Muslim woman litigates Southwest Airlines after being taken off flight

A Muslim woman, Irum Abbasi from San Diego is suing Southwest Airlines after being taken off a flight in March when crew members deemed her activities suspicious.

She was wearing a hijab, the Islamic head scarf, was seated on a flight preparing to depart from San Diego's Lindbergh Field for San Jose. When a flight attendant became concerned about something she thought Abbasi had said on her cell phone.

Abbasi later said that she told somebody on her cell phone, "I have to go," but that the attendant thought she had said, "It's a go."

Irum Abbasi was escorted off the airplane by an employee of the Transportation Security Administration.

A U.S. citizen, Irum has lived in the US for a decade after emigrating from Pakistan. She was taking a flight to San Jose, where she is a graduate student at San Jose State.

The lawsuit, register on her behalf by the Council on American-Islamic Relations-California and noted San Diego civil liberties attorney James McElroy, accuse the airline with discrimination.

Three days after the March 13 incident, the airline make an apology and noted that Irum Abbasi was seated on the next flight to San Jose and given a travel voucher.

"We genuinely apologize for the customer's difficulty," the airline said in its public apology.

McElroy and representatives of the board on American-Islamic Relations have scheduled a news conference outside the terminal at Lindbergh Field to talk about the case.

Six airlines suspended service to Pak, NA told

Pakistan Defense Minister Ch. Ahmad Mukhtar has informed the National Assembly that nearly six international airlines have suspended their operations to Pakistan airports because of security and commercial reasons.

In a written statement, he told the Lower House that British Airways, Air France, Lufthansa of Germany, Singapore Airlines, Swiss Air and Indian Airlines have suspended their operations because of above-mentioned reasons. But, he stated that currently 25 foreign international airlines have filed their landing schedules for destination in Pakistan in the summer 2011 season and for operating their flights regularly.

He further confirmed that the Civil Aviation Authority has not endure any losses because of the suspension of flights by the airlines mentioned above, as commencement of operations by any airline or its enhancement/ reduction in number of frequencies being operated is a continuous feature of any airport.

It may also be added that on this period NAS Air of Saudi Arabia, Eriterian Airline and KAM Air of Afghanistan have begin their operation to/from Pakistan beside Turkish Airline has as well increased their flights from 4 to 7 per week.

About the LNG import, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Dr Asim Hussain in a written statement also informed the House that Liquefied Natural Gas was not being imported now as LNG infrastructure needed to receive LNG was not available. However, he added that steps like fast tract LNG import projects through the private sector at their cost and risk without any government guarantee, gas import project such as Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline projects Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India project (TAPI) under development and increase indigenous gas production were being taken to manage the shortage of natural gas in the country.


To another question regarding any proposal to import gas from Iran, the minister affirmed that an agreement has been signed between Interstate Gas System Pvt. Limited from Pakistan side and Natural Iranian Gas Company from Iran side for execution of the project while first gas flow is estimated by the end of December 2014.

Likewise, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Moula Baksh Chandio in his written reply told the National Assembly that NAB has arrested 495 accused from March 2006 to March 2011 out of which 198 accused persons have been convicted, demur ex-public holders, on the same period while 620 accused except ex-public office holders have so far been released on bail including accused arrested prior to March, 2006.

India, 25 others be against EU airline carbon charge plan

European Union plans to charge airlines for carbon emissions are "discriminatory" and violate global laws, a group of 26 countries as well as the United States and China said in a joint declaration released by the Indian govt.

India, which hosted a two day meeting in New Delhi this week, said delegates from the non EU countries, which are too members of the U.N.'s International Civil Aviation Organization ICAO.L executive council, accepted to lodge a formal protest against the EU's new rules at the council's next gathering.

"There was large concern expressed by all countries present, without exception, that the unilaterally imposed EU (emissions trading scheme) measures were conflicting with the international legal regimes," the statement said.

"The legal debilities in the EU laws were pointed out. It was affirmed by the various delegates that they were also discriminatory (to) carriers."

The EU says it wants to put a price on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to guard against futurity climate impacts such as crop failures, droughts or flooding.

It has established an emissions trading scheme ETS.L to assist it cut carbon dioxide emissions, which it has pledged to decrease by 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.

As of January 2012, airlines flying into or out of EU airports will have to surrender permits to cover up all the CO2 they emit throughout the entire flight. They join some 11,000 factories and power plants already in the $100 billion market.

ICAO said the issue of aviation in the EU ETS is on the schedule for the 190-nation body's next meeting in November, where the group of 26 countries said they will submit a working paper on with their joint statement in opposition of the scheme.

Critics as well as the 26 opposing governments have called the "unilateral" scheme illegal, saying it breaches the Chicago Convention on international aviation as well as some provisions under the World Trade Organization WTO.L.

Three U.S. airlines are presently challenging the EU plans in Europe's highest court, which is due to provide its first opinion on the case on October 6.

NOT BACKING OFF

Although opposition to the EU's aviation policy is getting more blatant, the bloc's executive indicates no signs of yielding.

"The EU is not allowing for backing down," an EU spokesman told, adding up that the bloc's executive support other countries to in its place adopt similar emissions reducing goals.

The EU keeps that it could exempt airlines from countries that have adopted climate policies took for equivalent to Europe's targets.

But some nations have flouted at the offer and retaliated instead through other means, saying aviation should be regulated on a global level by measures approved by all ICAO members.

China blocked a $3.8 billion aircraft buy by Hong Kong Airlines from France-based Airbus (EAD.PA) at the Paris air show in June, sources said, adding to worries of a brewing trade war.