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  • 7/31/2019 SAT Issue 02-15 Final

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    PresidentialPolls2012Year 2 Issue 15 Thursday, 25.10.12 www.satribune.co.uk

    Seepage6

    FR

    TribuneSouth Asi

    Another school girl froSwat threatened by Taliba

    The story does not end Hina will be next after MNYPD paid me to baitMuslims, informant ofBangladeshi descent claims

    More than three millionpilgrims, including twomillion from abroad,including More than 25,000

    British Hajj Pilgrims aretaking part in the spiritualevent Haj 1433

    Groups of pilgrims have startedthe move from Madinah andother parts of the Kingdom toMakkah and Mina, chanting

    Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik (OGod, here I am answering yourcall). Haj must be performed at

    least once in their lifetime byall Muslims capable of makingthe expensive, difcult journey- a duty that applies equally to

    Sunni and Shiite Muslims at atime of tension between Islams

    Hajj MubarakLabbaik Allahumma Labbaik(O God, here I am answering your call)

    Malalas attacker arrestwas freed in 2009

    Following the deadly attack onactivist Malala Yousafzai a fewweeks ago, another schoolgirlfrom Swat, Hina Khan whowas a pioneer in raising hervoice publicly against Talibanatrocities in the MalakandValley, is now also claiming to be

    on the Talibans hit list. Wbeen further worrisome

    The main suspect in the shootingof Malala Yousufzai, the teenageactivist who spoke out againstthe Taliban, has been identied,

    Pakistani police say.And a group of men who allegedlyfacilitated the attack against theschoolgirl have been arrested,police said Wednesday.Atta Ullah, a 23-year-old from the

    Swat district where Malattacked, was identiedmain suspect. Ullah was for a masters in chemistr

    say. The Taliban-heavValley is in the northwestof Pakistan.The suspects ance, mobrother have also been ar

    The alleged organiser of the Taliban shooting of 1old Malala Yousafzai was captured during a 2009 moffensive against the hardline Islamist group but reafter three months,

    Arrests made in shootingPakistani schoolgirl Mal

    A paid informant for the NewYork Police Departmentsintelligence unit was underorders to bait Muslims into

    saying inammatory things ashe lived a double life, snappingpictures inside mosques andcollecting the names of innocent

    people attending study groupson Islam Report.Shamiur Rahman, a 19-year-old

    Continued on page

    Continued on page 11 >>

    Continued on page 5 >> Continued on page

    A red crossmarked on Hina

    Khans residence.

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    NEWS2 South Asia Tribune I Thursday 25 Octo

    PublisherSalah Bu Khamas (UAE)Sabha Khan (UK)

    UK Ofce10 Courtenay Road, Wembley,Middlesex, HA9 7ND UKPhone: +44 20 8904 0619Fax: +44 20 8181 [email protected]

    India OfceSatya Infomedia Pvt. Ltd.C/O Satya Group.1st Floor, Avenue Appt.,Near Sheth. R. J. J. High School,Tithal Road,

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    Gujarat, IndiaUnited Arab Emirates OfceS.K. Group of CompaniesP.O. Box 9021, Karama Dubai,United Arab EmiratesTel: +971 4 2659970, 3359929;Fax: +971 4 2659971, 3341609

    www.sk-grou pofcompanie s.com

    Managing Editor & CEOMohammad Shahid Khan

    Group Editorial ManagersGulzar Khan (India)

    Abdul Kh alique ( Pakistan)

    Editorial Board UKFrances Brunner

    FYI Tribune teamAdrian Fe llarMisbah KhanReema ShahRohma KhanKeziah-Ann Abakah

    Marketing & SalesAndrew Klu gman (Ma nager)

    Art Departm ent UKAli Ansar (Art Directo r)Mohammad Reazul Islam

    Ex-secretary Aisha Ali-Khan saysthere was no spy plot against the

    Respect MP, adding she has beenthrown to the wolves reportsGuardian.Galloway strongly denied hacking

    or authorising anyone else tohack emails on his behalf, andstands by his story, saying: Thepolice investigation will no doubtestablish the truth.Last Sunday George Gallowayalleged that he had discoveredhis secretary was working as anagent for a Metropolitan policecounterterrorism ofcer who wasrunning a dirty tricks campaignagainst him.

    It was a serious allegation. Adirect attack on not just me buton democracy, the MP said.

    He complained to the police,who promised an investigation,voluntarily referring the matter tothe Independent Police Complaints

    Commission. And he wrote toTheresa May, the home secretary,demanding an inquiry, saying hehad incontrovertible evidence

    that the duo had set up fake emailaddresses to spread rumour,

    disinformation and downrightlies. Guardian reported.But Galloways now formersecretary, Aisha Ali-Khan, is

    ghting back. She says she ismarried to Az Khan, whomGalloway correctly identied asa detective inspector in the Metscounter-terrorism unit, SO15.She is furious that her relationshipis being presented as somehowillicit. Suspended on full pay butnot expecting her job back, Ali-Khan has led a complaint withthe Met, accusing Galloway ofeither hacking into her private

    emails or ordering someone elseto do so. She believes there canbe no other explanation for how

    he was able to quote verhis letter to May, from e

    and her husband had weach other. Galloway saygiven the emails by hiGalloway has claimed

    couple had been sleepihouse, and without pewhile I was abroad. Hdiscovered this followingin, when Ali-Khans parlilaptop was stolen from Ghome in Streatham, southwhere she lived for a fewwhile the constituency obeing set up in Bradford.insists Khan never slephouse, but simply popp

    use the loo one night bbreak-in, Ali-Khan dismtalk of conspiracy.

    George Galloways PA, her police ofcehusband and claims of dirty tricks

    GEORGE Galloways Respect partylooks set to contest the Croydon North

    by-election, the Advertiser reported.Respect believes it could emulatethe remarkable result which saw MrGalloway overturn a Labour majorityto win Bradford West. Malcolm

    Wicks, who passed away last month,held Croydon North as a similarlysafe Labour seat. But Mr Gallowaythinks Respect can appeal to theconstituencys Asian population byattacking Mr Wicks support of the

    Iraq War. The news comes as itemerged Lambeth Council leaderSteve Reed has put himself forwardto be Labours candidate. Respecthas yet to choose its hopeful but aparty ofcial told the Advertiser it isfairly denite it will stand in the by-election, which could be held as earlyas next month.

    A source from Mr Galloways ofcetold the Advertiser: Its true we areconsidering standing in CroydonNorth, though we dont have acandidate as of yet. The demographicof the area suits us and while theres amassive Labour majority, Wicks towedthe party line on things like tuition

    fees and the Iraq War so we think wecan make inroads into it. Certainly wecan wipe the Lib Dems out.Croydon North has a Muslimpopulation of more than 10,000,though Respect believes it can winsupport in other communities too.Respects 2010 candidate MohammedShaikh won only 275 votes in CroydonNorth, compared to Mr Wicks majorityof 16,483, but the partys prole hassince increased signicantly.It would not be drawn on potentialcandidates but said it had one or two

    people in mind.The next stage will to put the proposal

    to our national executive and council,which can be done pretty quickly, aspokesman said.We will know for certain whether we

    will stand or not within the next tendays, but its looking fairly denite.Were not a huge party but there areone or two people that are certainlyinterested. We wont have anydifculty nding a candidate.

    Val Shawcross, former Labour leaderof Croydon Council, has applied to beLabours candidate.She will face competition fromSelhursts Gerry Ryan and LambethsSteve Reed, when the shortlistedcandidates are interviewed by the

    partys national executive committeetomorrow (Wednesday).Mr Reed is a vocal critic of CroydonCouncils handling of the UpperNorwood Library saga,It had been thought the election

    would be held on November 15 tocoincide with the Corby by-electionand the police crime commissioner

    by-elections.However, it has been pencilled infor November 29, three weeks afterLabour Party members in CroydonNorth select their candidate.

    Croydon Spring? Galloways Respect partyset to contest Croydon North by-election

    Sikhs Against the EDL will be marching against the English Defen(EDL) in Walthamstow, East London this Saturday 27th October. demonstration is being organised by a multi-cultural, multi-racial and organisation known as We Are Walthamstow. It is a broad-based nlocal community groups, political organisations and trade unions. Thecelebrate diversity and oppose racism and fascism and to show the EDare not welcome in Walthamstow.This is the second time the EDL is coming to Walthamstow within tw

    Waltham Forest Council has issued a statement against the EDL mhas, called on our whole community to come out. The last time

    to Walthamstow was at the beginning of September, when they comprehensive show of disapproval. The 200 EDL supporters were blomore than 4000 local people. Thus the police forced them to abandon tafter making several arrests.But now they want to cause deliberate provocation and offence to thcommunity by returning during the holy Muslim festival of Eid. Since itsthree years ago, they have staged more than 90 provocative demonstowns and cities around the country, attempting to stir up anti-Musand hatred. Their march in September in Walsall, like many others befin violence when they pelted the police with bricks and sticks and resulttheir members being arrested.Over this weekend, it has been reported that 53 supporters of the arrested on the M1 motorway. They were hiding in a removal van headinLondon, apparently to be used as a trojan horse, to allegedly, target

    while the police were occupied at the large TUC demonstration.

    It is also alleged that among those arrested were EDL leader Tommy RoStephen Yaxley Lennon and deputy leader Kevin Carroll who is also rthe Police Commissioners position in Bedfordshire on behalf of the EDL

    wing, the British Freedom Party. The British Freedom Party, is a breakafrom the BNP, but with equally fascist policies who want to scrap the

    Act and ban all manifestations of religious and cultural separatism.

    Sikhs against the E

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    NEWSSouth Asia Tribune I Thursday 25 October 2012

    Three Birmingham-born ringleadersof a suicide bomb plot planned toset off eight blasts which could havebeen bigger than the July 7 London

    attacks, a court has heard.Woolwich Crown Court was told themen described the plan as theirown 9/11 and that the plot had the

    potential to kill more people thanthe bombings in 2005.Irfan Naseer, 31, Irfan Khalid, 27,both of Sparkbrook and Ashik Ali,27, of Balsall Heath, all denied12 charges between them underSection 5 of the Terrorism Act.The trio are accused of planningeight simultaneous suicideexplosions in public places.They also face charges of collecting

    cash for terrorism, and recruitingothers.Naseer and Khalid are also accusedof travelling to Pakistan for terroristtraining where they allegedlylearned how to build IEDs and rearms training.Prosecutor Brian Altman QC said:The police successfully disrupteda plan to commit an act or acts of

    terrorism on a scale potentiallygreater than the London bombingsin July 2005 had it been allowedto run its course. The defendants

    were proposing to detonate up toeight rucksack bombs in a suicideattack and/or to detonate bombs ontimers in crowded areas in order to

    cause mass deaths and cAll the men are accused ofin conduct in preparation oacts, which they deny.

    Naseer is accused of vof the offence, Khalid fouthree, all between Chris2010 and September 19 2

    Three accused of terror bomb plot could habeen bigger than the July 7 London attack

    In dock: Artists impressions of, from left, Irfan Nasser, Rahim Ahmed, Irfan Khalid, Ashik Ali and on s

    Protesters marched throughcentral London on Saturdayagainst public spending cutsand tax rises enacted by agovernment that is currentlyghting accusations that it is run

    by an upper-class elite - suchas former chief whip AndrewMitchell.Blowing horns and whistles,protesters led past the Housesof Parliament behind a banner

    declaring austerity is gailing,calling on Prime Minister DavidCameron to do more to reviveBritains struggling economy.Police estimates for the Londonmarch have not been released,

    but the TUC says around100,000 people took partacross Britain. In Glasgow, anestimated 5,000 people took tothe streets as part of the massprotest, while another estimated

    1,000 protesters marBelfast.Labour leader Ed Milibamong dozens of spearally in Hyde Park, anunion ofcials in spethe impact of spendingpublic services.They told us austerithelp our economy grour economy has noIt has atlined, he demonstration, and wa

    when he said:. Andrewmay nally have resig

    the culture of two natiright across this govThey cut taxes for mill

    And raise taxes for families.However he was boohe said that there woulsome cuts made underThe Labour leader gotride at last years TUC co

    when he criticised over pension reformnegotiations were ongo

    Thousands protest against austerity measurTens of thousands of public sector workers and campaigner

    march in protest against the governments spending cuts.

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    4 South Asia Tribune I Thursday 25 OctoNEWS

    EDITORIAL

    Fake terror plots, paid informants: thetactics of Intelligence to lure Muslims?

    The news stories, which quickly surface, longenough to cause scary headlines, then vanish

    before people can learn how often the cases arethrown out. Since September 11, media andpopular culture have treated Arabs and Muslimsas fanatics, terrorists, and suspects.

    In the name of ghting terrorism, our governmenthas targeted Muslims and Arabs using secretevidence, secret arrests, and detentions withoutdue process of law. These departures from ourconstitutional norms are sending shock wavesthrough Arab and Muslim communities in theUnited States and abroad, and they are placing all

    Americans at risk.--Nancy Chang, senior litigation attorney, Centerfor Constitutional RightsFormer British ForeignSecretary Robin Cook, died mysteriously on

    August 6t h, in a statement published in TheGuardian, on Friday 8 July 2005, Al-Qaida,literally the database, was originally thecomputer le of the thousands of mujahidin who

    were recruited and trained with help from theCIA to defeat the Russians.

    Robin cook also told house of commons ThereIs No Al QaedaThe truth is, there is no Islamic army or te rroristgroup called Al Qaida. And any informedintelligence ofcer knows this.

    Critics say FBI is running a sting operationacross America, and MI6/5- in UK, other inEurope ,targeting to a large extent the Muslimcommunity by luring people into fake terrorplots.

    According to Guardian report published on 14July 2012, A Muslim university student was heldfor seven days without charge as a suspectedterrorist after police made up evidence againsthim.The recent story is another alarming fact that

    The informant, a 19-year-old American citizen of

    Bangladeshi descent, was recruited by the NYPDrecently as part of an expansive intelligence-gathering program the department launchedafter the al Qaeda attacks of September 11,2001. His assignment was to make contact withsuspected Islamic extremists to try to determineif they had any inclinations to engage in violence,the source said.Intelligence agencies send informants to trawl

    through Muslim communities, hang out inmosques and community centres, and talk ofradical Islam in order to identify possible targetssympathetic to such ideals.New York law enforcement sources have saidthat the NYPD has used foreign-born condentialinformants to uncover several alleged plots bymilitants, including one involving a possible

    attack on a subway station at Herald Square andanother involving alleged plans to kill US soldiersreturning to New York from Afghanistan andIraq.NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne saidthat candidates to join the force as sworn ofcersmust be US citizens. But he said 20 percent of thedepartments recruit classes were foreign-born.In 2005, a terrorism expert and a formerprosecutor for the Justice Department, JohnLoftus, revealed that the so-called mastermindof the 7/7 London bombings, Haroon Rashid

    Aswat, was a British intelligence asset. Also their

    many reports that 7/7 bombers were innocentpatsies ? Why authorities never investigateHaroon Aswat who is still in custody.In another report of CNN July 22, 2005

    American questioned in London probeAn American accused of conspiring to build

    a terror training camp in Oregon has beenquestioned as part of the probe into the Londonterrorist attacks, a government ofcial hasconrmed to CNN. The government ofcial

    would not say if James Ujaama provided anyuseful information. It was with Haroon Rashid

    Aswat, the man British police are seeking in theirterrorism investigation, that Ujaama conspired inthe 1999 plot to establish a jihad training campin Bly, Oregon, U.S. ofcials have told CNN. Aswat

    was an unindicted co-conspirator in the case, U.S.ofcials have told CNN. British police are seekingPakistans help in locating Aswat.!!!!!

    Aswat associate Abu Hamza al-Masri, aninuential cleric at the notorious Finsbury Parkmosque in London, had a long and productiverelationship with British intelligence. He worked

    with the Special Branch of t he British Police andMI5. He told his aides that he was beyond thereach of British law.In the 1990s, British intelligence paid al-Qaeda the equivalent of $160,000 to helpfund an unsuccessful assassination attempt onMuammar al-Qadha. Anas al-Liby, a memberof al-Muqatila, the group responsible for thefailed assassination attempt, was given politicalasylum in Britain despite his connections to al-Qaeda.MI5 also worked with key al-Qaeda gure AbuQatada. Due to the protection afforded byBritish intelligence, Qatada was able to escapearrest after the terror attacks of September 11,2001. His relationship with MI5 is conrmed

    by numerous source s, including Bisher al-Rawi,

    another supposedly radical Muslim who servedas a translator for MI5 in its dealings withQatada. Following the attacks in New York and

    Washington, MI5 offered to spirit Qa tada out ofthe country and help him reach Afghanistan.

    Another leading imam in Britain, Omar BakriMohammed, has also admitted to workingclosely with British intelligence. I think now

    we have something ca lled public immunity, hebragged in 2001, following the 9 /11 attacks.

    The would-be underwear bomber picked up bythe US was an undercover agent working for aSaudi Arabian intelligence agency on behalf ofthe CIA, it has been revealed.he was smuggled out of Yemen and then handedthe bomb over to CIA agents, .

    ABC News re ported that the CIA had nanced

    at the tune of $3 billion Osama and theMujaheddin, but this uncomfortable historicalfact was scrubbed from the servers of the prizedOperation Mockingbird asset.In fact, al-Qaeda is not even a terrorist group, butis instead a propaganda campaign and carefullydevised bogeyman, as Pierre-Henry Bunel, aformer agent for French military intelligence,told Wayne Madsen in 2005.The country behind this propaganda is the US

    and the lobbyists for the US war on terrorismare only interested in making money, Bunelexplains.

    family is that despite repeatedrequests for security, they claimno steps have been taken toprovide protection to them afterthey ed from Swat and moved toIslamabad.The teenaged Hina Khan, a studentof Class 11, had publicly denounced

    militants atrocities in 2009.I had left Swat with my familybecause the militants hadthreatened girls education therebut now I feel I would not be ableto go to school in Islamabad aswell after these renewed threats,Khan told reporters.Hina held a press conference atthe National Press Club in 2008after her friends in Swat told herthat the militants were becomingfurther intolerant towards girlsseeking education and had startedbombing schools as wel l.I raised my voice publicly to savetheir future, she stated.

    Khan, along with some otherstudents had also taken out a peacerally at the Jinnah Supper Marketin Islamabad to draw attentiontowards the Swati womensproblems.I am more worried now becauseafter the attack on Malala, this redcross appearing on our door andsubsequent threats to my familyhas made us more insecure, Khansaid.Khan claims that she fears notbeing able to attend scho ol even inIslamabad, since she was receivingthreats warning her that she wouldbe targeted or kidnapped.

    Khans father Raitullah Khantold Dawn.com that he was veryworried about his family after

    his wife Farhat, a social worker,also started receiving threateningcalls since August this year. Heclaimed that she had previouslyalso received threats.About the renewed threat s and thefamily worries, Raituallah said, Afew days ago when I came out of my

    house I saw a red cross on my gatebut I removed it assuming it mighthave been drawn by some kids, butthe very next day it appeared againwhich really terried m e.

    The next day, he claimed, wereceived a call that Hina willbe next after Malala. We havealready been ghting death sincemany years when my wife startedspeaking for women rights andgirls education.Khans mother, Farhat, who usedto be a human rights and socialactivist, had worked for the womenempowerment in Swat for more

    than a decade.I received a call from a land linePTCL number with Peshawars areacode and the callers threatened totarget Hina and my family andsaid that we would not spared,claimed Farhat.Mullah Fazlullah led militants hadeven sent us death threats on theirFM Radio after a huge handicraftexhibition of Swat women wasarranged in 2006 to promotetheir work but now these threatsare coming with more force afterMalalas incident.Farhat said that her childrenremain at home now as she has not

    been letting them out of the houseto attend school.I had personally tried to contact

    and speak to the InterioRehman Malik and forwarded an applicatioInterior Ministry persowell as through minoritAmar Jeet Singh butconcrete happened.Farhat said that they

    Islamabad in 2006 afterthe threats but were nhaunted by renewed oneFarhat, who was then rnon-governmental orhad arranged a handicra2006 for the Swati womwas inaugurated by federal minister SumeThe family had been on ever since, she claimed.Raitullah said that thminister had just forwaapplication to a seniofcer, seeking a repoincident on October 10 bpractical had come ab

    police said that they necut orders for deploymcould not act much on reRaitullah argued thatstrange that when somethreatened is requestingthe authorities dont boanything but as soon as sbig happens they s tart ruWe are almost beinghostages inside our housecurity for my three dtwo sons and my wife solive freely, he added.Raitullah said they hchanging residences in frequently.

    My family and kids neewe need nothing e lse.

    Another school girl from Swat threatened by Tali

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    Its unclear whether Ullah wasat the scene and tried to shootMalala or if he was considered theleader behind the plan to kill her.Malala, who has become a globalsymbol of courage after beingshot in the head by the Taliban fordemanding education for girls,

    is currently receiving treatmentat a hospital in Birmingham,England.She stood with the aid of nursesFriday for the rst time sincethe October 9 shooting and wascommunicating very freely,according to the director of the

    hospital. Malala canbecause she has a tratube inserted to proairway, which was swoher gunshot injury, bwriting coherent sentenDave Rosser, director of UHospitals Birmingham.

    Malalas attacker arrested, was freed in 2

    Continued from page 01 >>

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    NEWSSouth Asia Tribune I Thursday 25 October 2012

    NYPD paid me to bait Muslims, informant of Bangladeshi descent claimAmerican of Bangladeshi descent who has nowdenounced his work as an informant, said policetold him to embrace a strategy called createand capture. He said it involved creating aconversation about jihad or terrorism, then

    capturing the response to send to the NYPD. Forhis work, he earned as much as $1,000 a monthand goodwill from the police after a string ofminor marijuana arrests.We need you to pretend to be one of them,

    Rahman recalled the police telling him. Its streettheater.Rahman said he now believes his work as an

    informant against Muslims in New York wasdetrimental to the Constitution. After he disclosedto friends details about his work for the police -- andafter he told the police that he had been contacted

    by the AP -- he stopped receiving text messagesfrom his NYPD handler, Steve, and his handlersNYPD phone number was disconnected.Rahmans account shows how the NYPD unleashedinformants on Muslim neighborhoods, often

    without specic targets or criminal leads. Much ofwhat Rahman said represents a tactic the NYPDhas denied using.The AP corroborated Rahmans account througharrest records and weeks of text messages between

    Rahman and his police handler. The AP alsoreviewed the photos Rahman sent to police. Friendsconrmed Rahman was at certain events whenhe said he was there, and former NYPD ofcials,

    while not personally familiar with Rahman, saidthe tactics he described were used by informants.

    Informants like Rahman are a central componentof the NYPDs wide-ranging programs to monitorlife in Muslim neighborhoods since the 2001terrorist attacks. Police ofcers have eavesdroppedinside Muslim businesses, trained video camerason mosques and collected license plates of

    worshippers. Informants who trawl the mosques-- known informally as mosque crawlers -- tellpolice what the imam says at sermons and providepolice lists of attendees, even when theres noevidence they committed a crime.

    The programs were built with unprecedented helpfrom the CIA.Police recruited Rahman in late January, after

    his third arrest on misdemeanor drug charges,which Rahman believed would lead to seriouslegal consequences. An NYPD plainclothes ofcerapproached him in a Queens jail and asked whetherhe wanted to turn his life around.The next month, Rahman said, he was on theNYPDs payroll.NYPD spokesman Paul Browne did notimmediately return a message seeking commentabout Tuesday. He has denied widespread NYPDspying, saying police only follow leads.

    In an Oct. 15 interview with the AP, however,Rahman said he received little training andspied on everything and anyone. He tookpictures inside the many mosques he visited andeavesdropped on imams. By his own measure, he

    said he was very good at his job and his handlernever once told him he was collecting too much,no matter whom he was spying on.Rahman said he thought he was doing important

    work protecting New York City and consideredhimself a hero.One of his earliest assignments was to spy on alecture at the Muslim Student Association at JohnJay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan. Thespeaker was Ali Abdul Karim, the head of securityat the Masjid At-Taqwa mosque in Brooklyn. TheNYPD had been concerned about Karim for years

    and already had inltrated the mosque, accordingto NYPD documents obtained by the AP.Rahman also was instructed to monitor the studentgroup itself, though he wasnt told to target anyone

    specically. His NYPD handler, Steve, told him totake pictures of people at the events, determine

    who belonged to the student association andidentify its leadership.John Jay spokeswoman Doreen Vinas did notrespond to messages asking whether the school

    was aware of or sanctioned the police inltration.On Feb. 23, Rahman attended the event withKarim and listened, ready to catch what he calleda speakers gaffe. The NYPD was interested in

    buzz words such as jihad and revolution, hesaid. Any radical rhetoric, the NYPD told him,needed to be reported.

    Talha Shahbaz, then the vice president of thestudent group, met Rahman at the event. As Karim

    was nishing his talk on Malcolm Xs legacy,

    Rahman told Shahbaz that he wanted to knowmore about the student group. They had brieyattended the same high school in Queens.Rahman said he wanted to turn his life aroundand stop using drugs, and said he believed Islamcould provide a purpose in life. In the followingdays, Rahman friended him on Facebook andthe two exchanged phone numbers. Shahbaz, aPakistani who came to the U.S. more three yearsago, introduced Rahman to other Muslims.He was telling us how he loved Islam and its

    changing him, said Asad Dandia, who also becamefriends with Rahman.Secretly, Rahman was mining his new friends fordetails about their lives, taking pictures of them

    when they ate at restaurants and writing down

    license plates on the orders of the NYPD.On the NYPDs instructions, he went to moreevents at John Jay, including when Siraj Wahhajspoke in May. Wahhaj, 62, is a prominent butcontroversial New York imam who has attractedthe attention of authorities for years. Prosecutorsincluded his name on a 3 1/2-page list of peoplethey said may be alleged as co-conspirators inthe 1993 World Trade Center bombing, thoughhe was never charged. In 2004, the NYPD placed

    Wahhaj on an internal terrorism watch list andnoted: Political ideology moderately radical and

    anti-American.That evening at John Jay, a friend took aphotograph of Wahhaj with a grinning Rahman.Rahman said he kept an eye on the MSA and used

    Shahbaz and his friends to facilitate traveling toevents organized by the Islamic Circle of North

    America and Muslim American Society. Thesocietys annual convention in Hartford, Conn,draws a large number of Muslims and plenty ofattention from the NYPD. According to NYPDdocuments obtained by the AP, the NYPD sentthree informants there in 2008 and was keepingtabs on the groups former president.Rahman was told to spy on the speakers andcollect information. The conference was dubbedDefending Religious Freedom. Shahbaz paidRahmans travel expenses.

    Rahman, who was born in Queens, said he neverwitnessed any criminal activity or saw anybody doanything wrong.

    He said he sometimes intentionally misiwhat people had said. For example, Rahe would ask people what they thoughattack on the U.S. Consulate in Libyathe subject was inammatory. It was estatements out of context, he said. He sto please his NYPD handler, whom he tliked.I was trying to get money, Rahman splaying the game.Rahman said police never discussed th

    of the people he was assigned to target He said police told him once, We dtheyre doing anything wrong. We just sure.On some days, Rahmans spent hcovered miles in his undercover role16, for example, he made his way in thto the Al Farooq Mosque in Brooklynphotographs of an imam and the sign

    for those attending a regular class oinstruction. He also provided their cnumbers to the NYPD. That evening hpeople at Masjid Al-Ansar, also in BrooText messages on his phone showed thaalso took pictures last month of peoplethe 27th annual Muslim Day Parade in MThe parades grand marshal was New

    Councilman Robert Jackson.Rahman said he eventually tired of spyfriends, noting that at times they delive

    needy Muslim families. He said he onceanother NYPD informant spying ontook $200 more from the NYPD and he was done as an informant. He saidoffered him more money, which he de

    told friends on Facebook in early Octohad been a police spy but had quit. He aFacebook messages with Shahbaz, adhad spied on students at John Jay.I was an informant for the NYPD,

    while, to investigate terrorism, he Oct. 2. He said he no longer thought itPerhaps he had been hunting terroristbut I doubt it.

    Shahbaz said he forgave Rahman.I hated that I was using people to makRahman said. I made a mistake.

    The breakthrough by British company Air FuelSynthesis was yesterday hailed as the Holy Grailof green energyA Bri tish rm has pr oduced the rst petrol fromair, it emerged yesterday, in a pioneering scienticbreakthrough that could end mankinds reliance ondeclining fossil fuels.Air Fuel Synthesis in Stockto n-on-Tees, Teesside,claims to have made ve litres of petrol sinc e Augustusing a small renery that synthesises the fuel fromcarbon dioxide and water vapour.

    Experts have hailed the incredible breakthroughas a potential game-changer in the battle againstclimate change and solution to the globes escalatingenergy crisis.While the company is s till developing their processand still need to take electricity from the nationalgrid, it believes it will eventually be possible to powerthe synthesis entirely from renewable sources.Within two years it hopes to build a commercial-scale plant capable of making a ton of petrol a dayand expand into producing green aviation fuel tomake airline travel more eco-friendly.The technology involves mixing air with sodiumhydroxide, then electrolysing the resultant sodium

    carbonate to release pure carbon dioxide.This is then reacted with hydrogen electrolysedfrom water to make a hydrocarbon mixture, withthe reaction conditions varied depending on the

    type of fuel desired.The fuel that is produced can be made ready foruse in any petrol tank wi th the addition of the sameadditives currently added to fuel.

    Alternatively it can be blended directly wdiesel and aviation fuel.Peter Harrison, the companys chiefrevealed the breakthrough at a confereInstitution of Mechanical Engineers in Lweek.We are converting renewable electricityversatile, usable and storable form of eneliquid transport fuels, he told the IndepWe think that by the end of 2014, pcan get the funding going, we can be

    petrol using renewable energy and docommercial basis.Extracting carbon dioxide from air -removing the principal industrial greefrom the atmosphere - has been descrholy grail of the emerging green economHowever, recycling that extracted carbinto fuel usable in existing engines has thto transform the worlds environmeconomic landscape.Harrison said he planned to be producina commercial basis using renewable enend of 2014. Within the next 15 years this aiming for a renery-scale operation, h

    Running on fresh air: British rm makes petrol out of carbon dioxide and water vap

    Continued from page 01 >>

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    NEWS6 South Asia Tribune I Thursday 25 Octo

    US Elections: Obamaridicules Romney foreign

    policy in last debateReferencing the U.S. troubledrelationship with Pakistan inthe context of the Afghanistanstrategy Mr. Romney admittedthat it was not time to divorce anation on earth that has a hundrednuclear weapons and is on theway to double that at some point,a nation that has serious threatsfrom terrorist groups within itsnation the Taliban, Haqqaninetwork. He added that whilePakistan was technically anally, it was not acting very muchlike an ally, but we have somework to do. Especially because

    Pakistan did not have a civilianleadership calling the shots, Mr.Romney noted, if the nation fellapart and became a failed state,terrorists could get their handson nuclear weapons. Early pollsshow Obama chalks up victoryafter Monday debate

    A feisty President Barack Obamaridiculed Mitt Romney as all overthe map Monday on foreign policy,accusing him of telling untruths and

    backing wrong policies in their

    ercely fought nal debate.CBS News reported that its post-debatepoll of 521 undecided voters showed

    that the president Obama had won thenight by a 53% to 23% margin over Mitt

    Romney. 24% thought it was a tie. Themargin of error in its poll was +/- 4percentage points. The biggest critiquethat Mitt Romney has faced has beenthat he has no core; he is multiplechoice as Ted Kennedy famouslyput it. By endorsing the presidentsforeign policy, Romney showed thathis stances are ephemeral. There is nosuch thing as a core belief. In fact, his

    beliefs never fail to mirror those of thetarget audience.No, its not time to divorce a nationon Earth that has 100 nuclear weaponsand is on the way to double that at some

    point, said Republican presidentialcandidate Mitt Romney when asked in

    the third and nal presidential debateif it was time for the United States todivorce Pakistan.Mr Romney, however, endorsed thedrone strikes, saying that he supportsthe Obama administrations policy onthis key issue.Mr Obama did not directly addressthis issue but when confronted by themoderator, CBS anchor Bob Schieffer,he said he was also engaging thecountries where the United States was

    ghting terrorists.Mr Obama also avoided responding

    directly to questions about Pakistan

    and neither the moderator nor MrRomney pressed him for an answer,

    reecting an apparent understandingon not concerning the president onsensitive security issues.I believe we should use any and allmeans necessary to take out people

    who pose a threat to us and our friendsaround the world. And its widelyreported that drones are being usedin drone strikes, and I support thatand entirely, Mr Romney said, whileendorsing the current US policy onthese unmanned aircraft.He said he felt that President Obama

    was right to up the usage of thattechnology, and believe that we should

    continue to use it, to continue to goafter the people that represent a threatto this nation and to our friends.Pakistan was mentioned 25 times inthe 90-minute debate but mostly by MrRomney.US President Barack Obama mentionedPakistan only four times, twice whentalking about his decision to raid Osama

    bin Ladens hideout in Abbottabad.And you said we should ask Pakistanfor permission. And if we had askedPakistan permission, we would nothave gotten him. And it was worth

    moving heaven and earth to get him,said Mr Obama while quoting fromMr Romneys earlier statement on this

    issue.I can tell you at the same time, that

    we will make sure that we look atwhats happening in Pakistan, andrecognize that whats happening inPakistan is going to have a majorimpact on the success in Afghanistan,said Mr Romney when asked if he

    would still withdraw US troops fromAfghanistan if he was told that Kabulwas not yet ready to shoulder securityresponsibilities by 2014.And I say that because I know a lot

    of people that feel like we should justbrush our hands and walk away, hesaid.And I dont mean you, Mr President,

    but some people in our nation feel thatPakistan is not being nice to us, andthat we should walk away from them,he explained.But Pakistan is important to theregion, to the world and to us, becausePakistan has 100 nuclear warheadsand theyre rushing to build a lotmore. Theyll have more than GreatBritain sometime in the relatively nearfuture.Mr Romney noted that Pakistan also

    had the Haqqani Network and theTaliban within its borders. And so a

    Pakistan that falls apart; becomes afailed state, would be of extraordinary

    danger to Afghanistan and to us, he

    warned.Thats why, he said, he believed theUnited States will have to remainhelpful in encouraging Pakistanto move towards a more stable

    government and rebuild its relationshipwith America.And that means that our aid that weprovide to Pakistan is going to have to beconditioned upon certain benchmarks

    being met, said Mr Romney, defendinga bilateral congressional demand thatUS aid to Pakistan should be madeconditional to its performance in the

    war against terrorists.So for me, I look at t his as both a need

    to help move Pakistan in the rightdirection, and also to get Afghanistanto be ready, and they will be ready by

    the end of 2014, said Mr Romneywhile dening his policy for the Pak-Afghan region.President Obama, when asked the samequestion, explained how he withdrew

    American troops from Iraq, refocusedon Afghanistan and delivered a surgeof troops to that country.His administration also had decimatedal Qaedas core leadership in the

    border regions between Afghanistanand Pakistan.The moderator then recalled that Gen.

    Johan Allen, the US commander inAfghanistan, says Americans continuedto die at the hands of groups who weresupported by Pakistan.

    We know that Pakistan has arrestedthe doctor who helped us catch Osamabin Laden. It still provides safe havenfor terrorists, yet we continue to givePakistan billions of dollars, he said.Is it time for us to divorce Pakistan?the moderator asked.No, its not time to divorce a nationon Earth that has 100 nuclear weaponsand is on the way to double that atsome point, a nation that has seriousthreats from terrorist groups within

    its nation, as I indicated before, theTaliban, Haqqani Network, said Mr

    Romney.Its a nation thats not like others and

    it does not have a civilian leadership

    that is calling the shots there. You havethe ISI, their intelligence organization,is probably the most powerful of three

    branches there. Then you have themilitary and then you have the civilian

    government.Mr Romney warned that this was anation, which, if it falls apart, if it

    becomes a failed state, there are nuclearweapons there and youve got terroriststhere who could grab their theirhands onto those nuclear weapons.Pakistan, he noted, was in a region

    which was important for the UnitedStates and technically it was an allyeven if theyre not acting very much

    like an ally right now.Thats why, he said, he believed wehave some work to do there.

    The Republican presidential candidatesaid he was not blaming the Obamaadministration for a strainedrelationship with Pakistan.We had to go into Pakistan. We hadto go in there to get Osama bin Laden.That was the right thing to do. And thatupset them, but obviously there was agreat deal of anger even before that,he said,But were going to have to work withthe people in Pakistan to try and helpthem move to a more responsible

    course than the one that theyre on.For Pakistan to change its course

    was important for them a nd for theirnuclear weapons.

    Its important for the success ofAfghanistan because inside Pakistan,you have large group of Pashtun thatare Taliban. Theyre going to comerushing back in to Afghanistan when

    we go.Obama and his Republican foe clashedon Irans nuclear program, the ArabSpring, Libya and Syria, diverting attimes to the domestic economy, asthey sought to break the deadlock inthe White House race two weeks from

    election day.The president, playing on his poll

    ratings as a strong leader,Romney had changed his po

    foreign policy over and over

    warned that he lacked the cneeded of a commander-in-cOn a whole range of issuesit is in the Middle East, Af

    whether it is in Iraq, whethIran, you have been all over Obama said in the foreigthemed debate in Florida.

    And he openly mocked claims that that he had runarmed forces to levels not early in the 20th Century.You mentioned the navy, foand that we have fewer s

    we did in 1916. Well, gov

    also have fewer horses andbecause the nature of our

    changed, he said to laughteaudience.We have these things callecarriers where planes land onhave these ships that go unnuclear submarines.So the question is not aBattleship where were counIts, what are our capabilitiesRomney launched a sweepinof Obamas policies on the ArSyria and Iran, but was carefacross as moderate, moving more conservative positions

    a commander-in-chief test.Often, Romney appeared

    with the president more on

    substance, as the rivals vievotes of remaining undecidecrucial swing states.Romney, a former Masgovernor congratulated for taking out Osama b

    but warned Islamic extremrampant in post-Arab Springand cautioned we cant kilout of this mess.Romney also called on Obamore to end violence in demanded tightened sanctio

    over its nuclear program. A mmoment in the debate cameObama, striking a note oon Mr. Romneys allegation

    President planned to cutspending by one trillion dolYou mentioned the Navy, foand that we have fewer s

    we did in 1916. Well, Govalso have fewer horses and

    because the nature of ourchanged. We have these thiaircraft carriers where plon them. We have these shiunderwater, nuclear submarI thought they saw weakn

    they had been expected

    Its not time to divorce PakistanPresidential Polls 2012: CBS Poll Shows that Obam

    Won the Third Debate by Big Margins

    Continued on page

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    NEWSSouth Asia Tribune I Thursday 25 October 2012

    In a verdict that sent shock wavesthrough the scientic community, anItalian court convicted seven expertsof manslaughter on Monday forfailing to adequately warn residents ofthe risk before an earthquake struckcentral Italy in 2009, killing morethan 300 people. The BBC reports thatprosecutors said the scientists, who

    work for the National Commission forthe Forecast and Prevention of MajorRisks, gave a falsely reassuringstatement before the quake, while thedefense maintained there was no way

    to predict major quakes.According to NBC News, whathappened is that LAquila had beenfeeling tremors in late March. Onelocal man, who was not a scientist,made the prediction that a big one wason its way. Responding to the manon March 31, the group of scientistsconcluded it was improbable thatthe area would experience a majorearthquake, although they stoppedshort of entirely excluding thepossibility.

    An inuential body of US scientistson Tuesday criticised the Mondayconvictions of seven Italian scientistsand ofcials to six years in prisonfor manslaughter over a 2009earthquake in the central city ofLAquila that killed over 300 peopleand left tens of thousands homeless.The Union of Concerned Scientistsurged President Giorgio Napolitanoto intervene in the case, repeating thescientic communitys view that it isimpossible to predict earthquakes.The verdict also spurred concernin Japan where Shinichi Sakai ofthe Earthquake Research Institutein Tokyo said he would have takenthe same defence line as the Italian

    seismologists, because, he said, it

    is not possible to say when a strongtremor will occur. In Italy Tuesday,scientists and opinion leaders likeHouse Speaker Gianfranco Fini called

    for the sentence to be reviewed. In therun-up to Mondays pronouncement

    by a LAquila judge, the case hadreceived widespread internationalattention, with over 5,000 scientistsfrom around the world signing a lettersupporting those on trial. The trialfocused on one event in particular,in which the Committee on MajorRisks met on March 31, 2009 in

    LAquila to examine rumblings that

    had frightened residents for months.In a memo, the experts concludedthat it was unlikely that there

    would be a major quake, though it

    stressed that the possibility couldnot be ruled out. One week later On

    April 6the 6.3-magnitude tremor hit,toppling buildings, killing 309 peopleand displacing 65,000 more in andaround the city.

    Andrew Revkin, over at The New YorkTimes Dot Earth blog, wrote aboutthe case last year. He called the triala medieval-style attack on science.

    Revkin said the scientists were forced

    to provide the assessment afterGiampaolo Giuliani, the non-scientistwho made the prediction, made thepublic panic.

    Revkin explains that Giampaolosmethods are considered unreliable,at best. But the commission ofscientists was trapped in a yes or nodebate.The bottom line, as 5,000 scientists

    wrote to Italys presid ent in an openletter, is that there is currently noscientically accepted method forshort-term earthquake prediction.

    NBC News reports prosecution acknowledgsaying the problem here ithe risk of a big temblotaken seriously enough.The defendants, all pscientists or geological anexperts, were sentenced toin prison.Earthquake experts worldwithe trial as ridiculous, cthere was no way of knoa urry of tremors would deadly quake.

    Its a sad day for scienseismologist Susan Hough, Geological Survey in PasadIts unsettling.In Italy, convictions arentuntil after at least one ap

    was unlikely any of the dwould face jail immediatelyAmong those convictedwere some of Italys beand most internationally seismologists and geologicincluding Enzo Boschi, formthe National Institute of Gand Volcanology.I am dejected, desperatesaid.I thought I would hacquitted. I still dont u

    what I was convicted of, heThe trial began in Septemin this Apennine towndevastated historic centelargely deserted.Relatives of some who pthe 2009 quake said ju

    been done. Ilaria Carosi,one of the victims, told ItaTV that public ofcials muresponsible for taking lightly.

    U.S. scientists criticise LAquila quake convictions

    7 get 6 years in prison in Italy for inadequate warnings in 09 disast

    Italy Finds Scientists Guilty Of ManslaughtFor 2009 Earthquake Forecast

    Scientists convicted in quake deaths

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    NEWS8 South Asia Tribune I Thursday 25 Octo

    The city of Dubai is built on foundatio

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    Britons are among the most unhealthy people tobe around in the midst of a major u outbreak,research suggests.Of ve populations studied, people from the UK

    were the least likely to pay more attention tobasic rules of hygiene such as washing hands andsneezing into a tissue.Scientists carried out surveysin the UK, the US, Argentina, Japan and Mexicosoon after the 2009 H1N1 swine u pandemic. Ineach country, around 900 people were asked howthey had modied their personal behaviour whenthere was a risk of catching the virus.Britons were consistently shown to have themost cavalier attitude towards infecting others.In particular, they were less likely to take extracare about coughs and sneezes, hand washing,travelling on public transport and keeping awayfrom people with u symptoms.

    Only 27% of British people questioned said thatwhen swine u was sweeping the country theycovered their mouth or nose with a tissue more

    frequently when sneezing or coughing. Thiscompared with 61% of Americans, 77% of Mexicans,64% of Argentinians and 48% of people in Japanwho said they made an increased effort to cover up.

    Just over half (53%) of Britons said they washedtheir hands more frequently, or used a handsanitiser, compared with 72% of US citizens,86% of Mexicans, 72% of Japanese and 89% of

    Argentinians. People from the UK were also theleast willing to avoid hugging or kissing membersof their family or friends during the pandemic.Only 2% of Britons said they followed this

    strategy, which was adopted by 46% of Mexicans,21% of Americans and 19% of Argentinians. Thequestion was not asked in Japan, where huggingand kissing is not the cultural norm.

    The results were published in The L ancjournal.Lead researcher Dr Gillian SteelFisherHarvard School of Public Health in thThe wide variations between countrstudy shows that in the event of anothoutbreak of infectious disease, public phave to be taken into account to bestcommunicate policy approaches that nsupport in each country.Our ndings suggest that promopharmaceutical interventions - handwashing and avoiding larggatherings of people - do not jeopadoption of vaccination, though the

    vaccines was low compared to other behall countries we surveyed. To maximisof pandemic policies, future efforts mig

    combine vaccination programmes witfor the most effective non-pharinterventions.

    Britons most unhygenic nationin the face of major u outbrea

    Britons were half as likely as other nations to cover their hands and mouth more frequewhen coughing or sneezing during the swine u pandemic, a study has suggested.

    US drones were in the skies overBenghazi during last months fatalattack on US ambassador ChrisStevens and three other Americans,a new report claims.Defense Department ofcials

    weighed sending troops to rescueStevens and more than 30 otherAmericans whose compound wassurrounded by an angry mob onSept. 11, says the report by CBSNews.But no US counterattack or rescueeffort was carried out. The droneand other reconnaissance aircraftobserved the nal hours of theprotracted, seven-hour battle at theUS Consulate.

    AP: US Ambassador Chris Stevens

    The State Department, White Houseand Pentagon declined to say whatmilitary options were available.

    A White House ofcial told CBSNews that, at the start of the attack,Chairman of the Joint Chiefs MartinDempsey and Defense SecretaryLeon Panetta looked at availableoptions, and the ones we exercised

    had our military forces arrive inless than 24 hours, well ahead oftimelines laid out in establishedpolicies.A team of special operators wasmoved from central Europe to a USnaval base in Sigonella, Italy, anhours ight from Libya, CBS said,citing Pentagon sources.Fighter jets and Specter AC-130gunships were also available atnearby bases, military sources toldCBS.Meanwhile, Secretary of StateHillary Clinton sought clearancesfrom Libya to y in their airspace,CBS reports. But the Obama

    administration wont reveal furtherdetails on that front.Retired CIA ofcer Gary Berntsentells CBS that help could havearrived sooner.You nd a way to make thishappen, Berntsen told the network.There isnt a plan for every singleengagement. Sometimes you haveto be able to make adjustments.They made zero adjustments in this.They stood and they watched andour people died.

    US aircraft were near Benghaziduring Libya attack but unable

    to prevent deaths: report

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    NEWSSouth Asia Tribune I Thursday 25 October 2012

    High oil prices accompanied withrise in oil output are keys for GCCeconomic growth and a means toavoid any effects of the Eurozone ontheir economies, experts told the GulfNews on Sunday.The UAEs oil economy represented

    by Abu Dhabi is growing and the non-

    oil economy represented by Dubai isalso growing in parallel, leading to thegrowth in its GDP, Philippe Dauba-Pantanacce, senior economist, TurkeyMiddle East and North Africa GlobalMarkets, at Standard Chartered Bank,said..The UAE, particularly Dubai, has

    beneted from the instability in theregion due to the so-called ArabSpring which helped the Dubaieconomy come back to the period

    before the 2008 nancial crisis amidstindicators that its real estate sector isrecovering and on the ramp-up, saidDauba-Pantanacee who is taking partin the conference on Future of GCCs

    Competitiveness organised by Insead.Dauba-Pantanacce said that 2012 is a

    very good year for the GCC countries,particularly the UAE. Oil prices are sofar resilient and there is also a growthin the output which means higherGDP growth for the GCC countries,he added.The other factor that one can

    witness in last 18-24 months is thepublic spending which helped themarkets.Salaries increased in theGCC region, governments tried toreact to the Arab Spring by stepping

    up their scal spending. Massivespending in the region to supportpeople is positive on the short run,remarked Dauba-Pantanacce.Dubai has come back as a safe havenin a troubled region, reaping the

    benets of building strong serviceand tourism sectors. More than 50million passengers ew via DubaiInternational Airport last year and itis expected that more than 54 millionpassengers will y via the airport

    by end of 2012, said Mark Beer,

    chief executive and registrar at DIFCcourts.The UAE private and public sectorsare playing complementary roles to

    build the countrys economy. Thecountry is a model for others; yet, theprivate sector should be given a majorrole to play as it is the sole sectorthat creates job opportunities in thefuture, said Beer.Jean Marie Pean, chairman of Bainand Company Middle East, UAE, toldthe Gulf News that the UAE has so farsucceeded in restructuring its economy

    and to avoid the bad consequences ofthe nancial crisis in 2008 and theEuro Crisis.Before the nancial crisis, the growthrate of UAE economy was 6 per cent,it went down to 4 per cent during thecrisis and it is now recovering to itsnormal rates, conducive to sustaining

    high growth ratesKhalfan Saeed Al Kaabi, Abu DhabiChamber of Commerce and Industry(ADCCI) vice-chairman, said that theUAE is a business hub in the worldthat is suitable for entrepreneursand businessmen to launch their

    businesses and ventures.

    The UAE has uniqueness rby its leadership which is to bring the country to be atop 5 in the world. The UAEof opportunities where mornationalities reside and woKaabi.In the UAE there are abo

    millionaires which is a sigcountry has distinctive busand structure that is lucforeign businessmen to inUAE, Al Kaabi elaboratedThe UAE is a springboarregional countries marutilising the atmosphere oopenness, the strategic gelocation, the soinfrastructure and a c

    business environment, he

    UAE economy on growth path

    The total value of propertytransactions in Dubaicrossed Dh 83 billion inthe rst nine months ofthe year with Burj Khalifaarea topping the list ofmost traded areas in unitsterms, according to DubaiLand Department.The total transactions from Januaryto September stood at 27,452 withcash sales crossing Dh43 billion andmortgage sales touching Dh36.3billion for all kinds of properties. I nAugust, the department had reported

    property transactions reached Dh63billion in the rst half of 2012. In2011, a total of 35,297 real estatetransactions of Dh143 billion werereported as against Dh123 billion in

    2010.Wadi Al Safa 5 topped the list of tradedareas in term of land transactionswith 403 deals during the rst ninemonths of 2012, while Burj Khalifatook the number one spot on the listof most traded areas in units termswith 3,305 sale tr ansactions.Sultan Butti Bin Mejrin, DirectorGeneral, DLD, in a statement,revealed the price indication tookan upward trend during the pastfew months due to the demand andpurchase transactions of land, villasand apartments in certain projects inDubai.

    The market offers multiple-choices and Dubai property sectorshowed high exibility in dealingwith investors requirements, most

    notably rst time investors whoseek to benet from investmentopportunities that emerged due toprice correction witnessed by themarket over the past two years.The lions share of total transactionswas dominated by sale with 20,925transactions at the value of overDh43 billion.Cash sales over Dh43 billionaccounted for 52 per cent of the totaltransactions, or 20,925 transactions,in the rst nine months of the year.However, mortgage transaction

    saw an increase over the last year,accounting for 44 per cent of the tota ltransactions or 5,042 transactions,worth Dh36.3 billion.Mejrin revealed that 1,485transactions were registeredas usufruct rights (Musataha),donations and other types ofproperty transactions at the value ofDh3.7 billion, representing four percent of the total transactions.Almost 65 per cent of transactionswere on land sales and mortgages,while apartment sale and mortgage

    exceeded transactions on and villas by 86 per cent.The total number of landmortgage reached 5,488 trat over Dh54 billion. There wland sale transactions of varworth over Dh 20.5 billion,

    mortgage transactions stooworth over Dh30.9 billion.In September, Cluttons of apartments in Dubai hby nearly ve per cent beginning of 2012 and thlikely to continue. It said ahave increased in value a4.9 per cent in 2012, whvalues increased 6 .8 perceEarlier this month, KnigPrime Global Rental Indethat prime rents in Dubamore than three per cent ihalf of 2012. Rental valueby 3.3 per cent betw een JaJune and by the same am

    the past year. The inderents had gone up by two pthe second quarter of 201Dubai ninth in the indcountries.

    Dubai property transactions cross Dh83bBurj Khalifa areadominates most tradedareas in unit terms in

    frst nine months

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    NEWS South Asia Tribune I Thursday 25 Octob10

    Protests erupted in severalLebanese cities the day after threepeople, including Hassan, a seniorsecurity ofcial opposed to the

    Syrian regime, were killed in a carbombing in the Lebanese capital.The ofcial death toll was initiallyeight, but the head of Lebaneseintelligence told Al Jazeera in aninterview late on Saturday that itwas three. Mikati said the blastwas linked to Hassans recent casein which he exposed an alleged plotby Syria to sow chaos in Lebanon.

    Hassan, intelligence chief of theInternal Security Forces (ISF),

    headed an investigation over thesummer that led to the arrestof Michel Samaha, a formerinformation minister and ally of

    Assad, accused of trying to helpsmuggle explosives into Lebanon.Hassan had also led aninvestigation that implicated Syriaand its principal Lebanese ally, theHezbollah, in the assassination offormer prime minister Rak al-Hariri.Saturday was declared a day ofmourning and Hassan is to beburied on Sunday alongside Hariri,murdered in a car bombing sevenyears ago.The funeral will be held afterMuslim prayers at the al-AmineMosque in central Beirut.

    A car bomb ripped through Beirut

    on Friday, killing a top securityofcial and seven others, shearingthe balconies off apartment

    buildings and sending bloodiedresidents staggering into thestreets in the most serious blast

    the Lebanese capital has seen infour years.Dozens of people were woundedin the attack, which the state-runnews agency said targeted the

    convoy of Brig. Gen. Wissam al-

    Hassan, a top security ofcial inLebanon.Many Lebanese quickly raised

    the possibility the violence wasconnected to the civil war inneighboring Syria, which has

    sent destabilizing ripples throughLebanon for the past 19 months.Al-Hassan was in charge of aninvestigation that exposed a bombplot over the summer, leading to

    the arrest of a pro-Syrian Lebanese

    politician and charges against atop Syrian regime gure. The blastripped through a narrow street at

    mid-afternoon in Beiruts mainlyChristian Achraeh neighborhood,an area packed with cafes and

    shops. Doors and windows wereshattered for blocks, and severalblackened cars appeared to havebeen catapulted through the air.Bloodied residents ed their

    homes while others tried to helpthe seriously wounded. One littlegirl, apparently unconsciousand bleeding from her head, was

    carried to an ambulance in thearms of rescue workers, her whitesneakers stained with blood.I was standing nearby in SassineSquare and I heard a big explosionand I ran straight to it, residentElie Khalil said. He said he saw atleast 15 bloodied people in a nearbyparking lot before medics arrived

    and took them to a hospitLebanese security ofceight people were killed

    wounded, 20 of them The ofcials spoke on conanonymity because theyauthorized to talk to the pstate-run National Newput the number of woundHealth Minister Ali Husscalled on all hospitals the wounded from this bombing.

    Iranian Foreign Minisattack that killed top intel ofcial was aimed

    sowing dissension, addinregime Lebanons worstJerusalem: Beyond patheA huge blast hit the

    capital Friday afternoothree people including Chief of the InformatioGeneral Wissam Al-Ha

    his bodyguard and wouothers, according to the Red Cross.The slain Lebanese Brigadier-General WisHassan, was close toLebanese politicians whouprising in Syria and leinvestigations into Syrianin Lebanese affairs, incluthat implicated DamascuLebanese ally Hezbollaassassination of formeminister Rak al-Hariri i

    Appeals for calm after Lebanon assassinatioAmid anger and grief, ex-PM Saad Hariri urges large turno

    at funeral for slain intelligence ofcial Wissam al-HassanIran denounces Beirut bombing, points nger at Israel

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    main sects.Custodian of the Two Holy MosquesKing Abdullah, who is supervisingHaj operation from Jeddah,instructed all related governmentdepartments to provide thenecessary services to the guestsof God. More than 1,400 Muslimleaders from around the world areperforming Haj this year as guestsof King Abdullah. They come fromChina, Russia, Cambodia, SouthKorea, Japan, Vietnam, Togo,Botswana, Burundi and Liberia.Khaled Mirghalani, Health Ministryspokesman, said: The ministry hasreadied 25 hospitals with a capacityof 5,200 beds in addition to the 141health clinics situated in the holysites, to serve pilgrims. More than175 ambulances are on stand by,he added. The Saudi Red CrescentAuthorit y plays an importan t roleduring Haj, providing rst-aid andtransportation services to hospitals.It will deploy 1,060 volunteers inMakkah, Mina and other holy sites.The Civil Defense yesterdayconducted a mock operationto control gas leakage near theJamrat Bridge in Mina, where alarge number of pilgrims assembleduring the peak days of Haj for thestoning-the-Satan ritual.Lt. Col. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi,commander of the Civil Defensesspecial intervention force, said:The operation was aimed atkeeping our forces at a high levelof readiness to deal with possibleleakage of poisonous gases. theHaj Ministry called for the use ofsocial media networks to enhanceHaj awareness for pilgrims. NajahAl-Qublan of Princess NorahUniversity said: We have to makeuse of social media effectivelyfor creating Haj awareness andspreading the message of Islam.Facebook users in the Arab worldincreased from 29.8 million in 2011to 45.2 million by June 2012, shesaid.

    Foreign pilgrims have expressedtheir joy over getting theopportunity to perform Haj, thefth pillar of Islam. Its my rsttime in Makkah for pilgrimage. Icant wait to pray in Arafat, said32-year-old Koara Abdulrahman,a businessman from Burkina Faso.Inside the Grand Mosque, scores ofpilgrims circumambulated the HolyKaaba with many pushing their waythrough the crowds to kiss Hajar Al-Aswad (the Black Stone) on a corner

    of the cube-shaped structure.Right now, Ive got all the goodfeelings you can think of, said anecstatic Iranian pilgrim.More than 1,400 Muslim leadersfrom around the world areperforming Haj this year as guestsof King Abdullah. They come fromChina, Russia, Cambodia, SouthKorea, Japan, Vietnam, Togo,Botswana, Burundi and Liberia.

    Heavy rains hit Makkah and Minaon Sunday, and the Civil Defensesaid 13 people were slightly injuredwhen a re erupted in a buildinghousing Indian and Myanmaresepilgrims.Despite being marred by deadlyincidents in the past such asoods, stampedes and res, Hajhas become nearly incident-free inrecent years, thanks to multibillion-dollar projects implemented by the

    government annually.This year, new development projectstotaling SR 1.5 billion include aninitiative to help pilgrims reachthe Jamrat Bridge quickly fromMakkah, Aziziya and Shaabain. TheMinistry of Water and Electricitysaid it has started supplying600,000 cubic meters of waterdaily to the holy sites. There are 36water tanks in Makkah and 27 atthe holy sites with a total capacityof 2.5 million cubic meters.In other news, participants ofa seminar organized by the HajMinistry called for the use of socialmedia networks to enhance Hajawareness for pilgrims. NajahAl-Qublan of Princess NorahUniversity said: We have to makeuse of social media effectivelyfor creating Haj awareness andspreading the message of Islam.Facebook users in the Arab worldincreased from 29.8 million in

    2011 to 45.2 million by June 2012,she said. THE 14th Hajj ConsularDelegation to accompany Britishpilgrims to Saudi Arabia hasbeen launche d by Foreign Ofce

    Minister Mark Simmonds. it wasthe 14th year for the Hajj ConsularDelegation, which has now providedconsular support to thousands ofBritish Hajjis. Simmonds said:We understand how deeplyimportant the Hajj is to the Muslimcommunity and I have been taking akeen interest in preparations for theHajj Consular Delegation. We areabsolutely committed to providingappropriate Consular servicesto British Pilgrims during Hajjthrough having consular ofcers onthe ground in Makkah and Jeddah.Last year we provided a wide rangeof consular support, includingreplacing emergency traveldocumentation and supportingBritish pilgrims who requiredurgent medical assistance.Saudi Arabia provides excellentfacilities and services to all pilgrimsand I would like to thank Saudi

    Arabia for everythin g it does forBritish Pilgrims on Hajj.Effective preparation by pilgrims such as ensuring they haveappropriate travel insurance andcarry copies of their passports andother important documentation is key to ensuring a safe andtrouble-free Hajj. I hope that allthose undertaking Hajj this year

    will have a peaceful , success fuland rewarding pilgrimage. Thepassage marks the ofcial launchof the hajj 1433H on the eighth dayof the Muslim calendar month of

    Dhul Hijjah.The day is known as Tarwiah(Watering) as pilgrims in the paststopped at Mina to water their

    animals and stock up for the nextdays trip to Mount Arafat.Mohammed Obeid Al Mazrouei,

    Chairman of UAE Ofcial HajjMission, said that preparationshave been made to receivethousands of pilgrims at Mina andMount Arafat.At Mount Arafat, some 9 miles

    southeast of Mina, the will spend the day in prreection. They will listeHajj sermon at historicamosque and perform Wumost important ritual of HAfter sunset, they will to Muzdalifah, half way Mount Arafat and Minthey spend the night. Nexpilgrims head back to Mdawn prayers.

    Then, they will performstage of the symbolic of the devil and make tsacrice of an animal andtheir hair.On the remaining three

    the hajj, the pilgrims conritual stoning before pethe circumambulation of thand then heading back hoShahid Afridi, Aamir KhMaulana Tariq Jamil iwhile on HajjWorld indeed is a very smPakistan cricketer Shahid ABollywood superstar Aamin Mecca. Aamir, who wamother, met the all-rounda gathering. They also metTariq Jamil, who enlighteon the virtues of Hajj.Before leaving for Hajj Amsaid that his mother asketake her for Haj, addingdecided to take her mothe

    so that he could himselfHaj.My brother Faisal could hwith my mother but Al lahthis opportunity to perfoKhan added.

    NEWSSouth Asia Tribune I Thursday 25 October 2012

    Hajj MubarakContinued from page 1 >>

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    NEWS South Asia Tribune I Thursday 25 Octo12

    In the latest assault on Muslimworship places, a group of Frenchfar-rightists have stormed andoccupied a mosque buildingsite in Frances historic city ofPoitiers, to the shock of the Muslimcommunity.About 70 far-right activists occupieda building site in the central Frenchcity of Poitiers where a mosque isunder construction for several hoursSaturday, provoking angry criticismfrom political and religious leaders.The occupation started beforedawn when demonstrators enteredthe site on the outskirts of the citywhere a large gray building with aminaret is being built.Climbing on to the roof they unfurledtwo banners, one identifying theirorganization, the other proclaimingCharles Martel beat the Arabs atPoitiers in 732.That battle is credited with havinghalted the advance of Islam intowestern Europe.Toward noon the activists agreedto leave and the evacuation was

    completed by 1 p.m. (1100 GMT).We were planning to stay longer butas we had no intention whatsoeverof a physical confrontation we areleaving with the police in a goodmood without an unhappy ending,a spokesman for the demonstrators,Damien Rieu, said as the occupationended.Four of the occupiers who said they

    were the organizers were held forquestioning, the prosecutors ofcesaid. The rest underwent identitychecks.French Prime Minister Jean-MarcAyrault, who is in the Philippines,rmly condemned a provocationthat reveals an unacceptablereligious hatred.Interior Minister Manuel Valls

    also condemned hateful andinadmissible provocation and thequestionable confusion of thegroup,The police have opened aninquiry into an unauthorizeddemonstration, incitement to racialhatred, participation in a gatheringwith a view to carrying out jointdamage.There could be charges of theft asabout 10 carpets were removed fromthe mosque and taken to the roofwhere they we re badly damaged b yrain.Poitiers is in shock, Alain Claeys,the mayor of the town of 90,000inhabitants said.Extreme rightwing activists hadcome from all over France andseemed well organized with bannersand computers, he said.Yves Dassonville, the prefect of theVienne region in which Poitiers issituated, told reporters that the 73demonstrators were seeminglypeople of good family who camefrom all over France.

    The Muslim national uorganization, the French Council (CFCM), spoke of itsindignation and its deep in the face of this new formMuslim violence.The occupation, it saidbeen serious, savage andaccompanied by slogans to Islam and without precethe history of France, whthe largest Muslim populaEurope, of between four million.Local Muslim leader andBoubaker El Hadj Amor local community of betweeand 8,000 people was deeplHe praised its members forcalm and refusing to riseprovocation.Leftwing groups called for thresponsible for the occupatidissolved.The International League Racism and Anti-S((Licra) called the occupdemonstration of hate.

    Far-right extremists storm mosque in Franc

    With about six per cent of EU citizens todayidentifying as Muslim, and that number setto grow, more and more churches are set to

    become mosques.Nearly 150 new mosques are currently underconstruction to house Frances nearly vemillion Muslims, who make up about 7.5 per

    cent of the countrys population. France ishome to the EUs largest national Muslimcommunity.

    Attempts by European governments to unitethe diverse cultures and religious groups livingside by side in the continents cities have notalways been successful, with tensions remaining

    between the Muslim and Christian populationsin many countries.

    With a nave of 26 meters, it can accommodate200 people and is up for sale for 170,000.Roman Catholic authorities decided they could nolonger afford Saint-Elois. It must be sold, Krauthlamented, and if one of the prospective buyers is

    a peaceful Muslim association looking for a newmosque, then so be it. Rev. Alain Krauth preached

    to his dwindling ock at Mass last Sunday, the

    subject was real estate. But it was also Christiancharity, tolerance and, indirectly, the gnawingmalaise in France over an increasingly visibleMuslim minority. Krauths open-mindedness

    was not shared by all. After an item in the localnewspaper, Le Berry Republicain, the murmurs

    began. Cafe conversations proliferated. Krauthsaid he got a dozen calls. Some were polite,

    others not. His ofce received about 20 e-mails.

    Some commended him; others asked how hecould betray a place of Christian worship to theMuslims.Comments popped up on the Internet,meanwhile, some of them raw. One suggestedthrowing a pig into the church to discourageMuslims from making the purchase. Alerted,reporters and cameramen from Paris showed upto ask questions about the rise of Islam. Before

    long the proposed sale of Saint-Elois einto the latest example of Frances difdealing with a growing minority of peointo families of Muslim tradition.The Interior Ministry and most aspecialists have estimated the commFrance numbers at least 5 million, thin Europe. While less than 10 percenpopulation.

    Catholic church in France may become MosquTensions are over proposed sale of church to Muslim group

    American strength, Romney said of leaders inTehran, accusing the president ofmaking apologytours abroad. The president hit back, complaining

    nothing Governor Romney said is true, calling his Iran

    charge the biggest whopper of the campaign.

    Obama also launched a scathing attack on Romneys

    foreign tour as a candidate earlier this year, saying when

    he had been running for the White House he visited US

    troops and Israel to reect on the Holocaust.

    I didnt take donors, Obama charged, noting the fact

    that Romney carried out a political fundraisers with

    wealthy Jewish donors in Israel.

    The president looked puzzled, bemused and sometimes

    incredulous with Romneys savage critique of his

    diplomacy, as seen on a split screen carried by television

    networks screening the debate.

    I know you havent been in a position to actually execute

    foreign policy, but every time youve offered an opinion,

    youve been wrong, Obama told his opponent, a former

    Massachusetts governor.

    The president, who withdrew troops from Iraq, pointed

    to Romneys past statements in support of keeping a US

    military presence in the country that was invaded in 2003

    under former Republican president George W. Bush.

    Governor, when it comes to our foreign policy, you seem

    to want to import the foreign policies of the 1980s, just

    like the social policies of the 1950s and the economic

    policies of the 1920s, Obama said.

    Romney offered a dismal assessment of the presidents

    strategy, pointing to bloodshed in Syria and in Libya

    where four Americans including the US ambassador

    were killed last month and twice mentioning Al-

    Qaeda gains in Mali. Obama called the viole

    heartbreaking.

    The rivals are neck-and-neck in national

    Romney surged following his rst debate

    October and started chipping away at Obama

    in the swing states that will decide the electio

    Foreign policy is unlikely to decide who

    November, with the sluggish economy

    election, but Romney is under pressure to

    competence following a string of blunders.

    New polls released Monday had the race a

    with two weeks to go.

    Continued from page 6 >> Presidential Polls 2012:

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    Terror group Al-Qaeda are furiousthat Malala Yousafzai - who wasshot in the head in a botchedTaliban assassination - is beinghailed a heroine around the world,it was reported last night.Would-be killers were sent toshoot the girl, 15, because she has

    campaigned for womens rightsand educating girls in the SwatValley area of Pakistan, which wasunder complete Taliban controlfrom 2007 to 2009.

    But their attempt to re-assertpower backred: First by failingto kill brave Malala, and then bysparking protests across Pakistanin support of the schoolgirl. Al-Qaeda member Ustad AhmadFarooq compared the attack onWestern military operations,saying in a letter: Nobody spoke

    up for thousands of such Malalaswho became victims of militaryoperations, and nobody protestedfor them on the roads, reportedFox News. I may ask why? Whyis Malalas blood more importantthan those killed by the army?While the TTPs argument for

    the attempted assassinationis essentially that she was alegitimate target because sheviolated sharia, or Islamic law,al Qaeda has approached the

    controversy from a different angle.Farooq contends that the mediahas galvanized behind Malalabut ignored supposed atrocitiesagainst Muslim women.

    Al Qaedas Pakistani spokesman,Ustad Ahmad Farooq, has issueda statement on the assassination

    attempt, wondering why peoplein Pakistan and around the worldhave made the girl a heroine.Why is Malalas blood moreimportant than those killed by thearmy?- Ustad Ahmad Farooq, Al Qaedas

    Pakistani spokesman

    An excerpt from the letter , titledWhy Mourn Malala so Much?and addressed to[my] belovedPakistani brothers and sisters, wastranslated by the SITE IntelligenceGroup. The letter claims that theWest has done far worse to Muslimwomen. Specically, Farooq asks

    why the media and the psilent about women who dpoverty and women killemilitary operations in SWaziristan.Nobody spoke up for thof such Malalas who victims of military operat

    nobody protested for theroads, Farooq wrote. Bcircles made so much nowe targeted this girl wfun of jihad, the veil a

    Islamic values on beheBritish Broadcasting CorThis attack created shin the ruling circles aroworld. They issued a nustatements condemning ton Malala. I may ask wis Malalas blood more ithan those killed by the a

    Al-Qaedas fury as the teenage gTaliban tried to murder in showof power becomes a worldwideheroine from British hospital be

    Malala Yousafzai is being treated in Birmingham after being shot in Pakistan She was shot after demanding womens rights in Pakistan region previously controlled by the Ta

    NEWSSaarc international I Thursday 25 October 2012

    Tuesday, 13th November, 2012Cultural Activities Centre (C.A.C),International Islamic University Mal

    Saturday November 10 will markexactly one month since the 15-year-old was shot in the head by a Talibangunman as she travelled home fromschool with two classmates in north-

    west Pakistan. The day of actionhas been declared Malala and the32 million girls day and aims to

    boost international support for girls

    education.The latest Unesco gures show that61 million children are not in school,and 32 million of them are girls.Former prime minister Gordon Brownis set to visit Pakistan on November10 with a group of education expertsat the invitation of President Asif AlieZardari to discuss how the countrycan get its three million girls whoare not currently in school - and vemillion children in total - back intothe classroom.Mr Brown, who is a UN special envoy

    for global education, will presentpetitions to President Zardari andUN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moonshowing support for Malala andcalling on the Pakistani governmentto draw up an education plan.Nearly one million people havealready signed the petitions. MrBrown said: The world - and young

    people in particular - has shown itsrevulsion at both the actions of theTaliban and the scandal that leaves 32million girls globally out of school.The time is now to take action todeliver on our promise of universaleducation. I call on all global citizensto make their voice heard from nowuntil the day of my visit to Pakistanon November 10th.The public are being encouragedto show their support for the day ofaction by using social networkingsites to post messages.

    A Day of action in Novemberfor support of Malala Yousafzai

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    NEWS South Asia Tribune I Thursday 25 Octo14

    Banned terror-outt Lashkar-e-Taiba

    has claimed responsibility for theattack on Hotel Silver Star in Nowgam,Srinagar, a day after a group of fourmilitants opened red on hotel staff,killing one and leaving two injured.

    According to media reports, themilitants chalked out an attack plantargeting Army convoy at Lasjan inSrinagar but were unable to execute it,after which they stormed the hotel onFriday and shot the employees.

    While claiming responsibility forthe Fridays attack, LeT also blamed

    Armys retaliatory ring for bell

    boy Farooq Ahmad Bhats killing,reported the Times of India. The dailyalso reported that LeT spokesperson

    Abdullah Ghaznavi called thenewspaper to claim that two dozensoldiers had been wounded in theattack.

    Meanwhile, ofcials have alsoreportedly conrmed that the HotelSilver Star attack was a result of anunsuccessful bid by terrorist to attackthe Army vehicles. The militantshad planned an attack on the Army

    vehicles which were passing by. (But)

    they did not succeed and thus entereda nearby hotel, a police statementsaid, according to TOI.The security forces have reportedlylaid siege the area and searchoperation for the militants involved inthe attack is on. Its said to be the rst

    such attack in Srinagar in si

    in the backdrop of decreasirelated activities across JaKashmir for the past one yeThe employee, who was kiring, has been identied

    Ahmad and two other, whogunshot injuries, are utreatment in hospital.Media reports suggested terrorists rst red at an Arand while escaping fearing attack from the army, enterHotel Silver Star and opindiscriminately at staff.

    Lashkar-e-Taiba Claims Responsibility for Hotel Silver Star Atta

    Friday marks the start of this years Eidal-Adha holiday, but for Hamas, thefestivities began on Tuesday in the GazaStrip.The Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamadbin Khalifa Al Thani has hailed thesteadfastness of the people of Gaza againstIsraeli aggression, stressing that it was apride for all Arabs, Qatar News Agency(QNA) reported. The emir, Sheik Hamadbin Khalifa al-Thani, pledged $400million to build two housing complexes,rehabilitate three main roads and createa prosthetic center, among other projects,a transformational infusion of cash at atime when foreign aid to the Palestinianterritories has been in free fall. The sheik,his wife and the Qatari prime ministerled a large delegation that entered Gazafrom Egypt and sped in a convoy of blackMercedes-Benzes and armored Toyotasthrough streets lined with people wavingQatari and Palestinian ags.Israel said it was astounding thatQatar, a U.S.-allied Gulf state whose oiland gas permit it to punch way above itsdiplomatic weight, would take sides in thePalestinian dispute and endorse Hamas,branded as terrorists in the West.Meanwhile Israel Blocks Qatar Gasfrom GazaIsrael is not transferring gas sent fromQatar to Gaza on Wednesday due to thesecurity situation in the area.The visit by the emir of Qatar, Hamad binKhalifa Al Thani, is an historic turningpoint. Not only are we talking about therst Arab leader to visit the Strip since theorganizations violent takeover in June2007 - were talking about no less than theruler of Qatar. Addressing a ceremony atthe Islamic University of Gaza (IUG) on

    Tuesday evening, Sheikh Hamad praisedthe Gazan peoples courage as they facethe enemys aircraft and internationally-prohibited weapons, stressing that thePalestinian cause with its ramicationsand concerns remains a bleeding woundin the Arab body.Qatar allied with the West in helpingoust Col. Muammar el-Qadda in Libya,while nancing Islamists on the ground.In Egypt, it has close ties to the MuslimBrotherhood. In Syria, it providescash and weapons to Islamists battlingPresident Bashar al-Assad, and at thesame time it hosts a large United Statesmilitary base that affords it protection in

    a volatile neighborhood.What appears to be a tiny principality,in Arab terms, has transformed into oneof the most powerful in the Middle East.This is in part due to its status in the ArabLeague as one the two countries leadingthe Sunni camp against the Shiite axis;its great wealth; and, of course, itsownership of the most important mediaoutlet in the Middle East, Al Jazeera.While Abbas and the Fayyad governmentare embroiled in an economic crisis and

    can hardly pay their workers wages intime, Hamas has won a donation of aquarter of a billion dollars, an enormoussum in Palestinian terms. The Qatariruler has opted to visit Gaza - and notRamallah.He said that Israel violates the

    Palestinian land every day throughpractices of settlement and Judaisation,particularly in the occupied West Bankand Jerusalem, because Arabs lackthe capability to face it due to theirdivision and dispersed stances and theinternational communitys inability toprotect international legitimacy through

    the UN-approved binding decisions.The double standards policy thatdeprives the Palestinians of their right toreturn and establish their independentstate on their soil has also caused the on-going violations by the Israel, he added.Sheikh Hamad called on Palestinians toend the division between the West Bankand Gaza, noting that it is the source ofevil for the Palestinian cause.He demanded a new phase of reconciliationand agreement in line with the foundationsreached in Doha and Cairo.The Emir of Qatar noted that Arabsupport for Gaza is a duty rather than afavour, stressing that Qatar will alwaysbe at the forefront of the people ofGaza and Palestine supporters, as it is anational and umanitarian duty.Meanwhile, the Board of Trustees of theIslamic University of Gaza granted the

    Emir and his wife, Sheikha Moza