news news Protesters Flood Bangkok Tens of thousands of protesters flowed into Bangkok, setting up what organizers say will be several days of protests to force Thailand's army-backed government to call fresh elections.   online.wsj.com   2010-03-14 Wen Defends Exchange-Rate Policy Chinese premier Wen Jiabao warned other countries not to pressure China over its exchange-rate policy, and argued strongly that the yuan isn't undervalued.   online.wsj.com   2010-03-14 Video: Roger Daltrey on trout and the Teenage Cancer Trust Behind the scenes with Roger Daltrey as the Who frontman is photographed with his favourite fish for Love Music, Love Food, a new project in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust   guardian.co.uk   2010-03-14 Love Music, Love Food Food photographer Patrice de Villiers shoots some of Britain's best-known musicians with their favourite dishes for Love Music, Love Food, a project in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust   guardian.co.uk   2010-03-14 Don't look to Rahm Emanuel to explain Barack Obama's woes | John McQuaid Rahm Emanuel is an easy target. But endless analysis of his personality does nothing to explain Barack Obama's problemsAll Washington is in an uproar over White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel. There are whispering campaigns for and against him. The media are writing profiles that either exonerate or condemn him for the Obama administration's troubles. Even ex-Congressman Eric Massa, who resigned when allegations that he groped male staffers came to light, managed to work an alleged Emanuel naked lobbying incident into his own scandal.Emanuel is an easy target. A veteran of the Clinton White House and Congress (where he engineered the Democrats' 2006 electoral wave that took back control of the House of Representatives) he is famously aggressive, obnoxious and profane. And the Obama administration has no shortage of problems – the economy is weak, healthcare reform still hasn't passed, Guantánamo hasn't been closed, and Republicans are eyeing major gains in the autumn elections.Obama could be in better shape, and his staff bears some of the responsibility for that. But Emanuel's congressional lobbying tactics did not create Obama's predicament. The incessant Rahm chatter reflects the narcissism of Washington's media and political classes: they're searching for answers and desperately hoping to find a villain or a thwarted hero among their own where none exists.The inner workings of the White House should be the stuff of high drama, especially now. But read the media's growing archive of Rahmobilia, and you will find ... almost nothing of note. It's deadly dull.This began last month with Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank's Rahm-boosting column. Then the Post news pages published another pro-Rahm piece, which self-consciously regurgitated the opinions of Emanuel defenders into an "emerging narrative" that he was a wise, loyal and oft-ignored aide who should not be blamed for the White House's problems. Then came ambitious profiles from Noam Scheiber of The New Republic and Peter Baker of the New York Times. Here's what these pieces say: Rahm Emanuel is loyal to Obama and a team player. He sometimes argues for more "pragmatic" positioning on issues, going for incremental wins at the expense of much riskier big ones. Sometimes Obama follows this advice, sometimes he doesn't. (And on healthcare reform, Obama appears to have done both.) He swears a lot. He is all business. He is also 50 years old. And thin: "At 50, Emanuel has the lean, taut look of a lifelong swimmer, with broad shoulders and distractingly prominent quadriceps." – Scheiber "At 50, he has the coiled energy of aides half his age, still as wiry thin as he was during his improbable days as a ballet dancer." – Baker These pieces tell us almost nothing about how a candidate promising sweeping "change" and elected with the biggest popular majority of any Democrat since LBJ has gotten so bogged down on the big issues. I don't think Emanuel's incremental tendencies explain it (as Dan Froomkin has forcefully argued). In Washington, people think personalities are the best way to explain politics and policies. Sometimes they are. Nixon engineered his own downfall. Clinton couldn't control himself and Ken Starr couldn't avert his eyes. But Obama's troubles are a product of severe structural problems more than of any single staffer. Since the George W Bush years US politics have grown increasingly dysfunctional – a story the media have mostly glossed over. Bush and Co politicised once-insulated customs and institutions (war and the justice department, for example), exacerbating an already-deep partisan divide and eroding the government's credibility. Add to this a brutal recession – the single overriding factor in any president's popularity – not to mention chronic media stupidity itself, and Obama's hand is much weaker than anyone expected a year ago. That doesn't mean he can't turn it around. But it won't be Emanuel's distracting quadriceps that make the difference.Rahm EmanuelBarack ObamaObama administrationUS politicsDemocratsRepublicansUS CongressUnited StatesJohn McQuaidguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-03-14 Thousands protest in Bangkok Demonstrators gather in the Thai capital to call for the government to resign   guardian.co.uk   2010-03-14 In search of the real Pakistan | Amil Khan With extremism on the rise, it is more important than ever to support the tolerant, peaceful elements of Pakistani societyWhat exactly is Pakistan all about? The international media will tell you it's one of the most dangerous places on earth, beset by sectarian warfare and religious extremism. Well-heeled Pakistanis beg to differ. Their country, they say, is made up of an irrepressible population that likes to buy the latest fashions, listen to the latest music and read poetry about mysticism.In reality, Pakistan is both of those things and many more in between. The country has spent most of its existence ruled by military dictators, but each of them was regularly lampooned in newspaper cartoons. Today, it has a largely rural and conservative society but one of the country's most popular talk show hosts is a Dame Edna-style transvestite. It has a politically engaged population that tunes into the many current affairs programmes broadcast on more than 70 private channels with enough regularity to make Pakistani news media one of the few in the world to turn a profit. Its largest media group has spearheaded an attack on the perceived corruption of politicians with a ferocity that makes the MPs' expenses scandal in the UK pale in comparison.Many Pakistanis distrust western intentions, but that doesn't mean helping Pakistan involves battling the country's character. Pakistan's greatest strengths contribute to its most pressing problems. A governing ideology inherited from the British still values a free press and independent civil society. At the same time, a relatively hands-off approach to religion has allowed local extremists to build extensive local infrastructure with outside funding. As the world now knows, that extremism was nurtured and exploited by whisky-loving generals (with the tacit support of western powers) for short-term gain and has now turned against the state.Extremism is not just limited to the Taliban in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) but is bleeding into the rest of society. In a restaurant tucked away in a corner of Islamabad's upscale shopping district I met a 20-something Pakistani friend with an encyclopaedic knowledge of rap lyrics and Indian movie starlets. After ordering a beer from the restaurant's illicit stash, he told me why he thought his more conservative relatives held the answer to Pakistan's social and economic problems. "In my uncle's family the women cover their faces and they have thrown out their television, banned music and disconnected the internet … They had the strength to follow Islam properly. I wish I had. If we all did, Pakistan would no longer be weak," he said.Yet many Pakistanis oppose this sort of outlook. And they aren't just the rich, insulated and western-educated. In Attock, a small village on the border of Punjab and NWFP, I met local people who had decided that the growing extremism they were witnessing amongst their young men was down to the serious lack of educational opportunities, social services and proper Islamic knowledge. They are working on building a girls' school, a hospital and a mosque with a teacher capable of challenging the cult of suicide bombings and the ideology of religiously sanctioned hate. However, despite America's commitment to provide $7.5bn to strengthen Pakistani civil society over the next five years, the villagers of Attock – who lack the right connections – have been unable to find anyone to help them with their project.For the last five months, I have been working in Pakistan on a project to support the many elements of Pakistan's society who believe that hating other religions or different Islamic communities is against the nature of Islam. Our project, Karvaan-e-Amn (Caravan of Peace) has its work cut out, not because its message its alien, but because we are trying to argue against an ideology that has been purposely built up over 30 years with millions of dollars worth of foreign funding.Pakistan's future is far from decided. It needs help to become a peaceful, prosperous and stable country, and those who stand ready to assist will find allies from across its diverse society. They might also be surprised by a nation that dearly wants to prove wrong its portrayal in the international media.PakistanGlobal terrorismIslamTalibanUS foreign policyAmil Khanguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-03-14 24 hours in pictures A selection of the best images from around the world   guardian.co.uk   2010-03-14 Answers for thoughtful ObamaCare opponents | Sahil Kapur The Cato Institute has put forth a list of questions for supporters of the healthcare reform bill. Here are my answersThe conservative/libertarian Cato Institute has put forth a list of questions for proponents of the Democratic healthcare reform package. Here they are, along with my answers.1. What does it say that the American polity has consistently rejected a wholesale government takeover of healthcare for 100 years?It says the issue is very tough politically. It says Washington is unresponsive to the interests of the American people, who overwhelmingly want healthcare reform. It says insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and other health industry special interests (including the AMA until just last year) are exceptionally powerful with "the American polity" and like the status quo.Also, to suggest this package is a "wholesale government takeover" is intellectually dishonest. The bill doesn't expand government-run insurance by a whit. It simply builds upon existing regulations and subsidies while relying purely on private insurers to expand coverage.2. What does it say that public opinion has been consistently against the Democrats' healthcare takeover since July 2009?It says the Democrats' communications strategy has been weak. It says they upset their base by ignoring universal healthcare and not fighting for the public option. It says they upset independents by not sticking by a clear set of convictions. It says they wasted far too long trying to fruitlessly court Republican votes.It says that Republicans have done a masterful job of spreading disinformation – if not outright lies (ie death panels) – to take advantage of people's fears and prejudices. It says the mainstream media isn't doing a good job of calling nonsense "nonsense". Just ask the opponents of the bill who demand that government keep its hands off their Medicare.Conversely, what does it say that a tremendous majority of the American public has for many years favoured a sweeping healthcare overhaul? What does it say that a measly 4% of Americans, according to a new Associated Press poll, are satisfied with the current system?3. What does it say that Democrats are having this much difficulty enacting their healthcare legislation despite unified Democratic rule? Despite large supermajorities in both chambers of Congress, including a once-filibuster-proof Senate majority (see more below)? Despite an opportunistic change in Massachusetts law that provided that crucial 60th vote at a crucial moment? Despite a popular and charismatic president?It says Democrats are not very effective at fighting for progressive change. It says some party members are too subservient to special interests. It says they made a series of strategic blunders (like the Pharma backroom deal) that damaged their credibility. It says Republicans are very good at obstruction, however discredited or small in numbers they are.4. What does it say that 38 House Democrats voted against the president's health plan?In addition to the above, it says the Democratic party is ideologically diverse and that some of its lawmakers represent Republican-leaning districts.5. What does it say that Massachusetts voters elected, to fill the term of Ted Kennedy, a Republican who ran against the healthcare legislation that Kennedy helped to shape?It says Martha Coakley ran a lousy campaign and probably should have known who Curt Schilling is. It says the Democratic party has underperformed and is losing steam. It says the progressive base is disheartened while teabaggers and Republicans are energised. It says nothing about healthcare reform. Massachusetts has universal healthcare (which Scott Brown voted for) and is very happy with it.6. What does it say that the only thing bipartisan about that legislation is the opposition to it?It says the Republican party has shrivelled to a small group of hard-right ideologues. It says the GOP feels exceptionally threatened that Democrats may achieve a historic victory that improves – if not saves – the lives of millions. It says the GOP is cracking the whip of party discipline harder than ever, which Democrats don't do quite as well.7. What does it say that 39 senators voted to declare that legislation's centerpiece unconstitutional?They were all Republicans. It says Republicans will go to virtually any lengths to kill this bill.8. What does it say that healthcare researchers – a fairly leftwing lot – think the Senate bill is unconstitutional?They don't. You cited one quote by one research group that expressed doubts about one minor provision but made no definitive assertion.9. What does it say that the demands of pro-life and pro-choice House Democrats, each of which hold enough votes to determine the fate of this legislation, are irreconcilable?It says Democrats tolerate members who have ideological differences.10. What does it say that House Democrats are actually contemplating a legislative strategy that would deem the Senate bill to have passed the House — without the House ever actually voting on it?It says they really want to get rid of the bill's dodgy giveaways, like the Nelson deal, before it becomes law. Both chambers have already passed healthcare reform with a majority or a supermajority. This strategy (which may not even be used) is simply a motion wherein the House stamps its approval on the Senate bill under the condition that the special deals are eliminated.11. Given that ours is a system of government where ambition is made to counteract ambition, what does it mean that the only way to pass this legislation is for the House to trust that the Senate will keep the House's interests at heart?It says the legislative process is complex, especially when it comes to passing comprehensive reforms. It says the Democratic leadership still has some battles to fight before declaring "mission accomplished".And while we're asking questions, I have one of my own, for thoughtful opponents of ObamaCare: what does it say that the most fervent self-proclaimed fiscal conservatives are among the biggest opponents of a bill that will cut – that's right, cut – the deficit by $118bn dollars over a decade, according to yet another CBO analysis?US healthcareRepublicansUS politicsUnited StatesDemocratsObama administrationSahil Kapurguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-03-14 Jeffery and Miquette Roberts My parents Jeffery and Miquette Roberts, who have both died aged 66, within 10 days of each other, shared passions for the arts and languages, and had broad-ranging, inquiring minds. In April 2009, Jeffery was diagnosed with cancer. He faced this with amazing fortitude, and the unending support of Miquette, who died of injuries resulting from a fall shortly after his death.In my father's office were large maps of Russia and Finland, a piano and dictionaries covering various Nordic and Slavic languages. The effect was that of a musically gifted military dictator, combined with an eccentric taxi firm with an enormous catchment area. Jeffery had an avowedly internationalist focus, but his interest in the world was local as well, as shown by his time as a Liberal party councillor in Shoreditch, east London, from 1980 until 1987.Born near Liverpool, of Anglo-Welsh parentage, he settled in London permanently in the early 1970s, having read geology at New College, Oxford, and then undertaken PhD research at Cardiff. He married Miquette in 1974. On his return from a period in Finland, working for Union Bank of Finland, in 1991 he formed Pomor Petroleum and Impivaara Securities, two companies that focused their attention on markets in Finland, Russia and the erstwhile Baltic states and beyond.Jeffery spoke German, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, French and Russian. In the last years of his life, he took up Welsh. In his own language, he liked nothing better than talking at length, launching into excitable, provocative disquisitions, ranging in topic from delegate democracy, the situation in the Middle East (particularly Palestine) and the books of Karen Armstrong to the rise and fall of world empires.He was passionate about music – playing it and listening to it. Among his favoured composers were Sibelius, Rachmaninoff, Chopin and Liszt. He was engaged and engaging, intellectual, energetic and funny, and by turns infuriating and generous (in every sense of the word). Jeffery found his counterpart in Miquette's quiet, determined character.If Jeffery's room was his office, my mother's was the lounge. She had decorated it with a mix of African prints in sombre but not oppressive tones, and judiciously placed decorative objects. When a friend of mine visited, he stared as long as his manners allowed him to at Miquette's vibrant, shiny red shoes. He still talked about the shoes, and the contrasting tailored grey outfit, years later.Such was the impact of my mum's individual style and her charismatic, yet unassuming nature. She had very definite ideas about style in fashion and art; and let it be known in gentle, but assertive terms that she disapproved wryly of my rainbow hair changes over the years.Miquette was born in Glasgow, of mixed French and Scottish parentage. Her given name was Marie-Christine but she was universally known as Miquette, an affectionate name "usually given to cats in France" as she often remarked on meeting new people. Miquette will be remembered, among many other things, for her seemingly effortless ability to get on with others, and her talent as a writer (though she was far too modest to view herself in these glowing terms).Having read History of Art, French and German at Glasgow University, she continued her studies at New Hall, Cambridge, graduating in 1966. She then worked in an educational capacity in various art galleries, ranging from those in Bristol and Aberdeen (in the 1960s and 70s) to Tate Britain (1992-2004).On retirement, she took up the task of translating the wartime letters of her mother, Marie Touchard, from French into English. She also wrote an autobiographical work which she later doled out in tantalising snippets for the rest of the family to read. Her style was succinct and affecting. I remember her quiet but intense pride as she showed me the published letters of Marie Touchard in a bookshop in Paris in 2006.Miquette is survived by her brother, Malcolm. Jeffery is survived by his sister, Joan. Both are survived by me and my brother Duncan.LanguagesLiberal DemocratsGeologyFinlandRussiaArtTate Britainguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-03-14 Miguel Delibes obituary Celebrated Spanish writer with an incisive take on provincial lifeMiguel Delibes, who has died aged 89, was the 20th century's foremost writer about Castile, Spain's central tableland. Born in the city of Valladolid, he lived there all his life. In his 20 novels and numerous short stories, he portrayed this provincial city, where apparently nothing much happens, but "you see people clearly, in the round. You see people live and die, and this gives a melancholy and serene drama to existence." Passion in ordinary lives, sobriety and melancholy are the flavours of Delibes's writing.He also drew life in the countryside, with a profound empathy for nature and the poor. His were not the sentimental attitudes of an urban man looking at humble country folk. Although Delibes had a comfortable upbringing as son of the director of Valladolid's School of Commerce, his mother came from a remote village in Burgos province, where Delibes spent most of his summers. He knew country life intimately.In 1938, during the Spanish civil war, he volunteered to join the navy, because otherwise he would be drafted into the infantry and feared the prospect of hand-to-hand fighting. His experience at sea went into Madera de Héroe (1987; translated as The Stuff of Heroes), one of his best novels, from his late period when he could publish without worrying about censors. "Those of us who were not physically mutilated were psychologically mutilated," he wrote of the war.He studied commerce and law, but disliked both subjects. He found a job in 1941 on Valladolid's main paper, El Norte de Castilla (The North of Castile), as a cartoonist. A year later, he wrote his first article and by 1944 was a reporter. For 20 years he was pluri-employed: as a journalist, giving classes in business law (he had qualified) and writing novels.His first novel, La Sombra del Ciprés es Alargada (The Cypress Casts a Long Shadow), won the Nadal prize in 1948 and his career was launched. His second, Aún es de Día (It's Still Light, 1949), ran into censorship problems and was only published with considerable cuts. However, it was in his journalism that he met most trouble with the authorities, who disliked his campaigns denouncing rural poverty. He became editor of El Norte de Castilla in 1958, but was forced to resign in 1963. He found he could express his views more clearly in novels such as Las Ratas (The Rats, 1962).In 1964, he went as visiting professor for six months to Maryland and wrote on the US, the first of several travel books. By this time, he could support himself and his family by writing alone. One of his masterpieces, Cinco Horas con Mario (Five Hours With Mario, 1966) was adapted in the 1980s into a successful stage monologue. A woman watching over the coffin of her husband remembers her life with him. Without intending to, she reveals her bitterness, snobbish provincial life and how she, and the fascist society in which she lived, destroyed the liberal impulses of her husband, Mario. It is a wonder it got past the censors, but perhaps the device of the unreliable narrator was too subtle for them.Delibes was not solely a writer: in 1965 he set up an arts club in Valladolid, which became a focus for intellectual dissent; the next year, similarly, a film club. In his abhorrence of the dictatorship, Delibes was no radical activist; rather, a liberal democrat who was independent-minded.In 1946 he had married Ángeles de Castro, who encouraged him to write. She was the "better half of myself", he said. They had seven children, but Ángeles died, aged 50, in 1974, casting Delibes into a deep depression. He wrote about the last months of her life years later, in Señora de Rojo Sobre Fondo Gris (Lady in Red On a Grey Background, 1991).Delibes won numerous awards, including the National Literature prize twice, in 1955 and 1999, the Príncipe de Asturias in 1982, and Spain's main literary prize, the Cervantes, in 1994. Some 11 films have been made of his novels, the most famous being an adaptation of Los Santos Inocentes (The Holy Innocents, 1982), a ferocious story of humiliated workers on a big estate.He said of himself, "I am a hunter who writes", and published eight books on this passion. At the same time, he was also a lifelong ecologist, believing in the harmony between people and nature. No one reading his books could doubt his love of the natural world, expressed in a sober, realist style that is only poetic in its austerity.Delibes was elected to the Spanish Royal Academy in 1973 and his induction speech criticised humanity's ravages of nature. His last book, La Tierra Herida (The Wounded Earth, 2005), takes the form of a dialogue between him and his eldest son, also Miguel Delibes, the former head of Doñana national park. The book is a moving account of climate change. His last novel, El Hereje (The Heretic, 1998), is set in 16th-century Valladolid. This new departure – a historical novel – sums up the central theme of his life's work: the plea for freedom of conscience against absolutism.His children survive him.• Miguel Delibes Setién, writer, born 17 October 1920; died 12 March 2010SpainNewspapersMichael Eaudeguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-03-14 Britons face jail in Dubai over kiss Pair are currently free on bail but could face up to a month in prison after being accused of kissing in public by a motherTwo Britons accused of kissing in public in Dubai face up to a month in prison after a mother complained her child had seen them.Ayman Najafi, 24, from Palmers Green, and a female friend named by the Sun as tourist Charlotte Lewis, 25, launched an appeal in a Dubai court today but will have to wait three weeks to find out if they have been successful.Najafi, who has lived in Dubai for the past 18 months, and Lewis were arrested last November and accused of kissing, touching each other intimately and consuming alcohol.The pair, currently free on bail, were also fined 1,000 dirhams (£178) for illegal consumption of alcohol, the lawyer said. They had their passports confiscated and were to be deported after the completion of their jail sentence.A lawyer for the pair said there had been no inappropriate kissing and the pair were just friends. "There was no lip kissing. It was just a normal greeting that is not considered offensive," Khalaf al-Hosani told AFP, adding the complainant's testimony was contradictory.A verdict is expected on 4 April.Najafi's mother, Maida, said that she hadn't slept or eaten for two days since hearing the news, but insisted her son was a "well-behaved, decent Muslim" who knew the rules in the emirate.From her home in Palmers Green, she said: "I'm still waiting for news. When he spoke to me yesterday he was shattered, exhausted and confused. He told me: 'Don't worry about me, I'm all right.'"She said that her eldest son, who was due home for his birthday in a couple of weeks, had vowed to clear his name."I haven't slept or eaten for two days but I know he's a strong man and he's tough. He's a fighter and he is going to do well."He's not a very strict Muslim but a decent Muslim and he knows the rules over there." She said that her son did not have a girlfriend and she did not know his co-accused.Dubai's misdemeanours court reportedly heard evidence from a mother who initially complained to police. She said she was offended by the couple's behaviour at the Jumeirah Beach Residence, where she was dining with her daughter.A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "A British national was arrested in Dubai on 27 November. Consular assistance was provided at the time."The case is the third in under two years in which Britons have fallen foul of decency laws in Dubai. Dubai's burgeoning foreign population, which now outnumbers that of Emirati nationals, has sparked concerns that the pace of change is threatening the conservative region's social and religious identity.In 2008, a British couple narrowly escaped jail after being found guilty of engaging in drunken sexual activity out of wedlock and in public. This year, a British couple who shared a Dubai hotel room escaped trial for having sex out of wedlock by producing a marriage certificate.DubaiUnited Arab EmiratesKaren McVeighguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-03-14 How I introduced my fiance to Pakistan Pakistan is dubbed "the most dangerous country in the world". So what would Homa Khaleeli's English fiance make of it on his first trip there?'I bet you didn't think there were places like this in Pakistan?" my cousin asked, waving the first glowstick I had seen in a decade. I had come on a family holiday to introduce my fiance to Pakistan, and somehow we had ended up at an all-night rave in a farmhouse outside Lahore. Only gun-toting guards and sleepy drivers waiting for their teenage charges gave away the party.I had been worried about how my English boyfriend would cope with his first visit to the subcontinent and the huge number of relatives he needed to meet before our wedding in August. He was more worried about being a tourist in what the Economist has decreed the "most dangerous country in the world", and the fact that my mum had (half-jokingly) refused to pay any ransom if he was kidnapped.It's true Pakistan isn't trouble-free. During celebrations for the Prophet's birthday, fears of sectarian violence kept us indoors. Just a few days after we visited the beautiful Mughal city of Lahore, a suicide bomber killed at least 13 people. A week later a six-year-old British boy was kidnapped. And everyone in sprawling, turbulent Karachi, where we were based, seemed to have a story to tell about being mugged at gunpoint.But despite my cousins warning that everyone would assume my fiance was "from the CIA or Blackwater", his presence only sparked a flood of people wanting to practise their English. On a trip to the India/Pakistan border to watch a flag-lowering ceremony he ended up the main attraction with crowds of local men desperate to take photographs of this exotic visitor.In between all the sight-seeing visits there was lots and lots of shopping. My fiance sent some desperate texts when he was led off to buy his wedding outfit, a sherwani (collarless coat) over baggy trousers. "Help!" came his message. "They're trying to buy me a turban and a coat covered in diamanté." Meanwhile, I fretted over sari designs.Finally my cousins showed us the side of Pakistan that is missed by the headlines of terrorist training camps and religious extremists: the constant round of parties, dances – and, of course, glowsticks.PakistanPakistanHoma Khaleeliguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-03-14 Obama aide calls Israeli settlement announcement an 'insult' to the US • Axelrod brands plans as 'very destructive' • Netanyahu tries to calm tension with key allyOne of President Obama's most senior aides has described Israel's sudden announcement of plans to build 1,600 homes in occupied East Jerusalem as an "affront" to the US which could undermine peace efforts in the Middle East.Yesterday, David Axelrod said the move, which overshadowed a visit to Israel by the US vice-president, Joe Biden, was "very destructive"."This was an affront, it was an insult but most importantly it undermined this very fragile effort to bring peace to that region," he said on NBC's Meet the Press. "For this announcement to come at that time was very destructive."Axelrod, one of the architects of Obama's election, is not the first US official to have criticised the decision but he is one of the president's closest advisers. His remarks came after the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, sought to downplay the row with Washington."We opened the newspapers this morning and read all kinds of commentary and assumptions regarding the crisis with the US. I recommend not to get carried away and to calm down," Netanyahu told his cabinet today, Associated Press reported. "There was a regrettable incident that was done in all innocence and was hurtful, and which certainly should not have occurred."Asked about Netanyahu's remarks, Axelrod said he believed the strong rebuke from Washington had sunk in. "I think the message was received," he said, although Netanyahu gave no indication the government was prepared to cancel the plan.In his remarks to the cabinet, Netanyahu said: "Israel and the US have mutual interests but we will act according to the vital interests of the state of Israel."The announcement on Tuesday that thousands of new homes were being planned in Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem came on the eve of Biden's arrival in the region for discussions to restart "proximity talks" between Israel and Palestinians, with the US mediating. Almost immediately, the news prompted Palestinian leaders to pull out of the new round of talks.Israel's cabinet minister, Isaac Herzog, apologised for the timing of the announcement but not for its substance.Obama administration officials have criticised the scheme in a stream of sharply worded statements accusing the Israeli government of jeopardising good-faith negotiations with the Palestinians.Hillary Clinton spoke at length with Netanyahu by phone on Friday, calling the move a "deeply negative signal" about Israel's approach to its relationship with the US. In an interview on Friday, Clinton also called the move "an insult to the US", though she reiterated that the US-Israel relationship remains "durable and strong". She suggested the move was the work of elements within the Israeli government who oppose the creation of an independent Palestinian state."It was just really a very unfortunate and difficult moment for everyone … and I regret deeply that it occurred," she said.Israel has agreed to slow construction of settlements in the West Bank but has refused to halt building in East Jerusalem. Israel considers East Jerusalem, which it captured in the 1967 war, its sovereign territory and Netanyahu has spoken frequently in defence of settlements there.IsraelPalestinian territoriesBinyamin NetanyahuUnited StatesMiddle EastDaniel Nasawguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-03-14 Racism claims rock Broadway The New Yorker's theatre critic has divided US theatregoers with a furious assault on Irish writer Martin McDonagh's hit new playControversial playwright Martin McDonagh is used to creating headlines in Britain and Ireland with his dark tales laced with black humour and flowing with stage blood.So his attempt to crack the American market with his first play set in the US has caused an understandable stir on Broadway, where Christopher Walken has been persuaded to play the lead role. But trying out an American setting as opposed to an Irish one is proving a challenging exercise.The play, A Behanding in Spokane, has a typically bleak and violent McDonagh premise: an ageing killer, played by Walken, is looking for a severed hand that he lost many years ago, then he meets a couple of con artists in a dingy hotel room who tell him they have the precious appendage.Some reviewers have judged that McDonagh – whose other plays include The Lieutenant of Inishmore and The Pillowman and who also directed and wrote the hit film In Bruges, starring Colin Farrell – fails to understand the American psyche as well as he does that of his fellow Irishmen. "He seems to have lost his hitherto unerring sense of direction in the busy, open country of the United States," wrote Ben Brantley in the New York Times. USA Today called it: "...hardly McDonagh's most fully realised effort". Then there was the New Yorker. In an extraordinary and withering review, the magazine's theatre critic, Hilton Als, laid into the play for being overtly racist. "I don't know a single self-respecting black actor who wouldn't feel shame and fury while sitting through Martin McDonagh's new play," began Als's review, which is probably one of the most negative pieces of theatre criticism produced by the magazine in recent years.Als, who is black, took umbrage at the play's use of racist insults by Walken's character, who is openly and proudly prejudiced. "A Behanding… isn't in the least palatable; it's vile, particularly in its repeated use of the word 'nigger'," Als wrote. He then went on to compare the play's lone black role, Toby – played by Anthony Mackie, the star of The Hurt Locker, to the racist caricatures of black Americans that populated American cinema in the 1920s and 1930s. "The caricature he [McDonagh] presents in Toby, the young black male, as a shucking, jiving thief can't be excused," he wrote, before lamenting that he believed that Mackie and other black actors have to take such roles in order to get higher-profile work. "The sad fact is that, in order to cross over, most black actors of Mackie's generation must act black before they're allowed to act human," Als wrote.Als appears to be the only major critic who reacted to the play's racial themes so viscerally. Few other reviews paid its use of racist language much attention, instead focusing on Walken's performance, which has been widely praised amid early whispers of Tony awards. But Als's remarks certainly hit home with the play's British producer, Robert Fox. "It was absolutely vindictive. Although Hilton Als's comments are meaningless in the scheme of things, because the show is doing very well, I think his remarks were entirely inappropriate and irresponsible," Fox told the Observer.Fox said he thought Als's criticism was in itself an injection of racism where none was merited. "It was racist in that it was racially intolerant to write those things. He doesn't identify himself [in the review] as a black writer. I think it is extraordinary. I know people who have written to the New Yorker about it already. It is completely out of order," Fox said.Als did not reply to emails or an interview request from the Observer. Nor did the theatre or Mackie have an official reaction. "We have no comment, nor does Anthony Mackie," said a spokeswoman for the production.Some Broadway experts, however, agreed that, while the work does contain racially provocative material, it is unlikely to cause widespread offence, especially with audiences there to see Walken. "I can understand why an African-American may approach the play with a little reticence, but I don't think that is McDonagh's intent," said Dan Bacalzo, managing editor of Theatremania, a top New York theatre website.Bacalzo defended McDonagh's right to put racist language in the mouths of one of his characters as he tries to take on American themes. "For Americans race is more important than class, so the material is appropriate for him to tackle when dealing with America," he added.Race issuesTheatreUnited StatesVanessa ThorpePaul Harrisguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-03-14 Controversial US pastor courted by Blair Former prime minister builds network of Christian allies as he prepares to launch a religious 'offensive' in North AmericaTony Blair is preparing to launch a "faith offensive" across the United States over the next year, after building up relationships with a network of influential religious leaders and faith organisations.With Afghanistan and Iraq casting a shadow over his popularity at home in Britain, Blair's focus has increasingly shifted across the Atlantic, to where the nexus of faith and power is immutable and he is feted like a rock star.According to the annual accounts of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, a UK-based charity that promotes cohesion between the major faiths, the foundation is to develop a US arm that will pursue a host of faith-based projects. The accounts show that his foundation has an impressive – and, in at least one case, controversial – set of faith contacts. Sitting on some £4.5m in funds as of April last year, mostly gathered through donations, it is now well placed to make its voice heard.The foundation's advisory council of religious leaders includes Rick Warren, powerful founder of the California-based Saddleback church. It attracts congregations of nearly 20,000 and is reportedly one of the largest in the US. Warren, who has addressed the UN and the World Economic Forum in Davos, has been named one of the "15 world leaders who matter most" and one of the "100 most influential people in the world".His influence was confirmed in December 2008 when Barack Obama chose him to give the invocation at his presidential inauguration. But the decision angered many liberals, who see Warren as an opponent of gay rights and abortion on demand; a prominent alliance with Warren is likely to attract similar attacks on the former British prime minister.Also on the council is David Coffey, president of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA), a Virginia-based network of churches that spans the globe and is particularly active in the US.Another initiative has been to team up with the Belinda Stronach Foundation in Toronto. Unknown in the UK, Stronach, daughter of a Canadian billionaire, is hugely influential in Canada where as a philanthropist, businesswoman and former politician she has served in both the Conservative and Liberal parties. Attractive and barely into her 40s, media commentators have dubbed her "bubba's blonde", a reference to her friendship with Bill Clinton.According to the accounts, Blair intends to open an office in Toronto to develop the relationship.His desire for North America to be the focus of his faith-based operations was confirmed by the decision to hold his foundation's inaugural event in May 2008 in New York, for the "charity's key partners and religious stakeholders".The accounts also shine a light on the close connections the foundation now enjoys with major political institutions in the US. "With the Washington-based Centre for Interfaith Action, the foundation supported a meeting of major international organisations active in faith-based approaches to combating malaria (plus the White House, World Bank, UN, World Health Organisation) to co-ordinate international efforts," the accounts state.That Blair, a charismatic politician driven by faith, should be at home across the Atlantic is no surprise to political analysts. "He comes across as confident and persuasive," said Professor Shawn Bowler, of the University of California at Riverside. "He does not talk like a modern robo-candidate in the way so many US political figures do." Unlike in the UK, Blair's religious fervour is seen as a strength. "Blair is very open about his faith and that plays a lot better in the US than in Britain," Bowler said.But the overtly religious dimension has drawn criticism. "The Tony Blair Faith Foundation is a fundamentally flawed concept," said Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society. "If religion is constantly at the fore, then the old suspicions and hatreds will continue to fester."Other North American faith-based initiatives endorsed by the foundation include the New York-based Global Nomads Group, which brings together young people through video conferences "to discuss the global issues that affect their lives", and the Faiths Act Fellowship, which selects "30 young leaders aged 18-25, drawn from the different faiths from the US, UK and Canada, to embark on a 10-month journey of interfaith service".Blair's status is such that he is now called on to sprinkle stardust at religious gatherings, such as a speech he delivered at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington. Even his autobiography, The Journey, for which he was paid a £4.6m advance, appears to be aimed at the US market. "Tony Blair is an extremely popular figure in North America," said Sonny Mehta, his publisher. "His memoir is refreshing, both for its candour and vivid portrayal of political life."So embedded is he that Blair regularly crops up in Washington society diaries. Last September, the former Republican vice-president, Dick Cheney, was dining in the same restaurant. Blair got top billing in the gossip columns.Tony BlairReligionChristianityUS politicsUnited StatesJamie DowardPaul Harrisguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-03-14 Ethiopian envoy joins Geldof's BBC battle Ethiopian ambassador says the BBC World Service has endangered its credibility with claims that western aid money was diverted to buy weaponsThe row between Bob Geldof and the BBC escalated into a diplomatic dispute yesterday as the Ethiopian ambassador called for an apology from the World Service after it reported claims that aid money meant for famine victims had been spent on weapons.Peter Horrocks, director of the World Service, has said he fully supports the report, which featured one former Ethiopian rebel saying 95% of the money that flowed into famine-hit Tigray in 1985 was spent by the TPLF militia on guns.A second man claimed that the TPLF (Tigrayan People's Liberation Front, now the ruling party of prime minister Meles Zenawi) had made a fortune selling sand disguised as grain to the aid agencies.Live Aid founder Geldof and other leading charities have also demanded that the BBC retract the claims and have called for its reporter, Martin Plaut, to be fired.Now ambassador Berhanu Kebede has told the Observer that he expects a full apology from the BBC, which has "destroyed its credibility in Africa"."Frankly, it's a ridiculous report. They have not looked at this person they interviewed, who had left the TPLF before 1985. Anyone knows that a liberation movement depends on the support of the people to win. How could they starve their people or snatch bread from their mouths?"To question the integrity of organisations like Band Aid, the Red Cross, Christian Aid, it is laughable. If the BBC want to investigate something from 25 years ago, they should have talked to a lot more people who were there."In Ethiopia, people on both sides laugh at this idea. They know it would have been a suicide mission to divert the aid money and let people starve; it makes no sense and it is unacceptable. For the BBC's own credibility, it has to apologise for this disgrace."Horrocks is to have a meeting with the aid agency heads this week, and has said it was absolutely in the public interest to examine the claims being made.International aid and developmentEthiopiaBBC World ServiceBBCRadio industryTracy McVeighguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-03-14 Palestinian stone-thrower's jail ordeal Rights groups express concern at the rising number of juveniles as young as 12 who are held behind bars and 'treated like terrorists'With more than 300 Palestinian children being held in Israeli prisons, human rights groups and Palestinian officials are increasingly concerned about the actions of the Israeli military.The Israeli group B'Tselem said that security forces had "severely violated" the rights of a number of children, aged between 12 and 15, who had been taken into custody in recent months.The family of one 13-year-old boy from Hebron who was arrested on 27 February by a military patrol and detained for eight days have brought a legal case against the authorities. The teenager, Al-Hasan Muhtaseb, described how he had been interrogated without a lawyer late into the night, forced to confess to throwing stones, made to sign a confession in Hebrew that he couldn't read, jailed with adults and brought before a military court. He was only released on bail eight days later, after considerable legal effort by several human rights groups. As he had signed a confession, he still faces a possible indictment for throwing stones – a charge that usually brings several months in jail but carries a maximum penalty of 20 years' jail.Although most international attention focuses on diplomatic sparring in the Middle East, it is cases such as this teenager's arrest that are the reality for Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation. The surprise about the teenager's experience is not that it is exceptional, but that it is a common occurrence.As of the end of February, 343 Palestinian children were being held in Israeli prisons, according to Defence for Children International (DCI), which took up the Muhtaseb case. Israel routinely prosecutes Palestinian children as young as 12 and the Israeli legal system treats Palestinians as adults when they turn 16, but Israelis become adults only at 18. Ill-treatment and torture of Palestinian children are "widespread, systematic and institutionalised", DCI said in a report last year.Al-Hasan Muhtaseb was arrested early in the afternoon as he and his 10-year-old brother Amir were walking home through Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, after visiting their aunt."Two soldiers came to us and told us: 'Come over here.' We went to them," said Al-Hasan, a slight boy, neatly dressed, who barely looks his 13 years. "They took my brother and I don't know where they took him. I was sent inside the station and I never saw him after that."They were detained separately. Amir was released later that night, deeply traumatised. "He was in a very, very bad psychological state," said his father, Fadel Muhtaseb, 45. "He had wet himself. He was terrified." The boy said he had been held with his eyes covered by a hat in a room where there was also a dog, which he could hear panting.Al-Hasan was interrogated at an Israeli military post in Kiryat Arba, a Jewish settlement in Hebron. "I was asked: 'Did you throw stones? Did you hurt the soldiers or hit their vehicles? How close were you to the soldiers? Why were you throwing stones?'," he said. Eventually he had admitted throwing stones, although in an interview last week Al-Hasan said it was untrue: on that day he had not thrown stones, although earlier in the week he had.He had been made to sign a statement in Hebrew, a language he doesn't speak or read. He was blindfolded and taken to Ofer military prison, where he arrived at 3.30am. "There were no other children," he said. "I was afraid." Three days after his arrest he appeared at a military court. But his father, who works as a tiler, could not afford the 2,000 shekels (£350) bail. "My father told them he couldn't pay this much money," said Al-Hasan. His father, who sat next to him through the interview, burst into tears.Last Sunday the boy was freed under a bail arrangement in which his father faces arrest if his son does not appear at the next summons. "Even if he were throwing stones, he is only 13," said Fadel. "They treated him like a terrorist. They claim they are democratic and human, but they are not."The Israeli Defence Force defended the arrest, saying Israeli troops were acting to prevent violence. Both boys are now incontinent and Amir has been hospitalised. "He wakes up in the middle of the night screaming," said Fadel. "We try to comfort him, but he's getting worse and worse."The Palestinian Authority highlighted the case of the two Muhtaseb brothers, saying Israel was breaching international law and has recently seemed to take a stronger stance against the more routine challenges of the occupation, including the effect of the West Bank barrier. Israeli security forces have warned of a broader crackdown if the protests escalate.Palestinian territoriesIsraelRory McCarthyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-03-14 US woman held in Ireland over Vilks 'plot' Mother says Jamie Paulin-Ramirez had been in contact with fellow American 'Jihad Jane'A second US woman who converted to Islam has been arrested in connection with an alleged attempt to kill a Swedish artist, days after terror charges were revealed against a woman dubbed "Jihad Jane".Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, 31, from Colorado, was among seven people arrested in Ireland last week over the alleged plot to kill Lars Vilks, who depicted the prophet Muhammad as a dog in a sketch.Her mother, Christine Mott, said Paulin-Ramirez was lonely and had "got sucked in" to extremism. Paulin-Ramirez announced last year that she had converted to Islam and moved to Ireland with her six-year-old son.Irish police refused to discuss the case. Three are of those arrested are still in custody.Paulin-Ramirez's arrest is one of four developments in the last week involving Americans and alleged terror activities abroad. The al-Qaida spokesman Adam Gadahn appeared in a video; Sharif Mobley, of New Jersey, tried to escape his detainment in Yemen; and Colleen LaRose, who allegedly went by the name Jihad Jane to recruit others online to kill Vilks, was named in a federal terror indictment.Mott said Paulin-Ramirez had told her family they would go to hell if they didn't follow her steps and began wearing headscarves, and later a hijab."It came out of left field," she said. "I knew she was talking to these people online ... What caused her to turn her back on her country, on her family and become this person? I don't know how or why. All I know is she was in contact with this Jihad Jane."Mott said she and her daughter were "enemies ... We couldn't even speak to each other." When Paulin-Ramirez had discussed jihad with her stepfather, George Mott, who has been a Muslim for more than 40 years, she told him "she'd strap a bomb for the cause", Mrs Mott said.Last week an indictment was unsealed accusing LaRose of plotting to murder an unnamed Swedish man in order to frighten "the whole Kufar [nonbeliever] world". According to FBI agents who tracked her from at least July last year, she was potentially a dangerous would-be terrorist intent on martyrdom and using the aliases Jihad Jane and Fatima LaRose.There is mounting anxiety in the US about the incidence of American citizens engaging in jihadist activities. It is a phenomenon of homegrown terrorism that has previously been considered rare in the country.In December last year FBI agents and their Pakistani colleagues interrogated five young American Muslims who were suspected of being on their way to Afghanistan to fight with the Taliban against US-led forces. Earlier in December another US citizen, David Headley, was charged with helping to plan the Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people in 2008.IrelandUnited StatesJames Sturckeguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-03-14 Panic sweeps Georgia after TV hoax Imedi TV broadcaster provokes panic with report claiming Russian attack in progressSwitching on their TV sets at 8pm on Saturday, Georgians were greeted with incredible news – Russia had invaded. The pro-government Imedi TV station reported that Russian tanks were once more trundling into Georgia. Not only that, but the country's pro-western leader Mikheil Saakashvili had been murdered, the station said.For the next half an hour there were scenes of absolute panic, as the mobile network collapsed, Georgians spilled on to the streets, and friends and relatives desperately tried to reach each other and seek out information. In fact, they needn't have bothered.The report, it turned out, was a hoax. The Kremlin hadn't invaded and Saakashvili, it emerged, was very much alive. Not since Orson Welles persuaded Americans that the Martians had landed, during his hysteria-sparking War of the Worlds radio broadcast, had a whole nation been so duped.Today furious opposition politicians denounced the TV stunt as dangerous and irresponsible. Angry residents in the capital, Tbilisi, gathered outside the offices of Imedi TV, hours after the report flashed erroneously around the world. Saakashvili, however, was unapologetic. He declared that the threat of Russian attack remained "very realistic".Zaza Gachechiladze, editor-in-chief of the Georgian Messenger newspaper, said: "People were completely shocked. I was driving to my friend's party when I got a phone call telling me to turn on the TV."I rushed upstairs. There was Dmitry Medvedev saying that Russia was intervening in Georgia. I didn't notice this was old footage from August 2008. I immediately started looking for my children."Gachechiladze said it took him 10 minutes to establish the story was, as he put it, "bullshit". He added: "It was a very cruel simulation. One lady whose son was in the army had a heart attack and died. Another pregnant lady lost her baby. Many children were taken to hospital suffering from stress. It was horrible what happened, actually. It is a criminal act that should be punished."Over in Moscow, Russia's state news agency, Interfax, flashed news of the apparent invasion and Saakashvili's demise. British and American correspondents abandoned their dinner parties, phoned their editors in London, and began hunting for their flak jackets. It was left to David Cracknell, a seasoned former senior reporter on the Sunday Times now working for the Georgian government, to kill the story. He sent journalists a laconic SMS. It read simply: "Not true."But for many Georgians the threat of a Russian invasion remains hauntingly real, given the five-day conflict of August 2008. Georgian tanks attempted to seize back the rebel province of South Ossetia, prompting a punitive pan-Georgian Russian invasion. Russian troops continue to occupy breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia – a short drive away from Tbilisi, down a scenic mountain valley lined with walnut trees and orchards.Relations with Russia have scarcely improved since Vladimir Putin, Russia's prime minister, notoriously told Nicolas Sarkozy during the Russo-Georgian conflict that he planned to hang Saakashvili "by the balls". Few observers, however, expect Russia to launch another attack since it achieved most of its geopolitical goals last time.They included thwarting Georgia's attempts to join Nato, humiliating Saakashvili and – by proxy – his backers in the US, and avenging the west's decision to recognise Kosovo, a move Moscow bitterly resents. (Russia got its own back by recognising South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent. So far, though, only Venezuela, Nicaragua and the tiny Pacific guano island of Nauru have followed Moscow's lead.)Nearly two years on, Georgia's unhappy war with its mighty neighbour continues to divide Georgians and polarise society. Saakashvili insists his South Ossetian offensive was a desperate response to a long-planned and already under way Russian assault. Georgia's opposition accuses Saakashvili of criminal recklessness. It says that since coming to power in the 2003 Rose revolution Saakashvili has turned from liberal reformer to nationalist autocrat.It is no coincidence that Imedi TV's extraordinary broadcast came days after Georgia's opposition leader, Nino Burdzhanadze, held talks in Moscow with Putin, and called for the restoration of ties. Announcing that Russia had bombed Georgian airports and seaports, the 30-minute bulletin said that Burdzhanadze had taken power. The broadcast appears to be an ill-conceived dig at Georgia's opposition, before important elections for a mayor of Tbilisi in late May.Georgia's interior ministry conceded that the broadcast had caused "great panic". Cinemas in Tbilisi emptied as parents called their children home. However, Georgy Arveladze, the head of Georgia Media Production Holding which owns Imedi, said the aim of the broadcast had been to show the "real threat" of how events might unfold. The station said it had indicated the broadcast was a scenario – but the distinction appears to have been lost on most viewers.Russia and its state-controlled media have long portrayed Saakashvili as a dangerous tie-chewing maniac. Today gleeful Kremlin politicians seized on the TV channel's stunt to ram home their view that Georgia's leader was indeed deranged. Russia's envoy to Nato, Dmitry Rogozin, dubbed it "criminal", and said the western military alliance should have nothing to do with Georgia's erratic president.Imedi TV used to be Georgian's main independent TV station. Saakashvili, however, took the channel off the air after falling out with its owner, the oligarch and opposition presidential candidate Badri Patarkatsishvili. After Patarkatsishvili's death in exile in England in 2008, Sakaashvili handed the station over to a government supporter. It now regularly screens pro-government opinion.GeorgiaRussiaBroadcasting deceptionThe news on TVTV newsLuke Hardingguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-03-14 SS veterans set to parade in Latvia Row over SS veterans' parade in Latvia puts the spotlight on Tory links to eastern Europe's far right Nazi sympathisersThe number three bus in Riga winds from the mouth of the river Daugava, past the lovely old centre of the city to the miles of Lego-brick, Soviet-era blocks in Plavnieki.At the foot of one of them, Natalija is sitting at one table and Maksimam at another in the Tris Pelmeni cafe, eating herring with onions and drinking beer while ice melts down the windows and the radio relays a highly charged ice-hockey game between Dinamo Riga and Ska St Petersburg. Old ladies pick through the snow with shopping, men rummage through rubbish bins and boys with shaven heads fly the Russian flag from cars screeching through the slush.This weekend, there is also a widespread sense of anger. In this ethnic Russian suburb of the Latvian capital, there is disbelief at the prospect of a commemoration to be held this Tuesday by veterans and supporters of the Latvian Legion of the wartime SS.Natalija's uncle "was killed by the fascists", she says, yet "still the Latvians allow a parade of the SS of Adolf Hitler!".Maksimam, younger, hunches the collar of his leather jacket, sips his drink and says he cares little what the old people get up to – but spits at the idea of an SS ceremony.In a nod to ethnic allegiance, he is supporting St Petersburg in the ice-hockey contest against his home town. Many of his fellow ethnic Russians, who form the majority in the capital but a minority nationwide, are doing the same.A few miles away in the city centre, rows of young Latvians greet the end of the match, a sensational 3-1 away win for Riga, at the Folk Klubs Ala, with beers and cheers for a stab at the Russian foe on his own terrain.Here the view of Tuesday's controversial commemoration is very different. A boy called Uldis thinks "it's correct to allow those who fought for Latvia to honour the dead". The idea they were Nazis is "bullshit – they were defending our country".Battered by recession and emerging from the harshest winter in 30 years, Riga is bitterly divided over an annual commemoration that has also become an international controversy. Ever since David Cameron pulled the Conservative party out of the centre-right coalition in the European parliament to align the Tories alongside rightwingers such as Latvia's Fatherland and Freedom, which helps organise the SS event, an unexpected spotlight has shone on this corner of eastern Europe.The foreign secretary, David Miliband, has called such links "sickening". The Tory chairman, Eric Pickles, has accused critics of recycling "old Soviet smears" about the Latvians. And the annual SS veterans' march has become for many a disturbing symbol of rightwing extremism within the European Union.The ramifications of the row that electrified British politics and Brussels have now been felt in Riga. Tuesday's events have been banned by the courts – citing security reasons – at the behest of the pro-Russian Harmony party which controls Riga.The party's chairman, Janis Urbanovics, told the Observer that "although the legionnaires themselves decrease with time, the problem is increasing. After independence, this country became so preoccupied with hating Russia that it is not coming to terms with what happened during German occupation. We need that in order to draw a line under the past".Juris Dobelis, a parliamentary deputy for the Fatherland and Freedom party, will be there in defiance of the ban. "A soldier is a soldier and all soldiers are equal," says Dobelis. The units that fought here "were young men of 19 mobilised to fight other young men 19 years old. If politicians want to make speeches about that, it's not our concern. We have seen commemorations in London and Moscow – this is ours." The Latvian Legion fought, he insists, "for the liberation of Latvia from the Soviet Union", and in support of the Wermacht "as liberators only for a moment".Therefore, "we will go as a party", says Dobelis, a man with a manner of iron, "with veterans of 90 years old, to church at 10am. After church we go to the monument and by afternoon we shall be 70km away at the Lestana cemetery" – where the SS dead are buried.Janis Atis Krumins's father was an SS legionnaire and he will be there, too. Krumins is a member of Daugava Vanagi – Hawk of the Daugava – founded in 1945 by 12,000 legionnaires in a British POW camp at Zedelgem in Belgium "to support the veterans and families of the dead, scattered into exile during Soviet occupation", says Krumins.The commemoration provokes anger, Krumins says, "because whoever wins the war is considered to be in the right. Justice belongs to the victor, and the Soviet victor's history demands that legionnaires be considered war criminals, the Red Army as heroes. For the Russians, whoever fights against communism is a fascist".Their gesture will be contested on the streets and at a conference – addressed today by the director of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, Efraim Zuroff – run by Latvia's Anti-Fascist Committee, LAK. LAK was founded by a beekeeper named Josepf Koren, who describes himself as "not Russian but Jewish and born anti-communist" after his and his wife's families were persecuted by the Soviets."We don't say all veterans are war criminals," says Koren, "but at least 25% of the Latvian Legion were recruited from the Latvian police who were involved in the murder of Jews and other Latvians, and the SS Legion should not be permitted a celebration of itself in the centre of our city."This event has become a political football in contemporary Latvia – a young country bitterly and deeply divided between ethnic Latvian and Russian communities and political parties – on all sides, even among Tuesday's mourners: "The second world war is with us today," says Mr Dobelis. "We have many senior former officers of the KGB and Red Army living in Latvia."The country's foremost public historian, Valters Nollendorfs, has problems with both sides of the argument, defending the Legion as distinct from the Third Reich but chastising Latvian politicians "for not coming to terms with the Holocaust"."The elite that runs this country knows that people who volunteered or were drafted by the Germans were among the murderers of the Jews." On the other hand, "you cannot take away the context of a year of Soviet occupation. When does resistance to the Soviets end and collaboration with the Nazis begin?" Successive occupations "dealt a terrible blow to Latvia's sense of being, pitting brother against brother, literally".Arturis Punte's two grandfathers fought on opposite sides, one for the Legion, the other for the Red Army. Arturis calls himself "a Russian Latvian in Europe", and it is a relief to meet him in a bistro for which he is translating the menu into Russian. Punte is a poet, but is best known in Latvia for his Orbita project, which became the first Russian arts group to win the Latvian literary medal."We try to translate between the cultures, literally and figuratively," he says, "to forge an objective Latvian narrative we can all share. Both sides manufacture folklores of fake heroism based on bad history, and the ceremony of 16 March just reflects the fact that the establishment can't say clearly what happened here – everyone is always looking for someone else to be the guilty ones in the traumas that this place has been through."In Riga, while the rest of Europe debates the danger of far-right extremism in the present, and the likes of Juris Dobelis commemorate a dubious past, the increasingly urgent priority is reconciliation.The far rightLatviaRussiaGermanySecond world warEd Vulliamyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-03-14 Tamil alliance drops independence call Tamil National Alliance says ahead of elections it is ready to accept self-rule in north and east provincesSri Lanka's main ethnic Tamil party has dropped its demand for an independent state and said it is ready to accept regional self-rule, following the defeat of separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in a 25-year civil war.The Tamil National Alliance, which backed the rebels, said ahead of parliamentary elections that it would accept a "federal structure" in the north and east provinces with power over land, finance and law and order.Formed in 2001, the alliance acted as a proxy for the Tamil Tigers until their military defeat by government forces last year. It has 22 members in the outgoing 225-seat parliament.Tamils have long complained of discrimination at the hands of the island's majority Sinhalese, but Sri Lankan authorities have rejected any self-rule, saying it would be a prelude to secession.The president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, called the 8 April parliamentary vote in an apparent attempt to consolidate his political dominance after winning re-election as president in January, in a ballot called two years ahead of schedule. The opposition leader, former army chief Sarath Fonseka, has been detained on sedition allegations.The Tamil alliance, which supported Fonseka in the presidential election but plans to contest the parliamentary vote on an independent platform, demanded resettlement, housing and livelihood programmes for the nearly 300,000 Tamil civilians displaced in the last stages of the civil war, about 100,000 of whom are still in refugee camps.Some of the displaced civilians live with relatives and friends while others have been sent back to their villages without proper shelter or means to make a living.The alliance also asked the government to permit the return of nearly 1 million Tamils who fled to Europe and India as refugees. It wants the government to demilitarise former rebel-held areas and dismantle high-security zones where troops occupy thousands of acres of private land and houses.Between 80,000 and 100,000 people were killed during the civil war.Sri Lankaguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-03-14 Bangkok protests draw thousands 100,000-strong anti-government rally calls for Thai PM to dissolve parliamentTens of thousands of red-shirted protesters rallied in Bangkok to press for the Thai government dissolve parliament or face further demonstrations at key sites in the city.The protesters, many from the impoverished north and north-east, want the prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, to call new elections, which they believe will allow their political allies to regain power.The crowd was estimated by police at more than 100,000. The demonstrations have been building for two days as caravans of protesters poured into the city. The demonstrators stressed they would use only peaceful means.Many back the former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 2006 military coup for alleged corruption and abuse of power. They believe Abhisit came to power illegitimately with the connivance of the military and other members of the traditional ruling class who were alarmed by Thaksin's popularity, particularly among the poor."We're demanding the government give up its administrative power by dissolving parliament and returning power to the people," said a protest leader, Veera Musikapong. "We're giving the government 24 hours."The protesters, formally known as the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, said they will march on key locations in the city if the government fails to respond, including the headquarters of the 11th Infantry Regiment, where Abhisit has been living in recent days.In his weekly radio address this morning, Abhisit indicated that he had no plans to dissolve the legislature. "Dissolution and calls for resignations are normal in a democratic system. But we have to make sure the dissolution of parliament will solve the problem and won't make the next election troublesome," he said.The PM denied rumours that a military coup was possible and said he would not impose a state of emergency that would give the army broad powers to deal with the protests. "This government has no intention to crack down on the protesters because that doesn't benefit anyone," he said.One protest leader, Jatuporn Prompan, described their campaign as "the biggest war by the common people in the country's history". A force of 50,000 soldiers, police and other security personnel was mobilised in the capital area.The march is regarded by some as the last chance for Thaksin to return to Thailand. Forcing the government out of power, loyalists say, could pave the way for his pardon and return.Thaksin, who lives in Dubai, faces a two-year prison term for abuse of power. But he remains popular among the poor who are thankful for the cheap medical care, low interest loans and other measures his government enacted to alleviate poverty."Deep inside I wish Thaksin could come back. If he returns, grass-roots people will be taken care of thoroughly," said Buakham Bunthai, a herb seller who travelled from the northern province of Chiang Mai. He said Thaksin's universal healthcare scheme had saved his mother's life. "Some villagers told me I'm crazy. I'm willing to be crazy today for their prosperity in the future," he said.Thailand has been in constant political turmoil since early 2006, when demonstrations accusing Thaksin of corruption and abuse of power began. In 2008, when Thaksin's political allies came back to power for a year, his opponents occupied the prime minister's office compound for three months and seized Bangkok's two airports for a week.Recent polls in Bangkok indicate that a large segment of the population, irrespective of their political beliefs, is fed up with the protests, which have battered the economy, including the lucrative tourism industry.The Red Shirts' last major protest in Bangkok last April deteriorated into rioting that left two people dead and more than 120 injured. The army was called in to quash the unrest.Many embassies have warned their citizens to stay away from areas of the city where violence could erupt.ThailandProtestguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-03-14 Chinese PM defends Copenhagen role Wen Jiabao warns US on currency and defends China's place on world stage, saying his conscience is clear on climate dealThe Chinese prime minister, Wen Jiabao, today launched a robust defence of his country's place on the world stage, including a sharp rebuttal of what he called "baffling" criticism of his country's role at the Copenhagen summit.Acknowledging "serious disruption" in ties with the US and rising criticism of Chinese assertiveness on the climate, currency, trade and other issues, the premier said he wanted to set the record straight."Some say China has got more arrogant and tough. Some put forward the theory of China's so-called 'triumphalism'. You have given me an opportunity to explain how China sees itself," Wen said.In a press conference marking the close of the annual meeting of the National People's Congress, China's rubber-stamp parliament, Wen said the country was still developing and would never seek hegemony even when fully modernised, but had always sought to uphold its sovereignty and territorial integrity. He said China was a "responsible" nation that took an active part in international co-operation on major issues.In the angry aftermath of the Copenhagen climate conference, China was accused of wrecking a deal by blocking emission reduction targets for 2050 and failing to send its most senior delegates to key meetings. In his most detailed public comments yet about the conference, Wen responded to critics."My conscience is untainted despite rumours and slanders from outside," he said. "It still baffles me why some people are trying to make the issue about China. Climate change is about human survival, the interest of all countries, and issues of equity and justice in the international community."He accused foreign leaders of a shocking breach of protocol in their attempt to press him, with advance warning, into an unscheduled meeting after a welcome banquet. "Why was China not notified of this meeting? So far, nobody has explained. it is still a mystery to me," he said.The final deal was the best that could be achieved in the difficult circumstances, he said, promising China's support for the Copenhagen accord.Asked about other areas of friction, particularly with the US, the premier responded: "The responsibility for the serious disruption in US-China ties does not lie with the Chinese side but with the US."He cited Barack Obama's recent meeting with the Dalai Lama, the announcement of US arms sales to Taiwan and disagreements over exchange rates and trade. "We are opposed to the practice of engaging in mutual finger-pointing or taking strong measures to force other countries to appreciate their currencies. That is not in the interest of reform of the renminbi's exchange rate regime," the premier said.There is growing pressure for revaluation from the US and Europe, where many analysts argue that the renminbi is massively underpriced. Chinese experts have also argued that a rise in the currency would be in the country's own interests.Wen told reporters: "I understand some countries want to increase their exports – what I don't understand is the practice of depreciating one's own currency and attempting to press other countries to increase theirs, just to improve exports. In my view that is a protectionist measure."He went on to warn the US on its own currency, as he did at his last news conference. China holds more US treasury debt than another country."If I said I was worried [about the US dollar] last year, I still want to make the same remark this year," he said. "We cannot afford any mistake, however slight, when it comes to financial assets ... I hope the US will take concrete steps to reassure investors."Turning to domestic issues, the prime minister warned that China faced "an extremely difficult task" in promoting steady and fast growth while restructuring the economy and managing inflationary expectations. Inflation, corruption and unfair income distribution taken together would be "strong enough to affect social stability and even the stability of state power," he said.The government is seeking to gradually withdraw from the massive stimulus that helped to see China through the global slump, particularly given soaring property prices and rising inflation, which hit 2.7% in the year to February. But it must do so without damaging confidence.The premier warned of the risk of a double-dip in the global economy and said that while the domestic economy had stabilised, many Chinese businesses were still reliant on the stimulus measures.ChinaCurrenciesClimate changeTania BraniganJonathan Wattsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-03-14 Irish cardinal admits knowledge of paedophile priest 'cover-up' Victims' group says Sean Brady should consider resigning as head of Irish Catholic church over role in Brendan Smyth tribunalIreland's most senior Catholic cleric is under pressure to resign after revealing that he was at a secret tribunal where sex abuse victims were made to take an oath of silence. Cardinal Sean Brady said he attended two meetings about Father Brendan Smyth, a notorious paedophile, where two of Smyth's victims signed an affidavit promising to discuss their claims only with a specified priest.Brady is now being sued – both as an individual and in his role as Catholic primate of all Ireland – by one of Smyth's female victims who alleges she was abused for five years.In an affidavit submitted to Dublin's high court, Brady is accused of failing to report the victims' formal signed complaints to the Irish police and of failing to take adequate steps to ensure that Smyth did not continue to assault children.The tribunal was held behind closed doors in 1975. Smyth was accused of sexually abusing two 10-year-olds, but the church did not inform the gardai about the allegations at the time. It was only in 1994, after a documentary about Smyth, that the church admitted it had known about his paedophilia and moved him around Ireland, Britain and the US, where he continued to abuse children.Smyth died in jail 13 years ago, while serving 12 years for 74 sexual assaults on children.Brady's disclosure heaps further ignominy on the Vatican, which has suffered a week of damaging stories about the church's treatment of child sex abuse victims and their allegations.New incidents are reported on an almost daily basis across Europe, as are official investigations into historic allegations, with each development eroding the church's credibility and moral authority.Not even the pope has escaped the taint of scandal. Last weekend, a Vatican spokesman took the unprecedented step of denying that Benedict was complicit in the cover-up of a sex scandal while he was archbishop of Munich.Victim support groups in Ireland, which have repeatedly savaged church and state authorities for their conduct, condemned Brady and called for him to resign. The co-founder of Irish Survivors of Child Abuse, Patrick Walsh, said: "The church was more interested in protecting its reputation than anything else. The cardinal needs to examine his conscience about this. He needsto take stock of his position. In 1975 he was just a priest acting as a secretary and he was not the decision maker. But he knew what was going on."The Catholic Information Office in Ireland confirmed that Brady had been the recording secretary at one meeting and had interviewed the victims at another. The oath, it said, was to "respect the confidentiality of the information process".Brady had passed the reports "as instructed, and as a matter of urgency" to Bishop [Francis] McKiernan "for his immediate action".The cardinal's behaviour will do little to reverse the perception that the church does not take the issue of child sex abuse seriously enough, despite Vatican efforts to show that the problem is not solely confined to its institutions nor is it as widespread as people believe.A front-page article in today's L'Osservatore Romano argued that sexual abuse of minors was "more common amongst lay and married people than among celibate priests" – a reply to one archbishop's claim that celibacy may be one of the causes of paedophilia in the priesthood.The bishop of Alessandria, Giuseppe Versaldi, who wrote the article, said that Pope Benedict was actively leading the "battle" against paedophilia., despite his image as "an academic who is only interested in writing books."His remarks echo those of the Vatican official charged with investigating sexual abuse allegations who suggested that many abuse claims were not paedophilia.Monsignor Charles Scicluna, of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said of the 3,000 cases referred to his office during a nine-year period, only a tenth were paedophilia "in the truest sense".Interviewed for the Italian newspaper, Avvenire, he said: "About 60% of the cases chiefly involved sexual attraction towards adolescents of the same sex, another 30% involved heterosexual relations, the remaining 10% were paedophilia in the truest sense of the term, based on sexual attraction towards pre-pubescent children. The cases of priests accused of paedophilia in the true sense have been about 300 in nine years."The 300 cases were "still too many", but he urged people to recognise that the phenomenon was not as widespread as they believed.Scicluna said a full trial, "penal or administrative", had occurred in 20% of these cases. Old age often prevented the accused from standing trial, or administrative and disciplinary provisions such as a ban on hearing confession acted as a substitute. Half of the trials ended in dismissal, while the remaining half saw the accused requesting dispensation from the priesthood.Scicluna insisted that the Vatican had never encouraged a cover-up of child sex abuse, while also admitting that, "perhaps out of a misdirected desire to protect the good name of the institution some bishops were, in practice, too indulgent towards this sad phenomenon".He added: "I say in practice because, in principle, the condemnation of this kind of crime has always been firm and unequivocal."Bad week for the Vatican• George Ratzinger, brother of Pope Benedict XVI, admits slapping choristers and ignoring physical abuse at an elementary school, but denies knowing about sexual abuse allegations at the same school.• Catholic hierarchy in the Netherlands pledge an independent, external inquiry into abuse at several church-run institutions.• Austrian priest quits, admitting he abused or molested up to 20 children.• Archbishop of Vienna says priestly celibacy may be the cause of paedophilia.• The pope is "distraught" over the sex abuse scandal in Germany. The country's most senior Catholic apologises to victims and church authorities promise to hold an investigation.• Swiss Catholic church launches inquiry into 60 claims of sex abuse.• Papal spokesman denounces attempts to implicate the pope in a sex abuse cover-up and rejects accusations of a culture of secrecy.• An Italian academic compares the secrecy over sex abuse to omerta – the Mafia code of silence – and says more involvement of women in the church might have prevented the scale of the cover-up.• An Irish bookmaker slashes the odds, from 12 to 1 to 3 to 1, of a papal resignation amid the continuing controversy and a "cascade of bets".IrelandCatholicismItalyHenry McDonaldRiazat ButtTom Kingtonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-03-14 When Humanitarian Aid Winds Up in the Wrong Hands A BBC report alleging that Ethiopian rebels diverted humanitarian aid meant for famine victims in the 1980s has raised new questions about the efficacy of giving aid in times of war   feedproxy.google.com   2010-03-14 Falklands Oil Reopens Old Wounds Almost three decades after they launched a disastrous war to reclaim the territory they call 'Las Malvinas', Argentina's leaders are again pushing their claims against Britain   feedproxy.google.com   2010-03-14

news news Giving Afghans (and More) a Vote in Britain's Election As part of a new project, U.K. residents are allowing people in developingcountries to tell them how to vote in parliamentary elections. The aim: togive poorer countries a say in elections that could end up impacting them   feedproxy.google.com   2010-03-14 Calling for New Election, Anti-Government Protesters Swarm Bangkok Tens of thousands of demonstrators surged the Thai capital on Sunday, pushing Thailand towards a tense political standoff   feedproxy.google.com   2010-03-14 Afghan attack 'was warning to US' Bomb attacks on the Afghan city of Kandahar were a warning to US and Nato forces not to target the region, the Taliban say.   news.bbc.co.uk   2010-03-14 Woman freed in Vilks 'death plot' A US woman held in Ireland over an alleged plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist is freed, as three others are still questioned.   news.bbc.co.uk   2010-03-14 Thai protest sets poll deadline Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters march in Bangkok to press the government to call new elections.   news.bbc.co.uk   2010-03-14 Hamas leader seized in West Bank A leading member of the Hamas militant group, Mahar Uda, is arrested in the West Bank, the Israeli army says.   news.bbc.co.uk   2010-03-14 US fury at Mexico consular deaths Three people connected to the US consulate in the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez have been killed, the White House says.   news.bbc.co.uk   2010-03-14 French hostages 'freed in Darfur' Two French hostages seized in the Central African Republic in November have been freed, the French foreign minister says.   news.bbc.co.uk   2010-03-14 Online favelas Benefits of the web trickle down in Rio de Janeiro   news.bbc.co.uk   2010-03-14 In pictures Secrets of Italian artist Caravaggio in the frame   news.bbc.co.uk   2010-03-14 Meadows settles for Doha silver Jenny Meadows wins 800m silver and the men's 4x400m team take bronze making it four British medals at the World Indoor Championships.   news.bbc.co.uk   2010-03-14 Fake invasion panics Georgia Panic is sparked in Georgia after a bogus TV news report said Russian tanks had invaded and the president was dead.   news.bbc.co.uk   2010-03-14 PM Maliki extends Iraqi poll lead Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki's bloc strengthens its lead over its main rivals with partial election results now in from all 18 provinces.   news.bbc.co.uk   2010-03-14 Left 'set to beat' Sarkozy party French President Nicolas Sarkozy's centre-right UMP party is heading for a defeat, exit polls from regional elections indicate.   news.bbc.co.uk   2010-03-14 Obama aide stokes US-Israel row A top Obama adviser criticises Israel over settlement homes in East Jerusalem, thwarting Israeli hopes of ending the row.   news.bbc.co.uk   2010-03-14 Marriott Supports Small Businesses - Video Named Top 20 Corporations for Supplier Diversity by WBENC   feedproxy.google.com   2010-03-13 Leach faces James in Texas Tech lawsuit deposition LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- Mike Leach sat across from his accuser Saturday as Craig James gave sworn testimony in the former coach's lawsuit against Texas Tech....   hosted.ap.org   2010-03-13 Thousands expected to mourn death of SoCal teen POWAY, Calif. (AP) -- Students have wrapped ribbons around 8,000 sunflowers to hand out at a memorial service for Chelsea King, the 17-year-old girl whose murder has shaken her community and spurred calls for legal changes in how child sex offenders are treated....   hosted.ap.org   2010-03-13 US avoids anti-abortion debate at UN meeting UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- A U.N. meeting to assess progress in advancing the fight for women's equality that ended Friday had a dramatically different slant than a similar session held five years ago: This time, the United States was not trying to make an anti-abortion declaration a crucial theme....   hosted.ap.org   2010-03-13 Obama's education law overhaul to focus on college ATLANTA (AP) -- The Obama administration unveiled its plan Saturday to radically change his predecessor's No Child Left Behind law in hopes of replacing an accountability system that in the last decade has tagged more than a third of schools as failing and created a hodgepodge of sometimes weak academic standards among states....   hosted.ap.org   2010-03-13 Daylight-saving time: It's back WASHINGTON (AP) -- America is springing forward....   hosted.ap.org   2010-03-13 Child abuse claims sweep Catholic Church in Europe DUBLIN (AP) -- It often starts as a voice in the wilderness, but can swell into an entire nation's demand for truth. From Ireland to Germany, Europe's many victims of child abuse in the Roman Catholic church are finally breaking social taboos and confronting the clergy to face its demons....   hosted.ap.org   2010-03-13 AP Source: Colo. woman held in terror probe DENVER (AP) -- A Colorado woman has been detained in Ireland in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate a Swedish cartoonist whose sketch offended many Muslims, a U.S. official said Saturday....   hosted.ap.org   2010-03-13