A closer look at the new Islamic law adopted in Indonesia’s Aceh province

October 9th, 2009 US Navy arrives in Indonesian quake zonePADANG, Indonesia — The massive relief effort following Indonesia's deadly earthquake received a boost Friday when U.S. Navy ships and helicopters arrived to distribute aid and help thousands of struggling survivors.

September 30th, 2009 JAKARTA -A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Jambi province in Sumatra in Indonesia Thursday morning, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, seismologists said. The quake struck at 8.52 a.m.

September 30th, 2009 JAKARTA - A powerful earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale struck off Indonesia's Sumatra island Wednesday, toppling buildings and sparking panic among residents, officials and local television reports said. TV One channel said it had received information that several people had been killed in the capital of West Sumatra.

September 18th, 2009 Indonesian quake injures 7 on Bali resort islandBALI, Indonesia — A strong earthquake shook the popular Indonesian resort island of Bali early Saturday, injuring at least seven people and sending panicked tourists and residents fleeing out of homes and hotels. No tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of major damage.

September 14th, 2009 Indonesia's Aceh passes law on stoning to deathBANDA ACEH, Indonesia — Adulterers can be stoned to death and homosexuality is punishable by steep prison terms under a new law passed unanimously by lawmakers in Indonesia's devoutly Muslim Aceh province Monday. Aceh's regional parliament adopted the bill despite strong objections from human rights groups and the province's deputy governor, who said the legislation needed more careful consideration because it imposes a new form of capital punishment.

September 14th, 2009 Indonesia's Aceh to allow stoning for adulterersBANDA ACEH, Indonesia — Lawmakers in a devoutly Muslim Indonesian province voted unanimously that adulterers can be sentenced to death by stoning, just months after voters overwhelmingly chose to throw conservative Islamic parties out of power. With only weeks to go before a new government led by a moderate party takes over in Aceh province, hard-liners still in control of the regional parliament pushed through legislation Monday to impose steep punishments for adultery and homosexuality.

August 16th, 2009 JAKARTA - A strong earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale struck off the western coast of Sumatra Sunday, but there were no immediate reports of injury or damage, the Indonesian seismology agency said. The quake struck at 2:38 p.m.

May 17th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistani clerics said Sunday suicide bombings and beheadings carried out by the Taliban is un-Islamic and urged Islamic nations to help Islamabad in the fight against militants. Sarfaraz Naeemi, ulema of Ahle-Sunnat, said Taliban's agenda is in favour of Pakistan's enemies and against Islam.

April 14th, 2009 KABUL - Taliban militants publicly executed a young couple for eloping in western Afghanistan, after the family of the young woman handed the pair over for Taliban justice. Gholam Dastagir Azaad, the provincial governor for western Nimruz province, said relatives had found the couple hiding in a house in Khash Rud district of the province after they eloped.

April 9th, 2009 JAKARTA - Indonesians began voting Thursday morning in parliamentary elections, the third since the fall of the Suharto dictatorship in 1998. Voting began at 7 a.m.

March 10th, 2009 COLOMBO - Eight people were killed and over 20 injured Tuesday when a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber blew himself up in Sri Lanka's southern Matara province, an official said. The state-run Daily News quoted Media Center for National Security chief Lakshman Hulugalle as blaming the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for the bombing at Akuressa.

February 12th, 2009 JAKARTA - A politician and former separatist rebel was shot dead in Indonesia's Aceh province in the latest attack targeting former separatists, an official said Friday. Taufik, who headed a district branch of the Aceh Party, was gunned down at his home Thursday, said Ibrahim Syamsuddin, a spokesman for the Aceh Transition Committee, an advocacy group for former separatist fighters in Aceh.

February 2nd, 2009 JAKARTA - A boat carrying 198 people, all from Myanmar's minority Rohingya community, was found stranded Tuesday morning off the coast of Aceh province in Indonesia, an official said. Nasruddin Abdullah, an official of the provincial government said: 'The boat was one of nine wooden boats that have left Myanmar some 21 days ago due to security reasons.' 'The boat was found by local sailors at around 2 a.m.

January 27th, 2009 HONG KONG - An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale Wednesday jolted the southern part of Sumatra Island in Indonesia, the Hong Kong Observatory reported. The quake occurred at 08.07 a.m.

January 3rd, 2009 JAKARTA - A series of powerful earthquakes rattled the eastern Indonesian province of West Papua Sunday morning, killing at least three people and collapsing a number of buildings, officials said. A 7.2-magnitude quake hit the province at 4:43 a.m.