Despite its continuous calls for installing democratic governments in the Middle East, the Bush administration refused to accept the outcome of the first democratic elections held in the region; Palestine’s elections that were held in Dec. 15. The Bush administration refuses to budge from its insistence that it will not deal with a Hamas-led government--or provide funding to the new Palestinian Authority, now led by the Palestinian Islamic movement, as long as it refuses to recognise the Jewish States. And yesterday, the Israeli government approved plans to impose sanctions on Hamas; freezing the transfer of about $50 million a month in tax and customs receipts due to the Palestinian Authority and restricting the ability of Palestinians to work in Israel as well as the movement of Palestinian goods to Israel.... http://www.aljazeera.com censor News |
Editor - 09:39:00 02-20-06 |
Fighting rocks Somalia's capital |
Heavy fighting has again flared in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, after 10 people were killed on Saturday. A BBC correspondent in the city says at least five people have died after rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft guns were fired. The fighting pits a new group, the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism, against the Islamic Courts' militia. Peace talks are due next week, aimed at restoring authority after 15 years. Most of those killed and wounded over the weekend were civilians hit by stray bullets, says the BBC's Hassan Barise in Mogadishu. Hundreds of families have fled their homes around the former military academy following the heaviest fighting in Mogadishu for several years. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4731456.stm
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Editor - 09:35:00 02-20-06 |
Muslim charity calls for fairness Inquiry found no link to terrorism |
A board member of a Toledo-based Muslim charity said yesterday that a Senate panel's two-year investigation into possible terrorist links, which ended recently with no allegations of wrongdoing, was "reminiscent of the McCarthy era."Jihad Smaili, a Toledo native and Cleveland lawyer, said at a news conference yesterday in KindHearts' West Toledo offices that the U.S. Senate Finance Committee made a public announcement in 2003 that it was investigating 25 U.S. Muslim groups, but never announced that it ended the inquiry two weeks ago with no evidence of wrongdoing.In the meantime, some potential KindHearts donors were scared off by the investigation and the charity's reputation was hurt by "false allegations" and "guilt by association," Mr. Smaili said.... http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051209/NEWS10/512090347
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Editor - 09:33:00 02-20-06 |
Many die in fresh Iraq bombings |
A suicide bombing on a bus in Baghdad has killed at least 12 Iraqis. Eleven people have died in other violence, including a restaurant bombing in the northern city of Mosul. In a separate development, the US has threatened to cut aid to Iraq if the new government includes politicians with a sectarian bias. US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad was speaking after talks to form a new government faltered over divisions between Shias, Sunni Arabs and Kurds. "Sectarian and ethnic conflict is the fundamental problem in Iraq," he said. The Baghdad bus attack occurred in Kadhimiya, a Shia-dominated area of northern Baghdad, at about midday local time (0900 GMT). Eight people were also injured in the attack. One report spoke of rescue workers pulling charred corpses out of the wreckage of the mini-bus. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4731474.stm
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Editor - 09:29:00 02-20-06 |
Churches urged to back evolution |
US scientists have called on mainstream religious communities to help them fight policies that undermine the teaching of evolution. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) hit out at the "intelligent design" movement at its annual meeting in Missouri. Teaching the idea threatens scientific literacy among schoolchildren, it said. Its proponents argue life on Earth is too complex to have evolved on its own. As the name suggests, intelligent design is a concept invoking the hand of a designer in nature. There have been several attempts across the US by anti-evolutionists to get intelligent design taught in school science lessons. At the meeting in St Louis, the AAAS issued a statement strongly condemning the moves. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4731360.stm
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Editor - 09:27:00 02-20-06 |
India carries out huge bird cull |
Health officials in India are engaged in a huge cull of half a million birds, after finding the country's first cases of the H5N1 strain of bird flu. Thousands of chickens which died on a farm in Maharashtra, in western India were found with the infection. Officials said a dead man, suspected of being the first human victim in India, had not died of bird flu. France and Iran have also confirmed the presence of the virus, which has killed some 90 people worldwide since 2003. In other developments: Bangladesh increases surveillance of its borders in an attempt to prevent the smuggling of live birds or poultry into the country ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4728952.stm
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Editor - 12:21:00 02-19-06 |
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