Row as Oxford Union Votes to Hear Irving
THE GUARDIAN: The Oxford Union was accused last night of 'promoting anti-Semitism' after students voted to allow Holocaust revisionist David Irving and the leader of the British National Party, Nick Griffin, to address students tomorrow.

Members of the Oxford Union Debating Society voted by a margin of two to one in favour of permitting the two right-wing figures to speak at a free-speech event, despite demands that they be banned.

The decision provoked an immediate backlash. Former Europe minister Denis MacShane condemned the union for 'promoting anti-Semitism', while the university's Muslim and Jewish societies said that principles of freedom of speech were 'overshadowed in this instance'.

The union's president, Luke Tryl, defended the invitation by arguing that the pair were not being granted a platform to expound their views, but would discuss the limits of free speech. >>

Mark Alexander

US is‘Worst’ Imperialist: Archbishop
Photo of the Archbishop of Canterbury courtesy of The Sunday Times
THE SUNDAY TIMES: THE Archbishop of Canterbury has said that the United States wields its power in a way that is worse than Britain during its imperial heyday.

Rowan Williams claimed that America’s attempt to intervene overseas by “clearing the decks” with a “quick burst of violent action” had led to “the worst of all worlds”.

In a wide-ranging interview with a British Muslim magazine, the Anglican leader linked criticism of the United States to one of his most pessimistic declarations about the state of western civilisation.

He said the crisis was caused not just by America’s actions but also by its misguided sense of its own mission. He poured scorn on the “chosen nation myth of America, meaning that what happens in America is very much at the heart of God’s purpose for humanity”.

Williams went beyond his previous critique of the conduct of the war on terror, saying the United States had lost the moral high ground since September 11. He urged it to launch a “generous and intelligent programme of aid directed to the societies that have been ravaged; a check on the economic exploitation of defeated territories; a demilitarisation of their presence”.

He went on to suggest that the West was fundamentally adrift: “Our modern western definition of humanity is clearly not working very well. There is something about western modernity which really does eat away at the soul.”

Williams suggested American leadership had broken down: “We have only one global hegemonic power. It is not accumulating territory: it is trying to accumulate influence and control. That’s not working.” >> By Abul Taher

THE SUNDAY TIMES:
New Australian PM signals Iraq pullout By Paul Ham

Mark Alexander

John Howard Concedes Defeat in Australian Election
Watch Video
Mark Alexander

Zehntausende demonstrieren in Madrid: Opposition gegen Zapateros Antiterror-Politik
NZZ: Zehntausende haben in Madrid gegen die Antiterror-Politik der sozialistischen Regierung protestiert. Die Demonstranten warfen Premierminister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero vor, nicht entschieden genug gegen die baskische Untergrundorganisation ETA vorzugehen. Die Regierung wirft der Opposition vor, den Kampf gegen den Terror als Wahlkampfthema zu missbrauchen.

(sda/dpa) Sie verlangten zudem am Samstagabend ein Verbot zweier ETA-naher Parteien im Baskenland. Einige Teilnehmer forderten den Rücktritt Zapateros. Die Veranstalter bezifferten die Zahl der Demonstranten auf eine halbe Million. Die Polizei machte dazu keine Angaben. Zu der Kundgebung hatte Spaniens grösste Vereinigung von Terroropfern (AVT) aufgerufen. Diese steht der oppositionellen Volkspartei (PP) nahe. Mehrere PP-Spitzenpolitiker nahmen an der Demonstration teil. >>

Mark Alexander

BNP to Speak to Oxford Students
Photo of Nick Griffin and David Irving courtesy of the BBC
BBC: The Oxford Union has voted to let the British National Party (BNP) leader and a controversial historian speak at a free speech event on Monday.

Despite opposition, the Oxford Union Debating Society members voted by a margin of 2 to 1 to continue to extend an invite to the BNP's Nick Griffin.

David Irving, who was jailed for Holocaust denial, will also be invited.

The move was opposed by the Oxford Student Union and the university's Muslim and Jewish societies.

The Oxford Union Debating Society said it was important to give people of all views a platform. >>

Mark Alexander

Pope Calls for an End to the War in Iraq
REUTERS: VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict, elevating 23 prelates from around the world to the rank of cardinal, made a pressing appeal on Saturday for an end to the war in Iraq and decried the plight of the country's Christian minority.

One of the new cardinals is Emmanuel III Delly, the Baghdad-based Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, and the Pope used the solemn occasion, known as a consistory, to express his concern for the country.

The other new cardinals come from Italy, Ireland, Germany, the United States, Spain, India, Argentina, Kenya, Mexico, Poland, Senegal, Brazil and France.

Speaking of Delly during the ceremony in St Peter's Basilica, Benedict said Christians in Iraq were "feeling with their own flesh the dramatic consequences of an enduring conflict ... "

The Chaldeans are Iraq's biggest Christian group and the Chaldean rite is one of the most ancient of the Catholic Church. Pope makes new cardinals, calls for end to Iraq war (more) By Philip Pullella

Mark Alexander

Election Disaster for John Howard in Australia
BBC: The Labor Party has claimed victory in Australia's election, after early vote counts suggested Prime Minister John Howard had lost his parliamentary seat.

"On the numbers we are seeing tonight Labor is going to form a government," said Labor deputy leader Julia Gillard.

She was one of several Labor figures to claim victory, although leader Kevin Rudd has yet to make a statement.

Mr Howard was bidding for a fifth term in office, but tallies indicated his Sydney seat had been lost to Labor. Labor claims Australia poll win (more)

Mark Alexander

The $100 Oil Barrel
THE GUARDIAN: As the price of crude oil sets records almost daily, the British government remains stunningly complacent. With the $100 barrel a real and constant threat, the prime minister's website blithely proclaims "the world's oil and gas resources are sufficient to sustain economic growth for the foreseeable future". Officials refuse to define what is meant by "foreseeable", but it is clear they suffer from extreme myopia, or worse.

All the evidence suggests we are rapidly approaching "peak oil", the point when global production goes into terminal decline for geological reasons. The industry consensus is that world output, excluding that from the Opec producers, will peak in about 2010. It is also widely agreed that Opec has grossly exaggerated the size of its reserves, meaning that global output must also peak soon. Since oil provides 95% of all transport energy, as well as vital inputs to modern agriculture, this is likely to provoke a crisis.

Oil executives have traditionally avoided talk of geological constraints - no doubt mindful of the value of their share options - but now even they admit the industry is in difficulty. A growing number believe output will never exceed 100m barrels per day, compared with 86m today. At present rates of growth, demand will hit that ceiling within about a decade. $100 oil: the terrible truth: Nearing the price barrier is a pointer to the peak of output, and the crisis the powerful want to ignore By David Strahan

Mark Alexander

For the Sake of Christ, Go Spend More Time with Your Family, Mr Straw, Before You Ruin Europe!
DAILY EXPRESS: JACK Straw said yesterday that Turkey should be drawn in to the European Union so that Muslims and Christians can be seen to live in harmony.

The Justice Secretary indicated that he wants Turkey, which has 70 million Muslims, to be allowed into the EU as soon as possible.

He said in Istanbul: “By welcoming Turkey into Europe we will prove how two cultures can not only exist together, but thrive together.” Turkey Must Be in the EU Says Straw (more)

Mark Alexander

More Barbarity from the World of Barbarians!
DAILY MAIL: An Iraqi couple were beheaded in front of their children by their cousins because the man wore Western-style trousers.

Three suspected al Qaeda militants, including two sisters, beheaded their uncle and his wife, forcing the couple's children to watch, according to Iraqi police.

The killing came because the school guard Youssef al-Hayali was considered an infidel because he did not pray and wore western-style trousers.

The militants, later arrested in Diyala province northwest of Baghdad, killed Hayali and his wife Zeinab Kamel at the all-boys school in Jalawlah.

Sunni Arab communities across Iraq have been turning against al Qaeda because of its indiscriminate killings and strict interpretation of Islam, which includes a ban on smoking in public and forcing schoolgirls to wear veils. Iraq: Sisters behead uncle and aunt in front of their children - because he wore Western-style trousers (more

Mark Alexander

Turks in Christian Murder Trial
BBC: Five men are to go on trial in eastern Turkey, accused of killing three Christians earlier this year.

The Christians, who included a pastor and a German missionary, were stabbed repeatedly and had their throats cut.

The suspects, aged 19 and 20, were detained at the scene of the crime, a Protestant publishing house in Malatya.

The murders prompted three Christian families to leave the town. Germany has accused Turkey of "unacceptable intolerance" towards non-Muslims.

Turkey is a candidate for EU membership. Turks in Christian murder trial (more)

Mark Alexander

In Search of Lost Time
TIME: The days grow short. A cold wind stirs the fallen leaves, and some mornings the vineyards are daubed with frost. Yet all across France, life has begun anew: the 2007 harvest is in. And what a harvest it has been. At least 727 new novels, up from 683 for last autumn's literary rentrée. Hundreds of new music albums and dozens of new films. Blockbuster art exhibitions at all the big museums. Fresh programs of concerts, operas and plays in the elegant halls and salles that grace French cities. Autumn means many things in many countries, but in France it signals the dawn of a new cultural year.

And nobody takes culture more seriously than the French. They subsidize it generously; they cosset it with quotas and tax breaks. French media give it vast amounts of airtime and column inches. Even fashion magazines carry serious book reviews, and the Nov. 5 announcement of the Prix Goncourt — one of more than 900 French literary prizes — was front-page news across the country. (It went to Gilles Leroy's novel Alabama Song.) Every French town of any size has its annual opera or theater festival, nearly every church its weekend organ or chamber-music recital.

There is one problem. All of these mighty oaks being felled in France's cultural forest make barely a sound in the wider world. Once admired for the dominating excellence of its writers, artists and musicians, France today is a wilting power in the global cultural marketplace. That is an especially sensitive issue right now, as a forceful new President, Nicolas Sarkozy, sets out to restore French standing in the world. When it comes to culture, he will have his work cut out for him. In Search of Lost Time (more) By Don Morrison, Paris

Mark Alexander

Former Chiefs of Defence Staff Condemn Budget Cuts in the Military Sparking Bitter ‘War of Words’
THE GUARDIAN: The defence secretary, Des Browne, hit back today at former defence chiefs who accused the government of treating the armed forces "with contempt", as a war of words over the issue became increasingly personal.

In the House of Lords yesterday, five former chiefs of the defence staff lined up to condemn what they claimed were in effect budget cuts on the military, some of them also attacking Gordon Brown individually for a perceived lack of interest in the armed forces.

The prime minister also entered the fray today, insisting he had "enormous respect" for the armed forces, who were financed and equipped adequately, he said. Defence secretary hits back at admiral's criticism (more) By Peter Walker and agencies

DAILY MAIL:
Brown hits back after barrage of criticism from miltary top brass over defence cuts

Mark Alexander

Split Widens Over Iran’s Nuclear Plans
THE TELEGRAPH: International divisions over Iran's nuclear ambitions deepened yesterday after the world's nuclear watchdog pleaded for more time for its inspections regime despite admitting international knowledge of Teheran's nuclear programme had diminished.

Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), endorsed Iranian pledges to provide better access to its clandestine atomic programme within "several weeks" even though Iran had failed to bridge a "confidence deficit" with inspectors.

But America, which is leading a campaign for a new round of sanctions on Iran, warned that Iran had shown no signs of compliance. "We have seen this before: promises of full co-operation under pressure, selective co-operation and backsliding when the pressure comes off," said Greg Schulte, the US ambassador at the IAEA.

"Despite four years of intensive investigation and the launch of this work plan four months ago, the IAEA remains unable to confirm the absence of undeclared nuclear activities in Iran." Split widens over Iran’s nuclear plans (more) By Damien McElroy

Mark Alexander

Pakistan Suspended from the Commonwealth
Photo of Pervez Musharraf courtesy of the BBC
BBC: Pakistan has been suspended from the Commonwealth because of its imposition of emergency rule, the organisation has announced after a meeting in Uganda.

Secretary General Don McKinnon said Pakistan was being suspended "pending restoration of democracy and the rule of law".

Earlier Pakistan's Supreme Court dismissed a legal challenge to Pervez Musharraf's re-election as president.

The president has said he will now step down as head of the army.

Mr McKinnon said the 53-member Commonwealth had reached the decision by consensus.

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the "decision was taken in sorrow, not in anger", and that he hoped the group would be able to welcome Pakistan back soon.

"We're all clear that the choice is for Pakistan now, to make the changes that are in its interest nationally and internationally, and then to re-enter the Commonwealth as a proud and valued member," Mr Miliband added. Pakistan barred from Commonwealth (more)

NZZ:
Commonwealth beschliesst Aussetzung von Pakistans Mitgliedschaft: Bedingungen nicht erfüllt

Mark Alexander

L'Arabie saoudite et la Libye fournissent les plus gros contingents de djihadistes en Irak
LE MONDE: Quelque 60 % des djihadistes étrangers combattant au sein de l'insurrection en Irak viennent d'Arabie saoudite et de Libye, deux pays alliés des Etats-Unis, écrit, jeudi 22 novembre, le New York Times, citant des responsables militaires américains. L'Arabie saoudite et la Libye fournissent les plus gros contingents de djihadistes en Irak (suivant)

Mark Alexander

Rumsfelds Memos veröffentlicht
DIE PRESSE: Der Inhalt dieser Memos war oft brisant - über Muslime schrieb er, dass sie aufgrund des Ölreichtums "nur allzu oft körperliche Arbeit scheuen, weshalb sie dann Koreaner und Pakistanis anheuern, während ihre eigenen jungen Leute arbeitslos bleiben". Diese seien dann umso häufiger anfällig für Radikalismus. 

Muslime hätten allgemein durch den Ölreichtum "oft keine Ahnung von Arbeit, Bemühungen und Investitionen, wie sie dem Rest der Welt Reichtum bringen". ''Schneeflocken'': Rumsfelds Memos veröffentlicht (mehr)

Mark Alexander

In the Realm of Mullah Fazlullah
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Once Pakistan's favorite tourist destination, Swat Valley is now ruled by a brutal Taliban group. The infamous commander Mullah Fazlullah has installed a Sharia emirate here, and President Musharraf has stood by and allowed it to happen.

The huge billboard on the pass high in the mountains may be yellow and faded but it's still legible. "Welcome to Swat Valley," is written in huge letters with a picture of a jeep surrounded by tourists underneath.

They are all smilling, enjoying the view from the mountains, that range 2,000 meters high into the clear blue skies. The advertisement harks back to a time when the Swat Valley was considered the Switzerland of Pakistan. Islamabad's middle classes would tramp up the mountains in the summer and in winter they would whiz down the country's only ski slopes. "A paradise on earth," was Swat's motto.

That was before the Swat Valley came to epitomize the current crisis in Pakistan, before President Pervez Musharraf used the region as an excuse for his state of emergency. The military ruler claimed to want to come down hard on the religious extremists by imposing emergency rule. And he repeats this claim at every opportunity. But it has since become clear that the general was most concerned with holding on to power. In the Realm of Mullah Fazlullah (more) By Matthias Gebauer in the Swat Valley, Pakistan

Mark Alexander

Where Are the Feminists, Where Are the Civil Rights Groups, Where Is the ACLU? ‘Qatif-Girl’ Treated Savagely by Saudi Government
How our politicians are acquiescing in the face of barbarity!

BBC: Authorities in Saudi Arabia have defended a judicial sentence of 200 lashes for a rape victim.

The justice ministry said in a statement that the sentence was justified because the woman was in a car with an unrelated man.

The case has aroused controversy at home and condemnation abroad.

US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton said the sentence was an outrage and urged President Bush to put pressure on Saudi King Abdullah.

The 19-year-old, who has not been named, was travelling in a car with a male friend last year, when the car was attacked by a gang of seven men who raped both of them.

She has become known as the "Qatif girl", a reference to the largely Shia town which she comes from. Saudis back rape victim sentence (more)

Mark Alexander

Ahmadinedschad ist “eine Gefahr für das Land”, so “Die Islamische Republik”
WELONLINE: Die iranische Tageszeitung "Die Islamische Republik" hat Präsident Mahmud Ahmadinedschad für seinen politischen Kurs kritisiert. Dass sich eine Zeitung das traut, ist im Iran eher selten. Vermutlich steckt dahinter Ajatolla Chamenei, der eigentliche starke Mann im Staat.

Der oberste religiöse und politische Führer Irans Seyyed Ali Chamenei sagte gegenüber der iranischen Tageszeitung, dass das Verhalten des Präsidenten Mahmud Ahmadinedschad eine Gefahr für das Land darstelle. Die Zeitung wird im Land als strenge und fehlerlose religiöse Publikation betrachtet.

Eine so offene Kritik am politischen Kurs des Präsidenten wäre ohne die Unterstützung von Ayatollah Chamenei, der 1989 die direkte Nachfolger von Ajatollah Chomeini als oberster Rechtsgelehrter antrat, trotzdem undenkbar gewesen. Ayatollah Chamenei, der 1989 die direkte Nachfolger von Ajatollah Chomeini als oberster Rechtsgelehrter antrat und selbst von 1981 bis 1989 Staatspräsident war, ist neben dem Präsidenten selbst wohl die einflußreichste Persönlichkeit des Landes.

Im Zeitungsbericht hieß es weiter, dass die Aufarbeitung des Präsidenten in Bezug auf die an ihm geübte Kritik unmoralisch, unlogisch und illegal sei. Iranische Zeitung kritisiert Ahmadinedschad (mehr)

Mark Alexander

And We Call These Barbarians Our ‘Friends and Allies’!
Photo of a typical Saudi flogging courtesy of the Daily Mail
DAILY MAIL: International outrage grew today as Saudi Arabia defended the sentencing of a teenage gang-rape victim to six months' jail and 200 lashes.

The Shia Muslim woman had initially been sentenced to 90 lashes after being convicted of violating Saudi Arabia's rigid Sharia Islamic law on segregation of the sexes.

The Saudi general court also doubled prison sentences for the seven men convicted of raping the 19-year-old.
US Democratic party presidential contender Hillary Clinton was outraged at the Saudi court decision.

"I urge President Bush to call on King Abdullah to cancel the ruling and drop all charges against this woman," she said.
"As president I will once again make human rights an American priority around the world."

US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack declined to directly criticise the Saudi judiciary, but said: "I think that most people would find this relatively astonishing that something like this happened." Outrage as Saudi rape VICTIM is given 200 lashes and six months jail (more)

Mark Alexander

Iran Warns of Domino Effect
THE TELEGRAPH: Iran warned today that an attack on its nuclear facilities would trigger a "domino" effect across the Middle East as deeply divided world powers met to review Teheran's co-operation with United Nations resolutions.

Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has endorsed Iranian promises that access to suspected nuclear facilities will increase in the months ahead.

At a meeting of the body's 35-country board of governors in Vienna today, battle lines were drawn both over Mr ElBaradei's faith in an Iranian blueprint and the text of the IAEA's latest report which said Iran had cleared up several key questions about its past research.

America and Britain are pushing for the UN to quickly impose a third round of sanctions on Iran to reinforce the drive to close the Islamic Republic's secret programme of atomic research, which appears to be slowly yielding the capability to make a nuclear weapon. Iran warns of domino effect of nuclear attack (more) By Damien McElroy

Mark Alexander

Happy Thanksgiving to One and All!
Here’s wishing all my visitors Stateside a VERY BLESSED and HAPPY THANKSGIVING.
Image courtesy of Google Images
Mark Alexander

Kopftuch, Burka, Schleier
DIE PRESSE: Die Kleidung muslimischer Frauen, besonders das Kopftuch, hat in Europa schon viele Debatten ausgelöst. Die Kernfrage: Sind der Islam und die westliche Gesellschaft vereinbar?

Islam und Mode schließen sich jedenfalls nicht aus, zeigten jüngst Islamische Modeschauen in Kuala Lumpur. Kopftuch, Burka, Schleier: Islamische Modeschau (more)

Mark Alexander

Sarkozy: Punish them!
Photo of Nicolas Sarkozy courtesy of the BBC
BBC: The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has called for those who sabotaged his country's high-speed TGV rail network to be punished with "extreme severity". Sarkozy vows to punish saboteurs (more)

Mark Alexander

The Shrewd Economist
I should like to inform you, my visitors, that I now have a second blog, entitled 'The Shrewd Economist'. It was started today. Naturally, I hope and trust that you will all support this blogspot.

As the blog is about economics and finance, I shall be posting fewer items about economics and finance on this blogspot in future.

You will find the new blogspot HERE.

With best wishes and kind regards

Mark

France: Sabotage!
BBC: France's high-speed TGV rail network has been damaged by a "concerted campaign of sabotage", the SNCF state-owned rail operator has said.

It said acts of sabotage overnight, including fires, caused huge delays to TGV services already hit by a long transport union strike over reforms.

The SNCF blamed militants for the attacks, saying they wanted to harm ongoing talks to end the strike.

President Nicolas Sarkozy said the saboteurs would be severely punished. French trains 'hit by sabotage' (more)

WATCH BBC VIDEO:
Sabotage on France’s railway

Mark Alexander

Now EU Wants Stats on Women’s Sexual History!
DAILY MAIL: British MEPs have reacted with outrage to a planned Euro-census which would demand details about every woman's sexual partners.

UK Independence Party MEP Derek Clark urged women to protest by claiming they are virgins or have 1,000 sexual partners if the proposal is approved.

The proposed new European Commission power to collect facts and figures on population and housing across the EU would go further than any national census, Mr Clark warned.

The information the Commission wants to be allowed to gather includes information on the "consensual unions" of all women in the EU.

The contentious question, set out in a draft of what would go to each household every ten years, demands "Date(s) of the beginning of the consensual union(s) of women having ever been in consensual union: (i) first consensual union and (ii) current consensual union."

Mr Clark commented: "The Commission claims it needs to know all sorts of things about us in order to set policy properly, but does it really need to have such personal and intrusive detail? How can it possibly need to know how many sexual partners a woman has had, and when they were? Outrage as EU set to quiz women on their sexual history (more)

Mark Alexander

The Flip Side of Mass Immigration
TIMESONLINE: Soaring rates of infection by hepatitis B, fuelled by large-scale immigration, pose a serious health threat that is not being addressed properly, a report has said.

The Hepatitis B Foundation estimates that the numbers infected by the disease in Britain have almost doubled in the past five years, to 326,000. More than half of these people are immigrants from Africa, Asia, Russia and the new EU nations.

Hepatitis B has few symptoms. If untreated it can lead to serious liver disease including liver cancer, and death, decades after infection. World-wide, 500,000 to 700,000 people die every year as a result of infection by the virus. New wave of immigration blamed for doubling of hepatitis B cases (more) By Nigel Hawkes

Mark Alexander

Brussels Interferes Again: Now It Doesn’t Want Us to Know Where in the EU Our Goods Come From
DAILY MAIL: Ministers were last night under pressure to reject an attempt by Brussels to scrap 'Made in Britain' food labels.

Proposals to switch to a Europe-wide 'Made in the EU' labelling system will be discussed by the European Commission next month.

The scheme provoked outrage at Westminster, with the Tories pledging to save the traditional British labels on foods ranging from Stilton to Marmite.

If implemented it would leave British consumers unable to tell where the contents of their shopping basket come from in the EU. Brussels wants to scrap labels sayin ‘Made in Britain’ (more)

Mark Alexander

Flash Those Breasts, Mum! EU to Ban Advertising of Milk Formula to Encourage Breast-Feeding! Is There No End to Interference from Brussels?
DAILY MAIL: Advertising of infant formula to parents will be banned under new rules announced today.

Powdered milk for babies under six months - known as infant formula - will only be advertised in trade to trade magazines and scientific journals.

But the Department of Health said television and print adverts for follow-on formula aimed at infants over six months will be tightened up but not banned.

Infant formula advertising is already heavily restricted but is currently permitted in leaflets given out by the health service.

That loophole will be closed when an EU directive on infant formula comes into force in the UK in January. Baby milk adverts banned to encourage breast feeding (more)

Mark Alexander

Große Flut geschah 6300 Jahre vor Jesus Christus
WELTONLINE: Wissenschaftler sind sich sicher, Noahs Sintflut auf 50 Jahre genau bestimmen zu können. Muscheln und Schnecken haben zu dieser Erkenntnis beigetragen. Ganz viel Wasser war auch im Spiel. Die Biologen blicken zwar tief in die Vergangenheit zurück, denken aber auch an die Zukunft.

Im Zeitraum von nur einer Generation entstand am Ende der letzten Eiszeit das Schwarze Meer und nahm seine jetzige Form an. Ursache war ein gewaltiger Wassereinstrom aus dem Mittelmeer, der sich genau 6300 Jahre vor Christus plus/minus 50 Jahre ereignete. Zu dieser genauen Datierung gelangten Chris Turney von der University of Exeter (Großbritannien) und die Australierin Heidi Brown aufgrund neuer Messungen. Die große Flut vertrieb einige Zehntausend Menschen und führte vermutlich zur Verbreitung der Landwirtschaft über ganz Europa. "Die Flut lehrt uns auch, was wir zu erwarten haben, wenn der Meeresspiegel am Ende dieses Jahrhunderts wie erwartet ansteigt", sagt Turney.

Bislang konnten Wissenschaftler die Entstehung des Schwarzen Meeres nur auf den Zeitraum von 7700 bis 5600 v. Chr. festlegen. "Das ist keine besonders genaue Datierung", sagt Turney. "Uns gelang jetzt aber eine Einengung auf plus/minus 50 Jahre." Mit der sogenannten Radiokarbonmethode untersuchten Turney und Brown Schalen von Muscheln und Schnecken. Sie bestimmten, wann die an Süßwasser gebundenen Tiere ausstarben, die in einem kleineren Binnensee lebten, und durch Salzwasserbewohner ersetzt wurden, die mit dem Mittelmeerwasser einwanderten. Die große Flut kam 6300 vor Christus (mehr)

Mark Alexander

Ein Blick hinter den Tschador
WELTONLINE: Was wissen wir wirklich über den Iran? Der Iran ist eines der gastfreundlichsten Länder der islamischen Welt, stellte WELT ONLINE-Autorin Annette Riedel fest. Auf ihrer Reise durch das fremde, manchmal befremdliche Land erlebte sie viele Überraschungen, Widersprüche, aber auch Erbauliches.

Azam lacht gern. Dann strahlen die haselnussbraunen Augen der lebenslustigen Frau mit den fein gezupften, nachgezogenen Augenbrauen. Azam ist unsere Reiseleiterin. Und sie ist unsere Türöffnerin. Sie erzählt aus ihrem Leben. Stundenlang.

Auf langen Busfahrten durch das Land und bei den Abendessen in traditionellen Restaurants. Unermüdlich, offen, freundlich, persönlich, kenntnisreich beantwortet sie unsere nicht enden wollenden Fragen. Und sie dolmetscht und makelt Begegnungen – verabredete und spontane – mit Iranerinnen und Iranern. Auf den Straßen, in den Parks, in Museen, Büros, Restaurants, Teehäusern, in einer Nachrichtenagentur, in einem theologischen Seminar, in einer Universität, in einer Galerie, bei einer Hochzeitsgesellschaft. So werden uns Einblicke in das Leben im Iran gewährt, die weit über das hinausgehen, was eigentlich auf „normalen“ Reisen möglich ist.

Azam hat von 1980 bis 1995 in Hamburg gelebt und gearbeitet, mit ihrem damaligen iranischen Mann. Die 46-jährige Mutter zweier erwachsener Söhne ist geschieden. Sie verdient sich ihren Lebensunterhalt als Reiseleiterin. Das klingt wesentlich einfacher, als es ist. Ein Blick hinter den Tschador (mehr)

Mark Alexander

’Tis Refreshing Indeed to Be Able to Read an Article Such as This One in the Saudi Press!
ARAB NEWS: It is a tale that is more reminiscent of the cruel callous punishments meted out to women in medieval times. And yet sadly it is a case that is making headlines in the 21st century.

For those of you who are not aware of the story, an 18-year-old girl from Qatif went to meet a man she had had a prior relationship with to reclaim photos that he threatened to blackmail her with. While they were standing outside a shopping mall, they were abducted at knifepoint. She was gang raped 14 times by seven men. The man accompanying her was also raped. In an extraordinary ruling, she was sentenced by the courts to 90 lashes for having been with a man who was not her male relative. When she appealed this verdict, expecting leniency under the extenuating circumstances, the court increased her sentence to 200 lashes and six months imprisonment. This increased sentence was delivered under the spurious pretext that the judiciary would not be “aggravated and influenced” through the media. Her lawyer has been suspended from the case, has had his license confiscated and is now being threatened with disciplinary action.

I will never forget reading about this case when it was first documented several months ago. I blinked hard in disbelief at the ridiculous contents of the article and the trite absurdity of the allegations. It was enough to offend the sensibilities of any reasonable minded human being and yet, it seemed at the time, that those who are in charge of our judicial system were totally devoid of any sense of justice. It is this peculiar irony that has subsequently subverted and distorted the outcome of a trial that will no doubt characterize the level of injustice that we can expect to be afforded through the courts.

Here is a young woman who has had to suffer the unimaginable ordeal of being brutally raped by seven men 14 times but nonetheless decided to take the remarkably brave step and approach the authorities expecting at the very least a fair trial and perhaps, albeit unrealistically, a degree of compassion. A Slap in the Face of Justice (more) By Lubna Hussain

Mark Alexander

”A Whiff of Desperation”
THE TELEGRAPH: So the US State Department is seeking to wean impressionable young Muslims off terrorism by introducing pro-American blog posts. It's not the worst idea to come out of the current administration (it's up against some pretty stiff competition after all), but one can't help picking up the whiff of desperation.

The problem is that most young people in the Islamic world probably have a good idea that they'd be much better off if their governments did what the Americans want them to.

George W Bush is right about one thing: people everywhere long to be free, to be able to conduct their business without the clerics and secret police invigilating quite so closely. But his appeal to the aspiring spirit can only work if it's in keeping with America's actions. The source of much of the loathing of the US is that it speaks of liberty while propping up the likes of the Saudis, Musharraf and Mubarak. I didn't see the State Department complaining too much when a nineteen year old girl was given a prison sentence and 200 lashes for her role in her own gang-rape.

The Washington Post piece also mentions that the word 'Islamofascism' will not feature in these blog posts, as Muslims tend to interpret it to mean that their entire religion is fascist. That's not what the term means of course, but when almost every political and religious expression of Islam seems to exhibit sectarian and authoritarian tendencies it's an easy mistake to make. [Source: Blogging for Freedom]

Mark Alexander

For a Change, Something Wonderful, Something Uplifting!
Luciano and Celine: I Hate You Then I Love You
Mark Alexander

Berlin Faces Hurdles in Push to Get Business Out of Iran
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: In an effort to forestall an American military strike against Iran, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is pushing for tougher economic sanctions against the mullah-controlled regime in Tehran. But critics say Merkel's plans are sketchy and difficult to implement, while experts disagree over their effectiveness.

The group of dignitaries from Tehran visiting Hamburg last Wednesday seemed noticeably pleased -- and it wasn't just the unseasonably warm weather. They had spent the morning attending a board meeting of the Iran-Europe Commercial Bank. The mood couldn't have been better.

The Iranian government bankers enjoyed the spectacular view from the bank's penthouse-level conference room as much as they did hearing its latest quarterly results. Indeed, before adjourning to the adjacent room for Persian delicacies, management reported the best results in the bank's history.

Even the representative from the German Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) seemed impressed. Now that all major German banks have given in to pressure from the United States government and stopped doing business in Iran, business is booming for the Hamburg-based Iranian bank. Its commercial loan portfolio, worth about €3 billion ($4.4 billion), is twice as large as it was last year.

Machinery exporters and trading companies have practically been lining up to move their business from their traditional German banks to the Iranian bank, despite the fact that the US Treasury Department has blacklisted Iran-Europe Commercial Bank, together with two other major Iranian banks, Bank Melli and Bank Saderat. Ironically, Iran's state-owned banks are among the few businesses that have actually benefited and managed to turn a profit from tighter international sanctions against Tehran. GERMANY INC. IN TEHRAN: Berlin Faces Hurdles in Push to Get Business Out of Iran (more)

Mark Alexander

Neues Drohvideo gegen Deutschland und Österreich ist ernstzunehmen
WELTONLINE: slamisten, die der Terrororganisation al-Qaida nahe stehen sollen, haben Deutschland und Österreich in einer Videobotschaft indirekt mit Anschlägen gedroht, falls sie ihre Soldaten nicht aus Afghanistan abziehen. Innenminister Wolfgang Schäuble rät, das Video ernstzunehmen.

Das dem Österreichischen Rundfunk (ORF) zugespielte Video richtet sich laut Angaben des Senders in erster Linie an die deutsche Bundesregierung. Nach Ansicht von Bundesinnenminister Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU) ist das Video ernstzunehmen. Es verändere aber nicht die Einschätzung der Sicherheitslage, sagte er am Dienstag am Rande der Herbsttagung des Bundeskriminalamts (BKA) in Wiesbaden. Neues Drohvideo gegen Deutschland aufgetaucht (mehr)

SPIEGELONLINE: Harsche Drohungen gegen Deutschland und Österreich: Die "Globale Islamische Medienfront" verkündet in einem neuen Video das Ende der "Schonzeit". Außerdem fordern die selbst ernannten Qaida-Sprecher die Freilassung ihrer verhafteten Anführer.

Berlin - Ein neues islamistisches Drohvideo ist dem Österreichischen Rundfunk (ORF) zugespielt worden. Darin werden Deutschland und Österreich dazu aufgefordert, ihre Soldaten aus Afghanistan abzuziehen. Außerdem wird die österreichische Regierung dazu aufgerufen, zwei in Wien inhaftierte Islamisten freizulassen - "sonst werdet ihr es bereuen". Neues Drohvideo gegen Deutschland und Österreich (mehr) Von Yassin Musharbash

Mark Alexander

Rumblings of Discontent in Spain
Photo courtesy of the BBC
BBC: A biting winter cold fills the Valley of the Fallen, a sprawling mausoleum to Spain's Civil War dead, carved out of granite rock.

Overhead, a towering 150-metre (492ft) cross casts a menacing shadow. But the chill is offset by an intense political heat.
"Viva Franco!" chants a large, mixed crowd. "One Spain, one flag! Immigrants out! Spain is Catholic, not Muslim!" Franco bill divides Spaniards (more) By Steve Kingstone

Mark Alexander

"We Will Not Surrender and We Will Not Retreat," Says M Sarkozy
Photo courtesy of Google Images
BBC: French President Nicolas Sarkozy has vowed to maintain his controversial economic reforms despite a second week of crippling industrial action.

He said the reforms were overdue and that they were necessary "to confront the challenges set by the world".

Hundreds of thousands of civil servants joined striking transport and energy workers on Tuesday over the proposals.

The 24-hour action is said to be the largest protest against Mr Sarkozy's reforms since he took power in May.

In his first comments since the stoppage began, Mr Sarkozy said: "These reforms have been put off for too long.

After so much hesitation, so much procrastination, so many U-turns, a complete break is now needed to stop the decline." Sarkozy undeterred amid strikes (more)

BBC:
Strike fever spreading in France By Alasdair Sandford

Mark Alexander

Islamofascist Threat: “We Don’t Want to Frighten the American People”
INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY: Maintaining a high level of vigilance against a patient, stateless and often invisible enemy hiding behind a religion isn't easy, especially in politically correct Washington. One tireless watchdog is Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., who has founded the House Anti-Terrorism/Jihad Caucus to educate fellow lawmakers and Americans about militant Islam's long-term threat.

The diminutive yet feisty Myrick, a former Charlotte mayor and now deputy Republican whip, sat down with IBD to discuss the zeitgeist inside official Washington concerning the war on Islamic terror.

IBD: What persuaded you to start the Anti-Terrorism/Jihad Caucus, and what do you hope to accomplish?

Myrick: I decided to start the caucus out of a deep frustration, because President Bush does not talk to the American people about the long-term threat of radical Islamofascism infiltration in America. Since 9/11, I've tried to get the president and several members of his administration to talk to the American people about the dangerous enemy that we're facing. I took them all the materials I could find about what we did during World War II that were used to unite the American people. Everyone I spoke to said, "We do not want to frighten the American people."

I waited for someone else to start to educate the people, however, it did not seem to be happening. At that point, I sought to become educated on the matter. What I have learned is quite disturbing. I decided that if members of Congress were informed, they would have an opportunity to educate people in their districts. So I started the caucus and brought in three other co-chairs — Bud Cramer (D-Ala.), Kay Granger (R-Texas) and Jane Harman (D-Calif.).

We hope to start a dialogue with America. Until, and unless, we understand what we are fighting, we have no chance. We must inform the people, since it is evident they will have to protect their national sovereignty, because the government is not doing it. Congressional Paul Revere Warns Nation About Islamofascist Threat (more) By Paul Sperry

Mark Alexander

East of England Development Agency to Launch ‘Migrant Gateway’
THE GUARDIAN: People in Poland and Portugal thinking of coming to work in the east of England are being given the chance to find out more about the region and prepare for life there.

The Migrant Gateway website has been developed by the East of England Development Agency and will be launched next Monday at a TUC conference on ways to enable refugees and migrant workers to progress in the labour market.

The website has been developed to provide better information – one of the key recommendations in research carried out for the agency in 2005, which found that several companies in the east of England could not survive without the skills provided by migrant workers, yet many such workers have inadequate access to basic support, such as information on rights, childcare, finance and services.

Migrant workers in the east of England contribute £360m to the regional economy, according to EEDA. New website helps migrants prepare for life in England (more) By Jane Dudman

DAILY MAIL:
Number of failed asylum seekers deported from UK falls AGAIN

DAILY MAIL:
EU open-borders agreement threatens a 'wave of migration and crime' By Allan Hall

Mark Alexander