The EU should be stronger and more united. Great Britain should belong to the Union.
Die EU sollte stärker und geeinter sein. Großbritannien sollte der Union angehören.
L'UE devrait être plus forte et plus unie. La Grande-Bretagne devrait appartenir à l'Union.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Rory Bremner 'Afraid' to Joke about Islam
THE TELEGRAPH: Rory Bremner, the political impressionist, said he fears joking about Islam could lead to his death due to the "chilling" issue of fundamentalism.
Bremner said religion is "one of the toughest issues of our time". Photo: The Telegraph
Bremner said self-censorship was the biggest obstacle today for comedians addressing topical issues, due to fears of retribution by extremists.
His comments came as he discussed the future of satire with Sir David Frost on a BBC documentary, Frost on Satire, to be broadcast on Thursday.
He said: "The greatest danger now is that one of the toughest issues of our time is religion.
"When [I'm] writing a sketch about Islam, I'm writing a line and I think, 'If this goes down badly, I'm writing my own death warrant there.' Because there are people who will say, 'Not only do I not think that's funny but I'm going to kill you' – and that's chilling." >>> Nick Collins | Tuesday, June 15, 2010
This is proof, if indeed proof is at all needed, that Islam DOES NOT BELONG here in the WEST. Western culture and Islamic culture are TOTALLY and UTTERLY immiscible. In other words, they are like oil and water: they just DO NOT MIX. Ergo, all these Muslims should NEVER have been allowed in to the West to destroy ALL we stand for and hold dear.
Yes there are perfectly good Muslims. The problem is this: At no time can one be sure that today’s moderate (i.e. non-pratising) Muslim won’t turn into tomorrow’s fundamentalist. I have witnessed many such transformations.
Sarah Palin Plans Trip to UK to Meet 'Political Heroine' Margaret Thatcher
THE GUARDIAN: No date has been set for the meeting but they share a love of tax cutting and hostility towards organised labour
Sarah Palin at the Showdown in Searchlight Tea Party rally, in Searchlight, Nevada this March. Photograph: The Guardian
Sarah Palin, the once obscure governor from Alaska who is shaking up rightwing US politics, is promising to honour the woman she calls the Iron Lady by visiting Britain to see Margaret Thatcher.
Today Palin told her 1,630,386 Facebook fans that she was in discussions about meeting the baroness. In typically convoluted Palin language, she said she had received an invitation for a visit to London that "included the offer of arranging a meeting" with Thatcher.
The post came a day after the Mail on Sunday reported that Palin herself had made the approach, with her people contacting Thatcher's office to ask for an audience. The Mail said Thatcher had agreed to see her, though no date has been specified. >>> Ed Pilkington, New York | Monday, June 14, 2010
Obama Pledges Clean Energy Policy to Cut America’s Dependency on Oil
President Obama said that the Deepwater Horizon disaster would change how people think about the environment, in the same way that 9/11 changed US foreign policy. Photo: The Times
THE TIMES: President Obama likened the impact of the oil spill disaster on the nation’s psyche to the September 11 terrorist attacks as he made his first multi-state tour yesterday of the Gulf of Mexico.
Facing questions about his leadership amid rising public anger 56 days after the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded, he sought to reassert his authority by visiting Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, the states left out of three previous trips to the region.
Keen to dispel accusations that he has allowed BP to slacken in its efforts to stem the leak, Mr Obama noted that the company is now expecting to increase its containment capacity to 50,000 barrels a day two weeks sooner than planned. “We went back to them and said they needed to move faster and more aggressively and they have now come back with a plan,” he said.
The White House said it expected BP to place up to $20 billion in an escrow account to pay for the spill.
“One of the biggest leadership challenges for me going forward is going to be to make sure that we draw the right lessons from this disaster,” Mr Obama said in an interview with The Politico news website before he set off.
Vowing to move forward “in a bold way” with a clean energy policy that would help America to reduce its oil dependency, he added: “In the same way that our view of our vulnerabilities and our foreign policy was shaped profoundly by 9/11, I think this disaster is going to shape how we think about the environment and energy for many years to come.”
Mr Obama will address the nation from the Oval Office tonight, when he will announce new measures to help to restore the Gulf’s ecosystem. Tomorrow he meets BP executives for what the White House was keen to portray as showdown talks. Read on and comment >>> Jacqui Goddard, Orange Beach, Alabama | Monday, June 14, 2010
Barack Obama's Analogy Between the Gulf Oil Spill and 9/11: Dirty Politics from the Chicago School
Obama: He knows how to craft a cheap jibe. Photo: The Telegraph
This is how he put it: “In the same way that our view of our vulnerabilities and our foreign policy was shaped profoundly by 9/11, I think this disaster is going to shape how we think about the environment and energy for many years to come.” Nice.
I wondered recently how an expensively educated kid from Hawaii plunged into the filthy pool of Chicago machine politics and emerged smelling so sweet that America elected him president. David Remnick doesn’t address the question in his hagiography, and I’m not sure anyone knows the answer. But if there were any doubt about where Obama served his apprenticeship, then today’s little elision between a terrible accident and meticulously plotted mass murder clears it up. Read on and comment >>> Damian Thompson | Monday, June 14, 2010
Under False Colours
THE SPECTATOR: ‘With time,’ writes David Remnick, ‘political campaigns tend to be viewed through the triumphalist prism of the winner.’ Never more so, perhaps, than in Remnick’s idolatrous new biography of Barack Obama, which presents the First Black President’s ascension to the White House as nothing less than a glorious saga. >>> John R. MacArthur | Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Sarah Brown, l'ex First Lady, va publier ses Mémoires
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Sarah Brown, l'épouse de l'ex-Premier ministre britannique Gordon Brown, va écrire ses Mémoires, qui lèveront le voile sur ses années passées au 10 Downing Street, a annoncé lundi sa maison d'édition.
Sarah Brown, en compagnie de son mari l'ex-premier ministre britannique. Photo : Tribune de Genève
Le volume s'intitulera "Behind the Black Door" (Derrière la porte noire) et racontera "ce que c'est de faire les magasins avec la Special Branch (une unité d'élite de la police chargée de la protection des personnalités, ndlr)" et comment "s'accommoder d'être mal coiffée quand Carla Bruni est dans le coin", a indiqué l'éditeur Ebury.
Sarah Brown avait annoncé la nouvelle dimanche sur le site internet de micro-blogs Twitter, où ses messages sont suivis par plus d'un million de personnes.
"Je viens juste d'accepter d'écrire un livre avec mon éditeur Ebury (...) donc (serai) enchaînée à mon ordinateur portable dès lundi", avait-elle écrit.
La parution du livre est prévue pour le jour de la Fête des mères 2011, soit le 3 avril au Royaume-Uni.
Selon un porte-parole de Mme Brown, le livre "reflétera les défis consistant à abandonner une brillante carrière pour créer un nouveau rôle en tant qu'activiste internationale pour des organisations caritatives". >>> AFP | Lundi 14 Juin 2010
Göldi «fatigué mais heureux»
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Rentré la nuit dernière en Suisse, Max Göldi avait convoqué la presse cet après-midi.
De retour en Suisse après avoir été retenu près de deux ans en Libye, Max Göldi s’est déclaré fatigué mais heureux. Lors d’une conférence de presse lundi à Berne, l’employé d’ABB a expliqué combien a été difficile à vivre l’incertitude et la séparation d’avec les siens. Max Göldi a en revanche éludé les questions trop politiques.
"C’est un moment très émouvant pour moi. Je suis fatigué, mais très heureux", a-t-il déclaré à Berne devant la presse, des trémolos dans la voix. Il a souligné avoir été victime d’un conflit dont il n’était pas responsable. L’ingénieur d’ABB a remercié tous ceux qui se sont engagés pour sa libération, sans oublier son employeur. Il a confié que cet épisode laisserait des traces et qu’il aurait besoin de temps pour retrouver une vie normale. >>> AP | Lundi 14 Juin 2010
Une majorité de Suisses serait favorable à l'homoparentalité
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: ÉTUDE | Plus de cinquante pour cent des Helvètes se prononceraient, selon un sondage publié ce lundi, pour l'adoption d'enfants par des couples homosexuels.
Photo prétexte. Ici un couple néerlandais dans la chambre de leur futur bébé. Photo : Tribune de Genève
Cinquante-trois pour cent des Suisses estiment que les couples homosexuels devraient pouvoir adopter un enfant, révèle un sondage Isopublic publié lundi. Il y a six ans, seuls 41,3% de Helvètes s'étaient déclarés favorables à une telle évolution.
Une large majorité de Suisse (86,3%) se prononce par ailleurs pour l'instauration d'un cadre légal pour les familles homoparentales. Quant à la possibilité d'adopter l'enfant de son ou sa partenaire pour les couples de même sexe, deux tiers des sondés se sont déclarés en faveur. >>> ATS | Lundi 14 Juin 2010
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Moderne Zeiten für Zaha Hadid
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Die Tränen der First Lady
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Catholic Church Viciously Vandalized: Police calling damage to California house of worship a hate crime
Switzerland Eats Humble Pie
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Pork sausages and plonk! One big anti-Islamisation party in Paris!
Pork and Wine Anti-Islamisation Party Slammed in Paris
THE TELEGRAPH: Anti-racism activists have condemned plans to hold a "pork sausage and wine" party in a multi-ethnic Paris district to protest against what the organisers call the area's "Islamisation".
SOS Racisme called for the event scheduled for Friday in the Goutte d'Or area of north Paris to be banned because it sent out a "message of hate and of violence towards groups of people because of their real or supposed origins".
The opposition Communist Party said in a statement that "this disgusting joke seeks to exacerbate the differences that make for the richness of the 18th arrondissement (district)".
Sylvie Francois, a local resident, told French radio that she set up a Facebook page for the event to fight against what she saw as the increasing "Islamisation" of her area. >>> | Monday, June 14, 2010
George W Bush's Daughter Supports Barack Obama's Health Care Legislation
THE TELEGRAPH: Barbara Bush, one of George W Bush's daughters has admitted that she supported President Barack Obama's health care legislation.
Bush twins Barbara and Jenna Bush. Photo: The Telegraph
In the latest example of a member of the former Republican president's family disagreeing with his key policies, Miss Bush, 28, said health care should be a right for everyone, not a privilege.
"Why do, basically, people with money have good health care and why do people who live on lower salaries not have good health care?" she said on Fox News.
"Obviously the health care reform bill was highly debated by a lot of people, and I'm glad the bill was passed," she said.
During the debate over the bill last year, her father, whose government made no effort to reform health care despite steeply rising costs, said he was worried that reform would encourage government to supersede the private sector in proving health insurance. The bill was opposed by every Republican in Congress. >>> Alex Spillius in Washington | Monday, June 14, 2010
Islamic Terror: Company Bidding to Help Manage Ground Zero Tower Has Arab Ties
FOX NEWS: Nearly nine years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the bi-state agency that operates the World Trade Center is looking for a private partner to help manage the 1,776-foot office tower that is being built at Ground Zero -- and one of two companies under consideration may have ties to the Middle East.
The bidding process for private partners for the "Freedom Tower" has been whittled down to two companies: Durst Organization and Related Companies, Fox News legal analyst Peter Johnson Jr. reports.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will soon decide which partner will manage and help market the tower, which has been renamed One World Trade Center. The partner will invest at least $100 million into the office tower and memorial building.
Related Cos. is an international real estate group whose investors include Goldman Sachs; MSD Capital, LP; Mubadala Development Co.; Kuwait Investment Authority; and Olayan Group, according to the company’s website.
Mubadala Development Co. is owned by the Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, government.
Johnson reports that Related Cos. is involved in a joint project with the UAE-backed company, which is chaired by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. Johnson said Related Cos. also has ties to the Saudi Arabian royal family and to financiers based in Dubai. (+ video) >>> FOXNews.com | Monday, June 14, 2010
Tea Party Controversy: Congressional candidate defends Tea Party against allegations of racism, homophobia
Controversy over Mosque at Ground Zero – Fox and Friends (May 26, 2010)
Ground Zero Mosque Controversy: Is project a statement against terrorism or insult to 9/11 victims?
Barack Obama Requests $50 Billion in Emergency Funding from Congress
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama has sought to shore up the US economy with a request for $50 billion (£34 billion) in emergency funding from Congress to save the jobs of "hundreds of thousands" of teachers, firemen and policemen.
He said the aid, which also included measures to help small businesses, was essential to ensure that the country did not "slide backwards just as our recovery is taking hold".
"It is essential that we continue to explore additional measures to spur job creation and build momentum toward recovery, even as we establish a path to long-term fiscal discipline," Mr Obama wrote in a letter sent to party leaders in Congress.
Pointing out that 84,000 public sector jobs had been lost so far this year, he said keeping people employed in the short term would cost less than their unemployment.
The demand to inject further government spending into the economy puts America on the opposite course to its major trading partners in the developed world. Britain, Germany, Japan, France and Italy have all announced cuts after boosting spending to counter the recession in recent years.
Mr Obama is also likely to encounter stiff domestic opposition. Republicans immediately criticised the president for seeking to spend more money when the national debt has risen to £9.6 trillion.
John Boehner, the Republican leader in the House of Representatives, said spending more public money without offsetting the costs was irresponsible.
"The spending spree in Washington continues unabated, though the American people are screaming at the top of their lungs: 'Stop'." >>> Alex Spillius in Washington | Sunday, June 13, 2010
«Die Schweiz hat viele Freunde» : Bundesrätin Calmy-Rey bedankt sich für Hilfe bei Freilassung von Max Göldi
NZZ ONLINE: Aussenministerin Micheline Calmy-Rey hat sich am Montag vor den Medien bei allen bedankt, die zur Freilassung von Max Göldi beigetragen haben. Besonderer Dank ging an die EU und an Bundesrat Hans-Rudolf Merz.
Göldis Rückkehr in die Schweiz sei weder ein Zufall noch eine Laune des Schicksals, sagte Calmy-Rey. Viel mehr handle es sich um die Frucht unermüdlicher Bemühungen und monatelanger Anstrengungen. «Wir sind alle erleichtert und zufrieden», sagte Calmy-Rey.
Dank gehe an die Mitarbeitenden des Departements, aber auch an die EU, insbesondere an ihre Amtskollegen von Spanien und Deutschland, an den König Spaniens und den italienischen Ministerpräsidenten Silvio Berlusconi. >>> sda | Montag, 14. Juni 2010
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Max Göldi rentré, les yeux se tournent vers Genève
La conseillère fédérale Micheline Calmy-Rey et Max Göldi, à leur arrivée à l’aéroport de Zurich. Photo : Le Temps
LE TEMPS: L’épilogue de l’affaire des otages suisses en Libye est en grande partie redevable à nos partenaires de l’UE, estime la presse au lendemain du retour de Max Göldi
Max Göldi, le responsable du groupe d’ingénierie ABB en Libye où il était retenu depuis juillet 2008, est arrivé dans la nuit de dimanche à lundi à Zurich, accompagné de la cheffe de la diplomatie helvétique, Micheline Calmy-Rey. Pour 24 Heures, c’est «la fin d’un long cauchemar». «Mais il semble bien difficile, nuance le quotidien vaudois, de faire des pénibles tractations avec la Libye une quelconque victoire pour la Suisse. Pour signer le billet de sortie de Max Göldi, Micheline Calmy-Rey aura courbé le front jusqu’à terre. Des excuses – de doubles excuses! – un tribunal arbitral et, peut-être, une rançon.» «Pour le régime libyen, la victoire est totale», «la Suisse aura consenti à des humiliations terribles. Celle d’un petit pays qui achète la paix d’un tyran plus puissant que lui. Le prix de la raison d’Etat.» Même si Euronews interprète les choses ainsi: «Les relations se réchauffent entre Berne et Tripoli.»
Et maintenant? Les yeux se tournent vers Genève, «où l’arrestation d’Hannibal Kadhafi va être à nouveau passée au crible», enchaîne la Tribune de Genève, qui n’évoque pas les fameuses photographies d’Hannibal Kadhafi qu’elle avait publiées, ce dont Micheline Calmy-Rey s’est excusée dimanche à Tripoli. Alors, «nécessaire, inopportune, illégale», cette arrestation? «La police, la justice et le Conseil d’Etat, après avoir tenu bon face aux pressions insensées de Kadhafi, devront-ils plier encore? Genève pourrait bien être appelé à payer le solde de la facture.» >>> Olivier Perrin | Lundi 14 Juin 2010
Max Göldi Returns to Switzerland
WORLD RADIO SWITZERLAND (WRS): Max Göldi returned to Zurich in the early morning hours Monday after nearly two years in Libya. The ABB employee arrived in the company of Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey, and her Spanish counterpart Miguel Angel Moratinos, and was greeted by family.
Göldi’s liberation was the fruit of 36 hours of intense diplomatic efforts on the ground in Tripoli, culminating in a visit by Calmy-Rey, Moratinos and Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi with Libyan leader Moammar Kadhafi in his famed tent.
Earlier on Sunday, Calmy-Rey concluded a ”plan of action” with Libya, paving the way for normalized relations. The accord unblocks the process of international arbitration to assess responsibilities for the arrest of Moammar Kadhafi’s son and daughter-in-law in Geneva in July of 2008—the origin of the diplomatic row.
It also offers apologies for the leaked mugshot of Moammar Kadhafi’s son, Hannibal and promises monetary compensation if the canton of Geneva authorities come up empty handed in their investigation into who was responsible. (with radio link) >>> | Monday, June 14, 2010
Kyrgyzstan Death Toll Rises as Ethnic Slaughter Continues
THE GUARDIAN: At least 117 killed as thousands flee burning homes and Kyrgyz rioters armed with axes, while Uzbek leader claims higher toll
Thousands of Uzbeks fleeing southern Kyrgyzstan massed at the border today, as the deadliest ethnic violence in decades left entire city blocks razed to the ground and scores of people dead.
The official death toll from the clashes that began last week reached 117, with 1,500 injured, the health ministry of the beleaguered former Soviet country, which hosts US and Russian military bases, announced.
However, an Uzbek leader claimed that 200 Uzbeks have already been buried, and the International Committee of the Red Cross has said its delegates witnessed about 100 bodies being buried in just one cemetery.
Jallahitdin Jalilatdinov, who heads the Uzbek National Centre, said that at least 100,000 had fled for the border and were awaiting entry into Uzbekistan. An Associated Press reporter saw at least hundreds of Uzbek refugees stuck at a border crossing near Jalal-Abad in a no-man's land between the boundaries.
The interim government, which took over after Kurmanbek Bakiyev was ousted by a public revolt in April, has been unable to stop the violence and accused Bakiyev's family of instigating it. Uzbeks have backed the interim government, while many Kyrgyz in the south have supported the toppled president. (+ video) >>> Luke Harding and agencies | Monday, June 14, 2010
Army Misses a Trick as Geordie Is Hailed Hero of the Foreign Legion
Adjudant-chef Rowe has received an almost unheard of five citations for bravery during his 23-year Legion career. Photograph: The Times
THE TIMES: Amid the pomp of the Bastille Day celebrations in Paris next month, Alex Rowe, Newcastle-born and Gloucestershire-raised, will be invested as a Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur for his service in the French Foreign Legion.
It is an honour unheard of for an English legionnaire, but Adjudant-chef Rowe is frank: he would much rather have joined the British Army. While his twin brother, Mark, was accepted into the Royal Engineers, Adjudant-chef Rowe was rejected because of a childhood detached retina.
The decision still rankles. While he speaks matter-of-factly about quelling African rebellions and escaping death in a Taleban ambush, mention the British army and he suddenly becomes animated. “I became a sniper, this is the point,” he said, his accent veering between Geordie and French. “You can’t get into the British army because you’ve got a f***ed eye, and you become a sniper in the French Foreign Legion. Something’s gone wrong there.”
Not just a sniper, but one of the most highly decorated of all legionnaires. He has seen action in Bosnia, Kosovo, central Africa, the Ivory Coast and Afghanistan, winning an astonishing five citations for bravery. In his first interview, he told The Times: “Most guys will have one citation, some will have two. Three is very rare. Five is . . .” here he tailed off into a very Gallic shrug. “But I haven’t done anything more than my job.”
At a Legion training camp near Toulouse, Adjudant-chef Rowe, 43, explained how he went from running a pub in Stroud to being a hero of France’s elite and mythologised unit. Furious at his medical rejection by the Army, despite acceptance by Sandhurst, Adjudant-chef Rowe tried to run away to the Legion at 18. His mother talked him out of it, but just before his 21st birthday he flew to Marseilles, walked into a recruiting office and “basically disappeared” from the outside world. Continue reading and comment >>> Chris Smyth | Monday, June 14, 2010
David Cameron to Fight EU Over ‘Show Us Budget’ Demand
David Cameron rejected demands that he should submit Budget proposals for Brussels approval. Photograph: The Times
THE TIMES: David Cameron is preparing for his first confrontation with the European Union later this week by rejecting demands that he should submit Budget proposals for the approval of Brussels.
Herman Van Rompuy, the EU President, wants all 27 member states to share financial plans with the European Commission to prevent another crisis similar to the one in Greece.
“A government presenting a Budget plan with a high deficit would have to justify itself in front of its peers, among finance ministers,” Mr Van Rompuy said. “There would still be time to adjust plans before the final Budget plans are presented.”
The proposal is likely to be discussed on Thursday when Mr Cameron attends his first European Council meeting as Prime Minister. William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, described the Government’s opposition as “trenchant” yesterday. “It is not a proposal that we can support,” he said. “The Prime Minister, the Chancellor and I have all made that very clear. The British Budget must be presented to the British Parliament. That is a position we will argue for and we will maintain. The discussions on this have some way to go but our position is pretty categorical.” Continue reading and comment >>> David Charter, Francis Elliott | Monday, June 14, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
The Erotic Legacy of the Moors
THE OLIVE PRESS: A chance encounter in the Alhambra leads Jason Webster to believe Christian Spain’s obsession with sex and sensuality stretches back to when the country was ruled by the Moors
THEY used to say Spain was the only country where power was more important than sex. But that was in the dark days of Franco, when Catholicism and fascism combined to ensure that even those who escaped the firing squads were not allowed to have any fun.
The Caudillo himself was said to be a passionless creature – at least according to a confidential remark by his wife that quickly spread across the whole of Spain – but follar (f*cking) particularly within the confines of family life, was officially at least, a strictly joyless affair.
All this, as everyone knows, has now changed. With the death of Franco, Spain went loco por el sexo, a trend which, 30 years on, I can report is still pulsing vibrantly through the veins down here.
But the current overflowing of physical vitality is not simply a reaction to the repressive years of the dictatorship. Anarchists in the Civil War spread the word of free love and open marriages, while ‘liberating’ prostitutes from sexual slavery – some of these later fought in the trenches of Aragon.
Promiscuity on the Left in the 1930s became the norm, and even the rather austere-looking widow at the head of the Spanish Communist Party, La Pasionaria, was said to keep a young party member as a lover back home while she emboldened the troops at the front with cries of ¡No pasarán!
Erotic history
Yet the deep eroticism of the Spanish is older than this, and to find its roots you have to go back much further, as I have discovered, to the times of the Moors.
Muslims ruled parts of Spain for 800 years, creating a rich, vibrant culture way ahead of their Christian rivals. When London was a mere group of huts in a marsh by the Thames, as the dusky Arab reminds the blond lieutenant in Lawrence of Arabia, Moorish Cordoba had street lighting, a thousand bath houses and more than 300 libraries.
Moorish Spain was hippest place to be in Medieval Europe, whether you were looking for knowledge, a wash, or the best looking girls, most of them following the latest fashions and trends from Baghdad – even today las co[r]dobesas are renowned as being the prettiest women in Spain.
Cosmopolitan culture and vast wealth combined in this southwestern corner of Europe to create a powerhouse of sophistication and sensuality.
Stroll through the pleasure palace that is the Alhambra in Granada today and you will see what I mean. Rivalled only in beauty by the Taj Mahal, it is a dream-scape made of stone, where fresh mountain water trickles from white marble fountains, forests of fine needle columns reach up to snowflake ceilings, where Arabesques and geometric patterns draw you into other worlds while you shade yourself by a myrtle bush from the relentless Andalusian sun.
This was once the Sultan’s harem, perhaps the most erotic place in the Medieval world. Who could not be stirred by such a place? Read on and comment >>> Jason Webster* | Friday, July 06, 2007
*Jason Webster has written three books about Spain. Duende, Al-Andalus and Guerra are published by Black Swan and are available at all good bookshops. Visit his website here.
Le mariage gay autorisé en islande [sic]
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le texte a été approuvé à l'unanimité.
L'Islande, seul pays au monde dont le chef de gouvernement soit ouvertement homosexuel, a adopté vendredi une loi autorisant les personnes de même sexe à se marier. Le texte a été approuvé à l'unanimité.
Les 49 membres de l'Althing (parlement) se sont prononcés en faveur d'un texte de loi qui étend le champ d'application du mariage aux unions entre «homme et homme, femme et femme». Pays insulaire de 320.000 habitants où prévaut une grande tolérance sociale, l'Islande a élu Premier ministre en 2009 la social-démocrate Johanna Sigurdadottir, homosexuelle déclarée. >>> ATS | Vendredi 11 Juin 2010
Espagne: une loi pour exclure les crucifix des écoles
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le gouvernement espagnol prépare une loi sur la "liberté de religion" qui prévoit que l’Etat respecte une stricte "neutralité" en matière de religion, excluant notamment les crucifix des écoles publiques, indique dimanche le journal El Pais. Le gouvernement socialiste espagnol avait déjà annoncé en 2008 qu’il préparerait une loi pour un plus grand respect de la laïcité et du pluralisme religieux, dans un pays où l’église catholique demeure très présente et influente.
Le gouvernement espagnol prépare une loi sur la "liberté de religion" qui prévoit que l’Etat respecte une stricte "neutralité" en matière de religion, excluant notamment les crucifix des écoles publiques, indique dimanche le journal El Pais.
Le gouvernement socialiste espagnol avait déjà annoncé en 2008 qu’il préparerait une loi pour un plus grand respect de la laïcité et du pluralisme religieux, dans un pays où l’église catholique demeure très présente et influente.
Le quotidien de centre-gauche espagnol explique dimanche que d’après le texte de loi "en préparation", les funérailles d’Etat se dérouleront "sans aucun cérémonial à caractère religieux" alors qu’elles sont aujourd’hui généralement organisées selon le rite catholique.
Les pouvoirs publics devront respecter une stricte "neutralité face à la religion et aux croyances, en évitant toute confusion entre fonction publique et activités religieuses", selon le texte du projet de loi. >>> AFP | Dimanche 13 Juin 2010
Libyen und die Schweiz begraben das Kriegsbeil
DIE PRESSE: Die Schweizer Außenministerin und ihr lybischer Kollege unterschrieben am Sonntag ein Abkommen zur Normalisierung der Beziehungen. Der inhaftierte Schweizer Max Göldi darf heim.
Tripolis/BERN. Plötzlich ging dann alles sehr schnell: Die Schweizer Außenministerin Micheline Calmy-Rey reiste am Samstagabend überraschend in die libysche Hauptstadt Tripolis und traf sich am Sonntagvormittag mit ihrem libyschen Kollegen Moussa Koussa. Wenige Stunden später unterzeichneten die zwei ein Abkommen zur Normalisierung der seit Längerem völlig zerrütteten Beziehungen zwischen den beiden Staaten.
Demnach sollte der in Libyen inhaftierte Schweizer Geschäftsmann Max Göldi noch in der Nacht auf Montag in die Schweiz zurückkehren dürfen. Göldi wurde am Donnerstag nach einer viermonatigen Haftstrafe wegen angeblicher Verletzungen von Visabestimmungen aus einem libyschen Gefängnis entlassen. Bereits vor seiner Haft war er mit einem zweiten Landsmann eineinhalb Jahre lange in Libyen festgehalten worden. >>> Carola Schneider | Sonntag, 13. Juin 2010
Mideast Comes Up with New Anti-smoking Laws
THE TIMES OF INDIA: The Middle East, long associated with the ubiquitous waterpipe, is intensifying an anti-smoking drive as several Arab countries ban the practice in public places, even if success looks difficult.
From Beirut to Cairo, cigarettes are smoked everywhere, not just in cafes and restaurants, but in banks, ministries and even hospitals.
Egypt, the most populous nation in the Arab world and the heaviest smoker, announced on Thursday its intention to make the Mediterranean city of Alexandria the country's ‘first smoke-free city.’
But the health ministry did not say how it planned to achieve this goal.
An existing law that prohibits smoking in public places is frequently flouted -- notably by civil servants and police.
Nearly 40 per cent of Egyptian men smoke, the vast majority of them throughout the day, according to a report published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in January.
On top of this, at least 70 per cent of those questioned for the survey said they were subjected to passive smoking at home or in the workplace.
Jordan, Syria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are also looking to kick the habit, having all passed anti-smoking legislation in recent months.
In January, the Emirati president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, ordered a ban "on smoking in public transport and closed public places."
Within the UAE, Dubai took the lead, introducing smoking restrictions as far back as 2007. >>> AFP | Sunday, June 13, 2010
Saudi Arabia: Smoking Cigarettes
BLOG – STUFF SAUDI PEOPLE LIKE: It’s well known that when you start a habit when you’re young; it is really hard to get over it. A lot of Saudis start smoking at a young age, usually their first experiment with cigarettes will be with their peers in schools. From hiding in school’s restrooms to standing behind buildings, smoke comes out from every part of the schools. Most teenagers who smoke carry pack of cigarettes in one pocket and a bottle of cologne in the other. No matter how much you wear cologne or drink half of the bottle, in the end parents always find out that you smoke.
Every year the price of cigarettes go up, but that doesn’t matter. Saudis will put down money and finance a pack of cigarette, in order to get the nicotine in their system. It’s the illusion of the cool image that is associated with cigarette, makes Saudis want to smoke. Watch any Saudi smoke, from the way he holds the cigarette to the way he blows the smoke, as if he is in a Hollywood movie that is playing in a slow motion. Comment >>> saudislike | Monday, August 17, 2009
ZEIT ONLINE: Verkleidete Terroristen haben die irakische Zentralbank in Bagdad angegriffen. Unter den Angreifern waren auch Selbstmordattentäter. Mindestens 15 Menschen wurden getötet.
Rauch steigt über der Zentralbank in Bagdad auf. Mindestens 15 Menschen kamen bei einem bewaffneten Angriff auf die Bank ums Leben. Bild: Zeit Online
Bei einem spektakulären Angriff auf die irakische Zentralbank in Bagdad haben Terroristen am Sonntag mindestens 15 Menschen getötet und über 40 verletzt. Die meisten der Opfer sind nach Angaben des Innenministeriums Angestellte des Geldinstitutes.
Die Angreifer waren als Soldaten verkleidet. Erst zündeten die Selbstmordattentäter unter den Terroristen innerhalb weniger Minuten mindestens sechs Bomben in der Umgebung des Gebäudes. Danach lieferten sich die übrigen Bewaffneten erbitterte Schusswechsel mit dem Sicherheitspersonal der Bank, drangen in das Gebäude ein und nahmen zahlreiche Angestellte und Kunden als Geiseln.
Über der irakischen Hauptstadt bildete sich eine weit sichtbare Rauchwolke, Hubschrauber kreisten am Himmel. Nach Angaben des Verteidigungsministeriums haben die Attentäter inzwischen Scharfschützen auf dem Dach postiert, die jeden unter Beschuss nehmen, der sich nähert. Polizei und Armee haben das Areal um die Zentralbank weiträumig abgeriegelt. Weiter lessen und kommentieren >>> Von Martin Gehlen | Sonntag, 13. Juni 2010
Kadhafi accuse la FIFA d'être une "mafia mondiale"
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: TRIPOLI | Le numéro un libyen Mouammar Kadhafi s'en est vivement pris samedi soir à la Fédération internationale de football (Fifa) qualifiée de "mafia mondiale" et d'"organisation corrompue", défendant de nouveau le droit de "petits pays" à accueillir la Coupe du Monde.
"Nous annonçons d'ici notre condamnation de cette mafia mondiale et de cette organisation corrompue", a déclaré le colonel Kadhafi dans un discours à l'occasion du 40e "anniversaire de l'évacuation des troupes américaines de Libye" le 11 juin 1970. Initialement prévue vendredi, la commémoration de cet anniversaire avait été reportée à samedi, en raison de sa coïncidence avec l'ouverture du Mondial-2010. La Lybie s'était portée candidate pour l'organisation de l'événement, finalement confiée à l'Afrique du Sud. "La politique corrompue suivie par cette organisation corrompue doit être combattue et nous allons la combattre régulièrement", a déclaré le Guide de la révolution libyenne devant des milliers de sympathisants et de militaires à l'aéroport militaire de Mîtiga, près de Tripoli. >>> AFP | Dimanche 13 Juin 2010
Violence Escalates in Southern Kyrgyzstan
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: OSH/BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan—Kyrgyz mobs burned Uzbek villages and slaughtered their residents Sunday as ethnic rioting engulfed southern Kyrgyzstan. The government ordered troops to shoot rioters dead but even that measure failed to stop the spiraling violence.
More than 100 people have been killed and over 1,000 wounded in the impoverished Central Asian nation since the violence began Thursday night. Doctors say that death toll is low, because wounded Uzbeks are too afraid of being attacked again to seek treatment in hospitals.
Thousands of Uzbeks have fled in panic to the border with Uzbekistan after their homes were torched by roving mobs of Kyrgyz men. Uzbek women and children were gunned down as they tried to escape, witnesses said.
Fires set by rioters have destroyed most of Osh, a city of 250,000, and looters have stolen most of its food. Triumphant crowds of Kyrgyz men took control of most of the city on Sunday while the few Uzbeks still in the city barricaded themselves in their neighborhoods.
The rampages spread quickly Sunday to Jalal-Abad, another major southern city, and neighboring villages, as mobs methodically set Uzbek houses, stores and cafes on fire. The rioters seized an armored vehicle and automatic weapons at a local military unit and attacked police stations around the region trying to get more firearms. Police and the military appeared to be on the defensive across the south, avoiding clashes with mobs. Read on and comment >>> A Wall Street Journal Roundup | Sunday, June 13, 2010
Embattled Kyrgyzstan Appeals to Russia
Europe Embraces the Cult of Austerity – But at What Cost?
THE OBSERVER: Eurozone finance ministers were still committed to spending their way to recovery only a few months ago. Then came the Greek debt crisis, which threatened to engulf the continent. Despite warnings from the US, Britain and its EU neighbours are braced for unprecedented public sector cuts
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is preparing her country for unprecedented cuts. Photograph: The Observer
When Angela Merkel talks about budget cuts these days she likes to invoke the "Swabian housewife" – Germany's equivalent of the parsimonious Scot. In that part of south-west Germany they have a reputation for scrimping and saving. Famously, Swabia's cooks make hearty soups out of all the leftovers in the kitchen. To the German chancellor they are the embodiments of good housekeeping.
"You can't keep living beyond your means," says Merkel. "One should simply ask the Swabian housewife."
By extolling the virtues of old-fashioned thrift, Merkel hoped last week to go some way towards explaining to ordinary Germans why they must suddenly swallow the most painful austerity pill administered by their government in generations. Last Monday, with some trepidation, she announced massive cuts of €11.2bn in 2011 and plans for a total of €80bn by 2014. Yesterday, in Stuttgart and elsewhere, the inevitable protests began on the streets.
Even for a country painfully aware, because of its history, of the danger of debt, the extent of corrective action came as a shock. "Germany has never agreed to an austerity package to this extent, but these cuts have to be made in order for the country to establish a stable economic future," Merkel said.
Across Europe other governments, scared by the Greek debt crisis, the repercussions of which imperil the very existence of the euro, have been doing the same, raising the spectre of mass layoffs in public services in the name of European unity. >>> Toby Helm, Ian Traynor and Paul Harris | Sunday, June 13, 2010
La marée noire «hante» sa présidence
20 MINUTES ONLINE: Barack Obama, qui doit constamment adapter son agenda à la marée noire du golfe du Mexique, risque de voir les prochains mois de sa présidence hantés par ce désastre.
La semaine du président des Etats-Unis aurait dû être consacrée à une tournée en Indonésie et en Australie, pour capitaliser sur le discours du Caire aux musulmans en 2009 et célébrer l'alliance stratégique avec Canberra.
Mais au lieu de cela, M. Obama effectuera lundi et mardi sa quatrième visite depuis début mai dans la région du Golfe, touchée par la pire catastrophe écologique jamais vécue par le pays.
De retour à la Maison Blanche, M. Obama devrait rencontrer mercredi le président de BP, Carl-Henric Svanberg, pour la première fois depuis le naufrage fin avril de la plateforme Deepwater Horizon exploitée par l'entreprise pétrolière britannique.
M. Obama n'a pas ménagé ses critiques envers la société, au point de perturber la «relation privilégiée» entre Washington et Londres. Au cours d'une conversation téléphonique de 30 minutes samedi, M. Obama a a assuré à M. Cameron que les critiques qu'il a exprimées contre BP «n'ont rien à voir avec l'identité nationale» de la Grande-Bretagne. >>> afp | Dimanche 13 Juin 2010
Vatican: Pope Wants 'Human' Capital to Be Valued
ADN KRONOS INTERNATIONAL: Vatican City - Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday offered advice for European banking and development officials trying to help countries recover from the current economic crisis. The pontiff said finance and the economy were nothing more than a means to help people realise their potential and keep their dignity.
Benedict told officials of the European Council's Development Bank during a speech at the Vatican that leaders must value human "capital".
He also said that Christianity in Europe will allow the continent to keep its laws and social structures responsible and ethical. [Source: AKI] | Saturday, June 12, 2010
Liebesbriefe gegen die Mullahs: Am Jahrestag der iranischen Aufstände melden sich die Frauen der Inhaftierten
NZZ am SONNTAG: Ein Jahr nach den gefälschten Präsidentschaftswahlen sitzen in Iran Hunderte von Regimekritikern in Haft. Die Ehefrauen veröffentlichen im Internet, was sie ihren Männern schreiben und wie sie ihnen Mut machen.
Kann Liebe Sünde sein? Auch wenn sie es wäre, so wäre es den Ehefrauen der inhaftierten Oppositionellen in Iran egal. Sie haben eine neue und emotionale Form des Widerstands gegen die Regierung und den herrschenden Klerus gefunden: Sie veröffentlichen die Liebesbriefe an ihre Männer im Internet. Darin beschreiben sie ihre Sehnsucht und ihre Angst, aber auch Hoffnung und Trotz. Schon wegen der Intimität der Briefe ist das ein Affront gegen die religiösen Eiferer.
Hartherzige Wärter
«Mein Liebster», schreibt Jila Bani-Yaqoub ihrem Mann Bahman. «Gestern bin ich zu dir ins Evin-Gefängnis gefahren. Ich ahnte, dass sie mir nicht erlauben würden, dich zu sehen, aber ich wollte dir nah sein. Wenn nur noch die Mauern von Evin zwischen uns sind, fühle ich mich besser.» Weiter lessen und kommentieren >>> Silke Mertins, Jerusalem | Sonntag, 13. Juni 2010
Force, Fear Keep Iran Together
THE GLOBE AND MAIL: A year after Ahmadinejad’s ‘victory,’ the resistance dares not speak, but fissures exist
This may prove to be the darkest week in Iran’s recent history. There is, it seems, nowhere to go. Yet the nature of this darkness, its awkward fit with the official meaning of the Islamic regime, may show us a way forward.
Exactly a year ago Sunday, when it became apparent that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had claimed victory in an election whose results and conditions were not at all clear, the streets of Tehran began to fill with people.
It does not really matter whether Mr. Ahmadinejad stole an election that went against him (as protesters claim) or not; what this year of protest has shown is that Iran is far more fissiparous than anyone had thought, and that only force and fear, not faith and support, keeps it conglomerated. Even if you discount the hyperbole the foreign media directed at the “green tide” last year, this was by far the largest and lengthiest uprising in the Iranian revolution’s history.
It encompassed a huge swath of society; most significantly, it involved large numbers of clerics and top leaders, including former prime ministers, who were actively involved in the 1979 revolution and whose loyalty to the state is beyond question: This could not easily be dismissed as the work of radical guerrilla groups or outside agitators salaried by the United States or Britain.
As the year has progressed, and especially after the authorities went on a killing spree in December, on the holy day of Ashura, these figures have become more antipathetic toward the regime itself: There is now an official, built-in resistance with a name and an identity.
But you will probably not be seeing much of this resistance this week. It has become far, far too dangerous. Thursday, the key leaders of the protests, former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, told people to stay home: The alternative was a slaughter. The regime’s shift from authoritarian to totalitarian – its adoption of Stasi-like practices that had not been part of its repertoire before – have rendered such demonstrations temporarily impossible. Read on and comment >>> Doug Saunders | Saturday, June 12, 2010
Sarah Sands: Clever Clegg Minds His Languages - All Six of Them
THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY: As Nick Clegg fell fluently into German during his visit to Berlin last week, his senior Cabinet colleague William Hague held fast to his translation earphones so he could understand what the Deputy Prime Minister was saying. I bet he did. Anything could have been going on. Clegg could have signed Britain up to the euro.
A mastery of foreign languages is regarded by most of us with admiration – and suspicion. Clegg is more connected to European blood lines than the Royal Family, and can converse in most countries. He famously has five languages, six if you count his much-admired body language. It is not a question of token phrases. When John F Kennedy said "Ich bin ein Berliner" (before bashfully calling out for a translator) he was cheered wildly for managing four words. Clegg gabbled about the mist in Britain and the sun in Berlin before advancing to a meteorological metaphor about the refreshing German air being an omen for "our strengthening relationship".
Hague, who knows only Yorkshire drizzle, must have taken a dim view of his political colleague, a former ski instructor, and his fondness for high diplomatic altitudes. More wondrous than Clegg's German is his Dutch. His effortless conversation with Dutch journalists on a train has made YouTube. He did not just speak in Dutch, he gestured and ruminated and made jokes in Dutch. >>> Sarah Sands | Sunday, June 13, 2010
András Schiff: Goldberg Variations
Part 1:
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Migrants 'Make Germany Dumb' Says Central Banker in Astonishing* Outburst
MAIL ONLINE: Immigrants are making Germany 'dumber', according to a board member of the country's central bank.
Thilo Sarrazin claimed the 'limited education' of immigrants - coupled with their high birth rate - meant Germans 'are becoming dumber in a simple way'.
He said: 'There's a difference in the reproduction of population groups with varying intelligence.'
It is not the first time the 65-year-old member of the Bundesbank has caused controversy since he joined last year.
In October he described Muslim children as 'underclass' citizens.
'I don't have to accept someone who lives off a state they reject, doesn't properly take care of the education of his children-and keeps producing more little girls in headscarves,' Mr Sarrazin said.
'That goes for 70 percent of the Turkish and 90 percent of the Arabic population of Berlin.' He added that they were not fit for much other than 'fruit and vegetable selling'. >>> Allan Hall in Berlin | Saturday, June 12, 2010
Dutch Town Lets Its Blond Hair Down for Race Row Politician Wilders
Photograph: The Times
THE TIMES: Bouffant blond wigs have sold out in Venlo, a town in the Deep South of the Netherlands.
They represent the trademark bleached hairdo of Geert Wilders, Venlo’s most famous son and leader of the far-right Freedom Party which promises to ban mosque-building and the Koran and end Muslim immigration.
Mr Wilders is now involved in coalition talks after winning 24 seats in the 150-member Dutch parliament in this week’s election. Some commentators believe he could join a cabinet led by the right-wing liberals who topped the poll with 31 MPs.
In Venlo — in Limburg province, on the German border — one in four voters backed the man whose extravagant appearance has earned him the nickname “Mozart”.
Elian Van Ewijk, 35, the owner of a party gear shop, kept the last of the €6.95 (£6) hairpieces for himself.
“I do not like his ideas about Islam but I like what he says about keeping the retirement age and improving healthcare,” he said.
“When I am going to a Muslim country I have to behave like the people there. These people have to do things like us when they come here.” >>> David Charter, Venlo | Saturday, June 12, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Iran's Defiant Green Movement Vows to Fight On
THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: Zahra Rahnavard, wife of defeated reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, says opposition remains strong despite repression and violence under Ahmadinejad regime since disputed election a year ago
Zahra Rahnavard, wife of Iranian presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, waves to supporters during a pro-reform rally in June 2009. Photograph: The Guardian
Iran's opposition Green movement, fighting for democracy since the disputed election a year ago, has not been crushed despite having to call off protests in the face of government repression, says a defiant Zahra Rahnavard, the wife of the defeated reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi.
Rahnavard, a high-profile academic, sculptor and campaigner for women's rights, says she is prepared to "face the gallows" in the struggle for freedom – but insists the movement her husband leads is reformist, not revolutionary, and wants to see respect for the Iranian constitution.
In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, her first for a British newspaper since mass unrest erupted last June, Rahnavard lambasts the Islamic regime for its "Tiananmen-style" attack on demonstrators protesting that their votes had been stolen by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
"This movement started with the simple question: 'Where is my vote?'" she said. "But because the response was violence and bullets and repression from the ruling regime, the situation entered another phase which was completely unpredictable.
People's demands have changed so now there are more fundamental questions and more intensive criticism of the regime. The Islamic republic has deviated from its path and goals.
"We are still pursuing our ideals of 30 years ago [the Islamic revolution of 1979]. But the current government is the result of an electoral coup d'etat. The Green movement has not been defeated at all. It is going forward." >>> Saeed Kamali Dehghan and Ian Black, Middle East Editor | Friday, June 11, 2010
Obama Faces First Backlash in the US Over His Continued Attacks on BP
THE TELEGRAPH: A backlash against President Barack Obama's vilification of BP over the Gulf oil spill is developing in America where he is under fire for playing politics with the issue.
One of his most sweeping demands of BP - that the company be made to foot the bill for a drilling moratorium imposed by his administration - has been undermined after it emerged that his own officials modified expert advice.
His call for BP to pay the wages of other companies' oil workers laid off during the halt to deep-water drilling and other related costs was initially viewed by the White House as a popular punitive tactic against the beleaguered British energy giant.
But the campaign has come under fire from US businesses, Republican politicians and even some lawyers suing BP over the oil spill as legally unenforceable "big government" posturing.
Most damaging is the revelation that the administration modified a report by a panel of experts advising Mr Obama. Two paragraphs were added calling for the moratorium, which was not part of the team's conclusions.
More than half of the experts, who were recommended for their know-how by the National Academy of Engineering, have since revealed that they actually opposed a halt to drilling.
Ken Salazar, the interior minister who ordered the ban, has now apologised. "The experts involved in crafting the report gave us their recommendation and their input," he said. "It was not their decision on the moratorium. It was my decision and the president's decision to move forward."
The controversy has fuelled the belief that Mr Obama is trying to deflect criticism of his handling of the crisis by lashing out at BP - despite reportedly assuring David Cameron, the British prime minister, in a telephone conversation yesterday that he had "no interests" in undermining the company's value.
The President, who has repeatedly used the company's former name, British Petroleum, as a reminder of its foreign roots, said last week that he was looking for "ass to kick" and would himself have fired Tony Hayward, the chief executive. >>> Philip Sherwell in New York | Saturday, June 12, 2010
Schiffskonvoi: Türkei fordert Entschuldigung von Israel
WELT ONLINE: Die Türkei verlangt nach der Erstürmung des Schiffskonvois eine Entschuldigung von Israel. Ansonsten drohe das Ende der diplomatischen Beziehungen.
Proteste in Ankara: Die Türkei erhöht den Druck auf Israel. Bild: Welt Online
Die Türkei fordert von Israel eine Entschuldigung für die Erstürmung des Schiffskonvois auf dem Weg in den abgeriegelten Gaza-Streifen. Auch müsste nach dem Tod von neun türkischen Aktivisten eine Entschädigung gezahlt werden, zitierte die französische Tageszeitung „Le Monde“ den türkischen Präsidenten Abdullah Gül. Sollte sich Israel nicht bewegen, könne die Türkei die diplomatischen Beziehungen abbrechen. Gül sprach von einem Verbrechen, das eher der Extremistenorganisation Al-Kaida als einem Staat ähnlich sehe. >>> Reuters/S.K. | Freitag, 11. Juni 2010
Nordkorea droht mit "Flammenmeer" in Seoul
WELT ONLINE: Scharfe Töne aus Pjöngjang: Nordkorea droht dem Süden mit einem "unbegrenzten Militärschlag" und dem Niederbrennen der Hauptstadt.
Eine nordkoreanische Wache steht an der Demarkationslinie der entmilitarisierten Zone zwischen Nord- und Südkorea. Pjöngjang hat die Kriegsrhetorik gegen den Süden verschärft. Bild: Welt Online
Im Konflikt mit Südkorea hat das kommunistische Nordkorea mit Militärschlägen gegen südkoreanische Propaganda-Anlagen an der Grenze gedroht. Die Volksarmee werde „einen unbegrenzten Militärschlag ausführen, um die Mittel der Gruppe für die psychologische Kriegsführung gegen die Volksrepublik (Nordkorea) in allen Gebieten entlang der Front in die Luft zu jagen“, heißt es in einer „wichtigen Erklärung“ aus Pjöngjang.
In der Stellungnahme des Führungsstabs der nordkoreanischen Volksarmee, die von den Staatsmedien veröffentlicht wurde, wird die Regierung in Seoul erneut als „Gruppe von Verrätern“ beschimpft. Sie solle sich vor Augen führen, dass die „militärische Vergeltung“ ein Schlag sei, der selbst Seoul in ein „Flammenmeer“ verwandeln könne. Diese Metapher hat Nordkorea in der Vergangenheit wiederholt in seinen Drohgebärden gegenüber Südkorea benutzt.
Mit der Erklärung verschärft Nordkorea seine Warnungen an Südkorea vor einer Wiederaufnahme von propagandistischen Lautsprecher-Durchsagen. Bereits im Mai hatte das Land mit der Zerstörung der südkoreanischen Lautsprecher gedroht. >>> DPA/CN | Samstag, 12. Juni 2010
'EU Will Move to End Blockade'
THE JERUSALEM POST: Spain to propose EU exert pressure on Israel to end Gaza blockade.
Spain will propose the European Union exert strong diplomatic pressure on Israel to end its blockade of the Gaza Strip, the country's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said on Saturday.
The Spanish prime minister said at a joint press conference with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that Spain wants to "forge a strong common position" with EU countries in the face of the humanitarian situation in Gaza. >>> Associated Press and JPost Staff | Saturday, June 12, 2010
Ban Ki-Moon demande d’enrayer le tabagisme
APS (Agence de Presse Sénégalaise): Dakar – Le secrétaire général des Nations unies Ban Ki-Moon invite les Etats et gouvernements à "enrayer l’épidémie mondiale de tabagisme", soulignant que la consommation de tabac relève d’une "forme de dépendance aussi pénible que meurtrière".
"Je demande instamment à tous les gouvernements de s’attaquer à la menace pour la santé publique que représente la consommation de tabac. Ce n’est ni un signe d’élégance ni un outil d’émancipation. C’est une forme de dépendance aussi pénible que meurtrière", écrit Ban Ki-Moon dans un message redu public à l’occasion de la Journée internationale du tabac célébrée lundi.
Selon Ban Ki-Moon, les gouvernements doivent prendre "des mesures pour protéger les femmes contre toute publicité en faveur du tabac, toute promotion ou tout parrainage, comme le stipule la Convention-cadre de l’OMS sur la lutte antitabac".
Il a noté qu’il "y aurait quelque 200 millions de fumeuses dans le monde. Ce chiffre devrait augmenter, dans la mesure où l’industrie du tabac dépense des sommes considérables pour la publicité qui s’adresse spécifiquement aux femmes et associe l’usage du tabac à la beauté et à la libération", relève-t-il.
"Le tabagisme cause chaque année la mort de plus d’un million et demi de femmes dans le monde. La plupart de ces décès surviennent dans des pays à faible revenu et à revenu intermédiaire. Sans une action concertée, leur nombre pourrait atteindre 2,5 millions d’ici à 2030", écrit encore Ban Ki-moon.
Citant "une récente enquête de l’Organisation mondiale de la Santé", le secrétaire général de l’ONU révèle que dans la moitié des 151 pays étudiés, "presque autant de filles que de garçons fumaient".
"Ce résultat est d’autant plus inquiétant, note-t-il, que les jeunes qui fument, ont de grandes chances de continuer à le faire lorsqu’ils deviennent adultes".
Pour lui, "certains faits tendent à montrer que le taux de prévalence du tabagisme parmi les femmes est en train d’augmenter dans certains pays". "Nous devons enrayer l’épidémie mondiale de tabagisme", conclut Ban Ki-moon. [Source: APS] NMS/BK | Lundi 31 Mai 2010
Islam 'Recognizes Homosexuality'
THE JAKARTA POST: Homosexuals and homosexuality are natural and created by God, thus permissible within Islam, a discussion concluded here Thursday.
Moderate Muslim scholars said there were no reasons to reject homosexuals under Islam, and that the condemnation of homosexuals and homosexuality by mainstream ulema and many other Muslims was based on narrow-minded interpretations of Islamic teachings.
Siti Musdah Mulia of the Indonesia Conference of Religions and Peace cited the Koran's al-Hujurat (49:3) that one of the blessings for human beings was that all men and women are equal, regardless of ethnicity, wealth, social positions or even sexual orientation.
"There is no difference between lesbians and nonlesbians. In the eyes of God, people are valued based on their piety," she told the discussion organized by nongovernmental organization Arus Pelangi.
"And talking about piety is God's prerogative to judge," she added. "The essence of the religion (Islam) is to humanize humans, respect and dignify them."
Musdah said homosexuality was from God and should be considered natural, adding it was not pushed only by passion. >>> Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post | Friday, March 28, 2008
Alas, many Muslims are not so tolerant. Check this out.
Holy Hatred: Homosexuality in Muslim Countries
afrol NEWS: The majority of Muslim countries outlaw same-sex relationships. The seven countries in the world that carry the death penalty for persons presumed guilty of homosexual acts, justify this punishment with the Shari'a. Culture is not, however, always "against us and there are positive examples of same-sex relationships to be found in different Muslim cultures," she writes.
By Anissa Helie - I was born and raised in Algiers, of a French father and an Algerian mother. Having access to both cultures made me realize early on that racism as well as sexism were all-pervasive on both sides of the Mediterranean. It took me a few more years to come to the conclusion that homophobia was just as widespread.
Amnesty International counts at least 83 countries where homosexuality is explicitly condemned in the criminal code. Twenty-six of these are Muslim. This means that the majority of Muslim countries, including supposedly 'liberal' ones like Tunisia as well as dictatorships like Sudan, outlaw same-sex relationships. The seven countries in the world that carry the death penalty for persons presumed guilty of homosexual acts, justify this punishment with the Shari'a, or standard interpretation of Muslim jurisprudence. Though not always applied, the existence of the death penalty makes sexual minorities extremely vulnerable.
The state is not alone in practising repression. Communities and families have a part to play. In Indonesia, for example, homosexuality is not illegal. But in 1998 'Muslim militia' launched an anti-gay campaign on the island of Mindanao during which gay Muslims were terrorized, beaten up and ordered to leave or be castrated.
Dakar from Africa's Gay Capital to Centre of Homophobia
afrol NEWS: In colonial times, Senegal's metropolis Dakar was famous for its open and tolerated homosexual prostitution market, and as late as in the 1970s, as many as 17 percent of Senegalese men admitted having had homosexual experiences. Now, Dakar is West Africa's centre of gay oppression.
The government of Senegal has made it clear that homosexuality is un-African. Since 1965, same-sex activity has been punishable by up to five years imprisonment, but only during the last five years, Dakar's former visible gay community has had to go underground, risking punishment.
Dakar's gay history is the best example demonstrating that homosexuality is not un-African. Indeed, homosexuality has been a visible and well-known part of Wolof traditions, and only moralist opinions of the colonialists, later adopted by an increasingly dominant Muslim clergy, led to the suppression of this culture. >>> Staff Writers, afrol News | Friday, June 11, 2010
