Iran's Leader Relishes 2nd Chance to Make Waves
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/21/world/middleeast/21iran.html?ref=middleeast
By DAVID E. SANGER
Iran's president sparred with the Council on Foreign Relations,
exasperating his questioners and angering the Bush administration and
Jewish groups.
British Science Group Says Exxon Misrepresents Climate Issues
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/21/business/21green.html?ref=worldbusiness
By HEATHER TIMMONS
A British scientific group said that Exxon Mobil is financing groups
that misinform the public about climate issues.
Independence Days
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/20/AR2006092001586.html
By David S. Broder
Thursday, September 21, 2006; Page A25
American politics reached a critical turn last week. The revolt of
several Republican senators against President Bush's insistence on a
free hand in treating terrorist detainees signaled the emergence of an
independent force in elections and government.
This movement is not new, but the moral scale of the issue -- torture
-- and the implications for both constitutional and international law
give it an epic dimension, even if it is ultimately settled by
compromise.
Bush's Bill Suffers a Torturous Day in Committee
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/20/AR2006092001985_pf.html
By Dana Milbank
Thursday, September 21, 2006; A02
House Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), fighting to
preserve the use of harsh interrogation techniques, speaks with some
authority on the subject: He was subjected to seven hours of cruel and
unusual punishment as he tried to get the legislation through his
committee yesterday.
First came the cruel: As the point man for the Bush administration's
military-trials bill -- which would permit questioning methods some
regard as torture -- Sensenbrenner saw the legislation come within one
vote of collapsing in favor of a Democratic version, despite a six-vote
Republican majority on the committee.
Venezuelan Leader Demonizes Bush
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/20/AR2006092000798.html
Chavez Calls President a Racist 'Devil'
By Colum Lynch
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 21, 2006; Page A14
UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 20 -- President Hugo Chavez, the combative
Venezuelan leader, denounced President Bush in a U.N. speech Wednesday
as a racist, imperialist "devil" who has devoted six years in office to
military aggression and the oppression of the world's poorest people.
Speaking from the lectern where Bush spoke a day earlier, Chavez said
he could still smell the sulfur -- a reference to the scent of Satan.
Even by U.N. standards, where the United States is frequently
criticized as the world's superpower, Chavez's remarks were
exceptionally inflammatory. They were also received with a warm round
of applause.
Iranian Leader Defends Controversial Stands
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/20/AR2006092002176.html
By Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 21, 2006; Page A15
NEW YORK, Sept. 20 -- In a feisty session with leading foreign policy
experts, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad defiantly stuck to his
hard-line positions on issues including Iran's nuclear program and a
need for further study to confirm the Holocaust.
On the controversy over his earlier questioning of the Holocaust,
Ahmadinejad said he was not rendering "final judgment" but asked why
such prominence was given to one "small portion" of the 62 million
people killed in World War II.
Many in Bangkok Embrace Military Takeover
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/20/AR2006092000296_pf.html
Thai Army Chief Vows to Turn Power Over to Interim Leader Within Two
Weeks
By Anthony Faiola
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, September 21, 2006; A20
BANGKOK, Sept. 20 -- Jubilant crowds in this sultry capital embraced
Thailand's new military leadership on Wednesday, as Thais showered
soldiers with flowers, posed for photos with tanks and welcomed a
bloodless coup that deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra a day
earlier.
Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, the army chief who led the rebellion and
who is now acting prime minister, vowed that an interim leader would be
appointed within two weeks. But in an indication that the restoration
of democracy is a long way off, he made clear that elections may wait
until October 2007, after the drafting of a new constitution.
Is Malaysia an Islamic state?
Maznah Mohamad
September 21, 2006 09:46 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/maznah_mohamad/2006/09/post_406.html
Malaysian society is now gripped by a fundamental question: is the
country, which is more than half Muslim, an Islamic state? In practice,
various religious and ethnic groups give Malaysia a distinctly
multi-cultural character. But the Malaysian constitution provides room
for arguments on both sides of the question, and the relatively secular
status quo is facing a serious challenge.
Drafted by a group of experts in 1957, under the auspices of the
country's former British rulers, the constitution includes two
seemingly contradictory clauses. On the one hand, Article 3 states that
Islam is the religion of the federation, and that only Islam can be
preached to Muslims. On the other hand, Article 11 guarantees freedom
of religion for all. As a result, Malaysia has developed both a general
civil code, which is applied universally, and Islamic law, which is
applied only to Muslims in personal and family matters.
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