Oliver Stone's Son, Defender of Ahmadinejad, Converts to Islam
REUTERS.COM: Sean Stone, the son of Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone son and a defender of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, converted to Islam on Tuesday while filming a documentary in Iran, he told Agence France Presse.

"The conversion to Islam is not abandoning Christianity or Judaism, which I was born with. It means I have accepted Mohammad and other prophets," Stone, whose famous father is Jewish and mother is Christian, told AFP. He underwent the ceremony in the city of Isfahan.

The 27-year-old did not say why he converted. Iran's Fars news agency said he had become a Shiite and taken the Muslim first name Ali.

In an interview with TheWrap at the Toronto Film Festival in September, he supported Iran’s right to a nuclear program as a defense against threats from Israel. He said criticizing the Iranian government is “like someone coming to your house and saying the father shouldn’t hit the kids,” he said. “Who are we to tell them how to rule their country?” » | Timothy Molloy at The Wrap | Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Inside Story - Iran and Syria: A Show of Strength and Unity
Iran has announced plans to train the Syrian navy. Is the move purely a symbolic gesture or does it mean much more for a desperate Syrian government? Guests discussing this are: Sadegh Zibakalam, Mahjoob Zweiri and Joshua Goodman.

Efforts Underway to Restore Babylon's Glory
The whims of a dictator, war, and salt water erosion have all contributed to the deterioration of one of the wonders of the ancient world in Iraq. Babylon, built 2,600 years ago, suffered under the weight of Saddam Hussein's 1980s emulation of King Nebuchadnezzar, building his own palace on top of Babylon's north palace. The weight of modern stones, concrete, and erosion caused by new salt water canals near the ancient palace have caused great damage to the site. The structural and environmental impact of Saddam's palace coupled with poor attempts at restoration twice kept Babylon from being recognised as a UNESCO world heritage site. During the US occupation, the ancient city was home to US and Polish troops whose trucks and helicopters further damaged the one-time centre of astronomy, science, and culture. Al Jazeera's Jane Arraf reports from Baghdad on efforts to restore this wonder of the ancient world.

Latvia Holds Referendum On Second Language
Latvians have been voting in a referendum on whether to make Russian the second official national language, after Latvian. The country's a substantial Russian-speaking minority has long complained of discrimination, as Harry Smith reports.

Former Gaddafi Residence Now Booming Market
In a sign of the changes that have taken place in the year since the beginning of the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi, the former leaders' residence now hosts Tripoli's Friday market. Gaddafi delivered many defiant speeches at his Bab al Azzizya residence but now the secretive sanctuary is home to some of the best deals in the Libyan capital. Everything from clothes to accordions and heaters can be found, at a site which only a year ago many Libyans were afraid to even drive past. Al Jazeera's Stefanie Dekker reports from Bab al Azzizya.

Prince Still Critical after Avalanche
AUSTRIAN TIMES: Dutch Prince Johan Friso is still in hospital after he got caught in an avalanche on Friday. The second oldest son of Queen Beatrix was skiing in Lech am Arlberg, Austria when the avalanche struck.

Prince Johan went for 23 minutes without oxygen before he was recovered from under the avalanche on Friday. As the Austrian Times reported yesterday it has now emerged that the 43-year-old was dug out by a friend who had survived the incidient after wearing a cumbersome avalanche airbag. The unconscious Prince was reanimated by rescue teams at the scene was taken by an emergency helicopter to hospital in Innsbruck. » | Austrian Times | Monday, February 20, 2012


THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dutch prince buried in avalanche is in a coma: Dutch prince Johan Friso is fighting for his life in a coma as Austrian doctors say it will be the end of the week before they can say if he will live or die. » | Bruno Waterfield | Monday, February 20, 2012

NEWS.AT: Familien-Besuch am Krankenbett: Angehörige bangen an Frisos Krankenbett. Auch fünfjährige Tochter besucht Vater. ¶ Die niederländische Königin Beatrix und ihre Schwiegertochter Mabel sind am Montag wieder an der Innsbrucker Universitätsklinik eingetroffen, um den bei einem Lawinenabgang lebensgefährlich verletzten Prinz Johan Friso auf der Intensivstation zu besuchen. Begleitet wurden sie von der fünfjährigen Tochter des Verunglückten, Zaria, und Mabels Mutter. » | Montag, 20. Februar 2012

WELT ONLINE: Johan Friso im Koma, Königin Beatrix trägt Schwarz: Tragödie für das niederländische Königshaus: Prinz Johann Friso befindet nach dem Lawinenunglück im künstlichen Tiefschlaf. 23 Minuten lang soll er unter 40 Zentimeter Schnee gelegen haben. » | Elisalex Henckel | Montag, 20. Februar 2012

PARIS MATCH: Prince Johan Friso, l’interminable attente de Beatrix: Les médecins ne se prononcent toujours pas sur l'état de santé du Prince Johan Friso, victime vendredi d'un avalanche en Autriche. Alors sa mère, la reine Beatrix, attend. » | Clément Mathieu - Parismatch.com | lundi 20 février 2012

Game Change
An HBO 'docu-drama' based on a book about the 2008 campaign by two leading American journalists.

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Sarah Palin 'believed Queen was in charge of British forces in Iraq': Sarah Palin believed that the Queen rather than the prime minister was responsible for the decision to keep British forces in Iraq, according to research done for a new film chronicling her brief political rise. » | Raf Sanchez, Washington | Monday, February 20, 2012

Egyptian Presidential Candidate Tawfiq Okasha Predicts that Egyptian Army Will Open Fire on "Its Enemies" – the US, Germany, and Israel – Within Three Months; States That If Not for the Holocaust, the Jews Would Have Annihilated the Germans (Al-Faraeen TV (Egypt) - February 9, 2012)

Egyptian Cleric Mazen Sirsawi in Favor of Killing Apostates: "Beheading Them Should Be Easier than Cutting the Buttons off Their Shirts" (Al-Hekma TV (Egypt) - September 4, 2011)

British Islamist Launches Anti-Hindu Shariah

BLITZ: Anjem Choudary, a British Islamist who described himself as "in the camp" of Osama bin Laden, has founded Shariah4Hind (India). Choudary has headed several radical Islamist organizations in Britain, including Islam4UK. All of these organizations were proscribed by the UK Government in 2010. However, despite swearing allegiance to Osama bin Laden on CNN, he has been able to continue his propaganda activities with virtual impunity.

Choudary's new website comes in the wake of a failed coup in Bangladesh, one of India's neighbors, by members of the radical pan-Islamic party Hizb ut Tahrir, as well as a successful coup in the nearby republic of the Maldives.

On the Shariah4Hind website (shariah4hind.com), the people behind it say that they are calling the region back to the "period under the divine [i.e., Islamic] law [...]. This involves a call for all those in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to come out of the darkness of man made law [...]" and to sharia.

Another page on the website, entitled "the need for Muslim rule in India," says that there is broad consensus among Muslim clerics that "it is not permitted for non-Muslims to have authority over Muslims."

In its press release, Shariah4Hind says "the time is rife [sic] today to make the shari'ah sweep across India and insha'allah from there to the whole world. Let us take a lesson from the Arab spring and rise up against the tyrants in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. But let us not make the mistake of calling for the false idols of democracy and freedom but rather the truth of Islam and the Khilafah [Caliphate]."

Shariha4Hind sees Islamic law penetrating well beyond India, which it would use as a launch pad to spread into China and other neighboring states. "[A]ll non-Muslims will be given the Zimmi ["protected" but second class] status," says the press release, "where their life and wealth will be protected in return for obeying the divine law of the land who will never be asked to be part of the Muslim armies whose job it will be to expand the frontiers of the Islamic State (into China, Indonesia, Malaysia etc…) and protect it from its enemies." » | A. Millar | Thursday, February 16, 2012

Norway killer Anders Behring Breivik 'Had Hit-list of 30 Targets'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Anders Behring Breivik had a death-list of 12 Norwegian "traitors" and his "Plan A" was to attack 30 targets including Norway's Royal Palace and the HQ of Amnesty International, according to leaked police documents.

The right-wing Norwegian extremist, who has admitted killing 77 people in bomb and gun attacks last year, told police that his initial plans included senior politicians and organisations he blamed for allowing Muslims to "colonise" Norway.

On 22 July 2011, Breivik set off a car bomb outside the government's headquarters in Oslo and then travelled, dressed as a police officer, to Utoya island, outside the capital, where he opened fire on a Labour Party youth camp.

It has now emerged that his attack, the worst peacetime massacre in Norway's history, was a scaled down version of his original plans.

According to documents leaked to the Verdens Gang newspaper, Breivik had death and hit-lists divided into categories of importance, A, B, and C, as legitimate targets for his terror attacks. » | Monday, February 20, 2012

Obama's Team Fires Back at Santorum for Calling President's Faith 'Phony Theology'

MAIL ONLINE: A day after telling an Ohio audience that Barack Obama's agenda is based on 'some phony theology, not a theology based on the Bible,' Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said he wasn't criticizing the president's Christianity.

'I've repeatedly said I don't question the president's faith. I've repeatedly said that I believe the president's Christian,' Mr Santorum said in a broadcast interview Sunday.

'I am talking about his world view, and the way he approaches problems in this country. I think they're different than how most people do in America.'

Mr Obama's campaign said Mr Santorum's remarks were another attack on the president's faith by Republican rivals in a nominating contest that has grown increasingly bitter and negative. » | Daily Mail Reporter | Sunday, February 19, 2012

Sarkozy s'affirme «candidat du peuple»

LA PRESSE: Le président Nicolas Sarkozy s'est attaché dimanche à peaufiner une image de candidat du «peuple», protecteur face à la crise et défenseur des valeurs identitaires, tout en poursuivant son matraquage contre son rival socialiste François Hollande.

Devant quelque 10 000 sympathisants brandissant des drapeaux tricolores dans une vaste salle d'un parc de Marseille (sud-est), le candidat de la droite a commencé par dire qu'il était «venu parler de la France».

«Jeune, j'ai aimé la France, beaucoup dans ma famille venaient de loin», a déclaré le président d'origine hongroise sur le ton de la confidence avant de retrouver un ton nettement plus agressif contre son adversaire socialiste, donné vainqueur dans les sondages à deux mois du premier tour.

«Je veux être le candidat du peuple de France. Je ne serai pas le candidat d'une petite élite contre le peuple», a-t-il lancé, défendant ainsi le référendum auquel il veut recourir notamment sur «le contentieux de l'immigration» et «la formation des chômeurs».

Il a expliqué à une salle conquise s'adresser à ceux qui pensent que se «tourner vers le peuple, c'est du populisme, parce qu'au fond d'eux-mêmes ils trouvent que le peuple n'est pas assez raisonnable, pas assez intelligent pour qu'on lui demande son avis».

Dès jeudi à Annecy (est), lors de sa première réunion, Nicolas Sarkozy s'était présenté en défenseur du «peuple» face à «l'entre-soi des élites», s'attirant des railleries de l'opposition, qui n'avait pas manqué de rappeler l'image d'un président fêtant sa victoire de 2007 au Fouquet's, restaurant chic des Champs-Élysées, ou adoptant comme première grande réforme un «bouclier fiscal» protecteur «pour les riches». » | Agence France-Presse | Marseille | dimanche 19 février 2012

Islam and Democracy Can Co-exist, Says Anwar Ibrahim's Daughter
Nurul Izzah Anwar, the daughter of freed Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, says the Arab Spring has shown that Islam and democracy can co-exist and propel the opposition into power in Malaysia at elections later this year.

Read the article here | Barney Henderson | The Sunday Telegraph | Sunday, February 19, 2012
Islam: The Enemy of Democracy and Freedom » | Mark Alexander | Friday, April 20, 2007

Germany Drawing Up Plans for Greece to Leave the Euro
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Plans for Greece to default, potentially leaving the euro, have been drafted in Germany as the European Union begins to face up to the fact that Greek debt is spiralling out of control - with or without a second bailout.

The German finance ministry is actively pushing for Greece to declare itself bankrupt and to agree a "haircut" on the bulk of its debts held by banks, a move that would be classed as a default by financial markets.

Eurozone finance ministers meet on Monday to approve the next tranche of loans from the EU and the International Monetary Fund, designed to stave off national bankruptcy while the new Greek government puts the country's finances in order.

But the severe austerity measures being demanded have caused such fury in Greece, and the cuts required are so deep, that Wolfgang Schäuble, the German finance minister, does not believe that any government would be able to implement them.

His pessimism has been tipped into despair with a secret European Commission, Central and IMF report that even if Greece made good on its promises, it would not be enough to reach the target of bringing total debt to 120 per cent of GDP by 2020.

"He just thinks the Greeks cannot do what needs to be done. And even if by some miracle they did what has been promised, he - and a growing group - are convinced it will not pull Greece out the hole," said a eurozone official. » | Bruno Waterfield, Brussels | Saturday, February 18, 2012

Nicolas Sarkozy Accuses Socialist Rival Francois [sic] Hollande of 'Lying from Morning to Night'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The gloves were off in France's presidential election campaign yesterday as Nicolas Sarkozy accused his main Socialist rival, Francois Hollande, of "lying from morning to night".

In his first campaign rally in the Alpine town of Annecy, Mr Sarkozytransfixed a crowd of 4,000 sympathisers with a highly combative speech in which he admitted committing "errors", convincingly defended his reforms, promised more and ended by laying into his adversary.

"When you tell the English press that you are pro-market (economically liberal) and when you come to explain to the French that finance is the enemy, you are lying, you are lying from morning to night!," he said.

Mr Sarkozy was referring to comments Mr Hollande made in a lunch with British and American journalists in which he sought to reassure the City of London that he would not go "overboard" in regulating the financial world, and said there were few Communists left in France.

Last month, Mr Hollande blasted the world of finance as his main "adversary" in his first campaign rally.

Polls place Mr Hollande clearly in the lead with less than 10 weeks to go before the first round of voting on April 22.

But after formerly announcing his decision to run for a second five-year mandate on Wednesday night, Mr Sarkozy last night showed doubters in his own camp he still has the formidable oratory skills that helped propel him to power in 2007. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Friday, February 17, 2012

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: France is warming to Francois [sic] Hollande as 'Mr Normal' after years of Nicolas Sarkozy as president: France's presidential election may come down to a battle between bling and bland as Francoise [sic] Hollande challenges Nicolas Sarkozy. » | Kim Willsher in Paris | Saturday, February 18, 2012

Rude Kevin Rudd Video Makes Challenge to Gillard a Racing Certainty
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Julia Gillard is poised to face a leadership challenge from the man she ousted as Australia's prime minister, Kevin Rudd, as a feud erupted over the leak of a video recording of him swearing profusely.

Leadership tensions in the ruling Labor party appeared to be nearing their inevitable conclusion on the weekend, with reports that a challenge is likely within two weeks.

The ongoing tussle was exacerbated by the appearance of a leaked video on Youtube showing Mr Rudd swearing profusely in his office while filming a public message as prime minister.

The two-minute video was posted by a user called "HappyVegemiteKR" - a reference to Mr Rudd's repeated claim if asked whether he intends to challenge Ms Gillard, that he is a "happy little vegemite".

But the video triggered a new round of internal ructions, with Mr Rudd accusing Ms Gillard's office of leaking the video – a claim she strenuously denied.

Mr Rudd, now the foreign minister, was ousted in 2010 by Ms Gillard who was forced to form a minority government at the subsequent election.

At the time, Mr Rudd was widely loathed in the party but he is now believed to have support of about a third of MPs who believe Ms Gillard has little chance of winning the next election, due in 2013. » | Jonathan Pearlman, in Sydney | Sunday, February 19, 2012

Whitney Houston's Funeral Ends to I Will Always Love You
Farewell Whitney Houston. The star leaves the church for the final time to I Will Always Love You.

Mark Rutte Speaks about Prince Johan Friso after Skiing Accident in Austria


Read the article here | Matthew Day, Warsaw | Friday, February 17, 2012
Related »

Lech: Lawine verschüttet niederländischen Königssohn

DIE PRESSE: Prinz Johan Friso wurde am Arlberg von einer Lawine erfasst. Der Sohn der niederländischen Königin Beatrix liegt in der Innsbrucker Uniklinik und schwebt in Lebensgefahr. Er war im ungesicherten Gelände unterwegs.

Ein Mitglied der niederländischen Königsfamilie ist am Arlberg von einer Lawine verschüttet worden. Offizielle Stellen bestätigen gegenüber der "Presse", dass es sich um Johan Friso handelt, den zweiten Sohn der niederländischen Königin Beatrix. Der 43-Jährige befindet sich in kritischem Zustand, die Ärzte der Innsbrucker Universitätsklinik kämpfen um sein Leben. Die niederländische Königsfamilie befindet sich derzeit auf zweiwöchigen Winterferien in Lech am Arlberg. » | red. | Freitag, 17. Februar 2012

KRONE.AT: Arlberg: Prinz Johan Friso von Lawine verschüttet – Drama um den holländischen Prinzen Johan Friso: Der zweitälteste Sohn von Königin Beatrix ist Freitagmittag am Arlberg von einer Lawine 40 Meter mitgerissen und verschüttet worden. Der Prinz wurde nach 20 Minuten ausgegraben und im Rettungshubschrauber wiederbelebt. In der Universitätsklinik Innsbruck ringt der prominente Patient nun mit dem Tod. » | C. Budin, T. Schrems, G. Krauthackl/red/AG | Freitag, 17. Februar 2012

NZZ ONLINE: Niederländischer Prinz von einer Lawine verschüttet: Sohn von Königin Beatrix gerettet und in stabilem Zustand » | NZZ Online | Freitag, 17. Februar 2012

THE GUARDIAN: Son of Queen Beatrix of Netherlands injured in avalanche: Prince Friso seriously hurt and in intensive care after helicopter rescue from Lech ski resort in Austria » | Associated Press in Vienna | Friday, February 17, 2012

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le prince Johan Friso des Pays-Bas blessé dans une avalanche: Le deuxième fils de la reine Beatrix est dans un état critique après avoir été pris sous une coulée de neige, vendredi dans la station autrichienne de Lech. » | afp/Newsnet | vendredi 17 fébruar 2012

German President Resigns and Could Face Prosecution in Corruption Scandal
THE GUARDIAN: Christian Wulff was picked by Angela Merkel for head of state role but couldn't shake off row over improper business ties

Angela Merkel's handpicked choice for German head of state was forced on Friday into a humiliating resignation, after being caught up in an alleged corruption scandal and misguided attempt to muzzle the press.

German criticism of other European powers for less than perfect statesmanship came back to haunt Merkel's leadership as Christian Wulff finally stepped down as president after a months-long row about a dubious loan, a string of undeclared freebies and his attempt to silence a German tabloid that was investigating the matters.

The 52-year-old has now lost his immunity from prosecution and could potentially face jail if he is found guilty of criminal wrongdoing. Prosecutors indicated shortly before Wulff fell on his sword, that they had "factual indications" of Wulff's long-suspected improper ties to rich businessmen.

Wulff's departure is an unwelcome distraction for the chancellor, who is trying to stop the eurozone from unravelling while maintaining the moral high ground in the European Union. She had to cancel a trip to Rome on Friday morning in order to deal with the fall-out, standing up the Italian premier Mario Monti, with whom she had planned to sit down and discuss the euro crisis. Instead she found herself giving a press conference at her chancellery in Berlin expressing her "personal deep regret" that Wulff, her personal choice for president in 2010, had quit.

Wulff's legacy, said Merkel, would be reminding the nation that its "strengths lie in his diversity" – a reference to the president's remarks in 2010 that "Islam belongs in Germany" which proved controversial at the time. Keen to put a positive spin on the embarrassing situation, she said Wulff's decision to step down ahead of a possible criminal investigation showed the "strengths" of the German legal system – "everyone is treated equally regardless of their position" » | Helen Pidd in Berlin | Friday, February 17, 2012

Related »

Nepal Mob Burns 'Witch' Alive in Horrifying Attack
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A mob burned alive a 40-year-old woman on Friday after accusing her of casting black magic spells in a remote village in southern Nepal, police said.

Dengani Mahato died after she was severely beaten, doused in kerosene and set alight for allegedly practising witchcraft, Gopal Bhandari, a superintendent of police in Chitwan district, said.

"Nine people started to beat her after a local shaman pointed the finger at her over the death of a boy a year ago," the officer said.

"They accused her of having hands in the death of the boy, who had drowned in a river." » | AFP | Friday, February 17, 2012

Blow to Angela Merkel as German President Christian Wulff Resigns
Angela Merkel has been dealt a major blow that threatens to detract from her handling of the eurozone crisis after Germany’s president was resigned after becoming mired in a corruption scandal.

Read the article here | Bruno Waterfield | Friday, February 17, 2012
THE GUARDIAN: German president and Merkel ally resigns in corruption scandal: Ally of Angela Merkel had been under increasing pressure over home loan and apparent attempt to block report in tabloid » | Helen Pidd in Berlin | Friday, February 17, 2012

Related »

FRANFURTER ALLGEMEINE: „Habe mich rechtlich korrekt verhalten“: Bundespräsident Christian Wulff hat seinen Rücktritt erklärt. Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel nahm Wulffs Erklärung mit „tiefem Bedauern“ zur Kenntnis. Die Koalition traf sich zu Beratungen über die Nachfolge Wulffs. » | Freitag, 17. Februar 2012

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Kommentar zu Wulff – Jenseits des Rubikon: Wulffs Präsidentschaft begann mit großen Worten - und verlor sich im Winkeladvokatischen. » | Von Bertold Kohler | Freitag, 17. Februar 2012

Prosecutors Seek to Lift German President’s Immunity

BBC: Prosecutors in Germany have asked the federal parliament to lift President Christian Wulff's immunity over an escalating home loan scandal.

The prosecutors in Lower Saxony, where Mr Wulff, 52, was previously premier, said there was an "initial suspicion" that he improperly accepted benefits.

He has also been accused of trying to bully a paper not to run the story.

The president - whose primary role is to serve as a moral authority for the nation - denies any wrongdoing.

The widening row is seen by analysts as a blow to Chancellor Angela Merkel, who helped Mr Wulff to secure the largely ceremonial office in 2010.

Angry message

On Thursday, prosecutors in Hannover, capital of Lower Saxony, said in a statement there were "enough actual indications" that the president had acted improperly.

"Therefore they have asked asked the president of the German Bundestag (the lower house) to lift the president's immunity."

The move is formally required to start proceedings against Mr Wulff, although this does not mean necessarily that he president will be charged. » | Thursday, February 16, 2012

Christian's 'Aren't Above the Law', Says Equalities Chief Trevor Phillips

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Christians who want to be exempt from equality legislation are like Muslims trying to impose sharia on Britain, Trevor Phillips, the human rights watchdog, has declared.

Religious rules should end “at the door of the temple” and give way to the “public law” laid down by Parliament, the chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission said.

He argued that Roman Catholic adoption agencies and other faith groups providing public services must choose between their religion and obeying the law when their beliefs conflict with the will of the state.

Mr Phillips singled out the adoption agencies that fought a long legal battle to avoid being forced to accept homosexual couples under equality laws.

Last year, following a High Court case, the Charity Commission ruled against an exemption for Catholic Care, an adoption agency operating in Leeds.

Speaking at a debate in London on diverse societies, Mr Phillips backed the new laws, which led to the closure of all Catholic adoption agencies in England. “You can’t say because we decide we’re different then we need a different set of laws,” he said, in comments reported by The Tablet, the Catholic newspaper.

“To me there’s nothing different in principle with a Catholic adoption agency, or indeed Methodist adoption agency, saying the rules in our community are different and therefore the law shouldn’t apply to us. Why not then say sharia can be applied to different parts of the country? It doesn’t work.” » | John Bingham, and Tim Ross | Friday, February 17, 2012

Prohibition Debate: The Far-Right Threat to Germany's Democracy

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: The leaders of Germany's far-right NPD seek to project the party as mainstream and reasonable. In truth, however, the party is a melting pot for racists, Hitler worshippers and enemies of democracy. There are plenty of reasons to ban the party. But would it make the NPD more dangerous than ever? By SPIEGEL Staff

Holger Apfel meets with SPIEGEL in his office in the eastern German city of Dresden, with a view of the Semper Opera House. For this meeting to discuss his right-wing extremist views, he is wearing a gray, midrange suit by Mishumo and socks by Tommy Hilfiger. He appears to have a comfortable body mass index in the region of 30, and his stomach is pressing against the buttons of his blue business shirt. He is soft-spoken and has a slight lisp.
Apfel, who has been the new chairman of the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) since November, says that his party finally wants to appeal to ordinary citizens and to address their concerns, fears and hardships. The NPD, he says, is a party that comes from the center of the population and is for the center of the population.

But, in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a very different face of the party is on display -- one that reveals Apfel's rhetoric for the charade it is.

The NPD's office there is on an arterial road in the town of Grevesmühlen. The local branch of the party has its headquarters on a commercial strip occupied by the likes of the local construction yard, a carpet store and a Mercedes dealership. The black, white and red flag of the German Reich flying above the property identifies the NPD office, which is surrounded by a 2-meter (6.5-foot) fence topped with barbed wire. Behind the fence is a watchtower, complete with floodlights, next to a building with bars on the windows.

The Germanic Elhaz rune, the symbol of the Third Reich's "Lebensborn" program, which supported the production of racially pure Aryan children, hangs above the entrance.

Welcome to a building called the "Thinghaus" in Grevesmühlen, the local headquarters of the NPD. (The name is inspired by the old Germanic word for a governing assembly, "thing.") Instead of being located in the midst of the populace, the building is in fact where the National Democrats are still to be found today: on the periphery -- on the periphery of the town, the periphery of society and the periphery of public beliefs.

Most of all, the NPD is also on the periphery of legality. » | Spiegel Staff | Thursday, February 16, 2012

Evangelicals Spread the Gospel of Rick Santorum in Blue-collar Michigan

THE GUARDIAN: Santorum has a working-class appeal to go with his faith – and that has made him the favourite in Mitt Romney's home state

Outside a Christian store in the middle of a maze of suburban strip malls, Grace Rozelle has no doubt about what matters to her in the Republican primary battle for Michigan.

"Abortion is the really big thing for me. It has always been extremely important because of my faith," explained the 69-year-old retired schoolteacher. "I love Jesus and he created all of us."

Rozelle was standing on the outskirts of Grand Rapids, just a few streets away from the Mars Hill Bible Church, an evangelical mega-church built out of a converted shopping mall. Such displays of religious conviction are usually not seen as vital to Michigan's political landscape, which is more typically dominated by heavy industry and struggling city economies like Detroit and Flint.

But Rick Santorum is changing all that.

The former Pennsylvania senator has surged into contention in the 2012 race on the back of a stunning hat-trick of victories in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado. He has banded together religious social conservatives and Tea Party supporters, creating a powerful challenge to frontrunner Mitt Romney in national polls. It has also seen him catapult into the lead in Michigan, a state that only weeks ago Detroit-born Romney assumed was virtually guaranteed. One Michigan poll had Santorum ahead by 15 points, and the last four surveys all show him maintaining a lead.

Now if Santorum can beat Romney in Michigan on February 28, he would deal a hugely damaging blow to the former Massachusetts governor's campaign, and achieve something few experts ever believed possible: become a real contender for the Republican nomination. "It is absolutely going to be a competitive race in Michigan now," said Stu Sandler, a top Republican strategist in the state. » | Paul Harris in Grand Rapids, Michigan | Thursday, February 16, 2012

Interracial Marriage in the U.S. Hits All-time High with One in 12 Marrying Outside Their Race
MAIL ONLINE: Interracial marriage in the U.S. hits all-time high with one in 12 marrying outside their race

Interracial marriages in the U.S. have climbed to 4.8 million - a record one in 12 - as a steady flow of new Asian and Hispanic immigrants expands the pool of prospective spouses.

Blacks are now substantially more likely than before to marry whites.

A Pew Research Center study, released today, details a diversifying America where interracial unions and the mixed-race children they produce are challenging typical notions of race.

'The rise in interracial marriage indicates that race relations have improved over the past quarter century,' said Daniel Lichter, a sociology professor at Cornell University. 'Mixed-race children have blurred America's color line. Read on and comment » | Associated Press | Thursday, February 16, 2012

Is Romney Running Scared at Home?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Peter Oborne’s Viewpoint: The Callous Cruelty of the EU Is Destroying Greece, a Once-proud Country
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain should play its part to end this Greek tragedy by standing up for the underdog.

For all of my adult life, support for the European Union has been seen as the mark of a civilised, reasonable and above all compassionate politician. It has guaranteed him or her access to leader columns, TV studios, lavish expense accounts and overseas trips.

The reason for this special treatment is that the British establishment has tended to view the EU as perhaps a little incompetent and corrupt, but certainly benign and generally a force for good in a troubled world. This attitude is becoming harder and harder to sustain, as this partnership of nations is suddenly starting to look very nasty indeed: a brutal oppressor that is scornful of democracy, national identity and the livelihoods of ordinary people.

The turning point may have come this week with the latest intervention by Brussels: bureaucrats are threatening to bankrupt an entire country unless opposition parties promise to support the EU-backed austerity plan.

Let’s put the Greek problem in its proper perspective. Britain’s Great Depression in the Thirties has become part of our national myth. It was the era of soup kitchens, mass unemployment and the Jarrow March, immortalised in George Orwell’s wonderful novels and still remembered in Labour Party rhetoric.

Yet the fall in national output during the Depression – from peak to trough – was never more than 10 per cent. In Greece, gross domestic product is already down about 13 per cent since 2008, and according to experts is likely to fall a further 7 per cent by the end of this year. In other words, by this Christmas, Greece’s depression will have been twice as deep as the infamous economic catastrophe that struck Britain 80 years ago.

Yet all the evidence suggests that the European elite could not give a damn. Earlier this week Olli Rehn, the EU’s top economist, warned of “devastating consequences” if Greece defaults. The context of his comments suggests, however, that he was thinking just as much of the devastating consequences that would flow for the rest of Europe, rather than for the Greeks themselves.

Another official was quoted in the Financial Times as saying that Germany, Finland and the Netherlands are “losing patience” with Greece, with apparently not even a passing thought for the real victims of this increasingly horrific saga. Though the euro-elite seems not to care, life in Greece, the home of European civilisation, has become unbearable. Read on and comment » | Peter Oborne | Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Gaza Facing Severe Fuel Crisis
The Gaza Strip's only power station has been shut down, cutting electricity in the area by almost two-thirds. The Palestinian enclave usually relies on fuel smuggled in from Egypt, but the power facility has run out. Gaza is under a sea and land blockade imposed by Israel, which prevents regular shipments of power to the area. Gaza's energy authorities say they will now only be able to give each household six hours of electricity at a time. Al Jazeera's Caroline Malone wraps up the developments.

Syrian Activists Fill Information Gap
As many foreign journalists remain banned from reporting inside Syria, local opposition activists have stepped in.

Ordinary Greeks Battle the Debt Crisis
As the economic crisis take hold of Greece, ordinary people struggle stress and anxiety as they go about their lives.

Tales of Horror from Libya's Abu Salim Jail
Libyan jail symbolises horror of Gaddafi era Under the rule of the late Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the most feared places in Libya was Tripoli's Abu Salim prison. Thousands were killed and tortured there amid gruesome conditions, although the exact number of victims will never be known because the secretive facility kept no records. As Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley reports from Tripoli, one year after the first protests that culminated in the revolution, Abu Salim remains a powerful symbol of the worst brutalities of the Gaddafi regime. In a recent interview with Al Jazeera, a Libyan who was on death row in the prison described his life there.

Jean-Marie Le Pen Convicted of Contesting Crimes against Humanity

THE GUARDIAN: Court confirms conviction of far right Front National founder, who said Nazi occupation was not 'particularly inhumane'

Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of France's far right Front National, has been convicted of contesting crimes against humanity for saying the Nazi occupation was not "particularly inhumane".

A Paris appeals court upheld the three-month suspended prison sentence and €10,000 (£8,283) fine handed to Le Pen in 2009.

Le Pen had told the far-right magazine Rivarol in 2005: "in France at least the German occupation was not particularly inhumane, even if there were a number of excesses – inevitable in a country of 550,000 sq km." » | Angelique Chrisafis in Paris | Thursday, February 16, 2012

Syria 'Arrests Iconic Blogger Razan Ghazzawi and Leading Activists'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Security forces on Thursday arrested blogger Razan Ghazzawi, icon of the 11-month uprising in Syria, along with rights activist Mazen Darwish and 12 others, opposition figures said.

Human rights lawyer Anwar Bunni said Ghazzawi was arrested in an early afternoon raid on the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression, which is located in central Damascus and is headed by Darwish.

"We at the Syrian Centre for Legal Studies condemn these arrests and call on Syrian authorities to immediately release them," Bunni said in a statement.

Opposition figure Louai Hussein earlier told AFP that Darwish's wife was also among those arrested. » | Thursday, February 16, 2012

David Cameron: Scottish Independence 'Deeply Sad'
Prime Minister David Cameron began his visit to Scotland today with the message that he is ''a patriot for the whole United Kingdom''.

Read the article and comment here | Thursday, February 16, 2012

Silvio Berlusconi Says Judges Out to 'Destroy' Him
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Italy's Silvio Berlusconi launched a public attack on Thursday on the country's judges, accusing them of being out to "destroy" him after prosecutors called for the tycoon to be jailed for bribery.

"It's judicial persecution, an endless attempt to smear me, which has turned the court into a special court which aims to take Berlusconi out of politics and destroy him as a person," the media magnate told Italy's Channel 5 television.

Berlusconi's legal woes returned to haunt him on Wednesday when prosecutors asked he be sentenced to five years in prison for paying his former tax lawyer David Mills 450,000 euros to provide false testimony in the 1990s.

He has denied the charges and accuses prosecutors of a plot against him. » | AFP | Thursday, February 16, 2012

Falklands: Sean Penn Should Be Fed to Crocodiles Says Ben Fogle
Sean Penn should be fed to crocodiles for saying Britain is "colonialist, ludicrous and archaic" over the Falkland Islands, Ben Fogle has said on Twitter, challenging the star to a public debate.

Read the article and comment here | Barney Henderson | Thursday, February 16, 2012

200 Suspected Islamist Gunmen Freed in Nigeria Prison Break
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Suspected Islamist gunmen bombed their way into a prison in central Nigeria before opening fire on the wardens and emptying the jail of its 200 inmates, a spokeswoman said on Thursday.

The attack in the central Kogi state left one warden dead and while there was no official confirmation of the raiders' identity, local residents suspected the Boko Haram Islamist sect which has been wreaking havoc in Nigeria.

"There was a jail break last night. From reports available to us, a large number of gunmen attacked the Koton Karfe prison around 7:00pm and threw explosives at the gate and opened fire on our wardens," said prison spokeswoman Hadiza Aminu.

She said a shoot-out then erupted.

"One of our men was killed and the gunmen overpowered the wardens and broke into the cells, freeing inmates – 199 inmates all awaiting trial escaped, leaving only one inmate," Aminu told AFP.

She refused to speculate on the identity of the attackers.

"We still don't know who was behind this attack. Investigations have commenced to determine that."

But a resident Isiaka Yakub said: "From all indications, the attackers were members of Boko Haram," adding that there were around 20 of them. Continue reading and comment » | AFP | Thursday, February 16, 2012

Hamza Kashgari, the Saudi Writer Arrested for Religiously Offensive Tweets with Help of Interpol
Hamza Kashgari,the Saudi writer and blogger had to flee after writing three tweets on the social media network Twitter, after only a couple of days he had flee for his life to Malaysia on his way to New Zealand after there were calls for his execution. He was arrested in Islamic Malaysia and is being sent back to Saudi Arabia to face the death penalty.

Richard Dawkins Interview about Baroness Warsi's 'Militant Secularism' Remarks
BBC news interview (14th Feb 2012) - Richard Dawkins tells Jane Hill his thoughts on Baroness Warsi's statements on secularism.

Baroness Warsi's Strike at 'Secular Fundamentalists' as She Meets Pope

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Baroness Warsi has hit out at "secular fundamentalists" as she met the Pope and concluded an historic visit of British ministers to the Vatican.

The Cabinet Office minister and chairman of the Conservative Party gave Benedict XVI a personal gift during a 20-minute private audience – a gold-plated cube that opens up to reveal 99 tiny cubes, each inscribed with a reference to Allah.

In keeping with the theme of interfaith dialogue, she also gave him a copy of the Koran which was translated by an East European Jew who converted to Islam and helped write Pakistan's constitution.

"They were personal gifts from me," Baroness Warsi, the first female Muslim cabinet minister, told The Daily Telegraph at the Vatican on Wednesday.

She also presented the pontiff with a letter from David Cameron, the Prime Minister, a message from the Queen and a copy of the King James Bible.

"He thanked me for the comments I've made. He said he was glad I was making the case for faith. He was intrigued by the cube and I thought as I showed it to him 'Oh my God I'm going to break it'," the minister said.

Baroness Warsi expanded on a speech she gave in Rome on Tuesday, and an article she wrote for The Daily Telegraph, that British society was under threat from a rising tide of "militant secularisation" and that Europe needs to be "more confident in its Christianity".

Speaking after her meeting with the Pope, she said: "Secular fundamentalists are saying that people of faith shouldn't have a voice in the public sphere. I'm saying faith should be one of many voices, it should be part of the debate."

She criticised the arguments of Richard Dawkins, the outspoken atheist, as "false". » | Nick Squires, the Vatican | Wednesday, February 15, 2012

'Captain' Nicolas Sarkozy Launches Re-election

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Nicolas Sarkozy promised to keep France “strong” like a “captain at the heart of a storm” if it re-elected him as President, as he finally launched his campaign after weeks of false suspense over his candidacy.

Swept to power on a tide of hope for a enacting a “rupture” with his predecessors in 2007, Mr Sarkozy faces an epic struggle to convince France he is still the man for the country’s top job.

“Yes, I am candidate for the presidential election,” he told millions of viewers who tuned in to scrutinise his short appearance on TF1’s 8 o’clock news programme – the country’s most watched evening broadcast.

“I took this decision because France, Europe and the world have for the last three years seen a series of unprecedented crises, which means that not seeking a new mandate from the French people would be abandoning my duties.”

“Can you imagine the captain of a ship in the heart of a storm saying: I’m tired, I’m giving up, I’m stopping?’,” he asked, adding: “I have things to say to the French people, I have proposals to make to them.”

Mr Sarkozy’s shipping analogy came weeks after his main rival,François Hollande, the Socialist candidate and frontrunner, was likened to the “captain of a pedalo heading into a storm” by a leftist critic. Mr Hollande has never held a cabinet post. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Sarkozy annonce sa candidature sur TF1 : la vidéo intégrale

Greece Is Being Forced Out of Eurozone, Venizelos Claims

THE GUARDIAN: Greek finance minister says troika is shifting terms of €130bn bailout deal as part of move to force country out of eurozone

Greece rounded bitterly on its EU paymasters when the finance minister and socialist leader, Evangelos Venizelos, accused the eurozone of deliberately changing the terms of a proposed €130bn (£110bn) bailout because key players wanted to kick the country out of the single currency.

The charge that some eurozone countries were seeking to engineer a Greek sovereign default and exit from the euro deepened the rancour between debtor and creditors in the dangerous standoff. "There are many in the eurozone who don't want us any more," Venizelos declared at a meeting with President Karolos Papoulias. "We are constantly being given new terms and conditions."

Papoulias went even further, denouncing Germany and Greece's north European creditors after Wolfgang Schäuble, the German finance minister, said that Greece must not turn into a "bottomless pit" for eurozone bailout funds and that Europe was better prepared than when the crisis erupted two years ago to cope with a Greek sovereign default.

"Who is Mr Schäuble to ridicule Greece? Who are the Dutch? Who are the Finns?" declared the Greek head of state. "I don't accept insults to my country by Mr Schäuble." » | Ian Traynor and Larry Elliott | Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Israel Voices Fears, Concerns about Iran

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Mohammed-Zweifler Kaschgari: Facebook-Hatz auf einen Blogger

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Zehntausende fordern in einer Facebook-Gruppe die Bestrafung des saudi-arabischen Journalisten Hamsa Kaschgari, weil er den Propheten Mohammed beleidigt haben soll. Sie wollen ein Exempel statuieren und verlangen die Hinrichtung des 23-Jährigen. Kaum einer stellt sich dem Hass entgegen.

Es ist ein digitaler Lynchmob, der sich im Internet zusammengerottet hat: Mehr als 25.000 Menschen sind bislang der Facebook-Gruppe "Das saudische Volk will die Bestrafung von Hamsa Kaschgari" beigetreten. Die meisten User, die sich auf der Pinnwand der Gruppe äußern, lassen keinen Zweifel daran, wie diese Strafe aussehen muss: Sie fordern den Tod des 23-jährigen Journalisten, weil er ihrer Meinung nach den Propheten Mohammed beleidigt und sich damit der Blasphemie schuldig gemacht haben soll.

Hamsa Kaschgari hatte vor zehn Tagen auf Twitter ein fiktives Gespräch mit dem Propheten geführt. Darin hatte er unter anderem erklärt, dass er nicht für Mohammed beten werde und bestimmte Dinge an ihm hasse. Außerdem schrieb er: "An Deinem Geburtstag werde ich mich nicht vor Dir verbeugen und nicht Deine Hand küssen."

In der Folge brach im arabischsprachigen Internet ein Sturm der Wut und Entrüstung über die Tweets des jungen Mannes aus. Als Kaschgari erkannt hatte, welche Gefahr vom Zorn seiner Glaubensbrüder und Glaubenschwestern ausging, floh er nach Malaysia. Offenbar wollte er von dort aus nach Neuseeland weiterfliegen. Die Behörden in Kuala Lumpur nahmen ihn jedoch bald nach der Ankunft fest und lieferten ihn an Saudi-Arabien aus, wo er in der Zwischenzeit mit Haftbefehl gesucht wurde.

In seiner Heimat droht ihm wegen seiner drei verhängnisvollen Tweets nun die Todesstrafe. » | Von Christoph Sydow | Mittwoch, 15. Februar 2012

Related articles and videos here

Inside Story Americas: US Double Standards in Bahrain
Is the US guilty of the same behaviour it accuses Russia and China of, in protecting its interests in region? Guests: Michael Singh, Brian Dooley, Jean Francois Seznec.

Hundreds Dead in Honduras Jail Blaze
Officials in Comayagua town investigating the cause of one of the worst prison fires ever in Latin America.

Rick Santorum Wants Your Sex Life to Be 'Special'
He insists that opining on the subject is the kind of thing a presidential candidate should do.
THE ATLANTIC: What separates issues that are in the proper purview of politics from matters best left to individuals? I'd hate to draw that line for everyone, but watching Rick Santorum in the much-discussed interview above, I'm confident in declaring that he's put himself on the wrong side of it. » | Conor Friedersdorf | Staff Writer, The Atlantic | Wednesday, February 15, 2012


CAFFEINATED THOUGHTS: Santorum’s Surge Challenges Romney’s Electability Argument and Gingrich’s Candidacy » | Shane Vander Hart | Monday, February 13, 2012

The Bloodlust Faced by the 'Blaspheming' Saudi Journalist
GUARDIAN – BLOGS – ANDREW BROWN: Hamza Kashgari's tweets about Muhammad have led to a chilling online reaction from many in Saudi Arabia

In this country, and in the US, the judicial authorities make fools of themselves about Twitter. In Saudi and Malaysia, they may make themselves murderers. The case of Hamza Kashgari, a young Saudi journalist who has just been deported from Malaysia to face trial on charges of blasphemy, is one that should frighten and disgust anyone who cares about freedom of speech or religion.

His supposed offence was to have tweeted part of an imaginary conversation with the prophet Muhammad. "I have loved things about you and I have hated things about you and there is a lot I don't understand about you," he wrote; and: "I will not pray for you."

After six hours, he apologised for this, and then fled to Malaysia, en route to New Zealand, where he would have been safe. But after three days in Malaysia, he was arrested and shipped back to Saudi, where he faces the death penalty.

It is likely that he will not be executed, if he makes a sufficiently grovelling apology, though he will certainly be punished cruelly for something that is not a crime in any civilised society. This doesn't do much to excuse either the Saudis or the Malaysian authorities, who were under no compulsion to arrest him, and even less to deport him before his lawyers could lodge an appeal, despite the protests of both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Continue reading and comment » | Andrew Brown | Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Related articles and videos here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Saudi in Mohammed Twitter Row 'Repents'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Saudi journalist awaiting interrogation over Tweets deemed insulting to Islam's Prophet Mohammed insisted that he has repented, according to a relative.

Hamza Kashgari "has affirmed to his family that he stands by his repentance, that he has made a mistake and regrets it," said the family member on condition of anonymity.

The 23-year-old fled to Malaysia after his comments sparked a wave of condemnations and threats against his life, but was deported back to Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

Upon his return from Malaysia, Kashgari "informed his family he is in very good condition," the source said. "His family is still waiting for authorities to allow them to visit him and appoint a defence lawyer."

A Saudi lawyer told AFP on Tuesday that Kashgari "has not yet been interrogated and we hope this issue ends before it reaches the attorney general."

Saudi English-language daily Arab News reported earlier this week that Kashgari would face blasphemy charges.

On the occasion of the Muslim prophet's birthday, Kashgari tweeted: "I have loved things about you and I have hated things about you and there is a lot I don't understand about you."

"I will not pray for you." » | AFP | Wednesday, February 15, 2012

So much for the Prophet's saying that "there is no compulsion in religion"! Vacuous words in today's Saudi Arabia! – © Mark

Iran Claims Significant Advance in Nuclear Programme
Iran has claimed a significant advance in its nuclear programme, installing new fuel rods in a research reactor and claiming to have developed a more advanced model of centrifuge.

Read the article here | David Blair | Wednesday, February 15, 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Iran to stop oil exports to six EU countries causing prices to rise: Iran will stop exporting oil to six European Union countries including Greece, the state media has claimed. » | David Blair | Wednesday, February 15,

Muslim Girl 'Attacked by Siblings for Kiss'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Muslim teenager Shamima Akhtar was kidnapped, imprisoned and had her hair cut off after her family saw her kiss a white man on her 18th birthday, a court has heard.

Shamima was bundled into a car by sisters Nadiya, 25, Nazira, 29, and brother Kayum Mohammed-Abdul, 24, outside a Basingstoke restaurant when they saw her kissing work colleague Gary Pain on April 1 last year.

The jury heard how an "extremely aggressive and threatening" Mohammed-Abdul grabbed Mr Pain by the neck as Miss Akhtar was "firmly escorted" to the car and thrown in.

The car was driven back to the family home in Basingstoke, Hants, where it's alleged she was dragged onto the sofa, called a whore and a prostitute and then had her waist-length hair cut to her neck by her two older sisters.

The jury heard how Shamima was punched by her sister Nadiya and overheard her brother on the phone, saying "Get the gun, I need the boys tonight."

He is then alleged to have presented his sister with two knives and a hammer and asked her to "pick one to be used" on her and "one to be used on her lover boy", Winchester Crown Court heard. » | Tuesday, January 31, 2012

And the authorities believe they have a hope of integrating such dangerous throwbacks! People with such dark age thinking will never integrate into Western society. This case is yet another example of the immiscibility of Islam and Western culture. In a word, Islam is displaced. – © Mark