Theresa May: We'll Stop Migrants If Euro Collapses

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Government is drawing up plans for emergency immigration controls to curb an influx of Greeks and other European Union residents if the euro collapses, the Home Secretary discloses today.

In an interview in The Daily Telegraph, Theresa May says “work is ongoing” to restrict European immigration in the event of a financial collapse. People from throughout the EU, with the exception of new member countries such as Romania and Bulgaria, are able to work anywhere in the single market.

However, there are growing concerns that if Greece was forced to leave the euro, it would effectively go bankrupt and millions could lose their jobs and consider looking for work abroad.

The crisis could spread quickly to other vulnerable countries such as Spain, Ireland and Portugal, although Britain is regarded as a safe haven because it is outside the single currency.

Details of the contingency plan emerged as the euro crisis deepened further yesterday. » | Robert Winnett, and James Kirkup | Friday, May 25, 2012

My comment:

This woman is a joke! How long has she been telling us that immigration is going to be brought under control? In fact, under this administration, immigration has gone up! They can’t control the borders now. What makes her think they’ll be able to control the borders if the euro “collapses”? In any case, wouldn’t an influx of Greeks, Portuguese, or Spaniards be preferable for this country than Third World immigrants who have little in common with our heritage, and in any case have no desire or determination to integrate? Mrs. May, your words sound awfully hollow. Do you really expect us to believe this nonsense? You wouldn’t be able to control the flow of the pious into a prostitute’s parlour. – © Mark

Cabinet Minister Baroness Warsi Admits Breaking Cash Rules

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron suffered a fresh political blow last night when the Conservative party chairman admitted that she failed to declare a source of income for more than a year.

Baroness Warsi said did not tell House of Lords authorities that she was receiving rental income from a London property she had bought and rented out.

She made an apology today over the breach of parliamentary guidelines, blaming “an oversight, for which I take full responsibility,” but claimed that she had paid tax on the income.

The disclosure is the latest in a series of crises to hit Mr Cameron in the last few weeks. It comes as the political future of Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Secretary, is called into question once again. » | Saturday, May 26, 2012

Islam in Deutschland: Innenminister Friedrich vergleicht Salafisten mit Al-Qaida

HAMBURGER ABENDBLATT: Schünemann (CDU) für Grundrechtsverwirkung gegen Salafisten. Friedrich (CSU) setzt Salafisten mit Terrororganisation Al-Qaida gleich.

BERLIN/HANNOVER/LEIPZIG . Die Salafisten haben, nach Ansicht von Bundesinnenminister Hans-Peter Friedrich (CSU), den gleichen ideologischen Ansatz wie die Terrororganisation Al-Qaida. Es handele sich eindeutig um Menschen, die die freiheitliche Grundordnung bekämpfen wollten, sagte Friedrich der "Leipziger Volkszeitung“ (Samstagausgabe) laut Vorabbericht. Wie Al-Qaida meinten die Salafisten, ihre Ideologie gebe ihnen das Recht, mit Gewalt alles zu beseitigen, was sich ihnen in den Weg stelle.

Friedrich kündigte an, mit aller Härte und mit allen Möglichkeiten, die ein Rechtsstaat zur Verfügung hat, bei den Salafisten durchzugreifen. Er akzeptiere nicht, dass eine Gruppierung aus ideologisch-politischen Gründen Presse- und Meinungsfreiheit mit Füßen trete und Journalisten bedrohe. » | abendblatt.de | Mit Material von dapd und dpa | Samstag, 26. Mai 2012

Mali: le chef d'Aqmi appelle à imposer la charia "graduellement" au nord
AFP: DAKAR — Le chef d'Al-Qaïda au Maghreb islamique (Aqmi) a donné une série de conseils à ses combattants contrôlant en partie le nord du Mali pour y réussir la création d'un Etat islamique, les appelant en particulier à y imposer "graduellement" la charia, selon le site spécialisé américain SITE.

Dans un enregistrement sonore de 12 minutes posté mercredi sur le site Sahara Media basé en Mauritanie, Abdelmalek Droukdel, alias Abou Moussaab Abdelouadoud, "félicite" ses combattants pour la "victoire historique" remportée dans le nord du Mali, qu'Aqmi contrôle avec d'autres groupes armés depuis fin mars.

Il les exhorte cependant à ne pas rater l'occasion de créer un Etat islamique dans cette région, leur donnant huit conseils afin d'y parvenir.

Parmi ceux-ci, ne pas faire preuve de "vanité" et appliquer la charia (loi islamique) "graduellement". "L'imposition de la charia ne doit pas seulement être limitée à la juste punition des gens, c'est beaucoup plus large que cela", dit-il, ajoutant: "Sachez que c'est une erreur d'imposer toutes les règles de l'islam d'un seul coup". » | AFP | jeudi 24 mai 2012

Requiem pour l'Islam : le wahhabisme est la nouvelle religion des musulmans

TUNISIE NEWS.COM: Si l'on veut prendre au piège les islamistes dans leur propre jeu, déjouer leur complot fomenté contre la religion musulmane, dénoncer leur supercherie théologique, ce n'est pas en les laissant labourer à leur guise le terrain de l'Islam et mener en toute liberté des campagnes scélérates contre le Prophète de l'Islam et la religion musulmane elle-même.

Il n'y a pas pires ennemis de l'Islam que les islamistes héritiers de l'anthropomorphe et apostat Ibn Taymya, maître à penser de Mohamed Ibn Adelwahhab fondateur du sectarisme wahhabite, fléau mortel pour la religion musulmane. Depuis son avènement en 1745, il ne cesse de corrompre et de défigurer l'Islam prônant un retour à l'Islam des origines. Celui des compagnons du Prophète et des 2 générations qui lui succèdent. Une vision réactionnaire de l'Islam, négatrice des Hadiths, qui n'est pas sans rappeler les courants fondamentalistes chrétiens telle que l'Eglise mormone appelée l'Eglise de « Jésus-Christ des Saints des Derniers jours » ou les ultra-orthodoxes juifs des Haredim, les "Craignant-Dieu". » | Proposé par : Ben Ammar Salem | vendredi 25 mai 2012

Islamic Convention Set This Weekend In Hartford
THE HARTFORD COURANT: HARTFORD — — Thousands of Muslims are expected to attend a convention in the city this weekend sponsored by the Islamic Circle of North America with the goal of promoting religious tolerance and fighting "Islamophobia."

The group, a New York City-based Muslim American advocacy organization, seeks to raise awareness and dispel misconceptions by educating people about the Islamic faith, members said.

The convention at the Connecticut Convention Center is titled "Defending Religious Freedom, Understanding Shariah" and is part of a national tour. Shariah is the fundamental religious concept of Islam.

About 15,000 people are expected to attend the conference, which runs from Saturday to Monday, said Naeem Baig, vice president of public affairs for ICNA. » | Jenna Carlesso, The Hartford Courant | Friday, May 25, 2012

Internationally-known Turkish Pianist Accused of Insulting Islam
ANKARA, TURKEY: Fazil Say, the world-renowned pianist has been accused of insulting Islam in his comments about Paradise on Twitter. An Istanbul court is to decide whether to accept the indictment against him. He has been accused of inciting hatred and public enmity. The pianist could face a prison sentence for his comments. Read the story here » | Saturday, May 26, 2012

Kansas Gov. Signs Measure Blocking Islamic Law

FOX NEWS: Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has signed a law aimed at keeping the state's courts or government agencies from basing decisions on Islamic or other foreign legal codes, and a national Muslim group's spokesman said Friday that a court challenge is likely.

The new law, taking effect July 1, doesn't specifically mention Shariah law, which broadly refers to codes within the Islamic legal system. Instead, it says courts, administrative agencies or state tribunals can't base rulings on any foreign law or legal system that would not grant the parties the same rights guaranteed by state and U.S. constitutions.

"This bill should provide protection for Kansas citizens from the application of foreign laws," said Stephen Gele, spokesman for the American Public Policy Alliance, a Michigan group promoting model legislation similar to the new Kansas law. "The bill does not read, in any way, to be discriminatory against any religion."

But supporters have worried specifically about Shariah law being applied in Kansas court cases, and the alliance says on its website that it wants to protect Americans' freedoms from "infiltration" by foreign laws and legal doctrines, "especially Islamic Shariah Law." » | Associated Press | Saturday, May 26, 2012

Tunisian Salafi Islamists Riot, Clash with Police
CHICAGO TRIBUNE: TUNIS (Reuters) - Hundreds of Salafi Islamists attacked bars and shops and clashed with security forces in a Tunisian town on Saturday in the latest incident to raise religious tensions in the home of the Arab Spring uprisings.

Police and witnesses in the northwestern town of Jendouba [F] said hundreds of Salafis - followers of a puritanical interpretation of Islam - began rioting to protest the arrest of four men in connection with previous attacks on alcohol vendors.

Police responded with tear gas, breaking up the crowd, but clashes had yet to die down, witnesses and police said.

"This morning, four men were arrested in connection with attacks on alcohol vendors in recent days," Interior Ministry official Lutfi al-Haydari told Reuters.

"So hundreds of Salafis attacked the security base, pelting it with rocks and petrol bombs before they were dispersed by tear gas. They also set fire to a police station and attacked three shops in the town ... they are now in the centre of town and are being dealt with." » | Tarek Amara, Reuters | Saturday, May 26, 2012

It's Payback Time: Don't Expect Sympathy – Lagarde to Greeks

THE GUARDIAN: Take responsibility and stop trying to avoid taxes, International Monetary Fund chief tells Athens

The International Monetary Fund has ratcheted up the pressure on crisis-hit Greece after its managing director, Christine Lagarde, said she has more sympathy for children deprived of decent schooling in sub-Saharan Africa than for many of those facing poverty in Athens.

In an uncompromising interview with the Guardian, Lagarde insists it is payback time for Greece and makes it clear that the IMF has no intention of softening the terms of the country's austerity package.

Using some of the bluntest language of the two-and-a-half-year debt crisis, she says Greek parents have to take responsibility if their children are being affected by spending cuts. "Parents have to pay their tax," she says.

Greece, which has seen its economy shrink by a fifth since the recession began, has been told to cut wages, pensions and public spending in return for financial help from the IMF, the European Union and the European Central Bank.

Asked whether she is able to block out of her mind the mothers unable to get access to midwives or patients unable to obtain life-saving drugs, Lagarde replies: "I think more of the little kids from a school in a little village in Niger who get teaching two hours a day, sharing one chair for three of them, and who are very keen to get an education. I have them in my mind all the time. Because I think they need even more help than the people in Athens." » | Larry Elliott and Decca Aitkenhead | Friday, May 25, 2012

Anders Behring Breivik 'Asked for Band-Aid When Arrested'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The policeman who arrested Anders Behring Breivik described a calm but disconcerting killer who asked for a Band-Aid for a small cut on his finger.

On the 25th day of his trial for killing 77 people last July 22, Breivik surprised the court when he hailed the police, who have been severely criticised in Norway for not acting quickly enough to stop the bloodbath, insisting they did the best job possible under difficult circumstances.

Haavard Gaasbakk, the head of local police operations, told the Oslo district court he had exchanged a few words with the today 33-year-old right-wing extremist when he handcuffed him last year.

"You are not the ones I am targeting. I consider you as brothers. It's a coup: I must save Norway from Islamisation," Breivik had said as he lay on the ground with the police officer kneeling on his back.

The man on the ground was also dressed as a police officer and had just spent more than an hour methodically executing panicked youngsters attending a summer camp hosted by the ruling Labour Party's youth wing. » | Source: AFP | Friday, May 25, 2012

Related »

The Pope's Butler Arrested Following Vatileaks Investigation

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Vatican police have arrested Pope Benedict XVI's personal butler following an investigation into the leaking of sensitive church documents.

The butler, identified as Paolo Gabriele, 40, was held by gendarmes after a special commission of three top senior cardinals had been appointed by the Pope to identify the source of the leaks which have caused severe embarrassment.

Mr Gabriele, who has been at the Pope’s side for six years, is one of the German born pontiff’s closest members of his inner circle which totals just four lay people and four nuns and he is always at his side.

It is believed that Mr Gabriele, who is known by the nickname Paoletto (little Paul) was held as he arrived for work at the Papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace behind St Peter’s and on Friday he was being held in custody – the first time in years the Vatican jail had been used.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said a man had been detained with “documents in his possession” adding that he was not supposed to have them and he went on to describe him as “a lay person and not a member of the clergy”. » | Nick Pisa in Rome | Friday, May 25, 2012

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le Vatican confirme l'arrestation du majordome : Le Vatican a officiellement confirmé samedi l'arrestation, ainsi que l'identité, du majordome du pape Benoît XVI, l'un des auteurs présumés de fuites de documents confidentiels. L'homme est toujours incarcéré. » | ats/afp/Newsnet | samedi 26 mai 2012

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Lady Gaga Saga Shows Growing Intolerance

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: JAKARTA—As Indonesia’s Islamic hardliners have become global headliners for their threats against Lady Gaga, the country’s reputation as a place where Islam and democracy have no problem mixing has also come under scrutiny thanks to what experts say is an escalation of harassment and attacks targeting religious minorities.

A majority of Indonesia’s 240 million citizens are Muslim, and most of them are moderate, peaceful and support the country’s secular system. Still, some small groups of Islamic fundamentalists have recently become increasingly vocal and assertive in pushing their agenda.

In the most recent case, several residents threw stones, bags of urine and rotten eggs at members of a Christian congregation in the Jakarta suburb of Bekasi, accusing them of trying to convert locals, said Palti Panjaitan, who is in charge of the church.

“They don’t want us there because they believe their children could grow up to become Christians,” Mr. Panjaitan said.

A group of Muslims in Bogor, another Jakarta suburb, continue to block one Christian congregation from worshipping in their church in a dispute over the building’s permit that has dragged on for more than a year. » | Ahmad Pathoni | Friday, May 25, 2012

Related »

Barack Obama's Marijuana Smoking Days with the 'Choom Gang'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama is not the first President of the United States to confess to experimenting with recreational drug-use in those heady days before the gruelling demands of Washington took over.

However, while Bill Clinton notoriously "didn't inhale" at Oxford, Mr Obama took an altogether more enthusiastic approach to smoking marijuana in his youth, according to a new biography.

As a secondary school pupil in Honolulu, Hawaii, in the late 1970s, Mr Obama is said to have been a member of the "Choom Gang", a group of boys who played basketball and choomed, or smoked dope.

"Barry Obama was known for starting a few pot-smoking trends," according to David Maraniss, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author. "The first was called 'TA,' short for 'total absorption'." Mr Obama's favoured technique is described as "the antithesis" to Mr Clinton's eyebrow-raising claim to have barely participated in – and certainly not enjoyed – smoking the drug as a Rhodes scholar at University College from 1968 to 1970.

Any Choom Gang members caught daring to exhale before absorption was total "were assessed a penalty" and faced being "skipped the next time the joint came around," according to 'Barack Obama: The Story'.

All told, the future president is said to have been a bit of a drag. "When a joint was making the rounds, he often elbowed his way in, out of turn, shouted 'Intercepted!,' and took an extra hit," said Maraniss. » | Jon Swaine, Washington | Friday, May 25, 2012

Theresa May Records Video in Support of Gay Marriage
Theresa May, the Conservative home secretary, has pledged her personal support for gay marriage, becoming the most senior politician yet to take part in a cross-party video campaign supporting a change in the law. The Out4Marriage campaign records YouTube videos with politicians, celebrities, religious leaders and members of the public explaining why they support changing the law. The campaign says it has so far secured the support of 10 Conservatives

Ed Miliband: The Patriotism of a Refugee

NEW STATESMAN: The Labour leader recalls how he imbibed Jewish history from his mother and father.

“The first Jewish leader of the Labour Party.” It says something about me and about Britain that I am rarely described as such.

I am not religious. But I am Jewish. My relationship with my Jewishness is complex. But whose isn’t?

My family history often feels distant and far away. Yet the pain of this history is such that I feel a duty to remember, understand and discuss it – a duty that grows, rather than diminishes, over time.

As children we were only dimly aware of it but we caught glimpses. When I was seven, my family went to visit my grandmother in Tel Aviv. Pointing at a black-and-white photograph, I demanded to know who was “that man in the picture”. I remember being taken swiftly out of the room and then being told quietly that he was my grandfather David, who had died in Poland long before I was born. It was only some years later that I realised my mum’s father had died in a concentration camp, murdered by the Nazis for being Jewish. » | Ed Miliband* | Thursday, May 23, 2012

* Ed Miliband is the MP for Doncaster North and leader of the Labour Party.

Brotherhood Man Promises Islamic Law in Egypt

REUTERS INDIA: When he joined the race for Egypt's presidency just five weeks ago, Mohamed Mursi was mocked as the Muslim Brotherhood's uncharismatic "spare tyre" after its first-choice candidate was disqualified.

But the 60-year-old engineer came first in the opening round, according to a Brotherhood tally after most votes were counted, thanks to a campaign that showed off the unequalled political muscle of Egypt's oldest Islamist movement.

The run-off on June 16 and 17 with second-placed Ahmed Shafiq, who served as deposed leader Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister, gives Egyptians a stark choice between a military man linked to the past and an Islamist whose conservative message appeals to some and alarms others in this nation of 82 million.

A Brotherhood official said that with votes counted from about 12,800 of the roughly 13,100 polling stations, Mursi had 25 percent, Shafiq 23 percent, a rival Islamist Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh 20 percent and leftist Hamdeen Sabahy 19 percent.

Calling himself the only authentic Islamist in the race, Mursi has targeted devout voters whose support helped the Brotherhood and the ultra-orthodox Salafi Islamist movement to secure 70 percent of parliament seats earlier this year.

He has promised to implement Islamic sharia during rallies peppered with references to the Koran, God and the Prophet Mohammad and occasionally interrupted by pauses for mass prayer.

But he has seldom spelt out what that would mean for Egypt, where piety runs deep and the constitution already defines the principles of Islamic law as the main source of legislation. » | Yom Perry | CAIRO | Friday, May 25, 2012

France Dominates EU Summit: Hollande Steals the Show from Merkel

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: French President François Hollande managed to set the tone at his first EU summit with his proposal for euro bonds. It was the first such meeting in years that was not dominated by Chancellor Merkel. Hollande wanted to send the message that France will be more assertive in the future.

The air was stuffy in the French press room of the European Council building, which was crowded with journalists. Everyone wanted to see the new French president during his first press conference after a European Union summit. Shortly after 1 o'clock on Thursday morning, François Hollande held court just as his predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy, once had, explaining his "vision for growth" for nearly an hour.

In the room next door was German Chancellor Angela Merkel. In front of her were just a few rows of chairs and some cameras, and the room was half empty. She had decided not to hold a full press conference. Instead, she gave a brief statement, answered two questions and left after five minutes. She apparently knew that she didn't have much of a chance against the appeal of her new French counterpart. It almost seemed as if she was happy to concede the stage to Hollande without a fight.

The parallel appearances in Brussels in the early hours of Thursday had symbolic value. It was the first EU summit in years which was not dominated by Merkel. Instead, Hollande set the tone at the informal dinner attended by the leaders of the 27 EU member states, even if he only spoke briefly himself and showed surprise at the lengthy comments of some of his colleagues. » | Carsten Volkery in Brussels | Thursday, May 24, 2012

Diplomatic Dissonance: Tehran Protests Eurovision 'Gay Parade' in Baku

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Preparations for the first semi-final of the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest on Tuesday were overshadowed by a diplomatic row between host country Azerbaijan and its neighbor Iran. The latter recalled its ambassador over accusations that Baku was planning an accompanying "gay parade."

The flamboyant, bespangled Eurovision Song Contest's first semi-final whittled down the competition contestants in Baku on Tuesday night, but the pageantry was overshadowed by a diplomatic row. Just ahead of the festivities, Iran summoned the envoy of host country Azerbaijan and announced it had withdrawn its ambassador from Baku to protest "insults to the sanctities" of Islam and the alleged planning of a "gay parade" to accompany the event.

"We heard that the government of Azerbaijan is hosting the international Eurovision Song Contest and that during this contest there will also be a gay parade," senior Iranian cleric Ayatollah Sobhani said in a statement for the Azeri ambassador quoted by the semi-official Fars news agency. A government official in Baku denied the allegation.

In recent weeks, Iranian officials have admonished Baku for hosting the event, accusing the government of permitting gay pride rallies. While the event, one of the most-watched in the world, is a well-known favorite of the gay community in addition to its general popularity, no such gatherings have been either planned or staged in Baku.

Still, tensions between the two countries are unlikely to be improved by the public reaction to Iran's accusations in Azerbaijan. At a demonstration in Baku participants reportedly carried images of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and banners that read "Azerbaijan does not need clerics -- homosexuals!" » | kla -- with wire reports | Wednesday, May 23, 2012
More on the Eurovision Song Contest »

Anders Behring Breivik 'Will Not Appeal Guilty Verdict If He Is Found Sane'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Anders Behring Breivik has said he will not appeal a certain guilty verdict if the judges deem him to be sane.

The 33-year-old said there would be absolutely no reason to appeal if I am declared criminally accountable".

Breivik has confessed to the twin attacks that killed 77 people in Oslo and Utoya but has refused to plead guilty, insisting they were "cruel but necessary" to stop the ruling Labour Party's "multicultural experiment" and the "Muslim invasion" of Norway and Europe.

The question of Breivik's sanity is a focal point of the trial. » | Source” AFP | Thursday, May 24, 2012

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Fox News Viewers Worst-informed, Study Finds
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Fox News viewers are less informed than those who watch other programmes, or no TV news at all, research has found.

A study conducted by Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey, found that on average, the average American was able to correctly answer 1.8 out of four questions on international news and 1.6 out of five on domestic.

Fox News followers however only answered 1.04 domestic questions correctly, which is worse than those who said they watched no media at all – which stood at 1.22. » | Chris Irvine | Thursday, May 24, 2012

Pupils Asked 'Why Do Some People Hate Jews?' in GCSE Exam
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Ministers have criticised Britain’s biggest exam board after pupils were asked to explain “why some people are prejudiced against Jews” as part of a GCSE.

More than 1,000 teenagers are believed to have sat the religious studies test paper which challenged pupils to assess the reasons behind anti-Semitism.

The Assessment and Qualifications Alliance, which set the exam, said the question acknowledged that “some people hold prejudices” – and did not attempt to justify them.

But the move has prompted criticism from the Government and religious leaders. Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, branded the move “insensitive”.

He told The Jewish Chronicle: “To suggest that anti-Semitism can ever be explained, rather than condemned, is insensitive and, frankly, bizarre. AQA needs to explain how and why this question was included in an exam paper.” » | Graeme Paton, Education Editor | Thursday, May 24, 2012

US Cuts $33 Million in Aid to Pakistan over Osama bin Laden Doctor Sentence

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The US is to cut $33 million from the aid it sends Pakistan over the jailing of the doctor who helped the CIA hunt for Osama bin Laden, in a fresh blow to the battered relations between the two states.

Congressmen on the powerful Senate appropriations committee voted to cut $1 million from the $800 million annual budget for each of the 33 years that Dr Shakeel Afridi has been told he must serve in jail for working with a foreign intelligence agency.

Dr Afridi set up a fake vaccination campaign in Abbottabad in an attempt to obtain blood samples from bin Laden's family, as the CIA tried to confirm the al-Qaeda chief's presence in a nearby villa.

Lindsey Graham, a Republican of South Carolina who helped push through the measure, said: "We don't need a Pakistan that is just double dealing." Senators including John McCain, the former Republican presidential nominee, have described Dr Afridi as "courageous, heroic, and patriotic," and demanded that he be pardoned. » | Jon Swaine, Washington and Rob Crilly in Rawalpindi | Thursday, May 24, 2012

Net Migration to UK Remains at Over 250,000 a Year

THE GUARDIAN: Figure of 252,000 is a blow to Theresa May, who hopes to reduce number to 100,000 by next election

Annual net migration to Britain remains at over 250,000 a year despite the declared ambition of the home secretary, Theresa May, to reduce it below 100,000 by the time of the next election, according to figures published on Thursday.

The Office of National Statistics said that the politically sensitive figure for net migration – the number of people coming to stay in the UK for longer than 12 months minus the number going to live abroad for more than 12 months – in the year to September 2011 was 252,000.

This is only 3,000 below the 255,000 recorded in the previous year to September 2010 and is a rise of 2,000 from the previous quarter's figure of 250,000 in the year to June 2011. » | Alan Travis, home affairs editor | Thursday, May 24, 2012

Yemen Promised Large Saudi Donation
Saudi Arabia has pledged more than three billion dollars in aid to its neighbour Yemen. The announcement was made at a Friends of Yemen donors conference in Riyadh. It comes amid growing concern over the presence of al-Qaeda in the troubled state, while there's a desperate food shortage. A group of seven aid organisations says nearly half the population is facing starvation, as Jane Ferguson reports.

Baku Residents Say Eurovision Has Led to Evictions
The Azerbaijani capital Baku will be hosting the final stage of the Eurovision Song contest, but rights activists say the preparations highlight govermnment corruption and human rights abuses. The Azaeri government have spent a record $100m dollars directly on one of the world's longest-running and most widely watched music events, but locals as part of those preparations, they have been forced out of their homes. Rights groups say they have proof that in the past few years, 4000 apartments have been demolished and up to 50,000 people have been evicted across the country . Al Jazeera's Sohail Rahman reports from Baku.

Islamkritik: Der Mut der Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Marie Wildermann über die Islamkritikerin Ayaan Hirsi Ali

DEUTSCHLAND RADIO: Die in Somalia geborene Islamkritikerin Ayaan Hiris Ali wurde mit dem Axel-Springer-Ehrenpreis ausgezeichnet.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali stammt aus Somalia, hat die niederländische Staatsbürgerschaft und sie war einmal Muslimin - bis sie sich von ihrer Religion lossagte. Seitdem sie sich bei ihrem öffentlichen Auftritt im holländischen Fernsehen vom Islam verabschiedet hat, verbringt sie ein Leben unter Sicherheitsaufsicht, denn Morddrohungen gegenüber Hirsi Ali sind seitdem an der Tagesordnung.

Heute lebt sie in den USA. Sie klagt die westlichen Gesellschaften an, das Problem vieler Migranten nicht deutlich genug sehen zu wollen. Ihrer Ansicht nach sei vor allem der Islam für Integrationsprobleme und Gewalt verantwortlich. Der Axel-Springer-Verlag hat Ayaan Hirsi Ali für ihren "Mut zur Meinungsfreiheit" mit einem Ehrenpreis ausgezeichnet. Hier zuhören » | Donnerstag, 24. Mai 2012

CICERO ONLINE: Wie Ayaan Hirsi Ali Breiviks Massenmord erklärt » | Von Stefan Buchen | Freitag, 18. Mai 2012

WELT ONLINE: "Der Islam stilisiert sich selbst zum Opfer": Gerade erhielt sie den Axel-Springer-Ehrenpreis für ihren Mut: Ayaan Hirsi Ali, bekennende Islamkritikerin und späte Mutter, nennt den Islam bigott gegen Frauen, Ungläubige, Homosexuelle. » | Von Andrea Seibel | Sonntag, 13. Mai 2012

Son of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Suing Los Angeles over 'Mega-mansion'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The son of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah is suing the city of Los Angeles in a dispute over plans to build a sprawling “mega-mansion” in the Beverly Hills 90210 postcode.

A land development company belonging to Prince Abdul Aziz, the king’s third son who also serves as deputy foreign minister, has gone to court in an attempt to push through the project after objections from neighbours.

The planning row began after the prince’s firm, Tower Lane Properties, spent $12 million on five-and-a-quarter acres of land in the wealthy enclave of Benedict Canyon in 2009, and applied for permits to build a palatial residence.

Even in an area dotted with multi-million dollar homes, other occupants were outraged by the initial proposal for an 85,000-square-foot compound, and likened it to “building a Walmart in our neighbourhood.”

That was later scaled back to a 60,000-square-foot project but opponents argued it was still out of proportion with surrounding houses.

They called for an environmental impact study, objecting to the disruption and damage that could be caused by construction crews moving up and down narrow canyon roads. » | Nick Allen, Los Angeles | Wednesday, May 23, 2012

VANITY FAIR: There Goes the Neighborhood: Tucked away in Beverly Hills, the secluded neighborhood of Benedict Canyon is home to the sprawling estates of Jay Leno, Bruce Springsteen, and David Beckham, as well as moguls David Geffen and Ron Burkle. But when a mysterious Saudi prince announced plans to build a big spread of his own—85,000-square-feet big, complete with servants’ quarters and a private “sons’ villa”—the claws came out. Led by Martha Karsh, the hard-charging wife of a billionaire investor, the neighbors have hired a team of lawyers and launched a publicity blitzkrieg to stop construction. Michael Shnayerson documents the real-estate war galvanizing this once quiet Los Angeles enclave. » | Michael Shnayerson | Saturday, October 29, 2011

Sarrazin attackiert Merkel: "Wie eine Windel über den Kopf ziehen"

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Tunisie: Première peine capitale requise contre Ben Ali depuis sa fuite

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Un tribunal militaire a requis mercredi la peine capitale contre l'ancien président tunisien jugé par contumace pour son rôle dans la répression de janvier 2011 à Thala et Kasserine, deux villes emblématiques de la révolution tunisienne.

Le procureur du tribunal militaire du Kef (nord-ouest) a requis la peine capitale pour l'ex-président, poursuivi pour «complicité d'homicides volontaires». Il a demandé «les sanctions les plus sévères possibles» pour ses 22 co-accusés, anciens hauts responsables du régime, poursuivis pour la mort d'au moins 22 personnes à Thala et Kasserine, deux villes du centre qui ont payé un lourd tribut au soulèvement populaire qui provoqua la fuite en Arabie saoudite de Zine El Abidine Ben Ali le 14 janvier 2011. » | afp/Newsnet | mercredi 23 mai 2012

Financement frauduleux: Les preuves s'accumulent contre Sarkozy

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le journal Le Monde fait un bilan mercredi des témoignages à charge contre l'ancien chef d'Etat français l'accusant d'avoir touché de l'argent de Liliane Bettencourt pour financer sa campagne de 2007.

La piste d’un possible financement frauduleux de la campagne présidentielle de Nicolas Sarkozy en 2007 par la fortune de l’héritière de L’Oréal Liliane Bettencourt se précise du fait de nombreux témoignages et investigations dont faisait état mercredi Le Monde. L’ancien chef de l’Etat nie toute malversation.

Les éléments en question sont des dépositions d’employés de la milliardaire et des détails concernant les liens entre Eric Woerth, trésorier de la campagne en 2007 devenu ensuite ministre du Budget, et Patrice de Maistre, alors gestionnaire de fortune de Liliane Bettencourt, écroué depuis le 23 mars. » | ats/Newsnet | mercredi 23 mai 2012

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le couple Sarkozy se ressource à Marrakech : L’ex-président Nicolas Sarkozy et sa femme Carla séjournent dans la célèbre ville ocre. Ils occuperaient une villa qui, selon la presse marocaine, leur aurait été offerte par un riche homme d’affaires. » | Par Jean-Claude Meier | vendredi 18 mai 2012

Doctor Who Ran Fake CIA Vaccination Drive to Find Osama bin Laden Is Jailed

THE GUARDIAN: Shakil Afridi faces 33 years in jail in Pakistan despite calls from senior US officials to release him

The Pakistani medical official who ran a fake CIA vaccination programme to help find Osama bin Laden has been jailed for 33 years.

A spokesman for Khyber Agency, an administrative unit in Pakistan's restless frontier, said Dr Shakil Afridi would face decades in jail – despite calls from senior US officials to release the man who helped with efforts to track down the al-Qaida chief.

The tough sentence for the former surgeon general of Khyber will be taken as another sign of the terrible state of US-Pakistan relations.

And it will further alarm western critics of Pakistan who say the country has put far more effort into trying to understand how US spies and special forces were able to plan and launch the Bin Laden raid than into how the al-Qaida leader was able to remain for so long in the Pakistani army garrison town of Abbottabad.

The sentence was announced just days after Barack Obama snubbed the Pakistani president, Asif Ali Zardari, by refusing to hold a formal meeting with him at the Nato conference in Chicago. » | Jon Boone in Islamabad | Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Hello Saudi Arabia

Vatican Newspaper Editor Accused of Gay Smear against Rival
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The editor of the Vatican's daily newspaper has been accused of engineering a dirty tricks campaign against a rival with false accusations of a gay affair and harassment.

The alleged plot has been revealed in a controversial new book that portrays the Vatican as a hotbed of jealousy, intrigue and underhanded factional fighting.

The book, "His Holiness – The Secret Papers of Benedict XVI", is based on hundreds of letters, memos and diplomatic cables which were leaked by Vatican whistle-blowers, including one code-named "Maria".

One of the most intriguing claims is that Gian Maria Vian, the editor of L'Osservatore Romano, leaked false documents which purported to show that Dino Boffo, the editor of another Catholic newspaper, L'Avvenire, had had a homosexual affair with a man and harassed his wife.

The furore over the claims, which erupted in 2009, forced Mr Boffo to resign from the editorship. » | Nick Squires, Rome | Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Vatican Slams New Book of Leaked Documents as ‘Criminal’ »

Thilo Sarrazin verteidigt neues Buch

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Vatican Slams New Book of Leaked Documents as ‘Criminal’

RT.COM: The Vatican is threatening to take legal action against those responsible for publishing a new book of leaked internal documents. The book sheds light on power struggles and corruption inside the Holy See and the thinking of its embattled top banker.

Pope Benedict XVI has already appointed a commission of cardinals to investigate the “Vatileaks” scandal. It erupted earlier this year with the publication of leaked memos alleging corruption and mismanagement in Holy See affairs and internal squabbles over its efforts to comply with international anti-money-laundering norms.

The publication Saturday of “His Holiness” by Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi, added fuel to the fire, reproducing confidential letters and memos to and from Pope Benedict and his personal secretary which, according to the Vatican, violated the pope's right to privacy. » | RT | Sunday, May 20, 2012

US ‘Should Stop Trying to Conquer Countries’ - Congressman

Inside Story: What Kind of Leader Do Egyptians Want?
As Egyptians go to the polls to elect a new president, we ask what kind of power the winner will have.

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Tackling Egypt's Rising Crime Wave
Campaigning in Egypt has finished ahead of the country's first presidential election since last year's revolution. There's now a 48-hour political silence before voting begins on Wednesday and the new president will be announced by the end of June. But, as Rawya Rageh reports from the town of Shubra El Kheima just north of Cairo, crime is rising and has become one of the main election issues.

Qatari Women Prepare for Olympic Début
Competing at the Olympics may almost be taken for granted by athletes in some countries, but for others they simply have not had the chance to get there before. That is now changing in Qatar, which will send female athletes to the London Games for the very first time. Al Jazeera's Rhodri Davies met one of them, Nada Arakji, a member of the Gulf state's national swimming team.

Egypt Elections: Alexandria Voters Share Their Expectations
Al Jazeera's Jamal Elshayyal asks women voters in Alexandria what expectations they have on Egypt's next president.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky: Poster Boy of Russia's Opposition
In the run-up to Vladimir Putin's inauguration, Al Jazeera asked Mikhail Khodorkovsky what he thought of the return to the Kremlin. The former oil magnate, who was Russia's richest man before being sent down on charges of embezzlement and tax evasion, has been locked up for nine years. But as the protest movement has grown so has Khodorkovsky's influence on the political stage. His image appears on protest placards. His continued imprisonment is, according to the opposition and human rights' groups across the globe, an example of the judiciary being controlled by the state. Sue Turton reports from Moscow.

Chávez Wins Venezuelan Women's Hearts
Hugo Chávez, the Venezuelan president, continues to enjoy high popularity among the nation's women, as thousands vote for him and carry his message of socialism to the masses. For 13 years now, Chávez has been able to count on the support of working class women, most notably, in 2002 when they marched for his safe return during a failed coup against him. The socialist leader's female constituency say its because Chávez includes them in the decisions that most affect their lives. At 70 per cent, the majority of representatives on Venezuela's communal councils are women, and the Chávez government funds over 3,400 female-run kitchens that each feed up to 100 women and children per day. Though his supporters say Chávez's initiatives show that feminism and socialism go hand-in-hand, his critics say the Venezuelan president's overtures to women are merely political ploys for continued support. Al Jazeera's Adam Raney reports from Petare.

Holocaust Survivor Nechama Shneorson’s Testimony

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Holocaust Survivor Paula Lebovics’ Testimony

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The Birther Relents: Obama to Be on Arizona Ballot
SEATTLE PI – BLOG: Arizona Sec. of State Ken Bennett, who said a week ago it was “possible” he wouldn’t put President Obama on the fall ballot, on Tuesday relented from his “birther” inquiries amidst a torrent of ridicule.

“If I embarrassed the state I apologize, but that certainly wasn’t my intent,” Bennett, a Republican, told Phoenix radio station KTAR.

Bennett had demanded “verification” from Hawaii that President Obama’s birth certificate was authentic. He claimed to be responding to a torrent of letters raising questions about the 44th President’s birthplace. » | Joel Connelly | Tuesday, May 22, 2012

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The Resurfacing of the Birther Movement

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Visit to Germany: Tsipras Says Berlin Must Back Down on Austerity

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Charismatic, eloquent and defiant, the leader of Greece's Radical Left party, Alexis Tsipras, visited Berlin on Tuesday to ram home the message that he will scrap austerity if he wins the June election, and that no one, not even mighty Germany, has the right to evict Greece from the currency.

Alexis Tsipras, the leftist leader who could hold the whole of Europe to ransom if he wins the Greek election on June 17, breezed into Berlin on Tuesday to tell Germans they don't own the euro zone, and that they will endanger the whole currency block if they insist on stringent austerity for his recession-hit country.

The 37-year-old leader of the Radical Left party (Syriza), which came second in the May 6 election and is expected to emerge as the strongest political force in the repeat vote, reiterated his determination to abandon the radical budget cuts that were imposed on Greece in return for international aid -- a move EU leaders and German politicians in particular have warned could force Greece out of the euro.

The charismatic leader had visited Paris on Monday as part of a tour to convince a skeptical European public that he is not bent on wrecking the euro. In Berlin, he was hosted by Germany's opposition Left Party, which agreed a six-point program with Syriza calling for an end to austerity, taxes on banks and the rich and economic stimulus measures.

He didn't get an audience with Chancellor Angela Merkel. But his message to her, conveyed via more than 200 journalists packed into a building just a few hundred meters from her chancellery building, was loud and clear. He had no intention of "blackmailing" the German people, he said. But then he appeared to do just that, saying the bailout terms would have to be renegotiated, or else. » | David Crossland | Tuesday, May 22, 2012

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THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Angela Merkel 'astonished' by austerity debate as Germany left increasingly isolated on Eurobonds: The German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she finds it “astonishing” that her pro-austerity stance is the cause of controversy, as Germany found itself increasingly isolated on the issue of eurobonds ahead of Wednesday’s European Union leaders summit. ¶ The German Chancellor said that the current debate in Europe and beyond “gives the impression that, for us, saving, as such, is pleasurable”. ¶ “It’s just about not spending more than you collect. It’s astonishing that this simple fact leads to such debates,” she said in a speech in Berlin. » | Angela Monaghan, and Philip Aldrick | Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Sarrazin Strikes Again: German Author Says Berlin Is Hostage to Holocaust in Euro Crisis

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Germany is Europe's paymaster because it committed the Holocaust, claims a new book by Thilo Sarrazin, a firebrand author and former board member of the German central bank. The claim by the controversial writer achieved the desired effect of stoking publicity for Tuesday's launch of 'Europe Doesn't Need the Euro.'

Thilo Sarrazin, the former board member of Germany's central bank who caused outrage two years ago with a bestseller criticizing the impact of Muslim immigrants on German society, presented a new book on Tuesday that could strike a similar chord with Germans: "Europe Doesn't Need the Euro."

In his latest work, the combative politician, a maverick member of the opposition center-left Social Democratic Party, controversially argues that Germany is being pressured to bail out the euro zone because it perpetrated the Holocaust.

Sarrazin writes that supporters of euro bonds in Germany "are driven by that very German reflex, that we can only finally atone for the Holocaust and World War II when we have put all our interests and money into European hands," according to excerpts published in German media ahead of the book launch. » | cro | Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Greek Police Clash with Anti-immigrant Mob

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Greek police fired tear gas against protesters on Tuesday as a mob tried to attack migrants following the fatal stabbing of a Greek man.

The protesters, which reportedly included members of the far-right group Golden Dawn, gathered outside an abandoned factory where homeless migrants have taken refuge.

They threw stones at riot police and set fires to garbage bins in Greece's western port of Patras.

A 30-year-old Patras resident was fatally stabbed outside his home on Saturday following a dispute with three men, believed to be Afghan nationals.

A 17-year-old Afghan has been arrested over the case. » | Wednesday, May 23, 2012

THE GUARDIAN: Golden Dawn in clash with Greek police at anti-immigrant protest: Riot police use teargas as they guard immigrants coming under fire from stones in Patras » | Ben Quinn and agencies | Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Roman Catholic Church in the US Launches Legal Assault on Barack Obama's Health Reforms
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Roman Catholic church in the US has launched a huge legal assault against President Barack Obama and his health reforms requiring most American employers to buy contraception for their staff.

Dozens of the church's largest archdioceses, universities and other affiliated groups sued the Obama administration around the country this week, in one of the largest religious lawsuits in US history.

They argue that the US government is violating the religious freedom of bosses whose faith forbids them from using or approving of birth control.

Firms who [sic] do not comply with the law face large fines.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, the president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, accused Mr Obama of "strangling" the church with his health care policies.

"We have tried negotiation with the administration and legislation with the Congress, and we'll keep at it, but there's still no fix," said Cardinal Dolan. "Time is running out, and our valuable ministries and fundamental rights hang in the balance, so we have to resort to the courts now."

The battle threatens to badly damage Mr Obama's support in November's presidential election among Catholics, a group he won by 54 per cent to 45 over his Republican rival John McCain in 2008. » | Jon Swaine, Washington | Tuesday, May 22, 2012

US Election 2012: Barack Obama 'Birther' Conspiracy Theory Revived by Republicans

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The conspiracy theory that Barack Obama was born in Africa and is therefore ineligible to be US president has been revived by Republicans seeking to defeat him in crucial battleground states in November's election.

Mr Obama is facing the prospect of not appearing on ballots in Arizona because officials there continue to question whether he was born in the American state of Hawaii in August 1961, as his birth certificate states.

Ken Bennett, Arizona's secretary of state and a state co-chairman for Mitt Romney, Mr Obama's presumed Republican opponent, has repeatedly asked Hawaiian officials to verify the birth certificate.

Letters to voters released under freedom of information laws show that Mr Bennett believes that there may be reason to suspect that the certificate published by the White House could be a forgery.

"If the State of Hawaii does not confirm that he was born in Hawaii, his name will not appear on Arizona ballots," Mr Bennett told another voter who wrote to him about the subject.

Exasperated Hawaiian officials, who have been inundated with requests to verify Mr Obama's birthplace over the past four years, have retaliated by demanding that Mr Bennett prove he has the authority to investigate it.

Mr Bennett's intervention, which will not be welcomed by Mr Romney's campaign, gave voice to a residual hard core of so-called "birthers" who refuse to believe Mr Obama is entitled to lead the US. » | Jon Swaine, Washington | Tuesday, May 22, 2012