| North Korean expands net presence North Korea's celebrations for the 65th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party were marked by an expansion of the nation's online presence. bbc.co.uk |
Nato's 'safe passage' for Taliban Nato has granted safe passage to Kabul for at least one Taliban commander for talks with the Afghan government, says General David Petraeus. bbc.co.uk |
Social Media in Brazil: Why Twitter Is So Popular Most Americans think of Twitter as their national phenomenon, dominated by a trending Justin Bieber here or a cryptic Kanye West there. But as a new study shows, the website has a growing global following -- especially in Brazil. Why? feedproxy.google.com |
Iran cuts off man's hand for stealing Amputation in front of prison inmates could herald a return to regular use of the punishmentIranian authorities have amputated the hand of a convicted thief in front of other prisoners, in a possible step towards restoring the punishment to common use and carrying it out in public, state radio reported today.Cutting off the hands of thieves – allowed under the Iranian judiciary's strict reading of sharia law – has been rare in Iran in recent years, but the amputation was the second this month. A week ago, a judge ordered the same punishment for a man who stole from a sweet shop, though he can still appeal against that ruling.The 32-year-old convict whose hand was cut off at a prison in the central city of Yazd had committed four robberies and other crimes. Iranian state radio did not elaborate or identify the prisoner by name.There were no details on how the punishment was carried out. There have been conflicting reports in the past, with some saying amputations were done in the early 1980s without medical supervision. A recent news report said they would now be carried out with anaesthetic.An audience of fellow inmates was assembled to witness the amputation, which could be a sign that such punishments will be done before the public in future.The punishment has been part of Iran's penal code since 1980, a year after the country's clerical leaders came to power.The reporting of the punishment on state radio indicated it had approval from senior Iranian leaders, although there has been no official government comment about any push to resume more frequent implementation of the punishment.Critics say amputations and public executions and floggings hurt Iran's image and reflect badly on Islam.Iranguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
For Bobsledder, Life Is Downhill Slide The price of Bill Schuffenhauer's dedication to chasing Olympic glory as a bobsledder was losing his family's house. online.wsj.com |