France anticipates backlash to Mohammed cartoons, closes 20 embassies

New cartoons of the Muslim Prophet Mohammed are sure to provide ammunition for Islamists to fire up people and provoke attacks on more embassies; West Bank protests highlight failing economy; Arab women and tattoos; and a review of the new Ford Focus.

Stephane Charbonnier is the French artist who caricatured the Muslim Prophet Mohammed in a cartoon.

The Two Way [2]

France On Alert, Closing Embassies, After Magazine Publishes Muhammad Cartoons

A French magazine's publication today of "crude caricatures" depicting the Prophet Muhammad has that nation on alert and preparing to close 20 of its embassies in Muslim nations.

Blogs Al Jazeera [3]

West Bank protests highlight failing economy

Recent protests in the occupied West Bank against high prices and low wages were firmly directed at the Palestinian Authority, in particular at Salam Fayyad, the embattled prime minister. Taxi drivers and shop owners insisted it’s time for him to go. It was an injustice, they said, how bad the economy had become.

Out Of Hadhramout [4]

Hadhramaut: women and tattoos, facial markings and the henna

In Islam, it is haraam (forbidden) to either perform or have permanent tattooing or adornment marking of the skin; and that is the main reason, with the spread of Islamic knowledge and values among Bedouins, why such practices have disappeared.

360 Dewan [5]

Ford Focus 2012/13 Review

All in all, the car did well in my 4 days of testing with a half tank of gas, I believe it’d definitely garner it’s share of fans as its predecessor did. The price tag might be a deterrent in this case, but it all goes back to what you need your package to come with; it is after all a sturdy, willing vehicle that stands out among others in its class.