Blogger trial delayed in Oman

A court in Oman adjourned the trial of five bloggers accused of insulting the country's ruler after a technical expert asked for more time, a defendant said. Khalfan Al Badwawi told Gulf News Wednesday the trial is scheduled to resume March 5. Badawi and other defendants say their accounts were hacked by people who posted the offensive material. The court asked Hussain Bin Saeed Al Gaffari, lawyer and legal adviser to the country's Information Technology Authority, to evaluate their story. Since May, Oman has arrested 40 people on similar charges. The five now on trial are charged with insulting the Sultan in material posted online.