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| X Factor downloads will not chart Performance tracks from the current series of X Factor willl not be eligible for the singles chart, despite being sold via iTunes. bbc.co.uk |
Medal of Honor game goes on sale The controversial video game Medal of Honor has gone on sale despite calls by the UK Defence Secretary for it to be banned. bbc.co.uk |
Somali schoolboy tells of cross amputation Ismael Khalif Abdulle's story provides rare insight into regime of al-Shabaab rebels trying to overthrow Somali governmentHe has learned to button his shirt using only his left hand, to roll his sleeve with his teeth, to balance on his right foot in the shower. He cannot forgive, though he is desperate to forget. But at night his dreams betray him.This is how it happened, Abdulle told the Guardian. He was a prisoner in an insurgents' house in Mogadishu, lying on his side, one hand chained to his ankles. He was 17, with fluff on his cheeks and unspeakable fear in his heart. Three other young men were with him – Jalylani, Ali, Abduqadir.A guard, from the Islamist group al-Shabaab, which is trying to overthrow the Somali government, gripped his shoulder. "Ismael Khalif Abdulle, come with me."A convoy of rebel battlewagons cleared the way through the battered streets. Reaching Masalah, an old military barracks, he saw his mother through the car window and shouted to her. The guard slapped his face. "Today is not the day to call your mother," he said.Ordered to witness the punishment of the "spies and bandits" or face lashes themselves, the entire neighbourhood had assembled. Also watching were some of the Shabaab's top leaders – Sheikh Mukhtar Robow, the Somali-Swede Fuad Shangole, and Abu Mansoor Al-Amriki, the American who recruits and finances foreign fighters.In the middle of the stony parade ground were about 20 militiamen in green fatigues. Their faces were masked. They were wearing surgical gloves. On the ground was a single plastic mattress.Abdulle says he was made to lie down. His left hand was tied to his right ankle with a thick rope, leaving the other limbs free for what was to come. Rubber surgical tubing bit into his right biceps – a tourniquet. One rebel grabbed his hand, another his forearm. They pulled in opposite directions as a piece of plastic was laid over his wrist."Please make it quick," he pleaded.A heavily built man drew a large wooden-handled knife normally used to slaughter camels. The knife descended.Though their horror was far from over, Abdulle and the three other young men "cross amputated" – a process of cutting off a hand and foot from opposite sides of the body – by the Shabaab on 26 June 2009, eventually escaped from their Islamist captors, and managed to cross to the government-controlled side of the city. Abdulle recently managed to flee Somalia, and reach a safehouse in Nairobi, Kenya, where he gave this interview.His story offers a rare insight into how the Shabaab is using its extreme interpretation of Islam to establish order through fear – and to find recruits.Abdulle was born in 1992, a year after the last effective government fell, and warlords took over the country. As far as it is possible to have a normal upbringing amid the anarchy, he did. Once Shabaab forces took full control of the Bakara market area where he lived, in early 2009, security immediately improved – but at a huge cost to personal and social freedoms."If you saw a man on the street with a beard, you would be worried," Abdulle said. "But if someone was smoking a cigarette, you felt OK."The Shabaab recruited some of Abdulle's classmates to fight the government, but he insists that he never had anything to do with the Islamists until the day he was abducted.He said he was not told of his alleged crime until the 26th day of detention, when he and the three other young men were taken to the old military parade ground for the first time. Pistols and mobile phones, allegedly stolen by the accused, were shown to the crowd. Abdulle insists on his innocence to this day, but he was given no chance to speak. Dahir Ga'may, a Shabaab "judge", merely announced his verdict."He said we were guilty as spies and thieves, and that under sharia law a hand and a foot must be amputated."Three days later, the sentence was carried out. Abdulle passed out while his hand was being cut off. After he regained consciousness he heard the screams as the amputations continued. It was several hours before they were given pain relief, and two days before their wounds were stitched.A fortnight later, Shangole, the Shabaab commander, arrived at the house where they were detained. "He said they had made a mistake. Our legs were cut too low down, and needed to be shortened. He took the end of my leg, and put three fingers above the stump and said: 'That's where it should be.'"This time, the surgical tool was a plumber's saw. As before, there were no painkillers.On a separate visit, Ga'may told them that as they were disabled they should become suicide attackers. Sensing a chance to escape, they agreed. A taxi called by a relative picked them up, and took them to the justice ministry. The Red Crescent Society in Mogadishu fitted him with an artificial limb.His passage out of Mogadishu was risky, as the Shabaab were still after him. In Nairobi, he's keeping a low profile, as the insurgents have supporters in the city. His hope now is to gain asylum and help to deal with the physical and mental scars.Troubled youthHarakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, better known as al-Shabaab – "the youth" – first rose to prominence in 2006 as the armed wing of a sharia court alliance that forced warlords from the Somali capital, Mogadishu. After invading Ethiopian troops routed the nascent Islamist movement later that year, the Shabaab re-emerged as a guerilla army, initially winning the sympathy of many Somalis – and attracting hundreds of foreign jihadis. Once Ethiopia withdrew in January 2009, Shabaab militants took over large partsmuch of south and central Somalia, training their guns on government forces and African Union peacekeepers. It quickly established security, and delivered social services, but the group's extreme interpretation of Islam and its targeting of civilians has alienated most Somalis. Its "clerics" have banned everything from films to mobile ringtones, school bells and gold fillings. Public amputations of hands and feet are now common, and stonings and beheadings have been reported. Shabaab suicide bombers have killed dozens of innocent people.SomaliaKenyaXan Riceguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Stuttgart 21 is a failure of deliberative democracy | Andrea Römmele The lack of dialogue on plans to redevelop Stuttgart's train station has led to a loss of faith in the political systemSouthern Germany, especially the state of Baden-Württemberg, is not known for being extraordinarily political or even rebellious, especially not when big infrastructure projects are planned. Its capital city, Stuttgart, is a very prosperous region with a strong automotive industry and a very strong economy in general, and it is now debating, fighting and demonstrating very hard and persistently on whether its train station should be completely restructured from a dead-end to a underground-drive-through train station.After 15 years of planning and democratic decision making, the multibillion-dollar project was about to start two weeks ago, outraging an unexpectedly large portion of local as well as regional citizens. They feel betrayed by political parties, the regional government as well as the German railway company, the Bahn, because the project costs are rapidly increasing. And they feel that they have not been consulted on the project. A brutal police intervention has eventually created the picture of a revolution-like situation where students, the elderly, doctors and workers face the iron fist of the executive.The acceleration of events has made it difficult for all to even discuss a way forward. It is a communicative disaster for the government as well as the Bahn and it is, more importantly, an indication of a true and deep systemic crisis. Why are citizens voting for these parties for 15 years when they do not agree with the decisions that they have been making?As of last week Heiner Geißler, an 80-year-old well known mediator and former high-ranking politician, has been trying to negotiate with both the government and its opponents. However, it seems to be a shared feeling that mediation is being used as a tactical means of appeasement and not as a way to achieve honest, open-ended involvement. As many contracts have been awarded already and respective compensations would be very high, people doubt that the government and the Bahn would even consider ending the project.Comparable projects such as the recent airport extension in Frankfurt have seen far less opposition from citizens. There, citizens were involved from the very beginning in a continuous and open dialogue about their public and individual needs. Early on involvement has set a common ground for mediating conflicts and interest.Democratic processes seem to have lost some of their legitimising power especially when it comes to issues that interfere directly with people's daily lives. Parties in Germany are based on membership and milieus, but they face grassroot coalitions that are far beyond traditional structures. It is not ideology, but issues, that bring people together.Deliberative democracy was an ideal-type concept, which has not challenged representative democracy very much. However, some of its elements, especially with the legitimising force of deliberation and involvement, should become part of the policymakers' tool boxes. Democracy is a communicative system. James Fishkin, an American political scientist and professor at Stanford University, has suggested a "deliberative polling" process that allows for the repeated interaction between policymakers and citizens. It is not only about signalling citizens' preference to the politicians but also about making these preferences an issue for discussion.It is about strategic and long-term involvement of citizens who want to be taken seriously. Democracy is not in crisis. People are as political as they have ever been, but politics should allow for a bigger spectrum of involvement procedures in order not to endanger representative decision-making procedures.In the case of Stuttgart 21, government officials and the Bahn claim that the whole process gained huge legitimacy as it was discussed in parliaments and committees of all the regions and municipalities involved. Hence, those in favour of the project argued that a process of public deliberation would undermine the powers and competencies of the democratic institutions that decided on the project.Nevertheless, there is strong evidence for the malfunction of these institutions. The Stuttgart 21 project has been covered by many polls and citizens' skepticism was evident right from the start. This skepticism has become more and more visible as people no longer trust the political system but gather in the streets of Stuttgart to protest against the tearing down of the old main station.It is the major task of politicians in Stuttgart and all over Germany to restore the trust of the people. Sure, politicians sometimes have to make unpopular decisions. But they cannot ignore ongoing and massive critical voices among citizens. And that is why the officials involved with Stuttgart 21 must not stick to the milestones they set years ago but seek to establish an honest and open-ended dialogue with all stakeholders.Rail transportGermanyAndrea Römmeleguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
The Olympics of Television-Rights Fees The Olympics generates nearly half its revenue from sales of broadcasting rights. But for the broadcasters paying these sums, it is a downhill race to recover their investment. online.wsj.com |