The Beginning of the End?
YNET NEWS: Young Iranians may topple Ayatollah regime in wake of elections fiasco

Upon the publication of the official results of the Iranian presidential elections in 2009, which showed incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the clear winner, regime rivals including the government of Israel can be satisfied.

Ahmadinejad’s victory, which most people believe was apparently achieved via a well-oiled machine of fraud, threats, the deployment of armed forces, closure of rival headquarters, and disconnected cellular phones, may mark the beginning of the end of the Ayatollah regime. This regime was established by the Ayatollah Khomeini 30 years ago, in 1979, after he led a revolution that toppled the Shah and the Pahlavi dynasty.

During the past 30 years, Islamic regime leaders made sure not to repeat the grave mistakes made by the previous regime. As they took advantage of the Shah’s mistakes in order to topple him, Islamic leaders knew precisely which errors to avoid. However, in the latest presidential elections they revived the well-known dictum that we are doomed to repeat our mistakes.

On several occasions during his rule, the Shah was accused of forging election results; large strata of society believed these charges and this laid the groundwork for the popular revolution against him in 1978-79.

Yet on Friday it was the Islamic regime which so blatantly forged the results of the Iranian presidential elections. >>> Soli Shahvar | Sunday, June 14, 2009

Al-Qaeda's American Member Talks of Jewish Roots
YNET NEWS: Adam Yahiye Gadahn, one of most known speakers of global terror organization, releases video in which he talks of his Zionist grandfather who tried to convince him to visit Israel

Al-Qaeda's American activist Adam Yahiye Gadahn released a new video on Saturday in which he denounces Israel and the United States and talks about his Jewish ancestry for the first time.

Gadahn, who is known as the American Azzam and is on the FBI's most wanted list, spoke about his Zionist grandfather, who used to encourage him to visit Israel.

"Let me here tell you something about myself and my biography, in which there is a benefit and a lesson…Your speaker has Jews in his ancestry, the last of whom was his grandfather," he said in the video. Gadahn grew up in California, converted to Islam in the 1990s, moved to Pakistan and joined the global terror organization.

Gadahn said his grandfather was a "Zionist" and "a zealous supporter of the usurper entity, and a prominent member of a number of Zionist hate organizations."

"He used to repeat to me what he claimed are the virtues of this entity and encouraged me to visit it, specifically the city of Tel Aviv, where relatives of ours live," said Gadahn, referring to Israel.

According to the terror operative, his grandfather gave him a book by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called "A Place Among the Nations" in which the "rabid Zionist" sets out "feeble arguments and unmasked lies to justify the Jews' rape of Muslim Palestine." >>> Ynet | Sunday, June 14, 2009

Tehran Youth: I'll Never Vote in Iran Again
YNET NEWS: Frustrated and outraged by election results they believe were rigged, Tehran's young take to streets, spread messages and videos on internet and via mobile phones calling on world to intervene

Iran's youth responded with frustration and anger to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad electoral win, which many believe was obtained by fraud. Some of them were able to voice their outrage through instant messages and video clips sent via mobile phones, or on blogs, forums, Facebook and YouTUbe before these websites were blocked by the authorities.

One of them, a young man from Tehran, told Ynet on Sunday: "I swear to God I'll never vote in Iran again. Mousavi received 25,000 million votes, but they changed the names (on the ballots)."

However he said that he was still hopeful in light of the great numbers of young Iranians who have taken to the streets in protest of the election results. Tens of thousands of people clashed with security forces in the capital of Tehran on Saturday, and at least two were reportedly killed in the violence. >>> Dudi Cohen | Sunday, June 14, 2009

YOUTUBE: Tehran – Vanak Square


YOUTUBE: Violence - Vanak Square


YOUTUBE: Clashes in Vali Asr Avenue

Die iranische Wahlfarce
DIE PRESSE: Der Triumph von Präsident Ahmadinejad riecht nach Betrug. Das wäre nicht nötig gewesen. Denn auch ein Sieg der Opposition hätte die wahren Machtverhältnisse in der „Mullahkratie“ kaum erschüttert.

Demokratie sieht im Iran so aus: Erst sorgt der Wächterrat dafür, dass zu einer Wahl nur Kandidaten antreten, die dem obersten Geistlichen, Ayatollah Khamenei, genehm sind und das islamistische System nicht infrage stellen. Dann dürfen die Bewerber Wahlkampf spielen; diesmal gab es sogar eine heftige Fernsehdiskussion zwischen den Präsidentschaftsanwärtern. Am Ende gewinnt aber immer der Richtige; da hilft das Establishment zur Not schon nach.

Es war ein ziemlich merkwürdiges Ergebnis, das der iranische Innenminister am Samstag dem etwas ungläubigen Publikum verkündete. 62,6 Prozent der Stimmen habe Amtsinhaber Mahmoud Ahmadinejad schon im ersten Wahlgang errungen, sein schärfster Konkurrent Mir-Hossein Moussavi lediglich 33,75 Prozent. Es ist daher nicht einmal eine Stichwahl nötig. Ahmadinejad wird schon seine Anhänger haben, vor allem auf dem Land. Aber gleich so viele? Der Sharia-Robin-Hood hat zwar in den vergangenen vier Jahren jede Menge Geld und Kartoffeln unters Volk gestreut. Als Erfolg ist seine bisherige Amtszeit jedoch nicht zu begreifen, zumindest nicht mit herkömmlichen Bewertungskriterien: Die Petrodollars des Ölbooms haben sich in Luft aufgelöst, die Inflation liegt sogar offiziell bei 15, die Arbeitslosigkeit bei schöngefärbten zehn Prozent.

Dementsprechend verdatterte Mienen löste nun das Wahlergebnis bei der Opposition aus, besonders angesichts der ausgelassen-jugendlichen Wendestimmung, die in den vergangenen Wochen in Teheran zu beobachten war. Sind die iranische Opposition und westliche Beobachter ihrem eigenen Wunschdenken auf den Leim gegangen? Oder inszenierten Ahmadinejad und seine Leute einen ungenierten Wahlbetrug monströsen Ausmaßes? Der Herausforderer Mir-Hossein Moussavi, bisher ein treuer Diener der Ayatollahs, wollte das Wahlresultat jedenfalls weder glauben noch anerkennen. Er sprach von einer gefährlichen Scharade. Als Ex-Premierminister sollte er wissen, dass die ganze scheindemokratische Kulissenschieberei, die seit der Islamischen Revolution 1979 praktiziert wird, eine einzige Scharade ist. >>> Christian Ultsch | Sonntag, 14. Juni 2009

Reza Pahlavi: Statement on the Latest Developments in Iran
Reza Pahlavi: (رضا پهلوی)
REZA PAHLAVI: Today the world is witnessing the demonstrated anger of millions of Iranians against a regime that denies their most basic rights, including the right to choose leaders who could improve their abysmal condition.

There is no exit from this condition, so long as one man appropriates onto himself the “power of god” and controls the judiciary, the media, the security forces and, through direct and indirect appointees dictates the only candidates claiming to represent an impoverished and disenfranchised people.

Today I stand united with my fellow Iranians and call for the end of the Islamic Republic, or any other prefix in front of the name of my beloved Iran that indicates theocracy or any other form of disregard for democratic and human rights.

I caution the world that offering any incentives or “carrots” to the theocracy under these circumstances is an affront to the people of Iran. This is not a time for short-sighted, self-defeating tactical games. This is the time for the free world to stand true to its principals and support the people of Iran’s quest for democracy and human rights. [Source: RezaPahlavi.org] Saturday, June 13, 2009

Election Clashes Erupt in Iran

Saturday Night Entertainment – Phil Collins: Another Day in Paradise

Saturday Night Entertainment – Joe Cocker: An Officer and a Gentleman

Saturday Night Entertainment – Celine Dion: My Heart Will Go On

YOU TUBE: Luciano Pavarotti & Celine Dion: I Hate You Then I Love You


YOU TUBE: Celine Dion: Because You Loved Me

Obama's White House Is Falling Down
SULTAN KNISH: In the sixth month of his presidency, Obama has turned an economic downturn into an economic disaster, taking over and trashing entire companies, and driving the nation deep into deficit spending expected to pass 10 trillion dollars.

Abroad, Obama seems to have no other mode except to continue on with his endless campaign, confusing speechmaking with diplomacy. It is natural enough that Obama, who built his entire campaign on high profile public speeches reported on by an adoring press, understands how to do nothing else but that.

While the press is still chewing over Obama's Cairo speech, this celebrity style coverage ignores the fact that Obama's endless world tour is not actually accomplishing anything. Instead his combination of ego driven photo op appearances and clueless treatment of foreign dignitaries have alienated many of America's traditional allies. Those who aren't being quietly angry at Obama, like Brown, Merkel or Netanyahu, instead think of him as as absurdly lightweight, as Sarkozy, King Abdullah or Putin do.

While his officials carry out their dirty economic deeds, Obama responds to any and every crisis as if it were a Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland musical, with a cry of, "Let's put on a show." Thus far Obama has put on "shows" across America, Europe and the Middle East. And what the adoring media coverage neglects to cover, is that Obama's shows have solved absolutely nothing. They have served only as high profile entertainment.

Neither alienating America's traditional allies, through a combination of arrogant bullying and ignorance, nor appeasing America's enemies, has yielded any actual results. Nor does it seem likely to. Islamic terrorism is not going anywhere, neither are the nuclear threats from North Korea and Iran. While Obama keeps smiling, the global situation keeps growing more grim.

At home, if Obama was elected as depression era entertainment, the charm of his smiles and his constant appearances on magazine covers appear to be wearing thin on the American public. Despite the shrill attacks on Rush Limbaugh or the Republican Enemy of the Weak-- the Democratic party of 2009, is polling a lot like the Republican party of 2008. The Democrats have suddenly become the incumbents, and the only accomplishment they can point to is lavish deficit spending, often on behalf of the very same corporations and causes they once postured against.

The European Union Parliament's swing to the right cannot be credited to Obama, though doubtlessly some European voters seeing socialist economic crisis management on display in the world's richest country decided they wanted none of it, but it is part of a general turning against federalism. And Obama's entire program is dependent on heavily entrenching federalism at the expense of individual and state's rights. Yet that is precisely his achilles heel with independent voters who are polling against more taxes and expanded government. And no amount of speeches by Obama can wish away his 18 czars or the national debt he has foisted on generation after generation of the American people. That leaves Obama with a choice between socialism and the independent voter. And thus far he has chosen socialism. >>> | Sultan Knish

Sieg des Populismus über die Vernunft: Kommentar zum Ausgang der iranischen Präsidentschaftswahlen
Bild: Google Images
NZZ Online – Kommentar: Der heisse Wahlkampf der letzten zwei Wochen und der grosse Aufmarsch der Wähler an den Urnen hatten bei vielen Beobachtern den Eindruck erweckt, bei den iranischen Präsidentenwahlen würde der bisherige Amtsinhaber Mahmud Ahmadinejad abgewählt. Doch wie sich nun zeigt, war der Wunsch der Vater ihrer Prognosen, Ahmadinejads prominentester Gegner, der ehemalige Ministerpräsident Mir Hossein Moussavi, würde das Rennen machen.

Die Konkurrenten des Präsidenten hatten dessen Politik einer vernünftigen und berechtigten Kritik unterzogen, auf die Ahmadinejad reagierte, indem er die Register des Populismus zog. Er bezichtigte seine Gegner der Lüge und warf eminenten Persönlichkeiten des politischen und religiösen Establishments vor, bestechlich und geldgierig zu sein. Mit der Verteilung von Geld und Vergünstigungen in den Vorstädten und auf dem Land hatte Ahmadinejad in den vergangenen vier Jahren sein Versprechen einzulösen versucht, die reichlichen Öleinnahmen auf den Mittagstisch der Armen zu bringen. >>> Von Jürg Bischoff, Beirut | Samstag, 13. Juni 2009

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Ahmadinejad Re-election a Blow to U.S.-Arab Allies

DUBAI--Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's announced election victory Saturday could deal a blow to Washington's Arab allies, who have been alarmed by Iran's regional ambitions and hoped his ouster might moderate them.

Officials in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and U.S.-allied Persian Gulf sheikdoms followed the elections in nearby Iran closely. Many have maintained cordial relations with Mr. Ahmadinejad. But tensions between Arab capitals and Tehran have escalated because of Iran's nuclear program and its sponsorship of proxies Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.

Friday's election had offered some hope that, should Mr. Ahmadinejad lose, rapprochement with Iran on a number of issues--from territorial disputes to business and trade ties--might be easier.

Mr. Ahmadinejad's biggest challenger, former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, had criticized some of Mr. Ahmadinejad's foreign policy as adventurism on the campaign trail.

U.S. officials and those across the Arab world saw Mr. Mousavi, a sober, experienced statesman, as an attractive alternative to the erratic anti-American firebrand president.

"The continuation of Ahmadinejad certainly poses challenges for the U.S. and the Gulf states," said Hady Amr, director of the Brookings Doha Center in Qatar. Still, he said, Gulf officials--however hopeful--have been braced for his election victory. >>> By Chip Cummins | Saturday, June 13, 2009

THE TELEGRAPH: Iran Elections Commentary: Dreams of Change Turn to Dust

In the mass election rallies of the last few weeks, countless young Iranians have dared to hope that real political change was possible. Those dreams have turned to dust with remarkable speed.

An Iranian woman argues with members of a group protesting against the Presidential elections in Iran. Photo: The Telegraph
The announcement that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has won re-election with about 63 per cent of the vote sends an unmistakable message: the leaders of the Islamic Republic will not bow to the verdict of the ballot box.

The official result of this contest lacks any credibility. One consistent thread has run through every Iranian election, without a single exception, since the victory of Mohammed Khatami, a liberal cleric, in the presidential polls of 1997: high turnouts favour reformist candidates, low participation rates help the hardliners.

No-one disputes that turnout in this election was extremely high, with the authorities suggesting it may have exceeded 80 per cent. But the same officials are asking Iranians to believe that, for the first time in their electoral history, a massive voter response has delivered a convincing victory for a hardline candidate.

Mir-Hossein Mousavi, the former prime minister who was Mr Ahmadinejad's leading challenger, has already said that he cannot believe that all past experience of Iranian elections has suddenly been turned upside down.

Shortly after the results were announced, Mr Mousavi denounced the entire process. "I will not surrender to this dangerous charade," he said. "The result of such performance by some officials will jeopardise the pillars of the Islamic Republic and will establish tyranny."

In the past, the regime has manipulated elections by preventing reformers from standing – a method used to particular effect in the parliamentary polls of 2004, when thousands of candidates were disqualified en masse.

But allowing a contender to stand, only to announce an utterly incredible result, is without precedent in a presidential election.
The central question is how Mr Mousavi might respond. He has already signalled that he will not quietly accept the outcome, but he has only two options, both fraught with risk. >>> By David Blair, Diplomatic Editor | Saturday, June 13, 2009

iPride Brings Homosexuals Together in Time for Parade
Nitzan Horowitz – openly gay Knesset member. Photo: Google Images
THE JERUSALEM POST: Citing the "ongoing struggle" homosexuals face in areas outside of Tel Aviv, Meretz MK Nitzan Horowitz, the second openly gay elected Knesset member, was one of several speakers who met with 50 people at the Gay Community Center in Tel Aviv on Thursday to discuss the role and envolvement of gay rights and activism in Israel as part of the five-day program iPride, culminating in Tel Aviv's Gay Pride Parade next Friday.

"The main problem is that most of the gay rights achievements have been won in courts, not through law… Court rulings can be reversed, which is why it's so important to establish gay rights in the legislation," explained Horowitz.

As Tel Aviv prepares to celebrate its centennial, the gay pride parade is included as part of the celebration. "I feel that there has been a change. We are part of mainstream [society]," said Jonathan Danilowitz, a former El-Al flight attendant.

He filed a complaint with the Labor District Court in 1989 to procure an equal right for his then partner of 10 years to receive free flight tickets.

"I felt an outrageous discrimination against me as a gay man," Danilowitz told The Jerusalem Post. "I wasn't going to put up with it and now feel a sense of pride."

The court ruled in his favor, marking an Israeli precedent granting gay rights. Equality under law and inheritance rights for gay couples also were approved during the same period.

After finding their voice and gaining new rights, the GLBT community had another sector of life to face - the army. But unlike other militarized countries, homosexual members of the army do not face discrimination from the Israel Defense Force, according to Major Yoni Schoenfeld.

"If in America the policy is 'Don't ask, don't tell," he said. "Then in Israel, it's 'You can tell, but we just don't care.'" >>> By Stephanie Rubenstein | Friday, June 12, 2009

YOUTUBE: iPride Tel Aviv 2009 Gay Pride Parade

Opinion: Mousavi Bad for Israel
YNET NEWS: A reformist win in Iranian elections will bring Tehran closer to bomb

Many people will breathe a sigh of relief should Mir-Hossein Mousavi be elected as Iran’s president. The question is whether a Mousavi victory and Ahmadinejad defeat will indeed serve Israel’s strategic interests, and the answer is probably ‘no.’

The election victory of reformist candidate Muhammad Khatami in 1997 and again in 2001 took Iran out of isolation, opened doors that were previously closed, and in fact extended the life of the Islamic regime.

In the face of Khatami’s smiles and promising slogans in respect to civil society, the rule of law, and intercultural dialogue, Israel’s warnings that we were dealing with more of the same appeared delusional. By winning the elections, and throughout his presidential term, Khatami managed to a large extent to neutralize the explosive domestic element and blur external criticism.

Only after the radical Ahmadinejad’s victory in 2005, and paritcuarly [sic] in wake of his venomous statements against the State of Israel and his prominent Holocaust denial, the Western world starting seeing Iran in the light Israeli leaders hoped for. This prompted Western states to gradually intensify the moves they were willing to adopt against Iran, including countries such as France and Germany, which until then refrained from adopting a harsh approach vis-à-vis the Islamic regime in Tehran. >>> Soli Shahvar | Friday, June 12, 2009

The writer heads the Ezri Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies at University of Haifa.

HAARETZ: Analysis: U.S. to Face a Bolder, More Confident Ahmadinejad

According to reports emerging from Iran's election supervisory agencies, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad garnered at least twice the number of votes compared to that of his main rival, Mir Hossein Mousavi.

Even when factoring in the number of forgeries, irregularities, disturbances, and threats against voters, this statistic is testament not only to the potency of the conservative camp but also the political acumen of Ahmadinejad.

Ahmadinejad's landslide victory (barring any surprises in the counting of the remaining votes) is not expected to change Iran's policy vis-a-vis its nuclear program nor will it impact Tehran's developing ties with the United States.

On these two matters, final say is not in the hands of the president but rather the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. Even Iran's support for Hamas, Hezbollah, and Syria is determined by numerous figures, among which Ahmadinejad is just one among equals.

Nonetheless, the U.S. - which took great pains in not declaring its support for any of the candidates and even declared its intention to hold a dialogue with Iran prior to the elections - is now likely to face a more rigid, self-confident Iranian interlocutor, a leader who feels no need to rally public opinion to his side given the fact that he is legally unable to run for a third term as president in Iran. >>> By Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz Correspondent | Saturday, June 13, 2009

THE JERUSALEM POST: Hamas Hails Ahmadinejad's Victory, Urges World to Change Policy

Prominent Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum on Saturday said that the Iranian election results were proof of Teheran's success in protecting the Iranian people's interests and meeting all the challenges facing the nation, Israel Radio reported.

Barhoum said that in light of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's reelection, the international community must change its policy towards Iran. [Source: JPost.com] JPost staff | Saturday, June 13, 2009

New Dark Age Obamonomics! US Cities May Have to Be Bulldozed in order to Survive
THE TELEGRAPH: Dozens of US cities may have entire neighbourhoods bulldozed as part of drastic "shrink to survive" proposals being considered by the Obama administration to tackle economic decline.

The government looking at expanding a pioneering scheme in Flint, one of the poorest US cities, which involves razing entire districts and returning the land to nature.

Local politicians believe the city must contract by as much as 40 per cent, concentrating the dwindling population and local services into a more viable area.

The radical experiment is the brainchild of Dan Kildee, treasurer of Genesee County, which includes Flint.

Having outlined his strategy to Barack Obama during the election campaign, Mr Kildee has now been approached by the US government and a group of charities who want him to apply what he has learnt to the rest of the country.

Mr Kildee said he will concentrate on 50 cities, identified in a recent study by the Brookings Institution, an influential Washington think-tank, as potentially needing to shrink substantially to cope with their declining fortunes.

Most are former industrial cities in the "rust belt" of America's Mid-West and North East. They include Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Memphis.

In Detroit, shattered by the woes of the US car industry, there are already plans to split it into a collection of small urban centres separated from each other by countryside.

"The real question is not whether these cities shrink – we're all shrinking – but whether we let it happen in a destructive or sustainable way," said Mr Kildee. "Decline is a fact of life in Flint. Resisting it is like resisting gravity." >>> By Tom Leonard in Flint, Michigan | Friday, June 12, 2009

Iran Elections: Ahmadinejad Declared Winner as Mousavi Supporters Clash with Police
THE TELEGRAPH: Iranian officials say Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has an unassailable lead in the country's presidential elections, prompting angry claims of vote rigging from his reformist rival Mir Hossein Mousavi and sparking scenes of violence.

A female supporter of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad displays her hand painted with the Iranian flag, also used as a sign for his party. Photo: The Telegraph
In a statement on Saturday morning, the interior ministry said the incumbent president had won 65 per cent of the votes, with nearly 90 per cent of ballot boxes counted.

That would put him clearly past the 50 per cent margin required to secure outright victory, and deal a devastating blow to the hopes of those who had backed Mr Mousavi, a former prime minister.

But at a tense press conference at midnight on Friday, Mr Mousavi declared that he himself was "definitely the winner. He accused Iran's clerical establishment, which is thought to back Mr Ahmadinejad, of "manipulating the people's vote" to keep him in power.

Meanwhile, Iranian police and Mousavi supporters clashed in Tehran.
"It is our duty to defend people's votes," he said, hinting that he might urge followers to challenge the verdict. "There is no turning back."

The apparent landslide victory by Mr Ahmadinejad comes despite widespread discontent among even his own followers over his dismal economic record and aggressive foreign policy. Polls had previously put him roughly neck-and-neck with Mr Mousavi, with some even predicting he faced a heavy defeat. >>> By Colin Freeman in Tehran | Saturday, June 13, 2009

WELT ONLINE: Erdrutschsieg: Durchmarsch für Ahmadinedschad bei Wahl im Iran

Irans ultrakonservativer Staatschef Mahmud Ahmadinedschad steht bei der Präsidentenwahl im Iran vor einem Erdrutschsieg. Nach Auszählung von mehr als 80 Prozent der Stimmen entfielen auf den Hardliner knapp 65 Prozent – doppelt so viel wie für seinen aussichtsreichsten Herausforderer. Der spricht von "Unregelmäßigkeiten".

Durchmarsch bei der Präsidentschaftswahl: Irans Staatschef Mahmud Ahmadinedschad steht vor einer zweiten Amtszeit. Bild dank der Welt
Ahmadinedschad kam nach Auszählung der Stimmen aus 87 Prozent der Wahlurnen auf 64,88 Prozent der Stimmen, wie die Wahlkommission des Innenministeriums am Samstag mitteilte. Sein aussichtsreichster Herausforderer, der gemäßigt Konservative Mir Hossein Mussawi, erreichte demnach 32,6 Prozent.

Gegen 04.20 Uhr MESZ waren laut der Wahlkommission im Innenministerium fast 29 Millionen Stimmzettel aus dem ganzen Land ausgewertet. Den vorläufigen Angaben zufolge erzielte Ahmadinedschad fast 19 Millionen Stimmen und lag damit mit mehr als 9,5 Millionen Stimmen vor Mussawi.

Die beiden weiteren Herausforderer Ahmadinedschads, der frühere Chef der Revolutionsgarden Mohsen Resai und Ex-Parlamentspräsident Mehdi Karubi, landeten den jüngsten Teilergebnissen zufolge deutlich abgeschlagen auf dem dritten und vierten Platz. Insgesamt waren etwa 46 Millionen Iraner zum Urnengang aufgerufen gewesen. >>> AFP/AP/omi | Samstag, 13. Juni 2009

leJDD.fr: Iran: Ahmadinejad haut la main

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a sans nul doute remporté le scrutin présidentiel iranien. Alors que tous les bulletins ne sont pas encore dépouillés, la commission électorale a validé samedi la victoire de l'ultraconservateur, candidat sortant, contre son principal rival, le modéré Mir Hossein Moussavi. Crédité de seulement 32% des suffrages, contre 64,5% pour son adversaire, celui-ci crie à la fraude.

Un succès si large qu'il ne peut être suspect. Voilà en substance comment les partisans du modéré Mir Hossein Moussavi accueillent ce samedi le résultat de l'élection présidentielle iranienne. Selon les derniers chiffres disponibles et après dépouillement de plus de 30 millions de bulletins de vote - sur 38 millions de suffrages exprimés - le sulfureux Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a été aisément reconduit à la présidence du pays. D'après des résultats rendus publics samedi par la commission électorale iranienne, et alors que le scrutin s'annonçait serré, le président sortant, ultraconservateur, est crédité de 64,5% des voix contre 32% à peine pour son principal rival. Les deux autres candidats en lice, Mehdi Karoubi, (ancien président du parlement, réformateur) et Mohsen Rezaï (ancien chef des Gardiens de la révolution, conservateur), se partagent le reste des suffrages. >>> Par N.M (avec Reuters), leJDD.fr | Samedi 13 Juin 2009

Iran: confusion autour du vainqueur
LE FIGARO: Imbroglio vendredi soir autour des résultats à l'élection présidentielle. Le président sortant, l'ultraconservateur Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a remporté la présidentielle de vendredi en Iran, a annoncé l'agence officielle Irna, quelques minutes après que son principal rival, Mir Hossein Moussavi, eut revendiqué la victoire.



"Sur la base des informations réunies par Irna, le Dr Ahmadinejad a obtenu la majorité des voix et il devance de loin Mir Hossein Moussavi," a dit l'agence.
Quelques minutes auparavant, M. Moussavi, un conservateur modéré présenté comme le principal adversaire de M. Ahmadinejad, avait revendiqué une large victoire, dans un communiqué lu à la presse.



"Conformément aux informations que nous avons obtenues, je suis le vainqueur de cette élection avec une marge importante", avait déclaré M. Moussavi.
"Mir Hossein Moussavi a obtenu 65% des voix", avait clamé peu auparavant auprès de l'AFP un de ses proches collaborateurs, Ali Akbar Mohatshemi-Pour. [Source: LeFigaro.fr] AFP | Vendredi 12 Juin 2009

David Miliband Calls Hillary Clinton to Voice Anger over Guantánamo Inmates' Transfer to Bermuda
THE TELEGRAPH: A high-level transatlantic row has broken out over the Obama administration's failure to consult Britain over the transfer of four Guantánamo Bay inmates to Bermuda.

Bermuda has agreed to take in four Guantanamo Bay detainees. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
David Miliband has telephoned Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, to express the government's disappointment at the deal.

British officials were informed the four Chinese Uighurs were heading to the United Kingdom's oldest dependency only as they boarded their plane for Bermuda on Wednesday night.

A British diplomat said: "The Foreign Secretary registered his surprise. It was a regrettable mistake. Bermuda, the UK and the US now need to work together to fix it and make sure it doesn't happen again."

A senior State Department official said this diplomatic understatement masked a real anger over the Obama administration's oversight among British officials, telling ABC News: "They're pissed". >>> By Toby Harnden in Washington | Friday, June 12, 2009

Prince Charles Wins Fight with Qatar Royals over Chelsea Barracks
THE TELEGRAPH: The Prince of Wales has won his fight to halt a £1 billion modern flats development financed by the Qatar royal family in one of London's most historic areas.

The developers have withdrawn the proposals for 548 flats in contemporary steel and glass towers on Chelsea Barracks.

The decision to back down comes only days after planning officers on Westminster Council submitted a report which praised the modernist development by Lord Rogers, the architect, who has clashed with the Prince in the past.

In a further victory for the Prince of Wales the Qatar royal family has invited Hank Dittmar, 52, the chief executive of the Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment to become part of the new design team. Lord Rogers, who has made no public comment, is not expected to feature in the redesign. Clarnece [sic] House declined to comment. >>> By Andrew Pierce | Friday, June 12, 2009

Leading Muslim Cleric Killed in Suicide Bomb Attack in Lahore
Sarfraz Naeemi, whose father founded the madrassa where the bomber struck, was well known across Pakistan. Photo courtesy of TimesOnline
TIMES ONLINE: A prominent Pakistani Muslim cleric who founded a religious alliance against the Taleban was killed today in a suicide bomb attack on his Islamic college in the eastern city of Lahore.

Sarfraz Ahmed Naeemi appeared to have been the target of the blast in his office at the Jamia Naeemia madrassa, which he headed and where he had just conducted Friday prayers.

Dr Naeemi — whose father founded the madrassa and who was well known and respected in Lahore and across Pakistan — died on the way to hospital, according to his son, Waqar.

“I was still in the mosque when I heard a big bang. We rushed towards the office and there was a smell of explosives in the air. There was blood and several people were crying in pain,” Waqar said.

Geo TV showed Dr Naeemi’s body lying on a stretcher, his beard and hair covered in dust and blood stains around his nostrils. >>> Jeremy Page, South Asia Correspondent | Friday, June 12, 2009

European Voters Know What They Don't Want
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Was it a swing to the right -- or just a return to reality? The result of the EU elections is not some terrible portent of doom. Instead, it is evidence that voters reward populists like Geert Wilders, who are not afraid to address issues that other parties don't want to touch.

There is always a certain amount of risk associated with any election. It is a truth recognized by dictators around the world -- leading them to prefer predetermined results. In the last elections for the North Korean "parliament," for example, the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland got 100 percent of the vote and all 687 seats. It was a result that was difficult to misinterpret -- and met the expectations of those involved.

The outcome of the European parliamentary elections was different. It was a disaster that became apparent as early as Thursday, when the results from the Netherlands became public. The right-wing populist Geert Wilders and his Freedom Party ended up as the second strongest party in the country behind the Christian Democrats.

Many were horrified. The correspondent for German public radio station ARD even called Wilders a "peroxide blond blowhard," a "sleazy provocateur" and a "petty patriot." In his commentary, the ARD correspondent went on to say that "his political program is focused entirely on demonizing Islam" and finished by saying that the Dutch should be ashamed of themselves.

Disdain for the Voting Public

But what looked on Thursday like a one-time lapse on the part of a single journalist had, by Sunday evening, become the mainstream message. The evening news wasn't just talking about a rightward shift in European politics. Rather, one got the impression that right-wing extremists were about to take over power. The presenters seemed not only to have expected a different outcome but saw no reason to hide their disappointment -- and expressed their disdain for the voting public accordingly.

On the German public television station ZDF, anchorman Claus Kleber spoke of the "renewed strength of the extreme right in Holland" as if it represented the reincarnation of the Nationaal Socialistische Beweging, the country's pre-World War II fascist party. Another ARD reporter, speaking of the 15 percent achieved by the anti-Semitic Jobbik party in Hungary, slid effortlessly into a report on Wilders' party in the Netherlands, as if the two results were somehow linked. Indeed, as the coverage focused on those parties that made gains, it was difficult to ignore the subtext of sympathy for the losses suffered by the center-left across the continent. How, the media seemed to be asking, could the social democrats have fallen so far? >>> By Henryk M. Broder | Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Five Gay Couples Wed in Marriage Ceremony on Tel Aviv Beach
HAARETZ: Five Gay couples wed Friday in a ceremony held on the Tel Aviv beach to mark the city's 11th annual Gay Pride Parade.

The white city was turned pink all day Friday as tens of thousands of gays, bisexuals, transgenders, and their heterosexual compatriots marched in the parade. The event was financed by the municipality and set out at 1:30 P.M. from the gay community center at Meir Park, after a happening and an international gay tourism fair in the park.

Massive traffic jams were expected, as several city thoroughfares were closed to traffic for the parade, which was guarded by police, Border Police and civil defense volunteers. Bograshov, Ben-Yehuda and Ben-Gurion streets were closed to traffic from 11:30 A.M. until 5 P.M., as were the streets leading to them. The parade proceeded from King George St. to Bograshov St., Ben-Yehuda St. and Ben-Gurion Boulevard and finally ended up at Gordon beach, where a huge party with singers and DJs was to be held be held from about 3 P.M. to sunset. The event is to culminate in five simultaneous gay marriages.

Alon Elbakri, 15, came out of the closet about a year ago when he told his mother that he was gay.

"All my life I've been attracted to boys," he said. "I'd go to gay sites on the Internet, but I kept fighting myself, saying 'I like girls,' even though it wasn't true. Last year, in eighth grade, I underwent a change and realized that's what I am."

Elbakri is not exceptional: A survey conducted by Dr. Guy Shilo of Tel Aviv University indicates that the average age at which Israeli gays come out of the closet is declining. The agonizing that plagued most gays until a few years ago now mostly ends during high school.

"We're witnessing a social change," Shilo said. "At the end of the 1990s, the average coming-out age was 22. Today, it's 16."

Shilo, the head of research for the gay youth movement IGY, recently completed his doctorate at TAU, on the consolidation of sexual inclinations among gay youths. "Gay boys and girls mostly start feeling different from their peers between age 10 and 13," he said. "But the time between feeling different about themselves and deciding to categorize themselves as gay is getting shorter."

One reason why teenagers are coming out sooner is earlier sexual development among both gay and straight teens, Shilo said. Another reason is the growing exposure to gay boys and girls on television and the Internet. The latter, in addition to various forums and informational sites, also provides gay dating sites. >>> By Ofri Ilani and Noah Kosharek, Haaretz Correspondents | Friday, June 12, 2009

Carlebach Like Never Before
Concert, London, June 14. 2009, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane >>>

Les femmes dans le monde arabe sont comme des "meubles" dénonce Kadhafi
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: VISITE OFFICIELLE | Le leader libyen a estimé que le monde avait besoin d'une révolution féminine basée sur une révolution culturelle.

Mouammar Kadhafi a rencontré des femmes italiennens au troisième jour de sa visite en Italie. Crédits photo: Tribune de Genève
Les femmes dans le monde arabe et musulman sont comme "des meubles" que l’on peut déplacer à volonté sans devoir répondre à qui que ce soit, a estimé vendredi le leader libyen Mouammar Kadhafi, au troisième jour de sa visite officielle en Italie. "La femme est comme un meuble qu’il est possible de changer quand on veut et personne ne demandera jamais pourquoi on l’a fait", a dit M. Kadhafi, cité par l’agence Ansa, au cours d’un discours devant des femmes italiennes provenant du monde de la culture, de la politique et de l’économie. >>> AFP | Vendredi 12 Juin 2009

Saudi Arabia's Renewed Political Influence Counters Tehran
Saudi Arabia's clout in Middle East politics may be on the rebound. At right, King Abdullah. Photo courtesy of The Wall Street Journal
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Saudi Arabia's traditional clout over Middle East politics appears to be on the rebound with the weekend election victory of its political allies in Lebanon, after years of frustration in Riyadh over Iran's regional ascendancy.

Invigorated Saudi influence could be important to the Obama administration's emerging strategy on Middle East peace.

The staunch U.S. ally is seen in Washington as perhaps the only regional powerhouse that can bring unruly Arab neighbors, in particular Syria, into line with the U.S. goal of a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace deal.

Both Riyadh and Washington believe that checking Iran's recently rising regional influence is a key element. Saudi officials could get another big boost if Iranian voters toss out hard-line conservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

For now, Saudi officials are savoring the weekend election victory in Lebanon of the so-called March 14 alliance. The Western-leaning bloc held on to its parliamentary majority, despite some polls predicting gains by an opposition coalition headed by Iranian-backed Hezbollah.

"The vacuum of power among the Arabs has finally been filled. We can see that the balance is tipping in our favor," said one Saudi diplomat.

Saudi Arabia was a key player in ending the civil war in Lebanon in 1989, but its influence there waned after the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a billionaire who made his fortune as a contractor for the Saudi royal family.

Since then, the Saudis have openly intervened on behalf of the government dominated by Mr. Hariri's party. It has pledged $1.5 billion to prop up the country's currency and to help rebuilding efforts after the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.

Opposition politicians in Lebanon accused Saudi Arabia of funneling money into the campaigns of politicians running alongside Mr. Hariri's son, Saad, who is now in the running to become Lebanon's next prime minister. Saudi officials have denied interference.

Influential Saudi-owned regional media outlets, however, waged their own public-relations campaign, warning in Lebanon of a looming crisis should Hezbollah and its allies win.

After the elections, Saudi's King Abdullah sent congratulations to the Lebanese people for their "successful" elections.

Tariq Alhomayed, editor of Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, owned by a brother of the king, went further, declaring in an editorial that the results showed "the fall of the Iranian project" in Lebanon. >>> Margaret Coker | Friday, June 12, 2009

Opinion: Limited Audience, Limited Impact
YNET NEWS: Obama’s speech falsely assumed Muslims constitute monolithic community, B. Raman says

President Barack Obama’s address at the Cairo University on June 4, 2009, which was billed in advance by his staff as a historic message of goodwill and reconciliation to the Islamic world, had a limited audience. Though projected as an address to the Islamic world, it was largely an address to the Arab world and focused largely on issues of interest to the Arabs.

The Arabs constitute a minority in the Islamic world. Non-Arab Muslims living in countries such as India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia constitute the majority. The issues, which agitate them, are different from the issues which agitate the Arab world. Osama bin Laden understands this better than Obama and his advisers. That was why in his audio message released through al-Jazeera a day before Obama’s Cairo address, bin Laden focused on issues of immediate concern to the non-Arab Muslims in the Af-Pak region such as the large-scale displacement of Pashtuns from the tribal areas of Pakistan. By focusing on their plight and by holding the Americans responsible for it, he sought to make it certain that the anti-American anger in the Af-Pak region will increase rather than decrease.

Outside India, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia, the attitude of the Muslims towards the US is characterized by feelings of hostility or anger or skepticism. There is hardly any feeling of empathy or warmth. There are various reasons for the negative feelings towards the US. Some are country-specific, some are region specific and some are ethnicity specific. The negative feelings of the Arabs towards the US may be due to the Palestine issue and the perceived US support for Israel, but Palestine and Israel are not such burning issues in the non-Arab Islamic world.

No common threat uniting Muslim anger

Obama’s address seemed to have been constructed around the belief that the Muslims constitute a monolithic community and that their actions are motivated by certain issues of common concern to all the Muslims of the world. This is a wrong belief. The Muslims are not a monolithic community and there is no common thread uniting the anger motivating the Muslims in different countries and different regions. There are Muslims and Muslims and issues and issues.

If Obama wanted to address the Muslims of the world, Cairo was the wrong place from which to seek to do so. There was a time when Egypt was seen as the beacon of the Arab world. It is no longer so. Al-Qaeda and pro-al-Qaeda organizations project Egypt and its leaders as apostate. President Hosni Mubarak is a very unpopular Arab leader .Obama going to Cairo to deliver the address is seen by large sections of pro-al-Qaeda and pro-Taliban leaders as a leader of the American infidels traveling to the country of apostates to deliver an address to the Muslims from a platform provided by the apostates. >>> Bahukutumbi Raman | Wednesday, June 10, 2009

The writer served in India's external intelligence agency from 1968 to1994 and was a member of the National Security Advisory Board of the Government of India from 2000 to 2002.

Chinese Muslims Trigger Public Backlash in Palau
THE INDEPENDENT: The tiny Pacific nation of Palau's decision to allow 13 Chinese Muslims from the Guantanamo Bay prison camp to resettle there has sparked anger among islanders who fear for the safety of the tranquil tourist haven.

The US government determined last year that the Chinese Muslims, or Uighurs, were not enemy combatants and should be released from the US military prison in Cuba. China has objected to their resettlement, calling the men "terrorist suspects" and demanding they be sent home.

The US has said it fears the men would be executed if they were returned to China.

Palau President Johnson Toribiong explained his decision to grant the Uighurs entry as traditional hospitality, but public opinion has appeared overwhelmingly negative. Some complained Friday that the government failed to consult the people.

"I totally disagree" with allowing the Uighurs onto Palau, Natalia Baulis, a 30-year-old mother of two, told The Associated Press by telephone.

"It's good to be humanitarian and all, but still these people ... to me are scary," she said.

The Uighurs (pronounced WEE'-gurs) have been in custody since they were captured in Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2001.

Fermin Nariang, editor of the Palau newspaper Island Times, said he had been stopped in the streets of the capital, Koror, by residents venting their anger. >>> Associated Press | Friday, June 12, 2009

The Princess’ Knickers ’n’ Things
THE TELEGRAPH: One of the most senior members of Saudi Arabia's royal family, Princess Maha al-Sudairi, is claiming diplomatic immunity in France after running up unpaid shopping bills of more than £15 million including £60,000 on designer lingerie.

Maha al-Sudairi is ignoring her furious debtors and has locked herself in her £2,500-a-night suite at the George V Hotel in Paris. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
She has ignored her furious debtors and locked herself in her £2,500-a-night suite at the George V Hotel in Paris.

When a royal aide was approached about settling the underwear bill he replied: "I'm afraid we can't go around settling bills for the Princess's knickers."

Princess Maha, whose husband, Prince Nayef, is interior minister and second-in-line to the Saudi throne, is said to have spent millions on designer clothes, jewels and other luxury products in the French capital over the past year. Her weekly dry cleaning bill alone was said to be £30,000.

Every time the Princess and her entourage visited a shop a representative would offer staff an embossed document stating "Payment to Follow".

Jamila Boushaba, who runs the O Caprices De Lili lingerie store in Paris, confirmed that she was still waiting for £60,000 spent on a range of hugely expensive undergarments. Saudi princess runs up £15 million shopping bill >>> By Peter Allen in Paris | Friday, June 12, 2009

Kommentar: Gaddafi bleibt ein unappetitlicher Despot
WELT ONLINE: Der Enthusiasmus, mit dem Silvio Berlusconi den libyschen Revolutionsführer Muammar al-Gaddafi in Rom empfängt, ist befremdlich. Denn auch wenn Gaddafi deutliche Schritte unternommen hat, seine Beziehung zum Westen zu verbessern – er bleibt ein Diktator, der seine Bevökerung unterdrückt und Europa erpresst.

Diese Umarmung soll die Kolonialzeit vergessen machen: Der libysche Staatschef Muammar al-Gaddafi besucht Italien. Am Flughafen von Rom wird er vom italienischen Ministerpräsidenten Silvio Berlusconi mediterran begrüßt. Bild dank der Welt
Der libysche Revolutionsführer Muammar al-Gaddafi ist ein Diktator, der seine Bevölkerung unterdrückt. Er hat Terrorismus als Mittel der Politik eingesetzt, war einer der schlimmsten antiwestlichen Lautsprecher und hat die EU noch vor Kurzem im Falle der zu Unrecht verurteilten bulgarischen Krankenschwestern aufs Übelste erpresst. Andererseits ist er inzwischen ein wenig zur Vernunft gekommen, hat dem Terror abgeschworen und 2003 seine Programme zur Entwicklung von Massenvernichtungswaffen aufgegeben.

Staatsbesuche des Meisters der politischen Kostümierung sind also ein schwieriger Balanceakt. Weil Gaddafi nun deutliche Schritte unternommen hat, seine Beziehung zum Westen zu verbessern, sollte er dafür auch ein bisschen belohnt werden. Und es ist nur zu begrüßen, dass Italien die Sünden seiner Kolonialherrschaft wiedergutmachen will. Solche Geschichtsaufarbeitung ist notwendig, unabhängig davon, wer gerade in Tripolis regiert.

Dennoch gilt es, das richtige Maß zu wahren. Gaddafi mag nicht mehr ganz der widerwärtige Schurke von einst sein, ein unappetitlicher Despot bleibt er aber doch. Deshalb befremdet der Enthusiasmus, mit dem ihn Frankreichs Präsident einst in Paris empfing und Silvio Berlusconi nun in Rom. >>> Von Clemens Wergin | Donnerstag, 11. Juni 2009

TAGES ANZEIGER: Qadhafi hetzt in Rom gegen die USA

Der libysche Revolutionsführer nahm heute im römischen Senat kein Blatt vor den Mund – er gönnte sich einen Seitenhieb gegen die USA.

«Wir sind gegen den Terrorismus, aber was ist der Unterschied zwischen dem Bombenangriff der USA auf Libyen 1986 und den Anschlägen von Osama bin Laden», sagte al-Qadhafi in seiner Funktion als Präsident der Afrikanischen Union (AU) in einer Neben-Aula des Senatsgebäudes.

Er bezog sich damit auf den Luftangriff der Amerikaner auf Tripolis und Bengasi vom April 1986 - als Reaktion auf den Bombenanschlag in einer Westberliner Diskothek, bei dem zwei Menschen ums Leben kamen und zahlreiche andere verletzt wurden.

Die Beziehungen zwischen Libyen und den USA waren erst Anfang 2004 nach einer 23-jährigen Unterbrechung wieder aufgenommen worden. «Dass der Irak heute der Terrororganisation al-Qaida offen steht, ist allein Schuld der USA», sagte al-Qadhafi, denn Saddam Hussein sei «ein Bollwerk gegen den Terror» gewesen. >>> oku/sda | Donnerstag, 11. Juni 2009

20 Years Since Iconic Gorbachev Tour

Obama as You’ve Never Seen Him Before!
Er glaubte von ich lässig zu sein. / He thought he was cool. / Il a cru de lui-même d'être décontracté.

STERN BILDERGALERIE / PHOTO GALLERY / GALERIE DE PHOTOS:
Zur Galerie / To the gallery / À la galerie >>>

“No You Can’t”, Obama!
Photo courtesy of TimesOnline
TIMES ONLINE: President Obama’s push for peace in the Middle East has provoked the ire of right-wing Israelis, who have launched a campaign against his initiative with the slogan “No you can’t”.

The words are a play on the “Yes we can” campaign that propelled Mr Obama into the White House. No we can’t, Israeli hardliners tell Obama as he pushes for peace >>> Sheera Frenkel in Jerusalem | Wednesdaay, June 10, 2009

Bringing An End To This False Prophet Obama! Jon Voight

Hat tip: RonboSoldier >>>

The Islamization of Wales: Shariah Finance
Image: Google Images
BNP: The Islamification of Britain continues unimpeded by voter objections to the colonisation of our country, with the latest development being the launch of an Islamic finance programme in Cardiff to help prepare “finance professionals” for the system.

The new programme, called the Islamic Banking Finance Centre UK (IBFC-UK), has been established in partnership with Islamic Banking & Finance Institute in Malaysia (IBFIM) and Cardiff University’s Business School and Centre of Islam.

Akmal Hanuk, chief executive of IBFC-UK was quoted in the media as saying that “The Islamic finance sector is expanding at an exponential rate and is now estimated to be worth $1.2 trillion globally and growing faster than any of the conventional banks, between 15-20 percent.

”We are very pleased to be one of the first organisations in Europe to address the growing demand of trained professionals in the Islamic banking and finance sector, as we want to make sure that the UK is at the forefront as this sector develops and that it stays there.

“We are also pleased that this initiative is coming out of Wales, which will enhance its reputation as one of the leading centres of training, skills and development.”

Leader of the fake Welsh nationalist party, Plaid Cymru, Ieuan Wyn Jones, who is also Welsh Assembly minister for the economy and transport, described the announcement as particularly significant for Wales.

“Despite the current global financial crisis, Islamic finance continues its growth as an increasingly viable alternative banking system.”

Plaid Cymru has an established record of promoting the Islamification of Wales, which is in marked contrast to its obviously false claim of protecting Welsh culture. For example, at a meeting during Plaid Cymru’s Spring Conference, ‘Muslims for Plaid’ launched a new website established by ‘Muslim members of Plaid Cymru’ since their campaigning group was established on 21st September 2006. The Islamification of Wales: Shariah Financial Services Programme Launched in Cardiff >>> BNP News | Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Foreign Office Fury Over Settlement of Guantánamo Uighurs in Bermuda
The tropical island of Bermuda is Britain's oldest remaining dependency. Photo courtesy of TimesOnline
TIMES ONLINE: The British Government responded with ill-disguised fury tonight to the news that four Chinese Uighurs freed from Guantanamo Bay had been flown for resettlement on the Atlantic tourist paradise of Bermuda.

The four arrived on Bermuda in the early hours, celebrating the end of seven years of detention after learning that they were to be accepted as guest workers.

But it appears that the Government of Bermuda failed to consult with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the decision to take in the Uighurs – whose return is demanded by Beijing – and it could now be forced to send them back to Cuba or risk a grave diplomatic crisis.

Bermuda, Britain's oldest remaining dependency, is one of 14 overseas territories that come under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom, which retains direct responsibility for such matters as foreign policy and security.

"We've underlined to the Bermuda Government that they should have consulted with the United Kingdom as to whether this falls within their competence or is a security issue, for which the Bermuda Government do not have delegated responsibility," an FCO spokesman said. >>> Philippe Naughton | Thursday, June 11, 2009

Senate Votes to Impose U.S. Regulation on Tobacco
Marlboro Man: Google Images
THE NEW YORK TIMES: WASHINGTON — The Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday to impose federal regulation on cigarettes and other forms of tobacco, passing a landmark bill to empower the Food and Drug Administration to control products that eventually kill half their regular users.

The legislation, with only minor differences from a version the House passed in April by a nearly 3-to-1 ratio. A White House spokesman, Reid H. Cherlin, said on Thursday that President Obama, who was a co-sponsor of the bill when he was in the Senate, would sign the legislation when it reached his desk.

An estimated one in five people in this country smoke, and more than 400,000 of them die each year from smoking-related disease. But for decades, even after the surgeon general’s 1964 report declaring cigarettes a health hazard, Congressional efforts to regulate tobacco had met stiff opposition from lawmakers from tobacco-growing states and their political allies.

And when the F.D.A. tried on its own to start regulating nicotine as a drug, the Supreme Court struck down that effort in 2000, saying the agency could not take such a step without Congressional authority. Cigarettes remained less regulated than cosmetics or pet food.

But with broad bipartisan support in both the Senate and House, and a campaign pledge by Barack Obama to sign such legislation if he became president, the anti-tobacco forces came into alignment.

“This long-overdue grant of authority to F.D.A. to regulate tobacco products means that the agency can finally take the actions needed to protect our people from the most deadly of all consumer products,” Edward M. Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat who was chief sponsor of the legislation in the Senate, said in a statement from home, where he is receiving treatment for a brain tumor.

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, as it is called, would empower the F.D.A. to set standards for cigarettes, regulating chemicals in cigarette smoke and outlawing most tobacco flavorings. It could also study whether to also ban menthol. Flavorings are considered a lure to first-time smokers, especially the young. Menthol is used by three-quarters of black smokers, who also have a disproportionate share of lung cancer.

The law would also further restrict marketing and advertising of tobacco products. Colorful advertising and store displays will be replaced by black-and-white-only text as part of restrictions aimed at reducing the appeal to youth to try smoking. Cigarette makers will be required to stop using terms like “light” and “low tar” by next year and to place large and graphic health warnings on their packages by 2012.

But while the F.D.A. could mandate a reduced level of nicotine, an addictive chemical, the law expressly says the agency cannot ban it. Public health advocates say outlawing nicotine would force addicts would turn to a black market or other sources. >>> By Duff Wilson | Thursday, June 11, 2009

New Dark Age Alert for Wales! Muslim March: Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru Welsh Assembly Member Mohammad Ashgar leads an Islamic march through Newport Shopping Centre

Britain Will 'Obviously' Join Euro Says Mandelson
Euros: Google Images
THE TELEGRAPH: Britain "obviously" remains committed to joining the euro following the currency's "success" in helping its members to weather the economic crisis, Lord Mandelson said.

The newly promoted First Secretary of State, speaking in Berlin, hailed the euro as a saviour that had brought stability to the European Union during financial turmoil.

"It is perfectly clear that the euro has been a great success in anchoring its eurozone members during this financial crisis," he said.

"Imagine where all of us would have been if it hadn't. I hope people will recognise that this represents a major vindication for the single currency."

Asked if the British Government would consider joining the euro, Lord Mandelson replied: "Does it remain an important objective for Britain to find itself in the same currency as that single market in which it interacts? Obviously yes."

He added: "That has to be a decision taken on the right terms in the right circumstances and conditions and therefore at a future time than we have now." >>> By Bruno Waterfield in Brussels | Thursday, June 11, 2009

The Seven Evils That Scar British Society: Report Blames Greed and Moral Collapse
Evils: The report found that large numbers of people in Britain cared only for money. Photo courtesy of MailOnline
MAIL ONLINE: Britain is beset by seven social evils that undermine all the good brought by prosperity, one of the country's leading research groups said yesterday.

Greed, collapsing moral values and the decline of old-fashioned virtues such as honesty and tolerance were named as blights on the lives of millions.

The abuse of drink and drugs, the permanence of poverty, the failure of political institutions and the breakdown of the family are also scourges that deeply worry most of the population, the group said.

The report was produced by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation - whose work is closely studied by Labour leaders - after consultation with 3,500 people.

It comes more than a century after the group's founder, a Quaker and chocolate maker from York, called for efforts to 'search out the underlying causes of weakness or evil in the community', and identified seven of his own.
The group said that while many of today's problems can be solved, social evils run deeper and are 'something more complex, menacing and indefinable'.

They 'imply a degree of scepticism, realism or despair over whether any remedy can be found', the report added.

It said some evils, such as alcohol abuse, are the same as those familiar when Joseph Rowntree set up the Foundation in 1904.

Others are a more modern phenomenon, in particular the concern about family breakdown and its impact on the way children are brought up. >>> By Steve Doughty | Thursday, June 11, 2009

Obama’s Fantasy Islam: Obama has seemingly chosen to act as an apologist for Islamism
NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE: With the media’s rhapsodic paeans to President Obama’s “historic” Cairo speech now receding into the background, this may be an opportune moment to take a sober look at America’s policies vis-à-vis the Muslim world and, no less important, at where Islam itself may be heading.



It is now clear that the president is either unable or unwilling to come to terms with the nature of the radical Islamic threat to America and the West. To him, the problem is a few violent extremists, a “small but potent minority of Muslims,” which leaves one wondering how a small minority got to be quite so potent. In any case, the West is dealing not with a few militants, or even with terrorism as such, but with a murderous, totalitarian doctrine couched in Islamic terms that has already become the dominant idiom in much of the Muslim world and its diaspora communities. Whether it is called “radical Islam,” “Islamism,” “Salafism,” or “Islamofascism,” it aims at nothing short of the conquest of the world for Islam, by violent means if need be. And not just any kind of Islam, but the most reactionary and intolerant interpretation of the Muslim faith.

It is an ideology that elevates violent jihad as a religious obligation for all Muslims, openly discriminates against non-Muslims and women, banishes democracy and secularism, and ordains the murder of apostates and homosexuals. This doctrine is preached today in tens of thousands of Salafi, Wahhabi, and Deobandi mosques and madrassas, and promoted by countless Islamist organizations, from the Muslim Brotherhood networks in America to the Taliban and its fellow jihadists in Pakistan. Extremism and terrorism are the results of this malignant phenomenon. The Taliban and al-Qaeda did not bring Pakistan to the edge of the precipice on their own; rather, 30 years of state-sponsored Islamization of Pakistani society made Islamism the threat it is.

While President Bush was also remiss in explaining to Americans that we’re in a deadly conflict with a violent Islamist doctrine that has deep and spreading roots among a quarter of the human population — rather than with terrorism, which is simply its symptom — Obama has seemingly chosen to act as an apologist for this ideology. There is no other credible reason for a man with an army of experts, researchers, and fact-checkers at his disposal to utter so many half-truths and outright falsehoods about what Islam is and what it is not. These include his touting ostensible Islamic contributions to music (an art form prohibited among the devout) and printing (regarded by the mullahs as the devil’s invention, and not available to Muslims until three centuries after Gutenberg), and his preposterous promotion of Saudi King Abdullah, ruler of the most religiously intolerant country on earth, as a champion of “interfaith dialogue.”

More telling still are Obama’s historically inaccurate portrayals of Muslims as being at “the forefront of innovation and education,” and his blaming colonialism and the Cold War for their falling behind. In fact, Muslims have not been at the forefront of anything since ijtihad (reason) was declared un-Islamic ten centuries ago and replaced by blind obedience to reactionary sharia dogma, which, in turn, ushered in a cultural and intellectual stagnation that is yet to be overcome. Indeed, the greatest Muslim minds over the centuries, from Averoes and Avicenna to Noble Prize physicist Abdus Salam, have invariably been persecuted and declared apostates by the guardians of Islamic orthodoxy. While colonialism is a favorite Islamist whipping boy for all real or imagined ills visited upon the Muslims, it was the result, not the cause, of the inexorable decline of Islam as a world power and civilization that culminated in the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century. Nor should it be forgotten that throughout most of its history, Islam has been a premier imperialist and colonialist power itself. >>> By Alex Alexiev* | Thursday, June 11, 2009

*Alex Alexiev is an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C.

Geert Wilders Receives 'Hero of Conscience Award’
Geert Wilders holds up the Hero of Conscience Award. Photo courtesy of Weblog Geertwilders
WEBLOG GEERT WILDERS: Last Sunday Geert Wilders attended the Heroes of Conscience Dinner hosted by the American Freedom Alliance at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. He was there to reveive a ‘Hero of Conscience Award’, in recognition of his defence of freedom in the Netherlands and Europe. [Source: Weblog Geertwilders] | Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Wilders' Party Is 'Extremely Right-wing'
DUTCH NEWS: Dutch journalists and politicians should stop calling Geert Wilders' political party the PVV a populist party because it has all the hallmarks of an extreme-right wing group, says Renée Danen, the president of the Dutch anti-racist group Nederland Bekent Kleur, in the NRC.

'The PVV wants to close the borders to people who belong to one particular religion, and ban the houses of worship and schools for one population group,' Danen wrote in an article.

'Wilders once told De Limburger newspaper that he wants to 'tear down the mosques'. He told HP/De Tijd newsweekly that 'it is okay for the Netherlands to have Jewish and Christian school but not Islamic schools'. In other words: pure discrimination,' Danen said.

Wilders is also anti-democratic, Danen argues, pointing out that he is the only member of the PVV. 'PVV MPs are not elected by the party but appointed by Wilders himself. The PVV meets behind closed doors in meetings where no one has the right to vote. So the main defining characteristics of an extreme-right party - nationalist, anti-democratic and racist - are all found in the PVV,' Danen says. Economic Policy >>> | Thursday, June 11, 2009

THE WASHINGTON POST: Dutch Far Right MP Snubs EU, Refuses to Take Seat

AMSTERDAM - Dutch anti-immigrant politician Geert Wilders won enough preference votes for a seat in the European Parliament, but has refused to take up the position, his party said Thursday.

Wilders, leader of the Freedom Party (PVV), had campaigned on an anti-European Union platform and had said before last week's election he would not take up a seat in the parliament in protest against an institution he said needed change.

He says he objects to EU influence in Dutch matters, arguing the Netherlands should keep a veto right over issues such as immigration laws. He is also against Dutch taxpayer money being paid to the union and Turkey's entry into the bloc.

The Dutch Electoral Council said Wilders had won almost 335,000 preference votes, guaranteeing him a seat. Wilders had not been expected to win a seat because he was listed at number 10 on his party's candidate list.

Barry Madlener, who topped the PVV's candidate list, confirmed Wilders would not take up his seat. "We would miss him here too much," he told news agency ANP. >>> Reuters | Thursday, June 11, 2009

Videobotschaft: Al-Qaida-Kämpfer in Afghanistan haben Geldsorgen
WELT ONLINE: "Wir hier in Afghanistan brauchen Geld" – mit dieser Aussage hat sich jetzt ein Al-Qaida-Führer an Muslime in der Türkei gewandt. Im Kampf gegen die internationalen Truppen in Afghanistan fehle es den Kämpfern an der richtigen Ausrüstung. Bisher konnten sich die Terroristen auf zuverlässige Einnahmequellen stützen. >>> AP/cn | Donnerstag, 11. Juni 2009

REUTERS: Al Qaeda Says Short of Food, Arms in Afghanistan

ISTANBUL - The leader of al Qaeda in Afghanistan says militants are short of food, weapons and other supplies needed to fight foreign forces there, a Web site linked to the group said.

Al Qaeda has been severely weakened in Afghanistan since U.S.-led forces toppled their Taliban hosts in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. A gap may also have opened up between al Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban, many of whom blame Osama bin Laden's group for causing the U.S.-led invasion, analysts say.

"In Afghanistan, we have a severe supply deficit. The main reason for the weakness in operations is insufficient supplies. Many mujahideen sit and wait and cannot fight for lack of supplies," Mustafa Abu al-Yazid said on a Web site used by top al Qaeda leaders and other militants to post statements.

Nearly 90,000 U.S. and international troops are currently helping around 160,000 Afghan forces battle a Taliban insurgency across southern and eastern Afghanistan, but al Qaeda's presence and influence is thought to be concentrated along the mountainous eastern border with Pakistan.

"If a mujahid (holy fighter) does not have the money to get weapons, food, drink and the materials for jihad, he cannot fight jihad," Yazid said. "Fear Allah and be ambitious in waging jihad through (donating) goods." >>> By Daren Butler | Thursday, June 11, 2009

Race Shame Outrage as Oxford Student Tories Clap and Cheer at N-word Jokes During Meeting
Nick Gallagher: Made a racist joke at election hustings for the student body. Photo courtesy of MailOnline
MAIL Online: Two Tories have been suspended from the party over racist jokes made at Oxford University's Conservative Association.

During a drunken hustings for the next president for the association - supposed to be a breeding ground for future Tory high-fliers - student candidates made a string of racist remarks.

They were asked to repeat ‘the most inappropriate joke you have ever told’.

Nick Gallagher, the publications officer, said: ‘What do you say if you see a TV moving across your living room? “Drop it, n*****.” ’

At the meeting, another student reportedly made a gag about a family of three black people being lynched.

Both candidates have now been suspended from the national party, according to Oxford's student newspaper Cherwell.

A high-level Tory source said: ‘People who behave in this disgusting and reprehensible way have no place in the Conservative Party.’

Both jokes were clapped and cheered on by members of the association, which counts Margaret Thatcher as its patron and Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague as its honorary president.

Carol Thatcher, who was forced to apologise after likening a black tennis player to a golliwog, was also mocked.
A member of the association's committee has resigned over the row.

The timing of the comments will be acutely embarrassing to David Cameron in the wake of the local and European elections, which left many ashamed at the gains made by the racist BNP.

The Tory leader has consistently tried to shed his party’s ‘nasty’ image by focusing on issues of social justice and equality, instead of tough talk on immigration which repeatedly led his party to electoral disaster. >>> By Daniel Bates | Thursday, June 11, 2009