Sultan of Brunei's Low-key Third Marriage Ends with Quiet Divorce
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah with his wife Azrinaz Mazhar Hakim in 2006. Photo: The Independent
THE INDEPENDENT: The Sultan of Brunei "can do no wrong in either his personal or any official capacity," according to the oil-rich country's constitution. But perhaps not all the time.

Brunei's palace announced yesterday that Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah has divorced his wife, Azrinaz Mazhar Hakim, after five years of marriage. State television and radio last night carried the announcement that the 63-year-old sultan had divorced Azrinaz, 30, a former Malaysian television news journalist, and that all of her royal titles had been revoked.

It marked the end of a marriage that began with a private wedding ceremony which contrasted starkly with previous lavish royal events paid for with the vast wealth accrued by the tiny nation. Michael Jackson had been flown in to perform for the sultan's 50th birthday, while a week of celebrations for the marriage of his eldest daughter included a concert by Stevie Wonder.

The sultan, the heir to an unbroken 600-year Muslim dynasty, is one of the world's richest royals with a private fortune estimated to total at least $20bn (£13.5bn).

His wife had given birth to the sultan's 11th child, a baby boy, less than a year after their wedding and a daughter in 2008 but rumours of a marriage break-up had been circulating for some time in Brunei. >>> Paul Peachey | Thursday, June 17, 2010

Le sultan de Brunei divorce de sa troisième femme !

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‘Angry’ Obama Could Sack McChrystal
General McChristal pictured with Karl Eikenberry, whom he criticised in the Rolling Stone article. Photo: The Times
THE TIMES: General Stanley McChrystal’s job as commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan was hanging by a thread after he was recalled to Washington today for mocking senior figures in the Obama Administration.

Robert Gates, the US Defence Secretary, described General McChrystal’s outburst as a “significant mistake”, while the White House said that the President was “angry”, and a top Democrat in Congress called for the General’s removal.

In an explosive magazine profile, General McChrystal is quoted mocking Vice President Joe Biden, ridiculing Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy to the region and saying he felt “betrayed” by his closest civilian colleague in Afghanistan, the US ambassador Karl Eikenberry.

Senior aides to General McChrystal also told Rolling Stone magazine that the general was “disappointed” by his first meeting with the President, calling it “a ten-minute photo op” with a Commander-in-Chief who “clearly didn’t know anything about him”. One aide also described the President’s National Security Advisor, General Jim Jones, as a “clown” stuck in “1985”.

Aides said the general had prevailed in the titanic battles over US policy in Afghanistan only “by keeping his eye on the real enemy — the wimps in the White House”. Read on and comment >>> Giles Whittell and Jerome Starkey | Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Obama's Real McChrystal Problem: War Plan in Trouble
POLITICO: Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s MacArthur Moment was more than an embarrassment for the White House – it was a reminder of just how badly Barack Obama’s “good war” in Afghanistan is going.

The challenge facing Obama in responding to his loose-lipped Afghan commander has an obvious parallel in Harry Truman’s firing of Douglas MacArthur at the height of the Korean War.

But it may actually be more comparable to a more chronic presidential leadership crisis — Abraham Lincoln’s dilemma during the Civil War, when vacillating public opinion, insubordination and strategic uncertainties forced Lincoln to repeatedly reshuffle his general staff.

“Afghanistan is a mess and it’s getting worse. To make matters worse, the president’s been dealing with internal squabbling on this for some time,” says Steve Clemons, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation, a non-partisan Washington think-tank, who has written extensively on Afghanistan. >>> Glenn Thrush | Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Gibbs: Firing McChrystal “On the Table”


Related article here

Budget 2010: VAT Rise and Benefits Cuts to Tackle Britain's Deficit
THE TELEGRAPH: VAT will rise and benefits will be cut to wipe out Britain’s budget deficit within five years, George Osborne has announced.



The Chancellor used his emergency Budget to announce that VAT will rise from 17.5 per cent to 20 per cent from January 4.

He will also cut £11 billion a year from benefits and welfare payments.

High-earners will be hard hit by the measures. Anyone earning more than £49,700 a year will be almost £1,600 a year worse off, Treasury figures indicated.

The average earner will be £400 a year worse off.

Mr Osborne said the wide range of cuts and tax rises were needed to pay off the deficits Labour ran up.

“This is the unavoidable Budget,” he said.

“It is tough but it is fair. I am not going to hide hard choices from the British people.

He added: “Today, we take decisive action to deal with the debts we have inherited.”

He insisted that all income groups will share in the pain to come. “When we say we are all in this together, we mean it,” he said. >>> James Kirkup, Political Correspondent | Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Dutch Police Use 'Decoy Jews' to Stop Anti-Semitic Attacks
THE TELEGRAPH: Dutch police are to use "decoy Jews", by dressing law enforcers in Jewish religious dress such as skullcaps, in an effort to catch anti-Semitic attackers.

Photo: The Telegraph
Lodewijk Asscher, Amsterdam's mayor, has ordered the new decoy strategy to cut the number of verbal and physical attacks on Jews, amid fears that anti-Semitic "hate crime" is on the rise.

"Jews in at least six Amsterdam neighbourhoods often cannot cross the street wearing a skullcap without being insulted, spat at or even attacked," according to local reports.

Amsterdam police already disguise officers as "decoy prostitutes, decoy gays and decoy grannies" in operations to deter street muggings and attacks on homosexuals or the city's red light district.

Police in the Dutch city of Gouda have claimed the use of officers disguised as apparently frail old age pensioners has helped cut street crime. >>> Bruno Waterfield | Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Texas GOP* Platform Advocates Criminalizing Gay Marriage, Banning Strip Clubs, Pornography
THE HUFFINGTON POST: Texas Republicans recently unveiled a policy platform that includes a statement of support for legislation that would make it a felony to issue a marriage license to same-sex couples as well as for an official to perform a marriage ceremony for gay partners wishing to wed.

The 25-page proposal debuted last week as a guiding light for the state GOP over the next two years defines its position by saying:

Marriage Licenses - We support legislation that would make it a felony to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple and for any civil official to perform a marriage ceremony for such.

>>> Elyse Siegel | Tuesday, June 22, 2010

*GOP = Grand Old Party

Texas Christian Conservatives Who "Hate America"

Obama Embraces Incremental Response to Gay Agenda
ASSOCIATED PRESS: WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is chipping away at his long list of promises to gay voters but has yet to win the enthusiastic backing of the reliably Democratic voting bloc.

The Obama White House has accomplished more than any other on gay rights, yet has drawn sharp criticism from an unexpected constituency: the same gay activists who backed the president's election campaign. Instead of the sweeping change gays and lesbians had sought, a piece-by-piece approach has been the administration's favored strategy, drawing neither serious fire from conservatives nor lavish praise from activists. >>> Philip Elliott, AP | Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Umfrage: Europäer sehen sich von wachsender Armut umgeben
WELT ONLINE: Viele EU-Bürger glauben, dass in ihrem jeweiligen Land die Armut zugenommen hat. Vor allem Griechen und Franzosen sehen ihre Heimat verarmen.

Armut in Deutschland: Ein Mann sucht in einem Abfalleimer in Köln nach Verwertbarem. Foto: Welt Online
Immer mehr Europäer glauben, in ihrem Land habe die Armut in den vergangenen zwölf Monaten zugenommen. Wie EU-Sozialkommissar Laszlo Andor in Brüssel unter Berufung auf eine neue Eurobarometer-Umfrage mitteilte, sind bei Griechen, Franzosen und Bulgaren sogar mehr als vier Fünftel der Befragten dieser Auffassung.

In Deutschland gaben 57 Prozent der Befragten an, die Armut habe zugenommen. Das sind etwas weniger als im EU-Schnitt von 60 Prozent. Andor sagte, Armut stelle in der EU ein großes Problem dar. Die gegenwärtige wirtschaftliche und finanzielle Lage verschärfe die Situation. >>> KNA/cn | Dienstag, 22. Juni 2010

Weißrussland stoppt Gastransit in den Westen
WELT ONLINE: Der Gasstreit eskaliert: Weißrussland will die für Westeuropa wichtigen Transitleitungen für russisches Gas abdrehen.

Weißrussland dreht die Gaspipeline in den Westen zu. Bild: Welt Online
Im Gasstreit mit Russland hat die weißrussische Regierung angeordnet, den Transit von Gas nach Europa zu stoppen. Der autoritäre weißrussische Präsident Alexander Lukaschenko habe die Sperrung der Pipelines verfügt, meldete die Agentur Interfax aus der weißrussischen Hauptstadt Minsk.

Der russische Staatskonzern Gazprom schulde Weißrussland 260 Millionen US-Dollar (rund 212 Millionen Euro) für das Durchleiten von Gas nach Westen, sagte Lukaschenko. Von der Blockade wäre besonders das EU-Mitglied Litauen betroffen, da das baltische Land zu 100 Prozent über diesen Weg versorgt wird. >>> dpa/AFP/dma | Dienstag, 22. Juni 2010

Quand un député suisse rêve d'annexer la Savoie
LE FIGARO: Dominique Baettig, élu dans le Jura suisse, a déposé une motion surprenante au Parlement de Berne.

Comme l'Alsace en d'autres temps, la Savoie fait des envieux. Ce territoire majestueux, bordé par la chaîne des Alpes et le lac Léman, semble être l'objet de fantasmes. Dominique Baettig, élu dans le Jura suisse, a ainsi déposé une motion surprenante au Parlement de Berne. Dessinant la carte d'une «grande Suisse» de 25 millions d'habitants, sa récente proposition vise à «créer un cadre constitutionnel et légal permettant d'intégrer, en tant que nouveau canton suisse, des régions limitrophes dont une majorité de la population en ferait la demande ». Parmi les voisins de la Confédération, la Savoie figure en première ligne au vu du nombre de frontaliers qui y vivent - plus de 70.000 Savoyards traversent quotidiennement la frontière pour aller travailler, formant une population à l'identité croisée. >>> Par Marie Maurisse | Mardi 22 Juin 2010

Kuwait's Lost Treasures: How Stolen Riches Remain Central to Rift with Iraq
THE GUARDIAN: Hundreds of artefacts were plundered during Gulf war, and project to repatriate them is ongoing

The Kuwait National Museum is still trying to trace 487 priceless artefacts looted after Saddam Hussein’s invasion. Photograph: The Guardian
In a spacious but frugal office in Kuwait, a glossy catalogue lists the dozens of reasons why Kuwait and Iraq are still at daggers drawn after all these years.

Sheikha Hussa Salem al-Sabah thumbs through the pages of the booklet, pointing out the most egregious cases – page upon page of priceless treasures looted by Saddam Hussein's invading army 20 years ago and still missing: a dazzling 234-carat emerald the size of a paperweight; a slightly smaller gem inscribed with exquisite Arabic calligraphy; Mughal-era ruby beads.

"The Iraqis still don't understand the damage they did to us, not just financially, but for our souls," says the daughter-in-law of Kuwait's emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who maintains the dynasty's heirlooms. "It was emotionally wrenching and still is."

Though many of the priceless treasures have been returned to the collection in the bitter decades since, up to 57 remain missing – perhaps lost for ever. At the National Museum across town, they report that the whereabouts of another 487 treasures remain unknown.

Many of the pieces, Kuwaitis believe, now form the core of private collections in post-Saddam Iraq and around the Arab world. To the victims of the 1990 invasion they remain the central reason of a failure to close the unfinished business of the first Gulf war – just as the second one is beginning to wind down. >>> Martin Chulov in Kuwait | Monday, June 21, 2010

Emergency Budget 2010: Osborne Promises to Balance Books in Five Years
George Osborne holds Gladstone's original budget box as he leaves 11 Downing Street for Parliament today. Photo: The Independent
THE INDEPENDENT: A stern-faced Chancellor George Osborne delivered his "tough but fair" emergency Budget plans to Parliament, promising to balance Britain's books within five years.

In a statement issued after briefing Cabinet colleagues, Mr Osborne said the Budget aimed to protect children and pensioners and ensure the richest bear the largest share of the burden.

He then posed briefly on the steps of 11 Downing Street, flanked by his equally grim-faced Treasury team, before heading to the House of Commons to unveil his plans.

In his statement, Mr Osborne said: "My Budget is tough but it is fair. This is an unavoidable Budget because of the mess we have to clear up. So the coalition Government will take responsibility for balancing Britain's books within five years.

"We are going to do this fairly, protecting children and pensioners and ensuring the richest contribute the most. And it means getting enterprise going, because it is business, not Government, that will create the jobs of the future." >>> Press Association | Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Stanley McChrystal Forced to Apologise Over White House Attack
General McChrystal at a press briefing with US ambassador Karl Eikenberry. Photo: The Times
THE TIMES: The US commander in Afghanistan has been forced to apologise over a magazine profile in which he launches a blistering attack on the US Administration, mocking the Vice-President while his aides dismiss President Obama.

Tensions between the military and the White House burst into the open with General Stanley McChrystal’s interview with Rolling Stone magazine, in which he also denounces the US Ambassador to Kabul.

His aides were less than flattering about President Obama and frequently derided top civilian leaders, including the special envoy Richard Holbrooke. One anonymous aide calls the White House national security adviser James Jones “a clown”.

“I extend my sincerest apology for this profile,” General McChrystal said in a statement issued hours after the article was released.

“It was a mistake reflecting poor judgment and should never happened.”

General McChrystal, a former special operations chief, usually speaks cautiously in public and has enjoyed mostly sympathetic US media coverage since he took over the Nato-led force last year. But the article appears to catch him and his staff in unguarded moments. Read on and comment >>> Anne Barrowclough | Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Times Square Car Bomber Faisal Shahzad Pleads Guilty '100 Times'
THE TELEGRAPH: Faisal Shahzad has pleaded guilty to the attempted car bombing of Times Square car bomb "100 times," calling himself a Muslim soldier and defiantly warning of more attacks on the United States.



Reading out a combative statement in court, the Pakistani-born American citizen showed no remorse as he pleaded guilty to all 10 charges, including attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and terrorism.

"I want to plead guilty 100 times because unless the US pulls out of Afghanistan and Iraq, until they stop drone strikes in Somalia, Pakistan, and Yemen, and stop attacking Muslim lands, we will attack the US and be out to get them," he said, speaking in perfect English.

Asked by judge Miriam Cedarbaum why he tried to kill innocent Americans, 30-year-old Shahzad, who wore a white Muslim skullcap during the 90-minute proceedings, was unrepentant.

"Listen, you are attacking children with your drones in Afghanistan," he said. "I would not consider what I did was a crime. I'm aware it's a violation of the United States laws, but I don't care for the laws of the United States." >>> | Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Coalition Warns of ‘Hardest’ Budget
George Osborne will try to distinguish his measures from anything that Labour could portray as a Thatcherite attack on the poor. Photo: The Times
THE TIMES: George Osborne will claim today that the harshest Budget for 30 years will squeeze the rich more than it hits the poor. The Chancellor will seek to sell his package of record spending cuts and tax rises as being stamped by fairness as he tries to win public support for a four-year austerity drive.

Nick Clegg moved to pre-empt any revolt by Liberal Democrats last night by insisting that his party’s values were at the heart of Mr Osborne’s assault on the deficit. “This is one of the hardest things we will ever have to do,” he wrote in an e-mail to party members, an acknowledgement that the pain to come will put the coalition under immense strain.

Mr Osborne’s Budget statement is a watershed moment, when households learn how much they will have to suffer to help to pay off the country’s debts. Read on and comment >>> Roland Watson, Political Editor | Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Pakistan: Mit Burka verkleideter Deutscher festgenommen
WELT ONLINE: Er war bewaffnet und trug eine Burka: Im Nordwesten Pakistans hat die Polizei einen verdächtigen Deutschen festgenommen.

Im Nordwesten Pakistans hat die Polizei nach Angaben aus Sicherheitskreisen einen bewaffneten und mit einer Burka verkleideten Deutschen festgenommen. Wie am Montag weiter verlautete, wurde der Mann in Gewahrsam genommen, als er das Stammesgebiet Nord-Waziristan verlassen wollte.

Die Stammesgebiete an der Grenze zu Afghanistan gelten als Hochburg von Taliban- und Al-Qaida- Extremisten. In Nord-Waziristan soll es eine kleine Gruppe von Deutschen geben, die Kontakt zu Al-Qaida haben sollen. Das Auswärtige Amt in Berlin erklärte, es prüfe den Fall. >>> dpa/fp | Montag, 21. Juni 2010

Opium: Drogenkonsum in Afghanistan steigt rasant
ZEIT ONLINE: Innerhalb von fünf Jahren verdoppelte sich die Zahl der Heroin-Konsumenten. Auch der Gebrauch von Opium nimmt am Hindukusch rasant zu.

In Afghanistan wird mehr Opium gewonnen als in jedem anderen Land der Welt. Offenbar ist das produzierte Rauschgift aber nicht nur für den Export bestimmt: Wie aus einer in Kabul vorgestellten UN-Studie hervorgeht, ist der Drogenkonsum unter den Afghanen stark angestiegen. Demnach wuchs in den vergangenen fünf Jahren die Zahl der Opium-Konsumenten um 53 Prozent auf 230.000. Die Zahl der Heroin-Konsumenten nahm auf 120.000 zu, das ist mehr als doppelt so viel wie vor fünf Jahren. >>> Zeit Online, AFP | Montag, 21. Juni 2010

Crucifixion – Pablo Picasso (1930). L'image: Google Images
Arabie: un Yéménite décapité puis crucifié
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: CONDAMNATION | Le condamné a été exécuté à El-Baha, dans le sud-ouest du pays.

Un Yéménite et un Saoudien condamnés à mort dans deux affaires différentes ont été décapités au sabre lundi et le corps du premier a ensuite été crucifié pour donner l’exemple, a annoncé le ministère saoudien de l’Intérieur.

Dans la première affaire, le Yéménite Chaabane Nachéri a été condamné à mort pour être entré de force dans la maison d’un autre Yéménite, Dhayeh Manbahi, qu’il a tué par balle. Il a ensuite violé la fille de sa victime avant de l’exécuter par balle aussi, blessant par balle également la soeur de cette dernière, a précisé le ministère dans un communiqué.

En raison de l’atrocité de ces crimes, le corps du supplicié a été crucifié dans la localité de Jazan, dans le sud-ouest du royaume saoudien, pour donner l’exemple, selon le texte publié par l’agence officielle Spa. >>> AFP | Lundi 21 Juin 2010

Flag of Pakistan. Image: Google Images
Pakistan Continues to Support Terror Groups, US Report Finds
THE TELEGRAPH: Pakistan is continuing to support militant groups further undermining coalition efforts in Afghanistan and increasing the risk of terror attacks overseas, according to a new report by security analysts.

The study by the Rand Corporation, a non-profit research group, said the US should withhold some aid until Islamabad makes progress in tackling the insurgents on its doorstep.

If not, they concluded, Jihadi organisations would become increasingly capable of exporting terror, such as the attempted Times Square bombing on May 1.

"A number of militant networks – including al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad – remain entrenched in Pakistan and pose a grave threat to the state and the region," said Seth Jones, one of the authors.

"Pakistan has long used its support of militant groups as a foreign policy tool, so ending that will take time." Pakistan's commitment to tackling home-grown militants has long been questioned.

Groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba have their roots in Pakistan's conflict with India over Kashmir. Others were nurtured by Islamabad as they fought the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, before taking control of the country as the Taliban.

The Pakistani government is under pressure to launch a military offensive in North Waziristan, headquarters of the Haqqani network, one of the most dangerous insurgent groups operating in Afghanistan. >>> Rob Crilly in Islamabad | Monday, June 21, 2010

U.S.-born Al Qaida Spokesman, Adam Gadahn, Speaks
USA TODAY: Al-Qaida's U.S.-born spokesman, Adam Gadahn, has repeated the militant group's conditions for peace with America. Among other things, he's calling on President Obama to withdraw his troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, and end support for Israel.