Persecution of Doctor Who Treated Neda Soltan
TIMES ONLINE: As Arash Hejazi sat in an Oxford coffee bar, members of Iran’s Basij militia in Tehran were demanding his extradition outside the British Embassy.

The previous day the Iranian regime had sent an Oxford college a letter of protest over a scholarship given to honour Neda Soltan, the student killed during a huge demonstration against electoral fraud in Tehran in June. The letter also suggested that Dr Hejazi was responsible for her murder.

For Dr Hejazi, who had tried to save Ms Soltan’s life, that was the final straw. He decided that it was time to speak out. It was time to reveal how the regime has sought to vilify, punish and silence him ever since he told the world, immediately after Ms Soltan’s death, how she had been shot by a government henchman for peacefully protesting against President Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election.

Dr Hejazi is now living in exile in Britain, jobless and fearful, while back in Tehran the regime blackens his name and hounds his friends, family and colleagues. “I told the truth. I just did what I had to do, but there were dire consequences,” he told The Times. In short, a quirk of fate — that he happened to be standing near Ms Soltan the moment that she was shot — has turned his entire life upside down and made him “another victim of tyranny”. Iranian doctor Arash Hejazi who tried to rescue Neda Soltan tells of wounds that never heal >>> Martin Fletcher | Friday, November 13, 2009

If Forbes Can Put a Drug Baron on the List of the Most Powerful, Is It Such an Honour for Obama to Be Number One on That List?
TIMES ONLINE: He is Mexico’s most wanted drug lord, the head of a cartel that has brought billions of dollars’ worth of cocaine into the United States, a man with a $5 million (£3 million) price tag on his head — and he has been named by Forbes magazine as one of the world’s most powerful people.

Joaquin Guzman, known as “El Chapo” or Shorty, took 41st place in the new ranking, ahead of Presidents Medvedev and Sarkozy and Binyamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel. Guzman is the alleged head of the Sinaloa drug cartel that has funnelled up to $19 billion worth of cocaine into the US through tunnels under the border fence.

He was arrested in Mexico on drug and murder charges in 1993 but managed to escape from prison in 2001. Cocaine baron makes it on to magazine's list of world's powerful >>> James Bone in New York | Friday, November 13, 2009

US Mosques and New York Skyscraper Seized Over Iran Links
THE GUARDIAN: Federal investigators moved to seize four mosques in the US and a skyscraper in Manhattan yesterday over their alleged financial aid to Iran, in an extraordinary step likely to worsen relations between Washington and Tehran.

Prosecutors in Manhattan filed a civil complaint in the federal court seeking the forfeiture of more than $500m in assets of the Alavi Foundation, which describes itself as a charitable foundation, and a company, Assa.

The mosques are in New York City, Maryland, California and Texas.

Prosecutors claim that the foundation and the company have been engaged in money laundering, with the cash sent back to Tehran.

The move could be designed to punish the Tehran government at time when its relations with the US are already strained over Iran's alleged nuclear weapons programme.

But the Obama administration also risks incurring the anger of American Muslims if the mosques, all Shia, are seized. The takeover of mosques would also raise constitutional questions around the right of freedom to religion.

The move comes at a sensitive time, with a debate under way in the US over the loyalty of American Muslims after the shooting at Fort Hood last week. Major Nadil Malik Hasan was yesterday charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder. >>> Ewen Macaskill in Washington | Friday, November 13, 2009

Libyen stellt Schweizer Geschäftsleute vor Gericht
DIE PRESSE: Der Streit zwischen Gaddafi und der Schweiz verschärft sich: Zwei in Libyen festgehaltene Schweizer sind wegen Steuerhinterziehung angeklagt worden. Libyen weist den Vorwurf der Geiselnahme zurück.

Zwei seit Juli 2008 Monaten in Libyen festgehaltene Schweizer Geschäftsleute sollen in dem nordafrikanischen Land vor Gericht gestellt werden. Ihnen werden unter anderem Verstöße gegen die Aufenthaltsbestimmungen und Steuerhinterziehung zur Last gelegt.

Die Affäre belastet seit Monaten die Beziehungen zwischen der Schweiz und Libyen. Die Schweiz wirft dem libyschen Staatschefs Muammar Gaddafi vor, die Schweizer festzuhalten, weil sein Sohn im Juli 2008 in Genf wegen Misshandlung von Angestellten vorübergehend festgenommen wurde. Die Schweizer Außenministerin Micheline Calmy-Rey sprach im Oktober erstmals öffentlich von einer "Geiselnahme".

Diesen Vorwurf wies Libyens Vize-Außenminister Khaled Kaim am Donnerstag zurück. Es gebe keinen Zusammenhang mit der Festnahme von Motassim Bilal (genannt "Hannibal"). Weil Bern jedoch einen solchen Zusammenhang hergestellt hätte, seien die bilateralen Verhandlungen erschwert worden. >>> Ag | Donnerstag, 12. November 2009

Spanish Region Takes Hands-on Approach to Sex Education
THE GUARDIAN: Officials launch campaign to teach young people about 'sexual self-exploration and discovery of self-pleasure'

It is a subject that would make most governments blush, but officials in the Spanish region of Extremadura have launched a major programme to encourage what could be described as a more hands-on approach to sexuality.

The region's socialist government has launched a €14,000 (£12,600) campaign aimed at teaching young people how best to set about "sexual self-exploration and the discovery of self-pleasure" – or to put it less delicately: masturbation.

"Pleasure is in your own hands" is the slogan of a campaign that has sparked political controversy and challenges traditional Roman Catholic views on people having sex, even on their own, for non-reproductive reasons. >>> Giles Tremlett in Madrid | Thursday, November 12, 2009

Iran Issues Tacit Warning to Saudi Arabia Over Attacks on Rebels
TIMES ONLINE: Iran warned Saudi Arabia yesterday not to become further entangled in supporting the Yemen Government’s drive to put down Shia Muslim rebels.

After a week of Saudi air raids and the imposition of a naval blockade by Riyadh to prevent weapons from reaching the insurgents, Iran issued comments that are certain to escalate tensions between the regional powers.

“Those who pour oil on the fire must know that they will not be spared from the smoke that billows,” said Manouchehr Mottaki, the Iranian Foreign Minister, in a clear warning to Saudi Arabia — which attacked Huthi rebels after they took control of a Saudi border town last week.

Iran is a majority Shia Muslim country and supports Shia groups across the region, particularly in Lebanon and Iraq, while Saudi Arabia is a Sunni Muslim state. >>> James Hider, Middle East Correspondent | Thursday, November 12, 2009

Argentina: Challenging the Church
Watch Journeyman Pictures video here | Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Yemen: Child Marriage
Watch Journeyman Pictures video here | Monday, November 09, 2009

Israel: An Impossible Situation
Watch Journeyman Pictures video: Hot Property: Israel/Palestine >>> | Monday, November 09, 2009

Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty is usually equated with the Greek goddess, Aphrodite. Image: Google Images
Britons Are Ugly, Dating Website Concludes
THE GLOBE AND MAIL: Fewer than one in eight British men and just three in 20 women who have applied to BeautifulPeople.com have been accepted, according to the website

Britons are among the ugliest people in the world, according to a dating website that says it only allows “beautiful people” to join.

Fewer than one in eight British men and just three in 20 women who have applied to BeautifulPeople.com have been accepted, according to the website.

Existing members of the “elite dating site” rate how attractive potential members are over a 48 hour period, after applicants upload a recent photo and personal profile.

Swedish men have proved the most successful, with 65 per cent being accepted, while Norwegian women are considered the most beautiful with 76 per cent accepted, the website said.

Canadian women were accepted 24 per cent of the time, and men 23 per cent. And Americans? Thirty-seven per cent of women got in, and 24 per cent of men.

The way that BeautifulPeople.com accepts new members is simple. A potential member applies with a photo and a brief profile. Over 48 hours, existing members of the opposite sex vote whether or not to admit them, the site said.

Options are: “Yes definitely,” “Hmm yes, OK,” “Hmm no, not really” and “No definitely not.”

The site was founded in 2002 in Denmark and went live across the globe last month. Since then, the site has rejected nearly 1.8 million people from 190 countries, admitting just 360,000 new members. >>> Reuters | Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Dmitri Medwedew, Russlands Präsident, will sein Land zurück zur alten Stärke führen. Bild: NZZ
Medwedew will Rückkehr zum Weltmachtstatus: Russland soll seine «chronische Rückständigkeit» überwinden
NZZ ONLINE: Russland soll nach dem Willen von Präsident Dmitri Medwedew wieder eine Weltmacht werden. Dafür müsse das Land seine «chronische Rückständigkeit» überwinden und «grundlegend modernisiert» werden, sagte Medwedew bei seiner zweiten Rede an die Nation im Kreml.

Russland könne sich nicht mehr auf den Errungenschaften aus den Zeiten der Sowjetunion ausruhen. Bei der Erneuerung müsse sich das Riesenreich vielmehr auf demokratische Prinzipien stützen, betonte Medwedew.

Öl und Gas

Der Kremlchef kritisierte zudem erneut die «beschämend geringe Wettbewerbsfähigkeit» der russischen Wirtschaft sowie die hohe Abhängigkeit seines Landes von Öl und Gas.

Medwedew sprach von der «ersten Modernisierung in der Geschichte des Landes auf Grundlage der Werte und Institutionen der Demokratie». Er forderte seine Landsleute auf, sowjetisches Denken zu überwinden. >>> sda/dpa | Donnerstag, 12. November 2009

LE TEMPS: Dmitri Medvedev veut une modernisation radicale : Dans son discours annuel à la Nation, le président russe a, entre autres, annoncé une réorganisation en profondeur des conglomérats publics, qu’il a qualifiés, en l’état, de «sans avenir» >>> AFP | Jeudi 12 Novembre 2009

Lou Dobbs Resigns from CNN
THE LOS ANGELES TIMES: The outspoken newsman says he has been urged 'to go beyond my role here.' Is politics in his future?

Reporting from New York - In a surprise announcement, CNN host Lou Dobbs resigned on the air Wednesday after a recent history of controversial comments on immigration, among other topics, drew heated protests from liberal groups and created friction within the cable network.

Dobbs said that CNN/U.S. President Jon Klein released him from his contract so he could pursue other opportunities. He did not offer specifics but suggested that he is seeking a role in which he will not be constrained from speaking freely.

"Over the past six months, it's become increasingly clear that strong winds of change have begun buffeting this country and affecting all of us," Dobbs said as he opened his daily program. "And some leaders in media, politics and business have been urging me to go beyond my role here at CNN and to engage in constructive problem-solving, as well as to contribute positively to a better understanding of the great issues of our day. And to continue to do so in the most honest and direct language possible." >>> Matea Gold | Thursday, November 12, 2009

9/11's Delayed Legacy: Cancer for Many of the Rescue Workers
THE GUARDIAN: A spate of cancer-related illnesses among New York's rescue services who worked at Ground Zero sparks fear of an epidemic

The chemicals and toxic fumes from New York's Twin Towers on September 11 2001 may have a long-term effect on rescue workers. Photo: The Guardian
A spate of recent deaths of New York police and fire officers who took part in the emergency operation at Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks has heightened fears that it could be the start of a delayed epidemic of cancer-related illness.

Five firefighters and police officers, all of whom were involved in the rescue and clear-up at the site of the collapsed Twin Towers, have died of cancer in the past three months, the oldest being 44. Three died last month within a four-day period.

Those three were Robert Grossman, a Harlem-based police officer who spent several weeks at the emergency site and died of a brain tumour aged 41; fellow police officer Cory Diaz, 37; and firefighter Richard Mannetta, 44.

In addition, John McNamara, a 44-year-old firefighter, died in September; and Renee Dunbar, a police officer in her late 30s, died in August.

The cluster of cancer deaths comes as Congress is under pressure to pass legislation that would provide federal help to emergency workers who have contracted illnesses since 9/11. Campaigners hope that a bill will be put to the House of Representatives by the end of the year that would set up a $10bn (£6bn) national fund for hundreds of people who now have cancer, respiratory illnesses and other diseases that may be linked to their work at the World Trade Centre site. >>> Ed Pilkington in New York | Thursday, November 11, 2009

Battle of Tours 732 AD


Hat tip: Always On Watch

Sarkozy et Nétanyahou mesurent leur désaccord
Nicolas Sarkozy et le premier ministre israélien Benyamin Nétanyahou, mercredi sur le perron de l'Élysée. Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Le premier ministre israélien a été reçu, mercredi, à l'Élysée, alors que les relations bilatérales connaissent des crispations.

Blocage total du processus de paix, crise politique palestinienne, coup de froid franco-israélien : c'est peu dire que l'étape parisienne de Benyamin Nétanyahou se déroulait mercredi sous des auspices défavorables. Le ­premier ministre israélien a été reçu pendant une heure quarante à l'Élysée par Nicolas Sarkozy, alors que les deux pays traversent une pé­riode de tension, la France reconnaissant un «vrai différend politique», selon l'expression lâchée mardi par Bernard Kouchner. «Les entretiens ont permis d'aller au fond des choses, de façon dense, directe, détaillée, dans un climat de confiance, ce qui n'exclut pas des désaccords» , résumait-on mercredi soir dans l'entourage du chef de l'État.

Le «vrai différend» mis sur la table mercredi par Nicolas Sarkozy et Benyamin Nétanyahou s'explique aussi par les conséquences du rapport Goldstone, mettant en cause l'État hébreu pour crime de guerre. Israël a mal pris la position française, illustrée notamment par une lettre signée de Nicolas Sarkozy et de Gordon Brown, pour demander une enquête indépendante sur le conflit à Gaza. À la fin du mois dernier, cette crispation a notamment conduit Bernard Kouchner à reporter la visite qu'il devait effectuer en Israël et dans les territoires palestiniens. L'étape névralgique de ­cette tournée était à Gaza, où la France s'est engagée à reconstruire un hôpital, détruit par l'intervention militaire israélienne, fin 2008. Le ministre des Affaires étrangères avait finalement effectué un déplacement limité au Liban. Le voyage pourrait finalement avoir lieu «dans les prochains jours», a indiqué le porte-parole du Quai d'Orsay.

La pierre d'achoppement la plus saillante reste néanmoins la colonisation, que le premier ministre israélien propose non pas de stopper complètement, mais de limiter. Une offre saluée de façon inopinée la semaine dernière par la secrétaire d'État Hillary Clinton, véritable revirement de la diplomatie américaine, qui exigeait depuis des mois l'arrêt des implantations juives. Dans la foulée, Nétanyahou recevait, lundi à la Maison-Blanche, un accueil à huis clos et manifestement plutôt frais. Incompréhension à Paris >>> Alain Barluet | Jeudi 12 Novembre 2009

Muslims Take Over Paris Street (Every Friday)


Hat tip: Pastorius

Ministry of Defence Civil Servants Paid £47 Million in Bonuses
THE TELEGRAPH: Civil servants at the Ministry of Defence have been paid £47 million in performance bonuses so far this year.

A total of 232 British service personnel have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001. Photo: The Telegraph
The MoD said the bonuses were paid for “exceptional performance” but the disclosure came as the Government faced increasing pressure over the lack of equipment for troops serving in Afghanistan.

There are 85,000 civil servants at the MoD — one for every two active soldiers, the highest level among the Allied nations — and about 50,000 will get a performance bonus this year.

Troops serving in Afghanistan would be “aghast” at the payments, the Conservatives said last night.

The bonus figure covers just the first seven months of the financial year. The MoD said yesterday that the bonuses would average less than £1,000, but a senior civil servant could pick up £8,000. Last year, the department had 95 employees who were on a salary of more than £100,000. A private in the Army can be paid as little as £16,681 a year, with a bonus of £13 a day for serving in Afghanistan.

British troops are dying in Afghanistan at a rate not seen since the Falklands conflict and polls indicate that voters are turning against the mission.

A total of 232 British service personnel have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001. Commanders have said that some of those deaths could have been avoided if there had been more helicopters available.

The bonus payments have risen sharply even as the MoD’s record has come in for growing criticism. In 2003-04, total bonus payments were £24.9 million. >>> Rebecca Lefort and James Kirkup | Thursday, November 12, 2009

Why Is Britain Harbouring Bahrain's Dissidents?
THE TELEGRAPH – BLOG – Con Coughlin: I’ve just attended a seminar on Bahrain hosted by Field Marshall Lord Inge at the House of Lords where I was alarmed to learn that London has become a safe haven for a group of Islamic radicals who are trying to overthrow the Bahraini government.

I suppose, on one level, I should not be surprised by this revelation. After all “Londonistan” has long given sanctuary to Islamic militants of all persuasions – including several key al-Qaeda leaders.

But I am nonetheless surprised that, in the post-September 11 world we live in (not to mention July 7), the British authorities are still giving asylum to those who are trying to harm one of our key allies in the Gulf region.

Apart from being viscerally pro-British, the genial, Sandhurst-educated King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa is a key strategic ally in a region where the antics of Iran’s Islamic republic poses a major security challenge to the West. Bahrain provides the U.S. with a massive naval base, and would prove to be a vital asset to the West in the unfortunate event that a military conflict erupted over Iran’s controversial nuclear programme.

Bahrain has, I know, had its problems in the past, where relations between the Sunni ruling family, and its citizens, who are predominantly Shia Muslims, have, on occasion, been strained. Nor have these problems been helped by the unwelcome interference of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards which, on at least two occasions, have orchestrated plots to overthrow the royal family. >>> Con Coughlin | Wednesday, November 11, 2009

De Phazz - Jazz Music

Merkel and Sarkozy Improve Diplomatic Relations on Armistice Day
It’s such a pity that the British haven’t found it within themselves to get into the spirit of the EU, for the British, too, could have been part of this axis, the British could have been part of the entente. The British, alas, prefer to moan on the sidelines – they prefer to bemoan their loss of sovereignty, bemoan their loss of influence in the world.

We, too, could be part of the eurozone (I’m sure that big business would love us to be). We, too, could be a force in Europe to be reckoned with. The French and Germans are our brothers and sisters in Europe. We, too, should be embracing each other. Unfortunately, we prefer to be triumphalist; but in so being, we are losing sight of the future, losing sight of the bounty that could be ahead of us. What a pity! Quel dommage! Wie Schade! – © Mark

TIMES ONLINE: France and Germany pledged themselves to renewed partnership at the core of the European Union yesterday as Chancellor Angela Merkel became the first German leader to mark Armistice Day with the French.

President Sarkozy stood beside Ms Merkel below the Arc de Triomphe in Paris at a ceremony of reconciliation that he staged as part of his plan for a grand relaunch of the old Franco-German axis. The immediate impact is a joint Franco-German list of candidates for the EU Presidency and other top Brussels jobs under the newly ratified Lisbon treaty.

"We share the same values, the same ambition for Europe, the same currency," Mr Sarkozy said. "So it is natural that French and German policy should be conducted more and more closely." Ms Merkel voiced German contrition over the suffering of the French in two world wars. "What happened cannot be forgotten, but there is a force that can help us ... the force of reconciliation," she said.

Ms Merkel, who has warmed to "Super-Sarko" after a bumpy first two years, called the reconciliation a miracle and a gift. "When there is antagonism between us, everybody loses," she said. "When we are united, everybody wins," she told a ceremony that included French and German military personnel.

"Lieber Nicolas" and "Chere [sic] Angela", as they addressed one-another, also conferred privately on the new EU posts. On Monday in Berlin they were reported to have agreed on Herman Van Rompuy, the Belgian Prime Minister, but the equation has changed with the withdrawal of David Miliband, who they supported for the new EU Foreign affairs post. >>> Charles Bremner in Paris | Wednesday, November 11, 2009

THE TELEGRAPH: David Miliband rules himself out as EU foreign minister: David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, has publicly ruled himself out of the running to be the European Union's new foreign minister. >>> Damien McElroy | Wednesday, November 11, 2009