Grossdemo bei Paris gegen iranisches Mullah-Regime*
BERNER ZEITUNG: Tausende Exil-Iraner aus aller Welt haben am Samstag in Taverny bei Paris für einen «demokratischen Wandel im Iran» demonstriert. Sie unterstützen «Sanktionen gegen das klerikale Regime».

Fordern, dass der Kauf von Öl und Gas vom iranischen Regime sofort eingestellt wird: Exil-Iraner. Bild: Berner Zeitung
Die Teilnehmer mahnten zudem politische Unterstützung des Westens für den Sturz des Regimes an. Die Erklärung werde von 3500 Parlamentariern aus Europa und Nordamerika unterstützt, erklärte der Nationale Widerstandsrat Iran (NWRI). >>> mt/sda | Samstag, 26. Juni 2010

*Sicherlich kann es nur eine Frage der Zeit sein, bis das Regime auseinanderfallen wird. – © Mark

YNET NEWS: Iranian exiles demand tougher sanctions: Thousands of Iranian exiles rally in France, demand tougher sanctions against Tehran >>> Reuters | Saturday, June 26, 2010

Insulte à Sarkozy: condamné à 35 h de travaux généraux
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le jeune homme qui a insulté le président français risquait une peine de prison

Photo: Tribune de Genève
Un jeune interpellé de façon musclée pour avoir insulté le président français Nicolas Sarkozy, en visite dans une banlieue de Paris, a été condamné vendredi à 35 heures de travaux d'intérêt général par un tribunal de la région parisienne.

Le jeune homme, âgé de 21 ans, poursuivi pour «outrage» avait lancé, selon les propos rapportés à l'audience et qu'il a reconnu: «Va te faire enculer connard, ici t'es chez moi». Le procureur du tribunal de Bobigny avait requis 210 heures de travaux d'intérêt général. L'accusé risquait une peine maximum de 6 mois de prison et d'une amende pouvant atteindre 7.500 euros.

Lors de son interpellation il a été blessé, des blessures suffisantes pour qu'un médecin lui prescrive neuf jours d'incapacité totale de travail. >>> AFP | Samedi 26 Juin 2010

Face-to-Face: Cameron Talks with Obama

Chelsea Barracks: The Deal-maker
THE GUARDIAN: Amanda Staveley is best known for orchestrating Abu Dhabi's and Qatar's eye-catching £7.3bn investment in Barclays in 2008

Amanda Staveley takes her seat at a football match. Photograph: The Guardian
Amanda Staveley, broker to the sheikhs, has pulled off another high-profile property deal for the emirate of Qatar, which is continuing its aggressive buying spree in London.

Staveley advised the Qatari property company Barwa Real Estate on the £250m acquisition of the Park House site in Oxford Street - the biggest development in the area since the Second World War - from the developer, Land Securities.

Staveley is best known for orchestrating Abu Dhabi's and Qatar's eye-catching £7.3bn investment in Barclays in 2008, followed a few months later by the takeover of Manchester City Football Club by Abu Dhabi's ruling family. The 37-year-old former athlete and model reportedly pocketed £5m to £7.5m in fees from the latest deal.

The news came as it emerged that the Qatar Investment Authority, the emirate's sovereign wealth fund, was in talks to take a third share in the Savoy hotel in London. The 120-year-old hotel is owned under a 50-50 joint venture by HBOS and Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal's Kingdom Holding. It is due to reopen in October after a refurbishment that has taken 18 months longer than expected and is likely to cost more than twice the originally budgeted £100m. The hotel comes with a big debt burden – its 2008 accounts showed loans of $212m and that figure is likely to be higher now.

Another part of the QIA, Qatar Holding, is said to have joined the bidding war for Grosvenor House, the five-star hotel put up for sale by Royal Bank of Scotland at the start of the year. The hotel, on Park Lane in Mayfair, has attracted interest from a handful of bidders, including the Abu Dhabi and Singapore sovereign wealth funds. The sale is expected to raise at least £500m. >>> Julia Kollewe | Thursday, June 17, 2010

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Come Join the Party! We’re Having Lots of Fun
THE TELEGRAPH: The G8 leaders said it was important to accelerate efforts to make sure the Afghanistan's own security forces can "assume increasing responsibility within five years."

The Prime Minister and the President are expected to discuss BP and the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Photo: The Telegraph
The leaders of the world's eight top industrial democracies also condemned the alleged sinking by North Korea of a South Korean warship and calling on Iran to do more to respect human rights.

The countries — the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan and Russia — added that current tensions in Gaza were "unsustainable."

But the joint statement by the so-called Group of Eight powers did not go as far as some nations, including the United States and Japan, wanted.

The joint statement was released at the end of a meeting in Canada of the eight powers and before a larger group of 20 nations convenes that also includes fast-growing economies like China.

The leaders turned to foreign policy matters after finding themselves at odds on how to continue to spur world economic growth in the aftermath of the worst recession since the 1930s. The countries were divided over whether to continue government stimulus spending, as the United States wants, or to cut mushrooming deficits, as Europe and Japan want. G8 sketch out a five-year exit strategy on Afghanistan >>> | Saturday, June 26, 2010

Don’t be fooled by the sweet, demure looks! Isn’t this the face of a ruthless businesswoman, willing to sell off Britain’s assets to the rich Arabs and line her own pockets in the process?
Amanda Staveley Finds that Islam Moves Closer to Her Heart
THE TELEGRAPH: Amanda Staveley, the former girlfriend of the Duke of York, talks about falling in love with a Muslim.

Amanda Staveley has helped bring some of the Islamic world's biggest financial investments to this country. The 36-year-old Yorkshirewoman has now received an offer closer to her heart.

"My boyfriend is Muslim," disclosed Staveley, who was once predicted to become the Duke of York's second wife.

The former Businesswoman of the Year said on Friday that she was attracted to the Muslim faith. "I believe in monotheism," she said. "Whether it is Judaism, Islam, Christianity, there are more similarities than there are differences, but I am drawn to Islam."

Staveley did not disclose the name of her boyfriend, but said he had not encouraged her to join his faith. "I don't think he would ask me to convert," she said. >>> Tim Walker. Edited by Richard Eden | Saturday, June 26, 2010


Qataris Target Another Landmark Asset as Their Super-broker Amanda Staveley Pockets £5m
Prime position: the Park House site in Oxford Street. Photo: London Evening Standard
LONDON EVENING STANDARD: The Qatari ruling family are poised to add to their already bulging portfolio of trophy London assets with a bid for a third ownership of the Savoy.

The Qatar Investment Authority, which owns Harrods, the US Embassy Building in Mayfair and Chelsea Barracks, as well as big stakes in Barclays, Sainsbury's and the London Stock Exchange, is understood to be in talks about an offer for the Grosvenor House hotel.

The move comes as Amanda Staveley, deal broker to the Arabs and ex-girlfriend of Prince Andrew, pocketed a multi-million-pound windfall for orchestrating yet another Qatari purchase of a prime West End development site.

The former model advised Qatari property investment company Barwa to buy the Park House site in Oxford Street from Land Securities for
£250 million.

It is thought the deal earned the
37-year-old and her Mayfair advisory firm PCP Capital Partners in the region of £5 million to £7.5 million in fees.

The discussions on the Savoy are said to involve Qatari Diar, the QIA's property investment arm, taking a stake in the Savoy of up to 33 per cent, with the two current joint owners, Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal and HBOS, trimming their holdings. >>> Jonathan Prynn and Hugo Duncan | Thursday, June 17, 2010

Amanda Staveley
Amanda Staveley is a highly successful businesswoman. Born in Doncaster, Staveley was a good childhood athlete in show jumping and sprinting (at 14 years old, Staveley ran 100 metres in 12.6 seconds) but was eventually hindered by an injury to her achilles tendon. Accepted to St Catherine’s College at Cambridge to study modern languages, she supplemented her student grant with work as a model, but dropped out after being hospitalised with stress. Staveley then opened a restaurant, through which she became acquainted with the Maktoums, family of the ruler of Dubai, but built her name as a businesswoman through successful investments in starting companies and trading of stocks. Staveley made £40million in commission driving a deal between Barclays Bank and Gulf sheiks. In 2008, Staveley brokered the takeover of Manchester City FC by the ruling family of Abu Dhabi. [Source: This Is London]

Cameron: I Won't Waste 10 Years in Power Like Blair Did
Close: Prime Minister David Cameron and his deputy Nick Clegg are working well together and sources claim they may appear at each other's party conferences. Photo: Mail Online
MAIL ONLINE: David Cameron has declared he would serve only five years as Prime Minister if that is the price of pushing through bold and lasting economic and social reforms.

The Prime Minister, speaking at his first international summit, said he was determined not to emulate Tony Blair's 'ten wasted years'.

'I would rather have five reforming years as Prime Minister than ten wasted years like Blair,' he said.

Mr Cameron claimed that Labour's attacks on the coalition are pushing the Tories and the Lib Dems 'closer together'.

He believes Labour is making a massive mistake in using the Lib Dems as a 'lightning rod' for its attacks on spending cuts imposed in last week's emergency Budget.

Mr Cameron, who is in Canada for the G8 and G20 summits this weekend, claimed that Labour was simply helping to achieve a 'realignment of British politics' with itself on 'the losing side'.

The two parties are working so closely together, according to Downing Street sources, that there is even a possibility of Mr Cameron and his deputy Nick Clegg making appearances at each other's annual conferences in September. Continue reading and comment >>> James Chapman | Saturday, June 26, 2010

UK Honours Its Armed Forces


THE TELEGRAPH: Armed Forces Day: Queen pays tribute to courage of British servicemen and women – The Queen has spoken of the "admirable professionalism and courage" displayed by Britain's servicemen and women as thousands of people began lining the streets to celebrate Armed Forces Day. >>> | Saturday, June 26, 2010

Medvedev, le meilleur ami d'Obama
Les deux présidents ont fait une tribune commune lors d'un colloque jeudi soir. Photo : leJDD.fr
leJDD.fr: Avant le double sommet G8/G20, Dmitri Medvedev était en visite aux Etats-Unis, où il s'est entretenu avec Barack Obama, pour la septième fois en privé. La Maison blanche évoque un rapprochement décisif.

Après un "Salut tout le monde" très neutre, "San Francisco est une très belle ville" fut le deuxième tweet envoyé par Dmitri Medvedev mercredi soir, lors de sa visite en Californie. Nouvel inscrit sur la plate-forme américaine de micro-blogging, sous le nom "KermelinRussia", le président russe a profité de son voyage officiel aux États-Unis pour afficher son entente cordiale avec Washington. Vingt-quatre heures avant la tenue du G8, puis du G20, à Toronto (Canada), Medvedev et Obama semblent en effet sur la même longueur d'ondes. Ils ont mangé un burger ensemble dans un fast-food, se sont fait des blagues sur le téléphone rouge devant une armée de photographes, ont tenu des discours quasi-identiques sur l'Iran ou la Corée du Nord.

A l'heure où, sous l'impulsion des puissances émergentes (Chine, Inde, Brésil, Afrique du Sud et Mexique), les grandes décisions se prennent au G20 et non plus au G8, les Etats-Unis cherchent à maintenir leur pouvoir d'influence. Mais, après la crise, leurs partenaires européens s'opposent à Washington sur la reprise et la régulation financière. Entre autres sujets de discordes, le couple franco-allemand défend fermement une taxe bancaire que refuse la Maison blanche. D'autant que Londres s'est rallié sur ce point à Paris et Berlin. Au sein de cette communauté internationale en pleine évolution, la Russie veut se poser en puissance tranquille. Vers une coopération plus étroite >>> G.V. - leJDD.fr | Vendredi 25 Juin 2010

Moskau und London wollen Eiszeit beenden
Der britische Premier Cameron und Russlands Präsident Dmitri Medwedew auf dem G8-Gipfel: Großbritannien und Russland wollen ihre jahrelange Eiszeit beenden. Foto: Berliner Zeitung
BERLINER ZEITUNG: Moskau/Huntsville - Russland und Großbritannien wollen sich nach jahrelanger Entfremdung wieder aufeinander zubewegen. Kremlchef Dmitri Medwedew und der neue britische Premierminister David Cameron vereinbarten in Kanada bei ihrem ersten Treffen einen Neustart in den Beziehungen.

Nötig sei eine «grundlegende Korrektur», sagte Medwedew bei der Zusammenkunft mit Cameron beim G8-Gipfel in Kanada, wie der Kreml am Samstag mitteilte.

Cameron wies darauf hin, dass es weiterhin Meinungsverschieden-heiten zwischen beiden Ländern gebe. Trotzdem sollten sie zum Beispiel in Wirtschaftsfragen, beim Kampf gegen den Klimawandel und beim akademischen Austausch enger zusammenarbeiten.

Medwedew und Cameron einigten sich auf intensivere persönliche Kontakte. Cameron versprach sogar, künftig den Meldungen seines russischen Kollegen beim Internetdienst Twitter zu folgen. >>> © dpa | Samstag, 26. Juni 2010

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Bay Voices: A Chat With Glide's Rev. Williams
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Rev. Cecil Williams, the leader of Glide Memorial, a San Francisco church and social services agency, speaks about recent controversies over the city's policies for dealing with the homeless and racial tensions between blacks and Asians.

The Prince Who Can't Stop Interfering
THE INDEPENDENT: The Prince of Wales was accused of grossly exceeding his constitutional powers after a High Court judge criticised him yesterday for an "unexpected and unwelcome" intervention in a high-profile £3bn property development which was then withdrawn by its billionaire Qatari backers.

The heir to the throne waged a two-month campaign to persuade Qatari Diar, a hugely wealthy property investment company owned by the Qatari royal family, to scrap the modernist scheme drawn up by the architect Lord Richard Rogers to redevelop Chelsea Barracks in central London. Prince Charles said his "heart sank" when he first saw the proposals.

Mr Justice Vos, sitting at the Royal Courts of Justice, ruled that Qatari Diar breached its contract with the millionaire developer Christian Candy when it withdrew its planning application for the 12.8-acre site last June. This followed a face-to-face meeting between Qatar's ruler, Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani, and Charles at Clarence House.

But the judge ruled that CPC Group, the company owned by Monaco-based Mr Candy which was Qatari Diar's partner in the scheme, was not entitled to a payment of £81m set out in the contract, finding that the Middle Eastern company had been left "between a rock and a hard place" following Prince Charles's complaints.

Lawyers for CPC Group argued that the project for the £1bn site foundered as a direct result of the Prince's decision to voice his disapproval of the "Brutalist" plans, which were taken off the table days before they were due to be considered by planners at Westminster City Council. Qatari Diar said the decision was taken due to planning concerns.

Last night, constitutional reform campaigners and the body representing architects attacked Charles for meddling in the democratic process and using "inappropriate behind-the-scenes methods" to kill off the complex drawn up by Lord Rogers, a long-standing target for the Prince's complaints about the lack of "traditional values" in modern architecture. 'An unwelcome intervention': What judge said about Charles >>> Cahal Milmo, Chief Reporter | Saturday, June 26, 2010

Google to Be Monitored for Anti-Islamic Content by Pakistan
THE TELEGRAPH: Google is among several high-profile websites which Pakistan is to begin monitoring in an attempt to block content it deems anti-Islamic.

Google to be monitored by Pakistan for anti-Islamic content. Photo: The Telegraph
Seven major websites, including Google and Yahoo, will be monitored and 17 lesser-known sites are being blocked outright for alleged blasphemous material under court orders.

The moves follow a temporary ban that Pakistan imposed on Facebook in May.

The sites to be monitored include Yahoo, Google, YouTube, Amazon and MSN, Hotmail and Bing from Microsoft, according to a spokesman for the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.

He added: "If any particular link with offensive content appears on these websites, the (link) shall be blocked immediately without disturbing the main website."

Scott Rubin, a spokesman for Google, responded that the company intends, in turn, to monitor how the new policies affect access to its services.

He said: "Google and YouTube are platforms for free expression, and we try to allow as much ... content as possible on our services and still ensure that we enforce our policies."

Yahoo said Pakistan's actions were disappointing. Microsoft and Amazon did not respond immediately. >>> Andy Bloxham and Asif Shahzad | Saturday, June 26, 2010

Lord Kinnock Son Accused of Tax Evasion in Denmark
THE TELEGRAPH: The son of the former Labour leader, Lord Kinnock, is being investigated in Denmark over allegations of tax evasion.

Stephen Kinnock with his wife, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the Danish opposition leader. Photo: The Telegraph
Stephen Kinnock, who has a home in Copenhagen, is facing accusations that he is attempting to avoid the country's high tax rates.

The scandal has jeopardised his wife's political future as leader of Denmark's opposition Social Democrats.

Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the Danish opposition leader, has now agreed to have her family finances examined by Denmark's Skat tax inspectors in an attempt to clear their name.

Mr Kinnock works and pays tax in Switzerland on a reported income of £110,000 as the World Economic Forum's director of Europe and Central Asia.

The Swiss federal tax rate is just 15 per cent whereas in Denmark, the most taxed country in the world, income taxation can be as high as 63 per cent.

Mrs Thorning-Schmidt has insisted Mr Kinnock has no choice but to pay his taxes in Switzerland, where he works, an argument that has been widely challenged in the Danish media. "We have obeyed the rules," she said.

Mike Legarth, an MP for the right-wing Danish People's Party, has disputed Mrs Thorning-Schmidt's claim that her husband is forced to pay low Swiss taxes rather than the much higher Danish rates.

"We cannot live with a potential prime minister receiving preferential treatment. Everyone should have the same treatment," he said. >>> Bruno Waterfield | Saturday, June 26, 2010

Number of Immigrant Workers to Be Capped
THE TELEGRAPH: Thousands of foreign workers will be turned away from Britain next month when the Government introduces an immigration cap for the first time.

Theresa May, the Home Secretary, is to announce a nine-month temporary limit to prevent a last-minute influx as workers from outside the EU try to beat permanent new controls due to come into force next April.

Just 24,100 workers from outside the EU will be allowed into the country before then and highly skilled migrants will have to meet more stringent conditions. But it will not be enough for the Conservatives to meet their election pledge to reduce net migration — which includes students and EU citizens — to beneath 100,000 this year.

David Willetts, a minister at the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, both raised concerns in Cabinet discussions this week that a cap could hamper business. Mrs May was said to be “none too pleased” at leaks of the talks, which one senior minister blamed on “Lib Dem mischief-making”. She will strongly reject claims that the policy is being watered down when she begins a consultation on Monday.

Sir Andrew Green, the chairman of Migrationwatch, which campaigns for tighter immigration controls, said: “It is not surprising that those who have a financial interest in continuing high levels of immigration should oppose the measures necessary to get the totals down but the electorate has spoken. The Government made a commitment and it must be fulfilled in the coming years.” Continue reading and comment >>> Richard Ford, Francis Elliott | Friday, June 25, 2010

Hot Weather Hits UK
THE GUARDIAN: Hottest day of year expected tomorrow as heatwave spreads across England

Sunday is forecast to be the warmest day of the year so far, with temperatures hitting 30C (86F) – hotter than Rome, Athens, Lisbon and Istanbul.

The heatwave, which is set to continue for most of next week, comes as millions prepare to watch England take on Germany in the World Cup, Murraymania sweeps Wimbledon, and thousands bask in the sun at the usually mud-caked Glastonbury music festival.

London and south-east England are expected to experience the warmest weather. Western England and the Midlands will also have hot sunny weather but it will be cloudy in Northern Ireland and Scotland, with a risk of heavy showers and thunderstorms. Today was forecast to be slightly cooler, with temperatures of 26C in the south-east. >>> David Batty and agencies | Saturday, June 26, 2010

Meet Australia’s Beer-loving, Roast-cooking, Hair-styling First Bloke
The manager of the Melbourne salon Heading Out where the couple met said that Mr Mathieson did not like to gossip, despite his profession — no doubt a relief to the new Prime Minister. Photo: The Times
THE TIMES: When Julia Gillard was sworn in as Australia’s first woman Prime Minister on Thursday, another piece of history was made: the country was also given its inaugural “First Bloke”.

Britain had Denis Thatcher, who described himself as the “most shadowy husband of all time” and referred to his wife, Margaret Thatcher, simply as “The Boss”; in the US, Todd Palin was nicknamed “The First Dude” by his wife, the former vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin. Now Australia has its own member of the international First Man’s Club: Tim Mathieson, a beerloving hairdresser who grew up in Victoria, likes cooking a lamb roast and still hangs out with his childhood mates.

Mr Mathieson has been in a relationship with the new Australian premier for the past four years and is not shy about expressing his feelings for her. “I find her genuinely such a warm person,” Mr Mathieson told the Herald Sun newspaper in Melbourne, where the couple share a house.

“Julia has a great sense of humour. It’s a really good, genuine, daggy humour. Her best qualities are determination, loyalty and humility.”

Mr Mathieson admits to being regularly called upon to provide last-minute styling for the flame-haired Prime Minister, whose ever-changing hairstyle is a topic of much discussion in Australia, as she heads out for her early-morning political commitments. “That’s my forte, the famous 5.30am blow wave,” he said. “Sometimes it’s 4.30. I’ve learnt to blow wave with one eye open or even in my sleep.”

Grace Romanin, manager of the Melbourne salon Heading Out, where the couple met, described Mr Mathieson as a “fantastic person”, who, despite his profession, does not like to gossip — something of a relief, presumably, for the new Prime Minister. >>> Sophie Tedmanson, Sydney | Friday, June 25, 2010

Former US Vice President Dick Cheney Taken to Hospital
THE TIMES: The former US Vice President Dick Cheney was admitted to hospital overnight after experiencing discomfort, the latest health scare for the 69-year-old Republican who has a long history of heart disease.

Mr Cheney, who was vice president under President George W. Bush, was expected to remain at George Washington University Hospital over the weekend.

It was not immediately clear whether the latest hospitalisation was related to his past heart troubles, which saw the Mr Cheney suffer his fifth heart attack since 1978 in February. >>> Sophie Tedmanson | Saturday, June 26, 2010

It's a Cliché! Coming from the Valleys, Left-wing Politics Comes as Standard! Gillard Becomes Australia's First Female PM

Y Fenyw Gyntaf and ‘the First Bloke’ of Australia
THE TELEGRAPH: Australia was learning of the special skills the boyfriend of its new woman prime minister will bring to the new role of "First Bloke".

Mr Mathieson said that his hairstyling skills were often called upon by the Welsh-born Ms Gillard early in the morning. Photo: The Telegraph
Tim Mathieson, a hairdresser turned estate agent and Julia Gillard's boyfriend of four years, gave a glimpse of life at the couple's shared home in Melbourne.

Mr Mathieson said that his hairstyling skills were often called upon at dawn by the Welsh-born Ms Gillard.

"That's my forte, the 5.30am blow wave," he said. "Sometimes it's 4.30am, I've learned to blow wave with one eye open or even in my sleep."

As well as tending to the prime ministerial hair, Mr Mathieson is also in change in the kitchen, baking Ms Gillard's favourite meal - a lamb roast - every Friday night.

Miss Gillard met Mr Mathieson at the Heading Out hair salon in the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy in 2004, but the pair did not form a relationship until 2006.

Grace Romain, the manager of the salon, said that the pair got to know each other slowly.

"That's how they met, in here," she told. "He was a very bubbly guy. He did styling - cutting and blow-drying.

"I'm just so glad that she chose someone outside of politics. He's such a great guy and I know he will make her very happy." Julia Gillard: Australia gets to know its new 'First Bloke' >>> Bonnie Malkin in Sydney | Friday, June 25, 2010

Grande-Bretagne : Nick Clegg est accusé d’avoir «vendu son âme» aux tories
LE TEMPS: Pour certains députés libéraux-démocrates et la base du parti, leur leader et vice-premier ministre a fait bien trop de concessions aux conservateurs

La transformation est sans doute l’une des plus rapides de l’histoire politique britannique. Il y a trois mois, en pleine campagne électorale, Nick Clegg était comparé à Barack Obama. Grâce à une excellente prestation lors d’un débat télévisé, il avait propulsé son parti, les li­béraux-démocrates, au coude-à -coude dans les sondages avec les conservateurs.

Aujourd’hui, Nick Clegg est accusé d’avoir «vendu son âme», pour reprendre l’expression de Chris Leslie, un député travailliste. Désormais vice-premier ministre, il a fait un pari électoral très risqué: former une coalition avec les conservateurs, alors que son propre parti est traditionnellement de centre gauche.

Pire: il est désormais coauteur du plus dur plan de rigueur introduit en Grande-Bretagne depuis la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Et il a dû faire d’importantes concessions, à commencer par une hausse de la TVA. Cette même TVA que Nick Clegg jugeait «très fortement régressive» lors de la campagne électorale, parce qu’elle touche proportionnellement plus les pauvres. >>> Eric Albert | Vendredi 25 Juin 2010

Gouvernance : Le sommet de Toronto coûtera jusqu’à 1,2 milliard
Photo : Le Temps
LE TEMPS: Précédé par le G8, le G20 commence ce samedi. Les Européens font pression pour une taxe bancaire

La ville est déjà morte. Malgré la température estivale, Toronto semble désertée par ses habitants. La presse canadienne l’explique par le périmètre de sécurité dressé autour de l’Exhibition Center, au bord du lac Ontario, qui accueille dès ce soir la quatrième réunion du G20. De multiples restrictions de circulation paralysent une partie du centre ville. Des commerçants, qui redoutent aussi les manifestations, chiffrent déjà la perte à quelque 15% de leur chiffre d’affaires mensuel. «Moi, j’ai loué toutes mes chambres, alors j’aimerais un G20 tous les week-ends!», plaisante un hôtelier interrogé par Le Temps. >>> Frédéric Lelièvre, Toronto | Vendredi 25 Juin 2010

Malaysia: The Best Mullah in the Land
THE TELEGRAPH: A Malaysian version of X factor has forsaken the world of pop to conduct a search for the nation's next religious leader.

Contestants on Young Imam chant passages from the Koran, not pop covers.

While the concept is based on the hit British and American shows, the young Malaysian men are out to prove they are the best mullah in the land.

The show, now in its third week, is fast becoming a hit in the Muslim-majority country.

The judge who delivers their fate as the lights dim and contestant stand nervously is no Simon Cowell.

Hasan Mahmood, the former grand mufti of Malaysia's national mosque, presides over the ten male contestants aged between 19 and 27.

Instead of a lucrative record deal, the winner will be given a post as an imam at a mosque in Kuala Lumpur, a Haj pilgrimage to Mecca and a full scholarship to the Madinah international university in Saudi Arabia.

Just like their counterparts in the West, the Young Imam competitors are fast becoming icons to young viewers.

The show's Facebook page has over 25,000 fans, including prospective mothers-in-law looking to marry off their daughters. X factor for muslim preachers in Malaysia wows television audience >>> Barney Henderson in Kuala Lumpur | Friday, June 25, 2010

Comedy Shows Thrive at Secret Locations in Saudi Arabia
BBC: Stand-up comedy is drawing appreciative audiences in Saudi Arabia, where cinemas and many forms of public entertainment are still banned and men and women prohibited from socialising in public.

Some people are managing to put shows on at secret locations, away from the religious police.

Ben Thompson reports from a night of comedy in Jeddah. Watch video >>> Ben Thompson | Thursday, June 24, 2010

Russia to Shock Smokers with Giant Cigarette Pack Warnings
AFP: MOSCOW — Russia is to introduce prominent health warnings on cigarette packs for the first time on Saturday to shock smokers in the nicotine-addicted country with messages about impotency and wrinkles.

Under the new rules, cigarette producers must cover at least 30 percent of the front of cigarette packs with one of 12 warnings, ranging from "Smoking causes lung cancer" to "Smoking can cause impotency".

Warnings must also cover 50 percent of the back of the pack. >>> | Friday, June 25, 2010

Court: Same-sex Marriage Is Not Universal Right
ASSOCIATED PRESS: BRUSSELS — European nations do not have to allow same-sex marriage, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled, though gay rights groups claimed a partial victory Friday because the court acknowledged growing agreement that their relationships should be recognized in law.

Seven judges at the European court ruled unanimously that two Austrian men denied permission to wed were not covered by the guarantee of the right to marry enshrined in Europe's human rights convention.

The judges acknowledged "an emerging European consensus" that same-sex couples should have legal recognition but said individual states may still decide what form it should take because marriage had "deep-rooted social and cultural connotations which may differ largely from one society to another." >>> Robert Wielaard and Jill Lawless, AP | Friday, June 25, 2010

Saudi Arabian Mother Becomes the First Lady of Al-Qaeda
THE TELEGRAPH: Saudi Arabia is reviewing its terrorism strategy after the detection of a female run network that was fund raising for al-Qaeda.

Heila al-Qusayyer, the middle class monther now described as al-Qaeda's 'First Lady' was running a cell of 60 alleged militants. She is believed to have been the Arabian peninsula's principal fund-raiser for al-Qaeda.

Qusayyer holds a degree in geography and was married to a former executive from Aramco, the all-powerful state oil company, who gave up all his worldly possessions to become a radical preacher.

Counter-terror officials have previously assumed that young men and boys are the principal agents of radical Islam.

Saudi security chiefs have since set up a specialist all-female unit at King Saud University, the country's oldest, to study the appeal of Islamist militancy to women and how best to tackle it.

"The story of this woman, who was involved in collecting money, with that money finding its way to al-Qaeda, has been like an alarm call to us," General Mansur al-Turki of the Saudi interior ministry told The Daily Telegraph. >>> Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Friday, June 25, 2010

Liliane Bettencourt admet détenir 78 millions d'euros en Suisse
Liliane Bettencourt va déclarer au fisc des avoirs expatriés pour un montant global de 78 millions d'euros. Photo : Le Point
LE POINT: Liliane Bettencourt va déclarer au fisc des avoirs expatriés pour un montant global de 78 millions d'euros, répartis entre deux comptes bancaires détenus en Suisse. Cette initiative, annoncée cette semaine par la milliardaire à la suite de la révélation - par le site Mediapart et Le Point - des enregistrements de son maître d'hôtel, devrait se solder par le paiement d'un impôt forfaitaire dont le montant est encore inconnu. >>> Par Hervé Gattegno | Vendredi 25 Juin 2010

Stand Up for America! Ground Zero Mosque
PRAESIDIUM RESPUBLICAE: It is our hope that most people are now becoming aware and suspicious of the organization called the Cordoba Initiative, founded by an Imam named Feisal Abdul Rauf; a man who is also attempting to convert an old building in New York, just a few steps away from Ground Zero, into an “Islamic Cultural Center” which will include a mosque. The mere suggestion boggles the mind—creating an Islamic mosque at the very place where 19 hijackers murdered nearly 3,000 innocent people in the name of the Islamic god. What is worse, however, is that so many New Yorkers seem tolerant of the suggestion —or at least sufficiently so to gain permission of New York councils and advisory committees. How is this even possible?

It is Islam’s goal to force non-believers into submission to the will of the Islamic god, and his spokesmen. The Qu’ran and Shar’ia Law clearly demand this form of tyranny, and the attack against innocent men and women on 9/11 is but one example of barbarian behaviors perpetrated by Islamacists in order to achieve their stated intentions. Even in lesser endeavors, these people demonstrate barbarism that is hard for anyone to imagine; they are terrifying and ruthless toward anyone who dare defy Shar’ia Law, including their own women and children. But we must acknowledge that not every act of barbarism is in the open for all to see; some of it —indeed perhaps most of it —is insidiously covert. We refer to this as “Stealth Jihad.”

Placing a mosque and Islamic center at the heart of Ground Zero is beyond insulting to Americans and the memory of so many murdered people; it also signals victory over the infidel to every Moslem in the world. It is a stepping-stone in Islam’s inexorable march to world domination. It will signal the submission of non-Moslem peoples (the Kafir). We must question the wisdom of handing radical Islamacists such an important trophy —a brilliant shining reminder of the progress of Islam over the Western World. Naturally, we also question why any true American patriot —politician or average citizen —would permit such a thing to take place, but then we are reminded how woefully uninformed most Americans are about Islam. Plainly stated, if this building is completed it will prove to the Moslem world that blazing planes, bombs, and violent Jihad is unnecessary, because foolish infidels will allow Stealth Jihad to succeed without pretense or argument.

Stealth Jihad involves the covert infiltration of our political system, our media, our educational system, and our communities. It involves pandering to Islam, and leftist relativism at its absolute worst by the same liberals who would allow the Cordoba House, and the same individuals who accuse conservatives of being politically incorrect. They are the same people who publically reject Judeo-Christian beliefs, but have no hesitance in making room in our legislatures and courts for Islamic ideology. We can celebrate Eid on a postage stamp, but we will not find a Christian cross or a Jewish Star of David. Stealth Jihad demands compromise with Moslems, but grants none to Christians or Jews. It misdirects information and truth with the goal of tricking people into thinking that Islam is a religion of peace, when it is in fact a religion of pieces. Stealth Jihad assures us, and our children through public educators, that Islam poses no threat to Western culture. Stealth Jihad seeks to convince us that the work of the Moslem Brotherhood in every state and federal penitentiary in the United States is merely a religious effort to produce a more peace-loving, civic-minded citizen. To such nonsense as this, we say balderdash because Islam is a serious threat to the American way of life; the goal of Islam is to destroy all but one society and culture —Islam. Read on and comment >>> Commentary by Sam Huntington and Hayden Jessen | Monday, June 21, 2010

HT: Always On Watch >>>

Cameron spricht über Rückzug aus Afghanistan: Britische Truppen sollen bis 2015 vollständig abgezogen sein
NZZ ONLINE: Der britische Premierminister Cameron will die britischen Truppen bis 2015 vollständig aus Afghanistan abgezogen haben. Dann finden wohl die nächsten britischen Parlamentswahlen statt.

Grossbritanniens Premierminister David Cameron will die Truppen seines Landes in den kommenden fünf Jahren vollständig aus Afghanistan abziehen. Bis zur geplanten nächsten Parlamentswahl 2015 solle der Abzug abgeschlossen sein, sagte er am Rande des G8-Gipfels im kanadischen Huntsville. >>> sda/afp | Freitag, 25. Juni 2010

I Thought General McChrystal Was ‘Unfireable’, Says Rolling Stone Writer
Michael Hastings: admitted he was surprised by the access he was given to General McChrystal. Photo: The Times
THE TIMES: The man who, in effect, ended General Stanley McChrystal’s glittering military career said yesterday that he thought the top commander in Afghanistan was “unfireable”.

In a candid interview with The Times, the journalist Michael Hastings said he never imagined he would get as much access to the general and his inner circle as he did. He insisted he was simply doing his job as a magazine reporter and rebutted suggestions that there was anything underhand about the methods he employed. Hastings’s devastating exposé of General McChrystal and his aides led President Obama to dismiss the man credited widely as the mastermind of America’s strategy in Afghanistan.

“I realised that it was very strong material for a profile,” Hastings, 30, said. “But I thought McChrystal was unfireable. I thought his position was very well protected.”

The President’s decision, on Wednesday morning, hit General McChrystal “like a steam train”, a close aide said yesterday. It stunned his headquarters staff and, were it not for the surprise appointment of General David Petraeus in his place, might have derailed the American war effort altogether, some analysts have said. Read on and comment >>> Jerome Starkey, Kabul | Friday, June 25, 2010

Cameron Risks Conflict with US Over Pace of Spending Cuts
David Cameron arrives in Toronto where he will attend the G8 and G20 summits. Photo: The Times
THE TIMES: David Cameron will risk a trans-Atlantic rift over his Budget today by insisting that Britain is right to slash spending despite American warnings that deep cuts could derail the global recovery.

Tim Geithner, President Obama’s Treasury Secretary, said it was paramount for European leaders to concentrate on growth, and that they could not rely on America to drive the recovery.

His comments reflect concern in Washington that European governments - Germany in particular - have cut their budgets too hard and too fast, and that the risk to growth could drag the world economy back towards recession.

Mr Cameron, who holds face-to-face talks with Mr Obama tomorrow in Toronto, will insist that he had no choice because the Greek crisis showed the dangers to governments of failing to deal with vast debts.

“For countries with big fiscal deficits, that path to recovery requires us to deal decisively with the deficit problem,” said the Prime Minister’s official spokesman.

“It is perfectly consistent to have strong position on fiscal consolidation and be pro growth.” Read on and comment >>> Roland Watson, Toronto | Friday, June 25, 2010

Foetus 'Cannot Feel Pain Before 24 Weeks'
THE TELEGRAPH: The human foetus cannot feel pain before 24 weeks, according to an official review of scientific evidence, contradicting one argument that anti-abortion campaigners have used for reducing the termination limit.



Nerve endings in the brain are not sufficiently formed to enable pain to be felt before 24 weeks, according to the report by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, which had been commissioned by the Department of Health.

The report said: "It can be concluded that the foetus cannot experience pain in any sense prior to this gestation."

Professor Allan Templeton, president of the Royal College, who chaired the review, told The Times that research put forward by anti-abortion campaigners that the human foetus did feel pain at or before 24 weeks was based on evidence from premature babies. This did not apply to the foetus in the womb, he said.

A second finding is that the foetus is naturally sedated and unconscious in the womb, leading the panel to advise that anaesthetics for the foetus are not needed when it is terminated. >>> | Friday, June 25, 2010

Human Foetus ‘Feels No Pain Before 24 Weeks’
Pain cannot be perceived in the brain until after 24 weeks, the report says. Photograph: The Times
THE TIMES: The human foetus cannot feel pain before the age of 24 weeks, according to an authoritative review of scientific evidence that sets back the campaign to cut the time limit for abortion.

Nerve connections in the foetal brain do not form fully enough to allow perception of pain until after the 24-week limit for terminating pregnancies, an expert report commissioned by the Department of Health concluded.

The finding, by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, rebuts claims by anti-abortion activists that legal terminations can inflict pain on foetuses. It will undermine the efforts of MPs such as Nadine Dorries, the Conservative who tried unsuccessfully to reduce the limit in the last Parliament, to force another vote.

David Cameron supported a cut to 20 weeks in the 2008 Commons debate, but has said that his view will be based on scientific opinion. The report’s conclusions will make it harder to justify another vote after just two years, and most Liberal Democrat MPs also support the status quo, making it unlikely that the coalition will provide parliamentary time.

A Downing Street spokesman said yesterday: “The Prime Minister will continue to be guided by the science on this matter.” Read on and comment >>> Mark Henderson, Francis Elliott | Friday, June 25, 2010

Foetus report: a debate >>> | Friday, June 25, 2010

Sheikh Mansour Leghaei and family. Photo: Google Images
Show of Force as Hundreds Gather to Farewell Departing Sheikh
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: AT 9.50pm tomorrow a plane will leave Sydney carrying Sheikh Mansour Leghaei, two hours and 10 minutes before his deadline to leave the country voluntarily - or be deported.

As many as 500 Muslims and Christians will gather tonight to farewell Dr Leghaei, the Iranian Shiite preacher who has raised his four children in Sydney for the past 16 years, but who ASIO has accused of undisclosed ''acts of foreign interference''.

The supporters will meet at the Imam Husain Islamic Centre, in Earlwood, which Dr Leghaei opened in 1999, two years after ASIO made its first adverse security assessment against him and blocked his attempt to become an Australian citizen.

''If you came to the centre, all you would see is tears and tears and tears,'' he said as he packed to leave this week. ''People are asking why has the government been so cruel to the community, to me and my family without any explanation or justification.''

Insisting he is no spy or terrorist, the banished sheikh will return to his home city of Esfahan, in Iran, with his wife, Marzieh, and their youngest child, the Australian-born Fatima, 14. Dr Leghaei hopes to resume work as a university lecturer while he awaits a United Nations committee's decision on wether Australia has denied his human rights under its international treaty obligations.

He still holds out hope that if the committee finds in his favour, Australia will allow him to return. His three sons, in their 20s, will remain in Sydney. >>> Rick Feneley | Saturday, June 26, 2010

Sheikh Mansour Leghaei
ABC Local: Sheik Mansour Leghaei is Imam at the Imam Husain Islamic Centre in Earlwood in Sydney's inner south west. He has been a resident in Australia for 16 years, and his children regard this country as home. For more than a decade, Dr Leghaei has been contesting in the courts two adverse security assessments issued by ASIO. It is understood the agency believes the cleric works for the Iranian authorities.

As Dr. Leghaei is not an Australian citizen, no reason needs to be provided by Australia's security services for the deportation. As a non-citizen, he has no right to procedural fairness or natural justice in a matter of national security. Dr Leghaei's final legal appeal against deportation was rejected by the Migration Appeals Tribunal last month. He was then given a bridging visa allowing him to stay in Australia until April 19 (just a week away) while Immigration Minister Chris Evans considers his case. Dr Leghaei has one week left on that visa. Otherwise, Dr Leghaei, his wife and one of their four children will be forced back to Iran. >>> | Sunday, April 11, 2010

Related audio here

”Befreiungsaktion”: Schweiz streitet über geplanten Einsatz in Libyen
WELT ONLINE: Die Schweiz soll erwogen haben, zwei in Libyen festgehaltene Landsleute zu befreien. Dabei fiel auch das Wort "Einsatzbefehl".

Die Schweizer Außenministerin Calmy-Rey in Libyen. Angeblich soll eine militärische Befreiung der in Libyen festgehaltenen Geschäftsleute geplant gewesen sein. Bild: Welt Online
Der heikle Einsatz wäre wahrscheinlich der Schweizer Elitetruppe Armee-Aufklärungsdetachment 10 übertragen worden: Gleich zwei Mal soll das Verteidigungsministerium in Bern in den Jahren 2008 und 2009 Pläne entworfen haben, um die in Libyen festgehaltenen Schweizer Geschäftsleute mit Hilfe des Militärs in ihre Heimat zurückzubringen.

Das erste Szenario hätte über Algerien geführt, das zweite über Ägypten oder den Niger, berichten Schweizer Medien seit Ende vergangener Woche. Die Regierung hat die „Planung von Befreiungsaktionen“ nach mehrtägigem Schweigen nun zugegeben und streitet seitdem öffentlich darüber, was genau sich während der Libyen-Krise hinter den Kulissen abgespielt hat. Weiter lessen und einen Kommentar schreiben >>> Von Elisalex Henckel | Donnerstag, 24. Juni 2010

Ein Blick zurück: Obama in Saudi-Arabien
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: US-Präsident Barack Obama ist in Saudi-Arabien eingetroffen. Er wird morgen eine mit Spannung erwartete Rede halten. SF-Nahost-Korrespondent Ulrich Tilgner zu den Hoffnungen und Ängsten rund um den Besuch Obamas in der islamischen Welt.



Verbunden / Related: Barack Obama's speech at Cairo University: Full text – Barack Obama addressed the Muslim world in a 6,000-word speech at Cairo University. Text in full. >>> | Thursday, June 04, 2009

Beautiful People To Get Virtual Sperm Bank
SKY NEWS: Dating site for beautiful people sets up sperm bank for mothers-to-be who want to make sure they have attractive children



Beautiful People: Where beautiful relationships begin >>>

Des policiers en kippa aux Pays-Bas ?
LE FIGARO: Les autorités néerlandaises ont estimé que l'utilisation de policiers en kippa, proposée récemment par un député néerlandais pour lutter contre l'antisémitisme, est "une option possible", a-t-on appris aujourd'hui auprès du ministère de la Justice.



Le ministre néerlandais de la Justice, Hirsch Ballin, "pense que cette méthode n'est pas en contradiction avec la loi et est donc une option possible", a déclaré à l'AFP Wim van der Weegen, porte-parole du ministre.


"Le ministre a assuré que dans les prochains mois, un programme concret serait présenté par le gouvernement pour lutter contre l'antisémitisme et la discrimination", a ajouté M. van de Weegen. >>> | Vendredi 25 Juin 2010

Lien en relation avec l'article / Related article ici / here

Le Likoud s'oppose au gel de la colonisation
Benyamin Nétanyahou (ici le 22 juin à Jérusalem) avait annoncé un moratoire fin 2009 sous la pression des États-Unis, qui l'accusent aujourd'hui de duplicité. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Le parti de Benyamin Nétanyahou entend reprendre les constructions dans les Territoires occupés dès la fin septembre.

D’envoyé spécial du Figaro à Jérusalem

Après le gel, la droite israélienne veut s'assurer du dégel. Le Likoud, le parti de Benyamin Nétanyahou, devait voter jeudi soir une motion en faveur de la reprise des constructions dans les colonies juives de Cisjordanie dès l'expiration du moratoire qui a pris effet à la fin de l'année dernière.

Le gel partiel de dix mois annoncé en novembre 2009 arrivera à son terme le 26 septembre prochain, et le Likoud s'oppose fermement à sa reconduction. Cette motion en faveur de la reprise des constructions dans les colonies était demandée depuis longtemps par la droite du parti, proche des colons, qui avait à l'époque critiqué la décision de son chef. Le premier ministre israélien ne devait pas se rendre à la réunion du comité central de son parti, notamment pour éviter d'avoir à applaudir publiquement une résolution qui risque une nouvelle fois de profondément agacer les États-Unis.

Nétanyahou doit en effet rencontrer Barack Obama le 6 juillet prochain à la Maison-Blanche et n'a aucune envie de voir sa visite compliquée par cette annonce. Ses relations avec le président américain sont déjà tendues. Obama avait battu froid Nétanyahou pendant leur dernière rencontre en mars dernier. Et l'abordage sanglant de la flottille internationale à destination de Gaza le 31 mai dernier avait conduit à l'annulation d'un entretien à Washington prévu le lendemain. Le Likoud se prononce pour la reprise de la colonisation >>> Par Adrien Jaulmes | Jeudi 24 Juin 2010

Palestinian Martyrdom Video Aimed at Children, Says US Watchdog Group
THE TIMES: Without the subtitles, the song could almost be a sentimental tune for kids that is fast spreading round the world on YouTube. With its lyrics translated, it reveals itself as something far more sinister - an ode to martyrdom from the mouths of pre-school children.

“When we seek martyrdom, we go to heaven,” sings a pretty dark-haired little girl.

“Don’t say we are young, this way of life has turned us into grown-ups. Without Palestine, what does childhood mean?”

According to the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT), an American organisation that tracks Islamic extremist websites and networks, the video is spreading like wildfire, with variations of the ditty scoring millions of hits in the Muslim world, and starting to spread to Britain and North America.

The IPT said that the clip was the work of a Jordan-based film company called Birds of Paradise, whose high-standard production marks “a new wave of jihadist youth indoctrination”.

The catchy tune appears designed to appeal to children and grown-ups alike, with a message of dying for Palestine. Read on and comment >>> James Hider, Middle East Correspondent | Friday, June 25, 2010

The Sick Indoctrination of Innocent Children: لما نستشهد بنروح الجنة


The Investigative Project on Terrorism: "Birds of Paradise" – Martyrdom Recruitment as Children's Entertainment >>>

'Ten Pound Pom' Becomes Australia's Prime Minister
THE TELEGRAPH: Julia Gillard, a miner's daughter from South Wales, has become Australia's prime minister after a political coup to wrest control of the country from the beleaguered Kevin Rudd.

Julia Gillard, whose family left Barry as "Ten Pound Poms" when she was struck down with pneumonia at the age of five, was installed after the most eventful night in modern Australian politics.

Ms Gillard is the daughter of a coal miner and names Nye Bevan as one of greatest political inspirations. She says her start in life greatly influenced her leftist sensibilities and willingness to fight her corner.

Speaking in Canberra, Ms Gillard, 48, said she had challenged for the prime minister's job because "a good government had lost its way" and she did not want to see cuts in health and education if the opposition Liberal Party won the next election.

Watching their daughter make history by becoming the country's first female prime minister, John and Moira Gillard, who both still speak with thick Welsh accents, said that they were elated, but "mindful of the enormous job ahead of binding the party together."

Despite leaving the Vale of Glamorgan for Adelaide in 1966, Ms Gillard kept in close touch with the Barry community throughout her adolescence.

She returned to Wales when she was sixteen, spelling out her ambitions to her former neighbours during a one-week holiday.
Basil and Mabel Baker, who have known Ms Gillard since she was a baby, said that even as a teenager, she was intensely focused.

"I remember asking her 'So Julia, what do you want to do with your life? I suppose you want to get married and start a family'," Mr Baker, 91, said.

"Quick as a flash, she said to me 'Oh, I don't want to do that. I want a career and I want to get to the top. I've no time for marriage and kids'."

Still unmarried, but in a long-term relationship with hairdresser Tim Mathieson, Ms Gillard has gone on to achieve that goal, and more.

After starting life in a modest two-bedroom terrace in Barry, she now lives in a large home in the Melbourne suburb of Altona, and owns another flat in Canberra. >>> Bonnie Malkin in Sydney | Thursday, June 24, 2010

Related articles here and here

Blodwen took on Kevin, and won! >>>

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Hard-boiled Blodwen speaks >>>

VIDEO: Abbott faces off against Gillard: Mere hours after Julia Gillard is sworn in as the new Prime Minister she faces off against Tony Abbott in question time. >>> | Friday, June 25, 2010

Bloodthirsty Blod >>>

This Profligate President! Barack Obama Is Refusing to Listen to Reason on Economic Policy
THE TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama could learn from the old-fashioned German habit of saving money before spending it, argues Jeremy Warner.

Barack Obama will meet other world leaders at the G20 summit. Photo: The Telegraph
Rarely has the dismal science of economics inflamed such passions. While the "cuts versus growth" debate has been building steadily for more than a year on both sides of the Atlantic, over the past week it has exploded into open international hostilities.

A compromised form of words will already have been agreed for the communiqué to follow this weekend's meeting of G8 and G20 leaders; the sherpas who do the preparatory donkey work for these stage-managed events will have ensured it.

But behind the anodyne platitudes of any statement, the tensions have reached fever pitch. Gone is the co-operative consensus that, in adversity 18 months ago, brought G20 nations together to fight the downturn.

In its place lies a clear line of demarcation that almost exactly mirrors our own political debate in Britain over the economic consequences of George Osborne's Emergency Budget cuts. Yet though this debate masquerades as high intellect, it has about as much to do with economics as the outcome of the World Cup.

President Barack Obama, backed to some extent by Nicolas Sarkozy of France, wants economic stimulus to continue until the global recovery is unambiguously secure. In the opposite corner is Germany's Angela Merkel, now oddly aligned with Britain's new political leadership in thinking the time is right for fiscal austerity.

Like much of what Mr Obama says and does these days, the US position is cynically political. With mid-term elections looming and the Democrats down in the polls, the administration hasn't yet even begun to think about deficit reduction. Obama is much more worried by the possibility of a double-dip recession and the damage this would do to his chances of a second term, than the state of the public finances.

As it happens, the public debt trajectory is rather worse in the US than it is in Europe, yet Obama has adopted an overtly "spend until we are broke" approach in a calculated bid for growth and votes. Read on and comment >>> Jeremy Warner | Thursday, June 24, 2010

Obamonomics: A Definition >>> Mark Alexander | Saturday, March 07, 2009

Letting the Barbarians Speak!
Part 1:



Part 2:



Part 3:

Five Americans Jailed in Pakistan for Plotting Terrorist Attacks
THE TELEGRAPH: Five American students have been sentenced to 10 years in Pakistani prisons after being found guilty of plotting terrorist attacks.

Aman Hassan Yemer, (L), Ahmed Abdulah Minni, (2nd L), Waqar Hussain Khan, (R), Ramy Zamzam, (L rear) and Umar Farooq (R rear). Photo: The Telegraph
The men, all Muslims, were arrested in the eastern city of Sargodha in December.

Their families in Virginia reported them missing a month earlier after finding a farewell video message calling for Muslims to be protected.

The case is particularly sensitive for American officials trying to come to terms with young men apparently being radicalised within the US – such as Faisal Shahzad, who this week pleaded guilty to the botched Times Square plot.

However, Hassan Katchela, their defence lawyer, said the men planned to launch an appeal.

"These boys had watched reports of how the Afghan people were living – especially the orphans – and they came here to help," he told The Daily Telegraph. >>> Rob Crilly in Islamabad | Thursday, June 24, 2010