Saudis Clamp Down on Women's Gyms
BBC: Many women-only sports clubs and gyms in Saudi Arabia face closure under a government clampdown on unlicensed premises, Saudi media have reported.

Saudi women are largely constrained to the home and single-sex environments. Photo courtesy of the BBC
Women's gyms have become popular in the ultra-conservative Muslim country where the sexes are heavily segregated.

But only clubs linked to medical groups can get licenses and others will be closed, the Arab News newspaper said.

Saudi women were reported to have launched an online campaign in protest called Let Her Get Fat.

Government departments are not allowed to issue licenses for commercial gyms and sports clubs for women, unlike facilities for men, the newspaper reported. >>> | Monday, April 27, 2009

The Czech Republic Pays for Immigrants to Go Home
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Unemployed Guest Workers and Their Kids Receive Cash and a One-Way Ticket as the Country Fights Joblessness

Prague -- During its manufacturing boom earlier this decade, the Czech Republic wooed immigrants with plentiful jobs and comparatively higher wages. Now the Czech government is paying them to go back home.

Four years ago, Uyanga Ganbold migrated from Mongolia to Plzen, an industrial hub 60 miles south of Prague, with dreams of a European education for her two children. But she lost her job assembling Panasonic televisions and is taking the government's offer of a one-time payment of €750 ($992), triple her monthly wages. "I've never held that much money in my hands all at once," said the petite 34-year-old before leaving in mid-April.

Trin Van Pham is a harder sell. The Vietnamese immigrant lost his factory job with Czech auto maker Skoda in December, but turned down a similar package to leave. "It's just a little bit of money," compared with the $11,000 debt he took on to get here, says Mr. Pham, 30. Besides, he says, "if I go back, I'll also be looking for a job. It's not easy to get one there."

Their reactions underscore the difficulties of unraveling the global work force this once labor-strapped nation created as it grew into a manufacturing hub. In 2007, foreigners scooped up nearly 40% of the new jobs created in the Czech Republic. In the last five years alone, the number of immigrant workers doubled to nearly 362,000 by the end of 2008.

With demand for exports down, unemployment has soared to a two-year high of 7.7%. Economists say the rate could hit 10% by year's end, and there are signs rising joblessness is pushing some Czechs to apply for the low-wage work they once left to foreign laborers. The Czech economy is set to contract by 2% this year -- a sharp fall from a growth peak around 7% in 2006.

In February, the government, fearing crime, homelessness and immigrants overstaying visas, launched a $3 million program to pay newly jobless migrants to go home. The pitch: €500 per legal immigrant, €250 for children under 15, and the cost of the tickets home. >>> By Joellen Perry | Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Naked Swiss Hikers Must Cover Up
BBC: The tiny Swiss canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden has voted to prohibit the phenomenon of naked hiking.

No more freezing hikes in Appenzell Innerrhoden. Photo courtesy of Time
Anyone found wandering the Alps wearing nothing but a sturdy pair of hiking boots will now be fined.

Appenzell is considered one of the most conservative regions of Switzerland; it gave women the vote only in 1990.

Locals have been outraged by an apparent upsurge in hikers who think the best way to appreciate the mountains is with their clothes off.

The vote was taken with a show of hands at Appenzell's annual Landsgemeinde, an open-air meeting of all registered voters held in the town square.

Appenzell is one of only two Swiss cantons that still decide local government policy in this way.

There was a big majority in favour of prohibiting naked hiking, and introducing fines of Sfr 200 ($175). >>> By Imogen Foulkes, BBC News, Geneva | Monday, April 27, 2009

RELATED:
Another Reason to Visit Switzerland: Hiking in the Nude >>> | Monday, March 30, 2009

Daniel Hannan speaking at Conservative Spring Forum 2009
Part 1:


Part 2:

US Journalist Held in Iran 'Very Weak'
THE TELEGRAPH: The father of an Iranian-American journalist jailed by Iran on charges of spying for the United States said yesterday that she was in a bad condition a week after going on hunger strike.

Reza Saberi said he and his wife, Akiko, visited their daughter Roxana in Tehran's Evin jail on Sunday, taking flowers for her 32nd birthday.

"She is very, very weak and frail ... she is in a bad condition. She can hardly stand up," he said. "I'm worried about her health. I'm worried about her life."

The 68-year-old said he had asked his daughter to stop her action, but she did not want to discuss it during the 20-minute visit. She started refusing food last Tuesday, he said.

The US-born freelance reporter was sentenced to eight years in jail on April 18, in a verdict that could complicate Washington's efforts towards reconciliation with Iran after three decades of mutual mistrust.

Her defence lawyer, Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, who has appealed the sentence, said he expected the case to be sent to a higher court this week and suggested it may be examined soon.

He has expressed hope she would be acquitted after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on the prosecutor to ensure Saberi enjoys full legal rights to defend herself. The judiciary chief has said the appeal must be dealt with in a "quick and fair way". >>> | Monday, April 27, 2009

Geert Wilders in Beverly Hills

Prince Issa of the UAE Tortures a Citizen: الشيخ عيسى يعذب مواطنا

NAME: Folter-Video: Arabischer Prinz quält Opfer vor der Kamera

Es ist ein grausames Video aus den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten. Zu sehen ist Scheich Issa, Mitglied des arabischen Königshauses, wie er einen wehrlosen Mann misshandelt. Eigentlich sollten diese Bilder geheim bleiben. Doch ein ehemaliger Vertrauter des Prinzen konnte das Video außer Landes schmuggeln.

Die Bilder schockieren: Ein Mann kauert mit gefesselten Beinen im Sand, wimmert vor sich hin. Seine Peiniger knien sich auf ihn, stopfen ihm den Sand in den Mund, schlagen mit der Peitsche auf ihn ein. Einer der Folterer heißt Scheich Issa bin Zayed al-Nayran: Er ist der 22. königliche Prinz aus dem Königshaus der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate.

Mit immer brutaleren Methoden quälen er und ein Polizist den wehrlosen Mann; am Schluss überfahren sie ihn mit einem Geländewagen. Ihr Opfer, angeblich ein afghanischer Getreidehändler, der den Prinzen betrogen haben soll, überlebt schwer verletzt. >>> Von Céline Lauer | Montag, 27. April 2009

British Dhimmitude! Stewardess Sacked after Refusing to Wear Islamic Robe
THE TELEGRAPH: An air stewardess has been sacked after refusing her airline's demand to wear traditional Islamic dress and walk behind male colleagues in Saudi Arabia.

Lisa Ashton, who worked for BMI, was told that she was expected to wear the abaya, a long black robe that leaves only the face uncovered, when she was out in public in the Gulf state.

She was also told that she should walk behind male colleagues irrespective of their rank, in order to conform with the social codes of the conservative country.

Miss Ashton was instructed to consider the abaya as part of her uniform when flying to Saudi Arabia.

But she told her managers that she considered the requirement discriminatory, and was worried that Saudi Arabia was not safe to travel to because of the danger of terrorist attacks.

"It's not the law that you have to walk behind men in Saudi Arabia, or that you have to wear an abaya, and I'm not going to be treated as a second-class citizen," she said.

"It's outrageous. I'm a proud Englishwoman and I don't want these restrictions placed on myself." >>> By Duncan Gardham | Sunday, April 26, 2009

Rwanda Suspends BBC Broadcasts
THE TELEGRAPH: Rwanda demanded "guarantees of responsible journalism" from the BBC on Sunday, a day after it suspended its local broadcasts in the national Kinyarwanda language.

"We have suspended all BBC programmes in Kinyarwanda because they had become a real poison with regards to the reconciliation of the Rwandan people," the information minister, Louise Mushikiwabo said.

"We could no longer tolerate that," she said. "The Rwandan government shall protest strongly, until the BBC can give us guarantees of responsible journalism."

The dispute centres on interviews aired on a weekly programme, "Imvo n'Imvano," (The Heart of the Problem), which Mushikiwabo, on state radio, said were "liable" to undermine efforts at national unity and reconciliation. >>> | Sunday, April 26, 2009

Sarkozy et Zapatero
affichent leur «affection»
Nicolas Sarkozy et José Luis Zapatero à Paris en juillet dernier. La lutte contre le terrorisme sera au menu de la rencontre entre les deux dirigeants, demain à Madrid. Photo grâce au Figaro
LEFIGARO: Le président français est à Madrid pour le XXIe sommet bilatéral. L'occasion de réaffirmer la nature cordiale de ses relations avec son homologue espagnol, après la polémique de la semaine passée.

Fin de la polémique, place à la fiesta ! Après avoir tiré à boulets rouges sur Nicolas Sarkozy, Madrid va dérouler le tapis rouge au président français et à son épouse, qui entament lundi une visite d'État de deux jours. Diplomatie, lutte contre le terrorisme, contrats et glamour sont au programme de ce déplacement qui suscite un intérêt sans précédent dans la capitale ibérique, où l'ambassade de France a enregistré un nombre record de demandes d'accréditation de journalistes.

Avant l'arrivée du couple Sarkozy, José Luis Zapatero et le président français ont fait ce week-end assaut d'amabilités par médias interposés pour mettre un terme à la polémique. La brouille avait été déclenchée après un déjeuner à l'Élysée et des propos désobligeants, attribués à Nicolas Sarkozy, sur le manque d'intelligence supposé du chef du gouvernement espagnol. Dans un entretien au quotidien El Pais, Nicolas Sarkozy rejette des «rumeurs absurdes qui ont été de surcroît démenties par les participants à cette réunion». Il tacle au passage, sans la nommer, Ségolène Royal, dont il raille l'idée qu'elle se fait de la «responsabilité politique». Selon un sondage publié dimanche par Le Parisien, 68 % des Français pensent que l'ancienne candidate PS à la présidentielle a eu tort d'adresser des excuses à José Luis Zapatero.

Nicolas Sarkozy en profite surtout pour affirmer sa «grande estime» et une «réelle affection» pour celui que le président appelle par son prénom, «José Luis». À ses yeux, le chef du gouvernement espagnol est un «homme de talent, un homme de conviction, un grand d'Europe». Bref, un festival de compliments qui finit presque par être gênant, surtout après un incident diplomatique sans fondement ! José Luis Zapatero a tourné la page en déclarant au Monde que «Nicolas Sarkozy a toujours été très diplomatique avec moi». Quant à la lettre d'excuses envoyée par Ségolène Royal, il reconnaît l'avoir reçue, sans autre commentaire. Le «duel du glamour» >>> Bruno Jeudy,envoyé spécial à Madrid | Lundi 27 Avril 2009

Margaret Thatcher's Revolution 30 Years On
THE TELEGRAPH: Her successors ruined the prosperous Britain she created. Now we must strive to re-build it, says Edwina Currie.

We should value Margaret Thatcher for what she did, not what she was. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
She was a small, pretty woman with chintzy blouses and a nervous habit of clearing her throat. A stiff leather handbag hung like a weapon over her arm; if a wisp of hair escaped from the helmet of her coiffure, she fiddled with it anxiously. In mid-campaign, she was given a grubby calf to hold and didn't know what to do with it. Our first views of Margaret Thatcher weren't reassuring.

Yet it was la difference that underwrote her astonishing success. The unthinkable – a woman prime minister – had been made flesh. Suddenly anything seemed possible. I was a city councillor in Birmingham with two small children. I knew, with total certainty, that if she could do it, then so could I.

Mrs Thatcher learnt very quickly to turn her outsider status to advantage. Declaring that she didn't know much about economics but did understand a household budget was an election strategy of genius. It allied her with the victims of strikes and disruption, those who had to make ends meet, the "hard-working families" of modern parlance who had to put aside doubts if they were to vote for her. However bizarre it may seem to have a woman in charge, they reasoned, she talked sense and should be given a chance: she couldn't be worse than the men.

Within her first term the doubts vanished. The Iron Lady had seen off Galtieri and was preparing the same treatment for Scargill, so all one had to do was sound rather like her. I sailed into Parliament at my first attempt in 1983, one of 397 Tory MPs (some 200 more than now). It was not really a surprise to find myself the first maiden speaker of the new intake, treated as a representative of a new breed, and soon a minister.

It was a fantastic and terrifying experience. Come to a meeting not properly briefed and you'd be mincemeat, and rightly so. Get something right and she would praise you embarrassingly in public. With a blue-eyed stare that could turn men to stone, she would snap out orders and expect them delivered. Once, in a cold spell in January 1987, she insisted that no vagrant was to be found frozen to the pavements and I was given the job. We managed it, with the help of the charities and an open purse, a now-forgotten episode entirely to her credit; the Rough Sleepers initiative was the outcome. No inquiries, no reviews, no soundbites, no pointless legislation: just get on and do it. >>> Edwina Currie | Sunday, April 26, 2009

Obama: Erklärung zu Massaker an Armeniern erzürnt die Türkei
TAGESANZEIGER: Der amerikanische Präsident Barack Obama hat mit einer Erklärung zum Massaker an Armeniern zur Zeit des Osmanischen Reichs den Ärger der Türkei auf sich gezogen.

Einige Passagen von Obamas Statement zum Jahrestag des Beginns der Gräueltaten seien «inakzeptabel», erklärte das Aussenministerium am Samstag in Ankara. Die Beurteilung der Vorkommnisse solle einzig und allein Historikern überlassen werden. »Die gemeinsame Geschichte des türkischen und des armenischen Volkes darf nur durch unabhängige und wissenschaftliche Daten bewertet werden», hiess es in der Mitteilung aus Ankara weiter.

Präsident Abdullah Gül kritisierte am Rande eines Energie-Gipfels in Sofia, dass Obama die türkischen Opfer nicht erwähnt habe. «Jedermanns Schmerz muss geteilt werden», forderte er. Erklärung aus dem Weissen Haus >>> raa/sda | Samstag, 25. April 2009

Pakistan – Taliban: "The Scenario Is Totally Bleak"

Iran's President 'Would Support Two-state Solution' for Israel
THE TELEGRAPH: Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has recognised Israel's right to exist for the first time, saying it would be "fine with us" if the Palestinians reached a two-state solution.

Asked if he would support an agreement between the Palestinians and Tehran's arch enemy, he said: "Whatever decision they take is fine with us. We are not going to determine anything. Whatever decision they take, we will support that.

"We think that is the right of the Palestinian people, however we fully expect other states to do so as well."

Given his frequently stated hostility to Israel's existence - calling more than once for its "annihilation" - and his habit of capriciously offering threat and promises of friendship within the space of a few days, Mr Ahmadinejad's words will not treated by Western diplomats as a permanent shift in policy.

He has previously declared that Israel should be "wiped off the map" and a week ago accused the Israelis of running the "the most cruel and repressive racist regime".

But his comments are now in the open and cannot be taken back. They will provide the Obama administration and its European partners significant encouragement that he is prepared to move beyond the mutual hostility of the Bush era and negotiate on Iran's nuclear programme, which the West is convinced is designed to produced nuclear weapons as soon as possible. >>> By Alex Spillius in Washington | Sunday, April 26, 2009

Taliban Shave Men for Listening to Music in Buner
DAWN: PESHAWAR: Taliban militants in Buner district shaved the heads and moustaches of four Pakistani men as punishment for listening to music, one of the men said Sunday.

The Taliban have also warned people against shaving their beards. Here a barber stands by a ‘do not shave’ warning written by militants in the front window of his shop in Buner—AFP. Photo courtesy of Dawn
Although Taliban and local officials said the fighters retreated from Buner by Saturday, local members of the movement remain. Residents said many fighters were still present in the hilly outskirts of the district.

In one incident late Saturday, Taliban hardliners shaved the heads and moustaches of four men for listening to music, a young man from Buner told AFP by telephone, requesting not to be identified.

‘I was with three other friends in my car, listening to music when armed Taliban stopped us and, after smashing cassettes and the cassette player, they shaved half our heads and moustaches,’ he said.

‘The Taliban also beat us and asked us not to listen to music ever again,’ said the terrified man. >>> | Sunday, April 26, 2009

Pakistan Begins Military Offensive against Taliban
DAWN: ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces began an offensive on Sunday to stop the Taliban’s creeping advances in Lower Dir, Reuters reported a military spokesman as saying.

The operation in Pakistan’s troubled north came amid growing worries in the United States about the stability of its nuclear-armed ally after militants began extending their clout.

‘Intense exchange of fire is going on in Lower Dir,’ a military spokesman told Reuters. >>> By Zeeshan Haider | Sunday, April 26, 2009

Isländer wählen erstmals eine linke Regierung
WELT ONLINE: Erstmals in der Geschichte des Landes hat eine linke Koalition die Mehrheit im isländischen Parlament errungen. Ministerpräsidentin Johanna Sigurdardottir begrüßte den Sieg ihres Bündnisses aus Sozialdemokraten und Linksgrünen. Ihre höchste Priorität ist es, Island schnellstens in die EU zu bringen.

Die Siegerin: Johanna Sigurdardottir bleibt Ministerpräsidentin von Island. Bild dank der Welt
Die isländischen Wähler haben in der ersten Parlamentswahl nach der Bankenkrise im vergangenen Herbst die damals gebildete Linkskoalition bestätigt. Das geht aus ersten Teilergebnissen hervor.

Nach Auszählung von 82 Prozent der Stimmen erreichte die sozialdemokratische Partei von Ministerpräsidentin Johanna Sigurdardottir zusammen mit den Linksgrünen 52,7 Prozent und damit 34 von 63 Sitzen im Althing, dem Parlament in Reykjavik. Beide Parteien hatten Anfang des Jahres eine Minderheitsregierung gebildet.

Der jetzige Wahlsieg bringt erstmals seit der Staatsgründung vor 65 Jahren eine linke Koalition an die Macht. Die traditionell dominierenden Konservativen sind die klaren Wahlverlierer: Sie erhielten dem derzeitigen Auszählungsstand zufolge 23,9 Prozent der Stimmen – bei der letzten Wahl waren es noch 36,1 Prozent gewesen.

Als Hintergrund gelten vor allem die katastrophalen Auswirkungen der Finanzkrise. Die Selbstständigkeitspartei hatte bis zum Rücktritt ihres Ex-Parteichefs Geir Haarde als Ministerpräsident im Januar 18 Jahre ununterbrochen regiert. >>> dpa/AP/Reuters/cn | Sonntag, 26. April 2009

This Stupid, Stupid Government!
Cannabis: Not banning the drug is contributing to a growing mental health threat for the British population. Photo courtesy of MailOnline
MAIL Online: The great puzzle of our time is why some pleasures are official sins, while others are smirkingly condoned by authority.

Understand why and you will know what is wrong with our degenerate ruling class.

In theory, the idea is that we all have a stern national duty to take lots of care of ourselves so that we do not become a burden on the holy, wonderful NHS.

We guard ourselves from self-inflicted illness or injury for the sake of others.

Since my childhood I have been ceaselessly lectured about how to stay safe and healthy, with varying degrees of success.

The simple slogans of the TV campaigns still echo in my memory, and no doubt in millions of others.

'Don't ask a man to drink and drive', 'One for the road? None for the road!', 'Clunk Click every trip'.
Propaganda isn't enough on its own. Law and fear are needed too.

Listen to an Englishman whinge when his driving licence is taken away, and you will see that there is still such a thing as punishment in our society, and it works.

I can remember the measurable change in the national atmosphere when the police began serious breathalysing.

Similar determination made us all wear seat belts. If only they'd do the same about the arrogant, murderous cretins who use mobile phones while driving.

The authorities also quite clearly know that advertising and the behaviour of actors and presenters on TV and in films affect behaviour.

That is why they have banned tobacco commercials and why it now seems astonishing that Joan Bakewell used to smoke while presenting the BBC's Late Night Line-Up in the Sixties. They Rave about the Peril of Sunbeds... Then Let Us Fry Our Brains on Cannabis >>> Peter Hitchens | Saturday, April 25, 2009

Madeleine Albright Is Not So Bright After All!
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright says the president already has taken action to improve relations with Muslim countries. Photo courtesy of Voice of America
VOICE OF AMERICA: President Barack Obama continued his outreach to the Muslim world in April with a visit to Turkey. There was generally favorable response across the political spectrum in Muslim countries to the president's public statements - such as a pledge made before Turkey's Parliament in Ankara.



"We seek broader engagement based on mutual interest and mutual respect," Obama said. "We will listen carefully, we will bridge misunderstandings, and we will seek common ground. We will be respectful, even when we do not agree."



The president's approach seems to enjoy popular support back home, as well. The latest Washington Post/ABC opinion survey shows that 81 percent of Americans believe it is important for the U.S. to engage the Muslim world.

That is also the conclusion of the report by the U.S.-Muslim Engagement Project. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright - one of its authors - said the president already is adopting several of its recommendations.



"In terms of diplomacy and conflict resolution, he did say that resolving the Israeli-Palestinian issue was a major input, and he immediately named Senator George Mitchell as his envoy in order to work on that particular issue," she says. "On Iraq, he made a commitment to a relatively fast drawn down. On Afghanistan and Pakistan, he also felt very strongly that it was very important to deal with as a regional diplomatic issue and has named Ambassador [Richard] Holbrook as his representative in order to deal with issues there."



At the meeting with ambassadors from member states of the Organization of The Islamic Conference, or OIC., Albright laid out the project's strategies for combating Islamic extremism: First, elevate diplomacy as the primary tool for resolving key conflicts involving Muslim countries. Then promote broad-based economic development in those nations, foster mutual respect and understanding between Americans and Muslims, and support efforts to improve governance and promote civic participation in predominantly Muslim societies. Albright Praises Obama's Efforts to Engage Muslim World >>> By Mohamed Elshinnawi, Washington, D.C. | Saturday, April 24, 2009

Read my essay on the subject, Madeleine, BEFORE you utter such nonsense! Islam: The Enemy of Democracy and Freedom >>> By ©Mark Alexander | Friday, April 20, 2007

US Reporter 'Fragile' after Start of Hunger Strike in Tehran Jail
THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY: Father of journalist sentenced for spying says she must be 'very weak' after five days without food

Roxana Saberi has been refusing food since Tuesday, say her parents, who visited her in a Tehran prison on Monday. Photo courtesy of The Independent on Sunday
Roxana Saberi, the US-Iranian reporter jailed a week ago in Tehran on charges of spying that are untested in open court, has gone on hunger strike and is in a fragile state, according to her family and associates. Her father, Reza Saberi, said yesterday: "She went on a hunger strike on Tuesday to protest her imprisonment." He said she will continue "until she is freed", but added: "I am pretty certain that she must be very weak now."

The journalist, who grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, a city where yellow ribbons on trees now mark her incarceration, is 32 today, a birthday she will spend in Evin prison. She was arrested in January and initially accused – reports differ – of working without press credentials, or buying alcohol. But an Iranian judge later charged her with passing intelligence to the US. She was convicted after a one-day trial behind closed doors, and sentenced to eight years in prison. >>> By David Randall | Sunday, April 26, 2009