The titles

• Muslim countries amongst the most restrictive
• Those who wear the veil should be denied citizenship
• Israel and Turkey seek reconciliation
• Gulf States agree to launch single currency
• Afghan exit date confuses America
• China grabs a share of Central Asia 's oil reserves

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Muslim countries amongst the most restrictive

U.S. allies Saudi Arabia and Egypt are among 10 mostly Muslim nations whose governments impose the most curbs on religion, according to a report on Wednesday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. The Pew report says nearly 70 percent of the world's 6.8 billion people who live in countries that have severe restrictions on religion.

The report ranked countries by two measures: government restrictions on religion and restrictions from violence or intimidation by private individuals or groups. Saudi Arabia was the only country to rank "very high" in both measures. No. 1 oil exporter and U.S. Middle East ally Saudi Arabia was ranked the most restrictive, followed by U.S. adversary Iran . Pew noted both impose limits on minority faiths and "enforce strict interpretations of Islamic law." Egypt was also in the "very high" list and several of the countries, including Saudi Arabia , are routinely cited in the U.S. State Department's annual International Religious Freedom Report under "restrictions, abuses and concerns."

By region, the Middle East and North Africa were the most restrictive, while the Americas were the least.

Those who wear the veil should be denied citizenship

France 's immigration minister said Wednesday that he wants the wearing of Muslim veils that cover the face and body to be grounds for denying citizenship and long-term residence. Eric Besson said he planned to take "concrete measures" regarding such veils, which are worn by a small minority of women in France but have become the object of a parliamentary inquiry into whether a ban should be imposed. Besson spoke during a hearing before the panel of lawmakers as their nearly six-month inquiry draws to a close.

Besson said he believed a formal ban on veils that cover the face and body seemed to him "unavoidable," with a ban in public services as a minimum step. "I want the wearing of the full veil to be systematically considered as proof of insufficient integration into French society, creating an obstacle to gaining (French) nationality," he said. He said he would advise prefects, the highest state representative in the various French regions, that the wearing of such veils is a motive for not delivering 10-year residence cards.

Israel and Turkey seek reconciliation

Israeli and Turkish officials are working to get President Shimon Peres and Turkish President Abdullah Gul to meet on the sidelines of the Copenhagen climate summit, Haaretz learned. The behind-the-scenes efforts are a bid to take advantage of the leaders' joint presence at the meeting aimed at reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. The leaders' meeting is planned for Thursday or Friday morning. Relations between Israel and Turkey deteriorated after Israel 's winter offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Tensions flared between the two countries in September after Turkey banned Israel from participating in a NATO air force drill. Ankara further strained relations when it refused to take off the air a television drama depicting Israeli soldiers killing Palestinian children.

However, recent reports indicated Turkey would continue to mediate peace talks between Israel and Syria , after Trade Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer visited Turkey last month to ease tensions. 

Gulf States agree to launch single currency

This week the daily Telegraph reported that the Arab states of the Gulf region have agreed to launch a single currency modeled on the euro, hoping to blaze a trail towards a pan-Arab monetary union swelling to the ancient borders of the Ummayad Caliphate. The Gulf monetary union pact has come into effect," said Kuwait 's finance minister, Mustafa al-Shamali, speaking at a Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) summit in Kuwait . The move will give the hyper-rich club of oil exporters a petro-currency of their own, greatly increasing their influence in the global exchange and capital markets and potentially displacing the US dollar as the pricing currency for oil contracts. Between them they amount to regional superpower with a GDP of $1.2 trillion (£739bn), some 40pc of the world's proven oil reserves, and financial clout equal to that of China . Saudi Arabia , Kuwait , Bahrain , and Qatar are to launch the first phase next year, creating a Gulf Monetary Council that will evolve quickly into a full-fledged central bank.

Afghan exit date confuses America

Washington 's ambassador to Kabul said Thursday no deadline exists for withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan and recommitted the US to helping build the capacity and competence of Afghan security forces. US forces would begin a ‘gradual and responsible transition' in July 2011 conditional on the readiness of Afghanistan 's own police and army to take over the security of their war-battered country, Karl Eikenberry said. However, in a major speech unveiling a new fast-track war strategy, Obama said the surge would see troops in Afghanistan ‘seize the initiative' to end the unpopular war and begin pulling out in July 2011. It was the first time Obama had set a draw-down date for US forces in Afghanistan , as he groped for an exit from a conflict many backers see as similar to Vietnam . The date has been seized on as a deadline for US withdrawal, though Eikenberry was eager to dispel the impression the US had set an exit date.

China grabs a share of Central Asia 's oil reserves

China extended its reach into Central Asia's vast natural resources on Monday as Chinese leader Hu Jintao prepared to open a new pipeline connecting a gas field in ex-Soviet Turkmenistan with China 's restive Xinjiang region. The leaders of Kazakhstan , Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan joined Hu in a remote location near the Turkmen-Uzbek border to commission the 1,833-kilometre (1,139-mile) pipeline that snakes across Central Asia via their countries. The pipeline, starting near a Chinese-developed gas field in eastern Turkmenistan , is due to reach full annual capacity of 40 billion cubic metres by 2012-13 and help Beijing propwl its explosive economic growth. China 's aggressive foray into Central Asia represents a snub to Russia which still sees the Muslim region as part of its sphere of influence. It is also a worry for Europe , which sees the energy-rich region as an alternative new supplier of gas. Speaking on the eve of the ceremony, Hu described the opening of the new pipeline as a "momentous event". "It will benefit all countries in the region," he said. "The whole world is watching us right now."

Dec 17 2009