Headlines:

• France Defends Ban on Islamic Veil despite Riots
• Turkey against Kurdish Autonomy in Syria
• US Delays Delivery of F-16 Jets to Egypt after General's Call for Mass Protests
• Filipino Women Teachers are Banned from Wearing Veils in Classroom
• Pakistanis Lean towards China, US out of Favour: Pew Survey

Details:

France Defends Ban on Islamic Veil despite Riots:

The Interior Minister of France defended the country's ban on wearing full-face scarves in public, after a police check on a Muslim woman ended in a riot in Trappes, a city near Paris. According to Aljazeera, the French Interior Minister, Manuel Valls, told RTL radio:  The law banning full-face veils is a law in the interest of women and against those values having nothing to do with our traditions and values. It must be enforced everywhere. Last week, a riot was sparked in a Paris suburb when a Muslim woman wearing a burqa was asked by the police to identify herself. The woman was accompanied by her husband. [Source: Digital Journal]

Turkey against Kurdish Autonomy in Syria:

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has reiterated Ankara's opposition to the establishment of an autonomous Syrian Kurdish region, calling it unacceptable. "As we have stressed many times before, Turkey does not accept any formation of a de facto [autonomous] region or the cutting of ties with other regions [in the country] until an elected Syrian Parliament is established, giving the political system its final shape," said Davutoglu during a visit to Poland on Tuesday.  He further noted that "We are concerned that a de facto fait accompli could further deepen the crisis in Syria," stressing that "Not only Turkey, but other groups inside Syria would not accept it either." Turkish media previously said the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Syria, plans to create a temporary autonomous government in the northern part of the Arab country. On Monday, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said his country backs Syria's territorial integrity and would consider the issue carefully. But he did not mention any measures adopted by Turkey to prevent the emergence of such entity. China's Xinhua news agency on Sunday quoted Salih Muslim Muhammad, the leader of PYD, as saying, "There is no intention among the Kurds to form their own government, nor to secede from Syria." The Syrian government has granted the Kurds a certain level of autonomy since 2012 and they are now controlling security of the region. In recent months, Kurdish fighters, who are opposed to foreign interference in Syria, have been battling against foreign-backed militants in the north. [Source: Press TV]

US Delays Delivery of F-16 Jets to Egypt after General's Call for Mass Protests:

The US government has delayed the delivery of four F-16 fighter jets to Egypt's air force, in an implicit criticism of the way the Egyptian military has behaved since forcing ex-president Mohamed Morsi from power. "Given the current situation in Egypt, we do not believe it is appropriate to move forward at this time with the delivery of F-16s," a spokesman for the Pentagon said on Wednesday. The Pentagon's decision came hours after a controversial speech from the Head of Egypt's Armed Forces, General Abdel-Fatah Sisi. Speaking at a military graduation ceremony, Sisi called for millions to take to Egypt's streets in support of the army - a call many interpreted as the precursor for a brutal crackdown on pro-Morsi supporters. The Pentagon's move also follows the decision by the UK government on 19 July to suspend arms exports to Egypt's army and police, following reports of heavy-handed behaviour by state security forces at pro-Morsi protests. Morsi was ousted from office on 3 July by Egypt's army, following days of millions-strong protests against his regime. The US had previously signalled its tacit support for the military's actions by giving the go-ahead for the jets' delivery, and by avoiding terming Morsi's overthrow as a coup. [Source: The Guardian]

Pakistanis Lean towards China, US out of Favour: Pew survey:

The US, which was once an ally and biggest aid contributor, is out of favour in Pakistan with only 11 percent Pakistanis see America positively. What should be of worry for India is that the Pakistanis now favour China, a Pew Research Center survey indicated. Going with Pakistan are most of the countries surveyed and think that China's economic star is rising and eventually will top the United States as the world's dominant superpower. However, the growing economic power does not translate into positive vibes. Those interviewed by Pew said they didn't think China's increasing power led to more positive ratings for the country. The results of the Pew Research Centre's Global Attitudes project were released today. The United States has a stronger global image than China, with 63 percent expressing a favourable opinion of the United States, compared with 50 percent for China. Hence, they would consider the US as a partner rather than China. But, in 23 of 39 nations, people thought that China either already replaced or eventually will replace the United States as the top superpower. [Source: One India]

Filipino Women Teachers are Banned from Wearing Veils in the Classroom:

Women teachers have been ordered to remove their veils when teaching in the classroom in the majority Catholic country of the Philippines. An order was sent out by the Filipino Government yesterday instructing female teachers to take off their religious veils in a move that was claimed would build a better relationship between teachers and pupils. Education secretary Armin Luistro said it was part of reforms designed to make schools more sensitive to religion. Muslim schoolgirls will still be allowed to wear the veil in schools as well as 'appropriate clothing' in gym class. But while female Muslim schoolteachers can wear the veil outside class, they have been told to remove the veil during lessons so they can interact better with students. The order stated: 'Once the teacher is in the classroom, she is requested to remove the veil.' It added the move would help aid 'proper identification of the teachers by their pupils, thus promoting better teacher-pupil relationship'. It would also help the teaching of languages, where 'lip formation' plays a role in pronouncing certain letters. The Government's Office of Muslim Affairs said it agreed with the education department's measures, although it had not yet received a copy of the order. [Source: Daily Mail]

Abu Hashim