Syrien: Assads Truppen stürmen Vorort von Damaskus
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Syriens Armee hat sich nach einer Woche Belagerung aus der Stadt Daraa zurückgezogen. Nun konzentriert sich die Truppen auf andere Hochburgen der Opposition. Soldaten stürmten am Donnerstag den Damaszener Vorort Sakba.

Die syrische Armee hat am Donnerstag den Damaszener Vorort Sakba gestürmt. Außerdem zogen sie in Erwartung neuer Proteste nach den Freitagsgebeten den Ring um Rastan und das Sunniten-Viertel in der Stadt Banias enger. In Deraa sei der Auftrag der Armee nach zehntägigem Einsatz beendet, meldete die staatliche Nachrichtenagentur Sana.

Einwohnern zufolge blieben Soldaten jedoch am Stadtrand in Bereitschaft. Hunderte Armeeangehörige stürmten nach Angaben einer Bewohnerin den Vorort Sakba. Die Soldaten seien in Häuser eingedrungen und hätten wahllos Menschen festgenommen. „Dutzende Menschen wurden eingesperrt“, sagte die Frau der Nachrichtenagentur Reuters. Die Menschenrechtsorganisation Isan sprach von mindestens 260 Festnahmen in Sakba, in Deraa seien es während des gesamten Armee-Einsatzes mehr als 800 gewesen. » | FAZ.NET mit dapd/dpa/Reuters | Donnerstag, 05. Mai 2011

Vorwürfe gegen USA - Bin Laden kaltblütig erschossen
REUTERS DEUTSCHLAND: Abbottabad/Rom - Pakistan erhebt schwere Vorwürfe gegen die USA:

Das auf Osama bin Laden angesetzte US-Kommando habe den unbewaffneten Al-Kaida-Chef und vier seiner Vertrauten kaltblütig erschossen, erklärten zwei Vertreter pakistanischer Sicherheitsbehörden am Donnerstag mit Blick auf die Erstürmung des Anwesens von bin Laden in der pakistanischen Stadt Abbottabad. "Die Bewohner des Hauses waren unbewaffnet. Es gab keinen Widerstand", sagte einer. Damit widersprach er US-Darstellungen, mehrere Bewohner der Anlage seien bewaffnet gewesen und einer habe das Feuer auf die Spezialeinheit eröffnet. US-Außenministerin Hillary Clinton erklärte in Rom, weitere Details der Kommando-Aktion würden nicht veröffentlicht.

Die zwei Vertreter pakistanischer Sicherheitskräfte, die das Geschehen in dem Anwesen in der Nacht zum Montag untersuchen, erklärten dagegen, es habe kein Feuergefecht gegeben. Die Bewohner seien kaltblütig umgebracht worden. Beide Männer wollten nicht sagen, wie sie zu diesen Erkenntnissen gekommen sind. Allerdings haben die Sicherheitskräfte die überlebenden Bewohner der Anlage festgenommen. Von Reuters erworbene Fotografien aus dem Gebäude zeigen Nahaufnahmen von drei Männern in Blutlachen. Waffen sind nicht zu erkennen. Die Aufnahmen wurden von einem Mitglied pakistanischer Sicherheitskräfte kurz nach Ende des US-Einsatzes gemacht. » | Reuters | Donnerstag, 05. Mai 2011

Un financement pour les insurgés libyens dans quelques semaines
REUTERS FRANCE: ROME - Le mécanisme de financement des insurgés libyens annoncé jeudi à Rome par le "groupe de contact" sera opérationnel dans les prochaines semaines, a déclaré le ministre français des Affaires étrangères.

Alain Juppé a souligné que Paris n'avait pas renoncé à obtenir le dégel des avoirs libyens gelés au profit des insurgés en dépit des problèmes juridiques posés par une telle démarche.

"Le mécanisme de financement temporaire est maintenant bien défini et sera opérationnel dans les prochaines semaines", a-t-il dit lors d'une conférence de presse à Rome.

Les Etats-Unis ont annoncé qu'ils apporteraient leur contribution, d'autres pays vont le faire aussi et la France "va examiner sa propre contribution", a souligné Alain Juppé. » | John Irish, Gérard Bon pour le service français, édité par Patrick Vignal | Jeudi 05 Mai 2011

Une quarantaine de migrants tunisiens interpellés à Nice
REUTERS FRANCE: NICE - Deux jours après une première opération de police au foyer Adoma (ex-Sonacotra) de Nice-Ouest au cours de laquelle 72 migrants d'origine tunisienne avaient été interpellés, les forces de l'ordre ont procédé jeudi matin à une nouvelle vague de contrôles au même endroit. » | Pierre Thébault, édité par Patrick Vignal | Jeudi 05 Mai 2011

Début d'un retrait militaire progressif de Deraa en Syrie
REUTERS FRANCE: AMMAN - Des unités de l'armée syrienne ont entamé "un retrait progressif" de la ville de Deraa, épicentre en Syrie des manifestations contre le président Bachar al Assad, après avoir accompli leur mission, rapporte l'agence de presse officielle Sana, jeudi.

L'agence, qui cite une source militaire, précise que les forces de sécurité ont "chassé les éléments des groupes terroristes et ont rétabli la sécurité, la paix et la tranquillité" dans la ville.

L'armée était intervenue il y a 10 jours à Deraa, berceau de la contestation syrienne en faveur de la démocratie qui dure depuis six semaines.

Deux témoins ont dit à Reuters avoir vu une trentaine de blindés sur des camions quitter la ville et se diriger vers le Nord. Plusieurs voies d'accès à Deraa demeurent gardées par des unités de l'armée appuyées par des blindés, ont-ils précisé.

Des opposants et des habitants disent que les soldats ont bombardé le vieux quartier de Deraa et ont fait usage d'armes automatiques, procédant à de nombreuses arrestations. » | Khaled Yacoub Oweis, Pierre Sérisier pour le service français, édité par Gilles Trequesser | Jeudi 05 Mai 2011

'Bin Laden Scenario Prelude to New War'
PRESS TV: Former officials with Pakistan's military and intelligence service say the US wrongfully claims it has killed bin Laden in Pakistan to invade the country for harboring the terror leader.

United States President Barack Obama announced late Sunday that the al-Qaeda leader had been killed in a US military attack on a residence in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad north of the capital, Islamabad.

US reports claim that bin Laden had been living in a house near a Pakistani military base since 2005.

Speaking to the international Urdu daily Ausaf, the former officials said the terror mastermind had been killed elsewhere, questioning the reason for which the media had not broadcast the whereabouts and the manner of his death.

Citing the interviewees, who included General Mirza Aslam Beig, a former chief of Army staff, the newspaper said, “It is a fact that Osama bin Laden has been killed, but he has not been killed in Pakistan and this is evident in interviews with the locals and eyewitnesses.” » | HN/PKH/MGH | Wednesday, May 04, 2011

'Imperialism behind Bahrain Crackdown'
PRESS TV: Bahrain intensifies its crackdown on popular protests against the rule of Al Khalifa royal family in the Persian Gulf country, drawing criticism from the international community.

Amnesty International appealed to Manama to stop the arrests of opposition members. EU Foreign Policy chief Catherine Ashton has also expressed deep concern over the imminent executions of four anti-government protesters in Bahrain. (+ video) » | MN/MRS | Thursday, May 05, 2011

L'ONU exige la "divulgation complète des faits précis" du raid contre Ben Laden
LE POINT: La haut commissaire de l'ONU aux droits de l'homme estime que "le monde a le droit de savoir exactement ce qui s'est passé".

La haut commissaire de l'ONU aux droits de l'homme Navi Pillay a demandé jeudi la "divulgation complète des faits précis" sur les circonstances dans lesquelles le chef d'al-Qaida, Oussama Ben Laden, a été tué. » | Source AFP | Jeudi 05 Mai 2011

Inside Story: The Next Osama
Osama bin Laden became the face of militant Islam following the September 11 attacks in New York, and it was these attacks that propelled his organisation to the world's attention. So without bin Laden, what happens to al-Qaeda?

Inside Story, with presenter Darren Jordon, discusses with Imtiaz Gul, a political analyst and author of several books on al-Qaeda including The most dangerous palce; Paul Rogers, a professor of peace studies at the University of Bradford; and Mahan Abedin, director of research at the center for the study of terrorism.

This episode of Inside Story aired from [sic] Wednesday, May 4, 2011.

The Ethics and Realpolitik of Assassination
THE ECONOMIST: THE Jerusalem Post reports:

[Israel's] Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman MK Shaul Mofaz (Kadima) on Tuesday said that the killing of Osama bin Laden bears witness to the fact that the US has adopted the Israeli strategy of targeting terrorist leaders. In an interview with Israel Radio, Mofaz said that the strategy was originally employed by Israel following the murder of nine Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Mofaz called on the government to increase targeted killings of Palestinian terrorist leaders. The former defense minister said that targeted killings have been successful in curtailing terrorist activities.

Evidently the killing—some would say assassination or "targeted killing"—of Osama bin Laden is seen as legitimatising other countries' pro-assassination policies.

Moreover, celebrity legal eagle Alan Dershowitz argues that the non-response to Mr bin Laden's assassination from governments with a record of condemning the practice reveals the shady substance of these objections. Noting that "a US national security official has confirmed to Reuters that 'this was a kill operation' and there was no desire to capture Bin Laden alive", Mr Dershowitz correctly infers that "those who have opposed the very concept of targeted killings should be railing against the killing of Osama Bin Laden". But they aren't. » | IOWA CITY | Wednesday, May 04, 2011

The Secrets of Osama bin Laden's Medicine Cabinet
TELEGRAPH – BLOGS – ANDREW M BROWN: Did Osama bin Laden suffer from a dry skin condition? Hives, eczema, even psoriasis (which is aggravated by stress, interestingly)? Psoriasis really would be a wretched affliction for someone who’s cooped up 24 hours a day, a prisoner in effect, behind walls 15 feet high. Dennis Potter’s Singing Detective was a victim of it.

I ask about the skin condition because if you look at some of the video of the interior of the al-Qaeda leader’s compound you can clearly see a shelf, and on the shelf there’s a neat row of medicine bottles. In the foreground is a family-size jar of Vaseline lying on its side, or so it appears. Giving further credence to the possibility of a skin condition, there’s a big white jar just behind the Vaseline. It has an odd-shaped lid. It could be an inhaler – asthma, maybe, which goes with eczema sometimes? Perhaps, but it could also be a pump-action dispenser, and the contents of the jar something like aqueous cream, something you might want to slather onto an itchy or eczematous rash that was flaring up because you were bored and anxious, as I expect bin Laden was. Continue reading and comment » | Andrew M Brown | Thursday, May 04, 2011

Osama bin Laden Dead: Attack by Terrorists Is Highly Likely, Says Met Chief
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The death of Osama bin Laden does not mark the end of the terrorism threat to Britain and an attack could happen at any time, the head of the Metropolitan Police has warned.


Sir Paul Stephenson said the threat of a terrorist attack remains “severe” and added: “To be blunt it means that an attack is highly likely and could occur without warning at any time.”

“As Government, the police and the security service assess the impact and consequences of the death of Osama bin Laden, it is clear that there can be no let up in our vigilance,” the Scotland Yard Commissioner said in a speech at the Policy Exchange think-tank in central London.

He said that al-Qaeda was responsible for the injury and death of thousands of people worldwide and was committed to the use of terror and murder to achieve their aims.

“One man's death does not mark the end of an ideology and we must remain alert to the continuing threat from al-Qaeda, its affiliates and those acting alone,” he added, drawing attention to the additional threats from “lone wolf” operators and al-Qaeda franchises outside Pakistan.

“The police and security services will continue to work locally, nationally and with our international partners to do everything possible to counter the terrorist threat but we cannot do this alone, we need the help of the public to protect the country from the threat of terrorism,” Sir Paul told the audience. » | Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent | Thursday, May 05, 2011

Obama Rejects Releasing bin Laden Death Photo
US president decides against releasing images of al-Qaeda leader's body, saying it may be used as a "propaganda tool"

Related video »

Royal Wedding Mesmerised US: Obama
THE GUARDIAN: The glittering royal wedding of Prince William and new wife Kate left America mesmerised, President Barack Obama has told the Prince of Wales.

The US leader said many Americans watched the nuptials, which attracted an estimated worldwide television audience of two billion last week.

The comments came when the heir to the throne sat down for informal discussions in the famous Oval Office of the White House with Mr Obama.

The president described how he was impressed by William and Kate's handling of the pressure of the big day, and joked with Charles how he could not have coped with such a situation himself - he had just 300 guests at his wedding to Michelle.

Mr Obama and his wife were not present at the Westminster Abbey ceremony but his comments suggested he watched some of the event. » | Press Association | Thursday, May 05, 2011

Prince Charles Tells America to Cut Down on Steaks ... for the Sake of the World
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: America's appetite for beef is jeopardising the world's water supply, the Prince of Wales said during a visit to the US.

In a speech in Washington, the Prince said that the need for vast amounts of irrigation in industrialised food production was threatening to deplete reserves of the "magical substance we have taken for granted for so long".

"For every pound of beef produced in the industrial system, it takes two thousand gallons of water," he told the Future of Food conference at Georgetown University.

"That is a lot of water and there is plenty of evidence that the Earth cannot keep up with the demand." » | Jon Swaine, in Washington | Thursday, May 05, 2011

Osama bin Laden's Daughter Witnessed His Death, Says Pakistani Official
THE GUARDIAN: A 12-year-old girl found at the scene of the raid is being held by Pakistan's intelligence services along with other survivors

Osama bin Laden's 12-year-old daughter watched as her father was shot dead by American special forces, a senior Pakistani intelligence official has told the Guardian.

The girl, who was found at the scene of the raid by Pakistani security services, is being cared for at a military hospital having been wounded in the attack. She has been questioned about the sequence of events during the raid on Sunday night.

The official said Pakistani intelligence services, who are holding 11 other survivors of the deadly raid on Bin Laden's Pakistani hiding place, would not allow their interrogation by US officials.

"That would occur only if there was written assent from their country of origin. We are yet to receive any request to my knowledge, but given the [critical] statements coming out of Washington and the fact that [the raid] was not an operation we were involved in, we would not accept," he said. » | Jason Burke | Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Florida Mosque Bombing Suspect Fatally Shot in Oklahoma
CBS NEWS: ORIENTA, Okla. — A man wanted in the bombing of a Florida mosque was shot and killed Wednesday when he brandished a weapon as agents tried to serve an arrest warrant in northwest Oklahoma, FBI officials said.

Sandlin Matthews Smith, 46, of St. Johns County, Fla., pulled out a firearm as federal and state law enforcement officers approached him in a field at Glass Mountain State Park near Orienta and asked him to surrender, said FBI Special Agent Jeff Westcott of Jacksonville, Fla.

Westcott said agents learned late Tuesday that Smith was staying in a tent in the park, located in the rugged foothills of the Glass Mountains in northwest Oklahoma. An Oklahoma City FBI SWAT team and other law enforcement officers blocked off the area overnight, Westcott said.

Agent Clayton Simmonds at the FBI's Oklahoma City office said Smith was taken to a hospital in Fairview, where he was pronounced dead. » | AP | Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Obama: We Won't Release Bin Laden Photos
President Barack Obama explains why his administration won't release the death photos of Osama bin Laden. Steve Kroft interviews the president for "60 Minutes" this Sunday, May 8 at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Wife Stood between bin Laden and Seals
STUFF.co.nz: One of Osama bin Laden's wives stood between him and US Navy Seals as the world's most-wanted terrorist was gunned down in an airborne assault on the al Qaeda leader's safehouse deep in Pakistan.

He was holed up less than 1.6 kilometres from the country's military academy and not far from the capital of Islamabad.

Details emerged yesterday of the life and dramatic death of bin Laden, the day after President Barack Obama made the stunning announcement the al Qaeda leader had been killed.

Obama, while assured bin Laden probably was in the compound, did not know with certainty the 10-year hunt for the notorious son of a Saudi Arabian construction magnate was at an end. The realisation came when bin Laden's body was carried to one of four US Special Operations helicopters that had ferried in the American force deep inside Pakistan. One of the craft was damaged on landing and blown up before the return journey to Afghanistan. » | Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Osama bin Laden Dead: Dutch Men Attempt to Report Barack Obama
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Two Dutch men have attempted to report Barack Obama for the "murder" of Osama bin Laden at their local police station.

Ruud Snoeren and Terry Flohr accused the American President of "perpetrating" a crime by ordering the special forces raid that led to bin Laden's death on Sunday.

Police in the Dutch city of Tilburg refused to accept the case and referred the men to an international war crimes court based in The Hague.

"We are very angry," said, Mr Snoeren, 30, a lawyer.

"There is a murderer who has admitted the deed on television and who dumped the evidence at sea. And the whole world is celebrating.' » | Bruno Waterfield | Wednesday, April 04, 2011