Uganda Archbishop Responds to Welby on Anti-gay Laws

BBC: The head of the Anglican Church in Uganda has given a critical response to a letter from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York warning that gays and lesbians should not be victimised.

Their letter was sent to all presiding archbishops of the Anglican Communion.

It was also sent to the presidents of Uganda and Nigeria, which have recently introduced anti-gay legislation.

Archbishop Stanley Ntagali responded that "homosexual practice is incompatible with Scripture".

He said he hoped the Church of England would "step back from the path" it had set itself on "so the Church of Uganda will be able to maintain communion with our own Mother Church".

In the letter, Archbishops Justin Welby and John Sentamu said they were responding to questions asked about the Church of England's attitude to laws penalising "people with same-sex attraction".

Homosexuals were loved and valued by God and deserved the "best pastoral care and friendship", they said. » | Friday, January 31, 2014

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Tony Blair Praises Egypt Coup as Military Leader Aims for Presidency

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Despite widespread crackdown on opponents and the media, the former prime minister controversially says interim leadership supports 'open-minded society'

Tony Blair has thrown his weight firmly behind Egypt's new military leadership and urged the international community to do the same, after meetings with the country's interim rulers.

During a flying visit to Cairo on Thursday, the former British prime minister told a Gulf-based television channel that the Muslim Brotherhood, rulers of Egypt until a military coup in July, had "tried to take the country away from its basic values of hope and progress".

"The army have intervened, at the will of the people," he told Sky News Arabia. "In order to take the country to the next stage of its development, which should be democratic, we should be supporting the new government in doing that."

Mr Blair met interim president Adly Mansour and military chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah el Sisi. The field marshall is widely seen as the power behind the presidency, and enjoys widespread public and institutional backing for a run in Egypt's forthcoming presidential elections.

"We should support those people in the region who want the open-minded society and the modern economy. That means we support the government here in Egypt," said Mr Blair. » | Louisa Loveluck, Cairo | Friday, January 31, 2014

The Life of Muhammad: BBC

Judaism: Inside the Torah – National Geographic

The Story of King David and the Jewish (Israelite) people. ¶ A Biblical and Historical Story on how King David conquered Jerusalem and made the Kingdom of Israel for the Jewish people.

Inside Story: Who Decides When It Is Time to Die?

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Hong Kong Tycoon Rescinds £80 Million Dowry for Lesbian Daughter

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Hong Kong businessman withdraws £80 million 'marriage bounty' for gay daughter after her heartfelt open letter – but refuses to accept partner

A Hong Kong tycoon has withdrawn his £80 million "marriage bounty" to find his lesbian daughter a male suitor after she defended her sexuality in a heartfelt open letter, but emphatically refused to accept her partner into the family.

Gigi Chao asked her father, flamboyant property developer Cecil Chao, in an open letter on Wednesday to treat her partner of nine years as a "normal, dignified human being".

Her plea came after Chao, who refuses to recognise her as a lesbian, last week doubled the "marriage bounty" on his daughter to HK$1 billion (£80 million).

The initial offer of HK$500 million two years ago attracted 20,000 candidates after the outlandish declaration made international headlines.

"If this is what she wants to be for the time being, it's all over," the elder Chao, wearing a bright orange textured coat and dark-tinted sunglasses, told CNN in an interview on Thursday. » | AFP | Friday, January 31, 2014

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Arabie Saoudite : le coronavirus tue à nouveau

SAPHIR NEWS: Le ministère saoudien de la Santé a annoncé, mercredi 29 janvier, la mort d'un homme atteint du coronavirus MERS. Ce Saoudien était âgé de 60 ans et souffrait de plusieurs maladies chroniques, ont précisé les autorités.

Il s’agit du 59e décès en Arabie Saoudite liés à ce virus. D'autres cas ont été enregistrés dans le pays, a ajouté le ministère sans préciser leur nombre. Dans le monde, le royaume est le foyer le plus touché par ce virus nommé Syndrome respiratoire du Moyen-Orient (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, MERS), qui a fait son apparition dans la région en avril 2012. » | Rédigé par La Rédaction | mercredi 29 janvier 2014

ZDF: Die Weimarer Republik

Aus den revolutionären Erschütterungen der unmittelbaren Nachkriegszeit ging das Deutsche Reich als parlamentarische Demokratie hervor. Soziale Not verbitterte und radikalisierte Millionen Menschen. Als eine ebenso große Hypothek für die politische Stabilität erwiesen sich die häufigen Wechsel der Reichsregierungen. Die verbreitete Geringschätzung des Parlamentarismus in der Bevölkerung ließ die Weimarer Republik als "Demokratie ohne Demokraten" erscheinen. In ihren schweren Anfangsjahren wurde die Republik von linken und rechten Extremisten bekämpft. Immer wieder entfachten sie gewaltsame Aufstände. Erst 1924 begann in Deutschland eine Phase relativer Stabilität. Für die Republik war es bis 1929 eine Zeit innenpolitischer Ruhe mit wirtschaftlichem Aufschwung und kultureller Blüte. Die "Goldenen Zwanziger" endeten mit der im Oktober 1929 beginnenden Weltwirtschaftskrise. Armut und Verzweiflung griffen um sich. Mit Erfolg entfesselten die Gegner der Weimarer Republik von rechts und links eine beispiellose Agitation gegen den Staat, der keine Mittel gegen die wirtschaftliche und politische Krise fand.

Hong Kong Tycoon's Daughter Defends Lesbian Relationship

BBC: Gigi Chao, the daughter of a Hong Kong tycoon has urged her father to accept she is a lesbian, after he offered millions to find her a husband.

In a open letter Ms Chao says Cecil Chao should accept her partner and "treat her like a normal, dignified human being".

Ms Chao, 33, who married her long-term partner Sean Eav in France in 2012, also emphasised: "There are plenty of good men, they are just not for me."

Mr Chao last week reportedly offered to double his 2012 offer of $65m (£40m).

She told the BBC she wrote the letter to set the record straight. (+ BBC audio) » | Thursday, January 30, 2014

Archbishops Criticise Nigerian and Ugandan Anti-gay Laws

Archbishop Welby is on a five-day tour of four African countries

BBC: The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have written to the presidents of Nigeria and Uganda, after being asked about laws there penalising gay people.

The letter said homosexual people were loved and valued by God and should not be victimised or diminished.

Nigeria and Uganda have both passed legislation targeting people with same-sex attraction.

The letter is also addressed to all primates (heads of national Churches) in the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Archbishops Justin Welby of Canterbury and John Sentamu of York said the letter was a result of "questions about the Church of England's attitude to new legislation in several countries that penalises people with same-sex attraction".

The letter comes as Archbishop Welby starts a five-day tour of four African countries. » | Thursday, January 30, 2014

'Apocalyptic': Storm Brigid Rages towards UK Bringing 150MPH Killer Winds, Rain and Snow

DAILY EXPRESS: A VIOLENT and destructive storm is hurtling across the Atlantic and will smash into Britain tomorrow.

The entire country faces at least three days of torrential downpours, savage 150mph gales and weeks of relentless flood misery.

Storm Brigid is expected to hit UK shores in the early hours of tomorrow before the full force of the onslaught rips into the country on Saturday. Experts say it threatens to cause destruction on a par with the ferocious October St Jude’s Day Storm and subsequent Storm Emily which hit in December.

It came as figures show some areas of England have already had their wettest January since records began. 

The Met Office said much of the south and Midlands already had twice the average rainfall for January by midnight on Tuesday - with three days still left in the month.

Several inches of rain are likely to fall in a matter of hours through the next few days, sealing the record for England’s wettest winter in history. » | Nathan Rao | Thursday, January 30, 2014

Double Your Dole, Eurocrats Tell UK: Ministers Told Current Handouts Are 'Manifestly Inadequate'

MAIL ONLINE: Eurocrats sparked fury last night by ordering the UK to double dole payments.

The Council of Europe claims the handouts given to Britain’s jobless are ‘manifestly inadequate’.

Ministers have been told they are in violation of the European Social Charter – potentially opening the door for claimants to take the Government to court to get more money.

But ministers say obeying the diktat from the Council, which oversees the controversial European Court of Human Rights, would cost the UK billions of pounds and plunge efforts to reduce the deficit into chaos.

To comply, Jobseeker’s Allow- ance (JSA) would have to be hiked by £71, from £67 to £138 a week.

Last night Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith accused the Council of Europe of ‘lunacy’.

He told the Mail: ‘This Government has made great strides in fixing the bloated welfare system we inherited from Labour. It’s lunacy for the Council of Europe to suggest welfare payments need to increase when we paid out £204billion in benefits and pensions last year.’

The Council said Britain had signed up to the Social Charter, which is ‘a legally binding economic and social counterpart to the European Convention on Human Rights’. » | James Slack and Daniel Martin | Wednesday, January 29, 2014

German Muslims Outraged at Archbishop's Comments

ABC NEWS: Muslims in Germany have criticized comments by a senior Roman Catholic archbishop that suggested they were worth less than Catholics.

Cardinal Joachim Meisner told members of the conservative Catholic group Neocatechumenal Way that "I always say one of your families replaces three Muslim families."

The lay group, founded in Spain in the 1960s, celebrates unique liturgies and emphasizes missionary evangelization. » | AP | Berlin | Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Intel Chief Warns Syria's Militants Want To Attack US

There are chinks of daylight breaking through in Syria peace talks. International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi said negotiations between the government and opposition are finally seeing some progress. But at the same time, Washington says it's worried about new threats emerging from Syria, with terrorism being only one of them. The US national intelligence chief warned Damascus is still capable of producing biological weapons - despite the current process of disarmament. RT's Marina Portnaya has the details.

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Obama's State Of The Union: Blah-blah Again or Real Promises?

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Angela Merkel Rebukes US and Britain over NSA Surveillance

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Chancellor says Germany and US still 'far apart' on sweeping surveillance and spying activities revealed by Edward Snowden

German Chancellor Angela Merkel issued a strong rebuke to the United States and Britain on Wednesday over sweeping surveillance and spying activities reported by fugitive IT contractor Edward Snowden.

In a major speech to parliament ahead of talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday, Merkel said that Western powers sacrificing freedom in the quest for security were sending the wrong signal to "billions of people living in undemocratic states".

"Actions in which the ends justify the means, in which everything that is technically possible is done, violate trust, they sow distrust," she said. "The end result is not more security but less." » | AFP | Wednesday, January 29, 2014

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Regierungserklärung der Kanzlerin: Merkel beklagt Vertrauensbruch durch US-Geheimdienste: Angela Merkel hat die Ausspähung durch ausländische Geheimdienste scharf kritisiert. "Das zerstört Vertrauen", sagte die Kanzlerin in ihrer Regierungserklärung im Bundestag. Gleichwohl gestalteten sich die Verhandlungen über ein No-Spy-Abkommen mit den USA schwierig. » | syd | Mittwoch, 29. Januar 2014

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