MoD Issues Videos Warning Twitter Generation that 'Careless Talk Costs Lives'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Ministry of Defence has issued "Careless talk costs lives"-style public information videos on YouTube, warning servicemen and women and their families of the security risks involved in using social networking websites.

In one, a mother learns from her son, an airman, that he is expecting a"VVIP" visit at his base. She writes on Facebook: "Mark is ok and enjoying his first week at FOB Jackson. Very excited by VVIP visit." Then the doorbell rings, and a figure in a balaclava, camouflage gear and crossed bandoliers comes in and drinks a cup of tea with her while looking at her son's baby photos. On-screen text warns: "It may not just be friends and family reading your status updates". » | Tom Chivers | Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Coptic Bishop Warns Native Germans about Islam: "You're Up Next!"

HT: Faith Freedom »

Tunisia Fallout: Arab Leaders Warned of 'Unprecedented Anger'
THE TIMES OF INDIA: SHARM EL-SHEIKH: Arab League chief Amr Mussa warned Arab leaders on Wednesday that the hardships of ordinary Tunisians that sparked a popular uprising were linked to "unprecedented anger" in the region.

Mussa was addressing an economic summit of Arab leaders in Egypt's resort of Sharm el-Sheikh that closed with a vow to "move forward in the development of our societies in terms of human development, technology, economy and society."

"The developmental challenges are no less important than the political challenges facing the region," the leaders said in a final statement after their one-day summit.

It was the first gathering of Arab leaders since Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was forced to step down and fled his country on Friday after 23 years in power.

"The revolution that happened in Tunisia is not far from the subject of this summit," Mussa said, amid fears of a spillover.

"The Arab soul is broken by poverty, unemployment and general recession ... The political problems, the majority of which have not been fixed ... have driven the Arab citizen to a state of unprecedented anger and frustration." >>> AFP | Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Herman Van Rompuy: 'Euroscepticism Leads to War'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Euroscepticism leads to war and a rising tide of nationalism is the European Union's "biggest enemy", Herman Van Rompuy, the president of Europe has told a Berlin audience.

EU Council President Van Rompuy delivers his State of Europe speech at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Mr Van Rompuy linked hostility to the EU, and the idea that countries could leave the Union, to a revival of aggressive nationalism.

"We have together to fight the danger of a new Euroscepticism. This is no longer the monopoly of a few countries," he said. "In every member state, there are people who believe their country can survive alone in the globalised world. It is more than an illusion: it is a lie."

The controversial comments made on Tuesday come less than a fortnight after David Cameron, the Prime Minister, declared that he was a Eurosceptic after his gruelling Brussels summit battle to block a sharp increase in the EU budget at a time of national austerity.

Bill Cash, the Conservative chairman of the House of Commons European scrutiny committee, "entirely repudiated" a link between Euroscepticism and the rise of nationalism.

"It is not anti-European to be pro-democracy. The problem is that the democratic base for the EU is wanting. The solution to the rise of the far-Right is proper democracy exercised through national parliaments," he said.

Clarifying the remarks, a spokesman for Mr Van Rompuy, stressed that he was not talking about Mr Cameron's brand of Euroscepticism but about those people who want to leave the EU. >>> Bruno Waterfield in Brussels | Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Greek Crisis: Tourists Told to 'Exercise Extreme Caution'
THE TELEGRAPH: Tourists visiting Greece have been warned to exercise "extreme caution" as the country's parliament prepares to vote on austerity cuts to tackle the financial crisis.



The Foreign Office advice came a day after three bank workers died in a petrol bomb attack as demonstrations against the hefty cuts turned violent.

President Karolos Papoulias warned that Greece was on the "brink of the abyss" hours before the parliament was due to vote on the austerity measures.

Bank workers went on strike on Thursday to protest the fatal attack that left three dead in the worst clashes Athens has seen since the country disclosed that it had covered up a black hole of £272 billion in debt.

Mr Papoulias's government has promised to carry out strict spending cuts - a condition of a 110 billion euro (£95 billion) bailout by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, which is aimed at preventing the spread of the debt crisis throughout Europe.

The Greek parliament will vote on Thursday night on proposed wage freezes, pension cuts and tax rises. >>> | Thursday, May 06, 2010

Warning for Britain as Financial Chaos Spreads to Spain
THE TELEGRAPH: Spain's economy was thrown into chaos on Thursday when its credit rating was cut, sharpening fears that Britain may suffer a similar fate.

The turmoil came just a day after Greece’s rating was cut, increasing concerns of a Europe-wide financial crisis.

The euro fell sharply and the interest rates European governments pay to borrow money jumped after Standard and Poor’s, a credit ratings agency, downgraded Spain.

Last night the government in Madrid appealed for calm, promising an “austerity programme” to cut spending.

But economists fear that events in Spain show that financial “contagion” is spreading from Greece, as investors are scared off investing in any European country with significant government deficits. >>> James Kirkup and Christopher Hope | Thursday, April 29, 2010

Britain Risks Greek-style Crisis, Warns Vince Cable
THE TELEGRAPH: Britain risks sliding into a Greek-style fiscal crisis unless the next government takes drastic action to cut borrowing, warned Vince Cable, the Liberal Democrat finance spokesman.

Greece is currently in talks with the IMF and the European Union on getting a €45bn bail-out package to prevent a sovereign default, and a slashing of its debt to junk status has sent global financial markets into a tailspin.

"The Greek position is much more serious but is a salutary warning that unless the next government gets seriously to grips with the deficit problems, as we're determined to do, we could have a serious problem," Mr Cable told Reuters Insider television. >>> | Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Five Million Should Flee Tehran Over Earthquake Fears: Ahmadinejad
THE TELEGRAPH: At least five million Tehran residents should flee Iran's capital because it sits on several fault lines and is threatened by earthquakes, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday.

A crowded market in Tehran. Photo: The Telegraph
"We cannot order people to evacuate the city... but provisions have to be made. At least five million should leave Tehran so it is less crowded and more manageable in case of an incident," Mehr news agency quoted him as saying.

Mr Ahmadinejad said the government could offer "land, loans at four per cent interest and substantial subsidies" in the provinces to encourage Tehran residents to leave the sprawling capital.

Tehran province has nearly 14 million inhabitants, eight million of whom live in the city, which straddles several fault lines. Experts have warned that a strong quake in Tehran could kill hundreds of thousands of people. >>> | Sunday, April 11, 2010

Kyrgyz Leader Calls for Trial of Ousted President
THE NEW YORK TIMES: BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — With Russia warning that his country was “on the verge of civil war,” the deposed president of Kyrgyzstan said that he would formally step down if there were guarantees of safety for him and his family. But, in a hardening of the lines, the country’s new leader said on Wednesday that he might face trial.

The fugitive president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, was speaking after the interim government that ousted him after bloody riots last week stripped him of immunity and threatened to send special forces to arrest him.

With conditions in the country still fluid on Wednesday, the head of the new government, Rosa Otunbayeva, seemed to adopt a tougher posture toward Mr. Bakiyev, ruling out safe passage for family members wanted by the new government.

Mr. Bakiyev must either stand trial in Kyrgyzstan or go into exile alone, she said — leaving behind brothers and other relatives whom she has accused of ordering the police to fire on demonstrators and of corruption.

At a news conference, Ms. Otunbayeva said that if Mr. Bakiyev waited until security forces loyal to the new government detained him, he would certainly face trial, adding that his time may already have run out.

“He has already had his chance to leave,” she said.

As she spoke, about 100 people gathered outside the Ministry of Defense building, which serves as the seat of the new government, to demand that Mr. Bakiyev be returned to the capital to face justice. >>> Andrew E. Kramer and Alan Cowell | Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Verbunden:

DIE PRESSE: Medwedjew: "Kirgisistan [sic?] könnte zweites Afghanistan werden" >>> Ag. | Mittwoch, 14. April 2010

Verschiedene Artikel über Kirgistan >>>

Saudi Warning That Sanctions Against Iran May Not Work
THE TELEGRAPH: Saudi Arabia has warned that Iran could develop a nuclear weapon before stronger sanctions take effect as Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, sought its support for a new round of UN-backed penalties.

U.S.Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal. Photograph: The Telegraph
Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said Mrs Clinton had correctly identified Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a serious threat.

"I hope that this doesn't lead to what it gives an indication of - which is a very extremist policy," he said.

He also said that "sanctions are a long-term solution. They may work. We can't judge.

"But we see the issue in the shorter term maybe because we are closer to the threat... So we need an immediate resolution rather than a gradual resolution." >>> The Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Muslims in 21st Century America: Warning from Europeans
NEWS WITH VIEWS: Part 18: Warnings from Europeans concerning onslaught of Islam

We Americans remain deaf, dumb and naive as to the onslaught of Islam in America. Because immigration ‘built’ this civilization, we think it remains wholesome, normal and needed. We think millions of immigrants stampeding into America share our values, our language and our excellence in education. We assume everyone enjoys spiritual and religious similarities that can only enhance America.

Up until 1965, that emotional paradigm ‘worked’ as 150,000 immigrants arrived annually from Europe. They couldn’t wait to speak English and couldn’t wait to become Americans. Most engaged a Christian spiritual foundation. We numbered a mere 194 million at that time.

But the late Senator Teddy Kennedy changed the dynamic in 1965 to include 1.2 to 1.5 million immigrants annually from over 150 countries. They piled into America while adding 100 million within 40 years. Hundreds of thousands of them, right out of the third world, had never seen a toilet, shower or lavatory. They lacked education. They enclaved and they remain entrenched in enclaves in major cities around the country.

Quite naturally, Americans flee such areas, which allows more enclaving with gross examples such as Detroit, Michigan.
Few Americans understand that out of the next 100 million people added to this country by 2035—a scant 25 years from now—over 70 million will be third world immigrants. If that doesn’t send a chill up your spine, you may be brain-dead, but still breathing.

When Muslims began migrating in huge numbers in 1990, they entrenched themselves in enclaves, and today, no matter how much you hear from the main stream media telling us how Muslim immigrants have successfully melded into the American mainstream—that cannot be farther from reality. One look at Detroit, Michigan; Freemont, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Houston, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois and dozens of other cities see a growing separation of Muslims from Americans. To give you perspective, … >>> Frosty Wooldridge | Monday, January 18, 2010

Iran's Khamenei Issues Stern Warning to Opposition
THE TELEGRAPH: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, warned opposition leaders on Sunday to distance themselves from protesters he accused of acting against the Islamic regime's late founder Ayatollah Khomeini.

Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi have faced mounting pressure since December 7 anti-government protests during which a poster of the late revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was allegedly torn up.

"Those who shout slogans in the name of these people (opposition leaders), hoist their pictures and speak of them with respect are in a point which is the exact opposite of the Imam (Khomeini), revolution and Islam," the Supreme Leader said on state television.

"When you see this, step aside," he said in remarks addressed to the two opposition leaders, who he referred to as his "former brothers".

"I don't believe in purging, I believe in maximum attraction, but it looks as if some people insist on distancing themselves from the system and they have turned a family dispute into a battle against the system," the Ayatollah said. >>> | Sunday, December 13, 2009

Army Chief Warns of 'Terrifying Prospect' of Failure in Afghanistan
THE TELEGRAPH: The head of the British Army, General Sir David Richards, has issued a wake-up call to the public by warning of the "terrifying prospect" of a defeat in Afghanistan.

General Sir David Richards attends a conference on the UK armed forces in central London. Photo: The Telegraph
In an unprecedented intervention, the chief of the general staff described the conflict as "this generation's war" and added that failure by Nato would have an "intoxicating effect" on militant Islam.

In his first interview as the head of the Army, Sir David told The Sunday Telegraph that if Britain and Nato failed in Afghanistan the risks to the western world would be "enormous" and "unimaginable".

He said: "If al-Qaeda and the Taliban believe they have defeated us – what next? Would they stop at Afghanistan? Pakistan is clearly a tempting target not least because of the fact that it is a nuclear-weaponed state and that is a terrifying prospect. Even if only a few of those (nuclear) weapons fell into their hands, believe me they would use them. The recent airlines plot has reminded us that there are people out there who would happily blow all of us up."

The general's intervention comes at a crucial time, with the US General in charge of operations in Afghanistan calling for more troops to be sent to the country to fight the Taliban.

At home, the Government has come under increasing pressure for the way it has handled the war, with critics saying the armed forces have been under-resourced. >>> Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent | Saturday, October 03, 2009

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: General Sir David Richards: 'We can't afford to lose the war in Afghanistan' >>> Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent | Sunday, October 04, 2009

Clashes in Tehran as Opposition Defies Regime Warnings
TIMES ONLINE: Supporters of the opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi fought running battles with riot police and hardliners on the streets of Tehran today as tens of thousands joined the first protests against President Ahmadinejad for two months.

The demonstrators defied warnings of a "decisive" crackdown from the elite Revolutionary Guard to mount the protest during the annual al-Quds rally, a mass display of solidarity with the Palestinians that is one of the set pieces of the Islamic regime.

Mr Mousavi himself was forced to abandon his own plans to join in the rally after an angry mob shouting "Death to the hypocrite Mousavi" attacked his car.

Another leading reformist, the former president Mohammad Khatami, was also roughed up on the streets of Tehran and had to leave after his robe was ripped and his turban fell to the ground. >>> Philippe Naughton | Friday, September 18, 2009

Fate of Swiss Expatriates in Libya Was Ominous for al-Megrahi Case
TIMES ONLINE: British and other Western expatriates living in Libya were warned in April that they faced serious repercussions if the Lockerbie bomber died in his Scottish prison.

“Word went out that there could be reprisals . . . . We were told not to go into the centre of Tripoli,” said one of the thousands of Westerners who are helping to develop Libya’s oil and gas fields. “Everybody went ‘eek!’. It’s so unpredictable here. You don’t know what’s going to happen. It could be something or it could be nothing.”

The expats were not told what the reprisals might be were Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi to die in Scotland, but the tale of a Swiss citizen called Max Goeldi may be instructive. Mr Goeldi has spent much of the past year holed up in Switzerland’s largely deserted embassy, unable to leave Libya and too frightened to set foot on the streets of Tripoli.

A visit yesterday by The Times to the high-walled embassy in a quiet residential street in the Libyan capital was interrupted at the door when two unsmiling men in a white car pulled up and asked our translator what we were doing. He fled. The men drove off when the embassy’s sole diplomat opened the gate, but the latter politely refused requests to see Mr Goeldi.

Mr Goeldi’s story — and that of the Swiss in Libya in general — demonstrates what the regime of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi can do if angered by countries that covet its oil, gas and lucrative development contracts. >>> Martin Fletcher in Tripoli | Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Israel Tells Nationals: Leave Sinai Immediately
HAARETZ: Counterterrorism unit warning of planned attacks during the upcoming Jewish holiday period.

Israel on Tuesday issued a travel warning for its nationals visting the Sinai peninsula in Egypt, advising them to leave the area immediately.

The warning came from the government's counterterrorism unit. The unit warned Israelis of planned attacks during the upcoming Jewish holiday period, which begins with Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), at sundown on September 18.

The announcement mentioned tensions along the northern border of Sinai with the Gaza Strip, as well as recent threats from Hezbollah to strike at Israelis. >>> Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent | Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Khamenei Tells Mousavi to Toe the Line over Election or Be Cast Out
TIMES ONLINE: The moderate Iranian leader who says that he was robbed of victory in last week’s presidential election faces a fateful choice today: support the regime or be cast out.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, has told Mir Hossein Mousavi to stand beside him as he uses Friday prayers at Tehran University to call for national unity. An army of Basiji — Islamic volunteer militiamen — is also expected to be bussed in to support the Supreme Leader.

The demand was made at a meeting this week with representatives of all three candidates who claim that the poll was rigged, and it puts Mr Mousavi on the spot. He has become the figurehead of a popular movement that is mounting huge demonstrations daily against the “theft” of last Friday’s election by President Ahmadinejad, the ayatollah’s protégé.

Mr Mousavi, 67, is a creature of the political Establishment — a former revolutionary and prime minister who would like to liberalise Iranian politics but has never challenged the system in the way his followers are doing. It was unclear last night what he would do or even whether the protests would die away if he backed down. Yesterday tens of thousands of demonstrators packed into the Imam Khomeini Square in Tehran — named after the founder of the Islamic Republic — for another massive rally, this one to mourn protesters killed in Monday’s clashes with pro-government militias. >>> Ella Flaye in Tehran, Catherine Philp and Martin Fletcher | Friday, June 19, 2009

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Warns Online Media
YNET NEWS: As opposition protest continues in post-election Iran, Revolutionary Guard announces websites and bloggers must remove any materials that 'create tension' or face legal action

Iran's opposition announced a third day of street demonstrations Wednesday as the country's most powerful military force warned of a crackdown against online media in its first pronouncement on the deepening election crisis.

Blogs and websites such as Facebook and Twitter have been vital conduits for Iranians to inform the world about protests over Friday's disputed election.

The web became more essential after the government barred foreign media Tuesday from leaving their offices to report on demonstrations on the streets of Tehran.

The Revolutionary Guard, an elite military force answering to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said through the state news service that Iranian websites and bloggers must remove any materials that "create tension" or face legal action.

The Guards are a separate military with enormous domestic influence and control of Iran's most important defense programs. They are one of the key sources of power for a cleric-led establishment that has been pushed by the crisis into an extraordinary public defense of the Islamic ruling system. >>> Associated Press | Wednesday, June 17, 2009

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates Warns North Korea
THE TELEGRAPH: Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, delivered a stark warning to North Korea on Saturday, declaring that America would not "stand idly by" while the regime threatened to "wreak destruction" with nuclear weapons.

Instead, Mr Gates urged "tough sanctions" against North Korea and pledged that Washington would not accept its possession of a nuclear arsenal. Kim Jong-il's regime was, he said, starving its own people in order to develop weapons of mass destruction.

Mr Gates's unequivocal message came during a conference of Asian defence ministers in Singapore. In his audience were representatives of the countries most threatened by Mr Kim – South Korea and Japan – and a delegation from China, North Korea's only ally.

"Dependent on the charity of the international community to alleviate the hunger and suffering of its people, North Korea's leadership has chosen to focus the North's limited energies and resources on a reckless and ultimately self-destructive quest for nuclear weapons," said Mr Gates.

"The policy of the United States has not changed: our goal is complete and verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, and we will not accept North Korea as a nuclear weapons state." >>> By David Blair in Singapore | Saturday, May 300, 2009

Pakistan Warns Taliban to Quit Buner or Face Action
REUTERS: ISLAMABAD - Pakistan warned the Taliban on Tuesday it would expand a military offensive to Buner, a district around 100 km (60 miles) northwest of Islamabad, if the guerrillas did not withdraw from the area.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said around 450 Taliban were reported to have sneaked into Buner on Monday.

"I warn them to vacate the area. We are not going to spare them," he told reporters.

"Action will be taken if anyone tries to block our efforts to re-establish writ of the government in Buner and other areas," he said. >>> Reporting by Zeeshan Haider; Editing by David Fox | Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Talibanisation of Pakistan a Reality, Warns Pakistani Media
SINDH TODAY: Islamabad – (IANS) The Talibanisation of Pakistan is not just a threat but a reality in the wake of Sharia laws being imposed in Swat and other parts of the country’s northwest, an editorial in a leading English daily said Wednesday.

Another editorial termed the Nizam-e Adil Regulation parliament passed to impose the Sharia an anathema on the constitution.

“Talibanisation is not just a threat, it is the reality today. Face it,” Dawn said in an editorial.

“There is considerable harm in it because such a regulation is anathema to the Constitution and shouldn’t have been acceded to and drawn up in the first place by the government,” The News maintained.

Dawn said it was “now clear” that the Taliban will not stop until they have their way.

“And this is their prescription for Pakistan: a nation, armed with nuclear weapons, jerked back to a mediaeval age. A country where men without beards are flogged, and women killed if they choose to express themselves.

“That is where we are headed. And one is wrong if one thinks this can’t happen in Pakistan. It can and it will unless we strike a decisive blow for the silent majority,” the editorial maintained.

“We must resist this onslaught,” it added. >>> By Sindh Today | Wednesday, April 22, 2009

DAWN: Pakistan Giving Up to Militants: Hillary

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday she believed the Pakistani government was abdicating to the Taliban and other militants.

In a testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Mrs Clinton warned that nuclear-armed Pakistan was becoming a ‘mortal threat’ to the world.

‘I think that the Pakistani government is basically abdicating to the Taliban and to the extremists,’ Mrs Clinton said.

She was referring to a deal Pakistan concluded with the Taliban militants in Swat, which gives them complete control over the valley. On Tuesday, the militants also took over Buner, just 60 miles from Islamabad.

Mrs Clinton also urged Pakistanis, living both in and outside the country, to realise how terrorism threatened the very existence of their state.

‘Pakistan poses a mortal threat to the security and safety of our country and the world,’ Mrs Clinton said.

‘And I want to take this occasion ... to state unequivocally that not only do the Pakistani government officials, but the Pakistani people and the Pakistani diaspora ... need to speak out forcefully against a policy that is ceding more and more territory to the insurgents.’

Mrs Clinton said the Pakistani government had to deliver basic services to its people or it would find itself losing ground to the Taliban, whose influence had spread in northern Pakistan and had raised concerns about the stability of the country.

‘The government of Pakistan ... must begin to deliver government services, otherwise they are going to lose out to those who show up and claim that they can solve people’s problems and then they will impose this harsh form of oppression on women and others,’ she said. >>> By Dawn’s Correspondent | Thursday, April 23, 2009