Wikileaks Cable: American TV Shows 'Agents of Influence' in Saudi Arabia
ABC NEWS: American television shows broadcast across the Middle East are proving to be effective "agents of influence" in the ongoing battle over hearts and minds of ordinary Muslims pondering jihad against the United States, a confidential government cable published by Wikileaks reveals.


ABC's "Desperate Housewives" and "World News with Diane Sawyer," as well as CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" and NBC's sitcom "Friends," all carry more sway with viewers than a U.S. taxpayer-funded Middle East broadcast network, an unnamed Saudi source told U.S. embassy officials last year.

"It's still all about the War of Ideas here, and the American programming on [privately-owned] MBC and Rotana is winning over ordinary Saudis in a way that 'Al Hurra' and other U.S. propaganda never could," the source said.

"Saudis are now very interested in the outside world, and everybody wants to study in the U.S. if they can. They are fascinated by U.S. culture in a way they never were before." >>> Devin Dwyer | Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Oprah Addresses Lesbian Rumors
Talk show host gets emotional in interview with Barbara Walters

Follow the Money
THE NEW YORK TIMES – EDITORIAL: Nine years after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, there is still a seemingly limitless stream of cash flowing to terrorist groups from private charities and contributors in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar. According to classified State Department cables recently released by WikiLeaks, governments in all three countries — all close American allies — are not doing enough to shut down that flow of money.

In a December 2009 cable to American diplomats in the region, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warns that “donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide” and says that persuading Saudi leaders to treat this as a priority is “an ongoing challenge.”

The cable also said that while the Saudi government has taken important steps to criminalize terror financing and restrict the movement of money overseas, it still looks the other way when it comes to certain favored organizations. Fund-raising at pilgrimages to Mecca is believed to produce millions of dollars annually for extremists. The cable suggests an even more serious problem in Kuwait, where Islamic charities are largely unregulated. The three gulf states are also not doing enough to disrupt crimes, including drug trafficking and kidnappings for ransom, that produce revenue for terrorists. After Sept. 11, Saudi Arabia turned a blind eye to the terrorist threat even though Osama bin Laden and 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi-born. >>> | Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Harry Nilsson: Without You

Assange's 'Martyr Status' Further Damages US Reputation
Julian Assange, the Australian founder of WikiLeaks, has been deined bail in London. Photograph: Spiegel Online International
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been arrested in London and denied bail on charges of rape and sexual molestation. German opinion makers are split on what the arrest really means. One thing they agree on: The reputation of the US continues to suffer.

The London arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange made headlines in all of the major German newspapers Wednesday, with several noting how welcomed the arrest was in the United States, and editorialists discussing what freedom of information means in the world's last remaining superpower.

Assange, who turned himself over to Scotland Yard authorities on Tuesday morning, was denied bail by the British judge overseeing the case. He has been accused in Sweden of one count of rape, one count of unlawful coercion and two counts of sexual molestation, involving incidents which allegedly occured [sic] in August 2010. The Swedish public prosecutor's office had issued a European warrant to bring Assange in for questioning.

The arrest came as Assange, the 39-year-old WikiLeaks founder, faced increasing pressure from all corners of the world -- Sweden, the United States, and even his home nation, Australia -- following the stream of secret US diplomatic leaks that have been published by his website and several major news organizations, including SPIEGEL.

US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates told reporters in Afghanistan Tuesday that Assange's arrest: "Sounds like good news to me." Several prominent US politicians had been calling for his arrest, and former Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin said he should be tracked down and hunted like Osama bin Laden. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said that Assange's publication of the US diplomatic cables on his website was illegal.

In his response published Wednesday in the daily The Australian, Assange calls organization the "underdog" and writes: "Prime Minister Gillard and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have not had a word of criticism for the other media organizations. That is because The Guardian, The New York Times and Der Spiegel are old and large, while WikiLeaks is as yet young and small."

He also writes that the Australian government is "trying to shoot the messenger because it doesn't want the truth revealed, including information about its own diplomatic and political dealings."

Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said that Assange would get consular support in Britain, and told The Australian: "What we do with Australians in strife anywhere in the world is that we take the view that our responsibility is to ensure the consular rights and legal rights of all Australians abroad are protected. And that includes Mr. Assange."

WikiLeaks spokesman, Kristinn Hrafnsson, wrote on Twitter: "We will not be gagged, either by judicial action or corporate censorship." >>> Mary Beth Warner and Jill Petzinger | Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Bergregionen setzen auf Schneekanonen
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Der Schnee in den Bergen ist immer weniger echt und des Öfteren künstlich. Grund dafür ist, dass die Bergregionen immer mehr auf Schneekanonen setzen, um sich die Skigäste zu sichern. Die künstliche Beschneiung bedeutet jedoch einen riesigen Wasser- und Energieverbrauch.


Dieses Stück Nachrichten wurde zum Teil in Schweizerdeutsch (Schwyzertüütsch) ausgestrahlt.

WikiLeaks Cables: Saudi Princes Throw Parties Boasting Drink, Drugs and Sex *
THE GUARDIAN: Royals flout puritanical laws to throw parties for young elite while religious police are forced to turn a blind eye

These Saudi students at a prayer event in Riyadh conform to the puritanical image of the country, but worldly pleasures are available behind closed doors to the very rich, WikiLeaks cables show. Photograph: The Guardian
In what may prove a particularly incendiary cable, US diplomats describe a world of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll behind the official pieties of Saudi Arabian royalty.

Jeddah consulate officials described an underground Halloween party, thrown last year by a member of the royal family, which broke all the country's Islamic taboos. Liquor and prostitutes were present in abundance, according to leaked dispatches, behind the heavily-guarded villa gates.

The party was thrown by a wealthy prince from the large Al-Thunayan family. The diplomats said his identity should be kept secret. A US energy drinks company also put up some of the finance.

"Alcohol, though strictly prohibited by Saudi law and custom, was plentiful at the party's well-stocked bar. The hired Filipino bartenders served a cocktail punch using sadiqi, a locally-made moonshine," the cable said. "It was also learned through word-of-mouth that a number of the guests were in fact 'working girls', not uncommon for such parties."

The dispatch from the US partygoers, signed off by the consul in Jeddah, Martin Quinn, added: "Though not witnessed directly at this event, cocaine and hashish use is common in these social circles."

The underground party scene is "thriving and throbbing" in Saudi Arabia thanks to the protection of Saudi royalty, the dispatch said. But it is only available behind closed doors and for the very rich. >>> Heather Brooke | Tuesday, December 07, 2010

*And, of course, we shouldn't forget about their fondness for pretty boys. – © Mark

The More We Learn About the Release of the Lockerbie Bomber, the More It Stinks
TELEGRAPH – BLOGS – CON COUGHLIN: What on earth was Sir Vincent Fean, Britain’s ambassador to Libya, thinking of when he warned that Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi could “cut us off at the knees” if we refused to hand over Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the only person to be convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing that killed 270 people?

Has Libya suddenly become one of the world’s leading superpowers? Does a half-baked revolutionary zealot like Gaddafi really have the ability to damage Britain? Admittedly Gaddafi caused us a great deal of discomfort during the 1980s when he thoughtfully provided the IRA with the Semtex they needed to carry out their campaign of terror against the British mainland.

But that hardly brought the country to its knees, and I very much doubt that any other hare-brained schemes the “mad dog” of Libya – as former American president Ronald Reagan once described him – might come up with would cause us serious harm. Read on and comment >>> Con Coughlin | Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Don't Shoot Messenger for Revealing Uncomfortable Truths
THE AUSTRALIAN: WIKILEAKS deserves protection, not threats and attacks.

IN 1958 a young Rupert Murdoch, then owner and editor of Adelaide's The News, wrote: "In the race between secrecy and truth, it seems inevitable that truth will always win."

His observation perhaps reflected his father Keith Murdoch's expose that Australian troops were being needlessly sacrificed by incompetent British commanders on the shores of Gallipoli. The British tried to shut him up but Keith Murdoch would not be silenced and his efforts led to the termination of the disastrous Gallipoli campaign.

Nearly a century later, WikiLeaks is also fearlessly publishing facts that need to be made public.

I grew up in a Queensland country town where people spoke their minds bluntly. They distrusted big government as something that could be corrupted if not watched carefully. The dark days of corruption in the Queensland government before the Fitzgerald inquiry are testimony to what happens when the politicians gag the media from reporting the truth.

These things have stayed with me. WikiLeaks was created around these core values. The idea, conceived in Australia, was to use internet technologies in new ways to report the truth.

WikiLeaks coined a new type of journalism: scientific journalism. We work with other media outlets to bring people the news, but also to prove it is true. Scientific journalism allows you to read a news story, then to click online to see the original document it is based on. That way you can judge for yourself: Is the story true? Did the journalist report it accurately?

Democratic societies need a strong media and WikiLeaks is part of that media. The media helps keep government honest. WikiLeaks has revealed some hard truths about the Iraq and Afghan wars, and broken stories about corporate corruption.

People have said I am anti-war: for the record, I am not. Sometimes nations need to go to war, and there are just wars. But there is nothing more wrong than a government lying to its people about those wars, then asking these same citizens to put their lives and their taxes on the line for those lies. If a war is justified, then tell the truth and the people will decide whether to support it. Read on and comment >>> Julian Assange | Wednesday, December 08, 2010

BBC: Wikileaks: Australia FM says US to blame, not Assange – Australia's foreign minister has said the US is to blame for the release of thousands of diplomatic cables on Wikileaks, not its Australian founder, Julian Assange. >>> | Wednesday, December 08, 2010

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Wikileaks: Kevin Rudd blames US for release of diplomatic cables: Kevin Rudd, the former Australian prime minister, has blamed America for the release of thousands of classified diplomatic cables by Wikileaks and called into question US security measures surrounding confidential information. >>> Bonnie Malkin, Sydney | Wednesday, December 08, 2010

WikiLeaks: The Man Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: As the disclosures continue, a number of questions about the way the world has changed are becoming more clearly framed

"Is this the end or beginning?" Betjeman put those words into the mouth of Oscar Wilde as he sat in the Cadogan hotel waiting to be arrested for sexual offences in 1895. Similar thoughts must have flitted through the mind of Julian Assange as he prepared to present himself at a London police station yesterday. He was duly arrested in relation to alleged sex offences in Sweden and remanded in custody for a week. Under technological, legal, financial, corporate and governmental attack from all sides, Assange has managed to keep his subversive website, WikiLeaks, staggering on, spilling classified secrets around the globe. Will WikiLeaks be floored by the arrest of its driving inspiration? Or will its actions, ethos and notoriety prove it to be indestructible and thereby demonstrate that there are new forces in the world which can effectively challenge established patterns of power and control of information? Is it the end or the beginning?

Of the charges themselves it is unwise to say anything. The internet is awash with conspiracies, smears and rebuttal, but for the moment it is best to let the Swedish judicial process take its course. It is, though, difficult to see what purpose is served by locking Assange away this week, given that a number of reputable people were prepared to stand surety for his bail. The best way of demonstrating that the charges have nothing to do with silencing WikiLeaks is to let it carry on leaking while Assange faces his accusers. >>> Editorial, The Guardian | Wednesday, December 08, 2010

WikiLeaks Cables: Barack Obama Is a Bigger Danger
THE GUARDIAN: WikiLeaks harms the US. But the president's refusal to acknowledge the threats we face is a bigger danger

'The president, unlike the long line of his predecessors since Franklin Roosevelt, simply does not put national security at the centre of his political priorities.' Photograph: The Guardian
WikiLeaks has yet again flooded the internet with thousands of classified American documents, this time state department cables. More troubling than WikiLeaks' latest revelation of US secrets, however, is the Obama administration's weak, wrong-headed and erratic response. Unfortunately, the administration has acted consistently with its demonstrated unwillingness to assert and defend US interests across a wide range of threats, such as Iran and North Korea, which, ironically, the leaked cables amply document.

On 29 November, secretary of state Hillary Clinton lamented that this third document dump was "not just an attack on United States foreign policy and interests, [but] an attack on the international community". By contrast, on 1 December, the presidential press secretary, Robert Gibbs, said the White House was "not scared of one guy with one keyboard and a laptop". Hours later, a Pentagon spokesman disdained the notion that the military should have prevented the WikiLeaks release: "The determination of those who are charged with such things, the decision was made not to proceed with any sort of aggressive action of that sort in this case."

Clinton is demonstrably incorrect in being preoccupied with defending the "international community", whatever that is. Her inability to understand WikiLeaks' obsession with causing harm to the US is a major reason why the Obama administration has done little or nothing in response – except talk, its usual foreign-policy default position. >>> John Bolton | Sunday, December 05, 2010

The Cable Guy: Julian Assange Becomes the US's Public Enemy No. 1
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: He may be on the short list for Time magazine's "person of the year," but many Americans consider Julian Assange to be a criminal and a terrorist. The WikiLeaks founder has been fighting a battle on several fronts since the publication of the diplomatic cables. He has now been arrested in London.

Wherever Julian Assange turned up in recent weeks, there was always a noticeably well-dressed young woman at his side. Jennifer Robinson, an attorney at a London law firm, has served as Assange's legal protection insurance for the last few weeks. She kept several sets of legal documents in her purse, for the event that Scotland Yard or some other law enforcement agency decided to arrest the Australian.

Assange now finds himself in need of such expert legal protection. He was arrested by British police in London on Tuesday on a European warrant issued by Swedish prosecutors. London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement that Assange had been arrested at around 9:30 a.m. local time, by appointment at a police station in the British capital. "He is accused by the Swedish authorities of one count of unlawful coercion, two counts of sexual molestation and one count of rape, all alleged to have been committed in August 2010," the statement read. Assange was due to appear before a London court later on Tuesday.

Assange's lawyers had earlier said that he would meet with police to talk about the European arrest warrant. "We are in the process of making arrangements to meet with police by consent," lawyer Mark Stephens said on Monday.

As of last week, there was no longer any doubt that the Swedish authorities were determined to catch the 39-year-old at all costs. Interpol issued a "Red Notice" seeking Assange's arrest, and Scotland Yard's Serious Organized Crime Agency confirmed that it was familiar with the case.

But like everything else relating to the WikiLeaks founder, this private case has also become a political issue. The man who had sent a shockwave through global politics since the publication of the American embassy cables two weekends ago had become a hunted man.

He has also become the Americans' latest public enemy, after having challenged the world's most powerful nation and made its secrets public for all to see. >>> Marcel Rosenbach and Holger Stark | Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Showing the Spineless Side of “Great” Britain! WikiLeaks: Britain Feared Colonel Gaddafi Could 'Cut Us Off at the Knees' Unless Lockerbie Bomber Was Freed
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain feared that Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi could “cut us off at the knees, just like the Swiss”, unless the Lockerbie bomber was released, leaked WikiLeaks cables show.

Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Sir Vincent Fean, the UK's ambassador to Tripoli at the time, also warned that continuing to hold Abdelbaset Al-Megrahi in a prison in Scotland could have “disastrous implications for British interests in Libya”.

Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, 57, was jailed in 2001 for the atrocity which claimed 270 lives in 1988. He was freed on compassionate grounds in August 2009.

The warnings were contained in secret communiqués sent from US embassy staff in Tripoli in August 2009, and produced in Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine.

One cable said: “The British ambassador expressed relief that Megrahi likely would be returned to Libya under the compassionate release program.

“He noted that a refusal of Megrahi’s request could have had disastrous implications for British interests in Libya.”

Then the cable appeared to quote the ambassador saying: “They could have cut us off at the knees, just like the Swiss.” >>> Christopher Hope, Whitehall Editor | Tuesday, December 07, 2010

This just goes to show how spineless we Brits have become. Churchill must be turning in his grave! How disgusting! This story makes one feel ashamed to admit one is British. Get a grip! – © Mark

This comment also appears here

WikiLeaks Cables: Lockerbie Bomber Freed After Gaddafi's 'Thuggish' Threats
THE GUARDIAN: Megrahi case led to threats against UK's Libyan interests, while Scots who released him had turned down 'a parade of treats'

WikiLeaks cables say Muammar Gaddafi bullied and cajoled British politicians and bureaucrats to release convicted Lockerbie bomber, Abdel Baset al-Megrahi (left), seen with the Libyan leader's son, Saif al-Islam, on his arrival in Tripoli. Photograph: The Guardian
The British government's deep fears that Libya would take "harsh and immediate" action against UK interests if the convicted Lockerbie bomber died in a Scottish prison are revealed in secret US embassy cables which show London's full support for the early release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi.

Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, made explicit and "thuggish" threats to halt all trade deals with Britain and harass embassy staff if Megrahi remained in jail, the cables show. At the same time "a parade of treats" was offered by Libya to the Scottish devolved administration if it agreed to let him go, though the cable says they were turned down.

Britain at the time was "in an awkward position" and "between a rock and a hard place". The London charge d'affaires, Richard LeBaron, wrote in a cable to Washington in October 2008. "The Libyans have told HMG [Her Majesty's Government] flat out that there will be 'enormous repercussions' for the UK-Libya bilateral relationship if Megrahi's early release is not handled properly." >>> David Leigh | Tuesday, December 07, 2010

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: US Diplomats Struggle with an Eccentric Despot: For American diplomats, Libya is a notorious hardship post. With his quirky habits, hard bargaining, whiny sons and Ukrainian nurses, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is far from easy to deal with -- and a master of political extortion. >>> Juliane von Mittelstaedt | Saturday, December 04, 2010

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Ärger mit Libyen: Schweizer schlitterten hilflos in Geiselkrise – Die Affäre um die beiden Schweizer, die fast zwei Jahre lang in Libyen festgehalten wurden, war nach SPIEGEL-Informationen brisanter als bisher bekannt. US-Kabel zeigen, wie hilflos die Diplomaten der Alpenrepublik agierten. Demnach wäre die Krise beinahe EU-weit eskaliert. >>> | Sonntag, 05. Dezember 2010

NZZ ONLINE: Calmy-Rey bricht den Negativrekord: Mit nur 106 Stimmen zur neuen Bundespräsidentin gewählt >>> sda/bbu. | Mittwoch, 08. Dezember 2010

NZZ ONLINE: Haarsträubende Details zur Libyen-Affäre: Der GPK-Bericht enthält vor allem Neues zu den Exfiltrationsplänen und zu Merz' Reise nach Tripolis >>> Simon Gemperli, Bern | Samstag, 04. Dezember 2010

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Calmy-Rey, présidente de la Confédération la plus mal élue de l’Histoire >>> Xavier Alonso et Romain Clivaz | Mercredi 08 Décembre 2010

LE TEMPS: Election misérable de Micheline Calmy-Rey : La socialiste genevoise n’obtient que 106 voix sur 189 bulletins valables. Vingt-et-un députés fédéraux n’ont pas jugé bon de participer à l’élection >>> Bernard Wuthrich | Mercredi 08 Décembre 2010

LE TEMPS: Micheline Calmy-Rey la mal-aimée du parlement : La socialiste genevoise doit être élue à la présidence de la Confédération mercredi. A Berne, l’embarras règne. Pas uniquement à cause du dossier libyen, mais aussi parce qu’elle irrite de nombreux parlementaires>>> Bernard Wuthrich | Mardi 07 Décembre 2010

England Dan & John Ford Coley: I'd Really Love to See You Tonight (1976）

The Stylish 91’s YouTube Channel >>>

Echauffourées entre policiers et étudiants devant la Scala de Milan
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: OPÉRA PERTURBÉ | L'ouverture de la saison de la Scala à Milan a été marquée mardi par des échauffourées entre la police et des étudiants qui manifestaient contre les coupes budgétaires du gouvernement, et par une protestation du chef d'orchestre Daniel Barenboïm.

Avant l'hymne national et avant de diriger "La Walkyrie" de Wagner dans le célèbre théâtre milanais, le chef d'orchestre Daniel Barenboïm s'est adressé au président italien Giorgio Napolitano, invité d'honneur, en se disant "très préoccupé pour l'avenir de la culture en Italie et en Europe".

Il a dit s'exprimer "au nom de tous les collègues qui chantent, dansent, travaillent non seulement ici mais dans tous les théâtres italiens".

Le maestro israélo-argentin a ensuite lu solennellement l'article 9 de la Constitution italienne, selon lequel "la République promeut le développement de la culture et la recherche scientifique et technique, protège le paysage et le patrimoine historique et artistique de la nation". >>> AFP | Mardi 07 Décembre 2010

Nigeria klagt Dick Cheney an
Afrikanischer Staat wirft ehemaligem US-Vizepräsidenten Korruption vor
NZZ ONLINE: Der ehemalige amerikanische Vizepräsident Dick Cheney sieht sich in Nigeria mit einer Klage wegen Korruption konfrontiert. Das Vorgehen steht im Zusammenhang mit dem Bau einer Flüssiggasanlage durch den Energiekonzern Halliburton, dessen Chef Cheney war.

Der ehemalige amerikanische Vizepräsident Dick Cheney sieht sich in Nigeria mit einer Klage wegen Korruption konfrontiert. Das Vorgehen steht im Zusammenhang mit dem Bau einer Flüssiggasanlage durch den Energiekonzern Halliburton, dessen Chef Cheney war.

Die nigerianischen Staatsanwaltschaft hat gegen den früheren amerikanischen Vizepräsidenten Dick Cheney Anklage wegen Korruption erhoben. Die Vorwürfe stehen im Zusammenhang mit dem Bau einer Flüssiggasanlage durch den amerikanischen Energiekonzern Halliburton im Süden Nigerias. Weiter lesen und einen Kommentar schreiben >>> sda | Dienstag, 07. Dezember 2010

Piratenpartei: «Wikileaks.ch» existiert seit 6 Monaten
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Wikileaks hat offenbar vorausgeahnt, dass ihre Internet-Adresse «wikileaks.org» früher oder später gesperrt werden könnte. Denn die jetzt bekanntgegebene «Schweizer» Ausweichadresse «wikileaks.ch» wurde bereits vor 6 Monaten registriert. Registriert hatte die Adresse die Schweizer Piratenpartei.

Dozens of Israeli Rabbis Back Call to Forbid Sale of Property to Arabs
THE GUARDIAN: Publicly funded municipal chiefs accused of racial incitement after signing letter in support of ultra-orthodox Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu

Safed, northern Israel, where Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu ordered his followers not to offer accommodation to Arabs. Photograph: The Guardian
Dozens of Israeli rabbis today backed a call to forbid Jews to rent or sell property to Arabs in a move likely to further stoke tensions in some cities.

More than 40 municipal chief rabbis, whose salaries are paid from public funds, signed a letter in support of a ruling by Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu of Safed in Upper Gallilee instructing his followers not to offer accommodation to non-Jews.

Anyone doing so, the letter said, "causes his neighbour a great loss, and his iniquity is greater than can be borne". It went on: "It is incumbent upon the seller's neighbours and acquaintances to warn and caution, first in private and then they are entitled to publish him in public, to distance themselves from him, to prevent trade from being done with him, not to have him read from the Torah and so forth until he reverses his decision that causes harm to so many people."

Following Eliyahu's earlier ruling, an 89-year-old Holocaust survivor who rents out rooms to three Arab students in Safed was threatened with having his house burned down and was denounced as a traitor to Judaism. >>> Harriet Sherwood | Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Barack Obama Gives Way to Republicans Over Bush Tax Cuts
THE GUARDIAN: Allies say president 'blackmailed' into extending tax cut for wealthier Americans which may cost $4tn in lost revenue

Barack Obama talks with the Republican whip Eric Cantor after a meeting with bipartisan congressional leadership. Photograph: The Guardian
Barack Obama is bowing to Republican demands to extend a deep tax cut for wealthier Americans, to the fury of some of the president's allies who say he has succumbed to "blackmail".

In a bruising political battle that appears to set the tone for Obama's dealings with the Republicans in Congress following their victories in last month's midterm elections, the president had sought to extend a tax cut for middle-class Americans introduced by the Bush administration seven years ago which expires at the end of this month. But he wanted to see a return to pre-cut rates for households with an income above $250,000 a year, on the grounds that wealthier Americans could afford to pay more. The move would generate trillions of dollars for the financially-strapped treasury over the next decade.

The Democratic leadership believed that provided the middle class was looked after, the Republicans would find it difficult to justify tax cuts for the wealthy. The House of Representatives, still controlled by Democrats until the new Congress is sworn in next month, passed Obama's plan by a clear majority last week. But Republicans blocked the legislation in the Senate at the weekend and said they would rather see everyone's taxes rise than agree to scrapping the cuts for the wealthy.

Some Democrats called on Obama to stand firm and let the Republicans carry the blame for the inevitable middle-class backlash. But leading Democrats say the president is backing down and has agreed to extend tax cuts for everyone. In return, the White House appears to have extracted an agreement to extend benefits for the long-term unemployed. >>> Chris McGreal in Washington | Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Senator Lieberman on Julian Assange

Superstar Muslim Preacher Amr Khaled Battles Al-Qaeda
BBC: President Ali Abdullah Saleh does not give many interviews at the moment. The man who has governed Yemen for 32 years is fed up with the press characterising the country as a "cradle of terrorism".

But for Amr Khaled he was willing to make an exception. The Egyptian Muslim televangelist is, in the words of the president a "good guy", but there is of course more to it than that - in the Middle East Amr Khaled is like a rock star.

Dubbed "The Billy Graham of Islam" by Time Magazine, his television shows get more viewers than Oprah Winfrey, his videos have racked up 26m hits on YouTube, and he boasts two million friends on Facebook.

He is a sharp-suited, smooth-talking whirlwind of progressive Islam, preaching co-existence with the West while telling Muslims how to mix their faith with the modern world.

He is not even an imam, but a former accountant for multinational auditors KPMG. (+ videos) >>> | Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Saudi Royal Succession: Professor Detained Over Article
BBC: A Saudi law professor who wrote about a possible power struggle over the royal succession is being held without charge, a human rights group says.

Mohammad al-Abdulkareem, 40, was detained at his home in Riyadh on Sunday by four men who had no court warrant, the group said.

Mr Abdulkareem's article appeared shortly after King Abdullah, 86, went to America for surgery on his spine.

The royal succession is a highly sensitive subject in Saudi Arabia.

There has been no official confirmation of the arrest by the Saudi authorities. >>> Sebastian Usher. BBC News, London | Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange Is Refused Bail
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, was refused bail as he appeared in court to face extradition charges for the first time.


The 39-year-old Australian is wanted in Sweden over allegations of rape and sexual assault upon two women.

He appeared at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court to fight the extradition process.

Mr Assange, who denies the claims, was refused bail by District Judge Howard Riddle on the grounds that he would fail to surrender if released.

Jemima Khan, film director Ken Loach and investigative journalist John Pilger had all offered £20,000 each as surety for his bail.

However, he was remanded in custody and will appear again at the same court on December 14. >>> Caroline Gammell and Richard Edwards | Tuesday, December 07, 2010


NZZ ONLINE: Assange beendet das Katz-und-Maus-Spiel: Verhafteter Wikileaks-Gründer wehrt sich gegen Auslieferung an Schweden >>> Nils Anner, Cambridge | Dienstag, 07. Dezember 2010

LE FIGARO: WikiLeaks : Assange reste en prison jusqu'à mi-décembre – La demande de libération sous caution du fondateur de WikiLeaks, qui s'est rendu mardi à la police britannique, a été rejetée. Recherché pour des faits de viol et d'agression sexuelle, l'Australien est maintenu en détention jusqu'au 14 décembre. >>> Par Thomas Vampouille, Constance Jamet | Mardi 07 Décembre 2010

Britain Arrests WikiLeaks Founder in Sex Inquiry
THE NEW YORK TIMES: LONDON — Police in Britain arrested Julian Assange on Tuesday on a warrant issued in Sweden in connection with alleged sex offenses, British police officials said, the latest twist in the drama swirling around the anti-secrecy group and its beleaguered founder.

Mr. Assange, a 39-year-old Australian, was arrested by officers from Scotland Yard’s extradition unit when he went to a central London police station by prior agreement with the authorities, the police said. A court hearing was expected later in the day.

In a statement, the police said: “Officers from the Metropolitan Police extradition unit have this morning arrested Julian Assange on behalf of the Swedish authorities on suspicion of rape.”

Mr. Assange denies the charges of sexual misconduct said to have been committed while he was in Sweden in August. It was not immediately clear if Mr. Assange would resist extradition to Sweden for questioning by prosecutors there. >>> Alan Cowell and John F. Burns | Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Gesichter des Islam – Männer und Frauen
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Wie entwickeln sich die Rollen von Männern und Frauen und die Bedeutung der Familie in muslimischen Gesellschaften? Welches ist das Selbstverständnis der Geschlechter in Marokko, Deutschland und Saudi-Arabien? In der Königsstadt Fés erleben wir eine traditionelle Hochzeit und die Ehe als verpflichtende islamische Lebensform.

Familienstreit von L'Oréal-Erben beendet
Überraschende Einigung erzielt – Verfahren werden zurückgezogen
NZZ ONLINE: Nach ihrem jahrelangen, erbitterten Familienstreit haben sich die französische L'Oréal-Milliardärin Liliane Bettencourt und ihre Tochter überraschend ausgesöhnt.

Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers werde alle von ihr angestrengten gerichtlichen Verfahren zurückziehen, sagte der Anwalt der Tochter, Olivier Metzner, am Montag der Nachrichtenagentur AFP. Dies beziehe sich insbesondere auf die Anzeigen gegen den Künstler François-Marie Banier.

Ihm hatte die Tochter vorgeworfen, ihre 88-jährige Mutter ausgenutzt und um fast eine Milliarde Euro in Form von Gemälden, Immobilien, Lebensversicherungen und Schecks erleichtert zu haben. >>> sda/afp | Montag, 06. Dezember 2010

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Affaire Bettencourt: le photographe Banier va conserver 300 millions d'euros: ACCORD | Le photographe François-Marie Banier, au coeur du conflit entre l’héritière de l’Oréal et sa fille, conservera l’équivalent de 300 millions d’euros (391 millions de francs) de dons de Liliane Bettencourt, ont indiqué leurs avocats. >>> AFP | Mardi 07 Décembre 2010

WikiLeaks Cables Claim al-Jazeera Changed Coverage to Suit Qatari Foreign Policy
THE GUARDIAN: US embassy memos contradict Arabic satellite channel's insistence that it is editorially independent despite being heavily subsidised by Gulf state

Qatar is using the Arabic news channel al-Jazeera as a bargaining chip in foreign policy negotiations by adapting its coverage to suit other foreign leaders and offering to cease critical transmissions in exchange for major concessions, US embassy cables released by WikiLeaks claim.

The memos flatly contradict al-Jazeera's insistence that it is editorially independent despite being heavily subsidised by the Gulf state.

They will also be intensely embarrassing to Qatar, which last week controversially won the right to host the 2022 World Cup after presenting itself as the most open and modern Middle Eastern state.

In the past, the emir of Qatar has publicly refused US requests to use his influence to temper al-Jazeera's reporting. >>> Robert Booth | Monday, December 06, 2010

Wikileaks: US Identifies Key Sites Around World For Security
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The United States has identified hundreds of sites around the world that it fears could be targeted in terrorist attacks.

The list, released by WikiLeaks, includes a dozen sites in Britain, including two telecommunications centres, several undersea communications cables, a military manufacturing plant and a vaccine production centre.

A February 2009 State Department cable asked embassies around the world to update a 2008 list of vital interests. Unlike most of the documents made available by WikiLeaks so far, it was marked “secret”.

The Government immediately condemned the latest release.

A Downing Street spokesman said this morning: "We unequivocally condemn the unauthorised release of classified information.

"The leaks and their publication are damaging to national security in the United States, Britain and elsewhere.

Though most of the information was in the public domain, its release is likely to lead to accusations that WikiLeaks did not care if it aided terrorists. >>> Alex Spillius, Washington | Monday, December 06, 2010

Saudi Prince Turki bin Faisal on WikiLeaks: 'People Will No Longer Speak to American Diplomats Frankly'
Saudi Prince Turki bin Faisal on WikiLeaks diplomatic cables: "a hodgepodge of selectivity, inaccuracy, agenda pursuit, and downright disinformatio. Photograph: Spiegel Online International
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: In an interview with SPIEGEL to be published on Monday, Saudi Prince Turki bin Faisal warns that the WikiLeaks diplomatic cables have caused serious damage. "America's credibility and honesty are the victim of these leaks," he says.

The United States has suffered serious political damage as a result of the WikiLeaks publication of secret documents, says Prince Turki bin Faisal, 65, the former intelligence chief and ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Washington. "America's credibility and honesty are the victim of these leaks," Turki said in an interview with the news magazine DER SPIEGEL. "People, including officials, will no longer speak to American diplomats frankly." >>> | Sunday, December 05, 2010

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: 'America's Credibility Is the Victim of These Leaks': Former Saudi Arabian intelligence head Prince Turki bin Faisal worries that the US diplomatic dispatches released by WikiLeaks could harm US credibility. He spoke with SPIEGEL about the diplomatic fallout, his country's relations with Iran and Israel, and the historical burden his country bears for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. >>> | Monday, December 06, 2010

WikiLeaks Cables Portray Saudi Arabia as a Cashpoint for Terrorists
THE GUARDIAN: Hillary Clinton memo highlights Gulf states' failure to block funding for groups like al-Qaida, Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba

The terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab walks through the Chatrapathi Sivaji train station in Mumbai during the 2008 attacks. Lashkar-e-Taiba, which carried out the atrocity, is one of several groups that have raised funds via Saudi Arabia. Photograph: The Guardian
Saudi Arabia is the world's largest source of funds for Islamist militant groups such as the Afghan Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba – but the Saudi government is reluctant to stem the flow of money, according to Hillary Clinton.

"More needs to be done since Saudi Arabia remains a critical financial support base for al-Qaida, the Taliban, LeT and other terrorist groups," says a secret December 2009 paper signed by the US secretary of state. Her memo urged US diplomats to redouble their efforts to stop Gulf money reaching extremists in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"Donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide," she said.

Three other Arab countries are listed as sources of militant money: Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. >>> Declan Walsh in Islamabad | Sunday, December 05, 2010

JAN. 9, 2006 | OUTSIDE MECCA, Saudi Arabia | Pilgrims at Mount Arafat. American officials say fund-raisers for extremist groups descend on people taking part in the annual pilgrimage to seek money for their causes, according to leaked cables. Photograph: The New York Times
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Cash Flow to Terrorists Evades U.S. Efforts: WASHINGTON — Nine years after the United States vowed to shut down the money pipeline that finances terrorism, senior Obama administration officials say they believe that many millions of dollars are flowing largely unimpeded to extremist groups worldwide, and they have grown frustrated by frequent resistance from allies in the Middle East, according to secret diplomatic dispatches. >>> Eric Lichtblau and Eric Schmitt | Sunday, December 05, 2010

Blogroll & List of Newspapers & Journals: A Message to My Visitors
Recently, because of a malfunction in the old Blogger template – my sidebar wouldn’t load correctly – I was forced to change over to the new Blogger template. I had been reluctant to change over before because I knew it would be time-intensive, and time is what we are all short of these days.

Anyway, change is what I had to embrace. In actual fact, I am very pleased with the new look of the website. I hope that you are too. However, the changeover has meant that very many links have dropped off. Many of these links will be to loyal websites which have linked back to this one for a long time. Naturally, I regretted this. But I fully intended to rectify the matter in due course. (For ‘in due course’ read ‘when I could figure out how’!)

Using the new template has been a somewhat steep learning curve for me. In these matters, I have been self-taught from the start.

I am pleased to report that I have got to grips with the new template now. So it’s only a question of time to place all the links back up on the sidebar. Unfortunately, there appears to be no way of doing this quickly. Each link has to be placed up there one-by-one.

With Christmas approaching, my time is going to be even tighter than it normally is; however, I shall endeavour to correct this matter as soon as possible. Please bear with me. This new website truly is a work in progress! It is at times like this that I wish I had five pairs of hands! Regards to all. Mark

Benedikt XVI. Ganz privat – Autor stellt Papstbuch „Das Licht der Welt" vor
Jetzt liegt es in den Geschäften: Das Buch über Benedikt XVI.. In „Das Licht der Welt" bringt der Autor Peter Seewald den Lesern nahe, wie der Papst wirklich denkt und fühlt. Das Buch wurde im Vatikan vorgestellt.

BILD.de: HEILIGER VATER IN ROM: Benedikt XVI. – der mächtigste Papst aller Zeiten – Papst Benedikt XVI. (83) – seit fünf Jahren ist der deutsche Kardinal Joseph Ratzinger das Oberhaupt der katholischen Kirche. >>> | Dienstag, 23. November 2010

The Party of the Rich, by the Rich, for the Rich
THE GUARDIAN: Never have Republican values been so brazenly apparent than in holding the unemployed to ransom for the Bush tax cuts

Rarely has the true face of the modern Republican party in America been exposed so obviously.

Just a day after President Barack Obama met with Republican leaders and came out talking of a new era of co-operation, Republican senators united around Mitch McConnell to sign a letter declaring they would pass no legislation without movement on extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.

That legislation they are willing to scupper includes extending unemployment benefits for millions of jobless Americans, still suffering the terrible hangover of the Great Recession. The tax cuts the Republicans are really fired up over will benefit only the top 2% of Americans. >>> Paul Harris | Thursday, December 02, 2010

Nick Clegg's Unexpectedly Swift Journey from Idol to Hate Figure
THE OBSERVER: The Lib Dem leader will survive a backbench rebellion over tuition fees but his reputation is irreversibly changed

Once upon a time, long, long ago – well, six months ago – Nick Clegg gave a pre-election interview to the Observer in which he forecast "Greek-style" unrest on the streets of Britain if the next government tried to drive through policies for which it did not have a proper mandate. I thought at the time that this was over-the-top attention-seeking by a Lib Dem leader who was then struggling to make an impression on the consciousness of the nation. For this was before the leaders' TV debate which briefly transformed him into the messiah of a new politics.

I am now happy to admit that I was wrong and he was right. The government is facing street demonstrations with a Greek streak during which the protesters roar that they have been betrayed. What Nick Clegg didn't anticipate – where his crystal ball let him down – was that he would be the focus of the fury.

The student marches against the hike in tuition fees have seen violence done to a variety of targets: a police van trashed and windows smashed at Tory Towers. But it is about the Lib Dem leader that the protesters, the peaceful majority and the anarchic minority alike, are most venomous. The police have advised him to stop cycling for fear of his personal safety; excrement has been pushed through his letter box. The National Union of Students is hoping to mobilise its members in their greatest numbers to coincide with the Commons vote on the legislation this Thursday. The walls of Westminster will again reverberate to their chants, the least rude of which is: "Nick Clegg! Dick Head!" >>> Andrew Rawnsley | Sunday, December 05, 2010

Ex-marine Predicts Win in 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Fight
THE OBSERVER: The first soldier to be discharged under rules against gay servicemen believes a repeal is imminent

Justin Elzie was discharged after coming out on television. Photograph: The Observer
As the row over America's ban on gay people serving openly in the military reached a fever pitch last week, Justin Elzie felt he had finally neared the end of a 17-year journey.

Elzie, a former marine, was the first person to be discharged under the Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) law, soon after it was brought in by President Bill Clinton in 1993. He has become an important figure in the struggle against the controversial policy, which could now soon be repealed.

"I know it is going to happen now. It is going to be repealed. It is just a matter of when," said Elzie, who recently chained himself to the White House fence in protest at the policy's continued existence. He has also just published a book about his life and last week lobbied politicians in Washington as the Senate conducted hearings on repeal of the law. >>> Paul Harris | Sunday, December 05, 2010

WikiLeaks Site's Swiss Host Dismisses Pressure to Take It Offline
THE GUARDIAN: Swiss host Switch says there is 'no reason' why WikiLeaks should be forced off internet, despite French and US demands

WikiLeaks received a boost tonight when Switzerland rejected growing international calls to force the site off the internet.

The whistleblowers site, which has been publishing leaked US embassy cables, was forced to switch domain names to WikiLeaks.ch yesterday after the US host of its main website, WikiLeaks.org, pulled the plug following mounting political pressure.

The site's new Swiss host, Switch, today said there was "no reason" why it should be forced offline, despite demands from France and the US. Switch is a non-profit registrar set up by the Swiss government for all 1.5 million Swiss .ch domain names. >>> Josh Halliday | Saturdaay, December 04, 2010

PayPal No Pal to WikiLeaks!
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The online payment service PayPal suspended the account used by WikiLeaks to collect donations.

The decision follows the publication by WikiLeaks of thousands of leaked US embassy cables.

WikiLeaks accused PayPal, which is based in America, of bowing to US Government demands to withdraw its service. PayPal is one of several methods that enables WikiLeaks to receive donations and finance its operations.

On Wednesday, Amazon ended an agreement to host WikiLeaks, forcing the website to switch to a Swiss internet address on Friday. It had also been dropped by another US internet service provider.

In a posting on WikiLeaks’ Twitter page, the website announced: “PayPal bans WikiLeaks after US government pressure.”

A statement on the PayPal site said: “PayPal has permanently restricted the account used by WikiLeaks due to a violation of the PayPal Acceptable Use Policy, which states that our payment service cannot be used for any activities that encourage, promote, facilitate or instruct others to engage in illegal activity. We’ve notified the account holder of this action.” Paypal cuts off donations to WikiLeaks >>> Robert Mendick Chief reporter | Saturday, December 04, 2010

"Der Islam ist eine deutsche Religion"
ZEIT ONLINE: Tariq Ramadan über die Kunst, zugleich Muslim und Europäer zu sein

Muslimischer Intellektueller: Tariq Ramadan in Oxford. Foto: Zeit Online
DIE ZEIT: Professor Ramadan, in Europa macht sich eine Stimmung gegen den Islam breit. Minarette, Burkas und Kopftücher werden verboten. Deutschland debattiert über integrationsunwillige Muslime. Warum diese Zuspitzung?

Tariq Ramadan: Unsere westlichen Gesellschaften sind verunsichert durch die Globalisierung. Auch die Einwanderungsströme gehören dazu. Aber entscheidend ist das Sichtbarwerden des Fremden. Darum erregen sich die Leute über Moscheebauten, Minarette, Kopftücher, andere Hautfarben, Sprachen und Gerüche in ihren Vierteln. Wenn gegen die angebliche Islamisierung der Städte protestiert wird, geht es um die Sichtbarkeit einer fremden Religion, die dazugehören will. Das ist neu. Solange das Fremde nicht dazugehört, kann man leichter damit leben.

ZEIT: Seit Jahren leben wir mit der Terrordrohung im Namen des Islams.

Ramadan: Gewalt im Namen der Religion vergiftet die Debatte. Wir Muslime können die Augen nicht davor verschließen, dass dies die Wahrnehmung des Islams beeinflusst. Doch handelt die Islam-Debatte von unserer europäischen Identität. Sie ist hochpolitisch: Auf dem ganzen Kontinent bilden sich Parteien, deren Wahlerfolg davon abhängt, Misstrauen zu schüren. Sie füttern das Gefühl der Verunsicherung, man könne nicht mehr Deutscher oder Niederländer sein wegen dieser Einwanderer.

ZEIT: Der deutsche Präsident hat gesagt, der Islam gehöre zu Deutschland. Er wurde angegriffen, auch aus dem eigenen Lager.

Ramadan: Diese Identitätsfragen übersteigen die Bindungskraft der politischen Lager. Sie können heute Menschen auf der Linken finden, die sehr scharf gegen den Multikulturalismus polemisieren, und auf der Rechten gibt es welche, die einer pluralistischen Gesellschaft offen gegenüberstehen. Ihr Präsident hat etwas Offensichtliches festgestellt: Wenn es Millionen von Muslimen in Deutschland gibt, ist der Islam natürlich auch eine deutsche Religion. Der Islam ist eine europäische Religion, er ist ein Teil von Europas Geschichte und Gegenwart. Er ist nicht das ganz andere, er ist für Europa nichts Äußerliches mehr, bei sieben Millionen Muslimen in Frankreich, drei Millionen in England, vier in Deutschland. >>> Von Jörg Lau | Freitag, 03. Dezember 2010

WikiLeaks : le mandat de M. Sarkozy débute par un "affront" au roi du Maroc
En juillet 2007, Abdelaziz Bouteflika recevait Nicolas Sarkozy à Alger. Photo : Le Monde
LE MONDE: Nicolas Sarkozy tout juste élu président de la République, il réserve au Maghreb son premier déplacement hors d'Europe, comme avant lui Jacques Chirac. Mais l'ordre de visite est inversé. Cette fois, le premier pays visité ne sera pas le Maroc. L'Algérie passera avant le royaume chérifien.

Pourquoi ce changement ? Paris a beau expliquer à ses interlocuteurs marocains que le roi Mohammed VI a tout à gagner à ce que la visite se termine à Rabat, et qu'ainsi il aura "le dernier mot". Rien n'y fait. Les Marocains s'estiment trahis et annulent la visite à Rabat du président français en avançant des "considérations d'agenda, un prétexte vide à la mesure de l'affront subi", peut-on lire dans un télégramme du département d'Etat américain obtenu par WikiLeaks et révélé par Le Monde. >>> Jean-Pierre Tuquoi | Samedi 04 Décembre 2010

Smokers Should Not Be Forced Out of Hospitals
THE GUARDIAN: There should be more controlled smoking zones, argues Richard White

Smoking shelters have been reintroduced in some Bournemouth hospitals. Photograph: The Guardian
The government is proposing its next phase of tobacco control: plain packaging for cigarette packets. It is a controversial move, not least as it will be easier for criminal gangs to replicate packets to look authentic, prompting fears that illicit cigarette distribution levels may increase. Some campaigners would also like to see smoking outside pubs, restaurants and other public places banned.

This would be a step too far for tobacco control. Instead, there should be more controlled smoking zones. In September, the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch hospitals NHS foundation trust reintroduced smoking shelters for staff, patients and visitors, following a five-year ban. Staff and patients had been found smoking on the premises, including in the toilets, the oxygen store and even under the bedclothes.

Like other hospitals that have reversed blanket bans, the decision to permit designated smoking areas was not to encourage or promote smoking but to minimise the risk of illicit smoking on the premises. >>> Richard White | Tuesday, November 30, 2010

wikileaks.ch
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Wikileaks hat offenbar vorausgeahnt, dass ihre Internet-Adresse «wikileaks.org» früher oder später gesperrt werden könnte. Denn die jetzt bekanntgegebene «Schweizer» Ausweichadresse «wikileaks.ch» wurde bereits vor 6 Monaten registriert. Mittlerweile war jedoch auch sie zumindest zeitweise nicht erreichbar.



Zum Teil in Schwyzertüütsch (Schweizerdeutsch) übertragen.

WikiLeaks >>>

Pakistani Cleric Puts Bounty on Christian Woman's Head
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A hardline, pro-Taliban Pakistani Muslim cleric on Friday offered a reward for anyone who kills a Christian woman sentenced to death by a court on charges of insulting Islam.

The sentence against Asia Bibi has renewed debate about Pakistan's blasphemy law which critics say is used to persecute religious minorities, fan religious extremism and settle personal scores. Non-Muslim minorities account for roughly 4 per cent of Pakistan's 170 million population.

Maulana Yousef Qureshi, the imam of a major mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar, offered a £3,700 reward and warned the government against any move to abolish or change the blasphemy law.

"We will strongly resist any attempt to repeal laws which provide protection to the sanctity of Holy Prophet Mohammad," Qureshi told a rally of hardline Islamists."Any one who kills Asia will be given 500,000 rupees in reward from Masjid Mohabat Khan," he said referring to his mosque. >>> | Friday, December 03, 2010

HT: Vlad Tepes >>>

Lawyer: Wikileaks Is Under Attack
SKY NEWS: Mark Stephens, lawyer for the Wikileaks founder Juilan Assange, says the site in under concerted attack.

Liam Neeson Angers Narnia Fans by Suggesting Aslan Is Mohammed
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Liam Neeson has caused controversy by suggesting that Aslan, the Christlike character in C.S. Lewis’s Narnia books, could represent the prophet Mohammed or Buddha.

The actor who voices the lion in the film adaptations of the books has angered some fans of the stories, who claim he is distorting Lewis’s intentions to be “politically correct”.

Aslan the lion features in all seven Narnia books, guiding children away from evil and harm and encouraging them to do good.

Lewis was clear that the Aslan was based on Christ, and once wrote of the character: “He is an invention giving an imaginary answer to the question: “What might Christ become like if there really were a world like Narnia?”.” [sic] >>> Roya Nikkhah | Saturday, December 04, 2010

WikiLeaks: Britain Mocked by US over 'Special Relationship'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: US officials privately mocked Britain’s 'paranoia' over maintaining the 'special relationship', cables released by WikiLeaks suggest.

Richard LeBaron, the US deputy chief of mission, said the obsession with the alliance would “be humorous, if it were not so corrosive”.

He also reported to Washington that it would be “tempting” to take advantage of Britain’s attitude.

The documents show that senior Conservative policians met with members of President Barack Obama's administration before the election to promise a "much more pro-American" regime.

The Tories, including some who are now members of the Cabinet, promised to buy more US weapons and to "fight together" more closely in future.

The documents suggest a faint ridiculing of Britain's attitude to the US, with politicians described as "paranoid" about maintaining the "special relationship" with the US. >>> Andy Bloxham | Saturday, December 04, 2010


SKY NEWS: US Mocked UK Over 'Special Relationship': US officials mocked senior members of then opposition leader David Cameron's party who vowed to run a pro-US regime if they won this year's election, new leaked diplomatic cables have revealed. >>> Pete Norman, Sky News Online | Saturday, December 04, 2010

Svjatoslav Richter: Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor – Movement I: Moderato
Konzert für Klavier und Orchester c-moll op.18: 1. Satz: Moderato


Movement II: Adagio sostenuto / 2. Satz: Adagio sostenuto

Turkey Is Like Iran
YNET NEWS: Op-ed: Erdogan threatens regional stability with his thuggish, megalomaniac behavior

The WikiLeaks documents confirmed the great American and European anxiety over the dangerous regime in power in Turkey. At this time, there are two Middle Eastern entities already controlled by Muslim Brotherhood parties: Hamas in Gaza and Erdogan in Ankara. One should not be surprised to see the friendly ties between the Turkish regime and Hamas, Iran and Hezbollah: We are dealing with political Islam movements that use any means possible in order to take power and threaten others.

In the past, Turkey served as an important pro-Western anchor in the Middle East and played a stabilizing, responsible and constructive role. Today, it constitutes a threat and jeopardizes most Arab regimes, and also Israel, being a focal point of shocks and tensions. Erdogan is threatening regional stability with his thuggish, megalomaniac behavior and with his support for axis of evil elements.

The regimes in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian Authority and many others are greatly disturbed by the new, aggressive player that suddenly emerged against them. While everyone knows that Iran is an enemy, the current regime in Turkey still hides behind the glory of previous Turkish regimes which were friends of the West.

We better understand that we are dealing with a hostile regime that has no intention of giving up power in Turkey.

And now came Erdogan’s latest statement in Beirut, whereby “Turkey won’t remain silent” in case of a new war between Israel and Hamas or Hezbollah and made the threat substantive. From now own, according to its own declaration, Turkey is a potential military foe of Israel and may embark on war against us. >>> Guy Bechor | Thursday, December 02, 2010

YNET NEWS: Erdogan calls WikiLeaks docs 'gossip': Turkish prime minister visibly upset by leaked cables which claim he has eight Swiss bank accounts with private funds and surrounds himself with fawning advisors; says US must 'hold cable writers accountable for slander' >>> AFP | Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Eric Cantona: “Kill the (Criminal) Banks”

ARAB NEWS: Editorial: Wrong medicine – Cantona may be a brilliant footballer but he knows little about banks >>> | Friday, December 03, 2010