Thursday, January 12, 2012
One-third of Mormons in the US believe that American voters are not ready to elect Mitt Romney, or any other member of their church, as president.
A survey of adherents to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) released on Thursday found that almost half of Mormons in the US considered themselves more discriminated against than African Americans.
According to the research by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, suspicion spills over to political life with 32% of Mormons believing that Romney's religion will count against him in a presidential election. A little more than half say US voters will accept a Mormon in the White House.
While 97% of Mormons regard themselves as Christians, large numbers of other Americans do not because of the church's origins and some of its practices, including a belief that its present leader is a prophet from God.
Pew said it undertook the latest research because of heightened awareness of the LDS church in American life even though Mormons only make up 2% of the US population.
"With a Mormon candidate among the frontrunners for the 2012 [Republican] presidential nomination, a musical about Mormons playing on Broadway and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints running television ads about ordinary Mormons, America is in the midst of what some media accounts have dubbed a 'Mormon moment'," the report said.
"Many Mormons feel they are misunderstood, discriminated against and not accepted by other Americans as part of mainstream society. Yet, at the same time, a majority of Mormons think that acceptance of Mormonism is rising." » | Chris McGreal in Washington | Thursday, January 12, 2012
The Iranian leader arrived in Cuba for talks with his counterpart Raul Castro as the Islamic republic blamed Israel and the United States for the killing of a nuclear scientist in a Tehran car bombing.
The scientist's killing heightened already high tensions with the West over Iran's suspect nuclear programme, but a defiant Ahmadinejad flashed the victory sign several times after landing in Havana.
The Iranian leader was greeted by nine girls in traditional Iranian attire as he stepped off the plane that flew him in from Nicaragua on the third leg of his Latin American tour, aimed at shoring up ties in the region.
Ahmadinejad was taken to the University of Havana where he picked up an honorary doctorate and told students in the Americas' only Communist country that capitalism could soon be on its last legs.
"Our shared task, mission and challenge is to make a great effort for justice to be achieved, (otherwise) millions will suffer injustice," Ahmadinejad said.
"We are watching the capitalist system decay ... it is heading toward a dead end," he said, stressing that what is needed is "a new order, a fresh look, that respects all human beings, a way of thinking that is based on justice." » | Thursday, January 12, 2012
The mighty American military machine that has for so long secured the country's status as the world's only superpower will have to be drastically reduced, Barack Obama warned yesterday as he set out a radical but more modest new set of priorities for the Pentagon over the next decade.
After the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that defined the first decade of the 21st century, Mr Obama's blueprint for the military's future acknowledged that America will no longer have the resources to conduct two such major operations simultaneously.
Instead, the US military will lose up to half a million troops and will focus on countering terrorism and meeting the new challenges of an emergent Asia dominated by China. America, the President said, was "turning the page on a decade of war" and now faced "a moment of transition". The country's armed forces would in future be leaner but, Mr Obama pointedly warned both friends and foes, sufficient to preserve US military superiority over any rival – "agile, flexible and ready for the full range of contingencies and threats". » | Rupert Cornwell | Washington | Friday, January 06, 2012
US forces in Afghanistan are facing fresh accusations of war crimes after film emerged of American marines urinating on dead bodies and laughing.
The US military command in Kabul, which was severely embarrassed last year by revelations that Americans soldiers were running a "kill squad" murdering Afghan civilians, said it will investigate the undated video but that if proves to be authentic then desecration of corpses would be regarded as a serious crime.
In the graphic short video, four soldiers in combat gear and carrying weapons are seen acting in unison as they urinate on three bloodied corpses. One of the soldiers sighs with relief, another says "yeah" and a third laughs. One remarks: "Have a great day, buddy". Another says: "Golden, like a shower".
A fifth soldier films the incident.
The video was posted anonymously on Wednesday along with a caption that said: "scout sniper team 4 with 3rd battalion 2nd marines out of camp lejeune peeing on dead talibans".
Military officials confirmed that the soldiers appear to be carrying rifles of a kind issued to sniper teams in Afghanistan.
A US department of defence spokesman, Captain John Kirby, told CNN: "Regardless of the circumstances or who is in the video, this is egregious, disgusting behaviour. It's hideous. It turned my stomach." » | Chris McGreal in Washington | Washington, January 11, 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Hamid Karzai condemns US Marines urinating video: Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his Taliban enemy have denounced a video which appears to show American Marines urinating on the blood-soaked bodies of dead insurgency fighters. » | Dean Nelson, South Asia Editor and Zubair Babakarkhail in Kabul | Thursday, January 12, 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Leon Panetta says US Marines urinating video 'utterly deplorable': US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has said the behaviour of US Marines in a video which appears to show them urinating on the blood-soaked bodies of dead insurgency fighters is "utterly deplorable". » | Dean Nelson, South Asia Editor, Zubair Babakarkhail in Kabul | Thursday, January 12, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Party pooper!
First, Mayor Bloomberg went after smoking in public places. Then trans-fats, salt and sugary drinks.
Now Bloomberg — known for sipping fine wine and downing a cold beer from time to time — wants to crack down on alcohol sales to curb excessive drinking, according to a provocative planning document obtained by The Post.
The city Health Department’s far-reaching Partnership for a Healthier New York City initiatives proposes to slash the number of establishments in the city that sell booze.
Community “transformation” grants provided under President Obama’s health-care law would help bankroll the effort.
One of the goals listed in the “request for proposal” document to community groups is “reducing alcohol retail outlet (e.g. bar, corner store) density and illegal alcohol,” the document states.
“Talk about a nanny state. Why don’t they just close all the liquor establishments?” quipped Mike Long, a former liquor-store owner in Bay Ridge and head of the state Conservative Party.
“This is absolutely insane. They want to run the retail establishments in New York,” said Long, who likened the effort to the temperance movement of more than a century ago.
Health officials and advocates have also discussed banning liquor advertising seen by millions of straphangers in the transit system. Read on and comment » | Carl Campanile | Wednesday, January 11, 2012
NEW YORK MAGAZINE: Bloomberg’s Health Initiatives Target Alcohol, Too: Booze can now be added to the list of fun things Mayor Bloomberg wants less of in New York City, with public campaigns against smoking, salt, sugar, and trans-fat already underway. The New York Post reports that Bloomberg, although he's "known for sipping fine wine and downing a cold beer from time to time," has plans to limit the sale of alcohol, in addition to advertising and promotion for bars and liquor. Thanks to the Health Department's Healthier New York City initiatives, the so-called nanny state could be drying up some soon. » | Joe Cascarelli | Wednesday, January 11, 2012
MAIL ONLINE: He's outlawed smoking, now Nanny Bloomberg wants to close New York liquor stores to clamp down on drinking » | Hugo Gye | Wednesday, January 11, 2012
My comment:
This little man has a tyrannical nature. Little men often do. He's turning the 'Big Apple' into a city nobody will ever want to go to for a break. – © Mark
This comment also appears here
The former Massachusetts governor trained his sights on President Barack Obama, as party strategists said the contest for a candidate to face him in November’s general election was all but over.
Mr Romney arrived in South Carolina, the next state to vote, 10 points ahead in opinion polls. At the same time he unleashed a barrage of advertising in Florida, site of the fourth contest on Jan 31.
The show of strength came after he became the first Republican presidential challenger since the modern primary system began 35 years ago to win both the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire poll.
“Tonight, we made history,” he told supporters at a rally in Manchester. He promised to oust Mr Obama from the White House and “restore America to the founding principles that made this country great”.
Denouncing Mr Obama as a “failed president”, he added: “Tonight we are asking the good people of South Carolina to join the citizens of New Hampshire and make 2012 the year he runs out of time”. » | Jon Swaine, Manchester | Wednesday, January 11, 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Scotland may be forced to join the Euro as the price of independence from the United Kingdom, Downing Street warned today.
A spokesman for David Cameron said there were no guarantees that the Scots could keep sterling if they voted against remaining affiliated with the rest of the union.
Mr Cameron’s spokesman said: “Once you start asking the question about independence, one part of that is what currency to have. Would Scotland retain the pound, and if so, how does that work? Or does it join the euro? That’s one part of the independence question.”
Other issues which Downing Street said would need ironing out are shared defence capabilities, the national debt and border security.
A carve up of assets between England and Scotland could leave both countries facing years of legal wrangling. » | James Kirkup, and Simon Johnson | Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Related audio »
BBC: The Scottish Secretary Michael Moore has said he hopes the row over the independence referendum can be worked out amicably and would not end up in the courts.
The Scottish government has said it has a mandate to hold the vote in the autumn of 2014 but ministers at Westminster say that would be unlawful under current devolved powers.
They are prepared to give Holyrood the authority to hold a binding vote provided its a single question, is overseen by the Electoral Commission and the minimum voting age is 18.
First Minister Alex Salmond told BBC Good Morning Scotland he thinks Mr Moore is wrong about the voting age. Listen to the audio » | Tuesday, January 11, 2012
THE GUARDIAN: Denver court upholds judge's order that claimed Oklahoma's attempt to ban sharia law was unconstitutional
A proposed constitutional amendment that would ban Oklahoma courts from considering international or Islamic law discriminates against religions, a federal appeals court said on Tuesday, as it gave the right to a Muslim community leader to challenge its constitutionality.
The court in Denver upheld US district judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange's order blocking implementation of the amendment shortly after it was approved by 70% of Oklahoma voters in November 2010.
Muneer Awad, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Oklahoma, sued to block the law from taking effect, arguing that the Save Our State Amendment violated his First Amendment rights.
"This is an important reminder that the constitution is the last line of defense against a rising tide of anti-Muslim bigotry in our society, and we are pleased that the appeals court recognised that fact," Awad said. "We are also hopeful that this decision serves as a reminder to politicians wishing to score political points through fear-mongering and bigotry." » | Associated Press | Wednesday, January 11, 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Gunmen from the radical Islamist sect Boko Haram killed eight people, including four police officers, after opening fire at a beer parlour in northeast Nigeria.
The shootings come as the sect has promised to target Christians in Nigeria's Muslim north, expanding its campaign of assassinations and bombings.
Tuesday night's attack occurred in the town of Potiskum in Yobe state. Local police commissioner Tanko Lawan said the six gunmen began shooting as patrons drank beer, which the local Shariah law technically opposes, though bars remain open for those living there. » | Wednesday, January 11, 2012
THE BALTIMORE SUN: Mitt Romney rolled to an easy victory Tuesday in the New Hampshire primary, taking a broad stride toward capturing the GOP presidential nomination as the contest heads south for a pair of potentially make-or-break contests.
The win, forecast by the television networks from exit polls almost immediately after voting ended, would give Romney a one-two sweep in the early balloting of the 2012 campaign, a first for any Republican apart from a sitting president.
The conservative candidates who stand the best chance to stop him as the race heads to South Carolina – former Pennsylvania Sen.Rick Santorum, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Gov. Rick Perry -- were trailing far back and appeared unlikely to get a significant lift from their performance here.
In polling before Tuesday’s election, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. were vying for second place. Santorum, the Iowa runner-up by a handful of votes, and Gingrich were scrambling to create some sense of momentum for their campaigns. Perry abandoned New Hampshire, staking his future on South Carolina.
Romney starts out leading there, too, but that challenge promises to be much more formidable than New Hampshire which, from the start, was a fight to finish second behind the former Massachusetts governor. Unlike Iowa, where leaders came and went atop the polls, no survey ever showed Romney with less than a sizable, double-digit New Hampshire lead.
In South Carolina, however, Romney won't have what amounted to a home-field advantage -- five Massachusetts presidential hopefuls have won the neighboring Granite State in past elections -- and he will face a much different electorate in the first Southern primary next week.
South Carolina has a large and politically important bloc of evangelical voters. Romney will face resistance among some of those Christian conservatives who are suspicious if not downright hostile toward his Mormon faith. In New Hampshire, just 14% of those who voted Tuesday said being a “true conservative” was the most important thing to them, trailing far behind the economic concerns cited by 6 in 10 voters, according to election day interviews by the TV networks.
Romney is also facing a more assertive pack of runners-up. » | Los Angeles Times Staff Writer | Tuesday, January 10, 2012
THE GUARDIAN: Romney raises $24 million » | AP foreign | Wednesday, January 11, 2012
THE GUARDIAN: Welsh health minister says not removing defective implants could endanger women's health
The Welsh government says it will pay to replace French-made PIP breast implants for women who were treated privately.
Welsh health minister Lesley Griffiths said not replacing the implants could endanger women's health, given some have already ruptured.
The health secretary, Andrew Lansley, will rule out following suit in England when he updates MPs on the scandal today. » | Denis Campbell | Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
THE ATLANTIC: Syria's dictator is following the same path that led Libya's leader to his death
Back in April, an NPR producer wrote up the 11 steps that Middle Eastern dictators take on the path to losing power. Her list, like the many similar lists floating around Arabic-language blogs and social media, drew from the examples of Tunisia's Zine el Abidine ben Ali (fled in January), Egypt's Hosni Mubarak (forced out in February), and Yemen Ali Abdullah Saleh (pressured by the U.S. to resign in early April, a still-ongoing process). The pattern looked indelible, and still does. Here's the list:
1. Shut down the internet» | Max Fisher | Tuesday, January 10, 2012
1. Send thugs (on foot or horseback)
2. Attack and arrest journalists
3. Shoot people
4. Promise to investigate who shot people
5. Do a meaningless political reshuffle
6. Blame Al Jazeera
7. Organise paid demonstrations in favor of your regime
8. Make a condescending speech about how much you love the youth
9. Warn that the country will fall into chaos without you
10. Blame foreign agitators
Related »
BBC: Syria: US condemns Bashar al-Assad 'conspiracy' speech – The US and France have condemned a speech by Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad which blamed an "external conspiracy" for the mass uprising against his rule. ¶ The US state department said President Assad had thrown "responsibility on everybody but back on himself". ¶ France's foreign minister said the speech amounted to "denial of reality". » | Tuesday, January 10, 2012
In his 1998 work Dream Palace of the Arabs, Fouad Ajami wrote, "As the world batters the modern Arab inheritance, the rhetorical need for anti-Zionism grows. But there rises, too, the recognition that it is time for the imagination to steal away from Israel and to look at the Arab reality, to behold its own view of the kind of world the Arabs want for themselves." Whether Ajami realized it or not, these words offer an eerily prescient view--thirteen years ahead of time--of the dynamic behind the Arab Spring and its autumn and winter sequels. In country after country, Arab crowds have taken to the street for a cause more positive and all-embracing than anti-Zionism: the demand for an end to corrupt authoritarian regimes and for a greater say in their own future. What shape that future will take remains to be seen, and many basic questions have yet to be answered. Can democracy blossom overnight in societies that have always been dominated by oppressive force? If democracy does take root, can respect for minority rights survive the tyranny of a poor, ill-schooled and often intolerant majority? Would democratically elected demagogues pose even more of a threat to peace and stability in the Muslim-Arab world than old-line authoritarian regimes and monarchies with a selfish stake in maintaining the status quo and "keeping the lid on"?
Meanwhile, where can one turn for detailed, reliable coverage of what some now call the "Arab Awakening"? For millions of people around the world, including actual participants on the ground and in the streets of the Middle East, the single most important news source for the events still unfolding in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain is the English-language channel of the Qatar-based Al Jazeera television-news network. Like it or not, it is no exaggeration to say that Al Jazeera has been the eyes and ears of this crucial news story. More often than not, Al Jazeera correspondents are the first on the scene, and Al Jazeera anchors and interviewers provide the most detailed follow-up, discussion and analysis of breaking events in the Arab world. » | Aram Bakshian Jr. | Tuesday, January 10, 2012
THE INDEPENDENT: Driven by a theology that refuses to grant women equal rights, ultraorthodox Jews have begun to flex their misogynist muscles. But, says Catrina Stewart, a fightback has begun
Less than half a mile away, young Israelis mix in bustling bars in central Jerusalem, anathema to this religious ultraorthodox community that has tried its hardest to hide itself away from the temptations of secular life, and ensure a rigorous separation between men and women.
Ironically, though, it is the ultraorthodox community's efforts to impose its religious values on ordinary Israelis, particularly women, that many fear is undermining Israel's democracy, and which now poses the greatest threat to this community's survival.
When Tanya Rosenblit, a 28-year-old woman from Ashdod, boarded a Jerusalem-bound bus late last year, she caused a stir by refusing to heed the demands of a religious male passenger to move to the back of the bus. Many of the ultraorthodox – known as Haredim – believe that modesty forbids women to sit at the front of the bus with the men, and it is common to see segregated buses with women seated to the rear, often crowded in while seats remain free at the front.
Ms Rosenblit became a minor celebrity in Israel, but her stance was not without consequences, earning her death threats for daring to challenge the religious community.
"The Haredim has always received special treatment in this country and people thought it was okay," she says. "But something has changed... in the sense that they feel they are going to control this country. That's disturbing." » | Catrina Stewart | Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Related »
The Syrian president has made a defiant speech blaming foreign interference for the violence in his country.
In a televised speech on Tuesday, he accused the Arab League of hypocrisy for lecturing Syria on democracy and reform.
Assad claimed he never ordered anyone to open fire on anti-government protesters. However, opposition activists said at least 28 people were killed across the country on Tuesday alone as part of the government's security crackdown.
Assad asked what right other Arab governments, including the absolute monarchies of the Gulf, had to lecture Syria about democracy or reform.
Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra reports from Antakya, Turkey.
Verwandt »
Staatspräsident Baschar al Assad hat den Syrern abermals Reformen in Aussicht gestellt, deren Verwirklichung aber von einem Ende des „Terrorismus“ im Land abhängig gemacht. In seiner dritten Rede seit dem Beginn der Erhebung gegen sein Regime vor zehn Monaten machte Assad wie zuvor deutlich, die Proteste gegen seine Regierung gingen auf eine „internationale Verschwörung“ und auf ausländische Einmischung zurück. In der Universität Damaskus griff er die Arabische Liga und die Golfmonarchien scharf an. Die Beobachtermission der Liga gehe auf seine Idee zurück, behauptete Assad. Er warf den arabischen Staaten aber vor, sie ließen sich nach dem gescheiterten Versuch, Syrien vor den Sicherheitsrat der Vereinten Nationen zu bringen, als „arabischen Deckmantel“ für die Verschwörung missbrauchen. » | Von RAINER HERMANN, ABU DHABI | Dienstag 10. Januar 2012
Frustration, tensions, frictions entre Michelle Obama et les premiers conseillers de son mari: l'image d'Épinal d'une Maison-Blanche unie derrière le président est mise à mal dans un nouveau livre, qui décrypte l'évolution de la Première Dame depuis son arrivée à Washington en 2009.
The Obamas, écrit par la journaliste du New York Times Jodi Kantor, s'intéresse en particulier aux deux premières années passées par la famille Obama dans ses quartiers présidentiels. C'est le premier livre à révéler le réel degré d'influence de Michelle Obama sur le président et son rôle de «gardienne» des idéaux de la campagne de 2008.
L'auteur décrit un couple solide et très complémentaire, mais «virtuellement prisonnier» de la Maison-Blanche, refusant de se faire des amis au delà du cercle restreint qu'il fréquentait Chicago. Kantor raconte aussi, avec force détails et un goût prononcé pour les potins, l'inimitié profonde entre Michelle Obama et le premier chef de cabinet du président, Rahm Emanuel, ainsi que les tensions avec l'ancien porte-parole, Robert Gibbs. » | Par Adèle Smith | mardi 10 janvier 2012
THE GUARDIAN: Teresa Gambaro apologises after suggesting immigrants should learn about personal hygiene and queueing
The Australian opposition's spokeswoman on citizenship has apologised after saying immigrants should be taught to wear deodorant.
Teresa Gambaro's comments, in an interview with the [sic] Australian, provoked a firestorm of criticism. Gambaro said that new arrivals needed to be taught about "what are norms in Australia", which also included how to queue properly.
"Without trying to be offensive, we are talking about hygiene and what is an acceptable norm in this country when you are working closely with other co-workers," the [sic] Australian reported her as saying. "You hear reports of people using public transport (without deodorant) and I think Australian residents are guilty of this too. I think we all need to be mindful of our fellow traveller."
However, after her comments attracted a mixture of anger and ridicule, Gambaro, the daughter of Italian immigrants, backtracked. "I regret any offence that may have been taken and unreservedly apologise," she said. » | Haroon Siddique | Tuesday, January 10, 2012
The demand from the Islamic body revived divisions over 'The Satanic Verses,' his 1988 novel that Muslim groups have condemned as blasphemous.
The Rajasthan festival later this month is due to host leading writers and playwrights, including Annie Proulx, Ben Okri, David Hare and Richard Dawkins.
Fatwas from the Darul Uloom seminary in Deoband are observed throughout the world. Its vice chancellor said tens of millions of muslims [sic] remain 'hurt' the novel.
The Statanic [sic] Verses provoked outrage throughout the Muslim world over the narrator's claim that disputed verses in the Koran had been revealed by the Archangel Gabriel.
Sir Salman was forced into hiding after Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa for his execution. India was one of the many countries which banned the book.
"I call upon the Muslim organisations of the country to mount pressure on the centre to withdraw the visa and prevent him visiting India where [tens of millions] community members still feel hurt owing to the anti-Islamic remarks in his writings The [sic] Muslims cannot pardon him at any cost," said Maulana Abul Qasim Nomani, the institute head. » | Dean Nelson, New Delhi | Tuesday, January 10, 2012
HT: Underdog News by Klein Verzet »
Despite their geographical distance, the two countries have forged increasingly close ties, a lot of which is down to their shared anti-Americanism, although concrete projects have often lagged behind the rhetoric.
"One of the targets that Yankee imperialism has in its sights is Iran, which is why we are showing our solidarity," Chavez said during a joint press conference. "That hill will open up and a big atomic bomb will come out," he said of a hill next to his Miraflores Palace.
"When we meet, the devils go crazy," he said, mocking US warnings that Latin American nations should not help the Islamic Republic.
Ahmadinejad concurred: "Despite those arrogant people who do not wish us to be together, we will unite forever," he said.
The two men hugged, beamed, held hands and showered each other with praise. "President Chavez is the champion in the war on imperialism," Ahmadinejad said. » | Barney Henderson | Tuesday, January 10, 2012
The telecommunications mogul, who also heads the secular Free Egyptians political party, is charged with posting a photograph on his Twitter account last June that depicted a bearded Mickey Mouse and a veiled MInnie [sic] Mouse. A group of Islamist lawyers, including ultraconservative Mamdouh Ismail, filed a lawsuit immediately after the cartoon was circulated.
Despite his formal apology, Sawiris' stunt was seen as mockery of Islam by this overwhelmingly Muslim country. Various religious groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood and ultraconservative Salafis, led a nationwide campaign to boycott products and services offered by Sawiris' companies. » | Monday, January 09, 2012
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Reporting from Manchester, N.H.—
The polls are open through most of New Hampshire, where a record turnout is forecast for the nation's first presidential primary.
New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner, overseeing his ninth presidential primary, estimated that a quarter of a million ballots could be cast in the GOP race, which would exceed the nearly 240,000 ballots cast four years ago.
Pre-election surveys suggest that Mitt Romney has an insurmountable lead, but a fierce battle was nonetheless waged in the final days as other candidates fought to beat expectations in anticipation of the next primary in South Carolina.
The final Suffolk University tracking poll saw Romney ticking up four percentage points in the final day. He led Ron Paul 37%-18%.
A win for Romney would be unprecedented in this respect: No Republican has ever won both the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. Romney's eight-vote advantage in Iowa has not yet been certified, though GOP officials there said they didn't expect the result to change.
In his closing argument to voters Monday night, Romney said he wanted a more convincing win here.
"You're going to make a statement tomorrow," he said at a rally in Bedford. "Give me the boost I need." » | Michael A. Memoli | Tuesday, January 10, 2012
THE GUARDIAN: Lingering doubts about frontrunner on display in midnight vote at Dixville Notch where two out of six vote Romney
Despite some last-minute gaffes, Mitt Romney remains the overwhelming favourite to win the New Hampshire presidential primary, but the margin of victory could determine whether he quickly clinches the Republican nomination or faces a gruelling battle.
His five opponents will try to shrug off a Romney victory as the expected outcome for a former governor of next-door Massachusetts who owns a vacation home on a New Hampshire lake. But a surprisingly strong finish from one of his rivals will be played up as more evidence that Republicans still have their doubts about Romney.
Those doubts were on display in Dixville Notch, the tiny New Hampshire village that traditionally votes at midnight. Romney received two of the six votes cast in the Republican primary. So did Jon Huntsman. Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul received a vote apiece. President Barack Obama got three votes in the Democratic primary.
The rest of New Hampshire voters go to the polls on Tuesday after receiving months of attention from the Republican candidates and witnessing an increasingly sharp tone in the intra-party struggle for the nomination. » | Associated Press in New Hampshire | Tuesday, January 10, 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Iran faced worldwide censure after a court in Tehran sentenced an American former marine of Iranian descent to death on spying charges.
Amir Mirzai Hekmati was found guilty of "spreading corruption on earth and waging war against God", a formulation routinely used against those to be considered enemies of the state and which carries a mandatory death sentence.
Hekmati, who is 28, was "sentenced to death for co-operating with a hostile nation, membership of the CIA and trying to implicate in terrorism," a judge ruled.
The former marine received espionage training at US bases in Afghanistan and Iran, prosecutors said. Hekmati, who worked as a translator for the US army, was shown on state television last month confessing his crimes.
He also admitted to working for a CIA-backed company that produced computer games manipulating users into holding pro-American views. » | Adrian Blomfield, Middle East Correspondent | Monday, January 09, 2012
Related »
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama’s chief of staff has resigned after a troubled year in one of the most powerful roles in American politics.
Bill Daley, a former Clinton administration official and a member of a Chicago political dynasty, made the surprise decision to stand down less than 12 months into a tenure which saw growing frustration as the President’s agenda stalled in Congress.
Speaking at the White House, the President said the resignation “was not easy news to hear” and that he only accepted it last week after asking Mr Daley to take a day to reconsider.
Mr Obama said that Mr Daley, 63, was leaving to return to Chicago and spend more time with his family but the former investment banker’s frustration with his role has long been public knowledge.
In an interview last October, Mr Daley said that the political and economic climate of the first three years of the Obama administration had been “brutal” and “very, very difficult”, adding: “On the domestic side both Democrats and Republicans have made it very difficult for the President to be anything like a chief executive.” » | Raf Sanchez, Washington | Monday, January 09, 2012
Monday, January 09, 2012
Republican presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney offered his political rivals a gift on Monday when he volunteered that he liked firing people – an unfortunate remark just as his opponents launched millions of dollars in campaign ads labelling him a heartless corporate raider.
Speaking on the eve of Tuesday's Republican primary in New Hampshire, he said: "I like being able to fire people who provide services to me." He was referring not to making workers redundant but defending the free market, the ability to swap providers if service is poor. But, given the cynical way ads have been distorted so far in the 2012 campaign, there is a strong chance his remarks will be seized upon for use in attack ads, using just the words "I like being able to fire people".
It is a potential election bonus not just for the Democratic party but for the remaining Republicans in the race for the party's nominations. It came as supporters of one of Romney's fiercest and angriest Republican rivals, former House Speaker, Newt Gingrich, released a trailer for an ad which will cost a staggering $3.4m to air.
The ad – paid for by one of the new breed of super political action committees (super PACs), which have unrestricted spending limits as a result of a supreme court ruling – details the devastation allegedly caused by layoffs in firms taken over by Romney when he was chief executive of the Bain investment company.
The ad is revenge for Gingrich, who was on the receiving end of a $3.5m ad onslaught in Iowa by Romney and his super PAC over the Christmas and New Year period that helped demolish Gingrich's poll lead in the state. » | Ewen MacAskill in Nashua, New Hampshire | Monday, January 09, 2012
An Iranian court has convicted a US man of working for the CIA and sentenced him to death, state radio reported.
Iran says that Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, a former US military translator, received special training and served at US military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan before heading to Iran for his alleged intelligence mission.
The radio report on Monday did not say when the verdict was issued. Under Iranian law, Hekmati has 20 days to appeal.
Al Jazeera's Nicole Johnston reports.
Related »
An apparition is stalking the United States. That, at least, is what the Republicans seem to believe in this election season. And the apparition has a name: Europe.
US President Baracka Obama, said leading Republican candidate Mitt Romney during the Republican debate on Saturday, wants to turn the US into a "European welfare state." At a weekend appearance in New Hampshire, site of a crucial primary vote on Tuesday, Romney said "I don't believe in Europe. I believe in America."
In an election year overshadowed by the threats posed by the European economy and concerns about the break-up of the European common currency, it is a message that Romney has been delivering every chance he gets. And he's not alone. Europe bashing has become an important stump-speech cornerstone for the entire Republican field. The message, as Romney never tires of delivering it, is clear: "I don't think Europe is working in Europe. I know it won't work here." » | Sebastian Fischer in Manchester, New Hampshire | Monday, January 09, 2012
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WELT ONLINE: US-Verteidigungsminister Panetta hat dem Iran mit einer militärischen Reaktion im Falle der Sperrung der Seestraße von Hormus gedroht. Iran plant weitere Manöver.
Der Atomstreit zwischen dem Westen und dem Iran spitzt sich von Tag zu Tag weiter zu. Die USA schickten am Sonntag eine ungewöhnlich deutliche Warnung an die Adresse der Führung in Teheran. Der Iran überschreite eine „rote Linie“, wenn er Atomwaffen entwickeln oder wichtige Schifffahrtswege blockieren sollte, sagte Verteidigungsminister Leon Panetta. » | dpa/AFP/sara/fbr | Sonntag 08. Januar 2012
Depp greeted guests in the costume he had worn in a film version of the Lewis Carroll story released around the same time by Burton, who was given carte blanche to transform the state dining room into a Mad Hatter's tea party in "his signature creepy-comic style".
A long table was "set with antique-looking linens, enormous stuffed animals in chairs, and tiered serving plates with treats like bone-shaped meringue cookies", writes New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor in The Obamas, which is released on Tuesday. Fruit punch was served in blood vials at the bar, she adds.
George Lucas sent Chewbacca from Star Wars to mingle with invited guests, who included the Obamas' two daughters Malia and Sasha and friends, the children of White House staff members and military families.
The White House press corps was allowed to report on more modest festivities earlier that day for Washington-area school children, but did not release details of the more glamorous festivities that occurred later for what was the Obamas' first Halloween in office in 2009.
The only images released showed the first couple greeting children outside the dining room, with Michelle Obama in a leopard fancy dress costume. Read on and comment » | Alex Spillius | Sunday, January 08, 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The passing of North Korean strongman Kim Jong-il has been marked by plunging temperatures, mourning bears and now, according to North Korean state media, by flocks of magpies.
Kim, who died in December aged 69 years after 17 years running the world's most reclusive state, was reputed to be able to control the weather, as well as to have scored a miraculous 38 under par round of golf.
"At around 17:30 on December 19, 2011, hundreds of magpies appeared from nowhere and hovered over a statue of President Kim Il Sung on Changdok School campus in Mangyongdae District, clattering as if they were telling him the sad news," state news agency KCNA reported on Monday. » | Monday, January 09, 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: An American ex-Marine, who also holds Iranian citizenship, has been sentenced to death by an Iran judge for spying for the CIA, the Fars news agency reported on Monday.
Amir Mirzai Hekmati, 28, was "sentenced to death for co-operating with a hostile nation, membership of the CIA and trying to implicate Iran in terrorism," the verdict said, according to Fars.
Hekmati, who was born in the United States to an Iranian immigrant family, was shown on Iranian state television in mid-December saying in fluent Farsi and English that he was a Central Intelligence Agency operative sent to infiltrate the Iranian intelligence ministry.
He had been arrested months earlier. » | Monday, January 09, 2012
THE GUARDIAN: Iranian court sentences 'CIA agent' to death: • Father of Amir Hekmati says he was just visiting family • Iranian media says country has started enriching uranium ¶ Iran has sentenced an American citizen to death and reports have emerged that the country has started enriching uranium underground in a show of defiance of western sanctions. ¶ The man, Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, an Iranian-American born in Arizona in 1983, was shown on Iranian television in December confessing to being a CIA agent, sent to gain the trust of the Iranian government by pretending to offer US state secrets. Hekmati's father said he had gone to Iran to visit his grandmother. » | Julian Borger, diplomatic editor | Monday, January 09, 2012
The unexpected verdict, which hinged on the judge's decision that DNA evidence presented by the prosecution was unreliable, sparked scenes of wild jubilation from his supporters in the Kuala Lumpur court and tears of joy from his wife and children.
Mr Anwar, 64, said he was "pleasantly shocked" by the verdict, which he has long alleged would be fixed by Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak on the trumped up charges to smear him and keep him out of politics.
But the government said the verdict in the case clearly underscored the judiciary's independence and illustrated it was listening to demands for reform among an electorate, which has an eye on the Arab Spring protests. » | Ian MacKinnon in Bangkok | Monday, January 09, 2012
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