Tuesday, May 17, 2011

La deuxième épouse de DSK : «C’est impensable et impossible»

lePARISIEN.fr: «Épouvantable. Abracadabrantesque. » Jointe hier par téléphone, Brigitte Guillemette, deuxième épouse de Dominique Strauss-Kahn ne trouve pas d’autres mots pour commenter le maintien en détention de l’homme qui a partagé sa vie dans les années 1980. « Il a proposé de laisser son passeport, tous ses papiers d’identité, une caution de 1 million de dollars.

Comment considérer ces garanties insuffisantes? » s’interroge cette spécialiste en communication et qui ne souhaite pas « trop en dire pour laisser parler Anne (NDLR : Anne Sinclair, l’épouse de DSK depuis 1991) et les avocats de Dominique. » » | Violette Lazard | Mardi 17 Mai 2011

Related »
Dominique Strauss-Kahn: Second Wife Says New York Sex Attack 'Unthinkable'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dominique Strauss-Kahn's second wife has admitted her former husband had an eye for the ladies but that it was "unthinkable and impossible" he would have raped a chambermaid.

The 62-year old International Monetary Fund chief and French presidential hopeful has been remanded in custody on Rikers Island after being denied a $1 million bail and faces sexual assault charges.

As graphic details of his alleged attack on the 32-year old Sofitel hotel maid emerged, Brigitte Guillemette, whom he married in 1984, leapt to her ex-husband's defence.

"The facts related by the American police are not compatible with the man I know and with whom I lived for more than ten years," she said.

Camille, the pair's daughter – one of Mr Strauss-Khan four children – is a PhD student at Columbia University and met her father for lunch in a New York restaurant "minutes after his alleged assault".

Mrs Guillemette said that she did not deny her husband was a charmer. "But that doesn't mean to say he could have done what he is accused of doing. I don't think I've ever seen him lock a door. He's someone who is gentle.

Violence is not part of his temperament. He has many faults, but not that one." Referring to the lunch he had with Camille, she said: "Can you imagine that a father could do what they accuse him of and then go for lunch with his daughter a few minutes later?

"It makes no sense. It's unthinkable and impossible," she added. Continue reading and comment » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Libya's Oil Minister Abandons Colonel Gaddafi's Regime and Flees across Tunisian Border

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Libya's oil minister has defected and fled to Tunisia, becoming one of the highest profile figures to abandon Muammar Gaddafi's government.

Shukri Ghanem, the head of Libya's National Oil Company, crossed into Tunisia by road on Monday and defected, a Tunisian official said.

Ghanem is one of the most prominent members of the government to leave amid fighting between the military and rebels seeking to end Gaddafi's more than 40-year rule.

Others who have defected include Moussa Koussa, the foreign minister, one of Gaddafi's earliest supporters; Abdel-Fatah Younes, the interior minister; Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, the justice minister, and Ali Abdessalam Treki, a former UN General Assembly president. A number of ambassadors and other diplomats also have resigned their posts. » | Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Medicine: Lifespan – Interview with Colin Blakemore

Al Jazeera interviews Colin Blakemore, a neurobiologist at Oxford University, on the new discovery by Spanish scientists which can estimate your lifespan by taking a simple blood test.

The Queen in Ireland

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Queen is making a four-day visit to Ireland, the first by a British monarch in 100 years, in the shadow of threats by dissident republicans.
Photograph: The Daily Telegraph

Follow the event live
Britain's Queen to Visit Ireland

Britain's Queen is set to make a groundbreaking but sensitive visit to the Republic of Ireland. A British monarch's first trip to Ireland puts the police on alert after a dissident Irish group warned of a bomb attack in London. Andrew Simmons reports.

L'Alcatraz de Strauss-Kahn

LE POINT: Le Français est en détention à Rikers Island, la prison la plus grande au monde. Pour beaucoup, là-bas, c'est l'enfer sur Terre.

Tous les fans des séries télé policières qui se passent à New York la connaissent bien. Régulièrement, les détectives se rendent à la prison de Rikers Island pour y interroger un détenu. C'est là que DSK a été conduit lundi soir, après la décision du juge de le maintenir en détention. Pas tout à fait un hôtel 5-étoiles. À lire la littérature sur le sujet, c'est même l'enfer sur Terre. Cet énorme complexe pénitentiaire, le plus grand au monde dit-on, sur une île près de l'aéroport de La Guardia date des années 1930 et compte 10 prisons sur 168 hectares. En tout, il abrite près de 11 000 détenus, la plupart en attente d'un procès ou purgeant de courtes peines. À côté, Fleury-Mérogis, la plus grande prison européenne, est conçue pour 2 800 places.

Rikers est une vraie ville avec des coiffeurs, des terrains de sport, un centre de désintoxication, des chapelles, une centrale électrique, une imprimerie et même un lavage auto ! "C'est surpeuplé et la nourriture est infâme. Et le danger, c'est que les gens célèbres s'y font attaquer", explique à Reuters Gerald Lefcourt, un avocat. Continuez à lire et ajouter un commentaire » | Hélène Vissière | Mardi 17 Mai 2011
Dominique Strauss-Kahn: The IMF Head in Court alongside 'Texas Fried Chicken' Drug Dealer

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: He was supposed to be in Brussels, musing with fellow members of the global elite on how to spend the hundreds of billions of pounds that were at his disposal just 48 hours earlier.

Instead, at 10.50am on Monday, the head of the International Monetary Fund was led into the drab room 130 at Manhattan criminal court and placed beside a drug dealer who delivered takeaways for Texas Fried Chicken.

When it came to his turn, Dominique Strauss-Kahn was formally charged with six crimes relating to the alleged sexual attack of a hotel maid on Saturday, including unlawful sex and attempted rape.

He was remanded in custody after being deemed a “flight risk” by the judge, who denied him bail for $1m that had already been wired to the US from his wife’s personal bank account.

Mr Strauss-Kahn faces up to 74 years in prison if convicted. He denies the charges, claiming he was eating lunch with his daughter at the time. » | Jon Swaine, New York | Monday, May 16, 2011

The Case Against the IMF 'Great Seducer'

May 17, 2011 – 'On the Record's' legal panel looks at the sex assault case against International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn

A Brief Comment Appeared Briefly

When this blog was set up many years ago, a person was given permission to write on it. Until today, he has never written anything on the blog. But some ten or so minutes ago, I noticed that he had written his opinion on DSK. I was rather shocked to see it there, for his opinion does not reflect my own. I am keeping an open mind on the matter. He, by contrast, appears to have made up his mind already.

I had forgotten that this person had permission to write here, and when I had remembered about it in the past, out of a courtesy to him, I allowed the name to stay there as a contributor for old times’ sake.

However, without intending to be discourteous to the man, I do not feel comfortable with others contributing to this site, especially when I have not read what has been written before it is published. There are legalities to consider. This is not America. We do not enjoy the First Amendment rights that our brothers in America do. Therefore, we as Brits have to be more circumspect.

I wish to be in full control of what is published on this website for this reason, and for other reasons also. I therefore must apologise to my readers for this interruption in the normal flow of posts. I must also apologise to the contributor for removing his post. I trust he will understand why I have done this.

As I am writing this now, I should like to add something else, something totally irrelevant to this matter. I should like to inform my visotors that I am unable to make up any new labels for each post I put up. This is because I have reached the maximum allowed. Therefore, when a new story breaks, I am unable to use new labels. If a suitable label is not in the bank of labels I have, I have to find a way around it. So if you think it is strange that I don’t make up a label for DSK, for example, this is why. I cannot.

This happened because when we started blogging, we were not told that there was a limit to the number of labels one could use. The limit was enforced a long time later. Had I known that a limit would be enforced at some point, I’d have been rather more sparing in my use of labels from the start. Alas, this wasn’t so.

So now, the only way I can free up space for new labels is by deleting unwanted old ones. I have spent many, many hours doing this, but I haven’t yet made a dent in them. Believe me, it is a laborious task.

Kind regards,

Mark
Carla Bruni enceinte : de la rumeur à la confirmation

LE MONDE: Le père de Nicolas Sarkozy, Pal Sarkozy, a confirmé, dans le quotidien allemand Bild la grossesse de l'épouse de l'épouse du président français, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. "Je me réjouis de l'arrivée de mon petit fils", a-t-il assuré. Une confirmation qui intervient après trois semaines de rumeurs persistantes.

Quand Closer annonce vendredi 22 avril au soir ce "scoop" sur son compte Twitter, lecteurs et observateurs font circuler l'info avec un mélange d'excitation et d'incrédulité. La nouvelle, qui n'est pas confirmée, n'est encore qu'une rumeur. Et de plus, certains se rappellent que cette exacte même information a déjà été annoncée plusieurs fois... et donné lieu à des emballements médiatiques en 2008 eten 2009. "Si j’ai pris du ventre, c’est uniquement parce qu’il m’arrive de boire une bière", avait dit la première dame dans une interview à Métro en juillet 2008, tout en affirmant qu'elle "aimerait être enceinte". Retour sur trois semaines de rumeurs. » | LeMonde.fr | Mardi 17 Mai 2011

METRO.fr: Pal Sarkozy confirme la grossesse de Carla Bruni : Le père du chef de l'Etat a confirmé la grossesse de sa belle-fille dans un quotidien allemand paru ce mardi. » | Mardi 17 Mai 2011

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Sarkozy's father says Carla Bruni pregnant: Bild » | Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Bomb Threatens Queen's Visit to Ireland

THE GUARDIAN: Irish army forced to make safe a viable bomb found on bus near Dublin on eve of historic royal visit

A bomb has been found near Dublin as the Queen is due to arrive inIreland for a historic visit that has been hailed as an "extraordinary moment" in the country's history.

The Irish army was forced to make safe a viable improvised explosive device found on a bus in County Kildare late on Monday night.

The discovery threatens to overshadow the Queen's four-day visit, the first by a British monarch to the Republic of Ireland, although the Foreign Office has said she will still travel to Dublin on Tuesday.

An unprecedented security operation, costing about €30m (£26.2m), is in place to safeguard the Queen and Prince Phillip. It includes land, air and sea patrols and a "ring of steel" around the centre of the Irish capital, where the main thoroughfare, O'Connell Street, has been closed to traffic.

The bomb was discovered in the luggage compartment of the vehicle at a bus stop on the outskirts of Maynooth. An engineering unit from the Irish Defence Forces arrived at 11.10pm after receiving a request from the Garda Síochána.

An Irish military spokesman said a controlled explosion was carried out close to a hotel and the scene was declared safe at 1.55am. The remains of the device were handed over to the Gardai for investigation. » | Adam Gabbatt, Henry McDonald and agencies | Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Dominique Strauss-Kahn Arrest: IMF Head Taken to Rikers Island Jail

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a man accustomed to luxury hotel suites and first-class plane travel, will make his home for now at New York City's notorious Rikers Island jail.

Mr Strauss-Kahn will be transferred from a detention centre attached to the Manhattan Criminal Court to Rikers Island on Monday, a spokesman for the New York City Department of Correction said.

A judge earlier on Monday denied Strauss-Kahn bail on charges that he attempted to rape a hotel maid and set his next court date for Friday.

Defense lawyers said they were considering whether to appeal the bail ruling. Should the judge uphold his ruling, Mr Strauss-Kahn could be held at Rikers throughout any trial.

Mr Strauss-Kahn will probably be held in isolation with 24-hour watch, in large part for his own protection from inmates who might seek fame by attacking someone famous, according to people familiar with the jail operations who would not speak on the record.

A complex of 10 jails on a 415-acre (168-hectare) island near LaGuardia airport, Rikers is well-known to watchers of television and film crime dramas as the place where criminal suspects are sent pending trial or to serve short jail sentences. The island can be reached via bridge from the borough of Queens. » | Monday, May 16, 2011

My comment on this:

Whilst the man has got a dubious pedigree when it comes to women, and I am certainly not making any excuses for him – if he has done what is alleged he has done, it is utterly inexcusable – but one cannot help but have a nagging doubt that he might have been set up. After all, DSK had one hell of a lot to lose, and the chambermaid had a hell of a lot to gain.

It has been said she was a black single mother of one, and possibly two children. It has also been said that she recognised him. If she recognised him, she also knew how wealthy he was. She might have have just seen her exit from poverty before her very eyes. For now, one thing is for certain: whatever happens, she can make big bucks out of this sordid story. She'll be able to milk it for all it's worth. She'll gain notoriety/ celebrity, and pots of gold. He, meanwhile, will languish in the slammer. What a sad, sad end to an illustrious career. Whatever the man is or has done, it's a sad ending. But don't get me wrong, if he really has done what is alleged of him, he will deserve all he gets. But before I finish, how likely is it really that a mega-rich Frenchman, notorious as the French are for being a tad superior, to have thrown himself at a humble, lowly black chambermaid, when he had all the money in the world to have been able to buy himself the most expensive hussy in town, and all the secrecy and discretion that would have brought with it? We should all slow down before we rush to judgement. Let the facts unfold. Time will tell whether he has been set-up, or not. Time will tell whether he’s a dirty old man. – © Mark


This comment appears as a response to someone else's comment here

Monday, May 16, 2011

Dominique Strauss-Kahn Arrest: French Privacy Laws among Strictest in Europe

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The extent of Dominique Strauss-Kahn's womanising has in the past been hidden because of a convention that the French press reports little on politicians' private lives and the fact that its privacy laws are among the strictest in Europe, commentators and legal experts said on Monday.

Commentators were asking why the public not been better informed about his apparently uncontrollable libido.

In a Le Monde article titled "The strange media omerta over the DSK case", journalist and author Christophe Deloire said he had been astonished at the lack of media coverage of a chapter in his 2006 book 'Sexus Politicus' dedicated to Mr Strauss-Kahn's womanising.

"The scenes recounted were not limited to simple salon seduction. This chapter brought our editor and ourselves under intense pressure given the sensitive nature of the information," he said.

However, it was barely picked up on by the press which was "more than discreet" on the chapter. "If tomorrow the French, readers and voters, accuse us once again of keeping a secret to ourselves ... what will we reply?"

Jean Quatremer, the journalist at Libération newspaper was the first French journalist to warn that Mr Strauss-Kahn's treatment of women risked causing his downfall in Washington. However, he was only allowed to publish the information on his blog.

On Monday, he told the Daily Telegraph the Strauss-Kahn affair could be a "turning point" in France's approach to its politician's private lives. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Monday, May 16, 2011
Crimes against Humanity: Syria: Mass Grave Found in Dera'a

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Syria's brutal crackdown against pro-democracy protests took a chilling turn on Monday with the discovery of a mass grave in Dera'a, the town at the heart of two-month-long protests, an activist said.

"The army today allowed residents to venture outside their homes for two hours daily," said Ammar Qurabi of the National Organisation for Human Rights in Syria.

"They discovered a mass grave in the old part of town but authorities immediately cordoned off the area to prevent residents from recovering the bodies, some of which they promised would be handed over later," he said on the phone from Cairo.

Qurabi said the Syrian regime must bear full responsibility for the crimes committed against "unarmed" citizens and urged the international community and civil society to pressure it to stop the "brutal repression" of its people.

He was unable say how many people were buried in the alleged mass grave.

His account could not be independently verified as Syrian authorities have all but sealed off the country to foreign journalists amid a brutal crackdown against unprecedented protests threatening the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. » | Monday, May 16, 2011
Vergewaltigungsvorwurf gegen Dominique Strauss-Kahn: Wer ist das Dienstmädchen?

STERN.DE: Sie ist die zentrale Figur im Skandal um IWF-Chef Strauss-Kahn: das angebliche Opfer, das Zimmermädchen. Sie stamme aus Afrika, heißt es. Und sie habe eine Tochter - oder zwei.

Hat Dominique Strauss-Kahn versucht, sie zu vergewaltigen? Wenn ja, ist das politische Schicksal des IWF-Chefs und Präsident-schaftskandidaten in spe besiegelt. Wenn nein, dann ist er das Opfer eines Rufmords, der seinem Image auch ohne gerichtliches Urteil schon jetzt schweren Schaden zufügt. Das Zimmermädchen des New Yorker Sofitel-Hotels, das mutmaßliche Opfer von Strauss-Kahn angeblichem Übergriff, ist die Schlüsselfigur der Affäre - und über sie ist bislang wenig bekannt. Polizei und ihr Arbeitgeber halten sich bedeckt. Als das derzeit weltberühmteste Zimmermädchen Strauss-Kahn bei einer Gegenüberstellung identifiziert hatte, verließ sie die Polizeistation mit einer Decke über dem Kopf.

32 Jahre, das ist laut "New York Times" immerhin bekannt, ist die Frau alt. Laut Polizei ist sie in Afrika geboren und wohnt seit einigen Monaten im New Yorker Stadtteil Bronx. Sie soll eine Tochter im Teenager-Alter haben. "Das sind gute Leute", sagte ein Nachbar der Zeitung. "Sie hat nie irgendwelche Probleme gemacht. Nie laut, immer nett." » | fgüs/dpa | Montag, 16. Mai 2011
Fluchtgefahr: Strauss-Kahn bleibt in U-Haft

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: In der Affäre um einen angeblichen Vergewaltigungsversuch sind zwar Berichte über ein Alibi von IWF-Direktor Dominique Strauss-Kahn aufgetaucht. Dennoch bleibt der Franzose vorerst in Haft. Auch gegen eine Kaution wollen die New Yorker Richter ihn derzeit nicht freilassen.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn bleibt vorerst in Haft. Nach einem angeblichen Vergewaltigungsversuch verweigerte eine New Yorker Richterin dem Chef des Internationalen Währungsfonds (IWF) am Montag die Entlassung auf Kaution. Bei dem international vernetzten und vermögenden Franzosen bestehe Fluchtgefahr. Nun soll am Freitag zum ersten Mal eine Grand Jury zusammentreten, die letztlich über einen Prozess gegen den 62-Jährigen entscheiden wird.

Strauss-Kahn, der als Nachfolger des französischen Präsidenten Nicolas Sarkozy gehandelt wurde, werden sechs Straftaten zur Last gelegt. Allein für die schwerste Anschuldigung, „sexuelle Belästigung ersten Grades“, drohen ihm 25 Jahre Haft. Strauss-Kahn werden versuchte Vergewaltigung, sexueller Missbrauch und Nötigung eines Zimmermädchens in einem New Yorker Hotel vorgeworfen. (+ Video) » | dpa | Montag, 16. Mai 2011
Trump NOT Running for US President

RUSSIA TODAY: After creating much controversy and a circus of media frenzy over the past few months billionaire Donald Trump has announced he will not be running for the office of US President in 2012.

“After considerable deliberation and reflection, I have decided not to pursue the office of the Presidency. This decision does not come easily or without regret; especially when my potential candidacy continues to be validated by ranking at the top of the Republican contenders in polls across the country,” he said in a public statement.

Trump argued he would have won both the Republican primary and the general election, but he could not commit to a campaign at this time.

In the end, business beats politics for Trump. » | Monday, May 16, 2011
Signals Spain May Seek Bailout Spelling Disaster for Eurozone

The shadows of people taking part in a demonstration organised by the group dubbed 'Youth Without a Future' in Madrid, to protest against professional and social conditions of the youth in Spain, May 15, 2011

Demilitarizing Entire American Economy Our Last Hope – Activist

Demonstrators against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan listen to speakers during an anti-war protest in Washington, DC

Obama Warns of New Financial Crisis If US Defaults on Debt

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: America risks unravelling the world's financial system should the country fail to increase its legal borrowing limits, President Barack Obama has warned.

The warning from The White House comes as the US moves ever closer to a $14.3 trillion debt ceiling, which Congress needs to increase in a matter of weeks to prevent the government defaulting on its borrowings for the first time in history.

Given US government debt, or Treasuries as they are known, are considered the safest asset in financial markets and held by investors and central banks around the world, few want to imagine the consequences of a default.

"If investors around the world thought that the full faith and credit of the United States was not being backed up, if they thought that we might renege on our IOU's, it could unravel the entire financial system," President Obama said at a town hall meeting late yesterday.

"We could have a worse recession than we already had [have], a worse financial crisis than we already had [have]."

The US Treasury has projected that the debt limit will be reached this month, though Timothy Geithner, the Treasury Secretary, has said he can juggle accounts until early August to avoid a default. » | Richard Blackden, US Business Editor | Monday, May 16, 2011

My comment:

I find it rather interesting, yet very disturbing, troubling, that this president warns that the world’s financial system will be in trouble if the US doesn’t increase its legal borrowing limits. How perverse is that? That’s like a householder being in deep debt and coming to the end of his credit limit; but instead of paying off the debt, he goes to the bank manager to cajole him into increasing his credit limit to avert the crisis. That way he gets deeper into debt! Where the hell did this guy Obama learn his economics? Which Ivy League university was that now? As all sane, sensible people know, what he needs to do is start paying off the nation’s debts. America needs to learn to live within its means. That way the US will distance itself from its borrowing limits. Living within one’s means is sound economics. It was ever thus. – © Mark

This comment also appears here
Gaddafis Named as International Criminal Court Suspects

THE GUARDIAN: Chief prosecutor requests crimes against humanity arrest warrants for Libyan leader, son Saif al-Islam and intelligence chief Abdullah Senussi







Muammar Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam and his brother-in-law and intelligence chief, Abdullah Senussi, have been named as suspects for crimes against humanity by the chief prosecutor for the international criminal court in The Hague.

Presenting his request for arrest warrants to the ICC, the chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, said the men formed an inner circle who carried out the Libyan leader's orders to crush peaceful protests by ordering attacks with live ammunition and heavy weapons.

"His second eldest son Saif al-Islam is a de facto prime minister and Abdullah Senussi is his right-hand man, the executioner. [My] office documented how the three held meetings to plan and direct the operations," Moreno-Ocampo said. The prosecutor said he had "direct evidence" of the three men committing the crimes.

A panel of three ICC judges will now decide whether to grant the arrest warrants, after which Moreno-Ocampo said it was primarily up to Libyans themselves to enforce them.

However, the naming of Saif al-Islam as a prime suspect in crimes against humanity will alone be enough to cause shock and embarrassment to his prominent and wealthy circle of friends in Europe and the US, and particularly in the UK, where he studied at the London School of Economics and lived in Hampstead Garden Suburb, an exclusive district of London.

"His address book is going to be bulging with significant contacts. The question is going to be how long those contacts stayed in touch and at what point they cut him off," a source familiar with the investigation said. Those questions may be answered in part by a study of Saif al-Islam's mobile telephone records and other communications by the ICC investigators. » | Julian Borger, diplomatic editor | Monday, May 16, 2011
Dominique Strauss-Kahn Appears in Court over Sexual Assault Charge

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the head of the IMF, has been remanded in custody by a New York judge, following allegations of sexual assault.

Mr Strauss-Kahn, 62, is accused of an illegal sex act, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment by a 32-year-old maid at the Sofitel, near Times Square.

New York prosecutors said on Monday that IMF chief Mr Strauss-Kahn, who is facing charges he sexually assaulted a hotel maid, may have engaged in similar conduct once before and they are investigating.

Mr Strauss-Kahn's lawyer Benjamin Brafman said he is "disappointed" but the battle "has just begun".

Mr Strauss-Kahn did not flee his hotel after the alleged assault but was rushing to a lunch appointment with a witness who will testify to that affect, Mr Brafman told the court.

"The reason he was rushing was because he had a luncheon appointment and the person he had lunch with will testify," he said. » | Jon Swaine, New York | Tuesday, May 16, 2011
New Dark Age Alert! Muslims to Push for Sharia

THE AUSTRALIAN: THE nation's peak Muslim group is using the Gillard government's re-embracing of multiculturalism to push for the introduction of sharia in Australia, but it says it would be a more moderate variety of Islamic law that fits with Australian values.

The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, in a submission to a parliamentary inquiry into the government's new multiculturalism policy, argues that Muslims should enjoy "legal pluralism".

In an interview with The Australian, the organisation's president, Ikebal Adam Patel, who wrote the submission, nominated family law and specifically divorce as an area where moderate interpretations of sharia could co-exist within the Australian legal system.

In the submission, the AFIC acknowledges some Muslims believe Islamic law is immutable, regardless of history, time, culture and location.

"They claim that Muslims may change, but Islam will not," it says.

The AFIC argues this is not the case and sharia can be applied in a way that fits in to Australia and is not extreme.

"This means most of the regulations in Islamic law may be amended, changed, altered, and adapted to social change.

"Therefore, Muslims Australia-AFIC takes the position that Islamic law is changeable according to the requirements of different places and times, and therefore suits the values shared by Australian people," the submission says.

A hardline reading of sharia confers unilateral divorce rights on men, while women who initiate divorce are stripped of their property and financial entitlements.

A more moderate interpretation and common practice in Islamic countries is to recognise divorce by mutual consent.

In the interview, Mr Patel said: "I'm saying that instead of letting the extremists within Islam take over the agenda, we are saying there is a path whereby it will work for all the communities in a moderate way. » | Patricia Karvelas | The Australian | Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Beware Australia! Beware Australians! Introducing any aspects of sharia law will be the tip of the iceberg. Further, do not be lulled into believing that there is a moderate form of sharia law. Sharia law is what it is: harsh and unforgiving and brutal in its treatment of transgressors. If you want Australia to remain free and whole, keep sharia law well and truly OUT of your wonderful country! Do NOT make the mistakes that we in Europe have made. Be WISE! Learn from our mistakes. Make Muslims abide by your liberal, democratic laws. In any case, no sensible lawmaker would consider allowing different, parallel laws for different groups of people. Any country will eventually become ungovernable like that, and it will fragment, too. – © Mark
Protesters Clash at Anti-Muslim Rally in Melbourne

THE AUSTRALIAN: MUSLIM groups are worried by a new nationalist body that claims Australia is in danger of being Islamicised.

Australian Defence League supporters clashed with Left-wing protesters in the city yesterday as the group held its first local rally, sparking a warning from the Baillieu Government that bigotry would not be tolerated.

A small team of police initially kept the groups apart, but ADL supporters were forced to end their protest early when activists encircled them and tore up placards.

The ADL is an offshoot of the English Defence League, which has staged demonstrations in areas of high Muslim concentration in the UK.

About 40 ADL members, including women dressed in mock hijabs, protested in Federation Square yesterday over issues such as the certification of halal meat and concern sharia law would be introduced.

Protest organiser Martin Brennan claimed the group had 1400 members but denied it was anti-Muslim.

"We are not racist whatsoever, we are against radical Islam infiltrating Australia," he said.

Australian Federation of Islamic Councils president Ikebal Patel said the group was provocative and wrong to believe that most Australian Muslims wanted to bring in sharia law. » | John Masanauskas | Herald Sun | Sunday, May 15, 2011
Beginnings Of The Australian Counterjihad: Australian Defence League (ADL) Holds Demonstration In Melbourne on 15 May 2011

INTERNATIONAL CIVIL LIBERTIES ALLIANCE: Earlier today [Sunday] members of the Australian Counterjihad demonstrated against Islamisation in the city of Melbourne in the State of Victoria. Australia lags behind Europe and North America with regard to the intensity of Islamisation but its political elite seem determined to follow their lead and make the same disastrous mistakes that have strengthen[ed] the hand of Islamic fundamentalists.

The demonstration was compact but included key activists from across Australia and marked the public launch of the Australian Counterjihad. A broad range of Australians were present at the ADL demo from many age groups which illustrates the range of the population that is concerned about the Islamisation of Australia. This is how movements in Europe and North America were established and which now have tens of thousands of activists. Key regional organisers will go back to their local areas and grow their Divisions locally. The demonstration in Melbourne has been a good focus and a key catalyst for the strategic organisation of activists across Australasia. Networks are developing and the key nodes are now in place. This is just the beginning and we expect impressive progress with the Australian Counterjihad in the months and years ahead. » | Aeneas Lavinium | Sunday, May 15, 2011
New Dark Age Alert! Harun Yahya: Sowing the Seeds of Darkness!
Muslim Creationists Tour France Denouncing Darwin

REUTERS: Four years after they first frightened France, Muslim creationists are back touring the country preaching against evolution and claiming the Koran predicted many modern scientific discoveries.

Followers of Harun Yahya, a well-financed Turkish publisher of popular Islamic books, held four conferences at Muslim centers in the Paris area at the weekend with more scheduled in six other cities.

At a Muslim junior high school in this north Paris suburb, about 100 pupils -- boys seated on the right, girls on the left -- listened as two Turks from Harun Yahya's headquarters in Istanbul denounced evolution as a theory Muslims should shun.

"We didn't descend from the apes," lecturer Ali Sadun told the giggling youngsters. Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, he said, was "the scientific basis to defend atheism."

Harun Yahya, one of the most prolific publishers in the Muslim world, gave proudly secularist France a scare in January 2007 by mass-mailing thousands of free copies of his "Atlas of Creation" to schools and libraries across the country.

The Education Ministry quickly ordered headmasters to seize and hide copies of the large format book that, over 768 pages of glossy photographs and easy-to-read text, argues that all living things were created by God exactly as they are formed today.

It followed up with a special seminar to train teachers how to counter a small but growing group of pupils who challenge evolution with creationist theories.

In October 2007, with strong French support, the Council of Europe denounced the creationist views laid out in the "Atlas of Creation" as a religious assault on science and human rights. » | Tom Heneghan, Religion Editor; Editing by Elizabeth Fullerton | AUBERVILLIERS, France | Monday, May 16, 2011
Dominique Strauss-Kahn Arrest: IMF Head Facing Second Sexual Assault Charge

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: IMF head facing second sexual assault charge as his lawyers claim to have proof he was in a restaurant with his daughter at the time of the alleged New York attack.

The lawyer for a woman who says she was sexually assaulted by Dominique Strauss-Kahn nine years ago says she wants to file a legal complaint against the International Monetary Fund chief.

Lawyer David Koubbi says Tristane Banon did not file suit earlier due to "pressures" she faced over the alleged 2002 sexual assault by Strauss-Kahn and was dissuaded by her own mother, a regional Socialist official.

Mr Koubbi told RTL radio on Monday he is likely to file suit for Ms Banon now because "she knows she'll be heard and she knows she'll be taken seriously".

The IMF chief – a possible Socialist contender in France's 2012 presidential race – is in custody in New York after being accused of a weekend sexual assault against a hotel maid.

Lawyers for Mr Strauss-Kahn have proof the IMF chief was at a restaurant having lunch with his daughter at the time he was alleged to be sexually assaulting a hotel maid, France's RMC radio reported on Monday. » | Monday, May 16, 2011
Buckingham Palace Cordoned Off as Irish Republican Dissidents Issue London Bomb Threat

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Large parts of central London have been cordoned off after Irish republican dissidents issued a bomb threat, police have disclosed.

Bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion as a security alert closed down the centre of the capital around Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square.

A suitcase was discovered abandoned outside a hotel and was destroyed in a controlled explosion at 9.30am.

It comes a day before the Queen is scheduled to make her first ever visit to the Republic of Ireland.

Security was heightened after a "non-specific" threat was issued to authorities last night.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "A bomb threat warning has been received relating to central London today. The threat is not specific in relation to location or time." » | Monday, May 16, 2011
Bahrain Court Adjourns Trial of Protest Activists

THE SACRAMENTO BEE: MANAMA, Bahrain -- Bahrain's special security court has adjourned the trial of 21 opposition leaders and political activists, mostly Shiites, accused of plotting against the state.

The suspects - 14 in custody and the others charged in absentia - are accused of attempting to overthrow the 200-year-old Sunni dynasty and having links to "a terrorist organization abroad." » | The Associated Press | Monday, May 16, 2011
Inside Story: North Korea and Iran's Missile Power

Inside Story, discusses with James Wylie, director of the Strategic Studies Programme at the University of Aberdeen; Bjornar Simonsen, an international counselor for the Korean Friendship Association; and Joshua Goodman from the Transatlantic Inst.

Strauss-Kahn Sex Case Throws Open Election Race

REUTERS: The arrest of IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn on sexual assault charges has plunged France's Socialists into turmoil and thrown wide open the race for the presidency.

France was mesmerized on Monday by TV images of a handcuffed Strauss-Kahn, a center-leftist viewed until now as the frontrunner for the 2012 election, being led away by police for DNA tests over the alleged assault in a New York hotel.

His lawyers said Strauss-Kahn would plead not guilty to charges that he tried to rape a chambermaid at the hotel after chasing her, naked, down a corridor and trying to lock her in a room.

While politicians from all parties said Strauss-Kahn, popularly known by his initials DSK, should be presumed innocent until proven guilty, political commentators were unanimous in pronouncing the last rites on his political career.

"One thing is certain: Dominique Strauss-Kahn will not be the next president of the French republic," the conservative daily Le Figaro [€] said in an editorial. » | Jon Boyle and Catherine Bremer | PARIS | Monday, May 16, 2011
ICC Prosecutor Seeks Arrest Warrant for Gaddafi

REUTERS: The International Criminal Court prosecutor said on Monday he had requested arrest warrants for Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam and the country's spy chief on charges of crimes against humanity.

ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo had said earlier this month he would seek three arrest warrants for the "pre-determined" killing of protesters in Libya following U.N. Security Council referral of the violence to the Hague-based court in February.

It had been widely expected that Moreno-Ocampo would seek an arrest warrant for Libyan leader Gaddafi, but in addition to a warrant for his son Saif, the prosecutor said he would also seek the arrest of Libya's head of espionage, Abdullah al-Senussi.

"The office gathered direct evidence about orders issued by Muammar Gaddafi himself, direct evidence of Saif al-Islam organizing the recruitment of mercenaries and direct evidence of the participation of al-Senussi in the attacks against demonstrators," Moreno-Ocampo said at the ICC. » | Reporting by Aaron Gray-Block; Editing by Giles Elgood | THE HAGUE | Monday, May 16, 2011
Gunmen kill Saudi diplomat in Pakistan's Karachi

AL MASRY AL YOUM: Gunmen on motorcycles attacked a car belonging to the Saudi Arabian consulate in the Pakistani city of Karachi on Monday killing a Saudi diplomat, police and the Saudi ambassador said.

The shooting occurred days after unidentified attackers threw two hand grenades at the Saudi consulate in the city, Pakistan's commercial hub. No one was hurt in that attack.

"We condemn this attack. No one who carries out this kind of attack can be a Muslim," the ambassador, Abdul Aziz al-Ghadeer, told Reuters. He did not give details on the rank of the diplomat who was killed.

It's too early to determine who was behind the attack, the ambassador said, but he suggested "terrorists," a reference to Muslim militant groups such as Al-Qaeda, carried it out.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have long been close allies. » | Reuters | Monday, May 16, 2011
Egypt's Former First Lady Hospitalized after Detention Order

LOS ANGELES TIMES: Suzanne Mubarak, the wife of former President Hosni Mubarak, reportedly suffered a heart attack and will undergo tests, officials say. She had been ordered held for 15 days in a corruption inquiry.

Reporting from Cairo—
Hours after Egypt's former first lady, Suzanne Mubarak, was ordered detained as part of the widening corruption investigation of her husband's regime, she was hospitalized after reportedly suffering a heart attack, officials said Friday.

The manager of a hospital in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el Sheik told the state news agency MENA that she had been transferred to intensive care. The hospital official told the news agency that the former first lady would undergo tests over the next 24 hours to determine whether she had suffered a heart attack.

Her husband, former President Hosni Mubarak, 83, has been in the same hospital since he suffered what were termed health complications last month, shortly after authorities announced that he would be detained.

Suzanne Mubarak was interrogated Friday, according to MENA, and had been ordered detained for at least 15 days, but was instead hospitalized. » | Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Amro Hassan, Los Angeles Times | Saturday, May 14, 2011
Zurich Votes to Keep 'Suicide Tourism' Alive

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Voters in the Swiss canton (state) of Zurich have overwhelmingly rejected calls to ban assisted suicide or to outlaw the practice for non-residents.

Zurich's cantonal voters rejected both measures on Sunday that had been backed by political and religious conservatives.

Out of more than 278,000 ballots cast, the initiative to ban assisted suicide was rejected by 85 per cent of voters and the initiative to outlaw it for foreigners was turned down by 78 per cent, according to Zurich authorities. » | Sunday, May 15, 2011

Verbunden (Schwyzertüütsch) »
Whiny IMF Head Finally Agrees to Medical Exam; Set for Arraignment Today

NEW YORK POST: The IMF chief who allegedly sodomized a Manhattan hotel maid proved the height of pompous arrogance yesterday, throwing a fit over a battle on his bail -- which left him parked on a wooden bench in an East Harlem station house the whole day, sources said.

Leading French presidential contender and accused sex attacker Dominique Strauss-Kahn, 63, was finally led out of the NYPD's Special Victims Unit at around 11 p.m. in handcuffs, scowling and red-faced.

Sporting a long navy-blue coat and an open collar, he refused to acknowledge reporters as he was placed in the back of a police car and whisked off to Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn.

Sources said he was taken out of the police station house only after finally agreeing to a medical exam -- and only after cops had moved to obtain a warrant to gather potential DNA evidence. Read on and comment » | Larry Celona, Laura Italiano and Jamie Schram | Monday, May 16, 2011


THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dominique Strauss-Kahn arrest: IMF chief undergoes DNA test over 'sex assault': Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the IMF chief, was escorted from a New York police station in handcuffs after he submitted to a DNA examination following accusations he attempted to rape a hotel maid. » | Jon Swaine, New York and agencies | Monday, May 16, 2011
Dozens Hurt in Egypt as Copts Are Attacked

LOS ANGELES TIMES: Riot police stand aside as motorists and residents in Cairo attack Coptic Christian demonstrators who set up a roadblock to press for more security after deadly sectarian clashes a week ago.

Reporting from Cairo—
Scores of mostly Coptic Christian protesters were injured when their weekend demonstration blocking a street near the heart of downtown Cairo was attacked by motorists and residents as riot police stood by, prompting new questions about the ability and willingness of Egypt's military-led government to maintain security.

The attacks came hours after an explosion at the tomb of a Muslim saint in the northern Sinai town of Sheik Zweid and a week after sectarian clashes left 15 dead and 200 injured.

The violence erupted late Saturday on Cairo's busy corniche road that runs parallel to the Nile, within view of the balconies and terraces of the Marriott, Hilton and other major hotels frequented by foreign tourists.

For days, the protesters camped out on the street to call for government protection after a church was burned, sparkingdeadly clashes between Muslims and Christians in the Imbaba area of the city.

Late Saturday, crowds rushed in, lobbing gasoline bombs and charging at the several hundred demonstrators. The attackers also burned cars and trucks. Nearly 80 people were injured, including two with gunshot wounds, according to witnesses and the national health minister. » | Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Amro Hassan, Los Angeles Times | Monday, May 16, 2011
Sex-Affäre um Strauss-Kahn: Der Fall des Menschenfischers

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Ein Charmeur als Banker - der charismatische Dominique Strauss-Kahn war eine ungewöhnliche Besetzung als IWF-Chef. Doch in der Krise stieg er auf zum unumstrittenen Manager des Weltfinanz-systems. Sein Sex-Skandal bringt nun auch den Gipfel zur Euro-Rettung durcheinander.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn spricht Englisch mit einem vernehmbaren Akzent, er plaudert kenntnisreich über Fotografie oder Kino, wirkt durchaus sehr französisch. Doch wer ihn in seinem Büro weit oben im Washingtoner Hauptquartier des Internationalen Währungsfonds (IWF) traf, musste an einen amerikanischen Politiker denken. An Bill Clinton.

Wie der frühere US-Präsident besaß Strauss-Kahn, 62, die Gabe, sich ganz auf den Menschen zu konzentrieren, den er gewinnen wollte. Etwa als der Autor dieses Textes ihm nach einem Interview berichtete, in Paris einst bei Strauss-Kahn Vorlesungen besucht zu haben. Eine reine Höflichkeitsfloskel, der Vorlesungssaal war sehr groß gewesen, unmöglich für Professor Strauss-Kahn, sich Gesichter einzuprägen. Doch der antwortete dem Reporter prompt, mit breitem Lächeln: "Natürlich, Sie kamen mir gleich so bekannt vor."

Es war eine dieser offensichtlichen Lügen, die man aber trotzdem gerne hört. Strauss-Kahn süßraspelte so auch Irritationen einfach weg, die es im Vorfeld des Interviews gegeben hatte. Die SPIEGEL-Anfrage lautete auf ein Gespräch über die Nachwehen der Krise. Gemeint war die Weltfinanzkrise, natürlich. Aber einige Helfer des IWF-Bosses glaubten wohl, es solle um Strauss-Kahns persönliche Krise gehen, die Affäre mit einer Mitarbeiterin im Jahr 2008. Das sorgte für Nervosität.

Die Interview-Impressionen zeigen, wie ungewöhnlich dieser Menschenfischer an der Spitze des Welt-Währungsfonds wirkte, sonst Arbeitsstätte nüchterner Technokraten, die Geldmassen bewegen, aber dabei selten die Massen. Einer von Strauss-Kahns Vorgängern hieß: Horst Köhler.

Sie zeigen aber auch, wie sehr die Angst vor einer neuen Krise über dem Franzosen schwebte - selbst wenn wegen seiner erfolgreichen Amtsführung längst IWF-Mitarbeiter "Yes, we Kahn"-Shirts trugen und Strauss-Kahn zum Hoffnungsträger der Sozialisten für die kommenden französischen Präsidentschaftswahlen avanciert war. » | Von Gregor Peter Schmitz, Washington | Montag, 16. Mai 2011
Egypt Police Fire Tear Gas at 'Nakba Rally'

Egyptian police have fired rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo, after a group of demonstrators reportedly attempted to storm the building.

Thousands of protesters had massed outside of the embassy in the capital on Sunday to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the "Nakba" or "catastrophe" - the day Israel declared its independence and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes.

Witnesses said a group of demonstrators later tried to storm the entrance of the embassy. Police used rubber coated steel bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowd, wounding at least 40 people. Several others were arrested.

Al Jazeera's Bernard Smith reports.


Saudi Donates Billions to Charity

Saudi Arabia's Sheikh Suleiman Al Rajhi, one of the world's richest men can now claim to be one of the most generous. The businessman has announced, he is donating away much of his $6 billion fortune to charity. Al Jazeera's Victoria Gatenby reports.

DSK menottes aux poignets

L'image qui va faire le tour du monde


DSK menotté quittant le commissariat (zapping) by LePostfr

LE POST: DSK menottes aux poignets: l'image qui va faire le tour du monde » | Lundi 16 Mai 2011
Dominique Strauss-Kahn: A Frenchman Sunk by a Sex Scandal?

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: If the allegations against Dominique Strauss-Kahn end the popular IMF chief's presidential candidacy, it would be a first for France, writes Anne-Elisabeth Moutet in Paris.

IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s likely candidacy – and probable victory – next year against Nicolas Sarkozy in the French presidential elections (he had been leading by double digits in every poll in recent months, even without declaring himself officially) should have ushered in a series of firsts for France’s political life. First French Socialist leader to have officially discounted Marxism; first Jew directly elected to the presidency; and first seriously rich president in a country where money, not sex, is a dirty word.

Instead, DSK, as he is known here, will go down in history as the first French politician whose career imploded because of a sex scandal, not a financial one. When the news broke in Paris early yesterday that France’s former finance minister had been arrested by the New York police for alleged sexual assault on a hotel housekeeper, reactions here were split between sheer disbelief, suspicions of entrapment and all-too-many knowing shrugs.

“Dominique Strauss-Kahn is well-known as a seducer,” his official biographer, Michel Taubmann, said. “I can’t believe he would force himself on an unwilling woman. That doesn’t make sense.”

Such a statement would come across as damning in most Western countries. In France, it is seen as a spirited defence. Until today, complicated sexual lives, multiple divorces and serial adultery never hampered political careers. François Mitterrand famously ran three parallel families while president. He appointed a former girlfriend of his, Edith Cresson (a married woman) as prime minister in 1991. His predecessor, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, used to borrow a Ferrari from his friend Roger Vadim, the film director and Brigitte Bardot’s first husband, when he went on the pull. (He once crashed it into a milk float early one morning on his way back to the Elysée.) Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy were known for eyeing up comely reporters and female junior ministers. » | Anne-Elisabeth Moutet | Monday, May 16, 2011
Dominique Strauss-Kahn: Allies Concede Political Career Is Over

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Allies of Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Sunday night conceded his political career was over despite claims he had been the victim of an underhand plot by his rivals.

Until Sunday, the 62-year old married Socialist was seen as best placed to win next year's presidential elections in France.

He now faces charges of committing a criminal sexual act, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment, which he denies.

Among those inclined to be believe DSK, as he is known, is his third wife, the former star TV presenter Anne Sinclair, who said she didn't believe the allegations against him "for a single second".

"I have no doubt his innocence will be established," she added.

But others were adamant he had disgracefully succumbed to what all French knew to be his Achilles heel and had "humiliated" the nation. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Sunday, May 15, 2011
IMF Chief Strauss-Kahn to Undergo Medical Tests over Sex Charge

THE GUARDIAN: Dominique Strauss-Kahn intends to 'vigorously' defend himself against charges that he sexually assaulted a hotel maid

The head of the International Money Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, has agreed to undergo scientific and forensic tests and intends to "vigorously" defend himself against charges that he sexually assaulted a hotel maid, lawyers said late Sunday.
Strauss-Kahn's court hearing was delayed and he remained in jail last night after consenting to a medical examinations at the request of the government. He had been due to be arraigned in a Manhattan court on Sunday but the hearing has now been put over to Monday. » | Dominic Rushe in New York | Monday, May 16, 2011

MAIL ONLINE: IMF chief submits to DNA exam ahead of New York court date on sex assault charges as police claim he tried to flee the country » | Peter Allen, Daniel Bates, Amy Oliver and Mark Duell | Monday, May 16, 2011

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Scores Injured in Egypt Sectarian Attacks

The head of the Coptic church in Egypt has called on his followers to end their protests.

Christians have been demonstrating in Cairo for almost a week, demanding more rights and better protection by police.

Earlier on Sunday, a mob had attacked the demonstrators, leaving at least 78 people injured.

Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh reports from Cairo.


Syrian Violence Reaches Lebanon

Thousands flee Telkelakh in western Syria as troops carry out a crackdown on protest there. Soldiers are going from home to home and killing many, say eyewitnesses.

Hundreds of Syrians, including many injured by gunfire, have entered Lebanon through the porous border just 5km from the town - despite Lebanese troops reinforcing the frontier, reportedly at Syria's request.

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut, has more details.