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Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis resigns

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Minister makes announcement on personal blog as European creditors scramble to respond to “No” vote in debt referendum.

Yanis Varoufakis

by Al Jazeera

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis has resigned after Greek voters delivered an overwhelming “No” vote in a referendum on whether to accept more austerity measures in return for new bailout cash.

In a statement published on his personal blog on Monday, Varoufakis said he was stepping down to allow Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to reach a new deal with European creditors.

“Soon after the announcement of the referendum results, I was made aware of a certain preference by some Eurogroup participants, and assorted ‘partners’, for my … ‘absence’ from its meetings; an idea that the Prime Minister judged to be potentially helpful to him in reaching an agreement,” Varoufakis wrote on his blog.

“For this reason I am leaving the Ministry of Finance today.

“I consider it my duty to help Alexis Tsipras exploit, as he sees fit, the capital that the Greek people granted us through yesterday’s referendum. And I shall wear the creditors’ loathing with pride.”

Al Jazeera’s John Psaropoulos, reporting from Athens, said the decision to step down was expected and not a surprise.

“Many times since he took office in January he’s said that he’s not in it for the long haul, he said that he’s not a politician, he’s a technocrat, an academic,” Psaropoulos said.

EU leaders to meet

The announcement came as European Union leaders scrambled for a response on Monday, following the overwhelming “No” vote in Sunday’s referendum.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande were expected to meet in Paris on Monday, after calling for an emergency eurozone summit in a phone conversation after the result of the vote became apparent on Sunday.

EU President Donald Tusk said that the summit would be held on Tuesday, according to the AFP news agency.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker – who had said a Greek “No” would be “no to Europe” was expected to speak to the European Central Bank (ECB) and eurozone finance ministers on Monday.

Martin Schulz, the president of the European parliament, told Al Jazeera that the “No” vote had created a difficult situation, but the will of the Greek people must be respected.

“Ordinary citizens, pensioners, sick people and children in kindergarten should not pay a price for the dramatic situation … therefore, a humanitarian programme is needed immediately,” Schulz said.

“I hope that the Greek government will, in the next few hours, make meaningful and constructive proposals, allowing that they are meaningful and possible to renegotiate. If not, we are entering into a very difficult and even dramatic time.”

Greek voters overwhelmingly rejected international creditors’ tough bailout terms, sparking fears that the cash-strapped nation was on its way out of the euro.

Voters had been asked on Sunday whether to accept or reject the country’s multibillion euro bailout deal with the EU that called for more austerity in exchange for rescue loans.

Figures released by the interior ministry showed the final tally at 61.31 percent voting “No” and 38.69 percent voting “Yes”. Participation stood at 62.5 percent.

Thousands of pro-government supporters cheered and hugged each other in central Athens in celebration, although some other Greeks expressed pessimism that Tsipras would be able to deliver on his promises.

In a televised address after the referendum, Tsipras said the creditors – the ECB, the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund – would now finally have to talk about restructuring the massive, 240-billion-euro ($267bn) debt Greece owes them.

“This time, the debt will be on the negotiating table,” he said, insisting that an IMF report seen this week “confirms Greek views that restructuring the debt is necessary”.

Tsipras said that the referendum results did not mean Athens was headed for a so-called Grexit.

“This is not a mandate of rupture with Europe, but a mandate that bolsters our negotiating strength to achieve a viable deal,” he said.

The ruling Syriza government closed the country’s banks and imposed capital controls until July 6 to stem the flood of withdrawals after the bailout deal failed.

The cash-strapped nation eventually defaulted on an IMF payment of $1.8bn on June 30. The same day, the last bailout for Greece ran out, despite Tsipras’ appeals for it to be extended until the referendum was over.

Al Jazeera’s Barnaby Phillips, reporting from Athens, said the result shows a “much better” outcome for Tsipras and could embolden the prime minister to go back to Europe and demand a better deal for Greece.

Crowdfund for Greek bailout edges to 2 million euros

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One Briton’s attempt at crowdfunding the Greek bailout might not work, but it sends an important message.

Thom Feeney launched a crowdfunding IndieGoGo project 'Greek Bailout Fund' with the final target of 1.6 billion euros [$1.8bn] needed to make the payment [Niklas Hallen/AFP/Getty Images]

Thom Feeney launched a crowdfunding IndieGoGo project ‘Greek Bailout Fund’ with the final target of 1.6 billion euros [$1.8bn] needed to make the payment [Niklas Hallen/AFP/Getty Images]

by Philippa H Stewart, Al Jazeera

As Greeks prepare to vote on whether the country should accept the terms of a new government, a 29-year-old from the UK has devised his own solution to Greece’s national debt.

Thom Feeney’s crowdfunding page to raise the 1.6bn euros ($1.8bn) the Greek government owes in arrears promises Greek-themed gifts of varying value to anyone who contributes.

The initiative gained such popularity that host site IndieGoGo temporarily crashed as it struggled to cope with the numbers of people trying to donate.

Donations are still coming in, even though Greece already officially defaulted on the repayment of the loan.

So far the fund has raised 1,740,959 euros ($1,934,901), with most people opting for the 3 euro ($3.3) donation that gains a postcard of Greek Prime Minister Alex Tsipras in return, sent from Greece.

At the time of publication, five people had donated 5,000 euros ($5,557), for which they got a holiday in Greece.

Despite the donations, it seems unlikely the campaign will succeed, economists agreed.

A strong signal

When asked whether the bailout fund would emerge victorious, economist Robert Kahn, a senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations gave Al Jazeera a resounding “No”.

“He’s doing okay, but no, it couldn’t work,” Khan said.

“It’s not going to raise enough money, that’s the real reason. I was thinking about this though, there’s some history where in crises some countries have benefited from the support of private citizens abroad,” Khan went on.

“For example in 1997/98 in Korea, money flowed out from Korea to support children and families, but when the crisis hit, that reversed – it was a patriotic return. That was a material part of their adjustment,” explained the economist.

“It’s not quite the same thing we are talking about here, but there are instances when you have this willingness to put money up for a country in distress and it can make a material difference, I am not averse to it as a principal,” Kahn said.

Kahn told Al Jazeera that even though the campaign was unlikely to be successful in its ultimate goal – it was sending a strong message.

“It is a signal of support and that there is help there,” he said.

“The reality is though, that really the only path forward for Greece in the eurozone, if indeed they should be in the eurozone, involves some pretty tough policy moves and a lot of financing and debt relief. I am not convinced it is going to make much of a difference. It is more of a political statement,” concluded Kahn.

‘Momentary setback’

That political statement comes at a volatile time for the people of Greece, who on Sunday are voting on what many see to be the country’s future in the EU.

If the “No” vote wins and Greece rejects the terms of the bailout outlined by the IMF and the European Central Bank, many will see it as a move towards the infamous “Grexit”.

A “Yes” vote will effectively spell the end of Greece’s Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, who on Thursday told Bloomberg: “I prefer to cut my arm off rather than sign an agreement without debt restructuring.”

For Athens-based Nikos Moumoris, the crowdfunding campaign set up by a man from York has an importance beyond its financial efforts.

“It is always nice to see this kind of support from people … you will never meet in the physical world, but it is the people on the ground who suffer the most and this will be always the case,” he said.

“I doubt the crowdfunding effort will yield the stated results, but I think it serves most for the awareness of people abroad and the support of people in my country who, apparently, advocate a ‘No’ vote.”

Giannis Arkoudos, a web designer from Athens thinks the message is positive regardless of whether the country votes “Yes” or “No”.

“To be honest, I personally don’t consider the movement as equivalent to a wish against a Grexit, but more as a reflection that people understand our country’s situation over the last five years, and as a pledge of support for any tough days still to come – whether we remain in, or leave, the EU, the wounds are deep, and this help is more than welcome,” Arkoudos said.

“I don’t see the solidarity of the movement as a yes or no factor. My reaction is more that ‘these are the friends we want’,” Arkoudos added.

“Greece of course needs to stand on her own two feet. Crowdfunding is never the best way to solve problems, though it is perhaps one way of surmounting a momentary setback. But if we do not solve Greece’s deep structural problems the problem will recur, and the money will never be sufficient,” Arkoudos said.

People band together

Campaign founder Feeney has said his idea was born out of frustration with the politics surrounding the bailout, and that he wanted the gifts people receive for donating to be all sourced in Greece to help stimulate the economy.

“I was fed up of the Greek crisis going around in circles, while politicians are dithering. This is affecting real people. While all the posturing is going on, it’s easy for the politicians to forget that. I just thought, sod it, I’ll have a crack,” Feeney said in a statement to journalists.

“This isn’t just about Greece, but about the Greek people, the working classes and trying to help other ordinary people across the world. If governments, corporations or banks won’t help, what can we do but band together,” the statement said.

“If we don’t reach that target, what a wonderful message it sends out. It shows that whether you’re a working class lad in Yorkshire, Scotland or Athens, other people around the world care about you, even if your government has forgotten. You can make a difference.”

Feeney also said that if the campaign is not successful, the money will be returned to the donors.

Charity or solidarity?

Not everyone in Greece, however, sees the campaign as a show of solidarity.

Sotiris Koukios from Alexandroupolis said that the terms “solidarity” and “charity” were too often confused.

“Charming initiatives are always charming,” he said. “As a concept, it is not something negative, on the contrary [the campaign] could help Greek product marketing, but I doubt that 10 euros [$11] for a bottle of ouzo is what the country needs as support.

Actually I don’t see it as a form of solidarity. Sometimes we mix charity with solidarity.”

Koukios does not think the political fallout from the campaign will be enough to change the minds of politicians or the public.

“Civil society in Europe has the power and should put pressure on the EU through parliament and through campaigns to change the attitude of European public towards the country.”

“Greeks have been accused of many things in the last five years. It’s not a donation that would solve the problem nor marketing. Political pressure is needed urgently!”

Feeney’s efforts, though, have certainly struck a chord across Europe, with the majority of contributors so far being from the UK, Germany, and France.

“It shows that so many people care about giving to people when they need it most, not kicking them while they’re down. To help an economy recover we need investment and stimulus, not cuts and austerity,” wrote Feeney.

More than 80,000 people have contributed to the campaign since it launched on June 28, and by Feeney’s reckoning, if each of the EU’s 503 million citizens did the same, the target would be reached.

Whether or not that happens seems to many to be less important than the spirit behind the idea.

“It is more important in showing there are people out there who want their governments to show more flexibility,” Kahn told Al Jazeera.

“People are showing they have empathy for the Greek tragedy.”

UK Muslims decry move to host Prophet Muhammad exhibit

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UK-based anti-Sharia campaign group will host an exhibition featuring cartoons of the prophet of Islam in September.

Prophet Muhammad

by Azad Essa, Al Jazeera

Muslim organisations in the UK have condemned a move by an anti-Sharia campaign group to host an exhibition featuring cartoons of Prophet Muhammad in London in September.

Azad Ali, chair of the Muslim Safety Forum based in London, told Al Jazeera on Friday the proposed “Muhammad Cartoon Exhibit” by UK-based Sharia Watch was an attempt to taunt the tolerance levels of British Muslims, and described the move as a cheap attempt to create disharmony in the UK.

“They keep on pushing the boundary, testing the levels and always upping the ante … this is what this is about: getting a reaction from Muslims and looking for a justification to demonise us,” Ali said.

“We are looking to find ways for a positive discussion to come out of this, but no one thinks the planned event is anything but racist,” he said.

The exhibit is set to feature controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders as a speaker. Wilders is known to be vehemently anti-Islam.

Talking to Al Jazeera, Miqdaad Versi, assistant secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said the proposed event illustrated that Islamophobia had now become socially acceptable in Britain.

“It [Islamophobia] has become mainstream, and acceptable, and this has provided a platform for more extreme views to surface,” Versi said.

Depictions of Prophet Muhammad are banned in Islam and many Muslims say they are being continuously provoked and taunted with demeaning depictions of the prophet that are often seen as “vile and racist”.

In 2006, violent protests erupted in parts of the Arab world and South Asia as Muslims took to the streets to demonstrate against the publication of cartoons of Prophet Muhammad by the Jyllands-Posten newspaper in Denmark.

The same cartoons were published by French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, prompting an arson attack on the newspaper in 2011.

Climate of fear’

Charlie Hebdo was brutally attacked in January by two gunmen, resulting in the murder of 12 people.

In May, two gunmen attacked an art exhibition in Garland, Texas where caricatures of Prophet Muhammad were being exhibited.

UK-based Sharia Watch said on Tuesday the event had been organised to honour those who “risk their lives in defence of free expression, and of those who have been murdered in this cause”.

Anne Marie Waters, director of Sharia Watch, said in the statement that the event was about freedom of expression.

“The outlook for our democracy depends on the actions we take today. We owe it to future generations to pass on the freedom we have enjoyed,” Waters said.

But many commentators say the cartoons of Prophet Muhammad have little to do with free speech.

In June, Jordan Denari, a research fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, said that sharing cartoons of the prophet contributed “to an existing climate of fear in which Muslims are seen as a threat – a climate that endangers Muslims in the West”.

“These cartoons play into the worst stereotypes about Muslims. Almost all of the cartoons displayed at the Garland contest portrayed Muhammad in a negative light, showing the prophet as violent, backward, sexually perverted, and intolerant of non-Muslims,” Denari wrote.

Earlier in June, Geert Wilders said he wanted to showcase cartoons of Prophet Muhammad on Dutch television on airtime usually reserved for political parties. This was in response to a decision by the Dutch parliament not to display the toons.

France rejects asylum request from WikiLeaks’ Assange

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President’s office says WikiLeaks founder did not face “immediate danger”, in response to Assange’s request for asylum.

Julian Assange faces allegations by two women of rape and sexual assault, which he denies [AP]

Julian Assange faces allegations by two women of rape and sexual assault, which he denies [AP]

by Al Jazeera

The French government has rejected an asylum request from WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, saying he did not face “immediate danger”.

In a letter to the French President, Assange described himself as a “journalist pursued and threatened with death by the United States’ authorities as a result of my professional activities”.

He asked in the letter, published on Friday in Le Monde newspaper, to be granted asylum by France.

Hours later, the office of President Francois Hollande responded in a statement that read: “France cannot act on his request”.

“The situation of Mr Assange does not present an immediate danger. Furthermore, he is subject to a European arrest warrant,” Hollande’s office said.

Assange, who turned 44 on Friday, has spent over three years holed up in Ecuador’s embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faces allegations by two women, one of rape and one of sexual assault, which he denies.

The former computer hacker fears extradition to Sweden could lead to him being transferred to the US to face trial over WikiLeaks’ publication of classified US military and diplomatic documents.

Greek banks remain shut amid debt crisis negotiations

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European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker expected to make new proposals in bid to end financial crisis.

Photo: EPA/SIMELA PANTZARTZI

Photo: EPA/SIMELA PANTZARTZI

by Al Jazeera

The president of the European Commission is expected to make new proposals to try to avoid a Greek default, the EU commissioner of economic affairs has said, adding that there was still room to negotiate an end to the crisis.

Jean-Claude Juncker “will indicate the route to follow”, Pierre Moscovici told French radio on Monday, adding there was still “room for negotiation” between Athens and its international creditors.

“I hope everyone will commit themselves to a way of compromise.”

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had earlier announced the temporary closure of banks, after the European Central Bank (ECB) said it would not increase additional emergency funding to the country.

In addition, Greece announced on Monday that the country’s stock market will remain closed until July 7.

In a television address on Sunday, Tsipras said that the government will also start imposing capital controls ahead of a looming deadline on Tuesday.

The country needs to make a $1.8bn payment to the International Monetary Fund by Tuesday or risk defaulting on its obligations.

The emergency measures were agreed at a cabinet meeting after a gathering of Greece’s systemic stability council, called after eurozone finance ministers refused to extend its bailout beyond Tuesday.

Greek government officials have confirmed that banks will remain closed until July 6 – a day after the planned referendum on bailout deal offered by international creditors.

However, officials said that ATMs will reopen on Monday afternoon, with daily withdrawal limit set at 60 euros ($66).

The leftist government, in a statement, also clarified that tourists staying in Greece and anyone with a credit card issued in a foreign country will not be affected by measures to limit bank withdrawals.

Japan stocks plunged more than two percent on Monday, with investor sentiment hit by fears of a Greek default. The Nikkei went down more than 500 points at one point during early trading.

The latest development came as the Greek parliament decided to back Tsipras’ call for a referendum on the country’s bailout deal with international creditors.

The referendum planned for July 5 was approved by at least 179 deputies out of a total of 300 politicians.

Tsipras’ leftist Syriza party and allied politicians voted in favour of the referendum that has angered its creditors who earlier rejected the debt-ridden country’s request for a bailout extension.

US domestic Terrorists more deadly than 'Jihadis': Report

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“With non-Muslims, the media bends over backward to identify some psychological traits that may have pushed them over the edge. Whereas if it’s a Muslim, the assumption is that they must have done it because of their religion.”

Last week's shooting at Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina was the deadliest right-wing attack on U.S. soil since 2001. Dylann Roof, pictured, reportedly told parishioners he wanted to start a race war before shooting dead nine black men and women.

Last week’s shooting at Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina was the deadliest right-wing attack on U.S. soil since 2001. Dylann Roof, pictured, reportedly told parishioners he wanted to start a race war before shooting dead nine black men and women.

by Nadia Prupis, Common Dreams

In the 14 years since the September 11, 2001 attacks, nearly twice as many Americans have been killed by white supremacists, right-wing extremists, and other non-Muslim domestic terrorists than by people motivated by “jihadist ideology,” a report by the New America research group published Wednesday has found.

Using a database that catalogs information on U.S. citizens and permanent residents engaged in “violent extremist activity,” the report, Homegrown Extremism 2001-2015, found that 48 people were killed by non-Muslim terrorists during that time frame, as opposed to 26 who were killed by self-described jihadis.

The New York Times reports:

The slaying of nine African-Americans in a Charleston, S.C., church last week, with an avowed white supremacist charged with their murders, was a particularly savage case. But it is only the latest in a string of lethal attacks by people espousing racial hatred, hostility to government and theories such as those of the “sovereign citizen” movement, which denies the legitimacy of most statutory law. The assaults have taken the lives of police officers, members of racial or religious minorities and random civilians.

…John G. Horgan, who studies terrorism at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, said the mismatch between public perceptions and actual cases has become steadily more obvious to scholars.

“There’s an acceptance now of the idea that the threat from jihadi terrorism in the United States has been overblown,” Dr. Horgan said. “And there’s a belief that the threat of right-wing, antigovernment violence has been underestimated.”

Last week’s shooting at the Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in which nine black men and women were killed, was the deadliest right-wing attack in the U.S. since 2001, the report states. The suspect in the murders, 21-year-old white supremacist Dylann Roof, said he had intended to start a race war through his attack.

But despite these findings, the general public and mainstream media resist the language of “terrorism” when describing so-called homegrown radicals.

As Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) editor Jim Naureckas wrote in a column published on Common Dreams this week, “Corporate media are demonstrably reluctant to use the word ‘terrorist’ with regards to Charleston shooting suspect Dylann Roof—even though the massacre would seem to meet the legal definition of terrorism, as violent crimes that ‘appear to be intended…to intimidate or coerce a civilian population’.”

Abdul Cader Asmal, a retired physician and a spokesman for Boston’s Muslim community, told the Times on Wednesday, “With non-Muslims, the media bends over backward to identify some psychological traits that may have pushed them over the edge. Whereas if it’s a Muslim, the assumption is that they must have done it because of their religion.”

Roof’s attack was “not an act of just ‘one hateful person.’ It is a manifestation of the racial hatred and white supremacy that continues to pervade our society,” wrote University of Pennsylvania professor Anthea Butler in an op-ed for the Washington Post last week, just as Roof was captured by law enforcement. “It should be covered as such. And now that authorities have found their suspect, we should be calling him what he is: a terrorist.”

France says US spying on presidents is 'unacceptable'

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Office of President Hollande says “it will not tolerate” acts by a foreign government that threaten France’s security.

French President Francois Hollande called a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the latest WikiLeaks report of US spying [EPA]

French President Francois Hollande called a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the latest WikiLeaks report of US spying [EPA]

by Al Jazeera

The French government has denounced as “unacceptable” reports that the US wiretapped current leader Francois Hollande and former presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and Jacques Chirac.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the office of the French president said it “will not tolerate any acts, which jeopardise its safety and the protection of its interest.”

“Commitments were made by the US authorities,” the Elysee Palace said in a statement, referring to promises by the US in late 2013 not to spy on France’s leaders. “They must be remembered and strictly respected.”

The statement followed a meeting of France’s defence council called by President Hollande in response to the release of the documents by WikiLeaks on Tuesday.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has also summoned the US ambassador to France, Jane Hartley for a Wednesday afternoon meeting to discuss the report.

Opposition leader Marine Le Pen also said the wiretapping incidents prove that the US is not an ally of France, and called for suspension of trade talks with Washington DC.

French newspaper Liberation and the Mediapart website reported on Tuesday that the spying spanned 2006 to 2012, quoting documents classed as “Top Secret” which include five reports from the US National Security Agency based on intercepted communications.

The most recent document is dated May 22, 2012, just days before Hollande took office, and reveals that the French leader “approved holding secret meetings in Paris to discuss the eurozone crisis, particularly the consequences of a Greek exit from the eurozone”.

Another document dated 2008 was titled “Sarkozy sees himself as only one who can resolve world financial crisis”.

Spy scheme reviewed

Ever since documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden showed in 2013 that the NSA had been eavesdropping on the mobile phone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, it had been understood that the US had been using the digital spying agency to intercept the conversations of allied politicians.

Still, the new revelations are bound to cause diplomatic embarrassment for the US, even though it is not uncommon that allies spy on each other.

Hollande said last year that he discussed his concerns about NSA surveillance with President Barack Obama during a visit to the US, and they patched up their differences.

After the Merkel disclosures, Obama ordered a review of NSA spying on allies, after officials suggested that senior White House officials had not approved many operations that were largely on auto-pilot. After the review, American officials said Obama had ordered a halt to spying on the leaders of allied countries, if not their aides.

Neither Hollande’s office nor Washington would comment on the new leaks. Contacted Tuesday by AFP, Hollande’s aide said: “We will see what it is about.”

US State Department spokesman John Kirby meanwhile said: “We do not comment on the veracity or content of leaked documents.”

WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson said he was confident the documents were authentic, noting that WikiLeaks previous mass disclosures have proven to be accurate.

The release appeared to be timed to coincide with a vote in the French Parliament on a bill allowing broad new surveillance powers, in particular to counter terrorist threats.

Pentagon rewrites ‘Law of War’ declaring ‘belligerent’ journalists as legitimate targets

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The Pentagon (AFP Photo)

The Pentagon (AFP Photo)

by RT

The Pentagon has released a book of instructions on the “law of war,” detailing acceptable ways of killing the enemy. The manual also states that journalists can be labeled “unprivileged belligerents,” an obscure term that replaced “enemy combatant.”

The 1,176-page “Department of Defense Law of War Manual” explains that shooting, exploding, bombing, stabbing, or cutting the enemy are acceptable ways of getting the job done, but the use of poison or asphyxiating gases is not allowed.

Surprise attacks and killing retreating troops have also been given the green light.

But the lengthy manual doesn’t only talk about protocol for those on the frontline. It also has an extensive section on journalists – including the fact that they can be labeled terrorists.

“In general, journalists are civilians. However, journalists may be members of the armed forces, persons authorized to accompany the armed forces, or unprivileged belligerents,” the manual states.

The term “unprivileged belligerents” replaces the Bush-era term “unlawful enemy combatant.”

When asked what this means, professor of Journalism at Georgetown Chris Chambers told RT that he doesn’t know, “because the Geneva Convention, other tenets of international law, and even United States law – federal courts have spoken on this – doesn’t have this thing on ‘unprivileged belligerents’.”

This means that embedded journalists, who are officially sanctioned by the military and attached to a unit, will be favored by an even greater degree than before. “It gives them license to attack or even murder journalists that they don’t particularly like but aren’t on the other side,” Chambers said.

Even the Obama Administration’s definition of “enemy combatant” was vague enough, basically meaning any male of a military age who “happens to be there,” Chambers added.

The manual also deals with drones, stating that there is “no prohibition in the law of war on the use of remotely piloted aircraft (also called “unmanned aerial vehicles”).” Such weapons may offer certain advantages over the weapons systems. It states that drones can be designated as military aircraft if used by a country’s military.

The book includes a foreword from the General Counsel of the Department of Defense, Stephen Preston, who states that “the law of war is part of who we are.” He goes on to say that the manual will“help us remember the hard-learned lessons from the past.”

The manual is the Pentagon’s first all-in-one legal guide for the four military branches. Previously, each sector was tasked with writing their own guidelines for engagement, which presumably did not list journalists as potential traitors.

The Pentagon did not specify the exact circumstances under which a journalist might be declared an unprivileged belligerent, but Chambers says he is sure “their legal department is going over it, as is the National Press Club and the Society of Professional Journalists.”

Diego Maradona Will Run for FIFA's Presidency

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The Argentine legend has promised to end corruption within the organization.

Diego Maradona

by teleSUR

Argentine football legend Diego Armando Maradona confirmed Sunday that he will be running for FIFA’s presidency.

“Diego will be candidate for FIFA (presidency), with all the authority he has, he has been in the front line fighting from that world of (football) players … Diego has been a spearhead to talk about corruption inside FIFA, and corruption within the AFA (Argentine Football Association),” revealed Victor Hugo Morales, host of teleSUR’s “De Chilena!” show.

Maradona has been a longtime critic of FIFA and its policies. During the last World Cup, the former star denounced FIFA for charging US$2 million dollars in transmission rights to Haiti, a country that is struggling to recover from devastating earthquake in 2010.

FIFA has been mired in scandal since seven of its officials were arrested when Swiss police swooped into a luxury hotel in Zurich ahead of the congress. The officials are set to be extradited to the United States, where they are suspected of receiving close to US$150 million in bribes.

Last week, Swiss officials also said they were investigating 53 new suspected cases of money laundering linked to FIFA.

“Partly in addition to the 104 banking relations already known to the authorities, banks announced 53 suspicious banking relations via the Anti-Money-Laundering-Framework of Switzerland,” the country’s Attorney General Michael Lauber stated, according to AFP.

Lauber praised banks for reporting the “suspicious” transactions, but said a full investigation could take years.

Some of the financial transactions are allegedly linked to FIFA World Cup bids, including those for the 2018 and 2022 games. According to Lauber, the investigation “does not exclude” FIFA’s outgoing head Joseph Blatter from possible questioning, though he isn’t under suspicion.

Blatter announced plans to resign from his position at the football organization just days after being re-appointed as its head on May 30 during FIFA’s annual congress. He is expected to step down by the end of the year, though earlier this week Blatter hinted he may reconsider.

'I forgive you': Charleston church victims' families confront suspect

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Dylann Roof makes a court appearance via video link.

Dylann Roof makes a court appearance via video link.

by Oliver Laughland, Paul Lewis and Raya Jalabi, The Guardian

“I forgive you,” said the daughter of 70-year-old Ethel Lance to the 21-year-old man who allegedly murdered her mother in church and appeared at an emotionally charged video court appearance in Charleston on Friday afternoon, two days after a horrific mass shooting here.

Relatives of the Emanuel church victims stood up one by one in the courtroom, offering forgiveness to the man accused of murdering their sons, mothers and grandfathers in cold blood, as a nation continued to call for justice.

Dylann Roof appeared at his bond hearing via videolink from the Charleston detention center, where he is being held in isolation. Officials later confirmed he is being detained in the same jail unit as Michael Slager, the white police officer who just 10 weeks ago stood in the same court, charged with the murder of Walter Scott, whom he shot five times from behind as the unarmed black man ran away.

“You took something very precious from me, but I forgive you,” Lance’s daughter said through tears. “It hurts me. You hurt a lot of people, but may God forgive you.”

Speaking of her son Tywanza Sanders, who was also killed on Wednesday night trying to shield his great aunt from gunfire, Felicia Sanders said to the suspect: “We welcomed you Wednesday night in our Bible study with open arms. You have killed some of the most beautifullest people that I know. Every fiber in my body hurts. I will never be the same.”

She continued: “Tywanza was my hero. But as they say in the Bible study, we enjoyed you, but may God have mercy on your soul.”

Roof stood still, in an oversized black-and-gray striped inmate’s uniform, as Judge James Gosnell requested a representative from each family to declare if they wished to make a formal statement.

The 21-year-old was flanked by two heavily armored officers throughout the hearing. He uttered very few words, confirming his age, employment status and address in a timid baritone. As successive relatives stood to offer him forgiveness, he expressed no emotion, staring down and occasionally into the camera inside a cell.

Court officials later confirmed that Roof could see into the courtroom and heard each of the speeches, but he could not see the relatives who stood a few feet away from the judge, out of his view.

Alanna Simmons, the granddaughter of 74-year-old retired pastor Daniel Simmons, stood after Sanders.

“Although my grandfather and the other victims died at the hands of hate, this is proof that they lived and loved,” she said. “Hate won’t win.”

In all, five representatives of the nine people killed in the massacre spoke at the hearing, with President Barack Obama tweeting shortly after the hearing that the “decency and goodness of the American people shines through in these families”.

In an address later on Friday in San Francisco, Obama made a renewed call to action on gun control, saying he had “faith we will eventually do the right thing” despite political gridlock in Washington.

“The apparent motivations of the shooter remind us that racism remains a blight that we have to combat together,” he said.

The small courthouse in Charleston was packed full of relatives and friends who had arrived earlier in the afternoon in small groups, walking through the sweltering 95-degree heat, flanked by sheriff’s deputies and taking no questions from media. In an opening statement Judge Gosnell asked that Roof’s family be acknowledged as they were also victims of his crimes.

“We would like you to take this opportunity to repent,” said Anthony Thompson, grandson of 59-year-old Myra Thompson as the family’s statements continued. “Repent. Confess. Give your life to the one who matters the most, Christ, so he can change your ways no matter what happens to you and you’ll be OK.

Roof’s family later issued its first public statement since the shooting: “We have all been touched by the moving words from the victims’ families offering God’s forgiveness and love in the face of such horrible suffering,” the family said.

Immediately after the hearing, court officials released Roof’s arrest warrants, which provided chilling new details on how all nine were shot during a prayer group meeting at the historic Emanuel AME church in downtown Charleston.

Roof was seen on security camera footage entering the church on Wednesday night, at 8:06pm, the warrants said. He spent an hour studying with the dozen parishioners in the Bible study room and then opened fire, striking each victim “multiple times”.

“Prior to leaving the Bible study room he stood over a witness to be named later and uttered a racially inflammatory statement to the witness,” the warrant states.

After a manhunt, Roof was identified to police by both his father and uncle, who recognized him and his car from photographs distributed to the public by police. Roof’s father confirmed to police that his son owned a .45 caliber handgun, which he was seen carrying out of the church shortly after 9pm on Wednesday. Investigators stated in the warrant that .45 caliber shell casings were recovered in the church.

On Friday afternoon, the US justice department announced it is investigating whether the church shooting could be a hate crime or an act of domestic terror.

On Thursday, the attorney general, Loretta Lynch, had described the massacre as a “barbaric crime”, and said it was being looked at as a hate crime. “Acts like this have no place in our country and in a civilized society,” Lynch said in Washington.

Roof’s homicide charges make him eligible for the death penalty, for which South Carolina’s Governor Nikki Haley advocated during a visit to Charleston on Friday.

Earlier in the day, the NAACP national president, Cornell William Brooks, condemned the church attack as a hate crime.

“This was an act of racial terrorism and must be treated as such,” Brooks said in an emotional press conference of his own.

Brooks, who spent time in Charleston as a child as both his grandfather and uncle owned barbershops nearby, said the state and the US as a whole needed to examine the underlying racial hatred that fuelled Roof’s crime.

He made particular note of the Confederate flag flying above the South Carolinastate house.

“Some will assert that the Confederate flag is merely a symbol of years gone by, a symbol of heritage, not hate. But when we see that symbol lifted up as an emblem of hate … as an inspiration of violence, that symbol has to come down.” Tensions over the flag have been renewed since the shooting, and local politicians were preparing legislation to have it removed.

On Friday morning, the Republican presidential candidate and South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham attempted to distance Roof’s actions from the flag’s prominent position in South Carolina politics.

“We’re not going to give this guy an excuse about a book he might have read or a movie he watched or a song he listened to or a symbol out anywhere. It’s him … not the flag,” Graham told CNN.

The senator was present at a vigil, later on Friday, when hundreds of people cheered and applauded at repeated calls for the flag to be removed from state buildings.

There was a loud expression of support from Nelson B Rivers, from the National Action Network civil rights group, who compared calls for the flag to be taken down for the legislation to introduce body cameras in the aftermath of Walter Scott’s death.

“Walter Scott got killed and the paradigm shifted, and then all of a sudden what couldn’t be done became a done deal,” he said.

Amid a rising a cacophony of supportive shouting, Rivers called on lawmakers in the auditorium: “You will take that flag down, you will taken it down!”

Graham, who sat impassively, later told the Guardian he welcomed the debate, although declined to take a firm position. “There are graveyards of confederate soldiers all over the state – what do we do? How much of revisiting ones past is going to take before we can move forward?”

Graham and South Carolina’s other senator, Tim Scott – also a Republican – both remained seated during standing ovations following calls for a “rational conversation” about gun rights in America.

Charleston’s mayor, Joseph P Riley, said he did not want to inject any kind of politics into the situation, but added: “Nine people died, because of this crazed man, with obviously easy access to a handgun,”

“It is complicated, and the right to bear arms is ingrained in the Constitution and life in America, but we can’t just forget about this and we must encourage a national discussion. There has got to be a better way.”

He added: “We don’t want to live in a country where you need a security guard for Bible study.”

Further vigils to mourn the nine murdered church members were planned to continue in Charleston and throughout the US through the weekend.

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