Sarkozy's Debate Targets Muslims
THE GUARDIAN: A week before the burqa ban, French Muslims find themselves accused of violating republican values

Claude Guéant, France's interior minister, was in typically conciliatory mood when he described the growing number of Muslims in his country as a "problem". Pointing to the fact that this community had grown from "very few" when the republic became a secular one in 1905, to 5-10 million today, Guéant highlighted the sight of many of them "praying in the street" as particularly undesirable. Guéant's government has chosen a period of unprecedented tension and volatility in the Arab world to launch a debate about the negative influence of Islam on French society. As his own pilots attack Libya with a ferocity so far not displayed by other coalition members, President Nicolas Sarkozy will settle down on Tuesday to watch the epic discussion unfold at a Paris hotel. Continue reading and comment » | Nabila Ramdani | Tuesday, April 05, 2011

My comment:

I have full sympathy for Sarkozy and for what he is trying to achieve. The man has courage indeed. That’s more than can be said for the wimps that govern us.

It must be remembered that France takes its secularism very seriously. They didn’t have a revolution for nothing! The revolution stood for liberté, egalité, and fraternité. Those three concepts are precisely what Islam does not stand for. Islam does not stand for liberty (unless one is talking about the liberty to worship Allah); Islam does not stand for equality (unless one is a member of the faith and referring to the equality of Muslim brothers and sisters); and Islam does not stand for farternity (unless one is talking of the fraternity of the ummah).

So it is very understandable that Sarkozy and his colleagues want to launch this debate on Islam, secularism, and la République. Were I to be he, I should wish to do the same; moreover, I wish that our politicians had the courage to stand up for what we believe in too. Alas, they are far too cowardly. – Mark

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Islam in Deutschland: Eurabia Rising

Study Finds Poorer Health among Older Gays, Lesbians and Bisexuals
PINK NEWS: A study of older gay men, lesbians and bisexuals in California suggests that they have poorer health than their straight counterparts.

According to the data from the California Health Interview Survey, gay and bisexual men between 50 and 70 have higher rates of physical disability, diabetes and high blood pressure than straight men of the same age.

Older gay and bisexual men were 45 per cent more likely to report psychological distress and one in five said they were living with HIV.

Half lived alone, compared to just 13 per cent of straight men.

Lesbian and bisexual women also had poorer health, with higher rates of physical disability and psychological distress.

They were also more likely to live alone than straight women.

Steven P Wallace of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, who led the research, said: “Many aging LGB Californians do not have biological children or strong family support. » | Jessica Geen | Tuesday, April 05,

First Irish Public Civil Partnerships Take Place
PINK NEWS: Ireland’s first public civil partnership ceremonies were due to take place this afternoon.

The law came into force on January 1st, although the vast majority of couples were required to give three months notice of their intent to tie the knot.

Six couples who obtained a special court exemption have had civil partnerships since February 7th. The couples, who all requested privacy, will have been granted exemptions on compassionate grounds, for example, when one partner is terminally ill.

Today, Dublin couple Hugh Walsh and Barry Dignam will be the first to have a civil partnership without a court exemption. Another couple is expected to follow them. » | Jessica Geen | Tuesday, April 05, 2011

The Great Jesus Swindle
The greatest lie ever told

Egypt's Emergency Law
Egypt's former leaders ruled the nation with what many deemed "excessive force", locking up people without due process and keeping them incarcerated even after courts demanded their release.
Since the fall of Mubarak, however, concern has been growing at the army's use of military tribunals and quashing of dissent.
Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports from Cairo on the calls to scrap Egypt's emergency law

Inside Story: Libya's Peace Pleas Not Enough
After more than a month of fighting, Muammar Gaddafi the Libyan Leader has once again renewed diplomatic efforts seeking an end to the crisis. 
On Sunday, Abdel Ati Obeidi, Libya's deputy foreign minister landed in Athens, carrying a message to the Prime Minister from Gaddafi. Gaddafi's message: to seek an end to the fighting. 

This was followed by a trip to Turkey and then to Malta.
 The Greek foreign minister said his country wants to reinforce the demands of the UN resolution.
 Also Franco Frattini, Italy's Foreign Minister dismissed Al Obeidi's message from Gaddafi as "not credible", reiterating that Gaddafi had to leave power. At the same time, Italy recognised the Libyan Opposition National Council as the only legitimate authority in the country. But Libyan opposition are still refusing any kind of settlement saying they will accept a UN-demanded ceasefire only if Gaddafi pulls his forces from all Libyan cities. Inside Story, with presenter Dareen Abughaida, discusses with guests: Ashur Shamis, a Libyan journalist and writer; Dimitris Papadimitriou, a reader in European Politics at the University of Manchester and Claire Spencer, head of Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House.
 This episode of Inside Story aired on Monday, April 4, 2011

Sanctions Are Dropped Against Libyan Defector
THE NEW YORK TIMES: WASHINGTON — The Obama administration dropped financial sanctions on Monday against the top Libyan official who fled to Britain last week, saying it hoped the move would encourage other senior aides to abandon Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, the country’s embattled leader.

But the decision to unfreeze bank accounts and permit business dealings with the official, Moussa Koussa, underscored the predicament his defection poses for American and British authorities, who said on Tuesday that Scottish police and prosecutors planned to interview Mr. Koussa about the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and other issues “in the next few days.”

Mr. Koussa’s close knowledge of the ruling circle, which he is believed to be sharing inside a British safe house, could be invaluable in trying to strip Colonel Qaddafi of support.

But as the longtime Libyan intelligence chief and foreign minister, Mr. Koussa is widely believed to be implicated in acts of terrorism and murder over the last three decades, including the assassination of dissidents, the training of international terrorists and the bombing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

“He was both the left arm and the right arm of the regime, its bloodhound,” said Dirk Vandewalle, a Dartmouth professor who has studied Libya for many years.

Mr. Vandewalle recalled a dinner with friends in Libya a few years ago when one man mentioned Mr. Koussa’s name, a dangerous faux pas. “The conversation just stopped,” he said. “People switched to a different topic. Koussa was considered beyond the pale.” » | Scott Shane | Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Unrest in Yemen Seen as Opening to Qaeda Branch
THE NEW YORK TIMES: WASHINGTON — Counterterrorism operations in Yemen have ground to a halt, allowing Al Qaeda’s deadliest branch outside of Pakistan to operate more freely inside the country and to increase plotting for possible attacks against Europe and the United States, American diplomats, intelligence analysts and counterterrorism officials say.

In the political tumult surrounding Yemen’s embattled president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, many Yemeni troops have abandoned their posts or have been summoned to the capital, Sana, to help support the tottering government, the officials said. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the group’s affiliate, has stepped in to fill this power vacuum, and Yemeni security forces have come under increased attacks in recent weeks.

A small but steadily growing stream of Qaeda fighters and lower-level commanders from other parts of the world, including Pakistan, are making their way to Yemen to join the fight there, although American intelligence officials are divided on whether the political crisis in Yemen is drawing more insurgents than would be traveling there under normal conditions. » | Eric Schmitt | Moonday, April 04, 2011

National Gallery Visitor Attacks Gauguin Painting, Officials Say
THE WASHINGTON POST: A painting at the Gauguin exhibit at the National Gallery was attacked last week by a gallery visitor, provoking considerable commotion, according to other museum visitors and gallery officials.

Screaming “This is evil,” a woman tried to pull Gauguin’s “Two Tahitian Women” from a gallery wall Friday and banged on the picture’s clear plastic covering, said Pamela Degotardi of New York, who was there.

“She was really pounding it with her fists,” Degotardi said. “It was like this weird surreal scene that one doesn’t expect at the National Gallery.”

Gallery spokeswoman Deborah Ziska said no damage to the 1899 painting was immediately apparent after the 4:45 p.m. incident. But she said a more thorough examination will be conducted Monday.

In the painting, both breasts of one woman are exposed, as is one of the second woman’s breasts.

The woman who allegedly attacked the painting was “immediately restrained and detained” by the museum’s federal protection ser­vices officers, who charged her with destruction of property and attempted theft, Ziska said in a statement. » | R. Smith and Martin Weil | Monday, April 04, 2011

PINK NEWS: Woman attacks ‘evil homosexual’ Gauguin painting: A woman who attacked a Paul Gauguin painting in Washington DC’s National Gallery claimed she did it because it is “very homosexual”. » | Jessica Geen | Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Haia Officers Get Training to Combat Black Magic
ARAB NEWS: JEDDAH: A total of 30 officials of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) have been trained on how to deal with cases of black magic.

The three-day training program was held in the Eastern Province city of Al-Ahsa.

The commission has achieved remarkable successes in combating black magic in various parts of the country. It has set up nine specialized centers in the main cities to deal with black magicians. » | MD Humaidan | ARAB NEWS | Monday, April 04, 2011

How to Keep Up with the Letwins
THE INDEPENDENT: In this anti-elitist age, snobbery seems ridiculously outmoded. But, argues John Walsh, there's an awful lot of it about ...

Like a duchess unwarily revealing her pants to the world's gaze, Oliver Letwin, the Cabinet Office minister, reportedly let slip a tiny flash of bigotry. He was talking to Boris Johnson about whether there should be more airports when he allegedly said: "We don't want more people from Sheffield flying away on cheap holidays."

Instantly, he revealed himself as a ridiculously old-fashioned snob – the kind who assumes that Northerners are whippet-owning paupers, that the poor should be persuaded to stay in their place, and that cheap holidays are less acceptable than expensive ones in Letwina, or wherever the minister goes in August.

The besetting sin of snobbery is that it reduces people, places, things and behaviour to one dimension, which can be despised without further thought (Kate Moss – common; Birmingham – ghastly; Saturday TV – vulgar; brown shoes worn in town – not done.) With luck they will live, and converse, with other snobs who agree with their views, so they can share conspiratorial shrieks about Kate Middleton's family background or Osborne & Little wallpaper. Sometimes, though, they'll misjudge their audience (to be fair, Letwin was speaking to a fellow Old Etonian) and the cat will be out of the bag. » | John Walsh | Tuesday, April 05, 2011



My comment:

This excellent article sums it all up perfectly. Thank you! The British have cornered the market in snobbery, I'm afraid. There's no snob like a British snob. The English, in particular, are past masters at the silly little game. Nowhere else in the world – and I have worked in a few countries – have I observed snobbery as bad as in the UK. By the way, looking at that photo of Oliver Letwin, it's hard to see what he has to be snobbish about! – © Mark

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Where Are the Republicans Who Can Beat Obama in 2012?
THE GUARDIAN – BLOGS – RICHARD ADAMS: "GOP presidential contest begins to warm up," the Los Angeles Times declared. That was on 7 March. In the weeks since then, can you feel the excitement? No, me neither.

In fact the most dramatic thing to happen during the nomination contest to date is Barack Obama's announcement that he's running for re-election. And he faces no primary opposition.

Compared with the same stage in 2007, when the presidential primary season was running at full steam, 2011 is a flat tire. But it's not just the lack of activity – the Republican candidates being touted are a collection of has-beens, nobodies and deadbeats, several of them barely household names in their own households. And those are the most electable ones. Continue reading and comment » | Richard Adams | Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Libyan Rebels Scoff at Idea of Gadhafi's Son Taking Over
CNN: Tripoli, Libya -- With no end to Libya's bloody war in sight, a source close to the country's leadership said a Libyan envoy is floating the idea of ruler Moammar Gadhafi passing his power to a son -- a notion rebel leaders deem merely cosmetic.

Under the proposal, Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, 38, would help to usher in swift reform, the source said. But Saif Gadhafi has become one of his father's most outspoken defenders since the start of the unrest, despite once being perceived as a leading reformer in the Libyan government.

But a proposal to shift power from Gadhafi to his second-oldest son is "a ridiculous offer," said Ali Aujali, a former Libyan ambassador to the United States who now represents the Libyan opposition in Washington.

"Libyan people, they decided, and they will not go back at all (to) Gadhafi or any member of his family," Aujali said. "His sons, they are killers -- they're just like their father."

Aujali said the rebels are willing to offer Moammar Gadhafi and his family safe passage out of Libya in an exchange for an end to the fighting -- but that's as far as their offer goes. » | CNN Wire Staff | Tuesday, April 05, 2011

FRANFURTER ALLGEMEINE – DER KOMMENTAR: Gaddafis Manöver: Gaddafis Versuch, über Verhandlungen sein Gesicht zu retten, ist zum Scheitern verurteilt. Schließlich ist die Gegenregierung im Aufwind: Ein französischer Diplomat wurde bereits in Benghasi akkreditiert, Qatar hat die Übergangsregierung anerkannt. » | Von Wolfgang Günter Lerch | Montag, 04. April 2011

Prince of Wales Lays Wreath at Moroccan Tyrant's Tomb
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Prince of Wales risked controversy on Monday as he laid a wreath at the tomb of a tyrannical former ruler of Morocco.

The Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall arrived in Rabat amid continuing protests against the country's undemocratic regime, and paid their respects at the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, where the late king and his son Hassan II are buried.

The reign of Hassan II, who died in 1999, was marred by the deaths of hundreds of people who protested against his regime, including more than 300 people who were killed during demonstrations and 174 who died in custody.

Morocco is in the middle of a "peaceful revolution" after the present king, Mohammed VI, promised to give up his executive powers, including the right to choose the prime minister and other ministers, following widespread street protests in the past two months.

Fouad Abdelmoumni, an economist and pro-democracy campaigner, suggested the timing of the Prince's visit to Hassan II's tomb was far from ideal.

He said: "Some people would think that it's not the best time for him to do this kind of thing, and not the best place to visit."

One of the leaders of the protests, who asked not to be named, said: "Hassan's human rights record was appalling and the families of people who were killed during his rule will not be happy with Prince Charles laying a wreath at his tomb, though I don't think the wide majority of Moroccans will have strong opinions about it."

Despite concerns before the visit that the Prince and the Duchess could be confronted by protesters during their three-day stay, the only time they saw demonstrators was when they drove past a group of teachers camped outside the education ministry demanding better pay and conditions. » | Gordon Rayner, Rabat | Monday, April 04, 2011

EXAMINER.COM: Charles and Camilla arrive in Morocco, meet King Mohammad VI » | Megan Knight | Royal News Examiner | Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Related »

George W Bush 'Invited Son of Osama bin Laden to White House'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The son of Osama bin Laden has claimed he was invited to the White House in the final days of George W Bush's presidency in a last-ditch attempt to discover the whereabouts of the world's most wanted terrorist.

Omar bin Laden, the fourth son of the al-Qaeda leader, claims he received a visit from White House staff in January 2009 at his home in Doha, the capital of Qatar.

"They invited me to accompany them to the White House, offered to defend, help and protect me, on the condition that I helped them find my father," he told Spanish daily newspaper La Vanguardia, in an interview published on Monday.

But the 29-year-old said he refused because of filial duty. "I told them I was sorry but it wasn't something I could do. He is my father and I am his son, and as is the way the son must love and respect his father," he said, adding: "Even if in many cases a man may be against the ideas of his father."

But the son who was once groomed to take over from bin Laden later admitted that he had had no contact with his father for almost a decade. Read on and comment » | Fiona Govan, Madrid | Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Libya: Diplomatic Initiative Opens Up Rift between Gaddafi Sons
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A rift in the Gaddafi family has emerged as two hardline sons of the Libyan leader have dismissed efforts to implement a ceasefire as part of a diplomatic initiative to end the Nato bombing campaign.

Mutassim Gaddafi, the National Security Adviser and Khamis Gaddafi, the commander of elite forces, have confronted supporters of a peace plan that has circulated in diplomatic circles in Tripoli.

Diplomats have said that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, another son, had offered to act as interim president to oversee a transition to a democratic system. The offer would mean Col Muammar Gaddafi's withdrawal from power and the end of the family's tyrannical hold on power.

But one family aide said there had been arguments over Saif's initiative, which is supported by Saadi, another brother with power in the armed forces. He said: "It is not in the military interest of the government to have a ceasefire now. While we have the momentum, Mutassim wants to keep going." The official said that the brothers had argued over a ceasefire.

While Saif believes that talks would be impossible without a ceasefire, Mutassim wants to ensure the regime cannot be beaten. He is reported to have said: "People get sick of dying, we have to keep fighting until we've beaten the opposition."

Mutassim and Saif have been rivals for almost a decade. A US diplomatic cable said that Saif's overseas reputation – he cultivated British and US leaders while living in London as a PhD student – had made Mutassim jealous.

All four brothers are known to enjoy glamorous social events. The singer Beyoncé performed for Mutassim in the Caribbean at the New Year. » | Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Monday, April 04, 2011

Alleged Libyan Rape Victim Speaks Out

Charles and Camilla Welcomed with Milk in Morocco
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall arrived in Morocco today where they were welcomed in traditional style - with a glass of milk.

The royal couple were greeted off their plane at Rabat airport by Prince Moulay Rachid, brother of the Moroccan King Mohammed VI and immediately sat down to milk, pastries and dates.

The traditional offering symbolises ''sweet and pure intentions'', the Moroccan hosts said, and it appeared to please the British royals who chatted animatedly with the prince and his wife, Princess Lalla Joumala Alaoui.

The visit comes as the North African nation reaches a historical crossroads following the Arab Uprisings.

Morocco has so far avoided persistent unrest but several people died in February during violence linked to protests.

King Mohammed made a rare television appearance on March 9 announcing major constitutional reform.

Speaking before he was introduced to the British royals, Moroccan prime minister Abbas El Fassi described it as a ''peaceful revolution''.

He said: ''This is a very big event for Morocco, for the King to have invited the Prince, and it will reaffirm the historic relationship between the two countries.

''There is conformity in our views in many areas - international problems, regional problems and the fight against terror.

''This visit is a symbol because it comes at a moment of instability in many countries and the Prince, by visiting Morocco, is confirming that Morocco is a stable country.'' » | Monday, April 04, 2011

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