Tuesday, December 07, 2010
BBC: President Ali Abdullah Saleh does not give many interviews at the moment. The man who has governed Yemen for 32 years is fed up with the press characterising the country as a "cradle of terrorism".
But for Amr Khaled he was willing to make an exception. The Egyptian Muslim televangelist is, in the words of the president a "good guy", but there is of course more to it than that - in the Middle East Amr Khaled is like a rock star.
Dubbed "The Billy Graham of Islam" by Time Magazine, his television shows get more viewers than Oprah Winfrey, his videos have racked up 26m hits on YouTube, and he boasts two million friends on Facebook.
He is a sharp-suited, smooth-talking whirlwind of progressive Islam, preaching co-existence with the West while telling Muslims how to mix their faith with the modern world.
He is not even an imam, but a former accountant for multinational auditors KPMG. (+ videos) >>> | Tuesday, December 07, 2010
BBC: A Saudi law professor who wrote about a possible power struggle over the royal succession is being held without charge, a human rights group says.
Mohammad al-Abdulkareem, 40, was detained at his home in Riyadh on Sunday by four men who had no court warrant, the group said.
Mr Abdulkareem's article appeared shortly after King Abdullah, 86, went to America for surgery on his spine.
The royal succession is a highly sensitive subject in Saudi Arabia.
There has been no official confirmation of the arrest by the Saudi authorities. >>> Sebastian Usher. BBC News, London | Tuesday, December 07, 2010
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, was refused bail as he appeared in court to face extradition charges for the first time.
The 39-year-old Australian is wanted in Sweden over allegations of rape and sexual assault upon two women.
He appeared at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court to fight the extradition process.
Mr Assange, who denies the claims, was refused bail by District Judge Howard Riddle on the grounds that he would fail to surrender if released.
Jemima Khan, film director Ken Loach and investigative journalist John Pilger had all offered £20,000 each as surety for his bail.
However, he was remanded in custody and will appear again at the same court on December 14. >>> Caroline Gammell and Richard Edwards | Tuesday, December 07, 2010
NZZ ONLINE: Assange beendet das Katz-und-Maus-Spiel: Verhafteter Wikileaks-Gründer wehrt sich gegen Auslieferung an Schweden >>> Nils Anner, Cambridge | Dienstag, 07. Dezember 2010
LE FIGARO: WikiLeaks : Assange reste en prison jusqu'à mi-décembre – La demande de libération sous caution du fondateur de WikiLeaks, qui s'est rendu mardi à la police britannique, a été rejetée. Recherché pour des faits de viol et d'agression sexuelle, l'Australien est maintenu en détention jusqu'au 14 décembre. >>> Par Thomas Vampouille, Constance Jamet | Mardi 07 Décembre 2010
THE NEW YORK TIMES: LONDON — Police in Britain arrested Julian Assange on Tuesday on a warrant issued in Sweden in connection with alleged sex offenses, British police officials said, the latest twist in the drama swirling around the anti-secrecy group and its beleaguered founder.
Mr. Assange, a 39-year-old Australian, was arrested by officers from Scotland Yard’s extradition unit when he went to a central London police station by prior agreement with the authorities, the police said. A court hearing was expected later in the day.
In a statement, the police said: “Officers from the Metropolitan Police extradition unit have this morning arrested Julian Assange on behalf of the Swedish authorities on suspicion of rape.”
Mr. Assange denies the charges of sexual misconduct said to have been committed while he was in Sweden in August. It was not immediately clear if Mr. Assange would resist extradition to Sweden for questioning by prosecutors there. >>> Alan Cowell and John F. Burns | Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Monday, December 06, 2010
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Wie entwickeln sich die Rollen von Männern und Frauen und die Bedeutung der Familie in muslimischen Gesellschaften? Welches ist das Selbstverständnis der Geschlechter in Marokko, Deutschland und Saudi-Arabien? In der Königsstadt Fés erleben wir eine traditionelle Hochzeit und die Ehe als verpflichtende islamische Lebensform.
NZZ ONLINE: Nach ihrem jahrelangen, erbitterten Familienstreit haben sich die französische L'Oréal-Milliardärin Liliane Bettencourt und ihre Tochter überraschend ausgesöhnt.Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers werde alle von ihr angestrengten gerichtlichen Verfahren zurückziehen, sagte der Anwalt der Tochter, Olivier Metzner, am Montag der Nachrichtenagentur AFP. Dies beziehe sich insbesondere auf die Anzeigen gegen den Künstler François-Marie Banier.
Ihm hatte die Tochter vorgeworfen, ihre 88-jährige Mutter ausgenutzt und um fast eine Milliarde Euro in Form von Gemälden, Immobilien, Lebensversicherungen und Schecks erleichtert zu haben. >>> sda/afp | Montag, 06. Dezember 2010
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Affaire Bettencourt: le photographe Banier va conserver 300 millions d'euros: ACCORD | Le photographe François-Marie Banier, au coeur du conflit entre l’héritière de l’Oréal et sa fille, conservera l’équivalent de 300 millions d’euros (391 millions de francs) de dons de Liliane Bettencourt, ont indiqué leurs avocats. >>> AFP | Mardi 07 Décembre 2010
THE GUARDIAN: US embassy memos contradict Arabic satellite channel's insistence that it is editorially independent despite being heavily subsidised by Gulf stateQatar is using the Arabic news channel al-Jazeera as a bargaining chip in foreign policy negotiations by adapting its coverage to suit other foreign leaders and offering to cease critical transmissions in exchange for major concessions, US embassy cables released by WikiLeaks claim.
The memos flatly contradict al-Jazeera's insistence that it is editorially independent despite being heavily subsidised by the Gulf state.
They will also be intensely embarrassing to Qatar, which last week controversially won the right to host the 2022 World Cup after presenting itself as the most open and modern Middle Eastern state.
In the past, the emir of Qatar has publicly refused US requests to use his influence to temper al-Jazeera's reporting. >>> Robert Booth | Monday, December 06, 2010
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The United States has identified hundreds of sites around the world that it fears could be targeted in terrorist attacks.
The list, released by WikiLeaks, includes a dozen sites in Britain, including two telecommunications centres, several undersea communications cables, a military manufacturing plant and a vaccine production centre.
A February 2009 State Department cable asked embassies around the world to update a 2008 list of vital interests. Unlike most of the documents made available by WikiLeaks so far, it was marked “secret”.
The Government immediately condemned the latest release.
A Downing Street spokesman said this morning: "We unequivocally condemn the unauthorised release of classified information.
"The leaks and their publication are damaging to national security in the United States, Britain and elsewhere.
Though most of the information was in the public domain, its release is likely to lead to accusations that WikiLeaks did not care if it aided terrorists. >>> Alex Spillius, Washington | Monday, December 06, 2010
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: In an interview with SPIEGEL to be published on Monday, Saudi Prince Turki bin Faisal warns that the WikiLeaks diplomatic cables have caused serious damage. "America's credibility and honesty are the victim of these leaks," he says.
The United States has suffered serious political damage as a result of the WikiLeaks publication of secret documents, says Prince Turki bin Faisal, 65, the former intelligence chief and ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Washington. "America's credibility and honesty are the victim of these leaks," Turki said in an interview with the news magazine DER SPIEGEL. "People, including officials, will no longer speak to American diplomats frankly." >>> | Sunday, December 05, 2010
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: 'America's Credibility Is the Victim of These Leaks': Former Saudi Arabian intelligence head Prince Turki bin Faisal worries that the US diplomatic dispatches released by WikiLeaks could harm US credibility. He spoke with SPIEGEL about the diplomatic fallout, his country's relations with Iran and Israel, and the historical burden his country bears for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. >>> | Monday, December 06, 2010
Sunday, December 05, 2010
THE GUARDIAN: Hillary Clinton memo highlights Gulf states' failure to block funding for groups like al-Qaida, Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba
Saudi Arabia is the world's largest source of funds for Islamist militant groups such as the Afghan Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba – but the Saudi government is reluctant to stem the flow of money, according to Hillary Clinton.
"More needs to be done since Saudi Arabia remains a critical financial support base for al-Qaida, the Taliban, LeT and other terrorist groups," says a secret December 2009 paper signed by the US secretary of state. Her memo urged US diplomats to redouble their efforts to stop Gulf money reaching extremists in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"Donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide," she said.
Three other Arab countries are listed as sources of militant money: Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. >>> Declan Walsh in Islamabad | Sunday, December 05, 2010
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Cash Flow to Terrorists Evades U.S. Efforts: WASHINGTON — Nine years after the United States vowed to shut down the money pipeline that finances terrorism, senior Obama administration officials say they believe that many millions of dollars are flowing largely unimpeded to extremist groups worldwide, and they have grown frustrated by frequent resistance from allies in the Middle East, according to secret diplomatic dispatches. >>> Eric Lichtblau and Eric Schmitt | Sunday, December 05, 2010
Recently, because of a malfunction in the old Blogger template – my sidebar wouldn’t load correctly – I was forced to change over to the new Blogger template. I had been reluctant to change over before because I knew it would be time-intensive, and time is what we are all short of these days.
Anyway, change is what I had to embrace. In actual fact, I am very pleased with the new look of the website. I hope that you are too. However, the changeover has meant that very many links have dropped off. Many of these links will be to loyal websites which have linked back to this one for a long time. Naturally, I regretted this. But I fully intended to rectify the matter in due course. (For ‘in due course’ read ‘when I could figure out how’!)
Using the new template has been a somewhat steep learning curve for me. In these matters, I have been self-taught from the start.
I am pleased to report that I have got to grips with the new template now. So it’s only a question of time to place all the links back up on the sidebar. Unfortunately, there appears to be no way of doing this quickly. Each link has to be placed up there one-by-one.
With Christmas approaching, my time is going to be even tighter than it normally is; however, I shall endeavour to correct this matter as soon as possible. Please bear with me. This new website truly is a work in progress! It is at times like this that I wish I had five pairs of hands! Regards to all. Mark
BILD.de: HEILIGER VATER IN ROM: Benedikt XVI. – der mächtigste Papst aller Zeiten – Papst Benedikt XVI. (83) – seit fünf Jahren ist der deutsche Kardinal Joseph Ratzinger das Oberhaupt der katholischen Kirche. >>> | Dienstag, 23. November 2010
THE GUARDIAN: Never have Republican values been so brazenly apparent than in holding the unemployed to ransom for the Bush tax cuts
Rarely has the true face of the modern Republican party in America been exposed so obviously.
Just a day after President Barack Obama met with Republican leaders and came out talking of a new era of co-operation, Republican senators united around Mitch McConnell to sign a letter declaring they would pass no legislation without movement on extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.
That legislation they are willing to scupper includes extending unemployment benefits for millions of jobless Americans, still suffering the terrible hangover of the Great Recession. The tax cuts the Republicans are really fired up over will benefit only the top 2% of Americans. >>> Paul Harris | Thursday, December 02, 2010
THE OBSERVER: The Lib Dem leader will survive a backbench rebellion over tuition fees but his reputation is irreversibly changed
Once upon a time, long, long ago – well, six months ago – Nick Clegg gave a pre-election interview to the Observer in which he forecast "Greek-style" unrest on the streets of Britain if the next government tried to drive through policies for which it did not have a proper mandate. I thought at the time that this was over-the-top attention-seeking by a Lib Dem leader who was then struggling to make an impression on the consciousness of the nation. For this was before the leaders' TV debate which briefly transformed him into the messiah of a new politics.
I am now happy to admit that I was wrong and he was right. The government is facing street demonstrations with a Greek streak during which the protesters roar that they have been betrayed. What Nick Clegg didn't anticipate – where his crystal ball let him down – was that he would be the focus of the fury.
The student marches against the hike in tuition fees have seen violence done to a variety of targets: a police van trashed and windows smashed at Tory Towers. But it is about the Lib Dem leader that the protesters, the peaceful majority and the anarchic minority alike, are most venomous. The police have advised him to stop cycling for fear of his personal safety; excrement has been pushed through his letter box. The National Union of Students is hoping to mobilise its members in their greatest numbers to coincide with the Commons vote on the legislation this Thursday. The walls of Westminster will again reverberate to their chants, the least rude of which is: "Nick Clegg! Dick Head!" >>> Andrew Rawnsley | Sunday, December 05, 2010
THE OBSERVER: The first soldier to be discharged under rules against gay servicemen believes a repeal is imminent
As the row over America's ban on gay people serving openly in the military reached a fever pitch last week, Justin Elzie felt he had finally neared the end of a 17-year journey.
Elzie, a former marine, was the first person to be discharged under the Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) law, soon after it was brought in by President Bill Clinton in 1993. He has become an important figure in the struggle against the controversial policy, which could now soon be repealed.
"I know it is going to happen now. It is going to be repealed. It is just a matter of when," said Elzie, who recently chained himself to the White House fence in protest at the policy's continued existence. He has also just published a book about his life and last week lobbied politicians in Washington as the Senate conducted hearings on repeal of the law. >>> Paul Harris | Sunday, December 05, 2010
THE GUARDIAN: Swiss host Switch says there is 'no reason' why WikiLeaks should be forced off internet, despite French and US demands
WikiLeaks received a boost tonight when Switzerland rejected growing international calls to force the site off the internet.
The whistleblowers site, which has been publishing leaked US embassy cables, was forced to switch domain names to WikiLeaks.ch yesterday after the US host of its main website, WikiLeaks.org, pulled the plug following mounting political pressure.
The site's new Swiss host, Switch, today said there was "no reason" why it should be forced offline, despite demands from France and the US. Switch is a non-profit registrar set up by the Swiss government for all 1.5 million Swiss .ch domain names. >>> Josh Halliday | Saturdaay, December 04, 2010
Saturday, December 04, 2010
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The online payment service PayPal suspended the account used by WikiLeaks to collect donations.
The decision follows the publication by WikiLeaks of thousands of leaked US embassy cables.
WikiLeaks accused PayPal, which is based in America, of bowing to US Government demands to withdraw its service. PayPal is one of several methods that enables WikiLeaks to receive donations and finance its operations.
On Wednesday, Amazon ended an agreement to host WikiLeaks, forcing the website to switch to a Swiss internet address on Friday. It had also been dropped by another US internet service provider.
In a posting on WikiLeaks’ Twitter page, the website announced: “PayPal bans WikiLeaks after US government pressure.”
A statement on the PayPal site said: “PayPal has permanently restricted the account used by WikiLeaks due to a violation of the PayPal Acceptable Use Policy, which states that our payment service cannot be used for any activities that encourage, promote, facilitate or instruct others to engage in illegal activity. We’ve notified the account holder of this action.” Paypal cuts off donations to WikiLeaks >>> Robert Mendick Chief reporter | Saturday, December 04, 2010
ZEIT ONLINE: Tariq Ramadan über die Kunst, zugleich Muslim und Europäer zu sein
DIE ZEIT: Professor Ramadan, in Europa macht sich eine Stimmung gegen den Islam breit. Minarette, Burkas und Kopftücher werden verboten. Deutschland debattiert über integrationsunwillige Muslime. Warum diese Zuspitzung?
Tariq Ramadan: Unsere westlichen Gesellschaften sind verunsichert durch die Globalisierung. Auch die Einwanderungsströme gehören dazu. Aber entscheidend ist das Sichtbarwerden des Fremden. Darum erregen sich die Leute über Moscheebauten, Minarette, Kopftücher, andere Hautfarben, Sprachen und Gerüche in ihren Vierteln. Wenn gegen die angebliche Islamisierung der Städte protestiert wird, geht es um die Sichtbarkeit einer fremden Religion, die dazugehören will. Das ist neu. Solange das Fremde nicht dazugehört, kann man leichter damit leben.
ZEIT: Seit Jahren leben wir mit der Terrordrohung im Namen des Islams.
Ramadan: Gewalt im Namen der Religion vergiftet die Debatte. Wir Muslime können die Augen nicht davor verschließen, dass dies die Wahrnehmung des Islams beeinflusst. Doch handelt die Islam-Debatte von unserer europäischen Identität. Sie ist hochpolitisch: Auf dem ganzen Kontinent bilden sich Parteien, deren Wahlerfolg davon abhängt, Misstrauen zu schüren. Sie füttern das Gefühl der Verunsicherung, man könne nicht mehr Deutscher oder Niederländer sein wegen dieser Einwanderer.
ZEIT: Der deutsche Präsident hat gesagt, der Islam gehöre zu Deutschland. Er wurde angegriffen, auch aus dem eigenen Lager.
Ramadan: Diese Identitätsfragen übersteigen die Bindungskraft der politischen Lager. Sie können heute Menschen auf der Linken finden, die sehr scharf gegen den Multikulturalismus polemisieren, und auf der Rechten gibt es welche, die einer pluralistischen Gesellschaft offen gegenüberstehen. Ihr Präsident hat etwas Offensichtliches festgestellt: Wenn es Millionen von Muslimen in Deutschland gibt, ist der Islam natürlich auch eine deutsche Religion. Der Islam ist eine europäische Religion, er ist ein Teil von Europas Geschichte und Gegenwart. Er ist nicht das ganz andere, er ist für Europa nichts Äußerliches mehr, bei sieben Millionen Muslimen in Frankreich, drei Millionen in England, vier in Deutschland. >>> Von Jörg Lau | Freitag, 03. Dezember 2010
LE MONDE: Nicolas Sarkozy tout juste élu président de la République, il réserve au Maghreb son premier déplacement hors d'Europe, comme avant lui Jacques Chirac. Mais l'ordre de visite est inversé. Cette fois, le premier pays visité ne sera pas le Maroc. L'Algérie passera avant le royaume chérifien.
Pourquoi ce changement ? Paris a beau expliquer à ses interlocuteurs marocains que le roi Mohammed VI a tout à gagner à ce que la visite se termine à Rabat, et qu'ainsi il aura "le dernier mot". Rien n'y fait. Les Marocains s'estiment trahis et annulent la visite à Rabat du président français en avançant des "considérations d'agenda, un prétexte vide à la mesure de l'affront subi", peut-on lire dans un télégramme du département d'Etat américain obtenu par WikiLeaks et révélé par Le Monde. >>> Jean-Pierre Tuquoi | Samedi 04 Décembre 2010
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