Nicolas Sarkozy's Party Rocked by Own Sex Scandal

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Nicolas Sarkozy's party has been hit with its own sex scandal after two women accused one of the French president's ministers of sexually harassing them.

The latest scandal to rock French politics came less than two weeks after Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former IMF chief and leading Socialist presidential challenger, was charged with attempting to rape a hotel chambermaid in New York.

This time the alleged perpetrator comes from Mr Sarkozy's own ruling UMP party. Georges Tron, the public works minister, was accused of indecently assaulting the female workers, aged 34 and 36, after offering them "foot massages".

A local prosecutor yesterday confirmed the women have filed formal sexual harassment complaints.

The 52-year-old minister, who is also the mayor of Draveil, south of Paris, is alleged to have committed the assaults between 2007 and 2010. What started out as regular "therapeutic" reflexology sessions turned into full-blown sexual assault, the two women claimed.

They told Le Parisien newspaper they were encouraged to break their silence following Mr Strauss-Kahn's arrest. The former IMF chief's arrest could now spark a rash of sexual harassment complaints against French politicians. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Racism Is 'Worse for White Americans Than Black Americans'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: White people in the United States now feel more discriminated against than black people, according to a new study by professors at Harvard Business School and Tufts university.

The study polled roughly 200 white people and 200 black people drawn at random from a national census and asked them to rate racist attitudes against blacks and whites in each decade from 1950 to 2000.

Both groups felt racism against black people was substantial in the 1950s and both groups agreed the situation had markedly improved.

However, white respondents to the survey indicated that racism is now on the rise against white people. Eleven per cent of people responding to the survey even gave anti-white racism a maximum rating of ten points.

The authors said the research showed America has not yet reached a "post-racial" era, despite the election of Barack Obama as the country's first black president. » | Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Obama Fluffs It!

No Respite for US from Deadly Tornadoes
At least six dead as fresh tornadoes hit Oklahoma and Kansas, two days after 122 were killed in city of Joplin

Egypt's Mubarak to Stand Trial
Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's ousted president, is to stand trial along with his two sons over the deaths of anti-government protesters killed in the weeks-long security crackdown that preceded his departure from office.

More than 800 people were killed in the protests that eventually led to Mubarak being forced to step down from the presidency.

Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin reports from the capital, Cairo.

Inside Story: Death of the Super-injunction
Inside Story, discusses with Martin Bentham, home affairs editor for the London Evening Standard newspaper; Steven J. Murdoch, a researcher in the Security Group at the University of Cambridge; and Carl Gardner, a former UK government lawyer.

Netanyahu Addresses US Congress

Violent Thunderstorms Kill 8 in Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas
THE KANSAS CITY STAR: Violent storms that swept through a swath of the central U.S. killed at least eight people in three states, toppling trees, ripping up homes and crushing cars.

The high-powered storms arrived as forecast, just days after a massive tornado tore through the southwest Missouri town of Joplin and killed 122 people. After killing two people in Kansas and five in Oklahoma, they continued their trek east into Arkansas.

Arkansas Department of Emergency Management spokesman Tommy Jackson says at least one person died after a tornado ripped through the Arkansas community of Denning early Wednesday. There weren't any immediate details about how the person died.

Hours earlier, several tornadoes struck Oklahoma City and its suburbs during the Tuesday night rush hour, killing at least five people and injuring at least 60 others, including three children who were in critical condition, authorities said. » | Kristi Eaton | Associated Press | Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Nicolas Sarkozy's Cache of Sleaze on Rivals, Including Dominique Strauss-Kahn

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: President Nicolas Sarkozy's regime keeps a cache of sleaze information on his rivals, including police details of an alleged incident in which Dominique Strauss-Kahn was caught with a prostitute, it has been claimed.

A police note written before the 2007 French presidential elections reportedly claims that Mr Strauss-Kahn, 62, was "surprised in an unfortunate position in a car to the West of Paris in a hot spot for paid encounters during a routine (police) control". The "hot spot" is thought to be the Bois de Boulogne wood, a notorious pickup spot.

Citing three separate trusted sources, France's Le Monde newspaper claimed the note was passed on to Mr Sarkozy's entourage shortly before the presidential elections he eventually won.

Mr Sarkozy, it said, chose not to leak the note back in 2007 as Mr Strauss-Kahn was not seen as a serious threat to his presidential hopes, having been recently knocked out of Socialist primaries. The original was shredded.

But according to the report he chose to resurrect the information in recent weeks after polls suggested Mr Strauss-Kahn would trounce the incumbent should he run next year. The allegations were leaked to French media – including Le Monde – in a bid to smear Mr Strauss-Kahn.

However, the French press chose not publish the note, considering it a breach of Mr Strauss-Kahn's private life. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Tuesday, May 24, 2011

The Dark Age Danes! Marmite Made Illegal in Denmark
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: According to the marketing slogan it is a taste that you either love or hate. But Danes will no longer get the chance to make up their own minds on Marmite after the British delicacy was banned under food safety laws.

The strongly flavoured dark brown spread made from brewer's yeast has joined Rice Crispies, Shreddies, Horlicks and Ovaltine prohibited in Denmark under legislation forbidding the sale of food products with added vitamins as threat to public health.

Many well known breakfast cereal and drink brands have already been banned or taken off supermarket shelves after Danish legislation in 2004 restricted foods fortified with extra vitamins or minerals.

But Marmite had escaped notice as an exotic import for a small number of ex-pats until the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration telephoned Abigail's, a Copenhagen shop selling British food, to ban the famous yeast spread.

"I don't eat it myself, I don't like it but Marmite was one of our best selling products. Not a day goes by without someone coming in and asking for it," said Marianne Ørum, the shop owner.

"All the English people here are shaking their heads in disbelief and say that it is insane. I agree but it is the law. It's becoming impossible to run a business in this country. We are not allowed to do anything anymore. It is the way Denmark is going." » | Bruno Waterfield | Tuesday, May 24, 2011

A Drive for Freedom in Saudi Arabia

THE GUARDIAN – WOMEN’S BLOG – JANE MARTINSON: Manal al-Sharif's drive for women's rights faces a daunting barrier in Saudi Arabia

Manal al-Sharif is expected to spend the rest of this week in prison. Her crime? Driving a car in Saudi Arabia.

The arrest on Sunday puts a new and gloomy perspective on all that euphoria surrounding revolutions in the Middle East, doesn't it? Women may have taken to the streets from Egypt to Libya, Tunisia to Yemen, but in the richest and most powerful Arab state, their rights are frankly non-existent.

So great are their demands that some campaigners have criticised Sharif for diverting attention away from what really matters. Does it matter that women aren't allowed to drive if they can neither vote nor live independently in a country where men have automatic legal guardianship? The 32-year-old Sharif and other campaigners argue that without being able to drive women are entirely physically dependent on their male relatives. The issue is also a financial one – campaigners argue that women and their families need about $350 a month to hire one of the estimated 800,000 foreign drivers in the kingdom.

Sharif's stunt – she posted a YouTube clip of her driving a car which can still be seen here on al-Jazeera – was designed to garner support for a national protest on 16 June, when she hopes thousands of women will take on the authorities. Read on and comment » | Jane Martinson |Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Nucléaire iranien: les USA annoncent des sanctions contre des entreprises

LE MONDE: Les Etats-Unis ont imposé, mardi 24 mai, de nouvelles sanctions contre "sept entités étrangères", dans le cadre de l'effort pour contenir le programme nucléaire controversé de l'Iran. Par cette décision, la secrétaire d'Etat Hillary Clinton "adresse un message clair aux entreprises du monde entier : ceux qui continuent de soutenir de façon irresponsable le secteur énergétique iranien et aident l'Iran à échapper aux sanctions américaines s'exposent à des conséquences graves", indique un communiqué du département d'Etat.

Sont visés l'entreprise Petroleos de Venezuela (Pedevesa), PCCI (Jersey/Iran),Royal Oyster Group (Emirats), Speedy Ship (Emirats/Iran), Tanker Pacific(Singapour), Ofer Brothers Group (Israël) et Associated Shipbroking (Monaco). Présentant les sanctions, Jim Steinberg, le numéro deux du département d'Etat, a parlé d'une "pression accentuée sur l'Iran pour qu'il respecte ses obligations internationales" en faisant la transparence sur son programme nucléaire.

L'Union européenne avait décidé, lundi, de sanctionner plus de cent entreprises soupçonnées d'être liées au programme nucléaire et balistique de l'Iran, et cinq personnes, en majorité des responsables d'entreprise. Les pays du groupe des Six (Allemagne, Chine, Etats-Unis, France, Royaume-Uni et Russie) soupçonnent l'Iran, qui s'en défend, de vouloir se doter de l'arme nucléaire sous couvert d'un programme civil. » | LeMonde.fr | Mardi 24 Mai 2011

Spermaspuren auf Bluse des Zimmermädchens

Schwere Schlappe für Zapatero

Queen Greets President Obama on First UK State Visit
BBC: The Queen has greeted US President Barack Obama, and his wife Michelle, at the start of his first UK state visit.

The Obamas also met Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall and spent 20 minutes with newlyweds the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

They have laid a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey and will attend a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.

It came after David Cameron and Mr Obama spoke of "essential" UK-US ties.

'Common interests'

In a joint article in the [sic] Times [£], Mr Obama and Mr Cameron said of their countries' relationship: "Ours is not just a special relationship, it is an essential relationship - for us and for the world.

"When the United States and Britain stand together, our people and people around the world can become more secure and more prosperous.

"The reason it thrives is because it advances our common interests and shared values. It is a perfect alignment of what we both need and what we both believe."

The presidential pair's visit to Westminster Abbey included an impromptu meeting with choirboys, when Mr Obama was teased by his wife for his lack of singing talent.

"He insisted on speaking to each one of them and shaking their hands," the Dean, Dr John Hall said.

"He said that he liked to think he could sing and Mrs Obama said 'Well, he can't really, he can dance'." (+ video) » | Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Scotland: Glasgow Districts Boycott Israeli Books
YNET NEWS: Several districts in southwest Scotland expands boycott on Israeli products, bar stores from carrying English translations of Israeli books. 'A place that boycotts books isn't far from a place that burns them,' says Ambassador Ron Prosor

LONDON – Scottish citizens might not be able to purchase English translations of Israeli masterpieces such as "A tale of love and darkness" by Amos Oz and "Someone to run with" by David Grossman, due to a boycott on Israeli books.

Two and a half years ago, shortly after Operation Cast Lead, the West Dunbartonshire Regional Council, located west of Glasgow, approved a bill that called to boycott goods produced in Israel.

According to the law, the council and all public bodies under its jurisdiction are forbidden to sell goods that originated from Israel.

Following the botched raid on the Turkish Flotilla to Gaza last May, the council expanded the boycott to include a ban on the purchase of English translations of Israeli books and the distribution of these books in public libraries throughout the council's jurisdiction.

West Dunbartonshire was joined by the large Scottish city Dundee, which decided to issue a recommendation to boycott all goods produced in Israel.

Legal advisers instructed Dundee's mayor to refrain from legally enforcing the boycott in order to avoid future lawsuits. Instead, the municipality plans to distribute posters throughout the city, calling on some 150,000 residents to refrain from buying Israeli goods, and will also apply a special mark on Israeli products, in order to make them easily identifiable. » | Yaniv Halily | Tuesday, May 24, 2011

YNET NEWS: Israel boycotters target authors, artists: After facing boycotts of its academics, unions and commercial products, cultural snubbing may be hardest for Jewish state to swallow. 'We are used to being threatened physically by our neighbors, but this is a new intellectual threat,' says music promoter » | Associated Press | Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Pub Chiefs Send Smoke Signals to Government

EVENING TIMES: Pub bosses are starting a campaign to allow smoking in bars again, five years after it was banned.

The Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA) claims that 800 pubs have gone out of business since the smoking ban was introduced in 2006 and argues Scotland has the toughest anti smoking legislation in Europe.

Scots publicans will meet today with landlords from countries where smoking in bars is still allowed.

Legislation is in place in some countries to protect staff and non-smoking customers from second-hand smoke.

Publicans will hear from bar owners from the Netherlands, Croatia and Hungary, where laws are in place that allows smoking but prevents involuntary exposure to smoke by staff and customers.

The SLTA’s Paul Waterson said they did not want to overturn the smoking ban, but wanted it changed to allow choice for drinkers and flexibility for pub owners.

He said: “We have invited operators from countries where there [are] more flexible law[s] on smoking.

“We think that after five years it is appropriate to revisit the smoking ban and see if there a solution that is sympathetic to both sides. » | Stewart Paterson | Tuesday, May 24, 2011

French Publish Strauss-Kahn Accuser’s Name and 'Photos'

TUCSON SENTINEL: American media called 'barbaric'

BOSTON — Here’s a story that illustrates the chasm between how France and America handle men, women and rape.

The French elite are outraged over what they see as American vulgarities surrounding the treatment of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former IMF chief and putative 2012 presidential frontrunner, accused of raping a 32-year-old Sofitel chambermaid in Manhattan last weekend.

Among the "barbaric" American practices under critique by Parisians: showing photos of the accused in handcuffs; marching him through a scrum of photographers on the way to court; and pillorying him tabloid style—the NY Post called him "a horny toad,” for example. As GlobalPost has reported, French law restricts some media coverage of alleged perpetrators prior to conviction, including publication of images showing the accused in handcuffs, to preserve the dignity of the innocent.

Despite their outrage, the French press is blatantly committing what American journalists regard as a cardinal sin of rape coverage: violating the anonymity of the alleged victim. » | David Case, GlobalPost | Monday, May 23, 2011

GLOBALPOST: French outraged at American justice system's handling of Dominique Strauss-Kahn: France takes presumed innocence seriously, especially for someone of the IMF head's stature. » | Mort Rosenblum | Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Mubarak, Sons to Be Tried for Killings, Corruption
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Deposed Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak and his two sons were on Tuesday referred to a criminal court on suspicion of graft and ordering deadly fire against anti-government protesters, state media reported.

The official MENA news agency said the 83-year-old former strongman and his two sons Alaa and Gamal have been charged with "premeditated murder of some participants in the peaceful protests of the January 25 revolution".

"The public prosecutor Abdel Maguid Mahmud has decided today to refer former president Hosni Mubarak and his two sons Alaa and Gamal and businessman Hussein Salem to a criminal court," the news agency reported.

They have also been charged with profiteering and using their positions for illicit gains and squandering public funds, it added.

Several of the charges extend to a fourth defendant, Hussein Salem, a businessman close to Mubarak who has been blamed for a controversial deal to supply Israel with gas at lower than usual prices. He has fled the country. » | Samer al-Atrush | Wednesday, May 25, 2011

HOUSTON CHRONICLE: Egypt's Mubarak to be tried over protester deaths: CAIRO — Egypt's ex-President Hosni Mubarak will stand trial on charges of conspiring in the deadly shootings of protesters during the uprising that ousted him, the prosecutor-general said Tuesday, a major step in a country still rattled by protests and demands for justice. » | Sarah el-Deeb, Associated Press | Tuesday, May 24, 2011

California to Reduce Prison Population
The US Supreme Court ruled on Monday that California must drastically reduce its prison population to relieve severe overcrowding that has exposed inmates to increased violence, disease and death.

California is home to the largest prison systems in the US - the country with the world's largest incarceration rates.

The high court's decision calls on the state to cut the population to no more than 110,000 inmates, meaning California will have to shed some 33,000 inmates over the next two years. State officials can accomplish that by transferring inmates to local jails or releasing them.

"Our goal is to not release inmates at all,'' said Matthew Cate, the state corrections secretary. Shorter term inmates will leave prison before the Supreme Court's deadline expires, and newly sentenced lower-level offenders would go to local jails under the plan.

The 5-4 ruling revealed a sharp divide on the court between US Justices Anthony Kennedy and Antonin Scalia.

Kennedy wrote for the majority and described dismal conditions where prisoners are denied minimal care and suicidal inmates are held in `"telephone-booth sized cages without toilets".

"A prison that deprives prisoners of basic sustenance, including adequate medical care, is incompatible with the concept of human dignity and has no place in civilized society,'' Kennedy wrote.

Al Jazeera's Kimberly Halkett reports.

New York Adds Parks and Beaches to Smoking Ban
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: New York City has added the city's parks and beaches to the list of places where smoking is banned.

The ban, which officials hope will prevent problems caused by second-hand smoke, adds to the city's 2003 ban on cigarettes in bars and restaurants.

The new law will not be enforced by police but by some 200 parks personnel who watch over the city's 29,000 acres of park land and beaches. Violators face a $50 fine but officials say the ban is meant to be largely self-enforcing.

"We don't think that people should be exposed to those chemicals when they go to a park to enjoy the fresh air," city Health Commissioner Thomas Farley told Reuters. » | Tuesday, May 24, 2011

New York Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment »

Obama in London: Mehr Lob, mehr Last

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Die Briten freuen sich über das wieder erwachte Interesse Amerikas, dessen Präsident in London nicht müde wird, das bilaterale Verhältnis zu rühmen - und fragen nach dem Preis dafür.

Die „besondere Verbundenheit“ zwischen den Vereinigten Staaten und dem Vereinigten Königreich ist anlässlich des Staatsbesuches des amerikanischen Präsidenten in London um eine ganze Handvoll weiterer Attribute bereichert worden. Es sei nicht nur eine besondere, sondern eine „unentbehrliche“ Partnerschaft, beteuerten Präsident Obama und Premierminister Cameron in einem gemeinsamen Zeitungsartikel, ja es sei eine „natürliche Partnerschaft“ und eine „felsenfeste“ dazu.

Der britische Außenminister Hague hatte zuvor in einer Begegnung mit seiner amerikanischen Kollegin Clinton die Adjektive „einzigartig“ und „außerordentlich“ verwendet, auch ein „unverzichtbar“ probierte er aus, welches von Hillary Clinton alsbald wiederholt wurde. » | Von Johannes Leithäuser, London | Dienstag, 24. Mai 2011

Zur Bildergalerie »

Terrorismus: Islamist aus Deutschland in Afghanistan festgenommen
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Die Nato hat am Dienstag Informationen über einen Marokkaner veröffentlicht, der vor zwei Wochen in Afghanistan festgenommen wurde. Er soll aus Deutschland gekommen sein. Bei einem Besuch in Iran sei er als Selbstmordattentäter angeworben worden.

Sicherheitskräfte haben in Südafghanistan einen Islamisten aus Deutschland marokkanischer Abstammung mit Kontakten zum Terrornetzwerk Al Qaida festgesetzt. Wie die internationale Schutztruppe Isaf am Dienstag in Kabul mitteilte, wurde der Mann am 8. Mai in der südafghanischen Provinz Zabul festgenommen.

Er habe bei seiner Vernehmung unter anderem Details über seinen Reiseweg aus Deutschland verraten. Deutsche Sicherheitskreise bestätigten, dass der Mann in Deutschland gewohnt hat. » | FAZ.NET mit AFP/dapd/dpa | Dienstag, 24. Mai 2011

Le roi de Suède pris dans un nouveau scandale

LE FIGARO: Un célèbre truand posséderait des photos compromettantes de Carl XVI Gustaf.

Six mois après la parution d'un livre qui dénonçait ses frasques sexuelles, le roi Carl XVI Gustaf de Suède est à nouveau dans la tourmente. Cette fois, il est soupçonné d'avoir des démêlés avec le milieu de Stockholm. Lassés des scandales à répétition à la cour (révélation du passé nazi du père de la reine Silvia, fiançailles rompues de la princesse Madeleine), les Verts et plusieurs partis de gauche réclament son abdication en faveur de sa fille, la princesse héritière Victoria.

Au Parlement, plusieurs députés ont exigé du gouvernement d'avoir une «conversation sérieuse» avec le monarque. Une fois de plus, la classe politique et les médias (y compris ceux qui suivent la famille royale) reprochent au roi de faire courir un danger au pays et de s'exposer à des tentatives de chantage. L'affaire fait évidemment le miel du petit, mais très actif, lobby républicain.

Tout a commencé, jeudi. La chaîne de télévision TV4 (l'équivalent de M6) diffuse un reportage où l'un de ses journalistes se trouve dans une forêt avec Mille Markovic, connu pour être le Al Capone suédois. En blouson, bandana sur la tête, les yeux cachés par d'épaisses lunettes noires, ce criminel endurci, avide de notoriété est bien connu de la justice. » | Par Lena Lutaud | Mardi 24 Mai 2011

La candidature de DSK «quasiment impossible»
La ministre des Solidarités a cru à «un gag» quand elle a été prévenue de l’affaire

Nafissatou a grandi dans un village en Guinée

lePARISIEN.fr: Depuis dix jours, Nafissatou Diallo reste une silhouette photographiée cachée sous un drap entre deux policiers new-yorkais. Mais, aujourd’hui, le profil de la femme de ménage du Sofitel de Times Square commence à se dévoiler. Des journalistes ont ainsi pu rencontrer une partie de sa famille dans son village natal de Thiakoullé en Guinée-Conakry.

Un hameau isolé fait de cases et de rares habitations en dur où Nafissatou serait née il y a trente-deux ans et où elle a grandi au côté d’un père cultivateur qui avait deux épouses. Continuez à lire et réagir à cet article » | Damien Delseny | Mardi 24 Mai 2011

Netanyahu Rules Out Return to 1967 Borders
Israel's prime minister has again rejected Barack Obama's push for a two state solution based on the 1967 borders

Nazis Tried to Train Dogs to Talk, Read and Spell to Win WW2

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Nazis tried to train dogs to talk, read and spell to help them win World War II, it has been revealed.

The Germans viewed canines as being almost as intelligent as humans and attempted to build an army of fearsome 'speaking' dogs, extraordinary new research shows.

Hitler hoped the clever creatures would learn to communicate with their SS masters - and he even had a special dog school set up to teach them to talk.

The incredible findings show Nazi officials recruited so-called educated dogs from all over Germany and trained them to speak and tap out signals using their paws.

One mutt was said to have uttered the words 'Mein Fuhrer' when asked who Adolf Hitler was.

Another 'spoke' by tapping letters of the alphabet with his paws and was said to have speculated about religion and learnt poetry.

The Germans hoped to use the animals for the war effort, such as getting them to work alongside the SS and guard concentration camps to free up officers.

The bizarre 'Wooffan SS' experiment has come to light after years of painstaking research by academic Dr Jan Bondeson into unique and amazing dogs in history.

Dr Bonderson, from Cardiff University, visited Berlin to scour obscure periodicals to build up a bizarre - but true - account of Nazi ideas. » | Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Outsourcing Goes Full Circle as Indian Firms Look to the U.S. for Cheap Labour
MAIL ONLINE: It's a frustration experienced by most people when they've made phone calls to large companies.

An unfamiliar voice answers the phone in a call centre hundreds of miles away where cheap labour is commonplace.

But in a reversal of fortunes it now appears that large Indian companies are actually now themselves outsourcing - to U.S. shores.

Large corporations that have boomed in India amid the country's nimble economy have been drawn to the U.S. where unemployment has soared.

Struggling residents desperate for work are paid between $12 and $14 a hour to be stationed in tiny cubicles for long shifts of telesales work.

Once the employees are established, many are offered the chance to be flown to India themselves - the same tactic Western countries have done in India.

Experts said that the phenomenon, which could become more widespread in the coming years, is partly due to Indian workers demanding higher wages and higher living standards. Is this a taste of the future? Outsourcing goes full circle as Indian firms look to the U.S. for cheap labour » | Daily Mail Reporter | Monday, May 23, 2011

Apocalypse Still Imminent: Rapture Now Coming in October

THE GUARDIAN: Harold Camping says his prophecy that the world would end was off by five months, and the Rapture will actually take place on 21 October

Good news for Rapture lovers! The world is going to end after all – only it's going to take a little longer than predicted.

Harold Camping, architect of Saturday's dramatic events in which Judgment Day came and went without so much as an earthquake, has revealed what went wrong. He took to his show on his network Family Radio to reveal the simple truth: the Apocalypse was imminent, he'd just got it out by five months. So now the world is going to end – really and truly this time – on 21 October.

Camping was disarmingly honest about the impact the world's inconvenient continuance was having on him, after he predicted 200 million Christians would rise to heaven by 6pm on Saturday followed by the destruction of the Earth in a massive fireball. » | Ed Pilkington in New York | Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Benjamin Netanyahu 'To Offer Palestinians Territorial Concessions'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to offer territorial concessions to the Palestinian leadership on Tuesday as he attempts to defuse a damaging confrontation with President Barack Obama.

Two days after he delighted his right-wing base at home by clashing publicly with Mr Obama over the contours of a future Palestinian state, the Israeli prime minister will seek to recast himself as a peacemaker in an address before Congress.

Israeli aides have trumpeted the speech as one of the most important Mr Netanyahu has ever made.

The contents of the speech have not been divulged, but until last week he had been expected to accept, on completion of a peace deal, the principle of Palestinian sovereignty in Gaza and much of the West Bank.

But the offer, which is likely to be less generous than those made by his predecessors, has been overshadowed by Mr Obama's call last Friday that the borders of a Palestinian state should roughly be based on the ceasefire lines that existed before Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza in 1967.

Sitting beside the president during a tense meeting at the White House, Mr Netanyahu publicly rejected a return to "1967 lines". It is unclear whether he has made changes to his speech to Congress as a result. » | Adrian Blomfield, Jerusalem | Monday, May 23, 2011

Britain Attacks Baroness Ashton over 'Ludicrous' Budget Demands

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain has attacked Baroness Ashton for a "ludicrous" demand for an extra £23.5 million to run her diplomatic service and instructed British ambassadors to beware of European Union power grabs over foreign policy.

David Lidington, the Europe minister, has told Lady Ashton that she should concentrate on doing less, more effectively and must rein in EUofficials who are treading on national sovereignty.

Mr Lidington's criticism is the first public rebuke to the EU foreign minister, a Labour peer, and came as groundswell of discontent over her performance grows across Europe.

The government is particularly angry that Lady Ashton, Britain's most senior ranking EU official, has demanded the biggest administrative budget increase, of 5.8 per cent, in Brussels for next year.

The rise in her costs, which will take her spending to £427 million, defies a campaign by David Cameron to cut EU spending, set to rise 4.9 per cent in total next year, at a time of national austerity, including cuts to the British foreign office.

"They have got to get real," said Mr Lidington. "This 5.8 per cent, asking for more than the EU as a whole is asking for, is somewhat ludicrous." » | Bruno Waterfield, Brussels | Monday, May 23, 2011

Palestinian Prime Minister Suffers Heart Attack

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad suffered a heart attack while visiting the U.S. and is recovering at a Texas hospital, a spokesman said on Monday.

Mr Fayyad, who was born in 1952, was in Austin to attend the college graduation of his son, Khaled, when he felt strong chest pains on Sunday, said the prime minister's spokesman, Jamal Zakout.

Mr Fayyad, a heavy smoker, underwent tests showing a blockage in a coronary artery, Mr Zakout said. Mr Fayyad suffered a heart attack while at the Seton Medical Center in Austin, the spokesman said. » | Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Dominique de Villepin 'Guilty by Abstention', Says Prosecutor

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A French state prosecutor urged an appeals court on Monday to find former prime minister Dominique de Villepin guilty of complicity in a plot to discredit President Nicolas Sarkozy in the run up to an election in 2007.

Prosecutor Jean-Louis Perol asked the court in Paris to hand Mr Villepin, a possible candidate in the presidential election next April and an arch-enemy of Mr Sarkozy, a suspended jail sentence of 15 months.

Mr Villepin, who has quit Mr Sarkozy's centre-right UMP party, was acquitted last year in the first round of the trial but has landed back in court after an appeal by prosecutors.

He lashed out at the prosecution's demands in a trial where the verdict, due to be handed down in the autumn, could poison the climate in the run-up to a presidential election. Mr Sarkozy is widely expected to run for a second term. » | Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Muslim Four Boasted of Beating Up RE Teacher for 'Mocking Islam’ Spreading Doubts
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Four Muslims who beat up a teacher for lecturing Islamic pupils were caught on a covert recording saying: “This is the dog we want to hit, to strike, to kill.”

Akmol Hussein, 26, Sheikh Rashid, 27, Azad Hussain, 25, and Simon Alam, 19, discussed the plan to ambush Gary Smith outside his school nearly a month before attacking him in the street.

A bug, which could have been put in Akmol’s car by the security services, captures the gang discussing the plot, then praising Allah as they drive from the scene of the attack. Excerpts of the recording played in Snaresbrook Crown Court disclose Hussein setting out the plan to ambush Mr Smith, the head of religious education at Central Foundation Girls’ School in Bow, east London.

Hussein says: “This is the dog we want to hit, to strike, to kill.

“He’s mocking Islam and he’s putting doubts in people’s minds, How can somebody take a job to teach Islam when they’re not even a Muslim?”

Sarah Whitehouse, prosecuting, said Mr Smith taught a “wide variety of topics such as abortion, euthanasia and the role of women”. Mr Smith was ambushed by the gang shortly after 8am as he walked to the school from nearby Mile End on July 12 last year. Miss Whitehouse said: “He was targeted as the victim of this attack simply because of his position as head of religious studies at the school.”

The court heard that moments before the gang attacked Mr Smith, Hussein can be heard saying: “Does everyone remember the drill? One time, bang, bang, bang, bang.” The recording is then silent for 10 minutes while the attack takes place. » | Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Libya's Prisoners of War
An unknown number of fighters from the Libyan conflict have been captured - and have effectively become prisoners of war.

Al Jazeera has been given exclusive access to a temporary detention centre in Zintan, located in the country's western mountains, where opposition fighters are holding some of Gaddafi's men.

We are not showing their faces to protect their identities.

Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel Hamid reports.

Iceland: Volcanic Eruption
Volcanic ash approaches UK; threat of aviation chaos

Jailed Russian Billionaire Appeals Verdict
The jailed billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky launches a new bid for freedom. Khodorkovsky, jailed in 2005 for tax evasion, was up for release this year. But a second trial extended his jail time. He's now appealing that verdict. Neave Barker reports

Obama Visits His Ancestral Home in Ireland
Barack Obama, the US president, and his wife Michelle, experienced a warm welcome in Ireland - where some of Obama's distant ancestors lived.

As well as meeting the Irish prime minister, Obama made a visit to the small town of Moneygall where the president's great, great grandfather lived.

Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons reports from the Irish capital, Dublin.


THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Obama in Ireland: president searches for 'missing apostrophe' – Almost any other visitor who mauled the Irish language so severely might expect a reception as cold as the waters of the Liffey. » | Alex Spillius in Dublin | Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Strauss-Kahn's DNA 'Found on Maid's Clothes'
US media are reporting DNA evidence now links Dominique Strauss-Kahn to the maid who accused him of sexual assault.

The Wall Street Journal says a sample submitted by the former head of the International Monetary Fund matches semen traces found on the woman's shirt.

Experts, however, urge against a "rush to judgment" based on the DNA test, noting that there are a range of possible explanations and that it does not prove an act of sexual violence.

Al Jazeera's Roza Ibragimova reports from New York.

Barack Obama's Big Middle East Gamble

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama seems unrepentant over his comments on Israel's border and appears to think that his own personality will be enough to resolve a '100-year-old headache'.

Striding to the podium inside the Washington Convention Centre, President Barack Obama did his very best to avoid any sense that he felt intimidated by entering what was, in political terms, the lion's den.

There was tepid applause and a couple of isolated boos from the crowd of almost 10,000 members of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, better known as Aipac, the premier and most hardline mainstream group in the powerful pro-Israel lobby in the United States.

The reception was one of intense scepticism. A vast majority of delegates felt that Mr Obama had a need to explain himself after his comments that a Middle East peace deal should be based on Israel's 1967 border incorporating agreed land swaps with the Palestinians.

But if they thought that the American president was going to take back his words in Thursday's speech at the State Department's Foggy Bottom headquarters, then they were sorely mistaken.

Wagging his finger repeatedly, Mr Obama adopted the manner of a schoolmaster frustrated that his pupils were too dim or inattentive to pay attention to what he had said. Continue reading and comment » | Toby Harnden | Sunday, May 22, 2011

Sudan's Abyei 'Ablaze' after Capture by North
Sudan's disputed border town of Abyei is ablaze, with gunmen looting properties days after troops from the government in Khartoum entered the area, UN peacekeepers say.

The peacekeepers belonging to UNMIS, the UN mission in Sudan, said on Monday that the burning and looting was perpetrated "by armed elements" but it was not clear whether they were from the north or the south.

The developments in Abyei drew strong reaction from the US, with its special envoy to the country saying Washington would rule out dropping Sudan from a terrorism list if it continued occupying the oil-rich district.

Al Jazeera's Stefanie Dekker reports.

Barack Obama Cuts Short Ireland Trip to Avoid Ash Cloud

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama arrives at Stanstead airport having cut short his visit to Ireland to avoid being grounded by volcanic ash.

The President was due to begin his state visit to Britain today but the huge plume of ash drifting across the Atlantic from Iceland forced him to amend his travel arrangements.

His schedule was hastily redrafted as the cloud from the Grímsvötn volcano drifted towards Scotland, leading to the cancellation of 36 flights.

The White House deputy press secretary, Josh Earnest, said: “Due to a recent change in the trajectory in the plume of volcanic ash, Air Force One will depart Ireland for London tonight. The schedule for tomorrow will proceed as planned.”

The three-day visit is launched with a joint newspaper article today in which Mr Obama and David Cameron rename the special relationship between Britain and America, the “essential relationship”, vital for world security and prosperity. » | David Millward, and Andrew Porter | Monday, May 23, 2011

Dominique Strauss-Kahn: DNA Samples Confirm Sperm Traces on Maid's Dress

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: DNA samples taken in the Dominique Strauss-Kahn case have confirmed traces of sperm on the maid's dress, according to reports.

The New York Police sent the test results to French authorities on Sunday where they allegedly confirmed the trace. The results are expected to be made public shortly.

Mr Strauss-Kahn, 62, who is accused of trying to rape a maid last week in his suite at the Sofitel hotel in New York, was released from Rikers Island jail on Friday.

His lawyer has already indicated he plans to argue that there was consent.

The latest revelations, published on the French website Atlantico.fr, came amid reports the former IMF chief sought the company of two female hotel members of staff after he checked into the Sofitel one day before his alleged sexual assault on the maid on May 14. Both receptionists declined the offer of a drink.

Mr Strauss-Kahn has been indicted on seven charges, including forcing the maid to perform oral sex on him and attempted rape. If he is convicted, he would face up to 25 years in prison. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Monday, May 23, 2011

Come On, Ireland
A nation once again?

HT: Gates of Vienna »

Carla Bruni ist schwanger
Lange wurde spekuliert, nun ist es offiziell. Frankreichs Präsident Nicolas Sarkozy und seine Frau Carla Bruni erwarten ihr erstes gemeinsames Baby

Pakistan im Griff des Islamismus
Hunderte pakistanischer Richter versammelten sich heute zu einem Gottesdienst im Andenken an Osama Bin Laden. Der Islamismus ist im Land weit verbreitet. Blasphemie wird in Pakistan mit dem Tode bestraft und Minderheiten werden konsequent schikaniert. Der Hass gipfelte im vergangenen März in der Ermordung des Ministers für Minderheiten

Strauss-Kahn Reveals Frustration in E-mail to IMF

CNN: Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who resigned last week as head of the International Monetary Fund in the face of sexual assault charges, told the fund's staff of his "profound sadness and frustration in having to leave under these circumstances" in an e-mail obtained by CNN.

"I deny in the strongest possible terms the allegations which I now face," Strauss-Kahn wrote to his former employees.

IMF acting head John Lipsky forwarded the e-mail to the fund's staff Sunday evening. It was then obtained exclusively by CNN's Nina dos Santos.

The Frenchman said he is confident that he will be exonerated of charges of attacking a hotel maid in New York, but he could not "accept that the Fund -- and you dear colleagues -- should in any way have to share my own personal nightmare. So, I had to go." » | CNN Wire Staff | Monday, May 23, 2011

Former IMF head Strauss-Kahn's farewell to staff: Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s farewell e-mail to the staff at the International Monetary Fund following his resignation last week (email in Full) »

DSK : "Ces derniers jours ont été extrêmement douloureux"
LE POINT: EXCLUSIF. L'ex-directeur du FMI dit avoir démissionné pour épargner son "cauchemar" à l'institution. Lisez son e-mail d'au revoir.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn a adressé dimanche un courrier électronique au FMI, transmis à l'ensemble du personnel de l'institution. Le Point.fr a pu se procurer l'e-mail rédigé en anglais. En voici la traduction :

"Chers collègues

Vous avez pris connaissance de ma lettre de démission du poste de directeur du FMI - une des choses les plus difficiles sur lesquelles j'ai dû communiquer. J'avais très envie de m'adresser à vous personnellement et directement pour vous exprimer ma profonde tristesse et aussi ma frustration d'avoir à partir dans ces circonstances. Je le fais parce que c'est ce que je peux faire de mieux dans l'intérêt d'une institution que je respecte profondément, je le fais pour vous aussi, cette équipe que j'apprécie et que j'admire. » | Le Point.fr | Lundi 23 Mai 2011

ACLU Lawsuit Could End 70-Year Tradition
May 23, 2011 – Cross dispute could stall commencement

'Mass Chaos' in Joplin, Missouri
May 23, 2011 – Mayor pro tem describes aftermath of deadly twister as more severe weather moves into region

New Questions About Future of Mideast Peace Talks
May 23, 2011 – President Obama facing harsh criticism over Israel border proposal

Does the Bible Matter in the 21st Century?
May 20, 2011 – Religion’s role in the Western World

Silvio Berlusconi Attacks Italy's 'Gypsy-loving' Left-wing

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Silvio Berlusconi has accused Italy's left-wing opposition of wanting to turn his hometown of Milan into a "gypsy camp" as the country geared up for a second round of local elections.

"Milan cannot turn into an Islamic city, a 'gypsyopolis' full of Roma camps besieged by foreigners to whom the left wants to give the right to vote," Mr Berlusconi said on his People of Freedom party website.

In the first round of elections last week the centre-left candidate in Milan, Giuliano Pisapia, defied expectations to win 48 per cent, leaving the centre-right mayor Letizia Moratti facing a run-off with only 41.6 per cent.

Mr Berlusconi told voters in the city where he was born and made his fortune that they should support Ms Moratti in the second round scheduled for Sunday and Monday.

"Milan is ... one of the most important capitals in Europe in terms of intelligence, creativity and entrepreneurialism," he said.

"A city like this will surely not want to hand itself over to the extreme left with the risk of becoming a disorderly, chaotic and unsafe city." » | Monday, May 23, 2011

Growing Female Saudi Middle-Class Women Pushing for More Reform
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: What tells us more about Saudi Arabia – the knowledge that it remains the only country in the world where women are banned from driving, or that an increasing number of women are prepared to take the risk of openly flouting the rule?

Manal al-Sharif, 32, was arrested at the weekend after posting a dramatic YouTube video – mundane anywhere else – of herself at the wheel in her home city of Khobar. But then her weekday life as a computer security consultant hardly squares with the popular image of the repressed Saudi woman either.

Much has been written about the Arab Spring this year, and Saudi Arabia has become its leading opponent. It offered asylum to President Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali of Tunisia, backed President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt to the hilt, and sent troops to crush protests in neighbouring Bahrain.

But in its own way it started the whole process off. Since King Abdullah, the current monarch, came to the throne in 2005 he has eased restrictions on freedom of speech and particularly on women, encouraging them to study and work.

He opened Saudi Arabia's first mixed sex university, and even appointed a woman minister.

In return a small but growing band of middle-class professional women have both expressed gratitude and used the opportunity to press for further reforms, big and small. » | Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Monday, May 23, 2011

Related links here, here, and here

Restrictions on Women in Saudi Arabia
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A woman has been arrested in Saudi Arabia for driving a car, an activity that is restricted to men only.

There are several limitations on what a woman can do in the conservative Muslim country: » | Monday, May 23, 2011

Spain's Zapatero Faces Calls to Resign as Socialists Hammered in Local Elections

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Spain's ruling socialist party were reeling from an unprecedented battering in local elections Sunday as voters punished Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriquez Zapatero for his handling of the economic crisis.

The centre-right Popular Party (PP) won a resounding victory across the board in the regional and municipal elections, securing a ten per cent lead over their rivals, in a result seen as a precursor for general elections scheduled early next year.

Spain's Socialists lost control of traditional strongholds including the cities of Barcelona and Seville while the PP took Castilla-La Mancha, which had been governed by the socialists since the first democratic elections in 1979, four years after the death of dictator Gen Francisco Franco.

Pressure mounted for Prime Minister Zapatero to resign and call an early general election. But the socialist leader, who swept to power in 2004 and who has said he will not seek a third term, vowed to carry on reforms until the vote next March.

Conceding defeat, the prime minister blamed discontent on three years of economic crisis which has left Spain with a stagnant economy and 21 per cent unemployment, more than twice the EU average.

"We have suffered a broad setback compared to four years ago," he told a news conference after the first results came through, Sunday night. » | Fiona Govan, Madrid | Monday, May 23, 2011

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, President of Spain »

WIKI: José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Prime Minister of Spain »

Jerome Corsi: “Obama Birth Certificate 100% Forged; Hawaii Officials Forged It”

Birther Report »

Tornado Leaves Scores Dead in US City
Rescue workers are digging through what is left of the city of Joplin in the midwestern US state of Missouri. They are looking for survivors after tornadoes cut the city in half.

At least 89 people are dead and the state governor has declared a state of emergency.

Al Jazeera's John Terrett reports.

Robert Fisk on Syrian Sanctions
Robert Fisk, a foreign correspondent of Britain's newspaper "The Independent", tells Al Jazeera why he does not believe Western sanctions on top Syrian officials will have a real impact on the ongoing unrest.

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy 'Expecting a Boy'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is expecting a boy, a close friend of Nicolas Sarkozy has confirmed, just days after the French president's father let slip his daughter-in-law is pregnant.

Jacques Séguéla – an advertising tycoon who brought the presidential couple together in 2007 at a dinner party – disclosed the sex of the child in an interview with a Belgian newspaper.
He told Brussels daily Le Soir: "I have it on good authority that the baby will a boy."

It will be the couple's first child. France's 43-year-old first lady already has a nine-year-old son, Aurélien, with the media philosopher Raphaël Enthoven.

Mr Sarkozy, 55, has two sons, Pierre, 25, and Jean, 23, from his first marriage to Marie-Dominique Culioli, who he divorced in 1996. He has a 13-year-old son Louis from his second marriage to Cecilia Ciganer-Albeniz, who he divorced in 2007.

This is not the first time Mr Séguéla has filled the public in on the presidential couple's private lives. In 2009, he gave a blow-by-blow account of how they met at an impromptu "blind date" soirée, describing the scene as an "unexpected game of seduction between two wild beasts". » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Monday, May 23, 2011

Remember That Atrocious Hat Princess Beatrice Wore to The Royal Wedding? It’s Just Sold for $131,000 on eBay! At Least the Money Is Going to Good Causes
Money from Ebay bid for Princess Beatrice's bizarre headpiece will go to Children in Crisis and Unicef