Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
TELEGRAPH BLOGS – DAMIAN THOMPSON: Poor Rowan Williams: wrong to the end. Christianity is not "fading away" in Britain, he says. Yes it is, as the census figures clearly illustrate.
Since the last census in 2001, the number of Britons identifying themselves, however loosely, as Christians is down 13 percentage points to 59 per cent.
The number of respondents who say they have no religious faith is up 10 points to 25 per cent. Meanwhile, staggeringly, the Muslim population has grown from 1.55 million to 2.7 million, an increase of 1.15 million from 2001 to 2011.
The surge in Islamic belief is entirely a consequence of immigration. The spread of agnosticism and atheism is (though I haven't yet seen the breakdown by age) largely generational. » | Damian Thompson | Tuesday, December 11, 2012
My comment:
That new dark age draws nigh; nay, it has already dawned. – © Mark
This comment also appears here
La France a demandé au Parlement européen de lever l'immunité parlementaire de l'eurodéputée d'extrême droite Marine Le Pen, après des propos, tenus en 2010, faisant un parallèle entre les prières de rue et l'Occupation nazie, a-t-on appris de source proche du dossier.
«Le ministère de la Justice a transmis le 26 novembre au président du Parlement européen, Martin Schultz, une requête pour une main-levée parlementaire concernant Marine Le Pen», a indiqué Pierre Rancé, porte-parole du ministère.
Selon une source proche du dossier, cette demande est liée aux propos de Marine Le Pen, le 10 décembre 2010 à Lyon (centre-est), faisant un parallèle entre les prières de rue et l'Occupation. » | afp/Newsnet | mardi 11 décembre 2012
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Nach dem Bombenalarm im Bonner Hauptbahnhof hat es eine erste Festnahme gegeben: Die Ermittler fassten den Salafisten Omar D. in einem Internetcafé - er ist ein alter Bekannter der Staatsschützer.
Eine himmelblaue Sporttasche mit dunklen Riemen, ein billiges Allerweltsprodukt, entdeckt auf Gleis 1 des Bonner Hauptbahnhofes, hat eine landesweite Großfahndung der Polizei ausgelöst. Nach Informationen von SPIEGEL ONLINE befanden sich in dem Beutel Butangas und Ammoniumnitrat sowie ein Metallrohr, ein Wecker und Batterien. Die Ermittler stuften die Chemikalien als "zündfähiges Material" ein - eine Bombe in der ehemaligen Hauptstadt, der Verdacht fiel schnell auf die Salafistenszene der Stadt. » | Von Jörg Diehl, Düsseldorf | Dienstag, 11. Dezember 2012
For Germans, it was a vision of the future. Debonair in his sleek dark suit, the suave politician gave a regal wave to the crowd, sharing a secret smile with Chancellor Angela Merkel, standing at his side. She looked on, adoring, her dour features quite transformed as the crowd roared their approval for the man beside her.
Suddenly, the fraulein’s [sic] sombre features rearranged themselves into an uncharacteristic broad grin. He merely adjusted his lilac tie, and permitted himself a quiet smile. Later, he delivered a paean to the leader, saluting her success in steering Germany through stormy economic waters, saying: “Dear Angela Merkel, we thank you and stand as one behind you”.
Just who is this sophisticated European statesman? Meet David McAllister. He was last week mooted as Merkel’s heir apparent at Germany’s ruling conservative Christian Democratic Union party conference in Hanover. Bizarrely, however, his supporters at the congress waved banners proclaiming “I’m a Mac!” – for this leader-in-waiting is a not-so-secret Scot. The son of a wartime British Army captain, McAllister is the first dual German-British citizen to hold prominent public office.
Until last week, he stood out in Germany’s political scene mainly for his strange name, which the Germans struggle to pronounce. Last week, his reputation vaulted far beyond his unusual heritage. With the nation watching, McAllister, 41, played host to Merkel and the Christian Democratic Union as the party gathered at his northern Germany power base in Lower Saxony. It was a triumph for both politicians. Mrs Merkel was re-elected party leader, while McAllister was effectively anointed as her political son and likely successor.
If Germans were in any doubt that a man who married in a kilt, supports both Hanover FC and Glasgow Rangers and still has a taste for Irn-Bru could one day be their leader, they were dispelled amid the near giddy scenes that greeted his and Merkel’s combined appearances. » | Alex Spillius and Zoe Brennan | Sunday, December 09, 2012
BBC: The Church of England and Church in Wales will be banned in law from offering same-sex marriages, the government has announced.
Other religious organisations will be able to "opt in" to offering ceremonies, Culture Secretary Maria Miller told MPs.
David Cameron has said he wants churches in England and Wales to be part of the plans.
But Mrs Miller said they had strong opposition and would not be included.
Labour, which is backing the government's plans, applying to England and Wales, urged ministers not to be "too reserved" in promoting the changes.
The Church of England and Roman Catholics, among other denominations, have voiced opposition to same-sex marriage.
But some religious groups, including Quakers, Unitarians and Liberal Judaism, are in favour. » | Tuesday, December 11, 2012
BBC: The number of foreign-born residents in England and Wales has risen by nearly three million since 2001 to 7.5 million people, the 2011 census shows.
The most common birthplaces outside of the UK for residents are India, Poland and Pakistan. The number of ethnic white British has dropped to 80%.
The number of people living in England and Wales is up 7% to 56.1 million. (+ video) » | Tuesday, December 11, 2012
MAIL ONLINE: ’British Whites’ are in the minority in London now » | Hugo Gye | Tuesday, December 11, 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: An influential young pro-Kremlin politician is trying to get the Latter-day Saints banned from the country.
Yekaterina Steniakina is one of Russia's young politicians, the leader of the influential pro-Kremlin movement called the Youth Guards. She has dyed blonde hair and a forceful voice, and she's determined to change many things about the present state of her country starting with the Mormons.
Ms Steniakina is leading the charge to change Russia's legislation and ban Mormon missionaries from the nation. Though the number of Mormons living inside the country is small around 400 foreign missionaries and 21,000 registered members at last count they are a relatively visible presence in Russia's larger cities. The missionaries hand out the Book of Mormon to those who might be interested, give free English lessons, and spend three hours a day cleaning public places or helping people around their homes.
Ms Steniakina, who says the Latter-day Saints are a "totalitarian cult" sent by the FBI and the CIA "to fool and covert" unwitting Russians, is making her anti-Mormon campaign her top priority for the next political season.
Specifically, she's agitating to add language that would ban "the West [from converting] our citizens into non-traditional religions" ie anything other than Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism. She already has a seat in Moscow's city hall, and she is certain Russia's president Vladimir Putin will back her push, if it makes it all the way to the Duma. » | The Daily Beast, Anna Nemtsova | Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Sunday, December 09, 2012
Les températures ont chuté à -24 degrés dimanche à l’aube dans les Grisons et elles se sont également montrées glaciales sur une bonne partie de la Suisse romande. Il a fait -11 à Bière (VD), -10 à Mathod (VD), -9 à Viège et Sion (VS), -7 à Nyon (VD) et -6 à Fribourg. » | ats/Newsnet | dimanche 09 décembre 2012
TAGES ANZEIGER: Kälteste Nacht im noch jungen Winter: Die Schweiz hat eine frostige Nacht mit Temperaturen weit unter null Grad hinter sich. Im Muotatal sank das Thermometer auf minus 29 Grad. Auch die nächsten Tage werden eisig. » | jcu/mw/wid/sda | Sonntag, 09. Dezember 2012
leJDD.fr: A minuit pile dans la nuit de samedi à dimanche, Sarah et Emily se sont mariées à Seattle, dans l'Etat de Washington. C'était la première des centaines d'unions homosexuelles attendues dans la journée dans cet Etat du nord-ouest des Etats-Unis qui a voté le 6 novembre dernier pour la légalisation du mariage entre personnes du même sexe, comme le Maine et le Maryland. » | dimanche 09 décembre 2012
A few years ago I had to ring up the War Graves Association in South Tyrol.
An Alpine glacier near the Austrian-Italian border was melting and had revealed the bodies of three soldiers, killed in the bloody mountain battles of the World War I.
The phone was answered by a man who spoke German with a strong Tyrolean accent.
"Were these soldiers from the Austrian army or the Italian army?" I asked.
"They were part of the Austrian army," he said.
"And where were they found?" I asked.
"In the Ortler Alps," he replied. "It used to be Austria, but now it is Italy - unfortunately."
South Tyrol, once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was annexed to Italy in 1919, at the end of the World War I. The Italians wanted to have control of the Alps, south of the Brenner Pass.
Many people here are native German speakers. And a few of them, like the man from the War Graves Association, are still not reconciled to the fact that the province has been part of Italy for almost a century.
In the 1920s and 30s, the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini encouraged Italians from the south to settle in the region.
German was widely banned, in schools, in courts and in public offices, and place names were "Italianised".
It all contributed to what one local author described to me as the "longstanding hostility" between the two language groups. » | Bethany Bell, BBC News, Bolzano, Italy | Saturday, December 08, 2012
Over the years I have met some pretty hardened Russian men on my travels. Muscular guys, able to handle their drink, and most importantly - fond of a joke.
But rather like the ice in a Siberian winter, there are those who take a far colder, harsher view on life.
They call themselves skinheads - although shaven heads are no longer mandatory.
In recent years skinheads have been held responsible for many of the far right attacks on immigrants across Russia. Many of the perpetrators have been locked up. Some have since been freed.
Maxim is one such former convict. We meet in the garden of a Moscow burger restaurant. We sit not far from the sizzle of beef on a grill, surrounded by the yelping and chanting of children, hyperactive after sugary drinks.
It was not, perhaps, the most appropriate place to meet a notorious ultra-nationalist, one who has done time for incitement of racial hatred. Especially one whose nickname, Tesak, means machete.
Munching on his burger, he made it clear to me that he was angry, fearful and by the looks of his two young, well-built henchmen, possibly quite dangerous.
"I think immigrants should be housed in separate workers' villages," he told me. He went on to explain how he felt they were sponging off society and putting Russian women in danger of attack.
Then he got out his knife. » | Tom Esslemont, BBC News, Russia | Saturday, September 01, 2012
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: After 14 years in power, the seemingly indefatigable Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has announced a relapse of his cancer and designated vice president Nicolas Maduro as his heir apparent.
In what appeared like a presentation of his final will, the president indicated he would like Maduro to take over the reins of power in a post-Chavez period, urging Venezuelans to vote for him in the next presidential elections.
"You choose Maduro as president of the republic," said Chavez told the nation. "I am asking you this from all my heart."
The 58-year-old leftist firebrand is popular with the long-neglected Venezuelan poor for his oil-funded health and education programs but blamed by his critics for rising crime, corruption and inflation.
A charismatic orator, Chavez was weakened after being diagnosed with cancer last year. The operations and chemotherapy left him bald-headed for a while and he gained weight.
Inspired by Cuba's Fidel Castro, he is a self-sufficient revolutionary, controlling the Western Hemisphere's largest oil reserves and one of the most important foreign sources of crude for the United States.
But Chavez embraced many US enemies over the years, including Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, late Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
He once famously called former president George W Bush "the devil." At first he was warmer toward current President Barack Obama, but Chavez soon returned to type and started portraying the United States again as an evil imperialist power. » | AFP | Sunday, December 09, 2012
Saturday, December 08, 2012
Face à la menace croissante de ses opposants armés qui se rassemblent autour de Damas, Bachar el-Assad se préoccuperait de trouver une terre d'asile, écrit le quotidien israélien Haaretz. Selon le journal, son vice-ministre des Affaires étrangères, Fayçal Meqdad, aurait remis des lettres classées secret-défense aux dirigeants de Cuba, du Venezuela et de l'Équateur, durant la visite qu'il a effectuée la semaine dernière dans ces trois pays.
Un porte-parole du gouvernement vénézuélien a affirmé que la missive de Bachar el-Assad portait sur «les relations personnelles entre les deux présidents». À Caracas, qui a livré du pétrole et du gaz à Damas, Hugo Chavez reste un soutien d'Assad, malgré la sanglante répression que Damas mène contre les insurgés depuis plus de vingt mois (au moins 40.000 morts). » | Par Georges Malbrunot | vendredi 07 décembre 2012
Banned from normal teenage pastimes and strictly segregated from the opposite sex, Iranian students have found another way of getting their kicks -- taking drugs like ecstasy.
"All my friends take these pills", states 21 year old Maran. "We've even created a new expression for it. We say 'tonight, we're going to blow ourselves up". At a university rock concert, pills are readily available. Students may be strictly segregated and forced to remain seated at all times but even that isn't going to stop them partying. "We do it because pleasure is a foreign word in this society", states Goldis. "The mullahs want us to mourn endlessly". Another escape they have is skiing. The mountains are packed with people looking to escape the restraints of daily life. "Up here I feel like I'm in another country", states Sannaz. "Boys and girls can meet much more easily -- it's a good place to find a boyfriend".
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi addressed his nation on Thursday night. But instead of striking a conciliatory tone aimed at calming the tense situation in his country, he continued to toe the Muslim Brotherhood line. More violence is almost sure to be the result, and Morsi himself shoulders the blame.
In the end, Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi took all of 35 minutes for his nationally televised speech Thursday night. And his intention was clear. During the entire day leading up to the appearance, Morsi's advisors had repeatedly explained that the president wanted to explain himself and his policies to the people of Egypt and to inject calm into what has become the most severe crisis since the revolution against his predecessor Hosni Mubarak.
And it was certainly entertaining. Originally, the palace had announced that the speech would take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday, but then the "Address to the Great Egyptian Nation" kept getting pushed back until finally, at 10:30 p.m., Morsi turned up on national television in front of an Egyptian flag.
He need not have made the effort. The Islamist president didn't accomplish a single one of his goals with his address, nor did he really try. Instead, his flowery rhetoric served merely to further deepen the deep divide between his supporters and the political opposition from the youth movement, the left-leaning and secular parties and even the judiciary. » | Matthias Gebauer in Cairo | Friday, December 07, 2012
Thursday, December 06, 2012
BBC: A plan to build the UK's biggest mosque in Stratford, east London, has been rejected by councillors.
Thousands of supporters gathered outside Newham Council's town hall ahead of the decision.
The huge mosque would have been four times the capacity of St Paul's Cathedral with room for almost 10,000 worshippers.
The Islamic missionary group Tablighi Jamaat has been trying for 10 years to build a mosque in Newham.
Supporters outside the town hall, some of whom had come from Birmingham and Bradford, held signs reading: "15 years of waiting. Not a day more. Vote yes to the Riverine Centre". (+ video) » | Wednesday, December 15, 2012
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Une mère de famille a été reconnue coupable mercredi au Royaume-Uni du meurtre de son fils de sept ans qu'elle avait frappé à mort sous prétexte qu'il ne parvenait pas à mémoriser le Coran.
S. E., 33 ans, diplômée de mathématiques en Inde, traitait son fils comme un "chien", le frappant avec un bâton quand il ne réussissait pas à mémoriser des versets du Coran, selon les compte-rendus du tribunal de Cardiff au Pays de Galles.
Elle a été reconnue mercredi coupable de meurtre et d'entrave à la justice. Elle sera fixée sur sa peine début 2013.
La police avait initialement pensé que le petit garçon avait été tué dans un incendie qui avait éclaté dans la maison familiale en juillet 2010 à Cardiff, au Pays de Galles. Mais des analyses ont ensuite révélé que l'enfant était décédé avant le début du sinistre. » | afp/Newsnet | mercredi 05 décembre 2012
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
Called "I'm Muslim and proud", the $30,000 commercials - airing on Foxtel and SBS - aim to repair the religion's image in Australia. » | Bruce McDougall | The Daily Telegraph | Thursday, December 06, 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Egypt's presidential palace was encircled by anti-Muslim Brotherhood protesters in a violent demonstration in Cairo, as the constitutional crisis caused by Mohammed Morsi's assumption of unchallengeable powers showed no sign of abating.
Mr Morsi was forced to leave the palace through a back door as up to 100,000 people moved in to surround it on all sides. Some stones were thrown, one hitting the rear car in the president’s convoy.
Ignoring volleys of tear gas, the protesters burst through first one then a second line of police set in the way to reach the palace, which was the site of the final act in the overthrow of former dictator Hosni Mubarak last year.
Then, as on Tuesday, demonstrators chanted: "The people want the downfall of the regime".
There were also protests in towns and cities all over the country, including places previously unaffected. Nineteen people were injured when offices of the Freedom and Justice Party, the Brotherhood's political front, came under attack in the Nileside city of Minya. » | Richard Spencer, and Magdy Samaan in Cairo | Tuesday, December 04, 2012
Monday, December 03, 2012
A devout Arab Muslim entered a black cab in London . He curtly asked the cabbie to turn off the radio because as decreed by his religious teaching, he must not listen to music because in the time of the prophet there was no music, especially Western music which is the music of the infidel. The cab driver politely switched off the radio, stopped the cab and opened the door. The Arab Muslim asked him, "What are you doing? "The cabbie answered, "In the time of the prophet there were no taxis, so get out and wait for a camel!" [Source: JokeBook*EU]
If London were to recall its ambassador from Tel Aviv for consultations, this would be an unprecedented step.
The diplomatic row follows last Friday’s announcement by Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister. He promised that his government would respond to the Palestinian decision to seek upgraded status at the United Nations by adding 3,000 new homes to Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
In addition, Israel would also begin the planning process to build in a highly sensitive area known as “E1”. This cuts off East Jerusalem – which the Palestinians claim as their future capital – from the rest of the West Bank. It also divides the northern and southern halves of the West Bank, potentially depriving any future Palestinian state of territorial contiguity.
British and French diplomats saw this decision as a calculated rebuff by Mr Netanyahu, particularly as both countries had supported the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, where eight days of air strikes and rocket barrages claimed 166 Palestinian and six Israeli lives last month.
After Mr Netanyahu’s announcement, Matthew Gould, the British ambassador to Israel, and his French counterpart, Christophe Bigot, are understood to have held a “very tough” telephone conversation with Rafi Barak, the director general of Israel’s foreign ministry. They urged a reversal of Israel’s decision. » | Robert Tait in Jerusalem and David Blair | Monday, December 03, 2012
The Duchess of Cambridge, the former Kate Middleton, is understood to have found out last month that she was pregnant, and had not intended to go public with the news until she was at least 12 weeks pregnant.
But after being admitted to hospital with a bout of acute morning sickness, the Duke and Duchess decided to make the announcement early to avoid any speculation about her condition.
Royal sources refused to say how many weeks pregnant the Duchess is, but confirmed she has not yet reached the 12-week stage.
The Duchess, 30, is suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, which means she needs to be given extra fluids and nutrition, and is likely to remain in hospital for several days. » | Monday, December 03, 2012
Sunday, December 02, 2012
ZEIT ONLINE: In Paris eröffnet eine Moschee für Lesben und Schwule. Der Gründer war einst radikaler Salafist – heute kämpft er für einen fortschrittlichen Islam.
Ludovic-Mohamed Zahed sieht müde und ein wenig blass aus in diesen Tagen, kurz vor der Eröffnung seiner neuen Moschee in Paris. "Ich komme nicht zum Essen und nicht zum Schlafen", sagt der 35-Jährige. Der Rummel um ihn und sein Projekt wird seit einigen Wochen immer größer: Gegner beleidigen ihn, Unterstützer schicken Mails mit Lob und Fragen, Journalisten fragen nach seiner Geschichte – alle wollen etwas von Zahed. Er selbst will nur eines: in einer Moschee beten, in der er sich als homosexueller Muslim willkommen fühlt.
Weil er einen solchen Ort weit und breit nicht fand, schafft er ihn nun selbst. Nach Zaheds Angaben wird es die erste Moschee dieser Art inEuropa sein, Vorbilder gibt es schon in den USA. In arabisch-islamischen Ländern wäre so ein Gotteshaus wohl undenkbar. Für viele konservative Muslime ist Homosexualität nicht mit der Religion vereinbar, gilt gar als unmoralisch und pervers. Homosexuelle Handlungen werden in einigen der Staaten gesetzlich verfolgt, in manchen Ländern droht die Todesstrafe – unter Berufung auf das islamische Gesetz. Ob der Koran selbst über Homosexuelle urteilt, ist umstritten. Zahed ist davon überzeugt, dass gleichgeschlechtliche Liebe dort an keiner Stelle verboten wird.
Doch auch wer sich in Frankreich als Muslim offen zu seiner Homosexualität bekennt, bekommt Ablehnung und Diskriminierung zu spüren, weiß Zahed aus eigener Erfahrung. Zum Beispiel Anfang des Jahres, als er nach der Hochzeit mit seinem Mann in Südafrika in eine Pariser Moschee ging. "Der Imam hat in seiner Predigt öffentlich die Homo-Ehe verurteilt", erzählt Zahed, "solche Dinge passieren häufig. Die meisten Moscheen sind heute Orte des Konformismus." Zahed glaubt, dass viele Muslime nur deshalb schwulenfeindlich sind, weil sie den Lehren ihrer konservativen Prediger blind glauben. » | Von Johanna Ritter | Freitag, 30. November 2012
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: An Egyptian court has convicted in absentia seven Egyptian Coptic Christians and a US pastor, sentencing them to death on charges linked to an anti-Islam film that had sparked riots in parts of the Muslim world.
The case was seen as largely symbolic because the defendants, most of whom live in the United States, are all outside Egypt and are thus unlikely to ever face the sentence.
The charges were brought in September during a wave of public outrage in Egypt over the amateur film, which was produced by an Egyptian-American Copt.
The low-budget Innocence of Muslims, parts of which were made available online, portrays the Prophet Mohammed as a fraud, womaniser and buffoon. » | Sarah El Deeb | Thursday, November 29, 2012
NBC BAY AREA: Anti-Islam Film to Stay on YouTube: Judge – A federal judge denied a woman's request to get "Innocence of Muslims" taken of[f] the Internet » | Jason Kandel | Saturday, December 01, 2012
Weeks after a causing outrage on Twitter with her comments on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, her appearance in the Gulf Kindgom of Bahrain yesterday to open a branch of a milkshake franchise literally caused a riot.
While throngs of adoring fans paid up to $1,200 to attend her appearance at a mall, about 100 hardline Islamists took to the streets outside in protest where, according to reports, police used stun grenades to disperse the crowd.
One protestor held a particularly crude banner that read "Syria receives martyrs while Bahrain receives whores." » | IME | Sunday, December 02, 2012
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: KABUL—Taliban insurgents on Sunday launched a coordinated assault on a key coalition base in eastern Afghanistan, detonating a series of car bombs in an apparent attempt to break through the perimeter of the heavily fortified installation and killing at least five Afghans.
The attack, which began shortly before 6 a.m. local time, started when insurgents set off three suicide car bombs outside the perimeter of Forward Operating Base Fenty, a facility adjacent to the Jalalabad airfield, according to a coalition news release. Insurgent attackers then tried to penetrate the base, but were repelled by Afghan and coalition troops, the coalition said. » | Nathan Hodge | Sunday, December 02, 2012
LE FIGARO: Trois églises et des postes-frontières ont été brûlés ce matin dans le nord-est du Nigeria par des membres présumés de la secte islamiste Boko Haram, selon des témoignages recueillis auprès d'habitants. "Des hommes armés, on pense qu'ils sont de Boko Haram, sont arrivés à cinquante en voiture et en moto, vers 8h30, et ils ont attaqué et brulé des postes de sécurité à la frontière" avec le Cameroun, a déclaré à l'AFP Modugana Ibrahim, un habitant de la ville de Gamboru Ngala. » | AFP | dimanche 02 décembre 2012
Saturday, December 01, 2012
VOICE OF AMERICA: The mention of Saudi Arabia often leads people to envision an oil-rich, nearly-empty desert where Islam originated.
An exhibit in Washington, D.C., offers insight into the real history of the Arabian Peninsula, focusing on its pre-Islamic role as a trade route, the influence of nearby cultures, and the evolution of language.
"Roads of Arabia” opened at the Smithsonian’s Arthur Sackler Gallery.
The exhibit, the first about Saudi culture in the U.S., showcases more than 300 objects ranging from ornate pottery and monumental statues, to the jewelry that adorned the remains of a young girl buried nearly years ago.
Many of the objects have never been seen in Arabia, where they came from. » | Faiza Elmasry | Friday, November 30, 2012
New legislation proposed by Lord Justice Leveson would be “potentially dangerous” to Britain’s 300-year-old tradition of press freedom, the New York Times has warned.
In a leader, America’s newspaper of record said statutory underpinning of a new watchdog body would be “a big step in the wrong direction” for a country whose press already operates in a “harsh” legal environment.
It notes: “Millions of Britons were justifiably outraged over last year’s serial revelations of illegal and unethical behaviour by the powerful and influential tabloid press in Britain. But the regulatory remedies proposed [by Leveson] seem misplaced, excessive and potentially dangerous to Britain’s centuries-old traditions of a press free from government regulation. » | Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter | Friday, November 30, 2012
Friday, November 30, 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Australia's new plain packaging for cigarettes – which becomes mandatory from Saturday - have been branded "disgusting" by smokers who say they make the cigarettes taste worse.
The new packets, which are blank aside from gruesome health warnings, have been filling shelves for the past two months as part of the toughest anti-tobacco measures in the world.
Despite legal battles and claims of "dirty tricks" by tobacco companies, all cigarettes in Australia must now be sold in drab olive packets featuring macabre images of sick babies, dying cancer sufferers and diseased feet, eyeballs and lungs. Smokers' advice groups have reported being inundated with calls from angry smokers who say their cigarettes now taste "pathetic" and "sickening".
Joe Xia, who owns a busy convenience store just outside Sydney's Chinatown, said the packets are "disgusting" and have been annoying customers who dislike the new warnings.
"People still smoke – now they also complain," he told the Daily Telegraph.
"Nothing will stop them from smoking. But it is hard at night-time. People come from the pub and they see these packets and they get irritated." » | Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney | Friday, November 30, 2012
LE PARISIEN: Le Kremlin a démenti vendredi une information selon laquelle une visite du Premier ministre japonais à Moscou en décembre avait été reportée en raison de problèmes de santé de Vladimir Poutine. «Il n'y avait pas de date clairement fixée», a affirmé le porte-parole du président russe, Dmitri Peskov, cité par l'agence officielle Itar-Tass.
Le gouvernement japonais a affirmé vendredi que le Premier ministre Yoshihiko Noda avait dû annuler une visite à Moscou prévue en décembre, et selon des médias, M. Noda a affirmé que ce report était dû à des problèmes de santé de Vladimir Poutine.
Une source gouvernementale a confirmé que l'annulation de la visite de M. Noda avait été décidée à la demande de Moscou, qui avait évoqué «une blessure de M. Poutine».
Depuis plusieurs semaines, les rumeurs vont bon train en Russie sur la santé de Vladimir Poutine, qui a reporté plusieurs de ses déplacements et visites à l'étranger, selon des médias russes. Le président russe, qui entretient depuis des années une image d'homme fort et sportif, souffrirait de l'aggravation d'une ancienne blessure à la colonne vertébrale, ont précisé ces médias. » | LeParisien.fr avec l’AFP | vendredi 30 novembre 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Israel is to build 3,000 new settler homes in east Jerusalem and the West Bank after the Palestinians won recognition as a non-member state at the United Nations, according to reports.
An Israeli official, when pressed by AFP, France's national news agency, confirmed a report that Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, had decided to build the 3,000 units in response to the Palestinian success at the UN.
The decision was revealed in a tweet by the diplomatic correspondent of Haaretz newspaper, who said some of the homes would be built in E1, a highly-contentious area of the West Bank which links annexed east Jerusalem with Maaleh Adumim settlement. » | Friday, November 30, 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: After the UN General Assembly votes overwhelmingly to make Palestine a non-member state, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticises the decision as leaders from the region react.
An historic resolution that enhanced the Palestinians' position at the UN from "permanent observer" to “non-member observer state”, a status also held by the Vatican, passed the General Assembly by a resounding 138 votes to 9, with 41 countries abstaining, including Britain. » | Friday, November 30, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
BBC: The Queen has welcomed the Emir of Kuwait to the UK for a three-day state visit.
Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah is staying at Windsor Castle, where a state banquet will be held on Tuesday.
Sheikh Sabah, 83, will have a private audience with the Prince of Wales, and meet British industry leaders at an event hosted by the Duke of York.
He will also hold talks with Prime Minister David Cameron. It is the first state visit from Kuwait for 17 years.
Sheikh Sabah was greeted by the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Charles in the centre of Windsor near one of the town's two stations as well-wishers looked on.
They then returned to the castle in a carriage, with the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment providing an escort. (+ video) » | Tuesday, November 27, 2012
L'Egypte a connu la plus forte mobilisation contre le président islamiste depuis son élection en juin.
«Dégage!», scandaient de nombreux manifestants, reprenant le slogan emblématique de la révolte populaire qui avait chassé du pouvoir le président Hosni Moubarak en février 2011.
Plusieurs cortèges sont arrivés dans l'après-midi sur la célèbre place du centre de la capitale égyptienne, pour dénoncer également le puissant mouvement dont est issu le président, les Frères musulmans. «Les Frères musulmans sont des menteurs», pouvait-on lire sur une pancarte brandie par un manifestant, tandis qu'une banderole proclamait: «Interdit aux Frères musulmans». » | ats/afp/reuters/Newsnet | mardi 27 novembre 2012
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Die drittgrößte Partei Ungarns sorgt für Empörung. Menschen mit jüdischer Abstammung sollten registriert werden, forderte der rechtsextreme Politiker Márton Gyöngyösi vor dem Parlament. Begründung: Juden stellten ein nationales Sicherheitsrisiko dar.
Budapest - Der Vorschlag weckt dunkle Erinnerungen - und sorgt bei vielen für Entsetzen. In Ungarn hat die rechtsextreme Jobbik-Partei gefordert, der Staat müsse die im Land lebenden Juden registrieren. Eine entsprechende Erklärung gab der Jobbik-Abgeordnete Márton Gyöngyösi vor dem Parlament in Budapest ab - und löste damit einen Sturm der Entrüstung aus.
In der Erklärung heißt es, angesichts des Konflikts zwischen Israel und der Hamas im Gaza-Streifen sei es an der Zeit, "Menschen mit jüdischer Abstammung, die hier leben, insbesondere im ungarischen Parlament und in der ungarischen Regierung, zu zählen". Diese stellten ein nationales Sicherheitsrisiko für Ungarn dar. » | jok/Reuters/AFP | Dienstag, 27. November 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Malaysian Muslim political party is demanding that Elton John be barred from performing in the country later this week because he is homosexual.
Nasruding [sic] Hassan Tantawi, head of the youth wing of the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic party (PAS), said the concert "must be cancelled".
"Artists who are involved in gay and lesbian activities must not be allowed to perform in Malaysia as they will promote the wrong values," he said.
Homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia, where almost two-thirds of the 28 million population are Muslim, and is punishable by caning and up to 20 years in prison.
Mr Nasrudin said that the PAS "will demand that the authorities cancel this immoral performance to protect our society from social degradation." » | David Eimer, Bangkok | Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Monday, November 26, 2012
November evenings are balmy on Kuwait City's waterfront, and there is a festive atmosphere in Irada Square as crowds gather for another protest rally. Women swathed in black mix with others in jeans while men in dishdashas and red-checked ghutra headdresses sip tea on Persian rugs spread on the spiky grass.
Speakers are hammering home the call to boycott this Saturday's elections because the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al Sabah, has decreed a change to voting rules that will weaken the opposition. Stewards display spent teargas canisters that were fired to break up an unlicensed protest last month.
Unlike elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa , Kuwaitis are not seeking to overthrow their regime. Irada (the Arabic name means "will") is tamer than Cairo's Tahrir Square. Violence is very rare.
Yet there is no mistaking the depth of divisions in this small but fabulously wealthy country – and the anxiety about how they will play out. Its ultraconservative Saudi and Emirati neighbours are watching nervously.
"The emir's decree was the straw that broke the camel's back," said Sultan al-Majrubi, a young activist who was injured when special forces broke up October's big demonstration. "The Sabah family need to change from the inside. They are not thinking about the future and their credit with the people is running out."
• Kuwait is still the most democratic state in the Gulf. Its "springtime" dates back to 2006, long before the overthrow of the autocrats who ruled Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. » | Ian Black in Kuwait City | Sunday, November 25, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: As a one-time bohemian, lover of rock stars and champagne socialist turned Right-wing presidential consort, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy has lived a life far removed from most women’s.
So her entry into the debate about women’s place in society is likely to raise some eyebrows, whether plucked or au naturel.
The 44-year-old, who was France’s first lady for four years until May, has declared: “We don’t need to be feminist in my generation.” Instead she suggests a woman’s place is in the home with her children.
In an interview for the January issue of Vogue magazine, to be published on Dec 1, she develops her views on the women’s liberation movement, adding: “There are pioneers who opened the breach.
“I’m not at all an active feminist. On the contrary, I’m a bourgeois. I love family life, I love doing the same thing every day.’ » | Peter Allen | Sunday, November 25, 2012
THE OBSERVER: Former prime minister joins fight with Eurosceptics and says Brussels must promote 'grand plan' about its purpose
Tony Blair will make an impassioned intervention in the debate over Britain's future in Europe, warning that any disengagement from theEuropean Union's "top table" would be a disaster for the UK's economy and its power on the world stage.
With more senior Tories backing moves that could see the UK leaving the EU mainstream, Blair will seek to rally the business community behind a campaign to halt the Eurosceptic bandwagon before it is too late.
At a speech in London on Wednesday, Blair will say that with major economies such as China, India, Brazil and Russia emerging as formidable competitors in the global economic power game, EU membership has never been more important. A source close to the former prime minister said: "Whereas the postwar argument for Europe was about peace versus war, he will make the point that the 21st-century case for Europe is about power versus irrelevance."
In Wednesday's speech, to the Business for New Europe coalition of business leaders pushing for reform in Europe, Blair will argue that the EU needs to promote a "grand plan" about its purpose, driving home the message that member states can best take on these huge economic powers as a united bloc. He will highlight statistics showing that 47% of UK exports go to EU member states while 50% of foreign direct investment is from EU countries. » | Toby Helm, political editor | Saturday, November 24, 2012
ALL AFRICA: Tunis — One year after extremist violence first emerged in Tunisia, many citizens are convinced that jihadi salafism poses a threat to the future of their country.
From the street to the highest levels of government, Tunisians say that the growing influence of jihadists puts the country's democratic transition in jeopardy.
"Stopping extremist moves, whatever the ideological foundations, means stopping the destructive violence to Tunisian lives and the tarnishing of Tunisia's image abroad," President Moncef Marzouki said Saturday (November 17th) at a Carthage conference.
A string of violent incidents has created an "unhealthy climate, which increased the fear of Tunisians", Marzouki said at the event organised by salafist Sheikh Bechir Ben Hassen.
"Tunisians see the phenomena as a threat to the way of life of the majority," he said, warning against those extremists who try to "impose their law by force in some mosques and neighbourhoods in the country".
Marzouki called on the media, preachers, salafist leaders, families, politicians and the government to work together to stem the spread of extremist ideology.
For his part, Sheikh Ben Hassen called for an end to behaviour that could "lead to a bloodbath and end the Tunisian revolution".
"We are all Tunisians," he said. » | Monia Ghanmi | Friday, November 23, 2012
ALL AFRICA: Tunisie: Les Tunisiens redoutent une vague djihadiste – Tunis — Un an après l'apparition des premières violences extrémistes en Tunisie, de nombreux citoyens sont convaincus que le salafisme djihadiste représente une menace pour l'avenir de leur pays. » | Monia Ghanmi | vendredi 23 novembre 2012
Saturday, November 24, 2012
The cardinals, the closest aides of the Pope, come from the Philippines, India, Lebanon, Nigeria, Colombia and the US.
Analysts say it is unusual for the Pope to select only non-Europeans.
The Pope told the congregation that the Catholic Church belongs to the whole human race, not just one group, and was a church for all peoples.
Those being presented at the consistory, or cardinal-making ceremony, were:
US Archbishop James Harvey, 63, prefect of the papal household / Lebanon's Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai, 72 / Indian Archbishop Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, 53, head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church / Nigerian Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja, 68 / Colombian Archbishop Ruben Salazar Gomez of Bogota, 70 / Philippine Archbishop Luis Tagle of Manila, 55All six new cardinals are younger than 80 and therefore will likely be eligible to vote for a new Pope when the current pontiff dies.
Three are from countries with large Muslim populations - India, Lebanon and Nigeria.
Cheers broke out among the supporters of each cardinal-designate as the Pope presented them with the gold rings at the consistory and the red hats and vestments, which symbolise their readiness to shed their blood to defend their Christian faith. (+ video) » | Saturday, November 24, 2012
Nicolas Sarkozy s'est défendu, lors de son audition chez les juges jeudi, d'avoir touché un sou des Bettencourt.
«Ils ne m'ont jamais donné un sou et je ne leur en ai jamais demandé», a notamment dit Nicolas Sarkozy au cours de ces douze heures d'audition transcrites en «32 pages de documents» dont Sud Ouest assure sur son site internet avoir vu l'intégralité. Concernant le financement éventuel de sa campagne présidentielle de 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy déclare : «Je connais les Bettencourt depuis 28 ans et j'en ai 57. J'ai fait cinq campagnes municipales à Neuilly : ils ne m'ont jamais donné un sou et je ne leur en ai jamais demandé.» » | afp/Newsnet | vendredi 23 novembre 2012
ARAB NEWS: AL-KHOBER: As many as 1213 foreigners residing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including 150 women, embraced Islam in Khober last year, a new record of Muslims is embracing Islam in Saudi Arabia over the last years. » | SPA | Saturday, November 24, 2012
Friday, November 23, 2012
RT.COM: Saudi Arabia introduced an electronic tracking system that alerts men by text message when their wife is leaving the country, even if they are traveling together. The system was swiftly condemned by activists and Twitter users.
Saudi women – banned in the country from driving, denied the right to travel without their husband’s consent and required to wear a veil from head to toe – are now to be monitored by a new electronic system that tracks cross-border movement, AFP reported.
Woman in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to leave the ultraconservative kingdom without the permission of their male ‘guardian,’ or husband, who must give his consent by signing a register known as the ‘yellow sheet’ at the border or airport. Now, husbands will receive a text message to remind them even if they’re traveling outside the country alongside their wife. » | Thursday, November 22, 2012
Thursday, November 22, 2012
The move is a blow to the pro-democracy movement that toppled the long-time president, himself derided by many as a pharoah, and raises concerns that Islamists will be further ensconced in power.
"The president can issue any decision or measure to protect the revolution," according to a decree read out on television by presidential spokesman Yasser Ali.
"The constitutional declarations, decisions and laws issued by the president are final and not subject to appeal."
Nobel laureate and former UN atomic energy agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei lashed out at the declaration, which would effectively put the president above judicial oversight.
"Morsi today usurped all state powers and appointed himself Egypt's new pharaoh. A major blow to the revolution that could have dire consequences," ElBaradei wrote on his Twitter account. » | AFP | Friday, November 23, 2012
BBC: A rumour that a Christian man blasphemed against Islam has sparked a riot in the northern Nigeria town of Bichi, police have said.
Residents said four people were killed and shops were looted.
The riot came on the day the incoming head of the Anglican Church, the Rt Rev Justin Welby, launched an initiative to promote religious tolerance in Nigeria.
Religious clashes have claimed thousands of lives in Nigeria since military rule ended in 1999.
The militant Islamist group, Boko Haram, has also been waging an insurgency since 2009 to impose strict Sharia across Nigeria, which is roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and a Christian and animist south. » | Thursday, November 22, 2012
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