Islamic World

Mogadishu, July 23: Somalia’s intelligence chief says members of the Somali military, ‘not the government’, were involved in last week’s kidnapping of two French aid workers.

In an interview with France 24 television, General Mohamed Sheikh Hassan denied any government involvement in the kidnapping of two French advisors but acknowledged that some Somali “soldiers helped the kidnappers in one way or another.”

“According to our investigation, it seems that the car used to help the kidnappers was provided by the Darawish group, who work for the military,” he said.

Gaza, July 23: The Acting Palestinian Authority Chief has reiterated that Israel’s separation wall and its settlements in the occupied territories are illegal and must be removed.

Mahmoud Abbas made the remarks on Wednesday in a joint press conference at his Ramallah headquarters with the Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alexander Saltanov.

Abbas said that halting all settlement activities that Israel describes as ‘natural growth of settlements’ is a major obstacle in the peace process.

Brazil, July 23: With Israeli foreign minister on a mission in Latin America to curb Iran’s influence in the region, Brazilian authorities pour cold water on the idea of changing their stance towards Tehran.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who is on a 10-day visit to South American states, said Brazil should make good use of its growing ties with Iran to help curb the country’s nuclear activities.

New Delhi, July 23: The US drone strikes in Pakistan’s Fatah district may have claimed the life of the son of the most wanted man, Osama bin Laden.

The US media quoted a counterterrorism official as saying that Osama’s son, Saad bin Laden, was probably killed in Pakistan earlier this year.

The official said “intelligence” led analysts to reach the conclusion that Saad, who was in his late 20s, was in all likelihood killed by Hellfire missiles fired from a Predator drone.

However, the US did not consider Saad a significant player in al Qaeda.

Mogadishu, July 23: At least three African Union soldiers serving in the peacekeeping mission in Somalia have died in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi under mysterious circumstances.

Sources within the AU said on Wednesday that the cause of the mysterious illness that led to the death of Burundian soldiers based in Mogadishu was unknown but investigations were underway for possibility of water poisoning.

Tehran, July 23: The commander of Iran’s Ground Forces says the enemies have resorted to “soft techniques” in their efforts to confront Iran.

Brig. Gen. Ahmad-Reza Pourdastan said on Wednesday that the serious challenges the West is facing with Iraq and Afghanistan have forced them to try to harm the Islamic Revolution through “soft methods” rather than military ones.

Pourdastan added that the enemies are trying to spread “Iranophobia” in the region as part of their new strategy against the country.

Abu Dhabi, July 23: Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE H. H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has issued in his capacity as Ruler of Dubai law no 24 of 2009 establishing the Dubai Financial Support Fund (Support Fund), reported the official news agency WAM.

The Support Fund will be accountable to Dubai’s Supreme Fiscal Committee (SFC) and its establishment is being supported by the Department of Finance of the Emirate of Dubai.

Dubai, July 23: The Mall of the Emirates and Deira City Centre will be introducing paid long-term parking when the Dubai Metro begins operation on September 9 this year, mall management announced.

The plan is a system for shoppers who drive to the malls, giving the first three hours of parking free during the weekdays and the first four hours on weekends.

For customers visiting the malls’ CineStar cinemas, free parking will be extended by an additional hour on both weekdays and weekends.

Abu Dhabi, July 23: All institutions registered under the Labour Ministry will, from September this year, start paying workers’ wages and salaries through the newly introduced Wages Protection System (WPS).

Labour Minister Saqr Gobash Saeed Gobash has issued an order enforcing the new system, which involves transfer of salaries through selected financial institutions, authorised and regulated by the government.

Kabul, July 23: Hundreds more troops could soon be sent to Afghanistan, a defence minister hinted yesterday.

Downing Street has already said that the 700 extra troops sent to Helmand temporarily for the operation to protect the integrity of next month’s elections will stay, probably to help to train Afghan troops. However, Bill Rammell, the Armed Forces Minister, hinted that the current total of 9,150 could be increased further as military chiefs call for up to 2,500 more soldiers on the ground.

SANAA, July 23: A campaign to register Somali refugees with the aim of creating a government database and identifying illegal African migrants is under way in Yemen, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

Issam al-Mahbashi, who is in charge of refugees at the ministry’s Africa Department, told IRIN the registration campaign would help distinguish Somali refugees from African economic migrants.

Riyadh, July 23: Saudi security forces are secretly holding more than 3,000 suspected members of al-Qaeda and other groups as part of a sweeping crackdown on “terrorism” in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US, Amnesty International has said.

In a report published on Wednesday, the human rights group said Saudi Arabia used torture to extract confessions and criticised the international community for turning a blind eye to the kingdom’s methods.

Sudan, July 23: An international court has redrawn the borders of Sudan’s Abyei region to give the Khartoum government control of the Heglig oilfields and the Nile oil pipeline.

Both the Sudanese government and former rebels in the south pledged on Wednesday to abide by the ruling of the Abyei Arbitration Tribunal in The Hague.

“We have made a very important gain in this award,” Dirdeiry Mohamed Ahmed, the Sudanese government representative at the tribunal, said.

“This territory includes the disputed oil fields.”

Damascus, July 22:Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan held private talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Wednesday, Syria’s official SANA news agency reported.

A statement from al-Assad’s office provided no details about the meeting, save that Syria’s Assistant Vice President Lieutenant General Hassan Torkmani, Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also attended the talks.

Riyadh, July 22: The Ministry of Labor has opened four new offices around the Kingdom to handle requests from persons seeking to recruit domestic workers.
The new offices in Asir, Madina, Hail and Qassim, are added to the three already existing in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.

Labor Affairs Undersecretary at the Ministry of Labor Abdul Rahman Bin Sa’ad
Al-Bawaradi said the new offices had been in operation since July 18 and would initially handle applications for drivers and housemaids but would at a later date accept other domestic labor requests.

Taif, July 22: King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, on Tuesday graced the opening ceremony of the building of the General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta.

The six-floor building covers an area of 10,000 sq. meters, containing 166 rooms and costs more than SR90 million.

The King was received at the venue by Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin

Tehran, July 22: Iran’s Parliament (Majlis) speaker calls for an all-inclusive unity among the Iraqi nation as the country strives to manage its own security following the withdrawal of US troops.

“It is vital that the Iraqis — and Shia people in particular — will strengthen their unity and solidarity at the current sensitive juncture,” Ali Larijani said Tuesday in a meeting with Iraqi National Congress leader Ahmad Chalabi.

“The intelligent nation of Iraq has proved that it enjoys great potentials to administer the country and determine its fate,” he added.

Baghdad, July 22: Bombs killed at least 18 people and wounded dozens in Iraq in a sign that insurgents, though weakened, remain intent on destabilizing a country that is struggling to consolidate U.S.-backed security gains.

Children, shoppers and men looking for a day’s work were among the dead in attacks in Baghdad, Ramadi and Baqouba, cities that saw some of the most intense fighting of Iraq’s long war but have since experienced sharp drops in violence. American combat troops completed a pullout from urban areas on June 30, and Iraqi forces now take the lead in securing the cities.

Gaza, July 22: An explosion at a wedding ceremony in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis left at least 40 Palestinians wounded, including 20 with serious injuries, witnesses and paramedics said.

The witnesses said that a bomb detonated while the Dahlan clan, the family of Fatah movement senior leader Mohamed Dahlan, was celebrating a wedding party in their home in a Khan Younis neighborhood.

Paramedics said that ambulances were immediately called after the explosion, which wrecked the wedding party.

Cairo, July 22: Egypt has become the latest country to warn vulnerable Muslims against pilgrimage to Mecca, after an Egyptian woman back from Saudi Arabia became the first swine flu death in the Middle East and Africa.

Egypt’s health ministry “has warned the elderly, pregnant women, children and those suffering from chronic illness not to perform the hajj or omra pilgrimages,” the official MENA news agency reported late Monday.

Tehran, July 22: Iran’s parliament has increased pressure on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over his controversial appointment of his first vice president, Fars news agency reported Wednesday.

The parliament wants Ahmadinejad to sack his new appointment, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei, and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reportedly ordered the president to do so.

Tehran, July 22: Iran’s parliament has increased pressure on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over his controversial appointment of his first vice president, Fars news agency reported Wednesday.

The parliament wants Ahmadinejad to sack his new appointment, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei, and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reportedly ordered the president to do so.

Ramallah, July 22: At least 60 people were injured, several sustaining serious wounds, in a blast occurred during a wedding of former Palestinian Authority security chief Mohammed Dahlan’s relative in the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Yunis, local sources said Wednesday.

Sources added that Dahlan’s relative, an officer in the Preventive Security Service, was married at the presence of many of his family members and friends.

The explosion took place as he was getting on the stage.

Baghdad, July 22: A terrorist attack in the Iraqi city of Khanaqin has reportedly claimed the lives of three Iranian pilgrims, leaving 31 others injured.

“The terrorist attack took place at around 11:00 pm local time Tuesday night,” Ghasre-Shirin Governor Bahram Teimouri told IRNA on Wednesday.

“The terrorists attacked the Iranian pilgrims, who were traveling to the Iraqi capital Baghdad, with guns,” he added.

According to Teimouri, the injured victims have been hospitalized in Khanaqin hospital and are reported to be in stable conditions.

Tehran, July 22: Iran’s supreme leader ordered the president, a close ally, to dismiss his controversial choice of a top deputy, the semi-official media reported Wednesday, in a rare split among the country’s top conservatives.

The order is a humiliating setback for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who has strongly defended his decision to appoint Esfandiar Rahim Mashai, his son’s father-in-law, as his first vice president.