A New Arms Race?
FINANCIAL TIMES: Russia could site cruise missiles in Kaliningrad, the Russian enclave between Poland and Lithuania, if the US goes ahead with plans for a missile defence shield in central Europe, Russia’s first deputy prime minister warned on Wednesday.

The televised comments by Sergei Ivanov – a possible successor to President Vladimir Putin – came two days after Mr Putin proposed using a new radar station being built in southern Russia in place of a planned US radar in the Czech Republic. The proposal was made during informal talks with US president George W. Bush in Kennebunkport, Maine. Russians threaten to counter US shield (more) By Neil Buckley and Demetri Sevastopulo

TIMESONLINE:
Russian missile threat to Europe raises Cold War fear over US shield By Tony Halpin and Tom Baldwin

Mark Alexander

Wholefoods, the Upscale Organic Food Chain, Comes to Kensington
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: The world's most luxurious organic food store has opened a branch in London's posh Kensington neighborhood. What used to be said about Rolls Royce cars now holds true for potatoes: If you have to ask the price, you can't afford one. Paying a Prince’s Ransom for Potatoes (more) By Thomas Hüetlin

Mark Alexander

Neue Angst vor Terror in London
WELTONLINE: Auf der Central Line wurde der Verkehr vorerst eingestellt. Ein Mensch wurde leicht verletzt, als der U-Bahn-Zug aus den Schienen sprang. Im morgendlichen Berufsverkehr sorgte der Unfall für Chaos. Die Hintergründe des Vorfalls sind noch nicht geklärt.

n London ist am Morgen eine U-Bahn entgleist, mindestens ein Mensch wurde nach Polizeiangaben leicht verletzt. Die Strecke der Central Line wurde teilweise gesperrt, nachdem eine U-Bahn entgleist war, wie die Verkehrspolizei laut einer Meldung der britischen Nachrichtenagentur PA mitteilte. U-Bahn entgleist - neue Angst vor Terror (more)

Mark Alexander

Turning On TV News a Turn-off for Young and Ethnic Minorities
THE GUARDIAN: · Ofcom says solution could be to axe impartiality rules
· BBC fears lost generation as audiences dwindle
The media watchdog Ofcom warned yesterday that one of the only ways to get young people and ethnic minorities to engage with television news might be to sweep away impartiality rules, ushering in opinionated bulletins and more politicised news channels.

In the US, where there are no rules demanding impartiality in television news, the rightwing network Fox News has won viewers at the expense of traditional bulletins.

Ofcom said that discarding restrictions for broadcasters other than the main public service channels might lead to a wider range of voices and help re-engage viewers turned off by the homogeneity of views elsewhere. It said the requirement for impartiality may have "fostered a middle-of-the-road culture" in mainstream news.

A recent BBC study into impartiality also called for a more sophisticated approach to reflect a wider diversity of views. TV news 'a turn-off for young and ethnic minorities' (more) By Owen Gibson

Mark Alexander

In Deutschland wird wieder positiv von Zuwanderung gesprochen! Ein Paradigmenwechsel ist gut im Zuge
DIE ZEIT: Deutschland braucht ausländische Fachkräfte. Allmählich beginnen auch Unionspolitiker umzudenken. Die deutsche Zuwanderungspolitik steht vor einem Paradigmenwechsel.

Es ist noch keine drei Wochen her, da wurde im Bundestag eine jener alten Schlachten geschlagen, die die Auseinandersetzungen um die Zuwanderung in Deutschland über viele Jahre geprägt haben. Das einschlägige Gesetz, das noch immer den Namen Zuwanderungs- Begrenzungsgesetz trägt, wurde verschärft, und der christdemokratische Innenminister Wolfgang Schäuble nutzte die Gelegenheit, um wieder einmal eindringlich vor den Gefahren einer unkontrollierten Einwanderung zu warnen. Auch der CSU-Bundestagsabgeordnete Hans-Peter Uhl rechtfertigte lautstark, warum Integrationsverweigerung in Zukunft schärfer sanktioniert wird, zum Beispiel mit Kürzung des Arbeitslosengeldes oder gar mit Abschiebung.

Doch inzwischen ist die Stimmung eine ganz andere. Ein bisschen Aufschwung, schon suchen die deutschen Unternehmen verzweifelt Fachkräfte, Ingenieure, Informatiker, Chemiker und überhaupt gut ausgebildete Hochschulabsolventen. Und plötzlich wird in Berlin nicht mehr über Zuwanderungsbegrenzung, Integrationsverweigerung und Abschreckung debattiert, sondern darüber, wie die Grenzen für solche Fachkräfte geöffnet werden können – und dies möglichst geräuschlos und attraktiv. Ende der Abschreckung (mehr) Von Christoph Seils

Mark Alexander

En Espagne, toutes les familles toucheraient 2.500 euros à chaque naissance

Photo grâce au Figaro

LE FIGARO: La mesure annoncée mardi par José Luis Zapatero vise à doper la faible natalité ibérique.

Le chef du gouvernement espagnol, le socialiste José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, a annoncé mardi lors de son discours sur l'état de la nation au Parlement que toutes les familles toucheraient 2.500 euros à chaque naissance. Le premier ministre a indiqué que cette coûteuse mesure visait à doper la faible natalité espagnole, l'une des plus basses d'Europe. "Pour continuer de progresser, l'Espagne a besoin de plus de familles avec plus d'enfants, et les familles ont besoin de soutien pour faire ces enfants et de ressources pour les élever", a-t-il justifié. En Espagne, faire un enfant "rapportera" 2.500 euros (suivant) De Jérôme Bouin

Mark Alexander

Brown and Cameron Clash Over ID Cards
BBC: Gordon Brown and David Cameron have clashed over plans to introduce identity cards in their first prime minister's questions encounter.

Mr Cameron, whose Conservatives oppose the cards, said they would "cause more problems than they solve" and had not stopped terror attacks abroad.

But Mr Brown, who raised the issue, said they were needed as they were "complementary" to other policies.
He called on all political parties to show "unity in the face of terror". Brown and Cameron clash over ID (more)

Mark Alexander

The Battle for a Minaret-free Skyline in Cologne
GLOBE & MAIL: COLOGNE, Germany — A plan to build a large mosque in Cologne, home to one of Christianity's most imposing cathedrals, is causing sparks to fly in the once peaceful world of inter-religious dialogue in Germany.

The local Catholic leader, Cardinal Joachim Meisner, has said the project gives him "a bad feeling" and Turkey should allow its Christian minorities more rights if Turkish immigrants here can stamp a dome and tall minarets onto the city skyline.

At a discussion in Cologne with a Muslim leader last month, Germany's top Protestant bishop, Wolfgang Huber, criticized the "male domination" he saw in Islam and said Muslims should be able to convert to Christianity without fearing reprisals. Minarets versus church spires (more) By Tom Heneghan (Reuters)

Mark Alexander

"Militant Islam" Recognises No Class Barriers
BBC: The news that many of the suspects in the failed car bomb attacks in Britain are medical doctors from the Middle East has shocked many and raised questions about connections between class, education and militant Islam.

There is a popular misperception that only the destitute or ill-educated are drawn to the ranks of militant Islamic organisations.
But nothing could be further from the known facts.

It is true that the appeal of political Islam - from the militant to the more moderate versions - is quite strong among the poor, because it promises a just and equitable society free from corruption and oppression.

But the leaders and the middle echelons of such groups are often well-educated middle class men. Militant Islam’s broad appeal (more) By Magdi Abdelhadi

Mark Alexander

Capitulation! Europe Bans European Governments’ Use of “Offensive” Terms: “Jihad”, “Islamic”, “Fundamentalist”!
DAILY EXPRESS: Secret EU guidelines have been drawn up warning governments not to link Islam and terrorism.

The politically correct directives are believed to be behind ministers not using words such as “Muslim’’ about Britain’s terrorism crisis.

Yesterday the Daily Express reported how Gordon Brown’s ministers had been told to avoid inflammatory language when speaking about the attempted car bomb attacks in London and Glasgow.

Neither the Prime Minister in a major interview nor Home Secretary Jacqui Smith in the Commons referred to Muslims or Islam.

Last night critics pointed to a classified EU document sent out to all European governments offering “non-offensive’’ phrases to use when discussing terrorism.

Banned terms were said to include “jihad’’, “Islamic’’ or “fundamentalist”. Europe Tells Britain: Don’t Say “Muslims” (more) By Alison Little

Mark Alexander

Happy 231st Birthday, America!

Flag courtesy of Google Images

We, your friends from across the Atlantic, would like to take this opportunity to wish you, our American friends, a very Happy Birthday. With love and best wishes to you all. Long may your wonderful country remain free!

Mark Alexander

Lapidacion en el Islam
WARNING: This video should not be viewed if you have a weak stomach. It is very graphic and disturbing to watch:


Mark Alexander

Tsarkozy Marginalizes His Prime Minister
THE GUARDIAN: · Five-year programme seen as president's
· Fears of one-man rule sidelining parliament
The French prime minister, François Fillon, yesterday set out to answer the critics accusing him of acting as the puppet to the president, Nicolas Sarkozy, by outlining his roadmap for the nation.

Mr Fillon has been so overshadowed by Mr Sarkozy's omnipresent style that he has been dubbed "mini-me", someone happy to jog alongside the president for the cameras on morning runs, then step back into the shadows.

In a lengthy speech to parliament yesterday he set out five years of reforms to create a "new economy" and stem France's public debt. He promised to cut unemployment to 5% in five years, and to reform labour laws and overhaul France's struggling universities. But the symbolic address simply outlined Mr Sarkozy's programme, confirming Mr Fillon as a loyal lieutenant. "The president is the initiator, I'm the agent," he said.

Mr Fillon's speech came amid warnings from opposition politicians and the media that the "hyper-presidential" style of Mr Sarkozy, nicknamed "Tsarkozy" or "Emperor Sarko I", threatened to emasculate the prime minister's job, reducing it to a vice-presidential role. Emperor Sarko leaves PM to be just a messenger (more) By Angelique Chrisafis

Mark Alexander

'Gordon Brownnose' Brownnoses Muslims!
With many thanks to Always On Watch for drawing this article to my attention:

THE DAILY EXPRESS: Gordon Brown has banned ministers from using the word “Muslim” in connection with the terrorism crisis.

The Prime Minister has also instructed his team – including new Home Secretary Jacqui Smith – that the phrase “war on ­terror” is to be dropped.

The shake-up is part of a fresh attempt to improve community relations and avoid offending Muslims, adopting a more “consensual” tone than existed under Tony Blair.

However, the change provoked claims last night that ministers are indulging in yet more political correctness.

The sudden shift in tone emerged in comments by Mr Brown and Ms Smith in the wake of the failed attacks in London and Glasgow.

Mr Brown’s spokesman acknowledged yesterday that ministers had been given specific guidelines to avoid inflammatory language. Brown: Don’t Say Terrorists Are Muslims (More) By Marcer Hall, Political Editor

Mark Alexander

Wahhabism and Saudi Arabia

Mark Alexander

”Dangerous and Unpredictable” Captors, the Army of Islam, Free Alan Johnston
THE TELEGRAPH: The BBC reporter Alan Johnston, held captive in Gaza by Palestinian militants since March, has been freed.

He was released in Gaza in the early hours of this morning and said he felt "the most unimaginable relief".

Mr Johnston was the only Western reporter permanently based in Gaza and had been working there for three years when he went missing on March 12.

He had been held by his captors, the Army of Islam, far longer than any Western journalist abducted in Gaza.

The 45-year-old told the BBC: "It's just the most fantastic thing to be free. It was an appalling experience, being kidnapped, occasionally quite terrifying and I didn't know when it was going to end. BBC's Alan Johnston released in Gaza (more) By Ian Martin and Emma Henry

TIMESONLINE:
Johnston free after 'appalling' ordeal

Mark Alexander

Ban Those Muslim Groups!
THE GUARDIAN: The government is to ban two extreme Islamist groups accused of carrying out terrorist attacks in south Asia, ministers announced today.

Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh and Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat Mohammadi would be added to the list of organisations proscribed under the Terrorism Act. The additions were unconnected with the attempted car bombings in London and Glasgow, a Home Office statement said.

The minister for counter-terrorism and security, Tony McNulty, published a draft order in parliament today. Once passed, it will be an offence to belong to or encourage support for either group.

"As events over the last few days have shown only too clearly, the threat we face from terrorism remains real and serious," Mr McNulty said in a statement.

"Proscription powers are a key tool in the fight against terrorism, creating a hostile environment in which terrorists find it increasingly difficult to operate, whether in this country or abroad." Britain bans two more Islamist groups (more)

Mark Alexander

Al-Qaeda Terrorists Turn to Practising Their Medical Skills on the Nation!
THE TELEGRAPH: The suspected al-Qa'eda terrorists behind the attempted car bomb attacks on Britain were almost all foreign doctors working in the NHS, it can be disclosed today.

It comes as an eighth person - also a foreign doctor - was arrested in Australia in connection with the attacks and police carried out a series of controlled explosions on a car parked outside a Glasgow mosque.

In a development that will raise questions over the vetting procedures for medics from abroad, it emerged that five of the seven suspects held by British police are young Middle Eastern men employed at British hospitals.

One is Mohammed Asha, a "brilliant" neurosurgeon from Jordan. Another being questioned over both the London and Glasgow attacks is Bilal Abdulla, an Iraqi junior doctor who was a passenger in the car that rammed Glasgow airport. Seven doctors held over al-Qa'eda bomb plot (more) By Duncan Gardham, Nigel Bunyan, Auslan Cramb and Richard Edwards

THE TELEGRAPH:
Cameron appoints first Muslim woman

Mark Alexander

BBC Paints a Very Wonderful, Positive Picture of Muslims in Britain
BBC: Some British Muslims fear they may be branded as terrorists - in spite of the fact that none of the people arrested by detectives investigating the failed car bombings at Glasgow airport appears to be British. Muslim voices on the bomb attack (more)

Mark Alexander

Bush and Putin Unite
BBC: US President George W Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin have said they will work together to resolve the crisis over Iran's nuclear programme.

Speaking after talks at his family retreat in the US state of Maine, Mr Bush said he and Mr Putin recognised the need to "send a common message". Bush and Putin 'united' on Iran (more)

BBC:
Cool not cold - Russia's new foreign policy

Mark Alexander

Chaos in the Episcopal Church
SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE: The General Convention of the Episcopal Church decided this past week not even to vote on a resolution saying Jesus Christ was the "only name by which any person may be saved," but heard the newly elected presiding bishop of the church - the first woman in that role - give a sermon using the expression "Mother Jesus."

The canon theologian for the Diocese of North Carolina, the Rev. Eugene McDowell, saw evil residing in the resolution. "This type of language was used in 1920s and 1930s to alienate the type of people who were executed," he was quoted as saying. "It was called the Holocaust." Episcopal chaos (more) By Jay Ambrose

Mark Alexander

Terror Warning for USA
BBC: Pakistan says information on possible planned attacks in the US came from a computer seized after the arrest of a key al-Qaeda suspect last week.

Proposals were said to be found in e-mails on the computer of Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, captured after a gun battle.

The US has increased tough security measures in three cities with financial institutions mentioned as likely targets for attack.

US officials said the intelligence used involved "extraordinary detail". Arrest ‘led to US terror warning’ (more)

Mark Alexander

Trial for Mutawwa Has Begun
KUWAIT TIMES: RIYADH: Four men, including three members of Saudi Arabia's religious police, went on trial yesterday for their alleged involvement in the death of a man in detention - an unprecedented case against a powerful force long resented for intimidating people. The religious police enforce the kingdom's strict Islamic lifestyle, patrolling public places to ensure women are covered, the sexes don't mingle, shops close five times a day for Muslim prayers and men go to the mosque and worship.

The man's family is demanding the death penalty for those found guilty of the death their relative, Ahmed Al-Bulaiwi, a retired border patrol guard in his early 50s. Al-Bulaiwi died in custody shortly after his June 1 arrest for being alone with a woman who was not a relative - an act considered an offense in the kingdom. Audah Al-Bulaiwi, who is representing the family in court, said three judges presided over the first hearing in the case in the northern city of Tabuk. He said the defendants - three members of the religious police and a fourth believed to be from the regular police - were present in the courtroom. Trial against Mutawwa opens in Saudi Arabia (more)

Saudi Arabia: Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

Mark Alexander

Britons Refind the Bulldog Spirit and Defy Smoking Ban in Their Thousands, in Defence of Freedom
THE TELEGRAPH: Thousands of smokers defied the introduction of the smoking ban across England yesterday by lighting up in pubs, claiming that the legislation was an infringement of civil liberties.

Councils, which have the power to fine smokers who light up inside work places, pubs or any public building, admitted that not a single fine was issued as they tried to implement the ban in a "softly, softly" way.

One pub defying the ban was the Dog Inn in Ewyas Harold, near Hereford, whose landlord is Tony Blows, part of the campaign group Freedom2Chose. He argued that as his pub was also his home he should be entitled to smoke anywhere within it.

"I'm doing it for the simple reason that this is my home. My wife and I work 200 hours a week in this pub. It's private property. There's no way they can stop us doing it," he said. Thousands defy smoking ban in mass protest (more) By Harry Wallop

Mark Alexander

Islam ist ein Problem für uns alle!
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: 01. Juli 2007 - Es ist Teufelszeug, das der neuen Regierung Brown vor die Füße gelegt wurde. Ein glücklicher Zufall hat verhindert, dass in der britischen Hauptstadt Hunderte in den Tod gerissen wurden; auf dem Flughafen von Glasgow haben bauliche Sicherheitsvorkehrungen ein Blutbad verhindert.

Wessen Handschrift dieser koordinierte Massenmordversuch trägt, kann man vermuten: die des islamistischen Terrorismus; wobei ebenso viel auf die heimische britische Variante deutet wie auf das global operierende Netz Al Qaida. Nicht nur eine britische Angelegenheit (mehr) Von Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger

Mark Alexander

Mr Brown – Another Leader in Denial: No Mr Brown, This Is No Perversion of Islam!
BBC: Britain will not yield despite a sustained threat from people associated with al-Qaeda, Gordon Brown has said after three terror attacks in the UK.

The prime minister was speaking after a burning car driven into Glasgow Airport on Saturday was linked to two car bombs found in London's West End on Friday.

Five people have been arrested over the attacks - two at the airport, two later in Cheshire and a fifth in Liverpool.

Houses in Staffordshire, Liverpool and near Glasgow are also being searched.

Critical condition

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said the British public would not be "intimidated or let anyone stop us getting on with our lives". PM defiant over ‘al-Qaeda threat’ (more)

Mark Alexander

”Ahmadinejad Is an Ass”
THE TELEGRAPH: The petitions kiosk outside President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's home in Teheran, set up as a hotline to Iran's self-described "humblest servant", receives all kinds of requests.

Yet amid the pleas for help with debts and joblessness, and tussles with Iran's byzantine bureaucracy, there is one letter that the men at the counter particularly remember. 

"A woman asked if Mr Ahmadinejad could find her a good husband," said one proudly. "It shows how popular he is - you would only request something like that if you really felt he'd become part of your family."

In this particular case, the president's office replied that it was beyond his powers - a rare admission of defeat from a leader whose personality cult rivals that of Iran's "supreme leader", Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Yet last week, two years after his election to power on a promise to help Iran's downtrodden masses, Mr Ahmadinejad, 49, finally learnt the downside of the demagogic approach - namely, that running a country of 69 million inhabitants as a one-man band involves taking blame as well as credit.

The issue was not over his notorious threats to "wipe Israel off the map", his defiance on Iran's nuclear programme, nor his puritanical desire to return to the early days of the Islamic revolution. Instead, the man who considers himself on a divine mission was floundering because of his inability to minister to one of his flock's most basic needs: petrol. Iran curses Ahmadinejad over petrol rationing (more) By Colin Freeman in Teheran

Mark Alexander

Gay Pride à Paris
LE FIGARO: Les associations jugent insuffisant le projet gouvernemental de « contrat d'union civile » pour couples du même sexe, sans droit à la filiation.

LA GAY PRIDE a défilé samedi à Paris dans une ambiance toujours aussi politisée. Cette « marche des fiertés homosexuelles » a rassemblé 700 000 personnes selon les organisateurs. Elle est l'une des dernières occasions pour le milieu associatif homosexuel de donner de la voix avant les propositions du gouvernement à la session parlementaire d'automne. Le droit au mariage et à l'adoption pour les couples homosexuels reste la revendication prioritaire de ces associations qui ont choisi de se rassembler autour du slogan « Égalité : ne transigeons pas ! ». « Si Ségolène Royal avait remporté l'élection présidentielle, nous aurions choisi»Égalité promise, égalité maintenant* comme mot d'ordre », rapporte Alain Piriou, porte-parole de l'Interassociative lesbienne, gaie, bi et transsexuelle (Inter LGBT), qui réunit soixante associations et organise la marche. La Gay Pride a défilé pour réclamer le mariage homo (suivant) Par Agnès Leclair

Mark Alexander

Benoît et la liberté religieuse en Chine
LE FIGARO: Pékin oppose une fin de non-recevoir aux demandes de Benoît XVI sur la liberté religieuse.

« Il faudra du temps et de la bonne volonté des deux parties pour parvenir à la normalisation des relations avec la République populaire de Chine », avait prévenu Benoît XVI, en adressant une lettre à la Chine et aux Chinois. Le pape ne se trompait pas, mais Pékin ne semble pas disposé, à l’heure actuelle, à afficher sa « bonne volonté ». En guise de réponse, la Chine a en effet a appelé le Vatican à adopter une « attitude réaliste », à ne pas créer de « nouveaux obstacles » à l'amélioration des relations bilatérales, et à « ne pas s'ingérer dans les affaires intérieures de la Chine au nom du catholicisme », selon un communiqué du ministère chinois des Affaires étrangères. Le ton monte entre le pape et la Chine (suivant)

Mark Alexander

Internationale Konferenz: Judentum und Islam
NZZ: «Der Islam aus jüdischer Sicht - das Judentum aus islamischer Sicht» lautete der Titel der Konferenz, die einen in der heutigen Spannungslage fast unmöglich scheinenden Dialog initiieren sollte.

Seit längerem lädt die Abteilung für Judaistik an der Universität München abwechslungsweise Wissenschafter aus ihrem eigenen Sachgebiet und der Islamistik zu Gastprofessuren ein. Daraus entstand die Idee, im Rahmen einer Konferenz ein Forum zu schaffen, auf dem sich Repräsentanten dieser immer unversöhnlicher scheinenden Kulturkreise direkt begegnen könnten: ein innovatives und überzeugendes Konzept, das allerdings bei seiner erstmaligen Realisierung noch etwas zu einseitig vom wissenschaftlichen Standort der Initiatoren geprägt war. Judentum und Islam - Versuch eines Blickwechsels: Eine internationale Konferenz auf Schloss Elmau (mehr)

Mark Alexander

In a Disgracefully Manipulative Move, the Health Nazis Will Now Politicize Children and Turn Them Against Their Smoking Parents
THE TELEGRAPH: Young children are to be mobilized to heap pressure on their parents to give up smoking, in a continuing drive against the habit.

As England awakes to a ban on lighting up in pubs and restaurants today, plans have been drawn up for "smoking cessation support workers" to visit schools to "educate" children about the dangers of passive smoking.

The children will then be urged to return home and "stand up for their rights" by telling their mothers and fathers to stop smoking at home. Children urged to pressure parents on smoking (more) By Adam Lusher

Freedom to Choose: Pro Libertate

FOREST

Mark Alexander

Flames at Glasgow Airport
THE TELEGRAPH: A four-wheel drive vehicle has crashed into Glasgow Airport's terminal building and burst into flames.

Reports said witnesses saw a car attempting to drive into the airport through the main doors. After it crashed its occupants were seen fighting with police inside the terminal.

TV footage showed flames and huge plumes of black smoke rising from a vehicle in front of the building. Police have arrested and detained two men.

The airport has been evacuated and all flights are suspended. BAA, which manages the airport, was not immediately available to comment. Blazing car crashes into Glasgow airport (more)

BBC:
UK terror threat now ‘critical’

WATCH BBC VIDEO:
Brown urges strength and unity

Mark Alexander

Welcome, Mr Brown!
THE TELEGRAPH: The failed attempt to bomb a London nightclub shows that Islamic terror groups not only continue to pose a serious threat to our national security, but retain the ability to carry out attacks that will attract maximum publicity. Car bomb is al-Qa'eda's greeting to Brown (more) By Con Coughlin

Mark Alexander

Australia’s Most Dangerous Sheikh: Feiz Mohammed

Photo of Sheikh Feiz Mohammed courtesy of The Sydney Morning Herald

THE AUSTRALIAN: ON paper, he is now Australia's most dangerous sheik. No other Islamic cleric in the nation can claim as many unfortunate connections to extremists and terrorists as the former boxer from Sydney's west, 37-year-old Feiz Mohamed.

The notorious reputation of this one-time street kid and alcoholic was sealed this week when it was revealed that four Australians arrested in Lebanon for suspected extremist activities were proteges of the hardline Sheik Feiz. Muslim cleric a danger on paper (more) By Cameron Stewart and Richard Kerbaj

Mark Alexander

High Court Challenge to Upcoming Smoking Ban

Photo of the Marlboro man courtesy of Google Images

YAHOO NEWS (UK & IRELAND): Campaigners for the right to smoke are launching a High Court challenge over the Government's smoking ban in enclosed public places.

The ban, which starts on Sunday July 1, covers virtually all enclosed public places including offices, factories, pubs and bars, but not outdoors or private homes.

The pressure group Freedom2Choose is planning to lodge papers at the Royal Courts of Justice in London seeking a judicial review.

The group says the ban amounts to injustice and erosion of freedom and personal liberties. Legal challenge to smoking ban (more)

BBC:
Cherie to challenge smoking ban

Freedom To Choose: Pro Libertate

Forest

Mark Alexander

The Cool, New, Revolutionary Apple iPhone

Photo of the new Apple iPhone courtesy of Google Images

BBC: Apple's much-hyped iPhone finally goes on sale in the US today.

Some people have been queuing for days outside Apple and AT&T stores across the US to ensure they get hold of one of the devices.

Hundreds more are expected to start queuing during the day because stores will not start selling the iPhone until 1800 local time (2300 BST).

Apple said buyers visiting its stores would not be able to walk out with more than two iPhones each. Apple's iPhone makes it to stores (more)

WATCH BBC VIDEO:
Queues begin for Apple iPhone

Demonstration: The New Apple iPhone

YAHOO NEWS (UK):
Europeans claim they’ll resist iPhone hysteria

Mark Alexander

”Hyper” Sarko’s Colourful Gender Revolution
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: New French President Nicolas Sarkozy pledged to shake up and renew France when he took office. And he started with his cabinet, which includes 11 women -- three of them from minority backgrounds.

What a fireworks of energy French President Nicolas Sarkozy is capable of displaying in a single week. Sarkozy's Gender Revolution (more) By Stefan Simons

Mark Alexander

Soldiers Found Guilty of Treason in Hitler’s Germany May Soon Be Pardoned

Swastika courtesy of Google Images

SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Most of the 30,000 Germans sentenced to death by Nazi Germany's military courts have been rehabilitated. So far, however, soldiers found guilty of treason -- in many cases unjustly, have been excluded. Now, though, Germany's parliament may be prepared to do just that. Germany Considers Rehabilitating Soldiers Executed for 'Treason' (more) By Charles Hawley

SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL:
Holocaust Survivors Still Owed Up to $175 Billion

Mark Alexander

Car Bomb Found in London
LONDON (Reuters) - Explosives experts defused a car bomb in central London on Friday and counter-terrorism police said the petrol, gas and nail-packed device could have caused significant loss of life.

The bomb was in a car parked outside a nightclub in the busy heart of London shortly after 1 a.m., when hundreds of people were in the vicinity, Peter Clarke, the head of London's anti-terrorist police, told a news conference.

"It is obvious that if the device had detonated there could have been significant injury or loss of life," he said. Police find bomb in London (more)

BBC:
Police avert car bomb ‘carnage’

WATCH BBC VIDEOS:

Video 1: Police foil London car bombing

Video 2: Home Secretary warns of serious threat

WELTONLINE:
Terroranschlag mit Autobombe vereitelt - Polizei entdeckt weiteres verdächtiges Fahrzeug

LE FIGARO:
Londres échappe au carnage

Mark Alexander

No Job for Prince William as Governor-General in Australia

Photo of Prince William courtesy of Google Images

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia's political leaders say Prince William is unsuitable to be their country's governor-general because he lacks the right pedigree.

Tina Brown, author of a new book about William's late mother Diana, has said that the young prince would like to be Australia's next governor-general -- a position his father Prince Charles coveted but was denied in the 1980s.

But Prime Minister John Howard, an avowed monarchist who successfully faced down a 1999 referendum vote for Australia to break its ties to London and become a republic, moved quickly on Friday to rule out the young prince as a future governor-general.

"We have for a long time embraced the idea that the person who occupies that post should be in every way an Australian citizen," Howard told Australian radio. Australia says no to job for Prince William (more) By James Grubel

Mark Alexander

Mollycoddling Muslims
NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE: At Wednesday’s rededication ceremony of the Saudi-funded Islamic Center of Washington, D.C., President Bush missed a perfect opportunity to repudiate apologism for radical Islam, and instead announced his latest plan to get the Muslim world to stop hating America: appoint a special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

Bush praised the OIC, saying, “We admire and thank those Muslims who have denounced what the Secretary General of the OIC called ‘radical fringe elements who pretend that they act in the name of Islam.’” The special envoy’s mission, Bush said, would be to “listen and learn” to OIC ambassadors.

While this may sound nice, it is rooted in complete ignorance of the rampant radicalism, pro-terrorist, and anti-American sentiments routinely found in statements by the OIC and its leaders, including referring to “Islamophobia” — and not the mass slaughter of innocents in the name of Islam — the “worst form of terrorism,” as OIC did last May. Radical Outreach: Bush coddles American apologists for radical Islam (more) By Steve Emerson

Mark Alexander

Bush Rededicates Islamic Center of Washington
Fact Sheet: Strengthening Our Friendship with the Muslim Community Worldwide

THE PRESIDENT: Imam, thank you very much. Thank you for inviting me. I bring my personal respect to you, sir. And I appreciate your friendship. I do want to thank the governors of the Islamic Center. I welcome the Ambassadors. Thank you all for coming. I appreciate other distinguished guests who are here. It is an honor to join you at this rededication ceremony.

As the Imam mentioned, half a century has passed since one of our great leaders welcomed the Islamic Center into our nation's family of faith. Dedicating this site, President Dwight D. Eisenhower offered America's hand in friendship to Muslims around the world. He asked that together we commit ourselves "to peaceful progress of all men under one God."

Today we gather, with friendship and respect, to reaffirm that pledge -- and to renew our determination to stand together in the pursuit of freedom and peace. We come to express our appreciation for a faith that has enriched civilization for centuries. We come in celebration of America's diversity of faith and our unity as free people. And we hold in our hearts the ancient wisdom of the great Muslim poet, Rumi: "The lamps are different, but the light is the same."

Moments like this dedication help clarify who Americans are as a people, and what we wish for the world. We live in a time when there are questions about America and her intentions. For those who seek a true understanding of our country, they need to look no farther than here. This Muslim center sits quietly down the road from a synagogue, a Lutheran church, a Catholic parish, a Greek Orthodox chapel, a Buddhist temple -- each with faithful followers who practice their deeply held beliefs and live side by side in peace.

This is what freedom offers: societies where people can live and worship as they choose without intimidation, without suspicion, without a knock on the door from the secret police. The freedom of religion is the very first protection offered in America's Bill of Rights. It is a precious freedom. It is a basic compact under which people of faith agree not to impose their spiritual vision on others, and in return to practice their own beliefs as they see fit. This is the promise of our Constitution, and the calling of our conscience, and a source of our strength.

The freedom to worship is so central to America's character that we tend to take it personally when that freedom is denied to others. Our country was a leading voice on behalf of the Jewish refusniks in the Soviet Union. Americans joined in common cause with Catholics and Protestants who prayed in secret behind an Iron Curtain. America has stood with Muslims seeking to freely practice their beliefs in places such as Burma and China. President Bush Rededicates Islamic Center of Washington (more)

Mark Alexander

Beating Your Wife: This Muslim’s* Positive Spin on the Practice


*Dig that wispy beard!

Mark Alexander