The Tennessean
July 18, 2012 - 3:18PM



Attorneys for the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro are beginning their arguments in Nashville's federal court, hoping to get the congregation into its new mosque by sundown tomorrow -- the start of the holy month of Ramadan. At the same time, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it's suing Rutherford County, claiming violations of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000.

The county refused to issue an occupancy certificate for a new Islamic center last month in compliance with a state chancery court ruling. At issue was the county's notice for a land-use hearing on the mosque two years ago. The lawsuit claims the chancery court held the county to a higher standard on for notice on the mosque than it would other religious groups.

Updated at 4:50 p.m.

A federal judge in Nashville has ruled a Murfreesboro mosque can open for Ramadan. Judge Todd Campbell also said the mosque must go through the inspection process like any other new building.

Check back with Tennessean.com for details on the ruling.

[font size=3]7-11 Now Serves Mashed Potatoes Like A Slurpee[/font]

GIZMODO
Jul 16, 2012 9:40 AM
Andrew Liszewski



Kudos to 7-11 for attempting to provide healthier food options at its convenience stores. The latest down home treat: mashed potatoes extruded from what looks like a modified Slurpee machine.

For just $2, you can get yourself a bowl of mashed potatoes and a giant tub of soda. And to make everything slide down easier, you even have the option to add an extra layer of chicken gravy on top—that's button 3 on the machine shown—at no added price.

But who needs the mashed potato part? If 7-11 wanted a real hit on their hands, they'd just let customers add chicken gravy to any foodstuffs in the store. {The Clearly Dope via That's Nerdalicious}

Link: http://gizmodo.com/5926274/7+11-now-serves-mashed-potatoes-like-a-slurpee

Published on Jul 16, 2012 by [link:RussiaToday|http://www.youtube.com/user/RussiaToday]

Bias and bungled reporting on US news networks are behind plummeting audience numbers, according to the Gallup Poll. RT's Marina Portnaya looks at a cutting-edge project that's encouraging ordinary Americans to drive their country's news agenda instead.

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[font sizee=3]Iceland Has Hired An Ex-Cop To Hunt Down The Bankers That Wrecked Its Economy[/font]

Business Insider | Rob Wile | Jul. 12, 2012, 2:07 PM


[font color=gray]Adam Taylor / Business Insider[/font]

If you were involved in Icelandic high finance in the runup to the recession, you might want to start watching your back.

That's because the government has appointed a white collar crime bounty hunter who wants to haul your behind in (alive, to be sure).

LeMonde reporter Charlotte Chabas has a profile of Ólafur Þór Hauksson, a former local police lieutenant whom the Iceland government appointed to track down individuals likely to have helped sink the country's banking sector during the credit crunch.

Hauksson's job description, according to PressEurop's translation of the piece:

"On one hand, we have to investigate all suspicion of fraud and offences committed before 2009, on the other hand, we bring the lawsuits against the suspects to court ourselves," Hauksson explains. This is a 'totally new' method which allows the investigators to "follow the case" and the judicial system to "know the cases like the back of their hand". This is indispensable in order "to compete with the well-prepared defence attorneys".

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[font size=3]Cannibal cult arrests in Papua New Guinea: report[/font]

AFP – Thu, Jul 12, 2012


[font color=gray]Police have arrested members of an alleged cannibal cult accused
of killing at least seven people, eating their brains raw and making
soup from their penises, a report said Friday. (AFP Photo/Torsten
Blackwood)[/font]

Police in remote Papua New Guinea have arrested members of an alleged cannibal cult accused of killing at least seven people, eating their brains raw and making soup from their penises, a report said Friday.

The 29 people were part of a 1,000-strong group formed to combat errant sorcerers who The National newspaper said had begun charging exorbitant fees.

The cost of a witch doctor revealing a cause of death or casting out an evil spirit was usually 1000 kina ($472) cash, plus a pig and a bag of rice, but some were also demanding sex as payment.

"It's against our traditional ethics and morals for a sorcerer to have intercourse with a man's wife or teenage daughter," said one local cult leader in the Tangi area, inland from Madang province on PNG's northeast coast.

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Published on Jul 12, 2012 by RussiaToday

With just 16 days before the Olympic Games kick off in London, there's been a major hitch in the much-hyped security plans. Thousands of extra British soliders have had to be drafted in after a private firm failed to supply promised guards. The company's been paid almost 300 million pounds - but hasn't trained enough staff. RT's Sara Firth has more.

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RT (Russia Today) is a global news network broadcasting from Moscow and Washington studios. RT is the first news channel to break the 500 million YouTube views benchmark.

Published on Jul 12, 2012 by NTDTV

Published on Jul 9, 2012 by AlJazeeraEnglish

Russia's emergency ministry has admitted it failed to warn people about flash floods that left 171 people dead. Heavy rain in the Black Sea region of Krasnodar led to high waters that swamped people's homes. The local government has promised compensation for victims' families. Jonah Hull reports from Krymsk in southern Russia.

[font size=3]Big pharma is cut out by India's plan to bring medicine to masses[/font]
Ambitious $5bn push deals blow to global firms with focus on generic alternatives above branded drugs

The Independent
Nikhil Kumar
Friday 06 July 2012

India is planning a multibillion-dollar push to bring free medicines to the hundreds of millions of its citizens who, despite the country's economic revival, still languish without access to the very basics of health care.

The $5bn initiative, which is slated to be rolled out by the end of this year, will offer 348 essential drugs to patients across the country. In a blow to the West's big pharmaceutical firms, the planned scheme will largely cut out branded drugs, opting instead for cheaper generic alternatives.

News of the plan comes as the Congress-led administration in Delhi attempts to shore up public support after a raft of corruption scandals and crushing electoral losses in state polls. A recent report confirming a slowdown in economic growth has only served to sharpen criticism of the government.

Now, Delhi is plotting a multi-billion dollar health-care drive, using its network of government-funded hospitals and clinics to deliver free drugs across a country where, despite the much-vaunted boom of recent years, more than two million young children die every year from preventable infections, according to UNICEF.

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