Showing posts sorted by relevance for query avalanche. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query avalanche. Sort by date Show all posts

Monday, February 20, 2012

Prince Still Critical after Avalanche

AUSTRIAN TIMES: Dutch Prince Johan Friso is still in hospital after he got caught in an avalanche on Friday. The second oldest son of Queen Beatrix was skiing in Lech am Arlberg, Austria when the avalanche struck.

Prince Johan went for 23 minutes without oxygen before he was recovered from under the avalanche on Friday. As the Austrian Times reported yesterday it has now emerged that the 43-year-old was dug out by a friend who had survived the incidient after wearing a cumbersome avalanche airbag. The unconscious Prince was reanimated by rescue teams at the scene was taken by an emergency helicopter to hospital in Innsbruck. » | Austrian Times | Monday, February 20, 2012


THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dutch prince buried in avalanche is in a coma: Dutch prince Johan Friso is fighting for his life in a coma as Austrian doctors say it will be the end of the week before they can say if he will live or die. » | Bruno Waterfield | Monday, February 20, 2012

NEWS.AT: Familien-Besuch am Krankenbett: Angehörige bangen an Frisos Krankenbett. Auch fünfjährige Tochter besucht Vater. ¶ Die niederländische Königin Beatrix und ihre Schwiegertochter Mabel sind am Montag wieder an der Innsbrucker Universitätsklinik eingetroffen, um den bei einem Lawinenabgang lebensgefährlich verletzten Prinz Johan Friso auf der Intensivstation zu besuchen. Begleitet wurden sie von der fünfjährigen Tochter des Verunglückten, Zaria, und Mabels Mutter. » | Montag, 20. Februar 2012

WELT ONLINE: Johan Friso im Koma, Königin Beatrix trägt Schwarz: Tragödie für das niederländische Königshaus: Prinz Johann Friso befindet nach dem Lawinenunglück im künstlichen Tiefschlaf. 23 Minuten lang soll er unter 40 Zentimeter Schnee gelegen haben. » | Elisalex Henckel | Montag, 20. Februar 2012

PARIS MATCH: Prince Johan Friso, l’interminable attente de Beatrix: Les médecins ne se prononcent toujours pas sur l'état de santé du Prince Johan Friso, victime vendredi d'un avalanche en Autriche. Alors sa mère, la reine Beatrix, attend. » | Clément Mathieu - Parismatch.com | lundi 20 février 2012

Friday, February 24, 2012

Dutch Prince 'Unlikely to Regain Consciousness' after Skiing Accident

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Austrian doctors treating the Prince Johan Friso have said he suffered massive brain damage after being buried by an avalanche last week and may never regain consciousness.

Doctor Wolfgang Koller said on Friday that it took nearly 50 minutes to reanimate the prince, who is the second son of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.

MRI scans have showed his brain suffered "massive damage" in the avalanche in Lech on Feb. 17 in which he was buried for at last 15 minutes.

"It is clear that the oxygen starvation has caused massive brain damage to the patient," he said. "At the moment, it cannot be predicted if he will ever regain consciousness."

Prince Friso, 43, who is married and has two young daughters, will be moved at a later date to a private clinic for further treatment but it may take years before he awakens, if ever. » | Friday, February 24, 2012

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WELT ONLINE: Prinz Johann Friso liegt im Wachkoma: Wien/Innsbruck - Der niederländische Prinz Johan Friso hat bei seinem Lawinenunfall einen schweren Hirnschaden erlitten und bleibt womöglich lebenslang im Wachkoma. Seine Ärzte zweifeln, ob der 43-Jährige je wieder zu Bewusstsein kommt. ¶ Der Sauerstoffmangel habe das Gehirn schwer geschädigt, gaben die Mediziner am Freitag in Innsbruck bekannt. Eine Lawine hatte den zweitältesten Sohn von Königin Beatrix vor einer Woche beim Skifahren in Lech am Arlberg verschüttet. Die Königsfamilie sucht nun nach einer Reha-Klinik. ¶ Das Königshaus bat die Medien, die Privatsphäre der Familie zu respektieren. «Die Angehörigen von Prinz Friso müssen mit der Situation des Prinzen zurecht kommen und ihr Leben neu ordnen», hieß es in einer Mitteilung. Regierungschef Mark Rutte sagte, das ganze Land leide mit der Königsfamilie in diesen «Tagen der Sorge und Trauer». » | dpa | Freitag, 24. Februar 2012


STERN.DE: Wird Prinz Johan Friso jemals wieder aufwachen? : Die Ärzte haben kaum noch Hoffnung: Der niederländische Prinz Johan Friso wird möglicherweise nie wieder aus dem Koma erwachen - 50 Minuten lang stand sein Herz nach seinem Ski-Unfall still. » | DPA/AFP | Freitag, 24. Februar 2012

LE POINT: Le prince Johan Friso ne reprendra peut-être plus jamais connaissance : Le prince Johan Friso d'Orange-Nassau et d'Amsberg, 43 ans, deuxième fils de la reine Beatrix accidenté dans une avalanche en Autriche, ne reprendra peut-être plus jamais connaissance, a annoncé vendredi un médecin de l'hôpital universitaire d'Innsbruck (ouest). ¶ "On ne peut pas dire aujourd'hui avec certitude si le prince Friso reprendra un jour connaissance", a déclaré Wolfgang Koller, responsable de l'unité de soin traumatologique de l'hôpital lors d'une conférence de presse. » | AFP | vendredi 24 février 2012

PARIS MATCH: Le prince Johan Friso. Une vie brisée : L’équipe médicale de l’hôpital d'Innsbruck a indiqué vendredi ne pas avoir la certitude que le prince Johan Friso, victime d’une avalanche vendredi dernier, reprendra connaissance. ¶ «Peut-être trop longtemps». Des mots terribles, tant redoutés. En conférence de presse vendredi après-midi, le Dr Wolfgang Koller, chef du département de traumatologie de l'Hôpital universitaire d'Innsbruck, a brisé le silence. Celui qui enveloppe le dramatique accident dont a été victime le prince Johan Friso d'Orange-Nassau de la famille royale des Pays-Bas. ¶ Le 17 février dernier, le fils cadet de la Reine Beatrix a été emporté par une avalanche. Il évoluait avec un ami en ski hors-piste dans la station de Lech, dans la province autrichienne du Vorarlberg. Transféré en hélicoptère à l'hôpital, il a été admis en soins intensifs dans un état jugé «critique mais stable». » | Lucie Dancoing - Parismatch.com | vendredi 24 février 2012
Dutch Prince Who Was Struck by Avalanche May Not Regain Consciousness

FOX NEWS: AMSTERDAM – A Dutch prince hit by an avalanche while skiing off-trail in Austria last week suffered massive brain damage and may never regain consciousness, his doctors said Friday.

Johan Friso, the second of Dutch Queen Beatrix's three sons, was buried for 25 minutes before rescuers found him. It then took nearly 50 precious minutes to reanimate the prince after he was pulled from the snow, time that may have cause permanent damage, said Dr. Wolfgang Koller, head of trauma at the Innsbruck hospital where he is being treated.

"It is clear that the oxygen starvation has caused massive brain damage to the patient," Koller said. "At the moment, it cannot be predicted if he will ever regain consciousness."

The 41-yaer-old Friso, who is married and has two young daughters, will be moved later to a rehabilitation clinic for further treatment. But Koller cautioned that it may take years before he awakens from his coma -- if he ever does -- and any recovery from such significant brain damage is a process of "months or even years."

Friso was skiing off-trail in Lech, Austria, despite avalanche warnings, with a childhood friend from the alpine village the Dutch royal family has been visiting each winter for years.

The friend was carrying an avalanche "air bag" and escaped without serious injury. Friso was found with the help of a signaling device he was carrying and flown by helicopter to the Innsbruck Clinic.

But "50 minutes of reanimation is extremely long. You could say too long," Koller said.

The doctor said that due to protocols for minimizing brain damage after such an accident, it had only been possible to conduct an MRI scan of Friso's brain on Thursday.

"We had hoped that the slight cooling of the patient would protect his brain from too serious damage. Unfortunately this hope was not fulfilled," he said.

Friso is in a coma, a state of unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened with external physical or auditory stimulation. There are different levels of unconsciousness and unresponsiveness depending on how much brain function there is. Doctors did not give further details of Friso's diagnosis. » | Associated Press | Friday, February 24, 2012

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Friday, June 23, 2023

‘Avalanche’ of Demand for Nazi Artefacts ahead of Australian Ban on Sale of Hate Symbols

THE GUARDIAN: Jewish groups decry ‘vomit-inducing’ frenzy of auctions before impending law change that will also prohibit public display of items

Sellers says collectors, not neo-Nazis, buy their memorabilia, but the rush of sales has been condemned as a ‘twisted obsession’ by the Anti-Defamation Commission. Photograph: Invaluable auction house

Australian militaria shops say there is an “avalanche” of demand for Nazi artefacts in anticipation of an impending ban on the sale of Nazi symbols.

A bill introduced to federal parliament in mid-June will ban the public display and sale of Nazi symbols, making it an offence to seek to profit from such material in stores or online. It will not ban private ownership or transfers of artefacts that are not for profit.

Sellers say the bill has prompted a frenzy of buying and selling, with signed pictures of Hitler, Himmler and Rommel sold at an auction last weekend on the Gold Coast. » | Mostafa Rachwani | Friday, June 23, 2023

Winning bidders of ‘despicable’ Nazi memorabilia urged to donate items to Sydney Jewish Museum: SS paraphernalia and an album of 500 photos from concentration camps which sold for $25,000 among items at Queensland auction »

Northern Ireland sale of Hitler memorabilia to go ahead despite outcry: Bloomfield Auctions rejects accusations it is acting immorally and insulting the memory of Nazis’ victims »

Friday, February 17, 2012

Lech: Lawine verschüttet niederländischen Königssohn

DIE PRESSE: Prinz Johan Friso wurde am Arlberg von einer Lawine erfasst. Der Sohn der niederländischen Königin Beatrix liegt in der Innsbrucker Uniklinik und schwebt in Lebensgefahr. Er war im ungesicherten Gelände unterwegs.

Ein Mitglied der niederländischen Königsfamilie ist am Arlberg von einer Lawine verschüttet worden. Offizielle Stellen bestätigen gegenüber der "Presse", dass es sich um Johan Friso handelt, den zweiten Sohn der niederländischen Königin Beatrix. Der 43-Jährige befindet sich in kritischem Zustand, die Ärzte der Innsbrucker Universitätsklinik kämpfen um sein Leben. Die niederländische Königsfamilie befindet sich derzeit auf zweiwöchigen Winterferien in Lech am Arlberg. » | red. | Freitag, 17. Februar 2012

KRONE.AT: Arlberg: Prinz Johan Friso von Lawine verschüttet – Drama um den holländischen Prinzen Johan Friso: Der zweitälteste Sohn von Königin Beatrix ist Freitagmittag am Arlberg von einer Lawine 40 Meter mitgerissen und verschüttet worden. Der Prinz wurde nach 20 Minuten ausgegraben und im Rettungshubschrauber wiederbelebt. In der Universitätsklinik Innsbruck ringt der prominente Patient nun mit dem Tod. » | C. Budin, T. Schrems, G. Krauthackl/red/AG | Freitag, 17. Februar 2012

NZZ ONLINE: Niederländischer Prinz von einer Lawine verschüttet: Sohn von Königin Beatrix gerettet und in stabilem Zustand » | NZZ Online | Freitag, 17. Februar 2012

THE GUARDIAN: Son of Queen Beatrix of Netherlands injured in avalanche: Prince Friso seriously hurt and in intensive care after helicopter rescue from Lech ski resort in Austria » | Associated Press in Vienna | Friday, February 17, 2012

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le prince Johan Friso des Pays-Bas blessé dans une avalanche: Le deuxième fils de la reine Beatrix est dans un état critique après avoir été pris sous une coulée de neige, vendredi dans la station autrichienne de Lech. » | afp/Newsnet | vendredi 17 fébruar 2012

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Prince Friso, a Ski Accident and the Terrible Trauma Facing the Dutch Royal Family

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A skiing accident has left Prince Friso of the Netherlands fighting for his life. And his family is now having to face up to their worst fears, write Harriet Alexander, Adam Lusher and Joan Clements.

His life was one which many would envy. A successful London financier, with a beautiful loving wife and two young daughters, Johan Friso seemed to have the world at his feet as he set off on his annual ski holiday.

But the businessman, better known as Prince Friso of the Netherlands, the second son of Queen Beatrix, was on Saturday night fighting for his life in Austria after an avalanche left him without oxygen for up to 20 minutes. And the Dutch royal family are now facing up to the agonising realisation that the 43-year-old may never recover from his injuries.

His wife, Princess Mabel, a highly-respected human rights specialist and CEO of Nelson Mandela's Global Elders group, has been keeping a vigil at his bedside since the accident. His mother, who has reigned for 22 years, has been seen looking tearful outside the hospital in Innsbruck, her eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses.

"The members of His Royal Highness Prince Friso's family need to come to terms with the prince's situation, and to reorganise their lives accordingly," said the royal household in a statement.

And the reorganisation is going to be exceedingly painful and difficult for all concerned.

Prince Friso's doctors have said that he may never regain consciousness after being starved of oxygen for so long. The prince was skiing off-piste in the Lech resort with a childhood friend when the avalanche struck. » | Saturday, February 25, 2012

My comment:

I find this news both extremely sad and very moving. Prince Johan Friso has been in my thoughts ever since the terrible news broke. I have also been following the news direct from Austria about this very unfortunate incident.

One can only imagine how traumatizing this must be for both his wife and Queen Beatrix, his mother; in fact, they must be devastated. My deepest sympathy is with them, and all their family, at this time.

One can only hope that by some miracle the prince will start improving. The outlook, however, appears to be very grim indeed.
– © Mark


This comment appears here, too.

Related »

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Engulfed by Weapons: Germany Under Fire as Arm Exports to Gulf Nations Triple


Germany recently came under an avalanche of criticism over a multi-billion dollar arms deals it sealed with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations who also have a questionable human rights record. Activists also claim German-made small arms, ammunition and military vehicles were commonly used by Middle Eastern and North African regimes to suppress peaceful demonstrations. Adam Coogle from Human Rights Watch says that Germany should give up its business ambitions in the Gulf.

Monday, August 12, 2013

Dutch 'Sad But Not Shocked' Over Prince Friso Death


BBC: The royal palace in the Netherlands says Prince Friso, the younger brother of King Willem-Alexander, has died at the age of 44.

He had been in a coma since being buried in an avalanche while skiing in Austria last year.

Anna Holligan reports. (+ video) » | Monday, August 12, 2013

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Sunday, April 13, 2008

BBC Chief Warns of ‘Over-Cautious’ Islam Coverage

THE TIMES: Mark Thompson, the Director General of the BBC, tonight warned broadcasters against becoming overly-cautious in their reporting on Islam for fear of causing offence to Muslims.

Speaking at Westminster Cathedral Mr Thompson, a practising Catholic, said there was “a growing nervousness about discussion about Islam and its relationship to the traditions and values of British and Western society as a whole”.

He said that the BBC and other major channels “have a special responsibility” to ensure that debates about “faith and society” and about any religion “should not be foreclosed or censored”.

In an effort to demonstrate that his remarks were not targeted solely at ensuring that Islam received journalistic scrutiny, Mr Thompson also referring to his decision to broadcast Jerry Springer, The Opera despite an avalanche of complaints from Christians unhappy at the depiction of Jesus in the satire.

“There is no point having a BBC which isn’t prepared to stand up and be counted; which will do everything it can to mitigate potential religious offence; but which will always be forthright in the defence of freedom of speech and of impartiality,” he said.

The lecture, Faith and the Media, also discussed how religious broadcasting at the BBC developed from the secularist perspective of the 1960s and 1970s, when Mr Thompson worked on Everyman, to faith-oriented programmes that tap a “sharp revival of interest in the spiritual potential”.

He contrasted The Passion, a traditional portrayal of Jesus Christ’s last days written by Frank Deasey, with the previous attempt to tell the story of his life, Dennis Potter’s 1969 version of a self-doubting prophet in Son of Man[.]

“It is quite simply inconceivable that the BBC in the 1970s or 80s or indeed the 90s would have [shown] a drama about Christ’s passion across BBC One’s primetime schedule”. [Source: BBC Chief Mark Thompson Warns of 'Over-Cautious' Islam Coverage]

Hat tip: Dhimmi Watch

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Monday, March 05, 2012

Comatose Dutch Prince Moved to London Hospital

CBS NEWS: Dutch Prince Johan Friso, in a coma since he was buried under an avalanche on Feb. 17, was transferred Thursday to a hospital in London.

The palace confirmed the transfer, saying: "Wellington hospital was recommended by experts. Considering his condition, Prince Friso will receive the best possible treatment there." » | Friday, March 02, 2012

ROYAL STATEMENT: HET KONINKLIJK HUIS: His Royal Highness Prince Friso, 1 March 2012, 18.18 »

Related material here and here

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Arianna Huffington's AOL Deal Sparks Accusations of a Political Sell-out

THE OBSERVER: The Huffington Post website made her the heroine of America's left, but critics say she failed to pay bloggers and used items generated by other news organisations

Arianna Huffington has long reigned as the queen of America's chattering classes, using her Huffington Post website as a platform to transform herself into a darling of the United States' left-leaning media elite.

But no longer. Since she announced that the HuffPo was being sold to web giant AOL for $315m, Huffington has been accused of being a political sellout and someone who made a personal fortune from the labour of thousands of bloggers who write for no pay.

America's Newspaper Guild, the journalists' union, has started a campaign to target the Huffington Post as having a business model that has done great damage by not paying contributors. It has demanded that Huffington donate some of her AOL deal profits to investing in paid journalism. "After building a media empire based on unpaid writers and republishing the works of others... we are calling on Arianna Huffington to invest in quality journalism by sharing a portion of this fortune," said the guild's president, Bernie Lunzer.

That appeal is likely to fall on deaf ears. HuffPo spokesman Mario Ruiz denied the website was a problem for the industry, saying: "It's both wrong and offensive to insist that the HuffPo is exploiting journalists."

But since the AOL deal was announced this month, there has been an avalanche of criticism of the website and its smooth-talking founder. "To grasp its business model... you need to picture a galley rowed by slaves and commanded by pirates," blasted Los Angeles Times columnist Tim Rutten. >>> Paul Harris, New York | Sunday, February 27, 2011

FACEBOOK: "Hey Arianna, Can You Spare a Dime?" >>>

FACEBOOK: Info – Arianna – AOL deal >>>

GUILD FREELANCERS: Petition: Arianna got millions; we got bylines >>>

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Angela Merkel, Person of the Year? Eine Katastrophe, More Like

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is in no mood to negotiate
THE TELEGRAPH: The German leader just named 'Chancellor of the Free World' by Time Magazine has actually seen her reputation and popularity take a hammeriing in 2015

Angela Merkel has just been named “Chancellor of the Free World” and Person of the Year by Time Magazine. But the reality is that she is hardly flying high. After more than a decade in office, Germany’s first female head of government is dragging her party down in the polls, openly criticised by her finance minister, out of step with her European partners, and prompting the streets to fill with angry protestors.

Her most powerful rival, the Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, has compared her to a “careless skier” who precipitates an avalanche. His mutiny against Mrs Merkel’s “open door” migration policy has strong support from a German public that is now thoroughly alarmed by an influx with no end in sight. Protests against her policy are mounting, yet she has refused to back down.

So how did it all go so badly wrong for the world’s most powerful woman? (+ video) » | Daniel Johnson | Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Freed Iraqi Shoe Thrower Tells of Torture in Jail

THE GUARDIAN: 'My flower to the occupier': Defiant journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi stands by protest against visiting George Bush

Watch Guardian video here

The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at George Bush has marked his release from jail by angrily defending his action and claiming he was tortured after his arrest.

Muntazer al-Zaidi's supporters and family gave him a rapturous welcome, sacrificing six sheep to mark his release and hanging laurels of flowers around his neck.

Wearing an Iraqi flag, Zaidi gave a detailed account of being tortured after his arrest, and vowed to reveal the names of senior officials in the Iraqi government and army who he said had been involved in his mistreatment.

Listen to Guardian audio: Iraqi shoe thrower released: 'The mood is one of celebration': An Iraqi reporter who threw his shoes at former President George W Bush has been released to scenes of jubilation in Baghdad, reports Martin Chulov >>>

Appearing with a missing front tooth, he told of beatings, whippings and electric shocks after his arrest. He said he now feared for his life, and believed US intelligence agents would chase after him.

"These fearful services, the US intelligence services and its affiliated services, will spare no efforts to track me as an insurgent revolutionary ... in a bid to kill me," he told the news conference.

"And here I want to warn all my relatives and people close to me that these services will use all means to trap and try to kill and liquidate me either physically, socially or professionally."

The reporter said he was abused immediately after his arrest, and the next day. He said he was beaten with iron bars, whipped with cords and electrocuted in the backyard of the building in the Green Zone.

"In the morning, I was left in the cold weather after they splashed me with water," he said.

He went on to defend his assault on Bush. "Simply put, what incited me toward confrontation is the oppression that fell upon my people and how the occupation wanted to humiliate my homeland by placing it under its boots," he said.

Zaidi said "throwing shoes against the war criminal Bush" was his answer to the cries of those bereaved by the conflict.

"The criminal murderer is standing here expecting us to throw flowers at him; this was my flower to the occupier."

Zaidi also talked of seeing "many, many massacres in every inch of our homeland" and of "witnessing the screams of victims and the cries of bereaved women". >>> Martin Chulov in Baghdad | Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Des femmes et de l'or pour Mountazer Al-Zaidi

COURRIER INTERNATIONAL: L’homme qui a jeté ses chaussures à la tête de George Bush pourra vivre sur un grand pied à sa sortie de prison. Une avalanche de cadeaux devrait saluer la libération du journaliste irakien Mountazer Al-Zaidi. "On a eu des promesses d’argent, l’émir du Qatar a promis un cheval en or, le colonel Mouammar Kadhafi a dit qu’il lui remettrait la plus haute décoration libyenne, et d’autres ont dit qu’ils lui offriraient une voiture de sport", a déclaré son frère Dargham, cité par la BBC. D’ores et déjà, son employeur, la petite chaîne de télévision Al-Baghdadia, lui a acheté un appartement de quatre pièces, rapporte le Guardian. Sans parler des propositions de mariage. "Un Irakien qui vit au Maroc nous a appelés pour lui offrir sa fille", rapporte son rédacteur en chef Abdul Hamid Al-Saij. "[…] Après l’événement, beaucoup de femmes ont voulu l’épouser, mais nous n’avons pas pris leur nom." Le reporter, devenu un héros pour le monde arabe, devrait être libéré lundi 14 septembre, au terme de neuf mois de prison. "C’est ton baiser d’adieu, chien ! Au nom des veuves et des orphelins d’Irak", avait-il crié à l’ex-président américain lors de son lancer de chaussures. [Source: Courrier International] | Lundi 14 Septembre 2009

Le lanceur de chaussures contre Bush sort de prison

Mountazer al-Zaïdi affirme avoir été torturé en détention et exige des excuses du Premier ministre irakien. Crédits photo : Le Figaro

LE FIGARO: Mountazer al-Zaïdi, le journaliste devenu célèbre après avoir lancé sur l'ex président américain ses souliers fin 2008, souhaite désormais créer un centre pour les orphelins et les veuves, auxquels il avait dédié son geste.

Libre après neuf mois de détention. Le journaliste irakien Mountazer al-Zaidi, propulsé au rang de héros du monde arabe après avoir lancé ses souliers à la tête de George W. Bush, a quitté mardi la prison de la base militaire de Mouthanna. La libération anticipée du reporter pour bonne conduite aurait dû avoir lieu dès lundi mais elle avait dû être repoussée suite à des problèmes administratifs.

Son avocat s'est félicité de la libération et a rendu hommage à l'indépendance de la justice irakienne. Lors d'une conférence de presse, Mountazer al-Zaidi a réclamé lui des excuses au premier ministre Nouri al-Maliki. Il affirme en effet avoir été torturé lors de son emprisonnement. «Au moment où Nouri al-Maliki expliquait à la télévision qu'il ne dormirait pas tant qu'il ne serait pas rassuré sur mon sort, j'étais frappé à coups de câbles électriques et de barres de fer. mes geôliers ont simulé des noyades [une technique employée par la CIA]».

Le reporter était entré dans l'histoire en décembre dernier en projetant ses souliers, taille 43, contre l'ancien locataire de la Maison-Blanche, qui les avaient évitées de justesse. Le journaliste s'était écrié «C'est le baiser d'adieu, espèce de chien». Condamné en première instance à trois ans de prison pour «agression contre un chef d'Etat en visite officielle», sa peine avait été réduite en appel à un an. Dans la culture arabe, jeter ses chaussures à la tête de quelqu'un et le traiter de «chien» est considéré comme une grave insulte. De nombreuses demandes en mariage >>> C.J. (lefigaro.fr) avec AFP | Mardi 15 Septembre 2009

Monday, August 12, 2013

Obituary: HRH Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau


THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: HRH Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau, who has died aged 44, was second in line to the Dutch throne until being excluded from the line of succession by his choice of a wife; for the past 18 months he had been in a coma after being buried by an avalanche at an Austrian ski resort.

In the summer of 2003 Prince Friso announced his engagement to Mabel Wisse Smit, a beautiful and intelligent blonde who was known for her work in the promotion of human rights. Soon afterwards, however, it was claimed that, 15 years earlier, she had been in a relationship with a Dutch mobster and international drug dealer called Klaas Bruinsma.

The claim was made by one of Bruinsma’s former bodyguards, who said that his boss and Mabel had been lovers — and that she had been the only woman allowed on board Bruinsma’s yacht. Miss Smit strenuously denied the allegations, saying that she had been merely an acquaintance of Bruinsma; she admitted that she had spent the night on his yacht on several occasions, but denied that there had been a sexual relationship, insisting that she had known him for only a few months and broke off contact after she found out how he made his money. They had, she said, shared a passion for sailing.

Miss Smit had been an expert on the Balkans at the UN, and promoted the cause of human rights for the Open Society Institute, funded by George Soros. She had been vetted by the Dutch secret service and approved as a suitable bride.

Shortly after becoming engaged, however, she issued a statement saying that she had known Bruinsma — who was shot dead in a gangland killing in 1991 — for a few months while she was a student, but had broken with him when she learned of “the practices he engaged in”. » | The Daily Telegraph | Monday, August 12, 2013

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Tuesday, May 07, 2013


The Lies We Tell Ourselves About Moderate Islam

THE JERUSALEM POST: Fundamentally Freund: President Barack Obama and much of the Western press seem to have difficulty saying in close proximity to one another: ‘Islamic’ and ‘terror.’

The past few weeks have been difficult ones for the United States and its allies, as they received some painful reminders that the war on terror is far from over.

In a dastardly attack on April 15, two bombs went off at the Boston Marathon, killing three people, wounding 264 others and leaving more than two dozen amputees. A week later, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced that they had arrested two people in a plot to attack a passenger train heading to Toronto from New York.

There were other incidents as well. On April 18, gunmen stormed a hotel in the Kenyan town of Garissa and sprayed bullets into the restaurant, killing 10.

And on April 28, two assassins opened fire on army intelligence officers in the town of Lamitan in the Philippines, killing two people.

What all these episodes have in common is one highly conspicuous fact: they were all carried out by Muslim terrorists bent on killing as many “infidels” as possible.

Indeed, despite an ongoing avalanche of violence being perpetrated around the world by Muslim extremists, there are two words President Barack Obama and much of the Western press seem to have difficulty saying in close proximity to one another: “Islamic” and “terror.”

They would rather soothe themselves – and us – into complacency, as if refusing to call something by its name will magically make it go away. » | Michael Freund | Monday, May 06, 2013

Friday, January 14, 2022

Prince Andrew Will No Longer Be ‘HRH’ – and That Is Now the Least of His Worries

THE GUARDIAN – OPINION: Virginia Giuffre is unlikely to accept a settlement alone. A trial would be disastrous for the prince and his family

Prince Andrew at the Falklands veterans parade in Horse Guards Parade, London, June 2007. Photograph: Anwar Hussein Collection/ROTA/WireImage

In 1986, Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey to an avalanche of enthusiastic press coverage. Thirty-five years later, he faces a lawsuit for sexual assault from Virginia Giuffre, a woman who was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein. He is disgraced, stripped of his military titles, will no longer be officially “His Royal Highness”, nor represent the Queen. After yesterday’s summit with his mother at Windsor Castle, Andrew is no longer a working royal in any capacity and must, as the statement from Buckingham Palace made clear, face the lawsuit as a “private citizen”.

Giuffre, a survivor of trafficking and abuse, has been courageous. Attacked and slandered by powerful individuals, she has continued to argue her case. She is, her team says, determined to have her day in court. The lawsuit may now go ahead as early as this autumn. In the year of the Platinum Jubilee, which was supposed to be all about celebrating the Queen and her long reign, the royal family are confronting the worrying possibility that attention will now be on the court case against Andrew. » | Kate Williams * | Friday, January 14, 2022

* Kate Williams is professor of history at Reading University and author of Rival Queens and The Edge of the Fall

Sarah Ferguson: will ex-wife continue to ‘remain steadfast’ for Prince Andrew’? : Duchess of York appears to be one of few people Andrew can still turn to for unconditional support »

Tuesday, May 02, 2023

Gove and Hunt, Beware: True-blue Surrey Is Ready to Turf Out the Tories – and You’re Next

THE GUARDIAN: An avalanche is coming. The voters I met are abandoning the Conservatives over lying, cheating and Brexit

“Were you still awake for Raab? Or Hunt? Or Gove?” On the morning after next year’s election we may be asking each other that, remembering the magic early-hours moment in 1997 when Michael Portillo lost his seat in Enfield Southgate, north London, symbolising the earthquake that brought down the Tories after 18 long years. Imagine the shock of Tory A-listers’ seats tumbling in the forever Tory fiefdoms of Surrey.

I had never imagined it, so what I discovered while canvassing with the Liberal Democrats last weekend in Michael Gove’s Surrey Heath constituency was terra incognita to me. Before, there was no point in following the fortunes of forlorn opposition candidates trying to knock down impenetrable home-county blue walls. There is now. » | Polly Toynbee | Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Tuesday, April 05, 2022

Total Wealth of World’s Billionaires Has Fallen to $12.7tn, Says Forbes

THE GUARDIAN: Number of billionaires worldwide falls by 329 amid Russian sanctions, according to Forbes

The total wealth of the world’s billionaires has dipped from a record high last year amid a drop in global stock markets since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, despite the planet’s richest people still holding a combined $12.7tn (£9.7tn) in assets.

According to the annual Forbes magazine ranking of the world richest people, the number of billionaires worldwide fell by 329 to 2,668, with the total value of their combined assets falling slightly from $13.1tn on the 2021 list.

It said that Putin’s invasion of Ukraine – and the avalanche of sanctions that followed – sent the Russian stock market and the rouble plummeting, resulting in 34 fewer Russian billionaires on the list. Those from the country with billionaire status almost all saw their fortunes stagnate or decline, with their total wealth dropping by more than $260bn compared with a year earlier.

Forbes said the decline in the total number of billionaires from 2,755 to 2,668 was the largest since the 2009 financial crisis, but followed an increase of more than 600 in 2021 when global stock bounced back from pandemic lows.

Elon Musk, the maverick boss of Tesla and SpaceX, was named the world’s richest man for the first time with a $219bn fortune, up $68bn on the previous year because of the carmaker’s soaring share price.

Musk leapfrogged Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, whose fortune dropped to $171bn after a small decline in the company’s share price and donations to charity. Bezos’s estimated $1.5bn charitable gifts pale in comparison with his ex-wife MacKenzie Scott, who has given away $12.5bn to more than 1,250 organisations in less than two years. Scott, who collected a $38bn settlement in her divorce from Bezos in 2019, has fallen from the 22nd-richest person on the planet to the 30th with a $43.6bn fortune. » | Rupert Neate | Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Friday, January 06, 2012

British Skiers Stranded in Zermatt

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Hundreds of British holidaymakers have been left stranded in Zermatt after an avalanche prevented travel in or out of the Swiss ski resort.

Snow has covered the road and rail routes in and out of the village, and continued heavy snow and high winds has meant helicopters have been unable to take off or land.

The resort has been cut-off since about 1.30pm on Thursday after more than a metre of snow fell in less than 24 hours. The surrounding mountains have also been closed to skiers.

A spokesperson for Zermatt Tourism said rail staff had been unable to dig out the train tracks, the main route into the resort, and the situation would be assessed again at 11.15am today. » | Oliver Smith and Caroline Shearing | Friday, January 06, 2012

NZZ ONLINE: Wetterbericht für die Schweiz: Nachts teils klar, am Samstag wieder Niederschlag – Allgemeine Lage: Die Schweiz liegt zwischen einem kräftigen Hoch mit Zentrum über dem nahen Atlantik und einer Tiefdruckzone über Skandinavien. Zwischen diesen Druckzentren herrscht weiterhin eine starke bis stürmische, direkt auf die Alpen gerichtete Nord- bis Nordwestströmung. Darin eingelagert erreicht am Samstag ein nächstes, okkludierendes Frontensystem die Schweiz. » | Freitag 06. Januar 2012

Friday, November 13, 2015

Angela Merkel's Future Under Scrutiny for the First Time as German Asylum Process Criticised

THE TELEGRAPH: A popular talk show […] the possibility of a coup against the German chancellor after her own party made implicit criticisms of her policy

Angela Merkel’s political future is being questioned for the first time in Germany as divisions continue to grow in her government over her “open-door” refugee policy.

Guests on a popular television political talk show debated the possibility of a coup against the German chancellor from within her own party.

The discussion came as civil servants at the government refugee agency published warned identity checks for Syrian asylum-seekers were ineffective and open to abuse by economic migrants and terrorists.

Wolfgang Schäuble, the finance minister, warned that Germany was facing an “avalanche” of refugees set off by a “careless skier”.

And Thomas de Maiziere, the interior minister, twice acted unilaterally to introduce stricter controls on Syrian asylum-seekers without informing Mrs Merkel. » | Justin Huggler, Berlin | Friday, November 13, 2015