Wednesday, April 04, 2012

September 11 Mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed Facing Death Penalty

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11 terror attacks, faces a potential death sentence after being formally charged with the murder of thousands of Americans.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four alleged co-conspirators were referred by President Barack Obama's administration to a military tribunal at the Guantánamo Bay naval base in Cuba.

In what has frequently been trailed as "the trial of the century", they will soon stand accused of committing multiple counts of terrorism, hijacking and murder in violation of the law of war by devising the era-defining attacks on the American mainland.

"The charges allege that the five accused are responsible for the planning and execution of the attacks of September 11, 2001, in New York and Washington DC, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, resulting in the killing of 2,976 people," the Defence Department announced in a statement yesterday.

The full extent of their alleged crimes are detailed in an 88-page dossier listing every victim of the attacks by name. The charges were referred to a capital military commission, meaning that "if convicted, the five accused could be sentenced to death," the department said. » | Jon Swaine, Raf Sanchez in Washington | Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Arizona Legislature Passes Sweeping Electronic Speech Censorship Bill

CBLDF: Yesterday [Thursday, March 29, 2012], the Arizona legislature passed Arizona House Bill 2549, which would update the state’s telephone harassment law to apply to the Internet and other electronic communications. The bill is sweepingly broad, and would make it a crime to communicate via electronic means speech that is intended to “annoy,” “offend,” “harass” or “terrify,” as well as certain sexual speech. Because the bill is not limited to one-to-one communications, H.B. 2549 would apply to the Internet as a whole, thus criminalizing all manner of writing, cartoons, and other protected material the state finds offensive or annoying. The Bill is currently on Governor Jan Brewer’s desk awaiting her decision on whether to veto or sign the bill. » | Charles Brownstein | Friday, March 30, 2012

HT: Always On Watch »
Der Ex-Bundespräsident: Christian Wulff – Karriere, Affäre, Rücktritt!

Les islamistes tiennent le nord du Mali

LE POINT: Profitant de la vacance du pouvoir en raison du coup d'État, les rebelles du Nord ont pris le contrôle de plusieurs villes.

La junte militaire au pouvoir à Bamako a dénoncé mercredi de "graves violations des droits de l'homme" dans le nord du Mali, sous contrôle des rebelles touaregs et des groupes islamistes, dont l'influence grandissante dans cette partie du Sahel inquiète la communauté internationale. "Les populations du Nord-Mali, singulièrement celles de Gao, subissent de graves violations des droits de l'homme" depuis "l'invasion des combattants MNLA (rébellion touarègue), Ansar Dine (groupe islamiste) et Aqmi (al-Qaida au Maghreb islamique)", a affirmé la junte. "Les femmes et les filles sont enlevées puis violées par les nouveaux occupants qui y dictent leur loi", selon un communiqué qui ne fournit aucun autre détail, notamment sur l'ampleur de ces viols présumés.

Profitant du putsch à Bamako contre le président Amani Toumani Touré le 22 mars, les rebelles touaregs et des groupes islamistes ont pris en fin de semaine passée le contrôle des trois métropoles du nord du Mali, Kidal, Gao et Tombouctou, pratiquement sans rencontrer de résistance de la part d'une armée malienne sous-équipée et désorganisée, coupant de fait le pays en deux. La zone est depuis totalement isolée, inaccessible à la presse et aux organisations internationales. Mais de nombreux habitants interrogés au téléphone de Bamako ont fait état de saccages et pillages à Gao et à Tombouctou, visant en particulier des bâtiments publics, des locaux et entrepôts d'ONG internationales. Application de la charia » | Source: AFP | mercredi 04 avril 2012

Liens en relation avec l’article »
Les Chypriotes grecs rêvent toujours de Famagouste

LE POINT: Au moment où Chypre accède à la présidence de l'UE, des rumeurs courent sur la station balnéaire de Famagouste, occupée par les Turcs depuis 1974.

Ce n'est qu'une information non confirmée, véhiculée par une publication turque. Pourtant, paradoxalement, la dernière édition du Cyprus Weekly consacre un long article au retour possible des Chypriotes grecs à Famagouste, cette citadelle portuaire plantée à la frontière de la République turque de Chypre du Nord (RTCN), un pays autoproclamé qui n'est reconnu que par la Turquie.

Plus précisément, Ankara "libérerait" la ville nouvelle de Varosha, le principal centre touristique balnéaire de Chypre avant l'invasion de l'île par l'armée turque en 1974. Depuis 38 ans, cette cité, principalement habitée par des Chypriotes grecs, est déserte. Une soixantaine d'hôtels et près de 3 000 commerces finissent de se détériorer derrière des barbelés, à quelques pas des eaux turquoise de la Méditerranée. » | Par Ian Hamel à Paralimni, Chypre | mercredi 04 avril 2012
Government Retreats on Digital 'Big Brother' Plan

THE INDEPENDENT: Home Secretary accused of mishandling surveillance proposals

Plans to allow the authorities to monitor the online activity of every person in Britain were pushed back last night after being condemned by MPs of all parties.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, announced that the contentious measures would be published only in draft form and would be subject to widespread consultation – concessions that could delay the proposals for at least a year. In a letter to Mr Clegg published in The Independent today, 17 Liberal Democrat MPs welcomed his intervention but warned him their support could not be taken for granted on the issue.

A storm erupted this week after it emerged that legislation to allow the police, intelligence services, councils and other public bodies to obtain details of messages sent via Skype and social networks would be included in the Queen's Speech.

The disclosure provoked anger among Tory and Liberal Democrat MPs alike, who warned that the proposals contradicted the parties' opposition to a similar Labour scheme – and were not included in the Coalition Agreement. There have also been recriminations within the Coalition as Liberal Democrats – understood to have been backed by some Tory ministers – accused Theresa May, the Home Secretary, of mishandling the issue. » | Nigel Morris | Wednesday, April 04, 2012

Related material here and here
Teenage Girl Suicide Bomber Blows Up Somalia Theatre

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: At least five people including top sporting officials were killed and dozens injured when a teenage female suicide bomber sent by Somalia's al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab blew herself up during a VIP celebration at Mogadishu’s newly-reopened National Theatre.

Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, Somalia’s prime minister, was at the podium giving a speech when the girl detonated her explosives, at 11am local time on Wednesday.

Mr Ali was unharmed, but there were reports that one of the five government ministers also attending the event was slightly injured, as were two MPs.

At least five people died, including the presidents of the Somali Football Federation, the head of the country’s Olympic Committee, and a television cameraman, according to eye-witnesses.

Bodies were strewn across a large area as ambulances and private vehicles began ferrying the wounded to hospital.

Among them were well-known musicians and artists, and the deputy chairman of the National Union of Somali Journalists. » | Mike Pflanz, Nairobi and Abukar Albadri in Mogadishu | Wednesday, April 04, 2012
David Cameron: I Will Banish Extremists from Britain

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE: Hate preachers will not reach these shores and campuses will be safe, says David Cameron

A Conservative government would ban extremist Islamist groups, refuse visas to hate preachers and insist that universities identify and root out radicals promoting violence, antisemitism and other racial intolerance on campus.

In an exclusive interview with the JC, Conservative leader David Cameron said his party would "drain the poison" of extremism. He said recent visitors to Britain such as Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the influential Egyptian cleric who supports suicide bombing against Israeli targets, and Ibrahim Moussawi, Hizbollah's "media relations officer", would never again be allowed into the country.

He also confirmed that a Tory government would ban the virulently anti-Zionist group Hizb-ut-Tahrir, which calls for the re-establishment of the caliphate (Islamic state).

While defending the principle of academic freedom, he said universities had a responsibility to root out extremism, even if this meant fingering individual students for their beliefs: "That means making clear to university authorities and student unions that they need to help identify those who are vulnerable to influence from extremists or show they are willing to promote hatred, just as they would in relation to any other suspected crime," he said. » | Martin Bright | Thursday, March 11, 2010

So that was then, and this is now. You’ve been in power for two years. So how are we doing on the banishing front, Mr. Cameron? Not too well by the looks of things. You haven’t been able to get rid of Abu Qatada, and they don’t come much more radical than he is. Or were these just empty words, Mr. Cameron? – © Mark

You could take some lessons from Sarkozy, Mr. Cameron. He doesn’t seem to have any problem banishing the preachers of hate »
Roger Waters of Pink Floyd Says Falklands Should Be Argentine

Pink Floyd founder condemns British policy on islands contested by Argentina

HMS Dauntless sets sail for the Falklands as tensions mount between Britain and Argentina »
HMS Dauntless Sets Sail for Falklands as Tensions Mount between Britain and Argentina

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Royal Navy's newest destroyer HMS Dauntless set sail on its maiden mission for the Falklands today amid strained diplomatic relations between Argentina and Britain.

Warship HMS Dauntless will leave Portsmouth for a six-month deployment to the South Atlantic as Buenos Aires continues its vociferous criticism of Britain's control of the islands.

Argentina's Foreign Ministry yesterday accused David Cameron of "persistent glorification of colonialism" after the Prime Minister said the UK helped right "a profound wrong" during the 1982 war.

It came after Argentina's president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner used commemorations on the 30th anniversary of the conflict to describe Britain's stance as "ridiculous and absurd".

Hackles were also raised by the "provocative" six-week deployment of Prince William to the islands as an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot earlier this year.

But the former head of the navy said the new destroyer will deter Argentina from trying to reclaim the Islands. » | Wednesday, April 04, 2012
France Launches Raids to Arrest 10 Suspected Islamist Suspects

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Elite police arrested 10 Islamist suspects in early morning raids across France on Wednesday ordered by President Nicolas Sarkozy after seven people were killed by an al-Qaeda-inspired gunman last month.

The DCRI domestic intelligence service, supported by elite police commandos, carried out arrests in the southern cities of Marseilles and Valence, two towns in the southwest and in the northeastern town of Roubaix, a police source said.

The raids follow the arrest of 19 people on March 30, a week after police snipers shot dead al-Qaeda-inspired gunman Mohamed Merah, who killed three Jewish schoolchildren, a rabbi and three soldiers in a spate of attacks around Toulouse.

"Those arrested have a similar profile to Mohamed Merah," a local police source said. "They are isolated individuals, who are self-radicalised."

He said the suspects were tracked on Islamist forums expressing extreme views and said they were preparing to travel to areas including Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Sahel belt to wage jihad (holy war). » | Source: Reuters | Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Anders Behring Breivik Said Psychiatric Ward 'Worse Than Death'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Anders Behring Breivik, who is set to go on trial on April 16 for killing 77 people in Norway last July, said in a letter published on Wednesday that being sentenced to psychiatric care would be the worst fate imaginable.

"To send a political activist to an asylum is more sadistic and more evil than killing him! It is a fate worse than death," the 33-year-old right-wing extremist wrote in a 38-page letter, of which the Verdens Gang (VG) daily published a few extracts.

The letter aims to discredit, point-by-point, a report by two psychiatric experts who concluded late last year that Breivik was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and was therefore criminally insane.

If the Oslo court judges reach the same conclusion at the end of his 10-week trial, the confessed killer will be sentenced to a locked psychiatric ward, possibly for life, rather than prison. » | Source: AFP | Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Margot Honecker Defends East German Dictatorship

THE GUARDIAN: Widow of GDR leader Erich Honecker gives unapologetic interview in documentary showing her at home in Chile

She was known as the "purple witch" for her arresting lilac rinses and tenacious political outlook. Now the widow of the former East German leader Erich Honecker has broken a 20-year silence to defend the dictatorship, attack those who helped to destroy it, and complain about her pension.

Margot Honecker, 84, who as education minister of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) served alongside her dictator husband, describes her homesickness for a "lost nation" and calls its demise a tragedy in an interview due to be broadcast on German television on Monday evening.

The documentary, which was years in the making due to Honecker's dogged insistence she would never give an interview to "West German" media, shows her at home in Chile where she escaped to with her husband after the collapse of the Berlin Wall in the early 1990s.

For the first time since 1989 Germans are given an insight into Honecker's life and a full-blown taste of her unforgiving views about a GDR that she continues to idealise. In shockingly frank exchanges in which she cuts a robust, vigorous figure, she defends East Germany to the hilt and refuses to accept any responsibility for its more tyrannical traits, including her own role as the minister responsible for thousands of forced adoptions.

"It is a tragedy that this land no longer exists," she tells the interviewer, Eric Friedler, adding that, while she lives in Chile "my head is in Germany". She does not, however, mean united Germany, rather the "better Germany" of the GDR. » | Kate Connolly in Berlin | Monday, April 02, 2012

Watch the documentary (in German) »
Cameron Tells Christians He Doesn't Want a Fight over Gay Marriage

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron has told Christians he does not want to “fall out” with them over his plan to legalise gay marriage but is prepared for the religious backlash.

In his first face-to-face exchanges with Christian opponents of the proposal, the Prime Minister sought to reassure critics that church law would not be affected by extending civil marriage to same-sex couples.

He struck a conciliatory tone with religious leaders, welcoming what he described as a Christian “fightback” against secular attempts to remove references to faith from public life.

In recent months, Mr Cameron has been more willing to speak about the role that Christianity can play in modern Britain. Last December he warned that the Church of England should make itself relevant to the agenda of the whole country.

The Coalition launched a consultation on extending civil marriage to homosexual couples last month, prompting an immediate outcry from traditionalist Christians and Tory backbenchers as well as Muslim and Sikh representatives.

During an Easter reception in Downing Street, attended by church ministers and senior Christian politicians, Mr Cameron offered what he described as a “plea” to the assembled churchmen.

“I hope we won’t fall out too much over gay marriage,” he said. “There’ll be some strong arguments and some strong words.”

Mr Cameron attempted to reassure his audience that his proposals would “change what happens in a register office, not what happens in a church”. » | Tim Ross | Political Correspondent | Tuesday, April 03, 2012
Mitt Romney Scores Primary Hat-trick as He Steps Up Campaign

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Mitt Romney won resoundingly in the Wisconsin primary and two other contests tonight, all but stamping out the embers of the Republican primary even as he lit the flames of his general election campaign.

The former Massachusetts governor completely ignored his Republican rivals as he claimed victory, elevating himself above his party's nominating process to focus instead on President Barack Obama, whom he accused of engineering a "Government-Centred Society" at the expense of American individualism.

Casting himself as the champion of "free people and free enterprise", Mr Romney sought to marshal both businesses and families against the President's model of interventionist government.

"In Barack Obama’s Government-Centred Society, the government must do more because the economy is doomed to do less," he told a cheering crowd in Milwaukee. "When you attack business and vilify success, you will have less business and less success."

Mr Romney attacked the Democratic incumbent as an "out of touch liberal" and vowed that if elected he would help build "the greatest America we have ever known, where prosperity is grown and shared, not limited and divided." » | Raf Sanchez | Washington | Wednesday, April 04, 2012
FBI Investigates Possible Web Threat

Dallas Reeling from Unexpected Tornado

Tuesday, April 03, 2012

Gaddafi 'Raped Countless Women during Years in Power', Claims New Documentary

MAIL ONLINE: German broadcaster RTL is to screen controversial programme next week / It includes interviews with the late dictator's inner circle / Report claims women were attacked within moments of meeting Gaddafi

Late Libyan dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi raped countless women during his years in power, according to an explosive new documentary.

German broadcaster RTL is set to screen the controversial programme - which includes interviews with his inner circle - next Monday.

Reporter Antonia Rados said; 'There were many women in Libya spellbound by Gaddafi who wanted to meet him. And when they did he raped them.'

She said that his female bodyguards, who were supposed to lay down their lives to protect him, were also victims.

A prominent Libyan psychologist Dr Seham Sergewa said he knew of at least five of his Amazonian bodyguards who were raped by him.

Rape as a means of subduing the population was also passed on to soldiers and loyal militias who were provided with condoms and Viagra to encourage their assaults. Read on and comment » | Allan Hall | Tuesday, April 03, 2012
Bahrain Economy Battered from Inside and Out

Prices in the capital city of Manama have risen sharply, partly due to the state of the world economy, but also as a result of the current political instability in Bahrain. Experts have said the world financial crisis in 2007 and 2008, the recent European monetary crisis, and the internal political troubles of 2011 have battered the Bahraini economy. Banks are seeking mergers in order to survive, and the industrial sector has declined by 26.7 per cent, according to a March 2012 report.. Al Jazeera's Mohammad Vall reports from Manama.

30th Anniversary of Falklands War: British Embassy attacked in Buenos Aires

Petrol bombs and stones are thrown at police guarding the British Embassy on 30th anniversary of Falklands war.


YAHOO NEWS!: Rioters Attack British Embassy In Buenos Aires: Demonstrators have attacked the British embassy compound in Buenos Aires on the 30th anniversary of the start of the 1982 Falklands War. » | Declan McGarvey, in Buenos Aires | Sky News | Tuesday, April 03, 2012
Nick Clegg Promises Plans to Snoop on Emails Will Get 'Highest Possible Safeguards'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Plans to spy on every email and phone call will be subject to "the highest possible safeguards" to stop them becoming Orwellian, Nick Clegg has said.

The Deputy Prime Minister attempted to defend the Government’s new "snooping" laws, as he faces pressure from his own party and privacy campaigners over whether they constitute a breach of civil liberties.

The plans will allow police and intelligence officers to monitor who someone is in contact with and the websites they visit, although the content of communications will not be accessed.

Asked how he would protect privacy, Mr Clegg suggested the Government was open to amending its “draft” proposals, adding that "anything in this area is highly sensitive".

He claimed there would be no central Government database, which would have a "real Orwellian air". He also promised to make sure "hard-fought civil liberties" are properly protected.

"We're prepared to look at any safeguards that make sure people feel comfortable these are not the draconian proposals they have been portrayed as being," he told the BBC's World at One programme. » | Tuesday, April 03, 2012




My comment:

Clegg, you're a bloody wimp! If you expect intelligent people to believe this crap, you're deluded.

It's high time you and your cohorts found your/their gonads. What is now happening is typical of what happens when there is weak leadership.

Find your balls and go after the people who are perpetrating these crimes. You know as well as we all do just who those people are. Just in case you don't, I'll tell you: It's the Muslims, stupid!

If your intention is to create harmony between the indigenous population and the Muslim immigrants, you're going the wrong way about it. This law, robbing as it will the indigenous people of their liberty, will do nothing but breed even more Islamophobia.

Find the balls you were born with and go after the real criminals! Don't punish the vast majority of innocent people for the misdeeds of the few. What justice is there in that?

Little wonder that the majority of people now hold politicians in such contempt. Contempt is all you deserve. You are bringing shame on yourselves, and shame on your country. Furthermore, you are throwing away all that was prized about these fine British Isles. You disgust me, and I feel sure you disgust most decent people. Nick Clegg, David Cameron, Theresa May et al, go hang your heads in shame! – © Mark


This comment, albeit amended, appears here

Related / Verwandt »

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Taxpayers must foot £200 million bill to have their emails snooped on: Taxpayers will have to pay £200 million a year so police and security agencies can spy on their every email and phone call. » | Tom Whitehead | Security Editor | Tuesday, April 03, 2012
Zugriff auf Internet-Daten: Camerons Abhörpläne empören die Briten

FRANKFURTER RUNDSCHAU: Die britische Regierung überwacht ihre Bürger ohnehin schon besonders gründlich. Jetzt plant sie Großkontrollen im Internet: Der Geheimdienst soll künftig in Echtzeit Zugang zu sämtlichen Verbindungsdaten auf der Insel bekommen. Selbst im Regierungslager ist die Empörung groß.

Wem schickt die Person E-Mails? Wen ruft sie an? Wer sind ihre Freunde auf Facebook, welche Internetseiten ruft sie auf, wem schickt sie SMS-Nachrichten? All dies will der britische Geheimdienst künftig jederzeit über jeden Einwohner des Landes erfahren können, ohne Verzögerungen und vielleicht sogar ohne richterliche Genehmigungen.

David Camerons konservativ-liberale Regierung in Großbritannien plant noch in diesem Frühjahr ein neues Gesetz, um den Abhör-Geheimdienst des Landes, die Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) zur Überwachung sämtlicher elektronischen Verbindungsdaten zu ermächtigen. Das Gesetz könnte am 9. Mai von der Queen in ihrer (von der Regierung verfassten) Rede vor dem Parlament angekündigt werden.

Das Innenministerium in London bestätigte die Pläne. „Es ist von größter Bedeutung, dass die Polizei und die Sicherheitsdienste in der Lage sind, unter bestimmten Umständen die Kommunikationsdaten zu erhalten, um wegen schwerer Verbrechen und Terrorismus zu ermitteln und die Öffentlichkeit zu schützen“, sagte ein Sprecher. Es gehe aber nicht um die Inhalte von Mails oder Gesprächen, sondern nur um die Verbindungsdaten. » | Bettina Vestring | Dienstag, 03. April 2012

DIE PRESSE: Großbritannien: An Überwachung gewöhnt – In Großbritannien hält sich der Widerstand gegen Überwachung durch den Staat in Grenzen. Die Menschen sind an die ständige Kameraüberwachung bereits gewöhnt. Die Vorratsdatenspeicherung ist aber unbeliebt. ¶ Verfechter von liberalen Rechten und Privatsphäre begrüßten den Koalitionsvertrag vom Mai 2010. Das Übereinkommen von Tories und Liberal Democrats versprach, dass Kameraüberwachung über das sogenannte CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) stärker reguliert werde sowie künftig keine Internet- und E-Mail-Daten ohne guten Grund gespeichert würden. Vor allem die Liberal Democrats präsentierten sich als Hüter liberaler Freiheiten. Im Februar 2012 aber wurde bekannt, dass die Regierung nun doch ganz andere Pläne hat. » | Von Felix Lill | Die Presse | Samstag, 31. Dexember 2012

Verwandt »
Web Monitoring Will Lead to Discrimination and Blackmail

THE GUARDIAN: It seems whoever is in government, grandiose ambitions of the security state remain – and the potential for harm is great

When the Liberals and Conservatives delivered the first coalition government since the war, they bound themselves together in the language of civil liberties.

Early signs were encouraging: Labour's controversial ID card scheme was scrapped and the enticingly titled protection of freedoms bill was conceived. But the romance was rocky. Unsafe and unfair control orders remained (albeit perfumed as terrorism prevention and investigation measures) and seductive promises of extradition reform failed to materialise.

Now the honeymoon appears well and truly over, thanks no doubt to some "spooky" extramarital intervention. Hot on the heels of the secret justice green paper – which seeks to shut claimants out of their own cases against the state to defend the "public interest" – comes a major expansion of powers to monitor the phone calls, emails and website visits of every person in the UK.

Next month's Queen's speech is expected to include legislation instructing internet service providers to install hardware that would give the government's electronic listening agency, GCHQ, increased access to communications data.

The ask is greedier than ever before, and the proposed data collection vast. Everyone will be affected, irrespective of any suspicion, just in case the information might prove useful one day. This is the blanket surveillance of an entire population. Such industrial-scale snooping will inevitably lead to discrimination. Remember ethnic minorities' experience of stop-and-search without suspicion? There will be nothing to prevent the creation of "mining databases": fishing expeditions based on certain keywords linked solely to clumsy stereotypes rather than genuine and reasonable suspicion of individual wrongdoing. » | Isabella Sankey | Tuesday, April 03, 2012

Related »
Terrorism Debate: Are GCHQ Set to Spy on You?

THE SUN: A SNOOPER’S Charter is to be proposed by the Government next month. Under the new law all conversations over the internet, including social networking sites and Skype, plus emails will be recorded.

Police and security services will be able to demand details of who is having the conversation and what time it takes place, but will need a court order to listen to or read the content.

Opponents say it will bring the same kind of surveillance to the UK which takes place in China and Iran, while supporters say it’s a tool in the fight against terrorism.

Here Home Secretary Theresa May and former Shadow Home Secretary David Davis set out opposing views. » | Tuesday, April 03, 2012

THE GUARDIAN: Theresa May defends email surveillance plans: Home secretary says extension of powers for security services to monitor web communications is vital to catch criminals » | Rajeev Syal, Josh Hallyday and Haroon Siddique | Tuesday, April 03, 2012

Related »
Digital Surveillance: What My Phone Records Say about Me

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Granting police and security agencies immediate access to email, web and phone communications data allows them to paint a detailed portrait of a life.

The Coalition government's proposals to extend surveillance powers would vastly expand the amount of data that communications companies must keep on record.

Phone companies are already required to hold information for up to twelve months; in the future this information - as well as similar information collected form email and social networking sites - could be accessed in real time, and without a warrant.

I accessed my own data from my mobile phone company Vodafone, using data protection laws, to demonstrate what information is already stored and how this data already creates a revealing profile of the individual.

Use the graphic above to browse the location data logged by Vodafone every time my phone made a connection with the phone masts - when I made a call, received or sent a text message, or checked my emails.

Further data - recording what I was using the phone for in each instance, and the numbers I dialled - was also released.

Together this data creates a very effective profile of my life: who I called, where I worked, where I lived and what I got up to. » | Cal Flyn, interactive graphic by Dan Palmer and Mark Oliver | Tuesday, April 03, 2012

My comment:

I am sure I speak for many when I say that I am so disappointed in this government, in this establishment, in this country.

I was raised to believe that Great Britain was a land of fairness and fair play. Events in recent years have disabused me of the fairytale and myths my parents brought me up to believe in. I was also raised to believe that Conservative governments would always bring a little sanity back into public life where Labour had fallen short. This is another myth that I have been disabused of. It is now clear that one cannot put a cigarette paper between any of the main parties. They are out for themselves, and they are almost to a man, without courage and conviction.

To be fair to my parents, people years ago had to fight tooth and nail for their liberty, witness the Second World War. And they did so without as much as complaining. To them, the good of the country and liberty for future generations was their paramount concern.

It used to be the case that the people who caused the problems would be targeted for punishment. It would have been unthinkable for good, honest, decent folk to have their privacy invaded and attacked for the misdeeds of the few. Alas such noble concepts have gone by the board. Now, everyone – young and old, innocent and guilty – is the target of milquetoast politicians.

Now, politicians hide behind political correctness. In truth, they lack the courage to target the guilty, especially when those that are guilty belong to another culture, another religion. They have allowed the indigenous population to be swamped by an alien culture without as much as seeking the approval of the electorate. As a result, they have got themselves into difficulties which they do not know how to extricate themselves from. They are too craven to target the people who endanger our freedoms, so make good, decent people pay for their cravenness instead, by imposing unjust legislation upon them.

They forget – if they ever knew – that good, decent, courageous people fought for our liberties in previous wars. They are now willing to extend the arm of government straight into our private lives and personal affairs.

To say that if one has nothing to hide, one has nothing to fear is ridiculous. First of all, we are entitled in a free democracy to have a modicum of privacy. Even the innocent don't usually want everything about them and their lives to be known by everyone else. A little bit of anonymity makes life all the pleasanter for many people.

I can only urge David Cameron and his cabinet to re-think this awful piece of legislation. Too much will be lost if it is passed. This is a pernicious, malevolent bill. And it is so open to abuse. If the objective is to keep us safe, another, less-objectionable way must be found. To target the many for the crimes of the few is a step too far. It also defies the spirit of the British. This is NOT East Germany, this is NOT Iran, this is NOT China. This IS Great Britain. Let those that govern us not forget that.
– © Mark


This comment also appears here
Russland: Medwedew lehnt Begnadigung von Chodorkowski ab

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Die Expertengruppe ist sich einig: Kremlkritiker Chodorkowski kann aus der Haft entlassen werden - Russlands scheidender Präsident Medwedew will ihn trotzdem nicht auf freien Fuß setzen. Dabei hatte er selbst angeordnet, das Urteil überprüfen zu lassen.

Moskau - Keine Gnade für den Putin-Gegner: Der russische Ex-Ölunternehmer Michail Chodorkowski muss vier weitere Jahre im Gefängnis bleiben. Präsident Dmitri Medwedew hat eine Begnadigung Chodorkowskis abgelehnt, sagte der Rechtsberater des Kreml, Michail Fedotow, am Dienstag dem Radiosender Moskauer Echo. » | vks/AFP | Dienstag, 03. April 2012
Santorum Looking Froward to May

Clinton: Romney Won’t Win, Hillary 2016?

Romney Asked If Interracial Dating a Sin?

Who Is Ann Romney?

Bashar al-Assad Cannot Survive for Long, His Uncle Says

BBC: The uncle of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad believes it is unlikely that he can hold onto power much longer.

Rifaat al-Assad told the BBC that the level of violence on the streets was too high for his nephew to survive.

Mr Assad has lived in exile since he unsuccessfully tried to seize power from his brother, Hafez, in the 1980s.

In February 1982, he led a military assault on Hama to suppress an uprising by the Muslim Brotherhood, leaving between 10,000 and 25,000 people dead. (+ audio) » | Tuesday, April 03, 2012
Islamic Militants Detained in France 'Planned to Kidnap Jewish Magistrate'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Some of the 16 suspected Islamic militants detained in France allegedly planned to kidnap a Jewish magistrate and other people, according to reports.

A source close to the investigation told the AFP news agency: "It looks like some of them planned to carry out kidnappings including that of a magistrate who has a Jewish-sounding name."

Another source confirmed that a Jewish magistrate from Lyon in central France was to be targeted.

The head of France's Central Directorate for Domestic Intelligence (DCRI), Bernard Squarcini, said on Saturday that those arrested the previous day were French nationals involved in "warlike training, linked to violent religious indoctrination".

Some of those arrested belonged to a suspected extremist group called Forsane Alizza, he said, and had been involved in paintball gun games.

Forsane Alizza chief Mohamed Achamlane was on Monday transferred to Paris where he was to appear before anti-terror magistrates who already extended the custody of the 15 other suspected Islamists arrested on Friday. » | AFP | Tuesday, April 03, 2012
North Korea 'Preparing to Unveil Missile Capable of Striking Continental US'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: North Korea is preparing to unveil a new long-range missile that is capable of striking targets in the continental US.

Reconnaissance satellites have identified the huge missile at a government research and development facility in Pyongyang, South Korean government sources told the Chosun Ilbo newspaper.

Analysts estimate the weapon to be around 130 feet long and, equipped with a more powerful booster unit, capable of delivering a warhead more than 6,200 miles.

Unveiling the missile will raise new fears in neighbouring countries, already alarmed by Pyongyang's insistence that it will go ahead with the launch in mid-April of a rocket to put a satellite into orbit. » | Julian Ryall in Tokyo | Tuesday, April 03, 2012
France Expels Five Islamist Radicals

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: France has expelled two Islamic radicals and is planning to deport three more as part of a crackdown announced after a gunman killed seven people, officials said on Monday.

An Algerian radical and a Malian imam were sent back to their home countries on Monday, while a Saudi imam, a Turkish imam and a Tunisian radical were also subject to expulsion orders, the interior ministry said in a statement.

The statement said that the imams had made anti-Semitic statements in their sermons, called for Muslims to reject Western values, and said women should wear the full-face veil.

It said the Saudi imam was currently out of France but would be refused entry should he try to return. » | Monday, April 02, 2012

Monday, April 02, 2012

McDonald's Worker Claims Mega Millions Prize

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A McDonald's worker who claims to have a winning ticket for the world's biggest lottery prize is insisting she will not share her millions with the colleagues she was in a syndicate with.

Mirlande Wilson, a 37-year-old Haitian immigrant, said she purchased the ticket, now worth more than $100 million (£62 million), with her own money separately to those bought for the 14-strong syndicate at the fast food restaurant in Milford Mill, Maryland.

Her irate co-workers say however that they each contributed $5 (£3.12) before sending her out to buy last minute tickets for the group a few hours before Friday's nationwide Mega Millions draw, and are now demanding she pay up.

CCTV footage shows that the winning ticket was purchased from a nearby 7-Eleven grocery store at 7.15pm – around the time all the McDonald's workers agree Miss Wilson headed off to the shop.

Stephen Martino, director of the Maryland Lottery, said that the prize had yet to be claimed. "We can't wait to greet the winner of this world-record setting jackpot," he added.

In a phone call to the restaurant shortly after the numbers were announced at 11pm, Miss Wilson is said to have shouted: "I won, I won."

Her colleagues, who earn around $7 (£4.36) an hour, noticed that she had not said "we won," and were said to be immediately suspicious. » | Rosa Prince | New York | Monday, April 02, 2012

Related »
Cristina Kirchner Attacks Britain's 'Absurd' Stance on Falklands

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Cristina Kirchner, the Argentine president, attacked Britain's "absurd" stance towards the Falklands Islands on Monday night as she accused the UK of colonialism on the 30th anniversary of her country's invasion of the disputed archipelago.


Imploring David Cameron to renegotiate the sovereignty of the islands, she said it was an "injustice" for the UK to try to retain control over what she described as a "colonial enclave" 14,000 km away.

She also accused Britain of exploiting Argentina's environment and natural resources.

Speaking at a memorial service at the Monument to the Fallen in Ushuaia, Patagonia, Mrs Kirchner said: "It's an injustice that in the 21st century colonial enclaves still exist in the world – and ten of the 16 that remain belong to the UK.

"It's absurd that they maintain sovereignty over islands that are 14,000 km away. The Falklands are a national, South American and global cause. All Argentina is asking for is dialogue."

Appearing in front of a giant wall adorned with a map of the islands and a cenotaph that names the 649 Argentine soldiers who died in the 74-day conflict, Mrs Kirchner made reference to the British companies that have been prospecting for oil in the South Atlantic.

"The UK is taking our resources and damaging our environment," she said. "They need to recognise what is Argentine territory." » | Jonathan Gilbert in Buenos Aires | Monday, April 02, 2012
Oakland School Shooting: Six Dead at Christian University

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Six people have been confirmed dead and several others injured after a gunman opened fire inside a small Christian university in California.


Police said a suspect had been detained in custody following a search that lasted several hours.

The khaki-clad attacker, described as a heavy-set Asian man in his 40s, opened fire inside a lecture room where a nursing class was being held at the religious Oikos University, in East Oakland, California, at around 10.40am local time.

The college is popular with students from the Catholic Korean community.

Afterwards, four bodies outside the school could be seen covered in tarpaulin, while rescue workers removed others from inside the building on stretchers.

Nearby Highland Hospital said it had treated four victims following the incident, and others were still being taken out of the university hours after the shooting stopped. » | Rosa Prince | New York | Monday, April 02, 2012
Morality Police Patrol Taliban Strongholds

During the rule of the Taliban, Afghanistan's morality police were known for their rigid interpretation of Islamic law. Afghans were punished for shaving their beards or listening to music on their mobile phones. Eleven years after the fall of the Taliban, these rules still remain in force under areas under Taliban control. Al Jazeera's James Bays has this exclusive report from Kunar, northeast Afghanistan.

Tory MPs Told to 'Get a Grip' after Criticism of Leadership

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Conservative MPs unhappy about the way David Cameron is running the Government have been told to "get a grip".

Charlie Elphicke, an executive member of the1922 Committee of backbenchers, criticised MPs whose concerns about the leadership were revealed by the Daily Telegraph earlier today. Mr Elphicke spoke as Downing Street made clear Mr Cameron will not make changes in the face of pressure from the Tory benches.

Mr Elphicke said: “It is not the Prime Minister who needs to get a grip but colleagues on the backbenches who need to realise that government is not a cakewalk’.

“Given the poisonous inheritance from the Labour government, it was never going to be easy. But so far, the Government is doing a good job in difficult circumstances. Kris Hopkins, another Conservative MP, told the Spectator that MPs complaining about Mr Cameron’s approach risk “compromising” the Conservative Party.

Accusing critics of being egotistical, he added: “There should be constant challenge to the leadership, it shouldn’t start from the position of dislike for the Prime Minister”.

Some MPs have said they are concerned that Mr Cameron and his allies are seen are out-of-touch with the concerns of ordinary voters, worries sharpened by recent rows over the taxation of pasties and pensions.

John Redwood, a former Cabinet minister, said that the Prime Minister should avoid “phoney” attempts to conceal his privileged upbringing and focus on economic policy. » | James Kirkup, and Holly Watt | Monday, April 02, 2012
Sharia Law - A Threat to UK Women & Children

THE WAY: Baroness Cox told the Christian Broadcasting Council that British Muslim women were already suffering under Sharia. Rape victims were being denied justice, divorcees were losing custody of their children, and women were being disinherited. Sharia could open the door to child marriage and was already permitting polygamy. Audio, pictures available

A House of Lords symposium heard clear warnings that Sharia law - strict Islamic law - must never be allowed to become a parallel legal system in the UK. If it did, there could be a right-wing backlash.

'There are now more than 80, perhaps 85 Sharia courts operating in the UK,' Baroness Cox told the Christian Broadcasting Council Symposium. 'Polygamy is already happening,' she said. 'It means Britain has two parallel legal systems, one which does not permit bigamy and the other which does.’

Sharing the platform at the CBC Symposium was Bishop Michael Nazir-Al[i]. Together they warned of the threat to rape victims if Sharia law were to be allowed in the UK. 'Under Sharia Law if a woman wants to bring a charge of alleged rape she is obliged to provide four independent Muslim witnesses,' said Lady Cox.

'Failure to do so might result in the rape victim being accused of fornication and adultery,' added Bishop Michael. He warned that Sharia law could be used to justify child marriage. ‘You will have child marriage, because as soon as a girl begins her periods, she is eligible to be married. How will you maintain a minimum age for marriage?

'Sharia is an all-encompassing law that affects every area of a Muslim's life and a Muslim's community,' said Pakistan-born Bishop Michael, who has received death threats for opposing Islamic militants. Some put forward family law as the acceptable face of Sharia, but that militates against justice and freedom for women and young children.’

Lady Cox said Sharia law treated women as second class citizens. 'A woman's evidence is counted as half the value of a man's.’ As an example of discrimination against women she cited a widow in her 50s who wanted to remarry. ‘She was required by an Imam to first obtain permission from her only male relative - a 7-yr-old grandson living in Jordan.’

Another concern is that so-called honour attacks could be given legitimation. 'I've spoken to many women who have been so badly abused in domestic violence they have been hospitalised,' said Lady Cox. 'But they have been pressured not to prosecute because it would bring shame on their community. There are people on the run living in terror in our nation today. We have to do something about it.'

Baroness Cox has drafted a Private Member's Bill that would outlaw Sharia court judgments that undermine the legal rights of women and others under British law. She intends to launch her Arbitration and Mediation Services (Equality) Bill in the next session in parliament. » | Posted by Amanda Hopkins | Wednesday, March 21, 2012

David Davis on Tories Implementing Labour's Internet Surveillance

Conservative MP David Davis talks about the Conservatives 180 degree u turn and plan to introduce Labour's plan of total surveillance of the internet, home calls, reading email etc etc. the police state wet dreams of UK politicians continues - they want to know what the people are thinking against the crooked politicians. They always use the fake "for your benefit" and "fight against terrorism". The government and the banker friends are the terrorists. Noticed how well the UK economy is going under their "control"? Recorded from BBC News Channel, 01 April 2012


Related »
Tip of the Iceberg – The Beginning of the End for Britain

This is a CULTURE CLASH. The problem with this specific subpopulation of people is that their culture and beliefs never have, and never will, be in harmony with those values that are European. This is what this VERY RAPIDLY INCREASING subpopulation of the UK want for Britain....Sharia law, Sharia courts, death for gay men and women, death for adultery, death for unbelievers, death for apostasy, amputation for theft, subjugation of women, animal cruelty and child cruelty.


HT: Always on Watch »

Sunday, April 01, 2012

Anders Behring Breivik 'Planned to Bomb Barack Obama at Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony'

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Norwegian mass killer Anders Breivik planned to bomb President Barack Obama as he came to collect his Nobel Peace Price in 2009, it has been claimed.

The far-Right extremist told Norwegian police of a plot to drive a car packed with explosives onto the square next to Oslo City Hall, and detonate it while the ceremony was taking place there, according to Norway's Dagbladet newspaper.

Breivik, 33,told police that the Obama attack would have been largely symbolic, as the security surrounding the visit would have prevented him bringing the vehicle sufficiently close to the ceremony.

But, with hundreds of millions watching on television, he believed it would have been a perfect way to promote his anti-Islamic message. » | Richard Orange | Malmö | Sunday, April 01, 2012
Internet Activity 'to Be Monitored' under New Laws

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Ministers are preparing a major expansion of the Government's powers to monitor the email exchanges and website visits of every person in the UK, it was reported today.

Under legislation expected in next month's Queen's Speech, internet companies will be instructed to install hardware enabling GCHQ – the Government's electronic "listening" agency – to examine "on demand" any phone call made, text message and email sent, and website accessed in "real time", The Sunday Times reported.

A previous attempt to introduce a similar law was abandoned by the former Labour government in 2006 in the face of fierce opposition.

However ministers believe it is essential that the police and security services have access to such communications data in order to tackle terrorism and protect the public.

Although GCHQ would not be able to access the content of such communications without a warrant, the legislation would enable it to trace people individuals or groups are in contact with, and how often and for how long they are in communication.

The Home Office confirmed that ministers were intending to legislate "as soon as parliamentary time allows". Read on and comment » | Sunday, April 01, 2012
Timbuktu, Ancient Islamic City, Under Attack

abc NEWS: Booms from rocket launchers and automatic gunfire crackled Sunday around Mali's fabled town of Timbuktu, known as an ancient seat of Islamic learning, for its 700-year-old mud mosque and, more recently, as host of the musical Festival in the Desert that attracted Bono in January.

On Sunday, nomadic Tuaregs who descended from the people who first created Timbuktu in the 11th century and seized it from invaders in 1434, attacked the city in their fight to create a homeland for the Sahara's blue-turbanned nomads. Their assault deepens a political crisis sparked March 21 when mutinous soldiers seized power in the capital. The Tuaregs have rebelled before, but never have they succeeded in taking Timbuktu or the major northern centers of Kidal and Gao, which fell Friday and Saturday as demoralized government troops retreated.

The expression "from here to Timbuktu" conjures up the end-of-the-earth remoteness of the sun-baked frontier town. It does not express the town's dynamic role as a major crossroads for the caravan trade between the Arab north and black West Africa, bringing together black Africans, Berbers, Arabs and, above all, the Tuaregs. » | Michelle Faul | Associated Press | Agadez | Niger | Sunday, April 01, 2012

Verwandt »
Saudi Arabia/Islam-Conversion: Canadian Professor Converts to Islam in Jeddah

INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC NEWS AGENCY (IINA): JEDDAH – A Canadian university professor converted to Islam in Saudi Arabia, saying he had found a completely different religion from what is depicted in the West.

David Woelke, an English language teacher at King Abdul Aziz University in the western Red Sea port of Jeddah, converted to Islam amidst applause and chanting by the audience at an Islamic conference in the city.

“I used to go to church quite often in my country and noticed there is a big difference between the two religions….I have found that the media in the west is presenting Islam in a deformed way,” said Woelke, who changed his first name to Dawood, according to Saudi newspapers. » | AH/IINA | Sunday, April 01, 2012 | 10 Jumada Al-Awwal
Le net chinois indigné par la cyber-répression

LE FIGARO: Pékin a fermé des sites et arrêté des personnes accusées d'avoir «diffusé des rumeurs politiques». Plus de 1000 personnes ont été interpellées depuis mi-février.

Certaines «rumeurs» n'amusent pas du tout les dirigeants du Parti communistechinois. Pékin a lancé hier une opération de contrôle et de répression de l'Internet d'une ampleur inédite, pour stopper les discussions sur un éventuel coup d'État. Le coup de knout de la censure vise les principaux sites de micro-blogging chinois. Mais d'autres sites Internet ont aussi été fermés et des internautes arrêtés. » | Par Arnaud de La Grange | dimanche 01 avril 2012
Tuareg greifen Timbuktu an

TAGES ANZEIGER: In den vergangenen Tagen haben Aufständische eine Offensive gegen Malis Regierungstruppen gestartet. Mittlerweile attackierten sie die dritte Stadt im Norden des Landes. Sie kämpfen für einen eigenen Tuareg-Staat.

Im Norden des westafrikanischen Landes Mali haben Aufständische die Stadt Timbuktu angegriffen. Die Rebellen kämpfen für einen eigenen Staat für das Volk der Tuareg. Timbuktu ist einer der letzten Orte im Norden Malis, die noch von Regierungstruppen kontrolliert werden. Einwohner berichteten, es seien Explosionen und Schüsse aus automatischen Waffen zu hören. Demoralisierte Soldaten hätten in der Nacht schon die Stadt verlassen. Die Menschen versteckten sich in ihren Häusern, berichtete der Einwohner Mohamed Lamine am Telefon. » | kpn/dapd | Sonntag, 01. April 2012
Muslimische Separatisten hinter Anschlagsserie vermutet

Bombenterror in Südthailand

NZZ ONLINE: Im Süden Thailands hat eine Serie von Bombenanschlägen am Samstag mindestens 14 Menschenleben gefordert. Rund 500 Personen wurden verletzt, über 100 befanden sich am Sonntag noch in Spitalpflege. Nach Angaben der Polizei waren im Geschäftszentrum der Stadt Yala um die Mittagszeit innerhalb weniger Minuten drei Sprengkörper explodiert. In der Folge gingen ganze Häuserzeilen in Flammen auf. Eine weitere Bombe explodierte eine Stunde später in Hat Yai vor einem Touristenhotel. Dabei kamen ein Malaysier und zwei Gäste unbekannter Nationalität um. » | kam. Singapur/ Neue Zürcher Zeitung | Sonntag, 01. April 2012
Owen Jones: We're Now Governed by the Political Wing of the Wealthy

THE INDEPENDENT – AN EXTRACT: We're governed by the political wing of the wealthy. That's not the view of a Socialist Worker headline writer: it's mainstream public opinion. According to a poll for The Independent earlier this week, two out of three voters think the Tories are "the party of the rich". Inevitably, that's partly because the majority of the Cabinet are privately-educated millionaires who would not look out of place in a 19th-century government. That's why George Osborne (the St Paul's-educated heir to a 17th-century baronetcy) slapping a tax on pasties – popular cheap nosh – strikes such a nerve. "It may sound trivial – but it is becoming symbolic of a divide between working people and a rich elite" – again, not the Socialist Worker, but the otherwise loyal Tory rag, The Sun.

But it goes a lot deeper than the distance between the well-bred kitchen-supper eating Conservatives and the pasty-eating masses. It's the fact that the "Cash for Cameron" scandal has exposed the internal mechanics of how Toryism provides political representation for the upper crust of society, because "the people who remain quietly behind the scenes" have been thrust into the spotlight. Peter Cruddas is now persona non grata as far as Cameron's circle is concerned, but his pledge to "feed all feedback" of wealthy donors "to the policy committee" gives the rest of us an insight into how power works in Cameron's Britain. Read the whole article here » | Owen Jones | Friday, March 30, 2012
Argentina Threatens to Sue Banks Helping Falklands Oil Explorers as Trade War with Britain Escalates

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A group of British and American banks have been threatened with legal action by the Argentine government for advising and writing research reports about companies involved in the Falkland Islands’ £1.6bn oil industry.

In what amounts to the start of a new trade war between the UK and Argentina, the banks - understood to include the Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays Capital and Goldman Sachs - have been warned they face criminal and civil action in the Argentine courts.

The threats were made in a series of letters sent to as many as 15 banks by the Argentine embassy in London over the last ten days.

The letter, a copy of which has been seen by The Sunday Telegraph, warns the institutions that even merely writing research notes on exploration companies involved in the Falklands constitutes “a violation of the applicable domestic and international rules”.

The news - coming a day ahead of the 30th anniversary of Argentina’s invasion of the Falklands which sparked the 1982 conflict - is likely to worsen tensions between the two countries. The Argentine government is continuing to push for sovereignty. » | James Quinn | Saturday, March 31, 2012
Burma: Aung San Suu Kyi 'Wins Seat' in Historic Election

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Aung San Suu Kyi's party claims she has won a seat in Burma's parliament after Sunday's historic election, setting the stage for her to hold public office for the first time.

The victory, if confirmed, marks a major milestone in the Southeast Asian nation, where the military has ruled almost exclusively for a half-century and where the government is now seeking legitimacy and a lifting of Western sanctions.

The victory claim was displayed on a digital signboard above the opposition National League for Democracy's headquarters in Rangoon.

Earlier, the party said in unofficial figures that Ms Suu Kyi was ahead with 65 per cent of the vote in 82 of her constituency's 129 polling stations. Read on and comment » | Dean Nelson | Rangoon | Sunday, April 01, 2012

My comment:

If anyone deserves to win in this election, this lady does. She has suffered and struggled. My heartfelt congratulations to her. – © Mark

This comment also appears here