Gaddafi Ordered Mass Rape as a Weapon, International Criminal Court Claims
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor has said that Libyan leader Muammer Gaddafi ordered mass rapes and bought containers of sex drugs for troops to attack women.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo said he may ask for a new charge of mass rape to be made against Gaddafi following the new evidence.

The chief International Criminal Court prosecutor is expecting a decision from judges within days on his request for crimes against humanity charges against the Libyan leader.

"Now we are getting some information that Gaddafi himself decided to rape, and this is new," Mr Moreno-Ocampo said. » | Thursday, June 09, 2011

French Television Appeal for Other Women 'Assaulted' by Dominique Strauss-Kahn

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A lawyer for the maid who claims Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexually attacked her has appeared on television to appeal for other women he may have assaulted to come forward.

Kenneth Thompson, the head of a new legal team representing the 32-year-old Guinean woman, believes any victims who can describe similar attacks could help bolster the maid's case.

"If there is any woman out there, whether in France or in Africa, who has been sexually assaulted or sexually abused by Dominique Strauss-Kahn, I ask them to please call me," he said on France 2.

"My law firm champions the rights of people who are taken advantage of all over the world. And so we take this case because we feel that no woman should be sexually assaulted anywhere." » | Jon Swaine, New York | Thursday, June 09, 2011

DSK: appel de l'avocat de la femme de chambre
FRANCE 2.fr: L'avocat de la femme qui accuse DSK a lancé sur France 2 un appel à d'éventuelles autres victimes de l'ex-boss du FMI

"S'il y a des femmes en France ou en Afrique qui a été agressée sexuellement ou violée par Dominique Strauss-Kahn, qu'elle m'appelle, qu'elle me contacte, car nous voulons l'aider, nous voulons lui parler", a dit Me Kenneth Thompson, le nouvel avocat de la femme de chambre du Sofitel de New York. » | Par FTV (avec agences) | Mercredi 08 Juin 2011

Assad Has Run Out Of Friends, and Out Of Time

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Syrian regime has its back against the wall now that its people have found their voice, says Rime Allaf.

Up until a few weeks ago, the conventional wisdom in the Middle East was that the Arab Spring had run into the stifling heat of an unexpectedly early summer. Dictators prematurely departing their eternal thrones was, Arab potentates and their allies had decided, the kind of trend that needed stopping – as was the notion of civilians thinking they could dictate their own destiny.

Sure, the cumbersome Gaddafi would be removed – eventually – but other revolutions would be stopped before they gained traction, whether by persuasion, dissuasion or repression. The wishes of millions of Yemenis were ignored; peaceful protests in Bahrain were brutally squashed [quashed](with the blessing of leaders around the region, and beyond); and numerous other demonstrations were quickly controlled.

As for Syria, there was no need even for protest: Bashar al-Assad had already brought in economic reforms to address the grievances that sparked the uprisings in Tunis and Cairo. His country was stable, he told the Wall Street Journal, because his government’s policies were so closely linked to the beliefs of the people.

There was one problem, however: this was far from enough for the parents of 15 schoolboys in Daraa, who had the audacity to object to the jailing and torturing of their children by the Syrian regime, after they dared to scrawl anti-government slogans on the city’s walls. The result was an uprising that has proved impossible to quell, despite Assad receiving the declared support of most Arab leaders – including the Saudi and Bahraini kings, returning the favour – and the initial silence of the international powers, who hoped that the problem would quickly resolve itself.

Not only have seasoned observers been confounded, but both friends and foes of Assad find themselves in completely uncharted territory. After decades of docility from the Syrian people – partly because of their fear of the regime following the horrific massacre of Hama in 1982, and partly because they genuinely did support its regional stances – they are suddenly unafraid, unbeaten and seemingly unstoppable. Read on and comment » | Rime Allaf | Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Thousands of Troops March on Syrian Town Led by 'Murderous' Brother of Assad
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The notoriously murderous brother of President Bashar al-Assad has led thousands of Syrian troops towards a mission to wreak vengeance on a rebellious northern town.

More than 100 residents of Jisr al-Shughur fled across the border to Turkey, while others sought sanctuary in the churches and mosques of nearby villages.

They escaped after receiving telephoned warnings that Maher al-Assad, the most feared man in Syria, was on his way at the head of a huge column of armour and troops.

Witnesses in the surrounding Idlib province said the convoy comprised "hundreds" of tanks and "thousands" of soldiers, who kicked up huge plumes of dust as they sped past, in a dramatic escalation of the government crackdown.

The advance came amid fears that a British attempt to persuade the UN Security Council merely to condemn the Syrian regime's violence would be blocked by Russia during talks in New York on Wednesday night.

Human rights activists appealed for urgent international pressure on the regime, warning that unless Maher al-Assad was halted, his well-known "thirst for blood" would lead to a massacre. (+ map) » | Adrian Blomfield, Middle East Correspondent, and Jon Swaine in New York | Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Al-Qaeda's Second In Command Ayman al-Zawahiri Vows to Avenge Osama bin Laden's Death
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda's long-time second in command, has vowed in a video eulogy to Osama bin Laden that he will pursue his late leader's jihad against the West.


Read the article » | Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Rowan Williams Condemns 'Frightening' Coalition

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dr Rowan Williams will launch a sustained attack on the Coalition in the most outspoken political intervention by an Archbishop of Canterbury for a generation.

He warns that the public is gripped by “fear” over the Government’s reforms to education, the NHS and the benefits system and accuses David Cameron and Nick Clegg of forcing through “radical policies for which no one voted”.

Openly questioning the democratic legitimacy of the Coalition, the Archbishop dismisses the Prime Minister’s “Big Society” as a “painfully stale” slogan, and claims that it is “not enough” for ministers to blame Britain’s economic and social problems on the last Labour government.

The comments come in an article he has written as guest editor of this week’s New Statesman magazine.

His two-page critique, titled “The government needs to know how afraid people are”, is the most forthright political criticism by such a senior cleric since Robert Runcie enraged Margaret Thatcher with a series of attacks in the 1980s.

Lambeth Palace is braced for an angry response but Dr Williams, who became Archbishop of Canterbury nine years ago, is understood to believe that the moment is right for him to enter the political debate. Continue reading and comment » | Tim Ross, Religious Affairs Editor | Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Obama Welcomes End of Emergency Law in Bahrain
After low key meetings in Washington, Bahrain's crown prince, has made another promise of national dialogue.

But the US president, although welcoming the end of emergency law, has made his position clear: "You can't have national dialogue if you keep locking up the opposition".

The US needs the Gulf state as a port for its fifth fleet and while the price of oil remains so high the US cannot afford to annoy Saudi Arabia whose troops remain in Bahrain as support for the Sunni monarch.

Nearly three months since the crackdown began hundreds of people including activists, students, teachers, hospital staff and member of the political opposition have been arrested but Bahrain insists it is only punishing criminals.

Al Jazeera's Charles Stratford reports.

Inside Story: Ban Ki-moon Announces His Candidacy for Second Five-year Term for the Post of UN Secretary General

Robert Fisk: The People vs the President
THE INDEPENDENT: Syria in turmoil as resistance turns to insurrection

Syria's revolt against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad is turning into an armed insurrection, with previously peaceful demonstrators taking up arms to fight their own army and the "shabiha" – meaning "the ghosts", in English – of Alawi militiamen who have been killing and torturing those resisting the regime's rule.

Even more serious for Assad's still-powerful supporters, there is growing evidence that individual Syrian soldiers are revolting against his forces. The whole edifice of Assad's Alawi dictatorship is now in the gravest of danger.

In 1980, Assad's father, Hafez, faced an armed uprising in the central city of Hama, which was put down by the Special Forces of Hafez's brother Rifaat – who is currently living, for the benefit of war crimes investigators, in central London – at a cost of up to 20,000 lives. But the armed revolt today is now spreading across all of Syria, a far-mightier crisis and one infinitely more difficult to suppress. No wonder Syrian state television has been showing the funerals of up to 120 members of the security services from just one location, the northern town of Jisr al-Shughour. » | Robert Fisk | Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Yémen : Le retour de Saleh est annoncé
FRANCE SOIR: Alors que le président Saleh, hospitalisé en Arabie Saoudite, est annoncé de retour au Yémen dans les jours qui suivent, les États-Unis et l'Europe demandent la mise en place d'une « transition immédiate. »

L'espoir de l'opposition yéménite aura été de courte durée : le régime a jeté un froid, lundi 6 juin, quand elle a annoncé que le président Ali Abdallah Saleh, hospitalisé en Arabie Saoudite après avoir été légèrement blessé à la tête par le bombardement de sa maison, reviendrait à Sanaa « dans les prochains jours. » Le Yémen ne serait donc pas le troisième des pays arabes a faire chuter son dirigeant suite à une révolte populaire en 2011. » | Par Arnaud Aubry | Mardi 07 Juin 2011

Preisverleihung in Washington: Ganz entkrampft historisch

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Transatlantische Verstimmungen? Libyen längst vergessen, nichts mehr zu vergeben! Angela Merkels Washington-Reise war die glänzende Vorführung unerschütterlicher Eintracht mit Barack Obamas Amerika.

Vom warmherzigen Empfang in Berlin hat der Präsident gesprochen, von seiner Wahlkundgebung 2008 im Tiergarten dort, welchen er nun mit einem Dinner im Rosengarten erwidern wolle. Von Konrad Adenauer sprach er auch, dem ersten Kanzler Deutschlands nach dem Krieg, der auf dem Kapitol vom Freiheitswillen der Deutschen gesprochen habe. Und natürlich von dem kleinen Mädchen Angela, das von dieser Freiheit geträumt habe. Nun wolle er sie ehren, mit der „Medal of freedom“, auch für das, was sie aus ihrer Freiheit gemacht habe. Vormals geehrte Preisträger arrangierte Barack Obama zu einer politischen Hymne auf die Bundeskanzlerin: „Papst Johannes Paul II., Nelson Mandela, Helmut Kohl“.

In Washington neigte sich der Tag dem Ende zu. Die Leute im Rosengarten, sorgsam plaziert an fein eingedeckten Tischen im Geviert am Weißen Haus, erhoben sich. Zum Wohl, sprach der Präsident, und überreichte die Medaille. Vom Weinen ihrer Eltern beim Bau der Mauer sprach die Geehrte. Von Freiheit habe sie geträumt. Auch davon, fügte sie wieder einmal an, später, vermutlich erst als alte Frau, nach Amerika zu reisen. Niemals aber habe sie in ihren Träumen als Bundeskanzlerin im Rosengarten ein amerikanischer Präsident geehrt. „Glauben Sie mir, dieser Augenblick ist ein wirklich bewegender Moment“, sagte die Bundeskanzlerin. „Die Sehnsucht nach Freiheit lässt sich nicht dauerhaft einmauern.“ In Deutschland, daheim, war schon Mittwoch. Im Rosengarten spielte das Nationale Symphonie-Orchester auf. Ein wohliger Abend, die Herren in Schwarz, die Damen in Lang. » | Von Günter Bannas, Washington | Mittwoch 08. Juni 2011

Die F.A.Z. für Hillary Clinton: Das andere Geschenk
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Was schenkt man als Bundeskanzlerin einer amerikanischen Außenministerin beim Staatsbesuch? Angela Merkel enthüllte eine gerahmte Ausgabe der Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung. Hillary Clinton amüsierte sich köstlich.


Lesen Sie den kurzen Artikel » | F.A.Z. | Mittwoch 08. Juni 2011

Syria: Turkey Will Accept Hundreds of Refugees, Recep Tayyip Erdogan Says
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Turkey will continue to accept the hundreds of Syrian refugees who are fleeing their nation’s violence, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

About 450 refugees, including more than 30 people who were wounded in clashes, have arrived in Turkey, authorities said. The nations share an 850 kilometer (520-mile) border.

Mr Erdogan also urged Syria’s government to adopt reforms aimed at ending the unrest.

Most of the refugees are fleeing a tense northern town, Jisr al-Shughour, which is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Turkey.

The residents fear a crackdown by their government following a deadly mutiny of Syrian soldiers that set off fighting with officers and security guards. The Syrian government said 120 of its forces were dead and acknowledged losing “intermittent” control of the area.

Erdogan, whose government has close ties with Syrian leader Bashar Assad, said the situation in Syria is of deep concern for Turkey. » | Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Moscow to Get Terrorist-proof Lavatories
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Moscow is to be equipped with terrorist-proof public lavatories that are strong enough to contain a bomb blast.

The introduction of the state-of-the-art WCs follows a spate of Islamist terror attacks on the Russian capital over the years.

In the last major attack, in January, a suicide bomber struck Moscow’s busiest airport killing 37 people.

“This lavatory can function on its own and is vandal and terrorist-proof,” said Anatoly Ashikhmin, an official involved in the project.

The new lavatories’ shells will be made from ultra-strong fibrous concrete, while fittings inside will be hewn from a mixture of steel and reinforced plastic. » | Andrew Osborn, Moscow | Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Turin Shroud 'the Creation of a Renaissance Artist'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Turin Shroud is neither an authentic cloth in which Christ's body was wrapped nor a medieval forgery, but the creation of early Renaissance artist Giotto, according to new book by an Italian art historian.

Luciano Buso claims to have found Giotto di Bondone's signature hidden in the 14ft-long, sepia-coloured burial cloth, as well as the number 15.

The historian believes that the number is a reference to 1315, and that the artist was commissioned in that year to come up with an exact copy of the relic because the original was badly damaged after centuries of being hawked around the Holy Land and Europe.

Mr Buso, who has laid out his controversial thesis in a new book, said the idea that the existing shroud was created in 1315 agrees with modern carbon dating tests which dated the fabric to the early 14th century.

He told The Daily Telegraph that he believes the original was indeed the sheet used to cover Christ's body but that it disintegrated, or was lost or burned, sometime after the copy was made.

After months of analysis, he claims to have found several 15s and Giotto's name hidden in the imprint of Christ's face and hands – a means by which the artist stamped his mark on his work. » | Nick Squires, Rome | Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Hitler's First Anti-Jewish Letter to Go on Display in Los Angeles
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A letter by Adolf Hitler believed to contain his first written comments calling Jews a threat has been bought by a Jewish human rights organisation.


Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal Center said the centre paid $150,000 (£91,000) to a private dealer last month to obtain the 1919 writing, known as the Gemlich letter.

Rabbi Hier said the letter was typed by Hitler on a German army typewriter and that it "set the gold standard about for man's inhumanity to man."

At the time it was written, Hitler was serving in the Army, and had taken to riling up the troops with his anti-Semitic rants.

A superior officer urged Hitler to put his ideas on paper.

The letter has long been known to scholars. It is considered significant because it demonstrates how early Hitler was forming his anti-Semitic views. » | Tuesday, June 07, 2011

JEWISH VIRTUAL LIBRARY: The Gemlich Letter »

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Letter of Hitler’s First Anti-Semitic Writing May Be the Original » | Jack Ewing | Friday, June 03, 2011

JEWISH VIRTUAL LIBRARY: Adolf Hitler »

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Erstes antisemitisches Dokument Hitlers veröffentlicht (+Video) » | bim/AP | Mittwoch 08. Juni 2011

SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER: Simon Wiesenthal Center »

WIKI: Adolf Hitler's political views »

Al Qaeda Leader Ilyas Kashmiri Planned New Death Squad to Avenge Bin Laden

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Al-Qaeda's chief military commander was plotting a new terrorist group called Lashkar-e-Osama to launch a wave of revenge suicide attacks when he was reportedly killed in a drone strike last week, Pakistani officials have claimed.

Ilyas Kashmiri had convened a meeting of militant leaders to discuss hitting foreign embassies and also trying to poison Nato food supplies en route to Afghanistan to avenge the death of Osama bin Laden.

The plans were disclosed as distrust between Washington and Islamabad still surrounded Kashmiri's reported death on June 3.
US officials said their working assumption was that he remained alive despite assurances from Pakistan.

His new squad had plans to target the American, Saudi and Emirati embassies in Pakistan, according to reports.

Kashmiri called Pakistani Taliban commanders, including Asmatullah Maavia, Amjad Farooqui and Badar Mansoor to the meeting in North Waziristan a few days before he was reportedly killed. » | Ben Farmer, Kabul | Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Doctor Talks about Saleh's Injuries
President Saleh is thought to have suffered burns to 40 percent of his body and a possible head injury. Al Jazeera spoke to Dr. Bob Arnot and asked him how serious Saleh's condition might be.

Breaking the Silence on AIDS in Egypt
An estimated 34 million people are living with HIV and AIDS across the globe.

Many don't even know they have it, but of those who do more than nine million are still not getting vital treatment.

That ratio is particularly bad in countries where the virus is stigmatised, such as Egypt. The UN estimates around 11,000 people there have HIV, but only 400 are seeking treatment.

But now one man is trying to change that. Magid is the first HIV positive person to speak out in Egypt about his experience.

He told Al Jazeera his story.

Danish Police Search for 'Outsiders'
European Union Ministers are discussing new measures which could restrict people's movement across the continent. Much of the debate has been prompted by an influx of migrants from North Africa.

Syrian Town Braces for Military Assault
Residents of the Syrian town of Jisr al-Shughur have been fleeing their village to Turkey and neighbouring villages, fearing an intensified military crackdown. Rights groups say at least 42 civilians have been killed in fighting in the town since Saturday. Al Jazeera's Rula Amin reports.

Watch Al Jazeera English Live

Syrian Town Empties as Government Tanks Mass Outside

THE GUARDIAN: All-out assault on residents of Jisr al-Shughour feared after uprising against security forces

The Syrian town of Jisr al-Shughour was besieged by columns of government tanks on Tuesday night as the army massed for what is feared will be an all-out assault on residents it claims killed more than 120 security force members over the weekend.

By nightfall most inhabitants had fled to nearby Turkey before the expected sharp escalation in a three-month uprising that has pitched largely unarmed demonstrators against a regime using increasingly lethal force to suppress the gravest threat to its four-decade rule.

Jisr al-Shughour, a town of 41,000 people, was largely abandoned. The hospital stood empty and the intelligence headquarters, which had been the scene of an uprising on Sunday, was now a looted and empty shell, according to three men who had stayed behind.

Human rights activists in Damascus said 59 civilians had been confirmed killed. However they feared the final number was likely to be more than 100.

The prospect of the imminent operation has stirred the ghosts of an infamous assault on the town of Hama 29 years ago, in which tens of thousands of residents were killed by the former president Hafez al-Assad after they launched a failed challenge to his authority.

Assad's son, President Bashar al-Assad, is now facing a more serious threat, with sustained protests in many Syrian towns and cities that are steadily eroding the iron-clad rule of the Assad dynasty. » | Martin Chulov | Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Gaddafi's Daughter Sues Over Deadly Nato Air Strike

THE GUARDIAN: Aisha Gaddafi claims air strike that killed four members of her family, including her daughter, constitutes a war crime

The daughter of Muammar Gaddafi has launched a lawsuit for murder following the death in April of four members of her family during a Natoair strike.

Legal papers were submitted to the prosecutor's office in Brussels on Tuesday by the French lawyer for Aisha Gaddafi.

During the bombing raid on 30 April the Libyan leader's son Saif el-Arab, 29, as well as three of his grandchildren were killed. Ms Gaddafi's four-month-old daughter Mastoura was one of those who died.

She argues the coalition forces that carried out the attack are guilty of "war crimes", stating the air strike did not target a command and control post held by troops loyal to her father, but was a private residence in Tripoli where members of his family were living. » | Kim Willsher in Paris | Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Iran's President Admits Rift with Country's Senior Islamic Figures

THE GUARDIAN: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announces he is on 'opposite side' to those who accuse him of revolutionary deviancy

Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has admitted for the first time that a rift has developed between him and some of the most senior figures of the Islamic regime.

In a press conference in Tehran on Tuesday, the first since news emerged of his power struggle with the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the president said: "It is very clear now that we are 180 degrees away from them – we are actually on opposite sides."

He pointed the finger at ruling conservatives, who have accused the government of "revolutionary deviancy", while playing down suggestions that he has been at odds with Ali Khamenei.

In recent months, conservatives close to the supreme leader have launched an extensive campaign against the president and his allies, who they believe are undermining the supremacy of the leader.

Senior figures in the powerful revolutionary guards and some of the most prominent clerics in the country who have supported Ahmadinejad in the past are now distancing themselves from him.

Those who remain in his camp have faced accusations of "sorcery", "deviancy" and even espionage, and some presidential aides have been arrested.

"They arrested those people. Good for them," Ahmadinejad said. » | Saeed Kamali Dehghan | Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Um Gottes willen, hör auf mit Deinen Komplimenten! So schön bin ich auch wieder nicht

Fast schon peinlich waren Merkel die vielen Komplimente, mit denen sie Obama überhäufte. Höhepunkt der Nettigkeiten: Bei einem Staatsbankett in der Nacht zum Mittwoch bekommt die Kanzlerin die Freiheitsmedaille verliehen. Merkel ist die erste europäische Regierungschefin, die von Obama so gewürdigt wird. Seit der Amtszeit von Altkanzler Helmut Kohl hat es keinen solchen deutschen Besuch in den USA gegeben
Charme-Offensive im Weißen Haus »

Medvedev Signs Amendments Introducing Forced Labor into Criminal Code

RUSSIA TODAY: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said a set of amendments to the Criminal Code contains new forms of punishment, while reducing charges of slander – once a criminal offense - to a civil offence.

Medvedev personally made the announcement on Tuesday while meeting with Justice Minister Aleksandr Konovalov. In Russia, the Justice Ministry includes the Federal Service for Execution of Punishment – the body that oversees the system of prisons, penal colonies and pre-trial detention centers.

“The draft law includes a number of novelties and deserves attention as it makes the criminal law more up to date, gets rid of obsolete norms that were passing from one code to another but were never observed, eliminates contradictions and introduces a new form of punishment – forced labor,” Medvedev said.

Apart from the introduction of forced labor, the bill establishes new penalties for petty economic crimes and crimes related to drug trafficking. Meanwhile, charges of libel and slander have been decriminalized and will fall under the civil code.

“The deeds that are listed as crimes in the current version of the Criminal Code are being decriminalized and after the law comes into force these acts will be persecuted as administrative offence,” the president noted.

The list of such actions pertain to libel, including cases of libeling judges involved in court cases, as well as non-qualified actions that do not cause grave consequences. » | Tuesday, June 07, 2011

French Declare that Bashar al-Assad Has Lost All Legitimacy

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: France is to push for a UN Security Council resolution condemning the Syrian regime for human rights violations in its assualt on opposition protesters.

Foreign Minister Alain Juppe [sic] told a meeting in Washington that President Bashar Assad has "lost his legitimacy to rule the country" and that Paris hoped to overcome Russian opposition to a Security Council rebuke.

Mr Juppe [sic] told an audience at the Brookings Institution, however, that France believes that strong support in the 15-member security council might persuade Russia to abstain.

He said that perhaps the Russians will see that there are 11 votes in favor of the resolution, and they will change their mind.

"The situation is very clear. In Syria, the process of reform is dead and we think that Bashar has lost his legitimacy to rule the country," Mr Juppe [sic] said. "We'll see what the Russians will do. If they veto, they will take their responsibility. Maybe if they see that there are 11 votes in favour of the resolution, they will change their mind. So there is a risk to take and we're ready to take it."

Amnesty International urged the Security Council to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court. » | Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Formula One: Bernie Ecclestone Urges Rethink on Bahrain Grand Prix after Human Rights Group Condemns FIA Report

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: In a dramatic about-turn, Bernie Ecclestone was last night trying to reverse the governing body’s decision over the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Formula One's chief executive was part of the World Motor Sport Council which passed a 'unanimous' vote last Friday to reschedule the race for Oct 30, pushing the Indian Grand Prix back to an unspecified date in December, but The Daily Telegraph understands that the 80 year-old has had a change of heart and written to Formula One's 12 teams urging them to express their discontent and demand a re-vote.

That will have come as a surprise to FIA president Jean Todt who spent yesterday conducting a PR offensive in Paris, claiming that everything in Bahrain was "back to normal" and defending the decision to reinstate the race.

Todt’s argument backfired somewhat when the report on which the WMSC's vote was based was dismissed as "blinkered" by a human rights group who said the member who compiled it only consulted with persons and organisations sympathetic to Bahrain's ruling Al Khalifa family.

During the two-day trip last week, FIA vice-president Carlos Gracia met Sheikh Abdulla bin Isa Al-Khalifa, the president of ASN, Sheikh Mai bint Mohammed Al-Khalifa, the Minister of Culture, Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa, the Minister of the Interior and Sheikh Salman bin Essa Al-Khalifa, the CEO of the Bahrain International Circuit.

Gracia also met Tariq Al Saffar, of the National Institute of Human Rights, who he quoted as saying "inaccurate information has been very bad for the country and does not help to improve the situation". Alex Wilks, campaign director for Avaaz, a web-based human rights group, called the report a "whitewash". » | Tom Cary, F1 Correspondent in Paris | Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Libya: Col Gaddafi Pledges to 'Fight to the Death'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Col Gaddafi pledged to never surrender and said he would fight to the death, just hours after Nato strikes targeted his Tripoli compound.

In an audio speech broadcast on state television, the Libyan leader said: "We only have one choice: we will stay in our land dead or alive."

Col Gaddafi called on his supporters to flock to his Bab al-Aziziya compound which was hit several times by NATO air strikes on Tuesday.

He said: "We will not surrender, we welcome death. Martyrdom is a million times better."

On Tuesday low-flying NATO military craft unleashed a ferocious series of nearly 30 daytime airstrikes on Tripoli, rattling the Libyan capital, sending plumes of smoke billowing above Gaddafi's compound. » | Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Pas de libération sous caution pour Khodorkovsky

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: RUSSIE | La justice russe ne mettra pas le magnat Mikhaïl Khodorkovsky en liberté conditionnelle, a indiqué le journal «Kommersant» mardi. La demande a été retournée aux avocats de l’homme d’affaires emprisonné.

La justice russe a rejeté la demande de mise en liberté sous condition du magnat Mikhaïl Khodorkovsky, a indiqué le journal «Kommersant» mardi. La demande a été retournée aux avocats de l’homme d’affaires emprisonné.

Un porte-parole du tribunal Preobrajenski de Moscou, cité par le «Kommersant», a précisé que les avocats de Khodorkovsky n’ont pas produit les documents appropriés pour leur requête.

Autrefois considéré comme l’homme le plus riche de Russie, M. Khodorkovsky a été condamné en 2003, à l’époque où Vladimir Poutine était président de la République. Il purge une peine de 13 années d’emprisonnement.

Le président Dmitri Medvedev avait estimé le mois dernier que la remise en liberté de M. Khodorkovsky ne constituait pas une menace. Mais le Premier ministre Poutine avait adopté une position beaucoup plus ferme, comparant l’ancien magnat du pétrole au chef de gang américain Al Capone. » | ATS/Reuters | Mardi 07 Juin 2011

Merkel trifft Obama: „Intensiver Meinungsaustausch“

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Arabellion, Afghanistan und die Euro-Krise standen auf der Agenda: Der amerikanische Präsident Obama hat sich mit Kanzlerin Merkel zum Auftakt ihres Besuches in Washington in einem Restaurant in Georgetown getroffen.

Der amerikanische Präsident Barack Obama hat mit Kanzlerin Angela Merkel zum Auftakt ihres Besuches in Washington vertraulich über das deutsch-amerikanische Verhältnis gesprochen. In einem Restaurant in Georgetown erörterten sie am Montagabend (Ortszeit) ferner die Lage in Nordafrika und Afghanistan sowie den Nahost-Konflikt und die Euro-Krise, verlautete aus deutschen Regierungskreisen. Es sei ein „gelungener, intensiver und freundschaftlicher Meinungsaustausch“ gewesen, hieß es.

Anlass der Reise ist die Verleihung einer „Medal of freedom“ durch den amerikanischen Präsidenten Obama. Es handelt sich um den höchsten zivilen Orden der Vereinigten Staaten, den einst auch Helmut Kohl erhalten hatte. Frau Merkel ist die erste europäische Regierungschefin, der Obama in seiner Amtszeit als Präsident diesen Orden verliehen hat.

Der Festakt dazu findet - nach amerikanischer Zeit - am Dienstagabend im Rosengarten des Weißen Hauses statt. Die Eheleute Michelle Obama und Joachim Sauer werden an dem Festakt teilnehmen. Anschließend fliegt Frau Merkel zurück nach Berlin, wo sie nach Plan am Mittwoch zur Mittagszeit eintreffen wird.

Hinsichtlich des protokollarischen Ablaufs enthält die Reise Frau Merkels Elemente eines Staatsbesuches. Am Dienstagvormittag ist nochmals eine Unterredung Frau Merkels mit Obama vorgesehen, von dem sie mit militärischen Ehren begrüßt wird. Am Nachmittag kommt Frau Merkel mit Vizepräsident Joe Biden und Außenministerin Hillary Clinton sowie Senatsmitgliedern zusammen. Westerwelle: „Vorzügliches Verhältnis“ » | FAZ.NET mit dpa | Dienstag 07. Juni 2011

Bin Laden Bounce Definitely Over for Obama

MAIL ONLINE: Those who forecast Barack Obama had sealed his second term as president with the killing of Osama Bin Laden look to be wrong.

According to a new poll, the 'Bin laden bounce' has already evaporated[.]

Obama's approval rating surged to 56 per cent in the aftermath of the terrorist's death but now just 47 per cent think he is doing a good job.

But it is domestic policies - notably Obama's handling of the economy - that is driving the frustration of the American public, according to a joint poll conducted by The Washington Post and ABC news.

Fifty-nine per cent, a new high, gave Obama negative marks for his handling of the economy, up from 55 per cent a month earlier.

Obama's approval rating on the deficit issue has also hit a new low of 33 per cent, a drop of 6 per centage [sic] points since April.

The state of the economy poses a huge challenge for the president, whose re-election in 2012 may depend on his ability to convince voters that his economic policies have been successful. Bin Laden bounce definitely OVER for Obama as new poll shows he could lose the presidency over the economy » | Daily Mail Reporter | Tuesday, June 07, 2011

We Won't Accept Migrants Fleeing Turmoil in Africa, Theresa May Tells the French

MAIL ONLINE: Theresa May last night insisted Britain would not accept thousands of migrants fleeing the turmoil in North Africa.

The Home Secretary said the Government would not share the burden if European countries open their borders to asylum seekers.

In Calais to inspect joint immigration controls in the French port, Mrs May said: ‘I have made absolutely clear to my counterparts in Europe that we will not agree to so-called “burden sharing”.

'Britain will not be accepting large numbers of North African migrants. Instead we will be working with other European countries to get these people safely back to their home countries.

‘We have not, and will not, opt into any proposal that would weaken our borders,’ she added.

Tens of thousands of people have fled the political instability in Libya, Egypt and Tunisia in recent months. Their arrival in southern Europe has put huge strain on the continent’s system of open borders, leading to proposals that it be scaled back. » | Jack Doyle | Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Hizb ut-Tahrir: This Is Open Hostility to Islam
POLITIC.co.uk: Taji Mustafa, media representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Britain, rejects coalition's 'colonial' approach:

"This policy has nothing to do with security. It is about forcing a set of values on a community simply because their beliefs do not conform to secular liberal norms, and is proof that liberals can be supremacist.

"After bombing Afghanistan and Pakistan, does Mr Cameron still expect people to believe in the Blairite delusion that it is Islamic beliefs that are the cause of security threats to the UK? Most serious observers have abandoned this discredited world view, which continues to be propagated by some politicians, and self-serving think tanks and academics whose funding relies on such nonsense.

"This Conservative-Liberal government has decided to display an open hostility to Islam - threatening to cut funding to some groups - in order to impose Cameron's definition of 'British' values, and coercing Muslims to leave any Islamic values that the government labels 'extremist'. » | Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Syrian Army Officer Deserts Army
Al Jazeera has received a video statement, from one Syrian army officer who has deserted. He says he witnessed crimes against civilians who were just trying to protect themselves.

Syria Vows to Retaliate after Attack on Police and Security Forces

THE GUARDIAN: Regime to intensify crackdown on protesters after claiming that dozens of government personnel were killed in Jisr al-Shughour

The Syrian government has vowed to retaliate after claiming that dozens of its police and security forces were killed in attacks in and around the north-western town of Jisr al-Shughour.

In an indication they will intensify the crackdown on protesters that has already killed an estimated 1,200 civilians, authorities rapidly upgraded the toll in the town 20 miles from the Turkish border.

The state news agency, Sana, initially said 28 personnel had been killed, including in an armed ambush and at a state security post. It revised the figure up to 43, 80 and then 120 within the space of an hour without an explanation. The claims could not be independently verified.

"We will act firmly and decisively based on the law [and] will never be silent over any armed attack that targets the country's security," the interior minister, Ibrahim Shaar, said in a statement broadcast on state television. » | Nidaa Hassan in Damascus | Monday, June 06, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Syrian forces crackdown to result in massive loss of life: Residents of Jisr al-Shughour in north-west Syria warned of an imminent atrocity if the security forces carry out an operation to take control of the town following the deaths of 120 soldiers in clashes. » | Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Universities: The Breeding Grounds of Terror

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The evidence that British student campuses have become hotbeds of Islamist radicalisation is overwhelming, says Anthony Glees. It is time to get tough on those who refuse to believe it.

Theresa May’s message to our vice-chancellors, in her comments to this newspaper yesterday, was crystal clear: it’s time for them – at long, long last – to get a grip on student extremism. The shameful record of complacency towards Islamist radicalisation on Britain’s campuses will no longer wash. But are our universities listening, let alone getting ready to act? I fear not.

For one thing, politicians have said this before. In his first major speech on security and radicalisation, in February this year, David Cameron underscored the dismal truth that many of those found guilty of terrorist offences have been British graduates. “We must stop extremists recruiting in publicly[-]funded institutions like universities,” he said. Two months ago, he made the same point, when he said that not enough was being done to “deradicalise” our universities.

In the same month, Baroness Neville-Jones, the recently departed security minister, said much the same thing. Britain, she confirmed, still faces a serious security threat from Islamist radicalisation – and universities are one of the main recruiting grounds. In fact, she said, they are a greater source of danger than radical mosques.

So here are the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary and the then security minister all speaking with one voice – along with the previous government, and indeed the widely respected all-party Homeland Security Group. But there are none so deaf as those who refuse to hear. Just a few days ago, Nicola Dandridge, the head of Universities UK, told The Daily Telegraph that there was “no evidence” to link student radicals with violent extremism. She even claims that MI5 and the police back up her assertions.

No evidence? Within a couple of years of leaving Leeds Metropolitan University, Mohammad Sidique Khan, the leader of the group responsible for the July 7 bombings, began training for terror. Since then, virtually every major British terrorist attack has been led by students or graduates. The list of universities they came from makes horrifying reading: Leicester, Luton, Brighton, Glasgow Metropolitan, UCL, the LSE, the University of Westminster, Brunel and others. » | Anthony Glees * | Monday, June 06, 2011

• Professor Anthony Glees is director of the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies at the University of Buckingham.

Universities are seats of higher learning. Their purpose is to disseminate learning, erudition, and enlightenment. They are supposed to bring people out of darkness, not let them fall into it. Any university, however grand, however prestigious, is not worthy of its name if it allows its students to become, or remain, benighted. – © Mark

Related »

Anthony Weiner in Tearful Confession over Twitter Pictures
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A married US congressman sent lewd photographs of himself to young female admirers over Twitter and Facebook then lied about being the victim of hackers when he was caught, he admitted last night.


Anthony Weiner, a Democrat from New York, broke down in tears as he confessed to "inappropriate conversations" with six women online and over the phone in the past three years.

"I have made terrible mistakes, I have hurt the people I love the most, and I am deeply sorry," he said, in a hastily-arranged press conference in a Manhattan hotel.

Mr Weiner, 46, repeatedly apologised to his 34-year-old wife Huma Abedin, [bio] a senior aide to Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, and to his constituents, but said he would not resign.

"I don't believe I did anything here that violates any law or violates my oath to my constituents," he said. Some of the conversations dated back to before his wedding last summer.

However Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, called for an inquiry “to determine whether any official resources were used or any other violation of House rules occurred.” » | Monday, June 06, 2011

Bahrain Shiite Medics Claim They Were Tortured as Trail [sic] Opens

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Shiite medics on trial in Bahrain for involvement in anti-regime protests charged on Monday that they were tortured to sign false confessions, family members said.

The medics told their families and lawyers after a hearing at a special court that they had been "subjected to physical and psychological torture to extract confessions," a relative said.

They were also tortured to "force them to sign statements that contained untrue accusations," a relative added, requesting anonymity.

The medics appeared in the court set up under emergency laws decreed by King Hamad in mid-March on the eve of an all-out crackdown on Shiites who led a month of pro-democracy protests.

A total of 24 doctors and 23 nurses working at Salmaniya hospital were in May referred to the court on a number of charges.

BNA state news agency said Monday that 20 of the defendants, including four women, were accused of possessing non-licenced arms, occupying the hospital, seizing medical equipment and calling for regime change. » | Monday, June 06, 2011

Dominique Strauss-Kahn Accusers Says [sic] She Will 'Tell the World' in Testimony against Him

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Monday mounted his fight-back against charges that he sexually attacked a hotel maid, pleading "not guilty" in a Manhattan court as the woman's lawyers said she would "tell the world" what he did by testifying against him.

The former International Monetary Fund chief was met outside the court by dozens of maids chanting "shame on you".

Smiling and swaggering in a crisp blue suit and tie, the 62-year-old, out on $1 million (£600,000) bail, was transformed from the haggard figure who first stumbled into court last month.

He was flanked by his multimillionaire wife, Anne Sinclair, 62, who wore a dark blazer and skirt and looked refreshed by her stay at the $14 million (£8.5 million) townhouse where her husband is under house arrest and armed guard.

In a seven-minute hearing at New York Supreme Court, Mr Strauss-Kahn was read the seven charges relating to his alleged attack of the 32-year-old maid.

He is accused of attempting to rape the Guinean mother-of-one, before forcing her to perform oral sex, after she arrived to clean his suite at the Sofitel, near Times Square, on May 14. » | Jon Swaine, New York | Monday, June 06, 2011

My comment:

What a bloody circus! And they call this justice! They splattered DSK's visage all over the Web, but nobody has had the balls to show a photo of the woman who has supposedly been raped. In my opinion, if she has the courage to come forward and claim "rape," then she should also have the courage to allow her photo to be shown to the world. Otherwise, don't show the photograph of either party. Why should one side have all the privileges? If this is what the Americans call justice, then it's a bad show! – © Mark

This comment also appears here

China: US Waging Global Internet War

RUSSIA TODAY: The Chinese military has accused the US of waging a global Internet war against multiple nations in an effort to bring down governments, citing the Arab Spring revolutions as an example.

The accusations made by scholars at the Chinese military academy follow accusations by Google that Chinese offices attempted to hack Google accounts related to US government offices, officials, journalists, activists and politicians.

Google traced the attacks to the city of Jinan known for hosting the military’s vocational school which focuses on computers and technology. The same location was also linked to an assault on Google's systems over a year ago. China has denied responsibility for both attacks.

China is now asserting however that the US is using computer tactics via the Internet to promote regime change in the Arab world and claimed to have evidence that cyber attacks originated within the United States. » | Friday, June 03, 2011

Strauss-Kahn Pleads Not Guilty
June 6 - Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges he sexually assaulted a New York hotel maid in a case that cost him his job and a chance at the French presidency. Rough cut (no reporter narration)

Radical Indonesia Cleric Rejects Terrorism Charges

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE: PDT JAKARTA, Indonesia -- A radical Indonesian cleric facing life in prison on terrorism charges professed his innocence Monday and rejected the trial as outside Islamic law in a final court appearance before judges announce a verdict.

Abu Bakar Bashir is accused of helping to set up and fund a terror training camp in Aceh province for a group that allegedly planned attacks on foreigners and assassinations of moderate Muslim leaders such as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Prosecutors have sought a life sentence for Bashir, who co-founded the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah network, which is blamed for some of Indonesia's deadliest suicide bombings.

Bashir, 72, denies involvement with the training camp but has repeatedly defended it as legal under Islam.

The white-bearded cleric told a Jakarta court that the case against him was fabricated and witnesses that testified by teleconference were doing so under pressure.

"Therefore their testimonies could not be trusted," he said. » | Associated Press | Monday, June 06, 2011

Gay Rights Are Human Rights

LOS ANGELES TIMES – EDITORIAL: Recent violence against gay people in South Africa is a reminder that the struggle for gay rights is a global one.

When it comes to gay rights, South Africa is something of a paradox. Legally progressive, the country allows gay marriage and, in its Constitution, prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Gay groups flourish — soccer clubs and church organizations included — and middle-class gay men and women live relatively openly.

But in some parts of the country, particularly in rural areas and townships, the progressive laws collide with deeply traditional views of homosexuality as un-African and as an import from the decadent West.

In the South African township of Kwa-Thema, on the outskirts of Johannesburg, a young lesbian woman who dressed like a man and played soccer as well as one was found dead in an alley on Easter morning, having been stabbed with broken glass, battered with bricks and apparently raped with a broken bottle. Two other openly gay women have been murdered in the township since 2008, and some gay men and women report having been raped by attackers who claimed to be teaching them a lesson.

The violence in South Africa is a reminder that the struggle for gay rights is a global one. A gay rights demonstration in Moscow was disrupted last month by counter-protesters, and Russian security forces detained people from both sides of the protest. In Jamaica, homophobic lyrics in dancehall music have been blamed for violent attacks on gay people. » | Monday, June 06, 2011

Iran's Women Footballers Banned from Olympics Because of Islamic Strip

THE GUARDIAN: • Team play in tracksuit and head covering to meet Islamic law • Women were banned from playing Olympic qualifier in Jordan

Iran's dream of competing in the London 2012 Olympic women's football tournament have been crushed by an unexpected ruling that their Islamic dress broke Fifa rules, said a football federation official in Tehran.

Iran is complaining to the world ruling body after its women were banned from playing, moments before an Olympic qualifier against Jordan last week, due to their full-body strip that includes a head scarf.

The head of women's affairs at Iran's football federation said the country had made changes to its women's kit after a Fifa ban last year and believed it had been given the approval of the world federation and of its president, Sepp Blatter.

"We made the required corrections and played a match afterwards," Farideh Shojaei said. "We played the next round and were not prevented from doing so, and they didn't find anything wrong. That meant that there are no obstacles in our path, and that we could participate in the Olympics."

Fifa's rules for the 2012 Olympics state that: "Players and officials shall not display political, religious, commercial or personal messages or slogans in any language or form on their playing or team kits."

In order to comply with the Islamic dress code which is mandatory in the Islamic Republic, Iran's women footballers play in full tracksuits and head coverings that conceal their hair. » | Reuters | Monday, June 06, 2011

Inside Story - Filling Yemen's Power Vacuum
Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's president, is in Saudi Arabia receiving medical treatment. He flew there on Saturday night following an attack on his presidential palace in which other senior members of his government were also injured. Saleh's departure has opened up the opportunity to resolve Yemen's ongoing political crisis, but who will fill the political vacuum should Saleh not return? Inside Story, with presenter Felicity Barr, discusses.