Canada Declares ‘Voluntary Evacuation’ from Syria

THE GLOBE AND MAIL: The federal government has delivered a stark warning to roughly 5,000 Canadian citizens in Syria to get out now, hinting the embassy in Damascus won’t be there much longer to help them.

“The time to leave Syria is now,” Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said Thursday.

Mr. Baird has warned Canadians in Syria to leave since October. But escalating violence in Syria, combined with sanctions that have reduced the number of flights out of the country, have sparked Ottawa to declare a “voluntary evacuation” from the country. Mr. Baird urged Canadians to get travel documents and book a flight.

Federal officials said they estimate there are roughly 5,000 Canadian citizens in Syria, though only 1,512 have registered with the embassy in Damascus.

Most are believed to be dual citizens who live in Syria, federal officials said. But the complication is that their families are not always all Canadian citizens, and they may require visas to come to Canada. » | Campbell Clark | Ottawa | Thursday, December 15, 2011

Aliaa's Nudity: A Different Form of Protest
ALMASRY ALYOUM (‘EGYPT TODAY’): How many Egyptians have appreciated the message behind Aliaa Magda Al Mahdy's naked photo? We only know that few have actually expressed admiration or support, and they did so by posting words of encouragement on her blog, her Facebook page and on Twitter, leaving the pages of printed media to reactions that ranged from the lack of sympathy to outrage. Her boyfriend Karim Amer — though he has nothing to do with the photo — was not spared.

The issue today seems to belong to the past, but we are reminded of Aliaa's action by scattered allusions in the press to the legal charges filed against her: spreading vice, encouraging lewdness and license, and contempt for religion. We are also reminded from material circulating on the net showing a girl resembling her being attacked in Tahrir or slaughtered — supposedly by Islamic fundamentalists.

More now than ever before, Egyptians from all walks of life are talking about liberty. The chants for freedom have united the revolting masses beyond — and regardless of — ideological affiliation. But why has the call for a freer society limited itself to the political sphere: liberties stated in the constitution, parliamentary elections, management of state institutions and — to a lesser extent — media freedoms? Can one espouse democracy as a political system without extending its logic to gender relations, sexuality and issues of personal privacy?

Most important, why have the self-proclaimed "liberals" forsaken Aliaa and exerted all their efforts to excommunicate her from their liberal ideal? Most of those who reiterate the slogans of freedom and democracy have politely denounced Aliaa's move, but not from the point of view of rejecting permissiveness and debauchery — for that would equate them with the same forces "of darkness" against which they have come to define their raison d'être.

Instead of discussing Aliaa’s fundamental right to undress as she pleases, post whatever she likes on her blog — in short to exercise freedom of thought and expression and do what she sees fit as long as she doesn't directly harm anyone — those who tend to view themselves as being opposed to all forms of oppression have nevertheless abstained from uncompromising support for Aliaa's freedom of expression. Instead, they slammed her from the point of view of aesthetics, depth, timing and "cultural sensitivity.

Instead of supporting her, they pitied her; they made statements about her "confused" state of mind, and the fact that she is one year below the age of legal adulthood. The sympathy they expressed is that which one feels for a human being who is "messing up her life" (as some noted worriedly), and who is naïve and unaware of the consequences of her act, that she is not aware of the risks (i.e. getting killed by the forces of evil: the Salafis). Underneath this patronizing tone, there’s a reluctance to either support Aliaa's courageous venture or attack it as immoral. » | Rime Naguib | Sunday, December 11, 2011

Related »

Printemps arabe, hiver islamiste? les leçons des premières élections libres en Tunisie, au Maroc et en Egypte
FRANCE SOIR: Selon une idée en vogue, le “printemps arabe” aurait consacré la “démocratie musulmane” et devrait balayer à la fois les tyrans corrompus et les terroristes islamistes, dont la violence ne serait qu’une “réaction” aux dictatures militaires. Or cette vision qui présente les "révolutions arabes" comme un bloc unique et idyllique est selon nous fausse. Car ce “printemps arabe”, initié par des jeunes libéraux épris de liberté, de dignité et de laïcité, a vite débouché sur un “hiver islamiste”. » | lundi 12 décembre 2011

Obama to Approve Indefinite Detention and Torture of Americans
RUSSIA TODAY: Less than a month after he threatened to veto terrifying legislation that would cease constitutional rights as we know it, Obama has revoked his warning and plans to authorize a bill allowing indefinite detention and torture of Americans.

After passing in the House of Representatives earlier this year, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 went before the US Senate last week, where it was met with overwhelming approval. In the days before, the Obama administration issued a policy statement on November 17 saying explicitly that the president would veto the bill, as it would challenge “the president’s critical authorities to collect intelligence incapacitate dangerous terrorists and protect the nation.”

Opposition from the White House seemed all but rampant until RT revealed earlier this week that Senator Carl Levin told lawmakers that the legislation was altered because “the administration asked us to remove the language which says that US citizens and lawful residents would not be subject to this section.”

On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said that those last minute changes yielded legislation that would “not challenge the president’s ability to collect intelligence, incapacitate dangerous terrorists and protect the American people,” and therefore “the president’s senior advisers will not recommend a veto.” » | Thursday, December 15, 2011


RUSSIA TODAY: Obama insists on indefinite detention of Americans » | Monday, December 12, 2011


RUSSIA TODAY: Indefinite detention: 'Architecture of fascist state': Terror suspects in America could be held in prison indefinitely – without charge or trial. The military will be able to take custody of alleged terrorists virtually without question. Critics say this would be a stark violation of human rights. » | Paul J. Richards / AFP | Thursday, December 15, 2011

Syrien schlittert in den Bürgerkrieg
Rebellen und Soldaten liefern sich erneut Gefechte
NZZ ONLINE: In Syrien ist es erneut zu einem Gemetzel zwischen Deserteuren und Regierungssoldaten gekommen. Dabei wurden acht Soldaten getötet. Zuvor hatten Asads Truppen fünf Zivilpersonen getötet.

In Syrien haben Rebellen am Mittwoch bei einem Angriff auf einen Konvoi von Regierungstruppen acht Soldaten getötet. Nur wenige Stunden zuvor hatten syrische Regierungssoldaten laut Menschenrechtsaktivisten auf ein Auto geschossen und dabei fünf Zivilpersonen getötet. » | ddp | Mittwoch 14. Dezember 2011

Whistleblower in Court: US Determined to Punish Bradley Manning

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: For some, Bradley Manning is a hero. Others feel that the US soldier, who is accused of providing secret documents to WikiLeaks, is a traitor and a threat to American security. The military proceedings against him, which begin Friday, are likely to end in a guilty verdict.

Daniel Ellsberg knows a few things about heroes. In fact, many Americans see him as a hero. When he was working for a key think tank associated with the United States military, Ellsberg photocopied the so-called Pentagon Papers, 7,000 pages of top secret analysis and documents that revealed that American politicians knew all too well how hopeless the situation in Vietnam was. When the New York Times published the secret documents in 1971, it opened the eyes of Ellsberg's fellow Americans once and for all to the details of a disastrous war.

But when Ellsberg, now 80 and white-haired but still energetic, talks about heroes, he is no longer thinking about the past. Today he says that Bradley Manning, the presumed source of the classified documents about American military officials and diplomats published by WikiLeaks last year, is "unreservedly a hero." There are so many things Manning's actions uncovered, says Ellsberg, as he begins to rattle them off. Could the Arab Spring have materialized without the WikiLeaks reports on the corruption of Arab potentates? And would anyone have been talking about war crimes committed by American soldiers in Iraq without the documents on detainee abuse?

Ellsberg is convinced that like him, Private Manning, who was only 22 at the time, wrote history and, just as in Ellsberg's case, the powerful are now intent on punishing Manning for what he did. Former US President Richard Nixon once threatened to throw Ellsberg into prison. But to the country's highest courts, the truth was more important than government secrecy, and Ellsberg and the Times emerged unscathed. The man who had exposed the government's secrets about Vietnam became the prototype of the whistleblower. Facing Life in Prison » | Marcel Rosenbach and Gregor Peter Schmitz | Thursday, December 15, 2011

Israel: Jüdische Extremisten setzen Moschee in Brand

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Die Gewalt rechtsgerichteter Israelis eskaliert: In Jerusalem legten sie Feuer in einer Moschee und sprühten islamfeindliche Slogans auf die Wände. Einer davon lautet: "Mohammed ist ein Schwein."

Jerusalem - Mutmaßliche jüdische Extremisten haben in Jerusalem eine leerstehende Moschee in Brand gesetzt. Polizeisprecher Mickey Rosenfeld sagte am Mittwoch, in einem Raum sei in der Nacht Feuer gelegt worden. Die Täter hätten auch Slogans in hebräischer Sprache an die Wand geschmiert. Die Moschee im westlichen Teil der Stadt sei zuletzt nicht in Gebrauch gewesen. Die Polizei fahndet nun nach den Tätern.

Einer der Slogans an der Wand lautete "Preisschild". Rechtsextreme jüdische Aktivisten verwenden diesen Ausdruck, wenn sie sich für Einsätze der israelischen Regierung gegen nicht genehmigte Siedler-Außenposten im Westjordanland rächen. "Mohammed ist ein Schwein", lautete eine weitere Inschrift, daneben ein Davidstern. "Ein guter Araber ist ein toter Araber", hieß es zudem. » | hen/dpa | Mittwoch 14. Dezember 2011

Netanyahu Backs Law to Ban Loudspeakers at Mosques across Israel

THE INDEPENDENT: Cabinet split over Bill that would prevent Muslims from being called to prayer

A highly contentious Bill which threatens to inflame Arab religious and ethnic sensitivities in Israel by clamping down on mosques using loudspeakers for the call to prayer has split the Cabinet of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mr Netanyahu expressed sympathy this week for the principle behind the Bill, promoted by Anastasia Michaeli, a Knesset member in the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party led by the Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman.

Ms Michaeli's so-called muezzin Bill would actually ban the use of such loudspeakers in any place of worship, but is clearly directed at mosques used by Israel's mainly Muslim million-plus Arab minority. She has said the Bill comes from "a world view whereby freedom of religion should not be a factor in undermining quality of life".

The Bill is believed to be the first attempt to impose change on calls to worship from mosques since the formation of the state of Israel in 1948. This week, Mr Netanyahu postponed discussion of the measure in the key ministerial committee on legislation after it ran into stiff opposition from three prominent ministers in his own Likud Party: Dan Meridor, a Deputy Prime Minister, Michael Eitan, and Limor Livnat. All three argued that it would unnecessarily escalate tensions.

But Mr Netanyahu made it clear that he wanted the issue addressed, saying in reference to curbs in Belgium and France, where officials have imposed bans on street prayer, that "there is no need to be more liberal than Europe".

The Bill, or a version of it, may be put before the ministerial committee next week. » | Donald MacIntyre, Jerusalem | Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Rachida Dati Accuses French PM of Sexism and Elitism

THE GUARDIAN: In open letter to Le Monde former French minister launches scathing attack on political colleague François Fillon

She was Nicolas Sarkozy's pin-up for diversity, the first Muslim woman with north African parents to hold a major French government post. But Rachida Dati has now turned on her own party elite with such ferocity that some have suggested she should be expelled from the president's ruling party.

Dati launched a blistering attack on the prime minister, François Fillon, under whom she served as justice minister, accusing him of sexism, elitism, arrogance and hindering the political advancement of ethnic minorities.

The row started over who will run for parliament in a wealthy rightwing constituency on the left bank in Paris, a safe seat for Sarkozy's ruling UMP. Dati is already a local mayor in the neighbourhood, a job felt to have been handed to her on a plate when she was a Sarkozy favourite. She has since fallen from grace, and when she left government she took a European parliament seat, considered a consolation prize.

She now wants to be a Paris MP. But Fillon wants the same Paris seat when he steps down, after next year's election. Both have their eye on the main prize: running for Paris mayor in 2014.

For months, Dati warned she would refuse to stand aside. Now she has stunned the political class with an open letter to Fillon in Le Monde, a scathing character assassination accusing him of the "lone ambition" of a disillusioned political elite, of doing politics in a way that "never favoured women" and stopping ethnic-minority candidates from progressing at elections. She said he was committing "a sad mistake" in trying to run in Paris. » | Angelique Chrisafis in Paris | Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Aïcha Kadhafi veut une enquête internationale sur la mort de son père

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: La fille du leader libyen Mouammar Kadhafi a envoyé une lettre au procureur de la Cour pénale internationale (CPI) afin de l'inciter à ouvrir une enquête sur la mort de son père et de son frère Mouatassim.

Un avocat d'Aïcha Kadhafi, fille du défunt leader Mouammar Kadhafi, a indiqué mercredi avoir envoyé une lettre au procureur de la Cour pénale internationale (CPI), sa cliente souhaitant savoir s'il enquête sur la mort de son père et de son frère Mouatassim.

"Aïcha veut savoir si le procureur Luis Moreno-Ocampo enquête sur ces meurtres, et si ce n'est pas le cas, pourquoi il ne le fait pas", a déclaré Nick Kaufman, avocat de la fille de M. Kadhafi.

Mouammar Kadhafi, tout comme son fils Mouatassim, avait été tué le 20 octobre à Syrte par des rebelles libyens après avoir été capturés.

"D'après les informations à ma disposition, Mouammar Kadhafi et Mouatassim Kadhafi ont été capturés vivants à un moment où ils ne représentaient une menace pour personne", a soutenu l'avocat dans une lettre adressée au procureur.

"Ils ont donc été assassinés de la plus horrible des manières et leurs corps ont été montrés et abusés de manière grotesque", a-t-il poursuivi, parlant de "meurtres brutaux". » | AFP | jeudi 15 décembre 2011

Fashion Model Tells Court How Mega-rich Saudi Prince 'Raped Her on Yacht in Ibiza'

MAIL ONLINE: Fashion model tells court how mega-rich Saudi Prince 'raped her on yacht in Ibiza' • 23-year-old woman repeated claim she was drugged and attacked by prince three years ago • He insists he was in France at the time

A fashion model who claimed she was raped by a wealthy Saudi Prince has given a fresh testimony after prosecutors said some details needed to be clarified.

The 23-year-old woman, who arrived at court in Ibiza yesterday wearing a black hat and dark sunglasses, repeated her accusation against the prince, despite what her lawyer called 'tough questioning'.

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, 56 - one of the world's richest men with an estimated fortune of £12.3billion - is accused of raping the model in Ibiza three years ago.

The alleged victim claims she was lured on to the 384ft yacht Turama after her drink was spiked in a nightclub on the island. » | Emma Reynolds | Thursday, December 15, 2011

Bye, Bye England? SNP Plans Closer Scandinavian Ties after Independence
THE INDEPENDENT: Document reveals government wants to turn away from London if it wins referendum

An independent Scotland would shift much of its attention away from the UK to become a member of the Scandinavian circle of countries, with its own army, navy and air force modelled on its Nordic neighbours, according to detailed plans being drawn up by the SNP.

Senior SNP strategists are compiling a "prospectus for independence" which they hope to use to sell the idea of separation to Scots ahead of the referendum in 2014 or 2015.

The document is not due to be published in full for another year but SNP insiders have disclosed key extracts.

They reveal that SNP leaders want an independent Scotland to look north and east in Europe for partnerships, trade and key defence relationships, rather than continuing to focus on western Europe and the Commonwealth, as the UK does now.

Senior Nationalists, including Alex Salmond, have made several trips to Scandinavia over the last couple of years, meeting ministers and officials in an attempt to pave the way for greater co-operation if Scotland becomes independent, particularly on energy. Indeed, initial plans have already been drawn up for an electricity super-grid between Scotland and Norway.

SNP strategists insist that Scotland would continue to be extremely close to the rest of the UK, which would remain its biggest trading partner, but they also believe that Scotland has more in common with its Scandinavian neighbours than the UK does and they are keen to take this relationship to a new level. » | Hamish MacDonnell | Monday, December 05, 2011

EU 26 Fight to Stop Pact Unravelling
THE INDEPENDENT: Several non-eurozone nations having doubts about 'fiscal compact', while Sarkozy inflames divisions with attack on 'kid' Cameron

Hopes of an early end to the eurozone's troubles were fading yesterday as Nicolas Sarkozy launched a personal attack on David Cameron amid growing signs that last week's agreement struck by the other 26 European Union countries without Britain is fraying at the edges.


Blaming the Prime Minister for the collapse of the Brussels summit, the French President told his MPs: "Cameron behaved like a stubborn kid, with only one objective: protecting the City [of London], which wants to carry on behaving like an off-shore tax haven. No other country supported him, which is what you call a clear political defeat." » | Andrew Grice, John Lichfield, Ben Chu | Thursday, December 15, 2011

Death Penalty Declines in US as Disapproval Grows
THE GUARDIAN: Opposition to capital punishment reaches record levels as numbers of executions and new death sentences continue to fall

Mounting opposition to the death penalty in America is starting to take effect, with the number of executions as well as newly imposed death sentences falling to record low levels in 2011.

As the year draws to a close, the annual review by the authoritative Death Penalty Information Centre points to an ongoing withering of the practice of judicial killings in the US [pdf]. The reduction in executions is matched by the rise in public disapproval of the sentence.

There were 43 executions this year, down from 46 last year and 85 in 2000. Some 78 prisoners were added to the population of death rows – the first time since the death penalty was reintroduced in 1976 that new sentences have dropped below the 100 mark. Last year 112 people were sentenced to death, and 224 in 2000.

"The multitude of problems associated with the death penalty is gradually convincing Americans that it can no longer be sustained," concludes Richard Dieter, the director of the information centre.

While the application of the death penalty fell, America's tolerance of it also declined. The highlight of the year was the execution of Troy Davis in Georgia in September that saw an outpouring of disgust and outrage at an intensity rarely seen within the country. » Ed Pilkington, New York | Thursday, December 15, 2011

Bashar al-Assad: 'There Was No Command to Kill'
Barbara Walters discusses brutal crackdown of protests with Syria's president.

Jacques Chirac Found Guilty of Corruption

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A French court has found former President Jacques Chirac guilty of embezzling public funds and other charges in a trial over illegal financing of the conservative party he long led.

The first former French head of state to face prosecution since the World War II era has now been found responsible for crimes.He was given a 2-year suspended prison sentence in corruption trial[.]

But Mr Chirac, who is 79 years old, did not take part in the trial after doctors determined that he suffers severe memory lapses.

The court said Thursday it had found Mr Chirac guilty in two related cases involving fake jobs created at the party he led during his 1977-1995 tenure as Paris mayor. Mr Chirac has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

It said the former president diverted city money to benefit his political party and reward supporters, the court ruled today.

In theory, Mr Chirac could have been sent to jail for 10 years, the maximum sentence for the charges against him. » | Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Thursday, December 15, 2011

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Chirac, un lion qui ne rugit plus : PORTRAIT | Sur la scène politique française depuis plus de 40 ans et à la tête du pays pendant 12 ans, Jacques Chirac est une bête politique incontournable, mais actuellement sur le déclin, en raison d'une maladie neurologique. » | AFP | jeudi 15 décembre 2011

Three Swiss Men Charged in Libya Nuclear Weapons Case
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Three Swiss men face up to 10 years in prison for involvement in illegal sales of nuclear weapons systems to Col Muammar Gaddafi's Libyan regime.

Swiss prosecutors said Friedrich Tinner and his sons Marco and Urs had pleaded guilty of supplying nuclear equipment through the network of AQ Khan, the Pakistani scientist who sold uranium enrichment to Muslim states. » | Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Photo Gallery: The Advance of the Salafists
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Democracy is coming to Egypt. But the results may not be to the West's liking. In addition to the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, the Salafist party al-Nour also has significant support. They would like to see a return to the world of the Prophet Muhammad.

To the gallery » | Wednesday, December 14, 2011
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Egypt Faces a Hardline Islamic Future: The Islamist Muslim Brotherhood led the way in the first round of parliamentary voting in Egypt. Second place went to the even more hardline Salafist party al-Nour. The group would like to see the introduction of an ultra-conservative brand of Sharia -- and a ban on bikinis. » | Daniel Steinvorth | Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Romney: Gingrich an "Unreliable" Conservative

CBS NEWS: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is escalating his attacks against Newt Gingrich's conservative credentials, attempting to sow doubt among GOP voters about the current frontrunner.

Romney's campaign released a web video on Wednesday called "Newt and Nancy," which focuses on the 2008 ad that Gingrich made with Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi to promote former Vice President Al Gore's climate change initiative. There are few liberal leaders or issues that conservatives like less than Pelosi or the fight against global warming.

"With friends like Newt, who needs The Left?" the video asks.

Romney also attacked Gingrich for making the ad interview with the Washington Post.

"Let's look at the record," he said. "When Republicans were fighting for cap and trade and needed a leader to stand up against cap and trade, he did an ad with Nancy Pelosi about global warming." » | Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Saudi Arabia Executes Woman Convicted of 'Sorcery'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Saudi authorities have executed a woman convicted of practicing magic and sorcery.

The Saudi Interior Ministry says in a statement the execution took place on Monday, but gave no details on the woman's crime.

The London-based al-Hayat daily, however, quoted Abdullah al-Mohsen, chief of the religious police who arrested the woman, as saying she had tricked people into thinking she could treat illnesses, charging them $800 per session.

The paper said a female investigator followed up, and the woman was arrested in April, 2009, and later convicted in a Saudi court.

It did not give the woman's name, but said she was in her 60s.

The beheading took to 73 the number of executions in Saudi Arabia this year. » | Monday, December 12, 2011