General Election 2010: David Cameron's Smash and Grab Raid on Labour
THE TELEGRAPH: David Cameron has been given renewed hope of securing an overall majority in the Commons after party strategists identified 20 Labour seats that have unexpectedly become winnable following the rise of the Liberal Democrats.

The success of Nick Clegg in the first two televised debates was thought to have reduced Tory prospects of forming a government after May 6.

However, Conservative strategists now believe that the increase in support for the Lib Dems has been far more damaging for Labour, which is in danger of coming third in the popular vote.

In response, Mr Cameron has ordered an aggressive “decapitation” campaign to try to snatch up to 20 seats that the Tories had previously thought unwinnable, including two held by Cabinet ministers. If successful, the party leadership believes the strategy could help the Conservatives achieve an overall majority of MPs. >>> Robert Winnett, Rosa Prince and James Kirkup | Sunday, April 25, 2010

British Ambassador Survives Suicide Bomb Attack in Yemen
THE TELEGRAPH: The British ambassador to Yemen has survived a suicide bomb attack by terrorists in the capital Sana'a.

The ambassador, Timothy Torlot, was in a convoy travelling to the embassy, situated on a hill overlooking the city, when the bomb was detonated on Monday morning.

One person was confirmed by the Yemeni authorities to have died, but it is not clear whether they were referring to the attacker, who was said to have been blown to pieces.

They confirmed that no-one from the embassy was killed, while Mr Torlot himself was said to be unhurt.

Witnesses said the attacker had failed after being "slow" to get close to the vehicle in which Mr Torlot was travelling.

The attack will add to concerns over Yemen's instability and use as a base by terrorist groups including al-Qaeda. >>> Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Monday, April 26, 2010

'Dear Uncle Adolf': Documentary Details Fan Letters Sent to Hitler
THE TELEGRAPH: Fan letters written to Adolf Hitler during the Second World War were the subject of a new documentary in Germany last night.

'Dear Uncle Adolf' was the first documentary detailing the tens of thousands of surviving fan letters Hitler received while in power which were seized by the Soviets when they conquered Berlin in 1945.

For years these love notes, advice letters, gifts and health-tips lay undiscovered in Russian archives. Discovered in 2007, they formed the basis of a German book called 'Letters to Hitler'. Last night the Svengali-like grip that the Austrian-born Hitler exerted over Germany was unveiled as actors read out the letters that would fill a truck.

They were letters that often accompanied gifts, in the case of Margarethe Wagner, a pair of socks sent in 1938 after Hitler occupied the Czech Sudetenland border region.

"I knitted these for you as you freed us," she wrote. >>> Allan Hall in Berlin | Monday, April 26, 2010

Dokumentation: Lieber Onkel Hitler
WELT ONLINE: 22.40 Uhr Arte In einem Moskauer Spezialarchiv wurde vor Kurzem eine sagenhafte Entdeckung gemacht, die erschütternde Einblicke in die Beziehung der Deutschen zu Adolf Hitler gewährt. In diesem Archiv lagerten über 100 000 Botschaften aus der deutschen Bevölkerung an den Diktator. Mithilfe dieser "Fanpost" und anderer Dokumente vermittelt die Dokumentation von Michael Kloft einen Eindruck von der unfassbaren Ausstrahlung Hitlers und der unheimlichen Faszination, die leider der größte Teil der Deutschen für ihn empfand. [Quelle: WeltOnline] Von Harald Peters | Sonntag, 25. April 2010

La carte bleue "islamique" divise au Canada
LE MONDE: Ce n'est encore qu'une niche potentielle mais elle soulève déjà des critiques : la carte bancaire "islamique", dont UM Financial, modeste institution financière de Toronto, a annoncé, début avril, le lancement au Canada puis aux Etats-Unis, inquiète, y compris les musulmans modérés.

La carte iFreedom Mastercard, proposée à tous les Canadiens, musulmans ou non, a été déclarée "conforme aux lois islamiques" par des experts de cette communauté, affirme le président d'UM Financial, le Canadien Omar Kalair. La charia "autorise le commerce mais pas l'usure", rappelle-t-il. De ce fait, ses clients potentiels "laissent dormir leur argent dans les comptes courants des cinq grandes banques du pays" car ils renoncent à des cartes de crédit, des prêts immobiliers ou des investissements financiers, à cause des intérêts sur dépôts ou prêts interdits par leur religion.

Cette carte "islamique", qui devrait être lancée aux Etats-Unis d'ici la fin de l'année, selon M. Kalair, est une carte prépayée, avec un plafond de 6 000 dollars canadiens (4 500 euros), sans intérêt, ni frais mensuels ou de transaction. Elle coûte 50 dollars pour deux ans, avec des avantages, dont une ristourne de 1 % en argent sur les achats de plus de 100 dollars et des rabais sur les vols de la compagnie aérienne des Emirats arabes unis, Etihad Airways. >>> Anne Pélouas (à Montréal) | Vendredi 23 Avril 2010

Vichy: Le grand rabbin de France rend hommage aux Justes
À Vichy, le rabbin Bernheim devait donner une conférence sur le thème "Juifs et Français, quelle position aujourd'hui ?" Phto : Le Point
LE POINT: Gilles Bernheim, premier grand rabbin de France à se rendre à Vichy pour la journée de la déportation dimanche, s'est recueilli devant une maison où sa belle-mère a été cachée pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, au coeur de la capitale du régime collaborationniste du maréchal Pétain. Il a passé plusieurs minutes devant le 5, impasse Mombrun, où sa belle-mère a été cachée entre 1939 et 1945 avec quinze autres membres de sa famille dans un appartement de trois pièces. >>> AFP | Dimanche 25 Avril 2010

Pope 'Could Cancel UK Visit' Over 'Offensive' Foreign Office Memo
THE TELEGRAPH: The Pope could cancel his planned visit to Britain because of a “hugely offensive” Foreign Office memo mocking his stance on abortion and birth control, sources in the Vatican said.

Senior Papal aides suggested the Foreign Office had not taken strong enough disciplinary action against those responsible for the document, which suggested the Pope should open an abortion clinic, bless a homosexual marriage and launch his own range of condoms while he is here.

No-one has lost their job over the memo, which was sent to Downing Street and at least three Whitehall departments, and the civil servant who authorised it has simply been moved to other duties.

One highly-placed source in the Vatican said: “This could have very severe repercussions and is embarrassing for the British government - one has to question whether the action taken is enough.

“It is disgusting. Britain’s ambassador to the Holy See has been in to see the Secretary of State and explain what happened and this will all be relayed to the Pope.

“It’s even possible the trip could be cancelled as this matter is hugely offensive.”

Cardinal Renato Martino, the former head of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, said: “The British government has invited the Pope as its guest and he should be treated with respect.

“To make a mockery of his beliefs and the beliefs of millions of Catholics not just in Britain but across the world is very offensive indeed.” >>> Gordon Rayner and Nick Pisa in Rome | Sunday, April 25, 2010

Such disgusting behaviour from the Foreign Office. What kind of low-life do they employ there these days? This is no way to behave; and it is certainy no way to treat the Pope. Would these same people have had the courage to write these things about the visit of a Muslim cleric? I think we all know the answer to that question! Disgusting! Absolutely disgusting! And if the Pope cancels his visit, no one should be at all surprised. – © Mark

Related:

THE TELEGRAPH: Ministers Apologise for Insult to Pope >>> Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Saturday, April 24, 2010

Klarer Sieg für Fischer, Wahlbeteiligung auf Rekordtief
DIE PRESSE: Bundespräsident Fischer wird mit knapp 79 Prozent wiedergewählt. Rosenkranz dürfte mit rund 16 Prozent ihr Wahlziel verfehlen, Gehring liegt abgeschlagen. Mehr als die Hälfte der Wahlbeteiligten bleibt den Urnen fern. >>> Ag./kron | Sonntag, 25. April 2010

THE GUARDIAN: Austrian president wins landslide second term: Projections put Social Democrat Heinz Fischer on 78% of vote with far-right Freedom party candidate trailing on 15% >>> Associated Press | Sunday, April 25, 2010

Austrian Voters Reject the Far-right and Its ‘Grandma Rosenkranza’
TIMES ONLINE: Austria bucked the European trend towards far-right parties when Barbara Rosenkranz captured barely 15 per cent of the vote in presidential elections.

The incumbent President, Heinz Fischer, a Social Democrat, was returned to office, with exit polls indicating that he had won 78 per cent of the vote.

Ms Rosenkranz’s colleague Heinz-Christian Strache, leader of the far-right Freedom Party, blamed the poor showing on an “unprecedented media witch-hunt against a very good candidate and her family”.

He had initially said she would win 35 per cent of the vote and spearhead the far Right recovery, helping the Freedom Party to win the powerful position of Mayor of Vienna in October. >>> Roger Boyes | Monday, April 26, 2010

Turquie: Le pays ouvre son premier hôtel nudiste
20MINUTES.ch: Un premier hôtel exclusivement réservé aux touristes nudistes étrangers sera inauguré le 1er mai dans le sud-ouest de la Turquie, rapporte le journal Milliyet.

L'hôtel Adaburnu-Gölmar sera le premier établissement naturiste en Turquie, un pays à 99% musulman, aux traditions conservatrices, et seuls les étrangers y seront les bienvenus, précise le quotidien. >>> afp | Dimanche 25 Avril 2010

PC Alert: Rev. Franklin Graham Banned by the Pentagon for Telling the Truth About Islam
TOWNHALL.COM: Franklin Graham, distinguished Christian minister and son of an American evangelical treasure (i.e. Billy Graham) was banned from praying at the Pentagon for their upcoming May 6th National Day of Prayer event because he called Islam “evil.”

Apparently Franklin didn’t get the memo that we can’t say squat about Islam anymore. Oh, hell no. Muslims are groovy no matter what they do, and anyone who says otherwise … is … well … evil … in the eyes of the thought police who’re heading up the United States of Political Horse Smack.

Check it out: When Muslims kill 3,000 Americans, we can’t call them “wicked.” When they abuse women, cut off little girls’ clitorises, stone unruly wives, honor kill their teenage daughters for texting someone not named Achmed [sic], and keep precious women in stone-age bondage worldwide, we can’t say that’s BS because that might offend them. And God forbid we should offend folks who’re six bubbles off level and don’t get basic women’s rights.

I’m scratching a bald spot on the back of my head on this one because we won’t put up with that bollocks with any other people or religion except with Islam; they get a free pass. Yes, we’re being whipped into believing that we’re misjudging them even though the preponderance of historical evidence indicates that those who believe they’re bogus are spot on. Read on and comment >>> Doug Giles | Saturday, April 24, 2010

FOX NEWS: Franklin Graham Regrets Army's Decision to Rescind Invite to Pentagon Prayer Service: Evangelist Franklin Graham said Thursday that he regrets the Army's decision to rescind its invitation to him for the Pentagon's National Day of Prayer service on May 6, but expressed "strong support" for the U.S. military. >>> Updated: Thursday, April 22, 2010

VIDEO: The Violent Oppression of Women in Islam >>> (Viewer discretion is strongly advised)

Lebanese to Stage March for Secularism
BBC: Civil society activists in Lebanon are hoping that thousands will turn up for an unprecedented rally in Beirut.

The march for secularism will call on all Lebanese to unite and work towards the abolition of the country's deeply divisive sectarian system.

The organisers say it is time to redefine what it means to be Lebanese.

They say this is because at the moment it comes second to being a Muslim or a Christian, Shia or Sunni, Catholic or Orthodox.

Eighteen groups make up Lebanon's multi-denominational system, and the civic rights of the members of these groups are determined by their religious leaders rather than the government.

Only religious authorities can register marriages, births or death or rule on matters of inheritance - so all Lebanese end up having different rights.

Muslims, for example, cannot adopt children; Maronite Christians cannot get divorced, and it is impossible for members of different sects to marry each other, while civil marriage is not an option here. >>> Natalia Antelava, BBC News, Beirut | Saturday, April 24, 2010

LE FIGARO: Le camp laïque tente une sortie au Liban : Dans un pays où les dix-huit communautés se partagent tout l'espace public, quelques milliers de personnes ont manifesté dimanche pour «desserrer l'étreinte». Sans illusions. >>> Par Sibylle Rizk | Lundi 26 Avril 2010

Niqab, polygamie et polémique
leJDD.fr: Le souhait formulé par Brice Hortefeux de déchoir de la nationalité française le mari d'une jeune femme portant le niqab a enflammé le débat politique ce samedi.

Plus que la verbalisation, à Nantes début avril, d'une jeune femme au volant, au motif qu'elle était vêtue d'un niqab, c'est aujourd'hui la décision prise par Brice Hortefeux qui provoque la polémique. Vendredi soir, le ministre de l'Intérieur a en effet demandé à son collègue de l'Immigration, Eric Besson, de déchoir de sa nationalité française le mari de la "contrevenante", celui-ci étant notamment suspecté de polygamie et de fraudes aux aides sociales (lire: Niqab, Hortefeux tape fort). Agé de 35 ans, Lies Hebbadj, qui appartiendrait à la mouvance radicale du Tabligh, aurait eu douze enfants avec quatre femmes différentes. Selon i-Télé, trois d'entre elles vivraient dans le même quartier à quelques maisons les unes des autres, en banlieue nantaise. Une autre aurait pris ses distances, accusant son conjoint de mauvais traitements. >>> N.M. (avec Reuters) - leJDD.fr | Samedi 24 Avril 2010

Verbunden / Lien en relation avec l'article:

KRONEN ZEITUNG: Wirbel in Frankreich: Verschleierter Autolenkerin droht die Ausweisung >>> Samstag, 24. April 2010

Ministers Apologise for Insult to Pope
THE TELEGRAPH: The Government has apologised to the Pope over official documents that mocked his forthcoming visit to Britain by suggesting he should bless a gay marriage and even launch Papal-branded condoms.

The astonishing proposals, leaked to The Sunday Telegraph, were contained in secret papers drawn up earlier this month by civil servants following a 'brainstorm’.

The ideas, included in a memo headed 'The ideal visit would see ...’, ridiculed the Catholic Church’s teachings including its opposition to abortion, homosexual behaviour and contraception. Many appeared to be deliberately provocative rather than a serious attempt to plan an itinerary for the September visit.

The proposals, which were then circulated among key officials in Downing Street and Whitehall, also include the Pope opening an abortion ward; spending the night in a council flat in Bradford; doing forward rolls with children to promote healthy living; and even performing a duet with the Queen. >>> Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Saturday, April 24, 2010

THE SUNDAY TIMES: Foreign Office sorry for insult to Pope: THE government apologised to the Pope last night after an official paper suggested he should be asked to open an abortion clinic, bless a gay marriage and launch a Benedict-branded condom range on his state visit in September. >>> Kate Youde | Sunday, April 25, 2010

Labour Party Self-destructs
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Labour's general election campaign is in crisis amid damaging rows between senior cabinet ministers and a new poll showing support for the party dropping to a six-month low.

In one particularly bad-tempered incident, Lord Mandelson ordered Harriet Harman, the party's deputy leader, to "shut up" and told her he did not want to hear from her again, in a dispute over election strategy.

The campaign team has also been riven by in-fighting over what should happen if Labour is only able to cling to power in a hung parliament – with one faction accused of encouraging a Liberal Democrat demand that the price for joining a coalition would be Gordon Brown's dismissal as leader. General Election 2010: Labour civil war as support slumps in new poll >>> Patrick Hennessy and Melissa Kite | Saturday, April 24, 2010

Nick Clegg: I Will Not Prop Up Gordon Brown
THE SUNDAY TIMES: NICK CLEGG has declared that he will refuse to prop up an “irrelevant” Gordon Brown even if Labour secures the largest number of seats in a hung parliament.

The Liberal Democrat leader is ready to tear up the rulebook and oust the prime minister if there is no decisive result on May 6. In a Sunday Times interview he warned that Brown’s position would be untenable if Labour got a low share of the popular vote but still ended up as the biggest party in the Commons.

“I think it’s a complete nonsense. I mean, how on earth? You can’t have Gordon Brown squatting in No 10 just because of the irrational idiosyncrasies of our electoral system,” Clegg said. >>> Isabel Oakeshott, Jonathan Oliver and Marie Woolf | Sunday, April 25, 2010

THE SUNDAY TIMES: Nick Clegg catches the angry transatlantic wind: The surge in the Lib Dem’s ratings mirrors the rise of US outsiders such as Ross Perot >>> Andrew Sullivan | Sunday, April 25, 2010

MAIL ON SUNDAY: Refugee charity attacks Clegg on illegal immigrant amnesty: Liberal Democrat plans for an amnesty for potentially hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants came under attack last night from a leading refugee charity. >>> Brendan Carlin | Sunday, April 25, 2010

Clegg ‘legs’ Brown >>>

Thai PM Rejects Compromise

Strict Immigration Law in Arizona


THE NEW YORK TIMES: U.S.’s Toughest Immigration Bill Is Signed in Arizona >>> Randal C. Archibold | Friday, April 23, 2010

Inside a Russian Billionaire's $300 Million Yacht

Charismatic Judge Who Pursued Spain's Fascist Assassins Finds Himself on Trial
THE OBSERVER: Powerful enemies are attempting to unseat the 'superjudge' who tried to bring the death squads of Franco's dictatorship to book

The Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón, who dared to investigate the atrocities of the Franco dictatorship. Photo: The Observer
The crowd gathered outside Madrid's national court was loud and angry. "The world has been turned upside down," they cried. "The fascists are judging the judge!" Some carried photographs of long-dead relatives, killed by rightwing death squads in Spain's brutal civil war in the 1930s. Others bore placards bearing the name of the hero they wanted to save, the controversial "superjudge" Baltasar Garzón.

Pedro Romero de Castilla carried a picture of his grandfather, Wenceslao – a former stationmaster taken away from his home in the western city of Mérida and shot by a death squad at the service of Generalísimo Francisco Franco's rightwing military rebels 74 years ago. The family have never found his body.

Garzón, he explained, had dared to investigate the atrocities of 36 years of Franco's dictatorship and now, as a result, he faces trial for allegedly abusing his powers. "My grandfather's case is one that Garzón wanted to investigate," he said. "He's a brave and intelligent judge, but now the right are out to get him." >>> Giles Tremlett Madrid | Sunday, April 25, 2010

Related / Verbunden / Lien en relation avec l’article:

LE FIGARO: Espagne: le juge Garzon fait appel >>> AFP | Samedi 10 Avril 2010

THE TELEGRAPH: Crusading Spanish Judge Balthasar Garzon Faces Trial Over Franco Probe >>> Fiona Govan in Madrid | Wednesday, April 07, 2010

Wahlkampf: Großbritanniens Liberale wittern Machtchance
ZEIT ONLINE: Auch nach dem zweiten TV-Duell stehen die Liberalen im Wahlkampf gut da. Labour-Strategen freut das, sie planen mit ihnen ein neues Mitte-Links-Lager.

Vorbereitung auf das TV-Duell: Aufsteiger Nick Clegg von den Liberalen (l.), Tory-Chef David Cameron (M.) und Premier Gordon Brown (Labour). Bild: Zeit Online
Langsam muss man sich in Großbritannien an die Vorstellung gewöhnen, dass das politische System des Landes vor einem radikalen Wandel steht. Nick Clegg, der jugendliche Führer der Liberaldemokraten, dem die erste britische TV-Debatte der drei Parteichefs zu Celebrity-Status verhalf und die Liberaldemokraten in den Umfragen nach oben schießen ließ, bestand auch die zweite TV-Diskussion. Gewiss vermochte er nicht wieder einen solch glanzvollen Auftritt hinzulegen wie vergangene Woche in der ersten Runde, in der er sich erfolgreich in den Mantel des Rebellen gegen das verbrauchte politische Establishment gehüllt und damit gepunktet hatte. >>> Jürgen Krönig | Freitag, 23. April 2010

Wirbel in Frankreich: Verschleierter Autolenkerin droht die Ausweisung
KRONEN ZEITUNG: Der Fall einer Muslimin, die in Frankreich mit Gesichtsschleier Auto gefahren war und dafür einen Strafzettel kassiert hatte, zieht immer weitere Kreise. Nach einem lautstarken öffentlichen Protest gegen den Strafzettel über 22 Euro droht der Frau und ihrem Mann nun die Ausweisung. Auch die Debatte um ein Burka-Verbot wurde dadurch weiter angeheizt.

Im Zuge des Streits fand das Innenministerium zudem noch heraus, dass der in Nantes lebende Ehemann der 31-Jährigen in Polygamie mit insgesamt vier Frauen lebt und der radikalen Tablighi-Jamaat-Bewegung (Gemeinschaft der Verkündigung und Mission) angehört. Die vier Frauen sollen zudem alle unberechtigt Unterstützung für Alleinerziehende und andere Sozialleistungen beziehen. Mann hat zwölf Kinder von vier Partnerinnen >>> | Samstag, 24. April 2010