Middleeast

The Flame virus, described as one of the most dangerous and powerful forms of malware created is being blamed on Israel for its destruction and damage throughout the Middle East. Some experts say it serves the same purpose as an earlier virus, Stuxnet, that disabled Iranian nuclear facilities.

The Flame virus has affected largely Iran, disrupting computers and being spread rapidly, though no one is completely sure of how it is communicated. Although Iran is the country most affected, Israel and Palestine come next on the list, followed by Sudan, Syria, and Lebanon.

The reason the Flame virus is so dangerous lies in its various data-collecting methods. Where other malware or spyware is designed to attack email or steal money, the flame virus takes screenshots, records audio through the computer's microphone, and accesses nearby devices via Bluetooth. more >>

A number of centuries after it disappeared from the Middle East region, efforts are being made to revive the ancient Aramaic language that many believe Jesus spoke.

The Palestinian village of Beit Jala, which is close to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, is one of two villages where elders are trying to teach the language to young children hoping they will take it up.

The other village is the Arab-Israeli community of Jish, where Christ once lived and preached – there children in elementary school are being taught Aramaic. The village is of the Maronite Christian community, which is one of the few that still chant prayers in Aramaic, though not many understand the meaning of the words, the Associated Press reported. more >>

A Christian woman, who was sacked for not covering her head as part of a new mandatory dress-code for all employees, has filed a lawsuit against her Gulf Arab employer in Jordan.

"We are not in Iran, we are in Jordan and we must continue to enjoy personal and religious freedoms as stipulated by our constitution," The Associated Press quoted Vivian Salameh, 45, as saying.

Salameh, an assistant manager of corporate operations at the Jordan Dubai Islamic Bank since March 2010, was sacked earlier this month. "I'm Christian. Why should I wear something not dictated by my religion," she said. more >>

The U.N. Security Council on Sunday condemned the Syrian government over alleged use of artillery and tank shellings on a village in Homs province which killed more than 100 civilians, including dozens of women and children, over the weekend.

The council held an emergency meeting Sunday in the wake of the violence in the town of Houla in Homs on Friday and early Saturday, which killed 116 people and wounded more than 300. Among those killed were 49 children and 34 women, according to the U.N.

The U.N. body later came out with a statement condemning "in the strongest possible terms the killings, confirmed by United Nations observers, of dozens of men, women and children and the wounding of hundreds more in the village of [Houla], near Homs, in attacks that involved a series of government artillery and tank shellings on a residential neighborhood." more >>

The Samsung Galaxy S3 has launched in certain countries located in the Middle East.

Samsung fans in Dubai, UAE and Qatar can now purchase the company's latest flagship smartphone before most others in the world.

The price of the 16GB version of the device in those nations is 2699 QR (Qatar Rial), which is approximately $750. The company will also offer the 32GB version for 2899 QR and the 64GB model for 3099 QR, but the 16GB version is the only one that is available now. more >>

Researchers are claiming to have discovered the exact date that Jesus Christ was crucified, according to a new geological study released in an academic journal this week.

The geological survey, published in the International Geology Review, suggests that Christ was crucified on Friday, April 3, in the year 33.

The year of Christ's crucifixion has been widely debated in religious and scholarly circles, but geologists now believe that their research points to the most likely year Jesus was put on the cross. more >>