Jihad Watch »
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Korea Konsult, a company that specialises in tours to North Korea, said a planned visit to coincide with Kim Jong il's 70th birthday celebrations in February is still taking place despite the dictator's death on December 19 – and that the number of inquiries is up.
"This tour will definitely take place and we have had a lot of more interest for it than usual," said Julia Dalard, who works for the Sweden-based tour operator. "We have only a few places left." Read on and comment » | Jolyon Attwooll | Tuesday, January 03, 2012
LIBÉRATION: Tribune – Investi le 22 octobre comme candidat du Parti socialiste pour l’élection présidentielle d’avril, François Hollande livre aujourd’hui à «Libération» son adresse aux Français.
Je suis candidat à l’élection présidentielle pour redonner à la France l’espoir qu’elle a perdu depuis trop d’années. Les Français souffrent. Ils souffrent dans leurs vies : le chômage est au plus haut parce que la croissance est au plus bas ; la hausse des prix et des taxes ampute leur pouvoir d’achat ; l’insécurité est partout ; leurs emplois s’en vont au gré des fermetures d’usines et des délocalisations industrielles ; l’école, l’hôpital sont attaqués et n’assurent plus l’égalité entre citoyens ; l’avenir semble bouché pour eux et pour leurs enfants ; la jeunesse se désespère d’être maintenue en lisière de la société. Les Français souffrent aussi dans leur âme collective : la République leur paraît méprisée dans ses valeurs comme dans le fonctionnement de ses institutions, le pacte social qui les unit est attaqué, le rayonnement de leur pays est atteint et ils voient avec colère la France abaissée, affaiblie, abîmée, «dégradée».
La dépression économique est là, l’angoisse sociale est partout, la confiance nulle part. J’affirme avec netteté où se situent les responsabilités. Certes, depuis 2008, il y a la crise. Elle est le produit de la mondialisation débridée, de l’arrogance et de la cupidité des élites financières, du libéralisme effréné, sans oublier l’incapacité des dirigeants européens à dominer la spéculation. Il y a surtout les politiques injustes et stériles menées depuis dix ans, les fautes économiques et morales de ce dernier quinquennat. Il y a donc la responsabilité personnelle de celui qui est au sommet de l’Etat depuis cinq ans. » | Par François Hollande | mardi 03 janvier 2012
LIBÉRATION: Hollande dégaine son «adresse aux Français» » | Laure Bretton | lundi 02 janvier 2012
WELT ONLINE: "Sarkozy ist unfähig, machtlos, gleichgültig": Hollande hat Präsident Sarkozy in einem Brief an alle Franzosen ein Scheitern auf ganzer Linie attestiert. Der Sozialist will "den französischen Traum wiederbeleben". ¶ Rund vier Monate vor der Präsidentschaftswahl in Frankreich sind die oppositionellen Sozialisten zu Jahresbeginn in die Offensive gegangen. In einem Brief an alle Franzosen rief ihr Kandidat François Hollande zur Neuausrichtung der Nation auf. ¶ "Ich will den französischen Traum wiederbeleben", schrieb Hollande in dem Brief, den die Zeitung "Libération" veröffentlichte. Präsident Nicolas Sarkozywarf er umfassendes Scheitern vor: Sarkozy stehe für eine "Präsidentschaft der Worte", zudem sei er "der Präsident der Privilegien". Dies müsse jetzt geändert werden. » | AFP/jm | Dienstag 03. Januar 2012
* Her Royal Highness Princess Basma Bint Saud Bin Abdul Aziz
Related »
LE POINT: Abdelilah Benkirane est le chef du parti Justice et développement (PJD), qui a remporté les législatives de novembre 2011.
Le roi Mohammed VI du Maroc a désigné mardi à Rabat les membres du gouvernement qui sera dirigé, comme prévu, par Abdelilah Benkirane, chef du Parti ustice et développement (PJD), islamiste, vainqueur des législatives de novembre dernier, selon une source officielle. » | AFP | mardi 03 janvier 2012
The ailing 83-year-old former strongman, who was wheeled into court on a stretcher, is accused of involvement in the deaths of protesters during the uprising that overthrew him in February.
His former interior minister Habib al-Adly and six security chiefs were also in the dock, as were his two sons Alaa and Gamal who are being tried on corruption charges.
Mubarak was "a tyrannical leader who sought to hand power to his younger son Gamal, who spread corruption in the country and opened the door to his friends and relatives, ruining the country without any accountability," said prosecutor Mustafa Suleiman.
Judge Ahmed Refaat heard from the prosecution for an hour before adjourning the hearing to Wednesday. » | Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Mr Sarkozy told an audience of French military personnel that the Syrian people should be allowed "to freely choose their own destiny" after facing what he denounced as a brutal repression that inspires "disgust and revulsion".
Meanwhile, an explosion struck a gas pipeline on Tuesday in central Syria in an attack the government blamed on terrorists, the state-run news agency said. There were no casualties.
The blast happened near the town Rastan in the restive Homs province, SANA reported.
There have been several pipeline attacks since the Syrian uprising began in mid-March, but it is not clear who is behind them at a time when violence across the country is spiralling out control, unearthing long-standing grievances and resentments.
The government blames saboteurs and terrorists for the blasts. » | Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Her Royal Highness Princess Basma Bint Saud Bin Abdul Aziz is one of the more unlikely critics of the élite that runs Saudi Arabia. The oil state boasts a 15,000-strong royal family but it is rare for a voice from within its ranks to become part of the growing clamour for reform in the desert kingdom.
As the youngest daughter of the country's second king and niece to its current ruler, she is from the highest echelons of the Saudi monarchy. Just as her privileged status gives her considerable authority in the debate about change, so this carefully dissenting royal has much to lose if her actions incur the displeasure of Saudi Arabia's ultra-conservative regime.
But then Basma Bint Saud is no ordinary Saudi princess.
A 47-year-old divorcee and a successful businesswoman, she has spent the last five years in the country building a parallel career as a journalist and a blogger, confronting head on sensitive subjects from the abuse of women and poverty in the world's second biggest oil exporter to the chilling effect of the mutawa, the kingdom's draconian religious police.
Such has been her success at shining a light on the problems in Saudi society (a Facebook fan page has 25,000 followers), she now conducts her campaign not from her birthplace in the capital, Riyadh, or her previous home in Jeddah but a recently-acquired house in the west London suburb of Acton which she shares with three of her five children. » | Cahal Milmo | Tuesday, January 03, 2012
British banks should brace themselves for claims from "disgruntled" bankers who will not roll over and accept lower bonuses than usual despite the huge public and shareholder backlash against out-of-control pay, legal experts have warned.
One claim for £1.5m is understood to have already made its way into the system last year, after a banker believed their 2011 bonus was too low.
The case is believed to have been rejected before it got to court, with lawyers acting for the bank branding the claim "whimsical".
Judges are also said to be unsympathetic towards bankers' claims that their bonuses are too small in the current climate.
However, City lawyers said an increasing number of bankers were building cases in preparation of lower bonus payouts and were prepared to fight it out at court. Read on and comment » | Louisa Peacock, Jobs Editor | Monday, January 02, 2012
My comment:
I see no difference between the top-feeders and the bottom-feeders. They are all a scourge to a decent society. Let the bastards sue! Incarcerate all those that can be incarcerated. They got us into this mess; they should pay the price. – © Mark
This comment also appears here
Monday, January 02, 2012
Der Golfstaat Bahrain ist seit Sonntag Schauplatz von heftigen Kämpfen zwischen schiitischen Demonstranten und Einheiten der Polizei. Bei dem Einsatz wurden bisher mehrere Dutzend Menschen verletzt. Die Sicherheitskräfte gingen nach Angaben von Oppositionsvertretern mit Tränengas und Eisenstangen gegen überwiegend jugendliche Demonstranten vor, die sich am Sonntagabend in Sitra und anderen Ortschaften nahe der Hauptstadt Manama versammelt hatten. Die amtlichen Nachrichtenagentur BNA sprach von einer "Gruppe von Saboteuren", die bei einem illegalen Protestmarsch Straßen verbarrikadiert und Polizisten mit Steinen, Knüppeln und Molotow-Cocktails angegriffen hätten.
Der Grund für die Unruhen war die Beerdigung eines 15-Jährigen, der am Samstag von einem Tränengasgeschoß am Kopf getroffen wurde - er starb wenig später an den schweren Verletzungen. » | Ag. / Red. | Montag 02. Januar 2012
TAGES ANZEIGER: Binnen drei Tagen sollen alle Christen den Norden Nigerias verlassen, fordert die islamistische Sekte Boko Haram. Gleichzeitig wollen die Extremisten auch, dass alle Muslime vom Süden in den Norden ziehen.
Die islamistische Sekte Boko Haram hat die im Norden Nigerias lebenden Christen aufgefordert, den hauptsächlich von Muslimen bewohnten Landesteil umgehend zu verlassen. Die Gruppe stelle den Christen dafür ein «Ultimatum von drei Tagen», sagte ein Sprecher der Sekte am Sonntagabend. Im Kampf gegen extremistische Gewalt schlossen nigerianische Soldaten am Montag mehrere Grenzübergänge.
Muslime, die im hauptsächlich von Christen bewohnten Süden des Landes lebten, sollten in den Norden zurückkehren, sagte Boko-Haram-Sprecher Abul Qaqa in einer Telefonkonferenz zu Journalisten. Es gebe «Beweise» dafür, dass die Muslime im Süden bald angegriffen würden. » | rub/AFP | Montag 02. Januar 2012
NZZ ONLINE: Papst Benedikt wandelt auf den Spuren seines Vorgängers Johannes Paul II. und reist nach Kuba. Der Besuch hatte offenbar bereits vorab Wirkung. Die Freilassung von 2900 Häftlingen in Kuba sei eine Art Vorleistung gewesen, hiess es von der Führung in Havanna. » | Reuters | Montag 02. Januar 2012
Tensions between Iran and the West escalated again on Monday as Tehran announced it had test-fired two long-range missiles in international waters near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
"We have successfully test-fired long-range shore-to-sea and surface-to-surface missiles, called Qader (capable) and Nour (Light) today," Deputy navy Commander Mahmoud Mousavi told state television.
Amid ongoing international criticism of Iran's nuclear program, the missile launches were Tehran's latest show of force in military exercises started in response to the pressure. Monday's maneuvers came after the country announced the launch of a medium range missile the day before.
The so-called war games could bring Iranian ships near US naval forces operating in the Persian Gulf. Both the US and Israel have not ruled out a military response in the conflict over Iran's nuclear ambitions, and US forces based in Bahrain have said they will not allow a closure of the important Strait of Hormuz -- through which 40 percent of the world's crude oil is transported. » | Kristen Allen | Monday, January 02, 2012
German President Christian Wulff intervened personally to try to stop mass-circulation daily Bild from running a story last month about a private loan that has damaged his credibility and exposed him to criticism, German newspapers reported this week.
Wulff reportedly tried to contact Bild Editor in Chief Kai Diekmann on Dec. 12 by telephone to complain about an article the newspaper was planning to run the next day, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung and Süddeutsche Zeitungnewspapers reported on Sunday and Monday respectively.
Wulff only reached Diekmann's voice mail and left a message in which he angrily threatened a "final break" in relations with the Springer publishing house, which publishes Bild, Die Welt and other influential German newspapers, the reports said. The papers claim the president said that if Bild wanted to "wage war," he wanted to hold a meeting about it after his return from an official trip. Wulff was touring several Gulf states at the time Bild ran the story.
According to Bild, Wulff threatened to take legal action against the Bild journalists. Wulff apologized in a subsequent telephone call, Süddeutsche Zeitung added. » | cro/SPIEGEL | Monday, January 02, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)