Deux candidates arabes au cœur de la bataille politique danoise
Photo grâce à la Tribune de Genève
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Arrivé au pouvoir en promettant un durcissement sur l’asile, le premier ministre Anders Fogh Rasmussen se maintient grâce à une nouvelle campagne contre les étrangers.

Voilà un petit pays à l’économie saine… qui parvient pourtant à se déchirer sur le thème de l’immigration. Ça vous dit quelque chose? Non, il ne s’agit pas de la Suisse, mais bien du Danemark, où les électeurs étaient appelés hier à renouveler leur parlement. Avec seulement 5% d’étrangers au sein d’une population de 5,5 millions d’habitants, la campagne législative s’est plus que jamais focalisée sur cette question brûlante. Avec deux vedettes arabes ultramédiatisées: Naser Khader l’anti-islamiste et Asmaa Abdol-Hamid la gauchiste provocatrice.

De quoi ravir le premier ministre Anders Fogh Rasmussen, arrivé au pouvoir en 2001 sur un programme de durcissement à l’encontre des réfugiés, dont le nombre des nouveaux arrivants a baissé de 80% en six ans. Selon des résultats partiels donnés tard hier soir, sa coalition de centre droit a remporté le vote en obtenant la majorité absolue. Grâce à l’appui, bien sûr, du Parti du peuple danois (PPD), formation populiste d’extrême droite opposée notamment à l’immigration ­musulmane.

Et tant pis si paradoxalement la bonne santé économique du Danemark débouche sur une ­pénurie de bras dans divers ­secteurs. Ni le gouvernement Rasmussen ni même les sociaux-démocrates dans l’opposition ne sont prêts à ouvrir les frontières. Deux candidats arabes au cœur de la bataille politique danoise (suivant)

SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL:
Rasmussen's Gamble Pays Off
Photo of Rasmussen courtesy of SpiegelOnline International
Mark Alexander

Cal Thomas on Islam


Mark Alexander

Top Muslim Scholar in Egypt Defends Himself Against Criticism of His Fatwas
Photo of the Grand Mufti Sheikh Ali Gomaa courtesy of the BBC
BBC: Egypt's top Muslim scholar has defended himself against criticism for a series of controversial fatwas he has issued.

With tears in his eyes, Grand Mufti Sheikh Ali Gomaa told reporters his religious edicts were never influenced by pressure from the authorities.

Fierce criticism followed his recent ruling that speeding drivers cannot be condemned for killing people who deliberately stand in their way.

It became public days after just such a case involving a police car.

The mufti also offended many by saying that 26 Egyptian illegal migrants who drowned trying to reach Europe were the victims of their own greed rather than martyrs.

Sheikh Gomaa represents the Dar al-Ifta which is the official interpreter of Islamic law in Egypt based on the Koran and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. Egypt's mufti rejects criticism (more)

Mark Alexander

Challenge to Legality of Decision to End Investigations of BAE
BBC: A pressure group is going to the High Court to challenge the legality of the decision to end investigations into BAE Systems' dealings with Saudi Arabia.

Corner House Research is due later to ask the High Court for permission to seek a judicial review.

It wants to challenge the Serious Fraud Office's decision last year to stop investigations into whether BAE gave money to Saudi officials in the 1980s. BAE inquiry decision challenged (more)

Mark Alexander

Sir Ian Kershaw on the Rise of Hitler
In the same way as the Guardian and Observer misjudged the dangers of the rise of Hitler and Nazi Germany, so, too, are the MSM misjudging the rise of radical Islam. As I, and many others have said, this is the nineteen thirties all over again! "Blind optimism" is exactly what we are experiencing today with the rise of Islam!

Photo of Hitler at the Nuremberg rally in September 1933 courtesy of The Guardian

THE GUARDIAN: As Hitler shouted his way up the political ranks in Germany, the Guardian and Observer misjudged the extent of his early influence, writes Sir Ian Kershaw

By the time the Nazi party came to prominence by winning 107 seats (18.3% of the votes) in the Reichstag election of September 14 1930, British newspapers could not ignore Hitler and his movement. But, as Brigitte Granzow showed long ago in her book, A mirror of Nazism, the reportage was replete with distortions and misinterpretation.

In an article on September 21 that year, the Observer echoed the widely held belief on the left that Hitler was the creature of big capital. It saw the real dangerman not as Hitler, but as the media tycoon and leader of the German National People's party, Alfred Hugenberg. The "Hugenberg manoeuvres", it stated, had aimed to promote both Communists and Nazis as a vehicle to weaken the organised working classes. "Hugenberg, and not Hitler, will ultimately call the Nazi tune."

A week later, the newspaper dismissed Hitler as "dramatic, violent and shallow", and "a lightweight", seeing him as "not a man, but a megaphone" of the prevailing discontent, fronting a militarist reaction, which would mean the destruction of peace. The newspaper went on to claim, remarkably, that Hitler was "definitely Christian in his ideals", and, even more strangely, that these matched the ideals of German Catholics.

The Guardian thought on September 25 1930 that the exclusion of the Nazi party from Reich government, given its electoral success, was not in the best interests of German democracy and that their involvement would "in the long run ... help to perpetuate this democracy". Blind optimism (more)

YNETNEWS.COM:
Germans don’t owe us a dime: Where’s our pride? Campaign for more German compensation money shameful By Yoram Kaniuk

YNETNEWS.COM:
Germany: No additional reparations for Holocaust survivors By Gil Yaron

Mark Alexander

A National Disgrace
THE TELEGRAPH: Up to 10,000 foreign nationals could be working illegally in the security industry, the Home Secretary indicated yesterday. The figure is double the previous estimate.

Jacqui Smith told MPs that officials were still trying to find out the scale of the fiasco but, despite accusations from the Conservatives of "blunder, panic and cover-up", she denied trying to conceal the problem.

The latest controversy to hit the Home Office centres on the disclosure that sensitive security installations were being guarded by illegal immigrants. They were licensed to work by the Security Industry Authority (SIA), a government agency that checks whether they have a criminal record. '10,000 illegal immigrants' work in security (more) By Philip Johnston

TELEGRAPH COMMENT:
Scandal rooted in failure of border controls By Philip Johnston

Mark Alexander

Imran Khan Arrested in Pakistan
BBC: Pakistani opposition politician Imran Khan has been arrested after making his first public appearance since emergency rule was declared, police have said.

The former cricketer was detained after going to the University of Punjab in Lahore to address a protest by students against President Pervez Musharraf.

Mr Khan was initially held for an hour by students from the Jamaat-e-Islami party after a standoff on the campus.

On Tuesday, Mr Khan said there should be no negotiations with Gen Musharraf.

Mr Khan joins scores of other more powerful opposition politicians already in custody.

The former cricketer is well known around the world from his sporting days, but his Tehrik-i-Insaf party has little support in Pakistan. Khan arrested at Pakistan protest (more)

WATCH BBC VIDEO:
Khan arrested in Pakistan

Mark Alexander

Sarkozy Stands Firm
BBC: France's national rail workers have begun an open-ended strike called in protest at President Nicolas Sarkozy's planned pension reforms.

Rail employees stopped work at 2000 (1900 GMT) and thousands of commuters will be affected on Wednesday morning.

Utility workers are also set to strike. They may be joined by teachers and civil servants on 20 November.

Eurostar says the first train services from London's new St Pancras terminal will be unaffected by the action.

The next few days will be a real test of the French prime minister's nerve, reports the BBC's Emma Jane Kirby from Paris.

"Tomorrow is going to be a hellish day for travellers and perhaps for many days beyond that," Labour Minister Xavier Betrand warned on Tuesday.

That view was echoed by Prime Minister Francois Fillon who told parliament: "Millions of French people will be deprived of their fundamental freedom, the freedom of movement and even perhaps to work." French unions strike over reforms (more)

Mark Alexander

The Picture that Says it All!
Hat tip to Pedestrian Infidel for this image.

Mark Alexander

Benazir Calls on Musharraf to Quit: “He’s Out of His Depth,” She Says
BBC: Pakistan's detained opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has called for President Pervez Musharraf to step down.

Ms Bhutto made the call after police mounted a massive security operation to prevent a protest march in Lahore, where she is under house arrest.

It is the first time Ms Bhutto has urged Gen Musharraf to quit altogether. Bhutto calls on Musharraf to quit (more)

WATCH BBC VIDEO:
Bhutto under house arrest

Mark Alexander

Ensemble contre l’immigration clandestine
LE FIGARO: Le Conseil des ministres conjoint franco-allemand s’est réuni hier à Berlin autour du thème de l’immigration.

Pas de fâcheries cette fois, des compliments et des projets : entourés de leur gouvernement, «Nicolas» et «Angela » ont assuré que le premier Conseil des ministres conjoint qu’ils coprésidaient hier à Berlin ne resterait pas sans lendemains. Dans son souci «d’aller au-devant des gens», la chancelière allemande a annoncé que cette rencontre consacrée à l’intégration se prolongera par un séminaire gouvernemental commun sur les questions d’immigration, au printemps, en France. Dans cette perspective, elle a indiqué que les deux gouvernements joindraient leurs efforts pour «maîtriser les flux migratoires et la lutte contre l’immigration clandestine». «Nous allons avancer ensemble vers une politique d’immigration commune», a affirmé Nicolas Sarkozy. Ensemble contre l’immigration clandestine (suivant) D'Alain Barluet et Pierre Bocev

Mark Alexander

No Strong Dollar, No Strong America
Photo courtesy of SpiegelOnline International
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: The dollar crisis has politicians alarmed worldwide. The US currency has lost 24 percent of its value since the introduction of the euro, and now there is even a chance that China could abandon its policy of pegging its currency to the dollar -- a problem the United States should take very seriously.

What do Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen and the People's Republic of China have in common? The answer, as of last week, is that both distrust the dollar.

Patricia Bündchen, the twin sister and manager of the world's top model, announced that Gisele now prefers to be paid in euros rather than dollars. Almost simultaneously, the Chinese central bank predicted that the dollar is likely to lose its status as the world's leading currency.

One could easily overlook a supermodel's currency preferences, but China is a different story. It's the beast breathing down America's neck.

The most important country in the world for the United States isn't Great Britain, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Russia or Iraq. China holds that dubious distinction, because it is also the country the US can least do without. Without its willingness to buy an almost unlimited supply of US treasury bonds, there would be no American spending miracle. Without a spending miracle there would be no economic growth. In other words, without China the US superpower would lose a significant share of its economic clout. A Pearl Harbor without War (more) By Gabor Steingart in Washington, D.C.

TIMESONLINE:
Beauty deals a beastly blow to the US dollar By Gerard Baker

Mark Alexander

Muhammad, and Other Muslim Names, Most Favoured Names for Children in Brussels
With thanks to John Sobieski for this information (Prénoms des garcons / Boys’ first names). More details HERE. You can comment HERE.

Mark Alexander

Tory Branch Refuses to Ditch Nigel Hastilow
THE DAILY MAIL: Tory leader David Cameron faced fresh embarrassment after rebel Tory activists snubbed calls to ditch a Parliamentary candidate who said Enoch Powell "was right" on immigration.

The Halesowen and Rowley Regis constituency association refused to accept the resignation of would-be MP Nigel Hastilow and instead demanded crisis talks with the Conservative Party Board, the organisation's top decision-making body.

Senior Tories had hoped the local party would drop Hastilow, 51, who quit on November 4 after refusing to apologise for comments he made in a newspaper column in support of Powell's 1968 "rivers of blood" speech.

Officials have been lobbying the local association in a desperate bid to limit the bad publicity, asking them to move on and choose another candidate.

But local members remain furious at the way Hastilow was treated by the party HQ and refused to accept his resignation, saying his views on immigration have widespread support. Tory branch refuse to ditch Enoch 'was right' candidate in snub to Cameron (more)

Mark Alexander

UK Government Give Inflated Benefits to Immigrants But Condemn Old Age Pensioners to Poverty
THE DAILY MAIL: Millions of Britons are being condemned to poverty in old age by the worst state pension in the EU, a study shows.

The basic state pension of £87.30 a week is equivalent to just 17 per cent of the average wage, it found.

This figure rises to 30 per cent once pension payments related to earnings are taken into account.

But this is still only half the EU average of 60 per cent, the financial firm Aon Consulting said. Its study concluded: "The inadequacy of the state system is beyond question."

Charities including Help the Aged warn the problem has been made worse because the state pension has failed to keep pace with increases in the cost of essentials such as heating, water, and council tax.

A recent study found a quarter of pensioners are having to cut back on basics to survive. Until recently many British workers could rely on private pensions such as final salary schemes.

However, many of the most generous schemes have been replaced by deals requiring higher monthly payments in return for a smaller pension.

In addition, the study said a "spate" of banking scandals and crises had damaged confidence in the private pension system.

As a result, Britons are not investing in private pensions on the scale needed to make up for the state system's failings.

The average age of retirement in Britain - 62.6 - is also above the EU average of 61. Some 57 per cent of Britons aged between 55 and 64 are in paid employment. Britons have worst state pension in EU (more) By Sean Poulter

Mark Alexander

Nanny State About to Pounce Again: On Alcohol
THE GUARDIAN: The government should consider making alcohol more expensive and reassess its 24-hour drinking laws to curb serious health problems related to excessive drinking, according to a group of experts.

In a review of public health policy, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics concluded that, left to themselves, people do not choose to live healthy lives, and the state must intervene to control behaviour. Lord Krebs, principal of Jesus College, Oxford, who chaired the council's review, said the government had a duty to help people make healthy choices. "We think it's too simplistic to say that it's all down to individual choice, because individuals often suffer ill health or adopt unhealthy behaviours for reasons beyond their control."

The council gathered doctors, philosophers, economists, lawyers and scientists to look at how far the state should intervene. "We know from medical evidence that many of the big killers in society - cancer, heart disease and stroke - are at least partially preventable by altering people's behaviours," said Krebs. "Our report asks whose job it is to ensure we all lead a healthy life."

The group considered obesity, infectious diseases, and smoking - but singled out alcohol as of most concern. Roger Brownsword, a law professor and member of the group, said: "Alcohol is, on any harm index, a very harmful product. It's estimated that £20bn a year is the cost of alcohol to the country, of which a third is accounted for by crime and public disorder." Tighten alcohol laws to protect nation's health, ethics panel says (more) By Alok Jha

Mark Alexander

United Kingdom: Shari’ah-Compliant Bonds, Sukuks, to Be Introduced; Aim: To Turn London into World Centre of Islamic Finance
FINANCIAL TIMES: The government will step up preparations this week for the launch of sharia-compliant bonds, known as sukuk, as it seeks to turn London into the world centre of Islamic finance.

Kitty Ussher, the Treasury minister, will tell City leaders she is launching a three-month consultation process and could use next spring’s Budget to put in place any legal changes that might be needed to launch the first western government sukuk.

Ms Ussher believes that the scheme will entrench London as “a global gateway to Islamic finance” and help Britain’s Muslims, who sometimes struggle to find sharia-compliant retail products such as mortgages.

The bonds could be used as vehicles to allow Muslims in Britain to invest in National Savings products through banks and post offices.

Islamic bonds are structured to pay profits or rent from an underlying asset or business, rather than interest, which is outlawed under sharia religious law.

Unlike conventional bonds, sukuk are akin to Islamic “investment certificates” representing ownership in the underlying asset. Returns are paid to investors in line with their proportional ownership.

The sukuk market has grown dramatically in the past five years. Nearly $40bn (£19.1bn) of these bonds have been issued this year, from virtually nothing in 2001. UK Treasury paves way for Islamic bonds (more) By George Parker, Lina Saigol and David Oakley

Mark Alexander

Immigration Key Issue in Danish Election
BBC: Immigration has become the central battleground in the Danish parliamentary election, which takes place on Tuesday.

Denmark's relations with the Muslim world reached crisis point in 2005 over a Danish newspaper's publication of Prophet Muhammad cartoons.

The leader of the opposition Social Democrats, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, proposes to relax restrictions on asylum seekers.

The centre-right Prime Minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, warns that such a move could turn Denmark into "a magnet for refugees".

Strict immigration policies have been at the heart of his government's programme since 2001.

Mrs Thorning-Schmidt, daughter-in-law of former British Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock, wants to give a group of some 500 Iraqi failed asylum seekers permission to live and work outside their refugee camps until Iraq becomes safe enough for them to return. She says Denmark has a special responsibility to help the Iraqis because of Denmark's role in the Iraq conflict.

Although most Danes want to ease restrictions on asylum seekers, Mrs Thorning-Schmidt still looks unlikely to win.

Her party, like Mr Fogh Rasmussen's, would need the support of the centre-right New Alliance Party to form a government - but it is thought to be leaning towards the incumbent prime minister. Danes in poll tussle over migrants (more) By Thomas Buch-Andersen

Mark Alexander

Brown Warns Iran
THE TELEGRAPH: Gordon Brown has stepped up the pressure on Iran by warning that sanctions would soon be placed on oil and gas companies and financiers wanting to invest there.

In his first major foreign policy speech, the Prime Minister warned Iran that it had to comply with non-proliferation rules on nuclear weapons or face further consequences. He once again refused to rule out military intervention.

He also urged Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf to release political prisoners immediately and lift restrictions on the media, but stopped short of calling for Commonwealth action to be taken against the country.

In a speech to the Lord Mayor's Banquet in London, Mr Brown said: "Iran has a choice - confrontation with the international community leading to a tightening of sanctions or, if it changes its approach and ends support for terrorism, a transformed relationship with the world." Brown warns Iran of investment sanctions (more) By Andrew Porter

Mark Alexander

Pakistan Faces Suspension Threat
BBC: Commonwealth foreign ministers have given Pakistan 10 days to lift its emergency rule or face suspension.

After an extraordinary session in London, they also said President Pervez Musharraf had to step down as army chief and release political detainees. Pakistan faces suspension threat (more)

WATCH BBC VIDEO:
Commonwealth warns Pakistan

Mark Alexander

Oil Money Lubricates Islamic Fundamentalism
BNP*: While Her Majesty and Brown’s regime welcomes Kind Abdullah millions of pounds of Saudi oil money are being used to develop Islamic fundamentalism in Britain.

A report written this week by Dr Denis MacEoin, an Islamic studies expert at Newcastle who previously taught at the University of Fez. Leading a team of researchers over a two-year project, he uncovered a hoard of malignant literature inside as many as a quarter of Britain's mosques. All of it had been published and distributed by Saudi authorities.

Among the more choice recommendations in leaflets, DVDs and journals were statements that homosexuals should be burnt, stoned or thrown from mountains or tall buildings (and then stoned where they fell just to be on the safe side). Those who changed their religion or committed adultery should experience a similar fate.

Almost half of the literature was written in English, suggesting it is targeted at younger British Muslims who do not speak Arabic or Urdu. The material, which was openly available in many of the mosques, including the East London Mosque in Whitechapel, which has been visited by Prince Charles, also encourages British Muslims to segregate themselves from non-Muslims. Oil money lubricates Islamic fundamentalism in UK (more)

* Mark Alexander does NOT endorse ANY political party. Any article on this website that comes from any political party should NOT be construed as an endorsement of that party.

Mark Alexander

Bush Must Put His Money Where His Mouth Is
COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: If anyone in the Muslim world still believed in the Bush administration’s historic promise to support democracy over political expediency, those hopes are being shattered with the crisis unfolding in Pakistan.

If ever there was a clear-cut case for the administration to put action behind its rhetoric, this is it. And yet Washington is standing behind Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, even after he imposed emergency rule, suspended the country’s constitution, muzzled the media and continues to round up hundreds of political opponents.

In June 2005, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told the world that the United States would no longer tolerate repressive regimes in the name of keeping political stability. “For 60 years, my country, the United States, pursued stability at the expense of democracy in this region here in the Middle East — and we achieved neither,” she said at the American University in Cairo. “Now, we are taking a different course. We are supporting the democratic aspirations of all people.” U.S. must cut ties to Pakistan dictator (more)

Mark Alexander

Ahmadinejad: Iran Should Get Ready for Its Global Missions
IRNA: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday, "We should get ready to carry out our significant missions in the world." The president made the remark while addressing students, professors and officials of Iran University of Science and Technology in Tehran.

"We should first resolve our geopolitical issues and then prepare ourselves for the next move," he said.

The enemies try to convince the world that the Islamic Republic of Iran is not capable of handling its own affairs, he said, adding that "In my belief the God Almighty will humiliate the big powers." The enemies try to create obstacles to deviate Iran from path of development and success, said the president.

On Iran's nuclear programs, he said some domestic agents who were at the service of enemies tried to force Iran to deviate from right path and give up its legitimate rights, Ahmadinejad said.

"Some try to indicate that there is a wide gap between leadership and president in taking strategic decisions in the country but they are mistaken and instead we scoffed at them in our meetings," underlined the president.

The country's officials are very coordinated and united in making decisions, said the president.

The main duty of Iran's diplomatic apparatus is to make political arrangement and coordination in order to maintain the country's national interests and cause, said the president.

On mutual talks between Iran and the US on Iraq's security, he said "We cannot remain indifference towards the crimes and massacres of people by occupation forces while the Iraqi nation seeks our assistance." [Source: Ahmadinejad: Iran should get ready for its global missions]

Mark Alexander

Iran Cracks Down on ‘Vice’
My God! Haven’t these stupid people got better things to do with their time? Isn’t it about time that ‘petticoat power’ showed what it is all about in that God-forsaken hole? By the way, Ahmadinejad, where in the Qur'an does it specifically say that a woman cannot wear a hat?

Photo courtesy of the BBC
BBC: Iranian newspapers have printed a list of moral vices that the police are targeting, including wearing make-up and hats instead of headscarves.

The police say they will also suppress "decadent" films, drugs and alcohol.

This year has seen one of the most ferocious crackdowns on un-Islamic behaviour and improper Islamic dress by the authorities for at least a decade.

But it has now emerged the current campaign has the overt backing of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The police are warning they will deal seriously with any women who dare to wear short trousers, skimpy overcoats or skirts that are revealingly transparent or have slits in them.

Wearing boots instead of full length trousers will not be tolerated, nor will hats instead of headscarves.

Indeed, the police stipulate that small headscarves are out - the scarf must cover a woman's head and neck completely.

The police say they will also clamp down on "decadent" films, drugs, alcohol, extortion and general thuggish behaviour, but it is issues of dress that are given most prominence. Iran launches anti-vice crackdown (more) By Frances Harrison

BBC:
Anger at Iran dress restrictions By Frances Harrison

Mark Alexander

Ahmadinejad Denounces “Traitors”
BBC: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has denounced as "traitors" those in Iran who have criticised its nuclear programme, state media have reported.

Mr Ahmadinejad said the "internal elements" would be exposed if they did not stop pressurising his government, in a speech at a university in Tehran.

Reformists and several senior clerics have challenged Iran's nuclear policy.

Last week, Mr Ahmadinejad was quoted as claiming his government's critics were less intelligent "than a little goat". Iran president attacks 'traitors' (more)

Mark Alexander

Etiquettes, Manners & Sense of Devotion in Islam
For all you filthy infidels to know just where you are going wrong, please read the following advice from the prophet Muhammad. By the way, hat tip to Pedestrian Infidel for this:

ANWARY-ISLAM.COM: Allah's favorites are those who make constant efforts to remain pure and neat. The Holy Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has observed: " Purity and neatness are half of faith". In other words, Faith partly consists in cleansing one's soul and partly in keeping physically clean and pure. The purity and neatness of soul implies cleansing the soul of all impurities such as infidelity, Polytheism, sin and vice and embellishing it with righteous beliefs and pure morals. The purity and neatness of the body denotes keeping it clear of all external filth and adorning it with neatness and good manners.

1. One [sic] waking up, clean your hand before putting it in a pot of water. You never can tell where your hands lay during sleep.

2. Do not discharge urine on the floor of the toilet, especially when it is made of soil.

3. When passing stools or urine, do not sit facing the direction of Qiblah, nor with your back to Qiblah. Having relieved yourself, use a clod or water to clean the private parts or purify yourself with water only. Do not use the dung, bone or charcoal for cleaning purposes. When the private parts have been cleaned, scrub your hands with soap or earth and wash them.

4. Do not sit down to eat when your bowels are under pressure. Relieve yourself of urine or stool, before eating.

5. Use your right hand in eating as well as in performing ablution. For cleaning the private parts of the body or for cleaning the nose, use your left hand only.

6. Discharge urine on soft ground, so that its drops do not splash around. Always pass the urine in a sitting posture. However, if the ground or some real hardship prevents from sitting down, you may urinate in a standing posture. Otherwise, in normal circumstances, it is a very dirty habit and should be strictly avoided.

7. Do not sit down to answer the call of nature on the riverside, the quay, no the thoroughfares or in shaded places. Such a practice causes inconvenience to others and is derogatory to rules of propriety and good manners.

8. Put on shoes and cover your head with a cap etc. before going the lavatory and read the following prayer on your way: Purity and Neatness (more)

Mark Alexander

An Optimistic Economic Viewpoint on the US Economy
THE TELEGRAPH: Like a great battleship at sea, the US industrial and export machine is slowly turning around. Within a couple of years, its big guns will be sweeping the world again, ready to silence pious talk about America's trade deficit - and to menace chunks of Europe's manufacturing base.

The fast-inflating economies of China, emerging Asia and Eastern Europe will be reminded globalisation cuts both ways. Jobs can flow from Shanghai to Los Angeles.

US exports reached a record $140bn (£66.5bn) in September, powered by Prairie grains, Texas cotton, semiconductors, chemicals, even cars. "I put the US economy up against any in the world in terms of competitiveness - that's a fact," said US Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson.

The US trade deficit has fallen to $56.5bn, down 14pc in a year. The current account deficit has slimmed from 7pc of GDP in early 2005 to 5.5pc, and is narrowing fast. Bad, but no longer catastrophic.

This is the first fruit of devaluation, enough to hobble Airbus and prompt French president Nicolas Sarkozy to warn of "economic war" on Capitol Hill last week.

French industrial output fell 1.1pc in September. It is becoming ever clearer that Europe will suffer as much from America's housing crash as America itself, and perhaps more so. This is what happened after the US dotcom crash. Flexible economies rebound faster. US will retake economic superpower crown (more) By Ambrose Evans- Pritchard

THE TELEGRAPH:
Goldman alert over emerging markets By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

LE FIGARO:
Voyager aux Etats-Unis devient plus abordable De Bruno Askenazi

Mark Alexander

Sarkozy Faces His “Thatcher Moment”
TIMESONLINE: President Sarkozy faces his “Thatcher moment” this week as transport workers open a barrage of public sector strikes aimed at breaking his drive to purge France of its old economic ills.

The hardline unions and Mr Sarkozy see the strikes – that start with the rail network tomorrow evening – as a decisive test of his presidency, an inevitable showdown between a radical new leader and left-wing conservative forces.

Mainstream union leaders say that Mr Sarkozy has forced the fight on to ground that they wanted to avoid – the retirement privileges of certain workers. “The Government wants this conflict to set an example,” Bernard Thibault, leader of the Conféderation Générale du Travail, the biggest union federation, said yesterday.

Rail workers, who paralysed the country for a day last month, start an open-ended strike against Mr Sarkozy’s plans to bring their retirement terms into line with those of the civil service. The Paris underground and bus system, as well as national gas and electricity workers, join them on Wednesday. Next Tuesday, teachers, post office workers and the rest of the Civil Service will strike for one day, and possibly longer, for higher pay and against Mr Sarkozy’s plans to slim down ministries. Nicolas Sarkozy set for showdown as unions prepare wave of strikes (more) By Charles Bremner

Mark Alexander

Brown Clearly Rattled by Sarkozy’s Bid for France to Become US’s ‘Ally-in-Chief’
TIMESONLINE: Gordon Brown will offer an olive branch to President Bush tonight by describing the United States as Britain’s most important ally and central to his foreign policy plans.

Mr Brown’s remarks, in a speech at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet at Guildhall, will be seen as an attempt to mend fences with the White House after a series of diplomatic tensions.

Unlike Tony Blair, whose close relationship with President Bush earned him the tag “poodle”, the Prime Minister has placed less emphasis on personal relations and instead emphasised the values and historic ties shared by Britain and America.

Tensions have also arisen over his appointment to the Government of Lord Malloch-Brown, a critic of the Iraq war and neo-conservatism, and comments by Douglas Alexander, the International Development Secretary, seen as coded criticisms of the US’s unilateralist foreign policy. Gordon Brown attempts to mend fences with President Bush and vows US is most important ally (more)

THE GUARDIAN:
Brown to reassure Washington that US remains Britain’s closest ally By Tania Branigan

Mark Alexander

US Said to Be Stalling on Executions in Iraq
BBC: Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki has criticised US forces for failing to hand over for execution three former prominent figures in Saddam Hussein's regime.

The three, including Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali", were condemned to death for the campaign against the Iraqi Kurds in the 1980s.

There has been division in the Iraqi leadership over the executions and the US says it is waiting for consensus.

There is suspicion the US does not want ex-defence chief Sultan Hashim to hang. US 'stalling' on Iraq executions (more) By Jim Muir

NZZ:
USA verweigern Übergabe von «Chemie-Ali»: Unterschiedliche Auffassungen über rechtliche Verfahrensweise

Mark Alexander

Libyen verweigert Swiss-Passagieren die Einreise
NZZ: Die libyschen Behörden haben am Sonntag Passagieren des regulären Swiss-Linienfluges nach Tripolis die Einreise verweigert. Grund war die unangekündigte Einführung neuer Einreisebestimmungen, welche zwingend eine arabische Übersetzung des Reisepasses verlangen. Libyen verweigert Swiss-Passagieren die Einreise: Wegen fehlender arabischer Übersetzung der Reisepässe (mehr)

Mark Alexander

Iranian Police Turn on Sufis
BBC: Around 180 Sufi Muslims have been arrested in Iran after attacking a Shia mosque where a cleric labelled their religion "illegitimate", say reports.

The confrontation in the western city of Boroujerd led to a shootout between the Sufis and police that reportedly left about 80 people injured.

Sufis are tolerated in the Islamic Republic though some religious leaders have branded them "a danger to Islam". Iran police battle Sufi Muslims (more)

Mark Alexander

More Turbulence on World Markets
TIMESONLINE: Japan leads declines as market 'prices-in a recession' amid strong yen and fears of more subprime damage

Japanese stocks endured a savage pounding today as the US dollar plummeted against the yen and investors' fears heightened at the prospect of more fall-out from the US subprime mortgage crisis.

The Nikkei 225 Stock Average closed down 2.5 per cent to a 15-month low of 15,197.09.

Other Asian markets were also caught in the maelstrom, with the Hang Seng shedding 4.5 per cent of its value to 27,500.96 and Shanghai stocks taking a similar tumble.

Chinese financial stocks were particularly hard-hit as investors blinked at new regulations requiring a sharp increase in reserve requirements. Nikkei plunges to 15-month low as dollar weakens (more) By Leo Lewis

The high oil price may begin to take its toll By Gary Duncan

FT:
Asian stocks sink as exporters suffer By Andrew Wood in Hong Kong and Louise Lucas in Tokyo

BBC:
Europe 'set for slower growth'

SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL:
The US Economy on the Edge By Peter Coy

Mark Alexander

Bibi Netanyahu Accuses Olmert Government of Giving It All Away
YNET NEWS: Opposition leader arrives at Shas spiritual leader's Jerusalem home in bid to create united front against peace conference, warns him, 'Olmert government is giving away everything and getting terrorists in return.' Rabbi says some of his opinions similar to those presented by Netanyahu

The Olmert government is giving away everything and getting terrorists in return, opposition leader and Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu warned Monday in a meeting with Shas' spiritual leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. Annapolis is dangerous, Netanyahu tells Rabbi Yosef (more) By Attila Somfalvi

Mark Alexander

Anti-Hatred Laws Threaten to Be Anti-Justice
THE TELEGRAPH: At one stage during my childhood I took a bit of a shine to the word "hate". I enjoyed the sense of oomph that went with it, and I began to throw it around like candy at a pantomime.

Every time I declared that I hated someone, however, my grandmother would intervene with the phrase: "You don't hate them, you only dislike them." At the time I thought she was being pedantic: now, I can see that she was quite right.

As mature adults we are all agreed that hatred is a terrible thing, destructive to the holder and the object alike. Our Government is so eager to emphasise that hatred is wrong, indeed, that it has created a special category of crime called "hate crime", whose exponents will be punished more heavily than other criminals (presumably the ones who love us). The most recent proposal is that those who "incite hatred" against homosexuals could be guilty of a criminal offence punishable by up to seven years in jail. Anti-hatred laws threaten to be anti-justice (more) By Jenny McCartney

Mark Alexander

Britain’s Escalating War on Christianity
THE AMERICAN SPECTATOR: The war being waged by the quasi-establishment and quasi-government Left in Britain against the nation's own traditions, values, identity and, perhaps most of all, religion, has been escalated and its battle-lines redefined with a report by a leading Labour Party-aligned think-tank, the Institute for Public Policy Research, recommending that Christmas, which cannot be obliterated, should be down-graded to promote multiculturalism.

The report says that because it would be hard to "expunge" Christmas from the national calendar (although this would apparently be desirable), public organizations must be made to give non-Christian religious festivals equal footing.

Now, the Institute is not some unimportant relic of communist days clinging to existence in a squalid slum attic. On the contrary, it has very close links with the government. The report was commissioned when Nick Pearce, now head of public policy in the Prime Minister's Office, was its director. He was described in an interview on the Australian Broadcasting Commission's "Sunday Profile" recently as "One of the leading policy-makers in Great Britain." Before heading the IPPR he was a special advisor to Labour Home Secretary David Blunkett. It is credited with having shaped many Labour policies, including the institution of compulsory identity cards, litter-bin taxes and road pricing. It is described as one of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's favorite think tanks. Britain’s Escalating War on Christianity (more) By Hal G.P. Colebatch

Hat Tip: Jim Ball

Mark Alexander

Sins of the Father
THE SUNDAY TIMES: In a suburban McDonald’s a father begged his wayward daughter to come home... so he and the men of her family could have her beaten, raped and murdered. Fearing violence, but moved by his tears, she relented – and died. Our correspondent investigates how a man can choose the death of a daughter above dishonour

Ari Mahmod held his head up when he went to prison. He felt no embarrassment. And why should he? After all, he said, it was not as if he was locked up for something as inconsequential or shameful as theft. He was sure that, back in the real world of suburban Mitcham, south London, among his own people, they would be thanking his family for what he had done, taking pride in the decisive way he had acted.

Many people might find it hard to comprehend that any man could take pride – pleasure, even – in the brutal murder of his niece. Banaz Mahmod had been beaten, probably raped, and finally strangled with a bootlace in the living room at home. Her uncle Ari had not been there, but he had planned it, knew exactly what was happening, and had been waiting nearby…waiting for his family reputation to be restored.

As he liked to say, in his culture, reputation was more important than life itself. That was why it had to be done – why his brother’s daughter had to die. Sins of the father (more) By David James Smith

WATCH BBC VIDEO ON YOUTUBE:
BBC Report on Honour Killings

Mark Alexander

Challenge to Serious Fraud Office’s Decision to Halt BAE Fraud Investigation
BBC: Two pressure groups have won a High Court challenge on the legality of the decision to end investigations into BAE Systems' dealings with Saudi Arabia.

Corner House Research and the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) had asked for permission to seek a judicial review.

They want to contest the Serious Fraud Office's decision last year to stop investigations into whether BAE gave money to Saudi officials in the 1980s.

BAE, the UK's largest defence group, has always said it acted lawfully.

Lord Justice Moses, sitting with Mr Justice Irwin, said "matters of concern and public importance" had been raised and the challenge "cries out for a hearing". Court to study BAE fraud decision (more)

Mark Alexander

Interview mit Otto Habsburg
Foto von Otto Habsburg dank der Presse
DIE PRESSE: Otto Habsburg, bald 95, über den Kaiser, Hitler und das „größere“ Österreich.

Die Presse: Sie werden demnächst, am 20.November, 95 Jahre alt und blicken auf ein ereignisreiches Leben zurück. Was war für Sie der beeindruckendste Moment?

Otto Habsburg: Schauen Sie, wenn man sehr alt ist, wird man ein Optimist. Wie niedrig haben wir angefangen: mit dem Verlust des Ersten Weltkrieges, mit dem Hitlerismus. Und wie wunderschön ist es jetzt. Einer der düstersten Tage für mich war der 12. März 1938, als Österreich verschwand. Viele glaubten damals, das ist das Ende. Otto Habsburg: „Ich habe sie alle gekannt“ (mehr)

Mark Alexander

Struggle for the Soul of Pakistan
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: If there is an address, an exact location for the rift tearing Pakistan apart, and possibly the world, it is a spot 17 miles (28 kilometers) west of Islamabad called the Margalla Pass. Here, at a limestone cliff in the middle of Pakistan, the mountainous west meets the Indus River Valley, and two ancient, and very different, civilizations collide. To the southeast, unfurled to the horizon, lie the fertile lowlands of the Indian subcontinent, realm of peasant farmers on steamy plots of land, bright with colors and the splash of serendipitous gods. To the west and north stretch the harsh, windswept mountains of Central Asia, land of herders and raiders on horseback, where man fears one God and takes no prisoners.

This is also where two conflicting forms of Islam meet: the relatively relaxed and tolerant Islam of India, versus the rigid fundamentalism of the Afghan frontier. Beneath the surface of Pakistan, these opposing forces grind against each other like two vast geologic plates, rattling teacups from Lahore to London, Karachi to New York. The clash between moderates and extremists in Pakistan today reflects this rift, and can be seen as a microcosm for a larger struggle among Muslims everywhere. So when the earth trembles in Pakistan, the world pays attention. Struggle for the Soul of Pakistan: The nation's efforts to straddle the fault line between moderate and militant Islam offer a cautionary tale for the post-9/11 world

Mark Alexander

Incompetence! Home Office Security Failure
BBC: The Home Office has admitted illegal immigrants have been mistakenly cleared for jobs as security staff.

Ministers have ordered new checks to be carried out on hundreds of thousands of people vetted by the Security Industry Authority over the past three years.

The Home Office says the SIA did not check applicants were entitled to work in the UK before granting licences.

The Tories said the system was "not fit for purpose" but the government said the new checks had "strengthened" it.

According to the Sunday Mirror, illegal immigrants are working at airports, ports and the Metropolitan Police.

The newspaper claimed 5,000 illegal immigrants were estimated to have been employed in posts such as security guards and bouncers. Security staff employed illegally (more)

Mark Alexander

”Shut Up,” Chávez, Says Spain’s King

BBC: Spain's King Juan Carlos told Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez to "shut up" as the Ibero-American summit drew to a close in Santiago, Chile.

The outburst came after Mr Chavez called former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar a "fascist".

Mr Chavez then interrupted Spanish PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's calls for him to be more diplomatic, prompting the king's outburst.

Latin American, Portuguese, Spanish and Andorran leaders were meeting in Chile.

'Democratically elected'

Mr Chavez called Mr Aznar, a close ally of US President George W Bush, a fascist, adding "fascists are not human. A snake is more human."

Mr Zapatero said: "Former President Aznar was democratically elected by the Spanish people and was a legitimate representative of the Spanish people."

Mr Chavez repeatedly tried to interrupt, despite his microphone being turned off. The king leaned forward and said: "Why don't you shut up?" Shut up, Spain king tells Chavez (more)

WATCH BBC VIDEO:
Shut up, King tells Chavez

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG:
«Warum schweigst Du nicht endlich?»: Spaniens König über Chávez verärgert

LE FIGARO:
Quand Juan Carlos demande à Chavez de se taire

Mark Alexander

Lest We Forget...
...the sacrifices that the fallen servicemen made for us, so that we might live, today, in freedom.

Photograph courtesy of Google Images
BBC:
Nation and troops honour war dead

WATCH BBC VIDEO:
Britain remembers war dead

Mark Alexander