L'acte de contrition de DSK fait écho à celui de Bill Clinton
LE MONDE: Les deux affaires sont très différentes mais les actes de contrition télévisuelle se ressemblent étrangement. Dimanche 18 septembre au soir, à peine terminée l'intervention télévisée de Dominique Strauss-Kahn sur le plateau du 20 heures de TF1, beaucoup de commentateurs l'ont déjà relevé : un certain nombre d'éléments de langage employés par l'ancien patron du FMI semblaient faire écho à l'intervention de l'ancien président américain, Bill Clinton, le 17 août 1998.


Ce soir-là, l'ancien président démocrate était venu s'expliquer à la télévision, face caméra et devant des millions d'Américains, sur sa relation avec Monica Lewinsky. L'"affaire Lewinsky" – ou le "Monicagate" comme on l'appelait déjà à l'époque –, avait éclaté sept mois auparavant aux Etats-Unis. A cette époque, des rumeurs affirment que Bill Clinton aurait eu, entre 1995 et 1997, des rapports intimes avec une stagiaire de la Maison Blanche, Monica Lewinsky. Le 21 janvier 1998, devant un grand jury et alors qu'il était sous serment, M. Clinton nie les faits.

Mais, le 28 juillet 1998, le procureur en charge de l'enquête, Kenneth Starr, obtient les aveux de Monica Lewinsky en échange de son immunité. En l'espace de quelques jours, l'étau se resserre autour de Bill Clinton, qui se voit obligé de révisersa stratégie de communication : le 17 août, il s'adresse directement à la Nation pour reconnaître des relations sexuelles avec Monica Lewinsky.
Il est important de noter que l'"affaire Lewinsky", à la différence de l'"affaire DSK" ne comporte aucun volet pénal et qu'il n'y a jamais été question de relation sexuelle contrainte. En ceci, les deux affaires diffèrent complètement ; mais dans les deux cas, les principaux intéressés ont été amenés à faire une acte de repentir public et télévisuel. Dimanche soir, Dominique Strauss-Kahn a ainsi utilisé certaines expressions relevant du champ lexical de la moralité qui rappellent le discours prononcé par Bill Clinton, 13 ans plus tôt.

La déclaration de Dominique Strauss-Kahn, le 18 septembre 2011

L'interview de DSK au 20h : l'intégrale Vidéo jt_tf1_weekend sélectionnée dans Actualité

Lire le reste de l'article » | LEMONDE.FR | Lundi 19 Septembre 2011

Iran Arrests Six People 'For Supplying Information to the BBC'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Iran has arrested several people for supplying information to the British Broadcasting Corporation, accusing them of seeking to portray a negative image of the Islamic state, media reported on Monday.

Few western journalists are permitted to work in Iran where the government views much of the foreign media with suspicion. The BBC's Farsi-language TV news service is only available to owners of illegal satellite receivers and its signal is often jammed.

The newspaper Resalat said five men and one woman had been arrested, identifying them only by their initials. "They were members of a network which supplies information, produces films and clandestine reports for the BBC Persian programme, aimed at portraying a bleak picture of Iran," Resalat said.

The hardline daily Kayhan said a number of people had been arrested "in different places in the capital."

It quoted Revolutionary Guards spokesman Ramezan Sharif as saying: "The BBC tries to identify elements inside the country (who produce) particular cultural productions in order to use them against the Islamic establishment."

BBC Persian broadcasts live news, documentaries and entertainment programmes aimed at Farsi speakers, mostly in Iran and Afghanistan. Terrestrial Iranian television is completely controlled by the state. » | Monday, September 19, 2011

Norway Court Extends Anders Behring Breivik's Solitary Confinement

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Anders Behring Breivik has been ordered to remain in pretrial detention for eight weeks during a closed court hearing on Monday in which he was cut off from making statements irrelevant to the case, a judge said.

The 32-year-old right-wing extremist has confessed to setting off a bomb in downtown Oslo and massacring dozens at an island youth camp outside the city, killing 77 people on July 22.

The Oslo District Court approved a police request to keep Breivik in custody on terror charges for another eight weeks – four of them in solitary confinement – as they prepare a formal indictment.

Judge Anne Margrethe Lund said she stopped Breivik "on a few occasions" when he tried to make statements during the court hearing, his third since being arrested following the carnage on Utoya island.

"He wanted to communicate something to the court. It wasn't relevant for the decision that was to be made today and therefore he wasn't allowed to say anything further," Lund told reporters after the hearing. » | Monday, September 19, 2011

Liberal Democrats Party Conference 2011: Vince Cable's Speech to Conference in Full
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Vince Cable tells Liberal Democrat Party Conference in Birmingham: "We now face a crisis that is the economic equivalent of war." This is the full text of his speech.


These are dangerous times for our economy.
There is much uncertainty.

But I am absolutely certain that, at such a moment, the country is stronger for having two parties in coalition working in the national interest.

When I joined up I had very mixed feelings about this coalition, like many of you.
I looked for good precedents.

I thought of Attlee and Bevin working with their Tory opponents – Churchill and Beaverbrook – setting aside their political differences in a common cause.

That coalition unleashed the great Liberal reformers; Beveridge and Keynes.

Now, you could say: that was war; that’s different.

Yes, it is different.

But we now face a crisis that is the economic equivalent of war. » | Monday, September 19, 2011

This man speaks sense! – Mark

Gay Mayor of Berlin Elected to Third Term

ADVOCATE: Klaus Wowereit, the openly gay mayor of Berlin, won a third term on Sunday in a convincing victory that makes some believe he could be the Social Democratic Party’s candidate for German chancellor in 2013.

According to Spiegel Online [E], Wowereit secured a third five-year term while his party won 28.3% of the vote and held off the resurgent Green Party, which took 17.6% of the vote.

Wowereit, 57, won reelection despite the fact that Berlin struggles with high debt, unemployment, and an influx of tourists seeking the city’s famous cultural and nightlife scenes. Analysts attribute his ballot box success to his personal popularity, which seemed assured in 2001 when he came out at a party conference prior to his election by declaring, “I’m gay, and that’s a good thing.” » | Julie Bolcer | Monday, September 19, 2011

Cheryl Cole 'Now an Al-Qaeda Target' after Afghanistan Trip
METRO: Cheryl Cole of Girls Aloud fame is now a terror target of al-Qaeda after her recent trip to Afghanistan's Helmand Province, fundamentalist cleric Anjem Choudary has warned.

The Girls Aloud singer has just returned from visiting British army members at Camp Bastion, where she took part in a mock battle and enjoyed a ride in a Sea King helicopter.

During her visit Cheryl praised the work of troops, telling the Daily Mirror: 'I always had admiration for what the guys do out here, but seeing them here at work is awe-inspiring.

'I'm delighted to be here to recognise all the hard work they do. Every one of them is a hero in my book.'

But while the former X Factor judge proved to be a hit among the armed forces, Islamic extremists have warned the high-profile visit has made Cheryl a target for terrorists.

Extremist cleric Choudary – who earlier this month led anti-American protests during the minute's silence for 9/11 victims in London – said she would 'only have herself to blame' if she was killed. » | Daniella Graham | Monday, September 19, 2011

You Have Nothing to Fear, Says Aussie Mufti

HERALD SIN: ISLAMIC religious law, or sharia, is often vilified but is really about freedom and tolerance, Australia's new grand mufti says.

Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohamed, elected in weekend voting by imams and sheiks, also said sharia corresponded with Australian laws.

"The sharia law also calls for freedom, justice, right of speech and this is something we are very fortunate to have," Dr Mohamed told journalists in Sydney yesterday, speaking through an interpreter. » | Staff Writer | Herald Sun | Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Les indignés de Wall Street

LE FIGARO: REPORTAGE - À New-York, un mouvement populaire contre la «cupidité» des banques manifeste depuis samedi en plein cœur du quartier de la finance.

Trinity Place n'est pas exactement la place Tahrir, mais l'état d'esprit n'y est pas très différent : les manifestants veulent y exprimer leur ras-le-bol contre ceux qui détiennent le pouvoir. Aux États-Unis, c'est contre les banquiers et les financiers de Wall Street que la grogne monte. Un mouvement populaire se faisant appeler «Occupez Wall Street» manifeste depuis samedi en plein cœur du quartier de la finance après avoir pris forme sur les réseaux sociaux.

Les manifestants entendent protester jusqu'en décembre contre ce qu'ils dénoncent comme la culture du «fric», la «cupidité» et la «corruption» de Wall Street et demandent à Barack Obama d'établir une commission mettant «un terme à l'influence de Wall Street sur la politique à Washington». » | Par Adèle Smith | Lundi 19 Septembre 2011

Onze millions placés chez HSBC Genève par un proche du clan Ben Ali

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Malgré la loi sur le blanchiment d’argent, Belhassen Trabelsi, beau-frère du président déchu, détient 11 millions de francs sur un compte de la HSBC Private Bank à Genève.

Belhassen Trabelsi, le beau-frère du président déchu tunisien Ben Ali, dispose d'un compte à la HSBC Private Bank installée à Genève. La coquette somme de 11 millions de francs dort ainsi sur les bords du Léman, informe la TSR. Cela malgré la loi sur le blanchiment d'argent et l'ordonnance délivrée par le Conseil fédéral au lendemain de la chute de Ben Ali. Celle-ci a demandé aux banques de geler immédiatement les fonds de 40 personnalités tunisiennes, dont ceux de l'intéressé. » | Anne-Elisabeth Celton | Lundi 19 Septembre 2011

Türkei droht Zypern Entsendung von Kriegsschiffen an
Streit um geplante Ölbohrungen im Meer droht zu eskalieren
NZZ ONLINE: Im Streit um Ölbohrungen vor Zypern hat die Türkei den Ton verschärft. Sollte die Regierung in Nikosia nicht Abstand von den geplanten Probebohrungen nehmen, werde Ankara ein eigenes Forschungsschiff entsenden. Dieses Schiff werde von der türkischen Marine begleitet. » | ddp/Reuters | Montag 19. September 2011

Tony Blair 'Visited Libya to Lobby for JP Morgan'

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Tony Blair used visits to Libya after he left office to lobby for business for the American investment bank JP Morgan, The Daily Telegraph has been told.

A senior executive with the Libyan Investment Authority, the $70 billion fund used to invest the country's oil money abroad, said Mr Blair was one of three prominent western businessmen who regularly dealt with Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the former leader.

Saif al-Islam and his close aides oversaw the activities of the fund, and often directed its officials on where they should make its investments, he said.

The executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, said officials were told the "ideas" they were ordered to pursue came from Mr Blair as well as one other British businessman and a former American diplomat.

"Tony Blair's visits were purely lobby visits for banking deals with JP Morgan," he said.
He said that unlike some other deals - notably some investments run by the US bank Goldman Sachs - JP Morgan's had never turned "bad".

But he added: "Saif and his father played these people like musical chairs. At the end the reputation of the LIA was really damaged because of these interventions." » | Richard Spencer, Tripoli, Heidi Blake and Jon Swaine in New York | Sunday, September 18, 2011

Barack Obama Book Casts Grim View of President's Leadership

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: A new book about Barack Obama, whose Pulitzer-prize winning author received extensive co-operation from the White House, portrays the American president as indecisive, out of his depth and facing insubordination from advisers.

"Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington, and the Education of a President" by Ron Suskind, to be published tomorrow, could not have come at a worse time for Mr Obama. His popularity remains in the doldrums, he is struggling to implement a new economic plan and he faces a tough challenge to be re-elected next year.

Larry Summers, a former top economic adviser is quoted as telling Peter Orszag, then Mr Obama's budget director, at a dinner in Washington's Bombay Club: "We're home alone. There's no adult in charge. Clinton would never have made these mistakes." Mr Summers was US Treasury Secretary under President Bill Clinton.

Mr Orszag is quoted as telling the author: "Larry just didn't think the president knew what he was deciding."

Anita Dunn, a former Obama communications director, is quoted as saying that "looking back, this place would be in court for a hostile workplace ... Because it actually fits all of the classic legal requirements for a genuinely hostile workplace for women."

Christine Romer, another former senior economic adviser, is quoted as saying after she was excluded from a meeting by Mr Summers: "I felt like a piece of meat." She is also said to have asked Elizabeth Warren, a Harvard professor and Obama ally: "Why is it always the women?" "Why are we the only ones with the balls around here?" » | Toby Harnden, Washington | Sunday, September 18, 2011

Seven Arrested in Birmingham in Major Terror Raids
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Six men and one woman have been arrested in Birmingham as part of a large counter-terrorism operation intended "to ensure public safety", police said.

The suspects were detained at or near their homes overnight on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism in the UK.

A spokeswoman for West Midlands Police said six men, aged between 25 and 32, were taken into custody by unarmed officers in the Moseley, Sparkbrook, Sparkhill, Ward End and Balsall Heath areas of Birmingham between 11.30pm last night and 1am today.

ln addition, a 22-year-old woman was arrested at 6.30 this morning on suspicion of failing to disclose information, contrary to the Terrorism Act 2000. » | Monday, September 19, 2011

Former IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn Regrets 'Moral Failure' of Liaison with New York Hotel Maid

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Dominique Strauss-Kahn said he regretted "a moral failure" that cost him the chance to run for the French presidency in a contrite but combative first interview over two attempted rape accusations.

Four months ago, the former International Monetary Fund chief was paraded unshaven in handcuffs by police in New York after his arrest on charges of seeking to rape Sofitel hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo.

The contrast could not have been starker as the 62 year-old sat wearing make-up on France's TF1 channel, where he was questioned on his judicial ordeal and on economic matters.

Claire Chazal, an anchorwoman on TF1 for 20 years, is a long-standing friend of Mr Strauss-Kahn's loyal wife Anne Sinclair, who worked on the channel for years.
Miss Diallo's lawyers had said that anything less than "pointed questions on his conduct" would turn the prime-time interview into a "publicity stunt".

The tone was friendly, but Miss Chazal pulled few punches, going straight in with the killer question: what happened on the night of May 14 in Sofitel room 2806? » | Henry Samuel, in Paris | Sunday, September 18, 2011

Tory MPs Demand Referendum on Europe

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron must call a referendum on Europe or face a rebellion from his own party and a backlash from voters, a leading back-bench Tory warns today.

Mark Pritchard, the secretary of the 1922 committee of Conservative MPs, is the most senior Tory yet to demand a vote on Britain’s membership of the European Union following the eurozone crisis.

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Mr Pritchard says that the EU has become an “occupying force” which is eroding British sovereignty and that the “unquestioning support” of backbenchers is no longer guaranteed.

He says the Government should hold a referendum next year on whether Britain should have a “trade only” relationship with the EU, rather than the political union which has evolved “by stealth”.

He warns that the Conservatives will see constituents “kick back” if taxpayers are forced to foot the bill for the failure of “unreformed and lazy” eurozone countries to introduce fully-fledged austerity measures.

Mr Pritchard is a leading figure in a group of 120 Conservative MPs who are pushing the Prime Minister to set out a “clear plan” for pulling back from Europe. » | Andrew Porter, Political Editor | Sunday, September 18, 2011

'I Made Love to Eight Girls in One Night,' Boasts Berlusconi to Man Who Allegedly Provided Escort Girls for New Year's Eve Party

MAIL ON SUNDAY: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has boasted of sleeping with eight women in one night.

Mr Berlusconi, 74, made the claim in a bugged phone chat with businessman Giampaolo Tarantini, who allegedly recruited escort girls for his wild parties.

‘Yesterday evening there was a queue outside my door,’ said Mr Berlusconi.

‘There were 11. I had eight because I couldn’t go any further. You can’t do all of them.’ » | Mail On Sunday Reporter | Sunday, September 18, 2011

Norvège: attaque contre un caricaturiste de Mahomet déjouée

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Kurt Westergaard, le plus célèbre caricaturiste du prophète Mahomet a échappé à une attaque en Norvège. La police a arrêté un citoyen norvégien d'une trentaine d'années.

La police norvégienne a arrêté mardi une personne qui préparait une attaque contre le dessinateur danois Kurt Westergaard, l’auteur de la plus célèbre des caricatures du prophète Mahomet, a rapporté un journal norvégien.

M. Westergaard, 76 ans, avait annoncé plus tôt cette semaine qu’il avait à la demande des services de sécurité écourté un séjour en Norvège, où il devait participer à la présentation d’un livre à Oslo.

Le quotidien Dagbladet rapporte qu’un citoyen norvégien d’une trentaine d’années a été arrêté parce qu’il prévoyait une attaque contre le dessinateur, dans le collimateur des islamistes depuis sa caricature controversée. » | AFP | Samedi 17 Septembre 2011

Henry Kissinger Watches Historian Niall Ferguson Marry Ayaan Hirsi Ali Under a Fatwa

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Niall Ferguson, the television historian, has married Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the target of Muslim extremists, in an American ceremony attended by Henry Kissinger.

Never usually one to do anything without great fanfare, Niall Ferguson, the bombastic television historian, has quietly married Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the former Dutch MP, who lives under a fatwa after writing the screenplay for Submission, a film critical of Islam. » | Richard Eden | Sunday, September 18, 2011

Libya: Tony Blair and Col Gaddafi's Secret Meetings

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: New questions over Tony Blair's ties to Col Muammar Gaddafi and his role in the release of the Lockerbie bomber have emerged from documents discovered in Tripoli.

The letters and emails, found by The Sunday Telegraph, show Mr Blair held secret talks with Gaddafi in the months before Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was freed from a British jail.

He was flown to Libya twice at Gaddafi's expense on one of the former dictator's private jets - visiting the him in June 2008 and April 2009, when Libya was threatening to cut all business links if Megrahi stayed in a British jail.

The disclosure of the meetings – of which Mr Blair makes no mention on his various websites – prompted calls by relatives of Lockerbie victims for Mr Blair to make public all his dealings with Gaddafi and his regime. Mr Blair even brought an American billionaire to one of the meetings. Sources say the financier was asked by Gaddafi for help in building beach resorts on the Libyan coast.

In the correspondence, Mr Blair's private office refers to Gaddafi deferentially as "The Leader". Pam Dix, whose brother died in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie on Dec 21 1988, said yesterday: "The idea of Gaddafi paying for Mr Blair's visit is deeply offensive.

"These new meetings between Mr Blair and Gaddafi are disturbing, and details of what was discussed should now be made public. I am astonished Tony Blair continued to have meetings like this out of office." » | Colin Freeman, in Tripoli and Robert Mendick, Chief Reporter | Saturday, September 17, 2011

Is the EDL the New Voice of the White Working Class?
TELEGRAPH BLOGS – DAMIAN THOMPSON: There’s a YouTube video doing the rounds which “anti-fascist” campaigners against the English Defence League don’t want you to see. It features a couple of young middle-class supporters of Unite Against Fascism sniggering as one of them describes a “horrible tattooed woman” at a demo being punched in the face “before someone kicks her up the arse”. In the words of Telegraph blogger Brendan O’Neill, these well-bred kids admit that it’s not normally OK to hit women, “but you can make an exception when it comes to female EDL supporters because they aren’t women – they’re dogs”.

You might think there’s nothing new in this. The street battles between the Anti-Nazi League and the National Front in the 1970s pitted white middle-class students against white working-class thugs: in both cases there was a sense that the ethnic minorities they were fighting over were almost irrelevant. Actually, the similarities are misleading. The EDL isn’t the National Front or even the British National Party. It’s not a fascist party, more of an angry white rentamob. And the racism is different, too: not so much about colour, more about culture.

But here’s the worrying thing. The EDL and its sympathisers appear, at first glance, to be more representative of a section of the English working class – especially in London – than the old “far Right” ever was. » | Damian Thompson | Friday, September 16, 2011

The EDL strikes a chord with the white working class precisely because nobody in the ruling élite stands up for this country's indigenous values. If the parliamentarians were to stand up for British, Christian values, there would be no need for a group like the EDL, and they'd wither on the vine, so to speak.

It used to be so that the aristocrats of this country stood up for Britain too. But those days have gone, it seems. Now, they are too busy making money out of cheap labour provided by the mass immigration which has taken place in recent times, mass immigration which no electors gave them permission to bring about, by opening the floodgates.

Immigration can, to a certain extent, be a good thing for any country. But it must be controlled, and it must also be in proportion to the size of the country and its indigenous population. If immigration is allowed to get out of control, the culture of the indigenous population is liable to be swamped by the values and culture of those immigrating into the country. And when this occurs, the people become scared. The working class become particularly scared because they do not have the wealth and resources to insulate themselves from what is happening around them.

In this case, they are able to see that whole neighbourhoods are becoming Islamised and ghettoised. The ruling élite can afford to live in expensive areas and thereby isolate themselves from the ill effects of the laws they have passed. Poorer people cannot do this.

If the emergence of the EDL is obnoxious to us, then it behoves us to do something to stem the tide of immigrants (legal and illegal), and to reverse the clear Islamisation of this country. Muslims in this country need to be told in no uncertain terms that they are welcome here only if they abide by the laws of the land. They should also be told that there is a leading culture, a guiding culture, aLeitkultur here.

Then, and only then, can we hope to do something meaningful about this growth in thuggery (on both the side of the EDL and the Anti-Fascist League).

Might I also suggest that for our part, we start to sharpen up our act. For when I look around me, all I see is a culture which is degenerating before my eyes. If we want these immigrants to integrate, and we certainly should do, then we must give them something worthwhile to integrate into. – © Mark

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Israël incapable d'empêcher la démarche des Palestiniens à l'ONU
LE POINT: Mahmoud Abbas est déterminé à présenter une demande d'adhésion d'un État de Palestine au Conseil de sécurité.

Un ministre israélien a reconnu samedi qu'Israël ne pouvait pas empêcher la demande d'adhésion d'un État palestinien à l'ONU, jugeant toutefois possible une relance des négociations de paix. "Malheureusement, Israël n'a pas les moyens d'empêcher que les Palestiniens demandent l'adhésion de leur État à l'ONU et il est impossible de les arrêter", a déclaré à la radio publique israélienne le ministre sans portefeuille Yossi Peled, du parti Likoud (droite). » | Source AFP | Samedi 17 Septembre 2011

Der vergessene Aufstand in Bahrain
Radikalisierter Widerstand nach Niederschlagung der Opposition

NZZ ONLINE: Der Aufstand in Bahrain droht in Vergessenheit zu geraten. Die einst geeinte Opposition ist gespalten. Das Regime versucht mit Öffentlichkeitsarbeit, die internationale Meinung zu beeinflussen. Ein Ende der schwelenden Krise ist nicht absehbar.

Acht Monate nach dem Ausbruch der politischen und sozialen Unruhen in Bahrain haben sich die unterschiedlichen Interpretationen der Krise gefestigt. Mitglieder der Königsfamilie, Chefbeamte sowie ein beachtlicher Teil der sunnitischen Bevölkerungsminderheit behaupten, Bahrain vor einer Machtübernahme der Schiiten, die Iran in die Hände gespielt hätte, bewahrt zu haben. Sie nehmen Bezug auf die Toten und Verletzten unter den Sicherheitskräften und asiatischen Arbeitsmigranten und betonen, die Krise müsse mit harter Hand beendet werden. Der im Juli abgehaltene Nationale Dialog habe eine Mehrheit der Bevölkerung zufriedengestellt. Von der Regierung beauftragte PR-Firmen in Washington und anderen Hauptstädten sind damit beschäftigt, diese Version der Ereignisse international zu verbreiten. » | Toby Matthiesen | Samstag 17. September 2011

New Dark Age Alert! Tarek Fatah Talk at Ideacity 2011

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Les Syriens poursuivent leurs manifestations, le gouvernement, la répression
LE MONDE: Une nouvelle fois, les Syriens sont descendus par milliers dans les rues, à travers le pays, pour souligner leur détermination à protester jusqu'à la chute du président Bachar Al-Assad, six mois après le début de leur révolte. En face, les forces de l'ordre persistaient à réprimer la contestation, faisant encore vingt et un morts.

Sept civils ont péri à Hama (centre), deux à Homs (centre), trois à Idleb (nord-ouest), quatre dans la banlieue de Damas et cinq dans la région de Deraa (sud), selon l'Observatoire syrien des droits de l'homme (OSDH). Ils sont morts soit en manifestant, soit lors des opérations de ratissage et de perquisitions, sous les balles des troupes syriennes, ajoute l'organisme. L'ONG a en outre fait état de la découverte de 15 cadavres dans plusieurs villes, la plupart des personnes ayant péri ces dernières vingt-quatre heures dans des opérations de sécurité.

Selon l'ONU, plus de 2 600 personnes sont mortes dans la répression, en grande majorité des civils. Plus de 15 000 personnes sont actuellement détenues et des milliers d'autres portées disparues. » | LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | Vendredi 16 Septembre 2011

Tunesien vor der Wahl: Der nette Islamist von nebenan

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Tunesien steht vor den ersten freien Wahlen - wahrscheinlich siegt die Islamistenpartei Nahda. Ihre Mitglieder wurden während der Diktatur brutal verfolgt, heute hat die Partei Geld, gibt es für Soziales und Bildung aus. Trotzdem fürchten viele im Land eine religiöse Wende nach rechts.

Er strahlt, er scherzt, er hat heute noch viel vor: "Gleich gehe ich mit meinen beiden Söhnen einkaufen, neue Hemden und Hosen für das Eid-Fest zum Ende des Ramadan", sagt Abderrahim Khelifi in der Lobby des Afrika-Hotels in Tunis.

Draußen schieben sich Tausende durch das Herz der tunesischen Hauptstadt: Beim arabischen Pendant zu den Weihnachtseinkäufen wird gedrängelt und gefeilscht, den Kindern gehen die Augen über, den Eltern geht es ans Portemonnaie. Vor allem aber liegt diese besondere Feiertagsstimmung in der Luft, die Khelifi mit in die düstere Hotellobby gebracht hat. "Das wird das beste Fastenbrechen, das wir jemals hatten", freut sich der 52-Jährige.

Was für eine Verwandlung: Vor acht Monaten war Khelifi ein gebrochener Mann. Da hatte er sich vor den Straßenschlachten, die auf dem zentralen Burghiba-Boulevard zwischen Demonstranten und Polizei tobten, in ein Reisebüro geflüchtet. Hager wirkte er und müde, stockend erzählte er seine Lebensgeschichte: Wie die Herrschaft von Zine al-Abidine Ben Alis alle seine Träume zerstörte. Wie er, der Wirtschaftswissenschaftler, nicht mal mehr als Grundschullehrer arbeiten durfte. Wie er gezwungen war, sein Leben lang nur Hilfsarbeiten auf dem Bau zu erledigen. Davon, wie er als in der Wolle gefärbter Anhänger der islamistischen "Nahda"-Partei Jahre lang im Gefängnis saß, wie er gefoltert wurde - und wie schwer all das für seine Frau war. » | Aus Tunis berichtet Ulrike Putz | Samstag 17. September 2011

Gay Marriage ‘to Be Made Legal in Britain by 2015’
MAIL ONLINE: The coalition is to push ahead with plans for gay marriage following the personal intervention of David Cameron.

Liberal Democrat Lynne Featherstone will today unveil plans to legislate to bring in gay marriage before 2015.

The Equalities Minister will also announce that Britain should be a ‘world leader for gay rights’.

Vowing to be a personal ‘champion for gay rights’, Miss Featherstone will risk controversy by arguing that the Coalition should go even further in future.

At present, gays and lesbians are allowed to enter civil partnerships, which offer most of the legal protections of marriage. But the term ‘marriage’ is not used.

Miss Featherstone will announce that a consultation will begin next March on allowing homosexuals to get married. A change in the law will follow the consultation.

Under the plans, same-sex couples will be able to have full marriages in registry offices, as heterosexual couples can.

But they will still be barred from getting married in churches and other religious buildings – even though some denominations want to offer the services. Coalition sources said ministers are determined to enact the change before the next election. » | Daniel Martin and Tim Shipman | Saturday, September 17, 2011

Egypt Rewards Violence, Paves the Way for More
HUDSON NEW YORK: The ruling military dictatorship in Egypt should not be allowed to avoid responsibility for the assault on the Israeli embassy in Cairo last week.

Failure to take severe steps against the assailants will only encourage the rioters and enemies of peace. Today it is the Israeli embassy. Tomorrow it could be the embassy of the US or Denmark or any other country.

This is a case where the writing was on the wall.

A few days before the mob stormed the embassy, the Egyptian authorities honored a young man for climbing more than 20 floors to remove the Israeli flag from the offices of the Israeli embassy.

According to a report in Egypt's Al Masry Al Youm newspaper, Sharqiya Governor Azazy Ali Azazy, honored the man who climbed the building that houses the embassy and tore down the Israeli flag.

Ahmed al-Shahat, 23, affectionately nicknamed "Flagman," was awarded a flat and a job for his "courageous" deed.

"I wish I were in his place to enjoy that honor," the governor said, referring to the young man. » | Khaled Abu Toameh | Friday, September 16, 2011

Islamic Sharia Law Court Opens in Belgium
HUDSON NEW YORK: An Islamic Sharia law court has been established in Antwerp, the second-largest city in Belgium.

The Sharia court is the initiative of a radical Muslim group called Sharia4Belgium. Leaders of the group say the purpose of the court is to create a parallel Islamic legal system in Belgium in order to challenge the state's authority as enforcer of the civil law protections guaranteed by the Belgian constitution.

The Sharia court, which is located in Antwerp's Borgerhout district, is "mediating" family law disputes for Muslim immigrants in Belgium.

The self-appointed Muslim judges running the court are applying Islamic law, rather than the secular Belgian Family Law system, to resolve disputes involving questions of marriage and divorce, child custody and child support, as well as all inheritance-related matters.

Unlike Belgian civil law, Islamic Sharia law does not guarantee equal rights for men and women; critics of the Sharia court say it will undermine the rights of Muslim women in marriage and education. » | Soeren Kern | Thursday, September 15, 2011

State Bill Introduced to Ban Shari’a-Islamic, Other Forms of Foreign Law
CENTRAL MICHIGAN LIFE: A state lawmaker’s proposed bill that would ban the use of foreign laws in the Michigan court system is an example of Islamophobia, said one Central Michigan University professor.

Shari’a, a set of religious guidelines for Muslims that include aspects of their personal life, family relationships and religious practices, would be prohibited from being recognized in courts according to a bill proposed by State Rep. Dave Agema, R-Grandville.

Courts consult Shari’a law just as they have often consulted Jewish law, called Halakha, said Hugh Talat Halman, assistant professor of philosophy and religion.

The bill does not say anything specifically about Shari’a-Islamic law, but it would be prohibited in Michigan courts if the law were passed, along with Jewish law and any other form foreign law.

“The bill is against foreign law that goes against constitutional, federal and state laws,” Agema said. “It’s very simple and it does not go against one particular group or another.” » | Jordan Spence | Friday, September 16, 2011

Wulff dankt Türken für Beitrag zum Wohlstand

BERLINER ZEITUNG: München/Berlin - Bundespräsident Christian Wulff hat den Türken in Deutschland für ihren Beitrag zum deutschen Wohlstand gedankt. «Einwanderer aus der Türkei haben Deutschland vielfältiger, offener und der Welt zugewandter gemacht», sagte Wulff in einem Interview der «Süddeutschen Zeitung».

Er sehe in einem weiteren Ausbau der deutsch-türkischen Beziehungen «ein großes Potenzial» für beide Länder.

Wulff würdigte auch die Rolle der Türkei als Vorbild für die Umbruchstaaten in der arabischen Welt. Die Türkei sei «ein Beispiel dafür, dass Islam und Demokratie, Islam und Rechtsstaat, Islam und Pluralismus kein Widerspruch sein müssen». Dies sei von «überragender Bedeutung für den Frieden in der Welt». Am Montag wird Wulff in Berlin den türkischen Staatspräsidenten Abdullah Gül empfangen. Wulff will während des dreitägigen Staatsbesuchs seinem Gast auch seine Geburtsstadt Osnabrück zeigen, wo ein Platz nach einer türkischen Zuwandererfamilie benannt wurde. » | © dpa | Samstag 17. September 201

German Police Baffled by Case of English-speaking Boy with No Identity
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Detectives in Germany are trying to identify an English-speaking teenager who claims to have been living wild in a forest for the past five years.

The 17-year-old, who turned up at Berlin’s city hall, said he had been walking for two weeks but had no idea who he was or where he was from.

He told officers that he and his father moved to the forest about five years ago following the death of his mother and had lived off the land since, sleeping in a tent and remote huts.

He said his father had also died recently and that he had buried him in a shallow grave before setting off to find help.

Detectives said the teenager, who gave his name as Ray, spoke a little German, but his first language appeared to be English.

He was able to tell officers his name and his date of birth, but claimed not to remember either of his parents’ names or anything of his life before he entered the forest.

Despite being dishevelled, he was described as being fit and healthy and showing no signs of malnourishment or abuse. » | Stuart Braun in Berlin and Martin Evans | Friday, September 16, 2011

BILD: Junge lebte fünf Jahre im Wald: Berlin – Er stand auf einmal in einer Berliner Polizeiwache. Mit einem Zelt, einem Schlaf- und einem Rucksack – und gibt seitdem den Behörden Rätsel auf: Der Junge aus dem Wald. 16 bis 18 Jahre alt, englischsprachig, keine Ausweispapiere. » | ali | Freitag 16. September 2011

Former Saudi Wahhabi Radical Takes on the Koran

Euro Crisis: The Bond that Unites Europe Is at Breaking Point

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Disaster across the eurozone has all but destroyed the common purpose at the heart of European union. [sic]

Already jittery because of the financial crisis, members of the European Parliament spilt their coffee when the Polish finance minister, Jacek Rostowski, addressed them this week. “If the eurozone breaks up, the European Union will not be able to survive,” he said, as MEPs bleakly contemplated their vanished expense accounts and sandwiches instead of long lunches in Brussels and Strasbourg.

But there was much worse to follow. Dr Rostowski, a British- born economist, former Tory party member, and Solidarity activist, told them about a chance meeting with an old friend at an airport.

As they discussed the eurozone crisis, the friend warned there would be “war in the next 10 years”. Rostowski added with a final flourish, “War! Ladies and gentlemen, those are the terms he used,” as the massed MEPs mentally translated wojna into guerre and Krieg.

It was not supposed to end like this, for the European project has always had more than economic goals, as Rostowski confirmed when he said that “Europe’s great achievement is political peace. But it is not eternal”. As a Pole, he knows. » | Michael Burleigh | Thursday, September 15, 2011

I concur with Dr. Rostowski. War will inevitably follow if the EU breaks up. It won't be this year, or next year. But in the not-too-distant future, war will be the inevitable outcome. The people who are against the EU are myopic, and lack any understanding of history. Yes, there is much wrong with the EU; but yes, too, there is much right with it. What is wrong with it can be changed. Let us not throw the baby out with the bathwater! – © Mark

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New York Smokers Down to Record Low
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The number of smokers in New York has hit an all-time low, city health officials said on Thursday.

Only 14 out of 100 adults still light up, a 35 per cent decrease from 2002 figures, the Health Department said. The decrease amounts to 450,000 fewer adult smokers, with teens registering steep declines.

"Smoking is the leading cause of preventable, premature death in New York City and the nation today and we&£8217; re proud that a record number of New Yorkers are saving their own lives by quitting," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement. » | Friday, September 16, 2011

All sounds good and sensible. But is it? It begs the following question: What are they doing for kicks and pleasure instead? Bringing the smoking rate down to record levels is good only when people are not substituting their smoking habit with something else more injurious to their health. One can only wonder what is happening to the rates of drug and alcohol abuse. Smoking has become the bête noire of our age. But there are far more harmful things to one's health than a few puffs on a cigarette. As one-track minded as Bloomberg is – he has a real bee in his bonnet with regards to smoking, being a reformed smoker himself – I wonder if he has looked into the downside of his persecution of smokers? – Mark

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Joanna Lumley Targeted in Facebook Campaign against Gurkha 'Influx'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Actress Joanna Lumley has become the target of a Facebook hate campaign for her role in attracting a "massive influx" of Gurkhas to the country.

The Ab Fab star successfully campaigned for the heroic soldiers and their families to be given a right to settle in the UK.

But the Gurkhas and their families now make up 10 per cent of the population in Aldershot, Hants, and residents say services are struggling to cope.

Over 2,300 people have joined Facebook pages called "Joanna Lumley has F**ked up Aldershot and Farnborough" and "Lumley's Legacy".

Anti-Gurkha messages have also been graffitied across the area.

Sam Phillips, who founded both groups, said he was not racist and had "great appreciation" for the sacrifices the Gurkhas made for "our country".

The 35-year-old HGV driver, from Aldershot, added: "Joanna Lumley was happy to use her face to get publicity for her cause, now we are using her name to show the result.

"Our problem is not with the Gurkhas it is with the government. » | Friday, September 16, 2011

Des centaines de musulmans bravent l'interdiction de prier dans la rue

LE POINT: Pour la prière du vendredi, des musulmans ont prié à Paris, en banlieue, ainsi qu'à Nice.

En dépit de l'interdiction du ministre de l'Intérieur d'organiser des prières de rue, ils étaient des centaines de musulmans à braver les consignes vendredi. À Paris, quelques 200 fidèles priaient dans l'après-midi dans une rue du quartier parisien de la Goutte-d'Or [EN]. Environ 200 fidèles s'étaient installés peu après 14 heures sur les trottoirs et la chaussée de la rue Polonceau (18e arrondissement). À Gennevilliers (Hauts-de-Seine), ville qui dispose d'une nouvelle mosquée, 200 autres personnes de confession musulmane ont prié dans l'après-midi dans une rue de la zone portuaire, à l'appel d'une association qui s'oppose à la destruction prévue de leur ancienne mosquée située à quelques mètres.

Enfin, à Nice, une centaine de fidèles ont prié sur un trottoir attenant à la mosquée du centre-ville de Nice. Le ministère de l'Intérieur s'est dit déterminé à faire respecter dès ce vendredi l'interdiction de prier dans les rues en France, notamment à Paris et Marseille où de nouveaux lieux de culte ont été ouverts pour les fidèles musulmans. » | Source AFP | Vendredi 16 Septembre 2011

Jackie Kennedy Talks of Her Love for JFK in Audio Tapes
The former First Lady describes how supportive her husband was in the face of criticism of her as a 'liability'.

WIKI: Jacqueline Lee Bouvier "Jackie" Kennedy »
Related article »

Roman Polanski to Collect Festival Honour in Zurich

BBC: Director Roman Polanski is to collect a career honour at the Zurich Film Festival, two years after his arrest in the city on child sex charges.

Organisers say the 78-year-old will attend the gala to receive his award which he was set to pick up in 2009.

Swiss police arrested Polanski on his arrival in the country over his 1977 US conviction for having sex with a 13-year-old girl.

He was held for 10 months before Swiss courts decided not to extradite him.

The tribute ceremony to present Polanski with his lifetime achievement award is due to be held on 27 September.

Directors of the Zurich Film Festival, Karl Spoerri and Nadja Schildknecht, said: "We are especially proud to welcome Roman Polanski this year to receive his award.

"We have always been tremendous admirers of his work and we are delighted that we will soon be able to express this to him in person," they added.

The Zurich Film Festival is taking place from 22 September to 2 October. » | Friday, September 16, 2011

Texas : un condamné à mort obtient un sursis in extremis

LE FIGARO: La Cour suprême a suspendu à la dernière minute l'exécution de Duane Buck, condamné en 1995 pour double meurtre mais dont le procès avait été entaché de considérations sur sa couleur de peau.

Jusqu'au bout, l'État du Texas aura refusé d'épargner Duane Buck. En 1995, cet homme noir aujourd'hui âgé de 48 ans avait été condamné à la peine capitale pour le meurtre de son ex-petite amie et d'un ami de celle-ci. L'injection létale devait avoir lieu jeudi soir. Mais considérant que son procès avait été entaché de considérations raciales, la Cour suprême des États-Unis lui a accordé in extremis un sursis.

La plus haute juridiction du pays n'a pas indiqué la durée de ce sursis. L'avocate du condamné, Kate Black, s'est néanmoins dite «très heureuse que la Cour suprême ait reconnu l'injustice raciale dans cette affaire». «Nous sommes persuadés que la Cour sera d'accord pour dire que notre client a le droit à une audience juste qui ne soit pas entachée de considérations raciales», a-t-elle ajouté. L'ancien ministre de la Justice du Texas, le sénateur John Cornyn, avait admis précédemment «l'introduction déplacée de (questions) raciales lors de l'audience de condamnation de M. Buck», en l'occurence le témoignage d'un psychologue qui, interrogé par l'accusation, avait déclaré que les Noirs avaient davantage de risques d'être récidivistes. » | Par lefigaro.fr | Vendredi 16 Septembre 2011

Converts Must Die: Imam to Swedish Radio
THE LOCAL: Swedish public service broadcaster Sveriges Radio (SR) has been reported for hate speech after featuring a programme in which a Somali imam called for all converts from Islam to be killed.

The programme in question was a panel discussion and was broadcast live by SR International's Somali service.

The police report was filed by Erik Johansson, at the Swedish Evangelical Mission (Evangeliska Fosterlands-Stiftelsen - EFS), after friends told him of the imam's words underlining every Muslim's responsibility to kill anyone who leaves Islam.

"I received a call from my Somali friends who had heard the programme. I don't speak the language myself and when they explained to me, I concluded that this wasn't a message which should be on an SR channel," Erik Johansson told The Local on Thursday. » | Peter Vinthagen Simpson | Thursday, September 15, 2011

Wilhelm Tell: Held oder Mörder?
Diese Frage hat sich eine neue Ausstellung im Neuenburger Museum für Kunst und Geschichte gestellt. Die Ausstellung führt zurück an den Ursprung der Tell-Legende.

WIKI: William Tell »

WIKI: Albrecht Gessler »

Needy Germans Irritated JFK, Tapes Reveal'He Got Awfully Fed Up with Adenauer and All that Berlin'
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: This week's release of interviews with former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy has revealed a new side of the demure fashion icon. Among the unsparing criticism of her husband's political contemporaries were also a few comments about the Germans, who were apparently the source of great aggravation.

She said Martin Luther King was "phony," called former French President Charles de Gaulle an "egomaniac" and had harsh words for her husband's successor, Lyndon B. Johnson. In a new book that unveils private interviews for the first time with former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, unpleasant opinions about a number of political figures are revealed´-- and the Germans aren't spared, either.

Released this week, "Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life With John F. Kennedy" documents previously unheard conversations with the grieving widow in the spring and summer of 1964. Recorded in her Washington home by historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., they offer an intimate glimpse into the personal and political lives of the Kennedy family during their three years in the White House.

With a frankness uncharacteristic of her discreet public persona, Mrs. Kennedy offered up humorous -- though sometimes prickly -- descriptions and private reflections, which can also be heard on audio discs that come with the book or are provided digitally with the e-book. Among her unflattering comments about other world leaders -- such as the "kind of pushy, horrible" future Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi -- she also revealed that her husband had often been exasperated by relations with Germany. » | kla | Thursday, September 15, 2011

Gaza: Neue Freiheiten
Nächste Woche will Palästina die UNO-Mitgliedschaft beantragen. Verändert dieses Ziel auch die Politik der Hamas gegenüber den Frauen im Gaza-Streifen? Bisher waren unter der radikal islamischen Regierung Sport, Spiel und Kultur für Frauen tabu. Dass nun - ermutigt durch die arabische Revolution - plötzlich Frauen surfen, malen und tanzen, zeigt einen Kulturwandel, der bei traditionelleren Schichten nicht immer auf Anklang stösst.

"Unterhosenbomber" ruft vor US-Gericht zum Jihad auf

DIE PRESSE: Der Nigerianer Abdulmutallab wollte ein US-Flugzeug sprengen. Im Prozess gab er sich ungehalten. "Osama ist am Leben", schrie er im Gerichtssaal.

Bei seiner Anhörung vor einem Gericht in Detroit hat der Nigerianer Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, der zu Weihnachten 2009 ein US-Passagierflugzeug in die Luft sprengen wollte, den Tod von Al-Kaida-Chef Osama Bin Laden abgestritten. "Osama ist am Leben", rief der 24-Jährige laut örtlichen Medienberichten am Mittwoch (Ortszeit) im Gerichtssaal. Richterin Nancy Edmunds wies den Angaben zufolge indes mehrere Anträge des Angeklagten zurück, mit denen er eine Verschiebung des für Mitte Oktober vorgesehenen Prozessbeginns erreichen wollte. » | APA | Donnerstag 15. September 2011

Nicolas Sarkozy and David Cameron 'Colonising Libya'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Libyan visit of David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy marked the start of the "colonisation" of the oil-rich country, Col Gaddafi's spokesman Moussa Ibrahim has warned.

The British prime minister and French president, whose forces spearheaded the Nato air war that helped to topple Gaddafi, were hailed as heroes during their visit on Thursday to Tripoli and the eastern city of Benghazi.

But Ibrahim, in a telephone call to the Syria-based Arrai late on Thursday, charged that their joint mission had ulterior motives.

"The visit marks the start of a project of colonisation of Libya," he said.

"They are hurrying to collect the fruits of the fall of Tripoli ... because they obviously fear the arrival of America and other countries wanting a slice of the cake," he said, without disclosing where he was phoning from.

Gaddafi and members of his inner circle have been in hiding since Tripoli was overrun by National Transitional Council (NTC) fighters late last month, with the fugitive strongman still believed to be in Libya even though members of his family have fled to Algeria and Niger. » | Friday, September 16, 2011

Neil Kinnock's Daughter-in-law Becomes Denmark's First Female PM
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Lord Kinnock's daughter-in-law Helle Thorning-Schmidt is to become Denmark’s first woman prime minister after winning a knife-edge victory in the country’s general election.

As the first votes came in on Thursday night, her centre-left coalition, which was the strong favourite to win, at one point fell behind the government, but pulled ahead by the end of the night to win 89 of the country’s seats next to the 86 seats won by the coalition led by Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen.

Addressing victorious Social Democratic Party members last night, Ms Thorning-Schidmt, 44, said: “Today is the day things change in Denmark. This evening we’ve shown that the Social Democrats are a big and driving force in Denmark. We’ve written history today.”


Ms Thorning-Schidmt’s victory brings the Danish left back to power after ten years in opposition, and is likely to mean Denmark will be less hostile to moves towards closer economic co-ordination within the European Union. » | Richard Orange in Malmö | Friday, September 16, 2011

Netherlands to Ban the Burka
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Holland is to become the latest European country to ban the burka, despite the fact that fewer than 100 Dutch women are thought to wear the face-covering Islamic dress.

The Dutch government will agree to introduce a ban on Friday making the Netherlands the third country in Europe to prohibit the burka, behind France and Belgium.

Women caught wearing a burka in public, on the streets, public transport and in schools or hospitals will be fined £330.

There will be exemptions for mosques, or other religious buildings and for foreign women travelling through the transit lounges of international Dutch airports. » | Bruno Waterfield | Thursday, September 15, 2011

Pat Condell: In Superstition We Trust

Praying in Paris Streets Outlawed
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Praying in the streets of Paris is against the law starting Friday, after the interior minister warned that police will use force if Muslims, and those of any other faith, disobey the new rule to keep the French capital's public spaces secular.

Claude Guéant said that ban could later be extended to the rest ofFrance, in particular to the Mediterranean cities of Nice and Marseilles, where "the problem persists".

He promised the new legislation would be followed to the letter as it "hurts the sensitivities of many of our fellow citizens".

"My vigilance will be unflinching for the law to be applied. Praying in the street is not dignified for religious practice and violates the principles of secularism, the minister told Le Figaro newspaper.

"All Muslim leaders are in agreement," he insisted.

In December when Marine Le Pen, then leader-in-waiting of the far-Right National Front, sparked outrage by likening the practice to the Nazi occupation of Paris in the Second World War "without the tanks or soldiers". She said it was a "political act of fundamentalists". » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Thursday, September 15, 2011