Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Labels:
British monarchy
THE GUARDIAN: Barack Obama sends presidential delegation with no serving politicians to London ceremony
The US is to send distinctly low-key official representation to Lady Thatcher's funeral on Wednesday, with a delegation led by George Shultz and James Baker, who both served as US secretary of state while Thatcher was in power.
While Barack Obama was invited, he has opted to send a presidential delegation comprising no serving politicians. Shultz was secretary of state to Ronald Reagan while Baker served the elder George Bush. Also representing Obama will be Barbara Stephenson, chargé d'affaires at the US embassy in London, and Louis Susman, the recently departed ambassador to Britain.
Separately, the Republican party is sending three members of the House of Representatives: Marsha Blackburn, who will lead the delegation, along with Michele Bachmann and George Holding. Blackburn is a leading fiscal conservative, while Bachmann, a member of the hard[-]line conservative Tea Party faction, became internationally known during her spectacular if brief bid for the 2012 presidential nomination. » | Peter Walker | Tuesday, April 16, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Michael Deacon reports on the chapel service held for the late Baroness Thatcher in the Palace of Westminster, the day before her funeral.
Footsteps on flagstones echoed through the vast hall, breaking the cold, draughty silence. Faint sunlight crept in from the outside world through the stained glass; otherwise, the hall was dim. Darkness spread from the high rafters down the dingy stone walls. Into this echoing gloom, the mourners slowly filed.
The day before her funeral, a chapel service was being held for Baroness Thatcher in the Palace of Westminster. Tucked away in a poky corner of Westminster Hall, up a short flight of steps, and guarded by wrought-iron gates, was a small door headed, “Chapel of St Mary Undercroft”. It was here that, this afternoon at three o’clock, Lady Thatcher’s coffin was brought.
As a television news helicopter thundered overhead, crowds gathered outside Parliament to watch the hearse draw up at Old Palace Yard. Solemnly the bearers hoisted the coffin on to their shoulders. The union flag in which it was draped fluttered in the breeze. Nestled in the wreath was a small white card. It read, simply, “Beloved Mother – always in our hearts.” » | Michael Deacon, Parliamentary Sketchwriter | Tuesday, April 16, 2013
ABC NEWS: More than 2,000 invitations were sent out for the Wednesday funeral of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Among the former U.S. presidents, surviving U.K. prime ministers, world leaders and celebrities who made the cut are some high profile would-be guests who sent regrets: Former First Lady Nancy Reagan — whose husband had a close relationship with the late premier — will not be able to attend; nor will former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who shared key moments in history with the Iron Lady. Germany's Angela Merkel is sending her foreign minister, while U.S. power families the Clintons and the Bushes won't be making appearances.
Here's a look at who is — and isn't — attending the funeral Wednesday at St. Paul's Cathedral. » | Associated Press | Tuesday, April 16, 2013
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Mali
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Fazil Say,
insulting Islam,
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THE GUARDIAN: Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta says it will launch terror campaign 'in defence of Christianity'
Nigeria could face a battle between rival terrorist groups after Christian militants threatened to attack Muslim targets in response to bombings carried out by the Islamist group Boko Haram.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend), the umbrella body of armed groups in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta, said it would launch a new terror campaign "in defence of Christianity".
"The bombings of mosques, hajj camps, Islamic institutions, large congregations in Islamic events and assassinations of clerics that propagate doctrines of hate will form the core mission of this crusade," the Mend spokesman Jomo Gbomo said in an emailed statement. » | Afua Hirsch, west Africa correspondent | Tuesday, April 16, 2013
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Christianity,
Islamism,
MEND,
Nigeria
GATESTONE INSTITUTE: "Our work of information is not oriented against Muslims, but against the political ideology of Islam. Muslims are its first victims, most of all women." — Politically Incorrect
The Bavarian branch of Germany's domestic intelligence agency, the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV), has placed under state surveillance German activists accused of fomenting hate against Muslims due to their opposition to the construction of a mega-mosque in Munich.
The move to silence critics of the mosque for being "unconstitutional" was announced by Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann in a press conference on April 12, and represents an unprecedented threat to the exercise of free speech in post-reunification Germany.
Herrmann made the announcement while presenting an annual report about threats to democratic order in Germany. A seven-minute video of the press conference with subtitles in English can be viewed here.
Herrmann singled out a citizen's movement called Die Freiheit Bayern (Freedom Bavaria), as well as the Munich branch of a highly popular free speech blog called Politically Incorrect (PI), which focuses on topics related to immigration, multiculturalism and Islam in Germany. » | Soeren Kern | Tuesday, April 16, 2013
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Panorama
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
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BBC: Two explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon have left at least two people dead and a number of people injured.
The moment of the first explosion was captured by television crews covering the event. Watch BBC video » | Monday, April 15, 2013
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Boston,
Boston Marathon,
terrorism
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: In an attempt to save the euro at all costs, Europe's technocrats are advocating policies of startling brutality
When the Dutch finance minister suggested that the Cypriot bail-out could become a “model”, the outcry was immediate. It was all very well to treat a minnow such as Cyprus in such a brutal manner, said Jeroen Dijsselbloem’s critics, but no country of real stature would put up with a raid on its savers’ funds. What a difference a few weeks makes. Germany’s council of economic experts has now scrutinised the Cypriot rescue package, and concluded that the critics had a point. Not about the arbitrary confiscation of wealth, but that a levy on bank accounts was an inefficient manner of going about it. They suggest, in future, a tax on property or other assets, paid predominantly by the wealthy, since it is far more difficult to move your home out of reach. » | Telegraph View | Monday, April 15, 2013
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Angela Merkel,
Euro,
European Union
SITE MONITORING SERVICE – JIHAD THREAT: Amidst ongoing media reports of two explosions in the American city of Boston, Massachusetts, near the finish line of the marathon race on April 15, 2013, jihadists expressed their joy and hoped the blasts are acts of jihadi terrorism.
One forum member noted that over a week ago, a jihadist announced his desire to plan bombings in the United States, but was chastised by others for revealing such a plot publicly. He is referring to a posting on the Ansar al-Mujahideen forum on April 1 in which a jihadist tried to recruit members for an attack similar in impact to al-Qaeda's 9/11 strikes, but seemed focused on the attack being a suicide bombing. In other posts responding to the explosions, on the Ansar al-Mujahideen, al-Fida' and Shumukh al-Islam forums, jihadists gave pictures circulated in the media of the aftermath, showing injured people and a bloody sidewalk, and some hoped more bombings will follow. » | Monday, April 15, 2013
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Boston,
Islam in the USA,
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the Jihad
Monday, April 15, 2013
EXPRESS: GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel will not attend tomorrow's funeral for her fellow "Iron Lady", Baroness Thatcher, it was confirmed today.
Germany's government will instead be represented by foreign minister Guido Westerwelle.
Mrs Merkel has been described as the "Iron Lady of Europe" and "Iron Lady Lite" for her tough negotiating stance.
Embassy sources said she rarely attends such funerals overseas and that foreign minister Mr Westerwelle - who was in London last week for a G8 meeting - is the next most senior figure who would usually take up such an invitation to her government.
Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl might have been a candidate to represent the state as he knew then PM Thatcher personally but he is too infirm to travel.
Downing Street yesterday insisted it was "not at all" concerned that relatively few heads of government from major countries have so far accepted the invitation to join mourners in London's St Paul's Cathedral. » | Alison Little | Monday, April 15, 2013
THE INDEPENDENT: Atheist defends critical focus on Islam: Sam Harris, the prominent atheist, has hit back at charges of Islamophobia levelled by fellow non-believers – insisting that some faiths are more "mistaken" than others. » | Jerome Taylor | Sunday, April 14, 2013
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atheism,
Bill Maher,
religion,
Sam Harris
BBC: A prominent Kuwaiti opposition leader has been jailed for five years for insulting the emir.
Mussallam al-Barrak, a former MP, had first been detained in October on suspicion of "undermining the status of the emir".
He had warned the Emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Sabah, in a speech that he would not be allowed to "take Kuwait into the abyss of autocracy".
Several former MPs and tweeters have been jailed for insulting the emir.
Kuwait has not witnessed the same scale of pro-democracy uprisings as in other Arab states, but there has been growing tension between former members of parliament and the government, which is dominated by the al-Sabah family. » | Monday, April 15, 2015
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Kuwait
BBC: World-renowned Turkish pianist Fazil Say has been given a suspended 10-month jail sentence for insulting Muslim values.
An Istanbul court found Say guilty over a series of posts on the social networking site Twitter.
Say was not in court for the sentencing. But he denied the charges, saying they were politically motivated.
The case renewed concern about the influence of religion on politics in Turkey.
Pointing to the prosecution of several artists and intellectuals for voicing their views, critics have accused the governing AK Party of undermining Turkey's secular values and pandering to Islamists. » | Monday, April 15, 2013
Sunday, April 14, 2013
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: A senior Cabinet minister has appealed to people planning to protest at Baroness Thatcher’s funeral to allow the ceremony to take place in a “dignified” way.
Francis Maude, the Cabinet Office minister, has urged protesters to be “respectful” of the mourners attending Lady Thatcher’s funeral.
There are fears that protesters could attempt to disrupt Wednesday’s funeral ceremony in central London.
On Saturday night police were putting on a show of force in an attempt to discourage violent protests by groups who were gathering in Trafalgar Square to “re-enact” the Poll Tax riots of 1990.
Among those massing in the capital were anarchist and far-Left groups which have been planning for years to stage disruptions on the first Saturday following Lady Thatcher’s death. » | Peter Dominiczak, Political Correspondent | Sunday, April 14, 2013
LE POINT: Selon un récent sondage, 53 % des Espagnols désapprouvent la façon dont le roi Juan Carlos exerce ses fonctions.
Plus de 8 000 manifestants ont défilé dimanche dans le centre de Madrid pour dénoncer une monarchie à l'image ternie par plus d'un an de scandales dans un pays en crise et réclamer l'avènement d'une IIIe République en Espagne. Agitant des milliers de drapeaux républicains rouge, or et violet, les manifestants, la plupart des républicains convaincus de longue date, criaient "L'Espagne, demain, sera républicaine" et "Le Bourbon, au travail", en direction du roi d'Espagne Juan Carlos.
Comme tous les ans, ils avaient été convoqués, sous le slogan "À bas le régime monarchique, pour la III République", pour marquer la date anniversaire de la IIe République, proclamée le 14 avril 1931 et suivie par près de 40 ans de dictature franquiste après la guerre civile (1936-1939). "Personne n'a élu le roi", lançait Verónica Ruiz, militante du parti écolo-communiste Izquierda Unida (IU). "Nous voulons un référendum : ça serait la manière juste et démocratique de savoir ce que veut le peuple." » | Source AFP | dimanche 14 avril 2013
Saturday, April 13, 2013
MAIL ONLINE: Anyone who can yield great power easily and painlessly is probably ill suited to exercise it. So it was with Margaret Thatcher. Leaving Downing Street in 1990, ousted by her own colleagues, was more than a wrench for her. It was a personal catastrophe.
She had driven herself so hard and excluded so much else from her life that by then all she was made for was to lead. Suddenly she found herself on the political scrap-heap — and irreversibly so.
Some around her thought of a possible return to power. But she never did, and, contrary to whispered allegations, she always discouraged such imaginings. She knew she was out for good.
The transition to private life was stressful for her, and immediately after her departure from No. 10, her mood was black. She was prone to tears, she was difficult and ill-tempered, sometimes she seemed unhinged. She was almost certainly clinically depressed. Perhaps she should have taken some medication, but she did not.
It was a condition not helped by her belief that her successor, John Major, was betraying everything she stood for. She disliked what she perceived as his lack of principle, his pursuit of consensus, his wooing of interest groups and his chippiness. She was tortured by his constant attempts to distance himself from her.
Suddenly deprived of staff, she had to make her own phone calls, and it emerged that she had no idea how to use a push-button telephone. She had to get advice from her police minders to do so.
More difficulties arose with finding somewhere suitable to live. The new house she had bought in Dulwich, South-East London, was too far out of town, and so the Thatchers borrowed a flat in Eaton Square, Belgravia.
It was suitably grand and central but dark, and her husband Denis in particular disliked its gloom. Mrs Thatcher, sitting beneath a painting of Queen Isabella of Spain, hosted sometimes lachrymose and slightly mad lunches there, while her friends and advisers around the table lamented bitterly the turn of events.
It is to this time in her life that can be traced another problem — her drinking. Contrary to legend, Mrs Thatcher never drank heavily in office.
She enjoyed relaxing with a whisky and soda (no ice), her favourite drink because it was less fattening than gin and tonic. But she was never tempted to over-indulge because she always had a low threshold for alcohol, and even the mildest inebriation would have dulled her mind during the long hours she worked on her papers.
But, out of office, the demands on her were far less — and, like many unhappy people, she hoped a drink would make life bearable. Read on and comment » | Robin Harris | Friday, April 12, 2013
BBC: China and the US have vowed to work together to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear programme and to settle tensions through dialogue.
A Chinese statement issued during a visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry said the nuclear issue was the "shared responsibility of all parties".
Mr Kerry said the two sides must decide "very quickly" how to proceed.
North Korea has recently threatened nuclear attacks, and is feared to be preparing a missile launch.
A flurry of warlike statements from Pyongyang has prompted speculation that a launch could happen on 15 April, when the country marks the 101st birthday of the nation's founder and former leader, Kim Il-sung. (+ BBC video) » | Saturday, April 13, 2013
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China,
North Korea,
nuclear war,
USA
BBC: After a 30-year career in public life Nicolas Sarkozy left the Elysee [sic] Palace pledging "never to return".
But barely a year on the polls would suggest that if an election was held today, the former president would trounce the incumbent Francois Hollande and on the right, he remains the preferred candidate to stand in 2017.
Since May his appearances have been few and far between. These days, the ex-president sports a light designer stubble. Its a more relaxed, care-free image. Perhaps all part of the bigger plan.
"The game is to entertain the thought of a comeback," said Pierre Rousselin, commentator for the right wing newspaper Le Figaro. "He won't come back unless people ask for him to come back. And in French politics, the presidency is won over the heads of the parties - what really matters is the relationship between the candidate and the public opinion at large."
Asked about Mr Sarkozy's possible return the former interior minister Claude Guéant said: "When I see what's going on, when I look at what was achieved in his presidency, I think France should turn to him." (+ BBC video) » | Christian Fraser | BBC News, Paris | Saturday, April 13, 2013
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France,
French politics,
Nicolas Sarkozy
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Baroness's Thatcher daughter has spoken of "tough and tearful week" ahead and thanked those who paid tributes to her mother.
In her first public statement since the former Prime Minister's death five days ago, Carol Thatcher also said that her mother had told her daughter that she was confident her place in history was "assured".
"I feel like anyone else who has just lost a second parent," Thatcher's daughter said. "It's a deeply sad and rather thought-provoking landmark in life. » | Robert Watts | Saturday, April 13, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Lady Thatcher planned her own funeral, right down to the hymns, writes Michael Deacon .
In death as in life, Margaret Thatcher remains firmly in charge. The woman whose premiership was marked by ramrod certainty and whipcrack decision-making had, it turns out, a characteristically needle-sharp idea about how her funeral must proceed. Today, the details of that idea emerge.
From the singing of I Vow to Thee, My Country to the choice of readings, every aspect of the occasion will reflect some part of Baroness Thatcher’s character: her love of Britain, her Christian faith, her belief in tradition.
One of her chief orders was that David Cameron give a reading. This is not, it seems, because he is David Cameron, or because he is the leader of Lady Thatcher’s party, but simply because he is Prime Minister: her instructions were that there should be a reading by whoever was the prime minister at the time of her death, regardless of political affiliation. It could have been Ed Miliband. (Mr Miliband, and indeed Mr Cameron, will no doubt be grateful that it isn’t.) » | Michael Deacon | Friday, April 12, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
BBC: BBC Radio 1 controller Ben Cooper has said that a "four or five" second clip of the Wizard of Oz song at the centre of an anti-Margaret Thatcher campaign will be played on the Official Chart Show.
Sales of Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead have soared since the former Prime Minister's death on Monday, aged 87.
Mr Cooper called the decision "a difficult compromise" and said he was "stuck between a rock and a hard-place". Watch BBC video » | Friday, April 12, 2013
My comment:
The BBC loses all sense of credibility playing this clip. Even if it is only “four or five” seconds. The song, which I have reluctantly just listened to on YouTube, is in incredibly bad taste. Only a person without any sense of propriety, decency, taste, refinement, or civility would rejoice in the death of another human being.
Mrs. Thatcher, as she was then, was an extremely dedicated leader. She did some great things for this country. Anyone who is old enough will be able to remember the parlous state this country was in when she came to office. Mrs. Thatcher, love her or hate her, turned this country around. And one should respect her for that. You don’t have to agree with all she did, but she should be respected for her efforts to pull the country up by the bootstraps.
Baroness Thatcher was a human being. To be human is to err. So although she did some wonderful things for this country, she also made some mistakes. As we all would.
But I believe that history will be kind to her. She was a lady who rose through the ranks through sheer guts and determination. She had pluck, determination, ‘stickability’, vision, and conviction aplenty. Everything was set against her. In fact, it is quite remarkable that she was able not only to become Britain’s first woman prime minister, but that she was able to become its first Conservative woman prime minister. Give credit where credit is due!
Many of those demonstrating are too young to remember what Britain was like in the pre-Thatcher era. So in many ways it can be said that they don’t even know what they are demonstrating against. They are basing their demos on hearsay and emotion.
Regardless of all this, it is in very bad taste to speak ill of the dead. These people should also remember that there are members of Mrs. Thatcher’s family who are still grieving her death. They should bear this in mind when they demonstrate in the coming days. It would be far better for them to go home in peace and hang their heads in shame, for no-one deserves to be treated like this. Neither in life nor death, but especially in death. – © Mark
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Police are preparing for violent scenes tomorrow after football fans vowed to confront anti-Thatcher protesters during a day of protest across the capital.
Officers will have to deal with three protests by left-wing groups, including an event to "celebrate" the death of Baroness Thatcher in Trafalgar Square, as 50,000 football fans head into central London following the FA Cup semi-final between Millwall and Wigan.
Some fans from Millwall have threatened to confront the anti-Thatcher protesters. The public have been warned to avoid central London.
Tomorrow night thousands have vowed to hold a party to celebrate the death of Baroness Thatcher in Trafalgar Square.
On the same day, UK Uncut, the anti-austerity protest group, have promised to hold a day of "civil disobedience" in protest to reforms to welfare, in which they will "evict" the "architects of austerity". It could mean the homes of Cabinet ministers are targeted.
And separately, the TUC is leading a march from 11am of "one thousand mothers" against benefit cuts in Tottenham - the scene of the worst disorder in London eighteen months ago. » | Hayley Dixon | Friday, April 12, 2013
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL – OP ED: In a nation of equals, I shudder to hear fellow citizens addressed as 'your royal highness.'
In my country, one family has a monopoly on the position of head of state. No, I'm not from North Korea, but from the Netherlands, where after 30 years on the throne, Queen Beatrix of Orange will abdicate at the end of this month to her son Willem-Alexander.
The ceremony will receive world-wide attention—and since this is royalty we're talking about, expect it to be fawning. Television will present the fairy tale of a happy nation united under its new king.
Well, count me out. I am one of many Dutch citizens who think it is time for us to do what America and most other countries did long ago: take leave of our monarchs.
The United States made me a republican. (With a small R, that is.) Having lived there for 30 years, I can no longer tolerate a system that has just one requirement for the top job: being from the right family. Most republics select their heads of state based on merit, but in Holland no special talents are needed to become king.
Indeed, even monarchists have questioned whether Willem-Alexander is up to the job that he will inherit and from which he cannot be fired. They console themselves with the thought that Maxima, his Argentine wife and our future queen, is smart enough to pick up the slack if needed.
How is it possible that the Dutch continue to set such a low bar for their democracy? I don't want to call my countrymen brainwashed, but I have noticed that geographic distance has given me and many other Dutch émigrés a different perspective on the monarchy. As Americans living abroad know, it becomes easier to question one's national values when you are not constantly exposed to messages reinforcing them. In Holland the queen's face is on euro coins and on postage stamps, the national anthem is an ode to her family, and the Dutch observe the Queen's birthday in the way Americans celebrate Independence Day. Media coverage is by and large reverential if not unctuous. Scandals are quickly forgotten.
In a country known for its outspokenness, the monarchy may well be the last taboo. Unlike the U.K., Holland has no politicians publicly making a case against the monarchy. Ever since the queen announced her decision to abdicate, many aspects of the succession have been debated: May fur be used in the royal robe? Should parliamentarians pledge loyalty to the king? But almost no one has raised the most fundamental and obvious question: Should we call it quits? » | Max Westerman * | Wednesday, April 03, 2013
* Mr. Westerman, a former Newsweek reporter, covered the U.S. for 15 years as a correspondent for Dutch television.
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Islam
THE TABLET: Straws in the wind they may be, but signs are that the election of Pope Francis may have freed some Catholic prelates to depart from the party line on the issue of same-sex relationships. The line was established by Pope Emeritus Benedict when he was head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. With the approval of Pope John Paul II, he had declared that “legal recognition of homosexual unions or placing them on the same level as marriage would mean ... the approval of deviant behaviour”.
Speaking in London this week, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna urged that same-sex relationships should be respected and recognised in law. Meanwhile in Colombia, Cardinal Rubén Salazar said in the context of the gay-marriage debate in that country, “Other unions have the right to exist – no one can ask them not to.” Both cardinals were clear they oppose same-sex marriage, on the grounds that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman. As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis is reported to have expressed similar views to those of Cardinal Salazar. » | Editor | Saturday, April 13, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The authorities in London are prepared for rioting as people “celebrate” the death of Margaret Thatcher, Boris Johnson has warned.
The authorities in London are prepared for rioting as people “celebrate” the death of Margaret Thatcher, Boris Johnson has warned.
Mr Johnson, the Mayor of London, said that that protesters who break the law during the street parties will be “properly dealt with”.
Anarchist groups have warned of more mass protests on Saturday, with 2,000 to 3,000 people expected to attend.
The events, at 25 locations across the country, are being organised by a group called Class War, with the help of other organisations such as the All London Anarchist Revolutionary Mob, which says it is “committed to radical action to undermine the state”.
One of the “parties” is being planned for Trafalgar Square in central London on Saturday, the scene of the poll tax riots in 1990. » | Peter Dominiczak, Political Correspondent | Friday, April 12, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Protesters plan to line the streets by St Paul's Cathedral on Wednesday so they can "turn their backs" on Baroness Thatcher's casket, it has emerged.
Nearly 3,000 people have joined Facebook group "Maggie's Good Riddance Party", which claims it will hold a "right jolly knees up" outside St Paul's on the day of Baroness Thatcher's funeral.
The protesters wish to "get their money's worth" from the funeral, which will be paid for in part by the state.
Those attending include a civil servant at the Department of Work and Pensions, a carer and a branch leader of the National Union of Students. Some warned of "civil unrest".
Police have said anyone wanting to hold peaceful demonstrations in London on the day of the funeral will not be prevented from doing so, but urged organisers to contact the Metropolitan Police in advance.
The protesters plan to line the streets where Baroness Thatcher's funeral carriage will pass, particularly outside the cathedral, so they can turn their backs on the coffin as it goes by.
Any protest, and ensuing confrontation with the police, will be watched by millions of television viewers around the world. » | Amy Willis | Friday, April 12, 2013
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chemical weapons,
G8,
Syria,
William Hague
Thursday, April 11, 2013
DIE ZEIT: Frankreichs Präsident ist schwach. Doch er ist weiß Gott nicht das größte Problem: Das Land braucht nicht weniger als eine Revolution.
Im Elysée, dem Palast des französischen Präsidenten, schleicht die Angst um. Ebenso im Hôtel de Matignon, dem Amtssitz des Premierministers, sowie in den Ministerien und in der Nationalversammlung. Angst – und Misstrauen: Wer ist als Nächster dran? Wer stürzt über den morgigen Skandal? Wer hat etwas in der Hand und gegen wen? Schweizer Bankiers beginnen zu reden; Enthüllungsjournalisten nennen Namen; und dann wäre da noch dieser prominente Anwalt, der sich kürzlich umgebracht hat. Der hatte auch Klienten von anrüchigem Reichtum. Einige Leute dürften jetzt brennendes Interesse an den Dossiers haben, die in seinen Aktenschränken schlummern.
Die Mehrheit der Franzosen freilich teilt ein anderes Gefühl: Scham. » | Von Gero von Randow | Donnerstag, 11. April 2013
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Frankreich
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Many of the political titans who have dominated British politics for more than 40 years are set to be present in St Paul’s Cathedral next week to pay their final respects to Baroness Thatcher.
All surviving members of Lady Thatcher’s Cabinets - including Lord Heseltine and Lord Howe – have been invited to attend the funeral on Wednesday, which will see more than 2,000 people mourn the loss of the former prime minister.
Foreign politicians including former South Africa leader FW de Klerk and former US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton have also been invited.
From the world of arts, singer Dame Shirley Bassey and composer Lord Lloyd-Webber will be attending the service. Jeremy Clarkson, the Top Gear presenter, will also be at the funeral.
Number 10 said the guest list had been drawn up by Lady Thatcher's family and representatives with the assistance of the Government and the Conservative Party.
More than 2,000 invitations are expected to be printed today and sent out tomorrow. » | Peter Dominiczak, Political Correspondent | Thursday, April 11, 2013
THE GUARDIAN: The Margaret Thatcher I knew: 20 personal insights – What was the former prime minister really like to work with and against, to live with and to help dress? Those who knew her best remember » | Monday, April 08, 2013
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BBC,
Frank Gardner,
Saudi Arabia
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Margaret Thatcher,
Sweden
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Vatican has admitted that the health of Pope Emeritus Benedict has deteriorated, after an experienced Holy See watcher claimed that "we won't have him with us for very much longer".
Benedict, 85, who made history by becoming the first Pope since the Middle Ages to voluntarily step down, has looked increasingly frail in his few public appearances since his resignation on Feb 28.
He appeared particularly unsteady when he was visited by his successor, Pope Francis, at Castel Gandolfo, the summer papal residence outside Rome where Benedict has been staying since his departure from the Vatican.
Paloma Gomez Borerro, a veteran Vatican correspondent from Spain, claimed that "Benedict is in a very bad way. In the last 15 days he has undergone a tremendous physical deterioration."
Benedict is due to move to a former convent within the walls of the Vatican within the next month, but Ms Gomez Borrero said she thought it unlikely he would spend much time there in light of his declining health. "We won't have him with us for very much longer," she said. » | Nick Squires, Rome | Wednesday, April 10, 2013
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Pope Benedict XVI
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
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Lord Tebbit,
Margaret Thatcher
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Geert Wilders,
Glenn Beck,
radical Islam
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Barack Obama,
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BBC: The leader of the al-Nusra Front, a jihadist group fighting in Syria, has pledged allegiance to the leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani said the group's behaviour in Syria would not change as a result.
Al-Nusra claims to have carried out many suicide bombings and guerrilla attacks against state targets.
On Tuesday, al-Qaeda in Iraq announced a merger with al-Nusra, but Mr Jawlani said he had not been consulted on this.
Al-Nusra has been designated as a terrorist organisation by the US.
Debates among Western leaders over whether to arm Syria's rebels have often raised the concern of weapons ending up in the hands of groups such as al-Nusra.
"The sons of al-Nusra Front pledge allegiance to Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri," Mr Jawlani said in a recording released on Wednesday. » | Wednesday, April 10, 2013
WIKI: Al-Nusra Front »
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al-Qaeda,
Jabhat al-Nusra,
Syria
MAIL ONLINE: Oscar-winning actress launches astonishing assault on Lady Thatcher / Accuses her of 'wreaking heinous social and economic damage' / Good-natured debate started by Cameron and Miliband blown apart / Left-wing MPs use recall of Parliament to condemn Thatcher's Britain
Labour MP Glenda Jackson tonight launched an extraordinary attack on Baroness Thatcher, barely 48 hours after former Prime Minister’s death.
Ms Jackson, an Oscar-winning actress turned politician, suggested Lady Thatcher was ‘a woman but not on my terms’.
And she accused the former Tory Premier of ‘wreaking the most heinous social and economic damage on this country’.
The bitter outburst from the left-winger came during a Commons debate to pay tribute to Baroness Thatcher, who died on Monday aged 97.
It sparked furious complaints from Tory MPs, accusing Ms Jackson of using the recall of Parliament to attack the memory of the person who has been deceased'.
Labour leader Ed Miliband and predecessor Tony Blair had urged the party's MPs to show respect to Baroness Thatcher when discussing her legacy.
But the unprecedented occasion of a seven-hour debate to pay cross-party tribute was marred when Ms Jackson launched into a devastating attack on the three-times election winner.
To cries of 'shame!' form Tory benches, Ms Jackson finished her speech remarking how women who helped run the country during the war would not have recognised the idea of 'womanliness' embodied in Baroness Thatcher.
She added: 'The first prime minister of female gender, ok. But a woman? Not on my terms.'
With the Labour benches almost deserted behind her, she told MPs: 'When I made my maiden speech in this chamber a little over two decades ago, Margaret Thatcher had been elevated to the [House of Lords].
'But Thatcherism was still wreaking - as it had wreaked for the whole decade - the most heinous social and economic damage on this country, on my constituency and my constituents.' Read on and comment » | Matt Chorley, MailOnline Political Editor | Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Tuesday, April 09, 2013
NYASA TIMES: The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) has slapped Radio Islam with a $625 (about K260, 000) fine for denigrating the Christian religion, mostly stating that Jesus Christ is not the son of God.
Macra has imposed the fine on Radio Islam for breaching Clause 2(a) of the Third Schedule to the Communications Act and Clause 10.1.3 of its Licences by denigrating other religion beliefs.
“In January, 2013 Radio Islam aired a programme where they denigrated the Christian religion by among other things stating that Jesus Christ is not the Son of God and all people who follow him shall perish in hell.
“Upon hearing representations from Radio Islam, they admitted to have aired the program in breach of both the Communications Act and the Licence terms and conditions. » | Yankho Msukwa, Nyasa Times | Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Labels:
Malawi
SBS.COM.AU: The first Muslim woman to be appointed to any parliament in Australia says her religion won’t be a major influence on her politics.
The first Muslim woman to be appointed to any parliament in Australia says her religion won’t be a major influence on her politics.
Mehreen Faruqi will take over from Greens MP Cate Faehrmann in the New South Wales upper house later this year.
The environmental engineer and university lecturer told SBS religion should play “no part” in politics, and rejected earlier claims from an Islamic Friendship Association spokesman that she could have difficulties reconciling issues such as gay marriage with Islamic teachings.
“We live in a democracy and [have] a secular system of government. I see no role that religion plays in government, and nor should it,” she said. » | Source: Rhiannon Elston, SBS | Tuesday, April 09, 2013
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Ein Staatsbegräbnis gibt es nicht, doch die frühere britische Premierministerin Margaret Thatcher wird mit allem militärischen Pomp beerdigt. Sogar die Queen kommt. Das Unterhaus unterbricht die Osterpause, um die Staatsfrau zu würdigen.
Es ist die Paradestrecke der königlichen Kutschen - vom Parlamentsgebäude über den Trafalgar Square bis zur St. Paul's Cathedral. Am 17. April wird hier der Sarg mit dem Leichnam vonMargaret Thatcher entlangfahren. Auf beiden Seiten werden Soldaten aller Truppenteile Spalier stehen und Bürger ihre Fähnchen schwenken.
Zum Trauergottesdienst werden zahlreiche Staatsgäste aus dem Ausland erwartet. Auch Queen Elizabeth II. wird Thatcher die letzte Ehre erweisen - eine Würdigung, die zuletzt Winston Churchill1965 zuteil wurde.
Mit großem Pomp nehmen die Briten Abschied von ihrer früheren Premierministerin. Die 87-Jährige war am Montagmorgen im Londoner Hotel Ritz gestorben, wo sie sich in den vergangenen Monaten von einer Operation erholt hatte. Beim Lesen im Bett hatte sie einen Schlaganfall erlitten. » | Von Carsten Volkery, London | Dienstag, 09. April 2013
BBC: North Korea has warned foreigners in South Korea to take evacuation measures in case of war.
This comes amid growing concern that the North may be about to launch a missile test.
Pyongyang has been making bellicose threats against South Korea, Japan and US bases in the region.
Japan has deployed defensive anti-missile batteries at three locations in Tokyo, to protect the capital's 30 million residents.
US-made Patriot anti-missile systems have been deployed at the defence ministry and at two other military bases.
"The government is making utmost efforts to protect our people's lives and ensure their safety," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.
"As North Korea keeps making provocative comments, Japan, co-operating with relevant countries, will do what we have to do," he added. » | Tuesday, April 09, 2013
Labels:
Kim Jong-un,
North Korea,
Pyongyang
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Margaret Thatcher’s success as British Prime Minister was down to her tough upbringing as a child, according to the Baroness’s daughter Carol.
Carol Thatcher, 59, paid tribute to her mother for developing skills gleaned from her “austere childhood” and a lack of "luxuries", which helped shape her glittering career in public life.
Lady Thatcher’s daughter said skills such as discipline, motivation and “tunnel vision” were instrumental in her political career, which ended in her becoming the country’s first and only female occupant of Downing Street.
Miss Thatcher said that her mother’s tough upbringing helped her become a “very motivated” person.
The pre-recorded comments were made in a BBC documentary last night, which was presented by Andrew Marr, one of the corporation's leading political journalists.
She told the former BBC Political Editor: “My mother certainly had an austere childhood. Material luxuries were in short supply.
“I think everything she put into use in her career in later life, was gleaned from her childhood – the discipline, the motivation and the tunnel vision.
“She was a very motivated child, a very motivated teenager and we all know what a motivated adult she became.” » | Andrew Hough | Tuesday, April 09, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Unlike most politicians today, she had courage, integrity and a clear sense of who she was
In the 300 years that have passed since the office was invented at the start of the 18th century, there have been just a handful of truly great prime ministers: Pitt the Younger; Gladstone; Disraeli; Lloyd George; Churchill.
And, it can now be asserted with certainty, Margaret Thatcher. With her death, she joins the ranks of the immortals.
The reason is simple. Most prime ministers allow themselves to be shaped by the times in which they live. Just a very few – and she was emphatically one of these – refuse to conform.
They have the daring to shape the world. Pitt intuitively discerned the emerging empire, Gladstone brought a profound moral sense to British government, Disraeli created the modern Conservative Party, Lloyd George saved the nation in the First World War.
Churchill – the greatest of them all – rallied the British nation, and then the entire world, against Hitler.
The magnificence of Thatcher was her adamantine refusal to accept the conventional wisdom of her age. When she became premier in 1979, almost everybody who mattered accepted it as fact that Britain was finished. Almost everyone believed that the unions – the new feudal barons – were in control, and there was nothing to be done about it. » | Peter Oborne | Monday, April 08, 2013
Monday, April 08, 2013
MAIL ONLINE: Baroness Thatcher died at London's Ritz hotel after suffering a stroke / Had been recuperating at five star hotel after spending Christmas in hospital / Former prime minister was rarely seen in public in recent years / Had been in fragile health since suffering series of strokes in 2002 / Daughter Carol rushed home from Klosters, Switzerland yesterday
Baroness Thatcher died today in the luxury suite at the Ritz where she had spent months recuperating after an operation.
Britain's first and only female prime minister, who passed away peacefully at the age of 87 after suffering a massive stroke, had checked into the five star hotel at the start of the year following minor surgery on her bladder over Christmas.
While a close-knit circle of friends took it in turns to visit the increasingly frail 87-year-old at the Belgravia hotel - a long-time favourite of the former leader's - it was a solitary start to what would prove to be her final few months.
She had been due to spend Christmas Day with her niece Jane Mays, who lives in north east London, but was admitted to hospital five days earlier for minor surgery to remove a growth on her bladder.
Her daughter Carol Thatcher, 59, was understood to be at her side in the hospital at Christmas time.
After being discharged Baroness Thatcher was checked straight into a suite at the hotel in Belgravia amid concerns she would no longer be able to manage the stairs at her elegant four storey mansion.
Staff at the hotel had invited her to make the Ritz her home for the foreseeable future, and her carers are understood to have been taking it in turns to stay with the 87-year-old. » | Kerry McDermott | Monday, April 08, 2013
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