Beppe Grillo Says Italy May Soon Have to Pull Out of Euro
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Beppe Grillo, the comedian who was the big winner in Italy's election, suggests Italy may have to abandon the euro and go back to the lira, and renegotiate its gigantic debt.

Beppe Grillo, the former comedian who holds the balance of power in Italy, has suggested the country may have to abandon the euro and return to the lire.

In an interview with a German magazine published on Saturday, Mr Grillo said that “if conditions do not change” Italy “will want” to leave the euro and return to its former national currency.

The 64-year-old comic-turned-political activist also said Italy needs to renegotiate its €2 trillion debt.

At 127 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), it is the highest in the euro zone after Greece.

“Right now we are being crushed, not by the euro, but by our debt. When the interest payments reach €100 billion a year, we’re dead. There’s no alternative,” he told Focus, a weekly news magazine. » | Nick Squires | Saturday, March 02, 2013

Andrew Sullivan: I Came Out First to God

Bigotry: A Polish Priest Gives His Views on Homosexuality

Channel 4: Queer and Catholic
Mark Dowd's Channel 4 documentary on homosexuality in Catholic Church.

Queer and Catholic part 1 from Mark Dowd on Vimeo.

Unfortunately, Part 2 appears not to be available.

MAIL ONLINE: Drunken parties at the seminary, crushes on young ‘pups’ and gay mafia accused of bringing down Britain’s top Catholic»

Boom in German Lessons as Europe's Jobless Head North
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Classes in German are booming across southern Europe as young Spaniards, Greeks and Italians flee their own recession-hit countries to seek employment in the region's powerhouse.

More than 9,000 Spaniards took German courses last year, a jump of 56 percent since 2009, new figures show. Of those studying the language in Madrid, one third were under the age of 25.

Unemployment in Spain stood at 26 percent in January - twice the average for the European Union - while more than half of young people are unemployed.

The classes appear to be paying off, however: in Germany, the number of Spanish workers finding employment rose by just over 12 percent last year. The number of Spaniards living in Berlin alone jumped to 11,473 in 2011 from 8,223 the previous year.

In Greece, where young people alone were facing an unemployment rate of nearly 60 percent last year, enrollment in German classes has surged by 24 percent since the start of the credit crunch. Last year, the number of Greeks working in Germany climbed by around 10%.

Italians were also dusting off their German books, with some 4,700 enrolling in classes last year, an increase of 28 percent since the financial crisis began. Read on and comment » | Jeevan Vasagar, Berlin | Friday, March 01, 2013

Robert Spencer: John Brennan and Islam

HT: Robert Spencer @ Jihad Watch »

Friedensnobelpreisträger Walesa will Homosexuelle hinter Mauer verbannen

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Homosexuelle sollen nach Ansicht des früheren polnischen Arbeiterführers Lech Walesa im Parlament in der letzten Reihe sitzen - oder gleich hinter einer Mauer. Der Friedensnobelpreisträger will nicht, dass seine "Kinder und Enkel von dieser Minderheit verwirrt werden".

Warschau - Er ist Friedensnobelpreisträger, doch regelmäßig sorgt der frühere polnische Arbeiterführer Lech Walesa mit seinen Aussagen für Unverständnis. Auch in der Diskussion um Homo-Ehen in Polen hat sich der 69-Jährige eine Entgleisung geleistet. Nach Walesas Meinung sollten homosexuelle Abgeordnete im Parlament in der letzten Reihe sitzen - "und sogar hinter einer Mauer". » | max/dpa | Freitag, 01. März 2013

The Changing Face of America: Americans Convert To Islam New Muslim America 2012

Crosstalk: Church in Crisis
Has the Catholic Church lost its relevance? Can it ever recover from its numerous scandals? Many have left the Church because its worldview is at odds with so many pressing social issues – gay rights, marriage and women's rights. Can the Church still reach out to these groups? And will anything change with Pope Benedict’s exit? CrossTalking with Nancy Scheper-Hughes, Jamila Bey and Terrence Tilley.
Watch the RT programme here | Monday, February 18, 2013

Four British Al-Qaeda Inspired Fanatics Face Jail After Admitting Terror Plot
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Four British al-Qaeda inspired fanatics are facing jail after admitting they were planning a terrorist attack using home-made bombs.

The gang, from Luton, Beds., downloaded computer files giving instructions on how to launch an attack, discussed possible targets and took part in military-style physical training.

They were due to stand trial next month but pleaded guilty in a hearing at Woolwich Crown Court in London today.

Zahid Iqbal, 31, Mohammed Sharfaraz Ahmed, 25, Umar Arshad, 24, and Syed Farhan Hussain, 21, admitted one charge of engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism.

According to the details of the charge, between Jan 1, 2011 and April 25 last year the four discussed “methods, materials and targets for a terrorist attack, including firearms and improvised explosive devices” and downloaded files “containing practical instruction for a terrorist attack”.

They also facilitated and planned overseas travel, took part in physical training, bought survival equipment and collected and supplied funds for terrorist purposes overseas. » | Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter | Friday, March 01, 2013

Byzantium, The Lost Empire: Building the Dream

Eastleigh By-election: Open Tory Revolt to David Cameron's Leadership after UKIP Thrashing
LONDON EVENING STANDARD: Right wingers demand tougher policies as Lib Dems cling on to seat / Late Ukip surge fails to defeat Lib Dems / Embarrassment for Tories as they finish in third place / Mike Thornton held on to the seat vacated by disgraced ex minister Chris Huhne

Tory MPs were in open revolt against David Cameron’s touchy-feely leadership style today after being thrashed into third place behind Ukip at the Eastleigh by-election.

Right-wingers said Mr Cameron brought on the disaster by trampling on traditional Conservative values with policies like gay marriage and husky hugging.

In a strongly worded warning, backbencher Stewart Jackson, who quit as a ministerial aide over Europe, told the Standard: “Unless things are demonstrably different in terms of public perception by the early summer he will have great difficulty in persuading the electorate that we can win a general election.

“He is out of touch with the party. Both gay marriage and EU migration feed into a narrative that too much emphasis is going to the Liberal metropolitan elite and not enough to the blue-collar working vote that Margaret Thatcher had the support of.” Epping Forest’s Eleanor Laing said: “Loyalty is a two-way thing and the leadership of the Conservative Party asks for loyalty from our supporters but those supporters don’t feel that they’re getting loyalty back.”

Tory supporters felt “hurt and left out” and MPs were “in despair about the number of people who are resigning from the Party”, she told the BBC’s World at One. Backbencher Douglas Carswell urged the PM: “Don’t alienate base in return for pundit applause. Pundits don’t have many votes.”

There were calls for tougher policies on immigration, Europe and marriage. Ominously, some MPs said Mr Cameron was now on probation and a full-blown leadership crisis would blow up if the party is routed in May’s council elections. The Tory day of anger followed a night of pure drama in Eastleigh. » | Joe Murphy | Friday, March 01, 2013

How Christianity Spread Throughout The Roman Empire

Prince John, The Windsors’ Tragic Secret

The Changing Face of America: The New American Muslim from Judaism/Christianity to Islam

Barack Obama's Half-brother Malik Runs for Office in Kenya

THE GUARDIAN: Malik Obama is running for a governor's position in Kenya's nationwide elections on Monday

A politician named Obama who is running for governor in Kenya can boast of one big claim to fame on the campaign trail: blood relations with the president of the United States.

Malik Obama, 54, a half-brother of Barack Obama, is running for a governor's position in the country's nationwide elections on Monday. He said he was not sure what impact his relationship to the US president had on his campaign.

"I'm going into it as Malik Obama," he said in a phone interview from western Kenya. "I can't run away from my name and association with my brother, but I have the feeling that people somewhat want to see who the brother of Obama is."

He has invoked the message that Barack Obama leaned on during his 2008 presidential campaign: change. Malik Obama says his platform is poverty eradication, infrastructure development and industrialisation. » | Associated Press in Nairobi | Friday, March 01, 2013

‘Obama Family Is a Symbol of Religious Tolerance’
SAUDI GAZETTE: JEDDAH: Abdul Malik Obama, the brother of US President Barack Obama, has described their family as a symbol of religious coexistence and tolerance.

Speaking to Okaz/Saudi Gazette, Abdul Malik Obama said the family is a perfect example of this mindset because the US president has embraced Christianity while the rest of the family are Muslims and are leading Da’wa work, the religious call, in Africa.

Abdul Malik Obama said that coexistence between religions, preventing sedition, conflicts and wars, is important for the well-being of humanity. He confirmed that he has observed up close that President Obama loves and respects Islam and Muslims.

He said his brother has always remained in contact with the family and his roots in Africa, especially after his 2006 visit to Kenya and the birthplace of his father, Hussein Obama, in Kogelo village.

During the visit, he met his grandmother, Sara Obama; his sister, Obama Obama; his uncle, Sa’iy Obama; and his cousin, Omran Obama. He said his brother donated money to build a school bearing the name “Senator Obama.”

Abdul Malik Hussein Obama is spending most of his time in serving about 10 million Kenyan Muslims, who represent 35 percent of the country’s population, through Islamic centers and charitable societies he supervises.

He is also working as the executive secretary of the Islamic Da’wa Organization in Kenya. » | Naeem Al-Hakim | Thursday, December 09, 2010

„Der radikale Islam passt nicht zu uns“
KURIER: Mustafa Ben Jafaar: Tunesiens Parlamentspräsident im KURIER-Gespräch.

Die Ermordung von Oppositionspolitiker Chokri Belaïd, die zu landesweiten Protesten und dem Rücktritt der Regierung geführt hatten, sei eine „große Tragödie“ gewesen, sagt Tunesiens Parlamentspräsident Mustafa Ben Jafaar (73). Dennoch werde das „postrevolutionäre Tunesien“ in seiner schwierigen Übergangsphase keinen Schritt zurück machen. Mit dem KURIER sprach Ben Jafaar in Wien über...

... die Gefahr religiöser Radikalisierung In Tunesien gibt es keine Tradition des Extremismus. Der radikale Islam passt überhaupt nicht ins religiöse Profil unseres Landes. Die Gesellschaft ist offen und moderat gegenüber anderen. Aber beeinflusst über andere Wege gibt es auch bei uns eine extreme Minderheit an gewaltbereiten Dschihadisten. Dabei ist es nicht ihre Anzahl oder ihre Größe oder ihre Inhalte, die uns Sorgen bereiten – sondern das Klima einer gewaltbereiten Umgebung. Man muss nur sehen,was in Mali vor sich ging, zuletzt in Algerien, und es gibt auch einige Tunesier, die in Syrien mitkämpfen. » | Donnerstag, 28. Februar 2013

Russian Banker Claims He Is Granted Asylum in UK
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A prominent Russian banker claims he has received political asylum in Britain after claiming he was being subjected to a campaign of persecution led by former President Dmitry Medvedev.

Andrei Borodin, 45, the former president and co-owner of the Bank of Moscow who is wanted in Russia for alleged fraud, told the Vedomosti daily that he had been granted asylum by UK authorities in the last few days.

The news drew a sharp condemnation of the British government from Mr Medvedev's spokesman.

If true, the asylum decision is likely to cause fresh tension in the already fraught UK-Russia relationship. The Kremlin was furious when Britain gave asylum to fugitive oligarch Boris Berezovsky and Chechen rebel envoy Akhmed Zakayev.

"My lawyers put in an application for political asylum to the UK Home Office indicating that the pursuit of me and my colleagues in Russia is politically motivated," Mr Borodin told the newspaper.

"Behind it are politicians including the former president, Dmitry Medvedev, who is the chief initiator of all this persecution and victimisation. We said that all the criminal cases against me in Russia are nothing but a weapon of that illegal, politically motivated persecution, and the British government decided to give me asylum." Mr Medvedev served for one term as president from 2008 to 2012 before handing back the Kremlin to his ally, Vladimir Putin. He is now prime minister. » | Tom Parfitt, Moscow | Friday, March 01, 2013

Hugo Chavez Is Fighting for Life, Says Vice President
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is fighting for his life in a Caracas military hospital 10 days after returning from cancer treatment in Cuba, his vice president said.

Vice President Nicolas Maduro did not provide more details, but the government said last week that Chavez was still suffering from a respiratory infection and that the trajectory was not favorable.

As he presented subsidised homes on state-run television, Maduro said that Chavez was "battling for his health, for his life, and we are accompanying him," adding later that the president was in a "complex and difficult" stage. » | Friday, March 01, 2013