[Al Arabiya Latest] Bahrain renewed a ban on the use of exterior loudspeakers in Mosques during prayers, ending a year-long contentious debate on the religiously sensitive issue in the Kingdom.
The decision was made by the Bahraini Sunni Endowment Department (Awqaf) of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs , which said that the blaring loudspeakers in mosques should not be used for anything other than the traditional Muslim call to prayer.
The religious authorities used SMS text messaging to instruct all callers to prayer, known as Muezzins, to respect the ban, but said the move is merely a regulatory one and an offense is only made if a complaint received.
"Prayers are between a person and Allah, and there is no need to make one's prayers heard by people walking in the streets and in markets," said Mohammed Ali al-Sitri , the King's Advisor for Legislative Authority Affairs.
Former Member of Parliament Hamad al-Mahindi opposed the ban saying, "There should be a manifestation of God's rituals during the holy month of Ramadan."
"There are people that want to hear the prayers through the loudspeaker," al-Mahindi added.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/15/2010 00:00 ||
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[Arab News] The General Presidency of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice is currently trying to set up a unit for cyber crimes at its headquarters.
The unit will track down any attempt to blackmail women on the Internet, a source from the Haia said on Thursday.
As a temporary arrangement the presidency has set up a committee to investigate cyber crimes at one of its offices in Riyadh. With the collaboration of some other departments, the committee has closed down many sites.
Even after that the committee has monitored some groups running sites that supply porn. Those who ran such sites have been arrested and punished for violating cyber regulations.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/15/2010 00:00 ||
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A number of Azerbaijani political parties have slammed the Baku Yasamal Court ruling on a group of Shia Muslims, who were arrested during a religious ceremony.
Leaders of a number of political parties including the Islamic Party of Azerbaijan, the Virtue Party, and the National Unity formed a committee in February to defend and support the detained Muslims. Three parties. Almost a Grand Slam.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the committee slammed the verdict calling it unjust.
"Suppressing Muslim mourners and sentencing them to imprisonment will bring happiness to enemies of Azerbaijan," they said in a statement. And if anyone knows about the happiness of the enemies of Azerbaijan, it's us!
The committee also emphasized on the necessity of an appeals court saying that Azerbaijan's judiciary courts should avoid passing political verdicts. Yeah, nothing fixes a political verdict like another political verdict!
Some 15 people were detained on February 13 during a religious ceremony marking the anniversary of passing of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Baku.
Although the Shia Muslim group affiliated with the Islamic Party of Azerbaijan had official permission for the procession, police blocked the event and clashed with participants. Those rotten coppers! We'll show them!
The Yasamal Court of Baku sentenced Elchin Abbasov and Seymur Huseynov to 4 years and Elmar Samedov, Aghali Ikhyayev and Bilal Ahmedov to 4.5 years in prison. Just a guess: it wasn't a peaceful protest.
During its first meeting on February 23, 2010, the committee declared that initiating criminal cases against peaceful mourners ran counter to Azerbaijan's Constitution. And they said we can't grasp the obvious.
The government has recently passed new restrictions on the activities of mosques and teaching the Quran, while a national referendum held in March 2010 approved two amendments limiting the spread and propagation of religion.
According to Azerbaijan's State Committee on Work with Religious Structures (SCWRS), the country's Muslim population is approximately 65 percent Shia and 35 percent Sunni. And 100 percent willing to fight the cops and blame them for the violence.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/15/2010 00:00 ||
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TOPIX > VARIOUS > SOVIET ATTACK TRUMPED A-BOMB ROLE: HISTORIAN, as per 1945 surrender of Japan.
ARTIC > Histor argues that Tokyo steadfastly believed it could successfulyy hold out agz the oncoming US invasion of Japan as long as it still controlled MANCHURIA + KOREA [econ resources] wid its 1.0MILYUHN-MAN IJA there. Stalin + the Soviet Army's mass attack agz Japanese mainland mil forces all but destroyed JAPAN'S WAR-SUSTAINING ECON LINKS TO MAINLAND ASIA, + hence is argued to be the real cataylst for induc Japan's 1945 formal surrender, notsomuch the US atomic bombings, since Japan could longer hope to negotiate any kind of BILATERAL ARMISTICE/TRUCE = PRO-JAPAN "CONDITIONAL" END TO THE WAR, AS OPPOS TO "UNCONDITIONAL" SURRENDER.
occasionally the media tells the truth.
Visit the Gulf of Mexico today and youd hardly recognize it as the scene of what President Barack Obama called the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced.
Its as if scientists had conducted an insane experiment -- dumping about 4.9 million barrels of oil into the water -- and discovered its effect was in certain ways negligible.
Some 21 years after the Exxon Valdez disaster, globs of oil can still be found in Alaskas Prince William Sound. Yet the Gulf may be scrubbing itself from the BP Plc spill: Sunshine is evaporating the oil, and bacteria are rapidly digesting it, Bloomberg Businessweek reports in its Aug. 16 edition.
Less crude has infiltrated vulnerable wetlands than was predicted. Documented fish and bird kills have been small, and most Gulf beaches remain pristine.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Beleaguered oil giant BP has agreed to pay a record $50.6 million fine for failing to correct safety hazards at its Texas City oil refinery after a 2005 explosion killed 15 workers. BP does seem to be the poster child for unsafe work practices ...
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Thursday it is still working to collect another $30 million from BP Products North America for other penalties that the company is contesting.
"The size of the penalty rightly reflects BP's disregard for workplace safety and shows that we will enforce the law so workers can return home safe at the end of their day," Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said in a conference call with reporters.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
08/15/2010 00:00 ||
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The southern U.S. state of Alabama has filed a lawsuit against BP and other companies linked to the oil spill "catastrophe" that soiled the Gulf of Mexico coastline, a state official said Friday.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday, accuses British oil giant BP, Transocean, "and others responsible for the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe" of causing serious damage through negligence and failing to adhere to safety standards.
The amount of compensation Alabama is seeking will be determined in court, state Attorney General Troy King said in a statement.
"BP said that this was their disaster and they would accept responsibility for it. Yet thousands wait while their claims are backed up in the system," King said.
"Based on BP's broken promises, their history of saying one thing and doing another, and now, new information that they have been secretly working to gain a legal advantage, further delay (of legal action) can only further damage our people," King said.
He accused the energy firm of "retaining all the best expert witnesses, not because they need their services, but so the experts will be unable to testify against BP."
Alabama is seeking compensation, among other things, for destruction of the state's natural resources; economic losses resulting from destruction of state property; and for the loss of taxes revenue.
The state also wants money for cleanup response and rehabilitation costs, and wants punitive damages imposed on the companies.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/15/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Sometimes I'm ashamed I live in Alabama, They have enough brainy folks, but not any of the politicians qualify.
They seem oblivious that any AWARD will be paid by themselves in increased fuel costs, about ten times over.
Talk about a Polish Firing Squad.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
08/15/2010 10:48 Comments ||
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#2
This was a disaster. It is not clear whether or not BP was negligent. If it was, it should compensate others for their losses. This is fair and it serves as a lesson to the other oil companies. That's how companies are incented to do things properly. I wouldn't mind seeing the evidence in court as opposed to the MSM's version, which is all we have now.
#3
And of course with the government tripping over itself in a big media response we get a magnified episode of the usual behavior. Got to justify their existence. It won't matter whether BP was in the wrong or not. Just like the insurance companies that got hammer by another judge who engage in 'social justice' by tagging them to pay for what everyone knows is flood damage during Katrina to homeowners who didn't have flood insurance.
U.S. President Barack Obama is to travel to Florida's Gulf Coast this weekend for a family trip intended to show solidarity with a region struggling in the wake of a massive oil spill. Way too little and way too late ...
Obama, his wife Michelle, and their two daughters are to leave Washington Saturday for Panama City, a popular seaside tourist spot that saw its beaches fouled by tar balls from the oil spill.
During the height of the spill, unleashed by an explosion aboard a BP-leased oil rig April 20, Obama urged his fellow Americans not to abandon the Gulf Coast, and to continue taking vacations in the region, which is heavily dependent on visitor revenue.
His weekend getaway is intended to highlight the region's tourist attractions, but will leave him with little time for relaxation. In addition to making public remarks on the region's recovery, his schedule includes a roundtable meeting with local business leaders and entrepreneurs to discuss the effects of the spill.
He is scheduled to return to Washington on Sunday, the White House said. He spent a day there but he did manage to swim in the Gulf for a few minutes. Apparently he didn't walk on it ...
Posted by: Fred ||
08/15/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
did he leave a sheen of corruption on the water?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/15/2010 1:36 Comments ||
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Way too little and way too late ...
Way too contrived. Who goes to the gulf to swim in it? Not I. Maybe he could go to the Pacific and swim there, too.
#3
And if he can swim in it, then so can his daughters. And so can the fish. And there isn't a disaster. And he can call off his radical energy policy legislation.
#5
We get them up here next week. 10 days on the Vineyard. Maybe Senator Jawnny will bring up his famous big new boat and they can cruise the sound and talk about what ungrateful bastards the Great Unwashed are...
#6
Just exactly HOW MANY vacations does this idiot need?
just one... as long as it is permanent.
Posted by: abu do you love ||
08/15/2010 3:20 Comments ||
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#7
Just exactly HOW MANY vacations does this idiot need?
As long as he keeps out of his office and away I'm willing to have him "Vacation" for all remaining time in office.
Begone Obankrupt, and never darken our doorway again.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
08/15/2010 10:52 Comments ||
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#8
Mod: Pretty good photo at http://weaselzippers.us/
at story: Man Drowns 8 Miles From Where Obama Swam Today in Gulf
I don't know how to import photos into R-burg comments....
#10
#7 Just exactly HOW MANY vacations does this idiot need? Redneck Jim
He can take AS MANY AS he likes, stay gone as long as he and Michelle can handle! In fact, he can take the REMAINDER OF HIS TERM OFF and spend it in bloody Fiji or Zimbabwe! Anywhere, but HERE, the lazy, mooslim bugger.
[Dawn] One person was killed and 18 were injured during Independence Day celebration aerial firing in Hyderabad on Saturday. According to sources, there were various rallies in Hyderabad on Friday night. People out celebrating started aerial firing due to which one person was killed and 18 injured in various parts of the city.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/15/2010 00:00 ||
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[Arab News] An American woman has been found beheaded in her hotel room in the western Indian state of Rajasthan, police said.
Indian police said on Friday they had found the decapitated body of an American woman at a hotel near Jodhpur and had detained her teenage son as a possible suspect.
The 55-year-old victim identified only as Cindy, had been traveling in India with her 15-year-old son John, police said. The mother and son were staying in a luxury tent encampment in Ossian, a small town on the outskirts of Jodhpur city. "Preliminary investigations suggest that the son had a fight with his mother," police officer Girdhari Sharma said.
Sharma said the woman's decapitated body had been discovered in the bathroom by resort staff and the boy had been taken into custody and has been sent for autopsy. "We are waiting for the report," the official said.
The mother and son are from Pennsylvania, US, and landed in Jodhpur from Mumbai on Aug. 11," the official said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/15/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Poor english, they said the boy has been taken for autopsy.
Think they missed a letter there?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
08/15/2010 10:57 Comments ||
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#3
You knew it would - the Cartel-Border Trubles evenually spread to the Midwest + Mississippi,while Radic Islam sets itself up in Central, South America.
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.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Bahrain renewed a ban on the use of exterior loudspeakers in Mosques during prayers, ending a year-long contentious debate on the religiously sensitive issue in the Kingdom.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Beleaguered oil giant BP has agreed to pay a record $50.6 million fine for failing to correct safety hazards at its Texas City oil refinery after a 2005 explosion killed 15 workers.
The southern U.S. state of Alabama has filed a lawsuit against BP and other companies linked to the oil spill "catastrophe" that soiled the Gulf of Mexico coastline, a state official said Friday.
