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Brunei adopts sharia law
5/1/2014 1:50:09 PM
- Brunei has become the first East Asian country to adopt sharia law
- The sharia-based penal code will eventually include death by stoning
- International human rights groups have publicly condemned the move
(CNN) -- Brunei has become the first East Asian country to adopt sharia law, despite widespread condemnation from international human rights groups.
The Islamic criminal law is set to include punishments such as flogging, dismemberment and death by stoning for crimes such as rape, adultery and sodomy. The religious laws will operate alongside the existing civil penal code.
During a ceremony Wednesday morning, the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, announced the commencement of the first phase of the sharia-based penal code, according to the government's official website.
The oil-rich kingdom, located on the island of Borneo, has a population of just 412,000 people. The country already follows a more conservative Islamic rule than neighboring Muslim-dominated countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, and has implemented strict religiously-motivated laws, such as the banning of the sale of alcohol.
Stringent laws
In response to the new set of laws, human rights group Amnesty International said that it will "take the country back to the dark ages."
"It (the law) makes a mockery of the country's international human rights commitments and must be revoked immediately," Amnesty's regional deputy director Rupert Abbott said in a statement released after the announcement.
Most parts of the new Islamic code will apply to both Muslims and non-Muslims, affecting people from the Christian and Buddhist communities. Around 70 percent of people in Brunei are Malay Muslims, while the remainder of the population are of Chinese or other ethnic descent.
The Sultan, who is also the Prime Minister, first announced the law in October 2013. As per its provisions, sexual offenses such as rape, adultery and sodomy will be considered punishable acts for Muslims. Consensual sex between homosexuals will also be criminalized, with death by stoning the prescribed punishment.
In announcing the implementation of sharia law, the government website quoted the Sultan as saying that his government "does not expect other people to accept and agree with it, but that it would suffice if they just respect the nation in the same way that it also respects them."
Widespread condemnation
LGBT advocacy groups in Asia have voiced their opposition to Brunei's implementation of sharia law.
"It may open the floodgates for further human rights violations against women, children, and other people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity," officials from the Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM) and Islands of South East Asian Network on Male and Transgender Sexual Health (ISEAN), said in a joint statement released last week.
The United Nations has also publicly condemned the move.
"Under international law, stoning people to death constitutes torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and is thus clearly prohibited," Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a press briefing in Geneva last month.
Anti-women provisions
He further expressed concerns about the implementation of sharia law's impact on women.
"A number of UN studies have revealed that women are more likely to be sentenced to death by stoning, due to deeply entrenched discrimination and stereotyping against them."
More than 40,000 people have attended briefing sessions organized by the government in the last four months to understand the provisions under the new Islamic criminal law, the country's religious affairs minister said during a ceremony to mark the laws' implementation.
6 things that will influence midterms
5/2/2014 4:51:17 AM
(CNN) -- Sunday marks six months until Election Day.
2014: What's at stake
Up for grabs this November, the Democrats' 55-45 majority in the Senate. The party's defending 21 of the 36 seats in play, with half of those Democratic-held seats in red or purple states.
Key races to watch
And there will be elections for all 435 seats in the House. Democrats need to pick up 17 GOP-held seats to win back control of the chamber, a feat political handicappers say is unlikely considering the shrinking number of competitive congressional districts.
When it comes to governors' races, the GOP's defending 22 of the 36 seats up for grabs in November. And some of them are in states that President Barack Obama carried in 2008 and 2012, such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida, Maine, Nevada and New Mexico.
Leading Dem gov: 2014 is not a 'change' election
With the midterm contests just six months away, here's a look at six factors that could influence how Election Day 2014 plays out.
The economy
Say what you want about other issues, but the economy remains the top concern of Americans when it comes to their vote.
"The economy is stronger than it's been in a very long time," Obama said at a news conference at the end of last year.
By many metrics, he's right. The stock market has been in record territory again, unemployment's at a five-year low, auto sales are at a seven-year high and the housing sector, which dragged the country into recession five years ago, is rebounding.
But many people just don't feel that good about things. National polling indicates most people don't feel nearly as optimistic about the economy and their personal plight.
And a key economic indicator out earlier this week is helping. Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic activity, grew at a 0.1% annual pace in the first quarter of this year. While the numbers are probably just the winter weather effect, they add to the perception that the recovery is tepid. And a sluggish economy prevents Democrats from highlighting the issue in the midterms.
CNNMoney: U.S. economy slows to stall-speed
"Because the recovery has been relatively modest, moderate in its strength, there's this psychology among people that it's just not getting better out in America," said CNN Chief Washington Correspondent John King.
The economy remains the top issue on the minds of voters. Economic realities, as well as perceptions, will influence voters in 2014.
October 3 could be a crucial date. That's when the Labor Department releases the September unemployment report, the final jobs numbers before midterm elections. Just as the final jobs report before the 2012 presidential election was in the spotlight, this report will also face a lot of scrutiny.
Obama's numbers
The one name not on any ballot come November could arguably be the most important person in the midterms. Republicans are trying to frame the elections as a referendum on President Barack Obama, in hopes that the Democratic president serves as a drag on his party.
Obama's approval rating has hovered in the low to mid 40's this year in most non-partisan, live operator, national polling. That's slightly higher than where the President stood in November and early December, when his approval rating was at or near all time lows in many national surveys.
The approval rating is considered one of the best gauges of a president's standing with Americans and of his clout with lawmakers here in Washington. And during a midterm election year, the approval rating is constantly under the national spotlight, as it's considered a key indicator of how the president's political party may fare on Election Day.
Poll: New low for Obama in key midterm indicator
Obama's approval rating is slightly better at this time in his presidency than his most recent predecessor, Republican George W. Bush.
"Low approval numbers usually spell bad news for the president's party. George W. Bush's rating was in the low to mid 30's in April of his sixth year and his party lost control of the House and Senate later that year. Richard Nixon got only a 26% approval rating in April of his sixth year and the GOP got hammered in the 1974 midterms," CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said.
"On the other hand, high approval rating don't always help. Ronald Reagan's approval rating was at 62% in April of 1986 and remained that high throughout the year, but his party still lost seats in the House and lost control of the Senate in the 1986 midterms," Holland added.
Keep a close eye on this important indicator. Where the President's approval ratings stand come the autumn will influence the midterm results.
Obamacare prognosis
Opposition to the Affordable Care Act, approved in spring 2010 when the Democrats controlled the Senate and the House, was a factor in the Republican wave that November. The GOP took back the House following a historic 63-seat pick up, and trimmed the Democratic majority in the Senate.
The federal health care law, better known as Obamacare, was also a major issue in Obama's 2012 re-election victory over Republican nominee Mitt Romney. The Democrats picked up seats in the Senate and House in that election.
And polling indicates the measure will be in the spotlight again this election, as Republicans make their opposition to the law a centerpiece of their campaign. Just over half of those questioned in the Bloomberg National poll from earlier this year said that candidate opinions about the health care law will be a major issue in deciding how to vote in November. And the most recent surveys indicate that other than the economy, jobs and the deficit, health care is the top concern for voters.
Most recent polling indicates more Americans give a thumbs down to the law than support it. While the numbers have rebounded a bit since last fall's disastrous roll out of the HealthCare.gov website, overall the measure has been unpopular with many Americans dating back to the first debates over the legislation in 2009. But the latest surveys also are clear that more people want to keep rather than scrap the Affordable Care Act.
Obamacare: Minorities not signing up
Democrats defending the overall law tout the popularity of many of the specific provisions.
"If you or someone in your family has a pre-existing condition, you are a winner under the ACA. Ditto if, God forbid, you have an illness or an accident that would have maxed-out your pre-Obamacare coverage limit: the ACA outlaws coverage caps," wrote Democratic strategist Paul Begala in a recent op-ed on CNN.com.
But polling indicates intensity over the measure favors those who oppose it. And in a traditionally low turnout midterm election where getting out a party's base is crucial, the numbers right now appear to aid Republicans.
"In a lower turnout mid-term election like 2014, that gives the GOP a significant initial advantage. Their voters will be easier to motivate and get to the polls than the Democrats," said Neil Newhouse, a top pollster for Romney's 2012 presidential campaign and a co-founder of Public Opinion Strategies.
Polls: GOP has intensity edge right now
Keep your eyes on health-care related dates: In late June, the Supreme Court will issue an important ruling on the Affordable Care Act. And in the late summer and early fall, some states will begin to announce how much health insurance premiums will rise in 2015 for policies acquired through the Affordable Care Act. Even though premiums tend to rise every year, big jumps could damage Democrats who defend the health care law.
Income and gender equality
While Republicans think health care is a winning issue with their base, Democrats feel the same way about income and gender equality.
The White House and Democrats in Congress are shining their spotlight on raising the minimum wage and extending long-term unemployment benefits. Both measures face difficult paths to becoming law (as witnessed this week in the Senate), due to push back from Republicans.
Dems seek to rally base over GOP's block of minimum wage bill
Democrats are trying to motivate their base, single women, younger voters, minorities, to vote in the midterms - something they don't do in great numbers compared to the GOP base.
Obama strengthens equal pay protections
Equal pay: 5 things you need to know
The Democrats' 'equal pay' argument is an effort to change what the election is about. If it is about Obama and the slow economic (jobs) recovery, Democrats are in serious trouble. If it's about equal pay, the minimum wage and similar issues, Democrats can avoid serious damage at the polls. It isn't easy to change the election narrative, but for Democrats in D.C. and around the country, it's certainly worth a try," said Stuart Rothenberg, editor and publisher of the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report.
Fight for the GOP
For the third election cycle in a row, we're witnessing a skirmish between grassroots conservatives and the establishment for the future of the Republican Party.
Earlier: GOP establishment chooses electability
Since the birth of the tea party movement in 2009, primary challenges from the right have produced major headlines and headaches for the GOP and hurt the party's chances of winning back the Senate from the Democrats in the past two election cycles. Candidates backed by the tea party movement and other grassroots conservatives effectively cost the GOP five winnable Senate elections the last two cycles in Nevada, Delaware, Colorado, Indiana and Missouri.
But incumbents and establishment-backed candidates may have the upper hand this time around.
In GOP civil war, an outsized advantage
"I don't think we can say that the tea party movement is dead, but there seems to be less enthusiasm among their activists and supporters this year," said Jennifer Duffy, senior editor for the non-partisan Cook Political Report, a top campaign handicapper. "Establishment Republicans and incumbents have learned to run against tea party- backed candidates.
And that could have a big impact come November, boosting the GOP odds.
"When you nominate candidates who have appeal to state-wide electorates, it absolutely improves your chances," Duffy added.
Global hot spots
Call this the wild card.
The crisis in Ukraine has been a headline in the United States for the past two months, with divisions over what the America should do to punish Russia. And debate continues over how involved Washington should get in the bloody three-year civil war in Syria.
Other hot spots such as Iran, North Korea, and Yemen, could also flare at any moment.
Meanwhile, Democrats and Republicans are still arguing about the September 11, 2012, attack in Benghazi that killed the ambassador to Libya and three other Americans.
Benghazi -- government cover-up or right-wing conspiracy theory?
"Foreign policy rarely matters in midterms, but when it counts, it counts for a whole lot. Remember that on September 10, 2001, we all thought that the 2002 midterms would revolve around mundane issues like stem cell research, and everyone expected the GOP to lose seats," Holland said.
Earlier: Seven key dates in 2014
Earlier: Eight things to watch till Election Day
Special Coverage: The 2014 Midterms
Malaysia considers MH370 Bay of Bengal theory
5/2/2014 7:24:41 AM
- A Malaysian official warns of consequences of sending ships to the Bay of Bengal
- The joint search chief says he's still confident the plane is in the southern Indian Ocean
- He says Bangladeshi naval ships have not yet found anything in the Bay of Bengal
- Malaysia Airlines is closing relatives' support centers, urging relatives to return home
Beijing (CNN) -- Days after authorities dismissed the idea that MH370 may be in the Bay of Bengal, a top Malaysian official said Friday he is considering the theory.
Acting Transportation Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the tip could only be confirmed by sending vessels to the area, which is thousands of kilometers away from the official search area in the southern Indian ocean.
"But I just want to stress that by doing that, we are distracting ourselves from the main search," Hussein said Friday. "And in the event that the result from the search is negative, who is going to be responsible for that loss of time?"
Hussein did not mention any specific plans to send resources to the Bay of Bengal.
His comments came three days after the Australian company GeoResonance publicized its claim that it may have found the wreckage of a plane in the Bay of Bengal.
While GeoResonance said it's not sure whether the plane is MH370, the company said it has been pressing officials to take a look.
But the chief coordinator of the international search effort said he's convinced the current search area is correct.
"I am confident that the area in the southern (Indian) Ocean is the right search area, and I'm sure that in ... some time, we'll find the aircraft in that area of the Indian Ocean," chief coordinator Angus Houston said Friday.
He said three Bangladeshi naval ships have arrived in the Bay of Bengal to investigate. So far, Houston said, the ships have found nothing.
Houston said the search for the plane, which was carrying 239 people when it disappeared on March 8, may take eight to 12 months.
Families told to go home
After almost two months of waiting inside Beijing's Lido Hotel, relatives of passengers said Friday they have been told to leave.
"Chinese officials asked the family members to leave the hotel by 6 p.m. today. We don't have a choice," said Wang Yong Zhi, whose wife was on MH370.
"Family members signed a letter and left fingerprints and agreed that the family committee will continue to work with Malaysia Airlines and the government on issues such as reimbursement and compensation."
The hotel has been an important hub of information for relatives in China. More than 100 passengers on the plane are Chinese.
On Thursday, some relatives at the hotel wailed and yelled when the airline announced it was closing such assistance centers where they'd been gathered for weeks.
The closures also will mean no more daily mass briefings for the relatives.
"Instead of staying in hotels, the families of MH370 are advised to receive information updates on the progress of the search and investigation and other support by Malaysia Airlines within the comfort of their own homes, with the support and care of their families and friends," the airline said in a news release.
In the past few days, there has been a heavy police and Chinese government presence at the hotel. Media have been barred from broadcasting within the hotel complex.
"What can we do?" one relative yelled as others kneeled in front of police who had assembled in the hotel briefing room to keep order.
Sarah Bajc, the American partner of Flight 370 passenger Philip Wood, said she was one of about 500 people at Thursday's Lido Hotel meeting.
Bajc said Chinese relatives had told her they dreaded the day that the hotel centers would close, fearing they wouldn't get timely updates at their rural homes.
"They are very distraught, because the average Chinese family member will be sent home to mostly a very rural place with limited access to (the) Internet," she said. "They just feel like all lines of communications will be cut."
Searchers dispute company's claim that it may have found aircraft wreckage
Is GeoResonance on to something?
Plane audio recording played for first time to Chinese families
CNN's David McKenzie reported from Beijing; CNN's Holly Yan reported and wrote from Atlanta.
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