Obama’s Visit Is Dividing Egyptians
THE NATIONAL (UAE): CAIRO – Since the May 8 announcement that the US president, Barack Obama, would deliver his long-awaited speech to the Islamic world in Egypt, the country has been gripped by “Obamamania”.



“‘Obama Flu’ is a new epidemic that hasn’t appeared except in Egypt,” wrote Ammar Ali Hassan, a political analyst, in the independent daily newspaper Al Masry Al-Youm last month. “This plague carries definite indicators that it’s more lethal than bird and swine flu, because its doesn’t attack the respiratory system, but the mind, heart and nerves.” 



Mr Obama is scheduled to give his speech on Thursday in Cairo. The visit has been hailed by the state media as a victory for the Egyptian regime against those who criticise its human rights and democracy records and a boost to Egypt’s role in the region.



On the other hand, many human rights activists, bloggers and critics of the regime were upset by the choice of Cairo, as they saw it as a US retreat on its push for democracy in the region and unnecessary boost for the government of Hosni Mubarak, the president, at their expense.



“We can’t deny our shock from Obama’s planned visit to Egypt,” said Abdel Halim Qandil, the spokesman for Kefaya, an opposition group. “When he comes to Cairo, he will be Mubarak’s, not the Egyptian people’s, guest. This visit will have a negative impact on Obama’s image, who is popular in Egypt.”



“Obama’s choice for Egypt wasn’t surprising, shocking or contrary to expectations,” said Ayman Nour, a leading figure in the opposition. “Egypt, with its size, people, location and history, is bigger than its regime and what it stands for.”



“The speech targets the Muslim people, not their governments, and addressing them with a new language by a president who has Islamic family roots,” Manar el Shorbagi, an assistant professor of political science at the American University in Cairo, said.



“In other words, the pragmatic Obama wants to close the ideological page of his predecessor and start a new page based on interests. To do so he has to address Muslims’ minds to reach their feelings and Cairo is the best place to do so, as Egypt is not only country of Al-Azhar and Islamic moderation, it’s also where political Islam, both intellectually and militancy, originated,” she said. 



The US Embassy in Cairo confirmed on its website yesterday that Mr Obama will deliver his speech at Cairo University. >>> Nadia abou el-Magd, Foreign Correspondent | Monday, June 01, 2009

THE TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama Will Pledge to Heal Rift with Islam

Obama fawning over the Saudi king in a disgusting act of extreme dhimmitude. From now on, it would be more appropriate to call the president Barack Hussein Abdulmalik (Abdulmalik means 'slave of the king'). Are we going to witness a repeat nauseating performance like this when Barack Hussein Obama visits the Saudi king in Saudi Arabia, I wonder? Photo: Google Images
President Barack Obama will offer a "personal commitment" to bridge differences between the United States and Muslims in a eagerly anticipated speech in Egypt this week.

The address at the University of Cairo on Thursday is the centrepiece of Mr Obama's second overseas tour as president. The trip begins in Saudi Arabia and includes stops at a former concentration camp in Germany and ceremonies in Normandy to mark the D-Day anniversary.

Robert Gibbs, the White House spokesman, said the president would "review particular issues of concern, such as violent extremism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict" and "discuss new areas for partnership".

"The speech will outline his personal commitment to engagement, based upon mutual interests and mutual respect," he said.

It is intended to be the president's most striking attempt – delivered in the heart of an Arab capital – to reassure Muslims of American goodwill and to repair the damage done to his country's reputation by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the controversial tactics of George W Bush's "war on terror".

The effort started at Mr Obama's inauguration and continued in Istanbul, when he said Islam had nothing to fear from the West.

The president, whose middle name is Hussein, is likely to play up his Muslim associations, having downplayed them for domestic consumption.

Denis McDonough, the deputy national security adviser, said that Mr Obama had "experienced Islam on three continents before he has been able to visit the heart of the Islamic world".

He cited the president's "upbringing" in Indonesia, where he spent four years as a child, and how Muslim Americans were "a key part of Illinois and Chicago", Mr Obama's base. >>> By Alex Spillius in Washington | Sunday, May 31, 2009

YOUTUBE: A Tale of Two Bows, Starring Barack Obama

Sarkozy Cancels a Visit to Sweden
STOCKHOLM NEWS: The French president Nicolas Sarkozy cancels a planed [sic] visit in [sic] Sweden. Officially the reason is that he has a tight schedule[,] but according to the newspaper Le Monde the real reason is that the Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs[,] Carl Bildt[,] talked about the importance of a Turkish EU-membership in an interview in the newspaper Le Figaro. Sarkozy is opposing a [sic] Turkish membership. (Metro) [Source: Stockholm News] Saturday, May 30, 2009

Island macht ersten Schritt Richtung EU-Mitgliedschaft
DIE PRESSE: Islands Außenminister Ossur Skarphedinsson bringt im Parlament einen Gesetzesentwurf ein, in dem die Abgeordneten aufgefordert werden, über die Aufnahme von EU-Beitrittsgesprächen abzustimmen.

Bild dank der Presse
Die neue isländische Regierung hat einen ersten Schritt hin zu einer EU-Mitgliedschaft unternommen. Außenminister Ossur Skarphedinsson brachte am Donnerstag einen Gesetzesentwurf im Parlament ein, in dem die Abgeordneten aufgefordert werden, über die Aufnahme von EU-Beitrittsgesprächen abzustimmen. Wenn die Gespräche mit Brüssel erfolgreich verlaufen würden, sollen die Bürger in einem Referendum über eine EU-Mitgliedschaft entscheiden. >>> Ag. | Donnerstag, 28. Mai 2009

Smoking Ban Threatens Hookahs
Painting by Jean Léon Gerôme* (1824 – 1904), entitled 'The Teaser of the Narghile' ('The Pipelighter') c.1898. Collection Ghassan Shaker Gallery Keops, Geneve, Switzerland. Courtesy of Google Images.
THE NEWS & OBSERVER: Hookah bar owners anxious about their survival hope for an exemption such as that for cigar bars

CHAPEL HILL -- A mellow vibe permeates Hookah Bliss these days as college students and other trend-seeking young people socialize over water pipes and burning lumps of pungent, fruit-flavored tobacco in the small lounge on the town's main drag.

That could dissipate, though, when indoor smoking in restaurants and bars is snuffed out across the state at the start of the year.

Hookah bars, which surged in popularity in America's college towns and big cities when tobacco use was in general decline, find themselves battling the smoking bans that are sweeping the country.

In North Carolina, hookah bar owners are joining forces to save their businesses. In the coming weeks, they hope to persuade state lawmakers to make legislative exemptions for them similar to those granted cigar bars and country clubs that will allow smoking after the indoor ban takes effect Jan. 1.

They know of the health risks of secondhand smoke but counter that their patrons choose to come despite the hazards.

The disparity between cigar and hookah bars "just boggles the mind," said Hookah Bliss owner Adam Bliss -- yes, that's his real name.

"Look at who goes to those places -- generally older, affluent white males," he said. "Besides the fact that this law is creating an elitist association between who can smoke and who can't, they're allowing government to put me out of business, and this is supposed to be a free market economy here."

Unlike bars and restaurants, which still attract customers for drinks and food despite the disappearance of ashtrays, the hookah bars could lose the reason for their existence.

The hookah is a centuries-old device of Middle Eastern and African origin through which flavored tobacco is smoked. Tobacco infused with honey, molasses and other flavors is placed in a bowl at the top of the pipe and heated with charcoal. As smokers inhale through a long, flexible stem, the smoke is pulled through gurgling, cooling water. >>> By Anne Blythe, Staff Writer | Monday, June 01, 2009

*Jean-Léon Gerôme was the son of a goldsmith who discouraged him to join the painting studio of a Parisian artist. He worked in France for a while, selling religious cards before moving to Italy. Gerôme was given a commission by the French government in the late 1840’s to paint a mural titled Age of Augustus. In order to acquire source material for this project, he traveled across Europe and Asia Minor and then spent two years working on the detailed painting. Upon its completion, Gerôme spent several months sketching in Egypt. Later in his career, he abandoned the mythological and history paintings for which he was known and began sculpting. He was appointed professor at the École des Beaux-Arts. [Source: World Wide Art Resources]

European Parliament Elections: The Possible Fallout
HOPE NOT HATE: UK prime minister Gordon Brown with the Hope Not Hate bus, part of a campaign to reject the British National Party when the UK votes in European Parliament elections on June 4. Photo courtesy of The Sofia Echo
THE SOFIA ECHO: The Telegraph is no friend of Gordon Brown’s Labour government, but its report that Labour’s looming humiliation in the European Parliament elections has profound domestic political ramifications is likely to resonate across the country.

"One thing is clear: most people want an election either now or, preferably, in the autumn once parties have cleared out candidates they do not want to stand in their colours," the Telegraph said on June 1 2009.

"Only one third want Mr Brown to go the full term which would take him to next summer. If Labour does come fourth on Thursday, the option may no longer be in his hands," the newspaper said.

The Telegraph, which has led the way in coverage of the expenses scandal, also gave prominent coverage to the controversy around Tory leader David Cameron’s mortgage payments. Most observers believe that both mainstream parties in the UK will be punished because of the expenses scandal.

Brown has insisted that he will stay on even if Labour is routed at the European Parliament polls, telling the BBC Radio 4's Today he was not "arrogant" or "unwilling to listen" but would "stay on to do the job" before calling a general election.

"I'm the best person to clean up the political system," Brown said. "I think the cleaning up of the political system is best done by someone who has got a clear idea of what needs to be done - and I have." >>> By Clive Leviev-Sawyer | Monday, June 01, 2009

Hawaii's Islam Day Resolution Stirs Passions Here, on Mainland
HONOLULU ADVERTISER: Debate over a legislative resolution designating Sept. 24, 2009, as Islam Day is testing Hawai'i's reputation as a cultural melting pot.

House Concurrent Resolution 100, establishing a single day this year to acknowledge "the rich religious, scientific, cultural, and artistic contributions" of the Islamic world, ignited the passions of those concerned about the connection between the Islam religion and Muslim extremists responsible for the 9/11 attacks and other terrorist acts around the world.

Gov. Linda Lingle's office reported receiving 315 e-mails and 40 calls objecting to Islam Day. About a third were from Mainlanders stirred up by accounts of the resolution on Fox News, CNN and other outlets.

In her May 11 appearance on "The Mike Buck Radio Show" on KHVH, Lingle called the resolution "just unnecessary" and said it was attracting the wrong kind of attention for Hawai'i.

"It just received ridicule all across the country. Everybody knows that the country and all 50 states are facing these historically difficult economic times. I think it's just an expression of them being out of touch," she said.

The Hawai'i Tourism Authority received a single phone call and 18 e-mails from Mainlanders who said they would not visit the state because of the Islam Day resolution.

HTA president and chief executive officer Mike McCartney noted the state has a long list of days celebrating various cultures and religions.

"Hawai'i has long tradition of being a place where people are welcomed, where everyone in the world can visit. It's a place that has tolerance and respect for many cultures and points of view," McCartney said.

In addition to the Christianity-based state holidays of Christmas and Good Friday, state law designates March 21 as Baha'i New Year's Day, April 8 as Buddha Day, and Dec. 8 as Bodhi Day, in honor of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism.

Sept. 24 was chosen as Islam Day because it marks the day, according to the Gregorian calendar, the Prophet Muhammad left Mecca for Medina and is considered the birthdate of Islam.

The Islam Day action, passed by the Senate on a 22-3 vote on May 6 after approval by the House, is only a resolution and will not become part of state law. The resolution also does not call for any public spending or official ceremony to mark the observance.

GLOBAL CITIZENS

Rep. Lyla Berg, D-8th (Kuli'ou'ou, Niu Valley, 'Aina Haina, Kahala), said she decided to sponsor the resolution following a conversation with constituent Hakim Ouansafi about a move by schools in her district to participate in the International Baccalaureate program, which aims to mold students into global citizens.

Ouansafi is president and chairman of the Muslim Association of Hawai'i and heads a hotel and resort development firm.
"In talking with Hakim, he suggested Islam Day as an opportunity for the community to learn about Islam and promote awareness," she said. "It didn't seem unusual because we have so many days."

Ouansafi estimates there are more than 4,000 Muslims in the state. He said Islam Day will allow his religion to join the list of other faiths that have already been recognized in Hawai'i and will help "bridge the gap of understanding" between Muslims and non-Muslims.

He said the Muslim Association of Hawai'i is planning events in connection with Islam Day aimed at putting misunderstandings aside so "we can all come together and talk about it."

Despite the initial backlash against Islam Day, Ouansafi said the controversy "has actually been wonderful. We had a tremendous amount of calls and e-mails of support once people understood lawmakers weren't declaring a state holiday for Muslims."

NEGATIVE REACTION

Berg said people who learned of the resolution through Fox News and similar sources "construed the recognition day as meaning we are sympathetic with terrorists. At the very onset, most of the negative e-mails and phone calls were mostly from people from the Mainland. We're not as threatened by differences here," she said.

In her May 11 radio appearance, Lingle criticized Berg for telling a critic of Islam Day not to come to Hawai'i.

"We were getting a lot of angry calls from the Mainland saying, 'We're not coming to a place that's having an Islam Day,' for whatever their reasons were," Lingle said. "So, we referred them all to Lyla Berg. We got a copy of an e-mail that was sent to her, and her response back was basically, 'Maybe it would be just as well if you don't come here.'

"Berg said her reply to the e-mails "was meant with aloha."

"I really felt that if people are so critical of Hawai'i without being here and they are so afraid of Muslims and believe we are terrorist sympathizers, and they are not familiar with Hawai'i's multiracial and multiethnic people, my response was if they are not comfortable in a multicultural environment it may be more comfortable for them to stay home," she said.

"(The resolution) was passed in the spirit of aloha and peace. Here in Hawai'i, that's how we live. Even if we have issues here in Hawai'i, we work them out. I was surprised and disappointed with the governor that she didn't capitalize on the diversity in the community, but she didn't grow up here."

Since the initial negative reaction, Berg said her office has received e-mails from around the world praising Hawai'i's open-mindedness and tolerance. POOR JUDGMENT CITED >>> By Christie Wilson, Advertiser Staff Writer | Monday, June 01, 2009

Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com

Human Rights Briefing: President Obama in Saudi Arabia and Egypt
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL (UK): Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said:

'As well as delivering his speech to the Muslim world and trying to kick-start the stalled Middle East peace process, President Obama should use this trip to deliver a few home truths to his hosts in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. His message should be unambiguous: both Saudi Arabia and Egypt's human rights records are atrocious and urgent reforms are long overdue.'

SAUDI ARABIA
Unfair trials and detention
Thousands of people are detained without trial as terrorism suspects, and human rights activists and peaceful critics of the government are frequently detained and imprisoned. When trials occur in Saudi Arabia they are shrouded in secrecy and are generally poor in quality and unfair. Even in capital trials, defendants are rarely allowed legal assistance and can be convicted solely on the basis of confessions obtained under torture or by deception.

Death penalty
In 2008 at least 102 people (39 of them foreign nationals, typically poor migrant workers) were executed, many for non-violent crimes - including drug offences, 'sodomy', blasphemy and apostasy. Those sentenced to death are often not informed of the progress of the case against them or the date of execution until the morning when they are taken out and beheaded. Most capital trials are unfair and held behind closed doors, while executions are carried out in public. Last week (29 May) a man was publicly beheaded and then crucified (his body displayed in a cruciform position) after being convicted for murder and other crimes, including the 'offence' of Luwat (homosexual intercourse). Another man recently had his 10-year prison sentence for drug smuggling increased to death. At least 38 people are known to have been executed in the Kingdom so far this year.

Torture and cruel punishments
Torture and other ill-treatment are widespread and committed with impunity by police and other officials in Saudi Arabia. Common methods are severe beatings with sticks, electric shocks, suspension from ceilings, sleep deprivation and insults. Flogging is often imposed as an additional punishment to imprisonment, with the number of lashes sometimes running into the 1000s.

Women's rights
Women in Saudi Arabia face severe discrimination in law and practice and are inadequately protected against domestic violence. Women are subordinate to men under family law, are denied equal employment opportunities with men, are banned from driving vehicles or travelling alone, and Saudi women married to non-Saudis are unable to pass on their nationality to their children. Many migrant domestic workers, mostly women, are kept in highly abusive conditions, being made to work up to 18 hours every day, in some cases for little or no pay. Domestic workers have no protection under Saudi labour law.

EGYPT
Unfair trials and detention
Egypt's justice system is riddled with unfairness. The country holds thousands of political prisoners in administrative detention under emergency legislation, many of them for more than a decade. Last year Egypt's Interior Ministry acknowledged that some 1,500 detainees were held administratively, though unofficial sources have put the figure at nearer 10,000. Grossly unfair trials are conducted before military and special courts, and civilians are frequently tried before military courts in breach of international fair trial standards.

Torture
Torture and other ill-treatment are systematic in police stations, prisons and State Security Investigation (SSI) detention centres. Most perpetrators enjoy complete impunity, while police often threaten victims with re-arrest or the arrest of relatives if they lodge complaints.

Clampdown on free expression
Egypt uses repressive laws to clamp down on criticism and dissent. Journalists are frequently prosecuted for defamation and other offences, and books and foreign newspapers are censored. Some internet websites are blocked and recently bloggers critical of the government have been arrested. Last year the director of the Cairo News company was fined approximately £17,000 for broadcasting footage of protesters destroying a poster of President Mubarak during a demonstration in April. In March last year Ibrahim Eissa, the editor of Al-Dustour newspaper, was sentenced to six months in prison (reduced to two months on appeal) for writing an article that questioned the president's health. He was charged under the Penal Code for publishing information considered damaging to the public interest and national stability.

Death penalty
Two people were executed in 2008 and another 87 were sentenced to death.

Slums and poverty
According to official estimates, up to 11 million people in Egypt (about 15% of the population) live in as many as 1,000 slums (ashwaiyyat) that lack adequate basic services.

ENDS

Amnesty International UK media information: 
Neil Durkin: 020 7033 1547, neil.durkin@amnesty.org.uk
Out of hours: 07721 398984, www.amnesty.org.uk
Read the daily media blog: Press release me, let me go
Follow us on Twitter: @NewsFromAmnesty

[Source: Amnesty International (UK)]

Irans Präsidentschaftskandidat will Frauenrechte stärken
TAGES ANZEIGER: Mir Hossein Mussawi will iranischer Präsident werden. Und hat Chancen es zu schaffen. Nun hat er sich für eine Stärkung der Rechte von Frauen ausgesprochen.

Bild: Google Images
Sollte er die Wahl am 12. Juni gewinnen, werde er das Parlament veranlassen, alle diskriminierenden Gesetze zu korrigieren. Dies sagte Mir Hossein Mussawi am Samstag bei einem Wahlkampfauftritt vor etwa 1500 Frauen in einem Sportstadion in der Hauptstadt Teheran. Unter anderem stellte er eine Abschaffung der Sittenpolizei in Aussicht, die über die Einhaltung von Kleidervorschriften wacht.

Iranische Frauen dürften ohne Zustimmung ihres Ehemanns weder arbeiten noch einen Pass beantragen. Auch das Erbschafts-, Scheidungs- oder Sorgerecht benachteiligt sie. >>> Montag, 01. Juni 2009

Papst lädt Obama zu erstem Besuch
TAGES ANZEIGER: Benedikt XVI. will US-Präsident Barack Obama im Juli kurz vor oder nach dem G8-Gipfel von L'Aquila zu einer Audienz empfangen.

Diplomatische Kreise des Vatikans und der USA bestätigten Vorbereitungen zur ersten Begegnung Benedikts mit Obama, wie italienische Medien am Sonntag berichteten.

Am wahrscheinlichsten sei nach dem gegenwärtigem Stand eine Audienz am 10. Juli, gleich nach dem dreitägigen Gipfel der führenden Industriestaaten und Russlands. Offiziell bestätigt ist ein Treffen des Papstes mit Obama noch nicht. >>> cpm/sda | Montag, 01. Juni 2009

Israël accuse Obama de penchants propalestiniens
Une colonie israélienne à Havat Gilad, à l'ouest de la ville de Naplouse. «Le gouvernement actuel n'acceptera en aucune façon que la colonisation légale soit gelée en Judée-Samarie (Cisjordanie)», a proclamé dimanche le ministre des Transports israélien, Israël Katz. Photo grâce au Figaro
LE FIGARO: Le gouvernement de Nétanyahou a répondu par un «non» ferme aux pressions américaines en faveur d'un gel total des colonisation. Pour la première fois depuis des années, des ministres israéliens critiquent ouvertement le grand allié américain.

Les relations entre Benyamin Nétanyahou et Barack Obama virent à l'aigre. Le premier ministre, qui a présenté son gouvernement il y a deux mois à peine, est désormais engagé dans une épreuve de force avec Washington. Pour la première fois depuis de nombreuses années, des ministres israéliens osent critiquer ouvertement le grand allié américain. En privé, des proches du chef du gouvernement, cités par les médias, vont même jusqu'à soupçonner désormais le président américain d'avoir des penchants «propalestiniens » ou de vouloir provoquer la chute du gouvernement de droite de Benyamin Nétanyahou.

Le conflit sur les colonies israéliennes de Cisjordanie ne cesse de s'envenimer. «Il faut qu'il soit clair que le gouvernement actuel n'acceptera en aucune façon que la colonisation légale soit gelée en Judée-Samarie (Cisjordanie)», a proclamé dimanche le ministre des Transports, Israël Katz, qui joue le rôle de porte-parole de Nétanyahou. Israël a ainsi répondu par un non catégorique aux pressions exercées par les Américains en faveur d'un arrêt total de la colonisation. Dans un premier temps, Benyamin Nétanyahou a tenté de manœuvrer comme si George Bush était encore au pouvoir en proposant de démanteler une vingtaine de colonies sauvages établies par des extrémistes de droite. >>> Marc Henry, à Jérusalem | Lundi 01 Juin 2009

Berlusconi Can't Rein In the Foreign Press
THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY: It's the Silvio and Noemi show – who's interested in Fiat now?

Silvio Berlusconi with his wife Veronica Lario, who has filed for divorce. Photo courtesy of The Independent
To say that Italy's Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, would like to control the Italian media, and to a large extent actually does, is hardly news. But last week saw him trying to rein in the foreign press too, and finding it rather more difficult.

The offending story is his relationship with an aspiring model from the Neapolitan hinterland, Noemi Letizia, and his mental health. A month ago, Berlusconi's wife, Veronica Lario, dropped a bombshell when she attacked her husband for making pretty showgirls into candidates for the European elections next week; she followed up a day later by saying that he also "consorted with underage girls" and "is not well". She said that he had gone to an 18-year-old's birthday party (Letizia's) when he hadn't even shown up for his children's 18th birthdays.

Since then, Italy and much of the rest of the world have been trying to work out what exactly was going on between Berlusconi and Letizia. Berlusconi is a media magnate who owns three of Italy's national TV channels and, as prime minister, has a dominant influence over the public broadcaster, RAI. He and his family own a couple of daily papers, one of the two main news weeklies and the country's biggest book publisher, Mondadori. He has been an active politician since 1994 and on the fringes since the 1960s. Despite this experience, his media management over the past month has been comically amateur. >>> By James Walston | Sunday, May 31, 2009

TIMES ONLINE: Silvio Berlusconi Blocks Publication of Bikini-girls Photographs

Silvio Berlusconi has blocked the publication of potentially embarrassing photographs said to include images of young bikini-clad and topless girls at his villa in Sardinia.

Police seized hundreds of photographs, which are believed to feature Mirek Topolánek, the former Czech Prime Minister, in the nude, after the media tycoon claimed that they constituted an invasion of privacy.

Some of the pictures were taken on New Year’s Eve, when Noemi Letizia, 18, was among the guests. Veronica Lario, Mr Berlusconi’s wife, announced more than a month ago that she will be divorcing him, partly because she could not “stay with a man who consorts with minors”. >>> Lucy Bannerman and Richard Owen | Monday, June 01, 2009

Gordon Brown to Be Grilled over D-Day Fiasco
Photo courtesy of Sunday Express
SUNDAY EXPRESS: GORDON BROWN is set to be hauled before Parliament tomorrow to explain his actions over the D-Day 65th-anniversary fiasco.

Veterans gathered in Northern France next weekend will have to make do with saluting an MoD lackey at a memorial parade because the Queen, head of Britain’s armed forces, has not been invited.

Andrew Rosindell MP will ask to be allowed to pose an Urgent Question, demanding to know why the Prime Minister failed to follow protocol.

If Speaker Michael Martin agrees to the move, which is expected to have the backing of the majority of MPs, Mr Brown will be forced to attend the Commons and explain his actions.

“It is shocking and disgraceful that the Queen, who is not only head of state but also head of the British Army, has not been invited to France for such an important event,” said the Tory MP for Romford last night. >>> By Marco Giannangeli and David Paul | Sunday, May 31, 2009

Church Demand on Our Voting Choice Is Arrogant
'RATHER SILLY': Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams. Photo courtesy of the Daily Express
SUNDAY EXPRESS: Five days from now we shall have voted, or more likely according to the opinion polls not have voted, in the European elections and the ecclesiastical establishment is getting its gaiters in a twist over its fear that we shall do something stupid.

The well-intentioned although from time to time rather silly Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams has been joined by the usually sensible Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu in issuing a rare joint statement.

Recognising the anger that exposure of the House of Commons expenses scandal has caused they urge that at a time of turbulence and disgust with the main political parties voters must avoid voting for the British National Party.

Their unprecedented intervention may have been prompted by an opinion poll that found that more than 25 per cent of the electorate is planning to reject the Westminster Establishment in the June 4 elections.

Yet the Church may have already undermined its authority to lecture the country about its behaviour. For one thing it supports multiculturalism and open-door immigration, outraging the vast majority of the population who were never asked if that was what they wanted, and the Archbishops have given the oxygen of publicity to a political party which is only a marginal force.

They may also have compounded their mistakes by assuming that we will put up with being told how we must, or must not, vote. The Archbishops’ intervention has been arrogant, patronising and unnecessary. >>> Jimmy Young | Sunday, May 31, 2009

Jacqui Smith to Fight US Shock Jock Michael Savage's Libel Claim after He Is Put on 'Least-wanted List'
Jacqui Smith put Mr Savage on a 'least-wanted list'. Photo courtesy of MailOnline
MAIL Online: Home Secretary Jacqui Smith will fight defamation proceedings launched against her by a US 'shock jock' barred from entering the UK, the Home Office said today.

Broadcaster Michael Savage has employed top UK law firm Olswang to sue Ms Smith for libel after she put him on the Home Office’s 16 ‘least wanted’ list.

Mr Savage said he was ‘outraged’ the Government had put him in the same category as Islamic hate preachers and terrorists.

The letter from Olswang, due to land on Ms Smith’s desk tomorrow, accuses her of making ‘serious and damaging defamatory allegations’ against him.

It says Mr Savage, whose show The Savage Nation has eight million listeners in America, has asked for ‘substantial damages’.
The Mail on Sunday has been told he is demanding £100,000.

But the Home Office vowed to fight the demands, insisting the decision to ban Mr Savage was the right one.

A spokesman said: 'As the Home Secretary has already said, he was excluded for engaging in unacceptable behaviour by making comments that might provoke others to serious criminal acts and foster hatred that might lead to inter-community violence.

'Any legal proceedings would be robustly defended; we stand by our decision to exclude this individual.

'Coming to the UK is a privilege that we refuse to extend to those who abuse our standards and values to undermine our way of life.'

Mr Savage says ‘lunatic’ Ms Smith had no right to put him on the same list as a former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard, a skinhead gang leader and a Hezbollah militant who served 30 years in prison.

The lawyers’ letter states: ‘Our client requires the payment of a substantial sum in damages to be agreed and retraction of the allegations.

He also requires a personal apology from you and an acknowledgement that the Home Office has agreed to pay a substantial sum in libel damages.’ >>> Simon Walters | Sunday, May 31, 2009

Britons Are Just a Bunch of Barbarians!
'Barbarians': Jeremy Paxman speaking at the Hay on Wye Festival. Photo courtesy of MailOnline
MAIL Online: TV presenter Jeremy Paxman says Britons are a 'bunch of barbarians' - for watching so much television.

The Newsnight and University Challenge star made the astonishing attack last night on the very people whose viewing habits provide him with his living.

Appearing at the Hay on Wye Festival, Paxman could not hide his contempt for the British love of TV viewing.

He was at the festival to speak about his passion for Victorian art and it was the final question he received from the audience that sparked off his vitriolic rant.

A woman questioned him about why so few people visit art galleries in Britain these days and asked if he thought fuller explanations of paintings on the walls alongside them would bring in more visitors.

Paxman, who had been telling the audience how hugely popular paintings and art galleries were in Victorian times, replied: 'I think the basic problem is that we are a bunch of Barbarians, really.

'It is immensely depressing. Watching TV is the most popular leisure activity in this country now. I find this very depressing. Very depressing indeed. TV Presenter Jeremy Paxman Brands Britons 'Barbarians' for Watching Too Much Television>>> | Sunday, Mail 31, 2009

Young Clergy Face Life on the Dole after Church of England Loses £1.3billion
No jobs: The Church is turning away graduates of theological colleges. Photo courtesy of MailOnline
MAIL Online: The Church of England is turning away trainee clergy for the first time in history after £1.3billion of its investments were wiped out in the financial crisis.

Up to a dozen graduates of theological colleges will miss out on their ordination next month and may end up on the dole as there are no parish jobs for them.

The Church has previously given all graduates placements in parishes as curates, which they need before they can become ordained as priests.

But now, to the anger of senior clerics, a spending squeeze means the number of junior clergy posts has been reduced and some trainees may quit the Church.

The unprecedented situation comes after the Church Commissioners, who manage the Church’s £5.7billion assets, announced it lost £1.3billion last year as share and property holdings plunged. >>> | Sunday, May 31, 2009

Getting to Know Obama
NEWSWEEK: The sides we're just starting to see

Barack Obama began his presidency with an unusual attribute, namely that the country already thought it understood him. The story he told in his two books was about a man of multiple worlds who comes to terms with his father's abandonment and a confounding racial identity. Obama resolves his anger by committing himself socially, religiously and eventually politically. He depicts his mature self as unusually able to see other points of view and bridge chasms.

The protagonist of these books is a persuasive and appealing character—so much so that he left little demand for alternative explanations. As time goes by, though, Obama's Obama feels less satisfying. It's not that the author's projection of himself is distorted in any obvious way, but that it leaves too much unexplained—his ambition, his aloofness, his fundamental beliefs. It's too soon to offer an interpretation of our president. But after four months in office, here are some emerging themes.

He sees the middle ground as high ground.

Candidates who talk about bringing people together or changing the tone in Washington are usually blowing happy smoke. But Obama's focus on reconciliation is clearly more than shtik. We saw this impulse at work when he made preemptive concessions on his stimulus package in an effort to win Republican support. We saw it when, at the G20 summit, he personally brokered a compromise between the French and Chinese presidents over international tax havens. Every few days, Obama tries for a "new beginning"—with Iran, Cuba, the Muslim world, Paul Krugman. Engaging with opponents animates him more than hanging with friends.

This is a wonderful instinct that is bettering America's image and making domestic politics more civil. But listening, and seeking compromise, is not a moral stance. Elevating it to one merely highlights the question of what Obama really stands for.

The consensus-seeker repudiates torture but doesn't want to investigate it; he endorses gay equality but not in marriage or the military; he thinks government's role is to do whatever works. I continue to suspect him of harboring deeper convictions. He's the decider. Really. >>> Jacob Weisberg | Saturday, May 16, 2009

Hat tip: Always On Watch >>>

American Capitalism Gone with a Whimper
Image: Google Images
PRAVDA: It must be said, that like the breaking of a great dam, the American decent into Marxism is happening with breath taking speed, against the back drop of a passive, hapless sheeple, excuse me dear reader, I meant people.

True, the situation has been well prepared on and off for the past century, especially the past twenty years. The initial testing grounds was conducted upon our Holy Russia and a bloody test it was. But we Russians would not just roll over and give up our freedoms and our souls, no matter how much money Wall Street poured into the fists of the Marxists.

Those lessons were taken and used to properly prepare the American populace for the surrender of their freedoms and souls, to the whims of their elites and betters.

First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather then [sic] the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas then the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their "right" to choke down a McDonalds burger or a BurgerKing burger than [sic] for their constitutional rights. Then they turn around and lecture us about our rights and about our "democracy". Pride blind the foolish.

Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different "branches and denominations" were for the most part little more then Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top protestant mega preachers were more then happy to sell out their souls and flocks to be on the "winning" side of one pseudo Marxist politician or another. Their flocks may complain, but when explained that they would be on the "winning" side, their flocks were ever so quick to reject Christ in hopes for earthly power. Even our Holy Orthodox churches are scandalously liberalized in America.

The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His speed in the past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and money printing has been a record setting, not just in America's short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more then another year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Wiemar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe.

These past two weeks have been the most breath taking of all. First came the announcement of a planned redesign of the American Byzantine tax system, by the very thieves who used it to bankroll their thefts, loses and swindles of hundreds of billions of dollars. These make our Russian oligarchs look little more then ordinary street thugs, in comparison. Yes, the Americans have beat our own thieves in the shear volumes. Should we congratulate them? >>> Stanislav Mishin | Monday, April 27, 2009

Hat tip: Always On Watch >>>

Radical Iraq Cleric Orders 'Depraved' Homosexuality to Be Eradicated
Moqtada Sadr urged for the eradication of homosexuality. Photo courtesy of Pink News
PINK NEWS: Moqtada Sadr, a radical Shiite cleric in Iraq, has ordered that the "depravity" of homosexuality must be eradicated, yet urged an end to violence against gays and lesbians.

His spokesman Sheikh Wadea al-Atab said today that a series of meetings are being held with clerics, tribal leaders and police to tackle the "phenomenon".

According to AFP, Atabi said: "The purpose of the meetings is to fight the depravity and to urge the community to reject this phenomenon. The only remedy to stop it is through preaching and guidance. There is no other way to put an end to it."

Regarding the recent killings of six gay men in Sadr city, on the outskirts of Baghdad, Atabi said: "Al-Sadr rejects this type of violence … and anyone who commits violence [against gays] will not be considered as being one of us."

Homosexuality is not illegal in Iraq but religious leaders condemn it.

Two gay men were found dead in the Baghdad Shiite slum of Sadr City In April following condemnations of homosexuality by a leading local cleric.

A further four were murdered in March after the Shiite cleric Sattar al-Battat allegedly repeatedly condemned homosexuality in Friday prayers. >>> By Jessica Green | Friday, May 29, 2009

YOUTUBE: Gay Life, Gay Death in Iraq


YOUTUBE: Gay in Iraq

Changing of the Rosenguard

For an explanation and to read further, click here >>>

Hat tip: Elisabeth of Austria >>>

Pakistan : «les talibans vaincus dans 2 ou 3 jours»
LE FIGARO: Après l'étape clé de la reprise de Mingora samedi, chef-lieu du district de Swat, l'armée pakistanaise espère venir à bout des talibans rapidement.

L'armée pakistanaise, qui a repris samedi aux talibans le contrôle de Mingora, chef-lieu du district de Swat (nord-ouest), espère venir à bout des talibans dans la région d'ici deux à trois jours, a déclaré dimanche le secrétaire pakistanais à la Défense.

«Les opérations à Swat, Buner et dans les zones voisines sont presque totalement achevées», a déclaré Syed Athar Ali, secrétaire pakistanais à la Défense, lors d'une conférence régionale sur la sécurité à Singapour. «Il ne reste que 5 à 10% du travail à terminer et nous espérons que les poches de résistance seront vaincues d'ici deux à trois jours», a-t-il ajouté.

L'armée pakistanaise a indiqué samedi avoir repris aux talibans le contrôle de Mingora, chef-lieu du district de Swat, et étape essentielle dans son offensive contre les islamistes, après des combats violents.

Les autorités pakistanaises ont annoncé que quinze mille soldats y faisaient face à quelque 2.000 talibans. Quelque 15.000 soldats sont engagés dans cette offensive dans la région de Swat face à 2.000 combattants talibans, a précisé l'armée.

«Les forces de sécurité contrôlent la ville. La bataille de Mingora est terminée», a déclaré samedi dans une conférence de presse le porte-parole de l'armée, le général Athar Abbas, selon lequel «Mingora est maintenant sous le contrôle total de l'armée.» L'information n'a pu être confirmée de source indépendante, les zones des combats étant interdites d'accès. >>> LeFigaro.fr | Dimanche 31 Mai 2009

North Korea, the Dead Land
THE TELEGRAPH: Hyok Kang, who escaped from his oppressive homeland in 1998, provides a unique and harrowing insight into Kim Jong-il's dictatorship, which can build nuclear weapons - but not feed its people

I was nine when I saw my first execution. The man had been condemned to death for stealing copper wire to sell in China, crossing the border under the cover of darkness. He was dragged to the foot of the mountain near a railway track. A train that happened to pass stopped to let passengers watch the scene.

Executions were a frequent occurrence in our small city, but the inhabitants never tired of them. Primary and secondary school pupils skipped classes to join the audience, which always consisted of hundreds, even thousands, of people. Posters went up in the city several days before. When the time came, the condemned man was displayed in the streets before being led to the place of execution, where he was made to sit on the ground, head bowed, so everyone could get a good look at him. He was dressed in a garment designed by army scientists for public executions, a greyish one-piece suit made of very thick, fleece-lined cotton. That way, when the bullets are fired, the blood doesn't spurt out but is absorbed by this fabric, which turns red. The body is thrown on a cart and then abandoned in the mountains for the dogs to eat.

was born on April 20 1986 in a village not far from Onsong, a city of 300,000 inhabitants in the north-east of the People's Democratic Republic of Korea, close to the Chinese border and Siberia. The city is divided into ku (districts) and ban (classifications) of 20 families. My parents lived in ban number three, in a semi-rural zone. The house was like dozens of others built on the same model and lined up in rows. There was a door, a single window, and a roof of curved orange tiles. The walls were white, but they had been painted blue to a height that I must have passed about the age of eight or nine. Each time the district officials came to check the hygiene of the houses, as they regularly did, they ordered us to change the colour of this lower part: to green, now blue, now light brown, but all the houses in our ban had to be the same colour; perhaps because dwellings, like everything else in North Korea, are the property of the people. That means that nothing belongs to anyone.

Inside were two rooms separated by a sliding door. The floors were covered with pale brown varnished floor-paper, and in the main room hung portraits of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. That was compulsory. You had to call the father: "Dear respected comrade head of state Great Leader Kim Il-sung", or, more simply, "Comrade Great Leader". For his son, the formula was "Dear Leader Kim Jong-il", until Kim Il-sung's death in 1994; then we had to call him "Great Leader Kim Jong-il". >>> By Hyok Kang | Sunday, May 31, 2009

*This Is Paradise!: My North Korean Childhood by Hyok Kang, is available from Telegraph Books from £7.99 + 99p P&P. To order, call 0844 871 1516 or visit books.telegraph.co.uk

VIDEO:
Welcome to North Korea! >>>

"Pour une Europe qui protège"
leJDD.fr: Le 7 juin, 500 millions de citoyens vont s'exprimer. A cette occasion, le président français et la chancelière allemande affichent une ambition commune: changer les règles de l'Europe. Dans une tribune publiée dans le Journal du Dimanche, Nicolas Sarkozy et Angela Merkel dévoilent leur vision de l'Union européenne. Les deux chefs d'Etat disent vouloir une "Europe forte et unie".

Aujourd'hui, plus que jamais, l'heure est à l'action. Le monde connaît une crise financière et économique internationale sans précédent depuis des décennies. Nous avons besoin de nouvelles règles financières, économiques et sociales. Les Européens doivent s'engager résolument s'ils veulent que le monde qui se construit corresponde à leurs valeurs de liberté, de solidarité et de justice. C'est ce que nous voulons. C'est ce que nous proposons à nos partenaires. >>> Par Angela MERKEL et Nicolas SARKOZY | Dimanche 31 Mai 2009

'Obama's Settlement Freeze Decrees Are Like Pharaoh's'
THE JERUSALEM POST: "The American demand to prevent natural growth is unreasonable, and brings to mind Pharaoh who said: Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river," Habayit Hayehudi head Daniel Herschkowitz said Sunday, referring to US President Barack Obama's demand to freeze all settlement activity, even that ensuing from natural growth.

Speaking ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting, mathematician Herschkowitz furthered his point with a simple equation. "If there is a family that expands from one child to four or five, what should we tell them - to ship the children off to Petah Tikva? This is an unacceptable demand, even if it comes from the Americans, and Israel should reject it decisively," he affirmed.

Interior Minister Eli Yishai said, "The American demand to freeze construction means expulsion for young people living in large locales. I hope the US administration understands that. If not, I don't want to be an apocalyptic prophet saying we're facing struggle and confrontation. The concessions they're demanding of us are a security impediment we cannot withstand." >>> By JPost.com Staff | Sunday, May 31, 2009

FOX NEWS: Israel: We Won't Bow to U.S. Settlement Requests

An official close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will not agree to U.S. demands to freeze settlement activity in the West Bank.

Israel will not agree to U.S. demands to freeze all settlement activity in the West Bank, the AFP reported an official close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying.

"I want to say in a crystal clear manner that the current Israeli government will not accept in any fashion that legal settlement activity in Judea and Samaria be frozen," Transport Minister Yisrael Katz said, using the Israeli term for the West Bank. "The government will defend the vital interests of the state of Israel."

It was the first high-level reaction to President Obama's call Thursday during a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that Israel stop settlement activity, a key hurdle in Mideast peace talks.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said last Sunday Israel will continue to build homes in existing West Bank settlements, but would not allow any new settlements to be created.

"We will not build new settlements," he said, according to remarks released by his office. "But it is not fair not to provide a solution to natural growth." >>> FoxNews.com | Sunday, May 31, 2009

Anti-Dhimmitude! Fears of Muslim Anger over Religious Book
THE SUNDAY TIMES: 'Does God Hate Women' by Jeremy Stangroom and Ophelia Benson cites attitudes to women and criticises Mohammed's marriage

Muslimatoon at prayer. Photo courtesy of TimesOnline
An academic book about religious attitudes to women is to be published this week despite concerns it could cause a backlash among Muslims because it criticises the prophet Muhammad for taking a nine-year-old girl as his third wife.

The book, entitled Does God Hate Women?, suggests that Muhammad's marriage to a child called Aisha is "not entirely compatible with the idea that he had the best interests of women at heart".

It also says that Cherie Blair, wife of the former prime minister, was "incorrect" when she defended Islam in a lecture by claiming "it is not laid down in the Koran that women can be beaten by their husbands and their evidence should be devalued as it is in some Islamic courts".

This weekend, the publisher, Continuum, said it had received "outside opinion" on the book's cultural and religious content following suggestions that it might cause offence. "We sought some advice and paused for thought before deciding to go ahead with publication," said Oliver Gadsby, the firm's chief executive. The book will be released on Thursday.

A recent novel that also dealt with Muhammad's relationship with Aisha provoked an outcry. The Jewel of Medina caused such anger that a Muslim extremist was convicted earlier this month of trying to firebomb the office of its publisher.

Continuum's book may cause a backlash because it sets out to be a factual examination of religious attitudes to women. British writer Jeremy Stangroom and his American co-author Ophelia Benson, whose previous books on philosophy and science have received favourable reviews, cite ancient Islamic scholars to support their case. They roundly attack previous attempts to "soft-soap" the controversial episode in Muhammad's life. In the aftermath of 9/11, the authors argue, a wave of political correctness aimed at building bridges with the Muslim world has meant accusations of "Islamophobia" have been used to silence debate about the morality of social conduct, past and present.

Through a gruesome catalogue of abuses carried out against women in the name of Islam as well as other major religions, including Hinduism and Catholicism, Stangroom and Benson conclude that most of the world's great faiths are essentially misogynistic.

Among the many tragedies they cite are the deaths of 14 young girls in a fire at a school in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in March 2002. The girls died after being herded back into a blazing classroom by the country's religious police because they had neglected to don black head-to-toe robes in their rush to flee to safety.

However, the most contentious section of their book is likely to be their conclusions concerning the age at which Muhammad first slept with Aisha. >>> Christine Toomey | Sunday, May 31, 2009

Is There ONE Honest Politician to Be Found ANYWHERE?
MAIL Online: David Cameron has now been dragged personally into the expenses row as it was revealed that he paid off a loan on his London home shortly after taking out a £350,000 taxpayer-funded mortgage on his constituency house.

The disclosure followed a powerful call by the Tory leader for the 'full force of the law' to be deployed against MPs who have abused allowances.

Following a Mail on Sunday investigation Mr Cameron could now face searching questions about his own expense claims.

He took out the £350,000 mortgage - close to the maximum amount that can be claimed for - to buy a large house in Oxfordshire in August 2001, two months after winning his Witney seat in the General Election.

By nominating it as his second home, he was able to claim for the mortgage interest payments under the now-infamous Commons' Additional Costs Allowance (ACA). David Cameron Took Out Maximum Taxpayer-funded Mortgage - Then Paid Off Own £75k Loan Four Months Later >>> Glen Owen | Saturday, May 30, 2009

Come and Kill Us! We Love You All!
THE SUNDAY TIMES: PRESIDENT Barack Obama will offer his personal commitment to “change the conversation” with the Muslim world in a long-awaited speech in Cairo this week.

White House advisers vowed that Obama would “take on the tough issues”, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and offer to bridge differences with Muslims based on “mutual interests and mutual respect” - the same words used in his address to the Turkish parliament last month.

Administration officials say privately that Obama has given himself two years for a diplomatic breakthough on a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians, despite the opposition of Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, to America’s minimum demand for a freeze on all settlement building in disputed territory.

Expectations are high for Obama’s Middle East visit, which begins with a meeting with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh on Wednesday to discuss the Arab peace initiative and relations with Iran before he arrives in Egypt the next day. Obama Offers Olive Branch of ‘Respect’ to Middle East >>> Sarah Baxter and Uzi Mahnaimi in Tel Aviv | Sunday, May 31, 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

David Cameron's European Policies Criticised by Tory Grandees
THE TELEGRAPH: David Cameron's policies on Europe have come under fire from a group of Tory grandees, less than a week before the European elections

David Cameron has come under fire from Tory grandees. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
The Conservative leader, who is currently on a tour of the Czech Republic and Poland, is preparing to remove his MEPs from the European People's Party after Thursday's elections. He is also planning to reopen the Lisbon Treaty debate and stage a referendum on it in Britain if he wins power.

Several retired senior diplomats and two former Tory cabinet ministers have strongly criticised his policies however.

Lord Kerr of Kinlochard, a former head of the Foreign Office who was Britain's ambassador to the EU at the time of the Maastricht treaty negotiations in 1991, told The Guardian: "I do not understand a rigid commitment to impotence.

"I do not understand why (the Czech and Polish parties who will form a new group with the Tories) are preferable to Angela Merkel or Nicolas Sarkozy, or why they think the route to influence lies that way."

Lord Tugendhat and Lord Patten, former Conservative European commissioners, called the move "unwise", while Lord Brittan, another former Commissioner and ex-Home Secretary said: "There is no doubt that the attempt to leave the EPP has annoyed a lot of the European leaders who are members of the EPP and are in government.

"It will make it more difficult to establish relations with them." >>> By Chris Irvine | Saturday, May 30, 2009

Poll Reveals Labour Heading for Election Humiliation
Under Gordon Brown's leadership, Labour's poll rating has slid to its lowest mark in history. Photo courtesy of TimesOnline
TIMES ONLINE: The expenses scandal has had a devastating impact on Labour and Gordon Brown, a Populus poll for The Times finds today.

Labour’s overall position has slid to 21 per cent, its lowest in polling history. When asked how they would vote in next week’s European election, those polled have put Labour in third place behind UKIP and the Tories, for the first time.

All the minority parties, including the Greens and the British National Party, have made striking advances in the past three weeks as the row over MPs’ allowances has engulfed all the main parties.

Surprisingly the Liberal Democrats have been hit almost as badly as Labour in both the general election and European voting standings. >>> Philip Webster, Political Editor | Saturday, May 30, 2009

Allah! Allah! Allah! Allah! O Beneficent Allah!
Investigation: Alison Phillips was sacked after parents claimed their children were made to pray to Allah during an RE lesson. Photo courtesy of MailOnline
MAIL Online: A teacher has been sacked after parents claimed that their children were forced to pray to Allah during a religious education lesson.

Alison Phillips was accused of giving two pupils detention after they refused to kneel down and 'pray to Allah' during the class. Teacher Sacked After 'Making Pupils Kneel and Pray to Allah' During RE Lesson >>> | Friday, May 29, 2009

Ilan Halimi: un pote


YNET NEWS: France: 'Gang of Barbarians' Leader Confesses to Killing Halimi

Youssouf Fofana tells Paris court 'you know very well it was me' during presentation of forensic evidence; says he set young Jew alight

Youssouf Fofana, the presumed leader of the "gang of barbarians", confessed on Friday to killing French Jew Ilan Halimi in 2006 after detaining and torturing him for three weeks, said a source familiar with the case.

The trial is being held behind closed doors at a juvenile court in Paris because two of the remaining 26 defendants were minors at the time of the murder.

According to the source, who was present at the hearing, Fofana said "Yes, I did it; you know very well that it was me" during the presentation of the findings of two forensic experts who had examined Halimi's body.

AFP further quoted the source as saying that Fofana admitted to pouring a flammable liquid on Halimi and then setting him alight.

The prosecution described 28-year-old Fofana, whose parents came to France from Ivory Coast, as a "perverted megalomaniac" who instructed accomplices to target Jews for ransom kidnappings "because they are loaded with dough (money)".

French authorities found 23-year-old Halimi naked, handcuffed and covered with burn marks near railroad tracks in the Essonne region south of Paris on Feb. 13, 2006.

He died on the way to the hospital and was later buried in Israel. >>> AFP | Friday, May 29, 2009

THE FROZEN NORTH: Ilan Halimi – A Murder in France

In January 2006, a young man named Ilan Halimi arranged a date with a woman he’d met in the shop where he worked. She was a member of “The Barbarians,” a gang who lay in wait for Halimi that night and kidnapped him.

Over the next three weeks, Halimi was held in a basement and tortured to death. Beaten, stabbed and burned over four fifths of his body, Halimi was eventually found handcuffed and abandoned in a field. Halimi died on the way to hospital.

Now, over three years later, Youssouf Fofana, the leader of “The Barbarians,” is being tried in Paris for the role he played in those crimes. Fofana “swaggered into court” and shouted out the takbir (Allahu Akbar). He has also stated that he has “friends” in court who can take photographs and identify jurors. Fofana had previously tried to escape justice by fleeing to the Ivory Coast, but he was quickly tracked down and extradited back to France.

Twenty six other members of Fofana’s “Barbarians” are facing charges as well; one of the most disturbing aspects of this crime is the way so many people participated in it. Several of the accused have admitted that Halimi was targeted because he was Jewish, and they believed that their victim’s family would be able to meet their ransom demands.

In 2008, in the same Parisian suburb of Bagneux where Ilan Halimi was held captive, six youths abducted Mathieu Roumi. They handcuffed and beat him, wrote “dirty jew” on his forehead, and told him that he would die the same way Ilan Halimi did before finally releasing him. The American writer Nidra Poller has also compared Halimi’s murder with the killing of Sebastien Selam, a twenty three year old who worked as a DJ in a Parisian nightclub, by one of his Muslim neighbours. Selam’s murderer not only “smote his victim above the neck,” he mutilated his face and eyes. The murderer then returned to his family home, where he told his mother that he would go to paradise because he had killed a jew.

After Ilan Halimi was murdered, the Simon Wiesenthal Center sent a message to Nicolas Sarkozy, at that time the interior minister, saying, “These acts are a test for Europe. Jihadi violence, hatred and anti-Semitism must be prevented from taking root in French soil.” Sarkozy replied that antisemitic violence is “not inevitable” in France, and he considers combating it to be “a moral imperative.”

Ilan’s mother, Ruth Halimi, has said that she wants the public to know what happened to her son, so that this kind of story never has to be told in France again. [Source: The Frozen North] Written by niccolo65 | Monday, May 6, 2009

Zeitungsanzeige rief zur Ermordung Obamas auf
DIE PRESSE: Ein Blatt in Pennsylvania musste sich für eine Kleinanzeige entschuldigen, in der indirekt die Tötung des US-Präsidenten gefordert wurde. Der Secret Service ermittelt jetzt gegen den Auftraggeber der Anzeige.

Präsident Barack Obama. Bild dank der Presse
Eine Zeitung im US-Staat Pennsylvania hat sich für eine Kleinanzeige entschuldigt, in der indirekt zur Ermordung von Präsident Barack Obama aufgerufen wurde. In der Anzeige, die am Donnerstag im "Warren Times Observer" erschien, hieß es: "Möge Obama den Spuren von Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley und Kennedy folgen." Alle vier genannten US-Präsidenten fielen einem Attentat zum Opfer. >>> Ag. | Freitag, 29. Mai 2009

THE TIMES OBSERVER (WARREN): Classified Ad Draws Law Enforcement

An errant classified "personal" ad which appeared in Thursday's Times Observer has drawn the attention of law enforcement officials.

A person from Warren placed the ad, which apparently alludes to the wish that President Obama meet an untimely end by linking him with four assassinated presidents. The ad representative didn't make the connection among the four other presidents mentioned and mistakenly allowed the ad to run.

Upon realizing the mistake early Thursday morning, the ad was immediately discontinued and the identity of the person who placed the ad was turned over to Warren City Police as per newspaper policy. The local police department forwarded the information to federal authorities, as per department policy.

The Times Observer apologizes for the oversight. [Source: Warren Times Observer] Friday, May 29, 2009

Das Kreuz mit dem Kreuz in Österreich
Heinz-Christian Strache, der an einer Zigarette einen guten langen Zug genießt! Bild dank Google Images
WELT ONLINE: FPÖ-Chef Strache schwingt sich zum Retter des Christentums auf und bezeichnet rechtsradikale Jugendliche als Lausbuben

Wien - Bisher ist den Österreichern noch nicht ganz klar, bei wem sich Heinz-Christian Strache das mit dem hölzernen Kruzifix abgeschaut hat. Bei den Kreuzfahrern, vermuten die einen, bei den Mönchen der Gegenreformation, die anderen, bei Hollywoods Vampirjägern, die Dritten. Fest steht nur, dass der Chef der rechtsgerichteten Freiheitlichen Partei Österreichs (FPÖ) sich im EU-Wahlkampf gern als Christ gibt. Und das entsetzt viele Österreicher.

"Abendland in Christenhand" fordert die Partei derzeit auf Plakaten und in Zeitungsinseraten. Vertreter aller großen Glaubensgemeinschaften protestierten schon zum Wahlkampfauftakt gegen den Brachialreim, aber Strache legte nach. Bei einer Demonstration gegen den Ausbau eines islamischen Kulturzentrums in Wien reckte er in Exorzistenmanier ein Kreuz gen Publikum. Seine Anhänger johlten, der Rest des Landes ist sich seitdem ungewohnt einig in seiner Empörung über den Kulturkämpfer.

Bundespräsident Heinz Fischer sprach von einem "Verstoß gegen unseren Konsens, dass wir Religion und Politik im gegenseitigen Respekt, aber fein säuberlich getrennt halten". Der Erzbischof von Wien, Kardinal Christoph Schönborn, mahnte zu Christi Himmelfahrt im Stephansdom, das Kreuz als "Zeichen der Versöhnung, der Sühne, der Feindesliebe" dürfe nicht "als Kampfsymbol gegen andere" missbraucht werden. Strache hat Fischer und Schönborn nun um Aussprache gebeten - per Inserat in der boulevardesken "Kronen Zeitung". >>> Von Elisalex Henckel | Samstag, 30. Mai 2009

Austria’s Far-right Shows Its Strength
Youths make an illegal Nazi salute at a Freedom Party demonstration in Graz, Austria, May 2009. Photo courtesy of Global Post
GLOBAL POST: GRAZ, Austria — Flushed with recent electoral success, the Austrian far-right's bid for seats in the European Parliament has come with a level of xenophobic, pro-Nazi, anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim antics not seen for years — and in many cases against the law.

This is where "where the path of open doors takes you" said Heinz-Christian Strache, leader of the Freedom Party (FP), the largest far-right party in Austria, surveying the hall in which rival Sikh sects clashed May 24. The incident left Sant Rama Anand, a 57-year-old preacher, shot dead, 16 others injured and triggered rioting in India. According to Ewald Stadler, the main candidate for the FP's smaller breakaway rival, Alliance for the Future (AF), it was time for a travel ban on "problem gurus."

The week before, the FP's Martin Graf, deputy president of parliament, had said Jewish community leader Ariel Muzicant was the "instigator of anti-fascist left-wing terrorism." His comments even went too far for the AF, which is now keen to be seen as the more sober face of the far-right. The governing coalition has called for Graf's resignation. >>> By Phil Cain | Saturday, May 30, 2009

Rushdie’s Knighthood: Christopher Hitchens on Rushdie and Tony Blair
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«Little Istanbul», symbole berlinois des ratés de l'intégration turque
Un marché situé dans le quartier de Kreuzbeurg, à Berlin-Ouest,où les Turcs luttent pour sauvegarder leurs mœurs et leur identité. Photo grâce au Figaro
LE FIGARO: REPORTAGE - Ils sont 200 000 dans la capitale et quelque 2,5 millions à vivre en Allemagne. Les diplômés sont de plus en plus tentés de retourner dans leur pays où les perspectives d'emploi sont meilleures.

Les marchands de kebabs ont remplacé les stands à saucisses et à bretzels. Tous les commerces portent des inscriptions bilingues, en allemand et en turc. Les chaînes de supermarchés allemandes Lidl et Aldi vendent des produits importés de Turquie. Les femmes voilées n'attirent plus les regards curieux. Sur un plan, ce microquartier de Kreuzberg situé à Berlin-Ouest, à quelques pas de l'ancien mur, s'appelle «Kottbusser Tor». Mais pour les Berlinois c'est «Little Istanbul». Ses habitants peuvent y mener une vie parallèle, sans parler un mot d'allemand.

Au-delà de ses attraits folkloriques et de sa légendaire tolérance «multiculturelle», «Little Istanbul» est aussi l'un des symboles des ratés de l'intégration des immigrés turcs en Allemagne. La chancelière allemande et Nicolas Sarkozy, qui se sont tous deux prononcés contre l'adhésion de la Turquie à l'UE, y atteignent des sommets d'impopularité. Angela Merkel a réitéré sa proposition d'un partenariat privilégié avec la Turquie, sans que ce pays devienne membre à part entière de l'Union. Une telle position accentue le malentendu avec les immigrés d'origine turque, qui la considèrent comme une marque de mépris et le signe que l'Allemagne ne souhaite pas vraiment les intégrer. >>> De correspondant du Figaro à Berlin, Patrick Saint-Paul | Vendredi 29 Mai 2009

BBC Offers £30,000 and an Apology for Question Time 'Slur' on Islamic Leaders over Anti-war Protest
Former Daily Telegraph editor Charles Moore 'slurred' the Muslim Council of Britain while appearing as a panellist on Question Time. Photo courtesy of MailOnline
MAIL Online: The BBC has offered to pay £30,000 and apologise to the Muslim Council of Britain after airing claims that it encourages the killing of British troops.

The Corporation caved in after a panellist on the Question Time TV programme accused the country's most influential Muslim organisation of failing to condemn attacks on soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The broadcaster was threatened with legal action over comments by former Daily Telegraph editor Charles Moore during a debate about Islamic protests which marred a soldiers' homecoming parade in Luton.

Mr Moore blamed the MCB's leadership for its apparent reluctance to condemn the killing and kidnapping of British soldiers overseas. He went on to claim that it thought it was a 'good thing' to kill troops.

Faced with the threat of a writ, the BBC made an offer of 'amends' and an apology on the Question Time website. But this has been rejected and the MCB is demanding an apology on air.

The Corporation's decision to pay out will raise eyebrows in Whitehall, where ministers have refused to settle a similar defamation claim over a letter written by Communities Secretary Hazel Blears.

A BBC insider said the move has also angered Mr Moore, who was not consulted over the legal response to the complaint or even informed that an offer to settle had been made.

Question Time is recorded an hour before broadcast specifically so that legal advisers can check its content for possible libels.
No legal worries were expressed over Mr Moore's remarks, which were seen as provocative but not defamatory. >>> By Paul Revoir and Abul Taher | Friday, May 29, 2009

Apology for one and not the other: Charles Moore's words compared to Hazel Blears's letter. Image courtesy of MailOnline
BBC: BBC Offers Apology to Muslim Council of Britain over Guest's Remarks

The BBC has offered £30,000 and an apology to the Muslim Council of Britain after airing accusations that it encouraged the killing of British troops.

The corporation offered the settlement after a Question Time panellist accused the council of failing to condemn attacks on British soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Charles Moore, a former editor of The Daily Telegraph, made the comments on the programme in March during a debate about Islamic protests at a soldiers’ homecoming parade in Luton. He claimed that the council thought it was a “good thing, even an Islamic thing” to kill troops.

The council, an umbrella organisation representing about 500 Islamic bodies in Britain, said that his claims were a “total lie” and threatened the BBC with legal action.

It pointed to a 2007 interview with its secretary-general, Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, published in a national newspaper, in which he categorically condemned attacks on British soldiers.

Last night Dr Bari said: “These kinds of statements are very damaging, and we received many complaints from our Muslim supporters who said they were extremely offended by the comments. >>> Hannah Fletcher | Saturday, May 30, 2009

British Asians Are Role Models, Says Cameron
THE OBSERVER: British asians [sic] provide a model for the rest of the country, David Cameron declares today, as he argues that many Asians cannot be blamed for failing to integrate.

In a powerful article in today's Observer, Cameron says that Britain's drug ridden cities are understandably alarming many Asians. 'The picture is seriously bleak: family breakdown, drugs, crime and incivility are part of the normal experience of modern Britain,' Cameron writes.

'Many British Asians see a society that hardly inspires them to integrate. Indeed, they see aspects of modern Britain which are a threat to the values they hold dear. Not for the first time, I found myself thinking that it is mainstream Britain which needs to integrate more with the British Asian way of life, not the other way around.'

Cameron wrote today's article after spending two days with a British Asian family in Birmingham. The Tory leader stayed in the spare bedroom of Abdullah and Shahida Rehman's house and enjoyed a curry with the family.

During his stay Cameron learned how Muslims feel marginalised in today's Britain with one upsetting issue being the use of language.

'We must be careful about the language we use,' he writes. 'Many Muslims ... are deeply offended by the use of the word "Islamic" or "Islamist" to describe the terrorist threat we face today.' [Source: Guardian/Observer] Nicholas Watt and Jamie Doward | Sunday, May 13, 2007

Why Muslims Hate Dogs

Das Ende der alten britischen Ordnung
DIE PRESSE: Die Wirtschaft ist ruiniert, die politische Kaste hat sich mit einem parteiübergreifenden Spesenskandal diskreditiert, und der Premier hängt in den Seilen. Das Land geht harten Zeiten entgegen.

LONDON. Als Gordon Brown vor knapp zwei Jahren Premier wurde, versprach er den Briten: „Lasst uns das Werk der Veränderung beginnen.“ In seiner nur 23 Sätze langen Antrittsrede verwendete er das Wort „Change“ nicht weniger als sieben Mal. Seine Ankündigung ist wahr geworden. Doch nicht so, wie Brown es wollte. Die alte Ordnung ist fast völlig zusammengebrochen.

Denn Großbritannien erlebt dieser Tage ein dramatisches „Fin de Regime“. Zum wirtschaftlichen Bankrott ist nun auch noch die Selbstzerstörung der politischen Klasse getreten. Seit mehr als zwei Wochen enthüllt der „Daily Telegraph“ täglich die seltsamen Spesengebarungen der Abgeordneten des Unterhauses. Kaum einer der 646 Parlamentarier steigt mit weißer Weste aus. Die Mehrheit ließ sich alles von der Entfernung von Pferdemist bis zur Errichtung von Entenhäuschen auf dem heimatlichen Gartenteich vom Steuerzahler begleichen. Zuletzt kündigte Labour-Abgeordnete Margaret Moran ihren Rücktritt an. Sie hatte 25.000 Euro für ihr Wochenendhaus beansprucht, um dort Holzfäule beseitigen zu lassen. >>> Axel Reiserer | Freitag, 29. Mai 2009