Islamic World

Dubai, June 27: A campaign, launched by the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD), is currently on to make people aware of the merits and demerits of the Internet.

The campaign is targeting worshippers at all mosques in the emirate.

Mohamed Suheil Al Muheiri, head of Guidance and Counselling Section, said the campaign is in line with Dubai Police’s efforts to discourage proliferation of indecent websites, in collaboration with the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.

Abu Dhabi, June 27: The elimination of Grade 10 Indian board exams could come as a pleasant respite for parents and students, but principals of schools in the UAE have expressed the need for an alternative benchmark to assess the students in the first place.

India’s Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal on Thursday proposed a plan to scrap the Grade X examination system, stating that it is a traumatic phase for both the parents and children.

Dubai, June 27: The malicious practice of the use of blogs and SMS to defame and blackmail people or organisations is spreading fast in the country, according to senior police officers from Dubai and Sharjah

According to police in the two emirates, the trend is affecting the society to a large extent because some innocent youngsters of wealthy families, including girls, are being targeted by mischievous elements.

Riyadh, June 26: The Ministry of Health announced Thursday that five new cases of swine flu had been registered in the previous 24 hours in the Kingdom.

The new cases were detected in a 56-year-old Filipina nurse in Al-Baha, two Filipina nurses aged 54 and 37 in Riyadh, a Saudi nurse aged 24 in Riyadh, and a four-year-old Albanian girl, also in the capital.

The new instances of the virus bring the total number of confirmed cases in the Kingdom to 53.

Jeddah, June 26: The scheduled 2010 completion of 22 construction projects will render Jeddah’s crippling traffic congestion a thing of the past, according to Mayor Adel Faqih.
Faqih told Saudi Gazette Thursday that once the works worth some SR2 billion were finished, Jeddah would “have no traffic problems whatsoever”, and elaborated on the extent of the massive infrastructure overhaul, citing new bridges, tunnels, intersection underpasses as well as sizable expansions to existing thoroughfares.

Beirut, June 26: Underlining improved ties between rival politicians in the war-torn country, Lebanon’s parliament on Thursday elected Nabih Berri as speaker for the coming four years, extending his 17-year leadership of the chamber.

Berri, an ally of the military and political movement Hezbollah, stood uncontested for the post, reserved for a Shiite according to a sectarian power-sharing system.
Ninety of parliament’s 128 members voted for the 71-year old, including the Future

Tehran, June 26: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on Barack Obama not to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs after the US president said he was “appalled and outraged” by post-election violence.

Iran’s tough security crackdown after its disputed June 12 presidential election has led Obama to ramp up his previously muted criticism of the Islamic Republic.

“Mr Obama made a mistake to say those things… our question is why he fell into this trap and said things that previously former US President George W. Bush used to say,” the semi-official quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.

Beirut, June 26: Lebanese lawmakers overwhelmingly re-elected a pro-Hezbollah Parliament speaker yesterday despite the group’s recent election loss, signaling that the political factions are moving toward a unity government.

Lebanese leaders have been looking for a fresh start after a divisive election. The June 7 vote brought victory for the Western-backed coalition, which fought off a strong challenge from Hezbollah and its allies. But it also underscored the deep divisions among the Lebanese.

Maracay, June 26: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez believes that the United States and European countries have a hand in anti-government protests rocking Iran over the country’s presidential elections.
“People are in the streets, some are dead, they have snipers, and behind this is the CIA, the imperial hand of European countries and the United States,” Chavez said, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Thursday, June 25.

Though he did not offer evidence, he said the unrest in Iran follows a pattern seen in different countries.

Abu Dhabi, June 26: Iran should positively play its role in the regional affairs by clarifying the GCC and Middle Eastern nations its nuclear programme and close ties with non-state forces like Hizbullah and Hamas, Dr Mahjoob Zweiri, an expert on Iran said.

Abu Dhabi, June 26: The economic crisis is to blame for the increase in the number of people suffering from depression and anxiety all over the world, according to psychiatrists.

“There is an increase of (people suffering from) depression all around the world due to economic crisis, although other societies are more affected than others,” Dr Adel Zaraa, consultant psychiatrist at Gulf Diagnostics Centre in Abu Dhabi told Khaleej Times.

Baghdad, June 26: Iraqi officials say an explosion tore through a bus station in Baghdad Thursday, killing two people and wounding at least 30 others. It is the latest violence to hit Iraq just days before U.S. forces withdraw from urban areas.

At least four police officers were killed in attacks in Fallujah, west of the capital.

And in eastern Baghdad, the U.S military said nine U.S. soldiers were wounded Thursday when two roadside bombs hit their patrol.

Turkey, June 25: A Turkish court has acquitted Turkish-French author Nedim Gursel of charges he insulted Islam in his book “The Daughters of Allah”, broadcaster CNN Turk reported on Thursday.

Predominantly Muslim but officially secular Turkey’s bid to join the European Union has been hampered by court cases against writers and academics over freedom of speech issues.

No one at the court was available to comment on the report.

Taipei, June 25: Taiwan’s opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Thursday launched a petition drive to seek the release of former president Chen Shui-bian, who has been held in pre-trial detention since late December on charges of corruption.

“We urge the authorities to release former president Chen Shui-bian immediately in line with the reform of the detention system and protection of basic human rights,” the DPP said in a statement.

The pro-independence party said it was unfair and unjust to continue to detain Chen after he was officially indicted in late December.

Tehran, June 25: Iran protest leader Mir Hossein Mousavi says he holds those behind alleged “rigged” elections responsible for bloodshed during recent protests.

In a defiant statement on his website, he called for future protests to be in a way which would not “create tension.”

He complained of “complete” restrictions on his access to people and a crackdown on his media group.

A BBC correspondent in Tehran says the statement is a direct challenge to Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.

Tehran, June 25: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Barack Obama on Thursday of behaving like his predecessor towards Iran and said there was not much point in talking to Washington unless the U.S. president apologised.

Obama said on Tuesday he was “appalled and outraged” by a post-election crackdown and Washington withdrew invitations to Iranian diplomats to attend U.S. Independence Day celebrations on July 4 — stalling efforts to improve ties with Tehran.

Tehran, June 25: Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hassan Qashqavi has explained why Iran will not take part in a meeting of the eight industrialized nations (G8) on Afghanistan.

According to Qashqavi, based on earlier preliminary agreements between Iran and host Italy, certain preparations had to be made including expert talks between delegates from both sides to ensure the optimum level of achievement in the conference. The groundwork, however, was not laid forth, Qashqavi explained.

Tehran, June 25: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused President Barack Obama of behaving like his predecessor on Iran and called on him to apologise for what he called US interference following the Iranian elections.

Obama has ramped up his previously muted criticism, saying he was “appalled and outraged” by a crackdown on protests which followed Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election.

Jeddha, June 25: Kholoud Al-Fahad, 32, believes women’s rights are God-given — but they have been lost or stolen and need to be regained.

She is talking about a woman’s inheritance right, and the right to see justice against those who take it away. She seeks public libraries, gyms and cultural clubs for women. She wants adequate housing units for widows and poor or abused women. She wants strong sexual harassment laws to protect workingwomen from chauvinists and perverts.

Jeddha, June 25: Saudi Arabia will introduce fingerprinting and full-face digital photographs for visa applicants next year as part of its efforts to strengthen its security, prevent identity theft and combat terrorism.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced yesterday that it was calling for tenders from specialized international firms to set up a network of centers to provide biometric services to people applying for visas to the Kingdom.

Dubai, June 25: Engineers from Dubai Municipality (DM) will examine the condition of Zabeel building on Umm Hurair Road and will present a report to the Tenancy Disputes Committee (TDC) after the authorities had served an eviction notice to the tenants.

TDC took the decision, following a two-hour meeting on Wednesday between some 250 tenants of the six storey building and representatives of the Dubai International Real Estate Company (DIREC) which manages the building.

The litigants are to meet again on October 7, for the TDC to issue a final decision, according to a tenant.

Tehran, June 25: Protesters and riot police clashed in the streets around Iran’s parliament as hundreds of people converged on a Tehran square in defiance of government orders to halt demonstrations demanding a new presidential election, witnesses said.

Iran’s supreme leader said the government would not give in to pressure over the disputed presidential election.

Iranian reformist leader Mir Hussain Mousavi’s website carried news of the protest, which it described as an independent demonstration.

Kabul, June 25: With a nationwide election only weeks away, the paradox of President Hamid Karzai has never seemed more apparent: he is at once deeply unpopular and likely to win.

Afghani television journalists conducted a report on the first day of Afghanistan’s presidential campaign season in Kabul in June.

Mr. Karzai, who has led Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, is blamed by many for the failures that have plagued the American-led mission here in the past eight years, from the resurgence of the Taliban to the explosion of the poppy trade.

Tehran, June 24: Hundreds of protesters clashed with waves of riot police and paramilitary militia in Tehran on Wednesday, witnesses said, as Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, insisted the authorities would not yield to pressure from opponents demanding a new election following allegations of electoral fraud.

Tehran, June 24: Iran’s supreme leader said Wednesday that the government would not give in to pressure over the disputed presidential election, effectively closing the door to compromise with the opposition.

Reformist leader Mir Hossein Mousavi’s official Web site said nonetheless that a protest was planned outside Iran’s parliament Wednesday afternoon. It distanced him at the same time, calling the demonstration independent and saying it had not been organized by Mousavi.