AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Rebels will not pursue Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi over crimes they say he has committed if he steps down from his post in the next 72 hours, the head of the rebel National Libyan Council has told Al Jazeera. >>> Al Jazeera and agencies | Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Rebels will not pursue Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi over crimes they say he has committed if he steps down from his post in the next 72 hours, the head of the rebel National Libyan Council has told Al Jazeera. >>> Al Jazeera and agencies | Tuesday, March 08, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: There's no doubt the kingdom is ripe for revolution, and any security forces violence at Friday's protests could ignite the fuseIn Riyadh the mood is tense; everyone is on edge wondering what will happen on Friday – the date the Saudi people have chosen for their revolution. The days building up to Friday so far have not been as reassuring as one would like.
On 4 March, there were protests in the eastern region and a smaller protest here in Riyadh. The protests in the eastern region were mainly to call for the release of Sheikh Tawfiq al-Amer, who had been detained after giving a sermon calling for a constitutional monarchy.
The protest in Riyadh was started by a young Sunni man, Mohammed al-Wadani, who had uploaded a YouTube video a few days before, explaining why the monarchy has to fall. After the protests, 26 people were detained in the eastern region and al-Wadani was taken in soon after he held up his sign near a major mosque in Riyadh.
It's not just the people who are on edge; apparently the government is also taking this upcoming Friday seriously. Surprisingly, Sheikh Amer was released on Sunday, while usually political detentions take much longer.
All this week, government agencies have been issuing statements banning protests. First it was the interior ministry that promised to take all measures necessary to prevent protests. Then the highest religious establishment, the Council of Senior Clerics, deemed protests and petitions as un-Islamic. The Shura Council, our government-appointed pretend-parliament, also threw its weight behind the interior ministry's ban and the religious decree of prohibition. But you can't blame the clerics or the Shura for making these statements – the status quo is what's keeping them in power and comfortable.
Saudis are now faced with a ban on any form of demonstration, and the blocking and censorship of petitions. Moreover, four newspaper writers who had signed one of the petitions are now suspended.
Saudis feel cornered, with little means of self-expression and at the same time exposed to news and opinions that only add salt to the wound. For example, Prince Talal Bin Abdul Aziz, the king's half-brother, went on BBC Arabic TV to state his support for a constitutional monarchy and warn that anything less will lead to "evils" (his word). Contunie reading and comment >>> Eman Al Nafjan | Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Related video >>>
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A British resident has become the first person arrested in connection with the Stockholm suicide bombing, police said today.
The 30-year-old man was detained in Glasgow in connection with the attack in Sweden in December last year.
The foreign national was arrested under the Terrorism Act shortly after 6am in the Whiteinch area of the city.
It is alleged the man was involved in aiding terrorists in Sweden, but is not Swedish.
The suicide bomber, Iraqi Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly, 28, who studied at the University of Bedfordshire, blew himself up and injured two people in a botched attack in Stockholm. >>> | Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Related >>>
THE NEW YORK TIMES: FORT WORTH — Brigitte Gabriel bounced to the stage at a Tea Party convention last fall. She greeted the crowd with a loud Texas “Yee-HAW,” then launched into the same gripping personal story she has told in hundreds of churches, synagogues and conference rooms across the United States:As a child growing up a Maronite Christian in war-torn southern Lebanon in the 1970s, Ms. Gabriel said, she had been left lying injured in rubble after Muslims mercilessly bombed her village. She found refuge in Israel and then moved to the United States, only to find that the Islamic radicals who had terrorized her in Lebanon, she said, were now bent on taking over America.
“America has been infiltrated on all levels by radicals who wish to harm America,” she said. “They have infiltrated us at the C.I.A., at the F.B.I., at the Pentagon, at the State Department. They are being radicalized in radical mosques in our cities and communities within the United States.”
Through her books, media appearances and speeches, and her organization, ACT! for America, Ms. Gabriel has become one of the most visible personalities on a circuit of self-appointed terrorism detectors who warn that Muslims pose an enormous danger within United States borders.
Representative Peter T. King, Republican of Long Island, will conduct hearings Thursday in Washington on a similar theme: that the United States is infiltrated by Muslim radicals. Mr. King was the first guest last month on a new cable television show that Ms. Gabriel co-hosts with Guy Rodgers, the executive director of ACT! and a Republican consultant who helped build the Christian Coalition, once the most potent political organization on the Christian right.
Ms. Gabriel, 46, who uses a pseudonym, casts her organization as a nonpartisan, nonreligious national security group. Yet the organization draws on three rather religious and partisan streams in American politics: evangelical Christian conservatives, hard-line defenders of Israel (both Jews and Christians) and Tea Party Republicans.
She presents a portrait of Islam so thoroughly bent on destruction and domination that it is unrecognizable to those who study or practice the religion. She has found a receptive audience among Americans who are legitimately worried about the spread of terrorism.
But some of those who work in counterterrorism say that speakers like Ms. Gabriel are spreading distortion and fear, and are doing the country a disservice by failing to make distinctions between Muslims who are potentially dangerous and those who are not. >>> Laurie Goodstein | Monday, March 07, 2011
Act! For America >>>
REUTERS FRANCE: RAS LANOUF, Libye - Alors que la communauté internationale tente de s'accorder sur une réponse face aux combats qui se poursuivent en Libye, Mouammar Kadhafi chercherait une issue "honorable" pour lui et ses proches dans cette crise qui aurait déjà fait un million de réfugiés.
Selon deux journaux en langue arabe et selon la chaîne de télévision Al Djazira, le dirigeant libyen aurait proposé aux insurgés une réunion du Congrès général du peuple, instance qui fait office de parlement, afin d'examiner les conditions de son départ assorties de garanties.
Al Djazira précise que cette main a été tendue en direction du Conseil national installé par l'opposition à Benghazi et qui représente la majorité des régions contrôlées par les rebelles dans l'Est.
Les quotidiens Achark Al Aousat, installé à Londres, et al Bayan, basé aux Emirats arabes unis, citent tous deux des sources anonymes à l'appui d'informations selon lesquelles Kadhafi tente de trouver un compromis.
Une source proche du Conseil national a précisé à Reuters avoir entendu parler d'une proposition suivant laquelle "Kadhafi remettrait le pouvoir au président du parlement et quitterait le pays avec une certaine somme d'argent garantie".
Des sources proches du Conseil ont informé le correspondant de la chaîne Al Djazira à Benghazi que la demande du dirigeant libyen a été refusé par les insurgés car elle reviendrait à lui accorder une sortie "honorable" et serait perçue comme une offense aux victimes. >>> Par Mohammed Abbas | Mardi 08 Mars 2011
LE POINT: Kadhafi disposé à se retirer contre des garanties ? : Le dirigeant libyen aurait tenté de négocier avec le Conseil national mis en place par l'opposition, sans succès. >>> Le Point.fr | Mardi 08 Mars 2011
REUTERS DEUTSCHLAND: Kuwait - Die Protestwelle in der arabischen Welt zieht nun auch Demonstrationen im ölreichen Kuwait nach sich.
Für Dienstag haben mehrere Gruppen zu Kundgebungen in dem Golfemirat aufgerufen. Nach dem Vorbild der Aufstände in Tunesien und Ägypten fordern sie die Absetzung des Ministerpräsidenten und größere politische Freiheiten. … >>> | Dienstag, 08. März 2011
REUTERS DEUTSCHLAND: Kabul - US-Verteidigungsminister Robert Gates hat die irrtümliche Tötung von neun Kindern bei einem Nato-Luftangriff in Afghanistan als schweren Rückschlag für die beiderseitigen Beziehungen bezeichnet. >>> | Dienstag, 08. März 2011
Related >>>
THE GUARDIAN: Peter King, chair of homeland security committee, wants to show 'extent of radicalisation within Muslim-American community'A New York Republican has pressed ahead with congressional hearings on the threat of homegrown Islamist terrorism , dismissing claims of a McCarthyite witch-hunt against America's Muslims.
Peter King, who chairs the homeland security committee in the House of Representatives, said the hearings were essential to national security, and that Muslim leaders should do more to help authorities prevent extremist attacks.
"The main goal is to show the extent of radicalisation within the Muslim-American community, how dangerous that is, how serious that is," he told Fox television. "It's a real threat. It's a growing threat, and it's not just me saying this."
He accused community leaders of not doing enough to protect America from attacks – although he said the majority of US Muslims were "good Americans".
"The fact is, the main threat is coming from within the Muslim community," he said. "The Muslim community should be embracing what I am doing, should be willing to co-operate because they should be trying to root these people out of their community and co-operate with the police and the FBI."
King's focus on extremists in the Muslim community – to the exclusion of other potential threats – has outraged security experts and human rights activists. >>> Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington | Monday, March 07, 2011
Related >>>
THE GUARDIAN: Libyan leader told the US and Nato are weighing up a raft of military options, including arming the rebel forces
Barack Obama has stepped up pressure on Colonel Gaddafi, saying the US and Nato allies were considering a military response to violence in Libya, with the list of options including arming the rebels.
Obama's remarks came as Britain and France made progress in drafting a resolution at the UN calling for a no-fly zone triggered by specific conditions, rather than timelines. Downing Street is hopeful that a resolution with clear triggers such as the bombing of civilians would not be subject to a Russian veto at the security council.
The foreign secretary, William Hague, told the Commons a no-fly zone would have to be supported by north African countries and rebel leaders and would also need an appropriate legal basis.
He said he was looking at ways of restricting the money going to the Libyan regime from oil revenues, with one option being money going into an escrow account for the use of the Libyan people.
Many Tory backbenchers voiced concerns about a no-fly zone, including the chairman of the foreign affairs select committee, Richard Ottaway, who argued they had not worked in Bosnia or Iraq.
The international shift towards support for a UN-endorsed no-fly zone has seen influential US senators such as John Kerry and John McCain backing the plan. There is growing concern that the rebels will be crushed unless they are given some practical military support, even if it is limited to disabling Libyan air control radar. >>> Simon Tisdall, Patrick Wintour and Richard Norton-Taylor | Monday, March 07, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: Muammar Gaddafi's son, Mutassim, was taught at London's Soas while the charity of another son donated £1.5m to the LSEPotentially embarrassing new details of links between the Gaddafi regime and British universities have emerged, including revelations that one of the Libyan dictator's sons was tutored in the UK.
Mutassim Gaddafi, who has been described as a "war criminal" by Libyan anti-government protesters, was given private lessons at the School of Oriental and African Studies in the summer of 2006. Four years later Soas, which is part of the University of London, announced a lucrative deal with a Libyan university.
It has also emerged that another British university formed a partnership with a Libyan government ministry to reform the country's prisons. But the university did not gain access to Libya's two most notorious jails.
The deal with the centre for prison studies at King's College London was facilitated by the Gaddafi foundation, the charity run by another of the dictator's sons, Saif al-Islam. The foundation also made a controversial £1.5m donation to the London School of Economics.
The prisons project received funding from both governments. According to a conference paper on the programme published by two staff at the centre, the Gaddafi foundation "created the essential links that made the project a reality". >>> Rajeev Syal and Jeevan Vasagar | Monday, March 07, 2011
THE GUARDIAN – BLOGS – RICHARD ADAMS: Fox News said to be prepared to dump its conspiracy theorist-in-chief Glenn Beck from its line-up of commentators
For America's beleaguered liberals, Monday's New York Times reports what sounds like a dream come true: Fox News is considering parting company with Glenn Beck, the rococo conspiracy theorist who inspires those on the swivel-eyed right and infuriates anyone to their left.
According to the New York Times's media correspondent David Carr, unnamed Fox News executives are said to be "contemplating life without Mr Beck" when the conservative shock jock's contract ends in December.
Some dismiss this as part of the rough and tumble of contract negotiations going on between Fox and Beck. But others point to Beck's sagging viewing figures - especially his loss of a million viewers for his daily one-hour show in the past year - from an average of 2.9 million in January 2010 to 1.8 million in January 2011 - as more to the point, with Beck's increasingly paranoid stylings said to be driving away more moderate viewers and high profile advertisers. Continue reading and comment >>> Richard Adams | Monday, March 07, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Greek government has reacted angrily to Moody's decision to cut the country's credit rating below that of Egypt, a move that prompted investors to dump the debt of other struggling European economies.The country's debt was lowered to B1 from Ba1, as the ratings agency warned that Greece faces a shortfall in tax revenue and huge challenges in reforming state-owned companies and its costly healthcare system.
"The sheer magnitude of the task is becoming ever more apparent," said Sarah Carlson, an analyst at Moody's.
The Greek Finance Ministry yesterday described Moody's move as "totally unjustfied".
"Having completely missed the build-up of risk that led to the global financial crisis in 2008, the rating agencies are now competing with each other to be the first to identify risks that will lead to the next crisis," it said. >>> Richard Blackden | Monday, March 07, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron was urged to “get a grip” on Monday night after Downing Street appeared to change its position on whether to support the Duke of York.
On Sunday, an anonymous source within No.10 said that there would be no “tears shed” if the Duke stood aside from his role as Britain’s trade ambassador. But yesterday morning the Prime Minister’s official spokesman insisted that the Government was “fully supportive” of his decision to stay on.
The spokesman added that ministers were not reviewing the Duke’s position, despite suggestions from within No.10 hours earlier that the Duke would have to stand down if more allegations emerged.
The about-turn cast a shadow over Craig Oliver’s first full week as the Government’s director of communications.
The assurances also appeared to contradict remarks by Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, whose department oversees the work of UK Trade & Investment (UKTI).
On Sunday, as increasingly damaging reports emerged about the Duke’s connections with Jeffrey Epstein, the billionaire convicted paedophile, ministers appeared reluctant to defend the Duke. >>> Rosa Prince, Political Correspondent | Monday, March 07, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Downing Street puts arm around Duke of York following anonymous briefings: Downing Street yesterday moved to defend the Duke of York’s position as United Kingdom trade envoy amid concerns about anonymous briefings against him from within No 10. >>> Rosa Prince, Political Correspondent | Monday, March 07, 2011
Related >>>
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The conflict in Libya helped propel the price of oil towards $120 a barrel on Monday as forces loyal to Col Muammar Gaddafi and rebels trying to overthrow his regime formed a front line around the strategic oil town of Ras Lanuf.
Saudi Arabian political activists have also added to energy fears with calls for a day of protest this week.
Britain and France were leading diplomatic efforts to win support at the United Nations for a no-fly zone. These moves in part follow intense lobbying from the rebels. They have pressed Western oil firms to raise with their governments the spectre of losing costly infrastructure in the east of the country. >>> James Kirkup, Praveen Swami and Adrian Blomfield in Benghazi | Monday, March 07, 2011
Monday, March 07, 2011
BBC: The Archbishop of Canterbury has called on the government of Pakistan to do more to protect its minorities.Dr Rowan Williams said the murder of Pakistan's only Christian cabinet minister, Shahbaz Bhatti, could not be "managed or tolerated".
Writing in London's Times, he said Mr Bhatti was a martyr and Pakistan was being blackmailed by extremists.
Mr Bhatti was killed in an ambush by Taliban gunmen as he drove away from his mother's home on 2 March.
He had been the Pakistan government's only Christian cabinet minister until his assassination in Islamabad.
The minister was an outspoken critic of Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws which Dr Williams, who leads the Church of England and the senior bishop of the worldwide Anglican Church, also attacked in his article. >>> | Monday, March 07, 2011
ARAB NEWS – EDITORIAL: How long will the world remain a mute spectator to the madness of Qaddafi?
Libya continues to hurtle down to the precipice. Amid fierce fighting and fantastic claims and counterclaims of Muammar Qaddafi and opposition forces, a humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding across the North African country. Proving his detractors right, Qaddafi has unleashed murderous force on his own people using all the deadly firepower at his disposal.
Even as the crafty colonel goes to absurd lengths to insist ad nauseam that he holds no position in the "people's republic" and that all his people "love" him, he spares no effort to annihilate the very same people. To top it all, he demands international help as he is — according to him — fighting Al-Qaeda and international terrorism.
And yes, also needed is, says he, an urgent UN and African Union probe into the ongoing "conspiracy against people's power"! While there has never been any dearth of Qaddafi's shenanigans, he seems to have broken his own stellar record of lunacy. Clearly, in the make-believe world that the Libyan dictator has built around himself, there's no place for ephemeral things like reality, reason and common sense. This is why it's not possible for him to see the stark writing on the wall. Continue reading and comment >>> Editor | Sunday, March 06, 2011
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Security forces in Saudi Arabia have detained at least 22 minority Shiite Muslims who protested last week over what they say is discrimination, activists said on Sunday.Saudi Shiites have staged small protests for about two weeks in the kingdom's east, which holds much of the oil wealth of the world's top crude exporter. "Twenty-two were arrested on Thursday plus four on Friday, so the total is 26. This was all in Qatif," said rights activist Ibrahim al-Mugaiteeb, who heads the Saudi-based independent Human Rights First Society.
A Shiite activist in the town of Qatif in the Eastern Province said he knew of 22 arrests. Interior ministry officials could not be reached for comment.
Shiite protests in Saudi Arabia started in the area of the main city town of Qatif and neighbouring Awwamiya and spread to the town of Hofuf on Friday. The demands were mainly for the release of prisoners they say are held without trial.
Saudi Shiites often complain they struggle to get senior government jobs and other benefits like other citizens. >>> | Sunday, March 06, 2011
My comment:
In my opinion, the problem with US broadcast networks is this: They are more concerned about pushing an agenda rather than disseminating news. Take FoxNews. It’s supposed to be “fair and balanced.” Truth to tell, it is neither fair nor balanced!
In the US, you have the left-wing channels and the right-wing channels. So if you have a left-wing bias, you watch one channel, and of you have a right-wing bias, you watch another. So people are often badly informed of the opinions of the other side. Their coverage of foreign affairs leaves much to be desired.
Then there are all those dreadful ads! Oh God, those ads!
Al Jazeera is exciting. US news networks need to learn some lessons from Al Jazeera! – © Mark
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Opposition forces across the country are battling forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi in their bid to overthrow his regime.Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, the country's long-time leader, have been staging a fightback against opposition forces, taking the town of Bin Jawad and moving on to the oil port of Ras Lanuf.
Witnesses have also told Al Jazeera that Az Zawiyah, in the west of the country near the capital Tripoli, was under heavy attack by government forces.
There has been fierce fighting in Misurata, located between Tripoli and Gaddafi's hometown Sirte, with reports of at least 18 people killed.
However, Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland, reporting from the town of Brega, said that the opposition forces had advantages in terms of "their sheer number, patriotism and enthusiam".
"For a few days the rebels were making gains, but overnight it would appear that pro-Gaddafi forces took some ground," our correspondent said.
Government forces appeared to have "drawn a line in the sand" on the road to Sirte, Gaddafi's hometown, she said. "If the rebels want to capture Sirte, they will have to prepare for heavy fighting along the way." >>> Al Jazeera and agencies | Monday, March 07, 2011
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: LONDON: Prince Andrew's role as Britain's special trade representative is to be downgraded as ministers seek to distance themselves from his controversial dealings with discredited business figures.Ministers have been alarmed by the prince's links with Jeffrey Epstein, a billionaire US financier who served a prison sentence for soliciting an under-age girl for prostitution. The Mail on Sunday reported that the FBI is to reopen its investigation into Mr Epstein over allegations of his involvement with under-age girls. At the same time it has emerged that the Duke of York sought Mr Epstein's financial assistance to help his former wife stave off bankruptcy.
Amid growing unease in Downing Street and ministerial circles at the conduct of the Queen's second son, ministers indicated at the weekend that a review of the Duke of York's role would be used to lower his profile.
One cabinet minister said that a hard-headed assessment would be made during a ''tasking review'', which is held every six months to assess the prince's work as Britain's special trade representative. >>> Nicholas Watt | Tuesday, March 08, 2011
THE TIMES – LEADING ARTICLES: Undiplomatic Envoy: Prince Andrew’s friendship with a convicted US financier is an embarrassment. He should resign as a trade envoy >>> | Monday, March 07, 2011 [£]
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: LIBYAN rebels fighting to unseat the dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, were expected to renew efforts to capture his heavily fortified home city of Sirte as their seesaw battle with troops loyal to the regime intensified.
Given its status as one of Colonel Gaddafi's two remaining strongholds, the rebels believe that if they can overcome Sirte, the wider battle for control of the country will be virtually won.
Driven back east along the highway that hugs the Gulf of Sidra to the oil port of Ras Lanuf, the rebels were tested by a probing counter-attack on Sunday that fell short of revealing how far Gaddafi's better armed forces will go to halt their advances.
Gaddafi's strategy appears to be one of first concentrating on snuffing out the rebellion in Misrata and Zawiyah, the two cities that flank the east and west of the capital, Tripoli, while keeping at bay rebel efforts to take Sirte.
After the heaviest day of fighting since the start of the three-week uprising - which pushed the estimated death toll above 2000 - the United Nations appointed a new special envoy and announced it would send a humanitarian team to assess the situation in Tripoli, where Gaddafi's security services have maintained tight control of the city's restless population. (+ video) >>> Jason Koutsoukis, Benghazi | Tuesday, March 08, 2011
THE AUSTRALIAN: HAMAS political leader Khaled Meshaal yesterday praised the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia and expressed the hope that they would pave the way for a more militant stance towards Israel.
The Islamic organisation has hitherto taken a cautious position regarding the events unfolding in the Arab world, apparently because of uncertainty about how they would develop. "The people in Egypt and Tunisia have given us back our lives," Mr Meshaal said in Sudan where he is attending a conference. "Today we are witnessing Cairo returning to its natural state after it disappeared from that state for a long time."
Egypt's ousted president Hosni Mubarak had adopted a tough stance towards Hamas, fearing its links with Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood.
The Damascus-based Hamas leader urged that his organisation and the secular Fatah Party unite on the basis of jihad towards Israel.
"The first step (towards liberating Jerusalem) is refusal to negotiate with Israel and to establish a new, reconciled Palestinian position based on jihad." >>> Abraham Rabinovich, Jerusalem | Tuesday, March 08, 2011
THE INDEPENDENT: Rio Carnival sizzles despite fire damage last month: Strutting in a rainbow of glittering colors, Rio's samba groups opened two days of Carnival parades with a dazzling show that included a rousing welcome for one of the elite bands that lost most of their elaborate costumes and floats in a fire last month. >>> AP | Monday, March 07, 2011
THE INDEPENDENT: Obama asks Saudis to airlift weapons into Benghazi
Desperate to avoid US military involvement in Libya in the event of a prolonged struggle between the Gaddafi regime and its opponents, the Americans have asked Saudi Arabia if it can supply weapons to the rebels in Benghazi. The Saudi Kingdom, already facing a "day of rage" from its 10 per cent Shia Muslim community on Friday, with a ban on all demonstrations, has so far failed to respond to Washington's highly classified request, although King Abdullah personally loathes the Libyan leader, who tried to assassinate him just over a year ago.
Washington's request is in line with other US military co-operation with the Saudis. The royal family in Jeddah, which was deeply involved in the Contra scandal during the Reagan administration, gave immediate support to American efforts to arm guerrillas fighting the Soviet army in Afghanistan in 1980 and later – to America's chagrin – also funded and armed the Taliban.
But the Saudis remain the only US Arab ally strategically placed and capable of furnishing weapons to the guerrillas of Libya. Their assistance would allow Washington to disclaim any military involvement in the supply chain – even though the arms would be American and paid for by the Saudis. >>> Robert Fisk, Middle East Correspondent | Monday, March 07, 2011
LE POINT: Un sondage plaçant Marine Le Pen en tête du 1er tour de la présidentielle fait vivement réagir la classe politique.
Après la parution d'un sondage la donnant en tête au premier tour en 2012, Marine Le Pen a assuré dimanche concourir "pour gagner et pas pour faire de la figuration", tandis que la polémique se poursuivait de plus belle sur l'usage par Nicolas Sarkozy des questions de laïcité et de religion. Décontractée, vêtue d'une chemise bleue éclatante, la présidente du Front national a affirmé que le Front national était "dans une grande dynamique". "Je pense qu'effectivement on pourrait assister demain à une vague bleue Marine qui commencera peut-être aux cantonales", a dit la fille de Jean-Marie Le Pen, ex-président du FN, quatre mois à peine après son arrivée à la tête du parti frontiste. >>> Le Point.fr | Lundi 07 Mars 2011
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Libyen versinkt in Gewalt und Chaos - Gaddafis Soldaten und Aufständische kämpfen erbittert um die Kontrolle in den Städten. Jetzt gibt es etwas Hoffnung für die Bevölkerung: Erkundungsteams von Uno und EU sollen sich Klarheit über die humanitäre Lage im Land verschaffen.
Tripolis/New York/Washington - Wie viele Menschen sind in Libyen auf der Flucht, wie viele sind verletzt oder getötet worden? Genaue Informationen aus dem von schweren Kämpfen erschütterten Land sind schwer zu bekommen. Uno und EU entsenden jetzt Erkundungsteams nach Libyen, um sich ein genaues Bild von der humanitären Lage in dem nordafrikanischen Staat zu machen.
Der libysche Außenminister Mussa Kussa habe in einem Telefonat mit Uno-Generalsekretär Ban Ki Moon der sofortigen Entsendung eines Teams nach Tripolis zugestimmt, teilte ein Uno-Sprecher in New York mit. Ban, der bereits das gewaltsame Vorgehen des Regimes von Muammar al-Gaddafi angeprangert hatte, habe gegenüber Kussa auf ein sofortiges Ende des Kämpfe gedrängt. Auch habe der Uno-Generalsekretär die Regierung Gaddafis aufgefordert, die Sicherheit aller Ausländer zu garantieren und Hilfsorganisationen ungehinderten Zugang zu den Bedürftigen zu ermöglichen. >>> anr/dpa/AFP/Reuters | Montag, 07. März 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Ukrainian nurse who worked for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has said he is in good health and is a 'great psychologist'.The nurse, filmed secretly while reluctantly talking to a TVI reporter, was identified only by her first name Oksana. She left Libya in late February as Col Gaddafi's forces tried to quell a revolt that threatens his grip on power.
Col Gaddafi had a group of nurses from the former Soviet republic on his payroll.
The most well-known of his nurses was Galyna Kolotnytska, 38, who was said to be his private nurse.
Leaked diplomatic cables have shown that US diplomats believe she may have been the Libyan dictator's lover as well as his nurse though Miss Kolotnytska's family has denied the reports. She returned to her home in Kiev last Sunday.
In the interview, aired late on Saturday, Oksana told TVI she had worked for Col Gaddafi for over two years. >>> | Monday, March 07, 2011
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Opposition forces in Libya are bracing for a prolonged campaign in their bid to overthrow the regime of Muammar Gaddafi, the country's long-time leader, as their fighters battle to repulse ferocious assaults by government soldiers. >>> Al Jazeera and agencies | Monday, March 07, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: Protesters say hearings planned by Congressman Peter King are unfair for singling out Muslims rather than extremistsSome 300 people gathered in Times Square in New York on Sunday to speak out against a planned congressional hearing on Muslim terrorism, criticising it as xenophobic and saying that singling out Muslims, rather than extremists, is unfair.
Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and the imam who led an effort to build an Islamic centre near the World Trade Centre site were among those who addressed the crowd.
"Our real enemy is not Islam or Muslims," said the imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf. "The enemy is extremism and radicalism and radical ideology."
The chairman of the homeland security committee, Peter King, has said affiliates of al-Qaida are radicalising some American Muslims and has planned hearings, starting on Thursday, on the threat he says they pose.
King, a Republican from New York's Long Island, told CNN's State of the Union programme on Sunday that he feared Muslims in the US were becoming more radical and identifying with terrorists.
Speakers at the cold and drizzly Times Square rally said King was targeting Muslims unfairly. >>> Associated Press | Monday, March 07, 2011
Comment:
To say that our real enemy is not Islam but extremism and radicalism is like saying that a flood is caused by the water, not the heavy rainfall that brought it! In other words, we have to ask ourselves what is it that is causing all this extremism, what is the source of our problems with Islamic terrorism and Islamic extremism? What is feeding all this extremism? And of course the answer to these questions is the socio-political ideology known as Islam. It is wrapped up in a deity; but that alters nothing. Islam breeds extremism. It really is a no-brainer! Any ideology which calls for total submission and total dedication to the cause, and to the exclusion of all else, even until death, is bound to make people single-minded and obsessive. By its very nature, it is bound to breed extremism. In the case of Islam, it breeds Islamic extremism. Full stop! It’s that simple! – © Mark
Sunday, March 06, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: Mosque suspends engineering lecturer Usama Hasan for 'antagonising' community and backing women's rightsAn imam of an east London mosque has been subject to death threats and intimidation for expressing his views on evolution and women's right to refuse the veil.
Dr Usama Hasan, vice-chairman at Leyton mosque and a senior lecturer in engineering at Middlesex University, ceased delivering Friday prayers after 25 years of service when 50 Muslim protesters disrupted his lecture by handing out leaflets against him and shouting in the mosque for his execution.
A statement from the secretary of the mosque, Mohammad Sethi, that was leaked to extremist websites, said Hasan had been suspended after his lecture resulted in "considerable antagonism" from the community and for his "belief that Muslim women are allowed to uncover their hair in public".
Sethi's letter, dated 24 February, said Hasan's views were in "violation of the constitution of the Masjid Trust" and that the decision had been made for the "safety and security of all parties". >>> Rowenna Davis | Sunday, March 06, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: Ruling by senior clerical council follows two weeks of Shia demonstrations and 22 arrestsPublic protests have been banned in Saudi Arabia following demonstrations by minority Shia groups.
The ruling comes after widespread demonstrations in the Middle East – including those that led to the downfall of regimes in Egypt and Tunisia – and two weeks of Shia agitation in Saudi Arabia itself, during which 22 people were arrested.
A statement issued by the country's council of senior clerics said: "The council ... affirms that demonstrations are forbidden in this country. The correct way in sharia [law] of realising common interest is by advising, which is what the Prophet Muhammad established.
"Reform and advice should not be via demonstrations and ways that provoke strife and division, this is what the religious scholars of this country in the past and now have forbidden and warned against."
The statement goes on to make clear the council's stance against political parties, which are banned as they are deemed to be not in keeping with Islam. >>> Agencies | Sunday, March 06, 2011
BBC: As I write I can hear volleys of gunfire hammering around Tripoli. It is around 1430 on Sunday and since early morning supporters of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi have been out in the streets celebrating.They have been told - and seem to believe without question - that his forces have scored important victories. One of the government spokesmen said Zawiya, Misrata and Ras Lanuf had been recaptured from rebels, and that Col Gaddafi's forces were advancing on Benghazi, the epicentre of the rebellion.
Not long after first light, I went to Green Square, right in the middle of Tripoli and the place where true believers in the regime congregate to celebrate its triumphs.
A couple of thousand people were there - the numbers have grown since then - and the atmosphere was crackling with feverish celebration.
Young men had climbed on to speakers and were dancing to music that praised their leader. Women, many with small children, swayed and sang along.
Guns were everywhere, pistols as well as Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifles. Every so often their owners fired into the air. Someone was letting off fireworks as well.
There were green flags, green bandanas and green fringed posters of the colonel which kept getting kissed.
"Libya is united again," one man said. "We all love Gaddafi. He is our father and our brother. He is our leader." >>> Jeremy Bowen, BBC Middle East editor, Tripoli | Sunday, March 06, 2011
CROSSROADS ARABIA: Arab News runs an open letter to the King, by a Saudi lawyer, Khalid Alnowaiser. In the letter, Alnowaiser spells out the changes he thinks critical for Saudi Arabia to meet the challenges the country is now facing and will continue to face until political, social, and economic reforms are made.
For a person who’s been following Saudi Arabia’s halting march toward modernization, there’s not much new in his letter. He points out the flaws, like a dysfunctional legal system; an economy that relies on one commodity; violations of human rights and the limited rights of women; a failed education system. He calls on the King to start instituting the changes necessary. All good.
What’s disquieting, to say the least, is the pushback in the comments to his letter. There are those who somehow see the letter as a call to abandon Islam and Shariah law; others wrap their arms protectively around the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, seeing it as a necessity for good governance. No one actually calls Alnowaiser a kufar, but some suggest that his program of reform will inevitably lead the Saudi nation down the road to perdition. Continue reading and comment >>> | Sunday, March 06, 2011
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Eingreifen oder abwarten? Libyen droht nach immer heftigeren Kämpfen in einem Bürgerkrieg und damit im Chaos zu versinken, der Druck zu intervenieren nimmt zu, vor allem die westlichen Staaten sind gefragt. Doch noch schauen Deutschland, die EU und die USA rat- und tatenlos zu.
Hamburg - Erbitterte Kämpfe zwischen Aufständischen und Regierungstruppen in Libyen nähren die Angst vor einem langen und blutigen Bürgerkrieg. Truppen von Machthaber Muammar al-Gaddafi griffen am Sonntag die erst kurz zuvor von Rebellen eroberte Stadt Ben Dschawad an. Im nahe gelegenen Ras Lanuf, wo ein wichtiger Ölhafen liegt, konnten die Aufständischen dagegen einen Gegenangriff abwehren.
Ähnlich instabil die Lage im Westen des Landes: Erneute Angriffe von Gaddafi-Truppen auf die Stadt Sawija, die etwa 50 Kilometer von der Hauptstadt Tripolis entfernt und seit Tagen äußerst heftig umkämpft ist; Gaddafi-Einheiten gehen dort mit schweren Waffen vor. Unklar die Ursache für schweres Maschinengewehrfeuer in Tripolis. Nach Darstellung der Regierung wurde so die Rückeroberung mehrerer Städte gefeiert, die aber offenbar noch immer in Rebellenhand sind; ebenso wie die Stadt Bengasi, wo die Proteste gegen Gaddafi ihren Anfang genommen hatten. >>> tdo/Dapd/dpa/Reuters | Sonntag, 06. März 2011
REUTERS FRANCE: TRIPOLI - Mouammar Kadhafi a transformé Tripoli dimanche en lieu de célébration de ses 41 ans de règne sur la Libye, mais les habitants d'un des quartiers les plus troublés de la ville se jurent de continuer à lui résister.
La capitale s'est réveillée au son de tirs de mitrailleuse qui fêtaient ce que le gouvernement a présenté comme sa victoire sur les rebelles dans des villes clés du pays. A l'aube, des milliers de fidèles de Kadhafi se sont répandus dans les rues en brandissant des drapeaux et en tirant des coups de feu en l'air.
Dans le quartier populaire de Tadjoura, point de cristallisation de l'hostilité à Kadhafi dans la capitale, des habitants inquiets ont vu passer des camions remplis de partisans du "guide libyen" qui hurlaient "Dieu, Mouammar, la Libye, rien d'autre". >>> Par Maria Golovnina et Michael Georgy | Dimanche 06 Mars 2011
REUTERS DEUTSCHLAND: Tripolis - Angesichts erbitterter Kämpfe zwischen Aufständischen und Regierungstruppen in Libyen wächst die Angst vor einem langen Bürgerkrieg.
Truppen von Machthaber Muammar Gaddafi griffen am Sonntag drei von Rebellen gehaltene Städte an. Dabei kamen Panzer, Artillerie, Kampfflugzeuge und Hubschrauber zum Einsatz. Die Kämpfe ereigneten sich in den Städten Sawija und Misrata im Westen des Landes sowie in der Ölhafenstadt Ras Lanuf weiter im Osten. Regierungssprecher berichteten von Erfolgen. Gaddafi beklagte sich über mangelnde Unterstützung aus dem Ausland. Er kämpfe gegen den Terrorismus, sagte der seit über 40 Jahren herrschende Staatschef. Die EU entsandte eine Delegation nach Tripolis, um sich über die Lage der Bevölkerung zu informieren. >>> | Sonntag, 06. März 2011
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: How pulling on a hanging man's legs made Huda Ben Amer one of Colonel Gaddafi's most trusted elite.
When Colonel Gaddafi hanged his first political opponent in Benghazi's basketball stadium, thousands of schoolchildren and students were rounded up to watch a carefully choreographed, sadistic display of the regime's version of justice.
They had been told they would see the trial of one of the Colonel's enemies.
But instead a gallows was dramatically produced as the condemned man knelt in the middle of the basketball court, weeping and asking for his mother, hands bound behind his back.
The crowd, many of them children, cried and yelled out "No, no" or called on God to help them as they realised what was about to happen. Two young men bravely ran up to the revolutionary judges and begged them for mercy.
The worst moment came right at the end, as the hanged man kicked and writhed on the gallows. A determined-looking young woman stepped forward, grabbed him by the legs, and pulled hard on his body until the struggling stopped. >>> Nick Meo, Benghazi | Sunday, March 06, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)