Chrenkoff

"Albania's government on Friday declared that an emigrant who died fighting as a U.S. Marine in Iraq is an Albanian martyr.

"Cpl. Gentian Marku, 22, of Warren, Mich., was killed in Fallujah on Thanksgiving. He emigrated to the United States at age 14.

" 'Upon the proposal from the premier (Fatos Nano), soldier Gentian Marku was declared a Martyr of Homeland,' government spokesman Aldrin Dalipi said.

"Marku was the second Albanian emigrant killed fighting with U.S. troops in Iraq. Albania, a small, predominantly Muslim country, backed the U.S.-led campaign and has sent 71 of its own troops to Iraq."

"[It] is a weird name. It can be translated as 'Jew Land Finished', if you’re creative with your translations."

"Fireworks exploded over Kiev and tens of thousands of protesters danced and cracked open champagne overnight to celebrate a 'small victory' - a court decision declaring a presidential election invalid.

"Waving hundreds of flags of the opposition's orange colours, protesters embraced and danced gleefully after the Supreme Court called for a new vote, handing a legal victory to opposition challenger Viktor Yushchenko."

"Putin... criticized the West for setting double-standards on terrorism, pursuing Islamic fundamentalists in Afghanistan and Iraq while giving refuge to 'terrorists' demanding Chechnya's independence from Russia...

" 'Even if dictatorship is packaged in beautiful pseudo-democratic phraseology, it will not be able to solve systemic problems,' Putin said. 'It may even make them worse.'

"Putin did not name the United States, but clearly had the administration of President Bush in mind when he said policies 'based on the barrack-room principles of a unipolar world appear to be extremely dangerous'."

"The two teenage friends hardly seemed like Islamic radicals. They smoked marijuana, drank beer, listened to rap music, and wore jeans...

"Like many young Muslims in France, Abdelhalim Badjoudj and Redouane el-Hakim did not have jobs, and relatives and friends say they grew more alienated in recent years, surrounded by secular Western culture and by what many Muslims see as a subtle bigotry among the French against Arabs.

"Badjoudj, who would have turned 19 on Dec. 16, allegedly blew himself up Oct. 20 while driving a car filled with explosives near a US patrol on Baghdad's airport road, wounding two American soldiers and two Iraqi police officers. He is thought to be the second French citizen to have carried out a suicide attack in Iraq.

"The body of Hakim, 19, reportedly was found July 17 after US troops bombed a suspected insurgent hide-out in Fallujah, the city west of Baghdad that was overrun this month by American and Iraqi troops.

"French officials also confirmed the death of a third French insurgent, identified as Tarek W. In his 20s, he reportedly was killed Sept. 17 after operating for several months in the so-called Sunni Triangle in Iraq, where most foreign fighters are based. No other details were available."

"Soldiers are leaving the Army to work in Iraq for huge pay packets the Defence Force can't match. The admission by the Chief of Defence Force, Air Marshal Bruce Ferguson, came at a hearing before Parliament's foreign affairs, defence and trade committee yesterday. He said the Defence Force could not compete with pay rates of $200,000 to $300,000 a year being offered to people to work as security guards in the strife-torn country."

"The Ballarat miners were revolutionaries... but just because you are a revolutionary does not mean you are a leftie. In fact, participants in all the successful revolutions - those of England's Glorious Revolution, the American Revolution and Eastern Europe's Velvet Revolution - were certainly not... were those people alive today they would vote for the Liberal Party- the party of small business, the party of enterprise, the party of less government intervention and the party of less regulation."

"If raising one's profile to be read by only a few thousand people a day exposes an individual to daily criticism that needs to be largely ignored in order to function, then imagine the level of criticism received by a newscaster with 12 million viewers."

"Many of the same people who found it hard to say anything bad about Saddam Hussein find it equally difficult to say anything nice about pro-democracy demonstrators in Ukraine. Many of the same people who would refuse to condemn a dictator who is anti-American cannot bring themselves to admire democrats who admire, or at least don't hate, the United States. I certainly don't believe, as President Bush sometimes simplistically says, that everyone who disagrees with American policies in Iraq or elsewhere 'hates freedom.' That's why it's so shocking to discover that some of them do."

"enormous rallies have been held in Kiev in support of the Prime Minister, Viktor Yanukovich, but they are rarely shown on our TV screens: if their existence is admitted, Yanukovich supporters are denigrated as having been 'bussed in'. The demonstrations in favour of Viktor Yushchenko have laser lights, plasma screens, sophisticated sound systems, rock concerts, tents to camp in and huge quantities of orange clothing; yet we happily dupe ourselves that they are spontaneous."

"we are told that a 96 per cent turnout in Donetsk, the home town of Viktor Yanukovich, is proof of electoral fraud. But apparently turnouts of more than 80 per cent in areas that support Viktor Yushchenko are not."

"We should treat with skepticism the claims made for the numbers of deaths - 30,000 or 50,000 are the figures being bandied about - when we know that similar statistics proved very wrong in Kosovo and Iraq. The Sudanese government says that the death toll in Darfur, since the beginning of the conflict in 2003, is not greater than 1,200 on all sides. And why is such attention devoted to Sudan when, in neighboring Congo, the death rate from the war there is estimated to be some 2 or 3 million, a tragedy equaled only by the silence with which it is treated in our media?

"I saw much hope, beauty, and grace in Iraq, along with much - too much - that was irrational, brutal, and obscene. I learned some painful lessons: our great nation and its leaders are indeed fallible; good intention are often not enough; words like 'democracy' and 'freedom' roll easily off the tongue, but land on the ground of the Middle East with unpredictable results. I still support the war, but I'm more sober in my views than I was that first morning when I stood on the Iraqi border..."

"Haider, for example, told me of acting as a translator for a German TV crew working outside Baghdad in the summer of 2003. The crew, he recounted, filmed a village trash heap, then reported , over his protests, that the smoldering compost was once 'fertile farmland destroyed by Coalition bombs'. In September, He accompanied a French photographer as she wandered through Baghdad looking for a scene that would dramatize Iraqi suffering resulting from war. Unable to find a suitable tableau, she paid an Iraqi woman to kneel in the debris of a partially demolished building and raise her arms to heaven as if imploring Allah to strike down the American infidels. 'The photographer had me ask the woman to remove her wristwatch so she wouldn't look too wealthy,' Haider related. Mohammad recalled watching an Al-Jazeera film crew pay men loitering on Saddoun Street to throw rocks and light a car on fire. 'Within a few minutes, Al-Jazeera made their own "anti-American" demonstration,' he said."

"Alexander has proved to be the Thanksgiving weekend's biggest flop, and while it is a portrait of a legendary leader who ruled far-away lands more than 300 years before the birth of Christ, it has brutally exposed the cultural and moral divide which slices America in two."

"According to one online critic, Alexander is a flop because he is 'as gay as a maypole'. Christians considering seeing the film have even been urged to 'speak to your pastors immediately because Satan is attempting to enter your mind'."

"The film is a blowsy biography of the Macedonian conqueror, long on emotional speeches and short on battles. But the poor script and suspect casting is only partly to blame... [The protests against the movie] echo the swing in the US towards conservatism and reflect what Americans view as the corrosive effect Hollywood and popular culture have had on the nation's values and moral standards." [my emphasis]

"Even amidst the dictatorships of the Arab world, a brave few have refused to conform. Fed up with the scapegoating - of Americans, Jews, Christians, and the West - that passes for governance and journalism in their countries, some Muslims have begun writing their own narratives. They suffer intimidation, harassment, and even attacks at the hands of fellow Muslims, but by refusing to cave in to the extremists, they can perhaps pave the way for future generations to follow."

"Egyptian officials approved a second political party on Thursday, less than a month after authorizing the country's first new political party in 27 years... The Political Parties' Committee, a semi-official body headed by the speaker of the upper house of parliament, gave the green light for the formation of the Liberal Constitutional Social party after reviewing a request presented by its founding members. It becomes Egypt's 19th party. Three parties were set up by presidential decree in the 1970s: the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), the Marxist party Tagmmua and liberal-rightist Al Ahrar. Another 12 were rejected by the parties committee but won licenses through legal action."

"Millions of Iranians expressed their satisfaction on the outcome of the US Presidential elections and George W. Bush's victory by calling and congratulating each other. Many were seen walking in the streets and shaking each others hands or showing a discret V sign.

"Many are speaking about the promises made by Mr. Bush to back the Iranian Nation in its quest for freedom and democracy."

"At almost the opposite end of the spectrum [to the Sunnis] are the Kurds, who are deeply grateful to Bush for forcing out Saddam, who was responsible for the murder of tens of thousands of their kinsmen in such incidents as the gassing of the northern Kurdish town of Halapja. The overwhelmingly secular Kurds are also sympathetic to Bush's vocal opposition to religious Islamic militants."

"I will not exaggerate when I say that all the world was holding its breath for the elections, because this process is not a normal process. It's an election for the president of the strongest nation in the world and in [Bush's] hand he will have to power to control the world. And I can confirm here that the Kurdish nation was twice as interested in the elections than the other nations because Bush was the only one to fight against terrorism and he led the campaign to finish the Taliban [in Afghanistan] and also...because he was the president who destroyed Saddam's regime."

"Kuwait is rejoicing over George W. Bush's victory in the US presidential election.

"Bush's father had liberated the country from Iraqi occupation as the US president in 1991, and for Kuwaitis this is all that matters.

" 'For us, it will be Bush, Bush and Bush, even if the grandson runs one day,' a Kuwaiti was quoted in a local newspaper as saying.

"Such is the fascination with the family here that a high rise building in the city's upmarket Shaab area is also named after Bush."

"US President Bush victory for second term will surely be in the interest of Pakistan, [said Kasuri]... He termed the existing ties between Pakistan and US very good noting that relations between President Pervez Musharraf and President Bush are also very excellent. 'Our ties with US administration and other functionaries are also stronger,' he added.

"He hoped that President Bush's win for second term in US presidential elections will ensure continuity of policies. Had new administration come to power, it would have taken at least five to six months in gaining acquaintance. The norms of confidence have restored between Bush administration and Pakistan. Both the governments respect each other, he added. 'We want multidimensional relations with US,' he underscored."

"Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad has said that president Bush success in US presidential elections for second term will lead to resolution of Kashmir and Palestine issues.

" 'With the success of President Bush for his second term, an interesting and crucial era of bilateral relations between Pakistan and USA is going to start. Pakistan will reap huge benefits from it,' he said."

"India has offered to consider Pakistani proposals on resolving the decades-old Kashmir issue if they are made formally.

"Pakistan's President, Pervez Musharraf, has informally floated some ideas on the future of the divided region, including demilitarising the state, independence, joint governance or some form of United Nations control.

"Foreign Minister Natwar Singh then announced New Delhi is scaling back of its troop presence in the Himalayan state [sic!]."

"Freed from Yasser Arafat's one-man rule, Palestinians say they are eager and able to build the first real democracy in the Arab world, despite the dangers lurking on the road to Jan. 9 elections.

"The thrill of new possibilities is felt across the West Bank and Gaza Strip: the field of candidates for Palestinian Authority president gets more crowded by the day and includes a militant sheik turned moderate, a dissident once jailed by Arafat, and a prisoner of Israel campaigning from his cell...

"Sensing Fatah's weakened grip, other challengers are emerging in sectors previously excluded - devout Muslims, middle-class intellectuals and women. None are considered front-runners, but hope they can forge a winning coalition.

"Other possible contenders include Abdel Sattar Qassem, a political science professor and anti-corruption crusader once jailed by Arafat; Talal Sidr, a former Hamas leader-turned-moderate; journalist Majda al-Batch, 47, the only woman who has said she would run; Mustafa Barghouti, a distant cousin of Marwan Barghouti, who wants to speak for the 'huge silent majority' unaffiliated with any faction; and billionaire Monib al-Masri who says a skillful CEO is needed to untangle the Mideast mess."

"In regard to the open letter to the Iraqi people by a number of individuals calling for support of armed resistance in Iraq, I would like to state that these individuals do not represent the Saudi government nor the Council of Senior Ulama [Religious Scholars], both of whom have repeatedly condemned terrorism in Iraq and throughout the world. The Saudi people pray for the end of bloodshed in Iraq, and the restoration of peace, security and stability in Iraq for the benefit of the Iraqi people and the region."

"The head of Saudi Arabia's Higher Judicial Council wants to prosecute teachers and clerics who encourage Saudi youths to fight against U.S. troops in Iraq.

"The Daily Okaz quoted Sheik Saleh al-Luhaidan Luhaidan as warning Saturday against the consequences of issuing statements and religious edicts inciting young Saudis to travel to Iraq to fight against U.S.-led multinational forces.

" 'The authorities should question and hold accountable the authors of the statements and edicts which make the people feel that fighting in Iraq is a heroic and religiously legitimate act,' Luhaidan said.

"He also said donating money to fighters and militants in Iraq at the present time 'is only bound to aggravate the situation.' 'We don't want to repeat in Iraq the same mistakes committed in Afghanistan,' he added."

"Saudi businesswomen are to be allowed to directly choose board members of Riyadh's chamber of commerce for the first time... Previously female business owners had to delegate a man to cast their vote for the body's board, which counts over 39,000 companies as members. 'The 2,750 businesswomen registered with the chamber would be allowed to vote,' said Princess Haila al-Farhan, director of the women's section at the chamber..."

"A host of mobile phone masts testifies to the telecommunications revolution which has taken place despite the absence of any functioning national government since 1991.

"Three phone companies are engaged in fierce competition for both mobile and landline customers, while new internet cafes are being set up across the city and the entire country.

"It takes just three days for a landline to be installed - compared with waiting-lists of many years in neighbouring Kenya, where there is a stable, democratic government.

"And once installed, local calls are free for a monthly fee of just $10. International calls cost 50 US cents a minute, while surfing the web is charged at 50 US cents an hour - 'the cheapest rate in Africa' according to the manager of one internet cafe.

"But how do you establish a phone company in a country where there is no government?"

"The 300 men filling out forms in the offices of an Iranian aid group were offered three choices: Train for suicide attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq, for suicide attacks against Israelis or to assassinate British author Salman Rushdie.

"It looked at first glance like a gathering on the fringes of a society divided between moderates who want better relations with the world and hard-line Muslim militants hostile toward the United States and Israel.

"But the presence of two key figures — a prominent Iranian lawmaker and a member of the country's elite Revolutionary Guards — lent the meeting more legitimacy and was a clear indication of at least tacit support from some within Iran's government.

"Since that inaugural June meeting in a room decorated with photos of Israeli soldiers' funerals, the registration forms for volunteer suicide commandos have appeared on Tehran's streets and university campuses, with no sign Iran's government is trying to stop the shadowy movement."

"Mr Yushchenko, who delivered an impassioned speech to more than 100,000 of his supporters spending their seventh day braving the freezing weather in Kiev's Independence Square, was furious. He said politicians pushing for independence were criminals and should be prosecuted."

of which regions of the country went for which candidate.



Note however on

"There is a dangerous, real threat of a break-up. The more so, if it were to find support from outside of the country [i.e. Russia - AC]. I hope that there will not be such support, but we can't downplay the threat by any means. Ukraine is fractured between the West and the East, not only in the light of recent events, but also in the cultural, linguistic, historical and economic sense. Even if Yushchenko becomes the president, which is quite probable, it's difficult to believe that eastern Ukraine will come to love him. Just as it's difficult to imagine that the west of the country will accept anyone else but Yushchenko."

"Vaclav Havel used to be a great playwright. He was a decent president who provided some very useful PR for Czechia, especially in the early 90s when most Westeners thought our country was part of Great Mother Russia. Now, he's a pensioner with very fragile health.

"And above all, he is an intellectual. He loves to talk, and he loves to write even more. He is a very independent thinker with great distrust for any kind of organized political process. He's chaotic.

"In short, he's not the type of manager the UN now needs most, someone with enough willpower and stamina to clean every toilet, scrub all the floors, fire the corrupt staff and reform the rules so that Libya never gets to chair the Human Rights Commission again, ever."