Sunday, May 08, 2011
Rami Makhlouf »
SYRIAN EMERGENCY TASK FORCE: Target of Deadly Protests In Syria Has US Investments (FORBES) » | Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Syrian Emergency Task Force: Supporting the Syrian People »
REUTERS – BLOGS – FAITH WORLD: Iran plans sweeping changes to university courses to make them more compatible with Islam, the official IRNA news agency reported on Friday. Deputy Minister of Science for Research and Technology Mohammad Mehdi Nejad Nouri, quoted by IRNA, said at least 36 courses would be changed by September after revision by a group of university and seminary experts.
The report did not name the subjects that would be changed, but officials said last year Iran would review 12 disciplines in the social sciences, including law, women’s studies, human rights, management, sociology, philosophy, psychology and political sciences, as their contents were too closely based on Western culture. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for modification of these studies in August, saying that many humanities subjects are based on principles founded in materialism rather than divine Islamic teachings. » | Mitra Amiri | Friday, May 06, 2011
REUTERS: Bahrain put 21 mostly Shi'ite activists, including a prominent hardline dissident, on trial on Sunday, charged with trying to topple the government during weeks of protests in February and March.
Bahrain, a Sunni-ruled island kingdom, cracked down on the protests demanding greater political freedoms, a constitutional monarchy and an end to sectarian discrimination.
The crackdown, in which neighboring Sunni-led Gulf states sent troops to back Bahrain's forces, has boosted regional tension with Iran, which Bahrain accuses of manipulating its Shi'ite co-religionists to expand its influence.
Those on trial on Sunday face a hybrid civilian-military court where military prosecutors try the case before a panel of one military and two civilian judges.
Those on trial include Shi'ite dissident Hassan Mushaimaa, leader of the opposition group Haq who has called for the overthrow of the Sunni al-Khalifa monarchy, and Ebrahim Shareef, the Sunni leader of the secular Waad group that has called for a constitutional monarchy but has not joined those seeking to oust the king.
Bahrain's state news agency said the defendants were accused of involvement in an "attempt to overthrow the government by force and in liaison with a terrorist organization working for a foreign country."
Rights groups said the defendants should be tried before civil courts, saying the military courts did not allow the accused to defend themselves properly. » | MANAMA | Sunday, May 08, 2011
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Bei Auseinander-setzungen zwischen Muslimen und koptischen Christen sind in Kairo mindestens zehn Menschen getötet worden. Im Armenviertel Imbaba wurde eine Kirche in Brand gesteckt. Auslöser waren Gerüchte, dort werde eine vom Christentum zum Islam konvertierte Frau festgehalten.Bei Auseinandersetzungen zwischen Christen und Moslems in Kairo sind nach Medienberichten zehn Menschen getötet worden. 186 weitere seien verletzt, zwei von ihnen schwebten in Lebensgefahr, berichteten staatliche Medien am Sonntag. Der geschäftsführende Ministerpräsident Ägyptens, Essam Sharaf, sagte eine Reise in die Golfstaaten ab, um eine Krisensitzung der Übergangsregierung einzurufen. » | FAZ.NET mit dapd/dpa/Reuters | Sonntag, 08. Mai 2011
LE POINT: Affrontements meurtriers entre chrétiens et musulmans en Égypte : Un quartier populaire du Caire a été le théâtre d'affrontements confessionnels samedi soir. » | Source AFP | Dimanche 08 Mai 2011
THE MAIL ON SUNDAY: David Cameron was branded a ‘toffee-nosed slimebag’ by a senior Liberal Democrat peer yesterday as recriminations over Nick Clegg’s shattering referendum defeat threatened to wreck the Coalition.The Prime Minister found himself in a Coalition tug-of-war as angry Lib Dems called on him to scrap NHS reforms to make up for Mr Clegg’s failed bid to axe Britain’s first-past-the-post voting system.
Tory Right-wingers hit back by warning Mr Cameron will face a revolt from his grassroots if he made concessions to save the Deputy Premier.
The war of words came as The Mail on Sunday’s ‘referendum map’ showed that outside the bastions of elite university towns and the London liberal elite, virtually every region of Britain voted against the Alternative Vote.
The torrent of abuse at Mr Cameron was led by Lib Dem Lord Tony Greaves. ‘A lot of people in our party never liked Cameron,’ he said. ‘He is seen as a toffee-nosed slimebag, which is what he is. That is being polite to the man.’ The day an angry Lib Dem peer called Cameron 'a toffee-nosed slimebag'... and the people of Britain held the liberal elite to ridicule » | Simon Walters and Brendan Carlin | Sunday, May 08, 2011
leJDD.fr: Malgré la crise, les grandes fortunes britanniques ont vu leur richesse gonfler en moyenne de 18% sur les 12 derniers mois, sans toutefois détrôner de la première place le magnat de l'acier Lakshmi Mittal, selon le classement publié dimanche par le Sunday Times.
Dans un pays qui compte désormais 73 milliardaires contre 53 l'année dernière, soit presque le record de 75 atteint avant la crise, la reine n'arrive, elle, "qu'à" la 257e place avec une fortune évaluée à 300 millions de livres, en hausse de 3%. [Source: leJDD.fr] | Dimanche 08 Mai 2011
THE SUNDAY TIMES: Wealth goes through the roof » | Philip Beresford | Sunday, May 08, 2011 [£]
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: A town in western Libya is coming under almost as much fire as Misurata, writes Andrew Gilligan. But no one is paying much attention.
It is the unknown frontline in Libya's civil war, a rebel town besieged by Gaddafi's forces but almost ignored by the outside world.
Rockets and Scud missiles pour down. Water is running short. Tens of thousands are desperately trying to flee.
But transfixed by the horrors of Misurata, the international community - and the Nato military alliance - have all but overlooked the closely parallel drama in the mountain towns of Zintan and Yafran, little more than an hour's drive from the capital.
"We have been under fire for about an hour and a half now," said one Zintan resident, Mustafa Haider, by telephone from the town on Friday afternoon.
"From the south, from the north, from the east, from everywhere. They fire with Grad missiles, Scud missiles, anything. They have tried to enter Zintan many times but they couldn't." Homes, schools, and the town's main hospital had been hit, causing panic, he said.
A spokesman for Human Rights Watch, Fred Abrahams, accused the Libyan regime of committing "indiscriminate attacks" in the district. "They are firing into residential areas without targeting a military object," he said. "It is in essence the same tactic as in Misurata."
Zintan and Yafran are at the tip of the largest rebel-held pocket in western Libya - a crescent running along the Nafusa mountain range from the towns, south-west of Tripoli, to the Tunisian border. » | Andrew Gilligan, Ras al-Jedir, western Libya | Sunday, May 08, 2011
USA TODAY: DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — While Bahrain's justice minister was making the latest accusations against alleged enemies of the state -- this time medical staff -- other officials were busy organizing a patriotic blitz that encourages pledges of loyalty on Facebook and Twitter.
These are the parallel worlds of one of Washington's linchpin military allies in the Gulf.
On one side is a grinding campaign to break the spirits of Shiite-led opponents whose pro-reform uprising was smothered by martial law. On the other: An expanding PR offensive to portray the Sunni monarchy as firmly in charge, and Bahrain as a firewall against Iranian influence in the nation that hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.
Bahrain's current spin -- shifting from state media to the web -- could appear as just more boosterism in a region where rulers are constantly bathed in state-sponsored praise. But there is a distinct undercurrent in the island kingdom: pumping up its own rhetoric to match Iran's increasing barrage of criticism.
It serves as further recognition that Bahrain's crisis doubles as a window into the region's collective phobias -- the mutual mistrust of Sunni Arab leaders and Shiite powerhouse Iran -- as America effectively watches from the sidelines.
"So many of the Gulf's big issues are squeezed into this one tiny country," said Shadi Hamid, director of research at The Brookings Doha Center in Qatar. » | Brian Murphy And Barbara Surk, Associated Press | Saturday, May 07, 2011
ABC.NET.AU – ELIZABETH JACKSON’S REPORT: Syria has again been in the headlines this weekend with yet more protesters shot after Friday prayers.
The EU has announced it'll impose sanctions against Syria and the UN has sent in teams of people.
One rather large and influential country in the Middle East is Saudi Arabia.
Its influence in the region is considerable and it's becoming increasingly nervous as its neighbours deal with these political uprisings.
Madawi Al Rasheed is a professor of social anthropology at Kings College in London.
I asked her about the influence of Saudi Arabia in the region.
MADAWI AL RASHEED: Saudi Arabia tries to project itself as a stabiliser, as a force that would stabilise the region, but this means that they interfere in a very big way in other countries' affairs.
For example in Bahrain now, we know that Saudi Arabia was the first country to seize the opportunity and move its troops. The same thing happened in Yemen. Saudi Arabia had always interfered in Yemen, and again, the problem is you have a neighbour that is extremely vulnerable and poor in Yemen and a very, very wealthy, economically strong state like that of Saudi Arabia and therefore it is very easy for Saudi Arabia to interfere in Yemeni affairs and also play political game with the various tribal groups and with the regime. (+ audio) » | Elizabeth Jackson | Sunday, May 08, 2011
KANSAS CITY STAR: In the ancient Bahraini village of Aali, where some graves date to 2000 B.C., the Amir Mohammed Braighi mosque had stood for more than 400 years - one of the handsomest Shiite Muslim mosques in this small island nation in the Persian Gulf.
Today, only bulldozer tracks remain.
In Nwaidrat, where anti-government protests began Feb. 14, the Mo'men mosque had long been a center for the town's Shiite population - photos show it as a handsome, square building neatly painted in ochre, with white and green trim, and a short portico in dark gray forming the main entrance.
Today, only the portico remains.
"When I was a child, I used to go and pray with my grandfather," said a 52-year-old local resident, who asked to be called only "Abu Hadi." "The area used to be totally green, with tiers of sweet water wells.
"Why did they destroy this mosque?" Abu Hadi wailed. "Muslims have prayed there for decades."
In Shiite villages across this island kingdom of 1.2 million, the Sunni Muslim government has bulldozed dozens of mosques as part of a crackdown on Shiite dissidents, an assault on human rights that is breathtaking in its expansiveness.
Authorities have held secret trials where protesters have been sentenced to death, arrested prominent mainstream opposition politicians, jailed nurses and doctors who treated injured protesters, seized the health care system that had been run primarily by Shiites, fired 1,000 Shiite professionals and canceled their pensions, detained students and teachers who took part in the protests, beat and arrested journalists, and forced the closure of the only opposition newspaper.
Nothing, however, has struck harder at the fabric of this nation, where Shiites outnumber Sunnis nearly 4 to 1, than the destruction of Shiite worship centers.
The Obama administration has said nothing in public about the destruction. Continue reading and comment » | Roy Gutman, McClatchy Newspapers, with contributions from Hannah Allam in Cairo | Sunday, May 08, 2011
THE OBSERVER: The latest sensation in France's love-hate relationship with its first lady has been whether Carla Bruni is pregnant. And her appearance this week at Cannes in Woody Allen's latest film only adds to the fun. Here, five people in the know reveal what she really means to the republicThe long-suffering French public sometimes feels it knows a little too much about its first lady. In three years of Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni's whirlwind romance and marriage, we've been treated to their first dates, joint jogging sessions, pet names, expensive love tokens and taste for kissing in public – unprecedented at the Elysée Palace. We know Bruni hired a personal trainer who tones up the muscles of the couple's private parts, that beer makes her bloated and can lead to mistaken speculation that she's pregnant, that she's addicted to cigarettes and likes to watch DVDs with her husband after work (Stanley Kubrick or Pasolini). We were even treated to Madame Bruni-Sarkozy's old tissues and loose change when she once publicly tipped out the contents of her handbag for the nation (hairbrush, reading glasses, teddy and a notebook for jotting down song lyrics. "I've got writing like a psychopath," she helpfully explained).
We've listened to Bruni's album of love songs to her husband ("I want your laugh in my mouth" was one line) and now we'll inevitably troop to the cinema to watch her cameo in the Woody Allen film Midnight in Paris, shot as the proud president stood watching on set. In France, Allen is a god who can do no wrong. Perhaps Bruni's cameo is a way to redeem herself to a nation so embarrassed by her husband. Bruni's stint as première dame de France was never going to be easy. It wasn't the fact that she was a multimillionaire Italian former supermodel turned folk-pop singer who once dated Mick Jagger. It was more that the circumstances of her marriage to Sarkozy were stacked against her from the start. In autumn 2007, the newly elected Sarkozy went to pieces when his adored wife Cécilia finally divorced him. A teetotaller normally in bed by midnight, he begged friends to organise dinner parties to distract him. At one dinner he met Bruni, who looks uncannily like a younger version of his ex-wife. Less than three months later they married at the Elysée. It was his third marriage and her first. Spending the wedding night at their retreat in the grounds of the Palace of Versailles did little to stop the inevitable comparisons with Marie Antoinette, another fashion-obsessed foreigner married to an unpopular head of state. » | Angelique Chrisafis | Sunday, May 08, 2011
THE OBSERVER – EDITORIAL: Sanctions must be used against President Assad for the murderous acts of the state over which he presides
In the Arab Spring, a great deal of violence has been used by regimes against their people. Confronted with these events, the international community has struggled to come up with a coherent response, hesitating over Tunisia and Egypt, then rushing into a military intervention in Libya.
Now, as tanks attack another town in Bashar al-Assad's Syria, the response of the EU and the US appears to be based on a wild gamble. The plan appears to be to apply limited sanctions which exclude Mr Assad himself, while targeting others in his entourage, including his brother, Maher. This discriminating approach is meant to split the regime, with Mr Assad nudged back on to the course of reform he appeared to espouse when he succeeded his father a decade ago. How risky the pursuit of that policy has been should be clear as another Syrian town, Baniyas, has come under vicious assault. Continue reading and comment » | Editorial| Sunday, May 08, 2011
THE OBSERVER: Barack Obama has been boosted by the killing of the al-Qaida leader, but his followers warn that his blood will not be 'wasted'…
EXTRACT: Then there is the question: what does the death of Bin Laden mean for al-Qaida, for the phenomenon of contemporary Sunni Islamic militancy more generally and for world security? Are we safer?
On Friday, al-Qaida issued a statement on the internet which pledged that Bin Laden's blood would not be "wasted", that his "university of Koran… and jihad" would not be closed and the organisation would continue the fight against the US and its allies. Signed by al-Qaida's "general leadership", it also predicted that Bin Laden's death would be a "curse" for the US. This weekend security services around the world are on high alert, fearing attacks aiming not so much at vengeance but simply at showing that the group still has capabilities.
The fact that a statement – apparently agreed by a number of different people – was put together and released successfully indicates that, at least for the moment, the few score militants who comprise the "al-Qaida hardcore" still have some cohesion. … Read the whole article and comment » | Jason Burke, Declan Walsh in Islamabad and Paul Harris in New York | Sunday, May 08, 2011
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Extraordinary home-made video of Osama bin Laden shows the terror supremo as a frail figure with an unkempt beard, rocking back and forth as he watches himself on television.
The remarkable footage apparently recorded at his Pakistani hideout was part of a cache of videos captured by the US commandos who killed him in a daring night-time raid last week.
It stood in stark contrast to the image he sought to portray of himself to his followers and enemies in other seized videos in which he had dyed his hair and beard a luxuriant black and donned spotless clothing for propaganda recordings. » | Philip Sherwell, New York | Saturday, May 07, 2011
Saturday, May 07, 2011
PARIS MATCH: Dimanche, le Duc et la Duchesse de Cambridge devraient s'envoler pour une lune de miel qui ressemble fort à un retour aux sources de leur amour.La nouvelle est tombée cet après-midi sur le site du Daily Mirror : le couple princier part demain aux Seychelles en voyage de noces. « Ils ne peuvent plus attendre de prendre du recul et d'évoquer ensemble les semaines incroyables qui viennent de s'écouler » confie au tabloïd un proche des jeunes mariés.
Depuis des semaines Kate et William ont parcouru virtuellement la moitié de la planète, au gré de l'imagination baladeuse de la presse britannique : Kenya, île Moustique, Amérique-du-Sud, Jordanie... Les destinations défilaient aussi vite que les stations du métro londonien. » | David Ramasseul, Parismatch.com | Samedi 07 Mai 2011
BBC: The Pentagon has released home videos of Osama Bin Laden, seized at the secret Pakistani compound where he was shot dead by US commandos.
The tapes show him watching himself on television, and preparing a video message addressed to the US.
At a news briefing in Washington, intelligence officials said Bin Laden had been actively leading al-Qaeda from the compound in Abbottabad.
In total, five videos were seized during Monday's raid.
Rehearsals
In the first video, filmed in October or November 2010, Bin Laden is shown wearing a white skullcap and shirt and a golden robe. He speaks to the camera in the style of previous video addresses by the al-Qaeda leader.
Pentagon officials have removed audio from the film, citing security concerns, but said it was a message to the United States.
Three other clips appear to be rehearsals for the video message, says the BBC's Jonny Dymond in Washington. (+ video) » | Saturday, May 07, 2011
In Syria, three women taking part in a pro-democracy march are reported to have been shot dead by Syrian forces near the city of Baniyas.
The coastal city has become a flashpoint for anti-government protests in the country.
Witnesses say tanks rolled in before dawn - and residents tried to stop them by forming human shields. The action comes just hours after thousands of people in cities and towns across the country turned out to protest.
Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr has this report from Beirut.
Severe reporting restrictions in Syria mean Al Jazeera cannot verify the content of the amateur footage included in this report.
LE POINT: Plusieurs centaines de personnes ont manifesté samedi, à Paris notamment, pour réclamer la dépénalisation de la consommation de cannabis, la régulation de sa production et sa prescription dans un cadre thérapeutique.
Les manifestants étaient 1.500 dans la capitale selon les organisateurs, 250 selon la police. Environ 60 personnes ont défilé dans le centre de Lyon en scandant "cannabis légal", une vingtaine ont été signalées à Cognac (Charente), une dizaine à Marseille... » | AFP | Samedi 07 Mai 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: William and Kate are the new stars of the Royal family – and the public love them for their spontaneity, says Patrick JephsonA week has passed in the new royal era. Prince William is back at his airbase. Kate is in the supermarket. The Queen is at Windsor Castle. The media circus has packed its satellite dishes and left town. The bunting has been recycled. Like a cartwheeling verger, we’ve watched the world turn upside down and then revolve right-way up again. Everything looks as it did before. But everything has changed.
These unremarkable days are actually momentous. Historians of tomorrow may look back on them as the point at which either the British Crown reinvented itself to prosper for another 100 years… or at which it gave one final hurrah before slipping into terminal irrelevance.
A touch melodramatic? Consider the options. On the one hand, with the wedding of the decade triumphantly behind us and the prospect of royal babies growing closer by the day, the monarchy is set fair. But on the other, by any realistic actuarial assessment, the next two candidates for the throne will be grandparents by the time they ascend it. That’s not in itself a bad thing – wisdom being one of the qualities most prized in a king – but in a country inexorably ageing, who could blame today’s teenagers for being disenchanted by a system that will never deliver a head of state for their generation. Continue reading and comment » | Patrick Jephson* | Saturday, May 07, 2011
*Patrick Jephson was equerry and private secretary to HRH the Princess of Wales 1988-96
Patrick Jephson »
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: France's presidential race descended into a battle of bling before it had begun yesterday as Left-wing favourite was criticised by the Right as a champagne Socialist after he was photographed getting into a Porsche.Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund has yet to say if he will run for president but is tipped in opinion polls to trounce President Nicolas Sarkozy if the two compete next April.
The photograph of DSK, as he is known, and his wife beside the Porsche Panamera, which sells in France for more than 100,000 euros (£88,000), sparked sneers on the internet and from the Right, even though it belonged to a friend and not to him.
Brice Hortefeux, the former interior minister and a close friend of President Nicolas Sarkozy, quipped that the Left had abandoned the symbols of the workers' struggle used when Socialist president, Francois Mitterrand, first took power.
"Back in 1981, it was the rose and the clenched fist. Today it's a Porsche at the wheel," Mr Hortefeux said. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Friday, May 06, 2011
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: AUSTRALIE | La somme d’un milliard et demi de dollars australiens sera versée sous forme de construction de logements, de programmes d’éducation et de fonds sociaux.
Les aborigènes d’une région de l’ouest de l’Australie vont recevoir 1,6 milliard de dollars américains pour permettre l’extraction de gaz sur leur territoire, aux termes d’un accord "historique" conclu vendredi avec un des principaux groupes producteurs d’énergie du pays. En échange de ce pactole, la communauté Goolarabooloo [-] Jabirr Jabirr devra renoncer au profit de la compagnie Woodside à ses droits de propriété sur 3.500 hectares, à 60 kilomètres au nord de Broome. » | AFP | Samedi 07 Mai 2011
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: ISLAMABAD | Le chef d’Al-Qaïda avait vécu avec sa famille dans la ville-garnison pakistanaise d’Abbottabad avant d’y être tué il y a près d’une semaine par un commando américain, ont dit samedi des responsables pakistanais de la sécurité.
Une des femmes d’Oussama Ben Laden a assuré que le chef d’Al-Qaïda avait vécu pendant cinq ans avec sa famille dans la ville-garnison pakistanaise d’Abbottabad avant d’y être tué il y a près d’une semaine par un commando américain, ont dit samedi des responsables pakistanais de la sécurité.
Cette épouse yéménite a été blessée à la jambe dans les tirs au moment de l’opération qui a abouti à la mort de Ben Laden et bénéficie actuellement de soins médicaux, tout en étant soumise à des interrogatoires, au Pakistan, en même temps que 15 autres parents de son mari, ont-ils ajouté. » | AFP | Samedi 07 Mai 2011
Al Jazeera has obtained new footage of the compound where Osama bin Laden was killed.
The pictures show the interiors of the house where the al-Qaeda leader is thought to have been hiding for up to six years.
Imtiaz Tyab reports from Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Have you ever seen such a mess in your life? How on earth could anyone live in such squalor? OBL's money didn't do him any good, did it? It certainly didn't buy him or his family any comfort or style. Furthermore, for a person so intent on spreading the faith of Islam, he certainly doesn't appear to have lived up to it. Prophet Muhammad is said to have placed great emphasis on cleanliness and hygiene. This from The Religion of Islam website:
Muslims throughout the world have extremely high standards of personal hygiene, because Islam places great emphasis on both physical and spiritual, cleanliness and purification. While humankind in general usually considers cleanliness to be a pleasing attribute, Islam insists on it. Muslims are required to take care of their personal hygiene by assuring that they are well groomed, and that their bodies, clothing, and surroundings are clean.It seems to me that Osama bin Laden omitted an important part of the faith he held so dear. [Source: The Religion of Islam] – © Mark
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Vince Cable, the Liberal Democrat Business Secretary, has reignited the war of words between the coalition partners by calling the Conservatives "ruthless, calculating and thoroughly tribal."Mr Cable said the coalition would continue in a more "businesslike" format in the wake of the Lib Deb drubbing in local council polls and the large-scale defeat of the "Yes" campaign in the referendum on the Alternative Vote (AV) system back[ed] by almost all his party.
However, his choice of words was unlikely to do anything to smooth relations around the Cabinet table. He also described the Conservatives as "not our natural bedfellows."
As the Lib Dem rhetoric intensified, Norman Baker, the transport minister, said Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, had been "let down" by David Cameron.
There was no sense that any Lib Dem minister would break ranks, either by resigning or suggesting Mr Clegg should quit as party leader, despite the scale of the party's defeat.
Leading Lib Dems were more concerned to blame Conservative tactics in targeting Mr Clegg during the AV referendum campaign.
Mr Cable made clear that Liberal Democrats would not accept policies which go beyond last year's coalition agreement with Tories - such as controversial proposals for NHS reform.
Mr Cable told Radio 4's Today programme: "Some of us never had many illusions about the Conservatives, but they have emerged as ruthless, calculating and thoroughly tribal. » | Patrick Hennessy, Political Editor | Saturday, May 07, 2011
BBC: Vote 2011: Tories ruthless and calculating, says Cable – Vince Cable has attacked the Lib Dems' Tory coalition partners as "ruthless, calculating and very tribal" but insisted their alliance would continue. » | Saturday, May 07, 2011
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Nach dem unangekündigten Krisengipfel der EU-Finanzminister erklärte der Chef der Eurogruppe, Luxemburgs Finanzminister Juncker, eine Umschuldung Griechenlands komme nicht in Frage. Einen Austritt Griechenlands aus der Euro-Zone bezeichnete Juncker als „dumme Idee“.Die Kernländer der Eurozone haben bei einem unangekündigten Treffen in Luxemburg in der Nacht zum Samstag den Ausstieg Griechenlands aus der Währungsunion ausgeschlossen. Der Chef der Eurogruppe, Luxemburgs Finanzminister Jean-Claude Juncker, sagte nach dem Treffen, auch eine Umschuldung Griechenlands komme nicht in Frage. Einen Austritt Griechenlands aus der Euro-Zone bezeichnete Juncker als „dumme Idee“. Das wäre „ein Weg, den wir niemals gehen würden“, sagte er. „Wir wollen nicht, dass der Euro-Raum ohne Grund explodiert“, fügte er hinzu.
An dem Treffen in einem Schloss bei Luxemburg nahmen unter anderen die Finanzminister aus Deutschland, Frankreich, Italien und Spanien teil. Weitere Teilnehmer waren der Präsident der Europäischen Zentralbank (EZB), Jean-Claude Trichet, EU-Währungskommissar Olli Rehn und der griechische Finanzminister Giorgos Papakonstantinou. » | FAZ.NET | Samstag, 07. Mai 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Wounded pride and tall stories about bin Laden’s killing could be a lethal mix, says Peter Oborne in Islamabad.Their anger and frustration was palpable. The mobs who gathered in the streets across Pakistan yesterday rallied to mourn the killing of Osama bin Laden by American forces – and promised revenge. Hundreds of men spilled out of Friday prayers in the military town of Abbottabad, where the al-Qaeda leader was killed this week. Tyres were set alight and abusive chants directed at the United States rang through the streets.
Similar rallies were taking place in several other Pakistani cities – but it must be said that their scale and ferocity was by no means as great as the country’s militant religious groups had hoped.
As I understand it, one explanation for the muted reaction may be that Pakistan feels like a country on the edge of a nervous breakdown. It is a profoundly proud nation and its people are finding it painful to come to terms with the discovery of the world’s most wanted terrorist on national soil.
Some are taking refuge in denial, and, as I walked round Abbottabad earlier this week, few people – even those who had actually witnessed the US attack – were ready to admit that bin Laden had been even living in the town. For almost a decade Pakistan politicians and religious leaders have been adamant that the terror chief was outside Pakistan or, at worst, living in one of the remote tribal areas, and effectively outside the control of the state.
Even al-Qaeda took a full four days to acknowledge its figurehead was dead – only doing so yesterday, in a statement which also vowed to wreak dire retaliation. Read on and comment » | Peter Oborne | Saturday, May 07, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A political author whose face Nicolas Sarkozy threatened to "smash in" over claims Carla Bruni-Sarkozy was a "maneater" has seen his state television show shelved, sparking claims that the French president was involved in the move.Last month, Franz-Olivier Giesbert, 62, director of the weekly magazine Le Point, released a biography on Mr Sarkozy called M. Le President, which today tops France's bestseller list.
In it, he branded Mr Sarkozy a "child king" who is "drunk on himself", "immature" and a "weathervane" who is "tyrannical" with his entourage and above all his friends. He recounts being subjected to a 40-minute telephone tirade by [the] Mr Sarkozy sparked by an article 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."
Mr Sarkozy told Mr Giesbert: "This article is filth and I should smash your face in."
"You'll see what I'm going to do to you, you'll see," he threatened. Mr Giesbert said the president subsequently sought to pressure Le Point's owner, the luxury goods billionaire François Pinault, into firing Mr Giesbert, to no avail. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Friday, May 06, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Spanish golfer Seve Ballesteros has died after a severe deterioration in his condition following treatment for a brain tumour in 2008, the Spanish television channel TVE has reported.Ballesteros, 54, a five-times major winner, had been recuperating at his home in northern Spain after four operations on the tumour and a course of chemotherapy.
Regarded by many as golf's greatest shot-maker, Ballesteros won 87 titles worldwide, 50 of them on the European Tour.
A winner of three British Opens and two Masters titles, he also helped revive Europe's fortunes in the biennial Ryder Cup team competition.
On Friday the world of golf held its breath after Ballesteros's family reported a “severe deterioration” in his neurological condition.
At the Spanish Open in Barcelona fellow Spaniards José-María Olazabal and Miguel Angel Jiménez played together in sombre mood. Twenty-four hours earlier, Olazabal, who last visited the wheelchair-bound Ballesteros a fortnight ago, learnt from Ballesteros’s daughter, Carmen, that his mentor’s condition had taken a grave turn. The European Tour press officer in Barcelona reported that Olazabal and Jiménez were in tears after completing yesterday’s round. » | Saturday, May 07, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Seve Ballesteros suffers ‘severe deterioration in neurological state’: The world of golf holds its breath for Seve Ballesteros. A brief statement on his website published by his family yesterday sent a shudder through the sport. It told of a “severe deterioration” in his neurological condition. » | Kevin Garside | Friday, May 06, 2011
Friday, May 06, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Plans to change the way the MPs are elected have been overwhelmingly rejected by voters.More than two thirds of people voted to keep the first-past-the-post system in what was the first UK-wide referendum for 36 years.
With the count 85 per cent complete, the No to AV campaign passed the crucial figure of 9.87million votes at 7.41pm on Friday night to secure victory.
It was a boost to David Cameron who had campaigned hard for a No vote and a blow to Nick Clegg, who had made a referendum on voting reform a condition of the Coalition deal which is this week one year old. » | Andrew Porter, and Christopher Hope | Friday, May 06, 2011
It was billed a 'day of defiance', but this Friday has ended in bloodshed.
Syrian security forces have reportedly killed up to 30 protesters who were calling for the end of President Bashar al-Assad's leadership. Scores of people and opposition figures, including Riad Saif, a well-known activist and a member of parliament, were arrested.
And, in response to the growing crackdown, the European Union has now agreed to impose sanctions on government officials.
Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr's report contains amateur video footage which cannot be independently verified.
Anti-government protests were held place for the seventh day in a row in the Maldives capital of Male.
The people are demonstrating because of soaring prices and claim the president is mishandling the economy.
But the democratically-elected president is calling it an attempt to reinstate a dictatorship in this tropical paradise.
Al Jazeera's Steve Chao reports.
MAIL ONLINE: Radicals warn 'it is only a matter of time' before another atrocity / EDL member burns Bin Laden effigy among extremist MuslimsA protest by hundreds of Osama Bin Laden supporters sparked fury outside the US Embassy in London today as they staged a mock 'funeral service' for the terror leader.
Police stepped in to separate the protesters and members of the English Defence League amid threats of violence from both sides.
Radicals carrying placards proclaiming 'Islam will dominate the world' branded US leaders 'murderers' and warned vengeance attacks were 'guaranteed'.
The protest came shortly after the verdict into the 7/7 inquest was released by Lady Justice Heather Hallett.
She recorded that the 52 victims had been 'unlawfully' killed when four terrorists attacked three London Underground trains and a bus in 2005. On this day of all days! Hundreds of militant Muslims stage mock funeral for Bin Laden outside U.S. embassy in London... as relatives of 7/7 terror attack victims weep at inquest just three miles away » | Daily Mail Reporter | Friday, May 06, 2011
LE POINT: Le directeur central du renseignement intérieur Bernard Squarcini estime que les intérêts français peuvent être attaqués "à l'intérieur".
La France est "la cible numéro deux d'al-Qaida" mais ne fait pas l'objet de menaces spécifiques depuis la mort d'Oussama Ben Laden, déclare Bernard Squarcini dans Le Monde. Le directeur central du renseignement intérieur (DCRI), qui s'exprime également dans Libération vendredi, estime que les intérêts français, qui sont pour l'instant "attaqués à l'extérieur", peuvent l'être "à l'intérieur". » | Source AFP | Vendredi 06 Mai 2011
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Die Schuldenkrise in Griechenland spitzt sich zu. Die Regierung des Landes überlegt nach Informationen von SPIEGEL ONLINE, die Euro-Zone zu verlassen. Die Finanzminister der Währungsunion und Vertreter der EU-Kommission treffen sich am heutigen Freitagabend zu einer geheimen Krisensitzung.Berlin - Die wirtschaftlichen Probleme Griechenlands sind gewaltig, fast täglich protestieren Bürger gegen die Regierung. Nun sieht Ministerpräsident Georgios Papandreou offenbar keine andere Möglichkeit mehr: Nach Informationen von SPIEGEL ONLINE überlegt seine Regierung, den Euro aufzugeben und wieder eine eigene Währung einzuführen.
Alarmiert durch die Bestrebungen hat die EU-Kommission für den Freitagabend zu einem Krisentreffen nach Luxemburg geladen. Das Treffen findet im Château de Senningen statt, das von der luxemburgischen Regierung für offizielle Termine genutzt wird. Neben dem möglichen Austritt Griechenlands aus der Währungsunion steht auch eine baldige Umschuldung des Landes auf der Tagesordnung. Ein Jahr nach Ausbruch der Griechenland-Krise bedeutet dies für die Europäische Währungsunion einen existentiellen Wendepunkt - unabhängig davon, für welche Variante sie sich entscheidet. » | Von Christian Reiermann | Freitag, 06. Mai 2011
LE POINT: Quatorze manifestants ont été tués et plusieurs autres grièvement blessés vendredi par les forces de sécurité syriennes dans trois villes de Syrie tandis que Riad Seif, l'une des principales figures de l'opposition, a été arrêté à Damas, selon des militants.Les autorités ont annoncé de leur côté la mort d'un officier de l'armée et de quatre policiers à Homs, une importante cité industrielle à 160 km au nord de la capitale.
"Huit personnes ont été tuées et plusieurs autres ont été grièvement blessées par les tirs de forces de sécurité sur une manifestation à Homs", a déclaré un militant local des droits de l'Homme.
Selon lui, les forces de sécurité ont ouvert le feu sur une manifestation alors que le défilé arrivait à Bab Dreib, dans le centre-ville.
Plus au nord, cinq manifestants ont été tués également par les forces de l'ordre à Hama, selon des militants. » | AFP | Vendredi 06 Mai 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The leader of Majorca has become the first government official to apologise for the execution of Jews during the Spanish Inquisition – centuries after the events.
Francesc Antich, the regional president of the Balearic Islands, issued an official condemnation of the killings in what was heralded by Jewish groups as the first of its kind in Spain.
"We have dared to gather here to recognise the grave injustice committed against those Majorcans who were accused, persecuted, charged and condemned to death for their faith and their beliefs," Mr Antich said at a memorial service held in Palma de Majorca [Palma].
At the end of the 15th century King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella set up the Spanish Inquisition to root out remnants of Islam and Judaism after the reconquest of Spain. Over the following two centuries thousands of so-called heretics were burned at the stake. » | Fiona Govan, in Madrid | Friday, May 06, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)