Sunni and Shia: struggle for power by the 7th century

The civil war in Syria is becoming a conflict between the two warring parties traditionally religious branches of Islam, Sunni and Shia, their differences are timeless and forebears. It all began in 632 AD the death of the Prophet Muhammad . The Sunni Muslims, often referred to as the " orthodox "Islam is the most populous of the two doctrines, numbering, according to estimates, about 1.4 billion. believers, as opposed to just 200,000 million Shiites worldwide. They emphasize the Sunna (tradition) that requires adherence to the writings of the Quran, which is considered the foundation of Islam, and consider the succession of Muhammad need not be hereditary, recognizing as legitimate successors of Mohammed first three after him caliphs ie the Abu bakar, the Omar and Osman . Currently, the Sunnis believe that remain faithful to the Sunna, which according to them is composed of six Hadith ("Reports") compiled in the 3rd century after Muhammad (9th AD .). The main opposition came from those who believed that Caliph, ie religious leader can only be one man who comes from the family of the Prophet. Those who disagreed with this direction were called Shia (Si'at Ali, that the "party of Ali" Muhammad's cousin and husband of his daughter Fatima). By this logic, one imam is the "middleman" between the Prophet and man and his debt is to convey God's message to the community. This view however is considered heretical, almost blasphemous for Sunnis, who believe that it is only one prophet, Muhammad, and that he should be worshiped people in this role. Today, only Iran has declared officially Shia Islam as the official religion of the country, while large Shiite communities also live in Iraq and Bahrain. The third of the population in Lebanon are also Shiites, while in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria are living large Shiite communities. In contrast, almost all North African states around the Sahara desert are Sunni, which applies to countries like Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Palestine.

Rises to 26 the number of dead in explosion at refinery in Venezuela

The Venezuelan government has announced that the 26 are killed in an explosion in the early hours of Saturday (25) in Amuay refinery, one of three that make up the Paraguaná Refining Center, the chief of Venezuela and one of the largest in the world. The accident left more than 80 injured. "We must inform you that, unfortunately, the death toll is 26 compatriots identified, 17 of them Bolivarian National Guard troops (GNB)," said Vice President Elias Jaua, who went to monitor the situation at the refinery located in the State Falcón. Previously, Health Minister Eugenia Sader, has confirmed to the press that 86 people were taken to the hospital Rafael Calles Sierra town of Punto Fijo, where the refinery. Eugenia said that 77 people were hospitalized with minor burns and were transferred to a hospital in the neighboring state of Zulia, and that five patients are being treated in Punto Fijo. The vice president lamented victims of the accident, caused by a gas leak that generated a cloud that exploded with a large shock wave that caused structural damage to several houses in the vicinity and a facility of the National Guard. Jaua explained that was installed a command post in place to "ensure appropriate care for the wounded, the families of the victims and the entire population in general." The Minister of Petroleum and Mining, Rafael Ramirez, said the explosion "caused severe damage to the posting of the 45 National Guard", a military complex with residential infrastructure and affected a portion of the tank. The governor is on the site of the explosion at the company's oil minister and president of the state oil company PDVSA, Rafael Ramírez. "It was an explosion in the storage area, the product of a gas leak that climatic conditions that reigned, was accumulated in the area and in front of an ignition source, it exploded," said Ramírez, after making a reconnaissance of the premises. "We will investigate the origin of this, but we can not advance any hypothesis. Now, what we're doing is to confront the situation, given the injured, removing the debris," said Ramirez. President Hugo Chavez declared three days of national mourning due to the tragedy. Chavez also sent its condolences to the families of the deceased and appealed to the population to be "alert and calm because, amid the tragedy, the greater danger was controlled."

Activities suspended

after the explosion, we performed a shutdown of the complex activities that must return to work within two days, the minister said the sector. Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez said the refinery's processing units Amuay were not affected by the explosion, but there was still fire in a naphtha storage tank. He also said that PDVSA will increase production at other refineries, and that the company has stocks equivalent to 10 days of sales to ensure compliance with export agreements and the needs of the domestic market. The Amuay refinery, part of Paraguaná Refining Center, and the country's largest oil and processes 645,000 barrels of oil per day. The Paraguaná Refining Center covers more than 60% of the fuel demand of Venezuela. Venezuela - first oil producer in South America and fifth largest exporter - produces about three million barrels per day (mbd), according to official figures, although OPEC said that the country's oil supply is 2.3 mbd . OPEC certified in 2011 that Venezuela has the largest reserves of oil, with 296.5 billion barrels, above Saudi Arabia, the country with the largest refining capacity. Last March, the Venezuelan authorities reported that this figure rose to 297.57 billion barrels.

Bin Laden's killing witness unmasked

US media have the author of a book about the killing of the terror chief Osama bin Laden exposed, thus triggering a security debate. The soldier was the second, according to the Penguin publishing to the insert on May 2011 in Pakistan participated. He left the Army and now written under a pseudonym about the events. The Fox News then published names and photos of soldiers in riot gear on his website. The soldier of the U.S. Special Forces Navy Seals was 36 years old and I come from Alaska. The Pentagon was concerned, the CNN quoted on Friday a spokesman for the Defense Ministry. The unmasking of the authors who had written his tell-all book under the pseudonym Mark Owen endangering his safety and that of his comrades on the application involved. Fox News quoted a spokesman for the special forces, however, saying that the author had himself and others at risk by the Seals unauthorized action itself. "He should have known where that leads." The book is on 11 September 2013 appear. It is titled No Easy Day: The First Hand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama bin Laden ( not an easy day: was killed a first-hand account of the use, in which Osama bin Laden ).

Pakistani Taliban leader dies in NATO bombing in Afghanistan

A Pakistani Taliban leader and twelve alleged members of the fundamentalist movement were killed in a bombing Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Kunar province in eastern Afghanistan. NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) under NATO command, confirmed the death of Mullah Dadullah, leader of Tehrik-e-Taliban fundamentalist Pakistan (TTP) in Bajaur province in western Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan. Maulawi Dadullah, also known as Jamal, was responsible for the movement of fighters and weapons, and attacks against Afghan forces and coalition, said the NATO mission in a statement. The bombing took place on Friday at the wa Sheltan Shigal district of Kunar province in Afghanistan, Pakistani newspaper Dawn. Kunar governor, Syed Fazlullah Wahidi, said that NATO has carried out an attack with 'drones' (unmanned aircraft) in the mountainous region of Shigal, ending the life of Mullah Dadullah and twelve alleged members of TTP. Seven other suspected Taliban were wounded in the attack, reported the Pakistani television channel Geo TV, adding that they were taken to a hospital in Asadabad. NATO's mission in Afghanistan said in the bombing there were no civilian casualties.

Katy Perry rejected $ 20 million to be a judge of 'American Idol'

The post Katy Perry who in recent days has seen his romance with singer John Mayer coming to an end, rejected a millionaire to join the American Idol reality music. According to the publication, she did not sign a contract that offered him an annual salary of $ 20 millionto be a judge alongside Mariah Carey, who took the job for two million less. Sources say Perry said it was not possible to reconcile the recordings Idol with their other commitments professionals, and believe that the job is not the right career choice for her. Katy's opinion, however, is not shared by other pop stars. Besides Mariah, Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears will be in their own competitions of talent in American fall season.

Studio offers $ 20 million for Prince Harry starring in porn movie

Photos of Prince Harry naked at a party in Las Vegas earned an invitation to the British heir unusual. According to website TMZ, the company Vivid Entertainment, the largest studio in the world of porn movies, released a letter in which offers U.S. $ 10 million (about U.S. $ 20 million) to the prince for his role in a film of the genre. In the document, the company's chairman, Steven Hirsch, tries to persuade Harry: "We are delighted and grateful for the photos from his recent adventure in Las Vegas. Rarely What happens there stays there, unfortunately. As you may know, Vivid is the leading adult film studio in the world and are specialized in celebrity ... which brings us to you, celebrity unparalleled in the world today.We would like to offer you the opportunity to become the prince coolest of all time starring in a film adult fun, sexy and big-budget called 'The trouble with Harry. "We can shoot at the location you choose and show her exciting life as heir and our lively world of beautiful women! course the' little Harry 'would also make a contribution but we guarantee you that the sex scenes are well written and the jewels of the Queen will not be 'minimized' in any way. We'll pay you $ 10 million for a single movie, think of the good it would do to save the Prince. Only a idea. expect your answer. "

Condemns Samsung for violating patents Apple devices

The federal court jury in San Jose (California) responsible for settling the patent war that pits tech giants Apple and Samsung ordered the company to pay the South Korean company of Silicon Valley 1000 million dollars (800 million euros) to have copied at least three of the innovations that the latter used in different devices, including the popular iPhone, iPad and iPodTouch. The verdict is further concluded that the company founded by Steve Jobs did not violate any of the patents Samsung, as it also reported. Samsung has responded Saturday announcing his intention to appeal against the measures taken by the court. The jury's decision can have enormous consequences for the U.S. and global market of smartphones and tablets. Samsung and Apple control between the two almost half the world market for these devices.Depending on the sentence imposed by the judge and, in particular, whether affects new or old models, the trade impact can be enormous. The nine jurors heard on Tuesday for four hours closing arguments that revolved around the degree of technological originality accounted for iPhone and iPad and, although the trial judge that the parties tried to reach an agreement, it has been impossible. According to the resolution, agreed just three days after the conclusion of the hearing, Samsung copied its mobile technology used by iPhones for larger screen and imitated the look of your icons, Apple had registered. In the manufacture of the tablet 10.1, did not violate Korean company patent as claimed Apple as a verdict. Still unknown the practical consequences of this decision, but it is very likely that the South Korean giant may not distribute the latest model of its Galaxy phone in the U.S., seeing reduced its prevalence in the U.S. mobile market. Last year Samsung sold 50 million smartphones, nearly double the iPhone sold by Apple terminals, and a profit of 5,900 million dollars (about 4,800 million euros) in the last quarter. On April 15, 2011, the company founded by Steve Jobs Samsung sued by 2,750 million dollars claiming that the South Korean company had copied its iPhone and iPad designs when creating their mobile phone models, Galaxy S, Galaxy SII, your tablet Tab 10.1, 22 and other products. Samsung countered Apple claiming 400 million for taking advantage of the technology developed wifi when iPhones and iPads and for violating its patent for integrating 3G mobile network. During the trial claimed that Apple's designs were "not so original". The verdict comes hours after another court in Seoul ruled that both companies are copying each other.The judge ruled that Apple had copied two patents for wireless data transmission Samsung-why you should pay 17. $ 650 in damages, and that the latter had imitated the rebound effect of the screen when you reach the end of a document iPhones. According to the judgment, the South Korean company will stop selling 10 of its products in that country, including the Galaxy SII and California has banned the distribution of your iPhone 4. Apple's lawyers asked the jury to pay attention to the chronology of the design of Samsung phones before and after the iPhone debuted in 2007, Apple said that it took five years to create, Samsung copied it in three months in response to Design crisis. In his turn to speak, the legal representatives of Samsung berated Apple's attitude as not seeking financial compensation for that trial by court order but ensured a competitive advantage in the market by blocking most serious rival and world number one seller telephones worldwide.