Laura Robson's Gay Rights Stance Reignites Equality Controversy
THE GUARDIAN: British tennis player wears rainbow-coloured hairband in Australian Open match in Margaret Court arena

The British tennis player Laura Robson walked unwittingly into a political row in Melbourne on Monday when she wore a rainbow-coloured hairband in support of gay and lesbian rights during her match at the Australian Open. It was a gesture of solidarity that turned an otherwise disappointing day for British tennis into a wildly controversial one.

The London teenager was playing a first-round match on the court named after Australia's most decorated female player, Margaret Court, an evangelical Christian who has created widespread controversy, especially over the past month, with her provocative views on homosexuality.

Robson, 18 next Saturday, was one of five British players who lost on the first day of the tournament but her trickiest assignment was fielding questions afterwards about her hairband. She claimed not to be making a political statement, and said she was unaware of a call by gay rights activists to take rainbow-coloured flags into the Margaret Court Arena.

"It was just a rainbow-coloured hairband," Robson said. "I didn't see anything about a protest today. I wore it because I believe in equal rights for everyone. That's it."

She did, however, know of the recent comments Court had made, which were reported here and internationally because of her standing in the game. Her stand will be seen in a favourable light by those critics of Court astounded by her insensitivity on a subject that is regularly an issue in women's tennis. » | Kevin Mitchell in Melbourne | Monday, January 16, 2012

New Dark Age Alert! Derby Muslim Denies Gay Hate Crime Charge
THE GUARDIAN: Kabir Ahmed denies threatening gay people with 'Death Penalty?' leaflets in first UK prosecution of its kind

A 28-year-old man has told a court he felt he was doing his duty as a Muslim by handing out leaflets alleged to have been threatening to gay people.

Kabir Ahmed said he handed a leaflet called "Death Penalty?" to a passing policeman and put them through letterboxes around the Madeley Street area of Derby in July 2010 because he was spreading the word of God as taught through Islam.

He said: "My intention was to do my duty as a Muslim, to inform people of God's word and to give the message on what God says about homosexuality."

Ahmed, who is married with a nine-month-old daughter, is on trial at Derby crown court charged with stirring up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation, in the first prosecution of its kind since legislation came into force in March 2010.

At the opening of the trial last week the jury of seven men and five women were shown the Death Penalty? leaflet, which shows an image of a mannequin hanging from a noose and saying homosexuality is punishable by the death penalty under Islam.

The leaflet states: "The death sentence is the only way this immoral crime can be erased from corrupting society and act as a deterrent for any other ill person who is remotely inclined in this bent way."

It continues: "The only dispute amongst the classical authorities was the method employed in carrying out the penal code," and then goes on to offer burning, being flung from a high point such as a mountain or building, or being stoned to death as suitable methods. » | Press Association | Monday, January 16, 2012

Adolf for Everyone: 'Mein Kampf' Extracts To Be Sold in Germany

SPIEGEL INTERNATIONAL ONLINE: A British publisher plans to sell excerpts from Hitler's "Mein Kampf" in Germany, claiming he wants to demystify the infamous book. But the controversial move could provoke a legal dispute with the Bavarian government, which owns the copyright and refuses reprint permission.

Is it permissible to sit in a cafe and read Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf?" British publisher Peter McGee, 51, has no doubt. "Of course it is. It's long overdue that a broad public should get the opportunity to deal with the original text."

And because McGee is so sure he's right, he plans to serialize extracts of the book in three small 15-page brochures with an initial print run of 100,000 copies each. The front cover features a photo of Hitler with a black bar obscuring his eyes and a headline that translates to "The unreadable book."

The plans could trigger opposition from Bavarian civil servants, though. Contrary to common belief, "Mein Kampf" is not banned in Germany. But the state of Bavaria, which seized Hitler's assets after his death, owns the copyright to his infamous treatise and has so far consistently prohibited efforts to reprint it.

McGee likes a fight and is no stranger to scandal. In 2009, he published reprints of vintage Nazi newspapers like Der Angriff and Völkischer Beobachter with print runs of up to 300,000, delivered alongside comments from historians. » | Martin U. Müller and Florian Zerfaß | Monday, January 06, 2012

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Parts of Mein Kampf to be published in Germany: A British company plans to break one of the great taboos of Germany by publishing excerpts of Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf. ¶ Starting in two weeks Albertas Press, a London based publishing house, will print sections of the book in German with critical commentaries printed alongside. The company plans to print three 15-page editions, each with a print run of 100,000. ¶ Witten by Hitler as he served a jail sentence for his role in the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch, Mein Kampf has not been published in Germany since the end of the Second World War. In the book Hitler mixes autobiographical elements and expositions of his political thesis, outlining his hatred of communism and Jews, and his conviction that Germany was destined to fight the "Judeo-Bolshevik regime" of the Soviet Union. » | Matthew Day | Monday, January 16, 2012

Jon Huntsman Quits Republican Race and Endorses Mitt Romney
Former governor of Utah withdraws from the race for his party's presidential nomination. At a press conference flanked by his family, he gave his support to Mitt Romney, who now goes into the South Carolina primary as a clear favourite to win the contest. Huntsman closed his comments by suggesting that the US had a deficit of trust to overcome as well as an economic crisis.

En Allemagne, les jours du président Wulff sont comptés

LE FIGARO: La chancelière allemande Angela Merkel ne pourra plus longtemps soutenir un chef de l'État qui ne jouit même plus de la confiance de son propre camp. Les noms de deux successeurs sont évoqués.

Christian Wulff, qui présentait jeudi ses vœux pour 2012 au château de Bellevue, est apparu plus que jamais comme un président en sursis. L'ONG Transparency International et l'association de la presse allemande ont boycotté l'événement.

La chancelière, Angela Merkel, continue de soutenir à bout de bras et s'est fendue d'un sourire chaleureux. Mais sur Internet, dans les talk-shows télévisés, dans la presse et dans les conversations à Berlin, le président n'est plus qu'une «Witzfigur», un objet de plaisanterie comparé à Mickey Mouse ou à un gamin, trop immature pour la fonction. Les rumeurs de succession vont bon train. » | Par Patrick Saint-Paul | vendredi 13 janvier 2012

Anders Behring Breivik Psychiatric Report Reveals 'Kindergarten' Prison Life
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Psychiatric reports on Anders Behring Breivik, the far-right extremist who killed 77 people last July, reveal new details about his comfortable life in prison, his UK links, and his total lack of remorse.

Dr Randi Rosenqvist linked Breivik's "deviant statements" to his total absorption in a cult-like anti-Islamic movement based largely in the UK.

"I interpret his deviant statements as an expression of an extreme ideology, not as a psychotic view of reality," she writes.

"He has built a lot of his ideology on the British, or rather English, movement, and has not sought contact with Norwegians of the same ideology."

Torry Pedersen, editor of the Verdens Gang newspaper, decided to publish the full texts of four official psychiatric reports on Breivik this Sunday, despite a warning from police that frequent press leaks were harming the investigation. » | Richard Orange | Sunday, January 15, 2012

New Gingrich: 'I Have the Best Chance to Beat Barack Obama'
Despite lagging in fourth place in some polls, former US House Speaker New Gingrich, says he is more qualified than front-runner Mitt Romney to defeat President Barack Obama in a general election.

Read short article here | Sunday, January 15, 2012

US Election 2012: Mitt Romney's Rivals Exploit Doubts about His Faith and Values
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Mitt Romney’s rivals are seeking to exploit doubts about his faith, values and business record in a last ditch bid to stop him claiming a third straight primary victory in the race to decide which Republican will face Barack Obama in November.

With five days’ campaigning left in South Carolina, the former Massachusetts governor leads polls by an average of eight points. If he wins there – after victories in Iowa and New Hampshire - only a major shift in the campaign will prevent him from becoming the nominee.

His more conservative opponents are splitting the vote in a state where six out of ten Republicans are evangelical or born again Christians, while Mr Romney's superior organisation and fund-raising is expected to pay dividends.

But South Carolina is known for surprises, and undercurrents of anti-Romney sentiment, based on his Mormonism and his previous support for abortion, could yet cripple his chances.

David Woodard, a professor of political science at Clemson University who has advised numerous presidential campaigns in South Carolina, said: "It is too early to put a crown on him."

"It's not just his faith that's the problem. It's his moderation and his history that make it hard for him to fit down here. That doesn't mean he can't win, but he is from Massachusetts and we're talking about the great-great-grandchildren of the people that fired on Fort Sumter," he said, referring to a famous Civil War battle.

At a campaign appearance over the weekend, a voter asked Mr Romney bluntly if he believed in Jesus Christ – a question which reflected the fact that 50 per cent of Americans do not believe the Church of the Latter Day Saints to be Christian.

"Yes, I do," the candidate replied, adding: "I happen to believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and my saviour, but I know other people have differing views, and I respect those views and don't believe those qualify or disqualify people for leadership in our nation." Read on and comment » | Alex Spillius, Greenville, South Carolina | Sunday, January 15, 2012

British Islamist Anjem Choudary in Christmas Message: Jesus Was a Muslim; If He Were Alive Today, He Would Be Fighting to Liberate Muslim Land and Implement Divine Law – 22.12.2012

Evangelical Leaders Pick Santorum on Third Ballot
THE WASHINGTON TIMES: Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum won endorsement on the third ballot on Saturday at an invitation-only meeting of evangelicals held at the Brenham, Texas, ranch of Nancy and Paul Pressler, an evangelical leader told The Washington Times on condition of anonymity.

“The vote counters refused to tell the total votes because the message was that they are unifying behind one candidate,” the leader told The Washington Times.

The meeting’s purpose was to see if born-again Christians could find a candidate around whom to coalesce in a desperate effort to stop what has been perceived as the Mitt Romney juggernaut. The Presslers originally backed Texas Gov. Rick Perry. » | Ralph Z. Hallow | Saturday, January 14, 2012

PA Sermon in the West Bank: "Every Evil and Catastrophe" in the Whole World "Is Caused by the Jews"

Egyptian Cleric Ali Abu Al-Hasan: In Several Decades, "Europe Will Become a Single Islamic State"

HT: Robert Spencer @ Jihad Watch »

Germany Attempts to Silence Criticism of Islam
STONEGATE INSTITUTE: German authorities have officially confirmed that they are monitoring German-language Internet websites that are critical of Muslim immigration and the Islamization of Europe.

According to Manfred Murck, director of the Hamburg branch of the German domestic intelligence agency, the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV), his organization is studying whether German citizens who criticize Muslims and Islam on the Internet are fomenting hate and are thus criminally guilty of "breaching" the German constitution.

The BfV's move marks a significant setback for the exercise of free speech in Germany and comes amid a months-long smear campaign led by a triple alliance of leftwing German multicultural elites, sundry Muslim groups and members of the mainstream media, who have been relentless in their efforts to discredit the so-called counter-jihad movement (also known as the "Islamophobes") in Germany.

Opinion polls show that growing numbers of ordinary German citizens are worried about the consequences of decades of multicultural policies that have encouraged mass immigration from Muslim countries.

Germans are especially concerned about the refusal of millions of Muslim immigrants to integrate into German society, as well as the emergence of a parallel legal system in Germany based on Islamic Sharia law.

In an effort to reverse this tide of public opinion, the guardians of German multiculturalism have been working overtime to regain the initiative by accusing the critics of Islam of engaging in hate speech to try to intimidate the so-called "new right" into silence.

The media campaign has been led by two financially troubled newspapers, the Berliner Zeitung and its sister publication, the Frankfurter Rundschau, as well as Der Spiegel, a leftwing magazine based in Hamburg that has long served as the mouthpiece for German multiculturalism.

In a January 4, 2012 interview with the Berliner Zeitung and Frankfurter Rundschau, Murck said the owners of anti-Islam blogs "have a disturbed relationship to the democratic constitutional state" and often promote "infringements of human rights protected under our constitution."

Murck continued: "I also see evidence of criminal relevance, such as making threats and public invitations to crime." He said criticism of Muslims and Islam constitutes "an attack against the freedom of religion, which is protected by Article 4 of the Basic Law."

PI's motto reads "Against the Mainstream, Pro-American, Pro-Israel, Against the Islamization of Europe" which encapsulates everything the German left abhors. » | Soeren Kern | Thursday, January 12, 2012

HT: Robert Spencer @ Jihad Watch »

Eurozone in New Crisis as Ratings Agency Downgrades Nine Countries
THE GUARDIAN: Standard & Poor's strips France of its AAA credit rating, rekindling fears in the markets over future of single currency

Europe has been plunged into a fresh crisis after France was stripped of its coveted AAA credit rating in a mass downgrade of nine eurozone countries by the ratings agency Standard & Poor's.

S&P said austerity was driving Europe even deeper into financial crisis as it also cut Austria's triple-A rating, and relegated Portugal and Cyprus to junk status.

The humiliating loss of France's top-rated status leaves Germany as the only other major economy inside the eurozone with a AAA rating, and rekindled financial market anxiety about a possible break-up of the single currency.

S&P brought an abrupt end to the uneasy calm that has existed in the eurozone since the turn of the year by downgrading the ratings of Cyprus, Italy, Portugal and Spain by two notches. Austria, France, Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia were all cut by one notch.

The agency said that its actions on eurozone ratings were "primarily driven by insufficient policy measures by EU leaders to fully address systemic stresses". It added that fiscal austerity alone "risks becoming self-defeating". » | Larry Elliott and Phillip Inman | Friday, January 13, 2012

US Election 2012: Mitt Romney Attacked by Republican Rival for Speaking French
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Newt Gingrich has launched a new political attack advertisement against his Republican rival Mitt Romney – accusing him of speaking French.

The advertisement by Mr Gingrich tries to draw an unflattering parallel with another Massachusetts politician, John Kerry, the Democrat who lost to George W Bush in 2004.

"The French Connection" paints Mr Romney as another tax-raising, moderate, elitist who will "say anything" to get elected – "anything". Over Parisian accordion music, it continues: "And just like John Kerry he speaks French too."

It then delivers its coup de grace: a clip of a promotional video Mr Romney recorded for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah, which he served as chief executive.

"Bonjours, je m'appelle Mitt Romney," he says.

The snippet has already been used several times in a documentary, "When Mitt Romney Came To Town", released by supporters of Mr Gingrich to expose Mr Romney's "predatory" record as head of the corporate buy-out firm Bain Capital.

That attempt to denigrate Mr Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, has apparently backfired, with several prominent party figures deriding Mr Gingrich for attacking capitalism and free enterprise.

But Francophobic attacks on Mr Kerry worked in 2004 when feelings about French opposition to the Iraq war were running high. Republicans even said the senator "looked French" when it was learnt he had relatives in the country. » | Alex Spillius, Greenville, South Carolina | Friday, January 13, 2012


Newt, you're full of sh**! To attack a man for being able to speak French is low down. It shows that you have no style or class. You're a populist; and there should be no room for populists in the White House.

If you can't get to the White House on your own merits, then you don't deserve to be there. So go on home, and wait till the next election. By then you might have grown up. – © Mark

Koningin Beatrix en Prinses Máxima dragen een hoofddoek in Oman | Königin Beatrix und Prinzessin Máxima tragen Kopftuch in Oman | La reine Beatrix et la princesse Máxima porter un foulard en Oman | Queen Beatrix and Princess Máxima Wear a Headscarf in Oman

Related »

Tunesiens Ex-Diktator: Ben Ali im goldenen Käfig

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali herrschte mit harter Hand über Tunesien, häufte Reichtümer an, dann jagte ihn sein Volk aus dem Amt. Seit einem Jahr versteckt er sich nun im saudi-arabischen Exil. Seine Gastgeber hüten das neue Leben des Ex-Despoten wie ein Staatsgeheimnis.

"Lang lebe Tunesien! Lang lebe das tunesische Volk! Lang lebe die Republik!" Das waren die letzten Worte, die die Tunesier vor genau einem Jahr von ihrem damaligen Präsidenten Zine el-Abidine Ben Alihörten. Die TV-Ansprache am Abend des 13. Januar 2011 war der letzte verzweifelte Versuch des strauchelnden Diktators, das Ruder herumzureißen, das aufgebrachte Volk auf den Straßen zu besänftigen und sich an der Macht zu halten.

Es nutzte nichts: Keine 24 Stunden spatter musste der seit 1987 amtierende Alleinherrscher das Land verlassen.

In einer spektakulären Flucht setzte sich Ben Ali gemeinsam mit seiner Frau Leila per Flugzeug nach Saudi-Arabien ab. Der 75-Jährige war der erste arabische Autokrat, der 2011 nach einem Volksaufstand seinen Hut nehmen musste.

Ein kaum drei Sekunden langer Fernsehausschnitt ist seither das einzige Lebenszeichen Ben Alis. Er zeigt ihn Schulter an Schulter mit dem ehemaligen pakistanischen Präsidenten Pervez Musharraf im Gebet während der Trauerfeier für den verstorbenen saudi-arabischen Kronprinzen Sultan Bin Abd al-Asis Ende Oktober vergangenen Jahres. Der gestürzte Staatschef wirkt auf den kurzen Bildern rüstig, das Haar wie stets schwarz gefärbt. Dieser Eindruck widerspricht Gerüchten über seinen schlechten Gesundheitszustand. Angeblich soll Ben Ali schon im Februar 2011 einen Schlaganfall erlitten und zeitweise im Koma gelegen haben. Offiziell bestätigt wurden diese Meldungen jedoch nie. » | Von Christoph Sydow | Freitag 13. Januar 2012

Advance of the Zealots: The Growing Influence of the Ultra-Orthodox in Israel

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Veiled women, radical rabbis and gender segregation: Israel is facing a rise in the influence of ultra-Orthodox Jews. Their efforts to impose a strictly conservative worldview have led to growing tensions with the country's secular society. A resolution to the conflict is vital for Israel's future.

Outside is the Judean Wilderness, the Dead Sea shimmers in the distance. Naomi Machfud is sitting inside the self-built house, dreaming about making the world disappear. She wants to cover up her face with a veil, she says, her mouth, her nose and her eyes. A black veil, without even a vision slit, one that swallows every glance and submerges the world in darkness. The veil is the pinnacle of zniut, or modesty, the closest a person can get to God. But, she says with a sigh, "unfortunately I'm not that far yet."

But Machfud, a 30-year-old woman with six children, has already created an insulating layer of material between herself and the outside world. She is wearing a wool robe, an apron, a blouse, three floor-length corduroy skirts, a black skirt and trousers. She has a piece of black wool material wrapped loosely around her head. Underneath it is a tight, black veil, and underneath that is a pale pink veil. Not a single hair is visible. She is wearing a pair of earrings, but she takes them off when she leaves the house.

Machfud is a Jewish woman married to a Jewish man. They live in a settlement in the West Bank, but she dresses as if she lived in Afghanistan. In Israel, the veiled women are referred to as the "Taliban," while they refer to themselves as women of the shawl. Machfud claims that there are thousands of women like her, but it is more likely that they number in the hundreds. They are usually seen in Jerusalem's ultra-orthodox Me'ah She'arim neighborhood, black, shapeless figures, holding the hands of their daughters, who look like miniature versions of their mothers.

One could call these women crazy. Or one could see them as the product of a religious community that is becoming more and more extremist. Gender Separation in Public » | Juliane von Mittelstaedt | Friday, January 13, 2012

Punished for Not Crying: Thousands of North Koreans Face Labour Camps for Not Being Upset Enough about Death of Kim Jong-il

MAIL ONLINE: North Korea's hardline regime is punishing those who did not cry at the death of dictator Kim Jong-il, according to reports.

Sentences of at least six months in labour camps are also apparently being given to those who didn't go to the organised mourning events, while anyone who criticised the new leader Kim Jong-un is also being punished.

Those who tried to leave the country, or even made a mobile phone call out, were also being disciplined, it has been claimed.

Daily NK says a source has claimed that 'criticism sessions' - which began after the official period of mourning - have now finished and tough sentences are being given out.

The informant from North Hamkyung Province told the website: 'The authorities are handing down at least six months in a labour-training camp to anybody who didn’t participate in the organised gatherings during the mourning period, or who did participate but didn’t cry and didn't seem genuine.'

The source claimed the criticism sessions created a 'vicious atmosphere of fear', which meant the new leader, Kim Jong-un, was being accused of preying on the people now that he has taken power.

It is unclear how many people face incarceration but the figure could be many thousands. Read on and comment » | Daily Mail Reporter | Friday, January 13, 2012

Teacher Under Investigation for Teaching Children How to Make Pipe Bombs
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A German chemistry teacher is under police investigation for allegedly constructing pipe bombs in class and detonating them in front of pupils by using sparklers.

The 39-year-old teacher, who has not been named, apparently taught the children how to make gunpowder and load it into the metal pipes about the size of a one-litre bottle. The bombs were then set off at a nearby heath by using sparklers for detonators, with the resulting explosion so powerful that the pupils felt the shock wave in their stomachs.

According to a report in the German newspaper Lu[e]becker Nachrichten, the teacher constructed bombs for pupils from 2009 to 2011 at a Waldorf school in Lubeck. Waldorf schools, based on the teachings of Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, take an unorthodox approach to education, stressing creativity and giving teachers considerable leeway in what they teach.

"No syllabus in the world contains something like this," the mother of one of the students said. » | Matthew Day | Thursday, January 12, 2012