40° 24' N , 3° 42' E

For full BBC article, entitled "UN Afghanistan Survey Points to Huge Scale of Bribery", click here.

Afghans paid $2.5bn (£1.5bn) in bribes over the past 12 months, or the equivalent of almost one quarter of legitimate GDP, a UN report suggests.

Surveying 7,600 people, it found nearly 60% more concerned about corruption than insecurity or unemployment.

More than half the population had to pay at least one bribe to a public official last year, the report adds.

The findings contrast sharply with a recent BBC survey in which the economy appeared to top Afghan concerns.

The survey commissioned by the BBC and other broadcasters in December suggested that fewer Afghans (14%) saw corruption as the biggest problem than the economy (34%) and security situation (32%).

According to the UN survey, bribes averaged $160 (£98) in contrast to an average Afghan annual income of $425.

Bribes were most often paid to police, judges and politicians but members of international organisations and NGOs were also seen as corrupt, the survey said.

ATARA, West Bank -- Work crews have broken ground on what they hope will be the first modern, planned Palestinian city - a step officials say will help build an independent state in spite of the current deadlock in the peace process with Israel.

A number of Kuwaiti religious scholars have severely condemned a statement made by the Saudi Arabian director of the Committee for Protection of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Mecca, Dr. Ahmad AlـGhamidi, who said that the hijab (head scarf) was only meant for the wives of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and is not applicable to other women.

A couple months back, I posted a torture video that got leaked clearly showing a member of the UAE ruling family, Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan (or SIN for short), committing heinous psychological and physical brutality to a poor Afghani merchant who he accused of stealing from him a measly 5,000 USD. These acts including firing bullets at his feet, RUNNING him over with a car, and beating him with a spiked stick. Now he claims he was drugged and thus he can't be held at fault for his actions, according to an article by the BBC. WTF!!

Please tell me what drug causes people to become sadistic monsters? The UAE considers this a symbolic gesture, as his trial demonstrates that no one is above the law. All that this insult to justice proves is that courts are a mere farcical veneer of legality, justice and accountability and that if you are poor, you will get trampled on...literally. I wish the European Union would place a travel ban on him. In the words of Spiderman: with great power comes great responsibility.

A member of the ruling family of the United Arab Emirates has been cleared of the torture of a business associate.

Lawyers for Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the president's brother, said the court ruled he had been drugged and so was "unaware of his actions".

The incident came to light when a videotape was circulated showing the violent beating, said to have taken place in 2004.

It was the first reported investigation of a UAE ruling family member.

His lawyer, Habib al-Mulla, said the ruling had "clarified Sheikh Issa's position that he was a victim of conspiracy" over the torture of Mohammed Shah Poor.

"At the same time, it's proven justice to Mohammed Shahpoor and it showed who were the actual people who were behind whole saga," Reuters quoted Mr al-Mulla as saying.

He said the court had "accepted our defence that the sheikh was under the influence of drugs that left him unaware of his actions," the AFP news agency reported.

The defence had previously claimed Sheikk Issa had been drugged by two men - American-Lebanese brothers Ghassan and Bassam Nabulsi - who recorded the beating in order to blackmail him.

The video showed a man shooting the ground near the sitting victim

The Nabulsi brothers were sentenced in their absence to five years in prison for drugging Sheikh Hassan and fined 10,000 dirham ($2,723:£1,700).

Three other men were sentenced to between one and three years for their role in the torture.

'Equality sign'

The video, circulated last year, shows Sheikh Issa repeatedly beating Mr Poor, a grain merchant of Afghan origin, and running him over with a car.

Several other men assist in the tape, including one in a uniform of the security forces. The incident came to light after US television network ABC broadcast clips of the tape, which was smuggled out of the UAE by a former business associate of Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

Reports say the merchant had lost a consignment of grain belonging to Sheikh Issa worth $5,000 (£3,300). He survived the abuse, but needed extensive hospital treatment.

Mr al-Mulla said the fact the trial had taken place was "a sign that the UAE is showing that everyone in this country can be put in front of law and judged".

The BBC's Christian Fraser in the region says the verdict will do little to satisfy those who have long criticised the Emirates abject human rights record.

They will argue it proves once again that the extended royal family and those Emiratis in positions of power are often above the rule of law, says our correspondent.

The UAE is a federation of seven wealthy emirates with substantial oil reserves and a large expatriate population. Each emirate is run by a ruling family and citizens are granted few political rights.

If only it weren't Starbucks....! Don't miss the Qatari dude rocking the oud. For those of you unfamiliar with the song "All You Need is Love" (are those of you out there?) then here is the original Beatles version below.

Who knew? If there can be indie music in Afghanistan, why not Kuwait? Meet Kabul Dreams, kind of a Kabul version of the Strokes. The band consists of 19-year old vocalist Sulaymon Qardash, bass player Siddique Ahmad and drummer Mujtaba Habibi, all of whom come from different parts of Afghanistan. Here is the article from the BBC by Moska Najib that caught my attention about this, and below is a clip from their youtube page.

Indie rock - but not from Britain or America.

This is music from Afghanistan, of a kind seldom heard before, but now produced by a trio of young men.

The band, Kabul Dreams, is made up of vocalist Sulaymon Qardash, bass player Siddique Ahmad and drummer Mujtaba Habibi, who claim to be the country's first and only rock and roll group.

"One year ago in December we decided to create this band and since it was happening in Kabul, we thought Kabul Dreams is a good name," says the 19-year-old vocalist, who bears a distinct resemblance to Liam Gallagher of the British band Oasis.

"It's a real dream to play indie rock music in Afghanistan."

Catching on fast

I caught up with the three-piece in Delhi, where they took part in the South Asian Bands Festival, which seeks to promote regional cultural ties.

Qardash - who likes indie fashion - grew up listening to Britpop bands like Radiohead and Travis.

With the political turmoil which gripped Afghanistan in the 1990s, all three members sought refuge in the neighbouring countries of Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Iran, where they were influenced by the Western music they heard.

"During the years of the Taliban, we were away and one positive thing for all of us was that we had an opportunity to learn music and have good facilities where we could practise," says Ahmad, who lived in Pakistan for 10 years and played with bands producing new music.

While original Afghan music is closely associated with traditional instruments like the rubab and dombura, indie rock is still a new genre - but it is catching on fast among Afghan youth.

Exposure

"Lots of young people are listening to rock music," says Ahmad.

"Because we don't have any rock music, they listen to international bands and music from neighbouring countries like India and Pakistan.

"We thought it was about time for Afghanistan to have its own rock band."

The group mixes Afghan rhythmic patterns with rock and roll music.

And what's more unusual, they sing in English.

"Since the three of us come from three different parts of Afghanistan and speak in three different languages - Pashto, Dari and Uzbek - we thought it would be a good idea to sing in English," says Ahmad.

Habibi, on drums, feels they will also get more international exposure with a language that is spoken widely.

But first things first: the band has yet to release an album.

So far the trio have only performed for a niche group of expats, non-governmental organisation workers and educated young Afghans familiar with the new genre.

But the continuing security threats in the country have placed restrictions on public gatherings and their performances.

And in the absence of an organised music industry, new bands like Kabul Dreams face difficulties in financing and producing their music.

"Other bands around the world have lots of opportunities and facilities, but we have to do everything ourselves," says Ahmad.

"We have a video shoot, we have to take care of everything. There is no production house that we could go to."

Provocative

The 27-year-old studies during the day and works with Habibi in a recording studio.

Qardash is a presenter with a private TV and radio station. Much of their salaries is invested in Kabul Dreams.

"Playing rock music is a risk but we want to play in Afghanistan," says Qardash, as he tunes his guitar.Despite the challenges, the trio want to bring a musical revolution to the Islamic country, where playing rock music is considered too Western and provocative.

"We love our country and we want to change our young generation, we want to make something new."

Ahmad points out that Kabul Dreams is truly multi-ethnic, consisting as it does of an Uzbek, Pashtun and Tajik.

"The reason we formed this band was to give a message to the Afghan youth, a message that they can live together," he says.

"Because Afghanistan has always been a country with different ethnic groups, different people who speak in different languages and even have different cultures, our message is that it is possible to be together because we have examples all over the world."

Ahmad feels the younger generation of Afghans has learned from the mistakes of war and is now indifferent to the issue of ethnicity.

"One Afghan," he reiterates. "That's it."