News and information from the world of Interserve

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Iran: 'Iran's judiciary chief moved to curb the increasingly common spectacle of public executions yesterday by banning the practice, except in cases approved by him. Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, a moderate conservative cleric tipped by some as a future potential supreme leader, said the death penalty should be carried out behind closed doors, and barred the publication of television footage or photographs of executions.' (Guardian).

Afghanistan: ' A young man, a student of journalism, is sentenced to death by an Islamic court for downloading a report from the internet. The sentence is then upheld by the country's rulers. This is Afghanistan – not in Taliban times but six years after "liberation" and under the democratic rule of the West's ally Hamid Karzai.' (Independent).

Australia: 'Australia sets date for apology to 'Stolen Generation'' (Independent).

Israel: 'A heavy overnight snowstorm blanketed Jerusalem and other parts of the Holy Land in white on Wednesday, closing schools and stores and grounding public transportation.' (CNN).

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Syria: 'Syria's most prominent political dissident has been rearrested in a new crackdown on opposition figures by President Bashar al-Assad's regime.' (Guardian).

Jordan: 'Jordan has increased pressure on foreign Christians living in the kingdom, expelling many long-time residents over the past 13 months in what local churches see as an attack on their legitimacy.' (Compass Direct).

UK: 'Four men have pleaded guilty to offenses linked to a plot to kidnap a British Muslim soldier on leave and behead him in a garage.' (CNN).

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Afghanistan: 'Canada will pull its 2,500 troops out of Afghanistan early next year unless NATO sends in significant reinforcements, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Monday, signaling Ottawa has lost patience with what it sees as foot-dragging by allies.' (Reuters).

Turkey: 'A political science professor was convicted yesterday of insulting the founder of modern Turkey and given a 15-month suspended prison sentence.' (Independent).

Israel / West Bank: 'Israeli forces arrested the local head of a Palestinian militant group in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on Monday night, Israel Defense Forces said.' (CNN).

Monday, January 28, 2008

Egypt / Gaza: 'Dozens of policemen in riot gear at Egyptian checkpoints set up in the pouring rain just a few miles from the border with Gaza yesterday failed to halt the relentless flow of Palestinians into Egypt five days after the border was breached.' (Guardian).

China: 'Wild winter weather across China left hundreds of thousands of people stranded on Monday and crippled energy and transport, stoking fears of rising deaths and economic damage blighting the biggest holiday of the year.' (Reuters).

Turkey: ' A small square of coloured material returns to the centre of Turkey's political stage this week as the government prepares to end the controversial headscarf ban.' (Independent).

Lebanon: 'The death toll from protests in Beirut's southern suburbs has risen to seven, the Lebanese Internal Security Forces said Monday. Twenty-eight others were wounded while protesting power shortages Sunday, officials said.' (CNN).

Friday, January 25, 2008

Lebanon: 'A bomb exploded near an overpass in mainly Christian east Beirut on Friday, killing a police officer and at least five other people, a security source said.' (Reuters).

Egypt / Gaza: 'Egyptian forces fired water cannons at Palestinians trying to force their way across the Gaza-Egypt border on Friday and warned over loudspeakers the border would close at 3 p.m. (1300 GMT), witnesses said.' (Reuters).

Bangladesh: 'Unknown attackers tried to burn a 70-year-old woman to death on January 7 after learning that she would be baptized as a Christian next month. Rahima Beoa, who was planning to be baptized on February 13 in Muslim-majority Rangpur district, 248 kilometers (154miles) northwest of the capital city of Dhaka, suffered burns on 70 percent of her body.' (Compass Direct).

UK: 'A plan to call Muslims to prayer with a loudspeaker has divided opinion in Britain's oldest university town' (Independent).

Pakistan: 'Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf lashed out Thursday at what he called Western "intellectual arrogance" toward his country, angrily dismissing claims that rising unpopularity has undermined his authority.' (CNN).

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Afghanistan: 'An Afghan reporter was sentenced to death for blasphemy by a court yesterday for allegedly questioning the prophet Muhammad's respect for women's rights.' (Reuters).

Turkey: 'One police officer and one militant were killed in a clash during raids on suspected al Qaeda cells in southeastern Turkey, police sources said on Thursday.' (Reuters).

Pakistan: 'Pakistani forces have cleared militant strongholds from three areas in the South Waziristan region on the Afghan border and 40 militants and eight soldiers have been killed in the fighting, the military said on Thursday.' (Reuters).

Iran: 'Iranian people fear new wave of sanctions' (Independent).

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Greece / Turkey: 'Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis arrives in Turkey on Wednesday in the first official visit there by leader of Greece for almost five decades.' (BBC).

Gaza / Egypt: 'Palestinian militants blew up part of the wall between Gaza and Egypt on Wednesday, and tens of thousands of Palestinians poured into Egypt to stock up on food and fuel in short supply due to an Israeli blockade.' (Reuters).

India: 'Six Hindu nationalist (Hindutva) extremists stormed a house church, abducted two Christians and severely beat them last Thursday (January 17) in Madhya Pradesh state’s Rewa district.' (Compass Direct).

Iran: 'The U.N. Security Council's permanent members and Germany agreed Tuesday on a new draft resolution on sanctions against Iran, strengthening existing measures over the country's refusal to suspend its nuclear program, officials said.' (CNN).

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Iran: 'The political authority of the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, suffered a serious blow yesterday after the country's most powerful figure, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sided with MPs by ordering him to supply cheap gas to villages suffering power cuts in an unexpectedly harsh winter.' (Guardian).

Nepal: 'Nepal's ailing 83-year-old Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala was "stable" on Tuesday after complaining of breathing problems on the weekend, his doctors said' (Reuters).

Thailand: 'The military council which ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a 2006 putsch disbanded itself on Tuesday and promised there would be no more coups as a Thaksin-backed coalition prepared to take office.' (Reuters).

Israel: 'Israel has reversed its decision to stop all supplies reaching Gaza after a storm of international protest accusing the Jewish state of the "collective punishment" of the territory's civilian population.' (Telegraph).

India: 'A bus carrying pilgrims to Hindu shrines in southwestern India careened over the side of a steep hill Sunday night, killing 37 and injuring more than 40 others, police said.' (CNN).

Monday, January 21, 2008

Islam / The West: 'Most people in Muslim and Western countries believe divisions between them are worsening and each side believes the other disrespects their culture, according to a poll released on Monday.' (Reuters).

Saudi Arabia: 'Saudi authorities, breaking with religious codes that require women to be accompanied by a male guardian, have decided to allow women to stay in hotels on their own, a newspaper reported on Monday.' (Reuters).

Yemen: 'At least 16 people including six children drowned in the Gulf of Aden while trying to cross from Somalia to Yemen, Yemeni media said on Monday.' (Reuters).

China: 'Beijing will use the strictest standards to control emissions and curb pollution for the Summer Olympics but it will be an uphill task, the host city's mayor was quoted as saying Sunday.' (CNN).

Gaza: 'Gaza City was plunged into darkness Sunday after Israel blocked the shipment of fuel that powers its only electrical plant in retaliation for persistent rocket attacks by Gaza militants.' (CNN).

Friday, January 18, 2008

China: 'Gordon Brown has predicted that "tens of thousands" of British jobs will be created by boosting trade with China.' (BBC).

Iran / Israel: 'Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that Israel "would not dare attack Iran", after Israel said it tested a missile and warned against Tehran's nuclear program.' (Reuters).

Thursday, January 17, 2008

China: 'China is facing its worst drought in a decade, with water in parts of the Yangtze River at the lowest level in 142 years, state media has reported.' (BBC).

India: 'A devastating fire in the Indian city of Calcutta has been brought under control four days after it started, officials say.' (BBC).

Koreas: 'South Korea's president-elect Lee Myung-bak said on Thursday his conservative government will press North Korea to drop its nuclear arms program but was mindful of the need to be patient with the communist state.' (Reuters).

Pakistan: 'Islamic militants overran a border fort in northwestern Pakistan during a pitched battle Wednesday, killing seven Pakistani troops and leaving more than a dozen unaccounted for, a military spokesman said.' (CNN).

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Gaza: 'Israeli troops launched a major incursion into the Gaza Strip yesterday, killing 19 Palestinians, including the son of Gaza's most powerful Hamas leader, in the heaviest fighting for more than a year.' (Guardian).

Iran: 'Foreign ministers from the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany will meet next week in Berlin to discuss possible further sanctions against Iran, diplomats said on Tuesday.' (Reuters).

Vatican: 'Pope Benedict XVI has canceled a planned visit to a prestigious Italian university after a protest by academics and students attacked his views on Galileo, the Vatican confirmed Tuesday.' (CNN).

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Iran:'Amnesty International has urged Iran to drop from its penal code the punishment of death by stoning, a fate awaiting 11 convicted criminals, the group says.' (BBC).

UK: 'The flight of the white middle classes from the inner cities is accelerating, the Government's race relations chief has said.' (Telegraph).

Afghanistan: 'At least five people and a suicide bomber were killed in a Monday attack on a luxury hotel in Kabul, while six others were wounded, officials said.' (CNN).

Pakistan: 'Opposition leader Nawaz Sharif accused Pakistan's president Monday of blindly following America and ordering anti-terror operations that have left the country "drowned in blood."' (CNN).

Monday, January 14, 2008

Afghanistan: 'The US general in charge of training the Afghan police has criticised British-backed plans to arm local militias in an attempt to defeat the Taliban. The remarks by Maj-Gen Robert Cone, the second most senior US soldier in Afghanistan, are likely to deepen the row between London and Washington over how to counter the insurgency.' (Independent).

Iran: 'Iran's leaders agreed to answer all remaining questions about their country's past nuclear activities within four weeks in talks with the U.N.'s chief nuclear inspector, his spokeswoman said Sunday.' (CNN).

Middle East: 'Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed Sunday to authorize peace talks, which could begin Monday, according to the offices of both leaders.' (CNN).

Thursday, January 10, 2008

China: 'A man who used his mobile phone to film a violent clash between villagers and officials in rural China was beaten to death by public order "enforcers", Chinese state media reported yesterday, bringing more unwanted attention to the country's unruly hinterlands.' (Guardian).

Afghanistan: 'Afghanistan gave a welcome on Thursday to U.S. plans to send an extra 3,000 troops to fight the Taliban insurgency, but Washington's move highlights divisions between Western allies over how much to commit to the country.' (Reuters).

Iraq: 'Six U.S. soldiers were killed Wednesday in Iraq when a bomb exploded in a booby-trapped house while they were on patrol north of Baghdad, the military announced.' (CNN).

Pakistan: 'A suicide bomber in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore has killed at least 22 people and wounded 60, most of them police officers.' (BBC).

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Pakistan: 'Plagued by mounting attacks by Islamist militants loyal to al Qaeda, Pakistan now faces a second wave of violence as its minority Shi'ite Muslims prepare for their annual mourning period.' (Reuters).

Malaysia: 'The government has told the Herald, a Catholic newspaper threatened with closure for using the word “Allah” in its Malay segment, that it must abide by a ruling not to use the word even though the weekly secured renewal of its printing permit for 2008.' (Compass Direct).

Turkey: 'A Turkish judge in the Black Sea coastal city of Samsun on Sunday (January 6) set free a minor who confessed to making telephone death threats against a pastor and his church, a day after authorities arrested the youth.' (Compass Direct).

North Korea: 'China is planning to send troops into North Korea to restore order and secure its nuclear arsenal in the event of the regime’s collapse.' (Telegraph).

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Bangladesh: 'Bangladesh, still struggling to overcome the devastating effects of cyclone Sidr late last year, will build 2,000 new storm shelters in 2008.' (Reuters).

Lebanon: 'The leader of the Fatah al-Islam group threatened attacks against the Lebanese army after it crushed its militants in battles at a refugee camp in northern Lebanon last year.' (Reuters).

Turkey: 'Turkey's government, under pressure from the European Union, will propose changes this week to a law that has been used to prosecute writers and is widely seen as a major obstacle to Ankara's troubled EU membership bid. Article 301 of the penal code makes it a crime to insult "Turkishness" and has been used to prosecute Nobel Literature Laureate Orhan Pamuk and many other writers and journalists. "The change in article 301 ... will be presented to parliament as a proposal this week," Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin told a news conference yesterday.' (Independent).

Iran: 'Five Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats "harassed and provoked" three U.S. Navy ships early Sunday in international waters, the U.S. military said Monday, calling the encounter a "significant" confrontation.' (CNN).

Monday, January 07, 2008

Vatican: 'The Vatican has called on Catholics to atone for the sex abuse scandals that have engulfed their church in recent years by taking part in what may be the largest global prayer initiative ever seen.' (Guardian).

China: 'A group of Chinese dissidents has signed an open letter condemning the arrest of an AIDS and environmental activist on subversion charges and urged the government to improve human rights ahead of this year's Olympics.' (Reuters).

Pakistan: 'Pakistan will not allow any country to conduct military operations on its territory, officials said on Monday, rejecting a report that said the United States was considering authorizing its forces to act in Pakistan.' (Reuters).

UK: 'Muslim leaders reacted angrily yesterday to a claim by the Bishop of Rochester that Islamic extremists have created "no-go" areas in many cities and a plea for mosques to desist from using amplifiers to broadcast calls to prayer.' (Independent).

Gaza Strip: 'Four Palestinians were killed Sunday as a result of fighting in the area of al-Breij, in central Gaza, Palestinian security sources said.' (CNN).