- Latest Popular Stories, Instablogs Community by Farshid85

For some in Israel, a bridge too close for comfort

Farshid — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:00:00 +0000

After a climb up the winding highway through pine-covered hills, arriving at this city, symbolic for so many, has always been something of an anticlimax. The main entrance, from the northwest, is often gridlocked and opens onto a messy urban vista of drab apartment buildings, office blocks and tourist hotels.

In the words of one Jerusalem architect, Arthur Spector, “It’s one of the ugliest hellos to a city that I’ve ever seen.”

Now the approach to the city — at least to the new, predominantly Jewish western part — is undergoing a transformation with the construction of a striking bridge by Santiago Calatrava, the internationally acclaimed architect, artist and engineer.

Another round of sham and undemocratic FIXED UP election in Iran

Farshid — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 07:28:44 +0000

Iran’s hard-line constitutional watchdog said Wednesday that it had reinstated more than 280 candidates for parliament races next month, but reformists said many remained banned and that the move was not enough to ensure a fair election.The Guardian Council’s reversal came amid growing criticism by both reformists and conservatives that a wide ban on eligible candidates would risk a low voter turnout and undermine the polling.

US fails a fourth time to hit al-Qaida suspect in Somalia- instead hit cows and civilians

Farshid — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:35:53 +0000

A US missile strike in Somalia, aimed at a man described by the Pentagon as a “known al-Qa’ida terrorist”, succeeded only in hurting six civilians and killing three cows and a calf, the IoS has learned.

At least one Tomahawk missile was believed to have been fired from a US submarine off the Somali coast on Monday. It hit a shack in the small town of Dobley, four miles from the Kenyan border. Dobley is one of several towns and villages in southern Somalia that are now under the administration of Islamists connected to the former Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), which briefly controlled most of southern and central Somalia in 2006.