Nick Clegg’s Mastery of German Breaks Down Walls
Nick Clegg. Photo: The Times
THE TIMES: It was, everyone seemed to agree, an historic moment. A senior British politician had come to the heart of Europe and spoken German.

In fact, Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, turned out to speak better German than Guido Westerwelle, Germany’s Foreign Minister, spoke English.

And so, in the faintly sinister 1930s building that houses the German Foreign Ministry — where the lift is still a jump-on, jump-off paternoster — the buzz was that of a new Anglo-German partnership.

“I must tell all of you here,” said Mr Westerwelle, “that Nick speaks excellent German.” >>> Roger Boyes, Berlin | Thursday, June 10, 2010

Bosnian Serbs Convicted of Genocide Over Srebrenica Massacre
THE TELEGRAPH: Two Bosnian Serbs have been convicted of genocide over the Srebrenica massacre, the first such convictions in Europe since the Second World War.

Vujadin Popovic, left, and Ljubisa Beara wait for the court to hand down judgment at the War Crimes tribunal in The Hague. Photograph: The Telegraph
Vujadin Popovic, 53, and Ljubisa Beara, 70, were sentenced to life imprisonment for their part in the 1995 killing of up to 8,000 Bosnian Muslims, in the harshest verdicts yet handed down by Yugoslavia war crimes judges.

The men were high-ranking security officers with the army that overran Muslim forces and lightly armed United Nations troops in an area supposed to be a safe haven for Muslims fleeing ethnic cleansing. Both men were found guilty of genocide, extermination, murder and persecution. >>> Bruno Waterfield in Brussels | Thursday, June 10, 2010

Cameron Needs to Be Firmer with Obama
THE TELEGRAPH: Telegraph View: The long-term relationship between Britain and America should not be jeopardised by a presidential response that has been more petulant than statesmanlike.

At some point this weekend, David Cameron is due to talk to Barack Obama on the phone, ahead of his visit to Washington next month. Until a few weeks ago, such a conversation would have involved a businesslike exchange of pleasantries and reflected a strong desire on both sides to place their personal relationship on a sound footing. No doubt that remains their intention; but the controversy over the way the President has castigated BP for its handling of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has added a potentially serious edge to these exchanges.

Mr Obama's aggressively jingoistic rhetoric might have been designed to shore up his own domestic position against criticism that he has failed to act decisively enough, but it is now sabotaging the fortunes of what was until recently Britain's biggest company. Its share price fell to a 13-year low after the American government threatened legal action to prevent the payment of dividends before compensation payments had been met, even though BP is sitting on enough cash to do both. Since the firm accounts for £1 in every £6 paid in dividends in the United Kingdom, this will have a deleterious impact on pension funds, which have £20 billion wrapped up in the company. Read on and comment >>> | Thursday, June 10, 2010

Vicar 'Conducted Sham Marriages for Illegals'
THE TELEGRAPH: A vicar conducted hundreds of sham marriages to help illegal immigrants gain residency in Britain over a four-year period, a court heard.

The Rev Alex Brown, 61, and co-defendants Michael Adelasoye, 50, and Vladymyr Buchak, 33, are accused of preying on Eastern Europeans desperate for money and Africans who were willing to do anything to stay in the country in a ''massive and cynical scam''.

Between July 2005 and July 2009, Brown presided over a total of 383 marriages at the Church of St Peter and St Paul in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, a 30-fold increase compared to the 13 he had conducted over the previous four years.

The three men went on trial at Lewes Crown Court yesterday charged with conspiring to facilitate the commission of breaches of immigration laws.

Opening the case, prosecutor David Walbank told jurors the three paid money to nationals from EU member states such as Switzerland [sic], Iceland [sic] and Norway [sic].

In return for the money they were expected to wed African nationals, mainly Nigerian, in order for them to become permanent residents in Britain.

''This case involves a massive and systematic immigration fraud," said Mr Walbank.

The court heard how Buchak, a Ukrainian national who had himself been living illegally in the country since at least 2004, was responsible for ''cajoling and persuading'' the Eastern Europeans into the marriages of convenience. >>> | Friday, June 11, 2010

The Sickness of Islam! ‘Taleban’ Execute 7-Year-Old Boy in Afghanistan
THE TIMES: A seven-year-old boy was executed by the Taleban in a brutal act of retribution this week after his grandfather dared to resist the insurgents’ iron rule.

Afghan officials said that the boy was accused of spying for US and Nato forces and hanged from a tree in southern Afghanistan.

Daoud Ahmadi, the spokesman for Helmand’s provincial governor, said that the murder came days after the boy’s grandfather, Abdul Woodod Alokozai, spoke out against militants in their hometown.

“I know his father and I know his grandfather,” Mr Ahmadi said. “His grandfather is a tribal elder in the village and the village is under the control of the Taleban. His grandfather said some good things about the Government and he formed a small group of people to stand against the Taleban.

“That’s why the Taleban killed his grandson in revenge.” >>> Jerome Starkey, Kandahar | Thursday, June 10, 2010

Afghanistan: David Cameron's Flight Diverted After 'Assassination Plot'
THE TELEGRAPH: David Cameron was forced to abandon a visit to a British base in Afghanistan after military intelligence suggested a plot to assassinate the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister was flying to a British base in Helmand province on Thursday when telephone calls between Taliban insurgents were intercepted, suggesting a plan to fire on his helicopter.

Mr Cameron and the party of aides and journalists travelling with him were unharmed and no physical attack is believed to have taken place.

But the apparent threat to the Prime Minister threatens to overshadow his first visit to Afghanistan since taking office, which was intended to underline the improving security situation in the country. >>> James Kirkup, in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan | Thursday, June 10, 2010

Noch ein Schiff für Gaza? Teheran und Ankara, die neue Achse?
ZEIT ONLINE: Da braut sich etwas zusammen. Der Iranische Rote Halbmond hat angekündigt, zwei Schiffe zwecks “humanitärer Hilfe” nach Gaza zu schicken. Eines soll mit Hilfsgütern, das andere mit “Experten” bestückt sein. Freiwillige werden auf der Homepage des Roten Halbmonds noch gesucht.

Die Revolutionsgarden waren von der Idee so begeistert, dass sie gleich anboten, die Schiffe gegebenenfalls zu begleiten, falls der Revolutionsführer Khamenei dazu einen Befehl erteile. (Dass die Garden sich mit ihren vergleichsweise leichten Booten besser nicht mit der israelischen Marine anlegen sollten, steht auf einen anderen Blatt. Andererseits: Noch ein paar Opfer wären dem Teheraner Regime ganz recht. Offenbar gibt es gegenüber der Türkei schon so etwas wie einen Märtyrer-Neid.)

Natürlich ist es kein Zufall, dass Teheran die Gaza-Angelegenheit jetzt hochspielt. Soeben sind Sanktionen gegen Iran beschlossen worden. Der UN-Sicherheitsrat hat mit 12 von 15 Stimmen dafür gestimmt. Betroffen werden vor allem Firmen der Revolutionsgardisten sein, die am Nuklearprogramm beteiligt sind. Auch Banken werden zusätzlich zum Ziel dieser vierten Runde von Sanktionen. Und ein Waffenembargo trifft die Streitkräfte hart. Man möchte so davon ablenken, dass Teheran noch nie so weitgehend politisch isoliert dastand wie heute. Russen und Chinesen tragen die Sanktionen nämlich mit. Um diese beiden an Bord zu haben, waren zwar keine “lähmenden (crippling) Sanktionen” möglich. Aber die Amerikaner und die Europäer werden nun noch einmal bilateral drauflegen, um die Wirkung zu verstärken. Die Kosten für Irans Atomprogramm steigen enorm. Weiter lesen und kommentieren >>> Von Jörg Lau | Donnerstag, 10 Juni 2010

Geert Wilders to Enter Dutch Government After Support for Anti-Islamic Party Triples
THE TELEGRAPH: Geert Wilders is on course to become a kingmaker for a new coalition government in the Netherlands after his anti-Islamic Freedom Party nearly tripled its representation in the Dutch parliament in Wednesday's elections.

The far-Right Dutch politician's controversial PVV party came third, behind Labour and the victorious Liberals.

PVV increased its number of MPs from nine to 24 after campaigning against immigration, for a tax on Muslim headscarves, a ban on the Koran and against the building of new mosques.

"We would love to govern," Mr Wilders said. "1.5 million people voted for us and our plans for more safety, less immigration and less Islam. We are the big winner and they cannot ignore us. We want to be taken seriously."

Mark Rutte, the leader of the centre-right Liberal VVD and the man expected to be the next Dutch prime minister, hailed his party's unprecedented victory. "It appears as if for the first time in our history that the VVD has become the largest party in the Netherlands," he said.

Mr Rutte's VVD is now expected to form a Right-wing coalition government with Mr Wilders and the Christian Democrat CDA, after that party lost 20 seats to fall from first to fourth place in Dutch politics. >>> Bruno Waterfield | Thursday, June 10, 2010

Barack Obama 'Appeared in Hip-hop Video'
THE TELEGRAPH: Rumours have been circling the internet that President Barack Obama appeared in a music video as a young man.



A smiling man who bears a striking resemblance to the future president appears fleetingly in "Whoomp (There It Is)" – a successful 1993 release by hip-hop outfit Tag Team.

The mystery man appears at the 1 min 1 second mark in the video and is talking a on a large mobile phone while wearing a hat and sunglasses.

Suggestions that the future leader of the free world, who is a fan of hip-hop, had found time in his pre-presidential days to join a video shoot swept the internet. >>> Nick Allen in Los Angeles | Thursday, June 10, 2010

Class Greets German Twin Town Visitors with 'Shameful' Nazi Salute
MAIL ONLINE: A group of German teenagers were stunned when English students from their 'twin town' school greeted them with with the Nazi salute.

Students from the Community College in Whitstable, Kent, raised their hands in the 'Heil Hitler' salute, also known as the Hitler salute, as the German students entered their classroom.

The students, from the town of Borken, said they were extremely offended by the gesture.

Nazi symbols and Hitler salutes have been illegal in Germany since the end of World War II. >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Thursday, June 10, 2010

That’s Enough ‘Kicking Ass’, Mr President
THE TIMES: Barack Obama’s attacks on BP may play well at home, but they are damaging millions of British people

The great British love-in with Barack Obama may be coming to an end. While there has been deep understanding of the environmental catastrophe that has struck the United States and of BP’s responsibility, there is also growing concern that the President’s angry rhetoric is going over the top and risks dividing the United States and the United Kingdom.

The Prime Minister is due to speak to the President at the weekend. BP will be high on his agenda. But already, I suspect, Sir Nigel Sheinwald, our Ambassador in Washington, has been on the phone to the Chief of Staff at the White House making it clear that serious damage is being done to many common British and American interests.

That BP deserves criticism is not in doubt. There is also much sympathy for the President as he seeks to assure the American public that he is in control of a disaster that has still not been fully resolved since the oil spillage began in April. His predecessor, George W. Bush, was widely criticised for his inadequate response to Hurricane Katrina. Any politician understands President Obama’s political imperative.

But, in the same way, Mr Obama must understand that an American president does not just have a domestic audience. Whatever their political purpose for his own electorate, his words resonate throughout the world and, however unintended, can have serious and damaging consequences.

That is what is now happening. >>> Malcolm Rifkind | Thursday, June 10, 2010

Staten Island Stealth Jihad


Read the story here

New Ground Zero Deal Gives Plaintiffs $712.5 Million
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The city and about 10,000 rescue and cleanup workers at ground zero said Thursday that they had negotiated a new settlement under which the city’s insurer kicks in more money and the plaintiffs’ lawyers reduce their legal fees to give the workers more compensation for health damages.

A federal judge rejected an earlier settlement in March. After nearly three months of renegotiations, the city’s insurer, the WTC Captive Insurance Company, has agreed to increase its payout to plaintiffs to $712.5 million. The previous terms called for payouts of $575 million to $657.5 million.

The plaintiffs’ lawyers have also agreed to reduce their fees to a maximum of 25 percent of the settlement amount, down from the 33.33 percent called for in contingency agreements that their clients signed. As a result, the plaintiffs will get to keep an additional $50 million, the lawyers said.

“This settlement ensures guaranteed, immediate and just compensation to the heroic men and women who performed their duties without consideration of the health implications,” said Marc J. Bern, one of the plaintiffs’ lawyers.

“Our commitment to our clients has never wavered in the seven years since we took on this litigation and we have done everything within our power, including reducing the fees we agreed to with each of our clients, to achieve the best possible outcome,” he said. >>> A. G. Sulzberger and Mireya Navarro | Thursday, June 10, 2010

Nonie Darwish


On Jihad:

Con Coughlin: Turkey's Alliance with Iran Is a Threat to World Peace
TELEGRAPH BLOGS: Turkey’s decision to veto the latest U.N. Security Council resolution on Iran should be of concern for all those, like me, who desire a peaceful resolution of the international crisis over Iran’s nuclear programme.

The Turks are apparently upset that the West has not responded positively to the nuclear deal it recently negotiated with Iran, with Brazil’s assistance, whereby Tehran would ship some of its stockpile of enriched uranium to Ankara in return for fuel rods for its so-called research reactor in Tehran.

In fact this deal was nothing more than a watered-down version of the agreement Iran negotiated with the world’s leading powers in Geneva last year, and then reneged upon. Crucially, it made no provision for Iran to call a halt to the controversial uranium enrichment programme at Natanz that allows it to produce another 100 kilos of fissile material each month. (Iran now has about 2.5 tons of enriched uranium, more than enough to make an atom bomb.)

But the Iran-Turkey deal is indicative of a far more worrying trend in relations between the two countries. I now gather that Iranian officials were in close contact with the “aid” activists responsible for organising the flotilla that tried to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza. Read on and comment >>> Con Coughln | Thursday, June 10, 2010

Tight T-shirt Sparks Rumours that Sarah Palin Has Had a Boob Job
THE TELEGRAPH: A photograph of Sarah Palin in a tight-fitting white t-shirt has sparked internet rumours that the former Governor of Alaska has undergone breast enlargement surgery.

Sarah Palin in November 2008 (left) and June 2010. Photos: The Telegraph
The images, taken at the Belmont Stakes race in New York last week, have prompted furious debate online, with bloggers desperately trying to work out if Mrs Palin has gone under the knife.

Wonkette first noticed the alleged surgical augmentation, but several more sightings followed.

"We can report with confidence that at least two people with experience in having breasts say that Sarah Palin sure looks like she was trotting out some new work at the horse races on Sunday," the website reported. >>> | Thursday, June 10, 2010

Victoire sur le fil des libéraux aux Pays-Bas
Le leader du parti libéral Mark Rutte devrait être chargé de former un gouvernement. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Le parti qui a fait campagne sur la réduction des déficits remporte les élections législatives anticipées, avec un siège d'avance sur les travaillistes. Troisième, l'extrême droite fait plus que doubler ses sièges.

Après une nuit passée au coude à coude, les libéraux mènent finalement d'une courte tête devant les travaillistes. Le parti libéral VVD obtient 31 sièges de députés sur 150 à l'issue des élections législatives anticipées de mercredi aux Pays-Bas. En face, le parti travailliste PvdA emporte 30 sièges. Des résultats encore provisoires, publiés après le dépouillement de 94% des bulletins de vote.

En se présentant comme les champions de la réduction des déficits, les libéraux ont bénéficié d'une campagne centrée sur l'économie, pour cette première législative en Europe après la crise grecque. Si le VVD marque ainsi une importante progression, sa faible avance sur les travaillistes ne lui permettra pas de gouverner seul. «Je suis tête de liste et candidat au poste de premier ministre mais il faut d'abord parvenir à constituer une coalition solide», a donc déclaré le leader libéral, Mark Rutte, au milieu de la nuit. S'il y parvient, il deviendrait à 43 ans le premier premier ministre libéral des Pays-Bas depuis 1918. >>> Par Thomas Vampouille | Jeudi 10 Juin 2010

NZZ ONLINE: Viele Sieger und keine Klärung in den Niederlanden: Der Populist Wilders stellt ein Ultimatum – Bei den niederländischen Parlamentswahlen haben die Liberalen am meisten Sitze errungen. Geert Wilders Freiheitspartei erhielt den stärksten Zuwachs. Die politische Landschaft ist allerdings stärker zersplittert als zuvor. >>> Peter Winkler, Den Haag | Donnerstag, 10. Juni 2010

THE TELEGRAPH: Geert Wilders could be kingmaker in Dutch parliament after coming third: Geert Wilders, the controversial anti-Islamic Dutch politician, came third behind tied Liberal and Labour parties after elections in the Netherlands left no obvious winner or combination for a coalition government. >>> Bruno Waterfield in Brussels | Wednesday, June 09, 2010

«Ob andere uns glauben, spielt keine Rolle» : Islamkritiker Geert Wilders über Freiheit und westliche Werte
NZZ ONLINE: Die niederländischen Lokalwahlen werden als Gradmesser für die Popularität des Rechtspopulisten Geert Wilders und von dessen Partei für die Freiheit (PVV) betrachtet. Der Brüsseler NZZ-Korrespondent Peter Winkler hat mit Wilders gesprochen. Zum Interview >>> Interview: win. | Mittwoch, 03. März 2010

ZEIT ONLINE: Wilders triumphiert, Balkenende tritt zurück: Bei der Parlamentswahl in den Niederlanden liegen die Rechtsliberalen knapp vor den Sozialdemokraten. Die Partei des Rechtspopulisten Geert Wilders will mitregieren. >>> Zeit Online, Reuters, AFP, dpa | Donnerstag, 10. Juni 2010

Nonie Darwish Addressing the European Parliament (April 2009)
Part 1:



Part 2:



Part 3:

Nonie Darwish on Islam in America


Nonie Darwish: Arabs for Israel >>>

Book TV: Nonie Darwish "Cruel and Usual Punishment"
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