New York TV Executive Found Guilty of Beheading Wife
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Pakistan-born founder of a Muslim-oriented New York television station was convicted on Monday of beheading his wife in 2009 in the studio the couple had opened to counter negative stereotypes of Muslims after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Muzzammil "Mo" Hassan never denied that he killed Aasiya Hassan inside the suburban Buffalo station the couple established to promote cultural understanding. A jury on Monday rejected his claim he was the victim of spousal abuse.

Hassan acted as his own lawyer during the trial in Buffalo. In court, he said nothing when the verdict was read. His reaction was blocked from view by a line of sheriff's deputies and court officers. >>> | Monday, February 07, 2011

EXAMINER: Muzzammil "Mo" Hassan is guilty as charged: The jury after a short deliberation time, found Muzzammil Hassan guilty of second degree murder, in the brutal beheading murder of his wife Aasiya Hassan. They deliberated for a little over an hour, according to wgrz news in Buffalo NY, and returned the verdict as guilty. The guilty verdict was given today after both sides in the Hassan trial gave their closing arguments. Hassan, in his arguments, portrayed himself as the victim of his wife, and the victim of society, which he characterized as his enemy with "false beliefs in religion." >>> Steven Switzer | Monday, February 07, 2011

Many not surprised Hassan found guilty: wivb.com

Two years after beheading, Hassan found guilty: wivb.com

Prosecutors discuss Hassan guilty verdict: wivb.com

WIVB >>>

WikiLeaks: Israel's Secret Hotline to the Man Tipped to Replace Mubarak
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The new vice-president of Egypt, Omar Suleiman, is a long-standing favourite of Israel's who spoke daily to the Tel Aviv government via a secret "hotline" to Cairo, leaked documents disclose.

Mr Suleiman, who is widely tipped to take over from Hosni Mubarak as president, was named as Israel's preferred candidate for the job after discussions with American officials in 2008.

As a key figure working for Middle East peace, he once suggested that Israeli troops would be "welcome" to invade Egypt to stop weapons being smuggled to Hamas terrorists in neighbouring Gaza.

The details, which emerged in secret files obtained by WikiLeaks and passed to The Daily Telegraph, come after Mr Suleiman began talks with opposition groups on the future for Egypt's government.

On Saturday, Mr Suleiman won the backing of Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, to lead the "transition" to democracy after two weeks of demonstrations calling for President Mubarak to resign.

David Cameron, the Prime Minister, spoke to Mr Suleiman yesterday and urged him to take "bold and credible steps" to show the world that Egypt is embarking on an "irreversible, urgent and real" transition. >>> Tim Ross, Christopher Hope, Steven Swinford and Adrian Blomfield | Monday, February 07, 2011

George Bush Issued Travel Warning by Human Rights Organisations
THE GUARDIAN: Former president vulnerable to 'torture' prosecution, says US group after Swiss trip cancelled amid protest and arrest threats

Human rights groups have vowed to track George W Bush round the world after their success in forcing him to cancel a trip to Switzerland amid concerns over protests and a threatened arrest warrant.

Katherine Gallagher, a lawyer with the New York-based Centre for Constitutional Rights, said: "The reach of the convention against torture is wide. This case is prepared and will be waiting for him wherever he travels next.

"Torturers, even if they are former presidents of the United States, must be held to account and prosecuted."

Although Bush has travelled freely round the world since leaving the White House in January 2009, human rights groups believe he is vulnerable to prosecution after admitting in his autobiography last November that he authorised waterboarding and other interrogation techniques.

"Waterboarding is torture, and Bush has admitted, without any sign of remorse, that he approved its use," said Gallagher, who is also vice-president of the International Federation for Human Rights.

Bush's staff, as well as US embassies around the world, will have to factor into their planning of future trips whether a country is a signatory to the convention on torture, as most countries are, which should at least theoretically trigger near-automatic action by legal authorities, and negotiate with governments to ensure there will be no arrest warrants. They will also seek assurances that Bush has diplomatic immunity. >>> Ewen MacAskill in Washington | Monday, February 07, 2011

Related >>>

Egypt Crisis: Hosni Mubarak Loses Control of State Media
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Hosni Mubarak's control of Egypt's state media, a vital linchpin of his 30-year presidency, has started to slip as the country's largest-circulation newspaper declared its support for the uprising against him.

Hoping to sap the momentum from street protests demanding his overthrow, the president has instructed his deputy to launch potentially protracted negotiations with secular and Islamist opposition parties. The talks continued for a second day on Monday without yielding a significant breakthrough.

But Mr Mubarak was dealt a significant setback as the state-controlled Al-Ahram [Eng.], Egypt's second oldest newspaper and one of the most famous media publications in the Middle East, abandoned its long-standing position of slavish support for the regime.

In a front-page leader, the newspaper's editor-in-chief, Osama Saraya hailed the "nobility" of what he described as a "revolution" and demanded that the government embark of irreversible constitutional and legislative changes.

"The state and all its denizens, the elder generation, the politicians and all other powers on the political stage must humble themselves and rein themselves in to understand the ambitions of the young and the dreams of this nation," he wrote.

There was no call on the president to resign and while it may yet prove that Al Ahram's editorial shift may be tactical rather than genuine, opposition supporters expressed astonishment at the development. >>> Adrian Blomfield, Cairo and Adrian Michaels in Herzliya, Israel | Monday, February 07, 2011

Egypt’s Ire Turns to Confidant of Mubarak’s Son
THE NEW YORK TIMES: CAIRO — As Egyptians turned their anger on symbols of the state late last month, torching police stations along with the headquarters of President Hosni Mubarak’s ruling party, they reserved a special hatred for a garish building with black tinted windows in an upscale neighborhood, setting fire to it three times.

It belongs to a steel tycoon and ruling party insider named Ahmed Ezz, a close friend and confidante of Mr. Mubarak’s son Gamal. For many years, Mr. Ezz has represented the intersection of money, politics and power, controlling two-thirds of the steel market, leading the budget committee as a member of Parliament and serving as an officer and loyal lieutenant in the governing party. Public resentment at the wealth acquired by the politically powerful helped propel the uprising already reshaping the contours of power along the Nile.

Mr. Ezz’s world has come undone. He is treated as a liability by an old guard intent on saving itself from fed-up and furious protesters. He is under investigation on suspicion of corruption. His assets have been frozen and his right to travel taken away. He has denied accusations of corruption in the past, and his location was not known Sunday. Now his name is part of the derisive chants in Tahrir Square, a symbol of all that was wrong with Mr. Mubarak’s government.

“Ahmed Ezz sucks the blood of the people,” said Osama Mohamed Afifi, a student who joined the protesters in the square on Sunday. “He is the only man who can sell steel in all of Egypt, and he sells it for much more than if we could buy steel from someone else like China.”

Hosni Mubarak’s Egypt has long functioned as a state where wealth bought political power and political power bought great wealth. While hard facts are difficult to come by, Egyptians watching the rise of a moneyed class widely believe that self-dealing, crony capitalism and corruption are endemic, represented in the public eye by a group of rich businessmen aligned with Gamal Mubarak, the president’s son, as well as key government ministers and governing party members.

“The people around Gamal became the wealthiest group in the country,” said Hala Mustafa, a political scientist who quit the ruling party years ago, saying it was not committed to political reform. “They monopolized everything.” >>> Kareem Fahim, Michael Slackman and David Rohde | Sunday, February 06, 2011

DAILY NEWS EGYPT: Steel Tycoon Responds to Accusations of Monopoly: CAIRO: Steel tycoon Ahmed Ezz has been in the media spotlight — or more accurately, under the microscope — this past week as he confronted rumors surrounding his wealth, accusations of monopolizing the local steel market, and what many see as his conflicting positions as both businessman and influential politician. >>> Tamim Elyan and Amira Salah-Ahmed | Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Cameron Begins Extremism Crackdown as Cash Withheld from 'Suspect Groups'
THE GUARDIAN: • Funding cut to Muslim bodies after PM speech
• Steps to combat rise of radicalism in universities

The government has already started to withdraw state cash from what it regards as suspect Islamist groups that had previously been funded to reach young Muslims at risk of being drawn to terrorist networks. New, tougher criteria are being applied, with hundreds of thousands of pounds being withdrawn from specific groups after it was deemed they were too soft on Islamic extremism.

Ministers are also awaiting a report in the next fortnight from a Universities UK working group, which has been in preparation for a year, on how to combat Islamic extremism on university campuses.

The working group, including eight vice-chancellors, was established in response to the arrest of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab in the US for an attempted act of terrorism. Abdulmutallab studied at University College London between 2005 and 2008.

The report is likely to call for greater rigour in the selection of speakers and stronger oversight of religious societies. University vice-chancellors have been accused by thinktanks such as Quilliam, a Muslim counter-extremist group, of being complacent about the radicalisation that is taking place in higher education.

Today, it was being stressed by the government that David Cameron's call for a more "muscular liberalism" to combat home-grown terror, made in a speech in Munich on Saturday, was not simply rhetorical. It would lead to practical changes, including the wholesale review of the Prevent strategy set up by Labour. >>> Patrick Wintour and Jenny Percival | Sunday, February 06, 2011

Anti-Berlusconi Protest Turns Violent
A weekend of protests against Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi came to an end on Sunday night with violent scuffles between demonstrators and police outside the premier's villa in Milan. Video courtesy of Reuters

Verbunden >>>

AOL to Buy Huffington Post for $315m
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: AOL, the online company, is buying [The] Huffington Post, the internet newspaper, in a $315m (£196m) deal that represents a big bet on the future of online news.

The acquisition, which will put [The] Huffington Post co-founder Arianna Huffington in charge of all AOL content, brings AOL an additional 25m unique visitors a month.

That could help AOL begin to turn around its display advertising business, which has struggled to grow as the company tries to turn itself into a content provider and moves farther away from its roots providing dial-up Internet.

The deal "will create a next-generation American media company with global reach that combines content, community, and social experiences for consumers," Tim Armstrong, the AOL chief executive, said in a statement announcing the deal on Monday.

Founded in 2005, [The] Huffington Post is owned by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer and a group of other investors. AOL will pay $300m of the purchase price in cash.

Arianna Huffington will be named president and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post Media Group, which will include all [The] Huffington Post and AOL content, including Engadget, TechCrunch, MapQuest, Patch and more. >>> AP | Monday, February 07, 2011

AOL-HuffPo Leaders Talk About Acquisition
AOL's Tim Armstrong and Arianna Huffington talk about the $315 million acquisition of the Huffington Post by the Internet giant

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Is The Huffington Post really worth $315 million? >>> Emma Barnett, Digital Media Editor | Monday, February 07, 2011

HSBC Chief Executive Stuart Gulliver In Line for £9m Bonus
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Stuart Gulliver, the new chief executive of HSBC, is expected to accept a bonus of as much as £9m later this month in reward for his stewardship of the bank's investment arm.

Mr Gulliver, who took over from Mike Geoghegan at the turn of the year, is set to be awarded the windfall as part of an overall compensation package which could take the total amount he receives for 2010 to in excess of £10m.

Although the bank's remuneration committee, chaired by HSBC's deputy chairman, John Thornton, has not yet finalised any executive bonuses, City sources with knowledge of the situation believe that a bonus of £9m is highly possible.

If so, it would mirror the amount Mr Gulliver received for 2009, and would be in line with the amount his counterpart at Barclays, Bob Diamond, is set to be paid.

Stephen Hester, the chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland, and Eric Daniels, the chief executive of Lloyds Banking Group, are likely to be in line for awards of £2.5m and £2m respectively. >>> James Quinn and Kamal Ahmed | Sunday, February 06, 2011

David Cameron Won’t Stop the Bonuses >>>

Egypt Moves Towards Transition by Opening Talks with Muslim Fundamentalist Faction
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Egypt's influential Muslim Brotherhood agreed to join talks with President Hosni Mubarak's embattled regime Sunday, a historic turning point in relations between the state and the banned group.


The army stepped up pressure overnight on the protesters who have occupied central Cairo's Tahrir Square, tightening a cordon around the area, but on the political front new avenues of dialogue opened up.

Protesters celebrated a mass in the square - the epicentre and symbol of the revolt against the regime to remember the estimated 300 people who have been killed since demonstrations against Mubarak began.

"God bless the dead. God bless the dead," recited a Coptic priest wearing a crucifix. By his side, a Muslim sheikh stood holding a Koran, as the faithful chanted "A single hand. A single hand" in inter-faith solidarity. Senior Brotherhood leader Mohammed Mursi said the group is sticking to the protesters' main condition that President Hosni Mubarak step down.

These would be the first known discussions between the government and the Brotherhood, suggesting the banned fundamentalist group could be allowed an open political role in the post-Mubarak era. >>> Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Sunday, February 06, 2011

Egypt Opposition Wary after Talks
BBC: Egypt's opposition groups say government proposals on how to end the political crisis are not enough.

The banned Muslim Brotherhood and other groups took part in landmark talks with the government after 13 days of street protests aimed at forcing President Hosni Mubarak to resign.

The government has proposed a review body to amend the constitution.

The opposition says the talks are only a first step and the government's offer is insufficient.

President Mubarak has refused to resign immediately, saying that to do so would cause chaos and has said instead that he will not stand for re-election in September.

Tens of thousands have again joined demonstrations in Cairo and other cities, calling for him to quit.

Meanwhile, many banks opened for the first time in a week, drawing long queues as people waited to withdraw money.

In all, six groups were represented at the talks hosted by Vice-President Omar Suleiman, including a coalition of youth organisations, and a group of "wise men".

Egyptian state TV said the participants had agreed to form a joint committee of judicial and political figures tasked with suggesting constitutional amendments.

It was the first time the government and the long-banned Brotherhood have held talks. Read on (+ video) >>> | Sunday, February 06, 2011

Egypt’s Economy in Turmoil

Rally for Egypt Held in San Francisco
Thousands pack San Francisco plaza

Henry Kissinger On The Egypt Crisis
The former Secretary of State talks Egypt

Obama, Don’t Be a Hypocrite
YNET NEWS: Op-ed: President Obama must demand Palestinian democracy, just like he’s doing with Egypt

The Obama Administration quickly turned its back on President Hosni Mubarak when it started talking about “an orderly transition to lasting democracy.” Yet as is the case in Egypt, Palestinian society is also struggling with a corrupt, undemocratic, authoritarian, and divisive PA leadership with a long record of human rights violations and an economy artificially resuscitated by handouts from foreign donors.

Hence, Israel’s government should not agree to negotiate for the establishment of a Palestinian state in the strategic hills of the West Bank until the Palestinian people first have a chance to cleanse its leadership and move towards lasting democracy, as Obama has demanded from Egypt. Israel needs to know who will be the ultimate true representative of the Palestinian people before giving away strategic assets.

It is quite dangerous for Israel - and hypocritical of Obama - to ask the Jewish State to agree to the establishment of a state that eventually through free elections or a military coup may be taken over by an Islamic, pro-Iranian terrorist organization. After all, Hamas’ stated goal is the destruction of the Jewish state and global Islamic rule. >>> Shoula Romano Horing | Friday, February 04, 2011

Iran TV Says No to Pasta, Pizza
YNET NEWS: Cooking shows ordered to shun Italian, French dishes, highlight Iran's achievements instead

After ridding Iranian universities of "Western subjects," authorities in Tehran are making sure that local cooking shows also adhere to the spirit of the Ayatollah regime.

On Sunday, Iran's broadcasting authority forbade television channels in the country to air cooking shows featuring "Western" dishes. As it turns out, the doze[n]s of official TV stations in Iran currently feature shows that offer their viewers recipes for Italian and French dishes, an apparently grave sin in the Islamic republic.

"Television should show viewers abroad and Persian speakers the great and important achievements of the Islamic revolution," the broadcasting authority's deputy director, Ali Darabi, was quoted as saying as he explained the move. The decision was taken ahead of "Islamic Revolution Day," which will mark the 32nd anniversary of the Persian shah's downfall. >>> Dudi Cohen | Sunday, February 06, 2011

Death Knell for Cancer
SUNDAY EXPRESS: BRITAIN’S top cancer specialist predicts that new medical miracles will end the death toll of most cancers within a generation.

Professor Karol Sikora, former cancer adviser to the World Health Organisation, says death from the world’s most feared disease will be rare by 2025.

Speaking exclusively to the Sunday Express, he said an emerging revolution of drugs and technology will change the killer disease into “a stable chronic condition like diabetes that people can live with but not die of”. >>> Lucy Johnston | Sunday, February 06, 2011

Millionaire Bankers' Message to Britain: We're All Right, Jack
THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY: Britain’s bankers are celebrating bumper bonuses. Whatever happened to the Government’s pledge to tackle them?

After umpteen calls for restraint by ministers, weighing the public relations impact, and consulting colleagues and advisers, Barclays chief executive Bob Diamond has made his most difficult decision. The multi-millionaire is set to accept a £9m bonus, one of the largest in the world, and will be followed by the bosses of the other major banks. This shows that they are all in something together, even if it's not what the rest of us are in.

Mr Diamond canvassed close City friends before deciding to take the bumper bonus which he fears will reignite the row over bankers pay. Sources close to him said: "Bob's been in a real dilemma as he can't stand this country's culture of banker-bashing and finds our attitude to bonuses extraordinary. But he is also aware of public opinion, so sounded out people about whether he should turn down his bonus again for the third year, take less or give some to charity."

Despite rising public anger about the scale of City payouts, David Cameron insisted last night that he was not interested in "headlines satisfying people today and tomorrow that I've given the banks a good kick in the pants. Can we do more on bonuses, particularly on those banks we own? Yes we can, and yes we will," he told The Sunday Telegraph. "But look, we've just been talking about growth. I don't believe actually in the long run, you can deliver the enterprise-growth agenda while having a running war with the British banking industry at the same time."

Some of those whom Mr Diamond – or his advisers – have consulted counselled him to show restraint. But the American decided that when he is offered the pay package – somewhere between £7m and £10m – he is minded to take it. >>> Margareta Pagano, Business Editor | Sunday, February 06, 2011

Why don’t they jail these SOBs? Then they would show some restraint! – © Mark

THE SUNDAY TIMES: Dominic Lawson: The Rich List can’t touch these guys: As Hosni Mubarak and Zine Ben Ali — and a host of other despots — have proved, there’s no business like kleptocracy >>> Dominic Lawson | Sunday, February 06, 2011 [£}

THE SUNDAY TIMES: Banks to hand out £6bn bonuses: A bonanza for British lenders will embarrass the chancellor as he tries to agree pay curbs and lending targets >>> Iain Dey | Sunday, February 06, 2011 [£]

Get Ready for the Muslim Brotherhood
THE NEW YORK TIMES: WASHINGTON — In 1985, as a teenager in Kenya, I was an adamant member of the Muslim Brotherhood. Seventeen years later, in 2002, I took part in a political campaign to win votes for the conservative party in the Netherlands.

Those two experiences gave me some insights that I think are relevant to the current crisis in Egypt. They lead me to believe it is highly likely but not inevitable that the Muslim Brotherhood will win the elections to be held in Egypt this coming September.
As a participant in an election campaign, I learned a few basic lessons:

• The party must have a political program all members commit to with a vision of how to govern the country until the next election. Dissent within the party is a sure way of losing elections.

• Candidates must articulate not only what they will do for the country but also why the other party’s program will be catastrophic for the nation.

• The party has to be embedded in as many communities as possible, regardless of social class, religion or even political views.
• Candidates must constantly remind potential voters of their party’s successes and the opponent’s failures.

The secular democratic and human-rights groups in Egypt and in the rest of the Arab world show little sign of understanding these facts of political life. The Muslim Brotherhood, on the other hand, gets at least three out of four.

True, they have never been in office. But they have a political program and a vision not only until the next elections, but, in their view, until the Hereafter. And they are very good at reminding Egyptians of why the other party’s policies will be ungodly and therefore catastrophic for Egypt. Above all, they have succeeded in embedding themselves in Egyptian society in ways that could prove crucial. >>> Ayaan Hirsi Ali | Thursday, February 03, 2011

HT: Always On Watch >>>

9 Millionen Touristen aus Ägypten ausgereist
Das Tourismusland Ägypten kommt zum Erliegen. 9 Millionen Touristen haben das Land am Nil bereits verlassen, die Reisebranche rechnet nicht mit baldiger Erholung.