Publications omit front-page pictures, claiming three photojournalists were coerced into false confessions Several major newspapers and websites in Georgia have published their front pages without pictures in a co-ordinated protest against the arrest of three photographers accused of spying for Russia. Giorgi Abdaladze, a stringer for the Associated Press newswire; Zurab Kurtsikidze of the European Pressphoto Agency; and Irakli Gedenidze, the personal photographer of Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgia’s president, were detained in the early hours of 7 July. All three were charged with espionage and have reportedly confessed to photographing secret documents, including details of Saakashvili’s itinerary, and selling them to Russian military intelligence. They face up to 12 years in prison in a trial due to start on 1
Continue reading …Publications omit front-page pictures, claiming three photojournalists were coerced into false confessions Several major newspapers and websites in Georgia have published their front pages without pictures in a co-ordinated protest against the arrest of three photographers accused of spying for Russia. Giorgi Abdaladze, a stringer for the Associated Press newswire; Zurab Kurtsikidze of the European Pressphoto Agency; and Irakli Gedenidze, the personal photographer of Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgia’s president, were detained in the early hours of 7 July. All three were charged with espionage and have reportedly confessed to photographing secret documents, including details of Saakashvili’s itinerary, and selling them to Russian military intelligence. They face up to 12 years in prison in a trial due to start on 1
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Mohammed al-Rashi attends funeral of Damascus demonstrators as celebrities pick sides in fight to topple President Bashar al-Assad The Syrian TV star Mohammed al-Rashi has joined Syria’s anti-regime demonstrators just days after a group of intellectuals and artists protested in Damascus. In a video posted online the actor is seen attending a number of funerals in the Damascus neighbourhood of Qaboun, where at least 15 people were shot dead on Friday, the highest number of deaths reported in a single day in the capital since the revolt began four months ago. Rashi joins a list of stars including the actor Fares al-Heloo who have spoken out against the regime. On Wednesday 30 of about 200 actors, writers and intellectuals who protested in the Midan neighbourhood of the capital were arrested, including the leading actor May Skaf, film directors Nabil Maleh and Mohammed Malas and writer Rima Fleihan. All have since been released. But as those fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad and those supporting him seek the backing of the rich and famous, many of Syria’s celebrities have shown loyalty to the regime. The singer George Wassouf performed before thousands of people at a pro-regime concert in the central Omawiyeen Square on Sunday evening. Wassouf, one of Syria’s most famous singers who hails from a town in the governorate of Homs, is among a number of stars who have drawn fierce criticism for supporting a regime that continues to crack down brutally on protesters. The concert, described as a show of loyalty to the homeland, started with a minute of silence for the dead. Others have hedged their bets. The actor Muna Wassif, the mother of the democracy activist Ammar Abdulhamid, who runs a blog on Syria’s revolution, called in May for an end to the killing and the lifting of sieges on villages but stopped short of calling for the regime to go. In May a group of international filmmakers signed an online petition denouncing the killing of protesters for making “demands of basic rights and liberties”. Nour Ali is the pseudonym of a journalist in Damascus Syria Arab and Middle East unrest Bashar Al-Assad Protest Middle East guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Mohammed al-Rashi attends funeral of Damascus demonstrators as celebrities pick sides in fight to topple President Bashar al-Assad The Syrian TV star Mohammed al-Rashi has joined Syria’s anti-regime demonstrators just days after a group of intellectuals and artists protested in Damascus. In a video posted online the actor is seen attending a number of funerals in the Damascus neighbourhood of Qaboun, where at least 15 people were shot dead on Friday, the highest number of deaths reported in a single day in the capital since the revolt began four months ago. Rashi joins a list of stars including the actor Fares al-Heloo who have spoken out against the regime. On Wednesday 30 of about 200 actors, writers and intellectuals who protested in the Midan neighbourhood of the capital were arrested, including the leading actor May Skaf, film directors Nabil Maleh and Mohammed Malas and writer Rima Fleihan. All have since been released. But as those fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad and those supporting him seek the backing of the rich and famous, many of Syria’s celebrities have shown loyalty to the regime. The singer George Wassouf performed before thousands of people at a pro-regime concert in the central Omawiyeen Square on Sunday evening. Wassouf, one of Syria’s most famous singers who hails from a town in the governorate of Homs, is among a number of stars who have drawn fierce criticism for supporting a regime that continues to crack down brutally on protesters. The concert, described as a show of loyalty to the homeland, started with a minute of silence for the dead. Others have hedged their bets. The actor Muna Wassif, the mother of the democracy activist Ammar Abdulhamid, who runs a blog on Syria’s revolution, called in May for an end to the killing and the lifting of sieges on villages but stopped short of calling for the regime to go. In May a group of international filmmakers signed an online petition denouncing the killing of protesters for making “demands of basic rights and liberties”. Nour Ali is the pseudonym of a journalist in Damascus Syria Arab and Middle East unrest Bashar Al-Assad Protest Middle East guardian.co.uk
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Ewan McGregor and Melanie Laurent talk about quirky new movie ‘Beginners’ – the story of a man who unintentionally falls in love while coming to terms with the death of his gay father. (July 18)
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Ewan McGregor and Melanie Laurent talk about quirky new movie ‘Beginners’ – the story of a man who unintentionally falls in love while coming to terms with the death of his gay father. (July 18)
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Independent directors of News Corp. are beginning to discuss whether or not Rupert Murdoch can stay on as the CEO of the company he founded and has almost completely dominated, Bloomberg is reporting. Murdoch has been at the head of News Corp and its Australian predecessors since 1952, and he and his family have maintained an iron grip on the company ever since. Yet, citing two anonymous sources, Bloomberg writes that people within the company “have begun questioning the company’s response to the crisis and whether a leadership change is needed.” Despite his making move after move to contain it, the phone hacking scandal surrounding Murdoch shows no signs of letting up. If anything, the scandal has only gotten worse, as it has engulfed Scotland Yard and threatens Murdoch’s American holdings. In addition, Murdoch, his son James and his former top British deputy Rebekah Brooks all face what is sure to be a highly uncomfortable session before Parliament on Tuesday, in which their collective claim not to have known about the massive phone-hacking operation at their biggest British newspaper will be put to the test. Murdoch himself seemed to personify the puzzlingly slow response to the scandal when he claimed that News Corp had only made “minor mistakes” in its handling of things. Since then, the company has hired a top PR agency and quickly set about making far more public displays of contrition. However, it may not be enough to save Murdoch. One scenario that has been discussed in the press recently is for him to become chairman of News Corp, with COO Chase Carey assuming the mantle of CEO. This would sideline James Murdoch, who many see as too tainted by the hacking scandal to credibly become the new CEO of the company.
Continue reading …Independent directors of News Corp. are beginning to discuss whether or not Rupert Murdoch can stay on as the CEO of the company he founded and has almost completely dominated, Bloomberg is reporting. Murdoch has been at the head of News Corp and its Australian predecessors since 1952, and he and his family have maintained an iron grip on the company ever since. Yet, citing two anonymous sources, Bloomberg writes that people within the company “have begun questioning the company’s response to the crisis and whether a leadership change is needed.” Despite his making move after move to contain it, the phone hacking scandal surrounding Murdoch shows no signs of letting up. If anything, the scandal has only gotten worse, as it has engulfed Scotland Yard and threatens Murdoch’s American holdings. In addition, Murdoch, his son James and his former top British deputy Rebekah Brooks all face what is sure to be a highly uncomfortable session before Parliament on Tuesday, in which their collective claim not to have known about the massive phone-hacking operation at their biggest British newspaper will be put to the test. Murdoch himself seemed to personify the puzzlingly slow response to the scandal when he claimed that News Corp had only made “minor mistakes” in its handling of things. Since then, the company has hired a top PR agency and quickly set about making far more public displays of contrition. However, it may not be enough to save Murdoch. One scenario that has been discussed in the press recently is for him to become chairman of News Corp, with COO Chase Carey assuming the mantle of CEO. This would sideline James Murdoch, who many see as too tainted by the hacking scandal to credibly become the new CEO of the company.
Continue reading …A burst pipeline in Alaska has prompted BP’s latest US spill, with a mixture of methanol, crude oil, and water leaking onto the tundra on Saturday, the company announced. The spill—somewhere between 2,100 and 4,200 gallons—happened during a pressure test and is currently being cleaned up,…
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Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos, a top contender in the GOP race to unseat Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, abruptly dropped out on Monday. Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Washington Wire Discovery Date : 18/07/2011 17:00 Number of articles : 3
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