E.coli Outbreak Believed to Be New Strain of Bacteria
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: E.coli at the centre of a German outbreak is believed to be a new strain of bacteria never seen before.


Seven people in the UK have been affected by the virulent strain, including three Britons and four German nationals.

Early investigations suggest the strain is a mutant form of two different E.coli bacteria.

Hilde Kruse, a food safety expert at the WHO, told the Associated Press: "This is a unique strain that has never been isolated from patients before."

She added that the new strain has "various characteristics that make it more virulent and toxin-producing".

It is not uncommon for bacteria to continually evolve and swap genes but the new strain appears to be more virulent than other strains of E.coli.

Severe E.coli cases are usually seen in children and the elderly, but all age groups are currently affected.

According to the Health Protection Agency (HPA), all the UK cases caught the infection in Germany. » | Thursday, June 02, 2011

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Shari’ah
Talk By Abdul Raheem Green

Les prostituées protestent à Paris

FRANCE SOIR: Ce jeudi après-midi, les prostituées parisiennes défilent place Pigalle pour protester contre la proposition de loi visant à pénaliser leurs clients.

Alors qu'une quarantaine de prostituées s'est réunie mercredi à Toulouse pour manifester contre la proposition de certains députés de pénaliser les clients, les prostitués indépendantes parisiennes se retrouvent ce jeudi après-midi, place Pigalle, à Paris. 17 associations de préventions et de santé communautaires (Act-up, Aides, Syndicat du travail sexuel-Strass, etc) ont répondu à l'appel du Collectif Droits et Prostitution et protestent contre le rapport parlementaire Bousquet qui souhaite incriminer les personnes ayant recours aux services des prostituées. » | Par Juliette Dominati | Jeudi 02 Juin 2011

Schwere Überschwemmungen in Japan

Erreger stammt wohl doch nicht von Salatgurken

FRANCE SOIR: Bactérie tueuse : La souche identifiée – Le Centre européen de prévention et de contrôle des maladies a confirmé avoir identifié, ce jeudi, la souche de la bactérie E.coli qui a entraîné la mort de 18 personnes en Europe. » | Par Actu France Soir | Jeudi 02 Juin 2011

FRANCE SOIR: Bactérie tueuse : L'Europe demande des explications à la Russie – Même si le concombre espagnol a été mis hors de cause, la crise de confiance est toujours bien réelle. Alors que la Russie annonce qu'elle interdit toute importation de légumes, l'Europe parle d'une mesure "disproportionnée". En France, la mort suspecte d'un homme de 47 ans pourrait être le prémisse d'une arrivée imminente de l'épidémie. » | Par Actu France-Soir | Jeudi 02 Juin 2011

Ägypten: Mubarak soll am 3. August vor Gericht gestellt werden

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Der frühere ägyptische Staatspräsident Husni Mubarak und seine beiden Söhne sollen am 3. August vor Gericht gestellt werden. Dies teilte die staatliche Nachrichtenagentur Mena am Mittwoch mit.

Der Prozess gegen den früheren ägyptischen Staatspräsidenten Husni Mubarak und seine beiden Söhne beginnt am 3. August. Die amtliche Nachrichtenagentur Mena berichtete am Mittwoch unter Berufung auf Justizkreise, Mubarak werde sich wegen Korruption und des Mordes an Demonstranten während des 18 Tage dauernden Aufstands verantworten müssen, der schließlich zu seinem Sturz am 11. Februar führte. » | FAZ.NET mit dapd/dpa | Mittwoch, 01. Juni 2011

Egyptian Army Denies 'Virginity Tests'
Egyptian military official denies comments saying the military had conducted forced "virginity tests" on female protesters in March

Libya: Oil Minister Confirms Defection in Further Blow to Gaddafi
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Col Muammar Gaddafi's Libyan regime suffered another blow on Wednesday when Shokri Ghanem, its oil minister and former prime minister, ended weeks of speculation and announced he had turned on the dictator.

Mr Ghanem appeared alongside the Libyan ambassador to Rome, who has also defected, to condemn the "daily spilling of blood" and "unbearable" spiral of violence in the country.

However, he said it was too early to say whether he would work with the opposition National Transitional Council in Benghazi.

He also denied suggestions, repeated by Libyan government officials, that he had timed his move so that he could represent the opposition at a key summit of the international oil cartel, OPEC, in Vienna next week.

Mr Ghanem disappeared from public view after first leaving Libya two weeks ago.

A former prime minister who had overseen the reopening of relations with the West, he did not have the historic personal relationship with Col Muammar Gaddafi of Moussa Koussa, the foreign minister who defected in March.

But his knowledge of the workings of the regime and in particular the state oil company, which he ran, could provide important information.

At a news conference in Rome, he said oil production in Libya was coming to a halt because of the international embargo. "Very little is being produced, because of the UN embargo and the fact that foreigners have fled for reasons of security," he said. (+ video) » | Nick Squires, Rome and Richard Spencer in Tripoli | Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Bahrain: Locked Up for Reading a Poem

THE INDEPENDENT: Ayat al-Gormezi, the woman who symbolises Bahrain's fight for freedom

Bahrain's security forces are increasingly targeting women in their campaign against pro-democracy protesters despite yesterday lifting martial law in the island kingdom.

Ayat al-Gormezi, 20, a poet and student arrested two months ago after reading out a poem at a pro-democracy rally, is due to go on trial today before a military tribunal, her mother said. Ayat was forced to turn herself in when masked policemen threatened to kill her brothers unless she did so.

She has not been seen since her arrest, though her mother did talk to her once by phone and Ayat said that she had been forced to sign a false confession. Her mother has since been told that her daughter has been in a military hospital after being tortured.

"We are the people who will kill humiliation and assassinate misery," a film captures Ayat telling a cheering crowd of protesters in Pearl Square in February. "We are the people who will destroy the foundation of injustice." She addresses King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa directly and says to him: "Don't you hear their cries, don't you hear their screams?" As she finishes, the crowd shouts: "Down with Hamad."

Ayat's call for change was no more radical than that heard in the streets of Tunis, Cairo and Benghazi at about the same time. But her reference to the king might explain the fury shown by the Bahraini security forces who, going by photographs of the scene, smashed up her bedroom when they raided her house and could not find her.

There are signs that Bahraini police, riot police and special security are detaining and mistreating more and more women. Many are held incommunicado, forced to sign confessions or threatened with rape, according to Bahraini human rights groups. » | Patrick Cockburn | Thursday, June 02, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Female poet brought before Bahrain military tribunal: A female poet whose "death" became the focus of an Iranian state propaganda campaign against Bahrain has been brought before a military tribunal in the island kingdom. » | Adrian Blomfield, Middle East Correspondent | Thursday, June 02, 2011

Italy: Magistrates Order Ben Ali Family Luxury Yacht to Be Impounded
ADN KRONOS INTERNATIONAL: Lampedusa - Italian judges have ordered the seizure of a luxury yacht on Lampedusa island in Italy's south allegedly being used by toppled Tunisian leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's family.

A Rome appeals court issued the order after Italian police established that the Atlantique yacht worth a million euros was moored in Lampedusa's port.

The court order followed a request from Tunisian judicial authorities for magistrates to identify all assets in Italy belonging to the Ben Ali family and order their impoundment by tax police.

Tunisia made the request under a 1967 bilateral accord on the grounds that the assets rightfully belong to the Tunisian people. » | AKI | Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Celebrities Call for Drug Decriminalisation

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dame Judi Dench has joined a coalition of celebrities, politicians and former police chiefs to urge David Cameron to decriminalise possession of all drugs.

In an open letter to the Prime Minister, they called for "a swift and transparent review of the effectiveness of current drug policies" because the current laws have failed.

The campaign is backed by actresses Dame Judi and Julie Christie, singer Sting, entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson and former Home Office minister Bob Ainsworth.

Film director Mike Leigh, actress Kathy Burke, three former chief constables and leading lawyers have also put their name to the letter.

It came as a separate group of former world leaders and high profile figures called on governments around the world to “urgently” consider decriminalisation because the “war on drugs” has failed.

Sting said: "Giving young people criminal records for minor drug possession serves little purpose – it is time to think of more imaginative ways of addressing drug use in our society." » | Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor | Thursday, June 02, 2011

My comment:

At a time when smoking even tobacco has been all but criminalised, it makes little sense to decriminalise all other drugs. We appear to be living in a topsy-turvy, upside-down world, where things that were once considered normal have been de-normalised, and things that were considered abnormal and deviant are being rolled out anew as something acceptable. They are not acceptable in my eyes. We need to keep drugs out of daily life as much as is possible. And I certainly do not want to be preached to by these so-called 'stars.' They want to legalise these drugs in all probability because they partake of them. Let them find other countries to accept their deviant, unhealthy ways! Don't bring them anywhere near me!

We already have a colossal problem with people suffering from Alzheimers disease. Heaven forbid that the laws on drugs be relaxed. In years to come the institutions which care for the mentally ill will be full to overflowing! – © Mark

This comment also appears here

Bahrain Sees New Clashes as Martial Law Lifted

THE GUARDIAN: Demonstrations were quickly scattered by security forces

Clashes between demonstrators and security forces have again broken out in Bahrain on the day martial law was lifted by a ruling monarchy battling to restore its image.

Today's demonstrations were quickly scattered by the same means used to douse protests earlier in the year. Security forces moved into Shia neighbourhoods where people had taken to the streets and dispersed them with tear gas and bird shot. Human rights activists said those wounded were too scared to go to hospital and instead treated their injuries at home.

The kingdom had cast today as a watershed after 11 weeks of heavy crackdowns on Shia demonstrators that had drawn condemnation from the US and Europe.

King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa this week made a fresh bid for a national dialogue aimed at bringing the Sunni establishment and the Shia majority population together. However, rights groups say 21 opposition activists arrested under emergency laws remain detained. Numerous Shiite mosques have been destroyed during security sweeps and four people have died while in custody. The violence claimed at least 24 lives, including four security officers. » | Martin Chulov | Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Cameron Drinks the Kool-Aid
THE SPECTATOR: The Times (£) says that David Cameron’s decision to step down from being a patron of the Jewish National Fund shows the British government is becoming cool on Israel.

You don’t say. Any cooler and it would be frostbite territory.

Precisely why Britain’s Conservative-led government has drunk so deeply of the anti-Israel Kool-Aid isn’t clear. Sucking up to Obama? Muslim demographics in the UK? Part of Cameron’s hopey-changey-lefty-loopy repositioning of the Tory Party? Yet another bone tossed to the blood-libelling knitted organic vegan victimologists, aka his LibDem coalition partners?

Whatever. Who cares. The unpalatable fact is that Britain has now reverted well and truly to type in professing with hand on heart an unbreakable bond of brotherhood with Israel while cutting it off at the knees, sliding a stiletto between its shoulder blades and bashing its head in.

The JNF thing (despite Downing Street's unconvincing claim that Cameron has stepped down from a number of charities through lack of time) is the latest act of aggression against Israel by HMG, and is particularly offensive. For the JNF is identified closely with the foundational Zionist dream of making the desert bloom, by buying up and developing the land for decades before the State of Israel was established. And so now – of course – it stands accused of the ‘theft of Palestinian land’, ‘ethnic cleansing’ and even ‘war crimes’. Ah yes – that terrible weapon of mass destruction, the sapling.

Without getting into the imbecilic interstices of precisely what and where, one key, crucial, overarching, all-important, nothing-else-matters-as-much-as-this point needs to be made (and yes, I have made it before many times, but it needs to be taped to Cameron’s eyeballs and rammed down the throats of the malevolent mandarins of the Foreign Office and delivered by diplomatic cable to Israeli spokesman as their line–to-take in answer to any statement-disguised-as-a-question about their intrinsic belligerency routinely lobbed at them by the Guardian-of-the Airwaves, aka the BBC).

This is quite simply that the territory beyond the ceasefire lines (formed when Israel fought off the attempt by five Arab armies to destroy it at birth in 1948-9, and now falsely deemed to be Israel’s ‘border’) is not Palestinian land. It is not land that is owned by the Palestinians in general, or to which they have any general right or title. On the contrary, it is land to which the Jews in general are legally entitled. All of it. This is not some crazed, ultra-nationalist dogma. It is a matter of historical fact, international law and basic justice. » | Melanie Phillips | Monday, May 30, 2011

Hillary Clinton kritisiert Syrien scharf
Berichte über eine mutmassliche Folterung und Tötung eines 13-jährigen Jungen haben US-Aussenministerin Hillary Clinton dazu veranlasst, Klartext zu reden: Sie kritisiert die Regierung in Damaskus ungewöhnlich scharf

Rauchverbot wirkt sich positiv aus
Seit rund einem Jahr gilt schweizweit das Rachverbot in öffentlichen Räumen und Restaurants. Nun kommen verschiedene Studien zum Schluss, dass beispielsweise die Atemwegserkrankungen zurückgegangen sind

Food Prices Could Double by 2030
The price of some food staples could double in the next 20 years because of rising demand and climate change, a British-based charity has warned.

In a report released on Tuesday, Oxfam said world hunger was already increasing due to rising food price inflation and oil price hikes, as well as environmental changes such as droughts and floods.

Charlie Angela has more.

Increasing Food Shortage in Libya's West
Food is running very low in western Libya - another knock-on effect of the conflict. James Bays reports from Nalut, where a warehouse that supplies 13 towns, has only a few days worth of rations left.

Syria's Opposition Dismisses Amnesty Gesture
Syria's opposition dismisses Bashar al Assad's amnesty gesture as too little, too late

Who Cares in the Middle East What Obama Says?

THE INDEPENDENT: President Obama has shown himself to be weak in his dealings with the Middle East, says Robert Fisk, and the Arab world is turning its back with contempt. Its future will be shaped without American influence

This month, in the Middle East, has seen the unmaking of the President of the United States. More than that, it has witnessed the lowest prestige of America in the region since Roosevelt met King Abdul Aziz on the USS Quincy in the Great Bitter Lake in 1945.

While Barack Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu played out their farce in Washington – Obama grovelling as usual – the Arabs got on with the serious business of changing their world, demonstrating and fighting and dying for freedoms they have never possessed. Obama waffled on about change in the Middle East – and about America's new role in the region. It was pathetic. "What is this 'role' thing?" an Egyptian friend asked me at the weekend. "Do they still believe we care about what they think?"

And it is true. Obama's failure to support the Arab revolutions until they were all but over lost the US most of its surviving credit in the region. Obama was silent on the overthrow of Ben Ali, only joined in the chorus of contempt for Mubarak two days before his flight, condemned the Syrian regime – which has killed more of its people than any other dynasty in this Arab "spring", save for the frightful Gaddafi – but makes it clear that he would be happy to see Assad survive, waves his puny fist at puny Bahrain's cruelty and remains absolutely, stunningly silent over Saudi Arabia. And he goes on his knees before Israel. Is it any wonder, then, that Arabs are turning their backs on America, not out of fury or anger, nor with threats or violence, but with contempt? It is the Arabs and their fellow Muslims of the Middle East who are themselves now making the decisions. » | Robert Fisk | Monday, May 30, 2011

Inside Story: The End of Berlusconi?
Inside Story presenter Felicity Barr, discusses with Nucccia Bianchini, editor at the foreign desk for Italian news agency Agenzia Giornalistica Italia; Andrea Teti, international relations lecturer at the University of Aberdeen; and James Walston, professor of international relations at the American Univeristy. This episode of Inside Story aired from [sic] Tuesday, May 31, 2011.

Iran Defence Minister Forced to Leave Bolivia over 1994 Argentina Bombing

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Iran's defence minister was forced to leave Bolivia during a diplomatic trip after Argentina demanded his arrest in connection with the deadly 1994 bombing of a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires.

Ahmad Vahidi was invited to Bolivia by the country's Defence Ministry and attended a military ceremony in the city of Santa Cruz [de la Sierra] on Tuesday in the presence of Evo Morales, the Bolivian president.

He is on an Interpol wanted list over the bomb attack in the Argentine capital 17 years ago that killed 85 people and injured up to 300, making it the country's worst terrorist attack.

Argentina believes he planned the attack on the seven-storey Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AIMA) building and gave the final go ahead for the bombing.

Alberto Nisman, the lead prosecutor investigating the attack, contacted Interpol's offices in Bolivia to demand Vahidi's arrest as soon as Argentina became aware that he was in South America.

But Vahidi was travelling on a diplomatic passport granting him immunity from arrest and Bolivia instead told him that he must leave the country.

Jewish groups in Argentina were outraged by Vahidi's visit to a neighbouring country with Guillermo Borger, president of the AIMA describing it as "a provocation" and "a joke".

"It is a mockery and an affront that a friendly country such as Bolivia receives a minister accused of masterminding an attack that left 85 people dead," he said. » | Robin Yapp, São Paulo | Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Muslim Fanatic Fined £100 for 'Gay Free Zone' Stickers

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Muslim fanatic who posted homophobic stickers declaring London's East End a "gay free zone" has been fined £100.

Mohammed Hasnath, 18, posted stickers warning gays that homosexuality was wrong and that "Allah is severe in punishment".
The stickers showed a rainbow flag with a black line through it stating "Gay free zone".

They caused outrage among the community, with one Jewish resident said it reminded him of Nazi signs his mother had faced in the 30s declaring an area a "Jew free zone".

Others said it made them fearful for their safety.

Hasnath, who is on benefits, admitted putting up a handful of the notes but said he had been given them, and pointed out there were "hundreds" of similar offensive stickers in the area.

Darren Watts, prosecuting, said: "This is in relation to a series of homophobic stickers put up around the East End area in February."

The stickers, which were posted at Bow Church DLR, on the inside of a bus, at a bus stop in Whitechapel and outside the Royal London Hospital, showed a rainbow flag with a black line through it.

Above the flag was printed "Arise and warn" and below it said "And fear Allah: Verily Allah is severe in punishment." Both were followed by references to the English version of the Koran. » | Wednesday, June 01, 2011

French Ex-cabinet Minister 'Travelled to Morocco for Orgy with Little Boys'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A French former minister went to Morocco for an orgy with "little boys", according to an ex-minister, who claims the country's strict privacy laws led to a cover-up.

Luc Ferry, a French philosopher who was in government from 2002 to 2004, told a TV chat show that an unnamed minister had been "caught" taking part in "an orgy with little boys" in the tourist town of Marrakesh.

"All of us here probably all know who I'm talking about," he told Le Grand Journal on channel Canal Plus on Monday night. Asked if he had any proof, he said: "Of course not. But I have testimony from cabinet members at the highest level, state authorities at the highest level."

He said he received the information from top government sources, "particularly from the prime minister", suggesting that reporting of the affair never reached the public due to strict libel and privacy laws.

Mr Ferry declined to name the former minister, implying that he feared France's notoriously strict libel laws. "If I let his name out now, it's me who will be charged and doubtlessly convicted, even if I know that the story is true."

His comments came amid an emotive national debate over whether journalists had failed to lift the lid on cases of sexual harassment because politicians' private lives have long been deemed off limits. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Neue Sicherheitsdoktrin: USA erklären das Netz zum Kriegsschauplatz

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Das Pentagon hat eine neue Richtlinie: Legt ein Hacker-Angriff wichtige Infrastrukturen lahm und gefährdet Menschenleben, kann die US-Armee einen Vergeltungsschlag starten - mit konventionellen Waffen. Kritiker warnen vor Überreaktionen und befürchten sinnlose Aufrüstung.

Hamburg - Die USA wähnen sich im Internet-Krieg - und behalten sich vor, künftig mit konventionellen Mitteln auf Hacker-Angriffe zu reagieren. Setzt ein Land Viren, Würmer und Trojaner in Bewegung, riskiert es eine Vergeltung durch Kampfjets, Panzer und Bodentruppen. "Wer die Stromnetze unseres Landes sabotiert, muss mit Raketen im Schornstein rechnen", sagte ein Pentagon-Sprecher dem "Wall Street Journal". Der Cyberwar soll nicht länger nur virtuell geführt werden.

Es ist ein Vorgeschmack auf eine neue Strategie der US-Regierung. Das Verteidigungsministerium ist derzeit dabei, formale Regeln zum Umgang mit Internet-Angriffen aufzustellen. Nach jahrelanger Diskussion soll die Cyber-Doktrin jetzt in Kraft treten. 30 Seiten umfasst die Strategie, Teile davon sollen im Juni vorgestellt werden. Kernbestandteil: Sollte ein Cyber-Angriff die Energieversorgung stören, Krankenhäuser ausschalten und somit viele Menschenleben in Gefahr bringen, wird zurückgeschlagen.

Mehr als 100 ausländische Geheimdienste würden versuchen, in amerikanische Rechnernetze einzudringen, warnte ein Pentagon-Sprecher. Einige der Angreifer seien in der Lage, die Kommunikationsnetze zum Erliegen zu bringen - doch bei den meisten Attacken ist das gar nicht die Absicht. Viel öfter geht es um geheime Informationen, um Spionage. Menschenleben sind hier zunächst nur indirekt betroffen. » | Von Ole Reißmann | Mittwoch 01. Juni 2011

Oskar Freysinger annule la venue de Geert Wilders en Valais

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: SÉCURITÉ | Après le refus de la commune de Savièse (VS) de laisser une salle à disposition, Oskar Freysinger, en accord avec le locataire d’une autre salle, «a décidé d’annuler la conférence pour des raisons de sécurité».

Le chef de file de l’extrême droite néerlandaise Geert Wilders ne donnera pas de conférence le 11 juin en Suisse.

Après le refus de la commune de Savièse (VS) de laisser une salle à disposition, Oskar Freysinger, en accord avec le locataire d’une autre salle, «a décidé d’annuler la conférence pour des raisons de sécurité».

Cette décision a été prise «en accord avec Geert Wilders», précise le communiqué de l’UDC Valais romand diffusé mardi soir. Le Néerlandais avait été invité par le conseiller national UDC à donner une conférence sur l’islam à Savièse.

Jeudi passé, les autorités communales avait refusé de louer la halle des fêtes de la localité pour cette conférence, en évoquant des problèmes de sécurité. » | ATS | Mercredi 01 Juin 2011

Marine Le Pen en campagne contre la double nationalité

LE POINT: La présidente du FN a écrit à l'ensemble des députés pour leur demander d'abroger la possibilité d'avoir deux nationalités.

La présidente du Front national Marine Le Pen a écrit aux 577 députés de l'Assemblée nationale pour leur demander d'abroger la possibilité d'avoir une double nationalité, française et étrangère, qu'elle juge être une "atteinte à la cohésion républicaine". "La multiplicité des appartenances à d'autres nations contribue aujourd'hui, et d'une manière de plus en plus préoccupante, à affaiblir chez nos compatriotes l'acceptation d'une communauté de destin, et par là même à miner les fondements de l'action de l'État", écrit la présidente du parti d'extrême droite, dans ce courrier révélé mercredi par France Soir et dont l'Agence France-Presse a eu une copie. » | Source AFP | Mercredi 01 Juin 2011

La France accuse Kadhafi d'avoir tué 10.000 Libyens

LE FIGARO: Les atrocités commises par les pro-Kadhafi visent à empêcher tout soulèvement dans la capitale.

Arrestations massives, rafles nocturnes, pillages, exécutions sommaires en pleine rue, consignes de viols données à haut niveau, disparitions en grand nombre, fosses communes: en l'absence de témoins étrangers, c'est un véritable drame humanitaire à huis clos qui serait en train de se jouer à Tripoli.

Confronté à une pression internationale accrue, Mouammar Kadhafi s'est lancé dans une fuite en avant, instaurant dans la capitale et sa région un climat de terreur qui ne cesse de se renforcer, selon diverses sources. Des «informations parcellaires mais concordantes» ont en effet été obtenues en ce sens, notamment auprès de personnes ayant fui le régime, par des organisations des droits de l'homme, des diplomates et des services de renseignements occidentaux. «C'est une politique de la terre brûlée, visant à maintenir l'effroi dans la capitale et à empêcher tout soulèvement dans la capitale», souligne-t-on à Paris, où l'on ne cache pas une «forte inquiétude».

Selon un diplomate proche du dossier, le bilan de ces exactions s'élève à «plusieurs milliers de morts, peut-être plus de 10.000», en trois mois à Tripoli. Un chiffre moins important que les 20.000 tués annoncés le mois dernier par la rébellion, mais très considérable néanmoins pour une ville de deux millions d'habitants. Quelque 20.000 personnes ont été arrêtées, ajoute-t-on de même source. «Kadhafi étant capable de tout et notamment du pire, on ne peut avoir à l'avenir que de mauvaises surprises», s'alarme-t-on au Quai d'Orsay [en anglais]. » | Par Alain Barluet | Mercredi 01 Juin 2011

L'Europe ne vole pas au secours de Khodorkovski

LE FIGARO: La Cour européenne des droits de l'homme considère que la condamnation de l'ex-tycoon russe n'est pas politique.

Du fond de sa cellule moscovite, Mikhaïl Khodorkovski a reçu, mardi, un maigre coup de pouce de la justice internationale. La Cour européenne des droits de l'homme (CEDH) a reconnu la Russie coupable de huit infractions relatives aux conditions d'interpellation et de détention préventive de 2003 à 2005, de l'ancien oligarque. La haute juridiction de Strasbourg a néanmoins refusé, comme le souhaitait les plaignants, de voir un «motif politique» derrière la décision des autorités judiciaires russes. » | Par Pierre Avril | Mercredi 01 Juin 2011

Egyptian Banker Charged with Sexual Assault Is Granted Bail

THE GUARDIAN: Mahmoud Abdel-Salam Omar to reappear in court to face claims he sexually abused maid in luxury New York hotel

The former head of one of Egypt's biggest banks has been granted bail after being arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a maid at a luxury hotel in New York.

The arrest of Mahmoud Abdel-Salam Omar on Monday came two weeks after the then International Monetary Fund chief, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, was charged with trying to rape a hotel maid at another Manhattan hotel.

Strauss-Kahn, who is under house arrest in New York, has denied charges of a criminal sexual act, attempted rape, sexual abuse, unlawful imprisonment and forcible touching.
Manhattan criminal court judge Gerald Lebovits granted 72-year-old Omar bail for $25,000 (£15,000) cash and a $50,000 bond. » | Reuters in New York | Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Arab Suburbs in East Jerusalem Could Be Rebranded with Hebrew Names
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Arab suburbs in East Jerusalem could be forcibly rebranded with Hebrew names, under plans being considered by Israel's parliament.

The controversial initiative is designed to entrench Israeli "ownership" of East Jerusalem, which was captured by Israel in the Six Day War of 1967 and subsequently annexed – a move that has not been recognised by the international community.

The bill was introduced by Tzippi Hotovely, a prominent hawk in the Likud party of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister. It is understood to have the support of a majority in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, which has been accused of passing a series of anti-Palestinian laws in recent years.

Under the bill, Israeli television channels would be instructed to refer to the suburbs only by their new Hebrew names.

"The goal of the initiative is to strengthen the connection with Jerusalem by making it obligatory to give Hebrew names to neighbourhoods in the capital with Jewish residents," Miss Hotovely wrote in her proposal for the bill. "It is important that the neighbourhoods no longer be called by their Arab names." » | Adrian Blomfield, Jerusalem | Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Georgia Passes Law to Destroy Soviet-era Monuments and Street Names

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Georgia will destroy Soviet-era monuments and change any street names which refer to its Communist past, MPs have decided.

The parliamentarians passed a new law on Tuesday, aimed at distancing the country from its former master Russia.

Ties between Russia and Georgia have soured since President Mikheil Saakashvili ousted post-Soviet leader Eduard Shevardnadze in the 2003 "Rose Revolution" and vowed to move the country out of Moscow's sphere of influence.

"Our people have been waiting for this law to be passed for 20 years and I'm proud that it is passed by this parliament," said Gia Tortladze, an opposition lawmaker who proposed the law.

The so-called Freedom Charter will set up a commission led by the Interior Ministry to identify symbols, monuments, inscriptions, street and park names "that may reflect or contain elements of Soviet or fascist ideology" and consider their removal.

The law will also prevent former KGB agents and senior Communist party officials from occupying high-ranking positions in government. » | Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Barcelona Bans Bikinis On Its Streets
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Tourists who attempt to stroll bare-chested or in swimwear through the streets of Barcelona will be ordered to cover up or face fines of up to £260 under a ban that came into force this week

The Catalan capital has prohibited beachwear beyond the playa in an attempt to clean up its image and rid the city streets of unsightly flesh.

The by-law has been introduced following a long campaign by residents and local businesses sick of the sight of tourists wandering around the streets, dining in restaurants and visiting shops in various states of undress.

"Some people who live here are bothered by tourists who go about wearing just a bikini in the street, or men with their shirts off," said Assumpta Escarp, a Barcelona councillor who fought for the ban.

"We have to maintain standards." » | Fiona Govan, Madrid | Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Qatar Freezes Assets of Ousted Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Qatar has frozen assets belonging to deposed Tunisian president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and his family, a spokesman for the Tunisian Justice Ministry said.

Mr Ben Ali ruled Tunisia for 24 years until he was ousted in January by a popular movement which sparked copycat uprisings across the Arab world.

Mr Ben Ali's son-in-law Sakher Materi fled to Qatar after the fall of the government.

Other members of the Ben Ali family live in the United Arab Emirates and in Canada.

"Qatar has issued an order to freeze the funds and assets of the deposed president and his wife in response to a letter from the Tunisian minister of justice," said Kathem Zine el Abidine, a ministry spokesman. » | Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Syrian President Bashar Assad Issues Amnesty

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Syrian President Bashar Assad has issued a general amnesty that includes all political prisoners in a gesture aimed at calming protests that have rocked the country for weeks.

Syrian state television said the amnesty covers all crimes committed before May 31.

It could affect 10,000 people who have been rounded up during the protests, according to activists, and includes prisoners belonging to political parties, including the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

The arrests were part of the government's harsh repression of a two-month-old popular uprising demanding Mr Assad's resignation. Mr Assad has offered gestures before, like cancelling hated emergency laws in effect for decades, but the demonstrations have grown and spread through much of the country.

Protesters say that in spite of the cancellation of the laws that gave security officers the power to arrest people without formal justification, Mr Assad's forces have rounded up thousands of people for protesting against his government.

Human rights groups say over 1,000 protesters have been killed in harsh response against protests, including live fire and tank shelling. » | Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Libya: Col Gaddafi Plots Retaliatory Strikes If Forced from Leadership
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Col Muammar Gaddafi is plotting to unleash a wave of retaliatory attacks in the vaccuum of power if he is forced from the presidency.

His regime has handed out thousands of weapons to ordinary civilians, saying they would turn Libya into a "living hell" if Nato ground forces invade.

He is also gathering a coterie of young members of his own tribe around him to make a last stand as his regular forces are depleted by defections and Nato bombing.

Anti-Gaddafi activists fear they could unleash a wave of killings and revenge attacks if Col Gaddafi is forced out whether by western military might or negotiations.

“The reason why people are given guns now is because Gaddafi wants it to be chaos whether he is in power or out of power,” said one activist living in a suburb of southern Tripoli.

The regime is playing up the spectre of a wave of vengeance similar to post-2003 Iraq rather than denying it. Moussa Ibrahim, the chief spokesman, said even if there were a negotiated solution opposition leaders like Mustafa Abdul Jalil, chairman of the Benghazi-based Transitional National Council, would be targeted by loyalists.

“Jalil will never be safe in Libya,” he said. “He would be killed, such is the hatred we have for him. He would have to live with permanent security guards.” » | Richard Spencer, Tripoli | Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Muslim Teenage Beauty Queen 'Stoned to Death'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A teenage Muslim girl has been stoned to death in Ukraine after taking part in a beauty contest, it has been claimed.

The body of 19-year-old Katya Koren was found dumped in a forest on the Crimean peninsula a week after she went missing amid suggestions that she had been 'punished' for flouting Sharia law.

Police said that Miss Koren, a former participant in regional heats of the Miss Ukraine beauty pageant, had suffered multiple blows to the head inflicted by one or more stones or rocks.

There were conflicting reports of how and why she was murdered. Some local newspapers claimed she had been stoned to death by hardline Muslims upset by her participation in the beauty contest and that police had three suspects in their sights.

But the police said her killing had nothing to do with sectarian violence and that the girl had been killed by a psychologically troubled classmate who had given her a lift on his moped and then robbed and possibly raped her before battering her to death with a rock.

"A student did it, killing his classmate. There is no other underlying reason, neither religious nor linked with inter-ethnic conflicts," said Sergei Reznikov, a senior policeman involved in the case. » | Andrew Osborn | Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Rubinstein Plays Chopin Nocturne Op. 15 No. 2 in F Sharp

Chopin Nocturne Op.9 No.2: Arthur Rubinstein

Iran Sparks Diplomatic Row with Germany Closing Airspace to Angela Merkel
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Iran briefly closed its airspace to Angela Merkel's plane as she flew to India, delaying her arrival and sparking a diplomatic row with Germany.

The German chancellor was held up as she flew overnight for a meeting on Tuesday with Manmohan Singh, the Indian prime minister. Her plane was forced to circle for two hours over Turkey before receiving permission to cross Iran.

The Iranian ambassador in Berlin was summoned by Guido Westerwelle, the foreign minister, who said hindering Mrs Merkel's route was "absolutely unacceptable". » | Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Saudi Woman Driver Freed after Agreeing to Quit Campaign
THE GUARDIAN: Manal al-Sharif, jailed after posting a YouTube video of herself driving, leaves Women2Drive movement

A Saudi Arabian woman who was jailed for driving a car has been released after nine days, having pledged to take no further part in a campaign to persuade the Saudi authorities to allow women to drive.

Manal al-Sharif, 32, was freed from the women's prison in Dammam on Monday. She was arrested after posting a video of herself driving around the eastern city of Khobar as part of the Women2Drive campaign of which she was a key organiser.

Her case attracted international attention after her lawyer said she had been charged with driving without a licence, prompting other women to do the same and provoking public debate in Saudi Arabia. Two other women associated with the campaign were also questioned by police and warned off further campaigning. One Muslim cleric even called for Sharif to be lashed.

"She wrote a pledge that she will not drive a car and after what has happened she has decided to give up the campaign and not be part of the protests," said Sharif's lawyer, Adnan al-Salah.

He said the authorities had not imposed the conditions, but Sharif had decided to make the pledge herself.

The climax of the Women2Drive campaign, a mass drive on 17 June partly inspired by demonstrations against restrictions on civil liberties across the Middle East, now appears to be in doubt.

On Tuesday, Sharif expressed "profound gratitude" to King Abdullah for ordering her release and appeared to abandon her call for women to be allowed to drive, according to a written statement published by the al-Hayat newspaper. » | Robert Booth | Tuesday, May 31, 2011


Saudi Arabia’s ‘Women2Drive’ Movement Reacts to Arrest »

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Die bestbezahlten Politiker: Was sie verdienen
DIE PRESSE: Betteln müssen sie alle nicht. Trotzdem gibt es zwischen den Staatschefs dieser Welt dicke Gehaltsunterschiede. Ein Überblick über die Bestverdiener:

1. Singapur

Dieser Mann spielt in einer eigenen Liga, kein anderer Politiker verdient annähernd so viel Geld wie er: Umgerechnet 2,2 Mio. Euro casht Singapurs Premierminister Lee Hsien Loong im Jahr ab. Der Gehalts-Weltmeister findet daran nichts anrüchiges: "Unsere Einstellung ist: Wenn du die besten Leute willst, dann musst du dafür auch zahlen." »

Une Pakistanaise chrétienne condamnée à mort pour blasphème

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: En juin 2009, au Pakistan, Asia Bibi, une villageoise chrétienne, boit l’eau d’un puits réservé aux musulmans. Elle est accusée de la souiller. Accusée de "blasphème", elle est condamnée à mort.

"Blasphème". C'est le titre du livre qu'Asia Bibi, chrétienne pakistaniase [sic] condamnée à mort pour avoir bu l'eau d'un puits réservé aux musulmans, a co-écrit avec une journaliste depuis le fond de sa cellule. Dans ce témoignage, elle appelle à l'aide.

Pendant cinq mois, Anne-Isabelle Tollet, reporter à "France 24", a pu communiquer avec cette mère de cinq enfants, condamnée à la pendaison en novembre 2010 pour blasphème. Elle est la seule femme dans ce cas au Pakistan, selon les associations de défense des droits de l’Homme.

Depuis, elle attend dans sa cellule sans fenêtre de la prison de Sheikhupura son jugement en appel. » | AFP | Mardi 31 Mai 2011

L'UE demande au président Saleh de quitter le pouvoir au Yémen
LE POINT: Catherine Ashton, chef de la diplomatique de l'Union européenne, est "choquée" par l'usage de la force à Taëz.

La chef de la diplomatie de l'UE Catherine Ashton s'est dite mardi "choquée" par l'usage de la force à Taëz, au Yémen, et a de nouveau demandé au président Saleh de signer "sans délai" l'offre de médiation du Conseil de coopération du Golfe (CCG) prévoyant son départ. "Il est temps maintenant, sans nouvelles échappatoires, de signer et de mettre en oeuvre l'offre de médiation du Conseil de coopération du Golfe (CCG)", a souligné Mme Ashton dans un communiqué. » | Source AFP | Mardi 31 Mai 2011

Franco Frattini Pledges Support to Libyan Rebels
Al Jazeera's Cal Perry reports from the rebel stronghold of Benghazi on Franco Frattini's visit to Libya

Egypt's Mubarak Unfit for Prison Move: Prosecutor

REUTERS: Egypt's public prosecutor said on Tuesday that ousted President Hosni Mubarak was in no condition to be transferred to a prison hospital and would remain in a health facility in a Red Sea resort for the time being.

Mubarak, overthrown on February 11 after a popular uprising, has been detained since mid-April in a hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh, rather than in a prison medical center, after it was reported that he suffered heart problems during initial questioning.

A medical team determined that Mubarak should not be transferred "outside of Sharm el-Sheikh hospital at the current time and to hire a specialized medical team to oversee his treatment," the prosecutor said in a statement.

"The committee examined the patient in his intensive care room and found that he is clearly frail and depressed and cannot leave the bed without assistance," it said.

It added that the Torah prison hospital on Cairo's outskirts was "unsuitable for a patient in a critical condition." » | Reporting by Dina Zayed; editing by Michael Roddy | CAIRO | Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Libya's Gaddafi: I Will Not Leave My Country
REUTERS: Muammar Gaddafi is emphatic he will not leave Libya, South African President Jacob Zuma said on Tuesday after talks with the Libyan leader that left prospects for a negotiated end to the conflict looking dim.

But new questions emerged over how long Gaddafi could hold on after a senior United Nations aid official said shortages of food and medicine in areas of Libya controlled by Gaddafi amounted to a "time bomb."

Within hours of Zuma's departure from Tripoli late on Monday, Libyan television reported that NATO aircraft had resumed attacks, striking what it called civilian and military sites in Tripoli and Tajoura, just east of the capital.

Zuma was in Tripoli to try to revive an African "roadmap" for ending the conflict, which started in February with an uprising against Gaddafi and has since turned into a war with thousands of people killed. » | Peter Graff | TRIPOLI | Tuesday, May 31, 2011