September 11: America Marks 10th Anniversary of 9/11
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: America is preparing to mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, with events taking place across the globe to remember the worst attack on US soil in history.

Thousands will gather at ceremonies at the site of the destroyed World Trade Center towers, at the Pentagon, and in a field in Pennslyvania where the fourth hijacked plane crashed.

President Barack Obama and former president George Bush, who was leading the country at the time, will lead the remembrances for the 2,977 people who died.

New York's 650lb Bell of Hope, which hangs near Ground Zero in St Paul's Chapel, the rest centre for 9/11 rescue workers, will sound at 8.46am New York time, the moment of the first impact.

The two presidents will join victims' families to hear the reading of the names of those who died as bells toll across the city and President Obama will also visit the other two sites.

The remembrance takes place in the shadow of the "credible" threat of a terror attack on the mainland US as other ceremonies begin to take place around the globe. » | Philip Sherwell, in New York, and Andy Bloxham in London | Sunday, September 11, 2011

We stand side-by-side, shoulder-to shoulder, with Americans today, as always, to mark the tenth anniversary of this heinous crime against the US and the civilised world. God bless America! – Mark

NZZ ONLINE: Gedenkfeiern in aller Welt zum Jahrestag der Terroranschläge: US-Präsident Obama in New York und in Washington erwartet » | sda/ddp | Sonntag 11. September 2011

LE FIGARO: L'Amérique commémore les attentats du 11 Septembre : En cette journée de dixième anniversaire des attentats du 11 Septembre, les États-Unis se souviennent. Barack Obama et George W. Bush doivent participer ensemble à une cérémonie organisée à New York.» | Par lefigaro.fr, Avec AFP | Dimanche 11 Septembre 2011

THE AUSTRALIAN: Remembering 9/11: Ten Years On »

DIE PRESSE: Zehn Jahre nach 9/11: Die Traurigen von New York – Das Leben änderte sich auch für jene, die am 11. September physisch nicht direkt betroffen waren. Manche Reaktionen scheinen kurios, helfen aber, das Unvorstellbare zu verarbeiten. "Die Presse" traf drei New Yorker.
» | Von Anneliese Rohrer (Die Presse) | Samstag 10 September 2011

JIHAD WATCH: A decade out, we're losing » | Robert Spencer | September 11, 2011

Islamist Groups Mobilize in Egypt

ÉGYPTE: La démocratie islamique, « une nouvelle démocratie » ? »

9/11 Anniversary a Time to Weigh Personal Changes

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE: New York – Ten years on, Americans will gather today where the World Trade Center soared, where the Pentagon stands as a fortress once breached, where United Airlines Flight 93 knifed into the earth.

They will come together to pray in cathedrals in our greatest cities and to lay roses before fire stations in our smallest towns, to remember in countless ways the anniversary of the most devastating terrorist attacks since the nation's founding, and in the process mark the milestone as history itself.

As in earlier observances, bells will toll again to mourn the loss of those killed in the attacks. Ceremonies also will consecrate new memorials in lower Manhattan, rural Pennsylvania and elsewhere, concrete symbols of the resolve to remember and rebuild. » | Adam Geller, Associated Press | Sunday, September 11, 2011

'The British Government Must Confront Russia Over Human Rights Abuses'

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: An influential British businessmen has accused David Cameron of going soft on Russia and of naively treating the Kremlin with kid gloves out of a misplaced fear of Moscow.

In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph on the eve of the Prime Minister's historic visit to Russia tomorrow, William Browder, the founder of UK-based Hermitage Capital Management, said the British government had shied away from tackling Russia on human rights issues and claimed that the Kremlin was laughing at Mr Cameron behind his back.

“The government needs to be realistic about dealing with Russia. But it doesn't seem to understand its major strength in dealing with Russian officials,” Mr Browder charged.

"If they think that making nice with the Russians will solve any problems, it won't. The Russians just laugh at anyone who is approaching them from a position of weakness."

Mr Cameron's visit is the first by a British leader since 2006, and the first since former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned with radioactive tea in central London that same year. Ties between the two countries have been icy ever since and Mr Cameron is under huge pressure to forge a better working relationship with Moscow.

But rights activists, including Mr Browder – who has embraced human rights advocacy since Sergei Magnitsky, his tax lawyer, died an agonising death in a Moscow jail – are worried that the British government is getting it wrong.

In particular, Mr Browder, who used to be the biggest foreign portfolio investor in Russia and who has one billion dollars under management, said it was time that the UK slapped tough visa and financial sanctions on top Russian officials involved in a series of heinous crimes, including the death of Mr Magnitsky.

Mr Browder, a British citizen but American by birth, has used his personal fortune to try to get justice [for] his friend. » | Andrew Osborn, Moscow | Sunday, September 11, 2011

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan William[s] Set to Quit Next Year

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Archbishop of Canterbury is planning to resign next year, nearly a decade before he is due to step down, it can be revealed.

Dr Rowan Williams is understood to have told friends he is ready to quit the highest office in the Church of England to pursue a life in academia.

The news will trigger intense plotting behind the scenes over who should succeed the 61-year-old archbishop, who is not required to retire until he is 70.

Bishops have privately been arguing for Dr Williams to stand down, with the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, telling clergy he should give someone else a chance after nearly ten years in the post.

Lambeth Palace would not be drawn into confirming or denying whether the archbishop will be leaving next year.

A spokesman would only say: "We would never comment on this matter."

Sources close to the archbishop say he will leave after the Queen's Diamond Jubilee next June and having seen the Church finally pass legislation to allow women to become bishops.

It is understood that Trinity College, Cambridge, is preparing to create a professorship for Dr Williams, who studied theology and was a chaplain at the university. » | Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Saturday, September 10, 2011

Now that Dr. Rowan Williams is going, it is to be hoped that he will be replaced by a committed Christian in the traditional sense of the word. In my opinion, the most suitable person to replace him is Dr. Michael Nazir Ali. It is to be hoped that he will be chosen. I can think of no more suitable a candidate than him. With the pews in churches emptying more quickly than cinema seats after a bomb scare, the Church needs someone who is determined to bring people back into the fold, and determined to show those who are not Christians that the path to salvation is through Jesus Christ. Dr. Rowan Williams didn't do this; he didn't evangelize. As I understand Christianity, this is a must for any serious Christian, still more so for the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The West in general, and the UK in particular, is being challenged by Islam. Dr. Michael Nazir Ali is therefore the ideal candidate to replace Dr. Rowan Williams, since he was raised in Pakistan, in Karachi, by Christian parents, his father being a convert from Islam. This man is a committed Christian who understands Islam thoroughly. Given the challenges we face, he is the only sensible choice. – © Mark

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Terror-Warnung zum Jahrestag der 9/11-Anschläge
Im Vorfeld der Gedenkfeiern sorgen Hinweise auf mögliche Attentate für Unruhe. Präsident Obama hat die Verdoppelung von Antiterrormassnahmen angeordnet. In Bin Ladens Versteck seien Dokumente gefunden worden, die zeigen, dass zum Jahrestag Attentate geplant seien.

Erdogan Slams Obama for Silence on Israel's Gaza Flotilla Raid
HAARETZ: Turkish premier reiterates Ankara's intent to refer legality of Israel's blockade on Gaza to The Hague, saying the world will see 'who is standing alongside the victims'.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated on Saturday his country's intent to refer the legality of Israel's Gaza blockade to The Hague, adding a criticism of U.S. President Barack Obama's position regarding Israel's 2010 of a Turkish Gaza-bound flotilla.

Speaking a convention of businessmen in the central Turkish city of Kayseri broadcast live on Turkey's state news channel TRT Erdogan vowed to continue the legal struggle for justice for the nine people killed in the raid.

"We will carry this struggle to The Hague and Erdogan criticizes Obama," the Turkish premier said, criticizing Turkish opposition leaders for what he described as "acting as advocates for Israel."

Erdogan was also deeply critical of the United States position on the Mavi Marmara incident, pointing out that he had to point out to Obama how the attack had left nine Turks dead from wounds inflicted by 35 bullets mostly fired from close range, one of them an American passport holder. » | DPA and Haaretz | Saturday, September 10, 2011

9/11 Anniversary: Photographers Recall Day of Horror - Interactive Slideshow
Photographers who were in New York on 9/11 describe the carnage they witnessed and explain the visceral power of photographs to capture a moment. Their images – and those taken by members of the public fleeing the burning towers – show intimate glimpses of individual grief and shock in the devastated city
Look at the slideshow here

Bloomberg Defends Banning Religious Leaders & Rescue Workers From 9/11 Tribute

HT: Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit »

Secret Plan to Fly Michael Jackson to Bahrain If Found Guilty of Child Molestation Charges
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Michael Jackson's brother Jermaine has revealed a plan had been drawn up to secretly fly the King of Pop to Bahrain if he was found guilty of child molestation charges.

The 56-year-old said a private jet financed by a friend was on standby to whisk the pop star to the Persian Gulf state, which does not have an extradition treaty with the US, if Michael had been convicted at the end of his 2005 court case. » | Saturday, September 10, 2011

Obama Jobs Speech: Michelle Obama Unhappy? Dissatisfied?

HT: Always On Watch »

Terrorwarnung ohne Islamdebatte
Nach der Festnahme zweier Extremisten in Berlin entbrennt Streit in der Regierungskoalition
NZZ ONLINE: Nicht eine Islamdebatte, sondern weiteres Gezänk in der Regierungskoalition hat die Festnahme zweier islamistischer Terrorverdächtiger in Berlin ausgelöst.

Die deutsche Regierungschefin Merkel hat am Freitag den internationalen Terrorismus als die neue grosse Bedrohung für die gesamte Weltgemeinschaft bezeichnet. Um zu lernen, wie man dieser Bedrohung «abschliessend» begegnen könne, werde die Weltgemeinschaft noch viel zusammenarbeiten müssen. Die neu eingeführten Sicherheitsgesetze seien notwendig, auch wenn sie Einschnitte in die persönliche Freiheit mit sich brächten. Nur so könne ein freiheitliches Leben für die grosse Mehrheit gesichert werden. » | Ulrich Schmid, Berlin | Samstag 10. September 2011

Clashes on Streets of Cairo
Sept. 10 - Egyptian police and protestors clash after the building housing the Israeli embassy in Cairo was stormed. Paul Chapman reports.

REUTERS: Israeli envoy leaves after Cairo embassy attack: Israel flew its ambassador home on Saturday after Egyptians stormed the building housing the Israeli mission in Cairo, plunging Egypt's ruling army deeper into its toughest diplomatic crisis since taking over from Hosni Mubarak. » | Yasmine Saleh and Mohamed Abdellah | CAIRO | Saturday, September 10, 2011

YNET NEWS: Embassy riots: Israeli envoy leaves Egypt » | Attila Somfalvi | Friday, September 09, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Egypt on high alert after deadly attack on the Israeli embassy in Cairo: Egypt is on high alert after an attack by hundreds of protesters on the Israeli embassy in Cairo left three people dead and hundreds injured. » | Saturday, September 10, 2011

Watch The Daily Telegraph video here

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Tensions avec Israël: l'Egypte adopte l'état d'urgence: LE CAIRE | Après les violentes attaques de l'ambassade d'Israël au Caire, l'Egypte a adopté l'état d'urgence pour assurer la sécurité du pays. » | AFP | Samedi 10 Septembre 2011

Madame Butterfly - Maria Callas

The Joker That Is Blair! Tony Blair Proves God Has a Sense of Humour

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: His role on the banks of the Jordan as godfather to Rupert Murdoch's daughter Grace is just one of the things that make Tony Blair a great global comedy figure.

Another richly textured week in the crazy, crazy life of Mr Tony Blair draws to its close... and as so often when that ineradicable fungal infection in the national armpit flares up, the head is sent spinning by the man, his works and his genius for self-delusion.

It isn’t so much that you don’t know where to start with him, though I confess that on this occasion, beset by so much choice, it’s a struggle; more that you could go mad – droolingly, screechingly doolally – trying to fathom what goes on in his head.

Start somehow we must, and a brief chronological recap of recent Blairworld highlights seems as useful a launch pad as any. On Tuesday, we belatedly learnt of his attendance last year, on the banks of the Jordan, at the christening of god-daughter Grace, now nine-year-old girl child of Rupert and Wendi Murdoch. On Thursday, though only a Blair super-nerd will have noticed, it emerged that he has received a “peace award” – another one! – in Tel Aviv for his splendid if mysterious work sprinkling harmony across the Middle East. Yesterday, that cherished role as peacebringer firmly in mind, he informed us in an interview in The Times that war with Iran is the way ahead. » | Matthew Norman | Friday, September 09, 2011

Maria Callas - Tosca – Giacomo Puccini

Michael Bublé: Home Official Music Video

Interpol délivre un mandat d'arrêt contre Kadhafi, Saif Al-Islam et son beau-frère

LE MONDE: Interpol a diffusé, vendredi 9 septembre, une "notice rouge" pour demander à ses cent quatre-vingt-huit pays membres l'arrestation en vue de leur extradition ou de leur traduction devant un tribunal international du colonel Mouammar Kadhafi, de son fils Seif Al-Islam et de son beau-frère Abdallah Al-Senoussi, visés par un mandat d'arrêt international émis par la Cour pénale internationale.

Ce mandat "va restreindre significativement les possibilités pour ces trois hommes de franchir les frontières et sera un outil important pour aider à leur localisation et à leur capture", a estimé dans un communiqué Ronald K. Noble, le secrétaire général de l'organisation policière internationale, basée à Lyon. » | LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | Vendredi 09 Septembre 2011

Manchester Jihad Recruiter Jailed for Life

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A former Taliban fighter who ran a "recruitment centre" in Manchester for extremist Muslims to go to Afghanistan to kill British troops was today jailed for life.

Pakistani-born British citizen Munir Farooqi, 54, was at the centre of a plot to radicalise and persuade vulnerable young men to "fight, kill and die" in a jihad in Afghanistan, Manchester Crown Court heard.

Farooqi, of Victoria Terrace, Longsight, Manchester, and two others were captured in a police sting when two undercover anti-terrorism police officers infiltrated his group.

Farooqi bragged to the officers how he had fought with the Taliban and told them they could become "martyrs" for the jihad cause.

He also found "amusement" in the sight of the flag draped coffins of fallen allied troops returning from Afghanistan, the court heard.

Today Farooqi was given four life sentences and told he must serve a minimum of nine years before he can be considered for parole. » | Friday, September 09, 2011

Lacoste Asks Norway Police to Ban Anders Behring Breivik Wearing Their Clothes

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: French fashion brand Lacoste has asked Norwegian police to ban mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik from wearing their clothes during court appearances.

The killer insists on wearing a red Lacoste sweater with the distinctive crocodile logo on trips out of prison.

The 32-year-old gunman who killed 77 people on July 22 even wrote in his online manifesto that "refined people like him should wear brands like Lacoste".

But his choice of clothes has been described as a "nightmare" for the French company's exclusive image.

Norwegian daily Dagbladet said bosses had now written to Oslo police demanding 32-year-old Breivik be stopped from wearing their garments. Read on and comment » | Telegraph Foreign Staff | Thursday, September 08, 2011