Xinjiang, Uyghurs Sentenced To Death for 'Terrorism', Locals Protest
New Age Islam News Bureau
13
Aug 2013
Dr Sonia Sharma and Dr Ashish Sharma, whose wedding was facilitated by the predominantly Muslim-dominated neighbourhood in the violence ravaged Kishtwar town. - Photo: NISSAR AHMAD
South Asia
• Xinjiang, Uyghurs sentenced to death for "terrorism"
• Myanmar violence signals growing Muslim desperation
• Taliban kill Afghan woman senator's son-in-law, abduct son
• Jamaat-e-Islami enforces strike in Bangladesh to protest leaders' trial
• Maldivians living in Malaysia to receive Aasandha health insurance coverage: President
• Man gets four years in prison for employing Thai prostitutes in Maldives
Africa
• Islamic militants kill 44 at mosque in Nigeria; 12 slain in separate attack on Sunday
• Former PM Keita wins Mali Presidency election
• Libyan ministry says 14,000 Qaddafi-era prisoners still on the run
• Video by Somalia’s Al-Shabab praises American ‘martyrs’
• No Saudi-Sudan fallout with non-entry of Bashir’s plane
Arab World
• Al-Qaeda Expands in Syria via Islamic State
• Islamists Call For Rallies against 'Coup and Zionism' Tuesday
• Car bombs in Iraq, including an attack near Shiite mosque, kill 7 people
• 30 killed in several attacks in Iraq
• Syria: Terrorists Killed in Car Bomb in Hama Countryside
• Nour Party: Revised Constitution Should Not Alter Egypt's Islamic Identity
• Salafist Nour Party turns down Egypt governor posts
• Kuwait pulls popular cleric over sectarian comments, supporting al-Qaida-linked group
• Hamas Rejects 'Futile' Talks with Israel
North America
• Judge changing baby's name from Messiah to Martin draws reaction
• CAIR tries to ban professor’s speech on ‘The Islamic Threat to America’
• US eyeing Syrian opposition alliances, chemical weapons moves
• Palestinian prisoners 'moved' before Israel release
India
• In Times of Darkness, Seer Hamdan Muslims-Pandits Show the Way
• When Muslims Escorted a Hindu Bara’at
• Delegation leaves for Pak to attend Hind-Pak Friendship Festival
• We want friendly ties with Pakistan: President
• Rahman Khan urges Rahul to bring Islamic banking on 2014 agenda
• Pakistan violates ceasefire again, fires at Indian posts in Samba
• Army has free hand to counter Pak: Antony
• Communal clash claims one in Bihar
• ISI trying to revive Sikh militancy: Govt
Mideast
• Yemeni Nobel winner says Egypt coup deadly for Arab democracy
• Two suspected Al Qaeda militants killed in Yemen drone strike
• Israel army shoots down rocket near Egypt border
• Prisoners hike tension before Mideast talks
• Turkey's main opposition leader set to visit Baghdad
• New pro-Israel Arab party says EU boycott counterproductive
• Haredi extremists riot over ‘desecration of Jewish graves’
• Another 942 settlements approved in E. Jerusalem: Official
Pakistan
• Pakistan PM urges 'new beginning' with India
• Pakistan Ulema Council will hold Istehkam-e-Pakistan Conferences on Aug 25
• Taliban threat keeps politicians on guard during Eid in KP
• Bicycle bomb kills two in Quetta, say officials
• Jamaat-i-Islami for meaningful talks with Taliban
• Pakistan government to release Indian prisoners
• No proposal to give India MFN-status now: Pak FM
• Christians and Muslims together to combat human rights violations
• Executing prisoners tantamount to war: Punjabi Taliban
• IMF agrees to allow Pakistan to seek $6.6bn: Officials
• Fighting terror: Draft policy aims to dismantle terror networks
• Special force to be set up for protection of foreigners: Shahbaz
Europe
• UN asked to take notice of Baloch ‘genocide’
• UN human rights envoy visits tense area of Myanmar
• Ban Ki-moon asks India, Pak to resolve situation peacefully
• Zanzibar acid attack - are the UK media right about Muslim cleric?
• Muslim leader denounces 'Islamophobic' France
Southeast Asia
• Madura Shiites Face Conversion Threat
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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South Asia
Xinjiang, Uyghurs Sentenced To Death for "Terrorism", Locals Protest
August 13, 2013
A provincial court handed down the sentence against Musa Hesen and Rehman Hupur, involved in the April riots in Kashgar, where 21 people died. Judges rule they are also guilty of having founded a group "that has carried on illegal religious activities for years with the aim of promoting extremism." Local population rally to their defence.
Urumqi (AsiaNews) - The government of the northern province of Xinjiang this morning sentenced to death two members of Uyghur ethnicity arrested in the aftermath of clashes in April in the prefecture of Kashgar, during which 21 people died. The courts ruled that Musa Hesen and Rehman Hupur are guilty of "terrorism" and "murder." Musa also has been accused of having founded a group "that has carried on illegal religious activities for years with the aim of promoting extremism."
The province is one of the most turbulent in all of China: It is home to the ethnic Uyghur, Turkic speaking peoples of the Islamic religion, who have always sought to gain independence from Beijing. The central government has sent hundreds of thousands of Han Chinese to the region to try to make them the dominant ethnic group. It also imposes serious restrictions on freedom of religion, Muslim practices, the teaching of the language and the local culture.
Since 2009 a special system of Chinese police and army control is in place, imposed by Beijing after the riots in which nearly 200 people lost their lives. As a result of the violence hundreds of custodial sentences and dozens of death sentences were meted out. The Chinese authorities believe that the perpetrators of violence are Muslim extremists, but exiles claim that Beijing is "exaggerating" the threat of Islamic terrorism to justify the repression against the Uyghur population. Even the latest violence (in chronological order) was reported in different ways.
According to police, the clashes were born after an investigation carried out in the home of one of the convicts who "hid explosives that could have been used to make 10 bombs." The alleged terrorists reportedly kidnapped agents by deception, then set fire to the house to kill them. The population however claims that the clashes were sparked by the police insisted that the men "shave their beards and women take off their veils" in the town of Selibuya.
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Xinjiang,-Uyghurs-sentenced-to-death-for-terrorism-28726.html
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Myanmar violence signals growing Muslim desperation
August 13, 2013
Attempts to bring stability to Myanmar’s strategic northwest Rakhine State could be unravelling after police opened fire on Rohingya Muslims for the third time in two months, reviving tensions in a region beset by religious violence last year. Villages outside the state capital Sittwe
remain volatile after a dispute over custody of a dead Rohingya quickly escalated into a day of clashes on Friday in which police raked Rohingya crowds with gunfire, according to witnesses.
The violence underscores the growing Rohingya desperation in the face of an increasingly unsparing police response. At least two people were killed and more than a dozen injured, locals said.
The renewed tensions come despite government efforts to bring calm to Rakhine State, after two eruptions of communal violence with ethnic Rakhine Buddhists last year killed at least 192 people and left 140,000 homeless, mostly Rohingya.
The battered corpse of the fisherman washed ashore at Ohntawgyi village after Friday morning prayers, triggering a day of clashes in which police raked crowds of Rohingya with gunfire.
A military intelligence source in Sittwe put the toll at one dead and nine injured, while the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper said only three people had suffered “minor injuries”.
Apartheid-like policies have segregated Buddhists from Muslims, many of whom fester in primitive camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) with little hope of resettlement.
A Reuters photographer and video journalist who visited the area said the situation remained tense as Tomas Ojea Quintana, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, arrived in Sittwe on Monday.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/myanmar/Myanmar-violence-signals-growing-Muslim-desperation/Article1-1107285.aspx
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Taliban kill Afghan woman senator's son-in-law, abduct son
Staff Report
13 August 2013
GHAZNI, Afghanistan – Taliban insurgents August 10 killed the son-in-law of Bakht Bibi, a female Afghan parliamentarian, along with another man and abducted her son in the Muqur District of Ghazni Province, officials said August 11.
The son-in-law, a Ghazni City police official, was travelling on the Kabul-Kandahar Highway along with Bibi's son and another man when Taliban militants attacked them, Deputy Governor Mohammad Ali Ahmadi said.
They took Bibi's son with them after killing the other two, he added.
Bibi represents Ghazi in the upper house of parliament.
This is not the first attack on a female Afghan parliamentarian. Unidentified militants August 7 attacked female Senator Rogul Khairzad, killing her daughter and driver in Muqur District.
http://centralasiaonline.com/en_GB/articles/caii/newsbriefs/2013/08/12/newsbrief-18
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Jamaat-e-Islami enforces strike in Bangladesh to protest leaders' trial
PTI | Aug 13, 2013
DHAKA: Tight security was imposed on Tuesday in Bangladesh with a 48-hour nationwide general strike called by fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami party to protest against death sentences to its top leaders accused of war crimes.
Police said Jamaat activists set off a dozen crude bombs and staged stormy processions in the capital in their bid to protect their leaders from the gallows and the party from a possible ban.
They said at least two Jamaat activists were jailed for six months as authorities instituted mobile courts to conduct summary trials against troublemakers while several others were detained as the shutdown began early on Tuesday morning.
Jamaat had called the nationwide shutdown protesting what it called "government repression, persecution and plot to eliminate the party" and "to kill our jailed leaders" under allegedly false cases.
"We are making a clarion call to observe the nationwide general strike to protest the blueprint to kill the jailed top Jamaat leaders," the party said in a statement.
The trials of the accused for war crimes committed during the 1971 liberation war has so far seen indictment of over a dozen mostly Jamaat leaders who were found guilty of genocide or mass murder and siding with invading Pakistani troops during the war.
Four leaders have been handed down death penalty with jail terms for others.
The trials were welcomed by hundreds of thousands of students and anti-war protesters who wanted justice for the atrocities committed during the war.
But the verdicts against Jamaat leaders also plunged the country into political violence with some 150 killed in clashes pitting the activists of the extreme rightwing party against security forces since the first sentence was awarded in January this year.
The shutdown came as the trial of the accused neared the final stage while the government sought to stop the party from approaching the Supreme Court.
The high court last month ordered the Jamaat be stripped of its registration with the Election Commission while a special tribunal trying the war criminals earlier dubbed it a "criminal organisation" for its role in the war.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Jamaat-enforces-strike-in-Bangladesh-to-protest-leaders-trial/articleshow/21799084.cms
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Maldivians living in Malaysia to receive Aasandha health insurance coverage: President Mohamed Waheed
By Leah Malone | August 12th, 2013
The national universal health insurance scheme Aasandha is to be extended to Maldivian nationals living in Malaysia.
President Mohamed Waheed announced Sunday (August 11) during his two-day unofficial visit to the country that Maldivians living in Malaysia would be covered by Aasandha.
Waheed made the announcement during a meeting with Maldivian expatriates, Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Parliamentary Group Leader MP Dr Abdulla Mausoom – who traveled to Malaysia with the president – told local media.
“But the president had not revealed details. But he said it would be arranged soon,” said Mausoom.
In July, the Government of Maldives announced they would be expanding the Aasandha universal health insurance for Maldives nationals with resident visas in Sri Lanka and India to specific “empanelled” hospitals.
National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) Chair and State Minister State for Health Thoriq Ali Luthfee previously said that to coincide with the Islamic Holy month of Ramadan, Maldives nationals residing in India and Sri Lanka would now be covered for 397 surgical and medical procedures under the universal health scheme.
The coverage will be available at a set number of hospitals that have already been providing services under Aasandha in Sri Lanka and India.
The Aasandha universal health insurance program was introduced by former President Mohamed Nasheed’s government in January 2012 and retained by President Waheed’s administration after the controversial transfer of power in February the same year.
The scheme, a public-private partnership with Allied Insurance, covers up to MVR100,000 (US$6500) in healthcare costs for Maldives nationals with valid national identity cards.
State Minister Luthfee claimed that the extension of the services to Maldivians residing in Sri Lanka and India was possible as a result of cutting systematic “waste” from the Aasandha system present from its inception under the previous government.
Sun Online meanwhile reported last week that the National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) owed foreign hospitals US$400,000 as a result of the country’s ongoing foreign currency shortage, with at least one facility in Sri Lanka suspending Aasandha service.
“We have Maldivian rufiya, we can’t get dollars. We have been asking government companies to sell dollars; this has been going on for a long time now. How can we pay in dollars if we can’t get dollars?” NSPA Chairman Luthfee told Sun Online.
Luthfee said while Kooddoo Fisheries and the Maldives Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) had previously assisted with the problem, the companies were no longer in a position to do so.
http://minivannews.com/society/maldivians-living-in-malaysia-to-receive-aasandha-health-insurance-coverage-62224
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Man gets four years in prison for employing Thai prostitutes in Maldives
August 13, 2013
The Criminal Court has sentenced a man to four years in prison for employing Thai prostitutes in the Maldives.
The convict is Abdul Latheef Ali of Henveyru Philadelphia.
He was charged by the State for hiring women to provide sexual services for money.
The Criminal Court ruling today stated that the Thai women who worked at a beauty care salon located in Henveyru Philadelphia had confessed in court that they were employed to provide massages and engage in sexual activities with customers.
They also said that Abdul Latheef had warned them that their employment would be terminated and they would be sent back to Thailand, if they refused to act as prostitutes.
The women said in court that they were hired as masseurs by a company called Asparagus Private Limited, but once they arrived in Male’, they were forced by Abdul Latheef to engage in prostitution.
They had been asked to give part of the money earned from prostitution to Abdul Latheef, and they gave him $300 to him monthly, the women said in court.
The court ruling further detailed that the police officers who went to the salon with a court warrant said in court that they discovered a Thai woman and a Maldivian man naked in the room, as well as contraceptives and items used in sexual activities.
This is the first such case filed to court.
http://sun.mv/english/15048
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Africa
Islamic militants kill 44 at mosque in Nigeria; 12 slain in separate attack on Sunday
AP | Aug 13, 2013
MAIDUGURI: Suspected Islamic militants wearing army fatigues gunned down 44 people praying at a mosque in northeast Nigeria, while another 12 civilians died in an apparently simultaneous attack, security agents said on Monday.
Sunday's attacks were the latest in a slew of violence blamed on religious extremists in this west African oil producer, where the radical Boko Haram group, which wants to oust the government and impose Islamic law, poses the greatest security threat in years.
It was not immediately clear why the Islamic Boko Haram would have killed worshipping Muslims, but the group has in the past attacked mosques whose clerics have spoken out against religious extremism. Boko Haram also has attacked Christians outside churches and teachers and schoolchildren, as well as government and military targets.
Since 2010, the militants have been blamed for the killings of more than 1,700 people, according to a count by The Associated Press.
The news about Sunday's violence in Borno state, one of three in the northeast under a military state of emergency, came as journalists received a video featuring Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, who gloats over recent attacks, threatens more, and even says his group is now strong enough to go after the United States.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Militants-kill-44-people-praying-at-a-mosque-in-Nigeria/articleshow/21790183.cms
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Former PM Keita wins Mali Presidency election
AP | Aug 13, 2013
BAMAKO, Mali: Former Prime Minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita won Mali's presidency after his opponent conceded defeat late on Monday in an election aimed at restoring stability to a country wracked by a rebellion, a coup and an Islamic insurgency.
Soumalia Cisse's concession averts a protracted election fight, allowing Mali to move ahead with establishing a democratically elected government, one of the international community's caveats for unlocking some $4 billion in promised aid.
Keita, 68, had been expected to win the runoff easily, having pulled nearly 40 per cent of the vote in the first round. Most of the other candidates from the first round also had given their endorsements to Keita, who has had a long career in Malian government.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Keita-wins-Mali-election/articleshow/21791252.cms
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Libyan ministry says 14,000 Qaddafi-era prisoners still on the run
13 Aug 2013
Some 14,000 prisoners who escaped from detention centers across Libya after the 2011 uprising that toppled Muammar Qaddafi are still on the run, the Libyan interior minister said Monday.
“No fewer than 14,000 former prisoners who were serving sentences including capital punishment and life are still totally free after fleeing from prison,” Mohammad al-Cheikh was quoted as saying by the official news agency Lana.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/08/13/Libya-14-000-Qaddafi-era-prisoners-still-on-the-run-.html
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Video by Somalia’s Al-Shabab praises American ‘martyrs’
13 Aug 2013
KAMPALA, Uganda: The Islamist extremist from Minnesota smiles as he compares Somalia to Disneyland, urging other Muslims to come and “take pleasure in this fun. ”But Troy Kastigar, one of three fighters featured in a nearly 40-minute Internet video recently released by the Somali extremist rebel group Al-Shabab, was killed in 2009, not long after leaving Minneapolis to join the militants’ bloody campaign to seize power in Somalia. At the time Al-Shabab held sway in large parts of the capital, Mogadishu, and was fighting African Union troops sent to back the transitional government there.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Aug-13/227118-video-by-somalias-al-shabab-praises-american-martyrs.ashx#ixzz2bqfdhMlz
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No Saudi-Sudan fallout with non-entry of Bashir’s plane
13 Aug 2013
Sudanese Ambassador to Riyadh Abdulhafiz Ibrahim has said that the banning of President Bashir’s plane from entering Saudi airspace would not affect Saudi-Sudanese relations.
Last week, the aircraft carrying President Bashir was banned from entering Saudi airspace on the ground that the plane did not have the right permit, a statement by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) said.
The Sudanese envoy said his country has set up an inquiry committee to look into the details pertaining to the issue. President Bashir was reportedly using a plane rented from a Saudi company instead of his normal presidential aircraft and was heading to Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s new President Hassan Rowhani last week.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/news/461097
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Arab World
Al-Qaeda Expands in Syria via Islamic State
August 13, 2013
BEIRUT — A rebranded version of Iraq’s al-Qaeda affiliate is surging onto the front lines of the war in neighbouring Syria, expanding into territory seized by other rebel groups and carving out the kind of sanctuaries that the U.S. military spent more than a decade fighting to prevent in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In the four months since the Iraqi al-Qaeda group changed its name to reflect its growing ambitions, it has forcefully asserted its presence in some of the towns and villages captured from Syrian government forces. It has been bolstered by an influx of thousands of foreign fighters from the region and beyond.
The group, now known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, is by no means the largest of the loosely aligned rebel organizations battling to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and it is concentrated mostly in the northern and eastern provinces of the country. But with its radical ideology and tactics such as kidnappings and beheadings, the group has stamped its identity on the communities in which it is present, including, crucially, areas surrounding the main border crossings with Turkey.
Full report at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/al-qaeda-expands-in-syria-via-islamic-state/2013/08/12/3ef71a26-036a-11e3-9259-e2aafe5a5f84_story.html
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Islamists Call For Rallies against 'Coup and Zionism' Tuesday
13 Aug 2013
The pro-Morsi National Alliance to Support Legitimacy is calling for a million-man march dubbed "Together against Coup and Zionism" on Tuesday.
The group however didn't specify the march's starting point or route.
The call for an ant-Zionism rally comes following unconfirmed reports of a military collaboration between the Egyptian and Israeli forces in the restive Sinai Peninsula.
On Friday, a loud explosion took place in North Sinai which was believed to be an assault against suspected Islamic militants who planned to carry attacks against vital spots in Sinai or Israel. The attack left at least 5 militants killed.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/78903/Egypt/Politics-/Islamists-call-for-rallies-against-Coup-and-Zionis.aspx
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Car bombs in Iraq, including an attack near Shiite mosque, kill 7 people
Aug 13, 2013
BAGHDAD — Iraqi officials say two car bombs, one of which exploded near a Shiite mosque south of Baghdad, have killed 7 people.
Police officials say the mosque bombing took place on Tuesday as worshippers were leaving the mosque in the town of Madain, about 20 kilometers (14 miles) south of Baghdad. They say five people were killed and 13 were wounded in that attack.
Earlier in the day, two policemen were killed as they were trying to defuse a car bomb left on the road near the northern city of Kirkuk.
Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to media.
Members of Iraq’s security forces frequently come under attack by insurgents who consider them to be traitors.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/car-bombs-in-iraq-including-an-attack-near-shiite-mosque-kill-7-people/2013/08/13/05deb694-040b-11e3-bfc5-406b928603b2_story.html
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30 killed in several attacks in Iraq
Iraq, August 12, 2013
At least 30 people were killed and 104 others wounded in separate violent attacks in Iraq Monday, police said. An unidentified suicide bomber blew himself up in a cafe in Balad, some 80 km north of here, killing 23 people and injuring 66 others, Xinhua reported citing a police
source who did not wish to be named.
Four people were killed and 25 others got wounded when a roadside bomb struck a popular market for fruits and vegetables in Baquba, some 65 km northeast of the capital Baghdad, police said.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/restofasia/30-killed-in-several-attacks-in-Iraq/Article1-1107255.aspx
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Syria: Terrorists Killed in Car Bomb in Hama Countryside
13 Aug 2013
TEHRAN (FNA)- A number of terrorists were killed in a car bomb as they were loading it with explosives in al-Hardaneh village in al-Salamieh district in Hama province, a military source said.
In a statement to SANA, the source added that the explosion caused the destruction of the den in which the car was being prepared, and all terrorists inside the den were killed.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13920522000975
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Nour Party says revised constitution should not alter Egypt's Islamic identity
August 13, 2013
The Salafist Nour Party demanded that the criteria set by the presidency last week for selecting the 50-member committee which will finalise amendments to the suspended 2012 constitution be revised.
The ultra-conservative party also rejected attempts to tamper with the "Islamic identity of Egypt" during the amendment process.
In a statement issued on Monday evening, the Nour Party rejected the presidency's allotment of only five seats in the committee to political parties, charging that limiting the participation of parties in deciding the country's future mimicks Mubarak's policies which marginalised all players outside of his own NDP.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/78883/Egypt/Politics-/Nour-Party-says-revised-constitution-should-not-al.aspx
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Salafist Nour Party turns down Egypt governor posts
13 Aug 2013
The Salafist Nour Party has turned down offers from Egypt's interim presidential office to take posts in the governor reshuffle.
"The Nour Party refused to accept any political or executive posts in the current phase," Nour Party spokesman Sherif Taha told Al-Ahram's Arabic news site.
Egypt's Interim President Adly Mansour is expected to replace 20 of the 27 governors and name 11 deputy-governors on Tuesday.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/78910/Egypt/Politics-/Salafist-Nour-Party-turns-down-Egypt-governor-post.aspx
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Kuwait pulls popular cleric over sectarian comments, supporting al-Qaida-linked group
August 13, 2013
KUWAIT CITY — Government officials in Kuwait have pulled a prominent cleric off television over previous comments they say are stoking sectarian tensions and supporting an al-Qaida-linked rebel group in Syria.
Information Minister Sheikh Salman Al-Homood told journalists Tuesday that an investigation was underway into the comments made by Shafi Al-Ajmi.
Full report at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/kuwait-pulls-popular-cleric-from-tv-over-sectarian-comments-supporting-al-qaida-linked-group/2013/08/13/b31896bc-040c-11e3-bfc5-406b928603b2_story.html
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Hamas Rejects 'Futile' Talks with Israel
13 Aug 2013
TEHRAN (FNA)- Palestinian resistance movement Hamas ruled out any dialogue between Palestinians and the Israeli regime, describing the ongoing US-backed talks as "futile".
"We renew our rejection of these futile talks, and consider them purely a means for the occupation (Israel) to look good to the international community," senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar said at a news conference in Gaza on Monday, Al-Alam reported.
The Palestinian official also criticized Acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas and his negotiating team for accepting the idea of talking with the Israeli regime, saying, they "have no legitimacy" to represent the Palestinian people in the talks.
"We call on the Palestinian people to unite in confronting the crime that is the peace talks," he added.
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13920522000804
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North America
Judge changing baby's name from Messiah to Martin draws reaction
Nashville, Tennessee, August 13, 2013
A Tennessee judge's decision to change a baby's first name from Messiah to Martin is drawing strong reactions from people who believe the judge overstepped her powers and those who think parents' creativity should have some limits.
Thousands of people have commented online about the judge's order since WBIR-TV published its story over the weekend. Many of them said Child Support Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew went too far, but not all.
"I agree 100% that we only have one messiah and that's Jesus Christ," said Edith Wood, a resident of Cocke County in eastern Tennessee, where the boy lives. The mostly rural county is located in the Appalachian foothills and encompasses part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/americas/Judge-changing-baby-s-name-Messiah-draws-reaction/Article1-1107369.aspx
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CAIR tries to ban professor’s speech on ‘The Islamic Threat to America’
August 13, 2013
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) continues its epic struggle to understand the First Amendment.
In the latest incident, the Muslim civil liberties group has asked government officials in Brevard County, Florida to deny the use of a county-owned meeting room to a group CAIR has tagged as “an anti-Muslim hate group,” reports the Orlando Sentinel.
The group CAIR opposes is the local chapter of ACT! for America, an organization that stands particularly athwart the threat posed by radical Islam.
Full report at:
http://dailycaller.com/2013/08/11/cair-tries-to-ban-professors-speech-on-the-islamic-threat-to-america/#ixzz2bptFuv40
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US eyeing Syrian opposition alliances, chemical weapons moves
13 Aug 2013
TEL AVIV: The United States is gaining more insight into Syria's moderate opposition but must watch carefully to determine when occasional collaboration with Islamist radicals might turn into real alliances, the top U.S. military officer said on Monday.
The comments by General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, came at the start of a trip to close U.S. allies Israel and Jordan likely to be dominated by discussions about Syria's conflict and broader regional unrest.
Syria's Western-backed rebels have been clamoring for the United States to make good on promises to provide weapons. But the Obama administration has been slow to act because of concerns that American arms could find their way to al Qaeda-linked fighters.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Aug-13/227172-us-eyeing-syrian-opposition-alliances-chemical-weapons-moves.ashx#ixzz2bqfMcGHH
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Palestinian prisoners 'moved' before Israel release
Aug 13, 2013
Twenty-six Palestinian prisoners set for release in the early hours of Wednesday have been moved to a jail in central Israel, reports say.
Direct peace talks are due to resume in Jerusalem hours after they are taken to crossings in Gaza and the West Bank.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Palestinians "not to react adversely" to an Israeli announcement approving 1,200 settlement homes.
The measure was "to some degree expected", he said.
Palestinian negotiators have accused Israel's government of trying to sabotage the talks, by deciding to issue tenders for building homes in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Israel has rejected criticism, saying every peace initiative so far has proposed that the settlements affected become Israeli territory.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23678238
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India
In Times of Darkness, Seer Hamdan Muslims-Pandits Show the Way
SHABIR AHMAD
August 13, 2013
ANANTNAG, Aus 12: While Kishtwar district continued to reel under curfew after Friday’s communal violence; Muslims in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district have set an example of communal brotherhood by arranging the marriage ceremony of a Pandit girl.
On the wedding ceremony of the daughter of Omkar Nath Raina of Seer Hamdan, Mattan on Saturday and Sunday, it were the local Muslims who did all the arrangements, giving the signal that the valley’s social fabric is very much intact. Raina’s family due to poor financial conditions had decided to stay back after most of the Kashmiri Pandits migrated to Jammu and other parts of the country in early nineties following the eruption of armed struggle in the valley.
Full report at:
http://www.kashmirtimes.com/newsdet.aspx?q=21366
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When Muslims Escorted a Hindu Bara’at
AHMED ALI FAYYAZ
August 13, 2013
After 24 hours, the just-married couple returned without being harassed or attacked by anyone from Pochal to Shaheedi Mohalla.
When Kishtwar’s iconic singer-poet Ghulam Nabi Dholwal aka Janbaz Kishtwari rolled out his famous chaland on life’s ironies and crisscross of joy and melancholy 50 years ago, he wouldn’t have visualised last Friday’s inferno in the wildest of his dreams.
“kansi hund jinaza niwan, kansi chhai baraath yiwan; kanh chhu sada nala diwan, kansi aasan manzi raath” [someone’s funeral march passes this way, someone’s marriage band crosses that way; someone cries in grief over a death, someone sings in joy over a nuptial knot], Janbaz wrote and composed the most popular Watsun of his rich repertoire.
The contrast of a wedding in the macabre ambience of death and destruction on the colourful festival of Eid-ul-Fitr was a perfect enactment of Janbaz’s screenplay.
Last Friday, the family of Dr. Ashish Sharma, who was getting married to Dr. Sonia Sharma, had to join the Mandap at the bride’s home to solemnise the wedlock.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/when-muslims-escorted-a-hindu-baraat/article5016421.ece
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Delegation leaves for Pak to attend Hind-Pak Friendship Festival
Yudhvir Rana, TNN | Aug 13, 2013
ATTARI: After cancellation of South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA) delegation to Pakistan in protest against killing of five Indian soldiers by Pakistan army, another delegation of around 15 persons comprising of journalists, lawyers and human right activists left for Pakistan under the aegis of a lesser known organization Building Peace Bridges.
"The delegates will pay homage to the freedom fighters and impress upon Pakistan authorities and people on the need to have congenial and lasting relationships with each other," said Chanchal Manohar Singh, chairman, Building Peace Bridges, while talking to TOI on Tuesday. He added further, "We are going to Lahore on the invitation of the SAFMA and we will talk of peace only."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Delegation-leaves-for-Pak-to-attend-Hind-Pak-Friendship-Festival/articleshow/21803469.cms
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We want friendly ties with Pakistan: President
IANS | Aug 13, 2013
NEW DELHI: India is committed to building a "friendly and cooperative" relationship with Pakistan that leads to peace and prosperity in the region, President PranabMukherjee said on Tuesday.
"I take this opportunity to reiterate India's commitment to building a friendly and cooperative relationship with Pakistan that leads to peace in our region and progress and prosperity of our peoples," he said while greeting the Pakistan government and people on their Independence Day.
Pakistan celebrates Independence Day on Aug 14, a day before India.
In a message to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, the president said, "On the occasion of the Independence Day of Pakistan, I have the pleasure of conveying ... our felicitations to the government and the people of Pakistan."
India and Pakistan, which gained independence from Britain in August 1947, have gone to war four times and have been locked in several skirmishes.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/We-want-friendly-ties-with-Pakistan-India/articleshow/21803759.cms
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Rahman Khan urges Rahul to bring Islamic banking on 2014 agenda
Subodh Ghildiyal, TNN | Aug 13, 2013
NEW DELHI: Making perhaps the strongest-ever pitch for the introduction of Islamic banking , minority affairs minister Rahman Khan has told the Congress leadership that Muslims were increasingly viewing Centre's continuing resistance to the introduction of Shariah-compliant banking as interference in the affairs of the community.
The minister said interest-free banking, better known as Islamic banking, would prove to be a boon by mobilizing vast capital from Muslims that can be used for welfare activities of the community while helping them to practice the religion as laid down by the tenets of Islam.
Khan's request to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, as part of welfare proposals to woo Muslims, marks a renewed as well as , possibly the strongest bid to lift the bar on Islamic banking that has riled community principals for some time.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Rahman-Khan-urges-Rahul-to-bring-Islamic-banking-on-2014-agenda/articleshow/21791584.cms
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Pakistan violates ceasefire again, fires at Indian posts in Samba
PTI | Aug 13, 2013
JAMMU: Heavy exchange of fire erupted on the border as Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire yet again on Tuesday morning — the eight in the last four days — targeting Indian border posts in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir.
"There was firing by Pakistani Rangers on Narianpur border out post (BoP) in Ramgarh forward area in Samba district around 0730 hours", a BSF officer said.
The firing came from Ashraf post of Pakistan. BSF troops guarding the border line retaliated effectively, resulting in exchanges, he said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistan-violates-ceasefire-again-fires-at-Indian-posts-in-Samba/articleshow/21796377.cms
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Army has free hand to counter Pak: Antony
Rajat Pandit, TNN | Aug 13, 2013,
KOCHI: Removing all ambiguity over India's determination to rebuff hostile actions from across the border, defence minister A K Antony said on Monday that the Army has been given a free hand to unleash "punitive fire assaults" and "other strong cross-border counter-measures" against any misadventure by Pakistan Army.
Antony clarified that the government will not stand in the way of any tough action by the Indian Army on the LoC. "The armed forces have the freedom to respond to developing situations there appropriately," he said, on the sidelines of the "launch" of indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant here.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Army-has-free-hand-to-counter-Pak-Antony/articleshow/21792739.cms
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Communal clash claims one in Bihar
Aug 13 201
Patna: A curfew was imposed in Nawada after one person was killed and five were injured in a communal clash in Nawada town on Monday. During the clash, two groups - one of Hindus and one of Muslims - pelted stones and opened fire on each other in the Bundelkhand police station area of the town at around 11 am.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar asked the district administration to take stern action against those involved and appealed to the public to maintain peace and communal harmony.
A man, Mohammed Iqbal, succumbed to his injuries from a bullet. Five others, from both sides, were injured. Police later used teargas and also opened fire in the air to disperse the crowd. The district administration subsequently imposed a curfew in the town.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/communal-clash-claims--one-in-bihar/1154592/
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ISI trying to revive Sikh militancy: Govt
PTI | Aug 13, 2013
NEW DELHI: Pakistani intelligence agency ISI is trying to revive Sikh militancy in the country, Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
"Inputs indicate that ISI operatives are known to have assured moral and financial support to pro-Khalistan elements for anti-India activities," minister of state for home RPN Singh said.
He said the government has adopted an integrated approach to counter the attempts to revive militancy which include sustained vigilance along the borders, strengthening of mechanisms for intelligence gathering and sharing.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/ISI-trying-to-revive-Sikh-militancy-Govt/articleshow/21800229.cms
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Mideast
Yemeni Nobel winner says Egypt coup deadly for Arab democracy
13 Aug 2013
Tawakul Karman, who shared a Nobel peace prize for her pro-democracy campaigning in Yemen, has said she views the Egyptian army's overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi as a death knell for Arab democratic movements.
The removal of Morsi, Egypt's first freely elected leader, on 3 July "reset the clock" on the gains made since a popular uprising ended Hosni Mubarak's 30 years of one-man rule in 2011, she told Reuters in an interview by telephone late on Monday.
"The first emerging democracy in Egypt's history and the first in the region since the Arab Spring is quickly being dismantled," said the 34-year-old Yemeni mother of three.
Karman, the first Arab woman and second Muslim woman to win the Nobel peace prize, was turned away from Egypt on 4 August after she announced on social media her intention to join Muslim Brotherhood protesters at a huge pro-Morsi vigil in Cairo.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/78918/World/Region/Yemeni-Nobel-winner-says-Egypt-coup-deadly-for-Ara.aspx
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Two suspected Al Qaeda militants killed in Yemen drone strike
August 13, 2013
ADEN: At least two suspected Islamist militants were killed in a drone missile strike in Yemen's southern Shabwa province, the latest in a surge since Washington warned of possible attacks by al Qaeda in the region.
At least 37 people have been killed in just over two weeks in a campaign targeting insurgents linked to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), described by US officials as the most dangerous branch of the global jihadi network.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/news/1035624/two-suspected-al-qaeda-militants-killed-in-yemen-drone-strike
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Israel army shoots down rocket near Egypt border
AP | Aug 13, 2013
JERUSALEM: The Israeli military says it has shot down a rocket launched toward the Red Sea resort town of Eilat, near the border with Egypt.
The army says the rocket was intercepted early on Tuesday and that there were no injuries. It didn't provide more details and declined to comment on the origins of the projectile.
The incident comes after days of heightened tension along the Egypt-Israel border. Last Thursday, Israel briefly closed the Eilat airport in response to unspecified security warnings.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Israel-army-shoots-down-rocket-near-Egypt-border/articleshow/21797282.cms
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Prisoners hike tension before Mideast talks
August 13, 2013
Israel announced it will release 26 veteran Palestinian prisoners ahead of a resumption of peace talks on Wednesday, but at the same time angered the Palestinians by approving new settlement construction. A special ministerial committee announced late on Sunday it had approved the 26
prisoners to be released “following the government decision to renew peace talks with the Palestinians,” according to a statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The names of the prisoners -- were published early on Monday morning.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/restofasia/Prisoners-hike-tension-before-Mideast-talks/Article1-1107289.aspx
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Turkey's main opposition leader set to visit Baghdad
August 13, 2013
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), will meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki Aug. 21 in Baghdad, his party has announced.
Kılıçdaroğlu will land at Baghdad Airport which will be the venue for an official welcome ceremony Aug. 20. While in the Iraqi capital city, he will hold talks with prominent political actors, as well as have scheduled gatherings with Sunni and Shiite opinion leaders, the CHP said in a brief statement released Aug. 12.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkeys-main-opposition-leader-set-to-visit-baghdad.aspx?pageID=238&nID=52417&NewsCatID=338
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New pro-Israel Arab party says EU boycott counterproductive
August 13, 2013
Bishara Shlayan, an Israeli Christian Arab from Nazareth who is creating a new Arab political party, said that the EU boycott of Israeli businesses and institutions operating in the West Bank is counterproductive, since it mainly harms Arabs living there.
“The boycott is a big mistake – it is the livelihood for many, mainly Arabs in the West Bank,” Shlayan told The Jerusalem Post, adding that the absence of Israeli businesses will create more violence, as more Arabs will be left with no way to put food on their tables.
They should build more universities and factories, he said, as Arabs also are studying in the universities, work in the factories and are responsible for most of the new construction.
In fact, Shlayan has an idea to build a new Arab Christian settlement, open to all, in the West Bank. The settlement would have factories and would seek funding from the EU, as the plan would promote peace since it would be open to anyone.
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/New-pro-Israel-Arab-party-says-EU-boycott-counterproductive-322864
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Haredi extremists riot over ‘desecration of Jewish graves’
August 13, 2013
29 arrested as haredim claim construction upsets Jewish graves.
Haredi extremists rioted in Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh on Monday over what they viewed as the desecration of graves.
The rioters, some of whom were affiliated with the Atra Kadisha, an organization dedicated to the preservation of ancient Jewish burial places, believe that there are hundreds of potentially Jewish graves at the Goloventzitz construction site in Ramat Beit Shemesh, where the new Ramat Avraham neighborhood is slated to be built.
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Haredi-protests-against-building-on-Jewish-graves-turn-violent-in-Beit-Shemesh-Jlem-322792
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Another 942 settlements approved in E. Jerusalem: Official
13 Aug 2013
Jerusalem's municipality has approved 942 new settlement units for occupied east Jerusalem, a local official said Tuesday, on the eve of the scheduled resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians.
"The Jerusalem municipality has approved a construction plan for 942 homes in Gilo," an existing settlement in east Jerusalem, municipal councillor Yosef Pepe Alalu told AFP.
The units are in addition to the more than 1,000 settlement homes approved by Israel on Sunday, in a move that has angered the Palestinians and drawn fire from the international community.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/78905/World/Region/Another--settlements-approved-in-E-Jerusalem-Offic.aspx
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Pakistan
Pakistan PM urges 'new beginning' with India
August 13, 2013
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has called for a “new beginning” in relations with India amid high tension over the disputed region of Kashmir, in comments published Tuesday.
Clashes in recent weeks across the heavily militarised Line of Control (LoC), which divides the Himalayan territory between India and Pakistan, have raised the temperature between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
Sharif said it was vital India and Pakistan became “good friends”, in remarks published Tuesday by the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), the state news agency.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/589581/pakistan-pm-urges-new-beginning-with-india/
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Pakistan Ulema Council will hold Istehkam-e-Pakistan Conferences on Aug 25
August 13, 2013
LAHORE: Pakistan Ulema Council [PUC] will hold “Istehkam-e-Pakistan Conferences” [conferences for stability in Pakistan] in the four provinces and Islamabad.
“On August 25, Istehkam-e-Pakistan Conference will be held in Islamabad,” said PUC Chairman Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi during his address to clerics and scholars belonging to different schools of thought at the PUC office. He said that Pakistan is facing difficult circumstances and the country is in need of national unity. Anti-Pakistan forces want to promote sectarian violence, terrorism and instability in the country, he said, adding that the only way to stop them is by promoting national unity.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\08\13\story_13-8-2013_pg7_11
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Taliban threat keeps politicians on guard during Eid in KP
By Iqbal Khattak
August 13, 2013
PESHAWAR: For residents of NBP Colony on Warsak Road these were unusual security measures – the closed main gate and a parked police van to guard a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA Yasin Khalil, who is also adviser to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak – during Eid days.
“It has never been seen before that main gate of the colony is closed and a police van is parked parallel,” a resident of the NBP Colony told Daily Times, adding that these security measures were aimed at guarding Yasin Khalil against likely Taliban attacks.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\08\13\story_13-8-2013_pg7_15
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Bicycle bomb kills two in Quetta, say officials
August 13, 2013
QUETTA: A bomb planted on a bicycle killed at least two people and wounded another in the restive province of Balochistan in southwest Pakistan on Monday, officials said.
“At least two people were killed and a pedestrian was wounded when a bomb planted on a bicycle exploded on a roadside in Quetta,” senior police official Bashir Ahmed Brohi told AFP.
An insurgency pushing for political autonomy and a greater share of profits from the region's oil, gas and mineral resources began in 2004 in the province, of which Quetta is the capital.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/news/1035450/bicycle-bomb-kills-two-in-quetta-say-officials
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Jamaat-i-Islami for meaningful talks with Taliban
August 13, 2013
PESHAWAR: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Syed Munawar Hassan has said that government should take the offer of peace talks by Taliban seriously and hold meaningful dialogue with the militants.
Addressing an ‘Eid Milan’ party at Nishtar Hall here on Monday, he urged the government to take all stakeholders into confidence before holding negotiations with the Taliban, who renewed their offer for peace talks with the government recently.
“The government and Taliban should come with open mind for talks to restore lasting peace in the country,” the JI leader said. A large number of JI workers attended the function, which was organised in connection with Eidul Fitr.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/news/1035545/jamaat-for-meaningful-talks-with-taliban
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Pakistan government to release Indian prisoners
Yudhvir Rana, TNN | Aug 12, 2013
AMRITSAR: Pakistan government would release around 400 Indian fishermen and civilian prisoners by the end of August, informed Pakistan's former federal minister for human rights and a prominent right activist Ansar Burney while talking to TOI over phone from Karachi on Monday.
He informed that these prisoners were lodged in different jails of Pakistan for a long time and had completed their jail sentences. "Our trust, Ansar Bunrey trust international had been pursuing the case of these prisoners" claimed Burney, adding that after a long struggle Pakistan government had agreed to release more than 400 Indian prisoners by the end of August.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistan-government-to-release-Indian-prisoners/articleshow/21780182.cms
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No proposal to give India MFN-status now: Pak FM
August 12, 2013
Pakistan on Monday said it has no immediate plans to give MFN-status to India, claiming there is a need to normalise relations between the two countries.
Finance minister Ishaq Dar, a close aide of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, said the government was not considering any proposal to grant Most Favoured Nation-status to India.
There is a need to normalise relations with India on several issues, Dar told Geo News channel tonight.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/pakistan/No-proposal-to-give-India-MFN-status-now-Pak-FM/Article1-1107165.aspx
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Christians and Muslims together to combat human rights violations
August 13, 2013
aisalabad (AsiaNews) - A network of "Christian and Muslim" activists to monitor human rights violations, respect for freedom of expression and association, attacks against religious minorities and vulnerable groups, to create a "harmonious and peaceful" society. This is the objective that emerged during the meeting sponsored by the Human Rights Defenders (HRDS) and by the activists of the Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation (Awam) in recent days in Faisalabad, Punjab. The event was attended by over 50 experts in the field, including aid workers, religious leaders, journalists, politicians, lawyers and leaders of youth movements of different schools of thought.
Full report at:
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Faisalabad:-Christians-and-Muslims-together-to-combat-human-rights-violations-28712.html
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Executing prisoners tantamount to war: Punjabi Taliban
August 13, 2013
DI KHAN: The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s Punjab chapter has issued a pamphlet warning the PML-N government not to become ‘part of the war’ by putting ‘their’ prisoners on death-row.
“The PML-N should learn from what happened to the Awami National Party (ANP),” warned the letter, adding that the death of TTP leader, Waliur Rehman was the first step in sabotaging negotiations, while sentencing prisoners’ will be enough to prove that the PML-N is part of the war.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/589484/warning-executing-prisoners-tantamount-to-war-says-punjabi-taliban/
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IMF agrees to allow Pakistan to seek $6.6bn: Officials
August 13, 2013
ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund has agreed that Pakistan can seek a loan package worth $6.6 billion, two top finance ministry officials said on Monday, a boost for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as he seeks to fix the moribund economy.
The Fund had settled on an initial package of $5.3 billion after an IMF delegation held weeks of talks in Pakistan in July. Pakistan had requested $7.2 billion.
“The IMF has raised its offer following further consultations in the US and now agreed to $6.6 billion. The official announcement will come very soon,” said a top finance ministry official, requesting anonymity because he was not yet authorised to speak on the record.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/589461/imf-agrees-to-allow-pakistan-to-seek-6-6bn-officials/
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Fighting terror: Draft policy aims to dismantle terror networks
August 13, 2013
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s new counter-terrorism policy seeks to dismantle all terrorist outfits and their networks through wide-ranging reforms in the education system, police, judiciary and foreign policy.
The proposed policy – titled National Counter Terrorism and Extremism Policy 2013 – seeks a re-assessment of governance weaknesses and policy deficiencies that have permitted the exploitation of vulnerable groups by terror outfits.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/589497/fighting-terror-draft-policy-aims-to-dismantle-terror-networks/
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Special force to be set up for protection of foreigners: Shahbaz
August 13, 2013
LAHORE: During a meeting in Lahore to review the law and order situation of Punjab, provincial chief minister Shahbaz Sharif said Tuesday that a special force would be constituted to protect foreigners.
Following a briefing by the Inspector General of Police Punjab, Aftab Sultan, on the current security situation of the province, Shahbaz said law enforcement was a top priority of his government.
The chief minister asked police and law enforcement agencies to remain alert in case of any untoward incident. Given the recent rise in terrorism, he ordered the recruitment of 4,000 constables in the police force.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/news/1035623/special-force-to-be-set-up-for-protection-of-foreigners-shahbaz
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Europe
UN asked to take notice of Baloch ‘genocide’
August 13, 2013
QUETTA: Baloch nationalist leader and former opposition leader in the Balochistan Assembly Advocate Kachkol Ali on Monday appealed to the UN secretary general to take notice of “genocide of the Baloch nation and sheer violation of human rights”.
In a statement issued from Oslo, he said that “a human tragedy has occurred in Balochistan... therefore United Nations should take notice of it and take practical steps for its immediate end”.
The nationalist leader said the “genocide of Baloch nation is ongoing for the last 13 years”.
“So far thousands of Baloch have been killed and their mutilated bodies were thrown away,” he said and added thousands of people had been victims of forced disappearance.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\08\13\story_13-8-2013_pg7_14
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UN human rights envoy visits tense area of Myanmar
13 Aug 2013
YANGON: A United Nations human rights envoy got a firsthand look Monday at sectarian tensions plaguing Myanmar, arriving in the state of Rakhine days after police opened fire on protesters seeking access to the body of a Rohingya Muslim fisherman.
One person was killed and 10 others were wounded in the incident, Win Myaing, a government spokesman, said Monday.
The Buddhist-majority nation, which only recently emerged from a half-century of isolation and military rule, has been grappling with religious violence for more than a year.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/news/461085
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Ban Ki-moon asks India, Pak to resolve situation peacefully
August 13, 2013
The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has asked both India and Pakistan to resolve their differences peacefully, his spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Mr. Ban is travelling to Pakistan this week, where he will also attend the country’s Independence Day celebration along with meeting the top leadership.
“The Secretary-General continues to ask both parties, all parties to the conflict, to resolve the situation peacefully,” said Eduardo del Bueythe, Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/south-asia/ban-asks-india-pak-to-resolve-situation-peacefully/article5018287.ece
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Zanzibar acid attack - are the UK media right about Muslim cleric?
Roy Greenslade
August 13, 2013
An Islamic cleric supposedly sought for questioning over the acid attack on two British teenagers in Zanzibar has surrendered to Tanzanian police after being injured in a shoot-out.
It had been widely alleged in British newspapers that Sheikh Issa Ponda was linked to the horrific attack on Katie Gee and Kirstie Trup (who are now being treated in a London hospital for their injuries).
Full report at:
http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2013/aug/12/tanzania-national-newspapers
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Muslim leader denounces 'Islamophobic' France as air force sergeant accused of planning mosque attack
ANNE PENKETH
13 AUGUST 2013
A Muslim religious leader has denounced France’s “climate of Islamophobia” after an air force sergeant with alleged links to the extreme right was placed under investigation for attempting to carry out a terrorist attack against a mosque near Lyon.
The 23-year-old, who was arrested at a military base last week, has been placed under investigation on charges including possessing a weapon with terrorist intent.
Islamophobic attacks have risen by between 35 and 50 per cent in France this year according to data from Muslim associations. The country is home to five million Muslims.
The French interior ministry said the sergeant is believed to be “close to the radical far right” and had allegedly planned to open fire on the mosque at Vénissieux in the Bordeaux region on Thursday last week, when Muslims celebrated the end of Ramadan. A rally was held outside the Vénissieux mosque yesterday to encourage solidarity with the local Muslim community.
Full report at:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/muslim-leader-denounces-islamophobic-france-as-air-force-sergeant-accused-of-planning-mosque-attack-8758129.html
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Southeast Asia
Madura Shiites Face Conversion Threat
August 13, 2013
Many Shiite Muslims returning to Madura for Idul Fitri last week were given an ultimatum that forced them to convert to Sunnism or leave the troubled East Java island, in the latest inflammation of hostilities between the different branches of Islam.
Several Shiites in recent days revealed their experiences of intimidation upon returning to their hometowns, with some threatened with beheading and the destruction of their homes if they did not comply.
The campaign appeared to be carried out with the support of the local government, the police and the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), as well as the national government’s National Unity and Political Agency (Kesbangpol).
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/madura-shiites-face-conversion-threat/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/xinjiang,-uyghurs-sentenced-death-terrorism/d/13017