Friday, March 11, 2011
THE WEST AUSTRALIAN: Massive quake unleashes tsunami on Japan: TOKYO - One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded hit Japan Friday, unleashing a 10-metre high tsunami that tossed ships inland and sparked fears that destructive waves could hit across the Pacific Ocean. >>> AFP | Friday, March 11, 2011
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THE WASHINGTON POST: Uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt have toppled their regimes. Unrest continues in Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Algeria and Oman. Yet the host of the world's largest energy reserves and the birthplace of Islam, Saudi Arabia, remains conspicuously quiet.
Saudi Arabia shares some characteristics that have been causes for unrest - such as high unemployment among its youth and public-sector corruption - but the kingdom has strengths its neighbors lack. Its strong economy and weak opposition are clear. Less understood in the West is another critical element: a nationalism that has been fostered by and is strongly linked to the monarchy. These qualities make it highly unlikely that the unrest in other Arab countries will spread to the kingdom.
Economically, Saudi Arabia is able to fund projects that satisfy the needs of its growing population. Record revenue from energy exports has been invested in infrastructure and social services. It has spent tens of billions the past several years on universities and other schools, hospitals, rail lines and housing developments. An additional $29.5 billion in financial benefits to poorer Saudis - including help for the unemployed - was recently announced, as were raises for public servants and efforts to mitigate inflationary pressures. Last year, the salaries of all soldiers and military officers were increased.
Although Saudi Arabia has amassed more than $500 billion in foreign reserves during the reign of King Abdullah - a measure widely seen as representative of the government's fiscal responsibility - the kingdom still faces economic challenges. By world standards, Saudi Arabia is wealthy; the global poverty line is $1.25 per day. All Saudis receive housing assistance and free health care and education; per capita income is about $18,500. Yet many Saudis feel that this standard of living is not commensurate with a country so rich in resources. To address embarrassment and unhappiness, the government launched a national strategy a few years ago to combat poverty, aiming to reduce the number of those living below the poverty level ($1,015 per month) from 13.3 percent in 2010 to 2.2 percent in 2020. Another initiative is on track to help the 1.63 percent of Saudis living in "extreme poverty" (less than $450 per month) by the end of this year. >>> Nawaf Obaid | Friday, March 11, 2011
THE WASHINGTON POST: The White House announced Thursday that it will send a government aid team into rebel-held parts of Libya and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said she will meet next week with representatives of the transition council, moves that edged the Obama administration closer to the formal Libyan opposition.
But the administration stopped far short of recognizing the council as Libya's legitimate government and continued to wrestle with how to achieve its goals of pushing Moammar Gaddafi from power while ensuring that something better far replaces him.
The White House rejected criticism from some lawmakers that its response has been too slow to fast-moving events on the ground. On Thursday, Gaddafi loyalists routed opposition fighters from Ras Lanuf, a strategic oil port the rebels had held for a week, and said they had retaken the town of Zawiyah, 27 miles west of Tripoli.
Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam triumphantly proclaimed to a crowd in the capital that forces loyal to his father would continue to reverse the rebels' gains. "Hear it now. I have only two words for our brothers and sisters in the east: We're coming," he said. >>> Karen DeYoung and Edward Cody, Washington Post Staff Writers | Thursday, March 10, 2011
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Eight people have been confirmed killed after a massive 8.9-magnitude quake hit northeast Japan, causing a four-metre tsunami along parts of the country's coastline. >>> Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies | Friday, March 11, 2011
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MARKET WATCH: SEATTLE — Strong markets are supposed to rise along a wall of worry. This one was rising very nicely amid plenty of worries until investors caught a whiff of the idea that Saudi Arabia could fall victim to the unrest enveloping the Middle East.
So now stocks are slipping and crawling. It’s all about the optics. If you can see a problem, then you can ignore it. But if you aren’t sure what you see, paralysis ensues.
Any real threat that the Fahd monarchy and Sunni hegemony in Saudi Arabia could possibly come under attack would spark more than a worry. It would be thunder, lightning, a hurricane, a tornado, a tidal wave and earthquake all rolled up in one sand-colored bombshell.
No one really cares about Libya, after all. The two sides there can blast each other to kingdom come for all that most investors in London, Paris, Frankfurt and Wall Street care. Sure, there’s a decent amount of oil at stake at Bayda, Benghazi & Beyond, but concerns about the region begin and end at Saudi borders. >>> Jon Markman, MarketWatch | Thursday, March 10, 2011
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THE WASHINGTON POST: JIDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA - It is 9 p.m. on a Monday, and the Jasur bookstore cafe in Jiddah's chic Hamra district is hopping. Upstairs, Saudi men and women pack a poetry reading, while downstairs a book club discusses Malcolm Gladwell's bestseller, "Blink." Nearby, a team of young comic writers is hashing out the latest in a series of YouTube episodes that satirize Saudi politics and society."Don't get me wrong," Hasan Eid, the editor of a poetry anthology, reads from a new collection. "I love my country to death. But what I see every day makes me sigh under my breath."
With some Saudi men in jeans, others in traditional thobes, and women in black abayas, the emergence of the trendy literary scene is nothing short of groundbreaking in this conservative kingdom, where the mixing of sexes is largely prohibited and movie theaters are banned.
A growing frustration with Saudi political and social behaviors has been visible throughout the kingdom in recent weeks, as measured in budding protests, bolder blog posts and petitions asking King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz to loosen up his rule.
But the discontent is particularly palpable among the young and educated in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia's historically most progressive city, which has long been at odds with the more religiously conservative capital, Riyadh. The new cafe has become a hub for young intellectuals to share ideas as the Middle East undergoes the most sweeping period of change in their lifetimes.
Inspired by their counterparts in Tunisia, Egypt and other parts of the Arab world, Jiddah's 20-somethings are ablaze on Facebook, blogs and Twitter, tweeting away on iPhones and BlackBerrys about government corruption and the need for political reform, while organizing social gatherings such as those at the bookstore that have long been taboo. >>> Janine Zacaria, Washington Post Foreign Service | Friday, March 11, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: US soldier held on suspicion of leaking state secrets speaks out for first time about experience'Stripping me of all of my clothing is without justification'
Bradley Manning, the US soldier being held in solitary confinement on suspicion of having released state secrets to WikiLeaks, has spoken out for the first time about what he claims is his punitive and unlawful treatment in military prison.
In an 11-page legal letter released by his lawyer, David Coombs, Manning sets out in his own words how he has been "left to languish under the unduly harsh conditions of max [security] custody" ever since he was brought from Kuwait to the military brig of Quantico marine base in Virginia in July last year. He describes how he was put on suicide watch in January, how he is currently being stripped naked every night, and how he is in general terms being subjected to what he calls "unlawful pre-trial punishment".
It is the first time Manning has spoken publicly about his treatment, having previously only been heard through the intermediaries of his lawyer and a friend. Details that have emerged up to now have inspired the UN to launch an inquiry into whether the conditions amount to torture, and have led to protests to the US government from Amnesty International.
The most graphic passage of the letter is Manning's description of how he was placed on suicide watch for three days from 18 January. "I was stripped of all clothing with the exception of my underwear. My prescription eyeglasses were taken away from me and I was forced to sit in essential blindness." >>> Ed Pilkington in New York | Friday, March 11, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: Alleged WikiLeaks source cites demeaning routines and says he was 'punitively' placed on suicide watchSince the beginning of this month, Bradley Manning has been stripped naked every night and made to parade in front of his officers and guards in the nude. It started on 2 March when Manning was informed that his attempt to have his harsh treatment in prison ameliorated had been unsuccessful. This is an edited version of his description of what happened next:
Understandably frustrated by this decision after enduring over seven months of unduly harsh confinement conditions, I asked the brig operations officer, MSG Papakie, what I needed to do in order to be downgraded from maximum custody and prevention of injury status. MSG Papakie responded by telling me that there was nothing I could do to downgrade my detainee status and that the brig simply considered me a risk of self-harm.
Out of frustration, I responded that the PoI restrictions were absurd and sarcastically told him if I really wanted to harm myself, that I could conceivably do so with the elastic waistband of my underwear or with my flip-flops.
Later that same day, I was told that I would be stripped naked at night due to something that I had said to MSG Papakie. Shocked, I replied that I hadn't said anything. I had just pointed out the absurdity of my current confinement conditions.
Without consulting any brig mental health provider, chief warrant officer Denise Barnes used my sarcastic comment as justification to increase the restrictions imposed upon me under the guise of being concerned that I was a suicide risk. >>> Ed Pilkington in New York | Friday, March 11, 2011
REUTERS: Shots were heard near the protest by around 200 Shi'ites in the town of Qatif in Eastern Province, home to some of the world's largest oil fields and a large Shi'ite minority.
The clampdown was a sign that the Saudi government was serious about enforcing a ban on protests called for Friday by Internet activists emboldened by protests that toppled the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia before spreading to the Gulf.
"There was firing, it was sporadic," one witness said, adding that the sound of gunfire was interspersed with the noise from stun grenades.
A spokesman for the Saudi Interior Ministry said police fired over the heads of the crowd after they attacked a police officer who was documenting the protest, and said two protesters and a police officer were injured. >>> Ulf Laessing and Cynthia Johnston RIYADH | Thursday, March 10, 2011
REUTERS: U.S. says aware of reports of shots in Saudi Arabia: The White House said on Thursday it was aware of reports that shots had been fired during a protest in Saudi Arabia and that the United States would continue to monitor that situation. >>> WASHINGTON | Thursday, March 10, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: Saudi police open fire on pro-democracy protesters: Government officials had warned strong action would be taken against protests calling for democratic reforms >>> Staff and agencies | Thursday, March 10, 2011
THE AUSTRALIAN: Dow tumbles below 12,000 mark after Saudi police fired on protesters >>> Brendan Conway | Dow Jones Newswires | Friday, March 11, 2011
BAHRAIN CENTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: Bahrain Urgently Recruits More Mercenaries Amidst Political Crisis: Bahrain is continuing to hire hundreds of former soldiers from Pakistan to serve in its National Guard, even as pro-democracy protesters in Bahrain demand an end to the government’s controversial practice of recruiting foreigners in to the security forces. >>> | Friday, March 11, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Tsunami hits Japan after 8.8 magnitude earthquake: An earthquake measuring 8.8 struck off the northeast coast of Japan on Friday, shaking buildings in the capital Tokyo, causing "many injuries", major tsunami damage and at least one fire. >>> | Friday, March 11, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Exclusive: The Duke of York should be sacked as trade envoy “as soon as possible” because he is doing “serious damage” to the Royal family and to Britain, a former ambassador has told ministers.
Stephen Day, a former head of the Foreign Office’s Middle East section, took the highly unusual step of writing to three Whitehall departments, making an impassioned plea for the Government to end the Duke’s “embarrassing” activities.
Mr Day, whose letter has been obtained by The Daily Telegraph, said the Duke was the “worst person” to deploy in countries such as Qatar, where his presence was seen as “crass”.
He also alleged that the Duke had held a “worrying” private meeting with Col Gaddafi three years ago at the home of Sakher el-Materi, the son-in-law of the recently ousted Tunisian president, and described by Mr Day as “the worst of all the crooks in the presidential family”.
In another development, The Daily Telegraph has learnt that the Duke could be asked to give evidence in two separate legal cases involving his friend Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted paedophile.
The latest disclosures will increase pressure on the Duke to resign as Britain’s special representative for trade and investment, following weeks of controversy over his relationships with Mr Epstein and a host of other business contacts. The Duke has faced questions over his friendships with billionaires and politicians in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tunisia, Libya and Turkmenistan. >>> Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter | Thursday, March 10, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Stephen Day's letter: Royal envoys are 'crass and insulting' – Here is a full transcript of the letter in which Stephen Day, a former ambassador, urges ministers to sack the Duke of York as trade envoy. >>> | Thursday, March 10, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The “prestige” of the international community will be lost if Colonel Gaddafi is allowed to cling to power in Libya, Sir John Major has warned.Unless Gaddafi is toppled, he will inflict “bloody reprisals” on the Libyan people, the former prime minister said. Other Middle Eastern leaders would also be encouraged to continue to repress their people.
He spoke as Western leaders continued to debate their response to the growing violence in Libya, where Col Gaddafi’s forces were yesterday making significant gains against opposition groups.
Sir John also backed William Hague as a “superb” foreign secretary, amid continued Conservative criticisms of his performance in the job.
Sir John speaks frequently to David Cameron, advising the Prime Minister on issues including the Middle East, where he travels frequently on business.
European Union and Nato leaders will meet today to continue discussing their response to the Libyan crisis, but there is still no sign of an international consensus on military action. >>> James Kirkup, Political Correspondent | Thursday, March 10, 2011
If something isn’t done about Gaddafi soon, it will be too late. The opportunity to topple this despicable dictator will have been lost. President Barack Hussein Obama is showing no leadership in this thorny issue. Isn't he a typical academic? Quite unable to make up his mind because he is able to see the problem from each and every angle. So, he ends up dithering instead of taking decisive action. This, of course, is a very dangerous strategy (or lack of one). If Gaddafi is allowed to cling to power, and it looks as though he probably will cling to power given today’s advances, he will terrorize his own people and, as retribution, will probably resume terrorizing the world, too. We only have to think of Lockerbie for a graphic example of such a nightmare scenario. – © Mark
THE GUARDIAN: • Rebels retreat from Ras Lanuf and Zawiya
• Regime warns of full-scale military action
• Nato in paralysis as US blocks no-fly zone
• Navy chief says Britain ready to send more shipsThe Gaddafi regime has issued a defiant warning that the "time for action" had arrived as a sustained military assault forced the defeat of Libyan rebels in the strategically important town of Zawiya and their retreat from Ras Lanuf.
Amid squabbling among EU and Nato leaders on the eve of an emergency European summit on Libya in Brussels, Muammar Gaddafi's son said that a new offensive would be launched within days.
"It's time for liberation. It's time for action," Saif al-Islam told Reuters after the defeat of opposition forces in the town of Zawiya, 30 miles from Tripoli, and the rout of rebels in the town of Ras Lanuf. He added: "We are moving now."
The tough rhetoric from the Gaddafi regime – and its apparent success on the ground against the rebels – set the scene for a difficult emergency EU summit where leaders are expected to clash on the military and diplomatic response to the gravest crisis on their doorstep since the collapse of Yugoslavia. Fears among Libyan opposition groups that they will be defeated by the time Europe and the US agree on a course of action were heightened when:
• Nato was left paralysed as the US joined Germany in blocking the imposition of a no-fly zone supported by Britain and France. Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, said at a meeting of Nato defence ministers in Brussels that contingency planning for a no-fly zone would continue, before adding "that's the extent of it". >>> Peter Beaumont in Tripoli, Ian Traynor in Brussels and Nicholas Watt | Thursday, March 10, 2011
THE SPECTATOR: The tragic truth is that in Libya Colonel Gaddafi appears to be on the way to regaining control. As the US director of national intelligence said today The tragic truth is that in Libya Colonel Gaddafi appears to be on the way to regaining control. As the US director of national intelligence said today, the regime’s superior military strength makes it likely that “over longer term, that the regime will prevail." Realistically, the only way to stop this from happening is through intervention of some sort—with the most plausible option still a no-fly zone which would deny the regime air superiority. Without this, the regime’s all out-war tactics—as declared by Saif Gaddafi today—will prevail. >>> James Forsyth | Thursday, March 10, 2011
BBC: Col Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam, has said that he will "never ever surrender" to rebels he described as terrorists.
He also confirmed that three Dutch soldiers seized last month during a failed attempt to evacuate two civilians by navy helicopter would be freed.
Saif al-Islam also said that Libya is "united and so strong", and would reject any intervention by Nato.
Nato defence ministers met to discuss military options in the Libyan conflict, which has raged since mid-February when opponents to Col Gaddafi's 41-year rule seized many towns in eastern Libya. Watch BBC video >>> | Thursday, March 10, 2011
FAZ.NET: Der Rat der EU hat neue Sanktionen gegen Gaddafi beschlossen, darunter das Einfrieren des Vermögens von fünf libyschen Finanzunternehmen. Die Zeitung „Le Monde“ berichtet, der französische Präsident Sarkozy wolle der EU am Freitag gezielte Luftangriffe auf Libyen vorschlagen.Die EU hat am Donnerstag ihre Sanktionen gegen Libyen verschärft und nun auch das Vermögen des libyschen Staatsfonds und mehrerer Banken des Landes in Europa eingefroren. „Es soll kein frisches Geld mehr in die Hände der Diktatorenfamilie fließen“, sagte Außenminister Westerwelle in Brüssel. Das Bundeswirtschaftsministerium gab bekannt, dass in Deutschland schon am Mittwoch die Guthaben von vier der betroffenen Institutionen vorab eingefroren worden war, um zu verhindern, dass Geld vor Inkrafttreten der Sanktionen abgezogen wird. >>> FAZ.NET mit nbu./mic./rüb. | Jeudi 10. März 2011
LE MONDE: Le régime libyen a affirmé jeudi 10 mars, via son agence officielle, que la révélation d'un "grave secret" allait entraîner la chute du président français Nicolas Sarkozy, peu après la reconnaissance par Paris du Conseil national de transition comme représentant du peuple libyen. L'agence officielle libyenne Jana a annoncé avoir "appris qu'un grave secret va entraîner la chute de Sarkozy, voire son jugement en lien avec le financement de sa campagne électorale".
Cette annonce, reprise par la télévision officielle, est survenue peu après la reconnaissance par Paris du Conseil national de transition (CNT) libyen, qui réunit l'opposition au régime du colonel Mouammar Kadhafi, comme le seul "représentant légitime du peuple libyen" et sa décision d'envoyer prochainement un ambassadeur à Benghazi.
En outre, un responsable du ministère des affaires étrangères libyen a menacé de rompre tout lien diplomatique avec la France en raison de la reconnaissance par Paris du CNT. "La Libye va réfléchir à rompre ses relations avec la France en raison d'informations circulant sur l'intervention dommageable de la France dans les affaires intérieures libyennes", a dit ce diplomate à l'agence Jana. >>> LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | Jeudi 10 Mars 2011
LE MONDE: Le roi du Maroc, Mohammed VI, a annoncé une "réforme constitutionnelle globale", qui sera suivie d'un référendum, dans un discours à la nation prononcé mercredi 9 mars, le premier après les manifestations du 20 février au Maroc.
"Nous avons décidé d'entreprendre une réforme constitutionnelle globale", a déclaré le souverain, soulignant son "engagement ferme à donner une forte impulsion à la dynamique réformatrice profonde (...) en cours". "Le projet de la nouvelle constitution" sera "soumis au référendum populaire" et entrera "en vigueur après son approbation", a précisé le souverain. Le roi a également annoncé la prochaine formation d'une commission ad hoc pour la "révision de la Constitution", réformée pour la dernière fois en 1996 et dont la présidence sera confiée au constitutionnaliste marocain Abdeltif Menouni. >>> LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | Mercredi 09 Mars 2011
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THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Al Qaeda is targeting Muslim Americans for recruits to terrorism and the community must do more to combat Islamic radicalisation, a U.S. lawmaker said on Thursday as he opened hearings that have been criticised as a witch hunt.Peter King, the chairman of the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee who called the hearings, has accused the Muslim community of refusing to co-operate with law enforcement and charged that preaching in some U.S. mosques was leading to radicalisation.
"To combat this threat, moderate leadership must emerge from the Muslim community," Mr King said. "Today, we must be fully aware that home-grown radicalisation is part of al Qaeda's strategy to continue attacking the United States."
Mr King denied accusations that the hearings were "radical or un-American" and said there was no comparison between the threat by al Qaeda and neo-Nazis, environmental extremists and other "isolated madmen."
The New York congressman has been criticised by religious and civil rights leaders as going on a witch hunt for focusing on a single community, but he has defended the hearings, citing the open attempts by al Qaeda militants to recruit its members to launch attacks. >>> | Thursday, March 10, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Egypt's reformist Mohamed ElBaradei announced on Wednesday that he planned to run for president in an election expected to be held this year.It was the first time that Mr ElBaradei, who won the Nobel peace prize in 2005, has explicitly announced he would run for president after President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown by an 18-day popular uprising last month.
"When the door of presidential nominations opens, I intend to nominate myself," Mr ElBaradei said on a live talk show on privately-owned ONTV channel.
Mr ElBaradei, 68, also said that he would vote against constitutional amendments in a referendum set for March 19, adding that a new constitution must be drawn instead.
"I will not vote for these constitutional amendments, I will vote against these amendments," he said.
"The current constitution fell. It would be an insult to the revolution if we decided to retrieve this constitution," Mr ElBaradei said, calling instead for "a new constitution, a presidential vote and then parliamentary vote". >>> | Thursday, March 10, 2011
HAARETZ: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's comments come as Iranian President Ahmadinejad says global Islamic awakening is toppling murderous and corrupt world powers.The United States will suffer the same defeat as that experienced by despotic Mideast regimes, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted as saying by Iran's Fars news agency on Thursday, as the country's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared the era of worldwide "hegemonic powers" was over.
In a meeting with Iranian officials in Tehran, Khamenei, referring to recent Mideast turmoil, which had seen regimes changes in both Tunisia and Egypt, said that it was God's will that the United States would too be defeated by what he sees as an Islamic revolution.
"Not only corrupted and despotic rulers but the United States and other world powers with an aggressive nature will finally suffer a defeat by nations and God's promises will come true," Khamenei said.
The Supreme Leader's comments came after Iran's President, also speaking in Thursday, said that murderous and corrupt world powers were collapsing as a result of a global Islamic awakening. >>> Haaretz Service | Thursday, March 10, 2011
HAARETZ: Cable from U.S. embassy in Tripoli said Libyan leader's son Saif al-Islam had regularly siphoned off oil produced by France's Total oil company and its German partner Wintershall in offshore al Jurf field.The United States believed in 2009 that Muammar Gadhafi's son Saif al-Islam was personally profiting from part of the output of an oil field run by France's Total oil and gas company, according to a diplomatic cable published by the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten.
The cable from the U.S. embassy in Tripoli -- part of a leaked cache made available to Aftenposten by the Wikileaks site -- said the Libyan leader's son had regularly siphoned off oil produced by Total and its German partner Wintershall in the offshore al Jurf field.
"The embassy could not determine whether Saif's tapping of oil affected the Libyan state's share or whether it came at the expense of the foreign companies," Aftenposten reported on Thursday. >>> Reuters | Thursday, March 10, 2011
DIE PRESSE: Frankreich erkennt die Rebellen als "rechtmäßige Vertreter" Libyens an. Außerdem will es der EU gezielte Luftangriffe vorschlagen. Die Kämpfe im Land gehen unvermindert weiter.
Frankreich macht in der Libyen-Krise Druck: Präsident Nicolas Sarkozy will der Europäischen Union gezielte Luftangriffe auf libysche Ziele vorschlagen. Das berichtete die Nachrichtenagentur AFP am Donnerstag unter Berufung auf Regierungskreise in Paris.
Sarkozy will seinen EU-Kollegen bei dem Sondergipfel am Freitag einen "umfassenden Plan" vorstellen, um auf die Lage in Libyen zu reagieren. Er soll drei Ziele für Luftangriffe ins Auge gefasst haben: den Militärflughafen in Sirte, 500 Kilometer östlich der Hauptstadt Tripolis, den Militärflughafen in Sebha im Süden und die Kommandozentrale von Diktator Muammar al-Gaddafis in Tripolis. >>> Ag./Red. | Donnerstag, 10. März 2011
LE FIGARO: Les rebelles ont battu en retraite du port pétrolier stratégique, bombardé par les forces loyales au régime. L'opposition a en revanche marqué des points sur le plan diplomatique, avec la reconnaissance par la France du Conseil national de transition.• Les forces de Kadhafi reprennent Ras Lanouf
Les rebelles libyens ont battu en retraite jeudi du port pétrolier stratégique Ras Lanouf, face aux forces loyales à Kadhafi qui bombardaient la ville. Les hommes réunis par l'opposition ont quitté la ville portuaire vers l'est à bord de voiture et de pick-ups, expliquant que les forces gouvernementales lançaient des roquettes et des obus de char sur la ville, sans doute avant une avancée de grande ampleur. Des obus sont notamment tombés près de l'hôpital de la ville et ont touché plusieurs bâtiments de la ville. Paris reconnaît le Conseil national libyen >>> Par lefigaro.fr | Jeudi 10 Mars 2011
REUTERS UK: Russia's foreign minister warned world powers on Thursday against meddling in the affairs of Libya and other African countries, saying military intervention would be unacceptable.
Moscow could use its clout, siding with fellow permanent U.N. Security Council member China, to temper Western policy and influence global actions, as it has done with Iran in an eight-year-long stand-off over its disputed nuclear activity.
Sergei Lavrov said Western discussion of proposals for a no-fly zone over the North African country was premature and had not yet been put before the Security Council, where Russia holds veto-wielding power.
He added that Russia would, however, "closely study" any such initiatives to provide support to rebel forces battling to oust long-time Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. >>> | Moscow | Thursday, March 10, 2011
REUTERS UK: Almost two-thirds of people living in Britain today are likely to see a 60 percent drop in their income when they retire over the next 40 years and a plummeting quality of life, a report said Thursday.
The 15 million households earn between 18,000 and 44,000 pounds each and represent roughly 35 million people, according to the study by London's Chatham House think-tank.
Their incomes will take the biggest hit from retirement compared to the lowest and highest 20 percent of earners.
"The UK has a distinct problem with middle-income earners who are failing to save enough and are likely to find the drop in income during retirement unexpected and unacceptable," said Paola Subacchi, one of the report's authors. >>> Reporting by Olesya Dmitracova; Editing by Steve Addison | London | Thursday, March 10, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: France has become the first country to recognise Libyan rebels as the country's legitimate government.Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, met with two representatives of Libyan opposition's Interim Governing Council based in the eastern city of Benghazi, which was taken over by rebels in a deadly uprising against Moammar Gadhafi.
The European Parliament is encouraging EU member states to recognise the opposition government. The council representatives were in Strasbourg, the parliament's base, earlier this week, but EU policy is normally to recognise states, not governments.
Mr Sarkozy's office had said that the humanitarian situation in Libya and the actions of the Interim Governing Council were to top the agenda.
Meanwhile, Germany said it had frozen the assets of the Libyan Central Bank and other state-run agencies in an attempt to cut off funding to Moammar Gadhafi's embattled regime. >>> | Thursday, March 10, 2011
THE INDEPENDENT: The Government licensed the sale of £160,000 worth of bullets and body armour to the Yemeni government after Prince Andrew met the country's Prime Minister for trade talks.It was the Duke of York's third meeting in quick succession with leaders of the small Arab republic, which has been ruled with an iron hand for more than 20 years by President Ali Abdullah Saleh, but is now experiencing the wave of popular protest sweeping the Middle East.
Though less well-publicised than the more violent events in Libya, the Yemeni protests have persisted for weeks.
Yesterday, a man died from gunshot wounds after troops fired on hundreds of protesters who had gathered in the university campus in the capital, Sana'a. Five others were seriously injured and about 90 more received minor injuries after troops used live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas. Continue reading and comment >>> Andy McSmith | Thursday, March 10, 2011
THE INDEPENDENT: Cambridge University is at the centre of a row over ethical funding of universities after accepting a new donation from the Oman government to promote religious understanding. The deal, signed only two weeks ago, is the second substantial donation the university has received from the Sultanate – bringing total funding to the university to well over £4m.The university has also received £8m from the House of Saud to set up a new centre for Islamic studies.
Last night a newly created students' group, campaigning to promote "clean" funding of universities, called on the university to refuse to accept any more cash from either regime – on the grounds it could be compromised. Continue reading and comment >>> Richard Garner, Education Editor | Wednesday, March 09, 2011
My comment:
The Brits fly around the world like prostitutes, accepting money for this and that from this one and that. Would Sultan Qaboos accept money for Omani universities for the promotion of Christian understanding? Or the Saudi's king, King Abdullah? No, I thought not. So why do we have to accept money for the promotion of the under-standing of Islam? I am looking forward to the day when these things are done in a spirit of reciprocity. – © Mark
This comment also appears here
THE INDEPENDENT: Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said today that dialogue — not protests — is the way to bring reform and warned that the oil-rich nation will take strong action if activists take to the streets.
Inspired by a wave of uprisings in the Arab world, activists from Saudi Arabia's Shiite Muslim minority have called for a "Day of Rage" on Friday to demand the regime's removal. The government accuses Shiites from outside the country of spurring the protests.
"The kingdom does not interfere in the affairs of others and will not allow for anyone to interfere in its own affairs," Prince Saud al-Faisal said today at a press conference in Saudi Arabia's port of Jiddah. Using a figure of speech, he said his regime would "cut off any finger" raised against the regime.
"Reform cannot be achieved through protests ... The best way to achieve demands is through national dialogue," he said. >>> AP | Wednesday, March 09, 2011
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THE GUARDIAN: Shia minority have defied ban on demonstrations for two days and are optimistic that change can be effectedAl-Qatif in Saudi Arabia's eastern province has a harsh climate: summer temperatures often reach the mid-40s, though the winter is pleasantly mild. But it is not the weather that is exercising locals and the government in these days of political turbulence across the Middle East.
Residents say all seems calm, and see no sign that security has been reinforced. But there is a mood of expectation about Friday's Saudi "day of rage" and whether the "Arab spring" will spread to the conservative kingdom.
The city lies in the heartland of the country's oil-producing area, home to a restive Shia minority that has long complained of poverty and discrimination.
Tensions mounted last month when the neighbouring island state of Bahrain saw an unprecedented uprising that left seven dead and set nerves jangling in a region already deeply unsettled by the turmoil in Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen.
Demonstrations are rare in Saudi Arabia – a country with no legal political parties or mass movements – and even committed reformists admit they are anxious about taking to the streets. "There is no history of public protests, even in support of the government," said Jaafar al-Shayeb, a city councillor and businessman in al-Qatif. The Facebook organisers of Friday's event are breaking new ground. "No one knows who is behind the protests," said Waleed Abu al-Khair, a human rights activist in Jeddah. Some fear a ploy by the secret police to entrap protesters.
Last week the security forces came out to forestall trouble after Friday prayers. A young Sunni teacher named Muhammad al-Wad'ani, arrested in Riyadh after a video of him calling for change was posted on YouTube, remains in detention. >>> Ian Black, Middle East editor | Thursday, March 10, 2011
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