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Sunday, May 19, 2013
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Unfortunately, last week's events in the House of Commons have brought the debate on Europe within the Conservative party to a new, almost farcical, low. Having previously opposed the introduction of legislation in this parliament to hold a referendum in the next one, the prime minister suddenly allowed a free vote among backbenchers, with the government abstaining, on the extraordinary basis that the party had no policy on the issue.
Then, once more than 100 backbenchers had voted for such a referendum, he insisted that all Tory MPs, whatever their view, should from now on support the proposal, on a three-line whip, whereas only the day before they could take any position they chose. This saga looks more like the politics of the French Fourth Republic than the serious practice of government and it is especially disappointing and damaging on such an important issue – the place of Britain in Europe and the world.
Sadly, by making it clear in January that he opposes the current terms of UK membership of the EU, the prime minister has opened a Pandora's box politically and seems to be losing control of his party in the process. The ratchet-effect of Euroscepticism has now gone so far that the Conservative leadership is in effect running scared of its own backbenchers, let alone Ukip, having allowed deep anti-Europeanism to infect the very soul of the party. The risk now is that, if it loses the next general election – a far from negligible possibility – the Conservative party will move to a position of simply opposing Britain's continued membership, with or without a referendum.
Archimedes said: "Give me a place on which to stand and lever long enough, and I will move the world." British foreign policy should be about maximising and exploiting the levers we possess – whether through Europe, the transatlantic relationship or the Commonwealth – not breaking them or throwing them away.
In this context, I have yet to meet any significant western political figure from beyond our shores who can understand why Britain would even contemplate leaving the European Union, which is now a key point of leverage for this country in the modern world.
In Washington, Tokyo, Beijing, New Delhi or Moscow, let alone in all other EU national capitals, it seems obvious that the UK needs the union as the platform and vehicle by which to influence events and policy in many spheres. Nowadays, with the possible exception of Germany, a country such as Britain, boasting about 1% of the world's population and 3% of the world's GDP, is unlikely to be able to hold anything like the position of power to which we continue to aspire, unless this is firmly anchored in a strong alliances and, ideally, a credible regional framework. With the decline of Nato, the only such framework available, unless we seek to join the United States, is basically the European Union. » | Geoffrey Howe | Saturday, May 18, 2013
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Lord Howe, the former Conservative chancellor who triggered the downfall of Margaret Thatcher, has launched a scathing attack on the prime minister, accusing him of running scared of his backbenchers and endangering Britain's future in Europe.
The Tory grandee says David Cameron has opened a Pandora's box by opposing the current terms of the UK's membership of the European Union and now appears to be losing control of his party. The prime minister's actions, Howe writes in the Observer, have turned an internal Tory problem into a national one.
In a highly significant intervention over Britain's future, Howe laments the "new, almost farcical" level of debate over Europe in the Tory party, and says that Labour and the Liberal Democrats may need to bear the burden of retrieving the situation. Howe, Thatcher's longest-serving cabinet minister, whose resignation speech in 1990 is widely considered to have precipitated the then prime minister's downfall, writes: "Sadly, by making it clear in January that he opposes the current terms of UK membership of the EU, the prime minister has opened a Pandora's box politically and seems to be losing control of his party in the process.
"The ratchet-effect of Euroscepticism has now gone so far that the Conservative leadership is in effect running scared of its own backbenchers, let alone Ukip, having allowed deep anti-Europeanism to infect the very soul of the party."
Howe, who was also a former foreign secretary and deputy prime minister under the late Baroness Thatcher, adds that the events of recent days, in which the prime minister has been forced to offer more and more to satisfy his Eurosceptic MPs, were "more like the politics of the French Fourth Republic than the serious practice of government". » | Daniel Boffey, policy editor | Saturday, May 18, 2013
Saturday, May 18, 2013
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Wüste Szenen im griechischen Parlament: Nach einem heftigen Streit erschallte der Ruf "Heil Hitler", als rechtsextremistische Abgeordnete den Saal verließen. Nun will es keiner gewesen sein.
Athen - Beide Seiten schenkten sich nichts an diesem Freitag imgriechischen Parlament. Abgeordnete der rechtsextremistischen Partei "Goldene Morgenröte" und Vertreter der radikalen Linken (Syriza) beschimpften sich gegenseitig, als ein neues Gesetz zur Bekämpfung des Rassismus zur Debatte stand. » | ler/dpa/AFP | Freitag, 17. Mai 2013
Has anyone else noticed that young ‘ladies’ these days so often have high-pitched squeaky voices? This used not to be the case. It is a phenomenon that has made its appearance in the last decade or so. It seems that today’s young ‘ladies’ do not aspire to be ladies at all; rather, they aspire to be overgrown children. Talking to young women of a certain age is like to talking to a schoolgirl waiting to develop. It is most annoying. – © Mark
FOX NEWS: In our deeply partisan politics of today there is one area where it is hard to find the truth spoken by either Republicans or Democrats. It is the idea that Muslim people yearn for democracy. This is a glaring shortsightedness that both sides hold in common.
To be clear, many of my Muslim friends long for Western-style democracy and freedom. But they are always thwarted (and always will be) by the majority view that prevails in their countries. That is why even those friends of mine would admit that democracy is incompatible with Islamic ideology.
Knowledgeable people will agree that our modern form of democracy is a delicate rose that bloomed in the soil of the Protestant Reformation. The Reformation turned the people of the Dark Ages back to the Bible, with its deeply rooted respect for the individual.
The Bible unequivocally declares that God values “the individual.” God not only created a man and a woman to be compatible in every way, but God gave man the management responsibility for His creation—thus God placed “the individual” at the helm of importance. (+ video) » | Michael Youssef | Friday, May 17, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: World Values Survey: France is the least tolerant country in Western Europe, survey finds, despite the signing into law of a gay marriage bill.
The information which has been monitoring the political and moral attitudes of various countries for more than two decades, shows that countries with more economic freedom have higher degrees of tolerance.
France was the least tolerant country in Western Europe, with 28.8 per cent of the population responding that they would not want a homosexual neighbour. This contrasts with 3.6 per cent of Swedish people, 7.4 per cent of Spaniards and 11.1 per cent of Swiss. 16.8 per cent of British people would not want a homosexual neighbour.
There is a clear divide across the iron curtain, with homophobia much more common in Russia and Ukraine, while Serbia and Moldova were even less tolerant than majority Muslim Indonesia. Georgia, was the third most homophobic country surveyed, with 92.6 per cent of the population unhappy with the idea of a homosexual neighbour.
Muslim countries were among the most homophobic, with 19 out of 20 Jordanians unwilling to live near to homosexuals. Iran was close behind, with 93.2 per cent of the population intolerant. Despite their Catholic heritage, liberal attitudes predominate in Latin America, with Uruguay, Argentina and Guatemala more tolerant than some Western countries. Colombia was an outlier, with 45.9 per cent of the population unwilling to have a homosexual neighbour. » | William Clarke | Friday, May 17, 2013
THE GUARDIAN: Had the media focused more on Ukip's policies, Farage might not have believed his hype and made such a blunder in Scotland
Thursday's confrontation between Nigel Farage and Scottish protesters has led people to question just why Ukip is so unpopular in Scotland. However, it is the wrong question to ask. Instead we should be asking just what has happened to English culture that a party with a loathsome agenda of homophobia, barely masked racism and a litany of other far-right notions has made such headway in the 21st century. One answer is the media's obsessive treatment of personalities and not politics. The other is the extraordinary gulf that's developing between Scotland and England about the twin referendum campaigns and the political cultures they reflect. » | Mike Small | Friday, May 17, 2013
The French president, François Hollande, has signed a law authorising same-sex couples to marry and adopt children, after months of street protests, political slanging matches and a rise in homophobic attacks.
The move makes France the ninth country in Europe and the 14th globally to legalise same-sex marriage.
France's official journal announced on Saturday that the bill had become law after the Constitutional Council rejected a challenge by the right[-]wing opposition on Friday.
The first same-sex marriage is due to be held in Montpellier in the south of France on 29 May, Reuters reported.
Hollande and his ruling Socialist party have made the legislation their flagship social change, but the right to marriage and adoption for everyone regardless of sexual orientation has triggered the biggest conservative and right[-]wing street protests in 30 years, with more than 200 arrests. Opponents have called for another protest on 26 May. » | Staff and agencies | Saturday, May 18, 2013
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Friday, May 17, 2013
C'est devenu le "Bedgate". Soit les 127 000 dollars dépensés par la présidence du Conseil israélien pour mettre en place une chambre avec lit double destinée à Sarah et Benyamin Netanyahou dans l'avion qui les emmenait à Londres assister aux obsèques de Margaret Thatcher.
L'affaire remonte à quelques semaines. Lorsqu'il apprend le décès de la Dame de fer, qu'il admirait tant, Netanyahou donne l'ordre de publier un appel d'offres auprès des trois compagnies aériennes israéliennes pour la location d'un avion avec chambre. C'est finalement EL AL qui l'emporte. Le Premier ministre s'envole alors avec son épouse pour la capitale britannique, où le couple séjournera un peu moins de 48 heures.
Ce que le public israélien ne sait pas encore - jusqu'au scoop de la chaîne 10 -, c'est que ce voyage aura coûté la bagatelle de 127 000 dollars, le montant exigé par EL AL pour la location de l'un de ses appareils. En effet, le chef du gouvernement a exigé l'installation à bord de l'appareil, en plus de 22 sièges de classe business, d'une vraie pièce de repos, avec quatre murs, une porte et un lit double. Le tout afin que le couple puisse dormir durant les cinq heures de vol. Or, seuls les avions de EL AL sont suffisamment larges pour pouvoir satisfaire à cette demande. » | De correspondante du Point à Jérusalem, Danièle Kriegel | vendredi 17 mai 2013
Le Conseil constitutionnel a validé totalement vendredi la loi ouvrant le mariage et l'adoption à deux personnes de même sexe, a annoncé la haute juridiction dans un communiqué. Mais le Conseil, tout en validant le droit d'adopter pour les couples de même sexe, a tenu à souligner que le texte ne leur reconnaissait pas un "droit à l'enfant", le principe à respecter pour tout agrément d'adoption devant être "l'intérêt de l'enfant". François Hollande devrait promulguer cette loi dès samedi.
La haute juridiction a jugé que le mariage homosexuel était "un choix du législateur" et "n'était contraire à aucun principe constitutionnel". Même si "la législation républicaine antérieure à 1946 et les lois postérieures ont" jusqu'à présent "regardé le mariage comme l'union d'un homme et d'une femme, cette règle n'intéresse ni les droits et libertés fondamentaux, ni la souveraineté nationale, ni l'organisation des pouvoirs publics" et "ne peut donc constituer un principe fondamental", a ajouté le Conseil dans sa décision. » | Source AFP | vendredi 17 mai 2013
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
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
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
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 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
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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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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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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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
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.
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
Thursday, May 16, 2013
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.
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
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
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
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
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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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
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
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
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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
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
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
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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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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
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
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
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.
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".
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
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
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
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