Rove ‘proud’ of US waterboarding policy 12, March 2010
Posted by thegulfblog.com in American ME Relations.Tags: Bush, Karl Rove, Rove proud of waterboarding, Torture, water boarding, waterboarding
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Karl Rove, the man many consider to be the brain behind George W Bush’s Presidency, has said that he is ‘proud‘ of the techniques such as waterboarding used by US authorities to obtain information as they saved lives. He also denied that waterboarding was torture. However, he is in a seemingly ever decreasing minority, holding that opinion. The journalist Christopher Hitchens, for example, underwent waterboarding in the name of research and unequivocally insists that it is indeed torture.
Waterboarding certainly looks fairly innocuous. All it involves, after all, is a flannel or cloth and a surprisingly small amount of water. Whilst clearly the torture that many human rights groups insist goes on routinely in many Arab (and Iranian) jails involves more ‘wailing and gnashing of teeth’ i.e. more blood, this does – obviously enough – not negate waterboarding as a form of torture in and of itself.
Couple arrested in Dubai for a kiss 12, March 2010
Posted by thegulfblog.com in The Emirates.Tags: Deported for drinking, Dubai, Jailed for drinking
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Authorities in Dubai have arrested and are threatening to deport and jail a couple that kissed in a restaurant. It is also alleged that the man – shockingly – might also have touched the woman’s shoulder and [oh, the horror!] leg during the ordeal witnessed by distraught Emiratees.
It is important to mention at this point that I am not being euphemistic: apparently it was just a kiss; they were not mounting each other in the restaurant or anything of the sort. This case is significantly different from the stupid British couple that had sex on a beach in Dubai some time ago.
The judge also fined them for drinking alcohol in a restaurant where alcohol was served in a ruling exquisitely highlighting his impartiality.
The Gulf blog 