*Carne Ross’ Blog on the Possible Corruption Between BAE and the Saudi Government
THE GUARDIAN: The story of possible corruption between BAE and the Saudi government, and how the British government ignored it, is shocking. But we should not regard this episode as an aberration. Instead, it should force us to question the way foreign policy is thought about and practised in government today.

For decades British policy towards Saudi Arabia has been dominated by al-Yamamah, the massive BAE deal to provide aircraft and supplies. When I worked on the Middle East at the Foreign Office in the mid-90s, it was widely assumed that, along with uninterrupted oil supplies, this was what Britain's Saudi policy was "about". Any other concern, whether of human rights or the export of radical Wahhabi Islam, was by and large secondary.

This assumption was never questioned by officials or ministers. It was just the way things were. To think otherwise, that British policy - "our" policy as we called it (though it was never democratically debated, of course) - should be about human rights or Saudi Arabia's contribution to global security, would have been dismissed as naive or fanciful. We were just being realistic. To the blog - We could pay a grave price for our addiction to arms deals: Working at the Foreign Office I saw how exports took precedence over human rights. With the Saudis, this could backfire

* Carne Ross, a former diplomat, runs Independent Diplomat, a non-profit advisory group. He is the author of Independent Diplomat: Dispatches From an Unaccountable Elite Independentdiplomat.org

Mark Alexander

OECD Poised to Resume Inquiry into Why the British Government Abandoned Its Investigations Into the Allegations of Corruption in BAE
THE GUARDIAN: Attorney general urged to clarify role in concealing $1bn payments to prince

The government was last night fighting to contain the fallout over £1bn in payments to a Saudi prince as the attorney general came under renewed pressure to explain how much he knew about the affair.

While in public the government was issuing partial denials about its role in the controversy, in private there were desperate efforts to secure a new BAE £20bn arms deal with Saudi Arabia.

And any hopes that the furore could be halted were dashed last night when the Guardian learned that the world's anti-corruption organisation, the OECD, was poised to resume its own inquiry into why the British government suddenly abandoned its investigations into the £43bn al-Yamamah arms deal. The Bandar cover-up: who knew what, and when? (more) By David Leigh and Rob Evans

THE GUARDIAN:
BAE files: Shah of Iran

Prince used cash in BAE-linked account for palace: Former Saudi ambassador says $17m withdrawal was for legitimate expense

Mark Alexander

Golan Heights in Exchange for Peace?
THE TELEGRAPH: The Israeli prime minister has offered to return the Golan Heights to Syria in exchange for peace, the nation's press reported yesterday.

In a secret communique, Ehud Olmert demanded that in exchange for the return of the strategic highlands, Syria dissolve its alliances with Iran, Hezbollah and Palestinian militant factions who maintain headquarters in Damascus. Israel offers the Golan Heights to Syria (more) By Charles Levinson

Mark Alexander

Icy Times Ahead with Russia
TIMESONLINE: Tony Blair told Vladimir Putin yesterday that the world was becoming more and more afraid of Russia’s behaviour at home and abroad.

And as he left his last G8 summit in Germany Mr Blair predicted a lengthy period of deep freeze in relations between Russia and the West.

The two men, who have been sparring with each other from a distance for weeks, had a tense, hour-long encounter in the Caroline Room at the Kempinski Grand Hotel. Mr Blair emerged alone, a fixed smile on his face.

But when he spoke to reporters later at Rostock airport shortly before flying home he did not attempt to disguise that it had been a hard encounter or that he had been frustrated by the outcome. Blair talks of ‘deep freeze’ after tense encounter with Putin (more) By Philip Webster and David Charter

THE GUARDIAN:
West ‘fearful’ of Russia, says exasperated Blair

THE DAILY MAIL:
'We fear your slide into dictatorship', Blair warns Putin

Mark Alexander

Blair Pushes for Deal with Saudis Despite the Growing Stink
THE TELEGRAPH: Tony Blair wants to sign a new £20 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia before he leaves office later this month despite the mounting row over allegations of secret payments to a Saudi prince, Government sources indicated yesterday.

Saudi Arabia had been on the brink of concluding the deal to supply Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Riyadh when fresh allegations emerged that BAE Systems had paid £1 billion in backhanders to Prince Bandar bin Sultan, former Saudi ambassador to the US.

The Prime Minister still hopes to clinch the deal before he leaves No 10 on June 27 - six months after the Serious Fraud Office was told to drop an investigation into the bribery allegations. Blair fends off row to ‘to press for Saudi deal’ (more) | George Jones

THE TIMES: Pressure mounts for Goldsmith to explain role in arms deal

Mark Alexander

Merkel beschäftigt sich wenig mit der Innenpolitik Deutschlands

Foto dank der BBC

SUEDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG: Was nach knapp zwei Jahren Kanzlerschaft Merkels zu betrachten ist, ist eine zunehmend brillierende und mutige Auswärts-Kanzlerin und eine nach wie vor tastende und zaghafte Heim-Kanzlerin. Wer nur auswärts stark, aber zu Hause schwach ist, gewinnt keine Fans.

Drei Tage Heiligendamm in zwei Sätzen und einer Frage? Erstens: Angela Merkel hat einen beachtlichen politischen Erfolg zustande gebracht und in der Klima-Vereinbarung US-Präsident George W. Bush mehr abgerungen, als zu erwarten war. Zweitens: Es wird ihr innenpolitisch wenig nutzen. Drittens: Warum gibt es diese Kanzlerin nicht in einer innenpolitischen Ausführung? Die Auswärts-Kanzlerin (mehr)

Mark Alexander

Bush to Meet Pope Benedict for First Time
BBC: US President George W Bush has arrived in Rome, for talks with Italian leaders and his first meeting with the Pope.

Benedict XVI is expected to raise the war in Iraq and the plight of Christians there, as well as the issues of abortion and gay marriage. Bush in Italy for talks with Pope (more)

LE FIGARO:
Premier tête-à-tête entre George Bush et Benoît XVI

Mark Alexander

Ahmadinejad On Israel’s Destruction
WATCH VIDEO: AHMADINEJAD SEES ISRAEL'S END SOON
Mark Alexander

Ban Ki-moon “Shocked and Dismayed” by Ahmadinejad’s Comments About Israel

Photo of Ban Ki-moon courtesy of Google Images

”The hegemony of Israel had collapsed, and the Lebanese nation pushed the button to begin counting the days until the destruction of the Zionist regime” - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

BBC: UN chief Ban Ki-moon has said he was "shocked and dismayed" at recent comments by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad about Israel.

Iran's official news agency reported Mr Ahmadinejad saying that the world would soon see Israel's destruction.

He said the war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006 showed for the first time Israel's weakness.

The Iranian leader is a trenchant critic of Israel and has said the Holocaust of European Jewry is a myth. UN condemns Ahmadinejad comments (more)

Mark Alexander

”Inside Radical Islam in the UK”
WATCH VIDEO: INSIDE RADICAL ISLAM IN THE UK
Mark Alexander

”The Unlovable Saudis”
THE GUARDIAN: Willie Morris
[biography], the British ambassador from 1968 to 1972, could not stand the Saudis. They were "less lovable than some other people", he said.

The border guards were "rude". Despite their stern official religion, "one can find a minister incoherently drunk in his office before noon". Their oil billions led to a "corruption of character which enables the Saudis to regard the rest of the world as existing for their convenience", he wrote in his valedictory dispatch. [document] The unlovable Saudis (more)

THE GUARDIAN: Attorney-general knew of BAE and the £1bn. Then concealed it

BAE files: Ian Gilmour

Corruption in Saudi Arabia

BAE in Saudi Arabia

What BAE sells

Healey’s machine

Britain and the arms trade

Watch video: Denis Healey [BAE files]

BAE: Goldsmith denies BAE cash claim

Mark Alexander

Blair Determined Not to Let Principles Come in the Way of the BAE-Saudi Deal
TIMESONLINE: Tony Blair’s defiant rejection yesterday of calls for a new corruption inquiry into the al-Yamamah arms deal came only days after Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, was given private assurances from Saudi Arabia that it was pressing ahead with the latest lucrative contract with BAE Systems.

Mr Blair said that a new inquiry would lead to the “complete wreckage” of vital national interests as he faced down calls to reverse his decision to halt a Serious Fraud Office probe into the £40 billion Tornado aircraft deal. BAE inquiry ruled out days after secret trip (more)

Mark Alexander

”Mittelmeer-Union” ist für die Türkei recht, sagt Sarkozy
SUEDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG: Frankreichs Präsident strebt eine Strategie an, die die Türkei in eine umfassende "Mittelmeer-Union" einbezieht - und aus der EU heraushält. "Die Türkei hat keinen Platz in Europa" (mehr)

Mark Alexander

Putins überraschender Vorschlag
NZZ: Der russische Präsident Wladimir Putin hat am G-8-Gipfel in Heiligendamm für eine Überraschung gesorgt: Nachdem er noch vor wenigen Tagen das geplante US-Raketenabwehrsystem heftig kritisiert hatte, schlug er dem amerikanischen Präsident Bush nun eine Zusammenarbeit vor. Die USA reagierten verhalten positiv auf das Angebot. Putin schlägt den USA gemeinsame Raketenabwehr vor: Überraschender Vorschlag am G-8-Gipfel (mehr)

LE FIGARO:
Bouclier antimissile : la proposition surprise de Poutine

Mark Alexander

Russia to Favour Its Own Workers
BBC: Moscow city authorities are planning to reduce the number of migrants working in the Russian capital.

Mayor Yury Luzhkov says the demands for foreign labour should be lowered in favour of "our own workers". Moscow 'to cut migrant workers' (more) By James Rodgers

Mark Alexander

Muhammad Replaces Jack
THE TELEGRAPH: Rising immigration and older mothers have fuelled a 26-year high in the number of children women are having in England and Wales.

Figures released by the Office of National Statistics show the average number of children has risen for a fifth straight year to 1.87, the highest rate since 1980.

The last decade has seen a 77 per cent increase in births by mothers born outside of the UK, with the figure climbing to almost 150,000, or over a fifth of all babies, last year.

As Britain's demographics change, Mohammed is expected soon to replace Jack as the most popular boy's name. It has already pushed Thomas into third place. Rising immigration fuels 26-year fertility high (more)

Mark Alexander

More Allegations of Corruption: BAE in the Spotlight Once Again

Photo of Prince Bandar courtesy of Google Images

THE GUARDIAN: The arms company BAE secretly paid Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia more than £1bn in connection with Britain's biggest ever weapons contract, it is alleged today.

A series of payments from the British firm was allegedly channelled through a US bank in Washington to an account controlled by one of the most colourful members of the Saudi ruling clan, who spent 20 years as their ambassador in the US.

It is claimed that payments of £30m were paid to Prince Bandar every quarter for at least 10 years.

It is alleged by insider legal sources that the money was paid to Prince Bandar with the knowledge and authorisation of Ministry of Defence officials under the Blair government and its predecessors. For more than 20 years, ministers have claimed they knew nothing of secret commissions, which were outlawed by Britain in 2002. BAE accused of secretly paying £1bn to Saudi prince (more) By David Leigh and Rob Evans

THE GUARDIAN: BAE Files: Prince Bandar

Bribing for Britain

BAE’s position

BAE’s Corporate Responsibility Report

Read the documents

Campaign against the arms trade

Cast of characters

Who are David Leigh and Rob Evans

Secrets of Al-Yamamah

Prince Bandar: Biography

Prince Sultan: Biography

FINANCIAL TIMES: BAE 'secretly paid' Saudi prince: Bandar received £100m a year, reports say

TIMESONLINE: BAE shares fall amid new bribery allegations

THE TELEGRAPH: Blair: No new BAE probe despite bribe claims

BBC: Saudi prince 'received arms cash'

WATCH BBC VIDEO: Blair on BAE investigation

SUEDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG: Riesiger Korruptionsskandal bringt Regierung Blair in Bedrängnis

LE MONDE: Un prince saoudien aurait perçu un milliard de livres de pots-de-vin de BAE Systems

TIMESONLINE: Blair under pressure over al-Yamamah 'bribes'

Mark Alexander

China’s Internet Censorship Model “Spreading Like a Virus”
THE TELEGRAPH: Dozens of countries are copying China's methods of censoring the internet, Amnesty International said yesterday.
In advance of a live webcast to discuss internet freedom, Amnesty gave warning that censorship was a "virus" that was infecting countries round the world.

Tim Hancock, Amnesty's international campaigns director, said: "The 'Chinese model' of an internet that allows economic growth but not free speech or privacy is growing in popularity, from a handful of countries five years ago to dozens of governments today who block sites and arrest bloggers." Censoring of internet is 'spreading like virus' (more) By Richard Spencer in Beijing

Richard Spencer’s blog: The great firewall of China

Mark Alexander

Machen Sie es doch leichter!
NZZ: Die EU-Kommission will die Situation von Flüchtlingen und Asylbewerbern verbessern und schlägt ein Bleiberecht vor: Wer mindestens fünf Jahre legal in einem EU-Land gelebt hat, soll nicht mehr zurückgeschickt werden.

(sda) Die EU-Kommission will mit dem am Mittwoch in Brüssel präsentierten Gesetzesvorschlag an die EU-Staaten die Diskriminierung von Flüchtlingen beseitigen. Denn für andere Personen aus Nicht-EU-Ländern gilt das Bleiberecht bereits.

Zudem werde dadurch die vollständige Integration von Flüchtlingen verbessert, argumentierte EU-Justizkommissar Franco Frattini. Der Gesetzesvorschlag ist Teil eines umfassenden Pakets zur EU-Asylpolitik. Er gehört nicht zum - auch für die Schweiz relevanten - Schengen/Dublin-Gesetzesbestand. EU-Kommission will Bleiberecht für Asylsuchende einführen: Keine Ausweisung mehr nach fünf Jahren
Mark Alexander

Pim Fortuyn and Islam (With Sub-Titles)


Mark Alexander

Londonstan: Sharia Law - Islamic Holy War in Great Britain


Mark Alexander

Don't Ask, Don't Tell - Gay Arabic Linguist: Kicked Out of the US Military


Mark Alexander

”Absolute Certainty”


Mark Alexander

O Muhammad Mine!
TIMESONLINE: Muhammad is now second only to Jack as the most popular name for baby boys in Britain and is likely to rise to No 1 by next year, a study by The Times has found. The name, if all 14 different spellings are included, was shared by 5,991 newborn boys last year, beating Thomas into third place, followed by Joshua and Oliver.

Scholars said that the name’s rise up the league table was driven partly by the growing number of young Muslims having families, coupled with the desire to name their child in honour of the Prophet. Muhammad is No 2 in boy's names (more) By Helen Nugent and Nadia Menuhin

Mark Alexander

Religion in the UK


Mark Alexander

Are We Following the Cold War with Cold Peace?
THE GUARDIAN: Putin's belligerence is the upshot of inept western diplomacy. Following cold war with cold peace may prove a historic error

Will history tell us we were fools? We worried about the wrong war and made the wrong enemies. In the first decade of the 21st century the leaders of America and Britain allowed themselves to be distracted by a few Islamist bombers and took easy refuge in the politics of fear. They concocted a "war on terror" and went off to fight little nations that offered quick wins.

Meanwhile these leaders neglected the great strategic challenge of the aftermath of cold war: the fate of Russia and its mighty arsenals, its soul tormented by military and political collapse, its pride undimmed. They danced on Moscow's grave and hurled abuse at its shortcomings. They drove its leaders to assert a new energy-based hegemony and find new allies to the south and east. The result was a new arms race and, after a Kremlin coup, a new war. Is that the path we are treading? This Russian risk could yet dwarf our blunder on Iraq (more) By Simon Jenkins

Mark Alexander

Bush Extends Invitation to Russian Generals to Inspect Pentagon’s Central European Project
THE GUARDIAN: George Bush intervened yesterday in the worst dispute between Russia and the west since the end of the cold war, offering to cooperate with Vladimir Putin on the Pentagon's missile defence project.

With the row over the "Son of Star Wars" project threatening to derail the G8 summit, Mr Bush appealed to the Russian leader to relent in his fierce criticism of the missile shield. "The cold war is over, it ended. Russia is not the enemy," Mr Bush told journalists at Prague castle after discussing the Pentagon's plans with the Czech president and prime minister, Vaclav Klaus and Mirek Topolanek. Bush invited Russian generals to inspect Pentagon’s central European project (more) By Ian Traynor

Mark Alexander

Alleged Enslaver, the Emir of Dubai, seeks Bush’s Assistance to Get Lawsuit Against Him in Miami Dismissed
KUWAIT TIMES: MIAMI: The Emir of Dubai has sought President George W Bush's help in getting US courts to dismiss a child-slavery lawsuit against him, according to court papers filed recently. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktum, ruler of Dubai and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates nation of which the city is part, wrote Bush in February about the lawsuit. The suit was filed in December by a group of parents charging the Emir of enslaving thousands of children to breed, train and ride camels for the racing circuit.

Warning that the lawsuit was "causing an unnecessary interference" in US-UAE relations, and recalling that the UAE is "a key partner in the global war against terrorism," the Sheikh asked for Bush to get involved in the case. "I would therefore appreciate your personal attention to ensuring the United States government's support for dismissal of the entire case," wrote the Emir of Dubai in a two-page letter that his defense lawyers presented in court on May 25. He said the lawsuit "may complicate our ongoing and already effective efforts to resolve the issues addressed in the litigation." Dubai emir asks Bush to dismiss slavery suit (more)

Mark Alexander

More Claptrap on Islam! This time from David Cameron and the Grand Mufti of Egypt
THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY: Speaking today at the 'Islam and Muslims in the World Today' Conference organised by the University of Cambridge, Conservative Party Leader, David Cameron, will say:
(Please check against delivery)

"I was unable to attend yesterday, but Sayeeda Warsi, Dominic Grieve and the chair of one of my policy group's, Pauline Neville-Jones, were, and have relayed to me some the key issues that were raised.

The need to define our common values.

The impact of modernity on traditional Islamic societies.

And the need to build greater understanding of Islam by others - and of Western society and culture by Muslims.

These are questions that fall under the wide-ranging disciplines of political science, theology, and sociology, but what underpins them all is a question as old as humanity itself: how do we live together?

In this country, there have been times when this question has been uppermost. 

While conflict between Catholics and Protestant in Britain was bloody, we were spared the worst excesses witnessed on the continent.

The Glorious Revolution and the two Jacobite rebellions were periods of crisis for the coherence of our country. 

Subsequent Catholic emancipation was a long and slow process, but ultimately successful. 

The incorporation of East European Jewish immigrants, particularly a 100 years ago, and the Ugandan Asians 30 years ago can also be regarded as successes in integration into a British identity.

Each time, Britain has been able to rise to the challenge and sustain our coherence and unity.

We have done so through a combination of a steadfast faith in our institutions and values, such as freedom under the rule of law, pluralism and tolerance….

……and because society - not only the majority community but the minority community too - were prepared to stand together as one.

There is no reason to think we cannot do the same today.
David Cameron: Islam and Muslims in the World Today (more)

Mark Alexander

God Got Hillary Through Bill’s Affairs!
DAILY MAIL: In a rare public discussion of her husband's infidelity, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton said she probably could not have gotten through her marital troubles without relying on her faith in God.

"I am very grateful that I had a grounding in faith that gave me the courage and the strength to do what I thought was right, regardless of what the world thought," Clinton said during a rare forum where the three leading Democratic presidential candidates talked about faith and values.

She stood by her actions in the aftermath of former President Bill Clinton's admission that he had an affair, including presumably her decision to stay in the marriage.

"I'm not sure I would have gotten through it without my faith," she said. Hillary Clinton says faith in God got her through Bill’s infidelity (more)

Mark Alexander

Putin Is Denying Russians Basic Freedoms, Says Bush
TIMESONLINE: President Bush risked inflaming tensions with President Putin yesterday by declaring that Russia had derailed democratic reforms.

He said that Moscow’s failure to extend basic freedoms to its citizens was troubling.

His comments, delivered in the Czech Republic, part of the former Soviet Union’s sphere of influence, may widen the rift between Mr Putin and the West that is threatening to overshadow the G8 summit in Germany, which begins today. Bush defuses Cold War row, then attacks Putin’s record on democracy (more) By Tom Baldwin, Philip Webster, David Charter and Richard Beeston

Mark Alexander

The Meddling Killjoys in Power
TIMESONLINE: As the middle classes face a barrage of Government hectoring over how much alcohol they should drink, one writer [Sarah Vine] launches a fightback

Something is gravely amiss in the corridors of power. First, the French go and elect themselves a President who claims not to drink wine, which is a bit like the Scottish electing a First Minister with an allergy to haggis: peculiarly unnatural. Now our own Government in London is proposing a crackdown on drinking at the privacy of one’s own dinner table. Specifically, middle-class wine drinkers, “those that are maybe drinking one or two bottles of wine at home each evening”.

Yes, that’s right, you with the leftover half-bottle of red in the fridge from last night (I always find it keeps so much better than way, just remember to take it out half an hour before you drink it); looking forward to finishing it off later on, were you? Well, if this lot get their way, you won’t be able to. If you persist, you will be branded a foul drunk, an irresponsible drain on health resources, a blot on society. You might even find yourself in a labour camp (oh, sorry, haven’t they announced that yet? I’m reliably informed that it’s at committee stage).

Aside from the fact that such a directive is staggeringly hypocritical coming from an administration that introduced 24-hour drinking (it’s fine to get completely bladdered 24/7 as long as you’re contributing significantly to the health of the powerful brewery lobbies and the Exchequer), these proposals are intolerable. Not only do they intrude on the population’s fundamental right to privacy, they are also an attempt to add a moral burden to the shoulders of the already overworked and overtaxed middle classes. These plans have nothing to do with safeguarding the nation’s health and everything to do with eroding the boundaries between public and private life. Oh, do stop wining… (more) By Sarah Vine

Mark Alexander

First Came Smoking; Now Comes Drinking
THE TELEGRAPH: More than eight million people in Britain are considered problem drinkers, according to figures released yesterday by the Department of Health.

The startling statistic - equivalent to one adult in six - comes as the Government makes its latest attempt to challenge booze culture.

People also do not know they are drinking too much.

According to figures from the Office of National Statistics and HM Revenue & Customs, people drink twice as much alcohol as they think they do.

An alcohol strategy, published yesterday by the Home Office and the Department of Health, will target supermarkets selling cheap beers and wine. Ministers blame low prices for a rise in drink-related illnesses and city centre disorder. One in six adults classed as a ‘problem drinker’ (more) By Philip Johnston

THE DAILY EXPRESS:
Po-Faced New Puritanism Must Be Resisted By Us All

Mark Alexander

Diana: "Fascination and Controversy"

Photo of Princess Diana courtesy of Google Images

BBC: Channel 4 will broadcast photos of the crash that killed Princess Diana despite a plea from her sons.

Prince William and Prince Harry's private secretary wrote to the channel saying they felt it would be a "gross disrespect" to their mother's memory.

Channel 4 said it decided to run the images in the documentary on Wednesday after considering the princes' concerns against wider public interest. C4 rebuffs Diana photographs plea (more)

WATCH BBC VIDEO:
C4 rebuffs Diana images plea

Mark Alexander

The Conservative Kingdom of Saudi Arabia!
Sodomy is punishable by death in Saudi Arabia, but gay life flourishes there. Why it is "easier to be gay than straight" in a society where everyone, homosexual and otherwise, lives in the closet

YAWNINGBREAD.ORG: Yasser, a 26-year-old artist, was taking me on an impromptu tour of his hometown of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on a sweltering September afternoon. The air conditioner of his dusty Honda battled the heat, prayer beads dangled from the rearview mirror, and the smell of the cigarette he’d just smoked wafted toward me as he stopped to show me a barbershop that his friends frequent. Officially, men in Saudi Arabia aren’t allowed to wear their hair long or to display jewelry -- such vanities are usually deemed to violate an Islamic instruction that the sexes must not be too similar in appearance. But Yasser wears a silver necklace, a silver bracelet, and a sparkly red stud in his left ear, and his hair is shaggy. Yasser is homosexual, or so we would describe him in the West, and the barbershop we visited caters to gay men. Business is brisk.

Leaving the barbershop, we drove onto Tahlia Street, a broad avenue framed by palm trees, then went past a succession of sleek malls and slowed in front of a glass-and-steel shopping center. Men congregated outside and in nearby cafés. Whereas most such establishments have a family section, two of this area’s cafés allow only men; not surprisingly, they are popular among men who prefer one another’s company. Yasser gestured to a parking lot across from the shopping center, explaining that after midnight it would be "full of men picking up men." These days, he said, "you see gay people everywhere." The kingdom in the closet (more) By Nadya Labi [Source: The Atlantic Monthly, May 2007]

Mark Alexander

The Spectre of a New Cold War
THE DAILY MAIL: Leader - Less than 20 years after the Berlin Wall came down, the menacing spectre of the Cold War looms once again over Europe.

At the start of an eight-day European tour, a swaggering George Bush talks up his plans to build a futuristic anti-missile defence shield in Russia's backyard.

Meanwhile, an intransigent Vladimir Putin warns he may take 'retaliatory steps', including aiming Russian nuclear weapons at targets in the West. Is this the start of a new Cold War (more)

DAILY MAIL:
A blundering Bush, Tsar Putin, and the question: will we, in this century, have to fight Russia? By Max Hastings

Mark Alexander

British Muslims In Denial Over 7/7
DAILY MAIL: Almost 60 per cent of British Muslims believe the Government has covered up the truth about the July 7 terror attacks, a survey reveals.

One in four believes the authorities or security services were in some way involved in the outrage.

A similar proportion say they do not believe that the four men identified as the suicide bombers were actually responsible, despite the fact that they were caught on CCTV and left 'martyrdom' videos.

The poll of 500 Muslims will come as a serious blow to Ministers on the day of a high-profile conference aimed at improving relations with the British Muslim community. 59pc of UK Muslims believe there was a cover-up over 7/7 By Rebecca Camber

Mark Alexander

Russia in the Process of Reasserting Itself
TIMESONLINE: There is a nasty smell of Weimar in Russia nowadays. All the talk is of Russia’s need to reassert itself and show the world it is still a great power. On the streets, skinheads and racists beat up foreigners and attack dark-skinned Caucasians. Gays are attacked, liberals jeered and opposition protests forcibly disbanded. At home there is growing intolerance of anything except the government line, while abroad President Putin picks quarrels with his neighbours and threatens his erstwhile Western allies.

Is Putin leading Russia into fascism? That is now the accusation of Western critics. Is it not time, they say, to drop pretences of partnership, stand up to Russian bullying of its neighbourhood, denounce the clampdown on basic freedoms and chuck Russia out of the G8? Those who remember appeasement trumpet the dangers of Western drift. Is Putin the bully leading Russia into fascism? (more) By Michael Binyon

Mark Alexander

«La guerre froide est terminée», dit Bush
LE FIGARO: Le président américain a offert à la Russie de coopérer sur le projet de bouclier antimissiles. Une manière de calmer Moscou, violemment opposée à cette question.

«La guerre froide est terminée» : tel est le «principe général» que George W. Bush a tenu à rappeler mardi au sujet des relations américano-russes. Alors que Vladimir Poutine a ravivé le spectre de la grande confrontation géostratégique en menaçant de pointer de nouveaux missiles sur l'Europe, le président américain s’est voulu rassurant. Bush à Poutine : "La guerre froide est terminée" (more)

Mark Alexander

Muslims in Britain Have Got It Made: Islam is of “Strategic Importance to Britain’s National Interests”, says Tony Blair. This Is the Beginning of the End for Great Britain!

Photo of Blair with Imam courtesy of the BBC

BBC: Tony Blair says he wants the "voice of moderation" among Muslims to be heard, as £1m funding was announced to boost Islamic studies at UK universities.

Ministers hope the money, announced as a report criticised teaching quality, will help train more imams in the UK.

At a conference on Islam, Mr Blair also called for closer links between Islamic schools and mainstream state schools. Blair in moderate Muslims appeal (more)

WATCH BBC VIDEO:
Moderate Muslim teaching urged

The Whitewashing of Islam Continues Apace

Mark Alexander

Muttawaeen Accused of Responsibility for Death of Man in Custody
BBC: Five members of the Saudi religious police, the Mutawaeen, have been arrested accused of being responsible for the death of a man in custody.

The man died at a Mutawaeen office in Tabuk, the Saudi authorities say.

Officials said the man had been questioned for allegedly associating with a woman who was not a relative. Saudis hold five religious police (more)

Mark Alexander

Russia’s Threat “Unhelpful and Unwelcome”, says NATO
BBC: Russia's threat to aim weapons at Europe if the US sets up a missile defence shield there was "unhelpful and unwelcome", Nato has said.

The US says it wants missile defence in eastern Europe to counter threats from states like Iran and North Korea.

On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Iran was not a threat to the US, hinting that Russia was the target.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said he will have "frank" talks with Mr Putin this week about the threat. Nato condemns Putin missile vow (more)

WATCH BBC VIDEO:
Putin launches missile row

Mark Alexander

United States Of Jesus


Mark Alexander

Video: “Am I a racist?”


Mark Alexander

Bloomberg, the Man Who Outlawed Smoking in New York City, Now Wants to Outlaw Your Guns
NEW YORK TIMES: In New York, Michael R. Bloomberg is known as the billionaire media mogul who became mayor. But in many parts of the country, he is the man who would take away your guns.

An editorial writer in Harrisburg, Pa., accuses him of “ranting” about illegal firearms. A conservative publication in Florida, NewsMax, asserts: “Bloomberg’s hatred of guns has twisted roots.” And on the Web site of The Wichita Eagle, one writer wonders why a New York mayor is “telling the people of Kansas what to do.”

In towns large and small across the country, Mr. Bloomberg, a Republican, has emerged as the face of gun control in America. Under his guidance, a coalition called Mayors Against Illegal Guns has grown in little more than a year from a skeletal group of 15 into an organization of 225 leaders of towns and cities — many of them Democrats — who are pursuing legal, political and media strategies to stem gun crime. Bloomberg Cast as Enemy No. 1 of Gun Rights Advocates (more) By Diane Cardwell

Mark Alexander