MALAYSIA - Conservationists want to save one of the world's most endangered sea creatures, the leatherback turtle. There are less than 5,000 left. Terengganu in the east was once had the world's largest leatherback nesting sites. (BBC, Jul 17)
NIGERIA - Security forces demolished the headquarters of a Shia sect which killed a Sunni Muslim cleric. Police arrested the leader of the Shia sect and 100 of his followers. (BBC, Aug 1)
TURKEY - Elections were won by the ruling Islamic-based AK Party. Opposition and army accuse AKP of threatening the secular system. (BBC, Jul 22)
SPAIN - High Court ordered seizure of all copies of a magazine with a cartoon of Crown Prince Felipe and his wife having sex, saying the cartoon insulted the royal family. Defaming the royal family carries a 2-year prison term. (BBC, Jul 20) The West allows cartoons defaming the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam while banning cartoons ridiculing their leaders.
INDONESIA - Saudi Arabia is considering banning Indonesian airlines after 2 air disasters in Indonesia this year. Half a million Indonesians travel to Saudi Arabia every year for work or Hajj. (BBC, Jul 17)
KAZAKHSTAN - A closed trial of 30 alleged Islamist ‘radicals’ began. In this Muslim region prisons are full of people accused of being Islamic radicals. (BBC, Aug 1)
PALESTINE - Bookstores opened on Saturday, Jewish holy day, to sell the final Harry Potter book. Israeli law forbids businesses from opening on Saturday. The Trade Minister threatened to fine any store that opens. (BBC, Jul 19) Taleban was accused of state religious fundamentalism, while many Israeli state laws are religiously fundamental.
USA - Federal court ordered govt to turn over all information on Guantánamo detainees, rejecting an effort by Justice Department to limit disclosures and challenging Bush’s holding the men indefinitely. As in an authoritarian state, Pentagon can limit subjects that lawyers can discuss with detainees. Human Rights groups say there’s years of evidence that torture was authorised at the highest levels and used by US forces. (BBC, Jul 20)
PAKISTAN - More than 100 children died in the army raid on the Red Mosque. 20 soldiers died. (BBC, Jul 19) Thousands of polo enthusiasts gathered in the mountains for festivities at the highest ground in the world. For 3 days, hundreds of tents mushroom around the field. (BBC, Jul 18) 30 people killed in storms in north. Several homes destroyed as heavy rains hit Dir. (BBC, Jul 20)
AFGHANISTAN - Taleban killed 3 foreign missionaries. 18 others are hostage. (BBC, Jul 21)
DUBAI - An unfinished skyscraper, Burj Dubai, is the world's tallest building. It will be 693m tall with 160 floors. (BBC, Jul 23) Dubailand, a cluster of mega-billion-dollar projects, will have hotels, golf courses, malls and cover 3 billion square feet. Dubai already has the sail-shaped Burj Al-Arab hotel, built 3 palm-tree shaped islands, and paid 100-million-dollar for Queen Elizabeth 2, the majestic cruise liner, to use as a floating hotel. The 24-project venture will cost 235 billion dollars. This does not include other projects like Bawadi, the world's largest hospitality development with 50 hotels and 60,000 rooms. AsiaAsia will be the world's largest hotel with 6,500 rooms, and the Mall of Arabia the world's largest mall. (AFP, Jun 19)
UK - Floods in central and western England left thousands 350,000 without water. 40,000 homes lost electricity. (BBC, Jul 23)
LEBANON - Army continued shelling Mujahideen in a Palestinian refugee camp. 110 soldiers were killed in fighting with Fatal al-Islam in the last 2 months. Much of the camp has been reduced to rubble by army shelling. 70 Mujahideen and dozens of civilians have been killed. (BBC, Jul 19)
KOSOVO - PM Agim Ceku said Muslim Kosovo will declare unilateral independence from Serbia after the West failed to help. Kosovo suffered ethnic cleansing by Serbs. (IOL, Jul 20)
OGADEN - Ethiopian forces imposed a food aid blockade in Somali Muslim Ogaden and burned down villages. Ogaden has fought for independence since the early 1990s. (BBC, Aug 2)
BANGLADESH - 30% of the country is flooded with 40 people killed and 5 million affected by floods caused by monsoon rains. (BBC, Aug 2)
SOMALIA - 8 killed in battles between Mujahideen and govt and Ethiopian forces after Mujahideen attacked an army base. (BBC, Aug 2)
World News August 2007
