SAUDI ARABIA - Ministry of Haj banned ‘5 star’ Haj camps for wealthy businessmen. (Darulihsan, Nov 27)
IRAQ - US troops fired on a taxi taking bank staff to work in Baghdad killing 3 women. (AP, Nov 27)
PALESTINE - 40 countries attended Palestinian-Israeli conference in USA. They included Syria and Saudi Arabia. Elected govt of Palestine, Hamas, boycotted talks. (BBC, Nov 26)
AFGHANISTAN - Independent think-tank Senlis Council says Taliban has permanent presence in 54% of the country. (BBC, Nov 27)
USA - US bank Citigroup to sell shares worth R50bn to Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, which will become the largest shareholder. Citigroup has been hit hard by US home bond problems. (BBC, Nov 27)
JORDAN - Islamist opposition, Islamic Action Front, won only 6 of the 22 seats it contested in parliamentary polls, marred by vote-rigging and fraud. 17 people arrested for interfering with the electoral process. (BBC, Nov 21)
UAE - Dubai International Capital, an investment firm owned by the Dubai government bought a stake in Sony. A 3% share is R10.35bn at current price. (BBC, Nov 26)
UZBEKISTAN - UN Committee Against Torture is concerned over widespread torture in Uzbekistan especially against Islamic activists. (BBC, Nov 23)
MALAYSIA - Tear gas and water cannon used to disperse 5,000 people rallying outside UK High Commission calling on UK govt to pay R28 trillion compensation to 2 million Indians in Malaysia whose ancestors were taken there as labourers in the 19th century. (BBC, Nov 25)
INDONESIA - 3 killed and 45 hurt after 2 powerful earthquakes struck Sumbawa island. 500 buildings were destroyed. The island of Sumatra was also hit by a powerful earthquake. (BBC, Nov 26)
PALESTINE - 1. Israel signed an agreement with Liberia to search for diamonds there. The diamond trade is one of Israel's largest industries, with polished diamonds accounting for R45bn of the country's exports in 2006. 2. Jewish PM Olmert called on Palestinians to recognise Israel as a Jewish state as a condition for peace talks. 3. Israeli Supreme Court ruled govt can continue cutbacks of fuel to Gaza. Human rights groups called it illegal collective punishment. 100 of the 150 petrol stations in Gaza closed due to shortages. (BBC, Nov 15, 20, 30)
UK - Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams launched a stinging attack on US policy in Iraq and other places, comparing it unfavourably with the British Empire. (BBC, Nov 25)
PAKISTAN - Mir Marri, head of Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) was killed in Afghanistan. Balochistan has biggest reserves of natural gas in the world and large deposits of gold. BLA has been fighting since 2000 for autonomy. (BBC, Nov 21)
SA - Imam of Musjidul Aqsa, Sheikh Ali Abbasi visited SA and held talks in Port Elizabeth.
PAKISTAN - Troops carried out a major offensive against pro-Taleban Mujahideen in Swat valley. Mujahideen control several towns there. (BBC, Nov 25)
TURKEY - 57 Turks died when a plane crashed on a flight from Istanbul. (BBC, Nov 30)
EGYPT - 4 police were jailed for beating a man to death in detention. There have been many reports of abuse of detainees by police. (BBC, Nov 28)
SAUDI ARABIA - 208 ‘militants’ arrested in recent months. (BBC, Nov 28)
USA - Policemen in Texas filed a lawsuit that a ban on beards is discriminatory to blacks. (BBC, Nov 29)
ALGERIA - Minister of War Veterans said French PM owed his election to the Jewish lobby. (BBC, Nov 29)
DENMARK - Danish activist group Fighters & Lovers charged with sponsoring terrorism after selling T-shirts supporting Palestinian group PFLP. R50 of each sale was for humanitarian projects in Palestine. (Guardian, Nov 29)
PALESTINE - Jewish court sentenced Sheikh Tamimi, head of Supreme Islamic Judicial Council to 6 months suspended. He was charged with entering Musjid Al Aqsa without a permit. Tamimi said the permit system is a violation of the 4th Geneva Convention, Human Rights and the Freedom of Worship. (IMEMC News, Nov 20)
USA - US military uses 340,000 barrels of oil a day (R136bn a year). If the US military were a country, they'd be the 38th largest consumer of oil. (RAW, Nov 15) 4,698 US soldiers deserted this year, an 80% increase since 2003 and the highest since 1980. (AP, Nov 16)
CANADA - Muslim lady security guard at Toronto Airport was fired for wearing a skirt longer than the knee-length uniform. She never had any problems doing this in the last 5 years. (City News, Nov 17)
WORLD - Estimates say global Halaal food industry is worth R14 trillion a year and growing at $500 billion annually. (Halal Journal, Oct 1, 2007)
KASHMIR - 6 Indian soldiers and 2 Mujahideen killed in gun battle in Avantipora. (BBC, Dec 5)
WORLD NEWS DECEMBER 2007
