Palestinian Hamas bans motorbike riders from carrying women, another step in ‘virtue campaign’

August 15th, 2009 Hamas chief: Iran turmoil won't affect supportBEIRUT — The top Hamas leader said he is concerned about the postelection turmoil in Iran but does not think it will endanger Tehran's support for the Palestinian militant group. The unrest triggered by the Iranian president's disputed June 12 re-election has consumed the country's leadership, raising questions about whether it can maintain its strong influence in other parts of the Middle East, including through its support for groups like Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

June 23rd, 2009 Israel to free Palestinian parliament speakerJERUSALEM — Israel's prison service says it is freeing the Hamas-affiliated speaker of the Palestinian parliament after nearly three years in jail. Abdel Aziz Duaik was one of dozens of Hamas politicians arrested after Hamas-linked militants captured an Israeli soldier in June 2006.

June 9th, 2009 Hamas leader: Israeli settlement freeze essentialCAIRO — The top leader of the militant Hamas group said Tuesday that President Barack Obama's pressure on Israel to freeze construction in West Bank settlements was an essential step toward restarting peace efforts. The militant group — which is eager to win international acceptance of its rule in Gaza though it is shunned by the U.S.

May 31st, 2009 6 dead in internal Palestinian fightingQALQILIYA, West Bank — Palestinian security officials say six people have been killed in a firefight between Hamas fighters and Palestinian policemen in the West Bank. The officials say three of the men are Palestinian policemen loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah.

May 31st, 2009 Shootout between Palestinian police, Hamas kills 6QALQILIYA, West Bank — A gunbattle between Palestinian police and Hamas militants killed six people Sunday, security officials said, in the deadliest outbreak of violence since President Mahmoud Abbas began a crackdown against Hamas two years ago. Three of the dead were Palestinian policemen loyal to the Western-backed Abbas, the security officials said.

March 31st, 2009 GAZA/CAIRO - Representatives of rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah returned to Cairo Tuesday to resume talks on forming a national unity government, representatives of the groups said. Egyptian-mediated talks between Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction, which controls the West Bank, were scheduled to resume Tuesday, ahead of a broader meeting including more factions Wednesday.

March 29th, 2009 GAZA - The Islamic Hamas movement has threatened to kidnap more Israeli soldiers if Tel Aviv does not respond to its call to free Palestinian prisoners. The Al-Qassam Brigade, armed wing of the Hamas movement, made the announcement Saturday.

March 19th, 2009 TEL AVIV - Israeli troops arrested 10 Hamas leaders in a pre-dawn raid in the West Bank, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said Thursday. 'Ten senior Hamas terror operatives...

March 16th, 2009 GAZA - The Palestinian Islamic resistance movement, Hamas, Sunday accused its rival Fatah movement of blocking the progress of the unity talks the factions hold in Cairo. Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for Hamas, said that Fatah still crack down against Hamas's supporters in West Bank.

March 3rd, 2009 GAZA - The Islamic Hamas movement Monday called on the international community to recognise its legitimacy as the ruler of Gaza Strip. Speaking as international donors began a conference to discuss the reconstruction of the salient of Israel's recent offensive, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum urged the participants to 'deal with the legitimacy (of Hamas) if they were interested in the Palestinian people's interest'.

February 27th, 2009 CAIRO - Rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah started national unity talks in Cairo Thursday to overcome a bitter split between rival governments in the West bank and Gaza. The Cairo meeting, sponsored by Egyptian intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman, urged Palestinian factions to overcome their disputes and focus on the best interests of the Palestinian people.

February 9th, 2009 TABRIZ - The Hamas movement fighting the Israeli security forces to establish an independent Palestinian state has said that Iran's Islamic Revolution inspired the group to continue its struggle. Abu Osama Abd al-Muati, Hamas representative in Tehran, said Iran's successful Islamic revolution of the 1970s inspired the Palestinian people to continue its fight against the Israeli occupation in their territories.

January 15th, 2009 CAIRO - Egypt and the Islamist Palestinian movement Hamas have agreed to a five-step plan that calls for a ceasefire as of Saturday, an Arab newspaper reported Friday as a senior Israeli official arrived for talks in Cairo. The pan-Arab Al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper, quoting Egyptian officials, said Egypt and Hamas have agreed to the Egyptian truce initiative, which now needs the approval of Israel.

January 2nd, 2009 HYDERABAD - Two unidentified men riding a motorbike threw a dead body on the road and sped away when police tried to intercept their vehicle in the busy Borabanda area here Saturday, an official said. The incident triggered panic in the area.

December 22nd, 2008 NEW DELHI - Two motorbike-borne men Tuesday robbed a couple going in an auto-rickshaw in the heart of the national capital Tuesday evening, the police said. The police said two motorbike riders waylaid the auto-rickshaw at Park Street near the Connaught Place area and robbed at knife-point Parwesh and his wife Suman Grover of their jewellery and Rs.8,000 cash.