Woman goes into labour at polling station, names her newborn after presidential hopeful Shafiq The pregnant campaign representative was rushed to hospital after she went into labour at a polling station in Minya MENA, Wednesday 23 May 2012 A representative of presidential hopeful Ahmed Shafiq's campaign went into labour while she was observing the voting at a polling station in Minya. The mother, Kamelia El-Sayed Ibrahim, was quickly taken to hospital, where she gave birth to a boy. Ibrahim named her new born Shafiq, after the candidate she supports. . Short link: Continue reading →
Shakil Afridi, the Pakistani doctor who helped the CIA collect data that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden, was convicted of high treason today and sentenced to 33 years in prison. Given the severity of the sentence, it's worth considering a few of the people who the Pakistani justice system has not seen fit to put behind bars: Hafiz Saeed The head of a banned charity widely believed to be a front for the international terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba is wanted by both India and the United States for his alleged role in orchestrated the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The Lahore High Court dropped all charges against Saeed in 2009. Last month, the U.S. offered a $10 million reward for information leading to Saeed's arrest, ... Continue reading →
“Patriot of Persia: Muhammad Mossadegh and a Tragic Anglo-American Coup”by Christopher de BellaigueHarper, $14.99> Buy now from AmazonMuhammad Mossadegh was a difficult man to get along with. On his wedding night, meeting his strikingly beautiful bride for the first time, he expressed his displeasure at her heavy makeup. “Madam!” he said sternly. “What is this get-up? Go immediately and wash your face.”As Christopher de Bellaigue brilliantly depicts in this sweeping new biography, his interactions with fellow Iranians, and with the British and American diplomats seeking to persuade, cajole and ultimately out-muscle him, were just as prickly.Best known as the Iranian prime minister ousted in a British- and American-orchestrated coup in 1953, Mossadegh emerges here as a staunch nationalist. Bellaigue’s book is also a rich portrait ... Continue reading →