'Queen Rania Is a Corrupt Thief'
YNET NEWS: 36 Jordanian tribal leaders break silence with unprecedented letter criticizing King Abdullah's wife; accuse her of 'serving own interests, stealing money from treasury', warn of uprising similar to Egypt

Will Jordanian Queen Rania Al-Abdullah and her husband be next in line to flee their homeland, as was the case with the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt? In a letter published this week by 36 Jordanian tribal leaders, who represent nearly 40% of the population and play an important role in the kingdom's politics, the Queen was criticized relentlessly.

In the letter, Rania was accused of "corruption, stealing money from the Treasury and manipulating in order to promote her public image – against the Jordanian people's will."

The tribal leaders compared the queen to the wife of former Tunisian president Leila Ben Ali, who stole from her country's treasury for years, giving her family members vast sums of money and land at the expense of the Tunisian citizens.

"We call upon the King to return lands and farms given to the Yassin family (Rania's family). The land belongs to the Jordanian people," they wrote. Such a letter criticizing the royal family can lead to a three year jail sentence in Jordan. >>> Roey Simioni | Monday, February 14, 2011

Related >>>

Shimon Pérès : le peuple fera tomber le pouvoir iranien
LE POINT: Le président israélien affirme : "La plus grande corruption politique et morale au monde se trouve aujourd'hui en Iran."

Le régime au pouvoir à Téhéran "sera stoppé par son propre peuple", a affirmé mercredi le président israélien, Shimon Pérès. "La plus grande corruption politique et morale au monde se trouve en Iran aujourd'hui", a déclaré Shimon Pérès devant la conférence annuelle des présidents des principales organisations juives américaines à Jérusalem. "C'est le peuple iranien qui fera tomber ce pouvoir. Ce que l'actuelle direction iranienne fait aujourd'hui est une honte pour l'histoire de ce pays, sa culture et les souffrances de son peuple", a ajouté Shimon Pérès. >>> Le Point.fr | Mercredi 16 Février 2011

Une large majorité de Français ne veut pas d'une seconde candidature de Sarkozy
LE POINT: Selon le dernier sondage Ipsos/Le Point, 63 % ne souhaitent pas que le chef de l'État se représente en 2012.

Une large majorité de Français (63 %) ne souhaite pas que Nicolas Sarkozy se représente en 2012, contre 34 % qui le souhaitent et 3 % sans opinion, selon un sondage Ipsos pour l'hebdomadaire Le Point à paraître jeudi. Lors d'un précédent sondage réalisé par le même institut en août 2010, ils étaient 62 % à ne pas vouloir que le président de la République brigue un second mandat, contre 35 % qui y étaient favorables (3 % étaient sans opinion). En mars 2010, ce chiffre était de 58 % de personnes défavorables à sa candidature, contre 33 % qui l'appelaient de leurs voeux (9 % sans opinion). >>> Le Point.fr | Mercredi 16 Février 2011

Hosni Mubarak: The Last Pharaoh

Singapore Then and Now

Curveball Could Face Jail for War-mongering, Says German MP
THE GUARDIAN: Agent whose lies about Saddam's weapons capability led to Iraq war has broken German law, says Green MP

A German politician has warned that the agent known as Curveball could go to jail after telling the Guardian that he lied about Saddam Hussein's bioweapons capability to "liberate" Iraq.

Green MP Hans-Christian Ströbele said that Curveball, a 43-year-old Iraqi dissident named Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi, had arguably violated a German law that makes war-mongering illegal.

He also said that Gerhard Schröder, chancellor of Germany at the start of the Iraq war, should also reveal what he knew about the quality of evidence Curveball gave to Germany's secret service, the BND.

Under section 26 of German constitutional law, it is a criminal offence to do anything "with the intent to disturb the peaceful relations between nations, especially anything that leads to an aggressive war", said Ströbele. >>> Helen Pidd in Berlin | Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Why Yemen Isn’t Egypt
CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom reports on rising unrest in Yemen and what that could mean for the country's future

Libyans Clash with Police over Detained Lawyer, Source Says
CNN: Libyan police clashed with protesters chanting anti-government slogans and demanding the release of a human rights activist early Wednesday, an independent source in the country told CNN.

Up to 200 protesters in the coastal city of Benghazi were supporting human rights activist and lawyer Fathi Terbil, who had been detained earlier, the source said.

Several people were arrested after police confronted the protesters, the source added.

However, a highly placed Libyan source close to the government sought to downplay the reports of unrest. The source asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to talk to the media. >>> Tim Lister, CNN | CNN's Zain Verjee contributed to this report | Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Battling Bedbugs
CNN's Ayesha Durgahee looks at a some of the unconventional ways to detect and kill bedbugs

Related here

Egypt: US Reporter Sexually Assaulted in Tahrir Square
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A female CBS News correspondent is recovering in a US hospital from a sexual attack and beating she suffered while reporting on the tumultuous events in Egypt last week.

Lara Logan, who has also worked for GMTV, was in the Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday after Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak stepped down when she, her team and their security "were surrounded by a dangerous element amidst the celebration," CBS said in a statement.

The network described a mob of more than 200 people "whipped into a frenzy."

Separated from her crew in the crush of the violent pack, she suffered what CBS called "a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating." She was rescued by a group of women and an estimated 20 Egyptian soldiers, the network said.

Logan returned to the US on Saturday. >>> | Wednesday, February 16, 2011

THE GUARDIAN: Egyptian activists condemn brutal attack on CBS reporter in Tahrir Square: Serious assault on Lara Logan of CBS took place in middle of crowd at height of celebrations after Hosni Mubarak resigned >>> Jack Shenker in Cairo | Thursday, February 17, 2011

Cuba Experimenting With Capitalism
Communist regime allows small business

'Mubarak Must Return Money,' Says Castro
THE GUARDIAN: Hosni Mubarak is suspected of squirrelling away a fortune running into hundreds of millions abroad. Former Cuban president Fidel Castro has backed Egyptians' demand that the cash be clawed back to help alleviate poverty in Egypt

Watch video here | Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Secrets of the Dead | Escape from Auschwitz
Two Auschwitz prisoners were determined to expose the horrors of the Nazi genocide

Watch the full episode. See more Secrets of the Dead.

Gorbatchev a "honte" de la Russie, 20 ans après la fin de sa perestroïka
LE POINT: Le dernier dirigeant soviétique, contraint de quitter le pouvoir en 1991, dénonce l'autoritarisme du régime actuel.

Le dernier dirigeant soviétique Mikhaïl Gorbatchev a vertement critiqué, mercredi, une Russie aux élites "dépravées" où la vie politique se résume à une "imitation", disant avoir "honte" de son pays, près de vingt ans après la fin de la perestroïka qu'il avait lancée. Dans un long entretien accordé au journal d'opposition Novaïa Gazeta dont il est l'un des actionnaires, Mikhaïl Gorbatchev, qui fêtera ses 80 ans le 2 mars, a notamment raconté que le chef adjoint de l'administration du Kremlin, Vladislav Sourkov, considéré comme le principal "idéologue" du pouvoir russe, l'a empêché de créer un parti social-démocrate.

"J'avais l'intention avec mes amis de créer un parti. Quand Sourkov l'a appris, il m'a demandé ça vous sert à quoi ? De toute façon, nous n'enregistrerons pas votre parti", a-t-il révélé. "La classe dirigeante se conduit de manière révoltante. Ils sont riches et dépravés. Leur idéal c'est (Roman) Abramovitch", milliardaire, propriétaire du club de football londonien Chelsea, de yachts et de villas luxueuses, estime Mikhaïl Gorbatchev. "J'ai honte de cette riche débauche" >>> Le Point.fr | Mercredi 16 Février 2011

Gorbachev Criticises Russia' Ruling Elite
NEWS 24: Moscow - The last leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, on Wednesday launched a stinging attack on Russia's ruling elite, claiming the Kremlin had banned him from setting up a political party.



In an interview with Novaya Gazeta newspaper ahead of his 80th birthday on March 2, Gorbachev said he wanted to set up a social democratic party but the Kremlin's chief ideologue Vladislav Surkov warned it would not be registered.



"With my friends, I have an idea to set up a party. When Surkov found out, he asked: 'Why do you need this? In any case, we are not going to register your party'," Gorbachev said.



Surkov, Kremlin first deputy chief of staff, is credited with creating the centralised power system that has marked Russia under the rule of Vladimir Putin as well as coining the phrase "sovereign democracy".



"I replied: We will create a movement," Gorbachev said. "And we created it. But a movement is not a party and does not take part in elections. We need to have a social democratic party that does not depend on the authorities."



He accused the ruling class in Russia of showing indifference to its people and also lashed out at billionaire Roman Abramovich who has built up his fortune while staying well away from politics. >>> SAPA | Wednesday, February 16, 2011

South Koreans in Anti-North Rally
Feb 16 - South Korean protesters in Seoul say they're hoping the popular uprisings of Tunisia and Egypt will spread to North Korea. Paul Chapman reports

North Korean leader turns 69
Feb 16 - North Korea marks the 69th birthday of leader Kim Jong-il as TV footage emerges of one of his sons attending an Eric Clapton concert in Singapore. Marie-Claire Fennessy reports

LE POINT: La Corée du Nord célèbre, dans la pénurie, le 69e anniversaire de Kim : La Corée du Nord célébrait mercredi le 69e anniversaire de son dirigeant Kim Jong-Il mais, selon un groupe de transfuges, les festivités étaient plus réduites qu'à l'habitude en raison notamment de la pénurie alimentaire chronique. >>> AFP | Mercredi 16 Février 2011

Egypt-inspired Protests Gain Pace Across Region
REUTERS: Anti-government protests inspired by popular revolts that toppled rulers in Tunisia and Egypt are gaining pace around the Middle East and North Africa despite political and economic concessions by nervous governments.

Clashes were reported for the first time in tightly controlled Libya, sandwiched between Egypt and Tunisia, while new protests erupted in Bahrain, Yemen and Iran on Wednesday.

The latest demonstrations against long-serving rulers came after U.S. President Barack Obama, commenting on the overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, declared: "The world is changing...if you are governing these countries, you've got to get out ahead of change, you can't be behind the curve."

With young people able to watch pro-democracy uprisings in other countries on satellite television or the Internet, and to communicate with like-minded activists on social networks hard for the secret police to control, governments across the region have grounds to fear contagion. >>> Paul Taylor | Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Plagiatsvorwurf: Guttenberg soll bei Doktorarbeit abgeschrieben haben
DER TAGESSPIEGEL: Verteidigungsminister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (CSU) muss sich gegen Vorwürfe wehren, er habe bei seiner Doktorarbeit getäuscht. Die Dissertation soll an mehreren Stellen "ein dreistes Plagiat" sein.

Nach Informationen der "Süddeutschen Zeitung" gibt es in Guttenbergs Doktorarbeit einige Passagen, die wörtlich mit Formulierungen anderer Autoren übereinstimmen, ohne dass er dies gekennzeichnet hat.

Die Dissertation sei an mehreren Stellen "ein dreistes Plagiat" und "eine Täuschung", zitiert das Blatt den Bremer Juraprofessor Andreas Fischer-Lescano, der die Parallelen dem Bericht zufolge bei einer Routineprüfung entdeckt hatte. Fischer-Lescano lehrt an der Universität Bremen Öffentliches Recht, Europa- und Völkerrecht. >>> dpa | Mittwoch, 16. Februar 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: German minister accused of plagiarising thesis: Germany's most popular minister on Wednesday denied he was guilty of plagiarising his doctoral thesis as his former university announced a probe into accusations made in a daily paper. >>> | Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Egypt Faces Economic Instability Post-Mubarak
Citizens in search of work

Iranian Lawmakers Call for Execution of Opposition Leaders
Protests growing increasingly violent

Violent Protests Break Out in Libya
Clashes reported in eastern city of Benghazi as security forces and government supporters confront demonstrators

Tensions Rise Between Sides in Yemen
In Yemen, thousands of people returned to the steets for a fifth day demanding President Ali Abdullah Saleh steps down. At the same time, swelling numbers of government loyalists occupied strategic locations in the capital, chanting slogans and saying they won't allow pro-democracy protesters to drive the country towards instability and chaos. Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra reports

Hosni Moubarak, le pharaon déchu
LE FIGARO: PORTRAIT - Après trente ans de règne sans partage, le président égyptien est victime du verrouillage d'un système de pouvoir qu'il avait lui-même mis en place. La révolte du peuple a eu raison de cet autocrate jusque-là intouchable.

Hosni Moubarak avait promis à son peuple «une société égalitaire, non une société de privilège». Alors qu'il s'efface de la scène après 30 ans de règne, jamais l'inégalité et les privilèges n'ont été aussi flagrants. La corruption sévit à tous les niveaux, du bakchich obligatoire pour toute démarche administrative au racket organisé par le pouvoir. Le régime règne par la surveillance, la peur et l'humiliation. La torture est banalisée, comme en témoignent des vidéos sur Internet montrant de simples quidams martyrisés dans les commissariats pour avoir simplement rencontré une patrouille de police au mauvais moment. Le système politique est sclérosé, réservant la candidature à l'élection présidentielle au seul candidat du parti au pouvoir.

On a peine à se souvenir que l'intronisation de Hosni Moubarak avait suscité l'espoir des Égyptiens, même si elle était la conséquence d'une catastrophe: l'assassinat d'Anouar el-Sadate, le 6 octobre 1981, par un commando islamiste. La rupture de style fut complète. Ses deux prédécesseurs irradiaient le charme. Les Égyptiens surnommèrent Moubarak «la vache qui rit» à cause de son sourire figé et de sa ressemblance supposée avec l'emblème du fromage fondu, populaire au Proche-Orient. Mais, au fond, le peuple et la classe dirigeante se sentirent rassurés. Après le flamboyant Nasser et l'imprévisible Sadate, qui avait lancé l'Égypte dans la guerre avant de signer la paix à Jérusalem, les Égyptiens étaient fatigués des héros. «Moubarak, c'est “Monsieur Moyen”. L'Égypte avait besoin d'une baisse de régime. Il est arrivé au bon moment», écrivit l'intellectuel Saad el-Dine Ibrahim. >>> Par Pierre Prier | Lundi 14 Février 2011

GB: étrangers à hauts salaires bienvenus
LE FIGARO: Les étrangers venant travailler au Royaume-Uni avec un salaire annuel de plus de 150.000 livres (près de 180.000 euros) seront exclus des nouveaux quotas migratoires afin de ne pas priver le pays des "meilleurs talents", a annoncé mercredi le gouvernement.



La mesure, qui répond à une demande pressante du monde économique, s'appliquera aux immigrants pouvant justifier d'un contrat de travail, a précisé le secrétaire d'Etat chargé de l'immigration Damian Green. Elle permettra aux avocats, banquiers ou chercheurs étrangers de haut niveau d'échapper aux règles mises en place à compter d'avril pour juguler l'immigration, à condition toutefois que leur casier judicaire dans leur pays d'origine soit vierge. La Grande-Bretagne doit attirer pour son économie "les meilleurs talents et les professionnels les plus brillants", a expliqué M. Green, tout en estimant que "cela ne doit pas se faire au détriment des travailleurs déjà présents". >>> AFP | Mercredi 16 Février 2011

Des manifestants opposés à Kadhafi dispersés par la police
LE MONDE: La police libyenne a dispersé par la force, dans la nuit de mardi 15 à mercredi 16 février, un sit-in contre le pouvoir à Benghazi. Des centaines de partisans du dirigeant libyen, Mouammar Kadhafi, ont, quant à eux, défilé peu après dans plusieurs villes du pays, a-t-on appris de sources concordantes. Au moins quatorze personnes auraient été blessées dans ces affrontements.

Des membres des familles de prisonniers tués en 1996 dans une fusillade dans la prison d'Abou Slim, à Tripoli, se sont rassemblés devant un poste de police à Bengazi pour réclamer la libération de leur coordinateur, l'avocat Fethi Tarbel, a rapporté le journal en ligne Al-Manara. D'après un habitant de la ville, cinq cents à six cents personnes ont manifesté leur colère. >>> LEMONDE.FR avec AFP et Reuters | Mercredi 16 Février 2011

Amerika ist fast wie Griechenland
ZEIT ONLINE: Die US-Schulden wachsen dramatisch. Doch Demokraten wie Republikaner schweigen über die notwendigen Sparmaßnahmen, denn 2012 wird gewählt.

Sind die USA noch zu retten? Ein Drittel der laufenden Ausgaben kann das Land nur durch Aufnahme neuer Schulden decken. Die Gesamtverschuldung durchbricht gerade die Schallmauer der kompletten Wertschöpfung eines Jahres. 14.300.000.000.000 Dollar. Amiland ist abgebrannt. Es ist das neue Griechenland – nur viel schlimmer.

Erstens sind die USA die größte Volkswirtschaft der Erde, mit weitem Abstand vor der neuen Nummer zwei, China. Zweitens hängt die wichtigste Weltwährung, der Dollar, von der Seriosität amerikanischer Finanzpolitik ab. Drittens war die Finanzkrise nur der Auslöser; die Probleme enden nicht, wenn die Konjunktur anspringt. Die Ursachen sind vielmehr struktureller Natur, auch die US-Bevölkerung altert, die staatlichen Zuschüsse zu den Sicherungssystemen explodieren. Viertens muss die Rettung von innen kommen. Im Fall Griechenlands hatten die Euro-Partner Druckmittel: Sie machten ihre Hilfe abhängig von Athens Selbstdisziplin. Es gibt keine Autorität, die die USA in ähnlicher Weise auf den Pfad der Tugend zurückzwingen kann. >>> Von Christoph von Marschall | Dienstag, 15. Februar 2011

Deutsche Boerse's $10 Bln NYSE Deal
Germany's Deutsche Boerse will take over NYSE Euronext in a deal valued at $10.2 billion, but the new company does not have a name, highlighting control concerns in both countries. Conway Gittens reports


Strong Reactions to NYSE Deal
Summary of business headlines: New Yorkers react to Deutsche Boerse, NYSE Euronext deal; Retail sales up less than forecasts; U.S. stocks close lower in light volume session. Bobbi Rebell reports

Bahrain Protesters Gather in Capital for Third Day
REUTERS: Thousands of Shi'ite demonstrators, inspired by popular revolts that toppled rulers in Tunisia and Egypt, poured into Bahrain's capital on Wednesday to mourn for a second protestor killed in clashes this week.

Several hundred gathered at a funeral procession for a man shot dead when police and mourners clashed at an earlier funeral procession on Tuesday.

"The people demand the fall of the regime!" protesters chanted, with the men pounding their chests, a Shi'ite symbol of sacrifice and anguish.

For the moment, protestors are calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa rather than King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, who has the final say in politics.

Sheikh Khalifa, the king's uncle, has governed the Gulf Arab state since its independence in 1971 and is seen as being mostly concerned with keeping the ruling family's grip on politics and the economy. >>> Cynthia Johnston, Manama | Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Bahrain Backlash Over Protest Deaths
King pledges inquiry into the deaths of an anti-government protester and clashes with police at his funeral in which another man was killed. Paul Chapman reports

Libyan Protesters Clash with Police in Benghazi
THE GUARDIAN: Arrest of human rights activist triggers demonstrations in Libya's second largest city

Hundreds of anti-government protesters have clashed with police overnight in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi. The protests were reportedly triggered by anger at the arrest of a human rights campaigner.

Meanwhile, Libyan state television said rallies were being held across the country in support of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The online edition of Libya's privately owned Quryna newspaper, which is based in Benghazi, reported that demonstrators had petrol bombs and threw stones. >>> Reuters | Wednesday, February 16, 2011

REUTERS: Riot breaks out in Libyan city of Benghazi: Hundreds of people angry at the arrest of a rights campaigner clashed with police and government supporters overnight in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, a witness and local media said. >>> Christian Lowe, Algiers | Wednesday, February 16, 2011

REUTERS: Libya to free 110 Islamist militants from jail >>> Christian Lowe, Tripoli | Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Curveball: How US Was Duped by Iraqi Fantasist Looking to Topple Saddam
THE GUARDIAN: Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi let imagination run wild and became main source for Colin Powell's case for war in 2003

In a small flat in the German town of Erlangen in February 2003, an out-of-work Iraqi sat down with his wife to watch one of the world's most powerful men deliver the speech of his career on live TV.

As US secretary of state, Colin Powell gathered his notes in front of the United Nations security council, the man watching — Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi, known to the west's intelligence services as "Curveball" — had more than an inkling of what was to come. He was, after all, Powell's main source, a man his German handlers had feted as a new "Deep throat" — an agent so pivotal that he could bring down a government.

As Curveball watched Powell make the US case to invade Iraq, he was hiding an admission that he has not made until now: that nearly every word he had told his interrogators from Germany's secret service, the BND, was a lie.

Everything he had said about the inner workings of Saddam Hussein's biological weapons programme was a flight of fantasy - one that, he now claims was aimed at ousting the Iraqi dictator. Janabi, a chemical engineering graduate who had worked in the Iraqi industry, says he looked on in shock as Powell's presentation revealed that the Bush administration's hawkish decisionmakers had swallowed the lot. Something else left him even more amazed; until that point he had not met a US official, let alone been interviewed by one.

"I had the chance to fabricate something to topple the regime," he told the Guardian in a series of interviews carried out in his native Arabic and German. "I and my sons are proud of that, and we are proud that we were the reason to give Iraq the margin of democracy." >>> Martin Chulov and Helen Pidd in Karlsruhe | Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Watch Guardian video here

Russian Foreign Minister Criticises the West for Supporting Arab Protests
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Russia and Britain engaged in a war of words over the people power protests across the Middle East as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov blasted Western support for demonstrations as counterproductive.

Differences between Mr Lavrov and Foreign Secretary William Hague surfaced during a meeting in London designed to display a rapprochement between Whitehall and the Kremlin after years of tension.

Moscow has called for restraint in the face of demonstrations that have shaken long established regimes. Britain and America have, by contrast, demanded that governments bow to the demands of frustrated protesters.

Tunisia and Egypt have seen the departure of their leaders since the demonstrations began and other regimes have been forced into reforms.

With its own record of corruption and authoritarian leaderships, Russia fears the tide of protest will spread to its own backyard.

"I think that we need to encourage all parties to agree between each other," said Mr Lavrov. "I think that it is counterproductive to impose democracy of a specific pattern."

"We have had one revolution in Russia and we don't believe that we need to call for others." >>> Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Michelle Obama Launches Breastfeeding Campaign
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Michelle Obama is to extend her campaign against childhood obesity by urging women to breastfeed and calling for the removal of barriers to nursing at work.

The Obama administration wants to introduce more flexible work rules and tax breaks on nursing equipment in order to encourage American women to breastfeed.

A recent study published in the journal Pediatrics found that babies who were breastfed for the first four to six months were less likely to be overweight or obese than children who were fed using formula and began eating solid foods before their fourth month.

The move risks fresh controversy for Mrs Obama after she was accused by Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor, and others of trying to use government power to dictate private behaviour like eating habits.

Giselle Bundchen *, a famous model, created a furore last year when she declared: "There should be a worldwide law, in my opinion, that mothers should breastfeed their babies for six months." >>> Toby Harnden, and Liza Meckler in Washington | Tuesday, February 15, 2011

* Giselle Bundchen must be pretty stupid if she thinks that ALL mothers can successfully breastfeed!

Arianna Huffington: 'I Believe in Little Legions'

THE GUARDIAN: The $315m sale of the Huffington Post to AOL is a great deal for its founder – but what about the unpaid bloggers who made it a success?

Although Arianna Huffington has achieved worldwide fame as an internet pioneer, her comfort with self-publicity turning her into the face of what may be the future of news websites, she also nurses a lifelong love for therapies that she calls "natural" and others call something else. Fire walking, homeopathy, infrared saunas – Huffington has tried them all over the years, never struggling to balance what some might see as two contrary schools of thought in her head: the hard cutting edge of new media and the fluffy airy-fairiness of New Age.

In her private office – which is almost as glossy as she is, filled with plush armchairs and an intricately carved desk – books by Andrew Weil (an advocate for vitamin supplements who has written numerous books on self healing through breathing, "energy food" and "vibrational sound") sit happily alongside David Remnick's tub thumper tome, The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama. On her desk, bottles of tinctures are placed in front of a photo of her with Queen Rania of Jordan and a handwritten note inviting her to brunch, signed Russell Simmons (whose book Super Rich: A Guide to Having it All is also on Huffington's bookcase, as though she needs any advice on that score.) Even though Christmas was two months ago, particular holiday cards linger on her window sill, including one from Joe Biden and another from a couple whose photo on the front is jarringly familiar: "Seasons greetings," it reads inside. "Tony, Cherie and family."

In short, it is all a testament to how much Huffington's eponymous website – on which features espousing holistic therapies run alongside political pieces about, say, John McCain or Egypt and columns by her celebrity friends, such as Nora Ephron – reflects the personality of its founder. But it's a personality that has puzzled some by its fluidity, "a mind as flexible as her body is unwieldy", as a 2008 profile of Huffington in the New Yorker magazine put it. Huffington has been, at various times, a self-help writer, a political pundit, an antagonist of feminists, a champion of women's causes, a follower of the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness, the champion of new media, a supporter of Newt Gingrich, a fan of President Obama, a Republican and a Democrat. >>> Hadley Freeman | Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Prostitution Probe Could Sink Berlusconi
Italy leader accused of paying for sex

'Iran is in Play'
Change coming to Iran?

Dominoes Falling in the Mideast
Wave of political unrest across region

Gutfeld: Bloomberg's War on Smoking
Mayor misunderstands human nature

Reflections From Egypt
Ashley Webster shares his experience

Mervyn King Warns of Inflation for Next Three Years
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Mervyn King, the Governor of the Bank of England, has warned that inflation could remain high for the next two to three years, leading to a substantial fall in many people's real incomes.

With the average worker's salary forecast to tick up by little more than 2 per cent a year, unable to match the escalating the cost of living, millions of families will feel significantly worse off, experts warned.

Mr King's warning came as official data revealed that inflation, as measured by the Consumer Prices Index, climbed from 3.7 per cent in December last year to 4 per cent in January, the highest level for over two years.

The surging price of oil, petrol and the increase in the rate of VAT, which pushed up the price of alcohol and restaurant meals, were the main reasons for the jump.

The Retail Prices Index, a measure of inflation that many believe more accurately reflects the true cost of living because it contains housing costs, increased from 4.8 per cent to 5.1 per cent.

This is now the 13th consecutive month that the CPI figure has been above the Treasury target of 2 per cent, prompting Mr King to write a letter of explanation to George Osborne, the Chancellor. >>> Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Editor | Tuesday, February 15, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Bank of England has been utterly and consistently wrong on inflation: stupidity or dishonesty? >>> Daniel Hannan | Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Bahrain: Demonstrators Killed in Clashes with Police
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Two Shiite demonstrators were killed in clashes with Bahraini police, sparking calls to step up anti-government protests on Tuesday [sic?] and a walkout from parliament of the main Shiite opposition bloc.


The Islamic National Accord Association which has 18 seats in the 40-member house has "suspended its membership in the Bahraini parliament" according to MP Khalil al-Marzooq.

The decision was taken because of "the deterioration in security and the negative and brutal way in which (the authorities) dealt with the protesters, killing two of them," he said.

Fadel Salman Matrouk was shot dead in front of a hospital on Tuesday where mourners gathered for the funeral of Msheymah Ali who died of his wounds after police dispersed a protest in a village east of Manama on Monday, he said.

The Bahrain interior ministry said that "some of the people participating in the funeral on Tuesday clashed with forces from a security patrol," leading to Matrouk's death.

"An investigation is under way to determine the circumstances surrounding the case," it said. >>> | Tuesday, February 15, 2011

FOX NEWS: Thousands of Protesters Take Control of Bahrain's Main Square: DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Thousands of protesters poured into a main square in Bahrain's capital of Manama Tuesday in an Egypt-style rebellion that sharply escalated pressure on authorities as the Arab push for change gripped the Gulf for the first time. >>> Associated Press | Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Clashes in Bahrain

LETZTE HOFFNUNG EUROPA: Auf diesen Routen kommen die Flüchtlinge zu uns
Massive Flüchtlingsströme erreichen die europäischen Mittelmeerküsten. Die Menschen nutzen das Chaos an den Grenzen und begeben sich auf die gefährliche Fahrt über das Mittelmeer

Islamismus, nein danke!
FOCUS ONLINE: Mubarak ist fort, ob aber aus Ägypten wirklich eine Demokratie wird, bleibt ungewiss. Ganz Arabien wankt auf einem schmalen Grat – fort von den alten Despoten, hin zu neuer Freiheit. Und an den Abgründen dieses zugigen Pfades lauert der islamische Fundamentalismus. Aus den warmen Stuben des Westens geizen unsere Politiker nicht mit guten Ratschlägen. Dabei sehen wir im Widerstand gegen den Islamismus selber eher feige aus.

Nach den Fällen Salman Rushdies und Theo van Goghs wagt kaum noch ein Schriftsteller Kritik am Islam. Auch die Karikaturisten und Kabarettisten haben damit aufgehört, seit dänische Zeichnungen einen Sturm islamistischer Gewalt ausgelöst haben. Inzwischen berichten sogar Lehrer und Universitätsdozenten von systematischen Einschüchterungen durch islamische Vereine, wenn in irgendeiner Disziplin vermeintliche Glaubensfragen tangiert werden. In Großstadtschulen toben muslimische Eltern, falls Mädchen mit Jungen im Sportunterricht turnen, Sexualkunde auf dem Plan steht oder über Israel diskutiert wird.

Im großen Kulturkampf üben wir kleines Zurückweichen. Kruzifixe werden in öffentlichen Gebäuden abgehängt. Nikolaus-, Weihnachts- und Osterfeiern verbannt man bereits aus deutschen Kindergärten. Selbst die Banken beginnen damit, die Sparschweine abzuschaffen, weil sie religiöse Gefühle von Muslimen verletzen könnten. Wir gewöhnen uns an einen asymmetrischen „Dialog der Kulturen“, der darin besteht, dass wir zusehends schweigen, zurück- und hinnehmen, wo die anderen fordern und austeilen. Dabei warnte uns schon Nietzsche: „Übertriebene Toleranz ist ein Beweis des Misstrauens gegen das eigene Ideal.“ Weiter lesen und einen Kommentar schreiben >>> von FOCUS-Chefredakteur Wolfram Weimer | Montag, 14. Februar 2011

Ein historischer Tag für die Börsenwelt
TAGES ANZEIGER: Die Deutsche Börse und die NYSE Euronext haben sich auf eine Fusion zur weltgrössten Börse geeinigt. Die Verwaltungsräte beider Unternehmen hätten den Plänen zugestimmt, teilten die Börsenbetreiber heute mit.

Die Verwaltungsräte beider Unternehmen hätten den Plänen zugestimmt, teilten die Börsenbetreiber in Frankfurt und New York am Dienstag mit. Durch den Zusammenschluss entsteht der weltweit grösste Handelsplatz für Aktien und Derivate. Die Aktionäre und die Aufsichtsgremien müssen dem Zusammenschluss noch zustimmen. >>> pbe/sda, dapd, AFP | Dienstag, 15. Februar 2011

La grande peur des sunnites : être lâchés par les Etats-Unis
LE MONDE: C'est le cauchemar que redoutent, depuis 1979, la plupart des alliés arabes des Etats-Unis : un lâchage américain. Qu'il s'agisse du royaume saoudien, des principautés du Golfe, ou de la monarchie hachémite en Jordanie, tous ont gardé en mémoire le sort du chah d'Iran. Pièce maîtresse de l'endiguement soviétique et d'un "grand jeu" pétrolier mis en place par Washington, après le renversement du premier ministre, Mohammad Mossadegh, en 1953, cet autocrate fut abandonné en rase campagne, une génération plus tard, par une administration américaine qui le jugeait désormais indéfendable.

Silencieux pendant la révolution tunisienne, inquiets par la tournure prise par les événements en Egypte, les monarchies autoritaires de la région ne peuvent qu'être déstabilisées par la succession de déclarations américaines incitant le président Hosni Moubarak à répondre au plus vite à la pression de sa rue.

L'Arabie saoudite est sortie de sa réserve traditionnelle en tonnant, jeudi 10 février, contre "l'ingérence de certains pays étrangers". Pour la dynastie saoudienne, les Etats-Unis alimentent la contestation par ces prises de position pressantes. Qu'un pays affaiblisse ainsi son allié leur paraît inconcevable et incompréhensible, surtout dans un contexte régional où tout ce qui pénalise l'axe des pays arabes présentés comme "modérés" (c'est-à-dire proches des Occidentaux) renforce le voisin iranien déjà débarrassé de l'endiguement assuré par l'Irak à la suite de l'invasion américaine de 2003.

Avec une Egypte paralysée pour longtemps par ses tumultes intérieurs, cet axe perd l'un de ses deux principaux moteurs. Même diminuée par le vieillissement du régime et la réduction de son influence régionale aux affaires palestiniennes, l'Egypte conservait jusqu'à présent des atouts : un appareil et un savoir-faire diplomatiques sans équivalent dans la région et une puissance économique émergente.

Le second moteur arabe, le saoudien, n'est pas sans défaillances, alors que la Jordanie connaît également quelques troubles. La convalescence du roi saoudien Abdallah au Maroc, après des opérations du dos subies aux Etats-Unis, en décembre 2010, a mis en évidence la fragilité d'une dynastie confrontée à la perspective de successions répétées compte tenu de l'âge avancé du roi (86 ans), de celui du prince héritier, Sultan (83 ans), et du suivant dans l'ordre de succession, le prince Nayef (77 ans). >>> LeMonde | Friday, 12 Février 2011

Bedouin Tribes Accuse Jordan's Queen Rania of Corruption
THE GUARDIAN: Criticism comes at a difficult time for the monarchy, whose authority has been sapped by growing political unrest

In an unprecedented move the leaders of Jordan's main Bedouin tribes have published an open letter addressed to King Abdullah II accusing his wife, Queen Rania, of corruption. The text, released on 5 February, is signed by 36 representatives of the main Bedouin tribes. It comes at a particularly difficult time for the king, whose authority has been sapped by the growing discontent voiced by demonstrators.

On 9 February the recently appointed prime minister, Marouf Bakhit, announced a new cabinet including several leftwing figures and an Islamist. But this timid opening seems unlikely to end the unrest.

Until now the monarchy had managed to play on the opposition's instinctive loyalty. "It is not the king who is to blame," Hamza Mansour, the secretary-general of the Islamic Action Front (the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood), recently told Le Monde, "but the clique surrounding him." The outlook seems even more uncertain now that the tribes have added their voice to the tide of criticism. >>> Laurent Zecchini | Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Related >>>

Clinton Says It's Time For Iran To 'Open Up'

RADIO FREE EUROPE / RADIO LIBERTY: In an interview with U.S.-funded television network Alhurra, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the changes in Egypt are in the best interests of the region and urged demonstrators in other Arab countries to remain peaceful in their own drives for reform.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has hailed the "courage" and "aspirations" of antigovernment protesters in Iran, after thousands of them took to the streets of several Iranian cities.

In Tehran, opposition supporters rallying in solidarity with uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia clashed with security forces. One death was reported and dozens of people detained.

Speaking to reporters during a visit to Congress, Clinton wished the opposition and "the brave people in the streets across cities in Iran the same opportunity that they saw their Egyptian counterparts seize in the last week."

She also pressed Tehran to follow Egypt's example and "open up" its political system.

"We support the universal human rights of the Iranian people," she said. "They deserve to have the same rights that they saw being played out in Egypt and that are part of their own birthright."

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, rejected the remarks on February 15.

"We think that the shared desire of all the nations in the region is for the oppressive countries not to meddle -- especially in the face of the violations and encroachment of the Zionist regime -- and to cut off dependence from the U.S. and the Zionist regimes and their supporters," Mehmanparast said.

Shots In The Air, Tear Gas

Eyewitnesses told RFE/RL that thousands of protesters on February 14 answered calls from the opposition to turn out for a banned rally in Tehran in support of the recent uprisings that ousted long-serving rulers in Tunisia and Egypt.

Protests were also reported in several other cities, including Shiraz and Isfahan.

Tehran demonstrators chanting slogans against Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were met with opposition by security forces, who fired into the air and used tear gas to disperse the crowd in the streets leading to Azadi Square -- the announced site of the main rally.

Opposition websites reported "dozens" of arrests at the rally -- the most significant since the December 2009 street protests that shook the Islamic republic and in which eight people were reported killed. >>> Antoine Blua, with contributions from Alhurra and agency reports | RFE/RL | Tuesday, February 15, 2011

RADIO FREE EUROPE / RADIO LIBERTY: White House Says Iranian Government 'Scared' By Egypt Upheaval: The White House says Iran's censoring of foreign news reports on the unrest in Egypt shows how the authorities in Tehran fear their own people.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the Iranian government was "scared of the will of its people." >>> Compiled from agency reports | Saturday, February 12, 2011

RADIO FREE EUROPE / RADIO LIBERTY: Website: Police Block Access To Iranian Opposition Leader's House: The website of Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Musavi said police today blocked access to his house and cut his telephone lines to prevent him from attending a rally later today. The report could not be independently confirmed. >>> Compiled from agency reports | February 14, 2011