’s Engineers Institution auditorium in the morning.
Speakers at the convention militant activities are
taking place under the shadow of politics. They called upon the people to unite
against these terrorist activities and work for building a secular, democratic
and rich Bangladesh.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2015/mar/29/take-immediate-action-against-terrorism#sthash.2UzbwM4g.dpuf
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Civilians killed in military operation in Ghazni
Mar 29 2015
Civilians have been killed in military operation,
namely Operation Nusrat, in Ghazni province, local elders and provincial
governor has told reporters.
Dozens of local elders from Andar and Deh Yak
districts on Saturday went to the governor’s office in Ghazni city and conveyed
their concern to the provincial administration.
Abdul Jami Jami, deputy director of the provincial
council of Ghazni and member of the delegation said that military shells have
fallen on civilian homes causing heavy casualties.
He added that more than 40 civilians including women
and children have been killed or injured in the military operation, ongoing
from the past eight days.
Ali Ahmadi, deputy governor of Ghazni province did not
confirm or reject the reports while talking to Khaama Press but Mohammad Musa
Akbarzada, acting governor of Ghazni province has confirmed civilian casualties
in Andar and Deh Yak districts during military operation.
Akbarzada said he did not have a solid number of the
civilian casualties but he himself has visited the areas hit during the
operation.
Delegation urged the immediate dismissal and referring
him to judiciary the military commander who according to them is responsible.
http://www.khaama.com/civilians-killed-in-military-operation-in-ghazni-3078
---------
No love for ISIS (Daesh) in Afghanistan, says
ex-president Hamid Karzai
29 March, 2015
The former Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said
there is no love for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group
in Afghanistan.
Calling the presence of the terrorist group in
Afghanistan as a slogan, Karzai insisted that the group lacks the necessary
support in the country.
“There’s a lot of media hype in Afghanistan, but there
is no physical evidence of them per se,” Karzai told CNBC in an interview.
Karzai further added “You’ll see that one day a white
flag of the Taliban is turned into the black flag of ISIS. The individuals may
remain the same, but the change of name is something that can occur easily.”
Full report at:
http://www.khaama.com/no-love-for-isis-daesh-in-afghanistan-says-ex-president-hamid-karzai-9959
---------
North
America
European anti-Islam group’s Canadian protest fizzles
29 March 2015
A planned protest by the new Canadian branch of
anti-Islam group PEGIDA failed to materialize here Saturday as around 500
opponents gathered to rally against the demonstration.
A large police cordon surrounded the anti-PEGIDA
protesters in Montreal’s Little Maghreb neighborhood, which is home to a large
North African Muslim community.
Germany-based PEGIDA, or Patriotic Europeans Against
the Islamization of the West, had called for a protest in the area.
However, less than a dozen PEGIDA protesters gathered
at a car park near the neighborhood before the group’s planned demonstration
was cancelled.
Anti-PEGIDA protesters instead took center stage,
brandishing banners with slogans that included “Solidarity against
Islamophobia” and “Smash PEGIDA! Against the Nazis.”
Cheers later broke out as police told those gathered
that PEGIDA had scrapped its planned protest.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2015/03/29/European-anti-Islam-group-s-Canadian-protest-fizzles-.html
---------
U.S. drops 60,000 propaganda leaflets on ISIS
stronghold Raqqa
29 March 2015
The United States has dropped tens of thousands of
graphic leaflets southwest of the Syrian city of Raqqa recently aimed at
discouraging recruitment for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
The grisly, cartoon-style leaflets show recruits
lining up to be shoved into a meatgrinder and is part of what the Pentagon
formally calls "Military Information Support Operations," or MISO,
meant to influence thinking on the battlefield.
The Pentagon said a U.S. Air Force F-15 warplane
dropped about 60,000 of the leaflets on March 16.
"The message of this leaflet is that if you allow
yourself to be recruited by Daesh (ISIS), you will find yourself in a meat
grinder," said Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren. "It's not
beneficial to your health."
The U.S. military has long employed such campaigns in
wartime but Warren said this was first of its kind in Syria he was aware of
since the United States began bombings in the country last September.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/features/2015/03/29/U-S-drops-60-000-propaganda-leaflets-on-ISIS-stronghold-Raqqa.html
--------
US “deeply troubled” by Maldives’ questionable
commitment to democracy, human rights
29 March, 2015
The United States has called into question the
Maldives’ commitment to democracy and human rights following the imprisonment
of former Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim and the arrest of three journalists
from opposition protests last week.
“The United States is deeply troubled by recent
developments in Maldives that call into question that nation’s commitment to
democracy and individual human rights,” the US Department of State’s Office of
the Spokesperson in Washington DC said on Friday.
Nazim’s “trial was particularly concerning, as it was
marred by the same apparent lack of appropriate criminal procedures as the
recent trial of former President Mohamed Nasheed,” said the office.
The Criminal Court on Thursday found Nazim guilty of
smuggling weapons, and sentenced him to 11 years in jail. On March 13, the
court convicted Nasheed of terrorism over the military detention of Criminal
Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed in January 2012, and sentenced to him to 13
years in jail.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/us-deeply-troubled-by-maldives-questionable-commitment-to-democracy-human-rights-95065#sthash.nWUcQtIO.dpuf
---------
US says Pakistan making sincere effort for Afghan
peace
29 March, 2015
WASHINGTON: Pakistan is making a ‘sincere effort’ towards
Afghan peace and it wants to make the best use of the ‘new environment’ by
aiding a negotiated political settlement to the conflict in the neighbouring
country, US Special Representative Dan Feldman said.
“I do think that there is a sincere effort being made
by Pakistan at this point to take advantage of this new environment and a
recognition that long-term stability on their border is in their interest and
that they have a role to play in trying to ensure that there is a peaceful
resolution to this process,” Feldman, who is special US envoy for Afghanistan
and Pakistan, said.
Feldman, who has years of experience on implementing
US policy toward the region, was briefing reporters along with Larry Sampler,
USAID Assistant to the Administrator for the Office of Pakistan and
Afghanistan, on the new Afghan leaders’ visit to Washington this week.
During their visit to Washington, Afghan President
Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah discussed the future
of his country with President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry
and Defence secretary Ashton Carter in view of the multiple transitions leading
to 2016-end withdrawal of American forces. One of the sessions at Camp David
talks led by Secretary Kerry and the Afghan leaders focused on regional
cooperation and reconciliation.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/29-Mar-2015/us-says-pakistan-making-sincere-effort-for-afghan-peace
---------
Europe
Hundreds Turn Out To Support Muslim Youth Festival in
London
29 March, 2015
Hundreds of young British Muslims have attended a
festival in London on how to divert people away from extremism.
Muslim Youth Focus Group organised the event to voice
concerns about issues such as radicalisation.
The event was held as it emerged four teenage girls
who were barred from travelling abroad were from the same school attended by
three girls already thought to have fled to Syria.
All seven attend Bethnal Green Academy in Tower
Hamlets.
The name of the school was revealed after reporters
argued it was in the public interest.
The event was aimed at young British Muslims to help
create a platform for them to discuss issues such as Islamophobia, Islamic
State and the war in Syria.
'Muslim role models'
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-32099166
---------
UK Muslims to get first national radio station
29 March, 2015
The United Kingdom is all set to get its first
national Muslim-orientated radio station.
UK media regulator Ofcom confirmed it has awarded
Sound Digital, a consortium of Arqiva, Bauer and UTV Media, the licence to
broadcast 14 stations nationally from mid-2016.
The station known as British Muslim Radio is one of
two Asians channels that were a part of the winning consortium.
Launched by the owners of Asian Sound Radio in
Manchester, the station will provide “Asian music and speech, with elements of
Islamic content”.
It will broadcast programming in English, Urdu,
Punjabi, Gujarati and Bengali.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/860774/uk-muslims-to-get-first-national-radio-station/
---------
Explainer: Why the western media refuses to call the
Germanwings pilot a ‘terrorist'
29 March, 2015
Twenty-eight-year-old German Andreas Lubitz was the
co-pilot of Germanwings Flight 9525, flying on March 24 from Barcelona’s El
Prat Airport to Dusseldorf Airport, when it crashed approximately 100
kilometres northwest of Nice in the French Alps.
A French prosecutor later said that information from
the black box indicated that Lubitz locked out the other pilot, Patrick
Sondenheimer, and then deliberately crashed the plane, killing all 144
passengers and 6 crew members on board.
Since then, the Western media has been trying to dig
into Lubitz’ past and his beliefs in an attempt to find the motive for his
actions, which come at an age when deliberately crashing a plane would usually
be equated with a terrorist act by the international community, especially
Europe and North America.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/860437/explainer-why-the-western-media-refuses-to-call-the-germanwings-pilot-a-terrorist/
---------
ISIS followers send ‘up to 100,000 tweets a day’ warns
EU police chief
29 March 2015
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) supporters are
sending up to 100,000 messages a day on social networking site Twitter to plan
attacks, the European Union’s law enforcement agency chief has warned.
Europol director Rob Wainwright warned that ISIS -
which most recently claimed responsibility for the deadly attacks on a Tunisia
museum - is believed to have up to 50,000 different Twitter accounts tweeting
up to 100,000 messages a day, the former intelligence officer told a BBC radio
station.
“As the communications of terrorist networks and
criminal groups have moved increasingly [online], it’s opened up a whole new
wave of problems for us,” said Wainwright, in an interview broadcast on Sunday.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/media/digital/2015/03/29/ISIS-followers-send-up-to-100-000-tweets-a-day-warns-EU-police-chief-.html
---------
Soyuz spacecraft with Russian, US astronauts blasts
off to ISS
29 March, 2015
BAIKONUR: A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying three
crew, including a US astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut who will be the first to
spend an entire year on the International Space Station, blasted off on
schedule on Friday, Russian mission control said.
The Soyuz-TMA16M spacecraft took off from Russia’s
Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and is headed for the International Space
Station. “The flight is normal”, mission control said seconds after the launch.
“A successful launch of the Soyuz-FG rocket was carried out at 22:42 pm Moscow
time (1942 GMT) to take the Soyuz TMA-16M manned spacecraft into orbit”,
Russia’s space agency said in a statement on its website. The spacecraft is due
to dock with the ISS at 04:36 am Moscow time on Saturday (0136 GMT).
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1172420/soyuz-spacecraft-with-russian-us-astronauts-blasts-off-to-iss
---------
Yemen crisis won´t ‘impact’ Iran nuclear talks:
Russian negotiator
29 March, 2015
MOSCOW: Russia´s chief negotiator in the Iranian
nuclear talks on Saturday said Moscow hoped that the conflict in Yemen -- where
a Saudi-led offensive is under way against Iranian-allied rebels -- would not
negatively affect the ongoing six-party talks with Tehran in Switzerland.
"Unfortunately, we are seeing that the tragedy
that is happening in this country (Yemen) is having an impact on the atmosphere
of the negotiations," Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov was
quoted as saying by RIA Novosti news agency.
"We hope that the situation in Yemen will not
bring about a change in the position of certain participants."
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-179635-Yemen-crisis-won%C2%B4t-impact-Iran-nuclear-talks:-Russian-negotiator
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Southeast
Asia
PAS man slams emotional comments on Hudud in social
media
29 March, 2015
PAS national unity committee chairman Datuk Dr Mujahid
Yusof Rawa has expressed concern over reactions and comments on the recently
amended Kelantan Shariah Criminal Code II Enactment 1993, especially those on
social media sites.
He said ethics were not observed by most social media
users when posting comments on the issue.
"They are not even experts and the way they write
is riddled of emotions," he said, citing the recent threats posted online
against BFM business radio station journalist Aisyah Tajuddin as an example.
Following the passing of the bill by Kelantan
legislative assembly to amend the enactment more than a week ago, the station
uploaded the BFM Projek Dialog “BFMKupas” video clip, raising questions about
hudud and comparing it with bread and butter issues.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/pas-man-slams-emotional-comments-on-social-media-not-helping-hudud-explanat#sthash.JoXa9wfu.dpuf
---------
Fix job quota for women in all fields, says PAC
chairman
29 March, 2015
Industry players should fix job quotas for women in
their respective organisations to ensure they continue to be active and to spur
national development.
Pulai MP and Public Accounts Committee chairman, Datuk
Nur Jazlan Mohamed, said fixing quotas in numerous jobs in the private or
public sectors, would also dispel perceptions of prejudice against women.
"It is a good way to ensure the continuous contribution
of women in national development.
"Furthermore, currently, most students at higher
institutions of learning are women," he said at the International Woman's
Day celebration organised by the Johor Women's League in Johor Baru today.
The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry,
prior to this, targeted 30% of women's participation at the decision-making
level in all fields by 2016.
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/fix-job-quota-for-women-in-all-fields-says-pac-chairman-bernama#sthash.vFHRjkNO.dpuf
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New anti-terrorism bill will also see Penal Code
amended, says home minister
29 March, 2015
The Prevention of Terrorism Act (Pota) which will be
tabled in the Dewan Rakyat in a week's time will also see amendments to other
laws, including the Penal Code, Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahidi said
today
He also said a new law to address foreign militants
entering Malaysia would be tabled.
"Besides the Pota as a new law, there will be
another bill on a law against foreign fighters or foreign militants to address
militants who enter Malaysia, and the preventive measures that can be taken
against this," Zahid said.
He said Pota, like the Prevention of Crime Act (Poca),
will not be used to stifle freedom the way the now-repealed Internal Security
Act (ISA) was accused of.
"There are some who argue against detention
without trial. We are looking at the Poca template and using it in Pota so that
no one will be persecuted as if they were detained under the ISA," Zahid
said.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/new-anti-terrorism-bill-will-also-see-penal-code-amended-says-home-minister#sthash.eFIsxpPL.dpuf
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