Saudi Arabia Plans to Fund Syria Rebel Army
THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: Command centre in Turkey organising weapon supply to opposition

Saudi officials are preparing to pay the salaries of the Free Syria Army as a means of encouraging mass defections from the military and increasing pressure on the Assad regime, the Guardian has learned.

The move, which has been discussed between Riyadh and senior officials in the US and Arab world, is believed to be gaining momentum as a recent flush of weapons sent to rebel forces by Saudi Arabia and Qatar starts to make an impact on battlefields in Syria.

Officials in the Saudi capital embraced the idea when it was put to them by Arab officials in May, according to sources in three Arab states, around the same time that weapons started to flow across the southern Turkish border into the hands of Free Syria Army leaders.

Turkey has also allowed the establishment of a command centre in Istanbul which is co-ordinating supply lines in consultation with FSA leaders inside Syria. The centre is believed to be staffed by up to 22 people, most of them Syrian nationals. » | Martin Chulov in Beirut, Ewen MacAskill in Washington, John Densky in Idlib province | Friday, June 22, 2012

Mike Hannah Reporting from Tahrir Square, Cairo
Thousands gather in Tahrir Square ahead of Friday prayers as frustrations with the military reaches a climax.

Anders Behring Breivik: History Will Exonerate Me
THE GUARDIAN: Victims' relatives walk out as trial ends with killer demanding to be set free and asking court to reject insanity claim

The trial of Anders Behring Breivik has ended with the confessed mass killer demanding to be set free and vowing that history would exonerate him for a bomb and gun rampage that killed 77 people.

As the self-styled anti-Muslim militant spoke for the last time in the 10-week proceedings, around 30 relatives of his victims walked out of the courtroom as he spoke.

In a rambling statement, Breivik lashed out at everything he perceived to be wrong with the world, from non-ethnic Norwegians representing the country in the Eurovision song contest to the sexually liberated lifestyle of the characters in the American TV show Sex and the City.

He also claimed fellow rightwing extremists were behind a small amount of explosives found outside a Swedish nuclear plant this week. The Swedish police spokesman Tommy Nyman had no comment, adding "especially not if he says it".

While some of Breivik's comments prompted laughter in the Oslo court, gravity returned when he reiterated his motive for bombing a government building in Oslo, killing eight, and hunting down teenagers at the Labour party's youth camp on Utøya island. Sixty-nine people died and dozens more were injured in one of the worst peacetime shooting massacres by a single gunman.

"History shows that you have to commit a small barbarism to prevent a bigger barbarism," the 33-year-old Norwegian said.

"The attacks on July 22 were preventive attacks to defend the indigenous Norwegian people," he said. "I therefore demand to be acquitted."

Breivik claims the governing Labour party has betrayed the country by accepting Muslim immigrants and must be stopped before turning Norway into what he called a "multiculturalist hell". » | Associated Press in Oslo | Friday, June 22, 2012

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Saddam Hussein's 'Nephew' Seeks Asylum in Austria
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A man claiming to be the fugitive nephew of late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein has requested asylum in Austria after being picked by police in a routine identity check, media reported on Friday.

Police spotted the 42-year-old man in the company of two other Iraqi men on Thursday at the train station in Traiskirchen, some six miles south of Vienna, Austrian broadcaster ORF reported.

When the police tried to do a routine identity check, the men admitted they had flown to Austria with fake passports that their helper then confiscated and that they were seeking asylum, ORF said, citing an interior ministry spokesman Karl-Heinz Grundboeck. » | Friday, June 22, 2012

NOE.ORF.AT: Neffe von Saddam Hussein in Traiskirchen gefasst: Ein Neffe des ehemaligen irakischen Diktators Saddam Hussein wurde am Bahnhof Traiskirchen gefasst. Der Mann wurde seit 2006 im Irak gesucht, war aber jahrelang untergetaucht. Bei einer Schleierfahndung wurde der 42-Jährige am Donnerstag aufgegriffen. » | Freitag, 22. Juni 2012

KRONE.AT: Zivilfahnder fassten Saddam Husseins Neffen in NÖ: Riesenerfolg für die Zivilfahnder der Polizei: Am Bahnhof von Traiskirchen in Niederösterreich ging ihnen mit Bashar N. ein wegen Terrorgefahr per internationalem Haftbefehl gesuchter Neffe des ehemaligen irakischen Diktators Saddam Hussein (im Bild bei seinem Prozess im Jahr 2006) ins Netz. Bei seiner Festnahme schrie der 42-Jährige sofort "Asyl". Der Risiko-Häftling wurde aus Sicherheitsgründen an einem geheimen Ort untergebracht. Jetzt muss geklärt werden, ob Österreich für das Asylverfahren zuständig ist. » | Christoph Matzl und Thomas Schrems, Kronen Zeitung/AG/red | Freitag, 22. Juni 2012

Anders Behring Breivik Has 'Human Right' to Be Jailed: Defence
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Norwegian far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik should be punished in prison for his brutal terror attacks last July, according to the killer's defence lawyer who pushed to overrule a recommendation that his his client should face "compulsory mental health care".

The defence's closing argument began the last session of the gruelling 10-week trial in which the Nordic nation has tried to come to terms with the worst atrocity in its post-war history.

"It is not violence which lies behind his acts, but political extremism," defence lawyer Geir Lippestad argued at the end of a speech in which he sought a "more lenient standard of proof on the question of sanity", for a case he said was "without precedent".

"The accused always benefits from reasonable doubt. When the accused wishes to be punished, then what?" he asked

"If we consider basic human rights, beginning with the fact that the accused has a radical political project that makes his actions pathological, then we could deprive him of his basic human rights: the right to be responsible for one's actions."

An insanity ruling would come as a bitter disappointment to the 33-year-old in his battle to ensure that his anti-Islamic ideology is not written off as the rantings of a madman.

Breivik has described treatment in a mental hospital as “a fate worse than death” and “the ultimate humiliation”, and has considerably toned down his original rhetoric about the Knights Templar movement to sway the judges.

Many fear that the killer will use the closing speech in the trial to once again expound his radical views, arguing that he should be seen as a hero for the atrocities he committed. » | Richard Orange | Friday, June 22, 2012

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Jemima Khan 'Would Like to See Julian Assange Confront Rape Allegations'
THE GUARDIAN: Socialite who donated to WikiLeaks founder's bail money also defends him over fears of extradition to US

One of Julian Assange's most prominent supporters, Jemima Khan, has said she would like to see the WikiLeaks founder, who has made an asylum bid to avoid extradition to Sweden, confront the rape allegations made against him by two Swedish women.

The socialite and charity fundraiser, who faces losing the £20,000 she put towards his bail money after Assange took refuge at the Ecuadorean embassy in London and sought political asylum, said on Twitter that the women deserved a response to their allegations.

She wrote: "For the record, in response to those asking about Assange & bail money.... I personally would like to see Assange confront the rape allegations in Sweden and the 2 women at the centre have a right to a response."

But Khan, one of several high-profile celebrities and activists who have supported Assange since his arrest in December 2010, said she also believed Assange was justified over his fears of being extradited to the US if he goes to Sweden.

"[T]here is no doubt that Assange has a real fear of being extradited to the US nor that the US gov is out to get WikiLeaks," she tweeted. » | David Batty | Friday, June 22, 2012

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Julian Assange Has 'No Idea' If Asylum Bid Will Succeed
THE GUARDIAN: WikiLeaks founder uses Australian radio interview to highlight US attempts to draw up charges against him

Julian Assange has admitted that he has no idea whether his bid for political asylum in Ecuador to avoid extradition to Sweden will be successful.

The WikiLeaks founder, who has sought refuge at the Ecuadorean embassy in London, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that he did not know when a decision on his asylum request would be made.

His comments came as one of his most prominent supporters, Jemima Khan, said she would like to see him confront the rape allegations made against him by two Swedish women.

Khan, who faces losing the £20,000 she put towards his bail, said on Twitter that the two women "have a right to a response".

But Assange said his asylum bid had highlighted what he insists are attempts by the US government to draw up charges against him for leaking hundreds of thousands of secret military and diplomatic documents via WikiLeaks.

"The department of justice in the United States has been playing a little game, and that little game is that they refuse to confirm or deny the existence of a grand jury," Assange said in a phone interview with ABC radio. "We are hoping what I am doing now will draw attention to the underlying issues." » | David Batty | Friday, June 22, 2012


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Anders Behring Breivik Resists Insanity Claim by Prosecution
THE GUARDIAN: Prosecutors claim Norwegian is a delusional psychotic schizophrenic, but killer wants to be found sane

Norway is facing the prospect that Anders Behring Breivik could evade prison and live out his days in a specially constructed hospital after prosecutors asked judges in Oslo to rule him insane.

However, Breivik, who admits killing eight people in a bomb blast in the centre of Oslo before driving to nearby island Utøya and slaughtering 69 more, mostly teenage members of the Labour party youth wing, wants to be found sane.

If he gets his way he can be sentenced to 21 years in prison, with a provision to keep him longer if still considered dangerous. Crucially for Breivik, who claims to be part of a pan-European rightwing terror network called The Knights Templar, a jail sentence would also allow him to burnish his credentials as a political prisoner rather than be written off as a madman.

The self-styled anti-Islamic militant said his victims were legitimate targets in his battle against the "cultural-Marxists" encouraging an Islamic colonisation of Europe. (+ video) » | Mark Lewis in Oslo | Thursday, June 21, 2012

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Leading Syrians Prepare to Defect
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Members of Bashar al-Assad's inner circle 'making secret plans to defect' as Syria air force colonel abandons attack mission and flies MiG to Jordan.

Members of Bashar al-Assad’s inner circle are secretly making plans to defect to the opposition should the Syrian regime become critically threatened by the rebellion, US officials have told The Daily Telegraph.

Senior military figures are understood to be laying down “exit strategies” and establishing lines of communication with the rebels to discuss how they would be received if they deserted.

On Thursday a Syrian air force colonel became the first senior officer to defect in an aircraft after he abandoned a mission to attack the city of Dera’a and landed his MiG 21 fighter jet in Jordan.

The Daily Telegraph understands that the pilots of three other MiGs on the mission also considered defecting, but were worried about being turned away. » | Ruth Sherlock, Beirut, Suha Maayeh in Amman and Peter Foster in Washington | Thursday, June 21, 2012

Nick Clegg: Chamber Is Affront to Democracy
THE INDEPENDENT: As you read this I am with statesmen and dignitaries from more than 100 countries at the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development. There are leaders from countries with a wide range of different democratic systems and almost overwhelmingly they are united by one belief: that the people who make the laws should be elected.

It seems bizarre to think that, in Britain in the 21st century, that should still be a controversial statement, and yet the majority of politicians in our own Parliament are not elected. They sit in the House of Lords, a body of appointed politicians that is growing at a startling rate and has no democratic mandate.

The Independent's revelations this week have shone an important light on the sometimes murky world of our second chamber and raised very serious questions. It should be stressed that the vast majority of peers obey the rules and that MPs, still tainted by the expenses scandal, need to be careful judging the behaviour of those in the Lords. But it does provide us with another opportunity to question why we think this is the best way to govern our country.

Lloyd George once described the House of Lords as being "a body of 500 men chosen at random from amongst the unemployed". In the years since he made that remark all that has really changed is the number – we are now pushing nearly 1,000 peers who get £300 tax-free a day just for turning up, more than half from the ranks of retired or failed politicians. For those retired MPs in the Lords, this amounts to a £1m top-up to their pensions. » | Nick Clegg | Thursday, June 21, 2012

Islam Defies the Slow Loss of Faith

THE AUSTRALIAN: AUSTRALIANS are losing their faith with religion, census figures reveal, with close to 4.8 million people saying they have no affiliation.

For those who do believe, the greatest growth is among followers of Islam, with the number of Muslims up 40 per cent since the 2006 census.

The figures confirm the long-term trend in declining religious affiliation and the fall in Christian faiths.

In 1911, 96 per cent of people identified themselves as Christian. In 1976, 89 per cent did so. Thirty-five years later, that figure has fallen to 61 per cent.

The number of non-believers continues to rise, with 22 per cent of Australians saying they have "no religion". The term includes people who filled in atheism, agnosticism, humanism or rationalism on the census form. The figure is a 29 per cent increase on 2006 figures. At that time 3.7 million Australians -- 18 per cent of the population -- reported having no religious affiliation.

The census data also reveals that 1.8 million people didn't even answer the question on religion.

In relation to gender, women tend to be more religious than men.

Catholicism remains the most widely practised religion, with 5.4 million, or a quarter of all Australians, identifying themselves as Catholic. This was an increase of 6.1 per cent since the last census. » | Susannah Moran | The Australian | Friday, June 22, 2012

Leila Ben Ali Says Plot by Security Officials Ended Husband's Rule
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Leila Ben Ali, the wife of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the deposed Tunisian dictator, says a plot by top security officials ended his long rule, according to a new book.

The unpopular 55-year-old, dubbed the "Queen of Carthage" and reputed to have a voracious appetite for power and money, also said she and her husband were ready to return to Tunisia for trial if guaranteed a fair hearing.

In the book, "My Truth", she also admits that the flashy lifestyle of her Trabelsi clan – which had a stranglehold on business in the country – played a large part in ending Ben Ali's 23-year rule in January last year.

Their control over the north African country's economy was vast and they were said to have stakes in banks, airlines, car dealerships, radio and television stations and big retailers.

"Among my own, there were some who exaggerated – often the younger ones who freely indulged in their appetite for profits and refused to set limits," she says in the book, written from interviews given on Skype to journalist Yves Derai.

"These weaknesses and errors of my family were amplified outside and used with the sole objective of bringing down the regime of Ben Ali ... We were the Achilles' heel of the president." » | Source: AFP | Thursday, June 21, 2012

Boko Haram Leaders Are Designated as Terrorists by US
BBC: Three leaders of Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamist group have been designated as terrorists by the US state department.

Abubakar Shekau leads the militant group, while Abubakar Adam Kambar and Khalid el Barnawi are thought to have ties with a branch of al-Qaeda.

The move means any assets belonging to the men in the US will be frozen, and contact with US citizens banned.

Boko Haram has said it carried out a number of attacks against churches and other establishments since 2009.

More than 640 people have died in the country so far in 2012 in attacks blamed on the group.

The BBC's Kim Ghattas, in Washington, said the move was likely to have little effect on the three men. » | Thursday, June 21, 2012

UK Police Say WikiLeaks Founder Faces Arrest
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is facing arrest for a breach of his bail conditions after taking refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Assange is been battling against attempts by Sweden to extradite him on allegations of sex assault since the end of 2010. He appeared at the embassy on Tuesday seeking asylum.

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US to Extend Military Presence in Kuwait
The United States is planning to extend its military presence in Kuwait. The latest report from Congress said 15,000 US troops are already stationed in the tiny Gulf country. It said more troops are need to respond to sudden conflicts in the region. Iran, Iraq and the ability to keep oil flowing from Saudi Arabia are major concerns for the world's biggest economy. Al Jazeera's Rosiland Jordan reports from Washington.

Assange Asylum Bid Driven by Fear of Life Sentence or Death Penalty in US
THE GUARDIAN: Assange's representatives say he was forced to seek asylum because he fears a 'political prosecution' in the US

Julian Assange sought political asylum because he believed he would not "see the light of day for 40 years" if he was extradited to Sweden, according to his New York-based lawyer.

Michael Ratner of the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represents the WikiLeaks founder in the US, said Assange and his legal team considered it highly likely that he would face an onward extradition to the US if he were sent to Sweden. "The concrete reality [is] that he was facing a political prosecution in the US, he was facing the death penalty or certainly life in jail. Faced with that, he had extremely limited choices."

Barring a last-ditch appeal to the European court of human rights, Assange could have expected to be extradited imminently, after the supreme court rejected the last of his attempts to resist removal to Sweden over accusations of sex assaults made by two women in August 2010.

The Assange team believes the US is likely to seek to prosecute him on espionage charges, which carries a potential death penalty, and that his chances of resisting any such extradition warrant would be more difficult in Sweden, where he would not receive bail during investigations into the alleged sex crimes and where his lawyers believe political and public opposition to a US extradition claim would be weaker. » | Esther Addley | Wednesday, June 20, 2012

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Anders Behring Breivik Trial Hears Closing Statements
The prosecution in the trial of the Norwegian far-right mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik has delivered its closing statement, calling for him to be sent to a mental institution instead of prison. The defence is likely to argue against a finding of insanity on Friday, the last day of the 10-week trial. Breivik is on trial for the murder of 77 people in a bombing and shooting massacre last summer

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Julian Assange Will Be Arrested Regardless of Ecuador Asylum Decision
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Police will arrest Julian Assange even if he is granted asylum with one legal expert claiming his only way out of the country is becoming Ecuador's representative to the UN.

The WikiLeaks founder has spent the past two nights holed up in the South American country’s London embassy, in an attempt to avoid extradition to Sweden for questioning over alleged sex crimes.

He will discover later today if Ecuador plans to grant him asylum.

But it is widely accepted he will still face arrest the minute he walks out of the Knightsbridge building, where police are waiting, as he has breached his bail conditions. He is meant to remain at a bail address in Tunbridge Wells between 10pm and 8am every night while his extradition appeals continue.

Mr Assange, a 40 year-old Australian, cannot be given diplomatic immunity by Ecuador as conferred on other embassy staff, because the Foreign Office would not approve the application.

And even if he were made an Ecuadorian citizen or granted asylum, he would still be liable to be arrested on departure from the embassy.

Speaking on the steps this morning, a policeman told reporters: “I am not aware of any agreements which would allow him safe passage out of the UK.”

Scotland Yard confirmed: “A successful asylum bid does not change the fact that he has breached his bail conditions.” » | Martin Beckford, Home Affairs editor | Thursday, June 21, 2012

Verwandt »

Prosecutors Want Mass Killer Breivik Ruled Insane
CHICAGO TRIBUNE: OSLO (Reuters) - Prosecutors asked a Norwegian court on Thursday to declare far- right mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik insane and commit him to a mental institution, in line with their original indictment.

Breivik, who admits to killing 77 people in twin attacks last year, most of them teenagers at a Labour Party summer camp, says he should be declared sane, but acquitted on grounds that he was defending the Norwegian people by fighting the supporters of Muslim immigration.

Court-appointed psychiatrists have come to opposing conclusions. One team declared Breivik a psychotic paranoid schizophrenic, while a second concluded that he most likely suffered from a narcissistic personality disorder but was not psychotic, and could therefore be held criminally responsible. » | Reuters | Thursday, June 21, 2012

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Fundamental Instability: ‘Armed US Youngsters Playing God in Afghanistan’

Berlusconi fossoyeur de l'euro ?
LE POINT: Le Cavaliere pourrait prendre la tête d'une coalition faisant campagne pour l'abandon de l'euro par l'Italie.

"On criera au scandale, mais aujourd'hui, l'hypothèse de l'abandon de l'euro par l'Italie n'est pas un blasphème ". C'est Silvio Berlusconi qui a jeté mercredi ce pavé dans la mare de la crise européenne. Ce n'est pas la première fois que l'homme qui présidait aux destinées de la péninsule jusqu'au 16 novembre dernier prend ses distances de l'euro. Le 1er juin, le Cavaliere avait écrit sur sa pageFacebook : "Si Angela Merkel refuse que la BCE fasse marcher la planche à billets, on devrait avoir le courage de dire ciao et d'abandonner l'euro tout en restant dans l'Union. Ou alors c'est l'Allemagne qui devrait quitter la zone euro."

Un scénario qui donne des sueurs froides aux économistes. La sortie de l'Italie de l'euro serait immédiatement suivie d'une dévaluation de 20 à 40 % de la "nouvelle lire". Si l'exportation en bénéficierait, le coût de la facture énergétique et du financement de la dette exploserait, l'inflation s'emballerait. Mais le Cavaliere persiste et signe. Il organisera le 15 juillet prochain un séminaire auquel il a annoncé la participation de "plusieurs Prix Nobel d'économie". » | Dominique Dunglas, correspondant du Poit à Rome | jeudi 21 juin 2012

Germany: "Radical Salafism Is Like a Hard Drug"
GATESTONE INSTITUTE: In an effort to improve their image, the Salafists have removed from their "information booths" all literature about the role of women in Islam or the supremacy of Islamic Sharia law over democracy. The German translation of the Koran has edited out many of the verses which call on Muslims to make war on non-believers.

German authorities have launched a major crackdown on radical Islamists suspected of plotting against the state.

The move reflects mounting concern in Germany over the growing assertiveness of Salafist Muslims, who openly state that they want to establish Islamic Sharia law in the country and across Europe.

In nation-wide raids on June 14, over 1,000 German police searched about 70 Salafist homes, apartments, mosques and meeting places in seven of Germany's 16 states in search of evidence that would enable the German government to outlaw some of the dozens of Islamist groups operating in the country.

German authorities believe the Salafists, who trace their roots to Saudi Arabia, want to create a Sunni Islamic Caliphate (Islamic Empire) opposed to Western democracy; and that some within the group support martyrdom and the use of violence, and are also fuelling militancy among German's socially alienated Muslim youth.

Announcing the crackdown, Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said he had banned a Salafist group called Millatu Ibrahim, based in the western city of Solingen. "The Millatu Ibrahim group works against our constitutional order," he said, "and against understanding between peoples." Among other things, Millatu Ibrahim teaches its followers to reject German law and to follow Islamic Sharia law, and that "the unbelievers are the enemy." » | Soeren Kern | Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Controverisal House Hearing on Islam Divide Democrats, Republicans
NJ.COM: WASHINGTON — The Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee said today during a hearing on Islamic radicalization that denying a link between Islam and terrorism “defies credulity,” while Democrats countered that the hearing itself was counterproductive in the fight against terror.

Rep. Peter King (R-NY), the Long Island congressman who chairs the committee, cited an assessment by U.S. counterterrorism officials that the greatest threat to U.S. security was from supporters of al Qaeda, the radical Islamic group that launched the 9/11 attacks. No one was suggesting that all Muslims were terrorists, King said. But, he said, “To deny that there’s any correlation between the Muslim faith and the biggest threat to this country today defies credulity.”

“When they’re looking for the Russian mob, they go to Breighton Beach and Coney Island,” King said, referring to Russian immigrant neighborhoods in Brooklyn. “That’s just good police work.” » | Steve Strunsky/The Star-Ledger | Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Ägypten: Muslimbrüder drohen Militär mit Konfrontation
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Sollte der frühere Ministerpräsident Schafik zum Wahlsieger der Präsidentenwahl erklärt werden, droht die Muslimbruderschaft mit „einer Konfrontation zwischen dem Volk und der Armee“. Der gestürzte Präsident Mubarak befindet sich derzeit weiter im Koma.

Die ägyptischen Muslimbrüder haben mit Protesten gedroht, sollte der frühere Ministerpräsident Ahmed Schafik zum Sieger der Präsidentenwahl erklärt werden. Ein Sprecher der Islamisten sagte am Mittwoch, eine solche Entscheidung werde „zu einer Konfrontation zwischen dem Volk und der Armee“ führen. Die jüngsten Beschlüsse des Obersten Militärrats zielten darauf ab, den „Staat zu militarisieren“. » | Von Markus Bickel, Kairo | Mittwoch, 20. Juni 2012

Asylantrag des WikiLeaks-Gründers: Assange huldigt Ecuador
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Frieden, Wahrheit, Gerechtigkeit? WikiLeaks-Gründer Assange preist Ecuador - ein Land, in dem Journalisten wegen Präsidentenbeleidigung zu drei Jahren Gefängnis verurteilt werden. Ecuadors Präsident zeigt sich beeindruckt von diesen Worten, man prüfe Assanges Asylantrag ausführlich.

Hamburg - Ecuador will den Asylantrag von WikiLeaks-Gründer Julian Assange ausführlich prüfen. "Wir werden uns die Zeit nehmen, die nötig ist, weil es sich um eine sehr ernste Angelegenheit handelt", sagte der ecuadorianische Präsident Rafael Correa in einem Fernsehinterview mit dem venezuelanischen Sender Telesur. Assange war am Dienstag in die Botschaft Ecuadors in London geflüchtet. Präsident Correa sagte nun: "Wir werden ihm so lange Asyl gewähren, wie es nötig ist." » | lis/AFP/AP/dapd/Reuters | Donnerstag, 21. Juni 2012

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LE POINT: L'Équateur va étudier la demande d'asile de Julian Assange : Le président Rafael Correa veut vérifier que le fondateur australien de WikiLeaks a eu droit à un procès équitable. » | Source AFP | jeudi 21 juin 2012

Anders Behring Breivik Trial Nears End with Closing Arguments
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The trial of Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in Norway last July, enters the final stretch on Thursday with the prosecutors' call for him to be sent either to prison or to a mental hospital.

Prosecutors Svein Holden and Inga Bejer Engh are to begin presenting their much-awaited closing arguments at 1000 GMT, when they will reveal whether they want the court to find Breivik responsible or not for his actions.

They will base their request on psychiatric evaluations of the 33-year-old right wing extremist which have sharply contradicted each other.

In the formal indictment presented in March, in which Breivik was charged with "acts of terror", the two prosecutors called for him to be committed to psychiatric care but left the door open to change their minds if new information were to surface about his mental health.

They adopted that line based on the sole psychiatric evaluation that had been completed at the time which diagnosed Breivik as insane, suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and therefore not responsible for his actions.

That conclusion caused an uproar in Norway, with many stunned to learn that the man who spent years secretly and meticulously planning his twin attacks could not be held responsible for his actions. » | Source: AFP | Thursday, June 21, 2012

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Julian Assange's Haven of Choice
THE GUARDIAN: Ecuador has moved to the left under socialist president Rafael Correa, worsening its relations with the United States

Britain's diplomatic relations with Ecuador have historically been low-key but cordial. However, the 2007 election of a socialist president Rafael Correa, led to a sharp change of direction in the Latin American state's foreign policy, away from the US and its regional allies and towards a radical bloc led by Venezuela.

In 2009, Correa closed a US military base, renounced Ecuador's national debt and joined the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (Alba) created by the Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez as a counterweight to western influence in Latin America, alongside Cuba, Nicaragua and Bolivia. Relations with neighbouring Colombia nosedived in 2008 after a Colombian incursion into Ecuadorean territory, saying it had come under fire from left-wing Farc guerillas operating there.

Ecuador has also given diplomatic support to Iran in its standoff with the west over its nuclear programme. Correa visited Tehran in 2008 and announced the opening of embassies in each other's countries, while building up defence cooperation with Iran. Iran has also provided loans for the construction of hydroelectric power plants. In 2010, the US government declared Ecuador as being in violation of international regulations on money-laundering and financing terrorism, further worsening ties with Washington. » | Julian Borger, diplomatic editor | Tuesday, June 19, 2012

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Assad May Be Offered Clemency by Britain and US If He Joins Peace Talks
THE GUARDIAN: Initiative comes after Cameron and Obama received encouragement from Putin during G20 talks in Mexico

Britain and America are willing to offer the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, safe passage – and even clemency – as part of a diplomatic push to convene a UN-sponsored conference in Geneva on political transition in Syria.

The initiative comes after David Cameron and Barack Obama received encouragement from Russia's President Vladimir Putin in separate bilateral talks at the G20 in Mexico.

A senior British official said: "Those of us who had bilaterals thought there was just enough out of those meetings to make it worth pursuing the objective of negotiating a transitional process in Syria."

With daily reports of civilian deaths and the conflict apparently taking on an increasingly sectarian hue, Britain is willing to discuss giving clemency to Assad if it would allow a transitional conference to be launched. He could even be offered safe passage to attend the conference. » | Patrick Wintour, political editor | Thursday, June 21, 2012

Aung San Suu Kyi's Struggle Commemorated with Honorary Oxford Degree
THE GUARDIAN: Burmese opposition leader returns to the city where she raised a family to receive honorary doctorate from her alma mater

Oxford embraced a daughter whose silence had "sounded louder than the jabber of politics and clang of military power" as Aung San Suu Kyi received an honorary degree at the university on Wednesday.

Twenty-four years after leaving its spires and bridges for isolation in Rangoon, the Burmese pro-democracy leader returned the city that was, for almost as many years, her home.

Her homecoming, she told academics, dignitaries and students in the city's Sheldonian Theatre, brought "many strands" of her life together – "the years I spent as a student at St Hugh's, the years spent at Park Town as wife and mother, and the years spent under house arrest when the University of Oxford stood up and spoke up for me."

She said: "During the most difficult years, I was upheld by memories of Oxford: those were among the most important inner resources that helped me to cope with the all the challenges I had to face."

Her speech, at the end of a two-hour-long ceremony, rich in pomp, to receive the honorary doctorate in civil law awarded while she was detained in 1993, brought the audience to its feet to deliver a two-minute standing ovation. » | Caroline Davies | Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Argentina Turns to Wales for Help with Falkland Islands
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Argentina has held talks with Welsh nationalists about trying to win support among British MPs for the country's bid to win sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.

Diplomats from the Argentinian embassy in London invited senior representatives from Plaid Cymru for talks in the past six months.

Elfyn Llwyd MP, the Westminster leader of the Welsh nationalist Plaid Cymru party, met two senior Argentinian diplomats for coffee.

Mr Llwyd confirmed the meeting had taken place, but he said he firmly rebuffed the approach to join Argentina’s campaign.

He told The Daily Telegraph that he had “no interest” in helping the South American country with its battle to win support for its claim to the islands.

He said: "I expressed no interest in getting involved in this fraught matter. They were trying to get me to introduce them to sympathetic MPs." Read on and comment » | Christopher Hope, Senior Political Correspondent | Wednesday, June 20, 2012

US Election: Barack Obama Opens Up Double Digit Lead Over Mitt Romney
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama has opened up a double-digit lead over Mitt Romney in a new national poll, even though most say the US is on the wrong track.

While most surveys in recent weeks indicate a tight race for the White House culminating in the November election, but the new Bloomberg National Poll has President Obama leading his Republican challenger 53-40 per cent among likely voters.

And while the public gives the incumbent low marks on handling the economy, they prefer Mr Obama's vision over Mr Romney's for building on the recovery, despite a wave of poor economic data that has emerged in the past month.

Respondents to the June 15-18 poll say they prefer Mr Obama's vision over Mr Romney's by 49-33 per cent, up seven points since March, when the Republican nominee had yet to be decided.

The two campaigns have hammered each other on who would do better at boosting job growth and improving economic conditions overall.

Mr Romney argues that Mr Obama is in over his head, while the Obama re-election campaign paints Mr Romney, a multimillionaire ex-businessman and investor, as a former corporate raider bent on improving conditions for the wealthy. » | Source AFP | Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Julian Assange and Ecuador's President Correa - The World Tomorrow
During Assange's interview with President Correa for his series The World Tomorrow, the two men clearly struck up a bond. Was it during this interview that Assange first got the idea of claiming asylum from a sympathetic Ecuador?

Calling him "my dear Julian", the immediate rapport between Assange and President Correa is obvious. "Are you having fun with this interview Julian? Me too", Correa laughs. Discussion swirls around their mutual mistrust of the USA. "The last thing I'd be is anti-American, however I will call a spade a spade", asserts Correa, as he details his controversial and furious counter-offensive against US interests in Ecuador: after Wikileaks published damning US cables, Correa threw the US ambassador out of the country. "Wikileaks has made us stronger", the president insists. As the colourful interview draws to a close, Correa offers these heartfelt words of comfort to Assange: "Welcome to the club of the persecuted!"


THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: When Wikileaks founder Julian Assange met Ecuadorean president Rafael Correa: Julian Assange, who has taken refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London, recently interviewed the country's president Rafael Correa for his television show on Russia Today, it has emerged. » | Wednesday, June 20, 2012

WIKI: President Rafael Correa of Ecuador »

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Nick Clegg: Gay Marriage Is Inevitable
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Nick Clegg has said that same-sex marriage must “happen now” and insisted that opponents will not stop the Coalition changing the law.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that laws allowing homosexuals full marriage rights are inevitable, saying the current debate is about “when”, not “if” to make the change.

The Coalition is considering changing the law to allow couples of the same sex to marry in the same way as heterosexuals. The proposals have been opposed by many Conservative MPs and by the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church.

Mr Clegg’s Liberal Democrats are enthusiastic supporters of the change, and the issue has sharpened tensions between the two Coalition parties.

The Deputy Prime Minister gave his support for same-sex marriage in an online video for the Out4Marriage campaign, which has recorded statements of support from several leading politicians.

“I’ve always been very clear on this: love is the same, straight or gay, so the civil institution should be the same too. All couples should be able to make that commitment to one another, regardless of who they love,” Mr Clegg said.

“I fought for equal marriage before I was in Government, and I’m even more committed to making it happen now – as a Liberal Democrat and as Deputy Prime Minister.”

He went on to suggest that opposition to the change will not stop the eventual introduction of same-sex marriage. » | James Kirkup, Deputy Political Editor | Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Toulouse Siege Over as Gunman Wounded and Hostages Freed
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A gunman holding up a bank in Toulouse has been wounded by police and the final hostages have been freed, according to reports.

Local reports said three gunshots were fired, the gunman was injured and the hostages were freed.

The assault began at 4.45pm local time after a second team of armed police arrived from Marseille and were seen outside.

The man, aged 26, named locally as "Boumaza", has been described as a “schizophrenic” by the local authorities but has told police that he is a member of al-Qaeda.

After one hostage was released this afternoon, the armed man spoke to his sister during negotiations with the police but continues to hold three hostage[s].

The gunman insisted that he was motivated by "religious motivations" and had not carried out his attack with the motive of robbery or money. » | Bruno Waterfield | Wednesday, June 20, 2012

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Poll Finds Obama’s Approval Among Muslims Reaches New Lows
THE DAILY CALLER: A Pew Research survey released on Wednesday showed that President Barack Obama’s popularity has reached record lows among Muslims.

The Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes survey found the approval of Obama’s policies in Muslim-majority countries plummeted from an average 34 percent to 15 percent. In Pakistan, where Osama bin Laden was killed, approval is the lowest — coming in at 7 percent. Muslim attitudes toward America and confidence in Obama also decreased.

More than 26,000 people from 21 countries took part in the survey, taken between March 17 and April 20.

Obama’s worldwide approval has also declined significantly, especially with regards to foreign policy. And overall confidence in Obama and attitudes toward America have declined modestly. » | Meagan Clark | Thursday, June 14, 2012

Gesellschaft: Salafistische Propaganda in Deutschland
DEUTSCHE WELLE: Die Salafisten verteilen in Deutschland den Koran und zelebrieren im Netz die Bekehrung von Konvertiten - das ködert vor allem junge Menschen. Oft reist extra ein Großprediger aus Saudi-Arabien an.

Vor drei Jahrhunderten pflegte man in Deutschland den Brauch, Konversionen von Muslimen zum christlichen Glauben in Kirchen öffentlich zu feiern. Nach einem ähnlichen Muster verfahren heute in umgekehrter Richtung arabische Salafisten: Sie filmen Übertritte vor allem junger Deutscher zum Islam und stellen die Videos als Zeichen des Sieges der "einzigen wahren Religion" ins Internet. So geschehen etwa vor einigen Monaten in der Tauhid-Moschee in Wiesbaden. Dort widmete sich im April eine Tagung dem Thema "Die Jugend im Westen. Hoffnungen und Sorgen". Als Stargäste angereist waren namhafte salafistische Prediger aus Ägypten und Kuwait.

Einen der Höhepunkte bildete der Übertritt des sechsundzwanzigjährigen "deutschen Bruders Fabian" zum Islam – dokumentiert in einem einstündigen Video auf Youtube. Das islamische Glaubensbekenntnis nahm dem Deutschen kein Geringerer als Muhammad al Zoghby ab. Der ägyptische Religionsgelehrte zählt heute zu den einflussreichsten salafistischen Predigern. Er bereist regelmäßig auch den Westen. Auf seiner Internetseite berichtet er nun nach seiner jüngsten Europa-Reise stolz von der Bekehrung zahlreicher Christen zum Islam. Auch wenn das übertrieben sein dürfte - Bruder Fabian scheint nicht der einzige seiner neuen Konvertiten zu sein. » | Joseph Croitoru | Dienstag, 19. Juni 2012

Botschaftsflüchtling Assange: Ausgerechnet Ecuador
SPIEGEL ONLINE: WikiLeaks-Gründer Assange ist in die ecuadorianische Botschaft in London geflohen und hat um Asyl gebeten - ein verblüffendes, riskantes Manöver. Ecuador ist alles andere als ein Hort der Menschenrechte. Wird Assanges Antrag abgelehnt, droht ihm die sofortige Verhaftung in Großbritannien.

Ist Julian Assange ein politisch Verfolgter? Gibt es einen Grund, ihm Asyl zu gewähren? Diese Fragen müssen die ecuadorianischen Behörden jetzt beantworten. Assange ist Mitgründer der Plattform WikiLeaks, auf der Hunderttausende geheime US-Dokumente veröffentlicht wurden. Er ist am Dienstagnachmittag in die Botschaft Ecuadors in der britischen Hauptstadt geflohen - und hat einen Antrag auf Asyl gestellt.

Man habe die Allgemeine Erklärung der Menschenrechte der Vereinten Nationen unterschrieben und sich damit verpflichtet, jeden Asylantrag zu prüfen, teilte der ecuadorianische Botschafter mit. Bis zu einer Entscheidung der Behörden werde Assange in der Botschaft bleiben und unter dem Schutz der ecuadorianischen Regierung stehen. Die Entscheidung, den Asylantrag zu prüfen, dürfe nicht als Einmischung in die juristischen Verfahren in Großbritannien und Schweden gewertet werden, so der Botschafter.

Die Flucht auf exterritoriales Gelände ist ein Versuch Assanges, sich einer Auslieferung nach Schweden zu entziehen. Dort soll der 40-Jährige zu Vergewaltigungsvorwürfen Stellung nehmen. Zwei Schwedinnen werfen ihm sexuelle Nötigung vor, die Staatsanwaltschaft Göteborg ermittelt. » | Von Judith Horchert, Konrad Lischka und Ole Reißmann | Mittwoch, 20, Juni 2012

SPIEGEL ONLINE Video hier abspielen

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Al-Qaeda: France Bank Incident: Hostages Held in Toulouse
BBC: Four people have been taken hostage in a bank in the southern French city of Toulouse by a man claiming to be linked to al-Qaeda, police say.

Officials say the gunman first demanded money. When he was refused, a shot was fired and hostages taken.

The man demanded to speak to the elite Raid police unit that shot Islamist gunman Mohamed Merah.

Merah, who claimed al-Qaeda training, killed seven people in Toulouse before he was shot dead by police in March.

There are no reports of injuries in the incident so far.

The area around the bank has been cordoned off and two nearby schools have been closed.

"We're taking measures so we can start a dialogue," said public prosecutor Michel Valet, at the scene. » | Wednesday, June 20, 2012

LE FIGARO: Prise d'otages dans une banque à Toulouse : Un individu qui se revendique d'al-Qaida retient quatre personnes depuis 10 heures ce matin, dans une succursale de la banque CIC. ¶ Un homme armé se revendiquant d'al-Qaida retient en otage mercredi quatre personnes dans une succursale de la banque CIC, avenue Camille Pujol, à Toulouse. Le directeur de l'établissement fait partie des captifs. » | Par lefigaro.fr, Gary Assouline, Jean-Marc Leclerc | mercredi 20 juin 2012

Ousted Egyptian Leader Hosni Mubarak ‘Close to Death’
BBC: Reports from Cairo say former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is critically ill and may be close to death.

Some media reports say he is clinically dead, with Nile TV saying attempts are continuing to revive him.

The 84-year-old is said to have had a stroke, and was moved from prison to life support in an army hospital.

Mubarak was removed in last year's uprising, and jailed for life earlier this month for his role in the death of protesters before his removal. » | Wednesday, June 10, 2012

Julian Assange Seeking Asylum in Ecuadorian Embassy in London
THE GUARDIAN: WikiLeaks founder walked into the embassy and asked for asylum under the United Nations human rights declaration

The WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has sought political asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, sparking a new crisis in the tortured history of his extradition to Sweden.

Assange walked into the embassy in Knightsbridge and asked for asylum under the UN human rights declaration. He said: "I can confirm I arrived at the Ecuadorian Embassy and sought diplomatic sanctuary and political asylum.

"This application has been passed to the ministry of foreign affairs in the capital Quito. I am grateful to the Ecuadorian ambassador and the government of Ecuador for considering my application."

The dramatic move follows a long-running legal bid by the whistleblower to halt his extradition to Sweden, where he faces sex crime allegations. Assange is currently on £240,000 police bail, and had been living with friends, a number of whom put together the bail payment.

An embassy statement said: "This afternoon Mr Julian Assange arrived at the Ecuadorian Embassy seeking political asylum from the Ecuadorian government. We have immediately passed his application on to the relevant department in Quito. While the department assesses Mr Assange's application, Mr Assange will remain at the embassy, under the protection of the Ecuadorian government."

"The decision to consider Mr Assange's application for protective asylum should in no way be interpreted as Ecuador interfering in the judicial processes of either the United Kingdom or Sweden." » | Beatrice Woolf | Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Legal crisis over Julian Assange's asylum request: Decision by WikiLeaks founder to seek political asylum in the Ecuadorean embassy throws legal process into turmoil » | Owen Bowcott, legal affairs correspondent | Tuesday, June 19, 2012

EL TELÉGRAFO: Julian Assange pide asilo político a Ecuador: En su solicitud, el periodista australiano argumenta que requiere asilo "ante una lamentable declaración efectiva de abandono" recibida por las autoridades de su país. » | Martes 19 de Junio del 2012

Thousands Join Egypt Rally Called by Muslim Brotherhood
BBC: Thousands of people are gathering in Cairo's Tahrir Square to protest against a decision by the ruling military council to assume new powers.

The protests have been called by the Muslim Brotherhood, as it claims its candidate Mohammed Mursi won last weekend's presidential election.

His rival, former PM Ahmed Shafiq, also says he has won.

As Egyptians voted, the generals dissolved parliament and claimed all legislative power for themselves.

Correspondents say the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf) appears to be working on the assumption that Mr Mursi will win, and making moves designed to reduce or constrain the power of the president and entrench its own.

Activists have described the moves as a "military coup". » | Tuesday, June 19, 2012

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David Cameron and Argentina's Cristina Kirchner in Corridor Clash Over Falklands
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron was involved in an extraordinary confrontation with Argentinian President Cristina Kirchner at the G20 Summit in Mexico as she attempted to hand documents to the Prime Minister related to the Falkland Islands.

The two leaders are understood to have met unexpectedly in a corridor on the fringes of the G20 Summit and exchanged words.

Some reports indicated it was Mr Cameron who sought out President Kirchner. He told her that she should "respect the views" of Falkland residents who have announced they are to hold a referendum on the issue of control of the islands.

Mrs Kirchner attempted to hand an envelope to Mr Cameron but he refused to accept it. Héctor Timerman, the Argentinian foreign minister, said: "Nation states have the obligation to talk. We prepared an envelope containing various papers, but the British Primer Minister refused to receive it.

"Britain continues to refuse to talk. And what surprised me most was that David Cameron did not go to the UN decolonisation meeting on Thursday." » | Jonathan Gilbert, Buenos Aires | Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Pakistani Singer Ghazala Javed Shot Dead
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A glamorous young Pakistani pop singer, who was forced to record her songs in Dubai after being threatened by the Taliban, has been shot dead in an apparent honour killing.

Ghazala Javed, 24, was shot six times by gunmen on a motorbike in the north-western city of Peshawar, according to police officers.

They said they believed her ex-husband was responsible rather than the Islamic extremists who had blighted her career with brutally-enforced bans on singing on dancing.

She was killed alongside her father as she left a beauty salon.

“Two men on a motorbike sprayed bullets and fled leaving them in a pool of blood,” said Dilawar Bangash, a senior police officer. » | Rob Crilly, Islamabad | Tuesday, June 19, 2012

THE TIMES OF INDIA: Pashto singer Ghazala Javed and her father shot dead in Pakistan » | PTI | Tuesday, June 19, 2012

The Storm Clouds Are Gathering Over Egypt
THE INDEPENDENT: When mass protests toppled Hosni Mubarak in February last year, Cairo's Tahrir Square swiftly became the emblem of the hopes of the Arab Spring. Sixteen months on, however – with the constitution still not written and soldiers guarding the doors of the parliament – the outlook for the Egyptian revolution is far from certain.

There were always going to be hiccups. After six decades of military rule, three of them under Mr Mubarak, dismantling the old power structures – the so-called "deep state" – could hardly be expected to run entirely smoothly. But all the signs suggest that the ruling military council is tightening its grip on power just as the time to relinquish it is approaching.

It is true that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has restated its commitment to hand control to the new President at the end of this month as planned. But on Sunday night, a bare few hours after the polls closed, the council issued a constitutional declaration granting itself both sweeping legislative and budgetary oversight and also, crucially, the final say over who will draft the constitution that will set out the President's powers. » | Leading Article | Tuesday, June 19, 2012

THE INDEPENDENT: Mubarak's 300,000-strong army of thugs remains in business despite elections – The Long View: The military has played a shrewd game – insisting Mubarak go on trial while realigning supporters to preserve their privileges » | Roberts Fisk | Monday, June 18, 2012

Marine Le Pen: 'Assimilation Is a Form of Violence, But It's a Sacrifice'
Marine Le Pen, who has narrowly failed to win a seat in France's parliamentary elections, talks to Naima Bouteldja about one of the main elements of her campaign, immigration, and the need to suppress elements of culture in order to assimilate. The claim by the leader of France's far-right Front National that there is no racism in Hénin-Beaumont, in northern France, is met with some scepticism

Cameron ouvre les bras aux riches qui fuient la France
LE FIGARO: Le premier ministre britannique a déclaré qu'il déroulerait «le tapis rouge» aux entreprises françaises souhaitant s'installer outre-Manche quand la taxe à 75% aura été adoptée. Michel Sapin répond par l'humour.

Le premier ministre britannique joue de la provocation pour défendre sa position sur la taxation des plus hauts revenus. En marge du G20, où doivent être débattues les solutions pour relancer la croissance mondiale, David Cameron a ironisé sur la taxation à 75% des revenus de plus de un million d'euros que le gouvernement socialiste souhaite mettre en place à la rentrée. «Quand la France instituera [ce taux], nous déroulerons le tapis rouge et nous accueillerons plus d'entreprises françaises qui paieront leurs impôts au Royaume-Uni», a-t-il déclaré devant une assemblée de chefs d'entreprise. «Cela paiera nos services publics et nos écoles.» Le ministre du Travail, Michel Sapin, a préféré répondre par l'humour à cet appel du pied britannique aux contribuables français les plus aisés. «Je ne sais pas comment on fait pour dérouler un tapis rouge à travers le tunnel sous la Manche. Ça peut prendre l'eau!» » | Par Marie Bartnik | mardi 19 juin 2012

MAIL ONLINE: With Hollande set to tax and spend, Cameron invites wealthy French to settle in London » | James Chapman and Peter Allen | Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Saudi Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Buried in Mecca
The funeral for Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Nayef bin AbdulAziz has taken place in the city of Mecca. The prince was next in line to the throne, but he died in Geneva, Switzerland, on Saturday. Al Jazeera's Mohammad Vall joins us live from Riyadh to talk about how the prince will be remembered and how Saudi policies might change as a result of his death.

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NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Salman bin Abdelaziz – Ein Thronfolger in Saudiarabien: Nach dem Tod von Prinz Nayif ist dessen Bruder Salman zum Thronfolger bestimmt worden. Salman ist wohl der letzte Sohn des Staatsgründers Abdelaziz, der noch König werden kann. » | Von Jürg Bischoff, Kairo | Montag, 18. Juni 2012