The EU should be stronger and more united. Great Britain should belong to the Union.
Die EU sollte stärker und geeinter sein. Großbritannien sollte der Union angehören.
L'UE devrait être plus forte et plus unie. La Grande-Bretagne devrait appartenir à l'Union.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
German Killer of Muslim 'Veil Martyr' Jailed for Life
THE TELEGRAPH: Alex Wiens, a German who stabbed a pregnant Egyptian woman, Marwa El-Sherbiny, to death in a courtroom in front of her husband and three-year old son, has been jailed for life for her murder.
The case of Alex Wiens, 28, who has admitted holding anti-Islamic and xenophobic views, shocked Germany and incensed the Muslim world, sparking protests from Egypt to Iran.
Security was exceptionally high for the trial, with 200 police officers and snipers securing the court in Dresden, the east German city where the killing took place in July.
Wiens, of Russian origin, was convicted of murdering Marwa El-Sherbiny, whom he stabbed 16 times with a kitchen knife, and given the maximum penalty. He also stabbed her husband Elwy Okaz, who was trying to defend her.
Their son, Mustafa, watched as his mother bled to death in the courtroom.
Mrs El-Sherbiny came to be knwon [sic] as the "veil martyr" as she was wearing a headscarf when Wiens murdered her.
Wiens was shielded by bulletproof glass, his head covered by a hood, his eyes hidden behind dark glasses, and his ankles shackled as the verdict and sentencing were read. >>> | Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Gay Unions Made Legal in Australian Territory
THE TELEGRAPH: The Australian Capital Territory has become the first region in Australia to legalise civil partnership ceremonies for same-sex couples.
Under the new laws, gay couples will be able to hold a legally recognised civil union ceremony in front of friends and family in the territory, which is home to the capital Canberra and the nation's parliament.
The region's legislators approved the bill, which moved by the local Greens party.
Andrew Barr, an ACT minister who is in a gay relationship, wept as he spoke in support of the bill.
"Love, trust and intimacy and commitment are found at the heart of all good relationships," Mr Barr later told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"I'm proud that this parliament will send that signal that my relationship with Anthony is equal to any other." >>> Bonnie Malkin in Sydney | Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Armistice Day Memorial Service: Nation Falls Silent to Honour War Dead
THE TELEGRAPH: The nation fell silent at 11am today as the passing of the First World War generation was marked at a moving Westminster Abbey memorial service for Armistice Day.
The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, senior politicians and the heads of the Armed Forces gathered for the ceremony in central London.
Former and serving military personnel joined members of the public in standing for the traditional two-minute silence to remember the sacrifice of those who have died for their country. >>> | Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Silence Marks Passing of WWI Generation
THE INDEPENDENT: The nation fell silent on Armistice Day as the passing of the First World War generation was marked at a moving memorial service today.
The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, senior politicians and the heads of the armed forces gathered for the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, in central London.
Former and serving military personnel joined members of the public in standing for the traditional two-minute silence to remember the sacrifice of those who have died for their country. >>> Sam Marsden and Laura Elston, Press Association | Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Sarkozy et Merkel commémorent ensemble l’armistice
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: PARIS | "Profondément émue" par la cérémonie, Angela Merkel a insisté sur le rôle déterminant de l’Europe et de l’amitié franco-allemande en Europe pour maintenir la paix et la prospérité.
Nicolas Sarkozy et Angela Merkel ont ravivé mercredi matin la flamme du soldat inconnu sous l’Arc de Triomphe. Crédits photo : Tribune de Genève
Nicolas Sarkozy et Angela Merkel ont ravivé mercredi matin la flamme du soldat inconnu sous l’Arc de Triomphe: un "geste historique" salué par le président français qui a voulu transformer les commémorations de l’armistice de la guerre 1914-1918 en journée de l’amitié franco-allemande avec la présence, pour la première fois, d’un chef de gouvernement allemand.
"En ranimant ensemble la flamme du souvenir, nous avons exprimé symboliquement, Madame la Chancelière, la volonté commune de nos deux peuples de garder à jamais vivant ce souvenir dans leur coeur", a déclaré ensuite Nicolas Sarkozy devant des soldats français et allemands, d’anciens combattants et des élèves des deux pays, ainsi que devant le Premier ministre, François Fillon, l’ancien président Valéry Giscard d’Estaing ou encore son épouse Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.
"En ce 11 novembre, nous ne commémorons pas la victoire d’un peuple contre un autre, mais une épreuve qui fut aussi terrible pour l’un comme pour l’autre", a souligné le président de la République, regrettant que les deux pays n’aient pas su faire la paix en 1918, "non seulement parce que les vainqueurs manquèrent de générosité, mais aussi parce qu’ils refusèrent de voir le destin tragique qui les liait aux vaincus et que l’indicible horreur de la guerre venait de révéler". >>> AP | Mercredi, 11. Novembre 2009
ZEIT ONLINE: Fünf Monate nach der Wahl hat sich Ministerpräsident Hariri mit der Opposition auf eine "Regierung der nationalen Einheit" verständigt. Die Hisbollah stellt zwei Minister.
Die neue Regierung ist besiegelt. Aus diesem Anlass treffen sich Ministerpräsident Hariri (r) und Präsident Suleiman im Präsidentenpalast in Baabda nahe Beirut. Bild: Zeit Online
Der Machtstreit im Libanon ist beendet, eine neue Regierung gefunden. Insgesamt sollen ihr 30 Minister angehören, zwei davon werden von der oppositionellen Hisbollah gestellt, kündigte der vom Westen unterstützte libanesische Ministerpräsident Saad al-Hariri an. "Endlich ist die Regierung der nationalen Einheit gebildet", sagte Hariri nach einem Treffen mit Staatspräsident Michel Suleiman. Damit werde ein neues Kapitel in der Geschichte des Landes aufgeschlagen. >>> Zeit Online, Reuters, dpa | Dienstag, 10. November 2009
Saudiarabien verhängt Seeblockade gegen Jemen: Drohender Konflikt mit Iran
NZZ ONLINE: Saudiarabien hat eine Seeblockade über die nordjemenitische Küste am Roten Meer verhängt. Zuvor hatte Iran die Länder der Region davor gewarnt, sich in die inneren Angelegenheit des Jemens einzumischen. >>> ap | Dienstag, 10. November 2009
11-Novembre: Merkel, première
leJDD.fr: Pour la première fois de l'Histoire, un dirigeant allemand, Angela Merkel, prendra part, sur les Champs-Elysées, aux cérémonies du 11-Novembre, aux côtés du président français, Nicolas Sarkozy.
Nicolas Sarkozy et Angela Merkel se croisent souvent ces derniers temps... Crédits photo: leJDD.fr
Le couple-franco allemand marche dans les pas de l'Histoire cette semaine. Deux jours après les commémorations du vingtième anniversaire de la chute du Mur de Berlin, conduites sans fausse note par Angela Merkel dans la capitale allemande en présence de Nicolas Sarkozy, la chancelière franchit le Rhin mercredi pour retrouver le président français sur les Champs-Elysées. Pour la première fois, un chancelier allemand a été convié à prendre part aux célébrations de l'armistice du 11-Novembre, 91 ans après la fin de la Grande guerre.
Les deux dirigeants déposeront ensemble une gerbe sur la tombe du Soldat inconnu, sous l'Arc de Triomphe, deux ans après la mort de Lazare Ponticelli, le dernier "poilu", et vingt-cinq ans après l'image hautement symbolique de François Mitterrand et Helmut Kohl, main dans la main, le 22 septembre 1984, sur le site de l'épouvantable bataille de Verdun. Le temps faisant son œuvre, les deux anciens pays ennemis sont aujourd'hui prêts à commémorer ensemble la "der des ders" *. Selon son entourage, Nicolas Sarkozy - qui, comme Angela Merkel est né après la Seconde guerre mondiale - aurait même l'intention de faire du 11-Novembre "une journée (…) de l'entente franco-allemande". >>> Nicolas Moscovici, leJDD.fr | Mardi 10 Novembre 2009
WELT ONLINE: Als erstes deutsches Regierungsoberhaupt nimmt Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel in Paris an den Feierlichkeiten zur Erinnerung an das Ende des Ersten Weltkriegs teil. Der Jahrestag des 11. November 1918 ist in Frankreich einer der wichtigsten Feiertage. Merkel legte einen Kranz nieder und soll eine kurze Rede halten. Jahrestag: Merkel und Sarkozy feiern Ende des 1. Weltkriegs >>> AP/ks | Mittwoch, 11. November 2009
*« la der des ders », c'est-à-dire la « dernière des dernières (guerres) » (The war to end all wars.) [Source]
British Bishop Richard Williamson to Go on Trial in Germany for Holocaust Denial
Accused: Roman Catholic bishop Richard Williamson (centre) arriving at Heathrow airport in London in February this year. Photo: Mail Online
MAIL ONLINE: British Holocaust-denying bishop Richard Williamson faces trial in Germany for an outspoken TV interview in which he denied that the wartime extermination of the Jews took place.
The ultra-conservative Catholic cleric was hit with a fine of nearly £12,000 today by a court for his comments made to a Swedish television interviewer - but he refused to pay it.
Because Holocaust denial is a crime in Germany - and because he gave the interview while on German soil - he was prosecuted in Regensburg, near to the birthplace of Pope Benedict XVI, where he gave the interview.
Under the German legal system, he was served with an ‘order of punishment’ informing him of the penalty.
Such orders are intended to cut down on bureaucracy and costs if both sides agree with the fine, which also would mean a criminal conviction.
But Williamson did not agree. He is to appeal, paving the way for a full hearing which could prove highly embarrassing for the church once more - even though Williamson can absent himself from proceedings to be represented just by his lawyer.
A trial judge will demand to know why he believes that six million Jews were not murdered by the Nazis and on what facts he bases his views on.
In the controversial interview, Williamson alleged that Nazi gas chambers had never existed and 'only 200,000 to 300,000 Jews' had been killed by the Nazis.
He went on to claim that historical evidence was 'hugely against six million having been deliberately gassed in gas chambers as a deliberate policy of Adolf Hitler... I believe there were no gas chambers.'
He added: 'I think that 200,000 to 300,000 Jews perished in the Nazi concentration camps but none of them in gas chambers.' >>> Allan Hall | Wednesday, November 10, 2009
Oxford’s Tribute to Student Neda Soltan Denounced by Iran
TIMES ONLINE: Iran’s regime denounced the University of Oxford yesterday because one of its colleges has established a scholarship honouring Neda Soltan, the Iranian student killed during street protests in Tehran over the alleged rigging of the presidential election.
In a letter sent from the Iranian Embassy, the regime claimed that Miss Soltan’s death in June was staged by its enemies. It accused the university of joining a “politically motivated” campaign that would “undermine your scientific credibility” and “make Oxford at odd [sic] with the rest of the world’s academic institutions”.
In response, the university emphasised that the decision to award the scholarship was entirely a matter for the college, Queen’s. Professor Paul Madden, Provost of Queen’s, said that the scholarship would help impoverished Iranians to study at Oxford.
Miss Soltan, a philosophy student, was 26 when she was shot in the chest during a demonstration over President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election that engulfed Tehran on June 20. Video footage of blood pouring from her mouth as she lay dying sped around the world. Miss Soltan became an emblem of the Iranian people’s struggle for freedom, and her death a symbol of the regime’s brutality. >>> Martin Fletcher and Greg Hurst | Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Prince of Wales' Tour of Canada Marred by Anti-monarchy Protests
THE TELEGRAPH: The Prince of Wales' tour of Canada has been marred by an anti-monarchy protest, with Quebec separatists clashing with riot police during a demonstration in Montreal.
Canadian riot police moved to the top of the street around 15 minutes before the Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall were due to arrive. Photo: The Telegraph
A hardcore group of more than 50 people, some wearing balaclavas or with their faces obscured by scarves, chanted slogans and held anti-royal placards outside the headquarters of The Black Watch of Canada Regiment which is due to receive new colours from Charles.
They gathered outside the building in the centre of Montreal chanting "majesty go home" and "majesty, majesty hey, hey - goodbye".
The separatists want the state of Quebec to become a country in its own right.
Canadian riot police moved to the top of the street around 15 minutes before the Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall were due to arrive.
They walked down the street in lines pushing the protesters back but they soon escalated into ugly scuffles with the protesters being hit by the shields.
At one point one man was dragged out of the crowd and held down by around four officers before being taken away.
When It Comes to Europe, David Cameron Is Howling in the Night
THE TELEGRAPH: The other 26 EU countries are not about to exhume the corpse of national sovereignty, says Simon Heffer.
Politicians find it hard to be honest with the public because the truth always hurts, and disaffects, a large portion of the electorate. The fraudulent debate being conducted about our economy, and how to revive it, is the result of this; and so, too, is the problem the Conservative Party has about Europe. That problem is back, mutating into a civil war, and it is going to get much worse.
It is curious that David Miliband should find it preferable to be the leader of the opposition of a glorified county council than to be the leading proconsul of an imperial power: he seems not to have accurately appraised the full reach of the superstate created by the Treaty of Lisbon. David Cameron, by contrast, seems to have worked that out, which is why he was so fervently opposed to the treaty's being enacted.
I do not doubt his sincere dislike of the treaty. Lisbon countermands any idea of a British democracy. That our Prime Minister should have signed it was a constitutional outrage. But Mr Cameron's inevitable decision to abandon his "cast iron" promise to have a referendum was handled extremely foolishly. He should have done it sooner rather than appear to have strung people along. I do not know whether he is obtuse or simply dishonest. I do not know at which point he realised that there would not continue to be a separate entity called the Treaty of Lisbon from which, by repealing an Act of Parliament, he could have Britain resile at any time. I do not know when he worked out that it was going to be consolidated into the governing treaty of the European Union. I do not know whether he has realised that the only referendum it is feasible for him to call, should he have the power to do so, is one that asks the public whether they wish Britain to stay in the EU, or to get out.
I do not like to impugn anyone's motives – even when he is Leader of the Opposition – but the mess Mr Cameron made last week in this desperate attempt to distract attention from his humiliating U-turn does raise further questions. In setting out his new policy towards Europe, he seemed to show a continued unrealism about the institution with which he is dealing. >>> Simon Heffer | Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Kritik and Wilders-Partei: Künstler bekommt nach Nazi-Vergleich Hass-Mails
WELT ONLINE: Nach einem Vergleich der Partei des niederländischen Rechtspopulisten Geert Wilders mit den Nazis ist der Sänger und Schriftsteller Herman van Veen mit Hass-Mails überschüttet worden. Er habe Tausende von E-Mails bekommen, in denen "widerwärtige, beängstigende Sachen stehen", sagte der international bekannte Künstler.
Schriftsteller und Sänger: der niederländische Künstler Herman van Veen. Bild: Welt Online
Herman van Veen ist mit Hass-Mails überschüttet worden. Der niederländische Schriftsteller und Sänger hatte zuvor die Partei des niederländischen Rechtspopulisten Geert Wilders mit den Nazis verglichen. Auslöser war nach Medienberichten vom Dienstag eine Rede zum 20. Jahrestag des Mauerfalls, in der van Veen vor totalitären Systemen warnte.
Dabei erklärte der 64-Jährige, die Partei für die Freiheit (PVV) sei eigentlich keine politische Partei, sondern eine Vereinigung, in der allein Wilders das Sagen habe. Man müsse aufpassen, dass sie nicht zu einer Art NSB werde. Die „Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging“ (NSB) der Niederlande war während der Hitler-Diktatur mit der NSDAP verbündet. >>> dpa/fas | Dienstag, 10. November 2009
Hillary Clinton Scrubs Ronald Reagan from History
THE TELEGRAPH – BLOG – Nile Gardiner: It’s bad enough that President Obama could not be bothered to attend the celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. But Hillary Clinton’s refusal to even acknowledge the role played by Ronald Reagan in the Wall’s demise as well as the downfall of Communism was highly insulting towards one of the greatest figures of our time, and reeked of petty and partisan mean-spiritedness.
The Secretary of State’s remarks yesterday in Berlin completely erased from history the huge contribution played not only by President Reagan but also by the United States in confronting the Soviet Empire. In her speech she applauded half of Europe, but could not bring herself to thank those Americans who bravely served their country and in many cases laid down their lives in defeating Communism, under Reagan’s leadership. >>> Nile Gardiner | Tuesday, November 10, 2009
FOX NEWS: Communism is gone but Islamic radicalism and jihadism are with us. President Obama will have to find an effective way to deal with this new threat or the American people will find someone else who can.
In the wake of “11/5,” the attack at Fort Hood, Barack Obama faces a tough choice--like it or not.
The 44th president must choose to confront an unpleasant reality, head on--or else it will run him over. The issue is the threat of terrorist violence, here on the homefront.
Terrorism, and the debate over how to respond to terrorism, was the defining issue of the 43rd presidency. And now it’s apparent that Obama, too, will spend the bulk of his presidency confronting terror, from Afghanistan to new battlezones, such as central Texas.
Obama and fellow Democrats would rather, of course, talk about health care. But over the next few years, the Fort Hood shooting is going to be a bigger story, since it is connected to our relations, good and bad, with the entire Islamic world, including nuclear Pakistan and almost- nuclear Iran.
For his sake, and for ours, Obama needs to understand that sometimes even presidents don’t get to decide the agenda -- the agenda is decided for him. In such a situation, the question is whether or not the president can adapt to the new era and its new challenges.
So this president needs to launch an aggressive investigation, digging into every aspect of Thursday’s shooting rampage that left 13 dead and dozens injured. How did it happen? Who bears responsibility? And, most importantly, what must we change now? Otherwise, if Obama simply talks about health care and “cap-and-trade” and “don’t ask, don’t tell” and all the other staples of his 2008 agenda, he will be left in the dust by the cyclonic events of 2009 and beyond. And in the wake of the 11/5 shootings, his presidency could be blown away by a whirlwind of damaging leaks, embarrasing reports, and well-justified fears.
Obama will always have his base of support, of course, especially in the media. Taking their cues, as ever, from the siren song of secular liberalism, the Mainstream Media would rather talk about health care, with an occasional digression into gay marriage. As documented by the Media Research Center, MSM reporters are mostly loathe to draw anything outher than politically correct conclusions about the religious and ethnic dimensions of the Fort Hood mass murder.
Thus the MSM is likely to be left in the dust by more fearless, more energetic media. Columnists Dick Morris and Eileen McGann were blunt in their e-mail headline: “Ft. Hood Attack Was Terrorism.” And also on Sunday morning, the top dozen headlines at WorldNetDaily, a popular conservative Web site, dealt forcefully with Fort Hood. So while the MSM is bemoaning “stress,” “PTSD,” and “over-extension,” WorldNetDaily is offering an entirely different narrative, featuring headlines such as “Muslims: ‘America’s chickens have come to roost,’ U.S. Islamic street preachers declare Fort Hood victims got just desserts,” and “Shooter advised Obama Transition: Fort Hood triggerman aided team on Homeland Security task force,” and “Military jihadists fill ‘every branch’: Ultimate 5th column penetration, warns best-selling ‘Muslim Mafia’ [author]” One additional piece was penned by Joseph Farah, the Arab-American editor of WND, whose headline blared, “PC sickness killed our soldiers.” How will the commander-in-chief react to that?
Having bungled his first public remarks after the news of the killings at Fort Hood, Obama is already on the defensive. So, most likely, he and his staff will seek to change the subject as quickly as possible.
But if they try doing that, getting back to, say, “the public option,” they will fail. Because the issue isn’t going away. As Georgetown University terrorism expert Bruce Hoffman said over the weekend:
“I’m not saying it’s part of an organized campaign or a systematic strategy, but we're seeing a sea change when we have once a month a plot that is related somehow to Afghanistan, Iraq or what these people see is a war against Islam. It's too easy to dismiss them as unstable individuals when they have expressed strong religious beliefs with politics. That's the essence of the radicalization we're facing.”
In other words, Fort Hood was not a random event; it was part of a pattern. >>> James Pinkerton | Monday, November 09, 2009
Fort Hood Gunman Nidal Hasan Regains Consciousness
Major Nidal Hasan remains in critical but stable condition in hospital after shooting dead 13 army colleagues at Fort Hood last Thursday. Photo: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: The army psychiatrist suspected of shooting dead 13 soldiers on a US army base in Texas has regained consciousness and is able to speak, a hospital official said today.
Major Nidal Hasan was shot four times at the end of the gun rampage at Fort Hood in Texas in which 13 people, including a pregnant women soldier, were shot dead and 29 more were wounded, seven of them very seriously.
He survived and is being treated in a military hospital in San Antonio, where he was earlier today said to be in a critical but stable condition. He is able to breathe unaided after being removed from a ventilator on Saturday.
“He is talking. He is conversing with the medical staff,” said Maria Gellegos, spokeswoman for the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.
When he is well enough to speak to investigators, Major Hasan will discover that he is suspected of links with Islamic extremism. FBI agents are investigating his connection with a radical preacher at a mosque where at least two of the September 11 hijackers worshipped just five months before the 9/11 attacks.
It has emerged that Major Hasan and his family attended the Dar al Hijrah Islamic Centre in Falls Church, Virginia, and that the funeral of his mother, Hanan, was held there on May 31 2001.
At that time the imam of the mosque was Anwar al-Awlaki, a Muslim radical who sees Islam and America as enemies.
Today Mr Awlaki made a posting on his blog titled: "Nidal Hasan Did The Right Thing". >>> Jenny Booth | Monday, November 09, 2009
Here is the posting:
Nidal Hassan Did the Right Thing
ANWAR AL AWLAKI ON-LINE: Nidal Hassan is a hero. He is a man of conscience who could not bear living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting against his own people. This is a contradiction that many Muslims brush aside and just pretend that it doesn’t exist. Any decent Muslim cannot live, understanding properly his duties towards his Creator and his fellow Muslims, and yet serve as a US soldier. The US is leading the war against terrorism which in reality is a war against Islam. Its army is directly invading two Muslim countries and indirectly occupying the rest through its stooges.
Nidal opened fire on soldiers who were on their way to be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. How can there be any dispute about the virtue of what he has done? In fact the only way a Muslim could Islamically justify serving as a soldier in the US army is if his intention is to follow the footsteps of men like Nidal.
The heroic act of brother Nidal also shows the dilemma of the Muslim American community. Increasingly they are being cornered into taking stances that would either make them betray Islam or betray their nation. Many amongst them are choosing the former. The Muslim organizations in America came out in a pitiful chorus condemning Nidal’s operation.
The fact that fighting against the US army is an Islamic duty today cannot be disputed. No scholar with a grain of Islamic knowledge can defy the clear cut proofs that Muslims today have the right -rather the duty- to fight against American tyranny. Nidal has killed soldiers who were about to be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in order to kill Muslims. The American Muslims who condemned his actions have committed treason against the Muslim Ummah and have fallen into hypocrisy.
Allah(swt) says: Give tidings to the hypocrites that there is for them a painful punishment – Those who take disbelievers as allies instead of the believers. Do they seek with them honor [through power]? But indeed, honor belongs to Allah entirely. (al-Nisa 136-137)
The inconsistency of being a Muslim today and living in America and the West in general reveals the wisdom behind the opinions that call for migration from the West. It is becoming more and more difficult to hold on to Islam in an environment that is becoming more hostile towards Muslims.
May Allah grant our brother Nidal patience, perseverance and steadfastness and we ask Allah to accept from him his great heroic act. Ameen [Source: Imam Anwar’s Blog] | Monday, November 09, 2009
Quand le mur est tombé : Aujourd’hui, l’Allemagne se souvient
LE TEMPS: Berlin fêtait avec éclat lundi le vingtième anniversaire de la chute du Mur, une page d’histoire qui sonnait la fin de la guerre froide et annonçait la réunification de l’Allemagne et de l’Europe.
La chancelière Angela Merkel a ouvert ce matin les célébrations en participant à un service religieux dans l’église de Gethsemani à Berlin-est, un des hauts lieux de la contestation et des manifestations qui ont contraint la RDA communiste à ouvrir ses frontières, le 9 novembre 1989.
Toute l’Europe est attendue au rendez-vous, avec les représentants des quatre puissances qui ont occupé l’Allemagne depuis la défaite en 1945 à sa réunification en 1990, Etats-Unis, Russie, Grande-Bretagne et France.
Les chefs d’Etats et de gouvernement se retrouveront dans la soirée avec une foule attendue de quelque 100.000 personnes à la Porte de Brandebourg, symbole de Berlin par où passait le «mur de la Honte» construit en 1961 pour empêcher les citoyens de RDA de passer à l’Ouest.
Le président russe Dmitri Medvedev participera aux célébrations comme le dernier dirigeant de l’Union soviétique, Mikhaïl Gorbatchev, qui décida de ne pas réprimer les mouvements de réformes et permis aux satellites de l’URSS de retrouver leur liberté.
La secrétaire d’Etat Hillary Clinton, qui représente les Etats-Unis, a appelé l’Europe et l’Amérique à de nouveaux efforts pour «renverser les murs» de l’intolérance religieuse.
«Le mur qui emprisonnait la moitié d’une ville, la moitié d’un pays, la moitié d’un continent a été emporté par la plus grande force qui soit – l’esprit indomptable d’hommes et de femmes», devait déclarer le Premier ministre britannique Gordon Brown dans un discours dont le texte a été diffusé à l’avance. >>> AFP | Lundi 09 Novembre 2009
Berlin fête ses vingt ans de liberté
Le mur de dominos, qui s'étend de la Potsdamer Platz à la rivère Spree, doit s'écrouler lundi soir, symbolisant l'ouverture démocratique et la liberté. Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: La ville présente lundi soir un show médiatique planétaire.
Vingt ans après la chute du Mur, le centre de Berlin est de nouveau divisé. Dressée à l'endroit exact où s'élevait le mur de la honte, une barrière de dominos sépare la capitale allemande. Hautes de 2,50 mètres, les 1000 stèles multicolores, toutes décorées de motifs différents, sont alignées le long des édifices les plus symboliques de Berlin : la porte de Brandebourg, le Mémorial de l'Holocauste et le Reichstag, où siège le Parlement allemand.
Le mur de dominos, qui s'étire sur un 1,5 km de la Potsdamer Platz jusqu'à la rivière Spree, doit s'écrouler lundi soir, symbolisant ainsi l'effondrement de la dictature communiste, l'ouverture démocratique et la liberté. L'ancien président polonais Lech Walesa renversera le premier domino. «J'ai le mandat de le faire, la Pologne a ce mandat, car c'est en 1980, à Gdansk, que le premier mur était tombé, au cours des grèves des chantiers navals qui ont donné naissance à Solidarité, le premier syndicat indépendant du bloc communiste, a-t-il souligné. Nous avons vaincu le communisme, et les gens en Allemagne de l'Est ont commencé à fuir via les ambassades d'autres pays. Le mur de Berlin est tombé grâce aux fugitifs. Je m'inquiétais que le leader soviétique Mikhaïl Gorbatchev décide de stopper la fuite des masses et détruise ainsi notre victoire. Le jeu était dangereux. Il est bon que Gorbatchev ait été un homme politique faible et que tout se soit bien passé.»
Les dominos en polystyrène ont été peints par des écoliers à travers le monde, notamment là où des murs divisent toujours des peuples, comme en Israël et dans les Territoires palestiniens ou à Chypre. Mais aussi par des personnalités symbolisant le combat pour la liberté et la réconciliation, comme le Sud-Africain Nelson Mandela ou le chef d'orchestre israélo-argentin, Daniel Barenboïm.
Des dizaines de milliers de Berlinois et de touristes étrangers, venus assister à la «fête de la liberté», se photographient le long de ce mur symbolique et admirent les fresques.
Lundi soir, les organisateurs attendent des centaines de milliers de spectateurs le long du parcours. Daniel Barenboïm, qui avait donné un concert pour les Allemands de l'Est il y a vingt ans à la Philharmonie de Berlin, dirigera l'ouverture des festivités à la tête de la Staatskapelle. >>> Patrick Saint-Paul, correspondant du Figaro à Berlin | Lundi 09 Novembre 2009
Mauerfall Jubiläum: Die Welt schaut auf Berlin
ZEIT ONLINE: Ein wichtiger Tag für Deutschland: Zeitzeugen, Staatsgäste und Hunderttausende Menschen aus aller Welt feiern in Berlin den 20. Jahrestag des Mauerfalls.
Dort, wo einst die Mauer Berlin teilte, stehen am Montag farbenfrohe Dominosteine. Sie sollen am Abend fallen und so den Mauerfall vor 20 Jahren symbolisieren. Bild: Zeit Online
Deutschlandweit wird am Montag mit zahlreichen Veranstaltungen, Aktionen und Gedenkstunden der 20. Jahrestag des Mauerfalls gefeiert. Mittelpunkt der Feierlichkeiten ist Berlin, wo zahlreiche Gäste aus aller Welt erwartet werden. Doch auch im Ausland findet die Erinnerung an die friedliche Revolution in der DDR und den historischen Tag, der die Beendigung des Kalten Krieges und der Blockkonfrontation in der Welt einleitete, große Aufmerksamkeit.
Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel (CDU), Berlins Regierender Bürgermeister Klaus Wowereit (SPD) und Bundespräsident Horst Köhler treffen mit Staatsgästen und Zeitzeugen aus aller Welt zusammen – darunter US-Außenministerin Hillary Clinton, der britische Premier Gordon Brown, der französische Staatspräsident Nicolas Sarkozy, der ehemalige sowjetische Staatspräsident Michail Gorbatschow und der frühere Solidarnosc-Vorsitzende und spätere polnische Staatspräsident Lech Walesa.
Am Nachmittag wird Merkel gemeinsam mit Zeitzeugen und Politikern dort entlanggehen, wo sich einst der Grenzübergang Bornholmer Straße befand, der unter dem Druck der dort versammelten DDR-Bürger als erster in der Nacht des 9. November 1989 geöffnet wurde. Höhepunkt der Feierlichkeiten ist am Abend das "Fest der Freiheit" am Brandenburger Tor. >>> Von Matthias Schlegel und Andrea Dernbach | Montag, 09. November 2009
Achtung! Zürichs verborgene Moscheen: Am Tag der offenen Moschee treten die Zürcher Muslime an die Öffentlichkeit
NZZ ONLINE: Rund vierzig islamische Zentren gibt es im Kanton Zürich. Neunzehn haben am Samstag zum Moscheebesuch eingeladen. Das Interesse war allerdings gering.
Es sei erschreckend, wie wenig die jungen Menschen in der Schweiz über den Islam wüssten, sagt Khaldoun Dia-Eddine von der Albanisch-Islamischen Gemeinschaft in Zürich. Als Dozent an einer Fachhochschule bringt er das Thema im Unterricht regelmässig auf. Manchmal verteile er Fragebogen mit elementaren Fragen zum Islam und zu seiner Geschichte, erzählt er – und die Antworten, die er zu sehen bekomme, ernüchterten ihn. Pflegen die Nichtmuslime also lieber ihre Vorurteile, als sich darum zu bemühen, den Islam besser zu verstehen? Nein, sagt Dia-Eddine klar, das Interesse am Islam sei gross. Aber anscheinend bestünden in der Bevölkerung Hemmschwellen, auf Muslime zuzugehen und mit ihnen über ihre Religion und Lebensweise zu reden. >>> Thomas Ribi | Montag, 09. November 2009
Free Market Flawed, Says Survey
BBC: Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, a new BBC poll has found widespread dissatisfaction with free-market capitalism.
In the global poll for the BBC World Service, only 11% of those questioned across 27 countries said that it was working well.
Most thought regulation and reform of the capitalist system were necessary.
There were also sharp divisions around the world on whether the end of the Soviet Union was a good thing.
Economic regulation
In 1989, as the Berlin Wall fell, it was a victory for ordinary people across Eastern and Central Europe.
It also looked at the time like a crushing victory for free-market capitalism.
Twenty years on, this new global poll suggests confidence in free markets has taken heavy blows from the past 12 months of financial and economic crisis.
More than 29,000 people in 27 countries were questioned. In only two countries, the United States and Pakistan, did more than one in five people feel that capitalism works well as it stands.
Almost a quarter - 23% of those who responded - feel it is fatally flawed. That is the view of 43% in France, 38% in Mexico and 35% in Brazil.
And there is very strong support around the world for governments to distribute wealth more evenly. That is backed by majorities in 22 of the 27 countries.
If there is one issue where a global consensus seems to emerge from the survey it is this: there are majorities almost everywhere wanting government to be more active in regulating business. >>> James Robbins | Monday, November 09, 2009
20 Jahre nach dem Mauerfall: Weltweit große Unzufriedenheit mit Kapitalismus
WELT ONLINE: 20 Jahre nach dem Mauerfall und dem Niedergang des Kommunismus herrscht weltweit große Unzufriedenheit mit dem kapitalistischen Wirtschaftssystem. Jeder fünfte Befragte einer von der BBC in Auftrag gegebenen Studie spricht sich für eine vollkommen neue Wirtschaftsordnung aus.
Die Unzufriedenheit mit dem kapitalistischen Wirtschaftssystem ist 20 Jahre nach dem Mauerfall und dem Niedergang des Kommunismus sehr groß. Nach einer von der BBC in Auftrag gegebenen Studie waren nur elf Prozent der Befragten in 27 Ländern der Ansicht, dass der Kapitalismus in seiner derzeitigen Form gut funktioniert.
Lediglich in den USA (25 Prozent) und Pakistan (21 Prozent) war mehr als jeder Fünfte mit der aktuellen Wirtschaftsordnung zufrieden. Unter dem Eindruck der schlimmsten Finanz- und Wirtschaftskrise seit den 30er-Jahren glaubten 51 Prozent der Befragten, dass die Märkte stärker reguliert werden müssen. Im Schnitt 23 Prozent meinten, dass eine vollkommen neue Wirtschaftsordnung geschaffen werden müsse.
„Es scheint, dass der Fall der Berliner Mauer nicht der überwältigende Sieg für die freie Marktwirtschaft gewesen ist, für den er damals gehalten wurde“, sagte Doug Miller, Chef der Umfrageinstituts GlobeScan, das gemeinsam mit der Universität von Maryland rund 29.000 Menschen befragte. „Einige Elemente des Sozialismus, etwa die gleiche Verteilung des Wohlstands durch die Regierung, sprechen viele Leute auf der Welt weiter an“, sagte Steven Kull von der Universität von Maryland. >>> AFP/dpa/fas | Montag, 09. November 2009
The Berlin Wall – Die Berliner Mauer – Le mur de Berlin
L'Allemagne a payé cher sa réunification
LE FIGARO: Berlin a investi des centaines de milliards pour redonner un nouveau souffle aux régions de l'ex-RDA qui se sont effondrées après la chute du Mur.
À l'occasion du vingtième anniversaire de la chute du Mur, l'amertume de beaucoup d'anciens citoyens est-allemands s'étale dans les journaux. Fini la sécurité de l'emploi et « le miracle économique » de la RDA décrit par la Banque mondiale dans les années 1970. Avec un taux de chômage de 11,8 % (contre 6,6 % pour l'Ouest), la situation économique reste plus précaire dans les nouveaux Bundesländer, le nom officiel des régions issues de la RDA, que dans le reste du pays. Selon les dernières études, 250 000 jeunes femmes, plus diplômées et entreprenantes que les garçons, ont quitté leur région d'origine pour chercher du travail à l'Ouest, créant un déficit démographique qui s'ajoute au départ de 1,8 million de citoyens sur les 17 millions que comptait la RDA en 1989. Écoles et crèches ferment alors qu'on détruit des quartiers entiers des anciennes villes industrielles désertées.
En 1989, le chef de la RDA, Erich Honecker, s'enorgueillissait d'être à la tête d'une « des dix premières puissances industrielles du monde ». Mais la chute du Mur laissa apparaître la réalité de l'économie planifiée, et l'introduction du deutsche mark à parité de la monnaie de l'Est précipita en quelques mois son effondrement. Lorsque le Mur tombe sous les coups de boutoir de l'opposition réformatrice à l'automne 1989, la RDA est exsangue. >>> Caroline Bruneau | Lundi 09 Novembre 2009
Blair’s Last Throw of the Dice for Presidency
TIMES ONLINE: Tony Blair has made a belated effort to revive his attempt to be president of Europe with a flurry of personal telephone calls to continental leaders, The Times has learnt.
The former Prime Minister’s 11th-hour intervention comes after criticism from Left and Right that he has not done enough to earn their support. The flickering flame of Mr Blair’s candidacy could be extinguished tonight when European Union heads of government, including some of his rivals, gather in Germany for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Mr Blair, who has always insisted that he is not campaigning for the post, will be far away in the Middle East, where he is a peace envoy.
Attention has instead focused on an alternative line-up by which David Miliband secures the foreign affairs post of Europe’s High Representative.
Although Mr Miliband has repeatedly stated that he does want not the job, there are fears within the Government that he could be persuaded. Labour figures are said to be beseeching him to stay, with one saying that his departure now would be a “pre-election betrayal of the party”. >>> Tom Baldwin, David Charter and Philip Webster | Monday, November 09, 2009
