Religious Groups Boycott Tesco Over Senior Executive's 'Evil' Christians Comment
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Religious groups are boycotting Tesco after a senior executive at the supermarket giant described Christians as “evil” for opposing gay marriage.

Nick Lansley, Tesco’s head of research and development, said he was actively taking a stand “against evil Christians” who opposed the right of same-sex couples to marry.

In a message on his profile page on Flickr.com, he said: “I’m…campaigning against evil Christians (that’s not all Christians, just bad ones) who think that gay people should not lead happy lives and get married to their same-sex partners.”

The remarks, which have now been removed from the photo sharing website, caused outrage among Christian groups, who said they would refuse to shop in the chain’s stores in protest.

Colin Hart, director of the Christian Institute, said: “I won’t be shopping at Tesco this Christmas, and I am repeatedly hearing from other Christians who have already come to the same conclusion.

“Mr Lansley is entitled to his opinions, and Christians are entitled to choose not to shop at Tesco.” » | Monday, December 19, 2011

Streit in der EU: Westerwelle umschmeichelt die Briten

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Er bemüht sich, Brücken zu bauen. Nach dem britischen Veto beim EU-Gipfel wollte Außenminister Westerwelle in London zeigen, dass Großbritannien ein wichtiger EU-Partner bleibt. Doch die Pressekonferenz verlief nicht pannenfrei - und die Engländer beharren auf dem Nein zur Fiskalunion.

"Don't mention the war", lautet die Grundregel für deutsche Besucher in Großbritannien. Das hinderte Außenminister Guido Westerwelle nicht daran, bei seinem London-Besuch am Montag ausführlich über seine prägenden Kindheitserlebnisse im Nachkriegseuropa zu berichten.


In den siebziger Jahren sei er mit zwei Schulfreunden zum Zelten in der Bretagne gewesen, erzählte er staunenden britischen Journalisten in einer Pressekonferenz. Als sie sich in einem Tante-Emma-Laden eindecken wollten, brach die französische Inhaberin in Tränen aus und verschwand, als sie den starken deutschen Akzent des Teenagers hörte. Kurz darauf erschien ihre Tochter und erklärte den verdutzten Jungs, sie sollten es nicht persönlich nehmen, ihr Vater sei im Krieg von den Deutschen getötet worden.

Westerwelle erzählte die Anekdote - und eine weitere über die Berliner Mauer -, um den Briten die Bedeutung der EU aus deutscher Sicht zu erklären. "Bitte verstehen Sie: Für uns ist Europa mehr als eine Währung oder ein gemeinsamer Markt", sagte der Liberale in fließendem Englisch. "Wir wollen eine politische Union".

Die britischen Zuhörer schwiegen betreten, das Wort "politische Union" ist auf der Insel eine Chiffre für EU-Diktatur. Gastgeber William Hague, britischer Außenminister und führender Euro-Skeptiker, lobte pflichtschuldig den "eindringlichen" Beitrag seines deutschen Kollegen. Doch verzichtete er selbst komplett auf Pathos, als er das britische Verhältnis zu Europa beschrieb. Gemeinsam mit den Deutschen wolle man für mehr Wettbewerb im Binnenmarkt kämpfen, sagte Hague. Man plane eine Reihe von neuen Initiativen.

In den beiden Aussagen wurde das ganze Ausmaß der Entfremdung zwischen Kontinentaleuropa und Großbritannien deutlich. Die einen betrachten die EU als Schicksalsgemeinschaft, die anderen sehen nichts als einen großen Absatzmarkt. Und an diesem fundamentalen Unterschied, das machte die Pressekonferenz deutlich, wird sich auch künftig nichts ändern. » | Von Carsten Volkery, London | Montag 19. Dezember 2011

Resentments Reawaken: Britain's Mounting Distrust of Germany
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: In Britain, distrust of Europe goes hand-in-hand with distrust of Germany. Relations between the two countries have cooled following the furore caused by the latest EU summit, and British euroskeptics are once again resorting to old stereotypes.

British Prime Minister David Cameron had only been in office for seven weeks when he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel decided to watch a football match together to get to know each other better.

It was on June 27, 2010, and it was the World Cup quarter final in South Africa. It was also a match between two classic rivals: Germany and England. Thomas Müller scored a goal in the 67th minute, bringing the score to 3:1 -- to the consternation of British fans and the delight of the Germans.

In Toronto, where the two leaders were attending the G-20 summit, a beaming Merkel leaned over to Cameron and said, with typical German anti-triumphalism but a lack of linguistic finesse: "I really am terribly sorry."

When the Germans scored another goal three minutes later, Merkel said she was "sorry" again. As Cameron later said, half-jokingly, the shared experience was "a form of punishment I wouldn't wish on anyone." Nevertheless, he added, Mrs. Merkel "is one of the politest people I have ever met."

After that, Merkel and Cameron made a concerted effort to get along with each other. A little more than a year ago, Cameron reached into his bag of tricks once again. He invited the chancellor to Chequers, the magnificent country residence of Britain's prime ministers, where he and Merkel watched her favorite crime series, "Midsomer Murders," which led to another, urgently needed upturn in German-British relations. Merkel had, in fact, never really forgiven Cameron for having led his Conservatives out of the European People's Party, a conservative group in the European Parliament.

For a while, the charming Cameron was far up on Merkel's list of favorite European colleagues -- until, with his lone veto against EU-wide treaties to resolve the debt crisis, he catapulted himself back to the bottom.

The English Channel has suddenly become wider, deeper and foggier once again. The London-based Daily Telegraph newspaper has warned its readers against what it calls Berlin's blatant effort to dominate Europe and already sees "a new era of Anglo-German antagonism" on the horizon -- again characterized by two leaders who are bound together in their sincere dislike for each other, like past leaders of the two countries: Helmut Kohl and Margaret Thatcher, or Gerhard Schröder and Tony Blair. Reverend Peter Mullen, the Anglican chaplain to the London Stock Exchange, where he is not popular for his crude views, goes even further. According to Mullen, Germans tried to achieve hegemony in Europe by military force in 1870, 1914 and 1939, and now Merkel is trying to do the same with the weapons of the financial system. 'Welcome to the Fourth Reich' » | Marco Evers | Monday, December 19, 2011

Life in North Korea

Secret Victims - North Korea
Hundreds of South Koreans have been abducted and spirited away to the Communist North. There they are brainwashed and forced to work as spies.
Watch Journeyman Pictures video here | Friday, December 14, 2007

We Should Listen When Germany Says the EU Is the Answer to Its War Guilt

TELEGRAPH BLOGS – BENEDICT BROGAN: There was a striking moment during William Hague's joint press conference with Guido Westerwelle, the German foreign minister, who stopped off in London to soothe relations after that euro ding-dong that so exercised the French. Indeed, the Quai d'Orsay will be anxious – or possibly narked – by their collegiate display. Mr Westerwelle, playing Garfunkel to Mr Hague's Simon, said he wanted to "build bridges over troubled waters" and praised Britain as "an indispensable partner in the EU." Germany, he said, wanted to make the next steps on the EU "together" with the UK, which is why the UK have been pressed to attend the talks. We can add this occasion to the mounting evidence (such as the PM's successful conversation with Angela Merkel) that Germany is keen to have the UK around in the negotiations as a counterweight to the excitability of France. Read on and comment » | Benedict Brogan | Monday, December 19, 2011

Kim Jong-il Obituary

THE GUARDIAN: One of the most condemned leaders of the late 20th and early 21st century, Kim Jong-il left North Korea diplomatically isolated and economically broken

Kim Jong-il, who has died aged 69, was the general secretary of the Workers party of Korea, and head of the military in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). He was one of the most reclusive and widely condemned national leaders of the late 20th and early 21st century, leaving his country diplomatically isolated, economically broken and divided from South Korea.

Unsurprisingly for a man who went into mourning for three years after the death in 1994 of his own father, the legendary leader Kim Il-sung, and who in the first 30 years of his political career made no public statements, even to his own people, Kim's career is riddled with claims, counter claims, speculation, and contradiction. There are few hard facts about his birth and early years.

The DPRK propagated an extraordinary tale of his birth occurring on Mount Baekdu, one of Korea's most revered sites, being accompanied by shooting stars in the sky. It is more likely that he was born in a small village in the USSR, while his father was serving as a Soviet-backed general during the second world war [sic].

Kim's early life was spent in the shadows of a self-created legend, his father Kim Il-sung, who was to return to Korea in 1945 after independence from Japan, and establish, initially with Soviet and Chinese support, the DPRK. His brother and mother both died before he was eight. He was to witness the Korean war from 1950 to 1953, in which hundreds of thousands of Koreans, Chinese and Americans as part of a UN force fought across the country, returning almost to the point at which they had started. The armistice signed in 1953 settled the border between South and North Korea at the 38th Parallel.

With the descent of the cold war, relations between the two countries (for this is, to all intents and purposes, what they became after the end of the war) were almost completely broken off, with whole families split for the ensuing decades, some for ever. This event and its after-effects, along with the war against the Japanese in the 1940s, was to cast a long shadow over the years ahead, and led to the creation of the wholly unprecedented worship of Kim Il-sung, and his elevation to almost God-like status. It was also to create the system in which his son was to occupy almost as impossibly elevated a position.

Kim was educated at the newly founded university in Pyongyang, named after his father, graduating in 1964. The 1960s and early 1970s were the golden years for the DPRK. It undertook rapid industrialisation, economically outstripped its southern competitor, and enjoyed the support of both the People's Republic of China, and the Soviet Union. A state ideology, mixing nationalism, and basic Marxist economics, going under the name "Juche", was constructed, and Kim Il-sung effectively silenced, disposed of and cleared away any opposition, isolating the country and exercising an iron grip on the military, the state media and the government and party organs. » | Kerry Brown | Sunday, December 18, 2011

NZZ ONLINE: «Ein Machtvakuum wird es nicht geben» : Der Tod Kim Jong Ils verändert nicht die familiär geprägten Struktur an der Staatsspitze Nordkoreas Der Nordkorea-Experte Walter Klitz geht nicht von einem Machtvakuum in Nordkorea aus. Der angeschlagene Gesundheitszustand des verstorbenen Diktators Kim Jong Il sei bekannt gewesen, als Nachfolger werde schon länger sein Sohn Kim Jong Un aufgebaut. Klitz hält darum die ersten besorgten internationalen Reaktionen für überzogen. » | Interview: Stefan Reis Schweizer | Montag 19. Dezember 2011

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Der nächste Kim: Kim Jong-un ist gefährlich jung für einen Erben der Kim-Dynastie. Seine Ähnlichkeit zu seinem Großvater Kim Il-sung, der möglicherweise chirurgisch nachgeholfen wurde, soll dem Volk suggerieren, dass bald alles wieder wird wie in besseren Zeiten. » | Von PETRA KOLONKO | Montag 19. Dezember 2011

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Kim Jong-il gestorben – Nordkorea feuert Rakete ab - Sohn Nachfolger: Kim Jong-il ist tot. Der 69 Jahre alte Staatschef Nordkoreas erlag einem Herzinfarkt. Nur wenige Stunden nach Bekanntgabe des Todes feuerte Pjöngjang offenbar eine Kurzstreckenrakete ab. » | Quelle: DPA, Reuters | Montag 19. Dezember 2011

LIBÉRATION: «Le pouvoir nord-coréen risque d'être déstabilisé» : Pour Barthélémy Courmont, spécialiste de la Corée du Nord, professeur de science politique à Hallym University en Corée du Sud, la succession de Kim Jong-il peut surtout entraîner des tensions en interne. » | RECUEILLI PAR QUENTIN GIRARD | lundi 19 décembre 2011

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Corée du nord: Kim Jong-Un, «le grand successeur» formé en Suisse : PORTRAIT | A moins de trente ans, Kim Jong-Un, plus jeune fils de l’ex-numéro un nord-coréen Kim Jong-Il, accède à la tête de l’unique dynastie communiste au monde, dotée de l’arme nucléaire. Il n’a rien laissé transparaître de sa personnalité. On sait seulement qu'il parlerait bernois. ¶ «A l’avant-garde de la révolution coréenne se trouve à présent Kim Jong-Un, grand successeur de la cause révolutionnaire du Juché et chef remarquable de notre parti, de notre armée et de notre peuple», a rapporté l’agence officielle nord-coréenne. ¶ Le Juché désigne l’idéologie développée par le fondateur de la République populaire démocratique de Corée (RPDC), Kim Il-Sung, père de Kim Jong-Il et grand-père de Kim Jong-Un, mélange de communisme et d’autosuffisance. » | ATS/AFP | lundi 19 décembre 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Kim Jong-il: double rainbows, fear of flying and Godzilla – 10 things you might not know » | Danielle Demetriou in Tokyo | Monday, December 19, 2011

THE TIMES: Not mad, or bad ... North Koreans are victims of Cold War bad luck » | Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia Editor | Monday, December 19, 2011 [£]

Kim Jong-il Death Sparks Hysterical Outpouring of Grief in North Korea
Local television footage has shown North Korean officials apparently overcome with grief at the news of their leader Kim Jong-il's death.

Read article here | Monday, December 19, 2011

North Korean State TV Announces Death of Leader Kim Jong-il
North Korea’s “Dear Leader”, Kim Jong-il, has died aged 69 following what is believed to be a stroke or heart attack, the communist country’s state media has announced.

Read article here | Monday, December 19, 2011

Kim Jong-il, North Korean Leader, Dies
THE GUARDIAN: Kim Jong-il is understood to have suffered a heart attack on Saturday due to physical and mental over-work


Kim Jong-il, the "dear leader" still venerated by many in North Korea but reviled abroad, has died aged 69, state media announced on Monday morning.

The official KCNA news agency described his young son and heir apparent as "the great successor", urging the nation, people and military to rally behind and "faithfully revere" Kim Jong-un.

The North Korean leader suffered a heart attack on Saturday due to physical and mental over-work, KCNA reported. He was on his train, travelling to offer "field guidance" to workers, when he died.

Kim had recovered from a reported stroke in 2008, and Monday's announcement was unexpected. But he had already begun grooming Kim Jong-un to take control of the "hermit state", appointing him a general last year and giving him several high profile roles.

Experts say there is increasing domestic cynicism about the regime, which has proved incapable of meeting basic economic needs while exerting rigid control. Collective punishment has left an estimated 200,000 people in prison camps and last year the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea described the country's situation as "sui generis", adding: "Simply put, there are many instances of human rights violations which are both harrowing and horrific."

But people in the streets of Pyongyang burst into tears as they learnt of Kim's death, Associated Press reported. At a North Korean restaurant in Beijing, staff wept hysterically when told what had happened.

"It is the biggest loss for the party ... and it is our people and nation's biggest sadness," a tearful anchorwoman clad in black Korean traditional dress told viewers as she announced Kim's death.

She urged the nation to "change our sadness to strength and overcome our difficulties". » | Tania Branigan in Beijing | Monday, December 19, 2011

Rückblick auf das Leben des tschechischen Ex-Präsidenten Havel
Der frühere tschechische Präsident und Dissident Vaclav Havel ist tot. Er starb nach Angaben seines Büros im Alter von 75 Jahren auf seinem Gut nahe dem ostböhmischen Ort Hradecek.

THE GUARDIAN: Václav Havel obituary: Czech playwright and former dissident who led his nation after the collapse of communism » | WL Webb | Sunday, December 18, 2011

THE GUARDIAN: Václav Havel: a life in pictures – Václav Havel, playwright and former leader of the Czech Republic, has died. The dissident writer became Czechoslovakia's first post-communist president after leading the 'velvet revolution' » | Sunday, December 18, 2011

THE GUARDIAN: Václav Havel: director of a play that changed history – The former president of the Czech Republic was the epitome of a dissident because he persisted in his struggle, patiently, non-violently, with dignity and wit » | Timothy Garton Ash | Sunday, December 18, 2011

Related »

Vaclav Havel: The Playwright Who Led a Revolution
Politician, playwright and former Czech leader Vaclav Havel, a hero of the epic struggle that ended the Cold War, has died aged 75.

Read article here | Sunday, December 18, 2011
Related »

Lech Walesa: Vaclav Havel 'Great Man, Meritorious Man'
The former Polish president paid tribute to the dissident playwright who was jailed by Communists and then went on to lead the bloodless Velvet Revolution.

Read article here | Sunday, December 18, 2011
Related »

Tax Row Leaves David Cameron and Nick Clegg At War over Married Couples

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The Coalition truce between the Tories and the Liberal Democrats broke into open conflict yesterday over David Cameron’s promise to give tax breaks to married couples.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, denounced the proposal and insisted that couples married for love, not to “get some cash back from the state”.

While Liberal Democrat colleagues supported Mr Clegg’s robust stance against traditional Conservative values, senior Tories insisted they would continue to campaign for the protection of the special status of marriage.

Mr Clegg will set out his views in detail in a keynote speech today, in which he roundly criticises the “oppressive” influence of social conservatisim.

Speaking to the Murnaghan programme on Sky News, yesterday Mr Clegg claimed he was not “against marriage”.

“Getting married is probably the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said. “But just as a liberal I think there are limits to how the state and government should try to micromanage or incentivise people’s own behaviour in their private lives. » | Tim Ross, Political Correspondent | Sunday, December 18, 2011

This is not a question of preserving 1950s values "in aspic". This is a question of preserving the family and giving children stable homes in which to grow up. Whilst Nick Clegg can be right on some issues, he is simply wrong on this one. Let us do everything to preserve the family – an institution which has served us so well over the centuries. – © Mark

Dozens of Occupy Protesters Arrested in Manhattan

Hundreds Die in Philippines Floods

The Brave Women of the Middle East: Female Protesters Brutally Beaten with Metal Poles as Vicious Soldiers Drag Girls through Streets by Their Hair in Day of Shame

THE MAIL ON SUNDAY: After being viciously beaten by a 10-strong mob of Egyptian male soldiers, this woman lies helplessly on the ground as her shirt is ripped from her body and a man kicks her with full force in her exposed chest.

Moments earlier she had been struck countless times in the head and body with metal batons, not content with the brutal beating delivered by his fellow soldier, one man stamped on her head repeatedly.

She feebly tried to shield her head from the relentless blows with her hands.

But she was knocked unconscious in the shameful attack and left lying motionless as the military men mindlessly continued to beat her limp and half-naked body.

Before she was set upon by the guards, three men appeared to carry her as they tried to flee the approaching military.

But they were too slow and the soldiers caught up with them, capturing the women and knocking one of the men to the ground.

The two other men were forced to abandoned their fellow protestors and continued running, looking helplessly back at the two they left behind being relentlessly attacked as they lay on the ground.

This is just one of the hundreds of shameful injustices seen in Cairo's Tahrir Square where Egypt's military took a dramatically heavy hand on Saturday to crush protests against its rule.

Aya Emad told the AP that troops dragged her by her headscarf and hair into the Cabinet headquarters. The 24-year-old said soldiers kicked her on the ground, an officer shocked her with an electrical prod and another slapped her on the face, leaving her nose broken and her arm in a sling. » | Inderdeep Bains | Sunday, December 18, 2011

Health Fears for Ailing Pope: Concern for 'Sick' Pontiff, 84, as He Heads into Hectic Christmas Season

THE MAIL ON SUNDAY: • Two weeks of intense public appearances coming up • Trips to Mexico and Cuba scheduled for spring

There are mounting concerns for the health of the ailing Pope who has appeared increasingly frail and weak in recent weeks.

Aides say Pope Benedict XVI seems worn out and unable to concentrate at times.

He no longer meets individually with visiting bishops and few weeks ago started using a moving platform to spare him the long walk down St. Peter's Basilica.

Benedict turns 85 in the new year, so a slowdown is only natural and expected, the Associated Press reports.

And given his age and continued rigorous work schedule, it's remarkable he does as much as he does and is in such good health overall: Just this past week he confirmed he would travel to Mexico and Cuba next spring.

But a decline has been noted as Benedict prepares for next weekend's grueling Christmas celebrations, which kick off two weeks of intense public appearances.

And that raises questions about the future of the papacy given that Benedict himself has said popes should resign if they can't do the job.

Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi has said no medical condition prompted the decision to use the moving platform in St. Peter's, and that it's merely designed to spare the pontiff the fatigue of the 100-yard walk to and from the main altar.

And Benedict rallied during his three-day trip to Benin in west Africa last month, braving temperatures of 32 Celsius (90F) and high humidity to deliver a strong message about the future of the Catholic Church in Africa.

Wiping sweat from his brow, he kissed babies who were handed up to him, delivered a tough speech on the need for Africa's political leaders to clean up their act, and visited one of the continent's most important seminaries.

Back at home, however, it seems the daily grind of being pope - the audiences with visiting heads of state, the weekly public catechism lessons, the sessions with visiting bishops - has taken its toll. A spark is gone. He doesn't elaborate off-the-cuff much anymore, and some days he just seems wiped out. Read on and comment » | Associated Press | Sunday, December 18, 2011

My comment:

I am saddened by the mean-spirited comments written about Pope Benedict on 'The Mail On Sunday'. I am not a Roman Catholic, so I speak as an outsider and observer. Frankly, I have always found this pope to be an inspiration. In my humble opinion, he is truly a wonderful man: kind, gentle, understanding, highly-intellectual, and brilliant. He is also an aesthete. As a pope, he has to be a man of principle and wisdom. These qualities he has aplenty. I, for one, am sorry to learn of his health problems; and I, for one, wish him only the very best for a recovery where a recovery is possible, and to be free of pain (for example, his arthritis) where it is not. God bless Pope Benedict! – © Mark

The Des Moines Register’s GOP Caucus Endorsement: Mitt Romney Is Best to Lead

DES MOINES REGISTER: Sobriety, wisdom and judgment.

Those are qualities Mitt Romney said he looks for in a leader. Those are qualities Romney himself has demonstrated in his career in business, public service and government. Those qualities help the former Massachusetts governor stand out as the most qualified Republican candidate competing in the Iowa caucuses.

Sobriety: While other candidates have pandered to extremes with attacks on the courts and sermons on Christian values, Romney has pointedly refrained from reckless rhetoric and moralizing. He may be accused of being too cautious, but choosing words carefully is a skill essential for anyone who could be sitting in the White House and reacting to world events.

Wisdom: Romney obviously is very smart. He graduated as valedictorian at Brigham Young University and finished in the top 5 percent in his MBA class at Harvard, where he also earned a law degree. Romney also exhibits the wisdom of a man who listened and learned from his father and his mother, from his church and from his own trials and errors in life. He does not lack self confidence, but he is not afraid to admit when he has been wrong.

Judgment: Romney disagrees with Democrats on most issues, but he offers smart and well-reasoned alternatives rather than simply proposing to swing a wrecking ball in Washington. He is a serious student of public policy who examines the data before making a decision. His detailed policy paper on the economy contains 87 pages of carefully crafted positions on taxes, energy, trade and regulatory policy, complete with 127 footnotes.

Mitt Romney is making his second bid for Iowans’ support after an unsuccessful run in 2008. We did not endorse him then, but this is a different field, and he has matured as a candidate. Rebuilding the economy is the nation’s top priority, and Romney makes the best case among the Republicans that he could do that. » | REGISTER EDITORIAL BOARD | Saturday, December 17, 2011

Vaclav Havel, Czech President and Dissident Playwright Who Led 1989 Velvet Revolution, Dies Aged 75
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Vaclav Havel, the play writer turned dissident who led Czechoslovakia’s Velvet Revolution, had died at the age of 75 after years of battling ill health.

Mr Havel died on Sunday morning at his weekend house in the northernCzech Republic, his assistant Sabina Dancecova said.

A former chain smoker, Mr Havel had been suffering from respiratory and heart problems, and his health had declined over the past few months to the extent that public appearances became rare and his body gaunt and frail.

In 1996 he had part of his right lung removed due to a tumour.

His health had been further stressed by the pressure of producing his last play, Leaving, which made its debut in theatres earlier this year.

The shy and softly spoken intellectual became the figurehead of Czechoslovakia’s 1989 revolution after years of battling the communist establishment. » | Matthew Day, Warsaw | Sunday, December 18, 2011

HUFFINGTON POST: Vaclav Havel Dies: Former Czech President Dead At 75 – PRAGUE — Vaclav Havel wove theater into revolution, leading the charge to peacefully bring down communism in a regime he ridiculed as "Absurdistan" and proving the power of the people to overcome totalitarian rule. » | William J. Kole and Karel Janicek | Sunday, December 18, 2011

LE POINT: Vaclav Havel est mort : L'artisan de la "Révolution de velours" et chef de l'État tchécoslovaque puis tchèque, de 1989 à 2003, s'est éteint dans son sommeil. L'ex-président tchèque Vaclav Havel, longtemps éloigné de la vie publique à cause de la maladie, est mort dimanche à l'aube, à l'âge de 75 ans, a-t-on appris auprès de son office. L'artisan de la "Révolution de velours" anti-communiste 1989 et chef de l'État tchécoslovaque puis tchèque, de 1989 à 2003, s'est éteint dans son sommeil, selon sa porte-parole, Sabina Tancevova. » | Source AFP | dimanche 18 décembre 2011

LE POINT: Merkel rend hommage à Havel, le combattant pour la liberté et la démocratie : La chancelière allemande a salué la mémoire d'un "grand Européen". » | Source AFP | dimanche 18 décembre 2011

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Zum Tode von Václav Havel: Der Dissidentenpräsident – Václav Havel vereinte in seiner Person viele Rollen, von denen die des Präsidenten seine größte war. Zur Politik kam der Theatermann in dem Versuch, Würde und Selbstachtung gegenüber einem Regime zu behaupten, das zum Leben in der Lüge einlud. » | Von Karl-Peter Schwarz | Sonntag 18. Dezember 2011

NZZ ONLINE: «Wir wollen in der Wahrheit leben» : Zum Tode des Dichters und Staatsmanns Vaclav Havel Vaclav Havel hat sich als Dissident und Schriftsteller hartnäckig, aber gewaltlos gegen den kommunistischen Totalitarismus aufgelehnt und dabei viel auf sich genommen. Auch als Staatsmann und Präsident blieb er nach der Wende ein Humanist. » | Andreas Oplatka | Sonntag 18. Dezember 2011