Hillary Clinton's Former Top Aide Latest Democrat to Criticise Barack Obama

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A former top strategist to Hillary Clinton has added his voice to a growing chorus of Democratic criticism of President Barack Obama, arguing that he is moving too far to the Left when he "should be claiming the vital centre, not abandoning it".

Mark Penn, who was Mrs Clinton's chief strategist for most of her presidential campaign after previously being a senior aide to her husband President Bill Clinton, accused Mr Obama of having "wandered into the thicket of class warfare".

His intervention came after a speech on Monday in which Mr Obama advocated raising $1.5 trillion in taxes, mainly on high earners, over the next decade. This was widely interpreted as a repositioning to the Left and was broadly welcomed by liberal activists and groups.

In an article for the Huffington Post website, Mr Penn wrote: "Barack Obama is careering down the wrong path towards re-election. He should be working as a president, not a candidate. He should be claiming the vital centre, not abandoning it.

"He should be holding down taxes rather than raising them. He should be mastering the global economy, not running away from it. And most of all, he should be bringing the country together rather than dividing it through class warfare." Read on and comment » | Toby Harnden, Washington | Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Mystère autour de l'identité du «jeune homme des bois»
LE FIGARO: Les recherches d'Interpol n'ont pas donné d'indices sur l'origine de Ray, 17 ans. La police pourrait faire appel au public pour aider cet adolescent qui a vécu cinq ans dans la forêt.

De nouveaux éléments sont apparus sur «l'ado des bois» arrivé à Berlin début septembre. La femme policier qui a la première parlé au jeune homme s'est confiée au quotidien britannique Daily Telegraph . Ray «avait l'air d'un adolescent parfaitement normal» quand il est arrivé: «Il ne ressemblait pas du tout à un vagabond, il était propre, il ne sentait pas, il ne savait simplement pas du tout qui il était». » | Par Caroline Bruneau | Mardi 20 Septembre 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Berlin forest boy adapts quickly to city life: The English-speaking teenager who walked out of a German forest claiming to know little more than his first name has quickly adjusted to conventional city life, his carers said. » | Fiona Govan, Berlin | Tuesday, September 20, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: German forest boy is telling the truth, say police: The story of an English–speaking boy who emerged after five years living in a German forest is "credible" and his accent may prove the key to establishing his true identity, German police said. » | Fiona Govan, Berlin | Sunday, September 18, 2011

Related »

Al-Jazeera Boss Wadah Khanfar Steps Down to Be Replaced by Qatari Royal

THE GUARDIAN: TV channel head quits after revolutionising Middle East broadcasting for past eight years, especially during Arab Spring

Qatar's government has replaced Wadah Khanfar, the director-general of the al-Jazeera satellite TV network, with a member of its own royal family – a sudden and dramatic move at a time of unprecedented turmoil across the Middle East.

Khanfar, credited with revolutionising the Arab media landscape, announced that he was resigning after eight years that consolidated both the channel's reputation and his position as one of the most powerful figures in the region.

The new director-general is said to be Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim Al Thani, an executive at Qatargas and a member of the country's ruling dynasty.

The Palestinian-born journalist said in a resignation letter posted – characteristically – on Twitter that his goal at the outset was "to establish al-Jazeera as a global media leader" and that "this target has been met".

Al-Jazeera, based in the Qatari capital Doha and owned by the state's emir, broke the mould of Arabic media organisations that were bankrolled by and subservient to governments or cowed by censors when it was set up in 1996.

Often technically brilliant and highly partisan, it has outperformed itself in this year of the Arab uprisings with the slogan – cleverly echoing the battle cry of revolutionary struggles – that "the coverage continues". » | Ian Black, Middle East Editor | Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Britain Gives £355M to Educate Girls in Asia and Africa
DAILY EXPRESS: NICK Clegg triggered fresh outrage at Britain’s spiralling overseas aid budget by pledging £355million of taxpayers’ cash to educate girls in poor countries.

He announced the huge handout at theLib Dem conference yesterday amid warnings of swingeing austerity for ¬families at home.

The Deputy Prime Minister’s promise of cash for countries including South Sudan, Nigeria and Bangladesh also came as it emerged that a literacy drive in British schools is to be axed. » | Macer Hall | Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Grèce: référendum sur l'euro?
LE FIGARO: Le gouvernement grec envisagerait la tenue d'un référendum sur le maintien de la Grèce dans la zone euro pour raffermir sa légitimité dans sa gestion de la crise de la dette, rapporte mardi le quotidien grec Kathimerini sur son site internet. » | Lefigaro.fr | Mardi 20 Septembre 2011

Un Autrichien cache sa tante décédée dans un congélateur pour percevoir sa retraite
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: La police autrichienne a découvert le corps d’une femme de 88 ans dans le congélateur appartenant à son neveu, qui touchait à sa place sa retraite et son allocation dépendance.

Le corps d’une femme de 88 ans a été découvert lundi dans le congélateur de son neveu, qui aurait caché son décès afin de continuer à toucher sa retraite et son allocation dépendance, a annoncé la police de la province de Basse-Autriche (nord) mardi. » | AFP | Mardi 20 Septembre 2011

The Rise and Rise of Mandarin – But How Many Will End Up Speaking It?
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: China's growing importance in the world has convinced millions to start learning Mandarin, but how many will end up able to speak one of the world's most difficult languages?

Earlier this year, my Chinese teacher in Shanghai told me he was leaving China.

For the next two years, he plans to live with his wife, who is also a teacher, in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. They will live and work at the local Confucius Institute and help spread Mandarin into central Asia.

It may seem an odd choice to swap the bright lights of China's most advanced city for an unstable and relatively poor former Soviet state, but the Confucius Institutes are a key part of Chinese government policy, and the Chinese government evidently made it worth their while to go.

Since 2005, China has rolled out more than 300 Confucius Institutes in 94 countries in order to help the rest of the world learn a language that is increasingly important but devilishly challenging.

The Chinese government claims that 230,000 people have enrolled so far and they cannot meet the demand. China is sending 5,000 teachers abroad each year and now wants 1,000 institutes to be open by the end of the decade. » | Malcolm Moore, Shanghai | Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Gül in Deutschland: „Eine außerordentliche Beziehung“

FAZ: Am zweiten Tag seines Staatsbesuches hat der türkische Präsident Gül Bundeskanzlerin Merkel getroffen. Bundespräsident Wulff bedauerte die Unannehmlichkeiten, die Gül infolge einer Bombendrohung in der Berliner Humboldt-Universität hinnehmen musste.

Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel (CDU) hat bei einem Gespräch mit dem türkischen Präsidenten Abdullah Gül ihre Sorge über die jüngsten Spannungen zwischen Israel und der Türkei zum Ausdruck gebracht. Aus deutschen Regierungskreisen hieß es, die beiden Politiker hätten am Dienstag die ganze Bandbreite der deutsch-türkischen Beziehungen erörtert. Sie hätten auch über die jüngsten Entwicklungen in Nordafrika und der arabischen Welt gesprochen.

Beim umstrittenen Thema des türkischen EU-Beitritts hätten beide Seiten bei dem Treffen im Kanzleramt ihren Standpunkt dargelegt. Gül hatte am Montag bereits zum Auftakt seines Staatsbesuchs den Wunsch seines Landes nach einer Vollmitgliedschaft in der EU bekräftigt. Merkel hat der Türkei hingegen nur eine „strategische Partnerschaft“ angeboten. Das lehnt die Türkei ab. Nach dem Gespräch im Kanzleramt [reist Gül] am zweiten Tag seines Staatsbesuches reist Gül mit Bundespräsident Christian Wulff weiter in dessen Heimatstadt Osnabrück. Damit revanchiert sich Wulff für eine Einladung des türkischen Staatspräsidenten im vergangenen Jahr in dessen zentralanatolischen Geburtsort Kayseri. In Osnabrück besuchen die beiden Staatsoberhäupter unter anderem die Universität, die seit einem Jahr den bundesweit ersten Weiterbildungsstudiengang für Imame anbietet. » | FAZ.NET mit dpa | Dienstag 20. September 2011

'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Formally Ends
THE GUARDIAN: Openly gay people will now be able to serve in the US military after repeal of controversial 18-year-old DADT law

An 18-year-old law that prevented serving US military personnel from disclosing that they were gay has been formally repealed.

At one minute past midnight eastern time (0401 GMT), the controversial don't ask don't tell (DADT) law was abolished after its repeal was signed into law some nine months ago.

Introduced by President Clinton in 1993 as a compromise step to full equality, DADT allowed gay and lesbian members of the military to serve only if their sexuality remained secret or was not reported.

The Servicemembers Legal Defence Network estimates that since the law's introduction, 13,000 gay men and lesbians have been discharged after their sexual orientation was revealed.
In some cases dismissals were made on the basis of testimony from jilted lovers or those with personal grievances. » | Shiv Malik and agencies in Washington | Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Ahmadinejad at UN Amid ‘Reign of Fear’
THE TIMES: While President Ahmadinejad denounces his enemies at the UN with customary relish, 20 people are scheduled to be executed in Iran this week » | Monday, September 19, 2011 [£]

L'acte de contrition de DSK fait écho à celui de Bill Clinton
LE MONDE: Les deux affaires sont très différentes mais les actes de contrition télévisuelle se ressemblent étrangement. Dimanche 18 septembre au soir, à peine terminée l'intervention télévisée de Dominique Strauss-Kahn sur le plateau du 20 heures de TF1, beaucoup de commentateurs l'ont déjà relevé : un certain nombre d'éléments de langage employés par l'ancien patron du FMI semblaient faire écho à l'intervention de l'ancien président américain, Bill Clinton, le 17 août 1998.


Ce soir-là, l'ancien président démocrate était venu s'expliquer à la télévision, face caméra et devant des millions d'Américains, sur sa relation avec Monica Lewinsky. L'"affaire Lewinsky" – ou le "Monicagate" comme on l'appelait déjà à l'époque –, avait éclaté sept mois auparavant aux Etats-Unis. A cette époque, des rumeurs affirment que Bill Clinton aurait eu, entre 1995 et 1997, des rapports intimes avec une stagiaire de la Maison Blanche, Monica Lewinsky. Le 21 janvier 1998, devant un grand jury et alors qu'il était sous serment, M. Clinton nie les faits.

Mais, le 28 juillet 1998, le procureur en charge de l'enquête, Kenneth Starr, obtient les aveux de Monica Lewinsky en échange de son immunité. En l'espace de quelques jours, l'étau se resserre autour de Bill Clinton, qui se voit obligé de révisersa stratégie de communication : le 17 août, il s'adresse directement à la Nation pour reconnaître des relations sexuelles avec Monica Lewinsky.
Il est important de noter que l'"affaire Lewinsky", à la différence de l'"affaire DSK" ne comporte aucun volet pénal et qu'il n'y a jamais été question de relation sexuelle contrainte. En ceci, les deux affaires diffèrent complètement ; mais dans les deux cas, les principaux intéressés ont été amenés à faire une acte de repentir public et télévisuel. Dimanche soir, Dominique Strauss-Kahn a ainsi utilisé certaines expressions relevant du champ lexical de la moralité qui rappellent le discours prononcé par Bill Clinton, 13 ans plus tôt.

La déclaration de Dominique Strauss-Kahn, le 18 septembre 2011

L'interview de DSK au 20h : l'intégrale Vidéo jt_tf1_weekend sélectionnée dans Actualité

Lire le reste de l'article » | LEMONDE.FR | Lundi 19 Septembre 2011

Iran Arrests Six People 'For Supplying Information to the BBC'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Iran has arrested several people for supplying information to the British Broadcasting Corporation, accusing them of seeking to portray a negative image of the Islamic state, media reported on Monday.

Few western journalists are permitted to work in Iran where the government views much of the foreign media with suspicion. The BBC's Farsi-language TV news service is only available to owners of illegal satellite receivers and its signal is often jammed.

The newspaper Resalat said five men and one woman had been arrested, identifying them only by their initials. "They were members of a network which supplies information, produces films and clandestine reports for the BBC Persian programme, aimed at portraying a bleak picture of Iran," Resalat said.

The hardline daily Kayhan said a number of people had been arrested "in different places in the capital."

It quoted Revolutionary Guards spokesman Ramezan Sharif as saying: "The BBC tries to identify elements inside the country (who produce) particular cultural productions in order to use them against the Islamic establishment."

BBC Persian broadcasts live news, documentaries and entertainment programmes aimed at Farsi speakers, mostly in Iran and Afghanistan. Terrestrial Iranian television is completely controlled by the state. » | Monday, September 19, 2011

Norway Court Extends Anders Behring Breivik's Solitary Confinement

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Anders Behring Breivik has been ordered to remain in pretrial detention for eight weeks during a closed court hearing on Monday in which he was cut off from making statements irrelevant to the case, a judge said.

The 32-year-old right-wing extremist has confessed to setting off a bomb in downtown Oslo and massacring dozens at an island youth camp outside the city, killing 77 people on July 22.

The Oslo District Court approved a police request to keep Breivik in custody on terror charges for another eight weeks – four of them in solitary confinement – as they prepare a formal indictment.

Judge Anne Margrethe Lund said she stopped Breivik "on a few occasions" when he tried to make statements during the court hearing, his third since being arrested following the carnage on Utoya island.

"He wanted to communicate something to the court. It wasn't relevant for the decision that was to be made today and therefore he wasn't allowed to say anything further," Lund told reporters after the hearing. » | Monday, September 19, 2011

Liberal Democrats Party Conference 2011: Vince Cable's Speech to Conference in Full
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Vince Cable tells Liberal Democrat Party Conference in Birmingham: "We now face a crisis that is the economic equivalent of war." This is the full text of his speech.


These are dangerous times for our economy.
There is much uncertainty.

But I am absolutely certain that, at such a moment, the country is stronger for having two parties in coalition working in the national interest.

When I joined up I had very mixed feelings about this coalition, like many of you.
I looked for good precedents.

I thought of Attlee and Bevin working with their Tory opponents – Churchill and Beaverbrook – setting aside their political differences in a common cause.

That coalition unleashed the great Liberal reformers; Beveridge and Keynes.

Now, you could say: that was war; that’s different.

Yes, it is different.

But we now face a crisis that is the economic equivalent of war. » | Monday, September 19, 2011

This man speaks sense! – Mark

Gay Mayor of Berlin Elected to Third Term

ADVOCATE: Klaus Wowereit, the openly gay mayor of Berlin, won a third term on Sunday in a convincing victory that makes some believe he could be the Social Democratic Party’s candidate for German chancellor in 2013.

According to Spiegel Online [E], Wowereit secured a third five-year term while his party won 28.3% of the vote and held off the resurgent Green Party, which took 17.6% of the vote.

Wowereit, 57, won reelection despite the fact that Berlin struggles with high debt, unemployment, and an influx of tourists seeking the city’s famous cultural and nightlife scenes. Analysts attribute his ballot box success to his personal popularity, which seemed assured in 2001 when he came out at a party conference prior to his election by declaring, “I’m gay, and that’s a good thing.” » | Julie Bolcer | Monday, September 19, 2011

Cheryl Cole 'Now an Al-Qaeda Target' after Afghanistan Trip
METRO: Cheryl Cole of Girls Aloud fame is now a terror target of al-Qaeda after her recent trip to Afghanistan's Helmand Province, fundamentalist cleric Anjem Choudary has warned.

The Girls Aloud singer has just returned from visiting British army members at Camp Bastion, where she took part in a mock battle and enjoyed a ride in a Sea King helicopter.

During her visit Cheryl praised the work of troops, telling the Daily Mirror: 'I always had admiration for what the guys do out here, but seeing them here at work is awe-inspiring.

'I'm delighted to be here to recognise all the hard work they do. Every one of them is a hero in my book.'

But while the former X Factor judge proved to be a hit among the armed forces, Islamic extremists have warned the high-profile visit has made Cheryl a target for terrorists.

Extremist cleric Choudary – who earlier this month led anti-American protests during the minute's silence for 9/11 victims in London – said she would 'only have herself to blame' if she was killed. » | Daniella Graham | Monday, September 19, 2011

You Have Nothing to Fear, Says Aussie Mufti

HERALD SIN: ISLAMIC religious law, or sharia, is often vilified but is really about freedom and tolerance, Australia's new grand mufti says.

Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohamed, elected in weekend voting by imams and sheiks, also said sharia corresponded with Australian laws.

"The sharia law also calls for freedom, justice, right of speech and this is something we are very fortunate to have," Dr Mohamed told journalists in Sydney yesterday, speaking through an interpreter. » | Staff Writer | Herald Sun | Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Les indignés de Wall Street

LE FIGARO: REPORTAGE - À New-York, un mouvement populaire contre la «cupidité» des banques manifeste depuis samedi en plein cœur du quartier de la finance.

Trinity Place n'est pas exactement la place Tahrir, mais l'état d'esprit n'y est pas très différent : les manifestants veulent y exprimer leur ras-le-bol contre ceux qui détiennent le pouvoir. Aux États-Unis, c'est contre les banquiers et les financiers de Wall Street que la grogne monte. Un mouvement populaire se faisant appeler «Occupez Wall Street» manifeste depuis samedi en plein cœur du quartier de la finance après avoir pris forme sur les réseaux sociaux.

Les manifestants entendent protester jusqu'en décembre contre ce qu'ils dénoncent comme la culture du «fric», la «cupidité» et la «corruption» de Wall Street et demandent à Barack Obama d'établir une commission mettant «un terme à l'influence de Wall Street sur la politique à Washington». » | Par Adèle Smith | Lundi 19 Septembre 2011

Onze millions placés chez HSBC Genève par un proche du clan Ben Ali

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Malgré la loi sur le blanchiment d’argent, Belhassen Trabelsi, beau-frère du président déchu, détient 11 millions de francs sur un compte de la HSBC Private Bank à Genève.

Belhassen Trabelsi, le beau-frère du président déchu tunisien Ben Ali, dispose d'un compte à la HSBC Private Bank installée à Genève. La coquette somme de 11 millions de francs dort ainsi sur les bords du Léman, informe la TSR. Cela malgré la loi sur le blanchiment d'argent et l'ordonnance délivrée par le Conseil fédéral au lendemain de la chute de Ben Ali. Celle-ci a demandé aux banques de geler immédiatement les fonds de 40 personnalités tunisiennes, dont ceux de l'intéressé. » | Anne-Elisabeth Celton | Lundi 19 Septembre 2011

Türkei droht Zypern Entsendung von Kriegsschiffen an
Streit um geplante Ölbohrungen im Meer droht zu eskalieren
NZZ ONLINE: Im Streit um Ölbohrungen vor Zypern hat die Türkei den Ton verschärft. Sollte die Regierung in Nikosia nicht Abstand von den geplanten Probebohrungen nehmen, werde Ankara ein eigenes Forschungsschiff entsenden. Dieses Schiff werde von der türkischen Marine begleitet. » | ddp/Reuters | Montag 19. September 2011