Dozens Killed in Bangladesh after Islamist Leader Is Sentenced to Death
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: At least 44 people have died in clashes throughout Bangladesh after the leader of an Islamic party was sentenced to death for rapes and murders committed during the country's 1971 war of independence.

Violence continued on Friday in a series of battles between police and supporters of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh's fourth largest political party, in the capital Dhaka and Chittagong.

More than 20 of the dead are believed to have been killed by police who opened fire on protesters with rubber bullets.

The violence erupted amid already heightened tensions in Dhaka where thousands of anti-Jamaat protesters have been gathering daily to demand that those convicted of war crimes be hung. » | Dean Nelson, David Bergman in Dhaka | Friday, March 01, 2013

Vatican Wakes Up with No Pope
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Catholic Church has awoken with no leader following Benedict XVI's resignation, in which he described himself as "simply a pilgrim" starting the final part of his life.

Now begins a period known as the "sede vacante" or "vacant see" - the transition between the end of one papacy and the election of a new pope.

The Vatican post office issued a set of stamps for use during the "Sede Vacante". The unusual interregnum stamps, a series of four, include the Vacant See symbol - a striped umbrella over crossed keys - as well as the words Sede Vacante, Citta del Vaticano and MMXIII, the year in Roman numerals.

The stamps have a face value of 70 euro cents for Italy, 85 cents for Europe and the Mediterranean, two euros for Africa, Asia and the United States and 2.50 euros for Australia.

During these few days - no more than 20 - a few key players take charge running the Holy See, guiding the College of Cardinals in their deliberations and organising the conclave to elect Benedict's successor. » | Source: AP | Friday, March 01, 2013

Basketball Star Dennis Rodman: Kim Jong-un Is 'Awesome'
Before he left Pyongyang, former US basketball star Dennis Rodman heaped praise on the North Korea leader Kim Jong-un and called him "really awesome."

La monarchie espagnole en difficulté
LE MONDE: La monarchie espagnole résistera-t-elle au parfum de scandale qui l'enveloppe ? Eclaboussée par l'affaire de corruption qui touche le gendre du roi, Iñaki Urdangarin, ébranlée par les soucis de santé de Juan Carlos Ier, qui doit subir, le 3 mars, sa quatrième opération en un an, critiquée par plusieurs partis politiques, lacasa real (le palais royal) est affaiblie. [€] » | Par Sandrine Morel - Madrid Correspondance | vendredi 01 mars 2013

La Norvège veut dépénaliser l'inhalation d'héroïne
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: L'inhalation d'héroïne est une méthode moins dangereuse que l'injection. Le gouvernement entend réduire le nombre de surdoses dans un pays où la drogue tue davantage que la circulation routière.

Le gouvernement norvégien a annoncé vendredi qu'il souhaitait dépénaliser l'inhalation d'héroïne, une méthode moins dangereuse que l'injection, afin de réduire le nombre de surdoses dans un pays où la drogue tue davantage que la circulation routière. » | afp/Newsnet | vendredi 01 mars 2013

Israel Condemns Zionism Comments by Turkey's PM Erdogan
BBC: Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been heavily criticised by the US, Israel and the UN for branding Zionism a "crime against humanity".

He told a UN forum this week: "As with Zionism, anti-Semitism and fascism, it is inevitable that Islamophobia be considered a crime against humanity."

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu called the comments "dark and mendacious".

New US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to raise the issue when he meets Turkey's leaders on Friday.

He is in Ankara for talks on the crisis in Syria.

But his visit has been overshadowed by Mr Erdogan's comments, comparing Zionism with fascism, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, at a meeting of the UN Alliance of Civilisations Forum in Vienna earlier this week.

His words drew strong condemnation from Mr Netanyahu's office, which called them "a dark and mendacious statement the likes of which we thought had passed from the world". » | Friday, March 01, 2013

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Reaktionen aus USA und Israel: Scharfe Kritik an Erdogans Zionismus-Entgleisung – Israel und die USA sind empört über die Äußerungen, auch Uno-Generalsekretär Ban Ki Moon stellt Türkeis Regierungschef an den Pranger: Ministerpräsident Erdogan bezeichnete den Zionismus als "Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit". » | als/Reuters/AFP | Freitag, 01. März 2013

Happy St. David’s Day! | Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my Welsh visitors a very Happy St. David’s Day! Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant Hapus i chwi gyd!

St David's Day: recipes for a feast – Delicious recipes from Welsh chef Bryn Williams »
Saint David's Day »
Happy St David’s Day »
Saint David »

EU Council Leader Attacks UK Plans to Rewrite Membership
THE GUARDIAN: European council president Herman Van Rompuy says no other leader likely to back plan to change terms and put to referendum


David Cameron has been put on notice that no other EU leader is likely to support his campaign to rewrite the terms of British membership of the union and then put the outcome to a referendum.

As Britain faces a fresh EU battle over a proposal to cap bankers' bonuses, Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European council, attacked the way the prime minister was waging his campaign for a "new settlement" in Britain's 40-year membership of the EU.

The president said he presumed leaders of other EU countries "neither particularly like ... nor particularly fear" Cameron's plans to demand the repatriation of powers during a future revision of the Lisbon treaty.

"How do you convince a room full of people, when you keep your hand on the door handle? How to encourage a friend to change, if your eyes are searching for your coat?" he asked at a Policy Network conference in London.

The intervention by Van Rompuy, who chairs and organises the regular EU summits, came as Cameron served notice that Britain would challenge an EU agreement to slash bankers' bonuses at a meeting of European finance ministers next week.

Amid fears that the EU agreement could deal a hammer blow to the City of London, Cameron said EU regulations needed to be flexible enough to allow international banks to operate in Britain and the rest of the EU. » | Ian Traynor, Europe editor | Thursday, February 28, 2013

Castel Gandolfo: Die Sommerresidenz der Päpste
Zwischenzeitlicher Ruhesitz: Papst Benedikt XVI. wird zwei Monate in der Sommerresidenz in Castel Gandolfo verbringen, bis er in das Kloster Mater Ecclesiae einzieht.

Im Porträt: Der lange Weg von Benedikt XVI.
Von den ersten Schritten in einer bayerischen Kleinstadt bis zum Kirchenoberhaupt: Das waren die wichtigsten Momente im Leben von Papst Benedikt XVI.

Eamon Duffy, Professor of the History of Christianity at Cambridge on Pope Benedict’s Legacy

Pope Benedict Arrives at Castel Gandolfo

Pope Benedict's Last Day: Pontiff Leaves the Vatican for the Final Time
The Pope has left the Vatican City for the final time, arriving at Castel Gandolfo after a half-hour journey by helicopter and motorcade.

Benedict XVI Resignation: The Two-pope Problem

BBC: The Pope has resigned because he felt he was no longer up to the demands the office made on him.

That hasn't happened in 600 years.

In 1294 the hermit Pietro da Morrone, elevated to the papacy with the title of Celestine V because the cardinals couldn't agree on anyone else, felt likewise after only six months in the job, and gave up.

He wanted to return to his hermitage, but Boniface VIII, his successor, thought it wiser to lock him up in a convenient castle for the rest of his life, fearing he might become a rallying-point for the disaffected.

And, as it turned out, there was no shortage of disaffection during Boniface's pontificate.

One of the arguments marshalled by Boniface's many enemies was that, because popes could not resign, he wasn't the legitimate heir to St Peter.

Electing an antipope?

That may have been a long time ago but the same arguments are beginning to appear.

Two distinguished Italian theologians have called on Benedict XVI to withdraw his resignation, one arguing he ought not to resign, the other claiming a pope cannot resign.

In the latter case, when the cardinals proceed to elect a successor they are, according to Enrico Maria Radaelli, electing an antipope, an impostor on the chair of St Peter. » | Michael Walsh * | Papal historian | Thursday, February 28, 2013

* Michael Walsh is a papal historian and author of several books about the Papacy, including The Popes: 50 celebrated occupants of the throne of St Peter

New ‘Muslim-friendly’ Nail Polish a Surprise Hit
DAWN: PRZEMYSL: Poland, for Zaida Saleh, like for many observant Muslim women, manicures have long posed a religious problem.

With prayers five times a day, and the pre-prayer ritual of “wudhu” that requires washing the hands and arms, traditional fingernail polish has been mostly off limits because it prevents water from making contact with the nails. A new ”breathable” nail polish by a Polish company, Inglot, is changing that.

The company and some Muslims say the polish is the first of its kind because it lets air and moisture pass through to the nail. A craze has built up around it with Muslim women in recent months after an Islamic scholar in the United States tested its permeability and published an article saying that, in his view, it complies with Muslim law.

”It’s huge,” said Saleh, a 35-year-old who hadn’t polished her nails in many years but immediately went out and bought the product in five colours, including a bright pink, a burgundy and a mauve. ”I am excited. I feel more feminine – and I just love it.”

The news of Inglot’s breathable polish has in recent months spread quickly from woman to woman and over the Internet. It also has given Inglot a boost in sales of the product, called O2M, for oxygen and moisture.

The nail polish now stands as one of the final life achievements of Wojciech Inglot, a Polish chemist and entrepreneur who developed it to create what he billed as a healthier alternative to traditional nail enamels, which block the passage of moisture and oxygen to the nail. He died suddenly on Saturday at the age of 57 after suffering internal hemorrhaging.

Though the Holy Quran, does not specifically address the issue of nail polish, some Islamic scholars have said that water must touch the surface of the nail for the washing ritual to be done correctly.

Nobody was more surprised by the splash it made with Muslims than Inglot himself. » | AP | Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Russie : atmosphère glaciale au Kremlin pour la rencontre entre Hollande et Poutine
LE POINT: En visite à Moscou, le président français a insisté sur le fait qu'une solution au conflit syrien dépendait "beaucoup" de la position de son homologue russe.


François Hollande, en visite de travail jeudi à Moscou, espère avancer vers une solution politique au conflit syrien avec son homologue russe Vladimir Poutine, avec lequel il entend aussi parler droits de l'homme. La relation entre la France et la Russie est "majeure parce que nous sommes deux grands pays membres du Conseil de sécurité (de l'ONU) et qui ont des responsabilités pour régler des conflits planétaires", a déclaré le président français au début de ses entretiens avec Vladimir Poutine au Kremlin. Le président russe a indiqué pour sa part que la France restait un "partenaire privilégié" de Moscou, que les relations étaient "très bonnes" et le dialogue politique "très bon". Mais l'ambiance sous les ors du Kremlin était glaciale entre les deux hommes qui ont à peine croisé le regard pendant leurs deux interventions de près d'une dizaine de minutes devant les journalistes. » | Source AFP | jeudi 28 février 2013

Vatican: Les candidats potentiels au trône de Saint-Pierre
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le mystère reste entier sur le nom de celui qui sera choisi par les cardinaux réunis en conclave. Une dizaine de noms de «papabili» circulent déjà dans les coulisses du Vatican. » | afp/Newsnet | jeudi 28 février 2013

One Year's Salary : Europe Caps Banker Bonuses
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: In a bid to address widespread public outrage over greed in the financial sector, European officials have agreed to legislation capping bankers' bonuses at a maximum of a year's salary. Great Britain fought to prevent the measure, but failed to rally enough support.

Starting in 2014, banks in the European Union must limit bonus payments for their employees. After some 10 months of tough negotiations, top European officials agreed late on Wednesday in Brussels to cap bonuses at a maximum of one year's base salary.

"For the first time in the history of EU financial market regulation, we will cap bankers' bonuses," said the European Parliament's head negotiator, Austria's Othmar Karas, in a statement. "The essence is that from 2014, European banks will have to set aside more money to be more stable and concentrate on their core business, namely financing the real economy, that of small and medium-sized enterprises and jobs."

The bonus cap was part of a package of financial laws hammered out between EU officials, the European Commission and representatives of the 27 member states in negotiations led by Ireland's Finance Minister Michael Noonan. The goal is to prevent bankers from taking excessive risks, which can shake the financial industry.

"This overhaul of EU banking rules will make sure that banks in the future have enough capital, both in terms of quality and quantity, to withstand shocks," Noonan said. "This will ensure that taxpayers across Europe are protected into the future." Fierce Resistance from London » | kla -- with wire reports | Thursday, February 28, 2013

Pope Benedict's Last Day: Clock Runs Down on Pontiff's Historic Resignation
The Pope has pledged his "unconditional obedience" to his successor, in his final meeting with cardinals, hours before he formally resigns.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Letzter Arbeitstag als Papst: Benedikt verspricht Nachfolger bedingungslosen Gehorsam – Der nächste Papst kann mit der vollen Unterstützung seines Vorgängers rechnen: Benedikt XVI. hat bei einem Abschiedstreffen mit Kardinälen gesagt, er werde seinem Nachfolger bedingungslos Ehrfurcht und Gehorsam erweisen. » | Donnerstag, 28. Februar 2013

Pope Resignation: Cardinal Criticises Benedict XVI on Last Day
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Cardinal George Pell, Australia's most senior Catholic, has criticised the Pope on his last day, describing his historic resignation as destabilising, while questioning his political prowess.

Cardinal Pell, Australia's representative at next month's secret conclave to elect a successor, said Benedict XVI was a "brilliant teacher" but "government wasn't his strong point" in a candid interview on the eve of the pope's departure.

"I think I prefer somebody who can lead the Church and pull it together a bit," Cardinal Pell said.

He pointed to the so-called "Vatileaks" scandal, in which Benedict's butler leaked secret papal memos revealing intrigues between rival groups of cardinals, though he said it was "very easy to be wise after the event".

"I think the governance is done by most of the people around the Pope and that wasn't always done brilliantly. And I'm not breaking any ground there – this is said very commonly," Cardinal Pell added in a later radio interview from the Vatican.

Australia's most senior Catholic cleric also said the 85-year-old pontiff's decision to resign – the first pope to do so since the Middle Ages – set a worrying precedent for the Church. » | Source: AFP | Thursday, February 28, 2013