Friday, October 21, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama led the world in hailing the death of Muammar Gaddafi as the end of 40 years of despotism and tyranny, amid caution that Libya’s transition to a fair and democratic society could be long and difficult.
“A long and painful chapter for the people of Libya is now closed,” said the US president, speaking in the White House Rose Garden. “Today we can definitively say the Gaddafi regime has come to an end and one of the world’s longest serving dictators is no more.”
“The dark shadow of tyranny has been lifted and with this enormous promise the people of Libya have a great responsibility to build an inclusive, tolerant and democratic Libya that stands as the ultimate rebuke to Gaddafi’s dictatorship.” But, he added, “we are under no illusions – there will be difficult days ahead”.
The president, who was criticised at home for involving the US military in a third overseas mission, stressed how its objectives had been achieved without a single American soldier being deployed on the ground and stressed that the eight-month Nato mission would soon come to an end. He praised the co-operation between Nato and Arab nations as a model for the 21st century.
Col Gaddafi’s demise served as a warning to other despots in north Africa and the Middle East who have now seen leaders toppled and protests challenge the status quo across the region.
“Today’s events proved once again that the rule of iron fist inevitably comes to an end,” he said. » | Alex Spillius, Washington and Richard Spencer | Thursday, October 20, 2011
Forgive me if I am missing something here, but from Obama’s speech, one could be forgiven for thinking that the Americans have got rid of Qadhafi alone. There was no mention in his speech of Britain and France’s significant contributions. Indeed, it was my understanding that Cameron and Sarkozy decided to go together on this. America, if it played any rôle at all, took a back seat. So Obama’s speech confuses me somewhat! – © Mark
THE GUARDIAN: Libya's former leader killed by rebels in Sirte in wake of French air strike, although precise details of his death remain unclear
Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was born near Sirte, and when he became the ruler of all Libya, he transformed it from an insignificant fishing village into the country's sprawling second city. On Thursday, after a brutal – and ultimately hopeless – last stand, it was the place where he died.
For the past three weeks, with Gaddafi's whereabouts still unknown, government fighters had been puzzled by the bitter and determined resistance from loyalist fighters. Trapped in a tiny coastal strip just a few hundred metres wide, they had refused to give up, even when a victory by the forces of Libya's National Transitional Council seemed inevitable.
Here at last was the answer: they had been fighting to the death with their once-great leader in their midst.
The emergencies director of Human Rights Watch, Peter Bouckaert, was one of those in Sirte during the final battle. "A very heavy bombardment started at midnight with shelling of the remaining strongholds with Grad rockets that went on until 6am," he told the Guardian. "I went down to the city centre at 9am and went in with the fighters from Benghazi who said the whole city was free.
"I went to the hospital and a fighter arrived with a gold pistol he said he had taken from Gaddafi. He said there had been a fight with a convoy of people trying to flee. Mansour Dhou [Sirte's pro-Gaddafi military commander] was also in the clinic, shot in the stomach. He said they had been trying to flee and were caught in gunfire, which is when he lost consciousness. He confirmed Gaddafi was with him."
While details of the precise circumstances of Gaddafi's death remained confused and contradictory last night, it appears he was trying to flee the city in a convoy of cars when they came under attack from Nato jets. Last night the French claimed responsibilty for the airstrike. » | Peter Beaumont | Thursday, October 20, 2011
Ann Widdecombe, the former Tory minister, will tomorrow claim the Government is turning a blind eye to abuse of Christians around the world while piling pressure on those who target sexuality.
In a speech in London, she will say “hedgehogs” have a better chance of being protected by the Government.
Miss Widdecombe has hit out following reports that David Cameron has threatened to slash aid to poor African countries that persecute gay people.
Malawi has already had its aid cut by £19 million after two gay men were sentenced to 14 years hard labour.
But in a speech to the annual conference of international charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) tomorrow, Miss Widdecombe will say: “Fair enough. But what about Christians? When do we qualify for such protection or don’t we?
“You stand a better chance of earnest representation if you are a hedgehog than if you are a persecuted Christian.”
The plight of Christians came in to sharp focus this month following the death of at least 25 people, mainly Coptic Christians, in Egypt. Read on and comment » | Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor | Friday, October 21, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Malgré son inexpérience politique, l'homme d'affaires noir de 65 ans se retrouve aujourd'hui en tête chez les républicains dans certains sondages ou à égalité avec l'ancien gouverneur du Massachusetts Mitt Romney dans d'autres. Un baromètre publié lundi par la maison Rasmussen le donnait même gagnant par deux points sur le président démocrate.
Qui est ce Herman Cain? D'où vient-il? Que veut-il? Voici 10 choses à savoir sur ce prétendant républicain. » | Richard Hétu, collaboration special, La Presse | jeudi 20 octobre 2011
In a message on her website, she wrote: "I am deeply touched by the many messages of congratulations that I have received since the birth of our daughter Giulia.
"On this happy occasion, my husband joins me in expressing our warmest thanks to all those of you who sent us these tokens of your kindness."
Earlier her husband Nicolas Sarkozy spoke of his "very profound joy" at the birth of his daughter, as his "father of the nation" appeal is expected to give him a much needed poll boost.
The French president and his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy decided not to announce the baby's arrival officially, but Mr Sarkozy reacted warmly when waste-processing plant workers gave him gifts during a visit to the western Mayenne region and confirmed he will take no paternity leave.
"They're doing really well," he told employees. "We are lucky … All parents here can understand our very profound joy, a joy all the deeper because it is private".
With no official confirmation on the name, Le Figaro said it believed the couple had plumped for either Giulia – the spelling in Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy's native Italy – or Julia, in a nod to Mr Sarkozy's Hungarian roots.
Given the president's past habit of publicising his private life, the culture shift to discretion suggests Mr Sarkozy is determined not to lay himself open to criticism that he is exploiting the birth for political gain. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Thursday, October 20, 2011
It saw the successful end of a full year of negotiations on the European Commission's proposals for six new pieces of European legislation which will fundamentally reshape economic governance in the European Union and, more particularly, in the euro area.
When this legislation enters into force later this year, the EU will have in place a much stronger framework for preventing the economic mistakes that have cast a shadow over the recent past.
We will be able to scrutinise the Member States' public finances, in particular the level of debt, much more carefully and pre-emptively than ever before. This will include co-ordinated examination of economic policies and budgets in the first half of each year before their adoption by national parliaments in a process known as the European Semester. And budgets will have to be designed and presented according to a common framework, in line with best international standards, so that budget-making is more transparent both for citizens and policy-makers.
We have learned important lessons by looking at the roots of the current sovereign debt crisis. So we will be focusing the spotlight tightly on countries whose budget policies put their own and Europe's stability, growth and employment at risk. Thus in the future we will avoid the kind of fiscal crisis we have had to confront in the case of Greece.
At the same time we will be looking more broadly at the macroeconomic situation in each country and paying particular attention to early signs of possible imbalances that could undermine competitiveness and threaten long-term economic health. Read on and comment » | Olli Rehn | Thursday, October 20, 2011
Der russische Regierungschef Wladimir Putin hat erstmals ein Datum für sein ehrgeiziges Projekt einer Eurasischen Union genannt. Die neue Gemeinschaft aus Ex-Sowjetrepubliken könnte bereits 2015 Realität sein, falls die Vorbereitungen genauso intensiv vorangetrieben würden wie im Falle der von Moskau geführten Zollunion mit Kasachstan und Weißrussland. Das sagte Putin nach Angaben der Moskauer Zeitung „Iswestija“ vom Freitag bei einem Treffen mit seinen Amtskollegen aus Weißrussland und Kasachstan in St. Petersburg. » | dpa/dapd/smb | Donnerstag 20. Oktober 2011
Janusz Palikot war die Überraschung der Parlamentswahlen in Polen: Die nach ihm benannte liberale und antiklerikale Protestbewegung errang ein Jahr nach ihrer Gründung zehn Prozent der Stimmen und damit Platz drei. Der 46 Jahre alte Chef empfängt heute in seiner geschmackvoll eingerichteten Altbauwohnung in der „Allee der Freunde“ in Warschau.
Beste Wohnlage für Prominente und solche, die es werden wollen: Gegenüber wohnte nach dem Krieg der Geheimagent Ranicki (später Marcel Reich-Ranicki), heute befinden sich hier die Wohnung des Publizisten Adam Michnik und das Büro von Ex-Präsident Aleksander Kwasniewski. Palikots junge Frau Monika serviert Kaffee, im Hintergrund lärmen die Kinder. » | Autor: Gerhard Gnauck | Donnerstag 20. Oktober 2011
MAIL ONLINE: Gaddafi's last moments alive: Dictator begs for his life after being dragged from a drain. Seconds later he was summarily executed » | Daily Mail Reporter | Thursday, October 20, 2011
A senior National Transitional Council official has said that deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has died of his wounds after being captured near his hometown of Sirte. Muammar Gaddafi came to power in 1969 in a coup at the age of 27 and went on to rule Libya for 42 years with an iron fist. He has left Libya in tatters and despite the vast oil wealth, a vast majority of Libyans still live on about $2 a day and 40 per cent remain unemployed. Gaddafi wanted to be the leader of the Arab world and modeled himself on Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser. He published the Green Book which established rule of the people but in reality he exercised absolute power. The former Libyan leader was accused of bombing Pan Am Flight 103 in Scotland, a charge he always denied. After this Libya remained under internatinal isolation for years. When the uprising gathered momentum earlier this year he blamed everyone, from US to al-Qaeda, and called the protesters rats and cats of Libya. Many will remember Gaddafi as the leader who set Libya back by many years.
National Transitional Council official Abdel Majid Mlegta said that Gaddafi was captured and wounded in both legs at dawn on Thursday as he tried to flee in a convoy which Nato warplanes attacked.
Gaddafi was shot in both legs and "also hit in his head", the official said. "There was a lot of firing against his group and he died."
There was no independent confirmation of his remarks.
In the early hours of the morning, at least five cars carrying loyalist fighters attempted to escape the city. » | Ben Farmer, in Sirte and Barney Henderson | Thursday, October 2011
LE POINT: Libye : Kadhafi annoncé mort – Suivez en direct les dernières informations sur le décès présumé de l'ancien dictateur libyen. » | jeudi 20 octobre 2011
LE FIGARO: La Libye est enfin «libérée» : La chute de Syrte lance le compte à rebours vers l'élection d'une Assemblée constituante, prélude à la démocratisation du pays. » | Par Thierry Portes | jeudi 20 octobre 2011
NZZ ONLINE: Übergangsrat bestätigt Tod Ghadhafis: Frührerer Machthaber soll nach Festnahme seinen Verletzungen erlegen sein » | Reuters/sda/afp/ddp | Donnerstag 20. Oktober 2011
NZZ ONLINE: Ghadhafi – zwischen Utopie und Realitätsverlust: Der libysche Machthaber ging den Weg aller Despoten » | Von Isabelle Imhof | Donnerstag 20. Oktober 2011
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Übergangsrat: Gaddafi bei Festnahme getötet: Nach Angaben des libyschen Übergangsrats ist der ehemalige Machthaber Gaddafi auf der Flucht aus seiner Heimatstadt Sirte getötet worden. Zuvor war die Stadt von Truppen der neuen Führung eingenommen worden. » | FAZ.NET | Donnerstag 20. Oktober 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Julia Gillard, the Australian prime minister, has been accused of showing disrespect to the Queen and embarrassing the nation after she failed to curtsy when welcoming the monarch to the capital.
While Quentin Bryce, the Australian Governor-General, executed a neat curtsy as she greeted the Queen at a military air field in Canberra on Wednesday evening, the Welsh-born prime minister, a self-avowed republican, chose instead to shake the Queen's hand and bow.
Her decision has incensed some quarters of the Australian media and many ardent monarchists.
June Dally-Watkins, an Australian etiquette expert, said Ms Gillard's "wobble" was shameful.
"I thought it was really hilarious and of course very rude," Mrs Dally-Watkins told the ABC.
"If she isn't a royalist, it's not a matter of that; it's a matter of paying courtesy to a queen, to the Queen." » | Bonnie Malkin, Canberra | Thursday, October 20, 2011
While Quentin Bryce, the Australian Governor-General, executed a neat curtsy as she greeted the Queen at a military air field in Canberra on Wednesday evening, the Welsh-born prime minister, a self-avowed republican, chose instead to shake the Queen's hand and bow.
With a name like Quentin, I feel it would have been more appropriate for the execution of a bow! Since when do Quentins curtsy? Since when was Quentin used as a name for girls, women, ladies?
Julia Gillard is an avowed republican. By not curtsying, she was only being true to her principles, I suppose. She'd have been damned by the republicans of Australia if she had curtsied; now she is damned by the monarchists for not curtsying.
Curtsying and bowing are symbolic of inferiority, and submission to a person who is generally considered to be superior. Many modern people have difficulty with such antiquated notions of class. And perhaps rightly so. – © Mark
This comment appears here
Related »
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: An unsuccessful suicide bomber released from prison as part of the deal to free Gilad Shalit, the Israeli conscript, on Wednesday vowed to fulfil a childhood ambition by "sacrificing" her life for the Palestinian cause.
As she returned to her family home in northern Gaza, Wafa al-Bis insisted she would seize any opportunity to mount another suicide mission and encouraged dozens of cheering schoolchildren to follow her example.
Bis was one of hundreds of Palestinian militants freed by Israel on Tuesday in the first phase of a prisoner swap agreed with Hamas, Gaza’s Islamist overlords, to win the freedom of Sgt Maj Shalit after five years in solitary confinement.
Her words will chill critics of the deal who argue that many of the 1,027 Palestinians who are to be released from prison will return to violence once they have been freed. For most Israelis, such fears have been consigned to the future as an anxious nation watched to see how the 25-year-old conscript was faring on his first full day at home in Mitzpe Hila, his home village in the hills above the Sea of Galilee. Continue reading and comment » | Adrian Blomfield, Gaza City and Richard Spencer in Mitzpe Hila | Wednesday, October 11, 2011
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: «In Athen liegen die Steine bereits auf der Strasse» : In Athen steht das öffentliche Leben still, die Streiks gehen weiter. Gemäss SF-Korrespondent Philipp Zahn ist mit weiteren massiven Ausschreitungen zu rechnen. » | sf/sda/buet/muei | Donnerstag 20. Oktober 2011
Verwandte Videos »
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The far-right Swiss People's Party is aiming to make history at Sunday's elections by winning over 30 per cent of the vote, a result which could upset the main parties' long-standing power sharing deal.
While the SVP's anti-immigrant campaigns, including calls to ban minarets and expel foreign criminals, have drawn sharp criticism on the international arena including from the United Nations, the party has managed to increase its vote share in successive Swiss elections.
In 2003, the party obtained 26.6 per cent of votes case. At the last elections that improved to 28.9 per cent.
Those 1997 results were the highest for any Swiss party since the introduction of the proportional representation system in 1919, an SVP spokesman said.
Crossing the 30 per cent mark "would therefore be a new record," he added.
The latest opinion polls showed 29.3 per cent of voters planning to back the SVP, far more than the next most popular party the Socialists, with just 19.9 per cent.
That could bolster the populist party's case for greater cabinet representation. » | Thursday, October 20, 2011
My comment:
The Swiss are very clever people who always look after 'number one' first. The Swiss are a very proud people who love their country. They like it the way it is, and they want to keep it that way. And who can blame them for that? – © Mark
A modified version of this comment appears here
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron faces the biggest rebellion of his premiership next week as dozens of Conservative MPs are expected to defy the Government and vote in favour of a referendum on Britain’s relationship with Europe.
Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee of back-bench Conservative MPs, warns today that a referendum would give the British people “one of the most important decisions about the future of our democracy and our economy”.
In an article for The Daily Telegraph, Mr Brady says that it is not appropriate for the Prime Minister to seek to use Parliamentary whips to force Conservative MPs to vote against the plan for a referendum. Next week, the Commons will vote on a motion calling for a referendum, either on Britain leaving the European Union or to renegotiate this country’s relationship with Europe.
The debate was scheduled to be held on Thursday, when William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, and Mr Cameron were due to be out of the country. Last night, the debate was brought forward to Monday because Mr Hague is understood to want to lead government opposition to the proposal.
The motion, which is not binding on the Government, has already been publicly backed by at least 46 Conservative MPs including David Davis, the former shadow home secretary, and Zac Goldsmith, Mr Cameron’s former environmental adviser.
Downing Street sources said they still favoured “whipping” the vote to order Tory MPs to vote against a referendum. » | Robert Winnett, and Christopher Hope | Wednesday, October 19, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Scandal the European parliament tried to keep secret: The European Parliament’s £1.5 billion budget is beset by the abuse of staff perks and expenses, nepotism and the wasting of taxpayers’ money, according to secret internal audits obtained by The Daily Telegraph. » | Bruno Waterfield, Brussels | Thursday, October 20, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
LE FIGARO – MADAME: Le bébé des Sarkozy est né en début de soirée à la Clinique de la Muette
Selon son entourage, l'épouse du chef de l'Etat a donné naissance à une petite fille vers 19h-19h30 mercredi, à la clinique de la Muette, dans le 16e arrondissement de Paris. Une déclaration qui vient confirmer les informations distillées précédemment par Europe 1 et BFMTV. « Pour l'instant on ne connaît pas le prénom », a précisé la source proche de la première dame. Et une autre proche de confier aux journalistes de l'AFP : « Tout s'est bien passé ». Nicolas Sarkozy est arrivé sur place en fin de soirée, à son retour d'un déplacement à Francfort où il a participé à une réunion avec Angela Merkel.
Il s'était déjà rendu à la clinique en fin d'après-midi avant de s'envoler pour l'Allemagne. Carla était prise en charge depuis le milieu de la matinée. C'est la première fois dans l'histoire de la République française qu'un président en exercice s'apprête à devenir père. L'Elysée a assuré qu'il ne communiquerait pas sur la naissance du bébé présidentiel. » | Fabrice Amedeo et Le Figaro | mercredi 19 octobre 2011
Lien en relation avec cet article »
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Carla Bruni gives birth: Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, the wife of the French president, has given birth to a daughter. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Wednesday, October 19, 2011
S’exprimant depuis la ville indienne de Dharamsala (nord) où est installé le gouvernement tibétain en exil, le Premier ministre du gouvernement tibétain en exil, Lobsang Sangay, a déclaré mercredi qu’une journée de prières avait été organisée «par solidarité avec ces Tibétains qui ont sacrifié leur vie pour la cause du Tibet, en particulier ceux qui se sont immolés, leur famille et ceux qui souffrent de la répression au Tibet».
«Nous rendons par conséquent hommage à leur courage et sommes solidaires de leur esprit indomptable», a-t-il ajouté. Récemment retiré de la vie politique, le chef spirituel des Tibétains, le dalaï lama, a par ailleurs débuté une grève de la faim d’une journée. A New Delhi, des milliers de Tibétains en exil ont défilé mercredi en signe de solidarité.
Lobsang Sangay, qui a remplacé le dalaï lama au poste de Premier ministre, a expliqué au «Wall Street Journal» que «la politique de répression chinoise» était la cause des immolations. » | AFP | mercredi 19 octobre 2011
Related »
L'épouse du chef de l'Etat, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy est en train d'accoucher à la clinique de la Muette, dans le 16e arrondissement de Paris, a indiqué une source médicale au Figaro. Nicolas Sarkozy lui a rendu visite avant de s'envoler pour Francfort.
La première dame est prise en charge depuis le milieu de la matinée et l'accouchement pourrait intervenir en fin d'après-midi, début de soirée. Le bébé serait une fille.
Depuis le début du mois d’octobre, la rue Nicolo et les abords de la clinique ont été bouclés en prévision de l'événement, au grand dam des habitants du quartier qui commencent à trouver le temps long. « Cela fait quinze jours que le quartier est truffé de forces de police et de paparazzi », commentait mardi soir, lasse, une riveraine. » | Fabrice Amedeo et Le Figaro | mercredi 19 octobre 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Carla Bruni and Nicolas Sarkozy arrive at maternity clinic: Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, joined his wife Carla Bruni on Wednesday at the Paris maternity clinic where she is due to give birth. » | Wednesday, October 19, 2011
LE MONDE – BLOGS – BIG BROWSER: Une vidéo simule le retour de Ben Ali pour inciter les Tunisiens à voter : Le 17 octobre, un poster géant de l'ancien dictateur tunisien Ben Ali a été déroulé sur une des murailles à l'entrée de la Goulette, le principal port de Tunis. Médusés, des passants se rassemblent au pied de l'affiche. La colère, parfois la peur, se lit sur certains visages. » | mercredi 19 octobre 2011
ZEIT ONLINE: Kurdische Rebellen haben mehrere Soldaten im Südosten der Türkei getötet. Das türkische Militär reagierte mit Luftangriffen und schickte Truppen in den Nordirak.
Türkische Truppen sind einem Bericht zufolge auf der Suche nach kurdischen Rebellen in den Nordirak einmarschiert. Wie die kurdische Nachrichtenagentur Firatnews meldete, überschritten türkische Kommandoeinheiten von der Größe eines Bataillons die Grenze. Die Luftwaffe bombardierte zudem mutmaßliche PKK-Stellungen in den nordirakischen Kandil-Bergen, wie türkische Sicherheitsbehörden mitteilten. » | ZEIT ONLINE, AFP | Mittwoch 19. Oktober 2011
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Generalstreik in Griechenland – Randalierer liefern sich Straßenschlachten mit der Polizei: Brandsätze und Steine fliegen, die Polizei reagiert mit Tränengas und Blendgranaten auf die Attacken der Randalierer: In Athen ist der Protest gegen die Sparpolitik der griechischen Regierung eskaliert. Es gibt bereits erste Verletzte. » | hen/heb/dpa/AFP/dapd | Mittwoch 19. Oktober 2011
The eastern German state of Thuringia is under fire for unwittingly selling a large manor house to a suspected far-right sympathizer who has made it available as a meeting place for right-wing extremists.
The building stood empty in the village of Guthmannshausen, some 60 kilometers (37 miles) northeast of the state capital, Erfurt, until its sale this year, and is now being used by a notorious right-wing extremist group called Gedächtnisstätte (Memorial Site), which plans to transform it into a center to commemorate the German victims of World War II.
The organization is run by a landscape architect, Wolfram Schiedewitz, who has been on the watch-list of the domestic intelligence agency for a number of years.
The group has links with known Holocaust deniers, such as Ursula Haverbeck-Wetzel, its founder and former chairwoman, who has been convicted of incitement several times and whose two other organizations have been banned.
In a statement to supporters, Schiedewitz said his group had at last found a new home. "We want to fill our manor with life in remembrance of our civilian victims of World War II through bombs, abduction and expulsion and in prison camps," Schiedewitz said. » | Maik Baumgärtner and Christina Hebel | Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Imam Mahmoud Aldebe, head of the Swedish Muslim Association, said that the mosque would be an opportunity to tell tourists about Islam.
"It would be a new way of seeking dialogue between different cultures and religions," he told Norrländska Socialdemokraten, a local paper.
"It's not actually such a controversial idea. It has been received well with everyone we have spoken to."
Each winter, Ice Hotel founder Yngve Bergqvist, oversees the sculpting of a giant 5,500 square metre complex, using ice cut from the local Torne river. » | Richard Orange in Malmö | Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Even as MPs agreed to hold a Commons vote on a referendum, government sources made clear that the Tories would be whipped to vote against a poll.
Mr Cameron's decision to impose a three-line whip has angered many MPs, since the vote was called under rules the Coalition promised would give backbenchers more freedom.
The back-bench business committee yesterday voted to hold a debate on the issue on Oct 27 after more than 100,000 people signed a petition demanding a choice.
The Prime Minister, who has expressed his desire to take back some powers from Brussels, is publicly opposed to a referendum and will order his MPs to vote against it.
Although any vote would not be binding, the decision sets the scene for a Tory rebellion and a test of Mr Cameron's authority over his party. » | Christopher Hope | Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Cameron would have been better off becoming a high class estate agent. He'd have done well at that. Leading the Conservatives, however, is another matter. Judging by the comments I have read on this thread, he's already a dead man walking. His chances of re-election are zilch.
I am no Europhobe, but if the people want a referendum, they should be given one. It isn't enough to talk about democracy, one has to show one's democratic credentials. David Cameron's are sadly lacking. But scorn will be heaped on him for this decision; and pay-back time is just a few years down the road. – © Mark
This comment also appears here
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Mitt Romney came under heavy attack on Tuesday night in the fieriest Republican primary debate so far, with rivals labelling him a hypocrite and a "flip-flopper" who "lacked all credibility".
With a CNN poll showing that 51 per cent of Republican voters believe the former Massachusetts governor has the best chance of beating President Barack Obama in 2012, other candidates clearly decided they had no option but to try and take him down before he walked off with the nomination. » | Alex Spillius, Las Vegas | Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Travelling with the Duke of Edinburgh, she touched down at Canberra's RAAF Fairbairn base tonight in a British Airways jet to be welcomed by hundreds of wellwishers, many holding flowers or waving flags.
The Queen emerged from the plane wearing a teal-coloured coat and hat to be greeted by Governor-General Quentin Bryce and Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
A military band played God Save the Queen and a 21-gun salute rang out before the 85-year-old monarch inspected the ceremonial royal guard made up of army, navy and air force personnel.
The Queen first visited Australia in 1954. Some expect that the 2011 tour will be her last. » | JAMIE WALKER | The Australian | Wednesday, October 19, 2011
THE AUSTRALIAN: New polling shows support for the monarchy in Australia is at its highest level since 1991: AUSTRALIANS are continuing to shun a republic and move back to the monarchy, research shows. » | CHRISTIAN KERR | The Australian | Wednesday, October 19, 2011
THE AUSTRALIAN: The Queen’s Visit: October 19–29, 2011 »
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Queen and Britain are now part of Australia’s past: The booming country’s economic and cultural ties are moving towards Asia and the US. » | Oscar Humphries | Tuesday, October 18, 2011
LE FIGARO: Arrivée d'Elizabeth II en Australie : La reine Elizabeth II d'Angleterre a été saluée aujourd'hui par 21 coups de canon et des centaines d'écoliers agitant des drapeaux, à son arrivée à Canberra, pour sa seizième et probablement dernière visite en Australie, dont elle est la chef d'Etat. » | AFP | mercredi 19 octobre 2011
NET TRIBUNE: Königin Elizabeth II. in Australien herzlich empfangen » | dapd | Mittwoch 19. Oktober 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
La nuit a été courte. Vent pinçant, carillon des cloches de Saint-Paul et arrivée des caméras dès l'aube ne facilitent certes pas le repos. Mais Bryn Phillips et Laura May, 28 et 30 ans, assis dans leur petite tente pliable, n'ont aucune intention de se laisser décourager. «On reste jusqu'à ce que le gouvernement démissionne», annonce Bryn, pianiste de son état.
Ils sont quelques centaines à camper ici depuis une manifestation, samedi, relayant le mouvement Occupy Wall Street de New York, sous une large bannière qui annonce : «Le capitalisme, c'est la crise.» Ils voulaient au départ s'installer devant la Bourse de Londres mais le propriétaire de l'esplanade privée où se situe son siège en a fait bloquer l'accès par la police. Les campeurs se sont donc réfugiés à deux pas, à l'ombre de la cathédrale Saint-Paul, avec le soutien inattendu du révérend Giles Fraser, qui a demandé aux forces de l'ordre de les laisser faire. » | Par Florentin Collomp | Correspondant à Londres | lundi 17 octobre 2011
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Proteste gegen Banken – Merkel: „Berechtigtes Gerechtigkeitsverlangen“ – Bundeskanzlerin Merkel versteht, warum „die Menschen auf die Straße gehen“. Darin drücke sich eine tiefe Sorge aus „und auch ein berechtigtes Gerechtigkeitsverlangen der Menschen.“ Es sei nötig, der Finanzwelt „Zügel anzulegen“.» | Quelle: Reuters, dpa | Montag 17. Oktober 2011
The UK Treasury has ordered the assets of five men frozen in connection with the alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the US.
The finance ministry confirmed it had acted under the Terrorist Asset Freezing Act, after ministers pledged action over the purported plan to kill the Saudi envoy, Adel al-Jubeir, in a bomb attack. The decision does not necessarily mean that the five men hold assets in Britain.
Two men have been charged by US authorities, accused of attempting to hire an alleged Mexican drug cartel member to carry out the killing.
US officials have described the plot as a clumsy but serious operation by Iran's elite foreign action unit, the Quds Force.
The Treasury confirmed the ministry had imposed asset freezes against five men. They include both men charged in the case – Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old US citizen who also holds an Iranian passport, and Gholam Shakuri, an alleged member of Iran's Quds Force, who remains at large in Iran.
Britain also froze the assets of three other men – Hamed Abdollahi, a senior Quds officer alleged to have helped co-ordinate the plot, Abdul Reza Shahlai and Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds force who allegedly oversaw the plot. The US last week acted against the same five men. » | Associated Press | Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Assem al-Gohary said Swiss authorities are investigating whether one of the sons, Alaa, 49, was involved in money laundering along with other ex-regime figures.
Mr Mubarak and his sons have been charged with corruption and all three are under arrest in Egypt. Mr Mubarak is also charged with complicity in the killing of about 850 protesters during the Jan 25 to Feb 11 Egyptian uprising.
Rumours circulated during the uprising that Mr Mubarak and his sons had amassed tens of billions of pounds in corrupt practices, helping drive the anger that brought him down.
Switzerland has already frozen the assets of the Mubarak family and other ex-Egyptian regime figures, which al-Gohary estimated at nearly $450 million. He added that most of those assets belong to the sons. Continue reading and comment » | Monday, October 17, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Swedish parliament has voted to give couples where the father takes over caring for the baby a 'gender equality bonus' of 3,000 Swedish Kronor (£287) each month, on top of existing paternity benefits set at 80 per cent of salary.
The Swedish vote comes as the UK's coalition government is seeking to roll back an earlier pledge to change the UK system so that British parents can share leave, as they do in Sweden.
"The government wants parents to share more equally in their parental leave, so that women aren't discriminated against on the labour market," said Niklas Löfgren, a spokesman for Sweden's Social Insurance Agency. "It is also to ensure that the father gets a closer relationship to the child at an earlier stage of its life." » | Richard Orange, Malmö | Monday, October 17, 2011
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Die radikale islamistische Miliz al Shabaab hat mit Selbstmordanschlägen in Kenia gedroht, sollte Nairobi seine Truppen nicht aus Somalia abziehen. Zuvor waren schwer bewaffnete kenianische Truppen ins Nachbarland eingerückt.
Die radikale islamistische Miliz al Shabaab hat mit Selbstmordanschlägen in Kenia gedroht, sollte Nairobi seine Truppen nicht aus Somalia abziehen. Zuvor waren schwer bewaffnete kenianische Truppen ins Nachbarland eingerückt, um, wie ein Sprecher der kenianischen Regierung sagte, die Milizionäre "auszuschalten", die für die Entführung von zwei spanischen Entwicklungshelferinnen sowie einer französischen und einer britischen Touristin verantwortlich seien.
Ein Shabaab-Sprecher sagte am Montag, die Kenianer sollten daran denken, was in Uganda geschehen sei. Bei einem Doppelanschlag in Kampala während der Übertragung des Endspiels der Fußballweltmeisterschaft im Juli 2010 waren 76 Personen getötet worden. Der Shabaab-Sprecher sagte, dieser Anschlag sei verübt worden, weil Uganda Soldaten für die Truppen der Afrikanischen Union nach Mogadischu geschickt habe. » | Quelle: tos.; F.A.Z. | Montag 17. Oktober 2011
David Cameron believes a core set of British values could help to combat extremist Islamic ideology. Should Muslims adapt to Britain or should Britain adapt to Muslims?
Writer Douglas Murray believes that British society has already gone too far in accommodating Islamic ideology into our culture and that we need to stand up for our hard-fought liberal values.
Elle est l'unique héritière de Liliane Bettencourt. Fruit de l'union d'André et Liliane Bettencourt, née Schueller. Françoise Bettencourt voit le jour le 10 juillet 1953 à Neuilly-sur-Seine (Hauts-de-Seine). Élevée dans la religion catholique, elle est l'auteur de plusieurs ouvrages sur la Bible et les relations entre le christianisme et le judaïsme, méconnus du grand public avant « l'affaire Bettencourt », qui l'oppose à sa mère.
Elle rencontre Jean-Pierre Meyers, son futur époux, à Megève. Il est le petit fils de l'ancien rabbin de Neuilly-sur-Seine, déporté avec sa femme à Auschwitz. Le mariage civil a lieu le 6 avril 1984 à Fiesole, en Toscane. Ensemble, ils vont avoir deux enfants : Jean-Victor en 1986, et Nicolas, en 1988. Les deux fils sont élevés dans le judaïsme. » | Par Actu France-Soir | lundi 17 octobre 2011
Lien en relation avec cet article »
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: L'Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt placed under protection of family: L'Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt is to be placed under the guardianship of family members, a judge ruled on Monday. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Monday, October 17, 2011
LE MONDE: Liliane Bettencourt préfère quitter la France que d'être mise sous tutelle » | LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | samedi 15 octobre 2011
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: In a safe house reached with the help of guides signalling a route through the warren of darkened streets, a clutch of Syrian army defectors plots the downfall of a feared regime.
The city of Homs is a virtual ghost town. Its medieval fort has been transformed into a garrison and checkpoints have been established around the city.
But in its back alleys groups of armed men have formed units to defend the population from the military onslaught.
Some are local revolutionaries, known as thwarr, who have joined the protests against President Bashar al-Assad that have convulsed the country for six months. Others are defectors from the armed forces who have now turned their guns on their former comrades.
The seven deserters at the safe house proudly display stolen weapons, including rocket launchers, anti-aircraft guns and grenades.
One, a 19-year old conscript, had been shooting at protesters a week beforehand. "The [secret] security would stand behind us and make us shoot," he says. » | Hussein al-Haqq in Homs | Sunday, October 16, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)