TOP 100 NEWS SITES
| |||
|
| |||
| |||
|
| |||
| Spinvox bought by Nuance for £64m Voice-to-text company Spinvox has been bought by speech recognition firm Nuance. news.bbc.co.uk |
Spy links with CIA suicide bomber are problem for Jordan Kingdom's intelligence service was 'running' al-Qaida triple agent who killed seven CIA officers and his own handlerJordan is showing signs of deep embarrassment at revelations about the role of its intelligence service in "running" the al-Qaida triple agent who killed seven CIA officers and his own handler in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan last week.Last weekend, King Abdullah and his wife Rania attended the funeral of Captain Ali bin Zeid, the case officer for the Jordanian jihadi who blew himself up and triggered a huge row about the failures of US espionage operations.But officials in Amman and the state-controlled media have refused to confirm details of the case as reported in the US media and by al-Jazeera.The suicide bomber, Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, has been described simply as an "informant" whose intelligence was shared with "friendly countries". Balawi's family have been ordered not to speak to the media about the case.US and Arab reports say Balawi was asked to provide information about Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaida's Egyptian second-in-command and a prime US target. Former CIA men have expressed astonishment that he was allowed to enter the Khost base without being searched.Bin Zeid, a distant relative of the royal family, is described officially as part of a previously unknown Jordanian "humanitarian mission" in Afghanistan, which Islamist opposition groups were quick to attack as illegal. No mention has been made of co-operation with the CIA.Amman claims that Balawi was simply an informant rather than a trusted agent run by Jordan's General Intelligence Department (known as the Mukhabarat) – an apparent effort to limit the damage caused by this affair.It is no secret that Jordan, the most pro-western country in the Arab world, co-operates with western intelligence operations.The Mukhabarat is sometimes compared to Israel's Mossad and has a reputation for ruthlessness that has brought criticism from human rights groups.The agency became a big player in the post-9/11 effort by the CIA to penetrate jihadist groups.Its best-known coup was providing the information for the US missile strike that killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian who became leader of al-Qaida in Iraq and who was responsible for the videotaped beheadings of hostages including Briton Ken Bigley.Cooperation intensified in 2005, when three al-Qaida suicide bombers slaughtered 60 people, many of them wedding guests, in attacks on Amman hotels. Jordanian intelligence officers have worked with their US counterparts interrogating suspected terrorists and have co-operated with renditions from Guantánamo Bay.CIA officers are stationed inside the Mukhabarat's Amman HQ. The discreet relations between the CIA and Jordan are familiar to intelligence aficionados but were not widely known – until now. "The CIA connection … has now been put out in the public sphere for all to see – especially the Arab street," commentedwroteJordanMiddle EastCIAUnited StatesUS foreign policyIan Blackguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
The government's secret prayers | Leo Hickman A centuries-old ritual still takes place in the Houses of Parliament, behind closed doors – prayingThere's a ritual that takes place every day at the Houses of Parliament which is said to have been common practice since 1567. Not that many outsiders would know about it, though, because it is conducted behind closed doors out of view of the public.Before every session in both the Lords and the Commons, members stand, turn to face the wall behind them, and pray. Attendance is voluntary, but only Christian prayers are ever read out. This is the form of the Commons's main prayer, as read aloud by the speaker's chaplain:Lord, the God of righteousness and truth, grant to our Queen and her government, to Members of Parliament and all in positions of responsibility, the guidance of your Spirit. May they never lead the nation wrongly through love of power, desire to please, or unworthy ideals but laying aside all private interests and prejudices keep in mind their responsibility to seek to improve the condition of all mankind; so may your kingdom come and your name be hallowed. Amen.The Houses of Parliament even has its very own, specially adapted Lord's Prayer. In particular, it asks that the royal family be blessed with "heavenly goods":O Lord our heavenly Father, high and mighty, King of kings, Lord of lords, the only Ruler of princes, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers upon earth; most heartily we beseech thee with thy favour to behold our most Gracious Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth; and so replenish her with the grace of thy Holy Spirit, that she may always incline to thy will, and walk in thy way: Endue her plenteously with heavenly gifts; grant her in health and wealth long to live; strengthen her that she may vanquish and overcome all her enemies; and finally after this life she may attain everlasting joy and felicity, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Almighty God, the Fountain of all Goodness, We humbly beseech thee to bless Philip Duke of Edinburgh, Charles Prince of Wales and all the Royal Family: Endue them with thy Holy Spirit; enrich them with thy Heavenly Grace; prosper them with all happiness; and bring them to thine everlasting kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Comment is Free readers who see themselves both as republicans (the "down with monarchy" sort, rather than those who adore Sarah Palin) and atheists are probably beginning to feel pretty uncomfortable right now. In this day and age, do our parliamentarians really still need to perform this ritual? Personally, it's not my cup of tea either, but I see it as nothing more than a rather quaint bit of living history. In my view, the fact that it's voluntary and not conducted in sight of the public completely dissipates the need to take any possible offence that religion is still being intertwined with our state apparatus.But things become a little harder to ignore when you examine the role religious rituals can still play in local government. A controversy is currently afoot at Helston town council in Cornwall because Pat Woodhouse, a member of public who says she's considering standing for a seat, has criticised the town council for holding "Christian-only" prayers at the beginning of each public meeting. The distinction between this situation and what happens at the Houses of Parliament seems to be that the prayers are conducted when members of the public are in attendance. Woodhouse is arguing that if prayers must take place then they should at least reflect other religions, too."Let's face it, we are supposed to be politically correct now," she is reported as saying in the West Briton, the local paper. "If anyone really took offence they could criticise the council. It isn't right … With respect to the reverend who opens the meeting with a prayer, is it politically correct to only have Christian prayers at the beginning of the meeting?"Paul Phillips, the former mayor of Helston, isn't best pleased by her remarks and has hit back: "I don't know if Helston councillors have any other beliefs [than Christianity]. I think [her comment] is disgraceful. This country fought two world wars on Christian principles. It is up to the mayor to choose their chaplain and if the mayor is of a Christian background then it is natural he or she will choose a Christian chaplain."The current mayor Niall Devenish has also chipped in, too: "As far as I was aware the UK is a Christian country so I was therefore surprised at this comment."The National Association of Local Councils, which represents town and parish councils, says that because local councils are "independent, democratically accountable and free-standing bodies", they are free to make their own decisions about whether prayers are conducted at the beginning of public meetings. It added that there are "no specific guidelines on this matter".In the US, there have been a number of cases over the years whereby judges have been asked to rule on whether religious prayers should be banned from being heard at council meetings. More often than not, judges rule that only nondenominational prayers should be tolerated. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is often behind efforts to strip prayers from state or federal institutions or events."The right to practice religion, or no religion at all, is among the most fundamental of the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. The ACLU works to ensure that this essential freedom is protected by keeping the government out of religion."On this point, I wholeheartedly agree with the ACLU. However, I would slightly twist that final sentence around and expressly say that religion should, wherever possible, be kept out of all forms of government – even in a constitutional monarchy such as the United Kingdom, whereby, for right or wrong, the Queen currently acts as both head of state and the "supreme governor" of the Church of England.ReligionHouse of CommonsHouse of LordsChristianityThe QueenLeo Hickmanguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Glory for Avatar at Golden Globes James Cameron's sci-fi epic Avatar wins two prizes at the Golden Globes, the first of 2010's major Hollywood awards. news.bbc.co.uk |
Colts vs. Jets: rematch with a Super Bowl at stake INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Jim Caldwell traded the perfect season for what he hoped would be the perfect ending.... hosted.ap.org |