Source : Arab News
LONDON | 05 May 2011

Bottled water purporting to be Zamzam water and sold in three Islamic bookshops in the UK has been discovered to be contaminated with arsenic, according to claims by the BBC.

It reported on Thursday that a BBC investigation team found the contaminated bottled water in bookshops in south and east London and in Luton.

The water was taken for testing by the Association of Public Analysts, the agency that ensures consumables are unadulterated.

Source : Agencies
ISLAMABAD | 05 May 2011

The 12-year-old daughter of Osama Bin Laden, now in custody with a Yemeni wife of the Al-Qaeda leader, saw her father shot dead, a Pakistani intelligence official said on Wednesday.

The child “was the one who confirmed to us that Osama was dead and shot and taken away,” said the official from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.

Al Arabiya television went further, suggesting that Bin Laden was first taken prisoner and then shot.

Source : Kristi Eaton | AP
ORIENTA : Oklahoma | 05 May 2011

A man wanted in the bombing of a Florida mosque was shot and killed Wednesday when he brandished a weapon as agents tried to serve an arrest warrant in northwest Oklahoma, FBI officials said.

Sandlin Matthews Smith, 46, of St. Johns County, Fla., pulled out a firearm as federal and state law enforcement officers approached him in a field at Glass Mountain State Park near Orienta and asked him to surrender, said FBI Special Agent Jeff Westcott of Jacksonville, Fla.

Source : P.K. Abdul Ghafour | Arab News
JEDDAH | 03 May 2011

Khaled Almaeena, editor in chief of Arab News, has cautioned the international community against possible terrorist attacks by criminal gangs in the name of Al-Qaeda, following the death of Osama Bin Laden.

"I am afraid that some criminal groups who are inspired by Al-Qaeda would carry out terrorist operations and blame them on Al-Qaeda due to the lack of a strong spiritual and military leader for the group," Almaeena told Al Arabiya.net.

Source : Selcan Hacaoglu | AP
ANKARA : Turkey | 03 May 2011

Turkey escalated the pressure on Muammar Qaddafi on Tuesday despite its long-standing ties to the Libyan leader, insisting Qaddafi must immediately leave “for the sake of his country’s future.” Qaddafi has ignored calls for change in Libya and instead preferred “blood, tears and pressure against his own people,” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a news conference in Istanbul.

Source : Reuters

Moscow | 01 May 2011

A NATO air strike in Tripoli that Libyan officials say killed a son and three grandchildren of leader Muammar Qaddafi was proof the coalition was not protecting civilians, a Russian parliament member said.

Russia has been an outspoken critic of the Western military alliance’s intervention in Libya and has repeatedly said it was concerned at the use of force mandated by the United Nations.

Source : Reuters
JAKARTA | 30 Apr 2011

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao sought on Friday to build trust, cultural ties and investment links with Indonesia and to end a long history of wariness between the world’s emerging power and one of the region’s brightest hopes.

China is vying with the United States for influence in Indonesia and Southeast Asia in general, the site of strategic sea lanes and resources that it needs to power its economy.

Source : Islam Today
Melbourne | 03 May 2011

Australia's first Islamic museum is to be built in Thornbury and will work to dispel stereotypes of the often misunderstood religious minority.

The Islamic Museum of Australia also aims to showcase the rich artistic heritage and historical contributions of Muslims in Australia and abroad. Fascinating stories, interactive displays and exquisite art exhibits will provide an insight into the Australian Muslim experience for tourists, school groups and other visitors.

Source | World Bulletin

Cairo | 03 May 2011

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal arrived in Cairo on Sunday to sign an Egyptian-brokered deal to end a rift between his Palestinian group and President Mahmoud Abbas' rival Fatah, Egypt's state news agency reported.

Source | REUTERS

PUTRAJAYA : Malaysia | 28 Apr 2011

Malaysia and its top trading partner China signed eight agreements on Thursday to deepen trade and investment ties as Beijing seeks to raise its economic clout in Southeast Asia.

The deals are part of a series of agreements while Premier Wen Jiabao visits Malaysia and Indonesia.

Source : Saeed Al-Batati | Arab News

SANAA | 28 Apr 2011

As opposition and government officials are due to head to Riyadh to ink the GCC-brokered deal, rivals exchanged accusations over who triggered the deadly clashes in the capital on Wednesday night.

The ruling party has blamed the coalition opposition, Joint Parties Meeting, of setting off the latest escalation of violence in the capital in order to stymie the deal.

MADINAH: Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh Al-Asheikh opened an Islamic calligraphy show at Le Meridien here Tuesday and commended Muslim calligraphers around the world for reviving the Islamic art and promoting the message of Qur'an in an attractive manner.

"God has honored the Arab nation by sending the Qur'an in Arabic and making the calligraphic writings of the Qur'anic verses part of the Islamic civilization," the minister said while opening a forum for the famous Qur'an calligraphers in the world.