The EU should be stronger and more united. Great Britain should belong to the Union.
Die EU sollte stärker und geeinter sein. Großbritannien sollte der Union angehören.
L'UE devrait être plus forte et plus unie. La Grande-Bretagne devrait appartenir à l'Union.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Newly-formed Thai Airline Recruits 'Ladyboys' as Air Hostesses
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A newly-formed Thai airline has recruited transsexuals as air hostesses, in a pioneering move it believes will be copied by other carriers.
Thailand has the largest number of 'katoeys' – as they are called in Thai – in the world. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
[There is] sky-high demand from men wishing to become women [in Thailand]. – [Source: The Daily Telegraph]
PC Air, which has yet to take to the skies, selected three "Ladyboys" in its first round of hiring this week to promote equal opportunities for what is dubbed the "third sex" in Thailand.
Peter Chan, the new airline's boss, is enthusiastic about his groundbreaking move because of the opportunities it would afford transsexuals.
"I think these people can have many careers – not just in the entertainment business – and many of them have a dream to be an air hostess," he said. "I just made their dream come true. Our society has changed. It's evolution. I'm a pioneer and I'm sure there will be other organisations following my idea." >>> Ian MacKinnon, Bangkok | Friday, January 28, 2011
Ottawa Faces Uphill Battle to Expel Tunisian Billionaire in Montreal
THE GLOBE AND MAIL: The federal government is seeking the expulsion from Canada of the billionaire brother-in-law of ousted Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. But it could be years before Belhassen Trabelsi is forced to leave the country, if he can be made to leave at all.
Sources report that the Canadian government revoked Mr. Trabelsi’s status as a permanent resident, granted to legal immigrants after they arrive in Canada. Officials had been investigating whether he had forfeited that status by not living in Canada for at least two of the past five years.
Mr. Trabelsi returned to Canada after Mr. Ben Ali and his family fled Tunisia in the wake of mass demonstrations that toppled the former dictator’s regime. Mr. Trabelsi is believed to be staying in a Montreal-area hotel. Mr. Ben Ali is thought to be in Saudi Arabia.
It is no easy thing to revoke residency status once it has been obtained. “If he has the resources and the determination, he can easily stay here for ten years, maybe more,” said Leo Adler, a law professor at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School. He noted that some individuals have successfully fought deportation for more than 20 years. >>> John Ibbitson and Campbell Clark | Publish: Thursday, January 27, 2011; Updated: Friday, January 28, 2011
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Government blocks internet and mobile services ahead of planned protests against President Mubarak's 30-year rule.
Egypt is on edge as activists pressing for a change in government prepare to stage the biggest day of protests in the Middle East's most populous nation amid a security clampdown.
Security forces are on high alert and internet, mobile phone and SMS services have been disrupted ahead of the planned demonstrations following Friday prayers.
Dan Nolan, Al Jazeera's correspondent reporting from the capital, Cairo, said that internet access had been blocked across the country and the government had effectively wiped the country off the global digital map in a bid to prevent protesters from organising themselves.
But he said people already know where to be on Friday if they want to have their voice heard "because an email was spread throughout Egyptian networks last night ... that listed the places where people should gather".
For the past three days, cities across Egypt have witnessed unprecedented protests against the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak, the president.
Apparently inspired by the recent turmoil in Tunisia, the determined protesters have stood their ground against heavily-armed police and are refusing to relent until there is a change in government.
The violence has so far left seven people dead. >>> Source: Al Jazeera and agencies | Friday, 28. January 2011
Egypt Protests: Fresh Protests Could Leave Egypt on Brink of Revolution
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A fresh wave of mass protests could leave Egypt teetering on the brink of revolution on Friday after police warned the president they could soon lose control of the demonstrators demanding his overthrow.
Hosni Mubarak's grip on power was slipping on Thursday and momentum appeared to be shifting rapidly in favour of pro-democracy activists.
Undeterred by a violent police response and the deaths of at least seven people after three days of clashes in Cairo and other cities, organisers said they planned to make today's marches the biggest yet. Yesterday police shot dead a protester in north Sinai.
They were given a further boost after Mohamed ElBaradei, one of Mr Mubarak's fiercest critics, returned to Egypt from Vienna to join the protests, providing opponents of the regime with a potential figurehead to rally around.
There are also reports of arrests of opposition figures overnight.
The reported crackdown on the largest opposition movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, came after it said it would back the Friday protests. >>> Adrian Blomfield, Middle East Correspondent | Friday, January 28, 2011
FRANFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Die Protestbewegung in Ägypten hat keinen Anführer und ist politisch heterogen. Die Islamisten gehören zwar dazu, aber ihr Ansehen ist gesunken. Viele gut ausgebildete junge Ägypter gehen mittlerweile auf Distanz zu islamistischen Vorstellungen und Gruppierungen.
Wenn früher in Ägypten Demonstranten zu sehen waren – meistens in der Hauptstadt Kairo auf dem zentralen Tahrir-Platz – handelte es sich in der Regel um von der regierenden Staatspartei NDP bezahlte und bestellte Lobhudler des jeweiligen Präsidenten. Besonders oft war dies unter der Herrschaft Gamal Abdel Nassers, zwischen 1952 und 1970, der Fall. Der ließ sich feiern; oder es ging darum, gegen „Israel“ und „die Zionisten“ zu protestieren. Dies geschah meistens, wenn das Regime Niederlagen zu bewältigen hatte.
In den achtziger und neunziger Jahren waren es dann häufig radikale Muslime, meistens aus der 1928 gegründeten Muslimbruderschaft stammend, die sich zu Protestdemonstrationen zusammenfanden. Sie forderten eine „islamische Ordnung“, die von „islamischer Gerechtigkeit“ geprägt sein sollte. Ihre wichtigste Parole lautete: „Der Islam ist die Lösung“. Oder sie äußerten ihre Unterstützung für die palästinensische radikalislamische Hamas im Gaza-Streifen und im Westjordanland.
Die an den jüngsten Demonstrationen und Unruhen beteiligten Ägypter ähneln jedoch mehr denjenigen, die in Tunesien auf die Straße gingen. Es sind junge Leute, auffällig viele Frauen. Ideologien spielen bei ihnen offenkundig kaum eine Rolle. Sie fordern Arbeitsplätze, billige Nahrungsmittel, demokratische Freiheiten, Zukunftsaussichten, die diesen Namen verdienen. Vierzig Prozent der Ägypter leben von etwa zwei Dollar täglich, und dies keineswegs nur auf dem flachen Land. Ziel ist das Ende der Machtstruktur. >>> Von Wolfgang Günter Lerch | Freitag, 28. Januar 2011
US Tacit Support for Mideast Autocrats Reeks of Short-Sightedness, Undermines US Interests
THE HUFFINGTON POST: The winds of change are blowing over the Middle East from Jordan to Algeria.
A couple of weeks ago, Tunisia became the first Arab nation to succeed in shaking off decades of debilitating dictatorship through a popular uprising that sent shock waves through the entire region.
Egyptians who have long voiced discontent with their government are now taking to the streets in unprecedented numbers demanding change. If Egypt succeeds, analysts agree that a domino effect is likely.
Having withered decades of institutionalized corruption, police brutality and lack of freedoms under despotic regimes, Arab citizenries are finally beginning to believe that freedom and democracy are within reach. Their demands are straight-forward: democratically elected governments that truly represent and serve their citizens, in place of apathetic despots that work against the interests of their own citizens. They dream of free elections, government transparency, bureaucratic accountability, and rule of law.
It is perplexing that in the ensuing confrontation between citizens longing for democracy and iron-fisted dictators clamping down on dissent in the Arab world, the US official policy is to side with the dictators. >>> Ahmed Rehab | Thursday, January 27, 2011
Arizona Drops the Anchor on 'Anchor Babies'
State known for controversial illegal immigration law introduces bill targeting birthright citizenship
'Thundersnow' Storm Causes Havoc in [sic] US East Coast
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: America's east coast has been battered by blizzards which have dumped 19 inches of snow, adding to the heaviest January many parts of the region have seen in decades.
Four hundred thousand Washington residents were left without power after a blizzard that began on Wednesday intensified overnight, bringing so-called "Thundersnow" to the capital.
The blizzard forced the closure of New York's JFK and Newark airports, leading to the cancellation of thousands of flights. The Long Island Rail Road, a major commuter line, also suspended services. Schools were closed and governments [sic] workers across the region were sent home early on Wednesday, with little prospect of returning on Thursday. The Statue of Liberty was closed for snow removal.
Even the most high profile commuter in the US was delayed. Barack Obama was forced to make his way to the White House from Andrews air force base by car rather than helicopter, after a trip to Wisconsin.
Residents of Washington experienced Thundersnow – a combination of snowfall, thunder and lightning that has become the new talking point on TV news – as New Yorkers had done the previous night. >>> Jon Swaine, New York | Thursday, January 27, 2011
Winter Storm Slams Northeast
Thousands of travelers left stranded, schools closed
Dangerously Cold Temperatures Hit New York
Turmoil in the Arab World
Obama's policy unclear in light of protests
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Kommentar: Arabische Ungewissheit
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Die Ähnlichkeiten der Ereignisse in Tunesien und Ägypten können die Unterschiede nicht verdecken: Mit Ägypten fiele ein wesentlicher Akteur des nahöstlichen Friedensprozesses aus. Überdies gibt es dort eine starke islamistische Bewegung.
Die Ähnlichkeiten zwischen den Ereignissen in Ägypten und dem Sturz Ben Alis in Tunesien fallen ins Auge: hier wie dort ein greiser Diktator, von Alter und Krankheit gezeichnet, der sich über Jahrzehnte an der Macht festgekrallt hat, zunehmend - und am Schluss ausschließlich - gestützt auf die Sicherheitskräfte seines Landes.
Beide haben den Ruf nach Reformen jahrzehntelang überhört und sich und ihre Familien schamlos bereichert. Der ägyptische Präsident Mubarak hat in den vergangenen Jahren versucht, seinen Sohn Gamal in die Rolle des Nachfolgers zu hieven. Zumindest dies - von einer Wiederwahl des 82 Jahre alten „Rais“ zu schweigen - dürfte sich nach den Protesten in mehreren Städten Ägyptens erledigt haben. >>> Von Günther Nonnenmacher | Donnerstag, 27. Januar 2011
Mass Egypt Anti-government Protest Planned
Wulff sieht "ewige" Verantwortung der Deutschen
WELT ONLINE: Christian Wulff hält als erster Bundespräsident eine Rede im Vernichtungslager Auschwitz. Er bedankt sich bei den Überlebenden und ihren Nachfahren.
Durch Eis und Schnee, entlang der Baracken aus rotem Backstein schreiten Jugendliche gemäßigten Tempos. Gut hundert Menschen schließen sich ihnen an. Aus Deutschland und Polen stammen die jungen Leute, Kränze tragen sie über die Wege des Stammlagers I im Konzentrationslager Auschwitz.
Zur Spitze des Zuges zählen Christian Wulff und Bronislaw Komorowski, die Staatsoberhäupter aus Deutschland und Polen, samt ihrer Delegationen. Wulff trägt einen schwarzen Mantel und einen schwarzen Hut, wie es nach jüdischem Ritus üblich ist. An der Todesmauer legen die Jugendlichen die Kränze nieder. Komorowski begibt sich nach vorn, hält inne, verbeugt sich. Dann tritt der Bundespräsident vor die Totenmauer, doch er tut dies nicht alleine.
Wulff wird eingerahmt von Dieter Graumann, dem neuen Präsidenten des Zentralrats der Juden, und Romani Rose, der schon viele Jahre die Sinti und Roma in Deutschland repräsentiert. Die drei Männer halten schweigend inne – und dann entscheidet sich Wulff zu einer Geste außerhalb des präzisen Protokolls: Er wendet sich Graumann zu, und umarmt ihn, dann legt er seinen Arm um Rose. Die Schleifen am Kranz richtet der Präsident diesmal nicht. >>> Autor: Daniel Friedrich Sturm | Donnerstag, 27. Januar 2011
YNET NEWS: Muslim population growing at slower rate, but will still be 26.4% of world by 2030, study says
Falling birth rates will slow the world's Muslim population growth over the next two decades, reducing it on average from 2.2 percent a year in 1990-2010 to 1.5% a year from now until 2030, a new study says.
Muslims will number 2.2 billion by 2030 compared to 1.6 billion in 2010, making up 26.4% of the world population compared to 23.4% now, according to estimates by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
Continued migration will swell the ranks of Europe's Muslim minorities by one-third by 2030, to 8 percent of the region's inhabitants from 6 percent, the study says.
Muslims in France will rise to 6.9 million, or 10.3% of the population, from 4.7 million (7.5%), in Britain to 5.6 million (8.2%) from 2.9 million and in Germany to 5.5 million (7.1%) from 4.1 million (5%). >>> Reuters | Thursday, January 27, 2011
MAIL ONLINE: Business Secretary Vince Cable today had a remarkable dig at bankers with a sick gag about one being mown down by a disgruntled driver.
In an astonishing joke with reporters he suggested a motorist would not slow down to avoid a financial services worker in the road.
The Liberal Democrat cabinet minister has been a fierce critic of bankers and has advocated taking a 'very strong approach' to beating down their bonuses.
But his gag shared with reporters at a Westminster Press Gallery lunch today, went 'too far', critics said.
He asked what the difference was between a cat being found dead on a motorway and a banker being found dead.
Egyptian Protests Intensify, as Clashes Spread Across the Middle East
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Egyptian police have been fighting protesters in intensifying clashes, and demonstrations have reported from Yemen and Gabon – a sign that defiance against authoritarian rulers in the Middle East is spreading.
Riot police clash with protesters in Cairo yesterday. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Security forces shot dead a Bedouin protester in Egypt's Sinai region on Thursday, bringing the death in the three days of protests to five. Police in Suez fired rubber bullets, water cannon and tear gas at hundreds of demonstrators calling for an end to the 30-year-old rule of Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president. Protesters chucked rocks and petrol bombs at police lines. In Ismailia, hundreds of protesters clashed with police, who dispersed the crowds with tear gas.
Like in many other countries in the region, protesters in Egypt complain about surging prices, unemployment and the authorities' reliance on heavy-handed security to keep dissenting voices quiet. The protests are inspired by Tunisia, where a democratic movement recently overthrew the government.
Egyptian Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei announced on Thursday he was returning to Egypt to join the protests. "Tomorrow is going to be, I think, a major demonstration all over Egypt and I will be there with them," he said. Mr Baradei, who won the Nobel peace prize for his work as head of the UN's nuclear agency, called on Mr Mubarak to leave office, saying "he has served the country for 30 years and it is about time for him to retire."
His arrival could spur protesters who have no figurehead, although many activists resent his absences in recent months.
"Our government is a dictatorship. A total dictatorship," said Mohamed Fahim, a 29-year-old glass factory worker, as he stood near the charred skeleton of a car.
"It's our right to choose our government ourselves. We have been living 29 years, my whole life, without being able to choose a president." >>> | Thursday, January 27, 2011
Davos WEF 2011: Sarkozy Says France and Germany Will 'Never Let the Euro Fail'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: France and Germany will never turn their backs on the euro, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said in his most robust defence of the troubled single currency to date.
Addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, he told speculators to be prepared for big losses if they bet against the euro. “[Germany’s] Chancellor Merkel and myself will never – do you hear me, never – let the euro fall,” he said.
“The euro is Europe. And Europe spells 60 years of peace. Therefore we will never let the euro go or be destroyed… To those who bet against the euro, watch out for your money because we are fully determined to defend the euro.”
President Sarkozy’s intervention comes with the single currency under greater strain than at any time in its short history. Davos has been abuzz with talk of a two-speed Europe, with billionaire investor George Soros warning that the “euro could possibly fall apart” under the strain.
Greece and Ireland are implementing painful pay cuts and other deflationary measures because they can not devalue, while Germany powers ahead. Ken Rogoff, the Harvard economist, has suggested Greece should be allowed to fail in an orderly fashion because its debts are insurmountable.
However, President Sarkozy said: “To imagine that we might pull out shows a complete misunderstanding of the European psychology. It has to do with our identities as Europeans.” >>> Philip Aldrick, Economics Editor, in Davos | Thursday, January 27, 2011
Anti-government Protests Erupt in Yemen
Protestors are putting pressure on governments across the Arab world - demanding changes in leadership and policies. In Yemen, tens of thousands of people marched in the capital, Sanaa. Opposition groups are calling for the president to stand down, after more than three decades in power. Al Jazeera's Caroline Malone reports on the developments in Yemen
Anonymous – Operation Egypt – A Press Release
Financial Crisis Was Avoidable, Inquiry Finds
The commission’s report finds fault with two Fed chairmen: Alan Greenspan, right, a skeptic of regulation who led the central bank as the housing bubble expanded, and his successor, Ben S. Bernanke, who did not foresee the crisis but then played a crucial role in the response to it. Photograph: The New York Times
THE NEW YORK TIMES: WASHINGTON — The 2008 financial crisis was an “avoidable” disaster caused by widespread failures in government regulation, corporate mismanagement and heedless risk-taking by Wall Street, according to the conclusions of a federal inquiry.
The commission that investigated the crisis casts a wide net of blame, faulting two administrations, the Federal Reserve and other regulators for permitting a calamitous concoction: shoddy mortgage lending, the excessive packaging and sale of loans to investors and risky bets on securities backed by the loans.
“The greatest tragedy would be to accept the refrain that no one could have seen this coming and thus nothing could have been done,” the panel wrote in the report’s conclusions, which were read by The New York Times. “If we accept this notion, it will happen again.”
While the panel, the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, accuses several financial institutions of greed, ineptitude or both, some of its gravest conclusions concern government failings, with embarrassing implications for both parties. But the panel was itself divided along partisan lines, which could blunt the impact of its findings.
Many of the conclusions have been widely described, but the synthesis of interviews, documents and testimony, along with its government imprimatur, give the report — to be released on Thursday as a 576-page book — a conclusive sweep and authority. >>> Sewell Chan | Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Hizbollah Gains Power In Lebanon
Thousands of people have taken part in violent protests on the streets of Lebanon over the future of its government, after the appointment of a new prime minister put Hizbollah in control of the country. Sky's Dominic Waghorn reports
Egypt Protests Continue For Second Day
There have been more clashes in Egypt during a second day of protests against the country's President Hosni Mubarak. Sky's Tim Marshall reports
Lauren Booth, Tony Blair's Sister-in-law, Having an Anti-Israel Rant
Sister-in-law Says Try Blair for War Crimes
ABC RADIO AUSTRALIA NEWS: The sister-in-law of former British prime minister Tony Blair says he should be tried for war crimes over the invasion of Iraq.
Lauren Booth, a rights campaigner and Muslim convert, is the half-sister of Mr Blair's wife, Cherie.
Ms Booth is in Malaysia for lectures.
When asked whether Mr Blair should be arrested and sent to the International Court of Justice in The Hague for war crimes, she replied "Absolutely, he misled the British people and took Britain to war on a lie." [Source: ABC Radio Australia News] | Thursday, January 27, 2011
Egypt’s Young Seize Role of Key Opposition to Mubarak
THE NEW YORK TIMES: For decades, Egypt’s authoritarian president, Hosni Mubarak, played a clever game with his political opponents.
He tolerated a tiny and toothless opposition of liberal intellectuals whose vain electoral campaigns created the facade of a democratic process. And he demonized the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood as a group of violent extremists who posed a threat that he used to justify his police state.
But this enduring and, many here say, all too comfortable relationship was upended this week by the emergence of an unpredictable third force, the leaderless tens of thousands of young Egyptians who turned out to demand an end to Mr. Mubarak’s 30-year rule.
Now the older opponents are rushing to catch up.
“It was the young people who took the initiative and set the date and decided to go,” Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Wednesday with some surprise during a telephone interview from his office in Vienna, shortly before rushing home to Cairo to join the revolt.
Dr. ElBaradei, a Nobel prize winner, has been the public face of an effort to reinvigorate and unite Egypt’s fractious and ineffective opposition since he plunged into his home country’s politics nearly a year ago, and he said the youth movement had accomplished that on its own. “Young people are impatient,” he said. “Frankly, I didn’t think the people were ready.”
But their readiness — tens of thousands have braved tear gas, rubber bullets and security police officers notorious for torture — has threatened to upstage or displace the traditional opposition groups. >>> David D. Kirkpatrick and Michael Slackman | Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Unruhen in Ägypten: Polizei jagt Demonstranten durch die Nacht
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Trotz einer Ausgangssperre reißen die Proteste in Ägypten nicht ab: In der Nacht lieferten sich Polizei und Demonstranten ein Katz-und-Maus-Spiel in den Straßen von Kairo und Suez. Neue Proteste sind angekündigt.
Kairo/Suez - Massiver Drohungen der ägyptischen Führung zum Trotz gehen die Menschen in Kairo, Suez und anderen Städten weiter auf die Straße. In der Nacht zum Donnerstag versammelten sich kleinere Gruppen von Demonstranten, um gegen Präsident Husni Mubarak, Korruption und Unterdrückung zu protestieren. Polizisten versuchten, sie auseinanderzutreiben. >>> amz/dpa/Reuters | Donnerstag, 27. Januar 2011
Facebook et Twitter bloqués en Égypte
LE POINT: Les réseaux sociaux sont inaccessibles dans le pays, en proie aux manifestations contre le pouvoir.
Il était impossible de se connecter au site de socialisation Facebook mercredi en Égypte, au lendemain du blocage du site de microblogs Twitter sur fond de manifestations antigouvernementales, selon le site spécialisé dans la surveillance d'Internet Herdict.org. Interrogé sur des informations faisant état de l'inaccessibilité de Facebook en Égypte, un porte-parole de Facebook renvoie au site Herdict.org spécialisé dans la surveillance de ce type de blocages. Ce site, géré par l'université Harvard, faisait état mercredi de six rapports d'inaccessibilité pour Facebook. "Des Égyptiens ont confirmé que Facebook avait été bloqué ce matin", a indiqué Jillian York, spécialiste de ces questions à Harvard. >>> Source AFP | Mercredi 26 Janvier 2011
Egypt Launches Crackdown on Protesters as US Urges Reform
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Egyptian authorities launched a crackdown on anti-government protesters on Wednesday night as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued America's most blunt comments yet about its long-term ally, urging reform.
Police arrested 860 people across the country after bloody confrontations with security forces using rubber bullets, batons, tear gas and water cannon.
A protester and a policeman were killed on Wednesday night when a car ran them over during a protest in a poor, central Cairo neighbourhood. Officials said earlier the two died when they were hit by rocks but later changed the account. Three protesters and a policeman were killed on Tuesday.
Protesters in Suez set a government building on fire and tried to burn down a local office of Egypt's ruling party with petrol bombs.
Demonstrators had earlier broken through police cordons despite hundreds being severely beaten and the presence of the feared undercover police on the streets.
White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs would not say whether President Hosni Mubarak, the target of demonstrators' anger, still has the Obama administration's support.
Mrs Clinton said the government should allow peaceful protests instead of cracking down.
"We are particularly hopeful that the Egyptian government will take this opportunity to implement political, economic and social reforms that will answer the legitimate interests of the Egyptian people," she said. >>> Adrian Blomfield, Jerusalem and Damien McElroy | Wednesday, January 26, 2011
US Urges Reform in Egypt
PJ Crowley, the spokesman for the US state department, has been talking to Al Jazeera about the recent protests in Egypt and Tunisia. He says the US supports social reform and more freedoms in Egypt, yet at the same time supports the government of President Hosni Mubarak. Crowley describes Egypt as "an ally and friend of the United States, an anchor of stability in the Middle East which is helping us pursue a comprehensive peace in the Middle East". "We want to see change in Egypt, we want to see it done peacefully and stably."
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Gamal Mubarak Travels Light to London!
MAIL ONLINE: The son of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is said to have fled to London after the country was rocked by two days of riots over poverty.
Gamal Mubarak, 48 and believed to be his father's choice of successor, boarded a private jet from Cairo to London with his wife, daughter and around 100 piece of luggage, according to reports.
Agé de 83 ans, Hosni Moubarak devrait briguer un sixième mandat en septembre. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Hosni Moubarak règne sans partage sur l'Egypte depuis 30 ans. Lefigaro.fr décrypte les rouages d'un régime autoritaire contre lequel la rue se retourne désormais.
En octobre prochain, Hosni Moubarak aura passé trente à la tête de l'Egypte. Président omnipotent, il n'aura même pas daigné, pendant ces trois décennies, s'adjoindre un vice-président comme le faisaient ses prédécesseurs. A l'heure où des milliers d'Egyptiens bravent l'interdiction du régime de manifester contre le chef de l'Etat, sur quoi repose le pouvoir de l'un des plus anciens dirigeants du monde ?
«Il y a toujours eu des critiques contre Moubarak, mais elles deviennent plus acerbes avec le temps. Toutefois, on aurait tort de comparer l'impopularité de Moubarak avec celle de Ben Ali», estime Jean-Noël Ferrié, directeur de recherche au CNRS.
Hosni Moubarak est arrivé au pouvoir à l'issue de l'assassinat de Sadate en 1981. Militaire de formation, héros de la guerre de 1973, il jouit du soutien de l'armée, élément-clé du régime. «Il est peu probable que les manifestants puissent le renverser sans avoir à affronter d'abord les militaires», souligne le spécialiste. Moubarak devrait d'autant plus pouvoir compter sur l'armée que celle-ci, très riche, contrôle de nombreuses sociétés et ne souhaite pas voir ses avantages remis en cause. >>> Par Pauline Fréour | Mercredi 26 Janvier 2011
Die schleichende Islamisierung von Atatürks Republik
DIE PRESSE: Langsam mehren sich die Anzeichen, dass es in der Türkei bald wieder islamischer zugehen könnte. Mit einer Reihe von Maßnahmen gibt die Regierung von Erdoğan Kritikern recht, die vor geheimer Agenda warnen.
Istanbul. Für einen türkischen Lehrer kann es mitunter gefährlich sein, die Frage eines Schülers nach bestem Wissen zu beantworten: Dies musste ein Grundschullehrer in der Hauptstadt Ankara nun erfahren. Er wurde von der Schulbehörde verwarnt, weil er den Schülern einer fünften Klasse Darwins Evolutionstheorie erklärte. Ein Schüler wollte wissen, ob es denn stimme, dass der Mensch vom Affen abstamme. Die Gewerkschaft ortet im Rüffel für den Lehrer ein Anzeichen für Islamisierung des Bildungswesens.
Seit die islamisch-konservative AK-Partei vor acht Jahren das Ruder in der Türkei übernommen hat, lebt ein beträchtlicher Teil der Türken mit der Angst, ihr „unislamischer“ Lebensstil könnte ihnen irgendwann unmöglich gemacht werden. Lange ist nicht viel geschehen, doch in letzter Zeit mehren sich die Anzeichen dafür, dass es in Atatürks Republik bald wieder islamischer zugehen könnte: Im Herbst wurden die Steuern auf Alkoholika massiv angehoben. Kurz darauf kam eine neue Verordnung zum Jugendschutz heraus. Danach ist es jetzt etwa nicht mehr möglich, auf Hochzeiten ohne Genehmigung Alkohol auszuschenken, es sei denn die Feier findet an einem Ort statt, wo dies ohnehin erlaubt ist. Insgesamt sind die Bestimmungen nicht besonders restriktiv, doch viele Dinge, die bisher jeder tun konnte, sind plötzlich an eine spezielle Genehmigung gebunden. >>> Vom Korrespondenten der Presse Jan Keetman | Mittwoch, 26. Januar 2011
Ben Ali international zur Fahndung ausgeschrieben
Haftbefehl gegen den früheren Präsidenten Tunesiens erlassen
NZZ ONLINE: Die tunesische Justiz hat einen internationalen Haftbefehl gegen den geflohenen Präsidenten Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali und seine Ehefrau Leila Trabelsi ausgestellt. Dem ehemaligen Präsidenten werden Diebstahl und Devisenvergehen vorgeworfen.
Die tunesische Übergangsregierung hat einen internationalen Haftbefehl gegen den gestürzten Präsidenten Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali ausgestellt. Dem geflohenen Staatschef werde unter anderem vorgeworfen, illegal Geld ins Ausland gebracht zu haben, sagte Justizminister Lazhar Karoui Chebbi am Mittwoch. Ausserdem gab er bekannt, dass während der wochenlangen Unruhen 11'000 Gefängnisinsassen geflohen seien. Unterdessen kam es zu neuen Protesten gegen Vertreter des alten Regimes in der neuen Regierung. >>> ddp | Mittwoch, 26. Januar 2011
Tunisia Seeks Arrest of Ex-leader
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Ousted President Ben Ali is wanted to stand trial for theft and currency offences, says the nation's justice minister.
Protesters demand interim government be purged of ministers who had been members of Ben Ali's ruling party. Photograph: Al Jazeera English
Tunisia wants to have ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his family arrested and put on trial for possession of expropriated property and for transferring foreign currency abroad, the nation's interim justice minister has said.
Interpol, the international police agency, has been asked to help arrest Ben Ali, his wife Leila Trabelsi and other family members who have fled the country, Lazhar Karoui Chebbi said on Wednesday.
Ben Ali went to Saudi Arabia this month after weeks of violent protests against poverty, repression and corruption. He amassed vast riches during his 23 years in power, with his family controlling many of Tunisia's biggest companies.
"We are asking Interpol to find all those who fled, including the president and this woman, for trial in Tunisia," the justice minister said. >>> Source: Al Jazeera and agencies | Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Egyptians Defy Security Clampdown
A security crackdown in Egypt, after fury over poverty and inequality, led to the biggest anti-government rallies in decades against the 30-year-rule of President Hosni Mubarak. Egyptian police have moved in on groups of protesters in Cairo and Suez on Wednesday, enforcing a ban on demonstrations enacted following mass rallies a day earlier. Hundreds of people had gathered at the headquarters of the journalists' syndicate, before police moved in, firing tear gas to break up the rally. Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh reports from the Egyptian capital, Cairo
Egypte : nouveaux heurts entre policiers et manifestants
Des policiers égyptiens répriment des manifestants anti-gouvernement, mercredi 26 janvier, au Caire. Photo : Le Monde
LE MONDE: Des affrontements ont à nouveau opposé mercredi 26 janvier des policiers et des manifestants dans le centre du Caire et dans la ville de Suez, à l'est de la capitale égyptienne. Quelques centaines de manifestants affrontent les forces de l'ordre en face des locaux du syndicat de journaliste et de ceux du syndicat des avocats, rapporte un journaliste d'Al-Jazira.
Selon plusieurs journalistes présents sur place, la police a dispersé les manifestants en les frappant avec des bâtons et en utilisant des gaz lacrymoègnes. Des heurts particulièrement violents ont ensuite été signalés sur les rues avoisinantes. >>> LeMonde.fr | Mercredi 26 Janvier 2011
Thousands Join Cairo Protests
Thousands of protesters are marching in Cairo, the Egyptian capital, to demand that Hosni Mubarak, the president, step down. They clashed with riot police in a rare show of strength by the people. Many in the crowds called for a Tunisian style ousting of Mubarak. Rawya Rageh reports from Cairo
A Forbidden Kiss That All Brazil Is Waiting to See
THE GUARDIAN: Gay characters feature in latest nightly telenovela, and activists urge show to have first on-screen embrace
Leonardo Miggiorin, one of the stars of Insensato Coração. Photograph: The Guardian
Love triangles, broken hearts and a reality TV star, accompanied by an upbeat samba soundtrack. It could only be one of Brazil's nightly telenovela soaps, the latest of which debuted last week. But Insensato Coração, or Foolish Heart, is set to break the mould by featuring at least six gay characters.
"We are going to take on a contemporary and pertinent issue," Ricardo Linhares, one of the show's creators told Brazil's R7 news website. He said he hoped the soap would help "combat prejudice and promote acceptance".
Most Brazilian cities have prominent gay communities but homophobia and violence persist. According to the Grupo Gay da Bahia, 198 gay people were murdered in Brazil in 2009, up from a figure of 122 two years earlier. >>> Tom Phililips in Rio de Janeiro | Monday, January 24, 2011
Control Orders: Terrorism Suspects to Be Given Greater Freedoms
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Suspected terrorists who are deemed a danger to Britain will have the restrictions on their movement relaxed following a revamp of the control orders regime.
Theresa May. Picture: The Daily Telegraph
Home Secretary Theresa May announced that the measures used against suspects who have not been convicted in court will be renamed and that suspects will be allowed the possibility of staying away from their home overnight.
But the new powers will no longer need to be reviewed every year, a clear signal that restrictions against suspected terrorists against whom prosecutions cannot be brought are here to stay.
The current 16-hour curfews will be replaced by an ''overnight residence requirement'', typically of between eight and 10 hours, Mrs May said.
The term "control order" has been scrapped and will be replaced with "Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures", or Tpims, Mrs May said.
The new powers will be limited to two years and will only be renewed "if there is new evidence that they have re-engaged in terrorism-related activities". >>> | Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Loving Prophet Muhammad: It’s a Condition of Faith
"The Holy Prophet is dearer to us than our wealth, our children, our fathers, our forefathers, our mothers and cool water at the time of severe thirst."
The firmly established principle in Islam that our iman is as good as our love for the Prophet is fairly and accurately expressed by an Urdu poet when he says:
"Without love for the Prophet it is difficult to find God; He who is not of the Prophet's cannot be of God. Without love for Muhammad faith cannot be complete; To be a Muslim it is not enough to believe in God. Daily prayers, charity, fasting and hajj are fine; But despite these I cannot be among the faithful. Unless I am ready to be sacrificed for the honour of Muhammad; God is witness - my faith cannot attain perfection."
Love of the Prophet breathes life into our practice of religion. Without it our religion reduces to an empty adherence to a set of dead rules and rituals.
("Soul of iman, essence of the Qur'an and life of religion - all these are love of Muhammad, the Mercy to All Creation.")
The Meaning of This Love for the Prophet
At one level it seems clear why the faithful should love the Prophet: he is their teacher, guide and leader and it is impossible for him to teach, guide and lead them if they don't love him. But there is a deeper meaning in the principle that love for the Prophet is essential for iman.
Love of the Prophet is love of all the beauty and nobility of character, truthfulness, justness, humility and inner strength of which man is capable and which the Prophet as al-insan al-kamil (the Perfect man) possessed in the utmost degree. Love for the Prophet means to acknowledge, cherish and glorify all the potential of goodness and greatness that God has created within Man.
It also means love of humanity, not just in regard to its potential for perfection but also despite its general inability to realize that potential and despite all kind of imperfections and weaknesses from which it suffers. For the Prophet is not only the Perfect Man but also the Representative Man who on the day of judgment will represent mankind and plead on their behalf for their imperfections and weaknesses before the throne of God.
Thus love of the Prophet, on the one hand puts us on the road to perfection by making us cherish it dearly and on the other hand it helps us accept our imperfect humanity and in this way to live in peace with ourselves as repentant servants of God hopeful of His mercy. This is why love for the Prophet is a condition of iman, for what is iman if it is not to acknowledge and repent for one's imperfections and weaknesses and to cherish and strive for - even as an unachievable ideal - the perfection of which man is potentially capable? [Source: The Modern Religion]
Egypt Braces for Unrest against Hosni Mubarak
Anti-Mubarak demonstrators pray in the streets of Cairo. Picture: The Australian
THE AUSTRALIAN: EGYPT is braced for a new round of violence today following unprecedented nationwide demonstrations demanding the end to the 30-year authoritarian rule of ageing President Hosni Mubarak.
Two protesters and a policeman were killed yesterday in demonstrations inspired by "the Tunisia effect".
Despite a day of violence and a huge show of force by the regime, the youth group co-ordinating the demonstrations last night urged Egyptians to return to the streets today to force Mr Mubarak from power.
Using Facebook, the group said: "Everyone needs to head down to Tahrir Square to take over the square once again." >>> John Lyons, Middle East correspondent | The Australian | Thursday, January 27, 2011
THE AUSTRALIAN: AFTER two months in Manhattan, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia faced a problem that frequently troubles travellers leaving the Big Apple.
Like many before him, who promise themselves one nice pair of socks in a little brown bag from Bloomingdales and leave with suitcases bulging, the King seemed to have more luggage than he had arrived with.
Reports from JFK airport in New York last week suggest that at least 12 luggage buggies were required to transport his cases onto three aircraft. >>> Will Pavia | The Times | Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Fundamentals of [Islamic] Faith - By Yasir Qadhi
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Hizbollah Government Will Damage US Relationship with Lebanon, Clinton Says
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Hizbollah-backed billionaire has won enough support to become Lebanon's prime minister, in a move that Hillary Clinton said would damage the country's relationship with the US.
Hizbollah managed to forge a coalition to back Najib Mikati after bringing down the government of the pro-American Saad Hariri two weeks ago.
President Barack Obama is likely to retaliate by suspending some or all of its aid to Beirut. The US administration had earmarked $246 million (£156 million) in support this year, including $100 million (£63 million) in military aid and $37 million (£23 million) for counter-terrorism operations.
Hizbollah, which is financially backed by Iran and Syria, is listed as a terrorist entity by Washington.
Mrs Clinton, the US secretary of state, said the power shift would "clearly have an impact on our bilateral relationship."
Israel, which already has Hizbollah ally Hamas on one side, will also be concerned by a Hizbollah-led government likely to insist on a more confrontational approach in the region. >>> Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Bank of England Chief Mervyn King: Standard of Living to Plunge at Fastest Rate Since 1920s
Households face the most dramatic squeeze in living standards since the 1920s, the Governor of the Bank of England warned, as he reacted to the shock disclosure that the economy was shrinking again
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Families will see their disposable income eaten up as they “pay the inevitable price” for the financial crisis, Mervyn King warned.
With wages failing to keep pace with rising inflation, workers’ take- home pay will end the year worth the same as in 2005 — the most prolonged fall in living standards for more than 80 years, he claimed.
Mr King issued the warning in a speech in Newcastle upon Tyne after official figures showed that gross domestic product fell by 0.5 per cent during the final three months last year. The Government blamed the unexpected reduction — the first since the third quarter of 2009 — on the freezing weather that paralysed much of the country last month.
But there were fears that the country was poised to slip back into recession, defined as two successive quarters of negative growth. Economists said the situation was “an absolute disaster”. Read on and comment >>> Robert Winnett, Deputy Political Editor | Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Obama: 'Future Is Ours to Win'
State of the Union, Part 1: President calls for unity, cooperation; touts promise of clean energy
Obama: 'Level the Playing Field'
State of the Union, Part 2: President calls for education, infrastructure investment, tax and trade reform
Obama: 'The State of Our Union Is Strong'
State of the Union, Part 3: President proposes government spending freeze to combat national debt; salutes troops
Republican Response to State of the Union
Rep. Paul Ryan stresses need to 'restrain federal spending'
LOS ANGELES TIMES: President Obama, perceived by critics as free-spending in his first two years in office, is expected to call for a temporary halt to non-security discretionary spending in his State of the Union speech. Job creation also will be a main focus.
WASHINGTON — President Obama will call for a five year freeze on non-security discretionary spending in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, White House officials said, in a bid to help reduce the deficit and counter public perceptions that he spent too freely in his first two years in power.
Obama will also discuss plans to find budget cuts wherever he can, the White House said. The military, for example, isn't covered by the proposed freeze, yet Obama will advance a separate five-year plan, drawn up by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, to achieve $78 billion in savings, the White House said. >>> Peter Nicholas, Washington Bureau | Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Ein Blick zurück: Obama in Saudi Arabien
US-Präsident Barack Obama ist in Saudi-Arabien eingetroffen. Er wird morgen eine mit Spannung erwartete Rede halten. SF-Nahost-Korrespondent Ulrich Tilgner zu den Hoffnungen und Ängsten rund um den Besuch Obamas in der islamischen Welt
Female Genital Mutilation Still Practised in Egypt
