Pain au chocolat/Copé : plainte retirée
LE FIGARO: Le Conseil français du culte musulman (CFCM) a annoncé qu'il allait retirer sa plainte contre le président de l'UMP, Jean-François Copé, déposée après ses déclarations controversées sur le "pain au chocolat".

"Reçu à sa demande" par le CFCM, "M. Copé a exprimé des regrets. Nous allons donc retirer notre plainte", a déclaré à l'issue d'un entretien d'une heure, Abdellah Zekri, président de l'Observatoire de l'islamophobie au sein du CFCM.

"Nous avons eu un échange positif, constructif et apaisé", a déclaré Copé à la sortie de cet entretien. "Cela a été pour moi l'occasion de donner une explication sur ce qui a été un énorme contresens de mes propos", a-t-il ajouté. Mohammed Moussaoui, président du CFCM, a déclaré de son côté: "Nous avons exprimé dans cette entrevue avec Copé que les musulmans ont été heurtés par ses propos et le traitement médiatique qui en a été fait." » | AFP | mardi 08 janvier 2013

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Mussolini Cult Alive and Well in Italy
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Every year, thousands of people in Italy hang a fresh calendar of images depicting Benito Mussolini on their wall, just one of many indications that the cult of "Il Duce" is alive and well in the country. Many still consider the fascist dictator to have been an honorable man, and it is a weakness that politicians such as Silvio Berlusconi have been able to exploit.

Decked out in army fatigues, his hand raised in fascist salute, he emblazons newsstands, lies ready in bookshops and is splashed across countless websites: Benito Mussolini, the Italian dictator and founder of fascism known simply as "Il Duce", enjoys massive popularity in Italy as a calendar pin-up. One month he's in a steel helmet, his chin jutting sharply forward, the next he's clutching a Roman short sword, the famous chin still at attention. His valiant, steel-helmeted soldiers also march on annually, in color or black and white, accompanied by fascist symbols like the swastika.

Foreign tourists, especially Germans, are shocked when they see these openly flaunted calendars. Yet even in 2013, the former Italian dictator has a loyal fan base at home. And they're not just buying calendars. » | Hans-Jürgen Schlamp in Rome | Tuesday, January 08, 2013

America’s Love Affair with Guns: Unbelievable Confrontation between Piers Morgan and Radio Host Alex Morgan over Guns in the US

MAIL ONLINE: Piers' explosive showdown with the man who wants to deport him: Sparks fly as CNN host discusses gun control with Alex Jones: Jones, a radio host and prominent conspiracy theorist, called British CNN host a 'foreigner and a redcoat' / Jones is leading a drive to petition the White House to deport Morgan for advocating tougher gun control laws / The libertarian commentator threatened '1776 will commence again if you try to take our firearms' » | Daily Mail Reporter | Tuesday, January 08, 2013

Liebes-Aus bei den Wulffs: Der Einsame

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Kaum ein Politiker ist in jüngster Zeit so tief gefallen wie Christian Wulff. Die Karriere ist ruiniert, es droht juristisches Ungemach, und nun ist auch noch die Ehe des Ex-Bundespräsidenten am Ende. Es wird schwer für den einstigen Spitzenpolitiker, eine neue Rolle zu finden.

Berlin - Das Klatschblatt "Bunte" hatte es vorausgeahnt. "Sie werden uns überraschen", titelte die Zeitschrift in der letzten Dezemberausgabe samt einem Bild der strahlenden Wulffs aus besseren Tagen. Im Innenteil raunte das Blatt über den Zustand der Ehe. "Traurig-optimistisch", lautete die Prognose.

Knapp zwei Wochen später ist es raus: Bettina und Christian Wulff leben nicht mehr zusammen. Eine entsprechende Trennungsvereinbarung wurde anwaltlich hinterlegt, der frühere Bundespräsident soll aus dem gemeinsamen Haus in Großburgwedel aus- und in eine Mietwohnung in Hannover umgezogen sein. » | Von Severin Weiland | Montag, 07. Januar 2013


SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Germany's Former First Couple Splits Up: Christian and Bettina Wulff have separated less than a year after he resigned from the largely ceremonial post of German president in disgrace. The former first lady had written an autobiography last year revealing they had marital problems. » | cro -- with wire reports | Monday, January 07, 2013

15-year-old Saudi Girl Flees from 90-year-old Husband
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A 15-year old Saudi Arabian bride married off to a 90-year old groom escaped the martial home after she barricaded herself in a room on the wedding night.

The unnamed husband is now suing her parents for recovery of the £10,750 dowry he paid to secure marriage to his child bride.

Newspaper reports in the conservative Islamic state said the girl had managed to secure herself in the marital bedroom before escaping two days later to her parents' home.

The groom told Al-Hayat newspaper that he suspected the groom and her parents had set out to swindle him of the 65,000 Saudi Riyals dowry.

"I feel that there is a conspiracy by her mother against me," he said. "I will go to court tomorrow and demand that her parents give me back my money."

However campaigners in Saudi Arabia have called on the authorities to intervene to ensure the girl in Jizan, a southern town near the border with Yemen, is not returned to the man. » | Damien McElroy | Monday, January 07, 2013

EDL Leader Jailed for Being Illegal Immigrant after Entering US on Friend's Passport

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The leader of the English Defence League was today jailed for 10 months after admitting using someone else's passport to unlawfully travel to the United States.

Stephen Lennon, 30, pleaded guilty to possession of a false identity document with improper intention, contrary to the Identity Documents Act 2010, at Southwark Crown Court.

Lennon used a passport in the name of Andrew McMaster to board a Virgin Atlantic Flight from Heathrow to New York, but was caught out after his fingerprints were taken by customs officials.

He left the airport and entered the US illegally but left the country the following day, using his own passport to return to the UK.

The court heard that Lennon, who had previously been refused entry to the US, used his friend's passport to travel to the country in September.

He used a self check-in kiosk to board the Virgin Atlantic flight at Heathrow, and was allowed through when the document was checked in the bag drop area.

But when he arrived at New York's JFK Airport, customs officials who took his fingerprints realised he was not Mr McMaster.

Lennon was asked to attend a second interview but left the airport, entering the US illegally.

He stayed just one night and travelled back to the UK the following day using his own legitimate passport - which bears the name Paul Harris.

The court heard that is the name that appears on the EDL leader's passport, although he uses aliases.

Lennon, who was arrested in October, was jailed for 10 months today. » | Monday, January 07, 2013

Full Speech of Bashar al-Assad, President of the Syrian Arab Republic, Damascus 06/01/2013

BBC: Syria crisis: US decries Assad 'Western puppets' speech – The US has condemned a speech by Syria's President Assad that denounced his opponents as "puppets of the West". » | Monday, January 07, 2013

Related »

Sara Ege Given Life Sentence for Murdering Son over Koran Studies
BBC: A mother who beat her seven-year-old son when he failed to memorise passages from the Koran has been given a life sentence for his murder.

Sara Ege, 33, killed Yaseen Ege at their home in Pontcanna, Cardiff, in July 2010 and set fire to his body.

She was convicted in December after a five-week trial. The judge has set a minimum tariff of 17 years.

Her husband Yousuf Ege, a taxi driver, was cleared of allowing the death of a child by failing to protect him.

Sara Ege was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice. » | Monday, January 07, 2013

Kuwait Forces Disperse Protesters with Stun Grenades
THE GUARDIAN: Several arrests made after latest protest against changes to voting laws enacted in December

Security forces used stun grenades to disperse hundreds of opposition activists trying to stage a march in Kuwait on Sunday and made several arrests.

Protest marches have grown more frequent in the US-allied oil producer since the opposition boycotted a parliamentary election on 1 December over changes to voting laws that they saw as an attempt to favour pro-government candidates.

Witnesses said between 200 and 300 people had barely gathered in an affluent suburb of Kuwait City late on Sunday when security forces ordered them to disperse because their rally was not licensed.

One witness said that when the men and women moved to the middle of the road and began chanting, security forces attacked them with smoke bombs and stun grenades. » | Reuters in Kuwait | Sunday, January 06, 2013

David Cameron's Threat to Block EU Reforms Branded 'Economic Insanity'

THE GUARDIAN: Peter Mandelson says PM shouldn't think he can 'put a gun to the heads' of EU leaders in an effort to repatriate powers

David Cameron has been accused of "economic insanity" in trying to put a gun to the head of his European partners after he warned on Sunday that he would block treaty changes to make the euro more effective unless he is allowed to repatriate powers to the UK.

Cameron made his thinly veiled threat on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, when he said he was "entitled" and "enabled" to seek a repatriation of powers when other EU countries sought treaty change to make the single currency work more effectively. Cameron is due to set out his definitive position on Europe, including a referendum, later this month.

Writing in the Guardian, the former European commissioner Lord Mandelson warns Cameron that he "will be disappointed if he thinks he can put a gun to their heads to begin renegotiating Britain's EU membership and then dictate when it will end, especially when, in their view, he is arguing not in Europe's interests as a whole but for British exceptionalism".

Faced by a choice between protecting the euro and British demands, he says Europe will choose the euro.

Claiming the Tory party is now gripped by a madness on Europe, he says it is "an act of economic insanity to begin 2013 by placing this large and indefinite question mark over our membership of the EU, and all the trade and investment privileges it brings us. » | Patrick Wintour, political editor | Sunday, January 06, 2013

President Assad Outlines Political Solution to Syrian Conflict

Read the article here | Sunday, January 06, 2013

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Syrian president Bashar al-Assad denounces opposition as 'armed, murderous criminals' as he makes first speech for six months: President Bashar al-Assad has made his first speech for six months, confirming he is still in his capital Damascus but taking a hardline stance offering no new concessions to the rebel opposition which has seized swathes of Syria. » | Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Sunday, January 06, 2013

Happy New Year! Bonne année ! Gutes Neues Jahr! ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! Felice Anno Nuovo! Felix sit annus novus! L’Shannah Tovah! Blwyddyn Newydd Dda! ! سنة سعيدة

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my visitors, followers, and Twitter followers a wonderful, healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year. May 2013 be your year! Thanking you all for your continued and loyal support. – © Mark

Christianity 'Close to Extinction' in Middle East

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Christianity faces being wiped out of the “biblical heartlands” in the Middle East because of mounting persecution of worshippers, according to a new report.

The study warns that Christians suffer greater hostility across the world than any other religious group.

And it claims politicians have been “blind” to the extent of violence faced by Christians in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

The most common threat to Christians abroad is militant Islam, it says, claiming that oppression in Muslim countries is often ignored because of a fear that criticism will be seen as “racism”.

It warns that converts from Islam face being killed in Saudi Arabia, Mauritania and Iran and risk severe legal penalties in other countries across the Middle East.

The report, by the think tank Civitas, says: “It is generally accepted that many faith-based groups face discrimination or persecution to some degree.

"A far less widely grasped fact is that Christians are targeted more than any other body of believers.”

It cites estimates that 200 million Christians, or 10 per cent of Christians worldwide, are “socially disadvantaged, harassed or actively oppressed for their beliefs.” » | Edward Malnick | Sunday, December 23, 2012

Pope Says Future of Mankind At Stake over Gay Marriage

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Pope Benedict XVI has weighed in on a heated debate over gay marriage, criticising new concepts of the traditional family and warning that mankind itself was at stake.

"In the fight for the family, the very notion of being – of what being human really means – is being called into question," the Pope said in Italian during an end-of-year speech.

"The question of the family ... is the question of what it means to be a man, and what it is necessary to do to be true men," he said.

The Pope spoke of the "falseness" of gender theories and cited at length France's chief Rabbi Gilles Bernheim, who has spoken out against gay marriage.

"Bernheim has shown in a very detailed and profoundly moving study that the attack we are currently experiencing on the true structure of the family, made up of father, mother, and child, goes much deeper," he said.

He cited feminist gender theorist Simone de Beauvoir's view to the effect that one is not born a woman, but one becomes so – that sex was no longer an element of nature but a social role people chose for themselves. » | Source: AFP | Friday, December 21, 2012

Marine Le Pen: The Threat of Radical Islam
The leader of the far-right National Front party explains why she sees Muslim immigration as a grave threat to France.

Read the article here | Source: Al Jazeera | Monday, December 17, 2012

Alien Nation: The New Census Reveals a Britain That Would Be Unrecognisable Even to Our Grandparents

MAIL ONLINE: Peter Hitchens says that the Census is not just a description of the state of things on a day in 2011 but a prophetic document telling us where we are going / Christianity is on the decline while Islam is on the up and fewer of us are married for the first time ever

The future will be another country. They will do things differently there.

The Census is not just a description of the state of things on a day in 2011, it is a prophetic document telling us where we are going, whether we like it or not. I don’t.

For the past 60 years or so, we have lived in a nation that was more or less familiar to anyone who had grown up in the pre-war Britain of 1939.

Even the devastation of conflict had not transformed it out of recognition.

People behaved, thought, worked, laughed and enjoyed themselves much as they had done for decades.

They lived in the same sorts of families in the same kind of houses. Their children went to the same kinds of schools. And they had grown up in a land that was still identifiably the same as their grandparents had known.

And so it went back for centuries.

As recently as 1949, the prices of most goods were roughly the same, and expressed in the same money, as the prices of 1649.

A short-distance time-traveller between 1912 and 2012 might be perplexed and astonished, but he would not be lost.

That period is now coming to an end. I suspect that anyone in Britain, travelling between 2012 and 2112 would be unable to believe that he was in the same place.

What is the most significant single fact in the Census? I do not think there is one. Several are shocking or disturbing, if you are not fond of change, and delightful if you are. Read on and comment » | Peter Hitchens | Saturday, December 15, 2012

Queen Talks of 'Lax' Bankers and 'Toothless' Regulators behind Financial Crisis

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Queen has spoken about "lax" City workers and a banking regulator which "didn't have the teeth" to intervene as she discussed the causes of the financial crisis during a visit to the Bank of England

With her face on every banknote and coin in circulation, it is only natural that the Queen takes a sharp interest in the nation's finances, as she showed on a visit to the Bank of England today.

Her Majesty suggested the financial crisis of 2008 had happened because the Financial Services Authority “didn’t have the teeth” to rein in the biggest risk-takers.

The Duke of Edinburgh, meanwhile, had a typically blunt piece of advice for the Bank’s executives: “Don’t do it again!”

The Queen and the Duke grilled Bank of England staff during a visit which included a tour of a vault stacked with £27 billion worth of bullion.

Suit Kapadia, one of the Bank’s financial policy experts, said he wanted to answer a question the Queen asked academics at the London School of Economics in 2008 about why no one saw the financial crisis coming.

“Oh!” said the Queen, looking slightly taken aback.

Mr Kapadia said the City had got “complacent” because it thought risk was being managed better than it was, and the financial system had become too interconnected.

The Queen agreed: “People got a bit lax … perhaps it was difficult to foresee.”

She asked if the financial system was less interconnected now and concurred with a suggestion that part of the problem had been the lack of powers given to the Financial Services Authority. “They didn't have the teeth,” she said. » | Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter | Thursday, December 13, 2012