Tony Blair Says He's Sorry for Iraq War 'Mistakes,' But Not for Ousting Saddam

CNN: (CNN) – Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair says he's sorry for "mistakes" made in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, but he doesn't regret bringing down dictator Saddam Hussein.

"I can say that I apologize for the fact that the intelligence we received was wrong because, even though he had used chemical weapons extensively against his own people, against others, the program in the form that we thought it was did not exist in the way that we thought," Blair said in an exclusive interview on CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS that airs Sunday.

Blair was referring to the claim that Saddam's regime possessed weapons of mass destruction, which was used by the U.S. and British governments to justify launching the invasion. But the intelligence reports the claim was based on turned out to be false.

The ensuing war and dismantling of Saddam's government plunged Iraq into chaos, resulting in years of deadly sectarian violence and the rise of al Qaeda in Iraq, a precursor of ISIS. Tens of thousands of Iraqis, more than 4,000 U.S. troops and 179 British service members were killed in the lengthy conflict.

As the most high-profile foreign ally of former U.S. President George W. Bush in the Iraq invasion, Blair has found his legacy overshadowed by the war, with questions and criticism following him wherever he goes.

The consequences of Bush's decision to to take America into Iraq has repeatedly reared its head this year among candidates vying for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. (+ CNN video) » | Jethro Mullen, CNN | Sunday, October 25, 2015

Tundra Tabloids Questions Jyllands-Posten Flemming Rose on Free Speech

HT: Gates of Vienna »

Flemming Rose »

Lebanon: Blood Flows on Ashura as Boys Cut Their Heads to Mark Shia Festival

Hundreds of Muslim men self-flagellated to commemorate the Shia Muslim festival of Ashura in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh, Saturday.

Iran: Millions in Tehran Take to the Streets to Mark Ashura

Millions of Iranian took part in Ashura commemorations in Tehran, Saturday, as nationwide ceremonies took place in streets and mosques across the entire country in a day of tribute for the third Imam of Shia Muslims, Husayn ibn Ali.

Ashura Celebration Takes Place in Iraq

Thousands of Shia Muslims gathered today in Karbala, Iraq to commemorate the Day of Ashura. Ashura, which takes place on the tenth day of Muharram in the the Islamic Hijri calender, is a day of mourning which commemorates the killing of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, as well as his family and companions, at the Battle of Karbala on 10 Muharram, 61 AH (10 October 680 AD).

Benjamin Netanyahu Interview with Charlie Rose

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sits down with Charlie Rose in New York City for an interview.

Inside The Mind of Angela Merkel

A comedy sketch from German TV.

Germaine Greer on Transexuality - Newsnight

Germaine Greer talks to Kirsty Wark about her views on transexuality which have had her un-platformed from a talk at Cardiff University.

Related »

The Trudeau Deception

"Federal Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau is a neo-conservative with better public relations than his counterpart Stephen Harper.... In fact, aside from his stance on legal marijuana, there is essentially no difference between him and Harper...The only thing that separates Trudeau from the other candidates is his stance on legalization. But what Trudeau is advocating is not the end of prohibition, it's just a different version of it." - Dan Dicks

Germaine Greer: Transgender Women Are 'Not Women'

BBC: Australian-born academic and writer Germaine Greer has said that in her opinion, transgender women are "not women".

She also claims that "a great many women" who are not transgender think transgender women - who she refers to as "male to female transgender people" - do not "look like, sound like or behave like women".

Greer did say that she would be prepared to use female pronouns when referring to someone, if that was their preference, "as a courtesy". (+ video) » | Saturday, October 24, 2015

BBC: Caitlyn Jenner: Standing ovation at sports awards ceremony » | Thursday, July 16, 2015

Professor: Germany May Soon Have 8 Million Muslims and an Islamic Political Party

BREITBART.COM: A German political expert has warned that a successful Islamic political party is not a far off thought given Germany’s rapidly changing demographics. In an interview with the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung newspaper, Prof. Jürgen W. Falter, who specialises in political extremism, noted that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s position on migration may soon change, claiming “Pandora’s box is opened too far”.

Prof. Falter said: “I do not think that the position of Mrs Merkel, with time, will be held. Her words are rowing forward, but below the surface, back already… certainly this has something to do with the fact she sees that she has to get the genie back in the bottle… a Pandora’s box is opened too far.

“[Her migration policy] was probably not meant the way it has arrived. But it sounded like an invitation to the entire world, unlimited refugees are welcome.”

His views on the rise of the Alternative fur Deutschland are also worthy of note, claiming that it was destined to become a small, regional party before the migrant crisis, but that now, it can flourish without really doing much at all.

And he warned about the rise of an Islamic political party in Germany – small versions of which may already have been witnessed elsewhere in Europe, such as with Tower Hamlets First in East London, and the Respect Party in Bradford, both in the United Kingdom.

He posits that despite Mrs. Merkel’s kind welcoming of many Muslims, it is unlikely they would vote for a party with the word “Christian” in its name. » | Raheem Kassam | Friday, October 23, 2015

Thousands of Refugees Enter Slovenia as Ljubljana Seeks EU Help

SLOVENIA is in chaos after it became the latest hotspot in Europe's escalating migration crisis as thousands of refugees attempt to cross its borders.

Tensions reached breaking point overnight on the Slovenian border with Croatia as thousands of migrants began to gather after rail services travelling north were suspended.

Deutsche Putschfantasien

TAGES ANZEIGER: Die Autorität Angela Merkels wird in ihrer Partei mittlerweile offen infrage gestellt. Wolfgang Schäuble wird bereits als Übergangskanzler gehandelt.

«Wenn Schäuble Kanzler wäre, würde es anders laufen»: Solche Stossseufzer seien unter Abgeordneten der CDU bereits zu hören, schrieb gestern die «Frankfurter Allgemeine», die der Partei traditionell nahesteht. Ob es sich dabei nur um Fantasien handelt oder ob diesen Fantasien schon umstürzlerisches Gift beigemischt ist, ist derzeit schwer zu sagen. Sicher ist, dass in der Partei von Kanzlerin Angela Merkel zusehends Panik herrscht. » | Von Dominique Eigenmann, Korrespondent, Berlin | Freitag, 23. Oktober 2015

Russia Is 'VERY DANGEROUS' – Now Saudi Arabia Blasts Putin's Bid to Wipe Out Evil ISIS

The Saudi foreign minister branded the bombing
campaign 'very dangerous'

EXPRESS: A SAUDI official has blasted Russia's bid to wipe out the Islamic State terror group branding it "very dangerous".

The Middle East nation's foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir said Moscow's bombing campaign was fuelling the Syria crisis rather than helping to end it.

He said: "We believe that the Russian interference in Syria is very dangerous because it exacerbates the conflict."

He also claimed the country's war can only be ended if President Bashar al-Assad – a long-time ally of Vladimir Putin – is overthrown.

Jubeir described Assad as the magnet that "attracted foreign fighters from all over the world" to fight for ISIS against his regime. » | Tom Parfitt | Friday, October 23, 2015

Refugees 'Look Like an Army', Says Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán

Refugees gather around a fire on the Slovenia-Croatia
border on Thursday.

THE GUARDIAN: Rightwing leader says the flow of people consists of ‘economic migrants and fighters’ along with refugees as Hungary offers trains for people to return to Turkey

Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban has described the refugees entering Europe as “looking like an army” as he defended his hardline stance against migrants.

Speaking at a gathering in Madrid of conservative parties from across the continent, Orban said: “What he [sic] have been facing is not a refugee crisis.

“This is a migratory movement composed of economic migrants, refugees and also foreign fighters. This is an uncontrolled and unregulated process,” he told the European People’s party congress.

“Right to human dignity and security are basic rights. But neither the German nor the Hungarian way of life is a basic right of all people on the Earth. » | Agence France-Presse | Friday, October 23, 2015

THE GUARDIAN: Hungary closes border to refugees as Turkey questions EU deal to stem crisis: Police use barbed wire to seal the border with Croatia as the Turkish president ridicules the offer of aid in exchange for help controlling the passage of migrants » | Agence France-Presse | Saturday, October 17, 2015

Germany to Push for Compulsory EU Quotas to Tackle Refugee Crisis

THE GUARDIAN: Merkel is said to want hundreds of thousands of refugees brought directly from Middle East to control numbers and avoid perilous journeys

Germany is to push for more ambitious and extensive common European policies on the refugee crisis, according to policymakers in Berlin, with compulsory and permanent EU quotas for sharing probably hundreds of thousands of people to be brought to Europe directly from the Middle East.

New European powers replacing some national authority over border control, and the possible raising of a special EU-wide levy to fund the new policies are also on Berlin’s agenda.

The plans, being prepared in Berlin and Brussels, are certain to trigger bitter resistance and major clashes within the EU. Berlin backs European commission plans to make the proposed scheme “permanent and binding”. But up to 15 of 28 EU countries are opposed.

The plans will not apply to the UK as it is not part of the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone and has opted out of EU asylum policy, saying it will not take part in any proposed European refugee-sharing schemes. » | Ian Traynor in Berlin | Friday, October 23, 2015

Iran and Saudi Arabia Ramp Up Hostile Rhetoric to New Levels

THE GUARDIAN: Riyadh and Tehran have thrown diplomatic niceties to the wind and are attacking each other without restraint over Syria and Yemen

The propaganda war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, bitter rivals on opposite sides of the Middle East’s biggest current crises, is hotting up, with near daily exchanges and insults between ministers and state media outlets.

In the past week alone senior figures from both countries have cast diplomatic niceties to the desert winds and attacked each other publicly. Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi foreign minister, said on Monday that Iran was “occupying Arab lands” in Syria - where it supports Bashar al-Assad. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, retorted that the Saudis were in no position to complain as they were “occupying” Yemen - where Tehran backs the Houthi rebels.

Iran ramped up its anti-Saudi rhetoric after the recent hajj tragedy in Mecca but it went on the offensive at the start of the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen in March, with a Revolutionary Guard commander predicting the “collapse of the House of Saud … in the footsteps of Zionist Israel”. » | Ian Black | Friday, October 23, 2015

Religious Violence Flares in Indonesia as Mob Torches Aceh Church

Authorities tear down a church in Aceh Singkil, enforcing a
decree from the local Muslim-dominated religious harmony forum.

THE GUARDIAN: Muslim vigilante is shot dead as small Protestant house of worship attacked and authorities move to ‘ensure security’ – by demolishing more churches

Indonesia is struggling to live up to its national motto “unity in diversity” after a mob attack on a church left one dead and the authorities responded by demolishing more churches.

The attack took place in the conservative province of Aceh, the only region in Indonesia that has sharia law and where religious tension has been brewing for months.

A mob wielding sharp weapons torched the small Protestant church in the district of Aceh Singkil last week, saying it lacked an official permit. One Muslim vigilante was shot dead in the attack, while thousands of Christians fled to a neighbouring province.

Bishop Elson Lingga visited Aceh Singkil the day after the attack and said there was a deep sense of unease in the villages. “After the event everyone is suspicious of each other, thinking, ‘Are they the ones that reported us?’ They are afraid of their Muslim neighbours,” he said. » | Kate Lamb in Jakarta | Friday, October 23, 2015

Western Media Enraged by Assad’s ‘Red Carpet’ Visit to Moscow

The US and Turkey, two of the Syrian President Bashar Assad’s key opponents, have not cheered his visit to Moscow, with the White House slamming it as a “red carpet welcome.” Russian and Syrian leaders were meeting for crisis consultations and planning.

Germany Braces for Rise in Anti-immigrant Attacks

THE GUARDIAN: Report leaked to German media says far right is spurred on by arrival of refugees

Fears that anti-immigrant fervour is growing in Germany have been given fresh impetus by security experts who have warned the country to brace itself for a rise in xenophobic attacks as a growing number of protesters turn to violence to vent their anger over Europe’s refugee crisis.

A confidential report by the Federal Criminal Office (BKA) that has been leaked to German media said the far-right scene had been spurred on by the continuing influx of refugees to Germany and experts believed that what it referred to as the group’s sense of “agitation” towards the government’s asylum policy was set to intensify. It warned that asylum seekers, volunteers and politicians were under particular threat.

While the far right is usually considered to consist of disparate groups who operate heterogeneously, many have found ideological consensus in the refugee crisis, according to the assessment, as pressure increases on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government to get a grip on the situation. » | Kate Connolly in Berlin | Thursday, October 22, 2015