'I Am Part of the Most Selfish Generation in History and We Should Be Ashamed of Our Legacy,' Says Jeremy Paxman
MAIL ONLINE: As it’s revealed today’s young will be 25 per cent worse off than their parents, the Newsnight presenter says he and his fellow Baby-Boomers have bequeathed little worth celebrating...

A few years ago, an American author wrote a book about the men and women who endured the Depression and then fought in World War II. He testified to their courage, vision and resilience by calling his book The Greatest Generation.

If anyone attempted to name their children — those born between about 1945 and 1965 — the so-called Baby-Boomers, they might consider calling them The Worst Generation.

It is now received wisdom that today’s young people may be the first generation in modern history to expect to be poorer than their parents.

Earlier this month, a report suggested the young will be 25 per cent worse off than their parents when they reach the age of 65 — the so-called ‘baby bust’ generation, having accumulated £400,000 less by the time they retire.

This may not be entirely their parents’ fault. But we should certainly take a good share of the blame. Read on and comment » | Jeremy Paxman | Monday, October 31, 2011

Telegraph View: Nick Clegg Is Out of Step with Britain over Europe
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Telegraph View: The Deputy Prime Minister's latest intervention not only undermines the Government but sets him profoundly at odds with public opinion.

Nick Clegg has in the past been accused of being a politician with one foot in Westminster and one in Brussels. Never has that charge seemed more justified than this weekend, when the Deputy Prime Minister went out of his way to pick a fight with both his coalition partners and British public opinion over the future of the European Union.

Writing in a Sunday newspaper, he warned Britain against running "headfirst towards treaty change" and "tampering with the EU's founding texts". He added: "We spent years fighting to bring down the walls that divided Europe – it would be damaging to let new ones spring up now." And he asked: "Why would we seek to head up a smaller club [of non-euro members] with a fast diminishing membership?" If Britain were to be leader of countries outside the eurozone, that would be "an extraordinary own goal". » | Telegraph View | Monday, October 31, 2011

My comment:

I've come to the conclusion that this newspaper is at war with all things European, especially the EU. It appears to me to have lost all sense of reason and balance. Furthermore, it has become the home not so much of Conservative voters, but of UKIP voters instead. UKIP voters and turncoats. – © Mark

This comment also appears here

Rush Mocks Obama

Read the article here

Politico Exclusive: 2 Women Accused Herman Cain of Inappropriate Behavior

POLITICO: During Herman Cain’s tenure as the head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s, at least two female employees complained to colleagues and senior association officials about inappropriate behavior by Cain, ultimately leaving their jobs at the trade group, multiple sources confirm to POLITICO.

The women complained of sexually suggestive behavior by Cain that made them angry and uncomfortable, the sources said, and they signed agreements with the restaurant group that gave them financial payouts to leave the association. The agreements also included language that bars the women from talking about their departures.
In a series of comments over the past 10 days, Cain and his campaign repeatedly declined to respond directly about whether he ever faced allegations of sexual harassment at the restaurant association. They have also declined to address questions about specific reporting confirming that there were financial settlements in two cases in which women leveled complaints. » | JONATHAN MARTIN & MAGGIE HABERMAN & ANNA PALMER & KENNETH P. VOGEL | Monday, October 31, 2011

Occupy Protesters Clash with Police in Denver and Portland

THE GUARDIAN: Twenty people detained in Denver and 30 in Portland as snowstorms result in quieter weekends for New York demonstrators

Violent clashes between Occupy protesters and police broke out in Denver, Colorado, and Portland, Oregon, over the weekend.

Police arrested 20 people and fired pepper spray and pepper balls as they moved to tear down tents set up by Occupy Denver demonstrators on Saturday. Amid angry scenes, two protesters were held on felony charges after police said an officer was knocked off his motorcycle and other officers were kicked.

Patricia Hughes, 38, a nurse who was at the Denver demonstration described the police behaviour as "brutal and outlandish."

She said that police were putting on their riot gear before the demonstration began and that more than 100 officers charged into the crowd after one officer fell while dismantling a tent.

"It's an extraordinary decision that the police in Denver think rubber bullets are an acceptable response to a peaceful protest," she said. » | Dominic Rushe in New York | Sunday, October 30, 2011

Countries that Ban Homosexuality Risk Losing Aid, Warns David Cameron

THE GUARDIAN: Prime minister concedes 'deep prejudices' in some countries mean the problem will persist for years

Britain has threatened countries that ban homosexuality with losing aidpayments unless they reform, David Cameron has said.

But he conceded that "deep prejudices" in some countries meant the problem would persist for years.

The prime minister said he had raised the issue with leaders of some of the states involved when he attended the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Australia.

Britain was "putting the pressure on", he said. But it was not a problem that would be solved by the time Commonwealth leaders are next due to meet, in Sri Lanka in 2013.

Cameron warned Sri Lanka to improve its human rights record or face boycotts of the 2013 summit. He declined to discuss whether the UK could stay away but said he shared a "similar view" to that of the Canadian prime minister, Stephen Harper, who has said he will not attend.

Ending bans on homosexuality was one of the recommendations of a highly critical internal report on the future relevance of the Commonwealth, written by experts from across the member nations.

"We are not just talking about it. We are also saying that British aid should have more strings attached," Cameron said on BBC1's Andrew Marr Show in an interview recorded at the summit in Perth.

"This is an issue where we are pushing for movement, we are prepared to put some money behind what we believe. But I'm afraid that you can't expect countries to change overnight. » | Press Association | Sunday, October 30, 2011

I have sometimes been critical of David Cameron in the past for not showing enough courage. This decision, however, is a courageous one; and he should be respected for it. Homosexuals have had to suffer throughout the ages. It is high time that people put their prejudices to the side, it is high time that homosexuals were recognised for the human beings that they are, for the people who should be respected for the nature they were born with and can do nothing about. Countries which punish and harass homosexuals do not deserve our aid. Let them go sing for it elsewhere. – © Mark

Nick Clegg Issues Fierce Rebuke to Tory Right over Europe

THE OBSERVER: Deputy prime minister says coalition will not take back powers from Brussels and calls EU debate a 'dangerous distraction'

Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, has launched a full-frontal attack on Conservative Eurosceptics within the coalition, describing their aims as "economic suicide" and ruling out a "headfirst" charge towards a repatriation of powers from Europe.

In a direct challenge to Tories calling for a redrawing of the UK's relationship with Europe, the Liberal Democrat leader dismisses calls for a raid on Brussels' powers as a futile distraction. Writing for the Observer, Clegg mocks those who believe this country would survive outside of Europe based on the so-called "special relationship" with America. "Eurosceptics tend to gaze longingly across the Atlantic, but the Americans are interested in us, in large part, because of our sway with our neighbours," he writes. "We stand tall in Washington because we stand tall in Brussels, Paris and Berlin."

Sources close to Clegg also dismissed claims by David Cameron over the weekend that the Foreign Office was reviewing every aspect of Britain's membership of the European Union in preparation for a potential treaty change coming out of the eurozone crisis.

The official told the Observer: "This would be to misunderstand what the coalition agreement says." Instead Clegg writes that Britain would avoid opening the "Pandora's box" that comes with "tampering with the EU's founding texts", and describes talk of such moves as "dangerous distractions".

The deputy prime minister's forthright intervention makes it clear that Britain's relationship with Europe could yet prove to be the most dangerous faultline within the coalition. It comes after a torrid week in parliament in which the eurozone crisis has led to renewed calls from the Eurosceptic wing of the Conservative party for a partial or total withdrawal from the European Union. Last Monday, 81 Conservative MPs defied a three-line whip to vote against the government and for a referendum on EU membership. » | Daniel Boffey | Saturday, October 29, 2011

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Nick Clegg warns David Cameron of 'economic suicide' over EU policy: Nick Clegg has set himself on a collision course with David Cameron over EU policy after warning that it would be "economic suicide" for Britain to "retreat to the margins" of Europe. » | Josie Ensor and Patrick Hennessy, Political Editor | Sunday, October 30, 2011

Syria: Bashar al-Assad Accused of 'Scare Mongering'
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Opposition groups and activists on Sunday accused Syrian President Bashar Assad of 'scare mongering' to dissuade Western action against the regime.

In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Telegraph, President Assad had warned that foreign intervention in his country would cause an "earthquake" that would "burn the whole region".

"He is trying to make the uprising seem threatening to the West and the Middle East," said Walat Afimeh, a member of the Sawa (Together) Youth opposition movement.

"After eight months of uprisings, why do you think this will suddenly descend to civil and then regional war?" said Nasser Ahme, a Kurdish activist member of Sawa Youth speaking from a hiding place in Turkey.

Activists renewed the call for a Nato imposed 'no fly zone', and the equipping of the 'Syrian Free Army' (SFA) – an opposition military group composed of defecting soldiers.

Syria's social patchwork of ethnic diversities makes the country sensitive to civil war acquiesced activists. But intervention will only help prevent civil war. » | Ruth Sherlock in Antakya, Turkey | Sunday, October 30, 2011

CNN - Spreading Islam in Britain

Sharia-zone in Denmark

Todesursache Gaddafi starb an Lähmung des Atemzentrums
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Die Todesursache von Libyens Diktator steht fest: Nach SPIEGEL-Informationen ist Gaddafi gestorben, weil Gehirnteile eingeklemmt wurden. Dadurch kam es zur Lähmung der Atmung. Die Obduktion zeigte einen sonst erstaunlich gut erhaltenen Körper.

Hamburg - Libyens gestürzter Machthaber Muammar al-Gaddafi ist nach SPIEGEL-Informationen an den Folgen einer sogenannten Herniation gestorben, einer Einklemmung von Gehirnteilen mit einer anschließenden Lähmung des Atemzentrums. » | Sonntag 30. Oktober 2011

Muslim Fanatics Abuse MP at Mosque

SUNDAY EXPRESS: COUNTER terrorism police are investigating a Muslim group after supporters called an MP a “Jewish homo pig”.

Conservative MP Mike Freer was holding an advice surgery in the mosque in Margaret Thatcher’s former constituency of Finchely, north London, when the radicals hurled abuse on Friday afternoon.

They screamed at him that as someone who is gay he was “not welcome in a house of Allah”.

Mr Freer, who is not Jewish but who is a member of the Conservative Friends of Israel and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Islamophobia, said the protesters were “aggressive” and that he had been forced to call Finchley’s Met Police borough commander to complain.

It is now understood that Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorist unit is investigating the Muslims Against Crusades group, which has also issued a chilling warning to any MP representing Muslims in Britain.

In a statement on its website, they have told every MP to remember what happened to Stephen Timms, the former Labour minister who was stabbed while holding an advice surgery in east London last year.

His Al Qaeda-inspired attacker, Roshonara Choudhry, 22, was sentenced to life imprisonment and a number of other MPs who were on her target list were offered extra police protection.

The Muslims Against Crusades statement reads: “We warn Mike Freer and every other MP in Britain that their presence is no longer welcomed in any Muslim area and that examples such as Stephen Timms should serve as a piercing reminder of this.

“Muslims have had enough of freedom and democracy and are fervently working for the implementation of the Shariah.” » | Ted Jeory | Sunday, October 30, 2011

Le procès de Moubarak reporté au 28 décembre
20 MINUTES ONLINE: Le procès d'Hosni Moubarak pour corruption et meurtre de manifestants a été reporté dimanche au 28 décembre, en attendant une décision sur un éventuel remplacement du juge.

«Le tribunal pénal du Caire, présidé par le juge Ahmed Refaat, a décidé d'ajourner le procès de l'ancien président Hosni Moubarak, de ses fils Alaa et Gamal, de l'homme d'affaires Hussein Salem et de l'ancien ministre de l'Intérieur Habib el-Adli et six de ses collaborateurs au 28 décembre», a affirmé l'agence. » | afp | dimanche 30 octobre 2011

Syrie: Intervention internationale pas exclue
20 MINUTES ONLINE: La Ligue arabe a averti le président syrien Bachar al-Assad qu'une intervention internationale serait inévitable si sa médiation visant à arrêter la violence échouait.

Une réunion est prévue dimanche à Doha entre une délégation ministérielle de la Ligue arabe et des responsables syriens, venus apporter la réponse de Damas à des demandes formulées par cette délégation lors d'une réunion mercredi à Damas avec M. Assad.

Citant des sources arabes bien informées, le quotidien koweïtien «Al-Qabas» affirme que «la délégation arabe a été franche et claire au cours de sa réunion avec la direction syrienne. Elle l'a avertie que si une solution arabe échouait, cela aboutirait à une internationalisation de la crise».

«Cela voulait dire que la Syrie devrait s'attendre à une intervention étrangère et à un embargo économique», ont ajouté ces sources citées par le journal. » | afp | dimanche 30 octobre 2011

Assad Whitewashed! Syria's President Assad: 'I Live a Normal Life - It's Why I'm Popular'

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Three thousand demonstrators have died fighting his rule, but - in an exclusive interview - Bashar al-Assad, president of Syria, tells Andrew Gilligan he will not go the way of Gaddafi

When you go to see an Arab ruler, you expect vast, over-the-top palaces, battalions of guards, ring after ring of security checks and massive, deadening protocol. You expect to wait hours in return for a few stilted minutes in a gilded reception room, surrounded by officials, flunkies and state TV cameras. You expect a monologue, not a conversation. Bashar al-Assad, the president of Syria, was quite different.

The young woman who arranged the meeting picked me up in her own car. We drove for 10 minutes, then turned along what looked like a little-used side road through the bushes. There was no visible security, not even a gate, just a man dressed like a janitor, standing by a hut. We drove straight up to a single-storey building the size of a largeish suburban bungalow. The president was waiting in the hall to meet us.

We sat, just the three of us, on leather sofas in Assad’s small study. The president was wearing jeans. It was Friday, the main protest day in Syria: the first Friday since the death of Colonel Gaddafi had sunk in. But the man at the centre of it all, the man they wanted to destroy, looked pretty relaxed. Read on and comment » | Andrew Gilligan | Sunday, October 30, 2011

Snow Storm Hits Many Parts of North-Eastern United States
THE GUARDIAN: Unseasonal Halloween weather has dumped up to 30cm of snow and affected 60 million people from Virginia to Maine

Huge swathes of the north-eastern United States have been hit by a rare October snow storm that struck across the region from Virginia all the way to Maine.

Dubbed "Snowtober" by news organisations covering the unusually early winter storm, the massive weather formation dumped up to 30cm (one foot) of snow in parts of the country that rarely see it this early in the year. Some estimates put the number of people affected by the unseasonal weather at around 60 million.

In a few parts of the country the storm was an almost once-in-a-lifetime event. New York City has seen measurable October snow just three times since 1869, when America was still recovering from the civil war. But 2011 has been an unusual year for New York weather, as the city was also directly hit by Hurricane Irene just a few months ago. Over New York and other areas the storm was also accompanied by thunder and lightning, another fairly rare event known as "thundersnow". » | Paul Harris in New York | Saturday, October 29, 2011

20 MINUTES ONLINE: Des vols suspendus à cause de la neige : Les aéroports de New York et de Philadelphie en Pennsylvanie enregistraient samedi des retards et des suspensions de vols. » | ats | samedi 29 octobre 2011

BILD: Wintereinbruch legt Osten der USA lahm: New York – Am Freitag wärmte noch die Sonne die New Yorker, am Wochenende verschwand die US-Metropole im Schneegestöber. Völlig überraschend ist eine Schneefront über die komplette nördliche Hälfte der US-Ostküste hereingebrochen. Millionen sind ohne Strom – und bleiben es tagelang. » | Sonntag 30. Oktober 2011

Libya Insists Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Should Be Tried at Home

THE GUARDIAN: NTC says that the International Criminal Court should not be allowed to try Saif Gaddafi for his role in Libya's civil war

Libyan officials are determined to resist attempts to bring Muammar Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam, before the international criminal court [sic], claiming he should instead face justice at home.

Colonel Ahmed Bani, the military spokesman for Libya's interim rulers, said they were insistent that the international body should not win custody of its most wanted man. "We will not accept that our sovereignty be violated like that," he said. "We will put him on trial here. This is where he must face the consequences of what he has done. We will prove to the world that we are a civilised people with a fair justice system. Libya has its rights and its sovereignty and we will exercise them."

The gruesome scenes of his father's death give Gaddafi, 39, little incentive to surrender to the new rulers, or the rebel forces searching for him in the Sahara.

It is understood that Gaddafi has acknowledged to the ICC and the National Transitional Council that he is aware of his father's brutal demise in his hometown of Sirte. Officials in Tripoli fear that the former heir apparent does not intend to surrender to The Hague, and is playing for time in an attempt to escape into a nearby African state. » | Martin Chulov in Tripoli | Saturday, October 29, 2011

Muslime protestieren gegen Islamfeindlichkeit
Kundgebung auf dem Bundesplatz in Bern
NZZ ONLINE: Auf dem Bundesplatz in Bern haben Muslime gegen islamfeindliche Tendenzen in der Gesellschaft protestiert. Viele Blicke zog ein grosses, aufblasbares Minarett auf sich, das die Organisatoren gleich neben der Bühne aufgestellt hatten.

Rund 2000 Menschen haben auf dem Bundesplatz in Bern gegen Islamophobie protestiert. Redner aus dem In- und Ausland kritisierten die Diskriminierung von Muslimen im Alltag.

Zum «Tag gegen Islamophobie und Rassismus» hatte der Islamische Zentralrat Schweiz (IZRS) aufgerufen. Als einer der ersten Redner betrat am Nachmittag IZRS-Präsident Nicolas Blancho die Bühne. Hinter ihm waren grosse gelbe Buchstaben aufgestellt, die das Wort Islamophobie bildeten. » | sda | Samstag 29. Oktober 2011

Documentary: The Russian Revolution

Assad: Challenge Syria At Your Peril

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, has warned that Western action against his country would cause an "earthquake" that would "burn the whole region".

In his first interview with a Western journalist since Syria's seven-month uprising began, President Assad told The Sunday Telegraph that intervention against his regime could cause "another Afghanistan".

Western countries "are going to ratchet up the pressure, definitely," he said. "But Syria is different in every respect from Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen. The history is different. The politics is different.

"Syria is the hub now in this region. It is the fault line, and if you play with the ground you will cause an earthquake … Do you want to see another Afghanistan, or tens of Afghanistans?

"Any problem in Syria will burn the whole region. If the plan is to divide Syria, that is to divide the whole region." » | Andrew Gilligan, in Damascus | Saturday, October 29, 2011

Norwegen: Massenmörder Breivik will „mildernde Umstände“
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Die Anwälte von Anders Breivik, der bei einem Massaker auf der norwegischen Insel Utøya 69 Teilnehmer eines Jugendlagers ermordete, plädieren für „mildernde Umstände“. Ihr Mandant sei geständig und habe Kinder verschont.

Die Anwälte des norwegischen Massenmörders Anders Behring Breivik wollen beim bevorstehenden Prozess „mildernde Umstände“ geltend machen und ein geringeres Strafmaß durchsetzen. Der32-jährige Rechtsradikale und Islamhasser hatte am 22. Juli beieinem Massaker auf der Insel Utøya 69 Teilnehmer eines Jugendlagers ermordet. Kurz zuvor starben acht Menschen durch eine von ihm im
Osloer Regierungsviertel platzierte Autobombe. Breivik sei geständig und habe Kinder verschont, argumentieren die Anwälte. » | Quelle: dpa | Freitag 28. Oktober 2011

Manifestation contre la christianophobie
LE FIGARO: Plus d'un millier de fondamentalistes chrétiens ont manifesté ce samedi à Paris contre la "christianophobie" incarnée selon eux par la pièce de théâtre italienne jouée dans la capitale "Sur le concept du visage du fils de Dieu" qu'ils jugent blasphématoire.

"Nous sommes là pour dénoncer la christianophobie au sens large et nous allons mettre un accent particulier sur le spectacle blasphématoire qui se joue en ce moment", a dit Alain Escada, secrétaire général de l'institut Civitas, proche du mouvement de la Fraternité Saint-Pie X fondée par l'intégriste Mgr Lefebvre.

Derrière une banderole proclamant "La France est chrétienne et doit le rester", le cortège de plus d'un millier de personnes - 5.000 selon Civitas - a défilé dans le centre de la capitale aux cris de "christianophobie, ça suffit!". Parmi les manifestants, des prêtres en soutane et des croyants de tous âges exhibant crucifix et drapeaux du Sacré coeur, chantant et priant. » | AFP | samedi 29 octobre 2011

Islam Invades the Philippines- More Filipinos Convert to Islam

Blair Defends Opening the Door to Mass Migration and Says It Had a Very Positive Impact on Britain

MAIL ONLINE: Former PM said it was 'right’ that the country was made up of different cultures and faiths mixing together

Tony Blair has defended Labour’s controversial mass immigration policy by claiming that Britain cannot succeed unless it opens its borders to more people from different backgrounds.

The former prime minister said it was 'right’ that the country was made up of different cultures and faiths mixing together.

Mr Blair added that migrants had made Britain 'stronger’ and said those calling for greater curbs on foreigners entering the country were wrong.

His comments come just days after official figures revealed that the population is expected to soar by the equivalent of a city the size of Leeds every year for the next decade.

A defiant Mr Blair insisted his party’s policy on immigration was the right one. He said: 'It’s been a very positive thing and there is no way for a country like Britain to succeed in the future unless it is open to people of different colours, faiths and cultures.’ Read on and comment » | Kirsty Walker | Saturday, October 29, 2011

My comment:

That man is arrogant! He's full of his own importance, and wrong! He should hang his head in shame because of the wrongs he has done to this country. He deliberately set out to make the country multi-cultural against the people's wishes. He should be hanged, drawn, and quartered for the destruction he has wrought. The man is a disgrace! And stupid, to boot! – © Mark

Royal Tour of Australia: The Queen Ends Visit with Traditional 'Aussie Barbie'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The last engagement in the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh's tour of Australia was a traditional barbecue, where the Prince even flipped a steak.


The Duke of Edinburgh entered into the spirit of the occasion and flipped a steak sizzling on a grill as he joined cooks attempting to hold a record-breaking barbecue.

The event was the last engagement in the Queen and Duke's 11-day tour of Australia, and the monarch told the crowds: "We have been overwhelmed by your kindness and support.

"Once again we will return to the United Kingdom with fond memories of our time here and the warm Australian welcome we have received on our 16th visit to this beautiful country."

The Queen has received a rapturous welcome during her tour, and Perth residents followed the national mood and turned out in their tens of thousands for a final glimpse of the Royal couple. » | Saturday, October 29, 2011

Interview With Abdur-Raheem Green

Young Man from London Converts to Islam

Obama Congratulates New Saudi Crown Prince
LOS ANGELES TIMES: President Obama congratulated King Abdullah and the people of Saudi Arabia on Friday on the selection of Prince Nayif ibn Abdulaziz as the heir to the Saudi throne, and expressed his intent to continue America's partnership with Nayif as the two countries strengthen their "deep and long-standing friendship." » | Ann M. Simmons in Los Angeles | Friday, October 28, 2011

Gaddafis Have 'Slim to No Chance' of Hague Justice

'Satan in a Skirt' Confesses to 17 Murders
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Russian woman dubbed 'satan in a skirt' has confessed to murdering seventeen female pensioners for cash in a brutal eight-year murder spree.

Irina Gaidamachuk, a 40-year-old mother of two, said she had murdered the female OAPs in the Sverdlov region south-east of Moscow for money, robbing them of sums as little as the equivalent of £20.

"The detainee has confessed to the murders," Alexander Shulga, a spokesman for the investigators working on the case told the daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta newspaper. » | Andrew Osborn, Moscow | Saturday, October 29, 2011

Afghanistan: 13 American Troops Killed in Kabul Suicide Car Bomb Attack
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A suicide car bomber has killed at least 13 American troops in the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday in the deadliest single ground attack on foreign troops in 10 years of war in Afghanistan.

"We can confirm that 13 International Security Assistance Force members have died," said a spokesman for the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

A US official confirmed that all 13 Nato service members were American troops.
Excluding helicopter crashes, it was the deadliest single incident for foreign troops since the war began in 2001.

It is the largest single-day US loss in Afghanistan since the August crash in Wardak province that killed 38 people, including 22 Navy Seals. » | Saturday, October 29, 2011

King Carl XVI Gustaf's 'annus horribilis'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: King Carl XVI Gustaf's 'annus horribilis' started last November with the publication of The Reluctant Monarch, a[n] exposé of his playboy past detailing the sex parties hosted for him and his friends by Mille Markovic, a Serbian gangster.

The book also brought into the open a steamy affair with Camilla Henemark, a Swedish-Nigerian pop singer, who the King was involved with for a year in the late 1990s, with the full knowledge of Queen Silvia, who was powerless to stop it.

"The King sometimes looked like a love-crazed schoolboy, and on one occasion they talked about running away together to an isolated exotic island," Thomas Sjöberg wrote in his book.

Then, on November 24, a documentary aired on Swedish television that claimed that Walter Sommerlath, the German father of Queen Silvia had grown rich on returning to Germany in 1939 by producing armaments in a factory stolen from the Jews, and that he had joined the Nazi Party in the 1930s when the family still lived in Brazil.

These claims conflicted with the account given by Queen Silvia in another documentary, aired at the start of the year. She had claimed that he had not been "politically active", that the factory he owned had produced mainly trains and hair dryers, and that he had joined the Nazi party to save his career. » | Richard Orange | Saturday, October 29, 2011

Related »

Swedish King Braced for Further Allegations about Sex Parties

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Police are investigating the origins of a data stick filled with material from a forthcoming documentary investigating allegations Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf attended sex parties allegedly hosted by a Serbian gangster.

The data stick, which contains material stolen from the hard drive of Nuri Kino, an investigative journalist, was mailed on Monday to Anders Lettström, a childhood friend of the king, with a message saying it came from "some friends", according to Sweden's Expressen newspaper.

Mr Lettström handed the material to Swedish Police on Wednesday.

The 65-year-old King Carl Gustav's reputation was shattered last year following the publication of The Reluctant Monarch, a biography by Swedish journalist Thomas Sjöberg, which alleged that the King had attended sex parties hosted by Serbian gangster Mille Markovic at his underground club in Stockholm almost 40 years ago[.[

The King has never fully denied all of the allegations. » | Richard Orange, Malmö | Saturday, October 29, 2011

Related »

Schüsse auf US-Botschaft in Sarajevo
REUTERS DEUTSCHLAND: Sarajevo - Ein mit einem Schnellfeuergewehr bewaffneter Mann hat am Freitag die US-Botschaft in Sarajevo beschossen und mindestens einen Wachmann verletzt. » | Reuters | Freitag 28. Oktober 2011

Krawalle in Geburtsstadt tunesischer Revolution
REUTERS DEUTSCHLAND: Tunis - Wenige Stunden nach Bekanntgabe des Wahlergebnisses ist es in der Geburtsstadt der tunesischen Revolution zu Ausschreitungen gekommen.

Wahlsieger Rachid Ghannouchi von der der gemäßigt-islamistischen Ennahda machte für die Krawalle in Sidi Bouzid Parteigänger des im Januar gestürzten Präsidenten Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali verantwortlich. Anhänger einer nachträglich von der Wahl ausgeschlossenen Partei hatten Augenzeugen zufolge versucht, den Sitz der Regionalregierung zu stürmen. Ghannouchi bemühte sich am Freitag, die Wogen zu glätten und versprach, die Rechte der Frauen zu achten.

Ennahda-Chef Ghannouchi erklärte, seine Partei werde die Frauen nicht verpflichten, einen Schleier zu tragen. Solche Versuche seien in anderen arabischen Ländern gescheitert. In der von der Ennahda geführten Regierung könnten Frauen Posten übernehmen, ob sie nun eine Schleier trügen oder nicht, sagte Ghannouchi. Das starke Abschneiden seiner Partei hat die Sorge geweckt, die Bevölkerung in dem vergleichsweise offenen Land könne strengeren islamischen Regeln unterworfen werden. Ghannouchi hat dies wiederholt zurückgewiesen. Er orientiert sich an der gemäßigt-religiösen Politik des türkischen Ministerpräsidenten Tayyip Erdogan. » | Reuters | Freitag 28. Oktober 2011

La Ligue arabe demande à Assad de mettre fin aux violences
REUTERS – FRANCE: LE CAIRE - Les ministres de la Ligue arabe ont adressé vendredi soir un message urgent au président syrien Bachar al Assad pour lui demander de mettre fin à sept mois de violences dans son pays.

Cet appel fait suite à la mort de 40 manifestants en faveur de la démocratie, abattus par les forces syriennes de sécurité. » | Marwa Awad; Pierre Sérisier pour le service français | samedi 29 octobre 2011

Nationalist Shadow Looms Over Germany’s Rainbow Cities

Le suspect principal de l'attentat de Marrakech condamné à mort
REUTERS – FRANCE: SALE, Maroc - Un juge marocain a condamné vendredi à la peine de mort Adel Osmani pour avoir organisé et perpétré un attentat à bombe qui avait fait 17 morts, dont huit Français, le 28 avril dernier dans un café de Marrakech.

Cette action était la plus meurtrière commise au Maroc depuis les attentats suicides coordonnés qu'avaient perpétrés des extrémistes islamistes en 2003 à Casablanca.

A l'énoncé du verdict, des parentes d'Osmani et de ceux qui ont été reconnus coupables de complicité avec lui se sont mises à crier et à éclater en sanglots, a rapporté un journaliste de Reuters présent dans la salle d'audience.

L'accusation avait réclamé la peine "la plus sévère possible" contre Osmani et huit hommes accusés d'être ses complices. La peine capitale, autorisée par le code pénal marocain, n'a cependant pas été appliquée depuis 1992. » | par Souhail Karam | vendredi 28 octobre 2011

Gaddafi’s Son – New Nightmare for Western Leaders

ICC Warns Libya's Saif al-Islam Against Fleeing

REUTERS.COM: The International Criminal Court said on Saturday Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was in contact through intermediaries about surrendering for trial, but it also had information mercenaries were trying to spirit him to a friendly African nation.

The ICC has warned the 39-year-old, apparently anxious not to be captured by Libyan interim government forces in whose hands his father Muammar Gaddafi was killed last week, that it could order a mid-air interception if he tried to flee by plane from his Sahara desert hideout for a safe haven. » | Aaron Gray-Block | THE HAGUE | Saturday, October 29, 2011

THE GUARDIAN: Gaddafi's son says he is innocent: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has told the International Criminal Court he is innocent of alleged crimes against humanity » | Reuters | Saturday, October 29, 2011

Angela Merkel: The Triumph of Europe’s Iron Lady

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: She’s been patronised and ridiculed – but Angela Merkel’s quiet diplomacy has won the euro a reprieve.

Helmut Kohl once patronised her as “mein Mädchen” (“my girl”); Nicolas Sarkozy sneers at her privately as “la Boche” (the French equivalent of “Jerry” or “Kraut”); Silvio Berlusconi makes obscene remarks about her to his editors. This week, however, it wasn’t the Continental chauvinists who had the last laugh: it was Angela Merkel.

The German chancellor dominated the European stage as no woman has done since Margaret Thatcher. The two could hardly differ more, either in personality or politics. Indeed, Merkel reminds me of a different Mrs T: she is a Teutonic Mrs Tiggywinkle, who kindly takes in the eurozone’s dirty linen but whose homely figure conceals her hedgehog’s prickles. In the perpetual negotiation machine that is the European Union, Merkel excels at getting her way while treating the male egos around her as gently as possible. She does not relish humiliating her more improvident relations, but she is determined not to be the rich aunt left with the bill at the end of the meal.

David Cameron gets on better with Merkel than some of his hand-kissing counterparts, who bow and scrape to her face, while sniping behind her back. The German chancellor and the British Prime Minister have come a long way since their first encounters, which were reportedly frosty. She took him for a typical Tory Eurosceptic; he underestimated her. But she has come to appreciate him since he took office, especially his determination to make Britain live within its means, which mirrors her own approach to the crisis.

For his part, Cameron has grown to admire Merkel as the high mistress of austerity. She is delighted that he is content to leave her a free hand within the eurozone to pursue closer fiscal and political unity, as long as Britain is equally free to stay out. She is sympathetic to the PM’s difficulty in reconciling his party’s instincts on Europe with those of his coalition partners. Merkel has comparable problems in holding together her own conservative-liberal coalition, which is deeply divided on the issue of bailing out Greece and the other bankrupt economies.

Merkel has learnt much from the experience of living under Communism for her first 35 years, and also from what happened to her native East Germany after reunification, when it was given the benefit of the Deutschmark years before the experiment of currency union was tried on a European scale. The Federal Republic has been bailing out its own eastern provinces for over two decades. Anyone who doubts that Angela Merkel is in earnest when she tells her parliament that Europe faces “its gravest crisis since the Second World War” should remember how the Germans have honoured that commitment to their own people. How committed, though, are they to doing the same for other nations in the eurozone with whom they may feel they have rather less in common, and whose ingratitude is palpable? » | Daniel Johnson | Friday, October 28, 2011

Romney joue la carte du sérieux républicain

LE FIGARO: Face à Herman Cain et Rick Perry, l'ex-gouverneur paraît organisé et crédible.

Une foule souriante attend Mitt Romney devant l'immeuble de brique du Parti républicain de Fairfax, dans le nord de la Virginie. Une semaine après le passage de Barack Obama dans cet État crucial, qui avait voté démocrate en 2008 mais a ensuite élu le gouverneur conservateur Robert McDonnell, «Mitt» est venu soutenir les candidats républicains aux élections locales de novembre 2012.

En bras de chemise, silhouette élégante, cheveux bruns en arrière, sourire poli aux lèvres, Mitt Romney a l'allure du fils de famille qu'il est indéniablement. Son père était gouverneur du Michigan. Lui a fait carrière dans les affaires avant de remettre d'aplomb le Comité d'organisation des Jeux olympiques d'hiver de Salt Lake City, puis d'être élu gouverneur du Massachusetts de 2003 à 2007 -une performance dans le fief démocrate des Kennedy. Toute sa campagne consiste à mettre en avant son expérience de gestionnaire avisé. Ses débats télévisés, où il est apparu compétent, ont partiellement effacé l'image de «girouette» qui lui collait à la peau depuis la campagne de 2008. Tous les jours, son équipe, très rodée, publie en ligne des attaques précises contre ses adversaires.

Cette stratégie commence à payer. Mitt Romney est en tête des intentions de vote dans le New Hampshire et la Floride, et au coude-à-coude avec l'homme d'affaires afro-américain Herman Cain dans l'Iowa et la Caroline du Sud, des États clés qui tiendront leurs primaires très tôt. «Il va gagner la nomination, c'est sûr», affirme Bart Marcois, un ancien diplomate, volontaire à Fairfax. C'est «le seul capable de battre Barack Obama». » | Par Laure Mandeville | vendredi 28 octobre 2011

Syrie : la rue appelle à l'aide internationale

LE FIGARO: Face à la répression, qui a encore fait trente tués vendredi, les insurgés demandent «une zone d'exclusion aérienne».

Trente civils, au moins, ont été tués vendredi par les forces de sécurité à Homs et Hama, deux des principaux foyers de la contestation du régime de Bachar el-Assad, qui va bientôt entrer dans son huitième mois.

À Homs, 20.000 manifestants s'étaient réunis en plusieurs endroits de la ville après la prière du vendredi. Ils répondaient à un appel lancé sur Facebook pour que «la communauté internationale impose une zone d'exclusion aérienne, afin de permettre à l'Armée syrienne libre (ASL) d'œuvrer avec plus de liberté». » | Par Georges Malbrunot | vendredi 28 octobre 2011

Islam Is Not a Religion of Peace Says Anjem Choudary
Anjem Promotes overthrowing all world governments that are not Islamic - he believes all non believers are guilty of a crime punishable by death. From the mouths of those most schooled in the ways of Islam - Choudary is an Attorney!

Islam Soft-sell Has Got Legs, But Note the Fine Print

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: 'Bringing Islam to the masses" is the goal of the new TV campaign from MyPeace, the organisation that recently gave us the "Jesus: a prophet of Islam" poster. Clearly deciding it had generated enough controversy for one year, MyPeace has taken a softer approach; slo-mo visuals, mood music and a warm Australian voice inviting us to "explore the real values of Islam".

"Saving one life is as if you have saved all of humanity" we learn, as a bronzed Aussie lifeguard rescues a boy from the surf. You can't quibble with that, particularly if you're a parent.

From an advertising point of view, the approach is similar to the current "Jesus-All About Life" campaign, also featuring visuals of sunburnt Aussies; along with a creme brulee, a dead pet goldfish, and questions about the meaning of life. Jesus himself even gets a chocolate-bar style logo.

Both ads, Muslim and Christian, offer a panacea to the "crisis of the soul" that supposedly afflicts modern Australia. Who could disagree with an ad that asks you to look after your parents in old age, reminding you that they looked after you as a child? Or who could not be moved by sentiments such as "How come the more you have, the more you want?" or the Facebook-ish conundrum that ''we've got more friends, but less friendship''? » | Rowan Dean* | Saturday, October 29, 2011

* Rowan Dean is a freelance writer and advertising creative director.

Centuries-old Rule of Primogeniture in Royal Family Scrapped
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Female members of the Royal Family are to be given equality with men in the rules of succession to the throne, meaning if the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's first child is a girl, she can become Queen even if subsequent children are sons.


The historic constitutional changes were agreed unanimously today by the 16 nations of which Queen Elizabeth II is monarch.

The 16 "realms", including the UK, Canada and Australia, also agreed to scrap outdated laws which ban the spouse of a Roman Catholic from taking the throne.

The changes were announced by David Cameron, the Prime Minister, at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, attended by the Queen, in Perth, Australia.

Mr Cameron said the historic rules were "at odds with the modern countries that we have become".

Announcing the proposed changes, he said: "Put simply, if the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were to have a little girl, that girl would one day be our queen." » | Andy Bloxham, and James Kirkup in Perth | Friday, October 28, 2011

The Queen Opens Commonwealth Meeting with Aboriginal Proverb
Quoting an Aborigine proverb, the Queen told Commonwealth leaders "we are here to learn, to grow, to love" as she opens the 21st Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Perth.

Libya: Col Gaddafi Son Saif Opens ICC Talks on Surrender
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, Muammar Gaddafi's fugitive son, who is wanted for crimes against humanity has established indirect contacts with the International Criminal Court on his surrender, the court's chief prosecutor said.

The prosecutor said that his office was in "informal contact" with Muammar Gaddafi's son through intermediaries regarding his surrender to the war crimes court.

"Through intermediaries, we have informal contact with Saif. The office of the prosecutor has made it clear that if he surrenders to the ICC, he has the right to be heard in court, he is innocent until proven guilty. The judges will decide," prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said in a statement.

Mr Moreno-Ocampo would not say with whom the court is talking. He also said the court does not know al-Islam's whereabouts.

If Saif is brought before the court, Mr Moreno-Ocampo said, he will "have all the rights and be protected," and will be allowed to present his defence.

"We believe we have a strong case," the prosecutor told CNN. "We believe he should be convicted." » | Telegraph Foreign Staff | Friday, October 28, 2011

Lien en relation avec cet article »

La construction de la Grande Mosquée de Marseille encore retardée

LE POINT: Le tribunal a annulé le permis de construire pour cause d'insuffisance de stationnement et de difficultés de circulation.

Le tribunal administratif de Marseille a annulé, jeudi, le permis de construire de la Grande Mosquée de la ville dont la première pierre a été symboliquement posée en mai 2010. Le tribunal a suivi les recommandations du rapporteur public et a justifié sa décision par l'insuffisance de stationnement et les difficultés de circulation autour de ce qui est annoncé comme l'un des plus importants édifices musulmans de France. "La ville de Marseille prend acte de la décision du tribunal", a expliqué la municipalité phocéenne dans un communiqué, ajoutant qu'elle étudierait plus précisément les conclusions de l'arrêt "afin que le nouveau permis puisse être validé définitivement". » | LE POINT.FR | vendredi 28 octobre 2011

Omar Sharif Slaps Woman at Qatar Film Festival

Margaret Thatcher's £500,000 Expenses Claim Revealed

THE GUARDIAN: The Iron Lady heads the list of former prime ministers who have claimed £1.7m for public duties in the past five years

Lady Thatcher has claimed more than half a million pounds from a taxpayer-funded allowance for former British prime ministers, official figures reveal.

Thatcher heads a list of former prime ministers who have claimed £1.7m in the past five years from the public duties cost allowance, set up to cover office and secretarial costs incurred for public duties.

Figures revealed by the Cabinet Office minister, Francis Maude, in response to a written parliamentary question by the Conservative MP Philip Hollobone, show that Thatcher has received £535,000 from the state since 2006, and John Major, who set up the allowance in 1991, has received £490,000. Tony Blair has claimed since 2007 and received £273,000. The figures reveal he received £169,076 in 2008-9, more than his salary in office. » | Jo Adetunji and Rajeev Syal | Friday, October 28, 2011

Seïf al-Islam Kadhafi en route vers le Mali

LE FIGARO: Le fils de l'ex-dictateur libyen et le chef des services secrets militaires ont trouvé refuge dans le Sahara auprès de rebelles touaregs.

Seïf al-Islam Kadhafi a quitté la Libye. Son convoi qui était placé sous une forte escorte de combattants touaregs aurait pénétré jeudi au Niger dans le secteur des trois frontières (Libye, Niger, Algérie). L'opération d'exfiltration du fils de Mouammar Kadhafi été organisée, selon nos informations, grâce à l'appui d'Agaly Alambo, l'ancien chef rebelle du Mouvement nigérien pour la justice (MNJ) et de ses hommes.

Seïf al-Islam Kadhafi serait décidé à ne pas subir le sort de son père tué il y a une semaine dans sa ville natale de Syrte. Résolu à sauver sa peau, il se serait caché dans le sud libyen avant de s'engager dans des couloirs qui l'ont conduit hors de portée de ses poursuivants libyens du Conseil national de transition. » | Par Thierry Oberlé | jeudi 27 octobre 2011

Saudi Arabia: Prince Nayef Named Heir to the Throne

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Prince Nayef bin Abdel-Aziz Al Saud as heir to the Saudi throne following the death of the previous second in line, Crown Prince Sultan, last week.

The tough-talking interior minister is known for cracking down on Islamic militants and resisting moves toward greater openness in the ultraconservative kingdom.

Prince Nayef will assume the throne upon the death of King Abdullah, 87, who is recovering from his third operation to treat back problems in less than a year.

Prince Sultan died in New York Saturday at the age of 80 after an unspecified illness.

Traditionally, the king chooses his heir. But Prince Nayef was chosen by Allegiance Council, a 37-member body composed of his brothers and cousins. King Abdullah created the council as part of his reforms and gave it a mandate to choose the heir.

Prince Nayef, 78, was also named vice prime minister and will also keep his job as interior minister. » | Friday, October 28, 2011

Related links here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Comment:

Traditionally, the king chooses his heir. But Prince Nayef was chosen by Allegiance Council, a 37-member body composed of his brothers and cousins.

Did the Allegiance Council really choose the heir independently, or did they choose Prince Nayef knowing that he was the King's preference? – © Mark

This comment also appears here

NZZ ONLINE: Ein streng Konservativer wird saudischer Thronfolger: Mit Nayif könnte Öffnung des Landes ein Ende haben » | Reuters | Freitag 28. Oktober 2011

FRANCE 2: Le nouveau prince héritier a été nommé : Nayef ben Abdel Aziz, 78 ans, a été nommé pour succéder à son frère Sultan, décédé il y a une semaine. ¶ La nomination du nouveau prince héritier d'Arabie saoudite souligne la rigidité du système de succession maintenant des octogénaires à la tête du royaume et suscite des inquiétudes. Le prince Nayef ben Abdel Aziz est connu pour sa fermeté. » | Par FTV avec agencies | vendredi 28 octobre 2011

Eurozone Crisis: Sarkozy Says Greece Was Not Ready to Join Euro

THE GUARDIAN: French president's remarks highlight the challege European leaders have in trying to hold the currency together

Nicolas Sarkozy threatened to take the shine off a day of jubilation in financial markets at a deal to rescue the eurozone, when he said it had been an "error" to allow Greece to join the euro a decade ago.

Amid more protest on the streets in Athens, the French president tried to convince the public to back reforms intended to maintain Greece's membership of the single currency. "It was an error because Greece entered with false [economic] figures … it was not ready," he said.

Sarkozy told French TV: "We had to face up to all this. If the euro had exploded on Wednesday night, all of Europe would have exploded. If Greece had defaulted, there would have been a domino effect carrying everyone away ... we took important decisions that avoided catastrophe."

His remarks underline the continuing frailities of the eurozone, and illustrates the task Europe's leaders have in trying to hold the currency together. » | Larry Elliott, Jill Treanor and Helena Smith | Thursday, October 27, 2011

Gaddafi Killer Faces Prosecution, Says Libyan Interim Government

THE GUARDIAN: NTC backs down from insistence Gaddafi died in crossfire and pledges justice for anyone proven to have fired lethal shot

Libya's interim government says it will prosecute anyone found responsible for the death of Muammar Gaddafi after his capture, in a retreat from its earlier insistence that the dictator had been killed by crossfire.

The change in position comes after a week of sustained criticism of the Libyan leader's captors, who used their camera phones to chronicle his death. The footage, including images of a wounded Gaddafi being sodomised with what looked like a bayonet, caused widespread revulsion outside the country.

Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, deputy chief of the National Transitional Council, said it would try to bring to justice anyone proven to have fired the shot to the head that killed Gaddafi.

"With regards to Gaddafi, we do not wait for anybody to tell us," he told the al-Arabiya satellite channel. "We had already launched an investigation. We have issued a code of ethics in handling of prisoners of war. I am sure that was an individual act and not an act of revolutionaries or the national army. Whoever is responsible for that [Gaddafi's killing] will be judged and given a fair trial." » | Martin Chulov and agencies | Thursday, October 27, 2011