Prophet Mohammed to 'Guest Edit' French Satirical Magazine
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A satirical French magazine is to publish an edition 'edited' by the prophet Mohammed, in "honour" of Islam's influence on the Arab Spring.

"In order fittingly to celebrate the Islamist Ennahda's win in Tunisia and the NTC (National Transitional Council) president's promise that sharia would be the main source of law in Libya, Charlie Hebdo asked Mohammed to be guest editor," said a statement.

The weekly has been rebaptised Sharia Hebdo for the occasion, and will feature on its cover a picture of Mohammed saying: "100 lashes if you don't die of laughter!"

On the back page, a picture of Mohammed wearing a red nose is accompanied by the words: "Yes, Islam is compatible with humour." » | Monday, October 31, 2011

Quand Charlie Hebdo devient "Charia Hebdo"

leJDD: A la une de l'hebdomadaire cette semaine? Une nouvelle caricature de Mahomet. Le prophète devenant même le rédacteur en chef de ce numéro du journal satirique. "On a l'impression simplement de faire notre boulot comme d'habitude", a affirmé à l'AFP le directeur de la publication.

"On n'a pas l'impression d'avoir fait une provocation supplémentaire", assure à l'AFP le directeur de la publication de Charlie Hebdo, Charb. Car l'hebdomadaire satirique risque de faire parler de lui : il a décidé de mettre une nouvelle caricature de Mahomet en couverture. Le dessin représente le prophète visiblement joyeux avec ces mots : "100 coups de fouet, si vous n'êtes pas mort de rire!". Mais, le journal va plus loin en faisant de Mahomet le rédacteur en chef de cette édition rebaptisée "Charia Hebdo". Une manière de "fêter la victoire" du parti islamiste Ennahda en Tunisie. "Le prophète de l'islam ne s'est pas fait prier pour accepter et nous l'en remercions", précise l'hebdomadaire dans un communiqué publié lundi. » | A-Ch. D. (avec AFP) - leJDD.fr | lundi 31 octobre 2011

Roman Abramovich: I Am Not a Fraudster

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Roman Abramovich was forced to deny being a fraudster and an arms dealer as he gave evidence in a British court for the first time yesterday.

The 45 year-old owner of Chelsea FC, who guards his privacy as closely as he guards his billions, faced an uncomfortable afternoon in the witness box at the High Court in London as he disclosed details of his personal and business life.

The oligarch is being sued for $6.5 billion by Boris Berezovsky, his former associate who accuses Mr Abramovich of swindling him out of shares in companies they allegedly set up together.

Mr Abramovich set out his rags-to-riches tale of how he had gone from selling rubber ducks to sitting on a £10.3 billion oil and minerals empire in just two decades. And while he acknowledged Mr Berezovsky’s role in helping him to win friends in the Kremlin, he described the 65 year-old as a “megalomaniac” who “behaved like a child”.

As the costly legal battle entered its fifth week, Mr Berezovsky stared intently at the man he says was his protégé as he entered the witness box. Mr Abramovich cut a strangely unassuming figure. Unable to read or speak any English, he gave his evidence via a translator and wore headphones to hear barristers’ questions in his native Russian. » | Duncan Gardham, and Gordon Rayner | Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Related »

Greece to Hold Referendum on EU Debt Deal

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Greece is to hold a referendum on whether to accept the rescue package from the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund troika.

Responding to the riots that followed last week’s proposal, as well as dissent from within his own Socialist party, Prime Minister George Papandreou said: “The command of the Greek people will bind us. Do they want to adopt the new deal, or reject it? If the Greek people do not want it, it will not be adopted.”

Staging a referendum, reportedly to be held in January, threatens to throw the eurozone further into crisis as the majority of Greeks object to the bail-out, according to a survey published last week.

If Greece were to reject the plan, which requires deep spending cuts, it would risk a full-scale default and possible ejection from the euro. The country could even run out of money to pay civil servants or state pensions if the troika decided to pull the plug.

The decision by the embattled Mr Papandreou has the potential to be a major blow to efforts by German chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy to tame a crisis that most economists expect to push Europe back into recession in coming months. Read on and comment » | Philip Aldrick, and Richard Blackden | Monday, October 31, 2011

The Homecoming – Libya
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Fjordman’s Latest Essay: What is Wrong With Western Elites?

GATES OF VIENNA: Libya’s autocratic ruler Muammar Qaddafi was brutally tortured and killed on 20 October 2011 after France, Britain, the USA and NATO had actively given military support to rebel troops that were known to include groups with ties to terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda.

As writer Diana West said, “Qaddafi was not killed in retaliation for his attacks on American servicemen in Berlin in 1986, or the downing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie in 1989. He was not killed for his central role in the USSR’s terror networks going back to the 1960s and 1970s. He was killed after coming over to our side of George Bush’s ‘war on terror’ in the final phase of a civil war in Libya in which his regime fought al Qaeda affiliates. Horrific as it sounds, Qaddafi was killed because we and our NATO allies joined the other side.”

In February 2011, a day before he quit as Egypt’s president after popular uprisings, Hosni Mubarak had harsh words for his former allies in the United States and their misguided quest for democracy in the Middle East. “They may be talking about democracy but they don’t know what they’re talking about and the result will be extremism and radical Islam.” » | Posted by Baron Bodissey | Monday, October 31, 2011

Tunesien: Justiz erlässt Haftbefehl gegen Witwe Arafats

DIE PRESSE: Die Witwe des ehemaligen Palästinenser-Präsidenten Yasser Arafat sieht sich mit Korruptionsvorwürfen konfrontiert. Sie zeigt sich "verwundert".

Angesichts von Korruptionsvorwürfen hat die tunesische Justiz einen internationalen Haftbefehl gegen die Witwe des ehemaligen Palästinenser-Präsidenten Yasser Arafat, Suha Arafat, erlassen. Ein Sprecher des Justizministeriums in Tunis bestätigte am Montag entsprechende Presseberichte. Die Beschuldigte wies die Vorwürfe im Gespräch mit der Nachrichtenagentur AFP zurück.

In der Korruptionsaffäre geht es laut Justizkreisen um die Internationale Schule von Karthago, die Suha Arafat im Jahr 2006 zusammen mit der früheren First Lady Tunesiens, Leila Trabelsi, gegründet hatte. Beide Frauen überwarfen sich später. Im Jahr 2007 entzog der damalige tunesische Präsident Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali Suha Arafat die ihr im Jahr zuvor verliehene Staatsbürgerschaft Tunesiens und verwies sie des Landes. Daraufhin ließ sie sich in Malta nieder. » | Ag. | Montag 31. Oktober 2011

USA stoppen Unesco-Zahlung nach Palästina-Votum
WELT ONLINE: Nach der Aufnahme der Palästinenser verweigern die USA der Unesco den November-Beitrag in Höhe von 60 Millionen Dollar. Ein Horrorszenario für die Organistation.

Nach der Aufnahme der Palästinenser als Vollmitglied in die Unesco haben die USA ihre Zahlungen an die UN-Kulturorganisation vorerst gestoppt. Der November-Beitrag in Höhe von 60 Millionen Dollar (43 Millionen Euro) werde nicht gezahlt, erklärte US-Außenamtssprecherin Victoria Nuland am Montag in Washington.

Die USA hatten vor der am Montag erfolgten Aufnahme der Palästinenser in die Unesco mit dem Zahlungsstopp gedroht.

In der Generalkonferenz in Paris stimmten am Montag 107 Mitgliedstaaten für den umstrittenen Antrag. Von den drei größten Geldgebern votierten die USA und Deutschland dagegen. Japan enthielt sich der Stimme. Die Palästinenser reagierten begeistert. Israel drohte mit Konsequenzen. » | AFP/dapd/dpa/sara | Montag 31. Oktober 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: US withdraws Unesco funding after it accepts Palestinian membership: The United States severed funding to Unesco, the UN's cultural arm, after it defied the White House by voting overwhelmingly to accept the Palestinian Authority as a full member. » | Adrian Blomfield, Jerusalem | Monday, October 31, 2011

White Supremacist Who Changed His Life – and Face
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: One of America's most violent and well known white supremacists, Bryon Widner, has undergone months of surgery to remove the hate tattoos that once covered his face.

Bryon Widner rejected the racist beliefs that had made him a notorious figure amongst the American extreme Right, but was struggling to readapt to society because of the web of tattoos that covered his face and neck.

Widner, known as an "enforcer" for US racist groups, was unable to find a job after leaving his past behind.

The former racist, a founder of the Vinlanders gang of skinheads in Ohio, embarked on a painful series of 25 surgeries that took 16 months and cost $32,400 (£20,233). » | Monday, October 31, 2011

US Election 2012: Herman Cain Denounces Sexual Harassment Allegations as 'Totally False'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Herman Cain, the unlikely Republican front-runner in the 2012 presidential race, has been forced to deny claims he sexually harassed two women when he was head of America's leading restaurant lobbying group.

Mr Cain, who has been married to his wife Gloria for 43 years and is an ordained minister, acknowledged that he was accused of sexual harassment in the 1990s but said the allegations were "totally false."

"I have never sexually harassed anyone. Yes, I was falsely accused while I was at the National Restaurant Association. And I say falsely because it turned out, after the investigation, to be baseless," he said.

The Washington-based association, which represents 380,000 restaurants, reportedly made five-figure out-of-court settlements with the women under which they left the organisation and agreed not to speak publicly about their cases.

Mr Cain said he had no knowledge of any financial settlements with his accusers.

"If the restaurant association did a settlement I wasn't even aware of it. And I hope wasn't for much because nothing happened," Mr Cain said. » | Nick Allen, Los Angeles | Monday, October 31, 2011

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Roman Abramovich Describes Background in Welding and Plastic Toys
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Roman Abramovich, the Chelsea Football club owner, today told the High Court how he created a multi billion pound fortune despite leaving school at 16 and originally starting his business career selling plastic toys.

The Chelsea Football club owner is giving evidence in a High Court battle with exiled Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky.

Fighting off a legal battle for £6.5bn, almost half his fortune, the Chelsea FC owner, gave short answers in Russian as he was probed about his background.

He faces accusations by Boris Berezovsky, his former “mentor” that he blackmailed him into selling his shares in the oil conglomerate the founded together after Mr Berezovsky fell out with Vladimir Putin, then the newly-elected president of Russia.

Mr Abramovich claims that Mr Berezovsky never had any interest in his companies and was paid $2.5bn for “Krysha” – his protection from criminal gangs and his political patronage.

The two men have ignored each other across the court room in central London for the last month but today came as close as at any time since Mr Berezovsky served a writ on Mr Abramovich at a Hermes store in central London four years ago. » | Duncan Gardham and Gordon Rayner | Monday, October 31, 2011

Rowan Williams Warns of 'Urgent Issues' Raised by Protests as Third St Paul's Clergyman Resigns
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has warned that "urgent" issues raised by the protesters at St Paul's Cathedral must be properly addressed as the Dean, the Rt Rev Graeme Knowles, resigned.

He said the resignation, which followed that of Rev Dr Giles Fraser, the Canon Chancellor, was "very sad news" and that the events of the past fortnight had shown "how decisions made in good faith by good people under unusual pressure can have utterly unforeseen and unwelcome consequences".

Speaking publicly about the crisis for the first time, Dr Williams added: "The urgent larger issues raised by the protesters at St Paul's remain very much on the table and we need – as a Church and as society as a whole – to work to make sure that they are properly addressed."

Dean Knowles, the most senior dean in the country, said the cathedral clergy had been put “under a great deal of strain” as they faced what he described as “insurmountable issues” and that his position had become “untenable”.

The announcement comes just days after Dr Fraser stepped down from his post, warning that to evict the anti-capitalist activists would constitute “violence in the name of the Church”.

A part time chaplain, Rev Fraser Dyer, has also resigned citing similar concerns. » | Victoria Ward | Monday, October 31, 2011

Carla Bruni and Nicolas Sarkozy On Stroll with Baby Giulia

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Giulia Sarkozy, France's 'First Baby' enjoyed a stroll with her famous parents on Monday morning.

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, her husband Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, and Giulia went for a stroll on the grounds of the presidential residence – 'La Lanterne' park in Versailles.

French photographers caught a brief glimpse of Giulia in October when her former-supermodel mother whisked her away from the Muette Clinic in Paris where she gave birth.

This was the first time however that she had been pictured with both mother and her father, 56, who kept a protective arm round his wife.

Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy made sure to cover up her baby, after announcing earlier this year: "I will never show photos of this child. I will never expose this child".

The French first lady, 43, who is seen as somewhat of a limelight chaser, added: "I will do everything to protect this infant, and I'll be absolutely rigorous." » | Monday, October 31, 2011

GALA.fr: Nicolas Sarkozy et Carla Bruni: première sortie avec bébé – Une semaine après la naissance de la petite Giulia, Nicolas Sarkozy et Carla Bruni ont effectué leur première sortie à l’extérieur sous l’œil des photographes. » | par Laure Costey | lundi 31 octobre 2011

Pilger strömen nach Mekka
Schon 1,5 Millionen Ausländer in Saudiarabien eingetroffen
NZZ ONLINE: Über 2,5 Millionen Pilger werden auch dieses Jahr zur grossen Pilgerfahrt der Muslime in Mekka erwartet. 1,5 Millionen Ausländer sind schon in Saudiarabien eingetroffen. Die eigentlichen Feierlichkeiten beginnen am Freitag.

Zur diesjährigen Wallfahrt nach Mekka sind bereits mehr als eineinhalb Millionen Pilger in Saudiarabien eingetroffen. Wie die saudiarabische Nachrichtenagentur SPA am Montag berichtete, zählten die Behörden bis zum Samstagabend 1'575'000 Menschen aus dem Ausland.

Der für die Wallfahrt zuständige Minister Fuad al-Farsi erwartet laut jüngsten Angaben insgesamt etwa 1,8 Millionen ausländische Gäste. Zudem rechnet er mit bis zu 800'000 Teilnehmern aus Saudiarabien. Die Hajj beginnt eigentlich am Freitag in Mekka; doch viele Pilger versammeln sich schon früher. » | afp | Montag 31. Oktober 2011

Bruno Metsu Famous French Footballer Converts to Islam
ABNA: Metsu is preparing the UAE for their Asia Cup qualifier against Jordan at Al Shabab’s ground tonight. But the man who coached Senegal at the World Cup in 2002 and then led Al Ain to the AFC Champions League in 2003, admitted he and his wife had converted to Islam.

He recently visited the Department of Awqaf in Dubai and formally announced he converted before the religious scholar Ismael Tojo. He said: “This will make me feel comfortable, peaceful and stable. But for many years in my coaching career, I was known as Bruno Metsu.

“So, I am keen to keep my image good in the minds of people who made friends with me and called me by the name that has been famous in different countries.” Sameera Al Fuhaimi, the acting director of family guidance of the Dubai Islamic affairs department, added: “The department received the French coach and wife following their conversion.

“We gave them books and tapes in French and which explain teachings of our religion. Metsu and wife were highly delighted and were keen to have Islamic books”. Metsu is also believed to be preparing for a Haj pilgrimage. [Source: Ahl ul Bayt News Agency] | Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Palestine Secures Seat in UNESCO Despite US Threats

Oliver Callan Reveals He Is Gay on The Saturday Night Show

Boris Johnson: Daylight Saving Time: Don't Let the Scots Steal This Hour Because They Want a Lie-in
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain would be better off and lives would be saved if we had summer time all year round, writes Boris Johnson.

No, no, that can't be right. They can't trifle with our hopes like that. It is now more than two years since the Greater London Authority renewed its campaigning for lighter winter evenings – and last week we thought we had a stunning breakthrough.

The Government said it was "minded to support" a Bill put forward by a heroic Tory MP called Rebecca Harris, calling for British Summer Time to be in force all year. We all had the strong impression that the Cabinet had abandoned the inertia and spinelessness of the last 40 years, and was going to support Mrs Harris in her bid to save lives, expand the economy and cheer everyone up. Then I pick up my paper yesterday and I find that there has apparently been a U-turn.

It now turns out that the support of the Government entirely depends on the Scots. Unless Alex Salmond and his team agree that there should be another look at daylight saving, the whole thing is once again going to be slammed back into the bulging filing cabinet of projects that are commonsensical (like repatriating some powers from the EU) but just too politically difficult to pull off. According to a Downing Street source, the whole thing is now "dead in the water". Come on, folks. This isn't good enough. » | Boris Johnson | Monday, October 31, 2011

My comment:

Boris, I wish you'd stop harping on about this! I, for one, love dark winter evenings. I'd hate it if they were light. Light, drab, British winter evenings: ugh!

You have a bee in your bonnet – or is it that smoking hat? – about this. It will save no lives at all. It will mean children will have to go to school in the dark instead of coming home in the dark. In any case, it's only for about four months of the year. So what?

Stop being so meddlesome! Please leave our clocks alone. Putting London on the same time as Berlin is like putting Boston on the same time as St. Louis. It just doesn't make any sense. None whatsoever.

And imagine Christmas shopping in London with all the lights on in daylight! How much fun would that be?

Let the bee fly away and leave us (and the clocks) alone! You're a pain in the butt. – © Mark

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The Two Faces of Tony Blair

THE INDEPENDENT: The former PM's Faith Foundation champions religious freedom. So why is he doing deals with a despot who persecutes believers?

In the centre of Kazakhstan's new capital, Astana, jostling for attention amid gleaming skyscrapers built on profits from the country's vast oil and gas fields, a glass pyramid stands on a hill overlooking the Presidential Palace.

Designed by the British architect Norman Foster, the £36m "Palace of Peace and Reconciliation" is the brainchild of Kazakhstan's autocrat president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, who commissioned a building where religious leaders from around the world could meet and find common ground.

The irony of the building's construction was not lost on local human rights activists who have documented an increasingly hostile attitude towards religious groups in Kazakhstan – and raised serious questions about the recruitment by Mr Nazarbayev of Tony Blair as an adviser to the nation.

The most serious assault on religion was unveiled this month, just days before it was revealed that the former British prime minister, who runs a faith foundation, had been taken on by the Kazakh government in a role he has not yet fully explained.

A new law, rushed through the country's parliament and announced by Mr Nazarbayev, forbids prayer rooms inside state buildings, orders all religious groups to re-register or face liquidation through the courts, bans foreigners from setting up faith groups, and severely limits where religious literature can be bought.

For Mr Blair – who set up his eponymous foundation after leaving Downing Street to promote religion as "a powerful force for good in the modern world" – the timing of the law is embarrassing and piles on the pressure to explain the exact nature of his business dealings with the regime. » | JEROME TAYLOR | Monday, October 31, 2011

'I Am Part of the Most Selfish Generation in History and We Should Be Ashamed of Our Legacy,' Says Jeremy Paxman
MAIL ONLINE: As it’s revealed today’s young will be 25 per cent worse off than their parents, the Newsnight presenter says he and his fellow Baby-Boomers have bequeathed little worth celebrating...

A few years ago, an American author wrote a book about the men and women who endured the Depression and then fought in World War II. He testified to their courage, vision and resilience by calling his book The Greatest Generation.

If anyone attempted to name their children — those born between about 1945 and 1965 — the so-called Baby-Boomers, they might consider calling them The Worst Generation.

It is now received wisdom that today’s young people may be the first generation in modern history to expect to be poorer than their parents.

Earlier this month, a report suggested the young will be 25 per cent worse off than their parents when they reach the age of 65 — the so-called ‘baby bust’ generation, having accumulated £400,000 less by the time they retire.

This may not be entirely their parents’ fault. But we should certainly take a good share of the blame. Read on and comment » | Jeremy Paxman | Monday, October 31, 2011

Telegraph View: Nick Clegg Is Out of Step with Britain over Europe
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Telegraph View: The Deputy Prime Minister's latest intervention not only undermines the Government but sets him profoundly at odds with public opinion.

Nick Clegg has in the past been accused of being a politician with one foot in Westminster and one in Brussels. Never has that charge seemed more justified than this weekend, when the Deputy Prime Minister went out of his way to pick a fight with both his coalition partners and British public opinion over the future of the European Union.

Writing in a Sunday newspaper, he warned Britain against running "headfirst towards treaty change" and "tampering with the EU's founding texts". He added: "We spent years fighting to bring down the walls that divided Europe – it would be damaging to let new ones spring up now." And he asked: "Why would we seek to head up a smaller club [of non-euro members] with a fast diminishing membership?" If Britain were to be leader of countries outside the eurozone, that would be "an extraordinary own goal". » | Telegraph View | Monday, October 31, 2011

My comment:

I've come to the conclusion that this newspaper is at war with all things European, especially the EU. It appears to me to have lost all sense of reason and balance. Furthermore, it has become the home not so much of Conservative voters, but of UKIP voters instead. UKIP voters and turncoats. – © Mark

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