Saturday, July 16, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Saudi man was beheaded on Friday in Tabuk in the ultraconservative kingdom's north after being convicted of sexually assaulting another man's wife, a statement from the interior ministry said.
Adel bin Mohammed Assiri forcibly entered the man's apartment and assaulted the man's wife, hitting her, photographing her naked and attempting to rape her, said the statement carried by the official SPA news agency.
His execution brings to 32 the number of people beheaded in Saudi Arabia this year, according to an AFP tally based on official and human rights group reports. Continue reading and comment » | Saturday, July 16, 2011
Sunday, July 10, 2011
I should like my followers and visitors to know that I am taking a holiday from full-time blogging in the coming weeks. Any blogs will be sporadic, for I shall be away from home for a while, too.
I trust that you will understand my need for some rest and recuperation. I shall be back with you thereafter. Best wishes, Mark
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Under the new rules, cigarettes can only by sold in plain olive green packs with prominent and graphic health warnings.
The laws were introduced into the Australian parliament on Wednesday and should come into force on Jan 1 next year.
With other countries including Britain known to be considering similar restrictions, the success of the crackdown will be closely scrutinised.
The laws have been introduced despite a fierce backlash by cigarette companies, with the Australian government pledging to defy “big tobacco’s intimidation tactics”.
In response, tobacco firms have launched legal action and a nationwide advertising campaign that claims Australia is a “nanny state” and that alcohol will be the next product to be banned. » | Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney | Wednesday, July 06, 2011
What a stupid little nanny-state Australia has become! Elect a Welsh Blodwen and this is what you get: absurdity!
If Australians are now to accept that logos are to be banned for tobacco products, are we going to see a level playing field and see logos banned for sugar products (after all, sugar causes diabetes), and fatty products (after all, fat causes obesity), and salty products (after all, too much salt causes hypertension, hence wreaks havoc with the circulatory system)? The possibilities are endless. Why don't they ban meddlesome, pea-brained politicians? After all, it would be a favour to the world! A blessing. – © Mark
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Denmark has tightened its border controls in a move which opponents claim could sound the death knell for the EU’s principle of free movement.
The Scandinavian country deployed an extra 50 customs officers at crossings on the German and Swedish borders in an attempt to curb cross-border crime and illegal immigration.
This figure will rise to 98 by the end of the year.
Denmark, which belongs to the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone, also plans to increase video surveillance at crossings and build four new customs houses.
Denmark’s decision to become the first country to break ranks with its Schengen peers has sparked concern for the future of unrestricted travel between EU countries.
The principle of open borders is already threatened by political pressures created by the influx of refugees fleeing the turmoil in North Africa. » | Matthew Day | Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Western powers are seriously considering the proposal, which would include a guarantee of amnesty from prosecution for the Libyan leader, a senior official in the Russian leadership was reported as saying.
“The colonel has sent signals that he is ready to relinquish power in exchange for security guarantees and such guarantees are on the table,” the official told Russia’s respected Kommersant newspaper.
The purported offer comes amid speculation that Col Gaddafi is seeking to make a face-saving exit amid growing fears that shortages and poverty in the Libyan capital Tripoli were making his position untenable.
The official claimed that France supported the idea and had agreed to work both to lift an International Criminal Court indictment against Col Gaddafi and to unfreeze his family’s international assets. » | Adrian Blomfield, Tripoli | Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Monday, July 04, 2011
Across America today, people will gather for barbecues in their backyards, parades through their towns and firework displays lighting up the night sky.
They’ll be celebrating Independence Day – the birthday of the United States and the 235th anniversary of shaking off the oppressive yoke of British rule.
On this day in 1776 a group of 13 colonies broke away to found a new nation free to govern itself as it saw fit, pledging that each citizen would have the unalienable right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. A nation, as Americans are apt to declare without equivocation, which became the greatest on the face of the earth.
That’s the good news. On the flip side, however, a country whose hallmark has always been a sense of irrepressible optimism is in the grip of unprecedented uncertainty and self-doubt.
With the United States mired in three foreign wars, beaten down by an economy that shows few signs of emerging from deep recession and deeply disillusioned with President Barack Obama, his Republican challengers and Congress, the mood is dark.
The last comparable Fourth of July was probably in 1980, when there was a recession, skyrocketing petrol prices and an Iranian hostage crisis, with 53 Americans being held in Tehran. Read on and comment » | Toby Harnden | Sunday, July 03, 2011
Eleven ships were due to set sail this weekend, including nine from Greece, but two discovered damage to their propellers which activists blamed on Israeli sabotage.
Another ship was arrested on the high seas by the Greek coastguard for leaving port without permission, and the remainder were told they could not set sail.
Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli foreign minister, claimed credit for the delays to the flotilla. "I welcome all the efforts that have been made to stop the flotilla," he said in a radio interview. "The success of these efforts on the diplomatic side are the fruits of intensive contacts with states in the region and the international community."
Israel is keen to prevent a repeat of the violent outcome to a similar attempt to break the blockade of Gaza last year, when its navy stormed the lead ship, killing nine Turkish activists. » | Phoebe Greenwood in Tel Aviv and Richard Spencer | Sunday, July 03, 2011
The 32-year-old maid is under intense scrutiny after New York prosecutors were forced to tell a court on Friday that they had found holes in her story that may seriously damage her credibility as a witness.
Reports in New York tabloids alleged that she provided sex for hotel guests in return for money, and that Mr Strauss-Kahn may have misunderstood the situation on May 14.
Mr Strauss-Kahn, who at the weekend was enjoying freedom without bail, is charged with trying to rape her after she arrived to clean his Manhattan Sofitel suite and forcing her to give him oral sex.
But the case against him is hanging by a thread. Reports claim that soon after the incident, she was recorded telling a drug dealer in Arizona: "Don't worry, this guy has a lot of money. I know what I'm doing".
But what is certain is that the maid told detectives and prosecutors that afterwards "she fled to an area of the main hallway" and "waited there until she observed the defendant leave suite 2806". French newspapers reported on Sunday that the maid married the drug dealer, a Gambian national, last year.
A letter filed to court by Cyrus Vance jr, the Manhattan district attorney, said: "The complainant testified to this version of events when questioned in the Grand Jury about her actions".
However she "has since admitted that this account was false" and that she went on to clean another room, and returned to clean Mr Strauss-Kahn's suite, before reporting the incident to her supervisor.
Professor Kevin Johnson, the dean of the University of California's law school and an expert in immigration law, said: "The department of homeland security could try to reopen her asylum case on the basis that she appears to have lied in her application, and ultimately say that she should be removed from the country. This is an extraordinary case ... I can imagine the department going after her". Read on and comment » | Jon Swaine, New York | Sunday, July 03, 2011
In his second trial, Ben Ali, who fled to Saudi Arabia following a popular uprising in Tunisia in January, was also sentenced to a fine of 54,000 euros (£49,000).
The trial before a Tunis court had been scheduled to take place last week but was postponed due to a judges' strike.
The former strongman and his wife Leila Trabelsi had already been sentenced in their absence last month to 35 years in prison for misappropriating public funds after large sums of cash and jewellery were discovered in a police search of their palace.
In Monday's trial, Ben Ali alone was accused of harbouring drugs and weapons at his palace in the Carthage neighbourhood north of Tunis. He also faces a drug trafficking charge. » | Monday, July 04, 2011
The 32-year-old maid is under intense scrutiny after New York prosecutors were forced to tell a court on Friday that they had found holes in her story that may seriously damage her credibility as a witness.
Reports in New York tabloids alleged that she provided sex for hotel guests in return for money, and that Mr Strauss-Kahn may have misunderstood the situation on May 14.
Mr Strauss-Kahn, who at the weekend was enjoying freedom without bail, is charged with trying to rape her after she arrived to clean his Manhattan Sofitel suite and forcing her to give him oral sex.
But the case against him is hanging by a thread. Reports claim that soon after the incident, she was recorded telling a drug dealer in Arizona: "Don't worry, this guy has a lot of money. I know what I'm doing".
But what is certain is that the maid told detectives and prosecutors that afterwards "she fled to an area of the main hallway" and "waited there until she observed the defendant leave suite 2806". French newspapers reported on Sunday that the maid married the drug dealer, a Gambian national, last year. » | Jon Swaine, New York | Sunday, July 03, 2011
My comment:
Allah won't be best pleased with this young lady of dubious repute! – © Mark
This comment also appears here
Sunday, July 03, 2011
Prince William and the royal party could have been forgiven for not noticing, but there was a part of Quebec that had no intention of welcoming him and his wife, except with whistles, saucepan lids, vuvuzelas and, incongruously, bagpipes.
The prince – a rare British royal venturing into the heart of francophone, would-be separatist Quebec – received a formal welcome and inspection parade outside the city hall by the bearskin-helmeted members of the locally recruited 22nd regiment, known as "Les Van Doos". The mayor's words of welcome were warm, and even the regimental goat, Baptiste, looked benignly upon him.
So far, all in a day's work. But a few streets away, around 300 demonstrators had a different message. Mostly young, T-shirt clad and some facially studded, but with a scattering of older folk, they had gathered outside an Irish pub to bellow, toot and whistle the message that the monarchy should get out of Canada.
Blue and white fleur-de-lys Quebec flags were waved, as was the green, white and red standard of the failed insurrection of 1837. Their handmade banners told the story: "Parasite go home" said one, "And don't come back" added another. "Pay for your trip" said a third. "William dégage" was the message. Even more bluntly and in English: "Kate go UK yourself". And one for students of Britain's victory over France in the seven years war: "We are still waiting for your excuses for 1755." » | Stephen Bates | Sunday, July 03, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: Britons could face charges for breaking US copyrights even if they have no link to America and servers are based elsewhere
British website owners could face extradition to the US on piracy charges even if their operation has no connection to America and does something which is most probably legal in the UK, the official leading US web anti-piracy efforts has told the Guardian.
The US's Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) is targeting overseas websites it believes are breaking US copyrights whether or not their servers are based in America or there is another direct US link, said Erik Barnett, the agency's assistant deputy director.
As long as a website's address ends in .com or .net, if it is implicated in the spread of pirated US-made films, TV or other media it is a legitimate target to be closed down or targeted for prosecution, Barnett said. While these web addresses are traditionally seen as global, all their connections are routed through Verisign, an internet infrastructure company based in Virginia, which the agency believes is sufficient to seek a US prosecution.
As well as sites that directly host or stream pirated material, ICE is also focusing on those that simply provide links to it elsewhere. There remains considerable doubt as to whether this is even illegal in Britain – the only such case to be heard before a British court, involving a site called TV-Links, was dismissed by a judge in February last year. » | Peter Walker | Sunday, July 03, 2011
The organisers of a Gaza aid flotilla banned from leaving a Greek port say they are determined to continue their campaign.
The activists say Israel has pressured the Greek government to prevent their mission.
The Greek foreign ministry denies this. But the incident highlights shifting regional relations.
The relationship between Greece and Israel, reflected in official figures, show a 50 per cent increase in Israeli visitors over the past year.
Meanwhile. the number of Israeli tourists to neighboring Turkey has dropped by nearly 90 per cent, one relationship weakening, as the other grows stronger.
It is a relationship based on mutual need. In its financial meltdown Greece has been urgently searching for new markets, and a different source of its economic lifeblood - tourism.
Al Jazeera's Mike Hanna reports from Athens.
The couple's glittering religious wedding drew crowds of thousands to the Mediterranean principality on Saturday and the guest list included a host of heads of state, European royals and stars of the fashion and sports world.
But sources cited by the French press on Sunday said the former Charlene Wittstock, 33, had even tried to take refuge in her country's embassy in Paris in an attempt to get out of the wedding.
Instead senior Palace officials confiscated her passport and then persuaded her to take part in the weekend's nuptials.
"Several sources have even confirmed that an arrangement was reached between the future bride and groom," said a report in Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD), the French national newspaper, which provided no further details.
It followed confirmation by palace sources that Albert, 53, was due to undergo DNA tests because of claims by at least one unnamed woman that he has fathered another illegitimate child. » | Henry Samuel, Monaco | Sunday, July 03, 2011
The earlier portrayal of the maid as a pious, devout Muslim was being torn apart in briefings from the defence team and news reports. The New York Post claimed male guests at the Sofitel had paid her for sexual services, quoting an unnamed source close to Mr Strauss-Kahn's defence team.
Last week, investigators received the full translation of a telephone conversation that took place 28 hours after the alleged assault between the maid and a man said to be her boyfriend, who is in an Arizona prison for alleged possession of 180 kilograms of marijuana.
The exchange, in a tribal dialect, was recorded, as is routine in the US. ''She says words to the effect of 'Don't worry, this guy has a lot of money. I know what I am doing','' a police source said.
Although she also recounted that she had been assaulted, the suggestion that she might have seen some financial advantage to the fallout was deeply troubling for prosecutors. (+ video) » | Peter Finn, Jenna Johnson, Philip Sherwell, London | Monday, July 04, 2011
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