Syrie : 250 chars entrent à Rastane, 11 personnes tuées à Hama
lePARISIEN.fr: La répression ne cesse de s'intensifier en Syrie. Onze personnes ont été tuées vendredi dans la province de Hama (nord) dans des heurts, alors que plus de 250 chars sont entrés dans la ville de Rastane, plus au sud, a rapporté l'Observatoire syrien des droits de l'Homme (OSDH).

«Cinq civils et six militaires et agents de sécurité ont été tués aujourd'hui dans le village de Kafar Zita, dans le gouvernorat de Hama, dans des heurts qui ont opposé des soldats et des agents de sécurité d'un côté, et des déserteurs de l'autre», a précisé l'OSDH qui cite des militants sur place. » | LeParisien.fr | Vendredi 30 Septembre 2011

$100,000 Prize for Coexist Heroes
COEXIST: Coexist launches a global search today for an unsung hero who has made an exceptional contribution to building bridges between people of different faiths.

The Coexist Prize, worth $100,000, aims to celebrate the positive social role religion plays for so many people in the world.

Coexist, a Foundation with offices in New York and London, will honor an individual who has shown inspirational courage, imagination and commitment, and been nominated by the public, or by its global network of nominating partners. The Prize is completely inclusive and explicitly open to people of all faiths, and those of no religious persuasion. There are also two runners up awards worth $10,000.

The winners’ powerful stories will be featured in short documentaries, which Coexist will showcase at the Prize ceremony on Tuesday March 20th 2012 at New York University. They will also be made available online, so that they can be an inspiration and example for others. Coexist will work closely with the Prize winners to carry on their work and ensure its lasting impact in their society and beyond. » | COEXIST | Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Life for Saudi Women Is a Constant State of Contradiction

THE GUARDIAN: Saudi Arabia's political paradoxes mean that a woman can be elected to parliament – but she'll need a man to drive her there

What's it like being a Saudi woman? A common question I've come to expect from outsiders – even fellow Arabs. The restrictiveness of the guardianship system, gender segregation and a persistently sexist culture add up to create an exotic and mysterious lifestyle that is difficult to not only explain but also to comprehend.

How do you explain the ingrained paradox of the driving ban on women? The point of the ban is that women avoid situations that lead to them mixing with and meeting men. However, the ban then leads to the necessity of hiring a strange man and getting into the car with him on a daily basis.

How do you explain the huge amounts of money the government spends on educating and training women, so much so that 60% of college graduates in Saudi are women – educating and training all these women, despite the fact that gender segregation laws makes employing them virtually impossible.

How do you explain that this is the way of life that the average Saudi wants for his or her country, when anyone getting on a plane leaving Saudi cannot help but notice how quickly the Saudi passengers abandon their abayas and conservative mannerisms?

A country of contradictions; Saudis have coined an Arabic phrase to explain the unexplainable that translates into "Saudi exceptionality". This past week Saudi exceptionality did not disappoint. Continue reading and comment » | Eman Al Nafjan | Thursday, September 29, 2011

Change.org »

USA: Die neue Hoffnung der Republikaner heißt Christie

DIE PRESSE: Der Gouverneur von New Jersey wird bekniet, in den Ring des Präsidentschaftswahlkampfs zu steigen. Der 49-Jährige hat sich eine Reputation als Vorkämpfer gegen Gewerkschaften erworben.

Washington. Alles war vorbereitet für die Weihe des Kandidaten: das Ambiente in der Ronald-Reagan-Bibliothek im kalifornischen Simi Valley; die Rede unter dem pompösen Titel „Die Einzigartigkeit Amerikas“; das Publikum mit Präsidentenwitwe Nancy Reagan, die ihm ihren Segen spenden sollte; schließlich die Liveübertragung im konservativen Haussender Fox News. Einzig der Wunschkandidat war nicht bereit, über seinen mächtigen Schatten zu springen.

Dabei machte Chris Christie, schwergewichtiger Gouverneur von New Jersey und jüngste Hoffnung der Republikaner, alles richtig – zumindest aus der Perspektive der Opposition. Pointiert prangerte er die Politik Barack Obamas an, den er als „Zuschauer im Weißen Haus“ verhöhnte. Was sei mit jenem jungen Senator passiert, der die Versöhnung predigte und nun den Amerikanern das Geld aus der Hose ziehen wolle?

Chris Christie porträtierte sich – nicht nur äußerlich – als Gegenmodell Obamas. Er verneigte sich vor Ronald Reagan, dem konservativen Säulenheiligen, und dessen Leitbild von der „Shining City on the Hill“, das den immerwährenden Glanz der US-Nation symbolisieren soll. Reagans Konflikt mit den Fluglotsen sei ihm als jungem Studenten vor 30 Jahren eine Inspiration gewesen, sagte er. » | Thomas Vieregge, Korresppondent der Presse | Donnerstag 29. September 2011

Iran - La France demande à l'Iran de ne pas condamner à mort un pasteur apostat
LE POINT: Paris "est vivement préoccupée par la possible condamnation à mort de Youssef Nadarkhani", un pasteur accusé d'avoir changé de religion.

La condamnation de Youssef Nadarkhani "constituerait une violation du Pacte international sur les droits civils et politiques auquel l'Iran a librement souscrit ainsi que de la Constitution iranienne qui garantit la liberté de religion et de croyance", a affirmé le porte-parole du ministère des Affaires étrangères, Bernard Valero. Youssef Nadarkhani, 32 ans, musulman converti au christianisme à l'âge de 19 ans et devenu pasteur d'une petite communauté évangélique baptisée "Église d'Iran", a été arrêté en octobre 2009 et condamné à mort par une cour d'appel en septembre 2010 pour apostasie en vertu de la charia (loi islamique) en vigueur en Iran. » | Source AFP | Jeudi 29 Septembre 2011

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France : Les robes longues seraient des tenues "islamiques"

YABILADI.COM: Où va la France avec sa loi interdisant le port à l’école de signes religieux jugés ostentatoires ? Après le voile à l’école, ce sont les longues robes qui dérangent. En mars derniers plusieurs lycéennes musulmanes s’étaient vues interdire de les porter. Une nouvelle affaire a été signalée récemment au lycée Jean Jaurès de Chatenay-Malabry. Le Collectif contre l’islamophobie en France n’exclut pas de saisir la justice afin que les élèves musulmanes puissent étudier en toute tranquillité.

Leur voile dérangeait, et la loi sur le port de signes religieux dans l’espace public est venue l’interdire. A présent, ce sont leurs robes qui sont jugées « indécentes », tout simplement parce qu’elles sont vues comme trop amples et longues, bref « trop islamiques ». Une vingtaine d’élèves musulmanes du lycée Jean Jaurès de Chatenay-Malabry ( Hauts-de-Seine) ont été convoquées « une à une » par la proviseure de leur établissement et son adjointe pour port de tenues vestimentaires enfreignant la fameuse loi qui interdit les signes religieux à l’école et dans tout l’espace public français. » | Par Oumar Baldé | Mardi 27 Septembre 2011

How Powerful Was al-Awlaki?

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Abschied von Europa
Schweizer Politiker entfernen sich immer stärker vom EU-Beitritt

NZZ ONLINE: In ihrem «Vertrag mit dem Volk» wehrt sich die SVP [Schweizerische Volkspartei] gegen einen EU-Beitritt. Das ist derzeit kaum nötig, immer mehr Politiker haben sich in den letzten Jahren von einem Beitritt zur Union abgewendet. Selbst zwischen der Deutschschweiz und der Romandie ist man sich näher gekommen.

«Der EU-Beitritt wird nicht thematisiert, aber klammheimlich vorangetrieben. Sowohl Bundesrat wie Parlament sind nach wie vor sehr europhil», sagte SVP-Präsident Toni Brunner, nachdem seine Delegierten den «Vertrag mit dem Volk» verabschiedet hatten, gegenüber der NZZ. In diesem Vertrag steht als erster von drei Punkten: «Wir wollen der Europäischen Union nicht beitreten». » | Urs Bloch | Freitag 30. September 2011

La mosquée sur la banquise
Comment se portent les relations
entre l'Occident et le monde musulman? Les journalistes de la Cyberpresse, Isabelle Hachey et Martin Leblanc, font le tour de la question. Et de la planète.
Regardez la vidéo ici
Découvrez le documentaire du web ici

Jemen – Sanaa: Al-Qaida-Terrorist Awlaki getötet

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Der radikale Prediger Anwar al Awlaki, einer der meistgesuchten Terroristen der Welt, ist im Jemen getötet worden. Das gab das Verteidigungsministerium in Sanaa bekannt. Er galt als Anführer von Al Qaida auf der Arabischen Halbinsel.

Im Jemen ist der in Amerika geborene und der Terrororganisation Al Qaida nahestehende radikale Prediger Anwar al Awlaki getötet worden. Das teilte das jemenitische Verteidigungsministerium am Freitag auf seiner Website mit. Nähere Einzelheiten wurden nicht genannt. Aus jemenitischen Sicherheitskreisen hieß es, es habe am Morgen einen Luftangriff im Osten des Landes gegeben. Stammesälteste berichteten, Ziel des Angriffs sei eine Wagenkolonne von Al Qaida-Kämpfern gewesen. » | Text: dpa | Bildmaterial: AP | Freitag 30. September 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Radical US-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki 'killed': Anwar al-Awlaki, a US-born al-Qaeda leader, was killed in a drone strike in central Yemen, the country’s military has announced. » | Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Friday, September 30, 2011

CYBERPRESSE: Mort de l'imam terroriste Anwar al-Aulaqi : Les autorités yéménites ont annoncé vendredi la mort de l'imam radical américano-yéménite Anwar al-Aulaqi, lié à Al-Qaïda et recherché par les États-Unis, qui ont confirmé son décès. » | Hammoud Mounassar | Agence France-Presse | Sanaa ,Yémen | Vendredi 30 Septembre 2011

THE GUARDIAN: Profile: al-Qaida leader Anwar al-Awlaki – Islamist cleric who radicalised Roshonara Choudhry » | Vikram Dodd | Wednesday, November 03, 2010

États-Unis : Le FBI à arrêté un Américain qui préparait des attentats

FRANCE SOIR: Le FBI vient d’arrêter un Américain qui préparait des attentats avec des modèles réduits d’avions.

Quand Rezwan Ferdaus, un étudiant américain de 26 ans, célibataire et sans enfant, diplômé de physique de l’université de Boston dans le Massachusetts (nord-est du pays), a remis en mai dernier des clés USB à un membre d’al-Qaida, il était loin de se douter qu’il serait arrêté quatre mois plus tard. Car le membre d’al-Qaida était en réalité un agent du FBI, qui surveillait le jeune homme depuis des mois. Et sur les clés USB étaient détaillés des attentats qu’il avait planifiés contre le Pentagone et le Congrès. » | Par Jean-Michel Comte | Jeudi 29 Septembre 2011

Libye : Le porte-parole de Kadhafi arrêté ?

FRANCE SOIR: Des membres du Conseil national de transition ont indiqué jeudi qu'ils avaient capturé Moussa Ibrahim, le porte-parole de Mouammar Kadhafi.

L'étau semble se resserrer sur Mouammar Kadhafi. Des commandants du Conseil national de transition (CNT) – le nouveau pouvoir en Libye – ont annoncé jeudi qu'ils avait réussi à arrêter Moussa Ibrahim, le porte-parole du leader libyen déchu. Le commandant Moustapha ben Dardef a en effet déclaré : « les combattants de Misrata nous ont contactés pour nous annoncer qu'il avait été capturé ». Des propos corroborés par ceux d'un autre commandant, Mohammed al-Marimi. Celui-ci a ainsi assuré que « Moussa Ibrahim a été capturé par les révolutionnaires de Misrata alors qu'il roulait à bord d'une voiture hors de Syrte ».

Mais tandis que les combattants de cette ville participent actuellement à l'assaut qui y a été lancé, Adel Ibrahim, un porte-parole du Conseil militaire de Misrata a tenu à souligner qu'ils étaient dans l'impossibilité de « confirmer qu'il a été arrêté ». » | Par Actu France Soir | Vendredi 30 Septembre 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Libya: Gaddafi mouthpiece caught 'fleeing dressed as a woman' – Moussa Ibrahim, the mouthpiece of the Gaddafi regime, was captured last night outside the birthplace of the former dictator, according to commanders of the National Transitional Council's forces » | Ben Farmer, Tripoli | Thursday, September 29, 2011

Rick Perry's Execution Record Greeted by Wild Applause from Republicans
The execution of 234 people during Rick Perry's tenure as the governor of Texas was loudly applauded by Republicans during a debate to choose America's next presidential candidate.

Rick Perry: My Wife Prodded Me to Enter Presidential Race
Governor Rick Perry, the Republican presidential contender, has said that "the reason" he is running for the White House was that his wife told him "to do your duty".

Read the article here

Tony Blair: I Could Cash In a Lot More Than I Do
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Former Prime Minister Tony Blair said he could make a lot more money than he does as he defended his 'jet-set' lifestyle.


The former British leader strongly denied claims that he had used his role as a peace envoy in the Middle East to win private business contracts.

Mr Blair used a wide-ranging interview to declare he had been upset by allegations that he had profited from mobile telephone and gas deals in the Palestinian territories, and that he had lobbied Colonel Gaddafi's Libyan government on behalf of the merchant bank JP Morgan, because they were "untrue" and "absurd."

His comments were made amid growing controversy surrounding his 'billionaire lifestyle' and alleged pro-Israel bias in his role as envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East – in which he mediates on behalf of the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations.

The Daily Telegraph yesterday revealed his position as envoy is now in jeopardy as the Palestinian Liberation Organisation prepares a proposal to declare him persona non-grata in the next few days.

In an interview broadcast last night on India's CNBC-TV18, in which he also defended his relationship with Rupert Murdoch and blamed the children of alcoholics, drug addicts and prostitutes for Britain's recent riots, Mr Blair said recent allegations against him had been inspired by a left wing media establishment which resented him for creating New Labour, and a right wing establishment which hated him for winning three general elections. Read on and comment » | Dean Nelson, New Delhi | Friday, September 30, 2011

This man is a slime-ball and a me-freak. Does a true word ever make it out of his mouth? How the Americans took to this lying chancer is totally beyond my comprehension. And also beyond my comprehension is how a man so instrumental in creating wars could end up as a Middle East peace envoy. Go figure!

Wherever he has shown his grinning, Cheshire-cat face, he has brought war, disharmony, mayhem, and destruction. The man is slippery beyond description: he’s right-wing to the left; left-wing to the right; self-serving to all that can read his character (or lack of it); money-grubbing beyond belief; and self-deluded.

I just hope and pray that justice will eventually catch up with him. For what he has done to this once great country alone, the man should be incarcerated; and the keys should be thrown away! – © Mark

This comment also appears here

MAIL ONLINE: Cherie sets up firm to cash in on Tory health reforms: Ex-PM's wife plans to open clinics in supermarkets » | Sam Greenhill and Inderdeep Bains | Friday, September 30, 2011

Brussels Threatens to Sue Britain to Let in 'Benefit Tourists'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The European Commission has threatened to take legal action against Britain if ministers do not water down rules limiting foreigners’ ability to claim benefits.

Ministers fear the move could leave taxpayers handing out as much as £2.5  billion to EU nationals, including out-of-work “benefit tourists”, a new cost that could wreck Coalition plans for welfare reform.

The commission’s threat, on the eve of the Conservative Party conference, has raised the political temperature on Europe still further.

In an outspoken attack today, Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, says the commission’s move is part of a “wider movement” by the “unelected and unaccountable” European authorities to extend their power over the UK.

“This kind of land grab from the EU has the potential to cause mayhem to nation states, and we will fight it,” he writes in The Daily Telegraph.

The commission is objecting to Britain’s rules on welfare, claiming they discriminate unfairly against foreigners. To claim benefits in Britain, EU nationals must pass a “right to reside” test. The commission says the test is too tough, and wants Britain to apply more generous EU-wide rules.

The commission said it had given Britain two months to bring its rules into line with the weaker EU standard. “Otherwise, the commission may decide to refer the UK to the EU’s Court of Justice.”

The intervention has infuriated ministers, in particular because social security has long been seen as a national policy area and not one in which the EU is allowed to interfere.

It will also inflame the Coalition’s internal debate over Europe. Tory MPs, who will gather in Manchester this weekend for their annual conference, are pushing David Cameron to drive a much harder bargain with Brussels. Liberal Democrat ministers have said they will resist any move to renegotiate Britain’s EU membership. » | Andrew Porter, Political Editor | Thursday, September 29, 2011

Government Plans to Raise Speed Limit to 80mph
THE GUARDIAN: Transport secretary to announce proposed increase in speed limit from 70mph to 80mph at Tory conference

The government plans to raise the speed limit to 80mph from 70mph in a victory for the transport secretary, Philip Hammond.

Hammond said on Thursday he will launch a consultation later this year with a view to introducing the new limit in 2013.

The new policy is part of a determined bid to shift the government on to the side of the motorists after successive governments appeared keen to discourage driving.

Hammond is expected to couple the increase with an expansion of 20mph limits in many urban areas.

But the motorway proposal is expected to receive stiff opposition from road safety campaigners and environmentalists who point out that cars are far less fuel efficient at the higher speed.

Hammond said: "Britain's roads should be the arteries of a healthy economy and cars are a vital lifeline for many." he blamed Labour's "shortsighted and misguided war on the motorist" for penalising drivers.

"This government has already scrapped the M4 bus lane, cut central government funding for money-making speed cameras and announced new measures to crack down on boy racers and reckless drivers while standing up for the decent majority," he said.

"Now it is time to put Britain back in the fast lane of global economies and look again at the motorway speed limit which is nearly 50 years old, and out of date thanks to huge advances in safety and motoring technology.

"Increasing the motorway speed limit to 80mph would generate economic benefits of hundreds of millions of pounds through shorter journey times. So we will consult later this year on raising the limit to get Britain moving." » | Allegra Stratton, political correspondent | Thursday, September 29, 2011

Erdogans Leibwächter prügeln sich mit Sicherheitskräften

Museum stellt uralte Bibelschriften online

Keine Glückwünsche für Berlusconi

Zu Guttenberg an US-Thinktank berufen

Verwandt »

Divorce de l'Aga Khan : le prince condamné à verser 60 millions d'euros à son ex-épouse
LE POINT: C'est la séparation la plus chère jamais prononcée en France par la justice.

C'est le divorce le plus cher jamais prononcé en France par la justice. Comme le révèle Le Point.fr, la cour d'appel d'Amiens a condamné aujourd'hui Son Altesse l'Aga Khan à verser à son ex-épouse la Begum Inaara 60 millions d'euros de prestation compensatoire. Une somme nette d'imposition. Le chef de la communauté musulmane des ismaéliens devra en effet régler lui-même la totalité des frais fiscaux. Le jugement a été prononcé aux torts exclusifs du prince. » | Le Point.fr | Jeudi 29 Septembre 2011

Hugo Chavez in Hospital 'for Kidney Failure'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Hugo Chavez, who has been fighting cancer, was rushed to a military hospital for emergency care following kidney failure, according to reports.

The leftist, staunchly anti-US stalwart Chavez went into the Military Hospital in Caracas on Tuesday morning, the report on the newspaper's website said, citing anonymous sources with knowledge of the case.

"He was in fairly serious overall condition," a source told the Miami-based Spanish-language daily. "When he arrived, he was in quite serious shape and that is why he was brought in for emergency care." » | Thursday, September 29, 2011

Islam in Australia: ‘How I Came to Islam’ – ‘Brother Tom’

Nigeria’s Proposal to Criminalize Same-Sex Marriage
BOX TURTLE BULLETIN: A BTB reader found a copy of Nigeria’s latest proposal to not just ban same-sex marriage (it’s already illegal in Nigeria), but to impose criminal penalties on anyone who enters into a same-sex marriage — as well as for anyone who “witnesses, abets and aids the solemnization of a same gender marriage contract.” The penalty for entering into a same-sex marriage under the proposed measure would be three years’ imprisonment. The penalty for witnessing/aiding/abeting a marriage would bring five years imprisonment or a fine of ₦2,000 (2,000 naria, or US$13 in a country where the average annual income is US$1,200). If a group of persons witness/aid/abet a marriage, the fine is ₦50,000. It’s unclear whether two people at a wedding would be considered two individuals or a group. The bill also does not define what constitutes witnessing, abetting or aiding in the solemnization of a marriage. » | Jim Burroway | Thursday, September 29, 2011

Bahrain Sentences Medics Who Treated Protesters
BBC: A court in Bahrain has jailed 20 medics who treated protesters to up to 15 years, after convicting them of incitement to overthrow the regime.

In a separate case, the special security court sentenced a protester to death for killing a policeman.

The medics had been released on bail after many staged a hunger strike.

They treated people injured when a protest movement calling for more rights for the country's Shia majority in the Sunni-ruled kingdom was crushed.

Human rights activists say the sentences against the medics come as a surprise.

They had been cautiously hopeful that the medics' release on bail was a sign that the government was softening its approach.

The Bahraini doctors and nurses were sentenced to between five and 15 years in prison on charges that include possessing unlicensed arms, seizing medical equipment, and provoking sectarian hatred.

All worked in the Salmaniya Medical Complex in Manama, which security forces entered on 16 March after forcefully clearing the nearby Pearl Roundabout of demonstrators.

Human rights activists say they were only doing their duty. » | Thursday, September 29, 2011

US Ambassador Robert Ford Pelted with Tomatoes in Syria
BBC: Supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have thrown tomatoes and eggs at US ambassador Robert Ford as he met an opposition figure in Damascus.

Veteran politician Hassan Abdul Azim said about 100 protesters tried to get into his office as Mr Ford arrived and then surrounded it.

Mr Ford, who has been accused of inciting protests, was trapped inside the building for at least two hours.

Meanwhile, Syria has accused the US of inciting violence against its military.

"Recent statements from American administration officials... clearly indicate that the United States is involved in encouraging armed groups to practice violence against the Syrian Arab Army," a foreign ministry statement said.

It is thought the statement was referring to comments made by US state department spokesman Mark Toner, who said on Tuesday that it was "not surprising" that the opposition were using violence against the military.

Mr Ford has angered Damascus in the past, notably by visiting the central city of Hama with his French counterpart in July.

It led to both the French and US embassies coming under attack from supporters of the Assad regime. » | Thursday, September 29, 2011

Neuer Job: Guttenberg wird Chefdenker in Washington

WELT ONLINE: Neuer Job für den in die USA geflüchteten Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg: Als "herausragender Staatsmann" wird er ein europäisch-amerikanisches Dialogforum führen.

Der wegen eines Plagiatsskandals zurückgetretene Ex-Verteidigungsminister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (CSU) hat einem Bericht zufolge eine neue Aufgabe an einem der renommiertesten Politik-Institute in den USA gefunden.

Guttenberg schließe sich dem in Washington ansässigen Forschungszentrum Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) an und werde dort an der Spitze eines neuen transatlantischen Dialogforums stehen, berichtete die ”Bild“-Zeitung. Dieses Forum solle die europäisch-amerikanischen Beziehungen stärken.

Das CSIS begründe Guttenbergs Berufung mit dessen Leistungen bei der Reform der Bundeswehr und mit seinem langjährigen Einsatz für die transatlantischen Beziehungen. » | AFP/dapd/dpa/mcz | Donnerstag 29. September 2011

Ukraine: Timochenko se dit victime d'un «lynchage» politique

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: L'ancienne premier ministre ukrainienne Ioulia Timochenko, contre laquelle le parquet a requis sept ans de prison, a dénoncé jeudi son procès pour abus de pouvoir comme un cas "classique" de "lynchage" politique.

"Ce procès est un cas classique de lynchage politique. Cette affaire a été falsifiée. Il n’y a aucune preuve que je sois coupable", a lancé Mme Timochenko, contre laquelle le parquet a requis sept ans de prison.

"Nous sommes contraints de nous défendre contre des répressions politiques", a ajouté la prévenue, dont les propos étaient souvent interrompus par des applaudissements de députés ukrainiens du parti de l’opposante venus la soutenir.

Incarcérée depuis le 5 août, Mme Timochenko est jugée pour avoir signé en 2009, sans l’autorisation du gouvernement qu’elle dirigeait, des accords gaziers avec la Russie défavorables à son pays, selon l’accusation. » | AFP | Jeudi 29 Septembre 2011

Le Parlement européen favorable à la reconnaissance de la Palestine

LE MONDE: Le Parlement européen a demandé aux gouvernements de l'UE, jeudi 29 septembre, de répondre favorablement à la demande palestinienne de reconnaissance d'un Etat, présentée la semaine dernière à l'Onu par le président de l'Autorité palestinienne, Mahmoud Abbas. Les eurodéputés ont qualifié cette demande de "légitime".

Le demande déposée vendredi par le président Mahmoud Abbas est a priori vouée à l'échec en raison du veto américain. L'Union européenne, divisée sur la question, n'a pas officiellement pris position face à la demande de M. Abbas. » | LEMONDE.FR avec AFP, Reuters | Jeudi 29 Septembre 2011

Dispatches: The Wonderful World of Tony Blair
Since resigning in June 2007 Tony Blair has financially enriched himself more than any ex-Prime Minister ever. Reporter Peter Oborne reveals some of the sources of his new-found wealth, much of which comes from the Middle East.

On the day Tony Blair resigned as Prime Minister, he was appointed the official representative Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East. By January 2009 he had set up Tony Blair Associates - his international consultancy - which handles multi-million pound contracts in the Middle East.

It is so secretive we don't know all the locations they do business in. Dispatches shows that at the same time as Blair is visiting Middle East leaders in his Quartet role he is receiving vast sums from some of them. If Blair represented the UK government, the EU, the IMF, the UN or the World Bank, this would not be permitted.

Watch the programme here
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Tirade gegen Währungsunion: Britischer Minister nennt Euro "Wahnsinn"

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Der britische Außenminister William Hague wettert gegen die EU. Die Einführung des Euro bezeichnet er in einem Interview als "kollektiven Wahnsinn". Europa stehe vor einem Scherbenhaufen, London müsse sich Macht aus Brüssel zurückholen.

London - Großbritanniens Außenminister William Hague hat die Euro-Zone als "brennendes Haus ohne Ausgang" bezeichnet. "Es war Wahnsinn, dieses System zu schaffen, jahrhundertelang wird darüber als eine Art historisches Monument kollektiven Wahnsinns geschrieben werden", sagte der konservative Politiker in einem Interview mit dem konservativen Polit-Magazin "The Spectator".

Hague gilt seit jeher als Euro-Kritiker. Den Vergleich mit dem "brennenden Haus" hatte er bereits Ende der neunziger Jahre gezogen, als Großbritannien sich gegen den Beitritt zur Euro-Zone entschieden hatte.

Deutschland werde schwächere Mitgliedstaaten der Euro-Zone wie etwa Griechenland für "den Rest ihres Lebens" stützen müssen, sagte Hague. » | ffr/dpa | Donnerstag 29. September 2011

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Bundestag: Mehrheit für größeren Euro-Rettungsschirm
Der Bundestag hat am Donnerstag über die Ausweitung des Euro-Rettungsschirms abgestimmt. Für die Aufstockung des so genannten EFSF stimmte eine große Mehrheit der Abgeordneten.
Das Video hier abspielen

BMW Dynasty Breaks Silence on Its Nazi Past

THE INDEPENDENT: The family that owns Germany's luxury car manufacturer BMW has ended decades of silence about its role during the Nazi era and admitted to taking over scores of Jewish businesses and using tens of thousands of slave labourers at its factories during Adolf Hitler's Third Reich.

The disturbing revelations about the Quandt dynasty, which became a major BMW shareholder in 1960, are contained in an independent 1,200-page study commissioned by the family in 2007 after its ruthless Nazi-era business practices were exposed in a German television documentary. BMW was not implicated in the report.

"The Quandts were linked inseparably with the crimes of the Nazis," Joachim Scholtyseck, the Bonn historian who compiled and researched the study, concludes at the end of his report published this week. "The family patriarch was part of the regime."

Mr Scholtyseck established that Günther Quandt and his son Herbert, who both headed the dynasty during the Third Reich, willingly collaborated with the Nazi regime by employing an estimated 50,000 forced labourers in its arms factories. An average of 80 slave labourers per month died at Quandt factories and many were executed. » | Tony Paterson in Berlin | Thursday, September 29, 2011

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Britons Warned of Terror Threat in Saudi Arabia
THE GUARDIAN: US government issues warning that terrorists may be planning to abduct westerners in Riyadh

The Foreign Office reminded Britons in Saudi Arabia to remain vigilant after the US government warned that terrorists may be planning to abduct westerners in Riyadh. » | Press association | Thursday, September 29, 2011

William Hague Urges Iran to Spare Life of Pastor Facing Execution

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: William Hague has urged Iran to spare the life of a pastor reportedly facing execution for refusing to recant his Christian faith and return to Islam.

Youcef Nadarkhani, 34, a member of the Protestant evangelical Church of Iran, was arrested in 2009 for apostasy and he was sentenced to death last year.

The father of two held services in "home churches" in Rasht, a town about 150 miles north west of Tehran.

Reports suggest that an Iranian court gave Pastor Nadarkhani a third chance to avoid hanging, but he replied: "I am resolute in my faith and Christianity and have no wish to recant." » | Thursday, September 29, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: White House condemns Iran over Christan pastor facing execution: The United States has condemned Iran over plans to execute a pastor who refused to renounce Christianity for Islam and called for his sentence to be overturned. » | Thursday, September 29, 2011

Tony Blair's Job in Jeopardy as Palestinians Accuse Him of Bias

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Tony Blair's future as Middle East peace envoy was in jeopardy after the Palestinian Authority said it was set to sever all contact with him because of his "bias" towards Israel.

The senior echelons of the Palestine Liberation Organisation are expected to meet in the coming days to discuss a proposal to declare Mr Blair persona non grata, officials said.

Predicting unanimous support for the motion from the entire Palestinian leadership, they said the intention was to isolate the former prime minister to such an extent that his position would become untenable.

Mr Blair has been viewed with an element of distrust by some Palestinians ever since his appointment as the envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East – the mediating body comprising the United States, the EU, the UN and Russia – on the day he left Downing Street in June 2007.

But antagonism has mounted over allegations that he lobbied European powers to vote against a Palestinian bid for statehood submitted to the United Nations in New York last week. "We have been extremely unhappy and dissatisfied with Mr Blair's performance since he became envoy, but particularly in the past few weeks," a senior Palestinian official said.

No formal request for Mr Blair's dismissal has been made to the Quartet, and it is likely the Palestinians will come under intense US and European pressure to change course and desist from making a public pronouncement on his ostracism. » | Adrian Blomfield, Jerusalem | Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The World from Berlin: Obama's Euro-Crisis Lecture Is 'Pitiful and Sad'

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: US President Obama has given the Europeans a harsh lecture on the dangers of their ongoing debt crisis. Offended by the unsolicited advice, Europeans have suggested the US get its own house in order first. Obama's remarks were "arrogant" and "absurd," German commentators say on Wednesday.

Europeans are well aware of the seriousness of their ongoing debt crisis. But they don't, it seems, like to receive lectures from other countries -- especially the United States, which is struggling to deal with its own mountain of debt.

On Tuesday, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble curtly rejected recent American criticism of Europe's approach to solving its debt crisis. "I don't think Europe's problems are America's only problems," said Schäuble, who has become increasingly sharp-tongued as the euro crisis deepens. "It's always easier to give other people advice."

Schäuble was referring to strongly worded comments made by US President Barack Obama and US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner in recent days. At an event in California on Monday, Obama warned Europeans that their inaction was "scaring the world." The Europeans, he said, "have not fully healed from the crisis back in 2007 and never fully dealt with all the challenges that their banking system faced. It's now being compounded by what's happening in Greece." He continued: "They're going through a financial crisis that is scaring the world, and they're trying to take responsible actions, but those actions haven't been quite as quick as they need to be." » | Kristen Allen and David Gordon Smith | Wednesday, September 28, 2011

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Return of the Islamists: A Questionable Form of Freedom for North Africa

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: The autocrats are gone, but who will inherit power in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt? Islamist influence is significant across the region and conservative political groups are flexing their muscles. The coming months will determine just how much democracy North Africa can support.

Ammunition crates, now empty in the wake of recent heavy fighting, are stacked outside the military barracks at the Tripoli airport. One of the victors, wearing military fatigues, is sitting in a luxurious leather armchair inside the building. He presses his combat boots into the thick carpet, his facial features as rigid as if they had been sculpted. The man speaks intently. He wants to make sure that each of his sentences is recorded on video, and that nothing is misunderstood.

For years, American and British intelligence agencies hunted Abdel Hakim Belhaj, the commander of the Libyan rebels' Tripoli brigade, believing him to be a terrorist and ally of then al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. They also reportedly had him abducted, which led to his being tortured with syringes and ice-cold water. Now though, the West and many in Libya are paying close attention, and are listening to his every word.

"In reality, our group had nothing to do with al-Qaida at the time," says Belhaj, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan and the former head of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), which, persecuted by the regime of former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, took refuge in Afghanistan for years. Belhaj, the battle-hardened Islamist, is now the commander of all rebel troops in the Libyan capital.

His men drive around in their pickups, outfitted with automatic weapons while the civilian heads of the rebellion seek to map out a path for their country's future. Belhaj says that the power lies "in the hands of the Libyan people," and that Libyans can now decide democratically how they wish to live their lives. "We want a secular country," he adds. But many Libyans don't believe a word the Islamist is saying. » | Clemens Höges and Thilo Thielke | Wednesday, September 28, 2011

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Arabie: le roi annule la condamnation d’une Saoudienne qui a pris le volant
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le roi Abdallah a annulé la condamnation d’une Saoudienne à dix coups de fouet pour avoir bravé l’interdiction faite aux femmes de conduire dans le royaume ultra-conservateur saoudien, a indiqué mercredi une princesse saoudienne.

Le roi Abdallah a annulé la condamnation d’une Saoudienne à dix coups de fouet pour avoir bravé l’interdiction faite aux femmes de conduire dans le royaume ultraconservateur saoudien, a indiqué mercredi une princesse saoudienne.

"Dieu merci, la flagellation de Sheima a été annulée. Merci à notre roi bien-aimé. Je suis sûre que toutes les femmes saoudiennes seront heureuses, je sais que je le suis", a annoncé sur Twitter la princesse Amira Tawil, épouse d’un neveu du roi et richissime homme d’affaires Walid ben Talal.
L’annulation de la condamnation a été confirmée par une source informée à Ryad. » | AFP | Mercredi 28 Septembre 2011

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THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Saudi king saves woman driver from 10 lashes: Saudi King Abdullah has overturned a court verdict that sentenced a Saudi woman to be lashed 10 times for defying the kingdom's ban on women driving. » | Thursday, September 29, 2011

Libye : les anti-Kadhafi veulent que l'Otan intensifie ses frappes
LE POINT: Les combattants du nouveau régime espèrent prendre le dessus à Syrte et à Bani Walid.

Dans la vaste oasis de Bani Walid, à 170 kilomètres au sud de Tripoli, les forces des nouvelles autorités se préparaient à lancer une nouvelle offensive au lendemain d'accrochages qui ont fait onze morts dans leurs rangs. Parmi les victimes figure un commandant anti-Kadhafi, tué dans la nuit de mardi à mercredi. » | Source AFP | Mercredi 28 Septembre 2011

Al-Qaeda Warns Ahmadinejad to Stop Denying 9/11
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Al-Qaeda has joined America in warning Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against spreading September 11 conspiracy theories.

In a curious case of enemies uniting against a common foe, the Yemen-based compiler of the terrorist organisation's Inspire magazine wrote that President Ahmadinejad had appeared "ridiculous" when he questioned the origins of the attack that killed almost 3,000 people.

"The Iranian government has professed on the tongue of its president Ahmadinejad that it does not believe that al Qaeda was behind 9/11 but rather, the US government," it said. "So we may ask the question: why would Iran ascribe to such a ridiculous belief that stands in the face of all logic and evidence?"

US diplomats led a Western walkout at the UN General Assembly meeting last week during President Ahmadinejad's speech when he suggested the Osama bin Laden was killed to cover up the events of September 11. » | Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Schweiz: Nationalrat beschließt Burkaverbot
DIE PRESSE: Gegen den Willen der Regierung wurde im Nationalrat ein Vermummungsverbot beschlossen, das auch das Tragen einer Burka in der Öffentlichkeit verbietet.

Der Nationalrat im Schweizer Parlament hat am Mittwoch gegen den Willen der Regierung ein Vermummungsverbot beschlossen, das auch das Tragen der islamischen Burka und ähnlicher Gesichtsschleier verbietet. 101 Abgeordnete des Nationalrats stimmten für den Antrag der nationalkonservativen Schweizerischen Volkspartei (SVP), 77 dagegen. Nun muss noch der Ständerat (Oberhaus) über das Verbot entscheiden. » | APA/AFP | Mittwoch 28. September 2011

Put Autumn On Hold – Summer's Finally Set to Arrive
THE INDEPENDENT: Put the porridge on hold. Leave the pullovers in the drawer. And if you're a pub landlord with a beer garden, throw it open. As October approaches, midsummer is returning.

Much of Britain is about to experience the best weather of the year, a sumptuous five-day interlude of cloudless skies and uninterrupted sunshine, with near-record temperatures for the season – and traders and businesses all over the country are preparing to cash in on a final open-air bonanza for 2011.

A large high-pressure system over the Continent is drawing a vast mass of hot dry air towards the British Isles from Southern Europe and even from North Africa, pushing temperatures up a full 10C above their seasonal norms.

From today, the hot weather will build up, and by Saturday, South-east England is likely to see highs of 28C (just under 83F) or possibly even exceeding that – threatening Britain's October record temperature of 29.4C, or 85F, which was set in Cambridge on 1 October 1985. » | Michael McCarthy and Charlie Cooper | Wednesday, September 28, 2011

EU 'Deplores’ Israel’s Approval of New Settlements

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The European Union has urged Israel to backtrack after it approved the building of more than a thousand new homes for settlers in East Jerusalem.

EU diplomacy chief Catherine Ashton on Tuesday “deplored” Israel’s approval of the 1,100 homes and urged the government to reverse its decision.

“Last Friday, the Quartet called on the Israelis and Palestinians to refrain from provocative actions if negotiations are to resume and be effective.”

“I therefore deplore today’s decision to advance settlement expansion in East Jerusalem with approximately 1000 new housing units in Gilo,” she said in a statement.
“I call on the Israeli authorities to reverse this plan.”

Earlier, Ashton told the European parliament that “settlement activity threatens the viability of an agreed two-state solution and runs contrary to the Israeli-stated commitment to resume negotiations”. Read on and comment » | Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Barroso's 2011 State of the European Union Speech - Highlights
Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, told the European Parliament on Wednesday delivered his 2011 State of the European Union speech in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: EC president Barroso urges deeper economic integration: The EU faces the “biggest crisis in its history” as it struggles to hold the eurozone together amid the sovereign debt crisis, Jose Manuel Barroso, the European Commission president has admitted. » | Bruno Waterfield, Brussels Correspondent | Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Staatsanwalt zeigt toten Michael Jackson

Kadhafi se cacherait dans le sud de la Libye

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Selon certaines informations, Kadhafi se trouverait au sud-ouest de Sabha ou dans la région de Ghadamès.

Les nouvelles autorités libyennes soupçonnent Mouammar Kadhafi de se cacher près de Ghadamès, non loin de la frontière algérienne, affirme un responsable militaire du Conseil national de transition (CNT).

«Une tribu, les Touaregs, le soutient encore et on pense qu’il vit dans la région de Ghadamès, dans le Sud», a dit mardi soir à Reuters Hicham Bouhagiar, un haut responsable des forces du gouvernement intérimaire.

Le fils le plus en vue de Mouammar Kadhafi, Saïf al Islam, serait pour sa part à Bani Walid et son frère Moutassem serait à Syrte, a ajouté cet homme qui coordonne la traque de l’ancien dirigeant. «Ils pensent tous deux à quitter la Libye, peut-être pour le Niger», a dit M. Bouhagiar. Bani Walid et Syrte sont les deux derniers bastions des partisans de Mouammar Kadhafi et sont assiégées par les forces du CNT. » | ATS | Mercredi 28 Septembre 2011

Iranian Activist Narges Mohammadi Jailed for 11 Years

THE GUARDIAN: Deputy head of human rights organisation, who became ill after being detained by security officials, convicted by court in Tehran

A prominent Iranian human rights activist who was taken seriously ill after being detained by the authorities has been sentenced to 11 years in jail.

Narges Mohammadi, 39, the deputy head of Iran's Defenders of Human Rights Centre (DHRC), a rights organisation presided over by the Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi, was picked up last year by security officials who raided her house in middle of the night without a warrant for her arrest.

She was taken to Tehran's Evin prison where she was kept in solitary confinement but was released after a month and taken to hospital.

Mohammadi, a mother of two and winner of the 2009 Alexander Langer award for her human rights activities, has since developed an undiagnosed epilepsy-like disease which causes her to lose control over her muscles temporarily during the day.

It emerged on Tuesday that a court in Tehran has now convicted her on three charges: acting against the national security, membership of the DHRC and propaganda against the regime, for which she has received an 11-year sentence in total. » | Saeed Kamali Dehghan | Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Libyan Islamists Must Have Share in Power, Warns Leader

THE GUARDIAN: Abdul Hakim Belhaj, head of Tripoli Military Council, issues warning after administration negotiations founder

Libya's Islamist groups "will not allow" secular politicians to exclude or marginalise them in the intensifying battle for power in the post-Gaddafi era, the country's most powerful Islamist leader has said.

Abdel Hakim Belhaj, head of the Tripoli Military Council and founder of a jihadi group that was later disbanded, appears to be firing a shot across the bows of liberal, western-backed rivals after negotiations over broadening the rebel administration foundered.

"We must resist attempts by some Libyan politicians to exclude some of t
he participants in the revolution," Belhaj writes in the Guardian. "Their political myopia renders them unable to see the huge risks of such exclusion, or the serious ... reaction of the parties that are excluded." » | Ian Black in Tripoli | Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Russia's Former Finance Chief Attacks Kremlin Over Fake Democracy

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Russia's ex-finance minister dealt a fresh blow to the Kremlin on Tuesday, disclosing that it had asked him to lead a fake political party but that he had refused to take part in the deception.

Firing a parting shot at the Kremlin a day after he was unceremoniously forced out of his job for public dissent, Alexei Kudrin became the latest prominent insider to blow the whistle on Russia's democracy as Vladimir Putin prepares to controversially assume the presidency for a third time next year. Mikhail Prokhorov, Russia's third richest man, recently denounced the entire political system as a cynically state-managed sham, while former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has repeatedly warned that the country is heading for a revolution unless it undertakes serious reform. » | Andrew Osborn, Moscow | Tuesday, September 27, 2011

British Muslims Reviving Polygamy
THE AUSTRALIAN: A GROWING number of young British Muslims are taking second or third wives in an unexpected revival of polygamy, according to religious leaders.

The new wave of polygamy is revealed in a special report by the BBC Asian Network using findings from the Islamic Sharia Council.

The council, which provides legal advice and guidance to Muslims, said it was receiving an unprecedented number of inquiries about polygamous marriages.

Its most recent figures show that, for the first time, polygamy is now among the top ten reasons cited for divorce, as wives decide that they can no longer tolerate competing with one another.

Polygamy is illegal in Britain, but Muslim men can take a second, third or even a fourth wife under Sharia law in a religious ceremony known as the nikah [Wiki].

These wives are not recognised by British law, but are considered legitimate within many Muslim communities. Khola Hasan, lecturer and adviser to the Islamic Sharia Council, said it was clear that polygamy among the younger generation was on the increase.

"Out of 700 applications for divorce in 2010, 43 cited polygamy as the reason," she said.
Ms Hasan said her research uncovered three main reasons for the growth in polygamy. The first is the growing number of young Muslim men who want to practise a more orthodox and conservative form of the religion.

"Young men who have come into a more radical understanding of faith know it is illegal to marry more than once [under British law], but do it to spite the system," Ms Hasan said. » | • Rosemary Bennett | The Times | Tuesday, September 27, 2011