All entries for Monday 05 November 2007

ICA newsletter – Week 6

Hi all, hope you’re enjoying reading week if you’re so blessed, anyway some of the main stories this last week:

• Pakistan seems to be at crisis point after General Musharraf imposed emergency restrictions in order to prevent Pakistan ‘committing suicide’. The stated reason for the restrictions was to control jihadists who have been mounting increasingly regular attacks in Pakistan for the past few weeks. However, the restrictions seem to have extensively targeted Musharraf’s political opponents, including former Pakistan cricketer Imran Khan under house arrest. In total over 500 lawyers, politicians and human rights activists have been arrested. This has led critics to suggest that the General is simply attempting to prevent the Supreme Court from declaring his Presidency illegal. So what will be the outcome of the current protests, if any? Is General Musharraf’s position untenable, even from within the army?

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2810126.ece

• New head of MI5 Jonathan Evans has claimed that Al-Qaeda is specifically targeting people as young as 15 to carry out terrorist acts. He also claimed that the Al-Qaeda ‘franchise’ was spreading and expanding their activities in Somalia, Algeria and that the division in Iraq aspires to promote activities outside of Iraq. His comments come as the government seems set to seek an extension of the time limit under which suspects may be held from 28 to 56 days. After 90 day detention was rejected in the last Parliament is an extension needed? Do our police really need 56 days, when Spanish police are limited to 10?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/03/nqueen103.xml

• The Metropolitan Police have been found guilty of endangering the public over the fatal shooting of John Charles de Menezes. The force was found to have broken health and safety laws and was fined £175,000 plus costs. However, no-one was convicted of personal responsibility for the death. Should Sir Ian Blair pay a, even symbolic, price? Or is the verdict fair?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7069796.stm

Also I seem to remember Scott at least wanted to talk about Saudi Arabia so if others do as well we can carry that over from last week. Also women can vote in Iran, as they can in most Middle-Eastern countries, Saudi Arabia being a notable exception.

Also in the news:

• Supermodel rejects dollar pay – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7078612.stm
• Mother dies after refusing blood – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/shropshire/7078455.stm
• Chadian adoption scandal – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7077485.stm

: 05 Nov 2007 18:11 |  Tags: Detention Menezes Mi5 Pakistan |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem