Thursday, February 28, 2008

Wolfgang Schäuble will mehr Mohammed-Karikaturen in den deutschen Zeitungen

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Schäuble will mehr von den Karikaturen in allen deutschen Zeitungen

WELT ONLINE: Wenn es nach Wolfgang Schäuble gehen würde, müssten alle Zeitungen die umstrittenen Mohammed-Karikaturen erneut veröffentlichen. Er sehe darin ein Zeichen für die Pressefreiheit, sagte der Innenminister. Hier gelte das Motto: „Wir lassen uns nicht auseinanderdividieren".

Bundesinnenminister Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU) würde es begrüßen, wenn deutsche Zeitungen dem Beispiel dänischer Blätter folgten und die umstrittene Mohammed-Karikatur abdruckten.

Schäuble sagte der „Zeit“, er habe Respekt davor, dass die dänischen Zeitungen die Zeichnung erneut publiziert hätten. „Eigentlich müssten jetzt alle europäischen Zeitungen diese Karikaturen abdrucken, und zwar mit der Erklärung: Wir finden sie auch miserabel, aber die Inanspruchnahme von Pressefreiheit ist kein Grund, Gewalt zu üben“, sagte der Minister. Hier gelte das Motto: „Wir lassen uns nicht auseinanderdividieren."

Das Bundesinnenministerium legte allerdings Wert auf die Feststellung, dass Schäuble nicht zu einem Abdruck der umstrittenen Mohammed-Karikaturen in allen europäischen Zeitungen aufgerufen habe. Vielmehr habe er sich für den Grundsatz der Pressefreiheit ausgesprochen, sagte Ministeriumssprecher Stefan Paris.

Große dänische Zeitungen hatten Mitte Februar erneut eine umstrittene Karikatur des Propheten Mohammed mit einer Bombe im Turban veröffentlicht. Sie reagierten damit auf die Aufdeckung von Mordplänen gegen den Zeichner. Daraufhin kam es unter anderem im Sudan zu Protesten von mehreren tausende Menschen. Die Demonstranten versammelten sich in der Innenstadt der Hauptstadt Khartum und riefen „Nieder mit Dänemark“ und „Wir werden unseren Propheten beschützen“. Schäuble will mehr Mohammed-Karikaturen >>>

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
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London’s Mega Mosque: Al Markaz, London


CBN NEWS:
Make Way for the Meag-Mosque

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Wednesday, February 27, 2008

’Plot’ to Murder Saudi King Foiled

DAILY EXPRESS: Counter-terror police foiled a suspected plot to murder the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, it has been revealed.

Officers discovered a courier trying to smuggle £166,000 through Heathrow Airport on a flight from the United States to Syria.



They believe the money was intended for a dissident cell of Saudi Arabians plotting to assassinate Crown Prince Abdullah. The cash, made up of a wad of US 100-dollar bills, was uncovered during a search.



Scotland Yard said the incident took place in 2003 and a man has since been convicted in connection with it. ’Plot’ to Murder Saudi King Foiled >>>

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The Most Spied Upon People in Europe

BBC: Germany's highest court has ruled that spying on personal computers violates privacy, but governments across Europe are under pressure to help their security services fight terrorism and organised crime.

Here, BBC reporters give a snapshot of the extent of surveillance across Europe.
The Most Spied Upon People in Europe >>>

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Outcry in South Africa Over ‘Racist’ Video

BBC: Several white students in South Africa face criminal charges after allegedly forcing black campus employees to eat food that had been urinated on.

A video has surfaced which appears to show the students instructing five elderly workers to drink beer and perform athletic tasks.

At one point, the University of Free State employees are apparently forced to eat food which has been urinated on.

The rector at the university has strongly condemned the video.

Students and staff joined a protest march at the campus in Bloemfontein, and student groups say they are now planning to call nationwide anti-racism demonstrations.

The video was reportedly recorded in protest at moves to integrate black and white students in the same residences at the University of the Free State.

The BBC's Mpho Lakaje says the university is known for having predominantly white students since the days of apartheid. Outcry in SA over ‘racist’ video >>>

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A Whiff of Coco Chanel

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Photo of Coco Chanel in 1936 courtesy of The Telegraph

THE TELEGRAPH: Coco's time-locked Paris apartment provides Celia Walden with a rare glimpse of the treasures that tell of a life of love and loss

Mademoiselle Chanel is not at home but I am sure that her ghost, severe in a black suit with an angry slash of red lipstick, is present amid a haze of cigarette smoke and her signature No5 scent.

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel's private apartment, at 31 rue Cambon, Paris, is a source of wonder that has been preserved exactly as the designer left it when she died in 1971. It is closed to the public but, after months of supplication, the fashion house granted me a rare visit.

The building, bought by Chanel in 1920, still houses the ground-floor shop, the haute couture workrooms in the attic (where 100 seamstresses still work entirely by hand), and what is now Karl Lagerfeld's study. Among the labyrinth of rooms, half-way up the Art Deco stairs that run like a spine through the 18th century building, is the apartment, which Coco called her "nest".

It was in these three small rooms that Coco transformed women's wardrobes. Here, she dreamed up "the new uniform of modern women", as French Vogue christened it (she dispensed with restrictive corsets and fabrics, favouring more relaxed and practical designs), and numerous classics that still enchant today - the little black dresses, two-tone pumps, bouclé suits and quilted shoulder bags.

After Coco died in her sleep at the age of 87, the brand - and rue Cambon - languished until 1983, when Lagerfeld was hired by the Wertheimers (who own Chanel) to rejuvenate it. On the day of my visit, Lagerfeld is tearing around Paris preparing for this week's ready-to-wear shows. But inside Coco's apartment there is a mausoleum-like tranquillity. I am not surprised to hear that Lagerfeld often drops in to seek inspiration. A whiff of Chanel No31 >>>

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Earthquake Hits UK

THE TELEGRAPH: An earthquake was felt across large parts of England in the early hours of this morning.

Tremors were felt in areas including Merseyside, Birmingham, Leicestershire, Bedfordshire, Northampton, Norfolk, Surrey and Greater London - including the offices of Telegraph.co.uk.

There were no initial reports of damage from the five-second tremor, which is believed to have struck at 00.55am. Earthquake Hits UK >>> By Julian Kossoff

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Mark Alexander (Hardback)
Kidnappers Parade British Hostage on Arab TV

THE TELEGRAPH: A British hostage seized in Baghdad has been paraded in a video and forced to demand the release of Iraqi prisoners.

The video of the man, a computer expert who was kidnapped nine months ago in Baghdad along with four British security contractors, was broadcast on the al-Arabiya satellite news channel.

The man identifies himself as Peter before his words are dubbed into Arabic.

He then appeals to Gordon Brown to release nine Iraqi prisoners in exchange for the five Britons.

"It's as simple as that," he said. "It's a simple exchange of people ... That's all they want. Just to have their people released and we can go home.

"I miss my family a lot and the only thing I want is to get out of here. I tell Gordon Brown: Free their prisoners and we can go home." Kidnappers Parade British Hostage on Arab TV >>> By Tim Butcher, Middle East Correspondent

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Barack Obama’s Track Record Under Scrutiny

THE TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama's track record has come under growing scrutiny as the senator for Illinois moved closer to the Democratic presidential nomination.

While the 46-year-old senator was boosted by the endorsement of Chris Dodd, a leading Democrat senator who dropped out of the nomination race last month, he faced criticism that during the campaign he has shifted towards the centre from the Left of the party.

Critics are increasingly asking in what direction he will lead the country if he wins the nomination and election in November.
The Washington Post said that the candidate remains an enigma.

"Is Mr Obama a standard liberal clad in the soothing language of inclusiveness? ... Do voters understand where, exactly, he would like to lead them?" it said.

He is also facing criticism for being too liberal from Republicans, who expect to be fighting against him soon for the White House.

His rival Hillary Clinton was expected to pick holes in Mr Obama's record and his lack of experience in their final scheduled debate on Tuesday night in Ohio.

She has spent the past few days mocking his "celestial" rhetoric, accusing him of misleading voters and comparing his foreign policy inexperience to President George W Bush. Barack Obama's track record under scrutiny >>> By Alex Spillius in Washington

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Liberal Claptrap!

Muslims are trying to prove their loyalty >>> By Daniel Hannan

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Schlechte Stimmung zwischen Paris und Berlin

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Foto von Merkel und Sarkozy dank der Neuen Zürcher Zeitung

NZZ Online: In den deutsch-französischen Beziehungen ist ein Malaise durch die Absage bilateraler Treffen offen zutage getreten. Präsident Sarkozys Plan einer Mittelmeer-Union sowie überhaupt eine in Paris verstärkte Neigung zu Alleingängen führten zu Irritationen.

Ch. M. Paris, 26. Februar

Zwischen Paris und Berlin herrscht ein Malaise, das durch abrupte französische Absagen von bilateralen Treffen nun offen zutage getreten ist. Auf Weisung aus dem Elysée sagte Finanzministerin Lagarde eine Begegnung mit ihrem deutschen Amtskollegen Steinbrück nur einen Tag vor der seit langem vorgesehenen Zusammenkunft plötzlich ab, unter Hinweis auf Termin-schwierigkeiten. Mit der gleichen Begründung hatte Präsident Sarkozy schon vor wenigen Tagen ein auf den 3. März in Straubing anberaumtes informelles Gipfeltreffen mit Bundeskanzlerin Merkel um drei Monate hinausschieben lassen. Schlechte Stimmung zwischen Paris und Berlin: Häufung von Irritationen – Absage bilateraler Treffen >>>

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Islamic Nonsense Just Keeps On Coming! This Time Its Bearing One’s Forearms. It's Against Allah’s Injuctions, You Understand!

Why don’t they just sack these superstitious, backward people?

DAILY MAIL: Health officials are having crisis talks with Muslim medical staff who have objected to hospital hygiene rules because of religious beliefs.

Medics in hospitals in at least three major English cities have refused to follow the regulations aimed at helping tackle superbugs because of their faith, it has been revealed.

Women medical students at Alder Hey children's hospital in Liverpool objected to rolling up their sleeves when washing their hands and removing arm coverings in theatre, claiming it is regarded as immodest.

Similar concerns were raised at Leicester University and Sheffield University reported a case of a Muslim medic refusing to "scrub" because it left her forearms exposed.

Some students have said that they would prefer to quit the course rather than expose their arms, but hygiene experts said no exceptions should be made on religious grounds.

A Royal Liverpool hospital spokesman said they had experienced issues of Muslim staff not sanitising their forearms with alcohol gel although this had now been addressed.

Dr Steve Ryan, medical director at Alder Hey said that while the "bare below the elbows" dress code is a matter of patient safety, the trust would work with Muslim students to find a solution. Muslim medics refuse to roll up their sleeves in hygiene crackdown - because it's against their religion >>>

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The Roman Catholic Church Faces a Crisis

TIMESONLINE: Ireland, a country that used to export its Catholic clergy around the world, is running out of priests at such a rate that their numbers will have dropped by two thirds in the next 20 years, leaving parishes up and down the land vacant.

The decline of Catholic Ireland, for decades the Pope’s favourite bastion of faith in Europe, has been regularly predicted, as the economic successes of the Celtic Tiger brought growing secularisation. But new figures have starkly set out the fate of the Irish priesthood if action is not taken by the Church to reverse the trend.

One-hundred and sixty priests died last year but only nine were ordained. Figures for nuns were even more dramatic, with the deaths of 228 nuns and only two taking final vows for service in religious life.

Based upon these figures The Irish Catholic newspaper predicts that the number of priests will drop from the current 4,752 to about 1,500 by 2028. Catholic Church faces new crisis — Ireland is running out of priests: Ireland is running out of priests at such a rate that their numbers will have dropped by two thirds in the next 20 years >>> By David Sharrock, Ireland Correspondent

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Sudan Bans Danish Goods Over Prophet Cartoon(s)

AL ARABIYA - KHARTOUM (Reuters): Sudan has banned the import of Danish goods, blaming Denmark's government for allowing papers to reprint a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad that caused outrage in Islamic countries two years ago, state media said. 



The newspapers reprinted one of the drawings this month, in solidarity with the paper that first printed the cartoons, after police arrested three men on suspicion of plotting to kill a cartoonist who drew one of the images.

Sudan's State news agency SUNA quoted the Ministry of Foreign Trade and the customs police authority as saying they had implemented a presidential decree banning imports of Danish goods. Sudan bans Danish goods over Prophet cartoon >>>

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Aufgepaßt: Politisch-Korrekter Unsinn aus Österreich!

DIE PRESSE: Bildungs-Stadträtin Laska will, dass die Matura in der Sprache des Maturanten abgelegt werden kann - etwa in Türkisch. Deutsch soll dann erste Fremdsprache sein.

WIEN. Die Abendschule Henriettenplatz soll die Speerspitze im Wiener Schulsystem sein. Dort ging die erste Türkisch-Matura Österreichs über die Bühne – vor einem Monat, mit dem Wahlpflichtfach Türkisch statt Französisch oder Latein („Die Presse“ berichtete). Vizebürgermeisterin Bildungsstadträtin Grete Laska will dieses System ausbauen. Denn: „Das gibt es mit anderen Sprachen seit Jahrzehnten. Es ist außerdem sinnvoll, weil wir bereits in der Volksschule bilinguale und multilinguale Sprachmöglichkeiten haben.“

Außerdem sei wünschenswert, dass dieses System von der Volksschule weiter nach oben – in die Oberstufe – fortgesetzt wird. Laska geht im Gespräch mit der „Presse“ noch einen Schritt weiter: Künftig sollen Maturanten die Möglichkeit haben in ihrer Muttersprache die Reifeprüfung abzulegen, fordert die Bildungsstadträtin. Dabei soll Deutsch als erste Fremdsprache genommen werden können. Eine derartige Änderung müsste allerdings die Bundesregierung absegnen. Laska: „Der Bund hat aber nicht die Voraussetzungen geschafft, dass Schüler in ihrer Muttersprache maturieren können.“ Dies sei bedauerlich.

Eine Matura in türkischer Sprache? Die Motivation, Deutsch zu lernen, könnte doch sinken; die Integrationsbemühungen der Stadt würden so unterlaufen: Dieses Argument lässt Laska nicht gelten und klassifiziert das als „Propaganda“ der FPÖ. „Das Gegenteil würde eintreten“, versichert Laska: „Nur wer in seiner Muttersprache gefestigt ist, hat auch die Voraussetzungen gut Deutsch zu lernen.“ Die gängigen Erfahrungen und Studien würden klar belegen: Schüler ohne guter Basis in ihrer Muttersprache hätten größere Probleme in Deutsch als andere Schüler. Die Marschroute (im Wiener Bereich) hat Laska bereits vorgegeben: In städtischen Kindergärten werden künftig verstärkt Migrantinnen als Kindergärtnerinnen eingesetzt, um Sprachbarrieren mit ausländischen Kindern zu überwinden, das Erlernen der deutschen Sprache zu forcieren und damit die Integration zu verstärken („frühe Sprachförderung“). Deutsch Zweitsprache: Schulen sollen Türkisch-Matura anbieten >>> Von Rainer Nowak und Martin Stuhlpfarrer

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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

In Memory of Ronbo Soldier: A Man for Whom It Was All Too Much

It has been brought to my attention this evening that a fellow blogger, Ronbo Soldier, has taken his own life out of despair. Ronbo was a frequent visitor to this, my website. Though I did not know him personally, he used to post comments on this site from time to time when I allowed comments. Naturally, I feel greatly saddened by his decision to take his own life because of what appears to be the feeling of absolute despair at the inept way our politicians are dealing with the Jihad.

I ask you all to join me in paying your respects to this poor man. May he rest in peace!


Hat tip: Always On Watch for alerting me to this sad story.

THE FREEDOM FIGHTER’S JOURNAL:
What would you do 
if you were asked to give up your dreams for freedom? 
What would you do
 if asked to make the ultimate sacrifice?
I understand the ______ building is more than 150 feet tall. At the time of my last recon I noticed easy access to the roof that would allow someone to leap to their death to the parking lot below. I'm not an expert in these matters, but if I recall from my physics classes in college at 100 feet a falling object reaches a speed of about 100 MPH. This means that the falling man would hit the pavement at a speed great enough to cause instant death. I understand that over the years since the construction of this building several persons have died by jumping from this structure.



I plan to make such a leap. I do this in memory of the several hundred victims on 9/11 who jumped off the World Trade Center as a means of avoiding burning to death, and the over 3,000 American soldiers killed fighting Islamofascism in Iraq and Afghanistan. A parallel reason is a protest against the American Left and the Democrat Party who have stabbed the Armed Forces in the back in the early stages of what is shaping up to be The Third World War.



This is an excellent time to make a final statement - a dying declaration - about an event that resulted in my life being ruined. This is my imprisonment for an attempt on the life of President Clinton in 1994. In truth I made no such attempt and I was convicted on the basis of lies told to the court by the U.S. Secret Service and an edited audiotape. I have no way of knowing the dynamics behind my conviction, but I suspect that it was done on the basis of personal advancement and political reasons on the part of certain individuals in the District Federal Court and Secret Service. In addition I would not rule out Bill or Hillary Clinton being personally involved in my case based on their well known records of revenge against their opponents.



I have no doubt the Leftist Media will spin my death as that of an insane man with few options left in life who killed himself in desperation. In fact, the objective investigator will notice no signs of depression on my part the last months of my life. I would describe myself as an idealist. I know this is a personality strange to many people who would say such a person is "unusual" or "crazy" or "a bit off." The fact of the matter is that the actions of many people that were described as heroic happened because they were idealists who chose death rather than selling out what they hold to be sacred. In my case I cannot allow myself to continue to live in a world that is largely indifferent to a neo-pagan religion called Islam that in league with Leftist appeasement and multiculturalism, and seems on the fast track to destroy the United States and Western Civilization.



What I did is not suicide. It is the action of a patriot and idealist who loves God and Country, and who makes a very public statement as a warning of a New Dark Age that looks America straight in the face armed with a hideous ideology that makes the German Nazis or Russian Communists look like bleeding heart liberals. I hope my fellow Countrymen will rally once gain in the defense of liberty no matter how long and hard the struggle.



In this life or death struggle between civilizations it would be a critical mistake to limit our attentions to the plight of isolated individuals whom Islamic militants have threatened with death: the sort of mistake that leads to a "law-enforcement" attitude toward Islam-powered violence. The Qur'an commands Muslims to impose themselves on the whole world, by any means expedient. Muhammad's recorded history and sayings reinforce that command. Islamic militants believe that God and His Prophet have commanded them to erect a totalitarian, world-girdling Islamic state. If the last few years have taught us anything, it's that there are enough adequately motivated Muslims in any of the countries of Europe to reduce those countries to chaos or shari'a, as long as Islamic militancy is regarded as a law-enforcement issue...which means, as long as Islam is welcomed in the nations of the West.



This cannot be a law-enforcement issue. It must become a war issue.



Muslims as individuals might well be overwhelmingly inclined toward peace and amicable relations with non-Muslims, though, given the sanctification by Islam of taqiyya and kitman, one can never be perfectly sure. But Islam the ideology is inherently and openly at war with any nation that refuses it. Barring extraordinary good fortune such as America had with the Fort Dix Six, militant Islam's "active agents" cannot reliably be seined from their concealment until they've struck. To allow them to roam among us yet safeguard ourselves from them proactively, we would have to erect a totalitarianism that would make Oceania in 1984 look like a kindergarten class picnic.



We must accept that we're on a war footing, and do what a people at war must do to survive: expel our putative enemies from among us and confine them where they can do us no further harm. Europe's policy has been the reverse. India's policy has been inanition. America's policy defies elucidation. This cannot continue if we wish to survive as free men.



Quarantine or genocide. There are no other options. [Source: The Ultimate Sacrifice]

Mark Alexander
Shari’ah Finance Takes Off

Plenty of Interest in No Interest >>>

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Obama’s “Dirty Little Secret”: He Enjoys a Cigarette! Well, Well! How Shocking!

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Photo of Obama smoking a cigarette courtesy of Google Images

Get real, America! The fact that Obama smokes cigarettes is totally irrelevant. Its his inexperience that troubles me most, not his smoking habit. I couldn't care less whether he enjoys smoking tobacco.

Have we in the West become so prissy and precious that it is important that our leaders mustn’t smoke and enjoy a cigarette? We have so many far bigger issues to worry about. This is truly pathetic, Fox News!


Smoking tip for Obama: There are more elegant ways of smoking than letting a fag dangle from one's mouth in such an ungainly manner.

Watch Fox News Video

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Saudi University Professor Sentenced to 180 Lashes and Eight Months in Prison for Being in a State of Khulwa with an Unrelated Woman

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Photo courtesy of Reuters and The Times

TIMESONLINE: A university professor allegedly caught in a Saudi-style honey trap has been sentenced to 180 lashes and eight months in jail – for having coffee with a girl.

The man, a prominent and well-respected Saudi teacher of psychology at Umm al-Qra University in the holy city of Mecca, was framed by the religious police after he angered some of their members at a training course, his lawyer said.

The academic has not been named by the local media, which have given his case wide coverage, but one senior Saudi journalist told The Times he was Dr Abu Ruzaiz, a married man in his late 50s with children.

“He is highly respected and above-board. Nobody believes the religious police’s version of what happened. The whole of Jeddah (the main city near Mecca) is in uproar about this. Everyone believes he is innocent and was set up,” the journalist said.

Contact between unrelated men and women is strictly prohibited in the austere desert Kingdom where religious police, commonly known as mutaween, patrol public places in teams to enforce the Kingdom’s brand of ultra-conservative Islam.

Usually bearded and often wielding canes, they ensure women are not harassed, sexes do not mix and shops close for prayers. They are under the command of the Kingdom’s Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

Abdullah Al-Sanousi, the academic’s lawyer, told local newspapers that his client had drawn the ire of some of the Commission’s staffers for speaking at length during a training session about how important it was for them to be polite to the public. Some of the trainees also wanted revenge because they had failed the course while others were not happy with their examination results.

Mr Ruzaiz is said to have received a call from a girl purporting to be one of his students who asked to meet to discuss a problem that she did not want to talk about over the phone. The professor agreed to meet at a family café provided she brought along her brother as a chaperone.

When he arrived, he was surprised to find the girl alone, and was promptly surrounded by religious policemen who handcuffed him and hauled him into custody. He was accused of being in a state of khulwa – seclusion – with an unrelated woman. Saudi professor faces lashes for having coffee with female 'student': Psychology academic says he was framed by religious police who had grudge against him >>> By Michael Theodoulou

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’Osama bin London’: Terrorist Recruiter Found Guilty


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Supreme Leader of Iran: Nation’s Steadfastness Accounts for Its Glory, Success

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Photo of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei courtesy of IRNA

IRNA: Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei here on Tuesday said the Iranian nation's courage, steadfastness and constant presence on the scene accounted for the glory of the system, the country's progress in various spheres and its great success in the nuclear field.

Addressing members of the Assembly of Experts, the Supreme Leader said the upcoming 8th parliamentary election is an important issue which requires people's massive turnout and their correct choices that will bring prosperity, dignity and glory to the nation.

Referring to significant achievements of the Islamic system of government over the past 29 years, Ayatollah Khamenei cited Iran's peaceful nuclear activities in which the Iranian nation has scored great success and made remarkable progress.

"Those who used to call for suspension of Iran's nuclear activities now say they are ready to accept our progress provided that it will not continue indefinitely," said the Supreme Leader.

Ayatollah Khamenei also praised the role of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to this end, adding that the seventh Majlis, unlike efforts by certain people in the previous term, insisted on the country's nuclear stand.

Vigilant presence of people and solidarity of officials in all issues would strengthen the Islamic system, said the Supreme Leader. Supreme Leader: Nation’s Steadfastness Accounts for Its Glory, Success >>>

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Foreign Ministry Reacts to EU’s Statements on Iran

IRNA: Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said on Tuesday that the statement issued by the rotating EU chairman on Iran's righteous stands on Zionist regime is a source of surprise and regret.

According to the Information and Press Bureau of Iran's Foreign Ministry, Hosseini said the rotating chairman of the EU has issued its statement while Iran is the target of blatant threats by various Zionist regime officials, their acts of terrorism, daily massacre of innocent Palestinians in occupied territories, bombardment of residential units by Zionist fighter planes to which the EU has failed to react. Foreign Ministry Reacts to EU’s Statements on Iran >>>

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Obama Must Beware of Turning Into a Cult

… the frenzy he [Obama] has engendered contains within it the seeds of bitter disappointment, or even tragedy. There is the question of his own physical safety. Less morbidly, what will be the reaction of his supporters if he should fail to be elected President? Perhaps most troubling of all, what will be their reaction if he is elected, but the celestial choirs fail to appear and the world refuses to be perfect? - Dominic Lawson

THE INDEPENDENT: At this stage, it must be desperation rather than strategy: Hillary Clinton has unleashed the potentially deadly weapon of ridicule against Barack Obama. The almost hoarse Senator from New York told supporters in Rhode Island yesterday: "I could just stand up here and say [that] the sky will open, the light will come down, celestial choirs will be singing and everyone will know we should do the right thing and the world will be perfect."

Mrs Clinton did not mention her rival in this peroration but it was a very pertinent caricature of Mr Obama as the new Messiah. In fairness to Obama, the greatest claims for his near-divinity come not from his own lips but from his supporters. One of them is his own wife Michelle, who announced: "Our souls are broken in this nation. Barack Obama is the only person who understands that ... before we can work on the problems, we have to fix our souls." Even such a political veteran as the eighth-term Illinois Congressman Bobby Rush says Obama's political career has been "divinely ordered". His language is moderate compared to that used by some of Obama's youthful supporters, who talk openly of being members of "a cult" and of their rallies as being "religious experiences".

More surprisingly, seen-it-all reporters seem to have undergone a similar epiphany. MSNBC's Chris Matthews – somewhat to the consternation of his co-hosts – declared that Obama "comes along and he has the answers. This is the New Testament". The experienced Washington correspondent for The Australian, Geoff Elliott, reported: "You know something special is going on. The atmosphere at his events is such that one wonders if Obama is about to walk out with a basket with some loaves and fishes to feed the thousands." Obama must beware of turning into a cult: His speeches are studded with religious rhetoric. A chapter in his book is entitled 'Faith' >>> By Dominic Lawson

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