The EU should be stronger and more united. Great Britain should belong to the Union.
Die EU sollte stärker und geeinter sein. Großbritannien sollte der Union angehören.
L'UE devrait être plus forte et plus unie. La Grande-Bretagne devrait appartenir à l'Union.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Yémen : Manif contre la fixation de l’âge du mariage
20MINUTES.ch: Plusieurs milliers de femmes ont manifesté dimanche devant le Parlement à Sanaa à l'appel des milieux islamistes et conservateurs contre un projet de loi fixant l'âge minimum du mariage au Yémen.
La loi, qui fixe à 17 ans l'âge du mariage pour les filles et à 18 ans pour les garçons, est très controversée. Photo : 20Minutes.ch
Le rassemblement a pris l'allure d'une démonstration de force contre cette loi controversée, fixant à 17 ans l'âge du mariage pour les filles et à 18 ans pour les garçons. Les manifestantes ont été amenées par bus entiers de Sanaa et des localités environnantes.
Certaines des manifestantes, dont plupart portaient le voile intégral, brandissaient un exemplaire du Coran et des banderoles proclamant «Ne bannissez pas ce qui a été autorisé par Allah», «Non aux manipulations des droits des femmes» ou encore «le Coran et la sunna (la tradition du prophète Mahomet) au dessus des traités contraires à notre religion».
Selon les islamistes, l'âge du mariage n'a pas à être fixé car l'islam ne l'a pas fait pas et le prophète Mahomet s'est marié avec Aïcha alors qu'elle n'avait que neuf ans.
Le mariage des femmes-enfants est largement pratiqué au Yémen, pays à structure tribale et où l'islamisme constitue une force non négligeable. >>> afp | Dimanche 21 Mars 2010
Angry White House Seeks to 'Modify' Israeli Regime
THE TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama's team hope to push Right-wing premier Benjamin Netanyahu into a coalition which will put peace talks on track. >>> Adrian Blomfield in Ramat Shlomo and Alex Spillius in Washington | Saturday, March 20, 2010
Niall Ferguson: TV Historian Calls for GCSE History 'To Be Made Compulsory'
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: History should be a compulsory subject for British students sitting their GCSEs, the historian and broadcaster Niall Ferguson has said.
British schools are failing to properly teach children about major events due to a “junk history” curriculum, which has left standards at an all-time low, he said.
Prof Ferguson, 45, who has also presented a Channel 4 series of the world’s financial history, attacked the subject’s decline, arguing it was badly taught and undervalued. >>> Andrew Hough | Sunday, March 21, 2010
Ali Khamenei : le peuple iranien a «défait» l'ennemi
Ali Khamenei assis à côté du portrait de son prédécesseur, l'ayatollah Ruhollah Khomieni. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Dans un message pour le Nouvel an iranien, le guide suprême du pays a dénoncé samedi «les ennemis de la République islamique» qui ont tout fait pour «défaire la révolution de l'intérieur».
Alors que l'année iranienne s'achève, le guide suprême du pays, l'ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a affirmé samedi, dans un message pour le Nouvel an (Nowrouz), que le peuple avait défait, durant ces douze derniers mois, l'«ennemi» qui complotait contre la République islamique.
«Les ennemis du pays et de la République islamique ont concentré tous leurs efforts, après 30 ans, pour défaire la révolution de l'intérieur», a déclaré l'ayatollah, dans un message lu à la télévision d'Etat. Une référence aux troubles qui ont suivi l'élection présidentielle de juin et la réélection controversée du président Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
L'année iranienne, qui se termine samedi, a en effet été marquée par des manifestations de l'oppposition qui ont fait des dizaines de morts. Dans le même temps, des milliers de personnes ont également été arrêtées. Le Guide suprême a précisé que la nouvelle année iranienne (21 mars 2010 - 20 mars 2011) serait «l'année du double effort et du double travail» pour assurer «plus de progrès et de justice» au pays.
Dimanche, dans la ville de Mashhad (nord-est), où il se rend traditionnellement pour la nouvelle année, Ali Khamenei s'en est de nouveau pris aux «ennemis» de la République islamique. «S'ils avaient réussi, les Etats-Unis et le régime sioniste auraient envoyé leurs forces dans les rues de Téhéran (soutenir les manifestants de l'opposition, ndlr), mais ils ont compris que cela leur porterait tort. Les dirigeants des pays oppresseurs (occidentaux, ndlr) ont alors commencé à faire de la propagande pour soutenir les fauteurs de trouble», a-t-il souligné. Il a également accusé le président américain, Barack Obama, de «comploter» contre l'Iran malgré son offre de dialogue. >>> Par lefigaro.fr | Dimanche 21 Mars 2010
Frauen hinten, Männer vorne: In Jerusalem wächst der Protest gegen ultraorthodoxe Juden und ihre Privilegien
NZZ am SONNTAG: Säkular gesinnte Israeli begehren gegen ultraorthodoxe Juden und ihre Privilegien auf. In Jerusalem wird gegen die Regel protestiert, nach der Frauen und Männer getrennt in Bussen zu sitzen haben.
Der Buschauffeur blickt irritiert auf. Es ist nicht üblich auf der Linie 56, dass eine Frau vorne einsteigt. Auf seiner Strecke ins Jerusalemer Quartier Ramat Schlomo, in dem ausschliesslich ultraorthodoxe Juden wohnen, steigen die weiblichen Passagiere immer hinten ein und knipsen ihre Zehnerkarten selbst mit einer am Haltegriff angeketteten Lochzange ab. Im vorderen Teil des Busses sind ausschliesslich schwarze Hüte, schwarze Anzüge und Schläfenlocken zu sehen – die traditionelle Tracht der Haredim-Männer, der Frommsten aller Frommen. «Nach hinten», zischen sie auch sogleich, schauen schnell weg oder halten sich die Hand vor die Augen, um nicht mit Weiblichkeit konfrontiert zu werden. >>> Silke Mertins, Jerusalem | Sonntag, 21. März 2010
Gehaltsexzesse bei US-Managern
NZZ am SONNTAG: Die CS zahlt einem Banker angeblich 11 Millionen Dollar für den Stellenwechsel
Im Rezessionsjahr 2009 sind in den USA Millionen Arbeitsplätze verloren gegangen, doch in den Gehalts-Checks vieler Unternehmenschefs hat sich die Krise kaum bemerkbar gemacht. Jahresgehälter in zweistelliger Millionenhöhe sind nach wie vor nichts Aussergewöhnliches. Das belegen die Pflichtmitteilungen, die die Börsenaufsicht SEC in diesen Tagen veröffentlicht.
Viele Vorstände konnten sich in den vergangenen Monaten sogar über eine deutliche Aufstockung ihrer Bezüge freuen. Zum Beispiel Thomas Ryan, Chef des Pharmakonzerns CVS Caremark. Er verdiente im vergangenen Jahr 30,4 Mio. $, wie am Donnerstag bekannt wurde. Im Vorjahr waren es 23,8 Mio. $. Selbst wenn er dieses Geld verprassen und gleichzeitig den Job verlieren sollte, müsste er sich anschliessend keine Sorgen machen: In seiner betrieblichen Altersvorsorge hat Ryan mittlerweile 44,6 Mio. $ angespart. Alleine 8000 $ bekam der erfolgreiche Manager letztes Jahr für die Teilnahme an einem Golfturnier. Es war Teil einer Wohltätigkeitsveranstaltung, bei der CVS Spenden sammelte. >>> Von Sebastian Bräuer | Sonntag, 21. März 2010
Hundreds Flee As Volcano Erupts In Iceland
YAHOO! NEWS UK / SKY NEWS: A volcano has erupted in the south of Iceland forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes.
The Eyjafjallajokull glacier, the island's fifth largest, started to spew smoke and lava from several craters along a rift popular with hikers.
Police declared a state of emergency and sent rescue teams to evacuate about 500 people living near the site. No injuries or damage to property have been reported.
Three Red Cross care centres were opened in nearby villages to help the evacuees. >>> | Sunday, March 21, 2010
English Defence League and Anti-fascist Protesters Clash in Bolton
THE TELEGRAPH: Dozens of people were arrested and several injured after violent clashes between anti-Muslim militants and anti-fascist protesters and police during a demonstration in Bolton.
The controversial Right-wing group The English Defence League (EDL) organised the rally.
A counter-demonstration by Unite Against Fascism (UAF) was held, and hundreds of police officers are battled to keep control of the rival groups.
The controversial Right-wing group The English Defence League (EDL) organised the rally.
A counter-demonstration by Unite Against Fascism (UAF) was held, and hundreds of police officers are battled to keep control of the rival groups. >>> | Saturday, March 20, 2010
Rise in Marriages Between Cousins ‘Is Putting Children’s Health at Risk’
TIMES ONLINE: The dangers of marriage between first cousins are to be highlighted by a leading professor, with a warning that their children are at risk of genetic defects.
Baroness Deech, a family law professor and crossbencher, will call next week for a “vigorous” public campaign to deter the practice, which is prevalent in Muslim and immigrant communities and on the rise. She will reignite a debate started five years ago when Ann Cryer, MP for Keighley, drew attention to the number of disabled babies being born in the town and called for cousin marriage to be stopped.
Fifty-five per cent of British Pakistanis are married to first cousins and in Bradford the figure is 75 per cent. British Pakistanis represent 3 per cent of all births in Britain but one third of children with recessive disorders. >>> Frances Gibb | Saturday, March 20, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Benjamin Netanyahu Rebuffs Hillary Clinton Demands
THE TELEGRAPH: Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has refused to buckle to US pressure to scrap a Jewish building project in East Jerusalem in a crucial telephone conversation with America's top diplomat.
Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: The Telegraph
Mr Netanyahu ceded little ground to Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, as he finally responded to a series of conditions she set out to end a 10-day standoff between Israel and its superpower patron.
The Israeli leader gambled that the Obama administration had lost its appetite for a prolonged diplomatic row by accepting just one of Mrs Clinton's demands in full as he agreed to make a "confidence-building" gesture to the Palestinians.
He refused to cancel construction of 1,600 settler homes which lie at the heart of the crisis, offering instead to delay their construction - a proposal understood already to have been made and rejected.
A freeze on further settlement building in East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in 1967, was also ruled out. Instead, he reportedly proposed to continue building, but in secret.
In keeping with a decision to soften the tone of US rhetoric, Mrs Clinton was guarded in her response, neither welcoming nor dismissing Mr Netanyahu's suggestions.
"What I heard from the prime minister in response to the requests we made was useful and productive," she said, speaking after a meeting of the Middle East Quartet negotiating group in Moscow.
The Quartet - which comprises the United States, the United Nations, Russia and the European Union - however joined Mrs Clinton in forcefully condemning Israel's construction plans. >>> Adrian Blomfield in Jerusalem and Andrew Osborn in Moscow | Friday, March 19, 2010
General John Sheehan Isn't the First Bigot to Blame 'The Gays'
THE TELEGRAPH: The week’s most ludicrous comment comes from US Army General John Sheehan, who has blamed the Srebrenica massacre on – wait for it – the gays. Specifically, “openly homosexual” Dutch soldiers, who presumably were too busy swapping grooming tips to notice 8,000 people being slaughtered. Amazingly, while a classic of its genre, it is far from the most preposterous thing homosexuals have been blamed for. The following have all – honestly and seriously – been blamed on gay people. Read on and comment >>> Tom Chivers | Friday, March 19, 2010
Dutch PM Appalled at Gay-Genocide Link
ADVOCATE.COM: The Dutch prime minister is lashing out at retired American general John Sheehan for blaming the Netherlands' inclusion of gays in the military for massive deaths during the war in Bosnia.
"The remarks were outrageous, wrong, and beneath contempt," Jan Peter Balkenende told reporters at a press conference, according to Reuters.
Other Dutch leaders decried Sheehan's assertions as well. The Dutch Defense Ministry said Sheehan's claims were "absolute nonsense" and that gay Dutch soldiers often work alongside the U.S. military in its NATO mission in Afghanistan. Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said Sheehan's statement was "the bizarre private opinion of someone without an official function." Renee Jones-Bos, the Dutch ambassador to the United States, said there was no evidence that his claims were correct. >>> Michelle Garcia | Friday, March 19, 2010
General David Petraeus Tipped as Republican 2012 Presidential Candidate
THE TELEGRAPH: Speculation is mounting that Gen David Petraeus could run as the Republican presidential candidate in 2012.
General David Petraeus with President Barack Obama. Photograph: The Telegraph
The shrewd and articulate military commander, credited with turning around the Iraq war, will deliver a speech at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire next week, a traditional staging post in the state where the first presidential primaries are held every four years. Each of the last eight presidents has spoken at the college on their way to victory.
It will be the latest in a series of speaking engagements where the head of the US Central Command region, which covers the Middle East and Central Asia, has veered well into foreign policy discussion and often faced questions about his political ambition.
His stock response is the same as any potential aspirant at this early stage - a flat no. But for someone who professes to have no interest in running for president he has a way of talking about it even when he hasn't been asked directly.
In a recent appearance at the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia Gen Petraeus turned a question about whether or not he planned to write a book upon retiring into an opportunity to deny he had political ambitions. On other occasions he has laughed off the notion of a White House bid in a slightly disingenuous manner. >>> Alex Spillius in Washington | Friday, March 19, 2010
Pope Archdiocese Faces 'Tsunami' of Abuse Claims
THE TELEGRAPH: The head of new taskforce set up to deal with sex abuse by Roman Catholic priests in the Pope's former archdiocese in Germany said the group had been overwhelmed by a "tsunami" of claims.
New reports have emerged almost daily of sex abuse cases involving Catholic clergy in several European countries. The spreading controversy threatens to overshadow a letter the Pope is expected to release on Saturday about the scandals that wracked Ireland.
Fresh claims emerged that Benedict XVI failed to do enough to safeguard children from paedophile priests when, as Joseph Ratzinger, he was the archbishop of Munich from 1977 to 1982.
"It's like a tsunami," said Elke Huemmeler, the head of the diocese's newly established Task Force on Sexual Abuse Prevention, the first of its kind in the German Catholic Church.
The body, which started work yesterday, will review about 120 cases of alleged sexual abuse – among the 300 reported across Germany since January.
Around 100 of the claims involve a boarding school run by Benedictine monks at Ettal, in the foothills of the Alps in southern Bavaria.
"It is all really terrible, but we are going to listen to everything," said Mrs Huemmeler. >>> Nick Squires in Rome | Friday, March 19, 2010
PM Report: Obama Tries to Close Health Deal
Online Islamic Sex-shop Opens for Business
NRC HANDELSBLAD INTERNATIONAL: The sex products Dutch Muslims used to bring back from the Middle East are now available online.
Abdelaziz Aouragh is a Muslim, lives in Amsterdam, and deals in sex articles. His webshop El Asira, which is for Muslims, will soon be selling Pure Power capsules which "heighten male performance, desire and pleasure", Desire capsules for women, sensual stimulators for him and her and lubricants based on cocoa butter, water or silicon. El Asira calls itself "the first Islamic online webshop for sex articles and care products". Its webshop should be open for business starting this weekend.
The combination of Islam and sex products is not an obvious one. When Aouragh's business partner Stefan Delsink suggested selling sex items, Aouragh was dubious. A day later he agreed. "I knew that Muslims do have a need for sex products. People bring them back from the Middle East and give them to young couples," he said.
Not knowing whether his religion would allow the trade in sex products, Aouragh visited an imam, who in turn consulted a Saudi sheik. It was allowed, he learned, as long as the products are halal and are meant to improve sex within marriage. "There is even a fatwa on the subject." That just left the problem of how to tell his parents. "It's a forbidden subject for the first generation here,” he said. Whenever his parents bring the matter up, Aouragh tries to quickly change the subject. “I tell them: yes, um, could I have some more tea?”
Abdelaziz Aouragh (29) is an orthodox Muslim with a Dutch trading instinct. He was born in the east of Amsterdam to a Moroccan carpenter. He has a pointed nose, a tuft of hair on his chin and thin oval glasses. He works at Schiphol airport assisting disabled transit passengers. His wife was born in Morocco and they have a three-year-old daughter. Last year they went on their first hadj, a pilgrimage to Mecca. Changing the image of Islam >>> Hanina Ajarai and Joke Mat | Friday, March 19, 2010
Möglicher Verzicht Israels auf Siedlungsbau in Ostjerusalem: Ministerpräsident Netanyahu will Vertrauen der USA zurückgewinnen
NZZ ONLINE: Israels Ministerpräsident Netanyahu hat den USA verschiedene Massnahmen vorgeschlagen, um das ramponierte Vertrauen nach dem jüngsten Disput um die umstritten Siedlungen in Ostjerusalem wieder zu stärken. Washington zögert noch.
Auch wenn es aus Israel heisst, die Beziehungen zu Washington seien intakt und der amerikanische Präsident von einem unzertrennbaren Freundschaftsbund spricht – die Ankündigung neuer Siedlungsbauten in Ostjerusalem während der Visite von Vizepräsident Joe Biden hat sichtlich Spuren hinterlassen. >>> hoh. | Freitag, 19. März 2010
AM Report: Final Health Vote Nears
ViewPoints: China, the New Dominant Economy?
Turkey Detains Military Figures in Alleged Plot Against Government
THE GUARDIAN: About 20 held in investigation into alleged rightwing network
Turkish police today detained about 20 people, including serving military officers, as part of an investigation into an alleged plot to topple the government.
The operation was part of an investigation into the "Ergenekon" network, an alleged rightwing militant group that prosecutors say had planned to overthrow prime minister Tayyip Erdogan's AK party government, according to broadcaster NTV.
The suspects were detained in eight cities, the television report said. No details of names were given. More than 200 civilians and retired and working officers in the military are on trial accused of membership of Ergenekon.
Close to 40 other officers, including generals and admirals, have recently been charged as part of a separate alleged coup plot. Critics accuse the AK party government of using the investigations to hound secularist opponents. >>> Agencies | Thursday, March 18, 2010
Allah to Get a Dutch PO Box
RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLWIDE: Ever felt like writing a letter to Allah? Well, now you can. From 21 March to 7 December, the deity will have his own PO Box in the Netherlands.
The PO Box is a project by artist Johan van der Dong, who was responsible for opening a hotline to God last year. God’s voicemail was very popular, over 25,000 people left Him a message.
The Dutchman intends to keep the letters unopened and says he will use them in his oil paintings. “What is in the letters is between the writer of the letter and Allah,” he told Dutch news agency ANP. >>> | Friday, March 19, 2010
American Bigotry at Its Worst and Most Shameful! And from a Fossil, to Boot: Gay Dutch Soldiers Responsible for Srebrenica Massacre Says US General*
THE TELEGRAPH: A former American general blamed "open homosexuality" in the Dutch army for the failure to prevent the Srebrenica massacre in 1995.
The Dutch government condemned the comments by Gen John Sheehan, a former Nato commander and senior marine officer, as outrageous.
Gen Sheehan made the remarks at a Senate hearing where he argued against plans by President Barack Obama to end a ban on allowing gays to serve openly in the US military.
Gen Sheehan said that after the end of the Cold War, European militaries changed and concluded "there was no longer a need for an active combat capability."
He said this process included "open homosexuality" which resulted in "a focus on peacekeeping operations because they did not believe the Germans were going to attack again or the Soviets were coming back."
"The case in point that I'm referring to is when the Dutch were required to defend Srebrenica against the Serbs," he said, referring to the UN peacekeeping force deployed to protect Bosnian Muslim civilians.
"The battalion was understrength, poorly led, and the Serbs came into town, handcuffed the soldiers to the telephone polls, marched the Muslims off and executed them."
Carl Levin, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, pressed him to clarify his comments.
"Did the Dutch leaders tell you it (the fall of Srebrenica) was because there were gay soldiers there?" asked an incredulous Levin.
"Yes," Sheehan said and added: "They included that as part of the problem." >>> The Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Friday, March 19, 2010
Dutch Outrage as US General Blames Gay Soldiers for Srebrenica
TIMES ONLINE: A retired American general has blamed the UN's historic failure to protect the Bosnian "safe haven" of Srebrenica on the fact that there were openly gay soldiers in the Dutch peacekeeping battalion assigned to it.
The comments from former Marine Corps general John Sheehan prompted outrage in the Netherlands, where the humiliation in July 1995 of 400 armed Dutch peacekeepers and the subsequent massacre by Serb forces of 8,000 Muslim men and boys remains a subject of acute national sensitivity.
General Sheehan, one of two Nato "supreme commanders" at the time of the massacre, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee against a proposal to allow homosexuals to serve openly in the US military.
He told the senators how the Armed Forces of various European countries had lost their combat focus after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s and turned to peacekeeping because “they did not believe the Germans were going to attack again or the Soviets were coming back”.
The general said that Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and other nations all took the decision that there was no longer a need for an active combat capability in the military.
"They declared a peace dividend and made a conscious effort to socialize their military - that includes the unionisation of their militaries, it includes open homosexuality. That led to a force that was ill-equipped to go to war," he said.
"The case in point that I’m referring to is when the Dutch were required to defend Srebrenica against the Serbs: the battalion was under-strength, poorly led, and the Serbs came into town, handcuffed the soldiers to the telephone poles, marched the Muslims off, and executed them.
“That was the largest massacre in Europe since World War II." >>> Philippe Naughton | Friday, March 19, 2010
Gay Army Is a Non-issue in Holland
RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE: Retired US Marine General John Sheehan got one thing right in his testimony to the US Congress: gays serve in the Dutch military. But it takes a foreigner to point that out. Here in The Netherlands, gays have served in the military for decades.
General Sheehan blamed the fall of the UN enclave in Srebrenica in 1995, which led to the massacre of thousands of Bosnian Muslims, partly on the fact that homosexuals served in the Dutch military.
"That was the largest massacre in Europe since World War Two. The Dutch army allowed homosexuals and you know what happened there." The retired general made these comments during a hearing considering whether to lift the US 'don't ask, don't tell' policy that allows homosexuals to serve in the military only if they keep quiet about it.
What?
The reaction here in The Netherlands has been a universal, 'huh?' From the current Foreign Minister to the Defence Minister at the time of the Srebrenica massacre; from leaders of unions representing soldiers to the former army commander; all have said that General Sheehan's remarks do not have the slightest basis in reality.
The Dutch caretaker Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said via Twitter that he was amazed at the ex general's comments - saying they reflected more about the discussion around homosexuals in the US army than anything else.
Minister of Defense Eimert van Middelkoop twittered: "scandalous and unbefitting a soldier". And the Dutch ambassador to the US, Renee Jones-Bos, added in a statement on the embassy's website that she "couldn't disagree more'' with Sheehan's claims.
"I take pride in the fact that lesbians and gays have served openly and with distinction in the Dutch military forces for decades, such as in Afghanistan at the moment',' she said. >>> John Tyler | Friday, March 19, 2010
Former US General: ‘Gays Make Dutch Military Weak’
NRC HANDELSBLAD INTERNATIONAL: A former American general has blamed homosexuals serving in the Dutch military for the fall of Srebrenica.
Fifteen years after the safe area of Srebrenica fell to Serb militias, an American general has found the cause: homosexuals had weakened the Dutch UN battalion charged with protecting the enclave. John Sheehan, a former high-ranking Nato official, said this on Thursday when he publicly addressed the American president Barack Obama’s plans to allow gays to serve in the military.
According to the charges brought against the Bosnian-Serb leader Radovan Karadzic at the special tribunal in The Hague, 9,210 Muslim men were killed in Srebrenica and its surrounding area in 1995. A Dutch UN battalion had been charged with the task of protecting the valley against the Serbs. A study by the Dutch research institute NIOD has found that the soldiers did not have an adequate mandate to act and the battalion was insufficiently prepared.
Speaking in the American Senate, Sheehan said European countries tried to “socialise” their armed forces by letting people serve in the army too easily, which left them weakened. >>> NRC Handelsblad News Staff | Friday, March 19, 2010
Greek PM Gives European Leaders a Week to Produce Rescue Plan
THE GUARDIAN: George Papandreou has threatened to turn to the IMF in exasperation with the EU's lack of clarity on a plan to resolve the Greek crisis
Greek prime minister, George Papandreou, has set the EU a deadline to come up with a rescue plan. Photograph: The Guardian
Greece raised the stakes in the row over how to stabilise the euro today when prime minister George Papandreou set European leaders a deadline of next week for unveiling rescue plans for his battered economy and threatened to turn instead to the International Monetary Fund for help.
Clearly exasperated by the lack of clarity from the EU on what it might do to help resolve Greece's ballooning debt and deficit crisis, Papandreou effectively told European leaders it was time to put up or shut up.
The 16-country eurozone had to deliver on its pledge last month of coming to Greece's rescue if need be by putting a "loaded gun on the table" which would deter speculators betting on a Greek sovereign default and reduce the punitive rates on Greek borrowing.
"This is an opportunity we should not miss," Papandreou told the European parliament in Brussels. "We are expecting this from the summit next week."
Papandreou's remarks put him on a collision course with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, who became the first European head of government on Wednesday to demand that the rule book for the euro be rewritten to enable the ejection of persistent fiscal delinquents. >>> Ian Traynor in Brussels | Thursday, March 18, 2010
France’s First ‘Lady’
MAIL ONLINE: There's a time for reminiscing over your old photo albums.
But unfortunately for Carla Bruni, now is not that time.
Just as France's first lady tries to keep a low profile amid global headlines about the state of her marriage, another reminder of her somewhat racy past has propelled her straight back into the spotlight.
Two photographs of Miss Bruni in her modelling days are up for grabs at an auction. In one, taken by the legendary Helmut Newton, the then 25-year-old leans against a mahogany piano, with her skirt riding up in a rather risque fashion.
Pictures of Miss Bruni, 43, in various states of undress have surfaced before.
Isn’t This a Perfect Example of Why the West Can’t Win the War Against Islam? Blair's Fight to Keep His Oil Cash Secret: Former PM's Deals Are Revealed As His Earnings Since 2007 Reach £20million
MAIL ONLINE: Tony Blair waged an extraordinary two-year battle to keep secret a lucrative deal with a multinational oil giant which has extensive interests in Iraq.
The former Prime Minister tried to keep the public in the dark over his dealings with South Korean oil firm UI Energy Corporation.
Mr Blair - who has made at least £20million since leaving Downing Street in June 2007 - also went to great efforts to keep hidden a £1million deal advising the ruling royal family in Iraq's neighbour Kuwait.
In an unprecedented move, he persuaded the committee which vets the jobs of former ministers to keep details of both deals from the public for 20 months, claiming it was commercially sensitive. The deals emerged yesterday when the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments finally lost patience with Mr Blair and decided to ignore his objections and publish the details.
News of the secret deals fuelled fresh accusations that Mr Blair is 'cashing in on his contacts' from the controversial Iraq war in what one MP called 'revolving door politics at its worst'.
They will increase concerns that Mr Blair is using his role as the West's Middle East envoy for personal gain.
The revelations also shed fresh light on his astonishing earnings, which include lucrative after-dinner speaking, consultancies with banks and foreign governments, a generous advance for his forthcoming memoirs, as well as the pension and other perks he enjoys as a former Prime Minister.
The full extent of his income is cloaked in secrecy because he has constructed a complex web of shadowy companies and partnerships which let him avoid publishing full accounts detailing all the money from his commercial ventures.
Critics also point out that a large proportion of his earnings comes from patrons in America and the Middle East - a clear benefit from forging a close alliance with George Bush during his invasion of Iraq.
Last night Tory MP Douglas Carswell said of Mr Blair's links to UI Energy Corporation: 'This doesn't just look bad, it stinks.
'It seems that the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom has been in the pay of a very big foreign oil corporation and we have been kept in the dark about it. Read on and comment here >>> Jason Groves | Thursday, March 18, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
France Debates the Return of Bordellos
THE TELEGRAPH: French MPs are calling for bordellos to return to France more than 60 years after they were banned.
Chantal Brunel, a political ally of President Nicolas Sarkozy, says it should be made legal for women to sell sex on licensed premises, and pay tax on their earnings.
Her demand comes as survey revealed six out of ten French people wanted brothels to be legalised.
Ms Brunel, an MP for the ruling UMP party, said: "Women selling sex should be allowed to do so legally on special licensed premises.
"This would free thousands of women from the exploitation they suffer at the hands of pimps and criminal gangs and offer them much more security they currently have on the streets.
"It would give them a legal taxable income and they would not be handing over large sums of their earning to a pimp."
France had 1,400 legal brothels before they were all shut down under a law banning prostitution in 1946. >>> | Thursday, March 18, 2010
Episcopal Church Approves Consecration of First Lesbian Bishop
THE TELEGRAPH: America’s Anglican church has approved the consecration of its first openly lesbian bishop, in a move likely to worsen divisions over homosexuality.
The Episcopal Church of the USA, the most liberal province within the Anglican Communion, had been under pressure not to allow the Rev Mary Glasspool to become Assistant Bishop of Los Angeles.
Its leaders had been warned personally by Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, not to take any decisions that would deepen the crisis over sexuality within the worldwide church.
But bishops and dioceses across the national church have now approved the consecration of Miss Glasspool, after she was elected last year, and a ceremony has been scheduled for May 15th. She and the Rev Diane Bruce will become the first women bishops in Los Angeles.
Miss Glasspool, a Canon in the Diocese of Maryland who has been with her female partner since 1988, said: “I am also aware that not everyone rejoices in this election and consent, and will work, pray, and continue to extend my own hands and heart to bridge those gaps, and strengthen the bonds of affection among all people, in the Name of Jesus Christ.” >>> Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Thursday, March 18, 2010
'Jihad Jane' Pleads Not Guilty
THE TELEGRAPH: An American woman who authorities say dubbed herself "Jihad Jane" online pleaded not guilty to charges of involvement in an overseas terrorist plot.
Colleen LaRose an American woman known as Jihad Jane. Photograph: The Telegraph
Colleen LaRose, 46, from Pennsburg near Philadelphia, appeared before a federal court wearing a green jumpsuit and with corn rows in her blonde hair.
A May 3 trial date was set.
She was accused of conspiring with jihadist fighters and pledging to commit murder in the name of a Muslim holy war.
Authorities say she wanted to kill a Swedish artist who had offended Muslims, and grew acquainted online with violent co-conspirators from around the world.
They say she posted a YouTube video in 2008 saying she was "desperate to do something" to ease the suffering of Muslims.
She was arrested in October 2009 in Philadelphia while returning to the United States.
LaRose spent most of her life in Texas, where she dropped out of high school, married at 16 and again at 24, and racked up a few minor arrests.
After a second divorce, she followed a boyfriend to Pennsylvania in about 2004 and began caring for his father while he worked long hours, sometimes on the road.
As she moved through her 40s without a job or any outside hobbies, her boyfriend said she started spending more time online.
Though her boyfriend, Kurt Gorman, did not consider her religious, and she apparently never joined a mosque, LaRose had by 2008 declared herself "desperate" to help suffering Muslims in the YouTube video.
"In my view, she sort of slipped sideways into Islam. ... There may have been some seduction into it, by one or more people," said Temple University psychologist Frank Farley. >>> | Thursday, March 18, 2010
Democrats a Few Votes Short for Health Bill
Obama on 'Deem and Pass' Rule
Fox News Poll: 55% Oppose Health Care Reform
FOX NEWS: As Americans wait for Congress to act on health care, a Fox News poll released Thursday finds 55 percent oppose the reforms being considered, while 35 percent favor them.
As Americans wait for Congress to act on health care, a Fox News poll released Thursday finds 55 percent oppose the reforms being considered, while 35 percent favor them.
In addition, just over half of voters think House Democrats are “changing the rules” to get their bill passed.
About a third of voters (31 percent) think House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats are “playing by the rules” to get health care through, while 53 percent think they are “changing the rules.” Looking at the results by political party, 53 percent of Democrats think their party is playing by the rules, about one in four think they are changing the rules (27 percent) and the rest are unsure (19 percent). Varying majorities of Republicans (78 percent) and independents (57 percent) think House Democrats are changing the rules to pass the bill.
The level of public support for the health care overhaul has remained fairly steady since last July -- 35 percent favor it now and 36 percent favored it last summer. The number opposed -- 55 percent -- is up from 51 percent in January, and from 47 percent last July. Opposition hit a high of 57 percent in December.
Among partisans, the president’s party faithful are alone in supporting the proposed reforms. Sixty-six percent of Democrats favor them, while 53 percent of independents and 88 percent of Republicans oppose them. >>> Dana Blanton, FOXNews.com | Thursday, March 18, 2010
BBC: Nigeria should be divided into two nations to avoid further bloodshed between Muslims and Christians, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has said.
In a speech to students, he praised the example of India and Pakistan, where he said partition saved many lives.
Splitting Nigeria "would stop the bloodshed and burning of places of worship," state news agency Jana quoted him as saying.
A senior Nigerian diplomat said he was not taking the suggestion seriously.
Hundreds of people have died in communal violence in villages around the central Nigerian city of Jos this year.
The BBC's Rana Jawad in Tripoli says Col Gaddafi's suggestion is unsurprising given his past form.
Last year, he called for Switzerland to be abolished and for its land to be divided between Italy, Germany and France. >>> | Tuesday, March 16, 2010
U.S.-born Al Qaeda Cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki Calls for American Muslims to Wage Jihad Against Homeland
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: The American-born Muslim cleric who may have inspired the gunman in the Fort Hood massacre has a message for other American Muslims: turn against your country.
In a 12-minute audio message obtained by CNN, Anwar Al-Awlaki of Yemen calls his former country "evil" and praised Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, who has been charged with gunning down 13 people in Fort Hood last year.
"To the Muslims in America, I have this to say: How can your conscience allow you to live in peaceful co-existence with a nation that is responsible for the tyranny and crimes committed against your own brother and sisters?" Al-Awlaki says in the message, according to CNN.
Al-Awlaki has emerged as a major figure in Al Qaeda's attempts to recruit American insurgents through Internet sermons. The FBI had questioned him about his role as "spiritual adviser" to Sept. 11 hijackers Nawaf al-Hamzi and Hani Hanjour at the Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Va., before he fled to Yemen. >>> Ethan Sacks | Daily News Staff Writer | Thursday, March 18, 2010
Immunität: Türkische Imame sollen per Gesetz straffrei bleiben
WELT ONLINE: Imame sollen in der Türkei vor Strafverfolgung geschützt werden – auch wenn sie sich politisch äußern. Die Regierung Erdogans will per Gesetz eine beschränkte Immunität für die Vorbeter erreichen. Die Opposition befürchtet darin einen weiteren Schritt in der schleichenden Islamisierung des Landes.
Imame sollen in der Türkei teilweise Immunität vor dem Gesetz genießen. Bild: Welt Online
Die türkische Regierung will den von der Religionsbehörde angestellten Imamen künftig eine beschränkte Immunität vor Strafverfolgung garantieren. Ein in das Parlament eingebrachter Gesetzentwurf sehe vor, dass die Prediger nur mit Zustimmung ihres Dienstherren angeklagt werden können, berichtete die türkische Tageszeitung „Sabah“.
Damit werde auch die Möglichkeit eingeschränkt, die Vorbeter für politische Äußerungen juristisch zu verfolgen. >>> dpa/br | Donnerstag, 18. März 2010
Hinrichtung: Nordkorea exekutiert KP-Funktionär wegen Inflation
WELT ONLINE: In Nordkorea ist ein Funktionär der Kommunistischen Partei hingerichtet worden. Dem hochrangigen Regierungsmitglied wurde Versagen im Kampf gegen die grassierende Inflation vorgeworfen. Pak Nam-ki soll Schuld sein an der desaströsen Währungsreform, die Ende 2009 zu Hungerunruhen geführt hatte.
Nordkoreas Führer, Kim Jong-il, an einer Parade zu seinen Ehren. Der Machthaber ist bekannt für seine Willkür. Bild: Welt Online
Wegen einer verfehlten Währungsreform ist in Nordkorea ein hochrangiges Regierungsmitglied hingerichtet worden.
Der ehemalige Planungs- und Finanzdirektor in der Kommunistischen Partei, Pak Nam-ki, wurde in der vergangenen Woche auf dem Gelände einer Kaserne in Pjöngjang exekutiert, wie die südkoreanische Nachrichtenagentur Yonhap berichtete.
Dem 77-Jährigen, der Ende Februar aus dem Amt geworfen worden war, wurde Versagen im Kampf gegen die grassierende Inflation vorgeworfen. Im November hatte Nordkorea seine Währung Won abgewertet und die Lebensmittelkrise in dem Land dadurch dramatisch verschlimmert.
Pak wurde damit die Schuld an der desaströsen Währungsreform gegeben, die Ende vergangenen Jahres zu Hungerunruhen im Land geführt hatte. >>> AFP/br | Donnerstag, 18. März 2010
Nigeria : des chrétiens massacrés dans un village
L'attaque est survenue dans la bourgade de Byei, à une quinzaine de kilomètres au sud de Jos, la capitale de l'Etat du Plateau. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Au moins 13 villageois, dont des femmes et des enfants, ont été tués à la machette et brûlés mercredi par des éleveurs musulmans. Une énième poussée de violences dans ce pays en proie depuis 2001 à des conflits interreligieux.
Nouvel épisode de violences interreligieuses au Nigeria. Au moins 13 villageois chrétiens, dont des femmes et des enfants, ont été tués mercredi par des éleveurs musulmans. L'attaque est survenue vers 1h30 dans la bourgade de Byei, à une quinzaine de kilomètres au sud de Jos, la capitale de l'Etat du Plateau. Une zone majoritairement chrétienne et peuplée par l'ethnie berom. Les assaillants, qui seraient quant à eux issus de l'ethnie d'éleveurs fulani (à majorité musulmane, ndlr), étaient déguisés en militaires lors de leur raid, selon ces mêmes sources.
«Je peux confirmer que 13 personnes sont mortes et six autres ont été grièvement blessées. Elles ont été admises dans un hôpital de missionnaires», près de Jos, a déclaré un haut responsable local. «Le gouvernement fera tout ce qui est en son pouvoir pour traduire les assaillants devant la justice», a-t-il ajouté.
Mercredi soir, sept personnes suspectées d'avoir participé à ce massacre ont été arrêtées en possession d'armes, a annoncé un porte-parole de l'armée, tandis que le gouverneur de l'Etat Jonah Jang a lancé un appel au calme à la télévision.
«Ce que j'ai vu dans le village est très triste, a expliqué un responsable gouvernemental sous couvert d'anonymat. J'ai vu les cadavres de femmes, dont certaines étaient très vieilles, celui d'un enfant qui devait avoir moins de cinq ans, et celui d'une femme qui était brulée, avec un enfant sur son dos.» >>> Par Le Figaro | Mercredi 17 Mar 2010
Tehran Accused of Arming Taleban with Weapons and Explosives
TIMES ONLINE: The Iranian Government has been accused by Afghan and Western officials of delivering tonnes of weaponry to the Taleban, including plastic explosives, mortars, grenades and technical manuals.
Weapons and documents shown to Channel 4 News indicate that more than ten tonnes of weapons have been intercepted at Iran’s desert border with Afghanistan in the past year, with a tonne and a half recovered in the past week.
The reports come as General David Petraeus, the head of US Central Command, warned the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Iran also provided a base for al-Qaeda operatives. Afghanistan’s intelligence agency estimates that about 60 per cent of the weaponry it has intercepted from Iran has been supplied by the Iranian Government rather than black market dealers.
In a report on Iran’s weapons smuggling to the Taleban — to be aired by Channel 4 News this evening — one Afghan Taleban commander claims that the Iranian border is assuming greater importance than that into Pakistan. >>> Tom Coghlan | Thursday, March 18, 2010
Bernard Madoff 'Beaten Up In Jail'
TIMES ONLINE: Bernard Madoff, the multibillion-dollar investment fraudster, was reportedly beaten up in prison by a fellow inmate with a black belt in karate who inflicted serious injuries.
The former Wall Street tycoon was allegedly attacked for the second time last December as he served the first months of a 150-year sentence for operating a $65 billion Ponzi scheme.
After the attack, Madoff, 71, was transferred to a low-security medical centre, where he was treated for a broken nose, fractured ribs and cuts to his head and face, a prisoner in Butner, North Carolina, told The Wall Street Journal. >>> Nico Hines | Thursday, March 18, 2010
Israel Targeted by Gaza Rockets as Ashton Visits
THE TELEGRAPH: Palestinian militants fired a rocket from the Gaza Strip into a kibbutz in southern Israel, killing a Thai worker, while EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton was on an hours-long visit to the area.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton Photo: The Telegraph
The rocket was launched into Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing a Thai agricultural worker, while Baroness Ashton was visiting the Hamas-controlled enclave.
It was the first strike from the territory to cause any fatalities since the end in January 2009 of Israel's Gaza war.
An hour before the attack, the EU's top diplomat Catherine Ashton crossed into the Gaza Strip to tour UN facilities and see how the international funding was being used.
At a Gaza news conference after the attack, Baroness Ashton said: "I condemn any kind of violence, we have got to find a peaceful solution to the issues and problems."
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also expressed his condemnation, saying in a statement: "All such acts of terror and violence against civilians are totally unacceptable and contrary to international law."
An unknown Gaza group, Ansar al-Sunna, claimed responsibility for the attack – launched a day before the international Quartet of Middle East peace mediators was to meet in Moscow to discuss ways to revive Israeli-Palestinian talks. >>> | Thursday, March 18, 2010
French Law Drives Country’s First Television Wine Channel Into Exile
TIMES ONLINE: You might think that French officials would have raised their glasses in celebration of a project to create the first Gallic television channel dedicated to wine.
Instead, they appear intent on driving the station into exile, possibly to Britain, after deciding that it will fall foul of the toughest laws on alcohol promotion outside the Muslim world.
Edonys, a private group which hopes to start broadcasting later this year, has been warned by France’s Higher Audiovisual Council that it will receive authorisation only if it drops plans for programmes featuring wine-tastings and expert discussions. The broadcasting authority deemed these illegal under a law that prohibits “all direct or indirect propaganda in favour of alcoholic drinks” on television.
However, the station is refusing to amend its schedule and executives are now looking for a base outside France. Britain, Luxembourg and Belgium are among the options.
“France is the world reference when it comes to wine and yet we are the only non-Muslim country where you cannot talk about wine on the television,” said Jean-Michel Peyronnet, an eminent wine journalist, who is among the founders of Edonys. “It’s not just surprising, it’s a scandal.” >>> Adam Sage, Paris | Thursday, March 18, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Margaret Thatcher on Terrorism
Margaret Thatcher: ‘The Lady’s Not for Turning’
Margaret Thatcher on Socialism
Margaret Thatcher: Free Society Speech (1975)
Cornell University on Alert After Suspected Suicides
BBC: Cornell University staff are monitoring bridges over river gorges on its campus and checking on students after three fell to their deaths in the past month.
The head of the US college also took out an ad in the campus paper urging students: "If you learn anything at Cornell, please learn to ask for help."
The first of the deaths has been ruled a suicide. The others, which happened last week, are being investigated.
Three other students at Cornell have killed themselves this academic year.
But university officials insist its suicide rate is in line with the national average for its student population of 20,000 - about two per year. 'Suicide school' >>> | Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Vatican Investigates Bosnia 'Apparition' of Virgin Mary
BBC: The Vatican has announced a commission to investigate claims that the Virgin Mary appears on a daily basis in a town in Bosnia-Hercegovina.
Six children first reported the apparition in the town of Medjugorje in June 1981.
However, the sightings have not yet received official recognition from the Catholic Church.
The 20-strong commission will report to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the top doctrinal body.
Long debate
For almost 30 years, the Virgin Mary has been said to appear daily in Medjugorje, dressed sometimes in a grey dress and veil and sometimes in gold, crowned with stars and floating on a cloud.
It is said she speaks in Croatian, uttering the words: "I've come because there are many true believers here. I wish to be with you to convert and reconcile the whole world."
It is also said that three flashes of light precede her apparitions, during which the voices of the visionaries can no longer be heard.
But the Catholic Church has long debated the credibility of the sightings. >>> Mark Lowen | Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Merkel Supports Eurozone 'Red Card'
BBC: Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel says she wants the eurozone to be able to exclude one of its members in future if that is necessary to avert a crisis.
Mrs Merkel told the German Bundestag (parliament) that existing EU rules were not strong enough to deal with the current crisis triggered by Greece.
Exclusion from the 16-nation eurozone would be a "last resort", she said.
Germany, seen as the driving force of the euro system, is reluctant to bail out Greece's debt-laden economy.
But Mrs Merkel said no eurozone country would be left on its own to deal with the current crisis. Greece's budget deficit - four times higher than EU rules allow - has raised fears of possible contagion in the eurozone. >>> | Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Labour Has Taken 13 Years of Diabolical Liberties with Britain
THE TELEGRAPH: Individualism and autonomy used to be prized – now they are held in contempt, argues Simon Heffer
A danger of the Government's having made such a mess of the economy is that one risks forgetting all the other horrors for which it is responsible. Between now and the election I shall make a point of discussing some of these other factors that an intelligent voter should want to consider before casting his or her ballot. Despite stiff competition from matters like Europe, immigration, law and order and the near-destruction of our education system, one is perhaps worse than all the others: the insidious and at times quite terrifying assault on our civil liberties.
I have been prompted to think more about this after reading a new book by one of Cambridge University's most impressive young political philosophers, Ben Colburn. In Autonomy and Liberalism (Routledge, £70), Dr Colburn seeks "an understanding of what a liberal political philosophy is committed to". In this country, "liberal" is still just a term of approbation. Mrs Thatcher was a 19th century liberal. I have always considered myself a Gladstonian liberal. However, in America the word is used by people whose politics are broadly the same as Mrs Thatcher's and mine as a term of abuse. Perhaps the difference is that we think of liberalism in predominantly economic terms and the Americans think of it as defining something social.
This creates what Dr Colburn calls "a cacophony" surrounding the term, and in his book he seeks to restore order. To his mind, individual autonomy is central to the liberal political philosophy. Although a political philosopher, Dr Colburn takes a view of autonomy that verges upon the spiritual: "What is distinctive and valuable about human life is our capacity to decide for ourselves what is valuable in life, and to shape our lives in accordance with that decision".
There has, he argues later in his book, to be equality of access to autonomy; and he points out that autonomy is not a term interchangeable with freedom, and demonstrates how increased freedom may actually restrict the autonomy of some individuals simply because they do not have the knowledge or the means to handle it. These are rarified points, worthy of a political philosopher, but perhaps not with an immediate practical application to our politics. However, it is precisely this sort of philosophical underpinning that has been absent from so much policy during the past 13 years, and which has caused unnecessary restrictions to our autonomy: and, in the process, created a state that is becoming progressively more and more authoritarian, and therefore unpleasant, to live in. >>> Simon Heffer | Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Quarter of Adults Out of Work, Official Figures Show
THE TELEGRAPH: More than one in four adults in Britain are not working, after a record number left the workforce in recent months, official figures indicated.
A total of 10.6 million people either did not have a job, or have stopped looking for one, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics, which indicated that more people than ever before had abandoned the workplace – choosing instead to study, go on sick leave or just give up searching for a job.
A record 149,000 left the workforce and became "economically inactive", between November last year and January, the ONS said. These people more than offset the fall in the headline unemployment.
Unemployment fell for the third month in a row, dropping by 33,000 to hit 2.45 million. It has yet to breach the symbolic 2.5 million mark, let alone the 3 million barrier that haunted the recessions of the early 1990s and 1980s.
However, economists immediately expressed caution about the monthly figures from the Office for National Statistics.
The total number of economically inactive hit 8.16 million, the highest since the ONS started recording this measure in 1971.
The number out of a job, or econically inactive totals 10.6 million, or 28 per cent of adults of working age. >>> | Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Dubai Jails Indian Pair for 'Sexy Texts'
BBC: Steamy text messages have resulted in a three-month jail sentence for a Indian man and an Indian woman in Dubai.
Judges ruled that they had planned to "commit sin", a reference to an extramarital affair - which is illegal in the United Arab Emirates.
The unnamed pair, aged 47 and 42, were working as cabin crew for Dubai's Emirates airline.
Their "sexy texts" first surfaced last year, in a divorce lawsuit by the woman's estranged husband. Crimes of passion >>> | Wednesday, March 17, 2010
My “Friend” Ahmadinejad – Recep Tayyip Erdogan
BBC: The Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has told the BBC that he believes Iran has no intention of developing nuclear weapons.
World of Islam Children's Books Spark Protest from US Muslims
THE GUARDIAN: Council on American-Islamic Relations complains Muslims are portrayed as violent in series by foreign policy thinktank
Protesters feel that the books indicate that Muslims are something American society should be wary of. Photograph: The Guardian
A series of US children's textbooks on Islam contains misleading and inflammatory rhetoric about the religion, inaccurately portraying its followers as hostile and deserving of suspicion, according to a US Muslim civil liberties group.
The Pennsylvania chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations has begun what it calls a public awareness campaign against the World of Islam books by Mason Crest Publishing.
"The overall theme of the books is that Muslims are inherently violent, that Islam is a second-rate religion and that one should be wary of Muslims in any society," said Moein Khawaja, the chapter's civil rights director. "These books do not fulfil the mission of a school, which is to educate."
Among dozens of examples cited by Khawaja, the book Muslims in America says: "Some Muslims began immigrating to the United States in order to transform American society, sometimes through the use of terrorism." Elsewhere, a picture of two smiling Muslim girls in head scarves appears on a page subtitled "Security Threats".
Mason Crest produced the 10-book series, which is designed for ages 10 and older, in partnership with the Philadelphia-based Foreign Policy Research Institute. >>> Associated Press | Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Hillary Clinton to Call Benjamin Netanyahu in Bid to Ease Tensions
THE TELEGRAPH: Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, is planning to telephone Benjamin Netanyahu, the Isreali prime minister, in an effort to ease a bitter diplomatic feud.
Hillary Clinton: "We have an absolute commitment to Israel's security." Photo: The Telegraph
US officials said the call would be made in the next 24 hours, as the Obama administration awaits Mr Netanyahu's response to its complaints over Israeli settlement policy, which has provoked the deepest US-Israel row in years.
But in a possible sign that it wants to stop the row widening, the administration also said the dispute was a disagreement between friends which would not shatter the "unbreakable bond" between the allies.
Uncertainty over US-Israeli relations unfolded amid rising regional tensions, as hundreds of Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces in east Jerusalem in the worst rioting in years.
The row erupted when Washington, frustrated over a lack of success for its peace brokering, reacted angrily last week to an Israeli announcement that 1,600 new settler homes would be built in annexed east Jerusalem.
The move came at the moment the United States had convinced the Palestinians to take part in indirect "proximity" talks with the Israelis, and during a visit to Jerusalem by Vice President Joe Biden.
State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters he expected a conversation "very soon" between Mrs Clinton and Mr Netanyahu. >>> | Wednesday, March 17, 2010
A Bitter Century: Armenia's Fears
Turkey Threatens to Expel 100,000 Armenians Over 'Genocide' Row
THE TELEGRAPH: Turkey has threatened to expel 100,000 Armenians from the country in response to the US branding the First World War killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as "genocide".
Ottoman soldiers posing in front of Armenians they hung on a public place, image taken in Alep in 1915. Photograph: The Telegraph
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, said the position of the immigrants, many of whom have lived there as refugees for a generation, was being reviewed in the wake of the row.
Armenia claims more than 500,000 of its countrymen died in bitter in-fighting as the Ottoman Empire disintegrated at the height of the First World War.
Turkey concedes that tens of thousands died in ethnic fighting but vehemently disputes accusations that massacres were systematically planned.
Tensions with Armenia have recently escalated as a well-organised worldwide campaign has persuaded the American Congress and Swedish parliament to adopt resolutions condemning the incidents as "genocide".
An Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day Bill has also been put before the House of Commons and Mr Erdogan has warned Gordon Brown that relations would suffer if parliament passes it.
Turkish law already makes discussion of genocide an offence punishable by imprisonment.
"There are currently 170,000 Armenians living in our country. Only 70,000 of them are Turkish citizens, but we are tolerating the remaining 100,000," said Mr Erdogan.
"If necessary, I may have to tell these 100,000 to go back to their country because they are not my citizens. I don't have to keep them in my country." >>> Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Wednesday, March 17, 2010
