Sorgen um Griechenland: Der geheime deutsche Rettungsplan
BASLER ZEITUNG: Offiziell bestreiten die Deutschen noch immer, dass sie für die Griechen Geld springen lassen werden. Doch vieles spricht dafür, dass sie bereits an einem Trick arbeiten, um trotzdem einzugreifen.

Basteln sie im Hintergrund bereits an einer Rettungsaktion? Deutsche Bank-Chef Joe Ackermann (links), Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel (rechts). Bild: Basler Zeitung
Wegen der Griechenlandkrise kommen die europäischen Staaten Deutschland und Frankreich zunehmend unter Druck. An den internationalen Kapitalmärkten wird von ihnen rasch ein stützendes Eingreifen erwartet. Doch in Deutschland wäre ein solcher Schritt äusserst unpopulär, laut Umfragen lehnt das eine deutliche Mehrheit der Bevölkerung ab. Ausserdem gälte es als verheerendes Signal, wenn ein Land wie Griechenland, das sich um die Regeln der Währungsunion bisher derart foutiert hat, durch Steuergelder der anderen gerettet werden würde.

Deshalb betont besonders die deutsche Regierung nach wie vor, dass von ihr keine Hilfe erfolgen werde. Die Franzosen wiederum sagen, ohne Beteiligung der Deutschen würden auch sie nichts bezahlen. Auch die Griechen dementieren weiterhin, Hilfe zu beantragen. Die offizielle Sprachregelung ist noch immer, dass die Griechen erst einmal glaubhaft damit beginnen sollten, das eigene Haus in Ordnung zu bringen. Erst am 16. März soll die nächste Prüfung der Lage vorgenommen werden. >>> Von Markus Diem Meier | Montag, 01. März 2010

«Es ist mir eine Ehre, dass Hannibal Ghadhafi mich besucht»
Hannibal Ghadhafi trifft Max Göldi im Gefängnis. Bild: Berner Zeitung
BASLER ZEITUNG: Hannibal Ghadhafi hat in Tripolis überraschend Max Göldi im Gefängnis besucht. Der Sohn des libyschen Machthabers hat dem Schweizer erlaubt, seine Mutter anzurufen.

«Es ist mir eine Ehre, dass Hannibal Ghadhafi mich besucht und ich hoffe, dass er seinen Einfluss nutzen kann, um mir in meiner Situation zu helfen», sagte Göldi bei dem Treffen gegenüber Journalisten. Er hoffe auch, dass die Justiz ihre Arbeit machen werde und dass sich einige Dinge verbesserten.

«Ich bin seit 19 Monaten von meiner Familie getrennt und möchte so schnell wie möglich nach Hause zurück», sagte Göldi weiter. Laut einem Journalisten der Nachrichtenagentur Reuters wirkte der inhaftierte Schweizer entspannt und lächelte während des Treffens.

Auf die Frage, welche Forderungen er an die Schweizer Regierung stelle, sagte Göldi: «Die Schweiz muss Hannibal Ghadhafi das Recht zugestehen, von seinem Recht Gebrauch zu machen.» Die Veröffentlichung von Hannibals Polizeifotos in der «Tribune de Genève» sei «unakzeptabel» und «gegen das Gesetz».

Anschliessend setzten die beiden ihr Gespräch unter vier Augen fort. Göldis Anwalt Salah Zahaf ergänzte, Hannibal Ghadhafi habe seinem Mandanten erlaubt, seine Mutter in der Schweiz anzurufen, die am Montag Geburtstag hatte. Wichtige Geste >>> sam/sda | Montag, 01. März 2010

High Noon in Turkey
TIMES ONLINE – Leading Article: The confrontation between Ankara and the army could prove catastrophic

Turkey, a pillar of Nato, a potential member of the European Union and a strategic Western ally in the Middle East, is today poised on the brink of disaster. If the current confrontation between the moderate Islamist Government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the military establishment provokes a coup, or spurs political and religious violence, the loss to the West, to regional stability and to the hopes for this emerging economic power would be incalculable. What is at stake is of critical importance not just to Turkey but to countries across the Muslim world: is political Islam, even in moderate guise, compatible with democracy, state authority and secular institutions?

Tensions have eased slightly since the release of three top military commanders, taken in for questioning over an alleged coup plot. But despite the Prime Minister’s crisis talks with General Ilker Basbug, the head of the armed forces, and their joint promise to resolve tensions “within the constitutional order”, fears and rumours are still sweeping the country. The stock market has fallen. Social and political divisions are hardening. A further 14 people have been questioned, bringing military arrests to almost 40. And Turks have been amazed to see serving officers, until now virtually untouchable by civilian authorities, being charged with plots to bomb mosques, provoke violence and stage a confrontation with Greece — plots that seem as cynical as they are bizarre. >>> | Monday, March 01, 2010

Obama Warned by Nation of Islam Leader That ‘White Right’ Will Make Him One-term President
MAIL ONLINE: Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan has predicted trouble ahead in Barack Obama's presidency.

The 76-year-old leader said the 'white right' was conspiring to make Obama a one-term president, and pointed to his stalled efforts to introduce health care legislation as proof.

He said those opponents and lobbyists were trapping him into a future war with Iran that could lead to mass destruction.

'The word "prophet" is too cheap a word. I am a light in the midst of darkness,' Farrakhan said at the annual convention of the movement that embraces black nationalism. 'It ain't ego, it's my love for you.'

An estimated 20,000 people attended the heavily guarded Saviours' Day event at the United Centre in Chicago.

Followers - men dressed in navy uniforms and women in white skirt suits with matching hijabs - cheered on Farrakhan with shouts of 'Allahu Akbar,' Arabic for 'God is great.' >>> | Monday, March 01, 2010

Neutral Swiss Hurt by Libyan Row
If anyone has been hurt by the Libyan row, it is Libya itself, because it has shown itself to be just what it truly is: a rogue state. – © Mark

THE TELEGRAPH: Neutral Switzerland has had its reputation as a global mediator dented as weaknesses in its foreign policy are exposed by its escalating row with Libya, analysts said.

Relations between Bern and Tripoli have been strained since July 2008, when one of the sons of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Hannibal and his wife were arrested in Geneva after two domestic workers complained they had mistreated them.

Libyan [sic] retaliated by blocking two Swiss businessmen from leaving its territory while Switzerland imposed visa restrictions on some Libyans, effectively blocking them from entering Europe's Schengen 25 nation travel zone.

But the row reached new heights this week when Gaddafi called for jihad against the alpine state over a recent Swiss ban on the construction of minarets.

Hasni Abidi, the director of the Geneva-based Study and Research Centre for the Arab and Mediterranean World, said the tussle with Libya was "bad publicity for the Swiss in the Arab and Muslim world," where Switzerland had traditionally played a role in mediation.

Bern was a middleman in ending decades of hostility stemming from World-War I-era massacres between Turkey and Armenia, leading them to sign historic protocols estabilishing diplomatic ties.

Switzerland also represents US interests in Iran and Tehran's interests in Egypt.

However, "this speciality is very certainly weakening given the situation linked to the Libyan crisis," added another analyst, Frederic Esposito, from the European Institute of the University of Geneva.

Abidi added that this was amplified by a Swiss referendum vote last year to ban the construction of new minarets, a move that drew worldwide criticism and which Kadhafi seized on to call for jihad.

Gaddafi knew that Switzerland's role as a mediator is "based on its image of neutrality and impartiality and openness," said Abidi, and therefore he has attacked this image.

Swiss handling of the Libyan crisis has exposed broader weaknesses in its foreign policy, said analysts. >>> Hui Min Neo and Alix Rijckaert, in Geneva for AFP | Monday, March 01, 2010

Dhimmitude and Grovelling! Sir Ian Blair's Deal with Islamic Radical
THE TELEGRAPH: Sir Ian Blair signed a formal agreement with an Islamic extremist to treat him as the Metropolitan Police’s "principal" representative of the Muslim community, it can be disclosed.


The activist, Azad Ali, was accepted by the Met as a trusted interlocutor. The force also agreed to give him information on forthcoming anti-terror raids. – Mr Ali has previously justified the killing of British troops in Iraq, believes al Qaeda is a "myth," and has praised a key mentor of Osama bin Laden.

Mr Ali signed the deal, a copy of which has been seen by the Daily Telegraph, in his capacity as the then chairman of the Muslim Safety Forum – a body closely linked to the fundamentalist Islamic Forum of Europe (IFE).

In yesterday's Sunday Telegraph a Labour minister, Jim Fitzpatrick, accused the IFE of infiltrating the Labour Party and British politics along the lines of the far-Left Militant Tendency in the 1980s. The IFE believes in jihad, sharia law and the transformation of Britain into an Islamic state. It will be the subject of a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary tonight.

The Muslim Safety Forum was set up, in its own words, to challenge the "unfair focus on the Muslim community when it came to policing activities and enforcement of anti- terror policing legislation."

It was accepted by the police as a legitimate body. The agreement, dated December 2006 and personally signed by Mr Ali and Sir Ian, who was Commissioner of the Mat at the time, states: "The Commissioner will recognise the MSF as the principal body in relation to Muslim community safety and security."

Sir Ian or his deputy committed to meet Mr Ali and the MSF at least twice a year and to hold monthly meetings with the MSF at "New Scotland Yard or other suitable premises."

Met chiefs, including counter-terrorist commanders, also committed to attending the MSF's own meetings "whenever possible”. Both the current head of the antiterrorist command, Commander Shaun Sawyer, and his predecessor, Commander Bob Quick, who the MSF described as a "close partner”, have had regular meetings.

The agreement says that the Met and MSF will "use the MSF as a consultation body to help formulate policy or practice." and "progress an annual plan of work through agreed priority workstreams," jointly led by Met and MSF representatives.

The workstreams included counter-terrorism and "Islamophobia." Mr Ali was the MSF lead on counter-terrorism. >>> Andrew Gilligan | Monday, March 01, 2010

Unglaublich! Deutschland: Eine 72 jährige schwäbische Dame nimmt den Islam an

Storm in Europe Kills At Least 50


THE TELEGRAPH: France seeking emergency aid from EU after storms leave 47 dead: France is seeking emergency aid from the European Union after the fiercest storms in a decade which left 47 people dead. >>> | Monday, March 01, 2010

Violent Clashes in Jerusalem

At Least 700 People Dead After Earthquake in Chile

Pope Prays For Chile Quake Victims

Netherlands Gay Protest Over Catholic Communion Snub
BBC: Hundreds of Dutch activists have walked out of a Mass in protest at a Roman Catholic policy of denying communion to practising homosexuals.

On this occasion, the church, in 's-Hertogenbosch, had already decided not to serve communion, so the protesters left, shouting and singing.

The dispute began earlier this month when a priest in a nearby town refused communion to an openly gay man.

The Netherlands was the first country to introduce gay marriage in 2001.

Most Dutch people support gay rights, but the Roman Catholic Church teaches that homosexual activity is sinful. >>> | Sunday, February 28, 2010

Britische Tories in Bedrängnis: Unerwartete Erosion der Zustimmung laut den jüngsten Wählerumfragen
NZZ ONLINE: Die britischen Konservativen kämpfen mit einem rasch schwindenden Vorsprung vor Labour. Die Wahlstrategie der Personalisierung und Polarisierung bei inhaltlicher Unschärfe hat bisher nicht verfangen.

Gut zwei Monate vor dem voraussichtlichen Wahltermin spitzt sich der Kampf um die Macht im britischen Unterhaus zu. Just am Tag der letzten grossen Konferenz der Konservativen in Brighton zeigte die sonntägliche Wählerumfrage ein drastisches Abschmelzen des Vorsprungs vor der regierenden Labourpartei auf bloss noch 2 Prozentpunkte. Damit scheint den Konservativen ausgerechnet in derselben südenglischen Küstenstadt, in der Labour noch am Parteikongress im vergangenen September mit wehenden Fahnen unterzugehen schien, die Hoffnung auf den sicher geglaubten Wahlsieg davonzuschwimmen. Im letzten Herbst hatten die Tories in Umfragen noch um bis zu 15 Prozentpunkte vor Labour gestanden, Anfang Jahr waren es noch rund 10, vor einer Woche 6 Punkte. Fragwürdige Personalisierung >>> Peter Rásonyi, Brighton | Sonntag, 28. Februar 2010

«Eine Katastrophe unvorstellbaren Ausmasses» : Die Opferzahl nach dem Erdbeben in Chile steigt auf über 700
NZZ ONLINE: Nach dem schweren Erdbeben in Chile wird das Ausmass der Schäden allmählich sichtbar. Staatspräsidentin Bachelet spricht von einer grossen Katastrophe, die Behörden haben bis anhin über 700 Tote gezählt.

Nach dem verheerenden Erdbeben in Chile mit mehreren hundert Toten haben Rettungsteams am Sonntag nach Verschütteten und Überlebenden gesucht. Zwei Millionen Menschen seien von der Katastrophe betroffen, sagte Chiles Präsidentin Michelle Bachelet in einer Fernsehansprache. Das südamerikanische Land sehe sich mit «einer Katastrophe unvorstellbaren Ausmasses» konfrontiert, so Bachelet. Zahl der Toten dürfte noch steigen >>> sda/afp/Reuters/dpa | Sonntag, 28. Februar 2010

This Preacher Is Something Else! Watch This! You'll Be in Stitches! White House Not a Smoke Free Zone

Whitehouse Not a Smoke Free Zone from ATLAHWorldwide on Vimeo

Doctors Tell Barack Obama to Quit Smoking
Barack Obama has had his first medical examination since becoming president. Photo: The Guardian
THE GUARDIAN: The american president has been trying to kick the habit for sometime, apart from the smoking he is in excellent health

Barack Obama is still struggling to kick smoking, according to his first medical examination since becoming president.

Obama is sensitive about his cigarette habit and tetchy with reporters who raise it. But after his 90-minute medical at the Navy hospital outside Washington yesterday morning, his doctors confirmed he had not yet managed to conquer the habit and suggested he "continue smoking cessation efforts".

The doctors said the president used medication to try to ease the pangs, they described it as "nicotine replacement therapy, self-use".

Obama promised Michelle when he embarked on his campaign to become president he would quit, at the time he said he was smoking about eight a day.

He told reporters last year he had quit but still had an occasional cigarette, without specifying how many. >>> Ewen MacAskill, Washington | Monday, March 01, 2010

THE TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama's first medical: president smokes too much and should improve diet: President Barack Obama hasn't kicked his smoking habit, takes anti-inflammatory medication to relieve chronic tendonitis in his left knee and should improve his diet to lower his cholesterol, his team of doctors said after the 48-year-old's first medical checkup as commander in chief. >>> | Monday, March 01, 2010

La tempête Xynthia fait au moins 45 morts
Dans plusieurs localités, comme à La-Faute-sur-Mer, les toits de certaines maisons émergeaient à peine de l'eau et des familles en larmes attendaient des nouvelles de leurs proches portés disparus. Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: VIDEO - François Fillon évoque un désastre «national» et annonce que les arrêtés de catastrophe naturelle seront publiés «dans les 48 heures». Le littoral atlantique est le plus touché.

«C'est une catastrophe nationale» a déploré le premier ministre François Fillon. Xynthia laisse en France un sillage de destruction et un lourd bilan humain. La tempête, l'une des plus violentes depuis celle de 1999, a fait au moins 45 morts. On déplore une trentaine de disparus et une dizaine de blessés. Le littoral atlantique est la zone la plus lourdement touchée. La plupart des victimes se sont noyées, suprises par la montée brusque des eaux dans les terres. «Le bilan est susceptible de s'alourdir avec nos reconnaissances plus en avant à l'intérieur des terres dans les maisons, dans les parkings», a prévenu le porte-parole de la Sécurité civile. En 1999, la tempête avait provoqué la mort de 92 personnes.

Nicolas Sarkozy, qui se rendra lundi en Vendée et en Charente-Maritime, a demandé «au gouvernement d'agir sans attendre». Une réunion s'est tenue dimanche après-midi à Matignon au terme de laquelle François Fillon a promis que les arrêtés de catastrophe naturelle seraient publiés «dans les 48 heures». Il a également annoncé «un plan exceptionnel de construction et renforcement des digues», en accord avec les collectivités locales. Le ministère de l'Intérieur va débloquer 1 million d'euros de crédit d'urgence qui seront mis à disposition des préfets pour venir en aide aux régions sinistrées. >>> Par lefigaro.fr | Dimanche 28 Février 2010

British Dhimmitude! Contracts! Contracts! Contracts! Just Keep on Sucking Up to the Saudis, Why Don't You? UK Embassy Rules Out Foul Play in Cyclist’s Death
This is the sort of nonsense that makes people NOT proud to be British! Staff at the UK embassy should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves. But they’re not; they are just raking in the money. For such people, money and contracts are clearly more important than principle. – © Mark

ARAB NEWS: RIYADH: Sources at the British Embassy in Riyadh say the death of a British cyclist in a road accident last week is believed to be nothing more than a “tragic accident”. >>> Walaa Hawari, Arab News | Sunday, February 28, 2010

Related:

British Cyclist Was 'Deliberately Run Down' in Saudi Arabia >>> Andrew Alderson, Chief Reporter | Saturday, February 27, 2010

Canadians Going Tribal
What is so clear to me is that so many converts to Islam seem to come from broken homes, or homes which have not given correct guidance during the formative years to the children.

It is also very clear to me that so many converts to Islam are one-time alcoholics, drug-addicts, or have been in some other way lost. They certainly had no grasp of their former religion, Christianity.

We Westerners are failing our young; and the more we fail our young, the more they will turn to this backward religion. Islam is not the solution; rather, it is a problem that we are shoring up for ourselves. Wake up! – © Mark

Pink-shorts Senator Has Presidential Bulge
TIMES ONLINE: HE was supposed to be the he-man of the US Senate, a truck-driving triathlon-completing [sic] former male model who sends female colleagues into a swoon. But America’s newest senator showed a more feminine side this weekend with the revelation that he wore pink leather shorts on his first date with his future wife.

Scott Brown is the most prominent senator in America, his victory last month in the seat long held by the Kennedys having given Republicans a crucial vote to block President Barack Obama’s agenda.

With attention already turning to the 2012 presidential race, Brown is the surprise name on the list of Republican contenders. In the most recent poll he ranked fourth above party stalwarts such as Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee.

There was fury among supporters last week after he was one of five Republicans unexpectedly to vote in support of Obama’s jobs bill. “You let me down like Tiger Woods,” was typical of the messages posted on his Facebook page, where he was castigated as a Rino (Republican in name only).

The revelation about the pink leather shorts came from his daughter Arianna, 19, who may have been getting her own back for his embarrassing remark about her and her sister on election night when he announced that they were “available”.

According to a profile in today’s New York Times magazine, Brown went pale when asked about the shorts. He said they had been given to him in part payment for a modelling assignment and he wore them because they looked good with his tanned legs. “If I wore these now,” he said, “I’d get shot. But it was the 1980s. Pastels were in. It was all pastely.” >>> Christina Lamb in Washington | Sunday, February 28, 2010

Merkel sorgt sich um Euro-Stabilität: Sorgen wegen der Krise in Griechenland
NZZ ONLINE: Die deutsche Bundeskanzlerin Merkel macht sich wegen der Krise in Griechenland Sorgen um die Stabilität des Euro. Zugleich verneinte sie, dass Deutschland mit Milliardenbeiträgen helfen werden.

Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel sorgt sich wegen der griechischen Finanzkrise um die Stabilität des Euros. «Der Euro ist sicherlich in seiner schwierigsten Phase seit seinem Bestehen», sagte die CDU-Chefin am Sonntag in der ARD. Die Schwierigkeiten müssten nun an den Wurzeln angepackt werden, und diese seien das hohe Staatsdefizit und die verloren gegangene Glaubwürdigkeit Griechenlands. Keine deutschen Milliardenhilfen >>> ddp | Sonntag, 28. Februar 2010