Kuwait Times

Published Date: October 08, 2009

BEIRUT: One person was stabbed to death and four others were wounded in sectarian clashes that broke out overnight in Beirut's southern suburbs, an army spokesman said yesterday. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the spokesman said that the violence late on Tuesday pitted youths from the mainly Shiite district of Shiyah against residents of the nearby Christian area of Ein el-Rommaneh. "Young men on scooters came from Shiyah and began circling near a restaurant in Ein El-Rommaneh," the spokesman said. "A
heated exchange with local residents ensued and knives were used leaving one dead and four injured, all from Ein El-Rommaneh." He said the army quickly deployed in the area to prevent an escalation and several people were detained for questioning. The clashes took place in an area that was the first line of demarcation during the 1975-1990 civil war.


Hamas bans bike rides for women

GAZA: The Hamas government has banned motorcycle riders from carrying women on the back seat - the latest in the militants' virtue campaign in Gaza. The ban was posted on Hamas Interior Ministry website on Tuesday. It says the ban seeks "to preserve citizen safety and the stability of Palestinian society's customs and traditions." Hamas wants to impose a strict interpretation of Islam. Its other efforts have included breaking up mixed couples on the beach and obliging female lawyers to wear headscarves in
court. The group insists compliance with the campaign is voluntary and reflects Gaza's conservative ways, but reports have surfaced of offenders being beaten or arrested. Gazan women almost never drive motorcycles, and rarely even ride behind men.


Obama meets Talabani

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama yesterday met Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in an unannounced encounter and praised him for promoting national unity, the White House said. Obama dropped in on a meeting between his national security advisor James Jones and Talabani at the White House, after speaking to Talabani by telephone on Monday. "The President conveyed appreciation for the leadership that President Talabani has shown in promoting national unity in Iraq and encouraged him to continue his efforts
in this regard," a White House statement said. Obama told Talabani that the United States was committed to working with Iraqis on security and political progress. The United States is committed to withdrawing all combat troops from Iraq by August 2010 ahead of a complete pullout of all forces by the end of 2011.


Turkey extends mandate

ANKARA: Turkey's parliament has extended for one year a mandate that allows its military to attack Kurdish separatist rebels based in northern Iraq. The widely anticipated move coincides with a Turkish government bid to boost the rights of Turkey's Kurdish minority to help end a 25-year armed conflict. Turkish fighter jets have staged a series of strikes on Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) targets in neighboring northern Iraq since October 2007, and in February 2008 the military sent land forces across the b
order to fight the outlawed group. Such operations, backed by US intelligence, have been credited with weakening the PKK, which has used its bases in northern Iraq to launch attacks on Turkey as part of a campaign for an autonomous Kurdish homeland in southeastern Turkey. PKK commander Murat Karayilan said in a statement that the decision was a setback for peace in southeast Turkey.