[Emirates 24/7] Saudi Arabia will deport a Syrian expatriate for cursing God during a heated argument with a national man, a local newspaper said on Sunday.
The unnamed Syrian admitted to police that he cursed God and when they rebuked him, he got mad and cursed the police, Sharq said.
"God damn God to hell" just doesn't sound right in English -- there seems something existentially impossible there. Perhaps it makes more sense in the original Arabic.
"He was detained and will be deported from the Kingdom as soon as possible for this serious behavior," the paper said.
He should thank his cursed God that the punishment wasn't more severe -- this is Saudi Arabia, where they play the bastinados on the feet of Englishmen who didn't smuggle alcohol into the Kingdom, after all.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/27/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
His courtroom foes contend that Balsam is one of many sole practitioners unfairly exploiting anti-spam sentiments and laws. They accuse him of filing lawsuits against out-of-state companies that would rather pay a small settlement than expend the resources to fight the legal claims.
#2
This is a lesser of two evils situation. On one hand, the spammers have few consequences of their actions. On the other hand, he is doing a service, in a perverted way, of attacking the spammers.
The main thing that bothers me is this is the same MO as R****haven, which is serious bottom feeding.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/27/2010 16:59 Comments ||
Top||
#3
I can talk from experience about this guy. He's definitely a bottom feeder. I was a systems administrator for an e-commerce company in L.A. and received a law suit from him. We ran an opt-in email program were people could sign up for our weekly email about new products and specials. The system was double opt-in, were you received a confirmation email that you had to respond to in order to be on our mailing list. After explaining to the judge how our system worked his case was thrown out. Email systems are used extensively by companies today and can be a legitimate way to reach a customer. Everybody hates the amount of spam thats out there and I can understand peoples frustration, but this guy is no robin hood. Just another piece of scum trying to make a buck off other peoples hard work.
Posted by: November Emergency. All hands stand fast. ||
12/27/2010 18:21 Comments ||
Top||
Eight US tourists were killed and 21 injured when their coach hit a stationary truck in southern Egypt, the state news agency MENA said on Sunday.
The bus was taking a tour group on the 115 mile (185 kilometre) journey from Aswan to the ancient temples of Abu Simbel, when it ran into the truck parked on the side of a single lane desert road, killing six women and two men. The Egyptian driver and a guide were also injured in the accident.
No evidence of terrorism on this one.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/27/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#5
You haven't lived until you've rode with an Arab driver at night (no headlights).
Downtown Cairo at night: no lights, no brakes, the wrong way down one-way streets. Insh'allah indeed. Mr. Wife scared the hell out of me until he re-acclimated to American driving rules.
[The Nation (Nairobi)] Crown Prince Seif al-Islam, the son widely tipped to succeed Libyan King leader Muammar Qadaffy, has denied he was locked in a power struggle with his princely brothers.
Heavens no, brothers of the ruling scion in a hereditary monarchy never have problems figuring out how to share power after daddy the King passes on ...
"There is no disagreement or power struggle with my brothers" as reported in the media, Seif al-Islam said in a statement obtained by AFP, stressing he maintained a "good relationship" with his royal family.
In the statement, the Crown Prince eldest son of the long-serving Libyan King leader said he "had no power" in his despotic country and had no "influence" on the King government.
The comments came after the influential charity Crown Prince Seif al-Islam heads announced last week it would no longer champion the cause of royal domestic reform but instead focus on aid to sub-Saharan Africa.
The Qadaffy Foundation's abandonment of its political role as well as the detention of journalists working for the Al-Ghad publishing company, which Crown Prince Seif al-Islam sponsors, sparked reports of a power struggle between reformers and conservatives in Libya.
US diplomatic cables released by whistleblowing website WikiLeaks have pointed to an apparent power struggle between Crown Prince Seif al-Islam and his brother Prince Moatassem.
Although he holds no official position, Crown Prince Seif al-Islam has since 2007 led efforts to reform the kingdom country, which has been ruled by his father the King since 1969. But his programme has suffered setbacks, particularly with media reforms.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/27/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
So, when dad passes on, will the kids go and do it ottoman style with a bow-string, or will they settle for the chi-com style bullet in the head?
[Arab News] At least 14,000 people have decamped the violence and political chaos in Ivory Coast, some walking for up to four days with little food to reach neighboring Liberia, the UN refugee agency said. At least one child drowned while trying to cross a river.
The UN has said at least 173 people have died in violence over the disputed presidential runoff election held nearly one month ago. The toll is believed to be much higher, though, as the UN mission has been blocked from investigating other reports including an allegation of a mass grave.
"Food supplies are running short despite efforts by the government and humanitarian agencies to bring in more assistance," the UN refugee agency said in a statement late Saturday. "Our staff report that host community houses are full and congested. In the area of Butuo, for example, there are homes where seven to 20 family members share a single room, while others sleep in corridors or on verandas." West African leaders have threatened a military intervention if the man who the UN says lost the election in Ivory Coast does not step down. James Gbeho, president of the regional bloc ECOWAS, said the group was making an "ultimate gesture" to Laurent Gbagbo to urge him to make a peaceful exit.
Gbagbo has shown few signs that he plans to go, and his security forces have been accused of being behind hundreds of arrests, and dozens of cases of disappearance and torture in recent weeks. A Gbagbo adviser has said he does not believe their supporters are behind the attacks.
Gbeho said the bloc would send in a high-level delegation to meet with Gbagbo, but did not give details on when the delegation would go to Ivory Coast. ECOWAS also did not state a deadline for Gbagbo to hand over power to Alassane Ouattara, whose victory has been acknowledged by the UN, US, the African Union and the European Union.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/27/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Meanwhile, WORLD NEWS > SOMALIA: AL SHABAAB CALLS FOR CONTINUATION OF "EAST AFRICA JIHAD".
ARTIC = AS has repor invited the AL QAEDA NETWORK TO COME TO SOMALIA + WAGE, EXPAND, + otherwise EMPOWER "EAST AFRICA JIHAD" = "JIHAD IN EAST AFRICA".
[The Nation (Nairobi)] Cote d'Ivoire strongman Laurent Gbagbo today appeared bent on clinging to power, warning West African leaders any attempt to oust him could ruin the regional economy and trigger civil war.
On Tuesday, three West African presidents will visit Abidjan in a bid to convince the defiant 65-year-old leader to step down, a last-ditch plea that comes backed by a threat of military intervention.
But Mr Gbagbo, who claims to have won last month's presidential election, is in no mood to stand aside for his long-time rival Alassane Ouattara, who has been recognised as the victor by UN vote monitors and world powers.
Several international leaders, including UN Secretary General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon, have warned Gbagbo's stubbornness could plunge Cote d'Ivoire back into civil war.
But Mr Gbagbo's supporters turned the warning around, claiming instead that it is the threat of military action by the West African bloc ECOWAS that poses the greater risk of mass civilian casualties and a regional conflagration.
The regime's front man Ahoua Don Mello branded the West African move a "Western plot directed by La Belle France" and warned that military action could put millions of regional immigrants in Ivory Coast in danger.
"The people of Ivory Coast will mobilise. This boosts our patriotism. This strengthens our faith in Ivorian nationalism," said Don Mello, who serves as minister for infrastructure and sanitation in Gbabgo's government.
"We're always open to dialogue, but within strict respect of the laws and regulations of the Republic of Ivory Coast," he said. Gbagbo's camp regards him as the lawful and duly-elected president on the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/27/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#2
In most post-colonial African countries, civil war is the civic norm, not the exception. And in a few that are not officially at war, it is hard to tell the difference.
#3
Referring to these events as a "civil war" points to an aspect of civilization, which I believe is entirely too charitable. Senseless multi-millennial tribal conflict might very well be more accurate.
#5
"Civil war in Africa" > IIRC, see also STARS-N-STRIPES > WILL NIGERIA BECOME ANOTHER PAKISTAN.
One of their high-profile, Hard/Burqua Boyz MILITANT GROUPS seems to like "wrecking havoc" around the country.
[Iran Press TV] Authorities in a Swiss airport have confiscated an aircraft belonging to Ivory Coast's incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo, reports say.
The official aircraft of Gbagbo was blocked at the Basel-Mulhouse airport, jointly administered by French and Swiss authorities, a French foreign ministry front man told AFP on Sunday.
The aircraft's return to Ivory Coast was block at the request of La Belle France and Gbagbo's rival, Alassane Ouattara, reports say.
French Foreign Ministry front man, Bernard Valero, said the plane was grounded in response to a request by the rival Ivorian government set up by Ouattara.
"The legitimate authorities [of Ivory Coast] asked us to ground the plane and that's exactly what we have done in response to their request," Valero said.
Swiss official confirmed only that the presidential plane was on the airfield, but provided no further details.
La Belle France along with the rest of the international community keeps calling on the president to step down as they see Ouattara as the rightful winner of last month's presidential polls in the West African country.
Despite threats from West African leaders to use "legitimate force" to overthrow Gbagbo, he refuses to hand over power.
Earlier in the day, he warned that Ivory Coast could face another civil war, should Western African countries attempt to overthrow him by force.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/27/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
So there, take that Laurent Gbagbo, now you know how Nancy Pelosi feels... "you can't flee the country, when the mob is on your heals."
A TRAIN carrying birthday presents for North Korea's future leader derailed this month in a possible act of revolt by the regime's opponents, a Seoul-based radio station targeting North Koreans said.
Open Radio for North Korea said the Pyongyang-bound train carrying gifts for Kim Jong-Un, the youngest son and heir apparent of leader Kim Jong-Il, derailed upon departing from Sinuiju, on the border with China, on December 11.
It quoted a military intelligence official in the North's northwestern province of North Pyongan as saying sabotage may have caused the crash.
"The North's railways are so outdated... but in this case, the railway tracks were so badly ruined that it looks like someone intentionally damaged them when the train was about to pass," the intelligence official was quoted as saying.
The South's National Intelligence Service said it was checking the report.
Jong-Un, believed aged 27, was in September made a four-star general and given senior posts in the ruling communist party during the North's biggest political meeting for three decades.
The source said the presents for Jong-Un, whose birthday is on January 8, include a large number of expensive watches and TVs.
Serbia asked the international war crimes court for the former Yugoslavia to investigate a former UN chief in Kosovo for covering up a report on organ trafficking, a report said on Sunday. Serbias minister for cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) wrote to chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz seeking an inquest into Soren Jessen Petersen, the head of the UNs mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) from 2004 to 2006, Blic newspaper reported. We are waiting for ICTY to open an inquest into UNMIK officials at the time for contempt of court, minister Rasim Ljajic told the newspaper. Council of Europe rapporteur Dick Marty published a report earlier this month that linked Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci to organ trading and organised crime, which Thaci has denied. UNMIK investigated possible organ trafficking in 2004, but it did not take it further citing lack of evidence. At the time, UNMIK said it did not have a report on organ trafficking and had no proof ... But in 2008 our war crimes prosecutor obtained 16 pages of this report, Ljajic said
#2
Lemme guess -- someone heard a report about someone waking up in a bathtub of ice, with stitches on their back and s note taped to their chest saying "go the the hospital ASAP, we stole your kidneys!"
#5
According to the UN wiki declaration, I demand to see all papers and communiques of the UN for the last 20 years on account of my rights as a rapporteur.
Muslim and Jewish groups are preparing to challenge animal-rights campaigners next year over a European Union measure that would require halal and kosher meat products to carry a label saying the animals were not stunned before slaughter.
Animal-welfare legislation in Europe requires that abattoirs stun all animals prior to slaughter unless they are being ritually killed according to the practices of a non-Christian religion.
The move to require halal and kosher meat producers to provide consumers with more information on the packaging of their products has enraged Jewish and Muslim organisations, with the latter claiming that the move has little to do with animal welfare but, rather, reflects a pan-European bias against Islam.
Earlier this year, members of the European Parliament, by a vote of 559 to 54, passed Amendment 205 to the food-information regulation, which would require all meat from ritually slaughtered animals to be labelled: "Derived from animals that have not been stunned prior to slaughter."
A committee of the EU Council of Ministers vetoed the measure earlier this month, but members of the European Parliament are now determined to resurrect it in the coming months. "This is an emotive subject but, looked at in the cold light of day, it was clearly a discriminatory proposal," said Abdalhamid Evans, the director of the World Halal Forum Europe Project. "If consumer interest is the issue, then surely all meat products should disclose the method of slaughter, and even say which stunning methods have been used prior to slaughter."
He said there was "no clear scientific evidence" that stunning is more humane. On the contrary, "religious slaughter, performed well on a calm animal, is likely to be the least painful for the animals", said Mr Evans, citing studies by Temple Grandin, a professor of animal science at Colorado State University widely known for her efforts to improve standards in slaughter plants and livestock farms.
Yunus Dudhwala, the chairman of the Halal Monitoring Committee in Britain, said he believed that animal welfare was a "red herring" because there was little interest shown in factory farming methods and the conditions of animal transportation prior to slaughter.
He told The Guardian newspaper this week that he would be happy for un-stunned meat to be labelled if other meat carried the method of stunning used, such as gassing or electrocution. He indicated, however, that this would never happen because it would be unpalatable for consumers.
Officials for Jewish organisations praised the EU committee's veto earlier this month of the proposed labelling measure but warned that the idea was not dead.
"There is still much work to do to ensure that new laws are not introduced next year which discriminate against shechita," said Simon Cohen, referring to the Jewish method of ritual slaughter.
#1
Knowing the EU, I'm surprised that they didn't require kosher meat to be labeled as "Contains no blood, meat, or meat by-products from Christian babies."
(KUNA) -- Turkey brushed aside reports Sunday about demands by Kurds to have a self-rule in predominantly Kurdish southeastern areas.
Minister of state Egemen Bagis, in an interview with the Canal Seven, known for being close to the Turkish government, said the Kurds in Turkey were part of the "social fabric of the Turkish people ... Cultural diversity is enriching this fabric which should remain united." Bagis made the statement after the Democratic Society Conference, a local Kurdish organization, proposed launching a domestic dialogue to grant the Kurds an autonomous rule in southeast Turkey, as well as allowing them to use the Kurdish language in government institutions and teaching Kurdish in school as a second language.
Bagis said civilization and religious differences, and diverse cultural and political identities could co-exist inside Turkey.
He said the demands of the Democratic Society Conference aimed at causing political confusion.
He accused some parties inside the conference of trying to falsly show there was a division within the Turkish society.
Bagis asserted that the Turkish language would remain the sole official language, noting that the Kurds were only using the Turkish language in their daily lives.
The Turkish government launched an initiative early this year in a bid to address the 26-year-old Kurdish problem. The initiative includes granting Kurds cultural rights like recognizing their identity.
The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has been fighting Turkey for a self-rule in the southeast since 1984. The conflict killed 45,000 people and costed Turkey billions of US dollars.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/27/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
Unidentified persons set on fire our house in Buffer Zone Saturda night after levelling allegations against us that we desecrated the Holy Quran and Hadith, but the law enforcement agencies timely intervention saved the house partially.
This was stated by members of a Muslim family Rahil Masood Wasti, Zafar Iqbal and Samreen Masood while addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) here on Sunday.
Wasti said they were facing trouble after some religious people accused them of committing desecration of the Holy Quran and Hadith, which they never committed.
He said that they were deprived of their house and now could not even dare to enter it after such false allegations.
He said that they had already declared that the incident took place due to a mistake by their illiterate housemaid who swept some pages of the Holy Quran and Hadith outside the house, adding it all happened without their knowledge.
To a query, he replied that some religious and civil society people had also staged protests outside KPC and some other places for our arrest. These people have also declared us wajibul qatal (deserve death), he said.
He demanded of the government to provide protection to his family because they were not involved in the desecration of the Holy Quran and Hadith papers.
Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office declined to comment on the report -- written by a leading Mossad expert -- saying only that it has reiterated its request "for formal assurances that in the future (the United Kingdom) never would be party to the misuse of British passports."
Next time make 'em Ecuadoran instead. Or Belgian -- no one knows how many blank Belgian passports were stolen from town halls over the years.
#1
VARIOUS NETTERS > still suspect or argue for MOSSAD + MI6 + CIA collusion in the deadly MUMBAI terror attack.
versus
* ION "MUMBAI", DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > ALTAF: PAKISTAN GOVT WILL BE WIPED OFF [wiped out] IFF IT SENDS DG-ISI [etal.] TO US COURT, in NYC.
ARTIC > MQM CHief Altaf also argues iff US Courts formally summon the DG-ISI, etal. to appear in the USA, THEN PAKISTAN SHOULD RETALIATE BY DEMANDING + LEGALLY SUMMONING THE HEADS OF THE US CIA + OTHER US INTEL AGENCIES TO APPEAR IN PAK COURTS.
* SAME > PAKISTAN TELLS US: DO NOT CROSS "RED LINES".
ARTIC > US = US-NATO failures in AFGHAINSTAN Per se is inducing TOP US COMANDERS TO CALL FOR SENDING OR DEPLOYING US GROUND FORCES OVER THE AFGHAN BORDER INTO PAKISTAN PROPER. Such an escalation on the part of US-NATO risks causing the GOVT-PEOPLE OF PAKISTAN, WHOM ALREADY CONSIDER THE ANTI-MILITANT CAMPAIGNS TO BE A DE FACTO FAILURE, TO TURN + MIL FIGHT AGZ THE US-NATO???
TEHRAN Iran has hanged a convicted rapist and three men found guilty of drug trafficking in the southwestern city of Ahvaz, hardline Kayhan newspaper reported on Sunday.
Kayhan identified the convicted rapist only as Gh.F and said he was found guilty of acting against virtue the charge brought against rapists in the Islamic republic. The three drug traffickers were also identified only by their initials A.A., H.M. and J.J.
Problem is, we don't know if they were just criminals who deserved to swing or whether they were political dissidents on trumped up charges.
The four were executed on Saturday in the prison of Ahvaz, the newspaper said citing the provincial judiciary. The latest hangings bring the number of executions in Iran to at least 167 so far this year, according to a count based on media reports. At least 270 people were executed in 2009.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/27/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
His courtroom foes contend that Balsam is one of many sole practitioners unfairly exploiting anti-spam sentiments and laws. They accuse him of filing lawsuits against out-of-state companies that would rather pay a small settlement than expend the resources to fight the legal claims.
