Britain’s 'Finest WWII General' Accused of Child Sex Abuse in Australia

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Viscount Slim has been accused of molesting multiple children at Fairbridge Farm School in rural New South Wales while representing the Queen in Australia

One of Britain’s greatest military commanders, Viscount Slim, has been accused of molesting children at a school for underprivileged youths while serving as the Queen’s representative in Australia.

Bob Stevens, a claimant in a lawsuit against Fairbridge Farm, a school in Australia for mostly British child migrants, said Viscount Slim would arrive in his Rolls Royce and the “next minute we were sitting on his knee and he's got his hands up our trousers”. » | Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney | Thursday, March 13, 2014

Le Canada perturbé par une tempête de neige

La tempête sévit également à Montréal

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Une forte tempête de neige paralysait jeudi les transports sur tout l'est du Canada, avec d'importants retards ou des annulations de vols aux aéroports, des écoles fermées et des routes impraticables.

L'hiver est loin d'être terminé au Canada. Une tempête perturbe tout l'est du pays.

La neige s'est abattue pendant plus de 24 heures sur les provinces entre l'Ontario et la côte Atlantique, laissant jusqu'à 40 centimètres sur certaines régions comme par exemple dans le Nouveau Brunswick.

Le service météorologique Environnement Canada a émis des bulletins d'alerte pour «des vents forts», avec des pointes à 70 km/h, qui en raison «des températures froides produisent du blizzard». Ces conditions favorisent des accumulations de neige et des congères sur les routes. » | afp/Newsnet | jeudi 13 mars 2014

Crimée : Les États-Unis envisagent des mesures "très sérieuses" contre Moscou

LE POINT: Le secrétaire d'État américain John Kerry a annoncé que son pays, appuyé par l'Union européenne, apporterait "une réponse au référendum".

Les États-Unis et l'Union européenne sont prêts à prendre lundi des "mesures très sérieuses" visant Moscou pour répliquer au référendum de dimanche en Crimée qui doit entériner un rattachement à la Russie, a prévenu jeudi le secrétaire d'État John Kerry. "Il y aura une réponse au référendum et de surcroît s'il n'y a aucun signe d'avancées pour régler ce dossier, il y aura de très sérieuses mesures lundi en Europe et ici", a déclaré M. Kerry devant une commission du Sénat américain, à la veille d'une nouvelle rencontre vendredi à Londres avec son homologue russe Sergueï Lavrov. » | Source AFP | jeudi 13 mars 2014

Public Has a Right to See Prince Charles’ Letters, Says Guardian Editor Alan Rusbridger

Alan Rusbridger, the editor-in-chief of the Guardian, discusses the government's attempts to block publication of letters the Prince of Wales wrote to ministers. Rusbridger says the public has a right to know what was in the letters, as it appears Charles attempted to influence policy. Three senior judges ruled that Dominic Grieve, the attorney general, acted unlawfully when he blocked the publication of the letters

John McCain Urges Congressional Action to Punish Russia

Mar. 13, 2014 - 6:48 - Key Republican senator sounds off on crisis in Ukraine

Obama Threatens to Veto Bill Requiring He Follow Law

Mar. 13, 2014 - 4:46 - Debate over separation of powers

BBC Panorama – Muslim First, British Second (June 2013)

Exclusive: BBC ‘Free Speech’ Show Censors Gay Muslim After ‘Conerns’ from Mosque

BREITBART LONDON: BBC Three's Free Speech programme was broadcast from Birmingham Central Mosque last night, and one of the topics set to be debated was homosexuality and Islam.

But after the "BBC snake ate its own tail" (host Rick Edwards words, not mine) by discussing the necessity of BBC Three for 20 minutes, we were treated to an excellent example of how and why the BBC fails to do its job properly. Sort of like the snake eating its own tail, vomiting it back up, then eating it again.

A short clip was broadcast, featuring Asifa Lahore, Britain's "first and only" gay Muslim drag queen. The topic had "the most comments on the audience questions page", but this was still not enough for the BBC 'Free Speech' programme to force the issue with its venue hosts, the Birmingham Central Mosque.

As the clip ended, host Rick Edwards announced, "We were going to debate that question but today after speaking to the mosque they have expressed deep concerns with having this discussion here... so we'll move on to our next question". Read on and comment » | Raheem Kassam | Thursday, March 13, 2014

Book Unveils Shocking Details about Clinton's Benghazi Role

Mar. 12, 2014 - 4:11 - Author of 'The Benghazi Report' explains

Consequences of Marijuana Legalization

Mar. 12, 2014 - 4:45 - Patrick Kennedy and Christopher Kennedy Lawford on the dangers of marijuana legalization

I Back Kosher Animal Killing, Says David Cameron: PM Says He Will Defend Religious Slaughter of Animals in Britain During His Trip to Israel

MAIL ONLINE: Prime Minister told Israeli Knesset on his 'watch' there will be no ban on the production of kosher meat / He said his message is clear, Britain 'opposes boycotts of Israel' / His pro-Jewish speech came as leading British vet called for a ban on traditional kosher and halal meat, calling for more humane methods

David Cameron yesterday vowed to defend the religious slaughter of animals in Britain.

In a strongly pro-Jewish speech to the Israeli Knesset, Mr Cameron said he would never allow a ban on the production of kosher meat, despite a call from Britain’s leading vet for it to be replaced by more humane methods.

Earlier this month, John Blackwell, president-elect of the British Veterinary Association, called for a ban on the traditional production of both kosher and halal meat.

He said the practice of slitting animals’ throats and allowing them to bleed to death caused unnecessary suffering - and suggested animals should be stunned first.

Several Tory MPs have also called for a ban on a method of slaughter used to kill an estimated 600,000 animals a week in British abattoirs.

But, to applause from Israeli MPs yesterday, Mr Cameron, who attempted to speak Hebrew, praised the Jewish community’s integration into British society, and said he would never allow a ban on religious slaughter, known as Schechita.

He said: ‘The Jewish community has been an absolute exemplar in integrating into British life in every way but integration doesn’t mean that you have to give up things that you hold very dear in your religion.

'When people challenged kosher Shechita. I have defended it. » | Jason Groves | Thursday, March 13, 2014

Kingdom That's Closed to Women: The Saudi Arabian Princesses Tethered by the Patriarchy

Saudi's strict modesty laws even apply to women shoppers

DAILY EXPRESS: ONCE upon a time there were four beautiful princesses called Sahar, Jawaher, Maha and Hala.

They lived in a fabulous palace and every year would go on two long holidays with their friends.

In winter they would ski at an exclusive resort in the French Alps. In summer they went to parties in Italy and Greece. Then, abruptly, the fairytale ended.

For the four sisters were part of the Saudi Arabian royal family and they had made the mistake of crossing the patriarchy that rules one of the most oppressive states in the world.

Now, instead of the carefree existence they once enjoyed as children of King Abdullah, they are trapped in a gilded cage.

The heavy metal gate that serves as the main entrance to the beachfront villa they occupy in the grounds of the royal palace in the Saudi capital Riyadh is padlocked at all times.

Guards in a watchtower keep them under observation 24 hours a day helped by the glare of spotlights after dark. And escape by sea is made impossible by underwater nets and concrete obstacles.

When the women do leave the compound to shop for food it is only with the permission of a half-brother who ensures their every move is monitored by a squad of plain-clothes security men.

There appears to be no respite from this house arrest as their London- based mother Alanoud Alfayez, distrustful of promises to grant her daughters’ freedom in exchange for her return, refuses to submit to the clutches of her ex-husband.

The plight of the Riyadh Four has come to light after a decade following publication of a plaintive email from two of the victims, Sahar, 42 and Jawaher, 38, and a plea by their mother to a UN agency, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. » | Dominic Midgley | Monday, March 10, 2014

Saudi Arabia Closes Local Al Jazeera Office over Qatar’s Backing for the Muslim Brotherhood

Qatar's ruler, Sheikh Tamim al-Thani

THE INDEPENDENT: The Saudis, UAE and Bahrain are in confrontation with Qatar over it's support for jihadi rebels in Syria and its satellite television station’s willingness to provide a platform for critics of the Gulf monarchs and their allies

Saudi Arabia intends to close the local office of the Qatari-owned al Jazeera satellite television station in the latest episode in the escalating conflict in which the Saudis, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are in confrontation with Qatar, say local media.

At the heart of the dispute is Qatar’s backing for the Muslim Brotherhood, which Saudi Arabia banned last Friday, and Qatari opposition to the regime of Field Marshall Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Egypt that came to power in a coup last summer.

Riyadh and Doha now differ on almost every aspect of foreign policy, notably Qatar’s support for jihadi rebels in Syria and al Jazeera’s willingness to provide a television platform for critics of the Gulf monarchs and their allies. » | Patrick Cockburn | Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Snowden's First Live: 'Constitution Being Violated on Massive Scale' (Full Video)

Courtesy: The Texas Tribune. ¶ Speaking remotely from Russia on Monday, former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden told attendees at the SXSW Interactive conference in Austin, Texas that encryption is still a powerful deterrent against government surveillance.

Immigrants Cost Britain £3,000 A Day Each, Says Report

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Study by MigrationWatch UK challenges findings of earlier academic report which said immigration made positive contribution to public coffers

Immigrants have cost the taxpayer more than £22 million a day since the mid-1990s, totting up a bill of more than £140 billion, according to a new report.

MigrationWatch UK, which campaigns against mass immigration, added that in 2011 the costs were equivalent to £3,000 a day for each of the eight million foreign-born people living in Britain.

It compiled the figures in response to a study published by University College London (UCL) last year which claimed immigrants made a “substantial” contribution to public finances.

The pressure group’s new report said UCL’s conclusions - which were given prominent coverage by the BBC - were “simply wrong”.

In fact, immigration between 1995 and 2011 cost the taxpayer more than £140 billion, or £22 million a day, after balancing what immigrants pay in tax with what they take out of Britain’s coffers by claiming benefits and tax credits, it said. » | David Barrett, Home Affairs Correspondent | Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Angela Merkel: Russia 'Will Not Get Away' with Annexation of Crimea

Mrs. Merkel told MPs from the Christian Democratic Union:
"What has happened in Crimea is an annexation which Russia
must not be allowed to get away with."

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The German Chancellor's tough message underlines how America and the EU have agreed a joint response to Ukraine crisis

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, has promised that Russia will not “get away” with “annexing” Crimea as world powers agreed to impose targeted sanctions on senior figures close to the Kremlin.

Mrs Merkel told a meeting of her parliamentary party that Russia’s intervention in Ukraine violated the principles of post-war order in Europe.

Her stark message came as America and the European Union agreed a joint response to Russia’s de facto seizure of Crimea, backed by other countries including Canada and Japan.

Mrs Merkel told MPs from the Christian Democratic Union: “What has happened in Crimea is an annexation which Russia must not be allowed to get away with.”

She warned that sanctions on Russia were justified even if they damaged the German economy, according to Der Spiegel. The two countries have close economic ties, with bilateral trade exceeding £63 billion last year. Germany now ranks as Russia’s third-biggest trading partner.

But Mrs Merkel said that a “certain amount of toughness” was required and “all European Union countries from Lisbon to Riga” should “stick together” to defend “European values”. She added, however, that “threads of communication” with the Kremlin should still be preserved. » | Tony Paterson, in Berlin, Peter Foster in Washington and Bruno Waterfield in Brussels | Wednesday, March 12, 2014

David Cameron Condemns 'Barbaric' Missile Attack on Israel

David Cameron addresses Israeli lawmakers in the Knesset

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Prime Minister David Cameron condemns "indiscriminate" attack as 50 missiles from Gaza Strip fired into southern Israel during official visit

David Cameron tonight condemned a "barbaric" missile attack on Israel that struck on the first day of his visit to the country.

Militants fired as many as 50 missiles from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, in the biggest single attack in two years. Israeli tanks responded by firing shells at a suspected launch site within Palestinian territory.

The attack came on the day Mr Cameron told the Israeli Parliament he would offer "rock solid" support to Israel in defending itself and condemned "despicable" efforts by Iran to ship missiles to terrorist groups.

The Islamic Jihad group claimed responsibility for the attack. Three of the missiles were shot down by Israeli Iron Dome system, while others fell near a petrol station, a library and on open countryside, local reports said.

Mr Cameron said: “These attacks are completely indiscriminate, aimed at civilian populations and people indiscriminately, and that is a demonstration of how barbaric they are. » | Matthew Holehouse | Wednesday, March 12, 2014

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron pledges 'unbreakable' support for Israel: In his first visit to Israel as PM, David Cameron condemns Iran for "despicable" terrorist ties and reveals Jewish ancestry » | Matthew Holehouse, Political Correspondent, Jerusalem | Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Why Britons Turn To Islam

According to government data, UK Muslims made out about
2.7% of the population in 2011.

ON ISLAM: LONDON – While Christianity remains an integral part of Britain’s religious history, Islam has become a strong contender over the past decade, with reversions registering in their thousands year after another.

“At a time when personal freedom, over-sexualisation and moral liberalism have taken over and broken down Britain’s moral compass, more people find solace in Islam’s compassionate but yet clear guidelines,” Annie Simpson, who holds a Phd in comparative religious studies and philosophy, told OnIslam.net.

“As society becomes more permissive and on many levels more morally pervert, individuals yearn to re-centre their lives around God.

“Islam offers people much more than just a belief in God, for many it becomes the matrix upon which, and around which, they can exist and make sense of the world … From chaos to order,” she added. » | Catherine Shakdam | OnIslam Correspondent | Wednesday, February 26, 2014

EU Moves towards Travel Bans, Asset Freezes for Russians

REUTERS.COM: (Reuters) - The EU agreed a framework on Thursday for its first sanctions on Russia since the Cold War, a stronger response to the Ukraine crisis than many had expected and a mark of solidarity with Washington in the effort to make Moscow pay for seizing Crimea.


The EU sanctions, outlined in a document seen by Reuters, would slap travel bans and asset freezes on an as-yet-undecided list of people and firms accused by Brussels of violating the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the measures would be imposed on Monday unless diplomatic progress was made.

Shares in Moscow dropped 2.6 percent and the central bank was forced to spend $1.5 billion to prop up the ruble as investors confronted the prospect that Russia could face unexpectedly serious consequences for its plans to annex Crimea. » | Martin Santa and Aleksandar Vasovic | Brussels/Simferopol, Ukraine | Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Editor of Independent Russian News Site Replaced with Pro-Kremlin Figure

THE GUARDIAN: Ousting of Galina Timchenko at Lenta.ru is latest move in what critics fear is a crackdown on left-of-centre media outlets

In what appears to be part of a growing state crackdown on liberal media, the editor of a major independent Russian news website has been replaced by a Kremlin-friendly editor after running an interview with a controversial Ukrainian nationalist.

Lenta.ru announced on its site on Wednesday that Galina Timchenko, who had worked there since its founding in 1999, would immediately be replaced by Alexei Goreslavsky, the former editor of the pro-Kremlin internet publication Vzglyad. Goreslavsky is currently deputy general director for external communications at the Afisha-Rambler-SUP media holding that owns Lenta.ru. » | Alec Luhn in Moscow | Wednesday, March 12, 2014