In der Türkei spitzt sich der Konflikt zwischen der Regierung und der Armee zu
Konflikt zwischen Regierung und Militär um Präsidentschaftskandidatur Güls
NZZ: Inmitten neuer Massenproteste in der Türkei spitzt sich der Konflikt zwischen Regierung und Militär im Streit über die Präsidentenwahl zu. Justizminister Cemik Cicek wies eine Erklärung des Generalstabs als inakzeptabel zurück, in der dieser seine Sorge über die Wahl zum Ausdruck brachte und vor einer Abkehr von der säkularen Staatsordnung warnte. Die Lage in der Türkei spitzt sich zu (mehr)

BBC: Huge rally for Turkish secularism

WATCH BBC VIDEO: Thousands of Turks protest

Mark Alexander

Mind what you say when in Britain. Your class and standing in society are still reflected in your choice of vocabulary

Photo courtesy of Google Images

SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Even in new, egalitarian Britain, everyone seems ready to believe in the return of the class war that had supposedly ended in a truce years ago.

Did a "toilet" come between them?

We will probably never know. But the reports last week that Prince William and his girlfriend, Kate Middleton, broke up in part because of her mother's so-called middle-class behavior, including using the word toilet for bathroom, are a vivid reminder that class issues still bubble vexingly beneath the surface of British life.

Mrs. Middleton's other missteps, apparently, included having once worked as a flight attendant, a fact that caused some of William's friends to cattily mutter "Doors to manual" whenever Kate came into the room.

But it doesn't really matter what she did or did not do. What is significant is that even in new, egalitarian Britain, everyone seemed so mesmerized by accounts of it, so ready to believe in the return of the class war that had supposedly ended in a truce years ago. Why Can't the English Just Give Up That Class Folderol? (Read on) by Sarah Lyall

Mark Alexander

The Bush Administration, Prince Bandar, King Abdullah, and Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

Image courtesy of Google Images
NEW YORK TIMES: WASHINGTON, April 28 — No foreign diplomat has been closer or had more access to President Bush, his family and his administration than the magnetic and fabulously wealthy Prince Bandar bin Sultan of Saudi Arabia.

Prince Bandar has mentored Mr. Bush and his father through three wars and the broader campaign against terrorism, reliably delivering — sometimes in the Oval Office — his nation’s support for crucial Middle East initiatives dependent on the regional legitimacy the Saudis could bring, as well as timely warnings of Saudi regional priorities that might put it into apparent conflict with the United States. Even after his 22-year term as Saudi ambassador ended in 2005, he still seemed the insider’s insider. But now, current and former Bush administration officials are wondering if the longtime reliance on him has begun to outlive its usefulness.

Bush administration officials have been scratching their heads over steps taken by Prince Bandar’s uncle, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, that have surprised them by going against the American playbook, after receiving assurances to the contrary from Prince Bandar during secret trips he made to Washington. A Saudi Prince Tied to Bush Is Sounding Off-Key

Mark Alexander

French society seems to have "sacrificed the Jews", says Melanie Philips
MELANIE PHILIPS: A most powerful and disturbing piece by Professor Shmuel Trigano on the parlous state of French Jewry, subjected over the past few years to a shocking degree of physical and existential attack, poses an even bigger question mark over the fate of France itself. Here’s a sample of his argument:

The problem of French Jewry is related, of course, to the emergence on the political stage of a new population, including important sectors that carry a latent antisemitism which has been revived by militant fundamentalism. Because the new population is experiencing significant demographic growth, it is being courted by the political parties. French society seems then to have sacrificed the Jews in order not to alienate French Arabs and Muslims. A fatal choice has been made. French Jews at the crossroads (Read on)

Mark Alexander

Vatican to make every effort to eradicate anti-Semitism
YNET NEWS: Entire section of preparatory document released Friday devoted to Church's relationship with Jews, noting 'close associations of the two in faith,' calling for efforts 'to overcome every form of anti-Semitism'

The need to step up the fight against anti-Semitism will be a key issue for the world's Roman Catholic bishops at a meeting at the Vatican next year.

An entire section of a preparatory document released by the Vatican on Friday is devoted to the Church's relationship with Jews, noting the "close associations of the two in faith" and calling for efforts "to overcome every form of anti-Semitism." Vatican to fight anti-Semitism (Read on)

Mark Alexander

Die Islamisierung der Schweiz setzt sich fort
NZZ: Muslime planen einen 60 bis 80 Millionen Franken teuren Bau mit Moschee, Museum und Viersternhotel

Die Umma, der Dachverband der bernischen Muslimvereine, will in Bern ein islamisches Zentrum realisieren. Entwickelt wird das Konzept von Berner Architekten. Ernst & Young erstellt den Businessplan.

Das Gebäude wird «keine Karikatur und keine Kopie einer Moschee aus einem islamischen Land» sein, vielmehr sollen mit dem Bau «die schweizerische Kultur und die Kultur des Islams» architektonisch verbunden werden. Und zwar auf höchstem Niveau: Ein internationaler Architekturwettbewerb soll sicherstellen, dass im Berner Nordquartier ein Gebäude entsteht, das in Qualität und Ausstrahlung «dem Zentrum Paul Klee von Renzo Piano entspricht». Das sagt Farhad Afshar, islamischer Vertreter im Schweizerischen Rat der Religionen und Sprecher der Umma, des Dachverbands von elf bernischen Muslim-Vereinen. Die Umma ist die treibende Kraft hinter der Idee, in Bern ein grosses islamisches Zentrum zu realisieren. Islam-Zentrum in der Stadt Bern (mehr)

Entscheid über Berner Islam-Zentrum im Herbst: Gemeinderätin kritisiert Muslim-Verein

Mark Alexander

No Limbo, No More
THE TIMES: The Pope has reversed centuries of Roman Catholic teaching and abandoned the concept of limbo, held since mediaeval times to be the place to which the souls of babies who die without baptism are consigned.

The Vatican’s International Theological Commission said that limbo reflected an “unduly restrictive view of salvation”. Limbo is banished on orders of the Pope (Read on) by Richard Owen

Mark Alexander

Enigma: How do such people get so much money in such a short time - legally?
BBC: The fortunes of Britain's wealthiest 1,000 people grew 20% in a year, the Sunday Times Rich List has revealed.

The combined wealth of the top 1,000 now stands at £59bn and there are 68 billionaires in the country, it shows.

The £19bn fortune of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal ensured he kept his title as Britain's richest person.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was ranked second. The Duke of Westminster, ranked third, was the only one in list's top five born in the UK.

Mr Mittal's fortune grew more than £4bn from £14.8bn in 2006, while Mr Abramovich's wealth remained at a hefty £10.8bn, the list suggested.

The Sunday Times said Britain's richest had seen their fortunes grow faster than their equivalents in Europe and worldwide. Wealth of UK richest ‘climbs 20%’ (Read on)

THE SUNDAY TIMES: Super-rich treble wealth in last ten years

THE SUNDAY TIMES RICH LIST

Mark Alexander

In Tehran, it’s the talk of the town: ”Saw off those breasts!”, say the morality police

Photo courtesy of the BBC

BBC: Thousands of Iranian women have been cautioned over their poor Islamic dress this week and several hundred arrested in the capital Tehran in the most fierce crackdown on what's known as "bad hijab" for more than a decade.

It is the talk of the town. The latest police crackdown on Islamic dress has angered many Iranians - male, female, young and old.

But Iranian TV has reported that an opinion poll conducted in Tehran found 86% of people were in favour of the crackdown - a statistic that is surprising given the strength of feeling against this move.

Police cars are stationed outside major shopping centres in Tehran.

They are stopping pedestrians and even cars - warning female drivers not to show any hair - and impounding the vehicles and arresting the women if they argue back.

Middle-aged women, foreign tourists and journalists have all been harassed, not just the young and fashionably dressed. Crackdown in Iran over dress codes (Read on) by Frances Harrison

WATCH BBC VIDEO: Iran cracks down on hijabs

Mark Alexander

Is Al Gore to Run for President?

Photo of Al Gore courtesy of Google Images

BBC: So is Al Gore running? The answer was not just a resounding yes. It was delivered breathlessly, impatiently, punctuated by huffs and puffs. There were neatly formed beads of sweat running down his cheeks.

Al was definitely running. No doubt about it! Proof positive. He was running on the running machine at a hotel in Los Angeles where I also happened to be staying.

While I was ploughing gently and unambitiously through the waters of the nearby pool I spotted him in the gym. He was reading the local paper while working the Stairmaster/running machine for at least an hour. I could practically see the pounds flying off him.

The punditocracy has already decreed that one sure sign of Al Gore entering the 2008 presidential race is any evidence that he's serious about shedding post-Florida recount pounds. There you have it. A scoop!

Who knows what's really going through his mind?

But I have no doubt that if he did decide to enter in October this year he would have no shortage of funds, would need less cash than his opponents because of his name recognition and would hugely benefit from the signature issue of global warming for which he has become America's principal spokesman. Washington Diary: Al Gore running (Read on) by Matt Frei

Mark Alexander

Pope Plans to Revive the Tridentine Mass
BBC: Pope Benedict's plans to revive the Latin Mass, which includes prayers for the conversion of Jews, is causing concern among Catholic and Jewish groups about relations between their faiths.

Religious commentators predict that Pope Benedict will issue authorisation for wider use of the Mass - known as the Tridentine Mass - soon.

The Mass was celebrated for hundreds of years before being replaced by a liturgy celebrated in local languages, as part of reforms instigated after the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s.

The old wording has none of the Vatican Council thinking that reversed long-standing anti-Jewish views in the Church. Vatican II brought about a revolution in Catholic thinking, highlighting the ancient Jewish roots of Christianity and affirming God's love for the Jews.

Concern is now focused on traditional mass's Good Friday liturgy which contains a prayer "For the conversion of the Jews". The prayer reads:

"Let us pray also for the Jews, that the Lord our God may take the veil from their hearts and that they also may acknowledge our Lord Jesus Christ."

It refers to their "blindness" and prays for them to be "delivered from their darkness." Concerns over Pope’s Latin Mass move by Kathryn Westcott

Mark Alexander

The Turkish Army Says It Will Not Shy Away from Defending Secularism

Photo courtesy of Google Images

BBC: The European Union has warned Turkey's military not to interfere in politics, amid a row over the Islamist-rooted ruling party's candidate for president.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said the controversy was a test case for the military to respect democracy.

In a statement after a disputed vote by MPs on Friday, the army said it would defend Turkey's secular system. EU warns Turkish army over vote (Read on)

WATCH BBC VIDEO: Turkish army worried by vote

Mark Alexander

In der Türkei scheint die Kandidatur von Gül von der Armee nicht begrüßt zu sein
Scharfe Erklärung im Internet veröffentlicht
NZZ: Mit ungewöhnlich scharfen Worten hat das türkische Militär die Präsidentenwahl kritisiert. Die Streitkräfte seien entschieden für die Trennung von Staat und Religion, erklärte der Generalstab. Im ersten Wahlgang im türkischen Parlament hat der Kandidat der islamisch-konservativen Regierungspartei AKP, Aussenminister Abdullah Gül, die Zweidrittelsmehrheit knapp verfehlt. Türkische Armee mischt sich in Wahlen ein (mehr)

Mark Alexander

After the smoking ban, it was always only ever going to be a matter of time before alcohol would be targeted. The targeting has begun
BBC: Parents who give alcohol to children aged under 15 should be prosecuted, a charity has said.

The call comes in an Alcohol Concern report on the government's Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy. Call to stop children’s drinking (Read on)

Mark Alexander

Are Premium Bonds About to Become Shari'ah-Compliant?
BNP: Another day and yet another concession to Islamic forces in Britain from the Labour regime.

In a desperate bid to woe Muslim voters the Treasury want all types of government-sponsored savings products to be accessible to those who adhere to Islamic Sharia law.

Sharia law forbids gambling and the paying and/or levying of interest and many High Street banks have established Muslim friendly bank accounts and mortgages.

Premium Bonds, a favourite among small savers for 50 years — with the numbers that decide the winning bonds generated by a machine called “Ernie” — will be among the National Savings products to be tested for suitability. All other National Savings accounts will also be examined. Ernie to become Muslim friendly (Read on)

Mark Alexander

Euro stärker denn je

Image courtesy of Google Images

Reaktion auf die US-Wachstumsschwäche
NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Der Euro ist so stark wie noch nie seit seiner Einführung. Die Gemeinschaftswährung erreichte am Freitag den Rekordstand von 1,3682 Dollar. Grund ist die überraschende Konjunkturschwäche in den USA, die den Dollar belastet. Auch gegenüber dem Schweizer Franken verlor der Dollar an Wert. Euro so stark wie noch nie (mehr)

Mark Alexander

L'armée britannique hésite à envoyer Harry en Irak

Photo grâce à Google Images

Raison avancée : la sécurité.
LE FIGARO: L'armée britannique pourrait renoncer à envoyer le prince Harry en Irak, au vu des risques élevés que représente un tel déploiement pour la sécurité du sous-lieutenant royal, alors que les pertes britanniques se multiplient. La décision d'envoyer le prince, troisième dans l'ordre de succession au trône d'Angleterre, est « en cours d'examen constant », a indiqué le ministère de la Défense hier. L’armée britannique hésite à envoyer le prince Harry en Irak (encore)

Mark Alexander

Rania Al-Baz: “Eine ungebrochene, stolze Frau”

Foto von Rania Al-Baz dank der WELT

WELTONLINE: Immer wieder wurde die populäre Moderatorin von Ihrem Mann geschlagen - nicht ungewöhnlich in Saudi-Arabien. Doch dann durchlebte Rania Al-Baz eine Gewaltorgie, die sie fast umgebracht hätte. Das Foto von Ihrem zerstörten Gesicht ging um die Welt. Unser Autor traf eine ungebrochene, stolze Frau. Ein Sandkorn im Auge der Fundamentalisten. Frauen sind nichts wert, überall herrschen Männer (mehr)

Mark Alexander

More Signs of West’s Capitulation to Islam and Shari’ah in Economic Markets
FINANCIAL TIMES: The British government will announce on Monday that it is set to become the first western state to issue Islamic bonds, seeking to meet what it believes is a significant demand for this financial product both inside and outside the UK.

In what ministers believe will be an important gesture to Britain’s Muslim community, the Treasury will say Monday that it is paving the way for the launch of the first Sharia compliant UK government bonds by 2008.

The move, to be announced by Ed Balls, the City of London minister, is unprecedented by any western state.

Sharia compliant bonds have hitherto been issued by the governments of Pakistan and Malaysia and also by corporate issuers around the world, but never by a western state.

The UK will not only be looking to issue these government bonds on wholesale financial markets. It will also be looking at using Sharia compliant bonds to allow Muslims in Britain to invest in domestic National Savings products through banks and post offices. UK to issue west’s first Islamic bonds (Read on) by James Blitz and Gillian Tett

Mark Alexander

US Protests Britain’s Dropping of Fraud Investigation into Alleged Bribery of Saudi Officials by BAE
FINANCIAL TIMES: The US issued a formal diplomatic protest to the British government over its decision to drop a fraud investigation into alleged bribery of Saudi officials by arms manufacturer BAE Systems.

The verbal protest was delivered in January by a US embassy official in London to the UK Foreign Office within days of the contentious decision being taken in December. Several governments, including the US, had raised the issue at a meeting of the anti-bribery working group of the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development.

The demarche, though discreetly delivered, was nonetheless strikingly forceful for a key military and security ally.

Diplomatic insiders told the Financial Times that Washington said the British decision put the Blair government in breach of both the spirit and the letter of the OECD anti-corruption convention that requires member states to have a “level playing field” in which to conduct commercial relations.

It is also embarrassing for BAE, whose corporate responsibility report, published this month, plays down the controversy surrounding the ditching of the investigation. US protested at axing of BAE probe (Read on) by Jimmy Burns and James Boxell

Mark Alexander

Hillary Clinton in Lead After First Televised Debate for Democrat Frontrunner

Photo of Hillary Clinton courtesy of THE TIMES

TIMESONLINE: A crisp and sure-footed performance by Hillary Clinton last night appeared to confirm her status as the frontrunner - by a narrow margin - for the Democratic presidential nomination after the first televised debate with her rivals.

She was helped by a format for questioning all eight candidates which allowed little time for dwelling on any issue, including that of Iraq on which she has faced criticism from Democratic activists over her refusal to apologise for voting to authorise the war.

Instead, the tone of last night's debate was polite to the point of being lacklustre, as the top tier candidates - Mrs Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards - avoided the risk of direct confrontation with each other.

"I think that what Barack said is right," was Mrs Clinton's only direct reference to her chief opponent last night. A Wall Street Journal poll this week had her still in the lead with 36 per cent support, against the gathering challenge of Mr Obama at 31 per cent and Mr Edwards at 20 per cent. Clinton edges ahead after first Democratic debate (Read on) by Tom Baldwin

FINANCIAL TIMES: Democrats blast Bush on Iraq in first debate

Mark Alexander

Bush in der Klemme

Foto dank der NZZ

Bush kündigt Veto an

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Nach dem Repräsentantenhaus hat auch der Senat einer Gesetzesvorlage zugestimmt, die die Finanzierung des Militäreinsatzes im Irak mit einer Frist für den Abzug der Truppen verknüpft. Damit kommt es zur Kraftprobe zwischen dem Kongress und dem Weissen Haus. Präsident Bush kündigte umgehend sein Veto gegen das «Datum zur Kapitulation» an. Auch der Senat für einen Truppenabzug (mehr)

Mark Alexander

Les autorités iraniennes lancent une campagne contre les femmes
LE FIGARO: Comme chaque année, avec les beaux jours, les autorités iraniennes lancent une campagne contre les femmes qui ne respectent pas à la lettre le code islamique en vigueur. Exemple en images de l'arrestation musclée d'une "rebelle".

Cliquez ici pour les photos:

Iran : la chasse à la féminité est ouverte

Mark Alexander

Tensions Heightened Between Russia and US
Our partners... are using the present situation to boost the presence of military bases and systems close to our borders - Vladimir Putin

BBC: Russia may stop implementing a key defence treaty because of concerns over US plans for a missile shield in Europe, President Vladimir Putin said.

Mr Putin made the threat during his annual address to parliament - which he said would be his last as president.

He also hit out at an influx of foreign money which he said was being used to meddle in Russia's internal affairs.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice dismissed Russian concerns over the missile shield as "ludicrous".

BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says Mr Putin's speech marks a significant raising of diplomatic stakes.

The Russian president suggested that his country should freeze its compliance with the 1990 Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty - which limits military deployments across the continent - until all Nato countries had ratified it. Russia in defence warning to US (Read on)

Mark Alexander

SpiegelOnline Interview mit al-Dschasira
SPIEGELONLINE: Der internationale Ableger des arabischen Senders al-Dschasira ist erst seit fünf Monaten auf Sendung. Dennoch hat es seitdem geschafft, den weltweiten Nachrichtenmarkt zu beeinflussen, sagt der US-Medienexperte Mohammed el-Nawawy im Interview mit SPIEGEL ONLINE. Warum sollte al-Dschasira anti-amerikanisch sein? (mehr)

Mark Alexander

The Criminalisation of Holocaust Denial
FINANCIAL TIMES: Laws that make denying or trivialising the Holocaust a criminal offence punishable by jail sentences will be introduced across the European Union, according to a proposal expecting to win backing from ministers Thursday.
Offenders will face up to three years in jail under the proposed legislation, which will also apply to inciting violence against ethnic, religious or national groups.

Diplomats in Brussels voiced confidence on Tuesday that the controversial plan, which has been the subject of heated debate for six years, will be endorsed by member states. However, the Baltic countries and Poland are still holding out for an inclusion of “Stalinist crimes” alongside the Holocaust in the text – a move that is being resisted by the majority of other EU countries. EU aims to criminalise Holocaust denial (Read on) by Tobias Buck

Mark Alexander

The Welfare State Is Destroying Britain
DAILY MAIL: Earlier this week, the Tory leader David Cameron said a number of very sensible things about civility. Our culture was becoming progressively de-civilised, he declared.

Whether expressed through public rudeness or neglecting the elderly, there was an alarming general decline in social responsibility.

To combat this, he repeated his commitment to encourage marriage, and strong and stable families.

He also argued that governments alone could not be responsible for people's behaviour or the delivery of public services, and that Labour's addiction to 'state interventionism' was stopping people taking responsibility for themselves. Admirable sentiments indeed.

Yet as he spoke, a very large elephant was lumbering unremarked around the room. That elephant is called the welfare state.

It is the welfare state which, more than anything else, has created the culture of incivility, irresponsibility, family breakdown and disorder of which Mr Cameron spoke.

The direct link between welfarism and the 'me-society', between welfare rights and the erosion of the ties of duty that should bind us together, is unmistakable.

Yet no politician, even Conservative ones, will go near this subject. For all the windy rhetoric about irresponsibility and state interference, the root cause of these problems — the welfare state - remains a political untouchable. How welfarism is destroying Britain! (Read on) by Melanie Philips

Mark Alexander

Growing Threat of Cyber Terror
THE TELEGRAPH: Terrorists could attempt to cause economic chaos or plane crashes in an electronic attack on the UK's computer networks John Reid, the Home Secretary, said yesterday.

Mr Reid's warning of the "devastating consequences" of cyber terrorism came as he said the reshaping of the Home Office would enable him to "wake up and think about the security of the nation first and foremost every morning".

The Home Office is to be split on May 9, to concentrate on crime reduction, terrorism and mass migration, with Mr Reid directly accountable for assisting the Prime Minister in co-ordinating the Government's security strategy.

Mr Reid said priority was being given to protecting what he described as the country's critical national infrastructure from terrorist attack.

He said al-Qa'eda's aim was to "bleed us to bankruptcy", by attempting to "cripple" financial markets. Western energy supplies were among targets threatened by the terrorist group. Cyber terror threat is growing, says Reid (Cont’d) by George Jones

Mark Alexander

EU Pressure Grows for Wolfowitz to Resign

Photo courtesy of the BBC

BBC: The European Parliament has added its voice to those calling on World Bank boss Paul Wolfowitz to resign over a promotion row involving his partner.

MEPs voted by 332 to 251 to ask Germany, which currently holds the EU Presidency, to call for his departure at next week's EU-US summit.

Their resolution states his resignation would be a "welcome step" in supporting the body's anti-corruption strategy.

Mr Wolfowitz is accused of intervening to secure a big salary for Shaha Riza. MEPs call on Wolfowitz to resign (Read on)

Mark Alexander

When the rug is about to be pulled from under one’s feet

Photo of Wolfowitz courtesy of SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL

SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: The seats are getting hotter for World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Both still enjoy the support of the US president, but dismissals may be just around the corner.

It was hardly an evening for merrymaking, and US President George W. Bush decided he wouldn't even try. Traditionally, the US president pokes fun at himself at the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, but with the Virginia Tech massacre still on everyone's minds, the timing at Sunday's dinner simply wasn't right.

There were other reasons for Bush to be somber as well. His press secretary Tony Snow has been diagnosed with life-threatening cancer. Over in Iraq, last week's deadly suicide bombs made a mockery of Bush's push for more security in Baghdad.
And then there were the two guests sitting at the very back of the hall.

Alberto Gonzales, still the US Attorney General, and Paul Wolfowitz, still the World Bank President, smiled bravely through the show -- but it certainly wasn't out of smugness for their futures. All of Washington is puzzling over whether and when Bush will drop one or both of them. Indeed, not even Bush confidantes deny that a presidential coup de grace for Gonzales and Wolfowitz is long overdue. Both have lost the one quality that is absolutely indispensable for their offices: moral authority. Fredo and Wolfie facing unemployment (Read on) by Georg Mascolo

Mark Alexander

McCain will Präsident werden
Kein Favorit im innerparteilichen Wettstreit der Republikaner

NZZ: Der amerikanische Senator John McCain hat am Mittwoch offiziell seine Bewerbung um die Präsidentschaftskandidatur der Republikanischen Partei bekannt gegeben. McCain kandidiert nun offiziell (mehr)

Mark Alexander

Gül nominated as candidate for president
Turkey's ruling party on Tuesday nominated Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül as its candidate for president. The move set aside a possible controversy over Prime Minister Erdogan's potential candidacy. But is Gül any better? First lady in headscarf? (Read on) by Annette Grossbongardt

Mark Alexander

Blair's ”10 utterly ruinous” years
THE TELEGRAPH: “The past decade has seen a sustained assault on public probity, economic responsibility, constitutional efficiency, the rule of law, administrative competence, liberty of the subject, and our international reputation of a sort unknown in living memory. I defer to no one in my disdain for the Major government: but, with the notable exceptions of its economic buffoonery and its toadying to pro-Europeanism, it could not hold a candle to the present crew for sheer destructiveness of our values, our way of life and our money.

If you seek its monument, look around you. Our public services, which we were told were safe only in Labour's hands, are nearly non-serviceable. As a group of doctors protested on Monday, the NHS is now so hopeless that people, having already paid high taxes for the privilege of a free-at-point-of-use service, are making huge sacrifices to pay to go privately.

Children pass record numbers of GCSEs and A-levels, and record numbers go on to university, yet employers report a shortage of able graduates and, as Jeff Randall wrote here a fortnight ago, would rather have entrants straight from school.

Council taxes, like many other imposts, have risen far faster than inflation, yet local services (bins again) are being cut. Do not be deceived by a near-doubling of the prison population in the past decade into thinking Labour is "tough on crime". The police are now a weapon of social engineering, with promotion at the highest levels contingent usually on how well an officer buys the ruling ideology, and not how good he is at catching criminals.

Crime has risen because of Labour's refusal to address the causes of criminality, notably family breakdown, poor schools and the proliferation of drugs. The knife culture, and the present epidemic of youths going around stabbing each other to death, is redolent of what a happy country Labour has made." Poor Britannia - 10 awful years under Blairism (Read it all) by Simon Heffer

Mark Alexander

No Room for Pacifism in the Fight Against Advancing Islam
“I am already against the next war,” read the bumper sticker on a car ahead of me. I long to tell the driver: the next war is already here; Islamists are waging it in every corner of the globe and the “moderate Muslims” are either actively supporting them, placing the blame on the West, or simply looking the other way. This war aims to wipe out everything that free people cherish, including the right to express their sentiments. Banishing war has been the perennial dream of mankind’s best, while its worst have been frustrating its realization. To renounce war unilaterally and unconditionally would mean surrender and death.

Humanity has suffered horrific wars in the past. Yet, the present multi-form and multi-front war waged by Islamists has the potential of inflicting more suffering and destroying more lives than any before it. Ruthless Islamist forces are advancing rapidly in their conquests while those of freedom are acquiescing and retreating. Before long, Islamism is poised to achieve its Allah-mandated goal of cleansing the earth of all non-Muslims. Any and all means and weapons are to be enlisted in the service of this final holy war that aims to establish the Islamic Ummeh.

But Islam is a religion of peace and the great majority of Muslims are not party to any plans and actions of the radicals, so claim academic pundits, leftist journalists, and hired Islamist apologists. The incantation of these “authorities” is the lullaby that puts the people into a sleep of complacency. For the average free human, busy with all manners of demands on his time and resources, would hardly want to worry about the threat of Islamism when those he believes are “in the know” emphatically claim that there is nothing to worry about. Some of these advocates of Islam go further by accusing those who sound the alarm as racist, bigoted, a hatemonger and much more. Pacifism against radical Islam invites Doomsday (Read on) by Amil Imani*

*”Contributing Editor Amil Imani is an Iranian-born American citizen and pro-democracy activist residing in the United States of America. Imani is a columnist, literary translator, novelist and an essayist who has been writing and speaking out for the struggling people of his native land, Iran. He maintains a website at Amilimani”

Mark Alexander

Turkey, a country that has regressed in issues of pluralism and tolerance, should have no place in the EU
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Turkish converts to Christianity fear for their lives after the brutal murder of three people at a Christian publisher. Angela Merkel has called for Ankara to promote religious tolerance, while secular intellectuals ask why the 99-percent Muslim country can't put up with a few Christians. Christian Converts Live In Fear in Intolerant Turkey (Read on) by Annette Grossbongardt

Mark Alexander

Israelisches Gebiet wird von Hamas wieder beschossen
WELTONLINE: Der bewaffnete Arm der palästinensischen Organisation beschießt wieder israelisches Gebiet. Die Kämpfer sprechen von Rache für "Morde durch den Feind". Der Waffenstillstand war schon zuvor vom "Islamischen Dschihad" gebrochen worden - und von der israelischen Armee. Hamas feuert wieder in Richtung Israel (mehr)

LOS ANGELES TIMES: Hamas: Truce With Israel at End by Ibrahim Barzak

Mark Alexander

Time to Foster Some Transaltlantic Understanding
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: The trans-Atlantic rift of the past few years has been accentuated, in part, by anti-Americanism and anti-Europeanism in the media when covering "the other side." But although there are real cultural differences, the time has come for both sides to ditch the easy clichés and stereotypes and foster some cultural understanding. The Role of the Media in the Trans-Atlantic Relationship (Read on) by Gregor Peter Schmitz and Gerhard Spörl

Mark Alexander

Prinz Harry ist in Irak Angriffsziel geworden
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Der britische Prinz Harry (22) ist im Irak schon Wochen vor seinem geplanten Militäreinsatz zum Angriffsziel geworden. Aufständische hätten konkrete Pläne, den königlichen Leutnant als Geisel zu entführen, berichtete die britische Sonntagszeitung „The Observer“. Dafür seien verschiedene Fotos des Enkelsohns der Queen aus dem Internet herunter geladen und an islamistische Milizen verteilt worden. Prinz Harry schon jetzt ein Angriffsziel im Irak

Mark Alexander