[Iran Press TV] A former French minister has been charged with rape and sexual assault after allegations emerged that he attacked two women he once worked with. "Good morning, sir! You have a meeting at -- Hey! Stop that! Help! Unhand me, you beast!"
Georges Tron, former junior civil service minister in President Nicolas Sarkozy's ...23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. Sarkozy is married to singer-songwriter Carla Bruni, who has a really nice birthday suit... center-right government, was charged with "rape and sexual aggression in group by someone in authority" -- punishable by up to 20 years in prison -- on Thursday, AP reported.
He is now under judicial control and he must regularly report his whereabouts to authorities.
The 53-year-old Tron, was released on bail this week after being held in police custody for two days. He resigned as the junior civil service minister on May 29 after allegations surfaced that he sexually assaulted two women who worked in the town hall of Draveil, south of Gay Paree, where he is mayor.
The two women alleged that Tron made them submit to foot massages that turned into forced sexual encounters. The sexual assaults reportedly took place between 2007 and 2010.
The victims also said they tried to commit suicide following the sexual harassment.
The two women said that the sexual assault allegations against former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn emboldened them to speak out.
Meanwhile, ...back at the shattered spaceship, Fffflirgoll the Arcturan slithered stealthily toward the control room, where the humans had barricaded themselves... Tron has categorically denied all charges against him, filed a counterclaim for defamation and even said that the case was fabricated by his political rivals.
It sounds like the French are working themselves up to expecting American treatment. Next stop will be Miranda rights, a phone call, and "innocent until proven guilty". Someday the anthropologists will point to the arrest of Dominique Gaston André Strauss-Kahn as the moment when a supersaturated France suddenly crystallized in the American pattern, much to the shock of all parties involved.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/25/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
TW, you left out the dreaded American Perp Walk of Doom.
#3
I don't think that's a uniquely French avocation, anon1. An Egyptian gentleman just pled guilty to trifling over-enthusiastically with another New York City hotel maid. I seem to recall she sued him for something like US $5 million, but perhaps I'm confusing that bit with another event.
Air Commodore Peter Cribb, who has died aged 92, was one of the most successful and gallant master bombers of the Pathfinder Force; he flew more than 100 wartime operations, including one when he made an unauthorised raid on Hitlers retreat at Berchtesgaden.
Cribb was already a veteran of more than 70 missions when he returned to operations in May 1944 to fly the Lancaster. He attacked targets in the run-up to D-Day, often acting as the master bomber directing the main force against rail yards and gun emplacements.
In July he was put in command of the newly-formed No 582 Squadron and flew 16 daylight sorties in support of the Normandy landings. On July 18 he was the deputy master bomber when more than 1,000 aircraft pulverised the German panzer divisions in front of Montgomerys stalled army at Caen.
Cribb also controlled more than 700 bombers which attacked the V-1 sites before the bombing campaign resumed its efforts against major oil targets in Germany.
On October 3 he was master bomber for the attack on the sea walls of Walcheren Island. Coastal gun batteries dominated the approaches to the important port of Antwerp; the aim was to breach the walls and flood the island, most of which was reclaimed polder below sea level.
As the first to arrive at the head of 252 Lancasters, he orbited the target and directed eight separate waves of bombers, correcting the aiming point with flares and markers to widen the initial breach.
The sea poured in, forcing the German defenders to abandon their carefully prepared positions. Cribb was the last to leave the target after a brilliantly controlled attack, which allowed Canadian ground forces to capture the island and open Antwerp to the Allies.
Newspapers hailed the achievement with the headline RAF sinks an island.
On promotion to group captain at the age of 25, Cribb was appointed to command the Pathfinder airfield at Little Staughton in Bedfordshire, and shortly afterwards he was awarded a Bar to an earlier DSO.
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/25/2011 10:53 Comments ||
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#2
Cribbs Halifax hit the sea and the tail wheel was ripped off. After he had landed the intelligence officer asked him at what height he had delivered his attack. Cribb replied: I dont know. The altimeter reads in feet, not fathoms.
Guess they dont make em like they used to.
Posted by: abu do you love ||
06/25/2011 12:42 Comments ||
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#3
By one description, "master bombers" were not only rare, but worth their weight in gold. In the Pacific theater, they were treated as royalty, because their talent was as rare as a virtuoso violinist.
Typically, if you bombed a target, some of your bombs might hit it, causing some damage. But with a master bomber, it would be obliterated, with no need for dangerous follow up operations.
[Bangla Daily Star] Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam yesterday said politicians have no reason to be happy with the jail sentence on Arafat Rahman Koko; rather they have something to learn from the judgement.
"We, the politicians, have to take lessons from the judgment," AL General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said during a press briefing at party chief Sheikh Hasina's political office in Dhanmondi.
"There is no reason to be excited about the verdict. I am personally unhappy."
The leader continued, "The judgment proves we have to suffer dire consequences if we fail to make our children good human beings. We, who only remain busy in politics, do not feel the need to make our sons and daughters good human beings."
On Wednesday, Koko, younger son of Opposition Leader Khaleda Zia Three-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ... , and Ismail Hossain Saimon, son of former shipping minister late Akbar Hossain, were sentenced to six years' rigorous imprisonment for laundering more than Tk 20 crore to Singapore.
This is the first ever verdict in any case against a member of the Zia family.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda and her two sons -- Tarique Rahman and Koko -- stand accused in 22 cases, nineteen of which were filed during the rule of last caretaker regime and three during the present government's tenure.
Immediately after the verdict, BNP termed the judgment "absolutely politically motivated".
However, death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate... Syed Ashraf, also LGRD and cooperatives minister, said the government did not have a hand in the judgment. The main opposition's allegation is false and baseless, he said.
The FBI gave information to the Anti-Corruption Commission on Koko's money laundering during the last caretaker government's tenure. The ACC filed the case against Koko on March 17, 2009.
"As the case has not been filed by the present government, there is no scope of political mudslinging over the issue," Ashraf said.
The minister said it is sad that the son of freedom-fighter and late president Ziaur Rahman and two-time Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has been found corrupt. It is no good news for anyone.
If Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia had been careful about their sons, this unexpected situation could have been averted, said Ashraf, also the spokesperson of the AL-led grand alliance government.
He said there is still scope for going to High Court over the matter and he would be happy if Koko comes out clean at the HC.
AL leaders Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Dipu Moni, Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Nuh-ul-Alam Lenin, Afzal Hossain and Mrinal Kanti Das, among others, were present at the briefing.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/25/2011 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- The European single currency will survive its present crisis despite "fundamental" problems - and the UK could still join in the future, ex-prime minister Tony Blair has said. Blair rejected claims by former Labour cabinet colleague Jack Straw that the euro was doomed to collapse though he conceded the case for British entry was not "compelling".
But he told the BBC that he remained "absolutely in favour of doing it, politically" if the economic circumstances meant the idea could be sold to voters. In an interview with BBC TV to be shown this Sunday he said he had fully supported then Chancellor Gordon Brown's ... the hapless former British PM ...
assessment - using five tests - that the UK should not enter. But asked if that decision was a relief given the present eurozone chaos, he said: "I do not take the view some people take that Britannia joining the euro in the past or now would be a disaster. "But I always said that unless you could make a compelling case for it economically, you were never going to win a referendum. "The case for Britannia joining is not compelling. It may become that at a certain point."
He went on: "I was always absolutely in favour of doing it politically and still am, by the way."
Straw suggested last week that the euro could not survive and called for a speedy demise rather than a "slow death". "I don't think it will (collapse) actually," Blair said: "I don't think they are going to give up the single currency. That's not to say there aren't huge issues as to how you get through the next months .... I think and hope the single currency will resolve its problems."
Prime Minister David Cameron ... has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite, which means he's not. Since he is not deeply ideological he lacks core principles and is easily led. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ... said: "It would be a dreadful idea for Britannia to join the euro. "As long as I am doing this job, there is no prospect of Britannia even contemplating joining."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/25/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
"Truly, great boxes full of lead bars make a superb floatation device, but only if you are careful to chain them to a steel collar about your neck!"
h/t Instapundit
The U.S. is in the midst of an energy revolution, and we don't mean solar panels or wind turbines. A new gusher of natural gas from shale has the potential to transform U.S. energy productionthat is, unless politicians, greens and the industry mess it up.
Only a decade ago Texas oil engineers hit upon the idea of combining two established technologies to release natural gas trapped in shale formations. Horizontal drillingin which wells turn sideways after a certain depthopens up big new production areas. Producers then use a 60-year-old technique called hydraulic fracturingin which water, sand and chemicals are injected into the well at high pressureto loosen the shale and release gas (and increasingly, oil).
The resulting boom is transforming America's energy landscape. As recently as 2000, shale gas was 1% of America's gas supplies; today it is 25%. Prior to the shale breakthrough, U.S. natural gas reserves were in decline, prices exceeded $15 per million British thermal units, and investors were building ports to import liquid natural gas. Today, proven reserves are the highest since 1971, prices have fallen close to $4 and ports are being retrofitted for LNG exports.
...All of this growth has inevitably attracted critics, notably environmentalists and their allies. They've launched a media and political assault on hydraulic fracturing, and their claims are raising public anxiety. So it's a useful moment to separate truth from fiction in the main allegations against the shale revolution. IM0, this is a bit more important for stopping Jihad than staying in Iraq/Afghanistan---pretending that the locals becoming civilized
#1
Domestic natural gas exploitation and a commitment to increasing domestic nuclear power would starve the JIHAD. Amend the Clean Air act to exclude regulation of CO2 and H2O emissions. Put down the NIMBYs and their lawyers.
#2
NG is perfect for fleet vehicles, for peak period electricity generation (even for some base-load generation), and for heating. It has lots of industrial uses. It's the cleanest fossil fuel we have.
Combine this with new light-water nuclear plants (and thorium plants down the road) and continued use of coal in the newer coal-fired plants to amortize their costs, and we could be energy sufficient in everything except gasoline.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/25/2011 15:07 Comments ||
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#3
we could be energy sufficient in everything except gasoline.
Gasoline can be made out of natural gas or coal, apparently. It just takes some outside energy to do so...
Natural gas could displace more than 1/2 of the oil used for ground transport. It also currently costs 1/3 that of crude oil. What that means is that the US could, with a plan to do something and more efficient vehicles, be completely free of imported oil in less than a generation.
#5
Problem with NG is that we already have a distribution infrastructure. No way for Al-Gore and his buddies to sell us 'Vapor infrastructure' nor charge us millions in 'consultation' fees.
#6
be completely free of imported oil in less than a generation.
It would happen faster than that.
It took less than 10 years to get a majority of vehicles on the road here in Perth NG powered and that was without any vehicle manufacturer making an NG powered vehicle. They were all locally retrofitted.
#8
That's interesting, phil. My understanding is that the big problem is getting a tank that can survive an 80 mph collision. Are there many accidents with the NG vehicles and what are the results?
#9
Currently Schwans trucks use gas but I don't know if its NG. In winter they do tend to have fuel lines freeze up. An ice ball forms about the line on the outside. The government has had an incentive program to use these fuel systems.
h/t Instapundit
An increasing number of Americans are worried about their retirement. In fact, a recent Gallup poll finds retirement is the top financial worry in this country. The poll found that 58% of adults are "very/moderately worried" about maintaining their current lifestyle after they stop working. The number jumps to 77% among 30 to 49-year-olds.
#1
Never mentioned by the media is that low skilled immigration is the biggest threat to retirees income as it is to the incomes of those of lesser abilities and skills, and anyone who has difficulty finding employment.
Immigrants push these people out of employment while at the same time pushing down the wages of those employed.
Collecting supermarket trollys is an example a job that doesn't take much in the way of intellectual skill, nevermind education. And at one time was done by teenagers and those without the intellectual wherewithal for more challenging tasks, or people getting back into employment such as ex-cons.
My local supermarket used to have someone with Down's Syndrome doing it.
These days its done exclusively by immigrants (here in Perth).
That's the problem right there. Prosperity is an equation in which more money flows in than flows out, so wealth is accumulated.
But a lot of people got into the habit of spending their money as soon as they earned it. Suddenly, when they are no longer earning it, they find themselves unable to "maintain their current lifestyle". Well, duh.
Yet, in all fairness, add to them those who *did* save their money, but are ending up impoverished because others did not, especially the government. They have more than enough justification to become angry.
But this latter group, as you might suspect, are more likely to have their act together, so they give up on the whole "maintaining their current lifestyle" bit, and adjust to fit their new circumstances.
To an increasing number of people, this means moving to a community with low cost of living, so their dollars go further. To really stretch dollars, some even leave the United States.
But practically speaking, when times are hard, there will be some reverses to the predominant demographic trend of people moving from rural America to the cities. Especially if they pool their funds, large groups of retirees may decide to basically buy a small town.
But it only works if they are adaptable enough to "create their new lifestyle."
#4
Depressed areas like the old rust belt industry locations are where many now locate when retired.
Any city that has lost a major employer will look great for retirement. Property values will be depressed. The cities welcome these seniors. No new schools and steady cash flow. Crime will be low and it will cause a rebirth. Medical, assisted living, service industry will draw people there. Then the cycle starts over again.
#5
I don't see many bargain properties in areas where retirement seems like a good idea. NW lower Michigan has been a popular area for retirees for years, with the result that real estate is still vastly overpriced, schools are overbuilt and overfunded by taxes, and NIMBY runs rampant. Young people tend to leave the area as soon as they can, never to return (no jobs for them).
Here & there I have seen some creative approaches to the issue. One thing that surprised me was a small town in ND. I found several developed lots in the heart of town obviously designed for big RV's to park on a semi-permanent basis. I asked locally & was told these were used by retirees, who wintered far to the south & spent the fair weather months living back among their old neighbors. The lots were beautiful & IMHO increased the value of the entire town. Property use of that kind would be considered unspeakably evil as far as Homeowner Associations go.
#6
Places that have lost major employers and which have falling property values will tend to have major unemployment. Crime will not be particularly low. Retirees will have income that states may decide to tax more (see Michigan recently).
#7
I think the vast majority of Americans (not just the retirees) will not be able to maintain their current lifestyle over the next 20 years. Certainly some will do very well. The rest of us, not so well.
#8
Yes, but if you think about it, much of "lifestyle" is based on the innovation of a healthy economy. If you think that times are good when you can buy lots of technological thingys, even if you are well enough off to do "well", you may feel poor when there's a general slowdown.
#9
byimmigerants my ass. i pushed buggies at wal mart because i was out of a job
Posted by: chris ||
06/25/2011 21:47 Comments ||
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#10
AH you are correct but in areas where steel was king for example people have left. Same thing is happening in other areas. It just takes time for the younger ones to leave(kids also). I recall some very nice homes going for well under $50,000. The motor home group sounds nice but one fill up now could be over $1000. Hard to find a place to park and need to find hook ups. It doesn't take long for them to age and repairs can be a nightmare. Now when you travel DOT will stop you for a check simply for having dual wheels. Heaven forbid you say something wrong and they tear your motor home apart looking for drugs. Yes seniors are in transport these days. Then you have your people at deaths door who haven't got anything to lose. In prison they can have medical care and three hots and a cot. Belize has a large retirement group of Americans I'm told. Oh, I thought of a motor sailor but too expensive. Then the deserted islands are too expensive. Pirates are an ever present danger. Yep, three hots and a cot is sounding better.
[Al Jazeera] Yulia Tymoshenko, Ukraine's former prime minister, has gone on trial for alleged abuse of power in a case she has dismissed as a political vendetta.
Tymoshenko denounced the hearing as an arranged "farce" orchestrated by Viktor Yanykovych, the president,
and told the judge he was a Yanukovich "puppet".
"At such an important moment for Ukraine, I do not want in that chair a judge like you. I am throwing down this objection to you because I consider you a puppet of the presidential administration," she told judge Rodion Kyreyev.
One of the leaders of the pro-Western Orange Revolution in 2004, Tymoshenko narrowly lost out to her old rival Yanukovych in presidential elections last year, becoming his fiercest critic.
She is now the target of several investigations, including for abuse of power that allegedly caused severe financial losses for Ukraine after the country's row with Moscow over Russian gas deliveries in early 2009.
Outside the court she told news hounds: "This mock trial was organised and served up by Viktor Yanukovich. Nobody has any doubts that the courts and the state prosecution are in private hands and there will be no justice."
The hearing was adjourned until Saturday.
Tymoshenko is accused of causing a loss to the former Soviet republic's budget of $190m when she signed a new energy contract with Vladimir Putin, ...Second President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Because of constitutionally mandated term limits he is the current Prime Minister of Russia. His sock puppet, Dmitry Medvedev, was installed in the 2008 presidential elections. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law. During his eight years in office Russia's economy bounced back from crisis, seeing GDP increase, poverty decrease and average monthly salaries increase. During his presidency Putin passed into law a series of fundamental reforms, including a flat income tax of 13%, a reduced profits tax, and new land and legal codes. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile... the Russian prime minister, after a brief interruption of gas deliveries two years ago.
The charges carry a sentence of between seven and 10 years, jeopardising Tymoshenko's ability to take part in parliamentary polls next year and the next presidential elections in 2015.
'Gas Princess'
Analysts have previously said that it was not in the Yanukovych administration's interests to jail Tymoshenko as a new jail term would reinforce her image as a martyr.
"I have a feeling that a political decision has been taken to avoid giving her a suspended sentence," Sergei Vlasenko, who is also a deputy in Tymoshenko's political party, told the AFP news agency.
Dubbed as the 'Gas Princess', the former premier was earlier briefly imprisoned on charges of forgery and gas smuggling. The charges, which she says were also politically motivated, were quashed in 2005.
Her party has demanded that the authorities provide live coverage of the trial on national television and called on supporters to gather for a rally outside the courtroom.
Earlier this week, Tymoshenko said she had filed a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights, saying she was a victim of political persecution.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/25/2011 00:00 ||
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Awesome ears, I mean I assume plural is correct, altho, I suspect one might do.
(KUNA) -- Leaders of the 27-member European Union Thursday night agreed on a second financial assistance for Greece but on condition that the debt-ridden country implements a programme of severe austerity measures. They issued a joint statement calling on EU Finance Ministers to complete work on outstanding elements of a second bailout to allow the necessary decisions to be taken by early July.
The statement noted that the request by the Greek government for a loan "will provide the basis for setting up the main parameters of a new programme jointly supported by its euro area partners and the IMF ." "A comprehensive reform package and adoption by the Greek Parliament of the key laws on the fiscal strategy and privatization must be finalized as a matter of urgency in the coming days," they stressed.
The Greek parliament is expected to vote next Tuesday on a new package of austerity measures in order to get the next instalment of 12 billion euro from a 110 billion euro bailout it received from the EU and the IMF last year to save the country from bankruptcy. The statement gave no figures of a new loan but economists say Greece needs a further 120 billion euro over the next two years to avoid default. Speaking at a late night presser, EU President Herman Van Rompuy said the leaders agreed that required additional funding for Greece "will be financed by both official and private sources." The statement called on all political parties in Greece to support the government measures and stressed that national unity is a prerequisite for success.
The unpopular austerity programme including pay cuts, tax increases and privatisation of state companies are aimed at saving 28 billion euros for the Greek state. But the painful measures have led to widespread strikes and protests in the country.
Under the bailout conditions agreed with the EU and the IMF, Greece was supposed to privatize 50 billion euro worth of public utility companies, but not one has been privatized till now. On his part, European Commissions President Jose Manuel Barroso told the joint presser that "there is a real will of the European Union to do what is necessary to preserve the financial stability in the euro area and to work together with our Greek partners and to work for reinforced European governance." The EU leaders welcomed progress made in Ireland in the implementation of its reform programme, and the strong commitment by the newly elected Portuguese government to fully implement its programme of reforms.
Ireland and Portugal are two other euro zone members which have received massive bailouts from the EU and the IMF. In their meeting on Friday, EU leaders will assess implementation of migration policies and discuss developments in the southern Mediterranean, focusing on Libya, Syria and the Middle East grinding of the peace processor.
They are also expected to call for EU membership negotiations with Croatia to be concluded by the end of June and nominate Italian banker Mario Draghi as the future President of the European Central Bank.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/25/2011 00:00 ||
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Sorta like ripping another hole on the other side of the Titanic to balance the flooding.
[Dawn] The first case of polio ...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. However, since the vaccine is known to make Moslem pee-pees shrink and renders females sterile, bookish, and unsubmissive, it is not widely used by the turban and automatic weapons set... has been reported in Bannu district, making it further difficult for government to achieve its target of eradicating the crippling disease from the country by the end of 2011.
Confirming the polio case, District Health Officer Dr Naik Nawaz Khan told a meeting here on Thursday that prominent religious scholars had removed reservations of local people about anti-polio vaccine.
However, some men learn by reading. A few learn by observation. The rest have to pee on the electric fence for themselves... he said, new polio cases were being reported owing to refusal of parents, who didn`t allow health teams to administer polio drops to their children.
Dr Khan said that certain elements were propagating against anti-polio drops. The drops were prepared under the vigilance of Mohammedan experts, he added.
He said that administration of anti-polio drops was prerequisite for entry into Makka Mukarma, the holy city of Mohammedans.
Moreover, he said, local and international scholars had issued decrees that the drops were not containing any harmful ingredient.
He requested the parents to make sure that polio drops were administered to their children, below the age of five.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/25/2011 00:00 ||
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BAGHDAD Iraqs government said Thursday it was raising salaries at its southern oil terminals, following threats of a strike that would paralyse oil exports.
The cabinet decided to grant a 30 percent increase in salaries of employees at the oil terminals in Basra and in Khor al-Aamaya near the southernmost Faw peninsula, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said. He said the initiative was meant to demonstrate the governments keenness to develop this sector and show its willingness to be fair to staff.
He said authorities wanted to show their appreciation for the efforts of employees, and demonstrate they are aware of the hardships and difficult working conditions related to the hot southern heat.
In late April, a large number of workers at the Southern Oil Company (SOC) staged a demonstration in Basra asking for more money.
In early May they had threatened to strike, and an oil ministry delegation sent to negotiate had promised to meet their demands.
Nearly 80 percent of Iraqi oil is exported through the southern ports. In April, 49.7 million barrels were exported through the southern ports, at a value of $5.6 billion, according to oil ministry figures.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/25/2011 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Leb's highest Sunni Mohammedan authority on Friday rejected a bill aimed at protecting women against domestic violence and marital rape, saying it would lead to the demise "of the family as in the West."
"Islam is very aware of and concerned with ... resolving problems of poor treatment ... but this should not happen by cloning Western laws that encourage the breakdown of the family and do not suit our society," Dar al-Fatwa said in a statement on its website.
Dar al-Fatwa also slammed as "heresy" a clause in the bill that criminalizes marital rape, accusing those behind the draft law of "inventing new types of crimes."
"This will have a negative impact on Mohammedan children ... who will see their mother threatening their father with prison, in defiance of patriarchal authority, which will in turn undermine the moral authority" of fathers, it said.
"We must continue to follow sharia (Islamic law) as concerns the Mohammedan family," it added.
The bill, drafted by feminist organizations, lawyers and forensic experts, was approved by Leb's cabinet in 2010 and is currently under study in parliament.
Should it be passed, the law would come under the penal code -- under which cases are referred to a criminal court -- rather than personal status laws, which are ruled on by religious authorities in multi-confessional Leb.
The bill criminalizes marital rape and calls for police intervention should a woman notify authorities of abuse by her husband or another family member.
If found guilty, defendants would have to undergo rehabilitation or face prison should they fail to do so.
Domestic abuse and harassment continue to be taboo in Leb, considered the most liberal country in the largely conservative Arab world, with very few women filing complaints as police generally turn a blind eye and send the victims home.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/25/2011 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Iran Press TV] A former French minister has been charged with rape and sexual assault after allegations emerged that he attacked two women he once worked with.
Khaleda Zia
(KUNA) -- The European single currency will survive its present crisis despite "fundamental" problems - and the UK could still join in the future, ex-prime minister Tony Blair has said. Blair rejected claims by former Labour cabinet colleague Jack Straw that the euro was doomed to collapse though he conceded the case for British entry was not "compelling". 
Yulia Tymoshenko, Ukraine's former prime minister, has gone on trial for alleged abuse of power in a case she has dismissed as a political vendetta.
...Second President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Because of constitutionally mandated term limits he is the current Prime Minister of Russia. His sock puppet, Dmitry Medvedev, was installed in the 2008 presidential elections. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law. During his eight years in office Russia's economy bounced back from crisis, seeing GDP increase, poverty decrease and average monthly salaries increase. During his presidency Putin passed into law a series of fundamental reforms, including a flat income tax of 13%, a reduced profits tax, and new land and legal codes. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile...
(KUNA) -- Leaders of the 27-member European Union Thursday night agreed on a second financial assistance for Greece but on condition that the debt-ridden country implements a programme of severe austerity measures. They issued a joint statement calling on EU Finance Ministers to complete work on outstanding elements of a second bailout to allow the necessary decisions to be taken by early July.
[An Nahar] 
