Syria Unrest: Violence Continues to Escalate
A Syrian human rights group says at least 37 people were killed across the country on Friday.

Meanwhile, Syrian state television has shown video of what it says were armed criminals firing in the central city of Homs.

Earlier in the day, the government claimed armed gangs had killed 19 policemen and wounded 75 in Daraa.

Al Jazeera's Cal Perry reports from Damascus.



Warning: This package contains images that may disturb or offend some viewers.

A Rare Glimpse of Gaddafi Forces
So far the conflict in Libya has been reported only from one side, as no press was allowed to cover Gaddafi forces on the battleground but Al Jazeera has now exclusive access to footage which offers rare glimpse of pro-government forces.



Filmed in mid-March, the video shows government army pushing forward to crush the eastern uprising before NATO got green light to launch airstrikes.



The footage shows young men being taken into custody and beaten up by Gaddafi loyalists and government forces roaming the streets of Ajdabiya.

Leading Bahrain Activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja Arrested
BBC: Security forces in Bahrain have arrested and beaten one of the country's leading human rights activists, his daughter says.

The activist, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, was seized in the middle of the night and taken away with his two sons-in-law.

It is the latest in a series of violent night-time arrests of opposition activists, say human rights workers.

The Bahraini government accuses them of inciting unrest and trying to divide the Sunni and Shia Muslim communities.

Mr al-Khawaja's daughter says in the very early hours of Saturday morning up to 20 armed and masked policemen broke down the door of their apartment and began attacking her father.

Maryam al-Khawaja says he offered no resistance but that the men beat him unconscious and dragged him downstairs, leaving a trail of blood.

She said the family have no idea where he has been taken, what he is accused of, or how long he will be held. » | Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent, Bahrain | Saturday, April 09, 2011

BBC: Police brutality turns Bahrain into 'island of fear': The BBC has obtained images of alleged police brutality against peaceful protesters in the Bahraini capital Manama, where fears of a systematic crackdown on pro-democracy activists are growing. » | Bill Law, Crossing Continents, BBC News | Thursday, April 07, 2011

Berlusconi: 'Human Tsunami' Arriving in Lampedusa
BBC: The Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has warned Europe of what he called a "human tsunami" arriving on the island of Lampedusa.

Tens of thousands of migrants have reached the tiny Italian island in recent weeks amid fighting and political unrest in North Africa.

Mr Berlusconi called on his European counterparts to do more to help with the worsening humanitarian situation.
Will Grant reports. Watch video » | Sunday, April 10, 2011

Dutch Ritual Slaughter Ban a Step Closer

EURONEWS: In Holland, a proposal to ban Kosher and Halal slaughter methods has moved a step closer to reality, with a majority of the country’s MPs now supporting the ban.

In order to reduce stress, in the EU animals slaughtered for meat are normally stunned before they are killed. But Kosher and Halal butchery requires the animals to be fully conscious when their throats are cut. » | © Euronews | Friday, April 08, 2011

'Burqa Ban' in France: Housewife Vows to Face Jail Rather Than Submit
THE OBSERVER: Muslim woman says that she will not accept pressure from mosques or state over 'burqa ban' that begins on 11 April

Kenza Drider, a respectable mother-of-four, will leave her home in Avignon's Place de la Résistance on Monday with the intention of committing a crime. If the police are waiting for her – and they have had more than enough warning – she will be cautioned, perhaps be asked to accompany officers to the local station, possibly face a fine and, perhaps, will leave with a criminal record.

It is unlikely she will end up in jail, but who knows? It is a risk she is willing to take. Drider is not only determined to become a miscreant; she sees it as her absolute duty to do so.

This 32-year-old French housewife has become the face of the country's "burqa brigade", the women in France who cover themselves from head to toe in full veils. She will fall foul of a law that comes into effect on Monday 11 April tomorrow and forbids French citizens from covering their faces in public places; despite the ban's deliberately general wording, there is no doubt that its target is very specific: Muslim women.

Drider's first offence will be to set foot inside Avignon's TGV rail station where she is due to take a train to Paris. For this she risks a €150 fine and, if she repeats the offence, being sent on a "citizenship course".

"I will be going about my business in my full veil as I have for the last 12 years and nothing and nobody is going to stop me," she declares, swathed in the material she refuses to take off even while speaking to a female journalist in her own home.

Like most of the women concerned by this law, Drider wears a niqab veil that reveals only her eyes, as opposed to a burqa, the full body covering worn by Afghan women. » | Kim Willsher | Sunday, April 10, 2011

BNP Election Candidate Arrested Over Qur'an Burning
THE OBSERVER: Footage leaked to the Observer shows Welsh Assembly candidate setting fire to Islamic holy book in his garden

A senior member of the BNP who burned a copy of the Qur'an in his garden has been arrested following an investigation by the Observer.

Footage of the burning shows Sion Owens, 40, from south Wales and a candidate for the forthcoming Welsh Assembly elections, soaking the Qur'an in kerosene and setting fire to it.

A video clip of the act, leaked to the Observer and passed immediately to South Wales police, provoked fierce criticism from the government.

A statement from the Home Office said: "The government absolutely condemns the burning of the Qur'an. It is fundamentally offensive to the values of our pluralist and tolerant society.

"We equally condemn any attempts to create divisions between communities and are committed to ensuring that everyone has the freedom to live their lives free from fear of targeted hostility or harassment on the grounds of a particular characteristic, such as religion." » | Mark Townsend | The Guardian | Saturday, April 09, 2011

Frost Over the World - Debating the Face Veil
Just days before a ban on the full face veil starts in France, Sir David Frost is joined by British politicians Salma Yaqoob and imam Taj Hargey to discuss whether France has made the right decision. Plus, Guma El Gamaty discusses the situation in Libya and Knox Chitiyo talks about events in Cote d'Ivoire

Inside Story - Appeasing Syria's Kurds
Protests have continued in Syria a day after Bashar al-Assad granted citizenship to a quarter of a million stateless Kurds living in Hasaka, in the northeast of the country. Some Kurdish leaders have said that being granted their rights should not be considered a favour and that they will continue their non-violent protests demanding civic, political, cultural and social rights. Will such concessions succeed in containing pro-democracy protests? Inside Story discusses

Col Gadhafi Makes Public Appearance at Tripoli School
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: State-run Libyan television has shown footage of Muammar Gaddafi at a school in Tripoli on a visit it said took place on Saturday.

In the footage Gadhafi is seen entering the school surrounded by bodyguards and receives a rapturous reception by the pupils.

The TV anchor said the visit took place on Saturday morning.

Gaddafi pointed to the date written on whiteboards in the classrooms a number of times to highlight that he is both alive and still in Libya.

The Libyan leader was last seen in public on April 4. Watch the video » | Saturday, April 09, 2011

At Least Six Killed in Amsterdam Shooting
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A gunman has killed at least six people and wounded 13 others after opening fire with an automatic weapon at a shopping centre outside Amsterdam.

The shooting happened in the town of Alphen aan den Rijn, 13 miles southwest of Amsterdam.

"A man with an automatic weapon, whose identity we cannot reveal, started shooting and killed five people and then himself," Mayor Bas Eenhoorn said.

"Four people were very badly injured, five mildly wounded, and at least two slightly injured."

Mr Eenhoorn called the shooting "unprecedented" and said there were a large number of people in the shopping centre when the shootings occurred. » | Saturday, April 09, 2011

Aussie Dollar Boosted by Its Own 'Gold Standard'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Australian dollar is one of the strongest currencies in the world because it is a commodity-backed currency. That’s why it hit a 29-year high against the US dollar today – and it’s all related to the gold price.

The gold price is hitting new all-time highs on a daily basis because many investors have lost faith in paper money. They believe that central bank printing presses are devaluing currencies on a daily basis.

It is the same lack of belief in paper money that has been boosting the Aussie dollar. Paper money used to be backed by gold held in a central bank, but this was abandoned all over the world, allowing central banks to print money via processes such as quantitative easing.

Today, no currency in the world is on the gold standard – all money is “fiat” money.

However, Australia has significant resources of gold, uranium, iron ore, coal and many other important and valuable commodities. They are in the ground, not in a central bank, but this is the nearest thing the world has to the old gold standard. That’s why the Australian currency is so strong.

The same is also true of currencies in Canada, South Africa and Russia. They are effectively backed by commodities in the ground. » | Garry White | Friday, April 08, 2011

Britain's Deficit-cutting Plans Are 'Oxymoronic' Says Former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Larry Summers, President Obama's chief economic adviser for his first two years in office, has labelled Britain's plan to revive growth by tackling its deficit as "oxymoronic", in an unusually outspoken attack.

"I find the idea of expansionary fiscal contraction in the context of the world in which we now live to be every bit as oxymoronic as it sounds," Mr Summers told a gathering of economists and policy makers at the resort of Bretton Woods in New Hampshire.

The analysis from Mr Summers, who also served as US Treasury Secretary under President Clinton, will be unwelcome to a Coalition government that's pushing through tax increases and cutting spending.

The government insists that tackling the budget deficit is required to prevent bond investors losing confidence in the country's fiscal policy in the way they did with Greece and Portugal and have threatened to with Spain and Italy.

In last month's Budget, George Osborne, the chancellor of the exchequer, outlined plans to cut the budget deficit, which has reached 10p of gross domestic product (GDP), to £29bn in 2015 from £146bn this year.

Though it has damaged the Government's rating in the opinion polls, the policy has won the backing of business leaders in the UK who are now tasked with helping to drive the recovery.

However, Mr Summers said he was sceptical that a policy focused on improving "fiscal hygiene" would generate the confidence a recovery needs. "I'd be happy to say that if Britain enjoys a boom for the next two years from increased confidence," I will change my opinion, he said.

The attack from Mr Summers underlines the extent to which many in Washington DC are watching Britain to see whether the government's effort drives the economy back into recession or helps lays the foundation for a lasting recovery. » | Richard Blackden, US Business Editor | Saturday, April 09, 2011

Sadr Calls for an End to 'US Occupation'
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Shia cleric threatens to relaunch armed resistance unless the US withdraws from Iraq by year-end.

Moqtada al Sadr, a prominent Iraqi Shia cleric, has threatened to revive his Mehdi Army and relaunch armed resistance against continued US presence in the country.

The threat came as tens of thousands of people marched across the capital Baghdad, marking the eighth anniversary of former leader Saddam Hussein's fall on Saturday.

A spokesperson of al Sadr, said the US had until the end of the year to meet the cleric's demands. » | Source: Al Jazeera | Saturday, April 09, 2011

Yale University Hit by Sexual Harassment Row
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: As the esteemed Ivy League university that taught five US presidents, 18 Nobel laureates and countless captains of industry, Yale has one of the loftiest names in education.

But the £25,000-a-year alma mater of Bill Clinton and both George Bushes has been plunged into a sexual harassment scandal that threatens to drag its reputation through the mud.

The US government has launched an investigation into a complaint by 16 students at the Connecticut college. They allege a string of serious assaults and rampages by gangs of men that went unpunished.

Yale's management has allowed the cultivation of a "sexually hostile environment", in which misogyny flourishes and sexual attacks on young women are frequent, they claim.

Now the university's £300 million-a-year public funding could be in jeopardy if the Obama administration finds it broke a law dictating everyone must have equal access to education.

The Yale complaint's most serious charges – concerning the sexual assaults of several girls – have not been made public to protect the victims' identities.

The 26-page dossier also discloses many other unpleasant incidents on campus. Several have dragged the college's boozy and laddish fraternities into the spotlight. » | Jon Swaine, New York | Friday, April 08, 2011

Abusing Women Is Un-Islamic: Saudi Mufti
ARAB NEWS: JEDDAH: Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh has strongly warned against maltreating women in any form and said this is totally against Islam.

In his Friday sermon at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh, the mufti said only bad people treat women badly.

"The psychological or physical abuse of wives, daughters and sisters is against the Islamic Shariah and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)," he said.

Al-Asheikh warned husbands and fathers who take the salaries of their wives and daughters that they are committing anti-Islamic acts.

"The fathers who make it a condition to have their daughters' salaries before they give their consent for marriage are equally wrong. Husbands who force their working wives to share in home expenses are committing erroneous acts. Islam made it the responsibility of the man to spend on the house," he told the worshippers. » | Muhammad Humaidan, Arab News | Friday, April 08, 2011

Gutachten: Guttenberg hat absichtlich abgeschrieben
SUEDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG: So viel Plagiat kann kein Zufall sein: In einem Gutachten kommt die Universität Bayreuth zu dem Schluss, dass der Ex-Minister mit Absicht abgeschrieben haben muss. Anders lassen sich die kopierten Passagen nicht erklären. Veröffentlichen darf die Hochschule ihre Analyse noch nicht - Guttenbergs Anwälte haben etwas dagegen.

In der Plagiatsaffäre hat Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg zwar Fehler eingeräumt und sich entschuldigt. Er hat aber stets bestritten, absichtlich abgeschrieben und die Hochschule mit seiner Doktorarbeit getäuscht zu haben. Die Kommission der Universität Bayreuth, die den Fall geprüft hat, sieht es anders. Nach Informationen der Süddeutschen Zeitung kommt sie zu dem Urteil, dass Guttenberg mit Absicht gehandelt haben muss. Ausmaß und Art der Plagiate in Guttenbergs Doktorarbeit ließen keinen anderen Schluss zu. » | Von Tanjev Schultz | Freitag, 08. April 2011

Marine Le Pen rate son grand oral d'économie
LE POINT: La présidente du FN a tenté d'expliquer son programme économique pour la France. Sans convaincre.

"De quoi ? Qui ça ? Ah oui ! Borloo a quitté l'UMP... Très bien, vous savez, moi, je suis pour la concurrence !" plaisante Marine Le Pen, vendredi matin. Pour la concurrence en politique, peut-être, mais en économie, rien n'est moins sûr... Tout sourire, lunettes de soleil sur la tête, veste couleur crème et bottines noires, la présidente du Front national fume une dernière cigarette avant de se livrer à un exercice dont elle n'a pas l'habitude. Son équipe a en effet convié des journalistes économiques - et non pas les "politiques", qu'elle connaît bien - à un "petit-déjeuner de travail " pour expliciter les grandes orientations de son programme dans ce secteur. "Nous ne sommes pas légitimes que sur l'immigration et l'insécurité", veut-elle convaincre. Elle souhaite démontrer que son programme n'est "ni simpliste, ni fantaisiste, ni ringard". » | Par Pauline de Saint Remy | Vendredi 08 Avril 2011

Australians Up In Arms Over Carbon Tax
On a per-capita basis, Australians are among the world's worst polluters, and the government is trying to put a price on carbon.



But the plan to change that -- by taxing polluting industries -- is running into stiff opposition, with thousands turning out to protest the move.



Al Jazeera's Andrew Thomas reports from Sydney. (08 April 2011)

The 'Arab Spring' Uprisings of 2011 Are Being Hailed in Washington as the 'Al-Jazeera Moment'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are among the millions of Americans turning to Al-Jazeera English.

Walking back from the White House this week, Abderrahim Foukara, Washington bureau chief for Al-Jazeera television, could have been forgiven for pinching himself. He’d just met senior aides to President Barack Obama who had lavished praise on the Arab television network.

“They told us that during Egypt basically Al-Jazeera English was all they watched to try to make sense of what was going on,” he said, taking off his overcoat in the channel’s bureau on K Street, the boulevard that houses the city’s top lobbyists. The President, they made clear, had been one of those glued to the screen.

On Capitol Hill four weeks ago, Hillary Clinton, the United States Secretary of State, delivered what amounted to an advertisement for Al-Jazeera to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: “Viewership of Al-Jazeera is going up in the United States because it's real news,” she said.

“You may not agree with it, but you feel like you're getting real news around the clock instead of a million commercials and, you know, arguments between talking heads and the kind of stuff that we do on our news.”

In London, where Moroccan-born Foukara worked for the BBC World Service for nearly a decade before moving to the US in 2001, David Cameron has also made clear he is a fan. The Prime Minister has told friends that he considers Al-Jazeera to be essential viewing, the only network that gives the texture of what the Arab Street is thinking. » | Toby Harnden | Saturday, April 09, 2011

Tahrir Square Comes Alive with Protesters Again
THE GUARDIAN: Military the target of Egyptian demonstrations as people demand more prosecutions against Hosni Mubarak-era ministers

Protesters have packed Cairo's Tahrir Square, piling pressure on the ruling military council to meet demands including the prosecution of Hosni Mubarak in one of the biggest demonstrations since he was ousted.

By early afternoon the protest had swollen to more than 100,000. Thousands waved red, white and black Egyptian flags in scenes reminiscent of the height of the protests that toppled Mubarak and helped ignite revolts in other Arab countries.

"Oh field marshal, we've been very patient!" chanted some of the protesters, gathered in the square that was the hub of protests that toppled Mubarak from the presidency and left the army, led by Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, in charge.

"Tantawi, Tantawi get your act together or do you want a pool of blood?" chanted some of the protesters.

The military has enjoyed broad support since it took control of the country on 11 February but frustrations have grown over the pace of reform. Attention is now focused on the perceived tardiness of legal steps against Mubarak and his entourage. » | Reuters in Cairo | Friday, April 08, 2011

Libya: Moussa Koussa 'Could Leave Britain'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Moussa Koussa, the Libyan defector, could be allowed to leave the country, William Hague has said.

The foreign secretary said Mr Koussa, who faces inquiries from the International Criminal Court and families of the victims of Libyan terrorists, would not be forced to return to Libya, adding: "There are quite a range of places that he could go to live."

Mr Hague's comments, in an interview with Sky News, came as relatives of the Lockerbie bombing victims accepted he may never face trial in Britain.

Susan Cohen, who lost her only daughter on Pan Am Flight 103 said the former intelligence chief "should probably be hanged for what he has done" but she had no expectation of him ending up in a Scottish court.

She added that American relatives were more interested in the British authorities using him to "get to" Col Muammar Gaddafi than in seeing Mr Koussa on trial. » | Auslan Cramb, James Kirkup and Duncan Gardham | Friday, April 08, 2011

US Government Shutdown Averted by Late Night Deal in Congress
THE GUARDIAN: Obama and Democrats forced to accept $39bn package of cuts while Republicans gave way on health care for women

A shutdown of the US federal government scheduled to begin on Saturday was averted after the Democrats and Republicans reached agreement only hours before midnight on budget spending cuts.

The shutdown would have triggered major disruptions across the country and could have set back the country's fragile economic recovery. Hundreds of federal agencies would have closed down and about 800,000 federal staff faced suspension.

The deal came after days of negotiation between Obama and the Republican House Speaker, John Boehner, and the Democratic leader in the Senate Harry Reid. A deal had appeared to be tantalisingly close several times but was not finalised, until Friday night.

Boehner, an hour before midnight, told journalists in Congress: "I am pleased that Senator Reid and the White House have come to an agreement that will cut spending and keep government open."

It would have been the first federal government shutdown since 1995-96 when there was a stand-off between the Republicans and the Clinton White House. » | Ewen MacAskill | Saturday, April 09, 2011

Saudi Arabia: There Has Been ‘No Crackdown’ in Bahrain
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH – BLOGS – ALEX SPILLIUS: I just attended an eye-opening roundtable discussion with several members of Saudi Arabia’s Majlis al-Shura, the advisory council to King Abdullah, at the New America Foundation here in Washington.

It was a great chance to assess the Saudi government’s take on the change sweeping the Arab world, and where it is positioning itself. It was hard to conclude that its location is currently on the wrong side of history.

The level of denial about Bahrain, which is the kingdom’s key concern in the region, was startling. One delegate said there was “no major crackdown” in Bahrain, despite the fact that the security forces opened fire in Manama’s Pearl Roundabout, You-Tube footage can be seen of protestors being shot at point blank range, the main opposition newspaper has just been shut down amid the emergency rule imposed a month ago. Not forgetting that Gulf Co-operation Council forces agreed to a cry for help from Bahrain’s royal family, resulting in the Saudi-led intervention of 1,000 troops. Continue reading and comment » | Alex Spillius | Friday, April 08, 2011

Can You Live By the Bible?
Apr 8, 2011 – Group attempts living by the biblical rules of the Old Testament

‪Stevie Wonder‪ - I Just Called To Say I Love You‬

Fall of Roman Empire Caused by 'Contagion of Homosexuality'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A prominent Italian historian has claimed that the Roman Empire collapsed because a "contagion of homosexuality and effeminacy" made it easy pickings for barbarian hordes, sparking a furious row.

Roberto De Mattei, 63, the deputy head of the country's National Research Council, claimed that the empire was fatally weakened after conquering Carthage, which he described as "a paradise for homosexuals".

The remarks prompted angry calls for his resignation, with critics saying his comments were homophobic, offensive and unbecoming of his position.

The fall of the Roman Empire was a result of "the effeminacy of a few in Carthage, a paradise for homosexuals, who infected the many.

"The abhorrent presence of a few gays infected a good part of the (Roman) people," Prof Mattei told Radio Maria, a Catholic radio station.

The Roman Republic achieved domination over Carthage, in present-day Tunisia, during the Punic Wars of the third and second centuries BC, during which Hannibal made his ultimately abortive crossing of the Alps with war elephants.

After the third and final Punic War, Carthage fell into Roman hands, followed by most of the other dependencies of the Carthaginian Empire.

Prof Mattei claimed that it was as the capital of Rome's North African provinces that Cartagena became a hotbed of sexual perversion, gradually influencing Rome itself, which eventually fell to barbarian tribes in 410AD. » | Nick Squires, Rome | Friday, April 08, 2011

Japan Aftershock Raises Fears
Another powerful earthquake shook the same region hit by the quake and tsunami that devastated much of Japan's coastal areas last month.



Power and water were cut, people were evacuated, and fears were once again raised about the potential effect on the country's nuclear power facilities.



Al Jazeera's Marga Ortigas reports from Mizusawa.


Related links here and here

Turkey's "Benevolent" Rôle in Libya Sparks Some Resentment
Turkey has become the latest in a line of countries to offer a plan to bring about a negotiated end to the conflict in Libya.



But despite its humanitarian efforts to aid civilians under the guns of the Gaddafi regime, Turkey has angered opposition forces in the east by appearing to put a brake on NATO's military efforts.



Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught reports from Tripoli.

School Shooting Rocks Even Violent Rio de Janeiro
A former student wielding two handguns entered a school in the western part of the violence-plagued Brazilian city and opened fire, killing at least 11 students and wounding 18 more.

Parents who arrived to pick up their students instead found a chaotic scene, with police helicopters landing nearby to ferry away the injured.

One man told Al Jazeera he never thought such a shooting could happen in his country.

Al Jazeera's Gabriel Elizondo reports from Rio de Janeiro.


Related video »

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Gunman captured on security video »

Japan vier Wochen nach der Katastrophe: Ein Gespenst namens Tokio
STERN.DE: Tokio vor dem großen Beben: Laut, bunt, quirlig, exzessiv. Tokio heute: Dunkel, bedächtig, ständig schwankend. Streifzug durch eine Stadt, die weit entfernt ist von Normalität. Von Mareike Dornhege, Tokio

s will einfach kein Ende nehmen. Am Donnerstagabend wackelten die Häuser in Tokio wieder. Die Menschen gewöhnen sich an den dauerhaft erscheinenden Zustand, dass sich der Boden unter seinen Füssen bewegt, gewöhnt. "Als ich vor ein paar Tagen in Deutschland ankam, bildete ich mir noch immer ein, der Boden bebe, wenn ich einmal ganz ruhig an meinem Schreibtisch saß” sagt ein deutscher Japanologe, der für ein paar Tage in seine Heimat zurückgekehrt ist. Fast wie ein Seemann, der einmal von Schiff gegangen, "landkrank" wird.

Doch es sind nicht nur die immer wiederkehrenden Nachbeben, die Tokio fortwährend daran erinnern, dass es noch lange nicht wieder so ist, wie vorher. Nachts geht man nun durch ein dunkles Tokio. "Bukimi" – gespenstisch, unheimlich, sagen die Japaner. Wo einem sonst an jeder Häuserwand die Neonschilder in allen Farben entgegenleuchteten, ist es heute sehr dunkel. Es wird überall an Beleuchtung gespart: In den meisten Straßenzügen brennt nur jede zweite Laterne, moderne Hochhäuser, die sonst hellerleuchtete Blickpunkte der Stadt bildeten, bleiben dunkel. Erloschenes Wahrzeichen » | Von Mareike Dornhege, Tokio | Freitag, 08. April 2011

Libya to Unleash Wave of Migrants on Europe
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Libya is unleashing a wave of migrants against Europe as retaliation for the coalition's military strikes against the country.

The opening of immigration floodgates came as Italy announced that it would grant travel permits to more than 20,000 Tunisian refugees who have reached its southernmost islands in recent weeks.

The Italian government said the temporary permits would grant the refugees freedom of movement within the visa-free Schengen area, but in reality most want to head to France.

Paris reacted angrily to the move, with Claude Gueant, the interior minister, saying the country would not tolerate "a wave of immigration" and warning that migrants without appropriate identity documents and sufficient funds would be prevented from entering.

The Schengen zone excludes Britain and Ireland, but migrants could attempt to enter the UK illegally from the Continent.

The Tunisians are among nearly 26,000 migrants who have managed to reach the tiny island of Lampedusa, Italy's southernmost territory, since January, when president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was toppled by a popular revolt.

In neighbouring Libya, Col. Muammar Gadaffi's regime is alleged to have been actively encouraging boatloads of migrants to leave the country's shores since March 22, when the first vessel sailed from Tajoura, a suburb of Tripoli. » | Nick Squires, Rome and Damien McElroy in Valletta | Thursday, April 07, 2011

La France ne veut pas des migrants de Tunisie
LE POINT: Paris a rappelé à ses préfets les conditions d'accueil des migrants. Un reproche à peine caché aux autorités italiennes.

Le ministère de l'Intérieur a rappelé, dans une circulaire aux préfets mercredi, les conditions d'accueil des immigrés passés par un pays de l'espace Schengen, au moment où des dizaines de clandestins tunisiens venus d'Italie sont interceptés chaque jour en France. Alors que Rome reproche à la France de lui renvoyer ces clandestins, cette circulaire énumère les conditions de séjour des ressortissants issus "d'un pays tiers" et "en provenance du territoire d'un autre État membre de l'espace Schengen". » | Le Point.fr | Vendredi 08 Avril 2011

LE FIGARO: Lampedusa : une circulaire contre les flux migratoires » | Par Jean-Marc Leclerc | Jeudi 07 Avril 2011

Nicolas Sarkozy ‘Threatened to Smash the Face of Editor Who Said Carla Bruni Was Maneater’
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Nicolas Sarkozy threatened to “smash the face” of a political editor during a 40-minute conversation after his magazine suggested Carla Bruni was a maneater, a new biography claims.

The French president’s alleged threat was sparked by an article in Le Point news magazine offering “24 tips to the President ahead of his marriage to Mademoiselle Bruni”.

One piece of advice was: “Do not introduce your new wife to your sons, Barack Obama or any handsome men.”

In a new book called M. Le President, Franz-Olivier Giesbert, director of Le Point, gives what he says is a blow by blow account of the president’s tirade following the article.

The president allegedly called shortly after publication in January 2008, started with a few niceties before suddenly turning apoplectic.

“This article is filth and I should smash your face in,” he reportedly told Mr Giesbert.

Mr Giesbert replied: “Are you threatening me?” Mr Sarkozy hit back: “You deserve it. I don’t know what’s holding me back.”

“There’s no reason for you and Carla to feel insulted,” replied the author.

“I’m sure you’d blow your top if I wrote that your wife was a whore that everyone had slept with and even wanted to have sex with your children,” the president went on.

“Never did our magazine suggest Carla was a whore,” said Mr Giesbert. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Thursday, April 07, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Nicolas Sarkozy biography: extracts from M Le President – Here are some extracts from the new biography M Le President Scenes of political life 2005-2011. » | Friday, April 08, 2011

New Zealand Churches Upset Over Hot Cross Buns 'Like Jesus'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A pizza company has caused outrage in New Zealand with billboards advertising hot cross buns accompanied by the slogan: "For a limited time. A bit like Jesus."

Instead of the traditional Christian cross, the buns bear an inverted pentagram, a design symbolic of Satanism.

The giant billboards, placed by the Hell Pizza company, have been plastered around Auckland, the country's largest city.

Lloyd Ashton, a spokesman for New Zealand's Anglican Church, condemned the advertising campaign as disgraceful.

"It's disrespectful to what a lot of people hold very dear," he said.

"They've dared here to take a clumsy poke at something that numbers of people hold sacred." » | Paul Chapman in Wellington | Thursday, April 07, 2011

"Die Islamisten wären schlimmer als Gaddafi" meint ein Stammesführer
Die libysche Führung ist nach Angaben eines Regierungssprechers zu Diskussionen über politische Reformen bereit. Es könne sowohl über Wahlen als auch über ein Referendum gesprochen werden, sagte Regierungssprecher Mussa Ibrahim vor Journalisten

Islam-Debatte in Frankreich
Der französische Präsident Sarkozy will dem Islam im eigenen Land Grenzen setzen. Die National-Versammlung traf sich zu einer Sitzung und diskutierte über die Trennung von Religion und Staat

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Deadly School Shooting in Brazil
A Brazilian gunman fatally shot 12 children at a Rio de Janeiro public school before killing himself, police said, shocking the South American nation that has never seen such an incident before.



Twenty-two people, including children, were wounded in Thursday's shooting spree, several of them seriously.



Al Jazeera's Gabriel Elizondo has this report from Rio.

Barack Obama Locked in Last Minute Budget Talks
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama was locked in crisis budget talks with congressional leaders as the US faces the prospect of a costly government shutdown.


The shutdown would see 800,000 workers asked to stay at home and could cost taxpayers more than $100 million (£61 million) a day.

Mr Obama called for a “sense of urgency” as America sought to avoid the first shutdown since 1996 when Bill Clinton was president.

Failure to reach a deal by midnight on Friday would mean that Washington would essentially run out of money. » | Toby Harnden, Washington | Thursday, April 07, 2011

Witness - Malta's Cry for Freedom
EU member Malta has tough censorship rules and a conservative approach to free speech, but Maltese artists and writers are fighting back

Situation Remains Fluid in Libya Fighting
NATO's latest air strike in the eastern Libyan town of Brega that killed at least five people -- the second such incident -- has raised doubts in the minds of many, who wonder whether it was really a mistake.

At the same time, rebel fighters who criticised NATO's mission failure to protect civilians in Misurata, do realise that they cannot win the battle against the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, alone.

Thousands of civilians have also begun to flee intense fighting particularly in the coastal areas between Brega and Ajdabiya, further east.

Al Jazeera's Gerald Tan reports. (07 April 2011)

Riz Khan - PJ Crowley and the Pentagon
On Wednesday's Riz Khan we speak with PJ Crowley, the former US state department spokesperson, about his inflammatory remarks that led to his forced resignation last month

Japan Earthquake: 7.4 Magnitude Quake Hits Devastated Region
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Japan has been hit by a strong earthquake, with emergency workers at the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant ordered to evacuate.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), which operates Fukushima, says it is checking on the situation, but efforts to assess any damage were complicated by the evacuation.

"After the earthquake and the tsunami warning, all the workers evacuated to a safe area. The company confirmed all the workers have cleared the plant safely," a spokesman for Tokyo Electric Power said.

"We don't know if there is any impact to the facilities as all the workers have cleared the area."

The Japan meteorological agency issued a tsunami warning for a wave of up to 6 feet (two metres) after the magnitude-7.4 aftershock. The warning, which was later cancelled, was issued for a coastal area already torn apart by last month's tsunami, which is believed to have killed some 25,000 people and has sparked an ongoing crisis at a nuclear power plant.

"Please do not hesitate to leave for higher ground, nor try to return to the coast line. Please do not try to check the status of the coastline," broadcaster NHK said repeatedly. » | Barney Henderson | Thursday, April 07, 2011

THE GUARDIAN: Japan hit by earthquake and tsunami warning: Alert for wave of up to two metres issued for area devastated by last month's quake » | James Meikle | Thursday, April 07, 2011



REUTERS: Major aftershock shakes Japan's ruined coast: A major earthquake shook the northeast of Japan late on Thursday, and a tsunami warning was issued for the coast already devastated by last month's massive quake and tsunami that crippled a nuclear power plant. » | Kiyoshi Takenaka and Yoko Nishikawa | TOKYO | Thursday, April 07, 2011

REUTERS FRANCE: Alerte au tsunami levée dans le nord-est du Japon : TOKYO - Les alertes au tsunami émises pour les côtes nord-est du Japon ont été levées, rapporte vendredi matin (heure japonaise) la chaîne de télévision publique NHK. » | © Reuters | Jeudi 07 Avril 2011

REUTERS DEUTSCHLAND: Katastrophenregion in Japan erneut von Beben erschüttert: Tokio - Knapp vier Wochen nach dem schweren Erdbeben in Japan ist das Katastrophengebiet am Donnerstag erneut von heftigen Erdstößen erschüttert worden. » | © Reuters | Donnerstag, 07. April 2011

Women, Art and Revolution in Saudi Arabia

Love in Saudi Arabia – The New York Times
Watch New York Times video here

Inside the Hidden Kingdom - Saudi Arabia
Watch the Journeyman Pictures video here

Inside story: Power Change in Yemen
There is mounting pressure for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to go before the end of year elections.



Inside Story with Kamahl Sanatamaria discusses with: Shiraz Maher, a senior fellow at the centre for the study of radicalization at King's college London; and Hakim Almasmari, Editor in Chief of the Yemen post.



This episode of Inside Story aired on Wednesday, April 6, 2011.

Just Imagine That! A Honeymoon as Sweet as Bitter Aloes!
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A newly-wed couple on a four-month honeymoon were hit by six natural disasters, including the Australian floods, Christchurch earthquake and Japanese tsunami.

Stefan and Erika Svanstrom left Stockholm, Sweden, on December 6 and were immediately stranded in Munich, Germany, due to one of Europe's worst snowstorms.

Travelling with their baby daughter, they flew on to Cairns in Australia which was then struck by one of the most ferocious cyclones in the nation's history.

From there, the couple, in their 20s, were forced to shelter for 24 hours on the cement floor of a shopping centre with 2500 others.

"Trees were being knocked over and big branches were scattered across the streets," Mr Svanstrom told Sweden's Expressen newspaper. "We escaped by the skin of our teeth."

They then headed south to Brisbane but the city was experiencing massive flooding, so they crossed the country to Perth where they narrowly escaped raging bush fires. Swedish couple have honeymoon from hell » | Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Wednesday, April 06, 2011