Tahrir Square in Madrid: Spain's Lost Generation Finds Its Voice (Spiegel International, 19 May 2011)

Courtesy: "Spiegel International, Germany", 19 May 2011
Tahrir Square in Madrid
Spain's Lost Generation Finds Its Voice
Young people in Madrid have occupied the city's Puerta del Sol square in protest against high unemployment and the political establishment. They are calling for a boycott of the main parties in weekend elections -- and some have begun comparing them to protesters in Egypt earlier this year.

They have been dubbed the "lost generation," with many of them unable to find jobs and forced to live at home as a result of the economic crisis. But now Spain's young people appear to have found their voice -- and they are taking their anger with their country's politicians into the streets.

Protests are continuing on Madrid's landmark Puerta del Sol square on Thursday. Many thousands of young people gathered on the square on Wednesday, defying a ban on the demonstration. BBC reported that as many as 2,000 stayed the night on the square.

IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigns, will make new bid for bail (Associated Press, 19 May 2011)

Courtesy: "Associated Press (AP)", 19 May 2011

IMF chief resigns, will make new bid for bail

By TOM HAYS and COLLEEN LONG

NEW YORK (AP) -- Hours after Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned from his post as manager of the International Monetary Fund - saying he felt compelled to focus his energy on the sexual assault charges he faces - the French politician will try to get out of jail.

Behind bars on New York's Rikers Island since Monday, the beleaguered former IMF chief is scheduled to return to a Manhattan court Thursday afternoon to again ask for bail on charges he sexually assaulted a hotel maid - a move seemed certain to face vigorous opposition by prosecutors.

Late Wednesday, Strauss-Kahn resigned as managing director of the International Monetary Fund, according to a letter released by its executive board.

In the letter, Strauss-Kahn denied the allegations but said he felt compelled to resign with "great sadness" because he was thinking of his family and also wanted to protect the IMF.

Clarke forced to apologise for rape comments (Guardian, 18 May 2011)

Courtesy: "Guardian, UK", 18 May 2011
Clarke forced to apologise for rape comments

Justice secretary set to rethink plan to cut sentences after rejecting suggestion in radio interview that 'rape is rape'

By Alan Travis and Nicholas WattKenneth Clarke, the justice secretary, is expected to announce a climbdown over his plan for sentence discounts of up to 50% for early guilty pleas after he provoked a row by appearing to suggest that some rapes are more serious than others.
A chastened Clarke apologised under pressure from David Cameron, who was furious with the veteran justice secretary after he rejected a suggestion in a live radio interview that "rape is rape".
Clarke, who had initially refused to apologise in a round of TV interviews, wrote to a victim of attempted rape who had broken down in tears when she confronted him on a Radio 5 Live show over his "disastrous" plan.

IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn on suicide watch at New York prison (Aljazeera English, 18 May 2011)

Courtesy: "Aljazeera English", 18 May 2011

IMF chief on suicide watch at New York prison

Dominique Strauss-Kahn placed on suicide watch following his arrest and detention on attempted rape charges.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has been placed on suicide watch following his arrest and detention on attempted rape charges.
Strauss-Kahn, who denies the charges, is expected to remain in New York's Rikers Island jail, known for gang violence, at least until his next court appearance on Friday, when lawyers may again request bail.
A law enforcement source said Strauss-Kahn was being watched as a precautionary measure.
A maid told New York police that Strauss-Kahn had tried to rape her in his hotel suite on 14 May and later picked him out at an identity parade.
A lawyer for the maid, a 32-year-old widow from Guinea with a 15-year-old daughter, said she had not been aware of Strauss-Kahn's identity until a day after the alleged attack.

Strauss-Kahn case raises issue of diplomat abuse in U.S. (Associated Press, 18 May 2011)

Courtesy: "Associated Press (AP)", 18 May 2011
Strauss-Kahn case raises issue of diplomat abuse in U.S.

By Brian Grow

ATLANTA | Wed May 18, 2011 12:49pm EDT

(Reuters) - The case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn is an extreme example of alleged sexual assault by an elite member of the international community. But the charges against him also shine a light on how diplomats and international officials have been accused of abusing maids or nannies in the United States, and have largely escaped prosecution.
Foreign diplomats have been the subject of at least 11 civil lawsuits and one criminal prosecution related to abuse of domestic workers in the last five years, according to a Reuters review of U.S. federal court records. The allegations range from slave-like work conditions to rape, and the vast majority of the diplomats in these cases avoided prison terms and financial penalties.
Strauss-Kahn, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, was charged on Sunday with sexually assaulting a hotel maid. He does not have full diplomatic immunity, but IMF rules grant him immunity limited to acts performed in his "official capacity." He was denied bail Monday and sent to jail in New York. He did not enter a plea, and his lawyer said he intends to plead not guilty.

Ireland: Queen Elizabeth seeks reconciliation on 4-day Irish tour (Associated Press, 18 May 2011)

Courtesy: "Associated Press (AP)", 18 May 2011

Queen seeks reconciliation on 4-day Irish tour

By GREGORY KATZ

DUBLIN (AP) -- Queen Elizabeth II's journey of reconciliation was taking her Wednesday to the site of a notorious massacre where British troops killed 14 Irish civilians in 1920.

The queen's visit to Croke Park on the second day of her historic trip to the Republic of Ireland highlights the vast improvement in Anglo-Irish relations since those dark days. It brings the English monarch to a large stadium that is a revered spot for Irish nationalists who mourn those who died there during the conflict with Britain.

She and husband Prince Philip began the day with a visit to the Guinness Storehouse, one of Ireland's most popular sites, and also saw the famous Gravity Bar, which offers a panoramic view of Dublin.

Master brewer Fergal Murray expertly prepared a pint of Guinness for the queen in the Gravity Bar, but she declined after smiling broadly. Prince Philip gazed at the brew with obvious longing but also walked away without a taste.

Europe faces extinction of many species, EU says (Associated Press)

Courtesy: "Associated Press (AP)", 18 May 2011

Europe faces extinction of many species, EU says

By DON MELVIN

BRUSSELS (AP) -- The Iberian lynx that prowls the grasslands of southern Spain. The Mediterranean monk seal swimming waters off Greece and Turkey. The Bavarian pine vole that forages in the high meadows of the Alps.

These are among hundreds of European animal species - up to a quarter of the total native to the continent - that are threatened with extinction according to a warning issued this month by the European Union.

"Biodiversity is in crisis, with species extinctions running at unparalleled rates," said a statement from the European Union's Environment Commissioner, Janez Potocnik.

The threatened species include mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds and butterflies. Plant life is under threat as well. The crisis is due to several factors, including loss of habitat, pollution, alien species encroachment, climate change and overfishing.

French agape over treatment of jailed IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn (Associated Press, 18 May 2011)

Courtesy: "Associated Press (AP)", 18 May 2011

French agape over treatment of jailed IMF chief

By ELAINE GANLEY

PARIS (AP) -- The trans-Atlantic gap separating the U.S. and French justice systems and moral codes is as wide as the ocean itself - appalling a nation witnessing the unraveling fortunes of a favorite son, jailed IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

Some of the charges leveled against Strauss-Kahn in the alleged sexual assault of a hotel maid in New York do not exist in France. And if the case was being heard in France, the 62-year-old IMF chief might risk three to five years in prison instead of scores in the United States, a leading expert says.

Strauss-Kahn also likely wouldn't be sitting in a notorious jail right now on a suicide watch.

The photos of a potential French president - handcuffed, stooped, unshaven, tieless and whisked away to court before photographers - knocked the breath out of the French public.

The initial response was a collective "that would not happen here."

Thinking the unthinkable on Europe's debt crisis: Spain is Next (Reuters, 12 May 2011)

Courtesy: "Reuters", 12 May 2011
Analysis: Thinking the unthinkable on Europe's debt crisis

By Luke Baker

BRUSSELS

(Reuters) - There is a solution to Europe's debt crisis. It's called proper fiscal and political union. The only problem is Germany, France, Austria, Finland, the Netherlands and quite a few others would never accept it.
For well over a year, Europe's leaders have been coming up with bold, multi-billion-euro measures to try to put a stop to the debt rot eating away at Greece, Ireland and Portugal, and which could soon affect other member states such as Spain.
The net result, especially when looked at through the eyes of the financial markets, is no improvement. Greece and the others are no closer to resolving their problems, and the likelihood of a debt default or restructuring has only risen.
For their next move, euro zone leaders are expected to decide to extend the maturities on 110 billion euros of loans already granted to Greece, could lower the interest rate, and may come up with a further package of support.