Titles:

 

• America:Muslims see ‘foreign law' bill as attack on Shariah
• Western media openly admits foreign Special Forces behind overthrow of Gaddafi
• Libya revolt helped stop Italy bank collapse
• NATO plans to arm Syria gangs
• New strategic US-Afghanistan deal plans to station US troops till 2024
• Is the Pakistani army planning to intervene in Karachi?

 

 Details:

 

America:Muslims see ‘foreign law' bill as attack on Shariah
A national drive against citing "foreign" laws in U.S. courts - one that critics say is a veiled attack on Islamic Shariah law - has reached the state with the nation's largest concentration of Muslims. The Michigan bill, which mirrors "American Laws for American Courts" legislation introduced in more than 20 other states, was introduced in June by state Rep. Dave Agema, Grandville Republican. He has argued that it has nothing to do with Islam or the faith's Koran-based Shariah law, but is designed to stop anyone who seeks to invoke a foreign law in state courts. A study by the Center for Security Policy in Washington, D.C., looked at 50 appellate cases from 23 states and found that Shariah law had been applied or formally recognized in court decisions. Those cases, said Christopher Holton, a vice president at the center, represent the tip of the iceberg in what he describes as a growing conflict in state courts, where many decisions are never publicized. "There is no question - Shariah principles are finding their way into our courts for years now. It's inherently discriminatory for women - most of these involved family law. When you get a ruling in a child custody case from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan or Egypt and it's family law, it's all Shariah," he said.

 

Western media openly admits foreign Special Forces behind overthrow of Gaddafi
Now that NATO is within reach of overthrowing Gaddafi, the corporate media is rife with reports that al-Qaeda, tribal warlords, and disenfranchised former Gaddafi bureaucrats had plenty of help from the U.S., Britain, and NATO in the "Arab Spring" operation to install a government amenable to the West.  "Special forces troops from Britain, France, Jordan and Qatar on the ground in Libya have stepped up operations in Tripoli and other cities in recent days to help rebel forces as they conducted their final advance on the Gaddafi regime," a NATO official told CNN today.  British forces, in particular, have assisted rebel units by "helping them get better organized to conduct operations," the official said. Some of these forces from all the countries have traveled with rebel units from towns across Libya as they advanced on Tripoli. The official declined to be identified due to the sensitive nature of the intelligence information. Overall, the Special Forces have helped rebels "improve their tactics," the official said. The forces have also provided targeting information to warplanes conducting airstrikes and conducting reconnaissance missions in Tripoli, he said. This has been especially critical in recent days in the capital, as fighters from both sides have mixed together in close range. The forces have also assisted rebels in communications as they conducted the assault on the capital. Qatari and French forces also have provided some armaments, the official said.

 

Libya revolt helped stop Italy bank collapse
Trade in shares of Italy's largest bank has been suspended - as it emerges that events in Libya have helped prevent a collapse of the Italian banking system. According to documents uncovered by Global Witness, the Libyan Investment Authority's biggest investment was in Italian bank Unicredit. The choice is not accidental - Italy was Libya's colonial parent, the legacy of which is extensive financial and political connections. Through three of its sovereign wealth funds - the LIA (the most above-board), the Central Bank of Libya and the Libya Foreign Bank (these two were able to invest slightly more secretively) - the regime amassed some 1.4 billion shares in UniCredit. The Libyan sovereign funds brought their investment in the Italian bank to their current level in early 2010. Italian banks saw a selling wave earlier this month - but Libya's stake was frozen. Then the second wave of the financial crisis struck, just as the Libyan investments were frozen throughout Europe, preventing Tripoli's investment officers from pulling out their cash. In February, the combined stake was worth 2.8bn euros. Today, it is worth a mere 1.2bn euros. That is a collapse of almost 60% - and the fall is sharper still if you go back to early 2010, when the investments reached their current volume. Had the Libyan assets not been frozen, one suspects the Gaddafi family might have sold their Unicredit investment, whether because of the bank's deep troubles or because of their need to free up resources for their fight against rebels.

 

NATO plans to arm Syria gangs
Recently Iran's Press TV reported that The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Turkey are preparing the ground for military intervention in Syria especially through providing criminal Syrian armed gangs with weaponry.  Large caches of weapons including anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, mortar bombs and heavy machine guns will be sent via ground to major Syrian cities witnessing unrest, according to a report by Debka.  Turkey's military will protect the arms caches on their passage to Syrian rebels.  Syrian rebels have been receiving training inside Turkey to use the weapons for two weeks.  Turkey has warned that it will join any possible military action against neighboring Syria. Earlier, Ankara recalled its retired officers to be deployed to cities along the border with Syria. Ankara is a NATO member seeking an EU membership.

New strategic US-Afghanistan deal plans to station US troops till 2024
Afghan and US officials are making efforts to cut the strategic partnership deal ahead of the Bonn conference, the Daily Telegraph reported.The Daily Telegraph newspaper writes that Kabul and Washington have reached a consensus that American Special Forces will remain in Afghanistan at least until 2024.An article published in the Daily Telegraph newspaper described Karzai's government as corrupt and lacking credibility.President Karzai has come to know that after the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan, Afghan security forces wouldn't be able to maintain peace and ensure security, the article said. While officials in Kabul said that talks on US-Afghan strategic deal is still in progress, the article writes that Kabul and Washington are pushing to ink the deal ahead of Bonn Conference."Both sides have made their suggestions and still talks are on the level of a committee which has been assigned by the government under the lead of Afghanistan Security Council and foreign ministry," Mr Hakim Hasher said. After the Afghan government called for support of the United States for a stronger and equipped army, Washington laid out the initiative for formation of permanent military bases in Afghanistan and said it would prevent insurgents from returning back to the country. 

 

Is the Pakistani army planning to intervene in Karachi?
Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani landed in Karachi on Thursday morning, DawnNews reported. The army chief would be given a detailed briefing on the situation of the city, sources said. General Kayani had hinted that the army could provide its services to the government in restoring peace in the port city. Analysts were giving importance to General Kayani's visit amidst continuing violence in the city. Lately, voices have been growing for Kayani to intervene in the city and stop the bloodshed that has claimed over 300 lives in a matter weeks.