Qatari Emir Buys Six Greek Islands for a Song
THE GUARDIAN: Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani pays €8.5m for Ionian retreats for family with seller happy to strike deal after 18 months of red tape


The suitor is one of the world's wealthiest men; the location happens to be the eurozone's poorest country. But in an unlikely coming together of economic circumstances, the emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, has opted to splash out €8.5m (£7.35m) on six idyllic isles in the Ionian sea.

Closure of the deal – the latest in a global shopping spree that has seen the sheikh's property portfolio spread from London to Beijing – has been met with glee in Greece, the west's most bankrupt state, and Doha, where the royal household experienced 18 months of excruciating drama to take possession of the outcrops.

"Greece is that kind of place," said Ioannis Kassianos, Ithaca's straight-talking Greek-American mayor. "Even when you buy an island, even if you are the emir of Qatar, it takes a year and a half for all the paperwork to go through."

The isles, known as the Echinades, caught the oil-rich monarch's fancy when he moored his super-yacht in the turquoise waters off Ithaca, took in the view and liked what he saw. That was four summers ago.

When the royal eventually got off the yacht, he inquired about the pine-covered chain as he strolled about Ithaca in sandals and shorts. "They have a fund with a couple of hundred million in it," enthused Kassianos, a former US economics professor who assumed the mayorship of Homer's fabled isle three years ago. "And as far as I know they want to buy all 18 of the islands, the whole lot." » | Helena Smith in Athens | Tuesday 5 March 2013

Saudi Princess Who Fled £5 Million Paris Hotel Bill to Have Assets Seized
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Saudi princess who fled Paris's luxury Shangri-La hotel in the middle of the night to avoid paying a £5 million hotel bill is to have her assets seized in France, a judge has ruled.

Maha Al-Sudairi was caught ordering her entourage of 60 to load scores of suitcases into a fleet of limos outside the hotel at 3.30am in June last year. She had racked up the vast bill after checking into the hotel six months previously, taking over an entire 41-room floor.

But when King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia refused to pay for her stay, she attempted the early morning dash, claiming diplomatic immunity and moving to the nearby five-star Royal Monceau Hotel, near the Champs-Elysees, which is own by "family friend" the Emir of Qatar.

She then left France a month later and has not returned since.

Lawyers for the Shangri-La on Wednesday however won a legal bid at a court in Nanterre, west of Paris, to have her assets in France seized. » | Ian Sparks | Thursday, March 07, 2013

So wollen Salafisten die Demokratie durch einen islamischen Gottesstaat ersetzen!

Pulverfaß Deutschland - Doku über Probleme zwischen Salafisten und Rechtsradikalen
Im Mittelpunkt des Films steht die Gewaltspirale, die im Konflikt zwischen radikal-salafistischer Muslime und rechtsradikaler Populisten im Untergrund entsteht.

Australian Islamist Musa Cerantonio Glorifies Jihad, Supports Jabhat Al-Nusra in Syria (February 14, 2013)

Gewalt im Namen Allahs: Wie gefährlich ist der Salafismus?
Gewalt im Namen Allahs: Wie gefährlich ist der Salafismus? Sie predigen eine besonders strenge Form des Islam und machen den deutschen Sicherheitsbehörden große Sorgen: Keine Extremistengruppe wächst so schnell wie der radikale Flügel der Salafisten und die Anhänger gebärden sich zunehmend gewaltbereit. So wird in Videos zur Jagd auf deutsche Journalisten aufgerufen. Bonn, Solingen und Berlin waren bereits Schauplätze politisch motivierter Straßengewalt, die es bei diesen Gruppen in Deutschland bisher nicht gegeben hat. Erleben wir eine neue Dimension im Prozess islamistischer Radikalisierung? Andererseits ist der radikale Flügel auch innerhalb der salafistischen Gemeinden umstritten. Und die meisten Muslime in Deutschland lehnen Gewalttaten ohnehin ab. Sollten die Salafisten verboten werden, wie der Bundes-Innenminister vorschlägt? Oder würde das die Abwehr weiterer Gewalt erschweren und die Reihen der gewaltbereiten Islamisten schließen, wie Experten befürchten?

Niederlande: Rechtspopulist Geert Wilders auf Todesliste der al-Qaida
SHORT NEWS: Der Islamkritiker und Rechtspopulist Geert Wilders, steht auf einer Todesliste der al-Qaida. Sein Foto wird dort an vierter Stelle aufgelistet, berichtete "RTL news" am letzten Freitag.

Auf der Todesliste stehen auch der dänische Redakteur Carsten Juste, verantwortlich für die Veröffentlichung der Karikaturen über Mohammed, und andere Islamkritiker.

Das Plakat wurde auf einer Dschihad-Website veröffentlicht und enthält Barack Obamas Wahlkampfslogan "Yes we can" und den Text "eine Kugel pro Tag kann die Ungläubigen fern halten". Damit wird auf das Sprichwort "Ein Apfel am Tag hält den Doktor fern" angespielt. [Quelle: SHORT NEWS] | WebReporter: Sijamboi | Montag, 04. März 2013

DUTCHNEWS.nl: 'Girt' Wilders on al Qaeda death list » | DutchNews.nl | Friday, March 01, 2013

Pays-Bas : ancien islamophobe du PVV, il se convertit à l’islam

SAPHIR NEWS: Aux Pays-Bas, Arnoud Van Doorn, ancien membre du parti d'extrême droite de Geert Wilders, le Parti pour la Liberté (PVV) a créé la surprise en annonçant s’être converti à l’islam. Quand on connait la position extrêmement virulente de ce parti à l’égard de la religion musulmane, il y a de quoi être étonné.

Mais le 27 février dernier, c’est bien la chahada (profession de foi) en arabe qu’a tweeté l’ancien porte-parole du PVV sur son compte twitter : « J'atteste qu'il n'y a d'autre Dieu que Dieu et j'atteste que Muhammad est Son Messager ». M. Van Doom a ensuite confirmé sa conversion à l’islam dans une interview accordée à la chaîne Al Jazeera.

« Je peux comprendre que ma conversion laisse sceptique, surtout qu'elle était inattendue pour beaucoup. Mais pas par mes proches, eux savaient que je m'informais sur cette religion par le biais du Coran, de hadiths, de la sunna et d’autres textes depuis presque un an », a-t-il déclaré. » | Rédigé par La Rédaction | jeudi 07 mars 2013

Lien en relation avec l'article »

French Mother Bouchra Bagour On Trial for 9/11 T-shirt
BBC: A mother has gone on trial in southern France for sending her son to nursery school wearing a T-shirt reading "I am a bomb" and "Born on 11 September".

Bouchra Bagour, 35, was reported to police by the teacher last September, and charged with "glorifying crime".

At the start of her trial in Avignon, she denied defending terrorism.

Ms Bagour's brother - who gave the T-shirt to her three-year-old son named Jihad - is a co-defendant in the case and also denies the charge.

The garment, which the boy wore to school in Sorgues near Avignon on 24 September, read "I am a bomb" on the front and "Jihad, born on 11 September" on the back.

On Wednesday Ms Bagour told the court she had put it on him "without stopping to think about it".

She insisted it was not meant as a provocation and stressed that her son had been born on 11 September. » | Thursday, March 07, 2013

North Korea Ramps Up Nuclear Rhetoric As UN Vote Looms
BBC: North Korea has ramped up rhetoric ahead of a UN vote on sanctions in response to its nuclear test.

Accusing the US of pushing to start a war, it vowed to exercise its right to launch a pre-emptive nuclear attack against its aggressors.

The Security Council meets later today to approve fresh sanctions against Pyongyang over the 12 February test.

Earlier this week, North Korea also threatened to scrap the 60-year truce which ended the Korean War.

"As long as the United States is willing to spark nuclear war our forces will exercise their right to a pre-emptive nuclear strike," said North Korea's foreign ministry, in a statement carried by the KCNA news agency, without giving further details.

The BBC's Lucy Williamson in Seoul says most analysts believe Pyongyang is unlikely to start a war with the US, and may instead be trying to provoke a fresh stance from Washington ahead of the UN vote.

But the atmosphere on the Korean Peninsula is more tense than usual, our correspondent adds, after North Korea said that it would tear up the armistice agreement next week.

The two Koreas remain technically at war in the wake of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended with an armistice, not a formal peace treaty.

North Korea's military command said it would end that armistice on 11 March, threatening "surgical strikes" on its southern neighbour and the use of a "precision nuclear striking tool" in response to the sanctions and ongoing South Korea-US military drills. » | Thursday, March 07, 2013

Prime Minister's Questions: Cameron Out of Touch on Bonuses, Says Miliband
BBC: Labour leader Ed Miliband has accused David Cameron of being "out of touch" for opposing European Union plans to cap bankers' bonuses.

He claimed the prime minister was "straining every muscle" to help the rich while doing little for the poor.

But Mr Cameron said the Labour leader wanted to "play and pose politics", while the UK needed to do all it could to attract the world's largest banks.

The UK was the only EU country to oppose the cap in a vote on Tuesday.

Under the plan, bonuses would be limited to 100% of a banker's annual salary - or to 200% if shareholders approve.

During a lively Prime Minister's Questions session, Mr Miliband said Mr Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne were the only people who thought it was "a priority to fight for bigger bonuses". » | Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Barack Obama 'Has Authority to Use Drone Strikes to Kill Americans on US Soil'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama has the authority to use an unmanned drone strike to kill US citizens on American soil, his attorney general has said.

Eric Holder argued that using lethal military force against an American in his home country would be legal and justified in an "extraordinary circumstance" comparable to the September 11 terrorist attacks.

"The president could conceivably have no choice but to authorise the military to use such force if necessary to protect the homeland," Mr Holder said.

His statement was described as "more than frightening" by Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, who had demanded to know the Obama administration's position on the subject.

"It is an affront the constitutional due process rights of all Americans," said Mr Paul, a 50-year-old favourite of the anti-government Tea Party movement, who is expected to run for president in 2016.

Mr Holder wrote to Mr Paul after the senator threatened to block the appointment of John Brennan as the director of the CIA unless he received answers to a series of questions on its activities.

Mr Obama has been sharply criticised for the secrecy surrounding his extension of America's "targeted killing" campaign against al-Qaeda terrorist suspects using missile strikes by unmanned drones.

The secret campaign has killed an estimated 4,700 people in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. A quarter are estimated to have been civilians prompting anger among human rights campaigners. » | Jon Swaine, Washington | Wednesday, March 06, 2013

New Muslim: Arnoud van Doorn’s Answers to Al Jazeera about His Conversion to Islam
Click here
His interview in Arabic here
Liens en relation avec l’article »

Vatican Accused of Censorship after American Cardinals Told to Stop Talking

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Vatican has been accused of censorship after a group of cardinals were told to stop talking to the media about the process of electing a new Pope.

In the past week American cardinals have given several briefings to journalists in Rome to discuss the challenges facing the Roman Catholic Church and how the next pontiff might tackle them, in a refreshing break from the Vatican's rather staid press conferences.

In recent days the Americans have called for the reform of the Roman Curia, the governing body of the Church, which has earned a reputation as a hotbed of professional jealousy, turf wars, nepotism and corruption.

But the briefings were scrapped and the Americans gagged after cardinals from other countries expressed fears of negative publicity and indiscretions relating to the conclave, the highly secretive election in the Sistine Chapel by which a new pontiff will be chosen.

The American cardinals, through the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, said that concern had been expressed "about leaks of confidential proceedings reported in Italian newspapers."

The ban on interviews came after the Italian press reported that there were arguments between American and German cardinals on one side and Italians on the other during the pre-conclave talks which are going on this week. » | Nick Squires, Vatican City | Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Alleged Police Brutality at Sydney's Gay Mardi Gras
A man attending the Sydney Mardi Gras on Saturday night is thrown to the ground by a police officer as he attempts to make an arrest. Sydney police have launched an internal investigation into the treatment of Jamie Jackson, 18, during the city's famous Gay and Lesbian street festival. This year's Mardi Gras marked 35 years since the event's inception

Pays-Bas : un membre du Parti islamophobe de Geert Wilders se convertit à l’islam
AJIB.fr: Dans un interview donnée à Al Jazeera, Arnoud Van Doorn membre membre du PVV, parti islamophobe pour la Liberté, a indiqué s’être converti à l’islam. Ce parti politique nationaliste dont le fondateur est Geert Wilders, est orienté extrême droite, et détient une position virulente et haineuse à l’égard de l’islam. » | AJIB.FR | Publié par Oum Michket | mercredi 06 mars 2013

Verwandt »

The Islamic Invasion Of Europe Will Fail - Pat Condell

Islam Is for Losers – Pat Condell

Why Suck Up To Islam - Pat Condell

Vom Islamhasser zum gläubigen Muslim

DIE WELT: Der niederländische Politiker Arnoud van Doorn war ein glühender Rechtspopulist im Kielwasser von Geert Wilders. Dann flog er aus der Partei. Jetzt twitterte er seinen Übertritt zum Islam.

"Willkommen, mein 10.000. follower", schrieb der niederländische Politiker Arnoud van Doorn am 4. März auf Twitter. Zwei Tage später waren es mehr als 13.300 Menschen, die ihm in dem sozialen Netzwerk folgten. Der Grund für die plötzliche Beliebtheit des bis dahin eher obskuren Lokalpolitikers: Der Islamhasser, Freund und Anhänger des rechtspopulistischen Politikers Geert Wilders, war zum Islam konvertiert.

Seither folgen ihm Tausende Muslime auf Twitter. Der TV-Sender "Al-Dschasira" interviewte ihn. Van Doorn stellte die Fragen und Antworten auf Englisch ins Internet, weil ihn seine neuen, muslimischen Anhänger darum gebeten hatten.

Sein Weg in die islamophobe Politik transformierte ihn, wie einst aus Saulus Paulus geworden war, sagt van Doorn. Im Kielwasser Geert Wilders wurde er in den Gemeinderat der niederländischen Hauptstadt Den Haag gewählt. Dort, so sagte er jetzt, geriet er ins Gespräch mit einem muslimischen Ratsmitglied namens "Abu Khoulani", der ihn schließlich bei der Den Haager As-Sunnah-Moschee einführte.

Es gibt keinen Gott außer Allah

Nach "ernsthafter Auseinandersetzung" mit dem Islam, über mehr als ein Jahr hinweg, habe er sich schließlich zum rechten Glauben bekehrt, schrieb van Doorn. Das islamische Glaubensbekenntnis schrieb er am 28. Februar auf Twitter, auf arabisch: Es gibt keinen Gott außer Allah, und Mohammed ist sein Prophet. » | Von Boris Kálnoky | Mittwoch, 06. März 2013

Related »

Hugo Chávez Dies: Venezuela Begins a Week of Mourning
Hundreds of anguished Venezuelans poured onto the streets of downtown Caracas, crying and shouting slogans in support of deceased President Hugo Chavez, after learning of his death on Tuesday.

Quebec Mother Of Terror Suspect Warns Other Parents
CBC NEWS (MONTREAL): Son, now in Syria, on Canadian spy agency's watch list


The mother of one of the 50 to 60 Canadians being monitored by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) because of alleged terrorist activities abroad says she no longer recognizes her own son.

The Quebec woman, who agreed to speak to CBC News on condition she remain anonymous for her own safety, said she wants to warn other parents about the risks awaiting young Muslims like her son.

She said after her son converted to Islam, he was recruited online by a radical Islamist group.

'An easy target'

The woman said her son was by nature a pacifist but was perhaps an easy target.

"They played on his generous nature," she says, adding she watched her son change gradually after he converted.

"He stopped listening to music because it was a sin," she says. "He started to cut off contact with girls, then later, with boys who didn't share his vision."

She said he became more and more critical of Canadian society, saying, "Canadian laws are not good. It's Sharia law that should be applied."

"He is convinced that jihad is a part of the religion," she said, adding he told his parents he wanted them both to "burn in hell" if they did not convert as well. » | CBC News | Monday, March 04, 2013

HT: Roberts Spencer @ Jihad Watch »

Eilmeldung! Chavez ist tot
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Der venezolanische Präsident Hugo Chavez ist tot. Dies teilte am Dienstag sein Stellvertreter Nicolas Maduro mit. Chavez hatte an einer Krebserkrankung gelitten.

Der venezolanische Präsident Hugo Chavez ist tot. Dies teilte am Dienstag sein Stellvertreter Nicolas Maduro in einer Fernsehansprache mit. Chavez hatte an einer Krebserkrankung gelitten. » | Quelle: Reuters | Dienstag, 05. März 2013

'Heart Attack Snow' Falling on Broad Swath of US

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

Robert Spencer Interviewed on Muslim Brotherhood Infiltration

HT: Robert Spencer @ Jihad Watch »

Government to Legislate for Plain Cigarette Packaging This Year
THE GUARDIAN: UK to follow example of Australia, where cigarettes must be sold in drab packets with graphic health warnings

Ministers are to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes along the Australian model with legislation this year, after becoming convinced that the branding is a key factor in why young people start to smoke.

The legislation, to be announced in the Queen's speech in May, is also expected to ban smoking in cars carrying anyone aged under 16 years. Ministers acknowledge that the ban is likely to be difficult for the police to enforce, but they believe peer group pressure will have an impact similar to the ban on drivers using mobile phones.

David Cameron referred to the possibility of introducing plain packaging last week, without putting a timetable on it. Ministers are convinced that the ban is necessary to take the next step to reduce smoking in the UK.

"We are going to follow what they have done in Australia. The evidence suggests it is going to deter young smokers. There is going to be legislation," said a senior Whitehall source said. » | Patrick Wintour, political editor | Tuesday, March 05, 2013

Last Minute Reprieve for Saudi Due to Be Crucified
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Saudi Arabia's royal family has issued a last-minute stay of execution to a jewellery thief sentenced to be crucified after an outcry from human rights groups.

Sarhan al-Mashayekh was one of seven men whose death sentences were confirmed by King Abdullah on Saturday. The other six were due be shot by firing squad on Tuesday. Mashayekh would have been executed at the same time and then, to fulfil his additional sentence, his body displayed to the public in a cruciform position for three days.

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other human rights groups all exressed outrage at the sentences, partly because of their severity, partly because the defendants claimed confessions had been extracted under torture, and partly because at least two of those condemned were minors at the time the crimes were committed.

On Tuesday afternoon the sentences were put on hold, local officials and relatives said. The delay was ordered by Prince Faisal bin Khaled al-Saud, the governor of Asir province, where the case took place, one official said. » | Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Tuesday, March 05, 2013

The Café : The New Ottomans (July 2012)

George Osborne Is Defeated 26 to 1 on EU Bonus Caps
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain was today defeated after being outnumbered 26 to one over controversial European Union proposals to impose caps on bonuses paid to bankers.

EU finance ministers overruled British opposition to the banking remuneration caps and "technical negotiations" over the detail of regulations to begin next week ahead of a final decision next month.

Michel Barnier, the European Commissioner for financial services, hailed a "crystal clear" deal allowing the EU to impose a bonus limit of 100 pc of salary, or a maximum 200pc after agreement with shareholders, from January 2014.

"The caps are fixed," he said. "These caps will be the basis of our work from now on. All the main points have been approved and will not change."

The caps will also apply to all European bankers working in New York, Hong Kong, Singapore or other overseas branches, again overriding British concerns.

Mr Barnier insisted that the EU was confident that the caps would survive the threat of legal challenges by banks because the legislation specified bonus ratios to existing salaries rather than setting precise ceiling figures for payments. » | Bruno Waterfield, Brussels | Tuesday, March 05, 2013

THE GUARDIAN: George Osborne rebuffed by rest of EU on bank bonuses: Britain left isolated as 26 European finance ministers agree to a clampdown on executive pay targeted at the City » | Ian Traynor in Brussels | Tuesday, March 05, 2013

Geert Wilders Party Member, Arnoud van Doorn, Accepts Islam
NEW MUSLIM: “I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger”

By this phrase the ex-member of Geert Wilders’s right-wing anti-Islam Freedom Party, Arnoud van Doorn, surprisingly declared his conversion to Islam.

Via his account on the famous social networking site,Twitter, Arnoud announced in Dutch his ‘Nieuwe start’ (New start) as a Muslim. The news was confirmed in Dutch news as well.

The news is one of the latest breaking in the Netherlands.

Till the end of 2011, Arnoud van Doorn was a member of the fiery, far-right, anti-Islam, anti-immigration Partij voor de Vrijheid (PVV) Dutch party.

On February 27, 2013, Arnoud posted a tweet in Arabic declaring his Shahadah (Testimony of Faith): Ashhadu an-la ilaha illallah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluhu (I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger).

The phrase is known as the First Pillar of Islam that in order for a person to be a Muslim this conviction is firstly needed.

Given his previous explicit views on Islam, Arnoud’s story was a shock to many who doubted and harshly criticized the announcement, which is still a subject of debate on twitter. In another tweet, he expressed his grief and discomfort with ‘the many hateful comments on social media’.

Arnoud account was deluged with hundreds of followers and positive comments backing and congratulating his choice. To them he posted a late tweet in both English and Arabic expressing his gratitude: ‘Thanks for all the support!’

In face of strong attacks on Twitter, Arnoud declined to comment on the reasons or circumstances behind his conversion, confirming that the choice is his own and that his religion was ‘a matter of privacy’. » | Monday, February 04, 2013

ON ISLAM: Far-right Dutch Politician Finds Islam: AMSTERDAM – A leading member in far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders’ party has reverted to Islam after an extensive study about the Islamic religion and Muslims. ¶ “I can understand people are skeptic, especially that it is unexpected for many of them,” Arnoud Van Doorn told Al-Jazeera English satellite channel. ¶ “This is a very big decision, which I have not taken lightly.” » | Tuesday, March 05, 2013

AMSTERDAM HERALD: From Wilders to Muhammad: Former Freedom Party vice-chairman converts to Islam: A former member of Geert Wilders’s anti-immigration Freedom Party has converted to Islam. » | Friday, March 01, 2013

The Café : Greece: The End of the European Dream? (July 2012)

Forbes List Understates My Wealth, Saudi Prince Says

BBC: Saudi Arabia's Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal has accused Forbes magazine of understating his wealth.

In its 2013 list of the world's richest people, Forbes estimated Prince Alwaleed's net worth at $20bn (£13bn), putting him in 26th place.

However, the prince's office said the magazine used flawed valuation methods.

According to some reports, the prince estimates his net worth to be $29.6bn, a figure that would put him in the top 10 of the magazine's latest rich list.

The list, published on Monday, saw Mexico's Carlos Slim retain the top slot for the fourth straight year with a net worth of $73bn.

The 10th spot on the list went to Bernard Arnault and family of the luxury goods group LVMH, with a net worth of $29bn. » | Tuesday, March 05, 2013

FORBES: Prince Alwaleed And The Curious Case Of Kingdom Holding Stock » | Sunday, March 03, 2013

Senior Judge Warns Over Deportation of Terror Suspects to Torture States
THE GUARDIAN: Britain's most senior judge Lord Neuberger says policy would mean pulling out of UN and European court of human rights

Britain will have to withdraw from the United Nations as well as the European court of human rights if it wants to deport terrorist suspects to states that carry out torture, the country's most senior judge has warned.

In his first interview since becoming president of the supreme court, Lord Neuberger launched a sustained attack on "slanted" coverage and "one-sided" portrayals that misrepresent the way the human rights court operates.

The UK's supreme court is "not subservient" but works "in a dialogue" with the judges in Strasbourg, he insisted. Pulling out of the Council of Europe body – which the home secretary, Theresa May, and the justice secretary, Chris Grayling, both contemplate – would "certainly send an unfortunate number of messages", Neuberger added.

The judge's comments, timed for publication on Tuesday, were made before the two ministers' views were published in Sunday papers. Neuberger also talked about the lack of diversity in the upper reaches of the judiciary, suggesting that appointment panels could be suffering from a "subconscious bias" against women.

"Human rights excite great emotion," the 65-year-old judge said. "The concerns that people have about human rights are, generally speaking, exaggerated … [although] sometimes courts get it wrong. » | Owen Bowcott, legal affairs correspondent | Tuesday, March 05, 2013

GUARDIAN EDITORAL: Human rights laws: supremely serious judgment: The Tories are living in a fantasy land if they think lawmaking in their Little England could ignore international human rights » | Tuesday, March 05, 2013

Spanish Interior Minister Says 'Survival of Species' at Stake in Gay Marriage Row
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Spain's interior minister faced calls to resign after declaring that "the survival of the species" was at stake after wading into the debate over same-sex marriages.

Jorge Fernandez Diaz, interior minister in Spain's conservative government argued that "religious reasons" were not arguments against a law allowing gay marriage.

Instead, he insisted: "There are rational arguments to back the idea that these marriages shouldn't have the same protection under the law as normal ones. For example, the survival of the species is not guaranteed." » | Fiona Govan, Madrid | Monday, March 04, 2013

Barack Obama a 'Dithering, Controlling, Risk-averse' US President
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama is a "dithering" president whose controlling tendencies and extreme risk-averse attitude to foreign policy has damaged US interests in the Middle East, according to a new book by a senior former State Department adviser.


The insider-account of the damaging divisions between the White House and the State Department comes as diplomats around the world wait to see if John Kerry, the new US secretary of state, can persuade Mr Obama to greater engagement on Syria, Egypt and the wider Middle East.

Vali Nasr, a university professor who was seconded in 2009 to work with Richard Holbrooke, Mr Obama's special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, records his profound disillusion at how a "Berlin Wall" of domestic-focused advisers was erected to protect Mr Obama.

"The president had a truly disturbing habit of funnelling major foreign policy decisions through a small cabal of relatively inexperienced White House advisers whose turf was strictly politics," Mr Nasr writes in The Dispensable Nation: America Foreign policy in Retreat.

The book sets out in detail how Mr Holbrooke, appointed with great fanfare in 2009, was systematically cut out of decision making as both he and Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state, tried to argue the merits of engaging with the Taliban and the dangers caused by the overuse of drones.

"The White House seemed to see an actual benefit in not doing too much," Prof Nasr writes, "The goal was to spare the president the risks that necessarily come with playing the leadership role that America claims to play in this region." » | Peter Foster, Washington | Monday, March 04, 2013

Gay Marriage Will Destabilise Family Life, Sociologist Warns
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Gay marriage will further destabilise marriage and family life in Britain, a leading sociologist has warned Parliament.

Dr Patricia Morgan told the House of Commons that same-sex marriage reinforced the idea that marriage is irrelevant to parenthood.

This was the principle factor, she said, that has caused the collapse in marriage rates between heterosexuals in countries where gay marriage had been introduced - as well as a sharp rise in cohabitation and the numbers of children born out of wedlock.

She said there was no evidence whatsoever to prove the Coalition Government’s assertions that gay marriage would bolster the institution.

She made her claims in a 22-page paper submitted at the Committee Stage of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill.

It contained a detailed analysis of marriage trends in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Spain, Belgium, Canada and some U.S. states w[h]ere gay marriage has been legalised.

“From what we know about demographic trends, it is preposterous to argue that people suddenly somehow embrace marriage and slow or reverse its decline because homosexuals can have it,” Dr Morgan said.

“We can be certain that same sex marriage will do no such thing as encourage stable marriage whether for heterosexuals and/or homosexuals. Marriage in Scandinavia, Spain, Netherlands and elsewhere is in deep decline.”

She continued: “Same sex marriage is both an effect and a cause of the evisceration of marriage - especially the separation between this and parenthood.” » | Monday, March 04, 2013

Michael Hauri: Dann wurde ich Muslim

Then I Became a Muslim »

Europas Initiativen gegen Gehaltsexzesse: Aufstand gegen die Abzocker
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Die Schweiz stimmt für ein Anti-Abzock-Gesetz, Brüssel will eine Obergrenze für Boni - in Europa zeichnet sich ein radikaler Stimmungswechsel ab. Bisher galten Gehaltsexzesse als notwendiges Übel im Kampf um die besten Manager. Jetzt setzt sich der Ruf nach mehr Regulierung durch.

Für Spitzenverdiener in Europa war es keine gute Woche. In der EU wird es voraussichtlich bald eine gesetzliche Obergrenze für Bonuszahlungen in der Finanzbranche geben. Allein in der Londoner City könnte dies mehrere tausend Banker treffen. Und in der Schweiz sollen künftig Aktionäre über die Managergehälter ihres Unternehmens entscheiden können (dazu hier ein Kommentar, hier eine Augstein-Kolumne und hier ein Interview mit dem Schweizer Ex-Botschafter Thomas Borer). Gehaltsexzesse sollen so vermieden werden.

Die beiden Entscheidungen der vergangenen Tage spiegeln eine neue Stimmung auf dem Kontinent wider: Die Millionengehälter in einigen Branchen, die früher als unvermeidlicher Preis der Marktwirtschaft galten, werden nun nicht mehr einfach hingenommen. Nicht einmal der Neidvorwurf scheint die Kritiker noch aufzuhalten. » | Von Stefan Simons und Carsten Volkery, Paris und London | Montag, 04. März 2013

Verwandt »

[RC] Church’s History of Saints and Sinners

The Holocaust Just Got More Shocking
THE NEW YORK TIMES: THIRTEEN years ago, researchers at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum began the grim task of documenting all the ghettos, slave labor sites, concentration camps and killing factories that the Nazis set up throughout Europe.

What they have found so far has shocked even scholars steeped in the history of the Holocaust.

The researchers have cataloged some 42,500 Nazi ghettos and camps throughout Europe, spanning German-controlled areas from France to Russia and Germany itself, during Hitler’s reign of brutality from 1933 to 1945.

The figure is so staggering that even fellow Holocaust scholars had to make sure they had heard it correctly when the lead researchers previewed their findings at an academic forum in late January at the German Historical Institute in Washington.

“The numbers are so much higher than what we originally thought,” Hartmut Berghoff, director of the institute, said in an interview after learning of the new data.

“We knew before how horrible life in the camps and ghettos was,” he said, “but the numbers are unbelievable.”

The documented camps include not only “killing centers” but also thousands of forced labor camps, where prisoners manufactured war supplies; prisoner-of-war camps; sites euphemistically named “care” centers, where pregnant women were forced to have abortions or their babies were killed after birth; and brothels, where women were coerced into having sex with German military personnel.

Auschwitz and a handful of other concentration camps have come to symbolize the Nazi killing machine in the public consciousness. Likewise, the Nazi system for imprisoning Jewish families in hometown ghettos has become associated with a single site — the Warsaw Ghetto, famous for the 1943 uprising. But these sites, infamous though they are, represent only a minuscule fraction of the entire German network, the new research makes painfully clear.

The maps the researchers have created to identify the camps and ghettos turn wide sections of wartime Europe into black clusters of death, torture and slavery — centered in Germany and Poland, but reaching in all directions.

The lead editors on the project, Geoffrey Megargee and Martin Dean, estimate that 15 million to 20 million people died or were imprisoned in the sites that they have identified as part of a multivolume encyclopedia. (The Holocaust museum has published the first two, with five more planned by 2025.) » | Eric Lichtblau | Friday, March 01, 2013

Rassemblement: Zurich a vécu une nuit de violences extrêmes
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Des bagarres ont fait pour plusieurs centaines de milliers de francs de dégâts à Zurich dans la nuit de samedi à dimanche.

Des magasins ont été pillés et des bâtiments maculés de peinture sans compter de nombreuses vitrines cassées. La police municipale zurichoise est intervenue avec des balles en caoutchouc, gaz lacrymogène et lances à eau.

Un rassemblement de plusieurs centaines de personnes s'est formé vers 23 heures dans le «Kreis» 3 de la ville, sur une zone occupée depuis 2006 et utilisée pour un centre alternatif. Peu après, plus de 1000 personnes ont rejoint la foule dont des autonomistes de gauche et des membres du squat, a indiqué la police dans un communiqué. » | ats/Newsnet | dimanche 03 mars 2013

The Changing Face of America! Nicole Queen: American Convert to Islam


NicoleQueen.com »

Die Erben von Jörg Haider gestürzt
TAGES ANZEIGER: Im österrreichischen Bundesland Kärnten hatte die FPK bis jetzt eine solide Mehrheit. Nun wurde die Partei des verstorbenen Rechtspopulisten Jörg Haider regelrecht abgestraft. Schuld soll die Korruption sein.

Überraschung im ehemaligen Jörg-Haider-Land Kärnten: Nach Korruptionsskandalen strafen die Wähler die regierende FPK auf bisher in Österreich beispiellose Weise ab.

Die Erben des Rechtspopulisten Jörg Haider stürzten bei den Landtagswahlen am Sonntag dem vorläufigen Endergebnis zufolge auf 17,1 Prozent ab. Bei den letzten Landtagswahlen 2009 hatten sie noch gut 45 Prozent erreicht.

Zahlreiche Korruptionsskandale aus der Ära des 2008 tödlich verunglückten Haider hatten in Kärnten die Koalition aus FPK und konservativer ÖVP brechen lassen. Klarer Wahlsieger ist die sozialdemokratische SPÖ. » | mrs/sda | Sonntag, 03. März 2013

Wuchtiges Ja zur Abzocker-Initiative

NEUE LUZERNER ZEITUNG: Das Verdikt des Volkes ist deutlicher ausgefallen als erwartet: 67,9 Prozent der Stimmenden haben die Abzockerinitiative von Thomas Minder am Sonntag angenommen. Nun beginnt der Kampf um die Umsetzung der Initiative.

Für die Abzockerinitiative sprachen sich rund 1'615'700 Personen aus, dagegen 762'300. Der indirekte Gegenvorschlag des Parlaments, der bei einem Nein in Kraft getreten wäre, vermochte nicht zu überzeugen. In keinem einzigen Kanton wurde die Initiative abgelehnt.

Am deutlichsten war die Zustimmung in den Kantonen Jura und Schaffhausen, dem Heimatkanton Minders. Im Jura sagten über 77 Prozent der Stimmenden Ja zur Initiative, in Schaffhausen fast 76 Prozent. Ein Ja-Stimmen-Anteil von über 70 Prozent resultierte auch in den Kantonen Neuenburg, Tessin, Thurgau, Freiburg, Bern und Zürich. » | sda | Sonntag, 03. März 2013

Related »

Papstwahl: Kardinäle sammeln Stimmen für Odilo Scherer
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINER ZEITUNG: Der 63 Jahre alte Erzbischof von São Paulo, Odilo Scherer, gilt im Vatikan offenbar als ein Favorit für die Nachfolge Benedikts XVI. An diesem Montag beginnt das „Vorkonklave“.

Beim Vatikan wollen „gut informierte Kreise“ wissen, dass „viele“ der angereisten Kardinäle aus aller Welt einen Papst wählen wollen, der nicht aus Italien kommt. Aber es werden auch zwei italienische Kardinäle genannt, die offenbar Stimmen für den Erzbischof von São Paulo in Brasilien, Odilo Scherer, sammeln. Scherer, ein 63 Jahre alter Theologe und Pfarrer, dessen Vorfahren im 19. Jahrhundert aus dem Saarland ausgewandert waren, wurde von Benedikt XVI. 2007 in das Kardinalskollegium aufgenommen.

Scherer sei ein Favorit, weil er von 1994 bis 2001 in der Bischofskongregation Kurienerfahrungen gesammelt habe, aber nicht mehr zur Kurie gehöre. Er sei ein begnadeter Seelsorger, aber könne auch verwalten; er sei in Amerika und Europa zu Hause. Zwei Kriterien seien für die Auswahl zudem wichtig: Der neue Papst müsse eine radikale Kurienreform umsetzen und den Kurs der „Null-Toleranz“ bei sexuellem Missbrauch fortsetzen. » | Jörg Bremer, Rom | Sonntag, 03. März 2013

Special Report: What Voters Should Know About UKIP
THE INDEPENDENT: Is there more to the party than an obsession with immigration and getting Britain out of the European Union?


Suddenly, the UK Independence Party is the wild card of British politics. It left the Conservative Party bruised and traumatised by beating it in the Eastleigh by-election. It is tipped to win a large share of the vote in next year's European elections, may well cost David Cameron's party victory at the next general election, and is the force whose electoral magnetism many say will pull the Tories ever rightward. It is also the party – its programme and personalities – that has so far escaped scrutiny. Until now.

If Ukip had a name that truly reflected its priorities, it might be called the UK Immigrationphobe Party. Ostensibly the anti-EU party, an obsession with immigration and exit from Europe as a means to close Britain's doors is its prevailing motive. The word immigration runs through its policy statements like red lettering in seaside rock, and its proposed five-year ban on entries to the UK is the message it rams home on every doorstep.

That is far from all. It is deeply sceptical of global warming, wants to abolish inheritance tax, employers' National Insurance contributions, aims to partially reverse the recent hunting and smoking bans, and would increase defence spending by some 40 per cent. It is, in thought if not yet in personnel, the extreme right-wing of the Conservative Party in exile; a party run in the main by self-made businessmen with an agenda to match. And it has a record of defections, internecine squabbles and acrimony, plus scandals that have led two of its former MEPs to jail. » | David Randall, Brian Brady | Sunday, March 03, 2013

Cardinal Keith O'Brien Admits and Apologises for Sexual Misconduct

THE GUARDIAN: UK Catholic leader who was forced to resign early by the pope admits in statement that his sexual conduct 'fell below standards'

Cardinal Keith O'Brien, forced to resign by the pope last week, has admitted to sexual misconduct and issued a sweeping apology to individuals he has "offended" as well as to the Catholic church and Scottish people.

In a short statement issued soon after 5pm on Sunday, O'Brien admitted "there have been times that my sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal".

The former archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh made no detailed admissions but apologised and asked for the forgiveness of all those he had offended, and for the forgiveness of the entire Catholic church. » | Severin Carrell, Scotland correspondent | Sunday, March 03, 2013

Inside Story: Curbing Europe's Bank Bonuses
European officials have struck a deal that could radically change the banking industry's bonus culture. Hazem Sika, discusses with guests: Alessio Rastani, a trader and founder of the leading trader dot com; Birgitte Andersen, director of the Big Innovation Centre. Birgitte is an economist specialising in innovation and EU policy; and Peter Schiff, CEO of Euro Pacific Capital, an American investment broker and author of several books on the financial crisis.

The Sunday Times Interview with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad

Swiss Referendum Backs Executive Pay Curbs
BBC: Swiss voters have overwhelmingly backed proposals to impose some of the world's strictest controls on executive pay, final referendum results show.

Nearly 68% of the voters supported plans to give shareholders a veto on compensation and ban big payouts for new and departing managers.

Business groups argued the proposals would damage Swiss competitiveness.

But analysts say ordinary Swiss are concerned about a growing economic divide in the country.

The vote came just days after the EU approved measures to cap bankers bonuses.

'Fat cat initiative'

The final results showed that all 26 Swiss cantons backed the proposals.

In all, 1.6 million voters said "Yes" against 762,000, who rejected the idea.

The BBC's Imogen Foulkes, in Berne, says multibillion dollar losses by Swiss banking giant UBS, and thousands of redundancies at pharmaceutical company Novartis, have caused anger in Switzerland - because high salaries and bonuses for managers continued unchanged.

The new measures will give Switzerland some of the world's strictest corporate rules, our correspondent adds. » | Sunday, March 03, 2013

Queen Admitted to Hospital Suffering from Symptoms of Gastroenteritis
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The Queen has been admitted to hospital in London after experiencing symptoms of gastroenteritis, Buckingham Palace said today. All official engagements for this week will be either postponed or cancelled as a precaution, the Palace added.

Her Majesty, who is 86, is expected to stay at the King Edward VII hospital in London for two days and is otherwise said to be in “good health and good spirits”.

A Royal visit to Rome planned for later this week will be cancelled or postponed, Buckingham Palace confirmed.

The Queen gave a long-service award to a member of staff this morning but started to feel unwell after lunch and was admitted to hospital about 3pm.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement: “The Queen is being assessed at the King Edward VII's Hospital, London, after experiencing symptoms of gastroenteritis.

"As a precaution, all official engagements for this week will regrettably be either postponed or cancelled." » | Wesley Johnson | Sunday, March 03, 2013

BBC: Queen cancels Swansea visit after suffering from gastroenteritis: The Queen has been forced to cancel a visit to Swansea on Saturday to celebrate St David's Day, after developing symptoms of a stomach bug. » | Saturday, March 02, 2013

Lech Walesa Accused of Hate Speech after Gay Rights Criticism
THE GUARDIAN: Poland's first democratic-era president said he believed gay people had no right to sit on front benches in parliament


A national committee devoted to fighting hate speech and other crimes in Poland has filed a complaint with prosecutors in Gdansk accusing Lech Walesa of promoting a "propaganda of hate against a sexual minority", after the Nobel peace prize-winner said gay people had no right to a prominent role in politics.

Walesa said in a television interview on Friday that he believed gay people had no right to sit on the front benches in parliament and, if there at all, should sit in the back "or even behind a wall".

"They have to know that they are a minority and adjust to smaller things, and not rise to the greatest heights," he told the private broadcaster TVN during a discussion of gay rights. "A minority should not impose itself on the majority."

Walesa, Poland's first democratic-era president, is a deeply conservative Roman Catholic and a father of eight who has never advocated progressive social views. The democracy he helped create in 1989 from the turmoil of strikes and other protests has, however, been undergoing a profound social transformation in recent years.

A key symbol of the change is a new willingness to tackle gay rights, long a taboo subject. In 2011, voters elected Poland's first openly gay and first transsexual members of parliament. » | Associated Press in Warsaw | Sunday, March 03, 2013

Verwandt »

Wele'n Sefyll Rhwng y Mwrtwydd (Ann Griffiths): Cŵm Rhondda: Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer

Swiss Vote 'To Crack Down On Excessive Pay'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A plan to limit pay to executives based in Switzerland is expected to be passed on Sunday, as people vote on the referendum against “rip-offs” remuneration.

Under the proposal, shareholders will be given the right to hold a binding vote on executive remuneration. Companies would also no longer be able to pay so-called “golden hellos” and “golden parachutes”, whereby senior managers receive a one-time cash lump sum, often running into millions of pounds, when joining or leaving a company.

Polls show the majority of Swiss plan to vote “yes” in the referendum, despite businesses warning it will drive out companies from the country.

The move will also be a blow to the many foreign firms that have moved their headquarters to Switzerland in recent years to benefit from better tax deals, including from Britain.

The Swiss vote comes after Vince Cable, the UK business secretary, pushed through plans to give shareholders a greater say over executives’ pay, including a binding vote on remuneration, last year. The UK measures are due to take effect from October as part of an effort to boost transparency and curb compensation levels when the performance of the business does not warrant it.

Elsewhere in Europe, countries such as the Netherlands and Denmark already have similar legislation allowing shareholders at least a binding vote on executive compensation. » | Louisa Peacock | Saturday, March 02, 2013

My comment:

The plucky Swiss are doing it again. The Swiss are a courageous people. Hats off to the Swiss!

I have lived in Switzerland for over four years. It was the most wonderful experience of my life. Switzerland is a wonderful country to reside in; and the Swiss understand how to keep it that way. I have only respect for the Swiss.

That is exactly what I do not have fo this excuse of a government. When the EU proposed clipping the wings of the greedy bankers this week, all we got from Cameron was excuses and circumlocution. In short, he doesn't have the balls to call the bluff of the bankers. Let the bastards find somewhere else to fill their coffers. Running a country is not all about letting the greedy stuff their bank accounts full with ill-gotten gains; rather, it's about creating a fair society for all. And when there is a period of austerity, we really should all be in this together. Those shouldn't be just fine words uttered by a prime minister. They should have some resonance.

If Cameron has any hope of being re-elected––and it is looking pretty grim for him right now––he needs to understand that he, above all people, cannot afford to be viewed as a soft touch for the über-rich. In short, he needs to grow a pair.

Along with so many other people in this country, I am sick and tired of the greed of bankers and CEOs who have no understanding of humility and fairness. Nobody expects them to live in penury; but we do expect them to toe the line. Now back to the Swiss: Bravo! – © Mark

This comment also appears here

Princess Margaret Radio Interview

Secret Lives: Princess Margaret (RIP)

Turkish PM Erdogan Calls Zionism a "Crime against Humanity" at UN Conference
From Turkish PM Erodgan's Feb. 27, 2013 speech to 5th UN Alliance of Civilization Global Forum in Vienna.

Mobilisation aux Etats-Unis pour le mariage gay
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Nike, Apple, Facebook, John McCain, Clint Eastwood... Les appels à la légalisation du mariage entre personnes de même sexe affluent vers la Cour suprême américaine qui doit se prononcer fin mars sur le sujet.

L'administration Obama, des grandes entreprises, des élus républicains et Clint Eastwood en personne: les appels se bousculent au portillon de la Cour suprême des Etats-Unis pour demander à la plus haute juridiction du pays de légaliser le mariage homosexuel, fin mars.

Les neuf «sages», qui font la pluie et le beau temps sur les grands sujets de société, siègeront les 26 et 27 mars pour examiner la question sensible de l'union des couples de même sexe, interdite au niveau fédéral mais légale dans neuf Etats américains sur cinquante et dans la capitale Washington.

Situation inédite, le gouvernement américain a formellement demandé, la semaine dernière, à la haute Cour d'abroger un texte de son propre arsenal législatif, définissant au niveau national le mariage comme l'union «entre un homme et une femme».

La loi dite de «Défense du mariage» (DOMA) datant de 1996 est «inconstitutionnelle» car elle «empêche des dizaines de milliers de couples homosexuels, légalement mariés selon la loi de leur Etat, de jouir des mêmes avantages fédéraux que les couples mariés hétérosexuels», a ainsi écrit l'administration Obama. » | afp/Newsnet | samedi 02 mars 2013

Beppe Grillo Says Italy May Soon Have to Pull Out of Euro
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Beppe Grillo, the comedian who was the big winner in Italy's election, suggests Italy may have to abandon the euro and go back to the lira, and renegotiate its gigantic debt.

Beppe Grillo, the former comedian who holds the balance of power in Italy, has suggested the country may have to abandon the euro and return to the lire.

In an interview with a German magazine published on Saturday, Mr Grillo said that “if conditions do not change” Italy “will want” to leave the euro and return to its former national currency.

The 64-year-old comic-turned-political activist also said Italy needs to renegotiate its €2 trillion debt.

At 127 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), it is the highest in the euro zone after Greece.

“Right now we are being crushed, not by the euro, but by our debt. When the interest payments reach €100 billion a year, we’re dead. There’s no alternative,” he told Focus, a weekly news magazine. » | Nick Squires | Saturday, March 02, 2013

Andrew Sullivan: I Came Out First to God

Bigotry: A Polish Priest Gives His Views on Homosexuality

Channel 4: Queer and Catholic
Mark Dowd's Channel 4 documentary on homosexuality in Catholic Church.

Queer and Catholic part 1 from Mark Dowd on Vimeo.

Unfortunately, Part 2 appears not to be available.

MAIL ONLINE: Drunken parties at the seminary, crushes on young ‘pups’ and gay mafia accused of bringing down Britain’s top Catholic»

Boom in German Lessons as Europe's Jobless Head North
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Classes in German are booming across southern Europe as young Spaniards, Greeks and Italians flee their own recession-hit countries to seek employment in the region's powerhouse.

More than 9,000 Spaniards took German courses last year, a jump of 56 percent since 2009, new figures show. Of those studying the language in Madrid, one third were under the age of 25.

Unemployment in Spain stood at 26 percent in January - twice the average for the European Union - while more than half of young people are unemployed.

The classes appear to be paying off, however: in Germany, the number of Spanish workers finding employment rose by just over 12 percent last year. The number of Spaniards living in Berlin alone jumped to 11,473 in 2011 from 8,223 the previous year.

In Greece, where young people alone were facing an unemployment rate of nearly 60 percent last year, enrollment in German classes has surged by 24 percent since the start of the credit crunch. Last year, the number of Greeks working in Germany climbed by around 10%.

Italians were also dusting off their German books, with some 4,700 enrolling in classes last year, an increase of 28 percent since the financial crisis began. Read on and comment » | Jeevan Vasagar, Berlin | Friday, March 01, 2013

Robert Spencer: John Brennan and Islam

HT: Robert Spencer @ Jihad Watch »

Friedensnobelpreisträger Walesa will Homosexuelle hinter Mauer verbannen

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Homosexuelle sollen nach Ansicht des früheren polnischen Arbeiterführers Lech Walesa im Parlament in der letzten Reihe sitzen - oder gleich hinter einer Mauer. Der Friedensnobelpreisträger will nicht, dass seine "Kinder und Enkel von dieser Minderheit verwirrt werden".

Warschau - Er ist Friedensnobelpreisträger, doch regelmäßig sorgt der frühere polnische Arbeiterführer Lech Walesa mit seinen Aussagen für Unverständnis. Auch in der Diskussion um Homo-Ehen in Polen hat sich der 69-Jährige eine Entgleisung geleistet. Nach Walesas Meinung sollten homosexuelle Abgeordnete im Parlament in der letzten Reihe sitzen - "und sogar hinter einer Mauer". » | max/dpa | Freitag, 01. März 2013

The Changing Face of America: Americans Convert To Islam New Muslim America 2012

Crosstalk: Church in Crisis
Has the Catholic Church lost its relevance? Can it ever recover from its numerous scandals? Many have left the Church because its worldview is at odds with so many pressing social issues – gay rights, marriage and women's rights. Can the Church still reach out to these groups? And will anything change with Pope Benedict’s exit? CrossTalking with Nancy Scheper-Hughes, Jamila Bey and Terrence Tilley.
Watch the RT programme here | Monday, February 18, 2013

Four British Al-Qaeda Inspired Fanatics Face Jail After Admitting Terror Plot
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Four British al-Qaeda inspired fanatics are facing jail after admitting they were planning a terrorist attack using home-made bombs.

The gang, from Luton, Beds., downloaded computer files giving instructions on how to launch an attack, discussed possible targets and took part in military-style physical training.

They were due to stand trial next month but pleaded guilty in a hearing at Woolwich Crown Court in London today.

Zahid Iqbal, 31, Mohammed Sharfaraz Ahmed, 25, Umar Arshad, 24, and Syed Farhan Hussain, 21, admitted one charge of engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism.

According to the details of the charge, between Jan 1, 2011 and April 25 last year the four discussed “methods, materials and targets for a terrorist attack, including firearms and improvised explosive devices” and downloaded files “containing practical instruction for a terrorist attack”.

They also facilitated and planned overseas travel, took part in physical training, bought survival equipment and collected and supplied funds for terrorist purposes overseas. » | Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter | Friday, March 01, 2013

Byzantium, The Lost Empire: Building the Dream