Vatican Sides with Anti-capitalist Protesters and Attacks Global Financial System

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Vatican aligned itself with anti-capitalism protesters around the world on Monday when it condemned "the idolatry of the market" and called for a radical shake-up of the global financial system.

By demanding that the worst excesses of global capitalism be reined in, the Holy See echoed the message of protesters encamped outside St Paul's Cathedral in London, the indignados of Spain and the Occupy Wall Street movement in the US.

In a forthright statement, the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace called for an end to rampant speculation, the redistribution of wealth, greater ethics and the establishment of a "central world bank" to which national banks would have to cede power.

Such an authority would have "universal jurisdiction" over governments' economic strategies.

Existing financial situations such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund were outdated and no longer able to deal with the scale of the global financial crisis, which had exposed "selfishness, greed and the hoarding of goods on a grand scale".

The global financial system was riddled with injustice and failure to address that would lead to "growing hostility and even violence", which would undermine democracy. » | Nick Squires, in Rome | Monday, October 24, 2011

My comment:

Capitalism is failing; indeed it is ailing and totally failing. The Vatican is absolutely right to call it into question.

I never thought that I would see the day I would do so myself; but capitalism is a thoroughly discredited system. It's a system which Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher brought into disrepute with their ignorant, stupid deregulation of the banks and finance houses. Now, the best system that has ever been conceived by man stands before total annihilation and destruction. It is a travesty that in the States, for example, 50% of wealth is owned by 1% of the population. This is disgraceful! – © Mark

This comment appears here

US Citizen Manssor Arbabsiar Pleads Not Guilty Over Alleged Saudi Bomb Plot

THE GUARDIAN: Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old US citizen with an Iranian passport, pleads not guilty to five-count indictment in New York

A man charged in a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States has pleaded not guilty in court in New York. » | Associated Press | Monday, October 24, 2011

David Cameron: Closer European Integration Could Marginalise Britain
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Closer integration between Euro members could “undermine” the European Union's free market rules, David Cameron has warned.


The Prime Minister will this week attend a special EU summit to discuss the eurozone crisis, and warn the 17 countries who use the single currency not to cut the other ten EU members out of major decisions.

Moves among euro countries towards closer co-ordination of economic policies and fiscal systems have fuelled fears of a two-speed Europe, where the EU is divided between a core of euro nations and a marginalised fringe of countries left outside the single currency.

Wednesday’s summit had originally been scheduled only for the 17 euro governments. But at a bad-tempered meeting on Sunday, Mr Cameron won an agreement for a meeting on Wednesday of all 27 EU members too.

Number 10 fears that the eurozone countries will integrate their policies ever more closely and start to operate as a “caucus” within the EU, making decisions without consulting non-euro members like Britain.

Those decisions could include protectionist measures like higher taxes on imports and tighter market regulations, which would hurt the single market, British officials fear. » | James Kirkup, Deputy Political Editor, and Andrew Hough | Monday, October 24, 2011

Obama Gets the Chequebook Out: US President's Personal Handouts to Struggling Americans
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama has admitted that he sometimes writes personal cheques to Americans who write him their tales of economic woe.

The US President told White House correspondent Eli Saslow that sometimes he felt drawing on his own bank account was all he could do for Americans struggling to pay their bills in the embattled American economy.

The revelation is made in Mr Saslow's new book "Ten Letters", about Mr Obama's correspondence with the American public.

"It's not something I should advertise, but it has happened," he was quoted as telling Mr Saslow in an excerpt from the book in The Washington Post.

Other times, he confessed, he had forwarded letters to government agencies or Cabinet secretaries with an attached handwritten note reading: "Can you please take care of this?" » | Monday, October 24, 2011

Libya's Liberation: Interim Ruler Unveils More Radical Than Expected Plans for Islamic Law

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Libya's interim leader outlined more radical plans to introduce Islamic law than expected as he declared the official liberation of the country.

Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, the chairman of the National Transitional Council and de fact [o]president, had already declared that Libyan laws in future would have Sharia, the Islamic code, as its "basic source".

But that formulation can be interpreted in many ways - it was also the basis of Egypt's largely secular constitution under President Hosni Mubarak, and remains so after his fall.

Mr Abdul-Jalil went further, specifically lifting immediately, by decree, one law from Col. Gaddafi's era that he said was in conflict with Sharia - that banning polygamy. » | Richard Spencer | Sunday, October 23, 2011

Michael Ignatieff, the Leader of Canada’s Liberal Party, Believes Libya’s Revolution Pushes Democracy Forward! »

Libya: Human Rights Watch Calls on NTC to Probe Mass 'Executions' as 53 Bodies Are Found
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Human Rights Watch are calling for an investigation after 53 decaying bodies were found in Sirte, the final bastion of Libya's ousted dictator Muammar Gaddafi, suggesting some of his loyalists were executed.

"We found 53 decomposing bodies, apparently Gaddafi supporters, at an abandoned hotel in Sirte," said Peter Bouckaert of Human Rights Watch (HRW), who investigated the killings.

"Some had their hands bound behind their backs when they were shot," he added.
In a statement, the group said: "If the NTC fails to investigate this crime it will signal that those who fought against Gaddafi can do anything without fear of prosecution."

HRW's investigator found the bodies on Sunday at the Hotel Mahari in District 2 of Sirte, an "area of the city that was under the control of anti-Gaddafi fighters from Misurata before the killings took place."

"The bodies were clustered together, apparently where they had been killed, on the grass in the sea-view garden of the hotel," HRW said in a statement. » | Monday, October 24, 2011

Burnt in Satanic Ritual
THE STAR: A TEENAGE girl is in a coma after she and a friend were doused with petrol and set alight in an apparent satanic ritual.

The girls, one 18 and the other 16, were among eight youngsters who went to a koppie behind the Linmeyer swimming pool on Julius Street on Friday night.

According to Samantha Theologia, her 18-year-old sister Kirsty has 75 percent burns to her body from the waist up.

Doctors had told them, she said, that they were worried about her sister’s recovery because her lungs and throat were damaged.

Kirsty was scheduled to have surgery today. » | ANGELIQUE SERRAO | Monday, October 24, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Teenage girl in coma after she's burned alive by friends in 'satanic ritual': An 18-year-old South African woman was in a coma Monday after being doused in petrol and burned alive by friends in a Johannesburg park, in what police suspect was a satanic ritual. » | Monday, October 24, 2011

Fille de Sarkozy : Marine Le Pen aurait préféré "un prénom français"
TF1 NEWS: La présidente du Front national, Marine Le Pen, aurait préféré que Giulia Bruni-Sarkozy, la fille du président de la République née mercredi, "porte un prénom français plutôt qu'un prénom italien", a-t-elle déclaré dimanche.

Alors que Carla Bruni-Sarkozy et sa fille Giulia, née mercredi, sont sorties dimanche de la clinique de La Muette à Paris (XVIe arrondissement), où l'épouse du chef de l'Etat avait accouché (voir notre vidéo avec les premières images de la sortie en cliquant ici), la fille de Nicolas Sarkozy reçoit un accueil pour le moins mitigé de la part de Marine Le Pen. La présidente du Front national a ainsi déclaré dimanche qu'elle aurait préféré que Giulia Bruni-Sarkozy, la fille du président de la République, "porte un prénom français plutôt qu'un prénom italien". » | dimanche 23 octobre 2011

Giulia Sarkozy-Bruni : les premières images de la sortie de la clinique

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Tunisie: vers une nette victoire des islamistes d'Ennahdha
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le mouvement islamiste Ennahdah arriverait en tête de plusieurs circonscriptions aux élections tunisiennes, d'après les premières estimations, alors que le taux de participation au scrutin a atteint dimanche 90%.

Les résultats des premières élections libres tunisiennes ne devraient pas être connues avant demain. En attendant, la tendance donne le parti islamiste Ennahdah nettement vainqueur. » | AP | lundi 24 octobre 2011

La santé de Sonia Gandhi affaiblit le pouvoir indien
LE FIGARO: Absente pendant six semaines, la femme la plus puissante du pays a dû laisser les rênes à son fils Rahul.

Sonia Gandhi souffre-t-elle d'une maladie grave, voire incurable ? Début août, le magazine Tehelk[a] a a été le premier à lancer une minibombe sur Twitter : la présidente du Parti du Congrès, que l'on tient pour la femme la plus puissante du pays - c'est elle qui, en 2004, a ramené au pouvoir la dynastie Nehru-Gandhi - serait atteinte d'un cancer. Elle venait alors de quitter Delhi pour être opérée aux États-Unis. Nombre d'Indiens avouent avoir appris la nouvelle via la presse étrangère. Les médias nationaux, eux, ont été tenus à l'écart du drame qui était peut-être en train de se nouer au 10, Janpath, où réside Sonia Gandhi, en plein cœur du «Luytens Delhi», un havre de verdure. Si l'intervention chirurgicale a bien eu lieu au Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center à New York, l'organe atteint et la nature même de la maladie restent, à ce jour encore, un mystère. La peau, le col de l'utérus, le pancréas… tout a été évoqué. Y compris l'erreur de diagnostic. » | Par Marie-France Calle | lundi 24 octobre 2011

Cristina Kirchner Re-elected as Argentina's President in Landslide

THE GUARDIAN: One of country's biggest ever electoral victories makes Kirchner first woman in Latin America to retain top office

Argentina has re-elected Cristina Kirchner as president in a landslide result that gave her the widest victory margin in Argentina's history after her government spread the wealth of a booming economy.

Kirchner had 53% of the vote after 58% of polling stations reported. Her nearest challenger got 17%. The interior minister, Florencio Randazzo, predicted the president's share would rise as polls came in from her party's stronghold of densely populated Buenos Aires province.

"Count on me to continue pursuing the project," Kirchner said in her victory speech. "All I want is to keep collaborating ... to keep Argentina growing. I want to keep changing history."

Kirchner is Latin America's first woman to be re-elected as president but the victory was personally bittersweet – the first without her husband and predecessor, Néstor Kirchner, who died of a heart attack on 27 October 2010.

"This is a strange night for me," she said, describing her mix of emotions. "This man who transformed Argentina led us all and gave everything he had and more ... Without him, without his valour and courage, it would have been impossible to get to this point."

Thousands of jubilant, flag-waving people crowded into the capital's historic Plaza de Mayo to watch on a huge TV screen as she spoke from a downtown hotel. » | Associated Press in Buenos Aires | Monday, October 24, 2011

Nicolas Sarkozy Tells David Cameron: Shut Up over the Euro

THE GUARDIAN: • Anglo-French row holds up EU summit • PM braced for biggest Commons revolt

David Cameron has begun a week of intense political infighting over Europe by becoming embroiled in a furious row with Nicolas Sarkozyover Britain's role in talks to solve the crisis enveloping the euro.

The bust-up between Cameron and Sarkozy held up the conclusion of the EU-27 summit for almost two hours, with the French president expressing rage at the constant criticism and lectures from UK ministers.

Sarkozy bluntly told Cameron: "You have lost a good opportunity to shut up." He added: "We are sick of you criticising us and telling us what to do. You say you hate the euro and now you want to interfere in our meetings."

The prime minister has torn up his travel plans this week – a move urged on him by Labour leader Ed Miliband in a Guardian interview on Saturday – to attend an emergency heads of state meeting on Wednesday, and has demanded that all 27 EU countries be given the final say over measures to prevent the eurozone's sovereign debt crisis spreading and Europe sliding into deep recession.

On Monday the prime minister is facing both the largest Commons revolt of his premiership and the largest rebellion of eurosceptics suffered by a Conservative prime minister when parliament votes on whether the UK should have a referendum on Europe. » | Allegra Stratton and David Gow in Brussels | Sunday, October 23, 2011

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Alex Salmond Sure Scots Will Back SNP and Vote for Independence

THE GUARDIAN: Leader reiterates referendum will ask two questions, one on full independence and the second on fiscal autonomy

The Scottish nationalist leader, Alex Salmond, threw down the gauntlet to Labour on Sunday, challenging the party to devise an enhanced devolution plan to put to Scottish voters alongside the independence option in the referendum.

He declared he was confident, though, that Scots would back independence in the referendum due before the next Holyrood elections, in 2016.

"In my heart, in my head, I think Scotland will become an independent country within the European community, with a friendly, co-operative relationship with our partners in these islands," Salmond told the Andrew Marr Show on BBC1. » | Martin Kettle | Sunday, October 23, 2011

EU Referendum Vote Is Wrong Question at Wrong Time, Says Hague

THE GUARDIAN: Foreign secretary speaks out as Commons prepares to debate motion calling for referendum of UK's relationship with EU

William Hague, has told backbench Eurosceptics that Monday's Commons vote on pulling out of Europe "is the wrong question at the wrong time".

The foreign secretary spoke out as David Cameron faced the most serious challenge to his authority since taking office. A large number of Conservative MPs are reportedly planning to rebel on the Commons motion, which calls for a referendum on the UK's relationship with the EU.

Cameron will meet parliamentary aides in Downing Street before the vote in an attempt to dissuade as many as 10 members of the government who are minded to rebel against the prime minister, requiring them to resign their posts.

The coalition is sticking to its decision to impose a three-line whip on MPs to vote against the motion, despite criticism that it has been too heavy-handed.

The motion calls for a nationwide referendum on whether Britain should leave the EU, renegotiate its treaty with Brussels, or remain a member on the current terms.

The government will not suffer a defeat because Labour and the Lib Dems will vote down the motion, but a sizeable group of Conservative believes Cameron should honour pledges once made to allow a national vote on Britain's relationship with Europe. They are calling for the repatriation of social and employment rights.

Hague – formerly one of the Tory party's most high-profile Eurosceptics – defended the leadership's decision to impose a three-line whip on the grounds that the motion being debated was "completely against the policy of the government".

"This proposition is the wrong question at the wrong time. It was not in the manifesto of either of the governing parties," he said. » | Hélène Mulholland | Monday, October 24, 2011

Saudi Arabia Faces Backlash over Appointment of Likely Heir Apparent to Country's Throne

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The likely decision to appoint a hardline conservative prince as heir apparent to the throne of Saudi Arabia could cause a popular backlash against the rulers of the world's biggest oil producer, a human rights activist warned.

Prince Nayef, who has been interior minister for more than 40 years, was appointed second deputy prime minister two years ago, a post which made him second-in-line to the throne currently occupied by King Abdullah. The two men's brother, Crown Prince Sultan, died on Saturday, leaving Prince Nayef almost certain to step into the role.

Prince Nayef has been on record opposing such liberal reforms as allowing women to vote, and has also overseen a tough crackdown on opposition in the wake of this year's Arab Spring.

Mohammed al-Qahtani, head of the Association for Civil and Political Rights in Saudi Arabia, said the royal family should promote someone who could continue the push for reform.

"It is guaranteed Prince Nayef does not have that quality," he told The Daily Telegraph. "If they come up with a hardliner they are going to lose out. Resentment is building in society and a time will come where it will break loose." » | Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Sunday, October 23, 2011

Related »

New Moscow Blacklist of Senior US Officials
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Moscow has drawn up a retaliatory blacklist of top American officials three months after Washington announced travel restrictions on Russians linked to the 2009 death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky who exposed a £144 million tax fraud.

A statement released by the foreign ministry said that Russia considered the American move to be "direct pressure on state structures" and a "political provocation". The spat threatens to derail the "reset" of US-Russian relations championed by President Barack Obama and his counterpart Dmitry Medvedev.

The American citizens on Moscow's list were not named, but a foreign ministry spokesman said that they included senior Washington civil servants "linked to high-profile humanitarian crimes".

He singled out the "indefinite detention of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay and the uninvestigated killings of peaceful people in Iraq and Afghanistan". » | Howard Amos, Moscow | Sunday, October 23, 2011

Pope Sainthood Ceremony Disrupted by Protester
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The Pope named three new saints for the Catholic Church during Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square that was disrupted by a man who climbed out onto the upper colonnade and burned a bible.


Vatican gendarmes, a bishop and the pope's own bodyguard talked the man back from the edge of the colonnade after he shouted, "Pope, where is Christ?" in English and threw the burned bible to the crowd below.

Benedict and the thousands in the square appeared unfazed by the incident and carried on with the Mass. » | Sunday, October 23, 2011

First Glimpse of France 'First Baby' Giulia Sarkozy

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Cradled by her former-supermodel mother and surrounded by bodyguards, the most famous baby in France made her first public appearance today.

Giulia, the four-day-old daughter of Carla Bruni and President Nicolas Sarkozy, appeared on the steps of the Muette Clinic in Paris, where she was born last Wednesday.

Wrapped in a dark blue baby wrap, Guilia was carried down some steps to a waiting limousine with blacked-out windows, and then driven to her multi-millionaire family's town house a few streets away in the city's exclusive 16th arrondissement.

But, despite the kind of celebrity attention which both her mother has grown used to, there was no question of Giulia showing her face to the world.

Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy deliberately covered it up, after announcing last month: "I will never show photos of this child. I will never expose this child."

The French first lady, who has herself chased the limelight almost constantly since first dating English rock legend Mick Jagger as a teenager, added: "I will do everything to protect this infant, and I'll be absolutely rigorous." » | Peter Allen in Paris | Sunday, October 23, 2011

Denmark: Islamists Call for ‘Sharia Zones’

THE COPENHAGEN POST: A majority of Danish Muslims distance themselves from small group of extremists

A fundamentalist Islamic group wants to set up zones in Copenhagen where Islamic Sharia Law should be upheld.

The group, ‘The Call to Islam’, belongs to a branch of Islam called Salafism, whose followers in the UK attempted to introduce similar Sharia zones in London earlier this summer.

According to Jyllands-Posten newspaper, the group is led by the imam Abu Ahmed, who has taught several people subsequently linked to terrorist activities.

The Call to Islam intends to start patrolling the Copenhagen neighbourhood of Tingbjerg before extending into Nørrebro and eventually the whole of Denmark. Muslims found to be drinking and gambling would be reprimanded for breaking Islamic code. » | PS NEWS | Friday, October 21, 2011
HT: Marisol @ Jihad Watch »

Devastation as Earthquake Hits Turkey
Rescue workers frantically search for trapped people after a powerful Turkey earthquake hits southeastern Turkey.

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: One thousand people feared dead in Turkey earthquake: As many as 1,000 people are feared dead after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck southeastern Turkey, resulting in the collapse of around 50 buildings in the province of Van. » | Julia Harte in Istanbul | Sunday, October 23, 2011

Nicolas Sarkozy Tells David Cameron: 'We’re Sick of You Telling Us What to Do'
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron clashed repeatedly with Nicolas Sarkozy today after the French President tried to exclude Britain and non-eurozone countries from a critical Brussels summit to rescue European banks.

During two hours of bitter exchanges during a meeting of all 27 EU leaders before a crisis summit of the eurozone’s 17 members on Wednesday, President Sarkozy fought hard to get the Prime Minister barred from talks that would finalise a 100billion euros cash injection into banks.

”We’re sick of you criticising us and telling us what to do. You say you hate the euro, you didn’t want to join and now you want to interfere in our meetings,” the French leader told Mr Cameron, according to diplomats. » | Bruno Waterfield, Brussels | Sunday, October 23, 2011

My comment:

And who can blame Sarkozy? Many of us would like to tell Cameron to p*** o**! Good on Sarkozy! The English only know how to do one thing when it comes to Europe: Whinge!

Maybe it's high time that England got out of the EU, and Wales and Scotland joined as independent members. Then, the English will get what they want; and the Scots and the Welsh will then be satisfied too. – © Mark

This comment appears here

NTC Leaders Lead Celebrations as Libya Declares Liberation
Libya's provisional leaders are gathering in the eastern city of Benghazi to make a formal declaration of the country's liberation from the 42-year rule of Muammar Gaddafi.

Kadhafi : 144 milliards d’euros à l’étranger
leJDD: Le quotidien Los Angeles Times a révélé vendredi que Mouammar Kadhafi a fait sortir secrètement près de 144 milliards d’euros de Libye. Ils étaient principalement investis au Moyen-Orient et en Asie du Sud-Est.

Sa fortune était deux fois plus importante. Mouammar Kadhafi aurait fait sortir secrètement de Libye près de 144 milliards d’euros (soit 200 milliards de dollars), d’après une information publiée vendredi par le quotidien américain Los Angeles Times. La somme estimée jusque-là par les gouvernements occidentaux était de 72 milliards d’euros. » | A.F. - leJDD.fr | samedi 22 octobre 2011

leJDD: Libye : et maintenant? – La mort de Mouammar Kadhafi désormais actée, le Conseil national de transition se tourne l'avenir. Il devrait déclarer la libération totale du pays dans les jours qui viennent. Mais les enjeux qui attendent les nouveaux dirigeants libyens sont de taille. » | M.E - leJDD.fr | vendredi 21 octobre 2011

Gaddafi's Eldest Son Saif Captured 'Alive and Uninjured' Claim Libyan Officials
THE MAIL ON SUNDAY: Saif al-Islam caught in Nessma, near stronghold of Bani Walid / Loyal son tried to broker peace deal on behalf of his father 10 days ago / Moussa Ibrahim, Gaddafi's spokesman, also caught while fleeing to Misrata / Father and three of sons dead, three more and daughter still at large

Moammar Gaddafi's eldest son Saif al-Islam has been captured 'alive and uninjured' Libyan officials this morning claimed.

There had been various reports of Saif's condition following the death of his father, with some reports that he had been shot, and even some claims that he had lost both arms.

However, a National Transitional Council spokesman told NBC last night that Saif and Moussa Ibrahim, the former media frontman for the Gaddafi's regime, were captured in Nessma, near Bani Walid, while they were being moved to Misrata.

NTC spokesman said the Osoud el Wadi brigade, which translates as 'Lions of the Valley,' were responsible for the capture. The claims could not immediately be verified last night.

Conflicting reports emerged yesterday claiming that Saif he had already been captured in Zlitan, 99 miles from Tripoli, while receiving treatment for wounds.

No pictures have emerged of Saif since his father was captured and killed on Thursday.

Any escape will worry the British political elite who could face acute embarrassment if Saif was ultimately captured and ended up in court.

Saif became close to leading figures in the British government after Tony Blair signed the notorious ‘Deal in the Desert’ in March 2004.

Prince Andrew has also been linked to the bomber’s controversial release.

The Duke of York was accused of holding secret ‘detailed discussions’ over the release of the Lockerbie bomber with Saif in 2009, during an official Foreign Office-sponsored trip to Algeria. » | Daily Mail Reporter | Sunday, October 23, 2011

Prince Sultan's Death Fuels Debate about Who Will Succeed to the Saudi Throne

THE OBSERVER: Ultraconservative Prince Nayef, who was behind suppression of protests in neighbouring Bahrain, becomes likely successor

The death of the heir to the Saudi throne, Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz al Saud, has led to an urgent debate over the succession in the oil-rich state.

Sultan, who was in his 80s, had been undergoing treatment for colon cancer in New York, although Saudi TV, which announced the death today, only said he had died "abroad".

The younger half-brother of Saudi Arabia's frail and ailing leader, King Abdullah, Sultan was also deputy prime minister and defence minister, in charge of one of the biggest arms budgets in the world. He leaves multiple widows and 32 children.

The most likely candidate to replace him as Abdullah's successor is Prince Nayef, a member of the most powerful of the Saudi ruling families.

Nayef, 78, is the Saudi interior minister, in charge of the security forces, and is close to Islamic ultra-conservatives. He was directly involved in the decision in March to send soldiers into neighbouring Bahrain to help crush pro-reform demonstrations. » | Tracy McVeigh | Sunday, October 23, 2011

Related material here, here, and here

New Euro 'Empire' Plot by Brussels

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: European Union chiefs are drawing up plans for a single “Treasury” to oversee tax and spending across the 17 eurozone nations.

The proposal, put forward by Herman Van Rompuy, the European Council president, would be the clearest sign yet of a new “United States of Europe” — with Britain left on the sidelines.

The plan comes as European governments desperately trying to save the euro from collapse last night faced a new bombshell, with sources at the International Monetary Fund saying it would not pay for a second Greek bail-out.

It was also disclosed last night that British businesses are turning their back on Brussels regulations to give temporary workers full employment rights, with supermarket chain Tesco leading the charge.

Meanwhile, David Cameron is attempting to face down a rebellion tomorrow by Tory MPs in a vote over staging a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU.

Ministers expect 60 or 70 MPs to defy the party’s high command and back the call for a referendum, while some rebels claim the final toll could be up to 100 — about a third of the parliamentary party.

Downing Street has upped the stakes dramatically. Last night, No 10 sources insisted they would impose a three-line whip — effectively ordering all Tory MPs to fall in line.

Mr Cameron, who yesterday took personal charge of the effort to persuade MPs to back the Government, has come under intense pressure from Cabinet colleagues to try to defuse the revolt by offering concessions or a way out to rebels. Sources say a handful of parliamentary private secretaries — the lowest rung on the government ladder — might resign. » | Patrick Hennessy and Bruno Waterfield | Saturday, October 22, 2011

Umfrage - Gehört der Islam zu Deutschland?

Saudi King to Hold Historic Vote

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Saudi Arabia's absolute monarch will make an historic concession to the principle of the ballot in coming days as a special council votes for the first time on who should succeed him as ruler.

The move follows the announcement yesterday of the death of 87-year-old King Abdullah's half-brother, 80-year-old Crown Prince Sultan, who was until now his nominated successor.

The man now expected to become heir to the throne is Prince Nayef, 78, another half-brother of King Abdullah who currently serves as interior minister in the oil-rich nation.

While the prospect of one ageing Arab prince taking over from another may scarcely rank alongside the upheavals elsewhere in the Middle East this year, one aspect of the reshuffle will show that even Saudi Arabia – the most conservative of all Arab nations - is cautiously embracing change.

For the first time, King Abdullah is expected to seek approval for his choice of heir from the Allegiance Council, a body he set up himself to make the royal family's complex and opaque succession procedure more transparent.

Composed of the 34 branches of the ruling family, the council's members can either vote to confirm the king's choice or nominate their own candidate.

In practice, the council, which is expected to meet in coming days, is unlikely to dissent from the king's choice of Prince Nayef, a man not previously noted as an enthusiastic reformer. A close ally of the country's hard-line clergy, he is on the record as opposing women being granted the right to vote or drive, and his accession to the throne will be unwelcome to those seeking to put the country on a more liberal path.

However, with King Abdullah himself now in poor health - he was in hospital himself in Riyadh yesterday, a week after having surgery for recurring back problems - Prince Nayef's time as ruler may well be imminent. » | Colin Freeman, Chief Foreign Correspondent | Saturday, October 22, 2011

Meltdown – Final Part: After the Fall
Some responded with denial, others by re-thinking capitalism, but who is preparing for the next crisis?
Watch Part 4 here

Meltdown Part 3: Paying the Price
As the toll of the financial crisis continues to mount, many are looking for its true causes - and finding a crime
Watch Part 3 of Meltdown here
Related: Parts 1 & 2 »

Meltdown Part 2: A Global Financial Tsunami
Meltdown examines how an epidemic of fear caused banks to stop lending, triggered protests and led to industrial action.
Watch video here
Related: Meltown Part 1 »

Al Jazeera English News Bulletin - 14:35GMT Update

Obituary: Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud has died.

He was the seventh of King Abdulaziz Al Saud's 36 sons, each of whom have had significant and powerful roles within the kingdom.

Prince Sultan was never educated at a conventional school but learnt to read and write using tradition methods.

In 1947, his father named him the Emir of Riyadh. He was appointed minister of agriculture in 1953, then minister of transport on 1955, and minister of defence in 1962.

Prince Sultan became deputy prime minister in 1982 and was named the heir apparent after his elder brother Abdullah Abdulaziz was crowned King in 2005.

Al Jazeera's Stefani Dekker reports.


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Deutsche Linkspartei will Heroin und Kokain legalisieren
DIE PRESSE: Eine humane Drogenpolitik ist für die deutsche Linkspartei nur mit der Legalisierung harter Drogen machbar. Als harte Drogen gelten Heroin oder Kokain.

Die deutsche Linkspartei tritt für die Legalisierung harter Drogen ein. Mit 211 Ja-Stimmen gegen 173 Nein-Stimmen sprach sich der Linken-Parteitag am Samstag in Erfurt bei 29 Enthaltungen für die Legalisierung aller Drogen aus. Damit kippten die Delegierten den Entwurf des Bundesvorstands, der nur den Konsum sogenannter weicher illegaler Drogen wie Haschisch zulassen wollte. Als harte Drogen gelten Heroin oder Kokain. Diese Rauschmittel werden von den meisten Experten wegen ihres großen Suchtpotenzials und der häufig verheerenden Auswirkungen auf Psyche und Gesundheit als besonders gefährlich eingestuft. » | Ag./Red. | Samstag 22. Oktober 2011

Malaysian Muslims Rally against Proselytizing
ARAB NEWS: KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Several thousand Malaysian Muslims have protested against alleged proselytizing by Christians.

The rally Saturday reflects growing racial tensions in Muslim-majority Malaysia ahead of elections expected next year.

Organizing chairman Yusri Mohamed says the rally, backed by about two dozen Islamic groups, was aimed at uniting Muslims to defend their faith. » | ASSOCIATED PRESS | Saturday, October 22, 2011

Clinton Warns Tajikistan on Stoking Radical Islam

ARAB NEWS: DUSHANBE: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Tajikistan on Saturday that efforts to crack down on religious freedom might backfire and increase sympathy for radical views that could threaten stability in the Central Asian country.

Clinton, who met Tajik President Imomali Rakhmon on a trip to thank two Central Asian states for their cooperation in the US-led war in neighboring Afghanistan, said freedom of religious expression was tied to the region’s future security.

“I disagree with restrictions on religious freedom and shared those concerns,” Clinton told a news conference after meeting Rakhmon.

She said efforts to regulate religion “could push legitimate religious expression underground, and that could build up a lot of unrest and discontent.” » | ANDREW QUINN | REUTERS | Saturday, October 22, 2011

Libyans Untroubled by Qaddafi’s Violent Death
ARAB NEWS: MISRATA: Libyans lining up in dozens to view Muammar Qaddafi’s body on Saturday shared none of the West’s qualms about the fact he was killed while in the hands of the fighters who captured him.

They said if he had stayed alive, he could still have rallied his supporters to continue an insurgency against Libya’s new rulers, and that the International Criminal Court would have given him just a few years in prison.

Qaddafi was captured in his home town of Sirte on Thursday in the final act of a violent rebellion against his 42-year rule. Amateur video footage showed a dazed and bloodied Qaddafi being manhandled by an angry crowd.

Minutes later he was dead, prompting suspicions — denied by Libya’s new government — that he was killed by his captors.

Asked if it would not have been better for him to stand trial, Abdulatif, a pilot, said: “What would he tell the mother whose children were killed or the girls who were raped?“

“If he lived and was killed a thousand times that would still only be a trifle,” he said outside the metal cold storage container in Misrata, 200 km (130) miles east of the Libyan capital, where Qaddafi’s body was on public view.

“If you give him to the international court he will be living in luxury in Switzerland and then maybe he will be given a sentence of 10 years in prison. So it is better that he was killed.” » | RANIA EL GAMAL | REUTERS | Saturday, October 22, 2011

MAIL ONLINE: Eldest son Saif critically injured but 'fleeing across the desert' towards Niger » | Daily Mail Reporter | Saturday, October 22, 2011

Saudi Woman Executed for Burning Husband to Death
ARAB NEWS: RIYADH: A Saudi woman convicted of burning her husband to death was executed in Riyadh on Wednesday, the Interior Ministry announced. » | ARAB NEWS | Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Egypte: 3 ans de prison pour blasphème sur Facebook
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: JUSTICE ÉGYPTIENNE | Trois ans de prison assortis de travaux forcés: voilà ce à quoi a été condamné un jeune homme pour avoir insulté l’islam dans des propos publiés sur Facebook.

Un Egyptien a été condamné samedi au Caire à trois ans de prison assortis de travaux forcés pour avoir insulté l’islam dans des propos publiés sur Facebook, a rapporté l’agence officielle Mena. Continuez à lire et ajouter un commentaire » | AFP | samedi 22 octobre 2011

ARAB NEWS: Egyptian sentenced to 3 years for insulting Islam: CAIRO: Egypt’s state media says a Cairo court has sentenced a man to three years in prison for postings on Facebook deemed to be inciting sectarianism and in contempt of Islam. ¶ The MENA state news agency said Saturday a the misdemeanor court found Ayman Mansour had intentionally mocked Islam and used “outrageous and scurrilous” language in describing the religion’s holy book, the Qur’an, and its prophet and believers. » | ASSOCIATED PRESS | Saturday, October 22, 2011

Steve Jobs: Bill Gates 'Unimaginative'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Steve Jobs accused Bill Gates of being "unimaginative", and said LSD helped reinforce "my sense of what was important", according to his biographer.

The extracts are from Walter Isaacson's much-anticipated authorised book on Mr Jobs's life due to be released later this month. He interviewed Jobs 40 times in the past two years before the Apple chief executive died earlier this month.

In the 630-page book, he said of his Microsoft rival Gates, after he left the company to work on his charitable foundation: "BIll is basically unimaginative and has never invented anything, which is why I think he's more comfortable now in philanthropy than technology."

In another extract, Isaacson claims Jobs said that taking LSD “reinforced my sense of what was important: creating great things instead of making money, putting things back itno the stream of history and of human consciousness as much as I could.”

The book claims that Jobs died regretting that he had spent so long attempting to treat his cancer with alternative medicine before agreeing to undergo surgery.

The Apple chief executive delayed having operations and chemotherapy for nine months after the disease was discovered in October 2003. Read on and comment » | Saturday, October 22, 2011

Wenige aus Gaddafis engerem Kreis leben noch
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Die meisten der Gadaffi-Getreuen sind entweder festgesetzt oder getötet worden - oder haben sich seinen Gegnern angeschlossen. Besonders über den Status von Sohn Saif al Islam gibt es widersprüchliche Meldungen.

Nur wenige aus dem engeren Kreis um Gaddafi haben ihn überlebt. Die meisten seiner Getreuen sind entweder festgesetzt oder getötet worden - oder haben sich seinen Gegnern angeschlossen. Von Gaddafis acht Kindern sind mutmaßlich vier am Leben. Tochter Aisha sowie die Söhne Hannibal und Muhammad haben sich Ende August nach Algerien in Sicherheit gebracht, wo sie sich frei bewegen können. Gesichert ist der Tod von Saif al Arab (30. April in Tripolis), Chamis (29. August in Tarhuna) und Mutassim (20. Oktober in Sirte). Die nigerische Regierung gab bekannt, dass der Gaddafisohn und frühere Fußballspieler Saadi in das Land eingereist sei. Am 29. September schrieb ihn Interpol zur Fahndung aus. » | Von RAINER HERMANN | Freitag 21. Oktober 2011

Video hier abspielen.

Les forces du CNT chassent Seïf al-Islam, l'ancien dauphin

LE FIGARO: En Libye, l'ex-dandy de la jet-set, l'héritier putatif de Kadhafi s'est mué en chef de guerre au début de la révolte. Convaincu de la victoire finale.

Le dernier combattant de la famille Kadhafi était vendredi en fuite vers le Niger, selon un haut responsable du Conseil national de transition libyen (CNT). Seïf al-Islam, 39 ans, deuxième fils du «Guide» et dauphin présumé, aurait donc réussi à s'échapper de Syrte. Son convoi était encerclé, a ajouté un autre responsable du CNT.

«Seïf» comme on l'appelait, tentait de rejoindre son frère Saadi, déjà réfugié au Niger. Mais contrairement à ce dernier, Seïf al-Islam était au cœur du pouvoir. Curieux destin que celui de ce quadra au crâne rasé et au look de trader branché, ancien «visage humain» du régime. Au début de la révolution, il avait brusquement changé. Fini le jeune homme en costume italien, reçu avec égards à l'Élysée ou à la Maison-Blanche. Le nouveau Seïf menaçait les Libyens d'un «bain de sang», le doigt pointé vers la caméra. On l'avait vu haranguer la foule à Tripoli, brandissant un fusil d'assaut allemand G-36.

Cette métamorphose était un pari. Seïf croyait à la victoire finale. En se donnant la légitimité militaire qui lui manquait, il réaliserait enfin son projet de toujours: prendre la place de son père. Il le disait clairement en juin dernier, dans l'une de ses dernières interviews, donnée au Figaro. «La Libye d'après ne ressemblera pas à celle que vous avez connue. Et j'y jouerai un rôle important.» » | Par Pierre Prier | vendredi 21 octobre 2011

Rebels Accused of Executing Former Libyan Leader and Son Mutassim
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Libya's rebel army has been accused of executing both Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and his son Mutassim in cold blood as the United Nations suggested their deaths amounted to war crimes.


Human rights groups and Gaddafi's wife Safia called for an independent investigation into the deaths, which robbed victims' families of the chance to see Gaddafi put on trial for his murderous acts.

Both Gaddafi and his son were filmed or photographed alive and relatively uninjured after their capture on Thursday, before both died of multiple gunshot wounds.

On Friday, at the refrigeration units in Misrata where the two bodies are being kept before their burial, young men queued for the chance to see the corpses and take pictures of them on their mobile phones. » | Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter | Friday, October 21, 2011

Heir to the Saudi Throne Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Has Died

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia has died in his mid 80s after a long illness.

The death of the crown prince, a half-brother to King Abdullah and the man who was next in line to the throne, means that his brother Prince Nayef becomes the heir to King Abdullah as leader of the key oil producer.

The crown prince was variously reported to be 85 or 86.

Prince Nayef, who becomes crown prince on the death of Prince Sultan, is 78. Another half-brother of King Abdullah, he holds the portfolio of interior.

Crown Prince Sultan's funeral will take place on Tuesday after his body has been repatriated from the United States.

The Al-Saud family has ruled Saudi Arabia ever since the kingdom's establishment in 1932 and under its rules of succession the throne passes in turn to the sons of its founder Abdul Aziz, all of whom are now elderly. » | Saturday, October 22, 2011

Libya: Injured Gaddafi Pleaded with his Captors
New amateur footage from Libya appears to show an injured Muammar Gaddafi pleading with his captors shortly after he was seized in Sirte.

Muammar Gaddafi's 'Trophy' Body On Show in Misrata Meat Store
THE GUARDIAN: Libyans queue to see dictator's body as wounds appear to confirm he was killed in cold blood

Bloodied, wearing just a pair of khaki trousers, and dumped on a cheap mattress, Muammar Gaddafi's body has become a gruesome tourist attraction and a macabre symbol of the new Libya's problems.

Hundreds of ordinary Libyans queued up outside a refrigerated meat store in Misrata, where the dead dictator was being stored as a trophy. A guard allowed small groups into the room to celebrate next to Gaddafi's body. They posed for photos, flashing victory signs, and burst into jubilant cries of "God is great." » | Andrei Netto in Misrata, Ian Black in Tripoli and Luke Harding | Friday, October 21, 2011

MAIL ONLINE: Gaddafi's widow demands inquiry into death as new video emerges of moment dictator was dragged from hiding place: Traditional burial within 24 hours delayed so body can be examined / Daughter called father's mobile phone as he was being taken away » | David Williams and Andrew Malone | Friday, October 21, 2011

MAIL ONLINE: A last cigarette and a swig of water, Gaddafi's son Mutassim pictured before he too died of new wounds acquired in captivity: After his capture, Colonel Gaddafi’s son Mutassim was photographed swigging water and smoking a cigarette. » | Daily Mail Reporter | Friday, October 21, 2011

Marco Rubio Forced to Deny He Embellished Parents' Life Story

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Rising Republican star Marco Rubio has been forced to defend himself against allegations that he embellished his parents' life story by falsely claiming that they fled Fidel Castro's Cuba.

The US senator from Florida said it was "outrageous" to suggest that he had altered his family history for political gain, after the Washington Post unearthed public documents showing that his parents Mario and Oriales arrived in the United States in May 1956, two and a half years before the communist takeover in their home island.

Mr Rubio has repeatedly described himself as the "son of exiles" and made his family's reasons for leaving Cuba a central part of his political profile.

The fact that his parents appear to have been simple economic migrants will however dent his image as a strong proponent of America as a sanctuary from tyranny and could prove damaging to his prospects. The 40-year-old with good looks and sharp rhetorical skills has been widely tipped as a potential vice-presidential nominee in 2012 thanks also to his appeal to Hispanic voters and following in the country's largest swing state. » | Alex Spillius, Washington | Friday, October 21, 2011

St Paul's Cathedral Announces Closure Due to 'Occupy' Protesters
It seemed a gesture of Christian tolerance when a clergyman at St Paul’s Cathedral told police to allow anti-capitalist protesters camped outside to continue their demonstration.

Read article here

Barack Obama Brings Iraq War to a Close
President Barack Obama has announced that all American troops will leave Iraq by the end of the year, bringing a formal close to a long and bloody war that divided the country.

Read the article here and comment here
THE GUARDIAN: Iraq rejects US request to maintain bases after troop withdrawal: Obama announces the full withdrawal of troops from Iraq but fails to persuade Nouri al-Maliki to allow US to keep bases there » | Ewen MacAskill in Washington | Friday, October 21, 2011

Libya: NTC Confirm Colonel Gaddafi Is Dead
The ousted ruler of Libya, Muammar Gaddafi has been killed by former rebel forces in Sirte, the National Transitional Council confirms at a press conference in Benghazi.

Amateur Video Shows Gaddafi Son Mutassim Alive after Sirte Capture
Colonel Gaddafi's son Mutassim, who was seized by NTC fighters along with his father in Sirte and has since been pronounced dead, is filmed alive following his capture

Bloodied But Not Dead: Last Moments of Former Libyan Leader Colonel Gaddafi Following Fall of Sirte
Amateur video has emerged of Colonel Gaddafi apparently wounded while fleeing Sirte but still alive.