Flag of Jihad, stating that 'There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah' (لا الة الا اللة و محمد رسول اللة). Image: Google Images
Osama bin Laden Dead: Protests in Pakistan
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: About 1,500 Pakistani Islamists have taken to the streets to protested [sic] against the killing of Osama bin Laden, saying more figures like him would arise to wage holy war against the United States.

Pre-dominantly Muslim Pakistan has yet to see any major backlash after US special forces killed bin Laden early on Monday, not far from the capital Islamabad.But his death has angered Islamists, with one major hardline political party calling on Pakistan's government to end its support for the US war on militancy.

"Jihad (holy war) against America will not stop with the death of Osama," said Fazal Mohammad Baraich, a cleric. » | Friday, May 06, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Osama bin Laden dead: CIA 'kept safe house' in Abbottabad: The CIA kept a safe house in Abbottabad, Pakistan, to conduct surveillance for months on the compound where al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed. » | Friday, May 06, 2011

Bin Laden 'Planned New US Attack'
BBC: Documents found at Osama Bin Laden's Pakistan home suggest he was planning attacks on the US including on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, US reports say.

One plan aimed to target a US rail route, the reports said, although no imminent threat was detected.

Officials are examining computers, DVDs and documents seized from the Abbottabad home where they believe Bin Laden hid for up to six years.

President Obama is due to meet some of the troops involved in the operation.

He will hold private meetings on Friday at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, with at least some of the Navy Seals who took part in the raid.

On Thursday, the president visited Ground Zero, the site of the attack of 11 September 2001 in New York, laying a wreath in memory of the nearly 3,000 victims.

He told victims' families that justice had now been done, but that America "would never forget". Read on and comment » | Friday, May 06, 2011

Liberal Democrats Have Taken 'Big Knocks', Says Nick Clegg
THE GUARDIAN: Lib Dem leader admits party taking brunt of anger at coalition amid worst local elections performance in 30 years

The Liberal Democrats appear to have suffered their worst performance at the polls in 30 years, suffering heavy losses across the north of England, Scotland and Wales.

Nick Clegg admitted his party was taking the brunt of the blame for a perception that the coalition government is dragging Britain back to the Thatcherism of the 1980s.

The Liberal Democrat leader and deupty prime minister said the party had taken "big knocks" in the local elections.

"Clearly what happened last night – especially in those parts of the country, Scotland, Wales, the great cities of the north, where there are real anxieties about the deficit reduction plans we are having to put in place ... we are clearly getting the brunt of the blame," he told reporters.

"To the many families in those parts of the country especially there are some very strong memories of what life was like under Thatcherism of the 1980s and that's what they fear they are returning to. We need to get up, dust ourselves down and move on." » | Polly Curtis, Patrick Wintour and Hélène Mulholland | Friday, May 06, 2011

China Bans Crime Shows and Soap Operas to Make Way for 'Red' TV
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Television bosses across China have been ordered to clear their schedules and broadcast improving 'Red' television as the country gears up to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Communist Party this July.

Popular low-budget crime sagas, romantic soap operas and spy thrillers that entertain millions of Chinese every night have been ordered off the airwaves by central government TV regulators to be replaced by improving, patriotic content.

The decision, which has caused widespread disgruntlement, is the latest example of a concerted attempt by China's ruling Communist Party to use so-called "Red" propaganda to bolster what it calls "social unity" and old "revolutionary values" in modern Chinese society.

The news of the three-month ban on what authorities have labeled frivolous or vulgar television has provoked a wave of discussion on China's online bulletin boards and discussion forums.

The issue had generated more than 20,000 comments on 163.com, one of China's leading internet portals, with many contributors largely taking a weary "don't care" attitude and promising to find other diversions or download American programmes from the internet.

"So the red songs and red movies are promoted national-wide from now on," said one comment, "It doesn't really matter as I only watched American TV soaps anyway since I started to have access to the internet". » | Peter Foster, Beijing | Friday, May 06, 2011

Brazil's Top Court Approves Civil Unions for Same-sex Couples
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Brazil's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday night that civil unions between same-sex couples must be allowed in this nation with more Roman Catholics than any other.

In a 10-0 vote, with one abstention, the justices said gay couples deserve the same legal rights as heterosexual pairs when it comes to alimony, retirement benefits of a partner who dies, and inheritances, among other issues.

The ruling, however, stopped short of legalising gay marriage. In Latin America, that is legal only in neighbouring Argentina and in Mexico City.

Same-sex civil unions granting some rights to homosexual couples are legal in Uruguay and in some states of Mexico outside the capital. Colombia's Constitutional Court has granted same-sex couples inheritance rights and allowed them to add their partners to health insurance plans.

Brazil's ruling sets a judicial precedent that must be honoured by all public institutions, including notary publics where civil unions must be registered.

"This is a historic moment for all Brazilians, not just homosexuals. This judgment will change everything for us in society – and for the better," said Marcelo Cerqueira with the gay rights group Grupo Gay da Bahia. "Gays, lesbians and transsexuals will be recognised as being more human. We'll be more accepted by having our rights honoured." » | Friday, May 06, 2011

Strains Showing in US-Pakistan Relationship
In the days since Osama bin Laden's killing, the Obama administration has been at pains to stress that the US Pakistan relationship is intact.

But other politicians have been much more critical.

Al Jazeera's Rosiland Jordan reports

Activist Speaks to Al Jazeera from the Outskirts of Deraa
An activist just outside Deraa, who gives his name as Mohammed Haurani, says the army is still controlling the city

Last WW1 Veteran Passes On
Claude 'Chuckles' Choules, the last known male survivor from World War One - out of more than 70 million military personnel - passed away this Thursday

97 Year-old Tried for Nazi War Crimes
A 97-year old Hungarian has gone on trial in what is likely to be one of the world's last Nazi war crimes trials

Crackdown reins in Bahrain activists
The once massive pro-democracy protests in Bahrain has been reduced to small clashes between youth and police in predominantly Shia areas.



Security forces have allegedly launched a brutal crackdown on protesters with beatings and sweeping arrests. Nearly 1000 demonstrators have been imprisoned, among them doctors, artists and lawyers. 



The UN High Commissioner for Human rights Navi Pillay says severe torture is being used against prisoners, and he is calling on the Bahraini government to stop intimidating and harassing human rights defenders and political activists. 



May Welsh reports. [May 6, 2011]

Scottish Election: SNP Romps to Victory as Lib Dems Collapse
THE SCOTSMAN: ALEX Salmond was last night on course for a second term as First Minister as voters across Scotland turned away in large numbers from Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

Former Labour minister Andy Kerr became the first major scalp of the Holyrood election, losing to the SNP's Linda Fabiani in the East Kilbride constituency. Mr Kerr, who was Labour's finance spokesman in the last parliament, lost a notional majority, picking up 12,410 votes to Ms Fabiani's 14,359.



Labour's Tom McCabe also lost his Hamilton seat to the SNP's Christina McKelvie.



Elsewhere, there were widespread signs of a collapse in the Lib Dem vote, with Tavish Scott's party losing their deposit in the first seat of the night to be declared in Rutherglen, where the SNP vote surged by 16 per cent.



The broad picture looks set to deliver an SNP victory and a return to Bute House for Alex Salmond with an increased mandate.



If his re-election is confirmed today, Mr Salmond is expected to press ahead with his preferred plan to run a second SNP minority government for the next five years.



Early indications last night suggested clearly that he will be in a far stronger position than over the past four years, when he held a one-seat majority over Labour.



Labour sources were last night indicating they expected the SNP to beat them in several previously secure seats, and that their rivals could have a double-digit lead in seats by the time all the results came in. » | Scott Macnab and Eddie Barnes | Friday, May 06, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Scottish election results: Alex Salmond's victory is a serious threat to the Union: The fundamentalist wing of the SNP will declare that this win is a mandate for an immediate vote on Scottish independence. » | Alan Cochrane | Friday, May 06, 2011

Libya: William Hague Expels Two Libyan Diplomats
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, ordered the explusion of two Libyan diplomats from its London embassy as he travelled to Rome to demand heavier military bombardment of Col Muammar Gaddafi's regime.

Mr Hague called for the beginning of a final push to topple the beleagured regime in Tripoli, more than seven weeks after a UN Security Council resolution authorised military action to protect civilians. "The tempo of military activity should continue to be increased, as it has been increasing in recent days," Mr Hague said. "A great deal has been achieved. Probably thousands of lives have been saved. We now need to intensify that in order to push through to a successful outcome."

Rebels seeking to overthrow Col Gaddafi said that they needed an additional $3 million (£1.8 million) in loans to continue their battle.

Downing Street insisted the UK would not provide further funds, having already given generously. In a press conference, Hillary Clinton, the United States Secretary of State, said the allies would seek to create a "financial mechanism" to help the rebels.

The Foreign Office refused to comment on the behaviour which led to the expulsion of the two diplomats and their dependants, but it is understood that they are suspected of seeking to intimidate pro-opposition Libyans living in Britain.

In a statement, Mr Hague said that the expulsion was part of a move to step up the diplomatic pressure on Gaddafi, and that the diplomats and their families had until Wednesday to leave the country. » | Rosa Prince, and Nick Squires in Rome | Thursday, May 05, 2011

I might well be mistaken, but I believe Mrs. Clinton must be catching flies! – Mark

Archbishop Rowan Williams Is Dead Wrong about the Killing of Osama bin Laden. He Should Speak as a Religious Leader, Not as a Guardian Reader
TELEGRAPH – BLOGS – CRISTINA ODONE: Rowan Williams feels “uncomfortable” about the killing of Osama bin Laden. The man was unarmed, says the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the conflicting accounts that have emerged from the White House spread confusion and doubts.

Archbishop Williams is a fine man, a good man. But he is dead wrong here. Summary execution, ie killing without trial, is just desserts for some tyrants. And Osama, the hate merchant and death peddler, was a tyrant to rank with some of the worst. His fate should be no better than theirs. Think of Benito Mussolini, who was executed by Italian partisans; he too was unarmed, but only his fellow fascists shed a tear or raised a voice in protest. Adolf Hitler cheated justice by committing suicide, but his death prompted confusion, just as in the wake of Osama’s killing. The febrile atmosphere in 1945, though, did nothing to alter the fact that Hitler was a personification of evil. Continue reading and comment » | Cristina Odone | Thursday, May 05, 2011

My comment:

As hard as it is to swallow, the Archbish had to say what he did because of Christian teachings. We lesser mortals don't want to hear it because it doesn't satisfy our baser instincts. To people who are less than good, sound practising Christians, revenge is more appealing. But for people with a higher calling, his words will find resonance.

In fairness to the man, one could hardly expect him to cheer on the killing of another, however despicable the acts he may have committed. It just wouldn't rhyme with the principles of his calling. Were he to have called for the killing of OBL, he would have been little better than the blood-thirsty imams we read about almost daily, the imams who call for the killing of the Jews and the Kuffaar. © Mark

A variant on this comment also appears here

Related »

Osama bin Laden: Hillary Clinton 'No Idea' What They Were Watching
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Hillary Clinton has said she has "no idea" what she and the rest of Barack Obama's national security team were watching at the precise moment a photographer snapped what has become the defining image of the Osama bin Laden operation.


Mrs Clinton said the raid was "38 of the most intense minutes" in her life, but her expression and the fact that her hand is covering her mouth might not convey any special significance.

The US secretary of state, who suffers from allergies, says she was embarrassed that her hand gesture may have only been her trying to stifle a cough or sneeze. » | Thursday, May 05, 2011

Now, Mrs. Clinton, if you expect us to believe that… – Mark

Emirati Wife Suing Husband for £7 million for Failing to Fulfil Her Needs
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: An Emirati man is being sued for £7.25 million for failing to have sex with his wife and causing her mental anguish, according to reports.

The unidentified woman told the court that her Emirati husband did not sleep with her in the first four months of their marriage in 2008 and later she discovered that he suffered from erectile dysfunction, according to Gulf News.

The newspaper quoted court records as saying that the woman alleged her husband failed to fulfil her needs. The case is pending before Dubai Courts. » | Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Woman Seeks Divorce from 'Gay' Husband in UAE
GULF NEWS: Says she noticed bizarre change in spouse's attitude and behaviour a few months after marriage

Dubai: A woman has filed for divorce after she claimed to have made a chance discovery of her husband's alleged relationship with another man.

The woman, believed to be from a Gulf country, filed her divorce claim before the Dubai Sharia Court, saying she accidentally noticed a love message that her husband received from his gay partner on his mobile phone.

The woman alleged in her claim that her husband started behaving oddly and abnormally a few months after they got married and she had seen him wearing her lingerie at nights and using her perfume, a court source told Gulf News.

The woman said she realised a bizarre change in her husband's attitude and behaviour and caught him trying on women's underwear and perfumes many times. She said she received the shock of her life when she heard her husband hiding in another room and chatting with another man on his mobile phone. » | Bassam Za'za', Senior Reporter | Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Osama bin Laden Dead: Pakistan Islamists Urge Mass Anti-US Rally
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Pakistan is braced for a wave of anti-American protests today(FRI) as the leading mainstream Islamist party called for its supporters to take to the streets after Friday prayers.

Resentment towards Islamabad and its support for the US war on terror is already simmering and yesterday the Jamaat-e-Islam — until recently a member of the governing coalition — said the US had violated its sovereignty by sending special forces into Abbottabad to kill Osama bin Laden.

“Even if there was any sympathy for the Americans, that would dissipate after the way they crushed and violated our sovereignty and our independence,” said Syed Munawar Hasan, the JI president.

“We have appealed to everyone to hold peaceful demonstrations on Friday on a very large scale. Our first demand is Pakistan ... should withdraw from the war on terror.” Extremists linked to the group behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks have already offered public prayers for bin Laden. Several hundred members of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), a Pakistani charity on the US terror blacklist over its alleged connection to Lashkar-e-Taiba, the group blamed for the Mumbai attack, gathered in Karachi earlier this week to declare the al Qaeda leader a martyr.

Anti-American feeling is commonplace in Pakistan, despite repeated attempts to win hearts and mind with billions of dollars in US aid. » | Thursday, May 05, 2011

Osama bin Laden Dead: Archbishop of Canterbury Criticises White House
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Archbishop of Canterbury has criticised the White House over the killing of Osama bin Laden.


Dr Rowan Williams warned that the shooting dead of the unarmed al-Qaeda leader meant justice was not "seen to be done".

The differing accounts of the American special forces' operation which have emerged from the White House since Monday "have not helped", he said.

At a press conference at Lambeth Palace, The Daily Telegraph asked Dr Williams whether he thought the US had been right to kill bin Laden.

After declining to respond initially, he later replied: “I think the killing of an unarmed man is always going to leave a very uncomfortable feeling, because it doesn’t look as if justice is seen to be done in those circumstances.

“I think it’s also true that the different versions of events that have emerged in recent days have not done a great deal to help here.

“I don’t know full details any more than anyone else does. But I do believe that in such circumstances when we are faced with someone who was manifestly a war criminal, in terms of the atrocities inflicted, it is important that justice is seen to be observed.”

A spokesman for Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the head of the Roman Catholic church in England and Wales, said the church would not be commenting on the killing of the al-Qaeda leader. » | Tim Ross, Religious Affairs Editor | Thursday, May 05, 2011

Al Jazeera English Live

Empire - Beyond bin Laden
Osama bin Laden is dead. The world's most wanted man has finally been killed after a hunt that lasted more than a decade, triggered global wars, and cost the lives of tens of thousands of people. What does it mean for US wars in the Muslim world? And will the US actions unleash a new wave of attacks around the world?