Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani waves as he leaves the Supreme Court in Islamabad on Jan. 19, 2012
Judicial Over-slight – Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper analyzes Thursday’s conviction of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for contempt of court and the custodial sentence lasting “until the rising of the court” – which was 37 seconds. “In the end, the court has chosen to open the door to the disqualification process but stopped short of dragging the prime minister through the door itself,” the paper notes.
In the Spotlight – Der Spiegel reports on the increasing isolation of Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovych over his treatment of former opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, as the country’s hosting of this summer’s European football championship tournament brings renewed focus on its human rights record. “German President Joachim Gauck this week cancelled a planned trip to the country and European Union leaders are piling on the pressure,” the news magazine writes.
Political Acquittal – The Japan Times covers another landmark legal ruling Thursday: Ichiro Ozawa, the former president of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, was found not guilty of making false financial reports in his political fund management body in 2004 and 2005. “The acquittal by the Tokyo District Court could signal a major turning point for the political world… as Ozawa is now expected to pull out all the stops in a bid to regain the helm of the ruling DPJ,” it says.
Unhealthy Economy – As Spain plunges further into economic distress, El País condemns the government’s use of royal decree in public spending cuts to change the National Health System, which established public healthcare in 1986 as a “universal right” for “all Spaniards and foreign citizens.” The government has transformed this to a right only for “those persons possessed of the status of being insured,” something that the piece suggests is “an authentic abuse of those most in need of medicine.”
Azl Good As It Gets? – The Middle East English-language newspaper Arab News suggests that Egypt’s approval of the azl law, which prohibits former regime officials from participating in politics for 10 years, is a “boost” for democracy in Egypt, interpreting the move as “hopefully the final stage in the military junta’s rule over the country.”
Far-Right Wrongs – In the wake of Marine Le Pen’s strong showing in the French presidential elections, and the growing popularity of far-right parties in the Netherlands, Central Europe, and Latin countries, The Independent analyzes why “the rise” of the far right is not simply down to the economic crisis, citing “resentment against immigration” and the feeling that “a way of life is being imperiled by globalization” as factors culminating in a “cultural nationalism.”