[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] A Cairo family court has recently approved a divorce case initiated by an Egyptian woman who claimed her husband continuously asked her to look like U.S. reality star Kim Kardashian or Lebanese diva Haifa Wehbe.
The wife, Rahma, secured a divorce from her husband using Khula, an aspect of Shariah law which enables women to get divorced in exchange for the dowry paid by the husband, Egyptian news website Masrawy reported on Tuesday.
While winning a Khula case is uncommon, the court granted Rahma the divorce.
"He cheated on me for no reason. I work and I have a two-year-old child. I did not deprive him of his legal rights, but he wants me to look like Haifa Wehbe and Kim Kardashian, and I am not like these artificial dolls," she told the court.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/18/2014 13:25 ||
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#1
Is the woman in front of the Range Rover the wife or Kim Kardashian?
[AnNahar] Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... will continue massive public spending despite a 50 percent drop in the price of oil which provides the bulk of the kingdom's revenue, the finance minister said Wednesday.
Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al-Assaf commented after completing the 2015 budget, which will be presented to cabinet "in the near future", the official Saudi Press Agency said.
Financial analysts expect the budget to be approved as early as next Monday.
The kingdom is the largest economy in the Arab world, and OPEC's biggest crude producer.
Assaf said the budget comes during "challenging" global economic conditions but surpluses and reserves built over many years have given it "depth and a line of defense that come in handy in times of need".
He said this policy will continue, enabling the government "to implement massive social projects" in health, education, social services and development as well as state security.
This spending, combined with private sector activity, is expected to bring positive economic growth, he said, without giving a figure.
Crude prices have fallen to multi-year lows since June in the face of a global supply glut and slower growth in demand.
Prices have plunged even further since last month, when the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries decided against cutting production.
On Wednesday, U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude for January delivery sank a further $1.16 in afternoon Asian trade, to $54.77.
#1
That's OK. They have bales of money they've been using as insulation, and if things get tight, maybe they can sell a few hundred politicians.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
12/18/2014 7:38 Comments ||
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#2
This has been a known for decades. After the '73 gas crisis SA has been spending hand over fist. That's one reason that there have been no serious disruptions in the oil market since then.
SA needs the stability to keep the population from going full ISIS so the money tap has to stay open.
[AyPee] WASHINGTON (AP) — For over half a century, the U.S. government's schemes to overthrow the Castro government were, if not successful, always creative: the poisonous cigars, the exploding seashell, the secret Twitter-like service in Cuba. No mention of the arrival of Russian missiles in 1962, the Crisis de Octubre, or the half-century of Cuban communist led Central American destabilization. President Champ said Wednesday the U.S. will re-establish diplomatic ties with Cuba and bring change to the longstanding trade embargo. But it was unclear if all secret operations would cease. They [secret opns] must first be declassified chronicled, then leaked sold to Hollywood.
Disclosures by The Associated Press this year revealed how the U.S. Agency for International Development continued Washington's stealthy pro-communist democracy-promotion work as some lawmakers and others pressed for a return to normalcy with Cuba. With Champ to the rescue, some 50 Years of American Imperialist evil revealed and 'good will' returned for our island nation community of colour friends. Let's have a big round of applause for AyPee and our MSM friends. I am sure this will be the first of many informative, anti-gringo articles to follow.
Peace talks between the Ukrainian government and the Donbas rebels are tentatively scheduled to begin Sunday, according to Russian language news accounts.
Both Ukrainian president Piotr Poroshenko and Donetsk president Aleksandr Zakharcheko have separately announced the talks, which were originally set to begin last December 9th.
The talks, a resumption of the Mink Peace Accords, are supposed to deal with the most difficult issues of disarmament and the political status of the two breakaway republics, Lugansk and Donetsk.
Some of the preliminaries are to be held via video conferencing slated to start today and run through Friday.
According to a report posted in vesti-ukr.com, Zacharchenko has stated the meeting would take place, but that an agenda had not been agreed to.
Wednesday Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov stated that one of the reasons the start of the next round was delayed was because representatives of Lugansk and Donetsk want to quickly resolve the issue of economics.
Poroshenko in recent weeks has imposed an "economic blockade" of the region and has shut off normal activities such as payments for pensioners, an act Russian president Vladimir Putin characterized as incomprehensible. The weather in southeastern Ukraine is cold and most non combatants are facing severe shortages in food, water and power.
As of now, the two nascent republics are paying the pensioners.
Economics are a issue of contention among militia groups, commanders and local politicians. Earlier in December, Cossack military units sympathetic to the rebels started shelling rebel units from Lugansk after it was discovered the Lugansk government was trading coal with the Ukrainians. As a result, a top commander, Ataman Kozitsin was recalled back to Russia.
News still circulates in Russia, however, that Kosityn was replaced because he became "too independence minded".
Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues for Rantburg.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com. You can read past articles about the 2014 war in southeastern Ukraina by clicking here.
[AnNahar] Russia's finance ministry is selling its foreign currency to support the ruble, a spokeswoman told AFP on Wednesday.
"The finance ministry considers the ruble extremely undervalued and is starting to sell its left-over currency on the market," spokeswoman Svetlana Nikitina said. She did not give details of the amount.
The ruble rose in value after the announcement by the ministry to 81.61 to the euro and 65.15 rubles per dollar.
"We'll do it for as long as it is needed," deputy finance minister Alexei Moiseyev was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.
The finance ministry said it has around $7 billion at its disposal to prop up the currency. It was not going to crack open a rainy day fund.
The intervention by the finance ministry comes after Russia's central bank has spent more than $10 billion from its currency reserves to prop up the ruble since the start of the month.
At an emergency meeting on Tuesday the Russian government came up with a list of measures to stabilise the situation, economy minister Alexei Ulyukayev said.
#1
Why can't they simply print more, force it on the banks through a mysterious, non-governmental third party, and then borrow it back from the banks at a ridiculously low rate of interest ?
This way you control the banks, borrow money at very low rates, and discourage pesky, private citizen competition from thrifty investors who wish to earn money in FDIC insured bank deposits. Forcing investors to play 'big-lotto' in the stock market [where politicians get inside trading info.... legally] provides much more opportunity to relieve them of their hard earned IRA/401k money. Of course they could opt to keep it under the bed, it will only lose about five to seven percent per year there. What an amazing circus, no ?
#2
Why can't they simply print more, force it on the banks through a mysterious, non-governmental third party, and then borrow it back from the banks at a ridiculously low rate of interest?
Because they are a central-planning society, ruled by a dictator surrounded by a bunch of semi-illiterate (in particular, economically) sycophants?
#2
Actually the viodeo tells Russians teel not to drink with "Mongholids" (yellow skin, slanted eyes) no for racist reasons but because it ios bad for the Yellows
In fact from distant memories Caucasians have developped a gene allowing them to assimilate alcohol. Apparently some other groups don't have this gene so acohom has a greater effect on them. Don't remember if "Yellows" are one of these groups. Could be the reason alcohol had so devastating effect on American Indians.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French, German and Ukrainian counterparts agreed in a phone call early Wednesday that they wanted talks between Kiev, Moscow and militants controlling parts of eastern Ukraine to resume as soon as possible.
In a statement, the Kremlin said that the leaders "continued discussion of the crisis situation in Ukraine" and emphasized the "necessity of a stable ceasefire" in eastern Ukraine.
The Kremlin noted "the importance of holding a meeting of the contact group as soon as possible in the interests of carrying out the Minsk pact," referring to a peace deal reached in September. The so-called trilateral contact group includes representatives from the separatist side, Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE.
The leaders agreed to "continue telephone contacts in the near future," the statement said.
#1
Vlad has decided, in light of other events, that Ukraine is a drag on things. Just don't mention Crimea.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
12/18/2014 7:58 Comments ||
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AFAICS Darth Vlad is still interested in East Ukraine separatism only to the extent of ensuring that Russia-n-only-Russia controls the Land-Air-Sea corridors to the Crimea, in order to protect Russia's ability to project power + protect "Slavya" = Russia, Eastern Europe from any Hard Boy threats.
Outside of that, Vlad does not appear to be interested in taking back the rest of Ukraine for Russia. Vlad is also interested in using the Ukraine + new BFF Germany as a medium for influencing/pressuring NATO-EU.
* FYI WAFF [Daily Sabah] THINGS ARE HEATING UP BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE WEST: RUSSIA [Putin] STEPS UP MILITARY PRESENCE IN KALININGRAD. i.e. Russia's enclave = "Russia's GITMO" in Europe.
VERSUS
* RIA NOVOSTI/SPUTNIK NEWS > "UKRAINE MUST CREATE ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL ARMIES": [Ukraine NatSec] SECURITY COUNCIL.
IMO ostensibly so that SSSSSHHHH ...PCCCCC ex-Templar/Teutonic, ex-Prussian, ex-Nazi, NUKE-WANNABE MERKELIAN OR POST-MERKELIAN GERMANY DOES NOT???
[AnNahar] Turkey's currency the lira hit a new record low on Tuesday as investors moved out of emerging markets amid the collapse of the Russian ruble and fretted over the impact of raids against Turkish opposition media.
Less money for Erdogan to lavish on his pet Salafist jihadis.
The lira hit a record low in value of 2.41 lira to the dollar, worse than Monday's record low in value of 2.39 lira to the dollar. It subsequently recovered a little to trade at 2.37 lira to the dollar.
Against the euro, the currency struck a low in value of 3.03 lira to the euro, breaking through the crucial 3.0 barrier before recovering to 2.98 lira to the euro.
The currency has now slumped past lows seen in late January when the country was on the verge of a full scale currency crisis before the central bank intervened with an emergency rate hike.
The arrests of over two dozen journalists, television producers and police on Sunday rattled markets already concerned about Turkey's exposure to emerging market weakness linked to the embattled Russian ruble.
Sentiment on the lira turned negative on Monday when Erdogan gave a combative speech blasting the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... for criticizing the arrests.
The slide of the Russian ruble -- despite an emergency rate hike -- has added to concerns about the economic health of top emerging markets.
#4
I am as anti-Obama as is humanly possible. With that said, America's bullying stand toward Cuba has been outright insane for the past two generations. Cuba is not a "threat" to the US, and the "Cuba lobby" in Florida needs to face reality and move on. I'm with the idiot on this one. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while.
[Ynet] With little fanfare to mark a rare bipartisan achievement, President Barack Obama on Tuesday signed a massive, $1.1 trillion spending bill that keeps the federal government operating over the next nine months.
The legislation was a compromise that angered liberals and conservatives alike but avoided a government shutdown and put off partisan clashes over immigration to next year.
It was one of the last acts of Congress under the current Republican House and Democratic-controlled Senate. In January, the new Congress will return with Republicans in charge of both chambers.
#2
That he signed it, with no fanfare or comment, knowing it contained the single exception to full annual funding being DHS and the obvious intent to fight his Amnesty actions in the new Congress, tells you all you need to know about what is actually important to Champ. He wants the fight, sees it both as a political advantage to the democrat party, although that is only of marginal real concern to him, but it allows him to sustain the thing that is important to him, being at the center of the national discussion of a topic that is hugely devisive by design. It is abundantly clear that this man hates white America, hates the basic tenants of the Republic, is determined to import a brown populace, in thrall to government and income redistribution, and politically to build a permanent one party rule in America based on racial animus and confiscatory policies to end "white privilege". In his only hones statement of personal philosophy, he told us he was going to be a transformational President. That it was an utterly destructive transformational plan was dimly seen by a few on the right, but for the masses of voters transfixed by "feeling good" in the election of a black man with little honestly defined pedigree, it wasn't obvious what a suicide pact that they were joining. The whirlwind is arriving, and more and more is coming, both before and after he leaves office.
What he actually wants is the adoration, the money, and the centrality his words and actions bring. The fundraisers were and are as much about the stroking of a badly flawed ego and the basking in the attention as they were about the platitudes he mouthed on the teleprompter.
#3
The Bammer has signed the UKraine Freedom Act aka Ukraine Aid Bill ...
* RUSSIA TODAY > OBAMA SIGNS RUSSIA SANCTIONS BILL, BUT WON'T USE IT FOR NOW.
* RELATED WAFF > [Daily Sabah] OBAMA SIGNS RUSSIA SANCTIONS BILL WIDOUT IMPOSING NEW PENALTIES.
Again, a collapsed or heavily destablized Russia only benefits the Hard Boyz + Global Jihad = desired OWG/Global Caliphate.
Besides keeping Iran's [Middle East Muslim NUkes-WMDS] + Pakistan's Nukes away for Radical Islam, the US now has Russia's, China's, + India's arsenals to worry about.
In addition to ...
* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > VIDEO: MEXICO'S MUSLIMS.
Islam slowly but surely gaining more converts in Mexico + South American countries vee traditional Catholicism or even Protestantism.
* SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST > MALAY MUSLIMS FLEE COUNTRY AS FUNDAMENTALISM [+ Malay Govt-led Authoritarianism = anti-Islamist Counter-response?] TAKES HOLD.
New Delhi: In a major boost to indigenisation of defence manufacturing, India's first nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed submarine INS Arihant was on Monday flagged off by the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar from Vizag for sea trials.
According to the Naval sources, INS Arihant kick-started its maiden sea trial from the Shipbuilding Centre, Visakhapatnam today. Huge preparations were done to ensure a smooth sail out for the 6,000-tonne nuclear powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN).
Posted by: John Frum ||
12/18/2014 07:27 ||
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Posted by: John Frum ||
12/18/2014 7:37 Comments ||
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After all the probs or incidents this ship has had just in pierside or drydock, keep your fingers crossed + pray it doesn't sink or catch fire at sea during the trials.
Dot 9.30 am, India's first experimental flight GSLV Mark III took off successfully from the second launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, in Sriharikota on Thursday. Also known as LVM3/CARE, this suborbital experimental mission was intended to test the vehicle performance during the critical atmospheric phase of its flight and this carried passive (non functional) cryogenic upper stage.
"Everything went off as expected. This new launch vehicle performed very well and is a great success. We had an unmanned crew module to understand re-entry characteristics. That also went off successfully and it has touched down in the Bay of Bengal," said ISRO’s chief K. Radhakrishnan.
In exactly about five and half minutes after taking off, the vehicle carried its payload — the 3775 kg crew module Atmospheric Re-entry experiment (CARE) — to the intended height of 126 km.
Two massive S-200 solid strap-on boosters, each carrying 207 tonnes of solid propellants, ignited at the vehicle lift off and after functioning normally, separated 153.5 seconds later. L110 liquid stage ignited 120 seconds after lift off, while S200s were still functioning for the next 204.6 seconds.
CARE separated from the passive C25 cryogenic upper stage of GSLV Mark III 330.8 seconds after lift off and began its guided descent for atmospheric re-entry. The CARE module landed over Andaman Sea about 1,600 km from Sriharikota, this was the finishing line.
Following this the CARE separated from the upper stage of GSLV Mark III and re-entered the atmosphere and safely landed over Bay of Bengal with the help of its parachutes about 20 minutes 43 second after lift off.
"As it made it's way back into our atmosphere the parachutes that brought it down really worked well and we are pleased with the performance. This is a step towards manned space flight as the module that has been designed to carry astronauts has touched down safely. The coast guard ships that were 100 km away from the touchdown point lost sight of it briefly, but the module continued to communicate it's location to us," said Unnikrishnan Nair, the man behind the Manned Space Flight mission.
With today’s successful launch, the vehicle has moved a step closer to its first development flight with the functional C25 cryogenic stage. “The payload capabilities that we can now handle have been significantly enhanced. After the success of the dummy stage cry engine tested in this rocket, we will have greater confidence to put the cryogenic engine in it within 2 years," said S. Somanath, Mission Director of LVM-3.
Posted by: John Frum ||
12/18/2014 07:25 ||
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Posted by: John Frum ||
12/18/2014 7:41 Comments ||
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http://youtu.be/pD0RtxuGxug
Launch Video
Launch at 25 min
Posted by: John Frum ||
12/18/2014 7:50 Comments ||
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[IsraelTimes] In a pattern that is becoming disturbingly common, the server hack that has nearly ruined the business of Sony Pictures was used at least twice in the past, according to an Israeli cybersecurity expert.
“There is much similarity, both in code and methods, between the malware that hit Sony — Trojan Destover\BKDR_WIPALL.A — and two other data-erasing malware — Disttrack\Shamoon — that hit Saudi company ARAMCO in 2012, and the DarkSeoul attack on South Korean banks and TV broadcasters in 2013,” Sariel Moshe of Israeli cyber-security firm CyActive wrote in a blog post.
“Even in such damaging scenarios, the cyber attacker’s tools are reused. For them, if it worked once, tweak it a bit and it will work again. The attack on Sony demonstrates quite clearly that this method works quite well.”
Continued on Page 49
#2
the rest of the folks outside of Hollywood really don't care.
This type of attack (especially the data erasing parts) can be used on other types of companies as well. If you don't care about these types of attacks, you should.
Al
Posted by: frozen al ||
12/18/2014 12:06 Comments ||
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#3
Pity. Was kind of hoping that NK had revealed a military capability in order to protect dear leader's poor little feelings.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French, German and Ukrainian counterparts agreed in a phone call early Wednesday that they wanted talks between Kiev, Moscow and militants controlling parts of eastern Ukraine to resume as soon as possible.
