The EU should be stronger and more united. Great Britain should belong to the Union.
Die EU sollte stärker und geeinter sein. Großbritannien sollte der Union angehören.
L'UE devrait être plus forte et plus unie. La Grande-Bretagne devrait appartenir à l'Union.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
A Criminal Injustice
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: The release of the Lockerbie Bomber demonstrates fecklessness, not compassion.
Libya had a plane waiting for terrorist Abdel Basset Ali Megrahi even before Scottish Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill had announced the Libyan's release from jail yesterday. Within hours of the announcement, Megrahi, convicted under Scottish law for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in which 270 people were killed, was on his way home, flying safely through the same skies his victims had been blown out of 21 years ago.
In making his announcement of Megrahi's release on "compassionate grounds," Mr. MacAskill intoned that "when such an appalling crime is committed, it is appropriate that a severe sentence be imposed." Imposed, perhaps—but not carried out. Megrahi served less than a third of the 27 year "minimum" demanded in his 2001 life sentence. That works out to 11.6 days in prison for each of his victims, or about 14 days if you count from the time of his 1999 arrest.
Whatever else Megrahi's release is, then, it is not justice. The argument for compassion rests on Megrahi's case of advanced and apparently terminal prostate cancer. We're not sure what "compassion" is owed to a man by a country already too compassionate to apply the death penalty to mass murderers. Nor do we quite understand what Mr. MacAskill intended by his remark that Megrahi may face "a sentence imposed by a higher power." In this world, it makes no small difference to a man whether he ends his days in a foreign prison or in the bosom of his family and country. >>> | Thursday, August 20, 2009
Lockerbie Bomber: His Release Is a Mistake, Says President Obama
THE TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama described the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi as a "mistake" and called on the Libyan government to place him under house arrest.
In a live radio interview, the president said the United States administration had been in contact with the Scottish Government to register its objection to the move.
He also called on Libya to ensure Megrahi is not given a welcome back to his home country after being released today from a Scottish prison.
But thousands were on hand to greet him warmly when his plane from Scotland touched down at a military airport in Tripoli. There was a festive atmosphere with some wearing T-shirts with Megrahi's picture. Others waved flags while Libyan songs blared.
Megrahi, the only man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, continued to protest his innocence and expressed his "sympathy" with the victims of the tragedy after being released from prison on compassionate grounds. >>> Lucy Cockcroft and Matthew Moore | Thursday, August 20, 2009
BBC: A woman whose husband died in the Lockerbie bombing has said convicted bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi should have spent the rest of his sentence in jail.
Widow Stephanie Bernstein said in releasing Megrahi on the grounds of his terminal illness, a ''mass murderer'' had been allowed to go free.
BBC: After leaving HM Prison Greenock after being released on compassionate grounds, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi released the following statement:
"I am obviously very relieved to be leaving my prison cell at last and returning to Libya, my homeland.
I would like to first of all take the opportunity to extend my gratitude to the many people of Scotland, and elsewhere, who have sent me their good wishes.
I bear no ill will to the people of Scotland; indeed, it is one of my regrets that I have been unable to experience any meaningful aspect of Scottish life, or to see your country.
To the staff in HM Prison Greenock, and before that at HM Prison Barlinnie, I wish to express thanks for the kindness that they were able to show me.
For those who assisted in my medical and nursing care; who tried to make my time here as comfortable as possible, I am of course grateful.
My legal team has worked tirelessly on my behalf; I wish to thank Advocates Margaret Scott QC, Jamie Gilchrist QC, Shelagh McCall and Martin Richardson together with the team at Taylor & Kelly, for all of their gallant efforts in my bid to clear my name.
I know they share, in no small measure, my disappointment about the abandonment of my appeal.
Many people, including the relatives of those who died in, and over, Lockerbie, are, I know, upset that my appeal has come to an end; that nothing more can be done about the circumstances surrounding the Lockerbie bombing.
I share their frustration. I had most to gain and nothing to lose about the whole truth coming out - until my diagnosis of cancer.
To those victims' relatives who can bear to hear me say this: they continue to have my sincere sympathy for the unimaginable loss that they have suffered.
Libyans Receive Al-Megrahi’s Release with Open Hands, Shocked at His State of Health
THE TRIPOLI POST: Tripoli, Libya-- Libyans are celebrating this evening the return of their beloved son, Abdelbaset Ali Al-Megrahi, with thousands are [sic] waiting for his plane to land at Ma’atiqa International airport.
However, those who have had the chance to see today’s photos of Abdelbaset Ali Al-Megrahi in such a bad state of his health [sic] are expressing their shock and some of them could not help but drop some tears on their faces.
Many are blaming the Scottish authorities for not taking care of Megrahi’s health while in prison and speculate that he was left, on purpose, to die of his cancer.
The statement made by the Scottish justice secretary, Kenny MacAskill, who said Thursday “Mr Al-Megrahi now faces a sentence imposed by a higher power. It is one that no court, in any jurisdiction, in any land, could revoke or overrule. It is terminal, final and irrevocable. He is going to die,” is being viewed by many Libyans as a case in point.
This statement reads as if the Scottish authorities have made sure that Megrahi dies within days from his release. In other words, Libyans are now convinced that the Megrahi case could be viewed as a premeditated murder on the part of the Scottish prison authorities.
However, despite such down feeling many are celebrating Megrahi’s return home.
The news of the long anticipated release of Abdelbaset Ali Al-Megrahi has provoked wide excitement among Libyans. The glad tidings came at a time when Libyans are already in preparation of the grand celebrations of the 40th Anniversary of the Great Al Fatah Revolution and welcoming of the holy month of Ramadhan.
Many of those interviewed by The Tripoli Post expressed a big sigh of relief for Al-Megrahi’s final return especially at a time when the Muslim Holy month of Ramadan is commencing. Ramadan is regarded as a symbolic Muslim month which symbolizes forgiveness, happiness and reunion. >>> Staff Writer, The Tripoli Post | Thursday, August 20, 2009
Zwecks EU-Annäherung: Albanien will Ehe für Homosexuelle einführen
WELT ONLINE: Das albanische Parlament soll nach der Sommerpause die gleichgeschlechtliche Ehe legalisieren. Premierminister Sali Berisha will mit dem Gesetz Europa imponieren. Doch der Vorschlag ist umstritten. In dem muslimischen Land war Homosexualität bis 1995 verboten und ist bis heute nicht gesellschaftlich akzeptiert.
Als Meister der Kehrtwende hat sich Albaniens Premier Sali Berisha in seiner Karriere vom Leibarzt des kommunistischen Autokraten Enver Hodscha bis zum konservativen Regierungschef oft erwiesen. Doch mit seinem jüngsten Husarenstück überrumpelte der 74-Jährige selbst seine Anhänger. Ausgerechnet der Mann, der sonst für traditionelle Familienwerte streitet, kündigte ein Gesetz zur Legalisierung der Homo-Ehe an, das das Parlament nach der Sommerpause absegnen soll.
Bis 1995 waren homosexuelle Beziehungen in Albanien strafrechtlich verboten. Die Aussicht, dass nun ausgerechnet Tirana sich zum Vorkämpfer der Gleichberechtigung von Homosexuellen auf dem Balkan aufschwingen könnte, stößt bei den 3,1 Millionen Einwohnern auf eher skeptischen Widerhall. „Dies ist eine Schande, kein Gesetz“, schäumt Shkelqim Muca, der Vorsitzende von Albaniens muslimischer Gemeinschaft. Die Ehe vereine zwei Menschen unterschiedlicher Geschlechter – und sei für gleichgeschlechtliche Verbindungen „nicht zu akzeptieren“, ärgert sich Monsignor George Frendo von der katholischen Kirche.
In den Staaten der Region haben Homosexuelle einen eher schweren Stand. Selbst beim EU-Anwärter Kroatien bekannte kürzlich rund die Hälfte befragter Homosexueller, dass sie schon einmal zum Opfer von verbaler und physischer Gewalt geworden seien. 80 Prozent verheimlichen ihre sexuelle Orientierung. Bürgerrechtsgruppen in Albaniens Hauptstadt Tirana bezeichnen die von Berisha angekündigte Vorlage denn auch als „wichtigen Schritt zur Emanzipation der albanischen Gesellschaft“. >>> Von Thomas Roser | Donnerstag, 20. August 2009
L'homme qui devait mourir pour les talibans
Avant de les rencontrer, Abed (emprisonné à Pulli Charkhi depuis quinze mois) n'avait jamais entendu parler des talibans. Cinq mois d'endoctrinement religieux et politique plus tard, le jeune Pakistanais était prêt à «sacrifier (sa) vie pour l'islam». Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: TEMOIGNAGE - Abed, un Pakistanais de 22 ans, avait été endoctriné par les talibans pour commettre un attentat suicide sur un poste frontière afghan. Estimant avoir été floué, il a raconté son odyssée à notre reporter dans sa prison près de Kaboul.
Lorsque le détenu Abed, condamné à une peine de réclusion de vingt ans, est amené dans le bureau du surveillant chef, au sein du bloc 7 de haute sécurité de la prison de Pulli Charkhi, son allure n'est pas différente de n'importe quel jeune homme du peuple qu'on rencontre dans les bourgades du Pendjab, province orientale du Pakistan. Visage caramel ourlé d'une barbe noire et coiffé d'un petit bonnet brodé, saroual-kamiz beige, sandales hors d'âge, Abed ressemble à tous ces pauvres travailleurs intermittents qui louent leurs bras à la petite semaine pour échapper au chômage. Il s'assoit calmement, refuse poliment de prendre un morceau de pastèque amenée par les gardiens et, dans ce bureau sommaire où flotte une légère odeur de fromage rance, il commence, dès notre première question, à raconter en dari son hallucinante mésaventure.
Né en 1987, fils aîné d'un Pendjabien parti travailler en Arabie saoudite, Abed quitte l'école dès l'âge de 11 ans. Avec ses quatre frères et ses deux sœurs, il vit à Multan, chez sa mère, femme au foyer nourrissant sa famille grâce aux mandats que lui envoie son mari. La plupart du temps il est au chômage, mais travaille un moment comme apprenti chez un boulanger. Son frère cadet se débrouille mieux, qui trouve un emploi fixe dans une fabrique artisanale de meubles. En 2007, un loueur de main-d'œuvre lui trouve un contrat à 150 roupies (3 dollars) par jour, pour travailler à Karachi, dans le quartier de Manzoor Colony, dans une PME qui fabrique des bonbonnes d'eau réfrigérée en plastique. Là, un certain Abdul Rafur, originaire comme lui de Multan, mais employé d'un niveau supérieur - il est peintre d'affiches publicitaires - se lie d'amitié avec lui. Comme Abed, Abdul Rafur n'est pas un musulman très strict : il ne se rend à la mosquée que pour le prêche du vendredi. À l'occasion des vacances de l'Aïd-el-Kébir, en décembre 2007, tous deux rentrent ensemble à Multan, pour célébrer en famille la grande fête musulmane. Le surlendemain, Abdul Rafur propose à son ami de l'emmener à ses frais visiter les magnifiques montagnes du Waziristan. Le piège de l'endoctrinement >>> Renaud Girard, envoyé spécial du Figaro à Pulli Charkhi (Est de Kaboul) | Mercredi 19 Août 2009
The Path to the Final Solution
Radio Race Row at BBC's Flagship Asian Station
THE INDEPENDENT: Angry Sikhs besiege Asian Network over Muslim's 'joke'
The BBC's Asian Network was at the centre of a fresh race row last night after Sikhs accused the digital radio station of being insensitive towards their religion.
BBC bosses were forced to remove a show by the popular Muslim presenter Adil Ray from their website after the morning show DJ received threats from angry Sikh listeners who accused him of denigrating an important religious symbol.
The Birmingham-based network, which was set up eight years ago after the BBC's then director general Greg Dyke described his own organisation as "hideously white", has strongly denied the accusations or any suggestion that Ray meant to mock Sikhism.
But the anger from the Sikh community has nonetheless raised fresh questions over whether the digital network is serving its Asian listeners. Earlier this year, the BBC Trust told the network that it needed to attract more listeners after its audience fell from half a million to 405,000 in a year.
The complaints revolve around a show broadcast on Thursday 6 August in which Ray discussed the cancellation of a Punjabi music concert in Canada where police had banned a number of Sikhs who refused to remove their "kirpan" dagger – one of five ceremonial symbols that baptised Sikhs are expected to wear at all times.
A number of listeners believed that Ray had been disparaging about whether Sikhs really needed to carry their kirpans and began making complaints and threats against him. >>> Jerome Taylor, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Thursday, August 20, 2009
Lockerbie Bomber Released and to Return to Libya a Free Man
THE TELEGRAPH: The Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, has been released from prison in Scotland and can return to Libya a free man after serving eight years of his life sentence.
Lockerbie bomber released
Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill announced his release on compassionate grounds in a press conference.
Megrahi, who has terminal prostate cancer, could be on his way home within hours to spend his dying days with his family.
Sources at a military airport near Tripoli, Libya, said that the plane which will take him back home was en-route to Glasgow Airport earlier today, suggesting he could leave this afternoon.
Megrahi, 57, was convicted of killing 270 people in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight. Some 189 Americans were among those who died in the airliner explosion.
The decision to free him is likely to cause outrage in the United States, where Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she hoped he would stay behind bars.
Mr MacAskill made the announcement at the Scottish Government's ministerial headquarters in Edinburgh. >>> | Thursday, August 20, 2009
THE INDEPENDENT: Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi was today released from prison to die with his family in Libya. Megrahi, who has terminal cancer, was driven from HMP Greenock in a white van escorted by three police cars, another van and five motorcycles.
The convoy set off on the 16-mile journey to Glasgow airport, where a jet was waiting to return him to Tripoli, after he was released on compassionate grounds by Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill.
Megrahi, 57, has served eight years of a life sentence for murdering 270 people when a Pan Am plane was blown up over Lockerbie in 1988.
Dozens of journalists from around the world were outside the entrance of the jail as its blue automatic door slid open to let the convicted bomber out at 2.36pm.
The convoy arrived at Glasgow airport at around at around 3.05pm. Megrahi was taken straight on to the tarmac where the plane was waiting.
After a short delay, the bomber, wearing a baseball cap, left the van and slowly walked with a stick up the stairs on to the jet. In a move that has caused outrage in the United States, Mr MacAskill said Megrahi would now be released early from prison today.
He said Megrahi "now faces a sentence imposed by a higher power".
Mr MacAskill added: "It is one that no court, in any jurisdiction, in any land, could revoke or overrule. It is terminal, final and irrevocable. He is going to die."
In a statement that lasted more than 20 minutes, Mr MacAskill said Megrahi had shown no compassion to his victims, but added: "That alone is not a reason for us to deny compassion to him and his family in his final days."
Mr MacAskill said: "I am conscious there are deeply held feelings and that many will disagree whatever my decision. However a decision has to be made.
"Scotland will forever remember the crime that has been perpetrated against our people and those from many other lands, the pain and suffering will remain forever.
"Some hurt can never heal, some scars can never fade. Those who have been bereaved cannot be expected to forget, let alone forgive. Their pain runs deep and the wounds remain." >>> Press Association | Thursday, August 20, 2009
THE INDEPENDENT: The decision to free Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds was greeted with mixed reactions today.
Conservative Party leader David Cameron said: "I think this is wrong and it's the product of some completely nonsensical thinking, in my view.
"This man was convicted of murdering 270 people, he showed no compassion to them, they weren't allowed to go home and die with their relatives in their own bed and I think this is a very bad decision."
But Tam Dalyell, the former Labour MP and ex-father of the House of Commons, who has persistently claimed that Megrahi was innocent, said today: "Mr MacAskill, the Scottish Justice Minister, has arrived at the right decision on compassionate grounds.
"I do not accept his endorsement of the guilt of Mr Megrahi, whom I continue to believe had nothing whatsoever to do with the crime of Lockerbie."
Kara Weipz, 36, who lost her student brother Rick, 20, in the atrocity, condemned the decision.
Speaking from her home in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, she said: "I think it's an absolutely horrible decision.
"I don't know how you show compassion to someone who has shown no remorse for what he has done and as Mr MacAskill praised the justice system and the investigation and the trial, how do you then show this person compassion? It's just utterly despicable.
"I think he should have died in prison. Why should he be returned to Libya?
"That's not what we were promised. We were always told he would serve out his full sentence in Scotland."
Scottish Labour criticised the decision to release Megrahi.
Labour leader and MSP Iain Gray said: "If I was First Minister, Megrahi would not be going back to Libya. The decision to release him is wrong.
"He was convicted of the worst terrorist atrocity in our history, the mass murder of 270 people.
"While one can have sympathy for the family of a gravely ill prisoner, on balance our duty is to honour and respect the victims of Lockerbie and have compassion for them.
"The SNP's handling of this case has let down Scotland." >>> Press Association | Thursday, August 20, 2009
The Face of Abbas Kargar Javid — Man Accused of Killing Neda Soltan
TIMES ONLINE: The man accused of killing Neda Soltan has been identified as Abbas Kargar Javid, a pro-government militiaman, after photographs of the Basiji’s ID cards appeared on the internet.
The identification challenges the Iranian regime’s claim that foreign agents shot the young woman, who became a global symbol of resistance to the Government of President Ahmadinejad.
One picture appears on Mr Javid’s Basij identification card, which was taken off him by the crowd that stopped him briefly when he fled the murder scene during a massive demonstration against electoral fraud on June 20.
Photographs of that card and another that was issued by the Interior Ministry have been posted on the internet, and the doctor who tried to save Ms Soltan as she lay dying on a Tehran pavement has confirmed that they show the man who was stopped.
“I can testify for certain that it is the same person,” Arash Hejazi told The Times.
Dr Hejazi said that he had checked with others who witnessed Mr Javid’s detention and they, too, had confirmed that it was the same man. He expressed disgust that a regime that had detained, tortured and killed so many peaceful demonstrators in the past ten weeks had — as far as he knew — taken no action against Mr Javid. “That’s how fair the situation is in Iran right now,” he said.
The regime has put blame for Ms Soltan’s murder on fellow demonstrators, the CIA, hostile foreign governments including Britain, and even the BBC, whose Tehran correspondent, Jon Leyne, was accused of organising the shooting to get good pictures. >>> Martin Fletcher | Thursday, August 20, 2009
Hillary Clinton’s Relentless Decline Continues
THE TELEGRAPH – BLOGS: Fresh from her seven nation tour of Africa – highlighted by an immensely embarrassing boogie dance in Kenya and an alligator–like snap at a defenceless Congolese student – the almost invisible secretary of state has been given a demotion in the Forbes Magazineannual list of the 100 most powerful women in the world.
Hillary Clinton has slipped eight places from 28 to 36, despite being elevated to the second most powerful position in the US government in January. How she actually achieved that drop in these circumstances would confuse even Sir Isaac Newton, but can be explained by a less than stellar performance in Foggy Bottom.
Hillary has been increasingly marginalized by the Obama team with its array of special envoys jetting across the world as well as by her own hubby who appeared like a rabbit out of a hat in Pyongyang on his own diplomatic mission two weeks ago. She looks more and more like a stern but easily flustered school teacher who’s losing control of her own class. American foreign policy under Obama is increasingly decided in the White House, not in the State Department, and has so many different tracks that it lacks any real coherence. It resembles a poorly stitched patchwork quilt rather than a carefully crafted global strategy. >>> Nile Gardiner | Thursday, August 20, 2009
World's First Muslim Superheroes, the 99, Are Headed for British Television Screens
The assault on Western values by Islam grows apace! Now we have the Jihad to instill Islamic values in our children! What next? – Mark
THE TELEGRAPH: The world's first Muslim cartoon superheroes have taken the Arab world by storm, and now they are headed for British television screens.
Jabbar, is one of The 99, the world's first Muslim cartoon superheroes. Photo: The Telegraph
Named the 99, as each possesses one of Allah's 99 attributes, the characters include a burka-clad woman named Batina the Hidden and a Saudi Arabian Hulk-type man named Jabbar the Powerful.
They have proved a hit from Morocco to Indonesia and were recently named as one of the top 20 trends sweeping the world by Forbes magazine.
Now they are being brought to British television by Endemol, the production company behind Big Brother, with a mission to instill Islamic values in children across all faiths. >>> | Thursday, August 20, 2009
World’s First Muslim Superheroes, the 99, Out to Conquer the West
TIMES ONLINE: Comic creator aims to counter jihadist role models
They are fighting for truth, justice and the Islamic way and are heading for your living room — prepare to say salaam to the world’s first Muslim superheroes.
Despite the ample wrongs waiting to be righted across the Middle East, Superman, Spider-Man and Batman mainly fight evil in America. When the East has featured as a setting for superhero antics — as in the recent film Iron Man — it has tended to be as a source of villainy.
That is about to change, courtesy of The 99, a Sharia-compliant version of the X-Men that has taken the Arab world by storm and has its sights set on the West.
The franchise, which was created as a cartoon strip three years ago to counter the effects of jihadist agitprop on Muslim minds, is poised to make its debut on British television this year. An animated series is being produced by Endemol, the Dutch company that made Big Brother internationally ubiquitous. Its mission: to instil old-fashioned Islamic values in Christian, Jewish and atheist children. >>> Rhys Blakely in Mumbai | Thursday, August 20, 2009
Lockerbie Bomber’s Private Jet to Freedom Courtesy of Gaddafi
TIMES ONLINE: Colonel Muammar Gaddafi will send his private jet to collect the Lockerbie bomber and take him home to Libya if, as expected, he is released from jail today on compassionate grounds.
Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish Justice Secretary, said that he would announce at 1pm his decision on whether Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi should be freed, but he gave no indication last night as to what that decision would be.
A luxury aircraft was scheduled to collect the bomber at Glasgow airport yesterday for his triumphant return to Tripoli, but the flight was cancelled at lunchtime because Mr MacAskill’s advisers were still locked in talks after intense diplomatic pressure from America to keep al-Megrahi in jail.
The prisoner, who is terminally ill with prostate cancer, called his wife, Aisha, from Greenock prison, saying that he was still uncertain about his fate. “He didn’t know when he will be released,” the mother of five told The Times. “He is happy [about the news] but he is very ill and waiting to find out what will happen to him.”
His mother said that he had called her and said that he hoped to be with her by Ramadan. Hajja Fatma, 95, told the Tripoli Post that she didn’t dare to close her front door: “I am expecting him to enter at any moment.” >>> David Brown, Charlene Sweeney and Richard Kerbaj | Thursday, August 20, 2009
THE TELEGRAPH: Muslim women have been banned from wearing the body-concealing swimming costume known as a burqini in the northern Italian town of Varallo Sesia, according to a report.
Women wearing the garment, made up of a veil, a tunic and loose leggings, face a fine of €500 (£430) if they are spotted at swimming pools or rivers, the ANSA news agency reported.
The anti-immigration mayor of the northern Piedmont town said: "The sight of a 'masked woman' could disturb small children, not to mention problems of hygiene.
"We don't have to be tolerant all the time," Gianluca Buonanno said.
Justifying the move, Mr Buonanno added: "Imagine a western woman bathing in a bikini in a Muslim country. The consequences could be decapitation, prison or deportation. We are merely prohibiting the use of the burqini." >>> | Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Lest We Forget – Auschwitz: The Nazis and the Final Solution
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Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Democrat Rift Threatens to Doom Barack Obama's Healthcare Reforms
TIMES ONLINE: After weeks of fierce protests against his plans to reform the US healthcare system, President Obama faced revolt inside his own party yesterday amid accusations that he was surrendering to its vociferous opponents.
The powerful liberal wing on Capitol Hill threatened to withdraw support for Mr Obama’s healthcare legislation if it did not include a government-run insurance programme — something he has appeared willing to abandon in recent days to try to garner Republican support.
However, fiscally conservative Democrats appeared increasingly opposed to the “public option”, leaving Mr Obama with the potential for a dangerous split in the Democratic Party that could doom the legislation.
The eruption of such a fight among Democrats underscored the huge challenge Mr Obama faces in getting legislation passed. It is the centrepiece of his domestic agenda and an issue on which he has spent enormous political capital.
Yet despite his efforts, voters are increasingly opposed to the idea of reform amid concerns about its huge cost.
For months Mr Obama has insisted that a government-run programme must be included in his effort to reform the health industry because it was the only way to give private insurance companies the competition needed to reduce soaring costs.
The scheme is opposed fiercely by Republicans, who claim it is too costly and will eventually lead to a solely government-run healthcare system. The conservative “Blue Dog” Democratic caucus in the House of Representatives is also unconvinced by the idea, and without its support the legislation could fail to pass the lower chamber.
In an effort to peel away more Republicans and assuage Blue Dog concerns, Mr Obama appeared to suggest at the weekend that a public option was not essential, describing it as only a “sliver” of his reform plans. His Health Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, also hinted that the White House was open to dropping the idea.
The reaction from liberals was furious, with one Democratic congressman, Anthony Weiner, saying that without the option Mr Obama could lose 100 votes in the lower chamber, a reaction that would kill any Bill. Yesterday 60 House Democrats sent a letter to Ms Sebelius warning that without a government-run option the legislation would fail. >>> Tim Reid in Washington | Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Uncommon Knowledge: Daniel Pipes (June 01, 2008)
Model Who Drank Beer to Be First Woman Caned in Malaysia
THE TELEGRAPH: Muslim model Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno has become the first woman in Malaysia to be sentenced to a caning after being caught drinking beer in a beach resort.
The 32-year-old will receive six lashes at a woman's prison next week in what is being viewed as an example of the growing influence of Islamic hardliners on the country.
The mother-of-two who lives in Singapore with her husband, paid a fine of £860, but declined to lodge an appeal so she could get the punishment over with and put the episode behind her.
The harsh sentence has provoked anger among women's rights groups who fear it is another sign of the creeping influence of conservative Islam on Malaysian society.
In the northern backwater state of Kalentan ruled by the hardline Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, authorities have decreed that supermarkets must have separate checkout queues for men and women and beaches be segregated.
Young couples caught sitting too close together on park benches in the state capital, Kota Baru, are hunted down by the city's moral enforcers and fined up to £285 in Sharia courts.
The Islamic alcohol prohibition laws in Malaysia's eastern Pahang state date back more than two decades. But Malaysian-born Kartika, who now has Singaporean citizenship, is the first woman to fall foul of them.
She was arrested in July last year in a hotel nightclub in the beach resort of Cherating during a raid by the state's religious department and admitted drinking beer.
An Islamic court fined her and ordered her to be caned at Kajang women's prison next week, but spared her a jail term of up to three years.
She received word of the sentence from her father and said she would be returning to Malaysia from Singapore.
"I accept the punishment," she said. "I am not afraid because I was ready to be punished from day one. [The authorities] hope to use my case as a way to educate Muslims. So go ahead. I want to move on with my life." >>> Ian MacKinnon in Bangkok | Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Explosions Rock Baghdad
Obama plaide pour la patience en Afghanistan
À Phoenix (Arizona), lundi, lors d'une convention de vétérans, Barack Obama a rappelé que la mission américaine serait longue et difficile. Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Le président américain veut injecter plus de moyens civils et militaires pour gagner «les cœurs et les esprits» de la population afghane.
Il faut avoir écouté l'ambassadeur américain Richard Holbrooke présenter jeudi dernier sa «stratégie civile » pour l'Afghanistan et le Pakistan pour mesurer l'ambition - et les risques - de la nouvelle politique afghane de l'Amérique. Flanqué d'une armée d'éminents stratèges et autres techniciens agricoles et financiers, l'«émissaire spécial » de Barack Obama a exposé pendant deux heures comment l'Amérique entendait compléter sa stratégie strictement militaire en œuvrant à la reconstruction de l'Afghanistan. Relance d'une agriculture qui emploie près de 80 % de la population afin de la détourner de la culture omniprésente du pavot ; construction d'écoles ; lutte contre la corruption des ministères ; sécurisation de réseaux de téléphones portables pour que la population puisse échapper aux «discours de haine » des talibans, présents sur les radios locales ; contre-propagande… La liste des missions projetées par l'oncle d'Amérique avec l'aide de ses militaires et de quelque 4000 agents civils est colossale.
Bien éloigné des promesses de la nouvelle équipe de «revoir à la baisse » la mission pharaonique de l'Administration Bush de créer un «Afghanistan démocratique », le projet suscite une nervosité croissante. La peur d'un «nouveau Vietnam » affleure. Le président lui-même l'a reconnu, dans un discours prononcé lundi : «L'insurrection en Afghanistan n'a pas commencé du jour au lendemain. Nous ne pourrons pas la vaincre du jour au lendemain. Ce ne sera pas rapide. Ce ne sera pas facile. » Offensive de charme >>> Laure Mandeville, correspondante du Figaro à Washington | Mardi 18 Août 2009
«Mit Demokratie haben diese Wahlen wenig zu tun» : Präsident Karzai setzt in Afghanistan alle Mittel ein, um an der Macht zu bleiben
NZZ ONLINE: Am Donnerstag wird in Afghanistan ein neuer Präsident gewählt. Die prekäre Sicherheitslage dürfte viele Afghanen im Süden vom Wählen abhalten. Die Tatsache, dass der Amtsinhaber Karzai Wahlbetrug im grossen Stil betreibt, sorgt ebenfalls für Unlust bei den Wahlberechtigten und wirft Fragen nach der Legitimität des Urnengangs auf.
In Afghanistan finden am Donnerstag zum zweiten Mal seit dem Sturz der Taliban im Jahr 2001 Präsidentenwahlen statt. Gleichzeitig werden auch die Räte der 34 Provinzen des Landes neu bestellt. Für das höchste Amt im Staat haben sich 37 Kandidaten beworben, für die Provinzwahlen über 3000. Die 17 Millionen registrierten Wähler können ihre Stimme in rund 8000 Wahlzentren abgeben. Im Gegensatz zur letzten Präsidentschaftswahl im Jahr 2004, die von der Uno organisiert wurde, ist diesmal eine afghanische Wahlkommission für die Durchführung verantwortlich.
Prekäre Sicherheitslage
Die Abhaltung des Urnengangs in einem Land, dessen Infrastruktur nach 30 Jahren Krieg weitgehend zerstört ist, stellt organisatorisch eine Herausforderung dar. Ein noch viel grösseres Problem ist jedoch die prekäre Sicherheitslage. Weite Teile des Landes befinden sich nicht unter Kontrolle der Regierung. Vor allem im umkämpften Süden und Osten Afghanistans, aber auch in gewissen Distrikten im Westen und Norden haben die Taliban das Sagen. Die islamistischen Extremisten haben zum Wahlboykott aufgerufen und angekündigt, den Urnengang mit Strassenblockaden und Anschlägen zu stören. Taliban-Gruppen haben auch gedroht, mit Tinte geschwärzte Finger abzuhacken. Mit der Tinten-Markierung soll sichergestellt werden, dass ein Wähler seine Stimme nicht mehrfach abgeben kann.
Die USA haben in den letzten Monaten ihre Truppen im Süden Afghanistans deutlich aufgestockt. Auch die von der Nato angeführte Isaf hat ihre Militäraktionen verstärkt, um den Wahlprozess zu sichern. Momentan sind rund 100 000 ausländische Militärangehörige am Hindukusch im Einsatz, zwei Drittel von ihnen sind Amerikaner. Da die Aufständischen auf die erhöhte Truppenpräsenz mit mehr Angriffen und Anschlägen reagierten, hat sich die Sicherheitslage in den letzten Monaten jedoch eher noch verschärft. Viele Wahlberechtigte in umkämpften Gebieten dürften aus Angst vor Gewalt den Urnen fernbleiben. Nach Angaben der Wahlkommission werden mindestens 700 Wahllokale im Süden und Osten aus Sicherheitsgründen erst gar nicht geöffnet. In vielen anderen Regionen wird mit einer sehr geringen Beteiligung gerechnet. Das stellt die Legitimität der Wahlen ernsthaft in Frage. Manipulation im grossen Stil >>> spl. Kabul | Dienstag, 18. August 2009
