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Blogger who insulted Islam nabbed in Facebook sting A mysterious blogger who set off an uproar in the Arab world by claiming he was God and hurling insults at the Prophet Muhammad is now behind bars — caught in a sting that used Facebook to track him down.The media in the Palestinian Authority, as in the Arab world in general, are largely government-controlled, driving dissenting voices to the relative freedom of the Internet. The blogger's arrest showed a willingness on the part of the Palestinian government to clamp down on freedom of speech on the Web as well. He now faces a potential life prison sentence on heresy charges for "insulting the divine essence." Many in this conservative Muslim town say that isn't enough, and suggested he should be killed for renouncing Islam. Even family members say he should remain behind bars for life. "He should be burned to death," said Abdul-Latif Dahoud, a 35-year-old Qalqiliya resident. The execution should take place in public "to be an example to others," he added.

ADL condemns Glenn Beck's Soros-Holocaust remarks The conservative pundit described Soros this week as a "Jewish boy helping send the Jews to the death camps."

2010 elections highlight Obama's eroding base Two years before voters render judgment on his tenure, Obama's most critical task may be winning back those who aren't affiliated with a party but who hold enormous sway in close contests. National exit polls from the midterm elections show these voters broke heavily for Republicans after helping elect Obama and Democrats in the two previous elections.The trouble with this constituency appears even deeper for Obama in places expected to be closely contested in the next White House race, according to an analysis by The Associated Press of exit polls in 26 states. It shows just how much ground Obama must make up with independents between now and November 2012.

Palin's TV series a stage for political future? The intent of the series is not clear — is she merely showing off a state she truly loves with off-the-cuff remarks, or are these the opinions of the paid Fox News consultant subtly laying the groundwork for a presidential bid? Of course, with a production of this magnitude, money also could be a powerful motivation. Palin, who could not be reached for comment, reportedly was seeking as much as $1.5 million per episode in pitching the show earlier this year, according to The Hollywood Reporter. TLC, a division of Discovery Communications, has refused to divulge Palin's cut from the series, which is produced by Mark Burnett of "Survivor" fame.

War orphans get first look at childhood records Akech and other Sudanese war orphans, known as the Lost Boys of Sudan, are starting to receive eight-page records that include their family histories, the names of people they traveled with on their flight from war, the names of those who died along the way, medical information and observations about their well-being and photographs of themselves. For many of the Lost Boys, the roughly 13,000 documents are the only record of their childhood and families, the photos the only ones taken of them as children.The records were a project by Radda Barnen, the Swedish branch of Save the Children International, and were meant to document the histories of the boys who arrived at the refugee camp without parents in hopes they could be reunited later.

Sri Lankan maid alleges nail torture in Jordan Sri Lanka is probing allegations that one of its nationals employed in Jordan was forced to swallow nails, in the third case involving alleged torture in three months, an official said Sunday. A housemaid identified as D. M. Chandima has told the Sri Lankan diplomatic mission in Amman that her employer forced her to swallow six nails, an official at the Foreign Employment Bureau of Sri Lanka said."We are awaiting a full report from doctors," the head of the bureau, Kingsley Ranawaka, said adding that the authorities would decide on the next steps after looking at the medical evidence.The report came as another Sri Lankan housemaid who had been working in Kuwait accused her employer of driving 14 wire nails into her body as punishment for failing in her work.

Italy: Re-branding tap water Italy’s most loyal buyers of bottled water live in Tuscany. So Florence’s water utility, Publiacqua, is trying to re-brand its own product. Publiacqua's new fountains provide Florentines with ultra-filtered water for free. The fountains can deliver about 80 gallons of water an hour and have an internal computer that monitors water quality and output. For the first time, the city is offering public water without a chlorine after taste.The eight fountains installed throughout the city pose dilemmas for locals: Should they favor the environment or their palate? Save money or save time?

Former navy chiefs urge U-turn on scrapping Ark Royal and Harrier fleet Admirals warn government that defence cuts to will leave Falklands at risk of Argentinian attack In a letter to the Times, the former commanders said the cuts would leave the oil-rich open to a fresh Argentinian attack "from which British prestige ... might never recover".Falkland Islands The signatories, who include former navy chief Lord West and admiral of the fleet Sir Julian Oswald also said they believed David Cameron had been badly advised before agreeing to the measures, which they said "practically invited" Argentina to attempt to inflict a national humiliation on the British on the scale of the loss of Singapore in 1942. But a spokesman for the Falklands government said it was not concerned that defence cuts would leave the islands vulnerable to attack. "The Falkland Islands government is satisfied and grateful for the levels of defence on the islands which are suitable to maintain an effective deterrent," a spokesman said.

Chinese mine in Afghanistan threatens ancient find The mine is the centerpiece of China's drive to invest in Afghanistan, a country trying to get its economy off the ground while still mired in war. Beijing's $3.5 billion stake in the mine — the largest foreign investment in Afghanistan by far — gets its foot in the door for future deals to exploit Afghanistan's largely untapped mineral wealth, including iron, gold and cobalt. The Afghan government stands to reap a potential $1.2 billion a year in revenues from the mine, as well as the creation of much-needed jobs. But Mes Aynak is caught between Afghanistan's hopes for the future and its history. Archaeologists are rushing to salvage what they can from a major seventh century B.C. religious site along the famed Silk Road connecting Asia and the Middle East. The ruins, including the monastery and domed shrines known as "stupas," will likely be largely destroyed once work at the mine begins. Hanging over the situation is the memory of the Buddhas of Bamiyan — statues towering up to 180 feet high in central Afghanistan that were dynamited to the ground in 2001 by the country's then-rulers, the Taliban, who considered them symbols of paganism.

Sen.-elect Rand Paul says Tea Party can work with Obama Paul, who won a Kentucky Senate seat with the help of small-government, anti-tax Tea Party activists, says he hasn't gotten a congratulatory call from Obama. Still, he seemed open to getting to know the president he has often criticized, as a way to forge bipartisanship. "I'd like his kids to meet my kids," Paul said today on CBS' Face the Nation.

Md. facility is nerve center of nation's weather satellite system The Wallops Command and Data Acquisition Station, located near Chincoteague Island, is a vital link in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's mission to provide accurate weather data to the nation

Maya pyramids pose acoustic riddle Why the ancient Maya abandoned these towering temples remains one of the big riddles of archaeology. But there is one other question: Why build them in the first place?"I think the pyramids were essentially echo machines, built to inspire spiritual feelings," says acoustics expert David Lubman, who will chair a meeting on the "archaeoacoustics" of Maya temples and other archaeological sites this Tuesday in Cancun.

On the trail of a terrorist The three-day siege of Mumbai left 166 dead and 308 wounded. Twenty-six of the dead were foreigners, including six Americans. The attacks inflamed tension between Pakistan and India at a time when the nuclear-armed foes were trying to improve their relationship. The repercussions complicated the U.S. battle against Islamic extremism in South Asia and thrust Lashkar into the global spotlight. Two years later, Mir and his victims are at the center of a wrenching national security dilemma confronting the Obama administration. The question, simply put, is whether the larger interests of the United States in maintaining good relations with Pakistan will permit Mir and other suspects to get away with one of the most devastating terrorist attacks in recent history.

White House Soul-searching After nearly two weeks of introspection, President Obama's top advisers have concluded that the "shellacking" Democrats took on Election Day was caused in large part by their own failure to live up to expectations set during the 2008 campaign, not merely the typical political cycles and poor messaging they pointed to at first. While the president has been on a trip to Asia for the past 10 days, all but a few of his top aides stayed behind to figure out what went so wrong and what to do about it. Wearing casual clothes and with the White House to themselves, they determined that the situation they face is serious and will take significant adjustments to reverse.

Coalition challenges GOP on earmarks Even before the new Congress is sworn in, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and an emboldened coalition of tea-party-backed senators are challenging the Republican Party establishment by reopening a long-simmering debate over congressional earmarks. GOP senators are planning an internal vote this week on a moratorium proposed by DeMint that would ban Republicans from passing earmarks - lawmakers' fiercely guarded practice of steering federal money to pet projects in their home states.

Human billboards are signs of the times We've all seen one: a person dressed in a costume near a busy street, waving to drivers and usually holding a sign promoting a deal at a pizza place, hair salon or even a tax service. Many of us have probably never done much more than smile or wave back, which makes a person wonder: Does this kind of advertising really work? Dan Hendrickson of Minneapolis wondered that as he drove by the guy holding an "early bird special" sign outside a Jiffy Lube in St. Paul, Minn. "Companies seem to be pulling out all the stops to attract business," he said. He hasn't pulled in to Jiffy Lube - out of loyalty to his regular mechanic - but, Hendrickson said, "it makes me root for businesses that try it."

Tea party groups divided on how to use newly won clout Now that the tea party has matured from a protest movement to a player on Capitol Hill, its grass-roots members are trying to make the transition along with it. But interviews and a Washington Post survey make clear that few in the movement agree on a legislative agenda beyond downsizing government. Even in that area, there are many views; some are demanding radical cuts, while others simply want better management of federal funds. For tea party activists, the range of opinion could complicate the task of harnessing the energy they created in the campaign. And for the GOP, it could make the challenge of managing the new members of their caucus more difficult.

GM stock offering attracts Chinese banks Among the banks helping General Motors with its initial public stock offering next week are two identified by initials only: ICBC and CICC.Americans uncomfortable with U.S. government ownership of General Motors may want to hear more: One of those banks is the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, one of China's four big central government banks. The other, China International Capital Corp., is a joint venture run primarily by Central Huijin Investment, an arm of the state, and Morgan Stanley. This is the first time Chinese government banks have participated in a major U.S.-issued IPO, according to IPO tracking firm Dealogic. The banks are listed as co-managers in the offering, meaning they will sell a portion of the new shares. Chinese automaker SAIC, GM's partner in China, is finalizing plans to buy about a 1 percent stake, worth about $500 million, in GM's IPO, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. SAIC is owned by the Shanghai city government. Other foreign investors that are interested include several sovereign wealth funds located in the Middle East and Asia. The Journal says those funds, which manage the finances of royal families and some nations, could invest $1 billion in GM's IPO.

Obama opposes permanent tax break for wealthy President Barack Obama will not go along with a permanent extension of tax cuts for the wealthiest, presidential adviser David Axelrod said on Sunday, without closing the door to a temporary continuation. Outspoken conservative Senate Republican Jim DeMint on Sunday sounded a conciliatory note in the divisive tax debate. Asked during an interview on "Fox News Sunday" if he could vote for a two- or three-year extension of all of the tax cuts, instead of making the breaks permanent, DeMint said: "If that's all we could get out of the president, then he is the president, so we'll work with him on that."

GM has orders for $60 billion in stock The landmark IPO will likely price around the top end of the $26 to $29 per share range and the full overallotment option -- additional shares underwriters can sell to help stabilize the stock after it begins trading -- will likely be exercised, three people familiar with the matter said. There is also "excess demand" for the $3 billion worth of preferred shares GM plans to sell, the sources said. The strong response also bodes well for upcoming initial public offerings by other auto industry companies that restructured in bankruptcy, such as Chrysler and auto parts suppliers Delphi and Visteon, analysts said.

Russia's spies must learn from betrayal: Medvedev The Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) is grappling with the network's betrayal by the head of Moscow's deep cover spying operations in the United States, one of Russia's most serious intelligence failures since the end of the Cold War. "There should be an internal investigation and lessons should be drawn," Medvedev told reporters at a briefing after the Group of 20 summit in Seoul.

 

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