Stars come out
3 APRIL, 2008
...Hollywood producer George Lucas will be among the celebrities attending the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix...
Ever seen a photo that looks like this?
He sat down slowly, an old wooden bench in traditional arabian design held his mass. A quiet spot, this was, in the middle of a fast-moving, ever growing city. His table was empty, but soon after he arrived it had a tray of breakfast with warm, traditional furnace baked bread, white feta cheese and a small portion of 'oh-so sweet' jam. A glass of hot chai haleeb* lay by his tray, ready for him to consume.
He looked around; on the table opposite his were a few old men, dressed in their traditional thobs, discussing life and it's many meanings. On another table was a group of young businessmen, wearing their crisp clean suits, chattering about the latest financial stock trends. The remaining tables were also filled with groups of equally arbitrary characters, each involved in their own topics of conversation.
The mood was nonetheless, very calm. A few meters away lay the heart of Bahrain's business district, with people rushing from place to place, striving to meet deadlines, running through crowds, zooming through traffic. Bankers, lawyers, business owners, salesmen, all rushing. But here, all the hustle and bustle of the city seemed to melt down into calm chit chatter, shielded away from the hot rays of the sun by the large cloth sunshades up above.
He needed a break from life, a chance to stop and catch his breath. Things had been very stressful lately, he had many troubles, even more worries, and not much seemed to be going right at the moment.
Except now.
In this little corner of the earth, where everything seemed to take a break, to relax from how hectic life was, he sat. Not much seemed to be going right in his life, except for the delicious warm bread, cheese and jam lying infront of him. Not much seemed to be going right in his life, except for the sweet glass of chai by his tray. Not much seemed to be going right in his life, except that in this quiet oasis in the middle of the city, life seemed to take a break from itself. Everything was calm now. His mind was clear. He thought all his issues, all his problem, all his concerns through. His mind was now uninterrupted; everything seemed so obvious, so clear. He took another sip of his chai. "Everything is going to be just fine", he told himself.
* Chai haleeb: Traditional tea and milk, usually served warm.
ISLAMABAD, Afghanistan (AFP) -- Seven years after the horrendous 9/11 attacks, U.S. soldiers captured the leader of Al Qaeda in a cave near the town of Galalabad. Osama Bin Lader was captured Monday night about twenty miles from the border of Pakistan. Osama had a few firearms in hand but was taken into custody without firing any of them.
About 800 soldiers of the 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, and special operations forces of Task Force 121 conducted the raid in Galalabad, near a group of mountains. They found Osama hiding alone in a cave whose entrance was covered with bricks and dirt, equipped with a basic ventilation.
Troops found two AK-47s, a pistol, as well as a walkie-talkie and food supplies to last a few days.
US officials were keeping news of the arrest secret and are likely to announce it later in the year — in order to support Republican election chances in polls later in the year, AFP added.
In Washington, U.S. officials said Osama admitted his identity and that other detainees identified him. U.S. officials said DNA tests are not yet complete.
Link to Full Report and photos
