Swiss Referendum Stirs a Debate About Islam: Business Is Worried as Rightist Party's Move to Ban the Construction of Minarets on Mosques Will Be Voted on Nov. 29
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: ZURICH -- An emotional debate over the role of Islam in Switzerland is heating up as a referendum approaches that would ban the construction of minarets on mosques.

On Nov. 29, the Swiss will vote on a referendum to ban the construction of minarets, an initiative promoted by the right-wing Swiss People's Party, who argue that a minaret is a symbol of Islamic intolerance. Minarets are tower-like structures capped with crowns; while the structure has no special religious significance, it is often used for the call to prayer for Muslims.

The debate comes in a country that has prided itself on integrating its large immigrant population and that largely avoided the clashes over the rights of Muslim minorities seen elsewhere in Europe. Business and political interests are especially worried about a possible backlash from the Muslim world.

For example, Swiss watchmaker Swatch Group Ltd. is worried that its relations with Muslim countries -- an important destination for its goods -- will be imperiled if the initiative passes. "The brand 'Swiss' must continue to represent values such as openness, pluralism and freedom of religion," said Hanspeter Rentsch, member of the executive group management board at Swatch. "Under no circumstances must it be brought in connection with hatred, animosity towards foreigners and narrow-mindedness."

The Swiss People's Party gathered twice the required signatures needed to call a vote. Its campaign used posters depicting a woman in a burqa in front of a row of minarets shaped like missiles. Some cities, such as Basel, have banned the posters, while Zurich and others have allowed them in the name of free speech.

The party, the country's largest political group and a fierce critic of immigration, drew international criticism for a campaign poster two years ago showing a white sheep kicking a black sheep out of Switzerland.

A national poll by state-owned media group SRG shows that 53% of voters oppose the ban and 34% support it. Muslim leaders, who have taken a low-key approach to the controversy, are nonetheless worried.

"This initiative gives a message that Muslims are not welcome here," says Elham Manea, a lecturer in political science at the University of Zurich. "If it passes, it raises the possibility of radicalization of some young people. It would be a big disappointment."

Some say that even defeating the referendum won't dissolve the tension. "It won't end with this," says Hisham Maizer, head of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Switzerland. "The debate about Islam in Switzerland has just begun." >>> Deborah Ball and Anita Greil | Thursday, November 05, 2009

Gays in Pakistan: Jheel Saiful Malook, Naran Kaghan

Still Brewing in a Dry Land: Pakistan's Only Beer and Whisky Firm
THE INDEPENDENT: After 150 years, business is booming at Pakistan's only beer and whisky firm. Andrew Buncombe finds out why

An employee of the Murree brewery, which has ambitions to export its beer to Britain. Photo: The Independent
On the walls of the historic Murree brewery, Pakistan's sole producer of beer, hangs a slogan that its owners would wish upon the entire country. "Eat, drink and be Murree," puns the poster, seemingly produced in the 1970s.

Understandably, making beer and whiskey in a Muslim country, where 97 per cent of the population is officially banned from enjoying your products, has never been an easy business. Non-Muslims are exempt from the ban, but even for them obtaining a drink can be complicated: some five-star hotels require foreigners to affirm in writing that they are non-Muslims and will be responsible for anything that happens when they are under the influence before they can order a drink.

And amid the upsurge of militant violence of the last two years that has seen the Taliban attacking targets across the country, setting fire to girls' schools and even banning the sale of videos and DVDs, common sense might suggest that the fortunes of this establishment, which celebrates its 150th anniversary next year, might be on the wane. Yet the opposite is happening: sales are booming – embarrassingly so.

"Sales are good," said Isphanyar Bhandara, the brewery's 36-year-old chief executive, "but we don't want to shout about it because that also brings negative publicity and criticism, because this is a Muslim country – and yet sales are growing." >>> Andrew Buncombe | Thursday, November 05, 2009

Murree Brewery of Pakistan


Watch another video on the Murree Brewery here

Pakistan Fashion Week Defies Taliban with Non-Islamic Dress
THE TELEGRAPH: Pakistan's fashion week began on Wednesday in defiance of the Taliban's preference for strict adherence to modest Islamic veils.

As Pakistan's army battled religious extremists in South Waziristan, Karachi's top designers sent models down catwalks with bare shoulders and exposed navels in an unusual display of skin in a country where most women cover up.

Sonya Battla, the first designer to show, presented a collection that she said celebrated strong women. She dismissed the fact that in more conservative parts of the country, her designs might get women driven out of town or stoned to death.

A model presents a creation by Pakistani designer Aiesha Varsey during the Pakistan Fashion Week in Karachi on November 4, 2009. Pakistan's fashion week began on November 4 with an opulent opening ceremony, against a backdrop of militant violence and secu[rity]. Photo: The Telegraph
"I'm a very brave woman," said the 38-year-old designer. "I'm not going to be scared and no one's going to judge me." >>> Chris Allbritton in Karachi | Thursday, November 05, 2009

Maine Voters Reject Same-sex Marriage
THE TELEGRAPH: Voters in the US state of Maine have rejected a law allowing same-sex couples to marry.

The defeat was seen as a major setback for homosexual rights advocates.

In a closely fought referendum in the north-eastern state, 53 per cent of voters defeated a law passed by the state legislature in May, while 47 per cent voted for the measure, with 87 per cent of precincts reporting by early Wednesday.

The outcome from Tuesday's vote made Maine the third US state where voters repealed their local government's move granting same-sex couples the right to marry, following California and Hawaii. Homosexual marriage has not yet won a popular vote in any US state. >>> | Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Rama Yade Told to 'Shut Your Gob or Quit' French Government
THE TELEGRAPH: Rama Yade, the popular French cabinet minister, has been told to "shut your gob or resign" by colleagues after criticising Nicolas Sarkozy and government policy.

Rama Yade: Miss Yade now faces going the same way as Rachida Dati, the other star symbol of Mr Sarkozy's politically and ethnically diverse "rainbow" cabinet. Photo: The Telegraph
Cabinet ministers have branded Miss Yade, 32, a "spoiled child" and she now faces being ousted in a reshuffle.

The outspoken, Senegalese-born politician – once hailed by the president as France's Condoleezza Rice, the former black American secretary of state – has been frozen out of the cabinet for serial insubordination.

Miss Yade now faces going the same way as Rachida Dati, the other star symbol of Mr Sarkozy's politically and ethnically diverse "rainbow" cabinet.

She has barely spoken to the president in months, while François Fillon, the prime minister, fuelled speculation she is on the way out by coldly telling colleagues: "We will have to draw the consequences when the time comes."

Christine Lagarde, the finance minister, was slightly warmer. "You have to learn the rules of the game. When you're young it's sometimes a bit harder. Sometimes you need an older brother or an older sister to remind you of the rules," she said.

The junior sports minister has survived several run-ins with Mr Sarkozy. She first invoked his wrath in 2007 by condemning a Paris visit by Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader. France, she said, must never be a "doormat" on which dictators wipe the blood of their crimes.

Mr Sarkozy forgave her and she placated him after another skirmish by sending him heart-shaped chocolates.

But her most serious recent criticism may prove the last straw. Two weeks ago she broke ranks in a nepotism scandal in which Mr Sarkozy sought to have his son Jean, 23, a law student, run the body managing La Défense, the business district west of Paris.

"We must not give the impression that there is a gap between the protected elites and the little people," Miss Yade warned. Most of France agreed but Mr Sarkozy was furious, exclaiming: "This is too much!" He dispatched his chief of staff to severely reprimand her. Jean has since renounced the top La Défense job, but was elected to the board.

Mr Sarkozy – said to be as distressed by the scandal as when his second wife left him – immediately punished Miss Yade by ordering her to abandon her seat in the Hauts-de-Seine area west of Paris, where Jean is a councillor. >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Fears of Hitler’s Childhood Home in Braunau-am-Inn Becoming Fascist Shrine
MAIL ONLINE: The owner of the house where Adolf Hitler was born wants to put it on the market with a likely asking price of over £2million.

But the local authority in Braunau-am-Inn, Austria, has vowed to try to find a way of blocking any sale because it fears it could land up in the hands of extreme right-wingers who would turn it into a grotesque shrine to his memory.

The mayor of Braunau, Gerhard Skiba, said ideally the town council would like to purchase it and so control its future fate.

But there is not enough money in the town coffers to buy the property, Salzburger Vorstadt 15.

He says he will appeal to the government in Vienna to help the town purchase the property if the owner goes ahead with the sale.

It was in a room on the first floor of the three-storey, 2,000 square foot house – the ground floor of which was a pub called Gasthof Zum Pommer – that Hitler’s mother Klara gave birth to her infamous son on April 20, 1889.

She and her husband Alois, a stern local customs official, rented a suite of rooms above the pub and continued to live in it until 1892 when they moved to Linz.

Alois, a drunkard, often availed himself of the beer on sale in the saloon downstairs before returning to the family home to abuse his timid wife 24 years his junior.

The house is still owned by the family after which the pub took its name. Owner Gelinde Pommer says she wants to sell because the tenants for the past two decades, handicapped people who worked and lived there under the care of a disabled organisation, are moving to more modern premises in January, and she no longer wants to have the responsibility for it.

She has not yet advertised it, but estate agents have suggested it will have an asking price of about £2million. She was not available to comment. >>> Allan Hall | Thursday, November 05, 2009

France: 'Autistic Tories Have Castrated UK in Europe'
It is indeed “very sad” to observe the Conservatives “castrate” the British in Europe. M. Lellouche has got that right! We need a good Conservative Party to turn to after the dreadful years of NuLabour. But what do we get? A weak and pathetic party singing the same old, old songs about how terrible Europeans are for taking away our sovereignty and the terrible people who drain the country by claiming welfare benefits.

First on the latter point… Yes, the welfare bill needs to be cut drastically. The Labour Party has made so, so many people dependent on welfare payments in order to get more votes at the polls. But when Cameron talks about having a crackdown on people on sickness benefit, for example, he is replaying the Thatcher tune, a tune which was right for its time, but which sounds rather hackneyed and old for today. Why? Because the fact is that bankers have been crippling government finances to a far greater extent in receiving taxpayers’ handouts as bailouts for ailing banks and then proceeding to pay wild, excessive bonuses to themselves with this taxpayers' money. Any money that someone on sickness benefit recieves looks incredibly small and paltry by comparison. It’s pin money!

With regard to Europe… Again, the Conservative Party is playing the same old, same old tune. Poor old Britain and its loss of sovereignty! Fact is, British politicians should have thought about that before taking us into the European Union in the first place, if indeed loss of sovereignty was such an issue for them. Now, we’re in Europe; and we are never going to get the best out of it by standing idly by, on the sidelines, complaining about each and every law Europe passes which guarantees further loss of sovereignty.

In many ways, the Conservative Party is rueing Britain’s loss of Empire and loss of world power and status. I’ve got news for them: those days are never coming back. This is an altogether different world. Europe is our future. We need to dive in, and with two feet. Not dangle one foot in and keep one foot out. We’ll get nowhere that way.

Moreover, what we need now is to accept the euro with open arms. The euro is the currency of the future. It’s a strong currency. It’s a good currency. The Bank of England and successive British governments have shown beyond a shadow of doubt that they have been unable to maintain a strong pound sterling. The value of the pound has declined and declined with each and every decade in the twentieth century. Its decline contunues apace. We therefore need to enter the eurozone. That way the people of Britain can be assured of continuing prosperity – prosperity they deserve.

For God’s sake lets stop contemplating our navels. Get with the story! We are in Europe. Get over it! Get on with it! – © Mark

THE GUARDIAN: French Europe minister says David Cameron's pledge to reclaim EU powers is 'pathetic' and will leave Britain isolated

Pierre Lellouche: 'It's very sad to see Britain just cutting itself out from the rest. It is the result of a long period in opposition.' Photo: The Guardian
The Conservatives are accused by the French government of "castrating" Britain's position within the EU by adopting an "autistic" approach that will take Britain off the radar.

Speaking to the Guardian, the French Europe minister, Pierre Lellouche, describes as "pathetic" the Tories' EU plans announced today, warning that they will not succeed "for a minute".

Giving vent to frustration across the EU, which has so far only been expressed in private, Lellouche – who says he is reflecting Nicolas Sarkozy's "sadness and regret" – accuses the shadow foreign secretary, William Hague, of a "bizarre autism" in their discussions. He says: "They have one line and they just repeat one line. It is a very bizarre sense of autism."

Lellouche, one of the most Anglophile members of Nicolas Sarkozy's government, made his remarkable intervention after David Cameron outlined a new Tory approach to the EU in the wake of the full ratification of the Lisbon treaty. A future Conservative government would seek to strengthen British sovereignty and repatriate a series of powers over social and employment legislation, he said.

Cameron insisted that he was not seeking an immediate "bust-up" with the EU. But within hours of his speech, France's centre-right government condemned the Tory leader's plans, saying that they would marginalise Britain within the EU. >>> Nicholas Watt, Patrick Wintour and Allegra Stratton | Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Sorry, Ma’am! It’s Time for Us to Accept the Euro >>> Mark Alexander | Thursday, September 24, 2009

Yemen Civil War Spills Over Border as Saudi Official Is Killed in Attack
Photo: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: Yemen’s civil war spilled into neighbouring Saudi Arabia for the first time yesterday when Shia gunmen shot dead a Saudi security officer in a cross-border attack.

The Shia rebels, known as Huthis, have been backed up against the Saudi border by a Yemeni army offensive launched this summer.

The rebels accuse the Saudis of allowing Yemeni troops to attack them from behind, using a military base in the Saudi town of Jebel al-Dukan.

The kingdom’s news agency said that rebels had entered Saudi territory and attacked patrols.

“The infiltrators used various weapons to fire at the border guard patrols, causing the martyrdom of one security officer and wounding 11 others,” it said. Some Shia rebel sources claimed to have taken complete control of the town after defeating Saudi forces there.

They accuse Saudi Arabia, a conservative Sunni Muslim country, of backing the Yemeni army, fearing the emergence of a strong Shia militia similar to Hezbollah in Lebanon. >>> James Hider, Middle East Correspondent | Thursday, November 05, 2009

L'opposition iranienne à nouveau dans la rue
Une manifestante «anti-Ahmadinejad» fuit mercredi la police à Téhéran, en marge du cérémonies anti-américaines commémorant le 30e anniversaire de la prise de l'ambassade américaine. Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: En marge des cérémonies anti-américaines marquant l'anniversaire de la prise de l'ambassade des Etats-Unis, des affrontements ont opposé mercredi les adversaires du régime et les policiers à Téhéran.

Les rues de Téhéran ont à nouveau été mercredi le théâtre d'une démonstration de force entre la police et les partisans de l'opposition. Les forces de l'ordre, déployées en nombre à Téhéran, ont tiré des gaz lacrymogènes pour disperser les milliers de manifestants, venus dans le centre de la capitale, malgré l'interdiction des autorités. Une intervention rapidement bouclée par la police iranienne puisqu'après quelques heures de combats, les manifestations hostiles au gouvernement ont cessé. Selon des témoins, un nombre indéterminé d'opposants ont été blessés ou arrêtés lors de ces affrontements. Mais alors que le centre de la capitale reste quadrillé par les forces de sécurité, quelques petits groupes d'opposants sont toujours aux abords des avenues.

Les partisans de l'opposition ont multiplié ces derniers jours les appels sur Internet à descendre dans la rue, en marge de la manifestation officielle anti-américaine organisée mercredi pour célébrer le 30ème anniversaire de la prise de l'ambassade des Etats-Unis à Téhéran. Des milliers de tenants de l'opposition se sont ainsi dirigés mercredi en petits groupes vers la place Haft-e Tir, dans le centre de Téhéran, aux cris d'«Allah Akbar (Dieu est le plus grand)» et «Mort au dictateur» (voir heure par heure les vidéos des manifestants). Mais la police, ainsi que des membres des forces de sécurité habillés en civil et la milice islamique des Bassidj, mobilisés pour l'occasion, sont rapidement intervenus à coups de bâtons et de tirs de gaz lacrymogènes, selon des témoins de la scène. L'avenue menant à la place Haft-e Tir a quant à elle été le point de cristallisation de l'opposition entre les «pro-Ahmadinejad» et les «antis». Au «Mort à l'Amérique» des partisans du pouvoir, les seconds rétorquaient ainsi «Mort à la Russie». Jusqu'à ce que la police disperse une nouvelle fois ces derniers. «La prise d'otages de l'ambassade a été une erreur» >>> Marion Brunet (lefigaro.fr) | Mercredi 04 Novembre 2009

Mousavi Supporters March in Tehran


Nov 4 - Video footage posted on the internet appears to show supporters of Iran's opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi marching in a rally in the country's capital Tehran.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters coverage is subject to an Iranian ban on foreign media leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran[.]

Witnesses said that police had clashed with hundreds of protesters who were chanting 'Death to dictators'.

Reformist website, Mowjcamp, said police opened fire on supporters of opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi at Haft-e Tir square.

The clashes came during a rally marking the 30th anniversary of the storming of the U.S. embassy.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards and its allied Basij militia have warned the opposition to avoid using any anti-U.S. rally to revive protests against the clerical establishment after June's disputed presidential election in which Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won a second term.

Yair Lapid to Swedish Journalist, Bostrom: “You’re and Anti-Semite”
Watch JPost video: 'You are an anti-Semite' : 'Aftonbladet' reporter Bostrom given a cold greeting at Dimona event. >>>

Obama to Iran: Let's Move Beyond Path of Mistrust, Suspicion
HAARETZ: President Barack Obama late Tuesday noted the 30th anniversary of the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, while insisting he wants the U.S. and Iran to move beyond the "path of sustained suspicion, mistrust and confrontation" that followed the subsequent hostage crisis.

Islamic militants stormed the embassy in Tehran on Nov. 4, 1979, seizing its occupants. Fifty-two Americans were held hostage for 444 days.

The crisis "deeply affected the lives of courageous Americans who were unjustly held hostage, and we owe these Americans and their families our gratitude for their extraordinary service and sacrifice," Obama said in a statement.

"This event helped set the United States and Iran on a path of sustained suspicion, mistrust and confrontation," Obama added. "I have made it clear that the United States of America wants to move beyond this past, and seeks a relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran based upon mutual interests and mutual respect. ... We have made clear that if Iran lives up to the obligations that every nation has, it will have a path to a more prosperous and productive relationship with the international community."

The Iranian government backed events Wednesday to commemorate the anniversary of the takeover, including an annual anti-American rally outside the brick walls of the former embassy compound. Thousands of people gathered outside the former embassy, waving anti-American banners and signs praising the Islamic Revolution. >>> Associated Press | Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Johann Hari: Violence Against Gay People Can – and Must – Be Stopped
THE INDEPENDENT: The answer lies in changing the culture of two institutions - schools and the police

The fight to win legal equality for gay people is almost won in Britain – yet the taste of champagne has been tainted by an unexpected dash of blood. In the past few years, gay people have finally begun to exercise the same rights as their straight siblings, yet there has been a sharp surge in violence against us.

In London, recorded homophobic attacks are up by 20 per cent. In Glasgow it's 32 per cent; in Liverpool it's 40 per cent; in Greater Manchester it's 63 per cent. James Parks is only the latest face to be kicked in by this trend: last week, the off-duty police officer left a club in Liverpool with his boyfriend and was lynched by a group of 20 teenagers who smashed his skull and left him close to death.

In a recession, violence always rises, and violence against minorities rises more. Attacks on Muslims, Jews, and black people are also spiking across Britain. But recorded violence against gay people has shown the most extreme rise. Last year, an 18 year-old hairdresser in Liverpool called Michael Causer was sleeping on a friend's sofa after a party when he was woken up. A witness testified that a group of teenagers yelled, "You little queer faggot!" They said they were going to cut out his body-piercings with a knife, and started burning his legs with a lighter. He was found bleeding to death later, dumped in the road outside, after having his head smashed in with a hardback book.

At the trial, one of the 19-year-olds tried for the murder said he was acting "in self-defence" – against a smaller, seven-and-a-half stone boy with no history of violent behaviour. A witness said that during the attack, he had yelled: "He's a little queer, he deserves it!" Yet the jury found him not guilty.

What can we do to stop this surge? The answer does not lie in new laws; these attacks are already highly illegal. It lies in changing the culture of two core British institutions that are still tolerating anti-gay bigotry – our schools, and our police service. >>> Johann Hari | Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Corzine Loses to Antigay Republican
ADVOCATE.COM: Republican Chris Christie unseated Democrat Jon Corzine in New Jersey’s gubernatorial race, taking nearly 50% of the vote to Corzine’s 44%.



Corzine supports same-sex marriage while Christie backs amending the state’s constitution to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman.





Despite Christie’s win, the New Jersey legislature is widely expected to vote on a same-sex marriage bill during the lame-duck session between Tuesday’s vote and January. If it passes, Corzine has pledged to sign the bill. [Source: Advocate.com] | Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Paedophile Rapist to Be Beheaded and Crucified in Saudi Arabia
THE INDEPENDENT: A man who kidnapped and raped five children, one of whom was left in the desert to die, has been sentenced to be beheaded and his body publicly crucified.

Muhammed Basheer al-Ramaly, 22, from the northern city of Hail, in Saudi Arabia, will be executed at noon today.

He will be beheaded by sword then his body tied to a wooden cross and his head stuck on a pole as a deterrent.

Al-Ramaly was found guilty in February of abducting and raping five boys, the eldest of whom was 7 and the youngest just 3, who he left out in the desert to die.

His modus operandi was to pick up the boys in his car and take them off to a secret location and rape them. Most of them were found a day or two after they were abducted, and told police that they had been abused.

Saudi reports said that police used one of the survivors, a seven-year-old boy, to scour the area where he was molested, looking for the suspect's vehicle.

Al-Ramaly allegedly confessed to the crime and was sentenced to death by a court in Hail, but appealed to a higher court in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

That court yesterday upheld the sentence and ordered his immediate execution. While Saudi Arabia carries out numerous beheadings -- 102 last year, according to Amnesty International - crucifixions are relatively rare. The last one appears to have been in May, when the headless body of a sex murderer was displayed in the capital. >>> Source: The Belfast Telegraph | Wednesday, November 04, 2009

THE BELFAST TELEGRAPH: Pervert to be beheaded and crucified in Saudi Arabia >>> | Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Italien: "Niemand wird Kreuze aus Schulen entfernen"
DIE PRESSE: Die Regierung und die Kirche protestieren gegen das Urteil des Europäischen Gerichtshofs für Menschenrechte, das Kruzifixe in Schulklassen untersagt. Europaminister Ronchi warnt vor einem "gefährlichen Laizismus".

Die italienische Regierung reagiert mit Empörung auf das vom Europäischen Gerichtshof für Menschenrechte gefällte Urteil, wonach Kruzifixe nicht in Schulklassen hängen dürfen, weil damit das Recht der Schüler auf Religionsfreiheit verletzt wird. "In Italien wird niemand Kreuze aus den Schulklassen entfernen. Dieses Urteil ist ein besorgniserregendes Signal der antispirituellen Tendenzen in Europa und bezeugt, wie gefährlich der Laizismus in unserem Kontinent ist", warnte der italienische Europaminister Andrea Ronchi. Die Regierung Berlusconi hat gegen das Kruzifix-Urteil Berufung eingelegt, teilte Bildungsministerin Mariastella Gelmini mit.

Auch der Vatikan bekräftigte seine Sorge wegen des Urteils. Das Kruzifix sei ein elementares Zeichen für die Bedeutung der religiösen Werte in der italienischen Geschichte und Kultur, sagte Vatikan-Sprecher Pater Federico Lombardi. Er sprach dem Gerichtshof in Straßburg das Recht ab, sich in dieser Form in ureigenste italienische Angelegenheiten einzumischen. Anscheinend wolle das Gericht die Rolle, die das Christentum in der Identität Europas spiele, negieren.

Das Urteil des Gerichts sei "absurd", sagte Gabriella Carlucci, Vorsitzende der gemeinsamen Kommission von Abgeordnetenhaus und Senat für die Kinderrechte. Sowohl das zuständige Verwaltungsgericht (TAR) als auch der Staatsrat hätten darauf hingewiesen, dass das Kruzifix "Symbol der italienischen Geschichte und Kultur" sei und damit auch der Identität des Landes und der Garant der Prinzipien der Gleichheit, Freiheit und Toleranz. Klage von Mutter gegen Kreuze >>> APA | Mittwoch, 04. November 2009

Jeffrey D. Sachs: «Les Occidentaux ont été irresponsables à l’égard de la Russie»
File d’attente devant une boulangerie russe, à Moscou, en 1992: à l’époque, selon Jeffrey D. Sachs, l’Occident n’a pas voulu – ou pas pu – apporter l’aide massive qui aurait été nécessaire. Crédits photo : Le Temps
LE TEMPS: Le célèbre économiste Jeffrey D. Sachs justifie sa «thérapie de choc» pour créer un marché qui a, selon lui, fait ses preuves en Pologne. A l’inverse, la dérive russe est la démonstration, non d’une faillite des préceptes économiques mais de l’incurie politique

Son nom est indissociable des réformes économiques de l’ère post-soviétique. En 1990, Jeffrey D. Sachs, alors professeur à Harvard, conseille les autorités polonaises, puis Moscou de 1991 à 1993, ainsi que d’autres Etats de l’Europe de l’Est. Avec une fortune diverse et un héritage qui fait toujours débat. Connues sous le nom de «thérapie de choc» ou «big bang», ses recettes prônaient une rupture radicale – par opposition à une transition graduelle – avec l’économie planifiée pour embrasser l’économie de marché et ainsi arrimer l’Europe de l’Est à l’Europe occidentale. Privatisation, retrait de l’Etat, maîtrise de l’inflation, négociation de la dette, le célèbre économiste assume aujourd’hui son approche tout en se distanciant d’un courant ultralibéral auquel il avait été associé par ses détracteurs.

Après avoir piloté le projet Objectifs du millénaire des Nations unies lorsqu’il était le conseiller spécial du secrétaire général de l’ONU, Kofi Annan, Jeffrey D. Sachs est aujourd’hui directeur de l’Institut de la terre (Earth Institute) à l’Université Columbia de New York. Interview exclusive.

Le Temps: Vous avez été, après la chute du communisme, un des économistes les plus influents pour prôner une transition radicale vers une économie de marché. Avec le recul, referiez-vous la même chose?

Jeffrey D. Sachs: Je pense que c’était tout à fait justifié. La question était de savoir à quelle vitesse ouvrir le commerce, rendre les monnaies convertibles, en d’autres termes à quelle vitesse rejoindre l’économie de l’Europe de l’Ouest. La décision d’aller vite et de façon décisive s’est avérée correcte. Bien sûr, la transition a connu un chemin tortueux car c’était l’une des plus importantes révolutions du XXe siècle. Après cinquante années d’un système misérable, il y avait beaucoup de dislocations, beaucoup de difficultés d’ajustement, beaucoup d’échecs, une industrie décrépite héritée de l’ère soviétique. Ces changements étaient inévitables et difficiles. Particulièrement pour les gens âgés de 40-50 ans, dont la vie a basculé entre deux époques très différentes. Il fallait avancer prudemment, cela a souvent été hasardeux. Dans certains pays ce fut efficace, dans d’autres il y a eu beaucoup de négligences. Les réformes menées en Pologne ont été considérées comme un relatif succès. Comment l’expliquer? >>> Frédéric Koller | Mercredi 04 Novembre 2009

German Chancellor Speaks in US Congress


Angela Merkels Rede vor dem US-Kongress am 3. November 2009


Angela Merkel: Rede vor US-Kongress


Angela Merkels "bewegende Rede" vor dem amerikanischen Kongress

It's Barack Obama's First Anniversary - But There's Precious Little to Celebrate
The President appears thin-skinned, immature and inexperienced. – Simon Heffer
THE TELEGRAPH: The US President's performance has dismayed even his biggest admirers, writes Simon Heffer.

Things remain very bad in America under Barack Obama. Photo: The Telegraph
A year ago, almost to the minute, I was here in New York, watching television reports of the aftermath of the election of Barack Obama as 44th President of the United States of America. I recall the sight of a lachrymose woman from the Midwest, standing outside her run-down house as the sun rose, giving thanks for her deliverance: not from George W Bush, but from the threat of foreclosure. I have no idea whether this poor woman kept the roof over her head; all I know is, if she did, it would have been no thanks to Mr Obama.

On the anniversary of his election, he is busy with unpleasant confrontations with reality. As my colleague Toby Harnden reported so graphically last week, the honeymoon is over. Never in American politics has someone come to power on such a bubble of expectation; never, inevitably, has the pricking of that bubble caused such shock. America may just have come out of recession, but things remain bad. Ten per cent of the workforce is unemployed: here in New York, perhaps the most dynamic and prosperous city on the planet, the figure is even higher.

The rhetoric that bore Mr Obama to office proved equal to electoral success, but not to economic management. Moreover, Mr Obama's most coveted legislative aim, the creation of a sort of national health service, remains elusive. The Wall Street Journal, the newspaper here of serious money, has just savaged the Bill as perhaps the worst inflicted on the American people since the era of Roosevelt. Its projected cost – $1.055 trillion over 10 years – is regarded as madness when America has a level of debt so astronomical that it (just) exceeds, per capita, that of Britain; and few outside a hard core of Obama devotees see it delivering what is needed, where it is needed.

Internationally, the lustre has worn off, too. Mr Obama might have won the Nobel Peace Prize, but the less said about that the better. The award was apparently decided in February, days after he entered the Oval Office. He gave up his missile defence system in eastern Europe: we all imagined the Russians would give something in return, but we are still waiting. More recently, he went to Copenhagen to try to secure the 2016 Olympics for Chicago, and failed. While this did little more than provide amusement to many, it damaged him in America, and outraged his true believers: perhaps the emperor had a small wardrobe after all.

Now he is immersed in a deliberative exercise about whether to send more troops to Afghanistan. As is the lot of politicians, he will be damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. What the dilemma illustrates is that governing is not so easy as it might once have seemed; that you cannot please all of the people all of the time, so there is little point trying; and that the expertise of the Obama campaign in managing image is useless when managing a country. Tony Blair, had they asked, could have told him that. For all the difficulties of America's imperial burden, it is the domestic, and particularly the economic, front that Mr Obama and his colleagues are finding hardest to defend. … >>> Simon Heffer, in New York | Tuesday, November 04, 2009

Republicans Win Virginia and New Jersey Elections in Blow for Barack Obama
THE TELEGRAPH: American voters have delivered a sharp rebuke to Barack Obama by rejecting his allies in Virginia, the swing state that helped deliver him the White House almost exactly a year ago, and the Democratic stronghold of New Jersey.

Bob McDonnell, the Republican candidate, trounced his Democratic opponent Creigh Deeds, for whom Mr Obama had campaigned, by 17 points to become Virginia governor. Republicans also won the races in Virginia for lieutenant governor and attorney general.

Governor Jon Corzine, the incumbent Democrat, was defeated by Chris Christie in New Jersey, where no Republican had won state-wide since 1997.

It was a sobering night for Mr Obama, who had campaigned ferociously for Mr Corzine, appearing at two of his rallies on Sunday. A sole consolation was an unexpectedly close race in upstate New York, where it seemed that the Democrat might overcome a Conservative party candidate after the Republican withdrew. >>> Toby Harnden in McLean, Virginia | Wednesday, November 04, 2009

THE TELEGRAPH: Updated: Republican wins in Virginia & New Jersey wins equal miserable night for Barack Obama >>> Toby Harnden | Wednesday, November 04, 2009

TIMES ONLINE: Obama suffers poll blow a year after taking office >>> Giles Whittell in Washington | Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Michael Bloomberg Elected Mayor of New York for a Third Time
THE TELEGRAPH: Michael Bloomberg has narrowly won a third term as Mayor of New York after spending a record $100 million (£60 million) on his campaign.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Photo: The Telegraph
Mr Bloomberg, the owner of the Bloomberg news agency, spent 13 times as much as his Democrat rival Bill Thompson and won by 51 per cent to 46 per cent.

His victory was much narrower than predicted. A poll the day before the election had put him 12 points ahead.

Mr Bloomberg, 67, who has an estimated fortune of $16 billion (£9.7 billion) and is the richest man in New York, had succeeded in getting the city's mayoral term limits changed which allowed him to run for a third time.

He had originally supported a ban on three-term mayors. >>> Nick Allen | Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Is the Copenhagen Treaty about Creating a World Government?
With thanks to H for sending me the following link:

Audio: Alan Jones talks to Lord Monckton, British climate change sceptic, who says the Copenhagen treaty is about creating a world government. >>>

Lisbon Treaty: More of Britain's Powers Surrendered to Brussels
THE TELEGRAPH: Britain's power to govern itself is to be surrendered increasingly to Brussels after the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty was finally ratified.

The treaty, which will come into force within a few weeks, will create the first president of Europe, as well as a European foreign minister, and will end Britain’s right to veto new EU rules in more than 40 policy areas.

The treaty's supporters say it will allow the EU to operate more efficiently and give it greater influence in world affairs.

But critics say it will cede too much more of Britain's sovereignty to Brussels.

Vaclav Klaus, the President of the Czech Republic, yesterday signed the Lisbon Treaty, ending eight years of resistance to its attempt to give more power to the EU.

The Czechs are the last of the 27 EU states to sign the treaty, and their move forced the Conservatives to abandon their pledge to hold a British referendum on Lisbon.

William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, said it was “a bad day for British democracy”.

David Cameron, the Conservative leader, will today set out plans for an alternative Tory pledge to renegotiate several parts of Britain’s EU membership, trying to win back control over social and employment laws.

It is understood that one of Mr Cameron's options will be to guarantee a referendum for British voters under a Tory government if any more national powers were in danger of being ceded to Brussels.

Mr Cameron’s retreat on announcing a referendum on the newly ratified treaty has led to accusations of breaking his promise and betraying the British people.

The Lisbon Treaty is based on the European Constitution, which started at a summit in Brussels in December 2001.

Gordon Brown hailed the Czech signature as “a historic step,” and European leaders said it will create a more powerful EU.

Despite the scale of the changes the treaty makes, the British people have never been directly consulted on the document, which was ratified in a Commons vote and signed by Mr Brown in 2007.

Labour won the 2005 general election having promised a referendum on the European Constitution but then dropped the pledge, arguing that Lisbon was a different document.

The Conservatives gave a “cast-iron” guarantee of a vote on Lisbon.

But after Mr Klaus signed the text, the Tories admitted that they will not offer voters a say on Lisbon.

Mr Hague said that once ratified, the treaty will cease to exist as a distinct legal document, meaning no vote can be held on it.

He said: “Now that the treaty has become European law and is going to enter into force, that means that a referendum can no longer prevent the creation of the president of the European council, the loss of British national vetoes, these things will already have happened, and a referendum cannot unwind them or prevent them.”

Daniel Hannan, a Tory MEP and leading Euro-sceptic said the signing was a step towards a European super-state. “The boot continues to stamp on the human face,” he said.

Mr Hague last night attempted to blame Labour for the treaty’s passage. He said: “People have never been consulted or voted in a general election for this.

"The British people have never even voted once, and we will not let people forget whose responsibility that is.”

Mr Brown insisted that the signing of the treaty was something to celebrate. >>> James Kirkup and Bruno Waterfield | Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Czech Leader Signs Lisbon Treaty as Tories Concede Defeat Over Referendum
TIMES ONLINE: The Eurosceptic leader of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Klaus, has signed the Lisbon treaty, finally giving effect to a much-delayed accord designed to overhaul the institutions of the European Union and give the bloc a greater say in world affairs.

The move forced the Tory leadership to concede defeat tonight over their plans to hold a referendum on the treaty with David Cameron promising to clarify his party's policy on Europe tomorrow.

William Hague, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, said it was “no longer possible” to put the treaty to a popular vote. “Now that the treaty is going to become European law and is going to enter into force, that means a referendum can no longer prevent the creation of the president of the European Council, the loss of British national vetoes,” he said.

“These things will already have happened and a referendum cannot unwind them or prevent them.”

President Klaus confirmed that he had signed the pact only hours after the text was given the green light by a Czech court which had been asked to rule on its constitutionality.

"I signed the Lisbon Treaty today at 1500," he told reporters in Prague as an aircraft prepared to take the Czech articles of ratification to Rome, where the original treaty setting up the EU was signed.

Mr Klaus was the last EU leader to ratify the treaty, which began life as the EU Constitution, and his signature means the 27 EU member states can pick their first-ever full-time president as well as a new foreign affairs representative. >>> Philippe Naughton, Philip Webster and Roger Boyes | Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Washington Gasps at Hillary Charm-el-shake Offensive that Leaves Islamabad Stunned
THE TIMES OF INDIA: WASHINGTON: It was supposed to be a charm offensive, but as the day wore on she put away her charm and went on the offensive. Secretary of State

Hillary Clinton’s public dressing down of Pakistan during a three-day visit there, including virtually accusing the country of complicity with al-Qaida, has shaken Washington as much as it stunned her hosts.

"Her inner voice became her outer voice," Martha Raddatz, a veteran NBC correspondent said on the network, explaining that while many in the administration believed what she said to be true (that Pakistan is coddling terrorists), it was rare for America's top diplomat to say it publicly. Officials in Washington were trying to keep a straight face, but there were a few gasps, she added.

Clinton's blunt remarks came during a pow-wow with half-dozen combative senior Pakistani journalists who harried her about US policy in the region.

"Al-Qaida has had safe haven in Pakistan since 2002," she finally asserted when challenged about Washington’s tough prescriptions for Islamabad. "I find it hard to believe that nobody in your government knows where they are and couldn't get them if they really wanted to."

After having publicly doubted the bona fides of her hosts, she added, as an afterthought: "Maybe that's the case; maybe they're not gettable...I don't know. As far as we know, they are in Pakistan." At one point during the exchanges, when a journalist spoke about all the services rendered by Pakistan for the US, Mrs Clinton snapped, "We have also given you billions."

The US Secretary of State also took a swipe at the Pakistani military and intelligence agencies, telling the senior journalists, "If we are going to have a mature partnership where we work together" then "there are issues that not just the United States but others have with your government and with your military security establishment." She said she was "more than willing to hear every complaint about the United States'' but the relationship had to be a "two-way street." >>> Chidanand Rajghatta, TNN | Friday, October 30, 2009

Jihad: A Wake Up Call
YNET NEWS: Western democracies should keep in mind that strong Israel deters Jihad

Jihad (Holy War) has been a cardinal feature of Islam since the 7th Century. It constitutes a clear and present danger to Western democracies, irrespective of the Arab-Israeli conflict, independent of the Palestinian issue and regardless of Israel's policies and existence.

Hebrew University Prof. Moshe Sharon, a world renowned authority on Islam, sheds light on Jihad in Islam against Israel and the West (2007):

"Jihad is the strategy and, therefore, agreements are a (tactical) interlude in the war (against the infidel),” he writes.

Sharon also notes the following: "Islam came to being as a fighting religion. Mohammed imposed his authority by means of his military strength…Islam was born in order to rule, as is only fitting for the religion of Allah which is one and exclusive”

"Any territory that was ever Muslim becomes sacred to Islam,” Sharon further notes. “If the territory is conquered by enemies of Islam, like Spain, Palestine and parts of Europe, it is incumbent upon Islam to do everything to restore it to Islamic rule.”

Finally, Sharon explains that "The laws of Jihad…form the basis of the relations between the Muslim world and the West…The only possible relations between Muslims and non-Muslims are war or a limited ceasefire.”

“Any sign of weakness is a clear call to renew Jihad,” he says. “An agreement which contains anything beyond a limited armistice or ceasefire is null and void. The only agreement with non-believers that is permitted by Islamic law is one that enables Islam to strengthen itself, so that when the time comes it can resume Jihad in better conditions.”

Meanwhile, according to Prof. Bernard Lewis, the world's leading expert on Islamic history, "the Muslims believe that they had caused the fall of the Soviet Union (in Afghanistan)…Dealing with the soft, pampered and effeminate Americans would be easier…” >>> Yoram Ettinger | Monday, November 11, 2009

Full version here

France and U.S. Condemn Ugandan Antigay Bill
ADVOCATE: The Ugandan embassies of France and the United States publicly condemned Uganda's proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill on Monday, but officials in the African nation plan to move forward with the discriminatory legislation.

The Ugandan embassies of France and the United States publicly condemned Uganda's proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill on Monday, but officials in the African nation plan to move forward with the discriminatory legislation.

"France expresses deep concern regarding the bill currently before the Ugandan parliament," the French foreign ministry said in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse in Kampala. "France reiterates its commitment to the decriminalization of homosexuality and the fight against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity."

The bill would amplify the country's antigay laws, including criminalizing any public discussion of homosexuality and penalizing individuals who knowingly rented property to a homosexual. >>> Christopher Mangum | Monday, November 02, 2009

Gladiator Soundtrack

No Whiff of PC in Japanese Investment Banks!
MAIL ONLINE: Two women City high-flyers who claim they were hounded out of their jobs by sexist Japanese bosses are both suing a leading investment bank for £1.5 million.

Maureen Murphy, 30, alleges that a woman trader at Nomura bank had to endure her breasts being referred to as 'honkers' during a meeting.

She says that a male colleague claimed that women 'belong at home cleaning the floors'.

And another allegedly said that the key to cheating on wives was 'not getting caught'.

Miss Murphy, a senior analyst earning £55,000 a year, and Anna Francis, 37, a director on £250,000 including bonus, had worked in Asian equities sales at Lehman Brothers in Canary Wharf before the bank collapsed in September last year.

The two women moved to Nomura as part of a buyout by the Japanese bank and expected equally prominent roles.

But they claim sexist Japanese bosses withheld work and fired them because they were female and non-Japanese.

Their barrister Michael Duggan told Central London Employment Tribunal: 'This organisation is institutionally racist and sexist.' Two women City high-flyers 'hounded from bank for not being male or Japanese' sue for £3million >>> | Tuesday, November 03, 2009

L'Italie condamnée pour des crucifix dans les écoles
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: DROITS DE L'HOMME | L'habitude des crucifix dans les classes est jugée contraire au droit des parents d'éduquer leurs enfants selon leurs convictions et au droit des enfants à la liberté de religion.

La Cour européenne des droits de l'Homme a condamné mardi l'Italie pour la présence de crucifix dans les salles de classe[.]

La requérante, Solie Lautsi, ressortissante italienne, réside à Abano Terme. Ses enfants, Dataico et Sami Albertin, âgés respectivement de onze et treize ans, fréquentèrent en 2001-2002 l'école publique à Abano Terme où toutes les salles de classe avaient un crucifix au mur.

La requérante estimait la présence de ces crucifix contraire au principe de laïcité et informa l'école de sa position, invoquant un arrêt de la cour de cassation qui avait jugé la présence de crucifix dans les bureaux de vote contraire au principe de laïcité de l'Etat.

En mai 2002, la direction de l'école décida de laisser les crucifix dans les salles de classe. Une directive recommandant de procéder ainsi fut ultérieurement adressée à tous les directeurs d'écoles par le ministère de l'Instruction publique. >>> ATS/AFP | Mardi 03 Novembre 2009

Oberschicht in Iran: Operierte Partyschönheiten
ZEIT ONLINE: Zu Hause zeigen Nasrin und Hana stolz ihre unnatürlichen Nasen. Schönheitsoperationen sind hip in Iran, Partys mit Alkohol auch. Denn sie versprechen Veränderung.

In einer Teheraner Klinik wird einer Patientin die Prozedur ihrer bevorstehenden Nasenoperation erläuter. Bild: Zeit Online
Hana sieht aus wie Mariah Carey, ihre Schwester Nasrin wie Demi Moore. Nichts deutet darauf hin, dass Hana und Nasrin, beide 32 Jahre alt, eineiige Zwillinge sind. Hana hat eine Stupsnase, herzförmig aufgespritzte Lippen und honigblonde Locken. Nasrin hat der Chirurg ein griechisches Profil verpasst. Hana und Nasrin sind stolz auf ihre Schönheitsoperationen. Die Verbände auf den Nasenrücken trugen die beiden Studentinnen der Sozialwissenschaft noch, da waren die Wunden längst verheilt.

Plastische Chirurgie verstößt eigentlich gegen die Ideale der Islamischen Republik. Seelische Schönheit gilt mehr als die äußere. Doch das Regime duldet kosmetische Operationen, sie sind hipp. Ungefähr 3000 plastische Chirurgen haben sich in Teheran niedergelassen. In keinem Land der Welt werden mehr Nasen verschönert als in der Islamischen Republik, jährlich zwischen 60.000 und 70.000. Der Hype ist so stark, dass sogar Schaufensterpuppen einen Verband im Gesicht tragen. 
Hana und Nasrin leben im reichen Norden von Teheran in einem Appartement, das wirkt wie eine Kulisse aus der US-Serie Reich und Schön: weiße Ledersofas, Kristalllüster, Clubsessel. Die Familie hat genug Geld für Schönheitsoperationen. Hana denkt jetzt noch über eine Brust-Vergrößerung nach. Im Bekanntenkreis der Zwillinge gibt es kaum eine Frau, die sich nicht unters Messer legt. >>> Carola Hoffmeister | Montag, 02. November 2009

Union Européenne : Le Traité de Lisbonne validé, le président tchèque se retrouve isolé
Vaclav Klaus. Crédits photo : Le Temps
LE TEMPS: La Cour constitutionnelle tchèque a jugé mardi le Traité de Lisbonne conforme à la Loi fondamentale du pays, condition nécessaire à la ratification complète du traité et au choix du futur président de l’Europe. Ne reste plus maintenant qu’une ultime étape: la signature du texte par le très eurosceptique chef de l’Etat tchèque, Vaclav Klaus, qui pourrait apposer son paraphe dès aujourd’hui comme il a promis de le faire. Contraint et forcé.

Matinée de souffrance pour Vaclav Klaus. Résolument opposé au Traité de Lisbonne, qu’il continue de considérer comme une menace contre la souveraineté des Etats-membres de l’Union européenne, le très eurosceptique président tchèque va devoir le signer, contraint et forcé après sa validation mardi matin par la Cour constitutionnelle. Une décision très attendue qu’il s’est d’ailleurs bien gardé de commenter. >>> Richard Werly | Mardi 03 Novembre 2009

THE TELEGRAPH: Czech President Vaclav Klaus signs EU Lisbon Treaty into law: Vaclav Klaus, the Czech president, has signed the EU Lisbon Treaty into law after a court cleared the final legal obstacle standing in its way. >>> Bruno Waterfield, Brussels Correspondent | Tuesday, November 30, 2009

TIMES ONLINE: Tories on the spot as Czech leader signs Lisbon Treaty >>> Philippe Naughton and Philip Webster, Political Editor | Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Bürgermeisterwahl in New York: Bloombergs Glanz bekommt Risse
ZEIT ONLINE: New York wählt: Michael Bloomberg will heute zum dritten Mal Bürgermeister werden. Aber die Krise hat auch die Stadt getroffen, und der Milliardär hat viele enttäuscht. >>> Sebastian Moll | Dienstag, 03. November 2009

Barack Obama: Amerikaner wollen keine Revolution
ZEIT ONLINE: Ein Ruck ging durchs Land als Barack Obama vor einem Jahr gewählt wurde. Nun zeigt sich, dass die USA nicht so progressiv sind, wie es sein Sieg erscheinen ließ.

Die Zustimmungswerte von US-Präsident Barack Obama sind gefallen. Bild: Zeit Online
Dieser Tage wird Barack Obama ein weiterer Zacken aus der Krone fallen. Vor einem Jahr haben ihn die Amerikaner mit großer Mehrheit zum Präsidenten gewählt. Doch nun wird seine Partei, wenn nicht ein Wunder geschieht, bei mehreren Regional- und Kommunalwahlen verlieren. Die oppositionellen Republikaner finden Resonanz mit ihrer Behauptung, ihre Erfolge seien ein Beleg für die schwindende Popularität des Präsidenten.

Wahr ist auch: Vor einem Jahr hätte Obamas Auftreten genügt, um Demokraten in tendenziell konservativen Wahlkreisen siegen zu lassen. Das ist vorbei. Die breite Koalition, die ihm 2008 zum Triumph verholfen hatte, löst sich in Fraktionen auf, die seine Bilanz unterschiedlich beurteilen. Da sind die überzeugten Anhänger, die die Wahlversprechen für bare Münze nahmen und glaubten, mit dem "Yes, we can"-Schwung lasse sich Amerika revolutionieren: Krankenversicherung für alle, Rettung des Klimas durch verpflichtende Emissionsobergrenzen, Irak-Abzug, Schließung Guantanámos und vieles mehr. Nichts davon hat Obama bisher erreicht. Amerikas Linke ist enttäuscht. >>> Christoph von Marschall | Dienstag, 03. November 2009

Turkey Flirts with Tehran
THE LOS ANGELES TIMES– Editorial: NATO's only Muslim member is undermining Western efforts to keep nuclear weapons from Iran by expanding its trade ties.

Even as Congress pushes legislation aimed at punishing foreign companies that sell petroleum to Iran, and the United Nations prepares to consider sanctions against that country if an ongoing round of nuclear talks fails, Iranian leaders this week were elated over plans to treble trade ties with a key Middle Eastern power.

So which rogue nation is undermining Western efforts to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons? Syria, perhaps, or the unpredictable Saudis? Actually, it's Turkey, a member of NATO, prospective member of the European Union and the United States' most strategically important Muslim ally.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced plans Wednesday in Tehran to increase trade between the two countries from its current level of about $7 billion to $20 billion by 2011. Turkey and Iran have reportedly reached agreements on power plants, banks and natural gas development that would help make up for any economic pain the United Nations could inflict via tougher sanctions. The deals are fueling worries that Turkey, a model democratic Muslim state and a vital bridge between Europe and the Arab world, is turning its back on the West to embrace Islamist regimes to the east. >>> | Saturday, October 31, 2009

Spanish Bishops
Watch Journeyman Pictures video here | Thursday, May 29, 2009

Pakistan: Between Two Rocks
Watch Journeyman Pictures video here | Monday, November 02, 2009

Just Wait for the PC BS about Prophet Muhammad in the Upcoming Epic Film!
Sheikh al-Qaradawi was refused entry to Britain last year. Photo: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: In Hollywood terms, it was the greatest story almost never told - until now.

With Middle Eastern money becoming an increasingly powerful cog in the global entertainment industry, it was perhaps inevitable that, sooner or later, someone would embark on a mega-budget epic about the life of the Prophet Mohammed.

That moment has arrived thanks to a wealthy Qatari media company which has put together a team featuring a crack Hollywood producer and a Muslim cleric who is banned from visiting Britain to bring the project to life.

Plans for the $150million English-language biopic were announced at the close of the Doha Tribeca Film Festival in Qatar on Sunday. The narrative will run from the years before the Prophet’s birth through to his death but there will be one conspicuous break from conventional biopic methods: in accordance with Islamic tradition the film will not represent the Prophet himself or direct members of his family.

A source close to the project said that Mel Gibson’s hugely successful (and gruesome) crucifiction [sic] film The Passion of the Christ had proved that there was a demand for religious-themed entertainment.

Barrie Osborne, a producer on the Lord of the Rings films and The Matrix optimistically envisages the film as a device that can help “bridging cultures”. Banned Muslim cleric hired to help make film about Prophet Muhammad >>> Ben Hoyle, Arts Correspondent | Monday, November 02, 2009

Is Gay Bashing on the Rise?
BBC: Just as gay and lesbian people are starting to enjoy equal rights, the number of attacks against them seems to be rising. Why?

Ten years ago, a nail-bomb exploded in a gay bar in the heart of London, claiming three lives and maiming dozens more, the final act in a series of attacks on the capital's minority groups.

The intervening decade has seen significant steps in changing attitudes and legislation that give gay people - and their civil partners - equality enshrined in law.

But now another shadow has been cast over the UK's gay community. A series of homophobic attacks, at a time when crime figures suggest such incidents are on the rise, has mobilised people to voice their anger.

Over the weekend, candlelit vigils were held in London and Liverpool, at the scenes of two of the most recent acts of violence to make headlines, and also in Brighton and Norwich, while gay venues across the country held a two-minute silence on Friday evening in an act of solidarity.

Of the thousands who gathered in London's Trafalgar Square - at the spot where Ian Baynham was attacked in September, later dying from his injuries - some headed afterwards to the Admiral Duncan pub in Soho, the scene of the nail bombing 10 years ago.

Although it looked like business as usual, some punters were in reflective mood. Jeff, 32, said he sensed "more tension" in the last 12 to 18 months and some people had stopped coming into central London as a consequence. He said he had always been wary about showing public affection to his civil partner, for fear of inviting abuse, but even more so recently.

"I'm nervous when we're out and about in case we draw attention to ourselves and get a bad reaction from someone."

One 28-year-old, who asked not to be named, said he and his boyfriend had recently been threatened with a weapon and foul language.

The pair had been getting off a bus when a man with a knife began spouting insults, calling them "queers".

Such incidents have always happened, but are they happening with more regularity now?

There are no national figures for homophobic crime, but individual police forces have reported an annual rise in their latest figures - 40% in Merseyside, which covers Liverpool, and 34% in Strathclyde, which includes Glasgow. >>> Tom Geoghegan, BBC News Magazine | Monday, November 02, 2009

Boris Johnson Meets with Police Chief to Discuss the Rise in Homophobic Crime
PINK NEWS: London Mayor Boris Johnson has sought assurances from the Metropolitan Police Commissioner that everything is being done to tackle the problem of homophobic attacks in the capital.

The Mayor raised the matter with the Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson at yesterday's meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority.

The Commissioner assured the Mayor that the Met is taking the issue of homophobic crime seriously and he outlined measures that include third party reporting and increased sanctioned detection rates, as well as raising staff and community awareness and efforts to encourage the community to report attacks.

The number of homophobic hate crimes in London has risen by 18 per cent since last year, Scotland Yard figures show. >>> Adam Lake | Friday, October 30, 2009

Vingt ans après la chute du Mur de Berlin : Est-Ouest : les différences persistent
Crédits photo : Le Point
LE POINT: Vingt ans après la chute du Mur de Berlin, les différences demeurent entre Allemands de l'Est et de l'Ouest, mais elles sont plus culturelles et sociales que politiques. Et "l'Ostalgie", ou nostalgie pour l'ancienne Allemagne de l'Est, souvent décriée à l'Ouest, tient plus de la volonté de renouer les liens communautaires et de retrouver les "petits plaisirs" d'antan que du souhait d'un retour au système communiste, selon l'étude parue dans le magazine culte de l'Est Superillu . >>> Le Point avec AFP | Lundi 02 Novembre 2009

Documentary – Sexual Attraction: Homosexuality

Proche-Orient : La gifle américaine aux Palestiniens
LE TEMPS: Le premier ministre israélien Benyamin Netanyahou a obtenu le soutien de la secrétaire d’Etat Hillary Clinton pour une reprise des négociations de paix sans gel préalable de la colonisation, comme l’exige l’Autorité palestinienne

«Nous sommes déçus et inquiets pour l’avenir.» Porte-parole du président de l’Autorité palestinienne (AP) Mahmoud Abbas, Nabil Abou Rodeineh n’a pas caché sa mauvaise humeur après la volte-face de la secrétaire d’Etat américaine Hillary Clinton selon laquelle le gel des constructions dans les colonies de Cisjordanie «n’est pas une condition préalable» à la reprise des pourparlers de paix entre Israéliens et Palestiniens.

Pendant près de dix mois, l’administration américaine avait en effet exercé des pressions sur l’Etat hébreu afin qu’il interrompe les projets immobiliers en cours dans les implantations. Washington présentait d’ailleurs ce gel comme «un pas essentiel pour la reprise du processus de paix». Mais l’entourage de Barack Obama a subitement changé de ligne. Pour quelle raison? Mystère. En tout cas, au lendemain de sa rencontre avec Mahmoud Abbas, vendredi à Abu Dhabi, la secrétaire d’Etat Hillary Clinton, qui faisait étape à Jérusalem pour une série d’entretiens avec les principaux dirigeants israéliens, a infligé un camouflet au président palestinien. Cela alors que celui-ci venait de lui confirmer qu’il «ne négociera pas avec Israël tant que le développement des colonies n’aura pas été interrompu». >>> Serge Dumont | Lundi 02 Novembre 2009

Clinton für Nahost-Gespräche ohne Bedingungen: Amerikanische Aussenministerin fordert Wiederaufnahme der Verhandlungen
Bild: Neue Zürcher Zeitung
NZZ ONLINE: Die amerikanische Aussenministerin Hillary Clinton hat sich für eine möglichst schnelle Wiederaufnahme der Friedensverhandlungen im Nahen Osten ausgesprochen.

Forderungen der Palästinenser nach einem vollständigen Stop des israelischen Siedlungsbaus wies Clinton zurück.

«Ich will beide Seiten möglichst bald bei der Wiederaufnahme ihrer Verhandlungen sehen», sagte Clinton am Samstag in Jerusalem bei einer gemeinsamen Pressekonferenz mit Israels Ministerpräsidenten Benjamin Netanjahu. Von den Palästinensern forderte sie, ohne Vorbedingungen in die Friedensgespräche zu gehen.

Netanjahu versprach, keine neuen Siedlungen im Westjordanland bauen zu wollen. «Ich habe gesagt, dass wir keine neuen Ansiedlungen bauen werden und dass wir kein Land für bestehende oder weitere Siedlungen enteignen werden», sagte Netanjahu. Die israelische Siedlungspolitik werde den Bewohnern der Siedlungen aber ein «normales Leben» ermöglichen. >>> sda/afp | Sonntag, 01. November 2009

Tehran Set to Lose Status as Iran Capital
THE GUARDIAN: Expediency council approves plan for new capital – which could be a new or existing city – amid earthquake fears over Tehran

It has witnessed some of Iran's most tumultuous events: the fall of the shah, the return of Ayatollah Khomeini and the transformation from pro-western monarchy to revolutionary Islamic republic.

Now Tehran's days as the Iranian capital appear numbered after a powerful state body approved a plan for a new principal city. The idea was proposed by the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and rubber-stamped by the expediency council.

Seismologists have warned that Tehran is liable to be struck by a catastrophic earthquake in the foreseeable future. It is not clear whether a new capital will be built from scratch or sited in an existing city.

Iran has had numerous capitals during its history, including Isfahan, Qazvin, Shiraz, Mashhad and Hamedan. Since the Qajar king Agha Mohammad Khan declared it capital in 1795, Tehran has become the country's political, social, economic and cultural centre.

Its infrastructure has been left creaking by rapid population growth that has seen it become home to 12 million people, up from 250,000 at the start of the 20th century.

A mass influx from the countryside under the last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, fed the social discontent unleashed by the 1979 Islamic revolution. The population has continued to spiral since then, with unregulated development creating a traffic-clogged and polluted urban sprawl. >>> Robert Tait and Noushin Hoseiny | Sunday, November 01, 2009

’Every Little Helps’
MAIL ON SUNDAY: Tony Blair has been in talks with Tesco about helping them open supermarkets in the Middle East - allegedly in return for up to £1million.

It is believed the discussions between the former Prime Minister, now a peace envoy to the region, and the supermarket chain, whose slogan is 'Every little helps', ended after the two sides failed to agree terms.

The disclosure could further damage Mr Blair's hopes of becoming the first President of Europe, as critics will seize on it as evidence that he is as interested in making money as he is in reviving his career as a statesman.

According to one source, Mr Blair's proposed role for Tesco would simply have been to act as a figurehead for their drive to break into the Middle East market.

The company, who have exported their hugely successful formula around the world, wanted Mr Blair to use his international political and diplomatic clout to 'open doors' for them. The Mail on Sunday understands Tesco were 'deeply disappointed' when they were unable to reach agreement with Mr Blair. Tony Blair in talks with Tesco over £1m deal as supermarket eyes Middle East >>> Simon Walters, Nathan Kay and Christopher Leake | Sunday, November 01, 2009

Tony Blair Inc: A Nice Little Earner
THE SUNDAY TIMES: TONY BLAIR is cashing in on his experience as Britain’s longest-serving Labour prime minister by setting up a “commercial partnership” that offers clients political and economic advice.

The business venture, Tony Blair Associates, has been disclosed by the official watchdog that scrutinises paid employment undertaken by former ministers.

The advisory committee on business appointments said in a statement on its website this weekend: “Tony Blair has established Tony Blair Associates which will allow him to provide, in partnership with others, strategic advice on a commercial and pro-bono [free] basis, on political and economic trends and governmental reform.”

The committee said it saw “no reason why he should not set up the firm forthwith”, and disclosed that this had been done this month. It is believed to be the first time a former prime minister has set up a commercial venture with the apparent intention of cashing in on time spent in office. >>> David Leppard and Solomon Hughes | Sunday, February 22, 2009

Enya: Marble Halls

Hallowe’en Is the Devil’s Work, Catholic Church Warns Parents
Photo: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: When Victoria Romero, 6, dressed up as a witch for a Hallowe’en party this week she could hardly have imagined that she was provoking the wrath of God by attending a celebration akin to a Black Mass — at least in the eyes of the Vatican and the Roman Catholic Church in Spain.

Wearing skeleton suits, dressing up as vampires, witches or goblins or slapping on fake blood is not far removed from communing with the Devil, according to the country’s bishops.

However, the bishops, with Vatican backing, have reserved their venom for the millions of parents who allowed their children to celebrate this “pagan” festival.

Father Joan María Canals, the director of the Spanish Bishops Conference Committee on Liturgy, condemned parents for permitting their children to go to “un-Christian” parties when they should be focusing on All Saints Day today and All Souls Day on Monday.

His views were endorsed yesterday by L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, which reported his views under the headline “Hallowe’en’s dangerous messages”.

It quoted him as saying: “Hallowe’en has an undercurrent of occultism and is absolutely anti-Christian.” Parents should “be aware of this and try to direct the meaning of the feast towards wholesomeness and beauty rather than terror, fear and death”, he said.

L’Osservatore Romano praised a church at Alcalá de Henares, east of Madrid, that has decided to hold a prayer vigil tonight and the Paris archdiocese’s idea of having children play a lucky dip dubbed “Holywins” instead.

“Children dress as witches, vampires, ghosts, masks, corpses, skeletons, and parents favour this type of festivity which plays with elements of death,” Father Canals said. “But when a relative dies they prevent them from seeing the dead relative.” >>> Graham Keeley in Madrid and Richard Owen in Rome | Saturday, October 31, 2009

Islamische Konferenz bietet ihre Dienste an: OIC könnte in der Libyen-Affäre vermitteln
NZZ ONLINE: Die Schweiz ist in der Auseinandersetzung mit Libyen offenbar doch nicht ganz auf sich alleine gestellt. Die Organisation der Islamischen Konferenz (OIC) hat ihre Dienste angeboten.

Die Organisation der Islamischen Konferenz (OIC) ist bereit, im Konflikt zwischen der Schweiz und Libyen zu vermitteln. Das sagte der OIC-Botschafter Babacar Ba gegenüber dem Schweizer Radio DRS.

Über die Affäre im Bild

Die OIC sei über die Krise zwischen Libyen und der Schweiz im Bild und hoffe auf eine baldige bilaterale Lösung, sagte der OIC-Botschafter bei der Uno in Genf weiter. >>> sda | Dienstag, 27. Oktober 2009

L'hypertension, première cause de mortalité
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: RAPPORT DE L'OMS | L'hypertension est la première cause de mortalité dans le monde, devant le tabagisme, l'hyperglycémie, l'inactivité physique et l'obésité.

Ces cinq facteurs de risque sont à l'origine de 40% des 60 millions de décès recensés chaque année, selon l'OMS.

Dans un rapport sur les facteurs de risques pour la santé dans le monde, publié mardi, l'Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS) montre que la situation globale évolue. Le vieillissement de la population est la conséquence de progrès contre les maladies infectieuses, mais en même temps il augmente la charge des maladies chroniques dans la mortalité et la morbidité mondiale.

Les pays à bas et moyen revenu sont confrontés à un double fardeau, celui des maladies chroniques liées aux nouveaux modes de vie, comme le diabète, le cancer, les affections cardiovasculaires, en même temps qu'aux maladies transmissibles qui affectent traditionnellement les plus pauvres, affirme l'agence de l'ONU.

Baisse de sept ans de l'espérance de vie

Les dix facteurs de risque principaux provoquent une baisse de sept ans de l'espérance de vie moyenne dans le monde, de dix ans pour l'Afrique. L'hypertension artérielle est à l'origine de 7,5 millions de décès chaque année dans le monde, soit 12,8% du total, devant le tabagisme (5,1 millions de décès, 8,7% du total).

L'excès de sucre dans le sang (hyperglycémie) est la troisième cause de mortalité, à l'origine de 3,4 millions de décès (5,8%) du total, devant l'inactivité physique (3,2 millions de morts, 5,5%), le surpoids et l'obésité (2,8 millions de décès, 4,8%).

Comme sixième cause mondiale de mortalité, le rapport indique l'excès de cholestérol (2,6 millions de décès, 4,5% du total), devant les rapports sexuels à risque (2,4 millions, 4%), l'alcoolisme (2,3 millions, 3,8%), et la malnutrition enfantine (2,2 millions, 3,8%). Dans les pays riches >>> ATS | Mardi 27 Octobre 2009