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Thursday, May 12, 2011
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE: Newt Gingrich is entering the 2012 presidential race a familiar face - a 20-year veteran of Congress who served a polarizing turn as House speaker before assuming a career as a prolific political commentator and author.But Gingrich, who officially announced his White House bid Wednesday, is bringing a decidedly different approach to this contest than he did to his previous stint in public office.
In his speeches and campaign appearances, Gingrich is expected to lay out a political vision that intertwines fiscal and social conservatism, drawing from a newfound interest in religion he has infused into his work in recent years.
It's a message he's expected to make Friday at the Georgia Republican Party convention in what advisers are billing as a formal announcement speech that will marry the concept of American exceptionalism with an emphasis on God-endowed rights. » | Matea Gold, Tom Hamburger, Los Angeles Times | Thursday, May 12, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: Hord of writings on computers, flash drives and in diary reveal morbid emphasis on another atrocityOsama bin Laden went to the bizarre length of trying to calculate how many more American deaths it would take to force the US to retreat from the Middle East, his writings have revealed.
The al-Qaida leader was convinced that only a massive blood-letting on the scale of 9/11 would have the necessary shock factor to effect a change in US policy around the region. He told his followers that a sprinkling of smaller attacks would not have the desired effect.
The revelation of Bin Laden's morbid emphasis on another mass atrocity comes from the large stash of his writings that was discovered in his hideout in Pakistan and brought by Navy Seals to the US after they killed him. The hord, which has been compared in size to a small college library, included five computers and about 100 removable digital storage devices or flash drives. It also included a diary that Bin Laden wrote by hand.
US intelligence officers poring through the data told the Associated Press the information underlines how proactive Bin Laden continued to be even when al-Qaida as a movement was on the defensive. Though he didn't appear to have the ability directly to co-ordinate specific attacks from his lair in Abbottabad, he did have input into every major al-Qaida plot, including those across Europe last year, the officials said.
He was also in touch with many of the most dangerous al-Qaida offshoots around the world that some had assumed were working independently, such as the branch in Yemen that has become a leading centre of al-Qaida activity. » | Ed Pilkington in New York and Declan Walsh in Islamabad | Thursday, May 12, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: Muammar Gaddafi's officials admits unseaworthy migrant ships are being allowed to sail as a protest against Nato air strikesThe Libyan regime of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi is allowing thousands of sub-Saharan African migrants on to overcrowded, unseaworthy ships in an apparently calculated attempt to use migration as a weapon to pressure Nato and the EU countries backing Libya's rebels.
Libyan officials admit they are not stopping boats teeming with African migrants embarking on perilous journeys to Europe in protest at air strikes, which they say have destroyed the country's coastguard.
Turning a blind eye to people smuggling has had disastrous humanitarian effects, apparently leading to the deaths of hundreds of boat people during unsuccessful attempts to reach the Italian island of Lampedusa, Malta, and other parts of Europe.
Officials are still assessing the death toll from the sinking of an unseaworthy and overcrowded ship that is feared to have claimed hundreds of lives when it went down less than two miles off Tripoli last Friday.
Officials said they were doing nothing to encourage the journeys to Italy, but could see no reason to stop them, because doing so would serve the interests of Nato member states bombing Libya.
"We say to Europe that we can no longer do what we used to do," said the prime minister, al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi. "And that's because Nato has ruined our coastal defences." » | Martin Chulov in Tripoli and Simon Tisdall | Wednesday, May 11, 2011
DIE PRESSE: Bank-Austria-Chefökonom Stefan Bruckbauer geht davon aus, dass der IWF und die Euroländer die Hälfte der Griechenland-Kredite abschreiben müssen. Die Wahrscheinlichkeit der Rückzahlung ist gering.
Wien/Athen. Die EU und der Internationale Währungsfonds (IWF) werden wohl die Hälfte der Hilfsgelder für Griechenland abhaken müssen. Dabei geht es um rund 80 Mrd. Euro. Zu dieser Einschätzung kommt der Chefvolkswirt der Bank Austria, Stefan Bruckbauer. Derzeit bereiten Europas Regierungen die Öffentlichkeit darauf vor, dass das hoch verschuldete Land weitere Milliardenhilfen bekommt. » | Von Christian Höller, Die Presse | Mittwoch, 11. Mai 2011
LE FIGARO: Les adversaires du régime de Kadhafi ont pris mercredi l'aéroport de la troisième ville du pays. La contestation du pouvoir en place gagnerait par ailleurs Tripoli, selon les insurgés.Nouveau tournant dans la bataille de Misrata, ville clé assiégée depuis plus de deux mois par les forces pro-Kadhafi. Après une lutte acharnée, les rebelles ont pris mercredi le contrôle de l'aéroport de la ville, située à 200 km à l'est de Tripoli.
Depuis quelques jours, les troupes de Kadhafi avaient déjà perdu du terrain sur d'autres fronts autour de la ville côtière. Mercredi matin, ils ont tiré une quarantaine de roquettes Grad et des dizaines d'obus de mortier. Mais après de violents combats, les insurgés ont pris vers midi le contrôle total de l'aéroport au sud de la ville, et les tirs ont cessé. Ils avaient auparavant fait 13 blessés dans les rangs rebelles. » | Par Thomas Vampouille | Mercredi 11 Mai 2011
BBC: At least 10 people were killed after a magnitude 5.3 earthquake toppled several buildings in southern Spain, near the town of Lorca, officials say.
The quake struck at a depth of just 1km (0.6 miles), some 120km south-west of Alicante, at 1850 (1650 GMT), the US Geological Survey reported.
Lines of cars lay crushed under tonnes of rubble and a hospital was evacuated as a precaution.
The quake followed a 4.4 magnitude tremor about two hours earlier.
It is not clear how many people were injured, although Spanish media say there are dozens. (+ video) » | Wednesday, May 11, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Iran is ruthlessly exploiting the pro-democracy movement for its own ends.
When the term “Arab Spring” entered the collective vocabulary this year, it was meant to encapsulate the youthful exuberance of the pro-democracy movements that had sprung up throughout the Middle East. After enduring decades of stultifying and repressive rule by the ancien re[é]gime, this was the moment that the region’s poor and dispossessed at last laid claim to certain basic rights, such as the freedom to express their political opinions, and to a more equal share of their nations’ wealth.
Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution quickly led to the overthrow of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, while in Egypt, mass protests forced the resignation of Hosni Mubarak.
Within weeks, the contagion was wreaking havoc throughout the region, threatening the ruling elites in such disparate countries as Libya, Syria, Yemen and Bahrain.
Four months later, however, the worldwide enthusiasm that greeted this seemingly spontaneous outpouring of democratic fervour has been replaced by mounting concern at the way these protests have developed. In Egypt and Bahrain, as well as Libya and Syria, the hopes they inspired have been nipped firmly in the bud. Continue reading and comment » | Con Coughlin | Tuesday, May 10, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Drive-by attackers lobbed two grenades at the Saudi consulate in Pakistan's largest city of Karachi on Wednesday, in the first possible violent reaction to the US killing of Osama bin Laden.
Officials reported no damage and no casualties after two men on a motorcycle threw the explosives at the heavily fortified building in Clifton, the smartest neighbourhood of Karachi, nine days after bin Laden was killed in Pakistan.
"This was an attack on the Saudi consulate. Two motorcycle riders threw two grenades and fled," provincial government official Sharfuddin Memon told AFP.
"There were no casualties. We are seeing this incident in the present context. It could be a reaction of the Osama incident," he added. » | Wednesday, May 11, 2011
BBC: At least 10 people were killed after a magnitude 5.3 earthquake toppled several buildings in southern Spain, near the town of Lorca, officials say.
The quake struck at a depth of just 1km (0.6 miles), some 120km south-west of Alicante, at 1850 (1650 GMT), the US Geological Survey reported.
Lines of cars lay crushed under tonnes of rubble and a hospital was evacuated as a precaution.
The quake followed a 4.4 magnitude tremor about two hours earlier.
It is not clear how many people were injured, although Spanish media say there are dozens. (+ video) » | Wednesday, May 11, 2011
BBC: At least 10 people were killed after a magnitude 5.3 earthquake toppled several buildings in southern Spain, near the town of Lorca, officials say.
The quake struck at a depth of just 1km (0.6 miles), some 120km south-west of Alicante, at 1850 (1650 GMT), the US Geological Survey reported.
Lines of cars lay crushed under tonnes of rubble and a hospital was evacuated as a precaution.
The quake followed a 4.4 magnitude tremor about two hours earlier.
It is not clear how many people were injured, although Spanish media say there are dozens. (+ video) » | Wednesday, May 11, 2011
STERN.DE: Sie wollen unerwünschte "Kriminelle" und Flüchtlinge fernhalten: Die dänischen Rechtspopulisten haben durchgesetzt, dass an der dänisch-deutschen Grenze wieder Kontrollen durchgeführt werden.
Nach zehn Jahren führt Dänemark wieder "permanente Grenzkontrollen" an der Grenze mit Deutschland ein. Künftig sollen Zöllner sowohl Einreisende als auch Ausreisende kontrollieren. Wie Finanzminister Claus Hjort Frederiksen mitteilte, hat sich die Kopenhagener Minderheitsregierung mit der rechtspopulistischen DVP und einem parteilosen Abgeordneten darauf geeinigt. Die DVP hatten auf Plakaten neue Schlagbäume an der Grenze mit Deutschland verlangt. "Das ist einfach gesunde Vernunft", sagte Parteichefin Pia Kjærsgaard lächelnd, als sie eine Mehrheit des Regierungslagers hinter ihre Forderungen gebracht hatte.
Man müsse all die Kriminellen aus Osteuropa und illegal einreisende Wirtschaftsflüchtlinge bremsen, hatte Kjærsgaard in den letzten Wochen verkündet. Sie wiederholte bei Verhandlungen mit Ministerpräsident Lars Løkke Rasmussen erfolgreich das Spiel, mit dem sie in den letzten zehn Jahren den Takt der dänischen Innenpolitik bestimmt hatte. Jahr um Jahr rang Kjærsgaard der Minderheitsregierung neue Verschärfungen beim Zuwanderungs- und Aufenthaltsrecht für Ausländer ab: massive Verschärfungen beim Familiennachzug von Zuwanderern, die Halbierung der Sozialhilfesätze für diese Gruppe und immer neue Hürden für das Erlangen der dänischen Staatsbürgerschaft. Als Gegenleistung gab es ihr Ja zum jeweiligen Haushalt oder anderen Regierungsvorhaben. » | tkr/DPA | Mittwoch, 11. Mai 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A group of Pakistani politicians including a former minister hijacked proceedings in parliament to offer prayers for the death of Osama bin Laden, little more than a week after he was killed in a US Navy Seal raid.
Their actions will heighten suspicions that parts of the Islamabad government or the powerful military establishment sympathised with the al-Qaeda leader, and may have sheltered him from justice.
"Bin Laden was an international figure and above all a Muslim ... I took it as my religious duty to offer prayers for him," said Maulvi Asmatullah, an independent Member of the National Assembly who led the prayers on Tuesday.
The deputy speaker of the house tried to silence the prayers, warning the MNAs that they did not have permission Mr Asmatullah was joined by two members of the Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam party, the country's biggest Islamic party which was part of the governing coalition until late 2010.
Atta-ur-Rehman, a federal minister until his party withdrew from government, was among them.
Their controversial actions underscore Pakistan's complex relationship with Islamist militants. » | Rob Crilly, Islamabad | Wednesday, May 11, 2011
In first of five exclusive reports, Al Jazeera has unearthed evidence that sheds light on kingdom's brutal crackdown.
Al Jazeera is learning more about the full extent of the brutal crackdown in Bahrain against those it believes took part in recent anti-government protests.
The kingdom's oil company has fired almost 300 employees.
And according to an opposition group, police have raided up to 15 mainly girls schools, detaining, beating and threatening to rape girls as young as 12.
Al Jazeera's Charles Stratford reports.
LE POINT: Le dirigeant libyen n'est plus apparu en public depuis le 30 avril et l'Otan reconnaît avoir perdu sa trace.Le doute s'est installé jusqu'au plus haut sommet de l'Otan. "Nous ne savons pas ce que Kadhafi fait maintenant." La petite phrase émane du général Claudio Gabellini, qui s'exprimait mardi soir depuis le QG de l'Alliance atlantique à Naples, dans le sud de l'Italie. Un aveu lourd de sens, quelques heures après d'intenses bombardements des forces alliées sur des bunkers appartenant au colonel en plein Tripoli. "L'Otan ne vise pas des individus", a cru bon de rappeler le général Gabellini, précisant que les cibles de l'Otan étaient uniquement "militaires", à savoir des "bunkers de commandement et de contrôle". » | Par Cyriel Martin | Mercredi 11 Mai 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Duchess of Cornwall yesterday launched an outspoken defence of freedom of the press in Britain, describing it as a cornerstone of democracy.In a surprise intervention, set against the backdrop of the debate over privacy and the courts, she said that she “passionately” believed in freedom of expression and insisted that no aspect of society should be free from scrutiny.
She said that the right to "question, debate and criticise" everything should be a matter of national pride.
But she warned against allowing political correctness to restrict free reporting, saying it was “as severe a form of censorship as any”.
Her comments came a day after a landmark European Court of Human Rights ruling which threw out an attempt by Max Mosley, the former motor racing boss, to introduce new restrictions on the press to protect privacy.
Mr Mosley, whose taste for sadomasochistic sessions with prostitutes was exposed by a Sunday tabloid, wanted the court to force the media to warn the subjects of exposés in advance.
It came as a series of disclosures on the Twitter website, naming celebrities said to be protected by draconian gagging orders, threw the wider system of privacy injunctions into chaos and led to calls for parliament to reassess the law.
Addressing editors and journalists at the London Press Club Awards, the Duchess, whose relationship with the Prince of Wales attracted highly critical media coverage in the past, acknowledged that she might seem an unlikely ally for the press. » | John Bingham | Wednesday, May 11, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama will be able to send any mobile phone in the United States a text message warning of imminent danger, from a terror attack to a natural disaster, under plans announced on Tuesday.From next year, new phones and other hand-held devices will be required to be fitted with special chips to receive the alerts, which will also be sent by state and local authorities. Users will be able to opt out of every type of alert except those from the president, said the Federal Communications Commission.
The system will include alerts about missing children and will supersede all other phone traffic to avoid delays. » | Alex Spillius, Washington | Tuesday, May 10, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The sons of Osama bin Laden broke their silence on Tuesday denouncing his "arbitrary killing" and burial at sea as the United States sought to question the al-Qaeda leader's widows.In a statement given to the New York Times, the sons asked why their father "was not arrested and tried in a court of law so that the truth is revealed to the people of the world."
"We maintain that arbitrary killing is not a solution to political problems," it said. In a separate statement posted on jihadist sites, the sons also slammed the "criminal mission" ordered by US President Barack Obama which "obliterated an entire defenceless family."
Bin Laden was killed by US forces on May 2 after being tracked down to a Pakistani compound where the architect of the September 11, 2001 attacks is believed to eluded capture for years, despite a massive global hunt.
The statements denouncing his father's killing are said to have been prepared at the direction of Omar bin Laden, 30, and also called for Pakistani authorities to release the al-Qaeda leader's three wives and children.
The United States is keen to question the three women in hopes of finding out more details of al-Qaeda's reach and organisation, as well as details of bin Laden's final years. » | Tuesday, May 10, 2011
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Osama bin Laden's son Omar says he always disagreed with his father about violence, and is now disagreeing with the violence purportedly used against his father.In a statement written by the Bin Laden family but signed only by Omar, 30, the United States is accused of breaking international law by killing the unarmed terrorist leader without a trial. That is, they said, if the mission was indeed successful.
Omar bin Laden began the statement by saying that he and the family do not believe that the Al Qaeda leader is dead and, like the so-called deathers in this country, want to see photographs and/or video evidence as proof. » | Andrew Malcolm | Tuesday, May 10, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A relative of Osama bin Laden disappeared during the raid by a crack team of US Navy Seals that killed the al-Qaeda leader, according to Pakistan security officials, deepening confusion over the fate of a son regarded as the Crown Prince of Terror.Three of bin Laden’s widows, currently in Pakistani custody, have told interrogators that one son has not been seen since the operation on May 2.
The fresh details raise fears that the al-Qaeda leader’s youngest son and closest confidante, Hamza, may have escaped capture.
The White House initially claimed that Hamza, 20, had been killed at the house in Abbottabad, about 30 miles from Islamabad, the Pakistani capital.
Officials later said his 22-year-old brother Khalid had been killed instead.
Last night an intelligence source in Islamabad told The Daily Telegraph that shifting accounts of what had happened, coupled with the widows’ testimony, left them unable to account for one person who they believe had been living at the house. » | Rob Crilly, Islamabad and Alex Spillius in Washington | Tuesday, May 10, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Italians are fleeing Rome todayover fears a giant earthquake is coming following a seismologist's 1915 prediction that "the big one" will strike on May 11, 2011.Businesses have reported requests from one in five people to have time off work and many are also keeping children away from school and heading to the beach or country for the day.
Romans are taking it so seriously that local newspapers have even been publishing survival guides with tips of what to do – if – the ground starts to tremble.
The panic has been fanned by Facebook, Twitter and text messages around a prediction by Raffaele Bendani [sic], a seismologist who forecast in 1915 that a "big one" would hit Rome on Wednesday.
He is also said to have predicted other earthquakes which hit Italy during the last hundred years before his death in 1979. » | Nick Pisa, Rome | Tuesday, May 10, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Col Muammar Gaddafi and his armed forces have been directly targetted in a series of precision strikes in Tripoli and the key town of Misurata as concerns grow that the regime is attempting to swamp Europe with refugees.
The new phase of highly accurate attacks, shown in photographs released by the Ministry of Defence on Tuesday, was launched as an increasingly desperate refugee crisis has seen thousands from Libya flee for Europe in just a few days.
In a sign that the regime is trying to force a refugee crisis as a weapon against its Nato enemies, almost 1,900 people from Libya arrived in five boats on the Italian islands of Lampedusa and Linosa this weekend alone. Another vessel sank - bringing the total lost to four boats.
Hundreds of bodies are now washing ashore along the Libyan coast. Some of the refugees said they were forced on to the boats by Libyan troops and police, the International Organisation for Migration reported. Others were given free passage, in contrast to the normal practice where migrants are charged fortunes for the crossing.
"The flow of migrants from Libya to Italy has undeniably accelerated very recently," said the IOM's spokesman, Jean Philippe Chauzy. "Until recently, the flow to Europe was overwhelmingly Tunisians and there were no departures [by sea] from Libya. But as of yesterday, a total of 12,360 people on 35 vessels have arrived in Lampedusa and Malta from Libya." » | Thomas Harding, and Andrew Gilligan in Tripoli | Tuesday, May 10, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Sarah, Duchess of York has spoken publicly for the first time about being snubbed by the Royal Family over the guest list to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
The Duchess, who was a close friend of Prince William’s mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, told a US talk show that it had been “difficult” not to have been invited.
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, she said that she had gone to Thailand while the wedding was taking place.
Her daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, attended the Westminster Abbey service with their father, the Duke of York.
The two princesses attracted lively discussion in fashion forums for their striking choice of hats by the designer Philip Treacy.
The Duchess, who is to have her own show on Winfrey’s cable channel, is understood to have turned down a slew of lucrative offers from US television channels to offer commentary on the day of the wedding. » | John Bingham | Tuesday, May 10, 2011
LE FIGARO: Surnommé le «baron copier-coller», l'ex-ministre est accusé de triche délibérée par l'université de Bayreuth.La perspective d'un retour en politique pour Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg a pris un sérieux coup de frein, mercredi. Accusé de plagiat dans sa thèse de doctorat, l'ex-ministre de la Défense avait démissionné de ses fonctions en mars.
Mercredi, l'université de Bayreuth, qui lui avait retiré son titre de docteur, a rendu publiques les conclusions d'un rapport accablant sur la thèse de Guttenberg, jugeant que celui-ci avait «triché délibérément». Et l'ancien ministre star du gouvernement d'Angela Merkel, qui faisait figure de «chancelier en réserve», risquerait désormais une condamnation à une peine de prison, l'une des victimes du plagiat ayant décidé de déposer une plainte pénale. » | Par Patrick Saint-Paul | Mittwoch 11. Marz 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
BBC: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has criticised China's crackdown on dissent as "a fool's errand", saying Beijing is trying to halt history.In an interview with The Atlantic, Mrs Clinton also called the nation's human rights record "deplorable".
She defended US dealings with Beijing, saying: "We live in the real world."
The BBC's Kim Ghattas in Washington says Mrs Clinton seemed to suggest the Chinese system itself would collapse and that democracy was inevitable.
The article quotes Mrs Clinton as saying last month that China's leaders were "worried" that the wave of pro-democracy protests overtaking the Middle East would spread east to China.
"They're trying to stop history, which is a fool's errand," she said. "They cannot do it, but they're going to hold it off as long as possible." » | Tuesday, May 10, 2011
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Teenagers in Florida are set to be banned by law from wearing low-slung jeans that reveal their underwear.
Teenagers in Florida are set to be banned by law from wearing low-slung jeans that reveal their underwear.
Senate Bill 228, also known as the "Pull Your Pants Up" Bill, was last week overwhelmingly approved by the state legislature. It is expected to be signed by Governor Rick Scott this week.
The measure prohibits students from wearing clothing that "exposes their undergarments" or "indecently exposes their body parts" while they are at school.
It is aimed at putting an end to the Hip-Hop-influenced trend, favoured especially by young men, in which jeans are worn around the buttocks rather than the waist. » | Jon Swaine, New York | Sunday, May 08, 2011
MIDDLE EAST ONLINE: RIYADH and LONDON - The Saudi-Iranian relations are going through a period of high tension that culminated in Saudi Arabia’s refusal to receive Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi as part of his Gulf tour.Sources in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) confirmed the Saudi rejection. The Saudi move, they said, is due to the Iranian diplomatic and media campaign against the kingdom. The campaign comes against the backdrop of the Saudis’ support for the Bahraini government against what the Al-Khalifa, the Bahraini royal family which has been ruling the country for 300 years, called an Iranian coup plan.
According to the sources, the Saudis stressed that unless the Iranian government apologized for the vandalism done to its consulate in Mashhad and the attack on its embassy in Tehran, the visit of the Iranian minister could not be considered friendly, and that there would be no healthy foundations for the development of future relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
The sources revealed that Salehi sought a Qatari mediation, but the Qataris affirmed that a continued direct contact between the two countries is better for the stability of the region. » | Middle East Online | Tuesday, May 10, 2011
NZZ ONLINE: Die libyschen Rebellen haben nach eigenen Angaben im Kampf um die belagerte Stadt Misrata an Boden gewonnen, nachdem die Nato dort in den vergangenen Tagen Dutzende von militärischen Zielen getroffen hatte. Auch im Osten des Landes sollen sie Erfolge gegen die Truppen Ghadhafis erzielt haben.Die Rebellen posteten Videos im Internet, in denen sie die Truppen von Machthaber Ghadhafi zur Aufgabe aufforderten. Sie seien bis 25 Kilometer ausserhalb des Zentrums von Misrata vorgerückt, erklärten die Regierungsgegner. Ein Arzt aus Misrata sagte gegenüber der Nachrichtenagentur AP, dass die Rebellen bis nach Dafnija, einen Ort am westlichen Stadtrand, vorgedrungen seien. Auch nahe des Flughafens südlich von Misrata werde gekämpft. «Wir sind hinter dir her, Ghadhafi», sagte einer der Kämpfer in einem Internet-Video. Die Nato hatte nach eigenen Angaben seit Montag vergangener Woche 30 militärische Ziele in Misrata getroffen, darunter zwölf Panzer. » | ddp | Dienstag, 10. Mai 2011
YNET NEWS: Op-ed: Famed musician bashes Israel but says nothing in face of anti-Israeli violence hate
It is difficult for those who enjoy Daniel Barenboim’s music to criticize an artist like him. Yet the famous Israeli conductor just led an ensemble of European musicians to Hamastan, including Italians from world-renowned opera house of La Scala in Milan.
Indeed, the Israeli pianist and conductor crossed a red line with a most unethical gesture.
“We are playing this concert as a sign of our solidarity and friendship with the civil society of Gaza”, Barenboim said. He also wished “success” to the Hamas-Fatah unity agreement signed in Egypt.
Barenboim’s performances of Beethoven and Mozart can’t be an excuse for his political irresponsibility. For global public opinion he is an icon of tolerance and he must be judged by his actions. Barenboim refused to take part in Israel’s 60th anniversary festivities and in 2005, while signing a book that he had written with late anti-Israel activist Edward Said, he refused to be interviewed by a reporter for Israel’s Army radio simply because she was wearing an IDF uniform. » | Giulio Meotti | Sunday, May 08, 2011
YNET NEWS: Barenboim in Gaza 'peace concert': Israeli maestro breaks new ground as audience of some 700 attends hour-long concert along beachfront in northern Strip » | Reuters | Tuesday, April 05, 2011
Related »
AL-MASRY AL-YOUM: More than 50,000 people on Saturday attended a joint rally held by the Muslim Brotherhood group and Salafis in Haram district, Giza.
The organizers chanted slogans stating that the Brotherhood and the Salafis are one, and that both seek to apply the Islamic Sharia.
“The United Arab States and the United Islamic States are inevitably coming,” said prominent Salafi preacher Safwat Hegazy at the rally. “And soon we will have one caliph to rule us all.”
Hegazy condemned those who burnt the church in Imbaba on Saturday. “They are not Salafis or Brothers, nor are they Egyptians,” he said. “They are the enemy that incites sectarian strife.”
Salafi preacher Mohamed Hassan, for his part, called on all Islamic groups to reassure Muslims and Christians alike. “Egypt does not belong to the Muslims alone,” he said. “And Copts are protected by Islam. They need not resort to the United States for that.” [Source: Al-Masry Al-Youm] | Hany ElWaziry | Sunday, May 08, 2011
HT: Jihad Watch »
CANOË: TORONTO – Un politicien néerlandais connu pour ses prises de position radicales contre l'islam soutient que le Canada doit interdire la construction de mosquées et bannir la burka afin de freiner le « processus d'islamisation » du pays.La France et la Belgique ont banni le port du voile intégral dans les lieux publics. La Hollande est dans le processus d'interdire le port du niqab.
« Si tu veux conserver ta culture islamique, reste dans ton pays », a tranché Geert Wilders, lors d'une entrevue accordée lundi à Ezra Levant à l'émission The Source sur les ondes de Sun News à Toronto.
Geert Wilders, chef du Parti pour la liberté, en Hollande, s’est fait remarquer, au cours des dernières années, pour ses attaques virulentes à l’endroit de l’islam en général, qu’il accuse notamment de brimer la liberté des gens et de répandre la haine contre ceux qui ne croient pas en l'idéologie.
Wilders, qui en est à sa première visite au Canada, a indiqué que l'islam n'est pas une religion, mais plutôt « une idéologie totalitaire ». » | Agence QMI | Lundi 09 Mai 2011
REUTERS: Bahrain said on Tuesday that it was expelling the Reuters correspondent in the Gulf kingdom.
Frederik Richter, who has been based in the capital Manama since 2008, was told to leave within a week after officials complained Reuters had lacked balance in its reporting during the recent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.
"Reuters regrets Bahrain's decision to expel its correspondent," Editor-in-Chief Stephen Adler said. "We stand by Frederik Richter's reporting and we will continue to provide comprehensive and unbiased coverage from the country."
An official at the Information Affairs Authority, Sheikh Abdullah bin Nezar al-Khalifa, said Bahrain was not closing down the Reuters operations in Manama and would accredit another correspondent nominated by the agency.
"We have no problem with Reuters. We're not closing the office and (Reuters) can send in a replacement," he said. » | Reuters. Editing by Alastair Macdonald | LONDON | Tuesday, May 10, 2011
It has been just over a week since US special forces killed al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden inside Pakistan.
Pakistan may allow American investigators to question his three widows, arrested by Pakistani forces shortly after the unilateral US raid.
After days of hard talk coming from both sides, the US and Pakistan have signalled a willingness to co-operate.
Al Jazeera's Imtiyaz Tyab reports.
LE POINT: Tee-shirts, mugs, étuis iPhone ou tabliers... Des produits dérivés improbables ont déferlé en quelques jours. Échantillon.Ils ne sont pas vraiment du meilleur goût. "Obama a eu Oussama", "Ben Laden, repose en enfer", "On l'a eu", "Justice", le tout sur fond de photomontages plus ou moins heureux. Une semaine après le raid américain au Pakistan, des centaines de types de tee-shirts célébrant la mort du chef d'al-Qaida sont proposés sur la Toile. Pour une vingtaine d'euros, tout un chacun peut se procurer ces habits déjà présentés comme "historiques" par les sites de vente en ligne. » | Par Cyriel Martin | Mardi 10 Mai 2011
RUSSIA TODAY: Iranian Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi claims that Osama Bin Laden died from an illness before the US raid on his compound in Abbottabad. Iran has documents to prove it, he said."We have credible information that Bin Laden died some time ago of a disease," Moslehi said on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting on Sunday, as quoted by ISNA news agency.
"If the US military and intelligence apparatus have really arrested or killed Bin Laden, why don't they show him [his body]? Why have they thrown his corpse into the sea?" Moslehi asked rhetorically, FARS news agency reports. » | Tuesday, May 10, 2011
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Marine Le Pen, Vorsitzende des rechtsextremen Front National, wettert gegen Euro, EU und Migration. Viele Franzosen mögen sie. Ein Mittagessen mit der Rivalin von Präsident Sarkozy.Es gibt kein Mikrofon in dem feinen, stuckgeschmückten Saal des Restaurants gleich bei der Comédie Française in Paris. „Ich spreche sowieso laut“, sagt Marine Le Pen. Die 42 Jahre alte Vorsitzende der rechtsextremen Partei Front National (FN), die enge dunkelblaue Jeans zur weißen Designerjacke trägt, ist sichtlich guter Laune. In einem Jahr sind Präsidentenwahlen und alle jüngeren Umfragen sehen die FN-Chefin sicher in der Stichwahlrunde. Im ersten Wahlgang schlägt sie Präsident Sarkozy, aber auch den sozialistischen Umfragefavoriten Dominique Strauss-Kahn, sagen die Meinungsforschungserhebungen. Anders als ihr Vater Jean-Marie Le Pen muss sie sich nicht abmühen, in den Medien Gehör zu finden. Sie kann sich vor Anfragen kaum retten und wird zum Mittagessen eingeladen wie etablierte französische Politiker. „Die Themen fliegen uns geradezu zu“, sagt sie.
Derzeit ist es die Krise der Europäischen Union, die Marine Le Pen umtreibt. Der Fall Griechenland zeige eindeutig, dass die europäische Staatsschuldenkrise längst nicht überwunden sei. „Ich bin keine Antieuropäerin“, sagt Frau Le Pen. „Aber ich gehe davon aus, dass das ganze europäische System irgendwann zusammenbricht.“ Sie wolle Frankreich vorbereiten auf den Tag, an dem die Eurozone auseinanderbreche. Der Euro sei ein „historischer Fehler“ gewesen, und bislang spürten vor allem die Länder an der europäischen Peripherie dessen ökonomische Auswirkungen.
„Schwaches Wachstum, Jobverlagerung in Billiglohnländer, negative Handelsbilanzen und Arbeitslosigkeit“ seien die Bilanz des Euro. „Glauben Sie wirklich, dass Griechenland aus eigener Kraft den Bankrott vermeiden kann? Glauben Sie wirklich, dass Griechenland eine Zukunft mit dem Euro hat?“, fragt sie. Mit einer starken Währung könne Griechenland im internationalen Konkurrenzkampf nicht wettbewerbsfähig sein. » | Von Michaela Wiegel, Paris | Dienstag, 10. Mai 2011
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