Muslim World News

By IRNA

Islamabad : Angry students, who had occupied Islamabad's Lal Masjid or red mosque after it was opened for the Friday prayers for the first time in three weeks after the military operation, ended its occupation after few hours.

The police made announcements from armoured vehicles asking the students to leave the mosque.

When the students did not disperse the police used tear gas shells.

By IRNA

Beirut : Lebanese Minister of Sciences and Education Khalid Qabbani appreciated Iran's efforts to reconstruct war-stricken areas in his country and said Iran's activities in this regard have made everybody 'astonished'.

By IRNA

Tehran : Tehran's substitute Friday prayers leader Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati said here the victory of the Islamist 'Justice and Development' Party in Turkish parliamentary elections shows that people in that country are for an Islamic government.

Addressing thousands of worshipers at Tehran University Campus, Ayatollah Jannati said, "Turkish people are Muslim and want an Islamic government."

By NNN-APP

Islamabad : Pakistan has sought German assistance in developing its oil shale potential and transfer of clean coal technologies for utilizing Thar lignite coal.

Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Amanullah Khan Jadoon has expressed this desire during his visit to headquarters of the German Institute of Geosciences and Natural Resource (BGR) in Hannover.

He has lead a three member Pakistani delegation to Germany to explore avenues of Pak-German cooperation in the energy sector, says a message on Friday.

By NNN-APP

Abu Dhabi : Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates on Friday vowed to strengthen the fight against terrorism and extremism and to further enhance bilateral relations.

President Musharraf and UAE Crown Prince Gen Sheikh M Bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed regional and international situations as well matters of bilateral interest at a working-lunch meeting at the Royal Palace.

By NNN-APP

Islamabad : Federal Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao has said that the government was handling with restraint the situation at former Lal Masjid after it was reopened for congregational prayers on Friday.

Talking to PTV he said that the government wanted people to offer prayers peacefully but some elements indulged in hooliganism, which was a condemnable act.

He said the government renovated the mosque in minimum possible time to facilitate the people and warned that no one would be allowed flout the law.

By NNN-PTI

Islamabad : Hundreds of students on Friday took control of the Lal Masjid here and drove out the government-appointed cleric from the mosque after it was reopened for Friday prayers for the first time after security forces stormed it on July 11 in which 102 people were killed.

By NNN-IRIN

Islamabad : An estimated 4,000 Afghan refugees living in camps in Pakistan’s flood-affected Balochistan Province are now receiving assistance, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has confirmed.

"At the moment, we are covering the needs of the Afghan refugees,� Babar Baloch, a UNHCR spokesman, said from the provincial capital Quetta.

By NNN-SomaliNet

Mogadishu : The leader of the ousted Islamic Courts Union on Thursday boycotted the call from the reconciliation conference committee to participate in the congress, which entered its second week.

The exiled leader of the executive council of the defeated Islamic Courts Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed who is now in the Eritrean capital of Asmara told the London based Sharqa-Awsat Arabic newspaper that the remarks by the so-called reconciliation committee as nonsense and have no value to the minds of the Somali society.