SHAFAQNA

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) - Oman will host its first municipal elections Dec. 22, one of many domestic initiatives that Omani Sultan Qaboos bin Said is implementing in an attempt to release social tension and maintain stability in the Persian Gulf nation. Muscat hopes to use these initiatives to avoid much of the social and political upheaval that has affected the Middle East, since instability has historically allowed for greater foreign interference in Omani affairs. Stability in Oman is…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) - Facebook isn’t resting on its laurels yet. It almost seems as if the company is squeezing everything just in time for the holiday season. The latest foray of updates are Facebook’s new privacy tools or what it calls “better controls for managing content.” Today, Facebook is adding privacy shortcuts, an easier-to-use Activity Log, and a new Request and Removal tool for managing multiple photos. The main piece of the update are the privacy shortcuts…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) -- SHAFAQNA European studies center has done a thorough investigation about European countries and has chosen five 1st countries in following features. 1- Most racist country in the world = Israel 2- Most corrupted country in Europe = Ukraine 3- Most human right violated country in Europe = Slovenia 4- Most freedom restricted country in Europe = Belarus 5- Most religious restricted country in Europe = Azerbaijan www.shafaqna.com/English

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) - Authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have arrested at least four people in what human rights campaigners said might be part of a crackdown on online dissent and a tightening of the Gulf Arab state's Internet law. Interior Ministry officials were not available for comment. The UAE, a major oil exporter, regional business hub and U.S. ally, has not seen the unrest that has ousted autocratic Arab rulers elsewhere. But it has shown little tolerance…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) - IN A specially built theatre on the Abu Dhabi coast, the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates were lined up four-deep on white and gold armchairs, waiting for the show to begin.As a fanfare struck up, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi’s ruler, slowly turned a large fake ship’s wheel. With that, the walls slid apart to reveal a stage full of dancers pirouetting in front of a colossal cargo ship.Enormous…

A fairly predictable Golden Globes lineup has one thing that's become rarer in awards season: a solid presence of big studio favorites to balance the independent films that have come to dominate the competition in recent years. Steven Spielberg's Civil War saga "Lincoln," with no fewer than three major studios behind it, led the Globe field Thursday with seven nominations, including best drama, a category fleshed out by four other big-talent, Hollywood-backed films: Ben Affleck's Iran hostage-crisis thriller "Argo"; Quentin…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Facebook is making changes to its privacy settings. First, it is improving some privacy protections. The company is adding a new top-level control, called Privacy Shortcuts, that will allow people to quickly change who can see their “stuff” (as Facebook calls it) and who can contact them through the Web site. The shortcut will also feature a one-button link to block someone on Facebook. In a…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) - Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen, Shia Legal Aid Committee and other groups have announced their all out support to the call of Shia Ulema Council to observe Friday as Youm-e-Istighasa to protest against Shia genocide. “Main protest will be held on M.A. Jinnah Road where a sit-in will be staged to press the government to take action against terrorists,” said Allama Nazir Abbas Taqvi, provincial chapter’s chief of SUC speaking at a press conference on Wednesday. Maulana Sadiq Raza…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – When she finally realised that Osama bin Laden was dead, the CIA analyst who had tracked him for years to his last hideout in Abbottabad stood over his body and sobbed. She had been instrumental in focusing on al-Qaeda’s network of couriers as the way to get to the world’s most wanted man. And later, as the US celebrated the end of the decade-long hunt, the undercover agent was one of a small number of…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – Kuwait is a shrimp among whales, to borrow an image usually applied to Korea. Little more than a postage stamp in the Persian Gulf, Kuwait was long overseen, or “protected,” by Great Britain, before becoming independent in 1961. It offers a liberal model for other Gulf states, but faces increasing internal political strife and an uncertain future.Kuwait has a population of some 3.6 million, two-thirds of whom are not citizens. Abundant oil revenue has…