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Tuesday, March 27, 2012
THE GUARDIAN: Arab uprisings lead to rise in capital punishment in Middle East but Amnesty finds some comfort in world figures – even in China
Middle Eastern countries have stepped up their use of capital punishment, executing hundreds of people as rulers across the region seek to deter the wave of uprisings sweeping the Arab countries.
Despite a significant reduction in the number of countries that used the death penalty worldwide last year, there was a sharp rise in executions in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Yemen, according to Amnesty International's annual capital punishment survey, released on Tuesday.
China remained at the top of the list of the countries with the worst record of executions last year. Authorities in China maintained their policy of refusing to release precise figures on the death penalty in the country, which they consider a state secret. » | Saeed Kamali Dehghan and Ed Pilkington in New York | Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Capital punishment in 2011 – interactive »
TELEGRAPH – BLOGS – TIM STANLEY: For his own good, Rick Santorum should be bound and gagged in public » | Tim Stanley | Tuesday, March 27, 2012
My comment:
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Rick Santorum is a kook. The USA, the world cannot afford a president like him. He'll turn the clocks back at worst, and cause a major conflagration at worst. Keep him OUT of the White House! – © Mark
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AL JAZEERA: Network says video showing shootings that left seven dead ins southern France did not meet its code of ethics.
Al Jazeera has said it will not air a video that it received in a mail, showing three shooting attacks in Toulose and Montauban in southern France this month.
The network on Tuesday said the video did not add any information that was not already in public domain. It also did not meet the television station's code of ethics for broadcast. » | Source: Al Jazeera | Tuesday, March 27, 2012
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Instead, a drafting committee will preserve language in Tunisia’s current constitution that refers to Islam as the state’s religion and Arabic as its language, according to Said Ferjani, a member of the political bureau of Ennahda, the Islamist party that leads Tunisia’s government.
He and other Ennahda leaders framed the decision as a bid to unify the country’s disparate political factions during a delicate political transition. “There is a huge consensus within Ennahda. We have to show leadership,” Mr. Ferjani said. “We want everyone to get involved.” » | Kareem Fahim | Monday, March 26, 2012
RTT NEWS: A court in Norway on Monday jailed Iraq-born Islamic cleric Mullah Krekar for five years for making death threats against Norwegian officials and others.
Krekar, who arrived in Norway as a refugee in 1991, was found guilty of making death threats against former Norwegian Minister Erna Solberg as well as three Kurds [sic] immigrants living in Norway.
The Kurdish Islamic cleric has consistently denied any wrongdoings in both cases, and indicated in court on Monday that he planned to appeal.
The 55-year-old cleric, whose real name is Najmuddin Faraj Ahmad, was accused of threatening the three Norwegian Kurds after they burned pages of the Holy Koran or insulted it in another way. » | RTT News Staff Writer | RTTNews | Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Der langjährige Generaldirektor der in Wien ansässigen Internationalen Atomenergie-Agentur (IAEA), Mohammed ElBaradei, hat Israel eindringlich vor einem Krieg gegen den Iran gewarnt. "Jeder, der den Iran angreift, ist völlig verrückt", sagte der Friedensnobelpreisträger. "Das würde die gesamte Region zerfetzen." Israel hat mehrfach mit Luftangriffen gegen iranische Nuklearanlagen gedroht, um das Land vom möglichen Bau einer Atombombe abzuhalten. ElBaradei äußerte sich aber auch skeptisch zu den geplanten internationalen Gesprächen über das iranische Atomprogramm. Wichtig sei, bis zur US-Präsidentschaftswahl im November die aktuelle Krise unter Kontrolle zu behalten.
Der 69-jährige Ägypter warnte davor, dass Israel mit einem Angriff auf den Iran genau das Gegenteil seiner Absichten erreichen würde. "Der Iran wäre dann auf dem schnellsten Weg, eigene Atomwaffen zu entwickeln - und das mit der Unterstützung jedes einzelnen Iraners, fast des gesamten Nahen Ostens und einer Menge anderer Leute in der Welt." Israelmüsse verstehen, dass es Sicherheit nur dann bekommen könne, wenn es im Nahen Osten akzeptiert werde. » | APA | Dienstag, 27. März 2012
REUTERS DEUTSCHLAND: Santiago de Cuba (Reuters) - Papst Benedikt hat bei seinem Besuch auf Kuba die Bürger zum Aufbau einer offeneren Gesellschaft aufgerufen.
Der Pontifex forderte zugleich die kommunistische Führung des Landes auf, der katholischen Kirche mehr Freiheiten zu gewähren, damit diese dem vor einer unsicheren Zukunft stehenden Land helfen könne.
"Ich rufe Euch auf, Euren Glauben neu zu beleben, dass Ihr in und für Christus lebt, dass Ihr gerüstet seid mit Friedfertigkeit, Vergebung und Verständnis", sagte Benedikt XVI. in seiner ersten Messe kurz nach der Ankunft in Santiago de Cuba am Montag vor Zehntausenden Besuchern. "Damit Ihr dazu beitragen könnt, eine erneuerte und offene Gesellschaft aufzubauen, eine bessere Gesellschaft, eine mit mehr Menschlichkeit, die auch Gottes Güte besser widerspiegelt."
An der Messe nahm auch Kubas Staatschef Raul Castro teil. Er hatte zuvor bereits das Oberhaupt der katholischen Kirche auf dem Flughafen Santiagos begrüßt. Der dreitägige Besuch soll die Rolle der katholischen Kirche auf Kuba stärken. Bei der Visite sind auch ein Gespräch mit Castro und eine Messe in der Hauptstadt Havanna geplant. » | Von Philip Pullella und Simon Gardner | Reuters | Dienstag, 27. März 2012
REUTERS FRANCE: PARIS - Le Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel et le ministre français des Affaires étrangères, Alain Juppé, ont appelé mardi la chaîne Al Djazira à ne pas diffuser les vidéos tournées par Mohamed Merah au cours de ses meurtres.
Une copie des images filmées lors de ses sept meurtres à Toulouse et Montauban par le tueur abattu jeudi par la police est parvenue au bureau parisien de la chaîne de télévision qatarie, qui n'a pas encore pris la décision de les diffuser ou non. » | Patrick Vignal et Gwenaëlle Barzic, édité par Yves Clarisse | Reuters | mardi 27 mars 2012
REUTERS FRANCE: PARIS - Nicolas Sarkozy a annoncé mardi de nouvelles mesures de sécurité contre les dérives extrémistes et les risques de terrorisme en France, cinq jours après l'épilogue de l'affaire Mohamed Merah. » | Emmanuel Jarry, édité par Yves Clarisse | mardi 27 mars 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
A Turkish cosmetics company is under fire for featuring Adolf Hitler in a television advert for men's shampoo, but it continues to run on the country's state television network despite widespread outrage.
The 12-second commercial shows black-and-white footage of Hitler delivering an impassioned speech, dubbed with a high-pitched voice screaming the following words in clipped Turkish:
"Why are you using woman's shampoo if you're not wearing a woman's dress? Now there's the hundred percent men's shampoo Biomen. A real man uses Biomen."Media reports said that Turkish state television has so far declined to remove the commercial, despite criticism from Jewish groups in Turkey and abroad. The US-based Anti-Defamation League released a statement saying it was "repulsed" at the commercial. » | cro – with wire reports | Monday, March 26, 2012
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À 80 ans passés, le cheikh d'origine égyptienne Youssef al-Qaradawi reste très soucieux de son image. Le célèbre prédicateur musulman n'oublie pas de convoquer les caméras d'al-Jazeera quand il reçoit dans sa villa de Doha en compagnie de sa jeune épouse Asma l'ancien otage en Irak venu le remercier d'avoir œuvré à sa libération. «Ahlan wa sahlan», «soyez le bienvenu», lance dans un grand sourire le cheikh cathodique que la France avait sollicité en 2004 pour apaiser la mouvance salafiste, mécontente de l'adoption de la loi interdisant le port du voile à l'école.
Mais le voici aujourd'hui interdit de congrès de l'Union des organisations islamiques de France par Nicolas Sarkozy, lui qui dispose pourtant d'un passeport diplomatique délivré par l'émirat du Qatar, qui l'abrite depuis 1961. «Cheikh al-Qaradawi ne peut que condamner une telle interdiction (…) car ses fatwas (édits religieux) ont toujours été modérées», réagit depuis Doha Cheikh Ali Kardaghi, le secrétaire général de l'Union mondiale des oulémas musulmans, que dirige al-Qaradawi. » | Par Georges Malbrunot | lundi 26 mars 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama was accused of putting his desire for re-election before America's national security on Monday, after being caught hinting to President Dmitry Medvedev that he would offer concessions to Russia on defence if he were re-elected.
The US president was captured by a live microphone telling Mr Medvedev that he would have "more flexibility" in negotiations over contentious plans for a missile shield in Europe if he beat his Republican challenger in November.
Delivering a message for president-elect Vladimir Putin, Mr Obama said: "On all these issues, but particularly missile defence, this can be solved, but it's important for him to give me space.
"This is my last election," he added, in a discussion following a meeting in Seoul, South Korea. "After my election, I have more flexibility." "Yeah, I understand," Mr Medvedev replied. "I understand your message about space". He added: "I understand. I transmit this information to Vladimir." » | Jon Swaine | Washington | Monday, March 26, 2012
Wie viel kostet es, mit David Cameron im privaten Rahmen zu Abend zu essen? Wer mindestens 200.000 Pfund ausgibt, der bekommt "Premier-League-Zugang" zum britischen Premierminister. So hat es Peter Cruddas, Schatzmeister der britischen Konservativen, ausgedrückt. Dummerweise wurde er dabei von Undercover-Reportern gefilmt - und musste am Sonntag sogleich zurücktreten.
Die aufschlussreiche Video-Aufzeichnung, die die "Sunday Times" am Wochenende veröffentlichte, bringt den britischen Premierminister in Erklärungsnot. Der Tory, der einst als Saubermann der britischen Politik angetreten war, hat nun seinen eigenen Parteispendenskandal am Hals. Schon fragen die britischen Medien, wen Cameron getroffen hat - und was die Spender im Gegenzug erhalten haben.
Als großzügiger Geldgeber treffe man nicht den Premierminister, sondern die Person David Cameron und seine Frau Samantha in ihrer privaten Wohnung in der Downing Street, hatte Cruddas den Undercover-Reportern erklärt, die als potentielle Spender aufgetreten waren. Und er versprach für das Geld eine echte Gegenleistung: "Wenn Sie unglücklich sind, hören wir Ihnen zu und geben es an die Politik-Abteilung in der Downing Street weiter."
Alles gelogen, sagt nun das Büro des Premierministers. Cruddas habe dick aufgetragen und seinen Einfluss maßlos übertrieben. So laufe es in Wirklichkeit gar nicht. Cameron selbst erklärte am Montag in einer Rede, weder er noch sein Team hätten Spender auf Cruddas' Vermittlung hin getroffen. Keine einzige politische Entscheidung sei verändert worden. » | Carsten Volkery | London | Montag, 26. März 2012
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My comment:
I despair of this country's so-called 'democracy'. The word plutocracy comes to mind even as I write this. The strategy seems to be: Talk a good line in democracy so that the little people think they are living in a democracy, but all the while the levers of power are being pulled by the über-rich. – © Mark
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THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Nicolas Sarkozy has blasted as “senseless” French National Front candidate Marine Le Pen’s claims that the Toulouse murders were linked to immigration.
Losing steam in the polls for round one of presidential elections on April 22, Miss Le Pen on Sunday launched a virulent attack on immigration, linking it to what she called a “green fascist” wave of Islamic fundamentalism threatening to unfurl over France after the deaths of seven this month at the hands of the self-styled al Qaeda killer.
The 23-year old Frenchman of Algerian descent was killed by elite French police in a shoot-out in his apartment last Thursday after a 32-hour siege.
“How many Mohamed Merahs are there in the boats and planes that arrive in France full of immigrants ?,” Miss Le Pen asked at a rally in Nantes, western France.
“Mohamed Merah is perhaps only the tip of the iceberg... This is not about the madness of one man but the advance of green fascism in our country."
Reacting on Monday morning, Mr Sarkozy said it was senseless to link Mr Merah to immigration as he was French. "We can't equate Mohamed Merah, born in France, French, to the children of immigrants arriving by boat,” he told France Info. “He was simply a monster.” » | Henry Samuel | Paris | Monday, March 26, 2012
EMIRATES 24|7: An Indian tailor in Saudi Arabia finally summed up his courage and touched the hand of an Arab female customer who[m] he likes. The man now needs to sum up more courage as he faces seven months in jail and 160 lashes.
The woman was enquiring about her dress at the tailoring workshop in the western Red Sea port of Jeddah when the Indian man came to her.
She told police that he touched her hand and invited her to his house, adding that he also offered her money and said he wanted to marry her. » | Staff | Monday, March 26, 2012
EMIRATES 24|7: A Sri Lankan housemaid in Saudi Arabia had thought she would return home with a fortune when she told her employer to pay her only when she decides to leave the Gulf Kingdom. When it was time for the return after 15 years, she realized her grave mistake as her employer simply vanished.
Just before Kosoma Tandani was about to leave, her Saudi employer took her to the government-run Housemaid Service Centre in Riyadh and dumped her there.
He then disappeared, triggering a police manhunt for him. » | Staff | Monday, March 26, 2012
An Arab man in Saudi Arabia is accused of offending Islam and its Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) in remarks on his Twitter page, the second man to be charged with apostasy in the Gulf Kingdom.
Hundreds of Twitter users joined hands in demanding the arrest of Mohammed Salama on apostasy charges as was the case of Hamza Kashgari who is in jail for offending the Prophet (PBUH) in comments on his Twitter page.
“Mohammed Salama has followed the same path followed by Hamza Kashgari,” the Saudi Arabic language daily Sabq said without specifying his nationality.
It said Salama had just cancelled his page from Twitter for fear of arrest but added he had been sacked from work at a dairy company in Saudi Arabia.
The paper, which carried part of Salama’s remarks, said he claimed the Prophet (pbuh) had once tried to commit a suicide because he doubted the Koran.
It also quoted Salama as saying on Twitter : “If God gives chances but does not forget, then why He forgot [sic] Israel and did not give chances to Gaddafi.”
The paper also said Salama believed that God “will let us enjoy liquor, usury and sorcery in Paradise after we were deprived of them in life.” » | Staff | Sunday, March 25, 2012
HT: Marisol @ Jihad Watch »
BBC: Hell hath no fury like a media mogul scorned.
Witness Rupert Murdoch's tweet: "@rupertmurdoch: Of course there must be a full independent inquiry on both sides. In great detail, and with consequences. Trust must be established."
And the Sun's editorial which says: "Millions will wonder if Osborne scrapped the 50p rate after a few cosy lunches with millionaire backers."
Could it be that Rupert Murdoch wishes to see the man who set up the Leveson Inquiry go through the same agonisingly painful scrutiny as he has?
And why not, many will ask, after the extraordinary video of the Tory co-treasurer offering to sell access to the prime minister's private dinner table and his policy unit. Shouldn't we be told which donors the PM has meetings and dinners with?
Number 10 are for now sticking to the line that what happens in David Cameron's private flat is, well, private. However, they must know that it is very hard to explain the distinction between what happens downstairs on official business and upstairs on private business. So, the pressure will mount, particularly as Mr Cameron himself has said that transparency "is the best disinfectant".
We are already told who gives money to political parties, but what access they get in return is not published. On the Today programme this morning Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude confirmed what the Conservative website advertises - that you can pay to have dinner with the PM by spending £50,000 to join the Leader's Group. » | Nick Robinson | Political Editor | BBC | Monday, March 26, 2012
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A billionaire with a private jet and homes in London, Hertfordshire, the South of France and Monaco, he was – at least at first glance – an inspired choice by David Cameron to be the Tories’ new joint treasurer.
But many senior Tories warned when he was appointed last June that it would end in tears.
There is no doubt he has the Midas touch, having transformed his internet-based financial services company CMC Markets, which he launched in 1989 with only £10,000, into an international success story. It employs hundreds of people as far afield as Australia, Canada and China.
But the no-nonsense, straight-talking style of Mr Cruddas, 58, is not for the faint-hearted. He prides himself on his Del Boy-style ‘cockney geezer’ background. His favourite catchphrase is: ‘I am just a plain meat-two-veg-and-gravy sort of man.’
His lifestyle, however, is far from plain. He wears designer suits, buys identical pairs of fine Italian shoes so that he can put them in all his houses, and always wears a £250,000 limited edition platinum Zenith watch – just one of 15 similar watches that he boasts he owns.
There are Bentleys and Porsche Cayenne turbos on his various driveways. His main home, a £10million apartment on Monaco’s Avenue de Spélugues, enjoys one of Monte Carlo’s swankiest addresses close to the legendary casino. Read on and comment » | Andrew Pierce | Sunday, March 25, 2012
WIKI: Peter Cruddas »
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Abu Qatada has been upgraded to a larger taxpayer-funded home since his release from jail last month, the Mail can reveal.
The terror suspect has told relatives in his native Jordan that he is the ‘happiest man in England’ after he was rehoused to the more expensive property.
His wife and five children are also said to be ‘delighted’ with the move, because their new home has more bedrooms, a bigger garden and more modern fittings.
Qatada, who was once described by a judge as ‘Osama Bin Laden’s right-hand man in Europe’, asked to switch houses a week after being freed from Long Lartin jail in February.
The hate preacher had initially moved into a £400,000 home in Wembley, North London – organised by the local authority – where his family were said to be paying £1,900 a month rent which they funded through benefits.
But the 51-year-old requested a move after complaints from the property’s owner, who was furious to discover he had unwittingly allowed the cleric to become his tenant.
Qatada’s brother, Ibrahim Othman, said: ‘He told us they have now given him a very nice new place, bigger than the first house he went to after the British let him go.
‘He is really enjoying his new home and so are his family. The inside is very modern and has been done up more nicely, it has more bedrooms and a larger garden.
‘It is better for the family. They are all very happy in the larger house.
‘My brother cannot work so the British government fund his family to live there. The new house is costing more but he does not have to pay it because there is no way he can earn money.’ Read on and comment » | Tom Kelly | Sunday, March 25, 2012
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Santorum told voters that Romney is "uniquely disqualified" to be theRepublican's presidential pick and urged his supporters to stand with him even as he faces an increasingly improbable pathway to the nomination, despite an easy victory in the Louisiana primary the night before.
With all Louisiana precincts reporting, Santorum captured 49 percent of the vote to 27 percent for Romney. Newt Gingrich, was far back at 16 percent, followed by Ron Paul with 6 percent.
Although the victory gives Santorum bragging rights and 10 more delegates, it does not change the overall dynamics of the race. The former Pennsylvania senator still dramatically lags behind Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, in the battle for delegates to the party's August nominating convention in Tampa, Florida. » | Monday, March 26, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
The fate of a Pakistani Hindu woman who claims she was kidnapped, forcibly converted to Islam and married against her will is to be decided this week, after weeks of campaigning by the country's Hindu minority.
The case of 19-year-old Rinkle Kumari has outraged Hindus from her small town in the south of the country, where community leaders accuse Muslims of preying on Hindu girls of marriageable age.
Some claim similar cases are helping to fuel a steady outflow of Pakistan's tiny Hindu community as families choose to move to Hindu-majority India instead.
In a hearing beginning on Monday, the supreme court in Islamabad will try to get to the bottom of the hotly contested versions of events. » | Jon Boone in Islamabad | Sunday, March 25, 2012
REUTERS DEUTSCHLAND: Leon/Havana - Bei seinem Besuch in Mexiko ist Papst Benedikt XVI. ein begeisterter Empfang bereitet worden.
In dem katholisch geprägten Land säumten Gläubige die 35 Kilometer lange Strecke durch die zentral gelegene Stadt Leon, wo das Kirchenoberhaupt mit Präsident Felipe Calderon zusammentraf. Bei seinem ersten offiziellen Besuch in dem mittelamerikanischen Land prangerte der Papst die Gewalt der Drogenbanden an und sprach mit Betroffenen der Auseinandersetzungen, denen in fünf Jahren rund 50.000 Menschen zum Opfer fielen. Mit Spannung wird der Besuch in Kuba ab Montag erwartet. Den herrschenden Kommunismus kritisierte der Papst als nicht mehr zeitgemäß, bot aber gleichzeitig die Hilfe der Kirche an.
Mit Blick auf den mexikanischen Drogenkrieg sagte der Papst: "Wir müssen alles tun, dieses zerstörerische Böse zu bekämpfen, das sich gegen die Menschheit und die Jugend richtet." Die Kirche müsse "das Böse entlarven und die Vergötterung des Geldes demaskieren". Benedikt empfing in einer Privataudienz acht Betroffene, darunter Verwandte eines getöteten Soldaten und ein Entführungsopfer. » | Reuters | Sonntag, 25. März 2012
Lors d'un meeting à Bouguenais (Loire-Atlantique), en périphérie de Nantes, la candidate à l'élection présidentielle a promis de "réduire l'immigration légale de 200.000 entrées par an à 10.000 entrées par an" si elle était élue à l'Elysée.
"Combien de Mohamed Merah, dans les avions et les bateaux, qui arrivent chaque jour en France ? Combien de Mohamed Merah, dans les 300 clandestins qui arrivent chaque jour en Grèce via la Turquie, première étape de leur odyssée européenne ?", a lancé Marine Le Pen devant plus d'un millier de sympathisants. » | Par Guillaume Frouin | Reuters | dimanche 25 mars 2012
REUTERS FRANCE: SEOUL - Environ 2.500 couples membres de la secte Moon ont échangé samedi des voeux de mariage dans un stade de Gapyeong, à 75 km de Séoul, où ils ont été bénis par le fondateur de la secte de l'Eglise de l'unification, le révérend Sun Myung Moon, 92 ans. » | Sung-won Shim et Reuters TV; Jean-Loup Fiévet pour le service français | samedi 24 mars 2012
About 8,000 conservative Salafi Islamists filled the capital's Habib Bourguiba Avenue, a focal point of the 2011 revolution that sparked uprisings across the Arab world.
Waving black flags, they shouted slogans demanding that Islamic law, or sharia, be defined as the main source of legislation in Tunisia's new constitution.
"This is not a show of force, but they should know that we can mobilize hundreds of thousands on the streets if they refuse the application of sharia," said a young man who gave his name as Abu Jihad.
"We are in a Muslim country, so the talk about Islam in the constitution should not be feared." » | Tarek Amara | TUNIS | Sunday, March 25, 2012
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Prince Nayef ibn Abdulaziz has said women can represent Saudi Arabia at the Olympics this summer as long as they don't contradict Islamic laws, a sign of change after human rights activists campaigned against the exclusion of Saudi women from sports.
But Human Rights Watch, which has lobbied the International Olympic Committee to make sure Saudi Arabia includes women in athletics, says sending a few women to the Games doesn’t solve the problem. » | Friday, march 23, 2012
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