President Barack Obama praises killing of al-Qaida cleric al-Awlaki Maldives Islamic Minister resigns from chairmanship of Religious

Council US reassure Pakistan amid anti-American protests Editor of Al Qaeda Magazine Inspire also killed in strike Anwar al-Awlaki, American-Born Qaeda Leader, Is Killed in Yemen Pak Child marriage: 11yr. old girl bartered off to satiate fathers lust Pak, US need to work as partners in Afghanistan: Hina Rabani Khar Hamid Karzai abandons peace talks with the Taliban Europe drops sanctions word in Syria resolution Convoy attacked with concrete blocks, iron bars: US envoy in Syria Rezwan, Mass terror suspect asked to leave mosque because of radical views Afzal Guru clemency: Violent protests in Srinagar after JKLF chairman s arrest US squeezes Haqqani group, puts five associates on terror list Blast kills 17 at Iraqi funeral 19 die as Syrian forces battle deserters, protesters Bomb claims Afghanistans first female police victims Drone strike kills 3 in S Waziristan Pak parties snub US, hint at talks with Jihadis Where theres smoke theres fire: Nawaz Sharif questions Pak Army role Anwar al-Awlaki: From voice for jihad to leading terror figure Omar Abdullah hands over fixer to cops, he dies in custody HM P Chidambaram trashes NIA claims in HC blast case Little hope of justice for Pune blast victims India knows where Dawood lives in Pakistan: P Chidambaram Gaddafi diehards force Sirte retreat by NTH fighters How the terrorist-in-the-making Rezwan Ferdaus was nabbed Intl community prepared to press Israel, Palestine for talks Turkey, France Set To Sign Anti-Terrorism Agreement Gujarat riots whistleblower

cop Sanjeev Bhatt arrested

India not surprised at US discovery of ISI link with terror groups: HM P Chidamb aram India-led UN body seeks adoption of zero tolerance Palestinians have 8 votes in Security Council Beirut multi-faith summit stresses importance of Christians in Middle East Pak rejects US Haqqani allegations, backs military to defeat security Pakistan never backed Haqqani network: ISI chief MQM-H chief Afaq Ahmed behind bars, petition in court Pakistan must eliminate militant safe havens, says Clinton US woos Pakistan with jazz Bin Ladens bodyguard freed by Pakistan 4 million children at risk of hunger, disease in Pakistan Pakistan: Forty-eight Indian fishermen arrested Lawyer optimism for Iranian death-row Christian cleric Blast in hotel building injures six in Islamabad Thirty-four labourers kidnapped from Khyber tribal region Omar Abdullah apologises for disclosing names of rape victims Kyrgyzstan parliament bans gambling Morocco cafe bombing: Eight deny Marrakesh attack Activists in Arab World Vie to Define Islamic State Let us get rid of the border: Ansar Burney Philippine Muslim rebels cut ties with renegade commander Seven Syrian troops die as armed resistance emerges Yemen s Ali Abdullah Saleh refuses to step down India warns against hurry in troop withdrawal from Afghanistan Shehla Masood s murder still remains a mystery Intellectuals protest deportation of U.S. broadcaster-writer Egypt parties threaten boycott over election law George Weigel: five years after Pope Benedicts controversial remarks about Islam Jamia Millia Islamia launches study programs on China and Afghanistan

to terrorism

threat to national

A Look at the Life of Al-Qaida Cleric Al-Awlaki Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=558 7

------President Barack Obama praises killing of al-Qaida cleric al-Awlaki Oct 1, 2011 WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama declared the killing of a fiery American-born cleric a "major blow" to al-Qaida s most active affiliate and vowed on Tuesday a vigorous US campaign to prevent the terror network and its partners from findi ng a haven anywhere in the world. Anwar al-Awlaki and a second American, Samir Khan, were killed by a joint CIA-US military air strike on their convoy in Yemen early Friday. Both men played majo r roles in inspiring attacks against the United States, and their killings are a devastating double blow to al-Qaida s most dangerous franchise. Seeking to justify the targeted killing of a US citizen, Obama outlined al-Awlak i s involvement in planning and directing the murder of innocent Americans. "He directed the failed attempt to blow up an airplane on Christmas Day in 2009. He directed the failed attempt to blow up US cargo planes in 2010," Obama said. "And he repeatedly called on individuals in the United States and around the gl obe to kill innocent men, women and children to advance a murderous agenda." After three weeks of tracking the targets, US armed drones and fighter jets shad owed al-Awlaki s convoy before armed drones launched their lethal strike early F riday. The strike killed four operatives in all, officials said, speaking on con dition of anonymity to discuss matters of intelligence. Al-Awlaki was targeted in the killing, but Khan, who edited the slick Jihadi int ernet magazine, apparently was not targeted directly. Al-Awlaki played a significant operational role in plotting and inspiring attack s on the United States, US officials said on Friday. Khan, who was from North Ca rolina, was not considered an operational leader but had published seven issues online of Inspire Magazine, a widely read Jihadi site offering advice on how to make bombs and the use of weapons. Obama praised Yemen s government and security forces for their close cooperation with the US in fighting Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, arguably the terror networks most dangerous affiliate. With al-Awlaki s death, Obama said AQAP remai ns "a dangerous but weakened terrorist organization." The US and counterterrorism officials all spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss intelligence matters. Al-Awlaki was killed by the same US military unit that got Osama bin Laden on Ma y 1. Al-Awlaki is the most prominent al-Qaida figure to be killed since then. US word of al-Awlaki s death came after the government of Yemen reported that he had been killed Friday about five miles (8 kilometers) from the town of Khashef

, some 87 miles (140 kilometers) from the capital, Sanaa. The air strike was carried out more openly than the covert operation that sent N avy SEALs into bin Laden s Pakistani compound. Counterterrorism cooperation between the United States and Yemen has improved in recent weeks, allowing better intelligence-gathering on al-Awlaki s movements, US officials said. The ability to track him better was a vital factor in the suc cess of the strike, US officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to dis cuss intelligence matters. Al-Awlaki s death is the latest in a run of high-profile kills for the Obama adm inistration. But the killing raises questions that the death of other al-Qaida l eaders, including bin Laden, did not.

Al-Awlaki s father, Nasser al-Awlaki, had sued Obama and other administration of ficials 13 months ago to try to stop them from targeting his son for death. The father, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Con stitutional Rights, argued that international law and the US Constitution preven ted the administration from assassinating his son unless he presented a specific imminent threat to life or physical safety and there were no other means to sto p him. US District Judge John Bates threw out the lawsuit in December, saying a judge d oes not have authority to review the president s military decisions and that Awl aki s father did not have the legal right to sue on behalf of his son. But Bates also seemed troubled by the facts of the case, which he wrote raised vital cons iderations of national security and for military and foreign affairs. For instan ce, the judge questioned why courts have authority to approve surveillance of Am ericans overseas but not their killing and whether the president could order an assassination of a citizen without "any form of judicial process whatsoever." US officials have said they believe al-Awlaki inspired the actions of Army psych iatrist Maj. Nidal Hasan, who is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder a nd 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder in the attack at Fort Hood, Texas. In New York, the Pakistani-American man who pleaded guilty to the May 2010 Times Square car bombing attempt said he was "inspired" by al-Awlaki after making con tact over the Internet. Al-Awlaki also is believed to have had a hand in mail bombs addressed to Chicago -area synagogues, packages intercepted in Dubai and Europe in October 2010. Al-Awlaki s death "will especially impact the group s ability to recruit, inspir e and raise funds as al-Awlaki s influence and ability to connect to a broad dem ographic of potential supporters was unprecedented," said terrorist analyst Ben Venzke of the private intelligence monitoring firm, the IntelCenter. But Venzke said the terror group al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula will remain t he most dangerous regional arm "both in its region and for the direct threat it poses to the US following three recent failed attacks," with its leader Nasir al -Wahayshi still at large. Al-Awlaki wrote an article in the latest issue of the terror group s magazine ju stifying attacking civilians in the West. It is titled "Targeting the Population

Al-Awlaki is a US citizen, born in New Mexico to Yemeni parents, who had not bee n charged with any crime. Civil liberties groups have questioned the government s authority to kill an American without trial.

s of Countries that Are at War with the Muslims." Al-Awlaki served as imam at the Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Falls Church, Virginia, a Washington suburb, for about a year in 2001. The mosque s outreach director, Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, has said that mosque me mbers never saw al-Awlaki espousing radical ideology while he was there and he b elieves al-Awlaki s views changed after he left the United States. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Barack-Obama-praises-killing-of-al-Q aida-cleric-al-Awlaki/articleshow/10188914.cms ---------Maldives Islamic Minister resigns from chairmanship of Religious Council By Ahmed Nazeer 1 October 2011 A day after he was asked by the Adhaalath Party to resign from the position of I slamic Minister, Dr Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari has resigned from the chairmanship o f the partys Religious Council. In a statement issued on the partys official website, Adhaalath said that the res ignation letter was today sent to the partys President Sheikh Imran Abdulla. The statement mentioned no further information about his resignation or what was in the letter. 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. Dr Bari and current State Minister for Islamic Affairs Sheikh Hussein Rasheed Ah med are both appointed to the government under the coalition agreement. Along with Dr Bari, Sheikh Hussain Rasheed, who was the former President of the party, was also asked by Adhaalath to resign, but replied he was under no oblig ation to do so. Former State Islamic Minister Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, who earlier resi gned from the government after expressing unhappiness with the current governmen ts religious policy, today told Minivan News that Dr Baris resignation was not an issue and that he would not comment on the matter. Dr Bari and Sheikh Imran did not respond to Minivan News at time of press. http://minivannews.com/politics/islamic-minister-resigns-from-chairmanship-of-ad haalath-partys-religious-council-26292 ---------US reassures Pakistan amid anti-American protests 1 October 2011 ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON - The United States moved to ease tensions with Islamabad o n Friday, telling Pakistan it would not send ground troops to attack militant po sitions in North Waziristan even as anti-American protests flared around the cou

ntry. The demonstrations by religious parties broke out in several Pakistani cities ju st a day after political leaders joined in rejecting U.S. accusations that Islam abad was supporting militants. A senior U.S. official told Reuters on Friday that there will be no boots on the ground in Pakistan, a message he said has been communicated to them (the Pakistani s). Charges by Admiral Mike Mullen, President Barack Obamas top military adviser, tha t Pakistans spy agency had supported this months attack on the U.S. Embassy in Kab ul triggered a diplomatic fusillade over the past week. Mullen, the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, softened his rhetori c on Friday, telling a ceremony marking the end of his tenure that the U.S. rela tionship with Pakistan was vexing and yet vital. I continue to believe that there is no solution in the region without Pakistan, a nd no stable future in the region without a partnership, said Mullen, who sometim es referred to himself as Pakistans best friend in the U.S. military. Obama on Friday said the United States would continue to push Pakistan to do mor e to curb militants based in its border regions while maintaining intelligence c ooperation with Islamabad. Theres no doubt that the relationship is not where it needs to be and we are going to keep on pressing them to recognize that it is in their interest not just our s to make sure that extremists are not operating within their borders, he told a radio interview. The diplomatic flare-up has added to anti-American sentiment in a country where a poll in June showed that almost two-thirds of the population considered the Un ited States an enemy. The prevailing view in Pakistan is that because of our alignment with the United States, our problems have increased, said Talat Masood, a retired general and mil itary analyst. Americas view is the opposite: Because you are not aligning yourself with us, your problems are increasing. This is the whole dilemma at the moment, he said. In Hyderabad, about 900 people from an anti-Shiite group whose militant arm has b een accused of killing thousands of Pakistani Shiites since the 1990s, burned an effigy of U.S. President Barack Obama and chanted America is a murderer. In Lahore, at least 800 people protested at the headquarters of the Jamaat Islam i (JI), Pakistans biggest religious party. Go, America, Go! rose from the angry cro wd. Another protest by JI in Peshawar, northwest of Islamabad, drew around 200 peopl e. They walked a donkey over an American flag laid on the road, and chanted Ameri cas Graveyard - Waziristan, Waziristan, referring to the tribal areas on the borde r with Afghanistan that is a hotbed of militant groups. Give peace a chance Dozens of political parties emerged from a conference on Thursday to condemn Mul

lens accusations of state links to violent militants as baseless allegations. They also pledged to seek a political settlement with militants on both sides of the border. There has to be a new direction and policy with a focus on peace and reconciliati on, their declaration read. Pakistan must initiate a dialogue with a view to negot iate peace with our own people in the tribal areas. A military official said the army, which has lost 6,500 troops in the 10 years s ince Pakistani allied with the United States in the war on militancy following t he Sept. 11 attacks, supported this policy. Our approach to this is that since we are operating against our own people, succe ss isnt defined by how many people you kill or what area you clear but if the ult imate goal of peace and stability is being achieved or not, he said. The United States has long pressed its ally Pakistan to pursue the Haqqani netwo rk, one of the most lethal Taliban-allied Afghan groups fighting Western forces in Afghanistan. Pakistan denies it supports the Haqqanis and says its army is too stretched batt ling its own Taliban insurgency to go after the network, which has an estimated 10,000-15,000 fighters. The group says it no longer has havens in Pakistan, feeling secure enough to ope rate in Afghanistan. Pakistani military officials say no more than 10 percent of t he thousands of fighters operate in Pakistan and the rest are in Afghanistan. http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/O ctober/ ---------Editor of Al Qaeda Magazine Inspire also killed in strike Oct 01 2011 Washington : Yemens official news agency, citing a defence official, said Samir K han, the young web-savvy American thought to be behind the al-Qaeda magazine Ins pire, was also killed in Fridays strike. Khan, born in 1986, was an enthusiast of jihad who lived with his parents in Nor th Carolina before leaving for Yemen in 2009, where he is thought to have starte d Inspire. He had served as a Western conduit for the multimedia productions of violent Islamic groups. At the time, he was not thought to have had terrorist ti es. Khan grew up in middle-class US and wrestled with his parents about his reli gious fervour. I will do my best to speak the truth. Even if it annoys the disbel ievers, the truth must be preached, Khan had said in an interview. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Editor-of-Inspire-magazine-also-killed-in-stri ke/854132/ ---------Anwar al-Awlaki, American-Born Qaeda Leader, Is Killed in Yemen Sep 30, 2011 The US-born radical Islamist cleric and suspected al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlak

i has been killed in Yemen, the country s defence ministry has said. A statement said only that he died "along with some of his companions". Awlaki, of Yemeni descent, was on the run in Yemen since December 2007. The US has named him a "specially designated global terrorist" for his alleged r ole in a number of attacks and US President Barack Obama is said to have persona lly ordered his killing. The defence ministry gave no further details of his death, which could not be in dependently verified. But tribal sources told AFP news agency Awlaki was killed in an air strike in th e eastern Marib province, said to be an al-Qaeda stronghold. Full report at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15121879 -------Pak Child marriage: Eleven-year-old girl bartered off to satiate fathers lust Sep 30, 2011 SUKKUR: In a womans complaint cell, barefooted, but decked up like a bride, 11-ye ar-old Nadia told The Express Tribune of how her father had bartered her off in m arriage to a boy almost twice her age. Late on Wednesday, a woman came to the New Pind police station claiming that her husband had forced her daughter into marrying a 20-year-old boy. She directed the police to a house in Islam Colony, from where they arrested her husband, Mohammad Yasin Shaikh, her new son-in-law, Shakeel Shaikh, and his bro ther Ghulam Shabbir Shaikh along with Maulvi Noor Ahmed Chachar. Nadia and her m other, Ghulam Zuhra, were sent to a womens complaint cell. On Thursday, Nadia and the four men came before the second civil judge and judic ial magistrate, Sukkur, Rajab Ali Shar, who, after recording their statements, p romptly sent all four of them to jail for a14-day judicial remand. Full report at: http://tribune.com.pk/story/263516/child-marriage-eleven-year-old-girl-barteredoff-to-satiate-fathers-lust/ -------Pak, US need to work as partners in Afghanistan: Hina Rabani Khar September 30, 2011 Pakistan and the US need to work as "responsible partners" in Afghanistan s peac e process and the three nations should not question each other s intention, Fore ign Minister Hina Rabani Khar has said. Khar, who today addressed the 66th sessi on of the UN General Assembly, said Pakistan is firmly committed to promoting stability and peace in Afghanistan while noting th at the road ahead for peace in the country and the region is "full of challenges

." "The complexity of the situation and the ground dynamics need to be analysed objectively and carefully. Clarity and strategic coherence, especially among Afg hanistan, United States and Pakistan is of utmost importance," she said. "Given the volatility of the situation, it is perhaps understandable that there is a hi gh level of anxiety and emotions. But we must not lose sight of the goals. We mu st work closely and as responsible partners together in a cooperative manner and not rush to judgments or question each other s intentions," Khar said. Khar s comments comes in the backdrop of escalating war of words between the US and Pak istan over ISI and its links with the deadly Haqqani network. Full report at: http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/world/Pak-US-need-to-work-as-partners-i n-Afghanistan-Khar/Article1-751090.aspx -------Hamid Karzai abandons peace talks with the Taliban 1 October 2011 Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said his government will no longer hold peace talks with the Taliban. He said the killing of Burhanuddin Rabbani had convinced him to focus on dialogu e with Pakistan. Former Afghan President Rabbani was negotiating with the Taliban but was killed by a suicide bomber purporting to be a Taliban peace emissary. US President Barack Obama has renewed calls for Pakistani action against militan ts of the Haqqani network. Mr Karzai, speaking to a group of religious leaders, said there were no partners for dialogue among the Taliban. It was not possible to find the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, he added. "Where is he? We cannot find the Taliban Council. Where is it?" he said. "A messenger comes disguised as a Taliban Council member and kills, and they nei ther confirm nor reject it. Therefore, we cannot talk to anyone but to Pakistan, " Mr Karzai told the meeting. "Who is the other side in the peace process? I do not have any other answer but to say Pakistan is the other side in the peace talks with us." A statement by members of the nationwide council of religious scholars praised R abbani s efforts to bring peace to the country, and condemned his killing in the strongest terms. Full report at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-15134128 ---------Europe drops sanctions word in Syria resolution 1 October 2011

UNITED NATIONS European nations on Friday dropped the word sanctions from a propos ed UN Council resolution on Syria as they played a diplomatic word game to tempe r Russian opposition. France, Britain, Germany and Portugal instead called for targeted measures in thei r draft text in a bid to keep up the threat of action against Syrias President Ba shar al-Assad over his deadly crackdown on opposition protests. Russia and China have threatened to veto any resolution calling for punitive mea sures against the Syrian government. Russia has proposed its own rival draft res olution with no threat of action. The European nations are pressing for a vote early next week as the Security Cou ncil has still not passed a resolution on the seven-month-old Syrian troubles, w hich the UN says has left 2,700 dead. Russias UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin did not comment on the change but said the t wo sides were working to merge their rival resolutions. The Europeans and Russia are also at loggerheads over whether opposition violenc e in Syria should be given the same weight as the government crackdown. Europe insists that any resolution should put more stress on Assads action. It ha s dropped demands for immediate sanctions against Assad and his entourage in an effort to get a resolution passed. Full report at: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/O ctober/international_October7.xml&section=international ---------Convoy attacked with concrete blocks, iron bars: US envoy in Syria Oct 01 2011 In a post on his Facebook page, the American ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, s aid the attack on his convoy was more violent than previously reported. Supporters of President Bashar al-Assad threw concrete blocks at the windows and hit the cars with iron bars, Ford wrote. On Thursday, many news sites, including The Lede, reported that the ambassadors car had been set upon by protesters with eggs and tomatoes. Look at the photos of the US Embassy vehicles eggs and tomatoes do not do such da mage, he said. A video posted online late Thursday showed a cracked windshield and at least one protester attacking the back of the car with a metal rod. Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/convoy-attacked-with-concrete-blocks-iron-bars -us-envoy-in-syria/854150/ ---------Rezwan, Mass terror suspect asked to leave mosque because of radical

views 1 October 2011 BOSTON A Massachusetts man accused of plotting to fly remote-controlled model pl anes packed with explosives into the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol was asked to leave a Boston mosque because of his radical views. An official with the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center says Rezwan Ferda us of Ashland was suspected of sympathizing with al-Qaida and criticized the mos ques participation in interfaith efforts and politics. Atif Harden, director of institutional advancement at the mosque, tells The Bost on Globe (http://bo.st/ojW4kf ) that Ferdaus disapproved of the mosques policies that allowed men and women to eat together in its cafe and was hostile toward wo men he thought dressed inappropriately or who talked to men. Harden called Ferdaus very disaffected, very disturbed. Just a bitter, angry guy. The 26-year-old U.S. citizen was arrested Wednesday. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/official-mass-terror-suspect-has-been-ask ed-to-leave-mosque-because-of-radical-views/2011/09/30/gIQA2w4e9K_print.html -------Afzal Guru clemency: Violent protests in Srinagar after JKLF chairman s arrest Sep 30, 2011 SRINAGAR: Violent protests erupted in Maisuma locality of the city on Friday aft er police detained Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Mohammad Y asin Malik and some of his supporters for taking out a rally against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Carrying posters and banners, Malik and JKLF activists took out a rally from Mai suma towards Budshah Chowk demanding that Guru should not be hanged, official so urces said. As soon as the protestors reached Budshah Chowk, a posse of policemen detained M alik and 15 activists and took them to a nearby police station, they said. Irate protestors started pelting stones at police and paramilitary personnel at Masiuma, prompting law enforcing agencies to resort to cane-charge and tear smok e shelling, they said. The clashes were going on till reports came in afternoon, they said, adding that there were no reports of anyone getting injured in the clashes. On Thursday, Malik had warned that Afzal Guru should not be hanged as it could p ush the Kashmiri youth to violence. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Afzal-Guru-clemency-Violent-protests-in -Srinagar-after-JKLF-chairmans-arrest/articleshow/10183265.cms -------US squeezes Haqqani group, puts five associates on terror list Sep 30, 2011

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on five membe rs associated with the Haqqani network, turning the heat on Pakistan s terrorist proxies even as Islamabad played tough and virtually rejected Washington s call s to abandon ties with the group it believes protects Pakistan s national intere sts. The five individuals designated were named as Hajji Faizullah Khan Noorzai, Hajj i Malik Noorzai, Abdur Rehman, Abdul Aziz Abbasin, and Fazal Rahim. "These finan ciers and facilitators provide the fuel for the Taliban, Haqqani Network and alQaida to realize their violent aspirations," treasury under secretary for terror ism and financial intelligence David Cohen said in a statement, a day after secr etary of state Hillary Clinton had indicated the administration would bear down on the terrorist outfit which US and India say attacked their respective embassi es in Kabul with support from Pakistan s intelligence agency ISI. It wasn t immediately clear why Washington did not sanction the group itself or its eponymous father and son leaders who the US reportedly once patronized. Wash ington has long held off such designation, buying into the Pakistani plea that t hey (Haqqanis) need to have a key role in any reconciliation in Kabul, essential ly representing Islamabad s interest. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-squeezes-Haqqani-group-puts-fiveassociates-on-terror-list/articleshow/10174945.cms -------Blast kills 17 at Iraqi funeral 1 October 2011 A car bomb has killed at least 17 people and wounded dozens more at a funeral ne ar the Iraqi city of Hilla. The blast took place at about 17:30 (14:30 GMT) outside the Nabi Ayub Shia mosqu e in the town of al-Khafaji, security officials told AFP. Hilla, about 100km (60 miles) south of Baghdad, is on a route for pilgrims visit ing Shia holy sites in the south. Violence in Iraq has declined since its peak in 2006 and 2007, but attacks have continued. The explosion hit mourners who had gathered at a funeral of a local sheikh, witn esses said, damaging vehicles. "I was standing on the other side of the funeral tent, and suddenly the place tu rned into hell, all my relatives were cut down and their bodies were burned," Ha ider Qahtan, 37, who was injured in the blast, told Reuters news agency. Hit by glass

Full report at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15129451 ----------

19 die as Syrian forces battle deserters, protesters 1 October 2011 DAMASCUS Clashes between Syrian forces and deserters killed 11 people in a villa ge in Hama province Friday, while another eight died during a crackdown on prote sts in flashpoint Homs, rights activists said. The killings came as thousands of protesters took to the streets on the Muslim w eekly day of prayer that is a lightning rod in the six months of anti-regime pro tests in which the UN says 2,700 people have been killed by a fierce crackdown. The activists said those killed in Homs province were shot dead by security forc es who opened fire on protesters, even as around 250 tanks and armoured vehicles entered Rastan, a major city in the province where there have been intense mili tary operations against army defectors for days. Five civilians and six military and security agents have been killed today in the village of Kafar Zita during clashes between soldiers and agents on one side an d deserters on the other, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Eight civilians were killed Friday in Homs province by security force fire, added the Britain-based Observatory. Full report at: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/Octo ber/middleeast_October3.xml&section=middleeast ---------Bomb claims Afghanistans first female police victims Sep 30, 2011 HERAT/KABUL: Two Afghan policewomen and a civilian were killed by a bomb blast i n western Afghanistan on Thursday, the first female police casualties since the conservative Muslim country began recruiting women officers four years ago, offi cials said. The bomb was placed on a motorcycle and detonated as a police vehicle driving to an airport passed by in the Enjil district of Herat province, the interior mini stry said in a statement. Interior Ministry Spokesman Sediq Seddiqqi confirmed to Reuters that the two off icers were the first policewomen killed in action in Afghanistan, although other s had been wounded. Herat city airport police commander Sharif Mohammadi said the attack targeted fi ve policewomen riding in a police vehicle on their way to their jobs at the airp ort. He said the explosion also wounded 10 people - the other four female police officers riding in the police vehicle, its driver and five civilians who were n ear the blast. Herat central hospital official Rafiq Shirzai said a civilian was also killed in the attack, and six others wounded, including a child. Full report at: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\09\30\story_30-9-2011_pg7_28

-------Drone strike kills 3 in S Waziristan By Iftikhar Firdous September 30, 2011 PESHAWAR: A US drone killed three suspected militants near the Pak-Afghan border in South Waziristan on Friday. A vehicle was targeted in the Baghar Cheena border area which resulted in the de ath of three suspected militants. An official who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the militants were not locals. The CIA operates a covert drone programme which targets suspected militants in P akistan. Its possibly the United States worst-kept secret even though it has opened up a de bate about the legality of international state-sponsored killing of adversaries. The United States is essentially deploying aerial robots to wage war along the i naccessible border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The drones conduct intelligence and reconnaissance missions and fire missiles at the enemy. Drone pilots at CIA headquarters in Virginia move joy sticks around as they watch live video feeds of militants entering compounds, moving along winding mountain roads or planting bombs in northwest Pakistan, which President Barack Obama has called the most dangerous place in the world. http://tribune.com.pk/story/263901/drone-strike-kills-3-in-s-waziristan/ -------Pak parties snub US, hint at talks with jihadis Oct 1, 2011 ISLAMABAD: Pakistani politicians have called for a dialogue with "our own people " in the country s restive tribal northwest in defiance of the US that had been pressing Islamabad to expand its military operations against terror groups in th e region along the Afghan border. A declaration issued after an all-party meeting to discuss American allegations about ISI s links with Afghan insurgent Haqqani network and perceived threats of an offensive on Thursday night asked for "a proper mechanism" to be put in plac e for the dialogue. The dialogue call is seen as an apparent reference to some engagement with Pakis tani Taliban. But history is not on the side of cutting deals with them. The militia had taken advantage of a peace agreement and seized control of Swat due to the disastrous policy in February 2009. Pakistan army drove the Taliban out of the region thre e months later under immense public pressure.

The offensive was later expanded to the tribal areas with considerable success. Prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had called the meeting. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and army chief Ashfaq Pervez Kayani were among those who attended i t. The declaration sought a political settlement on both sides of the Pakistan-Afgh anistan border. "There has to be a new direction and policy with a focus on peac e and reconciliation," it said. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pak-parties-snub-US-hint-at-ta lks-with-jihadis/articleshow/10191573.cms ---------Where theres smoke theres fire: Nawaz Sharif questions Pak Army role Oct 01 2011 Islamabad : PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif raised tough questions for the military leade rship during a meeting to discuss Pakistan-US tensions, saying the country had i ncreasingly become isolated and there must be some reasons for this. Sharif made the remarks during Thursdays in-camera meeting convened by Prime Mini ster Yousuf Raza Gilani to forge national consensus on a response to US accusati ons that the Inter-Services Intelligence agency was backing the Haqqani network and waging a proxy war in Afghanistan, media reports said Friday. During the question and answer session of the meeting, Sharif asked military off icials why the entire world was pointing fingers at Pakistans conduct vis--vis its role in Afghanistan, the Dawn newspaper quoted its sources as saying. Sharif asked military leaders at the meeting to explain the security situation o f the country with regard to recent US allegations. Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/where-theres-smoke-theres-fire-sharif-question s-pak-army-role/854148/ ---------Anwar al-Awlaki: From voice for jihad to leading terror figure Oct 01 201 Sanaa : The heavy black beard spoke of Islamic piety, the fashionable wire-rim g lasses of Western style. Anwar al-Awlaki, American-born, a gifted Muslim preacher and savvy Internet oper ator, became a powerful al-Qaeda tool for recruiting in the West, its English-sp eaking voice spreading a terrorist credo via a blog, social media posts and emai l exchanges. Al-Awlakis East-West cross-appeal was seen as a potential model for the next gene ration of al-Qaeda leaders. But his rise to prominence also drew the attention o f the CIA, and landed him on its capture-or-kill list, the first American so tar geted.

According to American officials, the 40-year-old had over the years moved from b eing an influential mouthpiece for al-Qaedas ideology of holy war against the US to become an operational figure, helping recruit militants. Born in New Mexico to Yemeni parents, he had been in the US crosshairs since his killing was approved by US President Barack Obama in 2010. At least twice, airs trikes were called in on locations where he was suspected to be, but he wasnt har med. Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/from-voice-for-jihad-to-leading-terror-figure/ 854144/ ---------Omar Abdullah hands over fixer to cops, he dies in custody Oct 01 2011 Srinagar : A 61-year-old retired teacher and National Conference (NC) sympathiser who allegedly took money from two party leaders on the promise of getting them a ministership and a legislative council seat through union minister Farooq Abdul lah, died in custody after he was handed over to the Crime Branch by Chief Minis ter Omar Abdullah. The family of the man, Haji Syed Mohammad Yousuf, has alleged he was killed by t he police because he knew too many secrets. The chief minister told The Indian Express that the police had told him that Haj i Yousuf had died after a heart attack this morning. The police told this paper that Haji had died in the police hospital where he was taken after he complained of nausea. The government today transferred three officers of the Special Security Group, i ncluding a long-time personal security officer (PSO) of the chief minister, DSP Shabir Ahmad, but said the transfers were not related to the incident. But it ordered a judicial inquiry by a sitting judge, and asked the chief justic e of the Jammu & Kashmir High Court to nominate a colleague to carry out the pro be. Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/omar-hands-over-fixer-to-cops-he-dies-in-custo dy/854219/ ---------HM P Chidambaram trashes NIA claims in HC blast case By Aman Sharma 1 October 2011 CONTRARY to the National Investigation Agencys ( NIA) claim that the two persons they arrested from Jammu and Kashmirs Kishtwar region were the conspirators in th e Delhi High Court blast, home minister P. Chidambaram on Friday said no one has been confirmed either as an accused or a suspect so far.

This holds true for the 13/ 7 Mumbai serial blast case as well, Chidambaram said , which seemed opposite to what Maharashtra police DGP Ajit Parasnis said last w eek that the group behind the Mumbai blasts had been identified. Chidambaram, too, had hinted in the past that a home- grown terror module could be behind the blasts. The home ministers admission on Friday makes it clear that the NIA is far from na bbing the planters or the bomb- makers involved in the high court blast. It come s in the wake of the NIA arresting three persons from Kishtwar with regard to th e blast. Full report at: Mail Today ---------Little hope of justice for Pune blast victims 1 October 2011 Botched probe hits chance of conviction as trial begins THE trial in Punes German Bakery blast case begins on Saturday with the filing of affidavits of witnesses. The families of the victims wait for the guilty to be convicted. But their hope for justice may never get fulfiled as the probe has been botched up beyond redemption. Even the investigators are not willing to bet if there would be any conviction i n the case. Though the Maharashtra antiterrorism squad ( ATS) claimed to have solved the case , it could nab only one of the seven accused named in the chargesheet Mirza Hima yat Inayat Baig. And even against him, the ATS has not been able to produce credible evidence. In fact, its chargesheet, filed on December 3, 2010, does not accuse him of procur ing explosives or assembling the bombs or planting them. Full report at: Mail Today ---------India knows where Dawood lives in Pakistan: P Chidambaram Oct 1, 2011 NEW DELHI: Home minister P Chidambaram on Friday said India knew where underworl d don Dawood Ibrahim was but no one would allow it to go to the place and point out his house even as Pakistan consistently denied his presence in the country. The home minister also said India was not surprised that the US had discovered P akistani intelligence agency ISI s links with terror outfits, including the Haqq ani network. Asked about Dawood s presence in Karachi as claimed by the don s brother Anis Ib rahim in telephonic conversations with the media, Chidambaram said, "This is not

new either. I think we know more than what Dawood Ibrahim s brother told you. W e know where he is but surely no one is allowing, no one will allow me to go to the place and point out his house." He said the matter was raised with Pakistan on several occasions. "We have raise d it with Pakistan. I have raised it with my counterparts. They are in flat deni al. They deny that Dawood Ibrahim is in Pakistan. What is there we can do from I ndia except some day or the other that it will be exposed as a lie," the home mi nister said. After escaping from India following the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, Dawood has be en hiding in Pakistan under the ISI s protection. The US had in 2003 declared hi m a "global terrorist" due to his close links with the al-Qaida. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-knows-where-Dawood-lives-in-Pakis tan-Chidambaram/articleshow/10190412.cms ---------Gaddafi diehards force Sirte retreat by NTH fighters Sep 30, 2011 Ferocious attacks by Gaddafi diehards forced fighters of Libyas new rulers to ret reat from the ousted strongmans birthplace Sirte, where a tank shell killed three in a friendly fire attack. Equally fierce resistance from loyalists in the desert town of Bani Walid, Muamm ar Gaddafis other remaining bastion of support, has stalled a final assault by Na tional Transitional Council (NTC) fighters, said commanders, who called on NATO to increase its air support. While the fugitive Gaddafis whereabouts remain unknown, Libyas Defence Ministry sp okesman Ahmed Bani said in Tripoli one of his sons, Seif al-Islam, was in Bani Walid and another, Mutassim, in Sirte. Along with his father and former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi, Seif is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity. An NTC commander in eastern Sirte told AFP that fighting which raged into Wednes day night was the fiercest yet since new regime forces launched their assault on the Mediterranean port city on September 15. Full report at: http://www.dailypioneer.com/world/10029-gaddafi-diehards-force-sirte-retreat-bynth-fighters.html -------How the terrorist-in-the-making Rezwan Ferdaus was nabbed NARAYAN LAKSHMAN Sep 30, 2011 The dramatic arrest of Rezwan Ferdaus (26) by the FBI on Wednesday was the stron gest signal yet that the Obama administration is going to great lengths to stamp

out the menace of home-grown terror. The case against of Ferdaus, a U.S. citizen bent on wreaking havoc upon the Pent agon and Capitol using C-4 explosives and a ground assault team, was built up th rough the deployment of undercover officers in a sting operation. The multi-agency operation of the FBI s Joint Terrorism Task Force picked up Fer daus on its radar when he said, back in 2010, that he began planning to commit a violent jihad against the U.S. Revealing a bloodthirsty intent from that early stage, Ferdaus apparently got to work on modifying mobile phones to act as electrical switches for an Improvised Explosive Device. When undercover officers of the FBI, who Ferdaus believed wer e recruiters for al-Qaeda, reported back to him that his devices had killed thre e U.S. soldiers and injured four or five others in Iraq, Ferdaus responded, That was exactly what I wanted. After this June 2011 encounter with the terrorist-in-the-making Ferdaus made sev eral more deliveries of his home-made IED switches and, according to an FBI affida vit, was anxious to know how well each of his detonation devices had worked and h ow many Americans they had killed. Full report at: http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2497814.ece -------Intl community prepared to press Israel, Palestine for talks Sep 30, 2011 US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton the international community is prepared to put pressure on Israel and Palestine to bring them to the negotiating table for initiating peace talks. We have to urge the parties to put aside their reluctance or their distrust and b egin the hard work of negotiating, Clinton said. And Egypt, the US, the Quartet, everyone will stand prepared to put pressure on b oth sides to try to move toward a settlement of the outstanding issues, Clinton t old reporters in a joint media availability with the visiting Egyptian Foreign M inister Mohamed Kamel Amr. Last week, US, Russia, Britain and the EU had asked Israel and Palestine to resu me direct peace talks within a month and commit to seeking a deal by the end of 2012. The Quartet statement that came out last week referred President Obamas May speech , where he clearly said, there needs to be negotiations about territory that he said had to be reflective of the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps; there ha d to be negotiations on security so that there could be an agreement about how y ou could transition security, Clinton said. One of the most important parts of the Camp David Accords was an agreement on se curity, she said. Full report at: http://www.dailypioneer.com/world/10022-intl-community-prepared-to-press-israel-

palestine-for-talks.html -------Turkey, France Set To Sign Anti-Terrorism Agreement Sep 30, 2011 Five soldiers were injured in a roadside bomb attack in the southeastern provinc e of Tunceli, the daily Hrriyet reported Wednesday. The soldiers were responding to a kidnapping and arson attack by alleged members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, near the Plmr district in Tuncel i when the bomb went off. PKK members barricaded the road between Tunceli and Erzincan provinces near Plmr di strict and kidnapped a village guard named Ismail Grbz. The militants also took tw o petrol tankers to a nearby avalanche tunnel and set them on fire, causing exte nsive damage to the tunnel. The report said the PKK members also stole numerous vehicles that could be used in possible attacks in the future. Around 10 militants wearing military uniforms forced two trailer trucks to stop near the village of Suveren in Igdir by shooting at their tires. The two truck d rivers, Adem Yilmaz and Yusuf Demir, were forced to leave the vehicles, after wh ich the militants set fire to the trucks. The militants eventually released the two drivers who made their way to a gendarmerie post by hitchhiking. The two tru cks were carrying a load of beans from Uzbekistan to the southern province of Me rsin. Full report at: http://www.hudson-ny.org/2461/turkey-france-set-to-sign-anti-terrorism-agreement -------Gujarat riots whistleblower Sep 30 2011 Ahmedabad : Senior IPS officer Sanjeev Bhatt, who has been locked in a public co nfrontation with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, was arrested Friday in co nnection with an FIR filed against him by a police constable. Constable K D Pant in his complaint at the Ghatlodia police station has alleged the officer forced him to sign an affidavit to say he was present in the meeting at Modi s residence on February 27, 2002. Bhatt has accused Modi of misusing state machinery during the post-Godhra riots. The IPS officer said he was present at a meeting on February 27, 2002, in which Modi had told officials to let Hindus vent their ire soon after the Sabarmati E xpress deaths. The Gujarat government had suspended Bhatt in early August. Bhatt s six-page sus pension order chiefly cites unauthorised absence from duty as ground for the action . After the suspension, Bhatt had said: It is another self-goal by the state govern ment, he had said, adding he took authorised leave on personal grounds.

cop Sanjeev Bhatt arrested

Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/gujarat-riots-whistleblower-cop-sanjeev-bhattarrested/853964/ -------India not surprised at US discovery of ISI link with terror groups: HM P Chidamb aram Sep 30 2011 New Delhi : India today said it was not surprised that the US has now discovered Pakistan s intelligence agency ISI s links with terror outfits including the Ha qqani group, saying this was always known. "We are not surprised that US lately discovered ISI s link with a number of othe r terrorist groups. We always knew that ISI has links with terrorist groups," Ch idambaram said on the latest US assessment that the ISI had links with Haqqani n etwork in Afghanistan-Pakistan region. The relations between US and Pakistan has come under strain recently after the U S military and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) said that Haqqani network i s closely linked to and sometimes acts as an agent for Pakistan s ISI. Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, publicly accu sed the ISI of colluding with the Haqqani network in the September 13 attack on the American Embassy in Kabul. On underworld don Dawood Ibrahim wanted in India, Chidambaram said there was ver y little that this country can do to counter Pakistan s denial about presence of the global terrorist there. Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/india-not-surprised-at-us-discovery-of-isi-lin k-with-terror-groups-hm/853967/ -------India-led UN body seeks adoption of zero tolerance to terrorism Sep 30, 2011 An India-chaired Counter Terrorism Committee of the UN Security Council has come out with a document asking member nations to ensure zero-tolerance towards terror ism by denying safe haven to terrorists and bring to justice perpetrators of ter ror acts. The document calls on member states to take urgent action to prevent and combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. It was released at a special meeting here on Thursday commemorating the 10th ann iversary of the establishment of the Counter-Terrorism Committee. The meeting also marked 10 years of Security Council resolution 1373 (2001), ado pted in response to the 9/11 attacks. Addressing the meeting, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said a decade after 9/1

1, terrorism still remains a potent threat, with thousands losing their lives and repeated attacks destabilising regional harmony. Indias Permanent Representaitve to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri, who chairs the coun ter-terrorism committee, said the Security Council resolution brought increasing solidarity and intensified dialogue among states concerning the threat posed by international terrorism and the means to confront it effectively. Puri later told reporters that from only two states that were signatories to all the 12 UN conventions relating to terrorism as of September 11 2001, the number has now grown to 111. http://www.dailypioneer.com/world/10023-india-led-un-body-seeks-adoption-of-zero -tolerance-to-terrorism.html -------Palestinians have 8 votes in Security Council Sep 30, 2011 RAMALLAH: The Palestinians have secured eight Security Council yes votes for the ir UN membership bid, just one short of the nine they need, the Palestinian fore ign minister said on Thursday. Speaking to reporters in Ramallah, Riyad Al-Malki said he had received assurance s from two additional nations Nigeria and Gabon that they would vote in favor of the Palestinian bid for full state membership at the UN. We have eight states that will vote for Palestine in the Security Council, he said . We are working hard to have a ninth and a tenth. Al-Malki said the Palestinians have assurances of yes votes from Lebanon, Russia, China, India, South Africa and Brazil, in addition to the new confirmations from Nigeria and Gabon. We are working on Bosnia, Colombia and Portugal, he added, saying he was scheduled to visit Bosnia shortly, and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas will make stops in Colombia, Portugal, Honduras and the Dominican Republic in October. Abbas will also deliver an address in Strasbourg on Oct. 6, he said. The Palestinians need to secure at least nine Security Council votes in favor of their membership bid for it to be approved and advanced to the General Assembly . Even with the requisite nine votes, the United States has pledged to use its vet o to block the request, but the Palestinians hope they can at least claim a dipl omatic victory by securing a majority in the Security Council. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article508935.ece -------Beirut multi-faith summit stresses importance of Christians in Middle East By Nafez Qawas

Sep 30, 2011 BEIRUT Muslim, Christian and Druze religious leaders emphasized the need to main tain the Christian presence in the Middle East during a summit held in Beirut Tu esday. The importance of strengthening Muslim-Christian coexistence and emphasizing Chr istian existence in the Middle East were the main points of a statement released at the end of the three-hour meeting at the headquarters of Dar al-Fatwa, Leban ons highest Sunni Muslim religious authority. The conferees stressed [the need to] strengthen national coexistence and Christia n-Muslim interaction based on their Arab affiliation, said the closing statement read out by the secretary-general of the Christian-Muslim committee for dialogue Mohammad al-Sammak. The participants also emphasized that Christian presence in the Levant is histori cal and their role is essential and necessary in their homelands. http://life.nationalpost.com/2011/09/27/beirut-multi-faith-summit-stresses-impor tance-of-------Pak rejects US Haqqani allegations, backs military to defeat security Sep 30 2011 Islamabad : A marathon meeting of Pakistan s top political leaders has rejected as baseless US assertion that the ISI is using the Haqqani network to wage a proxy war in Afghanistan and backed the military in defeating any threat to national s ecurity?. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani convened the meeting of political and religiou s parties yesterday against the backdrop of growing tension with the US and thre ats of unilateral American military action against militants holed up in the tri bal belt bordering Afghanistan. Without naming the US, a resolution adopted at the end of nine-hour meeting said the political leadership had rejected the recent assertions and baseless allegat ions made against Pakistan as they were without substance and derogatory to a part nership approach. The resolution called for a new direction and policy with a focus on peace and re conciliation, saying Pakistan must initiate dialogue with a view to negotiate peac e with our own people in the tribal areas. Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pak-rejects-us-haqqani-allegations-backs-milit ary-to-defeat-threat-.../853866/ -------Pakistan never backed Haqqani network: ISI chief Sep 30, 2011 ISLAMABAD: Pakistans intelligence chief on Thursday denied US accusations that th

threat to national

e country supports the Haqqani network, an Afghan militant group blamed for an a ttack on the American embassy in Kabul. There are other intelligence networks supporting groups who operate inside Afghan istan. We have never paid a penny or provided even a single bullet to the Haqqan i network, Lieutenant-General Ahmed Shuja Pasha told Reuters after meeting politi cal leaders over heavily strained US-Pakistani ties. Pasha, one of the most powerful men in the South Asian nation, told the all-part y gathering that US military action against insurgents in Pakistan would be unac ceptable and the army would be capable of responding, local media said. But he later said the reports were baseless. Pakistan has long faced US demands to attack militants on its side of the border with Afghanistan, but pressure has grown since the top US military officer, Adm iral Mike Mullen, accused Pashas Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) directorate of supporting a Sept. 13 attack on the US mission in Kabul. Full report at: http://www.dawn.com/2011/09/30/pakistan-never-backed-haqqani-network-isi-chief.h tml -------MQM-H chief Afaq Ahmed behind bars, petition in court By Zeeshan Mujahid September 30, 2011 KARACHI: The furore over the extended detention of Afaq Ahmed of the Mohajir Qau mi Movement-Haqiqi continued on Thursday with a petition challenging it in court , a party press conference threatening passive reaction and a police explanation of why it happened. On Monday, Afaq, who has been in jail since 2004, was granted bail in the last r emaining case against him, for the 2009 murder of a rival Muttahida Qaumi Moveme nt (MQM) worker. He was supposed to be released on Wednesday but then came the o rders that he was being detained for another month as there were fears violence would break out upon his release. If Afaq Ahmed is not released by Monday, we will direct our party activists who a re living [away from their neighbourhoods] to go to their homes in groups of fiv e to 10 people, said MQM-H vice chairman Shamshad Ahmed Khan Ghauri in a press co nference on Thursday. And if anything happens to any one of them then the governm ent will be responsible. He chose to blame the additional chief secretary for the home department, Waseem Ahmed, for the authorities decision to detain Afaq another month under the Maint enance of Public Order rules. The Sindh police attempted to deflect the allegations, with Inspector General Wa jid Ali Durrani saying that they recommended delaying Afaqs release. Full report at: http://tribune.com.pk/story/263339/another-month-mqm-h-chief-behind-bars-petitio n-in-court/

-------Pakistan must eliminate militant safe havens, says Clinton Sep 30, 2011 WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday renewed calls on P akistan to eliminate safe havens that militants use to launch attacks into Afgha nistan, while calling for better US-Pakistani ties. Were certainly making clear that we want to see an end to safe havens and any kind of support from anywhere for terrorists inside Pakistan, Clinton told reporters. And we also want to continue to work to put our relationship (with Pakistan) on a stronger footing, the chief US diplomat said as US-Pakistani ties appeared worse than ever. The Pakistani government and opposition leaders on Thursday closed ranks against increasing US pressure for action against the Haqqani network, refusing to be p ressured into doing more in the war on terror. The group, allegedly based in Pakistans North Waziristan tribal region, was found ed by former CIA asset Jalaluddin Haqqani and is run by his son Sirajuddin. It i s blamed for attacks on US and Nato forces in Afghanistan. Despite the serious questions that Washington has about Pakistans support for milit ants, Clinton said, we have a lot of interests that are in common, most particula rly the fight against terrorism. http://www.dawn.com/2011/09/30/pakistan-must-eliminate-militant-safe-havens-says -clinton.html -------US woos Pakistan with jazz Associated Press September 30, 2011 Carrots haven t worked with Pakistan. Neither have sticks. Now the US has enlist ed the power of jazz music to improve relations with Pakistanis at a time when t he important alliance has hit rock bottom. The Ari Roland Jazz Quartet certainly faced a daunting task. The US has spent bi llions of dollars over the past 10 years to win Pakistan s support in fighting al Qaeda and Taliban militants and turn around rampant anti-American sentiment in the co untry. Now, Congress is threatening to cut off funding given the lack of results . The performances are part of a recent stepped-up effort nsor cultural events in Pakistan. Already this year, an aged Neil Simon s play The Odd Couple. The embassy also untry rock band and a hip hop group as well as American ho will give workshops to Pakistanis. by the US Embassy to spo American director has st plans to bring over a co documentary filmmakers w

The jazz quartet from New York City arrived in Pakistan about two weeks ago for

a series of concerts and music classes with local musicians. The trip culminated with a live recording of a "friendship song" with a Pakistani rock band during a concert Tuesday night. But relations between the two countries have been anything but friendly during t heir trip. Only two days before the musicians got here, militants fired rocket-propelled gr enades and assault rifles at the US Embassy and Nato headquarters in Afghanistan , killing seven Afghans in an attack that the top US military officer said was c arried out by fighters supported by Pakistan s main spy agency. Full report at: http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/pakistan/US-woos-Pakistan-with-jazz/Art icle1-751825.aspx -------Bin Ladens bodyguard freed by Pakistan Sep 30, 2011 LAHORE: Pakistan has freed a senior al Qaeda commander, who served as a bodyguar d to Osama bin Laden, according to a senior security source, raising fresh quest ions about the countrys commitment to tackling terrorism Amin al-Haq, who escaped from Afghanistan with the al Qaeda leader in 2001 and w ent on to become a key financial aide, was detained in Lahore three years ago by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency. A senior security source in Peshawar, where he had been held, said the ISI had p assed al-Haq on to the police before he was released earlier this month. Amin al-Haq had been arrested mistakenly, therefore, the police failed to prove a ny charge of his association with Osama bin Laden and the court set him free, he told The Daily Telegraph. Pakistan has a poor track record of convicting terrori sts, blamed in part on an ill-equipped police force and an overstretched judicia l service. However, critics accuse elements of the security services of turning a blind eye to extremist groups. Al-Haq, who is thought to be 51, has a long his tory with armed groups. He fought Soviet forces during the 1980s and was part of the Afghan delegation, which travelled to Sudan in the 1996 to bring bin Laden to Afghanistan The US froze al-Haqs assets after the 9-11 attacks on the World Tr ade Centre. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\09\30\story_30-9-2011_pg1_4 -------4 million children at risk of hunger, disease in Pakistan Sep 30, 2011 ISLAMABAD: At least four million children are at risk of hunger and disease in S indh as funding fatigue from rich nations continues to fuel the desperation face d by families, a recent report of Save the Children warned. Pledges to help aid agencies meet the massive needs of displaced communities has been sluggish with only 3 percent of the $357 million UN appeal received so far .

It said that up to eight million people have been affected by the flooding again this year after torrential rains caused riverbanks to burst and overflow in lat e August. Some villages were drowned by rainfall in just one day, forcing people to flee t o roadside, railway tracks, schools and higher ground in search of shelter. Save the Children started delivering food rations to 5,000 families in the Sangh ar district where a total of 900,000 people have been affected by flooding, acco rding to local authorities. It said that children and families are drinking from floodwater contaminated with sewage. The aid agency has launched a $30 million flood response appeal for lower Sindh. Save the Children aims to provide support to 1 million people, including 600,00 0 children in four of the worst hit districts: Badin, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar and Ta ndo Allahyar. Save the Children has been working in Pakistan for more than 30 years and is alr eady supporting nearly seven million people in the country. Full report at: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\09\30\story_30-9-2011_pg7_2 -------Pakistan: Forty-eight Indian fishermen arrested Sep 30 2011 KARACHI: The Maritime Security Agency (MSA) has arrested 48 Indian fishermen and seized eight boats for fishing illegally in Pakistani territorial waters. A spokesman of MSA told APP here on Friday that the agency took action against I ndian fishermen late on Thursday night. He said the fishermen were interrogated and later handed over to the Docks polic e. It was the fourth such seizure by the MSA in the month of September as a total 9 4 fishermen were arrested and 21 boats were seized, he added. http://www.dawn.com/2011/09/30/forty-eight-indian-fishermen-arrested.html -------Lawyer optimism for Iranian death-row Christian cleric Sep 30, 2011 The lawyer for an Iranian Christian cleric sentenced to death for apostasy says he is optimistic that his client will be acquitted. The lawyer, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, said there was a 95% chance Yusuf Naderkhani w ould be freed. Iran s Supreme Court has said that Naderkhani s sentence may be annulled if he r enounces Christianity. His lawyer says that he refuses to do so.

There have been international appeals for clemency for Naderkhani. Now in his early 30s, he converted to Christianity at the age of 19. He was arre sted in 2009 and sentenced to death the following year by a court of appeals. The former Anglican Bishop of Rochester, the Right Reverend Michael Nazir-Ali, s aid he could not advise Naderkhani to recant. "As a Christian I can t do that," he told BBC Radio 4 s PM programme. "In a much lesser way I have faced these questions myself, and I would ask for m yself for strength in this situation and courage, and that is what I would ask f or him. "But at the same time to ask that understanding and compassion and clemency be e xercised by those who are in authority." Dr Nazir-Ali, who is working for the UK charity Release, said there was concern in Iran about the growth of house churches, and it "may be that someone is seeki ng to make an example". He said it was the first time the death penalty had been handed down in such a c ase since 1990. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15116650 -------Blast in hotel building injures six in Islamabad Sep 30, 2011 ISLAMABAD: A blast ripped through the top floor of a hotel building in the Pakis tani capital Islamabad, injuring at least six people late Thursday, police offic ials said. City police chief Bani Amin said the cause of the blast appears to be a gas cylin der as gas was still leaking at the Citi Hotel in the Blue Area, a normally bustl ing district of shops and restaurants. Another police official at the scene told AFP at least six people were injured. http://www.dawn.com/2011/09/29/explosion-reported-at-islamabad-hotel.html -------Thirty-four labourers kidnapped from Khyber tribal region Sep 30, 2011 PESHAWAR: Thirty-four labourers were kidnapped from two different locations in t he Khyber tribal region, DawnNews reported on Friday. According to security officials, dozens of armed men picked up 30 labourers work ing in a coal mine in Baras Akkakhel area. In a separate incident, four labourers working on a roadside were also kidnapped in the tribal region. All the abducted labourers were shifted to an unknown location, sources added. Panic gripped the locality and security forces started a rescue operation after

cordoning off the area. No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnappings so far. http://www.dawn.com/2011/09/30/thirty-four-labourers-kidnapped-from-khyber.html -------Omar Abdullah apologises for disclosing names of rape victims Sep 30, 2011 Under Opposition attack, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Frida y tendered an unconditional apology for revealing the names of rape victims in t he last five years in the State Assembly. I tender an unconditional apology. There is a deep sense of shame over revealing the names of the victims, Mr. Abdullah told the Assembly. The issue was raised by Opposition leader Mehbooba Mufti, who accused the govern ment of stigmatising the victims by revealing their identities in the Assembly. She said it was in contravention of section 228 (A) of the IPC and Supreme Court ruling on the matter. CPM MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami also supported Ms. Mufti on the issue. The Chief Minister assured the House that such incidents will not be repeated. H e said the Supreme Court ruling should not have been violated. Under what circums tances these details have been revealed, I will look into it and will come back to the House, he said. The Jammu and Kashmir government had on Wednesday made public the names of hundr eds of rape victims in the State. The list of names and residential details of t he victims were made available by the Home Ministry, headed by the Chief Ministe r, in the Legislative Council. The details were given in reply to a question by MLC Subash Chander Gupta. The CPI(M) had on Thursday criticised the State government for disclosing the id entity of rape victims and termed the move as secondary victimisation of the women . http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article2499855.ece -------Kyrgyzstan parliament bans gambling Sep 30, 2011 Kyrgyzstan s parliament has voted to ban gambling, meaning casinos will close th roughout the country. The bill was passed with almost no opposition, following repeated warnings from politicians that gambling has become a major social problem. The new law allows a single gambling zone to be designated, but no location has yet been identified. Thousands of casino workers took to the streets to protest against the passage o f the law.

Opponents said Kyrgyzstan cannot afford the ban as casinos are both a major empl oyer and source of tax revenue. One of the deputies opposing the bill, Shirin Aitmatova of the Socialist party, said: "You should provide people with the work before prohibiting casinos." But Baktybek Dzhetigenov of the conservative Fatherland Party said: "We are talk ing about the fate of many families who are losing everything because of casinos ." Gambling debts Other gambling businesses and gambling machines will also be outlawed. It is the smaller establishments that have caused the biggest concern to the aut horities. Residents tell stories of poor people getting into debt or teenagers stealing fr om home to fund their gambling addictions. Thousands of casino workers picketed the parliament building in Bishkek as deput ies considered the bill. Full report at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15116452 -------Morocco cafe bombing: Eight deny Marrakesh attack Sep 30, 2011 Eight men accused over the deadly bombing of a cafe in the Moroccan city of Marr akesh have all denied involvement in the attack. As the trial resumed, some of the accused told the court they had been threatene d to make them confess. The blast at the Argana cafe in April killed 17 people, mostly foreign tourists. Chief suspect Adel Othmani denies murder and making explosives while seven other s deny playing lesser roles. At the last hearing on 22 September, Mr Othmani said his earlier confession and participation in a re-enactment of the attack were performed under threat of tor ture. He said he had never set foot in Marrakesh. When the trial resumed on Thursday, his fellow accused also denied involvement. Defendant Abdessamad Battar said he had been threatened into confessing. "I didn t read the deposition drawn up by the police, they made me sign it and I did so out of fear," he told the courtroom in Sale, near Rabat. Full report at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15119949 -------Activists in Arab World Vie to Define Islamic State By ANTHONY SHADID and DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK Sep 30, 2011 CAIRO By force of this years Arab revolts and revolutions, activists marching und er the banner of Islam are on the verge of a reckoning decades in the making: th e prospect of achieving decisive power across the region has unleashed an unprec edented debate over the character of the emerging political orders they are help ing to build. Few question the coming electoral success of religious activists, but as they em erge from the shadows of a long, sometimes bloody struggle with authoritarian an d ostensibly secular governments, they are confronting newly urgent questions ab out how to apply Islamic precepts to more open societies with very concrete need s. In Turkey and Tunisia, culturally conservative parties founded on Islamic princi ples are rejecting the name Islamist to stake out what they see as a more democrat ic and tolerant vision. In Egypt, a similar impulse has begun to fracture the Muslim Brotherhood as a gr owing number of politicians and parties argue for a model inspired by Turkey, wh ere a party with roots in political Islam has thrived in a once-adamantly secula r system. Some contend that the absolute monarchy of puritanical Saudi Arabia in fact violates Islamic law. A backlash has ensued, as well, as traditionalists have flirted with timeworn Is lamist ideas like imposing interest-free banking and obligatory religious taxes and censoring irreligious discourse. Full report at: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/30/world/middleeast/arab-debate-pits-islamists-ag ainst-themselves.html?ref=world -------Let us get rid of the border: Ansar Burney Sep 30, 2011 Burney pleads for release of Pakistani virologist Dr. Chishty from Ajmer jail Pakistan s human rights crusader Ansar Burney has asked both India and Pakistan to stop exchanging bodies, and consider sending people alive back home. The real goodwill would be in exchanging people live and not their dead bodies, Mr. Burney , who visited the mausoleum of Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti in Ajmer on Th ursday, said. The activist-lawyer, instrumental in creating a lot of goodwill between India an d Pakistan in the past few years, could not meet Pakistani virologist Khaleel Ch ishty who is in Ajmer jail after a court sentenced him for life this January, th ough the main purpose of his visit this time appeared to be that.

It is time that Pakistan and India do away with the borders dividing both the nat ions, Mr. Burney told journalists at Ajmer Dargah. They should learn from the experience of the European Union countries and allow v isa-free entry for their citizens, Mr. Burney said. The nations in EU too were fi ghting detrimental battles in the past but now they co-exist in peace, he noted. Why don t we have a South Asia Union through which all the nations could exist in peace and prosper, he asked. Let us get rid of the border and grow roses there as mark of love and affection for each, he suggested. Full report at: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2498047.ece -------Philippine Muslim rebels cut ties with renegade commander Sep 30, 2011 MANILA: A leader of the largest Muslim rebel group in the Philippines says it ha s formally severed ties with a renegade guerrilla commander who led attacks agai nst Christian communities after a proposed peace pact was scuttled three years a go. Ghadzali Jaafar, vice chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said Thursd ay that the rebels central committee made the decision in light of Ameril Umbra K atos declaration in August that he has left the rebel group and formed his own. Jaafar says the rebels cease-fire agreement with the government will no longer co ver Katos Bangsamoro Islamic Liberation Movement. Presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles says she is withholding comment until the rebel leadership has officially informed the government of its decision. http://arabnews.com/world/article508721.ece -------Seven Syrian troops die as armed resistance emerges Sep 30, 2011 AMMAN: Syria said on Friday that seven of its soldiers and police were killed in an operation against terrorists in the central town of Rastan, where armed resi stance has emerged after months of mostly peaceful protests against President Ba shar Al-Assad. The state news agency reported the deaths in the first official comment on a thr ee-day government offensive to recapture the area from army defectors. The units responsible have inflicted big losses on the armed terrorist groups, the agency said, quoting a military spokesman. The confrontation resulted in the kil ling of seven personnel, among them two officers, and the injuring of 32, includ ing seven officers, from the army and security police. Syrias army and security forces have remained mostly loyal to Assad during the si x months of protests demanding his overthrow in which the United Nations says 2, 700 people have been killed.

But army deserters, many of whom defected because they refused to shoot at demon strators, have formed rebel units mostly in farming areas around Rastan, a town of 40,000 people which lies 180 km (110 miles), north of Damascus. One army defector operating in the province of Idlib, northwest of Rastan, said the defectors in the town were using guerrilla tactics against the heavily-armed loyalist forces. Rastan has been churning out army officers for decades and there is a lot of expe rience among the defecting soldiers. Assad is mistaken if he thinks that he can wrap up the attack quickly, he said, adding that agricultural terrain made it dif ficult for the regular army to seal off the area. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article509067.ece -------Yemen s Ali Abdullah Saleh refuses to step down Sep 30, 2011 Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has said he will not step down if those who have taken up arms against him are allowed to stand in elections. Saleh, who returned to Yemen last week after a three-month absence, warned of ci vil war in an interview with Time and The Washington Post. He faces a widespread protest movement as well as an insurrection by renegade ar my units and tribal fighters. He has refused to sign a transition deal brokered by Gulf states. Under the deal, he would hand over to Vice-President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi in ret urn for immunity from prosecution. "If we transfer power and they [rival forces] are there, this will mean that we have given in to a coup," Saleh said in his first interview since returning to Y emen. "If we transfer power, and they are in their positions, and they are still decis ion makers, this will be very dangerous. This will lead to civil war." Saleh spent three months in Saudi Arabia for treatment after his presidential pa lace was shelled in June. Journalists said Saleh s face was marked by "deep scars" and he had trouble hear ing. No Full report at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15121110 -------India warns against hurry in troop withdrawal from Afghanistan Sep 30, 2011 UNITED NATIONS: Expressing concern over the deteriorating security situation in

Afghanistan, India today warned against any "hurry" in withdrawing troops from t he country, saying such a move should be done keeping in mind the ground realiti es and not just to meet any deadline. "For peace, stability and security in Afghanistan, it is imperative that the ong oing transition must be linked to the ground realities rather than rigid timetab les. This, the international community in its hurry to withdraw from a combat ro le in Afghanistan, will ignore at its own peril," India s Permanent Representati ve to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri said. Pointing out that extremist groups continue to attack high-security targets and assassinate important political figures such as former president Burhanudin Rabb ani, Puri said gains on the security front cannot be consolidated unless the int ernational community is able to firmly deal with safe havens for terrorist group s outside Afghanistan s borders. He said the "syndicate of terrorism" including al-Qaida, LeT and other extremist groups operating from within and outside Afghan borders must be rooted out for stability in the country. "For security and stabilisation of Afghanistan, it is important to isolate and r oot out the syndicate of terrorism which includes elements of the al-Qaida, Tali ban, Laskar-e-Taiba and other terrorist and extremist groups operating from with in and outside Afghanistan s borders," Puri said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/India-warns-against-hurry-in-troop-w ithdrawal-from-Afghanistan/articleshow/10182046.cms -------Shehla Masood s murder still remains a mystery Sep 30 2011 Bhopal : Almost a month after CBI took over investigations into the murder Madhy a Pradesh RTI activist Shehla Masood, her killing is still shrouded in mystery a s the probe agency continues to look for answers, remaining tight-lipped about t he progress in the case. "We are not in a position to share any details about the case looking at the sen sitivity associated with the murder of the RTI activist," CBI s Bhopal Unit Depu ty Inspector General (DIG), Hemant Priyadarshi said. The sensational murder took place on August 16, in front of Masood s house in th e posh Kohe-E-Fiza locality when she was shot dead while entering her Santro car to leave for an anti-corruption rally which was being organised here as part of Anna Hazare s India Against Corruption movement. Following this a case was registered and the CBI took over the probe on Septembe r 3. As parts of its investigations, the agency recreated the scene of the crime in front of her house and probed all possible angles to get to the bottom of th e case. Groping in dark for clues, the CBI on September 16, announced a reward of Rs fiv e lakh to the person who provides reliable information to arrest those involved in the activist s killing. The issue also took a political turn in view of Shehla s association with BJP s Rajya Sabha member, Tarun Vijay, with whom she had worked on a number of project s.

She had also filed several RTI applications against many powerful persons includ ing forest, police and culture department officials besides mining department pe rsons. The RTI activist was also a tiger conservationist and had filed applications on the issue of dwindling population of big cats in the country. Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/shehla-masoods-murder-still-remains-a-mystery/ 853867/ -------Intellectuals protest deportation of U.S. broadcaster-writer Sep 30, 2011 Immigration authorities told him he was banned

Noted authors, journalists, academicians, lawyers and filmmakers have strongly p rotested against the denial of entry into India to David Barsamian, a U.S.-based broadcaster and writer. He has been a frequent visitor to the country since the 1970s and has written ex tensively about various facets of India and its people. Mr. Barsamian was deported from Delhi s international airport on September 23 by the immigration authorities, who told him that he was banned from entering the country but refused to divulge the reasons. The deportation of David Barsamian unfortunately mirrors the manner in which Prof essor Richard Shapiro was arbitrarily stopped from entering India in November 20 10. We are dismayed that this power to send people back from the airport is slow ly becoming a weapon, used to discipline and silence people who draw any kind of attention to uncomfortable truths about India, eminent intellectuals said in the ir protest letter on Thursday. A year later, Professor Shapiro still has no formal response on why he was stoppe d, and when he can regain his right to travel to India, where he has family. Full report at: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2497779.ece -------Egypt parties threaten boycott over election law Sep 30, 2011 Egypts Muslim Brotherhood, tipped as favourites in the nation s first free electi ons, has threatened to boycott the upcoming parliamentary polls, along with othe r groups, demanding scrapping of reservation of one third of the seats for non-p arty candidates. A political bloc of over 50 parties or groups led by the Brotherhood has sought an amendment to the countrys recently announced electoral law, as they fear this would lead to the return to parliament of loyalists of the Hosni Mubarak regime.

from entering the country

Egypts military rulers recently announced the timetable for the nation as first p arliamentary elections since the fall of the Mubarak regime, but the electoral l aw governing the process prompted immediate expressions of concerns. In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, the groups set a deadline of Sunday fo r their demands to be met, a report in Al Jazeera said. The Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) had announced that the parliamentary elections would begin on November 28 and would be held over a period of four mon ths. The objections stem from Article Five of the electoral law, which bans political parties from running in a third of the seats, that are reserved for independent candidates. The statement by the group said the changes proposed by them to the electoral la w would effectively bar many supporters of Mubarak from running for office. We reject participation in the elections unless the article is changed, said the s tatement, also signed by the coalition of The Democratic Alliance, which include s 37 parties along with the Brotherhoods Freedom and Justice party (FJP). In the post-Mubarak era, the FJP is the largest and best organised political par ty in Egypt, widely believed to be a major political force. http://www.dailypioneer.com/world/10026-boycott-threat-as-parties-reject-elector al-law.html -------George Weigel: five years after Pope Benedicts controversial remarks about Islam Sep 30, 2011 In the flood of commentary surrounding the 10th anniversary of 9/11, I found but one reference to a related anniversary of considerable importance: the fifth an niversary of Pope Benedict XVIs Regensburg Lecture. That lecture, given the day a fter the fifth anniversary of 9/11 at the popes old university in Germany, identi fied the two key challenges to 21st-century Islam, if that faith of over a billi on people is going to live within todays world in something other than a conditio n of war. On the fifth anniversary of Regensburg, therefore, its worth reviewing what the Pope proposed, not least because the 9/11 anniversary commentary assidu ously avoided the question that the Holy Father courageously confronted: the que stion of what-must-change in Islam in the future, to prevent an ongoing global w ar of Islam-against-the-rest. Benedict XVI made two proposals at Regensburg. Islam, he suggested, must find a way to affirm religious freedom as a fundamenta l human right that can be known by reason and that includes the right to change ones religionand it must find this way from within its own religious, legal, philoso phical and theological resources. The question is not one of surrender to certai n secularist conceptions of public life, any more than it was when Catholicism c onfronted political modernity and found a solution in the Second Vatican Councils Declaration on Religious Freedom. The solution has to come from within, in what Christian theology would call a development of doctrine. http://life.nationalpost.com/2011/09/28/george-weigel-five-years-after-pope-bene dicts-

-------Jamia Millia Islamia launches study programs on China and Afghanistan Sep 30, 2011 New Delhi: Jamia Millia Islamia will soon establish a China Studies Centre and a n Afghanistan Studies Centre. These centres have been sanctioned by the UGC unde r the scheme of Area Study Centres. The objective of establishing these centres is to promote an Indian understanding of China and Afghanistan in a historical f ramework as well as from a contemporary perspective. The centres will encourage interdisciplinary research focussing on the history, sociology, politics, economics and languages of these two countries. The centres will develop a pool of scholars and expertise on China and Afghanistan besides networking with similar institutions engaged in the study of these two countries . The activities of the centres would be designed to stimulate debate in public spheres for public policy making. Jamia already has studies programmes on Africa, West Asia, Central Asia, Pakista n and Bangladesh. http://twocircles.net/2011sep29/jamia_launches_study_ -------A Look at the Life of Al-Qaida Cleric Al-Awlaki September 30, 2011 The Yemeni government said U.S.-born al-Qaida cleric Anwar al-Awlaki was killed in an airstrike Friday in the eastern province of al-Jawf. Here are the most prominent dates in the life of al-Awlaki: April 22, 1971, born in New Mexico to Yemeni parents. In 1978, family returns to Yemen where father serves as agriculture minister, pr ofessor at Sanaa University. In 1991, al-Awlaki returns to U.S. to study civil engineering at Colorado State University, then education studies at San Diego State University and later does doctoral work at George Washington University in Washington. In 2000, al-Awlaki starts preaching in San Diego mosque where he met two of the Sept. 11 hijackers, Khalid al-Midhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi. Al-Awlaki becomes preacher at Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virg inia, outside Washington. After Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, al-Awlaki was interviewed at least four times in t wo weeks about his dealings with three of the hijackers aboard the flight that s lammed into the Pentagon. The Sept. 11 Commission report said al-Awlaki was also investigated by the FBI in 1999 and 2000. None of the investigations led to cri minal charges against him. Returns to Sanaa in 2004. Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/09/30/world/middleeast/AP-ML-Yemen-Al-Awlak iURL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=558 7 Forward to a friend COMMENTS Print