The EU should be stronger and more united. Great Britain should belong to the Union.
Die EU sollte stärker und geeinter sein. Großbritannien sollte der Union angehören.
L'UE devrait être plus forte et plus unie. La Grande-Bretagne devrait appartenir à l'Union.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Mandelson Calls for Rover Apology
BBC: Lord Mandelson has called for the businessmen who ran MG Rover prior to its 2005 collapse to apologise for taking so much money out of the firm.
The business secretary said the so-called Phoenix Four, who bought Rover for £10 in 2000, had "feathered their own nests" during their time in charge.
A report found the men pocketed an "unreasonable" £42m in pay and perks.
The Phoenix Four blame Labour for Rover's collapse but Lord Mandelson said ministers had been "faultless".
'No humility'
And he rejected criticism that ministers had not done enough to try and save the firm, whose collapse cost more than 6,000 jobs.
However, opposition parties criticised the government for allowing the group to take control of MG Rover in the first place.
Earlier this year, the Serious Fraud Office chose not to pursue a criminal investigation into Rover's collapse and the conduct of the Phoenix Four. >>> | Friday, September 11, 2009
Afghanistan: Die Taliban sind zurück und gewinnen an Einfluss
WELT ONLINE: Sie galten als besiegt. Doch acht Jahre nach ihrem Sturz sind die radikalislamischen Taliban in beinahe ganz Afghanistan wieder aktiv. Dies berichtet ein internationales Forschungsinstitut und fürchtet gar eine weitere Ausweitung des Einflusses der Islamisten. Die Experten warnen vor einem Machtvakuum.
Die Taliban weiten ihren Einfluss in Afghanistan aus. Bild: Welt Online
Die radikalislamistischen Taliban sind nach Einschätzung des internationalen Forschungsinstituts ICOS mittlerweile wieder in fast ganz Afghanistan aktiv. Seit vergangenem November seien sie in 80 Prozent des Landes „permanent“ präsent, teilte der in London ansässige International Council on Security and Development (ICOS) mit. In weiteren 17 Prozent des Landes gebe es „substanzielle“ Aktivitäten der Taliban. Auch in bislang eher friedlichen Gebieten im Westen und Norden des Landes habe sich der Einfluss der Taliban ausgeweitet, vor allem in der Provinz Kundus, in der die Bundeswehr stationiert ist.
„Permanente“ Präsenz definiert ICOS als ein oder mehr Anschläge pro Woche, „substanzielle“ Präsenz als durchschnittlich ein oder mehr Anschläge pro Monat. Die Taliban waren vor acht Jahren gestürzt worden. >>> AFP/sk | Freitag, 11. September, 2009
Diplomatische Beziehungen: Wenn Schweizer "Geiseln" in Libyen Tennis spielen
WELT ONLINE: Neue Details über zwei angeblich in Libyen festgehaltene Schweizer Geschäftsleute bringen die Regierung in Bern in Bedrängnis. Einer der beiden „Gefangenen" soll gar Urlaub in Tunesien gemacht haben, regelmäßig mit dem libyschen Premierminister zu Tisch sitzen und Tennis spielen.
Libyen-Affäre belastet den Schweizer Präsidenten Hans-Rudolf Merz (r.) Bild: Welt Online
Das Schicksal der beiden libyschen „Geiseln“ beschäftigt die Schweiz nun schon seit mehr als 400 Tagen. Wie vertreibt sich Max Göldi (54), Libyen-Chef beim Elektrotechnikkonzern ABB, die langen Tage in der eidgenössischen Botschaft in Tripolis? Wie psychisch angeschlagen ist sein Leidensgenosse Rachid Hamdani (68), Verwalter eines Schweizer Bauunternehmens? Und vor allem: Wie lange wird der libysche Diktator Muammar al-Gaddafi ihnen noch die Freiheit verweigern, um die Verhaftung seines Sohnes Mutassim Bilal, genannt „Hannibal“, im Juli vergangenen Jahres in einem Genfer Luxushotel zu rächen? Während eine Antwort auf letztere Frage in weite Ferne gerückt ist, seit Bundespräsident Hans-Rudolf Merz Ende August mit seinem Versuch kläglich gescheitert ist, die Schweizer nach Hause zu holen, tauchen ständig Informationen über den älteren der beiden Geschäftsmänner auf, die nicht recht in das Bild einer Geiselhaft passen wollen.
„Einer der zwei sitzt regelmäßig mit dem Premierminister Libyens zu Tisch, und er spielt Tennis“, soll die Schweizer Außenministerin Micheline Calmy-Rey nach Angaben des Zürcher „Tagesanzeigers“ im Februar der Außenpolitischen Kommission des Parlaments berichtet haben. Gemeint ist Rachid Hamdani, der auch die tunesische Staatsbürgerschaft besitzt. Er bewegt sich in Gaddafis Reich offenbar sehr viel freier als Max Göldi, der der Boulevardzeitung „Blick“ zufolge außerhalb des Botschaftsgeländes um seine Sicherheit fürchtet. >>> Von Elisalex Henckel | Freitag, 11. September. 2009
Alkoholismus: Medwedjew dreht den Russen den Bierhahn zu
WELT ONLINE: Wie einst Michael Gorbatschow kritisiert Russlands Präsident Dmitri Medwedjew den hohen Alkoholkonsum in seinem Land. Laut einer Studie stehe die Hälfte aller Todesfälle der 15- bis 54-Jährigen seit dem Ende der Sowjetunion in Verbindung mit Alkohol. Wodka ist von den Verkaufsbeschränkungen nicht betroffen.
Wodka ist von den beschlossenen Maßnahmen nicht betroffen. Bild: Welt Online
Im Kampf gegen den grassierenden Alkoholismus in Russland scheint Präsident Dmitri Medwedjew jetzt erstmals ernst zu machen. Er ordnete Verkaufsbeschränkungen für Bier und ähnliche Getränke an. Sie dürfen künftig nicht mehr in Behältern verkauft werden, die ein Drittel Liter überschreiten. >>> AP/sk | Freitag, 11. September 2009
Bin Laden-style Photos of 9/11 Mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed 'Go Viral' on Web
TIMES ONLINE: Newly-released pictures of the alleged mastermind of 9/11 are being used by terrorist groups to inspire attacks against the United States, American experts say.
The photographs of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, taken in July by Red Cross visitors to the Guantanamo Bay detention centre in Cuba, show Mohammed sitting wearing a white robe, a red-patterned headdress and a long salt-and-pepper beard.
They are the first known images of Mohammed since a widely-distributed shot taken upon his capture in Pakistan in March 2003 showing him in a stretched white T-shirt, with dishevelled hair and a moustache. Since then, only courtroom sketches from his war crimes trial have been available.
The International Committee of the Red Cross, which photographs Guantanamo prisoners as part of its mission to monitor their treatment, confirmed that it took the images and sent them to Mohammed's family.
Bernard Barrett, an ICRC spokesman, said that the photos were given only to the family and were not intended for public release, but the organisation does not impose conditions on detainee families.
The military began to allow the Red Cross to photograph Guantanamo detainees in February and the group has taken pictures of 107 inmates. Detainees are allowed to select two shots and the ICRC sends five prints to their families, along with personal messages.
Mohammed’s photos began appearing in recent days on internet sites that have previously been used by al-Qaeda and its sympathisers to communicate with each other, said Jarret Brachman, the former research director at the Combating Terrorism Centre of the US Military Academy at West Point.
Mr Brachman, now an independent terrorism researcher based in Fargo, North Dakota, said he fears the photos could breed sympathy for a man who has proudly proclaimed his role in the September 11 attacks, as well as other incidents of terrorism, while also alleging he has been tortured by the US.
“What’s problematic for me is it really humanises the guy,” Mr Brachman said. “I understand the value of these photos for family members, but at the same time this is the guy who planned 9-11.” >>> Times Online | Thursday, September 10, 2009
Polémique après une réflexion équivoque d'Hortefeux
LE FIGARO: Le ministre de l'Intérieur se défend de tout propos raciste après la diffusion d'une vidéo tournée lors du campus de l'UMP samedi dernier, qui le montre tenant une réflexion ambiguë devant un jeune Beur.
Brice Hortefeux contre-attaque. Le ministre de l'Intérieur s'est défendu jeudi soir d'avoir tenu des propos racistes envers un militant de l'UMP, lors de l'université d'été du parti majoritaire samedi dernier à Seignosse, dans les Landes. Sur une vidéo postée sur le site lemonde.fr, on voit le ministre et le patron des députés UMP Jean-François Copé poser pour une photo en compagnie d'un jeune militant d'origine maghrébine venu d'Auvergne, Amine. Alors que Copé taquine Hortefeux sur le fait qu'il est auvergnat, des personnes non visibles sur les images discutent, disant notamment : «c'est l'intégration», «lui, il parle arabe» ou encore «il mange du cochon, il boit de la bière». «Il ne correspond pas du tout au prototype alors», remarque Brice Hortefeux. >>> lefigaro.fr, avec agences | Vendredi 11 Septembre 2009
Sur cette vidéo que s'est procurée "Le Monde", le ministre de l'intérieur, Brice Hortefeux, a posé pour la photo en compagnie d'un jeune militant, samedi 5 septembre lors de l'université d'été de l'UMP, à Seignosse dans les Landes. "Il ne correspond pas du tout au prototype", plaisante M. Hortefeux en référence à l'origine arabe du jeune homme, avant d'ajouter : "Il en faut toujours un. Quand il y en a un ça va. C'est quand il y en a beaucoup qu'il y a des problèmes".
Video Hortefeux : Amine repond
9/11: A Tribute
The Terrorist Threat Remains
THE TELEGRAPH: Telegraph View: Remembering the day that changed the world.
The devastating terrorist attacks that took place in New York and Washington eight years ago today are the reason why our troops are still in Afghanistan. Initially they were sent, along with American and other Nato forces, to track down Osama bin Laden and destroy al-Qaeda's bases, an outcome that required the defeat of the Taliban, who had turned the country into a launch pad for international jihad. Those who question our continuing military presence in the region should remember how they felt on Sept 11, 2001, as the twin towers of the World Trade Centre collapsed, killing 2,500 people, including 67 British citizens. It was, said Tony Blair as he pledged to stand "shoulder to shoulder" with America, a day that changed the world. >>> Telegraph View | Friday, September 11, 2009
Gordon Brown Issues Posthumous Apology to Bletchley Park Codebreaker
THE TELEGRAPH: Gordon Brown today issues a posthumous apology to a Second World War code breaker who killed himself after being tried and convicted of being homosexual.
The Prime Minister said Alan Turing was treated “terribly". Mr Brown was responding to a campaign to get a formal apology from the Government. Thousands of people have signed a Downing Street petition.
However a formal apology is not possible as Mr Turing has no known surviving family. Instead Mr Brown offered a personal apology.
In an article for the Daily Telegraph, he said: “Alan Turing was a quite brilliant mathematician, most famous for his work on breaking the German Enigma codes. It is no exaggeration to say that, without his outstanding contribution, the history of the Second World War could well have been very different. He truly was one of those individuals we can point to whose unique contribution helped to turn the tide of war. >>> Andrew Porter, Political Editor | Friday, September 11, 2009
Gordon Brown Issues Apology for 'Inhumane' Treatment of Alan Turing
TIMES ONLINE: Gordon Brown has issued a formal government apology to Alan Turing, the Second World War code-breaker who committed suicide after being found guilty of gross indecency with another man.
The Prime Minister last night said that Turing, who took his own life in 1954, had been treated “inhumanely”.
He also paid tribute to Turing's work cracking the German Enigma codes at Bletchley Park, which historians believe hastened the end of the war in Europe by as much as two years.
Writing on the Downing Street website after around 30,00 signed a petition calling for an apology, Mr Brown said that 2009 had been a year for “deep reflection” and a chance for Britain “to commemorate the profound debts we owe to those who came before”.
He went on: “I am both pleased and proud that, thanks to a coalition of computer scientists, historians and LGBT activists, we have this year a chance to mark and celebrate another contribution to Britain’s fight against the darkness of dictatorship; that of code-breaker Alan Turing.”
The petition was the idea of John Graham-Cumming, a computer scientist, and pays tribute to Turing as "the greatest computer scientist ever born in Britain". Among those throwing their weight behind the campaign was the gay actor and TV star Stephen Fry, who urged his 750,000 followers on Twitter to sign up to the petition.
Describing Mr Turing as a “quite brilliant mathematician”, the Prime Minister said: “It is no exaggeration to say that, without his outstanding contribution, the history of World War Two could well have been very different. He truly was one of those individuals we can point to whose unique contribution helped to turn the tide of war.
“The debt of gratitude he is owed makes it all the more horrifying, therefore, that he was treated so inhumanely. In 1952, he was convicted of ’gross indecency’ — in effect, tried for being gay. His sentence — and he was faced with the miserable choice of this or prison — was chemical castration by a series of injections of female hormones. He took his own life just two years later.
“Thousands of people have come together to demand justice for Alan Turing and recognition of the appalling way he was treated. While Turing was dealt with under the law of the time and we can’t put the clock back, his treatment was of course utterly unfair and I am pleased to have the chance to say how deeply sorry I and we all are for what happened to him.” >>> Philippe Naughton | Friday, September 11, 2009
Petition Prompts No. 10 Apology Over Code Breaker Turing
THE INDEPENDENT: Gordon Brown issued an apology to a Second World War code-breaker who committed suicide after being found guilty of gross indecency with another man.
The Prime Minister last night said Alan Turing, who took his own life in 1954, had been treated "inhumanely" and paid tribute to his work cracking the German Enigma codes.
Writing on the Downing Street website after thousands signed a petition calling for an apology, Mr Brown said 2009 had been a year for "deep reflection" and a chance for Britain "to commemorate the profound debts we owe to those who came before" because of the 65th anniversary of the Normandy landings and the 70th anniversary of the UK's commitment to fight fascism. >>> Craig Woodhouse, Press Association | Friday, September 11, 2009
Crise Libyenne : L’accueil du terroriste de Lockerbie a été évoquée à Berne
LE TEMPS: Démarche inédite d’un industriel zurichois
L’idée est venue d’un industriel zurichois, Edwin Bollier. Après le déclenchement de la crise libyenne, ce fabriquant d’équipements militaires et de matériel de renseignement a contacté le Département fédéral des affaires étrangères pour suggérer d’accueillir en Suisse l’auteur de l’attentat de Lockerbie, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, a révélé mercredi soir l’émission Rundschau de la TV alémanique.
Edwin Bollier raconte qu’il a pris l’initiative d’écrire à Micheline Calmy-Rey après avoir appris qu’al-Megrahi souffrait d’un cancer de la prostate. Il s’est dit que l’accueil en Suisse, à titre humanitaire, de cet homme gravement malade pourrait permettre d’apaiser le conflit opposant la Suisse à la Libye. >>> LT | Jeudi 10 Septembre 2009
Affaire Kadhaf : Qui sont vraiment les deux otages suisses?
LE TEMPS: Le DFAE a confirmé mercredi soir qu’un des deux otages suisses entretenait des contacts privés avec la famille du premier ministre libyen. Contactée par «Le Temps», l’épouse de l’otage s’insurge: «On dépeint mon mari comme un marchand d’armes, un espion! Mais c’est indécent!». L’affaire se complique.
L’affaire des deux Suisses retenus depuis le 19 juillet 2008 à Tripoli se complique. Dernier épisode en date: «24 heures» affirme que Rachid H., ingénieur suisso-tunisien de 68 ans, a des contacts étroits avec la famille du Premier ministre libyen. Et, surtout, qu’il aurait effectué un voyage en Tunisie il y a quelques semaines. Contactée par le Temps, sa femme dément cette information. Le Département fédéral des Affaires étrangères (DFAE), où règne une certaine nervosité, n’oppose pas de démenti officiel en revanche quant à ce supposé voyage qui laisserait beaucoup de questions ouvertes. Mais un simple «on ne peut pas s’exprimer à l’heure actuelle sur cet élément». Le département confirme cependant que Rachid H. a bien des contacts privés avec la famille du premier ministre.
Le Tages-Anzeiger lui, avait publié dans la journée, sur son site internet, des PV de séances des commissions de politique extérieure. Micheline Calmy a déclaré, en février dernier, qu’un des deux Suisses «se trouve régulièrement à la table du premier ministre libyen et joue au tennis», y apprend-on. Rachid H. connaît effectivement bien le pays pour y avoir vécu. Il habite «dans un domicile privé à environ 200 kilomètres de Tripoli», affirme le DFAE. Depuis quelques jours, il se trouverait en revanche dans les locaux de l’ambassade. Max G., 54 ans et directeur de la filiale d’ABB à Tripoli, a lui trouvé refuge dès le début de l’affaire à l’ambassade de Suisse alors qu’il résidait depuis 1 an et demi en Libye au moment de son arrestation. Il serait, dit-on, très marqué par sa situation. >>> Valérie de Graffenried | Jeudi 10 Septembre 2009
Affaire Libyenne : «Mon mari est constamment sous surveillance»
LE TEMPS: Fâchée par ce qu’elle a pu lire ou entendre dans les médias au sujet de son mari, l’épouse de l’otage helvético-tunisien retenu à Tripoli depuis plus d’un an a décidé de sortir de sa réserve. Entretien.
Le Temps: Dans quel état d’esprit êtes-vous actuellement?
– Je suis outrée par la désinformation et le manque de professionnalisme de certains médias, qui n’hésitent pas à écrire n’importe quoi au sujet de mon mari sans se donner la peine de vérifier ce qu’ils diffusent. On le dépeint comme un marchand d’armes, un espion, mais c’est indécent! Tout comme le fait d’affirmer que mon mari est parti en vacances en Tunisie frise la diffamation. Sur quelles bases se permet-on de raconter cela? Il faut arrêter de mettre de l’huile sur le feu en alignant des histoires abracadabrantes alors que les deux Suisses sont toujours à Tripoli, à la merci du régime libyen.
– Avez-vous eu l’occasion d’en parler avec votre mari?
– Je peux lui parler et lui envoyer des email tous les jours. S’il était parti en vacances, je le saurais. – Dans votre village, personne n’était au courant que l’un des deux Suisses est votre époux. Pourquoi êtes-vous restée silencieuse jusqu’à présent?
– Mais pourquoi serais-je allée raconter cela aux voisins? C’est un village où les gens ne se connaissent pas beaucoup. Je ne suis pas allée me confier au syndic, parce que je n’en voyais pas l’utilité. Et surtout, au début, je n’ai pas imaginé une seconde que mon mari resterait enfermé à Tripoli si longtemps. Je voulais préserver mes amis, mes proches. Mais aujourd’hui, je suis très soutenue par les gens qui me sont chers.
– Quand vous êtes partie en voyage avec Micheline Calmy-Rey à Tripoli, comment avez-vous évalué l’état de santé de votre époux?
– Un médecin était avec nous, il l’a ausculté, ainsi que l’autre Suisse. Je suis inquiète pour mon mari. Il a 68 ans, bientôt 69. Il est cardiaque, il prend des médicaments contre l’hyper tension, il devrait passer des examens. Quand je l’ai revu, il avait pris dix kilos, j’ai senti à quel point il se ronge de l’intérieur. Il a aussi un problème à l’œil, et des soucis aux dents. Moralement, mon mari a des hauts et des bas. Il fait peut-être de la décompensation. Au printemps, on a demandé un rapatriement humanitaire, mais nous n’avons reçu aucune réponse de la Libye. >>> Cynthia Gani | Jeudi 10 Septembre 2009
Ghadhafis neuster Einfall: 777 Billionen Dollar Entschädigung für Afrika gefordert
NZZ ONLINE: Der libysche Revolutionsführer Ghadhafi hat neue Vorschläge angekündigt, die bei der kommenden Uno-Vollversammlung in New York für Aufregung sorgen dürften: So fordert er von den früheren Kolonialmächten eine finanzielle Entschädigung für Afrika.
Die westlichen Industrienationen sollten als Wiedergutmachung für «den Kolonialismus und die Sklaverei» 777 Billionen US-Dollar an die afrikanischen Staaten zahlen. Des Weitern will Ghadhafi für den afrikanischen Kontinent einen ständigen Sitz im Uno-Sicherheitsrat fordern.
Diese Forderungen äusserte er bei einem Treffen mit afrikanischen Stammesführern in der libyschen Hauptstadt Tripolis in der Nacht zum Donnerstag. Die nächste Uno-Vollversammlung beginnt am kommenden Dienstag. Libyen übernimmt dann für ein Jahr den Vorsitz. Neuer Präsident wird der ehemalige libysche Aussenminister Ali Abdessalam Triki. Antrag gegen Schweiz ohne Chance >>> sda/dpa | Donnerstag, 10. September 2009
Enya: Caribbean Blue
Obama Takes the Americans Down the Road of Socialism to a National Health Service
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama gave an emotional, sometimes contentious address to Congress on Wednesday, combining tough talk to opponents with olive branches on policy in a bid to break the impasse on revamping the health-care system.
Calling the initiative "my plan," Mr. Obama set the size of a health-insurance plan at $900 billion over 10 years, a figure smaller than versions approved in the House and fully paid for, he said, by spending cuts and tax increases. Most individuals would be required to purchase health insurance, but the costs would be mitigated by generous tax credits. Large employers would also face a requirement to offer health coverage to employees or pay a fine, while most small businesses would be exempt.
The president pledged to tackle medical-malpractice lawsuits in an overture to Republicans. He singled out his former presidential rival, Sen. John McCain, in embracing one of the Arizona Republican's health-care proposals. And he promised new cost controls that could scale back his plan if health-care inflation isn't brought under control.
But Mr. Obama chastised Republican leaders who talked of death panels. The president called it "a lie, plain and simple." He warned, "I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it's better politics to kill this plan than improve it....If you misrepresent what's in the plan, we will call you out. And I will not accept the status quo as a solution, not this time, not now."
Republicans in turn held aloft copies of health-care bills they have drafted in a quiet rebuke to a president who has said they have offered nothing constructive. One, Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina, shouted "lie" when Mr. Obama said his plan wouldn't cover illegal immigrants, though the Democratic bills circulating in Congress do exclude illegal immigrants from eligibility for subsidies. Mr. Wilson late Wednesday issued a statement apologizing to Mr. Obama for "this lack of civility."
Overall, Mr. Obama tried to make the case to consumers that his plan would provide more stability for those who already have insurance, and coverage for those who don't. Republicans said the plan is too expensive and will lead to excessive government control. President Makes His Pitch: Health Plan Cut to $900 Billion With Tax on Premium Coverage; GOP Unconvinced>>> Jonathan Weisman and Janet Adamy | Thursday, September 10, 2009
Barack Obama Makes Passionate Case for Health Care Reform
THE TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama has condemned the "collective failure" of Americans to provide health care coverage for all, presenting reform as a moral imperative while lambasting opponents for "scare tactics".
His prime-time speech to both houses of Congress was punctuated by standing ovations but when Mr Obama said it was "false" that his plan would cover illegal immigrants one Republican congressman shouted out: "You lie!"
Representative Joe Wilson of South Carolina later apologised for his dramatic outburst, which shocked Mr Obama and drew a disapproving shakes of the head from Michelle Obama, the First Lady.
"This evening I let my emotions get the best of me when listening to the President's remarks regarding the coverage of illegal immigrants in the health care bill," Mr Wilson said in a statement.
"While I disagree with the President's statement, my comments were inappropriate and regrettable. I extend sincere apologies to the President for this lack of civility." Mr Obama's speech alternated between high-minded calls for Americans to come together to show the strength of the nations character with hard-edged partisan attacks on Republicans.
The time for "bickering" was over, he insisted, and asked politicians to "replace acrimony with civility, and gridlock with progress".
But he also blasted Republicans for mounting a "partisan spectacle" over the summer. "Instead of honest debate, we have seen scare tactics," he said. Some have dug into unyielding ideological camps that offer no hope of compromise." Although he did not use her name, he left no doubt that he was calling Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor, a liar. >>> Toby Harnden in Washington | Thursday, September 10, 2009
Barack Obama Health Care Speech: Republican Calls President a Liar
THE TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama opened his key address on health care by noting that he wasn't the first American head of state to grapple this most intractable of issues, but that he was determined to be the last.
Joe Wilson: Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina, pointing angrily at the president, blurted at the top of his voice: 'You lie!' Photo: The Telegraph
That remains to be seen, though after a passionate and self-confident speech, he is more likely than not to get his way.
But about half way through his 40-minute address, Mr Obama certainly became the first president in living memory to be called a liar in front of a joint session of Congress.
The president was dispelling a list of myths and "bogus claims" spread by opponents of his plan, when he denied the assertion that his proposed reforms would not provide health insurance to illegal immigrants.
Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina, pointing angrily at the president, blurted at the top of his voice: "You lie!"
His outburst prompted cries of "Shame!" from the Democratic benches, while the president looked startled and Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, shot a furious look to the left of the dais. First Lady Michelle Obama, watching from the public gallery, shook her head in dismay. Even the Republican colleague to Mr Wilson's left patted his arm to calm him down.
As soon as the president had uttered the last word of his speech, Mr Wilson bolted from the chamber of the House of Representatives on a media-evasion mission. Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff and a former whip in the House, moved rapidly towards the area where Mr Wilson had been sitting and remonstrated with Lindsey Graham, the senator from South Carolina and whichever Republicans were listening.
Veteran Congress watches had never heard anything like it. Previous presidents have been subjected to the odd ironic chortles, a disapproving murmur or perhaps a jocular heckle, but not a full-throated insult like this. >>> Alex Spillius in Washington | Thursday, September 10, 2009
President Obama in Passionate Plea on Health Reform in Live Broadcast
TIMES ONLINE: President Obama vowed last night to honour “the character of our country” and the legacy of generations of reformers by forcing through sweeping reforms of a healthcare system that had led the United States “to breaking point”.
In a passionate and often pleading address to both houses of Congress, he confronted head-on critics who have threatened to derail his presidency by accusing him of plotting a government takeover of the healthcare industry.
He called rumours that proposals in Congress would lead to the establishment of “death panels” for the elderly “a lie, plain and simple”. Minutes later he was himself accused of lying from the floor. The heckler was identified as Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina, who later apologised.
Challenged to stamp his authority on a debate that has drained his authority and split his own party, Mr Obama insisted that “the time for bickering is over”. He said that his door was still open to constructive proposals from any party — and won a rare standing ovation from Republicans by promising medical malpractice law reforms that they have long sought — but in a warning to the scaremongers who have dominated the health debate for months, he added: “Know this: I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it’s better politics to kill this plan than improve it”.
The 45-minute speech was carried live on every major network and was partly a last-ditch effort to persuade the millions of Americans who are happy with their coverage that the $900 billion (£544 billion) plan he supports is affordable and necessary. >>> Giles Whittell in Washington | Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Santé: les Américains désaprouvent Obama
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: ÉTATS-UNIS | 52% des Américains ne sont pas d'accord avec la façon dont Obama gère la réforme de système de santé.
Une majorité d’Américains, 52%, disent désapprouver la façon dont Barack Obama gère le dossier de la réforme de l’assurance-santé, selon un sondage Associated Press-Gfk publié mercredi à quelques heures du discours que doit prononcer le président américain devant le Congrès.
D’après cette enquête, 52% des personnes interrogées désapprouvent en septembre la gestion du président américain sur ce dossier, contre 43% lors du dernier sondage en juillet. Quarante-deux pour cent disent l’approuver, contre 50% lors de la précédente enquête.
Par ailleurs, 50% des personnes interrogées se disent satisfaites de l’action de Barack Obama en tant que président, contre 55% en juillet. Le nombre de mécontents est en hausse, 49% contre 42% il y a deux mois. Ce sondage a été réalisé par téléphone (fixe et portable) du 3 au 8 septembre sur un échantillon de 1.001 adultes, avec une marge d’erreur de 3,1 points. >>> AP | Mercredi 09 Septembre 2009
Union Européenne : La Turquie, atout stratégique pour l’Europe
LE TEMPS: Des personnalités européennes lancent un appel pour sauver la perspective de l’adhésion. Ils critiquent Nicolas Sarkozy et Angela Merkel, qui ont prôné un «partenariat privilégié» comme substitut à l’adhésion
L’Europe, qui aspire à jouer un rôle de puissance, doit se ressaisir si elle ne veut pas gâcher les opportunités que lui offre la candidature de la Turquie. Celles-ci sont multiples: un relais d’influence auprès du monde musulman, une capacité renforcée de projection en politique étrangère vers des régions diverses comme le Moyen-Orient, le Caucase, l’Asie centrale, autant de zones où se jouent des enjeux stratégiques, notamment pour les approvisionnements en énergie.
L’Europe doit se ressaisir, car à force de laisser le dossier des négociations turques s’enliser, elle est en passe de perdre un partenaire précieux. C’est en substance l’appel lancé, lundi 7 septembre, par un groupe de personnalités politiques européennes, dont le prix Nobel de la paix 2008 et ancien président finlandais Martti Ahtisaari, l’ancien premier ministre français Michel Rocard, et l’ancienne commissaire européenne Emma Bonino (Bronislaw Geremek, l’ancien ministre polonais, mort en 2008, avait aussi participé à ce groupe).
L’Europe a décidé, en décembre 2004, de lancer des négociations d’adhésion avec la Turquie. Un pays dont le rang de «candidat» à l’intégration avait été formellement reconnu en 1999 et qui postule au club depuis… 1963. Comment sauver le processus? Dans son rapport publié lundi, la Commission indépendante sur la Turquie rappelle à quel point les choses semblent aujourd’hui encalminées, avec le blocage de la moitié des chapitres de négociation. >>> Natalie Nougayrède Le Monde | Mercredi 09 Septembre 2009
Saudi Men Spend Fortune On Hair Transplants
ONE INDIA: Dubai: Saudi men spend some 720 million Saudi Riyal (Rs eight billion) every year on hair transplants with five out of every ten people in the Kingdom undergoing the procedure in their lives.
Quoting Dr Muhammed Abu Shwarib, an expert in hair transplantation from Banan Medical Center in Riyadh, Al-Hayat Arabic daily reported that young Saudis regularly visit clinics not only for head hair tranplants but for transplants to their chests and eyebrows. Others seek hair for the moustache and beard.
Hair transplants can be done quickly with few side effects.
Areas that have undergone transplantation may need to be bandaged overnight, but one can expect to return to normal activities within a day, Al-Hayat daily added.
Strenuous activities are to be avoided during the first few days after the surgery, as on rare occasions implants can be ejected from [sic] the scalp.
The rate of baldness in the Kingdom is higher than in Europe, something which attributed to the popularity of headwear such as baseball caps and the traditional Arab headdress, as well as the type of water used in washing. [Source: One India] UNI | Undated
Saudi Arabia Wages 'War of Minds'
THE WASHINGTON TIMES: Summer camps for youths target extremist ideology
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia
Young men spray hoses in a car-washing contest and play pool. Children make paper crowns in an art class, while their parents have a picnic. Alongside the fun and games, Muslim clerics answer questions about jihad or give lectures about the proper dress for women.
This is Islamic summer camp, and it's part of Saudi Arabia's campaign to eliminate al Qaeda.
Saudi Arabia says it's waging a "war of minds" against extremist ideology, alongside the fierce security crackdown that has killed or led to the arrest of many al Qaeda leaders over the past six years. To do so, the kingdom plans to expand a broad public campaign aimed at preventing young people from being drawn to radicalism.
"We are working on the men of the future," Abdulrahman Alhadlaq, general director of the Interior Ministry's Ideological Security Directorate, told the Associated Press.
Islamic summer camps are a key part of the program, attended by thousands of families who consult with government-backed clerics instilling what Saudi authorities call a moderate message.
The teachings at the camps are still ultraconservative, in line with the kingdom's strict Wahhabi interpretation of Islam - but the clerics drill the message that youths should turn to approved religious authorities for guidance, not radical preachers. For example, on the issue of jihad, or holy war, they teach that it can only be waged on the orders of the head of state.
"It is ... essentially about obedience, loyalty and recognition of authority," said Christopher Boucek, an associate at Washington's Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, who has studied the camp programs. "That is what is stressed over and over again in these programs: Loyalty to the state and recognition that there are certain correct and qualified sources to follow."
Mr. Boucek said it would take a long time to evaluate the programs' effectiveness. "In many ways, these are generational projects," he said.
The kingdom's emphasis on ideological campaigns is a stark change from the defensive stance it took immediately after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. >>> Donna Abu-Nasr, Associated Press | Wednesday, September 09, 2009
India: White Skin Commercials
Donald Stewart-Whyte, Muslim Son of Tory Agent ‘Went Off the Rails’
TIMES ONLINE: The most unlikely defendant in the crowded dock at Woolwich Crown Court was Donald Douglas Stewart-Whyte, son of a former Conservative Party election agent, half-brother of a fashion model and a Muslim for less than five months before his arrest.
Mr Stewart-Whyte, 23, an art student, admitted in the witness box to dealing cannabis and having possession of a Baikal 9mm handgun with ammunition but denied that he was part of any terrorist mass murder plot.
The prosecution alleged that he was a “footsoldier” who had signalled his willingness to take part in a mid-air suicide mission, but he claimed that he knew nothing of the airline plot and had turned to Islam as a route away from anxiety attacks, mental health problems and drug use. Soon after his conversion in March 2006, he wrote and published a leaflet entitled Look at Islam, Not Muslims, in which he argued that Islam and terrorism were not synonymous.
Mr Stewart-Whyte, who lived with his mother, in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, was suffering from panic attacks that kept him away from Amersham and Wycombe College, where he was studying fine art before his arrest. The Crown alleged that his religious mentor was another of the defendants, Umar Islam, also a convert to the Muslim faith. >>> Sean O’Neill | Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Jack And Mohammed Are Most Popular Names
YAHOO! NEWS: Jack and Olivia have been revealed as the most popular names for babies born last year - with Mohammed leaping into second place for boys.
Jack retained its top spot for the 14th year in England and Wales, while Olivia rose two places from 2007, the Office for National Statistics said.
Mohammed comes in at number two when its various spellings, such as Muhammad and Mohammad, are included.
Without the variations Mohammed has shot up 18 places over the last year to 16th.
There were no new entries in the top 10 most popular names for baby boys - and only three in the top 100 - while Evie made its debut in the list of top 10 girls' names.
The top 10 baby names for boys were, in order of popularity: Jack, Oliver, Thomas, Harry, Joshua, Alfie, Charlie, Daniel, James and William.
And the top 10 baby names for girls were: Olivia, Ruby, Emily, Grace, Jessica, Chloe, Sophie, Lily, Amelia and Evie.
Ankara fordert Beschleunigung der Beitrittsverhandlungen
DER STANDARD: Außenminister Davutoglu: Beispielloser Reformprozess begonnen
Stockholm - Der türkische Außenminister Ahmet Davutoglu hat die Europäische Union aufgefordert, die Verhandlungen über einen Beitritt Ankaras zu beschleunigen. Die Türkei habe einen beispiellosen Reformprozess begonnen, um den EU-Forderungen nachzukommen, schrieb Davutoglu in einem am Samstag veröffentlichten Kommentar der schwedischen Zeitung "Dagens Nyheter".
Brüssel dürfe nun nicht zulassen, dass der Zypern-Konflikt die Verhandlungen verzögere. Die EU müsse auf die griechischen Zyprioten Druck ausüben, auf eine "konstruktive Einstellung" bei den Gesprächen über die geteilte Mittelmeerinsel einzuschwenken, forderte Davutoglu. [Quelle: Der Standard] APA/AP | Sonntag, 06. September 2009
Mayor Who Tried to Ban Gay Pride Praises Taliban 'Family Values'
PINK NEWS: The Doncaster mayor who tried to ban funding for gay Pride marches has caused shock by claiming people should look to the Taliban as a good example of family values.
Peter Davies, an English Democrat who was elected in June, claimed that under the Taliban, Afghanistan had an "ordered system of family life".
Referring to recent child abuse scandals in the town, he added: "The one thing that can be said about the Taliban is that they do have an ordered society of some sort and that they don't have hundreds of cases of children under threat of abuse from violent parents as we do in Doncaster."
Although the mayor has been praised by some for his crusade against 'political correctness', his latest pronouncements have drawn rather less support. >>> Jessica Green | Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Netanyahou serait allé en Russie lundi
leJDD.fr: Certains médias israéliens affirment mercredi que le Premier ministre Benjamin Netanyahou s'est rendu en secret à Moscou lundi, dans l'espoir de dissuader la Russie de vendre des armes à l'Iran. A Moscou, un porte-parole du Premier ministre, Vladimir Poutine, a démenti l'information. Un porte-parole de Netanyahou a déclaré de son côté que le cabinet du chef du gouvernement s'en tenait au communiqué rendu public lundi, qui stipulait qu'il avait inspecté une installation militaire quelque part en Israël. [Source: leJDD.fr] Mercredi 09 Septembre 2009
CIA Director Announces Visit to Dearborn, Mich.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE: DEARBORN, Mich. - A planned visit by CIA Director Leon Panetta to a Detroit suburb with one of the nation's largest Arab populations is drawing criticism.
Panetta announced Tuesday he will attend an invitation-only dinner and speech with 150 leaders of the Arab and Muslim communities in Dearborn on Sept. 16.
But Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, tells The Detroit News officials chose "entirely wrong night" because it's the 27th night of Ramadan. He said that's when many devout Muslims and imams spend the entire night worshipping in the mosque.
Imad Hamad, regional director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee in Dearborn, said he and other community leaders should take the blame, not the CIA. [Source: Chicago Tribune] Associated Press | Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Iranian Cleric Stands His Ground Against Authorities
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Under threat of arrest, Mehdi Karroubi continues to lead the charge against the state's crackdown on dissent after the disputed presidential election. 'I won't go underground,' he says.
Reporting from Tehran and Beirut - The white-turbaned cleric is an unlikely enemy of the Iranian state. He was a confidant of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and served seven years as speaker of parliament.
But at 72, in the wake of Iran's disputed presidential election, Mehdi Karroubi has become the fiery heart of a protest movement that has shaken the republic's foundations.
"I feel I am obliged to defend the rights of people," Karroubi said Monday during a rare interview with a Western news organization at his sparse north Tehran office. "I want it to be remembered in the future by coming generations that somebody someday from the clerical establishment stood up for his stances and principles to defend the people."
On Tuesday, authorities stormed his party's headquarters in west Tehran. They seized documents, computers and photographs and arrested Mohammad Davari, editor of his website, a party spokesman said. They also arrested Ali-Reza Beheshti, the top aide to Karroubi's ally Mir-Hossein Mousavi, reformist websites reported.
Karroubi's popular daily newspaper was shut down weeks ago. Hard-line commanders of the Revolutionary Guard and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have repeatedly called for his arrest.
But Karroubi has continued to defy authorities, calling for opposition supporters to join in street rallies Sept. 18 during Quds Day celebrations, an annual march in support of Palestinians and against Israel. >>> Ramin Mostaghim and Borzou Daragahi | Wednesday, September 09, 2009
L'adresse d'Obama aux enfants américains fait polémique
LE MONDE: Travailler avec acharnement", "construire son propre avenir" et "écrire son destin"... L'appel lancé, mardi 8 septembre, par Barack Obama aux élèves américains continue de faire polémique, à la veille du discours du président au Congrès sur la réforme du système de santé. Dénonçant un exercice de propagande "socialiste", plusieurs élus républicains et des parents d'élèves accusent le président de vouloir endoctriner les enfants américains.
Dans son adresse, dont le texte a été diffusé lundi par la Maison Blanche, Barack Obama se livre à un plaidoyer sur "l'éthique du travail". "Nous avons besoin que chacun de vous développe ses talents, ses compétences, son intelligence afin que vous puissiez aider à résoudre nos problèmes les plus difficiles", a déclaré le président. "Si vous ne faites pas cela, si vous abandonnez l'école, vous ne vous abandonnez pas seulement vous-mêmes, vous abandonnez votre pays", a-t-il ajouté.
Barack Obama a cité son propre exemple d'enfant élevé par sa seule mère : "Il y avait des moments où je me sentais seul. Je n'étais pas toujours aussi concentré que j'aurais dû l'être (...) Mais j'ai eu de la chance. J'ai eu de nombreuses secondes chances et j'ai pu aller à l'université." Le président a ensuite souligné que, quelles que soient les difficultés de la vie, "ce n'est pas une excuse pour négliger [son] travail scolaire ou adopter une mauvaise attitude". Pour encourager ceux qui connaissent l'échec, M. Obama se réfère au basketteur Michael Jordan, qui a "perdu des centaines de matches et raté des milliers de lancers" avant de réussir. >>> LMonde.fr avec AFP | Mardi 08 Septembre 2009
Obama Lectures Students
Oppositionsbewegung: Khomeinis Enkelin kämpft für die iranischen Frauen
WELT ONLINE: Zahra Eshraghi ist die Enkelin von Ayatollah Khomeini und eine der zentralen Figuren innerhalb der Oppositionsbewegung gegen das Regime im Iran. Ohne sich von ihrem Großvater zu distanzieren, kämpft sie gegen die Benachteiligung der Frauen. Ins politische Abseits gedrängt, leistet sie Widerstand gegen die Konservativen.
Zahra Eshraghi, Enkelin von Ayatollah Khomeini, zählt zu den ausdrücklichsten Gegnern des Regimes in Teheran. Immer wieder hat sich die Frauenrechtlerin gegen die repressive Politik der Konservativen ausgesprochen. Sie ist nicht die Einzige: Zahlreiche Revolutionsväter und ihre Nachkommen stehen heute auf der Seite der Opposition.
Als Enkeltochter von Ayatollah Khomeini zieht sie aus ihrer Abstammung maßgeblichen Einfluss; jedem Wort Zahra Eshraghis wird in der islamischen Republik Iran erhebliches Gewicht beigemessen. Doch das, was die schmale, blasse 45-Jährige zu sagen hat, stellt für die Führung des Landes eine Bedrohung dar: Zahra Eshraghi, Reformpolitikerin, Menschenrechtsaktivistin, Feministin, zählt zu den wortmächtigsten Kritikern des Regimes, das die Revolution unter Führung ihres Großvaters hervorgebracht hat. „Das ganze Land steht unter erzwungener Stille, bettelt danach, Fragen zu stellen“, sagte sie in einem Interview im vergangenen Jahr, „doch leider protestiert niemand innerhalb des Regimes.“ >>> Von Gabriella M. Keller | Dienstag, 08. September 2009
Tea Party Express Hits the Road in Protest at Obama Healthcare Plans
TIMES ONLINE: On a warm, wet night in Michigan, Jan Crandall stands to attention while Taps is played on the sound system in honour of America’s war dead. Then she explains why she is carrying a placard bearing an astonishingly large number: $11,801,149,166,949.
It is the US national debt — and it is rising by $3.5 billion a day. “We came out tonight because of the excessive spending,” she said. “We don’t like the Government trying to take over everything. We are for healthcare reform, but they are not going about it the right way.” After a pause Mrs Crandall added: “Gee, are we going to talk about Barack Obama? We might get on his hit list.”
A powerful cocktail of hard-headed conservatism and wilful paranoia is driving a quixotic bus convoy from California to Washington, where Mr Obama will try tonight to rebut its claims and regain the initiative in the most important domestic policy speech of his presidency so far.
The Tea Party Express has no leader, no big donors and no formal goal except to “take back our country” from an Administration it believes has fundamentally misunderstood the role of America’s federal Government — and from Republicans who abandoned fiscal restraint to bail out the country’s banks last year.
The convoy consists of two 12-berth coaches built for rock band roadies and a permanent crew of two singers, two speakers and a supporting cast of mild-mannered political consultants from California. It would be no more than a fringe attraction had its members not already wrong-footed the White House in the health reform debate with talking points for hundreds of Republican town hall meetings over the summer. One of the brains behind the movement is Sal Russo, of Russo, Marsh and Associates, a Sacramento campaigning firm, formerly an adviser to Ronald Reagan and Rudy Giuliani.
The Tea Party people are now targeting congressional districts won last year by Democrats that they think can be won back in next year’s midterm elections. The coaches have stopped for four rallies in Michigan in the past two days, including one attended by Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher — known to followers of John McCain’s presidential campaign as Joe the Plumber. Yesterday he railed against big government at a meeting in Brighton, and signed copies of his new book, Fighting for the American Dream.
Mr Obama’s version of that dream has always included universal healthcare. His speech tonight to both houses of Congress will be a “very forceful” argument for wholesale reform, aides said, and a reply to a misinformation campaign by opponents that has encouraged conspiracy theories about state-run “death panels” and “population control experiments”.
The President’s problem is that no US legislation this ambitious has ever been passed with a majority of Americans opposed to it. A Gallup poll yesterday showed that only 37 per cent of voters back the Bill now being worked on by the Senate Finance Committee.
Tonight’s speech will, therefore, stop short of demanding the public insurance plan — the “public option” — even though Mr Obama still supports the idea and even though it is considered non-negotiable by about 40 liberal Democrats in the House. >>> Giles Whittell in Jackson, Michigan | Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Obama vor seiner bisher wichtigsten Rede: Bei Gesundheitsreform Kompromissbereitschaft signalisiert
NZZ ONLINE: Präsident Obama steht vor der vielleicht wichtigsten Rede seiner bisherigen Amtszeit. Vor dem Kongress wird er seine Gesundheitsreform darlegen. In einem Interview hat er bei den bisher stark umstrittenen Plänen Kompromissbereitschaft signalisiert.
Im Streit über die geplante Gesundheitsreform hat US-Präsident Barack Obama Kompromissbereitschaft signalisiert. In einer Rede vor dem Kongress am Mittwoch wolle er zeigen, dass er offen sei für neue Ideen, um das Vorhaben umzusetzen, sagte Obama dem Sender ABC. Er wolle den Menschen ausserdem klarmachen, wie seine Vorschläge genau aussehen. Die geplante Reform hat während des Sommers zu hitzigen Debatten und handfestem Streit zwischen Anhängern und Gegnern geführt. >>> ap | Mittwoch, 09. September 2009
«Ma main reste tendue vers Obama et son peuple»
LE FIGARO: INTERVIEW - Le président vénézuélien Hugo Chavez, dans une interview exclusive au Figaro, appelle les États-Unis à mettre en place un grand plan Marshall en faveur de l'Amérique latine.
Lundi soir, Hugo Chavez a volé la vedette aux stars du cinéma en apparaissant au festival de la Mostra de Venise. Il a aussi accepté de répondre aux questions du Figaro, exprimant notamment ses positions sur l'Iran et Israël.
LE FIGARO. - Monsieur le président, vous terminez une grande tournée diplomatique qui vous a mené à Tripoli, Alger, Damas, Téhéran et qui se termine par Moscou et Madrid. Vous qui êtes allié et ami du président iranien Ahmadinejad, avez-vous la certitude et les preuves que l'Iran n'est pas sur le point d'acquérir une bombe atomique ? Hugo CHAVEZ. - Je suis effectivement ami avec le président Ahmadinejad. Je suis son allié. Je le remercie d'ailleurs pour les transferts de technologie de l'Iran au Venezuela. Nous avons signé un nouvel accord la semaine dernière à Téhéran. L'Iran a le droit de développer son énergie nucléaire comme le font la France, de nombreux pays et le Venezuela, pourquoi pas. Je parle au nom du Venezuela et, pour moi, l'usage de la bombe serait une catastrophe. C'est pourquoi il faut en finir et aller vers un désarmement généralisé.
Vous ne répondez pas sur l'Iran ? Je suis certain que l'Iran n'est pas en train de produire la bombe. Personne d'ailleurs n'en a apporté la preuve.
Mais, si c'est le cas, pourquoi l'Iran ne répond-il pas aux demandes formulées par les Européens et les Américains ? Je ne peux pas répondre pour l'Iran, mais le président Ahmadinejad et le guide suprême Khamenei ont accepté les visites et les contrôles de l'Agence internationale de l'énergie atomique (AIEA). Mais ils n'accepteront jamais qu'on les mette sous tutelle. Si l'Europe et les États-Unis sont inquiets, à mon avis à tort, qu'ils soient cohérents et proposent un pacte sous les auspices de l'ONU pour aboutir à l'élimination totale des armes nucléaires.
Vous avez, il y a quelques jours, à propos d'Israël, parlé d'un État «génocidaire» ; ces propos sont inacceptables car ils signifientque le gouvernement israélien a un plan d'extermination des Palestiniens comparable à celui d'Hitler vis-à-vis des Juifs... Ce n'est pas que les Israéliens veulent exterminer les Palestiniens. Ils le font ouvertement. Rappelez-vous la dernière agression israélienne contre Gaza. De quoi s'agit-il sinon d'un génocide. >>> Propos recueillis à Venise par Étienne Mougeotte | Mercredi 09 Septembre 2009
Deux mille femmes portent la burqa en France
Une femme vêtue d'une burqa à Vénissieux, près de Lyon. Les parlementaires réclament une évaluation plus précise du nombre de personnes portant un voile intégral. Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: L'évaluation est contenue dans un rapport confidentiel du ministère de l'Intérieur sur l'islam que Le Figaro a pu consulter.
Quelque 2 000 femmes porteraient la burqa en France. Le chiffre apparaît dans un rapport sur l'islam, rédigé cet été par la sous-direction de l'information générale du ministère de l'Intérieur et resté confidentiel. La note, que Le Figaro a pu consulter, évoque notamment les mouvements radicaux comme le salafisme, qui prône un retour à la vie du prophète et commande aux femmes de porter le voile intégral. S'il est impossible de les compter individuellement, les policiers se sont livrés à une estimation sur la base des lieux de culte salafistes. Le «chiffre de moins de 2 000 femmes paraît crédible», peut-on lire.
«C'est une évaluation plus raisonnable mais toujours sous-estimée», juge André Gerin, le président de la mission parlementaire sur la burqa qui reprend ses travaux aujourd'hui.
L'ancien maire de Vénissieux, en banlieue lyonnaise, alarmé par l'augmentation du nombre de ces femmes totalement dissimulées, avait lancé le débat au printemps, réclamant une commission d'enquête parlementaire. Nicolas Sarkozy avait affirmé, lors de son discours devant le Congrès à Versailles, que «la burqa n'était pas la bienvenue en France». >>> Cécilia Gabizon | Mercredi 09 Septembre 2009
The Weak Leadership of Gordon Brown and David Cameron Is a Damaging Disease – and It's Catching
THE TELEGRAPH: As the day of reckoning looms, Labour has lost any concept of the national interest, says Simon Heffer.
We know that the British public holds the political class in more contempt than ever, and it did not take the expenses scandal to reach that pass. Turnout has slumped over the past three general elections. The rise of the BNP, Ukip and the Greens displays the search for alternatives to three main parties that are seen as institutionalised in their careerist, self-serving approach to politics. With another election due within nine months, our democracy looks unattractive.
Even so, the Prime Minister contrives day after day to make things worse: and his cronies and fellow ministers contrive to follow and support him in this decline of reputation and standards. Not since 1992, and the debacle of Black Wednesday, can one remember a time when the credibility of a government collapsed so rapidly and so utterly during a long summer recess as over the past three weeks. Had the Westminster village been full, one wonders whether Mr Brown would at last have met his downfall.
The mess of the release of the Libyan bomber, the cesspit of who said what to whom, when and in what context, has exposed a government without scruple, principle or much intelligence, and has confirmed that it is in a state of near-complete incoherence. There is no surer mark of a government in meltdown than that it loses the ability to lie properly. Last week David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, went on the wireless to say that the Government had not wanted the Libyan bomber to die in jail. On Monday Ed Balls, the increasingly unlovely Schools Secretary, told John Humphrys on the Today programme that no one in the Government wanted the bomber's release. In that contest, incidentally, one instinctively knows whom to believe.
It is an obvious point, but one had better make it none the less: this is about leadership. Often, in his career as Chancellor, Mr Brown did his Macavity act. It was easy, if unedifying, for him. The economy was (so he claimed) going well. The embarrassments for the Government were elsewhere – party funding, the NHS, constitutional reform, and above all our involvement in foreign wars. So although one tended to expect the second most important man in the administration to have a view on these questions, and to be there in support of the Prime Minister when the knives were unsheathed, one was inevitably disappointed. Soon, one came no longer to expect it. Moral cowardice and not the moral compass became the defining feature of Mr Brown.
None the less, his party elected him nemine contradicente as leader, and he became Prime Minister; and, without any surprise at all, he proceeded to demonstrate a disappointing consistency. There has been one subtle shift: whereas in the past the silence was interminable, now (perhaps in recognition of the higher duties of a prime minister) it is broken two or three weeks into a crisis, with a stumbling assertion of sentiments that may or may not be honestly held. We have seen this in the Libyan episode. Such a procedure makes the Prime Minister look weak, ineffectual, in a corner. In the interim the media will have savaged him. His colleagues, pressed by the likes of Mr Humphrys in broadcast interviews, will to some extent have gone freelance. Their advisers, briefing the press, will also have gone freelance, quite probably in a different direction. >>> Simon Heffer | Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Auschwitz : Des représentants des grandes religions du monde se recueillent
LE POINT: Des représentants des grandes religions mondiales, qui participent en Pologne à un congrès international et interreligieux sur la paix, ont rendu hommage mardi aux victimes de l'ancien camp de la mort nazi d'Auschwitz-Birkenau. Les dignitaires ont déposé des fleurs au pied du "mur des fusillés" et observé une minute de silence en ce lieu symbole de l'extermination des juifs par l'Allemagne nazie et des souffrances de différents peuples d'Europe pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, selon les images de télévisions. >>> AFP | Mardi 08 Septembre 2009
«Reformen sind unnötig, das Libyen-Schlamassel ist selbst verschuldet»
WELTWOCHE: Hätte die Schweiz mit einem starken Bundespräsidenten oder als EU-Mitglied bessere Karten in der Auseinandersetzung mit Libyens Präsident Gaddafi? Keineswegs, meint Chefredaktor Roger Köppel. Es genüge, wenn die Egoisten im Bundesrat ihre Hausaufgaben machen und - statt selbst das Rampenlicht zu suchen - Verhandlungen im Ausland von Chefbeamten vorbereiten lassen. Der Ruf nach Staatsreformen führe hingegen in die Irre.
'Gay Cure' Yoga Guru to Set Up Centre on Scottish Island
PINK NEWS: An Indian yoga guru who claimed the practice could cure homosexuality is to set up a yoga and meditation centre on a remote Scottish island.
Swami Baba Ramdev, whose teachings are followed by millions of Indian families, challenged a recent Delhi high court that homosexuality should be decriminalised by claiming that homosexuality was a "disease" but could be cured by yoga.
"It can be treated like any other congenital defect. Such tendencies can be treated by yoga, pranayama (breathing exercises) and other meditation techniques," he said in his petition.
He has previously made various claims as to the benefits of yoga, saying it can cure diseases such as AIDS, cancer and leukaemia.
Ramdev is now working with a Scottish millionaire couple to open the centre on Little Cumbrae, off the Ayrshire coast.
Sam and Sunita Poddar, who bought the island for £2 million last month, plan to rename it Peace Island and will host an opening ceremony on September 27th.
The couple own the Patanjali Yog Peeth (UK) Trust, which is a sister organisation to Ramdev's Indian company.
Sunita told the Scottish Daily Record: "Our aim is to promote healthy living through yoga.
"The community has given us a lot, now it's time to pay back. Little Cumbrae is our way of paying back into the community.
"It is a fine thing for Scotland. I feel very proud to own this island. >>> Jessica Green | Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Church Selects Openly Gay Man to Train as a Minister Despite Ban
TIMES ONLINE: The Church of Scotland faces a fresh crisis over its attitude towards homosexuality after an openly gay man was selected by one of the country’s largest and most influential presbyteries to train as a minister.
The decision comes less than six months after the appointment of a gay minister in Aberdeen almost split the Kirk. The selection of Scott Rennie, a divorced father, who now lives with his male partner, horrified traditionalists, some of whom threatened to leave the Church. In an attempt to defuse the increasingly bitter row, the Kirk approved a two-year ban on the induction and ordination of homosexual ministers.
During that time, a special commission will examine the issue before reporting to the Kirk’s General Assembly in 2011 in order to determine the Church’s position, based on the findings of the report.
However, despite the ban, Hamilton Presbytery, the third biggest in Scotland, voted last Tuesday to nominate a man in a civil partnership for training. >>> Charlene Sweeney | Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Vintage Christian Dior
IRA Victims Criticise Brown on Libya
Khamenei warnt Ahmadinejad vor Selbstüberschätzung: Erste offene Kritik der obersten Instanz Irans seit der umstrittenen Wiederwahl
NZZ ONLINE: Im Konflikt innerhalb der iranischen Machtelite hat der Oberste Führer des Landes, Ayatollah Khamenei, Präsident Ahmadinejad vor Selbstüberschätzung gewarnt. Dies war die erste offene Kritik Khameneis an Ahmadinejad seit dessen umstrittener Wiederwahl am 12. Juni.
«Auch wenn das Votum des Volkes Quelle des Stolzes sein kann, sollte jede Selbstüberschätzung vermieden werden, weil sie eine der grössten Fallen des Teufels ist», sagte er laut iranischen Medien am Montag bei einem Treffen mit dem Präsidenten und seinem neuen Kabinett.
Der Oberste Führer des Landes hatte Ahmadinejad bei der Wahl unterstützt und diesen danach gegen massive Kritik verteidigt, die zu blutigen Unruhen geführt hatte. Jetzt erklärte Khamenei, auch wenn ein Teil der Kritik an der Regierung von ausländischen Medien gesteuert werde, so gebe es auch «wohlmeinende Kritik, die beachtet werden sollte».
Gleichzeitig griff er Kritik auf, Ahmadinejad habe einige seiner neuen Minister ausgewählt, weil sie ihm nahestünden und nicht weil sie am geeignetsten seien. «Es sollte nichts überstürzt werden, aber du solltest lieber Expertenmeinungen vor allem im Wirtschaftsbereich nutzen, weil das Ignorieren solcher Meinungen grossen Schaden anrichten kann», sagte Khamenei an Ahmadinejad gewandt. >>> sda/dpa | Dienstag, 08. September 2009
So wohnt der Ex-CS-Chef in New York
TAGES ANZEIGER: John Mack hat sich an der Upper East Side in New York ein neues Haus gekauft – Garagenplatz für 12 Autos inklusive. Kostenpunkt: 13,5 Millionen Dollar. Zur Fotogalerie >>> | Dienstag, September 08, 2009
The Biggest Soaks Around Want to Ban All Alcohol Ads
Yes yet another ban is DEMANDED. And this from a group of people who are notoriously very heavy drinkers. If you’ve ever been to a party at a doctor’s house, you’ll know what I’m talking about!
We all know that there is far too much drinking going on in this country, especially, though not exclusively, among the young. The fact of the matter is, though, that a ban on alcohol ads will not do the trick. Perhaps these ill-advised doctors would like to follow the Americans’ lead instead and ban alcohol altogether à la Prohibition. They would soon come to learn that such a ban would be disastrous. In the US so disastrous was that ban that the law had to be repealed. The Prohibition led to the gangster era of Al Capone. It was also the era of the speakeasy. We all know what that era entailed. Many people drank themselves into oblivion!
The fact of the matter is that the dreadfully high level of alcohol consumption in the United Kingdom is symptomatic of far more deep-seated problems. And no ban on advertising will solve them. I would suggest that in many, many cases the problems could all be traced back to the cradle.
Children having absentee parents, with both parents out in full-time employment, certainly cannot be helping this problem, for indeed it has to be said that good habits are learned during a child’s upbringing.
But this is the government which has encouraged more and more mothers to go out into the workplace to seek their fortune and fulfilment. Damn the needs of the few children that are born to indigenous mothers these days; when they come home from school, they can darn well look after themselves.
But such a way of raising children only encourages a feeling of insecurity in them. Furthermore, there is nobody at home to teach our children good, correct values. The Church no longer does, either. Don’t forget that children in years gone by often had not only a mother at home, but very often a grandmother, too. These days they rarely have either one of them. They were also usually sent to church and Sunday school, especially in the formative years.
TIMES ONLINE: A total ban on alcohol advertising must be introduced by the Government to halt an epidemic of problem drinking, doctors’ leaders said today.
A report from the British Medical Association (BMA) has called for a sea change in the approach to alcohol regulation to halt promotions including happy hours and sponsorship of music and sports events.
The move is necessary to stem the invidious ways it is promoted, particularly to young people, it said.
The report also highlights the growth of viral advertising on the web and mobile devices, including the use of texts and e-mails, and social networking sites such as Facebook.
The report, Under The Influence, recommends a tough package of measures to tackle the soaring cost of alcohol-related harm, including a ban on advertising and a minimum price to be set per unit of alcohol.
The BMA also called for alcohol to be taxed at a higher rate than inflation and for a ban on two-for-one offers.
The study said that alcohol consumption in the UK has “increased rapidly” in recent years among all age groups. It blames advertising, heavy discounting, the availability of cheap alcohol and 24-hour licensing laws. Doctors demand ban on all alcohol advertising >>> Sam Lister, Health Editor | Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Tricky Balance as BMA Tackles Alcohol
THE INDEPENDENT: The tobacco war has been won. Now it is the turn of alcohol. The British Medical Association opened a new front in the battle to cut excessive drinking today with a call for a total ban on advertising and marketing of alcohol, including sports and music festival sponsorship, an end to happy hours and the imposition of a minimum price per unit on alcoholic drinks.
"The BMA is not against alcohol," Vivienne Nathanson, head of science and ethics insisted today. Few people will believe that.
The Wine and Spirit Trade Association lost no time in pointing out that "the measures proposed by the BMA would hit the pockets of millions of consumers and threaten the livelihoods of thousands of people working in the drinks industry, media, advertising and television."
In other words, the health fascists are on the loose again. First it was cigarettes, now it is drink - what next? Chocolate? >>> Jeremy Laurence, Health Correspondent | Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Soudan : Loubna Hussein a été libérée
LE TEMPS: La jeune journaliste incarcérée hier pour avoir porté une tenue «indécente», en l’occurrence un pantalon, a été libérée ce mardi. Elle risquait initialement 40 coups de fouet mais a su rallier à la cause des femmes soudanaises nombreux gouvernements et médias étrangers, ainsi que l’ONU.
L’activiste soudanaise Loubna Hussein a finalement été libérée ce mardi, selon l’Union des journalistes soudanais, après avoir été jugée et incarcérée hier. Elle a été condamnée pour port de tenue indécente, en l’occurrence un pantalon, infraction pour laquelle elle risquait initialement 40 coups de fouet. Mme Hussein avait été arrêtée début juillet par la police avec une douzaine d’autres jeunes femmes dans un café de la capitale soudanaise. Hier elle a refusé de payer l’amende de 500 dollars à laquelle elle a finalement été condamnée, d’où son incaracération. C’est l’Union des journalistes soudanais qui a finalement payé la somme. >>> Le Temps avec AFP | Mardi 08 Septembre 2009
