Merkel sceptique sur une entrée pleine de la Turquie dans l'Europe

Recep Tayyip Erdogan et Angela Merkel à Berlin, mardi 4 février

LE FIGARO: La chancelière allemande, qui accueillait le premier ministre turque Recep Tayyip Erdogan mardi 4 septembre, préférerait que l'UE noue un partenariat privilégié avec Ankara.

En difficulté sur le plan intérieur, Recep Tayyip Erdogan cherche des soutiens étrangers. Après avoir accueilli François Hollande à Ankara il y a une semaine, le premier ministre turc était mardi à Berlin.

C'est en Allemagne que se trouve la plus forte communauté turque d'Europe, avec environ trois millions de personnes. Reçu par la chancelière Angela Merkel, Recep Tayyip Erdogan a une nouvelle fois plaidé pour l'entrée de son pays dans l'Union européenne. «Nous souhaitons que l'Allemagne s'engage plus fortement qu'elle ne l'a fait jusqu'ici, a-t-il déclaré. Une entrée de la Turquie dans l'Union européenne apporterait une contribution considérable à la paix régionale et mondiale.»

Ses arguments n'ont pas tout à fait convaincu. Mardi, Angela Merkel a souhaité que les discussions, «qui ne sont pas soumises à une limite dans le temps», aboutissent à un résultat: «Les négociations d'adhésion avec la Turquie sont un processus dont l'issue est ouverte», a-t-elle expliqué. «Mais je suis sceptique sur un statut d'État membre complet», a-t-elle ajouté. » | Par Nicolas Barotte | mardi 04 février 2014

L'Arabie saoudite s'en prend aux djihadistes

Le roi d'Arabie saoudite Abdullah

LE FIGARO: Pour éviter le départ des djihadistes en Syrie, le roi Abdallah vient de décider que combattre à l'étranger était désormais passible d'une lourde peine de prison.

Craignant un dangereux retour de flammes, le roi Abdallah vient d'adopter un décret qui prévoit des peines de trois à vingt ans de prison pour les Saoudiens qui participent à des conflits à l'étranger. Ce durcissement est d'abord destiné à tarir le flot des candidats à la guerre sainte en Syrie, où les ressortissants du royaume wahhabite sont les plus nombreux parmi les djihadistes qui luttent pour renverser le régime de Bachar el-Assad.

Dans le passé, l'Arabie, patrie d'un islam ultrarigoriste, a souffert du retour de ses ressortissants d'Irak après l'invasion américaine de 2003. La branche locale d'al-Qaida en avait alors profité pour perpétrer de nombreux et sanglants attentats, jurant même de faire tomber la famille régnante, qui vécut de difficiles «années de sang» entre 2003 et 2005.

Selon ce décret, les Saoudiens qui rejoignent ou soutiennent des organisations considérées comme terroristes, à l'intérieur comme à l'extérieur du pays, s'exposeront pour leur part à des peines allant de cinq à trente ans d'emprisonnement. » | Par Georges Malbrunot | mercredi 05 février 2014

London geht gegen Möchtegern-Dschihadisten vor

DIE WELT: Die Teilnahme am Krieg in Syrien wird in Großbritannien scharf geahndet. 2014 wurden bereits 16 Dschihadisten festgenommen. Zudem hat Scotland Yard Muslimgruppen im Auge.

Die Behörden auf der Insel gehen mit neuer Härte gegen britische Staatsbürger vor, die sich am Bürgerkrieg in Syrien beteiligen wollen. Seit Jahresbeginn wurden bereits 16 Möchtegern-Dschihadisten festgenommen, gegen sieben hat die Staatsanwaltschaft Anklage erhoben. Zu den Verdächtigen zählten auch zwei 17-jährige Mädchen, deren geplante Reise in die Region am Flughafen Heathrow endete.

Der Besuch eines Terror-Ausbildungscamps oder die aktive Teilnahme an Kämpfen sei "ein Verbrechen, selbst wenn es um den Sturz eines scheußlichen Diktators geht", sagt die zuständige Londoner Oberstaatsanwältin Sue Hemming.

Die Londoner Ermittlungen passen in das bedrückende Bild, das die UN in einem neuen Bericht von den Ereignissen in Syrien zeichneten. Während das Regime von Präsident Baschar al-Assad für die Folterung von Kindern und Jugendlichen verantwortlich sei, würden Oppositionsgruppen vielerorts Minderjährige zum Kampf mit der Waffe rekrutieren. Gerade in Flüchtlingslagern sähen viele junge Menschen es "als ihre Pflicht an, sich der Opposition anzuschließen", sagte UN-Generalsekretär Ban Ki-moon in New York. "Das Leid der Kinder in Syrien ist inakzeptabel." » | Von Sebastian Borger, London | Mittwoch, 05. Februar 2014

Witness: Ukraine: State of Chaos

Has the eastern European country been returned to the grips of the powerful oligarchs and neighbouring Russia?

CVS Stores to Stop Selling Tobacco

Inside Story: Facebook at 10: Hip or Has-been?

After more than a billion Likes, is the love affair with Facebook fading?

Britain's Military Power Is Waning, Thinktank Warns David Cameron

THE GUARDIAN: Report says arms spending has fallen behind Saudi Arabia's, challenging PM's claim that UK remains in fourth place

Britain's role as one of the world's leading military powers is under threat, an authoritative thinktank warns in a report that directly challenges claims by the prime minister, David Cameron.

The UK has fallen behind Saudi Arabia and is now fifth in the arms expenditure league table, says the latest annual Military Balance survey, published by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

Responding to US criticism of cuts in military spending, Cameron repeatedly insisted that Britain still had the fourth biggest defence budget.

"We have the fourth largest defence budget anywhere in the world. We are a first-class player in terms of defence and, as long as I am prime minister, that is the way it will stay," Cameron said last month after the former US defence secretary Robert Gates said cuts meant Britain's armed forces were no longer able to stand by the US as a "full partner".

The IISS survey makes it clear that while military spending is falling in the UK and throughout the west, it is rising fast elsewhere, notably in the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. Greater defence spending will lead to a relative shift towards Asia and away from Europe in a new balance of military power, the report suggests.

The US remains by far the world's biggest spender on weapons, with a defence budget last year amounting to over $600bn (£370bn), followed by China ($112.2bn), Russia ($68.2bn), Saudi Arabia (an estimated $59.6bn) and the UK ($57bn). » | Richard Norton-Taylor | Wednesday, February 05, 2014

British Girl Leads Guardian Campaign to End Female Genital Mutilation

17-year-old Fahma Mohamed calls on Michael Gove to ensure teachers and parents are informed about horrors of FGM

Read and comment on the Guardian article here | Alexandra Topping | Wednesday, February 05, 2014
Sign the petition here

Tory MP Says Ukip Politician's Call for Muslim Code of Conduct Is Frightening

Gerard Batten, UKIP MEP

THE GUARDIAN: Robert Halfon compares Ukip MEP Gerard Batten's position to asking members of religion to wear yellow star

Gerard Batten, the senior Ukip politician who called for Muslims to sign a code of conduct, has been accused of taking an "unbelievably sinister" position that is comparable to asking members of the faith to wear a yellow star.

Robert Halfon, a Conservative MP, called on the Ukip leader, Nigel Farage, to sack Batten for his comments, after it emerged the Ukip MEP had helped write a "charter of Muslim understanding". The document calls on Muslims to sign a declaration rejecting violence and accepting the need to modify the Qur'an.

Halfon, who is Jewish and has spoken out repeatedly against Islamic extremism, told the Guardian he considered Batten's views "unbelievably sinister" and "frightening".

He tweeted: "Big difference btwn lawful Muslims & extreme Islamists. UKIP MEP Batten's statement a 1st step to wearing a Yellow Star."

Sarah Ludford, a Liberal Democrat MEP for London, also criticised the comments, saying they "rip apart Ukip's pretence" that it treats everybody equally.

"His offensive blanket stereotyping of Muslims speaks volumes about Ukip's extremism and should warn voters that voting Ukip means associating with hatred and Islamophobia," she said.

Two prominent Muslim MPs, Sadiq Khan and Rehman Chishti, have also condemned the "offensive" idea of a charter for Muslims. Chishti said Batten, who is Ukip's immigration spokesman, should not be allowed to stand again as an MEP. » | Rowena Mason, political correspondent | Wednesday, February 05, 2014

Related »

Head of Mormon Church Thomas Monson Summoned by British Magistrate's Court over Adam and Eve Teaching

Thomas S. Monson, worldwide leader of the Mormon Church

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Thomas S Monson, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ordered to appear before British magistrate's court amid claims that the organisation's teaching amounts to 'fraud'

A British magistrate has issued an extraordinary summons to the worldwide leader of the Mormon church alleging that its teachings about mankind amount to fraud.

Thomas S. Monson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been ordered to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London next month to defend the church’s doctrines including beliefs about Adam and Eve and Native Americans.

A formal summons signed by District Judge Elizabeth Roscoe warns Mr Monson, who is recognised by Mormons as a God’s prophet on Earth, that a warrant for his arrest could be issued if he fails to make the journey from Salt Lake City, Utah, for a hearing on March 14.

In one of the most unusual documents ever issued by a British court, it lists seven teachings of the church, including that American Indians are descended from a family of ancient Israelites as possible evidence of fraud.

It also cites the belief that the Book of Mormon was translated from ancient gold plates revealed to the church’s founder Joseph Smith by angels and that Adam and Eve lived around 6,000 years ago.

The document suggests that asking members of the church to make contributions while promoting theological doctrines which “might be untrue or misleading” could be a breach of the Fraud Act 2006. » | John Bingham, Religious Affairs Editor | Wednesday, February 05, 2014

Ukip MEP Says British Muslims Should sign Charter Rejecting Violence

THE GUARDIAN: Gerard Batten, Ukip's immigration spokesman, proposed ban on new European mosques and says Qur'an needs updating


A Ukip MEP believes that British Muslims should sign a special code of conduct and warns that it was a big mistake for Europe to allow "an explosion of mosques across their land".

Gerard Batten, who represents London and is member of the party's executive, told the Guardian on Tuesdaythat he stood by a "charter of Muslim understanding", which he commissioned in 2006.

The document asks Muslims to sign a declaration rejecting violence and says parts of the Qur'an that promote "violent physical Jihad" should be regarded as "inapplicable, invalid and non-Islamic".

Critics said his comments represent the "ugliest side of Ukip" and "overlap with the far-right", in spite of the efforts of party leader Nigel Farage to create a disciplined election machine ahead of the European elections. » | Rowena Mason, political correspondent | Tuesday, February 04, 2014

Is Tony Abbott's Australian Administration the Most Hostile to His Nation's Environment in History?

THE INDEPENDENT: Shark culling, dumping on the Great Barrier Reef and the felling of Tasmanian forests have made the country an ‘international laughing stock’, environmentalists say

In Western Australia, endangered great white sharks are being slaughtered. In Queensland, dredging spoil is to be dumped on the Great Barrier Reef. In Tasmania, ancient forests – harbouring some of the planet’s tallest trees – are in danger of being stripped of their World Heritage listing.

Australians could be forgiven for wondering if the federal government they elected last September is the most conservation-hostile in living memory.

Critics warn that moves by Tony Abbott and his Environment Minister, Greg Hunt, will not only degrade the country’s most outstanding natural assets, but make Australia an international laughing-stock. The UN has already threatened to list the Great Barrier Reef as “in danger” when its World Heritage watchdog committee meets in Qatar in June.

Compounding the right-wing government’s apparent disregard for Australia’s unique environment, say conservationists and scientists, is its resistance to any meaningful action to tackle climate change.

Mr Abbott has axed three key agencies, including one which supported private investment in renewable energy. So contemptuous is he of the science behind climate change – of any science, for that matter – that he has not even bothered appointing a science minister. » | Kathy Marks in Sydney | Tuesday, February 04, 2014

World War I in Color & HD: Episode 2: Slaughter in the Trenches

This episode looks at trench warfare on the Western Front, which was at stalemate in 1915. Communications proved to be a major drawback for both sides, as messages were sent by runners - who invariably faced death. Two simultaneous battles to push back the Germans were launched at Artois by the French, and by the British at Festubert in May 1915. Both failed and brought the realization that such massive casualties could not be sustained. With a need for more troops, Lord Kitchener went about a recruitment campaign that amassed some one million volunteers. The new volunteer soldiers lacked the discipline of the regulars, and were regarded with some disdain. At the battle of Loos in 1915 a pattern of trench warfare emerged - artillery barrage followed by troops going over the top, and slaughter.

Episode 1 »

World War I in Color & HD: Episode 1: Catastrophe

World War I in Color is a documentary (6 x 50-minute episodes) made with the cooperation of the Imperial War Museum, designed to make the Great War come alive for a 21st-century audience. The events of 1914-18 are authoritatively narrated by Kenneth Branagh, who presents the military and political overview, while interviews with historians add different perspectives. The human cost is conveyed by moving interviews with the now very elderly survivors, and by extracts from letters and memoirs. All aspects of the war, on land, sea and air are covered in separate programmes.

Episode 1- Catastrophe:

This first episode, Catastrophe, looks at the fact that between 1914 and 1918, 65 million men took up arms. Ten million were killed and 20 million were emotionally and physically incapacitated. The war ushered in new terminologies, new and massive weapons and a scale of artillery barrages never before imagined.

Barack Obama en Arabie saoudite en mars

LA PRESSE: Le président Barack Obama se rendra fin mars en Arabie saoudite pour parler sécurité et coopération avec le roi Abdallah, grand allié des États-Unis au Moyen-Orient, a annoncé lundi la Maison-Blanche.

Sur fond d'accord nucléaire intérimaire avec l'Iran, concurrent de Riyad dans la région, M. Obama effectuera cette visite dans la foulée d'une tournée européenne qui le mènera aux Pays-Bas, en Belgique et en Italie, a précisé le porte-parole de l'exécutif américain, Jay Carney.

«Le président se réjouit de discuter avec le roi Abdallah des liens durables et stratégiques entre les États-Unis et l'Arabie saoudite, ainsi que de notre coopération pour faire progresser des intérêts communs liés à la sécurité du Golfe et de la région, de la paix au Proche-Orient, la lutte contre l'extrémisme violent et d'autres dossiers» économiques et liés à la sécurité, selon la même source.

M. Obama s'est jusqu'ici rendu une seule fois à Riyad, en juin 2009, soit au début de son premier mandat. Il avait reçu le roi Abdallah dans le Bureau ovale de la Maison-Blanche un an plus tard. » | Agence France-Presse, Washington | lundi 03 février 2014

Clara Sabinne: "Mon fils s'est converti à l'islam, même pas peur..."

FRANCE INFO: Clara Sabinne raconte comment elle a découvert et accepté la conversion de son fils de 18 ans à l'islam. Son témoignage Mon fils s'est converti à l'islam, même pas peur... est publié aux éditions La Boîte à Pandore.


L'invité de 19h15 - Clara Sabinne by FranceInfo
Vous pouvez lire le court article ici | jeudi 30 janvier 2014

New Afghanistan Law to Silence Victims of Violence against Women

Sahar Gul was chained in a basement and starved, burned and whipped

THE GUARDIAN: Small change to criminal code has huge consequences in country where honour killings and forced marriage are rife

A new Afghan law will allow men to attack their wives, children and sisters without fear of judicial punishment, undoing years of slow progress in tackling violence in a country plagued by honour killings, forced marriage and vicious domestic abuse.

The small but significant change to Afghanistan's criminal prosecution code bans relatives of an accused person from testifying against them. Most violence against women in Afghanistan is within the family, so the law – passed by parliament but awaiting the signature of the president, Hamid Karzai – will effectively silence victims as well as most potential witnesses to their suffering.

"It is a travesty this is happening," said Manizha Naderi, director of the charity and campaign group Women for Afghan Women. "It will make it impossible to prosecute cases of violence against women … The most vulnerable people won't get justice now."

Under the new law, prosecutors could never come to court with cases like that of Sahar Gul, a child bride whose in-laws chained her in a basement and starved, burned and whipped her when she refused to work as a prostitute for them. Women like 31-year-old Sitara, whose nose and lips were sliced off by her husband at the end of last year, could never take the stand against their attackers. » | Emma Graham-Harrison | Tuesday, February 04, 2014

Going Underground: Inside Britain's Prisons, Cash-crazy MoD & the Answer to Benefits Street

Afshin Rattansi goes underground on the real conditions inside Britain's prisons. And who better to give insider knowledge than Vicky Pryce, Chris Huhne's ex wife, who went to jail for perverting the course of justice. Now a campaigner for prisoner rehabilitation, she's also landed herself a role as Vince Cable's new advisor! The MoD is charging you millions to sort out its IT mess. Plus, how the rich are siphoning off more money than those on benefits -- and the website that's out to set things straight. And the Queen's so broke, she's selling off the Royal Ascot -- to Qatar!

Deutschland vor dem ersten Weltkrieg 1913

(Ein dokumentarischer Animationsfilm mit Archivbildern aus der Zeit des Kaiserreichs)

Kaiser Wilhelm II. inszeniert eine beispiellose Jubelfeier: die Hochzeit seiner einzigen Tochter Prinzessin Viktoria Luise mit dem Welfenprinzen Ernst August von Hannover. Der Kaiser ruft und der europäische Hochadel kommt -- sogar seine Cousins, König George V. von England und der russische Zar Nikolai II.. Die drei mächtigsten Monarchen der Welt sind nach Kaiser Wilhelms Überzeugung Garanten für Sicherheit und Frieden in Europa. Das Berliner Stadtschloss wird zur Bühne eines ebenso prunkvollen wie extravaganten Heiratsspektakels.

Doch hinter der glänzenden Festfassade gehen Risse durch das Fundament der "Alten Welt". Die Regierungen erwarten einen grossen Krieg und überbieten sich im Rüstungswettlauf. In den Industriestädten drängen ausgebeutete Arbeitermassen aus ihren Elendsquartieren auf die Strassen. Terroristen zielen mit blutigen Attentaten auf das Leben von Monarchen.

Ein einziger Vorfall während der Feierlichkeiten könnte Europa in die Katastrophe stürzen -- für den Berliner Polizeichef Traugott von Jagow und Oberhofmarschall August Graf zu Eulenburg ist die Hochzeit ein organisatorischer Albtraum. Aber für Wilhelm II. sind Schauspiel und Selbstdarstellung wesentlicher Teil seiner Politik.

Das grandiose 
Vermählungstheater im Preussenstil bis hin zum skurrilsten aller Hochzeitsrituale, dem mittelalterlichen "Fackeltanz", ist ein Tanz auf dem Vulkan.

Ein Jahr später stürzt Europa in den Abgrund des Ersten Weltkriegs, der Wilhelm und Nikolai Krone und Reich kosten wird. Und 30 Jahre nach Kriegsende wird das Stadtschloss restlos zerstört.


Welfen »

Erster Weltkrieg »

Sale of Ultra-cheap Alcohol to Be Banned in England and Wales

THE GUARDIAN: New rules will ban deep discounting, which has resulted in cans of lager being sold more cheaply than water in supermarkets

The government is to ban the sale of the cheapest alcohol in England and Wales, the Home Office has announced. Ministers hope the move, which will come into force on 6 April, will stop the worst instances of deep discounting, which has resulted in cans of lager being sold more cheaply than water in supermarkets.

An official impact assessment says that the ban on sales of alcohol at below cost, defined as duty plus VAT, will mean an ordinary 440ml can of beer or lager cannot be sold below 50p.

The new "floor price" for a bottle of wine will be £2.24; a bottle of vodka or other spirits will cost a minimum of £10.16.

Low-strength beers that have an alcoholic content of 1.2% or less will be exempt from the policy, as will duty-free sales on ships, aircraft and in airports. Read on and comment » | Alan Travis, home affairs editor | Tuesday, February 04, 2014