Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Euro Plunges as Club Med Debt Fears Spread

THE TELEGRAPH: Fleeting relief over the EU-IMF bail-out for Greece has given way rapidly to a fresh bout of investor panic across southern Europe, pulling the euro down to its lowest level against the dollar in over a year.

Yields on German two-year debt reached a record low, falling to 0.71pc on safe-haven demand in echoes of credit stress at the height of the financial crisis. This is below the European Central Bank's short-term rate of 1pc. "This is very unusual and indicates concern about systemic risk from sovereign debt," said Stephen Lewis from Monument Securities.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel told ARD television that banks and creditors should be forced to share the pain if further rescues are ever needed, suggesting "an orderly restructuring" of debt in future.

The words were an icy warning to investors that the €110bn (£95bn) aid package for Greece is a one-off case. Banks, insurers, and pension funds with high exposure to Club Med debt cannot count on a second rescue to protect their portfolios if the crisis spreads. >>> Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, International Business Editor | Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Trust Me, I'm Nick Clegg: How the Also-ran Stole the Show

THE GUARDIAN: Nick Clegg has one great advantage over his Tory rival: no one raises the question of his sincerity

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Nick Clegg, pictured in Liverpool with Kay Cummins, who has leukaemia, has drawn large, enthusiastic crowds. Photograph: The Guardian

Spend a few weeks following the leaders of the three main parties and you soon realise that – regardless of the results of tomorrow's vote — a hierarchy has emerged in this campaign. When Gordon Brown turns up somewhere, he's lucky if there's more than a smattering of party faithful ready to greet him, perhaps two dozen souls holding the odd placard. That could be a function of his security arrangements, with details of his travel not released in advance, or it could be a commentary on his public standing. But the harsh truth is that a visit from Brown generates little hoopla.

Next up the pecking order comes David Cameron. There's always a healthy number of people at his events, usually arranged photogenically – white men in suits nudged out of shot; those who are young, female, black or Asian ushered to the front – and reliably ready with a cheer. But the suspicion lingers that the crowd has not exactly gathered spontaneously, that it has been convened through diligent advance work.

And then there's Nick Clegg. When he pops up, there can be up to 400 people waiting for him – even on a rainy morning in Lewisham, south London. Sure, that's a tribute to the Liberal Democrats' famous knack for pavement politics and, admittedly, the local party had a week to organise its people. But that doesn't explain the large number standing in the cold who are neither party members nor even past Lib Dem voters. Nor does it explain the crowd of onlookers across the street, waiting for the speaker to arrive, nor the people in the flats overlooking the common who open their windows to see the show. >>> Jonathan Freedland | Wednesday, May 04, 2010
Defence Debate: How Should Britain Deal with the Threat Posed by Al-Qaeda?

THE TELEGRAPH: Yemen has blamed al-Qaeda for a failed assassination attempt on the country's British ambassador, which took place yesterday. It's another example, the Telegraph says, "of the escalating terrorist threat posed by Islamist militants based in the Arabian Peninsular". How should Britain prepare for this threat? And is military action inevitable? Join the debate >>>
R.O.P. Strikes Again*! Times Square Car Bomb: Security Slip Let Faisal Shahzad Board Plane

THE TELEGRAPH: The suspect in the failed car bomb attempt on Times Square was allowed to board a plane and almost make it out of the country despite being on a no fly list, it has emerged.



Faisal Shahzad had boarded a jetliner bound for the United Arab Emirates before federal authorities arrested him. Although under surveillance since midafternoon, he had managed to elude investigators and head to the airport.

The night's events, gradually coming to light, underscored the flaws in the nation's aviation security system, which despite its technologies, lists and information sharing, often comes down to someone making a right call.

As federal agents closed in, Mr Shahzad was aboard Emirates Flight 202. He reserved a ticket on the way to John F. Kennedy International Airport, paid cash on arrival and walked through security without being stopped.

By the time Customs and Border Protection officials, using a no-fly list updated on Tuesday, spotted Mr Shahzad's name on the passenger list and recognised him as the bombing suspect they were looking for, he was in his seat and the plane was preparing to leave the gate.

At the last minute, the pilot was notified, the jetliner's door was opened and Shahzad was taken into custody.

After authorities pulled Mr Shahzad off the plane.

He later claimed to have been trained at a terror camp in Pakistan's lawless tribal region of Waziristan, according to court documents. That raised increased concern that the bombing was an international terror plot.

New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said that Mr Shahzad was cooperating with investigators and had waived his Miranda rights, which grant him the right to a lawyer and full US constitutional legal rights. >>> | Wednesday, May 05, 2010

*But Bloomberg wants Americans not to connect the dots! Fighting the Jihad this way, the West is going to need infinite resources, to say nothing of immeasurable patience and understanding. He wants the people of New York – and the rest of the West, I suppose – to “turn the other cheek”, indefinitely! So keep on turning that cheek folks! – © Mark

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Terrorism Suspect, Charged, Said to Admit to Role in Plot : A Pakistani-American man arrested in the failed Times Square car bombing has admitted his role in the attempted attack and said he received explosives training in Pakistan, the authorities said Tuesday. >>> Mark Mazzetti, Sabrina Tavernise and Jack Healy | Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Related:

Obama appoints two devout Muslims to Homeland Security posts. Presumably to keep Americans safe! Go figure! >>>

Statement by Secretary Napolitano on President Obama's Intent to Nominate David Heyman as Assistant Secretary for Policy and her Appointment of Arif Alikhan as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development >>>
General Election 2010: Tony Blair Says Don't Vote Tactically

THE GUARDIAN: Ferocious attack on Lib Dems by former prime minister / Tony Blair accepts poll is also referendum on his own record

Tony Blair has flatly rejected calls for Labour supporters to vote tactically to prevent the Tories getting into power, insisting that people should make up their own minds and back the party they believe in.

Speaking on a day when several cabinet ministers suggested that Labour voters should cast their ballot for the Liberal Democrats in some seats, the former prime minister set himself against the tactic, and was contemptuous of Nick Clegg's party and its claim to represent real change. He described the Lib Dems as "the old politics masquerading as the new", and said their entire history as a party showed them incapable of facing up to hard choices.

Voters, he said, should follow their instincts. "It is simple," he told the Guardian. "Vote for what you believe in. If you think their polices are good, vote for them, but if you don't, don't. The Lib Dems are not going out to people and saying 'vote Labour' – they are trying to take seats off us." >>> Patrick Wintour, political editor | Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Iran Civil Rights Activist Could Face 'Honour Killing' If Deported from UK

THE GUARDIAN: Bita Gheadi fled from Iran to escape forced marriage / Fears of 'honour killing' from own family or state execution

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Bita Ghaedi, an Iranian dissident, faces deportation on 5 May 2010, having fled to the UK in 2005 to escape forced marriage and the threat of sharia law. Photograph: The Guardian

An Iranian civil rights activist who is due to be deported from the UK tomorrow could face the death penalty and fears being murdered by her family in an "honour killing" if she is sent back to Iran, according to her British partner.

Bita Ghaedi, 34, fled Iran to the UK in 2005 to escape a forced marriage and in fear of her family discovering she had a secret lover. She has since spoken out against sharia law, forced marriage and human rights abuses in her homeland and has been filmed criticising the regime for TV channels widely available across the Middle East. She is currently in Yarl's Wood detention centre awaiting deportation, which is scheduled for 7pm tomorrow following the failure of a fresh asylum claim.

Her partner, Mohsen Zadshir, from Barnet, a member of the Iranian opposition who gained political asylum in 1999, said that if deported, her life is "finished".

Ghaedi has transgressed the strict traditional code under which Iranian women are supposed to adhere. Not only has she brought "shame" on her family by having a relationship with a man who was not her husband, but she has participated in the anti-government protests which have grown more vociferous after the disputed 2009 presidential election result. Each of these transgressions would be enough to put her life in danger if she is deported, according to Zadshir, a former Iranian politician who is now a British citizen. >>> Karen McVeigh | Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Let’s Not Make This Complicated! There Is But One Good Reason to Despise Ed Balls. It’s This: He Talks Balls!

>>>

Nationalité et polygamie: Eric Besson propose de changer le droit

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: FRANCE | Dans une réponse à son collègue Brice Hortefeux, le ministre de l'Immigration propose ses solutions. Radicales.

Le ministre de l’Immigration Eric Besson propose de faire évoluer le droit français afin de pouvoir déchoir de sa nationalité les coupables d’«atteintes caractérisées aux valeurs fondamentales de notre République», comme la polygamie ou l’excision, dans une lettre à son collègue de l’Intérieur Brice Hortefeux, rendue publique mardi par «Le Figaro».

Le 23 avril, le ministre de l’Intérieur Brice Hortefeux avait écrit à son collègue de l’Immigration pour lui demander d’étudier l’éventuelle déchéance de sa nationalité française du conjoint de la femme verbalisée en niqab au volant à Nantes, le soupçonnant de polygamie et de fraude aux aides sociales. >>> AP | Mardi 04 Mai 2010
Hartes Sparprogramm: So ungemütlich wird das Leben in Griechenland

WELT ONLINE: Die griechische Regierung lässt sich von den gewalttätigen Protesten nicht abschrecken – und setzt bei der eigenen Bevölkerung die Daumenschrauben an. Die Mehrwertsteuer wird erhöht, Firmen zahlen eine einmalige Krisen-Sondersteuer, frei werdende Beamtenstellen werden kaum mehr besetzt. Und das ist längst nicht alles.

Griechenlands Regierung beginnt trotz anhaltender Proteste mit Maßnahmen zur Sanierung der Staatsfinanzen. Während vor dem Parlament in Athen streikende Beamte demonstrierten, reichte das Finanzministerium drinnen einen Entwurf ein, der Einschnitte bei Gehältern und Renten und zahlreiche Steuererhöhungen festschreiben soll. Spätestens am Donnerstag soll das Gesetz beschlossen werden. >>> Von Florian Hassel | Dienstag, 04. Mai 2010
Pat Condell: What I Know About Islam



HT: The Anti-Jihadist @ Pedestrian Infidel >>>
Marchés : Craignant une contagion à l'Espagne, les Bourses européennes plongent

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La majorité des places boursières européennes a dévissé, mardi. Photo : Le Point

LE POINT: Le plan d'aide à la Grèce à peine bouclé, la crainte d'une contagion de cette crise de la dette au reste de l'Europe, et particulièrement à l'Espagne, a entraîné un mardi noir sur les Bourses européennes et fait rechuter l'euro. Des rumeurs selon lesquelles d'autres agences de notation allaient dégrader la note de l'Espagne et selon lesquelles Madrid pourrait demander une aide financière colossale au FMI ont fait plonger les places européennes. À la clôture, la Bourse de Madrid a lâché 5,41 %, Lisbonne 4,21 %, Milan 4,70 %, Dublin 3,97 %, Amsterdam 3,19 %, Paris 3,64 %, Londres 2,56 % et Francfort 2,6 %. La Bourse d'Athènes a, elle, cédé 6,68 %. Avec le Portugal, l'Espagne est l'un des pays de la zone euro qui inquiète le plus les marchés. >>> AFP | Mardi 04 Mai 2010

NZZ ONLINE: Griechenland-Krise belastet die Börsen weltweit: Bankentitel stark unter Druck - Unsicherheit um Spanien >>> chs./(sda/Reuters/afp/dpa) | Dienstag, 04. Mai 2010
Cameron: 'If You Vote Tory, You Are in Charge'

Nick Clegg in Quotes: On Labour, the Conservatives and Coalitions

THE GUARDIAN: The Liberal Democrat leader keeps his options on his political rivals and possible coalition partners open

Attacking Labour

25 April 2010: "It is just preposterous the idea that if a party comes third in the number of votes, it still has somehow the right to carry on squatting in No 10 ... I think a party which has come third – and so millions of people have decided to abandon them – has lost the election spectacularly [and] cannot then lay claim to providing the prime minister of this country."

27 April 2010: "I think, if Labour do come third in terms of the number of votes cast, then people would find it inexplicable that Gordon Brown himself could carry on as prime minister. As for who I'd work with, I've been very clear – much clearer than David Cameron and Gordon Brown – that I will work with anyone. I will work with a man from the moon, I don't care ... with anyone who can deliver the greater fairness that I think people want." >>> | Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Kim Jong-il to Meet with Hu Jintao in China

THE TELEGRAPH: The reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is expected to arrive in Beijing later today for talks with China's president Hu Jintao as he seeks to shore up his country's bankrupt economy and negotiate a way out of the international diplomatic isolation of recent months.



Neither Beijing or Pyongyang has confirmed the visit, but Mr Kim, with his easily recognisable sunglasses and frizzy hair, was photographed in the port city of Dalian where he arrived on Monday from North Korea in his 17-carriage armoured train.

This visit came as South Korea moved closer to blaming the Pyongyang for the sinking of one of its warships last March in an incident that has further raised tensions between the two Koreas in recent weeks.

The South's president Lee Myung-Bak told a televised meeting of his chiefs of staff that it was clear that the sinking was not a "simple accident" and ordered a thorough review of Seoul's military readiness in light of the apparent attack on the 1,200 tonne corvette Cheonan.

Analysts said the sinking, which Pyongyang has denied, was expected to be on the agenda of talks with Chinese leaders along with the North's desperate need for economic aid, including food and fuel.

A disastrous attempt to reform the North Korean currency last November is thought to have deepened the country's economic woes, raising the threat of a repeat of the famines of the mid 1990s. >>> Peter Foster in Beijing | Tuesday, May 04, 2010
'Age of Measurement' Harming Schools, Says Eton Head

THE TELEGRAPH: Boarding schools have entered an ''Age of Measurement'' where only results are valuable, the headmaster of Eton has suggested.

Areas of schooling that cannot be measured are seen as worthless, Tony Little said.

Addressing the Boarding Schools' Association (BSA) annual conference in Torquay, Mr Little said: ''It is a sad thing, it seems to me, that where once men were able to speak of sweeps of history such as the Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Reason, we now seem to inhabit the Age of Measurement.

''Our day-to-day lives are circumscribed by a variation of the McNamara fallacy: only that which can be measured has worth, if it cannot be measured it can have no worth. This kind of thinking cuts to the heart of everything I believe in as the head of a boarding school.'' >>> | Tuesday, May 04, 2010

THE TELEGRAPH: France to build £3.8bn super university: France is spending 4.4 billion euros (£3.8bn) on a new modern university campus designed to rival Cambridge and Harvard as one of the world's best. >>> | Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Ayn Rand's Ideas: An Introduction - Ayn Rand Center



These videos are presented to you merely as food for thought. I am NOT an Objectivist. – Mark
1959 – The Mike Wallace Interview: Ayn Rand

Part 1:



Part 2:



Part 3:



These videos are presented to you merely as food for thought. I am NOT an Objectivist. – Mark
Anti-dhimmitude: Muslim Woman Fined £430 for Wearing Burka in Italy

THE TELEGRAPH: A Muslim woman in Italy has been fined 500 euros (£430) for wearing a burka in what is believed to be the first case of its kind.

The Tunisian immigrant, Amel Marmouri, 26, was fined by police in the city of Novara, in the north-eastern Piedmont region.

The town council is controlled by the right-wing Northern League, which has pushed for much tougher immigration controls and at a national level forms part of Silvio Berlusconi's coalition government.

Mrs Marmouri was in a post office when police officers stopped her and issued her with the fine.

"As far as I know this is a first in Italy," said police officer Mauro Franzinelli.

Her husband, Ben Salah Braim, 36, said the family would struggle to pay the penalty.

He said his wife would continue to wear the full-length item of clothing because he did not want her to be seen by other men, but in future she would be forced to stay at home most of the time.

Novara introduced an ordinance in January that prohibits the wearing of burkas. The regulation invokes a 1975 anti-terrorism law, which prohibits people from wearing anything that obscures their faces and impedes identification. >>> Nick Squires in Rome | Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Greece: Mob Madness

Watch Journeyman Pictures video here
Juncker: The Future of Europe, Van Rompuy, Greece's Economic Situation, and the UK Joining the Euro

Muslim Immigrants Make Anti-Semitism an Issue for Sweden





RUSSIA TODAY: Muslim immigrants make anti-Semitism an issue for Sweden: Sweden is normally considered to be a peaceful haven in Europe. But this Scandinavian stability is being shaken up by a wave of anti-Semitic attacks. >>> | Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Related:

THE WEEKLY STANDARD: Welcome to Ramallmö >>> By Paulina Neuding | Friday, March 13, 2009

STOCKHOLM NEWS: New Report about Islamism in Sweden >>> Tommie Ullman | Friday, January 30, 2009
Austria Plagued with Islamic Controversy





RUSSIA TODAY: Austria plagued with Islamic controversy: Austrian authorities have prosecuted the leader of the right-leaning Freedom Party of Austria for inciting religious hatred, but some say the move sacrifices people’s freedom of speech. >>> | Wednesday, August 05, 2010
David Miliband ‘Bid to Be Labour Leader’

METRO: A secret campaign to replace Gordon Brown with David Miliband is reportedly being waged by Peter Mandelson and Tony Blair.

The bid is also thought to have the backing of home secretary Alan Johnson, defence secretary Bob Ainsworth and Olympics minister Tessa Jowell, meaning he could be installed as soon as Friday. >>> | Tuesday, May 04, 2010

THE TELEGRAPH – BLOG: Gordon Brown: I'll quit, but I won't cash in like Tony Blair >>> James Kirkup | Tuesday, May 04, 2010

LYNN NEWS: Labour man blasts his own party leader

NORTH-west Norfolk's Labour candidate has blasted Gordon Brown, calling him "the worst Prime Minister" Britain has ever had.

Speaking from his Leicester home, Manish Sood (38), told the Lynn News: "Immigration has gone up which is creating friction within communities. The country is getting bigger and messier.

"The role of ministers has gone bureaucratic and the action of ministers has gone downhill – it is corrupt.

"The loss of social values is the basic problem and this is not what the Labour Party is about.

"I believe Gordon Brown has been the worst Prime Minister we have had in this country.

"It is a disgrace and he owes an apology to the people and the Queen." Brown is 'worst PM ever' says Labour candidate >>> Sophie Wyllie | Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Clegg: 'We Have Days to Deliver Fairness'

B. Hussein Obama: "Countries like Europe"?

Greek Protestors Unfurl Banners on Acropolis

THE TELEGRAPH: Greek protesters have unfurled banners over the walls of the Acropolis attacking new austerity measures imposed as a condition of an international bailout.

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Greek Communist Party members wave flags from the Acropolis archaeological site behind a banner hung in front of the Parthenon temple. Photo: The Telegraph

About 100 protesters from the Greek Communist Party cut through locks on the gates of the major tourist attraction shortly after dawn and unfurled the banners in Greek and English reading: "Peoples of Europe - Rise Up."

Police did not intervene as the protesters carrying red flags stood beside the ancient Parthenon, next to the two large banners. The demonstrators did not attempt to prevent tourists from visiting the site.

Greece's government announced sweeping spending cuts worth 30 billion euros through 2012, in order to secure a rescue package of loans from the International Monetary Fund and the other 15 European Union countries using the euro. >>> | Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Verbunden: Akropolis aus Protest gegen Sparpaket besetzt: Spektakuläre Aktion zum Auftakt der landesweiten Streiks >>> sda/afp | Dienstag, 04. Mai 2010
U.S. and U.K. Step Out as Ahmadinejad Speaks

Akropolis aus Protest gegen Sparpaket besetzt: Spektakuläre Aktion zum Auftakt der landesweiten Streiks

NZZ ONLINE: Mit der Besetzung der Akropolis haben in Athen rund 200 kommunistische Gewerkschafter gegen die drastischen Sparpläne der Regierung protestiert. Die Demonstranten entrollten zwei Transparente mit dem Aufruf «Völker Europas, erhebt euch», die direkt unter dem Athener Wahrzeichen weithin sichtbar waren.

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Demonstranten besetzen die Akropolis in Athen. Foto: NZZ Online

Laut Polizei war zunächst unklar, wie die Aktivisten auf das Gelände gelangen konnten, das um diese Zeit noch geschlossen ist und streng bewacht wird. Die Aktion bildete den Auftakt eines zweitägigen Streiks im öffentlichen Dienst gegen das Sparprogramm. Für Mittwoch haben die Gewerkschaften zum Generalstreik aufgerufen. >>> sda/afp | Dienstag, 04. Mai 2010
Schlammschlacht: Erdogan wehrt sich gegen Hitler-Vergleiche

WELT ONLINE: In der Türkei haben die Beratungen über weitreichende Verfassungsänderungen begonnen. Der Streit zwischen der Erdogan-Regierung und der Opposition hat mittlerweile den Charakter einer politischen Schlammschlacht. Das beliebteste Stilmittel: Vergleiche mit Hitler und Nazi-Deutschland. >>> Von Boris Kálnoky | Montag, 01. Mai 2010
Protest gegen BNP: Hakenkreuz auf Parlament in London gestrahlt

KRONEN ZEITUNG: Als Warnung vor einem möglichen Erfolg der Rechtsextremen bei der britischen Parlamentswahl am Donnerstag haben Aktivisten ein Hakenkreuz an das Parlament in London gestrahlt. "Zeit der Entscheidung. Haltet die extreme Rechte draußen", schrieben sie in der Nacht zu Montag mit Lichtstrahlen neben das weiß-rote Hakenkreuz an die Fassade des Parlaments. >>> | Montag, 03. Mai 2010

BRISBANE TIMES: Swastika beamed on to UK parliament: Campaigners against the far-right in Britain on Monday projected an image of a swastika on the side of parliament, amid fears extremists could be voted in at this week's general election >>> AFP | Monday, May 03, 2010
Gordon Brown: We Need a World Constitution!

Euro : Paris et Berlin veulent durcir les règles

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Angela Merkel, lundi à Berlin. Photo : Le Figaro

LE FIGARO: Angela Merkel veut modifier les traités pour imposer plus de discipline financière. Et imposer une agence de notation européenne. La France est d'accord sur les principes, mais pas sur le détail des mesures.

Prêts à tirer au plus vite les «leçons» de la crise, Paris et Berlin ont manifesté, dès lundi, leur intention de réformer le «Pacte de stabilité», qui a prouvé sa totale inefficacité dans la crise grecque. Ce texte impose aux états membres une limite de déficit à 3 % du PIB et de dettes à 60 % du PIB. Aujourd'hui, la Grèce affiche un déficit de 14 % du PIB et une dette supérieure à 130 % du PIB. «Il faut transformer le Pacte de manière à ce qu'il ne puisse pas être contourné», a plaidé lundi Angela Merkel, après avoir obtenu le feu vert de son gouvernement au plan d'aide à la Grèce, qui s'élèvera pour Berlin, à 22,4 milliards d'euros sur trois ans. >>> Par Alexandrine Bouilhet | Lundi 03 Mai 2010
General Hospital Under Threat as NHS Faces Post-poll Closures

TIMES ONLINE: The NHS is facing significant cuts in services across England and Wales despite election pledges from the main parties to protect health spending.

Analysis by The Times has revealed that the number of health bodies preparing the ground for possible closures has increased. Those seeking advice on big changes to NHS services, including shutting down hospital units, has doubled over the past year. >>> Sam Lister and David Rose | Tuesday, May 04, 2010
The Case for Change

Britain needs a stable and legitimate government to navigate its fiscal crisis and punch its weight abroad. On balance, the Conservative party best fits the bill. – FT

FT – Editorial: The word “change” has ricocheted around the British election campaign. All the main parties, including the incumbent Labour government, have promised it, with varying degrees of plausibility. None has managed to convince a wary public.

To some extent this is because the electorate is uncertain about the change it wants. The national mood veers between cynicism and contempt towards politicians. The main beneficiaries have been the Liberal Democrats, who have transformed themselves, partly by virtue of novelty, from marginal players into potential partners in a future government.

But the parties have not articulated convincingly what change means. The campaign has focused too much on personalities rather than matters of substance. The televised debates between the party leaders briefly captured the popular imagination, but the price was to foster the idea of politics as game show. Real differences on policy have been obscured.

None of the parties has tackled head-on the question of how to restore Britain’s public finances. This year, the UK is expected to run a fiscal deficit of 11.1 per cent of national output – or £163bn. The parties have not been straight with the public about the austerity that lies ahead. Whoever enters Number 10 may suffer a form of winner’s curse.

The Financial Times has no fixed political allegiances. We stand for a liberal agenda: a small state, social justice and open international markets. But we do have a vision of the changes needed for economic and political renewal. It is on this basis that we judge the fitness of the contenders for power.

The problems facing the UK are daunting – more so than at any time since the 1970s. Then, as now, there was much talk of national decline. But Britain’s difficulties are not insurmountable. Strong leadership under Margaret Thatcher made the difference in 1979. Similar resolve is required today.

The economic challenge goes beyond the need to restore the public finances. The state has grown too large, accounting for 48 per cent of national output. Its sprawling size threatens to stifle the economy, crimping private enterprise and the wealth creation vital to preserve Britain’s standing in the world. It must be hacked back. >>> FT Editorial | Monday, May 03, 2010
FT Switches Allegiance To The Tories

SKY NEWS: The Financial Times has switched allegiance to the Tories having backed Labour at the previous four General Elections. >>> Miranda Richardson, Sky News Online | Tuesday, May 04, 2010

LE POINT: Le Financial Times apporte son soutien à David Cameron : Le Financial Times a apporté mardi son soutien aux conservateurs, à deux jours des élections générales en Grande-Bretagne, affirmant que le principal parti d'opposition, s'il arrive au pouvoir, instaurera le meilleur climat pour les entreprises. >>> LePoint.fr | Mardi 04 Mai 2010
Mumbai Gunman Faces Death Penalty After Conviction

THE TELEGRAPH: The lone surviving gunman involved in the Mumbai attacks in which 166 people died is facing the death penalty after being convicted mass murder and waging war on India.

Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, 22, was jointly responsible for the assault on the railway station where 52 people were gunned down.

He was convicted on 86 charges of waging war against India, possessing explosives and aiding and abetting the murders of all 166 victims.

Kasab and his fellow militants from the Lashkar e Taiba (LeT) terrorist group struck at three hotels, a bar, a Jewish centre and the city's main station in an attack lasting 60 hours.

His victims included the head of Mumbai's antiterrorist police in a shoot-out as he left the railway station. Their murders wiped out the city's antiterrorist command and sabotaged its response.

India's Home Minister, P Chidambaram, welcomed the verdict and said it sent a clear message to Pakistan that "they should not export terror to India. If they do, and if the terrorists are apprehended, we will be able to give them exemplary punishment," he said. >>> Dean Nelson in New Delhi | Monday, May 03, 2010

Guilty Verdict for Mumbai Attacker

B. Hussein Obama Discloses His Hand

THE TELEGRAPH: The United States has become the first country to disclose an up-to-date figure for the number of weapons in its nuclear arsenal.

It has done so to encourage more openness from other nuclear states and to further President Barack Obama's goal of global disarmament.

The Pentagon said 5,113 warheads were either operationally deployed, kept in active reserve or held in inactive storage. On a fact sheet detailing numbers that had been classified for decades, it said that the arsenal has been reduced by 84 per cent from its maximum level of 31,225 warheads at the end of 1967.

The total disclosed by the Pentagon did not include the number of warheads that have been retired and scheduled for complete dismantlement, an estimated 4,600 according to the Federation of American Scientists.

The Pentagon did not detail the size of the remaining warheads. But according to previous analysis many weapons in the arsenal are far more powerful than the 15 kilotons of TNT used at Hiroshima and the 22 kiloton bomb dropped on Nagasaki. US has more than 5,000 nuclear warheads >>> Alex Spillius in New York | Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Boost for Disarmament Talks as US Reveals Size of Nuclear Arsenal

TIMES ONLINE: The US revealed the size of its nuclear arsenal last night in an unprecedented attempt to galvanise efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, announced the declassification of one of the Pentagon’s most closely guarded secrets at the opening day of a critical international meeting on global disarmament.

The Pentagon’s figures show that the US stockpile consists of 5,113 nuclear warheads and “several thousand” more retired warheads that await dismantling. The figures reveal an 84 per cent reduction from the historic peak of 31,225 warheads in 1967 at the height of the Cold War.

“Beginning today, the United States will make public the number of nuclear weapons in our stockpile and the number of weapons we have dismantled since 1991,” Mrs Clinton told the UN review conference on the Non-Proliferation Treaty. “So for those who doubt that the United States will do its part on disarmament, this is our record, these are our commitments and they send a clear, unmistakable signal.” >>> Catherine Philp in New York | Tuesday, May 04, 2010

THE GUARDIAN: US shows its nuclear hand in bid to show sincerity on arms: Exact number of US warheads revealed for first time as Iran's leader hits out on first day of non-proliferation talks >>> Julian Borger and Andrew Clark in New York | Tuesday, May 04, 2010
New York Times Square Bomb: Suspect Arrested Trying to Board Flight to Dubai

THE TELEGRAPH: An American citizen of Pakistani origin has been arrested in connection with an attempted car bombing in New York's Times Square, the US attorney general, Eric Holder, confirmed.



The man was officially named as Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistani-American, and said he was arrested on Long Island, New York.

Mr Holder said the man was attempting to board a flight to Dubai.

The US attorney general added that investigations were ongoing.

Authorities had launched a massive manhunt with the FBI's terrorism task force and local New York police to try to catch the would-be bomber.

MSNBC said the 30-year-old man had been linked to a sport utility vehicle seized with explosives late Saturday in the busy New York district.

The police sources told US media that the man had recently returned from a trip to Pakistan and three weeks ago paid cash for the Nissan Pathfinder SUV used in the attempted bombing.

It was sold by the vehicle's registered owner in Connecticut about three weeks ago without official paperwork changing hands, police said earlier. >>> | Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Monday, May 03, 2010

General Election 2010: Nick Clegg Could Still Spoil David Cameron’s Party

THE TELEGRAPH: The momentum seems to be with the Tories in Labour marginal seats but they are being repulsed by the Lib Dems, says Philip Johnston

A few months ago, the received wisdom held that the Conservatives were on course to regain political power after 13 years of opposition.

Now, as today’s Daily Telegraph poll of the marginals confirms, they are tantalisingly close to securing an overall parliamentary majority, but are probably going to fall short. They will win the most votes and, barring the vagaries of our electoral system, should have the most seats and might even have more than Labour and the Liberal Democrats combined.

But to win the 326 seats needed to be sure of getting their business through Parliament was always going to be a tall order and could well be beyond their reach. >>> Philip Johnston | Monday, May 03, 2010
Elderly Jewish Man Attacked Outside Synagogue

THE TELEGRAPH: Three men have attacked an elderly Jewish man outside a synagogue in southern France, spraying tear gas in his face and leaving an anti-Semitic slogan.

The man, aged in his 80s, has filed a police complaint following the assault on Sunday in Nimes as he was waiting to attend services, said Paul Benguigui, president of the Jewish association in Nimes.

The attackers daubed explicit anti-Jewish graffiti on the synagogue doors.

The incident comes less than a week after a man wearing a kippah was wounded in an assault in Strasbourg by a mentally disturbed attacker armed with a knife and metal bar. >>> | Monday, May 03, 2010
Come Dancing!

MAIL ONLINE: He has shown that he is willing to turn his hand to just about anything - just so long as it pays well.

From lucrative after-dinner speeches to advising Arab governments and investment banks, Tony Blair has certainly made the most of his life after politics.

And now the former Prime Minister has been offered £250,000 to sign up for the next series of Dancing With The Stars, the U.S version of Strictly Come Dancing.

Conrad Green, the executive producer of the show, is desperate for the former Prime Minister to come and strut his stuff for the American public. Tony Blair offered £250,000 to appear on Dancing with the Stars >>> Niall Firth | Monday, May 03, 2010
German Euro MP Koch-Mehrin Urges EU Burka Ban

BBC: A top German Euro MP has called for a Europe-wide ban on wearing the Islamic full-body veil, or burka, in public.

Silvana Koch-Mehrin, a member of the liberal Free Democrats (FDP), said the burka was "a massive attack on women's rights - it is a mobile prison".

Her party is in the German government with Chancellor Angela Merkel's centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU).

Belgian MPs have voted to ban garments covering the face in public, including the burka and the Islamic niqab.

The ban would be the first such restriction in Europe if backed by Belgium's upper house.

In an article in the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag, Ms Koch-Mehrin said wearing the burka "openly supports values that we do not share in Europe".

"I want the wearing of all forms of the burka to be banned in Germany too - and throughout Europe." Opposition to ban >>> | Monday, May 03, 2010

Related / Verbunden / Liens en relation avec l’article: here / hier / ici
Election Means No Budget Cuts

America's Disappointing Reaction to South Park Censorship

THE TELEGRAPH: America's failure to rise up against the intimidation of cartoonist Molly Norris and South Park animators is a sad sign, says Alex Spillius.

South Park
South Park featured an episode where all the founders of the major world religions including Mohammed appeared as a group of crime fighters called the Super Best Friends. Image: The Telegraph

The trouble with terror is that it can be terrifying. Just ask Molly Norris, a cartoonist from Seattle.

As far as we know, she hasn't been explicitly threatened by Islamic extremists, but evidently she feared she might be.

Her error was to post on her website an illustration with many different household objects with speech bubbles all claiming to be the likeness of Mohammed, including a tea cup, a domino and a box of pasta. It was part of a mock campaign to dedicate May 20 as "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!" >>> Alex Spillius in Washington | Saturday, May 01, 2010
Bishops' Defection: A Major New Blow to the Anglican Church

THE TELEGRAPH: When hundreds of Church of England clergy defected to the Roman Catholic Church nearly 20 years ago, it dealt a damaging blow to Anglican unity and strained relations between the two Churches.

These relations will now be stretched to breaking point with the revelation that the Vatican is secretly plotting with English bishops over plans for a new wave of converts.

Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has already expressed his dismay at the way Pope Benedict XVI last year made his offer to disaffected Anglicans to join the Catholic Church[.]

He would have been encouraged by the lack of clergy who have so far responded to the invitation, but The Sunday Telegraph has learnt that schemes to allow for an exodus of Anglican priests are being discussed at the highest levels of the Vatican.

This is likely to prove highly embarrassing for the Pope and deepen suspicions that he is preparing to poach clergy from England only months before he visits Britain. >>> Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Sunday, May 02, 2010
Ahmadinejad poltert vor der Uno in New York: Eklat zu Beginn der Uno-Konferenz über den Atomwaffensperrvertrag

NZZ ONLINE: Begleitet von diplomatischen Protesten hat der iranische Präsident Mahmud Ahmadinejad an der Uno-Konferenz zum Atomwaffensperrvertrag schwere Vorwürfe gegen die USA gerichtet. Das Land missbrauche sein Atomarsenal, um Staaten ohne solche Waffen zu «bedrohen».

Zu Beginn der turnusmässigen Überprüfungskonferenz zum Atomwaffensperrvertrag wies Ahmadinejad erneut den Vorwurf zurück, sein Land strebe nach dem Besitz von Nuklearwaffen. Dafür gebe es «keinen einzigen glaubhaften Beweis», sagte der iranische Präsident. >>> sda/afp | Montag, 03. Mai 2010

THE TELEGRAPH: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad uses UN platform to attack West over nuclear plans: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has used the United Nations as a platform to launch an attack on the West's efforts to impose a new round of sanctions. >>> Alex Spillius in New York | Monday, May 03, 2010
Blackberry 'Predicted a Century Ago' by Pioneering Physicist Nikola Tesla

THE TELEGRAPH: The Blackberry was first predicted more than a century ago, by Nikola Tesla, the electrical engineer, it has been claimed.

Tesla, a pioneering American physicist, made the prediction about the portable messaging service in the Popular Mechanics magazine in 1909.

Tesla, whose name lives on at Tesla Motors, the electric car manufacturer, saw wireless energy as the only way to make electricity thrive.

He wrote in the magazine that, one day it would be possible to transmit wireless messages all over the world.

He imagined such a hand-held device would be simple to use and that, one day, everyone in the world would communicate to friends using it.

This, he added, would usher in a new era of technology.

The "Crackberry" as it has been dubbed for its addictive qualities, is popular with business executives and US President Barack Obama, but has struggled in Britain to widen its appeal to a younger demographic. >>> Andrew Hough | Monday, May 03, 2010
Le jardin secret de Nick Clegg

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Nick Clegg est un mordu de ski. Il a été moniteur dans sa jeunesse. Un accident l’a même forcé à utiliser des cannes pendant trois mois. Il pratique aussi la marche et le tennis. Photo : Le Figaro

LE FIGARO: EN IMAGES – Révélations de la campagne des législatives, Nick Clegg est à l’aise dans les médias. Normal, journaliste était son premier métier. Le figaro.fr vous propose de mieux connaître le chef des lib dems en vous faisant découvrir ses aspects méconnus.

À la galerie de photos >>>
Muslimische Demografie – Muslim Demographics – Démographie musulmane

Yusuf Islam On Charlie Rose

Part 1:



Part 2:

Islam Is Growing in China

Muslim Call to Prayer in New Mexico

Sendung Fliege über Islam in Deutschland

Méditer dans la nudité

CYBERPRESSE.ca: Le yoga nu gagne en popularité. Oui, oui, vous avez bien lu: yoga nu. Et non, ces cours ne sont pas organisés par la Fédération québécoise de naturisme. Le nude yoga est un mouvement né dans la communauté gaie de la Grosse Pomme, à l'instigation d'Aaron Star. Il existe bien quelques classes mixtes, mais il s'agit avant tout d'une affaire d'hommes. À Montréal, c'est au studio de David Flewelling, Mudra Force, que les adeptes de yoga nu peuvent se réunir. >>> Ève Dumas,
La Presse | Lundo 03 Mai 2010
SPIEGEL Interview* with Libyan Leader Moammar Gadhafi: 'Switzerland Should be Dissolved as a State'

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Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, a master of outrage, has done it again. In a SPIEGEL interview he explained why Switzerland should be dissolved as a state and said German Chancellor Angela Merkel was more like a man than a woman. Photograph: Spiegel Online International

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi talked to the SPIEGEL about his friendship with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, the 'youthful exuberance' of his sons, and why he thinks Switzerland is a mafia.

SPIEGEL: Mr. Gadhafi, for years you repeatedly got into shouting matches with the Western world before making your peace with arch-enemy America four years ago. Now you have declared a holy war on tiny Switzerland, of all countries. Why?

Gadhafi: Switzerland is one country among many; sometimes you have trouble with one country, sometimes with another. We never had difficulties with Switzerland before. We used to appreciate it as a holiday destination. We used to appreciate its companies and its watches. But then Switzerland began to treat us badly. For example, the minaret issue and the publishing of nasty portrayals of the Prophet. It was necessary to draw a line with the Swiss. That is what I did in my speech in Benghazi to mark the Prophet's birthday.

SPIEGEL: And now Swiss national Max Göldi, who has absolutely nothing to do with this, has to pay for your anger against Switzerland? A man whose visa allegedly expired, who has not been able to leave Libya for nearly two years and has been in prison for months. Why are you doing nothing for him?

Gadhafi: Only the courts can decide on this.

SPIEGEL: Do you mean to tell us that you don't have the power to pardon him?

Gadhafi: This is a matter for the legal system. But I'm talking now about Switzerland. Switzerland is a state that stands outside the international community. It is not bound by any EU regulations. It is good that it joined the United Nations in 2002, but the whole time before that it was not a member. Why? It wanted to stand above international law. And that has made Switzerland into a mafia.

SPIEGEL: Whatever you may now say about Switzerland, previously it didn't bother you in the least. You did business with the country -- your company Tamoil Suisse has dozens of filling stations in Switzerland.

Gadhafi: Money is laundered on a grand scale in Switzerland. Anyone who robs a bank later invests the money in Switzerland. Anyone who evades taxes goes to Switzerland. Anyone who wants to deposit money in secret accounts goes to Switzerland. And a large number of owners of such secret accounts have died under mysterious circumstances.

SPIEGEL: Excuse me?

Gadhafi: Yes, Switzerland is behind it all.

SPIEGEL: Don't Libyans also have secret accounts in Switzerland?

Gadhafi: Yes, there are also Libyans who have such accounts, and many of them have also died in unexplained ways. All around the world, the families of these people are going to sue Switzerland. And one more thing: Switzerland is the only country that allows euthanasia. Why does only Switzerland do that? >>> | Monday, May 03, 2010

*Interview conducted by Volkhard Windfuhr and Bernhard Zand
General Election 2010: Nick Clegg Accuses David Cameron of 'Breathtaking Arrogance'

THE TELEGRAPH: Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has accused David Cameron of ''breathtaking arrogance'' as the party unveiled a galaxy of stars, including Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe, backing its election campaign.



Campaigning in south east London with just three days to go before the crucial poll, Mr Clegg warned that the Tory leader was already ''measuring up the curtains'' of 10 Downing Street before the electorate had cast their votes.

''In this country you don't inherit power, you have to earn it,'' he told Mr Cameron.

Urging voters to back the Lib Dems, Mr Clegg said a ''stitch-up'' between the Tories and Labour was not in the interests of the country or its future prosperity.

His warning came as the Liberal Democrats announced a range of high-profile figures who are backing the party's campaign to bring about a fairer Britain.

The list of supporters includes actor Colin Firth, scientist and author Professor Richard Dawkins, satirist Armando Iannucci and human rights and environmental campaigner Bianca Jagger.

Mr Clegg commented: ''I welcome the support of everyone who recognises this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a real difference in Britain.'' >>> | Monday, May 03, 2010
Moses parting the Red Sea. If it is true that David Cameron is indeed a direct descendant of the Biblical Moses, and if David Cameron wins this election, he will need the powers of his ancestor to get this country back on its feet! – © Mark | Image: Google Images

David Cameron ‘Could Be a Direct Descendant of Moses’

TIMES ONLINE: David Cameron could be a direct descendant of Moses, a Jewish scholar has suggested.

Political commentators have long known that the Conservative Party leader’s paternal great-great-grandfather was a Jewish immigrant who became a successful businessman.

But Yaakov Wise, a research fellow at the University of Manchester Centre for Jewish Studies, has traced the politician’s ancestry back to Elijah Levita, an eminent 16th-century Jewish scholar. Dr Wise’s study of archival material also suggests that Mr Cameron, who has described himself as an “enthusiastic friend of the Jewish people”, could be a direct descendant of Moses.

Mr Cameron’s great-great-grandfather, Emile Levita, arrived in Britain from Germany in the 1850s and rose swiftly in the world of commerce, gaining citizenship in 1871 and becoming director of the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China, based in London.

Levita married out of the faith and adopted the trappings of an English gentleman, owning a grouse moor in Wales and sending his four sons to Eton. His son Arthur, a stockbroker, married Steffie Cooper, a relative of King George III, and Mr Cameron’s relationship to the monarchy survives to this day — he is a fifth cousin of the Queen, once removed.

Dr Wise has traced the family’s ancestral line back to Elijah Levita, 1469-1549, a central figure in the “Christian Hebraist” movement, who pioneered Hebrew and Yiddish linguistic research at the time of the Tudors. >>> Russell Jenkins | Friday, July 10, 2009

Cameron's Royal Link Makes Him a True Blue

TIMES ONLINE: DAVID CAMERON, the most blue-blooded Tory heir apparent for four decades, is more aristocratic than even he realised. Research published today shows that he is, in fact, related to the Queen through an illegitimate royal child. 



Not only that but researchers discovered that his wife is also descended from a royal mistress. 



The young pretender to the Tory throne is William IV’s great, great, great, great, great grandson. He is related to the 19th-century monarch through Elizabeth FitzClarence, the King’s illegitimate daughter, one of at least ten children he had out of wedlock with Dorothy Jordan, his long-term mistress. 



Samantha Cameron, 31, Mr Cameron’s wife, who is the creative director of an upmarket stationery company, also has royal connections. An analysis of her family tree by Cracroft’s Peerage reveals that Nell Gwyn, the mistress of Charles II, is Mrs Cameron’s great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandmother. 



The family tree by Debrett’s Peerage, the genealogists, shows that the link between Mr Cameron, 39, and William IV makes him the fifth cousin twice-removed of the Queen. If Mr Cameron, who is expected to be declared the Conservative leader tomorrow, is ever asked by the Queen to form a government, he will, as tradition dictates, kiss the hands of the monarch, who is his own kin. 



The royal connection has been traced through Mr Cameron’s grandfather, Donald Cameron, who married Enid Levita. Her maternal grandfather was Sir Alfred Cooper, the father of Duff Cooper, who was Sir Winston Churchill’s wartime Minister of Information. >>> Andrew Pierce | Monday, December 05, 2005
Internetbotschaft: Deutscher Islamist Eric Breininger soll tot sein

WELT ONLINE: Der deutsche Islamist Eric Breininger soll im afghanisch-pakistanischen Grenzgebiet getötet worden sein. Seit 2008 war der aus dem Saarland stammende Konvertit als Dschihad-Kämpfer aufgetreten und hatte deutsche Muslime aufgerufen, sich dem "Heiligen Krieg" anzuschließen.

Vor drei Jahren zog ein junger Saarländer in den Dschihad. Nun soll der 22-jährige Konvertit Eric Breininger tot sein. An seiner Seite starb nach Informationen einer Terrorgruppe auch der Chef-Propagandist der Dschihadisten und Hauptanwerber für neue Terrorrekruten aus der Bundesrepublik.

„Die Vertreter der Taifa al-Mansura Deutschland gratulieren den am 30. 4. gefallenen deutschstämmigen Märtyrern", ist in dem Schreiben der Terrorgruppe zu lesen, das WELT ONLINE vorliegt. „Nach dem heutmorgigen Nachrichtenstand haben wir erfahren, dass die aus Deutschland am Dschihad teilnehmenden Leiter der Elif-Medya, Selehuddin Türki und an seiner Seite Abdul Ghafar al-Almani, gefallen sind." >>> Von Florian Flade | Montag, 03. Mai 2010

Reuters Video hier anschauen
Proche-Orient : Arrivée de Benyamin Netanyahou en Egypte

LE TEMPS: Le Premier ministre israélien est arrivé ce lundi en Egypte pour discuter d’une relance informelle des négociations entre Israéliens et Palestiniens

Le Premier ministre israélien Benyamin Netanyahou est arrivé ce lundi à Charm el-Cheikh, en Egypte, afin d’évoquer avec le président Hosni Moubarak le lancement attendu de pourparlers indirects entre Israéliens et Palestiniens. >>> AFP | Lundi 03 Mai 2010
États-Unis : L’obésité menace la sécurité nationale

20MINUTES.ch: Selon plusieurs chefs d'état-major des forces armées américaines, les gens obèses représentent un danger pour l'avenir du pays. Ils partent en guerre contre la situation.

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L'obésité est le nouvel ennemi de l'US Army. Photo : 20Minutes.ch

L'obésité qui fait des ravages au sein de la jeunesse américaine pourrait saper l'avenir de l'armée du pays, les éventuelles recrues étant trop enveloppées pour servir sous les drapeaux, ont estimé deux généraux à la retraite.

«Les taux d'obésité hypothèquent la santé des Américains en général et l'avenir de nos forces armées en particulier», écrivent John Shalikashvili et Hugh Shelton, deux anciens chefs d'état-major interarmées, dans un article pour le Washington Post.

Plus que tout autre facteur médical, l'obésité interdit l'accès à l'armée aux Américains désireux de revêtir l'uniforme, continuent-ils. >>> afp | Lundo 03 Mai 2010
Six Arrested at White House Protest

ADVOCATE.COM: As Lt. Dan Choi and about 100 LGBT activists staged a “don’t ask, don’t tell” protest Sunday afternoon across the street from the White House, six plain-clothed civilians chained themselves to the White House gates.



Choi, who has twice been arrested after handcuffing himself to the White House gates and has now been court ordered not to enter a certain perimeter around the White House, was joined by a handful of other speakers, including former Vermont governor and Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean, Servicemembers United executive director Alex Nicholson, and Servicemembers Legal Defense Network executive director Aubrey Sarvis.



The protest came on the heels of a letter leaked late Friday afternoon in which Department of Defense secretary Robert Gates urged House Armed Services Committee chairman Ike Skelton “in the strongest possible terms” to delay legislative action on repeal until the Pentagon completes its assessment of how to implement repeal.



“Most journalists had turned off their computers and were safely into happy hour when the White House issued a statement,” Sarvis told the protesters Sunday.

Though the White House statement said President Barack Obama’s commitment to repeal was “unequivocal,” Sarvis called the statement “nothing if not equivocal.”



“There is a stark and not very flattering contrast here between President Obama, who follows his military, and President Truman, whose military followed him,” said Sarvis. >>> Kerry Eleveld | Sunday, May 02, 2010

Watch video here
Melanie Phillips: The Orwellian Logic That's Turning the Faith Britain Was Built On into a Crime

MAIL ONLINE: Terrifying as this may seem, the attempt to stamp out Christianity in Britain appears to be gathering pace.

Dale McAlpine was preaching to shoppers in Workington, Cumbria, that homosexuality is a sin when he found himself carted off by the police, locked up in a cell for seven hours and charged with using abusive or insulting words or behaviour.

It appears that two police community support officers - at least one of whom was gay - claimed he had caused distress to themselves and members of the public.

Under our anti-discrimination laws, such distress is not to be permitted.

And so we have the oppressive and sinister situation where a gentle, unaggressive Christian is arrested and charged simply for preaching Christian principles.

It would appear that Christianity, the normative faith of this country on which its morality, values and civilisation are based, is effectively being turned into a crime.

Surreally, this intolerant denial of freedom is being perpetrated under the rubric of promoting tolerance and equality - but only towards approved groups.

Never has George Orwell's famous satirical observation, that some people are more equal than others, appeared more true.

The Cumbrian arrest comes hard on the heels of last week's ruling by Lord Justice Laws in the case of Gary McFarlane, who was dismissed as a Relate counsellor because he refused to give advice to samesex couples on sexual relationships. >>> Melanie Phillips | Monday, May 03, 2010
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Barack Obama Flies in Amid Mounting Criticism

THE GUARDIAN: Fishing fleet on standby for attempt to block slick as administration preempts 'slow to react' charge

Barack Obama stepped into the crisis over the oil spillage in the Gulf of Mexico yesterday, amid growing criticism that the US administration and BP were failing to get a grip on the potential catastrophe.

The president flew to New Orleans and travelled on by road to Venice, a small fishing town at the mouth of the Mississippi which has become the command post for the rapidly escalating rescue preparations.

As rain poured down upon him, Obama gave his assessment of what he called the "massive and potentially unprecedented environmental disaster" caused by three leaks still uncapped on a BP oilrig south of the Louisiana coast.

He warned that it could take days to stop the leaks, and said he recognised that "people are understandably frustrated and frightened, particularly as people in this region have already been through more disasters than anybody should have to bear."

And he issued a stern message to the British oil giant: "BP is responsible for this leak. BP will be paying the bill." >>> Ed Pilkington in Louisiana | Sunday, May 02, 2010

THE GLOBE AND MAIL: Oil spill threatens to sink Obama's energy plan: Political damage will be hard to contain, not least because the slick could shatter the President's shaky compromise on offshore drilling >>> Konrad Yakabuski, Washington | Sunday, May 02, 2010

WATCH AP VIDEO: BP's reaction to clean-up criticism: BP reacts as federal officials and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal say they're worried that the company isn't doing enough to get ready for a fast cleanup. | Saturday, May 01, 2010