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9 February 2014 Last updated at 02:04

Preliminary indications suggest that the casualties were killed by suffocation

At least 15 people have been killed and 130 injured in a fire at a hotel used by pilgrims in the Saudi holy city of Medina, state media report.

The blaze started on Saturday afternoon, the authorities say, in the eastern part of the city.

The victims' nationalities are unclear - about 700 people from different countries were staying at the hotel.

The travellers were in Medina to perform the Umra, or minor, pilgrimage made by Muslims.

The city is where the the Prophet Muhammad is buried and is Islam's second holiest city, after Mecca.

Pilgrims injured in the fire were hastily evacuated

Television stations in Egypt said that some Egyptians were among those who died. Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Badr Abdelatty said Cairo was "still trying to confirm the numbers".

The fire was brought under control on Saturday afternoon, with survivors transferred to other hotels in the city.

Authorities are reported to have initiated an investigation into the cause of the fire.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-26105944

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At times of great tribulation and turmoil, the first casualty is always the truth. Why? Because the greatest weapon in the hands of the oppressors and tyrants is their ability to manipulate the  facts  to suit their agenda. Because without the truth, we cannot see what is right and what is wrong. Without the truth, there is only falsehood… and injustice.

And that is how we find ourselves where we are in Egypt today, where the elected President of a nation – who was kidnapped and held incommunicado for months till his supporters could be imprisoned, crushed, tortured, killed and banned – stands trial for crimes that seem to multiply by the day. Depending on which side of the divide you fall, President Mursi is either a principled hero of epic proportions or a bungling nefarious criminal mastermind. So who is the real President Mursi?

Here are ten little known facts that may help provide us with some clues:

1. He is a Hafiz of the Qurʾān : One of the little known facts about the president is that he has memorised the entireQurʾān by heart. This is no mean feat and something that itself is worthy of praise. The Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: “The best among you (Muslims) are those who learn theQurʾān and teach it.” Abu Musa Al Asharee raḍyAllāhu 'anhu (may Allāh be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said,“Part of showing glory to Allāh is to show respect to a white-haired Muslim, and a carrier of the Qurʾān who does not exaggerate in it nor ignore it and a just ruler.” An interesting combination of virtues there don’t you think?

2. He is intelligent: It is widely assumed that Mursi is not that bright. He is repeatedly portrayed as bumbling and dimwitted. His detractors point to a series of decisions that seemed to exacerbate anger against him – such as the taxation U-turns, the choice of governor for Luxor and his battle royale against the judiciary. And yet the majority evidence points to Mursi being much more academically gifted than any of his detractors. He has a PHD, is a professor and was the head of the Department of Engineering in Zagazig University. He has previously worked on various projects in America and was a visiting professor there. In his short time in office, he managed to achieve a fair amount and surrounded himself with individuals with proven track records in their fields.

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Mob 'hacks women to death' in Myanmar

A witness and a rights group say more than dozen Rohingya Muslim women and children killed in western Rakhine state.

A villager and a rights group have claimed that a Buddhist mob have hacked more than a dozen Muslim women and children with knives in an isolated corner of Myanmar.

Chris Lewa of the Arakan Project, which has been documenting abuses against members of the Rohinyga Muslim minority for more than a decade, said on Thursday that the violence took place on Tuesday in Du Char Yar Tan, a village in western Rakhine state.

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TUESDAY, 31 DECEMBER 2013 15:14

A Saudi prince who murdered a fellow Saudi may be executed, a newspaper reported on Sunday, in a rare example of a member of the kingdom's ruling family facing the death penalty.

The English-language Arab News did not name the prince or his victim, but said a senior member of the family and government, Crown Prince Sultan bin Salman, had "cleared the way for the possible execution of a prince convicted of murdering a Saudi citizen".

In a message about the case to Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, Prince Salman said: "Sharia (Islamic law) shall be applied to all without exception", the daily reported.

Prince Salman's message followed a statement from the victim's father that he was not ready to pardon the killer and he was not happy with the amount offered as blood money.

The families of murder victims are encouraged by authorities to accept blood money instead of insisting on execution.

The paper quoted Crown Prince Salman's message as saying: "There is no difference between big and small, rich and poor ... Nobody is allowed to interfere with the judiciary's decision. This is the tradition of this state. We are committed to following the sharia."

Reuters was unable to reach an Interior Ministry spokesman for comment.

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Islamic university offers scholarships

JEDDAH: HABIB SHAIKH

Published — Monday 2 September 2013

Last Update 2 September 2013 12:37 am

The International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), an OIC affiliate university, is offering a range of undergraduate, post-graduate and Ph.D. scholarships to students from OIC member states under the Educational Exchange Program (EEP). The university is also offering placement in its post-doctoral program, where students can engage in research and other activities.

The participation of the IIUM in the OIC–EEP bodes well for promoting greater cooperation in higher education and strengthening academic links between the OIC member states, which is imperative for the advancement of knowledge in the Muslim world.

The OIC Educational Exchange Program, entitled “Solidarity through Academia in the Muslim World,” is drawing increasing interest and participation from member states and their public and private sector universities. A significant number of students are currently benefiting from higher education scholarships offered under the program.

The IIUM is also ready for short-term and long-term arrangements for faculty exchange, whereby higher education institutions in both the public and private sectors of OIC member-states are encouraged to engage in faculty exchange to varying extents.

OIC member-states are also encouraged to send lecturers and researchers to the IIUM for training courses and specialized projects to cater to the specific needs of member states. Such specialized requests can be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

Details of the IIUM offer are being shared with OIC member states by the OIC General Secretariat through official diplomatic channels. Students, researchers and faculty members can also directly access these details on the OIC website at http://www.oic-oci.orgunder the tab “Educational Exchange Program.”

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It took 60 years for the Central Intelligence Agency to admit this week that it was behind the coup that took place in Teheran in 1953 – and it may be years or decades before we come to know who played what role in the Egyptian coup that ousted President Mohammed Morsi, the country’s first democratically elected leader.

The July 3 Egyptian coup is not exclusively homemade. Like the 1953 Iranian coup that ousted the democratically elected Mohammed Mossadeq and reinstalled the Shah, a US puppet, the Egyptian coup had its foreign elements. As post-coup Egypt witnessed an unprecedented bloody crackdown of anti-coup protesters comprising largely the conservative segment of society and the poor, the blood stained hands of some regional countries also became evident. By being the first to openly back the military coup and the bloody crackdown in which more than 2,000 people were killed, Saudi Arabia made little effort to hide its role in the coup.....

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At least 50 Rohingya Muslims are feared drowned after their boats capsized off western Burma, officials say.

The boats, said to be carrying about 100 passengers, were evacuating people ahead of powerful Cyclone Mahasen.

The vessels sank off Pauktaw township in Rakhine state late on Monday. More than 40 survivors have been found and eight bodies recovered.

Thousands of Rohingya Muslims are living in temporary camps in Rakhine after violence last year.

The UN had called for an urgent evacuation ahead of the storm, warning that many areas where displaced people are now living are in low-lying coastal areas at risk of flooding or tidal surges.

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Saudi Arabia praises Iran for protecting the Red sea

May 12, 2013 at 10:54 am | lanka C news

The commander of the Navy of Saudi Arabia Dalil Al-Dro was full of praise for Iran for continuously  protecting  and looking after the Red sea it had given the whole are a much needed protection and surveillance

The Iran’s commander of the forces Rear Admiral Habbolan Sayari after meeting the Naval commander of Saudi Arabia had admitted after the surveillance there have been given enough security to the entire area from the sea robbers. Hence there is no danger from enemies.

The two have had talks to find more means of strengthening the security further.

http://lankacnews.com/english/foreign-news/saudi-arabia-praises-iran-for-protecting-the-red-sea/

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CAIRO – A constitution commemorating a new era in Egypt’s future was approved in a referendum after the second round of vote showed a greater support for the document among Egyptians, officials in rival camps announced preliminary results early on Sunday, December 23.

"According to our calculations, the final result of the second round is 71 percent voting 'yes' and the overall result (of the two rounds) is 63.8 percent," a Brotherhood official, who was in an operations room monitoring the vote, told Reuters.

The vote passed off peacefully with long queues forming in the 17 provinces that did not vote in the first round on 15 December.