'Francois Hollande Looks Totally Ridiculous,' French Newspaper Claims Nicolas Sarkozy Said

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Nicolas Sarkozy has reportedly said that his successor, President Francois Hollande, "looks totally ridiculous" as he seemingly emerges from his mistress's apartment wearing a motorbike helmet - and has gloated about how well in comparison he handled his blossoming relationship with Carla Bruni

François Hollande has made the French presidency look "ridiculous" with his scooter-driven nocturnal trips to visit his mistress, Nicolas Sarkozy was reported as saying on Wednesday.

As the scandal over Mr Hollande's affair with Julie Gayet, a 41-year old actress, continued to reverberate around France, Le Canard Enchaîné, the investigative weekly, said that Mr Sarkozy – his Right-wing predecessor – has been gloating over his rival's woes.

"He's got himself into a right old pickle," he was reported as saying to "visitors".

"Perhaps this will put an end to all his moralising," said Mr Sarkozy, whose Socialist successor has often accused of shamelessly exploiting his private life for political gain.

"With Carla, we tried to quickly make our relationship official because I didn't want a photo taken one sordid morning or after nightfall," Le Canard cites him as saying.

"While everyone has the right to a private life, when one is a public figure and president, one must be careful to avoid being ridiculous," he is quoted as scoffing.

"Well, that photo of Hollande coming out of his mistress' place with a motorbike helmet makes Hollande look totally ridiculous. He is the ridiculous president." Read on and comment » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Mastermind of 9/11 Says Koran 'Forbids' Violence to Spread Islam

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed makes his first public statement in five years, saying 'Holy Koran forbids us to use force as a means of converting'

The self-proclaimed mastermind of the September 11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, has released a manifesto claiming that the Koran forbids the use of violence to spread Islam.

The document, published Tuesday by The Huffington Post and Britain's Channel 4 News, marks Mohammed's first public communication since 2009, when the US government officially accused him of terrorism.

Mohammed, the most high-profile of the five men accused over the 2001 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people on US soil, has been held at the US detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba since 2006.

In a major departure from his previous position, Mohammed said that "the Holy Koran forbids us to use force as a means of converting!" » | Wednesday, January 15, 2014

UK Slammed for Offering Syrian Refugees Charity, Not Asylum

The United Nations is urging EU members to take in Syrian refugees, who fled the warzone but are now struggling to survive in neighbouring countries. Several European nations have answered the call, and are granting asylum to Syrians. But one of the largest member states is being criticised for shutting its doors, as Tesa Arcilla reports.

Vanity Art: UK MPs Splash £250k of Public Cash on Portraits

At a time of economic unease and deep welfare cuts - British politicians haven't been holding back when it comes to immortalizing their colleagues on canvas and in sculpture while leaving taxpayers to pick up the tab. RT's Polly Boyko reports.

Dubai Censors Cut Quarter of The Wolf of Wall Street

Margot Robbie stars opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in 'The Wolf of Wall Street'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Moviegoers said all profanities were bleeped out from the Martin Scorsese movie featuring Leonardo DiCaprio

About 45 minutes have been cut from the nearly 3-hour high-finance extravaganza "The Wolf of Wall Street" for Dubai audiences, or a quarter of the film, leaving many viewers disappointed and confused about the sequence of events.

The cuts come as the movie has drawn criticism even from film critics in more liberal countries for its portrayal of drugs, sex and money. Detractors say the film glorifies unchecked greed, includes full nudity and is loaded with a reported record for F- bombs in a movie - more than 500.

Moviegoers said all profanities were bleeped out from the Martin Scorsese movie featuring Leonardo DiCaprio. One woman wrote on the Facebook page for Reel Cinemas, which operates two theaters in Dubai, that she and her friend walked out after about 40 minutes because they felt the movie was simply incoherent and unwatchable. » | AP | Tuesday, January 14, 2014

John Kerry Hits Back at Israeli Minister's 'Nobel Prize' Jibe

Moshe Ya'alon | John Kerry

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: US Secretary of State's spokesman calls remarks by Israel's defence minister 'offensive', if accurate

Tensions between Israel and America spilled into the open on Tuesday as the US angrily rejected the Israeli defence minister's claim that John Kerry is on a messianic quest for peace in the Middle East.

Moshe Yaalon, a hawkish Israeli cabinet minister, reportedly dismissed the US secretary of state's frenetic peacemaking efforts as outside meddling motivated by "an incomprehensible obsession and a sense of messianism".

"The only thing that might save us is if John Kerry wins the Nobel Prize and leaves us be," Mr Yaalon told US and Israeli officials, according to the Yediot Ahranot newspaper.

The former Israeli general reportedly said Mr Kerry "can't teach me anything about the conflict with the Palestinians" and disdainfully dismissed a US security proposal as "not worth the paper it was written on". » | Raf Sanchez, Washington, Inna Lazareva in Jerusalem | Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Related »

Unbelievable! European Court Backs Immunity for Saudi Arabian Officials Accused of Torture

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: European human rights judges uphold the immunity of Saudi Arabian officials accused of torturing Britons

Saudi Arabian officials have immunity in Britain's courts from being sued over the alleged torture of British nationals including rape, European human rights judges have ruled.

The European Court of Human Rights has upheld a judicial ruling in the House of Lords that stopped four Britons from taking legal action against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Ron Jones, Alexander Mitchell, Leslie Walker and William Sampson claimed they were subjected to torture following their arrest after a series of terrorist bombings carried out by opposition groups in 2001 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital city.

The four Britons confessed to acting as spies under orders from the British government, and were convicted in closed court without legal representation.

The men claimed that they were subjected to beatings, sleep deprivation and anal rape as well as being given mind-altering drugs during their time in custody and have to pursue Saudi Arabian officials, their alleged torturers, in the British courts. Mr Sampson has since died. » | Bruno Waterfield, Brussels | Tuesday, January 14, 2014

François Hollande's 'Affair' Leads to Poll Boost... Thanks to Support from French Women

Valérie Trierweiler | François Hollande

LONDON EVENING STANDARD: François Hollande has won the support of tens of thousands more French women following reports of his affair, a poll reveals today.

The survey for Le Nouvel Observateur magazine showed a three-point jump among women in approval for the French leader, from 23 per cent in December to 26 per cent. The biggest increase in backing for him in the LH2 poll appeared to be among women aged 25-34 and 50-64.

In contrast, men in France seem far less impressed by the president’s reported liaisons with actress Julie Gayet. His 26 per cent approval rating remains unchanged.

The poll also appeared to show that France is divided in its reaction to the revelations about Mr Hollande’s love life and has crystalised opinion about him. The percentage of women who disapproved of him has also gone up three points, leaving his overall net popularity unchanged. » | Nicholas Cecil, Peter Allen | Tuesday, January 14, 2014

François Hollande's 'Escapades' - A Glossary

Valérie Trierweiler

BBC: Followers of France's political love story may have been intrigued by some expressions used in the media, writes Hugh Schofield. What, for example, to make of a presidential spokesman's statement that Valerie Trierweiler has succumbed to the blues?

Le blues means (as in English) sadness or melancholy. To have a coup de blues is to get an attack of the blues, to feel down all of a sudden. Used of Valerie Trierweiler, it underplays the extent of her distress. You would not normally go to hospital with le blues.

Some have said that Trierweiler, President Francois [sic] Hollande and his alleged new girlfriend Julie Gayet are all from the gauche caviar - the caviar-eating left. This is the French equivalent of champagne Socialists. But because left-wing thinking is very much part of the French establishment, the gauche caviar is an easily identifiable social class.

These people may abhor the pursuit of money, but find it normal to have a pied-a-terre in the Rue du Cirque - an exclusive street a stone's throw from the presidential residence, the Elysee [sic] Palace. This is where Julie Gayet was lent a flat by actress Emmanuelle Hauck, in order (allegedly) to facilitate the affair. Incidentally, had it been Hollande's flat, it would have been not a pied-a-terre, but a garconniere (bachelor pad). » | Magazine Monitor | Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Suivez la conférence de presse du président de la République

Pope Francis Denounces Abortion as ‘Horrific’

THE INDEPENDENT: The Pope described abortion as part of modern ‘throwaway culture’ which has grown to encompass human beings themselves

Pope Francis has denounced abortion as “horrific”, describing it as part of a “throwaway culture” that has grown to encompass human beings themselves.

Speaking in his annual “State of the World” address, the Pope finally bowed to conservative Catholic demands that he break his silence on what they call “the evil of abortion”.

While he has never looked likely to change the Church’s position on the practice, Pope Francis has been much less willing to publicly rail against abortion in the same manner as his predecessors Pope Benedict XVI and the late John Paul II.

And in a landmark interview with the Italian Jesuit magazine Civilta Cattolica, he said it was time for the Church to be rid of its “obsession” with teachings on abortion, contraception and homosexuality.

But addressing diplomats in the Vatican yesterday, the Pope spoke about the rights of children around the world.

“It is horrific even to think that there are children, victims of abortion, who will never see the light of day,” he said.

Abortion, he said, was part of a “throwaway culture” that had enveloped many parts of the world.

“Unfortunately, what is thrown away is not only food and dispensable objects, but often human beings themselves, who are discarded as unnecessary,” he said. » | Adam Withnall | Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Hidden Homophobia: Is Germany Really as Liberal as It Seems?

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Germany last week celebrated the coming out of former professional football player Thomas Hitzlsperger. But discrimination remains a fact of life for gays and lesbians in the country. How truly liberal is German society?

A gay couple that was seeking to open a restaurant near the Bavarian town of Freying received an anonymous letter early last year. "Stay away. We don't need people like you here," it read. Additional threats followed, including a faked obituary and an open, though anonymous, letter claiming that one of the two was HIV-positive and that there was a danger that diners could be infected. The restaurant was never opened.

Can a story like be really be true? In Germany of all places, a country that was last week enraptured by the coming out of former professional footballer Thomas Hitzlsperger and where it seemed like the entire country supported him?

Hitzlsperger made his announcement in the influential weekly Die Zeit, unleashing a tidal wave of media backing. "Respect" blared the left-wing Berlin daily Die Tageszeitung. Its conservative counterpart Bild chose the exact same headline, marking one of the very few times when the two publications have concurred. Everyone in the country seemed to be in agreement when it came to Hitzlsperger's courageous step.

Yet the jubilation was so great that it at times seemed a bit too much for the occasion. A former football player came out. Is that really such a monumental event? Of course its progress when it is made clear that homosexuality exists in the world of football as well. No player the caliber of Hitzlsperger had thus far gone public with his homosexuality.

But the rejoicing sounded suspiciously self-serving and smug: "We are so amazingly liberal that we can even get excited about a gay professional football player," the message seemed to be. "Germany is so much better than Russia, where homosexuals are openly discriminated against, and superior to France, where hundreds of thousands take to the streets to protest gay marriage."

One could almost feel the relief at the fact that the positive reaction to Hitzlsperger's announcement was large enough to cover up the normal hostilities, clichés, stereotypes and discrimination against gays that exist in Germany. But they were there. Even as Bild pronounced its "respect" for Hitzlsperger, the paper's columnist Franz Josef Wagner wrote in an open letter to the former German national team player: "Nobody thought that you are gay. You were athletic, a power-player." The prejudice was clear, even as it was hidden behind the admiration. » | Anna Kistner, Dirk Kurbjuweit, Ann-Katrin Müller and Simone Salden | Monday, January 13, 2014

Verwandt »

Pourquoi il faut absolument manger des fibres

Les légumes secs sont très riches en fibres

LE POINT: Une équipe franco-suédoise vient de découvrir le rôle exact des fibres dans le maintien de la glycémie et donc dans la prévention du diabète et de l'obésité.

Cela fait bien longtemps qu'une alimentation riche en fibres est recommandée, car elle protège - entre autres - contre l'obésité et le diabète. Même si, jusqu'ici, on ne connaissait pas exactement les mécanismes expliquant ses effets bénéfiques. C'est désormais chose faite grâce aux travaux d'une équipe franco-suédoise* qui a montré le rôle de la flore intestinale et la capacité de l'intestin à produire du glucose (sucre) entre les repas. Ces résultats, qui viennent d'être publiés dans la revue Cell, précisent également l'implication de l'intestin et de ses micro-organismes associés dans le maintien de la glycémie (taux de sucre dans le sang).

La plupart des fruits sucrés et différents légumes - notamment les salsifis, les choux ou les fèves - sont riches en fibres dites fermentescibles. Elles ne sont pas digérées directement par l'intestin, mais elles sont fermentées par certaines bactéries intestinales (comme le propionate et le butyrate) qui les rendent assimilables par notre organisme. De nombreuses études scientifiques montrent que des animaux recevant une alimentation riche en fibres grossissent moins et sont moins enclins à développer un diabète que ceux qui n'en consomment pas. » | Par Anne Jeanblanc | mardi 14 janvier 2014

Cameron 'Bribes' Councils to Allow Fracking

Britain's Prime Minister has given a massive lift to the controversial fracking industry. David Cameron has said local authorities who allow shale gas extraction will be able to keep 100% of business rates they collect from the sites.

Al-Qaeda Armies Seize Entire Iraqi Cities in Chaos Left Behind by War

The black flag of Al-Qaeda was this week raised over two Iraq cities which are now under the control of Jihadists bent on creating a new Islamic nation. But the real blood-letting is yet to begin, warn experts, as the Iraqi army and tribal militias mobilise, and prepare to counter-attack.

Fashion vs Politics: BBC Chat to Be More Dolce & Gabbana Than Barack Obama?

Clintons Kept a Political 'Hit-list' of Friends and Enemies after Failed 2008 Bid

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: As Hillary Clinton deliberates on whether to run for president in 2016 a new book paints the Clintons as vindictive and raises ugly memories of desertions and betrayals in the 2008 campaign

Hillary and Bill Clinton keep a detailed "hit-list" of everyone who has crossed them during more than 20 years at the apex of American politics, a new book has claimed.

The list of so-called "sinners and saints" – including John Kerry, now secretary of state, and the late Ted Kennedy - was compiled on a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet in the dying days of Mrs Clinton's losing bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008.

The alleged "cheat-sheet" of betrayals – and there were many that year – ranked offenders on a scale from 1 to 7 and was compiled by aides to give the Clintons an instant database of those who deserved political favour, and those who did not.

"Almost six years later, most Clinton aides can still rattle off the names of traitors and the favors that had been done for them then provide details of just how each of the guilty had gone on to betray the Clintons as if it all had happened just a few hours before," wrote the authors of HRC: State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary Clinton.

The Clintons have a reputation in Washington for long memories, but the existence of a digital "favour book" raises questions about how Mrs Clinton, now 66, might conduct another run at the presidency in 2016. » | Peter Foster, Washington | Monday, January 13, 2014

Israel: Ya'alon: Kerry Should Win His Nobel and Leave Us Alone

Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon | Secretary of State John Kerry

YNET NEWS: Defense Minister says in private that US security plan 'not worth the paper it's written on', insists Kerry 'cannot teach me anything about the conflict with the Palestinians'.

While the United States is pushing hard for a final agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon has expressed his great skepticism of these efforts, both in private conversations in Israel and in the US. In particular, Ya'alon has harsh words to say about Secretary of State John Kerry.

"Abu Mazen (Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas) is alive and well thanks to us," Ya'alon said. "The moment we leave Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) he is finished. In reality, there have been no negotiations between us and the Palestinians for all these months – but rather between us and the Americans. The only thing that can 'save us' is for John Kerry to win a Nobel Prize and leave us in peace."

Ya'alon, who was IDF chief of staff from 2002-2005, at the height of the second intifada, also has little regard for the US-devised security provisions for a post-peace region.

"The American security plan presented to us is not worth the paper it's written on," Ya'alon said. "It contains no peace and no security. Only our continued presence in Judea and Samaria and the River Jordan will endure that Ben-Gurion Airport and Netanya don't become targets for rockets from every direction. American Secretary of State John Kerry, who turned up here determined and acting out of misplaced obsession and messianic fervor, cannot teach me anything about the conflict with the Palestinians." » | Shimon Shiffer | Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Atheist Afghan Man Granted Asylum in UK to Protect Him from ‘Religious’ Persecution

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: An Afghan asylum seeker who become an atheist has been granted leave to remain in Britain because he would face ‘religious’ persecution for abandoning Islam

A young Afghan man who became an atheist after coming to Britain has been granted asylum on the grounds that the threat to his life for having no faith would amount to “religious” persecution.

In what is thought to be the first case of its kind in the UK, the Home Office accepted that sending the man back to his country of birth could put him in danger specifically because of his lack of religious beliefs.

The man, who is not being named for safety reasons, was born a Muslim but abandoned his faith after coming to the UK as a teenager around five years ago.

Apostasy – or abandoning the faith – can be punished with the death penalty under Afghan law.

Central to his case to the Home Office was the example of Abdul Rahman an Afghan man who was put on trial and faced death in 2006 for converting to Christianity. » | John Bingham, Religious Affairs Editor | Monday, January 13, 2014

Thomas Hitzlsperger: "Homosexualität wird im Fußball ignoriert"

Thomas Hitzlsperger, Fußballprofi

ZEIT ONLINE: Als erster prominenter deutscher Fußballprofi bekennt sich der frühere Nationalspieler Thomas Hitzlsperger. Er begründet sein jahrelanges Schweigen, spricht über "schwule Pässe", dumme Sprüche in der Kabine und die Frage, ob homosexuelle Fußballer ihre Karriere gefährden.

DIE ZEIT: Herr Hitzlsperger, Sie haben um ein Gespräch gebeten, warum?

Thomas Hitzlsperger: Ich äußere mich zu meiner Homosexualität. Ich möchte gern eine öffentliche Diskussion voranbringen – die Diskussion über Homosexualität unter Profisportlern. Das Thema bleibt immer wieder in den Klischees stecken – Profisportler gelten als perfekt "diszipliniert", "hart" und "hypermännlich". Homosexuelle dagegen gelten als "zickig", "weich", "sensibel". Das passt natürlich nicht zusammen. Ein homosexueller Profisportler? Da werden Widersprüche aufgebaut, über die ich mich in meiner Profikarriere immer wieder geärgert habe. Diese Widersprüche werden an den Stammtischen als Sensationen verkauft. Mich hat zusätzlich geärgert, dass gerade diejenigen mit dem geringsten Sachwissen am lautesten über das Thema reden.

ZEIT: Warum wollen Sie dann jetzt sprechen? Hat Ihnen jemand gedroht, Sie zu outen?

Hitzlsperger: Das wäre für mich keine Drohung. Was soll das? Als Profi war ich eine öffentliche Person, an der sich jeder Soziopath ohne großes Nachdenken reiben konnte. Im Fußball kann dir alles nachgesagt werden, dann giltst du als: "manisch-depressiv", "homosexuell", "spielkrank", "Pleitier". Am häufigsten ist aber zurzeit "homosexuell", vor allem mit der genüsslich-denunziatorischen Bewertung "schwul".

ZEIT: Sie halten den Begriff "schwul" für denunziatorisch?

Hitzlsperger: Ja, so wird er meistens verwendet. (+ Video) » | Von Carolin Emcke und Moritz Müller-Wirth | Montag, 13. Januar 2014