Islam

Religious Fatwa Condemns Terrorism

July 29, 2005 — Muslims living in the United States are launching a campaign against terrorism. Scholars are calling on all Muslims in America to help authorities fight the violence carried out by Islamic extremists. It is also an effort to end the perception that Islam is linked to terrorism. (sounds good) Click on the title for the full text of the Fatwa.

Police snipers participated in a raid in the Notting Hill section of London, where suspects in the failed July 21 bombings were thought to be hiding.

All Four Bombers Arrested?

LONDON, July 29 - Police in body armor, some wearing gas masks and dark ski masks and some toting automatic rifles, stormed two apartment houses in west London today and arrested three men in connection with the failed bombing attempts on London's transport network on July 21.

Shortly afterwards, the Italian interior minister in Rome said Italian police had arrested a Somali-born man with British citizenship, identified as Osman Hussain. A statement from the minister, Giuseppe Pisanu, said the man was "the fourth attacker of July 21 in London."

Almost 2,500 guests of NASA, including Laura Bush and Gov. Jeb Bush, cheered, whistled and clapped as the shuttle lifted off.

NASA Launches Discovery

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., July 26 - With a stuttering roar that shook the air for miles around, the shuttle Discovery lifted off this morning.
The launching, at 10:39:00 into a startlingly blue sky, is a milestone for NASA, which has struggled for two and a half years to find and fix the problems that caused the loss of the shuttle Columbia and its crew of seven astronauts in February 2003.

Senator Dianne Feinstein meets with President Bush's nominee for the Supreme Court, Judge John G. Roberts, on Capitol Hill.

Quarrel Brewing Over Judge Roberts Memos

WASHINGTON, July 25 - In a sign of a growing rift with Senate Democrats, the White House declined to say today whether it would release memorandums and other documents written by Judge John G. Roberts when he worked for the Reagan and earlier Bush administrations.

The lobby of the 176-room Ghazala Gardens hotel in Sharm's Naamah Bay, the main strip of hotels, collapsed into a pancaked pile of concrete.

The scene at a shop damaged by a bomb in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheik.

Terror Hits Egypt

One would think that terrorists would not want to strike in an Islamic country, but then again, terrorists don't really have any rules. Suicide bombers have struck a resort town in Egypt early Saturday morning killing at least 83. Sharm EL-Sheik, located in the Sinai penninsula on the Red Sea was rocked by a coordinated series of car bombs and another device that went off near a coffeeshop at around 1:15 in the morning. This is Egypt's deadliest terrorist attacks ever and the death toll is expected to rise. "A total of 83 people had been confirmed dead," said Dr. Saeed Abdel Fattah, manager of the Sharm el-Sheik International Hospital where the victims were taken. Among the dead were two Britons, two Germans and an Italian, he added. Rescue workers were still searching for victims at some of the attack scenes.

The Oval subway station in south London was one of three stations evacuated today.

Police and ambulances near the Shepherd's Bush underground station, one of three evacuated today.

British Police Evacuate 3 Subway Stations After Explosions

LONDON, July 21 - Just two weeks after a string of attacks on buses and subways in London that killed 56 people, the British police evacuated three subway stations in the city today after small explosions that sent commuters into a panic. But casualty numbers appeared to be low. The police said the Oval subway station in south London, Shepherd's Bush in the west and Warren Street in central London had been evacuated. There was also a small explosion on the No. 26 bus in the Hackney Road section that blew out the bus windows, police said.

A Charging Elephant

Hundreds of buses were dispatched to move tens of thousands of vacationers out of Cancun, Mexico

Emily Already Disturbing Vacations

CANCUN, Mexico (AP) -- A massive evacuation of tourists in one of the world's largest resorts began Sunday, with hundreds of buses dispatched to move tens of thousands of vacationers away from Hurricane Emily, heading for a direct hit on Mexico's coast.

Charges Filed Against Hussein for 1982 Massacre of Shiite Villagers

The Iraqi Special Tribunal set up to try Saddam Hussein said in a statement today that Mr. Hussein and three others will be referred to criminal court on charges related to the killings of about 150 Shiites in the Iraqi town of Dujail in 1982. The tribunal said that investigations into millions of documents and the questioning of thousands of witnesses have been completed, and that the trial related to the Dujail killings was one of several Mr. Hussein and his top aides are expected to face.

President Jacques Chirac, surrounded by Republican Guards, waves to the crowds lining the Champs Elysees

No One Cares About France

President Jacques Chirac celebrated Bastille Day yesterday by insisting that France had no need to "envy or copy" Britain.
Whether the point of comparison was food, health, education or science, France was in far better shape than its old rival, he said.

Well, the food in France definately overpowers English food (if there is such a thing), and their trains probably run a bit faster. Other than that, however, the French fail to even compare to Great Britain. I think Chirac is a bit egotistical.

Liftoff?

No Go For Launch... Discovery Waits...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., July 13 - In a frustrating setback just 2 hours and 20 minutes before liftoff, NASA postponed the flight of the space shuttle Discovery on Wednesday because of a malfunction in a fuel sensor that engineers thought they had fixed a month ago.

Hey, better safe than sorry.

Energy For Nukes

SEOUL, July 12 – South Korea announced today that it had offered to supply North Korea with a vast supply of electrical power, should the north agree to dismantle its nuclear-weapons program.
The United States, which had been cool to the South Korean proposal until now, plans to examine it with the intention of incorporating the idea into the broader offer that the United States made to North Korea last year as part of the six-nation nuclear disarmament negotiations, a senior administration official said.

However, I personally don't see North Korea giving up anything but a tantrum.

Dennis comes ashore

Dennis The Menace

PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) -- Hurricane Dennis came ashore on the Florida Panhandle and Alabama coast Sunday with a 120-mph fury of blinding squalls and crashing waves that followed in the ruinous footprints of Ivan just 10 months ago.
Dennis' eye came ashore at 3:25 p.m. EDT about midway between the Santa Rosa Island towns of Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach, according to forecasters at the National Hurricane Center. Navarre Beach is about 50 miles east of where Ivan crossed.

An officer helps a woman outside the Edgware Road subway station in London

Terror Hits London

LONDON, July 7 - London was struck by a series of at least seven separate and apparently coordinated terrorist explosions in subways and buses during the morning rush hour this morning. The explosions ripped apart at least one double-decker bus and caused officials to close and evacuate the entire subway system. It is still too early to determine more details however many are feared dead.

This will only help our resolve and dedication to spread freedom and stop terror.

...and the French cry

2012 Olympics set for London

SINGAPORE, July 6 - In a surprising upset over front-running Paris, London snatched away the 2012 Olympics today, capping a comeback in a bidding race it seemed nearly out of just a year ago. New York was eliminated in an earlier round of voting. What's funny is how Paris has now lost 3 bids since 1992. Here's a clue, France. Build. London is a better city anyways. (So is Beijing for that matter).

Satelite imagery of Cindy and Dennis

Cindy and Dennis Approach

The seasons third tropical storm, which swept out over the Gulf of Mexico's mid-80 degree waters Monday, is under development and headed north toward the U.S. coastline. Residents, already nervous over projections of an active hurricane season, may face a second tropical system, situated over the Caribbean and northwest bound in the next week as well. The active tropical weather threatens to contribute to the development of a dome of hot air over the nation's midsection beginning this weekend as air vented out the tops of these systems migrates north - then sinks, compresses and warms.

Fireworks over New York

Presidental Address

Today is a wonderful day to celebrate. On July 4, 1776, we claimed our independence from Britain and Democracy was born. Every day thousands leave their homeland to come to the "land of the free and the home of the brave" so they can begin their American Dream.The United States is truly a diverse nation made up of dynamic people. Each year on July 4, Americans celebrate that freedom and indepen-dence with barbecues, picnics, and family gatherings. Through the Internet we are learning about and communicating with people of different nations, with different languages and different races throughout the world. Bringing the world closer with understanding and knowledge can only benefit all nations.We invite all nations to celebrate with Americans online this Fourth of July. Happy Birthday, America!

Discovery poised for launch

After 2 Years, Shuttle Set For Launch

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., June 30 - NASA will return the shuttle Discovery to space in two weeks, after almost two and a half years on the ground since the loss of the shuttle Columbia, officials said Thursday. It's time to get back to work.

Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Justice O'Conner Retires

WASHINGTON (AP) - Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman on the Supreme Court and a swing vote on abortion as well as other contentious issues, announced her retirement Friday. A bruising Senate confirmation struggle loomed as President Bush pledged to name a successor quickly.
"It has been a great privilege indeed to have served as a member of the court for 24 terms," the 75-year-old justice wrote Bush in a one-paragraph resignation letter. "I will leave it with enormous respect for the integrity of the court and its role under our constitutional structure."
Little more than an hour later, Bush praised O'Connor as "a discerning and conscientious judge and a public servant of complete integrity." He said he would recommend a replacement who will "faithfully interpret" the laws.
O'Connor's announcement marked the first retirement in 11 years on an aging court. It came as a modest surprise, particularly since Chief Justice William Rehnquist has been the subject of retirement rumors for months. Rehnquist, 80 and ailing with thyroid cancer, has offered no hint as to his future plans.

Democrats, start your complaining....