In a surprise move, the US handed over sovereignty to Iraq two days before the previously announced date of June 30th!

The US has formally handed over power in Iraq, two days ahead of schedule.

In a low-key ceremony in Baghdad, US administrator Paul Bremer gave legal documents to an Iraqi judge at 1026 local time (0626 GMT).

Iraq’s interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, who also took part in the ceremony in the heavily-guarded Green Zone, said it was “a historic day”.

source:

CONGRATULATIONS IRAQ!

Now let’s see if those bastards stop their killings and beheadings. Now they don’t have a shred of an excuse to continue their reign of terror.

I’m now officially on holiday, the first one since 1986!

So expect email replies and posts to be intermittent at best until my return on Aug 8th!

arrivederci

woohooooo!!

Seven Bahrainis detained and later released on suspicion of plotting terrorism yesterday denied any links to Al Qaeda or any other terrorist organisation.

Speaking at a Press conference at the Bahrain Human Rights Society’s premises in Adliya, they said that none of them were militants nor did they have military backgrounds.

It’s reported on the front page of Al-Ayam today that whoever wishes to marry a second wife must now prove that he can take care of the first wife and her children before he will be allowed to marry a second, and only after approval from the higher casation shari’a court!

This is a major development and a great boon for the women’s movements in Bahrain who have been struggling since the 70′s for a “Personal Law” and is great for the Bahraini man as well.

It is unfortunate however that this ruling, if true, is limited only to the Sunni sect and not the Shi’a. I doubt very much that our exalted Shi’a leaders and judges would accept such a ruling into law however because probably every single one of them has several wives, being old randy goats that they are. But pressure should certainly be put on them to accept it or move on from the bench.

We have many more divorce cases than marriage in Bahrain, and taking a second wife is all in a day’s work and a very simple process, yet it’s effects are huge in that it splits families apart and leads the first family to destitution and neglect by the husband.