Of fingers and toes

A 22-year old man from Goa in India is proud of his 12 fingers and 14 toes.

2008 Olympics

The glittering opening ceremony of Beijing 2008 Olympics, on Friday night, 080808, inside the new National Stadium or Bird's Nest in the capital, was witnessed by more than 100,000 in the stands and by billions in China and around the world as it was live broadcast.

Captured

Former Bosnian Serb leader, Radovan Karadzic, took a false name and changed his looks, allowing him to live unrecognized in the Serbian capital until arrest, Tuesday, July 22, 2008. Karadzic was captured in disguise near Belgrade after 11 years on the run and had been working as a doctor.

Euro 2008

Spain finally ended their 44-year wait for a trophy when the first-half goal gave them 1-0 victory over Germany, Sunday 29/06/2008. The exquisite goal was delivered by Fernando Torres during the first half.

Cooling Tower

Friday, June 27 2008, North Korea, brought down a cooling tower at its Yongbyon nuclear reactor, a Soviet-era nuclear plant. The move was part of a process of dismantling the country's nuclear programme in return for easing its international isolation and creating a nuclear-free zone on the Korean peninsula.

Photojournalist

Mona Al Jeddawi is the first Saudi female photojournalist to work for a local newspaper in Jeddah. She entered the field of press photography by pure chance. She had 34 years practical photography as a hobby and then take up the profession seriously through her husband.

Submerged cars

Many vehicles, stranded in several feet of sea water at the Wakrah beach in Doha during a sudden surge of high tide. The vehicles belonging to picnickers, had been parked on the beach during low tide. Their owners were caught unawares by the high tide which whipped up by strong winds, engulfed their vehicles. They tried in vain to pull the vehicles away from the gushing tide but their vehicles drifted away.

A Stabbing Spree

A disturbed young Japanese auto worker who killed seven people on a stabbing spree in downtown Tokyo had posted dozens of warnings of what he was going to do on internet bulletin boards.

The assailant, 25-year-old Tomohiro Kato, is a graduate of a prestigious high school who went on to do manual work at an auto components factory. On Sunday he drove a rented two-tonne truck some 100 kilometers to Tokyo, swerving the vehicle into pedestrians before bursting out and stabbing at random with a survival knife. He wounded 17 people, seven of whom died before police overpowered him.

Albinos in danger

In Tanzania, albinos has a price for their pinkish skin. They are in danger of being hunted. Discrimination against albinos is a serious problem through out sub-Sahara Africa. Recently in Tanzania it has taken a wicked twist. At least 19 albinos including children, have been killed and mutilated in the past year being victims of a growing criminal trade in albinos body parts. As a matter of fact they believe albinos have magical powers. Officials from Tanzania say witch doctors are now marketing albinos skin, bones and hair as ingredients in portions that are promised to make people rich.

The killings go on and spread to neighbouring Kenya, where an albino woman was hacked to death, with her eyes, tounge and breasts gouged out. Witch doctors are also selling albino skin in Congo.

Arab Jewish Ambassador

Huda Nonoo of Arab Jewish is Bahrain ambassador to the US. Her appointment as ambassador in Washington is still waiting for the approval of the US government.
Huda, 43, will be the third woman ambassador from Bahrain after Shaikha Haya Bint Rashed Al Khalifa who served in France Bibi Al Alawi, the current ambassador to China.

Hebatkan ???

Bulan Mei lalu matan President RI Abdurrahman Wahid atau Gus Dur terima anugerah Medal of Valor dari Shimon Wresenthal Center (SWS) di US. Di samping itu beliau juga sama sama ikut merayakan hari kemerdekaan Israel ke 60. Dalam acara tersebut tokoh tokoh Zionis Amerika dan Israel juga turut serta termasuk Rabbi Marvin Hier ( dinobatkan oleh Newsweek sebagai Rabbi paling berpengaruh di US tahun 2007 ) dan Rabbi Abraham Cooper( Rabbi paling berpengaruh di US tahun 2008 )

detail ...

Ill Mannered

A copy of the Holy Quran was found riddled with bullet holes at a shooting range near Baghdad on May 11. The Quran had been peppered with 14 bullet holes and offensive language had been scrawled inside. An American soldier had used the holy book for shooting practice. This is an insult to the Islamic faith.

The soldier was disciplined and the REWARDS was ordered to leave Iraq and of course the military had made an apology so as to calm down the situation.

Royal Duty

The Royal Malay Regiment taking part in the changing of-the guards ceremony at Windsor Castle on Tuesday.

Ahmadiyya Sect

Hundreds of protesters in the town of Sukabumi in western Java have set fire to a mosque belonging to the minority Muslim Ahmadiyya sect.
The Ahmadiyya has around 200,000 followers in Indonesia and also faces persecution in other Muslim countries.The Ahmadis believe their own founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, who died in 1908 in India, was a prophet.

Train Crash

At least 66 people are dead and hundreds injured after a pre- dawn trains collision early Monday in eastern China.

Metal Theft

Metal thieves blacked out the entire state of Sabah, Malaysia, Monday 21, April, 2008. They removed steel pieces from a 132 KV transmission tower that led to its collapse triggering a major power blackout affecting 300,000 consumers.

Custom ....?

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani greeted US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Baghdad, Sunday April 20, 2008.

Putin denies extramarital affair

While Putin denied the rumours, he seemed to delight in projecting a new image to the world as a lady's man.
Putin 55, divorced his wife, Lyudmila, two months ago and planned to marry Alina Kabayeva, 24, a former champion rhythmic gymnast.
Kabayeva, who won a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Games, is now a member of the lower house of Russia's parliament from the pro-Kremlin party.

Metal Theft

In Saudi Arabia thieves dismantle steel support beams of high tension electricity pylons because of the lure for lucrative gains from the sale of the high price metal. The black market in scrap metal is a booming business nowadays, so much so that construction or public work sites are targets of metal thefts.

Saddam's Memory lives on

Five years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, his memory lives on through wrist watches as people in his home town and birth village seek reminder of a time of safety, jobs and cheap living.

Watches featuring an image of the former Iragi leader on the watches sell like hot cakes in his hometown of Tikrit.

No Heroe

Prince Harry returned to Britain on March 1, 2008 after his 10-week stint serving in Afghanistan was cut short by media disclosure of his secret deployment. Harry, soldier prince, third in line to the British throne, a second lieutenant, was withdrawn from his deployment after the once closely guarded secret became public.

His mission had previously gone undisclosed under an agreement between the Ministry of Defence and major news organizations designed to protect the 23-year-old prince and his fellow soldiers.

According to a report, Taliban intelligence knew of the prince's presence, despite the media blackout and its deputy commander, Mullah Abdul Karim, had received an urgent message from Taliban intelligence in late December or early January that "an important chicken" had joined British troops in his area of operations. Karim sent his men hunting for the prince. "He is our special enemy" he said. "Our first option was to capture him and the second to kill him"

At Last

The whirlwind courtship between President Nicolas Sarkozy of France and Carla Bruni has ended when both
of them got married on Saturday at the Elysee Palace.
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DIFC

The former Chief Judge of Malaya, Tan Seri Dato Siti Norma Yaakob, was appointed as one of the six new judges of the DIFC courts in Dubai. The new judges swore the oath in front of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai on January, 28, 2008.

Death of Hj.Muhammad Soeharto

The former President of Indonesia Soeharto, 86, died Sunday, 27 January 2008 of multiple organ failure at Pertamina Hospital after being treated at the hospital for more than three weeks. He was pronounced dead at 1.10 pm local time.
A week of national mourning was declared. The state funeral for former president of Indonesia at Astana Giri Bangun family mausoleum, Karanganyar, Central Java on Monday. Soeharto's wife, Indonesian royal, Siti Suhartinah, who died in 1996, was also buried at the same cemetery.

Freedom

Palestinian militants blew up part of the wall between Gaza and Egypt on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 and tens of thousands of Palestinians scrambled their way into Egypt to stock up on food and fuel in short supply due to an Israeli blockade.
Residents of the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah said a group of militants including members of Hamas, set off a series of explosions overnight, demolishing about 200 meters of the border wall.

Oldtime friends visit

Monday, 14 January, oldtime friend Dr.Mahathir Mohammad, former Prime Minister of Malaysia and wife Dr.Siti Hasmah visited the ailing Soeharto at Pertamina Central Hospital. They spent about 25 minutes with Soeharto.

Meanwhile Former Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, also visited Soeharto on Saturday.

In memory of Sir Edmund Hillary

Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, 88, died of heart failure last Friday. State funeral has been planned for January, 22, 2008.

In 1953, he at the age of 33 and Sherpa mountaineer, Sardar Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the 29,035 foot summit of Mount Everest.

Baghdad Rare Snowfall

Snow has fallen in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, for the first time in living memory, though it mostly melted into puddles on touching the ground.

Everyone in Baghdad is delighted because it is the first time that it snows in Baghdad.

Iran Snow Storms

Iran has had its heaviest snowfall in 40 years.

Soeharto's Health 50-50

The health of former Indonesian President Soeharto who was warded at Pertamina hospital in South Jakarta last Friday got worse on Tuesday. He was rushed to the hospital after suffering from anemia and low blood pressure due to heart, lung and kidney problems.

On sunday, doctors gave him a 50-50 chance of survival and gathered his family to warn them to be prepared for the worse.

Landslide

President Susilo Bambang Yodhoyono of Indonesia
visited a landslide affected area in a district near
Solo, Central Java province, Mon.December 31,2007.

Laid to Rest

Former Prime Minister of Pakistan,
Benazir Bhutto, who was slain after
an election campaign rally in
Rawalpindi was laid to rest at
the family mausoleum Friday,
December 28, 2007.

Saddam's Anniversary

Security forces in Iraq have been placed on alert on the first anniversary of the execution of former President Saddam Hussein.

Saddam Hussein loyalists gathered at the graveside on Sunday for the first anniversary of his execution. Dozens of Sunni Arab tribal leaders, clerics and students stood at Saddam's burial site in his birthplace of Awja in central Iraq, and read verses from the Quran.

Woman Killer or Killers ???

The image showed a
suspected gunman
(in sunglasses)
and suspected suicide
bomber (in white scarf)
near Benazir Bhutto's
vehicle in Rawalpindi.

The Thursday assassination of charismatic opposition leader Benazir Bhutto had cast many ?????. Meanwhile, a furious exchange of claims and counter-claims over responsibility for Benazir's assassination erupted between President Pervez Musharraf's government and Pakistan People's Party.

The interior ministry laid the blame solely on Al Qaeda and Taliban militants by pointing finger to a well-known commander from the country's tribal region of South Waziristan. The commander, Baitullah Mehsud, had denied that he or his forces had anything to do with the attack. Spokesman for Mehsud said, "It is against tribal tradition and custom to attack a woman."

Authorities initially said Benazir died from bullet wound. A surgeon who treated her later said the cause of her death was the impact from shrapnel on her skull. Another version of the incident, she was killed when the shockwaves from the bomb smashed her head into the sunroof as she tried to duck back inside the vehicle.

Successor

Bilawal Zardari, 19, the eldest son of the slain Pakistan opposition leader, the late Benazir Bhutto was appointed as chairman of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP). Bilawal's father, Asif Ali Zardari was named co-chairman.

The council of senior party leaders will also be formed to supervise the affairs of the party until Bilawal, who is currently studying at Oxford, is fully capable of handling the party affairs.

End of a Race

A horse as one of the favourites in a horse racing collapsed minutes before the race begin. The horse died of a suspected heart attack.

Personally Welcome

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia welcome Heads of States who recently performed the Hajj. The King welcome them personally at his palace. The welcoming ceremony was held on 11 Zulhijjah 1428/December 21, 2007. Among them was the Paramount Ruler of Malaysia.

Salons In Iraq

An Iraqi woman cuts hair and waxes eyebrows in secret from her living room because making women look pretty can get a person killed in her Sunni-dominated Baghdad neighbourhood.

Extremists who believe it is sinful for women to appear beautiful in public have forced many beauticians to move their trade underground.

Two years ago Sunni and Shiite militants began blowing up salons. They killed several hair stylists/beauticians and forced others into putting down their scissors and makeup brushes for good, all in an effort to stamp out what they view as the corruption spread of Western culture.

In the past year, most beauty salons in the Shiite-dominated southern city of Basra went underground, as they did in the Sunni-controlled neighbourhood of Dora in west Baghdad.

The latest attack on a salon was December 13, in the city of Mosul northwest of the capital. The gunmen stormed the home of a woman who was running a beauty parlor out of one room. They killed her. Last year, extremists blew up 42 year-old Umm Doha's beauty parlor in west Baghdad after she did not heed their warnings to close shop.

End of an Illustrious Dynasty

The assassination of Pakistan opposition leader, former prime minister and life chairperson of Pakistan Peoples Party, Benazir Bhutto had brought a tragic end to an illustrious dynasty in Pakistan.The mishap happened on Thursday, December 27, 2007 in a gun and bomb attack as she left an election campaign rally in the city of Rawalpindi. Benazir Bhutto, 54, died in hospital in Rawalpindi after being shot in the head.

Her tragic end resembles in many ways of the Kennedy's family in America. President John F.Kennedy was assassinated in the 60's and most of his family members met a violent death. Like the Nehru Gandhi family that has long been a force in the politics of India, saw the tragic death of Indira Gandhi who was killed by her guards when she was the prime minister of India. Her two sons Sanjay, who died in a plane crash in 1980 and later Rajiv, who died in a suicide attack in early 90s.

The late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged after a controversial supreme court judgment, and all his three children met violent deaths. Bhutto's two sons, Murtaza and Shahnawaz died prematurely too. Shahnawaz was the first to die after the death of his father when he was poisoned in France, allegedly by his Afghan wife. Murtaza was murdered in cold blood in a strange police shoot out near his house in Clifton on September 20, 1996. Benazir was then the prime minister but saw it happening helplessly. Murtaza's widow, Lebanon-born Ghinva lives with her daughter Fatima and son Zulfikar in the house which Murtaza had inherited from his father.

As a young girl, Benazir was brilliant public speaker and even conducted television programmes when he father was in power in the 70s. The programme on Pakistan's foreign policy was instant hit with the viewers for its critical expose.

Benazir Bhutto Assassinated

Yesterday, a former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto was assassinated by a suicide assailant and also detonated a bomb that killed himself and 20 others at an election rally campaign in Rawalpindi.

Earlier Benazir returned to Pakistan in the face of death threats from Islamist millitants. Within 24 hours of landing in Karachi on October 18, she narrowly ascaped with her life when two bombs were detonated near her motorcade, killing at least 130 people.

A Good Samaritan

A Muslim footballer by the name of Frederic Kanoute from Mali had saved the only mosque in southern Spanish city of Seville from closure. This good samaritan had paid 510,860 euros ($700,000) so that Muslims in Seville would not find themselves without a mosque. Kanoute, the striker of Spain's Seville FC had spent almost a year's salary to purchase the building before the privately owned mosque was due to be sold.

RM50 Banknote

Bank Negara Malaysia issued new design RM50 banknote to commemorate 50th Anniversary Independence of Malaysia. The new RM50 banknotes will be available through commercial banks on January 30, 2008 onwards. The existing series of the RM50 banknotes will continue to be legal tender and will be replaced in stages.

President plus Model

French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, 52 and Miss Carla Bruni Tedeschi, 39, ex-model was pkotographed together during a trip to Disneyland Paris. Their relationship begun two months after the French president divorced his wife, Cecilia.

Pilgrimage

The season of Hajj is approaching. Most Muslims are yearning for this blessed journey and gaining its great reward of having one's sins forgiven and coming closer to Allah.

Prospective pilgrims who are chosen as guests of Allah have to prepare themselves for this blessed journey by doing more good deeds, asking Allah for forgiveness, and avoiding bad deeds and anything that may harm their Hajj. They have to supplicate Allah to grant them Hajj mabrur (the one accepted by Allah) and to accept their good deeds.

The Hajj is a religious obligation and one of the five pillars or central duties of Islam. It is a set of acts of worship to be performed in and around Makkah at least once in a lifetime by every Muslim satisfying certain conditions. There are three types of Hajj, ifrad, qiran and tamattu'.