Australia Floods: Thousands Flee Their Homes in Brisbane as Floodwaters Surge
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Thousands of Brisbane residents are rushing to empty their homes and evacuate to higher ground before the Brisbane River reaches a peak of 18ft on Thursday.


As the death toll from the devastating floods swamping Queensland rose to 12, with another 51 people missing, the state capital braced for widespread flooding across more than 50 suburbs.

In what Anna Bligh, the premier, called “the worst natural disaster in our history”, the most recent estimates suggest that 19,700 homes and 3,500 businesses will be hit by the rapidly rising water.

In preparation, residents of low-lying neighbourhoods were trying to protect their homes with sandbags and tarpaulins and remove their most precious possessions before the peak.

In some places water rose more than three feet in a matter of hours, catching many homeowners off-guard. >>> Bonnie Malkin, in Brisbane | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Australia floods: compelling sight of endless debris in Brisbane River – There are two compelling sights in flood-ravaged Queensland at the moment as the Brisbane River rages to its predicted devastating peak of 18 feet. >>> Jacquelin Magnay, Queensland | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

THE GUARDIAN: Brisbane floods leave city centre deserted as thousands flee: Officials warn that worst is yet to come / Death toll since weekend rises to 12 >>> Alison Rourke in Brisbane | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

ZEIT ONLINE: FLUT IN AUSTRALIEN: "Hier herrscht das totale Chaos" – Die Hochwasserlage in der australischen Millionenstadt hat sich deutlich verschärft. Verantwortliche rechnen mit einer Überflutung nicht gekannten Ausmaßes. >>> Zeit Online | Mittwoch, 12. Januar 2011

Related here, here, and here.

47 Frontline Al-Qaeda Commanders Identified by Saudi Arabia
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A group of 47 frontline al-Qaeda commanders, including a son-in-law of Osama bin Laden, have been identified in an Interpol alert on behalf of Saudi Arabia, in an unprecedented disclosure of Saudi citizens in key terrorist roles.

A spokesman warned that the men were key figures in supplying arms and financing to terrorist outfits in Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
The cross-border police agency said that all of the men named were based outside the oil rich kingdom but posed a potentially serious public threat at home and abroad because of their suspected involvement with the Islamic group. >>> Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Tuesday, January 12, 2011

Benjamin Netanyahu Says Palestinians 'Walking Away' from Peace
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday blamed the Palestinians for the stalled peace process, saying their refusal to negotiate showed they were not interested in peace.

"What is preventing the advent of peace, the advent of peace negotiations is that the Palestinians are doing everything in their power to avoid them," Mr Netanyahu told a meeting of foreign journalists in Jerusalem. "That is the simple truth." >>> | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Mark Steel: We Owe It to Bankers to Feel Their Pain
THE INDEPENDENT: At last someone has dared to defend the oppressed people of the banking community. Bob Diamond, chief executive of Barclays, who himself has to suffer the trauma of an £8m bonus, said yesterday that the bankers' "period of remorse and apology should be over". And you feel his pain, because the first words to cross your mind when you see a banker are "remorseful and apologetic". Then you're left worrying, "Oh, how I wish the poor souls were slightly less burdened with remorse about their bonus, and didn't apologise with such agonising sincerity about putting it into their wife's name in a series of untraceable accounts based in uninhabitable islands off Ecuador."

But at last they've learnt to stand up for themselves, and Bob Diamond has emerged as their Martin Luther King. Soon the whole banking community will declare: "Say it out loud, I'm 27 million quid in the black and I'm proud." >>> Mark Steel | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

There’s Money in Dem Da Google Searches!
MAIL ONLINE: Google mogul Larry Page has joined the billionaire boat owner club by splashing out $45m on his own super yacht - but unlike many moguls, he bought his yacht used.

Page, 37, picked up the 193-ft boat 'Senses' which comes with a helipad, gym, multi-level sun decks, ten luxurious suites, a crew of 14 and interior design by famed French designer Philippe Starck. [Also here.]

The 193-foot Senses first set sail in 1999. Photo: Mail Online

Page, who is worth an estimated $15billion, bought the boat from New Zealand brewing heir Sir Douglas Meyer [sic].

It was first launched onto the seas in 1999.

Meyer said Page took delivery on the mega-yacht shortly before the new year, and perhaps enjoyed the holidays on the high seas with his family.

Page married model Lucinda Southworth at Richard Branson's Necker Island in 2007, with whom he has a one-year-old son. A yacht to smile about: Billionaire Google founder buys 193-foot boat for $45million ... but he bought it second-hand >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Hillary Clinton Calls Yemeni Child Bride Her 'Hero'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described as "my hero" a young Yemeni girl who broke with tribal tradition to obtain a divorce two years ago, as she spoke at a town-hall meeting in Sanaa.

Hillary Clinton speaks at a town-hall meeting in Sanaa. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
"I want to acknowledge one of my heroes, Nujood Ali, who is with us today," said Mrs Clinton. Ali was married off as a 10-year-old to a considerably older man and forced to drop out of school.

Ali took the stand in court, aided by her human rights lawyer Shada Nasser, and was granted a historic divorce.

"She was one of the many, many young girls in Yemen who wanted to continue her education," Mrs Clinton said. >>> | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Al Qaeda launched English-language online newspaper from Yemen >>>

Brisbane Braces Itself for Worst Floods in More Than a Century
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Thousands of Brisbane residents have been forced to evacuate their homes as the city braces itself for its worst flooding in more than a century.


The devastating Queensland floods have claimed at least 10 lives in the last two days and left more than 70 people missing on Tuesday after a torrent raged through the streets of Toowoomba, west of Brisbane.

As the winding Brisbane River breached its banks in several places to engulf parks and footbridges and heavy rain continued to fall on the metropolitan area, the city's main roads and public transport system quickly became clogged as people rushed to get to higher ground.

The authorities called for calm amid reports of panic buying among Brisbane residents, and police asked for volunteers to help fill sandbags as the scale of the threat became clearer.

Early estimates suggested that more than 9,000 homes could be inundated when the Brisbane River peaks at 12ft on Thursday.

The destruction was already evident, with a steady stream of debris, including boats and whole pontoons, floating down the swollen Brisbane River. >>> Bonnie Malkin, Brisbane | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

HERALD SUN PHOTO GALLERY: To the photo gallery >>>

Riding the Wave of Islamophobia: The German Geert Wilders
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: A former member of Chancellor Merkel's Christian Democrats has formed a party to attract voters enthralled by Thilo Sarrazin and disappointed by Germany's existing parties. Berlin politician René Stadkewitz's new Freedom Party aims to leverage fear of Islam for political ends.

René Stadtkewitz, founder and chairman of the Freedom Party, Germany's new right-wing populist movement. Stadtkewitz is a former member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and remains a member of the Berlin state parliament. Photograph: Spiegel Online International
The 52 men and women meeting in a conference room at the Hotel Maritim in Berlin's Tiergarten district were determined to remain undisturbed. No one else was privy to the location and time of the meeting, in a deliberate attempt to prevent protestors and journalists from showing up at the scene. The only outsider present was Daniel Pipes, an American author, critic of Islam and advisor to former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who happened to be in the city.

The Hotel Maritim is on Stauffenbergstrasse, near the Memorial to the German Resistance. It is an historic point of reference that the 52 attendees would likely have drawn encouragement from. Like would-be Hitler assassin Claus von Stauffenberg, after whom the street is named, they too hope to protect Germany against what they perceive to be pending disaster. The group drafted a set of bylaws and discussed a 77-page party platform, which includes such statements as: "We will do everything in our power to oppose the Islamization of our country."

They gave their party a grand name, a name worth fighting for: "Die Freiheit" (Freedom).

The 52 men and women chose as their party chairman an unprepossessing man with a short haircut and melancholy eyes, the 45-year-old manager of a company specializing in alarm systems and security technology and a member of the Berlin state parliament, René Stadtkewitz. >>> Jochen-Martin Gutsch | Thursday, January 06, 2011

Egypt Recalls Vatican Envoy Over Pope Remarks
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Egypt is recalling its Vatican envoy for consultations over remarks by Pope Benedict XVI on Coptic Christians seen as an "interference" in its affairs, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

The action follows "new statements from the Vatican concerning Egypt which are considered by Egypt as unacceptable interference in its internal affairs," the ministry spokesman said in an apparent reference to remarks concerning Copts.

The pontiff has expressed repeatedly his solidarity with the Copts and called on world leaders to protect them in the aftermath of a New Year's Day church bombing that killed 21 people as worshippers emerged from midnight mass in Alexandria.

A day after the attack on the Al-Qiddissin (The Saints) church, the pope appealed for the "concrete and constant engagement of leaders of nations," in what he termed a "difficult mission".

At his New Year's Day mass, Benedict underscored that "humanity cannot display resignation in the face of negative forces of selfishness and violence, it cannot get accustomed to conflicts which claim victims and endanger the future of people."

On Sunday Benedict again voiced solidarity with Egypt's Copts – two days after they marked their Christmas, celebrated on January 7.

"I salute the Coptic faithful present here to whom I renew my expression of closeness," the pope told thousands of people gathered in Saint Peter's Square. >>> | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Anjem Choudary: A Message of Support for His “Brothers” in Belgium

Anjem Choudary's website >>>

The Realities of Christmas >>> Anjem Choudary | Sunday, December 19, 2011

Hillary Clinton en visite au Yémen sur fond de menace terroriste
Hillary Clinton est arrivée mardi à Sanaa en provenance des Emirats arabes unis. Photo : Le Monde
LE MONDE: Premier de la diplomatie américaine à se rendre au Yémen depuis vingt ans, la secrétaire d'Etat Hillary Clinton est arrivée mardi 11 janvier à Sanaa pour une visite surprise au Yémen. Mme Clinton a déclaré avoir l'intention d'aller au-delà de la coopération militaire pour aborder une "stratégie globale" face aux problèmes économiques, sociaux et politiques du Yémen qui font le lit des extrémistes. >>> LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | Mardi 11 Janvier 2011

Un chrétien tué dans une fusillade en Egypte
LE MONDE: Un Egyptien de confession chrétienne a été tué et cinq autres personnes blessées par un inconnu qui a ouvert le feu mardi 11 janvier à bord d'un train près d'Assiout, au sud du Caire.

Le tireur est monté à bord d'un train à destination du Caire, dans la localité de Samalut, près d'Assiout, puis il a ouvert le feu sur des passagers. L'homme a été appréhendé et le mobile de son acte n'est pas encore connu, selon les services de sécurité, qui ont précisé que des musulmans et des chrétiens figurent parmi les blessés. … >>> LEMONDE.FR avec AFP, Reuters | Mardi 11 Janvier 2011

Sarkozy to Be Subject of 'Hugely Embarrassing' Film Charting Rise to Power and Second Divorce
Sarkozy is seen here in June 2007 with second wife Cecilia. The film depicts the newly-elected French President begging his then-wife to come support him at his victory party. Photograph: Mail Online
MAIL ONLINE: French President Nicolas Sarkozy is the subject of a 'hugely embarrassing' new film exploring why his previous wife left him on the day he was elected.

The move called The Conquest is the first ever movie about a French president to be released while they are still in office.

It portrays his rise to power in the five years before he was elected in 2007.

And French critics have said it also sheds light on one the greatest mysteries of his presidency - why Cecilia Sarkozy walked out on him on the night of the election.

The film pulls no punches as it opens with Sarkozy waking up alone at a hotel on the Champs-Elysees after celebrating his election victory.

He is then shown spending his first day as President searching in vain for the wife he married in 1996, a former top model and mother of his youngest son Louis, 13. >>> Ian Sparks | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

France Is Our Biggest Ally, Declares Obama: President's Blow to Special Relationship with Britain
MAIL ONLINE: Barack Obama has declared that France is America’s greatest ally, undermining Britain’s Special Relationship with the U.S.

The President risked offending British troops in Afghanistan by saying that French president Nicolas Sarkozy is a ‘stronger friend’ than David Cameron.

The remarks, during a White House appearance with Mr Sarkozy, will reinforce the widely-held view in British diplomatic circles that Mr Obama has less interest in the Special Relationship than any other recent American leader.

Mr Obama said: 'We don’t have a stronger friend and stronger ally than Nicolas Sarkozy, and the French people.'

The comments follow a pattern of coldness towards the UK. When Gordon Brown was prime minister, Mr Obama snubbed his requests for meetings in the U.S.

He also denounced Britain during his inauguration speech.

The UK has lost nearly 350 troops in the war against the Taliban – seven times as many as France.

And there are more than 10,000 British soldiers serving in Helmand province, compared with just 3,850 Frenchmen.Mr Obama's stance was swiftly condemned in Westminster. >>> Tim Shipman | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Beheading in Germany: Respeck It!
WINDS OF JIHAD: Germans will have to become accustomed to this form of cultural enrichment. A 30-year old Kurd from Iraq was properly executed on Friday in the backyard of a baker’s shop in Kiel- Gaarden by a group of Lebanese Kurds. The victim had to kneel down before his torturers, before they slit his throat and cut his head off in cold blood. Read further and comment >>> Sheik Yer'mami | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

POLITICALLY INCORRECT: Kopfabschneiden in Kiel >>>

HT: Vlad Tepes >>>

Papst sieht Religionsfreiheit durch sexuelle Aufklärung bedroht
ZEIT ONLINE: Benedikt XVI. hat sich gegen Kurse über sexuelle Aufklärung und Lebenskunde gewandt. Hintergrund ist ein Streit mit der spanischen Regierung.

Papst Benedikt XVI. hat die Bildungspolitik Spaniens mit scharfen Worten kritisiert. "Angesichts des erneuten Angriffs auf die Religionsfreiheit von Familien in bestimmten europäischen Ländern, in denen die Teilnahme an Aufklärungskursen und Lebenskunde verlangt wird, kann ich nicht schweigen", sagte der Papst in seiner traditionellen Neujahrsansprache an Vatikan-Botschafter.

Er reagierte damit auf einen Streit des Vatikans mit der Regierung in Madrid. Diese will mit den Kursen liberale Werte fördern. Sie hatte daher vor drei Jahren einen Lebenskunde-Kurs eingeführt, in dem Themen wie Homosexualität, Scheidung und Abtreibung offen angesprochen werden. Tausende Eltern hatten den Kurs als "anti-christlich" bezeichnet. Weiter lessen und einen Kommentar schreiben >>> Reuters, AFP | Montag, 10. Januar 2011

The Former Marxist Guerrilla Who Became Brazil's First Woman President
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: She is a former Marxist guerrilla whose organisation once stole $2.5 million from the safe of the governor of São Paulo.

Dilma Rousseff, former Chief of Staff and presidential candidate for the ruling Workers Party. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Locked up and tortured by the dictatorship which ran Brazil during the 1970s, she was once branded by a prosecutor as the "Joan of Arc of subversion".

Yet Dilma Rousseff has become Brazil's first woman president, entrusted with running the largest and fastest-growing economy in Latin America.

Her first election campaign had gathered the apparently unstoppable force of a steamroller and Ms Rousseff was never in any real doubt of victory.

It would seem like a miracle for a 62-year-old apparatchik who has never before been elected to any political post and who was unknown to most of Brazil's 192 million people a few months ago - until you look to see who is behind the wheel of the steamroller.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the most popular president in Brazilian history, is ineligible to run for a third four-year term, and has given Ms Rousseff, his former political adviser, his unflinching support. >>> Harriet Alexander, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Barclays Boss Bob Diamond Says Banks Should Be Allowed to Fail
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Bob Diamond, Barclays' chief executive, has told a committeee of MPs that badly-run banks should not be bailed out by taxpayers.


"It is not acceptable for taxpayers to bail out banks," Mr Diamond said during questioning by the Treasury Select Committee. He added that "badly managed" banks should be allowed to fail. >>> Louise Armitstead, and Amy Wilson | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

"Der moderne Islamismus ist eine radikale Ideologie"
WELT ONLINE: Ein Historiker kommt wegen abfälliger Rede über den Islam vor Gericht, während Islamisten in der Königlichen Bibliothek tagen. Etwas ist faul in Dänemark.

Der Publizist Lars Hedegaard hält mit seiner Meinung nicht hinterm Berg. “Der moderne Islamismus, wie er von den meisten dänischen Imamen repräsentiert wird, ist keine Religion, sondern eine politische Ideologie in der Tradition des Kommunismus und Nazismus.”

1942 in Horsens bei Aarhus geboren, hat er noch eine schwache Erinnerung an die Zeit unmittelbar nach dem Krieg, als den Dänen bewusst wurde, dass etwa 6000 dänische Freiwillige in der Waffen-SS auf deutscher Seite gekämpft hatten. Seine Eltern hatten für die “Kollaborateure” nur Verachtung übrig. Und die “neuen Kollaborateure”, sagt Hedegaard, das sind heute jene, die sich bei den Islamisten anbiedern, wie der Chefredakteur der Tageszeitung “Politiken”, Toeger Seidenfaden, der sich 2010 bei den Moslems in aller Welt für die Mohammed-Karikaturen entschuldigte, die 2005 im Konkurrenzblatt “Jyllands-Posten” erschienen waren.

Hedegaard hat Geschichte studiert, die gesammelten Werke von Marx und Engels im Original gelesen und war eine Weile in der Sozialistischen Arbeiterpartei aktiv. “Ich bin noch immer Marxist”, sagt er, zumindest was die “Anwendung der marxistischen Gesellschaftsanalyse” angeht. 2004 gründete er die “Gesellschaft für Pressefreiheit” als Gegenpol zum dänischen Pen, dem “Wachhund der politischen Korrektheit”. Die “Trykkefrihedsselskabet” hat inzwischen mehr als 1000 Mitglieder, dreimal so viele wie der Pen-Club.

Ein Jahr vorher, 2003, veröffentlichte Hedegaard mit zwei Co-Autoren das Buch “Im Hause des Krieges – Wie der Islam den Westen kolonialisiert” ("I krigens hus : islams kolonisering af Vesten"). 2009 erschien die Fortsetzung: “1400 Jahre Krieg – Die islamische Strategie”. "Frauen als Gebärmaschinen" >>> Autor: Henryk M. Broder | Dienstag, 11. Januar 2011

Sharia Courts Conquer UK

Banks Given Go-ahead to Pay Unlimited Bonuses
THE GUARDIAN: Ministers cave in to City and reject calls to tackle highest earners as No 10 seeks face-saving deal

Britain's banks were given the go-ahead tonight to pay unlimited bonuses, drawing to a close a two-year political battle to rein in the City.

After months in which a series of government ministers of all parties have threatened a toughening in the stance over City bonuses, Downing Street said the government did not intend to intervene in the pay of the UK's top bankers.

Ministers are instead hoping for a face-saving deal in which the banks agree to lending targets and improve the way they disclose their pay deals. One of the options being discussed is releasing information on the five highest paid individuals at each bank.

"We've made a broad statement which is about the need to see some restraint and some responsibility from the banks, but we are not going to set bonus pools for individual banks," the prime minister's spokesman said. >>> Patrick Wintour, Jill Treanor and Allegra Stratton | Monday, January 10, 2011

THE INDEPENDENT: Tough talk on bank bonuses comes to nought: The Government owns 83 per cent of RBS. So why does it claim to be powerless to halt another round of enormous bank bonuses? >>> James Moore, Deputy Business Editor | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Hillary Clinton Compares Gabrielle Giffords Shooting to 9/11 Attacks
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton compared the man who shot Gabrielle Giffords to Islamist terrorists and the 9/11 attackers and said the incident showed America and the Arab world faced similar problems.

In a television broadcast filmed before students in Abu Dhabi, Mrs Clinton was asked why the 9/11 terror attacks, the work of a handful of men, had been allowed to colour American views of a whole people.

She replied that America was "proud" of its many Muslim citizens and public servants, and said that the media exaggerated the voices of those who presented hostile views of the Muslim and Arab worlds.

She then raised the shooting at the weekend of the Arizona Democratic congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords.

"We have extremists in our country," she said. "A wonderful and incredibly brave young woman congress member was just shot by extremists in our country.

"We have the same kinds of problems, so rather than standing off of each other we should work to try and prevent the extremists wherever they are from being able to commit violence."

Ascribing the Arizona shootings to political extremism rather than the work of a mentally deranged loner has already proved controversial, and President Barack Obama avoided doing so directly in his address to the American people afterwards.

Mrs Clinton may be taking an even bigger risk in comparing the attack, even obliquely, to al-Qaeda's war on America. >>> Richard Spencer, Abu Dhabi | Monday, January 10, 2011

Pope Rails Against Rise of Un-Christian Names
MONTREAL GAZETTE: The Pope has warned parents against giving children celebrity-inspired names and urged them to turn to the Bible for inspiration instead.

While names such as Sienna and Scarlett have become fashionable in recent years, Pope Benedict XVI called for a return to tradition.

During Mass at the Sistine Chapel, he said: "Every baptised child acquires the character of the son of God, beginning with their Christian name, an unmistakable sign that the Holy Spirit causes man to be born anew in the womb of the Church." He added that a name was an "indelible seal" that set children off on a lifelong "journey of religious faith".

According to the Office for National Statistics, celebrity names such as Ashton - after the actor Ashton Kutcher - and Lily - after the singer Lily Allen - are among the most popular in England and Wales. The names celebrities give their own children can be even more exotic.

Sir Bob Geldof has daughters named Pixie and Peaches, while Victoria and David Beckham called their first son Brooklyn, after the district of New York. Katie Price, the glamour model, named her daughter Princess Tiaamii.

In Italy, the name of a child has particular significance. Children's are often named after saints, who are considered a guiding force in their life.

The tradition, however, is increasingly under threat. Francesco Totti, the footballer, recently decided to call his daughter Chanel, while Flavio Briatore, the Formula One boss, named his newborn son Falso Nathan. >>> Nick Squires and Steven Swinford, The Daily Telegraph | Monday, January 10, 2011

Benoît XVI dénonce les cours d'éducation sexuelle
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le pape a déploré ce lundi que des cours d’éducation sexuelle ou civique soient "imposés dans certains pays européens" aux enfants

Le pape a qualifié d’"atteinte à la liberté religieuse des familles" la participation "imposée" à "des cours d'éducation sexuelle ou civique véhiculant des conceptions de la personne et de la vie" qui "reflètent une anthropologie contraire à la foi et à la juste raison" en recevant en audience l’ensemble du corps diplomatique accrédité auprès du Vatican pour la traditionnelle cérémonie des voeux de Nouvel An.

L’Espagne notamment a introduit depuis 2007 des cours d’éducation à la citoyenneté au programme (rejet de l’homophobie, droit au divorce et à l’avortement, acceptation des familles homoparentales etc..) jugé trop "progressiste" par l’Eglise.

Appelant une nouvelle fois au respect de la liberté religieuse, le pape a dénoncé des "menaces contre (son) plein exercice", en Occident, citant sans plus de précision "des pays dans lesquels on accorde une grande importance au pluralisme et à la tolérance, mais où la religion subit une croissante marginalisation". >>> AFP | Lundi 10 Janvier 2011

David Cameron All Tied Up in Knots

Cuba Lays-off State Workers in Privatisation Drive
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Cuba has begun the process of laying-off a tenth of its state workforce in a drive to push employees into small businesses that could mark the beginning of the end of the 50-year communist experiment on the island.

The state labour union announced this week that the first of some 500,000 employees could expect to receive "pink slips" immediately, effectively terminating their employment in the public sector where, until now, almost 90 per cent of Cuba's workforce have been employed.

The lay-offs will begin in the ministries of agriculture, sugar, construction, health and tourism, according to Salvador Valdes, the leader of the Workers' Central Union of Cuba (CTC). Workers, who on average earn a monthly wage of $20 (£13), were told to expect compensation of one month's salary for every ten years on the job.

Committees have been set up in each workplace to draw up the list of those jobs to be cut, the CTC said – a process that "will be free of favouritism, nepotism and paternalism". >>> Fiona Govan, Madrid | Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Basque Terrorists ETA Call 'Permanent Ceasefire'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Basque terrorist group ETA have announced a "permanent ceasefire" renouncing violence after more than 40 years of bloodshed.

Video grab of three members of ETA declaring a permanent ceasefire. Video grab: The Daily Telegraph
The declaration was made in a video featuring three militants, their faces hidden by white hoods beneath black berets.

"This is ETA's firm commitment towards a process to achieve a lasting resolution and towards an end to the armed confrontation," a male voice said.

The statement makes permanent a truce called in September but made no mention of handing over weapons, a move considered key to the socialist government before they will consider entering into dialogue.

ETA has broken ceasefires several times in the past, most recently in 2006 when a truce was ended by a deadly bomb attack at Madrid's airport.

But the ceasefire was quickly rejected by Spain's socialist government who said it did not go far enough. >>> Fiona Govan, Madrid | Monday, January 10, 2011

Arizona Shooting: Barack Obama Leads Nationwide Silence
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama led a nationwide moment of silence to honour the victims of the Arizona shooting.


Mr Obama, the US president, and his wife Michelle, emerged from the White House, took a few steps toward the South Lawn and stood, heads bowed, the only sound the sombre ringing of a bell.

The silence was observed outside the Capitol building, with staff members gathering on the steps to honour the victims.

The 22-year-old man charged with attempting to assassinate a US congresswoman in a shooting spree in Arizona is due to appear in a federal court in Phoenix, the state's capital.

Jared Lee Loughner, 22, is expected to be charged with the attempted assassination of US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, two counts of murdering a federal government employee, and two of attempting to assassinate a federal government employee.

"As the investigation goes on, there may well be additional charges that will be filed," Robert Mueller, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, told reporters in Tucson. >>> | Monday, January 10, 2011

Top Iran Human Rights Lawyer Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A prominent Iranian human rights lawyer who was defending pro-democracy activists arrested after the country's disputed June, 2009, presidential election has been sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Nasrin Sotoudeh, was found guilty of acting against national security and propaganda against the regime.

Reza Khandan, Mrs Sotoudeh's husband, said she had also been banned from working as a lawyer for 20 years and barred from leaving Iran.

Mrs Sotoudeh, a 45 year old mother of two who has won several prestigious awards for her work, was arrested in September, after she gave interviews to foreign-based media about clients who had been jailed after the controversial 2009 presidential polls. >>> | Monday, January 10, 2011

Four Swept to Death as Australian Floods Takes [sic] Queensland Town by Surprise
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A massive and sudden tidal wave of mud and water enveloped an Australian city near Brisbane this afternoon, sweeping four people to their death, with serious fears for another three children missing, last seen swept away in the raging torrent.


Authorities are desperately searching for many others missing and have ordered the immediate evacuation of 5000 residents in the path of deadly water downstream from Toowoomba, just an hour's drive west of the Queensland capital Brisbane. Steve James, the local mayor of Lockyer Valley, described it as "absolute devastation".

Queensland Deputy Police Commissioner Ian Stewart warned more lives were under threat. >>> Jacquelin Magnay, Brisbane | Monday, January 10, 2011

Converts Find It Hard to Fit into Muslim Culture
Not always popular with Muslims ... Jamila Hussain, left, and Slima Ihram like to speak out on Islamic issues. Photo: The Sydney Morning Herald
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: AUSTRALIAN women who convert to Islam often find themselves with a foot in two camps and a tent in neither. A Muslim community may be very welcoming, but converts often find ethnic and language barriers difficult.

And, though they find themselves acting as spokeswomen for their new faith because they are more confident with the language, more certain of their entitlement to be heard, and are less likely to be inhibited by a perception that Muslims are negatively stereotyped in the culture at large, they are not always popular with Muslims, or non-Muslims, when they speak out.

So said Jamila Hussein, an academic who lectures in Islamic studies at the University of Technology, Sydney, who converted to Islam in 1988.

New research by Swansea University on behalf of Faith Matters showed that over the past decade the number of converts to Islam in Britain has risen from 60,000 to 100,000 - a big jump - and that 5200 people converted last year alone, among them Lauren Booth, the sister-in-law of the former prime minister, Tony Blair.

While there is nothing like the same sort of conversion rate in Australia, it is an under-the-radar phenomenon that brings with it unheralded problems that converts must rely on themselves to face. >>> Matt Buchanan | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

In Southern Sudan, a Jubilant Vote on Secession
Long lines formed Sunday at polling places in Juba, in southern Sudan, for a referendum on independence. The voting, which will continue through the week, was reported to be going smoothly. Photograph: The New York Times
JUBA, Sudan — It’s not every day that a beleaguered, marginalized and persecuted people get a chance to vote for their own freedom. On Sunday, southern Sudanese did.

Starting in the cool hours of the night, long before the polls even opened, people across this region began lining up at polling stations to cast their votes in a historic referendum on whether to declare independence. Jubilant crowds made clear which was the overwhelmingly popular choice.

“I feel like I’m going to a new land,” beamed Susan Duku, a southern Sudanese woman who works for the United Nations.

As the sun cleared the horizon and the voting began, the streets of Juba, the capital of southern Sudan, broke into a street party. Women were literally skipping around the polls. Young men thumped on drums. Others were wrapped in flags.

On Monday, voting in the weeklong ballot continued as reports began to emerge from the Abyei region near the border with northern Sudan of fighting between northern and southern forces in an area considered a likely flashpoint before, during and after the vote. At least 23 people died in three days of clashes, Reuters reported, quoting leaders aligned with the southern authorities.

In Juba, though, things stayed peaceful — rowdy, but peaceful on Sunday. One man, who clearly had been celebrating with fortified beverages the night before, staggered around a polling station blowing an instrument fashioned from a cow’s horn and rubber tubing.

People were hollering, singing, hugging, kissing, smacking high-fives and dancing as if they never wanted the day to end, despite the sun beating down and voting lines that snaked for blocks.

Southern Sudan has suffered a lot, and after years of civil war, oppression and displacement, many people here saw the vote as an unprecedented chance at self-determination. The referendum ballot offered two choices, unity with northern Sudan or secession. Unity was represented on the ballot by a drawing of two clasped hands. Secession was a single open hand. Many people rely on these symbols: more than three-quarters of southern Sudanese adults cannot read. >>> Jeffrey Gettleman (Josh Kron contributed reporting) | Monday, January 10, 2011

Saudi Woman Jailed for Abusing Indonesian Maid Sumiati
BBC: A court in the Saudi city of Medina has sentenced a woman to three years in jail for the severe physical abuse of her Indonesian maid.

Sumiati Binti Salan Mustapa, 23, was admitted to hospital in November with broken bones and burns to her face and body.

The case received worldwide attention, and prompted the Indonesian president to demand justice for her "torture".

But local media say the alleged abuser maintains she is innocent.

Scissors

The employer was convicted under a new royal decree against human trafficking, al-Watan newspaper reported.

It quoted a lawyer for the Indonesian consulate, Abdulrahman al-Muhamadi, as saying he would appeal against the ruling in order to press for a tougher sentence.

The defendant's lawyer also said she would appeal against the sentence, reported Saudi Gazette.

Ms Sumiati is thought to have arrived in Saudi Arabia last July seeking work.

The woman for whom she found work as a maid was arrested after allegedly beating Ms Sumiati so severely she had broken bones and internal bleeding. She was accused of putting a hot iron to Ms Sumiati's head and stabbing and mutilating her with scissors.

Ms Sumiati appeared in court last week to show the judge her scars. >>> | Monday, January 09, 2011

US Will Respond to Chinese Military Build-up
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The US said at the weekend it would respond to the rapidly-increasing military capabilities of China by building up its own strength in the region.

Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, was speaking as he arrived in Beijing on Sunday for four days of talks aimed at renewing ties between the US and Chinese armed forces. However his visit has been overshadowed by a series of announcements by the Chinese about the growing strength of their missile technology, naval capabilities and other defence initiatives.

The visit is the first by a US defence secretary since 2000, and comes at a time of heightened tension in the region. It is also almost one year after China suspended military contacts with Washington following arms sales to Taiwan. >>> David Eimer in Beijing | Sunday, January 09, 2011

Brisbane – floods 2008. Photo: Google Images
Australian Floods: Brisbane Threatened by Rising Waters
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The devastating floods that are sweeping through Queensland have reached the outer suburbs of the state's capital Brisbane and now threaten some of the country's most popular tourist destinations.

Heavy rain on Sunday fell on Australia's Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane, prompting warnings of flash flooding, and a close watch was also being kept on the Gold Coast, a major draw for the state's tourism industry and an essential part of Queensland's economy.

At one of the region's busiest times of year for tourism, holidaymakers have been warned to stay away from campsites close to rivers. The bad weather and flood warnings are a further blow to Queensland tourism, which is already estimated to have suffered losses of $1bn (£640 million) as a result of the floods.

Brett Harrison, a weather forecaster, said there had been reports of flooding in low-lying areas of Brisbane and the situation was expected to worsen. Some basements and underground car parks were filling with water.

"It is not in the city at the moment but it is certainly going to increase over the next 24 to 48 hours. We are expecting heavy rain to continue during that time," he said. "There is a possibility of moderate to major flooding for areas west of Brisbane." >>> Bonnie Malkin, Rockhampton | Sunday, January 09, 2011

Cameron* Says Banks 'Should Pay Smaller Bonuses'
BBC: Prime Minister David Cameron has called on banks to pay smaller bonuses this year.


Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr show he said banks should be more "socially responsible".

The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which is majority-owned by the taxpayer, should not be "leading the way" on bonuses but should be a "back marker", he said.

However "micro-managing" the banks was not the answer, he added. >>> | Sunday, January 09, 2011

* Cameron talking baloney! He’ll never do anything about bankers and their despicable, excessive bonuses. He is weak and cowardly. – © Mark

Fury as Banks Pay Out Bonuses of £7 Bn
DAILY EXPRESS: BRITAIN’S bailed-out banks sparked outrage last night as it emerged they are about to pay £7billion in bonuses.

The nation’s five largest – Royal Bank of Scotland, HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds TSB and Standard Chartered – are on the verge of issuing bumper payouts to staff.

Barclays is expected to lavish £2.5billion in bonuses while taxpayer-owned RBS is thought to be considering a bonus pool of over £1billion.

Signalling a return to pre-recession payout levels while ordinary families suffer, a think-tank estimates City bonuses for 2010 at £7billion.

Last night banks were accused of failing to change their “culture of greed and excess”. RBS – which is 84 per cent state-owned after a £45billion taxpayer bailout – is said to be considering a £6.8million package for chief executive Stephen Hester.

After foregoing a £1.6million bonus last year, Mr Hester, who admits even his parents think he is paid too much, is expected to accept the windfall. >>> Martin Brown | Monday, January 10, 2011

Royals to Be Shrouded in Deeper Secrecy Under Controversial Law Change
MAIL ONLINE: The Royals are to be shrouded in a thicker cloak of secrecy because of a controversial change in the law which will protect them from public scrutiny.

Letters, emails and documents relating to the Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William can no longer be disclosed – even if they might be in the public interest.

The changes, which are part of a series of reforms to the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, will mean an end to journalists investigating the family’s finances.

The move calls into question Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s comments this week which stated it was a ‘fundamental right’ of all citizens to be able to hold their government to account.

He outlined a plan to extend the FOI Act to hundreds more taxpayer-funded bodies, opening up to greater scrutiny by the public.

But he did not mention the clause restricting information about the Royals. >>> Eleanor Harding | Saturday, January 08, 2011

If you thought that the United Kingdom was a democracy, forget it! In the UK, there are laws for the rich and privileged, and laws for the poor. The UK is, after all, a monarchy. There are the aristocracy, or the patricians, and the workers, or the plebeians. In common parlance, the rich and the poor. It was ever thus; and ever thus it will be! Some are above the law; and others are not. – © Mark

UNGARN: Schlimmer als Haider
ZEIT ONLINE: Ungarn ist auf dem Weg zu einer autoritären Herrschaft. Die EU muss das Land notfalls zum Austritt drängen.

EU-Ratspräsident van Rompuy (links) und Ungarns Ministerpräsident Orbán bei einer gemeinsamen Pressekonferenz. Bild: Zeit Online
Ein Nebeneffekt von Finanz- und Euro-Krise ist, dass sich die EU-Länder fast ausschließlich mit sich selbst beschäftigen – nur wenn einem Staat die Pleite droht, richten sich plötzlich alle Augen auf ihn.

Dabei sollten doch Wirtschaft und Geld nach dem Willen der europäischen Gründerväter nur Mittel zum Zweck sein: Die europäische Einigung ist seit je ein politisches Projekt, zunächst um Kriege zwischen den Mitgliedsstaaten unmöglich zu machen; seit den achtziger Jahren, als die jungen südeuropäischen Postdiktaturen aufgenommen wurden, fungiert die EU auch als eine Art supranationale Versicherungspolice, um Demokratie und Rechtsstaat zu schützen.

Nicht zuletzt mit dem Argument, dass Brüssel die europäischen Verfassungsstandards garantiere, wurde die große Osterweiterung 2004 gerechtfertigt. Doch angesichts der »nationalen Revolution« in Ungarn, wo die Regierung gerade den Rechtsstaat demontiert und auf eine »gelenkte Demokratie« à la Putin zusteuert, schweigt Europa, jedenfalls das offizielle Europa – und dies ausgerechnet in einem Moment, in dem Ungarn am 1. Januar den EU-Ratsvorsitz übernimmt.

Die Fakten sind inzwischen hinlänglich bekannt: Bei der Wahl im vergangenen April hat die nationalkonservative Fidesz-Partei zwei Drittel der Parlamentssitze errungen – genug, um die Verfassung jederzeit ohne Mitwirkung einer anderen Partei ändern zu können. Der überwältigende Sieg war zuallererst ein Votum gegen die seit acht Jahren regierenden Sozialisten, die das Land an den Rand des finanziellen Abgrunds geführt hatten.

Nichtsdestotrotz behauptete der charismatische Fidesz-Führer Viktor Orbán, seine Partei habe ein klares Mandat erhalten, eine neue Verfassung und ein »System der nationalen Zusammenarbeit« einzuführen. Bereits im Vorfeld der Wahl hatte er versprochen, nun werde endlich Schluss sein mit dem ewigen Parteienhader; eine einzige Partei solle langfristig stabil regieren und den authentischen Volkswillen zur Geltung bringen.

Orbán argumentiert klassisch populistisch: Das ganze komplizierte System von Gewaltenteilung und checks and balances ist angeblich nur ein Hindernis, um effektiv durchzuregieren; Eliten wie Verfassungsrichter und kritische Journalisten stehen einer wahren Demokratie im Wege. >>> Von Jan-Werner Müller | Freitag, 31. Dezember 2010

TERROR GEGEN CHRISTEN: Wir sind schuld
ZEIT ONLINE: Muslimische Intellektuelle und Alltagsrassisten sind mitverantwortlich für den Hass auf die christlichen Kopten.

Koptinnen berühren ein blutverschmiertes Jesus-Bild in der Kirche, in der bei einem Anschlag 21 Christen starben. Bild: Zeit Online
Wir Ägypter werden uns zusammenfinden zu einem gemeinsamen Ausruf der Verachtung. Vereint als Muslime und Christen, als Regierung und Opposition, Kirche und Moschee, als Kleriker und Laien, werden wir uns alle erheben und einstimmig al-Qaida, militante Islamisten und muslimische Fanatiker aller Art anklagen. Einige von uns werden sogar noch einen Schritt weiter gehen und die Salafiten und die der ägyptischen Kultur fremden Wahhabiten (eine besonders restriktive Strömung des Islams, Anm. d. Red.) anprangern.

Ein großer Teil der öffentlichen Empörung wird allerdings bloße Scheinheiligkeit sein, gerade so nuanciert, dass engstirnige Vorurteile, die abscheuliche Doppelmoral und die Bigotterie, die so viele der Ankläger fest im Griff halten, unterhalb der Oberfläche bleiben werden.

All das wird vergebens sein. Wir waren schon einmal an diesem Punkt angekommen; wir haben schon einmal genau das getan, was wir jetzt wieder tun werden. Und dennoch gibt es weitere Massaker, jedes schrecklicher als das zuvor, während Bigotterie und Intoleranz immer tiefer in jede Ecke und jede Ritze unserer Gesellschaft eindringen. Es ist nicht leicht, die Christen aus Ägypten zu vertreiben. Sie sind hier, seit es das Christentum gibt. Fast eineinhalb Jahrtausende muslimischer Herrschaft haben die christliche Gemeinde nicht auslöschen können. Im Gegenteil, der Überlebenskampf hat sie stark und dynamisch gemacht, fast so, als ob ihr eine entscheidende Rolle bei der Ausbildung einer nationalen, politischen und kulturellen Identität des modernen Ägyptens zuteil wurde.

Jetzt jedoch, zwei Jahrhunderte nach der Geburt des modernen Ägyptens und zu Beginn des zweiten Jahrzehnts des 21. Jahrhunderts, scheint das, was bisher undenkbar war, nicht mehr jenseits unserer Vorstellungskraft zu liegen: ein Ägypten ohne Christen. Ich hoffe, dass ich, falls das eintrifft, schon lange diese Erde verlassen haben werde. Doch ob tot oder lebendig, dieses Ägypten wird ein Ägypten sein, das ich nicht wiedererkenne und dem ich nicht angehören will.

Mein Protest richtet sich nicht gegen die blutdürstigen Kriminellen von al-Qaida oder gegen die Verbrecher irgendeiner anderen Gruppe, die an den jüngsten Gräueltaten in Alexandria beteiligt war.

Ich klage eine Regierung an, die zu glauben scheint, dass sie die Islamisten mit deren Mitteln zu überflügeln vermag. >>> Von Hani Shukrallah | Freitag, 07. Januar 2011

Sarkozy : Paris ne cèdera pas au "diktat des terroristes"
Nicolas Sarkozy lors de son discours de voeux aux Français d'outre-mer, en Guadeloupe, dimanche. Photo : Le Monde
LE MONDE: Le président Nicolas Sarkozy a déclaré dimanche 9 janvier depuis les Antilles que la France n'accepterait "jamais le diktat du terrorisme et des terroristes", après la mort de deux otages français au Niger, qualifié d'"acte barbare perpétré par des barbares"

"Ce crime odieux ne fait que renforcer la détermination de la France à lutter sans relâche contre le terrorisme et contre les terroristes. Les démocraties ne peuvent pas accepter cela", a déclaré M. Sarkozy au début de son discours de voeux aux Français d'outre-mer en Guadeloupe. "Les démocraties, c'est leur honneur, c'est leur noblesse, doivent lutter pied à pied contre ces barbares venus d'un autre âge qui veulent terroriser le monde entier", a conclu le chef de l'Etat.

UNION SACRÉE

Le sénateur PS Robert Badinter a estimé que "le président de la République a dit ce qu'il fallait dire" après l'enlèvement et le meurtre des deux Français. "La France est une cible. Nous sommes en présence d'une menace terroriste constante" et "on doit éliminer tout calcul politique. Le président de la République a dit ce qu'il fallait dire", a déclaré l'ancien garde des Sceaux sur sur France Inter, ITV, Le Monde, en jugeant que les "intégristes fanatiques islamiques sont en guerre contre la société occidentale". >>> LeMonde.fr | Dimanche 09 Janvier 2011

Helmut Schmidt - Mein Jahrhundert


Teil 1 >>>
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Angela Merkel über Christentum in Deutschland

Defending Christians
BBC: For Coptic Christians this is Christmas Day. In Egypt it is being celebrated behind cordons of police and Christians are wearing black.

This sombre mood has its roots in an attack last week on the al-Qiddissin (All Saints) Church in Alexandria. Twenty-one people were killed and 100 wounded by a suicide bomber.

Militant websites have posted a list of churches to be targeted. There are "how-to" manuals with tips on "destroying the cross".
One site offered a reward to anyone who assassinated "a leading Church figure".

These incidents follow a recent trend of attacks on churches and Christians across the Middle East. In October in Baghdad nearly 60 people were killed when gunmen attacked the Syriac Catholic Cathedral. Only last week bombs were placed near the homes of 14 Christian families in the Iraqi capital.

Concern has been raised, but there has been an absence of international outrage. France is trying to change that. Its Foreign Minister, Michele Alliot-Marie, wants a European response. She has written to the EU's foreign affairs czar, Catherine Ashton, asking for the union to draw up a plan of action in response to what is happening to Christians in the Middle East. She is putting the defence of Christians on the agenda and specifically wants Europe's foreign ministers to respond. She said we had moved beyond the situation of being "simply sad and disturbed".

Her intervention has been followed up by President Sarkozy. He said Christian minorities are victims of "religious cleansing" in the Middle East. "We cannot accept," said the French president, "and thereby facilitate, what looks more and more like a particularly wicked programme of cleansing in the Middle East - religious cleansing". >>> Gavin Hewitt | Friday, January 07, 2011

Related >>>

Bloodshed Puts New Focus on Vitriol in Politics
THE NEW YORK TIMES: WASHINGTON — The shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords and others at a neighborhood meeting in Arizona on Saturday set off what is likely to be a wrenching debate over anger and violence in American politics.

While the exact motivations of the suspect in the shootings remained unclear, an Internet site tied to the man, Jared Lee Loughner, contained antigovernment ramblings. And regardless of what led to the episode, it quickly focused attention on the degree to which inflammatory language, threats and implicit instigations to violence have become a steady undercurrent in the nation’s political culture.

Clarence W. Dupnik, the Pima County sheriff, seemed to capture the mood of the day at an evening news conference when he said it was time for the country to “do a little soul-searching.”

“It’s not unusual for all public officials to get threats constantly, myself included,” Sheriff Dupnik said. “That’s the sad thing about what’s going on in America: pretty soon we’re not going to be able to find reasonable, decent people willing to subject themselves to serve in public office.”

In the hours immediately after the shooting of Ms. Giffords, a Democrat, and others in a supermarket parking lot in Tucson, members of both parties found rare unity in their sorrow. Top Republicans including Speaker John A. Boehner and Gov. Jan Brewer of Arizona quickly condemned the violence.

“An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve,” Mr. Boehner said in a statement. “Acts and threats of violence against public officials have no place in our society.”

President Obama made a brief appearance at the White House, calling the shooting an “unspeakable act” and promising to “get to the bottom of this.”

Not since the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 has an event generated as much attention as to whether extremism, antigovernment sentiment and even simple political passion at both ends of the ideological spectrum have created a climate promoting violence. The fallout seemed to hold the potential to upend the effort by Republicans to keep their agenda front and center in the new Congress and to alter the political narrative in other ways. >>> Carl Hulse and Kate Zernike | Saturday, January 08, 2011

Is Brandenburg Safe for Jews? Rabbi Fears Anti-Semitism in Eastern German State
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: The leading rabbi in the eastern German state of Brandenburg says Jews in the community there are warned not to wear yarmulkes or other visible symbols of Judaism. He says the state has a problem with anti-Semitism, but Brandenburg officials claim they are doing all they can to make Jewish culture part of everyday life.

Some 65 years after the end of World War II, is it safe yet for a Jew to walk through the streets of Germany wearing a yarmulke? Not in Brandenburg, home to Potsdam and its famous UNESCO-listed palaces near Berlin -- at least according to the eastern German state's new chief rabbi, Shaul Nekrich.

A former resident of Berlin, Nekrich said in an interview with the Berliner Zeitung newspaper published Wednesday that he had been perfectly comfortable walking around the capital city, wearing a yarmulke and traditional Jewish hat. Not so, however, in Brandenburg, where he now leads the state's six Jewish communities. Nekrich said he now eschews wearing the kippah or hat head coverings when walking the streets of towns and cities in the state.

Asked by the newspaper whether he believed the state has a problem with anti-Semitism, 31-year-old Nekrich, who emigrated to Germany from Russia after studying in Israel, said: "I think so, even if I haven't been here for very long. I hear the stories from the communities. They are wary of being recognized as Jews on the streets. The only way we announce events now is by e-mail. In (the town of) Bernau, the synagogue has been defaced with swastikas several times." >>> dsl | Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Angelina Jolie's Cleopatra Will Show Egypt's Queen as More Than a Sex Kitten
THE OBSERVER: British director Paul Greengrass will portray the serpent of the Nile as political strategist and warrior in a new blockbuster film

Actress Elizabeth Taylor in golden headdress and robes in a seductive interpretation of the Egyptian ruler Cleopatra. Photograph: The Observer
Dio Cassius, the Greek historian, said Cleopatra "was a woman of surpassing beauty… and a knowledge of how to make herself agreeable to everyone". So it stands to reason that the greatest Hollywood beauties of succeeding eras have been cast as the Egyptian queen: from Claudette Colbert and Vivien Leigh, to Elizabeth Taylor and, now, Angelina Jolie. But, judging by the creative team being lined up by Sony Pictures, Jolie's 3D outing in the royal barge of beaten gold is set to rip up all our other assumptions about the fabled temptress.

The screenplay of the forthcoming blockbuster is risking a budget that rivals the studio-busting Taylor epic of 1963 on a fresh, revisionist interpretation of Cleopatra and, it seems, the vision of a maverick British director: Paul Greengrass. >>> Vanessa Thorpe, Arts and media correspondent | Sunday, January 09, 2011

The Tea Party Rules Washington as Barack Obama Braces for Savage Cuts
THE OBSERVER: New breed of right-wingers takes over the Capitol with a slash-and-burn agenda that threatens the White House

Republican John Boehner receives the gavel from outgoing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Photograph: The Observer
Dick Armey's black, lizard-skin cowboy boots lay on the floor while he relaxed on the couch in stockinged feet. The former Texas congressman was in a jovial mood in his office just off the Washington Mall – and for good reason. He may no longer be a politician but as chairman of FreedomWorks, one of the main forces behind the conservative Tea Party movement, he is once more a major player in the new Washington DC.

"My wife likes the terminology of a 'paradigm shift'," he said in a western drawl. "And I like to agree with that. It is a paradigm shift. It's a phenomenon."

Democrats might not agree, but it is hard to argue the Congress sworn in last week – now with a Republican-dominated House of Representatives – has not made Washington a very different place from the "New Camelot" hailed by the media when Barack Obama was inaugurated in 2009.

The new influx of GOP politicians that has swaggered into the American capital, represents a massive change in political culture. A staggering 87 new Republican congressmen and six new Republican senators have landed on the banks of the Potomac river.

But it is not just the numbers; it is the way they were elected. The 2010 midterm elections, which sank the Democrats, were propelled by the energy of the right-wing Tea Party movement. Many of those new Republicans are Tea Partiers themselves or beholden to its activists and their conservative agenda.

That's why people such as Armey will shape the new face of the capital. To its critics, FreedomWorks is a corporate-backed front group exploiting the Tea Party. To its fans, it helps to co-ordinate and focus an outpouring of anti-government rage and desire for personal liberty the like of which have not been seen for a generation. Either way, Armey's cheerfulness seems justified given the sudden change of fortunes between Republicans and Democrats.

"The Obama White House forgot about America," he declared, as a young fan from a Republican-leaning website walked in and asked him to sign a book. >>> Paul Harris | Sunday, January 09, 2011

Spanish State Television Drops Bullfighting as Too Violent for Children
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Spain's state-run broadcaster has banned the televising of bullfights to protect children.

Bullfighting is too violent for children, says the broadcaster. Photo: The Sunday Telegraph
Radiotelevision Espanola [sic] (RTVE) has pledged not to show bullfighting on its channels given that the evening corridas usually occur during peak viewing times for children.

In its latest style book, presented to the parliamentary commission that oversees its mandate, the organisation puts bullfighting under the chapter "violence with animals", a controversial listing given the tradition in Spain. >>> Fiona Govan, Madrid | Sunday, January 09, 2011

Last week, the socialist government of Spain headed up by Zapatero decided to clamp down on smokers, by passing the most draconian legislation against smokers in the whole of the EU (even though Zapatero is himself a smoker). This week, the socialist régime wants to clamp down on bullfighting. Soon there will be nothing left of Spain as we used to know and love it. Political correctness will have destroyed it. Political correctness and socialism. Socialism has a nasty habit of destroying the freedoms of all who have the misfortune to live under it.

I do not endorse bullfighting. I have never been to a bullfight in my life; and nor do I have any intention of attending such a cruel spectator sport. But isn't bullfighting a quintessential spectator sport in Spain? Isn't it part and parcel of Spain's heritage, like fox hunting is part and parcel of Britain's?

Children, by the way, have to be raised in the real world. They have to be raised in the world as it is, and not in the world as it would be were things to be ideal. Only when children are raised in the real world can they ever hope to be able to deal with life as an adult as it really is. Trying to protect them from all and sundry is a great mistake. It is tantamount to trying to bring them up in a vacuum.

Socialists do this kind of thing. They always seem to want to control everything in the environment. It's where they always go wrong. – © Mark

American Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords Fights for Life After Being Shot in Head
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Gabrielle Giffords, a Democratic Congresswoman, was fighting for her life after being shot in the head by a gunman who opened fire on a public meeting in Tucson, Arizona, killing six people.

The dead included a nine-year-old girl, a Giffords aide and a federal district judge whose life had previously been threatened over a contentious illegal immigration lawsuit that he was hearing. A further 12 people were injured in the rampage.

Miss Giffords, 40, who is married to an astronaut, survived the murderous shooting spree, despite being shot at point blank range by a single bullet that passed through her brain and out of her head.

President Barack Obama said she was "battling for her life". Initial reports listed the congresswoman among those killed, but doctors later said they were "optimistic" after emergency surgery.

"We cannot tell what kind of recovery but I'm about as optimistic as it can get in this situation," said Dr Peter Rhee, trauma surgeon a Tucson University Medical Centre.

The suspected gunman, identified by law enforcement officials as Jared Loughner, 22, also from Tucson, was in custody after being tackled by bystanders as he tried to flee the scene. >>> Philip Sherwell, in New York | Sunday, January 09, 2011

Related >>>

BLUTTAT IN ARIZONA: "Wir sind zu einem Mekka des Hasses geworden"
WELT ONLINE: Nach dem Blutbad von Tucson wird über die aufgeheizte Stimmung in Arizona gesprochen. Der Schütze soll sich über die Regierung empört haben.

Schock in Amerika: Mit einem gezielten Kopfschuss hat ein Attentäter im US- Bundesstaat Arizona eine Kongressabgeordnete schwer verletzt. Der 22-Jährige feuerte mit seiner halbautomatischen Pistole auch auf weitere Menschen – sechs starben, darunter ein neunjähriges Mädchen. Mindestens ein Dutzend erlitten teils schwere Verletzungen. >>> dpa/dapd/cn | Sonntag, 09. Januar 2011

WELT ONLINE: Der Amoklauf von Tucson, Symptom des Irrsinns: Die Schüsse auf Gabrielle Giffords lösen in den USA Betroffenheit aus. Doch sie enthüllen auch uramerikanische Probleme. >>> Autor: Uwe Schmitt | Sonntag, 09. Januar 2011