WORLD & TERROR

Monday, October 15, 2007

Europe
Germany, Austria & Switzerland
Islamic Group Plans to Double Number of Mosques in Germany
German Muslim group prints brochure on Islamic law
China cancels talks with Germany weeks after Merkel met with Daila Lama
Prosecutors re-open EADS probe
Foreign investors ‘frightened’ by Swiss election campaign
Protestors are "normal youngsters"
Baltic States
Local council deputy shot down in Kaliningrad
Poland & Czech Republic
Unwanted investor
Army to upgrade to IBM
Poland's top soldier can empathize with Canada over Afghanistan
Poles stage anti-war protest in Warsaw
Czech biometric data system to cost 177 million crowns
Czech BIS intelligence chief should resign over data leak
Ukraine & Belarus
Veterans of Ukraine nationalist army mark anniversary amid protests
Ukrainians Ponder Direct Election of Judges
Belarus’ opposition forces stage European March for Freedom in Minsk
Belarusian-Syrian agreement on cooperation in crime prevention signed in Minsk
Meeting in Prague supports Belorussian effort to join EU, NATO
Minsk: Iran can replace US in ties
The Balkans
Croatia's 2007 Wheeled APC Competition
Croatia expects NATO invitation in 2008
Sandžak mufti calls for "defense of mosques"
Swiss heads tough OSCE Mission in Kosovo
Romania accuses Moldova of hostile act
Cyprus & Turkey
Turkish military chief: Passage of U.S. bill on Armenians to worsen Turkey-U.S. military ties
France: EU should inform Turkey of defense plans
How will the DTP vote on a motion to authorize a cross-border operation?
Middle East
Egypt, Yemen, Qatar, Oman & Kuwait
Egypt detains 35 Muslim Brotherhood members in clashes
Egypt Releases Senior Hamas Terrorist
Egypt rejects Israeli arms traffic claims
Four dead in Yemen clashes
Qatar to launch dress code drive
Contractor fraud probed on Kuwait base
Kuwait, US arms deal
Saudi Arabia & UAE
Saudi suspect in tourists' killing held
Arab nations study prisoners’ swap
Dubai bans Israel from Int'l forum
Syria, Lebanon & Jordan
Israel's target in Syria was partly built N-plant, reports NYT
Mosque atop mountain overlooking Damascus .. mecca for sufis
UN peacekeepers a blessing for south Lebanon economy
Jordan warns Israel of al-Aqsa excavations
Israel & West Bank
Draft constitution ignores crucial question of who is a Jew
Dozens of Palestinian families deprived from Palestinian nationality
Palestinian Census First in Decade
Iraq & Kurdistan
Pope urges release of two priests kidnapped in Iraq
Top Shia leaders at odds on federalism
The Impact of Oil Contracts for the Government of Iraqi Kurdistan
Two hanged in Iranian Kurdistan
Iran
Christian couple flogged for attending “secret sermon” in Iran
Kurd rebels kill Iranian officer
Captive Israeli soldiers 'held in Iran': report
Muslims Obliged To Defend Iran
West new psywar targeting Putin visit
Iran imprisons leading dissident at court hearing
Iran issues permit for temporary gasoline imports
"Good news on Bushehr nuclear plant soon"
Central Asia
Pakistan & India
Iran, Pakistan to finalize IPI contract by Oct. 20
A critical litmus test for Saudi-Pakistan ties
European militants now get training in Pakistan
'Fight against terror not affected by re-election'
It's possible for us to have military history written without carrying sensitive material
There may be bigger design behind attacks on mosques, believe analysts
China (esp. Xinjiang) & Mongolia
US commission cites ongoing rights abuses in latest China report
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan & Turkmenistan
Kazakhs know their role in energy security
Russia reports successful test of short-range interceptor missile
EU could be ready to ease Uzbekistan sanctions
Kazakh investors need a predictable elite in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyz students studying abroad under the special services' control
Osh authorities do not permit Hizb-ut-Takhrir activists to celebrate the Hait
Orthodox congregations in Turkmenistan come under jurisdiction of Holy Patriarchy of Moscow and All Russia
Turkmen exports to Iran rise
Afghanistan & Tajikistan
US military to investigate claims Koran burnt in Afghanistan
Sunam is bride-to-be... aged 3
Azerbaijan, Armenia & Georgia
European Baptists push for release of peace pastor imprisoned in Azerbaijan
World Armenian Congress to continue assistance to Karabakh
UN Security Council To Adopt Resolution On Abkhazia
Russia (esp. Caucasus)
Russia threatens to leave missile treaty
Threat to kill Putin during trip to Iran
Poland threatens Russia's WTO entry
Terrorist Activities
Incidents, Detentions & Trials
New Zealand activists held in 'anti-terrorism' raids
Suicide bomber recruitment trial starts in Belgium
Propaganda, Supporters & Background
An Internet Jihad Sells Extremism to Viewers in the U.S.
Dutch Public Broadcaster in Hands of Radical Muslims
Prevention & Response
Intelligence Agencies & Law Enforcement
Pentagon and FBI ‘misusing secret info requests’
Homeland Security
Feds want Muslim headwear banned from airports
Related Issues
Islam
Priest gets a visit from 'hate crime' police for expressing his views on Muslim veil affair
Science, Energy, Logistics, IT & Communications
Studying how a broker's brain works
UN health expert: RFID technology can improve coordination of emergency efforts
Islamic Group Plans to Double Number of Mosques in

Germany
Germany's Muslim community is planning to more than double the number of mosques in the country over the next few years, according
to figures released by an Islamic institute this week. "We have recorded 184 projects to build new mosques, of which some are already
under construction," Salim Abdullah, of the German Institute of Islamic Archives, told the AFP news agency this past week. "We are
talking here about buildings with a dome and a minaret, which are clearly recognizable from the outside, and not the 2,600 prayer areas
housed in various buildings throughout the country," Abdullah added.

German Muslim group prints brochure on Islamic law
The Islam Forum in Germany has released a booklet likely to make a positive contribution to recent debates in the country, where
heated discussions on Islam and Islamic law have seen an increase in recent months. Representatives from the forum said they had
prepared a brochure explaining what Islamic law really is, to put an end to the confusion they detect in the publications of media
institutions, television debate programs and officials’ statements. Bekir Alboğa of the Turkish Islamic Union (DITIB), Jürgen Miscksch

from the German Intercultural Council and Yaşar Bilgin of the German Citizens of Turkish Origin Council participated in the steering
committee for the informative booklet...

China cancels talks with Germany weeks after Merkel met with Daila Lama
China has canceled December human rights talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Foreign Ministry said Sunday, just weeks
after Beijing criticized her for meeting with the Dalai Lama. A German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said the planned meeting in
Beijing had been canceled ''in the last few days,'' but refused to give reasons. China criticized Merkel for meeting in Berlin in last month
with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, whom China views as a beacon for pro-independence sentiment in Tibet...

Prosecutors re-open EADS probe
Munich state prosecutors say they are re-examining responses from EADS lawyers in an insider-trading probe launched earlier this year
that is looking into share sales ahead of officially announced delays to the A380 superjumbo. Analysis of the attorneys' statements on
the case, against five people - two lower-level EADS employees and three relatives of employees - will take several weeks, Anton
Winkler, a spokesman for prosecutors, said Thursday...

Foreign investors ‘frightened’ by Swiss election campaign
Swiss Economy Minister Doris Leuthard has warned that foreign investors could be put off Switzerland because of the virulent tone of the general election campaign, a Swiss newspaper reported on Sunday. ‘People underestimate the impact abroad,’ the NZZ am
Sonntag quoted her as saying a week before the election in October 21. ‘There is the danger that foreign investors will be frightened
away,’ added Leuthard, a centre-right Christian
Protestors are "normal youngsters"
Today's youth has not become more violent according to Swiss sociologist Kurt Imhof. He says rioting, as seen recently in the capital
Bern, is not a major problem. Last weekend's violence was triggered by a planned rightwing march through the city. But Imhof tells
swissinfo that the members of the Black Block group that caused so much trouble aren't really motivated by ideology. The events left 21
people injured and caused more than SFr100,000 ($85,000) damage after protestors tried prevented a rightwing Swiss People's Party
march from reaching the parliament building...

Local council deputy shot down in Kaliningrad
Viktor Kondratov, a member of the Zelenogradsk City Council, has been shot down in Kaliningrad, the regional police told Itar-Tass on
Sunday. The crime was committed near the Fest cafй at about 9:00 p.m. Moscow time on Saturday. “The attacker fired five bullets at the
deputy, who died instantly. The search for the attacker is underway,” the police said.

Unwanted investor
The Internal Security Agency (ABW) has warned the government that Orlen, Poland's largest oil refiner, could soon be taken over by a
Russian concern. The ABW pointed to increased turnover of Orlen's shares on the stock exchange as an indicator of this, reported
Rzeczpospolita daily. This is all the more worrying since the majority of Orlen's capital is fragmented and its owners unidentified. The
state controls only 32 percent of the company and the acquisition of a majority stake by a Russian player in such an important firm is
seen as a threat to the Polish oil industry...

Army to upgrade to IBM
IBM wants the Polish army to use its intelligent video-monitoring system, which will replace watchmen and outdated warning systems.
"We develop systems adjusted to the needs of our clients. The army will only pay for those capabilities equipment uses," said Leszek
Wilczak from IBM Polska...

Poland's top soldier can empathize with Canada over Afghanistan
Gen. Franciszek Gagor, Poland's top soldier and perhaps NATO's after an upcoming vote to replace Canadian Ray Henault as chairman
of the western alliance's military committee, can empathize with Canada's public relations challenge over Afghanistan. "Well, it's a
challenge for us also," Poland's chief of the general staff told CanWest News Service. Gagor, competing with generals from Spain and
Italy to replace Henault in the Nov. 14 vote, would be the first officer from the old Soviet Union's Warsaw Pact alliance to become top
soldier in the 26-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization...

Poles stage anti-war protest in Warsaw
Several hundred anti-war protesters demonstrated in the center of Warsaw on Saturday, demanding the withdrawal of Polish troops
from Iraq and Afghanistan and opposing deploying U.S. anti-missile system in Poland. The demonstration was organized by the Polish
"Stop War" organization. The parade started from the square of the Scientific and Cultural Palace, passing the U.S. embassy in Poland
and continued to the Parliamentary Building. Shouting the slogans, the protesters held the banners "stop capturing Iraq," "pull out the
troops from Iraq and Afghanistan," "no U.S. anti-missile shield in Poland" and so on...

Czech biometric data system to cost 177 million crowns The implementation of biometric data in passports and visa applications in the Czech Republic is to cost 176.8 million crowns between 2008-2011, while up to 75 percent of the total costs can be covered from EU funds and the rest by the Foreign Ministry, the ministry has
told CTK. It said it would join the new EU visa information system that is under construction now. Visa seekers from the countries with
which the Czech Republic has no visa-free relations will have to provide their biometric data, for instance fingerprints...

Czech BIS intelligence chief should resign over data leak
Czech civilian counter-intelligence service (BIS) chief Jiri Lang should consider his resignation, if information really leaked from the BIS,
deputies heading lower house bodies monitoring secret services said in a TV debate on public Czech Television (CT) today. Jeronym
Tejc (senior opposition Social Democrats, CSSD), head of the lower house commission monitoring BIS work, and Jan Klas (senior ruling
Civic Democrats, ODS), head of the lower house sub-committee for intelligence services, thereby reacted to information that classified
data, including the list of BIS agents, had allegedly leaked from the BIS economic section about two years ago...

Veterans of Ukraine nationalist army mark anniversary amid protests
For the first time since World War II, Ukrainian partisans celebrated their nationalist army's creation Sunday with the full approval of the
Ukrainian government, despite efforts by angry socialists and communists to break up their gathering. The Ukrainian Insurgent Army, or
UPA, battled both Soviet and Nazi forces during the war, and for several years after the war continued to carry out raids against the
Soviets and to disrupt efforts to collectivize farms...

Ukrainians Ponder Direct Election of Judges
Many people in Ukraine would change a key feature of their justice system, according to a poll by the Kiev Gorshenin Institute of
Management Issues. 41.4 per cent of respondents think judges should be elected for a definite term by people. Conversely, 19.8 per
cent of respondents want judges to be appointed by higher authorities, while 24.5 per cent see no substantial difference between either
option, and 14.2 per cent are undecided...

Belarus’ opposition forces stage European March for Freedom in Minsk
Up to 5,000 people took part in a long-prepared opposition demonstration called European March for Freedom, which was staged in
Minsk on Sunday afternoon. In defiance of the city authorities’ refusal to allow the march to run along the initially planned route, many
demonstrators assembled on Kastrychnitskaya Square, where the opposition kept a noisy vigil for four days last year in protest against
Alyaksandr Lukashenka's reelection as president...

Belarusian-Syrian agreement on cooperation in crime prevention signed in Minsk
An interstate agreement between Belarus and Syria on cooperation in crime prevention was signed in Minsk on October 14. The accord
was inked by Belarusian Interior Minister Uladzimir Navumaw and his Syrian counterpart, Bassam Abdel Majeed. General Majeed and
other Syrian officials had arrived in Belarus the previous day. At talks held on October 14, Messrs. Navumaw and Majeed discussed
issues concerning the development of cooperation between the two countries’ law-enforcement agencies in various spheres, including
public security, the prevention of international terrorism and human trafficking, personnel training, and logistical support, said the press
office of the Belarusian interior ministry...

Meeting in Prague supports Belorussian effort to join EU, NATO
Some 40 people today took part in the meeting "Belarus to Europe" on Wenceslas Square in Prague centre to express solidarity with
the Belarussian opposition and its activists' efforts for the country's accession to EU and NATO. Demonstrators carried the historical redwhite
Belarussian flags and banners, criticising the authoritarian regime of Belarussian President Alexandr Lukashenko. "This is a
meeting of the people who want to see Belarus in Europe," Roman Kovalchuk, one of the participants, told CTK...

Minsk: Iran can replace US in ties
The Belarusian President says the country will make up for its problems in relations with the West by securing closer ties with Tehran.
Alyaksandr Lukashenka said ties with Iran would make up for the absence of the US in its foreign relations, Itar Tas reported.

Lukashenka added Belarus enjoyed good relations with Iran, China, India, and other Asian countries...
Croatia's 2007 Wheeled APC Competition
Many European countries are currently in the process of acquiring wheeled armored personnel carriers, from former East-Bloc nations
replacing their old Soviet BTRs, to NATO countries buying lighter and less protected equipment as replacements for their tanks, to new
European states looking for road-mobile and affordable armor. Recent contracts in in Europe have tended to involve competitions
between 3 key competitors: General Dynamics subsidiaries MOWAG (Piranha) and Steyr-SSG (Pandur), and Finland's Patria Oyj
(AMV). Croatia's finalists were Patria's AMV and GD Steyr's Pandur II. Reports indicated that the Croatian Army is interested in up to
126 vehicles, with EUR 170 million set aside for the project, but that wasn't quite correct...

Croatia expects NATO invitation in 2008
Croatia's foreign minister says she expects her country to be invited to join the NATO military alliance next April. Kolinda Grabar-
Kitarović said on Saturday that Croatia, together with Albania and Macedonia, expected to receive a formal invitation for membership at
the next NATO summit in Bucharest. Grabar-Kitarović made the statement after a meeting with U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
Rosemary DiCarlo in the Croatian port of Split...

Sandžak mufti calls for "defense of mosques"
A day after Serbia's Muslims got their new leader, his rival accused the state for the split in that community. In a reception in Novi Pazar
Friday, Muamer Zukorlić told several hundred of his followers that "if Serbia needs a Serbian mufti then it should make an Islamic
community in Belgrade," and called on Muslims in the region to "defend the mosques" from those imams who are on the other side of
the divide. "That mufti can be an UDBA [former name for state security agency], a tycoon, but he cannot be in our mosques," Zukorlić
said...

Swiss heads tough OSCE Mission in Kosovo
Kosovo is not an island and its future status can be decided only in partnership with the international community, says a Swiss diplomat.
Tim Guldimann, the new head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Kosovo, tells swissinfo
why he is optimistic for the province's future after initial contacts with local leaders. The Serb province of Kosovo, which has been
administered by the United Nations for the past eight years since a Nato bombing campaign forced Serbia's withdrawal in 1999, remains
in political limbo...

Romania accuses Moldova of hostile act
Romania's foreign minister on Saturday accused Moldova of committing a "hostile act". This followed a decision to deny entry to eight
Romanian officials seeking to attend a religious celebration in the Moldovan capital. The Romanians were stopped late on Friday by
Moldovan border officials who said they did not have copies of their original invitations. Romanian citizens do not require visas or
invitations to visit Moldova...

Turkish military chief: Passage of U.S. bill on Armenians to worsen Turkey-U.S. military ties
Turkey's General Staff Chief has warned that the passage of a U.S. bill, which recognized killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during
World War I a genocide, will damage the military relations between Turkey and the United States, local Milliyet newspaper reported on
Sunday. In an interview with the Milliyet, Gen. Yasar Buyukanit said that "the United States is an important ally of Turkey, but allied
countries do not treat each other like this."...

France: EU should inform Turkey of defense plans
France wants the European Union to keep Turkey better informed about its military plans in a bid to end a dispute blocking cooperation
between the EU and NATO, diplomats have said. NATO member Turkey is holding up efforts by the two institutions to coordinate
separate security missions in the breakaway Serbian province of Kosovo in protest at what it says is the EU's failure to consult it
properly on defense matters. The French proposal would provide Ankara with greater information about EU defense planning without
giving it a say in decision-making, diplomats familiar with the initiative said on Friday...

How will the DTP vote on a motion to authorize a cross-border operation?
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) decided to send a motion to Parliament to authorize the military for an operation into
northern Iraq. Earlier, Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Büyükanıt had said they were awaiting a “political decision” on the matter. As
the terrorist attacks increased and the number of martyrs escalated, there was no room left for the AKP. The motion will be sent to
Parliament next week, after the religious holiday, to ease the public pressure on the government...
Egypt detains 35 Muslim Brotherhood members in clashes

Egyptian police arrested some 35 members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in the Nile Delta on Saturday, the first day of
Islam's Eid al-Fitr festival that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, the official MENA news agency reported. Police detained
the MB members in Faquos, Sharqiya governorate, some 65 km north of the capital of Cairo, when they tried to prevent mosque Imams
from leading congregations to perform outdoor prayers for Eid al-Fitr, a police source was quoted as saying...

Egypt Releases Senior Hamas Terrorist
According to the Jerusalem Post, Egyptian officials have released senior Hamas terrorist Nahro Massoud, who is wanted by both Israel
and the Palestinian Authority. Massoud fled to Egypt over a year ago and was subsequently arrested at the request of the PA. Massoud
was listed as one of the hundreds of terrorists demanded by Hamas in exchange for kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. It is not clear if
Massoud’s release was somehow related to ongoing talks regarding Shalit...

Egypt rejects Israeli arms traffic claims
The Egyptian government Sunday dismissed Israeli claims it is allowing arms to be smuggled across the border into Gaza. Israeli
Internal Security Minister Avraham Dichter accused Egypt of turning a blind eye to arms trafficking, and said it could undermine
upcoming international peace talks supported by U.S. President George W. Bush, KUNA reported.
Four dead in Yemen clashes
At least four people were killed and 15 injured when police and pro-opposition protesters clashed in southern Yemen yesterday,
witnesses said. Nasser al-Khabji, an opposition MP, said that police “opened fire indiscriminately at protesters,” but police officials said
some protesters opened fire at police first. They said the security clampdown was intended to prevent additional people from joining the
gathering. The clashes, in Radfan city, some 270km south of Sana’a, came when police moved in to clear protesters gathering in the
city’s main square. Al-Khabji, who organised the protest, identified two of the dead as Mohamed Nasser al-Hami, 25, and Shafig Hithem
Hussein, 20...

Qatar to launch dress code drive
The Ministry of Interior is busy giving final touches to a massive public campaign to ensure the visitors and expatriates here respect the
country’s traditional values and follow a ‘decent dress code’, reports the Peninsula. The Ministry’s public relations department would
embark on a campaign covering eight crucial points targeting expatriates and the new visitors. “Respect for the customs in dressing’ will
be the first focus of the campaign. Brochures and flyers will be distributed across the country soon,” the sources said...

Contractor fraud probed on Kuwait base
Camp Arifjan, a sprawling base of warehouses and prefabricated office buildings in the dusty Kuwaiti desert, is the center of the Army's
financial operation for Iraq. It has handled more than $4.2 billion in military contracts. It's also a center for corruption investigations. U.S.
authorities are investigating a web of more than $10 million in favors, bribes and kickbacks among Army officers, contractors and
subcontractors at Camp Arifjan, court and military records show...

Kuwait, US arms deal
Kuwait is to acquire Patriot missile systems and watercraft from the US as part of a military aid package unveiled by Washington in July,
reported Reuters citing KUNA. Defence Minister Sheikh Jaber Al Hamad Al Sabah said the deal would not include any aircraft but gave
no further details...

Saudi suspect in tourists' killing held
Saudi Arabia said on Sunday it had captured a Saudi man suspected of involvement in the murder of four French tourists in the Muslim
kingdom earlier this year. The four holidaymakers were among a group of nine French people attacked by militants while on a desert trip
in Saudi Arabia in February, the first attack on foreigners by suspected Al Qaida militants in the conservative kingdom for 2-1/2 years...

Arab nations study prisoners’ swap
An agreement to facilitate the exchange of inmates to serve time in their respective countries is being discussed by Arab countries,
according to the director of prisons in Saudi Arabia. “The agreement is currently being discussed,” Maj. Gen. Ali Al Harithi, director of
prisons in the Kingdom, said at a Press conference in Riyadh recently, referring to Saudi nationals imprisoned in Jordan, Syria and
Lebanon. The Press conference was held to highlight the activities of the 4th education week programmes for the national committee for
the care of prisoners, released prisoners and their families. He refused to comment on the human rights violations in prisons noted by
the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) in its first report...

Dubai bans Israel from Int'l forum
In a last-minute decision, Dubai has refused to grant entry visas to an Israeli delegation of 25 forwarding and logistics firms that were
planning to take part in next week's World Congress of the FIATA, the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations. "We
are astonished to find out that FIATA has neither made any public comment about the refusal to grant us visas one week before the start
of the Congress, nor has it voiced publicly its objection to such a policy," said Shlomo Sharon, chairman of the Israel Federation of
International Freight Forwarders & Customs Clearing Agents...

Israel's target in Syria was partly built N-plant, reports NYT
The air raid on Syria conducted by Israel last month targeted a site that Israeli and US intelligence specialists believe was a partly
constructed nuclear reactor that may have been modelled after one in North Korea, The New York Times has reported. Citing US and
foreign officials who had access to the analysts' intelligence reports, all who spoke under condition of anonymity, the Times said Bush
administration officials had been divided over the attack, with some seeing it as premature...
Mosque atop mountain overlooking Damascus .. mecca for sufis

An ancient mosque perched aloft a mountain overlooking the Syrian capital, filling a vast plain with rows of buildings and scattered
cement structures, is a mecca for many worshippers and favorites of thoughts of an eminent Islamic sufi scholar. The mosque, named
after the scholar, Sheikh Muhi-eddine Bin Arabi, who left behind books shedding light in an extensive manner on the spiritual aspects of
the Islamic doctrine and religious manners, is situated atop Qasyoun mountain...

UN peacekeepers a blessing for south Lebanon economy
Traders in Tyre’s bustling souk say UN peacekeepers have brought “baraka” and a dose of good fortune to south Lebanon, making up
at least in part for the ravages of last year’s Israel-Hezbollah war. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) has spent
millions of dollars on food and housing, while employing hundreds of locals in the region where they are deployed to keep Israeli troops
and the Shi’ite militants apart...

Jordan warns Israel of al-Aqsa excavations
Jordan on Monday warned Israel anew against a potential resumption of excavations at Mugrabi Gate near al-Aqsa Mosque. The
Jordanian warning came as an Israeli ministerial committee made a recent decision permitting the resumption of excavations at the holy
site. Jordanian Ambassador in Tel Aviv Ali Ayed told Al Ghad newspaper, issued on Monday, that Jordan has asked for clarifications from
the Israeli side on the recent ministerial decision. He reiterated his country's concern over any diggings targeting the infrastructure of
Muslim holy sites...

Draft constitution ignores crucial question of who is a Jew
The draft constitution being prepared by the Knesset Constitution Committee will not include the Law of Return, in order to forestall an
argument over the "who is a Jew" issue. Instead, it will include a general statement that "every Jew is entitled to immigrate to Israel."
However, the committee plans to submit a revised version of the Law of Return to the Knesset along with the proposed constitution. The
proposed revision would replace the "grandchild clause," which entitles all grandchildren of Jews to immigrate, with a clause entitling
anyone who belongs to a Jewish community to immigrate...

Dozens of Palestinian families deprived from Palestinian nationality
A protestor tried to kill himself when he put himself into fire using benzene. However, his peers saved him in the right time. This accident
took place in front of the headquarters of the Legislative Council in Gaza. The protest was staged to denounce depriving dozens of
families from the Palestinian nationality after the Israeli authorities stopped issuing official papers for the Palestinians since Al-Aqsa
Intifada in 2000. Hence, more than 60 000 Palestinians were deprived from having an identity card...

Palestinian Census First in Decade
The Palestinians are preparing to conduct their first census in a decade, with hopes the results will help them in future peace talks with
Israel. Demographics play a central role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Rapid Palestinian growth would bolster Palestinian territorial
demands, while Israelis' fear of being outnumbered in areas they now control might make them more willing to consider a West Bank
withdrawal. Later this week, some 5,000 census-takers will fan out across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, first to count buildings,
and, in December, to count people. Results are expected by February...

Pope urges release of two priests kidnapped in Iraq
Pope Benedict appealed on Sunday for the release of two Catholic priests kidnapped in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, with reports in
Iraq saying they were being held for $1 million ransom. The Pontiff told pilgrims at his weekly Angelus address in St Peter's Square that
two priests of the Syrian Catholic Church had been taken "and are now threatened with death"...

Top Shia leaders at odds on federalism
Powerful Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr came out fiercely against federalism yesterday a day after a leading Shia politician said Iraq
should be split into semi-autonomous regions based on sect and ethnicity. To demand federalism is to flirt with a non-binding US Senate
resolution calling for devolution of power to three self-governing regions for Shias, Sunnis and Kurds, Sadr’s office said in the holy city of
Najaf. On Saturday Ammar Hakim, son and heir-apparent of Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC),
called dividing the country “an Iraqi interest, wish and decision. “I call on this holy day for the people of my country to form (selfgoverning)
regions, starting with the region south of Baghdad,” Ammar Hakim said in an Eid al-Fitr sermon from the SIIC headquarters
in Baghdad...

The Impact of Oil Contracts for the Government of Iraqi Kurdistan
In August, the Parliament of Iraqi Kurdistan approved an Oil and Gas Law for the province, whose government had approved eight
production sharing contracts with foreign oil companies prior to the issuing of this legislation, or even before approval on a federal Oil
Law, which remains under discussion by the Parliament in Baghdad. In October, the Kurdistan regional government signed three
production agreements with Canada's Heritage for the Miran block, whose petroleum reserve is estimated at 1 billion barrels of crude.
This area is 30 kilometers away from the Taktak field of 20,000 barrels a day, based on a 50-50 sharing agreement with the regional
government, on the condition a refinery is completed within two years from the date of the signing. The regional Kurdistan government
granted France's Perenco the concession to develop the Sandi-Amidi Block, adjacent to Turkey; it also granted an agreement for
production sharing to America's Hunt Oil (the first US company to obtain a contract of this type in the province). However, unlike the
other agreements that have been announced so far, neither the regional government nor the concerned company published information
about the given concession area...

Two hanged in Iranian Kurdistan
Two Iranians, Kiumars and Nader Mohammadi have been hanged in Iran's northwestern Kurdistan province, authorities announced on
Friday. The two young men's families were told that they were buried in the cemetery of Behesht Mohammed in the city of Sanandaj,
about 500 kilometres from the capital Tehran. The families were asked not to organise any public ceremony of remembrance to avoid
these turning into an anti-regime protest. Kiumars and Mohammadi were hanged on Wednesday - World Day Against the Death
Penalty...

Christian couple flogged for attending “secret sermon” in Iran
A Christian couple were flogged in Iran for participating in an “underground Church”, an Iranian Christian group said in a report on its
website earlier this week. The unnamed couple were arrested on September 21, 2005, the report said, adding that a Revolutionary
Court reviewed their case in July 2007. Even though the couple had decided to marry seven years ago, the country’s marriage laws -
which prohibit the union of ex-Muslims and members of other religious minorities – prevented them from obtaining a certificate of
marriage...

Kurd rebels kill Iranian officer
A police officer was killed and a soldier seriously wounded in clashes between Iranian security forces and Kurdish rebels. Varya Maleki,
a police officer in Iran's northwestern province of Kurdistan was killed in the clashes which took place at daybreak on Friday. An Iranian
conscript was also severely wounded in the incident. Members of the PJAK terrorist group are said to have accepted responsibility for
the attack...

Captive Israeli soldiers 'held in Iran': report
Two Israeli soldiers captured by Lebanon's Shiite movement Hezbollah in 2006 have been handed to Iran and could be freed in a
German-brokered swap, an Arabic newspaper reported, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). Asharq Al-Awsat quoted a source
identified as a high-ranking official in the office of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying they had been transferred by
the elite Iranian Revolutionary Guards, the report noted...

Muslims Obliged To Defend Iran
Muslims around the world should defend Iran against any possible US attack, prominent Islamic scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi has
said. In an interview with the Radio IslamOnline transmitted on Sunday, Qaradawi stressed that all Muslims have the duty of launching
jihad (holy war) against any enemy attacking a Muslim country. “It is obligatory on all Muslims to resist any possible attack the US might
launch against Iran. Iran is a Muslim country which all Muslims should defend while the US is an enemy of Islam that has already
declared war on Islam under the disguise of war on terrorism and provides Israel with unlimited support,“ he was quoted as saying...

West new psywar targeting Putin visit
Western intelligence services have resorted to yet another psywar, claiming plots are being hatched to assassinate Putin in Tehran. On
the eve of the opening of a summit of the Caspian Sea littoral states in Tehran, Western security sources are spreading baseless rumors
in a bid to discourage a landmark visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Tehran. The White House has also called on President
Putin to avoid traveling to Tehran...

Iran imprisons leading dissident at court hearing
Iranian authorities imprisoned one of the nation's most prominent human-rights activists yesterday after he appeared at a court
appointment, his lawyer said. Emadeddin Baghi, a writer who has campaigned vigorously against the death penalty in Iran, was taken
into custody during a hearing in Tehran's Revolutionary Court, which tries those charged with political crimes. Baghi's relatives said the
court imposed a previously suspended one-year sentence on state security charges and denied bail. His lawyers said they were barred
from the courtroom...

Iran issues permit for temporary gasoline imports
Iran's acting oil minister, Gholam-Hossein Nozari, has issued the permit for importing gasoline temporarily, a senior official said Monday.
The National Iranian Oil Products Refining and Distribution Co (NIOPRDC) managing director, Mohammad-Reza Nematzadeh, added
that Nozari, the Oil Ministry's caretaker and National Iranian Oil Co (NIOC) managing director, gave the go-ahead as the 2.5 billion
dollar budget ran out...

"Good news on Bushehr nuclear plant soon"
Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mohammad-Ali Hosseini expressed hope on Monday that pleasant news would be released soon on the
fate of Iran's nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr. Addressing domestic and foreign reporters at his weekly press
conference, the spokesman said a joint (Iranian-Russian) committee was pursuing talks on completion of the Bushehr nuclear power
plant. Commenting on the upcoming summit of the Caspian Sea littoral states, Hosseini said a 25-article declaration is expected to be
signed by the summit participants. This would be the first official document signed by the neighboring states on a proper legal regime for
the sea...

Iran, Pakistan to finalize IPI contract by Oct. 20
Officials of Iran and Pakistan would finalize the peace pipeline gas contract next Friday or Saturday, said a senior Iranian oil Ministry
official, IRNA reported. Oil minister's envoy for peace pipeline talks, Hojattollah Ghanimifard was quoted by PIN as saying that the two
sides would discuss technical issues within next Thursday. He added the two states' presidents were to set a date for the signing of the
contract...

A critical litmus test for Saudi-Pakistan ties
When the Saudi Intelligence Chief, Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, addressed a press conference in Islamabad last month, it appeared to
raise more eyebrows in Pakistan and the Gulf than the news of former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s deportation to Saudi
Arabia. Following a meeting with President General Pervez Musharraf, just ahead of Sharif’s return, Prince Muqrin - brother and special
envoy of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia - and Lebanese politician Saad Hariri showed a document which mentioned that
Sharif should not return from his exile for 10 years...
European militants now get training in Pakistan
As al-Qaida regains strength in the badlands of the Pakistani-Afghan border, an increasing number of militants from mainland Europe
are traveling to Pakistan to train and to plot attacks on the West, European and U.S. anti-terror officials say. The emerging route,
illuminated by alleged bomb plots dismantled in Germany and Denmark last month, represents a new and dangerous reconfiguration. In
recent years, the global flow of Muslim fighters had shifted to the battlefields of Iraq after the loss of al-Qaida's Afghan sanctuary in
2001...

'Fight against terror not affected by re-election'
Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has dismissed a report suggesting the government was so absorbed in re-election of Pervez
Musharraf that it relented in its fight against terror forces along its border with Afghanistan. "That is absolutely untrue. The security
paraphernalia, the security apparatus of Pakistan has nothing to do with the re-election of the president, Aziz said on CNN's Late
Edition. Earlier, a report in a prominent daily has said the poll episode had allowed security in Afghan-Pakistan border go unchecked
leading to a "lingering paralysis" of Islamabad in dealing with the al Qaeda and the Taliban...
It's possible for us to have military history written without carrying sensitive material
Gen J.J. Singh, former chief of the Indian Army, comes from a family of soldiers: his grandfather fought in World War I, his father in
World War II. Singh, who has been involved in operations in Nagaland and Kashmir, has advocated professionalism combined with a
humane approach as the way to tackle insurgency. He has also pushed for modernisation of the forces. In an interview with The Indian
Express Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta on NDTV 24x7\'s Walk the Talk, he speaks about how he wants the modern Indian soldier to be
equipped, securing the Kashmir valley, and the books he plans to write. Excerpts...

There may be bigger design behind attacks on mosques, believe analysts
Security experts believe that there may be a definite pattern behind the string of terror attacks on Islamic places of worship across
India. What seemed to be an isolated case initially has become a source of worry for New Delhi and state authorities as they pore over
what is clearly a design in the string of terror strikes on mosques and Sufi shrines. India is home to over 140mn Muslims, who form its
largest religious minority. Although it is the world’s second largest Muslim population, it has largely remained aloof from global jihadi
politics. But officials say fundamentalists who have successfully created disorder in some Muslim majority countries, posing a challenge
to the Muslim rulers there, might be seeking new pastures. It began with a low intensity blast at Delhi’s imposing Jama Masjid last year
that killed none...

US commission cites ongoing rights abuses in latest China report
The US Congressional-Executive Commission on China has flagged ongoing human rights abuses and the stalled development of the
rule of law in China in its latest Annual Report. The Commission, consisting of nine US senators, nine House members and five
executive appointees, highlighted two general concerns in its 2007 review submitted Wednesday: 1) Chinese leaders’ increasing
intolerance of citizen activism and greater suppression of information on urgent matters of public concern (including food safety, public
health, and environmental emergencies); and 2) the instrumental use of law for political purposes. The report also documented
heightened repression in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) and Tibetan autonomous areas of China, increased
harassment of legal advocates, and more stringent restrictions on Chinese reporters...

Kazakhs know their role in energy security
Kazakhstan is aware of its importance in providing the world with energy, President Nursultan Nazarbayev said today as he announced
the production timetable for the coming decade. Kazakhstan's oil production output will reach 80 million tons (72 million tonnes) by
2010, rising to 130 million tons (117 million tonnes) by 2015, with internal demand standing at 25 million tons (22 million tonnes), the
country revealed...

Russia reports successful test of short-range interceptor missile
Russia has successfully tested a short-range, anti-ballistic missile at the Sary Shagan test site on Lake Balkash in Kazakhstan,
according to a Space Forces spokesman. "A combined team of the Space Forces, the Sary Shagan testing site and industry officials
fired a short-range interceptor missile at a target missile," Lieutenant Colonel Alexei Zolotukhin, the spokesman said. He said the launch
had been conducted to assess the possibility of extending the service life of interceptor missiles that are currently on combat duty
around Moscow. According to some reports, at least 68 short-range, A-135 interceptors (NATO codename: Gazelle) are currently
deployed as part of the Moscow missile defence system to protect radars and other strategic infrastructure....

EU could be ready to ease Uzbekistan sanctions
The European Union on Monday could ease sanctions against Uzbekistan which were imposed after it rejected demands for an
international probe into a deadly uprising in Andijan province in 2005. According to a working document seen by AFP on Friday, EU
foreign ministers would renew for 12 months an arms embargo but temporarily suspend visa restrictions in place against certain Uzbek
officials...
Kazakh investors need a predictable elite in Kyrgyzstan
The Bishkek Press Club approached Kazakh political scientist Eduard Poletayev for comments. Here is an interview with Poletayev on
how the developments in Kyrgyzstan are viewed in Kazakhstan and on what is expected by way of the outcome of the referendum and
parliamentary election in Kyrgyzstan. Question: What does the Kazakh expert community think of the latest developments in
Kyrgyzstan?...

Kyrgyz students studying abroad under the special services' control
“Kyrgyz students studying in Arabic countries have been under the special services' control. The activities of such groups, including
Hezb-e Tahrir and Jehovah's Witnesses, are a matter of great concern for Muslim and Russian Orthodox Church clerics in the country.
Returning Kyrgyz students undergo a special four-six months training in Islamic practices in the country,” said the head of the Kyrgyz
state agency for religious affairs, Toygonbek Kalmatov...

Osh authorities do not permit Hizb-ut-Takhrir activists to celebrate the Hait
Osh municipal authorities turned down the request from Hizb-ut-Takhrir (an outlawed organization in the first place) to organize a public
celebration of Hait, the Break Fast that marks the end of the sacred Ramadan. Sixty or so policemen wielding automatic rifles formed a
ring about the square in front of the Babur Drama Theater to prevent the festivities. (It was in front of Babur's Theater that Hizb-ut-
Takhrir activists had planned another celebration.) One Mahmoud of Hizb-ut-Takhrir (that was the name he gave) said trucks with pots,
chairs, and whatever were expected by 0930 hours but had been ordered to pull over and arrested by the traffic police...

Orthodox congregations in Turkmenistan come under jurisdiction of Holy Patriarchy of Moscow and All Russia

According to the press service of the Moscow Patriarchate, the state of affairs in congregations of the Tashkent and Central Asian
eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church situated in the territory of Turkmenistan were discussed at a meeting of the Holy Synod on
October 12. Members of the Synod decided to set up a deanery church under the jurisdiction of the Holy Patriarchy of Moscow and All
Russia in Turkmenistan. The church will be detached from the Tashkent and Central Asian eparchy...

Turkmen exports to Iran rise
Turkmenistan's exports to Iran increased by 42 percent during the January-September period, governor of the Turkmen Central Bank
says. The main export items by Turkmenistan to Iran include natural gas, oil and petrochemical products, as well as textiles. According
to TCB Governor Abilov, in the first eight months of the current year, Turkmenistan's foreign trade exceeded $8.4 billion, showing a 40
percent rise over the same period last year...
US military to investigate claims Koran burnt in Afghanistan

The US military said it would investigate claims that its soldiers had burnt a copy of the Koran in Afghanistan, as angry locals demanded
action and threatened retaliation. Allegations that troops tore up and burnt the Muslim holy book during a raid in the eastern province of
Kunar on Saturday led several hundred villagers to demonstrate the same day, blocking a main road for hours. Locals repeated the
charges at a heated meeting Sunday in the provincial capital Asadabad of representatives of the US military, Afghan officials and more
than a dozen men from the area near the raid site in Narang district...

Sunam is bride-to-be... aged 3
A bride-to-be peers shyly through her veil - at the age of just three. Little Sunam is among the 16 per cent of Afghan children married
before they reach 15. Her dad Parvez promised Sunam to her seven-year-old cousin Nieem. It was a gift to the lad’s mum, Parvez’s
sister, who wanted a daughter...

European Baptists push for release of peace pastor imprisoned in Azerbaijan
European Baptists are renewing their efforts to press for the release of an imprisoned peace pastor, Zaur Balaev, after an Azerbaijan
court last week rejected his appeal against a two-year prison sentence for illegal religious activity and violence. Police were sent by the
authorities to arrest Mr Balaev in May 2007. They say he was holding was an unlawful religious service and resisted arrest with
violence. The country's law requires the registration of religious groups, something which has been refused on a number of occasions
by the government, in spite of repeated requests and strong references...

World Armenian Congress to continue assistance to Karabakh
The World Armenian Congress and the Union of Armenians in Russia will continue assistance to Nagorno Karabakh, the president of
the two organizations, Ara Abramyan, said at a meeting with officials of the unrecognised republic in Stepanakert on Sunday. Famous
Armenian-born businessman and public figure arrived in Stepanakert within the framework of traditional festivals and forums the
organizations hold in Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh...

UN Security Council To Adopt Resolution On Abkhazia
The UN Security Council will adopt a resolution on Abkhazia today and discuss prolongation of the mandate to the UN Observation
Mission in the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict zone. According to preliminary information, the resolution will concern the problem of IDPs
from Abkhazia and their real estate, which is being privatized illegally by separatists. One of the articles of the resolution also covers the
current situation in the conflict region. The Georgian side has already held consultations with the Security Council member states
regarding the issue...

Russia threatens to leave missile treaty
Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened Friday in talks with top US administration officials to abandon a key nuclear missile treaty,
while also telling Washington to freeze plans for a European anti-missile shield. Speaking at the start of talks with US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice and Defence Secretary Robert Gates, the Kremlin leader said the Cold War-era INF treaty limiting Russian and US
shorter and medium range missiles was outmoded because other countries were acquiring such weapons...

Threat to kill Putin during trip to Iran
Russia's security services last night claimed they had uncovered a plot to assassinate President Vladimir Putin during his trip this week
to Iran. Suicide bombers were planning to blow up Mr Putin, Interfax news agency said, citing a source in Russia's security agencies.
Terrorists had been trained to kill the president, the source added. The Kremlin last night confirmed that Mr Putin, who was on his way to
Germany to meet chancellor Angela Merkel, had been informed of the alleged plot...

Poland threatens Russia's WTO entry
Poland will block Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO) if Moscow keeps up a ban on Polish meat imports, a top
Polish government official said Monday. "If Russia's approach towards Poland does not change, we will have to oppose Russia's WTO
entry," Deputy Agriculture Minister Jan Krysztof Ardanowski was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying. Russia imposed an
embargo on meat imports from Poland in 2005 over food safety concerns. Poland has accused Russia of playing politics and has
blocked the start of key EU talks with Moscow over a new partnership accord...

New Zealand activists held in 'anti-terrorism' raids
New Zealand police arrested 17 people in a series of 'anti-terrorist' raids across the North Island Monday, with Maori and environmental
activists the main target, media reports said. In the first operation under New Zealand's Terrorism Suppression Act, police said they had
information that a number of people had taken part in military-style training camps involving the use of firearms and other weapons...

Suicide bomber recruitment trial starts in Belgium
Six men went on trial on Monday accused of recruiting people in Belgium for an Islamic militant group, including a female convert to
Islam who carried out a suicide attack in Iraq. "The principal charge they face is being a member, and for one of the men, a leader of a
terrorist group," public prosecutor Lieve Pellens said. "They were recruiting people in Belgium and one of them was this Belgian
woman."...

An Internet Jihad Sells Extremism to Viewers in the U.S.
When Osama bin Laden issued his videotaped message to the American people last month, a young jihad enthusiast went online to
help spread the word. “America needs to listen to Shaykh Usaamah very carefully and take his message with great seriousness,” he
wrote on his blog. “America is known to be a people of arrogance.” Unlike Mr. bin Laden, the blogger was not operating from a remote
location. It turns out he is a 21-year-old American named Samir Khan who produces his blog from his parents’ home in North Carolina,
where he serves as a kind of Western relay station for the multimedia productions of violent Islamic groups...

Dutch Public Broadcaster in Hands of Radical Muslims
Radical Muslims have taken control of the Dutch Muslim Broadcaster (NMO). At least three of the public broadcaster's eight directors
are extremely controversial, according to TV programme Nova. Until recently, the Netherlands had two Islamic public broadcasters: the
moderate NMO and the orthodox Dutch Islamic Broadcasting Organisation (NIO). Media watchdog Commissariaat voor de Media
demanded that the two would merge so that the Islamic faith would have a single representative body in the public system. But
according to Nova, this resulted in NIO staging a coup of NMO...

Pentagon and FBI ‘misusing secret info requests’
The Pentagon has misled Congress and the US public by conniving with the FBI to obtain hundreds of financial, telephone and Internet
records without court approval, civil-rights campaigners said yesterday. The American Civil Liberties Union, which has successfully
challenged key planks of US anti-terrorism legislation, said it had uncovered 455 “National Security Letters” issued at the behest of the
Department of Defence. Before the ACLU’s challenge, the USA Patriot Act had allowed the FBI to issue gag orders to those receiving
NSLs - usually Internet service providers, banks and libraries - from disclosing anything about the request. Beyond the gag orders, the
ACLU said its analysis of the letters showed the Pentagon and FBI had collaborated “to circumvent the law” and “provided misleading
information to Congress” about the nature and reach of the requests...

Feds want Muslim headwear banned from airports
The Federal Government believes wearing Islamic scarves should be banned at Australian airports, senior government sources have
revealed. Under the radical security proposal, even the most inoffensive Muslim scarf, the hijab, which covers a woman's hair and neck,
would be banned, along with several other types. Security officials are especially concerned by two other very concealing types of scarf,
the niqab and the burka...

Priest gets a visit from 'hate crime' police for expressing his views on Muslim veil affair
A priest has been interviewed by police on suspicion of inciting racial hatred for expressing his Christian views in his parish newsletter.
Father John Hayes, 71, was quizzed for more than an hour after commenting on the case of a Muslim girl who went to court over her
wish to wear a full veil in class. A sergeant and community support officer turned up without warning at his presbytery after an allegation
was made to a Scotland Yard 'hate crimes' unit...

Studying how a broker's brain works
To help maintain its competitive edge, the Swiss banking industry is investing heavily in financial engineering. Its latest recruit is
economist Peter Bossaerts. swissinfo talked to Bossaerts, a leading expert in neuroeconomics – the study of how we make financial
choices - about his recent appointment as professor at the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne. The American, who also
teaches at the prestigious California Institute of Technology (Caltech), says he is moving to Lausanne for the "excellent research
opportunities"...

UN health expert: RFID technology can improve coordination of emergency efforts
The UN coordinator for avian and human influenza Dr. David Nabarro has come out in favor of intensifying the use of the tracking and
identification technology RFID within the context of emergency relief operations organized by the UN. At an event hosted by the US
Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday in Washington Dr. Nabarro said that the use of RFID technology made a lot of sense when the
point was to transport large amounts of goods, in the aftermath of a natural disaster, civil war or disease outbreak, to affected areas.
"Effective RFI tracking and good inventory management software would make a huge difference in our ability to deal with relief
(operations)" Mr. Nabarro declared. Even smarter RFID chips could be used to send out signals that indicate what is happening inside a
container - for instance, whether a box has been tampered with, knocked around in transit or subjected to temperatures beyond the
maximum range permitted for the food or drugs inside, he added...