No Such Thing as a Free Lunch, Cuba Tells Its Workers
Cubans queue up to buy bread in Havana. Dire economic conditions mean that they could lose their ration books. Photograph: The Times
THE TIMES: Ever since the tumultuous birth of communist Cuba, the one perk thousands of workers have been able to count on over the decades is a hearty meal to sustain them through the toil of providing for the socialist motherland.

Today nearly a quarter of a million Cubans will discover that there is no such thing as a free lunch, when the Government closes work cafeterias to cut costs. The move is one of a series of reforms, brought in since Raúl Castro took over as President from his brother, Fidel, in 2006, and deigned to reduce the State’s involvement in Cubans’ daily lives.

Workers will receive a wage increase of 60 cents a day in compensation, or $18 (£13) a month — a substantial amount to add to the average monthly wage of $20.

Still, there are concerns among workers about the impact of the closures. “There aren’t enough cafés at the moment,” said Ada, 57, who works in a cafeteria for state employees restoring the old part of Havana.

“All these people looking for somewhere to eat — there isn’t enough food for so many people on their lunch hour.”

Cubans have been allowed to set up privately run snack shops since 1993 but the range of food on offer is still limited.

Among the options are small, doughy pizzas for 50 cents, or a box of fried rice for 60 cents. Juan, a 29-year-old architect, says that he will bring his lunch from home. “The only inconvenience is preparing it for yourself. But then it should be better than the food you get here.” He is pleased that he will not have to eat with construction workers any more. “It gets rid of the whole idea of the socialist cafeteria, where everyone is supposedly equal.” Continue reading and comment >>> Corrina Hayes, Havana | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

THE TIMES: Cubans united on need for change, says Roman Catholic cardinal Jaime Ortega: Cuba’s foremost Roman Catholic said that Cubans are growing impatient for change to address the island’s worst crisis in more than a decade. >>> James Bone, New York | Wednesday, April 21, 2010

The new president of Germany: Christian Wulff. Photograph: Google Images
Merkel Clinches Tainted Victory in Presidential Vote
THE TIMES: It was supposed to be the turning point for the embattled government of Chancellor Angela Merkel - the triumphant election of her favourite conservative, Christian Wulff, as the President of Germany.

Instead of a shoo-in, however, it took nine hours of voting, interspersed by wheeler-dealing and a desperate appeal by the Chancellor before the country could be sure that the next head of state would be called President Wulff.

Mr Wulff, the Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, had been pitted against the candidate of the Social Democrats and Greens, the former east German dissident priest Joachim Gauck. Two rounds of voting saw Mr Wulff fall short of the necessary absolute majority and even hard-boiled political commentators started to argue that Mr Gauck, always the outsider, might just make it in a third and final round. In the end, Mr Wulff was elected by 625 votes to Mr Gauck’s 494 - but not before dozens of Ms Merkel’s supporters had secretly voted against her candidate.

The eventual result was a good one for the Chancellor, but the process had exposed her political weakness to the nation. >>> Roger Boyes, Berlin | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Wulff wird im dritten Wahlgang Präsident: Schwarz-Gelb ist knapp an der Katastrophe vorbeigeschrammt: Im dritten Wahlgang wurde Christian Wulff zum neuen Bundespräsidenten gewählt, sogar mit absoluter Mehrheit. Doch an dem Wahlkrimi wird die Koalition noch lange zu leiden haben - es könnte der Anfang vom Ende für Merkels Regierung sein. >>> kgp/dpa/ddp/AFP/apn/Reuters | Mittwoch, 30. Juni 2010

The French Are Taking Leave of Their Senses*! Husbands Can Be Jailed for Insulting Wives under New French Law
THE TELEGRAPH: Couples who insult each other over their physical appearance or make false accusations about infidelity face jail, under a new French law making "psychological violence" a criminal offence.

Junior family minister Nadine Morano. Photo: The Telegraph
The law – the first of its kind – means that partners who make such insults or threats of physical violence faces up to three years in prison and a €75,000 (£60,000) fine.

French magistrates have slammed the new legislation as "inapplicable", as they argue the definition of what constitutes an insult is too vague and verbal abuse too hard to prove.

Nadine Morano, the junior family minister, told the National Assembly that "we have introduced an important measure here, which recognises psychological violence, because it isn't just blows (that hurt), but also words."

Miss Morano said the primary abuse help line for French women got 90,000 calls a year, with 84 per cent concerning psychological violence.

But men now also have the right to report their wives['] verbal abuse in a domestic row.

It will apply to both married couples and cohabiting partners.

The bill, which has been unanimously approved by French MPs, defines mental violence as "repeated acts that could be constituted by words," including insults or repeated text messages that "degrade one's quality of life and cause a change to one's mental or physical state." >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

*This stupid law will encourage people to go it alone, to stay single. How ridiculous! – Mark

La Grèce défend l'avenir européen de la Turquie
Le ministre grec délégué aux Affaires étrangères, Dimitri Droutsas, en janvier dernier à Londres. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: En visite à Paris, le ministre grec délégué aux Affaires étrangères, Dimitri Droutsas, a souligné les premiers résultats du plan de rigueur.

Mise sous pression par la crise de son économie, la Grèce ne perd pas de vue les Balkans et la Turquie, ses voisins dont «l'avenir passe par l'Union européenne» , comme l'a souligné le ministre grec délégué aux affaires étrangères, Dimitri Droutsas, hier à Paris. Athènes observe attentivement la nouvelle visibilité de la Turquie sur la scène régionale, y voyant une raison supplémentaire de poursuivre le délicat rapprochement entamé avec Ankara après des décennies de méfiance . Selon le chef adjoint de la diplomatie grecque (le portefeuille des Affaires étrangères est détenu officiellement par le premier ministre Georges Papandréou, NDLR), la posture adoptée par la Turquie est «logique» : «Faute de recevoir un message positif de l'UE, elle considère d'autres alternatives. Mais pour Ankara, je ne suis pas convaincu qu'il y ait d'autre alternative que l'Europe», déclare-t-il au Figaro. Cela dit, Dimitri Droutsas ne manque pas de rappeler que «la normalisation des relations avec la Turquie ne sera pas complète tant que ne sera pas réglé le problème de Chypre» . Une «solution chypriote», c'est-à-dire élaborée «sans pression de l'extérieur» , et la prise en compte de l'acquis communautaire sont, d'après lui, les deux ingrédients indispensables d'un règlement négocié. «La clé du problème est en Turquie» , affirme Dimitri Droutsas, en appelant Ankara à retirer ses troupes du nord de l'île divisée, «une mesure concrète qui créerait une atmosphère de confiance mutuelle» .

Dans son voisinage, la priorité grecque demeure toutefois les Balkans. L'«Agenda 2014», défendu par Athènes, propose l'intégration dans l'UE à cette échéance. Un processus grâce auquel «les menaces de conflit dans la région pourraient être réduites plus facilement», notamment au Kosovo et en Macédoine, selon Dimitri Droutsas. Continuez à lire et réagir à cet article
>>> Par Alain Barluet | Mercredi 30 Juin 2010

Iraq Inquiry: Secret Documents Showing Tony Blair’s Frustration Published
THE TELEGRAPH: Tony Blair’s irritation and frustration at being told that going to war in Iraq would be illegal have been made public with the unprecedented release of top secret Government documents.

On one note, written six weeks before the March 2003 invasion, the then-prime minister scrawled “I just do not understand this” alongside a warning from Lord Goldsmith, the attorney general, that military force would be illegal without a fresh United Nations resolution.

In separate handwriting at the top of the note, a No 10 aide wrote: “specifically said we did not need further advice [on] this matter.”

The document is one of a number which were declassified by the Government showing that in the run up to the war, Lord Goldsmith was repeatedly told that his formal advice about the legality of an invasion was not welcome.

He had expressed reservations about the legal justification for a military conflict without the support of the UN for months before changing his mind on the eve of the war after flying to the United States to discuss the matter with officials working for President George W Bush.

The documents have been kept secret since the war but were released to the Chilcot Inquiry, which is holding hearings into the Iraq conflict, after Sir Gus O’Donnell, the head of the civil service, ruled that they raised “unprecedented” matters of public interest. >>> Rosa Prince, Political Correspondent | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

MAIL ONLINE: Tony Blair rakes in another $100,000 as he is awarded 2010 Liberty Medal by Bill Clinton >>> Mail Foreign Service | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

German Faces Jail for Adolf Hitler Mobile Phone Ring Tone
THE TELEGRAPH: A German man is facing up to six months in prison for having a speech by Adolf Hitler as mobile phone ring tone.

The 54-year-old had the speech - in which the Nazi leader pledged the "destruction of world Jewry" if Germany was "dragged" into war - programmed into his Nokia phone. >>> Allan Hall in Berlin | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Obama Says McChrystal Can Keep Fourth Star
AFP: WASHINGTON — He might have sacked him as the US war commander in Afghanistan, but President Barack Obama will allow General Stanley McChrystal the honor of retiring as a four-star general.

The White House said Tuesday that the president had intervened to ensure that McChrystal would keep his rank, even though he had not served the requisite number of years at the level to retain the rank.

"We will do whatever is necessary to ensure that somebody who has served the country as ably as he has can retire at a four-star level," said Robert Gibbs, Obama's spokesman.

McChrystal was promoted to four-star rank last year, when Obama chose him to serve as Afghan commander. >>> AFP | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Obama gets ready for prayer in a mosque. This is proof, if any proof were needed, that Obama is a Muslim. Why? Because mosques are not open for prayers for infidels! – © Mark | Photo: Google Images
President Obama Welcomes Saudi King Abdullah In Praying For Media
ALL HEADLINE NEWS: Washington, DC, United States (AHN) - U.S. President Barack Obama and visiting King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday prayed together* for the serenity of the media at the White House meeting.

"I want to also thank our friends, the American people, and I also would like to thank our friends here in the media," King Abdullah said at the end of his statement. "May God spare us from all of the bad things they can do to us."

As Obama laughed, Abdullah added, "And may God bless us with all the positive things they can do for us and for humanity."
Obama added: "Well, that is an excellent prayer. Thank you."

According to a White House communique, the two leaders “met and reaffirmed the strong, historic ties between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America.” >>> Tejinder Singh, AHN News Correspondent | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

*If B. Hussein Obama prayed together with King Abdullah, you can be sure that they prayed together in the Islamic way. Many Americans will surely find this act very offensive. – Mark

Homophobia on the EU's Doorstep: Oppressed citizens in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus long for the political support given to their eastern EU counterparts
THE GUARDIAN– AN EXTRACT: All across eastern Europe, more and more LGBT people are standing up for their rights and joining the movement for queer freedom. This is not surprising. Within the LGBT communities of the former Soviet empire, this yearning for equality and human rights is strong and undiminished. Read the whole article here, and comment >>> Nikolai Alekseev | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Hamas Founder's Son Decries Islamic 'God of Hate'
THE WASHINGTON TIMES: The son of one of the founders of Hamas is turning his back not only on the organization that now controls Gaza, but the religion that so animates the followers of the group his father helped create.

Speaking on Wednesday night to the Endowment for Middle East Truth, a pro-Israel organization that focuses on radical Islam in education and media, Mosab Hassan Yousef said, "The god of Islam is the god of hate."

Mr. Yousef's father, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, is a leading imam within Hamas, a group that seeks to impose Islamic law throughout the territory it considers Palestine, land that also encompasses the modern state of Israel.

The younger Mr. Yousef came to the United States in 2007, but only sought publicity after the publication of his memoir, "The Son of Hamas," this year. Continue reading and comment >>> Eli Lake | Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Related article and videos here and here

HT: Weasel Zippers >>>

Deported Cleric Mansour Leghaei Returns to Iran
Mansour Leghaei at home in Sydney with his wife, Marzieh, and daughter, Fatima, 14, before they were deported to Iran yesterday. Photograph: The Australian
THE AUSTRALIAN: MANSOUR Leghaei -- the Sydney Islamic cleric accused of spying for Iran -- will arrive back in his birth country today after being deported.

The father of four flew out of Sydney last night with his wife and 14-year-old daughter Fatima after a long campaign by Australian supporters from across the religious divide failed to sway the federal government against the deportation decision.

"I'm going to miss everyone so much," Dr Leghaei said yesterday after packing up his home in Sydney's inner west.

The sheik's three sons will remain in Australia.

"I will not only miss my children -- my flesh and blood -- but I will also miss the Muslim community and the wider community, the Christian community and all the other Australians who have been amazingly supportive," he said.

"I don't think I will find better friends anywhere."

Dr Leghaei, an imam at the Shia Imam Husain Islamic Centre at Earlwood in Sydney's inner west, was ordered to leave Australia after ASIO issued an adverse security assessment when he applied for permanent residence in 1995.

But neither ASIO nor the government will tell him the reasons behind the decision, saying they are not required to because he is not an Australian citizen. >>> Jodie Minus, The Australian | Monday, June 28, 2010

Deported Sheik on His Way to See Dying Mother
THE AUSTRALIAN: AFTER arriving in Iran yesterday, Mansour Leghaei -- the Islamic cleric deported from Australia -- was determined to see his dying mother.

The Sydney cleric was deported after being black-listed by ASIO.

The sheik flew out of Sydney on Sunday night with his wife and 14-year-old daughter Fatima, en route to his birth country after a decade-long battle with the Australian authorities over his residency.

Dr Leghaei's supporters said yesterday they did not know his detailed plans for the future, but knew he wished to visit his mother, who is battling leukaemia, "as soon as he got back".

"He said his only plans were to see his mum and dad as soon as he got back into the country," said Anglican priest Dave Smith, who is a long-time supporter of Dr Leghaei. >>> Lanai Vasek, The Australian | Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Related articles with audio here

Gillard Against Gay Marriage
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she does not support legalising gay marriage in Australia.

Labor policy on gay marriage will remain the same under her prime ministership, Ms Gillard told Austereo show today.

"We believe the marriage act is appropriate in its current form, that is recognising that marriage is between a man and a woman, but we have as a government taken steps to equalise treatment for gay couples," Ms Gillard said.

Asked if that was also her personal view, Ms Gillard said it was. >>> AAP | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Greece Suffers Fifth General Strike as Metro Blockaded in Madrid
Violence erupted in Bilbao during a one-day general strike. Photo: The Times
THE TIMES: Violence broke out during Greece’s fifth general strike of the year, while in Madrid the Metro was blockaded in a foretaste of a summer of industrial unrest.

As Mediterranean governments push through austerity measures, masked youths took part in running battles with police in Athens, with domestic flights and many ferry sailings from the port of Piraeus cancelled.

Public and private sector unions in the country announced that there would be a sixth all-out stoppage next week, when the package of pay and pension reforms comes to a final vote.

“These measures will not help. They will only lead to deeper recession and poverty,” said Despina Spanou, a board member of the Adedy civil servants’ union, which helped to organise the marches. “We are resisting the slaughtering of our rights.”

The governments of Greece and Spain are increasingly worried about the impact of unrest on tourism — which is a mainstay of both economies. >>> Philip Pangalos in Athens, William Bond in Madrid, David Charter in Brussels | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Dmitri Medvedev and B. Hussein Obama together. Photograph: Google Images
Obama Knew of FBI Plan But Said Nothing to Medvedev, Admits White House
THE TIMES: The White House admitted yesterday that even as Presidents Obama and Medvedev met last week for talks in Washington, Mr Obama knew the FBI was closing in on an alleged Russian spy ring and chose to say nothing.

The confession was matched by an acknowledgement in Moscow that at least some of the 11 suspects are Russian citizens, but it will do little to assuage Russian anger.

Vladimir Putin accused American officials of being “out of control”, while a Kremlin spokesman said that the US had revived “the spirit of the Cold War”.

Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, said that the only thing that was clear about the raids on Sunday was that their timing had been chosen “with special elegance”. Continue reading and comment >>> Analysis, Tony Halpin, Giles Whittell | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Larry King Ends His CNN Talk Show
THE TIMES: After 25 years of stellar interviews and more wives than Henry VIII, Larry King has announced his abdication from America’s cherished chat show circuit.

The lucrative race to succeed him on CNN intensified last night when the former radio host from New York bowed to ratings pressure and rumours of demotion by telling viewers “it’s time to hang up my nightly suspenders”. Read on and comment >>> Nico Hines, Washington | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Majority of Germans Want Deutschmark Back
THE TELEGRAPH: A majority of Germans want to scrap the EU's single currency and bring back their beloved Deutschmark amid popular anger that Germany has bailed the euro zone out to the tune over £100 billion.

More than 51 per cent of Germans want to axe the euro after widespread fury that Germany's taxpayers have been forced to come to the rescue of Greece and other high spending southern European countries.

Only three in 10 people in Europe's largest economy now support the single currency, a flagship of EU integration and Germany's European policy. >>> Bruno Waterfield | Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Italy Appeals against Ban on School Crucifixes
THE TELEGRAPH: Italy has launched an appeal against a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that banned the display of crucifixes in state schools.

The court's decision last November provoked outrage in predominantly Catholic Italy, with ministers calling it shameful and an attack on the country's Christian values.

The appeal will be heard by the Grand Chamber, the highest body of the Strasbourg-based court.

A decision is not expected for three months, but if Italy loses the appeal it would mean that state-run schools across the European Union would face a ban on crucifixes and other religious symbols. >>> Nick Squires in Rome | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Taliban Suicide Bombers Attack Jalalabad Nato Base in Afghanistan
THE TELEGRAPH: Six Taliban suicide bombers launched a brazen daylight attack on one of the biggest Nato bases in Afghanistan one day after Gen David Petraeus warned of escalating violence.

Several attackers were killed when gunmen set off a car bomb and fired rocket propelled grenades at the Jalalabad air base in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday.

Two service personnel were injured, according to the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force.

The attack began at 0730 local time, with suicide bombers surrounding the base from different directions.

A Nato spokesman said the perimeter of the base had not been breached. >>> | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Life Inside Badam Bagh - Kabul's Only Prison for Women
BBC: Women's rights in Afghanistan have long been held up as one of the reasons why the West was so quick to help the country after the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

But how much control do Afghan women really have over their own lives?

Lyse Doucet was given rare access to Badam Bagh, Kabul's only prison for women. Watch video >>> | Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Liberté, égalité … austérité? Sarkozy Clamps Down on French Ministers' Perks
THE GUARDIAN: No more cigars, flights or luxury hotels for politicians, says French president, after spate of expenses scandals

The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, cancelled his own summer party and has insisted his ministers tighten their belts. Photograph: The Guardian
Spare a thought – and perhaps a euro – for the poor French politician.

No more taxpayer-funded Cuban cigars, private jets, or even luxury hotels. And, if Nicolas Sarkozy has his way, no more overstaffed offices and unfettered use of the ministry photocopier.

Having cancelled the Elysée palace summer garden party, the French president has decided everyone else must "make an effort" to tighten their professional belts. Anxious to be seen wielding the austerity axe following a spate of scandals over official perks, not to mention a ballooning public deficit, he is demanding ministers' spending be "vigorously reduced".

Ministers have been told that their official visits will be "strictly curtailed" and they will be encouraged to take the train, not the plane, with a reduced retinue of advisers. Away from home they must only stay in a hotel if there are no bedrooms available in state-owned buildings, such as embassies and consulates.

The order came in a letter to the prime minister, François Fillon, in which Sarkozy warned that those defying his austerity measures would face "punishment". >>> Kim Willsher in Paris | Tuesday, June 29, 2010

A Friend and Foe: Warlord Who Thwarted the Russians Threatens Nato
Jalaluddin Haqqani was once described as 'goodness personified' by Charlie Wilson, the US congressman who helped to fund CIA support for the Afghan resistance. Photo: The Times
THE TIMES: In the year before the Soviet Army’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, there was one Mujahidin leader in particular who frustrated the efforts of General Boris Gromov, the Soviet commander.

He was Jalaluddin Haqqani, an ethnic Pashtun once described as “goodness personified” by Charlie Wilson, the US congressman who helped to fund CIA support for the Afghan resistance. From his base in northern Pakistan, Haqqani hounded Soviet troops, strung out several rounds of failed negotiations and thwarted the last big Soviet offensive, Operation Magistral, in 1987-88.

Today, Wilson is dead and General Gromov has turned to Russian politics. But Haqqani remains the figurehead of a militant army, now led by his eldest son, Sirajuddin, that is considered al-Qaeda’s main ally in the region — and as much of a threat to Nato forces as it was to the Soviets.

As a deadline looms for US troops to start withdrawing next year, the “Haqqani network”, as it is known, is playing as central a role in deciding the future of Afghanistan as it did in 1988. “The big question now is how to deal with the Haqqanis, and that’s where the US and Pakistan disagree,” one Western official familiar with operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan said. Continue reading and comment >>> Jeremy Page, Zahid Hussain, Islamabad | Monday, June 28, 2010

Pope Launches Team to 'Re-evangelise' the West
THE TELEGRAPH: The Pope launched a team to stem the secularisation of Catholic countries and "re-evangelise" the West.

Pope Benedict XVI. Photo: The Telegraph
Benedict XVI announced the creation of a new Vatican department dedicated to tackling what he called "a grave crisis in the sense of the Christian faith and the role of the Church."

He expressed deep concerns that previously staunch Catholic countries in Europe and North America were facing "the eclipse of a sense of God". Tens of thousands of worshippers are deserting the Church over issues such as clerical sex abuse and the ban on married priests.

"I have decided to create a new body with the aim of promoting a renewed evangelism," in countries that are going through "progressive secularisation of society", the 83-year-old Pope said.

The new department, to be called The Pontifical Council for New Evangelisation, will try to reinvigorate belief among Catholics in rich, developed countries – or, in the pontiff's words, "find the right means to re-propose the perennial truth of the Gospel." >>> Nick Squires in Rome | Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Saudi King in Washington


Obama praises King Abdullah in mutual love fest >>>

Obama, King Abdullah: Must be bold in the pursuit of a Palestinian state >>>

AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Saudis urge US on Middle East peace >>> | Tuesday, June 29, 2010

The ‘Sarkosizing’ of France’s Media
Nicolas Sarkozy. Photograph: The Globe and Mail
THE GLOBE AND MAIL: The dismissal of a pair of political satirists is seen as one more move in the President’s campaign to control the fourth estate

Most of the two million listeners who tuned in to hear French political satirists Stéphane Guillon and Didier Porte thought their routines were hilarious. Not so President Nicolas Sarkozy, who found their sendups of politicians, including himself, “insulting, vulgar and nasty.”

As it often goes when France’s media and government clash, Mr. Sarkozy’s view prevailed. And so Mr. Guillon and Mr. Porte signed on one recent morning to announce they had been fired from public broadcaster France Inter radio.

“Step right up, ladies and gentlemen. Total clear-out sale of satirists,” Mr. Guillon railed in his farewell sketch. “My chances of being on the air again next year are about as good as the chance the French team will make the second round of the World Cup.”

Although the two comics maintained their humour until the end, their firing has raised serious new concerns about political interference in the French media. Continue reading and comment >>> Anita Elash | Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Related:

THE TELEGRAPH: French Radio Station Fires Political Satirist: France's fiercest and most popular satirist, who has become the scourge of President Nicolas Sarkozy and top politicians, has been fired from the country's leading current affairs radio programme, sparking cries of political censorship. >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Wednesday, June 23, 2010

No God for Blod!
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Julia Gillard's honesty in not paying lip service to a belief in God could harm her at the ballot box, says a Christian lobby group.

The Prime Minister, who as a child won prizes for remembering Bible verses, said yesterday she did not believe in God and, therefore, would not go through the motions of religious rituals.

''I am not going to pretend a faith I don't feel. For people of faith I think the greatest compliment I could pay to them is to respect their genuinely held beliefs and not to engage in some pretence about mine.''

Ms Gillard's position drew immediate praise from atheists, but a word of caution from the Australian Christian Lobby.

''I don't think it is a case of being disappointed,'' the lobby's chief-of-staff, Lyle Shelton, said. ''It is great that the Prime Minister is being so open and honest on such an important question in life, but I think it would be naive to think that it may not have some electoral implication.''

Only last week the group arranged for the former prime minister Kevin Rudd and the Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, to address churches across the nation in a live webcast. PM nudged about wrath of God >>> Jacob Saulwick | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Moscow Admits Members of ‘US Spy Ring’ Are Russian Citizens
Anna Chapman, one of those accused of spying for Moscow. Photograph: The Times
THE TIMES: Main points:
11 arrested over spy ring in United States /
‘Mastermind’ held in Cyprus
/ One suspect used fake British passport
/ Married couples and journalist among those held
/ Investigation lasted a decade

The Russian Government has admitted that 11 people accused of spying for Moscow in the US include Russian citizens, but denies that they acted against American interests.

The Foreign Ministry urged the US to take into account the “positive character” of relations between the two countries, after President Obama and President Dimitry Medvedev offered a show of unity and dined together on hamburgers last week.

“We are talking about Russian citizens who came to the United States at different times,” the ministry said in a statement. “They have not committed any kind of actions directed against the interests of the United States.”

Vladimir Putin, the Russian Prime Minister, who has a background in the security services, was more aggressive.

He told the former US president Bill Clinton, “Back at your home, the police went out of control (and) are throwing people in jail.

“I hope that all the positive gains that have been achieved in our relationship wll not be damaged by the recent event.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry called for lawyers and diplomats to have access to the suspects, who had posed for years as middle-class professionals from a range of countries including Uruguay and Canada. Continue reading and comment >>> Judith Evans, Tony Halpin in Moscow and Giles Whittell in Washington | Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Greek Police Clash with Protesters over Austerity Reforms
Riot police fired tear gas and stun grenades. Photograph: The Times
THE TIMES: Masked youths fought running battles with police in Athens today as violence broke out during the country’s fifth general strike this year.

Riot police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse dozens of protesters who threw chunks of marble and set rubbish bins on fire.

Ferry passengers at Greece’s main port of Piraeus had to run a gauntlet of protesters who succeeded in blockading some departures to Aegean islands and there were marches in other major cities.

The strike was timed to coincide with the start of a parliamentary debate on reforms designed to make it easier for companies to sack employees and raise the retirement age.

Greece has had to agree to sweeping austerity measures in return for help to meet its sovereign debts.

The country avoided bankruptcy last month only after receiving the first instalment of a 110 billion euro emergency loan package from the EU and International Monetary Fund (IMF). >>> David Charter, Europe Correspondent | Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Suspected Spies Head to Court

Catholic Church Raids

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah: Barack Obama's Most Important Friend
Barack Obama with King Abdullah at the G20 conference. Photograph: The Telegraph
THE TELEGRAPH BLOGS – RICHARD SPENCER: President Obama meets King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia later today, and though I don’t suppose it will be picked up much it’s probably far more important than any White House meetings he will have with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel, Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinians, or even David Cameron.

There’s something so weird to Western eyes, obsessed with youth and the cut of your suit and the colour of your tie, about seeing an 86 year-old in a white robe turn up at the White House that it doesn’t compute into importance in our minds. Saudi Arabia, too, is a subject that makes both liberals and neo-cons nervous. Nervous? Apoplectic with rage, more like.

But the facts have to be faced: Saudi is America’s second-most important ally in the Middle East, and nowadays a lot easier to deal with than the number one. It is certainly a strategic asset, and King Abdullah represents a better hope for a Saudi Arabia we can grow to respect than most other leaders it has had. Abdullah may be an absolute monarch of a state where Christianity is banned, executions are public, jihadism is rife and women are, well, not given to overt displays of “Girl Power”. But he argues for a Middle East that tackles fundamentalism head-on but humanely, that is willing to accept the existence of Israel, even if it does not actively welcome it, and above all is tough on Iran. Tough on Iran? If Saudi Arabia poses a real problem to America it is that its hatred of Iran is so intense that sometimes it cannot think straight about it. Continue reading and comment >>> Richard Spencer | Tuesday, June 29, 2010

La rigueur met les LibDems en position difficile
Le ministre des Finances conservateur, George Osborne, a annoncé des mesures drastiques. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Le plan d'austérité présenté par le chef du gouvernement britannique fragilise sa coalition.

La politique de rigueur mise en place par le gouvernement de David Cameron provoque déjà des tensions au sein de la coalition organisée avec les libéraux-démocrates de Nick Clegg. Plusieurs députés LibDems protestent ouvertement contre les hausses d'impôts annoncées la semaine dernière par le ministre des Finances conservateur, George Osborne. Quatre d'entre eux sont même allés à l'encontre des consignes de leur parti, en proposant un amendement au budget qui rendrait inapplicable la hausse de la TVA de 17,5 % à 20 %, qui devrait avoir lieu en début d'année prochaine. Ces élus s'inquiètent de l'impact de la hausse de la TVA sur les foyers les plus modestes, et auraient préféré que les nouveaux impôts soient plus «progressistes », en faisant porter la facture sur les plus riches.

Le petit parti libéral-démocrate n'a décroché que 55 députés sur 650 sièges lors des dernières législatives, mais il est devenu un partenaire indispensable pour les conservateurs de David Cameron qui, avec 306 élus, étaient restés en deçà du seuil de la majorité absolue. Pendant toute la campagne, et lors des négociations de coalition avec les tories, le groupe de Nick Clegg a avancé un programme fiscal progressiste, insistant sur la nécessité de rendre les impôts «plus justes », en allégeant le fardeau des revenus modestes. La semaine dernière, le groupe d'analyse Institute for Fiscal Studies a commenté que la hausse de la TVA allait avoir un impact plus sensible pour les plus pauvres et a qualifié le budget de «plutôt réactionnaire ». >>> Par Cyrille Vanlerberghe | Mardi 29 Juin 2010

La violente charge du roi Abdallah contre l’Iran et Israël
LE FIGARO – BLOG DE GEORGES MALBRUNOT: Le monarque saoudien, qui rencontre ce mardi Barack Obama à la Maison Blanche, n’a pas mâché ses mots lors de la récente visite à Djeddah d’Hervé Morin, le ministre de la Défense. « Il y a deux pays au monde qui ne méritent pas d’exister : l’Iran et Israël », lui a déclaré le roi Abdallah, le 5 juin dernier.

Cette violente diatribe contre les deux ennemis désignés de l’Arabie nous a été confirmée par deux sources, diplomatique et militaire, françaises à Paris. On ignore quelle a été la réaction du ministre de la Défense, qui était entouré d’une poignée de diplomates et de hauts-gradés lors de l’audience avec le roi, point d’orgue d’une visite de deux jours en Arabie, un mois avant celle du souverain à Paris.

La charge d’Abdallah est intervenue quelques jours après l’assaut israélien contre la flottille humanitaire au cours duquel neuf Turcs ont été tués par les forces de sécurité de l’Etat hébreu. La bavure a suscité une vague de critiques dans le monde arabe et placé Israël sur la défensive au plan international. L’impunité dont jouit, selon lui, Israël exaspère le roi Abdallah, déçu que l’Etat hébreu n’ait jamais accepté son plan de paix global, présenté au nom des 22 pays arabes lors d’un sommet à Beyrouth en 2002.

Toute aussi profonde, sa colère contre l’Iran est alimentée par les craintes que suscitent en Arabie les ambitions nucléaires de Téhéran. Il faut y ajouter l’antagonisme traditionnel entre les deux pôles principaux de l’islam : Riyadh pour le monde sunnite et Téhéran pour les chiites. Continuez à lire et écrire un commentaire >>> Par Georges Malbrunot | Mardi 29 Juin 2010

Près de 80% des prêtres autrichiens veulent abolir le célibat
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: SONDAGE: Près de 80% des prêtres autrichiens souhaitent que l'Eglise ordonne des hommes mariés pour faire face au manque de vocations, selon une étude rendue publique lundi.

Et une majorité (51%) se prononce en faveur de l'ordination des femmes.

L'institut de sondage GfK a interrogé 500 ecclésiastiques, soit environ le tiers des prêtres autrichiens, dans le cadre d'une émission de la télévision publique ORF. L'enquête réalisée par téléphone montre que la base souhaite plus de modernité dans l'Eglise. >>> ATS | Mardi 29 Juin 2010

6 Year-Old Northeast Ohio Girl on 'No Fly' List Welcome to the NWO Police State


TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: A 6 ans, les Etats-Unis la soupçonnent de terrorisme: La petite Alyssa Thomas aime jouer à la poupée dans sa chambre rose. Ses parents ne comprennent pas pourquoi le FBI la considère comme une terroriste. >>> Rédaction Online | Mardi 29 Juin 2010

The Naked and the Dread

THE TIMES: The hills are alive with the joys of nudity in Switzerland after its courts ruled that ramblers had the right to roam around naked. Our writer joined the hikers

Puistola Grottenpösch looks out across a jagged Swiss horizon, the early-summer snow still fresh on the higher pastures. “I always had the feeling I was alone,” he says, bending over to touch an alpine orchid. “I went on secret walks, early in the morning — hiding behind bushes and feeling unlawful.” We reach an electric fence, and he turns suddenly before straddling it. “Be careful,” he says, “that your little brother is not electrocuted.”

My little brother is cold, as it happens, but unharmed. It, along with the rest of me, is 2,000m (6,561ft) up a Swiss mountain — here to experience the joys of naked hiking, in the month when its advocates won the right to roam freely in the Swiss Alps. Puistola no longer walks alone. Not since he started appearing in the courts. These days he is — reluctantly — one of the world’s most prominent naked hikers.

“I never wanted to start a hubbub,” he says of his celebrity — that has led to appearances on Swiss chatshows and in papers around the world. “I’m not a militant. But they started making trouble.”

The trouble began two years ago. And “they” are the Swiss courts. In 2008 a man was arrested while naked hiking in the mountainous Appenzell region. He argued, successfully, that Swiss law is not a moral codex — and has no prohibitions on nudity. But as a result, one of the Swiss cantons changed its laws so as to make naked hiking an offence. When another hiker was arrested, Puistola — a long-time practitioner of the sport, as well as having some legal experience — offered to represent him. The law, he argued successfully last month, was itself superseded by Swiss federal law.

“It is now accepted there is no law in Switzerland against naked hiking,” Puistola says. “The people have given us the freedom to be naked.” He swings slightly — whether in the wind, which is bracing, or from excitement, which is evident, it is difficult to tell. But the battle is not over, the canton is appealing the decision. Continue reading and comment >>> Tom Whipple | Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Related articles here and here and here.

And on the same theme, this article

Russian 'Secret Agents' Arrested in US
THE TELEGRAPH: Ten alleged secret agents of the Russian government living in "deep-cover" in the United States and engaged in Cold War-style espionage have been arrested in a coordinated operation by the FBI.

The FBI accuses the SVR, the successor organisation to the Soviet Union's KGB, of running a network of "illegals", described in court documents as Russians who received training in languages, codes and ciphers, invisible writing and counter-surveillance before living in the United States under false identities.

Each of the 10 was charged with conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison on conviction.

They were alleged to have met US government officials given codenames such as "Farmer", "Parrot" and "Cat" as well as engaging such tried and tested espionage methods as dead drops and brush passes.

The arrests come after President Barack Obama met his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev in Washington, praising him as a "solid and reliable partner" and taking him out to a burger restaurant.

As well as the 10 arrested in New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and Virginia over the weekend, the FBI identified an eleventh suspect, known as "Christopher R. Metsos" who remains at large. >>> Toby Harnden in Washington | Monday, June 28, 2010

David Cameron: 'The World Doesn't Owe Us a Living
THE TELEGRAPH: Britain has no automatic right to prosperity, David Cameron has said, declaring: “The world doesn’t owe us a living.”

Mr Cameron told business leaders in London that Britain has no automatic right to prosperity. Photograph: The Telegraph
The Prime Minister said many people are under the “delusion” that just because the UK has historically been one of the richest countries on earth, it will always remain so.

Only if we “reboot and rebuild” the UK economy can the country’s future prosperity be assured, he said.

Mr Cameron used a speech to business leaders in London to argue that the spending cuts and other changes his Government is planning are not discretionary political choices but essential economic moves to stop the country falling behind its competitors.

He said: “I think too many people in this country are living under the delusion that a prosperous past guarantees a prosperous future. But it isn’t written anywhere that this country deserves a place at the top table.

He added: “It was once said that freedom once won is not won for ever; it’s like an insurance premium – each generation must renew it. Economic prosperity is the same. Just because we’ve had it before doesn’t mean we’ll automatically get it again.” >>> James Kirkup, Political Correspondent | Monday, June 28, 2010

Sex and the City 2 Opens in Istanbul

Ahmadinejad: Spill Shows US Weakness

G20 Protesters Clash With Police

Shacking Up Is Hard to Do: Why Gillard May Be Leery of the Lodge
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Julia Gillard doesn't want to move into the Lodge until she gets a democratic tick of approval. Or so she says. Maybe the real reason she is stalling is to test the waters about public reaction to moving her first bloke in there with her.

Most media commentators are relaxed about a de facto first couple. Why not, they say, everyone's doing it. What's the big deal about living together?

They are right about the fact cohabitation - what some call ''marriage lite'' - is changing the social map. Census figures show the proportion of adults in de facto relationships more than doubled between 1986 and 2006. With other countries showing similar shifts, many social scientists studying this trend conclude marriage lite is not a change for the better.

It's fine for Gillard - a 48-year-old woman - to live with her bloke. Yet as a popular role model for women, her lifestyle choice may influence other women into making big mistakes about their lives.

Cohabitation produces two groups of losers among women and children. Most women want to have children - Gillard is an exception - and some miss out after wasting their primary reproductive years in a succession of live-in relationships which look hopeful but go nowhere, leaving them childless and partnerless as they hit 40. (+video) >>> Bettina Arndt | Tuesday, June 29, 2010

No Succour for Kevin from Bloodthirsty Blod
BRISBANE TIMES: Prime Minister Julia Gillard has left her predecessor Kevin Rudd out of her new cabinet but says she would be ''absolutely delighted'' to see him serve as a senior minister if the government is re-elected.

Ms Gillard unveiled her new cabinet in Canberra this afternoon, with few changes announced to the frontbench.

She said Mr Rudd would be accommodated as a senior minister if the Labor government won the next election.

''It is best to have as limited a reshuffle as possible to keep the maximum stability in the team,'' she added.

Instead, Ms Gillard has handed her own portfolios of education, employment, workplace relations and social inclusion to former Labor leader Simon Crean.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith will take on the added role of Mr Crean's portfolio of trade.

Ms Gillard said Mr Smith had been doing a ‘‘great job’’ as foreign minister.

Ms Gillard said she had spoken to Mr Rudd about his future and he had confirmed he would run for his seat at the next election.

‘‘Consequently what I have said to Kevin Rudd is I would be absolutely delighted to see him serve as a senior cabinet minister in the team if the government is re-elected,’’ she said. Gillard leaves Rudd out of reshuffled cabinet >>> Tim Lester and Phillip Coorey | Monday, June 28, 2010

Protected Diplomats 'Committed Serious Offences'
THE INDEPENDENT: Staff from foreign embassies in Britain have escaped prosecution despite allegedly committing a range of offences including human trafficking, sexual assault, threats to kill and drinking and driving.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said that a number of diplomats were responsible for “serious offences” which could carry a prison sentence of one year or more, but had escaped charges because of diplomatic immunity. These included a Saudi Arabian national who allegedly carried out a sexual assault while another from his country was supposedly engaged in human trafficking, as was a diplomat from Sierra Leone. Both the sexual assault and trafficking cases involved domestic staff brought into the UK to work at homes of diplomats, it is believed.

A Pakistani diplomat allegedly made a threat to kill someone, a Nigerian could have faced charges of actual bodily harm and one from Cameroon allegedly neglected a young person - a member of his family. A Gambian diplomat was arrested for shoplifting after leaving a London department store with unpaid for items including pairs of socks, the man is believed to be a “repeat offender”.

Diplomats from Brazil, Germany, Russia, Tanzania, the US, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Cameroon and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) were stopped drinking and driving and one allegedly drunk Bahraini diplomat was driving uninsured. >>> Kim Sengupta, Defence Correspondent | Monday, June 28, 2010

Trouble Ahead: Belgian Support for Turkey to Join the EU! Belgian EU Presidency Would Support Enlargement
THE TELEGRAPH: Belgium will support the enlargement of the European Union to include Croatia, Iceland and Turkey during its forthcoming presidency of the bloc.

Belgium Secretary of State for the EU Olivier Chastel. Photo: The Telegraph
Olivier Chastel, the Belgian secretary of state for EU affairs, in a joint news conference with Spanish counterpart Diego Lopez Garrido, raised the possibility of the opening of a new chapter in negotiations with Turkey in the coming months after Spain, which currently holds the EU presidency, backed Ankara's bid despite resistance from France and Germany.

Belgium takes over the six-month rotating EU presidency from Spain on July 1.

The EU began membership talks with Turkey in 2005 but the process has made slow progress. Only 12 of the 35 policy chapters, which all EU candidate countries must successfully negotiate prior to membership, are open.

Eight chapters remain totally blocked due to Ankara's failure to open its borders to EU member Cyprus. >>> | Monday, June 28, 2010

Fillon appelle les musulmans à rejeter l'intégrisme
François Fillon, le premier ministre de France. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Lors de l'inauguration d'une grande mosquée à Argenteuil, le premier ministre a loué l'Islam de France, une religion du «juste milieu», et promis d'être «intraitable» à l'égard du racisme.

A quelques jours du débat parlementaire sur le niqab, qui démarre le 6 juillet, François Fillon s'est livré à un éloge de l'islam de France lundi. Le premier ministre inaugurait la mosquée al Ihsan, à Argenteuil, dans le Val-d'Oise. Et ce sans le ministre de l'Intérieur et des cultes, Brice Hortefeux, dont la présence avait pourtant été annoncée. Interrogé sur cette absence, Matignon a expliqué que le premier ministre lui avait demandé de «préparer le texte sur les collectivités territoriales» qui sera discuté en fin de journée au Sénat.

Pour cette première inauguration d'une mosquée de la part d'un chef du gouvernement français sous la Ve République, François Fillon a assuré que «la réalité de l'islam de France aujourd'hui» était «celle d'un islam de paix et de dialogue», une religion du «juste milieu» où l'on vit sa foi dans le respect «des principes de la République». Devant plusieurs représentants d'une communauté musulmane en partie ébranlée par le débat sur l'identité nationale et celui sur le port du voile intégral, le premier ministre a martelé : «Aujourd'hui les personnes de confession musulmane et leurs lieux de cultes sont encore trop souvent l'objet de discriminations et la cible d'agressions que nous ne pouvons tolérer. Oui, il y a en France des actes anti-musulmans», a-t-il poursuivi, promettant d'être «intraitable» contre ces actes. Continuez à lire et écrire un commentaire >>> Par lefigaro.fr | Lundi 28 Juin 2010

Krieg, Hunger, Terror: Die zehn schlimmsten Staaten der Erde
Platz 1: Somalia
Zur Bildergalerie >>>

Chaque Américain pourra posséder une arme
La Cour suprême des États-Unis, à Washington. Photo : Cyberpresse
CYBERPRESSE: La Cour suprême américaine a lâché la bride lundi à la possession des armes à feu aux États-Unis, que les pouvoirs locaux auront davantage de difficulté à limiter ou à interdire, au nom du Deuxième amendement de la Constitution.

«Il s'agit d'un grand jour dans l'histoire des États-Unis», a immédiatement réagi après l'annonce de la décision la puissante NRA, un groupe d'influence qui prône une complète libéralisation des armes.

Plus de 200 millions d'armes à feu sont en circulation aux États-Unis (pour 300 millions d'habitants), régies par les pouvoirs locaux, et provoquent 30 000 décès par an, selon les statistiques de la Brady Campaign, qui milite à l'inverse pour un durcissement des limitations.

Dans une décision à cinq voix contre quatre, la plus haute juridiction des États-Unis a estimé lundi que «le Deuxième amendement garantit le droit individuel de chacun de conserver et de porter une arme à feu pour servir des intérêts légaux, notamment l'auto-défense chez soi». >>> Lucile Malandain,
Agence France-Presse | Lundi 28 Juin 2010

LOS ANGELES TIMES: Supreme Court extends rights of gun owners: The court's 5-4 decision in the 2nd Amendment case paves the way for challenges to laws restricting gun ownership, but Justice Samuel Alito says it will not 'imperil every law regulating firearms.' >>> David G. Savage, Tribune Washington Bureau | Monday, June 28, 2010

Being Gay in Islam

B. Hussein Obama Educates Us on Islam

Christian Professor in Pakistan Beaten for Not Converting [to Islam]
THE CHRISTIAN POST: PESHAWAR, Pakistan – Muslim students attacked a Christian professor at the University of Peshawar this month after he refused their demand to convert to Islam, the instructor told Compass.



Psychology professor Samuel John, a father of four who has been teaching at the university in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province for 12 years, said that as he came out of his house on the university campus at 8:30 a.m. on June 14, about 20 to 25 students rushed and assaulted him.



“I shouted for help, but no one came to help,” he said.



When his wife learned what was happening, she ran to help him, but the students beat her as well. Both John and his wife were rushed to Lady Reading hospital, where they were treated for their injuries, with John listed in critical condition.



“I am still getting threats,” the professor told Compass. “They say, ‘Leave the university or accept Islam – if you don’t convert, we will kill your family.” >>> Compass Direct News | Monday, June 28, 2010

New Zealand to Ban Smoking in Prisons
BBC: New Zealand is to ban smoking throughout the country's prisons from 1 July 2011, Corrections Minister Judith Collins has announced.

The announcement has prompted concerns that violence in prisons could increase if prisoners are denied tobacco.

But Ms Collins dismissed the warnings and said high levels of smoking were a risk to staff and prisoners.

About 5,700 prisoners - two-thirds of the current total in New Zealand prisons - are smokers.

The corrections minister said smoking bans had been introduced in prisons in the US, Canada and Australia.

"We don't supply alcohol to prisoners because they are alcoholics, we don't supply them with all sorts of drugs and methamphetamine because they happen to be addicted to methamphetamine," Ms Collins said.

"This is a prison. It's not home. It's actually a prison. So it will be a total ban across all prisons. Not in the cells, not even out in the yard."

Prisoners will also be banned from having matches and lighters which some use to damage property, such as throwing burning balls of toilet paper at guards and setting fires in their cells. >>> | Monday, June 28, 2010

Inmates React to Smoking Ban with 'Bash' Threats
NZ HERALD: Prison guards have been threatened with "the bash" when the ban on inmates smoking takes effect in a year, says the guards' union.

President Beven Hanlon says the ban will put guards and staff such as tutors who remain smokers in danger from prisoners.

"Not just prisoners who get frustrated at smelling fresh smoke on you and just lash out, but because you are introducing an item that is suddenly a high-priority contraband item.

"The prisoners will do anything to get hold of it."

He said staff from around the country had phoned him yesterday to report prisoners saying, "If you guys are going to get rid of smoking, you are going to get the bash. We'll just take it out on you."

Mr Hanlon said he was threatened at Hawkes Bay Prison yesterday by two prisoners who identified him as someone who had talked about the issue on television.

"They were saying, 'We'll punch you in the head'."

Corrections staff will be encouraged to give up smoking, but will be allowed to smoke in designated areas - although not near prisoners. >>> Andrew Young | Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Related: Ending duty-free tobacco unlikely: Key >>> NZPA | Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Watch NZ Herald video here

Foreign Workers May Need Private Health Care to Work in UK
THE TELEGRAPH: Foreign workers face having to use private health care if they want to work in the UK to ease the social pressure of immigration, the Home Secretary has signalled.

Employers wanting to bring in migrants would have to provide them with private health insurance to avoid placing any "undue burden" on the NHS, under the proposals.

It came as Theresa May said the planned annual cap on migrants will be based on the impact they have on public services and communities as well as economic need.

The Coalition Government has pledged to bring net migration down to the "tens of thousands rather than hundreds of thousands" and a limit of foreign workers from outside the EU is a key part of that move. >>> Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor | Monday, June 28, 2010

Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (L), the prime minister of Iceland has married her long time partner, Jónína Leósdóttir (R). Photos: Google Images
Iceland PM Weds as Gay Marriage Legalised
THE TELEGRAPH: Johanna Sigurdardottir, Iceland prime minister, married her long-time partner on Sunday as a new law legalising homosexual marriages came into force.

Miss Sigurdardottir, 68, formally married Jonina Leosdottir, a writer, after the couple submitted a demand for their civil union to be transformed into a marriage, the RUV broadcaster said.

Iceland's parliament on June 12 unanimously adopted legislation allowing gay marriage, in a law that came into force on Sunday. >>> | Monday, June 28, 2010

The Region: Legitimizing Hamas Rule
THE JERUSALEM POST: The White House’s June 20 statement on the Gaza blockade shows that the Obama administration has abandoned all strategic concepts in its approach to the matter.

The White House’s June 20 statement on Gaza is immensely revealing of the shortcomings in US policy. It isn’t at all just a matter of policy toward Israel but of a failure to consider the broader US national interest.

Here’s the real issue: Does the US want the long-term existence of a revolutionary Islamist mini-state on the Mediterranean, spreading terrorism and anti-Semitism, eager to go to war with Israel again, working hard to block any Israel-Palestinian peace, expelling Christians, oppressing women and subverting moderate Arab states? It begins: “The president has described the situation in Gaza as unsustainable and has made clear that it demands fundamental change.”

One would expect the words “unsustainable” and “demands fundamental change” to mean the president demands the overthrow of the Hamas regime. In fact, it signifies the exact opposite: He demands that regime’s stabilization.

The statement continues by describing Obama’s plan to give roughly $200 million to Gaza as “a down payment on the US commitment to the people of Gaza, who deserve a chance to take part in building a viable, independent state of Palestine, together with those who live in the West Bank.”

Just think of that paragraph’s implications: a “down payment” on a “US commitment,” that is, not an act of generosity for which the US must get something in return. Rather, the phrasing makes it seem the US owes them the money.

Moreover, such aid retards rather than advances building a Palestinian state by shoring up a Hamas government which is against the Palestinian Authority, against peace with Israel and against a two-state solution. >>> Barry Rubin* | Sunday, June 27, 2010

*The writer is director of the Global Research in International Affairs Center and editor of Middle East Review of International Affairs and Turkish Studies. He blogs at www.rubinreports.blogspot.com

Protest gegen Schweizer Asyl-Politik
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: In Bern protestieren mehr als 100 Sans-Papier mit der Unterstützung von Schweizer Sympathisanten gegen die Schweizer Asyl-Politik. Für den Nachmittag ist ein Protestzug zum Bundesamt für Migration geplant.

Mama lesbisch, Papa schwul
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Eigentlich will der Schweizer Staat verhindern, dass Kinder mit homosexuellen Eltern aufwachsen. Das Partnerschaftsgesetz verbietet homosexuellen Paaren den Zugang zur Fortpflanzungsmedizin und die Adoption. Aber egal, was sie sollen oder dürfen: immer mehr Lesben und Schwule gründen sogenannte Regenbogenfamilien.

Video* hier anschauen.

*Das Video wurde zum Teil in Schweizerdeutsch ausgestrahlt worden.

Les insoumises d’Al-Jazira
Jullinar Mousa, une Libanaise, fait partie des cinq présentatrices démissionnaires. «On avait l’impression de travailler pour une télévision des talibans», dit une de ses anciennes collègues. Photo : Le Temps
LE TEMPS: Cinq présentatrices de la chaîne qatarie ont démissionné, lassées d’être harcelées sur leur tenue vestimentaire. Un symbole de la dérive islamiste de la direction, que dénonce une partie de la rédaction

Le tournant date du 1er novembre 2009, jour anniversaire de la chaîne. Al-Jazira fête ses 13 ans en innovant, avec une opération new-look. Présentateurs et présentatrices ne sont plus des hommes et des femmes troncs, ils se déplacent face à la caméra. Et ce jour-là, ironise une présentatrice, la direction fait une découverte: lorsqu’on met une femme debout, elle a des jambes.

En treize ans, la chaîne d’information de langue arabe a pris beaucoup de coups: elle en a fait sa force. Il a fallu composer avec les attaques de Washington, ulcéré de voir Oussama ben Laden et les talibans à l’écran. Batailler contre les régimes du Maghreb et l’Egypte, furieux d’entendre la parole des intégristes à l’intérieur de leurs frontières. Se taire en serrant les dents lorsque les médias occidentaux se gaussaient en diabolisant la chaîne. Les charges venaient de l’extérieur, la tour de Babel résistait.

Ce 1er novembre, une nouvelle crise s’enclenche. Cette fois, elle touche au cœur de la famille et aboutira, huit mois plus tard, à la fin du mois de mai 2010, à la démission de cinq présentatrices (une sur trois). Cinq bonnes professionnelles, intelligentes et jolies, au visage connu à travers tout le monde arabe. Venues du Liban, de Syrie et de Tunisie, elles étaient fières d’exercer à Doha, la capitale du Qatar, pour la plus grande chaîne de télévision de langue arabe, celle qui contribuait à changer la société, celle qui a révolutionné le monde des médias du Maroc aux pays du Golfe en passant par le Proche-Orient avec son slogan: «Une opinion et son contraire.»

Quelques jours après le lancement de la formule new-look, les journalistes ont reçu un code vestimentaire. La direction leur fait savoir qu’il est «préférable» de ne pas porter des pantalons moulants. Les jupes doivent descendre au minimum 2 inches (5,1 cm) sous le genou. Le chemisier ne révélera que 2 inches de peau à partir de la base du cou. Avec une jupe, mieux vaut porter une veste longue… Curieusement, pas une ligne ne concerne les hommes. Page 2 >>> Marie-Pierre Subtil envoyée spéciale à Doha (Qatar) | Lundi 28 Juin 2010

Türkischer Luftraum laut Bericht für Israel gesperrt: Reaktion auf Militäraktion gegen Gaza-Hilfsflotte
NZZ ONLINE: Die Türkei hat ihren Luftraum für israelische Flugzeuge gesperrt. Ministerpräsident Erdogan erklärte, er habe diese Massnahme nach der Militäraktion gegen eine Flotte mit Hilfsgütern für den Gazastreifen getroffen. >>> ddp | Montag, 28. Juni 2010

Ministers to Review Pub Smoking Ban
MIRROR: Ministers are to review the smoking ban amid claims it is crippling Britain's £6billion[-]a-year pub and bingo industry.

Around 130 bingo halls - 20 per cent - have closed in the three years since the ban in 2007. Thirty-nine pubs go bust a week.

The Government has ordered a review of anti-smoking laws this autumn. >>> | Sunday, June 27, 2010