Obama Administration accused of fighting For Sharia Law At The Expense of Public School Students
16-Dec. 2010
Saudi woman writer nominated for coveted Arabic Booker prize
Pak clerics launch campaign to protect blasphemy laws
Muslims barred from serving Israelis
9th Muharram processions, Majalis being held
Two British nationals among four killed in drone attack in Pakistan
Pak textbooks focus on conspiracy theories on 1971 war
A moving biography of the Prophet
‘8m children face food shortage in Pakistan’
The Spy Who Came into the Heat
`Afghan war can't be won'
Killing Malaysia with faith — The Malaysian Insider
India wants 'final solution' to Pak diverting US aid: Antony
Two-year-old Pakistani girl abducted, raped, killed
About 200 Islamic extremists in Sweden: Intel
US sought Bollywood help against extremism: WikiLeaks
Life sentence for New York airport bomb plotter
ISI blows cover of CIA man in Islamabad
Pakistan tests first locally-built helicopter
Prestigious ‘Arabic Booker’ plagued by criticisms
Shia mourners teargassed in curfew-bound Srinagar
Saeed makes public appearance in Islamabad after over 2 years
Italy court toughens sentences for ex-CIA agents
Kashmir to us is what Tibet is to China: Krishna
Pak buries jailed Indian 20 months after death
Jail denies Wiki boss access to counsel; bail hearing today
Iran blames US, Israel for suicide blasts that killed 40
Jama’at to fight Muslim League
Pak-China ties incomparable to any other country: Gilani
UN ends Saddam-era sanctions on Iraq
Army's request for Rs 45 bn will strain Pak economy: Gilani
Zuma files $700,000 defamation suit over cartoon
In spite of Pak, India waits for stronger word from China on terror and Kashmir
Ugandan stranded in Jaipur for 13 yrs to go home
Partners for cooperation not rivals in competition
Facebook’s Zuckerberg pips Assange to honour
3 children die in bomb blast in Afghanistan: Police
Two Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militants arrested
Army may have to intervene again in politics: Musharraf
Three shot dead in Quetta
Attacks in Afghanistan kill three children, NATO soldier
SC directs FIA DG to recover two minor girls
Qaeda wants revenge over Aafia Siddiqui held by US
Twelve militants killed in Orakzai
Zionist settlement policy: Time running out for Israel
ICC prosecutor seeks Kenya charges
US school sued over denial of Haj leave
Father of IVF to assist births of babies in UAE
US says accused airline bomber had help in Yemen
Iranians & Iraqis Perish Fleeing Islamic Utopia
Compiled by New Age Isalm News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/obama-administration-accused-fighting-sharia/d/3801
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Obama Administration accused of fighting For Sharia Law At The Expense of Public School Students
BY JOSEPH KLEIN
Dec 16, 2010
The ‘Is it Legal?’ segment of The O’Reilly Factor last night dealt with a disturbing decision by the Obama Justice Department that has received very little publicity. It is yet another example of the Obama administration’s policy of accommodation to Islamic sharia law, irrespective of its impact on our own society.
Attorney General Eric Holder has decided to sue a suburban Chicago school district for denying a Muslim middle school female teacher three weeks of unpaid leave to abandon her students and make a pilgrimage to Mecca. The teacher wanted to perform the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia which every adult Muslim is supposed to make at least once in a lifetime if he or she is able to do so.
Ironically, the Obama administration is suing over a practice that discriminates against women. Under Islamic law, a woman is not allowed to perform Hajj alone and must be accompanied by an adult Muslim Mahram (father, husband, son or brother etc.). And for an administration that claims it regards a quality education for our public school students to be one of its highest priorities, it is willing to fight for the “right” of a Muslim teacher to abandon the students in her charge so that she can trek to Mecca for a few weeks.
In any case, note that the religious requirement for a Muslim to perform Hajj is once in a lifetime if financially and physically able to do so. This teacher, Safoorah Khan, had no more than two years of service under her belt at the suburban Chicago school when, in 2008, she decided that she could not wait any longer to make her pilgrimage. After the school district twice denied her request, the teacher wrote the board that “based on her religious beliefs, she could not justify delaying performing hajj.” She resigned shortly thereafter. In November 2008, Khan filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which punted the case over to the Justice Department after finding that there was reasonable cause to believe that discrimination had occurred.
This week, Eric Holder’s team in the Justice Department’s civil rights division decided to bring the school district to federal court on Khan’s behalf. The relief that the Obama administration is seeking is a court order requiring the school district to adopt policies that reasonably accommodate its employees’ religious practices and beliefs, to reinstate Khan with back pay and pay her compensatory damages.
There is nothing “reasonable” in Khan’s demand for making her pilgrimage on her own timetable. If anyone deserves “compensatory damages,” it is the school system which has to defend itself against this frivolous lawsuit.
As usual, the Obama administration is pandering to accommodate the demands of the radical Muslim community. Obama is fulfilling his promise to the Muslim world, made during his Cairo speech last year, “to avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practicing religion as they see fit.”
Khan saw fit to leave her students for about ten percent of the school year because she desired to perform her pilgrimage when, and for however long, she desired. Why now when Khan has a lifetime to fulfill her religious duty (provided that she has a male Muslim accompanying her)? And why did she ask for a three week leave when all the essential duties of the pilgrimage are normally performed in 5 to 6 days?
This isn’t the first time that the Obama administration has gone out of its way to enforce special accommodations for Muslims. For example, as I described in my book Lethal Engagement, in response to complaints filed by Somali Muslim employees with the help of a Chicago-based chaptr of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) decided that JBS Swift violated their civil rights by dismissing those who refused to work during Ramadan because they were not permitted to take special time off during work hours for prayer. The demand would have disrupted work schedules, leaving their fellow non-Muslim workers to pick up the slack. The EEOC chose to send its decision by letter directly to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, showing their close relationship in the Obama era.
Barack Obama and his Attorney General Eric Holder are willing to subordinate American values of individual liberty, freedom of expression and equal treatment under the law in order to accommodate radical Muslims’ special demands in “practicing religion as they see fit.”
Radical Muslims are exploiting our democratic system and using the irreproachable shield of “religion” to disguise a barbaric system of oppressive sharia laws. Rather than accommodate them, Western democracies must instead challenge the ideas and methods of radical Islamists at every turn.
http://www.newsrealblog.com/2010/12/15/the-obama-administration-fights-for-sharia-law-at-the-expense-of-public-school-students/
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Saudi woman writer nominated for coveted Arabic Booker prize
By WALAA HAWARI
Dec 16, 2010
RIYADH: A book by a Saudi writer has made the shortlist for the Arabic Booker Prize.
Raja Alem’s book, “The Dove’s Necklace,” was among 16 Arabic novels on the long-list before it was whittled down to six.
Alem said she felt honored to be part of what she referred to as “a prize respected all over the world.”
“Focusing on 16, then six novels, in the Arab world, is like igniting a spark in a dead scene,” said Alem.
Alem’s novel Dove's Necklace was published in June 2010 and was the last to be nominated.
“I am against competing as a rule, but when my publisher suggested putting my book forward, I was motivated to achieve two goals, one of which is to support Booker’s cause and ensure its continuity, as achievements in the literary field are rarely recognized.”
The second reason, Alem explains, “is because ‘The Dove’s Necklace’ is my eulogy to the old Makkah. I would like to introduce the book’s message to as many readers as possible in the world”.
The Dove’s Necklace” is a novel about a rare world that is dying. Makkah, according to Alem, is a city transformed and the book attempts to capture its last throes, its unique history and spiritual beauty and contrast these elements with its modern identity.
“It is more like a love letter to my city of birth, which has inspired almost all my books. I want this part of the world to reach the rest of the world and convey the city’s message,” says Alem.
Alem expressed amazement at how far the book’s message has traveled after “The Dove’s Necklace” was short-listed.
“Interested agents and intellectuals from all over the world are contacting me. This tells me such a prize brings Arabic literature into the spotlight of the whole world” she said, adding that Arabic literature has not been that successful in breaking through compared to, for example, Japanese and Indian literature.
Alongside Alem’s book, two books from Morocco, two Egypt and one from Sudan also made the shortlist. Each of the six writers will receive $10,000. “The shortlist represents, in the committee’s opinion, the great standards the modern Arabic novel has reached,” said head of the arbitration committee Fadel Al-Azzawi, adding that the committee did not take into consideration when selecting the shortlist the gender of the writers, their ages, religion nor the countries they came from.
The winner of the Arabic Booker Prize will be announced on the March 14, 2011 in Abu Dhabi. The winner will receive a prize of $50,000 along with contracts to publish the winning book in English and other languages.
The 2011 Booker Prize for Arabic Novels’ is organized under the sponsorship of the British Man Booker Prize Establishment with funding from Emirate social service benefits.
The prize was first awarded in 2008 to Egyptian writer Bahaa Taher. Egyptian writer Yousif Zidan won in 2009 while Saudi writer Abdo Khal won this year.
Started in 1969, the British Man Booker Prize is awarded to the best novel written in English by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland. Judges are selected from the country’s finest critics, writers, and academics to maintain the consistent excellence of the prize.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article216523.ece
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Pak clerics launch campaign to protect blasphemy laws
Dec 16, 2010
Islamabad, Dec 16(ANI): Political and religious parties in Pakistan have launched a campaign to protect the country's blasphemy laws.
The decision was announced by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman at a press conference in Islamabad.
The conference was attended by leaders of the Jamaat-i-Islami, the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) and Jamaatud Dawa, and by representatives of Wafaqul Madaris (religious educational boards) and many other religious organizations and groups.
Rehman, who presided over the conference, said that all the religious parties were united on the issue, and vowed to resist any move by the government to make changes in the existing blasphemy laws.
"All the mosques in the country would organize demonstrations on December 24 after Friday prayers," the Dawn quoted Rehman, as saying.
He said that a big public meeting and demonstration would also be held in Karachi on January 9, which would be attended by all central leaders of religious parties.
http://www.dailyindia.com/show/414335.php
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Muslims barred from serving Israelis
Tara Bahrampour
Dec 16, 2010
Muslim employees of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington said they felt discriminated against after being barred over the weekend from floors where an Israeli delegation was staying, a Muslim advocacy group said.
One hotel worker whose duties involve going to all the hotel's floorssaidhewaspreparingforhisshiftonFridaywhen hissupervisortoldhimtosteer clear of the eighth and ninth floors, where Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak and his delegation had booked rooms.
“I said, `Why?'“ said the worker, who is Muslim and wanted to remain unidentified to protect his job. He said his supervisor told him, “They're Israelis there, and they don't want no face-toface with Muslims.“ The hotel's general manager,AmandaHyndman,saidthe hotel rearranged some shifts and told some workers not to come in after a routine State Department background check found “irregularities“ in the checks of 12 employees.
“We don't know the reasons why,“ Hyndman said, adding that not all the people on the list were Muslim.
She said she did not know whether any Muslim employees were allowed to work on the eighth and ninth floors over the weekend.
After receiving a letter from the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, Hyndman said the hotel planned to investigate the incident. “We uphold our policies of anti-discrimination,“ she said.
For additional content from The Washington Post, visit www.washingtonpost.com
Hindustan Times
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9th Muharram processions, Majalis being held
Dec 16, 2010
KARACHI: The 9th Muharram mourning processions are being held across the country amid foolproof security, Geo News reported on Thursday. To remember the sacrifices of martyrs of Karbala, mourning processions were taken out in Rohti. The main procession began from Imambargha Najaf in the early morning, and after passing through described routes, terminated at Rizwania Muhallah. Mourning processions and Majalis are also being held in different parts of Mirpurkhas. Strict security measures have been adopted by the Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) to meet any untoward incident. Extra police and Rangers contingents have been deployed across the country in this regard. Security arrangements have also been finalized in others major cities for Muharram including Quetta.
Full report at:
http://www.ittaleem.com/showthread.php?t=135034
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Two British nationals among four killed in drone attack in Pakistan
Dec 16, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Two white British nationals were among four militants killed in a US drone attack in Pakistan's lawless North Waziristan tribal region last week, according to media reports today.
Security officials and Taliban sources were quoted by The News daily as saying that British nationals Stephen, 48, and Darry Smith, 25, were killed with two tribal militants when a CIA drone targeted a car in Dattakhel area of North Waziristan on December 10.
Taliban sources confirmed the death of the two foreign fighters and said it was not the first time that foreigners were killed in North Waziristan.
The Britons had converted to Islam a few years ago. Stephen assumed the name Abu Bakar while Smith was renamed Mansoor Ahmad. They came to North Waziristan in November 2009 and reportedly joined Al Qaeda.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Two-British-nationals-among-four-killed-
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Pak textbooks focus on conspiracy theories on 1971 war
Dec 16, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Nearly four decades after the 1971 war, Pakistani school textbooks continue to focus on conspiracy theories involving India, Russia and the US regarding the creation of Bangladesh while glossing over the Pakistan Army's atrocities in the erstwhile East Pakistan.
While the findings of Pakistan's Hamood-ur-Rehman Commission on the 1971 Indo-Pak war were never made public, students at the Matric and Intermediate levels of school (Classes nine to 12) "are being taught conspiracy theories and a factually incorrect version of history", according to an article on the website of the Dawn newspaper.
The Pakistan Studies textbook for Classes nine and 10 fails to mention the role of late premier Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto or the Pakistan People's Party in its section on the 1971 war and lists the "role of Hindu teachers" and "international conspiracies" among the reasons for the "Fall of East Pakistan".
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pak-textbooks-focus-on-conspiracy-
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A moving biography of the Prophet
Dec 16, 2010
JEDDAH: A new English biography of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), titled "The Soul of the Desert" has been published in an epic but fascinating form, narrating the life of the last Messenger of God from his birth to death.
Written by Umer Thasneem, assistant professor of English at the Teachers College of King Saud University in Riyadh, the book has been brought out by Other Books in India, which specializes in the publication of religious and philosophical titles.
The Prophet and the men and women around him have been sketched so vividly that it will add to the understanding and pondering about a great life and the people, landscape and belief influenced by that life.
The book will not only help counter the smear campaign against the Prophet but also encourage young readers to memorize and internalize the life of the messenger. Its lyrical quality is seen in the titles to the thirty odd chapters. The last section of the book is a compendium of the Prophet' sayings, highlighting the humanist and pacifist nature of his noble mission.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article216519.ece
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‘8m children face food shortage in Pakistan’
By Asad Farooq
Dec 16, 2010
Karachi: Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Information Sharmila Farooqi said on Wednesday that eight million children are facing food shortage in Pakistan and approximately 3.5 million others have been compelled to labour work, while 23 million are deprived of even basic education.
She informed this at a presentation on child rights organised by the Children Association of Pakistan at the Karachi Press Club. “There are more than 10,000 street children under the age of 15 in Karachi while over 4,500 children are in prisons, out of which cases of 66 percent children are in pending at courts,” Sharmila said.
The adviser said the recent devastating floods had affected about seven million people in Sindh and 30 percent among them are children. “Flood-affected children are facing problems in getting medical treatment and education because many of the schools in interior Sindh were damaged or affected by the floods.”
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\16\story_16-12-2010_pg12_1
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The Spy Who Came into the Heat
Chidanand Rajghatta
Dec 16, 2010
WASHINGTON: Long-time US "ally" Pakistan has broken the spy world's unwritten compact by publicly identifying the CIA Station Chief in Islamabad in an act that has sent ripples through the American espionage community, including the famed Agency headquarters in Langley, Virginia.
CIA Station Chiefs are typically undercover spies whose covert presence in US embassies is sometimes known to friendly host governments; but they are seldom recognized by name.
However, in a brazen blowing of cover, reportedly at the instance of a disaffected section of the Pakistani spy agency ISI, a Pakistani citizen from North Waziristan who lost family members in a US Drone attack has filed a criminal complaint in an Islamabad police station against an American individual named Jonathan Banks, saying he is the CIA Station Chief in Islamabad who is coordinating the Drone attacks.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/The-Spy-Who-Came-into-the-
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`Afghan war can't be won'
Mark Mazzetti & David E. Sanger
Dec 16, 2010
INTELLIGENCE ESTIMATES As Obama prepares a strategy review, two reports say there is a limited chance of success unless Pakistan hunts down insurgents
As President Barack Obama prepares to release a review of US strategy in Afghanistan that will claim progress in the nine-year-old war there, two new classified intelligence reports offer a more negative assessment and say there is a limited chance of success unless Pakistan hunts down insurgents operating from havens on its Afghan border.
The reports, one on AfghanistanandoneonPakistan, saythatalthoughtherehavebeen gains for the United States and NATO in the war, the unwillingness of Pakistan to shut down militant sanctuaries in its lawless tribal region remains a serious obstacle. US military commanders say insurgents freely cross from Pakistan into Afghanistan to plant bombs and fight US troops and then return to Pakistan for rest and resupply.
Full report at: Hindustan Times
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Killing Malaysia with faith — The Malaysian Insider
December 16, 2010
DEC 16 — 1 Malaysia got kicked back on to the drawing board yesterday as much as the country was booted back to the start of the year when an Islamic think-tank leader said the faith does not believe all religions are equal.
It goes without saying that anyone with a faith would think that their’s is unparalleled and supreme.
That their Almighty is the real one, or many as it may be, and others are false gods or inferior faiths.
So Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM) director-general Datuk Nik Mustapha Nik Hassan's statement is logical. But not helpful.
Not helpful to a country that began the year tussling over who could use the word “Allah” to describe their Almighty. Where a series of arson and other attacks shook our faith in the ability of the government to guarantee freedom of worship.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/breakingviews/article/killing-malaysia-with-faith-the-
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India wants 'final solution' to Pak diverting US aid: Antony
Dec 16, 2010
NEW DELHI: India on Thursday said it will continue to take up the issue of Pakistan diverting American military aid against it with the US till the time there is a "final solution" to the problem. Defence minister A K Antony said the past experience and track-record shows that instead of using the American military aid in the fight against Taliban, Pakistan is diverting it against India.
"This is a matter of serious concern. We have already conveyed it to them (US) and continue to do so until and unless we find a final solution," he said when asked if India had conveyed its concerns to the US on the issue.
India has been raising the issue with top US leadership in the recent past after it was found that Pakistan Army was diverting weapons and equipment supplied by the US for fighting the Taliban on its western frontiers to its eastern frontiers against India.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-wants-final-solution-to-Pak-diverting-US-aid-
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Two-year-old Pakistani girl abducted, raped, killed
Dec 16, 2010
Islamabad - A two-year-old girl in Pakistan's Gujranwala city was kidnapped, raped and her body dumped along with her toys in a trash bin, police said.
A medical report has said Samawia, who was abducted and later killed, had been raped, Express Tribune reported Thursday.
Tariq Yasin, a police official, said that Samawia was abducted by a neighbour, Rahim, who killed her. He dumped the body in a trash bin. The police are hunting for Rahim.
Irshad Butt, Samawia's grandfather, told reporters that it seemed that Samawia died from the sexual abuse.
The media report said that the bag used to dump Samawia's body carried the child's toys.
The police have arrested a private school owner and a neighbour who used to often play with Samawia.
http://www.indiavision.com/news/article/international/135491/#ixzz18GV3H7XK
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About 200 Islamic extremists in Sweden: Intel
Dec 16, 2010
STOCKHOLM: Swedish intelligence agency Saepo said Wednesday there were around 200 violence-promoting Islamic extremists in Sweden, days after the country's first-ever suicide bombing missed wreaking havoc among Christmas shoppers.
Some "80 percent of the 200 can be linked to each other," Malena Rembe, the chief analyst at Saepo's Counter-Terrorism Unit told reporters, adding they were not part of one big network.
"The radicalisation happens in Sweden," but "the concrete threat is mainly directed at people in other countries," Rembe said, explaining that most of the violence-promoting extremists were men between the ages of 15 and 30.
The man suspected to have carried out this weekend's bombing was not among the 200 extremists the agency knows about, she said.
"Most of these networks focus on action and propaganda against foreign troops in Muslim countries and against governments they see as corrupt and not representing what networks consider to be the only true interpretation of Islam," Saepo said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/About-200-Islamic-extremists-in-Sweden-
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US sought Bollywood help against extremism: WikiLeaks
Dec 16, 2010
LONDON: Leading Bollywood actors were interested in participating in a US plan to use the influential Indian film industry to promote anti-extremist messages 'through third party actors,' according to a US embassy cable released by WikiLeaks.
The cable, sent by the London embassy on October 25, 2007, reported on a visit to Britain by two US officials, Farah Pandith, senior adviser for Muslim engagement, and Jared Cohen, described as 'S/P Member'.
Pandith was in 2009 appointed by the Obama administration as the Special Representative to Muslim Communities for the US Department of State.
The two officials visited Muslim areas in Leicester and other areas of Britain, and held wide-ranging discussions, including on involving Bollywood to promote anti-extremism message.
Due to the large presence of the Indian/Asian diaspora, Britain is one of the major markets for Bollywood films and has a significant following.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/US-sought-Bollywood-help-against-extremism-
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Life sentence for New York airport bomb plotter
Dec 16, 2010
A US judge sentenced an Islamist militant to life in prison after a jury found him guilty of participating in a plot to bomb New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
After a four-week trial, a federal jury in August found Abdul Kadir, 58, of Guyana, guilty of conspiring to blow up buildings, fuel tanks and pipelines at the airport in the New York City borough of Queens.
He was convicted along with co-defendant Russel Defreitas, a US citizen born in Guyana, who awaits sentencing.
Defreitas, who had worked at the airport, provided knowledge of its facilities and layout, US prosecutors said, while Kadir, an engineer, helped with technical aspects such as how to blow up buried fuel pipelines.
At the sentencing hearing in Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday, US District Judge Dora Irizarry said "there can be no doubt whatsoever that the offences for which Mr. Kadir was convicted are about as serious as they come, short of murder."
Full report at:
http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/life-sentence-new-york-airport-bomb-plotter-3977675
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ISI blows cover of CIA man in Islamabad
Chidanand Rajghatta
Dec 16, 2010
Long-time US "ally" Pakistan has broken the spy world's unwritten compact by publicly identifying the CIA Station Chief in Islamabad in an act that has sent ripples through the American espionage community, including the famed Agency headquarters in Langley, Virginia.
CIA Station Chiefs are typically undercover spies whose covert presence in US embassies is sometimes known to friendly host governments ; but they are seldom recognized by name.
However, in a brazen blowing of cover, reportedly at the instance of a disaffected section of the Pakistani spy agency ISI, a Pakistani citizen from North Waziristan who lost family members in a US drone attack has filed a criminal complaint in an Islamabad police station against an American individual named Jonathan Banks, saying he is the CIA Station Chief in Islamabad who is coordinating the drone attacks.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/ISI-blows-cover-of-CIA-man-in-
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Pakistan tests first locally-built helicopter
Dec 16, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday successfully conducted flight of its first locally-manufactured two-seater helicopter.
Three engineers from Rawalpindi Mujibur Rehman, Rehan Janjua and Shakir Ayub,designed the helicopter capable of flying at the height of 17,000 feet with a top speed of 190 kph.
Private sector engineers plan to go for serial production of the helicopter. “We plan to develop the helicopter for ambulance and security operations”, said Mujibur Rehman Khan, a retired air force officer.
“Traditional helicopters have a stick-to-head, a mechanical system, so when the pilot moves the stick a mechanical system moves the push-pull rods on the rotor system.
“We have a fly-by-wire system, where the control of the pilot goes into the electronics of the aircraft and then ultimately moves the swash plate or the control rod servos. It's like driving a car with a joystick rather than a steering wheel.”
The helicopter has been built at the cost of nine million rupees. “We have a plan to build 80 helicopters, which we intend to sell to public sector forces,” he added.
http://arabnews.com/world/article216316.ece
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Prestigious ‘Arabic Booker’ plagued by criticisms
Dec 16, 2010
Two Moroccans, two Egyptians, a Saudi and a Sudanese rounded out the list of authors in contention for the $50,000 International Prize for Arabic Fiction
THE most prestigious literary prize in the Arab world unveiled its nominees this month, riling critics who say it is a politically charged shortlist crafted to appeal to Western audiences. Two Moroccans, two Egyptians, a Saudi and a Sudanese rounded out the list of authors in contention for the $50,000 International Prize for Arabic Fiction, with its guarantee of lucrative translations into English and other languages. The winner is announced in March. The award, now in its fourth year, is one of many in the region but its association with the Booker Prize Foundation has given it an edge over others which are clearly associated with Arab governments, such as the UAE’s Al-Owais Award and Saudi Arabia’s Arab Thought Foundation awards.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\16\story_16-12-2010_pg4_13
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Shia mourners teargassed in curfew-bound Srinagar
Dec 16, 2010
SRINAGAR: Authorities on Wednesday imposed curfew in parts of Srinagar city and used teargas shells to foil the attempts by Shia mourners to take out a Muharram procession in the city.
During the last 20 years, the government has banned Muharram processions fearing that these would turn into pro-freedom and anti-India demonstrations.
From early morning, the police and the Central Reserve Police Force were deployed to enforce the curfew restrictions. Consequently, life was paralysed in several areas of Srinagar and educational institutions were closed. Attendance was thin in offices in curfew-bound areas. Massive traffic jams occurred in areas where there were no restrictions.
Mourners detained
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/12/16/stories/2010121657892400.htm
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Saeed makes public appearance in Islamabad after over 2 years
Dec 16, 2010
ISLAMABAD: JuD chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed made his first public appearance in the Pakistani capital in over two years at a meeting of leaders of key religious parties and hardliners opposed to changes in the country's controversial blasphemy law.
Saeed, blamed by India for masterminding the 2008 Mumbai attacks, has addressed gatherings and rallies across Punjab since he was released from house arrest last year but had not visited Islamabad in the recent past.
Addressing the gathering, Saeed stressed the need for a well-organised media campaign in favour of the blasphemy law.
Former premier and senior PML-Q leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain also attended the meeting, which called for a country-wide strike on December 31 to oppose moves for changes in the blasphemy law.
A death sentence given by a lower court in Punjab to a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, convicted of insulting Prophet Mohammed has triggered a debate on the need to repeal or amend the blasphemy law introduced by late military ruler Zia-ul-Haq in the 1980s.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Saeed-makes-public-appearance-in-
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Italy court toughens sentences for ex-CIA agents
Dec 16, 2010
MILAN: An Italian appeals court sentenced 23 Americans to up to nine years in jail on Wednesday for the abduction of a Muslim cleric, in a symbolic condemnation of the CIA "rendition" flights used by the former U.S. government.
The sentences are tougher than those initially handed down last year. The Americans were all tried in absentia because the United States refused to extradite them.
The court convicted the Americans for the abduction of Egyptian-born cleric Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, snatched off a Milan street in 2003 and flown to Egypt for interrogation.
The heaviest sentence -- nine years in prison -- was handed down to the former head of the CIA's Milan station, Robert Seldon Lady, up from eight years in the 2009 trial.
Twenty-one other former agents and a U.S. air force lieutenant colonel got seven years each -- up from five years initially.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Italy-court-toughens-sentences-for-ex-CIA-agents/articleshow/7109203.cms#ixzz18FVHW8dv
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Kashmir to us is what Tibet is to China: Krishna
Dec 16, 2010
NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S M Krishna on Thursday brought up Kashmir during his meeting with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. According to sources, Krishna told Jiabao that Kashmir is still a core issue and Kashmir to India is like what Tibet is to China.
Issues like stapled visa and boundary disputes were also brought up. The Chinese Premier has told Krishna that foreign ministers of both countries must resolve all pending issues.
Meanwhile, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Thursday said foreign ministers of India and China should look into all the pending issues between the two countries.
Wen conveyed this to Krishna when the latter called on him here.
Both the foreign ministers should look into all pending issues, Wen is understood to have told Krishna, sources privy to the conversation said.
Warmly greeting Krishna, Wen told him that when China and India meet, the whole world watches.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kashmir-to-us-is-what-Tibet-is-to-China-Krishna/articleshow/7110706.cms#ixzz18H2KyTkl
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Pak buries jailed Indian 20 months after death
December 16, 2010
The decomposed body of an Indian national, who died in a Pakistani jail nearly 20 months ago has been buried in a graveyard in Lahore, an NGO said on Wednesday.
According to the Edhi Foundation, 28-year-old Muhammad Naeem of Uttar Pradesh was arrested by police near the Lahore railway station in April 2009 for not having “valid travel documents and a Pakistani visa.”
After his trial, he was handed down a prison sentence which he was serving at Kot Lakhpat jail. Edhi Foundation official Muhammad Younus told PTI that Naeem died following a prolonged illness.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/304100/Pak-buries-jailed-Indian-20-months-after-death.html
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Jail denies Wiki boss access to counsel; bail hearing today
Dec 16, 2010
LONDON: Sweden's appeal against the bail granted to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on rape charges will be heard in the High Court here on Thursday, even as his lawyers complained that the prison authorities were making it difficult for them to meet him for preparing his legal case.
Assange, a 39-year-old Australian national who is wanted in Sweden for alleged sex offences, was granted bail at a court hearing on Tuesday after his supporters agreed to post a £200,000 cash deposit. A lawyer for WikiLeaks founder said on Wednesday his backers had raised around half of the £200,000 cash he needs to secure bail after he was accused of sex crimes in Sweden.
Prominent public figures including US film-maker Michael Moore, Australian journalist John Pilger and British author Hanif Kureishi have pledged their support for Assange.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/Jail-denies-Wiki-boss-access-to-counsel-bail-
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Iran blames US, Israel for suicide blasts
Dec 16, 2010
TEHRAN: Iran on Wednesday blamed America and Israel for two suicide bomb attacks outside a mosque that killed 39 people and wounded more than 100 in the southeastern city of Chabahar.
“America and the Zionist regime (Israel) try to create discord among Shiites and Sunnis by orchestrating such bombings,” said Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported. “They should know that such measures will not go unanswered.”
Iran’s Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar told state television the attackers had links to neighboring Pakistan and that an investigation was under way. “A group of terrorists who were trained in Pakistan carried out the bombings ... we have informed Pakistani officials as well,” he said.
The bombings killed many children and women, who attended a religious ceremony, state television reported, adding that the death toll was expected to increase.
Jundallah, a rebel group, meanwhile said the attack was in retaliation for the execution of its leader Abdolmalek Rigi in June.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article216440.ece
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Jama’at to fight Muslim League
December 16, 2010
The Kerala Jama’at-e-Islami has virtually declared a war against the Indian Union Muslim League, the biggest political party of the minority community in the State, and the religious organisations that support it, by announcing its determination to directly enter politics.
Jama’at-e-Islami’s Kerala Amir T Arifali in Kozhikode said nobody could force the organisation to abandon its plan to enter politics. The negative campaign led by the Muslim League, projecting the Jama’at as an extremist outfit, was politically motivated, he said at a meeting.
“We would be praised as leaders of renaissance movement when we help them (the League). When we oppose them, we would be called extremists. This is nothing new. We have understood this through the history of our interactions with the Muslim League,” he said.
Arifali said that the Muslim League and its supporters began to brand the Jama’at as an extremist outfit after it refused to give up the plan to field candidates in the civic polls.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/303957/Jama%E2%80%99at-to-fight-Muslim-League.html
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Pak-China ties incomparable to any other country: Gilani
Dec 16, 2010
Islamabad : Pakistan and China enjoy a deep-rooted strategic relationship that cannot be compared with China's ties with any other country, including India, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Wednesday.
"There is no comparison of the time-tested relations between Pakistan and China and Sino-India bilateral ties.
"There is no threat to Pakistan," Gilani said during an interaction with reporters hours after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao began a visit to India.
Gilani was responding to a question on growing Sino-India ties, particularly trade relations.
Gilani, who addressed the media regarding Wen's forthcoming visit to Pakistan during December 17-19, said Pakistan's trade with China is continuously growing and exports to that country witnessed a 37 per cent surge last year.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/725521/
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UN ends Saddam-era sanctions on Iraq
Dec 16, 2010
United Nations : The UN Security Council on Wednesday passed three resolutions to fortify Iraq's sovereignty, scraping nuclear sanctions imposed during the Saddam Hussein reign and ending the controversial oil-for-food programme of the 1990s.
At a special session chaired by US Vice President Joe Biden, the 15-nation Council also ended the international control of the Development Fund for Iraq.
The Fund that contains money from oil and natural gas revenues will be under UN supervision until June, and then managed by the Iraqi authorities.
"The Security Council welcomes Iraq's reintegration into the region and encourages Iraq and all regional states to deepen and broaden their relationship and to conduct those relationships in the spirit of partnership and cooperation," Biden said.
This decision cancelled the 1991 resolution, which imposed sanctions on Iraq to prevent it from obtaining nuclear or chemical material that could be used to make weapons of mass destruction.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/un-ends-saddamera-sanctions-on-iraq/725523/
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Army's request for Rs 45 bn will strain Pak economy: Gilani
Dec 16, 2010
Islamabad : Pakistan Army's request for an additional budgetary allocation of Rs 45 billion for meeting burgeoning security needs will strain the country's limited financial resources, officials have informed Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, a media report said on Wednesday.
The government's economic team led by Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh conveyed this to the premier during a briefing on Tuesday, The Express Tribune newspaper quoted sources in the finance ministry as saying.
The team told Gilani about the "prevailing grave economic situation" and difficulties in bridging the ever-widening "gap between national income and expenditure."
The briefing focused on the consequences of delaying power sector reforms, the fallout of the non-implementation of reforms in General Sales Tax and the army’s request for additional funds.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/armys-request-for-rs-45-bn-will-strain-pak-economy-
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Zuma files $700,000 defamation suit over cartoon
Dec 16, 2010
Johannesburg : South Africa’s president has filed a $700,000 defamation suit over a cartoon depicting him with his pants undone, preparing to rape a blindfolded, female figure symbolising justice, a lawyer said Tuesday. The cartoon also showed Zuma’s political allies encouraging him as they held down a writhing, screaming figure with a sash identifying her as the “justice system.”
Eric van der Berg, a lawyer for the Sunday Times, said notice from the President’s lawyers had arrived at the paper’s Johannesburg offices Monday.
The cartoon caused a storm when the Times published it in 2008, two years after Jacob Zuma had been acquitted of rape charges. But van der Berg said Zuma had not followed up on threats to sue until now. The cartoon appeared in the newspaper as Zuma’s political party led a protest campaign to have corruption charges dropped against him. Zuma at the time was preparing to lead the ANC in general elections. Prosecutors dropped the charges on the eve of the vote, and Zuma took office in 2009.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/zuma-files-700-000-defamation-suit-over-
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In spite of Pak, India waits for stronger word from China on terror and Kashmir
Dec 16, 2010
New Delhi : Struggling to corner a stronger commitment from China on terrorism during Premier Wen Jiabao’s visit, Indian negotiators seem to have hit a familiar wall — China’s sensitivity towards Pakistan.
Beijing is unwilling to go the full distance like other P-5 countries and call for bringing to justice the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks in the joint communique. While this may not find specific mention, sources said, efforts are on to address the issue by referring to UNSC resolutions like 1267 under which the Lashkar-e-Toiba is listed as a proscribed outfit.
That both countries will work together on countering terrorism through effective implementation may be a possible way to deal with this. Given that Wen is travelling to Islamabad from Delhi, a negative mention of Pakistan is rather unlikely. Negotiators will have another round of talks tomorrow morning.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/in-spite-of-pak-india-waits-for-stronger-word-
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Ugandan stranded in Jaipur for 13 yrs to go home
By Sudhanshu Mishra
Dec 16, 2010
A UGANDAN stranded in Jaipur for over 13 years because of an unresolved police case was allowed to return home by a special court on Wednesday.
The court of the special judge ( Prevention of Corruption Act) P. S. Hada permitted Mujungu Mark Nyamwe to leave the country, in response to the latter’s petition.
But the judge said he was bound to present himself before the court when required, as the case against him was pending in Rajasthan High Court.
M AIL T ODAY had reported on December 13 how Nyamwe, from Kampala in Uganda, was forced to sell watches and key chains on the streets of Jaipur to survive and was living on the streets.
Nyamwe, 39, had come to Jaipur in 1995 to pursue B. A. ( Honours) at Rajasthan University. He was arrested by the anti- corruption department ( ACD) of Jaipur Police for allegedly getting his marks increased in an exam paper during re- evaluation by bribing officials.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Partners for cooperation not rivals in competition
By Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury
Dec 16, 2010
CHINESE PREMIER Wen Jiabao arrived here on Wednesday on a three- day visit with a mammoth business and political delegation, aiming to repair ties strained since 2008 over a slew of contentious issues.
Indo- China relations have been on a downhill following Beijing’s decision to issue stapled visas to Kashmiris, investments in Pakistanoccupied Kashmir ( PoK), the Sino- Pak nuclear deal and dams over the Brahmaputra.
Wen made the purpose of his visit clear by claiming he was here on a “ journey of friendship and cooperation” at the first meeting he addressed on his second visit to India. Reiterating that the world has enough space for both the countries to grow, Wen said China and India were “ partners for cooperation, not rivals in competition”. Yet expectations are low and measured from the visit, which will also see Wen travelling on Friday to Pakistan — China’s allweather friend. And it is Beijing’s growing ties with Islamabad and its attempt to emerge as a player in the Kashmir dispute that has bothered New Delhi often.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Facebook’s Zuckerberg pips Assange to honour
Dec 16, 2010
OVERRULING an overwhelming vote by its own readers for arrested WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Facebook co- founder Mark Elliot Zuckerberg was on Wednesday named the Person of the Year by Time magazine for transforming the way people connect around the world.
Zuckerberg beat WikiLeaks editor- inchief Assange, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and a clutch of Chilean miners, who survived being buried underground in a tunnel for several months, to become the Person of the Year 2010 by the prestigious magazine.
He joins Ben Bernanke, Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin in the annual list of eminent persons, which was started by the magazine in 1927.
Managing editor Richard Stengel said Zuckerberg’s Facebook was transforming the way we live our lives every day.
Full report at: Mail Today
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3 children die in bomb blast in Afghanistan: Police
Dec 16, 2010
Kabul : The police say a bomb blast has killed three children on the outskirts of Kandahar city in southern Afghanistan.
Khan Mohammad Mujhid, the police chief in Kandahar province, says a remote-controlled bomb, set up on a bicycle, exploded in a parking lot. He says six civilians were also wounded in Wednesday's blast.
The parking area is gathering place for Afghans traveling to and from Saudi Arabia for the annual hajj pilgrimage.
Tens of thousands of Afghan and international forces have been pushing hard to rout Taliban insurgents from Kandahar province.
Militants have responded with bomb attacks aimed at threatening the population and preventing the government from gaining the support of the people.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/3-children-die-in-bomb-blast-in-afghanistan-
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Two Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militants arrested
Dec 16, 2010
KARACHI: Keeping up with the Crime Investigation Department, which had arrested a Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militant on Tuesday, the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) and the Orangi Town police arrested two Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) militants in different raids on Wednesday.
The SIU claimed to have arrested a suspected militant from Ayub Goth with a huge cache of ammunition and explosives, as well as enough material to prepare two suicide jackets.
The suspect, identified as Imamuddin alias Maviya, was reportedly planning to carry out a car bomb attack together with three of his accomplices on the Ashura processions.
A senior SIU officer said the arrest was a major breakthrough, which would help in ensuring security during Muharram.
The investigation unit is making all-out efforts to arrest Shaukat Sardar, who has a head money of Rs 500,000, Qasim Rasheed alias Ganja, Shamim alias Shani, and Rashid.
The detained militant, who was wanted in several criminal cases, disclosed during initial investigation that he was involved in the Sheraton Hotel blast and Allama Hassan Turabi’s murder.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\16\story_16-12-2010_pg12_3
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Army may have to intervene again in politics: Musharraf
Dec 16, 2010
Speaking to a private TV channel from his new residence in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Musharraf said that Pakistan might be forced to take matters into its own hands – which could include working with the Taliban – if it continues to feel alienated by the rest of the world.
“There is no bar against me going back to Pakistan but the conditions have to be right,” he said. “What should Pakistan do? What should ISI do? What does the army chief do? They’ll make a strategy of protecting themselves,” he said.
To a question, whether it would mean working with the Taliban, the former president answered, “No comment, no comment. We must know that the protection of Pakistan is everything to us. If someone is disturbing this, I will go to any extent to protect my country, because that’s what I’m meant for. So you can see the answer yourself,” the channel quoted him as saying.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\16\story_16-12-2010_pg7_1
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Three shot dead in Quetta
Dec 16, 2010
QUETTA: Three people, including two brothers and a child, were gunned down and another sustained bullet injures in an incident of sectarian target killing on Arbab Karam Khan Road in Quetta on Wednesday. The incident took place despite tight securityand the department of more FC personnel and police on the city’s roads to protect the life and property of the people. According to official sources, four people were on their way to Hazara Town from the main city centre in their car when unidentified assailants on a motorbike opened fire at them. Resultantly, two people died on the spot while two others, including a motorcyclist, sustained bullet wounds. In another incident of firing, unknown motorbike riders shot dead Barkat Ali at the Kirani road and fled from the scene.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\16\story_16-12-2010_pg7_11
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Attacks in Afghanistan kill three children, NATO soldier
Dec 16, 2010
KABUL: The international Red Cross warned on Wednesday of an increase in the number of Afghan armed groups operating in the country as bombings killed three children and a NATO soldier in separate attacks in southern Afghanistan.
NATO said the service member was killed in a blast early on Wednesday in the south, while three boys, aged 10, 11 and 12 years, died in an explosion on the outskirts of Kandahar, according to Khan Mohammad Mujhid, the police chief in Kandahar province.
Mujhid said a remote-controlled bomb, which was set up on a bicycle, exploded in a parking lot that serves as a gathering place for Afghans traveling to and from Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
“How could anyone attack this pilgrimage centre?” asked Haji Alam, the father of two of the children who were killed. “I don’t know how can a Muslim do that?”
NATO said the attack also seriously wounded nine people, including two children and an Afghan policeman.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\16\story_16-12-2010_pg7_35
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SC directs FIA DG to recover two minor girls
Dec 16, 2010
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has directed the foreign secretary and the Federal Investigation Agency DG to take personal interest in the custody case of two minor girls of fashion model, Sofia Mirza. A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, expressed its dissatisfaction that the Foreign Ministry did not implement international agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) regarding the implementation of each other’s courts orders. Thousands of Pakistani citizens were languishing in foreign jails but the Foreign Ministry was doing nothing for their repatriation,” the CJP said in his remarks. The court observed that it was the obligation of Foreign Ministry to use diplomacy in this case. The court adjourned the hearing until January 4. Sofia Mirza had filed a petition maintaining that her husband had forcibly taken away her two daughters and had refused to return them.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\16\story_16-12-2010_pg7_32
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Qaeda wants revenge over Aafia Siddiqui held by US
Dec 16, 2010
DUBAI: Al Qaeda repeated on Wednesday calls to avenge Pakistani neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui, who was sentenced by the United States to 86 years in jail for trying to kill US personnel in Afghanistan.
In a video published by US-based monitoring group SITE Intelligence Group, Abu Yahya al-Libi called upon Pakistanis to strike American aircraft, centers, and convoys in revenge for the imprisonment of Siddiqui.
“By Allah, a single shot to the face of those unbeliever aggressors is tougher on them and has a greater effect on their persons than hundreds of demonstrations and thousands of screams, no matter if the throats of the protests become hoarse,” he said.
Last month, al Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri also called for vengeance, and there have been numerous demonstrations in Pakistan calling for the liberation of Siddiqui, 38.
Shortly after she was arrested in Afghanistan in 2008 on charges of links to al Qaeda, she was visited by US military officers and agents of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
She seized a gun and fired two shots, without hitting anyone. One of the officers returned fire, wounding her in the stomach.
http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/16/qaeda-wants-revenge-over-aafia-siddiqui-held-by-us.html
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Twelve militants killed in Orakzai
Dec 16, 2010
KALAYA/LANDI KOTAL: Twelve militants were killed and six others injured when security forces backed by helicopter gunships pounded their hideouts in different areas of Orakzai tribal region on Wednesday.
The helicopter gunships targeted militant hideouts in Kasha, Shakar Tangi, Saifal Darra and Mamozai areas of Upper Orakzai tehsil.
Officials claimed that 12 militants were killed and six others sustained injuries in the shelling. They said three militant hideouts and two vehicles were also destroyed in the shelling.
Meanwhile, three children were killed when a mortar shell landed in a house in Bara on Wednesday, sources said.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/16/twelve-militants-killed-in-orakzai.html
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Zionist settlement policy: Time running out for Israel
Dec 16, 2010
It is apparent that President Barack Obama has become a thorn in Zionist terror flesh. Israel had never expected an African to become US president. Supported John McCain for the presidential race but Obama won the election. Israel maintains Obama is against Zionist proliferation and genocides in Palestine and doesn't encourage the US-Israeli strong lobbyists to do their "job" in White House and Pentagon.
How Zionist regime expands illegal settlements in Palestine? State terrorism, massacres, destruction, etc., in Palestine promote Zionist fascism shielded by Western terror syndicates led by the US. Through sheer genocides of Palestinians and capturing of their lands Israel has successfully proliferated settlements, but the support it receives from the US-UK led Western powers in all respects, including terror goods, has emboldened the Zionist regime to prolong the occupation and genocides.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article216273.ece
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ICC prosecutor seeks Kenya charges
Dec 16, 2010
THE HAGUE, Netherlands: The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor named a former Kenyan Cabinet minister and five others on Wednesday as the alleged orchestrators of postelection violence in 2007 that left more than 1,000 people dead.
Luis Moreno Ocampo wants judges to charge six Kenyan leaders, including the son of the country’s founding father, with crimes against humanity including murder, rape and tortue. But it is the case against former higher education minister William Ruto that could cause the most violent backlash in Kenya.
Kenya’s police commissioner, Mathew K. Iteere warned that “criminal elements” were looking to use Moreno-Ocampo’s announcement as an opportunity break the law and vowed to crack down on any outbreaks of violence.
Moreno-Ocampo alleged that Ruto began plotting attacks on supporters of President Mwai Kibaki a year before the election and worked together with Minister for Industrialization, Henry Kosgey and radio broadcaster Joshua Sang to coordinate a campaign of killing and forced deportations in the Rift Valley.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article216331.ece
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US school sued over denial of Haj leave
Dec 16, 2010
WASHINGTON: The US federal government sued a suburban Chicago school district on Monday for continually refusing permission to a Muslim middle schoolteacher to take unpaid leave so she could perform Haj.
The federal government says the school violated the teacher’s civil rights and has brought the case on behalf of Safoorah Khan, claiming that it is a violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
The government asked the court to order the school district to adopt policies that reasonably accommodate its employees’ religious practices and beliefs, and to reinstate Khan with back pay and also pay her compensatory damages. It is also seeking additional damages for pain and suffering. Khan started as a middle schoolteacher for Berkeley School District 87 — about 15 miles west of Chicago — in 2007. In 2008, she asked for almost three weeks of unpaid leave to perform Haj.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article215627.ece
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Father of IVF to assist births of babies in UAE
Asma Ali Zain
Dec 16, 2010
16 December 2010, DUBAI — The founder of Invitro Fertilisation (IVF) and this year’s winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine, Professor Robert Edwards, who has given hope to millions of childless couples worldwide, is set to open his first facility in the UAE.
Bourn Hall MENA will offer a range of services fully compliant with the Shariah Law. While the rate of babies born via IVF treatment worldwide is three per cent, the UAE percentage is much lower indicating a significant supply and demand gap, which the facility aims at fulfilling.
Professor Robert Edwards, also known as the father of IVF, founded Bourn Hall, the world’s first IVF clinic with physician Patrick Steptoe in the UK in 1980 after pioneering the first birth of a child conceived using IVF in 1978. Since then, over 10,000 babies have been born following treatment at the clinic.
His wife and five daughters collected the prestigious Nobel Prize for Medicine this year on his behalf in Stockholm on December 10.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/December/
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US says accused airline bomber had help in Yemen
Dec 16, 2010
16 December 2010 DETROIT - The Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a US airliner with a bomb hidden in his underwear had gone to Yemen and received help in planning his attack, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was charged with a new count of conspiracy to commit terrorism in addition to the six previous counts related to attempted murder and carrying a bomb on a crowded passenger jet.
Abdulmutallab will be arraigned on the new charge, which carries a maximum life sentence, on Thursday in federal court in Detroit.
A superseding indictment returned by the grand jury in the case on Wednesday said there was evidence Abdulmutallab had traveled to Yemen in August 2009 to become involved in a “violent ‘jihad’ on behalf of al Qaeda.”
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/December/
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Iranians & Iraqis Perish Fleeing Islamic Utopia
Dec 16, 2010
I guess living under Sharia Law isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Yet Muslims in the West continue touting the glory and benefits of living by Allah’s rules as some sort of ultimate utopia for mankind, all the while bashing the ‘decadent’ civilizations of the kufar. I don’t see mass exoduses of people from the West struggling to immigrate to Islamic countries. From New York Daily News : A desperate journey for freedom met a horrific end after a boat believed to carry as many as 80 asylum-seekers from Iran and Iraq broke up and sank off the Australian coast on Wednesday. The wooden craft smashed against jagged rocks near Christmas Island, breaking into pieces and dumping its passengers into the cold ocean, as witnesses said they were helpless to do anything. [ Read more ] Sad case all around. These people died in their frantic quest for freedom. And in the West we have spoiled, radical Muslims, mostly converts, praising Sharia Law – the very oppression these victims risked their lives to flee. I don’t know which is worse – the vile oppression under which people in Islamic societies must live, or the ignorance, apathy and hypocrisy of Muslims living in the free West.
http://www.2012electionyear.com/2010/12/iranians-iraqis-perish-fleeing-islamic-utopia/
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/obama-administration-accused-fighting-sharia/d/3801