Cameron's F-word Outburst at Reporters over British Empire 'Gaffe'
MAIL ONLINE: David Cameron swore angrily on the plane journey back from his trip to Pakistan after he learned of the row caused by his comment that Britain is to blame for many of the world’s problems.

The Prime Minister turned on a journalist who had reported his remark and said, ‘You f*****!’.

The outburst came after Mr Cameron’s apparent attempt to distance himself from the UK’s imperial past had received a warm welcome from his audience in Pakistan.

Asked about the long-running row between Pakistan and India over Kashmir, which dates back to the days of the British Empire, he said: ‘I don’t want to try to insert Britain in some leading role where, as with so many of the world’s problems, we are responsible for the issue in the first place.’ Continue reading and comment » | Simon Walters | Sunday, April 10, 2011

My comment on this:

The F-word uttered with a posh accent is still the F-word. Uttering it with a plum in one's mouth doesn't make it any better, any more acceptable, especially from our sitting prime minister. A few days ago, we read that Nicolas Sarkozy had told the editor of Le Point that he should "smash his face in" for calling his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, a "man-eater." Now the F-word from our 'Conservative' prime minister. What are we going to hear next? Clearly, the calibre of our leaders is going down and down. – © Mark

Screwed by Corporate America

Saudi Arabia Has a Divorce Every 30 Minutes
EMIRATES 24/7: Saudi Arabia has one of the highest divorce rates in the world, with such cases averaging one every half an hour in 2010, according to a local newspaper.

The Gulf Kingdom, the world’s dominant oil power, had 18,765 recorded divorce cases last year, one of the world’s highest rates compared to its population, Alsaudi Arabic language daily said. » | Staff | Sunday, April 10, 2011

Russia's Unruly North Caucasus: Islam Inflamed
THE ECONOMIST: Muslim fundamentalism is on the rise in the north Caucasus. To stop it, Russian policy must change

THE world is fearful of Islam’s rising influence in Afghanistan, Pakistan and across the newly restive Arab world. But it has barely noticed what is happening in Russia’s troubled north Caucasus. After two decades of political and military failure in this violent part of the world, the government in Moscow is losing its legitimacy there, and fundamentalist Islam, which had no purchase in Soviet days, has taken hold.

The north Caucasus may take up only a small space on the map, but it looms large for Russia. The region has often decisively influenced the course of Russia’s own development. Boris Yeltsin’s decision to send in troops to stop Chechnya’s march towards independence helped to weaken Russia’s fledgling democracy in the mid-1990s. Vladimir Putin’s vow to rub out Chechen rebels “in the shithouse” helped to propel him into the presidency. Eleven years on, the north Caucasus is still one of Russia’s biggest headaches. Terrorist attacks, like the bombing at Domodedovo airport in January, have become almost commonplace. In its largely unreported fighting in the north Caucasus, Russia is suffering as many losses every year as Britain has lost in ten years in Afghanistan. » | Leaders | Thursday, April 07, 2011

Pakistan's Controversial Religious Schools
The Pakistani government is trying once again to reform the country's religious schools, locally known as madrassas. 



Critics argue they fail to teach students a wider curriculum, and have become a nursery for future extremists. But those who run the schools, and the 
students themselves, strongly disagree.



Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder reports from Peshawar.

Syria Unrest: Violence Continues to Escalate
A Syrian human rights group says at least 37 people were killed across the country on Friday.

Meanwhile, Syrian state television has shown video of what it says were armed criminals firing in the central city of Homs.

Earlier in the day, the government claimed armed gangs had killed 19 policemen and wounded 75 in Daraa.

Al Jazeera's Cal Perry reports from Damascus.



Warning: This package contains images that may disturb or offend some viewers.

A Rare Glimpse of Gaddafi Forces
So far the conflict in Libya has been reported only from one side, as no press was allowed to cover Gaddafi forces on the battleground but Al Jazeera has now exclusive access to footage which offers rare glimpse of pro-government forces.



Filmed in mid-March, the video shows government army pushing forward to crush the eastern uprising before NATO got green light to launch airstrikes.



The footage shows young men being taken into custody and beaten up by Gaddafi loyalists and government forces roaming the streets of Ajdabiya.

Leading Bahrain Activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja Arrested
BBC: Security forces in Bahrain have arrested and beaten one of the country's leading human rights activists, his daughter says.

The activist, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, was seized in the middle of the night and taken away with his two sons-in-law.

It is the latest in a series of violent night-time arrests of opposition activists, say human rights workers.

The Bahraini government accuses them of inciting unrest and trying to divide the Sunni and Shia Muslim communities.

Mr al-Khawaja's daughter says in the very early hours of Saturday morning up to 20 armed and masked policemen broke down the door of their apartment and began attacking her father.

Maryam al-Khawaja says he offered no resistance but that the men beat him unconscious and dragged him downstairs, leaving a trail of blood.

She said the family have no idea where he has been taken, what he is accused of, or how long he will be held. » | Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent, Bahrain | Saturday, April 09, 2011

BBC: Police brutality turns Bahrain into 'island of fear': The BBC has obtained images of alleged police brutality against peaceful protesters in the Bahraini capital Manama, where fears of a systematic crackdown on pro-democracy activists are growing. » | Bill Law, Crossing Continents, BBC News | Thursday, April 07, 2011

Berlusconi: 'Human Tsunami' Arriving in Lampedusa
BBC: The Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has warned Europe of what he called a "human tsunami" arriving on the island of Lampedusa.

Tens of thousands of migrants have reached the tiny Italian island in recent weeks amid fighting and political unrest in North Africa.

Mr Berlusconi called on his European counterparts to do more to help with the worsening humanitarian situation.
Will Grant reports. Watch video » | Sunday, April 10, 2011

Dutch Ritual Slaughter Ban a Step Closer

EURONEWS: In Holland, a proposal to ban Kosher and Halal slaughter methods has moved a step closer to reality, with a majority of the country’s MPs now supporting the ban.

In order to reduce stress, in the EU animals slaughtered for meat are normally stunned before they are killed. But Kosher and Halal butchery requires the animals to be fully conscious when their throats are cut. » | © Euronews | Friday, April 08, 2011

'Burqa Ban' in France: Housewife Vows to Face Jail Rather Than Submit
THE OBSERVER: Muslim woman says that she will not accept pressure from mosques or state over 'burqa ban' that begins on 11 April

Kenza Drider, a respectable mother-of-four, will leave her home in Avignon's Place de la Résistance on Monday with the intention of committing a crime. If the police are waiting for her – and they have had more than enough warning – she will be cautioned, perhaps be asked to accompany officers to the local station, possibly face a fine and, perhaps, will leave with a criminal record.

It is unlikely she will end up in jail, but who knows? It is a risk she is willing to take. Drider is not only determined to become a miscreant; she sees it as her absolute duty to do so.

This 32-year-old French housewife has become the face of the country's "burqa brigade", the women in France who cover themselves from head to toe in full veils. She will fall foul of a law that comes into effect on Monday 11 April tomorrow and forbids French citizens from covering their faces in public places; despite the ban's deliberately general wording, there is no doubt that its target is very specific: Muslim women.

Drider's first offence will be to set foot inside Avignon's TGV rail station where she is due to take a train to Paris. For this she risks a €150 fine and, if she repeats the offence, being sent on a "citizenship course".

"I will be going about my business in my full veil as I have for the last 12 years and nothing and nobody is going to stop me," she declares, swathed in the material she refuses to take off even while speaking to a female journalist in her own home.

Like most of the women concerned by this law, Drider wears a niqab veil that reveals only her eyes, as opposed to a burqa, the full body covering worn by Afghan women. » | Kim Willsher | Sunday, April 10, 2011

BNP Election Candidate Arrested Over Qur'an Burning
THE OBSERVER: Footage leaked to the Observer shows Welsh Assembly candidate setting fire to Islamic holy book in his garden

A senior member of the BNP who burned a copy of the Qur'an in his garden has been arrested following an investigation by the Observer.

Footage of the burning shows Sion Owens, 40, from south Wales and a candidate for the forthcoming Welsh Assembly elections, soaking the Qur'an in kerosene and setting fire to it.

A video clip of the act, leaked to the Observer and passed immediately to South Wales police, provoked fierce criticism from the government.

A statement from the Home Office said: "The government absolutely condemns the burning of the Qur'an. It is fundamentally offensive to the values of our pluralist and tolerant society.

"We equally condemn any attempts to create divisions between communities and are committed to ensuring that everyone has the freedom to live their lives free from fear of targeted hostility or harassment on the grounds of a particular characteristic, such as religion." » | Mark Townsend | The Guardian | Saturday, April 09, 2011

Frost Over the World - Debating the Face Veil
Just days before a ban on the full face veil starts in France, Sir David Frost is joined by British politicians Salma Yaqoob and imam Taj Hargey to discuss whether France has made the right decision. Plus, Guma El Gamaty discusses the situation in Libya and Knox Chitiyo talks about events in Cote d'Ivoire

Inside Story - Appeasing Syria's Kurds
Protests have continued in Syria a day after Bashar al-Assad granted citizenship to a quarter of a million stateless Kurds living in Hasaka, in the northeast of the country. Some Kurdish leaders have said that being granted their rights should not be considered a favour and that they will continue their non-violent protests demanding civic, political, cultural and social rights. Will such concessions succeed in containing pro-democracy protests? Inside Story discusses

Col Gadhafi Makes Public Appearance at Tripoli School
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: State-run Libyan television has shown footage of Muammar Gaddafi at a school in Tripoli on a visit it said took place on Saturday.

In the footage Gadhafi is seen entering the school surrounded by bodyguards and receives a rapturous reception by the pupils.

The TV anchor said the visit took place on Saturday morning.

Gaddafi pointed to the date written on whiteboards in the classrooms a number of times to highlight that he is both alive and still in Libya.

The Libyan leader was last seen in public on April 4. Watch the video » | Saturday, April 09, 2011

At Least Six Killed in Amsterdam Shooting
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A gunman has killed at least six people and wounded 13 others after opening fire with an automatic weapon at a shopping centre outside Amsterdam.

The shooting happened in the town of Alphen aan den Rijn, 13 miles southwest of Amsterdam.

"A man with an automatic weapon, whose identity we cannot reveal, started shooting and killed five people and then himself," Mayor Bas Eenhoorn said.

"Four people were very badly injured, five mildly wounded, and at least two slightly injured."

Mr Eenhoorn called the shooting "unprecedented" and said there were a large number of people in the shopping centre when the shootings occurred. » | Saturday, April 09, 2011

Aussie Dollar Boosted by Its Own 'Gold Standard'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Australian dollar is one of the strongest currencies in the world because it is a commodity-backed currency. That’s why it hit a 29-year high against the US dollar today – and it’s all related to the gold price.

The gold price is hitting new all-time highs on a daily basis because many investors have lost faith in paper money. They believe that central bank printing presses are devaluing currencies on a daily basis.

It is the same lack of belief in paper money that has been boosting the Aussie dollar. Paper money used to be backed by gold held in a central bank, but this was abandoned all over the world, allowing central banks to print money via processes such as quantitative easing.

Today, no currency in the world is on the gold standard – all money is “fiat” money.

However, Australia has significant resources of gold, uranium, iron ore, coal and many other important and valuable commodities. They are in the ground, not in a central bank, but this is the nearest thing the world has to the old gold standard. That’s why the Australian currency is so strong.

The same is also true of currencies in Canada, South Africa and Russia. They are effectively backed by commodities in the ground. » | Garry White | Friday, April 08, 2011

Britain's Deficit-cutting Plans Are 'Oxymoronic' Says Former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Larry Summers, President Obama's chief economic adviser for his first two years in office, has labelled Britain's plan to revive growth by tackling its deficit as "oxymoronic", in an unusually outspoken attack.

"I find the idea of expansionary fiscal contraction in the context of the world in which we now live to be every bit as oxymoronic as it sounds," Mr Summers told a gathering of economists and policy makers at the resort of Bretton Woods in New Hampshire.

The analysis from Mr Summers, who also served as US Treasury Secretary under President Clinton, will be unwelcome to a Coalition government that's pushing through tax increases and cutting spending.

The government insists that tackling the budget deficit is required to prevent bond investors losing confidence in the country's fiscal policy in the way they did with Greece and Portugal and have threatened to with Spain and Italy.

In last month's Budget, George Osborne, the chancellor of the exchequer, outlined plans to cut the budget deficit, which has reached 10p of gross domestic product (GDP), to £29bn in 2015 from £146bn this year.

Though it has damaged the Government's rating in the opinion polls, the policy has won the backing of business leaders in the UK who are now tasked with helping to drive the recovery.

However, Mr Summers said he was sceptical that a policy focused on improving "fiscal hygiene" would generate the confidence a recovery needs. "I'd be happy to say that if Britain enjoys a boom for the next two years from increased confidence," I will change my opinion, he said.

The attack from Mr Summers underlines the extent to which many in Washington DC are watching Britain to see whether the government's effort drives the economy back into recession or helps lays the foundation for a lasting recovery. » | Richard Blackden, US Business Editor | Saturday, April 09, 2011

Sadr Calls for an End to 'US Occupation'
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Shia cleric threatens to relaunch armed resistance unless the US withdraws from Iraq by year-end.

Moqtada al Sadr, a prominent Iraqi Shia cleric, has threatened to revive his Mehdi Army and relaunch armed resistance against continued US presence in the country.

The threat came as tens of thousands of people marched across the capital Baghdad, marking the eighth anniversary of former leader Saddam Hussein's fall on Saturday.

A spokesperson of al Sadr, said the US had until the end of the year to meet the cleric's demands. » | Source: Al Jazeera | Saturday, April 09, 2011

Yale University Hit by Sexual Harassment Row
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: As the esteemed Ivy League university that taught five US presidents, 18 Nobel laureates and countless captains of industry, Yale has one of the loftiest names in education.

But the £25,000-a-year alma mater of Bill Clinton and both George Bushes has been plunged into a sexual harassment scandal that threatens to drag its reputation through the mud.

The US government has launched an investigation into a complaint by 16 students at the Connecticut college. They allege a string of serious assaults and rampages by gangs of men that went unpunished.

Yale's management has allowed the cultivation of a "sexually hostile environment", in which misogyny flourishes and sexual attacks on young women are frequent, they claim.

Now the university's £300 million-a-year public funding could be in jeopardy if the Obama administration finds it broke a law dictating everyone must have equal access to education.

The Yale complaint's most serious charges – concerning the sexual assaults of several girls – have not been made public to protect the victims' identities.

The 26-page dossier also discloses many other unpleasant incidents on campus. Several have dragged the college's boozy and laddish fraternities into the spotlight. » | Jon Swaine, New York | Friday, April 08, 2011