Islamic Bank Thailand keen on Brunei deal
Brunei Darussalam proves that it is still a good haven for investments when the Islamic Bank of Thailand expressed its interest to invest in the country's petroleum industry. The desire to invest in Brunei's oil and gas industry was revealed by the bank's chairman to local newspapers in Thailand. Meanwhile, the bank's manager said the Thai establishment had been involved in several talks with officials of the Brunei Government about possible investment ventures. Brunei's own Islamic Bank of Brunei Berhad (IBB) holds a 15 percent stake in the new Islamic Bank of Thailand.
Taken From:
http://www.brudirect.com/DailyInfo/News/Archive/June03/140603/bb23.htmPakistan's Parliament Approves Budget
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan
Pakistan's Parliament approved a $14 billion government budget Saturday at a session boycotted by the hard-line Islamic opposition, which demands President Gen. Pervez Musharraf relax his firm grip on power.
Opposition lawmakers - led by the Islamic groups - have paralyzed Parliament for months, harassing speakers and staging mass walkouts. They screamed, banged their desks, and hurled abuse when Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz presented the budget a week ago.
The opposition walked out of Parliament shortly after the budget debate started last Tuesday, leaving pro-Musharraf legislators - who have a slim majority - to debate the $14 billion budget on their own.
The opposition wants Musharraf, who is both president and army chief, to give up his role as chief of the armed forces. He has refused, saying Pakistan needs the firm guiding hand of the military to build a democracy.
Taken From:
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/world/6089482.htmTurkey: Circassians commemorate deportation of their ancestors
Istanbul,
The Circassian societies and Wakfs here and in Marmara have organized joint programs for commemorating the 139th anniversary of the deportation of their ancestors in 1864, from the Kifkin region, which is situated next to the Black Sea. One of the ceremonial rituals was the throwing into the Black Sea of a black-clad bouquet of flowers and some cloves. The procession then headed for the Circassian Cemetery in the village of Kar Aghtsh, not very far from the region, where speeches were made to remind the audience of the significance of this day to them. The function was concluded by a reading from the Holy Qur’an, and the recitation of some invocations.
Taken From:
http://www.islamicnews.org/english/en_daily.html