The wound of words is worse than the wound of swords.

French Muslim minister calls for total burka ban

Says ban will stem spread of "cancer" of radical Islam

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A ban on wearing the all covering burka in France would stem the spread of what French minister Fadela Amara called the "cancer" of radical Islam, a report quoted her as saying Saturday.The Muslim minister for urban regeneration told the Financial Times newspaper that the head-to-toe body covering and veil represented the "oppression of women, their enslavement, their humiliation."
Amara, who is of Algerian descent, said France was a beacon for an enlightened Islam at ease with modernity, so it was necessary to fight the "gangrene, the cancer of radical Islam which completely distorts the message of Islam.""The vast majority of Muslims are against the burka. It is obvious why," Amara told the newspaper."Those who have struggled for women's rights back home in their own countries -- I'm thinking particularly of Algeria -- we know what it represents and what the obscurantist political project is that lies behind it, to confiscate the most fundamental of liberties," she said.

Khan: detained for 2 hours at Newark Airport

NEW YORK: Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan detained for two hours at Newark Airport, New Jersey. He was in the US to celebrate India's Independence Day. He was released after Indian Embassy officials vouched for him.

Iraqi protest at media censorship

About 200 Iraqi journalists, writers and publishers have protested in Baghdad at what they say is growing state interference in their work.

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The protest follows the introduction of new rules for censoring books, and a proposal to ban certain websites.
Some journalists say there has been an increase in lawsuits against those investigating security or corruption.
The authorities say they will only block websites that are pornographic or incite violence or criminal behaviour.
Media workers have frequently been targeted or caught up in the violence in Iraq, with at least 190 being killed since the US-led invasion in March 2003.
Bank robbery
Dozens of journalists took part in the demonstration at Baghdad's old book market on Friday, carrying signs which read "Do not kill the truth", and chanting "Yes to freedom. No to silencing journalists".

"It is the very duty of journalists to reveal the truth, and we are against any kind of censorship of the media," said Deputy Culture Minister Fawzi al-Atroushi, who attended the rally.
"We are against any threats made against journalists."
Last year, as security improved and the national government began to gain strength, journalists started to complain about new pressure from the officials.
The Association for Protection of Journalists says there has been a dramatic increase in lawsuits against media workers, especially those who try to cover government corruption and security.
Recently, a Shia MP threatened to sue over an editorial suggesting an unnamed political party had supported a bank robbery in Baghdad in July in which $7m was stolen and eight security guards were killed.
It came after a bodyguard of Vice-President Adel Abdul-Mahdi, a senior leader of the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council, was arrested in connection with the crime.
Representatives of the publishing industry, who attended Friday's demonstration, are concerned about the recently imposed book censorship laws.
There has also been much criticism by freedom of speech advocates of the government's proposal to crack down on internet service providers and ban websites that incite violence and publish pornography.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Nouri Maliki told reporters to be more co-operative and less critical of the government.
The BBC's Natalia Antelava in Baghdad says it was a disturbing statement for those who lived, for years, without any freedom of expression.
Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, Iraqi media have flourished, and many journalists would often say that physical danger was a trade-off for their newly found freedom to report, our correspondent says.
They fear their freedom is now under threat, she adds.

Huge blast near Nato Kabul base

KABUL: A suicide car bomb has exploded outside the Nato headquarters in Kabul, killing at least three people and wounding about 70, Afghan officials say.

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A plume of smoke was seen rising above the area, where the presidential palace and embassies are also located. According to an Arabic television, Tahreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan have claimed responsibility for a suicide car bomb in front of the heavily fortified headquarters of US and NATO troops in Kabul, saying the target was the US embassy nearby. "The target was the US embassy, but we could not reach it. The suicide car bomber exploded near the ISAF headquarters and killed several foreign troops," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told foreign news agency by telephone from an undisclosed location, referring to the International Security Assistance Force....see video

Hamas ends Gaza mosque clash

GAZA CITY: Islamic radicals from an al-Qaida-inspired group battled Hamas security in the Gaza Strip Friday in shootouts that killed at least 13 people.The fighting began when Hamas forces surrounded a mosque in the southern Gaza town of Rafah where about 100 members of Jund Ansar Allah, or the Soldiers of the Companions of God, were holed up, including some armed with suicide belts and rifles, according to residents of the area.The confrontation was triggered when the leader of the group defied Gaza's Hamas rulers by declaring in a Friday prayer sermon that the territory was an Islamic emirate.Jund Ansar Allah and a number of other small, shadowy radical groups seek to enforce an even stricter version of Islamic law in Gaza and have criticized Hamas for not doing so. They are also upset that the Hamas regime has honored a cease-fire with Israel for the past seven months.Hamas has said it seeks to set an example and does not impose its views on others. It also says its violent struggle is against Israel, not the Western world. The more radical groups' calls for global Jihad undermines Hamas' attempt to appear more moderate to Western eyes.The hard-line groups are perhaps the most serious opposition Hamas has faced since it seized control of Gaza and ousted its rivals in the Fatah movement in a five-day, bloody civil war in June 2007.The leader of Jund Ansar Allah, Abdel-Latif Moussa, warned Hamas forces against trying to enter the mosque compound."If Hamas does that, it will be their end," he said.Shortly afterward, a gunbattle broke out between the militants inside the mosque and Hamas forces surrounding it. Hamas officers then raided the mosque.The group's leader had already fled the mosque, and Hamas forces surrounded his house later and waged another gunbattle with his men.

Afghan women’s bill termed repressive

KABUL: A US-based rights watchdog said on Friday an Afghan bill that “formalises discrimination” against Shia women had become law and accused President Hamid Karzai of using it to win votes. Human Rights Watch said it had learned that the bill had been published in the official Gazette on July 27, giving it the force of law. “Afghanistan’s influential international supporters should insist that President Hamid Karzai act to amend the notorious law that formalises discrimination against Shia women” Human Rights Watch said in a statement. There was no official announcement and government officials could not be immediately reached to confirm the legislation’s publication. Karzai in April ordered the justice ministry to review the legislation, which he had already signed in March, after an outcry from Afghan and international groups which said it legalised Taliban-era restrictions on women. Karzai, who is expected to win a second term at an election on Aug 20, said that any article which violated women’s rights would be removed. But Human Rights Watch said it had seen a final copy of the law and it contained “many regressive articles”. It requires women to get permission from their husbands to work and effectively allows a rapist to avoid prosecution by paying “blood money” to the affected girl, the New York-based group said. It accused Karzai of an “unthinkable” election deal with hard-line Shia leaders who wanted special legislation to cover family matters for their minority, in return for the support of fundamentalists at the ballot box. The justice ministry has not announced the results of its review. Shia make up around 15 per cent of Afghanistan’s population. Karzai, who has ruled Afghanistan since the Taliban regime was ousted in the 2001 US-led invasion, is seen as the frontrunner for the elections, having secured the backing of various ethnic and religious leaders.

BEIRUT: Hizbullah has the power to hit any location in Israel with its weapons and has more “surprises” up its sleeve in the event of a future Israeli

BEIRUT: Hizbullah has the power to hit any location in Israel with its weapons and has more “surprises” up its sleeve in the event of a future Israeli attack, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Friday. The Hizbullah leader also encouraged the authorities to continue their search for networks of Israeli spies in Lebanon, claiming that there are “agents in every village and every neighborhood.” Nasrallah made the comments during a speech in front of thousands of supporters via a large screen in Beirut’s southern suburbs, to celebrate the third anniversary of the party’s “divine victory” in the July-August war of 2006. “We no longer hear about the ‘new Middle East,’” Nasrallah said, arguing that the local, regional and international situation today “is not worse” than three years ago. Nasrallah was defiant in the address, mocking the Israeli army’s military capability on several occasions, and urging the Lebanese to show national solidarity to prevent an outbreak of conflict, which he said Hizbullah didn’t want, but didn’t fear. Nasrallah said that since the 2006 war, the Israelis have “been training and getting weapons, and changing their military leaders … if this is a ‘victorious’ army, what would a defeated army look like?” Israel’s verbal campaign against Hizbullah in recent weeks has rebounded against the Zionist state, as the resistance party is now “three times stronger” than it was in 2006, Nasrallah said.

US to train Georgian troops for Afghan mission: Pentagon

WASHINGTON: The US military on Friday said it will launch a training mission in Georgia to help a battalion prepare for deployment to Afghanistan, a move that risks aggravating relations with Russia.A team of US Marines will leave in the next few days to begin training a 750-strong infantry battalion that heads to Afghanistan in 2010, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters.The training, which formally starts next month, will be designed "to get them ready for their spring 2010 deployment and to ensure they're able to operate alongside ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) partners," said Whitman.The NATO-led ISAF coalition comprises more than 100,000 troops, with about 62,000 forces from the United States.The number of Marines in the training contingent will fluctuate but will number as many as 60-70 instructors, Whitman said.The first influx of Marines will arrive in Georgia beginning on August 15th, said State Department spokesman PJ Crowley.The training program "will commence on September 1st to prepare that Georgian battalion... for service in Afghanistan," said Crowley.A similar US training effort for troops headed to Iraq was suspended last year when Georgia waged a brief war with Russian forces over South Ossetia.About 2,000 Georgian troops were deployed in Iraq from August 2003 but were rushed back in a conflict that saw Russia crush the ex-Soviet state's US-backed military.Whitman said the training mission was solely focused on the Afghan mission but Moscow has accused Washington of meddling in the region and rearming Georgia.Russia views expanding NATO influence in ex-Soviet states near Russian borders as a major security threat.Moscow and Western governments are in intensifying competition for influence in Georgia due to its vital location astride a geographical corridor that could be used to transport energy supplies from Central Asia directly to Western markets.

Pakistan-Turkey rail trial starts

Pakistan has begun its first international freight train service from Islamabad to Istanbul.

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The 6,500km (4,040 mile) trial service via the Iranian capital, Tehran, is a pilot project of the regional Economic Co-operation Organisation.
Officials expect it to boost Pakistan's trade with Turkey and Iran - currently estimated at $1bn - by as much as 50%.
There are also hopes the route will eventually provide a link to Europe and Central Asia, and carry passengers.
Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani he hoped the route would one day also provide passenger services and boost tourism, reports said.
The train will pull 20 containers on its maiden journey from Islamabad railway station, delivering 14 to Tehran and six to Istanbul a fortnight after it sets off.
The first journey will also take railway experts from the three countries on board to gauge the performance and check for obstacles over the vast terrain.
Mr Gilani described the beginning as "an epic event", Pakistan's APP news agency reported.
Some operational obstacles also remain to be resolved, and parts of the route need to be upgraded, he added.