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.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Gaddafi Addresses Crowd in Tripoli
Libyan leader spoke to supporters in the capital's Green Square and said he would be arming people against protesters
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, has made an unexpected appearance in Green Square, speaking to a crowd of his supporters.
"We can defeat any aggression if necessary and arm the people," Gaddafi said, in footage that was aired on Libyan state television on Friday.
"Dance … sing and get ready … this is the spirit … this is much better than the lies of the Arab propaganda," he said.
He referred to Libya's war of independence with Italy, in a speech that appeared to be aimed at rallying what remains of his support base, with specific reference to the country's youth.
"I am in the middle of the people.. we will fight … we will defeat them if they want … we will defeat any foreign aggression," he said. >>> Al Jazeera and agencies | Friday, February 25, 2011
Thousands of Jordanians Protest for Democratic Gains
YNET NEWS: Protestors in Amman chant 'people want an elected government'; opposition leader Sheikh Mansour says 'reform has become a necessity that cannot wait'
Around five thousand Jordanian protestors took to the streets of Amman on Friday demanding political liberalization, wider parliamentary representation and constitutional changes limiting the powers of the throne.
"Reform and change, this is the demand of people," angry protestors shouted among a mainly Islamists and leftist crowd joined by some tribal and liberal figures marching from the main Husseini mosque in the capital's downtown to a nearby square.
The Jordanian opposition, spearheaded by the mainstream Islamists, the country's largest political party, have been protesting for weeks for wider democratic gains as anti-government demonstrations sweep across the Arab world.
They are demanding more say, starting with a modern election law that broadens representation in parliament for inhabitants of the capital and the major cities of Zarqa and Irbid, where most of the country's seven million population live. >>> Reuters | Friday, February 25, 2011
Religious Gays Offered 'Conversion Therapy'
YNET NEWS: Association of religious homosexuals sets up fund subsidizing treatments aimed at changing sexual tendencies. 'There is no clear ruling in the world of research that one can or cannot change,' explains organization's director
For years, organizations for homosexuals have refused to acknowledge the possibility of changing a person's sexual inclination. A newly established association of religious gays and lesbians is now giving those psychological "conversion therapies" a chance.
Moreover, the association even plans to subsidize these treatments for its disadvantaged members who cannot afford to pay for them.
The move, which is expected to reignite the dispute over these treatments' efficiency and mental risks, may actually allow for wide cooperation between rabbis and senior educators in the religious public and groups of gays and lesbians from the sector.
So far, rabbis have distanced themselves from all gay organizations, perceiving their members as people who have not tried to change and are not seeking to emerge from the conflict they live in. >>> Kobi Nahshoni | Friday, February 25, 2011
Hawaii Legalizes Same-sex Unions
THE VANCOUVER SUN: Hawaii legalized same-sex civil unions, as its governor signed into law a bill giving gay couples the same rights as heterosexual married partners.
Gay rights campaigners on Wednesday welcomed the signature by Governor Neil Abercrombie, following approval by lawmakers last week, although they said it did not allow gay couples to formally marry.
"This bill has been a long time coming for committed couples in Hawaii who have been denied the basic right to take care of their families," said Laurie Temple, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Hawaii.
"While we continue to work to achieve the freedom to marry for all couples, we commend the legislature and Governor Abercrombie for taking a stand against baseless discrimination by passing this bill." >>> AFP | Thursday, February 24, 2011
The Cuban Cigar Festival in Havana and Famous Cigar Smokers
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Cuba has launched this year’s glitzy Havana Cigar Festival on a high note, amid news that international sales of the country's famous hand-rolled cigars are rising for the first time since the global recession hit. To the picture gallery >>> | Friday, February 25, 2011
Gaddafi Airbase Falls as Rebels Fight for Tripoli
THE GUARDIAN: • More Libyan diplomats abandon Gaddafi regime • Key air base near Tripoli switches to rebel support • Foreign Office denies paying bribes at Tripoli airport • UN security council to meet later to discuss action News Blog: Libya in Turmoil – Updated live >>> | Friday, February 25, 2011
Libya: Nicolas Sarkozy Calls for Col Gaddafi to Step Down
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: French president Nicolas Sarkozy has demanded Colonel Gaddafi step down as Paris and London sought to step up the pressure for the Libyan leader to stand aside.
"Mr Gaddafi must leave," Sarkozy told a news conference with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul in Ankara.
However, he indicated that he would not back direct action to force the president out.
"Regarding a military intervention ... France would consider any initiative of this type with extreme caution and reserve," he said. >>> | Friday, February 25, 2011
THE SEATTLE TIMES: Militias loyal to Moammar Gadhafi opened fire Friday on protesters streaming out of mosques and marching across the Libyan capital to demand the regime's ouster, witnesses said, reporting at least four killed. In rebellious cities in the east, tens of thousands held rallies in support of the first Tripoli protests in days.
BENGHAZI, Libya — Militias loyal to Moammar Gadhafi opened fire Friday on protesters streaming out of mosques and marching across the Libyan capital to demand the regime's ouster, witnesses said, reporting at least four killed. In rebellious cities in the east, tens of thousands held rallies in support of the first Tripoli protests in days.
In the capital's Souq al-Jomaa district, protesters came under fire from gunmen on rooftops as they tried to march to Tripoli's central Green Square, several miles (kilometers) away. "There are all kind of bullets," said one man in the crowd, screaming in a telephone call to The Associated Press, with the rattle of gunfire audible in the background.
One witness reported seeing three protesters killed in Souq al-Jomaa, and another reported a fourth death in the district of Fashloum, where another rally was trying to march to the center. The reports could not be immediately confirmed.
Gunmen opened a hail of bullets on thousands heading toward the center from Tajoura, a crowded impoverished district on the eastern side of the capital, a participant said.
"We can't see where it is coming from," he said. "They don't want to stop." He said one man next to him was shot in the neck. Others reported gunfire near Green Square itself where dozens of militiamen opened fire in the air to disperse protesters coming out of a nearby mosque. Other armed Gadhafi supporters were speeding through streets in vehicles, said another witness. >>> Paul Schemm and Bassem Mroue, Associate Press | Friday, February 25, 2011
Italienisch-libysche Beziehungen: Handkuss für den Diktator
Foto: Spiegel Online
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Kein EU-Land ist wirtschaftlich und politisch so eng mit Libyen verflochten wie Italien. Man tauschte Öl, Gas und Geld gegen Waffen und politischen Beistand. Doch nun fürchtet die Regierung in Rom den einstigen Freund Gaddafi. Denn die Deals mit dem Diktator könnten das Land teuer zu stehen kommen.
Florenz - Das war eine wahre Männerfreundschaft! Muammar al-Gaddafi, der selbsternannte "Revolutionsführer" Libyens lud seinen "amico" aus Rom, Regierungschef Silvio Berlusconi, sogar in seinen Harem ein und lehrte ihn "Bunga Bunga"-Sexspielchen. Berlusconi revanchierte sich auf seine Weise. Er küsste beim Treffen arabischer Staatschefs im libyschen Sirte im vorigen Frühjahr dem "Rais" zur Begrüßung die Hand - eine Geste, wie sie sonst nur dem Papst widerfährt.
Lange hielt der Italiener seinem transmediterranen Kumpel die Treue. Noch vergangene Woche, als Gaddafi daheim schon demonstrierende Bürger niederschießen und bombardieren ließ, weigerte sich Berlusconi, ein kritisches Wort zu sagen. Italien blockierte noch diesen Montag EU-Maßnahmen gegen das Morden in Tripolis. Erst als Washington im Laufe der Woche mächtig Druck machte - mehrfach rief US-Außenministerin Hillary Clinton in Rom an - knickte Berlusconi ein. Dann aber total: Gaddafi sei verrückt, zitiert ihn die römische Tageszeitung "La Repubblica", womöglich werde der sogar Raketen gen Italien schießen.
Der Schaden für Italien ist auch ohne Gaddafis Rache immens. In der Wirtschaft herrscht Alarmstimmung. Libyen ist nicht nur Rohstofflieferant und wichtiger Abnehmer für italienische Produkte, sondern auch Mitbesitzer vieler italienischer Unternehmen. Bei Unicredit, der größten Bank des Landes, ist der Wüstenstaat mit 7,2 Prozent mächtigster Aktionär. Vizepräsident der Großbank ist deshalb ein Libyer, der erste Mann der Zentralbank in Tripolis, Farhat Bengdara. Er ist derzeit freilich unauffindbar. Man habe keinen Kontakt zu Bengdara, berichtete Unicredit-Präsident Dieter Rampl. >>> Von Hans-Jürgen Schlamp | Freitag, 25. Februar 2011
Libyan Forces Shoot Protesters
Several people reported dead as tens of thousands of Libyans take to the streets calling for an end to Gaddafi's rule
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Tens of thousands of protesters across Libya focused their attention on the capital on Friday afternoon, following the midday prayer.
As demonstrators in Tripoli took to the street, security forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, reportedly began firing on them. At least six had been killed, according to the Associated Press news agency.
There was heavy gun fire in various Tripoli districts including Fashloum, Ashour, Jumhouria and Souq Al, sources told Al Jazeera.
"The security forces fired indiscriminately on the demonstrators," said a resident of one of the capital's eastern suburbs that has seen previous clashes between opponents of the regime and its remaining loyalists.
"There were deaths in the streets of Sug al-Jomaa," the resident said.
The protests come a day after Gaddafi spoke on state television, accusing al-Qaeda for fermenting the uprising and drugging and brainwashing the country's youth. [The entire speech is available here.]
The death toll since violence began remains unclear, though on Thursday Francois Zimeray, France's top human rights official, said it could be as high as 2,000 people killed. >>> Al Jazeera and agencies | Friday, February 25, 2011
La légende vestimentaire de Mouammar Kadhafi
En près de quarante-deux années de pouvoir, le colonel Kadhafi s’est distingué par ses tenues souvent extravagantes
Le fils Khadafi refuse qu'une "poignée de terroristes contrôle une partie de la Libye"
Saif Al-Islam Khadafi, ici le 28 juin à Moscou. Photo : Le Monde
LE MONDE: Saïf Al-Islam Khadafi, l'un des fils du leader libyen Mouammar Kadhafi, a affirmé vendredi 25 février, dans un entretien accordé à la chaine CNN-Türk, que sa famille resterait coûte que coûte en Libye, et a averti qu'elle ne permettrait pas à une "poignée de terroristes" de contrôler une partie du pays. Interrogé par un journaliste de la chaîne CNN-Türk sur un éventuel "plan B" de fuite envisagé par sa famille en cas de victoire des insurgés, Saïf Al-Islam a répondu: "Notre plan A, c'est de vivre en Libye et y mourir. Le plan B, c'est de vivre en Libye et y mourir", selon la traduction en turc de ses propos. >>> LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | Vendredi 25 Février 2011
Nach den Freitagsgebeten: Proteste in der arabischen Welt
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Auch in Ägypten, Jemen, Bahrain, Irak und Jordanien gingen am Freitag Hunderttausende Menschen nach den Freitagsgebeten auf die Straße, um für politischen Wandel zu demonstrieren.
Einen Monat nach dem Beginn der Proteste in Ägypten, die zum Sturz Husni Mubaraks führten, forderten auf dem Tahrir-Platz mehrere hunderttausend Demonstranten den Rücktritt der Übergangsregierung, die Beschleunigung der politischen Reformen und die Aufnahme eines Prozesses gegen Mubarak. Der Hohe Militärrat solle einen verbindlichen Zeitplan für die nächsten Schritte festlegen. An diesem Samstag wird ein Verfassungsausschuss Vorschläge für eine Revision der Verfassung vorlegen. Bahrain >>> Von Rainer Hermann, Manama | Freitag, 25. Februar 2011
Viele Menschen verlassen Libyen am Grenzübergang Sollum nach Ägypten
Während im Osten Libyens die Demokratiebewegung offenbar die Oberhand gewinnt, scheint das Regime von Muammar al-Gaddafi in der Region um die Hauptstadt Tripolis weiter die Macht in den Händen zu halten. In Addschabija haben Militär und Polizei die Seiten gewechselt. Für den Nachmittag ist ein «Marsch der Millionen» nach Tripolis geplant
EU befürchtet Flüchtlingsstrom
Die Innenminister der EU beschäftigen sich mit dem Szenario eines allfälligen Flüchtlingsstroms aus Libyen. Über die Zahl der Flüchtlinge kann aber nur spekuliert werden. Auch Bundesrätin Simonetta Sommaruga ist nach Brüssel gefahren
Amid Exodus From Libya, Europe Braces for Refugees
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Frantic operations to evacuate foreigners from the widening chaos in Libya continued Friday, and European officials were already looking toward the next challenge: coping with what could be a huge influx of refugees from across the Mediterranean.
More than 10,000 people crowded into Tripoli’s main airport on Thursday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. Amateur video posted by the British newspaper The Independent showed desperate travelers filling the trash-strewn terminal and flowing out the doors into the roads.
The scramble by foreigners to leave the country began several days ago, but the number of commercial flights could not keep up with demand. Many countries have been mobilizing military and chartered ships and planes.
Some government-led evacuations were able to proceed Thursday, with two Greek ferries carrying about 4,500 Chinese workers departing from the eastern city of Benghazi. The United States Embassy said on its Web site that it was chartering a flight from Tripoli for Friday.
Other efforts to remove American citizens have been frustrated, first when a chartered plane was denied permission to land and then when rough seas kept a chartered ferry from departing for Malta for a third straight day on Friday. >>> J. David Goodman and James Kanter | Friday, February 25, 2011
American CIA Contractor Appears in Pakistani Court
THE GUARDIAN: LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — An American CIA employee accused of murdering two Pakistanis appeared handcuffed in a Pakistani court on Friday, where he refused to sign a charge sheet after claiming diplomatic immunity, officials said.
The detention of Raymond Allen Davis has severely frayed ties between the U.S. and Pakistan, whose counterterrorism alliance is considered a crucial part of ending the war in Afghanistan.
Washington insists Davis is immune from prosecution because he is listed as a U.S. Embassy staff member. It says Davis shot two Pakistanis in self-defense when they tried to rob him in late January in the eastern city of Lahore.
Pakistani officials, wary of a backlash in a population rife with anti-American sentiment, have declined to confirm whether Davis has diplomatic immunity, saying the matter is up to the courts.
During Friday's hearing, which was held in a Lahore jail and closed to the public, prosecutors tried to present the handcuffed Davis with a charge sheet.
The judge also asked whether Davis had engaged a defense attorney, according to Asad Manzoor Butt, a lawyer for a Pakistani bystander who was killed when struck by an American car rushing to assist Davis after the shootings.
But Davis refused to sign the charge sheet and said he did not want to participate in the case because he has immunity from prosecution under international agreements covering diplomats, said Butt, who attended the hearing. >>> Babar Dogar, AP foreign, with contributions from Riaz Khan in Peshawar | Friday, February 25, 2011
UK Economy Contracted by 0.6% in Last Three Months of 2010
THE GUARDIAN: Office for National Statistics stuck to its view that the harsh winter weather in December - the coldest December on record - contributed 0.5 percentage points to the decline
Britain's economy shrank by 0.6% in the final quarter of last year, a sharper fall than previously thought.
The surprise downward revision, from a 0.5% drop reported last month, was blamed on industry and service sector firms whose performance was worse than originally estimated. Consumer spending also slipped and the economy was kept afloat by higher government spending, which will see sharp cuts in coming months.
The Office for National Statistics stuck to its view that the harsh winter weather in December – the coldest December on record – contributed 0.5 percentage points to the decline, so without the snow GDP would still have shown a slight fall.
The pound slipped to the day's low of $1.6110 against the dollar. >>> Julia Kollewe | Friday, February 25, 2011
If the Saudis Revolt, the World’s In Trouble
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The fate of the global recovery rests on events in Riyadh, says Jeremy Warner.
Be careful what you wish for. After an ambiguous start, Western leaders have broadly welcomed the wave of protest and revolutions sweeping North Africa and parts of the Middle East. But beneath the words of encouragement about people taking charge of their own destiny, there is a growing and vital concern – the security of our oil and gas supplies.
The West’s complicity in supporting the autocratic regimes that characterise many of the big oil-exporting nations is in part explained by the fact that, whatever their sins, they did at least seem to provide stability in the energy markets. That stability, however, has been thrown up in the air by the wave of protest sweeping the region.
Initially, it was assumed that there was a difference between oil-poor Arab nations such as Tunisia and Egypt, where the uprisings have been as much about living standards as anything else, and the much richer Gulf states. That theory was swiftly proved wrong.
In Saudi Arabia, even King Abdullah’s panicky decision to order another multi-billion-dollar splurge of spending on education, healthcare and infrastructure may not be enough to buy off the opposition. People seem to want something more precious than money: freedom. >>> Jeremy Warner | Thursday, February 24, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Motorists are now paying £6 a gallon in garages across the country as oil prices continue to soar amid the crisis in Libya.
The cost of unleaded has broken the barrier in 267 forecourts already and the number is set to increase sharply over the next few days.
Brian Madderson, chairman of RMI Petrol, the filling stations’ trade body, said motorists will be paying 10 pence a litre more by the end of April because of the looming increase in fuel duty and higher oil prices on the world market.
By the middle of next week £6 a gallon – or £1.32 a litre – will be the norm across Britain, Mr Madderson added.
With the Libya crisis pushing the cost of oil to its highest level on the world markets since August 2008, the cost of motoring, commuting and family holidays are also likely to rise to unprecedented levels. >>> David Millward, Transport Editor | Friday, February 25, 2011
After losing control over several coastal cities due to protester uprisings, Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi was back on state Television in an attempt to halt further rebel advances. Mandy Clark reports from Tobrouk, in eastern Libya
Libya: Desperate Col Gaddafi Offers Protesters Concessions as British Rescue Continues
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Col Gaddafi of Libya was making a last desperate attempt to face down protesters threatening to come on to the streets of the Libyan capital on Friday, offering concessions but threatening no mercy to those who disobey his calls to stay at home.
As world leaders met to discuss how to stop the crisis, state television promised pay rises to state workers and cash hand-outs equal to around £300.
But protesters in Tripoli said they had been warned to stay at home during demonstrations planned for after Friday prayers in Green Square, or risk being shot on sight.
"Thousands are still prepared to defy Gaddafi by taking to the streets today," said one resident. "The time for change has come. The dictator has to step down. We know he has ordered his troops to shoot on sight, but we are ready."
Other residents confirmed reports that regime forces were trying to clear away the evidence of the wave of killing in Tripoli earlier in the week.
One resident told CBS news network that he saw 62 bodies in Green Square after violence on Tuesday but that the bodies were now being removed to an unknown location. Forces were even killing the wounded in hospital, he said.
"They go in with guns into hospitals," he said. "They take the bodies that are dead. In some hospitals, they have shot the wounded. This is true." >>> Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Friday, February 25, 2011
Dancing in Benghazi
Feb 24 - Benghazi residents celebrate in the night-time rain as they continue to call on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's to step down. Deborah Lutterbeck reports
NZ Death Toll Passes 100
Feb 25 - Hopes fade of finding survivors in Christchurch, New Zealand as rescue teams enter their fourth day with over 200 people still missing. Marie-Claire Fennessy reports
Saudi Arabia King Accused of Misjudged Bribery in Attempt to Avoid Unrest
THE GUARDIAN: King Abdullah needs to implement political reform, scholars claim, as students plan 'day of rage'
Leading intellectuals in Saudi Arabia have warned that grand financial gestures are no substitute for meaningful political reform, after King Abdullah unveiled a $36bn (£22bn) social welfare package in advance of planned anti-government protests next month.
In a statement released on Thursday, a group of Saudi scholars called on the royal family to learn from recent uprisings in the Gulf and North Africa and to start listening to the voices of the kingdom's disenfranchised young people, some of whom are planning a "day of rage" on 11 March. Several Islamic thinkers, as well as a female academic and a poet, are among those adding their names to the declaration.
"The Saudi regime is learning all the wrong lessons from Egypt and Tunisia," said Shadi Hamid, director of research at the Brookings Doha Centre. "The unrest in the region is not fundamentally economic, it's fundamentally about politics. Economics plays a role but what the events of the past few months have shown us is that Arabs are looking for freedom, dignity and democracy – and if the Saudi leadership can't see that, then they're in trouble."
Saudi Arabia's 86-year-old monarch returned home this week from three months in hospital abroad, and immediately announced a vast package of welfare measures including new education and housing subsidies, the creation of 1,200 jobs and a 15% pay rise for all government employees.
But analysts believe the king – who promised far-reaching political reform when he ascended to the throne in 2005, only to make little effort in tackling the political status quo – has misjudged the grievances of his population.
The kingdom remains an absolute monarchy with few outlets for dissent, with public policy-making concentrated almost entirely in the hands of the ruling family. >>> Jack Shenker | Thursday, February 24, 2011
LE FIGARO: La région a basculé dès les premiers jours du soulèvement et échappe à présent entièrement au contrôle de Kadhafi.
D’envoyé spécial du Figaro à la frontière tuniso-libyenne.
La révolte libyenne a fait ressurgir les profondes lignes de fracture d'un pays relativement récent, créé à partir d'une colonie assemblée par l'Italie au début du XXe siècle. La Libye est l'addition de la Tripolitaine (ouest), de la Cyrénaïque (est) et du Fezzan (sud). La Cyrénaïque est historiquement tournée vers l'Égypte et vers le Machrek. C'est une région qui a parfois montré de l'hostilité à l'égard du pouvoir central. Elle a basculé dès les premiers jours du soulèvement et échappe à présent entièrement au contrôle de Kadhafi.
La province a longtemps été l'un des bastions de la résistance à l'occupation italienne. La confrérie des Senousis, ordre religieux fondamentaliste, a été l'un des principaux acteurs d'une insurrection violente contre le nouvel ordre colonial, que les Italiens ont eu les pires difficultés à mater. L'un des héros de cette révolte, Omar Mokhtar, pendu par les Italiens en 1931, est toujours célébré en Libye et dans le monde arabe. Un film a été tourné sur son épopée dans les années 1980, vendu dans toutes les boutiques de souvenirs de Tripoli, et régulièrement diffusé sur la télévision libyenne. L'une des principales rues de Gaza porte son nom. >>> Par Adrien Jaulmes | Vendredi 25 Février 2011
Syria Clamps Down on Dissent with Beatings and Arrests
THE GUARDIAN: Nervous regime breaks up protests and sends intelligence agents round to warn civil rights activists against taking action
Tensions are mounting in the Syrian capital, Damascus, after the third peaceful demonstration in three weeks was violently dispersed on Wednesday. There are increasing reports of intimidation and blocking of communications by secret services in the wake of violent unrest in neighbouring Arab countries.
Fourteen people were arrested and several people beaten by uniformed and plainclothes police on Tuesday after about 200 staged a peaceful sit-in outside the Libyan embassy to show support for Libya's protesters.
Witnesses said at least two women were among those beaten.
The demonstrators carried placards reading "Freedom for the people" and "Down with Gaddafi", and chanted slogans such as "Traitors are those that beat their people."
Witnesses said authorities warned the group to disperse but they reconvened shortly afterwards in the central neighbouring suburb of Sha'alan. When they tried to march back to the embassy they were met with a heavy police presence.
Several witnesses told the Guardian there were nearly twice as many secret and uniformed police as protesters. Some protesters were punched, kicked and beaten with sticks.
All present had their identities recorded. Fourteen people were detained but later released, Human Rights Watch in Beirut confirmed.
"They hit two girls, I saw them on the ground crying," said a witness who was briefly detained.
"There were so many of them, we didn't know where they all came from." >>> Lauren Williams | Thursday, February 24, 2011
Saudi Arabia Faces Succession Battle Amid Regional Turmoil
THE VANCOUVER SUN: As Libya collapses into anarchy and demands for political reform continue to flare across the Middle East, the pictures of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah returning home carried a message of foreboding.
The 86-year-old absolute monarch looked bemused and disconnected as he cut short a three-month absence for medical treatment in the United States and convalescence in Morocco to return to the Saudi capital Riyadh.
His concession to the clamour for reform in the countries encircling Saudi Arabia like Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain and Yemen was to announce an additional $35 billion for the country's already bloated patronage system, funded from its possession of 20 per cent of the world's oil reserves.
So far Saudi Arabia has not suffered the protests on the streets demanding an end to monarchic or presidential despotism that are washing over the Middle East and North Africa.
But Saudi Arabia, for many the spiritual hub of the Muslim world, is facing serious challenges to its regional authority at a time when it is in the midst of a succession struggle that threatens to distort its responses.
Saudi Arabia's regional rival Iran has capitalized significantly on the uncertainty and chaos in the region.
Tehran, champion of the Shiite sect of Islam in its 1,400-year tussle with the Sunnis led by Saudi Arabia, has already benefited from the U.S. putting the Shiite majority in power in Iraq and destroying the Sunni Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
To that has been added Tehran's ever closer ties with Syria and its terrorist acolytes; Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
The new regime in Egypt is unlikely to be as opposed to Hamas as was deposed president Hosni Mubarak, and several of the Gulf States are leaning toward Tehran after seeing the uprising against their Sunni overlords by the Shiite majority in Bahrain.
In Saudi Arabia, about two million of the 26 million population are Shiites and they live primarily in the oil-producing east of the country. >>> Jonathan Manthorpe, Vancouver Sun | Thursday, February 24, 2011
Oil Could Hit $200 If the "House of Saud" Falls Next
Will the "House of Saud" be the next to fall in the Middle East? Oil hitting $200 is a possibility! Jonathan Manthorpe in conversation with Fazil Mihlar
Obama Seeks Consensus on Libya Violence
BBC: The Gaddafi regime is seemingly on its last legs in Libya, questions are inevitably being raised about what comes next.
But this is a country where the trappings of a normal state simply do not apply.
Col Muammar Gaddafi created such a personalised system of governing that he left no space for anything beyond himself, his family and the narrow ruling elite, many of whom were drawn from his own tribe, the Qadhadhfa.
Unlike in Tunisia or Egypt, those forces that could have helped to smooth the transition process such as political parties, trades unions, opposition groups or civil society organisations simply do not exist in Libya.
Indeed the country has been notable for its almost total lack of functioning institutions, as all power has been concentrated so heavily around the "Brother Leader".
This personality cult goes some way to explain why Col Gaddafi is going to fight to the death. Although his power is weakening as the opposition is moving ever closer, he still holds Tripoli, his traditional power base.
Yet were he to cling on to the city his ability to govern would be almost non-existent. His actions over the past few days have destroyed any remnants of credibility he and his regime might have had and repression alone is unlikely to be enough to keep him in place. >>> Alison Pargeter, Analyst and writer on the Middle East and North Africa | Thursday, February 24, 2011
Gaddafi Blames Unrest on al-Qaeda
Libyan leader says protesters are young people being manipulated by al-Qaeda, as violence continues across the country
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, has said in a speech on Libyan state television that al-Qaeda is responsible for the uprising in Libya.
"It is obvious now that this issue is run by al-Qaeda," he said, speaking by phone from an unspecified location on Thursday.
He said that the protesters were young people who were being manipulated by al-Qaeda's Osama bin Laden, and that many were doing so under the influence of drugs.
"No one above the age of 20 would actually take part in these events," he said. "They are taking advantage of the young age of these people [to commit violent acts] because they are not legally liable!"
At the same time, the leader warned that those behind the unrest would be prosecuted in the country's courts.
He called on Libyan parents to keep their children at home.
"How can you justify such misbehaviour from people who live in good neighbourhoods?" he asked.
The situation in Libya was different to Egypt or Tunisia he said, arguing that unlike people in the neighbouring countries, Libyans have "no reason to complain whatsoever".
Libyans had easy access to low interest loans and cheap daily commodities, he argued. The one reform he did hint might be possible was a raise in salaries.
Mustafa Abdel Galil, who resigned three days ago from his post as the country's justice minister, spoke to Al Jazeera at a meeting of tribal leaders and representatives of eastern Libya in the city of Al Baida.
"We want one country. There is no Islamic emirate or al-Qaeda anywhere. Our only aim is to liberate Libya from this regime and then people choose the government they want." the former minister said.
The United Nation's Human Rights Council will decide whether it will send an international team to investigate the alleged violations of international human rights law in Libya at a meeting in Geneva on Friday. >>> Al Jazeera and agencies | Friday, February 25, 2011
How Will America Handle the Fall of Its Middle East Empire?
TELEGRAPH – BLOGS – PETER OBORNE: Empires can collapse in the course of a generation. At the end of the 16th century, the Spanish looked dominant. Twenty-five years later, they were on their knees, over-extended, bankrupt, and incapable of coping with the emergent maritime powers of Britain and Holland. The British empire reached its fullest extent in 1930. Twenty years later, it was all over.
Today, it is reasonable to ask whether the United States, seemingly invincible a decade ago, will follow the same trajectory. America has suffered two convulsive blows in the last three years. The first was the financial crisis of 2008, whose consequences are yet to be properly felt. Although the immediate cause was the debacle in the mortgage market, the underlying problem was chronic imbalance in the economy.
For a number of years, America has been incapable of funding its domestic programmes and overseas commitments without resorting to massive help from China, its global rival. China has a pressing motive to assist: it needs to sustain US demand in order to provide a market for its exports and thus avert an economic crisis of its own. This situation is the contemporary equivalent of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD), the doctrine which prevented nuclear war breaking out between America and Russia.
Unlike MAD, this pact is unsustainable. But Barack Obama has not sought to address the problem. Instead, he responded to the crisis with the same failed policies that caused the trouble in the first place: easy credit and yet more debt. It is certain that America will, in due course, be forced into a massive adjustment both to its living standards at home and its commitments abroad. Continue reading and comment >>> Peter Oborne | Thursday, February 24, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Ministers have identified billions of pounds that Col Muammar Gaddafi and the Libyan regime have deposited in London, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.
The funds are expected to be seized within days. The Treasury is understood to have set up a unit to trace Col Gaddafi's assets in Britain, which are thought to include billions of dollars in bank accounts, commercial property and a £10 million mansion in London.
In total, the Libyan regime is said to have around £20 billion in liquid assets, mostly in London. These are expected to be frozen as part of an international effort to force the dictator from power. A Whitehall source said: "The first priority is to get British nationals out of Libya. But then we are ready to move in on Gaddafi's assets, the work is under way. This is definitely on the radar at the highest levels."
Col Gaddafi was yesterday accused of ordering the deaths of thousands of protesters, but he refused to surrender as Libya descended into civil war.
Meanwhile, the British Government struggled to assert its authority following a chaotic few days.
It faced further embarrassment, when Nick Clegg said he "forgot" he was supposed to be running the country in David Cameron's absence.
The Deputy Prime Minister was also forced to cut short a holiday at his family villa in the Swiss ski resort of Davos to return to Britain for security meetings today. Mr Cameron was also due to return to Britain from the Gulf after being forced to apologise for the chaotic evacuation effort. >>> Robert Winnett, and James Kirkup in Muscat | Thursday, February 24, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
«Gaddafi hat hier in Benghasi nichts mehr zu sagen»
Libya: International Response Gathers Pace After Gaddafi Counterattacks
THE GUARDIAN: No-fly zone or sanctions among options being considered as world bids to force Libyan leader to end the violence
International efforts to respond to the Libyan crisis are gathering pace under US leadership after a still defiant Muammar Gaddafi launched counterattacks to defend Tripoli against the popular uprising now consolidating its hold on the liberated east of the country.
The White House said Barack Obama planned to call David Cameron and France's president, Nicolas Sarkozy, to discuss possible actions, including a no-fly zone or sanctions to force the Libyan leader to end the violence. Switzerland said it had frozen Gaddafi's assets.
Gaddafi, in power for 42 years, has used aircraft, tanks and foreign mercenaries in eight days of violence that has killed hundreds in the bloodiest of the uprisings to shake the Arab world. Up to 2,000 people may have died, it was claimed by a senior French human rights official.
But there was no sign Gaddafi was prepared to change course. In another semi-coherent and abusive speech on Thursday, he accused protesters of being drugged and agents of al-Qaida. "Their ages are 17. They give them pills at night, they put hallucinatory pills in their drinks, their milk, their coffee, their Nescafé," he said in a telephone interview with Libyan state TV – suggesting he may already have left his heavily guarded Tripoli compound.
It only boosted the growing impression that he is desperate and out of touch with reality. "This is the speech of a dead man," said Said el-Gareeny in the eastern city of Benghazi, which is now in opposition hands.
"People always warn about al-Qaida and say this will become an Islamic state ... to get support from western countries. This isn't true. The Libyan people are free. That's it." >>> Ian Black and Patrick Wintour | Thursday, February 24, 2011
The Week That Davos Trumped Downing Street
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, has admitted he ‘forgot’ that he was supposed to be running the country in the absence of David Cameron this week.
In an interview, the Liberal Democrat leader was asked whether he was in charge while the Prime Minister was away from Britain travelling in the Middle East.
Sipping from a mug marked “Deputy Prime Minister,” he said: “Yeah, I suppose I am. I forgot about that.
“I’m holding the fort but I’m hoping to take the end of the week off with my kids.
“Someone else will have to do it then. It sounds more haphazard than it probably is. People forget there are emails and there is BlackBerry.”
It later emerged that within hours of giving the interview, to the Metro newspaper, Mr Clegg did indeed go on holiday to his family chalet in the exclusive Swiss ski resort of Davos. Nick Clegg ‘forgot’ he was in charge of the Government this week >>> Rosa Prince, Political Correspondent and James Kirkup in Oman | Thursday, February 24, 2011
Saudi Arrested for Trying to Blow Up George Bush's Home Went to US as Student to 'Wage Jihad'
MAIL ONLINE: A Saudi national has been arrested in Texas after plotting to blow up the home of George W Bush.
Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari is said to have come to America and bought chemicals and materials specifically to wage jihad on American soil and kill the former President.
In a case chillingly similar to Times Square bomb plotter Faisal Shahzad, who is now serving a life sentence, Aldawsari allegedly planned to place a bomb in heart of New York City during rush hour.
he chemical engineering student also allegedly planned to destroy dams, nuclear power plants and target three former U.S. soldiers who had worked at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
Investigators monitoring the 20-year-old found he wrote a string of deranged blog postings demanding he be ‘granted martyrdom’.
It also emerged he had been planning such an attack since he was a child and had got good grades in school and won a scholarship so he could travel abroad to kill.
Julian Assange Attacks European Arrest Warrant after Extradition Ruling
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has criticised the European arrest warrant system after a judge ruled he should be extradited to Sweden to face sex offence charges.
The 39-year-old Australian is accused of sexually assaulting one woman and raping another during a week-long visit to Stockholm in August.
Speaking outside Belmarsh Magistrates' Court in south-east London today following the ruling, he said he had ''always known'' he would have to appeal against the decision.
The ruling against him came as a result of "a European arrest warrant system run amok", he claimed.
He said: "There was no consideration during this entire process as to the merit of the allegations made against me, no consideration or examination of even the complaints made in Sweden and of course we have always known we would appeal."
Launching into a criticism of the system, he said 95% of European arrest warrants were successful and he welcomed a pending review of UK extradition procedures due in June.
This, he hoped, would "deal with some of those abuses of European arrest warrants in law and for abuses relating to other countries such as the United States".
He also reiterated his wish that his own case be used to shed light on "abuses" of the system. >>> | Thursday, February 24, 2011
Libye : l’est du pays échappe au contrôle de Kadhafi
Villepin : deaux années de diatribes contre Sarkozy
Depuis leur opposition dans l’affaire Clearstream, Dominique de Villepin a distillé maintes critiques à l’égard du chef de l’Etat
L'étau se resserre autour de Kadhafi, qui continue à dénigrer le mouvement
LE MONDE: Alors que le mouvement de contestation se rapproche de Tripoli, Mouammar Kadhafi a fait son deuxième discours depuis le début de la révolte par téléphone, sans apparaître à l'écran, pour tenter de discréditer le mouvement.
"Ils ont 17 ans. On leur donne des pilules la nuit, on leur met des substances hallucinogènes dans leurs boissons, leur lait, leur café, leur Nescafé", a affirmé Mouammar Kadhafi, qui a perdu le contrôle d'une grande partie de son pays. Assurant que le mouvement était dû à une manipulation extérieure, le dirigeant libyen a invité la population à ne pas se laisser influencer par Al-Qaida. "Ben Laden […], voilà l'ennemi qui manipule le peuple", a lancé Mouammar Kadhafi.
"Aucune personne saine" ne devrait rejoindre les rangs de la révolte, a-t-il dit, en invitant la population à désarmer les contestataires. Le dirigeant a présenté ses condoléances aux victimes des affrontements et il a appelé au calme les personnes qui, selon lui, se battent entre elles. >>> LEMONDE.FR avec AFP et Reuters | Jeudi 24 Février 2011
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Der Osten Libyens, das Zentrum des Widerstandes gegen Gaddafi, ist auch eine Hochburg der Islamisten. Al Qaida stellt sich nun hinter die [hinter die] Gegner Gaddafis - und weil es in Libyen keine Demokratiebewegung gibt wie in Ägypten, hat ihre Propaganda gute Erfolgsaussichten.
Al Qaida sei schuld am Aufstand, hat der libysche Diktator Gaddafi nun während eines dritten Fernsehauftritts behauptet. Die maghrebinische Filiale der Terrororganisation hatte ihrerseits zuvor verkündet, sie wolle in Libyen die „Revolution unseres Volkes“ unterstützen. Die Propagandaabteilung der „Al Qaida im Islamischen Maghreb“ hat sich in einer im Internet verbreiteten Erklärung hinter die libyschen Gegner Gaddafis gestellt – und sich die Befreiung der „Enkel von Omar Muchtar“ auf die Fahnen geschrieben. So versuchen die Dschihadisten, mit dem Hinweis auf den berühmten libyschen Unabhängigkeitskämpfer auf die Befreiungsbewegung aufzuspringen. Zwar ist der Osten Libyens, das Zentrum des Widerstandes gegen Gaddafi, auch eine Hochburg der Islamisten. Auch die mit Al Qaida verbündete radikale Islamistengruppe „Libyan Islamic Fighting Group“ hat dort ihre Basis. Doch nach den Berichten aus der Region wird in befreiten Orten eher die Fahne der alten Senussi-Monarchie gehisst als die eines islamistischen Emirats. >>> Von Christoph Ehrhardt | Donnerstag, 24. Februar 2011
Schweiz friert Gaddafis Vermögen ein
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Angesichts der Eskalation in Libyen friert die Schweiz das Vermögen des libyschen Staatschefs Muammar al Gaddafi ein. Die Vereinigten Staaten wollen Libyen aus dem UN-Menschenrechtsrat ausschließen. Gaddafi hat Usama Bin Ladin für die Rebellion in seinem Land verantwortlich gemacht.
Der libysche Staatschef Gaddafi hat Al-Qaida-Führer Usama Bin Ladin für die Rebellion in seinem Land verantwortlich gemacht. Im Staatsfernsehen sagte Gaddafi am Donnerstag, die Aufständischen seien Jugendliche, die unter dem Einfluss von Rauschgift und Al Qaida stünden. Derweil griffen Getreue des Machthabers mit großer Brutalität Regimegegner an, die mehrere Städte im Osten kontrollieren. Nach Augenzeugenberichten gab es dabei Dutzende Tote. Das Regime drohte unterdessen den ausländischen Journalisten, die sich ohne Genehmigung im Land aufhalten. Diese würden wie Spione oder Al-Qaida-Terroristen behandelt, die libysche Regierung könne für ihre Sicherheit nicht garantieren, hieß es.
Die Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika wollen eine Initiative der Europäischen Union unterstützen, Libyen aus dem UN-Menschenrechtsrat auszuschließen. Das erfuhr die Nachrichtenagentur AP am Donnerstag aus US-Regierungskreisen in Washington. Außenministerin Hillary Clinton werde sich bei ihrem Besuch beim Menschenrechtsrat kommende Woche in Genf um die Einzelheiten kümmern. Angesichts der Eskalation in Libyen friert die Regierung der Schweiz das Vermögen des libyschen Staatschefs Muammar al Gaddafi in der Schweiz ein. >>> FAZ.NET/F.A.Z./cheh./rüb. | Donnerstag, 24. Februar 2011
Viele Flüchtende aus Libyen berichten von Folter
Der libysche Machthaber Muammar al-Gaddafi hat angekündigt, zu den Bewohnern der Stadt D'Az-Zaouiyah zu sprechen, wie der Sender Al-Dschasira berichtet. Derweil ist es Gaddafi-Gegnern erstmals gelungen, eine Stadt im Westen, Suara, unter Kontrolle zu bringen. Des Weiteren brodelt es in der Stadt Misrata im Osten. Laut Augenzeugen haben Aufständische die Oberhand gewonnen
Libya Uprising: The Sacking of Benghazi
THE GUARDIAN: Watch amateur footage of the Libyan revolution posted on YouTube with audio commentary from the Guardian's Martin Chulov in Libya's second city, Benghazi
Libyan Arab Airlines Aircraft Rejected: ‘Malta Was Not Willing to Risk Arrival of Undesirables’
THE MALTA INDEPENDENT ONLINE: The Libyan aircraft which was circling above Malta yesterday afternoon was denied permission to land because the government was not willing to risk the arrival of an “undesirable” in Malta, an official government spokesperson told The Malta Independent yesterday.
Italian news agency ANSA reported that, among the 14 passengers aboard the aircraft, there may have been Muammar Gaddafi’s daughter, Aisha, or one of his wives. However, “we do not know”, the spokesperson said.
The fact is that the aircraft flew to Malta unexpectedly and requested landing permission. However, the lack of a passenger manifest and the fact that the aircraft had no landing permission meant the government was not willing to take the risk.
The Libyan Arab Airlines aircraft made a request to land to the Maltese Air Traffic Control, but this was denied. It spent a while circling over the south of Malta while the decision was reconsidered, but was eventually refused permission to land and had to turn back to Tripoli. [Source: The Malta Independent Online] Chiara Bonello | Thursday, February 24, 2011
The Obama Administration’s Spineless Response to Colonel Gaddafi's Reign of Terror
TELEGRAPH – BLOGS – NILE GARDINER: What is the White House’s strategy on the Libyan crisis? Quite simply there isn’t one. As Alex Spillius noted in his post yesterday, the US government has been remarkably meek on Libya. Like the EU, the Obama administration is stuck in classic deer in the headlights mode, offering little more than mealy-mouthed statements condemning the state-sponsored violence against anti-government protesters on the streets of Tripoli, Benghazi, Tobruk and other key Libyan cities, which has already claimed at least 1,000 lives.
Both Barack Obama’s and Hillary Clinton’s remarks today on Libya were distinctly underwhelming and non-confrontational, offering little beyond a carefully worded expression of outrage, except for a pledge to hold yet more meetings with the international community to discuss the Libyan situation. And both failed to even mention the man behind the reign of terror sweeping the country – “Mad Dog” Gaddafi, a ruthless dictator with Libyan, American and British blood on his hands. Read on and comment >>> Nile Gardiner | Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Libya: Gaddafi Compares Himself to the Queen in Latest Rant
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Col Gaddafi compared himself to the Queen on Thursday, saying he would "rule for 57 years" and blamed al-Qaeda for the protests against him in his latest outburst.
The embattled dictator said he was like the Queen, who he says has not been overthrown for 57 years.
"You need to listen to your parents. If people disobey their parents they end up destroying the country, he said. "The same case as in Britain (where) for 57 years the Queen has been ruling. I have been in the same situation.
"I am not in the same position to be able to impose rule on the people. I have become more of a symbolic leader. I have no power, it's the people themselves who have the prerogative."
Gaddafi, speaking by telephone to Libyan television, offered his condolences for those who were killed in the bloodshed and called for calm amongst people he said were fighting amongst themselves and taking hallucinogenic drugs. Saying Osama bin Laden was "the real criminal", Gaddafi urged Libyans not be swayed by the al Qaeda leader.
"Bin Laden ... this is the enemy who is manipulating people," Gaddafi said, adding: "Do not be swayed by bin Laden." >>> | Thursday, February 24, 2011
Feb 24 - The international community makes a massive push to retrieve nationals from Libya. Julie Noce, reports
Wall Street Dives as Oil Hits $100
Feb 23 - Summary of business headlines: Stocks fall for second day as U.S. crude touches $100 a barrel; U.S. home prices continue to fall; Apple expected to unveil new iPad, competitors line up. Conway Gittens reports
