Edward Snowden: 'The US Government Will Say I Aided Our Enemies' – Video Interview

In the second part of an exclusive interview with Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden contemplates the reaction from the US government to his revelations of top-secret documents regarding its spying operations on domestic and foreign internet traffic, email and phone use. This interview was recorded in Hong Kong on 6 June 2013

Watch Part 2

Paul Weston in Salisbury

Paul Weston outside Salisbury Cathedral, speaking about British culture.

Égypte : le grand imam d'Al-Azhar "en retrait" jusqu'à la fin des violences

LE POINT: Ahmed Al-Tayeb, principale autorité sunnite du pays, avait apporté jeudi sa caution à la "feuille de route" présentée par l'armée pour la transition.

Le grand imam Ahmed Al-Tayeb d'Al-Azhar, la principale autorité sunnite d'Égypte, a annoncé lundi qu'il se plaçait "en retrait" jusqu'à la fin des violences en Égypte, qui ont fait au moins 42 morts dans la matinée. Dans un communiqué qu'il a lu à la télévision d'État, il a annoncé sa décision de se mettre en réserve. L'imam avait apporté jeudi sa caution à la mise en place d'une "feuille de route" présentée par l'armée pour mener la transition après le coup militaire qui a renversé le président islamiste Mohamed Morsi, à la suite de manifestations de masse réclamant son départ. Le patriarche copte orthodoxe Tawadros II et des responsables de l'opposition anti-Morsi ont également soutenu cette feuille de route. » | Source AFP | lundi 08 juillet 2013

Gewalt in Ägypten: Muslimbrüder warnen vor Bürgerkrieg wie in Syrien

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Der Konflikt zwischen Ägyptens Militär und Muslimbruderschaft verschärft sich: Nach einem blutigen Zusammenstoß in Kairo wird die Zentrale der islamistischen Partei geschlossen - der Chef der Muslimbrüder wirft der Armee vor, Verhältnisse wie in Syrien zu schaffen.

Kairo - Nach dem blutigen Zwischenfall mit vielen Toten in Kairo schieben sich die Konfliktparteien gegenseitig die Schuld zu. Der Anführer der Muslimbrüder, Mohammed Badi, erhob schwere Vorwürfe gegen die Streitkräfte. Diese würden in dem Land Verhältnisse wie in Syrien herbeiführen wollen. Dort tobt seit mehr als zwei Jahren ein blutiger Bürgerkrieg. Die tödlichen Schüsse auf Zivilisten am Morgen verurteilten die Muslimbrüder als "fürchterliches Verbrechen". » | fab/jok//AFP/dpa/Reuters | Montag, 08. Juli 2013

Inside Story: US: Walking a Diplomatic Tightrope in Egypt?

As Washington fails to condemn the military coup, we ask if it can defend democracy in Egypt.

Dozens Dead as Egyptian Islamists Rally in Support of Morsi

Police reportedly are using live bullets and tear gas against supporters of the ousted President Morsi. There are also unconfirmed reports that dozens of people have been killed. RT's Paula Slier reports from Cairo.

Snowden Strikes Again: 'NSA in Bed with Germany'

US fugitive Edward Snowden has accused Germany and the US of partnering in spy intelligence operations, revealing that cooperation between the countries is closer than German indignation would indicate, Der Spiegel magazine reported. Journalist Manuel Ochsenreiter says German politicians are furious - but about being exposed, not by being spied on.

New Dark Age Alert! Thug Politics - Greece

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Apocalypse: The Rise of Hitler

Infamous for his crimes against humanity, Hitler's rise to power was unexpected and devastating. But how could a political party so intolerant gain so much power under one man? Using historical newly colourised and impactful footage, Apocalypse: The Rise of Hitler is a two-part documentary which takes a remarkable look into the Nazis' ascent, exploring Hitler's path from mediocre student and failed artist to totalitarian dictator.
1.) Becoming Hitler Documentary charting the dictator's rise to power, from his beginnings as a struggling artist in Vienna to his eventual demise in Berlin. The first episode focuses on Hitler's formative years and how, when he returned home from the First World War, his nationalistic diatribes were largely ignored by the public, until the 1929 economic crisis put him and his ideas in the spotlight.


2.) Hitler becomes chancellor in 1933 after the German economy collapses and sets out to ensure the Nazi party's members dominate every aspect of society. One year later, he is proclaimed Fuehrer, beginning an ideological and military programme that eventually lead to the invasion of Poland and the start of the Second World War.

Egypt Unrest: Interim Leader Adly Mansour Calls for Calm

BBC: Egypt's interim leader has expressed sorrow over the deaths of at least 51 people near a barracks in Cairo, urging restraint amid ongoing unrest.

Adly Mansour also said he had ordered an investigation into the deaths.

The Muslim Brotherhood says its members were fired on as they staged a sit-in for ousted President Mohammad Morsi, while the army said "terrorists" tried to storm the barracks.

The Brotherhood's political wing meanwhile called for an "uprising".

The Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) - which took nearly half the seats in historic parliamentary elections held in late 2011 and early 2012 - urged Egyptians to revolt against "those trying to steal their revolution with tanks".

It also urged the international community to intervene to "stop further massacres" and prevent Egypt becoming "a new Syria". The movement has accused the army of staging a coup.

Mr Morsi, an Islamist and Egypt's first freely elected leader, was ousted by the army last week after mass protests.

The hardline Salafist Nour party - which had supported Mr Morsi's removal - said it was withdrawing from talks to choose an interim prime minister, describing the shooting incident as a "massacre".

The killings follow an incident in the same location on Friday in which three people died and dozens were wounded as troops fired on crowds. Mr Morsi is believed to be held at the barracks.

In a separate development, the grand sheikh of al-Azhar University, Ahmed al-Tayeb - seen as the highest authority in Sunni Islam - warned of civil war and said he was going into seclusion until the violence was over. (+ videos) » | Monday, July 08, 2013

Paper Is Not Dead: הנייר לא מת

Massacre in Cairo Deepens Egypt Crisis

At least 42 dead after gunmen open fire at Muslim Brotherhood protest against military coup in Egyptian capital.

Die salafistische Szene in Deutschland

Religionen im Gespräch im Haus der Religionen Hannover. Am 20. Juni 2013 diskutierte Salafismus-Expertin Claudia Dantschke vom Zentrum Demokratische Kultur in Berlin, mit dem Pädagogen Moussa Al-Hassan Diaw vom Institut für Islamische Theologie der Universität Osnabrück über das Thema "Salafisten. Wie gefährlich sind sie?" ¶ Moderiert von Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Reinbold.

Tote bei Schiesserei in Kairo

In Ägypten kam es zu schweren Zusammenstössen zwischen dem Militär und Islamisten. Dutzende Menschen wurden getötet. Die Salafisten sprechen von einem «Massaker», die Armee von der Abwehr eines «Terroraktes» – und die Muslimbrüder fordern ihre Anhänger zum Aufstand auf.

Muslim Brotherhood Calls for Uprising after Army Kills Dozens in Cairo

HAARETZ: Egypt's army said to open fire on sit-in protest outside army barracks where ousted president Morsi believed to be held; state TV reports 42 killed; military: 'terrorist group'tried to storm building.

The Muslim Brotherhood called on Egyptians to rise up against those who "want to steal" the revolution, a statement by its political wing said on Monday, after some 42 people were killed in shooting outside the Cairo headquarters of the Republican Guard, according to state television, where it is believed that ousted President Mohammed Morsi is being held.

Egyptian state television also reported that an additional 322 people were wounded.

After the shooting, the Muslim Brotherhood said that the chief of the armed forces, General Abel Fattah al-Sisi wanted to drive Egypt to the same fate as Syria. Holding him responsible, the group described the shooting as a "horrible crime" in a statement posted on Facebook.

"(The Freedom and Justice Party) calls on the great Egyptian people to rise up against those who want to steal their revolution with tanks and armored vehicles, even over the dead bodies of the people," a statement on the party's Facebook page said. » | Reuters and The Associated Press | Monday, July 08, 2013

Why Did Greenwald Expose the NSA Leak Story?

Did the journalist have a motive?

World History in 2 Minutes

Tony Blair Calls for Intervention in Syria

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Tony Blair has criticised the Government’s failure to intervene in the conflict in Syria as he called for a no-fly zone in the region and said Britain should consider arming the rebels in the country.

Mr Blair, the former Prime Minister, said that the civil war in Syria has caused more deaths that the conflict in Iraq since 2003.

“Personally I think we should at least consider and consider actively a no-fly zone in Syria,” Mr Blair told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

Mr Blair said: “A refusal to engage, as you see from what’s happening in Syria at the moment, where, after all, as a proportion of the population there’s now been more people that have died in Syria in a civil war that shows absolutely no sign of ending than in the entirety of Iraq since 2003. So, you know, inaction is also a policy and a decision with consequence.” » | Peter Dominiczak, Political Correspondent | Monday, July 08, 2013

My comment:

Old Tone has screwed up the UK and made us bankrupt into the bargain, so now he wants us to use the little money we have left to go and screw up Syria too. The hubris of this codger beggars belief. He is supposed to be a peace envoy for the Middle East, but he's more like a warmonger. Further, there's got to be plenty of money in it for him. This man thinks only of himself and his fortune. We should ignore his advice until such time that we can get him tried in the Hague for crimes against humanity. – © Mark

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View from Poland: End the Hunt for Snowden

GAZETA WYBORCZA: “Europe should not be indifferent to Snowden’s fate,” writes Gazeta Wyborcza, stressing that Europeans should not allow the American whistleblower to be put in jail for a lifetime in the US just for disclosing activities he deemed illegal. According to the Warsaw daily, the problem should be solved by means of “tacit compromise” between Europeans and Americans –

They could find a Saint Helena for him where [Snowden] could live in peace. Meanwhile America, which has been less interested in Europe over the last couple of years, should start rebuilding the tarnished relations with the Old Continent. We have to remember that we are condemned to forever be with each other. America and Europe have common problems with terrorists and the Chinese throwing their weight around. It would be a true catastrophe if we forgot about this just because of the Snowden affair.

» | Thursday, July 04, 2013 | [Source: PRESSEUROP]

PRESSEUROP: Why Europe must protect Edward Snowden: In an article published in several European newspapers, the WikiLeaks founder and the Director General of Reporters Without Borders call on European states grant asylum the whistleblower who exposed the NSA eavesdropping, for the sake of freedom of the press and of information. » | Julian Assange | Christophe Deloire | Friday, July 05, 2013

Salman Rushdie: «Mit Religion lässt sich nicht effizient regieren»

SCHWEIZER RADIO UND FERNSEHEN: Der renommierte Buchautor Salman Rushdie äussert sich nur vorsichtig über die Zukunft Ägyptens. Ob eine demokratisch gewählte, islamistische Regierung bestehen könne, werde sich zeigen. Nach seiner Meinung soll sich die Religion aus der Politik heraushalten.

Salman Rushdie ist ein englischer Autor mit kashmir-indischen Wurzeln. Er lebte zwölf Jahre im Untergrund, nachdem der iranische Revolutionsführer Ayatollah Khomeini 1989 gegen ihn eine Fatwa, ein Todesurteil, ausgesprochen hatte. Der Grund waren seine Satanischen Verse.

Heute bewegt sich Salman Rushdie wieder frei und war zu Gast am Literaturfestival Leukerbad. Dort äusserte er sich auch zu Ägypten. (+ Audio) » | Interview: Isabelle Jacobi | Sonntag, 07. Juli 2013