'EU Super State Was Doomed to Failure'
Karl Albrecht Schachtschneider
speaks

Colonial Imperialism Is Back with a Bang

Audiobotschaft: Gaddafi dementiert Gerüchte über Flucht nach Niger
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Der gestürzte libysche Machthaber hat in einer weiteren Audiobotschaft Gerüchte dementiert, er sei nach Niger geflüchtet. Seinen Gegnern bleibe „nichts mehr als psychologischer Krieg und Lügen“, sagte Gaddafi.

Der langjährige libysche Machthaber Muammar el Gaddafi hat in einer neuen Audiobotschaft Gerüchte über seine Flucht nach Niger dementiert. Seinen Gegnern bleibe „nichts mehr als psychologischer Krieg und Lügen“, sagte Gaddafi am Donnerstag in der vom syrischen Fernsehsender Arrai übertragenen Botschaft.

Gaddafi sagte in der Audiobotschaft, die nach mehreren Tagen Schweigen kam, er sei überzeugt, dass die Nato besiegt werde. Er versicherte, dass die Angriffe gegen die „Ratten und Söldner“ verstärkt würden. Gerüchte über seine Flucht nach Niger dementierte er. Am Dienstag hatte der libysche Nationale Übergangsrat gemeldet, dass ein Konvoi die Grenze zum Niger überquert habe. Es habe sich um einen Konvoi gehandelt, wie ihn Gaddafi und seine Söhne benutzten, hieß es. Sowohl der Niger als auch die Vereinigten Staaten dementierten aber, dass sich Gaddafi oder einer seiner Söhne in dem Konvoi befunden habe. » | FAZ.NET mit AFP/dpa | Donnerstag 08. September 2011

THE GUARDIAN: Gaddafi issues defiant message from hiding: Deposed former Libyan leader vows never to leave the country and denies claims he is in neighbouring Niger » | Shiv Malik and Lizzy Davies | Thursday, September 08, 2011

E-petition Scheme Descends into Farce: MPs Can't Find Time for 'People Power' Debates
MAIL ONLINE: Downing Street’s e-petition plan to give the public the right to force Parliamentary debates on burning issues of the day was fast descending into a shambles last night.

When the scheme was launched earlier this year, people were given the impression that any petition gathering 100,000 signatures or more would automatically be discussed by MPs.

Two petitions – including one demanding the removal of benefits from thugs involved in last month’s riots – have already crossed the threshold.

But it has now emerged that a debate will take place only if, having gained 100,000 signatures, the subject is also suggested by an MP on the obscure Backbench Business Committee. » | James Slack | Wednesday, September 07, 2011

So much for British democracy! MPs, once elected into office, do just as they damn well like. They don’t care about the people, or what the people think. They are not in politics to help the people; they’re in politics to help themselves. – Mark

Am I Not Sweet? Gaddafi's Home Videos Uncovered
Previously unseen personal video footage of Colonel Gaddafi has emerged which shows the former Libyan dictator playing with his grandchildren in his Bab al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli in 2005.
Watch video and read article here

Revolution in Iran 'a Matter of Time'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Revolution in Iran is only a matter of time, Leon Panetta, the new United States defence secretary, has said as he predicted an uprising similar to those sweeping the Middle East.

Mr Panetta said the Iranian reform movement was learning from revolts which have erupted across the Arab world this year.

Mr Panetta, who left the top job in the CIA to become defence secretary in July, said there was "absolutely" the chance that protests and demands for reform would reach Iran.

He said: "I think we saw in evidence of that in the last election in Iran that there was a movement within Iran that raised those very same concerns that we're seeing elsewhere," "And I think in many ways, it's a matter of time before that kind of change and reform and revolution occurs in Iran as well." Tehran crushed mass street protests in the wake of Iran's disputed June 2009 re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. » | Ben Farmer | Wednesday, September 07, 2011

German Far-right Party Allowed to Use 'Step on the Gas' Poster

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A German far-right party has been permitted to put up election posters in Berlin that said 'step on the gas' which some see as a provocative reminder of the Holocaust after a court dismissed a ban on their use.

Authorities in the left-leaning Berlin district of Kreuzberg had ordered the removal of the posters, one of which has as a slogan "Gas geben" (Step on It) or literally "give gas" in what some see as a reference to Nazi gas chambers.

Another provocative poster has a dark-skinned man, a woman with a headscarf and a man with what appears to be a turban sitting on a flying carpet with the slogan: "Have a good flight home."

But the administrative court in Berlin ruled the posters did not break German laws relating to the incitement to racial hatred or the publication of anti-constitutional material.

It could not be proven that the "gas" posters deliberately meant to raise associations with Nazi atrocities, the court added. » | Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Iran Executes Three Men on Homosexuality Charges
THE GUARDIAN: Convicts were sentenced to death 'for acts against the Sharia law and bad deeds'

Three Iranian men have been executed after being found guilty of charges related to homosexuality, according to a semi-official news agency.

The men, only identified by their initials, were hanged on Sunday in the south-western city of Ahvaz, the capital of Iran's Khuzestan province.

"The three convicts were sentenced to death based on the articles 108 and 110 of Iran's Islamic penal code, for acts against the sharia law and bad deeds," the Isna agency quoted a judiciary official in Khuzestan as saying.

Iran Human Rights, an independent NGO based in Norway, said the men were charged with "lavat" – sexual intercourse between two men. It is not clear whether the three men were homosexuals or merely smeared with homosexuality accused of being gay. » | Saeed Kamali Dehghan | Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Canada: A Hindu Converts to Islam

ON ISLAM: A Young Canadian Hindu Reverts to Islam » | Reading Islam Staff | Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Inside Story – The Emir & the Colonel: Qatar's Rôle in Libya
Qatar's intervention in Libya may have helped cement its role as a world player, but has it been overly ambitious?
Watch the programme here

Latino Family Reflects On Conversion To Islam

KPBS: The Arancibia family home sits on a small hillside in rural Bonita in southern San Diego County. Laughter rings out around the house where Spanish and English comfortably co-exist in an ever-growing family of married children, grandchildren and friends.

Despite appearances, the Arancibia’s are not your typical California Latino family. They’re Chilean, not Mexican, having fled Chile shortly after the fall of Allende. And they’re Christian, but not Catholic.

What sets them apart even more is one son - 38 year old Diego, a project coordinator with After School Assistance Provider (ASAP) - who converted to Islam 13 years ago.

Islam is the fastest growing religion in the U.S., with domestic conversion fueling that growth. California Latinos make up the bulk of the domestic conversions.

For Diego Arancibia, the move toward Islam was an evolving process. Read on (+ audio) » | Rebecca Romani | Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Parents of Shafilea Ahmed Charged with Her Murder
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The parents of murdered teenager Shafilea Ahmed have been charged with killing her, Cheshire Police said on Wednesday.

The 17-year-old's decomposed remains were discovered in Cumbria in February 2004 after she disappeared from her home in Warrington, Cheshire, in September 2003. She was the victim of a suspected honour killing.

South Cumbria coroner Ian Smith later recorded a verdict of unlawful killing, saying he believed the teenager was probably murdered.

Cheshire Police said today the teenager's father, Iftikhar, 51, and mother Farzana, 48, have been charged with murder and will appear at Halton Magistrates' Court, in Runcorn, later today.

The couple have always denied any involvement in their daughter's death. » | Wednesday, September 07, 2011

MAIL ONLINE: Muslim parents of 'honour killing victim' schoolgirl, 17, charged with her murder EIGHT years after she vanished » | Emily Allen | Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Angst, Scharia und Geistesblüten: Geert Wilders rät den Deutschen

N-TV: Es ist die Stunde der Islamgegner. Der niederländische Rechtspopulist Wilders ist in Berlin und erklärt, was es auf sich hat mit Burkas, Unterdrückung und dem Licht der Wahrheit. Schließlich herrscht Wahlkampf in der Hauptstadt.

Der große Tag beginnt konspirativ, mit einer SMS am frühen Morgen: Geert Wilders, so heißt es dort, spreche an diesem Tag im Maritim-Hotel in Berlin. Wilders, die niederländische Ikone derRechtspopulisten, soll den Islam und Europa erklären – schließlich herrscht Wahlkampf in Berlin und die dümpelnde Partei "Die Freiheit" braucht, wie schon bei ihrer Gründung vor einem Jahr, dringend Schützenhilfe vom großen Bruder aus den Niederlanden.

Diese allerdings gestaltet sich nicht so leicht. Erst läuft der Ticketverkauf für die Wilders-Veranstaltung schleppend. Selbst die glühendsten Anhänger wollen kaum 100 Euro zahlen, zum Schluss werden die Eintrittskarten für 5 Euro verscherbelt und doch bleiben noch Stühle leer. Und auch mit der Geheimhaltung klappt es nicht ganz. Gegen Mittag drängen sich vor den Absperrungen der Polizei am Hotel nahe der ägyptischen Botschaft Dutzende Gegendemonstranten. Revolutionsfahnen schwenkend, skandieren sie: "Willkommen in Berlin, der Hauptstadt der Angst". » | von Gudula Hörr | Sonntag 04. September 2011

Angela Merkel: "Euro ist mehr als nur eine Währung"
Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel bekennt sich zur Europäischen Union, Deutschlands Zukunft sei untrennbar mit Europa verbunden. Der Euro sei ein Garant eines einigen Europas, scheitere er, scheitere Europa. Deshalb dürfe er nicht scheitern und werde nicht scheitern.
Das Video hier abspielen

Islamistes et laïcs se toisent à Benghazi
LE FIGARO: REPORTAGE - Le nouveau paysage politique libyen, à peine émergent, est fortement imprégné par les mouvements à orientation religieuse.

Ismaïl Salabi est un bon prêcheur. Le sourire facile, les yeux dorés qui pétillent, ce jeune costaud barbu de 34 ans en chemisette rayée assure avoir les larmes aux yeux quand il évoque en chaire les beautés de la religion. Mais en ce moment, il se consacre à la guerre. Posant un instant sa kalachnikov, Ismaïl Salabi se présente comme chef des opérations du Groupe des martyrs du 17 février, fort de 3000 hommes, l'une des principales unités du front de l'Est. Le supérieur direct d'Ismaïl Salabi, Fawzi Boukatif, commande également le Bataillon de la révolution, une unité plus importante dont le Groupe des martyrs est l'une des branches. » | Par Pierre Prier | Mardi 06 Septembre 2011

France: Manifestation contre «l’islamisation» en Moselle
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: LORRAINE | A Forbach, près de Metz, au nord-est de la France la "Nouvelle droite populaire" organise une manifestation "anti-islam" en dépit d’une interdiction réclamée par plusieurs organisations de gauche.

Une manifestation "anti-islam" de la "Nouvelle droite populaire" (NDP) pourra se dérouler dimanche à 20 heures à Forbach (Moselle) en dépit d’une interdiction réclamée par plusieurs organisations de gauche, a-t-on indiqué mercredi de source préfectorale à Metz.

Prenant prétexte de la victoire d’une coalition européenne - à laquelle participait le duc de Lorraine - contre les Turcs le 11 septembre 1683 à Vienne, la NDP a appelé à manifester contre "l’islamisation de la Lorraine et de l’Europe", le jour du 10è anniversaire des attentats du 11 septembre 2001 aux Etats-Unis. » | ATS | Mercredi 07 Septembre 2011

Calmy-Rey zum Zeitpunkt des Rücktritts
Micheline Calmy-Rey tritt per Ende Jahr aus dem Bundesrat zurück. An einer Medienkonferenz in Bern informiert sie zu ihren Beweggründen und zieht Bilanz über ihre Amtszeit.

SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Calmy-Rey tritt nicht zur Wiederwahl an » | sf/sda/godc/buet | Mittwoch 07. September 2011

Deutschlands EU-Hilfe rechtens
Das Bundesverfassungsgericht von Deutschland hat eine Klage gegen den EU-Rettungsschirm und die Griechenlandhilfe abgewiesen. Gleichzeitig verlangt sie für den Bundestag aber mehr Beteiligungsrechte bei Finanzfragen.

Obama's Big Week: Polls Add to Pressure on the President

LOS ANGELES TIMES: As if to make the point vividly clear that summer is unofficially over, the skies of Washington on Tuesday were a metallic gray, with a cold breeze blowing and rain peppering the ground. It had the feel of seriousness, of stakes raised. And no one likely will understand that more this week than President Obama.

Thursday’s joint address to Congress will bring what could be perhaps a pivotal moment in his presidency, with the nation looking for his best proposals to help move the country out of the economic stall in which it has remained for months.

At the same time, Congress reconvenes to begin to shape a bipartisan plan for slashing the federal deficit. The so-called “supercommittee” meets for the first time Thursday as well. Whether lawmakers can deliver a meaningful, achievable solution could also have an effect on how voters view the president’s capacity to match words with results.

And if the nation needed any more of a reminder that we live in perilous times, the week will also feature incessant replays of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in advance of Sunday’s anniversary. » | James Oliphant | Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Les islamistes bien placés pour tirer profit du printemps arabe
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: APRÈS LA RÉVOLUTION | Les mouvements islamistes ont deux options après les soulèvements du printemps arabe: jouer sur le vide sécuritaire ou se muer en parti politique. La seconde option est la plus probable, selon les experts.

Les groupes islamistes pourraient tirer profit du vide sécuritaire créé par les soulèvements populaires dans des pays arabes. Mais il est plus probable qu’ils se lancent dans la conquête du pouvoir politique, a estimé l’institut de recherche IISS dans son rapport stratégique annuel, mardi à Londres.

«Je ne dis pas qu’il y aura nécessairement des activités terroristes, mais la chute d’Etats sécuritaires est certainement quelque chose qui crée pour ces groupes des occasions de passer à l’action», a estimé Emile Hokayem, expert à l’Institut international d’études stratégiques (IISS), au cours d’une conférence de presse.

Les révolutions, qui ont éclaté ces derniers mois dans plusieurs pays arabes, ont apporté la preuve que le changement était possible sans le jihad, a-t-il cependant ajouté.

Jusqu’à récemment, «le jihadisme international bénéficiait du fait que ces groupes pensaient qu’ils ne pourraient rien faire chez eux, donc ils (les jihadistes) ont combattu ailleurs (...). Maintenant, ils ont une occasion (de se faire entendre) plus près de chez eux», a estimé le chercheur installé à Bahreïn. » | ATS | Mardi 06 Septembre 2011