Dubya Rakes in a Cool $15million on Speaking Circuit. Because He’s Worth It?

MAIL ONLINE: Former president George Bush has raked in a whopping $15 million since leaving the White House, it was claimed today.

Despite insisting he wanted to keep a low profile, Mr Bush has padded his bank account by making scores of speeches paying between $100,000 and $150,000 a time.

The ex-president has made a point of saying he was staying away from politics after retiring to Dallas, Texas.

He turned down an invitation from Barack Obama to attend a ceremony at Ground Zero after Osama bin Laden was killed because he wanted to remain out of the spotlight.

But, according to iWatchNews, Mr Bush made time for three speeches in the week after the 9/11 event.

He earned three six-figure paydays speaking to hedge fund executives in Las Vegas, the UBS Swiss bank in New York and a professional golf gathering in Florida.

In all, Mr Bush is estimated to have delivered as many as 140 paid talks at home and abroad.

Almost all of the speeches are closed to the press so they do not get widespread coverage. So much for the quiet life... George W Bush rakes in staggering $15million on speaking circuit » | David Gardner | Saturday, May 21, 2011

Spain Protesters Challenge Government Ban
Spain's government have ruled that mass protests are illegal on the eve of elections. But many people remain on the streets of a number of cities refusing to leave. Al Jazeera's Barnaby Phillips reports.

Negotiating with Hamas 'Unacceptable'
Mark Regev is the spokesman for the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu. He says negotiating with a Palestinian government that includes members of Hamas is unacceptable.

Jeffrey Shapiro, le petit avocat des causes civiles

LE FIGARO: PORTRAIT - L'homme qui défie le grand pénaliste Benjamin Brafman aurait hérité de l'affaire DSK par un ami.

À New York

Le contraste ne pourrait être plus frappant entre Benjamin Brafman, l'avocat de Dominique Strauss-Kahn, et Jeffrey Shapiro, celui de sa victime présumée. Le premier est l'un des ténors du barreau new-yorkais, un avocat connu qui défend avec succès les cas indéfendables de mafieux et de célébrités du rap. Le second est spécialisé dans les erreurs médicales et les accidents du travail, avocat civil parmi des milliers d'autres à New York.

S'il ne joue pas dans la cour des grands comme Ben Brafman et si ses clients sont beaucoup moins «glamour», il n'en est pas moins efficace. Sur son site Internet sont affichées ses «victoires»: 22,1 millions de dollars pour la victime d'une erreur médicale lors d'une hystérectomie, 3,75 millions pour un bébé mal soigné à l'hôpital, 3 millions pour un ouvrier atteint d'épilepsie après un accident du travail, etc. «Sachant qu'il touche un tiers de ce que gagne la victime, ce n'est pas mal du tout», estime un de ses confrères, Matthew Galluzzo.

Ben Brafman et Jeff Shapiro, tous deux la cinquantaine passée, ont un point commun: leurs cabinets sont tous deux situés sur la IIIe Avenue à Manhattan, à cinq pâtés d'immeubles l'un de l'autre. À part cela, ils appartiennent à deux mondes très différents. Le premier défend des accusés (présumés innocents) pour leur éviter la prison, le second défend des victimes (présumées) pour les aider à retrouver une vie normale après un traumatisme. » | Par Adèle Smith | Vendredi 20 Mai 2011

LE FIGARO: Me Brafman, l'avocat de DSK rompu aux affaires difficiles : PORTRAIT - Puff Daddy, Jay-Z ou encore Michael Jackson : l'avocat de Dominique Strauss-Kahn est rompu aux combats judiciaires très médiatiques. Réputé coriace, l'homme a un parcours étonnant. » | Par Flore Galaud | Jeudi 19 Mai 2011

LE FIGARO: La bataille judiciaire commence pour DSK: Inculpé par le grand jury, l'ex-patron du FMI doit affronter la perspective d'un procès, alors que de nombreuses informations et rumeurs s'accumulent. Le Figaro fait le point sur ces certitudes et ces zones d'ombre. » | Par Marie-Amélie Lombard | Jeudi 19 Mai 2011

Heftiger Streit Amerikas mit Israel

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Israels Präsident Netanjahu hat dem amerikanischen Präsidenten Obama die Gefährdung der Existenz Israels vorgeworfen. Im Weißen Haus protestierte er gegen Obamas Vorschlag für einen Palästinenserstaat in den Grenzen von 1967. In diesem Fall könne das Land „nicht verteidigt“ werden, warnte Netanjahu.

Der israelische Ministerpräsident Benjamin Netanjahu hat Präsident Barack Obama vorgeworfen, mit seiner Forderung nach einem palästinensischen Staat in den Grenzen von 1967 die Existenz Israels zu gefährden. Sollte sich Israel tatsächlich auf die vor dem Sechstagekrieg vom Juni 1967 bestehenden Grenzen zurückziehen, könne das Land „nicht verteidigt“ werden, warnte Netanjahu am Freitag.

Ein mehrstündiges Gespräch zwischen ihm und Obama war am Freitag in Washington ohne eine Annäherung zu Ende gegangen. Es gebe Unterschiede in der Beurteilung einer möglichen Ausgangsposition für neue Verhandlungen, sagte Obama nach dem Treffen im Weißen Haus. „Offensichtlich haben wir Differenzen in präzisen Formulierungen und in der Sprache“, solche seien aber „unter Freunden“ normal. Netanjahu erklärte, dass Israel durchaus zu Zugeständnissen bereit sei. Ein Rückzug hinter die Grenzen von 1967 sei jedoch unmöglich. „Damit es Frieden gibt, müssen die Palästinenser bestimmte fundamentale Realitäten akzeptieren“, sagte Netanjahu weiter. „Wir haben keinen großen Spielraum, denn die Geschichte wird den Juden keine zweite Chance geben“, fügte er hinzu. » | FAZ.NET | Freitag, 20. Mai 2011

Related »

Benjamin Netanyahu Rebukes Barack Obama Over 1967 Plan

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has issued a public rebuke to Barack Obama's face, telling the US president his proposed border for the Jewish state would be "indefensible" and not based on reality.

Mr Netanyahu told Mr Obama that to suggest a return to Israel's pre-1967 borders did not "take into account certain changes that have taken place" in the intervening 44 years.

The president said that the talks, which had overrun in the Oval Office by more than 90 minutes, had been "extremely useful" and although he did not mention the pre-1967 borders, he reiterated the need for "a contiguous, functioning" Palestinian state.

It was the seventh Obama-Netanyahu meeting and came after Mr Obama's speech on Thursday calling for the creation of a Palestinian state on pre-1967 borders triggered uproar in the Israeli government.

During the frosty public show, the Israeli premier told Mr Obama that any peace deal "based on illusion will crash on the rocks of Middle East reality". Israel, he insisted, "can't go back to the 1967 lines".

Mr Netanyahu also warned that Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, would have to choose between a new unity pact with the militant group Hamas or peace with Israel. Mr Obama agreed with Mr Netanyahu that the Palestinians would have to answer "some very difficult questions" about the recent reconciliation deal between Hamas and Fatah – Hamas still denies Israel's right to exist.

Mr Netanyahu's anger was compounded by the fact that he had been taken by surprise, learning the contents of Mr Obama's Thursday speech about the future of the Middle East just a few hours before it was delivered. » | Toby Harnden, Washington and Adrian Blomfield | Friday, May 20, 2011

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Says Europe 'Stealing Iran's Rain'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has accused Western countries of plotting to "cause drought" in Iran by using high tech equipment to drain the clouds of raindrops.

Moments after the Iranian president made the startling claim at the inauguration of a dam in a central province, it started to rain.

"Western countries have designed plans to cause drought in certain areas of the world, including Iran," Mr Ahmadinejad said in the city of Arak in Markazi province.

"According to reports on climate, whose accuracy has been verified, European countries are using special equipment to force clouds to dump" their water on their continent, he said.

By doing so, "they prevent rain clouds from reaching regional countries, including Iran," Mr Ahmadinejad charged.

Iran has experienced several droughts in recent years. » | Barney Henderson | Saturday, May 21, 2011

American radio preacher predicts doomsday
If Harold Camping is right, then you should probably stop reading this and go say goodbye to your family.

The 89-year-old California-based preacher host of the "Open Forum" television and radio show has predicted that the Christian Rapture - the return of Jesus Christ and an accompanying worldwide disaster - is set to take place on Saturday, May 21.

"We have no plan B, it is going to happen," Camping said. "The Bible is a very factual book."

Camping has, according to some of his colleagues, spent millions of dollars promoting the end of the world, but he predicted a previous Rapture in 1994. Clearly, that didn't happen.

Al Jazeera's Rob Reynolds reports from Los Angeles.


Related article and video »

THE DAILY TEGRAPH: So how are you spending your final hours?: The end of the world is predicted for today, so you'd better read this as fast as you can. » | Matthew Norman | Friday, May 20, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The end is here ... or is it?: If you are reading this and it is past 7am, then the world has not ended and we have all had a lucky escape – predictions of an apocalyptic "Judgment Day" have come to nought. » | Nick Allen, Los Angeles | Friday, May 20, 2011

Interview: Robert Fisk on Obama Speech
Robert Fisk reacts to US President Barack Obama's May 19 speech on the Middle East, North Africa, and discusses 1967 Israel/Palestine borders with Tony Harris from Al Jazeera's headquarters in Doha

Dominique Strauss-Kahn Moved to 'Unspecified Location' after NY Flat Failed

THE GUARDIAN: Former IMF chief released from jail but unable to move into $14,000-a-month flat as building's residents objected

Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been released from jail and sent to an unspecified temporary home in Lower Manhattan where he will be detained under armed guard.

An initial location for Strauss-Kahn to be detained had fallen through as although he may have been granted bail he was finding it difficult to find a new home in New York.

The former head of the International Monetary Fund was hoping to move into a $14,000 (£8,600) a month apartment in the luxurious Bristol Plaza building in the upper east side of Manhattan after a judge bailed him on Thursday while he fights charges of attempted rape of a hotel chambermaid.

Strauss-Kahn's $1m bail stipulates that he must be kept under house arrest, wear an electronic tag to monitor his movements and hire a $200,000-a-month gun-toting security team authorised to use force if he should attempt to flee.

"I expect you will be here when we need you," Judge Michael Obus said on granting bail. "If there is the slightest problem, we can withdraw conditions."

Strauss-Kahn's wife, Anne Sinclair, a former journalist, had hired the apartment. But news of this abode attracted a media scrum outside the building and objections from residents. Police had to put up barricades to hold back the TV crews and cameramen.

Speaking anonymously, one resident said the media commotion outside was the first news he had heard of Strauss-Kahn's arrival. "It's outrageous. You [‘d] think someone would have told us. I am going to object to this," he said. » | Dominic Rushe in New York | Friday, May 20, 2011

Dominique Strauss-Kahn 'Mistress' Defends Former IMF Chief

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Spanish writer and socialite has become the first of Dominique Strauss-Kahn's alleged former lovers to come forward and defend the former IMF chief, saying he was never cruel or sadistic to her.

Carmen Llera Moravia, 58, said she had known the high-flying economist "for years" and claimed that he was being subjected to a politically-motivated witch hunt.

"I was never a victim of his, as people have written," said Miss Llera in a letter to an Italian newspaper.

"He is not a cruel or sadistic man, violence is not part of his make-up. He likes sex, but so what? It's not a crime."

Mrs Moravia wrote a book of poetry five years ago in which she described a lover who liked to be sadistic in bed. The man in the book 'Gaston', was thought to be Mr Strauss-Kahn, with whom she is believed to have had a relationship between 2003 and 2005. One of Mr Strauss-Kahn's middle names is Gaston.

The book of poems describes a woman being shoved up against a wall by Gaston, recounts how she tried in vain to escape his advances and refers to his "violence" and taste for "sadistic sexual pleasure".

But Miss Llera, who was born in Pamplona but now lives in Rome, said the character was "a literary invention" and had nothing to do with the French presidential contender.

She said she did not know what happened between Mr Strauss-Kahn and the Guinean maid he is alleged to have assaulted in a hotel room in New York.

Mr Strauss-Kahn faced seven charges in a US court earlier this week relating to an alleged sexual assault on a 32-year-old woman.

He has denied all the charges against him.

Miss Llera, the widow of Alberto Moravia, a famous Italian novelist, claimed Mr Strauss-Kahn was being made a "scapegoat" by puritanical Americans. » | Nick Squires, Rome | Friday, May 20, 2011

Empire - War & Revolutions: Europe and the Arab World
Empire asks: Does this NATO operation epitomise Western double standards? Why is Europe reacting strongly in Libya, but indifferent to what is happening in Syria and playing nice with Bahrain?

Obama and Netanyahu Admit 'Differences' on Middle East
BBC: US President Barack Obama and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu have admitted to "differences" on the path to Mid-East peace, after they met in Washington.

The talks came after Mr Obama said in a key speech that any future Palestinian state must be based on the borders that existed prior to the 1967 war.

A defiant Mr Netanyahu said there may be some concessions but stressed the 1967 lines were "indefensible".

He said that there could be no peace "based on illusions".

"[It] will crash eventually on the rocks of Middle East reality," Mr Netanyahu said.

After the talks, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas urged Mr Obama to continue pressing Mr Netanyahu on the 1967 borders plan, AFP news agency reported. (+videos) » | Friday, May 20, 2011

Anne Sinclair, une fortune aussi brillante que ses yeux bleus

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: AFFAIRE DSK | Pour lui, cette journaliste de 62 ans aux célèbres yeux bleus a abandonné une carrière brillante, subi sa réputation d'homme à femmes et déjà assumé en 2008 son écart de conduite mondialement médiatisé avec une économiste du FMI.

Brune, élégante, celle qui attirait des millions de téléspectateurs lorsqu'elle réalisait des interviews politiques sur la chaîne privée TF1, est aussi une femme fortunée.

Son argent devait servir les ambitions politiques de DSK. Il financera les conditions draconiennes de sa liberté surveillée: appartement loué à Manhattan, équipements de sécurité, caution et garantie d'un montant total de 6 millions de dollars.

Petite-fille d'un riche marchand d'art

Née à New York, cette petite-fille d'un riche marchand d'art juif, Paul Rosenberg, qui avait fui aux Etats-Unis devant l'avancée des nazis, est l'héritière d'une immense fortune.

"Je pense d'abord en ce moment à ma femme, que j'aime plus que tout", a dit DSK dans le communiqué annonçant sa démission du Fonds monétaire international.

En pénétrant jeudi dans la salle du tribunal de New York, au milieu d'une forêt de caméras, droite et digne, Anne Sinclair a offert la plus vibrante des preuves d'amour à son époux accablé par les accusations de tentative de viol et agression sexuelle.

La main dans celle de la fille de DSK, Camille, elle s'efforce de ne rien laisser paraître. Seulement quelques regards vers son mari, et ce baiser furtif échangé d'un geste, à quelques mètres l'un de l'autre.

"Je ne crois pas une seule seconde aux accusations qui sont portées contre mon mari. Je ne doute pas que son innocence soit établie", avait-elle déclaré dimanche, solide et ferme malgré l'humiliation.

"Nous nous aimons comme au premier jour". Cette phrase, elle l'avait écrite sur son blog, lorsqu'en 2008 déjà, il avait fallu sauver l'honneur de Dominique Strauss-Kahn après son faux pas au FMI. » | AFP | Vendredi 20 Mai 2011

Umfrage: Rechtspopulisten liegen in Österreich vorn

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Europas Demokratien geraten in der Euro-Krise unter Druck. In immer mehr Ländern mischen Rechtsaußen-Parteien mit, Österreich gibt nun den Vorreiter: Die Freiheitliche Partei kommt in einer aktuellen Umfrage auf 29 Prozent - und liegt damit auf Platz eins.

Wien - Bei der Sonntagsfrage zu ihren Wahlabsichten nannten 29 Prozent der Befragten die Freiheitliche Partei (FPÖ), wie die österreichische Tageszeitung "Kurier" berichtet. Dicht gefolgt wurde sie in der Umfrage des OGM-Instituts von der SPÖ mit 28 Prozent. Die christsoziale Volkspartei (ÖVP) kam nur noch auf 23, die Grünen auf 13 Prozent. Die zweite rechtspopulistische Partei in der Alpenrepublik, das "Bündnis Zukunft Österreich" (BZÖ), erreichte fünf Prozent. » | sef/AFP | Freitag, 20. Mai 2011

DSK : le récit d'une audience capitale
DSK est inculpé mais placé sous liberté surveillée. Les avocats de l'ancien patron de FMI ont mutlipliés les garanties pour le faire sortir de Ryker's Island, l'île prison ou il séjournait depuis mardi.

LE FIGARO: À quoi va ressembler la vie de DSK en résidence surveillée : Bracelet électronique, surveillance par caméra et gardes armés, qui consigneront ses visites et ses faits et gestes… Lefigaro.fr revient sur les termes draconiens de l'assignation à résidence visant l'ancien patron du FMI. » | Par Constance Jamet | Vendredi 20 Mai 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dominique Strauss-Kahn: wife and daughter in first public appearance: "How is he?" Anne Sinclair asked quietly, after the judge had called a recess. "Depressed," said William Taylor, her husband's attorney. "He hates this." » | Jon Swaine, New York | Friday, May 20, 2011

WELT ONLINE: Strauss-Kahn wohnt mit Fußfessel bei seiner Tochter: Für die Freilassung bis zum Prozess verhängt der Richter strenge Vorgaben und eine hohe Kaution. Für letztere kommt ausgerechnet die Ehefrau des Ex-IWF-Chefs auf. » | Autor: Uwe Schmitt | Freitag, 20. Mai 2011

Israel: US 'Does Not Understand' What We Face
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama demonstrated in his latest Mideast policy speech that "Washington does not understand what we face," according to a senior Israeli official.


The official says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was disappointed the speech did not address the Palestinian demand to repatriate to Israel millions of Palestinians, most descendants of people who were driven from or fled homes in the war over the Jewish state's 1948 creation.

Speaking ahead of Mr Netanyahu's White House meeting with Mr Obama, the official said, "There is a sense that Washington does not understand the reality, that Washington does not understand what we face."

Mr Obama last night ordered Israel to accept Palestinian demands in a peace deal as he pledged American support for human rights in the Middle East.

Mr Obama was more explicit about the parameters of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal that ever before. He said Israel had to accept the Palestinian demand for it to accept the 1967 borders.
A Jewish state "cannot be fulfilled with permanent occupation" of Palestinian lands," he said.

"Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognised borders are established for both states," he said. "The Palestinian people must have the right to govern themselves, and reach their potential, in a sovereign and contiguous state."

The embrace of a key Palestinian demand is likely to anger Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli premier, on the eve of his visit to the White House on Friday. » | Friday, May 20, 2011

My comment:

Obama is a greenhorn. He's fond of talking, but that's about all. I think the world has already started switching off when he speaks. Even the Saudis summed up his Mideast speech in two words: "meaningless drivel"! Obama certainly doesn't understand Israel's dilemma, nor does he comprehend the realities of life there for Israelis on a day-to-day basis. The power of Obama is on the wane. He's a spent force. – © Mark

This comment also appears here

Doomsayers Predict Apocalypse Now

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A US evangelical Christian has predicted that the apocalypse will take place on Saturday, prompting derision from atheist groups.

Harold Camping, 89, previously made a failed prediction that Jesus Christ would return to Earth in 1994.

But, the head of the Christian radio network Family Stations Inc has said that he is sure an earthquake will hit on May 21, sweeping true believers to heaven and leaving others behind to be engulfed in the world's destruction over a few months.

"We know without any shadow of a doubt it is going to happen," he said.

His Family Radio [Worldwide] has 66 US stations and broadcasts in more than 30 languages through international affiliates.

His supporters have posted about 2,200 billboards around the United States about the coming apocalypse, and dozens of followers have driven across the country to spread the news. » | Friday, May 20, 2011



Family Radio Worldwide »

Forte instabilité en Tunisie
LE POINT: Plusieurs mois après la chute de Ben Ali, le calme n'est toujours pas revenu.

La Tunisie post-Ben Ali semble être entrée dans une nouvelle zone de turbulences face à une possible menace "terroriste" sur son territoire coincé entre l'Algérie et la Libye alors qu'elle peine déjà à faire face à un débordement du conflit libyen à sa frontière sud. À peine quatre mois après son soulèvement inédit, qui a donné le coup d'envoi du "printemps arabe", la Tunisie a cumulé cette semaine des annonces alarmantes allant des premières arrestations de "membres présumés d'Aqmi" (al-Qaida au Maghreb islamique) jusqu'au dénouement sanglant d'un échange de tirs dans le nord du pays avec des membres "fortement suspectés d'appartenance à al-Qaida".

Pour le militant tunisien des droits de l'homme Khemaes Ksila, la "situation instable en Tunisie peut être un terrain propice pour les activités de groupes terroristes al-Qaida ou autres". "Il faut que le peuple et toutes les forces politiques qui veulent réussir cette phase transitoire se donnent la main pour barrer le chemin à tous les groupes terroristes voulant déstabiliser le pays", dit-il. Et les Tunisiens, qui scandaient encore des slogans comme "plus jamais peur" pendant les dernières manifestations antigouvernementales début mai à Tunis, ont commencé à découvrir cette semaine les visages de généraux participant à des émissions télévisées sur la sécurité et la lutte contre les "terroristes", du jamais-vu jusqu'alors dans le pays. » | Source AFP | Vendredi 20 Mai 2011

Strauss-Kahn und die Folgen: Das Ende der sexuellen Ausnahme

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Libido dominandi? Der Skandal um den ehemaligen IWF-Präsidenten Dominique Strauss-Kahn könnte in Frankreich eine Kulturrevolution in Gang setzen. Feministische Stimmen drehten den Diskurs.

Viele Franzosen glauben an eine Verschwörung. Heute würde Alfred Dreyfus nicht der Spionage für Deutschland bezichtigt, sondern in einen Sexskandal verwickelt. Es ist die Rache für Roman Polanski. Julian Assange hätten sie das gleiche Schicksal nicht erspart. „Gelyncht“ habe man Dominique Strauss-Kahn, den alle nur DSK nennen, polterte Jack Lang live aus Cannes: „Es hat ja keinen Toten gegeben.“ Und überhaupt, schrieb Bernard-Henry Lévy: Warum ging das Zimmermädchen entgegen allen Gepflogenheiten allein in die Suite? Von allen amerikanischen Eigenheiten haben Besucher das Funktionieren der Justiz am wenigsten verstanden.


Das wusste schon Tocqueville, der über die Demokratie in Amerika schrieb. Ihn zitiert Pierre Beyleau im „Figaro“. Der Journalist bezeichnet die Reaktionen seiner Landsleute als „seltsame Mischung“: Sie besteht aus dem „genetischen“ Antiamerikanismus der Franzosen und der Empörung der „französischen Nomenklatura, die es nicht fassen kann, dass einer der Ihren behandelt wird wie ein gewöhnlicher Autodieb in Brooklyn“. In den Vereinigten Staaten sei das Recht „die Grundlage des Staates“, in Frankreich dient es zur „Aufrechterhaltung der sozialen Ordnung“. Der konservative „Figaro“ schlägt klassenkämpferische Töne an und kämpft für die Gleichheit, die Linke lobt im Verdruss über die amerikanische Barbarei die französischen Gefängnisse – mit hundert Suiziden pro Jahr. Ihre Version der Verschwörung: der amerikanische Kapitalismus gegen den französischen Sozialdemokraten, als den sie Strauss-Kahn allerdings nie wirklich akzeptiert hatte. » | Von Jürg Altwegg, Paris | Freitag, 20. Mai 2011

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Fotoshooting auf dem „Perp Walk“: Im Fall Strauss-Kahn prallen Kulturen aufeinander: Amerika und Europa haben verschiedene Vorstellungen von den Rechten des Angeklagten. Ist die Zurschaustellung Strauss-Kahns eine „mediale Hinrichtung“? Zum „perp walk“ werden nicht nur Täter eskortiert, deren Schuld gerichtlich erwiesen ist. » | Von Katja Gelinsky | Donnerstag, 19. Mai 2011

Saudis Call Obama Speech Meaningless Drivel
ARAB NEWS: RIYADH/DAMMAM: Saudis dismissed US President Barrack Obama's much-anticipated "Arab Spring address" as meaningless, predictable drivel while Egyptians and other Arabs, to whom Obama offered some sops, also did not find anything new in the speech, which according to them focused on US interests.

"He did not say anything of consequence," said Riyadh-based historian Hatoon Al-Fassi. "It was a long speech and what I remember the most is his defense of Israel. Till he uttered this sentence, 'US commitment to Israel's security is unshakable', I had some hope, but when he said that I lost all interest. All his words after and before just rang hollow."

Al-Fassi said people in the Arab world had high hopes after his speech in Cairo two years ago, "but when it came to action he turned out to be a hypocrite like all previous American presidents. So I did not have any expectations anyway. His words did not move me because they were all couched in diplomacy and hypocrisy, and nothing more."

"Katheeran min kalaam khalil min al-amal." That is how Dammam-based political analyst Mutlaq Al-Anazi described Obama's speech: "Too much talk and no action."

"There was nothing in his speech except a robust defense of Israel," said Anazi. "When you support Israel then you lose the moral high ground that we expect American presidents to take when dealing with the Palestinian-Israeli issue."

Anazi said Obama has the gift of gab. » | Siraj Wahab, Maher Abbas & Ghazanfar Ali Khan | Arab News | Thursday, May 19, 2011

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood Poised to Prosper in Post-Mubarak New Era

THE GUARDIAN: Islamist movement banned under Mubarak regime will compete in forthcoming parliamentary and presidential elections, but more radical groups are also gaining political ground

It's hard to miss the new headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Cairo neighbourhood of Moqattam – six stories towering over the dusty street with the distinctive Qur'an and crossed swords symbol emblazoned on the stucco facade. The decor is a medley of parquet floors, crystal chandeliers, swagged velvet curtains and gilded furniture.

In the lobby a team from the brotherhood's fledgling TV station is interviewing a bigwig as a sharp-suited, clean-shaven aide hovers fussily.

"After 100 days we are sure the revolution is on the right track," beams Issam el-Erian, the articulate and experienced spokesman for the organisation known in Arabic simply as the Ikhwan [brotherhood]. "In a few months we will have a new parliament and then a new constitution for the new Egypt."

The Moqattam HQ is a striking improvement on the brotherhood's shabby old premises in a downmarket Nile-side suburb – a reminder of the long years when it was banned, its activists routinely harrassed, detained and tried in military courts and aspiring MPs forced to stand as independents.

Now, everything exudes self-confidence and a sense that the world's oldest Islamist movement, which has long embraced democracy and eschewed the violence of the past, is poised to prosper in the post-Mubarak era. It is even planning to set up football teams to compete in the country's professional leagues, prompting silly jokes about yellow cards for any pulling of beards. » | Ian Black in Cairo | Thursday, May 19, 2011

Arabs See Obama Speech as Late, Not Enough

AL MASRY AL YOUM: US President Barack Obama's speech on uprisings sweeping the Arab world show Washington is struggling to guide democratic movements that took it by surprise, Arab analysts said, threatening US regional allies.

Obama went to Cairo University to address the Muslim world in a landmark speech in 2009 that promised support for democracy that Washington assumed would come thanks to outside pressure on entrenched rulers in countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

But on Thursday he stood at a State Department podium in Washington to discuss protest movements that have been mainly peaceful and driven by ordinary Arabs, removing autocrats in Tunisia and Egypt but so far failing to bring change in Yemen, Bahrain, Syria or Libya.

The stark contrast in settings said much about a confused US reaction to Arab revolts where it has appeared to be irrelevant, and its challenge now in nudging them towards conclusions compatible with US foreign policy goals.

Those include isolating Iran, ensuring continued Gulf Arab oil supplies and promoting Arab ties with Israel. Obama's failure to end Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank, where Palestinians seek statehood, has done much to quash the hope many Arabs had in him two years ago. » | Reuters | Friday, May 20, 2011

"My prediction on Obama's speech: Arab leaders won't like it much. Arab reformers won't like it much. This is the Obama style: Try to appeal to everyone and end up disappointing everyone." – Shadi Hamid, Brookings Centre in Qatar on Twitter

Inside Story: Obama's Middle East address
On Thursday, President Barack Obama spoke of a change of strategy towards the Arab world.

This special edition of Inside Story takes a closer look at what the US president's speech means for the future of the Middle East.

Inside Story with presenter Shihab Rattansi, discusses with Hillary Mann Leverett, former state department official; Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat chair at the University of Maryland; and Daniel Levy, former senior adviser to the Israeli government.

This episode of Inside Story aired from [sic] Thursday, May 18, 2011.

Watch President Obama's Full Speech on Mideast Policy

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama vows to seize 'historic opportunity' in Middle East: President Barack Obama has vowed to seize "a historic opportunity" in the Middle East, pledging US support for human rights in the Middle East and serving notice on leaders who have "turned to repression to remain in power". » | Toby Harnden, Washington | Thursday, May 19, 2011

Arnold Schwarzenegger Terminates Hollywood Comeback

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Arnold Schwarzenegger has terminated his Hollywood comeback after admitting to fathering a love child.

After seven years as governor of California the former action star had been planning to return to the big screen in several movies, including the planned blockbuster "Terminator 5."

On Thursday night, he put all projects on indefinite hold so he could deal with the scandal. Patrick Knapp, his entertainment lawyer, said: "Governor Schwarzenegger is focusing on personal matters and is not willing to commit to any production schedules or timelines. We will resume discussions when Governor Schwarzenegger decides."

The 63-year-old star had been expected to appear next in "Cry Macho," a drama in which he was to play a horse trainer who bonds with a Mexican boy. An animated television series called "The Governator," in which he was to voice the main character, has also been postponed.

Mr Schwarzenegger is facing a potentially bitter divorce battle after his wife Maria Shriver hired a high profile lawyer known as the "Disso Queen" in a step toward ending their 25-year marriage.

Laura Wasser, 42, a glamorous single mother-of-two, earned her nickname handling dissolutions on behalf of some of the entertainment industry's biggest names. Her other clients include Robyn Moore, the wife of troubled "Braveheart" star Mel Gibson, who filed for divorce in 2009. » | Nick Allen, Los Angeles | Thursday, May 19, 2011

Dominique Strauss-Kahn: Release of Photographs Prompts Further French Anger
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Photographs released of Dominique Strauss-Kahn have prompted further anger in France about the treatment of the former presidential hopeful.

The mug shot of the 62-year-old, which was released with his charge sheet, was taken more than 24 hours after he was arrested on charges of sexual assault on a New York hotel chambermaid. It shows him looking exhausted, his eyes downcast and half-closed.

A second photo, obtained by the New York Daily News pictured the former IMF chief in his cell wearing the sleeveless blue smock, which is said to be too bulky to make into a noose and too tough to tear. Mr Strauss-Kahn is said to be on suicide watch after he reportedly "did or said something" to alarm officials during a mental health evaluation.

Several French newspapers and websites refused to publish the photos.

RMC radio said the photo in his cell breached the presumption of innocence of a "man accused of rape, but not yet judged."

"It profoundly shocked us. It responds to the deep instincts of voyeurism and a desire to commit a media and popular lynching. But is contrary to the democratic and republican spirit," the radio said on its website.

Many in France were already outraged at Mr Strauss-Kahn being paraded before the cameras in a "perp walk" before being given the chance to defend himself in court. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Thursday, May 19, 2011

Barack Obama Vows to Seize 'Historic Opportunity' in Middle East
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama has vowed to seize "a historic opportunity" in the Middle East, pledging US support for human rights in the Middle East and serving notice on leaders who have "turned to repression to remain in power".


The wide-ranging speech from the State Department in Washington, the seat of American diplomacy, was billed by the White House as the most important one by Mr Obama since his address to the Muslim world in Cairo two years ago.

He sought for the first time to align the United States with the "Arab Spring" of uprisings across the Middle East that the White House has been reluctant to embrace fully, proclaiming that America has "a stake not just in the stability of nations, but in the self determination of individuals" in the region.

Mr Obama compared the upheaval in the Middle East and Africa to the American Revolution and the Civil Rights movement, stating that the US was "founded on the believe that people should govern themselves."

"Sometimes, in the course of history, the actions of ordinary citizens spark movements for change because they speak to a longing for freedom that has built up for years. In America, think of the defiance of those patriots in Boston who refused to pay taxes to a King, or the dignity of Rosa Parks as she sat courageously in her seat."

Mr Obama was more explicit about the parameters of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal that ever before. He told Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli premier, that Israel had to accept the Palestinian demand for it to accept the 1967 borders, insisting that a Jewish state "cannot be fulfilled with permanent occupation" of Palestinian lands. » | Toby Harnden, Washington | Thursday, May 19, 2011

Obama Vows Fresh Start with Arab World

Inside Story - Syria: Mass Graves and Slayings
Inside Story, with presenter Dareen Abughaida, discusses with Najib Ghadbian, professor of political science at the University of Arkansas; Nabilia Ramdani, middle east analyst; and Ambassador Richard Murphy, former US Ambassador to Syria.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn: Former IMF Head Bailed
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dominique Strauss-Kahn was granted bail on Thursday after he was formally indicted over accusations he tried to rape a hotel maid.

New York State Supreme Court Judge Michael Obus said that MrStrauss-Kahn, 62, can be released on $1 million cash bail, and placed under 24-hour home detention with electronic monitoring - conditions that had been proposed by his lawyers.

The judge also said Mr Strauss-Kahn must have one armed guard at all times at his own expense and have a $5 million insurance bond.

His wife, French television journalist Anne Sinclair, and his daughter Camille Strauss-Kahn had arrived at the court arm in arm. Mr Strauss-Kahn arrived in court looking tired and was wearing a blue shirt, no tie, and a grey jacket.

The indictment, which was made by a grand jury, means formal charges have been brought and the case can proceed to trial if, as expected, he pleads not guilty.

Assistant District Attorney John McConnell told the court: "The proof against him is substantial. It is continuing to grow every day as the investigation continues." » | Jon Swaine, New York | Thursday, May 19, 2011

Netanyahu Says 'No' to 1967 Borders
YNET NEWS: PM expects Obama to reaffirm bush pledges, whereby settlement blocs will remain in Israel

Responding to President Barack Obama’s major Mideast policy speech, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israel will not be withdrawing to the 1967 borders as part of a peace deal with the Palestinians.

The PM said that Israel appreciates the president's commitment to peace, but added that he expects Obama to reaffirm US commitments to Israel from 2004. According to the pledges made by then-President George W. Bush, the Jewish state will not be asked to retreat to the 1967 borders and large settlement blocs will remain in Israel's hands.

"Israel believes that in order for peace to prevail, the establishment of a Palestinian state cannot come at the expense of the State of Israel's existence," a statement issued by Netanyahu's office said. "The Palestinians, and not only the United States, must recognize Israel as the Jewish people's nation-state."

The prime minister also stressed that President Bush's pledges were meant to reinforce Israel's Jewish character, by making it clear that Palestinian refugees will be taken in by Palestine and not by Israel.

"Without a solution to the problem of refugees by settling them outside Israel's borders, no territorial concession would end the conflict," Netanyahu's statement said. » | Attila Somfalvi | Thursday, May 19, 2011

Obama Pushes Mideast Policy Change

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama Middle East speech: Palestinian state should be based on 1967 borders: US President Barack Obama said for the first time on Thursday that the borders of Israel and a future Palestinian state should be based on 1967 lines and be completed with land swaps. » | Thursday, May 19, 2011

Obama: Al Qaeda a ‘Dead End’

Top Agenda for Obama
May 19, 2011 – Obama speech on U.S. policy towards the Middle East?

Queen’s Trip Closes Chapter for Irish

Bahrain Mosques Targeted?

Muslims to Obama: We’re Not Into You
THE WASHINGTON TIMES – EDITORIAL: The president’s outreach to Islam has failed

President Obama is attempting to salvage his flagging Middle East strategy. In his scheduled speech today on the events in the Middle East and North Africa, Mr. Obama may also try to claim a measure of credit for the changes sweeping the region. This will be a tough sell, especially to the supermajorities of people in that part of the world who simply don’t like America.

The latest polling from the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitude Project shows that Mr. Obama’s much-heralded outreach to the Muslim world has failed. In Egypt, site of the June 2009 Cairo speech that kicked off the effort, the United States has a 20 percent favorability rating, seven points below where it was in 2009. In Pakistan, U.S. approval is 11 percent, a five-point drop since the Cairo speech. These surveys were conducted before the flap over charges of violatingPakistan’s sovereignty in taking down Osama bin Laden. In Jordan andTurkey, two important regional allies, American approval is 13 percent (down 12 points) and 11 percent (down four points) respectively. ForObama defenders who argue he inherited this problem from the George W. Bush administration, note that in 2006, U.S. favorability in Egyptstood at 30 percent and in Pakistan at 27 percent - still not good numbers, but higher than any Mr. Obama has generated. Continue reading and comment » | Editorial | Wednesday May 18, 2011

Inside Story - The Plight of 'Persecuted' Christians
Is the Pope's Christmas address a religious message of support or a political stand?

Religious Controls Lifted in Benghazi
In the rebel-held eastern city of Benghazi the opposition's version of governance is in full swing. Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley reports on the city where reforms are already being put into action.

IMF Chief Resigns Amid Sex Charges
Dominique Strauss-Kahn has resigned as head of the International Monetary Fund, as he prepares for a second bail hearing on Thursday - hoping to win his freedom while he awaits trial on allegations of sexual assault.

Strauss-Kahn is accused of attempting to rape a hotel chambermaid in New York.

He is on suicide watch at Rikers Island prison after a judge rejected his first attempt at bail.

His lawyers are offering $1 million bond and home confinement.

Prior to the scandal, Strauss-Khan [sic] was widely expected to run against French President Nicolas Sarkozy in the next elections.

Al Jazeera's Jonah Hull reports.

US Library of Congress to Archive Twitter
ABC NEWS: The US Library of Congress says it plans to digitally archive all of the billions of messages known as "tweets" sent on Twitter since its launch four years ago.

"Library to acquire ENTIRE Twitter archive - ALL public tweets, ever, since March 2006!" the Washington-based library, the world's largest, announced in a message on its Twitter account at Twitter.com/librarycongress.

"That's a LOT of tweets, by the way: Twitter processes more than 50 million tweets every day, with the total numbering in the billions," Matt Raymond of the Library of Congress added in a blog post.

Raymond highlighted the "scholarly and research implications" of acquiring the micro-blogging service's archive.

He said the messages being archived include the first-ever "tweet," sent by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, and the one that ran on Barack Obama's Twitter feed when he was elected president. » | AFP | Thursday, April 15, 2011

News Hub: Syria's President Slapped With Sanctions
The Obama administration sanctioned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and six other senior members of his government Wednesday. Jerry Seib has details from Washington

Dominique Strauss-Kahn: IMF Head 'Hired Prostitutes from Manhattan Madam'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dominique Strauss-Kahn hired prostitutes from the "Manhattan Madam" who infamously also served Eliot Spitzer, the disgraced former Governor of New York, she claimed on Wednesday night.

Kristin Davis said she provided young women for the IMF chief in 2006, as he ran for the French Socialists' presidential nomination, and that one complained about his "aggressive" behaviour.

"He was a client of my agency," she told The Daily Telegraph. "When men abuse women I'm no longer going to protect their identities".

Mr Strauss-Kahn, 62, has been charged with sexually attacking a 32-year-old hotel maid at the Manhattan Sofitel on Saturday. He denies the claims and is being held in Rikers Island prison.

Miss Davis, 35, who claims to have a long list of celebrity clients, said Mr Strauss-Kahn called her directly on her mobile phone and paid $1,200 cash for two-hour sessions in hotel rooms.

"He wanted an 'All-American girl', with a fresh face, from the mid-West," she said. "A girl in January 2006 complained he was rough and angry, and said she didn't want to see him again". » | Jon Swaine, New York | Thursday, May 19, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Kristin Davis: Manhattan Madam 'who supplied Dominique Strauss-Kahn with escorts': Dominique Strauss-Kahn hired prostitutes from the “Manhattan Madam” who also served Eliot Spitzer, the disgraced former Governor of New York, Kristin Davis has claimed. Here is a profile of the escort agency owner. » | Andrew Hough | Thursday, May 19, 2011

My comment:

Whilst this man has got a reputation of being a womanizer, and whilst his sexual appetite may be as large as his intellectual appetite, there are certain aspects of this story which simply do not seem to ring true. I have asked the question before: Where is this woman getting the money from to pay for a high-flying New York lawyer? But there are many other apparent inconsistencies, too. At first they said she was a devout Muslim, but photos of her show that she wears short-sleeve dresses, she doesn't cover her hair, and lives in a home for HIV sufferers. In addition, she is a single, unmarried mother. This doesn't add up. These are not the hallmarks of a devout Muslimah.

In addition, it was first stated that she knew exactly who DSK was. Now they are trying to say that she didn't have a clue who he was. By all accounts, he was a regular guest at the Sofitel in Manhattan. How come she didn't know who he was? She had been working there for several years. News of celebrities and famous people travels like wildfire through the corridors of hotel staff. It is simply difficult to swallow this supposed ignorance on her part. In fact, front desk would in all probability have informed her to be extra careful when making up DSK's penthouse suite. That's how it works in exclusive hotels, and more especially for regular, famous customers.

Whilst so many people commenting on newspapers are only too ready to convict DSK even before his trial, I prefer to keep an open mind. Being a womanizer and paying for prostitutes – all of which is certainly nothing to be proud of – in and of itself does not make him guilty in this particular case.

I can't help but have a nagging doubt in my mind that he might have been set up for the purposes of notoriety and fortune. We all know how Americans love a great story, and we all know how fabulously wealthy people there can become when they have a humdinger of a story to sell to the media. And this story is one big humdinger. Whatever the facts of the story, it is to be hoped that the truth will come out in the court. But one thing is for sure: This young chambermaid will not have to clean rooms in any hotel for much longer. I hope her wheelbarrow is large enough to carry the pots of gold to the bank which will soon be coming her way. – © Mark

Dominique Strauss-Kahn Resigns as Head of International Monetary Fund
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dominique Strauss-Kahn has resigned as head of the International Monetary Fund, four days after being charged with the sexual attack of a Manhattan hotel chambermaid.

In a statement released by the Fund in the early hours of Thursday morning, Mr Strauss-Kahn said he needed to "devote all my strength, all my time, and all my energy to proving my innocence".

The 62-year-old Frenchman has been under intense pressure since being arrested in the First Class cabin of on an Air France jet on the tarmac of John F. Kennedy airport on Saturday afternoon.

He is being held at Rikers Island prison after being formally charged with seven crimes related to the alleged assault of a 32-year-old Guinean maid in his suite at the Sofitel earlier that day, including attempted rape and an illegal sexual act. » | Jon Swaine, New York | Thursday, May 19, 2011

Osama bin Laden Praises Arab Spring in Posthumous Message
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Al-Qaeda has released a posthumous message from Osama bin Laden praising the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia and urging Muslims to take advantage of a "rare historic opportunity" to rise up, according to a US monitoring service.


The 12-minute, 37-second audio message posted on jihadist forums by al-Qaeda's media arm As-Sahab addresses Muslims on the revolutions sweeping the Middle East and North Africa, said SITE Intelligence.

Speaking from beyond the grave, bin Laden recommended setting up a council to offer revolutionary advice and decide the best timing to spread revolt across the Muslim world.

"A delay may cause the opportunity to be lost, and carrying it out before the right time will increase the number of casualties," bin Laden says in the audio message, according to SITE's translation.

"I think that the winds of change will blow over the entire Muslim world, with permission from Allah."

He accused rulers of building themselves into idols and manipulating the media to stay in power. » | Thursday, April 19, 2011

Libya: Col Gaddafi's Wife and Daughter 'Flee Libya'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Col Muammar Gaddafi's wife and daughter have fled Libya for Tunisia in a sign of mounting pressure on the dictator, it has been reported.

Safiya Gaddafi and her daughter Aisha crossed into Tunisia "a few days ago" with a Libyan delegation, according to Tunisian security sources.

The pair are currently at a refugee centre on the island of Djerba. The departure, if confirmed, would be a major blow to Col Gaddafi's embattled regime, already rocked by the apparent defection of the key oil minister, Shukri Ghanem, on Tuesday. » | Andrew Gilligan, Tripoli | Wednesday, April 18, 2011

Deadly Effect of Brazil's New Drug
A new and deadly drug is causing great concern in Brazil. Called Oxi, it's a derivative of cocaine, but it's much stronger and highly addictive. Many get hooked the first time they try it.

In his second report in a Two-Part series, Al Jazeera's Gabriel Elizondo spoke with one former user in the Brazilian city of Rio Branco, who recounts how the drug almost destroyed his life as well as his family's.

The Queen Acknowledges 'Sad and Regrettable' Mistakes of Britain’s Troubled Relationship with Ireland

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Queen acknowledged the “sad and regrettable” mistakes of Britain’s troubled relationship with Ireland as she made one of the most important speeches of her reign in Dublin.

Although she stopped short of an outright apology for the “heartache, turbulence and loss” of the past century, the Queen said: “We can all see things which we would wish had been done differently or not at all.”

The landmark speech during a state dinner at Dublin Castle included a direct reference to the murder of the Duke of Edinburgh’s uncle, Earl Mountbatten, by the IRA, when the Queen said the “events have touched us all, many of us personally”.

But her overriding message was one of “forbearance and conciliation” as she spoke of being able “to bow to the past, but not be bound by it”.

The address to her host, President Mary McAleese, and guests including David Cameron, who joined the British delegation, was the Queen’s only speech of her historic four-day visit to Ireland.

The Queen began her speech by speaking in Gaelic, saying: “A hUachtarain [sic] agus a chaired [uachtarán agus cairde],” or president and friends, earning a warm round of applause. President McAleese was seen to respond by saying “wow”[.]

Dressed in a white silk crepe dress adorned with more than 2,000 hand-embroidered shamrocks and a harp made of crystals, the Queen said she and the Duke were “delighted to be here, and to experience at first hand Ireland’s world-famous hospitality”.

She said the two nations were “good neighbours” which had “much to celebrate”, including the economic and cultural ties “that make us firm friends and equal partners”. » |Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Diskriminiert und ausgegrenzt: Koptische Christen in Ägypten

Dominique Strauss-Kahn Maid Lives in Apartment Block for HIV Sufferers

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The hotel chambermaid who alleges she was sexually attacked by Dominique Strauss-Kahn lives in an apartment block used exclusively for people with HIV or Aids, it emerged on Wednesday.

The maid, who works at the Manhattan Sofitel, claims that on Saturday the IMF managing director locked her in his $3,000-a-night suite, attempted to rape her and forced her to give him oral sex.

The maid was on Wednesday night due to testify before a New York grand jury, which is considering whether or not there is enough evidence to prosecute Mr Strauss-Kahn. If it decides there is, the grand jury, which sits in secret, will issue an indictment that will form the basis of the prosecution in Mr Strauss-Kahn's trial.

The 32-year-old Guinean, who is not being named due to the nature of the alleged attack, has lived in an apartment in The Bronx, the northernmost borough of New York City, since January this year.

The property, where she lives with her 15-year-old daughter, is rented out by the Harlem United Community Aids Center, which provides services including housing to local HIV-positive people.

Typically an adult in the household must be HIV-positive or have Aids to be eligible for one of the group's properties. The maid lived in another Harlem United property from 2008 to this year. » | Jon Swaine, New York | Wednesday, May 18, 2011