Maldives Woman sentenced to one year for possession of 90 bottles of alcohol 'Toy bomb' kills child, grandfather in Pakistan

3 Indian-Americans Named by Obama for Top Science honours In Pak media, war with America has been declared Now, Swiss House votes to ban burqa in public Fearing Change, Many Christians in Syria Back Assad Iran: The mullahs prepare to execute a Christian for his faith Indonesias only female sex therapist tackles myths about AIDS, pregnancy online India s view on terrorism increasingly being believed: Nirupama Rao With love from Sonia to Hasina At UN, Pak again plays the victim If you hit us, we will hit back, Pasha warned CIA chief: report US is going to take tougher line against Pak: Admiral Mullen US blacklists LeT men, but mum on Pak & ISI UN veto system: Saudi Arabia calls for reforms Libya s Gaddafi hiding near Algeria border: NTC official Muammar Gaddafi s son Saif al-Islam shown rallying Libyans-TV Algerian authorities threaten to deport Gaddafis family if they speak to media Maldives Islamic Minister dismisses partys demand he resign Pakistan: Two women shot dead over divorce Muslim Insurgents kill 4 soldiers guarding school in southern Thailand J&K encounter lasts third day, Army officer dead J&K govt lets out names of rape victims Cartoonist held for Modi sketch insulting Islam BJP- Cong unite to stop Guru plea in J& K House Afzal wife avoids media, in-laws say faith lost NIA returns to Kishtwar to quiz jailed Hizbul man Six killed as raids in Syria target dissidents Eight Afghan Policemen Killed at Checkpoint Roadside bomb kills 16 in western Afghanistan

Suicide bomber kills 2 in southern Afghanistan Indonesian ferry fire kills 11 Car bomb at Baghdad restaurant kills 3 7 dead in riot following football match in Morocco Kolkata Madrasa girl wins science innovation award, poverty stops from pursuing science Bashir says would not negotiate with Sudan rebels Yemen unrest: warplane shot down by tribesmen Pakistan for resolving all issues with India: Hina Rabbani Khar As ties with US sour, Pak cosies up to China, Saudi Arabia US reviewing to designate Haqqani network as foreign terrorist organisation US confronted Pak with evidence of ISI s terror links: Pentagon Pakistani writer cleared for India visit after visa glitch Pakistani painter s tribute to Mahatma Gandhi LeJ chief Malik Ishaq jailed for 30 days Taliban says US wants to weaken Pak Pakistan arrests finance ministry employee on militant links 5 Algerians arrested in Spain for terror links Revolutionary fighters capture Sirtes port Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike Bahrain Upholds Life Sentences for Activists Hundreds protest against killing of ex-Afghan president Indonesian church bomber linked to radical Islamic group EU powers drop UN Syria sanctions call US tells court Osama bin Laden photos must stay secret Uproar in J&K assembly over resolution for clemency to Afzal Guru Intra-Kashmir women s meet begins at Gulmarg on Wednesday Sanjiv Bhatt: I was pressured to withdraw my report on Haren Pandya s murder As Thousands Leave Libya, and Jobs, Niger Feels Impact Israel frees Al Jazeera s Kabul bureau chief Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=557 1

--------Maldives Woman sentenced to one year for possession of 90 bottles of alcohol By Ahmed Nazeer September 28th, 2011 The Criminal Court has sentenced a woman to one year in prison after she was arr ested in 2009 with 90 bottles of vodka. Alcohol is banned on inhabited islands i n the Maldives. The court identified the woman as Niuma Abdulhannan of Maamigili in South Ari At oll. On May 12 in 2009, police were informed that illegal narcotics were being traded inside the Kerinlight house in the Maafannu ward of Male. Police attended the ho use and searched the room in which Niuma was living, the Criminal Court said. The Criminal Court said that during the search, police discovered 90 bottles of vodka hidden in different places around the room. The court said that the bottles were confiscated and tested positive for alcohol . Niuma was not able to convince the court that the alcohol bottles were legally imported and possessed according to the Trade Ministrys regulations on importing alcohol. The Criminal Court said the judge found her guilty of importing an item on the l ist of contraband. As it was the first time she was found guilty of such a crime , she was sentenced to one year imprisonment. Alcohol is not mentioned in the current Drug Act, and the only Act that currentl y prohibits alcohol is the Import-Export Act. http://minivannews.com/society/woman-sentenced-to-one-year-for-possession-of-90bottles-of-alcohol-26203 --------Toy bomb kills child, grandfather in Pakistan

Sep 29, 2011 ISLAMABAD: A five-year-old child and an elderly man were killed when an explosiv e device, construed as a "toy" by the kid, exploded in their house in northwest Pakistan, a media report said. The kid had found the device in a nearby mountain and brought it home in Jawar a rea to play with it. The bomb exploded when the grandfather tried to open it, killing the child and h imself instantly, the news website Daily Times reported. Neighbours rushed out o f their homes hearing the explosion.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Toy-bomb-kills-child-grandfath er-in-Pakistan/articleshow/10164762.cms -------3 Indian-Americans named by Obama for top science honours PTI Three Indian-Americans figured among the 12 scientists named by U.S. President B arack Obama for the countrys top awards in the field of scientific research and i nnovation. The Indian Americans are Srinivasa S.R. Varadhan from the New York University; R akesh Agrawal from the Purdue University and B. Jayant Baliga from the North Car olina State University. While Mr. Vardhan has been named for the National Medal of Science, the other tw o scientists have been selected for the National Medal of Technology and Innovat ion. These are the highest honours bestowed by the U.S. government on scientists, eng ineers, and inventors. Each of these extraordinary scientists, engineers, and inventors is guided by a p assion for innovation, a fearlessness even as they explore the very frontiers of human knowledge, and a desire to make the world a better place, Mr. Obama said i n a statement. Their ingenuity inspires us all to reach higher and try harder, no matter how dif ficult the challenges we face, he said. The recipients will receive their awards at a White House ceremony later this ye ar. The White House said Mr. Varadhan has been selected for his work in probability theory, especially his work on large deviations from expected random behaviour w hich has revolutionized this field of study during the second half of the 20th c entury and become a cornerstone of both pure and applied probability. The mathematical insights he developed have been applied in diverse fields inclu ding quantum field theory, population dynamics, finance, econometrics, and traff ic engineering, the White House said. Mr. Rakesh Agrawal has been selected for an extraordinary record of innovations in improving the energy efficiency and reducing the cost of gas liquefaction and separation. These innovations have had significant positive impacts on electronic device man ufacturing, liquefied gas production, and the supply of industrial gases for div erse industries; the White House said. Mr. Baliga has been selected by U.S. President for development and commercialisa tion of the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor and other power semiconductor devi ces that are extensively used in transportation, lighting, medicine, defence, an d renewable energy generation systems; the White House said. The National Medal of Science was created by statute in 1959 and is administered for the White House by the National Science Foundation.

Awarded annually, the Medal recognizes individuals who have made outstanding con tributions to science and engineering. Nominees are selected by a committee of Presidential appointees based on their e xtraordinary knowledge in and contributions to chemistry, engineering, computing , mathematics, and the biological, behavioural/social, and physical sciences. The National Medal of Technology and Innovation was created by statute in 1980 a nd is administered for the White House by the U.S. Department of Commerces Patent and Trademark Office. The award recognizes those who have made lasting contributions to Americas compet itiveness and quality of life and helped strengthen the Nations technological wor kforce. Nominees are selected by a distinguished independent committee representing the private and public sectors. The National Medal of Technology and Innovation was created by statute in 1980 a nd is administered for the White House by the U.S. Department of Commerces Patent and Trademark Office. The award recognizes those who have made lasting contributions to Americas compet itiveness and quality of life and helped strengthen the Nations technological wor kforce. Nominees are selected by a distinguished independent committee representing the private and public sectors. http://www.mynews.in/News/3_indian_americans_named_by_obama_for_top_science_hono urs_N395392.html --------In Pak media, war with America has been declared Sep 29 2011 Islamabad : Many politicians, retired army generals and popular TV talk show hos ts in Pakistan have made up their minds that America is on the warpath with thei r country. News TV has been discussing possible scenarios of how Pakistan should react if the US attacks. One channel has aired a war anthem. Why cannot we snap diplomatic relations (with the US)? asked Shuja Khanzada, a ret ired colonel, during a live talk show on Tuesday on Dunya TV. On Monday, Hamid Mir, the host of Capital Talk, a talk show on Geo, started the sh ow asking, Is United States going to attack on the ground in Pakistan? Mir asked Asma Jahangir, the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, wha t would happen if, in response to an American attack, Pakistan blocked NATO supp ly lines to Afghanistan. Jahangir shot back: America hasnt launched any attack yet, and you are talking thi s way. Another participant, Abdul Qayum, a retired lieutenant general, said that an Ame rican attack was a possibility. When columnist Farukh Saleem said the media had p ut more fuel on the fire, Qayum retorted that US statements were an insult to the whole nation. You cannot trust Americans, Qayum said. There is a history of betray

al. In Khari Baat on Dunya, Lt Gen. Hamid Gul, a former ISI chief, said that American threats were a blessing in disguise, as they had united the nation. The US, Gul said, wants to give India a proxy role in Afghanistan, but American actions risked the dangers of a third world war. In an interview, former senator Enver Baig said: US elections are approaching clo ser and Americans want a safe and respectable exit from Afghanistan and are scap egoating Pakistan. The majority of the public is anti-American despite the fact that the US is the b iggest donor to Pakistan. The US has not been able to convert this into goodwill . American PR in Pakistan is very poor, he said.SALMAN MASOOD http://www.indianexpress.com/news/in-pak-media-war-has-been-declared/853268/ -------Now, Swiss House votes to ban burqa in public Sep 29 2011 Geneva : After France, Netherlands and Belgium, Switzerland is on its way to bec ome the fourth country in Europe to impose a ban on the burqa. The lower chamber of the Swiss parliament today voted 101-77 for a far-right move to outlaw face veils in public. The motion titled Masks Off, authored by SVP party lawmaker Oskar Freysinger, seek s to outlaw face-coverings on public transport as well. The bill will become law if it gets majority support in the upper chamber as wel l. As Switzerland goes to polls in three weeks, rightwing political groups have mou nted a strong campaign on the emotional issue of immigration, demanding that for eigners abide by the values of naturalisation. At a time when insecurity is growing in our streets, more and more people are hid ing their faces behind a balaclava, a mask or a burqa... This makes it impossibl e to identify these people, a fact that is particularly troublesome in case of v iolence or identity checks, Freysinger said. In 2009, Swiss voters approved a ban on the construction of mosque minarets desp ite the governments opposition, drawing international condemnation. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Now--Swiss-House-votes-to-ban-burqa-in-public/ 853265/ -------Fearing Change, Many Christians in Syria Back Assad Sep 28 2011 SAYDNAYA, Syria Abu Elias sat beneath the towering stairs leading from the Conve nt of Our Lady of Saydnaya, a church high up in the mountains outside Damascus, where Christians have worshiped for 1,400 years. We are all scared of what will c ome next, he said, turning to a man seated beside him, Robert, an Iraqi refugee w ho escaped the sectarian strife in his homeland.

He fled Iraq and came here, said Abu Elias, looking at his friend, who arrived jus t a year earlier. Soon, we might find ourselves doing the same. Syria plunges deeper into unrest by the day. On Tuesday, government troops attac ked the rebellious town of Rastan with tanks and machine guns, wounding at least 20 people. With the chaos growing, Christians visiting Saydnaya on a recent Sun day said they feared that a change of power could usher in a tyranny of the Sunn i Muslim majority, depriving them of the semblance of protection the Assad famil y has provided for four decades. Syrias Christian minority is sizable, about 10 percent of the population, though some here say the share is actually lower these days. Though their sentiments ar e by no means monolithic Christians are represented in the opposition, and loyal ty to the government is often driven more by fear than fervor the groups fear hel ps explain how President Bashar al-Assad has held on to segments of his constitu ency, in spite of a brutal crackdown aimed at crushing a popular uprising. Full report at: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/28/world/middleeast/fearing-change-syria-christia ns--------Iran: The mullahs prepare to execute a Christian for his faith Sep 28 2011 Yousef Nadarkhani, a 34-year-old Christian cleric, is facing death for apostasy against a faith he never held. The Islamic Republic of Iran has accused Mr. Nada rkhani, a pastor of the evangelical Church of Iran, of the capital offense of fo rsaking Islam. Mr. Nadarkhani was arrested in his home city of Rasht in October 2009 after he q uestioned Islamic control over religious instruction of Iranian children. He was charged initially with illegal protest, but that was raised to the more serious crimes of apostasy and evangelizing Muslims. He was convicted and sentenced to death. Mr. Nadarkhanis wife was handed life in prison. His attorney, Iranian huma n rights lawyer Mohammed Ali Dadkhah, was convicted separately of actions and pro paganda against the Islamic regime, sentenced to nine years in prison and barred from practicing law for a decade. There are about 300,000 Christians in Iran, most of whom are Armenians. They tra ce their lineage back to the first century and the introduction of the faith by St. Jude the Apostle. St. Jude was martyred by the Romans in A.D. 65 and to Cath olics is the patron saint of desperate cases and lost causes. Mr. Nadarkhani has maintained his equanimity in the face of adversity. I announce the same as Jude, he wrote in one of his prison epistles, earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints. What we are suffering today is difficult, but not unbearable. Full report at: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/sep/27/the-lamb-of-iran/ --------Indonesias only female sex therapist tackles myths about AIDS, pregnancy online

September 28, 2011 JAKARTA, Indonesia Zoya Amirin has come across every myth imaginable in her job as sex psychologist in Indonesia: An uncircumcised girl will become sex-crazed. Clove cigarettes increase virility. A geckos saliva can cure AIDS. Knowing such misinformation can ruin relationships and even lives, Amirin the on ly woman certified in her field in the worlds most populous Muslim nation has dec ided to launch a weekly podcast to provide some frank, accurate talk about the b edroom. Her 15-minute, debut episode of In Bed with Zoya will air on her website Thursday. People here really believe in myths ... thats my biggest challenge, said Amirin, ad ding she wants to make her show as cool as possible so people will tune in witho ut feeling theyre being talked down to. Its time to embrace our sexuality in a healthy way, she said, and to be mature in ou r understanding. Her job illustrates some of the changes taking place in Indonesia, which toppled its longtime dictator Gen. Suharto in a wave of pro-democracy street protests j ust over a decade ago. The nation of 240 million remains socially conservative in most areas, including relationships, something old-style politicians are desperate to maintain. Yet t hese customs are coming under pressure from a more freewheeling approach to sex, in part due to increased wealth and more females living and working alone befor e marriage. Full report at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia-pacific/indonesias-only-female-sex-ther apist--------India s view on terrorism increasingly being believed: Nirupama Rao Sep 28, 2011 WASHINGTON: India s view on terrorism in the region is increasingly being "belie ved and subscribed to", Indian Ambassador to the US, Nirupama Rao has said, even as the Obama Administration stepped up pressure on Pakistan to rein-in Haqqani network, which allegedly has links with ISI. Rao said India has repeatedly said that one can t have segmented approach when i t comes to applying pressure on any terrorist groups. One has to deal with all the groups that threaten peace and stability in the reg ion, she argued. "India s point of view (on terrorism) is increasingly believed in and subscribed to," Rao said here at a panel discussion on India-US Strategic Relations organi sed jointly by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and th e Brookings Institute, a Washington-based think-tank. peace and stability in the region, she argued. Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Indias-view-on-terrorism-increasingl y-being--------With love from Sonia to Hasina Sep 29 2011 CONGRESS president Sonia Gandhi is said to have sent a thanksgiving letter to Ba ngladesh Prime Minister and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina last week. Though Hasina is away in the US for the UN General Assembly meet, she replied pr omptly. A reciprocatory letter and an album containing photos of Sonias trip to D haka this July were sent to the Congress president. The gesture comes after PM Manmohan Singhs recent visit to Bangladesh which was m arked by postponement in concluding the much expected accord to share waters of Teesta and transit rights with India. Hasina and Gandhi share a close rapport. The Bangladesh PM had gifted Sonia a sa ree when the former was on an official visit to the nation in January 2010. In f act the Awami League and the Congress share a close bond, dating back to the day s of the Indira- Mujib. Mail Today -------At UN, Pak again plays the victim Sep 29 2011 UNGA : As tensions remained high with the US on the ISIs support to terrorists in Afghanistan, Pakistans Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar stood her ground in th e UN on Tuesday, stoutly defending the record of Pakistani intelligence agencies in fighting terrorism, and repeating Islamabads line that no country has been ra vaged as brutally by the monster of terrorism as Pakistan. If I began recounting Pakistans sacrifices and Pakistans suffering, I would keep yo u here till next September. We do not take terrorism lightly. We cannot to affor d to take terrorism lightly, we have suffered far too much at its hand, Khar told the 66th session of the general assembly. Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/at-un-pak-again-plays-the-victim/853272/ -------If you hit us, we will hit back, Pasha warned CIA chief: report Sep 29 2011 Islamabad : Pakistan has told the US that it would be forced to retaliate if Ame rican forces launch unilateral strikes on the Taliban on Pakistani soil, accordi ng to a media report published today. The message was personally delivered by ISI chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha to CI A head Gen David Petraeus during the formers recent trip to the US, an official f

amiliar with the development told The Express Tribune newspaper. Pasha told Petraeus that the Pakistani people will not tolerate any US misadventu re and the government would be left with no option but to retaliate if the US lau nched a unilateral raid, the report said. A spokesman for the Inter-Services Public Relations said the report was factually incorrect and misleading. Media should refrain from speculative reporting on sens itive issues related to national security, he said. According to the report, a senior ISI official had told a closed-door meeting of the Pakistan Senate Standing Committee on Defence yesterday that we cannot be ca ught off guard this time, referring to the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden an d greatly embarrassed Pakistan. This time, we will give them a surprise if they d are. Rezaul H Laskar http://www.indianexpress.com/news/if-you-hit-us-we-will-hit-back-pasha-warned-ci a-chief-report/853269/ -------US is going to take tougher line against Pak: Admiral Mullen Sep 28 2011 Once considered a close mate of Pakistani generals, Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairma n of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said that Americans are now going to have to take a tougher line in demanding Pakistan rein in terror groups. "I am losing people, and I am just not going to stand for that. I have been Paki stan s best friend. What does it say when I am at that point? What does it say a bout where we are?" Mullen told The Wall Street Journal in an interview. Mullen who demits office by the end of this month said he was leaving with a mud dled legacy on Pakistan, an area which he had made a top priority because its bo rder region had been a haven for al-Qaeda and other militant groups intent on at tacking US interest. Explaining his switch, Mullen, said that the partnership approach with Islamabad , which he had long championed had fallen short and would be difficult to revive . The Admiral took his conclusions to Congress last week where he declared publicl y -- what until then had been confined to private remarks -- that Pakistan s mil itary intelligence is collaborating with a militant group that US links for atta ck on Americans in Afghanistan, triggering a major rift between the two nations. Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/us-is-going-to-take-tougher-line-against-pak-a dmiral-mullen/853064/ -------US blacklists LeT men, but mum on Pak & ISI Sep 29 2011 WASHINGTON US officials on Wednesday imposed financial sanctions on two leaders of a Pakistan-based militant group with links to the Al-Qaeda network.

The US Treasury Department named Zafar Iqbal and Hafiz Abdul Salam Bhuttavi, lea ders and founding members of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a group on the US terrorist list since 2001. "Zafar Iqbal and Hafiz Abdul Salam Bhuttavi are two of LeT s most significant le aders," David Cohen, Treasury s under secretary for terrorism and financial inte lligence, said in a statement. "Over the past 20 years, Iqbal and Bhuttavi have been responsible for fundraisin g, recruitment, and indoctrination of operatives," he said. "By targeting the core of LeT s leadership, today s action aims to degrade its a bility to facilitate its terrorist activities." The sanctions bar US citizens from doing business with the two men and freeze an y assets that they may hold under US jurisdiction. According to the Treasury, Iqbal co-founded LeT in the late 1980s with its curre nt emir, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed. Full report at: Times of India -------UN veto system: Saudi Arabia calls for reforms Sep 28, 2011 JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia has urged the United Nations to accept the Palestinians requ est for full membership in the international body and recognize it as an indepen dent state. It also called for restricting the veto power of permanent Security Council members to help it play an effective role in reinforcing world peace and stability. As a result of the continued Israeli intransigence and disruption of the peace pr ocess, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia calls upon all member states of the UN to rec ognize the State of Palestine on the borders of June 4, 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital; and to grant it full membership of the United Nations, Foreign M inister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said Monday. The UN Security Council is meeting on Wednesday to hand the issue to a committee that will review and assess the Palestinian application. The princes comments come after the US pledged to veto the Palestinian bid for fu ll UN membership. In a written statement distributed among delegates attending the UN General Asse mbly sessions in New York, a copy of which was obtained by Arab News, Prince Sau d also touched on the Kingdoms views on UN reforms. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article508001.ece --------Libya s Gaddafi hiding near Algeria border: NTC official Sep 29 2011

SIRTE: Libya s new rulers said on Wednesday they believed fugitive ex-leader Mua mmar Gaddafi was being shielded by nomadic tribesmen in the desert near the Alge rian border, while his followers fend off assaults on his hometown. Intense sniper and artillery fire from pro-Gaddafi fighters has so far prevented National Transitional Council (NTC) forces from taking Sirte despite more than two weeks of fighting and two full-on assaults. One of the last two bastions of support for the ousted strongman, it has withsto od a siege by NTC fighters hitting it with tank and rocket fire as well as NATO airstrikes. The United Nations and international aid agencies are worried over conditions fo r civilians trapped inside. More than a month since NTC fighters captured the capital Tripoli, Gaddafi remai ns defiantly on the run pledging to lead a campaign of armed resistance against the new leaders. Gaddafi himself could be holed up near the western town of Ghadames -- near the Algerian border -- under the protection of Tuareg tribesmen, a senior NTC milita ry official said. "There has been a fight between Tuareg tribesmen who are loyal to Gaddafi and Ar abs living there (in the south). We are negotiating. The Gaddafi search is takin g a different course," Hisham Buhagiar told Reuters, without elaborating. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Libyas-Gaddafi-hiding-nearAlgeria--------Muammar Gaddafi s son Saif al-Islam shown rallying Libyans-TV Sep 28, 2011 CAIRO: A television station on Tuesday broadcast footage of what it said was Mua mmar Gaddafi s son Saif al-Islam dated Sept. 20, apparently rallying his forces in one of the last strongholds of the Libyan leader, now surrounded by rebels. "This land is the land of your forefathers. Don t hand it over," Saif al-Islam, shouted to a crowd of followers, according to the footage broadcast by Arrai TV. Saif al-Islam has not been since in public since Libyan capital Tripoli was over run by rebels in August. Brandishing an automatic rifle and wearing a military uniform, he said: "Brother s, you need to enter Tripoli today by force." It was not immediately possible to verify the footage. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Muammar-Gaddafis-son-Saif-a l--------Algerian authorities threaten to deport Gaddafis family if they speak to media

Sep 28 2011 Algiers : Algerian authorities have reportedly warned embattled Libyan leader Co lonel Muammar Gaddafi s daughter and other relatives that they would be expelled from the country if they give interviews to the media. The warning comes after recorded comments by Aisha Gaddafi were broadcast on Syr ian-based TV, and an Algerian newspaper report that some of the deposed Libyan l eader s relatives had flown to Egypt, CBS News reports. Aisha said in an audio recording aired on Friday that her father was in high spi rits and fighting alongside his supporters. An Algerian foreign minister official has called such public comments unacceptabl e. The official has also said that Gaddafi s relatives remain in Algeria. His wife, daughter Aisha and two sons fled to Algeria after Tripoli s fall late last mont h. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/algerian-authorities-threaten-to-deport-gaddaf is--------Maldives Islamic Minister dismisses partys demand he resign By Ahmed Nazeer September 28th, 2011 State Islamic Minister and former President of the Adhaalath Party, Sheikh Hussa in Rasheed Ahmed, has dismissed demands from the partys council that he resign. You will know very well that I did not accept this position with the consent or w ith an approval of the consultation council, and therefore I do believe that the re is a policy that allows the council to ask me to resign, State Minister for Is lamic Affairs Sheikh Hussain told the current President of the Adhaalath Sheikh Imran Abdulla, in a letter he send yesterday in response to the one demanding hi s resignation. The Adhaalath Party decided this week to break off its coalition agreement with the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), after the partys consultation counci l voted 32 to 2 to approve a resolution to leave the government. In the letter Sheikh Hussein said that normally when a coalition agreement is te rminated, the President withdraws the positions shared with the party, and Presi dent himself would ask the members of that political party to resign from their positions. Every citizen has a national responsibility, and the only time he should stop ful filling those responsibilities are when they are inconsistent with the principle s of Islam, he told the Adhaalath Party president in the letter. Full report at: http://minivannews.com/politics/state-islamic-minister-dismisses-partys-demand-h e-resign-26229 ---------

Pakistan: Two women shot dead over divorce Sep 28 2011 ISLAMABAD: Three persons, including a mother and her daughter, were shot dead by unidentified assailants on Tuesday in the provincial capital. The attackers man aged to flee from the scene, a police source said. Najma Bibi, 40, was returning by car from the Islamabad courts where she was see king a divorce, when she was shot dead along with her 18-year-old daughter Sidra and a man Nazeer, 28, whose relationship to the two women was unclear. The police said that Najma had lodged a complaint with the Shalimar Police in Ju ly this year against her husband under Section 324 for allegedly injuring her. H er husband, Amir Khan, however, did not show up in the court for the hearing. It is a matter of personal enmity. The woman was fighting a divorce case against her husband and we assume that he managed to kill them, said police investigator Jamshed Khan. We have yet to obtain further information about the gunmen. A witne ss told us they were speaking Punjabi but we dont have more details, he said. Afte r getting information of the incident, the Shalimar Police reached the spot and rushed the victims to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) where they s uccumbed to their injuries. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\09\28\story_28-9-2011_pg11_5 --------Muslim Insurgents kill 4 soldiers guarding school in southern Thailand September 28, 2011 PATTANI, Thailand Muslim insurgents disguised as paramilitary rangers attacked t roops guarding a school in southern Thailand on Wednesday, killing four soldiers and wounding two others, police said. A 6-year-old boy was shot in the stomach during the assault. Police Lt. Gen. Satanfah Wamasing said 15 assailants walked up to the school and began talking with soldiers assigned to guard teachers there. They opened fire at close range and fled with four of the soldiers M-16 automatic rifles. The bloodshed in Narathiwat provinces Rue So district is the latest in a wave of violence in Thailands Muslim-dominated southernmost provinces since an Islamist i nsurgency flared in 2004. Government soldiers are often designated to guard teachers and monks in the regi on. Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch, said in a tweet that t he New York-based group has warned Thai authorities that the simultaneous use of school for military and education purposes will put civilians at risk. Full report at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia-pacific/thai-police-insurgents-kill-4-s oldiers-in---------

J&K encounter lasts third day, Army officer dead Sep 29 2011 Srinagar : The fierce gunbattle between security personnel and militants continu ed for the third consecutive day on Wednesday in the forests of Kupwara. An Army officer, two policemen and five militants have been killed during the last thre e days. The Army and the police are finding it difficult to flush out the remaining mili tants who have taken positions in caves and behind huge boulders in the mountain ous area. The terrain is difficult. Its a hilly area and there are natural caves where the m ilitants have barricaded themselves, said Brigadier General Staff of Armys 15 Corp s, K L Chavan. So far, five militants have been killed while two policemen and on e of our officers have also died. We are yet to recover their (militant) bodies, he said. Brigadier Chavan identified the deceased Army officer as Lieutenant Sushil Khaju ria. He said the dead militants were part of a Lashkar-e-Toiba group that had recentl y infiltrated into the Valley. We believe that two militants are still operating. It is a Lashkar group that had recently infiltrated from Keran (sector). There have been 24 infiltration attempts in this area (Keran) alone in which we have k illed 26 militants, he added. Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/j&k-encounter-lasts-third-day-army-officer-dea d/853368/ -------J&K govt lets out names of rape victims ep 29 2011 Srinagar : The Jammu and Kashmir government has made public the names of hundred s of rape victims from across the state in contravention of a law that terms it a punishable offence. Responding to a question in the Assembly seeking details of rape victims, the st ate Home Ministry, headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, not only gave tehsilwise details of the rapes but also the names of the victims and their parents an d residential addresses. The publication of rape victims names is in contravention of Section 228 (A) of t he Ranbir Penal Code that deals with the disclosure of the identity of the victi m of certain offences. Whoever prints or publishes the name or any matter which may make known the ident ity of a person against whom an offence under section 376, 376 A, 376 B, 376 C a nd 376 D is alleged or found to have committed shall be punished with imprisonme nt of either description for a term which may extend to two years and shall also be liable to fine, the section reads. It says that the name can be made public o nly under certain conditions such as by the permission of the victim or his near est relative in case of a dead victim or minor and a police officer.

Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/J-K-govt-lets-out-names-of-rape-victims/853366 / -------Cartoonist held for Modi sketch insulting Islam Sep 29 2011 Bhopal : A cartoonist of an Indore-based afternoon paper was arrested late on Tu esday for allegedly insulting religious beliefs of Muslims. He had drawn a carto on based on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modis reported refusal to wear a skul l cap during his fast in Ahmedabad. Harish Yadav, who draws under the pseudonym Mussaveer in Prabhat Kiran, was rele ased on bail on Wednesday. Indore SP S Sreenivas Varma said the minority communi ty had objected, saying the cartoon denigrated Islam and was offensive. One Jave d had filed a police complaint on September 20, the day the cartoon appeared, bu t police claimed they had not been able to trace Yadav. Prabhat Kiran editor Prakash Purohit, however, said Yadav had been reporting to work for the first few days after the cartoon controversy. Though the paper carr ied a small apology on Wednesday, Purohit defended the cartoon saying Yadav want ed to show that Modi had squandered his last chance to resurrect his image by ac cepting the skull cap. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Cartoonist-held-for-Modi-sketch--insulting--Is lam/853348/ -------BJP- Cong unite to stop Guru plea in J& K House By Naseer Ganai Sep 29 2011 AVIRTUAL slugfest between the Congress and the BJP ensured that a resolution see king clemency for Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru could not be taken up for debate in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly on Wednesday. In a move that seemed orchestrated, the BJP legislators demanded that the resolut ion, moved by Independent MLA Engineer Rashid, be dropped as it was anti- nation al. The Congress MLAs then rushed to the well of the House demanding that the seven BJP legislators they were suspended by the party in April this year for cross- v oting in the legislative council election should not be allowed inside the assem bly. The ruckus that followed forced Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone to repeatedly adjour n the House. With neither of the sides relenting, the Speaker was left with no c hoice but to call it a day. While the BJP and the Congress decided to have a go at each other, the ruling Na tional Conference ( NC) and the Opposition Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) waite d and watched, without trying to intervene.

Rashid described the slanging match between the Congress and the BJP as pre- pla nned and said the NC and the PDP were silent partners in the show. Congress legis lators Waqar Rasool and Sharief Niyaz denied the party had any role to play in s cuppering the resolution. They felt they had raised a genuine issue in the assem bly. Full report at: Mail Today -------Afzal wife avoids media, in-laws say faith lost Sep 29 2011 Baramulla : As Congress and BJP legislators raised slogans and stormed into the well of the House, a family, glued to a television set faraway, was watching in desperation and anger. And as the Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone announced the adjo urnment of House for the day, they broke down. About 55 km from the J&K Assembly, in Baramulla, the Buhroo family in-laws of Af zal Guru was keenly watching the proceedings of the House. The only missing memb er was Tabassum, Afzals wife, who had left in the morning for the nursing home wh ere she works. They (legislators) are playing politics, said Ghulam Mohammad Buhroo, Afzals father -in-law. We had lost faith in them (legislators) but today we were hopeful that t hey will vote in favour of the resolution. We wanted this resolution to be treat ed as a humanitarian case as in case of Nalini. We have left it to the Almighty. Though the family was anxiously watching all the developments in the Assembly, h e said that Tabassum did not want to be there. She left for the nursing home earl y in the morning, said Buhroo. She wanted to stay away from media. My daughter was watching television at her work place, he said. She was hopeful tha t the legislators will listen to their conscience and support the resolution. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/afzal-wife-avoids-media-inlaws-say-faith-lost/ 853373/ -------NIA returns to Kishtwar to quiz jailed Hizbul man Sep 29 2011 Jammu : A weeK after having left Kishtwar along with two teenagers arrested in c onnection with the September 7 bomb blast outside the Delhi High Court, the Nati onal Investigation Agency (NIA) team on Wednesday returned to the town to questi on an overground worker of the Hizbul Mujahideen, who has been lodged in Kot Bhalw al jail since last year. Identifying the detained man as Azhar Ali, son of Ghulam Mohammad Bhat of Paddar , sources said that NIA officials, led by an officer of the rank of Deputy Super intendent of Police, appeared before Additional District Magistrate R K Shiwan a t Kishtwar and sought permission for a meeting with him in jail. Though senior p olice officers remained tight lipped about the matter, sources said this followe d revelations by two Kishtwar teenagers Aamir Abbas and Abid Hussain who were ar rested in connection with the blast and taken to Delhi for interrogation. The magistrate allowed the NIA to quiz Azhar in jail for three hours during the

next two days, said sources. About Azhar, sources said he was arrested along with Irshad Ahmed Akhoon after t he police busted a recruitment module of Hizbul Mujahideen in the district. At t hat time, Azhar was working with Skyline Communications as a field distributor f or Airtel SIM cards, and Irshad was a teacher appointed under Rehbar-e-Taleem pr ogramme at a government primary school in Lidri. Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/nia-returns-to-kishtwar-to-quiz-jailed-hizbulman/853332/ -------Six killed as raids in Syria target dissidents Sep 28, 2011 DAMASCUS: Syrian forces mounting raids on dissidents killed at least six civilia ns, rights groups said, as Damascus accused the West of trying to break up the c ountry with total chaos. And as China expressed its concern at the wider implications of the turbulence, the United States warned of signs that President Bashar Assads opponents were tur ning to violence. Three civilians were killed and seven others were injured during an assault by th e army and security agents against the Homs district of Bayada, said the Syrian O bservatory for Human Rights. The attack came after deserter soldiers burned a tank in the area, the Britain-b ased rights group said. The forces killed two civilians during raids in the northern town of Jabal Al-Za wiya, and another civilian was killed and five wounded in a dawn operation in so uthern Daraa province, where the protests began in mid-March. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article507973.ece --------Eight Afghan Policemen Killed at Checkpoint Sep 28 2011 KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) Eight policemen were killed in an attack early Wednesday near a southern city that is seen as a pioneer in transition from NATO to Afgha n control over security, an Afghan police commander said. Gen. Nabi Jan Mullahkhail, deputy regional commander in the south, said the predawn attack targeted a police checkpoint near Lashkar Gah in Helmand province, w here the insurgency has strongholds. Three police were wounded in the attack. Mullahkhail said another policeman who was part of the group manning the checkpo int was missing, and that authorities were investigating whether he might have b een involved in the attack.

On Tuesday, a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-packed vehicle into a police t ruck in Lashkar Gah, killing two civilians. The Taliban claimed responsibility f or that attack. Full report at: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/09/28/world/asia/AP-AS--------Roadside bomb kills 16 in western Afghanistan Sep 28 2011 HERAT, Afghanistan: Sixteen people, including 11 children, were killed when a ro adside bomb detonated under a van carrying a group back from an engagement party in western Heart province, a local government official said. The adult victims of the blast were four women and the driver, said Abdul Raoof Ahmadi, a spokesman for the provincial governor. Four people were wounded, the provincial police chiefs office said in a statement . http://arabnews.com/world/article507743.ece --------Suicide bomber kills 2 in southern Afghanistan Sep 28 2011 KABUL: A suicide bomber rammed a car packed with explosives into a police truck outside a bakery in southern Afghanistan, killing at least two civilians, offici als said. The attacker apparently was waiting in the car at the gates of the police headqu arters just outside a bakery where officers regularly buy bread in the morning i n Lashkar Gah, the main city in Helmand province, said deputy provincial Police Chief Kamaluddin Sherzai. The bomber the slammed into a police truck that was pa rked at the shop, triggering the cars explosives, he said. Two civilians one man and one young boy were killed in the blast, said provincia l government spokesman Daoud Ahmadi. Another 26 people were wounded, including 1 0 police officers and six children, he said. Taleban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the attack, whic h came hours after the Taleban released a formal statement rejecting claims that the insurgency has become splintered or that the group or any of their allies h ave ties to the Pakistani government. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/world/article507646.ece --------Indonesian ferry fire kills 11 Sep 28 2011

A docked ferry has caught fire in central Indonesia, triggering a stampede that left at least eight people dead and dozens injured. Brig Gen Edi Sumantri, deputy police chief in East Java province, says 500 passe ngers had already boarded the ferry at the Surabaya port when the fire broke out in a truck that was parked in the vessel early Wednesday. Some passengers jumped into the sea and others caused a stampede as they tried t o run down the loading ramps. The ferry accident was Indonesia s second this week. On Monday, six people died and 15 others went missing when a ferry caught fire after colliding with a coalladen ship off Borneo island. Ferries are a main source of transportation in Indonesia, a vast archipelago nat ion of 235 million people. http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=32622 --------Car bomb at Baghdad restaurant kills 3 Sep 28, 2011 BAGHDAD: Iraqi officials say a car bomb that went off near a Baghdad restaurant has killed three people and wounded 10. A police official says the explosion took place late Tuesday near a popular rest aurant in the Shiite neighborhood of Jisr Diyala in the southwest of the Iraqi c apital. A medical official at a nearby hospital confirmed the death toll on Wednesday. B oth officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to release the information. Insurgents have stepped up attacks in Iraq recently as the US military prepares to withdraw from the country by the end of the year. http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article508225.ece --------7 dead in riot following football match in Morocco Sep 28, 2011 RABAT, Morocco: Seven people were killed in a riot following a football match in Moroccos disputed Western Sahara region, the state news agency reported. Three people died after being run over by four-wheel drive vehicles and two of t he others killed were policemen, the report stated, quoting local officials. The riot in the town of Dakhla began after Mohammedia club Chebab, from just nor th of Casablanca, beat the local Mouloudia club 3-0. Rival fans began throwing stones at each other and then criminals took advantage o f the situation to attack people with knives and clubs, a statement from the Oue d-Eddahab-Lagouira province said.

Initial reports put the toll from the incident at two dead and 27 wounded. Eight vehicles and local businesses were also burned in the rioting. The incident is under investigation. Dakhla, which is about 1,830 kilometers (1,140 miles) southwest of the capital R abat, is divided between residents originally from the area and those that arriv ed from the north following the Moroccos 1975 annexation of the Western Sahara. T here has been tension between the two communities. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article507756.ece --------Kolkata Madrasa girl wins science innovation award but poverty stops her from pu rsuing science Sep 28 2011 Kolkata, September 27: Rahia Khatun, a madrasa student in West Bengal, has won a science innovation award from Government of India. The sole purpose of the awar d is to inspire youths to pursue science after Class X in higher studies but Rah ias tragedy is that after winning the award as a Class X student of a madrasa in Birbhum district, she cant pursue the subject any more. Thanks to poverty and no support from any quarter of the society, she has opted for Arts stream in Class XI at a local High School. Rahia Khatun became State Champion (form West Bengal) of National Level Exhibitio n and Project Competition as part of Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Re search INSPIRE Award 2011. INSPIRE Award is an initiative of Department of Scienc e and Technology, Govt. of India. The aim of the initiative is to promote and in spire the students of schools to take-up science. Rahia received the award from President of India, Pratibha Patil on 16th August 2011 in New Delhi. Rahia got a cash award of Rs 10000 along with the certificate for innovating a measuring balance. Rahia, the student of Mahidapur High Madrasah near Bolpur in Birbhum district of West Bengal, has been awarded for her innovating a balance for blind persons wh o with this balance can correctly measure grocery items etc. When she was readin g in Class X last year then she chalked out a plan to make a new balance for bli nd persons. Full report at: http://www.siasat.com/english/news/madrasa-girl-wins-science-innovation-award-po verty-stops-her-pursuing-science --------Yemen unrest: warplane shot down by tribesmen Sep 28 2011 Armed tribesmen have shot down a Yemeni government warplane that was targeting t heir positions north of the capital, Sanaa, officials and witnesses say. Anti-aircraft guns brought down the jet fighter near Arhab, where tribesmen are

fighting the elite Republican Guard, tribal sources said. Air strikes had targeted the area since Sunday, when seven soldiers were killed in a tribal raid on a military base. Yemeni defence officials confirmed the plane was shot during a mission. It crashed in the village of Beit Azar and the pilot - who had ejected - was cap tured by tribesmen, witnesses and tribal sources told AFP news agency. "We saw the downed plane in flames on the ground," one said. Weeks of intermittent fighting between the tribesmen and government forces culmi nated in the attack on the base at Nihm, about 40 miles (65km) from Sanaa. The attack is understood to have resulted in the seizure of weapons including an ti-aircraft guns. The tribesmen are believed to be allied to leading dissident Gen Ali Mohsen al-A hmar and are battling troops loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh for control o f the area. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15089364 --------Pakistan for resolving all issues with India: Hina Rabbani Khar Sep 28 2011 Pakistan is willing to resolve all outstanding issues, including Kashmir with In dia, with which it is engaged in a substantive dialogue process that it hopes shou ld be uninterrupted, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has said. Ms. Khar was addressing the 193-member United Nations body on behalf of Prime Mi nister Yousuf Raza Gilani who could not attend the 66th session due to floods in Pakistan. The Foreign Minister said Pakistan is reaching out to its immediate neighbours wit h a sincere desire to join hands and bring about durable peace and development, by a win-win approach. I am happy to note that both Pakistan and India are now engaged in a substantive dialogue process. A dialogue process that we in Pakistan hope will be uninterrup ted and uninterruptable. We certainly intend to make this engagement fruitful an d premise it on the promise of a mutually rewarding enterprise that would enable us to optimally avail the complementarities that exist, she said in her maiden s peech. Ms. Khar said Pakistan looks forward to resolving all outstanding issues includin g Kashmir, which is among the oldest on the United Nations agenda and has been th e subject of several Security Council resolutions. A peaceful resolution that accords fully with the aspirations of the Kashmiris is indispensable for durable stability as is the need for safeguarding of their fu ndamental human rights, she said, adding that Pakistan will support the human right s of Kashmiris. http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2492900.ece

--------As ties with US sour, Pak cosies up to China, Saudi Arabia Sep 28 2011 ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is pulling out all stops to offset rising tensions with the US and possible economic and military sanctions by reaching out to its closest a llies, Saudi Arabia and China. Days after the stinging accusation that the ISI w as backing Afghan insurgents, Islamabad tried to please Beijing by vowing to roo t out Uighur militants holed up in its territory and staged war games with Saudi Arabia, besides sending and receiving top intelligence officials from the Gulf kingdom. "China s enemy is Islamabad s enemy," interior minister Rehman Malik told visiti ng Chinese vice-prime minister Meng Jianzhu on Tuesday, and vowed to "strike ver y hard against" Uighur militants based in his country. Alongside, ISI chief Shuj a Pasha was dispatched to Riyadh to hold talks with Saudi officials. Malik said Pakistan had killed and extradited several Uighur militants responsib le for attacks in China s western Xinjiang province. The Uighur rebels are known to be receiving training in Pakistan s lawless tribal areas. Earlier, Prime Min ister Yousaf Raza Gilani said the two countries were true friends and that they count on each other after. "Thank you once again...for (the) supportive statemen t in favour of Pakistan s sovereignty and integrity." Analysts say Islamabad is trying to ensure that China fills any diplomatic and e conomic void if the US severs or downgrades ties. China and Pakistan have long e njoyed good ties and share wariness of India and a desire to prevent growing US influence in the region. Beijing had called Osama bin Laden s killing a "progres sive development" but defended Islamabad on charges of failing to find the globa l fugitive. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/As-ties-with-US-sour-Pak-cosie s-up-to--------US reviewing to designate Haqqani network as foreign terrorist organisation Sep 28, 2011 WASHINGTON: The US is reviewing whether to designate the entire Haqqani network as a foreign terrorist organisation, even as it has already slapped sanctions ag ainst seven of its top leaders, including Badruddin Haqqani who was designated a s a global terrorist. "We are continuing to review whether to designate the entire organisation. Quite a sizeable number of the Haqqani kingpins have been individually designated, bu t we are continuing to review the issue with regard to the whole organization," the State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, told reporters. The State department has carried out a number of Executive Order 13224 designati ons that target, essentially the kingpins of the Haqqani Network - financiers, l eadership, as well as some of its most dangerous operatives. In 2008 the US targeted Siraj Haqqani, in 2011 Badruddin Haqqani, Sangeen Zadran in 2011, and on the Treasury side, we designated Nasiruddin Haqqani in 2010, Kh

alil Haqqani in 2011, Ahmed Jan Zadran in 2011, as well as Fazl Rabi in 2011. Badruddin is a top leader in the al-Qaida-linked Haqqani Network, has been desig nated by the US State Department as a terrorist in May this year. "As we ve looked at individual members of the Haqqani Network, we have made dete rminations, either on the State department side or on the Treasury side, to make designations against them, particularly when we had real smoking gun evidence a gainst individuals. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-reviewing-to-designate-Haqqani-ne twork--------US confronted Pak with evidence of ISI s terror links: Pentagon Sep 28 2011 Washington : The US confronted Pakistan with "concrete evidence" of links betwee n the ISI and extremist organisations like the Haqqani network and LeT, before i t launched a frontal attack on the spy agency for its terror ties, Pentagon offi cials have said. "They (ISI) provide financial support (to extremist organisations). It provides technical support. It provides physical support. They (Pak officials) are allowi ng the safe heavens to operate," a defence official said on condition of anonymi ty as he is not authorised to speak to the media. Another defence department official said that Pentagon has been providing such e vidence to Pakistan "since ages" but it is only after the recent attack on a hot el in Kabul and the US Embassy in Kabul that this crossed all limits and the Def ence Department decided to go public. But the senior defence official maintained that these evidence gives concrete pr oof of the relationship between ISI and the extremist organisations including Ha qqani network and LeT. Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/us-confronted-pak-with-evidence-of-isis-terror -links--------Pakistani writer cleared for India visit after visa glitch Sep 28, 2011 NEW DELHI: Best-selling Pakistani writer Mohammed Hanif, whose visa file was rep ortedly misplaced by the home ministry, has been given the go-ahead to attend a literature festival in India, the event organisers said on Wednesday. He is scheduled to take part in the Kovalam Lit Fest Oct 1-2 in Thiruvananthapur am. Hanif was granted visa after a spell of confusion on Wednesday afternoon, direct or of the festival Binoo John said. "But logistical problems are still there. Hanif s passport is in Islamabad and h

e is in Karachi. I am trying to work out the shortest possible way to fly him to Kerala before the festival," John said. Writers from Pakistan who take part in Indian literature festivals are often den ied visas or are granted one at the last moment, making their journeys logistica l nightmares. Hanif is expected to read from his new book "Our Lady of Alice Bhatti" and discu ss it with the audience at the festival. Earlier on Tuesday, Hanif had tweeted his displeasure with the loss of his visa file. "After waiting for my Indian visa for four weeks, have been told my file is lost somewhere in home ministry. And this for a lit fest which is sponsored by India n foreign min. So they invite you, then go ummm may be not (sic)," Hanif tweeted . http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistani-writer-cleared-for-India-visi t-after-visa-glitch/articleshow/10158211.cms --------Pakistani painter s tribute to Mahatma Gandhi ANITA JOSHUA Sep 28 2011 A painting in blood might seem a bit of a contradiction when the image is that o f Mahatma Gandhi. But for Lahore-based painter babu, Abdul Waseel, there was no be tter way to profess his admiration for the apostle of peace who evokes a rather mi xed response in Pakistan where many have problems with some of the choices he ma de. In the past, people used to send letters written in blood to their beloved. I wan ted to express my love for Gandhi and so I drew his portrait in blood. Too much of Indian and Pakistani blood has been wasted in mutual hostilities. I hope that Mahatma Gandhis portrait made with Pakistani blood will melt hearts, Mr. Waseel be tter known as Painter Babu told The Hindu over telephone from his small shop on Lahores Allama Iqbal Road. Essentially a calligrapher, Mr. Waseel made this portrait in 2009 by drawing blo od from his veins with a syringe. Asked if he had copied any particular photogra ph of Gandhi, he claims to have made the portrait on the basis of the image etch ed in his mind; one that has been influenced by the official picture seen in a g overnment building during his last India visit and often shown in Hindi films. Gandhis is not the only portrait he has made with his blood; the others in the le ague include former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, Nobel laureate Nelson Mandela , poet-philosopher Allama Iqbal and Shah Faisal of Saudi Arabia. Now he is headed to India on Wednesday morning to present the portrait to Mahatm a Gandhis grand-daughter and vice-chairperson of Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti , Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee, in the hope that it will find a pride of place in t he collection of works on the Father of the Indian Nation in the house where he was martyred. http://www.thehindu.com/news/article2490604.ece

--------LeJ chief Malik Ishaq jailed for 30 days By Asad Kharal September 28, 2011 LAHORE: Founder of banned outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) Malik Ishaq was shifted late Tuesday night to a Rahim Yar Khan jail after being under house arrest for 10 days. Ishaq has now been detained for more than 30 days to pre-empt sectarian strife, under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO), The Express Tribune has learnt. According to an official of the security branch, the detention order was issued by the District Coordination Officer (DCO) Rahim Yar Khan late on Monday but du e to the closure of the jail. The former chief of the banned outfit was allegedly involved in 44 murder cases in which 70 people mostly belong to the Shia community. He was released on bail from Kot Lakhpat Jail Lahore on July 14 in a case regard ing the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team by the order of the Supreme Court . Ishaq had been in jail since 1997 for allegedly killing 12 members of Fida Hussa in Ghalvis family, in addition to being allegedly involved in killing 58 other pe ople in various incidents of sectarian violence. He is one of the founders of th e terrorist outfit LeJ, a key suspect in the attack on the Sri Lankan team in La hore in 2009. He was granted bail by the apex court after the prosecution failed to prove his involvement in the case. Ishaq was acquitted in 34 out of 44 cases while in the remaining 10 he had alrea dy been granted bail, official documents revealed. Intelligence and law enforcement agencies reports have revealed that the banned o rganizations leader is engaged in highly objectionable activities which may spark sectarian violence in Punjab. Ubaidullah Usmani, the media coordinator of Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) said that the chief of ASWJ Allama Muhammad Ahmad Ludhianvi has strongly condemned th e detention of Malik Ishaq. http://tribune.com.pk/story/262300/lej-chief-malik-ishaq-jailed-for-30-days/ --------Taliban says US wants to weaken Pak Sep 28 2011 In an unusual step, Afghan Taliban on Tuesday batted for Pakistan over the issue of ISI-backed terror strikes in Afghanistan, claiming that the US wants to sprea d chaos in Pakistan and weaken its Government. In a statement issued in the name of Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate, the Afghan Taliban claimed US officials had launched a campaign of blaming Pakistan for an

uptick in the thunderous strikes in Afghanistan in order to divert attention from their ignominious defeat. America wants to spread chaos in Pakistan through various means, weaken its Gover nment and make it dependent upon them. http://dailypioneer.com/world/9518-taliban-says-us-wants-to-weaken-pak.html --------Pakistan arrests finance ministry employee on militant links 28 September 2011 ISLAMABAD - Pakistani authorities have arrested an employee of the finance minis try on suspicion of links to militant groups, police said on Wednesday. The suspect, identified as Sardar Ali Khattak, was on a hilltop near President A sif Ali Zardaris residence in Islamabad when apprehended. He is being interrogated. He was wanted in connection with a bomb blast in Rawalp indi a few months ago, police official Hakim Khan said, referring to the garrison city adjoining Islamabad. Police raided Khattaks house last week and recovered a suicide vest and other exp losives, police said. Finance Ministry officials said Khattak was an office boy and had been on leave for the past two years, and that they had no knowledge about his alleged links t o any militant group. Pakistan has seen a surge in violence by militants loyal to Al Qaeda and Taleban since Osama bin Laden was killed by US special forces in a secret raid in a Pak istani town in May. Militants have vowed revenge for bin Ladens death. http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/S eptember/international_September1111.xml&section=international --------5 Algerians arrested in Spain for terror links Sep 28 2011 MADRID: Spanish police arrested five Algerians suspected of helping finance an A l-Qaeda-linked terror group in North Africa. The arrests took place in four towns in the northern Basque and Navarra regions, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. The five are suspected of giving logistical and financial support to members of the radical Islamist group Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, which opera tes in Algeria. AQIM grew out of the armed groups fighting the Algerian government in the 1990s after elections were canceled by the military in 1991 to stave off a victory for an Islamist political party. The group declared allegiance to Al-Qaeda in 2006 and changed its name, starting a renewed campaign of bombings and kidnappings ac ross the Sahara.

The group currently holds four French hostages and French officials have called it the biggest terror threat to France and its interests. The Spanish statement said the five arrested also maintained contacts with other radical Islamists in France, Italy and Switzerland and seized a large amount of documents and computer material. They were named as Mohamed Talbi, Hakim Anniche, Mounir Aoudache, Abdelghaffour Bensaoula and Ahmed Benchohra, between 36 and 49 years old. Dozens of suspected radical Islamic militants have been arrested in Spain since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in New York and Washington, and again after t he 2004 commuter train bombings in Madrid. http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article507658.ece --------Revolutionary fighters capture Sirtes port Sep 28, 2011 SIRTE: Anti-Qaddafi forces overran Sirtes port on Tuesday, scoring a strategic vi ctory in the battle for control of the ousted Libyan leaders birthplace, as inste nse fighting carried on inside the city. But in the other main redoubt of Bani Walid, Muammar Qaddafis forces went on the offensive after the fugitive ex-strongman broadcast a message rallying resistanc e to a weeks-long siege by National Transitional Council forces. Meanwhile, a member of the NTC said formation of a transitional government, alre ady delayed by squabbling over power-sharing, has been postponed until the entir e country is liberated. Revolutionary forces on Tuesday battled their way into the eastern outskirts of Sirte, commanders said, in a bid to link up with anti-Qaddafi fighters besieging the city from the west and seize control of the loyalist stronghold. Revolutionary forces have staked out positions to the west and south of the city , and commanders said anti-Qaddafi forces advancing on Sirte from the east also pushed into the citys outskirts Tuesday. Abdel-Basit Haroun, a rebel field commander, said his fighters reached a roundab out less than 10 km east of the city center. He said the plan was for the forces from the east and west to meet inside Sirte. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article507974.ece --------Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike Sep 28, 2011 RAMALLAH: The Palestinian Minister of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Issa Qaraqi said that Palestinian and Arab prisoners have gone on a hunger strike to protest the Israeli Prison Services (IPS) measures against them and their families.

Qaraqi said in a statement that the prisoners currently held in 23 prisons and de tention camps in Israel and in the West Bank returned their breakfast meals to pr otest deliberate violation of their basic rights by the IPS. He added that the st rike began after their representatives meeting with Israeli Internal Security Min ister Yitzhak Aharonovitch in the Nafha (Rimon) prison to discuss the violation failed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided in June to revoke the prisoner s privileges in order to pressure Hamas into releasing kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Qaraqi said the IPS is barring Palestinian prisoners, mainly those in solitary co nfinement, from family visits, access to education, telephones and satellite cha nnels. The IPS, the minister said, blocks the entry of clothes into prisons and imposes financial fines on prisoners. The minister said that the prisoners are subjected to medical negligence and prev ented from receiving appropriate medical treatment in hospitals. According to Qaraqi, the strikers want better-quality food and cessation of strip searches of their relatives during the visits. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article507979.ece --------Bahrain Upholds Life Sentences for Activists Sep 28 2011 MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) Bahrain says a special security court has upheld sentences for 21 activists convicted for their roles in anti-government protests, includin g eight prominent political figures given life terms. The state-run Bahrain News Agency says the court on Wednesday backed the verdict s, which were issued in June. International rights groups have denounced the ver dicts. The activists include eight well-known political figures sentenced to life in pr ison after being charged with trying to topple the Gulf kingdom s ruling Sunni d ynasty. Thirteen others received lesser sentences. Some were sentenced in absent ia. Bahrain s majority Shiites began protests in February seeking greater rights. Au thorities have responded with sweeping crackdowns, including hundreds of arrests . http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/09/28/world/middleeast/AP-ML--------Hundreds protest against killing of ex-Afghan president Sep 28 2011 KABUL: Hundreds of protesters rallied in Afghanistans capital, vowing revenge for last weeks assassination of former President Burhanuddin Rabbani and accusing Pa kistans powerful spy agency of involvement in his killing.

Under tight security, the three-hour protest passed without violence, but demons trators vented their anger, holding up large posters of Rabbani, the governments top peace negotiator, and chanting death to Pakistan, death to the Taleban. They blamed Pakistans military-led Directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence (IS I) for involvement in Rabbanis killing and accused it of colluding with the Taleb an to destabilize Afghanistan and derail a fledgling peace process. ISI and the Taleban are behind the killings of our leaders including the assassin ation of Professor Rabbani, said university student Ahmad Tameem, 26. We will seek revenge and we want our government to break ties with Pakistan, added Tameem, holding aloft a poster of Rabbani, who was the most prominent surviving leader of the ethnic Tajik-dominated Northern Alliance of fighters and politici ans. Rabbani was killed in his Kabul home last Tuesday by a suicide bomber posing as a Taleban envoy carrying a message of peace form the groups senior leadership. Th e bomb was hidden in the mans turban and was detonated when he embraced Rabbani w ith a hug. Afghanistans National Directorate of Security (NDS) said on Monday it had arreste d a key figure in the assassination and suggested the Talebans senior leadership, the Quetta Shoura, may have been involved. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/world/article507669.ece --------Indonesian church bomber linked to radical Islamic group Sep 28 2011 JAKARTA: A suicide bomber who blew himself up in a church in Indonesias Java isla nd has links to a group founded by a leading radical Islamic cleric jailed this year for supporting a jihad training camp, authorities said. DNA evidence showed Sundays attack at the Bethel Injil Protestant church that wou nded 27 people was carried out by Ahmad Yosepa Hayat, one of the most-wanted fug itives from a group behind a similar blast at a police mosque in April. National Police Spokesman Anton Bachrul Alam said Hayat, also known as Pino Dama yanto, had links to Jemaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT), a group founded by Abu Bakar Ba shir, an elderly cleric sentenced to 15 years in prison in June and regarded as a terrorist ideologue. The blasts threaten Indonesias hard-won image for success in containing religionrelated violence after a crackdown on Southeast Asian militant group Jemaah Isla miyah, which was behind deadly assaults including the killing of 202 people, mai nly foreigners, in suicide attacks on Bali in 2002. Despite the arrest and killings of high-profile militants in recent years, the w orlds most populous Muslim country is facing low-level attacks that have raised q uestions over religious intolerance in a country known for its moderate Islam. The unrest coincides with renewed violence between Muslims and Christians on the island of Ambon and attacks against the minority Ahmadi, a sect that considers

itself Islamic but is regarded as heretic by mainstream Muslims. Radicalism and intolerance will always be here but the scale is shifting in the f orm of small groups acting independently rather than a bigger network, said Noor Huda Ismail, an expert on Indonesian terrorist groups and director of the Instit ute for International Peace Building. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/world/article507735.ece --------EU powers drop UN Syria sanctions call Sep 28 2011 European countries proposing a new UN resolution over Syria have dropped demands for immediate sanctions against President Bashar al-Assad s government. The draft, proposed by the UK, France, Germany and Portugal and backed by the US , threatens sanctions only if the repression of protests does not end. The scaled-back version is aimed at winning the support of China and Russia, whi ch oppose sanctions. Western diplomats say they are planning for a vote by the end of the week. The draft resolution "demands an immediate end to all violence", according to co pies obtained by news agencies. It says the 15-nation Security Council "expresses its determination, in the even t that Syria has not complied with this resolution, to adopt targeted measures, including sanctions". Last month the US, Britain, France, Germany and Portugal put forward a draft res olution calling for sanctions against President Assad, members of his family and close associates. But Russia and China have threatened to veto any sanctions resolution against Sy ria. Others countries which oppose sanctions include a bloc of key emerging powers India, South Africa, and Brazil. Full report at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15085816 --------US tells court Osama bin Laden photos must stay secret Sep 28, 2011 WASHINGTON: Public disclosure of graphic photos and video taken of Osama bin Lad en after US commandos killed him would damage national security and lead to atta cks on American property and personnel, the Obama administration contends in a c ourt documents.

In a response late Monday to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by Judic ial Watch, a conservative watchdog group seeking the imagery, Justice Department attorneys said the CIA has found 52 photographs and video recordings of the May 1 operation in Pakistan. They argued the images of the deceased bin Laden are classified and are being wi thheld from the public to avoid inciting violence against Americans overseas and compromising secret systems and techniques used by the CIA and the military. The Justice Department has asked the court to dismiss Judicial Watch s lawsuit b ecause the records the group wants are "wholly exempt from disclosure," accordin g to the filing. Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, accused the Obama administration of mak ing a "political decision" to keep the bin Laden imagery secret. "We shouldn t t hrow out our transparency laws because complying with them might offend terroris ts," Fitton said in a statement. "The historical record of Osama bin Laden s dea th should be released to the American people as the law requires." The Associated Press has filed Freedom of Information Act requests to review a r ange of materials, such as contingency plans for bin Laden s capture, reports on the performance of equipment during the assault on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and copies of DNA tests confirming the al-Qaida leader s identity. The AP also has asked for video and photographs taken from the mission, including p hotos made of bin Laden after he was killed. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-tells-court-Osama-bin-Laden-photo s-must--------Uproar in J&K assembly over resolution for clemency to Afzal Guru Sep 28, 2011 SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir assembly was adjourned for half-an-hour on Wednesday after Opposition BJP members demanded that the Speaker drop the resolution seek ing clemency for Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru from the list of the day s business. BJP and National Panthers Party (NPP) MLAs took to their feet as soon as the Hou se assembled for the day s proceedings. They demanded that the resolution seeking clemency for Guru, which was listed in the business for today, be dropped from the list. As the BJP and NPP MLAs disrupted the Question Hour proceedings, Congress MLAs i ncluding ministers also rose from their seats, demanding expulsion of the BJP ML As who were allegedly involved in cross voting during the Legislative Council el ections earlier this year. While Congress ministers continued to stand at their seats, MLAs from the party stormed the Well of the House. All pleas of Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone to restore order in the House failed an d prompted him to adjourn proceedings for 30 minutes. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Uproar-in-JK-assembly-over-resolution-f

or--------Intra-Kashmir women s meet begins at Gulmarg on Wednesday SHUJAAT BUKHARI Sep 28 2011 Women have borne the brunt of instability, armed conflict and violence A 16-member delegation from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, who arrived here on a five-day visit, will participate in an intra-Kashmir women s c onference at Gulmarg. The two-day event, beginning on Wednesday, has been organised by the Delhi-based Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation (CDR) in collaboration with the Srinagar -based Women for Peace (WIP). Besides the 15 women and a male member from across the Line of Control, women le aders from Jammu, Srinagar and Ladakh are attending the conference on Women s Rol es in Society: Issues of Mutual Concern. In all, 45 women are taking part in the conference said CDR executive director Sus hobha Barve. The exchanges of ideas from the dialogue will be shared on September 30 in Srina gar, where a wider cross-section of women and men will join the participants and offer feedback and a greater engagement with the issues raised. Full report at: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2491078.ece --------Sanjiv Bhatt: I was pressured to withdraw my report on Haren Pandya s murder MANAS DASGUPTA Sep 28 2011 Sanjiv Bhatt files affidavit in High Court against Narendra Modi and Amit Shah Dropping yet another bombshell, suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt on Tuesday fi led an affidavit in the Gujarat High Court alleging that Chief Minister Narendra Modi and his former Minister of State for Home, Amit Shah, had repeatedly tried to pressure him to withdraw his report and destroy the documentary evidence whi ch he had placed on record regarding the murder of the former Minister, Haren Pa ndya. Failing to persuade me either to withdraw my report or destroy the very important documentary evidences regarding the role of certain highly placed State functio naries/politicians and senior police officers in the killing of Haren Pandya, I was removed from the post of Superintendent of Police in-charge of the Sabarmati central jail and was kept without a posting for over two-and-a-half months, he s aid in the affidavit. Mr. Bhatt, who had created a flutter by filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court

on Mr. Modi s alleged dubious role in the 2002 communal riots, had earlier made a startling revelation that it was Tulsiram Prajapati, the close aide of the fake encounter victim Sohrabuddin Sheikh, who had actually pulled the trigger on Mr. Pandya, who was killed in the morning of March 26, 2003. He had maintained that Asgar Ali, the key accused from Hyderabad who recently was acquitted by the Hig h Court, had informed him about Prajapati s role in the Pandya murder case in 20 03, when he was lodged in the Sabarmati central jail, where Mr. Bhatt was the ja il superintendent. Full report at: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2491315.ece --------As Thousands Leave Libya, and Jobs, Niger Feels Impact By ADAM NOSSITER Sep 28 2011 NIAMEY, Niger For tens of thousands of people from Niger, the downfall of Col. M uammar el-Qaddafi has been an economic catastrophe, plunging them suddenly from a world of good pay in Libya back into the precarious universe of their home cou ntry, one of the poorest and most dependent nations on earth. More than 200,000 Nigeriens have fled the fighting since March, according to the government here, laboriously traversing the desert from Libya, where they were earning unheard-of sums, by local standards, as tailors, security guards, cooks and drivers. A majority of those who fled are now destitute, hungry and, along with the thous ands of families dependent on remittances from Libya, without prospects. Officia ls in Niger estimate that at least 200 people continue to arrive daily, and that more probably come through the porous desert border crossings. The government a dmits that it does not have the resources to help them and is pleading with outs ide donors for help, as it did when a smattering of Qaddafi loyalists crossed in to Niger as well. By June, the forced migration had knocked an $80 million hole in Nigers economy, the government here said. That figure has since grown, and it is disastrous in a country where the World Bank says more than 60 percent of people live in extrem e poverty, where famine lurks when rains do not arrive and where half the nation al budget has in previous years come from donors. Full report at: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/28/world/africa/niger-feels-economic-impact-of--------Israel frees Al Jazeera s Kabul bureau chief Sep 28 2011 Samer Allawi released by military court after being arrested following a trip to his West Bank hometown. Israel has freed Al Jazeera s Kabul bureau chief from custody, saying he has bee n given a suspended prison sentence for links to Hamas, the Palestinian group th

at controls the Gaza Strip. Samer Allawi, a West Bank native and head of the network s Arabic news bureau in the Afghan capital, said after his release on Monday that his contacts with Pal estinian Islamists were part of his work as a journalist. Allawi, who was arrested on August 10 at the border crossing to Jordan after vis iting family in the city of Nablus, accused Israel of using him to "extort" Al J azeera. The Qatar-based station s Jerusalem bureau has occasionally clashed with Israeli officials who accused it of bias. Israel said Allawi was convicted by a military court of "conspiracy to provide a service for an outlawed organisation" but, under a plea bargain, received a sus pended eight-month jail term. The court ruled he was free to return to Afghanistan. Hamas, which won a Palestinian legislative election in 2006 and seized control o f Gaza in a brief civil war a year later, is designated a terrorist group by Isr ael, the United States and European Union. Full report at: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/09/2011926124650861345.html URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=557 1 Forward to a friend COMMENTS Print