Opposition leaders placed in 'safe house'

Iranian opposition leaders Mir Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karrubi and their wives were placed in a "safe house" for their own welfare, but they have not been arrested, Iranian government sources told CNN Saturday. cnn

Note: Iranian's government rigged the elections and did the same as Gaddafi - the monster - against opposition and protesters.

Iran in secret uranium talks with Zimbabwe

The Associated Press news agency (AP) have revealed that they acquired an intelligence report Tuesday that shows Zimbabwe is a key focus in Iran’s covert global search for uranium, to sustain its controversial nuclear programme. thezimbabwean


Iran Courting Pariah Leaders in Uranium Search

Iran is expanding its covert global effort to obtain uranium, according to a new intelligence report from an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) member nation. The Associated Press reported that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly expressed interest in Zimbabwe’s uranium supplies since visiting the country in April and meeting with President Robert Mugabe. bigpeace


Iran threatens Olympic boycott over logo design

Iran has threatened to boycott the London 2012 Olympics unless organisers agree to change the design of the logo.

The Iranian government has lodged a formal protest with the International Olympic Committee over the four-year-old logo, claiming that it must be changed since it spells out the word 'Zion'. yahoo

Note: "It's not the first time that the logo has been at the centre of an unusual complaint: it has been heavily criticised ever since first being unveiled in 2007, and has been compared to everything from a swastika to a stylised image of two people making love." *

* two british gays making sex (not love).

Europe's tangled ties to Gadhafi

The two elderly men were surrounded by scads of beautiful young women, but theirs was the real courtship, a pas de deux between a ruthless North African dictator and a fawning European leader. bellinghamherald

Note: "British-based corporations alone have inked deals worth more than $1 trillion in oil and gas exploration."

Hunt for Gaddafi's loot begins

With Gaddafi’s hold on power fading fast, financial authorities in the UK and Switzerland say they are in the process of freezing the Libyan leader’s accounts, while the embattled government denies such funds exist.

­Switzerland on Thursday ordered a freeze of any assets being held by Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in Swiss banks. rt

Note: Gaddafi, and some of his sons, must be hanged.


Did UK let Gaddafi Off the Hook?

Britain put pressure on an international court not to indict Colonel Gaddafi for war crimes despite evidence that implicated him in the maiming of more than one million people in Sierra Leone, the Chief Prosecutor on the case has claimed. humanrightsdoctorate


Tyrant’s bid to safeguard his billions Wealthy

Colonel Gaddafi was yesterday desperately trying to safeguard his multi-billion pound fortune – including a large amount invested in Britain. unitedkhmer


GADDAFI ORDERS SUPPORTERS TO HIDE EVIDENCE

DESPOT Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has ordered a mass clean-up of ­bodies to hide his atrocities and crimes against humanity. express

Watercolour wonders

No one will leave this exhibition informed of Swiss and Saxon schools of watercolour painters; no one will have been reminded of Delacroix, Nolde and Klee as experts in the medium; no one will know that, on their travels, it was the medium of choice for itinerant painters from Moscow and Madrid throughout the 19th century, or that there were Italians whose best work was watercolour. Brian Sewell in standard

Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal tops 100

WASHINGTON: Pakistan has doubled its nuclear weapons stockpile over the past several years, increasing its arsenal to more than 100 deployed weapons, The Washington Post reported late Sunday. dawn

Note: US gave billions for that. And we didn't care...


Crime against women in Delhi

The Delhi policeman is a figure of legend, renowned for sloth, corruption, brutality and casual misogyny. A constable is classed as semi-skilled labour on government pay scales. Almost all the many dark detective novels set in northern India published in the last year or so have featured scenes of torture, humiliation, venality or simple incompetence set in the local thana, or police station. Most are based on true stories. guardian

Note: India is basically rubbish and corruption.

Libya no-fly zone call by France *

Nicolas Sarkozy is leading the calls for a Nato-imposed no-fly zone to be enforced over Libya to "prevent the use of that country's warplanes against [its] population".

Sarkozy, the current president of the G8 and G20 economic forums, has also called for the European Union to impose sanctions against Libya and suggested that the assets of the family of the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, should be frozen. guardian

Note: "Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, the former foreign secretary Lord Owen became the first British politician to call for a no-fly zone, adding that the west should be concerned about the possibility that Gaddafi would unleash chemical weapons.

"We know that this is a person who could unleash either chemical or biological weapons, which he possibly still has. He is one of the worst despots we have seen for many a century. He is deeply unstable, and has been for 42 years," Owen said."

* fails to get David Cameron's backing...

Anyway: I cannot waiting to see Gaddafi's (and some of his sons) hanging (if Saddam did, Gaddafi must do!).

Britain sent sniper rifles to Gaddafi

Britain approved the export of sniper rifles to Libya just months before marksmen began murdering protesters in Tripoli. standard


Arms dealer's wife donated to Conservative Party

The Conservatives received a £300,000 gift from the wife of a billionaire former arms dealer caught up in the furore that forced a Cabinet minister's resignation.

Details of the donation emerged as David Cameron neared the end of a tour of the Gulf in which he was forced to defend weapons sales to authoritarian regimes in the Middle East. independent

Gasland

There is no such thing as bad publicity. But the PR adage seems to have been overlooked by the US energy lobby, whose attacks on a documentary on natural gas drilling have increased the film's pre-Oscar buzz. The attacks - including a demand to strike the film, Gasland, from contention for the Academy Awards - have brought a fresh burst of public attention to the documentary as well as its subject, a controversial method of natural gas extraction known as hydraulic fracturing. news.reportlinker.com


Hydraulic fracturing

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is the process whereby rock formations deep below the Earth's surface are cracked and held open with chemicals and proppants in order to allow the gas that is trapped within the rocks to escape upward so that it can be collected. The chemicals that are used to hold the fractures in the rock formation open are currently industry trade secrets, protected much like the formulas for Coca-Cola or pharmaceutical drugs are. examiner

2 Mar 2011: Mikhail Gorbachev turns 80

The first and the last Soviet Union president, Mikhail Gorbachev, celebrates his 80th birthday on Mar 2. It follows a year of other key anniversaries for the architect of glasnost and peristroika. The 25th anniversary of his accession as Soviet leader, the 20th anniversary of his inauguration as USSR executive president and 20th anniversary of his Nobel Peace Prize all fall in 2010. newsahead


Mikhail Gorbachev slams Vladimir Putin

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last General Secretary of the Soviet Union, attacked Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for grabbing political power and robbing the Russian people of their Democratic choice.

Gorbachev's complaint revolves around a plan for Putin and current Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to decide who will be permitted to run for president of Russia in next year's elections. "This is not Putin's business. It is the business of the nation. It is the business of elections. It is the business of those who will vote," he said. yahoo


Classic Russian Corruption

Alexey Navalny leaps out of his chair and draws five black circles on a whiteboard. The circles represent players in Russia's multibillion-dollar oil industry. With boundless energy and lightning speed, he draws lines and connects the dots, telling the story of what he calls classic Russian corruption. guardian

'Free Benghazi'

Libya's second city, Benghazi, appears to have fallen beyond the control of Muammar Gaddafi, with the local military defying his regime and monarchy-era flags flying from government buildings. guardian


41 years of summary executions, theft and corruption

The Libyan people are witnessing the last lashings of a dying beast. He has oppressed them for 41 years. Forty-one years of disappearances, summary executions, theft and corruption, and 41 years of humiliation. guardian

Hypocrisy goes on

David Cameron was last night accused of using his Middle East tour to promote Arab democracy as a cover for arms sales.

The Prime Minister was branded a ‘disgrace’ after it emerged that he has taken eight defence firms with him on a four-day visit to the region.
...
At the same time, Defence Minister Gerald Howarth and 50 British companies were flying the flag at an arms export show in the United Arab Emirates, also attended by Libyan generals.

Criticism of Britain’s cosy trade relations with Arab dictators has focused on Tony Blair’s Deal in the Desert with Colonel Gaddafi in 2004. dailymail


Tanks, helicopters and fighter jets

International condemnation is growing in response to reports that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is using tanks, helicopters and fighter jets to quell the most serious challenge to his 42-year rule. aljazeera

The naked truth

When the curators go on to admit that "art of the present requires no specialist knowledge; we are all experts in the present", they are in danger of explaining themselves away. If they are not experts, why are they in charge of this exhibition? Why should we believe anything they say of it or its exhibits? standard


The (british) "liberal system"

It's interesting, then, to read about the case of 21-year-old Sacha Hall, who is facing trial for allegedly helping herself to food that had been thrown out and was awaiting disposal. Ms Hall lives in a flat above a Tesco Express in Essex and last January she apparently saw the store staff throwing away large quantities of chilled food following a power cut. She is accused of joining passers-by in helping herself to some of it, including pies, potato waffles and ham. Magistrates in Chelmsford, Essex heard that the store manager had seen Ms Hall handing the bags into her flat through her bedroom window.

The police were called and Hall was arrested, handcuffed, and charged with taking £215 worth of food, in a little-known crime of "theft by finding", an offence with a maximum sentence of seven years. standard

The biggest heist of all in Inside Job

Here's the biggest story of our time, lucidly told. Inside Job, nominated for best documentary feature at the Oscars, explains how the financial crash of 2008 happened, who was responsible and how little they have been held to account. standard


How bankers caused the financial crisis

The film Inside Job brilliantly exposes the corruption in US banking that led to the 2008 crash. guardian


Berlinale Opens with Strong Political Message

The 2011 Berlin International Film Festival opened on Thursday evening with a strong message of support for the Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who is facing six years in prison in his native country. Jury head Isabella Rossellini read out an open letter from the filmmaker in which he is openly critical of the Tehran regime. spiegel

Libya clashes spread to Tripoli

Security forces have shot dead scores of protesters in Libya's second largest city, where residents said a military unit had joined their cause.

While Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi attempted to put down protests centred in the eastern city of Benghazi against his four-decade rule, Al Jazeera began receiving eyewitness reports of "disturbances" in the capital Tripoli early on Monday as well.

There were reports of clashes between anti-government protesters and Gaddafi supporters around the Green Square. aljazeera


Libyan forces storm protest camp

Libyan special forces have stormed a two-day-old protest encampment in the country's second largest city, clearing the area, witnesses said.

Access to the internet was also cut at around 2am local time on Saturday removing one of the few ways Libyans can get out information about the waves of anti-government protests in one of the most isolated and repressive nations in North Africa. standard


Iran protester's death 'hijacked by regime'

Saane Zhaleh, who was killed in clashes between protesters and security forces, is being falsely described as a pro-government militia member, according to his family. guardian


F... perverts are demanding executions

Thousands of worshippers and regime-backers have gathered for Friday prayers demanding the execution of opposition chiefs whom officials say have rebelled against Iran's Islamic establishment. yahoo/AFP


Bahrain, Libya and Yemen

Reports of dozens killed by Gaddaffi's security forces, while Bahrain troops leave scores wounded. guardian

Berlusconi faces Ruby sex charge trial

Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has been indicted to stand trial on charges of paying for sex with an under-age prostitute and abuse of power.

Examining judge Cristina Di Censo said the process would start on 6 April, after prosecutors in Milan asked for an immediate trial. bbc


Bunga-bunga

Bunga bunga is a phrase of mock African origin and uncertain meaning that dates from 1910 if not earlier. By 2010 the phrase had gained popularity in Italy, where it was used in connection with allegations about Silvio Berlusconi. wikipedia


Abramovich is a symbol of Russia's 'rich debauchery'

Former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev has launched a scathing attack on Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, saying that he is a symbol of Russia's 'rich debauchery'.

Gorbachev also accused the ruling class in Russia of showing indifference to its people.

"They (the ruling classes) are rich and debauched. Their ideal is to be something close to Abramovich. I scorn this idea. I am ashamed of this rich debauchery. I am ashamed for us and the country," the Daily Mail quoted Gorbachev, as saying. dailymail

The (very) real Egypt

Former GMTV reporter Lara Logan suffers 'brutal and sustained' sex assault covering Egypt uprising

Was set upon by mob of more than 200 in Tahrir Square

Saved by group of women and 20 Egyptian soldiers

dailymail


The Yacoubian Building

The Yacoubian Building (Arabic: عمارة يعقوبيان‎ ʿImārat Yaʿqūbīān) is a novel by Egyptian author Alaa-Al-Aswany. The book was made into a film of the same name in 2006 and into a TV series in 2007.

Published in Arabic in 2002 and in an English translation in 2004, the book, ostensibly set in 1990 at about the time of the first Gulf War, is a roman à clef and scathing portrayal of modern Egyptian society since the Revolution of 1952. The locale of the novel is downtown Cairo, with the titular apartment building (which actually exists) serving as both a metaphor for contemporary Egypt and a unifying location in which most of the primary characters either live or work and in which much of the novel's action takes place. The author, a dentist by profession, had his first office in the Yacoubian Building in Cairo.

The Yacoubian Building was the best selling Arabic novel for 2002 and 2003, and was voted Best Novel for 2003 by listeners to Egypt's Middle East Broadcasting Service. It has been translated into 23 languages worldwide.
...
The stories of each of the primary characters are often intertwined, very horrible at times colliding or converging with one another. Together, they give a biting condemnation of a nation that has squandered its promise and which has been forced to compromise its own principles, resulting in a corrupt and undemocratic political system dominated by a single party (the fictitious "Patriotic Party", a thinly-veiled version of Egypt's National Democratic Party), a society whose most talented members abandon the country for promising careers abroad, and an increasingly disenchanted and restive populace that has no loyalty to the government and which sees extremist Islam as one of the few viable options to counter growing poverty, economic stagnation, and a perceived degradation of morals and lack of social cohesion.

The Yacoubian Building's treatment of homosexuality is taboo-breaking, particularly for contemporary mainstream Arab literature. Khaled Diab, in an article entitled Cultural rainbows, explores this aspect of the novel, and how this can help change popular attitudes to homosexuality in the Arab world. wikipedia

People power in Iran

It is still too early to tell the ultimate impact in the Middle East of the popular uprising in Egypt. But so far the most significant ripple from Mubarak's downfall, more important than the demonstrations in Yemen, Bahrain or even Algeria, is renewed opposition activity in Iran. Thousands demonstrated against the regime yesterday, the biggest upsurge since protests against President Ahmadinejad's disputed election in 2009.

The security forces have responded brutally, shooting dead at least one protester in Tehran. The call from 50 conservative Iranian MPs today for opposition leaders to be executed gives some idea of the religious Right's discomfort with open democracy.

Yet Foreign Secretary William Hague has merely called on the Iranian government to show restraint. That is not good enough. We should unequivocally back the protesters, as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has done. A democratic Iran would not only improve life for Iranians ground down by a hard-line, authoritarian regime. It would also reduce tensions in the region caused by the Ahmadinejad government's endless provocations. We should support these courageous protesters. standard

Note: US... UK... where's EU?!*

* Ha! Course... that british lady...


Libyan protesters clash with police

Hundreds of anti-government protesters have clashed with police overnight in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi. The protests were reportedly triggered by anger at the arrest of a human rights campaigner.

Meanwhile, Libyan state television said rallies were being held across the country in support of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The online edition of Libya's privately owned Quryna newspaper, which is based in Benghazi, reported that demonstrators had petrol bombs and threw stones. guardian

Sentence dictated by "a higher authority"

MOSCOW - The stiff prison sentence given to oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky at his most recent trial was dictated to the district court judge who handled the case by "a higher authority," one of his aides told a news Web site here. washingtonpost


The best of britain...

A student lay dying from an asthma attack outside a hospital after A&E staff refused to summon help, telling her friend to ring for an ambulance instead. dailymail


Not only BP

Look at this british company here and here!

Question: where are the European Union's authorities that did care so much at how to wrap the portuguese traditional cheese?


British company link to drug used in execution

The suspected source of the drug used in the execution of death-row prisoners in the US has been identified as a British company in Berkshire.

Archimedes Pharma – which is based in Reading and describes itself as a "fast-growing specialty pharmaceutical business marketing a portfolio of products to specialist prescribers" – confirmed last night that it did produce the drug sodium thiopental. independent

Note: just british business as usual...

The problem

This was the problem with the banks: it was not their funds that would be lost if they failed. standard


Seriously

A confidential report by the Pentagon says the 2008 meltdown may have been prompted by co-ordinated attacks by "financial terrorists intent on destroying the American financial system". It could have been a three-pronged onslaught: pushing up oil prices; launching bear raids against Bear Stearns and Lehman; then hitting the dollar. Seriously. standard

Death to Dictator!

The clashes broke out at Tehran's prominent Azadi (Freedom) Square when crowds of opposition supporters began chanting "Death to Dictator!" – a slogan used by protesters against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after the disputed 2009 presidential election.

Witnesses said police fired tear gas and also shot paintballs at protesters who had gathered despite a ban by authorities. telegraph

Power station to double as laser-firing ski slope

Denmark burns 54% of domestic waste to generate power, according to Eurostat data. So, Bjarke says, it makes sense to harness the unused physical potential of its vast incendiary plants.

"In a country with the perfect climate for skiing, but which has long suffered from a lack of skiable slopes, why not kill two birds with one stone?" he said.

Capping off the multi-purpose power plant will be a terrain park that offers go-carting, sailing, and rock climbing.

But what about the all-important apres-ski aperitif?

"Of course!" Bjarke enthused. "At the very top of the slopes, underneath the chimney there will be a giant disc -- housing a bar with the best 360-degree panoramic views of Copenhagen anywhere in the world." cnn

Abdullah Gul in Tehran

The presence of the Turkish president Abdullah Gul in Tehran could be a restraining influence on the way the Iranian security services deal with today's demonstrations.

Well, Gul has used a press conference with his Iranian counterpart to urge (unspecified) Middle East governments to listen to the demands of their people. He said:

The desires of people must be taken into account. In this respect, fundamental reforms must be carried out, whether economic or political. guardian

Protests in Iran

Although today's Iran protest was initially organised for the capital Tehran, reports suggest that protesters have also taken to the streets in Enghelab Square, in the city of Isfahan, and Namazi Square, in Shiraz.

in Tehran, an eyewitness told BBC Persian TV that there have been clashes between the riot police and protesters in Kalej cross.

Opposition websites report that Abdollah Naseri, a reformist activist and close ally to former president Mohammad Khatami has been arrested. guardian

Pupils are being taught religious apartheid

- Muslims who adopt Western ways will be 'tortured in afterlife'

- Unprovoked beatings captured on camera in Yorkshire madrassa


Multiculturalism has failed

French president Nicolas Sarkozy has joined David Cameron in condemning multiculturalism as a failure.

Cameron launched a scathing attack earlier this months on 30 years of multiculturalism in Britain warning that it fostered extremism.

His damning verdict came just months after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that multiculturalism in Germany had failed. dailymail

Trust Strasbourg, not our (*) politicians or judges

The European court of human rights has defended freedom of our press more successfully than MPs or judges. guardian

(*) portuguese

All assets frozen in Switzerland

Switzerland has frozen all assets belonging to Hosni Mubarak and his family, which could run into hundreds of millions, the government announced.

The move came as the former president was reported to have flown to the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where he has previously chaired summits, received guests and enjoyed the winter sunshine well away from the crowds. guardian

'Overconfident' IMF downplayed risks

A damning report on the International Monetary Fund's failings in the run-up to the global financial crisis has blamed "groupthink" and "intellectual capture" for the inability of the Washington-based organisation to spot Britain's looming banking crash. guardian


JP Morgan Chase accused of turning a blind eye

Madoff, one of the most respected investment advisors on Wall Street who defrauded thousands of investors in a pyramid scheme of 60 billion dollars, some of the money run by investment bank JPMorgan Chase.

“While many financial institutions have encouraged fraud Madoff, JPMorgan Chase was right in the center of the scheme and is guilty of complicity,” reads the legal complaint filed by reperzentantul losers to court in New York. financial-magazine

Assange's extradition is only the tip of the iceberg

No doubt, in the coming days, many more column inches will be dedicated to Julian Assange's battle against extradition to Sweden. His case, however, is the tip of the iceberg. In 2009 more than 4,000 people were extradited under Europe's fast-track extradition system, 700 from the UK alone.

A few days ago, four of Fair Trials International's clients spoke in parliament about their personal extradition ordeals. Frank Symeou explained how his 21-year-old son, Andrew, spent a year in horrendous prison conditions in Greece. Eighteen months after he was extradited he is still waiting for the trial to start.

Edmond Arapi described his 12-month battle against extradition to Italy where, with no notice whatsoever, he had been sentenced to 16 years for murder. Ultimately, Italian judges were persuaded that Arapi could not possibly have committed the crime and the wrong man had been convicted. He had spent weeks in custody, torn from his young family. guardian


The inhumane conditions of Manning's detention

Bradley Manning, the 22-year-old U.S. Army Private accused of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks, has never been convicted of that crime, nor of any other crime. Despite that, he has been detained at the U.S. Marine brig in Quantico, Virginia for five months -- and for two months before that in a military jail in Kuwait -- under conditions that constitute cruel and inhumane treatment and, by the standards of many nations, even torture. Interviews with several people directly familiar with the conditions of Manning's detention, ultimately including a Quantico brig official (Lt. Brian Villiard) who confirmed much of what they conveyed, establishes that the accused leaker is subjected to detention conditions likely to create long-term psychological injuries. Glenn Greenwald in salon

Finger of suspicion points to Kremlin

THIEVES have broken into the studio of a film director to steal his documentary about the jailed Russian oil magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky days before it was due to make its debut at the Berlin Film Festival.

Two laptops and two other computers were taken from the Berlin studio of Cyril Tuschi - raising fears that Russian agents could again be active in Western Europe. The incident also highlights the extraordinary sensitivity of the case of Khodorkovsky, 47, the former head of the Yukos company, who in December had his jail sentence extended to 2017. theaustralian


Assassination of Anna Politkovskaya

Politkovskaya's book, Putin's Russia: Life in a Failing Democracy, strongly criticized Putin's federal presidency, including his pursuit of the Second Chechen War. She accused Putin and the Russian secret service FSB of stifling all civil liberties in order to establish a Soviet-style dictatorship, but admitted that "it is we who are responsible for Putin's policies":

"Society has shown limitless apathy... As the Chekists have become entrenched in power, we have let them see our fear, and thereby have only intensified their urge to treat us like cattle. The KGB respects only the strong. The weak it devours. We of all people ought to know that." wikipedia


Iranian-Dutch Citizen Sentenced to Death

Committee of Human Rights Reporters (CHRR) - Zahra Bahrami, an Iranian-Dutch citizen who was arrested in the wake of the Ashura (December 27, 2009) massive popular protests has been sentenced to death.

Zhinous Sharif Razi, Zahra Bahrami’s lawyer confirmed the news and told CHRR, “My client’s case was being investigated in two parts. The first part concerns the 2009 Ashura events. No trial has been held regarding the [Ashura] charges, so naturally no sentence has been issued [either]. However, the death sentence concerns the second part of the case against Zahra Bahrami that involves the possession of narcotics. More than 30 grams of drugs were discovered in my client’s home after it was searched. According to the law, possession of more than 30 grams of [certain] drugs is punishable by death. The court has sentenced her to death on this charge.”

Sharif Razi also said there is no possibility to appeal the sentence. She stated that the only way to save Zahra Bahrami is [to receive] a positive response from the Clemency and Forgiveness Commission: “The drug possession cases are sent directly to the National Attorney General’s office after tried in the lower court, and then the cases are sent to the Execution of Sentences Circuit court. Our only hope is that the Clemency and Forgiveness Commission responds positively [to our request for clemency].”

Zahra Bahrami was charged with Moharebeh [enmity with God] by Judge Salavati of branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court on August 16, 2010. Her charges included: “acting against national security, propaganda against the regime, Moharebeh, and membership in the proscribed Monarchist Association”. persian2english


“How is it possible that she was executed?!”

A shocked and emotional Banafsheh Nayebpour, daughter of Iranian-Dutch citizen, Zahra Bahrami, who, according to a Fars News Agency report, was executed in the early morning hours of Saturday, 29 January 2010, talked to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran today. She said people have been calling her for the past hour to verify the news of her mother’s death. “How is such a thing possible? We had requested clemency, and we have not yet received a reply. They have not reviewed my mother’s other case, either. How is it possible that she was executed?” she said in disbelief.

Zahra Bahrami’s daughter was informed of her mother’s execution through phone calls from her friends and relatives on Saturday at around 4:00 p.m. “I called her lawyer. She had not been informed, either. I don’t know where to go now, of whom to seek information. Nobody is answering me now, because it’s past business hours. This means that my mother died this morning, when I was sleeping,” she said.

“Shouldn’t they have informed her family and lawyer before executing her? We should have gone to see her before her execution. Is it so easy–that my mother is no longer in this world? Did I not have any right to see her before her execution?” said a distraught Banafesheh Nayebpour. persian2english


David Kato

David Kato Kisule (1964 – January 26, 2011) was a Ugandan teacher and LGBT rights activist, considered a father of Uganda's gay rights movement. He served as advocacy officer for Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG). Kato was murdered in 2011, shortly after winning a lawsuit against a magazine which had published his name and photograph identifying him as gay and calling for him to be executed. wikipedia


Dozens of women murdered in Portugal *

April 7 ** - Seven Embassy employees left the office for the day to lend a helping hand and paint several rooms (and hallways!) of a shelter belonging to the Portuguese Association for Victim Support (APAV). The three story house is currently a temporary home for approximately 30 women and children victimized by domestic violence and, with all the small children running around, it was in need of several coats of paint.

This volunteer initiative was undertaken within the framework of Embassy Lisbon’s Environmental & Humanitarian Outreach Program (LEHOP). Domestic violence is unfortunately a growing problem in Portugal. Last year alone, 43 women were murdered and thousands of victims and family members affected by domestic violence. usembassy * every year ** 2009

Note - in 2010 more than 40 women were again murdered in Portugal by husbands, ex-husbands, boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, lovers and ex-lovers... Portuguese laws are very soft to the killers and Portuguese politicians (both men and women) seem do not worry much to tackle the problem.


Wins UK transfer after seven years in rat-infested jail

A former City worker who spent seven years in an Indian jail for alleged drug trafficking has won his battle to serve his sentence in a British prison.

Patrick Malluzzo, 33, was held in one of India's most notorious prisons where he shared a rat-infested cell with 70 other inmates.
...
Documents produced at Mr Malluzzo's trial confirm that no drugs were found in his holdall.

He claimed Indian police denied him access to a lawyer, deprived him of sleep, burned him with cigarettes, beat him with bamboo sticks and used pliers on his genitals to make him confess. standard

The (very, very) rich French *

Interesting information published in the Belgian press: "Sarkozy came to Brussels with two long-haul ..." Yep! it takes two planes to travel 300 km. He could take the TGV...

* c'est comme ça...


Multiculturalism has failed

Berlin, Feb 5 (PTI) British Prime Minister David Cameron believes his country's policy of multiculturalism has "failed" to prevent the radicalisation of Muslims by hindering their integration into the British society.

In his first speech on radicalism and causes of terrorism, the Prime Minister said a "hands-off tolerance" of those who reject Western values had failed to prevent the rise of Islamic extremism in Britain.

He said Britain has "even tolerated these segregated communities behaving in ways that run counter to our values", a policy that needs to be revised. oneindia


Russian opposition leader detained

MOSCOW, RUSSIA: Russian opposition leader Eduard Limonov on Monday was arrested along 20 supporters after a protest rally on Moscow, RIA Novosti reported.

Limonov was detained while participating in an unsanctioned rally at Moscow's Triumfalnaya Square. He and his supporters were arrested as they attempted to hold their own unsanctioned protest near the square, according to Russian police.

For over a year, opposition groups and activists hold rallies at the Triumfalnaya Square the last day of each month which has 31 days. The protests are intended to demand that the government respect the Article 31 of the Russian constitution that guarantees freedom of assembly. oneindia