Taliban Tighten Hold on Pakistan as Army Backs Off
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: TALIBAN forces tightened their grip on Pakistan's Swat region and continued resisting the military's efforts to dislodge them from neighbouring Buner, bringing a fragile peace accord closer to collapse and the volatile north-west region nearer to full-fledged conflict.

Yet even as the Taliban continued their rampage and rejected the Government's latest concession to their demands - the appointment of Islamic-law judges in Swat - Pakistan's military leaders clung to hopes for a non-violent solution, saying that security forces were "still exercising restraint to honour the peace agreement".

Behind this strained hope for a peaceful solution lies an array of factors - competing military priorities, reluctance to fight fellow Muslims, lack of strong executive leadership and some internal sympathy for the insurgents - that analysts say has long prevented the Pakistani army from making a full-fledged assault on violent Islamist groups. >>> Declan Walsh in Islamabad | Wednesday, May 6, 2009

US Crackdown Could Tighten Tax Noose on Multinationals
THE TELEGRAPH: American companies may soon have to adapt to a fiscal regime without frontiers.

President Barack Obama has revealed a protectionist streak. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
THE world is becoming a chillier place for multinationals, and for the owners of capital.

While President Barack Obama's plan to clamp down on the overseas earnings of US corporations has been billed as an attack on offshore havens, it heralds a deeper change in the way the US companies are taxed worldwide.

American citizens must pay US income tax on every dollar, peso, or yuan they earn, whether or not they set foot on US soil that year. Mr Obama is making the first efforts to extend this principle to companies as well.

At the moment, US multinationals can take tax deductions on overseas earnings, but delay tax on profits forever by reinvesting abroad. They can shuffle money from one subsidiary to another through the "check box" loophole. This is why US companies pay just $16bn (£11bn) a year on $700bn of foreign earnings, a tax rate of 2.3pc.

Mr Obama has a fight on his hands trying to stop it. >>> By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard | Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Barack Obama Hints at Tougher Line on Israel
TIMESONLINE: The Obama Administration has signalled a tougher approach towards Israel ahead of fresh talks on the Middle East peace process by insisting it must endorse the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

“Israel has to work toward a two-state solution,” declared Vice-President Joe Biden today in a speech to the annual conference of a powerful pro-Israel lobby group in Washington.

“You’re not going to like my saying this,” he warned the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) before adding that the Jewish state should not build any more settlements on Palestinian territory, and should “dismantle existing outposts and allow Palestinians freedom of movement”.

President Obama later held a White House meeting with Shimon Peres, his Israeli counterpart, who holds a largely ceremonial position. But the US Administration’s message appeared to be addressed to the new right-wing Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who is due to visit the White House on May 18.

Mr Netanyahu has dismayed American, Arab and European officials by pointedly refusing to back Palestinian statehood since taking office on March 31. In his own speech to Aipac, sent via satellite link, he said: “We are prepared to resume peace negotiations without any delay and without any preconditions — the sooner the better.” Saeb Erekat, the senior Palestinian negotiator, however, criticised Mr Netanyahu’s speech for its “vagueness” on core issues such as the status of Jerusalem and refugees, as well as its failure to commit to a two-state solution. >>> Tom Baldwin, Washington | Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Sarkozy en appelle
à un volontarisme européen
Nicolas Sarkozy s'est engagé dans la campagne de l'UMP pour les élections européennes du 7 juin, mardi, à Nîmes. Photo grâce au Figaro
LE FIGARO: Le chef de l'État s'est à nouveau opposé à un «élargissement sans fin» de l'Union.

Dix ans après les élections européennes de 1999 - le pire souvenir électoral de sa carrière -, Nicolas Sarkozy a lancé mardi la campagne pour le scrutin du 7 juin. Ovationné par quatre mille sympathisants, il était mardi au moins autant le patron de la majorité que le président de la République. Installé au milieu de la foule selon une scénographie déjà testée lors de sa dernière «réunion républicaine», à Saint-Quentin, Nicolas Sarkozy n'était pas là, a-t-il répété, pour «défendre son bilan» après deux ans d'Élysée. Pourtant, il n'a pas hésité à le faire en rappelant à plusieurs reprises que «depuis deux ans la France a eu le courage de se réformer». Mais, il a aussi martelé que «cette France que nous essayons de changer, nous ne la changerons pas sans l'Europe».

Mardi, il a donc défendu l'idée européenne, «celle des pères fondateurs», qui croyaient en une «Europe qui protège». De Tbilissi au G20, en passant par Gaza, il a multiplié les exemples de son action pour illustrer sa conviction qu'il est possible de «refuser l'Europe de l'impuissance». Et a fixé plusieurs conditions à la réussite de son projet

Ratifier le traité de Lisbonne

La première condition est l'instauration de «limites» à l'Union. «Pour que l'Europe veuille, il faut qu'elle cesse de se diluer dans un élargissement sans fin», a-t-il expliqué, disant clairement non, sous les applaudissements, à l'entrée de la Turquie dans l'Union. Le président souhaite en revanche créer avec Ankara «un espace économique et de sécurité commun». Un espace qu'il veut d'ailleurs élargir à la Russie . >>> Charles Jaigu, envoyé spécial du Figaro à Nîmes | Mardi 05 Mai 2009

Iraner wegen Ehebruchs zu Tode gesteinigt: Involvierte Frau zeigt Reue und wird begnadigt
NZZ Online: Wegen Ehebruchs ist ein Mann im Norden des Irans zu Tode gesteinigt worden. Die Hinrichtung fand einem Gerichtssprecher zufolge bereits im März in der Stadt Rascht am Kaspischen Meer statt. Zur Identität des Mannes wurden keine Angaben gemacht. Der involvierten Frau sei die Steinigung erspart geblieben, weil sie Reue gezeigt habe. >>> ap | Dienstag, 5. Mai 2009

Thousands Flee Pakistan's Swat Valley
Residents prepare to flee from Mingora, the main town in Pakistan's Swat Valley. Photo courtesy of The Wall Street Journal
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: ISLAMABAD -- Thousands of panicked residents on foot and crammed in buses, vans and trucks fled Swat valley north of Pakistan's capital Tuesday following the breakdown of a fragile truce between government forces and the Taliban.

Authorities lifted a curfew for a few hours to allow residents to evacuate as the militants took control of Mingora, the main town of the valley, which lies about 100 miles from Islamabad. Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the information minister for North West Frontier Province, which includes Swat, said he expects as many as 500,000 to flee in the near future.

Khushal Khan, head of the local administration, urged residents to leave their homes before evening as fighting between the army and militants broke out once again. Pakistan's military has been fighting the Taliban in Swat after each side accused the other of failing to honor the terms of a peace accord struck in February to end the conflict in Swat in return for the imposition of Sharia law.

Tuesday's exodus worsened a humanitarian problem stemming from the displacement of more than half a million people from Pakistan's lawless tribal region near the Afghan border and in parts of North West Frontier Province where security forces have been check the militants' efforts to expand their influence. >>> By Zahid Hussain | Tuesday, May 5, 2009

US Shock-jock, Jewish Extremist and Hamas MP on List of 16 Banned from UK
Fred Waldron Phelps Snr, an American Baptist pastor, was barred for his homophobic views. Photo courtesy of TimesOnline
TIMESONLINE: A former member of the Ku Klux Klan, a neo-Nazi, a Hamas MP and a Jewish extremist are among 16 people named today as being banned from entering the UK.

Also on the list published by the Home Office is a US “shock jock” talkshow host whose views on Islam, rape and autism have stirred controversy in America.

The 16 are among 22 people excluded in the five months to March. The Home Office has not identified the other six on security grounds.

Today's move follows changes to the law in 2005 which widened the criteria for imposing a ban to include people who promote hatred, terrorist violence or serious criminal activity.

The list includes Erich Gliebe, the leader of an American neo-Nazi group, Michael Savage (real name Michael Weiner), a radio presenter in America, Mike Guzovsky, a Jewish extremist, and Stephen “Don” Black, a former Grand Wizard in the Ku Klux Klan.

Also on the list is Fred Waldron Phelps Snr, an American Baptist pastor and his daughter, Shirley, who were barred last year for their homophobic views.

The two have picketed the funerals of Aids victims and celebrated the deaths of US soldiers as punishment for America's tolerance of homosexuality.

Also on the list of those banned between October and March is the Hamas MP Yunis al-Astal.

Artur Ryno and Pavel Skachevsky, the former leaders of a violent Russian skinhead gang which committed 20 racially motivated murders, are also banned. They are currently in jail. >>> Richard Ford, Home Correspondent | Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Großbtritannien: Was bleibt vom liberalen Erbe Margaret Thatchers?
WELT ONLINE: Margaret Thatcher hat Großbritannien von Grund auf verändert. Sie modernisierte das damals marode Land. Als Eiserne Lady bekämpfte sie Gewerkschaften, privatisierte Staatsbetriebe und hielt Distanz zur EU. Heute vor 30 Jahren kam Margaret Thatcher an die Macht. In ihrem Land ist sie umstrittener denn je.

"Tête à tête" mit dem damaligen US-Präsidenten Ronald Reagan im Dezember 1984 in Camp David. Bild dank der Welt
Sie gehört in jene Kategorie von historischen Figuren, mit denen man die Zeitrechnung einteilt in ein „Davor“ und „Danach“. So sprechen wir heute vom Vor-Thatcher Großbritannien und vom Nach-Thatcher Großbritannien.

Dazwischen vollzog sich die tiefgreifendste Metamorphose der jüngeren britischen Geschichte überhaupt. Sie veränderte das Vereinigte Königreich fast bis zum Nicht-mehr-Wiedererkennen.

Viele Wunden wurden aufgerissen im Verlauf dieser Revolution. Es ist daher nicht verwunderlich, dass sich bis heute Hass und Bewunderung zu gleichen Teilen um Margaret Thatcher ranken. Was dagegen nicht bestritten wird, auch nicht von ihren Verächtern, ist ihr heraus gehobener Platz in der Zeitgeschichte.

Vor 30 Jahren, in der Unterhauswahl vom 3. Mai 1979, kam sie an die Macht, mit einer eher bescheidenen Mehrheit von 43 Sitzen, die sie vier Jahre später freilich bereits auf 144 steigern konnte. Dazu verhalf ihr vor allem die argentinische Junta, die im April 1982 mit der Besetzung der Falkland-Inseln eine Verletzung des Völkerrechts beging und damit bei der „Eisernen Lady“ ein klassisches „We shall never surrender“ provozierte.

Im Zeichen der Finanz- und Wirtschaftskrise sucht der britische Zeitgenosse gerne nach Sündenböcken für die gegenwärtige Malaise. Als Erster bietet sich Gordon Brown an, der zunehmend glücklos agierende Premierminister.

Aber man bohrt weiter: Womit begann denn alles, wer ließ das wilde Tier ungezügelter Bereicherungssucht von der Leine, wer lenkte die Risikobereitschaft der Bürger in die Abgründe fröhlicher Verschuldung, wer predigte als Erster die Segnungen des Marktes, ohne auf die Fallstricke der Unachtsamkeit hinzuweisen? Die modische Antwort: Margaret Thatcher. >>> Von Thomas Kielinger | Sonntag, 3. Mai 2009

Pakistan’s Islamic Schools Fill Void, but Fuel Militancy
The madrasas offer almost no instruction beyond the memorizing of the Koran, creating a widening pool of young minds that are sympathetic to militancy. Photo courtesy of The New York Times
THE NEW YORK TIMES: MOHRI PUR, Pakistan — The elementary school in this poor village is easy to mistake for a barn. It has a dirt floor and no lights, and crows swoop through its glassless windows. Class size recently hit 140, spilling students into the courtyard.

But if the state has forgotten the children here, the mullahs have not. With public education in a shambles, Pakistan’s poorest families have turned to madrasas, or Islamic schools, that feed and house the children while pushing a more militant brand of Islam than was traditional here.

The concentration of madrasas here in southern Punjab has become an urgent concern in the face of Pakistan’s expanding insurgency. The schools offer almost no instruction beyond the memorizing of the Koran, creating a widening pool of young minds that are sympathetic to militancy.

In an analysis of the profiles of suicide bombers who have struck in Punjab, the Punjab police said more than two-thirds had attended madrasas.

“We are at the beginning of a great storm that is about to sweep the country,” said Ibn Abduh Rehman, who directs the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, an independent organization. “It’s red alert for Pakistan.” >>> By Sabrina Tavernise | Sunday, May 3, 2009

New Dark Age Alert! Yasmin Alibhai-Brown: Who'd Be Female under Islamic Law?
THE INDEPENDENT: In Muslim states, violence against women is validated. A dark age is upon us

I am a Muslim woman and, like my late mother, free, independent, sensuous, educated, liberal, contrary and confrontational when provoked, both feminine and feminist. I style and colour my hair, wear lovely things and perfumes, appear on public platforms with men who are not related to me, shake their hands, embrace some I know well, take care of my family.

I defend Muslims persecuted by their enemies and their own kith and kin. I pray, fast, give to charity and try to be a decent human being. I also drink wine and do not lie about that, unlike so many other "good" Muslims. I am the kind of Muslim woman who maddens reactionary Muslim men and their asinine female followers. What a badge of honour.

Female oppression in Islamic countries is manifestly getting worse. Islam, as practiced by millions today, has lost its compassion and integrity and is entering one of the darkest of dark ages. Here is this month's short list of unbearable stories (imagine how many more there are which will never be known):

Iranian painter Delara Darabi, only 22 and in prison since she was 17, accused of murdering an elderly relative, was hanged last week even though she had been given a temporary stay of execution by the chief justice of the country. She phoned her mother on the day of her hanging to beg for help and the phone was snatched by a prison official who told them: "We will easily execute your daughter and there's nothing you can do about it." Her paintings reveal the cruelty to which she was subjected.

Meanwhile Roxana Saberi, a 32- year-old broadcast journalist whose father is Iranian, is incarcerated in Tehran's Evin prison, accused of spying for the US. She denies this and says she has been framed because she was seen buying a bottle of wine. This intelligent, beautiful and defiant woman is on hunger strike. Over in Saudi Arabia, an eight-year-old child has just divorced a 50-year-old man. Her father, no doubt a very devout man, sold his daughter for about £9,000.

I have been reading Disfigured, the story of Rania Al-Baz, a Saudi TV anchor, the first woman to have such a job, who was so badly beaten up by her abusive husband that she had to have 13 operations to re-make her once gorgeous face. Domestic violence destroys females in all countries, but in Muslim states, it is validated by laws and values. As Al-Baz writes, "It is appalling to realise that a woman cannot walk down the street without men staring at her openly. For them she is nothing but a body without a mind, something that moves and does not think. Women are banned from studying law, from civil engineering and from the sacrosanct area of oil." >>> Yasmin Alibhai-Brown | Monday, May 4, 2009

Bruce Anderson: Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Woman
THE INDEPENDENT: Thirty years after Margaret Thatcher arrived at No 10 and set out to change Britain, her greatness should not be in dispute

Did Margaret Thatcher really believe that there was no such thing as society? No, she did not. Photo courtesy of The Independent
Margaret Thatcher was not a Whistler etching. She did not do shades of grey. Nor do most of those who write about about her. She is either the best of Prime Ministers or the worst of Prime Ministers: the woman who saved the country or the woman who destroyed it. No one could claim that she was an insignificant figure. No one doubts that historians yet unborn will be discussing her legacy; that she will continue to ride the storms of controversy, as she did in her prime.

Thirty years ago, that all seemed so unlikely. In those days, even in the Tory party, very few people realised that she was the raw material of political greatness. Shortly after she won the leadership, Rab Butler spoke to Chris Patten. "This, ah, Thatcher woman. We don't have to take her seriously, do we?" It now seems laughable, but back then, he had a point. Ted Heath put her in his Cabinet, as the statutory woman. In three and a half years, she did not outgrow that status. She abolished a lot of grammar schools and free school milk; there were no other achievements. As an Education Secretary, she ranks somewhere between undistinguished and mediocre.

Ted lost two elections: time to go. But who was to take his place? Willie Whitelaw would not run against him. Everyone agreed that Keith Joseph would not do, including Keith Joseph. There was hesitancy. She brought it to an end. Her courage won its reward. Four years later, however, she had still not transformed that courage into unquestioned authority. A much less successful Leader of the Opposition than Tony Blair or David Cameron, she was often patronised in the Commons by Jim Callaghan. Her Shadow Cabinet included several men – Carrington, Gilmour, Joseph, Prior, Pym, Whitelaw – who appeared to be at least her equal in substance.

It is one of the more fascinating "what ifs" in counter-factual history: what if Mr Callaghan had called an election in October 1978? Even if Mrs Thatcher had won, she would have had a tiny majority. Could her fledgling government have survived the Winter of Discontent, which would have happened regardless, as Labour's wages policy imploded? But Jim dithered. The Winter of Discontent not only destroyed his chances. It highlighted the failure of an entire, often bi-partisan, approach to economic management. Amid all the wreckage, she alone seemed undaunted. No one else knew what to do. She insisted that she did. >>> Bruce Anderson | Monday, May 4, 2009

Taliban Terror Holds 2,000 Villagers as Human Shields
THE SUNDAY TIMES: TALIBAN militants who have seized swathes of North West Frontier Province in Pakistan have inflicted a reign of terror on villagers, landowners and the police, using kidnapping, looting, pillaging and murder to impose their will.

Yesterday, as Pakistani forces stepped up their campaign to retake territory in the districts of Buner, Dir and Swat, it emerged that in one Taliban-controlled village, Pir Baba in Buner, the militants were holding 2,000 people as human shields in case the army attacked.

Elsewhere the Taliban appeared to be relying on kidnapping to extort funds and intimidate the population. Many of their victims have been members of rich families.

“Kidnapping has become routine in our village. Armed Taliban were picking up people and then demanding a huge ransom for their release,” said an elderly refugee now living with his family in a tent in Timergara, a town in Dir. >>> Daud Khattak, NorthWest Frontier | Sunday, May 3, 2009

Lieberman aborde une Europe hostile
leJDD.fr: Avigdor Lieberman débarque en Europe. Le sulfureux ministre israélien des Affaires étrangères, leader de l'extrême droite dans son pays, visitera Rome, Paris, Prague et Berlin pour conjurer l'isolement d'Israël. A priori, il inspire surtout la méfiance. Dans la capitale française, s'il sera reçu à l'Elysée, ce ne sera pas par Nicolas Sarkozy, mais par son bras droit, Claude Guéant.

Avigdor Lieberman risque de déchaîner les passions sur le Vieux continent. Photo grâce au JDD
Le voir ou pas? Mardi prochain, Avigdor Lieberman, ministre israélien des Affaires étrangères, sera reçu à l'Elysée... mais a priori par Claude Guéant, le secrétaire général, quand il avait demandé à rencontrer Nicolas Sarkozy! Le président français "passera une tête" dans le bureau, peut-être, dit-on à Paris, mais prendra sa décision au dernier moment, en fonction du comportement et des déclarations de Lieberman... "On aura une idée de l'état d'esprit de Lieberman avant son arrivée, puisqu'il passera d'abord par l'Italie, dit-on à l'Elysée. On avisera à ce moment-là."

La prudence témoigne de la méfiance qu'inspire Lieberman, ce populiste devenu chef de la diplomatie israélienne dans la coalition de Benjamin Netanyahou. Chef d'un parti ultranationaliste, Lieberman prône des rectifications de frontières qui placeraient en dehors d'Israël des zones habitées par la minorité arabe. Mais ce sont aussi les premières positions de tout le gouvernement israélien qui inquiètent un pouvoir français pourtant très attaché à l'Etat hébreu: le refus de Benyamin Netanyahou de souscrire aux principes de deux Etats - Israël et la Palestine - comme objectif d'un processus de paix a profondément irrité en Europe. >>> Par Claude ASKOLOVITCH (avec Christian BRUNEL en Israël), Le Journal du Dimanche | Dimanche 03 Mai 2009

The Rise and Rise of Russian Nationalism
THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY: Long tolerated by the authorities, right-wing groups are now being seen as a serious threat to national security. Shaun Walker reports from Moscow

Russian nationalists make Nazi-style salutes during a May Day rally in Moscow. Photo courtesy of The Independent on Sunday
There have been a number of threats to Russia's security in recent years, from Chechen terrorism to the country's worrying demographic decline. But according to sources close to the Russian security services, what the authorities fear most in these times of economic crisis is the very thing that many Russians see as the country's saviour – nationalism.

Amid a dizzying array of May Day marches, featuring various groups from across the political spectrum, all eyes were on the nationalists. They gathered around a metro station in north Moscow, as well as in other cities across the country, calling for all immigrants to be deported and a "Russia for the Russians". In the event, the Moscow meeting passed off peacefully; police arrested a few demonstrators for the possession of knives, and the rest dispersed without incident. But with a huge migrant population, poverty and unemployment among locals, and with the high oil prices that fuelled the economic boom of the past few years a fast-receding memory, many feel the time for Russia's nationalists to take the political initiative is coming soon.

Then there's Alexander Belov, Moscow's answer to the BNP's Nick Griffin. Dressed in a sharp black suit, the light of a Bluetooth receptor constantly winking over his left ear, he fingers a set of Orthodox Christian prayer beads and sips a freshly squeezed orange juice, looking like one of the thousands of well-to-do businessmen who have made decent money as Russia boomed over the past decade. But as well as being successful in the construction industry, Mr Belov is also Russia's most famous racist. He believes that the time for the nationalists to take the limelight is coming soon.

"What I want is very simple," he says, in a quiet and measured voice. "I don't want parts of Moscow to be ghettos. This city is already full of places where Russians aren't welcome, and it's unacceptable. This is a Russian city and should remain that way."

An erudite and self-assured man who heads a group of skinheads with a reputation for violence, he leads the Movement Against Illegal Immigration – the DPNI, as it's known by its Russian initials – one of Russia's largest far-right groups. One of its main policies is that Russia should introduce a visa regime for migrants from the former Soviet republics, sending most of the millions of Gastarbeiters (Russians use the German term to refer to guest-workers) back home. >>> Shaun Walker | Sunday, May 3, 2009

Iran Executes Woman for Alleged Murder Committed as a Juvenile
THE TELEGRAPH: Delara Darabi knew the end was close when she made a panic-filled call to her mother from prison to say that she could see the hangman's noose from her window.

Delara Darabi made a tearful call early on Friday to her parents. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
The Iranian artist was executed on Friday for a murder allegedly committed when she was a juvenile and for which she retracted her brief confession, claiming she was covering up for her boyfriend.

The prison authorities hung Miss Darabi, 23, even though the head of Iran's judiciary granted her a two-month stay of execution on April 19 amid international outrage over her case. They also did not give her lawyer the required 48 hours notice.

Horrific new details emerged yesterday of her last desperate plea for help from Rasht prison as jail guards came to lead her away.

Miss Darabi made a tearful call early on Friday to her parents to say she could see the gallows and noose, according to media reports from Tehran.

"Mother they are going to execute me, please save me," she pleaded. But a prison official then grabbed the phone and told her distraught mother: "We are going to execute your daughter and there's nothing you can do about it."

The execution of a young woman whose case has become an international cause célèbre is a further damaging blow to President Barack Obama's attempts to thaw US relations with the Islamic regime. Roxana Saberi, an American-Iranian journalist, is on hunger strike in a Tehran prison after being convicted of espionage in a show trial last month. >>> By Philip Sherwell | Saturday, May 2, 2009

Riot Police Working Overtime as Unions and Anarchists Link Arms for May Day
Police use tear gas against protesters during an outlawed May Day rally in central Istanbul. Photo courtesy of TimesOnline
TIMESONLINE: Protesters turned traditional May Day demonstrations into a rallying call against global capitalism as unrest spread through city streets across Europe yesterday.

Politicians in Germany and France had been warning that the financial crisis was about to spark social unrest. In some towns the words became reality, even if the skirmishes and petrol bombings felt choreographed.

“We want social disturbances, upheaval, and we will do everything towards that end,” said Markus Bernhardt, a spokesman for Class Struggle Bloc, which helped to steer the riots. “The system is violent and now violence is being met by violence.”

Unions estimated that 484,000 people took part in 400 protests across Germany. Riots in Berlin began on Thursday night when cars and rubbish containers were set alight. On May Day morning 700 anarchists blocked a railway station in an attempt to sabotage a neo-Nazi march.

A force of 5,000 German police officers found it difficult to contain the rioting. Officials said 48 officers were hurt and 57 people detained. “One can only advise drivers not to park their cars on the street,” Dieter Glietsch, the head of the Berlin police, said. >>> Roger Boyes in Berlin and Charles Bremner in Paris | Saturday, May 2, 2009

Prince Charles Rebuffed by Qatar Royal Family over Modern Flats
THE TELEGRAPH: The Prince of Wales has been rebuffed by the Qatar Royal Family in his battle to stop a £1 billion modern flats development in a historic part of London.

Sheikh Hamad bin Jaber Jasim al-Thani has been urged by the Prince to reconsider the Chelsea scheme . Photo of Prince Charles courtesy of The Telegraph
The Qataris, who had been reported to be on the verge of backing down in the face of the onslaught from the Prince, have instead reaffirmed their commitment to the luxury apartments development on the site of Chelsea Barracks.

The Prince had written to the Prime Minister of Qatar appealing to him to scrap the modern steel and glass development. He also asked to be involved in the discussions over the future of the site.

But the Prince's hopes that the scheme would be withdrawn are at an end after the Qatari Diar, the development arm of the country's royal family, issued a statement confirming it's commitment to the scheme.

The statement said: "The owner and developer of the Chelsea Barracks site is concerned that several recent reports in the media have either stated or implied that it is actively considering abandoning the scheme which it submitted for planning to Westminster City Council February 27, 2009. As a direct consequence of these reports, we have written to Westminster City Council confirming wholehearted commitment to the scheme." >>> By Andrew Pierce | Friday, May 1, 2009

Guest Voice Mansoor Ijaz: Pakistan's Zardari Goes to Washington
WASHINGTON POST: Pakistan has a split personality problem. Its citizens can rise up en masse on one day to depose a military dictator and reinstate honest judges, but the next day seem helpless to stop politicians from ceding strategic territory to enemies who publicly flog a 17-year old woman as a show of justice. Most American taxpayers, who are being asked to finance aid even as the country disintegrates, don't have the faintest idea how to decode what's really wrong there or where to begin to help. President Zardari could change that during his upcoming visit to Washington - but it would require his bold domestic leadership and a new direction for Pakistan and its relationship with the U.S.

Pakistan's central problem today is the systemic failure of its federal, provincial and local governments to provide for its citizens' basic needs, whether public safety, healthcare, education or employment. The Taliban is stepping in to fill that void. Hamas did the same in Palestinian enclaves throughout Israel when PLO leadership failed to offer disenfranchised Palestinians a structured way of life. You've heard it before: security is assured, albeit through intimidation and brutality. Basic daily staples like food and clothing come from Arab-financed hawala cash transfers. Education comes from Saudi-funded madrassa schools. Legal disputes are settled through harsh Islamic laws. Only geography makes the Pakistani case different from that of the Palestinians.

To make matters worse, America's visible role in Pakistan's internal affairs only helps the Taliban's cause. Pakistan's woefully inadequate leader, President Asif Ali Zardari, has been privately lectured and publicly admonished by Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen. Those lectures have made him look like an American stooge playing to the often conflicting ways in which Washington wants Islamabad to act.

Meanwhile, U.S. officials order more drone attacks on Taliban and al-Qaeda hideouts, knowing their exhortations are falling on deaf (or worse, impotent) ears. Unannounced U.S. military actions make Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, army chief of staff, appear weak in his anti-terror campaign when in fact he is simply waiting for the civilian government to order him to take action. Unannounced drone attacks also raise serious questions about Pakistan's sovereignty. Innocent civilian life lost in each strike creates more Pakistani anger and frustration, almost all of which is galvanized by Pakistan's political opposition and unleashed on the cowering Zardari. He then runs to Washington for more aid to shore up defenses designed to attack his people even more savagely and indiscriminately.

This is not what American taxpayers signed up for. We need a different approach. >>> By Mansoor Ijaz | Thursday, April 30, 2009

Pakistan Facing ‘Existential Question’: French Envoy
DAWN: NEW DELHI: The power grab by Taliban insurgents in Pakistan puts the nation’s future at a ‘crossroads,’ according to France’s new special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Foreign Minister Makhdoon Shah Mahmood Quershi exchanging views with the French special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Poerre [sic] Lellouche during a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Photo courtesy of Dawn
With the Taliban having advanced to districts just 100 kilometres from the capital, Pakistan ‘has a fire inside its own house’ that it must extinguish, said lawmaker, lawyer and foreign policy expert Pierre Lellouche.

‘There is not a lot of time’ in light of ‘the gravity of the situation,’ he told reporters in New Delhi late Thursday after visiting Islamabad on a fact-finding mission.

Pakistan is at a ‘crossroads,’ he said, saying the country faced an ‘existential question’ about its future existence.

His remarks came as Pakistan’s army launched this week an offensive to reassert control in the northwest of the country.

They were the latest expression of international concern about the situation in Pakistan, led by the United States which last week accused Pakistan’s government of ‘abdicating’ to the Taliban by agreeing to the Sharia law in parts of the country. >>> | Friday, May 1, 2009

US Sends Confusing Signals to Pakistan
DAWN: WASHINGTON: A day after President Barack Obama dismissed the Pakistani government as incompetent, his administration informed Islamabad that they would give $1.5 billion of economic assistance to Pakistan in the next few days.

Diplomatic observers believes that President Obama has given ‘an F minus to the Pakistani leader’. Photo courtesy of Dawn
The money, to be deposited in the State Bank of Pakistan early this month, will include $500 million of emergency assistance and $1 billion of held-up reimbursements from the coalition support fund.

US officials also told the Pakistani government that a bill to triple US assistance will be moved in the US Senate on Monday. It will bring annual assistance of $1.5 billion for a period of five years.

But while the Pakistani diplomats were learning this good news from US officials, President Obama shared a candid and frank assessment of the current Pakistani rulers during a news conference on Wednesday night.

‘The civilian government there right now is very fragile and don’t seem to have the capacity to deliver basic services: schools, healthcare, rule of law, a judicial system that works for the majority of the people,’ he said.

‘As a consequence, it is very difficult for them to gain the support and the loyalty of their people,’ he said, summarily dismissing the government’s claim to a popular mandate.

But what President Obama’s top general for Pakistan and Afghanistan told an American television channel was even more damning.

Fox News reported on Thursday that Commander US Central Command Gen David Petraeus has told US officials the next two weeks were ‘critical to determining whether the Pakistani government will survive.’

Fox News also reported that Gen. Petraeus and senior administration officials believed the Pakistan Army was ‘superior’ to the civilian government.

The two statements and private assurances of support to the Pakistani government have contributed to the confusion and uncertainty that already overshadow US-Pakistan relations. >>> By Anwar Iqbal | Saturday, April 2, 2009

Pakistan, Libya Agree to Strengthen Bilateral Ties
DAWN: TRIPOLI – President Asif Ali Zardari and Libyan Leader Moammar Al Qaddafi resolved to further strengthen their multifaceted ties and agreed on adopting practical measures to boost economic cooperation.

The two leaders agreed on continuing mutual cooperation in diverse fields besides exploring avenues for increased two-way trade, collaboration to explore energy resources and exchange of skilled manpower. Photo courtesy of Dawn
President Zardari, who is on his first official visit to Libya, held detailed discussions with Moammar Qadaffi, hours after his arrival to the north-African country.

The talks late in the night covered a broad spectrum of issues including ways to boost trade, initiate joint ventures and investment besides covering regional and issues of mutual interest.

The two leaders agreed on continuing mutual cooperation in diverse fields besides exploring avenues for increased two-way trade, collaboration to explore energy resources and exchange of skilled manpower.

President Zardari in his talks with Moammar Qaddafi said there was vast scope for investment between the two countries in several areas including infrastructure development, railways, housing, oil and gas besides export of skilled and unskilled manpower in information technology, engineering, telecom and medicine.

The Libyan leader said the two countries can launch an ambitious and gigantic programme of economic cooperation, to bring the two countries further close. He also sought assistance from Pakistan on sharing expertise for improvement of banking sector and training facilities for students, teachers and experts in different areas.

President Zardari also briefed the Libyan leader about Pakistan’s efforts to curb terrorism and extremism and the role it was playing in maintaining peace and harmony in the region.

The two leaders also talked about the security situation in the region, Afghanistan, Iraq and the Palestine issue. >>> | Friday, May 1, 2009

India Is In Peril. Obama Is Making It Worse
THE SPECTATOR: Brahma Chellaney says that India is indeed ‘the sponge that protects us all’ from terrorism emanating from Pakistan. The new President’s strategy is compounding the Af-Pak problem

New Delhi

One of the most striking things about the larger Asian strategic landscape is that India is wedged in an arc of failing or troubled states. This harsh reality is India’s most glaring weakness; its neighbourhood is so combustible as to impose a tyranny of geography. Today, Pakistan’s rapid Talebanisation tops India’s concerns. After all, the brunt of escalating terrorism from Pakistan will be borne by India, which already has become, in the words of ex-US official Ashley Tellis, ‘the sponge that protects us all’.

As Pakistan has begun to sink, top US intelligence and security officials have made a beeline to India for discussions, including the new CIA director Leon Panetta (who came to New Delhi on his first overseas visit), the FBI director Robert Mueller, the joint US chiefs of staff chairman Mike Mullen and the administration’s special envoy Richard Holbrooke. The fact that President Obama, in his first 100 days, has helped put together $15.7 billion in international aid for Islamabad shows that the United States will not allow Pakistan to become a failed state.

The real threat is of an Islamist takeover of Pakistan. Yet Obama’s strategy on Afghanistan and Pakistan (or ‘Af-Pak’ in Washingtonese) inspires little confidence. Throwing more money at Pakistan and keeping up the pretence that the badly splintered and weakened al-Qa’eda poses the main terrorist threat risks failure.

The Af-Pak problem won’t go away without a fundamental break from the American policies that helped create this terrifying muddle. The US military can never win in Afghanistan, or even secure a ticket out of that country as Obama wants, without first dismantling the Pakistani military’s sanctuaries and sustenance infrastructure for the Taleban and other state-reared terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (the group who carried out the Mumbai atrocities) and Jaish-e-Muhammad. As Bush’s national security adviser Stephen Hadley pointed out just before leaving office in January, ‘You can’t really solve Afghanistan without solving Pakistan.’ >>> Brahma Chellaney | Wednesday, April 29, 2009

One Huge Bloody Mess!
THE TELEGRAPH: Bankers have been accused of making an "astonishing mess" of the financial system, in a report by Treasury Select Committee.

There had been a "comprehensive failure of the banking system at all levels", said chairman John McFall In the committee's second report on the banking crisis published on Friday.

He added that senior executives in banks, non-executive directors, governments and regulators were all partly to blame.

The MPs said it was "deplorable" that banks, which have been propped up with billions of pounds of taxpayers' money, are not extending new loans to customers. MPs Blame Bankers for 'Astonishing Mess' >>> By Katherine Griffiths, Financial Services Editor | Friday, May 1, 2009

L'armée pakistanaise reprend une ville clé aux talibans
L'armée pakistanaise aux alentours de Rustam, près du district de Buner. Photo grâce au Figaro
LE FIGARO: Islamabad a repris l'initiative militaire en traquant les insurgés islamistes installés dans la vallée de Buner, à une centaine de kilomètres de la capitale.

La reprise des hostilités était inéluctable. Pressé par la ­communauté internationale, les Américains en tête, de déloger les talibans du district de Buner où ils étaient entrés la semaine ­dernière, le gouvernement d'Islamabad a fait donner l'assaut mardi soir.

Dans une semaine, le président pakistanais, Asif Ali Zardari, rencontrera à Washington Barack Obama et son homologue afghan, Hamid Karzaï. Il ne ­pouvait pas arriver les mains vides à ce mini-sommet «Af-Pak», qui doit durer deux jours. Zardari sait qu'il lui sera notamment demandé des comptes sur la manière dont le Pakistan entend utiliser l'aide promise par les États-Unis, actuellement en débat au Congrès américain. Outre les 7,5 milliards de dollars sur cinq ans prévus, le Congrès délibère sur une aide d'urgence comprise entre 200 et 400 millions de dollars.

Mercredi, le porte-parole de l'armée pakistanaise, le général Athar Abbas, a annoncé une première victoire. «Des troupes héliportées sont parvenues à sécuriser Daggar, le chef-lieu du district de Buner, et ses environs», a-t-il déclaré. Cinquante rebelles auraient été tués. «Nous avons vu un hélicoptère larguer des soldats sur les collines, tôt le matin. Il a effectué six ou sept rotations», a confirmé un commerçant du marché central à Daggar. Depuis mardi, des avions de chasse et des hélicoptères de combat ­couvrent l'avancée des troupes au sol. Mais, a expliqué le général Abbas, «nous sommes ralentis par le fait que les insurgés ­retiennent une partie de la population en otage. Nous faisons de notre mieux pour qu'il y ait le moins de pertes humaines possible et le minimum de civils forcés de fuir». >>> Marie-France Calle, correspondanteà New Delhi | Jeudi 30 Avril 2009

Olli Rehn Talks through His Pine End!
DAILY TELEGRAPH: The European Union's enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn has accused Britain of having an irrational and backward looking view on the EU's eastwards expansion and foreign workers.

European Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn . Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
He launched the extraordinary attack as the EU marked the fifth anniversary of the 2004 enlargement, when 10 mainly Central and East European countries joined.

He likened "scepticism" about expansion, especially in "established" countries such Britain, Germany and France, to sentimentality for the 1960s.

The 47-year old Finn insisted the negative reaction was a product of "popular psychology" and backward looking sentiment for a bygone age.

"I cannot see any rational reasons," he told The Daily Telegraph. "In the established member states there has been the feeling that it is a cosy club, by the fireside, where we can take decisions that concern all of us, who are very similar.

"There is plenty of sweet nostalgia. It is like Beatle records or George Best's performances at Man United. That belongs to a different era." EU Commissioner Accuses Britain of Having Irrational View of Europe >>> By Bruno Waterfield in Prague | Friday, May 1, 2009

Video: UAE Torture Recording Threatens to Derail Nuclear Deal with United States
UAE Sheikh Issa tortures an Afghan businessman in Abu Dhabi
TIMESONLINE: A videotape showing a member of the United Arab Emirates Royal Family torturing a man is threatening a multibillion-dollar nuclear power deal between the US and the Gulf kingdom.

The 45-minute tape shows a man that the Government of Abu Dhabi has acknowledged is Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan — one of 22 royal brothers of the UAE President and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince — mercilessly and repeatedly beating a man with a cattle prod and a nailed board, burning his genitals and driving his Mercedes over him several times. He is assisted by a uniformed policeman.

The fallout from the film — which was smuggled out of the UAE by a former business associate of the sheikh — has reached all the way to the Oval Office, where the civilian nuclear deal, awaiting the signature of President Obama, remains unsigned. A senior US official has said that the Administration is holding off certifying the treaty as a direct result of the film.

The deal was sealed on January 15 during President Bush’s last week in office, but needs to be recertified by the new Administration. Under its terms, the US agrees to provide technology and equipment to help the UAE to develop civilian nuclear power plants. In return, the UAE pledges to abide by the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty and not to reprocess its spent nuclear fuel.

Jim McGovern, the Democratic co-chairman of the congressional Human Rights Commission, viewed the tape last week and told The Times that it was “one of the most horrific things I have ever seen in my life”. In the tape the sheikh is seen torturing an Afghan grain salesman he claims has cheated him.

Mr McGovern has written to Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, expressing his “outrage, horror and revulsion” about the tape and demanding that all sales and transfers of technology to the UAE, “including nuclear”, be suspended. He calls on Mrs Clinton to take a lead role in the investigation. He also told The Times that he would hold congressional hearings into the issue. “If the UAE think this is going to blow over, they are wrong,” he said. The case will be a further test of the Obama Administration’s commitment to human rights. >>> Tim Reid in Washington | Friday, May 1, 2009

Margaret Thatcher's Distress at BBC Treatment of Carol over 'Golliwog' Comment
THE TELEGRAPH: Baroness Thatcher is distressed by the BBC's treatment of her daughter Carol who was sacked from her reporter's job after likening a black tennis player to a "golliwog".

Baroness Thatcher and her daughter Carol in the Royal Box at The Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, London. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph can disclose that the former Prime Minister believes the furore over her daughter's remarks in a BBC Green Room is a form of political correctness gone mad.

The BBC, which has received 2,250 messages of support for Thatcher and only 60 against, refused yesterday to reinstate her in her roving reporter's role on the One Show after she referred to a tennis player as a "golliwog" during a backstage discussion about the Australian Open.

With many critics accusing the BBC of a vendetta against Thatcher, 55, because of her mother, a close friend of the former Prime Minister said: "Lady Thatcher feels sad for Carole who has been hurt by all the accusations against her. But she thinks the whole row is a load of nonsense." >>> By Andrew Pierce | Thursday, April 30, 2009

Iran 'Leading Terrorism Sponsor'
BBC: Iran remains the "most active state sponsor of terrorism" in the world, a report by the US state department says.

It says Iran's role in the planning and financing of terror-related activities in the Middle East and Afghanistan threatens efforts to promote peace.

Al-Qaeda, however, remains the biggest danger to the US and the West, the annual report states.

It says that while the number of terror attack around the world is dropping, they are on the increase in Pakistan.

'Existential threat'

The new US administration may be trying to engage Tehran, but, just like last year, Iran is still described as the most active state sponsor of terrorism. >>> By Kim Ghattas | Thursday, April 30, 2009

Kabul's New Elite Live High on West's Largesse
THE INDEPENDENT: 'Gilded cage' lifestyle reveals the ugly truth about foreign aid in Afghanistan

Kabul City shopping centre, which opened in 2005. Photo courtesy of The Independent
Vast sums of money are being lavished by Western aid agencies on their own officials in Afghanistan at a time when extreme poverty is driving young Afghans to fight for the Taliban. The going rate paid by the Taliban for an attack on a police checkpoint in the west of the country is $4, but foreign consultants in Kabul, who are paid out of overseas aids budgets, can command salaries of $250,000 to $500,000 a year.

The high expenditure on paying, protecting and accommodating Western aid officials in palatial style helps to explain why Afghanistan ranks 174th out of 178th on a UN ranking of countries' wealth. This is despite a vigorous international aid effort with the US alone spending $31bn since 2002 up to the end of last year.

The high degree of wastage of aid money in Afghanistan has long been an open secret. In 2006, Jean Mazurelle, the then country director of the World Bank, calculated that between 35 per cent and 40 per cent of aid was "badly spent". "The wastage of aid is sky-high," he said. "There is real looting going on, mainly by private enterprises. It is a scandal." >>> By Patrick Cockburn in Kabul | Friday, May 1, 2009

O'Reilly Supports Charges in Quran Vandalism Case (July 2007)

GOP Women's Group Tells It Like It Is about Islam

CAIR Challenges Anti-Islam Radio Station in Florida

President Obama's Aide Catches Swine Flu
TIMESONLINE: The White House disclosed today that an official who helped to arrange President Obama's recent trip to Mexico had become sick and that three members of his family had later contracted probable swine flu.

The unnamed employee is an aide to Steven Chu, the Energy Secretary, and helped plan the Mexico trip. "This individual never flew on Air Force One," said Robert Gibbs, the press secretary. "He was asked specifically if he ever came within 6 feet of the president and the answer to that was no."

Although he attended a working dinner with Mr Obama on April 16, Mr Gibbs said the aide was never was close enough to put the President at risk.

Mr Obama himself has had no symptoms of the virus and doctors see no need to conduct any tests on his health, Mr Gibbs added. >>> Tom Baldwin | Thursday, April 30, 2009

Sara Miller – Opinion: Independence Day: I Am a Zionist and I Am Proud
HAARETZ: "I'll give you six months," said a close relative the day before I packed my life into two rucksacks and schlepped them 2,000 miles from Britain. A decade on, I'm still here, and proud to be an olah vatika (veteran immigrant).

Even within Israel the concept of Aliyah for Zionism's sake is often an alien one. Young Israelis in particular cannot understand why someone from an evidently prosperous country, with a culture-rich and progressive society and which is relatively terrorism free, would choose to throw it all over, leave their family and friends and move to a country so riddled with internal problems and violence.

My motivation can be summed up in one word. Zionism. In recent decades Zionism has become a dirty word in the world. It has been used as an insulting and disrespectful collective noun for the Jewish people, shorthand for the State of Israel within the context of its conflict with the Palestinians and even a synonym for the settlement movement.

It is time to reclaim the word as an expression of pride. Zionism is what has driven and will drive past, present and future Jews around the world to move to a miniscule spot of land in a war-torn region. >>> By Sara Miller | Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Israel to EU: Criticism of Netanyahu Government Unacceptable
HAARETZ: A Foreign Ministry official has been warning European countries that unless they curtail criticism of Benjamin Netanyahu's government, Israel will block the European Union from participating in the diplomatic process with the Palestinians.

The main target of the offensive is EU External Affairs Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, who recently called for a freeze in upgrading ties with Israel over its peace process policies.

Several days ago, the deputy director for Europe at the Foreign Ministry, Rafi Barak, began calling European ambassadors in Israel regarding the attitude toward the new government. The first conversations were with France's Jean-Michel Casa, Britain's Tom Phillips and the Charge d'Affaires of the German embassy.

Barak sharply protested the criticism by European ministers and senior EU officials about Israel's government.

Barak singled out Ferrero-Waldner in his rebuke and said her statements were troubling in their form, style and timing. >>> By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent | Thursday, April 30, 2009

50-Year-old Divorces Child Bride?
REUTERS INDIA: JEDDAH - A 50-year old Saudi man has agreed to divorce his 9-year-old bride, media reported on Thursday, after the marriage drew international criticism.

The decision, reported by newspapers Alwatan and Al-Riyadh, came after months of court hearings, criticism from the United Nations and an international media frenzy about Saudi Arabia's human rights practices.

"This is a good step and I think the man did it because he was in a lot of pressure from everyone," Wajeha Al-Huaider, founder of the Group for Women's Rights in Saudi Arabia, told Reuters by telephone.

Al-Huaider, who campaigned for the child, said she hoped the pressure generated by the case would eventually lead to a law banning child marriages. >>> | Friday, May 1, 2009

New Dark Age Alert! Denmark: 18% of Muslims Want to See Sharia Law Implemented
EUROPE NEWS: Close to a fifth of Muslims in Denmark want to see Sharia law implemented in Denmark. A study conducted by analysis institute Capacent for DR news shows that 18% of Muslims in Denmark declare they 'agree' or 'completely agree' with the statement: "Sharia law should be integrated into Danish law". >>> | Thursday, April 30, 2009

Geert Wilders Applauded at Florida Synagogue

ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE (ADL): ADL Condemns Anti-Islam Remarks Made by Dutch Parliamentarian During Appearances in S. Florida

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) strongly condemns remarks made over the last few days at various appearances throughout South Florida by Dutch Parliamentarian Geert Wilders. In his speeches, he claimed that "Islam is not a religion" and "the right to religious freedom should not apply to this totalitarian ideology called Islam." Mr. Wilders also stated that the Koran is a book of hatred, and that Mohammed was both "a pedophile and a warlord."

Andrew Rosenkranz, ADL Florida Regional Director, issued the following statement:

The ADL strongly condemns Geert Wilders' message of hate against Islam as inflammatory, divisive and antithetical to American democratic ideals.

This rhetoric is dangerous and incendiary, and wrongly focuses on Islam as a religion, as opposed to the very real threat of extremist, radical Islamists.

[Source: ADL] | Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Grippe mexicaine: Les porcs, victimes politiques en Egypte
L'EXPRESS.fr: L'abattage de quelque 250 000 porcs, décidé par les autorités égyptiennes en réaction à l'épidémie de grippe mexicaine, est une mesure bien plus politique qu'utile: elle reflète les tensions communautaires qui montent en Egypte. Décryptage de notre correspondant.

Des porcs marchent au milieu des habitations au Caire, le 28 avril. Photo grâce au Express
La décision prise mercredi 29 avril par le président Hosni Moubarak de faire abattre tous les porcs en Egypte n'a pas grand chose à voir avec la lutte contre la grippe porcine (depuis rebaptisée "grippe mexicaine"), même si elle en est une conséquence directe.

Les autorités égyptiennes ne s'en cachent d'ailleurs pas: "Nous profitons de cette occasion pour régler la question de l'élevage sauvage", a déclaré un porte-parole du ministère de la Santé. Les porcs sont pour la plupart élevés dans des conditions d'insalubrité extrême par la minorité chrétienne (environ 8% de la population) et notamment par les éboueurs du Caire, les fameux zabbalines dont Soeur Emmanuelle avait partagé la vie.

Leur abattage est "une mesure d'hygiène générale, pour transférer ce genre d'élevage dans de vraies fermes, pas dans des décharges", a précisé Saber Abdelaziz Galal, directeur du département des maladies infectieuses au ministère de l'Agriculture.

Ce que les autorités ne disent pas, c'est que cette mesure extrême et totalement inutile pour endiguer l'épidémie (elle est d'ailleurs critiquée par l'OMS et la FAO) est aussi -et sans doute surtout- politique. Depuis le début de la semaine, la pression n'avait cessé de monter en Egypte, où la majorité musulmane est très hostile à l'élevage des porcs, un animal considéré comme "impur" par l'Islam. >>> Par Tangi Salaün | Jeudi 30 Avril 2009

I. A. Rehman – Viewpoint: Pakistan’s Neo-Taliban
DAWN: THE militants’ tactical retreat from Buner, an armed operation against them in Dir and some formal assurances by the army top brass have given most Pakistanis a sense of respite. It should now be possible to comprehend the neo-Taliban phenomenon without which they cannot be overcome.

The neo-Taliban have lost all claim to leniency. They must be made to face the full might of the state, except for those who can be trusted with mending their ways. Photo courtesy of Dawn
The armed bands engaged in terrorist activities in the northern parts of Pakistan are called neo-Taliban because it is necessary to distinguish them from the Taliban that overran Afghanistan in the 1990s and about whom conservative Pakistanis entertain some wholesome notions. They condone the Afghan Taliban’s excesses against women and their animalistic hostility to arts and culture, because they want to see the same done in Pakistan. At the same time these elements still praise the Afghan Taliban for unifying their country, for checking violent disorder and for disarming non-state militias. And, latterly, they are hailed for resisting foreign intrusion.

While the neo-Taliban operating against Pakistan can outdo the Afghan Taliban in their animus towards women and democratic institutions, they display none of the characteristics attributed to the latter by their Pakistani supporters. Unlike the Afghan Taliban they are dividing Pakistan and not consolidating its unity; they are increasing violent disorder and not suppressing it; and they are raising non-state militias, not disarming the existing ones.

Finally, the Afghan Taliban could claim to be fighting for their motherland and resisting ‘imperialism’; the neo-Taliban have invaded their patrons’ motherland and are fighting for a brand of imperialism Allama Iqbal had denounced in his 1930 address. Thus, the neo-Taliban cannot be favourably compared with their Afghan predecessors.

A large number of Pakistanis have been confused by the neo-Taliban’s rhetoric that they want to enforce the Islamic Sharia. Nothing can be further from the truth. The neo-Taliban’s precursors in Afghanistan too were not driven by their love of the Sharia. For all one knows, Hikmatyar, Rabbani and Masud, targets of the Taliban offensive, also swore by the Sharia. The Afghan Taliban had a definite political objective — to capture Afghanistan for themselves. The neo-Taliban too have a purely political objective — to establish their rule in a part of Pakistan and if possible over the whole of it. >>> By I.A. Rehman | Thursday, April 30, 2009

Obama "sehr besorgt" über Lage in Pakistan
DIE PRESSE: Die Regierung in Islamabad könne die Sicherheit und Rechtstaatlichkeit im Land derzeit nicht garantieren, so der US-Präsident. Die US-Bürger bittet Obama um Geduld. Er werde alle Anstrengungen unternehmen, "Wohlstand und Sicherheit zu stärken".

Bild dank der Presse
US-Präsident Barack Obama hat sich "sehr besorgt" über die Lage in Pakistan geäußert. Die Regierung in Islamabad sei "sehr zerbrechlich" und könne die Sicherheit und Rechtstaatlichkeit im Land derzeit nicht garantieren, sagte Obama auf einer Pressekonferenz zu seinen ersten 100 Tagen im Amt am Mittwochabend (Ortszeit) in Washington.

Die USA sorgten sich derzeit aber nicht um die Sicherheit der Nuklearwaffen in Pakistan, sagte Obama. Allerdings brauche das Land in vieler Hinsicht amerikanische Unterstützung. Derzeit könnten die grundlegenden Bedürfnisse der Bürger Pakistans nicht befriedigt werden. Vor allem sei es wichtig, dass die Regierung in Islamabad erkenne, dass nicht Indien die große Gefahr für Pakistan darstelle, sondern vor allem die Extremisten im eigenen Land. >>> Ag | Donnerstag, 30. April 2009

Dutch Queen Escapes as Driver Crashes into Crowd, Killing Four
THE TELEGRAPH: A car travelling at high speed ploughed into a crowd waiting for Queen Beatrix of Holland, reportedly killing up to four people.


Witnesses said that the black Suzuki Swift appeared to deliberately target an open bus carrying Queen Beatrix and her family in the town of Apeldoorn during festivities to mark Queen's Day, a national holiday.

The car swerved across police railings, where crowds of people were waiting to see the queen pass, and slammed into the foot of a stone monument, where it came to a halt, its bonnet crumpled and scraped.

The royal bus was not hit, and no one in the queen's entourage was injured, officials said.

But television footage showed members of the royal family, riding in the open top bus, clutch their hands to their mouths in shock as the car sped through a barricade right before their eyes. >>> By Nick Squires | Thursday, April 30, 2009

Is 2009 the New 1929? Current Crisis Shows Uncanny Parallels to Great Depression
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Is history repeating itself? The current global downturn has many parallels to the Great Depression. And if the current massive bailout packages fail, the effect on the world's economies could be similarly drastic.

The Germans have always had a penchant for looking to America to gain a glimpse into the future.

They marveled at the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. They admired the gray but affordable Commodore personal computer. And they succumbed to the spell of an Internet company with the odd name of Google.

Will the current crisis be as bad as the Great Depression? Photo courtesy of SpiegelOnline International
Now the Germans are looking across the Atlantic once again, but this time they see images that remind them of their own past, images of sad-looking people standing in long lines, hoping for work.

One of them is Michael Sheehan, who worked as an engineer with a large company until February. Not too long ago, Sheehan was the one doing the hiring. Today he is only one of 900 other job-seekers attending a job fair in a depressing hotel ballroom in Philadelphia.

One of the flyers arranged on the tables exhorts the attendees to "Stay Positive." But Sheehan feels more outraged than positive. Someone at the fair asks him for his resume. "I don't have a resume," he says. "I worked at one company for more than 30 years."

Natalie Ingelido, 21, is standing nearby, trying to calm down her bawling two-year-old son, who clearly doesn't like it here. "I'm looking for a job, any job, in a restaurant, a bar, cleaning, whatever," she says.

In the past, says Ingelido, "Help Wanted" signs were plastered on the doors of shops and bars. The past she refers to is last summer, when Natalie and her husband still lived in their own apartment. Now they live with his parents.

Across America, people like Sheehan and Ingelido are standing in lines, waiting and hoping. At one job fair in New York, the line stretched for several city blocks. Many would turn away, embarrassed to be seen there, whenever TV reporters attempted to document their fates.

More than 5 million people in the United States have lost their jobs since the crisis began. As if the country were undergoing fever convulsions, more than 650,000 were catapulted into the streets in the last month alone. >>> By Spiegel Staff | Thursday, April 29, 2009

Obama Outsources His Presidency: He may come to regret letting Congress write his major legislation
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: While officials in the Obama White House dismissed yesterday's "100 Days" anniversary as a "Hallmark Holiday," they understood it was what sociologist Daniel J. Boorstin called a "pseudo-event." By that, Boorstin meant an occasion that is not spontaneous but planned for the purpose of being reported -- an event that is important because someone says so, not because it is.

What happens in a president's first 100 days rarely characterizes the arc of the 1,361 that follow. Jimmy Carter had a very good first 100 days. Bill Clinton did not.

Still, a president would rather start well than poorly -- and Mr. Obama has a job approval of 63%. That leaves him tied with Mr. Carter, one point ahead of George W. Bush, and behind only Ronald Reagan's 67%. Four of the past six presidents had approval ratings that ranged between 62% and 67%, a statistically insignificant spread.

Mr. Obama is popular because he is a historic figure, has an attractive personality, has passed key legislation, and receives adoring press coverage.

However, there are cautionary signs. Mr. Obama's policies are less popular than his personality, the pace of polarization with Republicans has proceeded faster than ever in history, and independents are thinking more like Republicans on the issues and less like Democrats.

The first 100 days can reveal a pattern of behavior that comes to characterize a presidency. In this respect, there are two emerging habits of Team Obama worth watching.

One is the gap between what Mr. Obama said he would do and what he is doing. His administration is emphasizing in its official 100 days talking points steps he has taken to "deliver on the change he promised." During the campaign, Mr. Obama denounced the $2.3 trillion added to the national debt on Mr. Bush's watch as "deficits as far as the eye can see." But Mr. Obama's budget adds $9.3 trillion to the debt over the next 10 years. What happened to Obama the deficit hawk?

From Mr. Obama's Denver acceptance speech through the campaign, Mr. Obama did not publicly utter the phrase "universal health care." Instead, his campaign ran ads attacking "government-run health care" as "extreme." Now Mr. Obama is asking, as he did at a townhall meeting last month, "Why not do a universal health care system like the European countries?" Maybe because he was elected by intimating that would be "extreme"? >>> By Karl Rove* | Thursday, April 30, 2009

*Mr. Rove is the former senior adviser and deputy chief of staff to President George W. Bush.

Ronald Reagan's "Evil Empire" Speech
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Ronald Reagan's Address to the British Parliament
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Barack Obama Can't Trust to Luck to Fix the Economy
THE TELEGRAPH: The President has dithered over the banks and the economy in his first 100 days in power, says Edmund Conway.

President Barack Hussein Obama needs to relax a little less and work a little harder to sort out the economic mess facing America right now. The US economy shrank by 6.1% in the first three months of this year. Largely under HIS watch! –©Mark. Photo: Google Images
Barack Obama is a pretty superstitious guy. During the marathon presidential campaign, he made a routine of playing basketball on each of the various polling days, and carried with him a pocketful of lucky trinkets, including a poker chip and a small golden statue of the Monkey King. So one rather fears for his reaction to the inauspicious omens yesterday, on his 100th day in office.

As if the first US death from swine flu weren’t bad enough, the President had to contend with news that the economy slumped by an annual rate of 6.1 per cent in the first three months of the year – far more than most experts were expecting. Jeff Frankel, a leading institutional economist, declared that this is now the longest and sharpest slump since the Great Depression.

The banking system is still in crisis, house prices are in freefall and unemployment is climbing rapidly; those seeking out green shoots are likely to be disappointed, since the economy is hardly through the danger zone. The only consolation comes from the stock market, which is more or less flat since Obama took over, and the fact that most other economies are in a worse state. More worryingly, the new president has yet to convince us that he is more Franklin D Roosevelt than Herbert Hoover. Those of us who hoped that the new president would infuse genuine urgency into the rescue plan, for either the economy or the financial system, have been sorely disappointed. The language may be more sincere, the speeches more glamorous, but the response is still nowhere near bold enough. All the criticisms of the initial Bush “rescue” – that it nationalised the financial system’s losses while allowing the bankers to make off with the profits; that it failed to draw a line under the institutions’ previous failures – remain applicable to Obama’s scheme. >>> By Edmund Conway | Wednesday, April 29, 2009