New Dark Age Alert! MP Condemns Plan to Build Muslim Eton for Girls
Forerunner: Students at an all-girl Muslim school in Bradford. Photograph: Mail Online
MAIL ONLINE: A Labour MP has bitterly attacked plans for a Muslim ‘Eton’ for girls.

The college for 1,500 pupils would be both the largest Muslim faith school and the biggest boarding school in the country – larger than 1,330-pupil Eton.

Yesterday Gordon Prentice, MP for Pendle, near the school site in Burnley, warned that it could damage existing schools and colleges in the area and stoke community tensions.

‘The last thing we need is single-sex, single faith schools for girls,’ he told the Times Educational Supplement.

‘It pulls against community cohesion. It makes me weep to think so much time, energy and effort has gone into the community to get people to mix together. [This] goes against all public policy.’

The blueprint emerged after a proposal for a 5,000-place girls’ boarding school in Pendle was dropped amid public opposition.

The Islamic charity behind the Burnley project, the Mohiuddin Trust, insists its aim is to ‘strengthen inter-community relationships’.

It is in the process of setting up Mohiuddin International Girls’ College after purchasing the former Burnley College site for £2million.

The college would cater for girls of 16 and over and teach mainstream qualifications and faith studies.

The trust wants the school to cater initially for 500 students, expanding to 1,500. >>> Laura Clark | Friday, December 18, 2009

Amid the Carols and Decorations, Iraq Christians Fear Extinction
A policeman stands guard atop an armoured vehicle outside a Christian church in Mosul. Photograph: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: It could be a scene from a Victorian Christmas card. The young people gather in the church, decorating a tree, while in the background the choir rehearses for Christmas Day — the tune of God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen playing out. In the theatre next to the church two clowns are playing musical chairs with hundreds of children, while a bishop and an inflatable Father Christmas look on.

The words to the carol are in Iraqi-accented Arabic — Feltestereh qolubikum, ya ayuha al jumoor — “may your hearts take comfort, you who are gathered here”. The church is Our Lady of Deliverance Syriac Catholic Church in Baghdad, and outside is the more familiar Iraqi scene of barbed wire and armed guards. Behind the tinsel and carols lies a fear that Christians in Iraq are a community under threat of extinction. Proportionally more Christians are leaving Iraq than any other group.

Last week 100 Christian leaders and politicians of all religions held an emergency meeting just before fresh violence broke out in the northern city of Mosul, with attacks on churches and Christian schools. On Tuesday a baby was killed and 40 people, including schoolchildren, were injured in three simultaneous bombings. Two days ago a Christian man was shot dead as he travelled to work. >>> Alice Fordham, in Baghdad | Saturday, December 19, 2009

Eis und Schnee haben Europa im Griff: Eisenbahnzüge stecken im Eurotunnel fest
NZZ ONLINE: Eisige Temperaturen und starker Schneefall haben weite Teile Europas fest im Griff. Als Folge der starken Kälte blieben auch Züge im Tunnel unter dem Ärmelkanal stecken. Und in einigen Staaten Amerikas beginnt der Winter mit Scheestürmen.

In der Nacht zum Samstag sind im Eurotunnel unter dem Ärmelkanal vier Züge mit mehr als 2000 Fahrgästen liegen geblieben. Wie ein Sprecher von Eurostar erklärte, hatte der grosse Temperaturunterschied der Luft innerhalb und ausserhalb des Kanaltunnels zu einer technischen Panne geführt. Für die Fahrgäste habe keine Gefahr bestanden, aber es sei «sehr unbequem» gewesen.

Am frühen Morgen wurden die Fahrgäste zweier liegengebliebener Züge mit einem Notzug aus dem Tunnel gebracht. Eine Ersatzlokomotive sollte die beiden anderen Züge in Richtung Folkestone im Südosten Englands schieben.

In den Eurostar-Hochgeschwindigkeitszügen sassen jeweils zwischen 500 und 700 Menschen fest. Alle vier Züge waren auf dem Weg von Paris nach London, als sie in dem Tunnel steckenblieben. Zwei weitere Züge, die sich aus Brüssel und Paris auf dem Weg in Richtung London befanden, wurden rechtzeitig angehalten. >>> sda/dpa | Samstag, 19. Dezember 2009

Copenhagen Climate Summit: Confusion as 'Historic Deal' Descends into Chaos
THE TELEGRAPH: The “historic” climate change deal at the Copenhagen climate summit has descended into chaos after some developing nations rejected the plan for fighting global warming championed by US President Barack Obama.

(From Left) European Commission President Barroso, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, US President Barack Obama and British PM Gordon Brown. Photo: The Telegraph
An agreement to limit global warming to a 3.6F (2C) temperature rise, alongside a $100 billion (£62bn) a year in aid from 2020, were condemned as inadequate by some delegates and appeared to be in danger of unravelling.

Developing nations, including Venezuela, said they could not accept a text originally agreed by the United States, China, India, Brazil and South Africa as the blueprint of a wider United Nations plan to fight climate change.

Tempers flared during an all-night plenary session, held after most of 120 visiting world leaders had left.

Lumumba Stanislaus Di-Aping, the Sudanese negotiator, said the draft text asked “Africa to sign a suicide pact”.

One Saudi delegate said it was without doubt “the worst plenary I have ever attended.” >>> David Barrett and Louise Gray, in Copenhagen | Saturday, December 19, 2009

Obama's Climate Accord Fails the Test
THE INDEPENDENT: Watered-down agreement follows day of bitter wrangling in Copenhagen

World leaders late last night agreed a hugely watered-down version of a new global pact on climate change, after an astonishing day of deadlock, disagreement, misunderstandings, walkouts and insults at the UN climate conference in Copenhagen.

The agreement, patched together after massive and rancorous divisions between the rich nations and the developing countries, especially America and China, was described as a "meaningful and unprecedented breakthrough" by the US President Barack Obama. However, a senior American official openly admitted it was not enough to combat the threat of a warming planet, saying merely: "It is a first step."

Known as the Copenhagen Accord, the new agreement falls massively short of the ambitions many people had centred on the two-week meeting in the Danish capital, in the hope of a major new effort to combat the global warming threat. Although in principle it commits – for the first time – all the countries of the world, including the developing countries, to cut their emissions of the greenhouse gases which are causing climate change, the accord is not legally binding, merely a political statement. >>> Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor, in Copenhagen | Saturday, December 19, 2009

Milton Friedman: Socialism vs. Capitalism

Neo-Nazis Suspected of Raid on Auschwitz ‘to Rewrite History’
TIMES ONLINE: The slickly organised theft of one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust sent a wave of outrage around the world yesterday.

The sign that hung over the gates of Auschwitz extermination camp, where more than a million people died during the Second World War, was stolen in minutes. Polish police suspect that the culprits were either neo-Nazis or acting on behalf of collectors or a group of individuals.

The slogan wrought in iron, Arbeit Macht Frei (“Work sets you free”), was the cynical welcome to those entering the camp in the 1940s. One million of the 1.1 million people who died at Auschwitz were Jewish.

The theft in the early hours of yesterday was seen as an attempt by right-wing extremists to muddy the narrative of the Holocaust.

“This act constitutes a true declaration of war,” said Avner Shalev, the head of the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial institute in Jerusalem. “We don’t know the identity of the perpetrators but I assume they are neo-Nazis.”

Poland is treating the recovery of the sign from the site, near Cracow, as a matter of national honour. President Kaczynski said: “I appeal to all countrymen to help the police to track down the sign. A worldwide symbol of the cynicism of Hitler’s executioners and the martyrdom of their victims has been stolen. This act deserves the strongest possible condemnation.” >>> Roger Boyes | Saturday, December 19, 2009

Iran's Government 'Will Not Last', Says Mehdi Karoubi
BBC: The Iranian government is being kept in power by force and will not last its four-year term, one of the opposition presidential candidates has predicted.

Opposition member Mehdi Karoubi said the government faced pressure from members of parliament, the Iranian public and the rest of the world.

Speaking to the BBC in Tehran, he repeated allegations over the abuse of anti-government protesters in prison.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected in disputed elections in June.

"From the first day the election result came out I was convinced that Mr Ahmadinejad would not survive the full four years of his term," Mr Karoubi said.

"Even within the last six months, the government has only been kept in power by force."

Widespread protests erupted in Iran after the election, with hundreds of anti-government demonstrators arrested.

In a rare interview with a foreign broadcaster, Mr Karoubi told the BBC that heavy-handed treatment by the authorities had been counter-productive.

"At the beginning of the movement, it was just a protest against the election, we didn't recognise it as a serious election.

"The government's response, the crackdown, has not calmed things down at all. In fact, it's just made the chanting louder. It's just increased the people's demands."

He stood by his allegations that opposition activists have been raped in detention - a charge vehemently denied by authorities.

He said he was not afraid of being prosecuted over the claims as threatened by several government officials. Read further (with BBC video) >>> | Friday, December 18, 2009

Bob Geldof accuse: "Merkel n'a pas de coeur"
Crédits photo :
LE FIGARO – BLOG: Le chanteur irlandais engagé contre la famine, Bob Geldof, a examiné de très près le budget 2010 adopté, mercredi, par le gouvernement allemand. Et il accuse Angela Merkel d’avoir trahi sa promesse de dépenser davantage pour aider les pays pauvres en 2010. «Avec ce budget, Angela Merkel brise sa promesse aux hommes les plus pauvres du monde », accuse Geldof. >>> Par Patrick Saint-Paul | Vendredi 18 Décembre 2009

Islamic Insurgents Hack into CIA State-of-the-Art Predator Drones
A US air force 'predator'. Photo: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: Predator drones used by the CIA against Islamic militants have been hacked into by insurgents using nothing more sophisticated than a $25.95 (£16) off-the-shelf software, it was revealed last night.

Although the insurgents were not able to control the $20 million aircraft, typically armed with Hellfire missiles and flown over the battlefields of Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, they could watch live video feeds beamed back to US control stations through their electronic “eyeballs”.

The hackers’ success raises the disturbing possibility of the Predators being taken over and used to attack US or British forces, or perhaps even domestic targets. Although Predator aircraft are usually flown by remote control from thousands of miles away, some are kept for testing at US Airforce bases such as Creech, near Las Vegas.

Speaking off-the-record, senior American defence officials confirmed that the Predators had been compromised and admitted that the video feeds could give insurgents critical information about US targets overseas, including buildings, roads, and other facilities. >>> Chris Ayres | Friday, December 18, 2009

New Dark Age Alert! Muslim Televangelist Takes His Message to Millions
Not your typical preacher: Amr Khaled is trying to modernise the face of Islam. Photograph: BBC
BBC: Amr Khaled's unique brand of Muslim preaching has made him one of the most popular preachers in the world.

Such is his appeal, he was recently named the 13th most influential person in the world by Time Magazine.

In Cairo, his DVDs stand on the top shelves reserved for best sellers in the Virgin record store, next to Bruce Willis and Charlie Chaplin.

His controversial style, comparable to the almost rock star approach of some of America's Christian evangelists, has drawn criticism from the religious establishment and he has moved away from his native Egypt.

Ironically, thanks to the proliferation of satellite channels, he is now able to reach far greater numbers than he could have ever done had his message remained within the confines of a mosque or a lecture hall.

'You're fired'

Now, following on from his hugely successful TV shows - which are watched by millions across the world - Mr Khaled plans to launch his own version of the reality television show The Apprentice.

"The aim of it is not to make money, but to make the youth ready to support the society," he told the BBC. >>> Magdi Abdelhadi, Arab Affairs Analyst, BBC World Service | Thursday, December 17, 2009

Amr Khaled’s English homepage >>>

Listen to Magdi Abdelhadi’s full documentary, Muslim Televangelists >>>

A Drop of Claret Never Hurt My Little Darlings
THE TELEGRAPH: The latest health fatwa is aimed at the wrong target, as usual, says James Delingpole.

Liam Donaldson's strictures are directed at the wrong target. Photograph: The Telegraph
This weekend I shall sit down to Sunday lunch with my children, splash their glasses with a drop of claret, and drink a hearty toast to the departure of the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson. My children are nine and 11, so I know Sir Liam would disapprove – indeed, he told us as much in his latest fatwa. "Children under 15 should not drink alcohol at all," declared his new health guidelines on children's drinking. "Those between 15 and 17 should be supervised by their parents if they are drinking and should limit alcohol intake to one day a week."

The cheek of it! Was there ever a hectoring, busybodying government directive better guaranteed to have the opposite effect of the one intended? That was certainly its impact upon me. Normally at Sunday lunch, my children only have half a finger's worth of wine in their glasses – just to give the water a bit of colour, and make them feel grown-up. But after Sir Liam's nannying strictures, I'm tempted to treat the little darlings to a magnum each.

What's even more galling about strictures like this is that they're directed at the wrong target. We all know where Britain's most serious child-drinking problems lie: on sink estates and among broken homes where rudderless urchins are routinely downing alcopops and cans of super-strong lager before they've reached their teens. >>> James Delingpole | Friday, December 18, 2009

Sir Liam Donaldson: Parents 'Fuelling' Binge Drinking


THE TELEGRAPH: Liam Donaldson to retire after dealing with swine flu: Sir Liam Donaldson, the governments chief medical officer, will retire in May next year, it has been announced. >>> Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor | Tuesday, December 15, 2009

THE TELEGRAPH: Why I will let my children drink alcohol: Liam Donaldson's latest recommendations on teenage drinking will work in theory but not in practice, writes Cassandra Jardine. >>> Cassandra Jardine | Thursday, December 17, 2009

More Twaddle from an Effete Government Representative
As far as I am concerned, Liam Donaldson is talking bollocks! The worst thing you can do for a child is forbid something. Forbidden fruits always taste the sweetest; and that's a fact! Further, the only people I know that went off the rails came from homes which banned alcohol completely.

The best way is to allow children of a certain age to have very small amounts of alcohol to feel included in any family gatherings. By not offering them any, the mystery of the demon drink will only grow.

Liam Donaldson's judgment is questionable. This is the man who said he was happy when smoking was banned in pubs, for he said now he can take his children to pubs for Sunday lunch without them having to inhale second-hand smoke. Somebody should have told him that children do not belong in pubs. Indeed, when I was growing up one had to be sixteen even to enter such a public watering hole. Pubs were not conceived for children, but for adults. The proper place to take a child for Sunday lunch if one is not cooking at home is a restaurant. Not a pub!

It seems that he has no better judgment on children drinking a little alcohol.

The true reason for children getting sozzled is that so many of them come from broken homes. Children need stability at home, not prohibitions. –© Mark

New Dark Age Alert! Uganda’s Inhumane Bill
TIMES ONLINE – LEADING ARTICLE: Museveni appeals to anti-gay prejudice to mask growing political repression

To ask the public to voice their views on a question as crudely inflammatory as “Should homosexuals face execution?” is to invite bigotry to put on its boots. The BBC’s facile attempt to stimulate debate on its website has provoked justified outrage that old prejudices should be given a fresh hearing. Yet this same crude question is to be put to the Ugandan Parliament today. And there is a real fear that not only may MPs enthusiastically support the death penalty for active HIV-positive homosexuals; Uganda may soon pass legislation that would legitimise the hounding of gay people throughout Africa.

The proposed legislation is ostensibly meant to curb the spread of Aids, reinforce family values and reflect the widespread disgust many Africans express for what they regard as Western sexual decadence. It proposes a mandatory death sentence for active homosexuals living with HIV or in cases of same-sex rape. Anyone convicted of a homosexual act faces life imprisonment. And the friends and families of gay Ugandans could face up to seven years in jail if they fail to report them to the authorities. Even landlords could be imprisoned for renting to homosexuals. The Bill is an open invitation to a witch-hunt.

The measure has prompted widespread revulsion in much of the world. Gordon Brown and his Canadian counterpart expressed their concern to President Museveni at the Commonwealth summit conference last month. The United Nations and the World Health Organisation have said that Uganda may lose the chance to host an important permanent Aids research organisation if it passes the Bill. And anti-Aids activists have pointed out that the Bill would have only marginal effect on the fight against the disease, as homosexuals were responsible for less than one per cent of new infections last year. >>> Friday, December 18, 2009

Picture of Slain French Jew Appears in Dating Website Ad
YNET NEWS: French site discovers picture of Ilan Halimi, who was brutally murdered several years ago in France, in advertisement for online Muslim dating service. Company claims picture taken from a user's profile page, issues apology

How did the picture of Ilan Halimi, a young Jewish man who was brutally murdered several years ago in France, appear in an advertisement for an online Muslim Canadian dating service?

A French blogging site reported Wednesday that Halimi's picture was given to a Canadian dating website through Google's advertisement database, Google AdSense.

Halimi was kidnapped and tortured for three weeks before his body was found naked and bound with handcuffs near the train tracks in a suburb of Paris in February 2006.

One of the writers for a French blogging website was shocked when he accidentally came across a picture of the slain French Jew on an advertisement for the dating website Qiran.com, which caters to new Muslim immigrants to Canada. >>> Daniel Edelson | Thursday, December 17, 2009

Pour François Fillon, la burqa n'est pas la bienvenue en France
LE MONDE: Le premier ministre François Fillon a réaffirmé, jeudi 17 décembre, que la burqa n'avait pas sa place en France, tout en disant attendre les conclusions de la commission parlementaire sur le sujet pour prendre une décision.

La commission parlementaire sur le port du voile intégral – niqab ou burqa –, présidée par le communiste André Gérin, doit rendre ses conclusions en janvier sur une possible interdiction qui fait l'objet de prises de position diverses au gouvernement.
"Le président s'est exprimé de façon très claire. Il a dit, et je partage cette opinion, que la burqa n'est pas la bienvenue en France", a déclaré François Fillon en marge de la visite d'un centre de formation de la Défense, à Marseille. >>> LeMonde.fr avec Reuters | Jeudi 17 Décembre 2009

Frankreichs Konservative wollen Ganzkörper-Schleier verbieten
DIE PRESSE: Die Abgeordneten der französischen Regierungspartei wollen das Tragen von Ganzkörper-Schleiern komplett verbieten: "Nicht mit den Werten der Republik vereinbar."

Die Abgeordneten der französische Regierungspartei UMP wollen muslimischen Frauen das Tragen von Ganzkörperschleiern in der Öffentlichkeit komplett verbieten. "Realität ist, dass in Frankreich vernünftigerweise niemand will, dass sich diese Praxis in unserem Land ausbreitet", sagte UMP-Fraktionschef Jean-Francois Cope der Tageszeitung "Le Figaro". 



Die Mehrheit der Franzosen und auch die Vertreter der Muslime im Land seien der Ansicht, dass das Tragen eines Ganzkörperschleiers nicht mit dem Gemeinschaftsleben und den Werten der Republik vereinbar sei. Mögliches Verbot >>> Ag | Mittwoch, 16. Dezember 2009

CNN: Spreading Islam in Britain

L'extrême-droite autrichienne a trouvé son maître
L'ancien rival Heinz-Christian Strache est désormais le nouveau visage d'un FPÖ puissant et réunifié. Crédits photo : L’Express.fr
L’EXPRESS.fr: Les frères ennemis ont liquidé ce mercredi l'héritage Haider. L'ancien rival Heinz-Christian Strache est désormais le nouveau visage d'un FPÖ puissant et réunifié.

Sans leader, pas de parti. Les héritiers de Jörg Haider n'auront pas survécu à la disparition de leur chef. Ils ont rejoint ce mercredi le parti qu'ils avaient quitté avec fracas en 2005, abandonnant toute prétention politique pour survivre. L'éphémère BZÖ (Alliance pour l'Avenir de l'Autriche) disparait alors de la scène politique, malgré la résistance des durs de durs, regroupés autour de la soeur de Haider, élue au parlement, et qui se déclarait hier "humainement déçue". >>> Par Blaise Gauquelin | Jeudi 17 Décembre 2009

The Queen Dropped from Victoria's Legal System
THE TELEGRAPH: The Australian state of Victoria is to dump the Queen from legal proceedings only days before Prince William arrives on a goodwill visit.

Prince William and the Queen. Photo: The Telegraph
From Jan 1, all criminal court cases will be brought in the name of the director of public prosecutions instead of the monarch as traditionally.

Announcing the change, Rob Hulls, the state's attorney-general and acting Labour premier, said: "Having cases presented in the name of the Queen of England is an outdated colonial tradition that has really passed its use-by date.

"Substituting the director of public prosecutions for the Queen or Regina reflects the legal and political independence from the United Kingdom and its monarch that has been achieved by Australia."

He denied the change was a snub to Prince William, who arrives in the state on Jan 21 during a visit that has been described as an opportunity to better acquaint himself with Australia.

Mr Hulls, an avowed republican, said: "This is all about making our laws and legal procedures relevant. It's no more or less than that." >>> Paul Chapman | Thursday, December 17, 2009

Not Before Time! Big Companies May Be Coming to Their Senses!
THE TELEGRAPH: Nike, Adidas and other companies may cut their spending on sports sponsorships after the coverage of Tiger Woods's marital infidelity, it has been claimed.

Tiger Woods was earning about $100 million (£62 million) a year from his sponsors before the scandal. Photo: The Telegraph
In the past week, Accenture ended its endorsement deal with Woods, while Gillette said it would not use Woods in its marketing. Others are reevaluating their deals with the golfer.

Omar Saad, a Credit Suisse analyst, said that Nike and other companies are being forced to rethink the effectiveness of the vast sums of money they spend on individual and team sponsorships. Tiger Woods: sports sponsors may slash spending on big stars >>> | Thursday, December 17, 2009

Christians Outraged by Poster Showing Mary and Joseph after Sex
THE TELEGRAPH: A risque church billboard showing the Virgin Mary and Joseph in bed apparently after having disappointing sex has caused outrage among Christians in New Zealand.

The poster sparked a barrage of comments to radio stations and on internet websites. Photo: The Telegraph
The large poster depicts a dejected-looking Joseph lying next to Mary, whose eyes are turned heavenwards, under the words: "Poor Joseph. God was a hard act to follow."

Both figures, painted in classical fresco style, appear to be naked.

Within hours of the billboard being erected outside the Anglican church of St Matthew's in the City, in central Auckland, it had been attacked by a man who clambered on to the roof of his car to smear brown paint over it.

As a result it was almost obliterated and the church, which describes itself as "progressive", is seeking a replacement.

Archdeacon Glynn Cardy said the billboard was intended to lampoon the literal interpretation of the Christmas conception story "and that somehow this male God impregnated Mary".

"What we're trying to do is to get people to think more about what Christmas is all about," he said.

"We actually think God is about the power of love as shown in Jesus, which is something quite different than a literal man up in the sky." >>> Paul Chapman in Wellington | Thursday, December 17, 2009

Mühen der Deutschen mit direkter Demokratie: Nach dem Schweizer Minarettverbot geraten Volksabstimmungen in Verruf
NZZ ONLINE: Dass es die Schweizer gewagt haben, den Bau neuer Minarette zu verbieten, hat in Deutschland die Debatte über die plebiszitäre Demokratie neu entfacht. Die Befürworter repräsentativer Formen sehen sich bestätigt.

Die Schweizer Minarettabstimmung macht den Deutschen zu schaffen. Nicht primär ihres sehr bedauerlichen Ausgangs wegen – in ihrer Verdammung des Resultats waren sich die Kommentatoren der führenden Medien zumindest in den ersten Tagen praktisch einig. Nein, was die Deutschen irritiert, ist die Tatsache, dass es das Volk war, das die Entscheidung traf, und nicht die gewählte Elite. Denn auch hierzulande gilt die Forderung nach mehr Volksentscheiden grundsätzlich als «gut», progressiv und politisch korrekt, und im Volk geniesst sie – man ist zu sagen versucht: natürlich – grosse Unterstützung.

Stolz auf die eigene Tugend

Die herablassende Selbstgerechtigkeit, mit der die schweizerische Entgleisung zunächst gerügt wurde, ebbte in Deutschland schon nach wenigen Tagen merklich ab. Überheblichkeit im Umgang mit der Schweiz ist eher medialer Reflex als nationaler Charakterzug, und so debattierte man schon bald bang die Frage, ob es sich beim Schweizer Nein zu neuen Minaretten tatsächlich nur um eine isolierte, die lichte Welt europäischer Aufgeklärtheit aber nicht weiter tangierende Manifestation eidgenössischer Rückständigkeit handle oder ob hier nicht doch eine Haltung zum Ausdruck kam, die sich auch anderswo, eventuell sogar in Deutschland, finden liesse. Alerte Beobachter wiesen auf Blogs und Webseiten hin, in denen der Schweizer Entscheid mit überwältigendem Mehr begeistert begrüsst wurde. Womit man beim Problem der direkten Demokratie angekommen war. … >>> Ulrich Schmid, Berlin | Donnerstag, 17. Dezember 2009

Germany Donates £50m to Auschwitz
THE TELEGRAPH: Germany has donated more than £50 million to a global fund that aims to preserve the site of the Nazi German Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in Poland.

Auschwitz: Photograph: The Telegraph
The Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum said that the 60 million euros pledged by the German government represented half the total it needs to ensure the future of the Second World War site as a permanent memorial to the Nazis' victims.

"This is a great day! The plan for the long-term preservation of this memorial is becoming a reality," said Piotr Cywinski, director of the state-run museum and head of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation which was launched earlier this year.

An Auschwitz survivor, Wladyslaw Bartoszewski - a former Polish foreign minister who is considered a moral authority in his country and set up the foundation - hailed Germany's sense of "responsibility with regard to history". >>> | Thursday, December 17, 2009

Swiss Minaret Appeal Goes to European Court
BBC: An appeal against last month's decision by Swiss voters to ban minarets has been submitted to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

The appeal was lodged by Hafid Ouardiri, an Algerian-born Muslim and a former spokesman for the Geneva Mosque.

Mr Ouardiri wants the court to rule that the ban is incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Some 57.5% of Swiss voters and 22 out of 26 cantons - or provinces - voted in favour of the ban last month.

The referendum proposal was put forward by the Swiss People's Party (SVP), the largest party in parliament, which said minarets were a sign of Islamisation.

Switzerland's federal government had urged Swiss voters to reject it, warning it would contravene religious freedom and human rights and could stoke extremism. >>> | Wednesday, December 16, 2009

BBC News Website Asks Users: 'Should Homosexuals Face Execution?'
This is a clear example of the BBC taking leave of its senses! Shame on the BBC for asking such a ridiculous, cruel question! This subject is not worthy of debate. Period! – © Mark

THE GUARDIAN: Talkboard post seeks readers' views ahead of interactive World Service programme Africa Have Your Say

The BBC's Have Your Say talkboard. Image: The Guardian
The BBC today asked users of its news website "Should homosexuals face execution?" on a talkboard discussion for a World Service programme for African listeners.

Posted on a BBC News premoderated talkboard, the thread was designed to provoke discussion ahead of the latest edition of interactive World Service programme Africa Have Your Say.

"Yes, we accept it is a stark and disturbing question, but this is the reality behind an anti-homosexuality bill being debated on Friday by the Ugandan parliament which would see some homosexual offences punishable by death," the post said.

The talkboard post asked users to send in their views to the programme, which goes out on the World Service and is also available online.

"Has Uganda gone too far? Should there be any level of legislation against homosexuality? Should homosexuals be protected by legislation as they are in South Africa? What would be the consequences of this bill to you? How will homosexual 'offences' be monitored?," the post added.

Premoderated posts included one from Chris, Guildford, posted at 8.59am, which attracted 51 recommendations of support. He wrote: "Totally agree. Ought to be imposed in the UK too, asap. Bring back some respectable family values. Why do we have to suffer 'gay pride' festivals? Would I be allowed to organise a 'straight pride' festival? No, thought as much!! If homosexuality is natural, as we are forced to believe, how can they sustain the species? I suggest all gays are put on a remote island somewhere and left for a generation - after which, theoretically there should be none left!"

Another, from Aaron in Freetown, said: "Bravo to the Ugandans for this wise decision, a bright step in eliminating this menace from your society. We hope other African nations will also follow your bold step." >>> Stephen Brook | Wednesday, December 16, 2009

BBC Defends Debate on Gay Executions in Uganda
PINK NEWS: BBC editors have defended allowing online readers to debate whether gays in Uganda should be executed, saying they accepted it was a "challenging question".

The discussion, on the broadcaster's Have Your Say feature, asked: "Should homosexuals face execution?"

The debate centres on Uganda, where an anti-gay bill is passing through parliament. It would impose execution or life imprisonment on gays, its sponsor David Bahati MP says.

Some commentators on the site, from both the UK and Africa, had agreed with the country's proposed law.

It was closed at around 4pm this afternoon after provoking a storm of anger on Twitter.

A number of readers emailed PinkNews.co.uk to complain that the question was offensive, arguing that readers would not be asked to debate the extermination of Jews in World War II. >>> Staff Writer, Pink News | Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Uganda Antigay Sentiments Hit Close to Home
ADVOCATE.COM: COMMENTARY: Kim Stolz wonders why certain U.S. senators refuse to comment on Uganda's "kill the gays" bill — a bill the White House, international human rights organizations, and even some typically conservative Christian groups have condemned.

Collage: Advocate.com
In his State of the Union Address in January 2003, President George W. Bush gave one of his more eloquent and moving speeches about his upcoming HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention program, and included specific praise for the African country of Uganda in paving the way to lower AIDS population rates on the continent. This fall, the international community, feeling helpless and stunned, watched as severe antigay legislation was introduced in Uganda on Oct. 14, which called for a life imprisonment sentence for homosexual acts and the death sentence for those engaging in homosexual activity repeatedly and for any HIV-positive person doing so. 
 


The current law in Uganda states that anyone who identifies as a homosexual, bisexual, or transgender should be sentenced to a minimum of 14 years imprisonment. While 14 years is the stated term, being convicted as an LGBT person commonly results in a life sentence. While it has never been safe to identifying as a gay person in Uganda, the bill introduced October 14, if passed, would make a nonstraight lifestyle impossible in the African country. The new legislation calls for a life sentence as a minimum punishment for any LGBT person and further states that anyone who fails to report a homosexual to the government within 24 hours will be sentenced to three years in prison. The final part of the bill is perhaps the most shocking, given Uganda’s history of HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. It states that death by hanging is the punishment for “aggravated homosexuality,” which is defined as any of the following: a repeat offender of the homosexuality law, having homosexual sex when any intoxicating substance is involved (for instance, if two men meet at a bar, buy each other a drink and then have sex, both of these men would be sentenced to death,) if one engages in homosexual activity as an authority figure, and finally, having sex if you’re HIV-positive. 
 


After hearing about the new “kill the gays” legislation in Uganda, President Obama, international human rights groups (specifically Human Rights Watch), and various public figures around the world made statements against the proposed law. In fact, Christian groups, which have remained divided on issues like civil unions and gay marriage, came together to oppose the flagrant human rights violation. Still, though, among the authority figures who strictly opposed the potential law, there were a few famous and prominent faces in the crowd — familiar faces to the Ugandan government — who connect through a wide “family” network and are now hiding from the accusations that they may actually be connected to this disgusting and murderous legislation. >>> Kim Stolz | Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Just Half of Britons Now Call Themselves Christian after a ‘Sharp Decline’ in Faith over Past 25 Years
THE TELEGRAPH: Only half of Britons now consider themselves Christian after a “sharp decline” in religious belief over the past quarter of a century, according to a new academic study.

Researchers describe a large proportion of the country as the “fuzzy faithful” who have a vague belief in God but do not necessarily belong to a particular denomination or attend services.

However, most people still say religion helps bring happiness and comfort, and regret its declining influence on modern society.

Professor David Voas, who has analysed the latest data, said: “More and more people are ceasing to identify with a religion at all.

“Indeed, the key distinction in Britain now is between religious involvement and indifference. We are thus concerned about differences in religiosity - the degree of religious commitment - at least as much as diversity of religious identity.”

His analysis, to be published in January by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), looks at the results of 4,486 interviews conducted in the respected 2008 British Social Attitudes survey.

It shows that just 50 per cent of respondents now call themselves Christian, down from 66 per cent in 1983. NatCen said it confirmed “the sharp decline in religious faith in Britain.”

At the same time, the proportion of Britons who say they have “no religion” has increased from 31 per cent to 43 per cent. Non-Christians, including Muslims and Jews, now represent 7 per cent of the population, up from 2 per cent, 25 years ago. >>> Martin Beckford | Wednesday, December 16, 2009

George Pitcher: Christianity Dying? Don't Bet Your Church on It
THE TELEGRAPH: I went on Vanessa Feltz’s radio programme this morning – no mean feat, I might say, while buying a train ticket and finding a platform – to talk about this story of the “lost Christians”, with only half of we Britons now considering ourselves Christian.

I’m not as disheartened as Ms Feltz suggested I should be. And I don’t mean in that way that clergymen sometimes sound like the Lib Dem candidate who has just taken a massive hit in a local election: “This is actually an encouraging result for us, with our share of the vote having risen against the Zoroastrians.”

I mean two things. First, since my generation is the first to follow the “Christendom generations”, I’m encouraged that so many are still signing up to the faith. By that, I mean that our parents would answer automatically to form-fillers (or any equivalent to the National Centre for Social Research, whence the latest stats emerge) that they were “Church of England”, without any real sense of conviction. It was just what you were. This applied less to other minority denominations, because the CofE was a default position – the established Church was just part of the background, ambient noise. In contrast, these days people are thinking about what and why they believe. And that must be a good thing. And rather good that half of them, voluntarily and thoughfully [sic], sign up to Christianity. >>> George Picher | Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Die Schweiz nimmt einen Guantánamo-Häftling auf: Entscheidung des Bundesrates aus «humanitären Gründen»
NZZ ONLINE: Die Schweiz nimmt aus humanitären Gründen einen Guantánamo-Häftling auf. Dies hat der Bundesrat am Mittwoch entschieden. Beim ehemaligen Häftling handelt es sich um einen Usbeken, der keine Gefahr für die öffentliche Sicherheit darstellen soll. Er wird im Kanton Genf leben.

Der Bundesrat wolle mit dem Entscheid zur Lösung des Problems beitragen, teilte das Justiz- und Polizeidepartement mit. Der Entscheid zur Aufnahme des Usbeken stütze sich auf intensive Abklärungen, heisst es weiter. Die gegen ihn erhobenen Anschuldigungen der Verbindung zu terroristischen Kreisen hätten sich nicht erhärten lassen. Bereits im Jahr 2005 sei er von den USA «zur Freilassung freigegeben» worden. Bereitschaft zur Integration >>> sda/ap | Mittwoch, 16. Dezember 2009

Gulf Petro-powers to Launch Currency in Latest Threat to Dollar Hegemony
THE TELEGRAPH: The Arab states of the Gulf region have agreed to launch a single currency modelled on the euro, hoping to blaze a trail towards a pan-Arab monetary union swelling to the ancient borders of the Ummayad Caliphate.

“The Gulf monetary union pact has come into effect,” said Kuwait’s finance minister, Mustafa al-Shamali, speaking at a Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) summit in Kuwait.

The move will give the hyper-rich club of oil exporters a petro-currency of their own, greatly increasing their influence in the global exchange and capital markets and potentially displacing the US dollar as the pricing currency for oil contracts. Between them they amount to regional superpower with a GDP of $1.2 trillion (£739bn), some 40pc of the world’s proven oil reserves, and financial clout equal to that of China.

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar are to launch the first phase next year, creating a Gulf Monetary Council that will evolve quickly into a full-fledged central bank.

The Emirates are staying out for now – irked that the bank will be located in Riyadh at the insistence of Saudi King Abdullah rather than in Abu Dhabi. They are expected join later, along with Oman.

The Gulf states remain divided over the wisdom of anchoring their economies to the US dollar. The Gulf currency – dubbed “Gulfo” – is likely to track a global exchange basket and may ultimately float as a regional reserve currency in its own right. “The US dollar has failed. We need to delink,” said Nahed Taher, chief executive of Bahrain’s Gulf One Investment Bank.

The project is inspired by Europe’s monetary union, seen as a huge success in the Arab world. But there are concerns that the region is trying to run before it can walk. >>> Ambrose Evans-Pritchard | Tuesday, December 2009

Mystery as Lockerbie Bomber Goes Missing from Home and Hospital
The freed Lockerbie bomber Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi with his mother and daughter. Photograph: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: Mystery surrounded the Lockerbie bomber last night after he could not be reached at his home or in hospital.
Libyan officials could say nothing about the whereabouts of Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi, and his Scottish monitors could not contact him by telephone. They will try again to speak to him today but if they fail to reach him, the Scottish government could face a new crisis.

Under the terms of his release from jail, the bomber cannot change his address or leave Tripoli, and must keep in regular communication with East Renfrewshire Council.

Politicians on both sides of the Atlantic and relatives of the 270 people who died in the 1988 bombing expressed anger about al-Megrahi’s disappearance. Richard Baker, Labour’s justice spokesman in the Scottish Parliament, said the whole affair was turning into a shambles and putting Scotland’s reputation at risk. “This flags up just how ludicrous it is that East Renfrewshire Council, a local council thousands of miles away from Libya, is responsible for supervising al-Megrahi’s conditions of licence,” he said. >>> Martin Fletcher, Tim Reid and Angus Macleod | Wednesday, December 16, 2009

TIMES ONLINE: Justice Secretary under fire as bomber defies three-month prognosis >>> Charlene Sweeney, Martin Fletcher | Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Abuse of Process
TIMES ONLINE – LEADER: The targeting of Israeli ministers by the courts is not justice, it is a disgrace

The application of law to warfare is among the greatest advances in Western civilisation over four centuries. In the name of human rights, that tradition is being traduced by a politicised campaign to harass the statesmen of a democracy. It is unlikely that you will have needed to read this far to learn that the targeted nation is Israel.

Tzipi Livni, the leader of the Israeli Kadima party, accepted an invitation to speak at an Anglo-Jewish event in London last weekend. It emerged in the meantime that British magistrates had issued an arrest warrant against Ms Livni for alleged war crimes committed during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza last winter, when she was Foreign Minister (see page 14). The warrant was the latest attempt by pressure groups to seek British court authority for the arrest of Israeli leaders. It was rescinded only when the court learnt that Ms Livni had cancelled her trip to Britain, apparently because of a scheduling clash. The Israeli Foreign Ministry nonetheless expressed fury.

The Israeli reaction is far from overwrought. Ms Livni’s is the second such case in recent months. Ehud Barak, the Israeli Defence Minister during the Gaza offensive, attended a meeting at the British Labour Party conference in September. Campaigners unsuccessfully sought an arrest warrant against him from the same court.

The difference between the cases appears to be that Mr Barak was still a serving minister, whereas Ms Livni is not. Lawyers acting for the campaigners cite the principle of “universal jurisdiction”. Under it, courts in England and Wales have jurisdiction over certain crimes regardless of where in the world they were committed. >>> | Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Men Turn Tables on Regime by Donning Headscarves and Dresses
THE INDEPENDENT: Hundreds of pictures of men in women's clothing have been posted online by Iranian opposition supporters in mockery of what they say is a crude attempt by the authorities to humiliate and discredit a reformist student leader by photographing him in a head scarf and chador.

The student, Majid Tavakoli, was arrested after he gave a speech urging fellow students at Amir Kabir university to reject "tyranny," in protests which swept the country last week. Iranian state media released photographs of Mr Tavakoli wearing a black chador, and a blue scarf around his unshaven face. >>> | Monday, December 14, 2009

Yob Who Yanked Off Muslim Woman's Headscarf Ordered to Pay Her £1,000 Compensation
MAIL ONLINE: A thug who ripped off a Muslim woman's headscarf as she passed him in the street says he's 'ashamed' of what he did.

Stephen Ard was handed a 16-week jail sentence, suspended for a year, after he admitted a charge of religiously aggravated assault.

Leicester magistrates also ordered him to pay his victim £1,000 compensation after hearing he was drunk at the time of the incident which took place in October in the Highfields area of the city.

His victim Rehana Sidat told the court she felt 'invaded' by the attack and is still scared to walk the streets alone.

Ard, 29, walked free after writing a letter of apology to the court. He said he felt 'ashamed and embarrassed' by his behaviour.

Miss Sidat, 28, was walking to her job at a drop-in centre for people with learning difficulties when her attacker suddenly snatched the veil - also called the niqab - from her face.

She said Ard's actions had left her 'emotionally and psychologically' hurt. >>>| Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Burka Barbie: Famous Doll Gets a Makeover
THE TELEGRAPH: Barbie, the iconic plastic doll, is famed for her glamorous clothes and pneumatic figure – but that tradition has been turned on its head with the introduction of a new burka-clad model.

The look is part of an exhibition, backed by Barbie creator Mattel, of the doll in multicultural outfits by Italian designer Eliana Lorena.

Two of the Barbies are wearing the burka, the loose fitting robe with veiled holes for the eyes which is worn by some Muslim women.

The collection of more than 500 Barbies is being sold at a Sotheby's charity auction in Florence, Italy, in aid of Save The Children.

The sale is part of Barbie celebrations for her 50th anniversary this year. >>> | Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Barack Obama Health Care Bill Dealt Blow by Joe Lieberman
THE TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama's hopes of achieving health care reform have been dealt a body blow by Senator Joe Lieberman, once a Democratic vice-presidential candidate but now one of the party's bêtes noire.

The new threat to the centrepiece of his agenda came as Mr Obama's popularity sunk to its lowest level yet with a Rasmussen poll that gave him an approval rating of just 44 per cent – the lowest for any president at this stage of his first term.

Mr Lieberman, who became an Independent in 2006 after he failed to win the Democratic party primary but retained his Connecticut seat in the general election, is part of the Democratic caucus but has consistently opposed his former party at key moments.

His refusal to back the latest draft health care legislation incensed Democratic aides on Capitol Hill because they believed he had agreed to support a delicate compromise that gave the party the 60 votes it needs to prevent a Republican filibuster.

Mr Lieberman said bluntly that Senator Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, had to scrap the proposal to expand the Medicare state health plan to people as young as 55 or he would not vote for it.

"It will add taxpayer costs," he told CBS News. "It will add to the deficit. It's unnecessary." In a subsequent meeting with Mr Reid, he said he would back a Republican filibuster against the bill if it contained the Medicare provision or allowed the government to sell insurance in competition with private companies.

Mr Lieberman's shock move threatened to doom Mr Reid's compromise plan, which had led Democrats to believe that a historic reform – the centrepiece of Mr Obama's agenda – was within their grasp this year.

In an interview recorded before Mr Lieberman's bombshell, Mr Obama had expressed optimism that the crucial breakthrough had been achieved. "I think it's going to pass out of the Senate before Christmas," he told CBS. >>> Toby Harnden in Washington | Monday, December 14, 2009

Eight Killed in Kabul Suicide Bomb Blast in Diplomatic Quarter
TIMES ONLINE: A massive suicide car bomb ripped through the Afghan capital this morning – at the gates of an upmarket hotel – killing at least eight people and wounding dozens more.

The explosion sent a thick plume of black smoke billowing into the sky above Kabul’s diplomatic district, close to the British and Danish embassies.

Eyewitness Ahmad Jawad said that he saw six bodies on the unmade road, in the immediate aftermath of the blast. Afghanistan's Ministry of Interior said later that eight people were killed; four men and four women. Another 40 people were wounded.

“I was in my car when the bomb exploded in front of me,” said Mr Jawad, 21. “The force of the blast turned my car around. When I got out I saw six bodies in front of the hotel.”

The blast came as President Hamid Karzai was due to attend a conference on how to tackle government corruption at the Foreign Ministry, in a separate part of the city. >>> Jerome Starkey in Kabul | Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Silvio Berlusconi Will Need Weeks of Treatment after Milan Attack
TIMES ONLINE: Silvio Berlusconi will need weeks of treatment for the physical injuries and mental trauma suffered when he was assaulted by a mentally ill man in Milan on Sunday, his doctors have said.

The Italian Prime Minister’s nose was broken and he lost two teeth and half a litre of blood in the attack, at the end of a political rally. He said it was a “miracle” he had not been blinded when a chunky souvenir made of marble and metal was thrown at his face.

His assailant, Massimo Tartaglia, an electronics engineer and video games inventor with no criminal record, is said to have told police that he hated Mr Berlusconi. He has been charged with aggravated assault.

Video footage shows Mr Tartaglia, 42, waving a replica of Milan cathedral in the air several times before hurling it at the Prime Minister’s head as he greeted wellwishers and signed autographs.

Mr Berlusconi’s doctor, Alberto Zangrillo, said the injuries were more serious than initially thought, and he was able to eat only with great difficulty. “I found him shaken, embittered, as if he had been woken from a bad dream — really disheartened,” he said. >>> Richard Owen in Rome | Tuesday, December 15, 2009

New Dark Age Alert! Pictured: Islamic Militants Stone Man to Death for Adultery in Somalia as Villagers Are Forced to Watch
MAIL ONLINE: This barbaric scene belongs in the Dark Ages, but pictures emerged today of a group of Islamic militants who forced villagers to watch as they stoned a man to death for adultery.

Mohamed Abukar Ibrahim, a 48-year-old, was buried in a hole up to his chest and pelted with rocks until he died.

The group responsible, Hizbul Islam, also shot dead a man they claimed was a murderer.

But the verdict was so shocking that it prompted a gun battle between rivals within the group that left three militants dead, witnesses said.

The executions took place yesterday in Afgoye, some 20 miles south-west of the capital of Mogadishu.

Hizbul Islam fighters ordered hundreds of residents to a field, where a rebel judge announced that the two men had confessed to murder and adultery.

A woman who had confessed to fornication had been sentenced to 100 lashes, he added.

'This is their day of justice,' the judge, Osman Siidow Hasan, told the crowd. 'We investigated and they confessed.' >>> Mail Foreign Service | Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Louis-Claude d’Aquin : Noël sur les jeux d'anches

Louis-Claude d'Aquin: Noël X

Jean-François d’Andrieu: Noël (A. Isoir)

Archbishop of Canterbury Makes First Public Statement on Uganda's Anti-gay Law
PINK NEWS: The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams has made his first public statement on the proposed anti-gay bill passing through Uganda's parliament.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph on Saturday, presumably taken before reports that Uganda would remove the most drastic elements of the bill, Williams said he did not see how any Anglican could support it.

He said: "Overall, the proposed legislation is of shocking severity and I can’t see how it could be supported by any Anglican who is committed to what the Communion has said in recent decades.

“Apart from invoking the death penalty, it makes pastoral care impossible – it seeks to turn pastors into informers.”

He added that the Anglican Church in Uganda opposes the death penalty but added that its archbishop, Henry Orombi, who boycotted the Lambeth Conference last year, “has not taken a position on this bill”.

The private members' bill originally sought to impose the death penalty or life imprisonment on those who have gay sex. After it was condemned by countries such as the UK, US and France, along with human rights groups, the country's minister for ethics and integrity, James Nsaba Buturo, reportedly said a more "refined" set of punishments would be favoured instead of execution. >>> Staff Writer, Pink News | Monday, December 14, 2009

Hillary Clinton Condemns Antigay Uganda Bill
ADVOCATE.COM: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton laid out the Administration's vision for human rights in a wide-ranging speech Monday at Georgetown University and specifically referenced the antigay Uganda bill that would carry a death sentence for committing certain acts of homosexuality.



"We cannot separate our democracy, human rights, and development agendas," Clinton said, "they are mutually reinforcing and united in service of a common purpose - to create a world where all people have the opportunity to fulfill their God-given potential." 



In reference to Uganda, Clinton said, "Governments should be expected to resist the temptation to restrict freedom of expression when criticism arises, and be vigilant in preventing law from becoming an instrument of oppression, as bills like the one under consideration in Uganda to criminalize homosexuality would do. " >>> Advocate.com Editors | Monday, December 14, 2009

Intoxicated by Power, Blair Tricked Us into War
TIMES ONLINE: The members of the Chilcot Inquiry have a choice: they can be loyal to the Establishment or they can expose the subterfuge

The degree of deceit involved in our decision to go to war on Iraq becomes steadily clearer. This was a foreign policy disgrace of epic proportions and playing footsie on Sunday morning television does nothing to repair the damage. It is now very difficult to avoid the conclusion that Tony Blair engaged in an alarming subterfuge with his partner George Bush and went on to mislead and cajole the British people into a deadly war they had made perfectly clear they didn’t want, and on a basis that it’s increasingly hard to believe even he found truly credible. Who is any longer naive enough to accept that the then Prime Minister’s mind remained innocently open after his visit to Crawford, Texas?

Hindsight is a great temptress. But we needn’t trouble her on the way to a confident conclusion that Mr Blair’s fundamental flaw was his sycophancy towards power. Perhaps this seems odd in a man who drank so much of that mind-altering brew at home. But Washington turned his head and he couldn’t resist the stage or the glamour that it gave him. In this sense he was weak and, as we can see, he remains so. Since those sorry days we have frequently heard him repeating the self-regarding mantra that “hand on heart, I only did what I thought was right”. But this is a narcissist’s defence and self-belief is no answer to misjudgment: it is certainly no answer to death. “Yo, Blair”, perhaps, was his truest measure.

How effectively the Chilcot Inquiry, to which Mr Blair will give evidence in the new year, can expose any of this remains to be seen. Ominously for the former Prime Minister, his growing distance from power appears to be loosening some well-placed Whitehall tongues. It seems that the contempt felt by some mandarins for his fancier footwork around the weapons of mass destruction is finally showing in a belated settling of scores. Discretion is fading like toothache and the feast of revenge is as tempting as it is cold. Yet the position of the inquiry panel is uncertain. … >>> Ken Macdonald | Monday, December 14, 2009

Mehr Härte gegenüber dem Iran zeigen: Bisherige Bemühungen Obamas gegen Atompläne laut Clinton gescheitert
NZZ ONLINE: Die USA wollen im Streit über das iranische Atomprogramm den Druck auf Teheran verstärken. Nach den Worten von Aussenministerin Hillary Clinton sind die bisherigen Bemühungen der Regierung von Präsident Obama gescheitert, die iranische Führung zum Einlenken zu bewegen. Nun müsse der Druck auf den Iran erhöht werden.

Die USA schlägt gegenüber dem Iran schärfere Töne an. Aussenministerin Clinton kündigte am Montag vor Journalisten in Washington an, ihr Land wolle härter gegen die Atompläne der Iraner vorgehen.
Israel will mehr Härte

Auch der israelische Verteidigungsminister Ehud Barak forderte bei einem Besuch in Wien eine harte Haltung gegenüber dem Iran: «Es braucht starke, neue Sanktionen», sagte er. Eine iranische Atombombe würde ein regionales Wettrüsten nach sich ziehen. Deswegen dürfe niemand eine Option ausschliessen, sagte Barak am Montag mit Blick auf Militärschläge gegen die iranischen Atomanlagen. >>> ap | Montag, 14. Dezember 2009

Carla-Bruni Sarkozy : Mon mari et moi

GALA.fr: «Je suis mieux avec lui que seule» >>> | Lundi 14 Décembre 2009

Nordrhein-Westfalen: Rechtspopulisten planen Anti-Minarett-Kampagne
WELT ONLINE: Die nordrhein-westfälische Vereinigung "Pro NRW" nimmt die Schweiz zum Vorbild: Die rechtspopulistische Organisation will eine große Kampagne gegen Minarette und Moscheen starten und so gegen "muslimische Landnahme" vorgehen. Dabei will "Pro NRW" auch eine Klausel im EU-Reformvertrag nutzen.

Ist "Pro NRW" ein Dorn im Auge: das Minarett einer Moschee in Rendsburg. Bild: Welt Online
Nach der erfolgreichen Volksabstimmung für ein Minarett-Verbot in der Schweiz planen deutsche Rechtspopulisten eine groß angelegte Anti-Moschee-Kampagne. Die nordrhein-westfälische Vereinigung „Pro NRW“, deren Kölner Keimzelle vom Verfassungsschutz beobachtet wird, will bis zur Landtagswahl am 9. Mai 2010 mit anderen europäischen Rechtsparteien eine politische Strategie entwickeln, um Neubauten muslimischer Gebetshäuser zu verhindern.

„Wir werden einen dezidiert islamkritischen Landtagswahlkampf führen. Wir werden die Schweizer Plakate für das Minarett-Verbot verwenden. Wir sehen Moscheebauten als aggressive Machtsymbolik einer muslimischen Landnahme“, sagte der Generalsekretär von „Pro NRW“, Markus Wiener, WELT ONLINE. Die Schweizerische Volkspartei (SVP) hat nach seinen Angaben die Nutzung der Motive mit den schwarzen raketenähnlichen Minaretttürmen und der verhüllten Muslima erlaubt. >>> Von Kristian Frigelj | Montag, 14. Dezember 2009

Taliban Can Be Admired for Their Faith and Loyalty, Says Bishop
THE TELEGRAPH: The Taliban can be admired for their conviction to their faith and their sense of loyalty to one another, the new Bishop for the Armed Forces has claimed.

The Rt Rev Stephen Venner called for a more sympathetic approach to the Islamic fundamentalists that recognises their humanity.

The Church of England’s Bishop to the Forces warned that it will be harder to reach a peaceful solution to the war if the Afghan insurgents are portrayed too negatively.

His comments came as the Prime Minister visited Afghanistan and warned that the Taliban was fighting a "guerilla war" aimed at causing "maximum damage". Gordon Brown said soldiers were discovering improvised explosive devices every two hours. >>> Jonathan Wynne-Jones and Duncan Gardham | Sunday, December 13, 2009

Silvio Berlusconi Punched in Face after Milan Rally
THE TELEGRAPH: The Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi was left bloodied and shaken after he was punched in the face as he left a political rally in Milan.



The 73-year-old premier collapsed after he was apparently struck in the face by a man who was clutching a small statue of the Duomo, the city's world-famous cathedral.

A shaken Mr Berlusconi was quickly dragged to his waiting car by his security guards and driven to hospital.

Doctors said he had not suffered concussion and had insisted "I'm fine, I'm fine, don't worry about me" as he was stretchered in from his car. But they said he had bled profusely from his mouth and two of his teeth were loose, one of them fractured. >>> Nick Pisa in Rome | Sunday, Decemebr 13, 2009

Iran's Khamenei Issues Stern Warning to Opposition
THE TELEGRAPH: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, warned opposition leaders on Sunday to distance themselves from protesters he accused of acting against the Islamic regime's late founder Ayatollah Khomeini.

Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi have faced mounting pressure since December 7 anti-government protests during which a poster of the late revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was allegedly torn up.

"Those who shout slogans in the name of these people (opposition leaders), hoist their pictures and speak of them with respect are in a point which is the exact opposite of the Imam (Khomeini), revolution and Islam," the Supreme Leader said on state television.

"When you see this, step aside," he said in remarks addressed to the two opposition leaders, who he referred to as his "former brothers".

"I don't believe in purging, I believe in maximum attraction, but it looks as if some people insist on distancing themselves from the system and they have turned a family dispute into a battle against the system," the Ayatollah said. >>> | Sunday, December 13, 2009

Algeria: Cry the Benighted Country
THE SUNDAY TIMES: A third of Algerians are under 15 - inheritors of a brutal legacy of ancient and modern hatreds. Their country has suffered through civil war, terrorism and Islamic extremism. Is this uneasy peace what post-fundamentalism looks like?

"Is this your first time in Algeria?” everyone I meet asks me. It’s a polite inquiry, a courtesy veiling an admonishment, an accusation. “Where were you? Why did you take so long?” And with a weedy smile I reply, in geographic mitigation, that this isn’t my first time in the Maghreb. “Morocco,” they’d sigh. Yes, Morocco. “Ah, Morocco,” they’d repeat with a curl of the lip. “Disneyland.” And, compared to Algiers, it is.

Nobody’s been to Algeria for a decade unless they had a very pressing reason and some very secure connections. The last photographer I knew who tried to do a story here never got out of his hotel room. He went straight back to the airport, thoroughly scared. There were precious few news teams or foreign journalists — 11 years of civil war have been unforgivingly diligent and murderous and terrifying. Threats in Algeria are never empty. They come replete and fatty with promise, dripping with a brutal, dark efficiency.

“Zidane,” I say — Zinédine Zidane is the only contemporary Algerian anyone’s heard of. “Zidane,” they reply, “everyone was following him, looked to him for pride, for a sign.” Pity about the last match, though, that final head-butt in the 2006 World Cup. “What do you mean?” a man exploded at me, waving his hands. “We loved that! That moment! All his life Zidane was acquiescent, silent, a brown Frenchman, and then finally at the last he did something properly, authentically Algerian.”

Algiers curls like a sun-bleached spine around a great natural harbour. It is a city of lairs, of shadows. Up front is the icing, the promenade: unmistakably, vauntingly French. Tall white apartment blocks with beautiful Algiers-blue shutters and awnings hanging above shaded arcades of shops and deep, dark bars. There are broad, curving boulevards edged with ficus trees that have been pollarded and topiaried into a suspended, undulating green sunshade. It has that faded and dusty decrepitude that so suits colonial architecture, that lends a nostalgia to the bourgeois snobbery and imposed racism. The French city looks out across the Mediterranean towards Marseilles, its mirror. >>> AA Gill | Sunday, December 13, 2009

Une mosquée profanée dans le Tarn
La façade de la mosquée Bilal de Castres, taggée dans la nuit de samedi à dimanche. Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Des inconnus ont taggé sur les murs extérieurs de l'édifice situé à Castres des propos xénophobes et des croix gammées. Des pieds et des oreilles de cochon ont également été retrouvés.

La mosquée Bilal de Castres, dans le Tarn, a été profanée dans la nuit de samedi à dimanche par des inconnus. Après avoir franchi le portail de deux mètres, ils ont dessiné des croix gammées et écrit «Sieg heil» (slogan nazi, ndlr) sur les murs extérieurs de l'édifice, où ils ont également tracé des inscriptions telles que «La France aux Français» et «White power», a indiqué le président de l'Association islamique de Castres, Abdelmalek Bouregba, responsable du lieu de culte.

Des pieds de cochon ont également été suspendus à la poignée du portail. Sur la porte, des oreilles de cochon avaient été agrafées et des affiches placardées sur lesquelles étaient dessinés des drapeaux français, a-t-il précisé. Il a indiqué que les auteurs de la profanation n'avaient pas pénétré à l'intérieur de la mosquée. La police s'est rendue sur place pour procéder à des relevés d'empreintes, a ajouté Abdelmalek Bouregba, en précisant qu'il allait porter plainte.

Le responsable de la mosquée, ouverte en 1986 dans un ancien hangar et comportant une salle de prière de quelque 200 m2, s'est déclaré outré par la profanation, qu'il a qualifié d'«acte prémédité». «C'est un ensemble. Depuis un certain temps, on n'arrête pas de viser la communauté musulmane», a-t-il dénoncé, faisant notamment allusion à certains dérapages dans les débats sur l'identité nationale et au référendum pour l'interdiction de la construction de nouveaux minarets en Suisse.

«Aucune piste n'est écartée», a déclaré Paul Agostini, le directeur de la police départemental du Tarn, qui a précisé qu'aucun incident, ni litige n'avait été signalé les jours précédents autour de la mosquée. Une enquête est en cours. Condamnations unanimes >>> AFP | Dimanche 13 Décembre 2009

Bach: Lobt Gott ihr Christen

Marie-Claire Alain: Christmas Chorales from the Orgelbüchlein


Orgelbüchlein: Christmas Chorales
Part 1:



Part 2:

The Queen and I

The Queen And I - WATCH FULL MOVIE ONLINE

Miliband Oversteps the Mark
MAIL ON SUNDAY: David Miliband has secretly banned British embassy staff from giving help to BNP leader Nick Griffin.

The Foreign Secretary has also ordered diplomats not to assist the 
far-Right party’s other MEP, former National Front leader Andrew Brons.

A letter, entitled ‘Handling Extremist MEPs’ and marked ‘Restricted’, was circulated to the heads of Britain’s European embassies after the pair were elected to the European Parliament in June.

Written by Matthew Rycroft, the UK’s top European Union diplomat, it says far-Right MEPs, like other British members of the European Parliament, can be sent ‘factual written briefings’ on policy issues but nothing else.

British MEPs from mainstream parties can normally expect private briefings from officials and to be offered the chance to meet diplomats and Ministers.

Mr Rycroft wrote: ‘FCO Ministers have decided that there should be 
no other contact with MEPs of any nationality who represent racist or extremist views.’ David Miliband Bans Envoys from Helping the BNP >>> Jason Lewis, Mail on Sunday Security Editor | Sunday, December 13, 2009