Thursday, February 03, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: What happens across the Mediterranean matters more to the EU than the US. Yet so far its voice has been inaudible
Europe's future is at stake this week on Cairo's Tahrir Square, as it was on Prague's Wenceslas Square in 1989. This time, the reasons are geography and demography. The Arab arc of crisis, from Morocco to Jordan, is Europe's near abroad. As a result of decades of migration, the young Arabs whom you see chanting angrily on the streets of Cairo, Tunis and Amman already have cousins in Madrid, Paris and London.
If these uprisings succeed, and what emerges is not another Islamist dictatorship, these young, often unemployed, frustrated men and women will see life chances at home. The gulf between their life experience in Casablanca and Madrid, Tunis and Paris, will gradually diminish – and with it that cultural cognitive dissonance which can lead to the Moroccan suicide bomber on a Madrid commuter train. As their homelands modernise, young Arabs – and nearly one third of the population of the north African littoral is between the age of 15 and 30 – will circulate across the Mediterranean, contributing to European economies, and to paying the pensions of rapidly ageing European societies. The examples of modernisation and reform will also resonate across the Islamic world.
If these risings fail, and the Arab world sinks back into a slough of autocracy, then tens of millions of these young men and women will carry their pathologies of frustration across the sea, shaking Europe to its foundations. If the risings succeed in deposing the latest round of tyrants, but violent, illiberal Islamist forces gain the upper hand in some of those countries, producing so many new Irans, then heaven help us all. Such are the stakes. If that does not add up to a vital European interest, I don't know what does. >>> Timothy Garton Ash | Wednesday, February 02, 2011
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Weg mit Hosni Mubarak- das ist die zentrale Forderung des ägyptischen Volkes, das seit einer Woche auf der Strasse dem Regime die Stirn bietet und seither jede Nacht die Ausgangssperre missachtet. „Wir geben nicht auf, bis die alte Regierung geht“, sagt auch der ägyptische Bestseller-Autor Alaa al-Aswani, der in „Jacubijan-Bau“ die brutalen Foltermethoden der Regierung beschrieben hat. In den Zeiten des Wechsels fällt der Opposition eine historische Rolle zu. Doch eine unangefochtene Führungsfigur ist noch nicht in Sicht. Die Vertreter des alten Regimes aber klammern sich noch an die Macht: Die Rundschau spricht mit wichtigen Exponenten. Und: Wie bewältigen die Menschen in Kairo den chaotischen Alltag? Ein Augenschein in einer Familie. Im Studio der Sondersendung: Arnold Hottinger, Nahost-Spezialist, Reinhard Schulze, Islamwissenschafter Uni Bern, Jasmin El-Sonbati, ägyptische Autorin in der Schweiz
YNET NEWS: Op-ed: Like any good pyramid scheme, Mubarak’s weak regime looked sturdy from afarRiveted by the populist uprising now raging on the streets of the Arab world, one can't help being astonished by the events taking place in Egypt, the largest Arab state in the world. Until very recently, Egypt was considered by most Western political analysts as a dependable ally under Mubarak. But with events overrunning this narrative, Egypt stands at the brink of a new era in its governance. Whatever direction this popular revolt goes, the West can no longer ignore the fact that there’s a naked emperor in Cairo, nor pretend that the Arab masses are not relevant to the diplomatic equation.
What is clear to all sensible observers is that the reality of these nations (Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia) is that they are extremely vulnerable to public pressure; in today’s globalized world the precarious nature of these dictatorships are even more threatened. Astonishing as these events in Cairo have been to most, they should not be a surprise to everyone.
Like any good pyramid scheme, from afar Mubarak’s dictatorship looked sturdy, strong, and at times, well established. But as with any Ponzi scheme a closer look, and the tests of time and stress, have revealed a flimsy house of cards. In the land of the pyramids, where the greatest Ponzi scheme ever orchestrated is being unmasked in front of our eyes, the irony is unmistakable. And the biggest victims in this scheme's collapse are America and Israel.
On paper alone, the US has provided Mubarak with $60 billion in foreign assistance. Israel, on the other hand, forked over the Sinai, an invaluable strategic asset, in order to forge a supposedly enduring peace. But it is on the diplomatic front that both nations invested an incredible amount of political capital in their relationship with Mubarak, providing countless benefits in order to woo him to support the peace process and other initiatives of the West's drive to engage the Arab world. The list goes on, and as the uprising’s death toll rises, and the flames on Cairo's street burn with greater intensity, the jig is up and Israel and the West are scrambling. >>> Ariel Harkham | Wednesday, February 02, 2011
YNET NEWS: Israel left all alone: Op-ed: In wake of Egyptian uprising, Jewish state has been left without Mideastern allies >>> Itamar Eichner | Saturday, January 30, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Lawmakers have voted to extend New York City's smoking ban to parks, beaches – and Times Square.
The ban approved on Wednesday by a vote of 36-12 is one of the most ambitious outdoor anti-tobacco efforts in the U.S.
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn says the new law will save lives and make New York a healthier place to live. >>> | Thursday, February 03, 2011
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: A unusually divided City Council on Wednesday passed a total ban on smoking in parks, beaches and public plazas.
Council members in favor of the bill gave impassioned speeches about loved ones who died of smoking-related cancers and children who suffered from asthma.
Opponents crowed about civil liberties, but came up short in rallying enough votes to strike down the ban.
It passed 36 to 12.
The ban on smoking in parks is the latest proposal from Mayor Bloomberg to curtail New Yorkers' bad habits. >>> Erin Einhorn, Daily News City Hall Bureau | Wednesday, February 02, 2011
THE NEW YORK TIMES: After a bitter debate over individual liberties and the role of government, the City Council on Wednesday handily approved a bill to ban smoking in 1,700 city parks and along 14 miles of city beaches.By a 36-to-12 vote, the Council passed the most significant expansion of antismoking laws since Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg pushed to prohibit smoking in restaurants and bars in 2002.
The Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn, said the ban was an affirmation of the rights of nonsmokers. “Their health and their lives should not be negatively impacted because other people have decided to smoke,” Ms. Quinn said at a news conference.
Opponents of the bill spoke strongly against it; several members derided it as an overly broad law that would infringe on individual liberties.
“We’re moving towards a totalitarian society if in fact we’re going to have those kinds of restrictions on New Yorkers,” said Councilman Robert Jackson of Manhattan, who described himself as a marathon runner and nonsmoker.
Others said the ban would set a dangerous precedent. Councilman Daniel J. Halloran III of Queens said, “Once we pass this, we will next be banning smoking on sidewalks, and then in the cars of people who are driving minors and then in the homes.”
A compromise that would establish designated smoking areas outdoors was scuttled by Council leaders in favor of an all-out ban. The bill will become law 90 days after Mr. Bloomberg signs it, which he is expected to do this month. >>> Javier C. Hernandez | Wednesday, February 02, 2011
KRONE: Die härteste Anti-Raucher-Stadt der Welt bleibt ihrem Kurs treu: Das Stadtparlament von New York City hat am Mittwoch eine Ausweitung des bereits bestehenden Nichtraucherschutzgesetzes auf öffentliche Plätze beschlossen. In den 1.700 Parks und Fußgängerzonen der Stadt kostet ein Griff zum Glimmstengel 50 Dollar Strafe.Die Mittagspause mit Kaffee und Tschick im Central Park, die Rauchpause am Times Square und der qualmende Spaziergang am Flussufer werden für die New Yorker Raucher bald der Vergangenheit angehören. Die Abgeordneten des Stadtparlaments votierten am Mittwoch mit 36 zu zwölf Stimmen für das strikte Rauchverbot, das neben Restaurants und Bars künftig auch in den 1.700 Parks der Stadt, an Uferpromenaden und in Fußgängerzonen gelten soll. >>> | Donnerstag, 03. Februar 2011
LE MONDE: Il sera désormais interdit de s'en griller une petite sur les pelouses de Central Park. Après les Espagnols, c'est désormais au tour des New-Yorkais de devoir se conformer à une loi antitabac particulièrement restrictive. Le conseil municipal de New York a adopté, mercredi 3 février [sic], l'interdiction de fumer dans ses parcs, sur ses plages et autres lieux de plein air.
L'interdiction, immédiatement salué par le maire de la ville, Michael Bloomberg, s'étend aux 1 700 parcs et aux quelque 22 kilomètres de plages de la ville, ainsi qu'à des quartiers piétonniers comme Times Square ou aux promenades, de Brighton Beach à Brooklyn.
Michael Bloomberg, un ancien fumeur devenu adversaire acharné de la cigarette, s'était heurté à une forte opposition en 2003, lorsqu'il avait interdit de fumer dans les bars et les restaurants. Il était, à cette date, un pionnier de la lutte contre le tabagisme passif mais, depuis, des centaines de villes à travers le pays, dont Chicago et Los Angeles, ont interdit de fumer dans les parcs et sur les plages. >>> LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | Jeudi 03 Février 2011
THE GUARDIAN: Times Square becomes smoke free as New York extends ban outdoors: Smoking prohibited in parks and beaches in biggest anti-smoking push since ban from restaurants and bars in 2002 >>> Ed Pilkington in New York | Thursday, February 03, 2011
New York used to be a fun city to visit. Alas, those days have long gone. I have spent a few great short breaks in the Big Apple; but I doubt that I shall ever return. There are many other, far more tolerant cities to visit. And I speak as an ex-smoker! So the smoking ban would have absolutely no effect on me.
But there is something quite objectionable about the lengths that Michael Bloomberg is going to to stop New Yorkers having any pleasure from life. But let's face it: There is something quite objectionable about Michael Bloomberg himself, anyway. So what else can we expect from this little squirt, this little pip squeak?
At a mere 5' 6" tall, the man displays all the characteristics of a man overcompensating for his physical shortcomings, for his physical handicap. Indeed, it would seem that he suffers from the notorious Napoleon complex. The man is an utter killjoy! A despicable, obsessed killjoy at that! Further, he is clearly neurotic. Check out his profile on Wikipedia. He is so obviously a man with far more money than sense.
Meanwhile, I feel sorry for the poor New Yorkers who have to be subjected to this man's nasty, selfish little ways. He has spoilt the fun of many New Yorkers. Now it’s the parks and beaches. Next it will be the sidewalks. Then it will be smoking in anyone’s home (already a reality in many apartments in the city, I’m told), and then it will be alcohol, etc. He’s already started his battles against salt, and trans fats. Did this man lack his own nanny, or what? Couldn’t his mother afford one for him? Is this why he now wants to nanny everyone else instead?
The sad thing is that these ridiculous laws will soon be enacted this side of the Atlantic too, since our European politicians are incapeable of thinking for themselves. As a result, any crap the Americans come up with is soon copied here. It appears these days to be de rigueur in European politics to copy all things American.
When I gave up smoking, I didn’t expect the rest of the world to give up with me. Not so Michael Bloomberg. He is an ex-smoker – I believe I am right in saying an ex-chain-smoker (has Google expunged this fact for dollars?) – and when he decided to give up, he also decided that everyone else was going to have to give up with him! And as he couldn’t achieve that goal, he decided that he was going to use his money and cocky ways to make life as difficult as possible for those that refused to comply!
Although I have given up, I recognise that I derived many hours of pleasure from the habit; and I have no desire to deprive others of the joy it gave me for many years. And yes, as much as people these days don’t want to hear it, smoking can be cool, smoking can be sexy too. But it all depends on the smoker, of course.
Let all sensible, fair-minded people hope that this kind of health fascism doesn’t reach Europe to the same level of magnitude. America used to be considered the land of the free. Sadly, those days have gone. Everything in Ameerica is so restricted these days. It’s all about what you can’t do, not what you can do! Let us all hope for better, freer times. However, I doubt that we shall see them return in our lifetimes. Things have gone way too far! – © Mark
This comment also appears in The Guardian, here
THE NEW YORK TIMES: CAIRO — The future of the Arab world, perched between revolt and the contempt of a crumbling order, was fought for in the streets of downtown Cairo on Wednesday.Tens of thousands of protesters who have reimagined the very notion of citizenship in a tumultuous week of defiance proclaimed with sticks, home-made bombs and a shower of rocks that they would not surrender their revolution to the full brunt of an authoritarian government that answered their calls for change with violence.
The Arab world watched a moment that suggested it would never be the same again — and waited to see whether protest or crackdown would win the day. Words like “uprising” and “revolution” only hint at the scale of events in Egypt, which have already reverberated across Yemen, Jordan, Syria and even Saudi Arabia, offering a new template for change in a region that long reeled from its own sense of stagnation. “Every Egyptian understands now,” said Magdi al-Sayyid, one of the protesters.
The protesters have spoken for themselves to a government that, like many across the Middle East, treated them as a nuisance. For years, pundits have predicted that Islamists would be the force that toppled governments across the Arab world. But so far, they have been submerged in an outpouring of popular dissent that speaks to a unity of message, however fleeting — itself a sea change in the region’s political landscape. In the vast panorama of Tahrir Square on Wednesday, Egyptians were stationed at makeshift barricades, belying pat dismissals of the power of the Arab street.
“The street is not afraid of governments anymore,” said Shawki al-Qadi, an opposition lawmaker in Yemen, itself roiled by change. “It is the opposite. Governments and their security forces are afraid of the people now. The new generation, the generation of the Internet, is fearless. They want their full rights, and they want life, a dignified life.”
The power of Wednesday’s stand was that it turned those abstractions into reality. >>> Anthony Shadid | Wednesday, February 03, 2011
MAIL ONLINE: Egypt was still in utter turmoil last night, despite President Hosni Mubarak’s announcement that he will resign in September.
More than one million demonstrators were still on the streets - most of them calling for Mubarak to quit now.
More than a thousand miles further south, growing unrest in Yemen caused the country’s veteran president Ali Abdullah Saleh to announce he would not be seeking another term.
Clearly unnerved, he abandoned hopes of creating a ruling family dynasty, promising not to hand power to his son Ahmed.
Leader after leader in the Arab world has been toppled by one of the most astonishing displays of sustained people power ever witnessed.
It was all sparked by the so-called Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia, where two weeks of spontaneous demonstrations last month resulted in the departure of President Ben Ali.
But if revolution can spread from Tunisia to Egypt and then to Yemen in a fortnight, where might it take hold next?
Saudi Arabia - ruled by its dynastical royal family - finds itself completely out of step with these calls for democracy.
The House of Saud is too rich and powerful to be swept away any time soon, but it’s terrified by what is happening.
Such unrest is spreading like wildfire through the region. That’s why King Abdullah of Jordan yesterday dismissed his unpopular government and made a lot of noise about reform. He can sense which way the winds are blowing. Read on and comment >>> John R. Bradley | Thursday, February 03, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Political and economic instability are now the order of the day in Egypt, says Praveen Swami - and the highly motivated Muslim Brotherhood are most likely to be the beneficiaries
On the morning after tens of thousands of protesters first began to gather in the streets of Egypt’s cities to voice their rage against the regime, the state-owned newspaper al-Ahram ran a banner headline on the crisis enveloping the Middle East: “Demonstrations in Lebanon,” it announced.
More than a week later, daily demonstrations have ripped away the veil of denial represented by that farcical front page. It is becoming increasingly clear that continuing protests, and mounting international pressure, will force out Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s president. It is much less clear, though, what will come next: a democratic era that might transform the Middle East or a descent into chaos that could see the rise of an Islamist order that will undo Egypt’s relationship with the West, threaten Israel and give new life to radical movements across the region.
Has a grim sunset been mistaken for a glorious dawn? For days now, articulate, English-speaking members of Egypt’s middle class have been reassuring the world that their protests are not about to be hijacked by Islamists. But the secular middle class, which has thrown its weight behind Nobel peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei is disorganised and lacks a wide social base. Egypt’s political future will, instead, likely be decided by the Muslim Brotherhood, which has the assets needed to conduct mass politics effectively: a million-strong membership, deep organisational roots across small-town Egypt, and a nationwide network of schools, hospitals and charities. >>> Praveen Swami | Wednesday, February 02, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: • Extraordinary scenes in central Cairo
• Violent battles in cities across the country
• Foreign journalists deliberately targetedEgypt's pro-democracy revolution descended into violence and bloodshed as President Hosni Mubarak's regime launched a co-ordinated bid to wrest back control of city streets, crush the popular uprising, and reassert its authority.
There were extraordinary scenes in the centre of Cairo as anti-government demonstrators fought running battles with organised cohorts of Mubarak supporters, exchanging blows with iron bars, sticks and rocks.
At one point pro-Mubarak forces rode camels and horses into central Tahrir Square, scattering opponents. At least three people were killed and up to 1,500 injured according to medical sources.
Clashes continued into the early hours even though the pro-Mubarak supporters had been pushed back to the edge of the square. Gunshots and explosions – possibly from gas canisters – echoed around the area. A palm tree and a building caught alight while fires were burning outside the historic Egyptian museum as petrol bombs were hurled back and forth between the two opposing factions. >>> Peter Beaumont, Jack Shenker in Cairo, Harriet Sherwood in Alexandria, Simon Tisdall | Wednesday, February 02, 2011
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Blutiger Machtkampf im Zentrum von Kairo: Steinwurf-Salven, Selbstjustiz und Hass: Am Tag nach dem eindrucksvollen "Marsch der Millionen" tobten in Kairo bürgerkriegsähnliche Kämpfe zwischen Mubarak-Gegnern und seinen urplötzlich mobilisierten Anhängern. Ein Protokoll der Stunden, die den Traum einer friedlichen Revolution zunichte machten. >>> Aus Kairo berichtet Matthias Gebauer | Mittwoch, 02. Februar 2011
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: The counter-revolutionary message to the people from an unvanquished, still vicious regime is: it's over – go home, or else
Hosni Mubarak launched his counter-revolution today, sending waves of armed thugs to do battle with pro-democracy demonstrators in Cairo and other cities. The attacks, reportedly involving plainclothes police and vigilantes as well as pro-regime citizens, appeared to be carefully co-ordinated and timed. And the army, which only days earlier had sworn to protect "legitimate" rights of protesters, stood back and watched as the blood flowed.
This ugly turn of events should come as no surprise. What is unusual is that the regime tolerated such levels of unrest for nearly a week.
Mubarak was never quite a dictator in the Saddam Hussein or Robert Mugabe mould. His rule was more akin to the semi-enlightened despotism of an 18th-century European monarch. But at bottom, it always depended on coercion and force. Today, the pretence of reasonableness was torn away. His dark side showed for all to see. >>> Simon Tisdall | Wednesday, February 02, 2011
THE TIMES: Hundreds are injured in battle for Cairo: Egypt’s popular uprising was descending into a bloodbath tonight after President Hosni Mubarak, fighting for his political survival, unleashed thousands of violent supporters on to the pro-democracy demonstrators desperately holding on to central Tahrir Square. >>> James Hider, Cairo | Wednesday, February 02, 2011 [£]
THE GUARDIAN: In their Egypt coverage the Arab media – like the regimes they report on – have failed to move on from the old ways
Faced with an event of Berlin Wall magnitude on its home turf, the Arab media is torn over the uprising in Egypt and how to report it, if at all.
In the old days, the media's role was not so much to report the news as to "guide" the public, shielding them from "harmful" information or anything that might inflame their passions.
That ceased to be a viable option more than 20 years ago with the arrival of satellite television, especially al-Jazeera, and since then the internet has made it less viable still. And yet, large sections of the Arab media still persist in their hidebound ways.
At the weekend, while al-Jazeera was providing minute-by-minute coverage of events in Tahrir Square (and generally doing it better than western news organisations), Egyptian state television was focusing its cameras on quieter parts of Cairo, including a tranquil bridge over the Nile.
In Oman, ruled despotically by Sultan Qaboos for the last 40 years, it is much the same. The Oman Observer seems only interested in reporting government news from Egypt.
On Sunday, its headline was "Mubarak picks vice-president" and on Tuesday it was "Egypt unveils new cabinet". This morning, after yesterday's dramatic events in Cairo, it ignores Egypt completely.
In the same country, meanwhile, the Times of Oman has been playing a slightly straighter bat: "Egyptians seek million-strong march to oust Mubarak". It even quoted a protester saying: "The only thing we will accept from him [Mubarak] is that he gets on a plane and leaves." >>> Brian Whitaker | Wednesday, February 02, 2011
MAIL ONLINE: • Army turns water cannon on protesters in desperate bid to end violence • Mubarak supports charge Liberation Square on horses and camels • Rocks and concrete blocks hurled at pro-democracy demonstration • World leaders call for calm as situation spirals out of controlThousands of supporters of President Hosni Mubarak today attacked anti-government protesters as fresh turmoil gripped Egypt.
Backers of the president, who last night agreed to relinquish his grip on power, fought with the crowds in Cairo's Tahrir (Liberation) Square, at least 500 injured.
Some rode into the ranks on horses and camels and wielding whips. In chaotic scenes, they pelted each other with stones, large sticks and machetes.
The death toll since protests began is now believed to have hit 300.
Many of those who demonstrated in support of the regime are believed to be secret police in plain clothes. There were reports that concrete blocks has been hurled on pro-democracy protesters.
The army has stood by and refused to intervene so far. But there are growing fears that there will be a massacre. Opposition leader Mohamed ElBarawi said that Mr Mubarak was using 'scare tactics' to stay in power.
I'm extremely concerned. My fear is that it will turn into a bloodbath,' he said. >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Wednesday, February 02, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Several thousand supporters of President Hosni Mubarak, including some riding horses and camels and wielding whips, have attacked anti-government protesters as tensions in Egypt escalate.
In chaotic scenes, the two sides pelted each other with stones, and protesters dragged attackers off their horses.
This is the first significant violence between supporters of the two camps in more than a week of anti-government protests.
It erupted after President Mubarak went on national television on Tuesday night and rejected demands he step down immediately and said he would serve out the remaining seven months of his term.
On Wednesday morning, a military spokesman appeared on state television and asked the protesters to disperse so life in Egypt could get back to normal.
The announcement could mark a major turn in the attitude of the army, which for the past two days has allowed protests to swell, reaching their largest size yet on Tuesday when a quarter-million peace packed into Cairo's central Tahrir Square. >>> | Wednesday, February 02, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Poland wants to ditch the .pl suffix to the Auschwitz.pl website in an effort to ensure people realise that Nazi Germany’s most infamous death camp was not Polish.Bogdan Zdrojewski, the Polish culture minister, said he had asked the authorities at the Auschwitz-Birkenau museum, along with their counterparts at the Majdanek and Stutthof concentration camps, to change their domain names to either .com or .eu. >>>
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