The Natives are Restless...

Iran orders newpaper's director arrested for insulting president

Iran's judiciary on Tuesday ordered the arrest of the director of a leading reformist newspaper over an article attacking President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his remarks on the Shiites' "hidden imam."

Mohammad Javad Haghshenas, director of Etemad Melli newspaper, has been issued with an order for arrest and investigation on charges of spreading lies and publishing "an insulting piece", a spokesman for Tehran public and revolutionary courts told the ISNA student agency.


Mongolia calls for State of Emergency.

The president of Mongolia has declared a four-day state of emergency in the capital amid violent protests over claims the general election was rigged. Crowds torched the HQ of Mongolia's governing party - the former Communists - and attacked a police station. Over 60 people were hurt - around half of them police - as officers used tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon against stone-throwing protestors. The unrest went on into the night, with reports of bank robberies and looting. Rioters set fire to the Cultural Palace, home to a theatre, museum and national art gallery in the capital, Ulan Bator.

21 Turks held in coup plot.

Turkish authorities detained more than 21 ultra-nationalists, including two prominent retired generals yesterday in a widening police investigation into a suspected coup plot against the government. Police swooped shortly before the Constitutional Court began hearing a legal case in which the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) is charged with trying to establish an Islamic state and could be closed, a move that might lead to an early parliamentary election.
Turkish stocks fell six per cent and the lira currency almost 2pc on concerns of prolonged political uncertainty which political analysts say could damage Ankara's hopes of joining the EU.

The military, which has repeatedly criticised the government, has denied any links to the group.

"Malaysia: I did not sodomize that young man" and I have the alibi to prove it.

Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said he has an alibi to prove he did not sodomize a young man whose accusation has temporarily derailed his bid to re-enter Parliament and bring down the government. He said the government was trying to "cause anxiety and disgust among Muslims" against him. Sodomy, even if consensual, is punishable by up to 20 years in prison in Muslim-majority Malaysia.

President of Sri Lanka's chopper shot at.

A helicopter that had just flown the Sri Lankan president to a ceremony and left him there was hit by gunfire soon after taking off again. A statement from the army said the aircraft had to make an emergency landing, and was found to have a bullet-hole in one of its fuel tanks. It is not clear who shot at the helicopter over the Ampara region, in the east of Sri Lanka.

Islamic court in Nigeria sentences female singer for concert

Talatu Mai-Gurmi, 34, was sentenced by the Islamic tribunal in Shira, in the state of Bauchi. The news agency said she was arrested by men from the Islamic police along with two other performers who took part in the same concert, which featured traditional music. The singer had pleaded guilty, the agency said. In his judgment, tribunal president Malam Garba Dan-Baba said the court had ruled the singer had contravened articles 95 and 365 of the Sharia penal code.
Twelve predominantly Muslim states of northern Nigeria have applied Sharia law since the beginning of 2000.
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