The EU should be stronger and more united. Great Britain should belong to the Union.
Die EU sollte stärker und geeinter sein. Großbritannien sollte der Union angehören.
L'UE devrait être plus forte et plus unie. La Grande-Bretagne devrait appartenir à l'Union.
Sunday, February 06, 2011
Egypt Protests: Hosni Mubarak's Power Fades as US Backs His Deputy
THE GUARDIAN: Omar Suleiman's call for orderly reform wins backing of Hillary Clinton on day senior members of ruling NDP resign
America yesterday swung its support behind Egypt's vice-president, Omar Suleiman, and the political transition he is leading, calling for a process of orderly reform. The policy, made clear by Hillary Clinton at the Munich Security Conference, was the latest sign of steps by the US and senior members of the Egyptian military to nudge President Hosni Mubarak aside and contain the potential for street violence.
The move came as senior members of the leadership of the ruling National Democratic party resigned from the party in response to the protests. They included Mubarak's powerful son, Gamal, long expected to succeed his father. A relative liberal, Hossam Badrawi, was appointed the party's new secretary general.
The mass, announced yesterday afternoon, resignation is likely to be seen as a further sign of Mubarak's weakness and will only strengthen the demands of protesters determined to topple him. It appeared to be part of a strategy agreed with the US to manage the transition, with or without Mubarak, as power shifts to Egypt's vice-president, who is backed by the Americans to head the political transition. >>> Julian Borger in Munich and Chris McGreal in Cairo | Sunday, February 06, 2011
David Cameron Stands by His Attack on Islamism
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron is standing by his decision to attack multiculturalism and hit back at Labour claims that he was helping the far Right.
An angry row broke out after Sadiq Khan, Labour's shadow justice secretary, accused the Prime Minister of "writing propaganda" for the nationalist English Defence League by calling on Britons to be more robust in rejecting Islamist extremism.
Ministers demanded that Mr Khan apologise for "smearing" the Prime Minister by linking him with the EDL, whose members demonstrated on the streets of Luton on Saturday, chanting "Muslim bombers off our streets" and holding banners aloft, some of which read "No more mosques".
Baroness Warsi, the Conservative party Chairman, said: "For Sadiq Khan to smear the Prime Minister as a Right-wing extremist is outrageous and irresponsible.
"Mr Khan is Labour's shadow justice secretary and ran Ed Miliband's leadership campaign. He must apologise, and Mr Miliband needs urgently to disown his colleague's baseless accusation."
The Prime Minister was also criticised by Muslim groups for pronouncing that multiculturalism had failed in Britain because it had led to segregation.
He called for a "muscular" defence of British values.
Speaking to a conference in Munich, Mr Cameron said that the threat of terrorism must be confronted not only though intelligence and surveillance, but by taking on the ideology of Islamist extremism at home.
"Frankly, we need a lot less of the passive tolerance of recent years and much more active, muscular liberalism," the Prime Minister said.
While a "passively tolerant" society allows its citizens to do what they like, so long as they do not break the law, a genuinely liberal country "believes in certain values and actively promotes them", Mr Cameron said.
"Freedom of speech. Freedom of worship. Democracy. The rule of law. Equal rights, regardless of race, sex or sexuality. It says to its citizens: This is what defines us as a society. To belong here is to believe these things.
"Each of us in our own countries must be unambiguous and hard-nosed about this defence of our liberty." Read on and comment >>> Melissa Kite, Deputy Political Editor | Saturday, February 05, 2011
My comment on Mr. Cameron's speech:
Cameron's speech is indeed encouraging. At last, a public figure has shown some courage when speaking about extremist 'religious' ideologies. But he needs to find some more courage. He needs to recognise, and articulate, that almost all terrorism these days is linked to Islam. Further, he has convinced me that he doesn't truly understand the nature of Islam. He continues to articulate the canard that "Islamist extremism" has nothing to do with Islam. WRONG, Mr. Cameron! WRONG! Islamism is a term made up by the infidel for the infidel. To a practising Muslim, it is a meaningless term. A true Muslim would only recognise one belief system: Islam. And we shall have to learn to face the fact that Islamism is merely the practice of Islam in its fundamental form. Islamists are people who want to practise Islam as the prophet Muhammad envisioned. To say anything different is to distort the truth.
"Activists, some wearing balaclavas and others waving English flags, chanted "Muslim bombers off our streets" and "Allah, Allah, who the fuck is Allah". EDL supporters from Newcastle, Scotland, London, West Yorkshire and Sheffield joined Luton-based supporters. There were also flags representing German, Dutch and Swedish Defence Leagues." [Source: The Guardian]
Saturday, February 05, 2011
Verwirrung um Hosni Mubaraks Parteimandat
Erst kam die Meldung, Mubarak habe den Vorsitz seiner Nationaldemokratischen Partei (NDP) abgegeben, später kam das Dementi. In Kairo ist die Lage unübersichtlich. Einschätzungen von André Marty, SF-Sonderkorrespondent in Kairo
Cameron Warning To Extremists
David Cameron has told a security conference in Munich that multi-culturalism in the UK has failed and the time has come to get tough with extremists. Sky's Peter Sharp reports
Cameron Extremism Speech Applauded
Sky's Europe Correspondent Alex Rossi says David Cameron's speech in Munich signalling a crackdown on extremism reflects a growing concern among EU leaders that multi-culturalism is failing
Is This the End?
MAIL ONLINE: 'Al-Qaeda-linked terror groups may be behind pipeline blast / Gas company boss says explosion and fire were due to leak, not terrorism / Reports of 'Organised attack' on vice president Omar Suleiman / Mubarak's son Gamal also resigns from National Democratic Party
President Hosni Mubarak has resigned as the head of Egypt ruling party, according to State television.
It comes as the country was on the verge of descending into chaos as newly appointed vice president Omar Suleiman reportedly survived an assassination attempt and saboteurs allegedly attacked an oil pipeline.
The balance of power hung precariously as demonstrations against president Mubarak entered their 12th day - and the army was beginning to reassert control on the streets.
The resignation comes just days after Mubarak said he would not resign immediately – because he feared there would be ‘chaos’.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs refused to confirm the alarming reports of an 'organised attack' on Omar Suleiman. Two of his bodyguards were said to have been killed in the incident several days ago.
The pipeline attack has been linked to Islamist militants and, along with the apparent assassination attempt, represents a frightening new element in the popular uprising that has seen one of the U.S.'s greatest Middle Eastern allies descend into chaos.
The head of Egypt's natural gas company, Magdy Toufik, said today that the explosion and fire at a gas terminal in the northern Sinai Peninsula was caused by a gas leak.
David Cameron Tells Muslim Britain: Stop Tolerating Extremists
THE GUARDIAN: PM says those who don't hold 'British' values will be shunned by government
David Cameron will today signal a sea-change in the government fight against home-grown terrorism, saying the state must confront, and not consort with, the non-violent Muslim groups that are ambiguous about British values such as equality between sexes, democracy and integration.
To belong in Britain is to believe in these values, he will say. Claiming the previous government had been the victim of fear and muddled thinking by backing a state-sponsored form of multiculturalism, the prime minister will state that his government "will no longer fund or share platforms with organisations that, while non-violent, are certainly in some cases part of the problem".
In a major speech to a security conference in Munich, he will demand: "We need a lot less of the passive tolerance of recent years and much more active, muscular liberalism."
He will say that "some organisations that seek to present themselves as a gateway to the Muslim community are showered with public money while doing little to combat extremism. This is like turning to a rightwing fascist party to fight a violent white supremacist movement."
Cameron's aides, aware the speech may prove highly controversial, refused to identify the organisations in his sights, but it is clear one target is the Muslim Council of Britain.
Last night some Muslim groups criticised the prime minister for making the speech on the same day that the English Defence League is holding its biggest ever demonstration, in Luton. >>> Patrick Wintour | Saturday, February 05, 2011
Clashes at English Defence League March in Luton
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Far right activists have clashed with anti-fascist demonstrators at a rally by the English Defence League.
Thousands of supporters from the English Defence League gathered in Luton on Saturday for the rally.
Campaigners from Unite Against Fascism are also planning to conduct a demonstration in the town and more than 1500 police are on duty to police the event.
Confrontations flared as early as 10am, however, as supporters of the English Defence League arrived at the train station in Luton and were confronted by dozens of protesters from Unite Against Fascism who attempted to block their exit.
Both sides hurled insults as tensions rose and the English Defence League supporters had to be escorted through a back exit by police.
Up to 7,000 EDL supporters are expected to gather in Luton St George's Square on Saturday.
The rally is expected to be the biggest in the EDL's 20-month history. The group was originally formed in Luton in 2009 and has staged more than 30 protests since. >>> Rebecca Lefort | Saturday, February 05, 2011
EDL Founder Claims He Is Target of Islamist Death Threat
THE GUARDIAN: Stephen Lennon says police have urged him to leave his home before English Defence League's anti-Islamist protest in Luton
The founder of the English Defence League claims he has been warned that his life is in danger if he leads a protest in Luton.
Stephen Lennon, 28, said senior police officers were urging him to leave his home town ahead of the anticipated arrival of thousands of EDL supporters.
The militant anti-Islamist campaigner said he was under police protection. He claimed Bedfordshire police had issued him with an "Osman warning", which are given by the police to advise individuals that they are at serious risk of being killed by someone who appears to have the capability to make good their threat. >>> Press Association | Friday, February 04, 2011
Egypt Protesters Hold Their Ground
With protests demanding end to Mubarak's rule entering the 12th day, people in Tahrir Square prepared to wait him out
This Is How Democracy Happens – the West on Egypt
London's Neediest Curse City Bonuses
TERRORWARNUNG: Al-Qaida nimmt Wall-Street-Banker ins Visier
WELT ONLINE: Steht New York ein neuer Anschlag bevor? US-Ermittler befürchten nach Hinweisen einen Angriff auf das Herz des Kapitalismus, die Wall Street.
Sicherheitsbehörden in den USA haben die Banken an der Wall Street und deren Spitzenpersonal vor möglichen Anschlägen des Terrornetzwerks al-Qaida gewarnt. Entsprechende Drohungen kämen von der Gruppe al-Qaida auf der Arabischen Halbinsel, sagte ein Sicherheitsvertreter der Nachrichtenagentur AFP in Washington. "Wir sind wachsam und haben Warnungen angesichts dieser gewalttätigen Pläne herausgegeben“, sagte er weiter. Er bestätigte damit einen Bericht des US-Senders NBC. >>> AFP/mac | Mittwoch, 02. Februar 2011
Egypt Crisis Shines Spotlight on Muslim Brotherhood
Reaction to Hannity's showdown with imam
A Need for Discretion in Egypt
Bolton on Egypt, Obama and secrecy
Mubarak Family Fortune Could Reach $70bn, Say Experts
THE GUARDIAN: Egyptian president has cash in British and Swiss banks plus UK and US property
Gamal and Hosni Mubarak are reported to have built up huge fortunes, including properties in London. Photographs: The Guardian
President Hosni Mubarak's family fortune could be as much as $70bn (£43.5bn) according to analysis by Middle East experts, with much of his wealth in British and Swiss banks or tied up in real estate in London, New York, Los Angeles and along expensive tracts of the Red Sea coast.
After 30 years as president and many more as a senior military official, Mubarak has had access to investment deals that have generated hundreds of millions of pounds in profits. Most of those gains have been taken offshore and deposited in secret bank accounts or invested in upmarket homes and hotels.
According to a report last year in the Arabic newspaper Al Khabar, Mubarak has properties in Manhattan and exclusive Beverly Hills addresses on Rodeo Drive.
His sons, Gamal and Alaa, are also billionaires. A protest outside Gamal's ostentatious home at 28 Wilton Place in Belgravia, central London, highlighted the family's appetite for western trophy assets.
Amaney Jamal, a political science professor at Princeton University, said the estimate of $40bn-70bn was comparable with the vast wealth of leaders in other Gulf countries.
"The business ventures from his military and government service accumulated to his personal wealth," she told ABC news. "There was a lot of corruption in this regime and stifling of public resources for personal gain. >>> Phillip Inman | Friday, February 04, 2011
Analysis: Saudi Arabia's War between God and Archaeology
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: For decades, Saudi Arabia's powerful clerics have waged a bitter battle against pagan faiths, idol worship, heresy, alcohol – and archaeology.
News that David Kennedy, an Australian scholar, has succeeded in identifying almost 2,000 unexplored archaeological sites using Google Earth has focused attention on the wages of that battle: the destruction of Saudi Arabia's own heritage More than 90 per cent of the archaeological treasures of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, experts estimate, have been demolished to make way for hotels, apartment blocks and parking facilities.
The $13 billion project that led to a wave of demolitions in the middle of the last decade was part of an effort to modernise infrastructure in the ancient cities, where millions of pilgrims gather for the Hajj each year.
Sami Angawi, an expert on Arabian architecture, lamented that history had been " bulldozed for a parking lot". "We are witnessing now the last few moments of the history of Mecca,", he said.
The Kingdom's ultraconservative clerics believe that the veneration of ancient sites associated with the Prophet Mohammad and his family is heretical, and want potential shrines obliterated.
In October last year, a Saudi clerical body was reported to have renewed long-standing calls for the demolition of several historic Islamic sites – including the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and the grave of his mother. >>> Praveen Swami | Friday, February 04, 2011
Friday, February 04, 2011
Muslims Must Embrace Our British Values, David Cameron Says
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: British Muslims must subscribe to mainstream values of freedom and equality, David Cameron will say as he declares that the doctrine of multiculturalism has “failed” and will be abandoned.
Entering the debate on national identity and religious tolerance, the Prime Minister will declare an end to “passive tolerance” of divided communities, and say that members of all faiths must integrate into wider society and accept core values.
To be British is to believe in freedom of speech and religion, democracy and equal rights regardless of race, sex or sexuality, he will say. Proclaiming a doctrine of “muscular liberalism”, he will say that everyone, from ministers to ordinary voters, should actively confront those who hold extremist views.
He will also warn that groups that fail to promote British values will no longer receive public money or be able to engage with the state.
His speech, to an international security conference in Munich, comes after The Daily Telegraph disclosed the extent to which the British intelligence community fears the “unique threat” of terrorist attacks by radicalised British Muslims.
Mr Cameron will promise a new willingness to argue against and “defeat” extremist ideologies that lead some to engage in terrorism.
That means abandoning the notion that different communities should be able to live according to their own values and traditions as long as they stay within the law. “Under the doctrine of state multiculturalism, we have encouraged different cultures to live separate lives, apart from each other and the mainstream,” Mr Cameron will say. “We have failed to provide a vision of society to which they feel they want to belong.” >>> James Kirkup, Political Correspondent | Friday, February 04, 2011
Cairo Protesters: 'We're Not Muslim Brotherhood'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Telegraph reports from Tahrir Square in Cairo where, despite the violence this week, Egyptian demonstrators are determined to continue their protest until they see the back of President Hosni Mubarak.
Die Opposition hat den heutigen Tag zum «Tag des Abgangs» erklärt. Mit einem Sternmarsch ins Zentrum von Kairo will sie den ägyptischen Präsidenten zum sofortigen Rücktritt zwingen. Einschätzungen von André Marty, SF-Sonderkorrespondent in Kairo
Egyptians Rally For Mubarak's Departure
Ten of thousands of protesters remain gathered in Egypt's capital for what is being called the "Day of Departure"
Egypt Crisis: David Cameron Reprimands Baroness Ashton at EU Summit
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron has reprimanded Baroness Ashton at a European Union summit, saying she was too soft on "state-sponsored violence" against Egyptian protesters.
The dressing down in front of a room filled with Europe's leaders was the Prime Minister's first open criticism of Lady Ashton since the Labour peer became EU foreign minister just over a year ago.
Mr Cameron was forced to make a "number of interventions" to ensure that the EU sent a tough message to Egypt because a summit declaration, drafted by Lady Ashton, was too weak.
A diplomat close to the talks said: "Cameron said Ashton's declaration did not go far enough and that there needed to be clear and strong language to show Egypt there would be consequences unless the repression stopped."
Britain's prime minister pushed for tougher EU action at a summit lunch, including a hint that sanctions would be used as Western patience runs out with President Hosni Mubarak's attempts to cling to power in Egypt.
Mr Cameron demanded that the EU threw its weight behind an American plan for Mr Mubarak to resign immediately and hand power to a military-backed interim government before speedy elections. >>> Bruno Waterfield, Brussels | Friday, February 04, 2011
Google Earth Finds Saudi Arabia's Forbidden Archaeological Secrets
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: An armchair archaeologist has identified nearly 2,000 potentially important sites in Saudi Arabia using Google Earth, despite never having visited the country.
David Kennedy, a professor of classics and ancient history at the University of Western Australia, used Google Earth satellite maps to pinpoint 1,977 potential archaeological sites, including 1,082 teardrop shaped stone tombs.
"I've never been to Saudi Arabia," Dr Kennedy said. "It's not the easiest country to break into."
Dr Kennedy told New Scientist that he had verified the images showed actual archaeological sites by asking a friend working in the Kingdom to photograph the locations.
The use of aerial and satellite imaging has been used in Britain to locate Iron Age and Roman sites in Britain, as well as Nazca lines in Peru and Mayan ruins in Belize.
But few archaeologists have been given access to Saudi Arabia, which has long been hostile to the discipline. Hardline clerics in the kingdom fear that it might focus attention on the civilisations which flourished there before the rise of Islam – and thus, in the long term, undermine the state religion. Read on and comment >>> Praveen Swami | Friday, February 04, 2011
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Iranian supreme leader urges Egyptians to follow in the footsteps of Iran's 1979 revolution.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader has called the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia an "Islamic liberation movement".
In his address, during Friday prayers at Tehran University, he said that people are witnessing the reverberations of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution.
Khamenei said of the current unrest that "this is what was always referred to as ... Islamic awareness in connection with Iran's great Islamic Revolution."
Khamenei has urged Egypt's protesters to follow in the footsteps of the Iranian revolution which toppled a pro-US leader and called on Egyptians to unite around religion.
Referring to the events in Tunisia in Egypt, he said that it is a sign of "Islamic awareness" in the region and that these movements will spell an "irreparable defeat" for the United States.
He said that the embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is a "servant" of Israel and the United States.
"For 30 years this country (Egypt) has been in the hands of someone who is not seeking freedom and is the enemy of those seeking freedom.
"Not only he is [sic] not anti-Zionist, but he is the companion, colleague, confidant and servant of Zionists. It is a fact that Hosni Mubarak's servitude to America has been unable to take Egypt one step towards prosperity."
The spiritual leader's remarks were received by cheering crowds of worshippers who, raising their hands, chanted "Death to America! Death to Israel!" >>> Source: Al Jazeera and agencies | Friday, February 04, 2011
Tahrir Squares Echoes with 'Leave Mubarak' Chant
Hundreds of thousands of pro-democracy protesters, from all walks of life protesting regardless of age, gender or religion, gathered at the Tahrir Square in Cairo, to demand the ouster of Hosni Mubarak. After offering the Friday prayer at the Square, the crowd shouted in unison: 'Leave Mubarak'. Friday sermon demanded regime change, prisoner release and constitutional change
Turkish Film Labeled Anti-Semitic
'Valley of the Wolves -- Palestine', the latest in a wildly popular series of action films, has been labeled anti-Semitic. In it three Turkish special forces operatives shoot their way through Jerusalem and the West Bank to avenge the real-life Israeli attack on the Mavi Marmara ship last May, that left nine Turks dead. Al Jazeera's Anita MacNaught reports from Istanbul, Turkey
Egypt's Revolt Hits UK Businesses
With revolt on the streets some of Egypt's ports have been closed, hitting companies importing Egyptian products. But some analysts believe the downturn will prove temporary. Nadim Baba has more
Egypt Crisis: David Cameron to Call for Sanctions
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron is to use a Brussels summit to push for EU sanctions on Egypt and call for an immediate end to "state-sponsored violence".
His call for tougher action has resulted in a clash with Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, and other Mediterranean leaders who regard Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, as an essential bulwark against Islamic extremism in the Middle East.
"If we see on the streets of Cairo today state-sponsored violence by thugs hired to beat up protesters, the regime will lose any remaining credibility it has in the eyes of the watching world, including Britain," Mr Cameron said.
"We have been clear that Egypt should be taking steps to show there is a clear, credible transparent path towards transition. So far the steps taken have not met the hopes of the people. EU leaders today have to come together to show they support that orderly transition."
Mr Cameron is demanding that the EU throws its weight behind an American plan for President Mubarak to resign immediately and hand power to a military-backed interim government before speedy elections. >>> Bruno Waterfield, Brussels | Friday, February 04, 2011
New Dark Age Alert! Radical Imam's Frightening Prediction Parts 1 & 2
Cleric says Sharia law coming to America
Obama Turns to Religion During Mideast Crisis
Panel on President's recent public faith
Egypt's Chaos from a Former Ambassador's P.O.V.
Ex-ambassador on Egypt's unrest
WikiLeaks: British Muslims Sending Problem Children [to] 'Al-Qaeda' Schools
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: British Muslims are sending their “problem children” to Islamic schools in Kashmir on the India-Pakistan border where they are at risk of being recruited by al-Qaeda, officials have warned.
According to a communiqué dated July 18 2008, Laura Hickey, a senior British official, told the Americans that “stabilising Kashmir is also important for UK domestic security reasons.”
Ms Hickey, the Foreign Office’s Pakistan team leader, said there was “a growing trend of UK-based parents who send their 'problem children’ to madrassahs in Kashmir, and these students are at high risk of radicalisation”. Continue reading and comment >>> Cristopher Hope | Friday, February 04, 2011
WikiLeaks Cables: Britain Refused to Shut Down Charity US Claims Is Funding Hamas
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: British authorities refused to close down a charity, despite America claiming it was allegedly funding terrorism in the Middle East.
The documents also show that Treasury officials planned a “surge” against al-Qaeda financiers amid growing American concern over the lack of British intervention.
For several years, American officials repeatedly raised concerns over a charity called Interpal, the Palestinian Relief and Development Fund, which is accused of aiding Hamas. The charity has been blacklisted in the US since 2003. Continue reading and comment >>> Holly Watt | Friday, February 04, 2011
Protests Continue in Cairo
Uneasy calm prevails in Egyptian capital's Tahrir Square while US "considers proposal" for Mubarak to go immediately
White House, Egypt Discuss Plan for Mubarak’s Exit
THE NEW YORK TIMES: WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is discussing with Egyptian officials a proposal for President Hosni Mubarak to resign immediately and turn over power to a transitional government headed by Vice President Omar Suleiman with the support of the Egyptian military, administration officials and Arab diplomats said Thursday.
Even though Mr. Mubarak has balked, so far, at leaving now, officials from both governments are continuing talks about a plan in which Mr. Suleiman, backed by Lt. Gen. Sami Enan, chief of the Egyptian armed forces, and Field Marshal Mohamed Tantawi, the defense minister, would immediately begin a process of constitutional reform.
The proposal also calls for the transitional government to invite members from a broad range of opposition groups, including the banned Muslim Brotherhood, to begin work to open up the country’s electoral system in an effort to bring about free and fair elections in September, the officials said.
Senior administration officials said that the proposal was one of several options under discussion with high-level Egyptian officials around Mr. Mubarak in an effort to persuade the president to step down now.
They cautioned that the outcome depended on several factors, not least Egypt’s own constitutional protocols and the mood of the protesters on the streets of Cairo and other Egyptian cities.
Some officials said there was not yet any indication that either Mr. Suleiman or the Egyptian military was willing to abandon Mr. Mubarak.
Even as the Obama administration is coalescing around a Mubarak-must-go-now posture in private conversations with Egyptian officials, Mr. Mubarak himself remains determined to stay until the election in September, American and Egyptian officials said. His backers forcibly pushed back on Thursday against what they viewed as American interference in Egypt’s internal affairs.
“What they’re asking cannot be done,” one senior Egyptian official said, citing clauses in the Egyptian Constitution that bar the vice president from assuming power. Under the Constitution, the speaker of Parliament would succeed the president. “That’s my technical answer,” the official added. “My political answer is they should mind their own business.” >>> Helene Cooper and Mark Landler | Thursday, February 03, 2011
Bangladesh Clerics Arrested after Girl Whipped to Death
THE GUARDIAN: Fourteen-year-old accused of relationship with married man given 70 lashes
Police in Bangladesh have arrested four Islamic clerics after a teenage girl accused of having a relationship with a married man was whipped to death. >>> Associated Press | Thursday, February 03, 2011
20 MINUTES ONLINE: Battus, interpellés, intimidés, de nombreux journalistes couvrant les affrontements meurtriers au Caire, en Egypte, se plaignent de violences croissantes contre eux.
Dans les rues de la capitale égyptienne, la chasse à la presse a commencé. Qui se promène avec une caméra ou un appareil photo est rapidement pris à partie par des hommes en civil favorables au président Moubarak, mais aussi par des manifestants anti-gouvernementaux, de plus en plus nerveux. Les Etats-Unis ont dénoncé une «campagne concertée» contre les médias étrangers. >>> afp | Jeudi 03 Février 2011
"Es fallen wieder Schüsse": Blutiges Chaos in Kairo
DIE PRESSE: Nach einer Nacht der Gewalt ist die Lage in Kairo erneut eskaliert. Schlägertrupps attackieren Journalisten und Demonstranten. Der Generalstaatsanwalt reagiert mit einem Ausreiseverbot für Regimevertreter.
Nach einer Nacht der Gewalt ist die Lage in Kairo im Laufe des Donnerstags erneut eskaliert: Mit Messern und Steinen bewaffnete Mubarak-Anhänger versuchen in der Innenstadt zu den tausenden Demonstranten vorzudringen. Zwischen den Lagern fliegen Steine, es gibt wieder Dutzende Verletzte, darunter auch Journalisten. Lokale Fernsehsender berichten, dass "Schüsse fallen" und zwar auf der Kasr-al-Nil-Brücke und dem Tharir-Platz, dem Zentrum der Proteste.
Für Despot Mubarak wird es unterdessen eng: Wie das ägyptische Fernsehen berichtet, untersagte der Generalstaatsanwalt mehreren Vertretern seines Regimes die Ausreise,darunter hochrangige Wirtschaftsleute und der frühere Innenminister. Der Bericht nährt die Hoffnungen der Regimegegner, dass die Tage von Machthaber Mubarak schon bald gezählt sein könnten. >>> Red. | Donnerstag, 03. Februar 2011
Erste Risse in Syriens Mauer der Angst
WELT ONLINE: Seit über 40 Jahren hält das Assad-Regime das Land eisern unter Kontrolle. Doch nun regt sich auch in Damaskus die Hoffnung auf Veränderungen.
Die Bilder aus Kairo flackern überall in Syrien über die Fernsehbildschirme. Seit Wochen schauen die Syrer zu, wie die Ägypter Tag für Tag weiter protestieren. Sie haben beobachtet, wie Flammen aus der Zentrale von Husni Mubaraks Regierungspartei schlagen, einem nüchternen Zweckbau aus grauem Beton, der allzu sehr an die Institutionen der Macht in ihrem eigenen Land erinnert.
„Sehr viele Leute, vor allem junge Leute, verfolgen die Nachrichten genau. Ihnen ist bewusst, dass sie unter Bedingungen leben, die nicht viel anders sind als die in Ägypten“, sagt der Dissident und politische Autor Yassin Haj Saleh. Die Proteste ringsum in der Region geben ihm Hoffnung. Doch er bleibt skeptisch. „Die Mauer der Angst“, sagt er, „ist in Syrien noch viel höher als in Ägypten.“ >>> Autor: Gabriela M. Keller | Donnerstag, 03. Februar 2011
Danemark: 12 ans de prison requis contre l'agresseur du caricaturiste
LE POINT: Le procureur a requis 12 ans de réclusion à l'encontre du Somalien reconnu coupable jeudi de tentatives de "terrorisme" et de meurtre contre le caricaturiste danois de Mahomet, Kurt Westergaard, a constaté l'AFP au tribunal d'Aarhus.
"Au vu des circonstances aggravantes, il doit être condamné à 12 ans de prison", a déclaré la procureure Kirsten Dyrman après que l'accusé Mohamed Geele eut été reconnu coupable à l'unanimité. >>> AFP | Jeudi 03 Février 2011
Former secretary of state on U.S. relations with Egypt's embattled president
Son of Hamas Leader Tells CBN "Hamas Is the Muslim Brotherhood"
Phil Hotsenpiller Interviews Mosab Hassan Yousef AKA Son of Hamas
If This Is Young Arabs' 1989, Europe Must Be Ready with a Bold Response
THE GUARDIAN: What happens across the Mediterranean matters more to the EU than the US. Yet so far its voice has been inaudible
Europe's future is at stake this week on Cairo's Tahrir Square, as it was on Prague's Wenceslas Square in 1989. This time, the reasons are geography and demography. The Arab arc of crisis, from Morocco to Jordan, is Europe's near abroad. As a result of decades of migration, the young Arabs whom you see chanting angrily on the streets of Cairo, Tunis and Amman already have cousins in Madrid, Paris and London.
If these uprisings succeed, and what emerges is not another Islamist dictatorship, these young, often unemployed, frustrated men and women will see life chances at home. The gulf between their life experience in Casablanca and Madrid, Tunis and Paris, will gradually diminish – and with it that cultural cognitive dissonance which can lead to the Moroccan suicide bomber on a Madrid commuter train. As their homelands modernise, young Arabs – and nearly one third of the population of the north African littoral is between the age of 15 and 30 – will circulate across the Mediterranean, contributing to European economies, and to paying the pensions of rapidly ageing European societies. The examples of modernisation and reform will also resonate across the Islamic world.
If these risings fail, and the Arab world sinks back into a slough of autocracy, then tens of millions of these young men and women will carry their pathologies of frustration across the sea, shaking Europe to its foundations. If the risings succeed in deposing the latest round of tyrants, but violent, illiberal Islamist forces gain the upper hand in some of those countries, producing so many new Irans, then heaven help us all. Such are the stakes. If that does not add up to a vital European interest, I don't know what does. >>> Timothy Garton Ash | Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Beginning of an Islamic Uprising? Parts 1 & 2
Controversial cleric on what protests in Egypt mean to Muslim world
Wintry Blast Paralyzes Midwest
Biggest storm in 50 years spreads across U.S., causing major problems
Chaos Erupts in Cairo
Thousands of supporters and opponents of President Hosni Mubarak battled in Cairo's main square, raining stones, bottles and firebombs on each other in scenes of uncontrolled violence as soldiers stood by without intervening. Government backers galloped in on horses and camels, only to be dragged to the ground and beaten bloody. Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher reports on the day's events
Ägypten in Aufruhr: Eine Rundschau-Sondersendung
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Weg mit Hosni Mubarak- das ist die zentrale Forderung des ägyptischen Volkes, das seit einer Woche auf der Strasse dem Regime die Stirn bietet und seither jede Nacht die Ausgangssperre missachtet. „Wir geben nicht auf, bis die alte Regierung geht“, sagt auch der ägyptische Bestseller-Autor Alaa al-Aswani, der in „Jacubijan-Bau“ die brutalen Foltermethoden der Regierung beschrieben hat. In den Zeiten des Wechsels fällt der Opposition eine historische Rolle zu. Doch eine unangefochtene Führungsfigur ist noch nicht in Sicht. Die Vertreter des alten Regimes aber klammern sich noch an die Macht: Die Rundschau spricht mit wichtigen Exponenten. Und: Wie bewältigen die Menschen in Kairo den chaotischen Alltag? Ein Augenschein in einer Familie. Im Studio der Sondersendung: Arnold Hottinger, Nahost-Spezialist, Reinhard Schulze, Islamwissenschafter Uni Bern, Jasmin El-Sonbati, ägyptische Autorin in der Schweiz
Egypt’s Pyramid Scheme
YNET NEWS: Op-ed: Like any good pyramid scheme, Mubarak’s weak regime looked sturdy from afar
Riveted by the populist uprising now raging on the streets of the Arab world, one can't help being astonished by the events taking place in Egypt, the largest Arab state in the world. Until very recently, Egypt was considered by most Western political analysts as a dependable ally under Mubarak. But with events overrunning this narrative, Egypt stands at the brink of a new era in its governance. Whatever direction this popular revolt goes, the West can no longer ignore the fact that there’s a naked emperor in Cairo, nor pretend that the Arab masses are not relevant to the diplomatic equation.
What is clear to all sensible observers is that the reality of these nations (Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia) is that they are extremely vulnerable to public pressure; in today’s globalized world the precarious nature of these dictatorships are even more threatened. Astonishing as these events in Cairo have been to most, they should not be a surprise to everyone.
Like any good pyramid scheme, from afar Mubarak’s dictatorship looked sturdy, strong, and at times, well established. But as with any Ponzi scheme a closer look, and the tests of time and stress, have revealed a flimsy house of cards. In the land of the pyramids, where the greatest Ponzi scheme ever orchestrated is being unmasked in front of our eyes, the irony is unmistakable. And the biggest victims in this scheme's collapse are America and Israel.
On paper alone, the US has provided Mubarak with $60 billion in foreign assistance. Israel, on the other hand, forked over the Sinai, an invaluable strategic asset, in order to forge a supposedly enduring peace. But it is on the diplomatic front that both nations invested an incredible amount of political capital in their relationship with Mubarak, providing countless benefits in order to woo him to support the peace process and other initiatives of the West's drive to engage the Arab world. The list goes on, and as the uprising’s death toll rises, and the flames on Cairo's street burn with greater intensity, the jig is up and Israel and the West are scrambling. >>> Ariel Harkham | Wednesday, February 02, 2011
New York Smoking Ban Extended to Parks and Times Square
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Lawmakers have voted to extend New York City's smoking ban to parks, beaches – and Times Square.
The ban approved on Wednesday by a vote of 36-12 is one of the most ambitious outdoor anti-tobacco efforts in the U.S.
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn says the new law will save lives and make New York a healthier place to live. >>> | Thursday, February 03, 2011
Butt Out: New York City Council Bans Smoking on Beaches, in Public Parks in 36 to 12 vote
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: A unusually divided City Council on Wednesday passed a total ban on smoking in parks, beaches and public plazas.
Council members in favor of the bill gave impassioned speeches about loved ones who died of smoking-related cancers and children who suffered from asthma.
Opponents crowed about civil liberties, but came up short in rallying enough votes to strike down the ban.
It passed 36 to 12.
The ban on smoking in parks is the latest proposal from Mayor Bloomberg to curtail New Yorkers' bad habits. >>> Erin Einhorn, Daily News City Hall Bureau | Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Smoking Ban for Beaches and Parks Is Approved
THE NEW YORK TIMES: After a bitter debate over individual liberties and the role of government, the City Council on Wednesday handily approved a bill to ban smoking in 1,700 city parks and along 14 miles of city beaches.
By a 36-to-12 vote, the Council passed the most significant expansion of antismoking laws since Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg pushed to prohibit smoking in restaurants and bars in 2002.
The Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn, said the ban was an affirmation of the rights of nonsmokers. “Their health and their lives should not be negatively impacted because other people have decided to smoke,” Ms. Quinn said at a news conference. Opponents of the bill spoke strongly against it; several members derided it as an overly broad law that would infringe on individual liberties.
“We’re moving towards a totalitarian society if in fact we’re going to have those kinds of restrictions on New Yorkers,” said Councilman Robert Jackson of Manhattan, who described himself as a marathon runner and nonsmoker.
Others said the ban would set a dangerous precedent. Councilman Daniel J. Halloran III of Queens said, “Once we pass this, we will next be banning smoking on sidewalks, and then in the cars of people who are driving minors and then in the homes.”
A compromise that would establish designated smoking areas outdoors was scuttled by Council leaders in favor of an all-out ban. The bill will become law 90 days after Mr. Bloomberg signs it, which he is expected to do this month. >>> Javier C. Hernandez | Wednesday, February 02, 2011
ANTI-RAUCHER-STADT – NYC: Rauchverbot in allen Parks und Fußgängerzonen
KRONE: Die härteste Anti-Raucher-Stadt der Welt bleibt ihrem Kurs treu: Das Stadtparlament von New York City hat am Mittwoch eine Ausweitung des bereits bestehenden Nichtraucherschutzgesetzes auf öffentliche Plätze beschlossen. In den 1.700 Parks und Fußgängerzonen der Stadt kostet ein Griff zum Glimmstengel 50 Dollar Strafe.
Die Mittagspause mit Kaffee und Tschick im Central Park, die Rauchpause am Times Square und der qualmende Spaziergang am Flussufer werden für die New Yorker Raucher bald der Vergangenheit angehören. Die Abgeordneten des Stadtparlaments votierten am Mittwoch mit 36 zu zwölf Stimmen für das strikte Rauchverbot, das neben Restaurants und Bars künftig auch in den 1.700 Parks der Stadt, an Uferpromenaden und in Fußgängerzonen gelten soll. >>> | Donnerstag, 03. Februar 2011
New York adopte l'interdiction de fumer dans les lieux de plein air
LE MONDE: Il sera désormais interdit de s'en griller une petite sur les pelouses de Central Park. Après les Espagnols, c'est désormais au tour des New-Yorkais de devoir se conformer à une loi antitabac particulièrement restrictive. Le conseil municipal de New York a adopté, mercredi 3 février [sic], l'interdiction de fumer dans ses parcs, sur ses plages et autres lieux de plein air.
L'interdiction, immédiatement salué par le maire de la ville, Michael Bloomberg, s'étend aux 1 700 parcs et aux quelque 22 kilomètres de plages de la ville, ainsi qu'à des quartiers piétonniers comme Times Square ou aux promenades, de Brighton Beach à Brooklyn.
Michael Bloomberg, un ancien fumeur devenu adversaire acharné de la cigarette, s'était heurté à une forte opposition en 2003, lorsqu'il avait interdit de fumer dans les bars et les restaurants. Il était, à cette date, un pionnier de la lutte contre le tabagisme passif mais, depuis, des centaines de villes à travers le pays, dont Chicago et Los Angeles, ont interdit de fumer dans les parcs et sur les plages. >>> LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | Jeudi 03 Février 2011
New York used to be a fun city to visit. Alas, those days have long gone. I have spent a few great short breaks in the Big Apple; but I doubt that I shall ever return. There are many other, far more tolerant cities to visit. And I speak as an ex-smoker! So the smoking ban would have absolutely no effect on me.
But there is something quite objectionable about the lengths that Michael Bloomberg is going to to stop New Yorkers having any pleasure from life. But let's face it: There is something quite objectionable about Michael Bloomberg himself, anyway. So what else can we expect from this little squirt, this little pip squeak?
At a mere 5' 6" tall, the man displays all the characteristics of a man overcompensating for his physical shortcomings, for his physical handicap. Indeed, it would seem that he suffers from the notorious Napoleon complex. The man is an utter killjoy! A despicable, obsessed killjoy at that! Further, he is clearly neurotic. Check out his profile on Wikipedia. He is so obviously a man with far more money than sense.
Meanwhile, I feel sorry for the poor New Yorkers who have to be subjected to this man's nasty, selfish little ways. He has spoilt the fun of many New Yorkers. Now it’s the parks and beaches. Next it will be the sidewalks. Then it will be smoking in anyone’s home (already a reality in many apartments in the city, I’m told), and then it will be alcohol, etc. He’s already started his battles against salt, and trans fats. Did this man lack his own nanny, or what? Couldn’t his mother afford one for him? Is this why he now wants to nanny everyone else instead?
The sad thing is that these ridiculous laws will soon be enacted this side of the Atlantic too, since our European politicians are incapeable of thinking for themselves. As a result, any crap the Americans come up with is soon copied here. It appears these days to be de rigueur in European politics to copy all things American.
When I gave up smoking, I didn’t expect the rest of the world to give up with me. Not so Michael Bloomberg. He is an ex-smoker – I believe I am right in saying an ex-chain-smoker (has Google expunged this fact for dollars?) – and when he decided to give up, he also decided that everyone else was going to have to give up with him! And as he couldn’t achieve that goal, he decided that he was going to use his money and cocky ways to make life as difficult as possible for those that refused to comply!
Although I have given up, I recognise that I derived many hours of pleasure from the habit; and I have no desire to deprive others of the joy it gave me for many years. And yes, as much as people these days don’t want to hear it, smoking can be cool, smoking can be sexy too. But it all depends on the smoker, of course.
THE NEW YORK TIMES: CAIRO — The future of the Arab world, perched between revolt and the contempt of a crumbling order, was fought for in the streets of downtown Cairo on Wednesday.
Tens of thousands of protesters who have reimagined the very notion of citizenship in a tumultuous week of defiance proclaimed with sticks, home-made bombs and a shower of rocks that they would not surrender their revolution to the full brunt of an authoritarian government that answered their calls for change with violence.
The Arab world watched a moment that suggested it would never be the same again — and waited to see whether protest or crackdown would win the day. Words like “uprising” and “revolution” only hint at the scale of events in Egypt, which have already reverberated across Yemen, Jordan, Syria and even Saudi Arabia, offering a new template for change in a region that long reeled from its own sense of stagnation. “Every Egyptian understands now,” said Magdi al-Sayyid, one of the protesters.
The protesters have spoken for themselves to a government that, like many across the Middle East, treated them as a nuisance. For years, pundits have predicted that Islamists would be the force that toppled governments across the Arab world. But so far, they have been submerged in an outpouring of popular dissent that speaks to a unity of message, however fleeting — itself a sea change in the region’s political landscape. In the vast panorama of Tahrir Square on Wednesday, Egyptians were stationed at makeshift barricades, belying pat dismissals of the power of the Arab street.
“The street is not afraid of governments anymore,” said Shawki al-Qadi, an opposition lawmaker in Yemen, itself roiled by change. “It is the opposite. Governments and their security forces are afraid of the people now. The new generation, the generation of the Internet, is fearless. They want their full rights, and they want life, a dignified life.” The power of Wednesday’s stand was that it turned those abstractions into reality. >>> Anthony Shadid | Wednesday, February 03, 2011
