The Airline Bomb Plot: A Reminder that Britain Is At War with Islamist Militants
THE TELEGRAPH: The conviction of three home-grown al-Qaeda terrorists who conspired to blow up seven transatlantic flights from the UK to the US and Canada underscores the savage and brutal nature of the enemy we are facing. The would-be Muslim suicide bombers planned to carry out the biggest terrorist atrocity since 9/11, which if executed would have claimed the lives of thousands of Britons and Americans. It would have been a mass slaughter of men, women and children by evil and barbaric fundamentalists driven by a belief in militant Islam and an intense hatred of the Judeo-Christian world and the values of liberty and freedom that underpin it.

The attempted airline terror attacks are a stark reminder that the West, and Britain and the United States in particular, is engaged in a global war against an Islamist enemy that seeks its destruction. These al-Qaeda operatives and their terror masters who planned to bring carnage to the skies over the Atlantic, targeted the Anglo-American alliance because it represents the central bulwark in the defence of the free world. It is no coincidence that al-Qaeda did not attempt to bomb flights out of Paris, Brussels or Berlin. They chose targets that symbolized the Special Relationship between their greatest enemies – the US and the UK, the two nations who are bearing the overwhelming burden in both blood and treasure in the battle to defeat Islamist terrorism.

These latest convictions at Woolwich Crown Court followed the successful conviction last year of the Muslim fanatic Mohammed Hamid – dubbed “Osama bin London” - who ran a series of British terror training camps. Unfortunately they represent just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the scale of the British-based terrorist threat. According to MI5 there are over 2,000 known terrorist suspects in the UK, with up to 200 terror networks in operation. There have been at least 15 major attempted terrorist attacks in Britain since 9/11, with over 1,200 terrorism-related arrests. >>> Nile Gardiner* | Monday, September 07, 2009

*Nile Gardiner is a Washington-based foreign affairs analyst and political commentator. He appears frequently on American and British television and radio, including Fox News Channel, CNN, BBC, Sky News, and NPR.

Jean-Marie Le Pen to Quit 'Next Year'
THE TELEGRAPH: Jean-Marie Le Pen, the veteran French far-right leader, has indicated he will step [down] as leader of the National Front party, probably next year.

The 81-year old firebrand has led the FN party since 1972 and long pledged only to vacate his post "feet first".

But in an interview on Tuesday, Mr Le Pen said he was "not eternal" and that it was "probable" he would not run in the 2012 presidential election.

"It's reasonable to hand over to young people to allow the FN to continue," he said on France 2, the state TV channel. He would probably step down "in 2011 or 2010," he added. >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Enya: Caribbean Blue

The BNP
Watch Journeyman Pictures video: British National Embarrassment >>> | Monday, September 07, 2009

Libyen erpresst Grossbritannien: Öl-Verträge haben bei der Entlassung des Lockerbie-Attentäters eine entscheidende Rolle gespielt
NZZ am Sonntag: Auch die Briten sorgen sich um die Manipulierbarkeit ihrer Regierung durch den libyschen Despoten. Welche Rolle spielte London bei der Entlassung des Lockerbie-Attentäters?

Der britische Justizminister, Jack Straw, hat in einem am Samstag veröffentlichten Zeitungsinterview ein erfrischendes Eingeständnis gemacht: Britische Wirtschaftsinteressen und lukrative Öl-Verträge hätten selbstverständlich eine entscheidende Rolle gespielt, als er im Herbst 2007 mit Libyen über einen Vertrag zum Austausch von Häftlingen verhandelte.

Seit der schottische Justizminister am 20. August – einen Tag vor dem Ausflug von Bundesrat Merz nach Tripolis – den 57-jährigen Libyer Abdelbasset al-Megrahi aus humanitären Gründen vorzeitig aus einem schottischen Gefängnis entliess, ist die britische Kontroverse nicht verstummt. Der todkranke Megrahi verbüsste eine lebenslängliche Haftstrafe für das Attentat auf ein US-Passagierflugzeug über dem schottischen Dorf Lockerbie im Dezember 1988. >>> Martin Alioth, Dublin | Sontag, 06. September 2009

NZZ ONLINE: Die britischen Zugeständnisse gegenüber Libyen haften der Regierung in London als moralischer Makel an. Dieser wird durch widersprüchliche Äusserungen in London und Tripolis nicht geringer. Zwiespältige britische Willfährigkeit: Premierminister Brown stützt Begehren von IRA-Opfern gegen Libyen >>> pra., London | Montag, 07. September 2009

Les anti-minarets sont prêts à exploiter la crise avec la Libye
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: CAMPAGNE | Les partisans de l’initiative visant à interdire la construction de minarets envisagent de s’en prendre à Tripoli pour illustrer «les différences entre nous et les pays musulmans». Voilà qui pourrait davantage encore fâcher la Libye.

Les opposants aux minarets ne se plaignent guère de l’enlisement de la situation entre la Suisse et la Libye. Ils envisagent même de récupérer la crise dans la campagne pour leur initiative visant à interdire la construction de minarets, qui sera soumise à votation le 27 novembre. 

«Parmi les gens qui nous soutiennent, il y en a beaucoup qui font l’amalgame», indique le conseiller national Ulrich Schlüer (UDC/ZH), le chef de file des initiants. Reste à définir si le lien sera explicite lors de la campagne qui démarrera fin septembre. Pour Ulrich Schlüer, «il y a un parallèle clair entre les deux dossiers. La crise libyenne montre les différences culturelles et politiques entre nous et les pays musulmans. Par ailleurs, Kadhafi n’avait-il pas dit qu’un jour, l’Europe serait musulmane?» vitupère le Zurichois. «On peut craindre le pire» >>> Ron Hochuli | Mardi 08 Septembre 2009

Dominic Lawson: Seventy Years On, We Are Still Appeasing Dictators
THE INDEPENDENT: In dealing with Libya the Foreign Office has been guilty of institutional cringe

In this, the week of the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War, British newspapers have published entire supplements, setting out once again how the policy of appeasing dictators showed a complete failure to understand the gangster psychology of totalitarian regimes.

Yet the unravelling tale of our current government's negotiations with the regime of Col Gaddafi is a more enthrallingly contemporary illustration of the unchanging institutional cringe known as the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office. We have learned – chiefly through the medium of government memos leaked to the Sunday Times – how the Foreign Office saw the release from Scottish custody of the convicted Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, as a way of earning us good favour in the court of Megrahi's patron and distant relative, Muammar Gaddafi.

In some of these memos you can hear the sound of Foreign Office ministers past and present patting themselves on the back for the results of their negotiations. There is much discussion of the alleged trade benefits, notably a deal between BP and Libya. But two days ago the Libyan Europe Minister, Abdulati al-Obeidi, admitted to that outstanding foreign correspondent Hala Jaber that even if the British Government had set its face against the release of Megrahi, it was "highly unlikely" that the deal with BP would have been cancelled: "Libya also looks out for its interests and to cease the BP deal is not in our interests." Indeed so: last week we learned of BP's astonishing discovery of a 3 billion-barrel oilfield 35,000ft below the Gulf of Mexico seabed, far and away the deepest well ever drilled. If you were the Libyan regime you would very much want the company with such technological leadership helping you to find oil on your territory.

There is a more particular sense in which the Foreign Office has played the hand of the appeaser in its negotiations. The Libyans had made dark noises about the likely reaction of their own population should Megrahi die in Scottish custody – something along the lines of "in such an eventuality we cannot guarantee the safety of British citizens in Libya". This unsubtle threat should have been greeted with the observation that it was the responsibility of the Libyan Government to ensure the safety of innocent British citizens on its territory. Instead we seem to have behaved like the weak tradesman confronted by an unscrupulous protection racketeer.

It is, of course, very embarrassing when craven behaviour comes to light via a leaked memo to the Sunday Times. Hence Gordon Brown's overnight conversion to the idea of asking the Foreign Office to assist with the claims for compensation of the victims of IRA bombs constructed from Semtex provided by Libya – having earlier told the victims' lawyers that the Government could have nothing to do with their campaign.

Yet this attempt to regain the high moral ground is even more contemptible than the decision to leave those victims of Libyan Semtex out of the original deal. When Britain and America did their separate deals over the reopening of normal relations with Gaddafi's regime, the Americans insisted that their own victims of Libyan-backed IRA atrocities be financially compensated; the British made no such demands, essentially declaring that bygones are bygones. >>> Dominic Lawson | Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Government Faces New Pressure Over IRA Victims and British Plane Downed in 1971
THE GUARDIAN: Ministers accused of not holding Tripoli to account / Calls for payouts over Ulster terrorism rejected

Britain faced fresh pressure over Libya yesterday when the government was accused of failing to challenge Tripoli over the forcing down of a British aircraft in 1971 and the son of the Libyan leader rejected paying compensation to victims of IRA terrorism.

As No 10 struggled to present a united front on Libya – with the schools secretary, Ed Balls, declaring that "none of us wanted" to see the release of the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing – ministers were criticised for failing to act on pleas to investigate an earlier plane incident.

Ministers have faced calls since 2004, the year the then prime minister, Tony Blair, met the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, outside Tripoli, to challenge Libya over the forcing down of a BOAC VC10 over Benghazi in July 1971.

The plane was flying from the Sudanese capital of Khartoum to London carrying 105 people, including Colonel Babakr al-Nur, the leader of a failed coup, and his assistant, Major Farouk Hamadalla. Both men were sent back to Sudan, where they were executed.

Hamadalla's daughter, Amani, has tried to raise the matter with the Foreign Office (FCO), but she has been met with "obfuscation after obfuscation", according to her MP, the Liberal Democrat Sarah Teather.

In an echo of the government's initial refusal to put pressure on Tripoli to pay compensation to victims of IRA terrorism, the Foreign Office brushed off Hamadalla in 2004.

Lady Symons, an FCO minister, told her to contact the Libyans herself. "It is impossible for us to raise every case, but, if a suitable opportunity presents itself, we are sometimes able to discuss individuals," Symons wrote. When Teather protested, the FCO raised the case with the Libyans and issued Tripoli with a formal "note verbale" in 2005 recording this. >>> Nicholas Watt and Henry McDonald | Monday, September 07, 2009

BNP Welcomes Chance to Appear on BBC's Question Time
THE GUARDIAN: Other parties say Nick Griffin appearance will give them opportunity to challenge views of far-right party

The British National party has welcomed the BBC's decision to allow its leader, Nick Griffin, to appear on Question Time following the far-right party's success in the European elections.

Although the BBC has yet to issue a formal invitation, the corporation is preparing to ask Griffin to join the panel show and is already consulting other parties about appearing with him.

The party, which won two seats in the European parliament in June, has not appeared on the programme before. Some parties, including Labour, have previously refused to share a platform with the BNP because of its policies on race. A spokesman for the party said yesterday: "Obviously it's good news. Of late, a large proportion of Question Time has been devoted to assaults on the BNP, so it's rather welcome that we are allowed to defend ourselves."

He attacked the Labour party over its past refusal to share a stage with its members and accused the government of using its equality watchdog to attack the BNP.

Referring to the Equality and Human Rights Commission's decision to take the BNP to court over its constitution – which states that only "'indigenous Caucasian' and defined 'ethnic groups' emanating from that race" are allowed to join – he said: "If anybody has an excuse for not sharing a platform with a political party, it should be us and the Labour party, but we believe in the democratic process."

After years of discussions, the BBC is understood to have decided in February that the BNP would have to be allowed to appear on Question Time if it attracted significant support in the European elections. Other smaller parties elected to the European parliament, such as the Green party and Ukip, have been represented.

A BBC spokeswoman said it was obliged to treat all legal political parties registered with the Electoral Commission with due impartiality. "Our audiences – and the electorate – will make up their own minds about the different policies offered by elected politicians," she said. >>> Sam Jones | Sunday, September 06, 2009

Listen to Guardian audio here

Saif Gaddafi Embarrasses Gordon Brown Over Libyan IRA Compensation
THE TELEGRAPH: Gordon Brown is facing increasing pressure over compensation for IRA victims after an about-turn to offer support for the claims against Libya was undermined by Saif Gaddafi, its leader's son.

Mr Brown's changes of political position have left him in an embarrassing position with little room to manoeuvre.

Initially, he isolated himself by angering the families of victims of the IRA, whose loved ones were killed with Semtex supplied by the African nation, by failing to personally intervene on their behalf for payouts from Col Muammar Gaddafi's regime.

In a letter to a lawyer representing IRA victims, he argued that it was “inappropriate” for him to lobby Col Gaddafi, partly because trade and Libya’s co-operation in the battle against extremism might be affected.

The reaction was so strong that, by Sunday night, the Prime Minister was forced into an about-turn in which he tried to defuse the row by offering "dedicated Foreign Office support” to the victims' families.

However, the Libyan authorities swiftly poured cold water on the chances the compensation bid.

Speaking in a television interview on Monday morning, Saif Gaddafi said the first response to any claim for a payout would be: "No."

He added that any attempt would be forced through a legal process.
"Anyone can knock on our door. You go to the court. They have their lawyers. We have our lawyers," he said.

Mr Brown's mishandling of the issue now risks jeopardising the relations with Libya, the very thing which the Government has tried so hard to improve. >>> Simon Johnson and Andrew Porter | Monday, September 07, 2009

Silvio Berlusconi: Italians 'Want to Be Like Me'
THE TELEGRAPH: The Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has declared: "Italians want to be like me."

The controversial 72-year-old premier, who has repeatedly denied allegations of inappropriate relationships with young women, insisted that the majority of Italians would stand by him.

"Most Italians would like to be like me and they support my behaviour," he said during a television interview.

Mr Berlusconi added: "Italian[s] aren't stupid, as the Left thinks, and they prefer my government.

"Just look at the polls, we have an approval rating sailing towards 70 per cent". >>> Nick Pisa in Rome | Monday, September 07, 2009

Alan Duncan Sacked from Shadow Cabinet
THE TELEGRAPH: Alan Duncan has been sacked from the shadow cabinet by David Cameron over his complaint that MPs were made to live “on rations”.

David Cameron stripped Mr Duncan of his role as shadow leader of the Commons. He accepted a job as a shadow junior justice minister with responsibility for prisons.

Mr Duncan had been in charge of agreeing changes to the system of MPs expenses but his private comments, recorded by an activist who met Mr Duncan on the House of Commons terrace, made his position untenable. The demotion appears to have scuppered Mr Duncan’s chances of being in Mr Cameron’s first Cabinet.

Mr Duncan was secretly filmed earlier this year complaining about MPs’ reduced standard of living, arguing that MPs were forced to live on “rations” and had been treated like “----”. >>> Andrew Porter, Political Editor and Chris Irvine | Monday, September 07, 2009

Seif ul-Islam al Gadhafi on Economic Change

Sudanese Journalist Jailed after Refusing to Pay Fine for Wearing Trousers
TIMES ONLINE: A Sudanese woman put on trial for wearing trousers was spared the lash today but still landed in jail after refusing to pay the £130 fine imposed for indecency.

Lubna Hussein, a 34-year-old widow whose trial exposed Sudan’s draconian Islamic laws, was taken to prison in the same trousers she wore when she was arrested with 12 other women at a Khartoum restaurant in July.

“I will not pay a penny, I’d rather go to prison” she declared after hearing the verdict. She was then taken to a women’s jail in Omdurman, across the Nile from Khartoum, the capital, to serve a one month-sentence for refusing to pay the fine.

Aware of worldwide interest in the case, the judge had tried to be lenient. His punishment fell far short of the maximum penalty under the notorious Article 152 of Sudan’s penal code which prescribes 40 lashes and an unlimited fine for women dressed in an indecent or obscene manner in public.

Ten of the other women arrested with her had already pleaded guilty to the charge of indecency and been flogged.

However, unlike thousands of other women arrested in similar circumstance every year, Ms Hussein, a journalist who worked for the United Nations, refused to accept her summary punishment.

She called a lawyer, and even as the court tried to close this embarrassing chapter today by slapping on a fine, she vowed to fight on.

“Lubna has bravely sacrificed her freedom to free other women from the oppression of the law,” said Ahmed Elzobier, one of Ms Hussein’s supporters.

“She is not guilty, but the police the court and the government are the guilty ones.”

“The campaign will continue,” Mr Elzobier added. “Although Lubna is going to prison, the rest of her supporters will keep challenging these laws.” >>> Tristan McConnell | Monday, September 07, 2009

Mass Murder at 30,000 Feet: Islamic Extremists Guilty of Airline Bomb Plot
TIMES ONLINE: Three British Muslims were found guilty today of conspiracy to murder thousands of passengers and crew in an unprecedented airline bomb plot that could have proved as deadly as the 9/11 attacks.

After a retrial at Woolwich Crown Court, jurors found the ringleader, Abdulla Ahmed, and two other men, Assad Sarwar and Tanvir Hussain, guilty of plotting to use liquid bombs to blow up airliners en route from Heathrow to the United States.

Another defendant, Umar Islam, was found guilty of a more general charge of conspiracy to murder because jurors could not decide whether he knew of the specific targets in the plot three years ago.

Three other men, Arafat Khan, Ibrahim Savant and Waheed Zaman, were found not guilty of conspiracy to blow up aircraft but could face a retrial on the more general conspiracy to murder charge because jurors could not reach a verdict.

The eighth defendant, Muslim convert Donald Stewart-Whyte, was found not guilty on the terrorism charges but had pleaded guilty to a firearms offence.

Ali, 28, was the leader of an East London terror cell inspired from Pakistan, the court heard. He had planned to detonate home-made liquid bombs in suicide attacks on transatlantic aircraft bound for major north American cities.

It was the most complex and daring British-based terrorist conspiracy in modern times and, according to the Crown Prosecution Service, could have killed "hundreds of innocent people". >>> Philippe Naughton | Monday, September 07, 2009

Ahmadinejad Declares End to Debate Over Iran's Nuclear Ambitions
TIMES ONLINE: Barack Obama’s hopes of persuading Iran to renounce its nuclear ambitions were dashed today as the United Nations watchdog admitted it had reached a “stalemate” with Tehran and President Ahmadinejad declared the nuclear debate “over”.

Mr Ahmadinejad’s show of defiance came as the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) gathered in Vienna to discuss Iran’s continuing failure to answer lingering questions about an alleged military dimension to its nuclear programme.

The Iranian leader vowed to forge ahead with uranium enrichment even as the clock ticked down to an end of September deadline set by Mr Obama for Tehran to resume negotiations with representatives of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, the so-called five-plus-one.

While Iran would be willing to engage with the world on issues of global concern, the nuclear issue was off the table. “From our point of view, Iran’s nuclear issue is over,” Mr Ahmadinejad declared. >>> Catherine Philp, Diplomatic Correspondent | Monday, September 07, 2009

Témoignage : Un Helvète chez les flics de banlieue
LE TEMPS: Ancien «Monsieur éthique» de la police genevoise, Yves Patrick Delachaux a passé des semaines, immergé, au commissariat de Saint-Denis. Il livre un témoignage détonnant sur la tension entre jeunes et policiers dans les cités françaises

Le livre s’appellera Grave Panique. En souvenir d’une remarque entendue dans une voiture de la BAC, la Brigade anticriminalité, qui avait frôlé une vieille dame en roulant trop vite, une nuit de patrouille à Saint-Denis: «Je l’ai grave paniquée, la mémé…»

«Là, j’ai su que j’avais mon titre», raconte Yves Patrick Delachaux, ancien policier genevois devenu romancier et scénariste. Juste après les émeutes urbaines de l’automne 2005, alors qu’il était responsable de l’éthique et des Droits humains à la police genevoise, il a passé plusieurs semaines en observation dans un commissariat de Seine-Saint-Denis, le département le plus violent de France.

Son témoignage, qui a inspiré un roman * à paraître l’an prochain, en dit long sur l’état de tension qui règne entre jeunes et policiers dans les banlieues françaises. Et sur l’échec, désormais avoué à demi-mot, de la politique mise en place par Nicolas Sarkozy depuis son arrivée au Ministère de l’intérieur, en 2002.

Le 31 août, son bras droit et successeur à ce poste, Brice Hortefeux, a organisé une table ronde destinée à favoriser le «respect mutuel» entre policiers et jeunes des quartiers difficiles. Cette initiative fait suite à une nouvelle série d’émeutes, cet été, dues à la mort de deux jeunes lors d’interventions policières à Bagnolet, près de Paris, et à Firminy, près de Lyon. Avec, en toile de fond, des forces de l’ordre enfermées dans une paranoïa permanente, ignorantes du terrain où elles évoluent et totalement coupées des populations qu’elles sont censées protéger.

En arrivant à Saint-Denis, Yves Patrick Delachaux a vite compris que quelque chose clochait: «Le commissariat est un blockhaus carré, tout est barricadé, grillagé. C’est une armée d’occupation.»

A l’intérieur, des locaux «saccagés», avec «chiottes arrachées» et bureaux lépreux, antédiluviens. Dans la cuisine, minuscule, des frigos cadenassés, de vieilles affiches syndicales, des posters de films policiers. «Une ambiance de caserne, de labeur, de souffrance, raconte le policier suisse. On sent que ça leur pèse sur les épaules.» >>> Sylvain Besson | Lundi 07 Septembre 2009

China Alarmed by US Money Printing
THE TELEGRAPH: The US Federal Reserve's policy of printing money to buy Treasury debt threatens to set off a serious decline of the dollar and compel China to redesign its foreign reserve policy, according to a top member of the Communist hierarchy.

Cheng Siwei, former vice-chairman of the Standing Committee and now head of China's green energy drive, said Beijing was dismayed by the Fed's recourse to "credit easing".

"We hope there will be a change in monetary policy as soon as they have positive growth again," he said at the Ambrosetti Workshop, a policy gathering on Lake Como.

"If they keep printing money to buy bonds it will lead to inflation, and after a year or two the dollar will fall hard. Most of our foreign reserves are in US bonds and this is very difficult to change, so we will diversify incremental reserves into euros, yen, and other currencies," he said.

China's reserves are more than – $2 trillion, the world's largest.

"Gold is definitely an alternative, but when we buy, the price goes up. We have to do it carefully so as not to stimulate the markets," he added.

The comments suggest that China has become the driving force in the gold market and can be counted on to buy whenever there is a price dip, putting a floor under any correction.

Mr Cheng said the Fed's loose monetary policy was stoking an unstable asset boom in China. "If we raise interest rates, we will be flooded with hot money. We have to wait for them. If they raise, we raise. >>> Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, in Cernobbio, Italy | Sunday, September 06, 2009

Rioters Invade Budapest's Jewish Ghetto
THE JERUSALEM POST: A crowd of 500 demonstrators, including neo-Nazis and skinheads, rampaged in Budapest's Jewish district.

Hungarian riot police deployed tear gas and baton charges Saturday against the vociferously xenophobic crowd as it tried to disrupt Hungary's annual Gay Pride parade.

More than 30 arrests were made on charges including possession of offensive weapons and riotous behavior. Heightened surveillance was enforced throughout the day to prevent a recurrence of the mayhem that ended last year's parade, in which there were more than a dozen serious injuries, according to Éva Tafferner, press officer at Budapest police headquarters.

The rioters invaded the heart of the traditional Jewish Ghetto District, started a small fire, tore down signs and shouted threatening anti-Semitic vitriol. The attacks were witnessed by families of foreign Jews visiting the district for the current Budapest Jewish Cultural Festival. >>> JTA | Sunday, September 06, 2009

U.S. Sources: Many Arab States 'Pledging' Normal Israel Ties
HAARETZ: U.S. special Mideast envoy George Mitchell has managed to obtain "pledges" from many Arab states for various steps toward normalization with Israel, some more significant and some less so, senior U.S. government officials told Haaretz on Sunday.

That is one of the main questions to which Israel is hoping to receive an answer when Mitchell arrives later this week or early next: what steps toward normalization the Arab states have agreed to take in exchange for a partial freeze in West Bank settlements.

Sources in the Prime Minister's Office, the Defense Ministry and the Foreign Ministry all said that Israel still does not have a clear picture of what quid pro quos Mitchell has managed to obtain in his talks with these states.

The U.S. officials also declined to specify which states had made these pledges. Saudi Arabia, which Washington had hoped would be one of them, has thus far refused to offer anything to Israel, though it has agreed to provide the Palestinian Authority with hundreds of millions of dollars to shore up its shaky financial situation.

"We've done our part," an associate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's said on Sunday. "We decided to make an effort to facilitate the diplomatic process, but now we want to see that we will also get something in exchange."

According to the U.S. officials, some Arab states have agreed to let Israel open offices in their territory, others have agreed to grant visas to Israeli businessmen and tourists, and still others have offered to allow direct telephone connections between Israel and their countries. >>> Barak Ravid | Monday, September 09, 2009

Netanyahu’s Foolish Plan
YNET NEWS: Rona Kuperboim slams PM’s plan to limit alcohol consumption in bid to fight violence

It’s foolish and pointless. I’m talking about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to ban alcohol sales after 9 pm. In response to the latest Israeli trend – that is, killing – the PM announced that he intends to advance legislation that will prevent kiosks and gas stations from selling alcohol at all, while limiting selling times at stores.

This is how Bibi will be fighting violence! Because he’s unwilling to tolerate domestic terror! Oh no! So he found an idea that looks good and sounds authoritative, conveys a sense of determination, but contributes nothing. Welcome to the “how to make a headline” class.

Let’s start with an allegory. The residents of a small village live by the river. Once in a while, one of them becomes fed up with life, jumps into the river, and dies. What do you think the village chief should do: Block any access to the river with some kind of netting, or train people that can identify despaired individuals on time and encourage them?

Ok, I think we got the message. No netting can stop a man from getting drunk. Bibi would do well to find other ways to fight violence in our society aside from messing with our drinks. The issue here is not what goes into one’s blood stream, but rather, into one’s consciousness. Education, public discourse, and the increasingly extinct values of respect, tolerance, and fear of the law are difficult to change. It’s much easier to lock the doors of the convenience store. Israelis are light drinkers >>> Rona Kuperboim | Sunday, September 06, 2009

Enya: Gladiator Soundtrack

Private Militär Firmen: Orgien im Namen der USA
STERN: Die Sex-Party von Wachleuten in Kabul entsetzt die US-Regierung. Dabei ist sie mitschuldig an solchen Ereignissen. Die USA sollten ihre Abhängigkeit von privaten Söldnern schleunigst überdenken. Ein Kommentar von Sebastian Huld

Wachleute feiern in der US-Botschaft in Kabul Sex-Partys. Vorgesetzte zwingen ihre Untergebenen zu erniedrigenden Sex-Spielchen und fotografieren sich dabei. Peinlicher geht es kaum. Der Vorfall ist aber viel mehr als nur ein ärgerlicher und unangenehmer Ausfall von ein paar Sicherheitskräften, die zu viel Alkohol getrunken haben.

Es handelt sich nämlich nicht um reguläre US-Soldaten, sondern Söldner des britischen Militär-Unternehmens Armour Group, das mit der Botschafts-Bewachung beauftragt wurde. Mit ihren Ausfällen haben die Männer im muslimischen Afghanistan eine ganze Armee diskreditiert und so das Leben tausender Nato-Soldaten gefährdet.

Gefährliche Abhängigkeit

Die Beteiligten werden voraussichtlich nicht bestraft, denn als Söldner unterliegen sie nicht der US-Militärgerichtsbarkeit. Dass sie vor einem zivilen US-Gericht oder im Ausland verurteilt werden, ist ebenso unwahrscheinlich. Wahrscheinlich hingegen ist, dass sie bald schon wieder woanders im Einsatz sind. Vielleicht in einem anderen Land, in einem anderen Krisengebiet, aber noch immer im Auftrag der USA. Die Abhängigkeit der Vereinigten Staaten von privaten Militär- und Sicherheitsfirmen ist mittlerweile gravierend.

Zwar kann die US-Regierung als Auftraggeber bestimmen, mit wem sie zusammenarbeitet, doch sie hat praktisch keine Kontrolle darüber, wie und von wem die oft heiklen Aufgaben erfüllt werden. Vom Bau von US-Basen, über die Versorgung der Soldaten bis hin zum Kampfeinsatz wurden weite Teile militärischer Aufgaben in die Hand privater Firmen übergeben - ohne solche Kriegs-Dienstleister könnte das mächtigste Land der Welt vermutlich nicht einmal mehr Island erobern. Gefährliche Abhängigkeit >>> Ein Kommentar von Sebastian Huld | Freitag, 04. September 2009

Sex-Party in Kabul: Diese Bilder schockieren Amerika >>>

Russie: Le visage banal du crime raciste
LE TEMPS: A Saint-Pétersbourg, les meurtres racistes sont monnaie courante et la justice parfois indulgente

Ils préfèrent Hitler à Staline. Parce que le premier a assassiné moins de Russes que le second? Vous n’y êtes pas. «Hitler a fait du bon boulot chez lui!» clame Maxime, qui déplore toutefois que le chef nazi «ait attaqué la Russie». «Lui, il savait défendre son peuple, ce qu’il a fait est normal.» Agé de 22 ans, il parle posément et ne ressemble en rien à l’image d’Epinal du skinhead. Crânes rasés, rangers, bombers et jeans avec ourlet sont passés de mode. Et surtout, pas d’insignes. «Nous évitons de porter en public notre brassard [un swastika blanc sur fond rouge] afin de passer inaperçus», explique Ilia, 25 ans, leader de l’Union slave, organisation d’extrême droite russe dont certains membres ont commis des crimes racistes, selon la police de Saint-Pétersbourg. «Nous en avons marre d’être pistés et harcelés par les flics», explique Maxime, ex-skinhead sympathisant de l’Union slave depuis deux ans. Très bien organisées et entraînées, les jeunes recrues de l’Union slave cultivent une apparence tout à fait ordinaire.

Inquiétude constante

La tactique fonctionne. L’inquiétude est constante parmi les cibles principales: des ressortissants des ex-républiques soviétiques d’Ouzbékistan, du Tadjikistan, de Géorgie, d’Arménie et d’Azerbaïdjan. «Avant, on les reconnaissait de loin à leur apparence de skinheads, explique Moukhammadnazar Mirzoda, président d’une association d’amitié russo-tadjique. Aujourd’hui, ils ressemblent à n’importe qui. A des supporters du Zenit (club de foot local), à des ro­ckers… il y a même des gamins parmi eux. N’importe quel groupe de jeunes est potentiellement dangereux. La peur monte.»
«Les attaques sont minutieusement organisées, comme pour une opération militaire», ajoute Dmitri Doubrovski, un collègue de l’universitaire, sociologue à l’Université Smolni de Saint-Pétersbourg, spécialisé dans l’étude de la xénophobie. «Habituellement, les attaquants forment plusieurs groupes, l’un chargé de la surveillance, l’autre de repousser d’éventuelles réactions des passagers, le troisième enfin qui se charge de la victime.» >>> Emmanuel Grynszpan, Moscou | Lundi 07 Septembre 2009

Ahmadinejad se dit prêt à discuter publiquement avec Obama
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: IRAN | L'Iran est prêt à un dialogue sur le nucléaire dans un cadre "juste et logique" avec les grandes puissances du groupe 5+1, a déclaré lundi le président iranien.

Le président iranien Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a déclaré lundi qu'il était prêt à "discuter" avec le président américain Barack Obama devant les médias internationaux, lors d'une conférence de presse.

"Nous avons proposé un dialogue dans un cadre logique et juste avec tous les pays (...) qui peuvent permettre de changer les choses" dans les affaires mondiales, a déclaré M. Ahmadinejad.

Le groupe groupe 5+1 comprend les membres permanents du Conseil de sécurité Etats-Unis, Russie, Chine, France, Grande-Bretagne ainsi que l'Allemagne. >>> AFP | Lundi, 07. September 2009

Terrorgefahr in Deutschland: «Wir müssen aufmerksam sein»
BERNER ZEITUNG: Angesichts des deutschen Afghanistan-Einsatzes sieht das Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) vor der Bundestagswahl einem Medienbericht zufolge eine erhöhte Gefahr von Anschlägen in Deutschland.

Das gehe aus einem aktuellen, als Verschlusssache deklarierten Lagebericht hervor, aus dem das ARD-Magazin «Report Mainz» zitiert. In dem nur für den Dienstgebrauch vorgesehenen Bericht heisse es, «dass vor allem das unverändert hohe Engagement Deutschlands in Afghanistan als Rechtfertigungsgrund für Anschläge gegen deutsche Interessen im In- und Ausland durch islamistische Organisationen genutzt wird». Das BKA kommentiert eine entsprechende Vorabmeldung am Montag auf AP-Anfrage nicht.

Wie «Report Mainz» weiter berichtet, beziehen sich die Autoren unter anderem auf Videobotschaften und schriftliche Verlautbarungen unterschiedlicher Terror-Organisationen. Seit Jahresbeginn habe es zudem einen deutlichen Anstieg von Propaganda mit unmittelbarem Bezug zu Deutschland gegeben. Diese direkte Ansprache sei neu. Die Gruppierungen versuchten seit Jahresbeginn, «mit zuvor nicht bekannter Intensität» in Deutschland aufgewachsene Muslime zu rekrutieren. >>> bru/ap | Montag, 07. September 2009

Turquie-Adhésion: L'UE critiquée
leJDD.fr: Un rapport d'experts dirigé par l'ancien président finlandais Martti Ahtisaari publié lundi estime que l'Union européenne doit donner un nouvel élan aux négociations d'adhésion entamées avec la Turquie. "Ces attitudes et ces politiques négatives de la part de dirigeants européens sont en contradiction flagrante avec toutes les décisions et tous les engagements de l'UE", écrivent les auteurs de ce rapport. "Elles remettent en question la crédibilité de l'UE, sa fiabilité et le principe qui veut que les engagements soient honorés." Ankara est également invitée à "accélérer la mise en oeuvre de ces réformes économiques et politiques pour convaincre les européens du bien fondé de sa candidature". [Source: leJDD.fr] | Lundi 07 Septembre 2009

California Arsonist May Face Death Penalty for Los Angeles Widlfire [sic], Prosecutors Say
THE TELEGRAPH: The suspected arsonist who started the Station wildfire that swept through the hills above Los Angeles last week could face the death penalty, prosecutors say.

Two firefighters died when their vehicle crashed off the road as they worked with a group of inmates battling the blaze during some of the most intense hours of the operation.

Sheriff Lee Baca has said police have launched a murder investigation following the deaths during the biggest fire in the history of Los Angeles County.

A law enforcement source told The Los Angeles Times on Saturday that "material that didn't belong there" has been found at the site suspected to be where the fire started, a twice-scorched slope near Mile Marker 29 along Angeles Crest Highway.

The suspicious substance was reportedly found in the brush off the highway and has been sent for laboratory testing.

The fire, which was 42 per cent contained by Saturday morning, has destroyed more than 154,000 acres and 76 homes. It has cost more than $37 million to fight but the much greater damage to property, wildlife is still being assessed.

There is a recent precedent for an arsonist receiving the death penalty.

In June, Raymond Lee Oyler, a mechanic, was sentenced to die for setting the 2006 Esperanza blaze that claimed the lives of five firefighters.

Even if the fire was accidental, the newspaper reported that the starter could face jail time if charged and convicted of involuntary manslaughter or negligent homicide resulting from a tossed cigarette, fuel spill or other careless act that caused the fire. >>> Philip Sherwell in San Francisco and agencies | Saturday, September 05, 2009

Lubna Hussein Returns to Court over Sundanese ‘Indecency’ Laws
TIMES ONLINE: Sudan is facing international condemnation as the trial resumes today of Lubna Hussein, a Muslim woman who faces a flogging for breaking indecency laws by wearing trousers.

Speaking to The Times before her court appearance, Ms Hussein, 34, a widow, said that she was overwhelmed by the public support she has received in her fight to change a law that she says discriminates against women.

“I am so happy when I see all of the support from around the world,” she said by telephone from the Sudanese capital Khartoum. “It is not support for Lubna Hussein but for human rights and women’s rights in Sudan and elsewhere in the world.”

Ms Hussein wants to force the repeal of Article 152 of Sudan’s penal code, which orders a fine and flogging for women dressed in an “indecent” manner. >>> Tristan McConnell | Monday, September 07, 2009

Michael Moore Film Calls Capitalism Evil
THE TELEGRAPH: The latest film by Michael Moore, the US documentary maker, says that capitalism is "evil". Capitalism: A Love Story, targets the big banks and speculators who have been blamed for contributing to the global financial crisis.

Capitalism: A Love Story, targets the big banks and speculators who have been blamed for contributing to the global financial crisis.

The film premiered at the Venice film festival on Sunday.

Blending his trademark humour with tragic individual stories, archive footage and publicity stunts, the 55-year-old launches an all-out attack on the capitalist system, arguing that it benefits the rich and condemns millions to poverty.

"Capitalism is an evil, and you cannot regulate evil," the two-hour movie concludes.

"You have to eliminate it and replace it with something that is good for all people and that something is democracy."

The bad guys in Moore's mind are big banks and hedge funds which "gambled" investors' money in complex derivatives that few, if any, really understood and which belonged in the casino. >>> | Sunday, September 06, 2009

Trailer: Michael Moore’s New Film Capitalism: A Love Story

The Long and the Short of It!
THE TELEGRAPH: Twenty short people were ordered to stand behind Nicolas Sarkozy so as to make him look taller while delivering a keynote televised speech, it has emerged.

They were bused in after being 'vetted' by aides of the French President who made sure none were taller than his own height of 5ft 5ins.

The extraordinary scenes unfolded at the Faurecia motor technology plant in Caligny, south of Caen, Normandy, last Thursday.

Mr Sarkozy looked far more statuesque than usual as he posed in front of the large group of white coated technicians on a specially erected stage.

In scenes being broadcast across France today, a woman researcher admits on camera that she was chosen because of her small size.

Asked by a TV journalist if it was necessary for her to be no taller than the President's 5ft 5ins - a height which rises to around 5ft 7ins thanks to his trademark stacked heels - she clearly replies: 'There you have it.'

Pictures are then shown of the 20 workers on board a coach which brought them in from other parts of the three mile square Faurecia site.

All admitted that they were among the smallest members of the 1400-strong Faurecia workforce, and had been selected to replace the usual workers in the unit where Mr Sarkozy made his speech about the car industry.

Mr Sarkozy, who is notoriously sensitive about his height, did not want a repeat of the fiasco in June when he was caught using a footstool when delivering a speech alongside Gordon Brown and Barak Obama on one of Normandy's nearby D-Day beaches.

Both the 5ft 11ins British Prime Minister and 6ft 2 ins American towered above Mr Sarkozy when they used the same podium, humiliating him in front of a worldwide audience.

But while the incident in June was considered funny, this time round Mr Sarkozy was accused of scandalously manipulating his media image for political ends. Nicolas Sarkozy 'surrounded by short people for TV speech' >>> Peter Allen in Paris | Monday, September 07, 2009

Sarkozy : le Bidonnage de la visite d'Usine.
by RichardTrois

Fall of the Roman Empire (Prelude to Documentary)

Roman Empire Falling into Dark Ages

Halal Ads Hit French TV
Halal butchery and poultry shelves in a supermarket in Illzach, France, on the eve of the beginning of Ramadan. Photo: TIME
TIME: A pack of shoppers swarm supermarket shelves, cheerfully snapping up packages of prepared lasagna, ravioli and paella as they sing the products' praises. Sounds just like a normal evening TV ad. And it is, only this one features ethnic-Arab actors in a commercial for halal food in France. A first in its own right, the ad is already a remarkable sight on French TV. But even more surprising is the reaction it's gotten — or, rather, hasn't gotten. In a country that's usually quick to burst into outrage over the spread of Islam into secular society, these halal-food ads have been playing without a peep from the public.

The ad campaign by Panzani-owned, Lyon-based food brand Zakia Halal is the first ever mass-market promotion of halal food to France's estimated 5 million Muslims. The TV spots kicked off on Aug. 17 to coincide with the start of the holy month of Ramadan and have been running on most of France's largest television channels since. The $430,000 campaign will be put on pause Sept. 2, then resumed as Ramadan comes to an end later this month and the feast of Eid el-Fitr approaches. Thus far, the spots have gotten a mostly supportive reaction from Muslim shoppers and the French media, with the daily Le Parisien trumpeting "Halal Takes a Spot on TV."

What's astounding is how long it took for any of France's numerous makers of halal food products to embrace this kind of mass marketing. Studies done by ethnic-marketing consultancy Solis Conseil in Paris estimate that French Muslims currently purchase about $5.7 billion worth of specialized foodstuffs and related products — a market that's been increasing nearly 15% annually for almost a decade. Solis has also found that nearly 94% of all Muslims in France with North African roots — by far the largest group of Muslims in the country — buy exclusively halal food. A recent poll by the Ifop agency found that 70% of Muslims in France are observing Ramadan this year — leaving little doubt as to the thinking behind the timing of Zakia Halal's groundbreaking ad campaign.

"Even though people have to fast during the day, Muslims tend to eat more — and better — when they can eat during Ramadan, which is why it is traditionally a period of peak consumer activity," explains Abbas Bendali, director of Solis Conseil. "Zakia's timing makes good sense because people tend to be short on time during Ramadan and will use prepared dishes along with fresh food for meals. And when you consider the size and value of this demographic, using mass-market methods to promote halal products becomes logical too." But it's also potentially inflammatory, given the tendency of the French to view overt manifestations of Islamic faith as a threat to the nation's tradition of secularity. >>> Bruce Crumley, Paris | Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Geschichte einer Einwanderung: "Die Bratwurst ist die Trennlinie zwischen West und Ost"
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Wie kommt man als Muslim dazu, doch mal Schweinefleisch zu kosten? Und wie erhält man als Pakistaner den Vornamen Niels? Hasnain Kazim berichtet von der Einwanderung seiner Familie nach Deutschland. SPIEGEL ONLINE veröffentlicht Auszüge aus seinem Buch "Grünkohl und Curry".

Meine Mutter machte kurz nach ihrer Ankunft in Deutschland das erste Mal in ihrem Leben Bekanntschaft mit Schweinen. Die Tiere standen in einiger Entfernung auf einer Wiese im niedersächsischen Rastede, sie entdeckte sie, als sie mit Omi und Opi unterwegs war. Omi und Opi, das waren Mariechen und Erich Koch, Verwandte eines deutschen Kollegen meines zur See fahrenden Vaters, die meine Eltern bei sich aufgenommen hatten. "Ich wunderte mich: Was sind das für riesige Viecher? Schafe? Aber sie hatten kein Fell. Schweine kannte ich nur aus pakistanischen Bilderbüchern: kleine, rosafarbene Tiere. Diese Wesen hier waren schwarzbraun und riesengroß, fast so groß wie Kühe."

Sie starrte die Schweine an, sie begriff, dann entfuhr ihr: "Pigs! There [sic] are pigs!" Omi fiel diese Szene regelmäßig ein, wenn sie Geschichten von früher erzählte. "Deine Mutter sagte nur 'Pigs!' Und ich: Ja, das sind 'pigs'. Die hatte sie wohl noch nie zuvor gesehen."

Omis schnatterndes Gelächter.

Es war nur eine Frage der Zeit, bis das Fleisch dieser Tiere auch auf dem Teller meiner Mutter landete. Ich weiß nicht, inwiefern Omi meine Eltern gefragt hat, ob sie Schweinefleisch essen, oder ob sie es ihnen überhaupt angeboten hat. Meine Mutter hatte es bis dahin trotz des Bratengeruchs auf dem Schiff, auf dem mein Vater arbeitete, und bei Kochs zu Hause nicht probiert, weil sie innerlich nicht dazu bereit war - noch nicht. Jahrelang hatte sie gehört, wie eklig Schweinefleisch ist. Sie sah, dass mein Vater an Bord angefangen hatte, Schweinefleisch zu essen, und fand es nicht weiter schlimm. Sie selbst rührte es nicht an. Aber dann briet Omi eines Abends Schweinekoteletts, kochte Kartoffeln und Rotkohl dazu und dünstete im Bratfett Ananasstücke an. Meine Mutter, hochschwanger, hatte großen Appetit.

"Was gibt es zum Abendessen?"

"Koteletts mit Ananas."

"Ah, Koteletts mit Ananas!"

Kotelett hatte sie gelernt und Ananas heißt auch auf Urdu Ananas.
Es schmeckte ihr so gut, dass sie noch heute davon schwärmt. "Aus Pakistan kannte ich Lammkoteletts vom Grill, die sehen fast genauso aus." Allerdings sind die viel schärfer, aber das war wohl zweitrangig. Fortan war Schweinefleisch für meine Mutter kein Problem mehr. Kein Schwein gehabt >>> Hasnain Kazim | Montag, 07. September 2009

Du burkini au voile, l'Europe cherche la réponse
Un mannequin présente un modèle de burkini en Turquie. Ces tenues de bain islamiques ont fait leur apparition un peu partout en Europe. Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Les gouvernements des pays de l'UE hésitent sur la conduite à tenir face au port du voile intégral dans les lieux publics.

C'est une première en Europe : une femme portant le niqab, ce voile couvrant tout le visage, a pu témoigner début août dans un tribunal de Copenhague, alors même que la justice danoise proscrit chapeaux et lunettes de soleil à la barre ! Comme en France, le port de la burqa fait l'objet d'intenses débats au Danemark, à la suite d'une proposition du parti conservateur, au pouvoir, visant à l'interdire dans les lieux publics.

Les Pays-Bas ont été les premiers, dès 2005, à envisager une interdiction totale de la burqa, pour des raisons de sécurité. Un texte avait été déposé par le député populiste Geert Wilders, adversaire résolu de l'islam radical. Mais, depuis, le gouvernement tergiverse : aucune loi n'a encore été adoptée. Et, dans la pratique, les municipalités ont du mal à imposer une interdiction : une commune qui avait refusé de verser ses allocations sociales à une femme n'ayant pas trouvé d'emploi à cause de sa burqa a été condamnée en juin 2007. Interdit «saufpendant le carnaval» >>> Stéphane Kovacs | Lundi 07 Septembre 2009

Venezuela will Iran 20.000 Barrel Benzin pro Tag liefern
DIE PRESSE: Trotz reicher Erdölvorkommen mangelt es dem Iran an Raffinerien. Ab Oktober will Venezuela mit Benzin aushelfen. Damit könnte das Ajatollah-Regime drohende Sanktionen wegen seines Atomprogramms umgehen.

Venezuela will dem Iran künftig 20.000 Barrel Benzin täglich liefern. Das kündigte der venezolanische Staatschef Hugo Chavez am Sonntag bei einem Besuch im Iran an. Die Lieferungen im Wert von insgesamt 800 Millionen Dollar (560 Millionen Euro) würden im Oktober beginnen, sagte Chavez in der Stadt Mashhad im Nordosten des Landes lokalen Medien zufolge. Die Erlöse werde Venezuela nutzen, um im Gegenzug vom Iran Ausrüstung und Technologie zu kaufen. Über welche Dauer die Lieferungen erfolgen sollten, sagte Chavez nicht. Zu wenige Raffinerien im Iran >>> Ag. | Montag, 07. September 2009

Race Riot Flared after Muslims Were Urged to Confront Right-wing Protests
TIMES ONLINE: Birmingham’s top Muslim leader urged his followers to “vent their feelings” against anti-Islamic protesters during a weekend rally that ended in violence and dozens of arrests, The Times can reveal.

Muslims were encouraged by the Birmingham Central Mosque to counter-demonstrate during Saturday’s protest in the city, which was organised by the right-wing English Defence League (EDL). It is understood that Muslims were encouraged to confront the protest against the advice given by the West Midlands Police to community leaders to stop their followers from attending.

Mohammad Naseem, Birmingham Central Mosque’s chairman, considered to be the most senior community leader in the West Midlands region, told The Times yesterday that he encouraged members of his congregation to attend the rally, at which about 80 people were arrested, to express the Islamic community’s solidarity.

Dr Naseem’s advice came less than a month after Muslims of predominantly Asian heritage clashed with the EDL in Birmingham at another antiIslamic rally that led to 35 arrests.

He said the presence of Muslims at the weekend protest was an important stand against anti-Islamic fascists. “I think it shows that the community has got a sense of cohesion,” he added.

The police used their batons to subdue the violent crowd of more than 200 people, predominantly aged between 16 and 36, who threw bottles at each other and exchanged punches.

They could not stop the clash between the two groups despite initially containing them to two separate locations in the city. It is believed that half of those arrested were counter-protesters.

The Times understands that the West Midlands police received assurances from Muslim leaders during numerous meetings in the past two weeks that their community members would be discouraged from attending the protest, which the EDL had announced at the August 8 demonstration in Birmingham.

“The police had a lot of engagement with mosques, youth workers and social workers, and a lot of work went on to encourage people to stay away and not attend,” police sources said. “But it is obviously difficult to stop kids going and their presence alone would be deemed provocative.”

Asked if it would have been a better idea to encourage Muslims not to attend the rally at all, Dr Naseem said: “The thing is, that is their right, I cannot say, ‘You don’t have this right’.” >>> Richard Kerbaj | Monday, September 07, 2009

BP to Strike It Rich with Libya Contracts
THE TELEGRAPH: BP is not expecting an early pay-off from its contentious Libyan contract tied to prisoner transfers but analysts say the potential from the huge tracts of exploration territory is enormous.

The group was awarded onshore and offshore areas equivalent to the size of Belgium and Kuwait in May 2007 as a "sweetener" to speed progress on a prisoner deal at the time. The oil and gas potential is said to be considerable but until now there has been little recognition of how significantly the Libyan deal could benefit BP.

Tony Blair personally attended the signing ceremony, shortly before Britain signed a wide-ranging memorandum of understanding with Libya on extradition, legal assistance and established the framework for the release of the Lockerbie bomber. >>> Roland Gribben | Sunday, September 06, 2009

Saudi Arabia: 'Pure' Islamic Alternative to YouTube Launched
LOS ANGELES TIMES: In a move to preserve religious and moral values in cyberspace, a group of unidentified Saudis have launched a "clean" Islamic alternative to the leading video-sharing site YouTube.

It's called NaqaTube.

Naqa means "pure" in Arabic. The website offers a collection of edited and Islamically "clean" clips from YouTube under the banner, “Participate with us in a clean website."

Site administrators censor video clips that express critical views of the government, Islamic scholars and members of the Saudi royal family.

In keeping with Saudi Arabia's strict religious and moral codes, music videos and clips featuring women are also banned. Any music videos on NaqaTube must adhere to Islamic rules.

Abu Ibraheem, the handle of a NaqaTube moderator, assured in an interview with the Saudi English-language daily Arab News that all footage on NaqaTube is "religiously safe."

The clips, he said, are often edited before being posted. Visitors also can use its online tool to edit their own footage before uploading it to the site.

Abu Ibraheem told the paper that he hopes NaqaTube will some day rival YouTube, perhaps by decreasing the number of visitors to YouTube.

But for now NaqaTube will have to wait. It has attracted only 5,000 to 6,000 visitors since its launch this summer, Abu Ibraheem said.

Plans are in the pipeline to launch NaqaTube in languages other than Arabic.

The vast majority of clips on NaqaTube have religious themes. Visitors are offered a spectrum of more than 10 channels, including a science-themed one and a site featuring children's cartoon clips.

Viewers are also offered countless clips of religious scholars giving lectures and debating Islamic rules on talk shows.
Abu Ibraheem stressed that NaqaTube is promoting "moderate" Islamic teachings and "nothing extreme."

NaqaTube isn't the first religious counterpart of YouTube. Other examples include JewTube, Islamic[t]ube, and GodTube (now called tangle.com), which describes itself as using "technology to connect Christians for the purpose of encouraging and advancing the Gospel worldwide."

NaqaTube comes as Saudi Arabia tries to censor Internet content deemed harmful to its values.

The initiative, titled Saudi Flag[g]er, includes 200 volunteers who search YouTube for inappropriate content.

Once a racy clip is found, a member of the campaign flags it. Users are then encouraged to complain to YouTube administrators that the video contains “hateful or abusive content” that “promotes hatred or violence” against religious groups, according to the campaign's website. >>> Alexandra Sandels in Beirut | Sunday, September 06, 2009

Dinner with Sarah
Watch AP video: Palin’s eBay dinner: Want to have dinner with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin? Plan on writing a big cheque. The ex-Republican vice presidential candidate is offering the dinner as part of a charity auction on eBay >>> | Saturday, September 05, 2009

Libyen-Affäre: «Qadhafi hat sein Gesicht verloren»
TAGES ANZEIGER: Bundespräsident Merz hätte versuchen sollen, Qadhafi zu treffen. Selbst wenn dies bedeutet hätte, drei Tage lang auf ihn zu warten, sagt Nahost-Experte Hottinger.

Herr Hottinger, haben Sie eine Ahnung, wann die beiden Schweizer Geiseln freikommen?


Es gibt zwei Möglichkeiten: Entweder erlässt Qadhafi einen Gnadenakt – danach sieht es allerdings nicht aus – oder es gibt neuen Druck auf die Schweiz. Wenn Qadhafi das im Sinn hat, behält er natürlich sein Pfand.

Man hat den Eindruck: Qadhafi will die Schweiz schmoren lassen.


Seine Idee, die Schweiz aufzuteilen, zeigt, dass Qadhafi die Temperatur sogar noch etwas erhöhen möchte. Das würde heissen: Sein Rachebedürfnis ist noch lange nicht gestillt. Jetzt kommt es sehr auf die Geschicklichkeit der Schweiz an. Dabei muss sie sich an Qadhafi orientieren, nicht an den Regeln des Rechtsstaats. Der Rechtsstaat hat in Libyen keine Bedeutung. Man muss schauen, wie man Qadhafi beschwichtigen kann.

Was also würden Sie dem Bundesrat raten?


Zuerst einmal: Nicht in Panik verfallen. Weiter braucht es eine Ouvertüre, in der sich Qadhafi in Szene setzen kann, nicht seine Minister. Es war wohl ein Fehler, dass Bundespräsident Hans-Rudolf Merz mit einem Minister verhandelt hat, und dann das Angebot, «du kannst den grossen Chef sehen», nicht wahrnehmen wollte oder nicht wahrnehmen konnte. Das hätte geheissen, auf Qadhafi zu warten.

Anmerkung: Laut Recherchen der Online-Redaktion des «Tages-Anzeigers» hat Bundesrat Merz bestritten, dass es ein Angebot zu einem Gespräch mit dem lybischen Staatschef gab.

Unter Umständen hätte das dauern können. 


Ja, aber wenn der Bundespräsident die Reise schon unternimmt, hätte er wohl warten müssen, vielleicht drei Tage lang. Das wäre auch dann der Fall gewesen, wenn er von vornherein ein Rendezvous zugesichert bekommen hätte.

So oder so heisst das: Die Schweiz muss sich demütigen lassen.


Das sollte man nicht so schweizerisch sehen. Es handelt sich um eine Stammesangelegenheit zwischen zwei Stämmen, dem libyschen und dem schweizerischen. Wir sind in einer Fehde. Wenn zwei Stämme streiten, braucht es einen Schiedsrichter. Das muss so über die Bühne gehen, dass Qadhafi nicht sein Gesicht verliert. >>> Von Ruedi Burger | Samstag, 05. September, 2009

Arnold Hottinger: Die Länder des Islam >>>

TAGES ANZEIGER:
Libyen widerspricht Merz: Rückkehr der Geiseln nie zugesagt: In der Schweiz liege wohl ein Missverständnis vor, sagt der libysche Vize-Aussenminister – und erzählt seine Version der Abmachung. >>> oku/sda/ap | Sonntag, 06. September 2009

Deal for Terror Release?

Revealed: Blair's Role in Megrahi Release
THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY: MPs want to know what deal was struck over the Lockerbie bomber at a meeting in a London club in 2003 – long before either the Scottish government or Gordon Brown was involved

Tony Blair will be thrust into the controversy over the release of the Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi with questions in Parliament over a secret meeting the then Prime Minister orchestrated that brought Libya in from the cold.

MPs are set to demand the minutes of an extraordinary cloak-and-dagger summit in London between British, American and Libyan spies held three days before Mr Blair announced that Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was surrendering his weapons of mass destruction programme.

At the time of the secret meeting in December 2003 at the private Travellers Club in Pall Mall, London – for decades the favourite haunt of spies – Libyan officials were pressing for negotiations on the status of Megrahi, who was nearly three years into his life sentence at a Scottish jail.

Whitehall sources said the issue of Megrahi's imprisonment was raised as part of the discussions, although it is not clear whether Britain or America agreed to a specific deal over his imprisonment, or a more general indication that it would be reviewed.

MPs are to investigate what was promised by Britain at the talks on 16 December, and the role that Mr Blair played in the affair. Until now, the controversy over Megrahi's release last month has centred on discussions between Gordon Brown's government and the Scottish executive and Libya since 2007, with Mr Blair apparently not involved in any way.

It has also focused on claims that the deal was related to oil deals, with Jack Straw admitting yesterday that BP's interests in Libya played a "big part". But authoritative sources said the seeds for Megrahi's release were sown in 2003, when Libya made the historic agreement to end its status as a pariah, and that the focus on oil and trade was a "red herring".

Yesterday the Libyan Foreign Minister, Musa Kusa – who himself was present at the Travellers Club meeting – told The Times that Megrahi's release was "nothing to do with trade".

Two days after the meeting Mr Blair and Col Gaddafi held direct talks by telephone; and the next day, 19 December, the historic announcement about Libyan WMD was made by Mr Blair and President Bush.

At the time, the British government was in desperate need of an intelligence victory after the debacle of going to war in Iraq in the belief that it had weapons of mass destruction.

The Iraq Survey Group had just reported it had found no biological or chemical weapons. Two months after the talks, Mr Blair travelled to the Libyan desert to extend the "hand of friendship" to Col Gaddafi in a Bedouin tent, calculating that the PR coup of Libya dismantling WMD programmes outweighed American outrage.

Yet, in the end, it was revealed that Libya had not developed a nuclear- weapons capability and so did not pose as great a threat to the West as was feared. >>> Jane Merrick | Sunday, September 06, 2009

John Rentoul: Faraway Bombs Leave Brown's Hopes in Tatters
THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY: We are surely approaching the final chapter of the Prime Minister's career, and the story is being written in Afghanistan and Libya

Prime ministers tend to be defined as much by their foreign policy as by what they achieve at home. Eden – Suez; Wilson – Vietnam; Heath – Europe; Thatcher – Falklands; Blair – Iraq. Hence the importance to Gordon Brown of getting Afghanistan right. Just like Barack Obama, he took over from a leader identified with Iraq, and found himself embroiled in another war, which had started before and which will go on afterwards. In both Britain and the US, a foreign war has become caught up in a domestic political drama.

President Obama faces his first crisis of popularity, forced to plead for his health-care reforms at a joint session of Congress this week, as Rupert Cornwell writes today. Brown is in such a pit of unpopularity that his problem is different. For him, Afghanistan is about much shorter-term politics. The two foreign affairs stories of the late summer, the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi and the criticism of Brown's Afghanistan policy by Eric Joyce, the Labour MP and former army officer, feed into a Westminster narrative about the Prime Minister's survival as leader of his party.

The immediate focus was not on the content of Joyce's letter of resignation from the junior, unpaid post of parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to Bob Ainsworth, the Defence Secretary. The first question was: is it part of another plot to try to destabilise the Prime Minister?

In this, Brown is partly the victim of the tactics that brought him into 10 Downing Street. Tony Blair was hustled offstage by the co-ordinated resignations of PPSs and the publication of a critical letter. That was a coup orchestrated by Brown's henchpersons. Brown can hardly complain when people assume that similar tactics are being deployed against him. He can hardly be surprised when it is pointed out that Joyce is a Blairite. So Blairite, in fact, that he voted against another inquiry into the Iraq war. He was only PPS to Ainsworth at all because he had held the same post under John Hutton, the once-implacable modernising ultra who resigned unexpectedly three months ago.

It was inevitable, despite Joyce's claim in his letter that "this seems to me the least disruptive time [to resign]", that it would be assumed he had timed his departure for maximum damaging effect, the day before Brown's big speech on Afghanistan.

The real story is rather different. Of course there will be another attempt from within Labour to dislodge Brown, just before or just after the party's annual conference in Brighton at the end of this month. But, like the resignations of Hazel Blears, Jacqui Smith, John Hutton and even James Purnell in June, it will be disorganised and more about people giving up than about a gritty determination to minimise a Conservative win. >>> John Rentoul | Sunday, September 06, 2009

USA: No Mosque Welcome Here!


Hat tip: Bare Naked Islam >>>

Prince Andrew ‘Had Lockerbie Talks with Gaddafi’s Son’
MAIL ON SUNDAY: Claims that Prince Andrew held secret ‘detailed discussions’ over the release of the Lockerbie bomber with Colonel Gaddafi’s son were at the centre of a simmering diplomatic row last night.

Libyan officials yesterday claimed the Prince held off-the-record talks with Saif al-Islam Gaddafi days after Libya formally applied for convicted terrorist Abdelbaset Al Megrahi’s release.

But last night, despite the Libyan assertions, Buckingham Palace denied any meetings or discussions had taken place between the Prince and Mr Gaddafi on the issue.

The alleged Royal intervention in the controversial affair came while the Prince was on an official Foreign Office-sponsored trip to Algeria in May to open Britain’s new embassy in the country.

Libyan government officials say Colonel Gaddafi’s son – who would later give the terrorist a hero’s welcome on his return to Tripoli – made a special visit to Algiers to discuss the developments with the Prince, Britain’s special representative on trade and investment.

The pair are said to have become friends after Andrew made several official and unofficial trips to Libya. Mr Gaddafi has also been a guest at Windsor Castle.

The Prince’s formal role is to help secure trade and investment deals for Britain and he was in Algeria at the behest of the Foreign Office.

The involvement of the Prince would raise new questions about the deal done with Libya to free Megrahi, the man convicted of bombing Pan Am Flight 103.

But told of the Libyan claims the Prince had played a key role in the affair, Buckingham Palace last night issued a categoric denial.

A spokesman said: ‘We can categorically say that no meetings or discussions took place between the Duke of York and Mr Gaddafi in Algiers on any issue. The Duke has only met Mr Gaddafi on two occasions and was unaware they were in Algiers at the same time.’

He added: ‘It is categorically untrue that the Duke of York met Saif Gaddafi in Algeria.’ >>> Jason Lewis, Mail On Sunday Security Editor and Nabila Ramdani | Sunday, September 06, 2009

Affaire Bettencourt : Le procès débute sous haute tension – Joutes verbales entre avocats en guise d’échauffement
Liliane Bettencourt. Photo : Gala.fr
GALA.fr: François Meyers-Bettencourt attaque l’ami de sa mère François-Marie Banier pour «abus de faiblesse» de sa mère Liliane, âgée de 87 ans. Alors qu’il ne s’agit que de déterminer si la requête est recevable ou non, les avocats commencent l’audience sur les chapeaux de roue.

Affaire n° 13, jour 1. L’audience est dite de consignation, et son issue décidera de la nécessité ou non d’ouvrir un procès.

Les forces en présence: d’un côté, Françoise Meyers-Bettencourt, fille de Liliane, milliardaire, héritière du fondateur et principale actionnaire de l'Oréal, et dont la fortune est estimée à 17 milliards d’euros. En face d'elle: François-Marie Banier, photographe et ami de longue date de Liliane Bettencourt. La plaignante l’accuse en quelque sorte d’extorsion au détriment de madame Bettencourt.

Entre 2001 et 2007, Liliane aurait «dilapidé» environ 1 milliard d’euros en cadeaux divers, souscriptions de contrats d’assurance vie au profit du photographe, et autres versements. Elle a affirmé à plusieurs reprises qu’elle était en pleine possession de ses moyens au moment de contenter son ami. Un examen médical l'a d'ailleurs confirmé. : «Cela vient peut-être du fait que je m'entends bien avec François-Marie Banier. C'est un artiste, ça me motive» avait-elle déclaré au JDD en décembre 2008. >>> | Vendredi 04 Septembre 2009

Streit um US-Umweltpolitik: Obamas Berater für "grüne Jobs" tritt zurück
ZEIT ONLINE: Rückschlag für Obamas Umweltpolitik: Nach zahlreichen Attacken der Republikaner gegen seinen Berater Van Jones, räumt dieser seinen Beraterposten

Van Jones, Obamas Berater für "grüne Jobs", hat seinen Rücktritt erklärt. Bild: Zeit Online
Er war der Mann für die "grünen Jobs" in der Regierung Obama: Van Jones, Experte in ökologischen Wirtschaftsfragen und Gründer mehrerer gemeinnütziger Organisationen, die sich für Menschenrechte und Umweltschutz einsetzen. Nach andauernden Querelen um seine Person hat der Berater des Präsidenten nun seinen Rücktritt erklärt. "Ich kann nicht guten Gewissens meine Kollegen bitten, ihre kostbare Zeit und Energie dafür zu verwenden, meine Vergangenheit zu verteidigen", teilte Jones mit. Er sprach von einer "bösartigen Schmierenkampagne". Zu den Aufgaben des Beraters hatte vor allem die Vorbereitung zur Schaffung von Arbeitsplätzen in umweltfreundlichen Branchen gehört. >>> | Sonntag, 06. September 2009

CNN: White House adviser resigns amid 9/11 controversy >>> | Sunday, September 06, 2009

États-Unis : Le conseiller du président Obama pour l'environnement démissionne
LE POINT: Le conseiller spécial du président américain Barack Obama pour les questions de l'environnement a démissionné, sous la pression des républicains, après une controverse sur ses déclarations à propos du 11-Septembre, a annoncé dimanche le Washington Post . Van Jones, un ancien militant californien des droits civiques, travaillait depuis mars dernier auprès de la Maison-Blanche sur les problèmes de l'environnement. "Ma démission est effective à compter d'aujourd'hui", a-t-il déclaré au journal, tout en s'estimant victime d'une "campagne vicieuse de dénigrement". >>> Avec AFP | Dimanche 06 Septembre 2009

Van Jones Resigns
Watch AP video: Obama advisor resigns: President Barack Obama's adviser has resigned amid controversy over past inflammatory statements, the White House said early Sunday. >>> | Sunday, September 06, 2009

Israël: Obama regrette
leJDD.fr: Le président américain a fait savoir vendredi qu'il regrettait le projet israélien de construire de nouveaux logements dans les colonies de Cisjordanie.

Un conseiller de Benjamin Netanyahou a révélé vendredi matin que le Premier ministre israélien avait l'intention d'avaliser la construction de nouveaux logements dans les colonies juives de Cisjordanie et de Jérusalem-Est. "Plusieurs centaines", a-t-il précisé sous couvert d'anonymat.

Une annonce qui a provoqué l'ire de la Maison blanche. Depuis son entrée en fonction, l'administration de Barack Obama réclame en effet la cessation de toute activité de colonisation mais n'a arraché jusqu'à présent aucun engagement clair au chef du gouvernement israélien, qui est sous pression de son propre parti, le Likoud et de ses partenaires de gouvernement plus à droite encore. >>> Europe1.fr | Vendredi 04 Septembre 2009