Saudi Arabia Rejects Maid Beheading Criticism
AL JAZEERA: Saudi Arabia 'deplores' international condemnation over beheading of a Sri Lankan maid convicted of killing baby.

Saudi Arabia criticised world reaction to its beheading a Sri Lankan maid convicted of killing her employer's baby, the official Saudi news agency SPA reported.

Riyadh "deplores the statements made... over the execution of a Sri Lankan maid who had plotted and killed an infant by suffocating him to death, one week after she arrived in the kingdom," the government spokesman said.

Rizana Nafeek was beheaded on Wednesday in a case that sparked widespread international condemnation, including from rights groups which said she was just 17 when she was charged with murdering the baby in 2005.

Nafeek was found guilty of smothering the infant after an argument with the child's mother.

The case soured diplomatic relations with Sri Lanka which on Thursday recalled its ambassador to Saudi Arabia in protest.

The government spokesman condemned what he called "wrong information on the case," and denied that the maid was a minor when she committed the crime. » | Source: Agencies | Monday, January 14, 2013

Mosque Buster Gavin Boby’s Mission Statement

MAIL ON SUNDAY: 'Mosque buster' claims he can stop 'tide of Islam' by giving free advice on how to block building plans for new places of worship » | Larisa Brown | Sunday, January 13, 2013

Egypt's Coptic Christians Fleeing Country After Islamist Takeover

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Tens of thousands of Egyptian Christians are leaving the country in the wake of the Egyptian revolution and subsequent Islamist takeover of politics, priests and community leaders say.

Coptic Christian churches in the United States say they are having to expand to cope with new arrivals, as priests in cities like Cairo and Alexandria talk of a new climate of fear and uncertainty.

"Most of our people are afraid," Father Mina Adel, a priest at the Church of Two Saints in Alexandria said. "Not a few are leaving - for America, Canada and Australia. Dozens of families from this church alone are trying to go too."

Father Mina's church has an important place in the history of the Arab Spring. It was struck by a car bomb on New Year's Eve 2010, Egypt's worst sectarian attack in recent decades, in which 23 people were killed.

After the bombing, liberal Muslim groups staged protests in support of Christians, printing posters showing the cross and the crescent interlinked which then went on to be symbols of inter-faith unity during the Tahrir Square protests three weeks later.

But the victory of the Muslim Brotherhood in parliamentary and presidential elections has changed the mood - particularly as the biggest opposition party is the even more hardline Salafist movement which wants strict Sharia law implemented.

"Salafis meet Christian girls in the street and order them to cover their hair," Father Mina said. "Sometimes they hit them when they refuse." » | Richard Spencer, Alexandria | Sunday, January 13, 2013

Michael Hauri: Und dann wurde ich Muslim
Then I became a Muslim »

Ben Alis Güter an den Meistbietenden
NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: In Tunesien findet zurzeit eine Versteigerung der besonderen Art statt. Der Staat verkauft die Besitztümer des früheren Machthabers Ben Ali und von dessen Frau Leila Trabelsi.

Am 14. Januar begeht Tunesien den zweiten Jahrestag der «Revolution für Würde und Freiheit, 17. Dezember 2010 – 14. Januar 2011», wie seit Mitte Dezember der offizielle Name für den Sturz des Diktators Ben Ali lautet. Am 14. Januar vor zwei Jahren verliessen Ben Ali und seine Frau Leila Trabelsi nach Massenprotesten fluchtartig das Land. Sie leben seitdem im Exil in Saudiarabien. Inzwischen sind Ben Ali und seine Frau zu je 35 Jahren Haft wegen illegaler Bereicherung verurteilt worden. » | Annette Steinich, Tunis | Donnerstag, 10. Januar 2013

Hollande : l'opération militaire au Mali "n'a pas d'autre but que la lutte contre le terrorisme"

LE MONDE: Au lendemain du début de l'intervention des forces françaises sur le territoire malien, François Hollande a justifié sa décision, affirmant qu'elle "n'a pas d'autre but que la lutte contre le terrorisme" et qu'il a "toute confiance" dans la réussite de l'opération, baptisée "Serval". "La France ne défend aucun intérêt particulier", a--t-il déclaré. Le chef de l'Etat a souligné que les moyens militaires déployés doivent être limités au soutien de l'intervention africaine au Mali, qui doit prendre forme en début de semaine. Il s'est félicité que "l'action de la France soit saluée par l'ensemble de la communauté internationale et les pays africains".

M. Hollande a souligné qu'un "coup d'arrêt" avait été porté aux islamistes avec "de lourdes pertes infligées à nos adversaires". Selon l'armée malienne, plusieurs centaines de combattants islamistes ont été tués lors de raids menés samedi. Enfin, et alors que les islamistes ont promis "des conséquences, non seulement pour les otages français, mais aussi pour tous les ressortissants français où qu'ils se trouvent dans le monde musulman", M. Hollande a annoncé un renforcement du plan Vigipirate en France, actuellement au niveau "rouge", "dans les meilleurs délais". Le chef de l'Etat, ainsi que plusieurs ministres, participeront à un nouveau conseil de défense, dimanche, le troisième en trois jours. » | Le Monde.fr avec AFP, AP et Reuters | samedi 12 janvier 2013

Peking versinkt in Rekord-Smog
Dichter Smog hat am Samstag das öffentliche Leben in Peking massiv beeinträchtigt. Die Stadtverwaltung schränkte den Straßenverkehr ein und rief die Menschen auf, ihre Wohnungen nicht zu verlassen.

Aufregung um Porträt: Kate mit Augenringen
Nun ist es enthüllt: Das erste Porträt von Herzogin Kate wurde am Freitag in der Londerner National Portrait Gallery präsentiert. Doch die Reaktionen auf das Öl-Gemälde sind durchwachsen.

Gay Marriage Could Signal Return to ‘Centuries of Persecution’, [ - ] Say 1,000 Catholic Priests
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: More than 1,000 priests have signed a letter voicing alarm that same-sex marriage could threaten religious freedom in a way last seen during “centuries of persecution” of Roman Catholics in England.

In one of the biggest joint letters of its type ever written, they raise fears that their freedom to practise and speak about their faith will be “severely” limited and dismiss Government reassurances as "meaningless".

They even liken David Cameron’s moves to redefine marriage to those of Henry VIII, whose efforts to secure a divorce from Katherine of Aragon triggered centuries of bloody upheaval between church and state.

They claim that, taken in combination with equalities laws and other legal restraints, the Coalition's plans will prevent Catholics and other Christians who work in schools, charities and other public bodies speaking freely about their beliefs on the meaning of marriage.

Even the freedom to speak from the pulpit could be under threat, they claim.

And they fear that Christians who believe in the traditional meaning of marriage would effectively be excluded from some jobs – just as Catholics were barred from many professions from the Reformation until the 19th Century.

The comments are contained in a letter to The Daily Telegraph, signed by 1,054 priests as well as 13 bishops, abbots and other senior Catholic figures. » | John Bingham, Religious Affairs Editor | Friday, January 11, 2013

As Hugo Chavez Fights for His Life, Cuba Fears for Its Future
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Venezuela is not the only Latin American nation that is monitoring every moment of president Hugo Chavez's illness. His ally Cuba has relied on him for economic help, and that could soon come to an end.

Away from the constitutional wrangles and impassioned crowds of Caracas, the future of Venezuela after Hugo Chavez is being plotted this weekend in an elegant pre-revolutionary mansion in Havana's old playboy quarter.

The firebrand Venezuelan president is fighting for his life in a nearby hospital, stricken by severe respiratory problems and a lung infection after his latest round of surgery for cancer.

His illness left him unable to be sworn in for his fourth term as president last Thursday, having won a close-fought election in October.

But for his Cuban hosts, much more is at risk than simply the loss of a fellow left-wing Latin American radical who has long venerated Fidel Castro. His death would also put at risk the remarkable oil-fuelled largesse that has allowed Cuba to cling to its experiment in tropical communism.

Thanks to the close personal relationship between Mr Chavez and Mr Castro, energy-rich Venezuela supplies more than 100,000 barrels of dirt-cheap oil a day to Cuba - an estimated 50 per cent of the island's petroleum needs.

Venezuela also hires tens of thousands of Cuban doctors and teachers to work in its barrio slums, propping up the Cuban economy to the tune of some $6 billion a year in total. Without that subsidy, Havana would have long ago been forced to introduce market reforms to its communist regime. » | Philip Sherwell, and Andrew Hamilton in Havana | Saturday, January 12, 2013

A Gift for the Hackers - Netherlands

The Dollar Bubble

End of Liberty

Overdose: The Next Financial Crisis

Französische Soldaten kämpfen in Mali

He's Taken Millions from Dictators and Cosied Up to Warlords. As Its Reported 'Teflon Tony' Is Plotting an Alliance with a Super-rich Financier, a Devastating Critique of the... Man Who Turned Amorality into an Art Form

MAIL ONLINE: When Tony Blair visited Beijing a few weeks ago to open a prestigious conference on philanthropy, he showed he had lost none of the evangelical fervour that once dazzled British voters.

Giving an impassioned sermon to an A-list audience on the crucial role of compassion, the former Prime Minister spoke of how societies should be measured not just by what people do for themselves, but by what they do for others.

‘The best philanthropy is about changing the world,’ he proclaimed. ‘Flourishing philanthropy is an essential part of a flourishing society.’

Blair told well-heeled listeners paying nearly £1,500 a head how he found a new role after politics doing good deeds around the globe. He had seen how people’s lives had been improved through his efforts, he said.

It was the perfect start for China’s first major forum on philanthropy, where guests included Bill Gates, the multi-billionaire Microsoft founder who is giving away much of his fortune, and Andrew Forrest, Australia’s richest man and another generous charity donor.

‘We need philanthropy to lessen hostility towards the rich,’ Blair warned them. Heartfelt words for a man said to have raked in nearly £20 million last year, big chunks of it by delivering platitudes dressed up as profundities to gullible global paymasters.

It was the sort of event the former Labour leader seems to love: a private jet to take him there, a £3,000-a-night hotel suite, and networking with the super-rich. Yet his sanctimonious speech was little more than hypocritical hogwash coming from a man who, to my mind, has turned amorality into an art form.

For all his honeyed words about serving humanity, this is a man who used his contacts book from Downing Street to launch a lucrative career advising absolute monarchs, wealthy bankers and despots. Read on and comment » | Ian Birrell | Saturday, January 12, 2013

Daring to Believe - Tunisia

Tourism on Trial - Egypt

White Britons Are Now a Minority in Leicester, Luton and Slough and Birmingham Is Set to Follow by End of Decade
MAIL ONLINE: All three communities have a white British population of less than 50%, 2011 UK census shows, and Birmingham will be the same by 2020 / Slough has the lowest proportion of white Britons in the UK outside London - 35 per cent / Immigration from Eastern Europe since 2004 a major cause, say academics

Three towns and cities have joined London in having a minority white British population.

Researchers say more than 50 per cent of people living in Leicester, Luton and Slough are either foreign or from an ethnic minority.

Birmingham is expected to have a similar make-up by 2020.

The findings are based on the 2011 national census, in which residents were asked which ethnic group they were in.

The census also broke the white population down into those who see themselves as white British and those who consider they are ‘white other’ – a group that will include immigrants from Europe as well as Australasia and America.

London has already been shown to have a white British population of only 45 per cent.

Yesterday’s breakdown showed that those who call themselves white British amount to 45 per cent of the population of Leicester, 45 per cent of the population of Luton and only just over a third, 35 per cent, of the people of Slough. » | Steve Doughty | Thursday, January 10, 2013

Shimon Peres: Israel's Government Does Not Want to Make Peace with Muslim World

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Shimon Peres, the Israeli president and Nobel laureate, has attacked the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claiming it is unwilling to make peace with the Muslim world and instead risks the outbreak of a new Palestinian uprising.

Intervening in the country’s general election campaign, Israel’s elder statesman warned of the perils of his country isolating itself from America.

President Barack Obama was “not convinced” that Israel’s current leaders truly wanted peace, he said.

“If there is no diplomatic decision, the Palestinians will go back to terror. Knives, mines, suicide attacks,” Mr Peres said in an extensive interview with the New York Times Magazine.

“The silence that Israel has been enjoying over the last few years will not continue, because even if the local inhabitants do not want to resume the violence, they will be under the pressure of the Arab world. Money will be transferred to them, and weapons will be smuggled to them, and there will be no one who will stop this flow.”

Most of the world would then blame Israel for the violence and brand it a “racist state”, warned Mr Peres. » | Robert Tait, in Jerusalem | Thursday, January 10, 2013