Ehud Barak Warns Iran of Possible Israeli Strike on Nuclear Facilities
TIMES ONLINE: With the US Defence Secretary standing at his side, Ehud Barak, Israel’s Defence Minister, today warned Iran that a military strike on its nuclear facilities was still an option.

“We clearly believe that no option should be removed from the table. This is our policy. We mean it. We recommend to others to take the same position but we cannot dictate it to anyone,” Mr Barak said at a press conference with Robert Gates in Jerusalem.

The renewed threat of military action came a day after Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, told Iran that its pursuit of nuclear ambitions was “futile”. >>> James Hider in Jerusalem | Monday, July 27, 2009

Saudi Sex Boasts Man Apologises
BBC: A Saudi man who boasted about his sexual conquests on an Arabic TV station has tearfully apologised, as calls mounted for him to be punished.

Mazen Abdul Jawad talked about his sexual conquests, starting with a neighbour when he was 14, and how he picks up women in the kingdom.

Saudi media say officials are considering whether to charge him.

Pre-marital sex is illegal in Saudi Arabia and Mr Abdul Jawad could face imprisonment or flogging.

Discreet society

Saudi Arabia is not only the most conservative society in the Arab world, it is also the most discreet.

If people break its strict Islamic code they face punishment - lashes or imprisonment for drinking or non-marital sex.

These rules are flouted by locals as well as expatriates, but almost everyone who breaks the rules keeps quiet about it and hopes they won't be found out.

So it is unusual for a Saudi man to appear on TV freely discussing the ways in which he has transgressed the Saudi code. >>> Sebastian Usher, BBC News | Monday, July 27, 2009

lePOINT.fr: Arabie saoudite: Arrêté pour avoir vanté sa vie sexuelle à la télévision
Un Saoudien a été arrêté pour s'être vanté de sa vie sexuelle lors d'une émission télévisée, a rapporté jeudi le quotidien Arab News. Mazen Abdel Jawad de Jeddah (ouest) a été interpellé par les autorités après avoir participé la semaine dernière à l'émission "Ligne Rouge" de la chaîne satellitaire libanaise LBC, très suivie en Arabie saoudite. Durant l'émission, Jawad a expliqué avoir eu sa première expérience sexuelle à l'âge de 14 ans, avant de décrire dans les détails ses exploits sexuels ultérieurs. Il a ainsi expliqué comment il utilisait la fonction Bluetooth de son téléphone portable pour tenter d'entrer en contact avec des Saoudiennes disposant également de cette fonction technologique de radio à courte distance et obtenir des rendez-vous galants, dans un pays où la mixité est strictement interdite. Il a aussi fourni des recettes aphrodisiaques.

Son intervention télévisée a suscité une centaine de plaintes auprès des autorités judiciaires, ce qui a conduit à son arrestation, rapporte le journal, indiquant qu'il risque des poursuites pour vice et relations sexuelles avant le mariage. Il encourt une peine de prison ou la flagellation, toujours selon le journal. "L'émission présente des anomalies et des déviances sociales, qui sont inacceptables et immorales et qui doivent être punies selon la charia", la loi islamique, a commenté Ahmad Qasim Al-Ghamdi, directeur du bureau régional à La Mecque de la "Commission de promotion de la vertu et de prévention du vice", la puissante police religieuse du royaume.

En Arabie saoudite, pays ultraconservateur régi par une interprétation puritaine de l'islam, la loi impose une stricte séparation des sexes et interdit les rencontres entre femmes et hommes n'ayant pas de relation familiale. La police religieuse inspecte régulièrement les restaurants et autres lieux fréquentés par la jeunesse. [Source: LePoint.fr] | AFP | Jeudi 23 Juillet 2009

Gay Love: Two Military [Men]

House Prices Slump in the Hamptons as Wall Street's Wealthiest Feel the Pinch
THE TELEGRAPH: Wall Street's wealthiest are feeling the pinch as property sales in their summer beachside playground – the Hamptons – are more than 40pc below last year's levels.

What was once an area in which New York's rich just had to have a home, the Hamptons is fast becoming a place where owning a home can be a poisoned chalice, given the collapse of the local property market.

According to new data from upmarket NY estate agent Prudential Douglas Elliman (PDE), second-quarter house sales in the Hamptons – which is made up of a series of small, affluent towns on the eastern end of Long Island – are 43.3pc below the same quarter last year. The raw data show that 307 homes were sold in the three months to June this year, compared to 541 in the same period last year.

Although the second-quarter figures are an improvement on the 201 homes sold in the first three months of this year, all the other leading indicators point to a worsening market in the area. >>> James Quinn, Wall Street Correspondent | Sunday, July 26, 2009

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Faces Hardline Revolt in Iran
THE TELEGRAPH: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was facing a revolt by furious Iranian hardliners on Monday after he sacked a key conservative minister in an act of revenge.

The Iranian leader found himself at the centre of bitter infighting within the Iranian establishment when he dismissed his intelligence minister after his choice for vice-president was overruled by the country's Supreme Leader.

The backlash intensified when another minister offered his resignation in protest at Mr Ahmadinejad's move at the weekend.

The tit-for-tat exchange between feuding elites threatened his already embattled grasp on power after his disputed election victory in the presidential election last month which provoked street protests and allegations of mass fraud at the ballot box. >>> Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Monday, July 27, 2009

Archbishop of Canterbury Foresees 'Two-track' Church to Avoid Gay Schism
THE TELEGRAPH: Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has admitted the Anglican Communion may divide into a “two-track” church due to deep divisions over the ordination of homosexual clergy.

Dr Williams acknowledged for the first time that believers may have to accept "two styles of being Anglican" in order to avoid schism.

The decision by Episcopal bishops in the US earlier this month to press ahead with the ordination of homosexual priests and bishops – effectively overturning a ban on the practice – has pushed the 80 million-strong global church to the brink of an irrevocable split.

Traditionalists in the US and Canada have already formed a rival province to the Episcopal church to resist against the liberal tide.

Dr Williams appeared to accept that his efforts to preserve the unity of the communion had failed as he sketched a new Anglican structure that would allow local churches to loosen their ties with the main church body.

"This has been called a 'two-tier' model, or, more disparagingly, a first- and second-class structure. But perhaps we are faced rather with the possibility of the two-track model, two ways of witnessing to the Anglican heritage," he wrote.

"It helps to be clear about these possible futures, however much we think them less than ideal, and to speak about them not in apocalyptic terms of schism and excommunication but plainly as what they are – two styles of being Anglican." >>> Matthew Moore | Monday, July 27, 2009

Hizb Ut-Tahrir, The Muslim Brotherhood & The Stealth Jihad

Frank Gaffney: Farewell Britain

Reassessing Our Ties with US
YNET NEWS: Israel should reevaluate policy of heavy dependence on America

Barack Obama's demand that Israel freeze all settlement activity in Judea and Samaria, including east Jerusalem, created a rift between Washington and Jerusalem. Similar rifts existed in the past. Such temporary rifts do not undermine the close relationship between the two countries. They do, however, raise questions about its nature. Given that both countries' interests are not always aligned, Israel should reevaluate its policy of depending so heavily on American support.

Similar issues are being debated in Washington, albeit from a different perspective. In think tanks and op-eds, on college campuses, and even within Obama's administration, many ask whether the current state of affairs best serves the American interest. Some argue that hostility towards the United States among Muslims results, at least partially, from America's support for Israel, and that scaling back aid to Israel will reduce that hostility. Others openly question whether the pro-Israel lobby is a positive factor in shaping American policy. Others still argue that the US must actively and aggressively pursue a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in order to improve its standing in the region. President Obama seems to be a member of the latter group.

In Jerusalem, on the other hand, the debate focuses on issues of less strategic importance. Should Netanyahu accept Obama's demand or reject it? Should Israel insist on natural growth? What about Jerusalem? Is there a creative formula that would please everyone? Such are the questions the media raise. Even those who say Netanyahu should oppose Obama's demand do not suggest a reevaluation of Israel's relationship with the United States.

It is easy to understand why. America's support is one of the most valuable strategic assets Israel has. The US gives it military and economic aid; it provides diplomatic support at the United Nations, often blocking resolutions that would jeopardize Israel’s interests; and it is an important trade partner. Furthermore, Israel shares many common values with the US. Israelis tend to view themselves as Westerners, so it is only natural for them to seek the support of the largest Western power. >>> Yarden Gazit | Sunday, July 26, 2009

America's First Muslim President

Nonie Darwish: Blasphemy & Incitement

Frank Gaffney on Shariah Law
Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:


Part 4:

S.U.B.M.I.S.S.I.O.N

Sharia Law

Hat tip: Aeneas >>>

Son of Leading Scientist Dies in Jail as Fears Grow over Fate of Iran's Political Prisoners
THE GUARDIAN: Two inmates die from meningitis in Evin prison / Former detainees speak of harassment and torture

Fears are mounting over the safety of hundreds of political inmates in Iran's most notorious prison following the deaths of two prisoners detained in the recent post-election unrest.

Mohsen Rouholamini and Amir Javadifar died in Tehran's Evin prison after being arrested at a demonstration this month.

Rouholamini, the son of a prominent Iranian scientist close to the country's political elite, died from meningitis after injuries believed to have been inflicted by his jailers went untreated.

The deaths prompted fears of a meningitis outbreak in Evin and other overcrowded detention centres where opposition figures, journalists and students are kept following last month's disputed election. News of the deaths coincided with reports of injuries to other detainees.

One inmate, Isa Saharkhiz, a prominent reformist journalist and commentator, is reported to have suffered broken ribs after being tortured under interrogation.

Campaigners are also concerned for the safety of Kian Tajbakhsh, an American-Iranian scholar said to be under pressure to confess involvement in an alleged western plot to orchestrate the protests following Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election.

Prisoners recently released from Evin have described enduring countless beatings and being herded into tiny cells without air conditioning, where stifling temperatures regularly soar above 40C. >>> Robert Tait and Saeed Kamali Dehghan in Tehran | Sunday, July 26, 2009

Get £500 to Spy on Neighbours
DAILY EXPRESS: SNOOPING residents are being offered rewards of up to £500 to spy on their neighbours.

Taxpayers’ money is being used to pay “covert human intelligence sources” who report bad conduct to authorities.

Anyone who photographs dog fouling, litter being dropped, graffiti crime or fly tipping which result in prosecution will receive a cash reward.

The amount is staggered, according to how far the prosecution is taken.

If a court summons is issued the snooper gets £100. On a conviction he gets £150 and if the offender gets a maximum sentence he receives £500.

The scheme has been given the Big Brother-style motto “See them, report them”.

It tells residents: “We need your eyes and ears to help us wipe out enviro-crime.” The local council scheme is being launched in London and could eventually be rolled out across the country.

Last night the payments were slammed by critics who said they were a waste of vital public funds. >>> Chris Riches | Monday, July 27, 2009

Palin Quits as Alaska Governor, but Stays Quiet on Plans for National Comeback
THE GUARDIAN: Former Republican vice-presidential candidate leaves no hints to next steps as she receives rock star farewell

Sarah Palin begins the next stage of her highly unpredictable political life today having bowed out of her post of governor of Alaska 16 months before the term ends.

The official resignation at a governor's picnic yesterday in Fairbanks leaves Palin relieved of the bureaucratic burdens that had started to weigh her down in recent months. Supporters hope and believe she will use her newfound freedom to vigorously pursue a national profile that will lead to a run on the White House in 2012.

But plain Sarah Palin, devoid of the governor's title, is also left without a formal political power base from which to kickstart any national campaign. She carries with her financial debts, ongoing ethics battles related to her term in office, and the new label of "quitter".

Exactly what she will do with her ample spare time remains one of the hottest political questions in America today. The only known date in her diary is 8 August, when she will make a speech at the Ronald Reagan presidential library in California.

Pundits are equally divided between those who are convinced she is finished, and those who think the Palin spectacle has only just begun. Part of the reason for the polarised response is that Palin is herself a polarising politician, and part because she herself offers so little in the way of explanation. >>> Ed Pilkington in New York | Sunday, July 26, 2009

Gegen Ahmadinedschad: Weltweiter Aktionstag stützt Proteste in Teheran
WELT ONLINE: Begleitet von Kundgebungen in aller Welt haben in Teheran erneut Hunderte Anhänger der iranischen Opposition gegen die Wiederwahl von Präsident Mahmud Ahmadinedschad protestiert. Polizei und Angehörige der regierungstreuen Miliz gingen laut Augenzeugen gewaltsam gegen die Demonstranten vor.

Weltweit demonstrierten Tausende für die Menschenrechte und gegen die Niederschlagung der Proteste im Iran. In Berlin gingen mehrere hundert Menschen auf die Straße, in Frankfurt gab es mehrere Demonstrationszüge.

Oppositionsanhänger in den Teheraner Stadtbezirken Wanak und Mirdamad riefen „Tod dem Diktator“ und „Wir wollen unsere Stimme zurück“. Bei Einbruch der Nacht stiegen zahlreiche Teheraner auf ihre Dächer und riefen offenbar mit Blick auf die internationalen Proteste: „Mutige Nachbarn, danke für eure Unterstützung!“

Bei einer Kundgebung vor hunderten Menschen in Amsterdam rief die iranische Friedensnobelpreisträgerin Schirin Ebadi die internationale Gemeinschaft auf, das Wahlergebnis nicht anzuerkennen. Sie forderte eine neue Abstimmung unter Aufsicht der Vereinten Nationen.

In London versammelten sich rund 600 Demonstranten vor der iranischen Botschaft. In Brüssel führten Protestierende Plakate mit Fotos von Inhaftierten oder Getöteten mit sich, darunter von Neda Agha Soltan, die nach ihrem Tod zu einem Symbol der Protestbewegung wurde.

In Paris gingen ebenfalls hunderte Menschen auf die Straße. Auch vor dem UN-Sitz in Genf und in Rom wurde demonstriert, außerdem in zahlreichen weiteren Städten von Tokio über Stockholm bis Washington und Sao Paulo. „Den Leuten droht Folter, und ihr Leben ist in Gefahr“, sagte Lenka Petronova, die Organisatorin eines Protestmarsches in Prag. >>> AP/ro | Sonntag, 26. Juli 2009

Blue: Best In Me

YOU TUBE: Blue: No Goodbyes

Sarkozy victime d'un malaise
leJDD.fr: Nicolas Sarkozy a été victime d'un malaise dimanche. C'est l'Elysée qui l'a annoncé, précisant que le président de la République était en train de faire du sport. Le chef de l'Etat "a été immédiatement pris en charge par son médecin. Il subit actuellement des examens complémentaires", et a été évacué à l'hôpital du Val-de-Grâce. L'Elysée précise que le président "va bien".

C'est par un communiqué laconique que l'Elysée a diffusé l'information. Nicolas Sarkozy a été victime d'un malaise dimanche, "alors qu'il faisait du sport. (...) Il a été immédiatement pris en charge par son médecin. Il subit actuellement des examens complémentaires", précise le texte. La présidence de la République a diffusé un nouveau communiqué en fin d'après-midi. "Aujourd'hui en fin de matinée, alors qu'il effectuait un jogging dans le parc du Château de Versailles, le Président de la République a été pris d'un malaise. Ce malaise, qui est survenu après 45 minutes d'exercice physique intense, ne s'est pas accompagné d'une perte de connaissance. Il a conduit le Président à interrompre son effort et à s'allonger avec l'aide d'un proche."

"Le Président a été transporté en hélicoptère à l'hôpital militaire du Val-de-Grâce où des examens de contrôle sont réalisés depuis 13h45. L'examen clinique et les examens complémentaires à visée neurologique sont normaux (bilan sanguin, électroencéphalogramme, IRM). La surveillance cardiologique, systématiquement pratiquée dans de telles circonstances, se poursuit jusqu'à demain matin", poursuit le communiqué. Devant l'établissment, situé boulevard du Port-Royal, dans le Ve arrondissement, le trottoir a été fermé à la circulation. Des agents de la sécurité de l'Elysée filtrent l'entrée de l'hôpital sous le regard de nombreux policiers et journalistes. >>> Par R.D (avec Reuters), leJDD.fr | Dimanche 26 Juillet 2009