Tuesday, March 12, 2013
STANDPOINTMAG: Imagine yourself back in 2002. The census for England and Wales, compiled the previous year, has just come out, showing the extent to which the country has changed. You decide to extrapolate from the findings and speculate about what the next decade might bring.
"The Muslim population of Britain will double in the next ten years," you conclude. "White Britons will become a minority in their own capital city by the end of this decade."
How would those statements by your younger self have been greeted? The terms "alarmist" and "scaremongering" would certainly have been used, as most likely would "racist" and (though the coinage was in its infancy) "Islamophobe". Safe to say, your extrapolations would not have been greeted warmly. Readers inclined to doubt this might recall that when the then Timesjournalist Anthony Browne made far less startling comments in 2002, they were denounced by then Home Secretary David Blunkett — using parliamentary privilege — as "bordering on fascism".
Yet that widely abused younger self of 2002 would be proved utterly right. The 2011 census, published at the end of last year, revealed the following facts and more. It showed that the number of people living in England and Wales who were born overseas rose by nearly three million in the last decade alone. Only 44.9 per cent of London residents are now white British. And nearly three million people in England and Wales live in households where not one adult speaks English as their main language.
The religious make-up of Britain has altered as well. Almost every belief other than Christianity is on the rise. Only Britain's historic national religion is in freefall. Since the previous census in 2001, the number of people identifying themselves as Christian dropped by 13 per cent, from 72 to 59 per cent. The number of Christians in England and Wales dropped by more than four million, and the number of Christians overall fell from 37 million to 33 million.
And while Christianity witnessed this collapse in its followers, mass migration assisted a near-doubling in size of the Muslim population. Over the last decade the number of Muslims rose from 1.5 million to 2.7 million. These are the official figures. Illegal immigrants make the real numbers far higher.
Despite being hard to digest in a year, the census story passed over in a couple of days. But this is not an ephemeral story. It is an account of our recent past, our immediate present and a glimpse into a troubling future. Perhaps we passed over it so quickly because few people can bear this much reality. » | Douglas Murray | March 2013
THE HUFFINGTON POST: If all had gone according to NYC Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's plan, today would have been the first day without super-sized beverages in New York City.
Known as the "soda ban," Bloomberg's legislation put a cap on the number of ounces of sugary, calorie-laden drinks available for sale in the city. If it hadn't been struck down, restaurants, fast food joints, pizza parlors, movie theaters and bars would currently be unable to sell more than 16 ounce containers of sugary drinks that have more than 25 calories per ounce. That means: sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks, juice drinks, slushies and smoothies, among other beverages. Exceptions include alcohol and milk-based drinks.
But in a last-minute ruling, State Supreme Court Justice Milton Tingling dismissed the law, explaining that the New York City's Board of Health lacked the jurisdiction to enforce it. He further went on to find that the rule was "arbitrary and capricious" -- that it did not accomplish what it set out to do. Or, as HuffPost Live host (and resident legal expert) Mike Sacks put it, "law-speak for too stupid to be legal." » | Meredith Melnick | Tuesday, March 12, 2013
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: As expected, the Hungarian parliament on Monday evening passed a package of constitutional amendments that legal experts say are an affront to democracy. Berlin, Brussels and Washington all voiced their concern in the run up to the vote. Leaders in Budapest, however, were unfazed.
Hungarian President János Áder arrived in Berlin on Monday for what might look merely like a standard bilateral meeting between two EU leaders. But the relationship between the European Union and Hungary is anything but normal these days. Budapest, after all, bid farewell on Monday to many of the values that define the 27-member club.
Prime Minster Viktor Orbán, like Áder a member of the conservative Fidesz party, has expanded his power dramatically. While the head of state was in Berlin, the prime minister moved ahead with a highly controversial package of amendments to the country's constitution. The amendments weaken the country's constitutional court, the last defender of Hungary's constitutional state, and they limit the independence of the entire judiciary branch.
In other words, a country at the center of the European Union is moving away from the principles of freedom, democracy and the rule of law. » | Keno Verseck | Monday, March 11, 2013
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Homosexuelle stoßen in Russland immer stärker auf Ablehnung. Die Ergebnisse einer aktuellen Umfrage sind erschreckend: 43 Prozent der Befragten sind für eine Zwangsheilung, eine Isolierung oder gar eine Liquidierung von Schwulen und Lesben.
Moskau - Der Druck auf Homosexuelle in Russland steigt: Nach einer aktuellen Umfrage wächst die Ablehnung von Schwulen und Lesben. 43 Prozent der Befragten sind entweder für eine "Zwangsheilung" (22 Prozent), eine "Isolierung" (16 Prozent) oder sogar "Liquidierung" (5 Prozent). Das teilte das Meinungsforschungsinstitut Lewada der Agentur Interfax mit. Diese Werte seien im Vergleich zu früheren Studien gestiegen. » | heb/dpa | Dienstag, 12. März 2013
GLOBAL POST: Hailing from a family of aristocrats, Austria's Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn is widely seen as a moderate figure in the Church but also shares the conservative values of his now-retired mentor Benedict XVI.
The tall, open-faced and oft-smiling archbishop of Vienna is one of the contenders to take over the papacy, although some have questioned the likelihood of a second consecutive German-speaking pope being chosen.
Well-liked and seen as a brilliant theologian, Schoenborn has described himself as "conservative on religious issues but liberal on social matters." » | Agence France-Presse | Thursday, March 07, 2013
KLEINE ZEITUNG: Kardinal Christoph Schönborn wird als einer der Favoriten für das Konklave gehandelt, das heute Nachmittag in Rom beginnt. Seine hochbetagte Mutter Eleonore Schönborn hofft indes, dass ihr Sohn nicht neuer Papst wird und erklärt im Interview, warum.
Kardinal Christoph Schönborns engste Familie, seine Mutter und seine drei Geschwister, erlebt derzeit bange Stunden. "Die ganze Familie hat Angst davor, dass Christoph zum Papst gewählt wird", gesteht die Mutter des Papst-Anwärters.
Eleonore Schönborn lebt hochbetagt in Schruns im Montafon in Vorarlberg, wo auch der für das Konklave hoch gehandelte Wiener Erzbischof nach der Flucht der Familie aus Böhmen aufgewachsen ist. Die 92-jährige Mutter hat die Abschiedsrede von Joseph Ratzinger gehört. "Er sagte, dass man als Papst voll und ganz der Kirche gehört. Da gibt es kein Privatleben mehr." Wenn ihr Sohn Papst würde, "dann ist es für mich vorbei. Dann seh ich den Christoph überhaupt nicht mehr. Denn ich habe nicht mehr die Kraft, nach Rom zu fahren." » | Dienstag, 12. März 2013
L’ESSENTIEL ONLINE: La mère d'un des papables ne veut pas qu'il soit élu : Eleonore Schönborn, mère du cardinal autrichien craint de ne plus le revoir si ce dernier est élu au Saint-Siège et qu'il ne se perde dans les intrigues vaticanes. » | L'essentiel Online/AFP | mardi 12 mars 2013
KLEINE ZEITUNG – FOTO GALERIE: Papst-Wahl: So wohnen die Kardinäle: Während dem Konklave wohnen die Kardinäle in der Casa Santa Marta. »
Monday, March 11, 2013
WORLD TRIBUNE: WASHINGTON — Al Qaida has targeted Christians for recruitment in operations against the United States, according to a new report.
The Henry Jackson Society found that Al Qaida was wooing American Christians interested in Islam as potential recruits for operational and sleeper cells.
In a 720-page report, the society said nearly a quarter of all identified Al Qaida operatives in the United States were Christians who had converted to Islam.
“Maybe this is just one expression in a post-industrial society of how young people deal with alienation,” former CIA director Michael Hayden, co-author of the report, said. Read the complete article [password protected] » | Compiled by Miles Yu, Geostrategy-Direct.com | Monday, March 11, 2013
BBC: Princess Lilian of Sweden, whose romance with husband Prince Bertil became one of Sweden's best-known love stories, has died at the age of 97.
Welsh-born Lilian met Prince Bertil in London during World War II, but they faced objections to their relationship because of the prince's obligations to the throne and Lilian's status as a divorced commoner. They had to wait until 1976 to get married.
In 2010, it was announced she had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
James Savage, managing editor of English-language online newspaper The Local in Sweden, told BBC Radio Wales she was one of the most senior members of the Swedish royal family. (+ BBC audio) » | Monday, March 11, 2013
THE LOCAL SWEDEN: Princess Lilian funeral details released: Sweden's British-born Princess Lilian, who died on Sunday at the age of 97, will lie in state for well-wishers to pay their last respects on Friday, the Royal Court announced on Monday. » | Monday, March 11, 2013
BBC: Tributes have been paid to one of Swansea's "most famous daughters", Princess Lilian of Sweden, who has died at the age of 97. » | Monday, March 11, 2013
THE FIJI TIMES ONLINE: Love story ends as Princess Lilian dies: WELSH-BORN Princess Lilian of Sweden, whose decades-long love story with the king's uncle was one of the better kept secrets of the royal household, has died aged 97. » | News.Com.Au | Tuesday, March 12, 2013
TIMES HERALD RECORD: Princess whose forbidden love gripped Sweden dies » | The Associated Press | Sunday, March 10, 2013
BBC: The commoners who married royalty: Despite her Welsh background and fairytale life, the late Princess Lilian of Sweden was not a household name in the UK. She was also not the first commoner to marry royalty. The BBC looks at others, including the Duchess of Cambridge. » | Monday, March 11, 2013
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THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama will be limited to an especially strict Kosher diet when he visits Israel for the first time as US president this month.
The stringent dietary restrictions will be dictated by the timing of Mr Obama's arrival at Jerusalem's landmark King David Hotel on March 20 – after it has changed to a full religious menu in preparation for the start of the annual Jewish Passover festival five days later.
Bosses at the 233-room King David say they are unable to make an exception for the presidential party.
Pasta dishes will be very much off the menu, while dishes rich in vegetables will predominate – even on room service, which will operate 24-hours-a-day for the duration of the president's visit.
"We're used to hosting heads of state and also American presidents, but this situation is very special for us because it's so close to Pesach [Passover]. For us it will be double the preparations," the hotel's manager, Dror Danino, told Haaretz [$] newspaper. » | Robert Tait, Jerusalem | Monday, Marcj 11, 2013
THE JERUSALEM POST: Army of 10,000 police prepare for Obama visit: Police Spokesman says thousands of police will take part in securing the three-day visit by US president. » | Ben Hartman | Monday, March 11, 2013
YNET NEWS – OPINION: Progress or explosion: Op-ed: President Obama may as well postpone visit to region if he does not plan to advance peace process » | Emanuel Rosen | Sunday, March 10, 2013
ABC NEWS: Long thought to be a modern disease related to contemporary lifestyles, atherosclerosis was common among ancient people as well, a new study found.
Whole body CT scans of 137 mummies from four different ancient populations revealed heart and vascular calcifications consistent with atherosclerosis, reported Dr. Randall Thompson of St. Luke's Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Mo., and colleagues.
"We were most surprised to find atherosclerosis among hunter-gatherers, whose varied diet and active lifestyle would presumably place them at low risk," he told MedPage Today.
The findings were reported online in The Lancet and at the American College of Cardiology meeting in San Francisco.
"The presence of atherosclerosis in pre[-]modern human beings suggests that the disease is an inherent component of human aging and not associated with any specific diet or lifestyle," the researchers concluded. » | Charlene Laino | Monday, March 11, 2013
LE MONDE BLOGS: Son "nouveau départ", Arnoud van Doorn l'a annoncé sur son compte Twitter. Une formule lapidaire, mais lourde de sens pour celui qui n'était connu jusque là que pour son rôle de vice-président du Parti de la liberté (extrême droite néerlandaise) au sein du conseil municipal de La Haye, et sa grande proximité avec Geert Wilders, le chef de file du parti ultranationaliste.
A 46 ans, Arnoud van Doorn a pourtant fait mentir ses orientations politiques en annonçant s'être converti à l'islam. Une annonce qui a surpris la presse néerlandaise, notamment le Amsterdam Herald, qui revient sur cette affaire. Sur son compte Twitter toujours, l'homme a en effet écrit en arabe la phrase de la chahada, premier des cinq piliers de la religion musulmane : "Il n'y a pas d'autre dieu que dieu et Mahomet est son prophète." L'homme n'a pas précisé les raisons de sa conversion, affirmant qu'il s'agissait "d'une affaire personnelle". Continuez à lire et ajouter un commentaire » | lundi 11 mars 2013
TICINO LIVE: Il vice di Geert Wilders si converte all’Islam. Colpo di scena in Olanda: Dopo anni di propaganda contro il Corano, il vice presidente del movimento populista guidato da Geert Wilders si converte all’Islam. » | lunedi 11 marzo 2013
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THE GUARDIAN: One of royal households best-kept secrets, her relationship with Prince Bertil was seen as threat to Bernadotte dynasty
She was one of the better-kept secrets of Sweden's royal household: a commoner and divorcee whose relationship with Prince Bertil was seen as a threat to the Bernadotte dynasty.
In a touching royal romance, Welsh-born Princess Lilian and the prince kept their love unofficial for decades and were both in their 60s when they finally received the king's blessing to get married.
Lilian died in her Stockholm home on Sunday at the age of 97. The royal palace didn't give a cause of death but Lilian suffered from Alzheimer's disease and had been in poor health for several years.
She met Sweden's Prince Bertil in 1943, but his obligations to the throne and Lilian's status as a divorced commoner prevented them from making their love public. The couple's sacrifices and lifelong dedication to one another gripped the hearts of Swedes.
"If I were to sum up my life, everything has been about my love," the princess said of her husband when she turned 80 in 1995. "He's a great man, and I love him." » | Associated Press | Monday, March 11, 2013
THE DAILY BEAST: Princess Lilian of Sweden: Beloved Princess who was banned from marrying her royal sweetheart for 30 years » | Tom Sykes | Monday, March 11, 2013
Related »
BBC: Princess Lilian of Sweden, whose romance with husband Prince Bertil became one of Sweden's best-known love stories, has died at the age of 97.
Welsh-born Lilian met Prince Bertil in London during World War II.
However, they faced objections to their relationship because of the prince's obligations to the throne and Lilian's status as a divorced commoner. They had to wait until 1976 to get married.
In 2010, it was announced she had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
Princess Lilian was born Lilian Davies in Swansea in August 1915 and moved to London aged 16 to follow a modelling career. She was married to actor Ivan Craig when she met Prince Bertil in London in 1943.
The couple fell in love in what Swedish media described as a real-life Cinderella story. She divorced her British husband two years later.
However, Prince Bertil's father, King Gustaf VI Adolf, refused to give his blessing for the couple to get married. » | Sunday, March 10, 2013
Swansea-born Swedish Princess Dies Peacefully in Her Sleep »
LE MATIN: COEUR — Oskar Freysinger est passé sur le billard la veille du dépôt des listes au Conseil d’Etat valaisan. Conforté par le diagnostic, il se sent en forme pour cumuler les mandats.
Les faits sont largement passés inaperçus. Mais le champion du premier tour de l’élection au Conseil d’Etat valaisan, Oskar Freysinger, a eu deux opérations du cœur depuis le début de l’année! «La première s’est déroulée le jour avant le dépôt des listes, pour être sûr que cela n’était pas trop grave. Si cela avait nécessité un pontage, je n’aurais pas pu être candidat, c’est clair! Mais là, il s’agissait d’un rétrécissement coronarien. Mon médecin m’a rassuré en me disant qu’il n’y avait aucun souci. Ensuite, j’ai fait la deuxième opération durant la campagne pour poser deux stents.» » | Par Lise Bailat | jeudi 07 mars 2013
TAGES ANZEIGER: Freysinger will trotz Herzproblemen an mehreren Ämtern festhalten: Oskar Freysinger wurde in diesem Jahr zweimal am Herzen operiert. Bei einer Wahl zum Staatsrat will er auch an seinem Amt als Nationalrat festhalten. Ist er der Doppelbelastung gewachsen? » | Von Lise Ballat | Donnerstag, 07. März 2013
Related »
WIKI: Oskar Freysinger – English, Deutsch, Français
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