US Man Faces 15 Years in Jail for Insulting Thai Monarchy

THE GUARDIAN: Thai-born Lerpong Wichaikhammat wants Washington to seek his release on grounds of freedom of expression

An American citizen has pleaded guilty to insulting Thailand's monarchy, an offence that carries up to 15 years in prison. Lerpong Wichaikhammat, who also calls himself Joe W Gordon, has asked Washington to seek his release on grounds of freedom of expression.

Thailand has the world's toughest laws on lese-majesty * – insulting the monarchy – and many of its people regard King Bhumibol Adulyadej as almost divine.

Thai-born Lerpong, 55, was charged with using the internet to disseminate information that insults or threatens the monarchy after he translated an article and posted it on his blog.

He was also accused of providing a web link to a controversial biography of 83-year-old Bhumibol by a US author. The book is banned in Thailand. » | REUTERS | Monday, October 10, 2011

* WIKI: Lese majesty / lèse majesté / laesa maiestas »

Iranian Actress to Be Lashed 90 Times
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: An Iranian actress has been sentenced to a year in jail and 90 lashes for her role in a film about the limits imposed on artists in the Islamic republic.


Marzieh Vafamehr's sentence was reported by an Iranian opposition website on Sunday. "A verdict has been issued for Marzieh Vafamehr, sentencing her to a year in jail and 90 lashes," Kalameh.com reported. » | Sunday, October 09, 2011

EU: Children to Be Banned from Blowing Up Balloons, under EU Safety Rules
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Children are to be banned from taking part in traditional Christmas games, from blowing up balloons to blowing on party whistles, because of new EU safety rules that have just entered into force.

The EU toy safety directive, agreed and implemented by Government, states that balloons must not be blown up by unsupervised children under the age of eight, in case they accidentally swallow them and choke.

Despite having been popular favourites for generations of children, party games including whistles and magnetic fishing games are to be banned because their small parts or chemicals used in making them are decreed to be too risky.

Apparently harmless toys that children have enjoyed for decades are now regarded by EU regulators as posing an unacceptable safety risk.

Whistle blowers, that scroll out into a a long coloured paper tongue when sounded – a party favourite at family Christmas meals – are now classed as unsafe for all children under 14.

The new rules are designed to protect children from the chance that a piece of the whistle could be swallowed and cause choking. » | Bruno Waterfield, Brussels | Sunday, October 09, 2011

Christmas Removed from Thomas the Tank Engine to Be Politically Correct
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The daughter of the clergyman author who created Thomas the Tank Engine has criticised television producers for writing Christmas out of a new series.

Hilary Fortnam said that her father, the Rev W Awdry, would have been distressed after executives decided to omit religious references from one his adventures.

The Rev Awdry was himself the son of a Hampshire vicar and brought his three children up in the traditions of the Church of England.

His relatives have now protested after the television company which is recording new adventures for the little blue engine rebranded Christmas as "the holidays" in its latest storyline, to comply with “politically correct” thinking.

“He would feel very strongly about this politically correct age and that those who now write his stories should not have taken Christ out of Christmas. Political correctness against Christian beliefs offends,” Mrs Fortnam said in a letter to the Daily Telegraph.

She explained that her father, who worked as a vicar for nearly 30 years, “always impressed on reporters and publishers that he ‘was a priest first and a children’s author second.’” » | Duncan Gardham | Monday, October 10, 2011

Six Dead as Thousands Riot in Cairo's Tahrir Square
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: At least six people were killed as fierce clashes erupted between Christians protesting over a recent attack on a church and the Egyptian military on Sunday night.

The dead included four protesters and two soldiers, state media reported, and 40 people were injured in the riots outside the state television building along the Nile in the capital Cairo.

Witnesses said some of the protesters may have snatched weapons from the soldiers and turned them on the military. The protesters also pelted the soldiers with rocks and bottles.

The clashes spread to nearby Tahrir Square and the area around it, drawing in thousands of people. At one point, a group of youths with at least one riot policeman among them dragged a protester by his legs for a long distance.

The protesters, Coptic Christians angry over a recent attack on a church, said their demonstration began as a peaceful attempt to sit in at the television building. But then, they said they came under attack by thugs in plainclothes who rained stones down on them and fired pellets.

"The protest was peaceful. We wanted to hold a sit-in, as usual," said Essam Khalili, a protester wearing a white shirt with a cross drawn on it. "Thugs attacked us and a military vehicle jumped over a sidewalk and ran over at least 10 people. I saw them." » | Sunday, October 09, 2011

AL MASRY AL YOUM: Live Updates: Death toll rises as Copts clash with military » | Sunday, October 09, 2011

THE GUARDIAN: Cairo riots claim 19 lives: Christians protesting attack on church in southern Egypt attacked by armed mobs in latest unrest to hit country » | Associated Press in Cairo | Sunday, October 09, 2011


REUTERS.COM: Twenty three killed as Egyptian Christians, police clash: Twenty three people were killed in Cairo Sunday, the health ministry said, when Christians, some carrying crosses and pictures of Jesus, clashed with military police in the latest sectarian flare-up in a country in political turmoil. » | Dina Zayed and Patrick Werr | Sunday, October 09, 2011

LE MONDE: Egypte : une manifestation de Coptes dégénère au Caire – Une manifestation de Coptes a dégénéré au Caire, dimanche 9 octobre, provoquant la mort de trois policiers selon la télévision publique, et d'au moins seize manifestants selon l'AFP. Les Coptes, qui représentent 10 % de la population égyptienne, accusent des islamistes radicaux d'avoir partiellement démoli une église dans la province d'Assouan la semaine dernière. Ils ont manifesté pourdemander le renvoi du gouverneur à qui ils reprochent de n'avoir pas su protégerleur lieu de culte. » | LEMONDE.FR avec Reuters | Dimanche 09 Octobre 2011

WELT ONLINE: Viele Tote bei heftigen Kopten-Protesten in Kairo: Tausende Christen demonstrieren in Kairo gegen die Zerstörung einer Kirche in Assuan. Bei Zusammenstößen mit Sicherheitskräften kommen mindestens 21 Menschen ums Leben. » | Autor: Maggie Michael | Sonntag 09. Oktober 2011

Rupert Cornwell: Capitalism's Heart Occupied – Where Will It All Lead?

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY: Out of America: The anti-corporate demonstrations in New York have struck a chord all over the US. Could they be the Democrat version of the Tea Party?

Back in December a humble fruit vendor in Tunis, scorned and humiliated by those in power, set himself ablaze. With his deed he ignited an Arab revolution. Ten months later and 5,000 miles away, might something comparable just possibly be happening? In other words, could some small, at first apparently inconsequential rallies be the spark that lights the fuse beneath the frustration, anger and confusion of an America beset by economic and financial crisis?

Let it be clear at once, the US is not on the brink of anarchy. Since the "Occupy Wall Street" movement held its first gathering in a lower Manhattan park on 17 September, demonstrations have taken place in at least 16 other big cities across the country. Put every one of them together, and the participants would number only in the tens of thousands at most.

They have no leader, no single specific goal, and no manifesto. In New York, police have used pepper spray, and last weekend arrested hundreds of protesters whom they accused of trying to block the Brooklyn Bridge. But, mostly, the atmosphere has been peaceful and good-natured, with some of the engaging dottiness of fringe meetings at British Liberal Party conferences of yesteryear. A couple of Wall Streeters have even managed to stage a counter-protest, telling demonstrators: "Instead of holding a sign, go to business school."

No one is throwing bricks through the windows of Citibank or Morgan Stanley. There has been none of the violence of the recent riots in London or the Paris banlieues, nothing to resemble the anti-globalisation street warfare during the 1999 World Trade Conference in Seattle, or the angry street marches that turned IMF meetings here into besieged encampments.

Nor do the rallies have the feel of the mass movements of the 1960s, for civil rights and an end to the Vietnam war, when you palpably felt a nation's conscience on the march. Nor, despite some claims, is New York's Zuccotti Park, where the demonstrations began, the American equivalent of Tahrir Square in Cairo. At least, not yet. Continue reading and comment » | Rupert Cornwell | Sunday, October 09, 2011

Third Reich: The Rise
This program shows how Hitler and the Nazis came into power, the reasons behind it, and why the German people embraced Hitler the way they did. Apart from the other Nazi shows made in America, this one does not denounce Nazism. It just presents the facts as told by the people who were there. This is one of the best shows on the Third Reich ever made.

’Occupy Wall Street’ Protests: Livestream

Watch live streaming video from globalrevolution at livestream.com

Occupy Wall Street Hits the World Stage

Wall Street Protesters to RT: We Can Take Down US Fat Cats!

Undercover Kingdom – Bahrain, April 2011
Watch Journeyman Pictures video here

Romney's Faith Splits Religious Conservatives

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: WASHINGTON: Mitt Romney's Mormon faith, an issue that has largely stayed below the surface of the presidential race, erupted into the open again at a gathering of religious conservatives, reviving questions about whether some in the evangelical community could accept him as the Republican nominee.

Mr Romney spoke to the conference on Saturday, a day after a Texas pastor and supporter of the Texas Governor, Rick Perry, at the event labelled Mormonism "a cult" and said Mr Romney was not a Christian.

Mr Perry's campaign quickly distanced itself from Robert Jeffress's remarks. "The Governor does not believe Mormonism is a cult," the campaign spokesman, Mark Miner, said.

Mr Jeffress introduced Mr Perry at the Values Voter Summit, but made his controversial statements to reporters after Mr Perry's speech, calling his own view "mainstream" among evangelicals.

"I believe that Governor Romney is a good, moral, family person," Mr Jeffress said. "But he's not a born-again follower of Christ."

Mr Romney did not address Mr Jeffress's comments directly on Saturday but made a plea for tolerance. "Poisonous language doesn't advance our cause," he said. "It's never softened a single heart nor changed a single mind." » | James Oliphant, Michael Memoli | McClatchey Newspapers | Monday, October 10, 2011

Salafi Leaders Reiterate Demands for Islamic Sharia

AL MASRY AL YOUM: Prominent Salafi leaders on Thursday reiterated calls for applying Islamic Sharia law in Egypt in place of the man-made laws currently governing the country.

In a conference held by the Salafi-led Asala Party in Matariya neighborhood in Cairo, Salafi leaders lambasted those opposing the application of Islamic Sharia as "adulterers, thieves and immoral people."

Sheikh Shehab al-Din Ahmed said that it is time for the Egyptian people to vote for the party and the candidate that seek to apply Sharia, adding that it would be "a shame to ignore Islamic candidates."

All the Egyptian people want the return of Islamic principles to society in order to spread justice and mercy among the people, Ahmed claimed.

Although Prophet Muhammad said that although a person should not demand authority but should be given it without asking, a fatwa issued by Islamic scholars says that it is the duty of leaders to request authority for the purpose of applying Islamic rules. He added that God would punish them on the Day of Resurrection if they did not. » | Hamdi Dabash | Translated from the Arabic Edition | Friday, October 07, 2011

Local Islamists Draw on British Success in Bid for Sharia Law

THE AUSTRALIAN: THE push to recognise sharia law in Australia has entered an ambitious new phase that draws on the tactics that have handed success to Islamists in Britain.

The latest move, under the guise of helping Muslim women, would give sharia law priority over Australian divorce law.

If enacted, this plan would prevent Muslims from obtaining a civil divorce unless they first divorce under Islamic law.

The plan, published by the Alternative Law Journal, would require Muslims to appear first before a proposed Islamic divorce council made up of imams and lawyers who are familiar with sharia and Australian law.

This tribunal would "assess the credibility" of divorce applications from an Islamic perspective. Divorce decrees from this proposed council would be recognised under sharia law and become binding under civil law after approval by a civil court.

These are the key recommendations from an article in the journal that says its goal is to help Muslim women avoid improper pressure from former husbands who refuse to grant them a religious divorce.

"By establishing the council and formalising the process, women would be able to present their case under fair and culturally sensitive conditions," solicitor and migration agent Ismail Essof says.

"A process which is recognised under Australian law would mitigate some of the abuses currently permitted."

By giving indirect legal recognition to a tribunal applying sharia law, Mr Essof's plan adopts one
of the main techniques to have helped sharia law become part of Britain's legal framework. » | Chris Merritt | The Australian | Friday, October 07, 2011

Eurozone Crisis Can Be Used to Take Back Powers from EU, Says Former Prime Minister John Major
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Britain should take advantage of the eurozone crisis to grab back powers and re-negotiate its relationship with the EU, John Major has said.


Any new treaty drawn up in its wake would allow Britain to renegotiate its relationship with Brussels, particularly on employment issues, the former prime minister suggested.
Sir John claimed it was likely that Europe was heading towards a ''federal state within the eurozone'' as leaders try to find a resolution for the current crisis.

He told the BBC's Andrew Marr show: ''There won't necessarily have to be a treaty in this country for fiscal union.

''It is conceivable there would be a treaty just among members of the eurozone.''
He added: ''But at some stage there will be another treaty because if there is fiscal union in Europe it changes our relationship to Europe. » | Sunday, October 09, 2011

Hugo Chavez Condemns ‘Horrible Repression’ of Wall Street Protests

THE GLOBE AND MAIL: Socialist firebrand Hugo Chavez condemned on Saturday the “horrible repression” of anti-Wall Street protesters and termed a U.S. Republican presidential candidate “crazy” for his criticism of Cuba and Venezuela.

Although still convalescing from cancer surgery in June followed by four rounds of chemotherapy, the 57-year-old Venezuelan president is quickly returning to the tough rhetoric and strong views that have made him famous worldwide.

Not surprisingly, Mr. Chavez expressed solidarity with American activists who have been staging rallies and marches against what they view as corporate greed by Wall Street. » | ENRIQUE ANDRES PRETEL | REUTERS | Saturday, October 08, 2011

Protest in Washington: Demonstranten attackieren Smithsonian-Museum
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Sie wollten offenbar gegen eine Drohnen-Ausstellung protestieren - und gerieten mit dem Wachpersonal aneinander: Rund 200 Menschen haben versucht, in das Smithsonian-Museum in Washington vorzudringen. Die Sicherheitsleute setzten Reizgas ein, das Gebäude wurde geschlossen.

Washington - Die Aktion begann als friedlicher Protest und eskalierte in einem Polizeieinsatz. In Washington haben am Samstag rund 200 Demonstranten versucht, das Luft- und Raumfahrtmuseum in der US-Hauptstadt zu stürmen. Wie eine Museumssprecherin sagte, wurden sie am Eingang von Wachleuten gestoppt. » | jok/dapd | Sonntag 09. Oktober 2011

Iran: un homme pendu pour avoir violé 37 femmes
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Un homme condamné à mort pour les viols de 37 femmes qu’il avait filmés en vidéo a été pendu samedi à Ispahan, dans le centre de l’Iran.

Cette pendaison porte à 219 le nombre des exécutions en Iran depuis le début de l’année.

Citant un responsable judiciaire local, Fars indique que l’homme, non identifié, «filmait ses victimes chez lui et se servait de ces films pour les forcer ensuite à subir de nouvelles agressions», sans donner davantage de détails. » | ATS/AFP | Dimanche 09 Octobre 2011

Tunisie : une télévision cible des salafistes
EUROPE 1: Quelque 300 salafistes ont tenté d'incendier dimanche le siège de la télévision privée Nessma à Tunis après la diffusion vendredi soir du film franco-iranien Persepolis et d'un débat sur l'intégrisme religieux, a-t-on appris auprès de la chaîne et du ministère de l'Intérieur.

Le président de Nessma, Nebil Karoui, a indiqué que sa chaîne avait reçu des menaces de mort après la diffusion vendredi soir du film d'animation de Marjane Satrapi "Persepolis", qui décrit le régime iranien de Khomeiny à travers les yeux d'une petite fille. » | Europe1.fr avec AFP | Dimanche 09 Octobre 2011

Un Saoudien décapité pour meurtre
leJDD.fr: Un Saoudien reconnu coupable du meurtre d'un de ses compatriotes a été décapité dimanche, a annoncé le ministère de l'Intérieur, ce qui porte à au moins 57 le nombre d'exécutions depuis le début de l'année.

Le viol, le meurtre, l'apostasie, le vol à main armée et le trafic de drogue sont passibles de la peine capitale en Arabie saoudite qui applique strictement la charia, la loi islamique.

Dix personnes avaient été décapitées au cours de la seule journée de vendredi: huit ressortissants du Bangladesh condamnés pour vol et meurtre, et deux Saoudiens. [Source: leJDD.fr] | Dimanche 09 Octobre 2011

Italien: Großdemonstrationen gegen Berlusconi

DIE PRESSE: In Mailand und Rom forderten Zehntausende den Rücktritt von Silvio Berlusconi. Den Regierungschef scheint das wenig zu beeindrucken.

Zehntausende Menschen haben am Samstag in Rom und Mailand gegen die Regierung Berlusconi demonstriert. In der italienischen Hauptstadt gingen die Staatsbeamten auf die Straße, um gegen die Sparpläne des Kabinetts zu protestieren. "Ohne den öffentlichen Dienst wirst Du Deiner Rechte beraubt", lautete der Slogan der Demonstranten. Zum Protest rief der größte Gewerkschaftsverband CGIL auf. In Rom schlossen sich dem Protest auch Lehrer, Schüler und Studenten an. Sie schwenkten dabei Plakate mit ironischen Bemerkungen gegen Ministerpräsident Silvio Berlusconi. "Die internationalen Finanzmärkte lehnen Bunga-Bunga ab", hieß es unter anderem in Anspielung auf die Herabstufung der Kreditwürdigkeit Italiens durch US-Ratingagenturen. » | APA | Samstag 08. Oktober 2011

Des anticapitalistes défilent à Berne
20 MINUTES: Une manifestation bruyante d'anticapitalistes s'est déroulée à Berne, samedi. Incidents en marge.

Une centaine de personnes ont manifesté contre le capitalisme samedi après-midi à Berne. Malgré leur petit nombre, ils ne sont pas passés inaperçus, faisant usage de pétards, le tout sur fond de musique tonitruante. En marge de l'événement, deux politiciens bernois ont été attaqués au spray au poivre. » | ats | Samedi 08 Octobre 2011

We'll Cut Your Aid If You Persecute Gays, Britain Warns African Nations
MAIL ONLINE: Poor African countries which persecute homosexuals will have their aid slashed by the Government in a bid by David Cameron to take his gay rights crusade to the Third World.

International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell has already cut aid to Malawi by £19 million after two gay men were sentenced to 14 years hard labour.

And he has warned the country's leaders to scrap plans to introduce draconian new anti-lesbian laws.

Mr Mitchell, one of Mr Cameron's closest allies, is also threatening to impose further aid 'fines' against Uganda and Ghana for hardline anti-gay and lesbian measures.

The policy was disclosed after Mr Cameron defended his decision to legalise gay weddings when he addressed last week's Conservative Party conference.

Now he wants to persuade those countries where homosexuality is still taboo to follow his lead – and he is ready to reduce aid to some of the world's poorest people to do so.

The cut in aid to Malawi came after two gay men were convicted last year under the country's rigidly imposed ban on homosexuality. » | Simon Walters | Saturday, October 08, 2011

Uprising in Saudi Arabia? America Won’t Allow It

THE FIRST POST: Alexander Cockburn: There’ll be little talk in Washington of democracy in action if Shia protests catch hold

POSE a threat to the stability of Saudi Arabia, as Shia protesters are said to to have done in Awamiya, according to reports this week from the country's oil-rich Eastern Province, and you're brandishing a scalpel over the very heart of long-term US policy in the Middle East.

The US consumes about 19 million barrels of oil every 24 hours, about half of them imported. At 25 per cent, Canada is the lead supplier. Second comes Saudi Arabia with 12 per cent. But supply of crude oil to the US is only half the story. Saudi Arabia controls OPEC's oil price and adjusts it carefully with US priorities in the front of their minds.

The traffic is not one-way. In the half-century after 1945, the United States sold the Saudis about $100 billion in military goods and services. A year ago the Obama administration announced the biggest weapons deal in US history – a $60 billion programme with Saudi Arabia to sell it military equipment across the next 20 to 30 years.

Under its terms, the United States will provide Saudi Arabia with 84 advanced F-15 fighter planes with electronics and weapons packages tailored to Saudi needs. An additional 70 F-15's already in Saudi hands will be upgraded to match the capabilities of the new planes.

Saudi Arabia will purchase a huge fleet of nearly 200 Apache, Blackhawk and other US military helicopters, along with a vast array of radar systems, anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles, and guided bombs. The US trains and supplies all Saudi Arabia's security forces. US corporations have huge investments in the Kingdom. Read on and comment » | Alexander Cockburn | Friday, October 07, 2011

Tony Blair Facing Parliamentary Probe over Secret Meetings with Gaddafi
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Tony Blair is facing a parliamentary investigation into his close relationship with Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

Senior MPs are demanding that Mr Blair reveal all details of his private meetings with the dictator since leaving Downing Street.

The move follows revelations in The Sunday Telegraph that Mr Blair had at least six meetings with Gaddafi since quitting as prime minister.

Five of those meetings took place in a 14 month period prior to the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber sent back to Tripoli to serve out the rest of his prison sentence in the comfort of his own home.

On at least two occasions Mr Blair and his sizeable entourage flew to Tripoli on a private jet paid for by the Gaddafi regime at a cost of about £150,000.

One meeting in January 2009 has been linked to a multi-billion dollar deal between the Libyans and a Russian company being put together by JP Morgan, the US bank which pays Mr Blair about £2 million a year as a senior adviser. » | Robert Mendick, Chief Reporter | Saturday, October 08, 2011

Tony Blair must be the most hated ex-prime minister ever! He screwed his own country, cheated, lied, and now profits – BIG TIME! In addition, he brought the world strife and wars. Yet he was made peace envoy for the Middle East! How are we to understand this absurd contradiction? The Palestinians have got it right about him. They find him despicable. As he is supposed to be trying to bring peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, it is surprising indeed that his position hasn't already become untenable. Were I to be he, I should hang my head in shame and go into hiding. – © Mark

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Is the United States a Third-World Nation?
Michael Lewis, author of the new book "Boomerang," says the United States and many European nations suffered a moral failure that led to economic collapse. Lewis insists that the U.S. economic situation will get much worse before it gets better.

Small Private Funeral for Steve Jobs at Unidsclosed [sic] Location
THE AUSTRALIAN: THE funeral for Apple co-founder Steve Jobs [1955 – 2011] is taking place today, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The funeral is characterised as a small private gathering, this person said. The person wouldn't say where or when the event was taking place, citing respect Jobs and his family's privacy.

The event comes two days after Mr Jobs died after battling an undisclosed illness. He previously underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer and had a liver transplant. » | The Wall Street Journal | Saturday, October 08, 2011

APPLE.COM: Share your thoughts, memories, and condolences »

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Steve Jobs: The Secular Prophet – Steve Jobs turned Eve's apple, the symbol of fallen humankind, into a religious icon for true believers in technology. But can salvation be downloaded? » | Andy Crouch | Saturday, October 08, 2011

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Mossberg: The Steve Jobs I Knew » | Walter S. Mossberg | Thursday, October 06, 2011

Mitt Romney On Muslims In Government

Thousands Join 'Occupy Wall Street' March
Thousands of people joined the 'Occupy Wall Street' march in lower Manhattan Wednesday.
Watch video here | AP video | Thursday, October 06, 2011

Yemeni President Promises to Step Down within Days

THE GUARDIAN: Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been in power for 33 years, says he will step down after months of protests across the country

The Yemeni president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, has said he will step down in the coming days.

Late last month Saleh, who has been in power for 33 years, called for early elections in his first speech since his return from Saudi Arabia to Yemen, which provoked a wave of violent protests. » | Staff and agencies | Saturday, October 08, 2011

Etats-Unis: des Amish agressent d’autres Amish en leur coupant la barbe

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: De "nombreux" membres de la communauté amish située près de Bergholz (Ohio) faisaient vendredi l’objet d’une enquête policière après plusieurs agressions. Coupant les barbes des hommes et les cheveux des femmes est une atteinte à leur identité dans leurs pratiques.

Un groupe d’Amish s’est attaqué à plusieurs reprises dans l’Ohio (Nord-Est des Etats-Unis) à d’autres groupes de ces protestants vivant retirés du monde moderne, coupant les barbes des hommes et les cheveux des femmes, une atteinte à leur identité dans leurs pratiques.

De "nombreux" membres de la communauté amish située près de Bergholz (Ohio) faisaient vendredi l’objet d’une enquête policière après plusieurs incidents de ce type, rapporte un journal de l’Ohio, l’Intelligencer Wheeling News-Register, qui précise qu’aucune arrestation ni inculpation n’ont eu lieu. » | AFP | Vendredi 07 Octobre 2011

INTELLIGENCER WHEELING NEWS-REGISTER: Stop Violence Targeting Amish » | Thursday, October 06, 2011

INTELLIGENCER WHEELING NEWS-REGISTER: Group Cutting Beards Off Amish in Ohio » | Thursday, October 06, 2011

La Maison Blanche appelle le président syrien à partir maintenant
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Les Etats-Unis condamnent avec fermeté la violence contre les membres de l'opposition. Ces actes mettent en évidence le fait que les promesses de réforme et de dialogue du régime sont inexistantes. » | AFP | Vendredi 07 Octobre 2011

Occupy America: Protests against Wall Street and Inequality Hit 70 Cities

THE GUARDIAN: The generation that opposed Vietnam has joined Facebook anarchists amid anger at tax breaks for the rich while ordinary folk tighten their belts

The Wall Street protests against economic inequality and corporate greed that targeted the nerve centre of American capitalism are no longer merely a New York phenomenon. This weekend, from Seattle and Los Angeles on the west coast to Providence, Rhode Island, and Tampa, Florida, on the east, as many as 70 major cities and more than 600 communities have joined the swelling wave of civil dissent. The slogan "Occupy Wall Street" has been suitably abbreviated to a single word: "Occupy"[.]

"This could be the tipping point," said Dick Steinkamp, 63, a retired Silicon Valley executive at the Occupy Seattle protest being held in the heart of the city's shopping and restaurant district . He and his wife had driven two hours from their home in Bellingham, north of Seattle, specifically to join the rally and give it support from more conventional professionals.

"I marched against the Vietnam war before I was drafted into the army and this movement is now getting towards that critical mass," he said.

One of the favourite messages of the protesters is that almost 40% of US wealth is held in the hands of 1% of the population, who are taxed more lightly than the majority of Americans. Steinkamp was holding a sign saying "I am the 99%". And there is widespread anger that ordinary people have born the brunt of the financial crisis with dire job losses and house repossessions. » » | Joanna Walters in Seattle | Saturday, October 08, 2011

Robust Romney Says 'Unique US' Should Be Ready to Act Alone

THE INDEPENDENT: Mitt Romney, the front runner for the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination, yesterday staked out a robust foreign policy vision, dripping with American exceptionalism and featuring higher military spending and a readiness by the US to go it alone if necessary to protect its interests.

"This is America's moment," he declared. "We should embrace the challenge, not shrink from it, not crawl into an isolationist shell, not wave the white flag of surrender, nor give in to those who assert America's moment has passed. That is utter nonsense."

Mr Romney's speech – in the deliberate setting of the Citadel military college in Charleston, South Carolina, a symbol of the South's warrior traditions and in a state holding one of the first primaries next January – is his first major foreign policy foray in a campaign set to be dominated by the country's grim economic situation. » | Rupert Cornwell in Washington | Saturday, October 08, 2011

THE INDEPENDENT – LEADING ARTICLE: Now the Republicans must choose: Sarah Palin's announcement that she will not seek the presidency, following the similar decision from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie 24 hours earlier, appears to have settled the Republican field for 2012. ¶ A late entrant cannot entirely be ruled out. But to all intents and purposes, this is Mitt Romney's moment. The most important question in American politics now is: can the unloved frontrunner seize it? » | Saturday, October 08, 2011

A Drinker's Guide to Islam

THE GUARDIAN: A Palestinian beerfest is not as bizarre as it seems. Alcohol has long been a tolerated aspect of Muslim culture

If I said that we went to an Oktoberfest last weekend, readers may wonder why I am writing about it. If I added that the beer festival in question was in the West Bank and there we encountered a couple of self-deprecating young Germans dressed in lederhosen, some may start asking themselves what I've been drinking, or perhaps smoking.

To add to the bizarreness of the situation, this Oktoberfest, the seventh of its kind, took place not in hip Ramallah but in the remote village of Taybeh, perched picturesquely at 850m above sea level and with a population of just 1,500. Moreover, readers in western countries may wonder why thousands upon thousands of revellers had trekked all that way to attend a beer festival with only one beer on tap.

Secular Palestinians, expats and even leftist Israelis equipped with glasses of Taybeh beer wandered around food and handicraft stands, watched traditional Dabke dancers, modern music, comedy and theatrical performances.

Despite its remoteness and tiny proportions, Taybeh has earned its place on the cultural and social map as being the location of the only Palestinian beer brewery. It has battled the restrictions imposed by the Israeli occupation and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism to become a rare Palestinian business and cultural success story.

This may explain why Taybeh once adopted "Taste the revolution" as its advertising slogan. And, judging by its micro-brewery quality, the revolution tastes pretty good.

The very existence of Taybeh overturns the stereotype associated with Palestinians – and Arabs in general – as teetotal, fanatical Muslims. This caricature has been reinforced since Hamas's takeover of Gaza, where the Islamist party has imposed a de facto ban on alcohol, though bootlegging has become a popular, if risky, pastime.

There are those who will protest that Taybeh is the exception that proves the rule. After all, it is the only Palestinian brewery, and it is owned and run by Christians. But the absence of local competitors has more to do with the difficulty of setting up a viable business in the Palestinian territories, which requires a certain foolhardiness and courage – and, anyway, most of the people who drink Taybeh are Muslims. » | Khaled Diab | Saturday, October 08, 2011

Dawkins Attacks ‘Alien Rubbish’ Taught in Muslim Faith Schools

MAIL ONLINE: Richard Dawkins has attacked Muslim faith schools, saying that they teach students 'alien rubbish'.

The noted atheist claimed that pupils were being taught to ignore scientific evidence in favour of following the Koran.

He said that he had even met a science teacher who believed that the earth was only 6,000 years old.

Mr Dawkins, a former Oxford professor who found fame as an evolutionary biologist before becoming a vocal opponent of religion, is a longstanding critic of all faith schools.

But he has said that Islamic schools are worse than others, as their teaching is more likely to be influenced by a religious agenda.

Talking to the Times Educational Supplement, he described a trip he made to an 'utterly deplorable' Muslim school in Leicester.

According to the Daily Telegraph, he said: 'Every person I met believes if there is any disagreement between the Koran and science, then the Koran wins.

'It's just utterly deplorable. These are now British children who are having their minds stuffed with alien rubbish.' Continue reading and comment » | Hugo Gye | Saturday, October 08, 2011

It's a great pity that our politicians don't have the courage that Richard Dawkins so obviously has. Perhaps this country would be run better then. Politicians, bereft of a backbone as they mostly are, just pander to Muslims, fearing for their lives, I suppose. The result is that ignorance and superstition just grow and grow. Eventually, it will lead us back to another dark age. – © Mark

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Berlusconi Causes Outrage with Suggestion to Rename Party Go Pussy

THE GUARDIAN: Italian prime minister's quip in response to his party's flagging fortunes brings condemnation from all quarters

Italian opposition politicians have been joined by a leading Catholic publication and even government MPs in expressing outrage after Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi joked he was thinking of renaming his political party Forza Gnocca, which translates as Go Pussy.

The criticism came as Berlusconi, whose political career is widely considered to be on the wane, was accused of parking an old friend in a safe job after a former pet food executive was nominated as the new head of the Venice Biennale, Italy's foremost art and architecture exhibition.


Responding to the slide in the polls of his Freedom People party caused by the financial crisis and his sex scandals, Berlusconi reportedly told MPs he had commissioned surveys to find a new name for the party, which started life in 1993 as Forza Italia, or Go Italy.

"Some of polls say the best choice would be Forza Gnocca," he joked, according to the Italian daily La Stampa.

Pier Luigi Bersani, the head of the opposition Democratic party, called the quip despairing, while party colleague Rosy Bindi said: "Now the farce is turning into tragedy."

Democratic senator Anna Finocchiaro said: "These are not jokes but a reflection of the view that Berlusconi and his coalition have of the country – backward, vulgar and squalid." » | Tom Kington in Rome | Friday, October 07, 2011

Senator Accused of Sexism Over 'Thank God' Remark about Female Opponent

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A US senator, who once posed nude for a magazine photo shoot, has been accused of sexism after declaring "thank God" when his female opponent said she had never done the same.

Scott Brown, a Massachusetts Republican who helped pay for university by appearing in Cosmopolitan, was alleged to have descended into "the gutter" with his comment on Elizabeth Warren.

Asked how she funded her own education, Prof Warren, a 62-year-old Democratic ally of Barack Obama who teaches at Harvard, said she had "borrowed money", adding: "I kept my clothes on." During a radio interview, Mr Brown, 52, responded: "Thank God." He later added: "I went to the school of hard knocks. And I did whatever I had to do to pay for school." Clare Kelly, the Massachusetts Democrats' executive director, said the remarks were more suited to the "frat house, not a race for US Senate". » | Jon Swaine, New York | Friday, October 07, 2011

Related content here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Russia Tells Assad Regime to Reform or Go

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has told Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to enact reforms or step down in Moscow's sharpest rebuke to Damascus to date.

Smarting from criticism that Russia is soft on the Assad regime after it vetoed United Nations sanctions against Damascus, Mr Medvedev insisted Moscow wanted the bloody government clampdown on pro-democracy activists to end.

"Russia wants as much as the other countries for Syria to end the bloodshed and demands that the Syrian leadership conduct the necessary reforms," he said.

"(But) if the Syrian leadership is unable to undertake these reforms it will have to go."

His comments echoed remarks made by Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, and will be interpreted as a sign that Moscow is beginning to lose patience with its old ally.

The UN estimates that nearly 3,000 people have lost their lives since the Assad regime began cracking down on protests in mid-March with tanks and troops. Mr Assad has promised reform but the crackdown has continued unabated with little sign of genuine reform. » | Andrew Osborn, Moscow | Friday, October 07, 2011

Incredible Speech by Wall Street Protester "End the Fed" 2011

Proteste sollen sich nach Europa ausbreiten
WELT ONLINE: Die Anti-Wall-Street-Proteste verbreiten sich von New York aus in viele amerikanische Städte. Auch in Deutschland rufen Aktivisten zu Demonstrationen auf.

Die Anti-Wall-Street-Bewegung breitet sich aus. Nach Protesten in New York versammelten sich auch in Washington und in zahlreichen weiteren US-Städten Demonstranten, um die anhaltend hohe Arbeitslosigkeit und eine ungleiche Verteilung von Wohlstand anzuprangern. In Deutschland riefen Bündnisse für Samstag kommender Woche zu Protesten unter anderem in Frankfurt und Berlin auf.

In der US-Hauptstadt Washington forderten die Demonstranten "Stoppt den Krieg gegen die Arbeiter". Andere verlangten, die Bürger wieder wichtiger zu nehmen als "die Gier der Unternehmen". In Philadelphia versammelten sich bis zu 1000 Menschen. In Los Angeles zogen Demonstranten vor die Filiale der Bank of America . Es wurden elf Personen festgenommen. "Ich glaube, der amerikanische Traum ist mächtig in Gefahr", sagte ein Teilnehmer in Tennesse. "Es gibt so viele Menschen wie mich, die genug haben von den Wall Street-Verbrechern." » | Reuters/smb | Freitag 07. Oktober 2011

Génocide arménien : réponse cinglante d'Ankara à Sarkozy

LE FIGARO: Ankara a conseillé vendredi à la France d'affronter son passé colonial avant de donner des leçons aux autres pays, en réponse aux déclarations de Nicolas Sarkozy demandant la reconnaissance du génocide arménien.

«Je vais lancer une grenade dégoupillée», prévenait jeudi Nicolas Sarkozy devant une partie de la délégation qui l'accompagnait à Erevan, en Arménie. Le président de la République y est revenu sur un sujet sensible en évoquant la reconnaissance du génocide arménien par la Turquie. Le Président a déclaré que la France modifierait sa législation pour que le négationnisme du génocide de 1915 soit condamné au pénal, si la Turquie ne reconnaissait pas officiellement le massacre de plus d'un million et demi d'Arméniens.

Une vive réaction était à prévoir et la réponse, cinglante, ne s'est pas fait attendre. Vendredi, Ahmet Davutoglu a conseillé à la France d'«affronter son passé colonial avant de donner des leçons aux autres pays». Le ministre turc des Affaires étrangères a également insisté sur la situation des étrangers, considérés comme des «citoyens de seconde zone» dans l'Hexagone, selon lui. » | Par Romain Renner | Vendredi 07 Octobre 2011

Forget Secular Education: Somali Militant's Message Before Suicide Attack

THE GUARDIAN: Man responsible for huge blast in Mogadishu that left 100 dead said young people should focus on jihad

The suicide bomber who killed more than 100 people, including students seeking scholarships, in an attack near Somalia's education ministry was a school dropout who had declared that young people should wage jihad and forget about secular education.

Bashar Abdullahi Nur, who was to blame for the huge explosion on Tuesday that covered the capital, Mogadishu, in dust up to half a mile away, gave an interview before the attack.

"Now those who live abroad are taken to a college and never think about the hereafter. They never think about the harassed Muslims," he said in the interview broadcast on Wednesday by a militant-run radio station. "They wake up in the morning, go to college and studies and accept what the infidels tell them, while infidels are massacring Muslims." » | Associated Press in Mogadishu | Thursday, October 06, 2011

Gaddafi Urges Libyans to 'March in Their Millions'
On an audio tape, a voice purported to be that of Colonel Gaddafi urges his supporters to "march in their millions" and "raise our green flags to the skies".

Lien en relation avec cette vidéo »

Google's eBook Store Opens to Face Struggle against Amazon
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Google’s ebook store opens for business in Britain today, but the web giant faces a struggle to gain a foothold in the growing market.

Major publishing houses including Hachette, Random House, Penguin have signed on to provide content for the new service, which will also offer free access to more than two million out-of-copyright titles.

Google eBooks will be available to anyone via the web, with app for iOS and Android, plus integration with the Android Marketplace.

It represents a big step for the firm towards becoming a major content provider, but compared to Amazon and Apple it [is] a complete novice.

“We’ve been working with publishers for some time to build new online revenue sources for writers and publishers, and this is the next step in that direction,” said Jason Hanley of Google. » | Christopher Williams, Technology Correspondent | Friday, October 07, 2011

Griechenland: Hakenkreuze zum Rösler Besuch

US-Gewerkschaften unterstützen Demonstranten

Albania's Last Communist Leader Ramiz Alia Dies
HOUSTON CHRONICLE: TIRANA, Albania — Albania's last communist president Ramiz Alia — credited with opening one of the world's most isolationist political systems to democracy — has died. He was 85.

Mimoza Kociu, a spokeswoman for president Bamir Topi, said Alia died at about 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) of lung complications.

Alia assumed leadership of the communist party in 1985 following the death of his longtime friend, dictator Enver Hoxha. Following a series of massive student protests, he introduced political and economic reforms that paved the way for the country's first free elections in 1991. » | AP | Friday, October 07, 2011

NZZ ONLINE: Früherer albanischer Präsident Alia gestorben: Erster frei gewählter Präsident des Landes » | ddp | Freitag 07. Oktober 2011

WIKI: Ramiz Tafë Alia »

Saudis Crush Dissent and Point Finger at Iran for Trouble in Eastern Province

THE GUARDIAN: Kingdom wary of popular uprising warns unrest will be crushed with 'an iron fist' and plays down protests, blaming outsiders

Saudi Arabia has made clear it will not tolerate unrest in its eastern province, where 14 people, 11 of them policemen, were injured in protests this week. Any further trouble would be crushed with "an iron fist," the government warned, anxious to avoid any perception that the first green shoots of the Arab spring have started to emerge in the Gulf's conservative heartland.

It is no surprise that the regime's instinct has been to play down the dimensions and significance of the trouble – an "isolated incident" is the official line in Riyadh. Initial evidence of an over-reaction by security forces gave way to a pullout from the flashpoint, Awamiyah, near the regional capital Qatif, where the Saudi interior ministry accused protesters of carrying arms and throwing petrol bombs. YouTube pictures showed some of that — along with the sound of gunfire and cries of "Allahu Akbar."

It also alleged that the trouble was directed by an unnamed "foreign country" – no prizes for guessing that meant Iran. Unofficial Saudi experts were far less coy, comparing what happened in Awamiyah to the tactics used by Shia protesters in nearby Bahrain during the Pearl Revolution earlier this year, which was also widely, and misleadingly, blamed on meddling by the Islamic republic. Reinforcing Saudi suspicions, Iranian media have hailed the trouble as a "popular uprising" against the monarchy. » | Ian Black | Thursday, October 06, 2011

Kadhafi appelle les Libyens à manifester contre le CNT
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Mouammar Kadhafi a appelé les Libyens à manifester «par millions» contre le nouveau pouvoir libyen, le Conseil national de transition (CNT), dans un message sonore diffusé jeudi soir par la chaîne Arraï basée en Syrie.

"J’appelle le peuple libyen, hommes et femmes, à sortir pour manifester par millions à nouveau sur les places et dans les rues et dans toutes les villes", a déclaré le "Guide" déchu dans un message sonore, dans lequel il était à peine audible.

"Je leur dis n’ayez peur de personne, vous êtes le peuple, vous appartenez à cette terre. Faîtes entendre votre voix contre les collaborateurs de l’Otan", a-t-il poursuivi, s’adressant au peuple et faisant référence aux dirigeants du CNT. » | AFP | Jeudi 06 Octobre 2011

Un proche du clan Ben Ali a été arrêté à Rome

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: L'arrestation de Moez Trabelsi est la première arrestation à l'étranger d'un proche du clan Ben Ali depuis la fuite le 14 janvier de l'ex-président après 23 ans d'un pouvoir sans partage.

Le neveu de Leïla Trabelsi, l'épouse du président tunisien déchu Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, a été arrêté ce jeudi à Rome sur instruction d'Interpol, a indiqué le ministère tunisien de la Justice.

Il s'agit de la première arrestation à l'étranger d'un proche du clan Ben Ali depuis la fuite le 14 janvier de l'ex-président après 23 ans d'un pouvoir sans partage.

Moez Trabelsi est l'objet d'un mandat d'amener émis par la justice tunisienne. Interpol a fait procéder à son arrestation jeudi vers 3H (2H GMT) à Rome, a déclaré le porte-parole du ministère Kadhem Zine El Abidine.

L'organisation policière internationale a émis une notice rouge pour le jeune homme poursuivi dans plusieurs affaires de corruption et soupçonné de blanchiment d'argent, a-t-il précisé. » | AFP | Jeudi 06 Octobre 2011

Weimar Republic Hyperinflation
A short film explaining Hyperinflation with in the Weimar Republic. In the bubble that was created mimics what is happening now in the US