President Obama Attacks BP Over ‘Worst Oil Disaster’
TIMES ONLINE: President Obama launched a ferocious attack on BP and the oil industry yesterday as what is now officially the worst spill in US history threatened to derail his presidency.

Seizing the initiative on the first day of potentially good news from the Gulf of Mexico, Mr Obama cancelled or suspended dozens of offshore drilling projects and condemned a “scandalously close relationship” between oil companies and government regulators.

He said: “As far as I’m concerned, BP is responsible for this horrific disaster, and we will hold them fully accountable on behalf of the United States as well as the people and communities victimised by this tragedy. We will demand that they pay every dime they owe for the damage they’ve done and the painful losses that they’ve caused.”

While Coast Guard officials in the Gulf said that BP’s so-called top kill strategy to fill the gushing well with mud seemed to be working, the President warned that there was no guarantee of success yet.

In his first White House press conference in ten months, he said that he would leave it to others to judge whether this was “his Katrina” — a reference to the hurricane that destroyed President Bush’s reputation for competence — but said he was “confident that people will look back and say this Administration was on top of what was an unprecedented crisis”. >>> Giles Whittell, Washington | Friday, May 28, 2010

Hezbollah Theme Park Woos Fighters for Next War with Israel
TIMES ONLINE: Israeli tanks lie smashed and upturned on a remote mountaintop in south Lebanon, while Hezbollah fighters, wearing camouflaged uniforms and carrying rifles, crouch near by in the dense undergrowth.

The scene could be the latest battle between the militant Shia group and Israeli troops, but while the tanks are real, the fighters are plastic dummies and the display is part of a newly opened tourist project to mark the tenth anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from south Lebanon.

That historic event — the first time Israel unilaterally abandoned occupied Arab land — comes at a time of heightened tension in the region amid fears that another war is brewing between Hezbollah and the Jewish state.

Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader, vowed in a speech on Tuesday night that in the next war, his organisation could attack Israel-bound shipping in the Mediterranean.

Addressing Israel, he said: “If you launch a new war on Lebanon, if you blockade our coastline, all military, civilian or commercial ships heading through the Mediterranean to occupied Palestine will be targeted by the Islamic resistance.” Read on and comment >>> Nicholas Blanford | Thursday, May 27, 2010

Silvio Berlusconi
Compares Himself to Mussolini
THE TELEGRAPH: Silvio Berlusconi has compared himself to Benito Mussolini, complaining that like the Second World War leader he does not have enough real power.

The Italian prime minister said he empathised with Il Duce, who had complained that he lacked real authority and that true power lay with officials in his fascist administration.

Mr Berlusconi said he had recently been reading Mussolini's diaries, which had led him to reflect on the challenges of governing Italy in the 21st century.

"I will dare to quote you a phrase from someone considered a dictator, a great, powerful dictator, Benito Mussolini," the 73-year-old media tycoon told a news conference at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris.

"In his diary, I recently read this phrase. 'They say I have power. It isn't true. Maybe my party officials do. But I don't know. All I can do is say to my horse go right or left. And I have to be happy with that.'" >>> Nick Squires in Rome | Friday, May 28, 2010

Obamas Muslim Ties: Ben Armstrong Show with Pamela Geller
Part 1:



Part 2:

Strache gründet "Christlich-freiheitliche Plattform"
DIE PRESSE: Die FPÖ will mit der "Christlich-freiheitlichen Plattform für ein freies Europa souveräner Völker" Migranten aus Ost- und Südosteuropa ansprechen. Die Plattform soll den Erhalt der "abendländischen Tradition" sichern.

Die FPÖ hat eine neue Vorfeldorganisation: Die "Christlich-freiheitliche Plattform für ein freies Europa souveräner Völker" (CFP). Sie wurde am Donnerstag von FPÖ-Chef Heinz-Christian Strache und ihrem Präsidenten Konstantin Dobrilovic präsentiert.

Strache erklärte, das christlich-abendländische Wertesystem sei in Gefahr. Weltwirtschaftskrise, islamistischer Terrorismus und Massenzuwanderung stellten eine immer größere Bedrohung dar. Daher müsse das christlich-freiheitliche Europa über die Grenzen der EU hinaus "den Erhalt und die Förderung seiner Grundwerte, die in der christlich-abendländischen Kultur und Identität verwurzelt sind, sicherstellen". In der CFP sollen sich "freie und stolze Europäer und freiheitlich gesinnte europäische Gruppierungen" organisieren. "Migranten aus Osteuropa hervorragend integriert" >>> Red. | Donnerstag. 27. Mai 2010

Les tories grognent contre David Cameron
LE FIGARO: Le «recentrage» du premier ministre britannique dans le cadre de son alliance avec les LibDems agite les rangs des conservateurs.

Deux semaines après sa prise de fonctions à Downing Street, David Cameron doit déjà faire face aux premiers remous au sein de sa coalition, bâtie avec les libéraux démocrates. La belle image d'unité montrée mardi par les tories avec leurs nouveaux alliés sur les bancs de la Chambre des communes, après le discours de la reine, semble n'être qu'une attitude de façade. Certains députés conservateurs contestent en effet ouvertement les concessions faites aux LibDems.

L'un d'eux, un ancien ministre de Margaret Thatcher, a même publié la lettre qu'il a adressée au secrétaire au Trésor pour protester contre le projet d'augmentation des prélèvements sur les plus-values financières, faisant passer ce taux d'imposition de 18 % à 40 %. «Si le gouvernement faisait plus que doubler le taux d'imposition sur les plus-values instauré par les travaillistes, cela enverrait un signal étrange sur les intentions de la coalition conservateurs-LibDems», met en garde John Redwood dans sa missive. >>> Par Cyrille Vanlerberghe, Correspondant à Londres, Le Figaro | Jeudi 27 Mai 2010

Sean Hannity Show: Pamela Geller Debates Michael Ghouse (Muslim American Congress) 911 Mega Mosque

Freedom Defense Initiative at CPAC: Jihad the Political Third Rail

'Leaving Islam?' Bus Adverts Draw Anger in NYC
THE TELEGRAPH: Advertisements on New York buses offering help to Muslims who wish to leave Islam have been denounced as a "smoke screen for anti-Muslim bigotry".

Pamela Geller, centre, who leads an organisation called Stop Islamization of America, said the adverts were designed to help provide resources for Muslims who were fearful of leaving the faith. Photograph: The Telegraph
The advertisements - paid for by conservative activists - ask readers: "Leaving Islam? Fatwa on your head? Is your family threatening you?" The adverts point to a website called RefugefromIslam.com.

Pamela Geller, who leads an organisation called Stop Islamization of America, said the adverts were designed to help provide resources for Muslims who were fearful of leaving the faith. She said the adverts, which will run on 30 city buses for a month, cost $8,000 (£5,500), which was contributed by the readers of her blog, Atlas Shrugs, and other websites.

"It's not offensive to Muslims, it's religious freedom," she said. "It's not targeted at practising Muslims. It doesn't say 'leave,' it says 'leaving' with a question mark."

Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials said Ms Geller's advert had been reviewed and did not violate the agency's guidelines. >>> | Thursday, May 27, 2010

US Senate Armed Forces Committee Votes for Repeal of Military Anti-gay Law
THE GUARDIAN: Gay rights groups celebrate key step in scrapping controversial 1993 'don't ask, don't tell' legislation

America moved a vital step closer to repealing the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" anti-gay legislation that forbids homosexuals from serving openly in the US military.

Gay rights activists have long sought to repeal the controversial 1993 law, which has seen thousands of Americans forced out of the armed services since it was brought in under President Bill Clinton.

Now that dream is almost certain to happen, after the powerful Senate armed services committee voted 16 to 12 in favour of an amendment that would pave the way for getting rid of the law. The measure was tacked on to a larger defence bill and the House of Representatives was also expected to pass a similar amendment.

That will clear the hurdle for a full vote in the summer, which the measure is now expected to pass, and then it will be signed off by President Barack Obama.

The amendment, however, contains language that makes repeal of the law contingent on the results of a current Pentagon survey investigating the impact of integrating gay people into the military. If the report concludes repeal will not harm the military's ability to fight wars or recruit soldiers, preparations will be made for integration. The survey's conclusions are due to be announced in early December.

Gay rights groups hailed the Senate vote as historic. "The importance of this vote cannot be overstated. This is the beginning of the end of a shameful ban on open service by lesbian and gay troops that has weakened our national security," said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign. >>> Paul Harris in New York | Friday, May 28, 2010

ADVOCATE.COM: Congress Moves To End DADT: The U.S. House of Representatives and a Senate panel have both approved measures that would begin the process of dismantling the 17-year-old "don't ask, don't tell" policy that prohibits gays and lesbians for serving openly in the military. >>> Kerry Eleveld | Thursday, May 27, 2010

Beten nur im Religionsunterricht: Ein Berliner Gericht unterstreicht den Wert weltanschaulicher Neutralität an Schulen
NZZ ONLINE: Ein Berliner Gericht hat entschieden, dass muslimische Schüler kein Recht haben, ihr rituelles Mittagsgebet auf dem Schulgelände zu verrichten.

Das Oberverwaltungsgericht Berlin-Brandenburg hat am Donnerstag entschieden, dass ein 16-jähriger muslimischer Berliner Schüler nicht berechtigt ist, sein Mittagsgebet während der Pause auf dem Schulgelände zu verrichten. Damit veränderte das Gericht ein anderslautendes Verdikt des Verwaltungsgerichts aus dem letzten Jahr, das dem Schüler dieses Recht unter Berufung auf das Prinzip der Religionsfreiheit eingeräumt hatte. Der Berliner Senat hatte dieses erste Urteil angefochten. Separater Gebetsraum >>> Ulrich Schmid, Berlin | Freitag, 28. Mai 2010

Italian Priests' Secret Mistresses Ask Pope to Scrap Celibacy Rule
THE GUARDIAN: Forty women send unprecedented letter to pontiff saying priests need to 'experience feelings, love and be loved'

The pope delivers a speech at the conference of Italian bishops at the Vatican. Photograph: The Guardian
Dozens of Italian women who have had relationships with Roman Catholic priests or lay monks have endorsed an open letter to the pope that calls for the abolition of the celibacy rule. The letter, thought by one signatory to be unprecedented, argues that a priest "needs to live with his fellow human beings, experience feelings, love and be loved".

It also pleads for understanding of those who "live out in secrecy those few moments the priest manages to grant [us] and experience on a daily basis the doubts, fears and insecurities of our men".

The issue was put back on the Vatican's agenda in March when one of Pope Benedict's senior advisers, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, the archbishop of Vienna, said the abolition of the celibacy rule might curb sex abuse by priests, a suggestion he hastily withdrew after Benedict spoke up for "the principle of holy celibacy".

The authors of the letter said they decided to come into the open after hearing his retort, which they said was an affirmation of "the holiness of something that is not holy" but a man-made rule. There are many instances of married priests in the early centuries of Christianity. Today, priests who follow the eastern Catholic rites can be married, as can those who married before converting to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism. >>> John Hooper in Rome | Thursday, May 27, 2010

Pope Benedict XVI - My Vatican
An exclusive tour >>>

Obama to Focus on Homegrown Extremists in New Security Strategy
THE TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama's administration will focus on homegrown extremists in a new security strategy to be unveiled on Thursday.

Mr Obama will stress that US military superiority must be matched by muscular diplomacy and all the tools of statecraft, from development aid to intelligence gathering.

The released [sic] of the document comes as the United States continues to have a huge foreign military commitment, in Iraq and Afghanistan. The US is also facing new terror threats in a world destabilised by the worst economic meltdown since the 1930s.

The document will be closely read for signs that Mr Obama has adjusted his policy of offering dialogue to US foes like Iran and North Korea, which has yet to bear fruit, and will come against a backdrop of his nuclear non-proliferation effort.

Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, will on Thursday make a speech at the Brookings Institution, laying out diplomatic and military aspects of the strategy and national security advisor James Jones is due to weigh in later.

For the first time, the government strategy document, which lays down a doctrine for national security policy, is likely to focus attention on the threat posed by homegrown, radical extremists.

Following a spate of attacks or near misses - at Fort Hood military base last year and in Times Square, New York, this month - the administration appears to have reframed the matrix of threats to US national security. >>> | Thursday, May 27, 2010

"Nor do we describe our enemy as jihadists or Islamists because jihad is holy struggle, a legitimate tenet of Islam meaning to purify oneself or one's community." – Brennan

It is quite unbelievable that the White House refuses to get to grips with the fact that the Jihad is being waged against America and the West. To say that jihad is a legitimate tenet of Islam, meaning to purify oneself or one’s community is a lie. One BIG damn LIE, too! What Brennan describes is but ONE aspect of the jihad, and a MINOR one at that!

This is dissimulation of the facts at its worst. Moreover, America in particular and the West in general will never be victorious until they accept and come to terms with the true nature of the jihad: a fight to the death to make only Islam the accepted religion on earth, and Muhammad Allah’s final messenger.

Brennan and B. Hussein Obama are deluding themselves. More importantly, they are trying to pull the wool over the people's eyes. But then should we be surprised considering the president's Muslim roots? – © Mark

Voile intégral : Un défi au monde islamique
GUYSEN INTERNATIONAL NEWS: Dans son nouveau rapport 2010 sur la situation des droits de l'Homme, Amnesty International a pris position contre le projet de loi française visant à interdire le voile intégral dans l'espace public. Un projet de loi audacieux qui entre pourtant en contradiction avec le droit interne et international, et risque en outre d’envenimer les relations de l’hexagone avec la communauté musulmane.

"Que cela soit au Proche-Orient ou dans les pays du Golfe, les médias - et surtout Al-Jazira - suivent avec attention le débat et sont assez critiques à l'égard de la France », s’inquiète un chercheur de l'Institut de relations internationales et stratégiques (IRIS).

L’ancien ministre des Affaires étrangères Hervé de Charrette prévient :"Ni les Français, ni le Parlement ne sont assez informés du retentissement international que peut avoir la prohibition du voile intégral".

Les musulmans acceptent en effet difficilement « l’islam républicain » que veut promouvoir le gouvernement Français. Pour eux, l’Islam, en tant que message spirituel et universel, n’a pas vocation à être réglementé par un Etat. Cette divergence de point de vue provoque chez les musulmans, lorsque l’on veut interdire le voile intégral, l’incompréhension, voir le sentiment que l’on s’attaque à leur communauté.

« Cette interdiction me gêne. On est dans le pays de la liberté, les femmes peuvent montrer leur string, provoquer les hommes par des tenues indécentes, mais on n'accepte pas qu'elles soient pudiques », estime Charif Muldi, marchand ambulant tunisien vivant à Paris.

Beaucoup plus radical, le collectif pro-palestinien Cheikh Yassine a avancé que les musulmans étaient devenus "des moutons noirs" en France .

La loi française pourrait donc provoquer une contestation populaire dans les pays arabes. Il est même possible que des régimes autoritaires ou des groupes religieux radicaux instrumentalisent cette question en organisant des manifestations, estime Barah Mikhaï, spécialiste de la région. >>> Par Martin Lippmann | Jeudi 27 Mai 2010

Veil Ban Bill to French Cabinet, Women Protest

Gadhafi Explains Bomber Endorsement

Elton John Concert Upsets Morocco's Muslim Politicians
THE TELEGRAPH: A concert by Sir Elton John has tested the limits of Morocco's drive for modernity, exposing the Muslim nation's complex and ambiguous attitudes toward homosexuality.

Islamists in the North African kingdom were outraged by the gay pop star's visit, while the royal palace, government and his many fans supported his appearance.

Authorities had beefed up security with thousands of police and plainclothes officers patrolling the concert. No violence was reported, despite calls from The Justice and Development Party, or PJD, Morocco's largest authorised Islamist group, for the show to be stopped.

"This singer is famous for his homosexual behaviour and for advocating it," said Mustapha Ramid, a leader and spokesman for the PJD, the country's biggest opposition party.

"We're a rather open party, but promoting homosexuality is completely unacceptable," he said.

Mr Ramid said that homosexuality was against Muslim values, and he feared the British singer would "encourage the phenomenon" and be a bad influence for Moroccan youth.

But in a sign of Sir Elton's popularity, several thousand of his fans appeared to know his lyrics by heart even though most people in this French and Arabic speaking country know little or no English.

Moroccan officials dismissed the calls to ban Sir Elton from performing. >>> | Thursday, May 27, 2010

MITHLY.NET: Elton JOHN au cœur d'un complot contre le Maroc ! >>> Par Stonewall

Related articles and videos here

Gay Magazine Launched in Morocco
THE GUARDIAN: Homosexuality is illegal in Morocco but the publishers of a gay magazine feel its launch is a sign of progress

With gay rights under attack across Africa, it might not seem the best time to launch a magazine for homosexual people there.
But the owners of Mithly believe the launch of the magazine in Morocco is a sign of progress in a country where most gay men and lesbians tend to keep their sexuality secret.

Since its launch last month, Mithly – the title is an Arabic word meaning "the same as me", signifying gay – has covered subjects including the controversy over Elton John playing at a music festival in the country, a study of suicide among gay Moroccans and a book by an Algerian transsexual named Randa. The Arabic-language publication has sold 200 copies so far.

The paper edition circulated informally because it lacked a distribution licence from the government, said Samir Bargachi, general co-ordinator of Kif-Kif, Morocco's only gay rights group and the magazine's publisher.

He told the website Afrik.com that Mithly could reduce the stigma of being gay. "For over five years now, there has been a debate surrounding homosexuality in Morocco. But the mainstream media has the tendency to sensationalise the subject. With Mithly, we have the opportunity to give the views of homosexuals, and the opportunity to interact directly with society." >>> David Smith and agencies | Thursday, May 20, 2010

Being Gay in Morocco
AFRIK.COM: Samir Bergachi is unstoppable. Barely 23 years old, the young Moroccan is simply not content to live his homosexuality openly in a country where it is considered as a crime. For the past 6 years, Samir has been running the first Moroccan gay association, kif-kif. And only a month ago, he caused a real stir: the launching of Mithly, the first gay magazine in the Arab world. Some find his initiatives inadmissible. Others admire his courage.

He founded and launched Mithly, the first gay magazine in the Arab world, on the first of April and has since made headlines both in Morocco and the Arab world. Samir Bergachi, general coordinator of Kif-Kif, — an association that fights for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in Morocco, founded in 2004, — launched Mithly in order to offer homosexuals a mouthpiece. Moroccan conservatives, hostile to homosexuality, which to them is deviant, do not accept the emergence of what has been termed a journalistic UFO. The Moroccan state, on the other hand, considers homosexuality as a crime. Gay Moroccans are, hence, caught between the hammer of the judiciary and the anvil of Islamist wrath. It is for this reason that the offices of Mithly and Kif-Kif have been established in Madrid, Spain. Despite these difficulties, Samir Bergachi told Afrik.com that the independent press as well as rights associations have "welcomed" the magazine.

Hard copies of the first issue of the magazine were printed and distributed clandestinely in Rabat. But for now, those in charge of Mithly want to focus their efforts on the Internet version for the sake of convenience. The first issue devotes several pages to British pop singer Elton John, whose participation in the Mawazine Festival, scheduled to take place in Rabat from May 21 to 29, has aroused the ire of the Islamists, due to his homosexuality. The singer is expected to meet Kif-Kif activists before his performance. Samir Bergachi believes that there is an implicit recognition by the authorities of the gay movement in Morocco. "We won a battle," he exclaims. >>> Djamel Belayachi | Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Spanish Town to Vote on Burqa Ban
THE TELEGRAPH: A Spanish town could become the first in the country to ban the wearing of the burqa in municipal buildings, according to the mayor's office.

A proposal for the town of Lerida was being drawn up to ban the face-covering Islamic veil in the municipality's buildings, a spokesman for the mayor's office said.

The town had asked its legal services to look into the possibility of banning the garment in all public spaces in the name of the fundamental rights of women, the official said.

"We cannot regulate the usage of the burqa in the road, but we can do that in municipal buildings," he said. >>> | Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Cancer Patient Forced by Judge to Have Surgery
THE TELEGRAPH: A cancer patient is to be forced to undergo life-saving treatment against her wishes after a landmark ruling by a judge.

Doctors will be allowed forcibly to sedate the 55-year-old woman in her home and take her to hospital for surgery. She could be forced to remain on a ward afterwards.

The case has sparked an intense ethical and legal debate. Experts questioned whether lawyers and doctors should be able to override the wishes of patients and whether force was ever justified in providing medical care.

Treatment was ordered by Sir Nicholas Wall, the President of the Family Division, in the Court of Protection, after surgeons at the woman's local hospital applied for permission to force the surgery on her. They argued that without it, advanced cancer of the uterus would kill her.

Sir Nicholas agreed because the woman, who has learning difficulties, was deemed incapable of making a rational decision about the operation.

She had previously agreed to surgery, only to change her mind and repeatedly refuse to turn up for medical appointments, claiming a phobia of hospitals and needles. >>> Martin Beckford and Stephen Adams | Wednesday, May 26, 2010

A Zurich, débat entre femmes sur la burqa
Autour du modérateur du Tages Anzeiger, trois pros et trois antis interdiction du voile intégral en Suisse ont débattu mardi soir à Zurich. Photo : Le Temps
LE TEMPS: A l’invitation du Tages Anzeiger, six femmes ont débattu mardi soir à Zurich de l’interdiction de la burqa. Même parmi celles qui s’opposent à une interdiction, le scepticisme, voire l’agressivité envers la seule femme à porter le voile intégral lors de la discussion était palpable

Faut-il interdire la burqa, ou plutôt le niqab, pour employer le terme correct? Le Tages Anzeiger avait invité six femmes pour en débattre, mardi soir à Zurich. Parmi elles, Nora Illi, déléguée aux questions féminines du Conseil central islamique suisse, qui, drapée dans son voile intégral noir, a cristallisé l’irritation, voire l’agressivité de toutes les participantes, mêmes de celles qui s’engageaient à ses côtés pour une interdiction de la burqa. Le public, des femmes à une large majorité, était acquis à une interdiction. Extraits des échanges parfois vifs qui ont animé la soirée.

Opposée à une interdiction, la conseillère nationale Jacqueline Fehr, a commencé par attaquer violemment Nora Illi: «La question de l’interdiction de la burqa est un faux débat qui nous coûte de l’énergie que nous ferions mieux d’investir pour améliorer l’intégration. Cela ne concerne pas Mme Illi qui peut faire ce qu’elle veut. Avec le zèle de convertie qu’elle démontre, et sa manière de se couper des autres, je la considère plutôt comme membre d’une secte.» >>> Catherine Cossy | Mercredi 26 Mai 2010

Eine blöde Schweizerin, die sich zum Islam bekehrt hat. Dümmer geht’s doch nicht! (Mit Video in Schweizerdeutsch*) >>>

Ordinary People Were Misled Over Impact of the Euro, Says Herman Van Rompuy
THE TELEGRAPH: Europe's "man in the street" was misled for years over the vast political and economic implications of the creation of "Euroland", Herman Van Rompuy has admitted.

The EU's president told a selected audience of civil servants and businessmen that the Greek debt crisis and euro zone bailout had come as a nasty shock to ordinary Europeans.

He said the public was not made aware of the full social and economic implications of the currency before it was created.

"Nobody ever told the proverbial man in the street that sharing a single currency was not just about making peoples' lives easier when doing business or travelling abroad, but also about being directly affected by economic developments in the neighbouring countries," he said on Tuesday evening. "Being in the 'Euro zone' means, monetarily speaking, being part of one 'Euroland'."

Public anger over the cost of supporting other euro zone governments, so far totalling £470 billion in taxpayer funded loans or guarantees, has created new political instability, especially in Germany.

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor and her coalition government, lost its parliamentary majority two weeks ago following a furious reaction to a Greek bail-out that cost Germany's taxpayers £19 billion.

Public rage has since grown after Chancellor Merkel was last week forced to push through another £105 billion in loan guarantees intended to shore up southern European governments that most Germans regard as victims of their own profligate spending. >>> Bruno Waterfield in Brussels | Wednesday, May 26, 2010

From Someone Who Completely Misses the Point of a Ban: Europe's Burqa Rage
THE WASHINGTON POST: After the British army conquered the Sindh region of what is now modern-day Pakistan in the 1840s, Gen. Charles Napier enforced a ban on the practice of Sati -- the burning of widows alive on the funeral pyres of their husbands. A delegation of Hindu leaders approached Napier to complain that their ancient traditions were being violated. The general is said to have replied: "You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: When men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. . . . You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours."

The incident can hardly be commended as a model of cross-cultural relations, but it clarifies a tension. Conflict can arise between respect for other cultures and respect for universal human rights.

This is particularly true when it comes to the rights of women. Traditional societies can be deeply admirable -- conservative, family-oriented, stable, wise about human nature and human society. But they can also be highly patriarchal, evidenced by such practices as Sati, foot-binding, widow inheritance and female circumcision. This is not to say that modern, rights-based societies are without their own faults and failures; it is only to recognize that multiculturalism and human rights can sometimes clash.

For the most part, these tensions no longer emerge through colonialism but through migration, which can transplant a traditional culture smack in the middle of an aggressively liberal one. The most visible areas of difference -- say in dress -- can spark controversy, just as the wearing of the burqa is now doing in Europe. >>> Michael Gerson, Op-Ed Columnist | Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Mr Gerson misses the point totally here. The French had a revolution in 1789. It established three main principles: liberté, egalité, fraternité. That means to say, liberty, equality, and brotherhood. It appears to me that the wearing of the burqah violates all three principles: it takes away a woman’s liberty; it renders women unequal to men; and it certainly makes brotherhood impossible, because a burqah cuts a woman off from the rest of society.

In addition to this, it should be added that the French take laïcité very seriously indeed. Laïcité can best be translated as secularim. But it is a poor translation. It means far more: it is the strict and official separation of church and state.

It would appear that Mr Gerson does not fully appreciate the significance of la Révolution française which took place in 1789.

The French must go ahead with the ban so as to be true to the principles of the revolution and la République. – © Mark

3 in 5 Australians Support Burqa Ban
INDIAN EXPRESS: Melbourne –– A survey has found that three in five Australians would support a ban on Muslim women wearing the burqa.

The national online poll of 1000 done this month by UMR Research showed that only 33 per cent were opposed to the ban compared to 59 per cent who were in favour of it, reports the Age.

South Australian Liberal senator Cory Bernardi, who said the burqa was “un-Australian”, had promoted the idea of a ban recently.

But either side of politics has not supported a ban on the burqa.

The greatest support for a ban was among males with 63 per cent, and 55 per cent among women. Read on and comment >>> Agencies | Wednesday, May 26, 2010

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José Manuel Barroso: European Union = 'Empire'

Angela Merkel 'Naive' Over Euro, Claims European Commission Chief
THE GUARDIAN: José Manuel Barosso's public criticism of German chancellor signals growing political friction across eurozone

The head of the European commission today launched a strong attack on the German chancellor Angela Merkel's handling of the euro's crisis of confidence.

José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European commission, who is believed to be supported by a majority of the 27 member states, described Merkel's campaign to reopen the Lisbon treaty as "naïve". He said that the bill of almost €900bn for rescuing Greece and shoring up the euro would have been much cheaper had Berlin acted more swiftly, and accused the German government of failing to lead public opinion in defence of thebeleaguered single currency.

Barroso's surprisingly public criticism, in an interview with Germany's conservative newspaper the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, signalled the high-level political friction in the EU over how to restore faith in the single currency.

Barroso's staff, as well as the governments of many other EU member states, think the mixture of hard line and prevarication shown by Merkel since the crisis erupted in February have made a bad situation worse. They say that swift action in February would have deterred the financial markets and contained the crisis to Greece and its sovereign debt. >>> Ian Traynor | Tuesday, May 25, 2010

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Im Gespräch: José Manuel Barroso – „Manchmal haben Krisen auch ihr Gutes“ >>> FAZ | Dienstag, 25. Mai 2010

‘We Have to Help the Greeks,’ Say French, ‘It’s Our Duty’
TIMES ONLINE: It is a gloriously sunny Pentecôte bank holiday, and hundreds of people have descended on Morschwiller-le-Bas, a suburb of the French city of Mulhouse, for its annual marché aux puces — flea market.

The eurozone crisis is hardly uppermost in their minds as they pick through the mounds of second-hand clothes and bric-a-brac, but they respond when asked, and their views could scarcely be more different from those we found in Germany, a mere 15km (9 miles) to the east.

The hard-working Germans were furious at the €148 billion euros (£126.1 billion) in loan guarantees that their Government has offered the Greeks and other states of the southern eurozone. Here in France, nobody even knows how much their Government has put up (the answer is €111 billion) and there has been scarcely a murmur of dissent.

“If we consider Europe a serious matter we have to help the Greeks,” said Jacqueline Wertz, a retired hotel worker eating pizza in the shade. “They have to have more discipline, but we have a duty of solidarity and have to help,” agreed Martial Fixalis, 39, a businessman manning his own stall.

“We’re European, and it’s our role to help others,” said Josiane Mehlen, who was queueing at a beer stand and turned out to be Morschwiller’s mayor.

There are many explanations for this Gallic insouciance. The French believe in state intervention. Like the Greeks, they have their own sizeable black economy. Unlike the Germans, they are no fiscal saints themselves. Their national debt is 84 per cent of GDP — 6 per cent higher than Britain’s.

“Money is a means to an end. If you can live well with a deficit it’s not a big problem,” chuckled Denis Fauroux, a Mulhouse lawyer, as we ate lunch in his garden and admired the distant mountains of Les Vosges.

The French, with their 35-hour working week and propensity to retire early, do not share the German work ethic evident this week in Ludwigshafen, a four-hour train ride north up the Rhine valley. “Here it’s a Latin culture. The French have more sympathy with the Greeks than the Germans,” observed Marc Sarwatka, 44, the head of a large recruitment agency, over an early evening beer in the elegant Place de la Bourse.

Nor are they such sticklers for rules, as our translator observed when a French driver sped over a pedestrian crossing. “The Germans always stop,” she remarked.

Amongst the cognescenti, there is even a certain pride that President Sarkozy pressed Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, into backing the €750 billion bailout package. Read on and comment >>> Martin Fletcher | Wednesday, May 26, 2010

New British Government Outlines Goals


Queen Elizabeth Opens New Parliament

La Corée du Nord brandit la menace militaire contre le Sud
LE POINT: La Corée du Nord a décidé, mardi, de rompre ses relations avec la Corée du Sud qu'elle a menacée d'une "guerre totale" si de nouvelles sanctions lui étaient imposées, la Chine acceptant de son côté de "collaborer" avec les États-Unis face à cette nouvelle crise coréenne. Par la voie d'un communiqué du Comité d'État pour la réunification pacifique de la Corée diffusé par l'agence officielle nord-coréenne KCNA, Pyongyang affirme que sa mise en cause par la Corée du Sud dans le naufrage de la corvette Cheonan, qui a fait 46 morts parmi les marins sud-coréens, équivaut à une déclaration de guerre. La Corée du Nord annonce dans ce texte rompre toutes ses relations et les communications avec la Corée du Sud et abroger un accord de non-agression pour protester contre les accusations de torpillage de ce bâtiment faites par Séoul. Tous les navires et avions sud-coréens se verront en outre interdire l'accès aux eaux maritimes et à l'espace aérien nord-coréens, toujours selon KCNA reçue en Corée du Sud. >>> AFP | Mardi 25 Mai 2010

YAHOO! NEWS: North Korean Troops 'Prepare For Combat': North Korea's armed forces have reportedly been ordered to prepare for combat as tensions mount with the South over the deadly sinking of a warship. >>> Sky News | Tuesday, May 25, 2010

The Queen’s Speech


THE TELEGRAPH: Queen's speech point by point >>> | Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Philip Johnston: The State Opening Reminds Us of the Unique Flexibility of the British Constitution
The Queen makes her way to Parliament. Photo: The Telegraph
TELEGRAPH BLOG – PHILIP JOHNSTON: It was heartening to see that after 13 years of Labour “modernisation” the State Opening of Parliament retained all the pomp and circumstance that we as a nation still do so well. Funnily enough this great pageantry and its ancient rituals date all the way back to, well, 1852. Although the symbolism — such as taking an MP hostage and keeping him in Buckingham Palace until the Queen returns, or searching the Palace of Westminster for gunpowder — deliberately evokes our history, the form of the State Opening is relatively recent in origin. >>> Philip Johnston | Tuesday, May 25, 2010

THE INDEPENDENT: Queen's Speech lays out radical agenda for coalition >>> PA | Tuesday, May 25, 2010

David Cameron Attacks Labour After Queen's Speech
THE TELEGRAPH: David Cameron renewed his pre-election attacks on Labour following the Queen's Speech, claiming Gordon Brown had left the country in an ''appalling mess''.



In his first major speech at the Commons despatch box since becoming Prime Minister, Mr Cameron clashed with Harriet Harman, Labour's deputy leader.

His comments followed acting Labour leader Harriet Harman's response to the Queen's Speech from the Opposition front bench.

Mr Cameron said there was ''something missing'' from her speech: ''Not one word of apology for the appalling mess that has been left in this country.

''Nothing to say about leaving Britain with a deficit that is bigger than Greece's.

''Not a single idea for getting to grips with it.

''Until they learn what they got so badly wrong I'm not sure people are going to listen to them again.''

Mr Cameron said the Queen's Speech was the first in 65 years from a coalition government.

"It is a Government not driven by party interest but by the national interest, with clear values at its heart," the Prime Minister said.

"The values at its heart are freedom, because over the past decade the state has become over-mighty and civil liberties have been undermined consistently... >>> | Tuesday, May 25, 2010

No-holds Barred Cameron Ditches Queen’s Speech Etiquette
TIMES ONLINE: David Cameron ignored the traditional niceties of the Queen’s Speech debate today to tear into Labour’s record in office and complain that Gordon Brown’s Government had left the country in an “appalling mess”.

The Prime Minister’s vitriolic attack in his first Commons appearance of the new Parliament raised eyebrows on a day when MPs usually act as though they can rise above party politics.

Speaking after Harriet Harman, the acting Labour leader, gave a gently chiding response to the introduction of the Lib-Con legislative programme, Mr Cameron said there was “something missing” from her speech.

“Not one word of apology for the appalling mess that has been left in this country. Nothing to say about leaving Britain with a deficit that is bigger than Greece’s. Not a single idea for getting to grips with it,” he said.

“Until they learn what they got so badly wrong I’m not sure people are going to listen to them again.” >>> Philippe Naughton | Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Welcome to Britain in 2010 Where Money + Class = Power
THE OBSERVER: The establishment is back at the heart of government. It's as if the last 100 years had never happened

As exhausted Labour ministers embraced opposition with an emotion close to relief, the party's equally exhausted staff assumed they could relax. Instead of being allowed to recuperate, however, they were overwhelmed by thousands of angry men and women clamouring to join. The sight of Nick Clegg and David Cameron joshing in the grounds of Downing Street had rammed home a truth about Britain that all the talk of "inclusion" and "diversity" obscures. We live in the most class-ridden society in western Europe, and it is becoming more sclerotic and more hierarchical by the year.

Despite the admirable attempts to combat sexism, racism and homophobia, the life-defining issue for children is not their skin colour, gender or sexuality, still less their intrinsic talent, but how much their parents are prepared to spend on their education, and what friendships they can exploit and contacts they can manipulate on their little darlings' behalf thereafter.

Look at our new government. Satirists caricature Liberals – and I think we can now stop calling them "Liberal Democrats" as their alliance with the right has sundered their links with the social democratic tradition – as muesli-munching, Observer-reading, real-ale-drinking members of the progressive middle class. The events of last week have smashed that caricature into 1,000 pieces. Instead of going with Labour, the leaders of middle-class liberalism went into David Cameron's coalition. Far from adding grit to an administration dominated by the children of the rich, they toffed it up and raised the average cabinet member's net worth by tens of thousands of pounds.

As so often, foreign journalists see Britain more clearly than we do. During the campaign, a puzzled Susanne Gelhard, London correspondent for German radio station ZDF, noticed that the British media talked incessantly about Cameron's privileged background, but never added that Clegg's was no different. "How does he do it?" she asked. "I think he must have very good PR management."

So he does. When you look at his history, you discover that his parents, who now live in some style in a chateau in the south of France, sent him to Westminster, a private school that has never seen itself as second best to Eton. On leaving Cambridge, he behaved in a manner any young Tory on the make would recognise by accepting the patronage of Lord Carrington and Lord Brittan. He married well. His Spanish wife Miriam is not only a successful lawyer bringing in a six-figure salary, but is also a Catholic. Her belief in the supernatural has the advantage of allowing the atheist Clegg to avoid the worst of the state education system and send his children to a faith school. >>> Nick Cohen | Sunday, May 16, 2010

Obama Backs 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Compromise That Could Pave Way For Repeal
THE WASHINGTON POST: President Obama has endorsed a "don't ask, don't tell" compromise between lawmakers and the Defense Department, the White House announced Monday, an agreement that may sidestep a key obstacle to repealing the military's policy banning gay men and lesbians from serving openly in the armed forces.

The compromise was finalized in meetings Monday at the White House and on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers will now, within days, vote on amendments that would repeal the Clinton-era policy, with a provision ensuring that any change would not take effect until after the Pentagon completes a study about its impact on troops. That study is due to Congress by Dec. 1.

In a letter to lawmakers pushing for a legislative repeal, White House budget director Peter Orszag wrote Monday that the administration "supports the proposed amendment."

"Such an approach recognizes the critical need to allow our military and their families the full opportunity to inform and shape the implementation process through a thorough understanding of their concerns, insights and suggestions," he wrote.

While gay rights advocates hailed the move as a "dramatic breakthrough," it remained uncertain whether the deal would secure enough votes to pass both houses of Congress. Republicans have vowed to maintain "don't ask, don't tell," while conservative Democrats have said they would oppose a repeal unless military leaders made it clear that they approved of such a change.

Even if the compromise language passes, a legislative repeal would take effect only after Obama certified that the change would not harm the nation's military readiness. >>> Michael D. Shear and Ed O'Keefe, Washington Post Staff Writer | Tuesday, May 25, 2010

ADVOCATE.COM: White House Green-lights DADT Repeal >>> Kerry Eleveld | Monday, May 24, 2010

Tony Blair Lands Job With Silicon Valley's Khosla Ventures
THE GUARDIAN: Former prime minister to bring his 'global relationships' to venture capital firm

Tony Blair's lucrative list of business activities lengthened yesterday with a job as an adviser to a Silicon Valley venture capital firm, Khosla Ventures, that specialises in promoting environmentally friendly technology.

The former prime minister is to lend his expertise and his "global relationships" to the California-based company, which is led by Indian-born billionaire Vinod Khosla, one of the founders of the computer firm Sun Microsystems.

Khosla recently raised $1bn from investors to pump into promising technologies aimed at cutting carbon emissions. He is a proponent of ethanol fuel as an alternative to petrol, and he has come in for criticism for benefiting from US government subsidies towards food-based ethanol production. >>> Andrew Clark in New York | Tuesday, May 25, 2010

MAIL ONLINE: Another $1m a year for Blair >>>

Beauty and the Beastliness: Miss USA Accused of Being an Islamic Extremist
SUNDAY HERALD: The Miss USA media panic is an annual event, most often comprising tales of drunken behaviour, indiscreet teenage photographs or a particularly stupid answer to a leading question.

This year, however, the beauty pageant finally has a controversy worthy of the name: the winner has been denounced as a terrorist sympathiser because she is an Arab-American.

Rima Fakih, 24, is the first Muslim to win the title. Her family emigrated from Lebanon to the US when she was seven. In the round of daytime television interviews that followed her victory, she took care to portray herself as “an American girl” from Dearborn, Michigan, who went to Catholic school.

“My family comes from a Muslim background, and we’re not defined by religion,” she said. “We’re a spiritual, liberal family.”

But this did not wash with the right-wing commentator Debbie Schlussel, who has found a niche audience by ­writing with a mixture of scorn and outrage about the predominantly Muslim population of the Detroit suburb she calls “Dearbornistan”.

“Don’t let her lack of a headscarf and her donning a bikini in public fool you,” she wrote. “Rimah Fakih is a Muslim ­activist and propagandist extraordinaire.”

Without producing any evidence, Schlussel accused Fakih’s family of being card-carrying members of the Lebanese extremist group Hezbollah, citing unnamed intelligence sources. “Mark my word. Hezbollah is laughing at us,” she wrote.

“One of its auxiliary members won the Miss USA title without having to do a thing to denounce them and their bloody murder of hundreds of Americans.” >>> Andrew Purcell in New York | Sunday, May 23, 2010

Miss USA’s Aunt: Hezbollah Congratulated Us; Cousin: I’m in Hezbo-Allied “Amal” Terrorist Grp
DEBBIE SCHLUSSEL: While some of Miss USA Rima Fakih’s family is lying and trying to do damage control on her Hezbollah ties, she’s yet to say three words: “I condemn Hezbollah.” And she’ll never say them because she supports the terrorist group. Sadly, not a single member of the mainstream media (including the gushing morons at FOX News) has the cojones to ask. Meanwhile, some of Fakih’s family is now claiming she is not from Srifa, the South Lebanese Hezbollah stronghold where she was born, but from the mountains near Beirut. Don’t believe it. In fact, those mountains are dominated by Lebanese Christians and Druze Arabs (not Muslims). And whether or not she lived briefly in those mountains, it doesn’t change two facts: Her family is in two terrorist groups, Hezbollah and Hezbo-allied Amal. And she won’t denounce Hezbollah, the group that murdered hundreds of Americans. >>> Debbie Schlussel | Monday, May 24, 2010

Related articles here and here

An Object Lesson In Integration
MAIL ONLINE: HE arrived in Britain as a penniless asylum seeker with only a small bag of possessions to his name.

But more than 30 years after fleeing Communist-run Hungary, Gabor Bartos has been given the honour of being named mayor of his adopted home village.

And yesterday the 59-year-old said his story was a lesson to more recent immigrants on how to integrate themselves into British society.

'It's only right that outsiders should respect the cultures of the countries they want to live in,' he said.

'When I came to England, I had to learn to speak English and had to drive on the other side of the road from the rest of Europe, and I had to adopt traditions and I'm proud of that because that is what made me a British citizen.

'That gave me a loyalty to this country. I just wish all other asylum seekers would follow the same trait. Some of the people coming to this great country won't integrate, and it really makes me angry.

'It's very sad that the old saying "When in Rome do as the Romans" is much maligned and ignored these days.' Former asylum seeker is elected mayor of Cheshire village... then slams immigrants who refuse to integrate into British society >>> James Tozer | Monday, May 24, 2010

Erdogan à la conquête du Nouveau Monde
Le premier ministre turc, Erdogan, et le président brésilien, Lula, le 18 mai à Madrid. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Le premier ministre turc part en tournée en Amérique latine pour renforcer ses alliances et gagner un siège permanent à l'ONU.

Les ambitions turques ne se limitent pas au Moyen-Orient. Elles se déploient sur des terres longtemps ignorées par Ankara. Le premier ministre Recep Tayyip Erdogan s'envole ce mardi vers le Brésil, première étape d'une tournée de huit jours en Amérique latine qui le conduira ensuite en Argentine et au Chili. À Brasilia, il retrouvera le président Lula, qu'il avait quitté à Téhéran la semaine dernière. Le nucléaire iranien sera au cœur de leurs discussions: les deux artisans de l'accord d'échange de combustible nucléaire conclu avec l'Iran devraient discuter d'une stratégie commune pour tenter de convaincre les États-Unis de retarder l'adoption de sanctions par le Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU contre la République islamique. L'objectif de la visite du chef du gouvernement turc dépasse cependant le dossier iranien car le tandem turco-brésilien a des visées plus vastes. >>> Par Laure Marchand | Mardi 25 Mai 2010

Les promesses du Syrien el-Assad à Kouchner
Le président syrien, Bachar el-Assad, et le ministre français des Affaires étrangères. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Le président alaouite a affirmé au chef de la diplomatie que ni Damas ni le Hezbollah ne déclencheraient de guerre contre Israël.

Y a-t-il ou non, au Proche-Orient, le risque d'une réédition de la conflagration de l'été 2006, qui avait vu 33 jours de guerre entre le Hezbollah et Israël ? Les Occidentaux pensent que oui. Cette inquiétude est nourrie par les rapports des services de renseignements américains et israéliens, estimant que la milice islamiste chiite libanaise ne cesse de se réarmer. Selon les Israéliens, il ne s'agirait pas seulement d'une reconstitution quantitative de ses stocks de roquettes, mais aussi d'une amélioration qualitative, avec l'acquisition clandestine par le Hezbollah de missiles Scud. En février dernier s'était tenu à Damas un «sommet de la Résistance» (à Israël), où les présidents iranien et syrien avaient posé pour les photographes avec Hassan Nasrallah. Que le charismatique secrétaire général du Hezbollah ait été, à Damas, traité à l'égal d'un chef d'État, avait fortement déplu, non seulement au président et au premier ministre libanais, mais aussi aux chefs des diplomaties française et américaine, qui poursuivent depuis 2008 une politique d'«engagement constructif» à l'égard de la Syrie. >>> Par Renaud Girard | Lundi 24 Mai 2010

Aufklärung: Der Gottesbetrug
ZEIT ONLINE: In Frankreich ist der legendäre »Traktat über die drei Betrüger« Moses, Jesus und Mohammed ein stiller Bestseller. In Deutschland bleibt er noch zu entdecken. Ein Gespräch mit dem Herausgeber Winfried Schröder

DIE ZEIT: Moses, Jesus und Mohammed haben die Menschen belogen, Gott ist nur eine verrückte Idee und die unsterbliche Seele eine Chimäre. Das behauptete vor mehr als 300 Jahren ein anonymer Verfasser in dem wohl radikalsten Text der Aufklärung, dem Traité des trois imposteurs, dem Traktat über die drei Betrüger. In Frankreich ist er in den letzten Jahren immer wieder aufgelegt worden. Was macht ihn so spannend?

Winfried Schröder: Seit einigen Jahren gibt es eine heftige Diskussion um das Verhältnis von Moderne und Religion. Und genau darum geht es hier. Wenn wir wissen wollen, wie es zu dem historisch einzigartigen Vorgang gekommen ist, dass in der westlichen Kultur die traditionelle religiöse, aber auch die traditionelle philosophische Weltsicht überwunden wurde, lohnt es sich, diesen Text anzuschauen. >>> Von Christian Staas | Dienstag, 25. Mai 2010

Finanzkrise und Korea-Konflikt: Europäische Börsen brechen ein, Euro unter Druck
WELT ONLINE: Negative Vorgaben aus Übersee und Sorgen um eine Verschärfung der politischen Situation in Korea haben den deutsche Aktienmarkt und die europäischen Börsen am Dienstag belastet. Der Dax fiel in den ersten Handelsminuten um 2,60 Prozent auf 5654,99 Punkte. Auch der Euro kennt weltweit nur eine Richtung. >>> Reuters/dpa/ws | Montag, 24. Mai 2010

Nordkorea versetzt offenbar Truppen in Kampfbereitschaft: Südkorea setzt auf Propaganda und Unterstützung der USA
NZZ ONLINE: Nordkorea hat seine Streitkräfte offenbar in Kampfbereitschaft versetzt. Die Entscheidung habe Staatschef Kim Jong Il vergangene Woche getroffen, nachdem sich die Spannungen zwischen Pjongjang und Südkorea deutlich verschärft hatten.

Dies berichteten Beobachter in Seoul am Dienstag. Die südkoreanische Regierung nahm nach sechsjähriger Unterbrechung wieder ihre Propagandasendungen gegen den kommunistischen Norden auf.

Die Entscheidung, die nordkoreanischen Truppen zu mobilisieren, sei am Donnerstag landesweit verkündet worden, berichtete die in Seoul ansässige Gruppe North Korea Intellectuals Solidarity unter Berufung auf nicht genannte Quellen. Wenige Stunden zuvor hatten internationale Ermittler Pjongjang für den Untergang eines südkoreanischen Kriegsschiffs mit 46 Toten im März verantwortlich gemacht. Die Behörden in Südkorea bestätigten den Bericht zunächst nicht. >>> ddp | Dienstag, 25. Mai 2010

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy in Embarrassing Internet Film on Sex and Love
THE TELEGRAPH: Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is facing embarrassment over an internet film featuring explicit comments she made about sex and love as a young model.

The 27-minute film, which has been posted on the video-sharing website YouTube, contains excerpts from interviews of the young Miss Bruni that juxtapose her risqué past with her demure present as the wife of the French president.

In one section, the Italian-born Miss Bruni produces from her handbag a book called Hot International Love and Sex Guides, which translates key phrases on all things erotic into seven languages.

“We need these kind of books because we’re travelling all around the world, we’re meeting new people and we want to know what to tell them in case we get into bed with them,” she tells interviewers on the Channel 4 show Eurotrash.

The then Miss Bruni, who was 28 when the show was broadcast in 1996, proceeds to offer four translations of “You get me very hot”, ending in the Italian “Mi eccite tanto”. >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Monday, May 24, 2010

MAIL ONLINE: Carla Bruni left 'shocked and dismayed' after reappearance of video showing her discussing sex in four languages >>> Peter Allen | Monday, May 24, 2010

Vision Offered by the Coalition Government in the Queen's Speech Will Offer Little to Help Victims of the Cuts
THE TELEGRAPH: It's a new nation under the coaltion government – but be warned: the newly poor will need a voice, says Mary Riddell.

Tomorrow, with all due pomp and pageantry, the Queen will tell Parliament that her Government will exercise "freedom, fairness and responsibility". Her speech, rooted in 500 years of tradition, will herald the birth of a modern nation.

The legislative programme outlined by Her Majesty is the gateway to a Britain in which children play in streets uncluttered by CCTV cameras and superfluous immigrants. These pupils, heading to sumptuous schools set up by (non-working?) parents, may walk past JobCentre Plus branches packed with benefit scroungers being shoehorned into gainful employment. Any anti-social elements disturbing the civic calm will be swiftly dealt with by our newly-politicised police. What happy days.

I do not mean to parody the Con-Lib agenda. Scrapping ID cards, curbing the excesses of the surveillance state and electoral reform are welcome and overdue. Even so, the upbeat pitch of today's proceedings stands in stark contrast to yesterday's.

The £6.25 billion cuts outlined by George Osborne sounded modest and, in some cases, positive. We can all sign up to a bit of quangocide and an end to first-class travel by civil servants. But these are the surface grazes before tax cuts kick in and the axe falls on the 300,000 public sector jobs threatened by efforts to cut the £157 billion budget deficit.

As the age of austerity dawns, the government is unfurling two contradictory visions of Britain. One is of a settled country reclaiming equality and freedom. The other shows a future so divisive that its strictures may rupture our tacit social contract and threaten civic peace. Obviously, cuts are essential, and Labour profligacy has made them more so. But the Coalition, still in its honeymoon, is being allowed to draw a veil over the pain to come. >>> Mary Riddell | Monday, May 24, 2010

Blue
U Make Me Wanna >>>

Kenya Court Rules Islamic Courts Are Illegal
BBC: Kenya's Islamic courts are illegal and discriminatory, a panel of judges has ruled.

The three judges said the Islamic "Kadhi" courts favoured Islam over other faiths, and that this was unconstitutional as Kenya was a secular country.

The issue of Islamic courts has been a contentious point in the country's new proposed constitution.

It is due to go to a referendum in August. >>> | Monday, May 24, 2010

Obama Honors West Point Grads - Full Video


West Point Speech: This Is Not the Obama of 2008
FOREIGN POLICY: President Obama's West Point speech on Saturday provides a great example of the structural continuities in American foreign policy. As president and commander-in-chief, Obama now embraces and owns policies that he previously eschewed. For example, after running his campaign denouncing the Iraq War and doubting the surge, he is now essentially declaring Iraq a victory ("this is what success looks like: an Iraq that provides no safe-haven to terrorists; a democratic Iraq that is sovereign, stable, and self-reliant.") After spending much of his first year in office downplaying if not ignoring democracy and human rights promotion, he is now making democracy and human rights promotion one of the four pillars of his national security strategy. After previously rhetorically distancing himself from American exceptionalism, he now says that a "fundamental part of our strategy is America's support for those universal rights that formed the creed of our founding." >>> Will Inboden | Monday, May 24, 2010

“To Offend Religion Is Possible in a Democratic Society”

RUSSIA TODAY: “To offend religion is possible in a democratic society”: Why there should be an exception for just one religion, Islam, not to create cartoons about it when all the other major religions accept this, is the problem bothering Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks. >>> | Monday, May 24, 2010

RUSSIA TODAY: Drawing attention to Mohammed: Five years after a Danish paper was fiercely criticized by Muslims for depicting the Prophet Mohammed in derogatory cartoons, Facebook and YouTube are under fire from Pakistan. >>> | Published Friday, May 21, 2010; Edited Monday, May 24, 2010