‘Why We Attacked This Day Newspaper’: Boko Haram Threatens Media in Nigeria
New Age Islam News Bureau
27 Apr 2012
• Sri Lankan Muslims Protest Demolition of Mosque
• American Slain by Man
Wearing an Afghan Army Uniform
• Osama bin Laden's three
widows and children deported from Pakistan
• Norwegians sing song that
Breivik hates
• Lawmaker questions US
decision to spend $30 mn on Pak farmers
• Pakistan, Afghanistan, US
consider safe passage for Taliban militants
• Saudi Arabia: Elections
may not send qualified members to Shoura
• Bomb explosions kill 10;
wound 18 in Iraq's Diyala
• J&K: Geelani booked for ‘provoking’ stone- pelters
• Sri Lanka: Muslims sore
over Mosque relocation
• Norway survivors of
Breivik massacre tell of pain
• US ignoring Pak calls to
stop drone strikes
• Pak seeks to acquire 100
locos from India
• Bangladesh peacekeepers
sent home $1bn in three years
• Taliban Website Hacked as
Afghan Cyber War Heats Up
• Palestinian Government
Cracks Down on Critics
• Obama to be challenged
over human cost of CIA drone strikes
• American Judge denies
request to release bin Laden photos
• Six PKK militants killed
in eastern Turkey clashes
• ANP activist among two
killed in Karachi violence
• Seven dead, 20 wounded in
Damascus suicide bomb
• Blasts injure 27 in east
Ukraine city
• Pak marine opens fire at
Indian fishermen, 1 injured
• Blast hits court house in
east Libya
• Nawaz, Imran ask Gilani to
step down
• Commission rejects
Haqqani’s plea for testimony via VideoLink
• Pak PM is a winner all the
way
• Gilani dares Opposition to
move trust vote against him
• PIA flight makes emergency
landing after hijack threat
• Afghanistan, Iran agree to
prisoner swap
• Panetta hopes Israeli
general ‘correct’ on Iran
• Bible translator
criticized by critics
• US 'expands Yemen drone
strikes policy'
• Likud would be largest
party in election now: Israeli poll
• Panetta memo records Obama
order to 'get Bin Laden'
• US on guard ahead of bin
Laden anniversary
• Osama planned major
attacks in Pak before being killed: Report
• Malaysia: An apology for
human rights abuses will not be enough
• French-led push for
tougher stand on Syria
• 500 British troops to be
withdrawn from Afghanistan
• Israeli leaders say it is
time for Syria’s Assad to step down
• US relaxes drone rules in
Yemen
• Arab League calls on UN to
protect Syrians
• Intel shows Iran nuclear
threat not imminent
• Oppression pushing Baloch
towards self determination
• Bomb threats to Egyptian
TV station
• More Palestinian prisoners
join hunger strike
• Egypt Islamic body backs
Brotherhood candidate
• US ‘gate crasher’ to run
for governor’s post
• Modi must reflect upon
visa denial: Indian Law Minister
Complied by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Sri Lankan Muslims protestafter Friday prayers
outside a mosque
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/‘-attacked-this-day-newspaper’/d/7156
------------
‘Why We Attacked
This Day Newspaper’: Boko Haram Threatens Media in Nigeria
27 APRIL 2012
The Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna
Lidda'awati Wal — Jihad, popularly known as Boko Haram, said yesterday that it
attacked Thisday newspaper's offices in Abuja and Kaduna to send a strong
message to the media that it would no longer condone reports misrepresenting it
in the press, or blaming it for acts it knows nothing about.
Abul Qaqa, spokesperson
for the sect told Premium Times, in an exclusive interview, that his
organisation was fed up with the deliberate misinformation being peddled about
it in the Nigerian and foreign media.
"We have repeatedly
cautioned reporters and media houses to be professional and objective in their
reports. This is a war between us and the Government of Nigeria; unfortunately
the media have not been objective and fair in their report of the ongoing war,
they chose to take side," Mr. Qaqa said.
He identified three
instances where he claimed his group was deliberately misrepresented by the
media. The first, according to him, was the rumour of his capture by the
Nigerian intelligence agencies.
"Some reporters are
aware that I am Abul Qaqa, they know my voice through our long interactions and
they also know the role of Abu Darda who heads the enlightenment committee and
sometimes facilitates interviews; yet they (media) go by the unsubstantiated
view of government that Abul Qaqa is in custody and I am the new spokesman or
number two," he said.
Premium Times had
continuously reported that Abul Qaqa was not arrested contrary to reports and
that it was Abu Darda, another member, that was arrested.
The second
misrepresentation, according to Mr. Qaqa, was the reporting on the kidnappings
of foreigners in the Northern part of Nigeria.
"Another issue was
the recent kidnappings in the north; we were clear with our position as a group
during a teleconference with reporters but we were shocked the next day when
newspaper headlines added a lot of things which I never said during that
interview."
The third example, Mr.
Abul Qaqa said, is the mistranslation of the video the group posted recently.
"Another example is
the recent video posted on YouTube by our Imam; I challenge every Nigerian to
watch that video again. There is no place our imam either said he will crush
President Jonathan or issued an ultimatum to the government in Nigeria; but
nearly all papers carried very wrong and mischievous headlines."
When asked why ThisDay
appeared specifically chosen for the attack, Mr. Qaqa said ThisDay's
"sins" are more grievous.
"It is not only
THISDAY that has been engaged in negative media campaign, fictional stories and
constantly promoting fake stories by the JTF to give an impression that they
are making headway against us yet there is no time the media investigated
further as an objective and responsible bystander in this war.
"But the sins of
THISDAY are more," he said.
"They once insulted
the Prophet Mohammed in 2001 and we have not forgotten. They recently said our
Imam executed me which is false. Here I am speaking to you, I am alive and
healthy."
Expect more media attacks
The group's spokesman
further warned of more attacks on the media.
"We have just started
this new campaign against the media and we will not stop here, we will hit the
media hard since they have refused to listen to our plea for them to be fair in
their reportage," he said.
Mr. Abul Qaqa also said
his group would give further information on biases by the media.
"In the coming days
we will give details and instances where the media have not been fair to us and
why we are going to attack them as well."
Media should be neutral
"The media in Nigeria
are not a problem to us if they will do their job professionally without taking
sides," Mr. Abul Qaqa said.
"But each time we say
something, it is either changed or downplayed. But when our enemy says
something even without logical proof, it is blown out of proportion."
"We have repeatedly
asked some reporters to retract some stories or even give us the right of reply
but none of these requests were given to us."
http://allafrica.com/stories/201204270091.html
------------
Sri Lankan Muslims Protest
Demolition of Mosque
Apr 27, 2012
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) —
Muslims in Sri Lanka have gathered to protest a government decision to demolish
a mosque that sits inside a Buddhist sacred area.
Sri Lankan officials
announced Monday that a mosque and a Hindu temple would be demolished and
relocated under pressure from Buddhist monks who demanded their removal from a
Buddhist sacred area in the central town of Dambulla.
Thousands of Buddhist
monks and lay supporters stormed the mosque last week, saying it was
constructed illegally.
On Friday, hundreds of
Muslims gathered in front of the Davatagaha mosque in the capital, Colombo, and
staged a protest, shouting slogans and displaying placards. They demanded that
authorities arrest those who attacked the Dambulla mosque last week.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/04/27/world/asia/ap-as-sri-lanka-religious-protest.html?ref=global-home
------------
American Slain by Man
Wearing an Afghan Army Uniform
Apr 27, 2012
A man wearing an Afghan
Army uniform fatally shot an American service member in southern Afghanistan,
officials said Thursday. It was the latest in a string of attacks against
American and other coalition forces by their Afghan partners or insurgents in disguise.
Since the beginning of the year, there have been at least 16 such attacks
against United States and other international troops. The attack took place
late Wednesday when the gunman turned his weapon on coalition troops and opened
fire, the United States military said in a statement. Coalition forces returned
fire, killing the attacker, the statement said, without providing further
details. It is possible the man was an insurgent disguised in an Afghan Army
uniform. Such uniforms are easily available in markets in Afghanistan, and the
Taliban have used them to mount previous attacks on international or Afghan
military installations.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/27/world/asia/american-slain-by-man-wearing-an-afghan-army-uniform.html?ref=asia&gwh=5374EE60CB2EA9C0D460F26968B07766
------------
Osama bin Laden's three
widows and children deported from Pakistan
David Batty
04/27/2012
A statement from the
interior ministry said that 14 members of the family had been sent to Saudi
Arabia
Osama bin Laden's three
widows and his children have been deported from Pakistan and were en route to
Saudi Arabia on Thursday night.
The three widows, who are
believed to have 11 children, left their villa in Islamabad in a minivan amid
tight security.
A statement from the
Pakistani interior ministry said 14 members of the Bin Laden family had been
deported to the "country of their choice, Saudi Arabia".
Their departure comes less
than a week before the anniversary of the raid in which the al-Qaida leader was
killed by US special forces in the north-west Pakistani city of Abbottabad.
The US commandos took Bin
Laden's body, which they later buried at sea, but left his family behind. His
wives and children were detained by Pakistani authorities immediately after the
pre-dawn raid on 2 May 2011.
Intelligence experts
believe that once outside Pakistan, the wives may be willing to share any
information they have about how Bin Laden managed to evade capture in the
country for nearly a decade following the 9/11 terror attacks.
Two of the widows are from
Saudi Arabia, and the third is from Yemen.
They were interrogated by
Pakistani intelligence agents and eventually charged last month with illegally
entering and living in the country. The three wives and two adult daughters
were convicted and sentenced to 45 days in prison.
The Yemeni wife, Amal
Ahmed Abdel-Fatah al-Sada, told Pakistani police that the al-Qaida chief lived
in five houses while on the run in Pakistan for nine years and fathered four
children, two of whom were born in Pakistani government hospitals.
Saudi officials have given
little information about the family and the plan to deport them.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/26/osama-bin-laden-family-deported
------------
Norwegians sing song that
Breivik hates
Apr 27, 2012
OSLO: Tens of thousands of
rose-waving Norwegians gathered in rain-drenched Oslo on Thursday to deride
mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik by singing a song he hates, viewing it as
Marxist indoctrination.
Some 40,000 people,
according to police, massed in the rain at a square near the courthouse where
Breivik is on trial for his July 22 attacks that killed 77 people, to sing
"Children of the Rainbow" by Norwegian folk singer Lillebjoern
Nilsen. Inside the court, the 33-year-old accused rightwing extremist sat
listening without showing emotion to powerful testimony from survivors of his
bloodbath on the ninth day of his trial.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Norwegians-sing-song-that-Breivik-hates/articleshow/12889788.cms
------------
Lawmaker questions US
decision to spend $30 mn on Pak farmers
Apr 27 2012
Washington : A New York
Congressman has questioned the decision of the Obama Administration to spend
USD 30 million on mango farmers of Pakistan to help them export the king of
fruits to the US, terming it "egregious" and "wasteful"
government spending.
"This is
ridiculous," Congressman Tom Reed said in a statement asserting that the
USD 30 million spent to help Pakistani Mango farmers is the latest example of
"egregious and wasteful government spending" by the Obama
Administration.
"While domestic fruit
farmers struggle to get by, we aid Pakistani farmers?" Reed said adding that
the USD 30 million is part of a USD 90 million programme funded by the US
Agency for International Development (USAID).
"Our national debt
stands at more than USD 15,300,000,000,000," Reed continued.
"Yet we borrow money
that our children and grandchildren will have to pay back in order to boost
Pakistani mangoes," he said.
"This just
demonstrates how dysfunctional our government has become when USD 30 million
can be wasted without anyone stopping the expense," said the Republican
lawmaker from New York.
This is the second time
that Reed has cited money for Pakistan as an example of egregious spending.
He previously highlighted
USD 20 million of taxpayer money used for a Pakistani version of Sesame Street
as an example of misuse.
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/942282/
------------
Pakistan, Afghanistan, US
consider safe passage for Taliban militants
Apr 27, 2012
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan,
Afghanistan and the United States said they would explore ways to arrange safe
passage for Afghan Taliban militants who wish to engage in peace talks,
officials from the three countries said on Friday.
While not yet making an
iron-clad guarantee, officials told a news conference in Islamabad they would
form a group of experts to consider the proposal.
“We need to be able to
find them, those who are willing to talk wherever they are,” Afghan deputy
foreign minister Jawed Luddin said. “We need to provide … a safe passage and an
environment where they feel safe and confident that they can engage in peace
talks without any consequence.”
Representatives from
Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United States were meeting in Islamabad for two
days as part of an initiative to revive stalled peace talks with the Afghan
Taliban and to smooth relations between Washington and Islamabad.
Washington’s Special
Representative Marc Grossman led the US delegation. He was the highest-level
American official to visit Pakistan since a Nov 26 cross-border attack by Nato
forces left 24 Pakistani soldiers dead and the US-Pakistan relationship in
tatters.
The United States has been
working for more than a year to revive stalled peace talks with the Afghan
Taliban as it prepares for the withdrawal of most foreign combat troops by the
end of 2014.
That campaign has become
central to US strategy as officials conclude the Afghan war will not end on the
battlefield alone.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/04/27/pakistan-afghanistan-us-consider-safe-passage-for-taliban-militants/
----------
Saudi Arabia: Elections
may not send qualified members to Shoura
Apr 27, 2012
Dr. Abdullah Omar Naseef,
former deputy chairman of the Shoura Council, has supported the present system
of appointing qualified members to the Saudi consultative body.
“Shoura is an important
system and it needs people of experience and wisdom to run the show. I think
people who call for elections have not taken this important point into
consideration,” he said.
In an exclusive interview
with Arab News at his office in Jeddah, Naseef said the Shoura Council is equal
to any parliament in the world. "Our Shoura members are highly qualified
academics and technocrats and the Shoura decisions are based on the Qur'an and
Sunnah. This makes our Shoura Council different from other parliaments,"
he pointed out.
Dr. Naseef described
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah as a charismatic leader who is
loved not only by Saudis but also by foreigners.
Following is the full text
of the interview:
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article618701.ece
--------
Bomb explosions kill 10,
wound 18 in Iraq's Diyala: Sources
Apr 27, 2012
BAGHDAD: Ten people were
killed and 18 others wounded when two explosions struck a popular coffee shop
in the restive Iraqi province of Diyala, security sources said on Thursday.
Diyala province, a fertile
agricultural area, has long been one of the most volatile regions in Iraq,
inhabited by a mix of Sunnis, Shi'ites and Kurds.
The attacks took place in
a mainly Sunni village on the outskirts of Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) northeast
of Baghdad, a policeman in the village and a source in Diyala operations
command said.
The sources said the first
explosion, set off by a suicide car bomber, killed 10 people and wounded 15
others. The policeman said a second bomb planted inside the coffee shop wounded
three more people. "We received 10 bodies and 18 wounded,"
Abdul-Razaq Hussein, a doctor in Baquba hospital, told Reuters, adding that the
toll was final.
Tensions between Shi'ites,
Sunnis and Kurds in Iraq's coalition government have been high since U.S.
forces withdrew in December, raising fears of a return to the sectarian
violence that almost drove the country to the edge of civil war a few years
ago.
Although violence in Iraq
has dropped sharply from the height of sectarian fighting in 2006-07, bombings
and killings still occur on a daily basis.
Five civilians were killed
and 27 others wounded earlier on Thursday when a roadside bomb and a car bomb
exploded in Baghdad.
Last Thursday, more than
20 bombs hit cities and towns across Iraq, killing at least 36 people and
wounding almost 150.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Bomb-explosions-kill-10-wound-18-in-Iraqs-Diyala-Sources/articleshow/12886115.cms
------------
Hurriyat Conference leader
Geelani booked for ‘provoking’ stone- pelters
Mail Today/ Srinagar
Geelani
Apr 27, 2012
THE Jammu and Kashmir
(J& K) Police have registered a case against Hurriyat Conference leader
Syed Ali Shah Geelani, charging him with attempt to murder and stone- pelting.
Geelani had gone to north
Kashmir on April 6 and after offering Friday prayers, addressed a gathering,
where the police allege, he made inciteful remarks such as: “ Indian occupation
of J& K is illegal... we will continue to struggle for freedom.” “ He has
been booked under Section 307 for an attempt to murder a policeman and Section
336 for involvement in stone- pelting,” a police spokesperson said.
Hurriyat spokesman Ayaz
Akbar described the FIR against Geelani as hilarious. “ We are asking them whom
did he attempt to murder.
And on whom did he pelt
stones with?” he asked.
The police said his speech
caused hatred among masses against the state.
Interestingly, for the
past several years, Geelani has been urging the youth to refrain from stone-
pelting.
Mail Today
------------
Sri Lanka: Muslims sore
over Mosque relocation
R. K. RADHAKRISHNAN
Apr 27, 2012
Salat al juma (Friday
prayers) in Sri Lanka will attract attention from afar and near: today’s
prayers and the sermons that follow, will determine which direction the
country’s Muslim minority will take to salvage its rights. It was last Friday
that a mob, comprising of Buddhist radicals, wanted a mosque demolished,
because it was built in a place considered sacred by Buddhists.
Trouble is brewing in the
Muslim majority areas of Sri Lanka, following the attempts to desecrate a
mosque built in an area sacred to Buddhists in Dambulla, a town about 150 km
north east of Colombo, and the shockingly insensitive approach of the Sri
Lankan government to the issue.
Last Friday, some people
in the attire of Buddhist monks, and a mob tried to force its way into a mosque
that Muslim leaders say, has been in existence for over half a century. They
said that it was built on sacred ground and had to be demolished. There could
be no compromise on this, a section of Monks, belonging to the Jathika Hela
Urumaya, a political party led by Buddhist monks, announced to the press later.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article3359461.ece
------------
Norway survivors of
Breivik massacre tell of pain
27 April, 2012
A Norwegian civil servant
who had to have his leg amputated after a bomb planted by far right fanatic
Anders Behring Breivik tore through his body spoke on Friday of the moment his
life changed forever.
"Suddenly something
hits me, a very strong pressure wave that lifts me up and throws me far
away," Tore Raasok, a 56-year-old transport ministry worker, told judges
trying Breivik for the murder last summer of 77 people in cold blood.
Raasok is one of eight
survivors of Breivik's July 22 bombing of government offices due to take the
witness stand on Friday to describe the effect his crimes had on their life.
Survivors of Breivik's
other atrocity - a shooting rampage on a Labour party island camp - will appear
before the court at a later date.
Approaching the stand
slowly on crutches, Raasok said he had just left the transport ministry in Oslo
to get a haircut when Breivik's fertilizer bomb blew up half a block away.
Formerly an avid skier,
Raasok said the blast had sent glass shards flying into both his eyes, and that
both his legs had been crushed. The left one later had to be amputated, and the
transport ministry employee said he had undergone 10 operations and had lost
the use of his left arm.
"Things have gone
pretty well with my eyes," the bespectacled civil servant said, as Breivik
watched intently just a few meters away. "I see as poorly as I did before
the event," he added with black humor.
"All this is very tough
to hear," prosecutor Svein Holden told Reuters. "But these cases are
part of the indictment, so the victims have to shed light on the consequences
of what happened."
COMA
Full report at:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/27/us-norway-attackstrial-idUSBRE83Q0IT20120427
------------
US ignoring Pak calls to
stop drone strikes: Hina Rabbani Khar
Apr 27, 2012
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has
spelt out in no uncertain terms that US drone aircraft strikes against
militants inside its territory must stop, but Washington is not listening, the
country's foreign minister said.
"On drones, the
language is clear: a clear cessation of drone strikes," Hina Rabbani Khar
said.
"I maintain the
position that we'd told them categorically before. But they did not listen. I
hope their listening will improve," she said.
Khar said other methods
should be used to take out militants in the border region between Afghanistan
and Pakistan. "We have to look at effective tools which are mutually
acceptable. The cost of using tools not mutually acceptable is far, too high.
We're looking at alternatives," she said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/US-ignoring-Pak-calls-to-stop-drone-strikes-Hina/articleshow/12889755.cms
------------
Pak seeks to acquire 100
locos from India
Apr 27, 2012
NEW DELHI: Pakistan has
shown interest to acquire diesel locomotive engines from India to resume its
'crippled' train services.
A Pakistani team that held
talks with their Indian counterpart, Railway Infrastructure Technical and
Economic Services (RITES), on Thursday has put forth their acquisition plan, a
source in the railway ministry said.
Faced with an acute
locomotive crunch, Pakistan plans to buy or take on lease about 100 railway
engines from India to get its state-run transport system back on track. RITES
officials have promised to look into the demands of the visiting team of
Pakistan Railways Advisory and Consultancy Services Limited (PRACS). The
Pakistani team is here till Friday to hold another round of talks with the
railway officials. Sources said that in case they get lukewarm response from
RITES, they would take the diplomatic route to get the assistance from New
Delhi.
Media reports from across
the border suggest that Pakistani railway minister Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour had
admitted a month ago that the shortage of the locomotives was crippling the
rail services.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pak-seeks-to-acquire-100-locos-from-India/articleshow/12888058.cms
------------
Bangladesh peacekeepers
sent home $1bn in three years
Apr 27, 2012
* Bangladesh biggest
contributor to UN peacekeeping forces
* More than 10,000
soldiers serving in 45 out of 65 missions across the world
DHAKA: Bangladeshi
soldiers serving as United Nations (UN) peacekeepers have sent home nearly $1
billion during the past three years, the country’s envoy to the UN said on
Thursday.
Bangladesh is the biggest
contributor to United Nations (UN) peacekeeping forces with more than 10,000
soldiers serving in 45 out of the global body’s 65 missions across the world.
Over the past three years,
Bangladeshi peacekeepers sent home 75 billion taka ($917 million) to their
families, said the country’s UN representative, Abdul Momen, according to a
statement released in Dhaka. Impoverished Bangladesh relies on remittances to
help pay for its surging imports.
In 2010-11, the country’s
seven-million-plus overseas workers sent home $11.6 billion — representing over
10 percent of Bangladesh’s gross domestic product. Lucrative peacekeeping
duties are hugely popular with Bangladesh’s armed forces, giving those who take
up such jobs a chance to buy homes and save for retirement.
Experts say the
possibility of landing UN peacekeeping postings are one of the key reasons why
mid-ranking officers in Bangladesh’s powerful armed forces have lost the
appetite for staging coups in recent decades.
Bangladesh has been hit by
around 20 failed and successful coups since its independence in 1971, but most
occurred in the 1970s and early 1980s when local soldiers did not have access
to UN peacekeeping jobs. In 2010, the Muslim-majority nation sent its first
female peacekeepers — a 110-strong battalion of policewomen — to Haiti, and the
UN envoy said the country could send more women to serve in UN missions.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\04\27\story_27-4-2012_pg14_2
------------
Taliban Website Hacked as
Afghan Cyber War Heats Up
Apr 27, 2012
KABUL (Reuters) - Hackers
have for the third time in less than a year crippled the main website of the
Afghan Taliban, with a Taliban spokesman on Friday blaming Western intelligence
agencies amid an intensifying cyber war with the insurgents.
The unidentified hackers
broke into the Taliban's El Emara website twice on Thursday, replacing usual
insurgent victory messages with images of executions and support for the Afghan
government and security forces in English, Arabic and Pashto.
Some of the photographs
showed women being shot in the head or hanged by former Taliban executioners,
while another showed two women in head-to-toe burkas being beaten.
"Violence is wrong in
all its forms, especially the encouragement by the Taliban of cowardly betrayal
and the senseless murder of innocent civilians," a screenshot from Afghan
Pajhwok News showed the message as saying in English.
"The Afghan Security
Forces are accountable to Allah and the Afghan people, and seek to restore
peace as the foreigners leave the land," it said.
Taliban spokesman
Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters that the website was hacked around 12:30 am on
Thursday and fixed in three hours, before being breached again at midday and
put out of commission again. It was still being repaired on Friday
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/04/27/world/asia/27reuters-afghanistan-taliban-hacking.html?ref=global-home&gwh=2B5F1DD658198E76F7BC928F49E9393B
------------
Palestinian Government
Cracks Down on Critics
Apr 27, 2012
JERUSALEM (AP) — The
government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has moved to silence critics,
raising new concerns about freedom of expression in the West Bank.
Abbas' communications
minister, Mashour Abu Daqa, said late on Thursday that the attorney general's
office ordered several websites shut down over the past six months. The sites
belong to an Abbas rival, former Gaza strongman Mohammed Dahlan.
Security forces have also
arrested four journalists and an anti-corruption activist known for reports
critical of Abbas and other Palestinian officials.
Abbas' government has sued
two of the journalists and the activist on charges they defamed the president
and other senior officials.
The moves have provoked
complaints from Palestinian human rights groups. Washington also criticized the
crackdown.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/04/27/world/middleeast/ap-ml-palestinians-stifling-dissent.html?ref=world&gwh=92347AF6F4ACCE28C0ABFCA647EFD424
------------
Obama to be challenged
over human cost of CIA drone strikes
04/27/2012
Campaigners to meet in
Washington to highlight how CIA is operating in seceret and inflicting civilian
casualties abroad
The human cost of the US
government's clandestine drone strikes strategy, including the deaths of young
children in Pakistan and Yemen, will be highlighted this weekend as campaigners
attempt to challenge domestic support for the Obama administration's controversial
policy.
A conference in
Washington, at which new video testimony will be shown from the relatives of
victims, is the first step in a collaborative campaign to challenge Barack
Obama's claim in February that the strikes, aimed at terror suspects, were kept
on a "tight leash" and had not inflicted huge civilian casualties.
The summit's organisers –
the Center for Constitutional Rights, Reprieve and the peace group Code Pink –
hope it will increase awareness of how the CIA-controlled programme is operating
in secret, without a clear legal framework and without any accountability to
Congress.
Earlier this month, the US
government announced it was expanding its controversial use of drone aircraft
to kill suspected terrorists in Yemen.
Chris Woods, a journalist
at the British-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism, who exposed CIA drone
attacks on rescuers and funeralgoers in Pakistan, described the summit as an
"extraordinary heavyweight gathering". He said: "Washington has
not seen anything like this before."
Woods criticised the US
media for not widely reporting civilian casualties of US drone strikes abroad,
which he said give a "warped understanding of what is taking place."
Full report at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/26/obama-drone-strikes-human-cost
------------
American Judge denies
request to release bin Laden photos
Apr 27, 2012
WASHINGTON: A federal
judge on Thursday denied a request to release photos and video taken of Osama
bin Laden during and after a raid in which the terrorist leader was killed by
US commandos last year.
In court papers, the
Justice Department had said that the images of the deceased bin Laden are
classified and are being withheld from the public to avoid inciting violence
against Americans overseas and compromising secret systems and techniques used
by the CIA and the military.
"The court declines
plaintiff's invitation to substitute its own judgment about the
national-security risks inherent in releasing these records for that of the
executive-branch officials who determined that they should be classified,"
wrote US District Judge James E. Boasberg in rejecting a lawsuit filed by
Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group.
The group, which had
sought the records under the Freedom of Information Act, filed an appeal on
Thursday.
Judge Boasberg said that
the Defence Department didn't turn up anything responsive to the FOIA, while
the CIA found 52 responsive records. The agency withheld all of them, citing
exemptions for classified materials and information specifically exempted by
other laws.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Judge-denies-request-to-release-bin-Laden-photos/articleshow/12891091.cms
------------
Six PKK militants killed
in eastern Turkey clashes
Apr 27, 2012
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey: Six
Kurdish militants were killed during clashes in eastern Turkey on Thursday, the
local governor’s office said, adding to a recent upsurge in conflict between
the Turkish armed forces and separatist guerrillas.
Two Turkish soldiers also
were reported killed on Wednesday in the fighting between the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and security forces in the Genc district of
eastern Bingol province, according to a PKK website.
The Bingol governor’s
office said in a statement that one militant was captured alive.
Three Turkish soldiers and
three PKK militants were killed in clashes on Tuesday. The arrival of milder
spring weather typically fuels conflict in the region.
Talks between Turkey and
the PKK to end the violence broke down and scores of militants, soldiers and
civilians have been killed since then. Hundreds have been arrested on charges
of secretly supporting the PKK.
Earlier this month, PKK
militants killed two soldiers and wounded three along the Iraqi border. In
March, Turkish security forces killed 15 female Kurdish militants in
southeastern Bitlis province while rebels killed five special forces police
officers in Sirnak province the same month.
More than 40,000 people
have been killed in the fighting since the PKK took up arms in 1984.
The PKK is considered a
terrorist organization by Turkey, the United states and the European Union.
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article618377.ece
------------
ANP activist among two
killed in Karachi violence
Apr 27, 2012
KARACHI: Two people,
including Awami National Party (ANP) activist, were killed in separate acts of
target killing within the metropolis on Thursday.
An activist of the Awami
National Party (ANP) was shot dead near Babar Market within the limits of
Landhi police station. The incident took place at Landhi Babar Market where
30-year-old Gul Shan Khan alias Rambo was shot twice by two armed
motorcyclists. Khan, who received both bullets in his head, succumbed to the
injuries on the spot while the culprits managed to flee. His body was shifted
to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities. SHO
Mazhar Iqbal Awan said the victim was an active worker of ANP and a resident of
Moindabad No 1, Landhi. He used to run a rent-a-motorcycle shop in Landhi area.
Tension engulfed Qauidabad and Landhi areas after Khan’s murder where all major
shops and markets were closed. Separately, police found a youngster’s body from
Darya Abad, Lyari, within the remit of Kalri police station.
The identity of the victim
was yet to be ascertained. Police found his body abandoned near Tayyab General
Store, Darya Abad, Lyari. They said the victim had received two bullets,
besides severe torture. Police said unidentified men kidnapped him from an
unknown place and abandoned his body after the murder. They said he appeared to
be of Baloch descent. The body was shifted to CHK for post-mortem and later
moved to the Edhi Morgue for identification. Police have registered a case
against unidentified men on the complaint of state and initiated a probe.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\04\27\story_27-4-2012_pg7_20
------------
Seven
dead, 20 wounded in Damascus suicide bomb
27 April, 2012
Seven people were killed
and 20 wounded, including members of the security forces, in a suicide bombing
in the central Damascus district of Midan on Friday, Syria's state news agency
SANA said.
Opposition activists said
the explosion occurred as worshippers were coming out of the Zeen al-Abadeen
mosque.
"About 30 minutes
ago, I heard a really heavy blast. It felt like I was shaking and I think
everyone in Damascus must have heard it," said Mar Ram, an activist living
in Midan, a focus of regular protests against President Bashar al-Assad.
"We've been hearing a
lot of blasts in Damascus recently, action is picking up and it seems the
(rebels) and Assad's forces are starting to battle it out in Damascus as
well."
Full report at:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/27/us-syria-blast-idUSBRE83Q0IQ20120427
------------
Blasts injure 27 in east
Ukraine city
Apr 27, 2012
At least four explosions
have rocked the city of Dnipropetrovsk in eastern Ukraine, injuring at least 27
people.
The first two blasts
happened at a busy central tram stop and near a local cinema, officials said.
No suspects have been identified yet.
One device was planted in
a rubbish bin and injured five. The next explosion, 30 minutes later, injured
seven.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-17869249
------------
Pak marine opens fire at
Indian fishermen, 1 injured
Apr 27 2012
Jamnagar (Gujarat) :
Pakistani marine personnel opened indiscriminate fire on Indian fishermen
leaving one of them injured near the international border in Arabian sea off
Jakhau coast last night, officials said today.
"One of the six
fishermen on board, Daya Bhai, sustained bullet injuries when Pakistan Marine
Security Agency personnel opened indiscriminate fire on them late last night as
they were fishing in international sea," Marine police officials said
today.
The vessel 'Sagar Bhuja'
belongs to Porbandar and had gone for fishing, they said, adding the injured
fisherman has been admitted to a hospital in Okha.
A case has been registered
in this regard with the Marine Police station in Okha.
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/942401/
--------
Blast hits court house in
east Libya
Apr 27, 2012
BENGHAZI: A bomb exploded
at a courthouse in the Libyan city of Benghazi on Friday, wounding one person
and damaging surrounding buildings in a fresh challenge to the post-Gaddafi
government’s struggle to restore stability.
A security official said
three packages of explosives were planted by unknown suspects at a wall of the
court. The blasts shattered windows of a nearby hospital, injuring one person
inside.
The eastern city of
Benghazi, the cradle of the county’s revolution, has simmered with
dissatisfaction since Muammar Gaddafi was ousted last August. Residents
complain they have been all but forgotten by the new leadership in Tripoli.
In late January,
protesters stormed the local headquarters of the ruling National Transitional
Council (NTC), smashing its windows with stones and metal bars. On April 10, a
home-made bomb was thrown at a convoy carrying the head of the United Nations
mission to Libya but no one was hurt.
Hampered by the lack of an
effective national army or internal security force, the NTC is grappling to
disband dozens of powerful militias that effectively control various parts of
the country.
Militia chiefs have
resisted attempts to integrate their personnel into the official military and
police police forces.
http://dawn.com/2012/04/27/blast-hits-court-house-in-east-libya/
------------
Nawaz, Imran ask Gilani to
step down
By Amjad Mahmood and Ahmad
Hassan
Apr 27, 2012
LAHORE / ISLAMABAD: PML-N
president Nawaz Sharif and PTI chairman Imran Khan have demanded that Prime
Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani should step down in the wake of his conviction by
the Supreme Court and fresh polls should be held immediately to steer the country
out of the ‘crisis’ it is in.
According to analysts, the
conviction of the prime minister in the contempt case on Thursday has been
taken with a heavy heart by many, including Mr Sharif and rights activists,
while the PPP appears to have benefited from it, at least in the short run, and
it won on Thursday a seat in Multan by-polls which everyone was sure would be
bagged by the PML-N.
“The prime minister should
immediately step down without prolonging the crisis, dissolve the national and
provincial assemblies and hold fresh polls,” Mr Sharif said while talking to a
couple of TV channels.
He suggested appointment
for a ‘neutral’ and ‘unanimous’ prime minister who would write to the Swiss
authorities the Supreme Court wanted to be written and lead the country to
general election.
The PML-N chief made an
offer of talks with the government if it agreed to form a caretaker set-up.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/04/27/nawaz-imran-ask-gilani-to-step-down/
------------
Commission rejects
Haqqani’s plea for testimony via VideoLink
Apr 27, 2012
ISLAMABAD: The judicial
commission probing the memo scandal on Thursday rejected a plea by former
ambassador Husain Haqqani for recording his statement via video link from
abroad.
The commission, headed by
Balochistan High Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, and consisting of Islamabad
High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman and Sindh High Court Chief
Justice Musheer Alam, conducted the proceedings of the case at IHC.
All respondents would
argue on the available record and evidence that has been gathered so far, the
commission ordered.
Advocate Zahid Bukhari,
the counsel for Haqqani, gave arguments in favour of his client recording
statement by video link. He also submitted details of Haqqani’s assets before
the commission.
The lawyer said that
Haqqani was getting death threats and his life was in danger in Pakistan.
The commission, however,
rejected his application and directed Haqqani to submit the record of secret
funds he had used in 2011 as an ambassador.
It also barred the former
ambassador from using Twitter, a popular social networking site.
The commission issued
directives against using such gadgets during proceedings of sub judice matters.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\04\27\story_27-4-2012_pg7_3
------------
PAK PM IS A WINNER ALLTHE
WAY
by Manoj Joshi
Apr 27, 2012
PAKISTAN Supreme Court’s
decision to find PM Yousaf Raza Gilani guilty of contempt of court may have set
the cat among the pigeons in the political circles of the country, but here it
is being viewed with a sense of relief.
In a Solomonic verdict,
the court found him guilty, but at the same time only punished him with
imprisonment till the rising the court. He can be technically disqualified from
the parliament for acting in a manner which defames or brings into ridicule the
judiciary” according Pakistan’s Constitution.
However it is unlikely
that the Speaker, who is empowered to remove him, will indeed do so.
The case is important
because the contempt he is accused of is refusal to write to the Swiss
authorities and ask them to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali
Zardari.
The long- serving Gilani
has proved to be a reliable and successful interlocutor for Pakistan
vis- à- vis India. It may
be recalled that in 2009 in Sharm el Sheikh, he persuaded PM Manmohan Singh to
overlook the Mumbai attack and restore the India- Pakistan composite dialogue.
Full report at: Mail Today
------------
Gilani dares Opposition to
move trust vote against him
27 April, 2012
A day after his conviction
for contempt by Pakistan’s Supreme Court, a defiant Prime Minister Yousuf Raza
Gilani on Friday dared the opposition to move a vote of no-confidence against
him and said only the Speaker could disqualify him.
“There is a custom that
nobody but the Speaker can disqualify me. It cannot happen, there is no law or
anything in the Constitution. Today if you (the Speaker) denotify me, I will
leave right away. That is up to the custodian of the House,” Mr. Gilani said in
the National Assembly or lower house of Parliament.
Mr. Gilani challenged main
opposition PML-N, which has sought his resignation, to bring a vote of
no-confidence against him.
He contended the “ultimate
authority is the Parliament because every institution derives powers from the
Parliament.”
The apex court yesterday
convicted Mr. Gilani for contempt for refusing to act on orders to reopen graft
cases against President Asif Ali Zardari and gave him a symbolic sentence of
less than a minute. The government has said it will appeal the verdict while
the Cabinet insisted there was no need for Gilani to resign on moral grounds.
Mr. Gilani said that he
had not been convicted for “financial corruption or moral turpitude,” but for
acting to protect the Constitution, which provides immunity to the President.
Besides, he pointed out,
the matter related to his conviction was not closed as the government intended
to appeal the court’s ruling.
There were several other
steps related to his possible disqualification that would have to be taken by
the Speaker and the Election Commission, he said.
“I’m the elected Prime
Minister of 18 crore people. How can you just throw somebody out?” he said.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article3360217.ece
------------
PIA flight makes emergency
landing after hijack threat
Apr 27 2012
Karachi : A Pakistan
International Airlines flight today made an emergency landing at the Karachi
airport after a passenger allegedly threatened to hijack the aircraft.
PIA flight PK-586, which
was flying from Karachi to Bahawalpur in Punjab province, turned back to the
port city after an air hostess alerted the captain about the passenger's
threat, TV news channels reported.
The passenger who made the
alleged threat was arrested by commandos of the Airport Security Force at the
Jinnah International Airport.
The aircraft was searched
by security forces after being evacuated.
Following his arrest, the
passenger claimed he had made the alleged threat after a quarrel with the air
hostess and that he had no intention of hijacking the aircraft.
The number of passengers
on the flight could not immediately be ascertained.
Pakistan's aviation
industry has been hit by a string of problems in recent years.
A total of 127 people were
killed when a Boeing 737 of the private Bhoja Air crashed near Islamabad on
April 20.
This was the second major
air disaster in the vicinity of the Pakistani capital since July 28, 2010, when
an Air Blue airliner slammed into the Margalla Hills in cloudy weather, killing
all 152 people on board.
State-run PIA, which is
the country's largest airline, is grappling with a funds crunch and an ageing
fleet.
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/942364/
------------
Afghanistan, Iran agree to
prisoner swap
Apr 27, 2012
KABUL: Afghanistan and
Iran have agreed to a prisoner exchange, the Foreign Ministry in Kabul said on
Thursday, a sign of warming relations between the two neighbours ahead of the
planned withdrawal of foreign combat forces from Afghanistan in 2014.
Thousands of Afghan
prisoners are held in Iranian jails, some awaiting the death penalty for
narcotics trafficking, and their incarceration caused tension between the two
countries last year. “Signed on Tuesday by Iranian President (Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad) it is effective immediately,” Janan Musazai, a foreign ministry
spokesman, told Reuters, adding that Iran is holding around 3,000 Afghans in
its prisons.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\04\27\story_27-4-2012_pg14_6
------------
Panetta hopes Israeli
general ‘correct’ on Iran
Apr 27, 2012
SANTIAGO: US Secretary of
Defense Leon Panetta said Thursday he hopes that statements from Israel’s
military chief describing Iran’s leadership as rational were “correct.”
Israeli Lieutenant General
Benny Gantz told the Haaretz newspaper on Wednesday that the Iranian leadership
“is composed of very rational people,”and that while Tehran was reaching the
point at which it could decide to build a nuclear bomb, the leaders had not yet
decided whether to proceed.
“I would hope he’s correct
and he knows something more that I do,” Panetta said during a visit to Chile.
“I do not have any
specific information that indicates (the Iranians) have made any decision one
way or another” on whether to build a nuclear weapon, Panetta told reporters
after meeting his Chilean counterpart Andres Allamand.
Neither Israel nor the
United States currently believe that Tehran has actually taken the decision to
develop a nuclear bomb, a decision that would require the ability to quickly
produce weapons-grade uranium.
“I would like to hope…
that because of the leadership of the United States, the international
community and the leadership of Israel, they can make the right decision,”
Panetta said.
Israel and much of the
West suspect Iran is using its civilian nuclear program as a cover for a
weapons drive, a charge Tehran denies. Israeli officials have refused to rule
out a pre-emptive strike on its chief foe’s nuclear facilities.
Panetta began his first
Latin America tour Monday in Colombia, and then visited Brazil in a bid to
boost military cooperation and regional security ties.
http://dawn.com/2012/04/27/panetta-hopes-israeli-general-correct-on-iran/
------------
Bible translator
criticized by critics
Apr 27, 2012
Critics said language in
some translations intended for Muslim countries missed the essential Christian
idea of the Trinity: the father, son and the Holy Spirit.
One of the world's largest
Bible translators faces an independent review after critics said language in
some translations intended for Muslim countries missed the essential Christian
idea of the Trinity: the father, son and the holy spirit or ghost.
Wycliffe Bible Translators,
which is involved in more than 1,500 Bible translation programs in roughly 90
countries, says the translations have never been about avoiding controversy. It
says some concepts relating God to family members don't make sense in some
cultures, so the language needs to reflect that.
"People are saying
we're trying to do translation work that's not offensive to Muslims, and that's
just not true," Wycliffe CEO Bob Creson said. "We are committed to
the accurate translation of God's word. That is our highest value."
Disputes over biblical
language date from the early centuries of Christianity, then the original
Hebrew and Greek texts were brought to new countries. More recent disputes
concerned making the Shakespearean language of the King James Version more understandable
to modern readers.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Bible-translator-criticized-over-word-substitution-in-editions-for-Muslim-countries/articleshow/12884368.cms
------------
US 'expands Yemen drone
strikes policy'
27 Apr 2012
CIA and Pentagon given
right to launch attacks even when identity of those in harm's way is not known,
reports say.
Barack Obama has approved
a new policy shift which allows the Central Intelligence Agency and the US
military to launch drone attacks in Yemen when the identity of those who could
be killed is not known, according to US media reports.
The Washington Post,
quoting administration officials, said on Thursday that the US president
approved the use of "signature" strikes this month.
It also said that the
killing of an alleged al-Qaeda fighter earlier this week near the border to
Yemen's Marib province was among the first attacks carried out under the new
authority.
The shift in policy is
said to mark a significant expansion of the drone war against what the US
alleges to be a group affiliated with al-Qaeda which is located in Yemen.
The Wall Street Journal
quotes US officials as saying that the amended policy includes targeting
fighters whose names are not known but who are deemed to be "high-value
terrorism targets, or threats to the US".
Some congressional
officials have expressed concern over the use of such signature strikes,
stating that they raise the likelihood of killing fighters who may not be
involved in plots either to do with attacks against the US, or affiliated with
al-Qaeda, potentially angering the local population and pushing them to join in
the struggle against the US.
Full report at:
All officials spoke on
condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive strategic matters.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/04/201242665054283749.html
------------
Likud would be largest
party in election now: Israeli poll
Apr 27, 2012
JERUSALEM: An Israeli poll
published on Friday, amid fresh talk of possible early elections, showed Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party winning twice as much support as any
rival.
But the Smith Research
survey carried by Jerusalem Post newspaper said Likud would still fall far
short of a parliamentary majority and once again be forced into a coalition.
The poll of 500 Jewish and
Arab Israelis said that if Netanyahu brought forward a general election
scheduled for October 2013, Likud would take 31 seats in the 120-seat
legislature.
The tally would be well
ahead of Labour and the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu -- a current
coalition partner -- which would have 15 each.
The centrist opposition
Kadima, currently the largest party by a hair, with 28 seats to Likud's 27
would shrink to 13 in early elections,it said.
Netanyahu has stated
repeatedly that he does not intend to bring forward the election date, but
speculation is rife and has been rising ahead of parliament's return next week
from its spring break.
"I believe that
Israel is in an election year and that the Knesset's summer session, which will
open on Monday, will be the last session of the 18th Knesset," speaker
Reuven Rivlin told the top-selling daily Yediot Aharonot.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Likud-would-be-largest-party-in-election-now-Israeli-poll/articleshow/12894559.cms
------------
Panetta memo records Obama
order to 'get Bin Laden'
Apr 27 2012
New York : A hand-written
memo in which US President Barack Obama authorised the Navy SEALs team to
"go in and get (Osama) bin Laden" at his hideout in Pakistan one year
ago has been made public.
Obama's orders to the Navy
SEALs team had been to "go in and get bin Laden" and to "get
out" if the Al Qaeda leader was not in the Abbottabad compound, according
to the secret memo handwritten and signed by the then CIA chief Leon Panetta
made public by Time magazine.
In the April 29 memo,
Panetta, now Secretary of Defence, wrote that he received a phone call from
National Security Adviser Tom Donilon who told him the president had "made
a decision with regard to AC1 [Abbottabad Compound 1]."
"The decision is to
proceed with the assault... The direction is to go in and get Bin Laden and if
he is not there, to get out," the memo published by Time magazine ahead of
the first anniversary of the May 2 killing of bin Laden, said.
Panetta further wrote in
the memo that the timing, operational decision making and control of the raid
was in the hands of Admiral William McRaven, in charge of the hunt for Bin
Laden as commander of the Joint Special Operations Command.
"The approval is
provided on the risk profile presented to the president. Any additional risks
are to be brought back to the president for his consideration... Those
instructions were conveyed to Admiral McRaven at approximately 10:45 am,"
he wrote in the memo.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/942353/
------------
US on guard ahead of bin
Laden anniversary
27 April 2012
President Barack Obama has
reviewed potential threats to the United States before next week’s anniversary
of the killing of Osama bin Laden, but there is no concrete evidence al Qaeda
is plotting any revenge attacks, the White House said on Thursday.
US Navy SEALs shot bin
Laden last year in a raid on the al Qaeda leader’s compound in Pakistan before
dawn on May 2 local time, which was May 1 in the United States. The killing is
touted by the Obama administration as one of its top national security
accomplishments.
“At this time, we have no
credible information that terrorist organizations, including al Qaeda, are
plotting attacks in the United States to coincide with the anniversary of bin
Laden’s death,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said on Thursday.
That assessment was echoed
in an FBI and Department of Homeland Security intelligence bulletin issued on
Wednesday to state and local law enforcement agencies.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?xfile=/data/international/2012/April/international_April758.xml§ion=international
------------
Osama planned major
attacks in Pak before being killed: Report
Apr 27, 2012
ISLAMABAD: Al-Qaida chief
Osama bin Laden had planned to mount indiscriminate attacks on Pakistani soil
before his killing in a covert US raid in Abbottabad, the documents seized by
the Americans from the slain terrorist's compound in the Pakistani garrison
city have suggested.
The CIA shared
intelligence about possible al-Qaida attacks inside Pakistan when officials of
the two countries met to explore the way forward in resetting bilateral ties, the
Dawn newspaper reported quoting its sources.
The information was
"based on documents seized by US Navy SEALs during the raid on Osama bin
Laden's compound" in the garrison town of Abbottabad in May last year.
Some details of the intelligence "revealed that before being killed in the
May 2 raid, bin Laden, along with Ayman Al-Zawahiri... and other senior leaders
of the terror outfit had planned to mount indiscriminate attacks on Pakistani
soil," the daily reported.
The report further said
there were "conflicting reports about the shared intelligence." One
unnamed participant of a meeting said CIA Deputy Director Michael Morrell had
presented a dossier to Pakistani officials while another claimed the US had
provided "just a tip about what al-Qaida had been planning to do in
Pakistan" without related details that could help put the jigsaw together.
The report said it was not
clear whether the CIA intended to identify bin Laden's "support network
within Pakistan with the help of shared intelligence or wanted to rebuild the
much-needed mutual trust for moving forward."
The US embassy yesterday
issued a special message that said American diplomats and citizens in Pakistan
had been asked to be on alert in the run-up to the first death anniversary of
bin Laden on May 2.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Osama-planned-major-attacks-in-Pak-before-being-killed-Report/articleshow/12894331.cms
------------
Malaysia: An apology for
human rights abuses will not be enough
Rabby Pramudatama
04/27/2012
Several victims and their
families are skeptical about President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s plan to
apologize for previous human rights abuses.
Saying sorry was not
enough, according to Maria Catarina Sumarsih, 60, the mother of Bernandus
Realino Norma Irmawan, a student who was killed in the 1998 Semanggi shooting
incident.
“What concerns us is that
no concrete actions will be taken as a follow-up to the public apology,” she
told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
Sumarsih said that it was
important for the government to first acknowledge the gross human rights
violations that happened in the past.
“This step is possible
through the National Commission on Human Rights [Komnas HAM], which could work
as an institution that could launch an investigation. It can also decide
whether crimes from the past can be categorized as gross human rights
violations,” she said.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/04/27/an-apology-rights-abuses-will-not-be-enough-families-say.html
------------
French-led push for
tougher stand on Syria
04/27/2012
France insists it will
wait no longer than 5 May before seeking a resolution demanding an end to the
Syrian regime's campaign
A French-led push for a
tougher stand on Syria is gathering momentum as regime forces continue to pound
the country's fourth city, Hama, in defiance of an ailing UN-sponsored
ceasefire.
France has adopted a
forward position on the crisis by insisting that it will wait no longer than 5
May before moving to seek a resolution under Chapter 7 of the UN charter to
demand the Syrian regime stop its campaign against dissent. Such a move could
mean seeking the use of force though it is more likely to demand non-military
punitive measures.
Western diplomats have
admitted privately however that there is no chance of the UN security council
taking action against president Bashar al-Assad as long as he enjoys the
support of Russia and China, which have used their vetoes to defend him against
sanctions.
Full report at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/26/syria-france-un-resolution-hama
------------
500 British troops to be
withdrawn from Afghanistan, says defence secretary
04/27/2012
Philip Hammond tells MPs
that Afghan forces are now strong enough to allow 500 British combat troops to
return home
The first details of the
UK's long march out of Afghanistan were revealed on Thursday when the defence
secretary, Philip Hammond, announced Afghan forces were now strong enough to
allow 500 British combat troops to return home.
In a statement to the
House of Commons, Hammond said 36 checkpoints and patrol bases in Helmand
province had been handed over to the Afghan police and army over the last six
months, and that two of the UK's satellite headquarters would be merged into
one. However, he insisted the UK would still have combat troops in Afghanistan
until the end of 2014, the date set for full transition of security from Nato
to local forces.
Full report at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/apr/26/troops-afghanistan-withdraw-defence-secretary
------------
Israeli leaders say it is
time for Syria’s Assad to step down
04/27/2012
JERUSALEM — Israeli
officials have become increasingly outspoken in their belief that Syria’s
President Bashar Assad should relinquish power after a 13-month uprising that
has killed thousands of his citizens — a surprising turnaround that risks
backfiring and potentially strengthening the embattled Syrian leader.
These calls mark an
important shift in Israel, where leaders initially reacted to the uprising with
barely disguised concern and alarm. As the Arab Spring remakes the fabric of
the Middle East, Israel has been torn between support for democratic change and
a surprising comfort with the established order.
This early dominant
thinking was that while Assad was no friend of Israel, he remained a known
quantity whose family had kept the shared border quiet for nearly four decades
and occasionally pursued peace talks with Israel. With Islamic parties on the
rise throughout the region, there was no telling who might replace him.
Full report at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/in-shift-israeli-leaders-say-it-is-time-for-syrias-assad-to-step-down/2012/04/27/gIQAiw0bkT_story.html
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US relaxes drone rules in
Yemen
Apr 27, 2012
LAHORE: The Obama
administration has given the Central Intelligence Agency and US military
greater leeway to target suspected al Qaeda terrorists in Yemen with drones,
responding to worries a new haven is being established from which to mount
attacks on the West, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Thursday.
The policy shift, as
described by senior US officials, includes targeting fighters whose names
aren’t known but who are deemed to be high-value terrorism targets or threats
to the US, according to the Journal.
The White House stopped
short of authorising attacks on groups of lower-level foot soldiers who are
battling the Yemeni government, the officials told WSJ.
The US has already
authorised drone strikes in Pakistan against those suspected of terrorist
activities but who haven’t necessarily been identified by name.
The expansion of the drone
campaign in Yemen, to which the administration agreed earlier this month,
underlines the difficulty the White House faces in balancing concerns about al
Qaeda’s apparently growing foothold in southern Yemen against fears that
greater CIA and military involvement could propel the US into another regional
conflict, the Journal reported.
Some military and
intelligence officials privately complain that the White House is being too
cautious. They argue that more-aggressive US action is necessary to combat the
growing threat from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, and to help the
Yemeni government regain control of southern provinces where the group and its
allies hold sway.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\04\27\story_27-4-2012_pg7_9
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Arab League calls on UN to
protect Syrians
Apr 27, 2012
CAIRO: The Arab League
plans to call on the UN Security Council to take immediate action to protect
Syrian civilians, it said in a statement released after an Arab League meeting.
“The Arab League will
assign its Arab representatives in the UN Security Council in the meeting set
to take place May 5 to ask the Security Council to protect Syrian civilians
immediately,” a final statement said.
The final statement
dropped a reference included in an earlier draft seen by Reuters to Chapter 7
of the Security Council charter, which allows it to authorise actions ranging
from diplomatic and economic sanctions to military intervention.
http://dawn.com/2012/04/27/arab-league-calls-on-un-to-protect-syrians/
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Intel shows Iran nuclear
threat not imminent
April 27, 2012
The US, European allies
and even Israel generally agree on three things about Iran’s nuclear program:
Tehran does not have a bomb, has not decided to build one, and is probably
years away from having a deliverable nuclear warhead.
Those conclusions, drawn
from extensive interviews with current and former U.S. and European officials
with access to intelligence on Iran, contrast starkly with the heated debate
surrounding a possible Israeli strike on Tehran’s nuclear facilities.
A report on this can be
viewed here.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/370783/intel-shows-iran-nuclear-threat-not-imminent/
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Oppression pushing Baloch
towards self determination
Apr 27 2012
Washington : Alleging that
Pakistan has increased the persecution of the people of Balochistan, a key US
lawmaker has said that human rights violation and oppression is forcing the
restive province towards self-determination.
"Should the
government of Pakistan continue to not only neglect but persecute the Baloch
people, it is hard to argue with Balochs who demand self-determination,"
Congressman Ted Poe said.
"In the end, a
government is only legitimate as long as it has the support of its people. The
government of Pakistan is dangerously close to that line," Poe said.
Speaking on the floor of
the US House of Representatives, the Congressman urged Islamabad to give the
Baloch people a voice in how they will be governed.
They should not only
listen to their complaints, but answer them with positive steps, he said.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/942281/
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Bomb threats to Egyptian
TV station
April 27th, 2012
A group of extremist, who
call themselves “the Jihad Group to Purify the Land”, have sent a bomb threat
letter to the Egyptian television station ON TV, and vowed to kidnap its
presenters Yusri Foudah and Reem Al Majid. Head of the station made a complaint
to a Cairo police that a letter was received from “the Jihad Group to Purify
the Land” threatening to bomb the channel’s studios and building.
The group also threatened
to kidnap its presenters and demanded a ransom of 20 million Egyptian pounds or
the presenters will be killed. It was added that the advertising company
working with the station was also threatened if they resumed their cooperation.
The group claimed that the
channel encourages chaos and corruption and is manipulated by an American and
Israel agenda. The letter said that the channel airs poison into people’s minds
through its presenters.
According to the internet
website MBC.net, the demands in the letter were as follows:
Full report at:
http://www.albawaba.com/entertainment/bomb-threats-egyptian-tv-station-422714
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More Palestinian prisoners
join hunger strike
04/27/2012
Human rights groups say
2,000 are on hunger strike against indefinite detention without charge and
alleged ill-treatment
The number of Palestinian
prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails has grown to 2,000, with more
preparing to join the protest next week, according to human rights groups in
the West Bank.
The Israeli prison service
is taking punitive measures against hunger strikers, including solitary
confinement, the confiscation of personal belongings, transfers and denial of
family visits, say Palestinian organisations.
Seven prisoners have been
transferred to a prison medical centre, including Tha'er Halahleh, 34, and
Bilal Diab, 27, who by Thursday had been on hunger strike for 58 days. Their
appeals against imprisonment without charge – known as administrative detention
– were dismissed by a military court earlier this week.
The men's condition is
rapidly deteriorating, according to Addameer, a prisoners' rights group. It
expressed "grave concern that these hunger strikers are not receiving
adequate healthcare … and that independent doctors are still being denied visits
to them".
Full report at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/26/palestinian-prisoners-join-hunger-strike
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Egypt Islamic body backs
Brotherhood candidate
Apr 27, 2012
Cairo: A panel of
fundamentalist Islamic clerics has endorsed the candidate of the Muslim
Brotherhood for president of Egypt, an attempt to prevent a split among
conservative Muslim voters. The panel that represents ultraconservative Salafi
Muslims and others put its weight behind Mohammed Morsi, a senior Brotherhood official.
He faces competition from a moderate Islamist, Abdel-Moneim Abolfotoh, who
broke ranks with the Brotherhood, as well as statesman Amr Moussa.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/world.html
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US ‘gate crasher’ to run
for governor’s post
Apr 27, 2012
WASHINGTON: More than two
years after he gate crashed into the White House state dinner hosted for
visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Tareq Salahi has announced his
intent to run for governor of Virginia.
"It's not part of
reality TV. It's not a stunt. It's real," Salahi told The Washington Post.
Salahi told the daily that
he will run, as a Republican, to avenge a recent lawsuit brought against him by
another GOP gubernatorial hopeful - Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli
II. According to the daily, Salahi feels the lawsuit made him realize just how
much taxpayer money politicians waste. So he decided someone else should run
for the state's top job. "I woke up thinking 'someone should do
this'," Salahi said. "And I thought 'Wait a minute. I'm someone!', he
said. Salahi and his wife Michaele created a major security breach in Nov 2009
when they managed to enter White House and attend the state dinner hosted by US
president Obama.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-gate-crasher-to-run-for-governors-post/articleshow/12889768.cms
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Modi must reflect upon
visa denial: Indian Law Minister
Apr 27, 2012
WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI:
Union law minister and Congress leader Salman Khurshid took a swipe at Narendra
Modi on Thursday, saying he needed to reflect on why the US continued to deny
him visa.
"Not for us to
comment on US policy but it is a matter of serious concern that there is this
kind of serious question mark on the personality of somebody who leads a major
state in our country," Khurshid said in Delhi. "I hope the person
concerned will reflect upon this and think about why the world thinks so poorly
of him."
The US State Department
reiterated its policy denying visa to Modi in response to questions on Congressman
Joe Walsh's letter to secretary of state Hillary Clinton seeking a review of
the 2005 decision. In a statement, the Indian American Muslim community
demanded that the US stick to the 2005 policy on Modi's visa.
Walsh had argued that
"ten years have passed since the violence in Gujarat and much progress has
been made. Modi has been recognized across the world for establishing Gujarat
as the most business-friendly state in India." He added that the BJP
leader was "widely believed to be a serious contender for the 2014
election for Indian PM " and it was time the State Department reconsidered
its visa policy.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Modi-must-reflect-upon-visa-denial-Khurshid/articleshow/12888844.cms
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/‘-attacked-this-day-newspaper’/d/7156