| Basra market blast: Death toll rises to 43 | ||
 Protester hurls shoes at Zardari in BritainGeo blocked over news of shoe hurling at Zardari Workers can break Ramadan fast in extreme heat HuJI ban takes no note of 'Hindu terror' role 'Insurgents may derail Indo-Bangla ties' Comments against Pillai were 'balanced, objective': Qureshi Cong prefers ‘saffron’ to ‘Hindu terror’ UN Secy Gen spokesman slams Indian media Paying tribute to ‘The life and works of Sadequain’ Bangladesh: Speedy war crimes trial demanded Bangladesh: 'Ban Jamaat, Shibir politics' Bangladesh: Protect human rights of Rohingyas India lends Bangladesh one billion dollars as ties warm Haia set to issue guidelines for practice of faith healing Kanwars: For Hindus by Muslims Prof. Akhtarul Wassay is out of the ICU, recovering The real problem in the Afghan war is India, Pakistan and Kashmir Afghan police hunt killers of Dr Karen Woo 9/11 death toll exaggerated, says Iran president Lebanon accuses 3rd telecom worker of Israel spying Gaza power plant shuts down citing lack of fuel Drop scene of Daman-e-Koh incident Workers can break Ramadan fast in extreme heat Slump in mobile phone sales Taliban claims responsibility for killing foreigners Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau Photo: Protester hurls shoes at President Zardari in Britain | ||
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The death toll from a Basra market blast rises to 43
08 Aug. 10
The blast was originally thought to be from an exploding generator
The death toll from a series of explosions in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on Saturday has risen to 43, officials have said.
One blast was initially reported to have been caused by an exploding generator, but officials now say it was a roadside bomb.
Two car bombs were also used in the co-ordinated attack, they said.
In a separate incident on Sunday, a suicide bomb blast killed six people in the city of Ramadi east of the Baghdad.
The car bomb was detonated at a petrol station near a post office where people were queuing to receive social welfare payments, reports said.
Badly burned
In Basra, 185 people were confirmed to have been wounded in the attack, hospital officials told reporters.
Families of the dead have not been able to identify their relatives' bodies because many are too badly burned, the news agency Reuters reported.
The bomb, believed to have been placed under an electricity generator, sparked a fire which swept through the al-Ashaar market in the city 550km (340 miles) from Baghdad.
"The attack that hit Basra yesterday evening was the result of terrorist action," Basra security chief Ali al-Maliki was quoted as saying.
Basra, the main city in the largely Shia Muslim south of Iraq, has been comparatively free of insurgent violence this year.
Ramadi is the provincial capital of Anbar, a stronghold for Sunni insurgents.
The attacks are the latest to prompt concerns about security in Iraq, with US combat troops due to leave the country by the end of this month.
The US aims to reduce its presence to 50,000 non-combat troops by the end of August, in preparation for a full military departure by 2012.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-10907112
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Protester hurls shoes at Zardari in Britain
08 Aug. 10
LONDON: A man threw both his shoes at Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari when he was addressing a public meeting in Birmingham. The shoes landed just short of him.
The Telegraph on Sunday reported that Zardari, who has been criticised for visiting Britain while there were floods in his country, was in the middle of his speech when an elderly man in the crowd hurled both shoes at him.
An unidentified man was later taken away from the Saturday evening meeting by police and security officials.
"Zardari was in the middle of a long campaign speech when a man towards the back of the crowd hurled the shoes at him," an eyewitness was quoted as saying.
"They landed short of him, and it wasn't clear what exactly the man was protesting about."
While talking to the British daily, Zardari had dismissed claims that he should have stayed at home.
He said that the visit had resulted in the floods receiving far more international attention than they might otherwise have done.
Zardari said: "These meetings are planned months in advance, and my coming abroad has drawn more attention to them than I myself would have been able to draw."
In February last year, a German student hurled a shoe at Chinese premier Wen Jiabao during his visit to Cambridge University in Britain.
Martin Jahnke, a 27-year-old graduate student at the university's pathology department, was arrested on February 2, 2009 for throwing a shoe at Wen, who was giving a speech on the global economy to an audience of mostly Chinese students during an official visit to Britain.
The shoe missed Wen by about a metre.
Jahnke was emulating an Iraqi TV reporter, Muntazer al-Zaidi, who threw his shoes at former US President George W. Bush during a visit to Baghdad in December, 2008.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/Shoes-hurled-at-Zardari-in-Britain/articleshow/6274170.cms#ixzz0w1LRgTmY
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Geo blocked over news of shoe hurling at Zardari
08 Aug. 10
KARACHI: The transmission of Geo News has been blocked overnight in various parts of country after it aired news regarding hurling of shoes at President Zardari during his party address in Birmingham, Geo News reported cable operators sources as saying.
Meanwhile, many offices of cable operators in Karachi have been set ablaze by angry activists of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
Some of PPP’s leaders and government officials have issued threats and warnings to cable operators across country against continuation of Geo News transmission, pressurizing them to shut Geo News transmission but most cable operators refused to do so, sources said.
However, a private company namely World Call and another one by the name KMPC blocked Geo News signals as late as 2am in morning.
Newspapers’ vendors have been robbed of copies of Jang and Thenews newspapers upon direction of President Asif Ali Zardari and Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira from London, besides, the PPP workers were accompanied by police officials in posing threats to cable operators and hawkers, sources told media.
Following the blockage, a large number of people registered a massive protest against closure of Geo News transmission across country and rampage, arson and riots triggered by workers of PPP, sources said.
Meanwhile, many a Geo News’ workers have decided to register a protest against government in reaction against blockage of Geo News transmission over keeping people updated with facts and truths.
People and Geo News employees have resolved staging a massive string of demonstrations against stoppage of Geo News transmission and burning of Jang and Thenews newspapers by PPP workers, sources said.
The Demos will be staged outside President House, Prime Minister House, in front of Oman Embassy in Islamabad, outside CM, Governor Houses, Press Clubs and offices of cable operators all over country.
Most copies of Jang and Thenews newspapers have been burnt to ashes after robbing them of hawkers at gunpoint in Karachi.
A meeting of journalists, and Geo News employees has been convened in this connection, which will decide further course of action over this issue, journalists told Geo News.
People were of the view that Geo/Jang Group is being penalized over revealing of facts and speaking the truth. They said the ruling elite is angry over reporting of news regarding controversial visit of president Zardari in face of worst floods in country.
President was not only being criticized in country but international media were also grilling him due to massive human crisis in country while he refused to call off his UK visit.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=109933
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Workers can break Ramadan fast in extreme heat
8 August 2010
Workers contending with high heat and humidity can break their Ramadan fasts to avoid health problems, according to a fatwa issued by the top religious authority in the UAE.
‘It is permissible for workers in certain professions to break the fast because of severe hardship,’ says the fatwa, or Islamic religious edict, issued by the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments.
However, it says that this is only on the condition that the worker start the day fasting, and stop only when it is too difficult to continue.
The fatwa, published on the General Authority’s website, was issued in response to a question from an oil rig worker who asked whether it was permissible to break his fast over fears of health problems from not eating or drinking while working in high heat and humidity.
Temperatures in the desert Gulf state consistently top 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan begins either on Wednesday or Thursday, with the exact day depending on the sighting of the new moon.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/August/theuae_August237.xml§ion=theuae
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HuJI ban takes no note of 'Hindu terror' role
Vishwa Mohan
Aug 8, 2010
NEW DELHI: Contrary to Centre's growing estimate that alleged Hindu extremists carried out the May 2007 Mecca Mosque blast in Hyderabad, the United States and the United Nations have held the Pakistan-based Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami (HuJI) responsible for it. The UN has, in fact, termed the blast a joint operation of HuJI and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and listed a number of other terror attacks in India in which these outfits were involved.
HuJI's role in the Mecca Mosque blast was highlighted both by the US and the UN while banning the outfit as a `terrorist organisation' and designating its top commander Ilyas Kashmiri as a `global terrorist' having links with al-Qaeda on Friday. Kashmiri had recently been indicted in the US for providing material support to Pakistani-American LeT operative David Coleman Headley.
India had also suspected HuJI's involvement in the Mecca Masjid blasts before stumbling upon evidence linking the terror act to the group aligned with Abhinav Bharat who are suspect in two other attacks on Muslim targets -- the blast at a mosque in Malegaon and at the Ajmer Shrine. It is possible that the UN and US authorities did not check with India for fresh updates on investigation into the crimes, going along with the initial line of Indian investigators.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/HuJI-ban-gives-new-twist-to-Mecca-Masjid-blast-case/articleshow/6272245.cms#ixzz0w126BHxW
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'Insurgents may derail Indo-Bangla ties'
08 Aug. 10
Seeking enhanced bilateral security cooperation, India has cautioned that insurgents had the "potential" to derail its friendly ties with Bangladesh, even as it commended Dhaka's efforts to root out terrorism from this country.
India "deeply appreciates" the efforts of Bangladesh to tackle terrorism as the menace was a common concern of the two neighbours, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here last evening.
The two sides will continue to be closely engaged for enhanced bilateral security cooperation, he told a press briefing after the signing ceremony of a USD 1 billion loan deal for Bangladesh, the largest line of credit received by Dhaka.
Mukherjee identified "security cooperation" as an area that engaged the attention of both the countries "given our common desire to root out the forces of extremism and terrorism from our midst".
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/insurgents-may-derail-indobangla-ties/657624/
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Comments against Pillai were 'balanced, objective': Qureshi
08 Aug. 10
Unfazed by India's attack, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has justified his statement comparing Home Secretary G K Pillai with Jamaat-ud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, saying it was "balanced and objective".
Breaking his silence on the issue since his controversial July 15 remarks, Qureshi said there was "no justification" for Pillai to make the "unhelpful" comments and contended that it spoiled the atmospherics for his talks with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna.
"Mr Pillai's statement was, doubtless, uncalled for and off the mark," the Pakistani Minister told PTI in an email interview while referring to the Indian official's remarks that ISI was "controlling and coordinating" the Mumbai attacks from the beginning till the end.
"There is no justification for government officials to make unhelpful public remarks on the eve of the Foreign Ministers' meeting," he said.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/comments-against-pillai-were-balanced-objective-qureshi/657614/
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Cong prefers ‘saffron’ to ‘Hindu terror’
Aurangzeb Naqshbandi, Hindustan Times
August 08, 2010
It is not only the RSS that is worried over the “frequent reference” in the media of newly coined term “Hindu terror” but the Congress too has problem with its usage. Wary of using the term in political discourse, the party instead wants it to be called either “Saffron Terror” or “Sangh Parivar
Terror”.
“Hindu" is a wider term. Not every Hindu is a terrorist. The terrorist activities are carried out by Hindu extremists whose association with the saffron or Sangh Parivar organisations have been established,” a senior Congress functionary said.
“It is like saying Islamic terror, which very is derogatory. Not every Muslim is a terrorist,” he said.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Cong-prefers-saffron-to-Hindu-terror/H1-Article1-583725.aspx
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UN Secy Gen spokesman slams Indian media
Betwa Sharma | United Nations
An extraordinary attack on the Indian media and defence of Pakistani-origin aide of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon marked another round of the raging row over Kashmir at the world body’s headquarters here.
Ban’s chief spokesperson Martin Nesirky defended his colleague Farhan Haq, associate spokesman, who is in the centre of the controversy, against attacks in the Indian Press that suggested Haq was responsible for the remarks concerning the violence in Kashmir, which came out of the United Nations on July 28.
Nesirky also slammed the Indian Press for suggesting Haq’s “ethnicity” as a possible motivation for the remarks on Kashmir, which New Delhi has strongly objected to. Haq is an American citizen born in Washington DC with roots in Pakistan.
“I won’t tolerate insults being directed against my colleagues,” a visibly agitated Nesirky told journalists at the regular briefing at the UN.
“I really take exception to the insinuations based on ethnicity that I’ve seen in Indian publications. I firmly reject them,” he said.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/274646/UN-Secy-Gen-spokesman-slams-Indian-media.html
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Paying tribute to ‘The life and works of Sadequain’
By Sohail Raza Khattak
KARACHI: Sadequain’s poetry is like a mirror reflecting our face that tells us who we are and what is our identity and reality, said renowned historian, critic and author Dr Akbar Naqvi during a lecture ‘The life and works of Sadequain’, organised by the Unicorn Art Gallery.
Naqvi recited some lines from Beiaz-e-Sadequain, and gave his verdict on the works by the great artist, stating “Sadequain was such an artist, who tried to save and preserve a 1000-year of investment by Muslims in South Asia.”
He said that Sadequain has attempted to see himself and to show the people their real place and identity, while he tried to learn the aim and concept of life and real love from Ghalib.
“Helping the creatures of your Creator is real love, but nowadays love has a different meaning. Sadequain was versatile and a true lover in all senses of the word,” explained Naqvi.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\08\story_8-8-2010_pg12_8
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Bangladesh: Speedy war crimes trial demanded
08 Aug. 10
Speakers at a rally yesterday demanded fast trial of the identified war criminals and called for national unity to foil any attempts against the ongoing trial process.
The rally was organised by Sammilita Sangskritik Jote at Central Shaheed Minar where lawmaker Asaduzzaman Noor, Mofidul Haque, Golam Kuddus, Hasan Arif, among others, were present.
After the rally, the speakers and other participants marched in a procession till Shikha Chironton. They also held a symbolic execution of the war criminals.
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=149902
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Bangladesh: 'Ban Jamaat, Shibir politics'
08 Aug. 10
Leaders of Amra Muktijoddhar Santan, an organisation of freedom fighters' children, demanded that the government ban Jamaat-e-Islami and Chhatra Shibir from politics forever.
They also demanded immediate arrest and trial of war criminals.
They placed the demands at a protest rally organised by Uttara thana unit of the organisation in front of Shahjalal International Airport in the city yesterday, says a press release.
They burnt an effigy of Jamaat leader Syed Abdullah Abu Taher for making derogatory comment on prime minister.
They also demanded immediate arrest of Golam Azam, Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Abu Taher.
Unit President Farhad-uzzaman presided over the meeting. Central committee President Humayun Kabir and Presidium member Nuruz-zaman were also present.
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=149864
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Bangladesh: Protect human rights of Rohingyas
Says Justice Habubur Rahman
08 Aug. 10
Former chief adviser to a caretaker government Justice Muhammad Habubur Rahman yesterday said human rights of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh have to be protected in a sympathetic manner until problems with this (Rohingya) issue are resolved.
“We must not forget the miseries of around 10 million people of Bangladesh who took shelter as refugee in India during the War of Liberation in 1971,” he said, adding that the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are leading a very miserable life.
He said this while he was speaking as the chief guest at the publication ceremony of a book titled “The plight of the stateless Rohingyas -- Responses of the state, society and international community” at Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban at Dhaka University yesterday.
Prof Imtiaz Ahmed, a teacher of the Department of International Relations of Dhaka University, edited the book published by University Press Limited.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=149858
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India lends Bangladesh one billion dollars as ties warm
08 Aug. 10
DHAKA: India is giving Bangladesh a billion-dollar soft loan, the biggest credit package New Delhi has ever given to any nation, officials said Saturday, highlighting warming ties between the neighbours.
Relations chilled between the South Asian neighbours from 2001 to 2006 when Bangladesh was ruled by extremist-allied government and New Delhi regularly accused Dhaka of harbouring Indian insurgents and fostering militancy.
“It’s the largest line of credit the government of India has extended to any country,” Deepak Mittal, spokesman for the Indian embassy in Dhaka, told AFP.
The line of credit also marked the single largest loan Bangladesh has received from any nation, development bank or donor agency, Dhaka’s Economic Relations Division secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said.
Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee arrived in Dhaka on Saturday for a lightning visit to attend the official signing for the loan and for talks with government leaders.
“The terms of credit are very favourable to Dhaka. The interest rate is just 1.75 per cent and will be paid back in 20 years,” Bhuiyan said.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/business/44-india-lends-bangladesh-one-billion-dollars-as-ties-warm-fa-08
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Haia set to issue guidelines for practice of faith healing
By MUHAMMAD AL-SULAMI
Aug 7, 2010
JEDDAH: The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Haia) is currently preparing regulations and guidelines governing the practice of ruqya (the process in which verses of the Holy Qur’an are recited to treat diseases) in an effort to stop the unlawful forms of the treatment often used by sorcerers.
“Some people earn money by practicing unlawful incantations besides resorting to immoral acts such as stripping women patients. Such sorcerers have given the ruqya a bad reputation. Regulations have been put in place to permit only lawful forms of ruqya,” said Adil Al-Muqbil, supervisor of the Haia’s department that is in charge of tackling sorcery, in a speech on Saturday at a weeklong seminar on the subject in Hail.
Al-Muqbil underscored the Haia’s stance, which distinguishes between charlatans and sorcerers.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article97294.ece
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Kanwars: For Hindus by Muslims
2010-08-08 14:00:00
You could hardly have guessed that some of the beautifully decorated kanwars carried by Hindu devotees during the annual religious journey, Kanwar Yatra, have actually been made by Muslim artisans in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut district.
It's much more than a business that has emerged as an exemplar of Hindu-Muslim unity and brotherhood in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut district, where a large number of Muslim artisans are involved in making decorative 'Kanwars' (a wooden carrier fitted with water pots) used by Hindu devotees to fetch holy water from the Ganges.
As many as 65-odd families, primarily from the old Meerut city, have been involved in Kanwar-making despite the fact that it is a low-profit business.
'Yes, it's true we cannot ignore the business aspect of our trade. But believe me we don't make Kanwars only for generating money. We do it more to help our Hindu friends, who undertake the arduous foot journey to express their devotion to the Almighty,' 50-year-old Tahir Hussain, a Muslim artisan in the Gudri Bazar area, told IANS over telephone from Meerut.
Full report at:
http://sify.com/news/kanwars-for-hindus-by-muslims-news-national-kiioaeahdgd.html
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Prof. Akhtarul Wassay is out of the ICU, recovering
New Age Islam News Bureau
August 8, 2010
New Delhi: The renowned International scholar, Head of the Department of Islamic Studies and the Vice-Chairman of Delhi Urdu Academy, Prof. Akhtarul Wassay, is reportedly recuperating from his illness. He had suffered from heart-related ailment while on his visit to Shimla as a visiting professor for a month in July and was taken to Escort Heart Institute, New Delhi. Doctors have said that he has been taken out of the ICU and is recovering fast. He has been advised to take rest for a month. Members of the media and important personalities of the city paid a visit to Mr Wassay in the hospital and many MLAs, MPs, writers and intellectuals of the city enquired about his health over the phone. New Age Islam wishes him a speedy recovery and a long life.
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The real problem in the Afghan war is India, Pakistan and Kashmir
By Mohsin Hamid
August 8, 2010; B04
LAHORE -- The United States is struggling to implement a strategy for Afghanistan that will improve the lives of the Afghan people and allow U.S. troops to go home. Part of what makes it so difficult is the way Washington views the conflict: through the lens of what officials have dubbed "AfPak," a war in the southern part of Afghanistan and the adjoining border areas of Pakistan. Though the acronym is falling out of official favor, the AfPak mind-set remains.
A different shorthand for the war might help. "AfPInd" may be less catchy, but it is far more useful. Peace in AfPInd requires not U.S. troops on the ground, but a concerted effort to bring India and Pakistan to the negotiating table, where under the watchful eyes of the international community they can end their hydra-headed confrontation over Kashmir.
But that's not how the United States sees this conflict. Mutual mistrust has bedeviled the U.S.-Pakistani alliance since the Afghan war began in 2001. Certain suspicions surfaced again recently in military documents revealed by WikiLeaks alleging that members of the Pakistani intelligence agency collaborated with militant groups fighting the United States in Afghanistan. Both Pakistani and U.S. officials have said that the information is old, unreliable and not true to the situation on the ground. Yet the recriminations and controversy have a "here we go again" feel. After all, we've seen this pattern before.
In 1947, when Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan were partitioned into two countries, the status of the region of Kashmir, with a Muslim-majority population and a Hindu prince, was unresolved. The United Nations said Kashmiris should hold a referendum, but both India and Pakistan seized parts of the territory, and since then the two countries have been at each other's throats.
Full report at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/06/AR2010080602658_pf.html
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Afghan police hunt killers of Dr Karen Woo
08 Aug. 10
Dr Woo's friend Firuz Rahimi said she was ''excited'' about the trip to Afghanistan
One of the drivers of a convoy of medical workers shot dead as they travelled through a remote area of Afghanistan has been arrested.
British doctor Karen Woo, 36, six Americans, one German and two Afghan translators were ambushed by gunmen.
The Taliban said it carried out the killings, but local officials blamed armed robbers for the attack.
The team was working with a Christian charity providing eye care. Dr Woo was planning to marry later this month.
Her fiance, Mark "Paddy" Smith, told the Mail on Sunday that they had met in November last year and that their relationship "just made sense".
Medics shot dead in Afghanistan
Speaking from Afghanistan, where he works, Mr Smith said: "Karen grabbed life by the horns. She went to one of the most dangerous places in Afghanistan just to help people. That was the sort of girl she was. She was focused and professional.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10905838
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9/11 death toll exaggerated, says Iran president
By ROBIN POMEROY & RAMIN MOSTAFAVI
Aug 8, 2010
TEHRAN: In a fresh broadside at the United States just days after President Barack Obama voiced willingness to talk to Iran, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks were exaggerated.
Well-known for his anti-American and anti-Israeli rhetoric, the hard-line populist Ahmadinejad also repeated his denial of the Holocaust, on which the consensus of historians is that six million Jews were exterminated by Nazi Germany.
Ahmadinejad said the Sept. 11 attacks with hijacked airliners on New York and Washington D.C. had been trumped up as an excuse for the United States to invade Afghanistan and Iraq.
Speaking at a Tehran conference, Ahmadinejad said there was no evidence that the death toll at New York's World Trade Center, destroyed in the attacks, was as high as reported and said "Zionists" had been tipped off in advance.
"What was the story of Sept. 11? During five to six days, and with the aid of the media, they created and prepared public opinion so that everyone considered an attack on Afghanistan and Iraq as (their) right," he said in a televised speech.
No "Zionists" were killed in the World Trade Center, according to Ahmadinejad, because "one day earlier they were told not go to their workplace.”
"They announced that 3,000 people were killed in this incident, but there were no reports that reveal their names. Maybe you saw that, but I did not," he told a gathering of the Iranian news media.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article97223.ece
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Lebanon accuses 3rd telecom worker of Israel spying
Aug 7, 2010
BEIRUT: A Lebanese prosecutor on Saturday charged a third state telecommunications employee with spying for Israel in a widening scandal rattling the country.
Judge Sakr Sakr accused Milad Eid of "dealing with the Israeli enemy..., giving them technical information in his position as head of international communications at the Telecommunications Ministry," according to judicial sources.
Eid was also charged with meeting Israeli officers in several places outside Lebanon. If convicted, Eid, who was employed at the state-owned fixed-line operator Ogero, would face the death penalty.
Two employees working for state-owned mobile telecom firm Alfa were earlier charged with espionage for Israel, in arrests that have sparked debate on how deeply Israel had infiltrated Lebanon's telecom and security sectors.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article97338.ece
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Gaza power plant shuts down citing lack of fuel
By IBRAHIM BARZAK
Aug 7, 2010
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip: Engineers shut down Gaza City's sole power plant on Saturday because of a lack of fuel, switching off electricity to some half a million people in the midst of a heat wave.
The fuel for the plant comes from the rival Palestinian government in the West Bank which says it has reduced shipments because the Gaza's Hamas government is behind on payments.
"The electricity was cut in Gaza City because of there wasn't enough fuel for the station," said power station official Suheil Skeik.
The plant serves Gaza City and its surroundings, while the remaining million people in the rest of the tiny territory rely on neighboring Egypt and Israel for their power needs.
An engineer said they expected an emergency fuel shipment on Sunday, which would allow them to restart one of the plant's four turbines and supply a few hours of power.
For the past few months the plant has supplied just six to 10 hours of power a day because of the ongoing problems getting enough fuel from the West Bank government.
Residents who can afford it use generators to supplement the shortage and in Gaza City's commercial district roaring generators squat on the sidewalk filling the air with the smell of gasoline.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article97168.ece
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Drop scene of Daman-e-Koh incident
Sunday, August 08, 2010
Islamabad
The situation in the incident, in which a man reported that his wife had fallen into a ravine at Daman-e-Koh on Friday evening, took an interesting turn when police investigators traced out that the woman was safely living with her parents in Multan at the time when her husband was making hue and cry at the ‘fake’ incident scene.
A spokesman for the Kohsar Police told ‘The News’ here on Saturday that Bilal Ahmed son of Muhammad Saleem, a resident of Millatabad, Rawalpindi, was married to Shehla Bibi. On Friday evening, he started making hue and cry claiming that her wife, Shehla had fallen into the ravine at Daman-e-Koh. A police team headed by ASP (City) Haroon Joeya, police commandos and staff of ‘Rescue 1122’ reached the scene and started search for Shehla.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=255416
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Slump in mobile phone sales Latifa Jaber
8 August 2010,
AL GHARBIAH (Western Region) —The mobile phone market in Al Gharbiah has been experiencing a slump in sales. Traders of various brands estimate a 50 per cent drop in sales as compared to the same period last year.
Traders in Al Gharbiah blame the cheap Chinese handsets available in the market for the stagnation. Another reason cited was the summer vacations when most Emiratis travel abroad.
Some traders, however, say that the summer break usually sees a high demand for the devices. Saeed Al Zaabi, a trader, said summer is the busiest season normally and the sales registered during this time amounts to benefits accruing the whole year. Expatriates who travel to their home countries rush to shops to replace their old phones with new ones. “The economic slowdown has tremendously affected the mobile phone business in the region,” Al Zaabi said.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/August/theuae_August221.xml§ion=theuae
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Taliban claims responsibility for killing foreigners
Atul Aneja
DUBAI: The Taliban has claimed that it has killed eight foreigners and their two Afghan interpreters for spreading Christianity.
“These people were preaching Christianity and we punished them,” a Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid was quoted as saying.
He added that a number of books and documents found on them proved that they were involved in preaching Christianity.
Provincial police chief Aqa Noor Kintoz said the killings took place in Karan-o-Manjan district of Badakshan province in northern Afghanistan, and the bodies were found on Friday.
The Islamic Party (Hizb-e-Islami), a radical group commanded by the former Prime Minister, Gulbudin Hekmatyar, also claimed responsibility for the attack.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/08/08/stories/2010080857801700.htm
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