Friday, July 02, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: US attempts to broker a détente between Israel and Turkey misfired after secret talks between the two states yielded little but a new domestic crisis for Benjamin Netanyahu.
Far from the diplomatic triumph he had hoped for, the Israeli prime minister found himself the target of a withering tirade from Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli foreign minister and coalition partner, who had been excluded from the negotiations.
Striking a blow at the fragile unity of Mr Netanyahu's unwieldy government, Mr Lieberman refused to answer repeated telephone calls from the prime minister yesterday and instead took to the airwaves to vent his fury.
At the heart of the row was a well meaning but arguably injudicious effort, initiated by President Barack Obama, to end Israel's estrangement from its erstwhile Turkish ally caused by the naval raid a month ago on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, resulting in the deaths of nine activists, eight of them Turkish.
At Mr Obama's behest, secret talks took place in Brussels on Wednesday.
While the Turks sent their foreign minister, Israel decided to pass over the hawkish Mr Lieberman in favour of Benjamin Ben Eliezer, the left-wing trade minister who has long advocated closer ties with Turkey. >>> Adrian Blomfield in Jerusalem | Thursday, June 01, 2010
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THE TELEGRAPH: Three suicide bombers attacked a popular Sufi shrine in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, leaving at least 42 dead and wounding nearly 200 people.
The bombing of Lahore's Data Darbar shrine, the burial site of a famous Sufi saint, struck at the heart of the moderate Islam most Pakistanis practice. The assault wounded 180 people and again demonstrated the potency of militant groups that are linked to but operate far from the north-west tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.
Thousands of people had gathered late on Thursday at the green-domed shrine when bombs went off minutes apart in separate sections.
The blasts ripped concrete from the walls, twisted metal gates and left the white marble floor awash with blood.
Worshippers scattered as white plumes of smoke blanketed the area, footage showed.
There was no claim of responsibility, but Islamist extremists consider Sufism to be heretical, and they have previously struck non-Sunni sects. >>> | Friday, July 02, 2010
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THE TELEGRAPH: Google has agreed to acquire ITA, a flight information software company for $700 million in cash, in a bid to enter the lucrative digital travel market.
The search giant is hoping that the cash acquisition, the fourth largest in its history, will allow it to create bespoke search tools focused on travel. ITA, which has been in existence for 14 years, aggregates and organises information it gathers from travel agents and airlines, including flight times, ticket prices and availability.
However, the deal needs approval by the US competition authorities, as the acquisition would bring together the world’s largest search engine with one of the biggest pieces of travel search software. >>> Emma Barnett, Technology and Digital Media Correspondent | Friday, July 02, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Google has begun paying extra to its gay employees in the US to compensate them for additional taxes on their benefits.
The search engine giant yesterday adjusted the pay packets of employees in same sex relationships to offset income tax they have to pay on health insurance for their partners[.]
Gay couples have also been given the same rights as heterosexuals to take off from work for family or medical reasons, Cynthia Yeung of the Google's strategic development team said in a blog post.
The company has strong gay representation, with nearly 300 "Googlers' marched in San Francisco's 40th annual Pride parade on Sunday.
"We braved the rain in Boston, enjoyed the sun in New York, rode a trolley in Chicago and marched with the Israel Gay Youth Organization in Tel Aviv and Haifa," Ms Yeung said of Google workers taking part in such celebrations.
"Googlers will be participating in EuroPride, held in Poland this year, as well as many other parades, including Tokyo for the first time. And we'll be celebrating Pride season in Singapore too." >>> | Thursday, July 01, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Is broadband a human right? The Finnish government thinks so. From today, all Finns have the right to at least a one megabit-per-second internet connection. That’s not staggeringly fast. The UK average internet speed, for example, is around 3.6mbps.
However, by 2015, the Finnish government is promising its people blazingly fast 100mbps connections. That leaves our government’s commitment to speeds of 2mbps for all by 2012 looking rather mediocre.
Almost the entire Finnish population is online – 96 per cent of them, in fact. Granted there are only 5.3 million people in Finland – fewer than live in London – but given that their country is one of Europe’s most sparsely-populated, managing to connect such a huge proportion is quite impressive. Continue reading and comment >>> Shane Richmond | Thursday, July 01, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Al-Qaeda has opened a new front in war on the West, launching its own English-language internet newspaper, which features articles such as "Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom".
Its tag-line is "Inspire the Believers" and its first front page features a quotation by the radical Yemeni-American cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki: "May our souls be sacrificed for you".
The magazine claims to be published by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), whose leaders are the most prominent propagandists of any of the group's branches.
The full magazine is not yet online, but the contents page offers messages from both Osama bin Laden and his second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri. It also advertises a piece by Awlaki entitled: "Shaykh Anwar's message to the American people and Muslims in the West".
Other articles include a question-and-answer session with the leader of AQAP, Nasir al-Wuhayshi, also known by his nom de guerre, Abu Basir, and a tantalising piece offering a "detailed yet short, easy-to-read manual on how to make a bomb using ingredients found in a kitchen".
It says the title comes from a Koranic verse "Inspire the believers to fight". "It is jihad that gives this nation life," its Letter from the Editor states. "We survive through jihad and perish without it." >>> Richard Spencer in Dubai | Thursday, July 01, 2010
MAIL ONLINE: An Iranian mother-of-two faces death by stoning after being convicted of adultery.
Amnesty International today urged the Iranian authorities to halt the execution of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani.
The human rights organisation describes stoning as a ‘grotesque and unacceptable penalty which Iran should abolish immediately’.
Ashtiani’s children joined in with a heart-breaking appeal to the international community to help spare their mother’s life.
‘Please help end this nightmare and do not let it turn into a reality,’ begged her daughter, Farideh, 16, and her son, Sajad, 20.
‘Explaining the minutes and seconds of our lives is very difficult. Words lose their meaning in these agonising moments. Help us save our mother.’
Ashtiani, 43, was convicted of having an ‘illicit relationship’ with two men in May 2006 and received 99 lashes as her sentence.
Despite this, she was later convicted of ‘adultery while being married’ and was sentenced to death by stoning. >>> Michael Theodoulou | Thursday, July 01, 2010
Thursday, July 01, 2010
MAIL ONLINE: Muslim pupils are being withdrawn from music lessons because some families believe learning an instrument is anti-Islamic, it emerged today.
An investigation has discovered that Muslim pupils are being taken out of school music classes even though the subject is a compulsory part of the national curriculum.
While parents have legal rights to withdraw children from religious and sex education classes, no automatic right exists to pull them out of subjects such as music.
One education expert said that up to half of Muslim pupils were withdrawn from music lessons during Ramadan.
And The Muslim Council of Britain said music lessons were likely to be unacceptable to around 10 per cent of the Muslim population in Britain.
However, in certain branches of Islam - such as Sufism, which is dominant in Pakistan and India - devotional music and singing is actually central to the religion.
A BBC investigation found that in one London primary school, 20 pupils were removed from rehearsals for a Christmas musical and one five-year-old girl remains permanently withdrawn from mainstream music classes.
Some Muslims believe that playing musical instruments and singing is forbidden according to Islam. >>> Laura Clark, Education Correspondent | Thursday, July 01, 2010
THE TIMES: Two accused Russian spies appeared in leg irons today in a Boston court, where their lawyers were granted extra time to prepare their defence in a spy case that has driven oil slicks off America’s front pages and prompted an international manhunt in the eastern Mediterranean.
Seven more of the alleged Russian agents were due in court tonight to seek bail against daunting odds as the search for their supposed ringleader continued in Cyprus, and Washington expressed its dismay over his release on Wednesday.
Christopher Metsos, the alleged bag-carrier for many of the suspected “sleepers”, was still at large after the astonishing decision by a Cypriot judge to release him on a €26,500 bond.
A dejected senior Cypriot legal official told The Times today that Mr Metsos “probably went to the north and has left from there already”, referring to the strong possibility that Metsos has crossed into the self-declared Turkish Republic. >>> Giles Whittell, Washington and Michael Theodoulou, Nicosia | Thursday, July 01, 2010
LE MONDE: Au moins 35 personnes ont été tuées et 175 blessées dans trois attentats-suicides qui ont frappé jeudi 1er juillet le sanctuaire soufi de Datar Darbar, à Lahore, dans le nord-est du Pakistan, proche de la frontière indienne. Les explosions ont eu lieu dans l'immense complexe situé au cœur de la ville, qui abrite le tombeau d'un saint soufi et dans lequel des centaines de pèlerins se rassemblent chaque jeudi soir, a expliqué sur les chaînes de télévision le plus haut responsable de la mairie de Lahore, où vivent près de 10 millions de Pakistanais. >>> LeMonde.fr avec Reuters et AFP | Jeudi 01 Juillet 2010
WELT ONLINE: Ankaras Außenminister spricht in Brüssel mit Jerusalems Handelsminister – Die USA wollen die verhärteten Fronten aufweichen.
Die türkische Delegation war in Feierstimmung. Drei Minister samt großer Entourage und Journalisten reisten am Mittwochmorgen in Brüssel an, um mit EU-Kommission und Europäischem Rat ein weiteres Beitrittskapitel zu eröffnen. Seit vergangenem Dezember konnte Ankara keinen Erfolg mehr auf dem Weg zur Mitgliedschaft vorweisen. Die Begeisterung in der Türkei für den EU-Beitritt sinkt immer weiter.
Zugleich kriselt es zwischen Ankara und dem Westen. Grund dafür ist das Nein der Türkei im UN-Sicherheitsrat zu Sanktionen gegen Iran. Auch die anhaltende scharfe Auseinandersetzung zwischen der türkischen Regierung und Israel nach dem Angriff auf die „Gaza-Flotille“ sorgt für Spannungen.
Offensichtlich bemüht sich Ankara jetzt aber darum, die verhärteten Fronten aufzuweichen. Während die Delegation im Brüsseler Ratsgebäude an letzten Details feilte, setzte sich ein Mann heimlich ab. Der türkische Außenminister Ahmet Davutoglu verschwand, begleitet von seinem Staatssekretär und dem EU-Botschafter, für mehrere Stunden in ein nahe gelegenes Hotel. >>> Von S. Bolzen und M. Borgstede | Donnerstag, 01. Juli 2010
WELT ONLINE: 109 Jahre Pflichtdienst an der Waffe sind Geschichte – Schweden fürchtet längst keinen Einmarsch der Russen mehr.
Das Ende der Wehrpflicht war noch einmal Ausdruck allen Pflichtgefühls von Militär und dessen Vertretern. Auf dem Platz des königlichen Schlosses in Stockholm schritt der Oberbefehlshaber der schwedischen Streitkräfte, Sverker Göranson, die letzte aus Wehrpflichtigen bestehenden Garde der Schlosswache ab. Medaillen wurden verliehen. Alles hatte seine Ordnung. Schweden hat sich von der Wehrpflicht verabschiedet – nach 109 Jahren und vier Millionen Rekruten in Uniform.
Nahezu geräuschlos ging dieser Abschied vonstatten. Dabei ist es für das nach militärischen Maßstäben kleine Schweden ein bedeutender Schritt. „Das hier ist die größte Veränderung des schwedischen Militärs in den vergangenen 100 Jahren“, sagt Anders Karlsson. Der sozialdemokratische Abgeordnete und Verteidigungsexperte findet starke Worte, wenn er die Abschaffung der allgemeinen Wehrpflicht in seinem Land beschreiben soll. >>> Von C. Bomsdorf und E. Jung | Mittwoch, 30. Juni 2010
LE TEMPS: Le tribunal de Nanterre a reporté, sine die, le procès de François-Marie Banier, photographe mondain soupçonné d’abus de faiblesse sur Liliane Bettencourt, la milliardaire française héritière de l’empire cosmétique L’Oréal
La présidente du tribunal, Isabelle Prévost-Desprez, s’est auto désignée pour conduire le complément d’enquête qui visera notamment des enregistrements clandestins de la milliardaire où apparaît le nom du ministre français du Travail Eric Woerth. Plus tôt, la défense du photographe François-Marie Banier avait demandé le renvoi du procès, estimant «nauséabonde», cette affaire qui a pris un tour politique.
Figure du tout-Paris, photographe des stars, François-Marie Banier, 63 ans, est accusé par la fille de la femme la plus riche de France, Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers, d’avoir profité de la fragilité de sa mère pour se faire remettre près d’un milliard d’euros dans les années 1990 et 2000. >>> AFP | Jeudi 01 Juillet 2010
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: PROCHE-ORIENT | Une source officielle turque a confirmé jeudi que le ministre turc des Affaires étrangères Ahmet Davutoglu et le ministre israélien du Commerce Benjamin Ben Eliezer se sont rencontrés en secret tenter de surmonter la crise entre les deux pays.
La rencontre "a eu lieu hier (mercredi) à Bruxelles à la demande d'Israël", a déclaré un responsable turc, parlant sous le couvert de l'anonymat. "Nous avons déjà transmis une note à Israël expliquant nos attentes à leur égards (...) Ces attentes ont été réitérées lors de la rencontre", a-t-il ajouté.
Les médias israéliens avaient annoncé mercredi cette entrevue, mais elle n'avait été que partiellement confirmée par le bureau du Premier ministre israélien Benjamin Netanyahu, qui avait déclaré avoir autorisé une telle rencontre. Selon la deuxième chaîne de télévision israélienne et l'agence italienne Adnkronos, la rencontre a eu lieu à Zurich.
Selon la chaîne d'information turque NTV, les entretiens, qui visaient à apaiser les tensions suscitées par l'assaut de la flottille d'aide à Gaza, doivent se poursuivre. On ignore toutefois où et quand, ajoute NTV. >>> ATS | Jeudi 01 Juillet 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue is back in plain sight after a four-month long £2.7 million renovation. >>> | Thursday, July 01, 2010
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THE TELEGRAPH: Baroness Thatcher may be played by the Hollywood star Meryl Streep in a movie of the former British prime minister's life.
The biopic titled "Thatcher" will focus on the period immediately prior to the Falklands war, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Producers are said to be in talks with Streep, one of the most successful actresses in Hollywood, who is seen as one of the few women capable of convincingly playing Lady Thatcher.
However, they may face concerns over how an American will be received playing the part, and suggestions that it should go to a British actress.
The film's producers are said to be lining up British actor Jim Broadbent to play Lady Thatcher's husband Denis. >>> Nick Allen in Los Angeles | Thursday, July 01, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Bomb attacks that are killing British troops in Afghanistan are being funded and supplied from Iran and Pakistan, a senior officer has said.
Major General Gordon Messenger also revealed that Taliban insurgents are altering their tactics to launch more long-range sniper attacks on Nato forces.
A total of 309 British personnel have died in Afghanistan sine 2001. Many have been killed by improvised explosive devices, bombs planted along roads and pathways[.]
The general, the spokesman for Britain’s mission in Afghanistan, said that UK forces and Afghan civilians now face an “unprecedented threat” from such devices.
Maj Gen Messenger told reporters in London that British military intelligence has found “evidence” that some of the IED attacks are being supported from outside Afghanistan.
“We are looking beyond Afghanistan in terms of the provision of some of the more sophisticated components and the provision of finance,” he said. “There is evidence that something is coming in from Iran, something is coming in from Pakistan.”
Some reports have suggested that military chiefs and intelligence agencies in both Pakistan and Iran are supporting the Taliban.
Last month, a London School of Economics report said that Pakistan’s ISI intelligence service gives extensive backing to the Afghan insurgency. >>> James Kirkup, Political Correspondent | Thursday, July 01, 2010
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Tiger Woods will not be allowed to let future girlfriends near his children in a $890 million reported divorce settlement with Elin Nordegren.
The record payout, reported by The Sun in London, stipulates that the golfer will only introduce the couple's two children Sam and Charlie to a new woman if he marries her.
In exchange, Nordegren has agreed to never speak publicly about Woods's alleged affairs with up to as many as 20 women, including socialite Rachel Uchitel, porn star Joslyn James and reality television star Jaimee Grubbs.
An unnamed "pal" told the tabloid: "Elin is desperate to protect the children from the womanising side of their father.
"Tiger's main fear is her telling her story after he's rebuilt his reputation, sending him back to the gutter."
Swedish Nordegren, a former model, will receive double the amount of money she orginally asked for after her lawyers proved Woods, 34, was worth much more than the $US1 billion ($1.19 billion) she had estimated. >>> smh.com.au | Thursday, July 01, 2010
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FOX NEWS: PORTLAND, Oregon -- Police said Wednesday they are reopening an investigation into an Oregon massage therapist's allegations that former Vice President Al Gore groped her at an upscale hotel in 2006.
In a brief statement, the Portland Police Bureau did not say why it was reopening the investigation. Police earlier said they considered the case closed because there was no evidence.
Kalee Kreider, a spokeswoman for Gore, said the former vice president "unequivocally and emphatically" denied making unwanted sexual advances toward the woman and that he welcomed the investigation.
"Further investigation into this matter will only benefit Mr. Gore," Kreider said. >>> Associated Press | Thursday, July 01, 2010
Related article here
THE TELEGRAPH: British-born author Christopher Hitchens has cut short a book tour to undergo chemotherapy.
"I have been advised by my physician that I must undergo a course of chemotherapy on my oesophagus. This advice seems persuasive to me. I regret having had to cancel so many engagements at such short notice," Hitchens, 61, said in a statement released through his publishers Twelve.
The company issued a statement saying the author was being given privacy during the treatments. Hitchens, known to be a heavy smoker, >>> | Thursday, July 01, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Al-Qaeda is preparing to launch its first online propaganda newspaper in English, a move that could help the terror group recruit inside the US and Europe.
The group has begun promoting the paper, called Inspire, with animated online graphics promising a "special gift to the Islamic nation."
Counterterrorism officials and terror analysts say it will be run by al-Qaeda's branch in Yemen, which has been linked to the failed Christmas Day bombing attempt of a US-bound airliner.
The launch suggests that, as al-Qaeda's core has been weakened by CIA drone airstrikes, the group hopes to broaden its reach inside the US, where officials have seen a spate of homegrown terrorists.
The new publication "is clearly intended for the aspiring jihadist in the US or UK who may be the next Fort Hood murderer or Times Square bomber," Bruce Riedel, a Brookings Institution scholar and former CIA officer, said. >>> | Thursday, July 01, 2010
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THE TELEGRAPH: Members of the public will be given the right to nominate unpopular laws they want scrapped, Nick Clegg has announced the Your Freedom initiative intended to begin a shift of power away from the state to the people.
In an article for The Daily Telegraph, the Deputy Prime Minister says that “people, not policy-makers” are the best judges of which “unnecessary laws” should be repealed.
Your Freedom: suggest the laws you want repealed
The “radically different” approach is part of the Coalition’s attempt to redress the balance between the citizen and the state, Mr Clegg argues. He says it is not for Government to tell people “how to live their lives” and that civil liberties should be restored and laws stifling businesses abandoned.
As part of Mr Clegg’s initiative, Telegraph.co.uk is providing a Your Freedom link to the Cabinet Office website where people can put forward their suggestions for which laws should be targeted.
In his article, Mr Clegg says: “Today we are taking an unprecedented step. Based on the belief that it is people, not policy-makers, who know best, we are asking the people of Britain to tell us how you want to see your freedom restored.
“We are calling for your ideas on how to protect our hard-won liberties and repeal unnecessary laws. And we want to know how best to scale back excessive regulation that denies businesses the space to innovate.
“We’re hoping for virtual mailbags full of suggestions. Every single one will be read, with the best put to Parliament. >>> Andrew Porter, Political Editor | Thursday, July 01, 2010
Your Freedom
THE TELEGRAPH: Your Freedom: Nick Clegg calls on public to help repeal bad laws: Nick Clegg has announced the Your Freedom initiative intended to give members of the public the right to nominate unpopular laws they want scrapped. >>>
THE TELEGRAPH: The state has crept further and further into people’s homes and their private lives under the cover of pretending to act in our best interest. That needs to change, says Nick Clegg.
During their 13 years in power, the Labour Government developed a dangerous reflex. Faced with whatever problem, legislation increasingly became the standard response. Something needs fixing? Let’s pass a new law.
And so, over the last decade, thousands of new rules and regulations have amassed on the statute book. And it is our liberty that has paid the price. Under the cover of pretending to act in our best interest, the state has crept further and further into people’s homes and their private lives. That intrusion is disempowering. It needs to change.
The Coalition Government is determined to restore great British freedoms. Major steps have been taken already. ID cards have been halted. Plans are underway to restrict the storage of innocent people’s DNA. Schools will no longer be able to take children’s fingerprints without their parents consent.
But we need to do more. The culture of state snooping has become so ingrained that we must tackle it with renewed vigour. And, especially in these difficult times, entrepreneurs and businesses need our help. We must ensure we are not tying them up in restrictive red tape. Freedom is back in fashion >>> Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister | Thursday, July 01, 2010
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Wednesday, June 30, 2010
THE TIMES: Ever since the tumultuous birth of communist Cuba, the one perk thousands of workers have been able to count on over the decades is a hearty meal to sustain them through the toil of providing for the socialist motherland.
Today nearly a quarter of a million Cubans will discover that there is no such thing as a free lunch, when the Government closes work cafeterias to cut costs. The move is one of a series of reforms, brought in since Raúl Castro took over as President from his brother, Fidel, in 2006, and deigned to reduce the State’s involvement in Cubans’ daily lives.
Workers will receive a wage increase of 60 cents a day in compensation, or $18 (£13) a month — a substantial amount to add to the average monthly wage of $20.
Still, there are concerns among workers about the impact of the closures. “There aren’t enough cafés at the moment,” said Ada, 57, who works in a cafeteria for state employees restoring the old part of Havana.
“All these people looking for somewhere to eat — there isn’t enough food for so many people on their lunch hour.”
Cubans have been allowed to set up privately run snack shops since 1993 but the range of food on offer is still limited.
Among the options are small, doughy pizzas for 50 cents, or a box of fried rice for 60 cents. Juan, a 29-year-old architect, says that he will bring his lunch from home. “The only inconvenience is preparing it for yourself. But then it should be better than the food you get here.” He is pleased that he will not have to eat with construction workers any more. “It gets rid of the whole idea of the socialist cafeteria, where everyone is supposedly equal.” Continue reading and comment >>> Corrina Hayes, Havana | Wednesday, June 30, 2010
THE TIMES: Cubans united on need for change, says Roman Catholic cardinal Jaime Ortega: Cuba’s foremost Roman Catholic said that Cubans are growing impatient for change to address the island’s worst crisis in more than a decade. >>> James Bone, New York | Wednesday, April 21, 2010
THE TIMES: It was supposed to be the turning point for the embattled government of Chancellor Angela Merkel - the triumphant election of her favourite conservative, Christian Wulff, as the President of Germany.
Instead of a shoo-in, however, it took nine hours of voting, interspersed by wheeler-dealing and a desperate appeal by the Chancellor before the country could be sure that the next head of state would be called President Wulff.
Mr Wulff, the Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, had been pitted against the candidate of the Social Democrats and Greens, the former east German dissident priest Joachim Gauck. Two rounds of voting saw Mr Wulff fall short of the necessary absolute majority and even hard-boiled political commentators started to argue that Mr Gauck, always the outsider, might just make it in a third and final round. In the end, Mr Wulff was elected by 625 votes to Mr Gauck’s 494 - but not before dozens of Ms Merkel’s supporters had secretly voted against her candidate.
The eventual result was a good one for the Chancellor, but the process had exposed her political weakness to the nation. >>> Roger Boyes, Berlin | Wednesday, June 30, 2010
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Wulff wird im dritten Wahlgang Präsident: Schwarz-Gelb ist knapp an der Katastrophe vorbeigeschrammt: Im dritten Wahlgang wurde Christian Wulff zum neuen Bundespräsidenten gewählt, sogar mit absoluter Mehrheit. Doch an dem Wahlkrimi wird die Koalition noch lange zu leiden haben - es könnte der Anfang vom Ende für Merkels Regierung sein. >>> kgp/dpa/ddp/AFP/apn/Reuters | Mittwoch, 30. Juni 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Couples who insult each other over their physical appearance or make false accusations about infidelity face jail, under a new French law making "psychological violence" a criminal offence.
The law – the first of its kind – means that partners who make such insults or threats of physical violence faces up to three years in prison and a €75,000 (£60,000) fine.
French magistrates have slammed the new legislation as "inapplicable", as they argue the definition of what constitutes an insult is too vague and verbal abuse too hard to prove.
Nadine Morano, the junior family minister, told the National Assembly that "we have introduced an important measure here, which recognises psychological violence, because it isn't just blows (that hurt), but also words."
Miss Morano said the primary abuse help line for French women got 90,000 calls a year, with 84 per cent concerning psychological violence.
But men now also have the right to report their wives['] verbal abuse in a domestic row.
It will apply to both married couples and cohabiting partners.
The bill, which has been unanimously approved by French MPs, defines mental violence as "repeated acts that could be constituted by words," including insults or repeated text messages that "degrade one's quality of life and cause a change to one's mental or physical state." >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Wednesday, June 30, 2010
*This stupid law will encourage people to go it alone, to stay single. How ridiculous! – Mark
LE FIGARO: En visite à Paris, le ministre grec délégué aux Affaires étrangères, Dimitri Droutsas, a souligné les premiers résultats du plan de rigueur.
Mise sous pression par la crise de son économie, la Grèce ne perd pas de vue les Balkans et la Turquie, ses voisins dont «l'avenir passe par l'Union européenne» , comme l'a souligné le ministre grec délégué aux affaires étrangères, Dimitri Droutsas, hier à Paris. Athènes observe attentivement la nouvelle visibilité de la Turquie sur la scène régionale, y voyant une raison supplémentaire de poursuivre le délicat rapprochement entamé avec Ankara après des décennies de méfiance . Selon le chef adjoint de la diplomatie grecque (le portefeuille des Affaires étrangères est détenu officiellement par le premier ministre Georges Papandréou, NDLR), la posture adoptée par la Turquie est «logique» : «Faute de recevoir un message positif de l'UE, elle considère d'autres alternatives. Mais pour Ankara, je ne suis pas convaincu qu'il y ait d'autre alternative que l'Europe», déclare-t-il au Figaro. Cela dit, Dimitri Droutsas ne manque pas de rappeler que «la normalisation des relations avec la Turquie ne sera pas complète tant que ne sera pas réglé le problème de Chypre» . Une «solution chypriote», c'est-à-dire élaborée «sans pression de l'extérieur» , et la prise en compte de l'acquis communautaire sont, d'après lui, les deux ingrédients indispensables d'un règlement négocié. «La clé du problème est en Turquie» , affirme Dimitri Droutsas, en appelant Ankara à retirer ses troupes du nord de l'île divisée, «une mesure concrète qui créerait une atmosphère de confiance mutuelle» .
Dans son voisinage, la priorité grecque demeure toutefois les Balkans. L'«Agenda 2014», défendu par Athènes, propose l'intégration dans l'UE à cette échéance. Un processus grâce auquel «les menaces de conflit dans la région pourraient être réduites plus facilement», notamment au Kosovo et en Macédoine, selon Dimitri Droutsas. Continuez à lire et réagir à cet article
>>> Par Alain Barluet | Mercredi 30 Juin 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Tony Blair’s irritation and frustration at being told that going to war in Iraq would be illegal have been made public with the unprecedented release of top secret Government documents.
On one note, written six weeks before the March 2003 invasion, the then-prime minister scrawled “I just do not understand this” alongside a warning from Lord Goldsmith, the attorney general, that military force would be illegal without a fresh United Nations resolution.
In separate handwriting at the top of the note, a No 10 aide wrote: “specifically said we did not need further advice [on] this matter.”
The document is one of a number which were declassified by the Government showing that in the run up to the war, Lord Goldsmith was repeatedly told that his formal advice about the legality of an invasion was not welcome.
He had expressed reservations about the legal justification for a military conflict without the support of the UN for months before changing his mind on the eve of the war after flying to the United States to discuss the matter with officials working for President George W Bush.
The documents have been kept secret since the war but were released to the Chilcot Inquiry, which is holding hearings into the Iraq conflict, after Sir Gus O’Donnell, the head of the civil service, ruled that they raised “unprecedented” matters of public interest. >>> Rosa Prince, Political Correspondent | Wednesday, June 30, 2010
MAIL ONLINE: Tony Blair rakes in another $100,000 as he is awarded 2010 Liberty Medal by Bill Clinton >>> Mail Foreign Service | Wednesday, June 30, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: A German man is facing up to six months in prison for having a speech by Adolf Hitler as mobile phone ring tone.
The 54-year-old had the speech - in which the Nazi leader pledged the "destruction of world Jewry" if Germany was "dragged" into war - programmed into his Nokia phone. >>> Allan Hall in Berlin | Wednesday, June 30, 2010
AFP: WASHINGTON — He might have sacked him as the US war commander in Afghanistan, but President Barack Obama will allow General Stanley McChrystal the honor of retiring as a four-star general.
The White House said Tuesday that the president had intervened to ensure that McChrystal would keep his rank, even though he had not served the requisite number of years at the level to retain the rank.
"We will do whatever is necessary to ensure that somebody who has served the country as ably as he has can retire at a four-star level," said Robert Gibbs, Obama's spokesman.
McChrystal was promoted to four-star rank last year, when Obama chose him to serve as Afghan commander. >>> AFP | Wednesday, June 30, 2010
ALL HEADLINE NEWS: Washington, DC, United States (AHN) - U.S. President Barack Obama and visiting King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday prayed together* for the serenity of the media at the White House meeting.
"I want to also thank our friends, the American people, and I also would like to thank our friends here in the media," King Abdullah said at the end of his statement. "May God spare us from all of the bad things they can do to us."
As Obama laughed, Abdullah added, "And may God bless us with all the positive things they can do for us and for humanity."
Obama added: "Well, that is an excellent prayer. Thank you."
According to a White House communique, the two leaders “met and reaffirmed the strong, historic ties between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America.” >>> Tejinder Singh, AHN News Correspondent | Wednesday, June 30, 2010
*If B. Hussein Obama prayed together with King Abdullah, you can be sure that they prayed together in the Islamic way. Many Americans will surely find this act very offensive. – Mark
THE GUARDIAN– AN EXTRACT: All across eastern Europe, more and more LGBT people are standing up for their rights and joining the movement for queer freedom. This is not surprising. Within the LGBT communities of the former Soviet empire, this yearning for equality and human rights is strong and undiminished. Read the whole article here, and comment >>> Nikolai Alekseev | Wednesday, June 30, 2010
THE WASHINGTON TIMES: The son of one of the founders of Hamas is turning his back not only on the organization that now controls Gaza, but the religion that so animates the followers of the group his father helped create.
Speaking on Wednesday night to the Endowment for Middle East Truth, a pro-Israel organization that focuses on radical Islam in education and media, Mosab Hassan Yousef said, "The god of Islam is the god of hate."
Mr. Yousef's father, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, is a leading imam within Hamas, a group that seeks to impose Islamic law throughout the territory it considers Palestine, land that also encompasses the modern state of Israel.
The younger Mr. Yousef came to the United States in 2007, but only sought publicity after the publication of his memoir, "The Son of Hamas," this year. Continue reading and comment >>> Eli Lake | Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Related article and videos here and here
HT: Weasel Zippers >>>
THE AUSTRALIAN: MANSOUR Leghaei -- the Sydney Islamic cleric accused of spying for Iran -- will arrive back in his birth country today after being deported.
The father of four flew out of Sydney last night with his wife and 14-year-old daughter Fatima after a long campaign by Australian supporters from across the religious divide failed to sway the federal government against the deportation decision.
"I'm going to miss everyone so much," Dr Leghaei said yesterday after packing up his home in Sydney's inner west.
The sheik's three sons will remain in Australia.
"I will not only miss my children -- my flesh and blood -- but I will also miss the Muslim community and the wider community, the Christian community and all the other Australians who have been amazingly supportive," he said.
"I don't think I will find better friends anywhere."
Dr Leghaei, an imam at the Shia Imam Husain Islamic Centre at Earlwood in Sydney's inner west, was ordered to leave Australia after ASIO issued an adverse security assessment when he applied for permanent residence in 1995.
But neither ASIO nor the government will tell him the reasons behind the decision, saying they are not required to because he is not an Australian citizen. >>> Jodie Minus, The Australian | Monday, June 28, 2010
THE AUSTRALIAN: AFTER arriving in Iran yesterday, Mansour Leghaei -- the Islamic cleric deported from Australia -- was determined to see his dying mother.
The Sydney cleric was deported after being black-listed by ASIO.
The sheik flew out of Sydney on Sunday night with his wife and 14-year-old daughter Fatima, en route to his birth country after a decade-long battle with the Australian authorities over his residency.
Dr Leghaei's supporters said yesterday they did not know his detailed plans for the future, but knew he wished to visit his mother, who is battling leukaemia, "as soon as he got back".
"He said his only plans were to see his mum and dad as soon as he got back into the country," said Anglican priest Dave Smith, who is a long-time supporter of Dr Leghaei. >>> Lanai Vasek, The Australian | Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Related articles with audio here
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she does not support legalising gay marriage in Australia.
Labor policy on gay marriage will remain the same under her prime ministership, Ms Gillard told Austereo show today.
"We believe the marriage act is appropriate in its current form, that is recognising that marriage is between a man and a woman, but we have as a government taken steps to equalise treatment for gay couples," Ms Gillard said.
Asked if that was also her personal view, Ms Gillard said it was. >>> AAP | Wednesday, June 30, 2010
THE TIMES: Violence broke out during Greece’s fifth general strike of the year, while in Madrid the Metro was blockaded in a foretaste of a summer of industrial unrest.
As Mediterranean governments push through austerity measures, masked youths took part in running battles with police in Athens, with domestic flights and many ferry sailings from the port of Piraeus cancelled.
Public and private sector unions in the country announced that there would be a sixth all-out stoppage next week, when the package of pay and pension reforms comes to a final vote.
“These measures will not help. They will only lead to deeper recession and poverty,” said Despina Spanou, a board member of the Adedy civil servants’ union, which helped to organise the marches. “We are resisting the slaughtering of our rights.”
The governments of Greece and Spain are increasingly worried about the impact of unrest on tourism — which is a mainstay of both economies. >>> Philip Pangalos in Athens, William Bond in Madrid, David Charter in Brussels | Wednesday, June 30, 2010
THE TIMES: The White House admitted yesterday that even as Presidents Obama and Medvedev met last week for talks in Washington, Mr Obama knew the FBI was closing in on an alleged Russian spy ring and chose to say nothing.
The confession was matched by an acknowledgement in Moscow that at least some of the 11 suspects are Russian citizens, but it will do little to assuage Russian anger.
Vladimir Putin accused American officials of being “out of control”, while a Kremlin spokesman said that the US had revived “the spirit of the Cold War”.
Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, said that the only thing that was clear about the raids on Sunday was that their timing had been chosen “with special elegance”. Continue reading and comment >>> Analysis, Tony Halpin, Giles Whittell | Wednesday, June 30, 2010
THE TIMES: After 25 years of stellar interviews and more wives than Henry VIII, Larry King has announced his abdication from America’s cherished chat show circuit.
The lucrative race to succeed him on CNN intensified last night when the former radio host from New York bowed to ratings pressure and rumours of demotion by telling viewers “it’s time to hang up my nightly suspenders”. Read on and comment >>> Nico Hines, Washington | Wednesday, June 30, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: A majority of Germans want to scrap the EU's single currency and bring back their beloved Deutschmark amid popular anger that Germany has bailed the euro zone out to the tune over £100 billion.
More than 51 per cent of Germans want to axe the euro after widespread fury that Germany's taxpayers have been forced to come to the rescue of Greece and other high spending southern European countries.
Only three in 10 people in Europe's largest economy now support the single currency, a flagship of EU integration and Germany's European policy. >>> Bruno Waterfield | Tuesday, June 29, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Italy has launched an appeal against a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that banned the display of crucifixes in state schools.
The court's decision last November provoked outrage in predominantly Catholic Italy, with ministers calling it shameful and an attack on the country's Christian values.
The appeal will be heard by the Grand Chamber, the highest body of the Strasbourg-based court.
A decision is not expected for three months, but if Italy loses the appeal it would mean that state-run schools across the European Union would face a ban on crucifixes and other religious symbols. >>> Nick Squires in Rome | Wednesday, June 30, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Six Taliban suicide bombers launched a brazen daylight attack on one of the biggest Nato bases in Afghanistan one day after Gen David Petraeus warned of escalating violence.
Several attackers were killed when gunmen set off a car bomb and fired rocket propelled grenades at the Jalalabad air base in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday.
Two service personnel were injured, according to the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force.
The attack began at 0730 local time, with suicide bombers surrounding the base from different directions.
A Nato spokesman said the perimeter of the base had not been breached. >>> | Wednesday, June 30, 2010
BBC: Women's rights in Afghanistan have long been held up as one of the reasons why the West was so quick to help the country after the fall of the Taliban in 2001.
But how much control do Afghan women really have over their own lives?
Lyse Doucet was given rare access to Badam Bagh, Kabul's only prison for women. Watch video >>> | Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
THE GUARDIAN: No more cigars, flights or luxury hotels for politicians, says French president, after spate of expenses scandals
Spare a thought – and perhaps a euro – for the poor French politician.
No more taxpayer-funded Cuban cigars, private jets, or even luxury hotels. And, if Nicolas Sarkozy has his way, no more overstaffed offices and unfettered use of the ministry photocopier.
Having cancelled the Elysée palace summer garden party, the French president has decided everyone else must "make an effort" to tighten their professional belts. Anxious to be seen wielding the austerity axe following a spate of scandals over official perks, not to mention a ballooning public deficit, he is demanding ministers' spending be "vigorously reduced".
Ministers have been told that their official visits will be "strictly curtailed" and they will be encouraged to take the train, not the plane, with a reduced retinue of advisers. Away from home they must only stay in a hotel if there are no bedrooms available in state-owned buildings, such as embassies and consulates.
The order came in a letter to the prime minister, François Fillon, in which Sarkozy warned that those defying his austerity measures would face "punishment". >>> Kim Willsher in Paris | Tuesday, June 29, 2010
THE TIMES: In the year before the Soviet Army’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, there was one Mujahidin leader in particular who frustrated the efforts of General Boris Gromov, the Soviet commander.
He was Jalaluddin Haqqani, an ethnic Pashtun once described as “goodness personified” by Charlie Wilson, the US congressman who helped to fund CIA support for the Afghan resistance. From his base in northern Pakistan, Haqqani hounded Soviet troops, strung out several rounds of failed negotiations and thwarted the last big Soviet offensive, Operation Magistral, in 1987-88.
Today, Wilson is dead and General Gromov has turned to Russian politics. But Haqqani remains the figurehead of a militant army, now led by his eldest son, Sirajuddin, that is considered al-Qaeda’s main ally in the region — and as much of a threat to Nato forces as it was to the Soviets.
As a deadline looms for US troops to start withdrawing next year, the “Haqqani network”, as it is known, is playing as central a role in deciding the future of Afghanistan as it did in 1988. “The big question now is how to deal with the Haqqanis, and that’s where the US and Pakistan disagree,” one Western official familiar with operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan said. Continue reading and comment >>> Jeremy Page, Zahid Hussain, Islamabad | Monday, June 28, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: The Pope launched a team to stem the secularisation of Catholic countries and "re-evangelise" the West.
Benedict XVI announced the creation of a new Vatican department dedicated to tackling what he called "a grave crisis in the sense of the Christian faith and the role of the Church."
He expressed deep concerns that previously staunch Catholic countries in Europe and North America were facing "the eclipse of a sense of God". Tens of thousands of worshippers are deserting the Church over issues such as clerical sex abuse and the ban on married priests.
"I have decided to create a new body with the aim of promoting a renewed evangelism," in countries that are going through "progressive secularisation of society", the 83-year-old Pope said.
The new department, to be called The Pontifical Council for New Evangelisation, will try to reinvigorate belief among Catholics in rich, developed countries – or, in the pontiff's words, "find the right means to re-propose the perennial truth of the Gospel." >>> Nick Squires in Rome | Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Obama praises King Abdullah in mutual love fest >>>
Obama, King Abdullah: Must be bold in the pursuit of a Palestinian state >>>
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Saudis urge US on Middle East peace >>> | Tuesday, June 29, 2010
THE GLOBE AND MAIL: The dismissal of a pair of political satirists is seen as one more move in the President’s campaign to control the fourth estate
Most of the two million listeners who tuned in to hear French political satirists Stéphane Guillon and Didier Porte thought their routines were hilarious. Not so President Nicolas Sarkozy, who found their sendups of politicians, including himself, “insulting, vulgar and nasty.”
As it often goes when France’s media and government clash, Mr. Sarkozy’s view prevailed. And so Mr. Guillon and Mr. Porte signed on one recent morning to announce they had been fired from public broadcaster France Inter radio.
“Step right up, ladies and gentlemen. Total clear-out sale of satirists,” Mr. Guillon railed in his farewell sketch. “My chances of being on the air again next year are about as good as the chance the French team will make the second round of the World Cup.”
Although the two comics maintained their humour until the end, their firing has raised serious new concerns about political interference in the French media. Continue reading and comment >>> Anita Elash | Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Related:
THE TELEGRAPH: French Radio Station Fires Political Satirist: France's fiercest and most popular satirist, who has become the scourge of President Nicolas Sarkozy and top politicians, has been fired from the country's leading current affairs radio programme, sparking cries of political censorship. >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Wednesday, June 23, 2010
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Julia Gillard's honesty in not paying lip service to a belief in God could harm her at the ballot box, says a Christian lobby group.
The Prime Minister, who as a child won prizes for remembering Bible verses, said yesterday she did not believe in God and, therefore, would not go through the motions of religious rituals.
''I am not going to pretend a faith I don't feel. For people of faith I think the greatest compliment I could pay to them is to respect their genuinely held beliefs and not to engage in some pretence about mine.''
Ms Gillard's position drew immediate praise from atheists, but a word of caution from the Australian Christian Lobby.
''I don't think it is a case of being disappointed,'' the lobby's chief-of-staff, Lyle Shelton, said. ''It is great that the Prime Minister is being so open and honest on such an important question in life, but I think it would be naive to think that it may not have some electoral implication.''
Only last week the group arranged for the former prime minister Kevin Rudd and the Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, to address churches across the nation in a live webcast. PM nudged about wrath of God >>> Jacob Saulwick | Wednesday, June 30, 2010
THE TIMES: Main points: 11 arrested over spy ring in United States / ‘Mastermind’ held in Cyprus / One suspect used fake British passport / Married couples and journalist among those held / Investigation lasted a decade
The Russian Government has admitted that 11 people accused of spying for Moscow in the US include Russian citizens, but denies that they acted against American interests.
The Foreign Ministry urged the US to take into account the “positive character” of relations between the two countries, after President Obama and President Dimitry Medvedev offered a show of unity and dined together on hamburgers last week.
“We are talking about Russian citizens who came to the United States at different times,” the ministry said in a statement. “They have not committed any kind of actions directed against the interests of the United States.”
Vladimir Putin, the Russian Prime Minister, who has a background in the security services, was more aggressive.
He told the former US president Bill Clinton, “Back at your home, the police went out of control (and) are throwing people in jail.
“I hope that all the positive gains that have been achieved in our relationship wll not be damaged by the recent event.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry called for lawyers and diplomats to have access to the suspects, who had posed for years as middle-class professionals from a range of countries including Uruguay and Canada. Continue reading and comment >>> Judith Evans, Tony Halpin in Moscow and Giles Whittell in Washington | Tuesday, June 29, 2010
THE TIMES: Masked youths fought running battles with police in Athens today as violence broke out during the country’s fifth general strike this year.
Riot police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse dozens of protesters who threw chunks of marble and set rubbish bins on fire.
Ferry passengers at Greece’s main port of Piraeus had to run a gauntlet of protesters who succeeded in blockading some departures to Aegean islands and there were marches in other major cities.
The strike was timed to coincide with the start of a parliamentary debate on reforms designed to make it easier for companies to sack employees and raise the retirement age.
Greece has had to agree to sweeping austerity measures in return for help to meet its sovereign debts.
The country avoided bankruptcy last month only after receiving the first instalment of a 110 billion euro emergency loan package from the EU and International Monetary Fund (IMF). >>> David Charter, Europe Correspondent | Tuesday, June 29, 2010
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