”Blair n'a ni indépendance, ni influence morale auprès des Arabes”
LE FIGARO: Son appui à la guerre américaine en Irak a plombé la réputation du nouvel envoyé spécial du Quartette.

« UN VA-T-EN GUERRE en Irak pour construire la paix israélo-palestinienne, c'est plutôt cocasse ! », réagissait hier un diplomate arabe, à l'annonce de la nomination de Tony Blair comme envoyé spécial du Quartette au Proche-Orient. Retardée par un mouvement d'humeur des Russes, la nomination de l'ex-premier ministre britannique a été confirmée hier par les États-Unis, la Russie, l'Europe et l'ONU. Sa mission consistera à aider le président palestinien Mahmoud Abbas à édifier les institutions indispensables à un futur État. Le monde arabe réservé sur la mission de Tony Blair au Proche-Orient (suivant) Par Georges Malbrunot

Mark Alexander

Schwerer Rückschlag für Bush
SPIEGELONLINE: Schwerer Rückschlag für US-Präsident Bush: Der Senat stimmte gegen sein Einwanderungsgesetz, das Millionen Illegale zu US-Bürgern machen sollte. Ablehnung kam vor allem aus den eigenen Reihen. Bushs Einwanderungsreform im Senat gescheitert (mehr)

Mark Alexander

The Brutality of Islam Has Britain in Its Grip
FRONTPAGEMAGAZINE.COM: A spate of grisly murders across Britain serves as a reminder of yet another of Islam’s dark traditions: "honor" killing.

By way of definition, an honor killing – a time-honored Muslim custom – is the murder of a female by members of her own family for sexually-related misconduct. This "misconduct" could involve anything ranging from adultery or being accused of adultery to wearing "inappropriate" clothes or wanting to marry someone other than who is chosen for you.

One recent act of "misconduct" was perpetrated by twenty-five year old Samaira Nazir of London. Spurning the offer of a pre-arranged marriage to a man chosen for her in Pakistan, she instead fell in love with an Afghan refuge, a Muslim also. For years she tried to keep the relationship secret, but in the end she could hide the truth no longer. The affair incensed her family and she was told to break things off. When she refused, it was decided that she should die. The Brutal Face of Islam (more) By Vasko Kohlmayer

Mark Alexander

The Bush Administration Engages the Muslim Brotherhood
WORLD TRIBUNE: WASHINGTON — The Bush administration has been quietly engaging the Muslim Brotherhood movement.

Officials said the State Department has approved a policy that would enable U.S. diplomats to meet and coordinate with Brotherhood leaders in Egypt, Iraq, Syria and other Arab states. They said the program would first be restricted to elected officials from the Brotherhood and eventually be extended to their political chiefs. U.S. approves contacts with Muslim Brotherhood: 'Region is going Islam' (more)

Mark Alexander

Anti-Jihad Preacher from Florida


Mark Alexander

Iran d’Ahmadinejad!

Photo grâce au Figaro

LE FIGARO: PENDANT sa campagne électorale en 2005, le président Mahmoud Ahmadinejad avait promis, dans un de ses slogans phares, « d'apporter l'argent du pétrole sur la table des Iraniens ». Deux ans après son élection, c'est l'effet inverse qui se produit : la décision prise par les autorités de rationner l'essence est en train de provoquer une vague de protestation sociale révélatrice d'un mécontentement interne croissant.

Dans la nuit de mardi à mercredi, douze stations-service de Téhéran ont été incendiées par des automobilistes en furie, selon des chiffres transmis à l'agence Fars par les pompiers. Iran : colère après le rationnement de l'essence (suivant)

Mark Alexander

German Perspectives on Blair
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: German observers consider Blair's legacy, what Brown will mean for Britain, and if Blair can really cut the mustard as an envoy in the Middle East. ’Once a Poodle, Always a Poodle?’ (more)

Mark Alexander

The World Turns Against Our American Friends Because of Bush, Says Pew Institute Survey Co-Chaired by Madeleine Albright
TIMESONLINE: Global distrust of President Bush is mutating into an almost worldwide sentiment of antiAmericanism, according to the world’s most comprehensive poll of international opinion, published yesterday.

The Pew Institute’s survey of 45,239 people in 47 nations shows support for the US has dropped sharply among traditional allies in the West, including Britain, as well as substantial declines elsewhere in Latin America, Eastern Europe, China and the Middle East.

It found “a broad and deepening dislike of American values and a global backlash against the spread of American ideas” – although US technology and popular culture is still held in high regard.

Pluralities in most countries now express distaste for notions of democracy promoted by the US, blame it for contributing to global inequality and “hurting the world’s environment”, while also disliking the way American businesses operate. World crisis of confidence in Bush (more)

Mark Alexander

Buffett Attacks the Inequity of the US Tax System
TIMESONLINE: Warren Buffett, the third-richest man in the world, has criticised the US tax system for allowing him to pay a lower rate than his secretary and his cleaner.

Speaking at a $4,600-a-seat fundraiser in New York for Senator Hillary Clinton, Mr Buffett, who is worth an estimated $52 billion (£26 billion), said: “The 400 of us [here] pay a lower part of our income in taxes than our receptionists do, or our cleaning ladies, for that matter. If you’re in the luckiest 1 per cent of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99 per cent.”

Mr Buffett said that he was taxed at 17.7 per cent on the $46 million he made last year, without trying to avoid paying higher taxes, while his secretary, who earned $60,000, was taxed at 30 per cent. Mr Buffett told his audience, which included John Mack, the chairman of Morgan Stanley, and Alan Patricof, the founder of the US branch of Apax Partners, that US government policy had accentuated a disparity of wealth that hurt the economy by stifling opportunity and motivation. Buffett blasts system that lets him pay less tax than secretary (more) By Tom Bawden

Mark Alexander

A New World Order
The West isn’t working. This world order isn’t working, either. It’s time for a change. If the West wants to survive, then things will have to change. The way things are going on, the West will be on its knees in a short time, and in short order. At the moment, everything revolves around the Middle East, and around Middle Eastern money and oil, and around Middle Eastern influence.

The culture and ‘civilisation’ of the Middle East is diametrically-opposed to our own; but Middle Eastern petrodollars are being used to buy power and influence here in the West. Therefore, if we wish to preserve our civilisation, if we wish to preserve our way of life, we need change. The claptrap coming out of the White House, the claptrap coming out of Number 10, the claptrap coming out of the Foreign Office is not helpful to the preservation of freedom, liberty, and democracy.

The people at the top are like junkies – they are addicted to Middle Eastern money. They don’t call those people potentates for nothing! It is a sad fact of life in the twenty-first century that our leaders are far more interested in making money than they are in preserving our civilisation.

We have got to the point in which it is far more important to earn a fast buck than it is to re-affirm our commitment to the Judeo-Christian culture which has served us so well - a culture which has brought us civilisation, compassion, liberty, dignity, and justice. Islam, with its barbaric practices of beheading, amputation, lapidation, whipping, and torture doesn’t come anywhere close to Judeo-Christian civilisation. Indeed, it is light years away!

President Bush dreamed of bringing democracy to Iraq, nay, to the Middle East. He has been living in ‘cloud cuckoo land’! As has his partner: Tony Blair. Islam and democracy just don’t mix. A fool would have known this. Apparently, neither the White House nor Number 10 did!

Tony Blair has left office. He no longer resides at 10 Downing Street. He is no longer the prime minister of Great Britain. Mercifully! In ten years at the helm, Tony Blair has inflicted a lot of damage on Great Britain. Much of that damage is in the loss of democracy, to say nothing of the uncontrolled borders.

It would appear that the West is being driven by the petrodollars of the Middle East. The tail is wagging the dog! And while this state of affairs exists, there will be no good outcome. No good outcome at all! Inherent in capitalism is greed. Greed is no good principle on which to steer our economy, to say nothing of our civilisation. Now that is not to say that I think that capitalism is bad; it isn’t. But unbridled capitalism needs to be reined in if we wish our freedoms and liberty to proliferate.

Osama bin Laden accuses the United States of being “a paper tiger”. It would appear that there is much truth in this description of our friends’ country; especially since President Bush has run that wonderful country. Why do I say this? Because it has been impotent in stopping the growth of Islam in America, and therefore impotent in helping stop the growth of Islam in the West, because it has failed to stop the influence of Wahhabism in America, and it has failed miserably to stop the uncontrolled growth of Salafism in the States, too. Indeed, in the past ten years, Islam has grown apace in the US, in the UK, and in the West in general. The power and influence of Muslims and the Middle East is at a frighteningly high level! And all the while democracy has been weakened at home.

It is no good trying to bring democracy to another part of the world – a part of the world which can never be democratised while the prophet Muhammad is the people’s guide – and it is no good trying to change the nature of a people, either. The nature of a people depends on the philosophy which guides them. Islam guides Middle Easterners; so, as Islam and democracy are diametrically-opposed, there is little point in trying to bring democracy to that region. For democracy to flourish, the sine qua non is that there be a separation of the temporal from the sacred, a separation of politics and religion. Without that separation, there is absolutely no hope of establishing a democracy. None at all! No, democracy cannot exist without a separation of church, or mosque, and state. It is impossible! What Bush and Blair embarked on could be labelled “mission impossible”! For mission impossible it most certainly was. Here we are, several years later, and nothing, absolutely nothing, has been achieved; and nor will anything be achieved in the future, either. From nothing, comes nothing!

But what bothers me most is this: We are destroying the life we have grown to love and respect. Corruption abounds. Billions of dollars, billions of pounds, are paid to the potentates of the Middle East. Politicians in the West are reluctant to uphold the status quo for fear of upsetting their paymasters. They are also worried that they will not get the lucrative deals after they leave office that they might if they spill the beans. All quite understandable, of course; but all quite disgusting all the same.

If the West is to survive in its present form, if the West is to remain whole and free – and with the number of immigrants that have entered the West, that is a big question! – the West has to sever the umbilical cord which binds us to Middle Eastern oil, which binds us to Middle Eastern funds, which binds us to Middle Eastern influence. Sucking up to Saudis just won’t cut the mustard. We will have to break loose!

There is no other way for the survival of the West, there is no other way for the perpetuation of freedom and liberty and no other way to ensure the dignity of man. If Islam wins the day – which, as things are going at the moment, it most certainly will – then we all have dark daysto look forward to. There is no other way: This world order isn’t working. It’s ‘broke’. And when something is broken, it needs to be fixed. It’s time for a new world order. Now!

©Mark Alexander

All rights reserved

Blair Makes It As Middle East Envoy

Photo of Tony Blair courtesy of the BBC

BBC: Tony Blair is to become a Middle East envoy working on behalf of the US, Russia, the UN and the EU.

The announcement comes just hours after he stood down as UK prime minister and shortly before it was announced he was to quit as a Member of Parliament.

Earlier, Mr Blair said a "solution" to the problems in the Middle East was possible but that this would require "huge intensity and work".

Russia was thought to have opposed his appointment but has since agreed to it. Blair becomes Middle East envoy (more)

Mark Alexander

What the ‘Well-Dressed’ Infidel Man Will Be Wearing Next Spring

Photo courtesy of Le Figaro

LE FIGARO:
View more of the collections

Mark Alexander

Gordon Brown’s First Speech as Prime Minister
As he stood poised to enter Number 10 for the first time as Prime Minister, Gordon Brown made a brief speech.

I have just accepted the invitation of Her Majesty the Queen to form a government.

This will be a new government with new priorities and I have been privileged to have been granted the great opportunity to serve my country.

And at all times I will be strong in purpose, steadfast in will, resolute in action in the service of what matters to the British people, meeting the concerns and aspirations of our whole country.

I grew up in the town that I now represent in Parliament; I went to the local school.

I wouldn't be standing here without the opportunities that I received there and I want the best of chances for everyone.

That is my mission: that if we can fulfil the potential and realise the talents of all our people then I am absolutely sure that Britain can be the great global success story of this century.

As I have travelled around the country and as I have listened and I have learned from the British people - and as Prime Minister I will continue to listen and learn from the British people - I have heard the need for change: change in our NHS; change in our schools; change with affordable housing; change to build trust in government; change to protect and extend the British way of life.

And this need for change cannot be met by the old politics so I will reach out beyond narrow party interest; I will build a government that uses all the talents; I will invite men and women of goodwill to contribute their energies in a new spirit of public service to make our nation what it can be.

And I am convinced that there is no weakness in Britain today that cannot be overcome by the strengths of the British people.

On this day I remember words that have stayed with me since my childhood and which matter a great deal today: my school motto, 'I will try my utmost'.

This is my promise to all of the people of Britain and now let the work of change begin. Thank you." [Source: The Telegraph]

Mark Alexander

I Wonder Who’s Paying for This?

Photo courtesy of The Australian

Mark Alexander

In Pakistan, Our So-Called Friend and Ally in the ‘War on Terror’, Muslim Converts to Christianity Are to Be Sentenced to Death
Listen to this Pakistani, Dr Paul, speaking about the new Apostasy Law in Pakistan

Evangelist K G Paul, MD
Dr Paul’s Blog

Mark Alexander

Grün muß alles sein!
DIE PRESSE: Die traditionelle Glühbirne wird vom Markt verschwinden. Bis 2015 will die Industrie nur noch Energie sparende Lampen bis 25 Watt produzieren.

Bis 2015 will die Industrie die traditionelle Glühbirne völlig vom europäischen Markt nehmen. Nach fast 150 Jahren ist die Vorherrschaft der Glühbirne damit beendet. Stattdessen sollen Energiesparlampen vermehrt den Weg in die Haushalte finden. Konkret werden effiziente Halogen- und Glühlampen sowie LED-Leuchten die "alte" Glühbirne ersetzen. Ziel der Industrie ist es bis 2015 ausschließlich Energie sparende Lampen bis 25 Watt, zu produzieren. Das Ende der Glühbirne (mehr)

Mark Alexander

Auf Nimmerwiedersehen*, Tony!
FINANCIAL TIMES: Tony Blair on Wednesday bowed out as Britain’s prime minister with a flourish in the House of Commons using his farewell appearance to mock his eurosceptic critics, saying “au revoir, auf wiedersehn [sic], arrivederci”.

Mr Blair was given the rare honour of a two-minute standing ovation, in breach of parliamentary tradition, with MPs of all parties applauding his exit from the political stage.

After his final appearance at prime minister’s questions, Mr Blair returned to Downing Street to thank his staff.

Before leaving Number 10 for the last time he posed for the photographers flanked by his wife and children, a repeat of the iconic scene when he first arrived as prime minister after being swept to power in 1997.

Mr Blair then headed to Buckingham Palace for a 15-minute audience with the Queen, to formally hand in his resignation. Blair bows out with a flourish (more) By Ben Hall

*Auf Nimmerwiedersehen – Never to meet again (good riddance)

FAZ:
VIDEO: Blairs Abschied im Parlament

Mark Alexander

BAE Controversy Has Damaged the Serious Fraud Office’s Reputation for Dealing with Corruption
THE GUARDIAN: The Serious Fraud Office's reputation for tackling corruption has been damaged by the BAE Systems arms deal controversy, its director admitted today.

Robert Wardle told MPs it was "very disappointing" to have to drop his investigation into claims that Britain's biggest arms manufacturer made improper payments to Saudi Arabian officials. Serious Fraud Office admits BAE controversy has been damaging (more) By James Sturcke and agencies

Mark Alexander

Russians Drag Their Feet and Delay Blair’s Appointment as Middle East Special Envoy
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Western powers struggled on Tuesday to finalize a role for outgoing Prime Minister Tony Blair as Middle East envoy in their bid to revive peace prospects after Islamist Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip.

A statement from the so-called Quartet mediators -- the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations -- was delayed until at least Wednesday by Russian foot-dragging, diplomats said. Deal to name Blair as envoy delayed (More)

Mark Alexander

No Succour for Salman: No Hope of Genie Appearing from This Aladdin’s Lamp!
IRNA – TEHRAN: Head of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi said "Late Imam Khomeini's decree on Salman Rushdie is eternal and irrevocable." In a joint press conference here with his Norwegian counterpart Olaf Akselsson, Boroujerdi responding to his Norwegian counterpart's request for cancellation of death fatwa on Salman Rushdie said "Honoring religious sanctities is necessary and all societies must respect this."

He said, "All countries have a red line in their policies. For instance, in spite of freedom of speech a university professor and a political figure loses his job because of denying Holocaust in Europe, insulting Prophet of Islam (PBUH) has caused the late Imam to issue the decree (fatwa) which is irreversible." MP: Imam Khomeini's decree on Salman Rushdie irrevocable (more)

Mark Alexander

Again, Iran Tries to Fool the West
IRNA – TEHRAN: Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said here Tuesday the era of nuclear weapons has come to an end because it can neither bring about any changes nor settle any crisis.

Mottaki made the remark in a meeting with Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Enlarged Foreign Affairs Committee of Norwegian parliament (Stortinget) Olav Akselsen.

"Iran's nuclear activities are peaceful," Mottaki reiterated in his talks. Nuclear weapon era has come to an end: Mottaki (more)

Mark Alexander

Russians Attempt to Steal German Military Technology
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Russian intelligence agents have recently been trying to steal German military technology with an intensity unknown since the end of the Cold War. But the spies who have been arrested so far have got off scot-free -- thanks to their diplomatic immunity.

Vladimir Vozhzhov thought he was on safe territory as he waited in his Salzburg hotel on June 11. After all, the 50-year-old Russian citizen had been commuting between Moscow and Vienna for many years. But this particular visit to Austria took an unusual turn. Russian Agents Plot to Steal German Military Technology (more) By Holger Stark

Mark Alexander

German Defence Ministry Refuses Cruise Permission to Play Count Stauffenberg
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: The German Defense Ministry has said it will not permit Tom Cruise to film scenes in a movie about a plot to kill Hitler at historical World War II sites in Berlin. The reason: Politicians don't want Germany to be seen as promoting the Scientology cult.

Germany's Defense Ministry has said it will ban the Hollywood makers of a film about a plot to kill Hitler from shooting scenes at military sites in Berlin because its heartthrob star, Tom Cruise, is a Scientologist. Filming is expected to start in July on "Valkyrie," a drama about a failed plot hatched by Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg to kill Hitler using a briefcase bomb.

Defense Ministry spokesman Harald Kammerbauer, cited by Reuters, said the fimmakers "will not be allowed to film at German military sites if Count Stauffenberg is played by Tom Cruise, who has publicly professed to being a member of the Scientology cult." Berlin Politicians Attack Cruise, Scientology (more)

Mark Alexander

Signs of Unrest in Iran: Gangs of Youths Torch Petrol Stations Because of Fuel Rationing
TIMESONLINE: Gangs of youths torched petrol stations and long queues developed at pumps in Tehran after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced the start of fuel rationing, causing the kind of violent protests rarely seen in Iran.

Despite the Islamic Republic being Opec's No 2 oil producer, Mr Ahmadinejad announced yesterday evening that he was enforcing the rations from midnight last night.

Reading out an Oil Ministry statement, Iranian state television said that private cars would be rationed to 100 litres per month, while those using petrol and compressed natural gas would only be allowed 30 litres.

It added that the rationing would continue for four months and might be extended to six months. Separate quotas have also been introduced for municipal yellow taxis and privately-run taxi firms. Petrol stations torched in Iran after Ahmadinejad rations fuel (More) By David Byers and agencies

Mark Alexander

Is Fred Thompson, the Man Who Understands that the “Jihadists” Are Trying “to Bring the West to Its Knees,” America’s Best Hope?
THE TELEGRAPH: The Democratic party is so alarmed by the prospect of competing against Fred Thompson, a Republican who portrays himself as a successor to Ronald Reagan, that it is advising campaigners how to attack the former actor and Tennessee senator. Democrats spooked by the rise of ‘new Reagan’ (more) By Alex Spillius in Washington

We must blockade Iran, says Republican hope

Fred Thompson

Mark Alexander

Kaczynskis Having Suck!

Image courtesy of SpiegelOnline International

SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: It's not the first time the Polish weekly Wprost has gotten in trouble in Germany. This week, the cover depicts Chancellor Angela Merkel breast-feeding the Kaczynski twins. But it could have been worse, the editor-in-chief points out. At least they used a 21-year-old model.

It's not exactly how one expects to see German Chancellor Angela Merkel: The broad, friendly smile seems completely at odds with her open blouse, two bare breasts spilling out. On each breast, one of Poland's governing Kaczynski twins is affixed -- Prime Minister Jaroslaw is suckling on the left, President Lech has attached himself to the right. One of them is holding up the "victory" sign right in Merkel's cleavage. Nude Merkel Montage Raises ... Eyebrows (more) By Charles Hawley

Mark Alexander

BAE Shares Go Into Freefall
TIMESONLINE: Gordon Brown was today urged to reopen an official corruption inquiry into BAE Systems’ al-Yamamah contract with Saudi Arabia after US authorities announced they were launching their own formal investigation into the defence company.

Vincent Cable, the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, told Times Online it was essential the incoming Prime Minister broke with the past and the “sleazy behaviour” of the outgoing Blair administration.

He added: “It is extraordinary and embarrassing that we have to rely on the higher standards of probity in the United States to investigate alleged corruption by a British company in its overseas business operations.

"We would like Gordon Brown to look at the matter again as we didn't agree with the reasons given for the early termination of the Serious Fraud Office inquiry last year." BAE shares plunge as US launches corruption probe: Almost £1.6 billion is cut from the value of BAE as the Department of Justice opens an inquiry into corruption allegations (more) | Steve Hawkes

TIMESONLINE: Tempus: BAE under fire | Steve Hawkes

TIMESONLINE: BAE contract on hold until Saudis forge closer ties with Brown| David Robertson

Mark Alexander

Conservative MP defects to Labour for Lack of Confidence in the Leadership of the Conservative Party
"Under your leadership [David Cameron’s] the Conservative Party appears to me to have ceased collectively to believe in anything, or to stand for anything. "It has no bedrock. It exists on shifting sands. A sense of mission has been replaced by a PR agenda." - Quentin Davies

BBC: Tory MP Quentin Davies has defected to Labour, "delighting" new leader and prime minister-in-waiting Gordon Brown.

The MP for Grantham and Stamford made his decision public in a letter to Conservative leader David Cameron, with whom he has long been at odds.

He wrote that the party seemed "to have ceased collectively to believe in anything, or to stand for anything".

But Lincolnshire County Council's Tory leader Martin Hill called the defection an "act of treachery and betrayal".

Mr Davies has long been at odds with the Tory leadership - in 2005, shadow chancellor George Osborne said he and Mr Davies disagreed on "almost everything". Conservative MP defects to Labour (more)

Mark Alexander

Gott sei Dank gibt es endlich in Europa einen starken und vernünftigen Führer: „Ich habe meine Meinung nicht geändert: Die Türkei hat keinen Platz in Europa“, sagt Sarkozy
WELTONLINE: Der französische Präsident, noch recht frisch im Amt, plant eine neue Strategie, um die EU-Mitgliedschaft des islamisch geprägten Landes zu verhindern. Zugleich beeilt er sich zu betonen, dass dies nicht gegen das türkische Volks gerichtet sei. "Die Türkei hat keinen Platz in Europa" (mehr)

BBC:
Turkey unhappy at EU talks delay

Mark Alexander

Dank Sarkozy „tritt die EU auf die Bremse” in Verhandlungen mit der Türkei
WELTONLINE: Die Europäische Union hält sich in den Verhandlungen mit Ankara zurück. Die geplanten Gespräche über Wirtschaftsfragen sind zunächst ausgeklammert - auf Wunsch der Franzosen. Denn die wollen verhindern, dass die Türkei Mitglied der EU wird.

Die Europäischen Union (EU) tritt in den Beitrittsgesprächen mit der Türkei auf die Bremse. In Brüssel eröffneten beide Seiten nur zwei statt drei weitere Politikbereiche in den Verhandlungen. Wegen des Widerstands des neuen französischen Präsidenten Nicolas Sarkozy verzichtete die deutsche Ratspräsidentschaft aus „technischen Gründen“ darauf, auch die eigentlich geplanten Gespräche über Währungsfragen zu eröffnen. Der türkische Chefunterhändler Ali Babacan kritisierte die Entscheidung scharf. Gespräche mit der Türkei laufen schleppend (mehr)

Mark Alexander

UE est l’adhésion de la Turquie: Le troisième chapitre de négociation a été retiré de l'ordre du jour
LE FIGARO: Sous la pression de la France, un troisième chapitre de négociation a été retiré de l'ordre du jour.

TOUT JUSTE sortis d'un Conseil européen éprouvant, qui entérine la réforme des institutions de l'UE, les Vingt-Sept ont donné leur feu vert, hier à Bruxelles, à l'ouverture de deux nouveaux chapitres de négociation avec la Turquie. Il s'agit de deux chapitres mineurs - sur les trente-cinq que compte l'acquis communautaire - consacrés aux « statistiques » et au « contrôle financier ».

La Commission proposait d'ouvrir un troisième chapitre, plus important, relatif à « l'Union économique et monétaire ». Il aurait mis la Turquie sur les rails de l'euro, en faisant entrer la banque centrale turque dans le système européen des banques centrales, le « saint des saints » monétaire européen. Ce chapitre a été discrètement retiré de l'ordre du jour de la réunion, ce week-end, par la présidence allemande. Berlin voulait éviter une confrontation avec Paris sur le dossier turc, explosif depuis l'élection de Nicolas Sarkozy à la présidence de la République. UE : deux chapitres s'ouvrent pour la Turquie (suivant) D’Alexandrine Bouilhet

Mark Alexander

The Face of Radical European Muslims


Mark Alexander

Is Europe in the Process of Forsaking Christianity for Islam?


Mark Alexander

Banned by PBS: Muslims Against Jihad
Part 1:


Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8

Mark Alexander

BAE Shares Tumble on News of US Fraud Investigation of the Company
TIMESONLINE: The Department of Justice is looking into corruption allegations surrounding arm deals with Saudi Arabia

The US Department of Justice has begun a formal fraud investigation into BAE Systems, the company has revealed just days after Mike Turner, chief executive, insisted “we’ve got nothing to hide”.

In a short statement today, BAE said US authorities would be looking into the company’s compliance with anti-corruption laws including its business with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Shares in the group tumbled nearly 7 per cent, wiping more than £1 billion from the value of the company. US launches fraud investigation into BAE Systems (more) By Steve Hawkes

THE GUARDIAN:
BAE nosedives on US inquiry

Mark Alexander

Immigration Levels Allowed to Spiral Out of Control
THE TELEGRAPH: One in 10 people living in Britain was born overseas - a far higher proportion than previously thought, an international study group said yesterday.

Record levels of immigration are rapidly changing the make-up of the population, figures released by the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) confirmed.

The last census, six years ago, suggested 4.3 million people in Britain were born abroad. But the OECD's annual International Migration Outlook put the proportion in 2005 at 9.7 per cent - or about 5.8 million out of a total of 60 million. In recent years, about half a million people have come to live in Britain every 12 months.

Even though this is partly offset by people leaving, the foreign-born population is growing while the British-born population is declining. One in 10 people living in Britain born overseas (more) By Philip Johnston

OECD:
International Migration Outlook 2007

THE DAILY MAIL:
It is not extremist, or fascist, or illiberal to demand stringent immigration controls By Max Hastings

Mark Alexander

Sarkozy Proves His Mettle In His Determination to Tackle the Problems of Darfur
TIMESONLINE: High on personal triumph from the European summit, President Sarkozy offered French leadership yesterday to resolve the conflict in Darfur.

“Silence is killing,” Mr Sarkozy told an international conference in Paris attended by Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, and Chinese and other international officials. French troops are expected to be the largest contingent in a new

UNAfrican force to bring relief to the western Sudan territory where 200,000 have been killed in ethnic violence since 2003.

Unlike President Chirac, who took little interest in Darfur, Mr Sarkozy has made the crisis a priority. His Darfur push, promoted by Bernard Kouchner, the outspoken rights activist who is his Foreign Minister, is one of a whirlwind of initiatives that are dazzling the new President’s admirers and stirring unease among critics.

“If he carries on at this rate Sarkozy will quickly become the new Sun King, or he will burn up in a year or two,” said le Midi Libre. The Mediterranean newspaper was reacting to a streak of frenetic activity by the reformist “hyper-President” who is drawing comparisons with King Louis XIV, le Roi Soleil, and Napoleon Bonaparte. Sarkozy the ‘Sun King’ takes lead to aid Darfur (more) By Charles Bremner

Mark Alexander

Middle East Due to Get More than Enough of the Man Middle Easterners Love to Hate

Photo of Tony Blair courtesy of The Times

TIMESONLINE: Tony Blair’s nomination for the post of international envoy in the Middle East is likely to be confirmed as early as today despite grumbles from Europe and last-minute wrangles over his job description.

Sources in London and Washington indicated yesterday that the announcement will be made if agreement is reached between the so-called “Quartet” of powers – America, Europe, Russia and the United Nations – which oversee the Middle East peace process.

Mr Blair’s nomination has been pushed by Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, and – to a lesser extent – the White House, in behind-the-scenes negotiations over recent months. Blair set to clinch job as world’s man in the Middle East (more) By Tom Baldwin in Washington, Greg Hurst and Philip Webster

THE GUARDIAN:
Odds stacked against Blair mission

Mark Alexander

One Cock Up After the Other
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: The Bush administration is considering appointing outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair as special envoy for the Middle East Quartet. If only they had told the Europeans.

It might seem like a basic principle of diplomacy to let your allies know before you nominate someone to represent them. However this appears to not have been the case with the Bush administration's reported backing of Tony Blair to be the Middle East Quartet's special envoy for Palestinian governance (more...).

According to information obtained by DER SPIEGEL, the Foreign Ministry in Berlin had not been informed of plans to nominate Blair for the post -- even though German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier currently represents the EU in the Quartet. Germany currently holds the rotating EU presidency.

Blair is a controversial choice for the position, given his role in the Iraq war and his close relationship to Bush, and he is unpopular in much of the Middle East. Politicians in both Berlin and Brussels fear that Blair would be an unacceptable go-between for many Arabs. Europeans Skeptical about Blair as Mideast Envoy (more)

Mark Alexander

Sarkozy Gets Tough On Turkey: There’s No Place in the EU for Turkey, Says Sarkozy
BBC: The European Union is to start membership talks with Turkey this week in only two new areas instead of three, because of France's opposition.

Diplomats say France made clear its reservations, so the question was not discussed at a meeting of ambassadors in Brussels.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy says Turkey has no place in the EU. France snubs Turkey on EU talks (more)

Mark Alexander

Israel’s Goodwill Gesture
BBC: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says he will order the release of 250 jailed members of the Fatah movement led by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

He announced the "goodwill gesture" at a summit in Egypt, attended by Mr Abbas and the leaders of Egypt and Jordan.

The meeting was aimed at boosting Mr Abbas and isolating his rivals, Hamas, after their takeover of Gaza. Israel to release Fatah prisoners (more)

Mark Alexander

World Bank To Have New Chief
BBC: The World Bank's executive board has confirmed that Robert Zoellick will become the organisation's new boss.

Mr Zoellick, who was nominated by US President George W Bush, will replace Paul Wolfowitz, who leaves on 30 June.

Mr Wolfowitz is stepping down after two years in office, following a scandal over his role in winning a pay and promotion package for his partner.

A former US deputy secretary of state, Mr Zoellick has most recently worked for investment bank Goldman Sachs. New World Bank chief is confirmed (more)

Mark Alexander

Hamas Urged to Implement Islamic Law
YNET NEWS: Deputy leader of terror organization urges Hamas to implement Islamic law in Gaza, to unite with his organization's holy warriors

Al-Qaeda's deputy leader called on Muslims around the world to back Hamas with weapons, money and attacks on US and Israeli interests in a web audiotape Monday, urging the Palestinian group to unite with al-Qaeda's "holy warriors" after its takeover of Gaza.

The message from Ayman al-Zawahri, who is Osama bin Laden's top deputy, marked a major shift by al-Qaeda, which in the past criticized Hamas for joining a government with the US-supported Fatah faction.

The audiotape was clearly made after Hamas' takeover of Gaza earlier this month, marking a rapid response from al-Qaeda's top leadership to the events. Its authenticity could not be independently confirmed, but it was posted on a web forum where al-Zawahri has issued messages in the past.

Al-Zawahri urged Hamas to implement Islamic law in Gaza, telling it, "Taking over power is not a goal but a means to implement God's word on earth. Al-Qaeda leader calls for support for Hamas (more)

Mark Alexander