Arroyo Claims Receiving 'Divine' Inspiration--Philippines/New WMW

[Gloria]

Arroyo Claims Receiving 'Divine' Inspiration--Philippines/New WMW


Full excerpts, links up now at http://www.zianet.com/insightanalytical
Tomorrow at Buzzflash.com

WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR OCTOBER 27, 2004

1//The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia--IRAQ WAR SPURS LOCAL TERRORISTS, SAYS ASIO(Australia's spy chief has directly linked the Iraq war to the rising ranks of global terrorists and says it could have inspired new followers of Osama bin Laden in Australia. The ASIO director-general, Dennis Richardson, also said in a speech last night that al-Qaeda had cased an airport in Australia before the September 11 attacks in the United States. Mr Richardson said "it is possible some new followers in Australia have been motivated primarily by Iraq", putting him at odds with the Federal Government's line on whether the war inflames terrorism.)



2//The Jordan Times, Jordan--EMIR OPENS PARLIAMENT, URGES WOMEN SUFFRAGE(Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah opened the new legislative term of the emirate's outspoken parliament Tuesday by urging MPs to pass a bill granting women full political rights and approve a package of economic reforms…Women's suffrage is essential for expanding the voter base and carrying out comprehensive political reforms, he said. The Kuwaiti Cabinet in May approved a bill to amend the elections law granting women the right to vote and run for public office. The bill was signed by the emir and sent to parliament. The bill has excellent chances of passing through the house, with the government seen more determined than ever.)



3//Gulf News Online, United Arab Emirates--ARROYO CLAIMS RECEIVING ‘DIVINE’ INSPIRATION (President Gloria Arroyo said yesterday 'her conversations with the Almighty' have provided her with 'the discernment to call for the formation of a Constitutional Convention'. In a breakfast forum with members of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP), Arroyo said: "I do what I believe is right. How do I know what is right? I am a person who prays. There is discernment of God's will in my actions. I try to look for the will of God in every situation," Arroyo explained. She also said that she has asked her Cabinet members to undergo sessions on discernment, adding that she wanted them to be like her, '(who has) a lot of focus by Providence'.)



4//The Moscow Times, Russia--DEFENSE MINISTER BACKS PUTIN’S PLANS (In a wide-ranging overview of military, political and even electoral issues, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov threw his support behind President Vladimir Putin's plan to nominate governors and cancel individual races in State Duma elections, and reiterated his earlier vows to strike at suspected terrorists abroad. "What the president proposed has been long overdue," Ivanov was quoted in Tuesday's Komsomolskaya Pravda as saying. Ivanov said "there is nothing undemocratic" in the plan to have the president nominate governors for approval by regional parliaments and elect Duma deputies through party lists only. Ivanov is a longtime ally of Putin and is seen as his possible successor.)



5//The Daily Times, Pakistan--Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF or reporters without borders) has announced its annual worldwide press freedom index ranking Pakistan 150th in a total of 167 countries. North Korea is at the bottom of the list for having the most restricted press…The greatest press freedom is found in northern Europe (Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands and Norway), which is a haven of peace for journalists. Of the top 20 countries, only three (New Zealand 9th, Trinidad and Tobago 11th and Canada 18th) are outside Europe.)