Taliban film shows leader is dead

The Taliban in Pakistan have released a video confirming that their former leader Baitullah Mehsud is dead.
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A video received by the BBC shows the body of the former head of Pakistan's largest Taliban group lying in a room. It is not clear where it was taken.
Mr Mehsud was killed on 6 August in the tribal region of South Waziristan in a missile attack by a suspected US drone.
The video came as officials said at least six people had been killed in a fresh drone attack in North Waziristan.
See a map of the region
The strike near the town of Mir Ali was the third such attack in the past 24 hours against militant targets near the Afghan border, intelligence officials said. Two missile attacks on Tuesday, one in South Wziristan and one in North Waziristan, left at least 12 suspected militants dead.
Covered
US and Pakistani officials were quick to claim Mr Mehsud's death, but it took nearly three weeks for the Taliban to admit he had been hurt in the attack and had later died.
It is not clear why they have decided to release the video of their former leader now. They announced his death and named a successor, Hakimullah Mehsud, in late August.
The BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan in Islamabad says the video shows Baitullah Mehsud lying on a flat surface in a room, amid virtual silence.
His entire body is covered in a white funeral shroud, so it is difficult to tell how his body was injured in the attack.
There are no marks on his face, except for a few scratches near his nose.
A man is shown in the video crouching near the body clearly stricken with grief.
The video, which lasts nearly two minutes, has little audio. Two sentences are spoken.
A voice, apparently that of the video maker, says: "If there was a leader, there would have been some preparations."
Later, the same voice says: "May Allah destroy these cruel people who do not use rifles and Allah knows what else, to kill us."
Pakistan's government publicly condemns drone attacks, arguing that they fuel anti-American feeling, but many observers say Islamabad secretly endorses the tactic.
Hundreds of militants and civilians have been killed in dozens of such attacks in the past year.

British girl banned from selling granny on eBay

Ad said grandmother was cuddly but annoying
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LONDON : A 10-year-old British girl has been barred from trying to sell her granny on eBay, who she complained was "cuddly" but "annoying," the auction website said Wednesday.
Zoe Pemberton wrote a light-hearted listing to sell her 61-year-old grandmother Marion Goodall, of Clacton, southeastern England, but eBay said the advert breached human trafficking regulations.
"Obviously we have rules about the selling of people," said an eBay spokeswoman. "We had to take it down but it was quite amusing.
"The little girl had described her grandmother as 'annoying' but had gone on to say she liked crosswords and was 'cuddly' and there were quite a few offers."

US probes Facebook Obama assassination poll

750 vote as health care debate gets serious
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DUBAI : The United State's Secret Service was investigating on Tuesday a poll published on social networking website Facebook for asking if President Barack Obama should be assassinated amid tensions on planned health care reforms.
The controversial poll asked users: "Should Obama be killed?" and offered four answers: No, Maybe, Yes and "Yes, if he cuts my health care."
The Secret Service said it was treating the survey, posted on Facebook over the weekend, like any other threat to an American president.
The poll was only removed from Facebook after the agency alerted the company, which said the poll was created by a person using an add-on application.
"All we are saying is we are aware of the poll and we are investigating the matter," Secret Service spokesman, Ed Donovan, told Al Arabiya.
More than 750 Facebook users had reportedly cast votes by the time the poll was yanked.
When asked about what the majorty of votes were Donovan said: "We will not be giving the nuts and bolts of the investigation."
The president's proposed healthcare plans have stirred much controversy with several anti-Obama protests being held across the U.S.
Former president Jimmy Carter and House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, have blamed racism for the outrage but Obama later dismissed the claims on The Late show with David Letterman where he joked: "I was actually black before the election."
According to the Britain's Sky News, Southern Poverty Law Center, a U.S. civil rights group, reported a rise in traffic on white supremacist websites since Obama was inaugurated.

Bin Laden in "I love Guantanamo" shirt in US ad

Second poster depicts Cheney "Qaeda's best recruiter"
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WASHINGTON: Travelers on the metro in the U.S. capital risk coming facing to face with al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, smiling and wearing an "I Love Guantanamo" T-shirt.
The irreverent billboard image of America's number one enemy, just a short distance from the White House, is part of an activist campaign aimed at highlighting that al-Qaeda uses the U.S. detention center as a recruiting tool.
The metro billboard is "to remind policymakers that torture is illegal, unethical and a top recruiting tool for the terrorist leader Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network," creators from the Avaaz activist group said.
Avaaz believes Guantanamo is a potent symbol for the "war on terror" torture excesses of former president George W. Bush and that al-Qaeda plays on this fact to pull in new members.
Another poster presents former vice-president Dick Cheney, who has ardently defended the controversial interrogation techniques of the Bush-era, begging the question: "Could this be al-Qaeda's best recruiter?"
President Barack Obama, who has vowed to shut the camp by January, is shown in a third poster, looking pensive, alongside a slogan from his inauguration speech: "We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals."
The advertisement campaign aimed at shutting the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is being run at Farragut North metro station, one of the closest to the White House, and in the Washington Post daily newspaper.

Malaysian villagers amazed by "Allah meat"

People flock to see meat inscribed with God's name
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DUBAI: A family of Malaysian villagers became the talk of the town after they found the word Allah, meaning God in Arabic, inscribed on meat bought from the local market, the country's press reported on Tuesday.
Housewife Rashadah Abdul Rani, 57, said her son bought the meat from a market in the village and it was her daughter who discovered the inscription.
"I cut the meat into six pieces and soaked them in the water. It was my daughter, who was helping me in the kitchen, who saw the word "Allah" on all six pieces of the meat," Rani told reporters at her house in Kampung Alur Gunung.
Rani said the discovery had changed her plans of cooking the meat for feast and said she would now dry the meat and keep it to use for medicinal purposes.
In 2008, a similar story was reported from northern Nigeria where a restaurant served a piece of meat inscribed with Allah. The customer who discovered the meat said he was about to eat it when he suddenly noticed the words.Also a similar incident was reported in 2006 when hundreds of Muslims flocked to a pet shop in Liverpool, England to see two gold fish hailed a "miracle" as one's scales spelled Allah and the other Muhammad, Islam's prophet.
The internet is also rife with videos of animals thought to be growling Allah's name.
For Muslims such occurrences only further signal the greatness of their Lord as Islam teaches that everything in the world from the sun and moon to everything with a soul is commanded by God.

France seeks to woo Islamic investments

Aims to turn Paris into EU capital of Islamic finance
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PARIS : As France debates whether to ban the burqa, the government is leading a drive to attract billions in investment from Muslim countries by turning Paris into the European capital of Islamic finance.
The French parliament this month has approved changes to legislation to allow Islamic "sukuk" bonds to be issued and the Qatar Islamic Bank has applied to be the first such bank to open in France.
Home to Europe's biggest Muslim minority, France is hoping to unseat London as the European hub for Islamic banking, offering products that comply with Sharia law and meet the needs of big investors mostly from Gulf countries.
But the drive is raising hackles, with some opposition politicians accusing the government of undermining France's much prized secularism to accommodate wealthy interests.
"When rich Muslims are concerned, we welcome them. But when they are poor, we put them on planes and deport them. This is all very upsetting," said Socialist deputy Henri Emmanuelli.
After failing to garner enough votes to derail the bill, the Socialist opposition is challenging the legality of the new legislation on Islamic finance before the Constitutional Council.
"We must not allow principles of Sharia law, or the ethics of the Quran to be introduced into French law," said Emmanuelli.
Under Sharia law, making money from money such as charging interest is not permitted and investment in companies involved in alcohol, gambling and tobacco is strictly off limits.
"Sukuk" bonds
Much of the debate has focused on opening up the French market to "sukuk" bonds, which are asset-based and do not pay interest. Investors receive coupons corresponding to part of the profits earned by the asset underpinning the bond.
Economists argue that money raised through Islamic finance could help spur France's nascent recovery with tools that are seen as financially sounder than the high-risk derivatives that led to the 2008 global meltdown.
Elyes Jouini, an author of a report presented to the government last year, estimates that France could tap into 120 billion euros in capital from Islamic finance by making adjustments to its tax and banking laws.
Only €7 billion of those would be raised domestically among France's five million Muslims.
"There are extremely important financial reserves in Gulf countries and southeast Asia and these countries are ready to invest anywhere but they have specific rules in terms of ethics and in terms of the choice of investment," said Jouini.
"If France wants to attract this capital to its economy, it must offer the possibility for these investors to do so according to the rules of Islamic finance," he said.
Fear of the unknown
Finance Minister Christine Lagarde and Central Bank governor Christian Noyer are to address a major conference in Paris this week that could yield some announcements on promoting Islamic finance in the French economy.
France's far-right National Front has denounced Islamic finance as a "community-based peril" resulting from immigration.
Jouini said opposition to the changes stems from "fear of the unknown."
"The term Islamic is confused with Islamist, the term Sharia raises fears because some think of women forced to cover themselves, the word fatwa raises fears because some think of Salman Rushdie, but a fatwa is nothing more than a decree," said Jouini.
"Islamic finance draws from the ethical principles of Muslim law but it obviously obeys Republican laws. It is not outside the boundaries of legality or civil society," he said.
The drive to open up to Islamic finance came as a parliament task force was looking at measures to ban the wearing of the full Islamic veil in France, reviving controversy over Islam's place there.

West slams "provocative" Iran tests before talks

Iran test fires long-range missiles on second day of war games
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TEHRAN: Western powers on Monday called Iran's latest missile test firings "provocative" as the White House urged Tehran to agree to immediate, unfettered access to its newly disclosed nuclear fuel plant at this week's talks with world powers.
The statements came after Iran test-fired two different long-range missiles on its second day of war games.
The first test-firing involved the Shahab-3, which Iran says could hit arch-foe Israel and U.S. military bases in the region. It was shown in footage broadcast by state-owned Press TV channel being launched in desert terrain.
The second missile was Iran's two-stage long-range Sejil. It was the first such firing during military maneuvers by the Revolutionary Guards, according to Fars news agency.
The state TV reported earlier that Tehran has test-fired medium-range missiles, a day after the Revolutionary Guards launched short-range missiles as part of several days of war games.
Iran conducts war games or tests weapons to show its resolve to counter any attack by Israel or the United States.
Western countries suspect Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, which Tehran denies. Iran and world powers meet in Geneva on Thursday to discuss Tehran's disputed atomic program.
The five U.N. Security Council permanent members -- the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France -- plus Germany are due to take part in the talks with Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili on Oct. 1.
West angered
The U.S. joined France and other Western powers in criticism of Iran's latest missile tests as Russia appealed for the world not to "succumb to emotions."
"Obviously these were pre-planned military exercises," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters when asked about the missile tests.
"I would lump any of these into the provocative nature in which Iran has operated on the world stage for a number of years."
"They can agree to immediate unfettered access (of the nuclear fuel facility)," Gibbs said when asked what Washington wants from the much-anticipated talks.
"That would be the least that they could do."
Meanwhile the French foreign ministry said: "We call on Iran to choose the path of cooperation rather than confrontation, by immediately ceasing these deeply destabilizing activities."
"These tests are a provocation, especially since we have made repeated offers of dialogue," foreign ministry spokeswoman Christine Fages told journalists.
Paris said the tests would heighten concern after it was revealed last week that Iran was building a second uranium enrichment plant.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband called the tests "reprehensible" but said they should not distract attention from the talks.
"It is obviously reprehensible as such but it mustn't distract us from the big question of this week, which is how will Iran respond at the meeting with the international community on Thursday?" he told Sky News television.
Germany said the tests were "troubling" ahead of the talks.
"Tehran is testing missiles despite the fact that it wants to talk about regional peace and stability. Ahead of the upcoming talks, this is not a signal that will build trust," foreign ministry spokesman Jens Ploetner said.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, the chief Western nuclear negotiator, expressed concern and said Tehran had produced "a new context" for the talks, although he said the time was not right to discuss further sanctions.
Russia, which has long resisted U.S.-led moves to tighten the screws on Tehran through international sanctions, said the world should not "succumb to emotions" in dealing with the Islamic republic.
"Now is not the time to succumb to emotions, it is necessary to calm down and above all to start up an effective negotiation process," a foreign ministry source was quoted as saying by Interfax.

Iran test-fires missiles amid nuclear tension

TEHRAN: Iran test-fired missiles on Sunday to show it was prepared to head off any military threat, four days before the Islamic Republic is due to hold rare talks with world powers worried about its nuclear ambitions.
The missile manoeuvres coincide with escalating tension in Iran's nuclear row with the West, after last week's disclosure by Tehran that it is building a second uranium enrichment plant.
News of the nuclear facility south of Iran added a sense of urgency to a crucial meeting in Geneva on Thursday between Iranian officials and representatives of six major powers, including the United States.
An Iranian official warned "fabricated Western clamour" over the new plant would negatively affect the talks at which the six powers want Iran to agree to open its facilities to inspection to prove its programme is for power and not nuclear weapons.

Early technology set for auction in London

LONDON: One man's treasure chest of pioneering examples of early technology, including clocks, barometers, silent films, typewriters, microscopes and televisions, is expected to fetch up to £1 million when it goes under the hammer next week.
Collector Michael Bennett-Levy has been amassing examples of early technology from across the centuries for 30 years.
Auction house Bonhams said the collection of 758 items includes many firsts of their kind.
They include the first LED pocket calculators from 1971 estimated to reach between £200 and £300, the Bennet electrostatic friction generator from 1770, valued at £8,000 to £12,000 and the Whimshurst X-ray machine, set to raise £7,000 to £10,000.
Among the exceptional pieces is an "unequalled" group of 26 pre-war televisions.
It is the most comprehensive collection of its type still held in private hands, with only 500 such televisions still estimated to be surviving in the world, Bonhams said.

US Muslims gather outside Capitol Hill to pray

Christians protest as thousands mark "day of Islamic unity"
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DUBAI: Thousands of Muslim men and women gathered Friday outside the United States Capitol in a "day of Islamic unity" to hold a mass prayer and show their religion was peaceful as a group of Christian protestors gathered to object to the event.
Muslims from across America gathered to perform the weekly Friday prayer on lawns outside the building where President Barack Obama was inaugurated in January of this year.
The event, organized by the Dar-ul-Islam Elizabeth mosque in northeastern New Jersey, was aimed at showing the world "that not all Muslims hate America" and was inspired by Obama's attempt to reach out to Muslims.
"We should also extend our hand," Hassan Abdellah, president of the mosque, told the Los Angeles Times.
"The message was clear. I think the message basically was to let the American public know that all the stigmas that are attached to Muslims are not true," participant Lonnie Shabazz told the AFP news agency.
"We're not extremists and we do not subscribe to the trend of racism. I think that message was achieved today," Shabazz said.
But despite the general good spirit, a group of around 50 Christians gathered to protest against the event and waved banners reading "Trust Jesus" as they handed out flyers to Muslims around the prayer area.
"When Islam is weak, they will be the religion of peace," the paper quoted Rusty Thomas, a minister who traveled with Operation Save America to protest the event, as saying. "When they get the upper hand, out comes the sword."
Muslim leaders generally dismissed the protests but Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told the times: "What is noteworthy is that when Muslims seek to participate in society, they are going to face a small minority of bigots and racists."
Abdellah, however, sought to ease the protestors concerns and said "Muslims aren't here to take over the country. They're here to help make it better."

Iran talks of new plant as Israel demands action

Tehran reports "victory," Israel calls for ouster of "mad regime"
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TEHRAN/ OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Iran announced Saturday a new nuclear enrichment plant would soon be operational as Israel said Tehran's disclosure of a second enrichment facility proved the country was seeking nuclear weapons and demanded an "unequivocal" Western response.
Tehran's announcement came a day after the leaders of Britain and France stood by American President Barack Obama as he accused the Islamic Republic of building a secret nuclear plant and "breaking rules that all nations must follow."
Iran's press widely reported the building of the country's second uranium enrichment plant as the front-page of a government-run newspaper read: "A new victorious step taken in the nuclear domain."
Hardline daily Javan also carried a banner headline saying the plant was "Iran's new card on the brink of nuclear talks."
Other conservative papers carried the news on their front pages but with much less emphasis.
Meanwhile, reformist newspaper Sarmayeh carried a front-page picture of Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown with a headline saying "West steps up pressure for new sanctions against Iran."

UK swine flu vaccine 'approved'

The European drugs regulator has given the go-ahead for one of the UK's swine flu vaccines.
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An expert committee agreed that Pandemrix, made by GlaxoSmithKline, can be used in adults and children over six months old and pregnant women.
The decision removes one of the last obstacles to getting the immunisation programme under way although licensing still needs to be formalised.
The UK has bought 60 million doses of the vaccine.
In addition, there are contracts for an as yet unapproved vaccine, Celvapan, produced by Baxter.
It means the UK has provision for up to 132 million doses - enough for every person in the country.
A vaccine made by Novartis, Focetria, has also been recommended for licensing by the European Medicines Agency - but this is not planned to be used in the UK.
Final marketing authorisation for the vaccines still needs to be signed off by the European Commission and is expected "as soon as possible".
The EMEA said they were working with Baxter on some ongoing issues about their vaccine but hoped to be able to resolve those next week.
The vaccines have undergone an accelerated approval process as "mock-ups" of the vaccine had already been developed in preparation for a pandemic and tested in 6,000 people.
Manufacturers have worked quickly to add the swine flu H1N1 strain to the mock versions.
Early trial data had suggested good immune responses with just one dose of the vaccines.
However, the EMEA is recommending two doses are given three weeks apart for both vaccines, but may revisit that decision as more clinical trials are carried out.

Second swine flue patient confirmed in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: The second swine flue patient was confirmed in the capital city here.
PIMS Hospital spokesman, Dr. Wasim Khawaja told Geo News that Imram Khan hailing from the Frontier province suffering from fever and flue was brought to the hospital. He said that the patient 28 had arrived here through Amman flight. He further said that the National Institute of Health has confirmed Imran Khan suffering from swine flue.
Last Wednesday, a passenger arriving from Sharja was also admitted in the PIMS Hospital on being diagnosed struck by swine flue.

Gaddafi blasts big powers in long UN speech

Lybian leader praises US President Obama
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UNITED NATIONS: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, in a rambling address to the United Nations on Wednesday, accused the veto-wielding powers of the Security Council of betraying the principles of the U.N. charter while offering profuse praise for United States President Barack Obama.
The speech, that lasted amost an hour and a half, was the Lybian leader's first ever address to the U.N.
"The preamble (of the charter) says all nations are equal whether they are small or big," Gaddafi said through an interpreter. He received a smattering of applause.
Reading from a copy of the U.N. charter, Gaddafi said: "The veto is against the charter, we do not accept it and we do not acknowledge it."
Clad in a copper-colored robe with an emblem of Africa pinned over his chest, the Libyan leader dropped his paperback copy of the charter on the podium several times before tossing it over his shoulder.
The United States, Britain, France, Russia and China are permanent veto wielding members of the Security Council, the most powerful body within the United Nations. Libya has a temporary council seat and will be on the 15-nation panel until the end of 2010.
"Veto power should be annulled," Gaddafi said.
"The Security Council did not provide us with security but with terror and sanctions," he told leaders gathered for the opening day of the 192-nation General Assembly.
Gaddafi, who spoke just after Obama, said the fact that "65 wars" have broken out since the U.N. was established more than 60 years ago proved its founding principles had been betrayed.
Praise for Obama
Gaddafi, who himself has spent 40 years in power, also welcomed Obama's speech, immediately before his, in which the new U.S. president pledged fresh engagement with the international community, after former leader George W. Bush's often rocky ties with the world.
"It was completely different for an American president," Gaddafi said of Obama's speech. "You are the beginning of a change."
But he added: "Can you guarantee that after Obama that America will be different?"
"We would be happy if Obama could stay forever as the president of America," he said in a rambling speech to the U.N. General Assembly.
Gaddafi, who styles himself as a pan-African leader, expressed pride in Obama's election as the first black U.S. president.
"This is a great thing," Gaddafi said, referring back to the U.S. past when "blacks couldn't go where whites went and couldn't be on the same bus."
Gaddafi also called for the U.N. to launch an investigation into John F. Kennedy's assassination and complained about jet lag.
Gaddafi currently chairs the African Union.

Saudi looks to the future, opens coed university

Academic focus is solar energy, desalination
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RIYADH/DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s new $10 billion, state-of-the-art science and technology university welcomes the country’s first coed student body Wednesday in one of the king’s keystone attempts to power his country into the 21st century with renewable energy and social reform.
The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology on the Red Sea coast boasts one of the world’s fastest supercomputers, state-of-the-art “green” technologies and a team of top scientists timed its launch for Saudi Arabia's National Day.
“This international research university is a contribution from Saudi Arabia to promote knowledge,” King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud told a meeting of the Council of Ministers at al-Safa Palace last week.
The energy-efficient university, equipped with the latest technology and some of the world's top scientists, is set to break both scientific as well as social barriers. And with one of the world’s largest educational endowments it hopes to attract students and faculty from around the world with funding for 2,000 graduate students.
The 20,000 faculty, staff, students and their families are expected to live on campus, the first where men and women can mingle freely.
The university accepted 817 students from 61 countries from more than 7,000 applications, and about 15 percent of the incoming student body is women.
“The idea behind this university, if it succeeds, is to be very pioneering because the Saudi society by nature is a closed one, and if we look at universities in other countries like the United States we find them to be diverse and international,” Abdulrahman al-Rabesh, a consultant and engineer with the company, told Al Arabiya.
“I believe in mixed-gender education because it puts women on equal footing with men,” he said, adding that the idea of mixed-gender education is not completely new to Saudi universities since some medical schools offer coed classes.

Obama's star power faces new test at UN summit

UNITED NATIONS: More than 120 world leaders meet Wednesday on the heels of a climate change summit to tackle other crucial issues on the international agenda from terrorism and the spread of nuclear weapons to growing poverty resulting from the global financial crisis.
American President Barack Obama makes his debut during the meeting, hoping his international star power can throw new muscle behind a policy agenda that is already struggling to deliver.
Besides Obama, a host of new faces will also step to the podium at this last General Assembly ministerial session in the U.N.'s landmark headquarters before it closes for renovation later this fall -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, China's President Hu Jintao and Japan's newly elected Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.
The U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will also urge leaders to take steps to free the world of nuclear weapons, to address the "red flags of warning" about a global economic recovery and make a fresh push to achieve U.N. anti-poverty goals especially reducing maternal and child mortality rates which remain very high, according to his prepared text.
Ban will call for a revival of negotiations to achieve a comprehensive settlement in the Mideast and a two-state solution where Israel and Palestine live side-by-side in peace. And he will pledge to see the Afghans "through their long night" and stand as well with the people of Pakistan.

National Day of achievements

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia marks its 79th National Day on Wednesday, not only to remember the country’s unification at the hands of King Abdul Aziz but also to celebrate its achievements in the educational, health and economic sectors. Being the world’s largest oil exporter, it has become a member of G20 and is the largest economy in the Middle East.
“The National Day of Saudi Arabia is different from other countries. It is not an occasion to remember liberation from colonialists but rather an occasion to celebrate the unity of our people,” said Prince Abdul Rahman, deputy minister of defense and aviation.
Prince Sultan bin Salman, chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), said: “By celebrating this day we are not just remembering the history but we take it as an opportunity to think about what we should do to have a brighter future.”
“Saudi Arabia is a major player on the world economic map, in terms of its contributions to the capital of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund and (other) development banks and in terms of providing financial assistance to the less-developed countries,” said Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf.
Labor Minister Ghazi Al-Gosaibi said his ministry had been successful in bringing down the Kingdom’s unemployment rate from 11.2 percent to 9.8 percent. As many as 36,614 Saudis were given employment in the private sector during the first half of this year, he said.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton congratulated King Abdullah and the Saudi people on the occasion.
“The United States values Saudi Arabia as a close friend and ally. Ever since King Abdul Aziz and President Franklin D. Roosevelt first met aboard the USS Quincy in 1945, our two nations have united in a durable and dynamic partnership that is based on mutual respect and mutual interest. Over the years, our friendship has deepened and enhanced the security and prosperity of both our countries,” she said in a message. “On this historic occasion, I want to salute King Abdullah for his leadership on key regional and global challenges, from championing the Arab peace initiative to working to respond to the international economic crisis.”
Pakistani Ambassador Umar Khan Alisherzai extended his warmest felicitations to King Abdullah and members of the royal family and the Saudi people. “Saudi Arabia enjoys enormous respect in the comity of nations, particularly in the Islamic world,” he said while praising the king’s initiative to enhancing interfaith dialogue.

Al-Qaeda issues new threats on KSA

DUBAI: AL-QAEDA has threatened further attacks inside Saudi Arabia following a suicide bomber's failed attempt to kill Riyadh's deputy interior minister last month, the SITE Intelligence Group said.
'If you can flee with your skin, then do so. By Allah, they will climb your walls and will come to you from where you do not expect,' Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) leader Abu Baseer al-Wuhayshi says in a video posted online, the US-based monitoring group reported.
Deputy Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, responsible for security affairs, was lightly injured in the Aug 27 attack in Jeddah that was claimed by AQAP, which named the bomber as Abdullah bin Hassan bin Taleh Assiri.
'Our heroes have woven their grave-clothes with your blood,' Wuhayshi says. The video also contains a telephone conversation between Assiri and the prince, in which the bomber says he wishes to return to Saudi Arabia from Yemen because he has repented.
On Sept 1 the Saudi interior ministry also released excerpts of the same conversation.
'I would like to meet you to discuss the whole matter with you,' Assiri told Mohammed, according to the excerpts broadcast by Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television. The conversation took place after Assiri arrived at the the Saudi-Yemeni border, state news agency SPA reported.
Assiri was taken to Jeddah and when he arrived at Mohammed's residence and met him, he confirmed his wish to hand himself in and also help a group of Saudis living in Yemen to return home, the ministry said. While making a phone call to one of them in the reception room where they were meeting, he blew himself up.
Saudi and Yemeni branches of Al-Qaeda announced in January their merger into 'Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula'.
The attempt to kill Prince Mohammed was the first high-profile Al-Qaeda attack on the Saudi government since militants rammed a car bomb into the fortified interior ministry in Riyadh in 2004.
It was also the first strike on a member of the royal family since Al-Qaeda launched a wave of attacks in the kingdom in 2003, targeting Western establishments and oil facilities and killing more than 150 Saudis and foreigners.

Aishwarya number 9 in Harpers and Queen most beautiful list

NEW YORK: Aishwarya Rai has made it to the 100 most beautiful women list published by Harpers and Queen Magazine.

The Bollywood Beauty was placed ninth just like last year.

Hollywood actor Angelina Jolie topped the list followed by supermodel Christy Turlington, Queen Rania of Jordan and other luminaries.

UK hoteliers charged for taunting Muslim guest

Couple face charges for calling Prophet Muhammad a "warlord"
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DUBAI: Two British hotel owners face criminal charges for taunting a Muslim woman staying at their hotel by comparing the headscarf she was wearing to "bondage" and insulting the prophet of Islam, British press reported on Tuesday.
The incident took place in March at the Bounty House Hotel in Liverpool when the unnamed Muslim guest came down to breakfast wearing a hijab, or headscarf, for the first time in her four-week stay, shocking hoteliers Ben, 53, and Sharon, 54, Vogelenzang.
The Vogelenzangs are reported to have started a debate with her about Islam and went on to call Prophet Muhammad a "warlord" and described the hijab as a form of bondage.
Months after the incident the guest complained to the police and the couple were charged with using "threatening, abusive or insulting words" which were "religiously aggravated," the Daily Mail reported.
The couple denied the charges and said the guest challenged their Christian beliefs and said they were just defending themselves. The couple face a hefty fine of £5,000 (around $8,000) and a criminal record if they are convicted.
"Robust exchange"
The Muslim woman had been staying at the hotel while receiving treatment at a local hospital, which regularly refers outpatients to them.
The Vogelenzangs, who have been running the hotel for six years, say they have already lost 80 percent of their bookings and have been forced to put their hotel up for sale as the hospital has stopped referring outpatients due to the bad publicity.
The couple are receiving financial support from the Christian Institute and have been warned not to talk about the case until it reaches court in December.
But the institute's spokesman, Mike Judge, told the British press he believed the treatment of the Vogelenzangs was "heavy handed."
"Nobody was being threatened and while the Vogelenzangs were fully aware that a robust exchange had taken place and the woman had been perhaps a little offended, they were shocked when the police became involved," Judge was quoted by the press as saying.
"If someone is in a discussion and they don't like what they are hearing, they can walk away," he said.
"We feel their treatment has been heavy handed and it is not in the public interest to go ahead with this prosecution. People see the police standing by when Muslims demonstrate holding some pretty bloodthirsty placards, but at the same time come down hard on two Christians having a debate over breakfast at a hotel," he said.

New UN body to promote women

UN: The UN General Assembly has approved a resolution to create a single UN body to promote the advancement of women.
The move has been hailed by the European Union as an important step in protecting women's rights.
The vote on Monday culminated nearly three years of negotiations, in which the EU has been a driving force, to merge four existing UN bodies dealing with women and create a single entity with greater clout headed by a high-ranking UN official.
But critics complained that the 192-nation General Assembly watered down the resolution at the last minute at the insistence of some member states, deleting any reference to the new body's future mandate.

Iraqi who threw shoes at Bush released from prison

BAGHDAD: The brother of an Iraqi reporter who threw his shoes at former President George W. Bush in a stunning act of protest that made him a hero around the Arab world says the journalist has been released from a Baghdad prison.

Uday al-Zeidi says his brother, Muntadhar al-Zeidi, left an Iraqi army base where the prison is located on Tuesday and was accompanied by several members of parliament.

Al-Zeidi, a little-known reporter for a small Iraqi TV station, gained instant hero status in the Arab world last December when he hurled his shoes at Bush as he stood next to Iraq's prime minister at a Baghdad news conference.

The reporter spent nine months in jail. He was to have been released Monday, but that was held up because of delays in processing paperwork.

Website closes down for prayer

JEDDAH: While the debate on stopping all commercial activity during prayer times continues, one local online newspaper in Hail province has decided to advocate for this pause by taking down its site for 20 minutes, five times a day.
If visitors to Aen Hail (“Hail’s Eye” ) visit the site during prayers, they be met with a message “Closed for Prayer” in Arabic along with a countdown to the end of the prayer break at the bottom of the page.
The site shutdown, which was unveiled this month, is automated and linked to local prayer times, according to the site’s online editor, Majid Al-Mismar.
“The page is built with integration of a software that replaces the index page with another,” he said. “We believe that prayers come first. The electronic newspaper is off during Hail prayer times and is back on after the prayer is done.” Many online commentators to the website have praised the decision, expressing their support of a similar nationwide system.
Professor at Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University’s High Judiciary Institute and member of International Islamic Fiqh Academy, Mohammed Al-Nojaimi, called the newspaper’s decision “noble.”
“Closing a Saudi website for half-an-hour during obligatory prayers is a noble Islamic act,” he said. “It’s free from any search for fame or unacceptable rigidness. It contributes to reviving the habit of individuals praying on time.”
Others called the measure superficial. “You are focusing on appearances and presentation rather than the original principles of the religion,” said one of the commentators at the site. “What if the person wishing to surf the page is a non-Muslim?” Al-Watan newspaper columnist Amal Zahid wrote in an editorial piece published on Friday that putting a website on hold during prayer does little to encourage people to pray. “As if we haven’t already accumulated issues and problems to deal with,” he said in his column.
“Praying is a sacred act of worship that connects human beings to God throughout the day… Encouraging people to pray on time isn’t going to be achieved by closing websites.”
An online commenter to the opinion piece who called himself Mohammed Al-Saggaf called the measure an act of “stupidity” and said posting local prayer times was sufficient. “All those who are familiar with the website will know when to go for prayer,” he wrote.
“That does the job. Closing down the page is an act of backwardness and stupidity. Just like closing gas stations, pharmacies, and stopping service at airport immigration; it’s a disruption of interest with no positive benefit.”

BBC may broadcast 2012 Olympics in 3D

BBC: Following on from all the 3D tech we saw at IFA last week, the BBC is hopping on the bandwagon with the announcement it could screen some of the 2012 London Olympics in 3D.
Director of the Beeb's 2012 Olympics operation Roger Mosey, said the corporation was investigating new technologies that will help viewers get the most from their experience.
Speaking at the IBC technology conference in Amsterdam: "We could, and I believe should, capture some of the games in 3D.
"Nobody would expect the games of 2012 to be comprehensively in 3D because the technology will be nothing like widespread enough; but it would be a shame not to have any images of London that were part of an experiment with what will be one of the next big waves of change".
Mosey went on to say that the Olympic stadium could only exist in its 80,000+ capacity for a short time, and so not to capture it in 3D would be a "major gap" in the archive.
Another technology Mosey said the Beeb was considering was "super high definition", but that both this and 3D were currently posing "questions and opportunities rather than solutions".
"Now's the time to start examining seriously whether there are answers that could make 2012 even more of a landmark year," he added.
Sky has already shown a number of sporting events in 3D to good reception, so it would be a great move by the Beeb to document such an important occasion in an extra dimension.
Let us know what you think to the Beeb's plans below.

Formula One: Barrichello, Button in Brawn 1-2 at Monza

MONZA: A beaming Rubens Barrichello made clear Sunday that he will push his Brawn GP team-mate and world championship leader Jenson Button all the way to the wire in this year's title race after winning the Italian Grand Prix.
The 37-year-old Brazilian, who produced a beautifully measured drive from fifth on the grid to grab his second win of the season, said he was looking forward to a close tussle with his team-mate in the closing four races.
"This win feels great," said Barrichello. "Whatever happens now, I feel like this is a winning year. Don't forget it was not so long ago that we thought we had no jobs, but now we have a fantastic car, a great engine and a fantastic team.
"I have to say I am feeling very good. Monza is always a great track for me and now I am going to give my best in a good and honest fight with this guy (Button) and I am really looking forward to it."
Barrichello's 11th victory in a 284-race career was one of his happiest as he came home 2.8 seconds ahead of Button to turn the title race into an almost-certain fight for glory between just the two of them.
"I think we can prove now that in Formula One nice guys can win," said Barrichello. "This is the end to that old saying that only the tough guys can win titles."
Button, winner of six of the seven opening races of the season, remains on top with 80 points, but Barrichello is now second with 66 points, having cut his team-mate's advantage from 16 to 14 points.
The Brawn pair look certain to deliver the constructors championship to their eponymous team-chief Ross Brawn in the outfit's first season.
Defending world champion Lewis Hamilton, who started from pole, looked certain to come home third for McLaren Mercedes, but crashed heavily at the Curva di Lesmo on the final lap and failed to finish.
This left Kimi Raikkonen to take the third podium place for Ferrari ahead of Adrian Sutil of Force India, two times champion Fernando Alonso, who was fifth for Renault, and Heikki Kovalainen in the second McLaren.
"Every lap I was pushing like a qualifying lap - it was to be expected. We didn't have the pace and I was pushing as hard as I could. I can only say I'm sorry to the team," said Hamilton.
Nick Heidfeld finished seventh for BMW Sauber and German compatriot Sebastian Vettel eighth for Red Bull, the young title challenger luckily grabbing his point after team-mate Mark Webber had crashed out following a collision with Robert Kubica's BMW on the opening lap.
The fans had seen Hamilton make a perfect start from his 15th pole position and led the field down and through the Rettifilio Tribune, Raikkonen storming past Sutil into second place and Barrichello advancing from fifth to fourth.
Hamilton continued his fast opening surge with a series of fastest laps before he pitted after 15 laps with a lead of more than seven seconds.
On lap 17, Sutil pitted from second behind Raikkonen who in turn came in after a further two laps.
All of this early action meant the drivers on a two-stop strategy were in command with the two Brawns in control, Barrichello ahead of Button by 2.4 seconds, with Hamilton third.
Debutant Vitantonio Liuzzi, on a presumed one-stop strategy in the second Force India, was fourth at this stage ahead of Raikkonen and Alonso.
Hamilton struggled to keep pace with the Brawns before their pit stops and the Force Indias were also proving a match for the Ferraris until Liuzzi suffered a mechanical failure on lap 22.
Button was the first Brawn to pit from second and a 12-sec advantage on Hamilton after 28 laps with Barrichello following a lap later.
With all of the leaders having pitted once, Hamilton led Raikkonen and Sutil ahead of Barrichello and Button, but the Briton's advantage was only 5.6 seconds.
Hamilton made his second stop after 33 laps when he led by more than 16 seconds, but he rejoined fifth behind the two Brawn men.
Raikkonen and Sutil then came in together after 36 laps, the Force India driver arriving with such velocity that he sent one mechanic flying.
He appeared to be unhurt. Raikkonen seemed to stall before rejoining, gifting Sutil an opportunity he was unable to take.
This left Barrichello leading ahead of Button by 5.4 seconds with Hamilton third a further 2.9 seconds adrift with 15 laps to go, with those placings remaining until Hamilton's last lap disaster.

Serena fined for outburst as probe launched

NEW YORK: Serena Williams was fined 10,500 dollars on Sunday for her angry outburst at a line judge that ended a US Open semi-final and the incident is being investigated by the Grand Slam Committee.
US Open tournament referee Brian Earley said in a statement Sunday that Williams has been levied the maximum possible fine for unsportsmanlike conduct, 10,000 dollars, plus a 500-dollar fine for racquet abuse.
Williams, in a statement Sunday after the fine was announced, issued no apology or comment on the punishment but stated she "let my passion and emotion get the best of me" and "handled the situation poorly".
The fine is a mere pittance, even at maximum strength, since Williams received 375,000-dollar for her semi-final run at Flushing Meadows, her matches among the top drawing cards for ticket buyers and television viewers.
But the probe underway could bring more penalties.
"The Grand Slam Rule Book also allows for an investigation to be conducted by the Grand Slam Committee administrator to determine if the behavoir of Ms. Williams warrants consideration as a Major Offence, for which additional penalties can be imposed," Earley said.
"This investigation has now begun."
US Open officials were reviewing videotapes of the confrontation and the bizarre ending to her loss to Belgium's Kim Clijsters. Williams and match umpire Louise Engzell were interviewed by Earley on Saturday night.
US television commentator Pam Shriver called for 11-time Grand Slam champion Williams to apologize for threatening the woman who called a foot fault upon the reigning champion to give Clijsters two match points.
Williams walked toward the woman who made the call, waving her racquet before her, and launching into a profanity-tinged tirade of threats that led to the unsportsmanlike conduct violation.
Because Williams had already received a warning after smashing her racquet following the last point of the first set, the penalty point she was assessed handed Clijsters a berth in Sunday's final.
"Last night everyone could truly see the passion I have for my job," Williams said in a statement.
"Now that I have had time to gain my composure, I can see that while I don't agree with the unfair line call, in the heat of battle I let my passion and emotion get the better of me and as a result handled the situation poorly.
"I would like to thank my fans and supporters for understanding that I am human and I look forward to continuing the journey, both professionally and personally, with you all as I move forward and grow from this experience."
Williams will return to Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday afternoon to join her sister Venus in the US Open women's doubles final against top seeds Cara Black of Zimbabwe and American Liezel Huber.
Grand Slam events fall under the purview of the International Tennis Federation, not the ATP and WTA tours, with the four major tournaments collaborating to form the Slam committee.

Muslim women get “halal” cosmetics

New make-up line has no alcohol or pig-residue
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DUBAI: For Muslim women who feel they are violating Islam's teachings by using skin creams with alcohol and pig residues, Layla Mandi has the answer: religiously-correct "halal" cosmetics.
The Canadian makeup artist who converted to Islam is marketing cosmetics called OnePure, which she says have the luxury feel of international brands minus the elements banned under Islamic law.
"There are pork derivatives and alcohol in most cosmetics products, so Muslims should really use something else," Mandi said.
Increasingly popular
From Islamic banking to alcohol-free hotels, products tagged as halal have become popular among devout Muslims.
Under the concept of halal -- which means "lawful" in Arabic -- pork and its by-products, alcohol and animals not slaughtered according to Quranic procedures are all forbidden.
Strict Muslims the world over only buy halal food but the market for halal cosmetics is still in its infancy in Asia and a mere novelty for Muslims in the Arab world.
Such products are not usually sold across the counter but can be bought on the Internet from online stores in Malaysia, Jordan and Britain.
"Muslims don’t want to go around and pray five times a day having pork residues on their body," said Mandi, in her early thirties and swathed in a slim black abaya, or cloak, with wisps of blond hair sticking from under her head scarf.
"I came to the Middle East to learn more about people’s needs. Most were pretty shocked when I told them there were pork products in their skin care items so they were very interested."
Free of pork and alcohol
According to Mandi, fatty acids and gelatin used in moisturizers, shampoos, face masks and lipsticks as well as other items are often extracted from pigs.
Determined to create a halal product, Mandi brought together a dermatologist and a chemist and told them the deal: cosmetics and skin-care products free of pork and alcohol.
OnePure is guaranteed to be just that, she said. And to get a foothold in the highly competitive business, Mandi is offering products that come in glitzy wrappings.
"I wanted the packaging to be really luxurious, to speak to young people and old people, to everyone. I didn’t want people to say ‘I’d really like to buy a halal product but the packaging doesn’t look cool,'" she said.
Touted as the first halal cosmetics brand in the Middle East, OnePure products are certified in Malaysia by an Islamic body that also certifies meats and other consumer goods for Muslims.
So far Mandi has been selling them online, on Saudi Airlines -- her first customer since July -- and a small boutique in the upscale Souk al-Bahar in the Burj Dubai complex that houses the world’s tallest tower.
"It’s most specifically designed for women in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council). I plan to launch a line for men but for now, it’s just women," Mandi said. "There is appetite for it in this region."
Marketing Ploys
But some in the make-up industry have expressed skepticism about halal cosmetics, dismissing ideas such as Mandi's as marketing ploys that feed on the need of some for religiously-correct products.
"I feel it’s more about marketing," said Noura Hamdi, marketing manager at a Body Shop boutique in Dubai.
"We are not using any animal products in our products anyway," said Hamdi, adding that the alcohol contained in the cosmetics and skin-care products sold in her shop "is not pure alcohol."
"The customer is not going to drink it. It’s something to apply on your body or clothes so it’s not related to halal or haram or religion," Hamdi said. "The issue is not whether it’s halal or haram, it’s more about the benefits of the product."
But a senior cleric at the United Arab Emirates' Dar al-Iftaa, which issues fatwas, or religious edicts, disagreed.
"If any of the cosmetic products contained pig derivatives or alcohol they should not be used because this is contaminated and one does not want to apply contaminated (products) on one's body," said the cleric, who is not authorised to identify himself in his task in answering Muslims' queries by telephone.

Space shuttle Discovery lands in California

HOUSTON: NASA's space shuttle Discovery landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California at 5:53 pm local time (0053 GMT) on Friday.
The shuttle successfully made the steep descent -- at an angle seven times more acute than a commercial jet -- through thin cloud to runway 22 at the desert base.
Shortly after touchdown, NASA deployed teams of white-suited inspectors to scour the outside of the space craft to make sure it was undamaged and the astronauts could disembark safely.

World’s first floating wind turbine opens in Norway

OSLO: This is an important step towards creating a new Norwegian energy industry at sea. The project illustrates how we may benefit from the knowledge we have gained from our petroleum industry, to develop innovative technology concerning renewable resources.
Norway can play an important role in the utilization of renewable resources and more environmental friendly energy production in the years to come.
The turbine is fastened to the seabed 10 kilometres southwest of Karmøy. The project is a pilot of the StatoilHydro-developed concept – Hywind. StatoilHydro will test the Hywind pilot over a two-year period. The project opens up for the wind industry to capture wind energy within deep-water environments.
Offshore wind could develop into becoming a new Norwegian industry. The Government have proposed a new legislation on offshore renewable energy in June this year.
In addition to this we have through Enova and the Research Council of Norway, increased the allocations to development of new and innovative technology, says the Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Mr. Terje Riis-Johansen.
In the National Budget for 2009, the Government strengthened its emphasis on resource and development regarding renewable energy and carbon capture- and storage, by NOK 300 mill.

Fight terrorism jointly: Al-Sudais

MAKKAH/MADINAH: More than three million Muslim faithful attended juma, taraweeh and Qiyamullail prayers at the Two Holy Mosques on Friday as the imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah called for joint efforts to combat terrorism.
The Haram in Makkah overflowed with worshippers as tens of thousands of faithful had come to perform Umrah and attend special prayers seeking Lailat Al-Qadr, the night of power.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, accompanied by senior princes, ministers and officials, is in Makkah to spend the last 10 days of Ramadan in the vicinity of Haram.
The king has instructed government departments to mobilize their resources in the service of the guests of God who have come from different parts of the world to perform Umrah and spend the blessed days of Ramadan at the Two Holy Mosques.
Security and traffic departments have deployed more officers around the Two Holy Mosques to maintain law and order and ensure smooth flow of pilgrims. The Health Ministry has made precautionary measures to protect the health of pilgrims from contagious diseases such as swine flu.
Delivering his Friday sermon, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, imam of the Grand Mosque, urged the faithful to fear God in all walks of their lives. He also urged Muslims to make use of the blessings in the last 10 days of Ramadan by engaging in worship and righteous deeds. “It’s a great blessing of God that we have another opportunity to live in these most blessed days and nights of the year,” he said. “We have to thank God for this blessing by doing good deeds. Are we ready to do that?” the imam asked.
He explained how the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions spent the last 10 days of Ramadan. The Prophet used to stay inside the mosque throughout the last 10 days of the holy month, seeking Lailat Al-Qadr. “This night is called Lailat Al-Qadr considering its importance and greatness. It’s better than a thousand months.”
Al-Sudais also spoke about the importance of paying Zakah, the compulsory payment of a specific portion of a person’s wealth. Most Muslims pay their Zakah during Ramadan to maximize their reward.

Israel hits back at Lebanon after rocket fire

Israel fires back with 15 rockets at Lebanese village
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LEBANON: At least 15 Israeli rockets hit the southern Lebanese village of al-Qlaileh on Friday shortly after two rockets were fired from it towards Israel, a security official said.
Residents of northern Israel said they heard explosions but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
"Debris from at least one Katyusha rocket fired from south Lebanon were found in the area of the city of Nahariya and Kibbutz Gesher Aziv," a police official told AFP.
Public radio said the Israeli armed forces responded with artillery fire against the Lebanese village from which the rockets were fired.
In Lebanon, ambulances were rushed to the village from the port city of Tyre, nine kilometres (five miles) away.
It was the first time since February that rockets had been fired from Lebanon into Israel, raising tensions along a border that remains volatile three years after a war between the Jewish state and Hezbollah Islamist guerrillas in Lebanon.
Occasional salvoes since then have been blamed by Israeli, Lebanese and U.N. peacekeeping forces in the area largely on fringe militant groups rather than on Hezbollah, the Iranian- and Syrian-backed Shi'ite movement which remains a powerful force in Lebanon, especially in the south.
During Israel's offensive against Hamas Islamists in the Gaza Strip in January, Hezbollah denied responsibility for several rockets fired from Lebanon. Security officials have said small groups active among Palestinian refugees or with links to al Qaeda were more likely to have mounted the attacks.

Is sleeping in the same bed harming your relationship? How ’bout your health?

Have you ever been rudely awakened at 3 a.m. when your bed mate takes all the covers or rolls on top of you? How about trying to fall asleep while your partner snores like an asthmatic hog? According to sleep specialist Dr. Neil Stanley, couples should sleep separately for the good of their health and their relationship.
Dr. Stanley is quick to point out that couples suffer 50% more sleep disturbances when they share a bed and that historically, people are not actually meant to sleep beside one another.
The tradition of couples sharing a bed didn’t arise until the industrial revolution, when overcrowding and lack of space made it a necessity. According to Dr. Stanley, who sleeps separately from his wife, the marital bed was intended for sex, not sleep. He suggests more people consider this arrangement.
“We all know what it’s like to have a cuddle and then say ‘I’m going to sleep now’ and go to the opposite side of the bed. So why not just toddle off down the landing?”
According to the Stanley, who created Britain’s premier sleep laboratory at the University of Surrey, poor sleep that comes of bed sharing is linked to depression, strokes, lung disorders, heart disease, car accidents and even divorce.
A study conducted by Dr. Robert Meadows, of the University of Surrey, found that when couples share a bed and one of the partners moves, there is a 50% chance that the other will be disturbed as a result.
“People actually feel that they sleep better when they are with a partner but the evidence suggests otherwise,” says Dr. Meadows.
Despite these findings, couples remain reluctant to sleep separately, with only 8% of those in their 40s and 50s sleeping in different rooms. Perhaps separate beds in the same room might be a better idea, though even that may be a foreign concept in modern relationships.
“It’s about what makes you happy,” says Dr. Stanley. “If you’ve been sleeping together and you both sleep perfectly well, then don’t change, but don’t be afraid to do something different.”

Mobile phone menace in holy place

MAKKAH: It is the bounden duty of a Muslim to respect the marks of Islam and behave without violating the solemn atmosphere of the holy places. Some people, unfortunately forget that they are in the most holy place on earth, especially when they circumambulate around the Kaaba, talking on their mobile phones, discussing mundane matters or joking and laughing at the top of their voice while most others are engrossed in prayers is pure violation of the sanctity of the holy place.
Ahmad Alya, a pilgrim, told Arab News that the workers in the Grand Mosque should make it a point to stop anyone who commits deeds that violate the sanctity and tranquility of the holy precinct. “One day I saw a man, while performing tawaf (circumambulation), talking on his mobile phone in a high voice and laughing. Such deeds should not be tolerated,” he said.
Bara Salah, another pilgrim said, “The authorities should take steps to stop anyone speaking loudly and other actions that violate the sanctity of the Grand Mosque. I heard the man close to me discussing real estate prices on a cell phone. I told him to stop it and focus on the rites so that he did not disturb other pilgrims. His response was a blank look at me as he continued to talk on the phone.”
Salah, however, was more outraged by the fact that another man was talking on his cell phone while standing under the shadow of the Kaaba. There he was more concerned in conveying the message to the other party on the phone that he was presently in Makkah and he would meet him personally when he returns from Makkah to Jeddah. This imparting of the message was more important to him then praying and completing his tawaf to seek forgiveness. As if the use and abuse of cell phones in the holy precincts are not enough there are people more intent in recording their tawaf rather than completing the spiritual journey. There are people going round the Kaaba with another person recording it on a video camera, and then there are instances of two men meeting at any point of circumambulation and opening up a conversation until the end of their tawaf.
Makkah chief of the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Ghamdi, said while one has to be respectful and not raising one’s voice is a necessary part of the manners.
“A Muslim should be busy with his rituals and worships and keep away from any act that disrupts or diverts his attention,” he said, adding, “A man in his prayer should not look at his mobile to see who is calling him or his watch or do anything that diverts his attention from the act of worship. The same is the case with tawaf and saay (walking between Safa and Marwah). Uttering the name of God and supplications are the only permitted things while doing them. Talking with friends or family will only violate the veneration of the places of worship.”

US marks 8th anniversary of 9/11

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama led a moment of silence Friday to launch eighth anniversary commemorations of the September 11 attacks in 2001 when 3,000 people died in the world's deadliest terror strike.
At exactly 8:46 am (1246 GMT) when the first plane piloted by Al-Qaeda hijackers slammed into the North tower of New York's World Trade Center, Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama stood with heads bowed outside the White House.
On a rain-swept day so different than that crisp September morning eight years ago, ceremonies were also being held in New York, at the Pentagon and in a Pennsylvania field where a fourth plane crashed short of its target.
The solemn ceremonies were marred by a security scare in Washington after a Coast Guard training event on the Potomac River prompted unfounded reports that a suspicious boat had been fired on.
It was the first time that Obama, who was driving to work as a state senator in Illinois when he learned of the attacks on the radio, had led the national remembrance ceremonies as president.
At New York's Ground Zero, all that is left of the two huge towers that were toppled in wave of fire and debris by fuel-laden planes, volunteers read the names of the 2,752 people killed in the strike at the heart of US might.
Obama stepped out in front of the South Portico of the White House, with First Lady Michelle Obama, who was wearing a black dress.
After three chimes played by a US Marine in ceremonial dress, the first couple bowed their heads and observed the moment of silence, joined by around 150 members of the White House staff.
Obama raised his head, and put his hand over his heart as a Marine bugler played a haunting rendition of Taps, the military lament played over soldiers' graves.
Above, the huge American flag on top of the White House hung limply at half-mast. For hours before the ceremony, rain had sluiced Washington, but moments before Obama and the First Lady appeared the rain tapered off and they were able to stand bare-headed.
As soon as they returned to the White House, the deluge resumed.
The President later headed to the Pentagon to lay a wreath and make remarks at the spot where another hijacked airliner crashed, on a day which sent shock waves around the world and left a political legacy Obama is still trying to master.
One US cable news network, MSNBC, marked the anniversary by replaying the terrifying minute-by-minute video of the first moments of the attacks when planes hit the world Trade Center.
The Pentagon memorial is the only major official monument to the victims of the September 11 attacks, with plans for similar sites in New York and Pennsylvania held up in part by financial and legal wrangling.
In Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in an open field after passengers overwhelmed the hijackers, tributes begin Friday with a reading of victims' names.
Many believe the hijackers intended to crash the plane into the Congress building in Washington.
Prayer services and interfaith remembrances are scheduled throughout the day, with a candlelight "peace vigil" closing out the commemorations.
In a message carried on the front page of the New York Daily News, Obama declared "we are all New Yorkers" and that the attacks "will be forever seared in the consciousness of our nation."
The president wrote that his controversial and increasingly unpopular war in Afghanistan was part of his strategy "to take the fight to the extremists who attacked us on 9/11."
Washington, he said, was committed to preventing nuclear weapons proliferation and to ensuring that all "loose nuclear weapons" be accounted for and secured within four years.

Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a OBN.

Obama meets Abu Dhabi crown prince

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama met with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed at White House, the deputy supreme commander of the United Arab Emirates armed forces, the White House said.
The two "discussed ways to deepen the strong political, security and economic relationship" between the United States and the UAE, as well as ways to "bolster regional security, and advance Israeli-Arab peace efforts," the White House said in a statement on Thursday.
Obama and the Crown Prince also discussed civil nuclear cooperation, including the administration's support for the US-UAE Agreement for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation.

US to host UN nuke summit

WASHINGTON: The United States on Sept 24 will host a summit of UN Security Council member states on nuclear non-proliferation, the White House confirmed on Thursday.
President Barack Obama is to chair the meeting, which will be held alongside the UN General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York.
It will be the first time a US president leads such a summit and just the fifth in UN history that such a summit is being held, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters.
'We did ask for it, and are heading it,' Mr Gibbs said. The summit was first announced by the US ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice last month.
Ms Rice said at the time that the session would 'be focused on nuclear nonproliferation and nuclear disarmament broadly and not on any specific countries.' She said Mr Obama would preside over the special meeting a day after he is due to address the UN General Assembly session.

660 Chinese workers embrace Islam in KSA

MAKKAH: Six hundred and sixty Chinese nationals working on the Haramain train construction project have embraced Islam in a ceremony in Makkah.
Abdul Aziz Al-Khudhairi, Makkah Governorate Undersecretary, who witnessed the declaration of the shahada described the event as a “direct response to critics of the government for contracting Chinese company.”

“We received hundreds of letters opposing the signing of a contract with the Chinese company and demanding that Muslims be contracted,” Al-Khudhairi said. “Six hundred and sixty of them have now embraced Islam.

Now those who were calling for them to be dismissed are happy at their embracing Islam.

The numbers will also go up, as this is only the beginning, and represents around ten percent of the 5,000 working on the Haramain train.”

Al-Khudhairi demanded that “our conduct reflect the teachings of our religion and our words should match our deeds to have an effect on people”. “We must also respect human rights,” he added.

Meanwhile, as many as 2,722 people have embraced Islam at the Cooperative Office for Call, Guidance and Awareness of Communities in Al-Taif Governorate.
The Office’s Director General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Ibrahim Al-Sawat pointed out that the office has also distributed during that period 1,247,694 copies of the Holy Qur’an, religious books and pamphlets as well as 225, 901 religious cassettes.

Saudi Arabia best place to do business

RIYADH: The World Bank has ranked the Kingdom as the best place to do business in the entire Middle East and Arab world. The Kingdom is thus ahead of Bahrain (20th), the UAE (33rd) and Qatar (39th), according to the bank’s Annual “Doing Business” report released on Tuesday at a press conference held at the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) headquarters.
According to the report, Saudi Arabia is the 13th most competitive country in the world and is set to become one of the top 10 most competitive countries by 2010.
“Our economic reforms aim at making the Kingdom the most attractive destination for investment in the world,” Dr. Awwad Al-Awwad, deputy governor for Investment Affairs at SAGIA and president of the National Competitiveness Center (NCC), told newsmen. He invited foreign investors to learn more about the business environment in the Kingdom and to join the growing business community in Saudi Arabia.
“Saudi Arabia has shown significant improvements in the ‘Doing Business’ rankings over the past five years, leaping from 67th position in 2004 to 38th in 2006, 16th in 2007 and to the 13th this year,” Al-Awwad said.
He added that the Kingdom’s exceptional performance was the result of the vision of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah whose aim is to modernize the Saudi business environment and attract foreign investors.
The World Bank also ranked Saudi Arabia ahead of advanced economies such as Japan, Germany, France and Switzerland. While Saudi Arabia holds the lead position, improvements in the region generally indicate it is a global hot spot for major investors. The bank praised the Kingdom’s recent reforms which have resulted in the country achieving the higher rank. “These reforms made it easier to do business in Saudi Arabia by simplifying the process, reducing the time and the cost to start a business and obtain permits,” the report stated.
Explaining the steps taken for the development of the Kingdom’s economy, Al-Awwad said the NCC and the “10 x 10” initiative was due to the leadership of King Abdullah.
“Under the king’s leadership, Saudi Arabia aims to become one of the top 10 most competitive countries in the world by 2010,” he said and appreciated the cooperation extended by the members of the private and public sectors and Saudi investors toward the achievement of Kingdom’s economic goals. “Competitiveness drives economic growth and contributes to sustained prosperity, encouraging entrepreneurship and the creation of new jobs.”
Al-Awwad said that the World Bank report was a vital reference for governments, international development agencies, and the private sector to assess the regulatory framework and competitiveness of nations.
“Saudi Arabia’s increased competitiveness signals the ongoing development of a dynamic and diversified economy in the Kingdom.”
He said that measures were being taken with the help of the Supreme Judicial Council to accelerate the establishment of commercial courts in the Kingdom. “We hope that this will become a reality by the end of 2010.” He said that such courts would boost investors’ confidence and bring more investments to the Kingdom.