EU to Ban Olive Oil Jugs from Restaurants
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The European Union is to ban olive oil jugs and dipping bowls from restaurant tables in a move described by one of Britain's top cooks as authoritarian and damaging to artisanal food makers.

The small glass jugs filled with green or gold coloured extra virgin olive oil are familiar and traditional for restaurant goers across Europe but they will be banned from 1 January 2014 after a decision taken in an obscure Brussels committee earlier this week.

From next year olive oil "presented at a restaurant table" must be in pre-packaged, factory bottles with a tamper-proof dispensing nozzle and labelling in line with EU industrial standards.

The use of classic, refillable glass jugs or glazed terracotta dipping bowls and the choice of a restaurateur to buy olive oil from a small artisan producer or family business will be outlawed. » | Bruno Waterfield, Brussels | Friday, May 17, 2013

Pope Francis Urges Global Leaders to End 'Tyranny' of Money

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Pope Francis has attacked the “dictatorship” of the global financial system and warned that the “cult of money” was making life a misery for millions.

He said free-market capitalism had created a “tyranny” and that human beings were being judged purely by their ability to consume goods.

Money should be made to “serve” people, not to “rule” them, he said, calling for a more ethical financial system and curbs on financial speculation.

Countries should impose more control over their economies and not allow “absolute autonomy”, in order to provide “for the common good”.

The gap between rich and poor was growing and the “joy of life” was diminishing in many developed countries, the Argentinian Pope said, two months after he was elected as the successor to Benedict XVI.

“While the income of a minority is increasing exponentially, that of the majority is crumbling,” said Francis, who as archbishop of Buenos Aires visited slums, opted to live in a modest flat rather than an opulent Church residence and went to work by bus.

In poorer countries, people’s lives were becoming “undignified” and marked by violence and desperation, he said. » | Nick Squires, Rome | Thursday, May 16, 2013

Islamic Forced Conversions–Past and Present
THE BLAZE: The lost history of Christians forced to convert to Islam—or die—is reemerging, figuratively and literally. According to the BBC: “Pope Francis has proclaimed the first saints of his pontificate in a ceremony [last Sunday] at the Vatican—a list which includes 800 victims of an atrocity carried out by Ottoman soldiers in 1480.They were beheaded in the southern Italian town of Otranto after refusing to convert to Islam.”

The BBC adds in a sidebar: “The ‘Martyrs of Otranto’ were 813 Italians beheaded for defying demands by Turkish invaders to renounce Christianity. The Turks had been sent by Mohammed II, who had already captured the ‘second Rome’ of Constantinople.”

Historical texts throughout the centuries are filled with similar anecdotes, including the “60 Martyrs of Gaza,” Christian soldiers who were executed for refusing Islam during the 7th century Islamic invasion of Jerusalem. Seven centuries later, during the Islamic invasion of Georgia, Christians refusing to convert were forced into their church and set on fire. Witnesses for Christ lists 200 anecdotes of Christians killed—including some burned at the stake, thrown on iron spikes, dismembered, stoned, stabbed, shot at, drowned, pummeled to death, impaled and crucified—for refusing to embrace Islam.

If history is shocking, the fact is, today, Christians—men, women, and children—are still being forced to convert to Islam. Pope Francis alluded to their sufferings during the same ceremony: “As we venerate the martyrs of Otranto, let us ask God to sustain those many Christians who, in these times and in many parts of the world, right now, still suffer violence, and give them the courage and fidelity to respond to evil with good.”

Consider some recent anecdotes: » | Raymond Ibrahim | Thursday, May 16, 2013

The Gospels of Islam
PATHEOS: I have been tracking the ancient “lost gospels” through the Middle Ages, when these alternative scriptures continued to exercise a remarkably wide influence. This was especially true in the cultures of Islam, which emerged in a largely Christian world fascinated by apocryphal writings. Even in the fifth century, Arabia was proverbially haeresium ferax: the breeding ground of heresies.

A century ago, Jesuit scholar Louis Cheikho stressed that the pre-Islamic Christian East was “literally inundated” with apocryphal works of both the Old and New Testaments (Quelques légendes islamiques apocryphes, 1910). He listed some of the influences that he could trace in the Qur’an itself: the Apocalypse of Adam, Book of Enoch, the Cave of Treasures, the Protevangelium, the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, the Arabic Infancy Gospel, and the Gospel of Barnabas.

Cheikho also warned that we should be very careful when reading Qur’anic citations to such seemingly familiar works as the Torah, the Gospel or the Psalms. In each case, he argued, we are not necessarily dealing with the canonical versions of these texts, but rather apocryphal versions or adaptations.

Not surprisingly, then, early Islam knew a great deal about Christianity and its writings, but not in forms accepted by the mainstream churches of either East or West. Both Jesus and Mary make frequent appearances in the Qur’an, but they are portrayed very differently from what we find in the canonical gospels. Some of these changes can be easily understood in terms of the establishment of a new faith – or, as Muslims, would say, the purification of an age-old faith. It is not surprising, then, to find the Qur’an’s Jesus affirming clearly that he is not God and shares nothing of divinity. Read on and comment » | Philip Jenkins | Friday, May 17, 2013

Muslim Converts: Changing My Religion

THE ECONOMIST: A British strand of Islam is emerging as more people become converts

MUSLIM converts have an image problem. A handful, like Richard Dart, a Dorset native jailed last month, have been implicated in terrorism. Samantha Lewthwaite, who was married to Germaine Lindsay, one of the 7/7 bombers and himself a convert, is wanted by Kenyan police in connection with an alleged bomb plot.

Even without the taint of extremism, women are sometimes pitied for joining a religion accused of oppressing them. Despite these concerns, converts, for the most part peaceable, propel Islam’s transition from an immigrant religion to a home-grown one.

Calculating convert numbers is tricky. The census in England and Wales only asks about people’s current religion. Mosques do not record conversions centrally, and some new believers keep their conversions quiet. But using census data on race and religion, and questionnaires issued to mosques, Kevin Brice, a researcher at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, reckons around 5,200 Britons turn to Islam every year, bringing the total number of converts to about 100,000.

Proselytising has little do with it. A handful of Muslim groups hand out tracts in the street. But most are more concerned with issuing press releases condemning extremism than wooing converts, says Leon Moosavi, an expert on Islamic conversions at Liverpool University.

Those who embrace Islam tend to do so after years of contact with Muslims. Reasons vary. Some, mostly women (who make up around two-thirds of new believers), want to marry a Muslim. Others are fed up with the bawdiness of British society. Many speak of seeking a sense of community. Batool al-Toma, an Irish-Catholic convert who runs the New Muslim Project in Leeds, was attracted, she says, by the spirituality of Islam and the warmth of relationships she saw among Muslims. Read on and comment » | Norwich | Saturday, May 18, 2013

Islam Could Be Dominant UK Religion in 10 Years – Census Analysis

RT.COM: One in 10 people under 25 are Muslim, while Christianity is in decline, the 2011 UK census reveals. An explosion in the Muslim population and an aging Christian demographic could mean Islam will be the dominant religion in the UK in 10 years.

A new analysis of the 2011 census by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that the number of Christians was falling 50 per cent faster than had previously been thought. Earlier analysis of the statistics showed only a 15 per cent decline, but the ONS found that this figure had been beefed up by 1.2 million foreign-born Christians.

Furthermore, the re-analysis showed that the majority of Christians were over the age of 60 and for the first time less than half of young people describe themselves as Christian. As a result the ONS has calculated that in a decade only a minority will classify themselves as Christians in England. Christianity is still the dominant religion in the UK with over 50 per cent of the population regarding themselves as believers.

However, this may be set to change as the British Muslim population has surged dramatically over the past 15 years, increasing by 75 per cent in England and Wales. The 2011 census puts the Muslim population of the UK at around 5 per cent, a total that has been boosted by around 600,000 Muslim immigrants who have arrived in the UK over the past decade. » | Friday, May 17, 2013

RT.COM: ‘White flight’ in UK as mass immigration leads to segregation: New census figures reveal that white Britons are leaving areas where they are in a minority as a leading think-tank warns Britain is “sleepwalking into segregation.” ¶ White Britons are leaving areas where they are in a minority and are being replaced by immigrants and other ethnic minorities, a study by the Demos think-tank has found. ¶ As a result of ‘white flight’, nearly half of ethnic minorities in the UK – about 4 million people – live in communities where whites make up less than half of the population. » | Sunday, May 06, 2013

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Hayes: Benghazi Emails Contradict White House Claims
Document dump by White House sparks more questions than answers in Benghazi tragedy

UKIP's Nigel Farage Explains Why He Hung Up On BBC Scotland
BBC: Nigel Farage has said he hung up on an interview with BBC Scotland because the line of questioning "was insulting and unpleasant".

The UKIP leader was speaking on Good Morning Scotland following angry protests in Edinburgh on Thursday during a campaign to win over the Scottish electorate.

He told the BBC he did not regret the interview's abrupt ending, adding: "I wasn't very impressed with it." (+ BBC audio) » | Friday, May 17, 2013

EXPRESS: 'Nigel Farage has lost the plot': UKIP leader hangs up during explosive Scottish interview: NIGEL FARAGE sensationally hung up during a tense telephone interview this morning, after being accused of being "politically irrelevant" in Scotland. » | Charlotte Meredith | Friday, May 17, 2013

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Nigel Farage Attacks 'Fascist Scum' Protesters
THE GUARDIAN: Ukip leader calls on Scottish first minister Alex Salmond to condemn demonstrators who forced him to flee media briefing


Nigel Farage has described protesters who forced him to flee a press conference as "fascist scum" who were filled with "total and utter hatred" of the English.

The UK Independence party leader challenged the Scottish first minister, Alex Salmond, to condemn the "pretty ugly" face of nationalist protesters who forced him to abandon a press conference (video) at the Canon's Gait pub on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

Farage had to be whisked away in a police van after a crowd of about 50 young demonstrators, including activists in the radical left pro-Scottish independence movement, forced him to retreat four times.

The Ukip leader told BBC Good Morning Scotland: "The fact that 50 yobbo, fascist scum turn up and aren't prepared to listen to debate I absolutely refuse to believe is representative of Scottish public opinion. It is not.

"If this is the face of Scottish nationalism, it's a pretty ugly nation. The anger, the hatred, the shouting, the snarling, the swearing was all linked in to a desire for the union jack to be burnt."

Farage defended his decision to call the protesters "fascist scum", saying they had been "filled with total and utter hatred of the English and not prepared to engage in debate at all".

He criticised the media for failing to report "the excesses of Scottish nationalism and how deeply unpleasant they can be". » | Nicholas Watt and Severin Carrell | Friday, May 17, 2013

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Nigel Farage condemns 'fascist scum' who forced him to take refuge in Edinburgh pub: The Ukip leader Nigel Farage has condemned the "fascist scum" who forced him to take refuge in an Edinburgh pub and hung up on a BBC Scotland interview over outrage at the "hatred" in its questioning. » | Rowena Mason, Political Correspondent | Friday, May 17, 2013

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Europe Can Survive Without Britain, Says François Hollande

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: François Hollande launched a three-pronged attack on Britain saying that Europe would survive without the UK, while claiming David Cameron risked splintering the EU and that his austerity policies were failing.

In a marathon press conference just shy of three hours, the embattled Socialist President promised to "go on the offensive" in year two of his five-year mandate with France sinking into recession and enduring record unemployment levels.

When asked about Mr Cameron's plan for a law guaranteeing a vote on Britain's EU membership, Mr Hollande told 400 journalists gathered at the Elysée Palace: "Europe existed before Britain joined it."

France, Germany and four other nations were long part of the European Economic Community before Britain joined fully in 1973. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Thursday, May 16, 2013

Nigel Farage Barricaded in Scottish Pub and Rescued by Police Riot Van

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Nigel Farage has been barricaded by police in a pub before being whisked away in a riot van after his visit to Scotland was hijacked by hard-Left independence supporters.

The Ukip leader was left stranded in the middle of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, surrounded by around 50 nationalists and socialists calling him a racist, but demanding that he: “Go home to England”.

Police officers attempted to persuade two taxi drivers to take Mr Farage away from the trouble but both refused as the protesters continued to barrack the MEP with chants of “racist Nazi scum”.

A shaken Mr Farage told reporters: “We have never had a reception like this anywhere in Britain before. Clearly, it’s anti-British and anti-English. They hate the Union Jack.”

Police officers then insisted for his own safety that he enter the Canon’s Gait pub, the wooden doors of which were then locked.

The protesters continued to jeer and shout abuse, with some unveiling a 20ft banner that, referring to next year’s referendum, stated: “Vote Yes for Scotland”.

Others among the mostly young crowd serenaded Mr Farage by telling him where he should “stick your Union Jack”. » | Simon Johnson, Scottish Political Editor | Thursday, May 16, 2013

Christianity Declining 50pc Faster Than Thought – As One In 10 Under-25s Is A Muslim

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Christianity could be facing a catastrophic collapse in Britain according to official figures suggesting it is declining 50 per cent faster than previously thought.

A new analysis of the 2011 census shows that a decade of mass immigration helped mask the scale of decline in Christian affiliation among the British-born population – while driving a dramatic increase in Islam, particularly among the young.

It suggests that only a minority of people will describe themselves as Christians within the next decade, for first time.

Meanwhile almost one in 10 under 25s in Britain is now a Muslim.

The proportion of young people who describe themselves as even nominal Christian has dropped below half for the first time.

Initial results from the 2011 census published last year showed that the total number of people in England and Wales who described themselves as Christian fell by 4.1 million – a decline of 10 per cent. » | John Bingham, Religious Affairs Editor | Thursday, May 16, 2013

Graphic Footage: Rebels Execute Régime Officers in the Street in Syria

Read the article here | Jill Reilly | Thursday, May 16, 2013

When Faith Turns Violent | Religious Violence | Raheel Raza | Nader Fawzy | 2012

Canadian School Board Submits to Sharia Law – Special Guest Speaker: Raheel Raza (August 2011)

UN Pressures Germany to Bow to 'Hate Speech' Hysteria
THE LEGAL PROJECT: A recent decision by the United Nation's (UN) Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) foreshadows an ominous future for free societies should Muslim entities like the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) achieve their goal of having "Islamophobia" defined internationally as a form of prejudice.

Former German central bank board member Thilo Sarrazin has got himself in trouble with the UN, as the Turkish Union in Berlin-Brandenburg (Türkischer Bund in Berlin-Brandenburg or TBB) stated with satisfaction in an April 18, 2013, German-language press release. The spokesman of this German-Turkish interest group, Hilmi Kaya Turan, praised a February 26, 2013, "historic decision" by the CERD condemning Germany for not having prosecuted Sarrazin's criticism of Arab and Turkish immigrants.

Sarrazin, a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands or SPD), produced a storm of controversy with his August 2010 book Deutschland Schafft Sich Ab: Wie Wir Unser Land aufs Spiel Setzen ("Germany Abolishes Itself: How We Are Risking Our Country"). In the context of this controversy, CERD's detailed 19-page target=_blank>decision extensively excerpted in English translation a fall 2009 interview with Sarrazin. In the interview, the Berlin magazine Lettre International discussed some of the upcoming book's themes.

CERD complained that "[i]n this interview, Mr. Sarrazin expressed himself in a derogatory and discriminatory way about social 'lower classes', which are not productive' and would have to 'disappear over time' in order to create a city of the 'elite'." Sarrazin specified that about 20% of Berlin's population depended on welfare payments, which he wanted to cut, "above all to the lower class." » | Andrew Harrod and Sam Nunberg | Frontpage Mag | Thursday, May 16, 2013

Why Barack Obama’s Imperial Presidency Is Imploding

TELEGRAPH BOGS – NILE GARDINER: This has been a nightmare week for Barack Obama, without a doubt the worst of his presidency so far. Steven T. Miller, acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service has resigned over his agency’s targeting of conservative groups, which even The Washington Post labeled this morning a “horror story”. Yesterday Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder testified before the House Judiciary Committee on a host of issues including the Benghazi debacle, in what can only be described as a train wreck of a performance. Holder was simply unable or unwilling to answer most key questions, and demonstrated a level of contempt for elected officials in Congress that was breathtaking. It was yet another public relations disaster for the Obama team.

In addition the administration has come under heavy fire over the Justice Department’s monitoring of phone records belonging to Associated Press journalists. All this has combined to create a perfect storm in the first year of Obama’s second term, a wave of scandals that has been so damaging to the standing of this administration that even The New York Times today carries the headline on its front page: “An Onset of Woes Raises Questions on Obama Vision”. When even the usually subservient inflight newspaper of Air Force One has doubts over the job the president is doing you know the situation is really desperate for The White House. Read on and comment » | Nile Gardiner | Thursday, May 16, 2013

Who Is A Moderate Muslim?
There are Islamists and there are moderate Muslims. In our public parlance, the latter are the "good" and "reasonable" Muslims. But in a world of 1.5 billion Muslims, the division between Islamists and moderate Muslims leaves many nuances invisible. If the vast majority of Muslims fall into the moderate camp, then there must be many shades of moderation to be discerned. Who is a modern, moderate Muslim?

Watch Many Americans Are Converting To Islam
United States, around 20,000 Americans convert to Islam every year.

Dubai Expat Acquitted Over Sending Text Message Islam Insult
THE NATIONAL: DUBAI // An expatriate who was accused of sending a text message insulting Islam and the Prophet Mohammed to a colleague was acquitted this morning.

DM, a Briton, was accused of sending the message to his fellow sales executive KS, 24, after a business trip to Saudi Arabia in March last year.

The sales executive claimed that the Briton had reprimanded him for performing Umra after work hours during the trip, telling him that this was not an approved company activity.

When they returned to Dubai on March 15, the sales executive resigned. He claimed that two days later the Briton sent him a text message that insulted Islam and the Prophet Mohammed and warned him that he "knew lots of sheikhs". » | Salam Al Amir | Thursday, May 16, 2013

Tunisian Salafist Kamel Zarouq Talks about Future Conquest of Andalusia, Rome, and Jerusalem | The Internet - April 30, 2013

CNN: Eliot Spitzer Confronts Imam Anjem Choudary: "You Are A Violent And Heinous Terrorist!" (October 2010)

The Oxford Sex Ring and the Preachers Who Teach Young Muslim Men That White Girls Are Cheap
MAIL ONLINE: The terrible story of the Oxford child sex ring has brought shame not only on the city of dreaming spires, but also on the local Muslim community.

It is a sense of repulsion and outrage that I feel particularly strongly, working as a Muslim leader and Imam in this neighbourhood and trying to promote genuine cultural integration.

There is no doubt that the evil deeds of these men have badly set back the cause of cross-community harmony.

In its harrowing details, this grim saga of exploitation, misogyny, perversion and cruelty fills me not only with desperate sorrow for those girls and their families, but also with dread and despair.

If I were the judge in this case, I would hand out the harshest possible jail sentences to these monstrous predators, both to see that justice is done for their victims and to send out a message to other exploiters.

And when I say harsh, I mean it: none of this fashionable nonsense about prisoners being released only a quarter of the way through their sentences. There is no pattern of good conduct these men could follow behind bars that could possibly make up for all the terrible suffering they have inflicted on others. Read on and comment » | Dr Taj Hargey | Wednesday, May 15, 2013

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Council Vetoes Flag of St George after Concerns Raised about Links to Crusades
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A local council decided against flying the flag of St George after concerns were raised that it would offend the town’s 16 Muslim residents.

Eleanor Jackson, a university lecturer, said the red and white symbol could cause upset in Radstock, Somerset, because it was used during the Crusades 1,000 years ago.

The Labour councillor voiced her concerns at a meeting called to discuss which flag should be purchased to fly atop the town's repaired civic flagpole.

She said: “My big problem is that it is offensive to some Muslims, but even more so that it has been hijacked by the far right.

"My thoughts are we ought to drop it for 20 years."

Radstock Town Council, which serves a local population of more than 5,600 residents, eventually decided to purchase a Union flag to fly on Armistice Day.

The rainbow flag of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride movement will be flown at “appropriate” times of the year while an In Bloom flag will celebrate the town's achievements in the gardening competition. » | Victoria Ward | Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Fox News Interview on the O'Reilly Factor - Treatment of Women in Islam

Read the article here

Oxford Grooming Gang: We Will Regret Ignoring Asian Thugs Who Target White Girls
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: What a god-awful mess this country has got itself into over multiculturalism, and once again our fear of racism will lead to the betrayal of hundreds of young girls

Rochdale, Rotherham, Derby, Oxford. The towns change, but the pattern is always the same. Gangs of men, mainly of Pakistani Muslim heritage, lure white girls as young as 10 with gifts and displays of affection. Next, the girl is raped as a way of “breaking her in”. Once the child’s spirit is subdued, and her mind fogged with drugs, she is sold for sex to multiple men at £200 a time. If the girl tries to break away, a gang member might threaten to behead her or firebomb her home. Mohammed Karrar, who was found guilty in the Oxford sex-grooming case this week, took a scalding hairpin and branded an M on one girl’s bottom so she would know she was his property. Later, the gang gave the same girl a DIY abortion. She was 12 years old. And this, all this, is happening in Britain now. » | Allison Pearson | Wednesday, May 15, 2013

My comment:

An excellent article! We need many more of these to wake people up to these crimes, and many others. Thank heaven for Allison Pearson! This is the most honest appraisal I have read in a very long while. Multiculturalism stinks. Anyone coming to live in this country from far off lands needs to learn our civilised ways. It's de rigueur. – © Mark

This comment also appears here

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Großbritanniens Beziehungen zu Bahrain: Die Windsors und der Despot vom Golf

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Während in Bahrain die Proteste gegen das Regime anhalten, lässt sich König Hamad in Großbritannien hofieren. Der Monarch ist seit Jahren eng mit Prinz Charles befreundet und war erst am Wochenende Ehrengast von Queen Elizabeth. Proteste ignorieren die Windsors.

Hamburg - Die "Royal Windsor Horse Show" ist einer der alljährlichen Höhepunkte im Kalender der britischen Oberschicht. Die Reitwettkämpfe im Garten von Schloss Windsor locken in jedem Frühjahr Tausende Schaulustige an.

Bei der diesjährigen Ausgabe am vergangenen Wochenende hatten illustre Gäste vom Persischen Golf den besten Blick auf Ross und Reiter: Zur Rechten von Queen Elizabeth II. durfte König Hamad Bin Issa Al Chalifa von Bahrain in der royalen Loge Platz nehmen. Der Potentat aus dem Golfstaat war Ehrengast bei der 70. Auflage des Reitturniers. Und er wusste sich zu revanchieren: Als Gastgeschenk brachte Hamad der Monarchin zwei reinrassige Araberhengste mit. Der Wert eines solch edlen Pferdes wird auf mehrere zehntausend Euro geschätzt.

Die Queen hofierte einen Mann, der Massenproteste seit zwei Jahren mit Hilfe aus Saudi-Arabien niederknüppeln und niederschießen lässt. Nach Angaben des oppositionellen Zentrums für Menschenrechte sind bei Zusammenstößen zwischen Sicherheitskräften und Demonstranten seitBeginn des Aufstands im Februar 2011 mindestens 90 Menschen getötet worden, mindestens 2000 weitere wurden verletzt. Mehrere hundert Oppositionelle sitzen noch immer in Haft. Freigelassene Aktivisten berichten, dass Folter und Misshandlungen in Bahrains Gefängnissen an der Tagesordnung sind. » | Von Christoph Sydow | Mittwoch, 15. Mai 2013

Portrait of Modern Britain: Armed Police Officers Patrol Luton Estates to Stop Dangerous Shoot-outs between Gangs

MAIL ONLINE: Bedfordshire town suffers nine shootings in four month crime wave / Paul Foster, 46, murdered in April while teen shot in the back on Saturday / Police say armed patrols in place for 'foreseeable future' to stop crime / Officers with guns and dogs will also be increasing searches to find weapons

A town at the heart of the usually sedate Home Counties is being patrolled day and night by armed police trying to stop feuding gangs killing each other.

In the past four months there have been nine shootings in Luton linked to trouble between youths on the Marsh Farm and Lewsey Farm estates.

In the latest attack, early on Saturday morning, a 16 year old young man was shot in the back on Marsh Farm. The police have said he may never walk again. » | Martin Robinson | Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Cardinal O'Brien to Leave Scotland for 'Spiritual Renewal and Penance'
THE GUARDIAN: Disgraced former archbishop to leave the country for several months for undisclosed location, announces Vatican

Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the disgraced former archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, will leave Scotland for a period of "spiritual renewal, prayer and penance" after he admitted inappropriate sexual conduct with priests, the Vatican has said.

In a statement, the Vatican said the 75-year-old cardinal would be leaving the country for several months, without specifying where he would go.

"His eminence cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien, archbishop emeritus of St Andrews and Edinburgh, for the same reasons he decided not to participate in the last conclave, and in agreement with the Holy Father, will be leaving Scotland for several months for the purpose of spiritual renewal, prayer and penance," it said. » | Lizzy Davies in Rome | Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Saudi Arabia Sees More SARS-like Virus Cases
Saudi Arabia has confirmed four new cases of the SARS-like coronavirus in its Eastern Province, state media has reported, citing the health ministry.

Child Abuse Verdict Sparks Nervous Debate In UK
Court ruling of seven men guilty of abusing underage girls sheds light to frequency of organised "grooming" and racial implications.

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Back Home, Ex-Qatar Academy Teacher Plans to Devote Life to Charity

REPÚBLICA: KATHMANDU, May 15: His recent arrest in Qatar over alleged insult to Islam has brought a turning point in the life of a former Qatar Academy chemistry teacher Dorje Gurung.

The 42-year old high school teacher with 16 years of teaching experiences in various nine countries abroad, including the US and the UK, has now decided to devote the rest of his life contributing to the education sector in Nepal.

“I don´t want to remember the past. I will now work toward making a difference in the lives of Nepali children,” said Gurung, who arrived home Monday evening after the authorities in Doha set him free.

Gurung says he plans to set up science labs and libraries in public schools across the country. Apart from financing the studies of poor children, he also plans to contribute to the society through social work. “I have decided not to go abroad for employment. I will now work for the cause of educating the poor children,” said Gurung.

The Qatar Academy had relieved Gurung of his duty last week over a derogatory comment on Islam-- something Gurung denies. He says all this could have occurred due to misinterpretation of what he actually said during an argument with a group of his students on April 16. “I never made remarks against Islam. I do not know what exactly the 7th grade students accused me of saying. But I was told by the police that I insulted Islam,” he said. » | Kosh Raj Koirala | Wednesday, May 15, 2013

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UKIP Councillor Who Said 'Islam Is a Cancer Which Needs to be Cured with Radiation' on Racist Facebook Page 'to Step Down' After Just 12 Days
MAIL ONLINE: Worcestershire councillor Eric Kitson, 59, has admitted [he] will have to quit / He shared series of controversial anti-Muslim and anti-Semetic messages / Mr Kitson admits he has been 'stupid' but maintains he's not a racist / 'I thought I could handle politics, but I can't - I don't see how I can carry on'

A UKIP councillor has announced he will probably have to step down after less than two weeks because he posted a series of offensive messages about Jews and Muslims online.

Eric Kitson, 59, has admitted 'I don't see how I can possibly carry on' after sharing racist cartoons and messages on Facebook.

One included a picture of a nuclear weapon exploding emblazoned with the message: 'Some cancers need to be treated with radiation, Islam is one of them'.

He also shared an image of a Muslim being roasted over a pile of burning Korans, as well as several anti-Semitic outbursts linking the Rothschild banking dynasty to Adolf Hitler.

In one comment he said in reference to Muslim women: 'Hang um all first then ask questions later.'

The councillor from Stourport, Worcestershire, has apologised to residents and party colleagues for his 'stupid' actions. » | Martin Robinson | Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Christian Teacher to Be Tried in Egypt for Insulting Islam
YAHOO! NEWS: CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's prosecutors on Tuesday referred a Christian schoolteacher to trial on charges of insulting Islam, judicial sources said.

Dimiana Abdel-Nour, who was arrested on Wednesday, was accused by her Muslim students' parents of insulting Islam and comparing it to Christianity by saying that the late Coptic Pope Shenouda was better than the Prophet Mohammad.

Alongside the political and economic turmoil Egypt has endured since Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in February 2011, tensions have risen between Muslims and Christians, especially since the election of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in June. » | Reuters | Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Benghazi, IRS, AP Scandals -- Will Buck Ever Stop With Obama?

David Cameron: EU Referendum Bill Shows Only Tories Listen
BBC: David Cameron has said only his party is offering a "clear choice" about the UK's future in Europe after the Tories published a draft bill outlining plans for a referendum by the end of 2017.


Read the article here

Child Sex Gang Guilty of Grooming and Gang-raping Vulnerable Girls

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Seven members of a child sex ring have been found guilty of forcing under age girls to commit acts of "extreme depravity".

Their victims, aged between 11 and 15, were groomed and plied with alcohol and hard drugs before being sexually assaulted and forced into prostitution. Girls who were seen as "out of control" youngsters were deliberately targeted.

Abuse sessions would go on for days and involve the use of knives, meat cleavers and baseball bats. One was even forced to undergo an illegal abortion at a backstreet clinic when she fell pregnant by one of her tormentors.

Two sets of brothers, Akhtar Dogar, 32, and Anjum Dogar, 31, and Mohammed Karrar, 38, and Bassam Karrar, 33, were convicted along with Kamar Jamil, 27, Assad Hussain, 32, and Zeeshan Ahmed, 27.

Fighting broke out in the dock at the Old Bailey after two other defendants - Mohammed Hussain and a man who cannot be named for legal reasons - were cleared.

The seven men found guilty of offences against the six girls were remanded in custody for sentencing next month.

Zeeshan Ahmed struck out at Mohammed Hussain after Hussain was cleared. He struggled as dock officers lifted him up and out of court.

Police missed several chances to catch gang members before they were finally arrested.

Some victims relived their ordeals during the five month trial, describing how they were groomed, beaten, betrayed and sold into prostitution around the country. » | Amy Willis and agencies | Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Notice the names of the these perpetrators of despicable acts! I wonder which ‘religion’ they adhere to? Such disgusting individuals have no place in a civilized society. Why on earth do we have to put up with these people? – © Mark

Fascinating Footage Gives Rare Colour Insight into London in 1927
The remarkable footage was shot by British pioneer of colour film Claude Friese-Greene and portrays a genteel view of the capital which has long since disappeared.

Read the article here

Les Français plus eurosceptiques que les Anglais

LE FIGARO: INFOGRAPHIE - La France est au bord du divorce avec l'Europe, d'après une étude américaine du Pew Research Center. Seuls 41% des Français ont une opinion favorable de l'UE, une chute de 19% en un an. Les Français n'acceptent pas l'intégration économique voulue par l'Allemagne.

Les chiffres sont cruels pour une présidence et un Parti socialiste qui s'affichaient il y a peu comme «plus européens» que le gouvernement Merkel: l'Hexagone abrite désormais davantage d'eurosceptiques que le Royaume-Uni et le divorce s'approfondit entre des Allemands ouverts à l'intégration et des Français aussi méfiants que déprimés.

Ce bilan, inquiétant pour la dynamique européenne, ressort de l'enquête d'opinion approfondie conduite par un influent groupe de recherche américain, le Pew Research Center (Washington, DC). «Français et Allemands divergent si profondément face aux défis économiques qu'ils semblent vivre dans deux mondes séparés et non pas dans la même union», commente Bruce Stokes, responsable de l'étude. La vision européenne se déchire sur le Rhin et le sentiment des Français «ressemble de plus en plus à celui des Espagnols, des Italiens et des Grecs». » | De correspondant du Figaro à Bruxelles | mardi 14 mai 2013

EU-Frust: Europa verschwendet seine Jugend

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Die Europäer verlieren das Vertrauen in die Europäische Union. Zu Recht. Besonders junge Menschen haben auf grenzenlose Möglichkeiten gehofft, heute sind von vielen Träumen nur Trümmer geblieben. Die Politik ignoriert ihre Sorgen - die Jungen müssen endlich ihre Rechte einfordern.

Europa - das war mal eine große Idee. Heute ist es eine große Misere. Die Krise hat das Vertrauen der Bürger zutiefst erschüttert, wie aktuelle Studien belegen. Erschreckend ist, dass gerade Menschen besonders enttäuscht sind, die aus Ländern wie Spanien, Italien und Portugal stammen - jene Staaten, die das europäische Projekt einst euphorisch feierten.

Noch erschreckender ist, dass sich die Jungen abwenden. Es ist die Generation, die den Traum von Europa wirklich leben konnte: Austauschprogramme mit anderen Ländern, Reisen ohne Grenzkontrollen und schließlich eine gemeinsame Währung. Die Einführung des Euro war für diese Generation die logische Folge des Gefühls von Zusammengehörigkeit und Zuversicht.

Dieses Gefühl ist dahin.

Die Europäische Union steht nicht für Hoffnung, sondern für Hoffnungslosigkeit. Jeder kämpft für sich allein, so sehen es viele junge Südeuropäer. Für die Politik haben sie nur noch Verachtung übrig. » | Ein Kommentar von Katharina Peters | Dienstag, 14. Mai 2013

New Biography Causes Stir: How Close Was Merkel to the Communist System?
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: A biography focusing on Chancellor Angela Merkel's time growing up in East Germany is making headlines because it suggests she was closer to the communist system than hitherto known. Her spokesman has denied she has covered anything up.

A new biography covering Chancellor Angela Merkel's life in East Germany has caused a stir by suggesting she was closer to the communist apparatus and its ideology than previously thought.

Published this week and written by journalists Günther Lachmann and Ralf Georg Reuth, the book quotes Gunter Walther, a former colleague of hers at the Academy of Sciences in East Berlin, as saying she had been secretary for "Agitation and Propaganda" in the Freie Deutsche Jugend (FDJ) youth organization at the institute. Merkel, a trained physicist, worked at the academy from 1978 until 1989.

Excerpts from the book, "The First Life of Angela M.," were published in the newsmagazine Focus on Monday. The mass-circulation Bild newspaper has also given the book prominent coverage in recent days.

The book explores Merkel's life growing up in German Democratic Republic (GDR), where her father Horst Kasner was a Protestant pastor and a committed socialist. He moved to East Germany from West Germany in 1954.

Merkel has said in the past that her FDJ role at the academy was more that of a cultural secretary and that her duties included buying theater tickets and organizing book readings. » | cro | Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Liens en relation avec l’article »

25 Jahre SPIEGEL TV: Islamistischer Terror
06.05.2013 - Die Marienstraße in Hamburg-Harburg. Der deutsche Wohnsitz des Al-Quaida-Attentäters Mohammed Atta. Von hier bricht er mit seinen Mittätern auf, um am 11. September 2001 mit einer Passagiermaschine ins World Trade Center zu fliegen. Danach ist nichts mehr so wie vorher.
Das Video hier abspielen

March For Syria || Jihad Today Khilafah Tomorrow || Anjem Choudary

Message To Muslims In Maldives || Anjem Choudary || Shariah4Maldives

Sharia4UK menace la Belgique, Milquet assure le "suivi nécessaire"

LALIBRE.be: Ce n'est pas la première fois que des musulmans extrémistes menacent la Belgique.

Les menaces proférées à l'encontre de la Belgique par Abu Abdullah Al-Britani et Anjem Choudary, à la tête du mouvement extrémiste Sharia4UK, dans un message vidéo, constituent "des informations et une affaire qui sont prises en charge avec toute la vigilance et le suivi nécessaires par les services de sécurité et de renseignement", a indiqué mardi Joëlle Milquet, ministre de l'Intérieur dans une réaction sollicitée par l'Agence Belga. "Si les musulmans sont poursuivis, alors il y aura la révolution, et seul Allah sait quelles en seront les conséquences pour la Belgique", déclare Anjem Choudary dans un court message vidéo posté sur YouTube, à la suite de l'arrestation du porte-parole de Sharia4Belgium, Fouad Belkacem. C'est ce que révélaient mardi les journaux Gazet van Antwerpen et Het Belang van Limburg.

La ministre de l'Intérieur ajoute qu'"à ce stade, aucun commentaire ne s'impose pour des questions de confidentialité compréhensibles". » | Belga | Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Teacher Jailed on Charges of Insulting Islam Is Freed by Qatar

THE WASHINGTON POST: Dorje Gurung, the Nepali teacher who was imprisoned last week in Qatar on charges of insulting Islam, has been freed following an international outcry. Gurung, a chemistry teacher at the prestigious Qatar Academy, was fired after an exchange with his students last month. On Sunday, Qatari authorities allowed him to leave the country, from which he has returned to Kathmandu. » | Anup Kaphle | Monday, May 13, 2013

Related »

Immigrants? We Sent Out Search Parties to Get Them to Come... and Made It Hard for Britons to Get Work, Says Mandelson

MAIL ONLINE: Former minister admits Labour deliberately engineered mass immigration / Between 1997 and 2010 net migration to Britain totalled 2.2million

Labour sent out ‘search parties’ for immigrants to get them to come to the UK, Lord Mandelson has admitted.

In a stunning confirmation that the Blair and Brown governments deliberately engineered mass immigration, the former Cabinet Minister and spin doctor said New Labour sought out foreign workers.

He also conceded that the influx of arrivals meant the party’s traditional supporters are now unable to find work.

By contrast, Labour leader Ed Miliband has said his party got it wrong on immigration but has refused to admit it was too high under Labour.

Between 1997 and 2010, net migration to Britain totalled more than 2.2million, more than twice the population of Birmingham.

The annual net figure quadrupled under Labour from 48,000 people in 1997 to 198,000 by 2009.

Lord Mandelson’s remarks come three years after Labour officials denied claims by former adviser Andrew Neather that they deliberately encouraged immigration in order to change the make-up of Britain.

Mr Neather said the policy was designed to ‘rub the Right’s nose in diversity’.

He said there was ‘a driving political purpose: that mass immigration was the way that the Government was going to make the UK truly multicultural’. Read on and comment » | Tim Shipman | Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Merkels polnische Wurzeln: Die "Kanzlerin Kazmierczak"
22.04.2013 - Zum Auftakt des Bundestagswahlkampfes erscheint das Buch "Angela Merkel - Die Kanzlerin und ihre Welt". Es enthüllt: Die Kanzlerin ist ein Viertel polnisch! Zur Vorstellung des Werks in Berlin kommt die Hauptperson höchstpersönlich, zusammen mit dem polnischen Ministerpräsidenten Tusk.

Le passé communiste d'Angela Merkel
LE POINT: Un livre récemment paru en Allemagne fait la lumière sur les activités de la chancelière allemande pendant l'ère de la République démocratique.

Incroyable mais vrai. Du temps de la République démocratique d'Allemagne, Angela Merkel aurait été responsable de "l'agitation et la propagande" (agitprop) au sein des Jeunesses communistes, selon un livre récemment paru en Allemagne. La chancelière n'a pas démenti lundi ces informations sur son passé révélées dans "La première vie d'Angela M." de Ralf Georg Reuth et Günther Lachmann.

Angela Merkel avait jusqu'à présent indiqué qu'elle avait un rôle culturel dans l'organisation, qui a compté jusqu'à deux millions de membres. Interrogée en 2004 sur son rôle idéologique, Angela Merkel avait répondu : "Je ne me souviens pas avoir fait preuve d'agitation d'une manière ou d'une autre. J'étais responsable de la culture." » | Source SIPA Media | lundi 13 mai 2013

Related »

'I've Nothing to Hide': Angela Merkel Shrugs Off New Book's Claims That She Was Propaganda Secretary in Communist East Germany

MAIL ONLINE: New book revives questions over Merkel's links to Communism in her youth / Claims nothing to hide but says she's never been asked about certain things / In 2010 she admitted she still uses East German detergent and hoards food

Chancellor Angela Merkel has shrugged aside a book that suggests she may have been closer to East Germany's communist system than previously thought, saying she's never hidden anything.

The 58-year-old Merkel grew up in East Germany and entered politics as communism crumbled in 1989. It's long been known that, like many, she joined the communist youth organization. She has said she 'politically lived an assimilated life'[.]

A book appearing this week revives questions about whether Merkel was a propaganda secretary for the youth organization, which she denies, and says she was an active labor union official.

Merkel said at an event late on Sunday that she had never hidden anything about her life in East Germany, though acknowledged some things may emerge 'because no one has ever asked me about them.'

Indeed, in 2010, she admitted to a German magazine that she still does her laundry with an East German liquid detergent, prepares East German Soljanka soup - made with sausages and pickle juice - and can't fight the urge to stockpile at the supermarket.

'Sometimes I can't stop myself from buying things just because I see them - even when I don't really need them,' Merkel told SuperIllu ahead of celebrations for the 20th anniversary of unification.

'This inclination to hoard is deeply ingrained in me, because in the past, in times of scarcity, you took what you could get,' Merkel said, referring to life under communism. » | Matt Blake | Monday, May 13, 2013

SUPERillu.de: Das erste Leben der Angela M.: Die DDR-Vergangenheit der Kanzlerin schlägt derzeit hohe Wellen. Auslöser ist das Buch «Das erste Leben der Angela M.». SUPERillu traf die beiden Autoren Ralf Georg Reuth und Günther Lachmann und sprach mit ihnen über Merkels Leben vor der Wende. » | Thilo Boss | Montag, 10. Mai 2013

AMAZON.DE: Das erste Leben der Angela M. » | Von Ralf Georg Reuth und Günther Lachmann

What an Idiot ! Simon Hughes MP Addresses Muslims at a Conference in London

HT: marcus_leeds »

WIKI: Simon Hughes »

Ken Livingstone’s Favourite Islamist Spreads Jew-hatred in Gaza
TELEGRAPH – BLOGS – ALAN JOHNSON: “Our whole ambition is to die on the path to Allah… I am sure we will conquer” said Ken Livingstone’s favourite Muslim cleric, Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, as he touched down in Gaza on Wednesday for a three day solidarity visit. Before he left on Friday he told a Muslim Brotherhood rally that Israel had no right to exist. The rally was the scene of mass chanting of "liberate Palestine … from the sons of monkeys and pigs".

If all that was depressingly predictable, less so, was the range of voices opposed to Qaradawi's cult of death.

Yes, Israel, of course. After all, Qaradawi’s Jew-hatred is undiluted and canonical. Listen to him (from Fatawa on Palestine):

We believe that the battle between us and the Jews is coming … Such a battle is not driven by nationalistic causes or patriotic belonging; it is rather driven by religious incentives. This battle is not going to happen between Arabs and Zionists, or between Jews and Palestinians, or between Jews or anybody else. It is between Muslims and Jews as is clearly stated in the hadith. This battle will occur between the collective body of Muslims and the collective body of Jews i.e. all Muslims and all Jews. (p. 77)

Qaradawi does not deny the Holocaust, he celebrates it.

Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the [Jews] people who would punish them for their corruption. The last punishment was carried out by Hitler. By means of all the things he did to them – even though they exaggerated this issue – he managed to put them in their place. This was divine punishment for them. Allah willing, the next time will be at the hand of the believers.

No camouflaging anti-Semitism as “anti-Zionism” there! Read on and comment » | Alan Johnson | Monday, May 13, 2013

Inside Story Americas: The American Single Mother's Burden
We look at why single parents fare worse in the United States than in other similarly industrialised nations.

Suhaib Webb Keynote Speech - 13th Annual CAIR Banquet
Imam Suhaib Webb of the Islamic Society of Boston's Cultural Center speaks at the 13th Annual CAIR Banquet at Dearborn, Michigan's Islamic Center of North America.

Must Converts Remove Their Tattoos Or Inform Their Potential Spouse? - Suhaib Webb

What’s Happening to the US? Yes, There Can Be An "American Islam" - Suhaib Webb

Norway’s Muslim Problem

Anjem Choudary Says Shariah Law Will Come to Britain, Whether You Like It or Not
Look, at the end of the day innocent people—when we say 'innocent people' we mean Muslims—as far as non-Muslims are concerned they have not accepted Islam and as far as we are concerned that is a crime against God.

Donald Trump Warns of the Muslim Problem (2011)

Bangladesh's 'Blasphemy' Divide
Is freedom of speech at risk in the ongoing conflict between religious fundamentalists and secular voices in the media?