London, Dec. 8 : The militants who killed Hindus, Christians and Jews in Mumbai have evidently seen the attack as a part of a struggle connecting India with Kashmir, America, Afghanistan and Britain, reports The Times.

The paper is of the view that the Mumbai outrage has raised the bar, again on the requirements for proof of Pakistan''s commitment to counter terrorism on or from its territory.

Ace Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan on Saturday become the first foreign actor to be conferred a Malaysian title, ‘Datuk,’ which is often equated with the British knighthood

Resplendent in a black baju Melayu, samping and songkok, King Khan received the title of ‘Datuk’ from Mohamad Khalil Yaacob, the Governor of Malaysia’s southern Malacca State, during a special ceremony in Malaysia.

Baju Melayu is just like ‘kurta-pajama’, while ‘samping’ is a piece of cloth men folded around the wearer’s waist, falling to the length of the long shirt.

London  - A protest by environmental protestors Monday closed down London's Stansted airport, causing severe delays for passengers due to arrive and depart from the city's third-biggest airport used mainly by budget airlines on European routes.

More than 50 supporters of Plane Stupid, a climate action group, blocked the single runway at Stansted, north-east of London, as passenger queues grew longer and planes were diverted.

Dubai, 8th Dec. 2008 -- By no means can the Middle East region be perceived today as one that is stable, prosperous or more democratic. By no measure could the region be categorised as being more secure. And by all measures, many policies carried out by the current US administration have played a role in bringing about such a state of affairs, a UAE daily paper asked today.

''The recent statement by George W. Bush with regard to US policies in the Middle East should not come as a surprise. Regardless of the numerous failures of American foreign policy in the region, Bush still blindly defends faulty stances, wrote Gulf News in its comment today.

Amsterdam - Dutch anti-immigrant politician Geert Wilders confirmed on Monday he would tour Britain, France and Israel in the coming months to present his controversial Islam-critical film Fitna.

On March 27, the leader of the Dutch Freedom Party PVV released a 16-minute political film on the Internet warning of the spread of radical Islam and the alleged "Islamization" of the Netherlands.

Quoted in Dutch daily newspaper Spits on Monday, Wilders said he was travelling abroad to create international "alliances for peace and against Islamization."

Dubai, 8th Dec. 2008 -- Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum today offered the Eid Al Adha prayer at the Grand Eid Mussallah in Bur Dubai.