Sunday, March 06, 2011
20 MINUTEN ONLINE: Bundesrätin Micheline Calmy-Rey will das Gaddafi-Regime vor den Richter bringen. Vorerst hat die Schweiz für die Mitglieder des Gaddafi-Clans eine Einreisesperre verhängt.
Bundespräsidentin Micheline Calmy-Rey fordert die Schweizer Justiz dazu auf, die Verantwortlichen für die Entführung von Max Göldi und Rachid Hamdani zur Rechenschaft zu ziehen.
«Ich könnte mir vorstellen, dass man in der Schweiz eine Strafuntersuchung einleitet, um die Umstände der Entführung von Max Göldi und Rachid Hamdani im Herbst 2009 zu untersuchen und die Schuldigen vor den Richter zu bringen», sagte die Bundespräsidentin im Interview mit der «NZZ am Sonntag». Calmy-Rey: «Zeit, zurückzuschlagen» >>> ast | Samstag, 05. März 2011
leJDD.fr: En exclusivité mondiale, le chef d'Etat libyen a reçu, samedi, deux envoyés spéciaux du JDD dans son QG de Tripoli. Retrouvez ici des extraits de cet entretien exceptionnel, publié dimanche dans le JDD nouvelle formule.LA MENACE TERRORISTE
"Quand il y a eu la confusion en Tunisie et en Egypte (…) Al-Qaida a donné instruction à ses cellules dormantes en Libye de faire surface (…) Les jeunes ne connaissaient pas Al-Qaida ni l’idéologie de cette organisation. Mais les membres de ces cellules vont jusqu’à leur donner des pilules hallucinogènes. (…) Aujourd’hui, ces jeunes ont pris goût à ces pilules et pensent que les mitraillettes sont comme une sorte de feu d’artifice."
"Je m’étonne vraiment que l’on ne comprenne pas qu’il s’agit ici d’un combat contre le terrorisme (…) Nos services de renseignement coopèrent. Nous vous avons beaucoup aidé ces dernières années! Alors pourquoi lorsque nous sommes dans un combat contre le terrorisme ici en Libye on ne vient pas nous aider en retour!"
"Il y aura un Djihad islamique en face de vous, en Méditerranée (…) Les gens de Ben Laden viendront imposer des rançons sur terre, et sur mer. On reviendra au temps de Barberousse, des pirates, des Ottomans qui imposaient des rançons sur les bateaux. Ce sera vraiment une crise mondiale et une catastrophe pour tout le monde." LE RÔLE DE LA FRANCE DANS LA CRISE >>> Laurent Valdiguié, Le Journal du Dimanche | Samedi 05 Mars 2011
leJDD.fr: "Aujourd'hui, Kadhafi a peur" : Envoyé spécial du JDD à Tripoli, Laurent Valdiguié raconte au JDD.fr sa rencontre avec Mouammar Kadhafi. >>> La Rédaction, leJDD.fr | Dimanche 06 Mars 2011
REUTERS: Heavy automatic weapons fire erupted in the Libyan capital Tripoli Sunday, the first such outbreak in Muammar Gaddafi's main stronghold in a two-week-old insurrection against his 41-year-old rule.
Government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim denied any fighting was under way in Tripoli, saying the gunfire was staged to fete the army's recapture of several cities from rebel forces.
It was unclear who was doing the shooting, which started just before daybreak, or what had caused it. Machine gun volleys, some of them heavy caliber, reverberated around central Tripoli along with ambulance sirens, pro-Gaddafi chants, and a cacophony of car horns as vehicles sped through the vicinity.
"These are celebrations because government forces have taken control of all areas to Benghazi and are in the process of taking control of Benghazi," Ibrahim said, referring to Libya's rebel-controlled second largest city situated in the far east.
State television reported that government forces had retaken the important coastal cities of Zawiyah and Misrata, to the immediate west and east of Tripoli, and were also heading for Benghazi, where the opposition National Libyan Council has set up a crisis committee, in a quest for foreign recognition.
The state television report provided no details and, with poor communication affecting all areas outside Tripoli, there was no immediate way to confirm the battlefield turnaround. Rebel spokesmen could not be reached for comment. >>> Maria Golovnina | Tripoli | Sunday, March 06, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Pakistan is being swamped by a rising tide of religious hatred, while its political leaders remain silent, writes Praveen Swami.
Fewer than a thousand people made their way to Islamabad’s Khatun-i-Fatima church yesterday to mourn the passing of Shahbaz Bhatti: diplomats and journalists far outnumbered the politicians who claimed to have been proud to have called Pakistan’s assassinated religious minorities minister a friend.
Yusuf Raza Geelani, prime minister of Pakistan, fondly recalled spending time with Mr Bhatti in the church at Christmas, and promised to bring his assassins to justice, but had not one word to say about the cause his colleague died for. Pakistan’s president, Asif Ali Zardari, was unable to attend.
Mr Bhatti is the second politician to have been killed in recent weeks for demanding amendments to Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. His colleague Salman Taseer, the governor of the province of Punjab, was shot dead by one of his own guards in January. Incredibly, Mr Taseer’s assassin was showered with rose petals by lawyers when he was first brought to face trial, while clerical groups organised giant protests to applaud his actions.
Pakistan’s political establishment, though, has been silent in the face of a rising tide of religious hatred. The battle over the blasphemy laws is just one part of a larger war over religion and identity that is threatening the foundations of the nuclear-armed state – but its leaders seem to have neither the will nor the ability to drag it away from disaster. Continue reading and comment >>> Praveen Swami | Saturday, March 05, 2011
Wherever you find Islam, you find bloodshed! – Mark
This comment also appears here
Saturday, March 05, 2011
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Human rights group says Sultan al-Khalaifi has been held incommunicado in Qatar since March 2 and risks being tortured.Amnesty International says a blogger and human rights activist has been detained incommunicado in Qatar and is at risk of torture or other ill-treatment.
The UK-based human rights group said Sultan al-Khalaifi was arrested on March 2 by around eight individuals in plain clothes, believed to be members of the security forces.
According to information received by Amnesty International, al-Khalaifi had told his wife earlier that day that state security had contacted him, asking him to report to them, but that he did not know why.
The reasons for his detentions and his whereabouts are unknown, Amnesty said in a statement on Friday, adding that it is believed he is being held in the custody of state security.
Amnesty said al-Khalaifi is the founder of a rights group which campaigns primarily on cases of detention in Qatar, but is legally registered in Switzerland. >>> Al Jazeera | Saturday, March 05, 2011
THE INDEPENDENT: Rogue state or not, this Middle Eastern nation is packed with attractions that will dazzle anyone who visits, says Matthew TellerLibya, Iran, Iraq, Cuba, North Korea and... Syria: according to the last Bush administration, these half-dozen nations comprise the Axis of Evil. Yet walking by the Mediterranean coast, threading through the timeless streets of Damascus or clambering around a desert citadel, it is hard to reconcile Syria as a "rogue state". For its urbane self-possession, borne out of cultural roots which plunge deeper than anything Europe can match, Syria fascinates. Above all, the joviality and irreverent approachability of the Syrian people make the greatest impression on the visitor.
A country this old has had plenty of time to gather legends. Muslim tradition recalls that the Prophet Mohammed, arriving in the hills overlooking Damascus – a city then enveloped by gardens and the flowing River Barada – refused to go on. Paradise was unique, he reasoned: entering Damascus would rob him of the chance to enter heaven.
The gardens have gone and the Barada is mostly dry, but Syria's capital – perhaps the world's oldest continuously inhabited city – can still draw on 10,000 years of history to boggle the imagination.
In land area, Syria is nearly as big as Britain. Most of the 22 million people are Muslim, though there's a substantial Christian minority of around 10 per cent. Desert aside, Syria has 200km of Mediterranean coastline, with beach resorts around Lattakia backed by forests and orchards. Just inland, fertile mountains run parallel to the coast, cresting 2,000 metres in places: the walking here, on rural tracks between farming villages, is as good as anywhere in the Middle East. Motorways and high-speed trains connect the cities. >>> Matthew Teller | Saturday, March 05, 2011
REUTERS DEUTSCHLAND: Berlin - Die Union streitet erneut heftig über die Bedeutung des Islam für Deutschland.
Fraktionschef Volker Kauder setzte sich am Samstag ebenso wie zuvor der neue Innenminister Hans-Peter Friedrich (CSU) deutlich von der Einschätzung von Bundespräsident Christian Wulff ab, der Islam gehöre zu Deutschland. "Der Innenminister hat völlig recht", sagte Kauder der "Passauer Neue Presse". Der Islam habe die deutsche Gesellschaft nicht geprägt und präge sie auch heute nicht, betonte der CDU-Politiker. "Der Islam gehört damit nicht zu Deutschland". Wie zuvor Friedrich, schränkte auch er ein, die Menschen muslimischen Glaubens gehörten allerdings zu Deutschland. >>> | Samstag, 05. März 2011
PASSAUER NEUE PRESSE: London - Trotz der Sanktionen des Westens sollen immer noch Öl-Millionen in die Taschen des libyschen Staatschefs Muammar al-Gaddafi fließen. Das berichtete die britische "Financial Times" aunter [sic] Berufung auf internationale Experten. Libyens Zentralbank habe die Kontrolle über Gelder aus den Rohölexporten - und damit potenziell auch Gaddafi, hieß es. Grund sei, dass die Sanktionen nicht auf die Zentralbank zielten. Libyen ist einer der größten Ölexporteure der Welt. [Quelle: Passauer Neue Presse] | Samstag, 05. März 2011
REUTERS FRANCE: TRIPOLI - Des combats font rage samedi à Zaouïah, dans l'ouest de la Libye, entre les forces fidèles à Mouammar Kadhafi et les insurgés, qui affirment avoir repoussé un assaut du régime libyen sur cette ville proche de Tripoli.
Plus à l'est, les rebelles affirment poursuivre leur progression en direction de la capitale au lendemain de la prise de contrôle de Ras Lanouf et de son important terminal pétrolier.
A Zaouïah, les insurgés ont déclaré que les forces du dirigeant libyen avaient été chassées du centre de la ville après une incursion dans la matinée avec l'appui de blindés.
Mais un journaliste de Reuters a constaté que les forces du régime se rapprochaient à nouveau du centre de la ville en fin de matinée. Des forces pro-Kadhafi ont établi des barrages à trois kilomètres du centre, bloquant les accès.
Selon Al Djazira, Mouammar Kadhafi a entrepris d'envoyer des renforts vers cette localité située à une cinquantaine de kilomètres à l'ouest de Tripoli. >>> Par Maria Golovnina | Samedi 05 Mars 2011
REUTERS DEUTSCHLAND: Benghasi - Gegner des libyschen Machthabers Muammar Gaddafi haben nach eigener Darstellung im Osten des Landes weitere Gebiete eingenommen.
So sei die Stadt Bin Dschawad unter ihrer Kontrolle, teilten die Rebellen mit. Auch der wichtige Ölhafen Ras Lanuf wurde am Samstag von ihnen beherrscht. Die Front verlief westlich der Stadt. Aus der etwa 50 Kilometer von Tripolis entfernt liegenden Küstenstadt Sawija gab es Berichte über schwere Kämpfe. Ein Sprecher der Aufständischen sagte, man habe einen Panzerangriff von regierungstreuen Soldaten zurückgeschlagen. Gaddafis Anhänger sammelten sich demnach am Rande der Stadt. Auch zwei Wochen nach Beginn der Unruhen sind die Frontverläufe in Libyen unklar und ändern sich immer wieder. 60 Prozent der libyschen Ölförderung sind nach Schätzungen der Internationalen Energiebehörde IEA zum Erliegen gekommen. Tausende ausländische Fachkräfte sind geflüchtet. >>> | Samstag, 05. März 2011
REUTERS FRANCE: PARIS - Marine Le Pen arriverait en tête au premier tour de l'élection présidentielle française en 2012, devant Nicolas Sarkozy et la socialiste Martine Aubry, selon un sondage Harris Interactive pour Le Parisien Dimanche.
Selon cette enquête publiée samedi sur leparisien.fr, la présidente du Front national recueillerait 23% des voix, contre 21% pour le président sortant, à égalité avec le premier secrétaire du Parti socialiste, Martine Aubry. >>> Elizabeth Pineau, édité par Jean-Stéphane Brosse | Samedi 05 Mars 2011
REUTERS: Saudi Arabia said on Saturday it would ban all protests and marches after minority Shi'ites staged small protests in the oil-producing eastern province.
Security forces would use all measures to prevent any attempt to disrupt public order, the interior ministry said in a statement carried by state television.
The ban follows a series of protests by Saudi Shi'ites in the kingdom's east in the past weeks mainly to demand the release of prisoners they say are long held without trial. >>> Reporting by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Jon Hemming | Riyadh | Saturday, March 05, 2011
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REUTERS: Saudi minister says economy in excellent shape –TV: Saudi Arabia's economy is in an "excellent" shape and a rise in oil prices will boost the strong economic and financial position of the world's top oil exporter, its finance minister said on Saturday. >>> Khobar, Saudi Arabia | Saturday, March 05, 2011
BBC: Egypt's feared former Interior Minister, Habib el-Adly, has denied charges of corruption at the opening of his trial in Cairo."It didn't happen," he said to allegations of laundering money and unlawfully acquiring public money.
He was arrested in mid-February, days after President Hosni Mubarak resigned in the face of popular protest.
The hearing was adjourned to 2 April as the defence argued for more time to study court papers.
Mr Adly appeared in the dock dressed in white prison clothes, and delivered his answers in a calm voice, an AFP news agency correspondent reports. >>> | Saturday, March 05, 2011
BBC: Rebels in Libya say they have repelled an attempt by government forces to retake the key city of Zawiya, just 50km (30 miles) west of Tripoli.
Following heavy fighting on Saturday morning, government forces were pushed out of the city centre, though recent reports suggest they have regrouped and may be preparing for a fresh assault.
The number of casualties is unclear.
Meanwhile, rebels fighting Col Muammar Gaddafi have taken control of the port of Ras Lanuf to the east of Tripoli.
Observers say the overall balance of power is difficult to assess as the struggle for control over Libya continues.
In Tripoli, there is an air of growing confidence among regime loyalists as their control appears to be consolidated in Tripoli and other central areas, our correspondent there says.
But elsewhere, correspondents say rebel forces have an enormous determination to overthrow his regime. Gaddafi troops 'flee' >>> | Saturday, March 05, 2011
BBC: The Foreign Office is warning Britons against all travel to the Middle Eastern state of Yemen.
Officials say the advice has been reviewed and reissued because of increasing violence in the country.
UK nationals already in Yemen without a pressing need to stay are advised to leave by commercial means.
There have been protests against the government in several cities, and there are reports of clashes between police and demonstrators.
The Foreign Office says there are reports of violence being used to disperse crowds, and of a number of deaths.
Further protests are expected, say officials, and violence is likely. >>> | Saturday, March 05, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: Pro-Gaddafi forces launch widespread offensives and rebels fortify their positions as diplomatic efforts failLibyan rebels are under intensifying pressure as forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi launch new offensives on several fronts to regain control of key rebel-held towns and oil facilities, and international efforts to mediate an end to the fighting appear to run into the sand.
Some of the fiercest clashes since the uprising began on 15 February took place in rebel-controlled Zawiyah, about 30 miles west of the Libyan capital, according to Arab media reports. Al-Arabiya television quoted a local doctor as saying at least 13 people were killed there, and al-Jazeera TV gave a figure of 50 dead and more than 300 wounded.
The leader of the rebels in Zawiyah, Colonel Husein Darbouk, was among those killed when his position was hit by anti-aircraft fire. Following attacks including an artillery bombardment by mercenaries and militia in Gaddafi's pay, the rebels were said to be pinned down in the central square. State media predicted the town would fall by Saturday.
A witness contacted by the Guardian inside Zawiyah said the assault began at about 10am from the west when government-controlled forces in pick-up trucks entered the city. "There has been fighting here all day," he said. "We are in a very difficult position. They have snipers and have used mortars and rocket-propelled grenades." >>> Martin Chulov in Benghazi, Peter Beaumont in Tripoli and Simon Tisdall | Friday, March 04, 2011
LE POINT: Interpol a émis une notice orange envers Kadhafi et quinze de ses proches, mais ne demande pas leur arrestation.
Interpol a alerté vendredi les polices de ses 188 États membres sur le colonel Muammar Kadhafi et 15 de ses proches, afin de faciliter la mise en oeuvre des sanctions de l'ONU et l'enquête ouverte par la Cour pénale internationale (CPI). En émettant une "notice orange", destinée à alerter sur "les évènements qui sont susceptibles de constituer une menace pour la sûreté publique", l'organisation policière ne demande pas l'arrestation de ces 16 Libyens mais met à disposition des informations les concernant. >>> Source AFP | Vendredi 04 Mars 2011
ABC – AM: AM is Australia's most informative morning current affairs program. AM sets the agenda for the nation's daily news and current affairs coverage.
TAGES ANZEIGER: Durch die Aufstände in Nordafrika fürchtet die al-Qaida in der Bedeutungslosigkeit zu versinken. Nun erwägt die Extremistengruppe eine Strategieänderung.Die Verblüffung über die unerwarteten Volksaufstände in der arabischen Welt hat al-Qaida fast verstummen lassen. Die sunnitische Terrororganisation findet keine Antwort auf den plötzlichen Ruf nach Demokratie.
Die Extremisten sind kleinlaut: Die Umstürze in Ägypten und Tunesien stellen eines ihrer Kernargumente in Frage - nämlich, dass sich politischer Wandel in der Region nur durch terroristische Gewalt bewirken lasse. Inzwischen ist im extremistischen Dschihad- Milieu eine Debatte entbrannt, wie das Abdrängen in die Bedeutungslosigkeit verhindert werden kann. >>> mrs/sda | Freitag, 04. März 2011
LE FIGARO: À Tripoli et Zawiya, les forces fidèles au régime sont intervenues brutalement vendredi. Assises en rang d'oignons dans une salle de cours, une vingtaine d'adolescentes s'adonnent à un cours d'accordéon. «Les écoles sont ouvertes, la vie continue, il n'y a pas d'attaques contre la population. N'écoutez pas les chaînes étrangères, elles ne font que vous mentir !», raconte l'une d'elles, un micro sous la bouche. Le reportage, diffusé vendredi après-midi sur la télévision nationale libyenne, omet sciemment d'évoquer les nouvelles manifestations, violemment réprimées à coup de matraque et de gaz lacrymogène, à la sortie de la prière du vendredi.
«Il n'y aura pas de démocratie sans notre leader», promettaient depuis plusieurs jours des panneaux publicitaires qui ornent les carrefours de Tripoli. La démocratie version Kadhafi a pourtant une étrange couleur. Depuis jeudi, des chars ont été déployés tous les dix mètres sur l'autoroute principale qui mène vers la capitale. Le réseau Internet est totalement bloqué dans la partie nord-ouest du pays. L'accès aux principales chaînes satellitaires en langue arabe, al-Jezira et al-Arabiya est, lui, complètement brouillé. Quant à la centaine de journalistes actuellement présents à Tripoli, encombrants témoins d'une répression sans faille contre toute nouvelle tentative d'insurrection, ils ont été assignés à résidence dans leurs hôtels tout au long de la journée de vendredi. >>> Par Delphine Minoui | Vendredi 04 Mars 2011
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Des "dizaines" de manifestants soudanais réclamant plus de libertés politiques au Soudan ont été torturés ces dernières semaines, a affirmé vendredi l’organisation américaine de défense des droits de l’homme Human Rights Watch (HRW), qui cite aussi des cas de viol.Des "dizaines" de manifestants soudanais réclamant plus de libertés politiques au Soudan ont été torturés ces dernières semaines, a affirmé vendredi l’organisation américaine de défense des droits de l’homme Human Rights Watch (HRW), qui cite aussi des cas de viol.
Les mauvais traitements ont eu lieu à la suite d’arrestations massives fin janvier à Khartoum et dans la ville voisine d’Omdurman, d’après les témoignages recueillis par l’ONG. >>> AFP | Vendredi 04 Mars 2011
* Organisation Non-Gouvernamentale
REUTERS: Muammar Gaddafi's forces wrested back part of a town in western Libya from rebels, but his foes said they had seized the oil port of Ras Lanuf, expanding their grip in the east of the country in a two-week-old uprising.
Counter-attacks by Gaddafi loyalists this week suggest the flamboyant autocrat in power for 41 years will not go quietly or relatively quickly as leaders in neighboring Egypt and Tunisia did in a tide of popular unrest rolling across the Middle East.
An upsurge of fighting appears to be cementing a de facto split of the oil-producing desert state, Africa's fourth biggest, into a government-held western area round the capital Tripoli and an eastern region held by ragged but dedicated rebel forces.
In diplomacy aimed at quelling upheaval that has jacked up oil prices, a group of mostly Latin American states in a leftist bloc behind Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez endorsed his plan on Friday for an international mediating mission on Libya.
But Chavez's chances looked slim for now since the rebels have ruled out talks unless they lead to Gaddafi's resignation or exile, outcomes he has categorically ruled out.
Disaffected Libyans see Chavez as too close to Gaddafi, whom the Venezuelan leader calls a friend. It was unclear whether the plan has gained any traction with other countries. >>> Mohammed Abbas, Ajdabiyah, Libya | Friday, March 04, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain risks suffering another financial crisis without reform of the country’s banks, the Governor of the Bank of England warns today.In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Mervyn King says that “imbalances” in the banking system remain and are “beginning to grow again”.
Mr King urges high street banks to take a better, longer term view towards their customers and to stop focusing on the need to “simply maximise profits next week”.
He accuses them of routinely exploiting their millions of customers. “If it’s possible [for financial services firms] to make money out of gullible or unsuspecting customers, particularly institutional customers, [they think] that is perfectly acceptable,” he says.
The Governor criticises the “weight put on the importance and value of takeovers” and raises concerns that companies with good reputations have been “destroyed” in the search for short-term profits.
Mr King expresses regret for not sounding a louder warning over his concerns before the last banking crisis.
The Governor’s remarks are a warning to George Osborne, the Chancellor, as a government commission considers whether to force high street banks to sell off their investment banking arms. Continue reading and comment >>> Robert Winnett, Deputy Political Editor | Friday, March 04, 2011
Related >>>
THE INDEPENDENT: Saudi Arabia was yesterday drafting up to 10,000 security personnel into its north-eastern Shia Muslim provinces, clogging the highways into Dammam and other cities with busloads of troops in fear of next week's "day of rage" by what is now called the "Hunayn Revolution".Saudi Arabia's worst nightmare – the arrival of the new Arab awakening of rebellion and insurrection in the kingdom – is now casting its long shadow over the House of Saud. Provoked by the Shia majority uprising in the neighbouring Sunni-dominated island of Bahrain, where protesters are calling for the overthrow of the ruling al-Khalifa family, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is widely reported to have told the Bahraini authorities that if they do not crush their Shia revolt, his own forces will.
The opposition is expecting at least 20,000 Saudis to gather in Riyadh and in the Shia Muslim provinces of the north-east of the country in six days, to demand an end to corruption and, if necessary, the overthrow of the House of Saud. Saudi security forces have deployed troops and armed police across the Qatif area – where most of Saudi Arabia's Shia Muslims live – and yesterday would-be protesters circulated photographs of armoured vehicles and buses of the state-security police on a highway near the port city of Dammam.
Although desperate to avoid any outside news of the extent of the protests spreading, Saudi security officials have known for more than a month that the revolt of Shia Muslims in the tiny island of Bahrain was expected to spread to Saudi Arabia. Within the Saudi kingdom, thousands of emails and Facebook messages have encouraged Saudi Sunni Muslims to join the planned demonstrations across the "conservative" and highly corrupt kingdom. They suggest – and this idea is clearly co-ordinated – that during confrontations with armed police or the army next Friday, Saudi women should be placed among the front ranks of the protesters to dissuade the Saudi security forces from opening fire. >>> Robert Fisk, Middle East Correspondent | Saturday, March 05, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Saudi Arabia is drafting in up to 10,000 security forces to the north eastern Muslim Shia provinces ahead of mass protests planned next week.
Desperate to avoid mass uprisings against the House of Saud, security forces have deployed in huge numbers across the region.
King Abdullah is also reported to have told neighbouring Bahrain that if they do not put down their own ongoing Shia revolt, his own forces will.
In response to the massive mobilisation, protesters are planning to place women on the front ranks to discourage Saudi forces from firing on them. >>> | Saturday, March 05, 2011
THE INDEPENDENT: A cargo ship carrying £100m worth of Libyan currency destined for Colonel Gaddafi's regime was escorted into a British port and the money seized after officials warned the vessel's owners that the cash was the subject of United Nations sanctions.
The Sloman Provider, which had abandoned its journey to the Libyan capital Tripoli because of the ongoing violence, was accompanied into the Essex port of Harwich on Wednesday by a UK Border Agency vessel, and containers holding the bank notes were taken under guard to a secure location. >>> Cahal Milmo, Chief Reporter | Saturday, March 05, 2011
DAILY EXPRESS: >>> David Pilditch | Saturday, March 05, 2011
Friday, March 04, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: Sakher el-Materi, son-in-law of deposed president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, attended lunch just months before uprisingThe government's special trade representative, Prince Andrew, entertained a leading member of the deposed Tunisian dictatorship at Buckingham Palace just three months before the regime collapsed, the Guardian has learned.
Sakher el-Materi, the 29-year-old son-in-law of Tunisia's deposed president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, attended a lunch given for him by the Duke of York. They were joined by more than a dozen executives from British multinationals hoping to win business in Tunisia. Materi has since fled the north African country and is under investigation for money laundering.
The meeting took place as part of the duke's government-appointed role to help broker deals for British businesses overseas, and its emergence will intensify calls for him to step down because of his contacts with controversial figures in the Middle East.
He met Colonel Gaddafi in Tripoli on government trade business in November 2008 and lunched with his cabinet chief, Bashir Saleh, in London in July 2009 after giving a seminar at St James's Palace for the dictator's £5bn Libya Africa Investment Portfolio, which Bashir chairs. >>> Robert Booth | Friday, March 04, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: Prince Andrew's relations with Tunisian dictator's son-in-law in spotlight: Andrew's role as government's special trade representative is controversial – but to some in government he is secret weapon >>> Robert Booth | Friday, March 04, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The vote in the Welsh referendum for more legislative powers has been described as a historic day in the nation's history by first minister Carwyn Jones.A total of 517,132 people voted in favour compared to 297,380 against.
The result gives Wales powers to pass its own laws in its 20 devolved areas - like Scotland and Northern Ireland - without the approval of Westminster.
Mr Jones said: ''This is a historic day for Wales. It is a clear and concise Yes vote across whole of Wales from the coast to the border.''
Twenty-one out of 22 constituencies in Wales voted in favour of gaining primary law-making powers - with the only No vote coming from Monmouthshire.
Welsh national party Plaid Cymru, which is in a coalition government with Labour, expressed delight at the win. >>> | Friday, March 04, 2011
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PARIS MATCH: Entre le chef d’Etat libyen Mouammar Kadhafi et son fils Saïf Al-Islam les tensions s’accumulent, explique Zidan Mohammed, universitaire proche du pouvoir de Tripoli. Interview exclusive.
Docteur en sciences politiques de l’université Paris V, Zidan Mohammed est actuellement directeur du Centre des études diplomatiques, à Janzour, au Nord-Ouest de la Libye, à 12 kilomètres de Tripoli. Toujours en poste au ministère des Affaires étrangères, il explique les raisons de la décomposition du régime du Guide...
Quel est l’entourage de Kadhafi ? Il y a autour de lui une ancienne garde composée de militaires, notamment les plus gradés qui ont profité du système pour s’enrichir avec leurs familles sur le dos de la population, des technocrates et des affairistes peu qualifiés qui contrôlent une bonne partie de l’administration. A cela, il faut ajouter les membres des “Communautés Révolutionnaires” que le peuple, dans sa majorité, déteste depuis longtemps et qui ne font rien pour attirer la sympathie. Cette ancienne garde s’était organisée pour mener une guerre silencieuse contre les réformes de Saïf Al-Islam, le fils du Guide, en corrompant les nouveaux responsables et en barrant la route aux jeunes diplômés comme moi. Le poste de directeur de section France au ministère des Affaires Étrangères, dont j’assume la responsabilité, ne sert à rien car j’occupe d’anciennes toilettes comme bureau et je ne dispose d’aucun collaborateur!
Quel est le rôle de Saïf Al-Islam, le fils de la deuxième épouse de Kadhafi ? Ayant passé ces dernières années en Occident, en Autriche et en Angleterre, Saïf Al-Islam a montré une méconnaissance flagrante de la société libyenne. Il a ouvert une discussion avec les opposants politiques, mal perçue à l’intérieur du pays par les partisans du régime. Ces pourparlers avec les groupes salafistes, qui avaient promis d’abandonner la lutte armée en échange de la libération de tous les prisonniers islamistes, ont été un échec. C’est ce qu’on a appelé chez nous l’opération “Les Vagues de Liberté”, dont les derniers bénéficiaires ont pu quitter leurs cellules le 18 février, soit deux jours après la première manifestation ! Ils sont même parvenus à créer deux “émirats”, à Derna et à Al-Baida, dans l’Est du pays. >>> Interview Pascal Meynadier, Parismatch.com | Vendredi 04 Mars 2011
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: At least 30 civilians killed after Gaddafi loyalists try to retake rebel-held town of Az Zawiyah, witnesses say.At least 30 civilians have been killed after security forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, Libyan leader, attempted to retake the rebel-held town of Az Zawiyah, near the capital Tripoli, that has for days been defying his rule, witnesses have said.
The rebellion in Az Zawiyah - the closest rebel-held territory to the capital and also the site of an oil refinery - has been an embarassment to the Libyan authorities who are trying to show they control at least the west of the country.
Eastern regions of the country, around the city of Benghazi, have already fallen out of Gaddafi's control after a popular revolt against his four decades of rule.
At least nine people have been killed and 10 others injured outside an ammunition depot near Benghazi. There are conflicting reports about the cause of Friday's blast.
Hospital sources said it was triggered when people went into the storage facility to collect weapons, however, others blamed pro-Gaddafi forces for the blast.
In Az Zawiyah, Mohamed, a resident of the town, told the Reuters news agency: "I have been to hospital less than 15 minutes ago. Dozens were killed and more were wounded."
"We have counted 30 dead civilians. The hospital was full. They could not find space for the casualties. >>> Al Jazeera and agencies | Friday, March 04, 2011
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Nombre de personnalités et institutions occidentales sont plongées dans l’embarras après la mise en lumière de leurs relations privilégiées avec le clan Kadhafi.
Nombre de personnalités et institutions dans le monde occidental sont plongées dans l’embarras après la révélation au grand jour de leurs relations avec le régime de Mouammar Kadhafi, en butte à une révolte populaire dans son pays et à la réprobation internationale.
La prestigieuse London School of Economics (LSE) vient ainsi de payer au prix fort les liens qu’elle entretenait depuis plusieurs années avec la famille du chef de l’Etat libyen, dont le fils, Seif al-Islam, est diplômé de cette université. Rattrapé par le scandale, son directeur a démissionné jeudi soir.
En ligne de mire notamment: une dotation de 1,5 million de livres, dont 300.000 (350.000 euros) ont déjà été versées, faite à cet établissement d’excellence par la fondation dirigée par le cadet des fils Kadhafi.
S’y ajoute une série de contrats, dont une mission menée par le directeur de l’établissement, pour contribuer à la modernisation des institutions financières libyennes. Sans compter des soupçons de plagiat pesant sur la thèse de philosophie soutenue par Seif al-Islam et consacrée au "rôle de la société civile dans la démocratisation des institutions de gouvernance internationale". >>> Rédaction Online | Vendredi 04 Mars 2011
DIE PRESSE: Der renommierte Republikaner Newt Gingrich bereitet seine Präsidentschaftsbewerbung vor. Andere potenzielle republikanische Bewerber halten sich noch zurück. Sarah Palin werden geringe Chancen eingeräumt.
In den Vereinigten Staaten zeichnet sich der offizielle Startschuss zum Präsidentschaftswahlkampf 2012 ab. Als erster namhafter Republikaner leitete der frühere Präsident des Abgeordnetenhauses, Newt Gingrich, erste Schritte zu seiner Bewerbung ein. Gingrich will nun konkret erkunden, wie groß seine Erfolgschancen sind und ob er auch finanziell einen schlagkräftigen Wahlkampf auf die Beine stellen könnte, wie er auf einer Pressekonferenz am Donnerstag in Atlanta (Georgia) mitteilte. Zweiter Schritt wäre dann die offizielle Einsetzung eines "Erkundungsausschusses". >>> Ag. | Freitag, 04. März 2011
SKY NEWS: Dozens of people have been killed and many more injured after the army opened fire on protesters in the Libyan city of Zawiyah.
It is thought pro-Gaddafi forces entered the city and fired at protesters, who then returned fire.
A number of people were shot, including a main rebel commander who was killed.
This then set off another march of thousands of people, many of whom were unarmed, who were subsequently shot at by the military who were using rocket-propelled grenades and sniper fire.
Many of the demonstrators were shot in the head, neck and chest. (+ video) >>> Alex Crawford in Zawiyah, and Adam Arnold | Friday, March 04, 2011
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Investigators now believe that the man who killed two US airmen at Frankfurt Airport on Wednesday was acting alone. Still, German commentators find little comfort in knowing that. To them, it just means no one's safe anymore.
Germany is in a state of shock following Wednesday's fatal shooting at Frankfurt Airport, which left two US airmen dead and two wounded. It appears to have been the first deadly attack with an Islamist motive on German soil.
Twenty-one-year-old Arid U. has already confessed to being the gunman and to acting alone, but that doesn't seem to be of much comfort to Germans. Instead, the incident, which took place in a public area of the airport, has highlighted just how little can be done to prevent a lone gunman from carrying out an attack.
The man, who lived in Frankfurt but was originally from Kosovo, was not previously known to authorities and appears not to have been a member of an Islamist group. However, the suspect's Facebook page, which has now been taken offline, indicates that he had contacts to Islamists from the radical Salafist movement. >>> David Gordon Smith | Friday, March 04, 2011
FAZ.NET: In der libyschen Hauptstadt ist es nach dem Freitagsgebet zu Zusammenstößen zwischen Gegnern und Anhängern von Machthaber Gaddafi gekommen. Unterdessen rollt internationale Hilfe für die vielen in Tunesien festsitzenden Flüchtlinge an.In Tripolis sind Gegner und Anhänger von Staatschef Gaddafi aneinandergeraten. Vor einer Moschee in der Innenstadt der libyschen Hauptstadt gingen nach dem Freitagsgebet mehr als tausend Regimegegner und Gaddafi-Anhänger mit Fäusten aufeinander los. Die eine Seite rief: „Das Volk will den Sturz des Oberst (Gaddafi).“ Die andere Seite rief: „Das Volk will Muammar, den Oberst.“
Gaddafi-treue Milizionäre, die grüne Armbinden trugen, schossen nach Angaben von Augenzeugen in die Luft, um die Regimegegner zu vertreiben. Die Stadtteile Tadschura und Souk al-Jumaa, in denen es ebenfalls größere Anti-Regime-Proteste gab, wurden nach Berichten von Augenzeugen inzwischen von Gaddafi-Truppen mit Panzern umstellt.
Bereits seit Tagen kommt es in Tripolis regelmäßig zu Verhaftungen. Die Leichen von Menschen, die plötzlich verschwunden waren, wurden häufig später auf offener Straße abgeladen. Videoaufnahmen zeigen, dass Milizen auch nachts mit Geländewagen durch die Stadtviertel fahren und Oppositionelle aus ihren Häusern verschleppen. „Während wir hier sprechen, sind überall um uns herum Agenten, die uns genau beobachten“, sagte ein Anwohner der Nachrichtenagentur AP. >>> FAZ.NET mit dpa/Reuters | Freitag, )4. März 2011
LE POINT: En renversant Saddam Hussein, l'ancien président américain a-t-il semé les germes de la démocratie dans le monde arabe ?
L'idée fait son chemin : George Bush aurait été un précurseur, peut-être même un visionnaire. Il voulait diffuser la démocratie à travers tout le grand Moyen-Orient, d'Alger à Karachi. L'expédition d'Irak devait constituer la première étape d'un ébranlement qui allait répandre les lumières à travers tout le monde arabo-musulman. L'entreprise a paru sombrer dans la triste réalité du chaos irakien et se noyer dans la colère suscitée entre Nil et Euphrate par l'intervention américaine dans l'ancienne Mésopotamie. Mais voici que ces jours-ci, les néo-conservateurs qui entouraient George Bush relèvent la tête. Et si, finalement, le printemps arabe leur apportait a posteriori une éclatante justification ? Si, au fond, la soif de liberté qui pousse les peuples à se révolter était la meilleure preuve de la justesse de leurs analyses ? L'argumentaire est séduisant, la dialectique subtile mais largement biaisée. >>> Par PIERRE BEYLAU, RÉDACTEUR EN CHEF DU SERVICE MONDE | Vendredi 04 Mars 2011
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Government forces reportedly fire tear gas on protesters rallying against Gaddafi following Friday prayers.At least 1,000 people protesting against the rule of Muammar Gaddafi have taken to the streets of Tripoli, the Libyan capital, raising fears of fresh conflict between anti-government protesters and loyalist forces.
Protests called by the opposition began on Friday when worshippers streamed out of a mosque in the centre of the city, chanting "Gaddaf is the enemy of God", witnesses said.
"This is the end for Gaddafi. It's over. Forty years of crimes are over," Faragha, an engineer at the protest, told the Reuters news agency.
Pro-Gaddafi forces fired tear gas at protesters, the AP news agency said, saying at least five cannisters were fired at the crowd in the district of Tajoura in the capital.
"They fired teargas. I heard shooting. People are scattering," a reporter from the Reuters news agency in Tajoura said.
Anita McNaught, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Tripoli, said it was not possible to immediately verify the reports, but that there was a heavy security presence in the city.
"There is some evidence that there's been burning tyres, but beyond that it has been essentially a state of lockdown. The shops are shut, the streets are empty, minimal traffic and an extremely high and visible security presence in all major intersections in the city."
Government forces set up checkpoints in Tripoli ahead of the action, and residents said soldiers had been roaming the city in civilians cars. >>> Al Jazeera and agencies | Friday, March 04, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: LSE director Howard Davies resigns after fresh allegations over links to Libyan regime as PR firm admits errors over lobbyingA deepening row over the London School of Economics and its dealings with the Gaddafi regime has claimed the career of the university's director.
Sir Howard Davies resigned after fresh revelations that the institution had been involved in a deal worth £2.2m to train hundreds of young Libyans to become part of the country's future elite.
An independent inquiry headed by Lord Woolf, a former lord chief justice, will examine the LSE's relationship with Libya and with Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam. It will also establish guidelines for international donations to the university.
Davies said: "I have concluded that it would be right for me to step down even though I know that this will cause difficulty for the institution I have come to love. The short point is that I am responsible for the school's reputation, and that has suffered." >>> Jeevan Vasagar and Rajeev Syal | Friday, March 04, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: The school's association with Libya's leader is just an extreme version of the predicament now facing all UK universities
Pity the poor university. Told for 25 years to get into bed with big money, the London School of Economics found big money sometimes stinks. This week, as the Blairites bobbed and weaved their way out of the sleazy embrace of their friend, Gaddafi of Libya, someone forgot to tell the old school tie. The LSE thought it was helping the cause by giving Gaddafi's son a dodgy PhD, for which it accepted a £1.5m "donation". When the Blairites did a runner, the LSE was left looking like Bugs Moran's gang after the St Valentine's Day massacre.
With felicitous timing, London's Royal Court theatre is staging Richard Bean's hilarious if chaotic play, Heretic, about a university department eager for a grant from a multinational company and ready to suppress academic rigour to do so. It is clearly based on the University of East Anglia and climate change, but the words LSE and Gaddafi could be substituted throughout.
The global-warming sceptic, played by Juliet Stevenson, is ostracised and driven to madness by her colleagues, as her professor argues that their department is merely a unit to "service clients … a virtual budget centre providing tools to the market". Eager for money, he quotes a Chinese proverb: "Man must stand for long time with mouth open before roast duck fly in."
For the LSE, Gaddafi of Libya was pure roast duck. Journalists trawling through the recent jobs, contacts and pronouncements of LSE academics, including directors Lord Giddens and Sir Howard Davies – who has now resigned – have been aghast. Despite references to "the context of the times", the story is of a respected academic institution apparently in mesmerised thrall to a dictator, and actively participating in sanitising his image.
Gaddafi was seen praised by LSE luminaries in a cringe-making video link as "the world's longest serving leader". His son, Saif al-Islam, settled in a north London palace to write an LSE PhD and dispense trips and contracts. He was declared as being committed to "democracy, civil society and deep liberal values" and was even invited to give the Ralph Miliband memorial lecture, an unusual honour for any student. His appreciation was swift. The university accepted a £1m contract to train 400 regime-approved "future leaders" from Libya. The mind boggles at it all. >>> Simon Jenkins | Thursday, March 03, 2011
Related >>>
BBC: First Minister Carwyn Jones thanked Yes for Wales supporters after the result became a foregone conclusion.
Wales has said a resounding Yes in the referendum on direct law-making powers for the assembly.
Almost all 22 Welsh counties have declared, and all except one, Monmouthshire, backed change. Turnout is provisionally put at 35%.
As celebrations began, First Minister Carwyn Jones said: "This has been a Yes vote across the whole of Wales."
A Yes vote will give the assembly direct law-making power in 20 devolved areas, such as health and education.
With only a couple of counties left to declare, the final result is now a formality. >>> | Friday, March 04, 2011
BBC: Welsh referendum: Gloom in No camp as count continues – Leaders of the No campaign in the Welsh assembly powers referendum admit they are pessimistic about their chances. >>> | Friday, March 04, 2011
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