In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful Inews Daily Saturday 25th March 2006 - 24th Safar 1427
Deadly attacks hit Iraq A bombing outside an Iraqi mosque has left at least five Iraqis dead and 17 wounded, while the bodies of 15 more apparent victims of violence have been found in different parts of Baghdad. The latest bombing came as the Muslim worshippers were leaving the Saad Ibn Abi Wakkas mosque, in Khalis, 80km from the capital, after Friday prayers. Another Muslim, in the southern port city of Basra, was shot dead by unidentified men, also on leaving a mosque after prayers. Violence has been on the rise in Iraq since 22 February when a bomb destroyed a revered Shia shrine in Samarra, north of the capital. Hundreds have since been murdered by those wishing to instigate civil war through secterian strife. Rights group assails Syrian crackdown on activists Human Rights Watch yesterday called on Syrian President Bashar al Assad to halt 'blatant intimidation' of human rights workers after Damascus authorities arrested four activists in the past week. The New York-based group said that, in an escalating crackdown, Syrian security forces arrested human rights activist Ali Al Abdullah and one of his sons Thursday, after arresting another of his sons the week earlier. On Wednesday, Muhammad Najati Tayyara, the former vice president of the Human Rights Association in Syria, was detained and held 14 hours before being released. HRW said the most recent arrests were part of a pattern of 'increased harassment of human rights activists' in Syria. Somalia clashes leave 70 dead Fierce clashes that started three days ago between rival militias in the northern part of the Somali capital have left at least 70 people dead. Medical workers said at least 20 people were killed in fighting on Thursday, while the toll from Wednesday rose to 40 after families took their wounded to hospitals after clashes subsided at night. They cited figures gathered from hospitals in Mogadishu by the city's doctors' association. Witnesses and medical sources said the clashes were sparked on Wednesday when rival factions clashed over land ownership. Both sides used rocket-propelled grenades, anti-aircraft guns, machine guns, assault rifles and hand grenades. Dozens of people fled their homes. Somalia has been wracked by chronic unrest with warlords and rival militias fighting for control of unruly fiefdoms since the 1991 overthrow of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. Saudi, Libya among four to shun Arab summit The leaders of Libya, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia will skip the summit of the 22-member Arab League scheduled in Khartoum next week, an Arab League official said. Saudi King Abdullah, Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and Oman's Sultan Qaboos will not attend the meeting on March 28-29 in the Sudanese capital, the official said on condition of anonymity. The official did not elaborate on why they had decided not to attend their annual summit. Ahead of the gathering, Arab leaders are under pressure to take a more active role in Iraq and find a common stance on dealing with a Hamas-led Palestinian government. US denies asking Japan to stop Iran oil project The United States denied on Thursday it had asked Japan to suspend plans to develop an Iranian oil field as part of its efforts to curb Iran's nuclear programs. The US has long objected to Japan's plans to develop Iran's Azadegan oil field, estimated to hold one of the world's biggest oil reserves. But US officials denied a Japanese newspaper report that Americans had raised the issue anew as part of a Washington effort to build international pressure to stop what it believes is Iran's pursuit of a nuclear bomb. The report came a week after Japan's largest refiner, Nippon Oil Corp. said it would cut imports of Iranian crude due to risks associated with the country, the first hint that Tehran's nuclear dispute was affecting its vital oil trade. Russia says no to any Iran deal sidelining it Russia said yesterday that it would not accept any decision on Iran reached by western powers without Moscow being previously consulted. "I doubt we would accept (a proposal) taken behind our back and then presented to us as the only outcome possible," the Russian Foreign Minister said. He was commenting on reports earlier this week that Britain had been carrying out secret negotiations with other Western capitals. Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has the power to veto any resolution on Iran. Libya says feels 'cheated' over US terrorism list Libya feels 'cheated' that it will remain on the US State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism this year even though it has made security concessions, the North African country's top envoy to Washington said yesterday. Libya will remain on the list in the annual Patterns of Global Terrorism report published next month, a US spokesperson said. Presence on the terrorism list bars a country from getting US arms, controls sales of items with military and civilian applications, limits US aid and requires Washington to vote against loans from international financial institutions. Al-Manar TV shrugs off US asset freeze A Lebanese television station belonging to Hizbullah yesterday shrugged off a US freeze on its assets and said it could still beam its programmes to US homes. The US Treasury froze the assets of al-Manar satellite television, al-Nour Radio and their parent company, the Lebanese Media Group, on Thursday, saying they facilitated the activities of Hizbullah, which the US State Department considers a terrorist organisation. The Treasury's action bans transactions between Americans and groups designated as terrorist in addition to freezing any assets they may have under US jurisdiction. Jakarta to sue if Freeport snubs complaints Indonesia will not hesitate to sue US mining giant Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold if it fails to follow through on recommendations to stop pollution from its Papua operations, the Indonesian Environment Minister said yesterday. A study from Environment Ministry found problems at the Freeport-run Grasberg mine in Papua, which the company said it was trying to fix. Some critics say the mine creates massive environmental damage by polluting rivers and streams and killing wildlife. The ministry report said there were problems over tailings storage and called for stricter measures in managing acid water from the mine, about 3,500 km (2,200 miles) east of Jakarta. The report said tailings, or refuse after ore has been processed, had flowed through the nearby Ajkwa river. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inews Daily - No Copyright - http://www.fsphost.com/inewsdaily - [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe by sending an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Join modern day disciples reach the disfigured and poor with hope and healing http://us.click.yahoo.com/lMct6A/Vp3LAA/i1hLAA/TXWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Save Aceh now! visit http://www.pusatkrisisaceh.or.id Click English section for contact Islam Relief Organizations Want to learn about Islam and Christian? visit: http://come.to/christian-islam Yahoo! 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