Die Niederlande als Vorbild für Libyen: Ghadhafis Sohn Saif al-Islam distanziert sich rhetorisch von seinem Vater
NZZ ONLINE: Ghadhafis zweiter Sohn Saif al-Islam hat sich in einem Interview von den radikalen Elementen innerhalb des libyschen Regimes distanziert, ohne seinen Vater direkt zu kritisieren. Er behauptet, für Libyen politische Freiheiten «wie in den Niederlanden» anzustreben.

Die Libyen-Affäre schwelt weiter und Max Göldi sitzt noch immer in einem libyschen Gefängnis. Jetzt hat Saif al-Islam («Schwert des Islams»), Sohn von Revolutionsführer Ghadhafi, in einem Interview mit dem amerikanischen Nachrichtenmagazin «Time» aber erstaunliche Töne angeschlagen. In einer offenen Herausforderung der radikalen Elemente innerhalb des libyschen Regimes forderte er einen «demokratischen Wandel».

Der Streit mit der Schweiz sei nur der Beleg für umfassenderes Problem Libyens, sagte Saif. Es ginge darum, wie sein Land mit dem Westen nach Jahrzehnten der Isolation umgehen soll. «Wenn wir mit dem Westen tanzen wollen, dann müssen wir das zum gleichen Rhythmus und zur gleichen Musik tun».

Ohne seinen Vater direkt zu kritisieren, bezeichnete er die beharrenden Kräfte in Libyen rundweg als «Idioten». Auf die Frage, welche Freiheiten er gerne in Libyen etablieren möchte, antwortete er: «Alle - Ziel ist ein Mass an Freiheit wie etwa in Holland». Das wäre allerdings eine radikale Abkehr von der diktatorischen Herrschaft, wie sie sein Vater nun schon mehr als vierzig Jahre in Libyen ausübt. Bekannt für Offenheit >>> bbu. | Montag, 08. März 2010

Verbunden mit diesem Artikel / Related to this article:

TIME: Gaddafi vs. Switzerland: The Leader's Son on What's Behind the Feud >>> Vivienne Walt, Tripoli | Saturday, February 27, 2010

Westerwelle darf Lebenspartner mit auf Reisen nehmen: Auswärtiges Amt sieht keinen Interesssenkonflikt
NZZ ONLINE: Der Lebenspartner des deutschen Aussenministers Westerwelle nutzt laut dem Auswärtigen Amt die Reisen mit dem Minister nicht zur Geschäftsanbahnung. Das Aussenministerium sieht es deshalb als normal an, dass der Partner den Minister auf Dienstreisen begleitet.

Michael Mronz habe Westerwelle sowohl nach Japan und China als auch nach Cordoba und derzeit nach Lateinamerika privat begleitet, sagte der Sprecher des Auswärtigen Amts in Berlin, am Montag in Berlin. «Herr Mronz ist nicht Teil der Wirtschaftsdelegation.»

Der Sprecher erklärte, auch vor Westerwelle hätten Aussenminister ihre Partner auf Dienstreisen mitgenommen. So habe die Frau von Franz-Walter Steinmeier ihren Mann zu informellen EU-Aussenministertreffen begleitet. Die Regularien sähen es als ganz normale Möglichkeit vor, dass Partner mit auf Reisen kommen. >>> ddp | Montag, 08. März 2010

Verbunden mit diesem Artikel:

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Guido Westerwelle: Reisebegleiter und mehr >>> Von Wulf Schmiese | Sonntag, 07. März 2010

Les jeunes Saoudiennes se jouent de la police religieuse
Un couple se promène sur les bords de la mer Rouge à Djedda. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Conscient des aspirations des moins de 25 ans, majoritaires, le roi Abdallah desserre le carcan.

Au premier jour des vacances d'hiver à Riyad, des bandes d'adolescentes fêtent les congés dans le centre commercial de la tour Faisaliyah, l'un des symboles de la capitale saoudienne avec sa tour de verre en forme de cône. Les jeunes filles rient fort en se tenant par les coudes. Maquillées, les sourcils épilés et redessinés, et surtout tête nue, les cheveux libres sur les épaules, elles représentent un défi aux règles strictes de l'islam officiel, qui ordonne aux femmes de se couvrir la tête de noir et de cacher leur corps sous un manteau informe de la même couleur, l'abaya. Celles des lycéennes sont largement ouvertes, dévoilant jeans et t-shirts à paillettes. Une brise de révolte souffle sur le royaume. Une partie de la jeunesse urbaine supporte de moins en moins les contraintes vestimentaires. Les filles inventent des subterfuges pour éviter l'abaya au quotidien. Dernière astuce en date, la blouse blanche de médecin, tolérée en public, portée par des adolescentes qui n'ont jamais mis les pieds dans un hôpital. Normalement, les mutawas, les barbus de la «Commission pour la promotion de la vertu et la prévention du vice», la police religieuse, doivent veiller au grain. >>> Par Pierre Prier | Lundi 08 Mars 2010

Ahmadinejad Calls 9/11 ‘A Big Fabrication’
THE NEW YORK TIMES – The Lede: Perhaps concerned that his repeated suggestions that the Holocaust might not have happened have become less shocking over time, Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad upped the ante on Saturday, telling intelligence officials in Tehran that the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 was staged.

In remarks reported by IRNA, an official Iranian news agency, and translated by Reuters, Mr. Ahmadinejad said, “The September 11 incident was a big fabrication as a pretext for the campaign against terrorism and a prelude for staging an invasion against Afghanistan.” Mr. Ahmadinejad also reportedly described the attacks in New York as a “complicated intelligence scenario and act.” Conspiracy theorists in the Middle East have suggested that the attacks were not the work of Al Qaeda, but carried out by Israeli or American intelligence operatives.

In a speech during Iran’s annual anti-Israel day in September, Mr. Ahmadinejad said of the Holocaust, “The pretext for the creation of the Zionist regime is false.” He added: “It is a lie based on an unprovable and mythical claim.” >>> Robert Mackey | Saturday, March 06, 2010

Lien en relation avec l’article :

leJDD.fr: "11 septembre": Ahmadinejad n'y croit pas >>> Samedi 06 Mars 2010

Deadly Blast in Lahore

Strong Earthquake Hits Turkey

Euro Will Still Fall Despite Sarkozy


Greece Will Come Through Crisis Without Bailout, IMF Head Says
THE GUARDIAN: Dominique Strauss-Kahn remains confident that Europe's leaders can resolve the Greek crisis

The head of the International Monetary Fund believes Greece will resolve its debt crisis without an IMF bailout, and today dismissed fears that other European nations will be engulfed by the crisis.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn insisted this morning that other eurozone countries with large public deficits would not be forced into the same predicament as Greece. Speaking to Reuters in Nairobi, Strauss-Kahn said the wider European economy was still strong - despite fears that Greece might default on its debts. While the IMF is poised to assist Greece if needed, Strauss-Kahn remains confident that Europe's leaders could resolve the issue.

"The eurozone wants to deal with the problem itself, and I can understand that," he said. "I think they can do it … and we're just here to help."

Strauss-Kahn also argued that those who claim that Spain or Ireland could suffer a debt default are simply trying to "scare" the financial markets.

"We have a problem with Greece. We don't have a problem with Spain to date. The eurozone has to deal with the Greek problem. They are doing this," said Strauss-Kahn.

"No one knows what's going to happen tomorrow morning but there's no reason why the spillover to Portugal or to Spain will take place," he added. >>> Graeme Wearden | Monday, March 08, 2010

Schools' New Math: the Four-Day Week
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: A small but growing number of school districts across the country are moving to a four-day week, in a shift they hope will help close gaping budget holes and stave off teacher layoffs, but that critics fear could hurt students' education.

State legislators and local school boards are giving administrators greater flexibility to set their academic calendars, making the four-day slate possible. But education experts say little research exists to show the impact of shortened weeks on learning. The missed hours are typically made up by lengthening remaining school days.

Of the nearly 15,000-plus districts nationwide, more than 100 in at least 17 states currently use the four-day system, according to data culled from the Education Commission of the States. Dozens of other districts are contemplating making the change in the next year—a shift that is apt to create new challenges for working parents as well as thousands of school employees.

The heightened interest in an abbreviated school week comes as the Obama administration prepares to plow $4.35 billion in extra federal funds into underperforming schools. The administration has been advocating for a stronger school system in a bid to make the U.S. more academically competitive on a global basis.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Education said in an email that she couldn't comment on four-day weeks in specific districts. But "generally, we are concerned about financial constraints leading to a reduction in learning time." >>> Chris Herring | Monday, March 08, 2010

Screwy Is as Screwy Does! Now Vegans Are Covered by Harman’s Equality Law
MAIL ONLINE: Vegans, teetotallers and atheists are to be given the same protection against discrimination as religious groups, under Harriet Harman's controversial new equality laws.

People who do not eat products and refuse to wear leather have been singled out for inclusion under the new legislation by Labour's super-quango - the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.

Official guidance issued by the body points out that the 'ethical commitment' of vegan's to animal welfare is 'central to who they are'.

The code of practice explains the legal implications of the equality bill states that religions need not be mainstream or well known for their adherents to gain protection.

The Equality Bill, masterminded by Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman*, is due to come into force this Autumn.

It makes it a legal requirement for public authorities, including schools, to consider the impact of all their policies on minority groups.

But the guidance explains: “A belief need not include faith or worship of a god or gods, but must affect how a person lives their life or perceives the world.” >>> Kirsty Walker | Monday, March 08, 2010

*Harman appears to be a card-carrying member of the SEG. (SEG = Social Engineering Gestapo)

Nigerian Security Forces on Alert After New Burst of Sectarian Violence*
TIMES ONLINE: Nigeria's security forces have been put on high alert after a new burst of sectarian violence left over 500 people dead, most of them women and children hacked to death by machete wielding gangs.

The attack happened before dawn on Sunday morning when gangs of men descended on several mainly Christian villages near the central city of Jos, firing guns as they approached. Witnesses of the attack, which centred on the village of Dogo-Nahawa, described how victims were caught in animal traps and fishing nets as they tried to flee their attackers. >>> Anne Barrowclough | Monday, March 08, 2010

*Would this be Muslim violence against Christians, by any chance?

Ethnic Violence in Nigeria Has Killed 500, Officials Say
THE NEW YORK TIMES: DAKAR, Senegal — Officials and human rights groups in Nigeria said Monday that about 500 people had died in weekend ethnic violence near the central city of Jos, considerably more than what had initially been reported.

A government spokesman said Sunday that the dead numbered more than 300. The victims were Christians killed by rampaging Muslim herdsmen, officials and human rights workers said, apparently in reprisal for similar attacks on Muslims in January.

The head of a leading Nigerian rights group, Shehu Sani of the Civil Rights Congress, said in a telephone interview on Monday that his organization had counted 492 bodies, mainly in the village of Dogo Nahawa. >>> Adam Nossiter | Monday, March 08, 2010

'Closet-Nazi' in Running for Austrian Presidency
THE TELEGRAPH: A far-Right candidate for Austria's presidential election has brought the country's dark past to the surface again, by denouncing a law banning Nazi groups and Holocaust denial.

Barbara Rosenkranz, a far-Right candidate for the upcoming Austrian presidential election. Photo: The Telegraph
Barbara Rosenkranz, 51, a regional leader of the Freedom Party (FPOe), looks likely to be the only candidate to run against the incumbent, President Heinz Fischer, on April 25.

But her comments supporting the scrapping of the tough prohibition law have renewed the debate about a heritage with which the country, which was under Nazi rule from 1938 to 1945, has never fully come to terms.

Austrian leaders and the press already fear for the country's image abroad.

Under the 1947 Verbotsgesetz law, anyone who seeks to set up a Nazi organisation, propagates Nazi ideology or denies Nazi crimes can be jailed for up to 20 years.

But Rosenkranz, a mother of 10 and the wife of an outspoken figure in Austria's far-Right scene, insists the law constitutes "an unnecessary restriction" and that, on the contrary, people should be allowed freedom of opinion.

In 2003, the European Court of Human Rights already allowed a journalist's description of her as a "closet-Nazi", noting that her attitude towards Nazism was ambiguous.

Such comments from a woman running for the country's highest office prompted scorching criticism from politicians of all colours, civil groups and the Catholic church.

Rosenkranz's own supporters did what they could to limit the damage.
"Somebody like this is not eligible for election," said Vienna's Archbishop Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, while the Jewish community described her as "an embarrassment for Austria".

"Rosenkranz challenges the Republic's anti-Fascist foundation. That is unacceptable," added Norbert Darabos, the social democratic defence minister.

Meanwhile, Hans Dichand, publisher of the influential tabloid Kronen Zeitung, reversed his earlier position and urged Rosenkranz to "distance herself from all national socialist ideas", just days after he had called on voters to support her.

On Monday, Rosenkranz issued an affidavit saying, "I condemn outright the crimes of national socialism and categorically distance myself from the ideology of national socialism."

Nevertheless, she refused to answer journalists' questions on statements she had made last week in which she affirmed that denying the Holocaust came under "freedom of expression".

Last week, the leader of the FPOe, Heinz-Christian Strache, also attempted some damage control.

"Nobody in our party is talking about scrapping the prohibition law", he said. >>> Sim Sim Wissgott in Vienna for AFP | Monday, March 08, 2010

KRONEN ZEITUNG: Video anschauen – Barbara Rosenkranz distanziert sich von NS-Ideologie >>>

Barbara Rosenkranz distanziert sich von NS-Ideologie
KRONEN ZEITUNG: Präsidentschaftskandidatin Barbara Rosenkranz hat sich am Montagvormittag nach ihren umstrittenen Aussagen zum Verbotsgesetz öffentlich von der NS-Ideologie distanziert. In einer eidesstattlichen Erklärung beteuerte sie, "zu keinem Zeitpunkt die Grundwerte unserer Republik infrage gestellt" zu haben.

"So habe ich auch das Verbotsgesetz als Symbol für die Abgrenzung vom Nationalsozialismus niemals infrage gestellt und werde es auch nicht infrage stellen", sagte Rosenkranz in der eidesstattlichen Erklärung, zu der sie in der vergangenen Woche in einem "Krone"-Kommentar (siehe Infobox) aufgefordert worden war, weiter.

Die FPÖ-Kandidatin wies in ihrer Erklärung "jede Interpretation, dass ich dieses Gesetz abschaffen wolle, mit aller Entschiedenheit zurück. Für mich sind Demokratie, Freiheit und Menschenwürde die Fundamente meines Welt- und Menschenbildes und meiner politischen Arbeit. Ich verurteile daher aus Überzeugung die Verbrechen des Nationalsozialismus und distanziere mich entschieden von der Ideologie des Nationalsozialismus." "Sehr betroffen" über Wirbel über ihre Kandidatur >>> | Montag, 08. März 2010

Reaktionen: Rosenkranz-Erklärung "wertlos"
DIE PRESSE: Als "wertlos" und "Nicht-Erklärung" werten die anderen Parteien die eidesstattliche Erklärung der freiheitlichen Hofburg-Kandidatin, in der diese sich von der NS-Ideologie distanziert.

Die freiheitliche Kandidatin für die Hofburg-Wahl, Barbara Rosenkranz, hat sich am Montag mit einer eidesstattlichen Erklärung von der NS-Ideologie distanziert. Bei den anderen Parteien stößt ihre Erklärung durchwegs auf Ablehnung.

Klubchef Josef Cap vermisst im Gespräch mit Ö1 zwei Punkte: Erstens, Rosenkranz müsse ganz klar festhalten, dass sie nichts am Verbotsgesetz ändern will, auch nicht einzelne Paragraphen. Und zweitens, sie müsse eindeutig sagen, dass es während der Nazi-Zeit Gaskammern gegeben habe und dass sie dies verurteile. >>> APA/Red. | Montag, 08. März 2010

Gaddafi vs. Switzerland: The Leader's Son on What's Behind the Feud
TIME: It's tempting to dismiss Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi's call this week for a jihad against Switzerland as just another round in the feud between the two countries. But it would be a mistake to treat Gaddafi's rhetoric as mere theater. Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi, the Libyan leader's second-eldest son, who many suspect is Gaddafi's likely successor, tells TIME that Libya's row with Switzerland is evidence of a far more serious and urgent issue within Libya, which is grappling with how democratic and Westernized the country should become after decades of isolation. "If we are going to dance with them [the West], we need to dance with the same rhythm to the same music," Saif Gaddafi said in a candid interview as he relaxed on his farm outside Tripoli, on the public holiday marking the Prophet Mohammed's birthday. "The best example is the Swiss crisis. It shows there is a big gap between our way of thinking and our mentality, and the Western mentality and the way of doing business."

That's an understatement. The senior Gaddafi's call on Friday for holy war against Switzerland has injected a new, more menacing tone into a dispute that has dragged on for the past 18 months. Gaddafi told an audience of diplomats and officials in the city of Benghazi that Muslims should bar Swiss planes and ships from their countries, and embargo Swiss goods. "Let us wage jihad against Switzerland, Zionism and foreign aggression," he told the crowd. "Any Muslim in any part of the world who works with Switzerland is an apostate, is against Muhammad, God and the Koran."

The rift, which threatens multi-billion-dollar investments in Libya, began when Swiss police arrested Gaddafi's youngest son Hannibal and his wife in July 2008, for allegedly assaulting two of their servants in a Geneva hotel. The couple denied the charges, which were quickly dropped, but the row continued. Offended by Swiss newspaper portrayals of his son, Gaddafi withdrew billions in Libyan funds from Swiss banks in July of last year, prompting the Swiss president to fly to Tripoli to apologize for the arrest.

Gaddafi was still not mollified. Last August, two Swiss businessmen were arrested in Tripoli for overstaying their visas. After a five-month standoff, one was allowed to leave Libya last week, while the second began a four-month prison term. >>> Vivienne Walt, Tripoli | Saturday, February 27, 2010

Inside the World of Obama's Secret-service Bodyguards
THE GUARDIAN: Protecting the US president has presented the secret service with the greatest challenge in its history. But who wants to kill him? And how likely are they to succeed?

Barack Obama surrounded by bodyguards in 2008. Photograph: The Guardian
The Southern Poverty Law Center began life in 1971 as a tiny law firm specialising in civil rights cases. It took on the might of the Ku Klux Klan, and was duly rewarded by having its offices razed and its senior lawyers targeted for assassination. But it kept on going and grew to be one of the most respected monitoring groups of rightwing extremism in America today.

Recently it brought out a report called Terror From the Right, which identifies, in chronological order, the serious home-grown plots, conspiracies and racist rampages that have been cooked up in America since the Oklahoma City bomb in 1995. The list runs to 10 pages of closely printed type and itemises 75 domestic terrorism events, from plans to bomb government buildings to attempts to kill judges and politicians.

Each of the incidents aimed to change the political face of America through violence, courtesy of groups with such titles as Aryan People's Republic, The New Order and The Hated. But in the summer of 2008 the chronology takes on a sharp change of tack. Entries, which had been running at one or two per year, start coming faster. And instead of a variety of different targets, one name crops up time and time again: Barack Obama.

The first such entry is for 8 June 2008. Six people, linked to a militia group in rural Pennsylvania, are arrested with stockpiles of assault rifles and homemade bombs. One of the six allegedly tells the authorities that he intended to shoot black people from a rooftop and predicts civil war should Obama, who five days previously had cleared the Democratic nomination for president, be elected to the White House.

Next entry: 24 August 2008. The day before the opening of the Democratic convention in Denver at which Obama was nominated, three white supremacists are arrested in possession of high-powered rifles and camouflage clothing. They are talking about assassinating Obama.

24 October 2008: Less than two weeks before the election, two white supremacists are arrested in Tennessee over a bizarre plan to kill more than 100 black people, including Obama.

21 January 2009: The day after Obama's inauguration, a white man is arrested in Massachusetts, having allegedly killed two black immigrants and injured a third. He says he was "fighting for a dying race".

10 June 2009: James von Brunn, aged 88, walks into the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington and shoots dead a security guard. Von Brunn, who died last month in jail awaiting trial, left a note that read: "Obama was created by Jews."

In the 13 months that Barack Obama has been the occupant of the Oval Office he has been the subject of an extraordinary outpouring of emotion from the American electorate. At the start it was largely adulatory, though more recently the adoration has been drowned out by a cacophony of criticism from tea party activists, birthers, global-warming deniers and viewers of Fox News. At the same time, largely hidden from view, there has been a layer of antagonism towards Obama that lies well beyond the boundaries of reasonable political debate.

That has been a fact of life for Obama and his family since long before they took the keys to the White House. On 2 May 2007, fully 18 months before election day, he was assigned a secret service detail – much earlier than any other presidential candidate in American history. The precise reasons for the move have never been disclosed, but there was certainly a mood in the air sufficiently palpable to disconcert Michelle Obama. A senior US official in the State Department has told the Guardian that before he decided to run for the presidency, Obama had actively to win Michelle over to the idea by assuaging her fears about the potential of an attack on him, her and/or their two daughters. >>> Ed Pilkington | Monday, March 08, 2010

Male Hairdressers Banned from Women's Salons in Gaza
BBC: The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas has said it is to ban male hairdressers from working in salons where women get their hair styled.

The announcement is part of a campaign by Hamas to introduce more Islamic customs to the Gaza Strip.

The Interior Ministry have said there will be legal consequences for anyone who disobeys the new rule, but they have not specified what they might be.

In Islamic tradition women cannot show their hair to men not in their family.

Since the Islamist movement took over the Gaza Strip in 2007, they have introduced a number of rules that move toward tightening customary Islamic restrictions on the way men and women interact.

But they have been patchily enforced and are not statutory laws.

Pressure

Women's underwear has been banned from display, and men must dress modestly when swimming in the sea.

Girls in school also have to wear long dresses.

The BBC's Jon Donnison in the Gaza Strip reports that human rights groups there are complaining that people's freedom is being restricted.

Hamas is coming under internal pressure to show their commitment to Islamic customs, it has been reported. [Source: BBC] | Thursday, March 04, 2010

White House Seeks to Block Turkish ‘Genocide’ Bill
MAIL ONLINE: The White House is seeking to block a controversial US bill branding the mass slaughter of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in World War One as genocide.

A congressional committee caused a major diplomatic row last week by voting in favour of the legislation.

Turkey recalled its ambassador from Washington and said the move would damage relations with America’s key NATO ally.

But State Secretary Hillary Clinton tried to defuse the row by claiming the Obama administration would ‘work very hard’ to prevent the genocide bill going to a full vote on Capitol Hill.

'We are against this. Now we believe that the US Congress will not take any decision on this subject,’ she said.

Mrs Clinton is hoping her reassurance will help defuse the rumpus over the dark, century-old chapter in Turkish history. >>> David Gardner | Sunday, March 07, 2010

Oh, Christ! I Hope Not! David Miliband: 'We Can Win the Election'
THE TELEGRAPH: The Foreign Secretary tells Mary Riddell he believes the Tory party lacks purpose and that he doesn’t do sleepless nights.

By the look of him, “he does” a hell of a lot of “sleepless nights”, judging by the wrinkles on his face! Photograph: The Telegraph
In a sparsely-filled town hall, David Miliband is rallying the party faithful. Crawley in Sussex is not the normal beat of a globe-trotting Foreign Secretary, and the issues raised by activists are not his specialist topics.

With a majority of only 37, the most marginal Labour seat in Britain needs all the big guns it can muster. So Mr Miliband gamely tackles doorstep subjects ranging from immigration to free swimming for the over-sixties.

The meeting over, he turns to the subject of Lord Ashcroft, who hopes to swing this vulnerable constituency and many others to the Tories. Mr Miliband was on a radio show with William Hague when the shadow foreign secretary finally admitted that he had known for months about the arrangement under which the peer pays no British tax on his overseas earnings.

In the strongest condemnation by any government minister, Mr Miliband declares his opposite number unfit to serve as Foreign Secretary. “You can’t be an effective Foreign Secretary if you spend 10 years avoiding the hard questions,” he says. “Either Lord Ashcroft was lying to David Cameron and William Hague, or they were lying to themselves.” >>> Mary Riddell | Sunday, March 07, 2010

Pfund im Sinkflug: Treiben Spekulanten England in den Ruin?
20MINUTEN.ch: Zuerst wetteten die Zocker gegen den Euro. Nun gerät das britische Pfund unter Druck. Spekulanten glauben, dass die Regierung in London ihre Schulden bald nicht mehr unter Kontrolle hat. Londons Schuldenwirtschaft hat griechische Verhältnisse erreicht.

Mit einem müden Lächeln blickten die Briten in den vergangenen Monaten zum europäischen Festland herüber. Die griechische Schuldenwirtschaft ging London nichts an, denn die Briten waren 1999 der europäischen Währungsunion nicht beigetreten. Statt in Euro zahlt das Vereinigte Königreich weiterhin mit «Pound Sterling».

Nun gerät das Pfund jedoch stark unter Druck, denn die Spekulanten haben nach dem Euro die britische Währung ins Visier genommen. Die Zahl der Short-Positionen an der Terminbörse von Chicago, mit denen Händler auf ein sinkendes Pfund wetten, sind stark gestiegen. Kürzlich ist das britische Pfund gegenüber dem Dollar auf ein 10-Monatstief gefallen.

Die «Euro-Verwandten» leiden

Der Ökonom David Meier von der Bank Julius Bär begründet den Kurssturz so: «Die meisten europäischen Währungen, die dem Euro nahestehen, haben sich in den letzten zwei Monaten gegenüber dem Dollar abgeschwächt. So auch das britische Pfund, die norwegische Krone und der Schweizer Franken.» Grund dafür ist der Vertrauensverlust in den Euro, der wegen Griechenlands Schuldenwirtschaft in eine tiefe Krise gestürzt sei, so Meier, der täglich die Währungsentwicklungen analysiert.

Der jüngste Schwächeanfall von anfangs Woche erklärt der Ökonom mit der politischen Entwicklung. «Das hängt mit dem ungewissen Ausgang der britischen Unterhauswahlen zusammen. Umfragen zeigten, dass die konservative Partei wahrscheinlich keine absolute Mehrheit im Parlament holen wird», so Meier. Dies sei insofern von Bedeutung, da der Markt den Labour-Kräften nicht zutraue, die während der Wirtschaftskrise angehäuften Schulden zu reduzieren und die Ausgaben in den Griff zu bekommen.» Briten als Schuldenkönige >>> Von Sandro Spaeth | Donnerstag, 04. März 2010

Adam Gadahn, Al Qaeda Agent from Southern California, Is Arrested in Pakistan
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Gadahn is wanted by the U.S. on charges of treason. In his apparent primary role as propagandist for the terrorist network, Gadahn appeared in videos. The latest praised the accused Fort Hood shooter.

Gadahn appears at left in an undated handout photo, and at right in a video released by Al Qaeda in 2006. Photograph: Los Angeles Times
Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan - Security forces in the southern port city of Karachi have arrested Adam Gadahn, a Southern California native who became a top propagandist for Al Qaeda and is wanted by the U.S. on treason charges, Pakistani intelligence sources in Karachi said Sunday.

The capture of Gadahn becomes the starkest signal yet that Pakistan has decided to ratchet up its cooperation with the U.S. in hunting down Islamic militants. In the last two months, Pakistani security forces have seized several top Afghan Taliban commanders, including the insurgency's second in command, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.

Baradar's arrest and the capture of other Taliban leaders also have occurred in Karachi, which increasingly has become a favored sanctuary for Pakistani and Afghan Taliban leaders and militants. Gadahn's arrest took place on the city's outskirts, intelligence sources said, on a highway near where Baradar was believed to have been arrested.

Gadahn, whose most recent video, posted Sunday, praised the U.S. Army major charged with killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, was arrested in a pickup truck with a driver Saturday night, the sources said. The sources requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on such issues. >>> Alex Rodriguez | Sunday, March 07, 2010

Pakistan: Al-Kaida rächt ihren Sprecher mit Video
20MINUTEN.ch: Der in den USA geborene Al-Kaida-Sprecher Adam Gadahn ist in der pakistanischen Hafenstadt Karachi vom Geheimdienst gefasst worden. Die Kaida veröffentlichte darauf ein Video, in dem Gedahn die Muslime aufruft, den Amoklauf auf der US-Militärbasis in Fort Hood zum Vorbild zu nehmen.

Al-Kaida-Sprecher Adam Gadahn in einem Video, das am 7. März 2010, dem Tag seiner Verhaftung, von Al-Kaida versandt wurde. Bild: 20Minuten.ch
Die Gefangennahme des 31-jährigen Al-Kaida-Sprechers Gadahn erfolgte bereits vor einigen Tagen, wie am Sonntag aus pakistanischen Geheimdienst- und Regierungskreisen verlautete. Die Verhaftung gilt als ein grosser Erfolg des von den USA geführten Kampfs gegen Al Kaida. >>> ddp | Sonntag, 07. März 2010

Grèce : Une «solution européenne» plutôt qu'un recours au FMI
20MINUTES.ch: La Grèce souhaite trouver une «solution européenne» à ses difficultés financières et n'envisage pas pour l'instant de recours au Fonds monétaire international (FMI).

«Nous voulons une solution européenne, nous ne voulons pas choisir le FMI», a déclaré M. Papandreou à l'issue d'un entretien d'une heure avec son homologue français à l'Elysée.

«La solution européenne jusqu'à hier ou avant-hier restait très théorique. Après les différentes rencontres que j'ai eues cette semaine (...) j'ai entendu que la volonté politique existait, et pas seulement de la part du président Sarkozy», a-t-il poursuivi.

«Notre pays a pris des mesures plus importantes et supplémentaires par rapports à ce que les spécialistes (...) avaient préconisé (...) nous voulons donc pouvoir emprunter comme tout autre pays de la zone euro avec un taux qui est similaire, peut-être pas identique, mais comparable», a ajouté le chef du gouvernement grec. >>> ats | Dimanche 07 Mars 2010

Paris : La statue de la République recouverte d'une burqa géante
20MINUTES.ch: Une soixantaine de jeunes militants ont recouvert samedi à Paris la statue symbolisant la République française, sur la place du même nom, d'une burqa noire géante. Ils entendaient célébrer ainsi la journée de la femme avec deux jours d'avance.

Les manifestants, dont une petite dizaine de garçons, appartenant à l'association «Ni putes ni soumises», ont organisé un défilé circulaire en brandissant des pancartes «Ni voile ni burqa», «service public = avortement et contraception» ou «raser mes jambes oui, raser les murs non».

Un peu plus tard, les manifestants ont symboliquement recouvert la statue d'une burqa noire géante, afin de protester contre ce qu'ils estiment être un retard pris dans le vote d'une loi interdisant la burqa dans les lieux publics. >>> ats | Dimanche 07 Mars 2010