Mosque torched by Israeli extremists

Suspected Israeli extremists have torched a Palestinian mosque in the West Bank and left Hebrew graffiti at the site.Jibreen al-Bakri, governor of the Bethlehem region, says the mosque in the village of Jaba near Bethlehem was set alight at dawn on Wednesday, damaging the mosque's walls and carpeted floor.Israeli TV showed footage of Hebrew graffiti on the walls that read "we want the redemption of Zion" and "revenge" alongside a Jewish Star of David. The Israeli army said it was investigating. Jewish vandals have targeted mosques, churches, Palestinian vehicles, dovish Israeli groups and even Israeli military bases in so called "price tag" attacks to protest Israeli government actions against settler activity.

Read more »

Muslims feel UK is less tolerant

Almost half of Muslims living in Britain find it difficult to follow their faith in the country.

Almost half of Muslims living in Britain believe that prejudice against Islam makes it difficult for them to follow their faith in the country, a survey has found.A Poll of British Muslims for the BBC suggests that 46 per cent believe that the nation is becoming less tolerant of Muslims.Despite their unease almost all, 95 per cent, said they felt a loyalty to the country, with a similar number (93 per cent) saying Muslims in Britain should always obey British laws. Around three million Muslims live in Britain, but instances of extremist ideology have led to growing unease among many and fears of rising prejudice. The ComRes survey found that the vast majority (85 per cent) of British Muslims feel no sympathy for those who want to fight against Western interests, against 11 per cent who do. Almost half (49 per cent) believe Muslim clerics who preach that violence against the West can be justified are out of touch with mainstream Muslim opinion, but 45 per cent disagree. The survey found that most British Muslims oppose violence against people who publish images depicting the Prophet Mohammed, while one in four (27 per cent) said they had some sympathy for the motives behind the attacks in Paris on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. However, more than two thirds (68 per cent) say acts of violence against those publishing images of the Prophet can never be justified, with a quarter (24 per cent) disagreeing. Muslim women were more likely than men to feel unsafe in Britain.

Read more »

Chadian troops have killed 207 members of the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram in north-eastern Nigeria

Chadian soldiers, part of a multinational force appointed by the African Union to help Nigeria fight Boko Haram, clashed with the insurgents in the town of Gamboru in Borno State near the border with Cameroon, according to a statement issued by Chad's army and read on the Nigerian Television Authority. We destroyed 13 pickup trucks and dozens of motorcycles that were used in the attack, the statement said.Last week, the Chadian army said it killed 117 Boko Haram insurgents when it recaptured the town of Dikwa, also in Borno State. The rebels control towns in north-eastern Nigeria spread over an area the size of Belgium and have killed more than 13,000 people since 2009. Boko Haram, which seeks to establish a state with its strict interpretation of Islamic law, has expanded its violence into three of Nigeria's neighbours - Cameroon, Niger and Chad

Read more »

IF mobile phones are supposed to increase the risk of brain tumours, there is no evidence of it in

 cancer statistics in New Zealand, research shows.
The explosion in numbers of people using mobile phones.
Cancer expert Mark Elwood says there have been concerns using mobile phones could lead to an increase in the frequency of brain tumours."Several major international studies have suggested either no risk or a slightly increased risk in high users, while some others have suggested substantial risks."New Zealand's first commercial mobile phones were introduced in 1983 and in 1995, it was estimated 10 per cent of the population had mobile phones. Last year, it was estimated 71 per cent of those aged 18 to 54 and 37 per cent over 55s had mobile phones. Professor Elwood's research team went through the cancer statistics in New Zealand from 1995 to 2010 to see if there was a corresponding increase in brain cancers, but found no general increase. "In fact, for the wide age range 10 to 69 years, there has been a decrease of about one per cent per year." The research added to the evidence there wasn't a substantial increased risk in mobile phone users - which was consistent with most similar studies in other countries, he said. However, he warned the type of study could not exclude a small risk, or one limited to a certain subtype of cancers. Cancers also might arise after more than about 15 years of phone use. They did not know why brain cancer figures were decreasing in New Zealand. The research was published in the Australia and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.

Read more »

AVALANCHES caused by a heavy winter snow have killed at least 108 people in northeastern Afghanistan

The avalanches buried homes across four northeast provinces, killing those beneath, said Mohammad Aslam Says, the deputy director of the Afghanistan Natural Disaster Management Authority.The province worst hit appeared to be Panjshir province, about 100km northeast of the capital, Kabul, where the avalanches destroyed or damaged around 100 homes. Rescue teams had been dispatched to the affected areas and casualties were expected to rise, Syas said. The heavy snowstorms, which began early Tuesday, hampered rescue efforts. Snow fall from the storm was nearly one-meter deep in places and fallen trees blocked roads in the Panjshir Valley. Avalanches in the valley's Dara district affected up to 600 families, according to people trying to reach the area to assist in rescue efforts. "People there have told me that two of my relatives have been killed and eight others are still under the snow," said an Afghan who goes by the single name Sharafudin. "My son and I are trying to get through to see if we can help find their bodies. But it will take us at least three or four hours to get there because of the snow and the road is very narrow, so we have to walk, the car can't get through." Large parts of Afghanistan have been covered in snow as a major storm interrupted an otherwise mild and dry winter. Afghanistan has suffered through some three decades of war since the Soviet invasion in 1979. But natural disasters such as landslides, floods and avalanches have taken a toll on a country with little infrastructure or development outside of its major cities. In May, a massive landslide killed anywhere from 250 to 2,700 people, authorities said at the time. Another landslide in 2012 killed 71 people

Read more »