Tensions Rise over Migrant Arrivals in Lampedusa
It is one of the gateways to Europe for people fleeing political unrest in North Africa. The Italian island of Lampedusa is a landing point for thousands of refugees.
But as Al Jazeera's Khadija Magardie reports, they are not getting a warm welcome

Pro-Assad Rally Staged in Damascus
Thousands of Syrians gathered to show their support for President Bashar al-Assad in the capital Damascus on Tuesday. This apparent outpouring of support comes after protesters in several Syrian cities took to the streets to demand more freedom. Al Jazeera's Cal Perry was among the crowds and sent us this report

London: World Leaders Speak on the Libyan Crisis
World leaders have met at a summit in London to discuss the ongoing conflict in Libya, and possible outlooks both for the military intervention, and humanitarian and development aid going forward. Here are excerpts from comments made by David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, and Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General

Talk to Jazeera - Muammar Gaddafi (September 25, 2009)
Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York in 2009. His 96-minute speech, which broke the alloted 15-minute protocol, marked the first time he addressed the international body since leading a coup in 1969 which ended rule by monarchy in Libya and brought him to power. In an interview with Al Jazeera's Ghida Fakhry, Gaddafi repeated his belief that a two-state solution is not a feasible approach to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and bringing peace in the Middle East

Japan Nuclear Radiation Detected In Glasgow
Minute traces of radiation from the Fukushima 1 nuclear plant in Japan have been detected in the air in Glasgow

Libyen-Konferenz in London
In der britischen Hauptstadt treffen sich am Nachmittag Vertreter aus über 40 Ländern. Sie wollen über die aktuelle Lage in Libyen diskutieren und nach Lösungen für den Konflikt suchen. Einschätzungen von Peter Balzli, SF-Korrespondent, London

Deutschland: Schlechte Stimmung auf Islamkonferenz

Deutsche Islam Konferenz (DIK) »

Italien bietet Tunesien Geld zur Grenzschließung

Islam and Muslims in Australia

James Bays Describes the Rebel Retreat from Bin Jawad
Troops loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi shelled rebels heading west on the coastal road to Sirte on Tuesday, forcing them to pull back to the small town of Bin Jawad. The retreat reversed a rapid, two-day advanced that saw the pro-democracy fighers push from Ajdabiya to Nawfaliya, where they met strong resistance. The mostly young, untrained fighters have not been able to adapt to combat and do not take standard military precautions to defend themselves, Bays reports

Syria: Cabinet Resigns amid Unrest
The Syrian government has resigned, an offer accepted by President Bashar al-Assad. We are also hearing Assad has appointed Naji Otari - the head of the now defunct government, as the new caretaker prime minister.
The president is expected to address the public in the coming hours.
Al Jazeera's Rula Amin, reporting from the capital Damascus, has the latest

Le gouvernement Syrien démissionne
CYBERPRESSE.CA: Le gouvernement syrien dirigé depuis 2003 par le Premier ministre Mohammad Naji Otri a présenté mardi sa démission au chef de l'État Bachar al-Assad, qui l'a acceptée, a annoncé l'agence officielle Sana.

«Le président Assad a accepté aujourd'hui la démission du gouvernement de Mohammad Naji Otri et lui a demandé d'expedier les affaires courantes», selon Sana. » | Agence France-Presse | Mardi 29 Mars 2011

'Foreign Spies' Hack into Australian PM's Computer
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Chinese hackers seeking information on commercial secrets are suspected of having broken into a computer used by Julia Gillard, the Australian prime minister.

Miss Gillard's parliamentary computer was among 10 machines used by senior government ministers which were compromised by the hackers, Australian intelligence officials have said.

Sydney's Daily Telegraph reported that American intelligence officials alerted their Australian counterparts to the security issue, warning that thousands of emails could have been stolen by the hackers.

"Four separate government sources confirmed that they had been told Chinese intelligence agencies were among a list of foreign hackers that are under suspicion," the paper said. Read on and comment » | Bonnie Malkin in Sydney | Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Les jeunes Suisses boivent et fument toujours autant
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Selon une étude d’Addiction Info Suisse, la consommation d’alcool, de tabac et de cannabis des jeunes de 15 ans est toujours aussi élevée.

L’attitude des jeunes face à l’alcool, le tabac et le cannabis n’a guère changé: leur consommation reste toujours aussi élevée qu’il y a quatre ans, selon une nouvelle enquête réalisée par Addiction Info Suisse auprès des écoliers de 15 ans. Environ un quart des adolescents boivent de l’alcool une fois par semaine et un jeune sur dix fume quotidiennement.

La consommation d’alcool et de cannabis avait atteint un sommet dans l’enquête réalisée en 2002 auprès des 11-15 ans, a rappelé mardi l’organisation. L’étude est effectuée tous les quatre ans sur mandat de l’Office fédéral de la santé publique (OFSP). Cette fois, l’accent a été mis sur les jeunes de 15 ans, un âge qui représente une étape importante du développement des adolescents. » | ATS | Mardi 29 Mars 2011

"Russlands Bin Laden" angeblich getötet
DIE PRESSE: Islamistenführer Doku Umarow soll bei einem Luftangriff im Nordkaukasus getötet worden sein. Umarow hatte sich unter anderem zu dem Anschlag auf den Moskauer Flughafen bekannt.

Russische Spezialkräfte haben nach eigenen Angaben den als "Russlands Bin Laden" bekannten Islamistenführer Doku Umarow getötet. Das meldete die Agentur Interfax am Dienstag. Eine offizielle Bestätigung gab es vorerst nicht.

Dem Bericht zufolge wurde Umarow am Montag bei einem Luftangriff im Konfliktgebiet Nordkaukaus zusammen mit 16 weiteren Terroristen getötet. Allerdings war er bereits in der Vergangenheit für tot erklärt worden.

Der kremltreue tschetschenische Republikchef Ramsan Kadyrow sprach von einer "guten Nachricht für eine gesunde Entwicklung" der Unruheregion, sollte sich der Tod bestätigen. » | Ag. | Dienstag, 29. März 2011

Diplomats Discuss Libya's Future as Italy Plots Gaddafi's Escape Route
THE GUARDIAN: Rome is negotiating an African haven for the Libyan leader as international pressure mounts on him to go

Efforts appear to be under way to offer Muammar Gaddafi a way of escape from Libya, with Italy saying it was trying to organise an African haven for him, and the US signalling it would not try to stop the dictator from fleeing.

The move came amid mounting diplomatic and military pressure on Gaddafi as Britain tries to assemble a global consensus demanding he surrender power while intensifying air strikes against his forces. An international conference in London – including the UN, Arab states, the African Union, and more than 40 foreign ministers – will focus on co-ordinating assistance in the face of a possible humanitarian disaster and building a unified international front in condemnation of the Gaddafi regime and in support of Nato-led military action in Libya.

On the eve of the conference, Italy offered to broker a ceasefire deal in Libya, involving asylum for Gaddafi in an African country. "Gaddafi must understand that it would be an act of courage to say: 'I understand that I have to go'," said the Italian foreign minister, Franco Frattini. "We hope that the African Union can find a valid proposal."

A senior American official signalled that a solution in which Gaddafi flees to a country beyond the reach of the international criminal court (ICC), which is investigating war crimes charges against him, would be acceptable to Washington, pointing out that Barack Obama had repeatedly called on Gaddafi to leave. » | Julian Borger and Richard Norton-Taylor | Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Inside Story: UK March for an Alternative
In an event dubbed the march for the alternative, hundreds of thousands gathered in London - protesting against the coalition's planned spending cuts - the largest cut-backs since the Great Depression. Organised by the Trade Union Congress, the protests remained largely peaceful. However events were overshadowed by violence that later erupted. But as Europe is still struggling to avoid another financial crisis, would such measures have any impact? And what are the social and political implications?
 Inside Story, with presenter Ghida Fakhry, discusses with: Jeremy Batstone-Carr, head of research at Charles Stanley stockbrokers; Max Keiser, financial analyst and renowned banking critic [Wiki] and Tom Clougherty, executive director of the Adam Smith Institute, a U.K.-based think tank dedicated to free market policies.

Kadhafi : "Stoppez votre offensive barbare et injuste contre la Libye"
LE POINT: Une quarantaine de pays sont attendus mardi à Londres pour la première réunion du "groupe de contact" sur la Libye.

Le dirigeant libyen Muammar Kadhafi a exhorté dans un message le "groupe de contact" sur la Libye qui se réunit mardi à Londres à mettre fin à l'"offensive barbare" contre son pays, la comparant aux campagnes militaires de Hitler en Europe. » | Le Point.fr | Mardi 29 Mars 2011

Saudis and Oil Key to Global Economy
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: The fate of the world's economy and financial markets lies with Saudi Arabia's political stability and the price of oil over the next three months.

That's according to independent economist David Hale, who says an escalation of friction between oil producers Saudi Arabia and Bahrain could tip the world back into recession.

Mr Hale's opinion is backed by Magellan Financial Group's chief executive Hamish Douglass, who says a major conflict involving major oil producers could have the oil price skyrocket by $US200 a barrel.

Saudi Arabia's intervention in Bahrain two weeks ago to quell a civil uprising polarised, rather than stabilised, the situation that had since quietened down, said Mr Hale, who is global economic adviser to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

"I think it was probably too pre-emptive and probably destructive," he told AAP in an interview in Melbourne.

"I think the critical issue of a tipping point is Saudi Arabia and political stability.

"If that's jeopardised, that could send the oil price up (by) $US50 a barrel, $US100 a barrel. That would tip us into a new global recession." » | Alison Bell | AAP | Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The Failure of Multiculturalism and How to Turn the Tide
Below is the speech given by Geert Wilders last night (March 25) at the Annual Lecture of the Magna Carta Foundation in Rome
GATES OF VIENNA: Speech by Geert Wilders, Rome, 25 March 2011

Signore e signori, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends of the Magna Carta Foundation, molte grazie. Thank you for inviting me to Rome. It is great to be here in this beautiful city which for many centuries was the capital and the centre of Europe’s Judeo-Christian culture.

Together with Jerusalem and Athens, Rome is the cradle of our Western civilization — the most advanced and superior civilization the world has ever known.

As Westerners, we share the same Judeo-Christian culture. I am from the Netherlands and you are from Italy. Our national cultures are branches of the same tree. We do not belong to multiple cultures, but to different branches of one single culture. This is why when we come to Rome, we all come home in a sense. We belong here, as we also belong in Athens and in Jerusalem.

It is important that we know where our roots are. If we lose them we become deracinated. We become men and women without a culture.

I am here today to talk about multiculturalism. This term has a number of different meanings. I use the term to refer to a specific political ideology. It advocates that all cultures are equal. If they are equal it follows that the state is not allowed to promote any specific cultural values as central and dominant. In other words: multiculturalism holds that the state should not promote a leitkultur, which immigrants have to accept if they want to live in our midst.

It is this ideology of cultural relativism which the German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently referred to when she said that multiculturalism has proved “an absolute failure.”

My friends, I dare say that we have known this all along. Indeed, the premise of the multiculturalist ideology is wrong. Cultures are not equal. They are different, because their roots are different. That is why the multiculturalists try to destroy our roots.

Rome is a very appropriate place to address these issues. There is an old saying which people of our Western culture are all familiar with. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” it says. This is an obvious truth: If you move somewhere, you must adapt to the laws and customs of the land.

The multicultural society has undermined this rule of common sense and decency. The multicultural society tells the newcomers who settle in our cities and villages: You are free to behave contrary to our norms and values. Because your norms and values are just as good, perhaps even better, than ours.

It is, indeed, appropriate to discuss these matters here in Rome, because the history of Rome also serves as a warning. Continue reading and comment » Speech by Geert Wilders | ROME | Friday, March 25, 2011

HT: Jim Ball, Australia’s Number 1 Overnight Radio Presenter »