Only Half of Britons Say UK Is a Christian Country
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Only half of British adults are confident that Britain can now be described as “a Christian country”, according to research.

The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, has written to David Cameron urging him to review laws that have seen Christians forced to abandon their faith in public.

He warned that reforms introduced under Labour promoted “tolerance, equality and fairness” at a cost of eroding Christianity as the foundation of British culture and society.

The warnings follow a series of court cases in which the beliefs of Christians have come into conflict with the state authorities.

A ComRes poll of 1,000 adults, conducted for Christian Concern, found that 72% of adults thought Christians should be able to refuse to act against their beliefs without being penalised by their employers.

But only 50% said they were confident that Britain can now be described as “a Christian country”, according to the survey, released for the Not Ashamed campaign, which Lord Carey supports.

In the letter to the Prime Minister, Lord Carey said Christians were too often "ridiculed” and dismissed as relics of “a bygone age”. >>> Tim Ross, Religious Affairs Editor | Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Denmark Arrests Four Over Suspected Terror Plot
THE GUARDIAN: Men arrested in connection with suspected plot to attack a newspaper that published cartoons of Prophet Muhammad

Denmark's intelligence service has arrested four people suspected of planning an "imminent" terror attack against a newspaper that printed the controversial Prophet Muhammad cartoons.

The Danish Security and Intelligence Service, known as Pet, said three of the four men were residents of Sweden and had entered the country last night.

Jakob Scharf, the head of Pet, said "an imminent terror attack has been foiled". He described some [of] the suspects as "militant Islamists". >>> Associated Press | Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Rabbis' Wives Call on Jews Not to Date Arabs
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: An Israeli group of prominent rabbis' wives has urged Jewish girls not to date or work with Arabs, underscoring the rising power of the religious Right and fuelling fears of growing racism in the country.

A letter, signed by 27 wives, called on Jewish girls not to go out with Arabs, work with them or perform national service in places where Arabs are employed. It states: "There are quite a few Arab workers who give themselves Hebrew names. Yussef turns into Yossi, Samir turns into Sami, and Abed turns into Ami. They ask to be close to you, try to find favour with you, and give you all the attention in world. They know how to act with courtesy, as if they really care for you, but their behaviour is only temporary. The moment you are in their hands, in their village, under their control, everything changes.

"Your life will never go back to the way it was, and the attention you so desired will turn into curses, beatings, and humiliations." >>> Mark Weiss in Jerusalem | Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Britain Forms Plan for Gulf Evacuation in Event of War with Iran
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The British armed forces are drawing up contingency plans to evacuate hundreds of thousands of British residents and tourists from Dubai and other Gulf cities in the event of war with Iran.

The Coalition government under David Cameron ordered an immediate review of British military planning in the Gulf after the election last May. The Daily Telegraph can reveal that new proposals are being drawn up to coordinate military activity in the region with local allies hostile to Iran, particularly the United Arab Emirates.

Planners have realised they had to tear up existing emergency plans for local British residents. Since the previous review in the 1990s, the expatriate population has grown to more than 100,000 in the UAE alone, while a million British tourists, from businessmen on stopovers to England footballers with marital problems, come to Dubai every year.

It is feared they might be at risk if, as it has promised, Iran retaliates for any military strikes on its nuclear sites with missile attacks on "western interests" in the Gulf.

Royal Navy warships, along with their American and French counterparts, regularly patrol the Gulf and tie up in UAE ports, while Iran has also threatened to mine the strategically crucial Straits of Hormuz.

The region's gearing up for the possibility of a war stands in contrast to the relaxing tourists on beaches or the opulent expat villa compounds. >>> Richard Spencer, Dubai | Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Plan für Passagierselektion empört Politiker
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Neuer Terroralarm = verschärfte Kontrollen = mehr Frust bei allen Passagieren. Der künftige Chef des Flughafenverbands will mit dieser Logik brechen und Fluggäste nach Risikogruppen einteilen. In Berlin sorgt der Vorschlag für helle Empörung - sowohl in der Koalition als auch bei der Opposition.

Berlin - Der SPD-Innenpolitiker Dieter Wiefelspütz ist so schnell nicht aus der Fassung zu bringen. Bei diesem Vorschlag aber hält er sich nicht zurück. "Schreiben Sie bitte ruhig: Das ist Selektion am Flughafen - gerade in Deutschland wird es das nicht geben", sagt er mit Hinweis auf die jüngere deutsche Geschichte. Die Einteilung nach Ethnien - das löst in Deutschland schlechte Erinnerungen an die Nazi-Zeit aus. >>> Von Severin Weiland | Dienstag, 28. Dezember 2010

David Cameron Must Face the Challenge of Islamisation
”Government needs to start dismantling an Islamisation that threatens the freedoms of ordinary Britons” – Telegraph View
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Telegraph View: Halting the erosion of freedom may prove just as important a challenge for the Coalition as easing the pain of cuts

The leader of Ukip, Nigel Farage MEP, must have groaned when he learned that the French National Front is now modelling itself on his party. Marine Le Pen, who is poised to take over leadership of the Front National (FN) from her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, describes it as a "patriotic" party that has more in common with Ukip than the BNP. Given the sinister resonances that the words "National Front" have in Britain, Miss Le Pen has presented Ukip's opponents with a seasonal gift. "Ukip – backed by the French National Front" is a rhetorical swipe worthy of David Cameron's description of the party's supporters as "fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists".

We should not, however, be too quick to dismiss reports that a sanitised Front National has succeeded in reaching out to a new constituency. The FN's selling point is its opposition to the "Islamisation" of French public life – but not, it is careful to add, to Islam itself. Miss Le Pen claims that pork is being taken off the menu in French schools and that state funds are being used to build "ostentatious mosque cathedrals". She may never be elected president, but over a quarter of French voters approve of her; at no point in the history of the Fifth Republic has an aggressive Right-wing party enjoyed such support among the middle classes.

It may seem inconceivable that British politics could move in the same direction. But we should not be too relaxed about the fact that populist Right-wing parties have never broken into the mainstream of our politics. Two points need to be made. Read on and comment >>> Telegraph View | Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Some of us have been highlighting the threat of the growth of Islam in this country in particular and in the West in general for a very long time, but the MSM were not prepared to listen to us. We were labelled by some misinformed people as right-wing extremists.

I, for one, am not extremist in any way; but I have recognized the growing threat of Islam in the West for many long years now. It has been very disheartening at times, when nobody wanted to listen to what one had to say. But now, thankfully, things are changing. You know they are changing when reputable newspapers like The Daily Telegraph are willing to speak out.

One of the problems we have, though, is that in the name of political correctness, we are disinclined to criticize Islam, the religion, and always ascribe anything negative to Islamism. But the harsh reality remains that Islam and Islamism are really one and the same thing: Islamism is really only the radical, extreme interpretation, and orthodox interpretation, of Islam itself. Islamism cannot be tackled without tackling Islam, if for no other reason than a non-radical Muslim can morph into a radical Muslim very easily and very quickly. Further, as there is no centralized authority in Islam, such as the Pope in the Christian Church, authentic Islam can be anyone's interpretation of the religion. This means that tackling this problem is going to be very difficult for anyone. It will take great courage, great understanding, great fortitude, and great insight.

David Cameron is not the man to tackle this problem. He is far too PR-orientated, and far too aware of his own image. I fear that for David Cameron, his approval ratings mean more to him than tackling a difficult challenge such as this. In any case, given his background, I doubt very much that he has a full grasp of the complexities of the problem. What does he really know about Islam or the Middle East? – © Mark

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Damian Thompson: Is Liberal Britain Threatened by the Spread of Islam?
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: There is a remarkable statistic in today’s main Daily Telegraph leader [above]:

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life estimates that there are 2,869,000 Muslims in Britain, an increase of 74 per cent on its previous figure of 1,647,000, which was based on the 2001 census. No demographic statistics are reliable in an era of open borders, but such an expansion is unprecedented.

The Muslim population has grown from 1.65 million to 2.87 million since 2001, say researchers. What does this mean for liberal Britain? >>> Damian Thompson | Tuesday, December 28, 2010

As people are in the UK today, indeed as people are in the West today – soft – this problem cannot be solved. For this problem can be solved in one way, and in one way only: by means of Draconian measures. Our politicians do not have the stomach for such measures. To start with, our Parliament has become populated by softees who are far more interested in image, sound-bites, and photo-ops than in making hard choices to safeguard our freedoms.

Islam, by contrast, is a macho religion; and its male adherents are inclined to be macho too. They will not easily be frightened off by the pansies that lead us in the West today. This is a situation which calls for the leadership of real men: men who are not intimidated by the prospect of taking tough decisions, and not daunted by the prospect of being unpopular.

Western politicians are given to dividing Islam into two parts: Islam, the religion; and Islamism, the cancer. But the distinction is far from the truth. In reality, it’s a false dichotomy. It is a distinction which serves the purposes of weak politicians; but it is one which any self-respecting Muslim would not recognize. Muslims do not distinguish between Islam and Islamism. To Muslims, Islam is ONE religion. Yes, it has its schisms. Witness the Sunni / Shi’ite schism. But no Muslim would recognize the split that Westerners arbitrarily make of Muslims and Islamists. This is but a dichotomy of convenience for politicians who do not have the stomach to tackle the real issue: the growth of Islam in the West.

Moreover, our problems with Islam cannot be solved by tackling Islamism. Islamism is but the orthodox, fundamentalist version of the faith. It is the version of Islam which devout Muslims believe is the correct way to practise their religion. It is the living out of the fundamental tenets of orthodox Islam. The problems we have with Muslims and Islam in the world today WILL NOT BE SOLVED if we continue with this false dichotomy. In using it, we are just fooling ourselves.

If civil unrest in the UK is to be staved off, and the growth of extreme parties is to be forestalled, this issue will need to be addressed; and it will have to be addressed by courageous and knowledgeable politicians – politicians who understand the nature of Islam and who are willing and able to take the TOUGH decisions which are necessary to SUCCEED. – © Mark

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THE TIMES: Muslim population 'rising 10 times faster than rest of society': The Muslim population in Britain has grown by more than 500,000 to 2.4 million in just four years, according to official research collated for The Times. >>> Richard Kerbaj | Friday, January 30, 2009

Christian Exodus from Iraq Gathers Pace
THE GUARDIAN: Churches empty and Christmas decorations are put away after al-Qaida renews deadly threat

A shrine to Christians killed at the Our Lady of Salvation church in Baghdad in the autumn. Al-Qaida has renewed threats against Iraq's Christians. Photograph: The Guardian
Their cathedrals stand silent and their neighbourhoods are rapidly emptying. Now Iraq's Christians face two further unthinkable realities: that Christmas this year is all but cancelled, and that few among them will stay around to celebrate future holy days.

It has been the worst of years for the country's Christians, with thousands fleeing in the past month and more leaving the country during 2010 than at any time since the invasion nearly eight years ago. Christian leaders say there have been few more defining years in their 2,000-year history in central Arabia.

The latest exodus follows a massacre led by al-Qaida at a Chaldean Catholic church in central Baghdad on 31 October, which left about 60 people dead, almost 100 maimed and an already apprehensive community terrified. Since then, the terrorist group has targeted Christians in their homes, including family members of those who survived the attack.

…


What Saudi Arabia lacks in violent persecution it makes up for in outright intolerance. There is no religious freedom in Saudi Arabia, which counts a million Catholics in its population. The country allows Christians to enter for work purposes but severely restricts the practise of their faith.

Christians worship in private homes and there are bans on religious articles including Bibles, crucifixes, statues, carvings and items bearing religious symbols. The religious police bar the practice of any religion other than Islam. Conversion of a Muslim to another religion is considered apostasy and carries a death sentence if the accused does not recant. Still, Christians in Saudi Arabia are positively blessed compared with those of Iraq. Read the whole article >>> Martin Chulov in Baghdad | Thursday, December 23, 2010

Islam Causing Problems Again! Christmas Bomb Plot: Nine Remanded In Custody Over Terror Charges
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Nine men were remanded in custody today charged with conspiracy to cause explosions in the UK and other terrorism offences.

Gurukanth Desai, 28, Omar Sharif Latif, 26, and Abdul Malik Miah, 24, from Cardiff, and Mohammed Moksudur Rahman Chowdhury, 20, and Shah Mohammed Lutfar Rahman, 28, from London, appeared at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court.

Chief magistrate Howard Riddle remanded them to appear at the Old Bailey on January 14.

The four men from Stoke-on-Trent were later also remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on January 14.

They were Nazam Hussain, 25, Usman Khan, 19, Mohibur Rahman, 26, and Abul Bosher Mohammed Shahjahan, 26.

The suspects were held a week ago during a series of dawn raids by counter-terrorism officers.

In all 12 men were held during the raids by unarmed police on December 20 in London, Cardiff, Stoke-on-Trent and Birmingham. >>> | Monday, December 27, 2010

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Christmas bomb plot: nine men remanded over plan to 'blow up Big Ben and Westminster Abbey' – Nine alleged terrorists plotted a Christmas bombing campaign targeting sites that included the London Stock Exchange and Big Ben, a court heard. >>> Caroline Gammell | Monday, December 27, 2010

National Front's Marine Le Pen to Prove Formidable Rival to Nicolas Sarkozy
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Marine Le Pen has promised to defend France from creeping "Islamisation" days before she is expected to take over from her father as head of the National Front party.

Analysts predict Marine Le Pen could woo chunks of France's lower-middle classes hard-hit by the economic crisis. Photo: The Sunday Telegraph

The 42-year-old is seen as a potentially dangerous threat to President Nicolas Sarkozy if chosen to succeed Jean-Marie Le Pen in a mid-January party congress almost 40 years after he founded the party.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Miss Le Pen, said: "The progressive Islamisation of our country and the increase in political-religious demands are calling into question the survival of our civilisation."

"We are fighting against Islamism, not Islam", she said.

"Islamism is the will to impose Shariah for all as civil, political and religious law. We Western societies are fighting against Islamism all around the world. We have sent our kids to Afghanistan to be killed to fight against Islamism, and we don't have the right in France through words and political action to fight it? That seems totally absurd to me," she said.

Miss Le Pen said examples of creeping Islamisation included pork being taken off the menu in certain French schools, the fact that 22 Quick fast food restaurants were offering exclusively Halal burgers. She also claimed that Muslim communities were receiving hidden French government funds to build "increasingly ostentatious mosque-cathedrals" or ones funded by Saudi Arabia.

"In reality, it's asking French people to increasingly submit themselves to the Muslim religion. That goes totally against the secular principles of the French republic," she claimed, adding that the issue would be a "key theme" of the 2012 presidential elections. >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Boxing Day, 2010

Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noël ! Fröhliche Weihnachten! Buon Natale! Felix Nativitas!
Wishing you all peace and joy and merriment for the twelve days of Christmas
'We Three Kings' by James C. Christensen. Image: Google Images
Gloria in excelsis Deo
Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis,
Laudamus te, benedicimus te,
adoramus te.
Glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi,
propter magnam gloriam tuam.
The Queen's Christmas Message

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

King’s College, Cambridge >>>

Bishop of Winchester: Legal System Discriminates Against Christians
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The Human Rights Act is protecting the rights of minority groups while encouraging judges and politicians to discriminate against Christians, a senior bishop said yesterday.

The Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Rev Michael Scott-Joynt, warned that the death of “religious literacy” among those who made and administered the law had created an imbalance in the way in which those with faith were treated compared to sexual minorities.

Highlighting the case Gary McFarlane, a relationship counsellor who was sacked by Relate for refusing to give sex therapy to a homosexual couple, he said that the judiciary now went out of its way to protect the rights of minorities.

At the same time, for the first time in British history politicians and judges were largely ignorant of religion and so failed to appreciate the importance Christians placed on abiding by the scriptures rather than the politically correct values of the secular state. Read on and comment >>> Rosa Prince, Political Correspondent | Sunday, December 26, 2010

Britain's Glistening Winter Landscape
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: It may have caused travel chaos but the wintry weather has also provided some beautiful scenery around the country, see some of the best images of natural beauty from around northern England and Scotland.

Watch Telegraph video here

Barack Obama Signs Law Repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' for Gays in the Military
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama has signed a law allowing gays to serve openly in the military, repealing the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in a sweeping and historic shift for the US armed forces. Read about it >>> | Wednesday, December 22, 2010

THE GUARDIAN: 'Don't ask, don't tell' repealed as Obama signs landmark law: The US president fulfils his campaign pledge by allowing gay people to serve openly in the armed forces >>> Staff and agencies | Wednesday, December 22, 2010

THE ADVOCATE: Obama: "Prepared to Implement" – ADVOCATE EXCLUSIVE OBAMA INTERVIEW: President Obama tells The Advocate the Pentagon is "prepared to implement" repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” and it will take months not years. He also says he's “wrestling” with the issue of marriage equality. >>> Kerry Eleveld | Tuesday, December 21, 2010

The Art of Arabic Calligraphy
THE GUARDIAN: Taha Al-Hiti, a professional calligrapher, explains how letters were originally based on the shape of the human body

Watch Guardian video here Mona Mahmood | Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Saudi King Leaves New York Hospital After Back Surgery
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The King of Saudi Arabia has left a New York hospital to recover from back surgery.

King Abdullah left the hospital on Tuesday evening "for his New York residence for a period of convalescence and physiotherapy," the Saudi court said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency.

Saudi television showed the king, about 86 years old, together with Abdullah al-Rabeeah, the health minister, walking with difficulty and smiling at hospital staff.

There was no mention of when the king would return to Saudi Arabia.

As head of a government led by several princes in their 70s and 80s, many also suffering chronic health problems, Abdullah's travelling to the United States for treatment sparked quiet speculation about the future of the leadership in many Saudi circles.

He flew to New York on November 22 and was operated on two days later at New York Presbyterian Hospital for a debilitating herniated disc complicated by a haematoma that put pressure on his spine. >>> | Wednesday, December 22, 2010

'Christmas Bomb Plotters Were Radicalised in Jail'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Members of an alleged terrorist cell that was said to have been plotting Christmas suicide attacks in London were radicalised in jail, it has been claimed.

A neighbour of three men arrested in Cardiff said that, after they were convicted of theft and drugs offences, they "went to prison as petty criminals and came out expressing extreme views".

Twelve men, mainly British nationals of Bangladeshi origin, were still being questioned by anti-terrorism officers last night following co-ordinated raids in the Welsh capital, London, Stoke-on-Trent and Birmingham on Monday.

Sources said the gang was planning a "spectacular" attack on banks, shops and "iconic" sites in London. >>> Duncan Gardham, Peter Hutchison, John Bingham and Richard Savill | Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Iraq's Christians Plan a Simple Christmas in the Shadow of Violence
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Only one Baghdad church is celebrating Christmas fully this year, as Iraq's Christians fear a recurrence of the recent murders of their fellow parishioners and are forced to mark the occasion in the absence of over 1,000 families that have fled.

Five Islamist extremists burst into the church of Our Lady of Salvation in Baghdad in October, murdering two priests, holding the congregation hostage and eventually killing more than 50 people. Now Amnesty International has warned of a spike in violence in the run-up to Christmas and has urged the Iraqi government to do more to protect Christians, who are now believed to number less than 500,000, about half its level of seven years ago.

Only 40 people turned up for mass at Our Lady last Sunday. They sang and chanted, a forlorn gathering of survivors, the walls around them spattered with blood and cratered by bullet-holes. The bloodied hand prints of those who failed to escape marked the door in an ante-room.

In front of the altar stood photographs of the dead, including a light-haired smiling four year old boy, Adam Eashoue, and his 33 year old father, Uday. Adam's grandparents, Zuher and Amal, cannot bear to return to the church.

"I've lost my world," said Amal at her home, who watched as her son and grandson were murdered. "I don't want to leave Baghdad - I was born and married here. But I have to think of my children."

Her 16 year old daughter, Mirna, dressed in black, described how she played dead to avoid being killed. The house is full of painful reminders: Uday and his wife's empty room, Adam's toys, the baby cot for their 11-month-old granddaughter who is now in Italy with her mother and being treated for gunshot wounds. >>> Lindsey Hilsum in Baghdad | Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Saudi Arabia Girls' Schools Investigated Over 'Illegal' Sports Day
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Private Saudi girls' high schools are being investigated by the education ministry for holding an "illegal" sports tournament.

The Dec 8 event involving 200 females from six Jeddah private high schools broke ministry rules against girls' sports in schools, a ministry official said.

"We don't have any regulations that say that it's OK for girls' schools to hold sports classes or training," said Ahmed Al-Zahrani, director of girls' education in Jeddah.

"This tournament was held by these schools, something that has now led us to know about their illegal activities," he said. >>> | Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Spain Smoking Ban Law Approved
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Spain’s smoke-filled bars, corner cafés and restaurants are on the verge of extinction after lawmakers on Tuesday approved a tough new antismoking law that will rid the country of its reputation as one of Western Europe’s easiest places to light up.

The bill, proposed by Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and his governing Socialist Party, passed in a 189-154 vote that also rejected a Senate amendment to allow casinos to have smoking areas. >>> | Wednesday, December 22, 2010

The flag of Jihad. Image: Google Images
Evil Bid to Massacre Christmas Shoppers
DAILY EXPRESS: ANTI-terror police foiled suspected Al Qaeda plots to slaughter Christmas shoppers in a bomb blitz and Mumbai-style massacres yesterday.

Officers arrested 12 young Muslim men in dawn raids in Cardiff, London, Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent.

The suspects, all believed to be of Bangladeshi origin, were being questioned about alleged conspiracies to launch a spate of devastating attacks across the UK.

Police and MI5 officers, aided by the Government’s listening post GCHQ, are believed to have uncovered plans to set off a series of explosions in crowded high streets and shopping centres. Bars, night- clubs and restaurants are also thought to be potential targets.

It is also believed there is some intelligence of a suspected plot to launch commando raids like the Mumbai massacre in India two years ago which claimed more than 170 lives.

It was not clear exactly when the men arrested yesterday allegedly planned to carry out the attacks. >>> John Twomey | Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Why do we put up with this dangerous nonsense? We are under no obligation to do so. – © Mark

Peter Tatchell Bids to Overturn Gay Marriage Ban at European Court of Human Rights
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Campaigners for equal rights for homosexuals will launch an attempt to overturn England’s “discriminatory” marriage laws at the European Court of Human Rights today.

Eight British couples will argue that the twin bans on same-sex marriages and heterosexual civil partnerships are unlawful and should be reversed.

Over the last two months four homosexual couples have all been refused marriage licenses at register offices across England, while four heterosexual couples were turned away when they applied for civil partnership status.

The couples will file a joint application to the court today, which is the fifth anniversary of the first civil partnership ceremonies in England.

They will argue that the current ban on gay marriages is a breach of the Human Rights Act, specifically the right to respect for private and family life, the right to marry, and the prohibition of discrimination.

Peter Tatchell, the equality activist coordinating the “Equal Love” campaign, of which the couples are part, said bans on same-sex civil marriages and opposite-sex civil partnerships were “a form of sexual apartheid”.

“Outlawing black marriages would provoke uproar,” he said. “The prohibition on gay marriages should provoke similar outrage.” >>> Tim Ross, Social Affairs Editor | Tuesday, December 21, 2010