Filed under: General

Looters pile into a store in London.

“We will liberate London, house (by) house, room (by) room, street (by) street, corner (by) corner, until we liberate London from the bad boys and the rats.”

While the bombastic diction may sound familiar, these are not the words of Libyan President Moammar Gadaffi who earlier this year proclaimed he wanted to “cleanse Libya house by house.” Instead, it is a somewhat sarcastic post by a Facebook user who calls himself "Syrian Prince."

He is part of a section of the Arab blogosphere satirizing the scenes of looting and mayhem coming out of the UK during this week's riots.

Some have tried to compare the violence in London and other UK cities with the discontent that sparked the Arab Spring, a number of parody Facebook pages have quickly sprung up to witheringly dismiss this analogy.

“Mr. Bean tell BBC, we are against any form (of) disorder, and I tell the whole world, we are all equal, and will stay with the queen (sic) forever,” reads a post written by the admin of the group on the “Britain is our country, and Elizabeth is our Queen” page.

Another poster on the "God, Britain, Freedom, and that is it" site identifying themselves with a picture of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, meanwhile writes: “Damascus viewed with concern the events taking place in London and calls on the British government to avoid violence against peaceful Almtazahrien and meet their legitimate demands and acts of reason and logic in dealing with the sons of the British people, eager for freedom.”

The posts seem to mock not only comparisons to the Arab protests but also the response of Arab leaders to the entire affair. Libya’s Prime Minister, al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmudi has claimed that the riots showed his UK counterpart David Cameron had “lost legitimacy” while Syria’s ambassador to the UK accused Cameron of “arrogance” and “hypocrisy” for calling UK rioters criminals but not extending the same language to those on the streets of Syria.

But while some posts use satire to what they see as political maneuvering, others poke fun at the archaic nature of British society and in particular the Royal Family. “William you are not one of us, take Harry and go away from here,” reads one entry while another states “the people want to topple the Queen.”

Posted by: CNN Arabic, Samya Ayish
Filed under: General

Lebanon's prime minister has said his government will support the United Nations-backed tribunal that is investigating the killing of a previous Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

"Whatever we can do from our side," Najib Mikati told CNN’s Richard Quest, "we are going to do it fully."

Hariri, a wealthy entrepreneur turned politician, died when his motorcade passed a bomb that exploded in Beirut on February 14, 2005.

Supporters say he was killed because of his opposition to Syrian influence in Lebanon. His death prompted mass protests that led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops who had been in Lebanon for nearly 30 years.

Read the full interview on CNN Arabic here.

Filed under: General •Hezbollah •Lebanon •Syria

A rabbi drinks a glass of fig alcohol at the 2010 pilgrimage to Derba, a Tunisian island

By Joe Sterling, CNN

(CNN) – The political tension bubbling across Tunisia, Libya and the rest of North Africa has forced the cancellation of an annual Jewish pilgrimage to a historic synagogue on the Tunisian island of Djerba.

Roger Bismuth, a leader in the Tunisian Jewish community, said the community is concerned about the possibility of disruptions amid the ferment in Tunisia and the warfare in nearby Libya.

"We are scared people will take the opportunity to do something," said Bismuth, leader of a community that endured a deadly 2002 al Qaeda truck bombing in Djerba. "It's irresponsible to do it."

The annual pilgrimage is always held around the Jewish holiday of Lag B'Omer, which comes this weekend, and it is centered on La Ghriba, a revered and iconic synagogue in the heart of the island. It was targeted in the 2002 attack, which killed 21 people, including German tourists.

According to legend, Jews came to Djerba after the destruction of the first temple in Jerusalem, destroyed in 586 BCE, and the synagogue has foundation stones from that edifice.

read the rest of the story here on CNN's Belief Blog

Posted by: Joe Sterling
Filed under: General •Judaism •Religion •Tunisia

Amal al-Sadah's passport, which a relative said was obtained for the purpose of marrying bin Laden in Afghanistan in 2000.

When 18-year-old Amal al-Sadah became the fifth wife of 43-year-old Osama bin Laden in 2000, she was "a quiet, polite, easygoing and confident teenager" who came from a big, conservative family in Yemen, a relative told CNN in an exclusive interview.

The relative, Ahmed, who knew al-Sadah growing up, said she came from a traditional family in Ibb, Yemen - established and respectable but certainly with no militant views paralleling the al Qaeda leader's terrorism.
The family had no connection to al Qaeda prior to the arranged marriage, Ahmed told CNN during an interview in Ibb on Friday.

While some accounts say a matchmaker put the couple together, the relative wasn't sure of that report, adding he heard many stories about how the two were betrothed. Read more...

Posted by: IME Producer
Filed under: General

Here write the text for the caption under the photo.

The mastermind of the worst terrorist attacks on American soil is dead, U.S. President Barack Obama announced late Sunday night, almost 10 years after the attacks that killed about 3,000 people.

Osama bin Laden - the founder and leader of al Qaeda - was killed by U.S. forces Sunday in a mansion in Abbottabad, north of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, along with other family members, a senior U.S. official told CNN.

In an address to the nation Sunday night, Obama called bin Laden's death "the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al Qaeda."

Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan," Obama said. "A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body."

A congressional source familiar with the operation confirmed that bin Laden was shot in the head. Read more..

Posted by: IME Producer
Filed under: General

Following in the footsteps of several other Republicans considering a presidential bid, Sarah Palin was in Jerusalem Monday to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and take in some local sight-seeing.  Media was not high on her list of priorities so we were only able to catch up with her at a hastily arranged photo-op at the Western Wall. No public word from her camp about this Telegraph report that says a visit to the West Bank city of Bethlehem was aborted at the last-minute for reasons unknown.

Filed under: General •Israel •Jerusalem •Netanyahu •Video

A young Libyan protester holds a sign with the Arabic writing the tyrant of Libya during an anti-government demonstration in the eastern Libyan town of Derna.

The Libyan capital was a ghost town Thursday morning, witnesses said, as anti-government protesters declared victory elsewhere after reportedly seizing control of the third largest city.

Misrata - also spelled as Misurata - is now in the hands of the opposition, who have driven out the mercenaries, according to witnesses and multiple media reports.

Witnesses and multiple reports also said that the town of Az Zintan was under opposition control.

The opposition also controls the second-largest city of Benghazi, where crowds cheered as international journalists drove through the city. The only shooting that could be heard was celebratory gunfire.

"When they saw us arrive, they just exploded with cheers and clapping, people saying "thank you, thank you" in English. Throwing candy and dates inside the car," CNN's Ben Wedeman told "AC360." <a href="The Libyan capital was a ghost town Thursday morning, witnesses said, as anti-government protesters declared victory elsewhere after reportedly seizing control of the third largest city.
Misrata - also spelled as Misurata - is now in the hands of the opposition, who have driven out the mercenaries, according to witnesses and multiple media reports.
Witnesses and multiple reports also said that the town of Az Zintan was under opposition control.
The opposition also controls the second-largest city of Benghazi, where crowds cheered as international journalists drove through the city. The only shooting that could be heard was celebratory gunfire.
"When they saw us arrive, they just exploded with cheers and clapping, people saying "thank you, thank you" in English. Throwing candy and dates inside the car," CNN's Ben Wedeman told "AC360." Read more...

Filed under: General

Flames rise from a gas pipeline attack in the Egyptian Sinai town of El Arish on February 5, 2011.

A pipeline that sends natural gas to Jordan was set on fire in the Egyptian Sinai town of El Arish on Saturday, and the suspected act of sabotage has forced its temporary closing, officials said.

Ghaleb Al Maabreh, head of Jordan's national electricity company, confirmed the closing. He said at least one week will be needed to fix it and the cost for the repair will be covered by Jordan.

Al Maabreh said the government will start using alternative sources that will cost it $4.2 million daily. It is able to provide itself with energy sources for the coming three weeks, he added.

Unless the pipe is repaired quickly, it could become a big problem for Jordan, a country already spending heavily in fuel subsidies, a Jordanian senior official said. Read more...

Posted by: IME Producer
Filed under: Egypt •General •Jordan

At.mosphere, the world's highest restaurant in the world's tallest building, is opening its doors in Dubai to diners who are looking for a little haute cuisine.

To get to the restaurant, dinners use the express elevator in the Burj Khalifa, which whisks them up to level 123, 442 meters or 1,350 feet high. You travel 10 meters per second so the trip takes just 57 seconds.

The menu is modern European grilled cuisine. Executive Chef Dwayne Cheer recommends the beef. "Definitely the beef," said Mr. Cheer, who has worked for more than 13 years in Michelin star restaurants.

Marc Dardenne, chief executive officer of Emaar Hospitality Group, which manages the outlet meanwhile recommends the fresh scallops or the lamb flown in directly from New Zealand. For dessert, the soufflé is "just outstanding," Mr. Dardenne said. The food is “all very light, you don’t put on weight.”

When asked if the check was on the lighter side, the answer was, “Hopefully we would like to create a special experience at that restaurant that people keep on coming back,” he said.

Reading between the lines, one might think: expect a pricey meal.

The main courses are all based on a "beautiful magic" oven, Mr. Cheer said. The Josper grill is a BBQ dual oven designed in Spain and fuelled by charcoal, not gas. Temperatures reach 700 degrees Celsius.

So it’s hot in the kitchen. And hopefully hot in the restaurant.

Designer Adam Tihany said he was aiming to “create the sexiest venue on the top of the world." He aimed to design a bar, restaurant and lounge in an iconic location and altitude in a way that diners can still feel comfortable, still feel “grounded.”

"It's an absolutely spectacular opportunity to do a project this iconic knowing that with the current economy there is not going to be competition for quite some time,” Mr. Tihany said. “We are going to be on the top of the world for a while. So it's a great feeling."

Mr. Tihany’s work on the restaurant is done, but the chef’s work is just beginning and he is nervous about the work ahead.

"The expectations are as high as the building," Cheer said. “It's a little bit nerve racking to be honest.”

Posted by: CNN Producer Jenifer Fenton
Filed under: Dubai •General •UAE