Keith Olbermann Ousted from Current TV Talk Show

THE GLOBE AND MAIL: Keith Olbermann is looking for a new job after less than a year as a talk show host at Current TV.

The left-leaning cable network announced just hours before airtime on Friday that Mr. Olbermann’s show “Countdown” would be replaced with a new program called “Viewpoint” hosted by former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, beginning that night.

The sometimes volatile Mr. Olbermann came to Current in June as the centrepiece of its new prime-time initiative after a stormy eight-year stint at MSNBC – his second at that network – followed by his abrupt departure in January 2011.

Shortly after, Current announced his hiring – reportedly with a five-year, $50-million contract – as the start of an effort to transform the network’s prime-time slate into progressive talk. His official title was chief news officer, charged with providing editorial guidance for all of the network’s political news, commentary and current events programming.

In a statement, Current TV founders Al Gore and Joel Hyatt said the network was “founded on the values of respect, openness, collegiality, and loyalty to our viewers. Unfortunately these values are no longer reflected in our relationship with Keith Olbermann and we have ended it.” » | Frazier Moore | New York | The Associated Press | Saturday, March 31, 2012

Turkish MPs Fight as Controversial Schools Bill Passed

BBC: Turkey's parliament has passed a bill that allows parents to move their children into Islamic schools earlier.

The education reform bill extends compulsory education from eight to 12 years and allows children to switch to specialist schools from as young as 10.

The ruling AK Party says the bill will mean pupils stay longer in school but secular Turks see it as part of a wider plan to increase religious influence.

MPs fought during a debate on the bill, which followed days of protests.

On Thursday, police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse protesters in the Turkish capital, Ankara. » | Saturday, march 31, 2012

US Elections 2012: Why Barack Obama's 'Open Mic' Slip-up Shows He Is a Man without a Plan

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama might be riding high in the polls at the moment, writes John Avlon. But his unguarded conversation with his Russian counterpart shows a failure to make a clear case for what a second term might bring.

It sounded like the dialogue from a bad spy film.

"This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility."

"I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir."

But in fact it was a exchange between President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, accidentally caught on an open microphone as they discussed apparently deadlocked talks on a missile shield - and it quickly lodged itself in the American presidential campaign debate.

Paranoid hyper-partisans on the Right hailed it as a confirmation of Obama's deviousness, the latest sign that he is intent on selling out America's interests to its enemies in an unaccountable second term - when he'll have no further election to think about.

They are, as I said, paranoid and riffing off the "enemy within" narrative they've been playing since the days of Joe McCarthy, when Communists ruled the Kremlin.

But just because you're crazy doesn't mean you're stupid. This particular Obama slip will leave a mark – and just not for the reasons the wingnuts on the far-Right might think.

Yes, President Obama is riding high in the polls right now, buoyed by an improving economy – leading the presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney by double digits in some polls.

His job approval ratings are above 50 per cent for the first time since the killing of Osama bin Laden, while Romney's unfavourability ratings are already above 50 per cent - a bad sign for a non-incumbent nominee heading into the general election.

Nonetheless, this open mike slip will resonate, and probably appear in a Romney campaign ad this fall, because it highlights a core weakness of the Obama campaign – namely, his failure to make a clear case for what a second term might bring. "More of the same" isn't a satisfactory answer in US campaigns. Read on and comment » | John Avlon* | Saturday, March 31, 2012

* John Avlon is senior columnist for ‘Newsweek’ and ‘The Daily Beast’

Archbishop of Canterbury: Children Should Be Taught The Lord's Prayer
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Children are now half as likely to know the text of the Lord's Prayer than they were 40 years ago, according to a survey.

The study, which compared the answers of children aged 6-12 years old and adults who would have been that age 40 years ago, found that children today are less familiar with religious texts than their parents.

However, they are twice as likely to say that religion is important to them compared with those growing up in the 1970s.

Of the 1011 adults surveyed, 931 out of 1011 (92 per cent) said they knew the Lord’s Prayer as a child, while only 571 out of 1040 (55 per cent) of children knew it today.

The Archbishop of Canterbury told the BBC he believed that children should be taught the Lord's Prayer in schools and is worried by news that half as many children know the prayer.

Dr Rowan Williams said: "I'd like to see schools introducing children to the Lord's Prayer, so that they know that it's there, they know what it means and know why it matters. » | Josie Ensor | Saturday, March 31, 2012

Marrakech, ville du péché ?
LE POINT: Le ministre de la Justice marocain a laissé échapper une remarque qui fait polémique sur les réseaux sociaux.

Un ministre islamiste a suscité la polémique en affirmant que des touristes venaient à Marrakech (dans le sud du Maroc) pour commettre des péchés.

"Des gens du monde entier viennent pour passer beaucoup de temps à commettre des péchés et s'éloigner de Dieu", a déclaré Mustafa Ramid, ministre de la Justice et des Libertés, lors d'une visite à une école coranique à Marrakech, haut lieu du tourisme marocain. En septembre 2008, le prédicateur qui dirige cette école coranique, Mohamed Maghraoui, avait provoqué une controverse en émettant une fatwa (avis religieux) autorisant le mariage des filles à l'âge de 9 ans, comme l'a fait Aisha lorsque le prophèteMahomet l'a épousée. L'âge légal du mariage au Maroc a été fixé en 2004 à 18 ans, mais la loi permet au juge de la famille d'autoriser les mariages des mineurs dans certains cas, fréquents notamment dans le milieu rural. » | LePoint.fr | samedi 31 mars 2012

Niederlande: Wilders lässt Regierung Rutte vorerst nicht fallen

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: In den Niederlanden ist ein Bruch der Regierungskoalition abgewendet worden: entgegen seiner Drohung vom Mittwoch erklärte sich der Islamfeind Geert Wilders bereit, die Beratungen über ein massives Sparpaket fortzuführen.

Das niederländische Regierungsbündnis hat am Donnerstag einen Bruch der Koalition vorerst abgewendet. Unklar blieb zunächst, mit welchen Gegenleistungen der Islamfeind und Euroskeptiker Geert Wilders dafür rechnen kann, dass er sich entgegen seiner Drohung vom Mittwoch zur Fortsetzung der Beratungen über ein massives Sparpaket bereiterklärte. Wilders’ Freiheitspartei regiert zwar nicht mit, doch ist die Minderheitsregierung der Rechtsliberalen von Ministerpräsident Mark Rutte und der Christlichen Demokraten auf die Stimmen von Wilders’ Fraktion - der drittgrößten im Abgeordnetenhaus - angewiesen. » | Andrea Ross | Donnerstag, 29. März 2012

Auf Staatskosten: Wulff erhält Büro und Mitarbeiter
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Zunächst bis Ende des Jahres kann der zurückgetretene Bundespräsident Christian Wulff ein Büro mit zwei Mitarbeitern in Berlin nutzen. Der Haushaltsausschuss des Bundestages musste nicht zustimmen.

Alt-Bundespräsident Christian Wulff kann nach seinem Rücktritt vorerst bis Jahresende auf Staatskosten ein Büro und zwei Mitarbeiter in Berlin nutzen. Präsidialamt und Bundestagsverwaltung hätten dieser Lösung zugestimmt, erfuhr die Nachrichtenagentur dpa am Freitag aus Kreisen der Unionsfraktion in Berlin. Auch ein gepanzertes Fahrzeug und Personenschutz stehen ihm weiterhin zu. Über die Kosten wurde zunächst nichts bekannt.

Ob der 52-Jährige diese Amtsausstattung auch nach dem laufenden Jahr nutzen kann, muss der Bundestag in den Beratungen über den Haushalt 2013 neu entscheiden. In der Unionsfraktion wurde von einer „relativ bescheidenen Lösung“ gesprochen. » | Quelle: DPA | Samstag, 31. März 2012

Distance between Europe's Cozy Couple
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has made internal security a focus of his presidential election campaign, and his ratings have soared over his handling of a series of shootings. But his focus on domestic events is putting pressure on his historically strong relationship with German leader Angela Merkel. Al Jazeera's Nick Spicer reports from Berlin.

French Police Arrest 'Islamic Radicals'
French commandos carry out raids across France, a week after gunman Mohamed Merah was killed. President Sarzozy vowed to crackdown on what he called "Islamic radicals". The operation began before dawn. Police raid homes in cities including Nantes, Toulouse and Paris, detaining 19 suspects and seizing a number of weapons. Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland reports from Paris.

Related »

Thousands Attend Funeral of Gay Man in Chile
A 24-year-old who was beaten and branded with swastikas by a neo-Nazi group earlier this month was laid to rest, as thousands attended his funeral in Chile. Friends, family, gay rights activists, and foreign dignitaries gathered in Santiago on Friday, as police stated they are treating the murder of Daniel Zambudio as a hate crime. They believe he was targeted because he was homosexual. The tragedy has sparked a national outcry and a debate over whether the government should pass an anti-discrimination law offering stronger protections for victims of hate crimes. Al Jazeera's Rachel Levin reports.

WA TODAY: Huge funeral for gay neo-Nazi victim: Thousands of Chileans have joined the funeral procession a gay man tortured and beaten to death by presumed neo-Nazis amid growing national outrage over the attack. ¶ On Friday people crowded the streets around cars that travelled for three hours between Daniel Zamudio's home in San Bernardo south of the capital and the main cemetery in Santiago, waving white handkerchiefs, throwing flowers and clapping. ¶ "There will be time for justice but for now, I am only asking for respect, and I thank all of you for each gesture, each tear shed, for my brother," Diego Zamudio said before a private cremation. » | AFP | Saturday, March 31, 2012

France a 'Rogue State' on Regional Languages

AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Campaigners say Breton, Occitan, Corsican and others will soon cease to be living languages without formal recognition.

When Tangi Louarn casts his vote in next month's French presidential election he will be forced to do so in a language that he does not recognise as his own.

A resident of the rugged peninsula region of Brittany in northwestern France, Louarn is one of about 200,000 speakers of Breton, once the world's most commonly spoken Celtic language but now recognised as severely endangered by UNESCO.

Despite its precarious situation, Breton has no formal status in France. It is not offered as a language of education in the public school system, the state makes no provision for regional language media, and it is not used in government or public services.

Once home to a vibrant multitude of tongues, the monolingualism of modern France is enshrined in article two of the country's constitution, rooted in the revolutionary principles of 1789, which reads: "The language of the Republic shall be French."

Yet Louarn, the president of Kevre Breizh, a Breton language activist group, says that regional language speakers are still waiting for their human rights to to be respected.

"Breton is my language. It is a part of my identity. Yet 'Liberte, egalite, fraternite' is only for people speaking French. When you speak another language you do not have equality." » | Simon Hooper | Friday, March 30, 2012

REUTERS FRANCE: Manifestations en faveur des langues regionals : PARIS - Des manifestations en faveur des langues régionales se sont déroulées samedi dans une dizaine de villes de France, dont Strasbourg, Lille, Quimper, Toulouse, Perpignan et Ajaccio, à l'appel d'une coordination nationale. » | Gilbert Reilhac à Strasbourg, édité par Marine Pennetier | samedi 31 mars 2012

EDL Holds Far-right Rally in Denmark to Unite 'Anti-Islamic Alliance'

THE GUARDIAN: Mayor of Aarhus says far-right extremists protesting at 'Islamification of Europe' are not welcome in Danish second city

Far-right groups from across Europe, including members of the English Defence League (EDL), are holding a rally in Denmark in a bid to set up "an anti-Islamic alliance" across the continent.

The demonstration in Denmark's second city of Aarhus is expected to draw anti-Islamic groups from countries including Russia, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Poland, Romania, and Sweden.

The EDL, which has organised the rally, said it was not expecting large numbers – perhaps around 700 – but said the event signalled the beginning of a Europe-wide movement against the "Islamification of Europe". » | Damien Pearse and agencies | Saturday, March 31, 2012

BBC: EDL takes part in far-right European rally in Denmark: Far-right groups from across Europe are holding a rally in Denmark aimed at setting up what they term an anti-Islamic alliance across the continent. » | Saturday, March 31, 2012

Autriche: Une affiche anti-marocaine créé une crise diplomatique

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le Maroc a exprimé vendredi son indignation à l'ambassadeur autrichien à Rabat après l'utilisation en Autriche d'une affiche électorale au caractère anti-marocain par le parti d'extrême-droite FPÖ.

Le Parquet d'Innsbruck (ouest de l'Autriche) a ouvert une enquête contre le parti d'extrême droite FPÖ, pour "incitation à la haine", en raison d'une affiche au caractère anti-marocain placardée pour les élections municipales qui doivent avoir lieu le 15 avril à Innsbruck.

Le slogan de l'affiche en question du FPÖ, dirigé sur le plan national par Heinz-Christian Strache, affirme dans une rime polémique: "L'amour de la patrie plutôt que des Marocains voleurs" ("Heimat-Liebe statt Marokkaner-Diebe").

A la suite du dépôt de trois plaintes de citoyens, un porte-parole du Parquet d'Innsbruck a confirmé à l'agence de presse autrichienne APA qu'une enquête était ouverte pour "incitation à la haine". » | afp/Newsnet | vendredi 30 mars 2012

Obamaville

Al-Qaeda 'Plotting Another 9/11’ from Afghanistan

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Al-Qaeda fighters have returned to Afghanistan and will use the country as a base to launch September 11-style attacks on Western cities, according to the American ambassador to Kabul.

Ryan Crocker told The Daily Telegraph that if the West was to leave Afghanistan too early, al-Qaeda would be able to increase its presence.

With the US preparing to withdraw the majority of its combat forces from Afghanistan next year, Mr Crocker warned: “If we decide we’re tired, they’ll be back.

“Al-Qaeda is still present in Afghanistan. If the West decides that 10 years in Afghanistan is too long then they will be back, and the next time it will not be New York or Washington, it will be another big Western city.”

Mr Crocker, 62, who previously served as ambassador to Iraq, said that while progress had been made, Afghanistan would need Western support for years to come. » | Con Coughlin | Friday, March 30, 2012

Brandis Defends Sharia for Muslim Wills
THE AUSTRALIAN: OPPOSITION legal affairs spokesman George Brandis has come to the defence of Muslims making out wills on the principles of sharia, arguing that Australian law allowed people to favour one child over another in bequests.

Senator Brandis said Islamic law was compatible with regular law in many instances in Australia, such as dietary and clothing practices as well as religious worship.

And someone can dispose of their property as they choose.

"Our laws start with the presumption that people are entitled to write their will as they choose, subject to certain formal requirements," he said.

"The Coalition does not believe that sharia law should be accepted or recognised in Australia. It is logically possible for somebody to do something that is both consistent with Australian law and consistent with sharia principles. The question is: are they obedient to Australian law." » | Patricia Karvelas | The Australian | Saturday, March 31, 2012

Falkland Islands 'Will Belong to Argentina One Day' Says Minister
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Falkland Islands will belong to Argentina one day, according to the country's chairman of the foreign affairs committee.

But Daniel Filmus said Argentina would not try to take the disputed islands by force. "There's no suppression which lasts forever.

"It's just a matter of how much time it takes for it to be understood that there must be dialogue and the need to find a mechanism for diplomatic agreement to get us there," he told Radio Five Live.

Speaking ahead of the 30th anniversary of the start of the Falklands War, which began on April 2 1982, Mr Filmus said Argentines "have enough patience and know what is right".

Argentina has revived the dispute over the islands it calls Las Malvinas as the anniversary approaches. Read on and comment» | Friday, March 30, 2012

Umstrittenes russisches Gesetz: Duma will Schwule aus der Öffentlichkeit verbannen
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Fast 20 Jahre nach Abschaffung des Homosexualitätsverbots steht in St. Petersburg und anderen russischen Städten unter Strafe, öffentlich über Schwule zu reden. Nun soll die Staatsduma sogar ein landesweites Gesetz gegen "Schwulenpropaganda" beschließen.

Moskau - Liberale Kräfte und Menschenrechtler in Russland sind in Aufruhr: Öffentliches Reden über Homosexualität soll künftig überall im größten Land der Erde unter Strafe gestellt werden. Bisher haben die Touristenmetropole St. Petersburg und einige andere Städte ein Gesetz gegen sogenannte Schwulenpropaganda erlassen, um, wie es heißt, Kinder und Jugendliche zu schützen. Nun liegt der Staatsduma ein umstrittener Gesetzentwurf für das ganze Land vor.

Als "Hassgesetz" und "Weg ins finsterste Mittelalter" brandmarkt der menschenrechtspolitische Sprecher der Grünen im Bundestag, Volker Beck, die Initiative der von Regierungschef Wladimir Putin geführten Partei Einiges Russland. Laut Gesetzentwurf soll auch die Aufklärung über Homo-, Bi- und Transsexualität mit Geldstrafen geahndet werden. Kritiker warnen, dass dadurch zum Beispiel die Aids-Vorsorge erschwert werde.

In St. Petersburg wischt der Abgeordnete Witalij Milonow von der Putin-Partei solche Kritik beiseite. Als Speerspitze der Initiative wirft er etwa der deutschen Band Rammstein "Schwulenpropaganda" vor. Und er warnt schon einmal vorsorglich Popstar Madonna mit Blick auf ihr im Sommer geplantes Konzert vor Gesetzesbruch. Auch Filme, Musikvideos, Bücher und Zeitschriften mit homosexuellen Inhalten sowie die Regenbogenfahne als Symbol der Schwulenbewegung gelten als verboten. » | vme/dpa | Donnerstag, 29. März 2012

Is George Galloway a Muslim?

Islamic Republic Of Britain - George Galloway

CAIR: NY Law Firm Drops Anti-Islam Speaker Robert Spencer
THE SACRAMENTO BEE: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today thanked a prominent New York law firm for its decision to cancel an event featuring Robert Spencer, the leader of one of the nation's most extreme anti-Islam hate groups.

Earlier today, CAIR expressed concerns about the April 18 event at the law offices of Kramer LevinNaftalis & Frankel (Kramer Levin) in New York City.

The event, sponsored by the right-wing Middle East Forum (MEF), would have promoted Spencer's claim that Islam's Prophet Muhammad may never have existed. MEF is headed by Daniel Pipes, who is viewed by many Muslims as one of the nation's leading Islamophobes.

In a statement sent to CAIR, Kramer Levin Executive Director Nicholas J. Tortorella wrote:

"From time to time we receive requests from not for profit or community organizations to use our conference rooms for meetings or other events. While we permit our facilities to be used occasionally for these purposes, Kramer Levin can take no responsibility for the content of these events and in no way endorses any opinions that may be expressed during them. In this instance, we were not aware of the controversy surrounding the speaker at the April 18th event. Now having been alerted to the situation, we have withdrawn permission for the event to take place at our offices."

"We thank Kramer Levin for taking swift and appropriate action to disassociate itself from Robert Spencer's extremist views," said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "The firm's actions demonstrate a commitment to religious tolerance and diversity."

In 2010, Kramer Levin published an "Employment Law Update" with a section on "Accommodating Muslim Employees." That publication stated in part: "Employers must ensure that Muslim employees are protected from discrimination and are provided with reasonable accommodations for their religious practices." » | Council on American-Islamic Relations | WASHINGTON | PRNewswire-USNewswire | Thursday, March 29, 2012

JIHAD WATCH: Action alert: New York law firm Kramer Levin caves to Hamas-linked CAIR, cancels Robert Spencer event » | Robert Spencer | Jihad Watch | Friday, March 30, 2012

New Book Argues Against Islam in America

PRWEB: Author Kalai-o-Waha urges Americans to remove radicals from the United States.

In his new book "On Guard, America: A Challenge To Islam - Forcing The Enemy Out From Within - Why The Muslim Brotherhood Will Fail" (published by AuthorHouse), Kalai-o-Waha discusses his objections to Islam – which he sees as a threat – and the reasons he believes Americans should not tolerate the practice of Islam in the United States.

Kalai-o-Waha dedicates a majority of the book to examining the Quran and using it to help make his point, which is that a good Muslim cannot be a good American. In his words, the principal goal of his book is, “…to force Islam out of America while their numbers are small enough. If we don’t take action soon, we will become slaves (dhimmis) and will be subjected to pay a poll tax (jizyah) to eat and breathe in what was once our homeland – that’s if we haven’t been beheaded.”

The following excerpt from "On Guard, America" touches on the reasons the author gives to validate the sense of urgency he feels and wishes to pass on to readers:

It is the goal of Islam to convert the entire world to the Islamic faith. If the people do not wish to convert, they are Unbelievers and are to be destroyed… …By converting the majority of the people in America to Islam, then Islam, through its voting power, can control America.

» | Honolulu, Hi | PRWEB | Friday, March 30, 2012

France Detains 19 Suspected Islamists
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Police have detained 19 people in a crackdown on suspected Islamist extremists in cities around France on Thursday and more such raids are planned, Nicolas Sarkozy said.

President Sarkozy gave no details about the justifications for the arrests, or what specifically the detainees are suspected of.

"It's in connection with a form of Islamist radicalism," Sarkozy said on Europe-1 radio.

The raids come after a spate of killings in southern France claimed by Mohamed Merah, a 23-year-old Frenchman who espoused radical Islamist views and said he had links to al-Qaeda. Merah was killed in a gunfight with police last week and buried near Toulouse on Thursday. » | AP | Friday, March 30, 2012

US Election 2012: George Bush Endorses Mitt Romney
Former US President George HW Bush and Barbara Bush officially endorse Mitt Romney and advise his Republican rivals to know "when to fold 'em".

Read the short article here | Friday, March 30, 2012

George Galloway Wins Bradford West by-Election
George Galloway scored a dramatic victory in the Bradford West by-election, securing a 10,000-plus majority in what he called a "massive rejection" of mainstream parties.

Read the article and comment here | Friday, March 30, 2012

France Bars Muslim Clerics from Entering Country
FOX NEWS: PARIS – France has barred a group of Muslim clerics, including one of the most prominent voices in Sunni Islam, from entering the country to attend a conference. France's foreign ministry said Thursday the clerics were invited by the French Islamic Union to speak at a congress in Le Bourget near Paris from April 6-9.

One of those barred, the Egyptian-born Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, says he refuses to come to France.

The ban also includes other high-profile Muslim clerics of Palestinian, Egyptian and Saudi origin.

The foreign ministry said in a statement that "these people call for hatred and violence and seriously violate the principles of the Republic, and in the current context, seriously risk disrupting public order."

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said earlier this week that these figures would not be "welcome" as their views are incompatible with French values. » | Associated Press | Thursday, March 29, 2012

FOX NEWS: Is There Something In Islam That Makes Believers More Susceptible to Radicalization? » | Lauren Green | Thursday, March 10, 2011

Marco Rubio Endorses Mitt Romney

David Cameron and George Osborne Are Seen as Out-of-touch Toffs – David Davis

TELEGRAPH – BLOGS – JAMES KIRKUP: When sorrows come, they come not as single spies but in batallions. In David Cameron's case, those batallions often include one David Davis, late of the SAS and the Conservative shadow cabinet.

Ben Brogan has already identified the need for the Government to look and sound like it understands the rest of us. Mr Davis, the former shadow home secretary is making a similar point, in a rather more aggressive way. He's has given an interview to BBC Radio Four's World at One, in which he warned that the Cameron-led Conservatives risk losing the "hard-working aspirant" working class. "You can’t win an election without them," he noted.

Because of austerity measures, those people feel they’ve been “pushed off the escalator”, he said. "They start to resent those at the top of the escalator, and that works worst against Conservatives.”

“They look at the front bench. They see them, all very well turned out, well-fed, they look like they’re in a completely different world" Read on and comment » | James Kirkup | Thursday, March 29, 2012

Guerlain Fined for Racist Remark
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: A French court convicted longtime perfume maker Jean-Paul Guerlain of making racist insults on national television and fined him Thursday €6,000 ($8,000).

The 75-year-old Mr. Guerlain, an heir to his family's cosmetics empire, provoked anger among French minorities with the comments in a 2010 interview on France-2 television. He used a French word for black people in a derogatory way as he described how hard he worked to create one of the company's most famed perfumes.

Several anti-racism groups filed legal complaints, and protests were staged in front of the Guerlain store on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris. Some called for a boycott of Guerlain products.

Mr. Guerlain apologized to France's black community during the trial, calling it an "imbecilic" remark. » | Associated Press | Thursday, March 29, 2012

All National Car Rental Vehicles in France to Include Breath Test Kits
ITCM: Following news of changes to road regulations in France, National Car Rental, leading international car rental specialist, has confirmed that all its vehicles will include breathalyser alcohol testing kits. In a clamp down on drink-driving, all drivers on French roads, including foreign visitors, will have to carry breath test kits with them or face a fine. The move by National Car Rental, therefore, ensures its customers are able to comply with this new regulation.

From 1st July 2012, all drivers on French roads must carry disposable breathalyser kits with them. The measure allows drivers to test whether they are over the limit before they get in their car and aims to cut the number of road related deaths in France. Drivers found without a breathalyser in their vehicle could be fined €17. » | Thursday, March 29, 2012

British Politicians Betraying Britain, Giving Free Rein to Islam
Ken Livingstone, the British Labour Party's candidate for mayor of London, says he wants to turn the capital city into a "beacon" of Islam.

Speaking to Muslim worshippers on March 16 at the North London Central Mosque, one of the most hardline mosques in Europe, Livingstone pledged that if elected, he would "educate the mass of Londoners" about Islam.

Livingstone, a self-described socialist who previously served as the mayor of London from 2000 to 2008, declared: "I want to spend the next four years making sure that every non-Muslim in London knows and understands [Mohammed's] words and message. That will help to cement our city as a beacon that demonstrates the meaning of the words of the Prophet."


Related »

"I Will Make London a Beacon of Islam"
GATESTONE INSTITUTE – International Policy Council: Livingstone's appeal to Muslims may, on May 3, propel him into the mayor's office. Either way, London appears headed for an Islamic future.

Ken Livingstone, the British Labour Party's candidate for mayor of London, says he wants to turn the capital city into a "beacon" of Islam.

Speaking to Muslim worshippers on March 16 at the North London Central Mosque, one of the most hardline mosques in Europe, Livingstone pledged that if elected, he would "educate the mass of Londoners" about Islam.

Livingstone, a self-described socialist who previously served as the mayor of London from 2000 to 2008, declared: "I want to spend the next four years making sure that every non-Muslim in London knows and understands [Mohammed's] words and message. That will help to cement our city as a beacon that demonstrates the meaning of the words of the Prophet."

Livingstone's electioneering tactic may earn him the support of Muslim voters in London. But by speaking at the North London mosque, Livingstone has also succeeded in reviving long-standing suspicions that he is closely linked to Islamic fundamentalists.

The North London Central Mosque, also known as the Finsbury Park Mosque, has a well-established reputation for being a center for radical Islamism in Britain. The mosque was once controlled by Abu Hamza al-Masri, an Egyptian jihadist who is now in prison in Britain for "instigation to acts of terrorism." The Finsbury Mosque is currently being run by the Muslim Association of Britain, an Islamist organization tied to the Muslim Brotherhood as well as the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.

One of Livingstone's main links to radical Islam is through an organization called the Islamic Forum of Europe (IFE), an Islamist group dedicated to changing the "very infrastructure of society, its institutions, its culture, its political order and its creed … from ignorance to Islam." » | Soeren Kern | Friday, March 23, 2012


TELEGRAPH – BLOGS – ANDREW GILLIGAN: Ken Livingstone: I will make London a beacon of Islam » | Andrew Gilligan | Monday, March 19, 2012

Algeria Doesn't Want French Gunman's Body, Muslim Leader Says
FOX NEWS: TOULOUSE, France – A young man who claimed responsibility for France's worst terror attacks in years will be buried Thursday in a Muslim cemetery near the southern city where he was killed in gunfight with police, religious leaders said.

Burying Mohamed Merah is a sensitive issue for both his native France and his father's native Algeria.

Merah told police he filmed himself killing three schoolchildren, a rabbi and three paratroopers in a spate of attacks earlier this month. Merah, who said he had links to Al Qaeda, was shot in the head after a standoff with police last week.

His father wanted him buried in a family plot in Algeria. Merah's body was brought to the airport in the city of Toulouse on Thursday, and his mother had been expecting to accompany it to Algiers on a flight later in the day.

But Abdallah Zekri of the French Muslim Council, or CFCM, told The Associated Press that Algerian authorities refused for "reasons of public order." Zekri had been liaising with Algerian authorities in Toulouse.

Instead, Merah will be buried at the Muslim cemetery in Cornebarrieu, near Toulouse, Zekri said. » | Associated Press | Thursday, March 29, 2012

LE MONDE: Pourquoi Alger a refusé l'enterrement de Merah en Algérie » | Par Amir Akef | Alger | jeudi 29 mars 2012

Ces islamistes qui disent non à la charia
LE MONDE – L’Editorial du “Monde”: L'histoire de la Tunisie post- Ben Ali retiendra peut-être le lundi 26 mars 2012 comme une date importante. Ce jour-là, le parti islamiste Ennahda, qui domine la vie politique, a dit non aux groupes extrémistes salafistes. Il a opposé un refus net et catégorique à l'introduction de la charia - la loi islamique - dans la Constitution du pays.

Ce faisant, Ennahda a accompli son premier acte de vrai parti de gouvernement. Il a préféré la réalité à l'idéologie ; il s'est comporté en formation responsable ; il a pris le risque de l'affrontement avec une partie de la famille islamiste. Il a privilégié l'empirisme étatique à la pureté sectaire.

Si Ennahda, que dirige Rachid Ghannouchi, tient cette ligne, alors la Tunisie, précurseur du "printemps arabe", restera un pays modèle - et qui rayonnera bien au delà de ses frontières. » | Editorial | mardi 27 mars 2012

"Anders Breivik Is Not Crazy" — The Surprise Defense Of Norway's Mass Killer

TIME – WORLDCRUNCH: This post is in partnership with Worldcrunch, a new global-news site that translates stories of note in foreign languages into English. The article below was originally published in Le Monde.

OSLO — Geir Lippestad will definitely cause some controversy with the approach he plans to take in the upcoming trial of Anders Breivik, Norway's infamous extreme-right terrorist. For starters, Lippestad, Breivik's defense attorney, intends to place Mullah Krekar — an Islamist extremist from Kurdish Iraq who has been living in Norway since 1991— on the witness stand.

In an interview with Le Monde, Lippestad outlined his strategy for this exceptional trial, which is scheduled to begin April 16, less than eight months after the double attack on July 22, 2011, in which 77 people died. The majority of the victims were attending a summer camp hosted by the youth wing of the governing Social Democratic party.

This trial has seriously challenged Lippestad's beliefs as both a support[er] of the Social Democrats and a father of eight children. "I feel I have lost my soul in this case," he said. "I hope to get it back once all this is over, and that it will be in the same state as before."

Unlike all of Lippestad's previous clients, Anders Breivik is not afraid of being found guilty. The possibility of receiving Norway's maximum penalty (21 years in prison) doesn't scare him — on the contrary, he wants it. » | Olivier Truc / Le Monde / Worldcrunch | Thursday, March 29, 2012

A Civilization on Edge: Amid Debt Crisis, Athens Falls Apart

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: As Greece struggles to master its devastating debt problem, decades of mismanagement have taken their toll on the country's once-proud capital. Athens has degenerated into a hotbed of chaos and crime, where tensions between Greeks and immigrants have led to attacks on foreigners by the far-right.

Massoud starts walking faster as the shadows lengthen. He glances at the scratched display on his mobile phone. It's 7:15 p.m.

The sun is setting behind the large apartment buildings on Patission Street, disappearing behind the few remaining classical facades where the plaster is beginning to crumble. "For Rent" and "For Sale" signs are posted on boarded-up windows or behind sheets of opaque glass.

Massoud is in a hurry. He wants to get home before dark, because that's when the people who are out to get him come out.

The gangs of right-wing thugs, sometimes up to 20 at a time, approach their victims on foot or on mopeds, carrying clubs and knives. They are masked, faceless and fast. They appear suddenly and silently before striking.

The neo-fascists are hunting down immigrants in the middle of downtown Athens, in the streets north of the central Omonia Square. They call it cleansing.

They hunt people like Massoud, a 25-year-old Afghan from Kabul. He has been living in Athens for five years without a residency permit, even though he speaks fluent Greek. He studied geography in Kabul, but in Athens he works as a day laborer.

The gangs also hunt the dark-skinned man pushing a shopping cart filled with garbage and scrap metal through the streets. Or the woman with Asian features, who now grabs her child and the paper cup with which she has just been begging in the streets. » | Julia Amalia Heyer | Translated from the German by Christopher Sultan | Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Part 2: Violence, Drugs and Disease »

Aktien und Immobilien: Italien beschlagnahmt Gaddafis Milliarden-Vermögen

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Italienische Finanzbehörden haben zugeschlagen: Sie konfiszierten Vermögen im Wert von 1,1 Milliarden Euro, das dem getötetem libyschen Machthaber Gaddafi und seiner Familie gehört haben soll - darunter befinden sich Immobilien in Rom, Aktien von großen Konzernen sowie Konten.

Rom - Der frühere libysche Machthaber Muammar al-Gaddafi hatte offenbar viel Geld in die Europäische Union geschafft: Am Mittwoch beschlagnahmten italienische Behörden Vermögen im Wert von 1,1 Milliarden Euro, das dem getötetem ehemaligen Diktator und seiner Familie gehört haben soll. Wie die Polizei mitteilte, stellte sie auf Ersuchen des Internationalen Strafgerichtshofs (IStGH) in Den Haag bewegliches Eigentum und Immobilien, Aktien und Konten sicher. » | lgr/dpa/AFP/dapd | Mittwoch, 28. März 2012

Toulouse Massacre: Mohammed Merah's Father Threatens to Sue French Police
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The father of Islamist gunman Mohammed Merah is suing a crack French police unit over his son's death as the family prepares for a funeral in Algeria.

The body of 23-year-old, a Frenchman of Algerian descent, was due to arrive in Algeria on Thursday, a family member told AFP.

He was shot dead by French police on March 22 after a lengthy stand-off followed by an exchange of gunfire at his Toulouse apartment.

The body "will be accompanied by the mother and a sister of the deceased," a relative said, adding the corpse would first be washed in France, according to Muslim custom, before being buried in the Medea region south of Algiers.

"I am coordinating the details of the funeral with the father, who is completely overwhelmed by the situation," the killer's uncle Djamel Aziri said.

Algerian authorities have reportedly not yet agreed to a family request that Merah be buried in the north African country.

Algerian lawyer Zahia Mokhtari told AFP Wednesday she had been hired by the dead man's father, Mohammed Benalal Merah, to press charges against French police for shooting him dead.

"Mr Merah thinks that his son was murdered. He has asked us to file a complaint against the French security services," she said. "We will begin the procedure once the burial is completed." » | Thursday, March 29, 2012

Lien en relation avec l’article »

Pope Meets Fidel Castro after Celebrating Mass in Front of Hundreds of Thousands
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Pope ended a historic visit to Cuba with a meeting with its ailing former leader Fidel Castro on Wednesday after celebrating Mass in front of hundreds of thousands of Cubans gathered in Havana's Revolution Plaza.


Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi confirmed that the pair had met, for about 30 minutes at the Papal Nuncio's residence in Havana, but he did not detail what they discussed.

The 84-year-old Pontiff used his sermon to gently prod Communist authorities to embrace change and for Cubans to search for "authentic freedom" as he ended a three day visit to the Caribbean nation.

Crowds had filled Havana's main square overnight, the sprawling plaza surrounded by ten-storey high images of revolutionary heroes Ernesto "Che" Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos where Fidel Castro used to deliver hours long speeches of fiery rhetoric.

The Pope, who began his six-day tour of Mexico and Cuba with an attack on Marxism, asserting that the "ideology as it was conceived no longer corresponds to reality", had made it a theme of his visit to urge increased cooperation between church and state.

With President Raul Castro, who took over from his older brother four years ago, seated in the front row, the pontiff urged the nation to open up to reforms and denounced "irrationality and fanaticism" that many will see as a thinly veiled attack on Cuba's leadership. » | Fiona Govan | Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Related »

A Look Back at the Pope’s Trip to Mexico: Benedict XVI in Mexico: Welcome Ceremony

Pope Pressures for Change in Cuba at Havana Mass

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Thousands of Cubans streamed to Havana's Revolution Square on Wednesday for a mass led by Pope Benedict XVI ahead of an expected meeting with revolutionary leader Fidel Castro

"Cuba and the world need change, but this will occur only if each one is in a position to seek the truth and chooses the way of love, sowing reconciliation and fraternity," the pontiff told hundreds of thousands of worshippers and well-wishers, including President Raul Castro, seated front and centre.

"The truth is a desire of the human person, the search for which always supposes the exercise of authentic freedom," the pontiff, 84, told the vast crowd including hundreds of wildly cheering and chanting nuns, and others waving a sea of Vatican yellow and Cuban blue, white and red flags.

Hailing the Cuban government's granting of freedom of religion since 1998, Benedict also said Cubans' quests for truth generally should also respect "the inviolable dignity of the human person."

That sounded very much like an oblique reference to the situation of dissidents pressing for political opening in the Americas' only one-party Communist ruled country. Dozens were rounded up and arrested during the pope's visit, dissident sources said.

About 100 Catholic Cubans marched early on Wednesday from Havana's Catholic cathedral to the mass venue, carrying a statue of their patroness Our Lady of Charity. It was a celebration of the fact that until 14 years ago, religious processions were banned in officially atheist Cuba for decades.

"I came to honour the Virgin of Charity as part of the celebration we are having for the pope's visit," said Ever Marin, 13, who was taking part in a procession for the first time.

About a half million Cubans, on foot as well as packed onto state buses and trucks, thronged the square where revolution icon Fidel Castro famously gave countless addresses to masses of supporters beneath the Jose Marti monument. Benedict XVI was on Wednesday set to meet Fidel Castro, 85, at some point. » | Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Doctor Claims He Was Dismissed for Emailing Prayer to Colleagues
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Christian doctor who claims he was sacked for emailing a prayer to colleagues in a bid to raise their spirits is suing a hospital for unfair dismissal.

Dr David Drew, 64, told an employment tribunal that he was made to feel like a “religious maniac” after sending out the prayer by St Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, to motivate his department.

He said he was subsequently disciplined and ordered to refrain from using religious references in professional communication. When he sought clarification from executives, he was told to accept the recommendation without questioning or to resign, he claimed.

The report into his behaviour even chastised him for sending a text message to a colleague, Rob Hodgkiss, reading “Have a peaceful Christmas”.

"While DD may regard such messages as benign[,] RH perceived them as aggressive and unwelcome intrusions into his private time,” it said.

Dr Drew claimed Mr Hodgkiss had simply replied, saying “likewise”. » | Victoria Ward | Wednesday, March 28, 2012

L'école juive de Toulouse de nouveau menacée ?

LE POINT: L'établissement d'Ozar Hatorah, cible de Mohamed Merah, a reçu des mails de menaces antisémites vendredi dernier. Le Point.fr a pu les consulter.

L'établissement d'Ozar Hatorah, à Toulouse, n'en a peut-être pas fini avec l'horreur. Endeuillé par l'assassinat de trois élèves et du père de deux d'entre eux, le 19 mars dernier, le collège-lycée a reçu vendredi dernier trois messages à caractère antisémite. Le Point.fr a pu consulter l'intégralité de ces messages.

Un premier mail à été posté à 11 h 23, ce 23 mars. "Aller crever bande de chien de mort", suivi d'un autre message : "À mort les chiens" (NDLR : les messages, truffés de fautes, sont publiés tels qu'ils ont été écrits). Un autre courrier électronique stipule : "Partez tous dans votre pays de merde et laisser la France en paix. Par votre faute il ya du terrorisme. Gros bisous à vos enfants mort à Toulouse ce n'ai que le début à très bientôt."

À 15 h 50, la tension est montée d'un cran au sein de la direction de l'établissement scolaire, car, à cet instant précis, un dernier message contenant des propos appelant explicitement à la haine envers les Juifs est expédié sur la boîte mail du directeur de l'école. » | Par Armel Méhani | mercredi 28 mars 2012

Le père de Mohamed Merah : "Je m'exprime comme je veux !"

LE POINT: Le père du djihadiste, qui avait provoqué l'indignation après avoir déclaré qu'il voulait porter plainte contre la France, n'entend pas se taire.

Le père du djihadiste français Mohamed Merah a dénié à tout responsable français le droit de lui "demander de se taire", dans un entretien publié mercredi, répondant au chef de la diplomatie française, Alain Juppé, qui lui avait conseillé de se "taire". "Aucun responsable français n'a le droit de me demander de me taire. Je suis un citoyen algérien libre dans mon pays, je m'exprime comme je veux, c'est mon droit de défendre mon fils et mon pays", a déclaré Mohamed Benalel Merah lors d'une rencontre mardi avec le quotidien arabophone Echorouk qui en publie le compte rendu sur deux pages.

Alain Juppé avait répondu, mardi matin, à Mohamed Benalel Merah qui avait déclaré, lundi soir, à l'AFP qu'il allait porter plainte contre la France "pour avoir tué" son fils. "Si j'étais le père d'un tel monstre, je me tairais dans la honte", avait dit le ministre, interrogé par Radio Classique. » | Le Point.fr | mercredi 28 mars 2012

We Will Insist on Applying Sharia in Egypt, Islamist MP Says

AL ARABIYA NEWS: Egypt’s Construction and Development Party (CDP) “won’t give up the application of the Sharia [Islamic law]” in Egypt, an Egyptian MP representing the party told an Egyptian daily on Monday. CDP is the political party of Egypt’s al-Jamaa al-Islamiya.

Hani Nour Eddin said that his party “will defend the second article of the (1971) constitution,” which stipulates that the principles of Sharia are the main source of legislation in the country, Egypt’s al-Masry al-Youm quoted him as saying.

Nour Eddin said that there is no disagreement among Egyptian political powers over the second article of the constitution, adding that his party is open to suggestions that are in accordance with the principles of Sharia. » | Al Arabiya | Tuesday, March 27, 2012

USA/Islam: The Islamic Circle of North America and the Sharia Campaign
INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC NEWS AGENCY (IINA): WASHINGTON – The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) announced a national Sharia education campaign to promote “religious freedom and combat Islamophobia.” This campaign will include an education tour to introduce Islamic faith to the American public, as well as billboards, college campus seminars, radio ads, and a national hotline to address questions about Sharia.

Sharia education and interfaith events and town hall forums are scheduled for 25 cities. According to Dr. Zahid H. Bukhari, president of the ICNA, “The First Amendment guarantees religious freedom for every citizen. Muslim Americans are asking for the same fundamental rights to observe Sharia, a component of the Islamic faith, in our personal, familial and religious affairs within the boundaries of the United States Constitution and all local, state and federal laws.”

Presumably these town hall forums are designed “to clarify misconceptions about American Muslims.” But suppose Sharia is incompatible with Constitutional guarantees? Suppose as well that Sharia, if widely instituted, would shatter provisions for free speech, individual rights and equal protection of the law?

It is certainly appropriate to educate the public about Sharia. Is it, however, appropriate to propagandize on behalf of religious attitudes that encourage hostility to women, that argue Jews are the progeny of apes and pigs and that can only accept categorical rights as opposed to individual rights? » | AH/IINA | Tuesday, March 27, 2012 (5 Jumada Al-Awwal)

Muslims Call New Religious Freedom Appointee a ‘Puppet’ for Islam Foes

THE WASHINGTON POST: WASHINGTON — One of two new members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has Muslim civil rights groups crying foul.

Zuhdi Jasser, who lauded a controversial New York City police surveillance program that targeted Muslims and helped lead the opposition to an Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero, has been appointed to the commission, which advises the president, Congress and State Department on religious rights abuses internationally.

“It would have been better to appoint someone who has some measure of credibility with Muslim Americans,” said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

“He has long been viewed by American Muslims and the colleagues in the civil liberties community as a mere sock puppet for Islam haters and an enabler of Islamophobia.” » | Lauren Markoe | Religion News Service | Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Syria: Bashar al-Assad Tours Homs as He Accepts UN Peace Plan

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: President Bashar al-Assad defiantly defended his record on Tuesday as he made a surprise visit to Baba Amr, the district of Homs devastated by the bloodiest government offensive of the year-long uprising against his rule.

Surrounded by a small crowd of ululating women and deferential men, some of them weeping, the Syrian leader stood amid the rubble and told residents that he had been left with no choice but to use force to end the rebels' stranglehold over the suburb.

"The state gave those who had strayed from the right path every chance to surrender their weapons, but they rejected and escalated their terrorism," he said. "So we had to act to bring back peace and security and to impose the law."

He promised that "life will return to normal in Baba Amr, better than it was before".

Raising hopes of a possible end to the violence, Mr Assad's government accepted a UN-backed initiative calling for a ceasefire, even as the United Nations released an estimate that the civilian death toll since the uprising began had climbed to more than 9,000. » | Adrian Blomfield | Middle East Correspondent | Tuesday, March 27, 2012

17 Weeks Holiday a Year for Ashton's EU Bureaucrats

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Diplomats working in Baroness Ashton's EU foreign service are entitled to 83 days or almost 17 weeks holiday a year, entitlements more than four times the holiday allowance enjoyed by most British workers.

Pressure is growing on the European Commission to overhaul Brussels staffing regulations that leave overseas EU leaving embassies and delegations empty for "many months" a year.

Generous holiday and flexitime are also topped up with two weeks off for "professional training in Brussels", meaning that overseas diplomats, representing 60 per cent of the EU's foreign service, can be out of the office for 19 weeks, nearly five working months, a year.

On top of that, additional "special leave" entitlements mean that diplomats working in 30 EU delegations in the Far-east, Asia and Africa can have their desks unfilled for between 21 to 24 weeks, up to half the working year due to time-off for officials.

This group of EU officials are also entitled to "two days travelling time and a paid business-class journey to Brussels or Phuket for the official and his/her family".

A "working document" produced by Ingeborg Graessle, a German Christian Democrat MEP, has concluded that time-off is so liberal for staff that for much of the year the European foreign service is on holiday rather than being at work in the EU's 130 delegations across the world. » | Bruno Waterfield | Brussels | Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Rowan Williams: Fixation with Gay Rights, Race and Feminism Threatens Society

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A fixation with gay rights, feminism and separate racial identities is threatening to “fragment” British society, the Archbishop of Canterbury has claimed.

Dr Rowan Williams warned that identity had become a “slippery” word and that, while much had been achieved for minority groups, it was time to focus on the common good.

He also attacked a culture of dependence on welfare handouts, which he said was harmful to society, in an address to members of the Welsh Assembly in Cardiff.

Addressing a group of teenagers during the visit, he also spoke about the possibility that Britain could break apart as Scottish and Welsh nationalism grows in importance.

Dr Williams, who is stepping down as leader of the Anglican Communion later this year, has made a series of outspoken interventions since announcing his resignation.

He signalled last week that he plans to use his final months in office to speak out forcefully on issues which on which he feels passionate. » | John Bingham | Religious Affairs Editor | Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Vom Islam zum Christentum

Michael Savage - Oliver Stone's Son Converts to Islam, Controversy Ensues - (Aired on February 14, 2012)

Related »

Arab Spring Leads to Wave of Middle East State Executions
THE GUARDIAN: Arab uprisings lead to rise in capital punishment in Middle East but Amnesty finds some comfort in world figures – even in China

Middle Eastern countries have stepped up their use of capital punishment, executing hundreds of people as rulers across the region seek to deter the wave of uprisings sweeping the Arab countries.

Despite a significant reduction in the number of countries that used the death penalty worldwide last year, there was a sharp rise in executions in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Yemen, according to Amnesty International's annual capital punishment survey, released on Tuesday.

China remained at the top of the list of the countries with the worst record of executions last year. Authorities in China maintained their policy of refusing to release precise figures on the death penalty in the country, which they consider a state secret. » | Saeed Kamali Dehghan and Ed Pilkington in New York | Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Capital punishment in 2011 – interactive »

Santorum: No Regrets about "Taking On" Reporter

Read the article here | Lucy Madison | Monday, March 26, 2012
TELEGRAPH – BLOGS – TIM STANLEY: For his own good, Rick Santorum should be bound and gagged in public » | Tim Stanley | Tuesday, March 27, 2012

My comment:

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Rick Santorum is a kook. The USA, the world cannot afford a president like him. He'll turn the clocks back at worst, and cause a major conflagration at worst. Keep him OUT of the White House! – © Mark

This comment also appears here

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Inside Story Americas: Why Do Americans Love Their Guns?
As thousands die from gunshots every year we ask why most people are still fiercely defending the gun culture in the US.

Bahrain Leans on Grand Prix Race to Restore Image
Bahrain was the first Middle Eastern country to host a Formula One race, and it came as a heavy blow to the ruling Sunni monarchy's pride when their deadly crackdown on a massive Shia-based uprising last year prompted Formula One to (reluctantly) cancel the race. This year, the goverment is bent on holding the Grand Prix and says ticket sales are racing along. But activists, who are lobbying again for the race's cancelation, say the authorities' reform efforts are empty gestures, and they have promised to disrupt the race. Al Jazeera's Mohamed Vall reports from Manama.