Tony Blair: Support Liberals in Middle East or Face Islamist Regimes
THE GUARDIAN: Special envoy warns religious groups are focused and organised while progressives need support and unity

Tony Blair has called on the west to do more to help "liberal and democratic" elements in the Middle East and north Africa following the Arab spring – or risk the formation of new Islamist governments that are not "genuine" democracies.

Admitting countries such as Britain and the US had previously been "too reluctant to push dictatorships on a path to democracy", the former prime minister said they now had to be clearer on their view of democracy "because the trouble really in the region is the more religious and extreme elements are very well organised and the liberal and democratic types basically aren't".

Blair, the special envoy for the Quartet on the Middle East (the UN, US, EU and Russia), regretted previous failures to promote "a concept of evolutionary change", predicting the recent revolutions would cause quite a lot of difficulty, citing, as an example, Egyptian growth rates and tourism difficulties. » | James Melkie | Thursday, December 29, 2011

Blair on the Mid East 'Battle for Democracy'
BBC: Sir Victor Blank has taken a keen interest in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians for many years.

The Today programme's Sarah Montague met with former prime minister and current envoy to the Middle East, Tony Blair to talk about the role that political leadership could, or should, play in the region's conflict resolution. Listen to BBC audio » | BBC Today | Thursday, December 29, 2011

Which Tyrant Will Fall Next?
THE INDEPENDENT: The Year of Revolution: As the leaders of Syria and Bahrain cling to power, Patrick Cockburn explains how they have managed to resist the protesters – and wonders whether they can survive another 12 months

In three of the Arab countries east of Egypt – Syria, Bahrain and Yemen – protesters have challenged their governments over the past year but failed to overthrow them. The reasons for those failures are very different though they have important points in common. In each of these states protesters were frustrated because a significant part of the population had a lot to lose if the ruling elite were reformed or overthrown.

In Syria and Bahrain religious identity helps explain loyalty to the powers-that-be. Protesters in Bahrain might insist that their programme was secular and democratic, but everybody knew that a fair poll would affect revolutionary change by putting the majority Shia in power instead of the minority Sunni. In Syria, similarly, democracy means that the Sunni, three quarters of the population, would effectively replace the Alawites, a heterodox Shia sect, as rulers of the state. » | Patrick Cockburn | Thursday, December 29, 2011

Prince Charles Is an “Eco-hypocrite,” Film-maker Claims

Read short article here | Guy Adams | Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Kim Jong-il Memorial Service: Kim Jong-un Hailed as New Supreme Leader

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: North Korea staged a vast memorial service for Kim Jong-il overnight, and formally declared his young son Kim Jong-un as the new supreme leader.

The nationwide memorial ceremony for North Korea’s departed leader wrapped up two days of brilliantly choreographed mourning events while setting a very public seal on the successorship of the third-generation Kim family member to hold power in Pyongyang.

Thursday’s memorial was less emotional than Wednesday’s funeral, but like the previous event, demonstrated that the regime has not lost any of its power to mobilise masses. Hundreds of thousands of people were packed into Kim Il-sung Square in the heart of the capital.

It also indicated that the Korean People’s Army, which played a prominent role in the funeral ceremony, remains central to this hardline, ultra-nationalist state dominated by a “military first” policy. The crowd appeared to be predominantly, though not entirely, composed of soldiers.

Above all, it was the clearest sign yet that the third-generation succession of the Kim dynasty is a sealed deal.

The young leader Kim Jong-un’s only official title is vice-chairman of the Korean Workers Party Central Military Commission, but he has, following his father Kim Jong-il’s passing on Dec 17, been lauded by state media as “successor” and “leader”. » | Andrew Salmon in Seoul | Thursday, December 29, 2011


THE GUARDIAN: Kim Jong-un declared 'supreme leader' in North Korea: Kim Jong-un publicly endorsed as new leader as crowds gather at memorial service for his father Kim Jong-il » | Justin McCurry in Osaka | Wednesday, December 28, 2011

North Korea Bids Farewell to Kim Jong-il

Victoria Jackson Claiming Muslim Brotherhood Overtaking U.S.
JDJOURNAL: Victoria Jackson, the former Saturday Night Live cast member, obtained confidential information that she had special clearance for while working as a web talk show host. Jackson claims that the United States is being overrun by radical Muslims who are bent on bringing the nation under Sharia Law, according to the Huffington Post.

“I just went to a briefing in Washington DC, across the street from the Capitol, at the Longworth building at 8:30 am two days ago and it changed my life,” Jackson said last week on her web show, “Politichicks.” “For six hours, I saw pictures and names and dates and facts and Islamic law books and Korans, Surahs for six hours and they proved to me… that the Muslim Brotherhood has infiltrated our highest positions in government and this is serious.” » | Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Judiciary Chief Stresses Effects of Islamic Awakening on Western States

FARS NEWS AGENCY (FNA): TEHRAN - Iranian Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani said that the waves of Islamic Awakening in the region have left profound impacts on the western policy.

"The Islamic Awakening which has started in Islamic countries has created a political earthquake in the western countries," Larijani said, addressing a meeting with Foreign Ministry top officials, heads of the Iranian missions abroad and ambassadors.

"The quake has shaken many political and social foundations and presented rival foundations for them in a way that they have shaken the West," he added.

He stated that principles of the western liberal democracy have been shaken by Islamic thoughts. » | Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Hosni Mubarak Trial Resumes in Egypt after Two-month Delay
The trial of the ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, who is charged with the killing of protesters and abuse of power, has resumed following a delay of almost two months after lawyers demanded a new judge. Previous court sessions were marred by clashes between Mubarak supporters and Egyptians demanding the death penalty for their former leader outside the Cairo court, but there were no scuffles as Mubarak arrived on Wednesday

Nordkorea: Gefangen unter Kim - ein Ex-Häftling erinnert sich

Argentiniens Präsidentin: Fernandez de Kirchner leidet an Krebs
Argentinien bangt um die Gesundheit seiner Regierungschefin: Bei einer Routineuntersuchung wurde bei Crisitina Fernandez de Kirchner Schilddrüsenkrebs entdeckt. Kurz nach Jahreswechsel soll sie operiert werden.

Related »

Argentina's Cristina Kirchner Diagnosed with Cancer

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Argentine President Cristina Kirchner has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer and will undergo surgery in the new year, officials have said.

Mrs Kirchner, who recently began her second term after easily winning a landslide re-election in October, was found to have cancer "on the right lobe of the thyroid gland" during a routine medical examination on December 22, spokesman Alfredo Scoccimarro said.

Doctors confirmed that the cancer hadn't spread to other parts of her body or affected her lymph nodes, Mr Scoccimarro said.

"The illness has been contained," he added.

The 58 year-old is due to have an operation at Buenos' Aires Hospital Austral to remove[d] the papillary thyroid carcinoma in her neck on Jan 4.

Papillary carcinoma is the most common type of thyroid cancer and normally affects people under the age of 40, especially women. » | Amy Willis, Los Angeles, and agencies | Wednesday, December 28, 2011

US Navy 'Will Not Tolerate' Iran Closing Strait of Hormuz
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The US military has warned that it will not tolerate any attempt by Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow sea lane on which the world's oil supply depends.

"The free flow of goods and services through the Strait of Hormuz is vital to regional and global prosperity," said a spokeswoman for the US Navy's Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet. "Anyone who threatens to disrupt freedom of navigation in an international strait is clearly outside the community of nations; any disruption will not be tolerated."

The unusually blunt statement came in response to threats by Iran to shut the channel if the West pressed ahead with sanctions on the country's oil industry.

Mohammed Reza Rahimi, Iran's vice-president, told state media on Tuesday: " “If sanctions are adopted against Iranian oil, not a drop of oil will pass through the Strait of Hormuz. [Our] enemies will only abandon their plots when we give them a strong lesson."

Admiral Habibollah Sayari, commander of the Iranian navy, said that closing the Strait, and effectively strangling the global oil supply, would "be easier than drinking a glass of water". (+ video) » | Raf Sanchez, Washington | Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Kim Jong-il Funeral: Thousands Mourn North Korean Leader
THE GUARDIAN: State TV shows procession moving through Pyongyang against backdrop of snowfall and clearly audible outpouring of grief


Tens of thousands of people have endured freezing temperatures in Pyongyang to bid farewell to the former North Korean leader Kim Jong-ilin a meticulously-choreographed funeral designed to cement his legacy and transfer power to his youngest son, Kim Jong-un.

In death, as in life, Kim had kept the outside world guessing – this time about the timing of his funeral. The Russian and Chinese media said the images coming from Pyongyang on Wednesday were live, but the abundance of natural light at the end, just as it was getting dark in Seoul, suggested they were recorded.

Reports said the capital's citizens had been mobilised to clear snow from the funeral cortege's 40km route from the Kumsusan memorial palace, where Kim's body had been lying in state.

North Korean state TV showed the procession moving slowly through the streets against a backdrop of snowfall and a clearly audible outpouring of grief from mourners, most of whom were wearing dark green military uniforms.

The three-hour procession may have helped answer key questions about the communist regime's immediate future amid fears that the rapid rise of the inexperienced Kim Jong-un could spark a power struggle and potentially threaten regional security.

Kim Jong-un, wearing a long black coat but no hat, walked in front of the hearse carrying his father's casket which was wrapped in a red flag – a sign that the succession is proceeding as the older Kim had envisaged when he unveiled the youngest of his three sons as his heir at a military parade in October 2010. » | Justin McCurry in Osaka | Wednesday, December 28, 2011

WELT ONLINE: Trauerfeier für Kim Jong-il – Pompöser Salut mit Führerkult und deutschen Autos: Drei Stunden dauerte die spektakuläre Totenprozession für Kim Jong-il. Sein Leichenwagen fuhr durch die ganze Hauptstadt. Eine deutsche Automarke fiel dabei besonders auf. ¶ Nordkoreas Familiendynastie der Kims zementiert ihre Herrschaft in dritter Generation mit dem Ausbau eines Führerkults, der auch für ihre Toten ewig halten soll. So wie Staatengründer Kim Il-song wird auch der am 17. Dezember am Herzinfarkt gestorbene Diktatur Kim Jong-il nach dem Ende der Trauerzeit einbalsamiert werden. Er soll im Kristallsarg im Kumsusan Mausoleum „für immer aufgebahrt ruhen.“ ¶ Das meldete am Mittwoch der chinesische Fernsehsender Phönix unter Berufung auf Pjöngjangs Staatsfernsehen. Der von einer Parteifahne bedeckte präparierte Leichnam des Präsidentenvater Kim Il-song liegt bereits seit 1994 im Mausoleum, dem Jahr, als er starb. » | Johnny Erling | Mittwoch 28. Dezember 2011

LE MONDE: Corée du Nord : grandioses obsèques pour Kim Jong-il – La Corée du Nord a organisé, mercredi 28 décembre, de grandioses obsèques pour son dirigeant Kim Jong-il. L'agence de presse russe Itar-Tass a affirmé que le service funèbre avait débuté à 10 heures, heure locale (2 heures, heure de Paris) à Pyongyang, dans le mausolée Kumsusan, où le corps du "Cher Dirigeant" a été placé dans un cercueil de verre. La cérémonie, qui a rassemblé des dizaines de milliers de Nord-Coréens, a pris fin à 9 heures (heure de Paris), selon la télévision officielle. "La cérémonie est terminée", a déclaré un responsable officiel devant le mausolée Kumsusan de Pyongyang où le convoi funèbre est revenu à l'issue d'un tour dans la ville enneigée devant des dizaines de milliers de personnes. A son retour sur la place du mausolée, devant des dizaines de milliers de soldats et de civils rassemblés, la garde d'honneur a défilé et l'hymne national a été interprété par un orchestre militaire. » | LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | mercredi 28 décembre 2011

North Korea Holds Funeral for 'Dear Leader' Kim Jong-il
North Korea began two days of official mourning for Kim Jong-il on Wednesday, with state television showing live coverage of the late leader's hearse leaving the Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang.

Read article and comment here | Julian Ryall, Tokyo | Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noël ! Fröhliche Weihnachten! Buon Natale! Felix Nativitas!
Wishing you all peace and joy and merriment for the twelve days of Christmas
'We Three Kings' by James C. Christensen. Image: Google Images
Gloria in excelsis Deo
Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis,
Laudamus te, benedicimus te,
adoramus te.
Glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi,
propter magnam gloriam tuam.

Sir Gus O’Donnell: The UK Faces Break-up

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain's most senior civil servant Sir Gus O’Donnell has publicly questioned whether the United Kingdom will still exist in a few years’ time.

Writing in The Telegraph, Sir Gus O’Donnell asks whether the Union can survive increasing pressure for Scottish independence.

Sir Gus, who is the head of more than 440,000 civil servants in England, Scotland and Wales, says the future of the Union is one of several “enormous challenges” facing the political establishment in the coming years.

The admission from such a senior non-political figure that the break-up of Britain is now a real possibility is likely to push the issue up the political agenda.

“Over the next few years there will be enormous challenges, such as whether to keep our kingdom united,” he warns officials and politicians.

The remarks in today’s Daily Telegraph are Sir Gus’s final public comments before he steps down as Cabinet Secretary and head of the Civil Service on Jan 1.

In the exclusive article, Sir Gus also warns that Britain faces major challenges as its economy falters and says that the Civil Service has to overcome its own “cultural inertia” to help lead Britain out of the economic downturn. » | Christopher Hope, and James Kirkup | Wednesday, December 21, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Alex Salmond: Sir Gus O’Donnell is right to recognise possibilty of Scottish independence: Alex Salmond, Scotland's First Minister, dubbed Sir Gus O'Donnell 'a model civil servant' after the outgoing cabinet secretary questioned the future of the United Kingdom. » | Christopher Hope, and James Kirkup | Thursday, December 22, 2011

Jens Breivik im stern[sic]-Interview: Mein Sohn, der Massenmörder

STERN: Er will seinem Sohn, dem 77-fachen Mörder, bald in die Augen sehen. Verzeihen aber kann er ihm nicht. Jens Breivik, Vater von Anders, bricht im stern [sic] sein Schweigen.

Fünf Monate nach den traumatischen Terroranschlägen von Norwegen, bei denen 77 Menschen ums Leben kamen, hat der Vater des Attentäters sein Schweigen gebrochen. Er fühle sich indirekt mitschuldig, sagte Jens Breivik dem stern [sic]. "Wahrscheinlich wäre das alles nicht passiert, wenn ich mich mehr um Anders gekümmert hätte."

Der 76-jährige ehemalige Diplomat zeichnet in dem Interview von seinem Sohn das Bild eines apolitischen, nicht sonderlich intellektuellen faulen Jungen. Ihr letzter Kontakt sei ein Telefongespräch vor etwa sechs Jahren gewesen. » | Mittwoch 21. Dezember 2011

Matt Damon Dismisses Barack Obama as 'One-term President'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Matt Damon has taken another swipe at Barack Obama and dismissed him as a "one term president".

In his most ferocious attack to date, the Hollywood star vented his anger at the President's failure to bring about change in America.

He said: "I've talked to a lot of people who worked for Obama at the grassroots level. One of them said to me, 'Never again. I will never be fooled again by a politician,'".

"You know, a one-term president with some balls who actually got stuff done would have been, in the long run of the country, much better."

His latest attack was made in an interview for Elle magazine to promote his new film "We Bought a Zoo."

Damon, 41, was one of the biggest Hollywood stars to stump for Obama during his 2008 election campaign. » | Paul Thompson | Wednesday, December 21, 2011

"Jour le plus sanglant" en Syrie avant l'arrivée d'observateurs
REUTERS FRANCE: BEYROUTH - Les forces syriennes ont fait de la journée de mardi "la plus sanglante de la révolution syrienne" en tuant 111 personnes, dit mercredi une ONG d'opposants, à la veille de l'arrivée d'observateurs de la Ligue arabe.

"Une tuerie d'une ampleur sans précédent a eu lieu en Syrie mardi, causant près de 120 morts", a dit le porte-parole du ministère français des Affaires étrangères, Bernard Valero.

"Il est urgent que le Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies se prononce par une résolution ferme qui exige la fin de la répression", a-t-il ajouté.

Rami Abdoulrahmane, de l'Observatoire syrien pour les droits de l'homme, affirme que 111 civils et activistes ont été tués, auxquels il faut ajouter une centaine de déserteurs tués dans la région d'Idlib depuis lundi.

Les rebelles ont détruit 17 véhicules militaires dans la province d'Idlib depuis dimanche et tué 14 membres des forces de sécurité mardi dans une embuscade près de Deraa, dans le Sud.

Par ailleurs, cinq techniciens iraniens ont été enlevés par des inconnus à Homs, autre foyer de la contestation du régime du président Bachar al Assad. » | par Dominic Evans | mercredi 21 décembre 2011

Exclusive: North Korea's Military to Share Power with Kim's Heir
REUTERS.COM: North Korea will shift to collective rule from a strongman dictatorship after last week's death of Kim Jong-il, although his untested young son will be at the head of the ruling coterie, a source with close ties to Pyongyang and Beijing said.


The source added that the military, which is trying to develop a nuclear arsenal, has pledged allegiance to the untested Kim Jong-un, who takes over the family dynasty that has ruled North Korea since it was founded after World War Two.

The source declined to be identified but has correctly predicted events in the past, telling Reuters about the North's first nuclear test in 2006 before it took place.

The comments are the first signal that North Korea is following a course that many analysts have anticipated -- it will be governed by a group of people for the first time since it was founded in 1948. » | Benjamin Kang Lim | BEIJING | Wednesday, December 21, 2011

REUTERS FRANCE: La Corée du Nord se dirige vers un pouvoir collegial : PEKIN - Le nouveau dirigeant de la Corée du Nord, Kim Jong-un, partagera le pouvoir avec un de ses oncles et l'armée après la mort de son père survenue samedi, a-t-on appris mercredi auprès d'une source proche de Pyongyang et de Pékin. » | Benjamin Kang-Lim, Marine Pennetier pour le service français | mercredi 21 décembre 2011

REUTERS DEUTSCHLAND: Nordkorea steuert auf Machtteilung zu: Peking - Nach dem Tod von Nordkoreas Alleinherrscher Kim Jong Il steuert das kommunistisch regierte Land erstmals in seiner Geschichte auf eine Machtteilung zu. ¶ Kims politisch unerfahrener Sohn Kim Jong Un werde nicht als Autokrat, sondern gemeinsam mit seinem Onkel Jang Song Thaek und dem Militär herrschen, sagte am Mittwoch eine Person mit engen Verbindungen zu den Regierungen Nordkoreas und Chinas der Nachrichtenagentur Reuters. Formell allerdings werde der von seinem Vater als Nachfolger aufgebaute junge Kim an der Spitze der Führungsriege stehen. Die Generäle hätten ihm die Treue geschworen. Ein Putsch sei damit sehr unwahrscheinlich. Die Lage in dem Land, dass nach seiner Gründung 1948 zuerst von Kim Jong Uns Großvater und dann von seinem Vater streng autokratisch geführt wurde, scheine stabil zu sein. Auch sei vorerst nicht mit einem weiteren Atomtest zu rechnen. » | Reuters | Mittwoch 21. Dezember 2011