Syria: Bashar al Assad and Family 'Will Be Killed Like Gaddafi'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Syrian President Bashar al Assad, his British wife Asma and their family will meet a bloody end 'like Gaddafi' as his regime falls from power, a leading member of the opposition movement has warned

Haitham Maleh, a member of the executive committee of the Syrian National Council, told The Daily Telegraph that Mr Assad had forfeited any chance of a peaceful exit from Syria as a result of his regime's brutal crackdown on protesters.

The former judge, who has spent decades in Syrian prisons for his human rights activism, predicted that Mr Assad, his wife and three children would be killed in revenge for his failure to respond positively to peaceful demands for change.

"Assad and his family will be killed in Syria, their next steps will be very bloody," he said. "Two months ago we offered him the option to leave us alone and go but instead he went for the blood of his people. The end for him will be that he is killed like Gaddafi."

Persistent reports have emerged around the Middle East that Mrs Assad has sought to return to England - or at least flee the fighting in Damascus - with her three children, Hafez, Zein and Lareem. Al-Masry-Al-Youm reported yesterday that she was among a group of family members including the president's mother and cousins that was driving to the airport to leave but forced to turn back by an opposition ambush. » | Damien McElroy | Monday, January 30, 2012

AL-MASRY AL-YOUM: Syria's first lady falling from grace: Not so long ago, she was the darling of the international press, described as a "rose in the desert" and "a ray of light in a country full of shadow zones." ¶ But today, Syria's first lady is being likened to a modern-day Marie-Antoinette, drawing criticism for staying mum on a crisis that has left more than 5,000 people dead in her country. » | Saturday, January 14, 2012

Arianna Huffington: Beyond Left and Right
The co-founder of The Huffington Post on why the old concept of the political left and right marginalises issues.

Inside Story - The Impact of Twitter's Censorship Plan
As Twitter introduces a new procedure for self-censorship, is this the end of freedom of expression on the internet?

Jordan's King Receives Hamas Leader
Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal is in Jordan on his first official visit since he was forced to leave in 1999 for what authorities called "illicit and harmful" activities. The trip on Sunday by Meshaal, who was accompanied by Qatar's crown prince, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, is seen as a rapprochement between the Jordanian monarchy and the Palestinian Islamist movement. Jordan's King Abdullah held talks with Meshaal, who is usually based in Damascus, and his five-member delegation of top Hamas officials including deputy chairman Mousa Abu Marzouk. Sheikh Tamim attended the talks as a mediator. Al Jazeera's Nisreen El Shamayleh reports from Amman.

Sharia Law from UK to Nigeria
A documentary about the extremely fast uprising of the sharia law in Nigeria.

Merkel to Join Sarkozy on Campaign Trail for French Presidential Election
THE GUARDIAN: Merkel's plan to make joint appearances with Sarkozy is seen as highly unusual but also a sign of things to come in Europe

Eyebrows are being raised across Europe after Angela Merkel pledged to join Nicholas Sarkozy on the campaign trail in his bid to be re-elected French president later this year.
In an unusual - and potentially risky - move, the German chancellor promised to go on the stump with her Gallic counterpart in an attempt to keep him in the Elysée.

Hermann Gröhe, general secretary of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), confirmed over the weekend that she would "actively support Nicolas Sarkozy with joint appearances in the election campaign in the spring".

While it is not uncommon for certain world leaders to campaign on behalf of friends in neighbouring countries - Vladimir Putin has often vigorously supported candidates in former Soviet states - European politicians have generally adhered to an unwritten pact not to interfere with elections in other member states.

They may support each other on certain issues - former German chancellor Helmut Kohl famously appeared on French TV alongside François Mitterand ahead of a referendum on France joining the euro - but to board their battle buses and speak at their rallies seems a new step, said Ulrike Guérot, an expert on Franco-German relations at the European Council on Foreign Relations. But, she said, it is likely to become ever more common as European leaders build a "transnational democracy". » | Helen Pidd in Berlin | Monday, January 30, 2012

Afghan Man Strangles Wife for Having Baby Girl
THE GUARDIAN: Afghan police say local militia member, who is still at large, killed the woman after she gave birth to a third daughter

An Afghan man killed his wife for giving birth to a third daughter rather than the son he hoped for, police in Afghanistan's northern Kunduz province have said.

The victim, 28, known by the one name of Storai, was strangled by her husband, a local militia member, and his mother on Saturday "in revenge" for bearing the couple's third daughter three months ago in Mohasili village, police said.

Police said they arrested the victim's mother-in-law in connection with her death, but Storai's husband was still at large, probably sheltered by armed militia colleagues. » | Reuters in Kabul | Monday, January 30, 2012

Nicolas Sarkozy Says Britain Has 'No Industry'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: President Nicolas Sarkozy has stated Britain is a country with "no industry" as he set out "shock measures" to reinvigorate France's faltering economy.

Mr Sarkozy announced he would increase VAT by 1.6 per cent. When a journalist made the point that there had been an increase in prices in Britain after VAT rises, Mr Sarkozy claimed: "The United Kingdom has no industry anymore."

A UK official said: “It is not true. The percentage of GDP that is manufacturing is11 per cent, the same as in France.”

Manufacturing as a percentage of GDP was 11 per cent in the UK and in France in 2009, the last comparable figures.

“UK industrial production as a share of GDP was 15 per cent, compared to 12.5 per cent in France in the same year. What he said is not true. He has got an election.”

Defending his efforts to save the euro and the French economy, Mr Sarkozy said: “The financial crisis is calming down. Europe is no longer on the edge of the abyss...The elements of a stabilisation of the financial situation in the world and in Europe are in place.”

Mr Sarkozy all but announced his candidacy for the two-round election, due to be held on April 22 and May 6. “I have a rendezvous with the French,” he said. “I will not shirk my responsibility.”

But the uncharacteristically downbeat president admitted to having "regrets" about some of his policies, which he said he would address "at the appropriate time".

His remarks came a day after Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany backed his — as yet unannounced — re-election bid by unexpectedly announcing that she would join him on the campaign trail.

In a hour-long “do or die” TV interview broadcast simultaneously by nine channels, Mr Sarkozy adopted Churchillian tones as he unveiled measures from reducing working time and salaries to save jobs to raising VAT in order to cut employers’ contributions by €13 billion (£11 billion). However, the man who staked his presidency on boosting the French economy faces a tough task as he lags in the polls, unemployment stands at a 12-year high and public debt is at record levels. Read on and comment » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Monday, January 30, 2012

Norway Convicts Two Men over Al-Qaeda Plot on Danish Newspaper
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Two men were found guilty on Monday of involvement in an al-Qaeda plot to attack a Danish newspaper that caricatured the Prophet Muhammad, the first convictions under Norway's anti-terror laws.

A third defendant was acquitted of terror charges but convicted of helping the others acquire explosives.

Investigators say the plot was linked to the same al-Qaeda planners behind thwarted attacks against the New York subway system and a shopping mall Manchester in 2009.

The Oslo district court sentenced alleged ringleader Mikael Davud, to seven years in prison and co-defendant Shawan Sadek Saeed Bujak to three and a half years.

Judge Oddmund Svarteberg said the court found that Davud, a Chinese Muslim, "planned the attack together with al-Qaeda". Bujak was deeply involved in the preparations, but it couldn't be proved that he was aware of Davud's contacts with al-Qaeda, the judge said.

The third defendant, David Jakobsen, who assisted police in the investigation, was convicted on an explosives charge and sentenced to four months in prison – time he's already served in pretrial detention.

It wasn't immediately clear if any of the defendants would appeal. » | Source: AP | Monday, January 30, 2012

Ann Romney Speaking About Her Secret Battle With MS In Orlando, Fl. (August 31, 2011
The College Press had the chance to attend the recent Romney fundraiser where Ann Romney was speaking to her loyal following. While on stage Romney began to tell of her battle with MS and how she overcame the trials of this disease.

Mitt Romney on Newt Gingrich

Sarah Palin: They’re Trying to ‘Crucify’ Newt

Read the article here | MJ Lee | Friday, January 27, 2012

Leading Article: Crony Capitalism and Craven Folly
THE INDEPENDENT: What is it about bankers' pay that makes the hard-pressed majority feel that finance capitalism is a conspiracy against them? Could it be that, more than three years after the credit crunch of 2008, we feel that the unfair rewards in the sector that caused the crisis continue unabated? Could it be that the rewards now seem even more unfair because we, the taxpayers, put up the security to bail out the banks? Could it be that we feel that politicians, who mouthed slogans about fairness and how they would put an end to excessive pay, have played a cynical game? Could it be that the way banks pay their top people seems designed to confuse us, even when we, the taxpayers, are their shareholders.

All of those. The fuss over the bonus awarded to Stephen Hester, boss of RBS, a nationalised bank, has been running all week on the basis that it was conveniently just under a round £1m. David Cameron, one moment has been saying it was nothing to do with him, the next moment claiming credit for having cut it to 60 per cent of what it could have been. As we report today, Mr Hester's bonus turns out to have been a highly coloured decoy designed to draw outrage away from the main story, which is that the total sum he can hope to collect from his three years in charge of the bank, already heading towards £39m, could reach £50m in a couple of years more if the share price performs well.

That we have been distracted by a tiny detail in a show of monstrous greed is bound to leave us feeling once again bamboozled.

As Paul Vallely argues on the previous page, something has changed in people's perception of fairness, and it is simply impossible for Mr Cameron and Nick Clegg, his accessory in inequity, to maintain that we are "all in this together" when such vast riches are lavished on a public employee at the same time as capping the benefits of the poorest. » | Sunday, January 29, 2012

Owen Jones: Gay People Have Come a Long Way – But Hatred Is Still Out There
THE INDEPENDENT: Outright bigotry is in retreat, but a substantial chunk of the population still has a problem

When it comes to homophobia, it's fair to say that ex-Everton football player Michael Ball doesn't mince his words. "That fucking queer," he tweeted about Coronation Street's Antony Cotton. "Get back to your sewing machine in Corrie, you moaning bastard." His aggressive antipathy towards gay people is shared by Jason Gibbs, a former Brighton teacher who called his students "poofs" and "batty boys", warning one class not to "go into the shower because this group will start bending you over and do you up the ass".

Both episodes are unpleasant reminders that anti-gay hatred hasn't gone away. But they also offer hope, too, about just how far we've come. Ball's bigoted tirade landed him with a £6,000 fine from the Football Association on Tuesday – the highest the body has ever imposed for homophobia; the same day, Gibbs was banned from teaching indefinitely.

There was more evidence of progress in how the media reported the 60th birthday of veteran gay rights activist Peter Tatchell on Wednesday. Throughout his tireless campaign for gay equality and dignity, he has been pilloried, demonised, and marginalised; but this week, journalists patronised him as a "national treasure". It's a fate which befalls radicals who are no longer regarded as a threat: iconic left-winger Tony Benn, who has been transformed from the "most dangerous man in Britain" to a kindly grandfather figure, is another classic example. But in Benn's case, it was because the left was beaten; Tatchell is no longer a threat because the gay rights movement has vanquished nearly all before it.

There has undoubtedly never been a better time to be a gay man in Britain, and that's down to the courageous sacrifices and struggles of activists like Tatchell. Anyone aged over 45 was born into a country where having sex with another man was sufficient grounds to have you locked up. » | Owen Jones | Friday, January 27, 2012

Online Reaction to Guilty Verdict Reached in Shafia Murder Trial




Related »

Why Women Convert to Islam
SUN NEWS: A landmark project exploring why women convert to Islam wraps up at England's prestigious University of Cambridge this weekend.

Organizers say that one of the main reasons for hosting Narratives of Conversion to Islam in Britain is "a general sense of frustration" with the media's "one-dimensional portrayals of female conversion."

They say that these focus on women who marry into the faith, and suggest that they do so at the expense of their independence and liberty.

"Judging by what the media tends to write about Islam, you would expect liberal-minded, intellectually-engaged women from non-Muslim backgrounds to give it a wide berth," Prof. Yasir Suleiman, the project's leader, says on the university's site.

"It seems to be a religion that clashes with our ideas about modernity. Yet, the paradox is that there is a noticeable number of well-educated, intellectually-engaged women with high-flying careers who are choosing to become Muslims. So the question is, how do we explain this?" » | QMI Agency | Sunday, January 29, 2012

Family Convicted in Canada ‘Honor Murders’


Read the article here | Paula Newton, CNN | Sunday, January 29, 2012
Related »

1941: Die Entscheidung für den Holocaust wird gefasst
Auf der Wannseekonferenz 1942, heißt es, wurde die systematische Judenvernichtung beschlossen. Doch die Entscheidung zur sogenannten "Endlösung der Judenfrage" war bereits früher gefallen. Bereits im Jahr 1941, parallel zum Ostfeldzug, kam er auf die Tagesordnung.
Das Video hier abspielen

Alltag einer alleinerziehenden Mutter: Ein Kind, kein Mann, drei Jobs
Frau Tiffert gehört zu der oft zitierten Gruppe Alleinerziehender, die in Deutschland finanziell besonders schlecht gestellt sind. Weil sie aber nicht allein auf die Unterstützung des Staates vertrauen will, arbeitet sie. Und zwar für drei. Alltag einer Multijobberin. (22.01.2012)
Das Video hier abspielen

Romney Surges in Run-up to Florida Primary
Competition between the Republican party's presidential hopefuls is intensifying ahead of next week's primary in Florida. The respective rivalries between their supporters are also heating up as evidenced by the election-season outbreak of "attack ads". Al Jazeera's Rob Reynolds reports from Los Angeles.