Islamic World

Washington, July 26: US Defense Secretary Robert Gates prepares to embark on a visit to Israel for talks on a range of joint military issues and the Iranian nuclear program.

Gates is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Monday to discuss topics such as the Iranian nuclear issue, the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Tel Aviv, and the regime’s missile plan.

“We’re talking about the threats and challenges that we see in the region,” a senior US defense official, commenting on the trip, told several reporters on Friday, Reuters reported.

Tehran, July 26: Ukraine’s leading manufacturer of aviation engines, Motor Sich, has inked a contract with Iran on manufacturing of An-148 passenger aircraft.

According to Vyacheslav Boguslayev, the chief executive of the aporizhya-based airplane manufacturer, Iran has expressed a desire to receive the engines for 50 An-148 passenger planes to be assembled in HESA aircraft factory in Isfahan before launching the plane’s production line.

Basra, July 26: A new inquiry into yet another controversial torture case in the Iraq war has found the disturbing possibility of a cover-up by the British army.

The case involves one of the most notorious incidents of the Iraq conflict, in which British soldiers allegedly tortured, murdered and mutilated 20 unarmed Iraqi detainees back in 2004.

At the time, many relatives claimed the corpses showed signs of torture. However an initial probe by the British military had found no wrongdoing on the part of the troops.

Kurdish, July 26: Kurdish voters rebel against corrupt eliteEvery suitable flat surface in Iraqi Kurdistan is covered in election posters or banners, some so vast that they have been shredded by the desert wind.

In this part of the country most of the flags are dark blue, the colour of Goran, or Change, party which in the general election yesterday was challenging the Kurdish political establishment for the first time.

Riyadh, July 26: Arab health ministers in an attempt to curb the spread of swine flu banned children, the elderly and those with chronic illnesses from attending the hajj.

The hajj is the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca and a duty for all Muslims in their lifetime. This year, the hajj is expected to draw about 3 million people from more than 160 countries to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, in late November following peak flu season.

Kabul, July 26: In a dimly lit auditorium in Kabul’s French Cultural Center, the audience watches as the camera follows a group of raffish street kids cracking their private jokes. As they break into laughter at the punchline, their giggles are echoed by a group of schoolboys at the back of the auditorium, who have sneaked in for the show. At the Kabul International and Short Film Festival, cinema often has this way of connecting with life.

Kabul, July 26: Less than a month before Afghanistan’s presidential election, Taliban fighters wearing suicide vests attacked a provincial capital Saturday, triggering gunbattles that killed seven militants. U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke said it is “extraordinary” to hold a presidential election during a war.

U.S. and NATO forces have stepped up operations in hopes of ensuring enough security for a strong voter turnout for Afghanistan’s Aug. 20 presidential election.

San‘a, July 26: An anti-unity demonstration turned ugly in Yemen after armed men engaged in an exchange of fire with police forces, which left a protester dead.

The police used tear gas and opened fire at protesters after armed men from the crowd fired shots at policemen in the main street of the al-Dhalea city on Saturday.

Witnesses told DPA that at least one person was killed in the clashes and five others sustained injuries.

Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters took to the streets of al-Habileen city in a similar protest but they peacefully dispersed after three hours.

Tehran, July 26: A senior Iranian aviation official has placed the blame for the fatal airline mishap in the northeastern city of Mashhad on high speed, a report says.

In an interview with IRIB Channel 2 on Saturday, the Chairman of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization, Ali Ilkhani stated that preliminary investigation results indicate that the high speed of the plane at the time of landing was one of the main causes underlying the fatal accident.

Tehran, July 26: At least three people have been killed and two others injured when a passenger train slammed into another on the outskirts of the Iranian capital, Tehran.

The accident happened when the passenger train en route from Iran’s northeastern city of Mashhad to Tehran hit a maintenance train on the line near the town of Varamin.

According to the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA), three people have been killed in the accident.

No official count of the dead has yet been announced by the authorities.

—-Agencies

Riyadh, July 25: Saudi Arabia is likely to ban the elderly and children from the hajj this year to limit the risk of swine flu, but this will not change country quotas for the pilgrimage, a health official said.

Dr. Khaled Marghlani, spokesman for the Saudi health ministry, said the government is expected to implement recommendations to block people older than 65 and younger than 12 from the hajj made at Wednesday’s emergency Arab health ministers meeting in Cairo.

But national quotas for the annual pilgrimage to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina would not change, he told AFP.

Kabul, July 25: Seven Taliban fighters were killed and five people were wounded when a group of militants, wearing suicide vests and carrying automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades, attacked government buildings in eastern Afghanistan, officials said Saturday.

Meanwhile, two NATO troops and several insurgents were killed in separate incidents of gun-battle, airstrike and roadside blasts elsewhere in the country.

Kabul, July 25: Afghanistan’s southeastern city of Khost ranged with multiple explosions followed by heavy gunfire from separate locations, residents and locals officials said.

There were mulitiple explosions and then exchange of fire in Khost City, capital of the province having the same name, on Saturday afternoon.

Without being able to give information about casualties among Afghan officials, civilians or the attackers, a spokesman for the Afghan Defence Ministry said the militants had been surrounded by the security forces.

Baghdad, July 25: Local Iraqi authorities in the city of Fallujah on Saturday, imposed a curfew after the terrorist attacks against the city today.
Source in the Iraqi Police told KUNA here today, the imposition of the curfew was due to a car bomb that exploded near the Islamic party in the middle of the city of Fallujah, resulting to two deaths, wounding tens others and the destruction near restaurants outside the city.

Meanwhile, Iraqi local authorities forced four days ago, curfew due to attacks on civilians and Iraqi police stations.

–Agencies–

Dakar, July 25: The African tour of His Highness the Prime Minister of Kuwait Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has helped strengthen ties between the Gulf state and the visited countries in the field of aviation, said an official on Saturday.

Director of Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Fawaz Al-Farah, who is accompanying the delegation, said that official talks were held with aviation authorities in the visited countries, out of keenness for boosting relations and based on the open skies policy implemented by Kuwait.

Irbil, July 25: The elections to choose Kurdistan’s Parliament members as well as a president for the region, which kicked off earlier Saturday, are running smoothly under the monitoring of international bodies, according to officials in the region.

Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdulmahdi, who visited a number of polling stations in Suleimaniya, said, “We expect the elections to take place in a transparent manner and without violations.” These elections are a “victory” for the people of Kurdistan and Iraq, said Kurdistan region’s President Massoud Barzani, who casted his vote earlier today.

Riyadh, July 25: A young Saudi actor and writer of television serials has been chosen as the Kingdom’s finalist in competition for the UK’s International Young Performing Arts Entrepreneur 2009 Award (IYPAE).

Naïf Al-Fayez, best known for his leading role as a medical intern in a television serial called 37 Degrees aired by MBC Channel 1, was chosen from 16 entries, including four Saudi women artists, that the British Council received from across the Kingdom, said Amani Fairak, Assistant Director for Creativity Projects, British Council, which is the sponsor of the award.

Tehran, July 25: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad caved into pressure from hardline clerics and the country’s supreme leader Friday and allowed the resignation of his top deputy after a week-long standoff.

For days, the president had resisted hard-liner pressure, including a direct order from the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to dismiss his choice for the key post of first vice president, Esfandiar Rahim Mashai, who last year angered conservatives when he made friendly comments toward Israel.

Makkah, July 25: Twenty-six people were sentenced to punishments including imprisonment and fines for assisting pilgrims without Haj permits enter
Makkah during the last pilgrimage season.

The fines reached a total of just over SR1 million and prison terms ranged from six months to one year, in accordance with guidelines from the Council of Ministers.

The largest single fine of SR150,000 was handed to one person who helped 15 pilgrims without permits enter the city.

Tehran, July 25:The commander of Iran’s revolutionary guards said Saturday that Israel should be aware of the range of Iranian missiles before contemplating a strike, Fars news agency reported.

‘In case of a military attack against Iran, Israel should remember the range of our missiles and that the whole of Israel was within striking distance,’ General Mohammad-Ali Jafari was quoted as saying by the news agency.

Iran’s medium-range missiles have a range over 2,000 km and are therefore capable of hitting any part of the Jewish state.

Jeddah, July 25: Saudi Arabia is likely to ban the elderly and children from the hajj this year to limit the risk of swine flu, but this will not change country quotas for the pilgrimage, a health official said.

Dr. Khaled Marghlani, spokesman for the Saudi health ministry, said the government is expected to implement recommendations to block people older than 65 and younger than 12 from the hajj made at Wednesday’s emergency Arab health ministers meeting in Cairo.

But national quotas for the annual pilgrimage to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina would not change, he told.

Kabul, July 25: Residents of the southeastern Afghan city of Khost are reporting heavy gunfire and explosions near the main police station and other government buildings.

The firing erupted today, and residents were unable to move about safely.

Provincial council member Tajaly Khan Saber told The Associated Press that it was not possible to determine the number of casualties.

An Afghan official says the main targets appear to be the police headquarters, attorney general’s office, courts and a local bank branch.

Tehran, July 25: The Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday that Iran would strike Israel’s nuclear facilities if Tel Aviv attacked the Islamic state, state television reported.

“If the Zionist Regime (Israel) attacks Iran, we will surely strike its nuclear facilities with our missile capabilities,” Mohammad Ali Jafari, Guards commander-in-chief, told Iran’s Arabic language al-Alam television.

The Revolutionary Guards are the ideologically driven wing of Iran’s military with air, sea and land capabilities, and a separate command structure to regular units.

Tehran, July 25: Two members of the notorious Jundullah terror group have been executed over their involvement in a number of terrorist activities in Iran.

The two Jundullah militants, Ayoub Rigi and Masoud Gamshadzehi, were hanged in Zahedan prison on Saturday morning, IRNA news agency reported.

Iran’s Revolutionary Court convicted the militants of being (mofsede fel arz) (one who spreads corruption on Earth) and Mohareb (one who wages war against God).

Kabul, July 25: The US military in Afghanistan has stopped releasing figures showing the number of militants killed in combat with US-led forces.

From now on the military will only give out general estimates, instead of providing specifics on how many insurgents are killed in fighting.

The US says that the move is part of an overall switch in its war strategy in Afghanistan that puts the emphasis on the safety of civilians in the war-wracked country.

“We have to show that we are here to protect the people,” Navy Rear Adm. Gregory J. Smith said on Friday.