Breaking News: Hamas confirms prisoner swap deal
Hamas says the Palestinians resistance movement has reached an agreement for a prisoner exchange with the Israeli regime.
Archbishop of Canterbury tells Robert Mugabe to act over church abuses
The Archbishop of Canterbury met President Robert Mugabe for tea, scones and jam on Monday in a bid to persuade the Zimbabwean president to curb the activities of his renegade bishop. Dr Rowan Williams said the meeting – the first between a British dignitary and Mr Mugabe in 10 […]
Indonesia’s Controversial Intelligence Bill
Civil libertarians alarmed at sweeping powers for intelligence agency Civil libertarians in Jakarta have been alarmed by the passage Tuesday of a bill that gives sweeping new powers to the State Intelligence Agency that critics fear will take the country back to the bad old days of the 30-year Suharto […]
Pakistan court suspends death sentence of governor’s killer
By Shaan Khan, For CNN updated 5:08 AM EST, Tue October 11, 2011 Source/Courtesy: CNN Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) — A Pakistani court has suspended the death sentence of Mumtaz Qadri, a security guard who killed a liberal politician over the latter’s remarks on the nation’s controversial blasphemy law. “Qadri was provoked by the governor and […]
Millions to lose unemployment benefits if Congress doesn’t act
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Millions of unemployed Americans are waiting for Congress to do something other than trade barbs over their job creation plans. If lawmakers don’t act soon, the jobless see their unemployment checks start to disappear come January. More than 6 million Americans are set to lose federal […]
Feeding the Masses – German Firm to Assess Catering Project for Mecca Pilgrims
Source: Spiegel International This is one bid that could spice up anyone’s portfolio. The German service provider Dussmann has signed a multi-million euro contract with a Saudi Arabian company to examine the feasibility of a new catering facility for religious pilgrims in the desert state. It’s uncharted territory for the […]
United States of America – Race and Religion to the fore in US Republican race
Source/Credit: AFP& : Tuesday, October 11, 2011 , by Michael Mathes, Former Massachusetts Governor and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Photo: Richard Ellis/Getty Images Republican hopefuls insist the 2012 White House race will hinge on the economy, but it is the conservative hot-button issues of race and religion that currently dominate the […]
The curse of the minorities!
Source/Credit: The Express Tribune: By Yaqoob Khan Bangash / Ocotber 10, 2011 Everyone in this world is a minority in one way or the other. In a society, men are either the majority or the dominant sex, one religion outnumbers another, one sect has more followers than the other, or one ethnicity overwhelms […]
Hamas sets Gaza entry restrictions for foreigners
By REUTERS GAZA: Hamas said on Monday foreigners wishing to enter the Gaza Strip would require visas, enabling its administration to monitor aid workers and pro-Palestinian activists more closely. The new rules will take effect from Tuesday. Separate visa requirements for foreign journalists are still being worked out. Hamas’ Gaza-based […]
Shoura, NSHR agree to cooperate on rights front
By MD RASOOLDEEN | ARAB NEWS RIYADH: The Shoura Council agreed on Monday with the National Society of Human Rights to cooperate with each other in preserving human rights, preventing violations and finding workable solutions to problems related to human rights. Chairman of Shoura Council’s human rights committee Mishal bin […]
Black market thrives as Haj missions fail to find housing
By BADEA ABU AL-NAJA | ARAB NEWS MAKKAH: With only three weeks before the Haj starts, a number of Haj missions have failed to secure suitable accommodation for their pilgrims in Makkah, sources involved in providing pilgrimage services said on Monday. They claimed some missions were trying to control the […]
Cabinet flags off east-west railway
By P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: The Council of Ministers on Monday took a landmark decision to implement a land bridge project that would link the Kingdom’s east with its west with a railway line, bringing about a dramatic change in the region’s transport system. The project, which […]
Egypt orders probe after deadly Copt clashes
CAIRO (AFP) – Egypt’s military rulers ordered a speedy probe into clashes which killed 25 people, mostly Coptic Christians, as the Cabinet held crisis talks amid fears of wider sectarian unrest and Washington urged restraint. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) “tasked the government with quickly forming a […]
Guarded response: Taliban hint at accepting Saudis as peace brokers
By Zia Khan Published: October 10, 2011 Source?courtesy: Express Tribune ISLAMABAD: The banned conglomerate of militant groups, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), will seek mediation by countries like Saudi Arabia, if the government offers them peace talks — a top militant leader of the banned outfit said in a ‘cautious’ response to Pakistan’s earlier […]
Former LHC chief justice to defend Mumtaz Qadri
By Obaid Abbasi Published: October 10, 2011 Source/Courtasy: Express Tribune ISLAMABAD: Former Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Khawaja Sharif will defend Mumtaz Qadri, the murderer of Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer, in court on Tuesday, confirmed Lawyer Raja Shujaur Rehman. Justice Khawaja was appointed Chief Justice of the LHC on April 12, […]
Qadri supporters rail against US, Ahmadis
By Rana Tanveer Published: October 10, 2011 Source/Courtesy:Express Tribune LAHORE: Speakers at the Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) National Khatam-i-Nabuwat Conference railed against the death sentence handed to Mumtaz Qadri for the murder of Salmaan Taseer, as well as Ahmedis and America, on Sunday. SIC Chairman Sahibzada Fazle Karim announced that they would […]
Iraq ‘may bar’ US trainers from 2012: top official
Source: AFP BAGHDAD — Iraq is considering multiple options regarding the future of the US military presence, ranging from a limited mission to no trainers whatsoever, a top official told AFP on Monday. The remarks from Ali al-Alaak, the general secretary of the cabinet, come amid an apparent impasse between […]
U.N. Finds ‘Systematic’ Torture in Afghanistan
Source: The New York Times Author: Alissa J. Rubin KABUL, Afghanistan — Detainees are hung by their hands and beaten with cables, and in some cases their genitals are twisted until the prisoners lose consciousness at sites run by the Afghan intelligence service and the Afghan National Police, according to […]
UN chief calls for universal access to electricity by 2030, clean energy revolution
Source: The Washington Post by Associated Press The U.N. secretary-general called Monday for universal access to electricity by 2030, saying a lack of energy in parts of the world threatens economic growth and job creation. Ban Ki-moon also urged governments and the private sector to pursue “a clean energy revolution,” […]
Why Europe’s debt crisis is a storm warning for Wall Street
Source: Guardian Author: Paul Harris The fire alarm goes off as Michael Lewis descends in the lift from his hotel room. As a security guard warns nervous-looking guests that the screaming sound was not a drill, it seemed the perfect introduction for a man whose new book about Europe’s debt crisis […]