Controversial Therapy Aims to ‘Cure’ Terrorists
FOX NEWS: A controversial therapy program has been initiated to "cure" extremist Muslim inmates of their political beliefs, the U.K.'s Sunday Mail reported.

Psychologists in the prison service will use techniques similar to those used to “de-program” members of religious cults, the Mail reported. The experimental treatments are being developed by a special extremism unit, set up by the Ministry of Justice.

The therapy is part of a strategy to combat Islamic extremism in Britain's jails where Muslim prisoners are serving time for terrorist offenses, the paper reported. The Ministry fears that if they are left alone, their violent, jihadist interpretation of Islam will spread. >>> | October 20, 2008

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Jordanian Poet Arrested for 'Insulting Islam'
THE MEMRI BLOG: Jordan's chief prosecutor has ordered the detention of Jordanian poet Islam Samhan for "insulting Islam," from October 5 until the completion of the investigation.

The charges against him followed a lawsuit filed by the Publication and Distribution Authority, for including Koranic verses in his poems without receiving permission from the authority. [Source: The Memri Blog] | October 20, 2008

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Immigration: Phil Woolas Admits Labour Responsible for String of Failures
THE TELEGRAPH: Labour had made a string of failures in its management of the migration system, the new immigration minister has admitted.

Just days after sparking a row by apparently calling for a cap on the number of immigrants coming to the country, Phil Woolas said the Government had implemented policies that had damaged both those moving to the country and the existing population.

He said too much money had been spent on translating signs and documents into other languages and not enough on teaching migrants to learn English, leading to segregated communities.

Mr Woolas, who only began his new brief two weeks ago, suggested ministers had wrongly shied away from demanding that people coming to Britain speak the language, and accused the country of having an "old world" attitude.

He also criticised Labour's failure to fund asylum removals properly which he said had caused "untold human misery and division".

But last night he was forced to make another embarrassing "clarification" of his latest remarks.

He insisted the Government was now making progress but conceded that UK policy on immigration was lagging a decade behind that of other countries.

It is estimated that 2.3 million people have moved to Britain since Labour came to power, 84 per cent of them from outside Europe, and a further 7 million are expected by 2031, putting pressure on housing, transport and public services.

Mr Woolas's latest outspoken comments come after he appeared to agree that there should be a limit on the number of people moving to the country from overseas in an interview on Saturday. >>> By Martin Beckford, Social Affairs Correspondent | October 20, 2008

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Centuries of British Freedoms Being 'Broken' by Security State, Says Sir Ken Macdonald
THE TELEGRAPH: Centuries of British civil liberties risk being broken by the relentless pressure from the ‘security state’, the country’s top prosecutor has warned.

Outgoing Director of Public Prosecutions Sir Ken Macdonald warned that the expansion of technology by the state into everyday life could create a world future generations “can’t bear”.

In his wide-ranging speech, Sir Ken appeared to condemn a series of key Government policies, attacking terrorism proposals - including 42 day detention - identity card plans and the “paraphernalia of paranoia”.

Instead, he said, the Government should insist that “our rights are priceless” and that: “The best way to face down those threats is to strengthen our institutions rather than to degrade them.”

The intervention will be seen as a significant setback to Home Secretary Jacqui Smith who last week saw her plans to lock up terror suspects for 42 days before being charged thrown out by the House of Lords.

It is also a blow to Miss Smith’s plans for a super-database to record the details of millions of people’s online presence, including emails, SMS messages and Facebook profiles as well as the controversial identity card programme.

Sir Ken chose to issue his tough warning about the perils of the “Big Brother” state in his final speech as DPP, days before he leaves his post at the end of this month.

He warned that MPs should “take very great care to imagine the world we are creating before we build it. We might end up living with something we can’t bear”. >>> By Christopher Hope, Home Affairs Editor | October 20, 2008

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British Aid Worker Shot Dead in Afghanistan for 'Preaching Christianity'
Photo of Gayle Williams courtesy of The Telegraph
THE TELEGRAPH: The Taliban have shot dead a British aid worker in Afghanistan because she was "preaching Christianity."

Gayle Williams, who had been in the troubled country for three years, was killed by two gunmen on a motorcycle as she walked to work in the capital of Kabul.

She recently moved from Kandahar back to Kabul because it was seen as safer.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the shooting, which took place at 8am local time.

Afghan interior ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary said Miss Williams had been shot in the body and leg with a pistol.

"Two armed men sitting on a motorbike shot her dead," he said. "Some bullets hit her body and some hit her leg and when police got there she was dead."

Her body was taken to a nearby hospital.

A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that a British national was shot dead in Kabul. Next of kin have been informed."

Mr Bashary said it was not known who was responsible, but Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, insisted his militia had carried out the killing.

"We killed her because she was working for an organisation which was preaching Christianity," he said. >>> By Caroline Gammell | October 20. 2008

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Immigration: Government Accused of Spin
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The Government has rowed back on a promise to cap immigrant numbers amid accusations that the pledge amounted to little more than spin.

Two days after he appeared to sign up to a cap on the number of overseas workers welcomed into the UK, Phil Woolas, the Immigration Minister, admitted that no fresh measures were planned, and said he had been referring to existing schemes.

Mr Woolas insisted that he had long been concerned about the immigration figures numbers, and suggested that there was no need for a cap because the Government's new points-based system would cut the number of in-comers to an appropriate level.

He said: "The accusations against me are deeply hurtful. This is an issue that I have been passionately involved in all of my adult life.

"It is the reason why I got involved in politics, to tackle racial discrimination and to help people who are immigrants.

"But we can only do that if the public are reassured that we have got a tough immigration policy and it is implemented.

"That is what I think most upsets and annoys people, that they see laws that are not implemented. The Prime Minister has asked me to do that and that's what I am going to do.

"We are going to be tough in implementing these policies. It is very important that the public are reassured that the authorities, including the Government, know who is coming into our country and who is leaving it.

"My job is to be as tough as we can, implement that whilst at the same time changing the regime for people who earn citizenship to our country to help them to help themselves more than we have done in the past. So if you like, it is a tough and tender policy."

Mr Woolas' words contrasted with a newspaper interview he gave last week, in which he used far tougher language to describe his attitude to immigration. He said: "It's been too easy to get into this country in the past and it's going to get harder.

"There has to be a balance between the number of people coming in and the number of people leaving." >>> By Rosa Prince, Political Correspondent | October 19, 2008

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Should We Surrender the British Pound
SUNDAY EXPRESS: EUROPEAN leaders are plotting to “bounce” Britain into the euro in the wake of the economic crisis.

The chairman of the euro group of finance ministers said Gordon Brown had to “beg to be let into the room” where crisis talks took place place last week.



Luxembourg finance minister Jean-Claude Juncker said the group warned the Prime Minister he could be excluded from future talks on the European recovery as long as Britain remained outside the single currency.



Asked whether he thought Britain would now join the 15 countries who have adopted the euro, Mr Juncker said: “For the government leader of a big country it cannot be pleasant to invite himself into a meeting and then to have to leave the meeting when those who are sharing their currency make the ­decisions." [Source: The Sunday Express] | October 19, 2008

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European Commissioner: “Islam Is Welcome. Immigration Is Moral Necessity”
Jacques Barrot, the European Commissioner for Justice, displays his total and utter ignorance in matters pertaining to Islam. Photo courtesy of Google Images
BRUSSELS JOURNAL: Jacques Barrot is the European Commissioner for Justice. In an interview at Café Babel [in French] he gives some revealing answers which indicate that the European suicide is underway. He calls immigration an economic and moral necessity, adding that Islam is welcome in Europe.

Mr Barrot is a former deputy in the French National Assembly, from 1967 to 2004. He was one of the founders of today's UMP party, an institution that claims to be conservative. UMP is the party of Nicolas Sarkozy, who is known to the media and the world as a politician of the "Right." Barrot had previously supported Jacques Chirac, and before that had been a leader of the centrist movement. In 2000 he was convicted in a French court of "abuse of confidence". The case involved the diverting of government money to his party. He received an eight month suspended prison sentence but was pardoned by Jacques Chirac. Since 2004, Barrot has been a European Commissioner. He is also a Vice President of the European Commission. >>> From the desk of Tiberge | October 18, 2008

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YNET NEWS – Opinion: They Haven’t Learned a Thing
Lavish funeral for far-right leader Haider shows that Austria hasn’t changed

No. Many Austrians have proven yet again that they have not changed. They have proven that they have not learned a thing, and that they do not wish to learn or to change.

The funeral arrangements for Jörg Haider, the leader of a far right party, only served to prove that when it comes to Austria, what used to be there is still what we see there to this day.

The man who on more than one occasion praised his countryman, the fuehrer of the German Reich, got the kind of funeral usually reserved for kings or presidents, including a funeral ceremony and convey in line with all the military honors. His funeral was attended by hundreds of politicians, as well as senior officers and other dignitaries, including the Austrian president and prime minister.

Not to mention the tens of thousands of mourning and crying Austrians, many of whom are World War II veterans, who again proudly displayed the badges of honor and medals they received in their roles as the trusted and fanatical servants of the Reich, which was headed by their countryman for the 12 darkest years in the history of humanity - Adolf Hitler, born in the town of Braunau am Inn. >>> Noah Klieger | October 19, 2008

DIE PRESSE: Israel. Zeitung: "Viele Österreicher sehnen sich nach Drittem Reich"

Die israelische Tageszeitung "Yedioth Anoroth" kritisiert das "pompöse" Begräbnis für Jörg Haider. Es beweise, dass "viele Österreicher nichts gelernt haben". Und indirekt, dass sich viele nach dem Dritten Reich zurücksehnen.

Für die auflagenstärkste israelische Tageszeitung "Yedioth Ahronoth" ist das "pompöse Begräbnis" für Kärntens Landeshauptmann Jörg Haider der Beweis dafür, "dass sich Österreich nicht geändert hat". In einem Kommentar der englischsprachigen Online-Ausgabe des Blattes, "Ynetnews", wird behauptet, viele Österreicher sehnten sich nach wie vor nach dem Dritten Reich zurück.

"Österreicher haben nichts gelernt"

"Viele Österreicher haben wieder einmal unter Beweis gestellt, dass sie sich nicht geändert haben. Sie haben bewiesen, dass sie überhaupt nichts gelernt haben und dass sie gar nichts lernen oder sich verändern wollen", so die Meinung von "Ynet"-Autor Noah Klieger.

Ein Begräbnis wie für Könige

"Dem Mann, der bei mehr als einer Gelegenheit seinen Landsmann, den Führer des Deutschen Reiches, gerühmt hat, wurde ein Begräbnis beschert, wie es nur Könige oder Präsidenten erhalten..." Das Blatt weist auch darauf hin, dass an dem Begräbnis hunderte Politiker, darunter auch der Bundespräsident und der Bundeskanzler, teilgenommen haben. >>> | 19. Oktober 2008

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Man Deserts Wife in Dubai, Converts to Islam and Remarries
DECCAN HERALD: A 39-year-old woman living in Dubai was allegedly deserted by her husband who converted to Islam and married another woman.

Vibha Suri, who now lives in the United Arab Emirates city, got to know in January this year that her husband Vikram Suri had married one Wassima Khan in October 2007, only after a letter from the Indian Consulate in Egypt reached her parents in Lucknow informing them about their son-in-law's second matrimony.

Vikram remarried in Egypt after converting to Islam.

"It has been a year now that my trauma and grief started. Vikram had violated our marriage by committing bigamy after he converted to Islam," Vibha said over phone from Dubai.

Vibha is now fighting a legal battle at the Delhi High Court as she accuses Vikram of restricting her children from travelling outside Dubai and violating an MoU that was finalised between them in February.

"Vikram used Shariat laws in UAE courts to restrict my children's travel outside the country. The MoU was agreed on issues relating to transferring of past financial assets and Vikram's moving out of our house in Dubai," she said. >>> New Delhi, PTI | October 19, 2008

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Wilders Slams Appointment of Moroccan Mayor
Photo of Geert Wilders courtesy of Google Images
Freedom Party leader says appointing Moroccan Ahmed Aboutaleb as Rotterdam mayor is as ridiculous as having a Dutchman become mayor of Mecca.

MUSLIMS AGAINST SHARIA: AMSTERDAM -- The right-wing leader of Freedom Party, Geert Wilders, on Friday slammed the upcoming appointment of Moroccan Ahmed Aboutaleb as mayor of Rotterdam.

"Appointing a Moroccan as mayor of the second largest Dutch city is just as ridiculous as appointing a Dutchman as mayor of Mecca," he said.

Instead, Wilders said, Aboutaleb "should become mayor of Rabat in Morocco."

"With him as mayor, Rotterdam will be Rabat on the banks of the river Maas. Soon we may even have an imam serving as arch bishop. This is madness."

On Friday, the city council of Rotterdam determined Moroccan-born Muslim Ahmed Aboutaleb will be mayor from 1 January.

The government still has to approve 47-year-old Aboutaleb's appointment, but this is considered a formality. >>> | October 17, 2008

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Ultraconservative Islam on Rise in Mideast
PR-INSIDE: CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - The Muslim call to prayer fills the halls of a Cairo computer shopping center, followed immediately by the click of locking doors as the young, bearded tech salesmen close up shop and line up in rows to pray together.
 Business grinding to a halt for daily prayers is not unusual in conservative Saudi Arabia, but until recently it was rare in the Egyptian capital, especially in affluent commercial districts like Mohandiseen, where the mall is located.

But nearly the entire three-story mall is made up of computer stores run by Salafis, an ultraconservative Islamic movement that has grown dramatically across the Middle East in recent years.

«We all pray together,» said Yasser Mandi, a salesman at the Nour el-Hoda computer store. «When we know someone who is good and prays, we invite them to open a shop here in this mall.» Even the name of Mandi's store is religious, meaning «Light of Guidance[»].

The rise of Salafists has critics worried that their beliefs will crowd out the more liberal and tolerant version of Islam long practiced in some Middle East countries, particularly Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon. They also warn that its doctrine is only a few shades away from that of violent groups like al-Qaida _ that it effectively preaches, «Yes to jihad, just not now.[»]

In the broad spectrum of Islamic thought, Salafism is on the extreme conservative end. Saudi Arabia's puritanical Wahhabi interpretation is considered the forerunner of modern Salafism, and Saudi preachers on satellite TV _ and more recently the Internet _ have been key to the spread of Salafism.

Salafist groups are gaining in numbers and influence across the Middle East. In Jordan, a Salafist was chosen as head of the old-line opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood. In Kuwait, Salafists were elected to parliament and are leading the resistance to any change that would threaten traditional Islamic values.

The gains for Salafists are part of a trend of turning back to conservatism and religion after major political movements like Arab nationalism and Democratic reform failed to fulfill promises to improve the lives of average people. Egypt has been at the forefront of change in both directions, toward liberalization in the 1950s and '60s and back to conservatism more recently. >>> ©AP | October 19, 2008

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Wary of Islam. China Tightens a Vise of Rules
THE NEW YORK TIMES: KHOTAN, China — The grand mosque that draws thousands of Muslims each week in this oasis town has all the usual trappings of piety: dusty wool carpets on which to kneel in prayer, a row of turbans and skullcaps for men without headwear, a wall niche facing the holy city of Mecca in the Arabian desert.

But large signs posted by the front door list edicts that are more Communist Party decrees than Koranic doctrines.

The imam’s sermon at Friday Prayer must run no longer than a half-hour, the rules say. Prayer in public areas outside the mosque is forbidden. Residents of Khotan are not allowed to worship at mosques outside of town.

One rule on the wall says that government workers and nonreligious people may not be “forced” to attend services at the mosque — a generous wording of a law that prohibits government workers and Communist Party members from going at all.

“Of course this makes people angry,” said a teacher in the mosque courtyard, who would give only a partial name, Muhammad, for fear of government retribution. “Excitable people think the government is wrong in what it does. They say that government officials who are Muslims should also be allowed to pray.”

To be a practicing Muslim in the vast autonomous region of northwestern China called Xinjiang is to live under an intricate series of laws and regulations intended to control the spread and practice of Islam, the predominant religion among the Uighurs, a Turkic people uneasy with Chinese rule.

The edicts touch on every facet of a Muslim’s way of life. Official versions of the Koran are the only legal ones. Imams may not teach the Koran in private, and studying Arabic is allowed only at special government schools.

Two of Islam’s five pillars — the sacred fasting month of Ramadan and the pilgrimage to Mecca called the hajj — are also carefully controlled. Students and government workers are compelled to eat during Ramadan, and the passports of Uighurs have been confiscated across Xinjiang to force them to join government-run hajj tours rather than travel illegally to Mecca on their own.

Government workers are not permitted to practice Islam, which means the slightest sign of devotion, a head scarf on a woman, for example, could lead to a firing.

The Chinese government, which is officially atheist, recognizes five religions — Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Taoism and Buddhism — and tightly regulates their administration and practice. Its oversight in Xinjiang, though, is especially vigilant because it worries about separatist activity in the region.

Some officials contend that insurgent groups in Xinjiang pose one of the biggest security threats to China, and the government says the “three forces” of separatism, terrorism and religious extremism threaten to destabilize the region. But outside scholars of Xinjiang and terrorism experts argue that heavy-handed tactics like the restrictions on Islam will only radicalize more Uighurs. >>> By Edward Wong | October 18, 2008

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Seif Gaddafi with Claudia Haider
Seif Gaddafi, Muammar Gaddafi’s son, was a personal friend of Jörg Haider. Photo of Seif Gaddafi with Claudi Haider, Jörg Haider’s wife, courtesy of ’Die Presse’
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Österreich: Abschied von Jörg Haider
Zur Fotogalerie (To the photo gallery) >>>
DIE PRESSE: Jörg Haiders letzter Weg

Begräbnis von Jörg Haider in Klagenfurt. 30.000 Menschen trauern. Der Klagenfurter Bürgermeister in seiner Rede: "Wir trauern um den Landeshauptmann der Herzen."

Der vor einer Woche tödlich verunglückte Kärntner Landeshauptmann Jörg Haider wird heute beigesetzt. Die Trauerfeierlichkeiten finden in Klagenfurt statt. Zuerst wurde der Sarg vom Wappensaal in den Landhaushof getragen, wo ein Trauerakt im engsten Kreis stattfand. Nach der Formierung des Kondukts, untermalt von Trauermusik der Militärmusikkapelle, ging es weiter zum Neuen Platz, wo sechs Redner Nachrufe an Haider formulierten.

"Wir trauern um den Landeshauptmann der Herzen"

"Es geht eine Welle der Trauer und Anteilnahme durch das Land, die Österreich in dem Ausmaß nicht gekannt hat", sagte Haiders früherer politischer Weggefährte und Justizminister Dieter Böhmdorfer bei der Trauerfeier. "Wir trauern um den Landeshauptmann der Herzen, wie er schon genannt wird", sagte der Klagenfurter Bürgermeister Harald Scheucher.

Bundeskanzler Alfred Gusenbauer sparte in seine Rede aber auch nicht an Kritik an der Politik Haiders. Haider sei ein außergewöhnlicher Mann gewesen, im Positiven wie im Negativen, "ich zolle ihm Respekt und Anerkennung über alle politischen Grenzen hinweg".

In den engen Straßen der Klagenfurter Altstadt drängten sich während des Trauerzugs rund 30.000 Menschen. Haiders Sarg war mit der Kärntner Landesflagge und über und über mit roten Rosen bedeckt. Die Trauerprozession mit einer Ehrengarde des Militärs wurde von seiner Ehefrau Claudia und seinen erwachsenen Töchtern angeführt, die in dunkle Landestracht gekleidet waren.

Das Mozart-Requiem im Dom bildet den Abschluss der Trauerfeierlichkeiten. Dazu haben nur geladene Gäste Zutritt, die übrigen Teilnehmer an den Trauerfeiern können das Requiem auf Videowalls verfolgen. Nach dem Auszug aus dem Dom wird der Sarg in den Konduktwagen verladen, ein Schlussgebet gesprochen, zur Abfahrt des Autos soll der Zapfenstreich intoniert werden.

Haiders Leichnam wird anschließend nach Villach gebracht, wo die Einäscherung vorgenommen werden soll. Die Einsegnung wird der langjährige Kärntner Diözesanbischof Egon Kapellari vornehmen, der jetzige Grazer Bischof nimmt auch an der Feier im Dom teil.

Wann die Urne in der Kapelle Alt St. Michael im Bärental im engsten Kreis der Familie beigesetzt wird, darüber herrscht Stillschweigen. >>> | 18. Oktober 2008

BBC: Thousands Attend Haider Funeral

Tens of thousands of mourners have lined the streets of the Austrian city of Klagenfurt for the funeral of the far-right politician, Joerg Haider.

His body was taken in a procession from the provincial parliament to a square in the city, where friends and prominent politicians paid tribute.

Austria's president and chancellor were among the dignitaries who attended a requiem mass in Klagenfurt Cathedral.

Mr Haider died in a car crash a week ago. He had been drinking alcohol.

The 58-year-old was driving alone after leaving a nightclub when his car crashed and overturned while travelling at more than twice the speed limit.

An official from his party, the Alliance for Austria's Future (BZO), said Mr Haider's blood alcohol level was well above the legal limit.

Ceremonial funeral

The accident occurred south of Klagenfurt, the capital of Carinthia, where Joerg Haider was the provincial governor for 11 years.

The centre of Klagenfurt was sealed off for the funeral ceremonies and extra police were deployed to prevent any disruption by far-right protesters.

International guests included Sayf Gaddafi, the son of the Libyan leader, who was a close friend of Mr Haider, and a delegation from Italy's right-wing Northern League.

Mr Haider has been condemned by left-wing groups, and one prominent writer used an article in a leading Austrian newspaper to describe him as a fascist, the BBC's Kerry Skyring reports.

The coffin, covered in wreaths, was borne in a military vehicle along the streets of the city.

Austria's Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer alluded to Mr Haider's controversial reputation in an address to the memorial service.

"He was a man who could leave no-one cold, whether in a positive or a negative sense," Mr Gusenbauer said. >>> | October 18, 2008

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY: Haider Goes to His Grave, Pursued by Controversy

As 25,000 mourn, a German tabloid reveals where the Austrian right-winger spent his final hours

About 25,000 people filled the streets of Klagenfurt, Jörg Haider's former political stronghold, for the funeral rites yesterday of Austria's far-right populist leader, who died last weekend in a car crash while drunk.

The controversial man was newsworthy to the last. Even as lederhosen-clad mourners left wreaths in tribute to their political hero, a German tabloid was revealing details of his final night out. Bild published pictures of him at the launch of a new newspaper, posing with a mini-dressed blonde draped all over him. Then, said Bild, he headed not for home, but for Stadtkrämer, a local gay bar. It was after spending time there that he got into his Volkswagen Phaeton and, with his blood alcohol level four times the legal limit, drove off. Moments later, his car, going at more than 80mph, flipped over, killing Mr Haider instantly.

But details such as these are never likely to dent the enthusiasm for Mr Haider among his followers. He might have been a worldwide bogey figure, but to many in his beloved Carinthia, he was more than a mere leader. And yesterday, thousands of his devotees joined official Austria and Mr Haider's widow in mourning. "He was," said Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer at an open-air memorial service in Klagenfurt's main square, "a man who could leave no one cold, whether in a positive or a negative sense." >>> By Sylvia Westall in Klagenfurt | Sunday, October 19, 2008

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And an Incredibly Powerful, Blinding Light Descended on the World from on High… And America’s, Nay the World’s, New Lord and Saviour Appeared Before Our Very Eyes! He Vowed to Change the World! O People of Faith! Prepare Yourselves for Salvation! God’s Kingdom on Earth Must Surely Be Nigh!
He says he wasn’t born in a manger, but can this really be true?
Barack Obama Vows to Change the World: Barack Obama has vowed that he will "change the world" even as he urged his supporters to guard against complacency. >>> By Toby Harnden in Londonderry, New Hampshire for The Telegraph | October 18, 2008
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OECD Report Attacks British Failure to Tackle Corporate Bribery and Corruption
THE TELEGRAPH: Britain's failure to tackle corporate bribery and corruption allegations was severely criticised in a report started after the Government blocked an investigation into a huge arms deal between BAE Systems and Saudi Arabia.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said it was "disappointed and seriously concerned about the UK's continued failure to address deficiencies in its laws on bribery of foreign public officials and on corporate liability for foreign bribery".

Compiled by the OECD's anti-corruption working group, the report said that British law makes it "very difficult for prosecutors to bring an effective case against a company for alleged bribery offences".

And the Government was slated for its failure to successfully prosecute a single firm for bribery, despite ratifying the body's anti-bribery convention 10 years ago.

The strength of criticism and lack of diplomatic language used in the report will be embarrassing for the Government, which in 2006 urged the Serious Fraud Office to drop an investigation into BAE's Al Yamamah contract with Saudi.

Earlier this year the Law Lords said the SFO was right to drop the investigation on national security grounds. BAE Systems has always denied any wrongdoing.

The OECD usually carries out reviews on members every two years, but decided to undertake an extra investigation of the UK's enforcement of the anti-bribery convention following the controversial BAE decision.

The body urged Britain to rapidly bring its legislation into line with its international obligations under the convention. >>> By Russell Hotten | October 17, 2008

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Legal Case against God Dismissed
BBC: A US judge has thrown out a case against God, ruling that because the defendant has no address, legal papers cannot be served.

The suit was launched by Nebraska state senator Ernie Chambers, who said he might appeal against the ruling.

He sought a permanent injunction to prevent the "death, destruction and terrorisation" caused by God.

Judge Marlon Polk said in his ruling that a plaintiff must have access to the defendant for a case to proceed.

"Given that this court finds that there can never be service effectuated on the named defendant this action will be dismissed with prejudice," Judge Polk wrote in his ruling.

Mr Chambers cannot refile the suit but may appeal.

'God knows everything'

Mr Chambers sued God last year. He said God had threatened him and the people of Nebraska and had inflicted "widespread death, destruction and terrorisation of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants". >>> | October 16, 2008

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'Haider Is Our Lady Di'
THE GUARDIAN: As the leaders of Europe's far-right parties gather for today's state funeral of Austria's most controversial politician, is European fascism once again on the rise?

In their hundreds they stand in line, waiting to pay tribute to their hero. Girls with iPods, skinheads in leather jackets, elderly women with shopping trollies and tanned athletic types in Prada sunglasses shuffle silently forward.

"We wanted the kids to feel the enormity of the occasion. After all, he is our Lady Di and this is our 9/11," says Anton Krem, 45, who is here to pay his last respects to Jörg Haider, the Austrian rightwing populist politician who died in a drunken, high-speed car crash a week ago and whose coffin sits on a pedestal in the Landhaus, seat of Carinthia's regional parliament, the southern province where he was governor.

An after-work crowd of about 300 makes its way through an avenue of huge wreaths. Everyone from the Chamber of Carinthian Chemists to the regional tourist board has sent a display. Klagenfurt, the state capital, is busy preparing itself for today's ceremony, the most emotional state funeral since that of the last Austrian empress, Zita von Bourbon-Parma, in 1989.

Amid a sea of red candles one teenager has written: "To a great man of the nation who fought for his land. Our hero, our fighter, our sunshine." Another note reads: "Our king of hearts". Slipped in between are pictures of Haider, an orange sweater - the colour of his breakaway Alliance for the Future of Austria party (BZO) - draped over his shoulders, glass of beer in hand; another shows the maverick fascist bungee jumping off a bridge.

Behind the scenes, functionaries and volunteers have been working around the clock sending invitations. Austria's political elite are expected to attend tomorrow. But the 50,000 mourners are also expected to include Belgian nationalist Filip Dewinter, French extremist Jean-Marie le Pen, Alessandra Mussolini, the granddaughter of the Italian wartime fascist leader, Umberto Bossi from Italy's Northern League, Swiss industrialist Christoph Blocher, and a handful of Waffen-SS veterans, whom Haider once described as "men of character". Younger far-right figures have also hinted they will turn up, though Austrian intelligence is on alert to turn away groups of skinheads or neo-fascists, to stop the event turning into a rally.

With state broadcaster ORF planning live coverage, President Heinz Fischer, who will give the main speech, and other politicians have asked for assurances that they will not appear in the same frames as anyone from the far right. "They realise it could get very embarrassing," says Hans Rauscher, veteran writer for Der Standard newspaper.

The fear gripping the elite shows the extent to which Haider managed to impose himself on Austria's political scene, becoming a figurehead for an array of far-right European groups. Particularly at such a sensitive economic moment, when parallels with 1929 and the great depression are drawn every day, the fear is that the extreme right may seek to exploit the symbolic power of such a gathering. >>> Kate Connolly | October 18, 2008

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Road-death Politician Got Drunk in a Gay Bar Hours Before Car Crash... and May Have Been Targeted by Saboteurs
Photo of Jörg Haider courtesy of MailOnline
MAIL Online: Austrian far-Right leader Jorg Haider's car may have been sabotaged before he crashed, it was claimed.

Haider died when his Volkswagen Phaeton veered off the road in the early hours of Saturday morning last week after a boozy celebration party for Austria's right wing leaders.

As throngs of right-wing crowds gathered for his funeral today, makers of the VW Phaeton limo he was driving insist their car is one of the safest in the world and should have survived the crash.

VW spokesman Peter Thul claimed that someone with access to Haider’s car key could have manipulated the car’s electrics.
The car giants have sent their own experts to examine the wreckage and search for signs it may have been sabotaged.

It has also been revealed that on the day of his death, Haider spent part of his last night drinking in a gay club called ‘Stadtkraemer.’

Police have told Haider's family he had a blood alcohol level of 1.8 pro mille - nearly four times Austria's 0.5 limit.

Thul told The Sun: “It is a fact that Haider was going too fast, but such a speed on that curve is not a problem for the car’s physics.

“The Phaeton and Audi A8 are the safest of all. You’d need the key to manipulate the electronics, so someone at a garage would have to tamper with it.

The Stadtkraemer – which translates to The City Shopkeeper – is a well known haunt for the Klagenfurt gay community and advertises itself on the Internet with the slogan: “Whether old or young, lesbian or gay, the restaurant is always cool.”

A fellow diner offered to drive Haider home because he looked the worse for wear, but the 58-year-old governor of the state of Carinthia turned him down.

Haider headed for the notorious gay establishment after his appearance at a night club, the public prosecutor in Klagenfurt confirmed.

He arrived at a quarter past midnight on Saturday morning, left thirty minutes later and was dead within half-an-hour.

Despite being married with two daughters, Haider was “outed” years ago by the Austrian and German press for being homosexual.

He never helped his family man image by turning up at rallies and local events with an entourage of young blond men.

Newspapers in his homeland said they were reluctant to publish “full details” of his homosexuality fearing an outburst of hate towards the gay community would overtake hatred towards foreigners.

According to German daily Taz, many members of Vienna's gay scene claimed he regularly had sex with young men below the age of consent - 18 for homosexuals.

As a result Taz wrote: "These days he prefers to meet with boys from nearby Slovakia" (where the age of consent is 15).

Hosi, or Homosexual Initiative, the biggest gay pressure group in Austria, said before his death: "We've known about Haider's homosexuality for about 10 years. >>> | October 17, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH: Haider Was Drinking in a Gay Bar Before He Crashed

The Austrian far-Right politician Jörg Haider was seen drinking in a gay bar shortly before his fatal car crash.

Mr Haider, 58, was killed in the early hours of last Saturday when the car he was driving at 88mph, around twice the speed limit, crashed off a road in the southern province of Carinthia, where he served as governor.

Austrian media reported that the amount of alcohol in Mr Haider's blood was nearly four times the legal limit.

The politician, who was married with two daughters but was rumoured throughout his career to be a closet homosexual, spent the last part of his night alive in Stadtkraemer, a popular gay club in Klagenfurt. He arrived at Stadtkraemer at a quarter past midnight after having visited another nightclub, and left thirty minutes later, the public prosecutor in Klagenfurt said. >>> | October 17, 2008

DIE PRESSE: Landestrauer in Kärnten: "Bist du nit bei mir"

Klagenfurt. Mehr als 30.000 Trauergäste werden zur offiziellen Verabschiedung von Jörg Haider am Samstag in Klagenfurt erwartet. Wegen des großen Ansturms muss die Innenstadt für den Individualverkehr gesperrt werden. An der Peripherie wurden Auffangparkplätze eingerichtet, von denen Shuttle-Busse die Besucher in die Innenstadt bringen. >>> Von Robert Benedikt | 17. Oktober 2008

DIE PRESSE: Claudia Haider - Sein wahrer Lebensmensch

Alle Augen sind auf Haiders Witwe Claudia gerichtet. Sie könnte auch dessen politisches Erbe antreten.

Sie war – neben seiner Mutter – Jörg Haiders wahrer Lebensmensch: Ehefrau Claudia. Die Tiroler Försterstochter, geboren in Lenggries (Bayern), war 18 Jahre alt und hatte eben ihr Publizistikstudium begonnen, als sie auf einem Ball Jörg Haider kennenlernte. 1976 wurde in Bad Goisern geheiratet, das erste Kind war unterwegs: Tochter Ulrike. Drei Jahre später kam Cornelia zur Welt. >>> Von Oliver Pink | 17. Oktober 2008

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Why an Iranian Woman Left Islam

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Dozens Jailed over Morocco Blast
BBC: A Moroccan court has sentenced more than 40 people to up to 30 years in prison over a suicide bombing last year at an internet cafe in Casablanca.

The bomber died in the attack, and three people were wounded.

The state news agency MAP said that those accused had been planning a string of attacks in Casablanca using home-made explosives.

The plot was uncovered by the investigation following the internet cafe bombing, authorities said.

The sentences came one day after another major terrorism trial got under way, involving the alleged leader of an extremist cell accused of links to al-Qaeda and planning to murder prominent figures within Morocco. >>> | October 17, 2008

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Pope Benedict Baptizes Many Muslims and Magdi Alam
Part 1:


Part 2:


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Iran ‘to Stop Executing Youths’
Photo courtesy of the BBC
BBC: Human rights campaigners have welcomed an announcement by Iran that appears to end the execution of juveniles.

Iran is believed to be the country that executes the largest number of juvenile offenders - defined as those aged under 18 - in the world.

At least six youths have been executed in Iran this year alone.

The development came in the form of a directive announced by Iran's deputy prosecutor general, Hossein Zebhi, broadcast by the state news agency.

He said that judges had been instructed to no longer impose the death penalty on juveniles.

But it is not clear yet precisely what legal force it has or whether a new law must go through parliament.

A lawyer who represents 25 juveniles under threat of execution said he had heard no word yet of the new directive. >>> By Jon Leyne, BBC News, Tehran | October 17, 2008

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Vast New Mosque Opens in Chechnya
Photo of the vast new mosque in Grozny courtesy of the BBC
BBC: A new mosque in the Russian region of Chechnya - described by the authorities as the biggest in Europe - has opened.

The Heart of Chechnya mosque has been built in the centre of the capital, Grozny - on a spot where civil war raged only a few years ago.

Hundreds of local people attended the opening of the mosque, which was built in memory of Chechnya's assassinated pro-Kremlin leader Akhmad Kadyrov.

His son Ramzan - the present ruler - led the inauguration ceremony.

Muslims played traditional instruments outside the mosque, built in the classical Ottoman style, and reminiscent of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul. >>> | October 17, 2008

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Jews, Christians Working to Indict Ahmadinejad
CNS NEWS: Jerusalem - A number of prominent American Christians are joining forces with Jewish efforts to indict Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on charges of incitement to genocide, Jews and Christians said in Jerusalem on Thursday.

Ahmadinejad has called Israel a “fake regime” that “must be wiped off the map.” He has called the murder of six million Jews during World War II a “myth.” In September he said that Israel was “on a definite slope to collapse” and there was no way out of the “cesspool” it had created for itself. He recently he called the Jewish State a “stinking corpse.”

His comments, coupled with Iran’s aggressive civilian nuclear program, which the West believes is a cover up for obtaining nuclear weapons, has prompted the grassroots effort to indict the Iranian leader. Several rounds of international sanctions have not stopped Iran’s enrichment of uranium, which can be used to make a nuclear bomb.

“It is disturbing to see the inactivity of the international community in reacting appropriately to the alarming threat that grows day by day,” said Malcolm Hedding, executive director of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem.

Hedding compared the comments of Ahmadinejad to those of former German dictator Adolf Hitler, who used “similar words” and “caused the destruction of the Jewish people.” At the time, there were those who rushed to meet with him and appease him, even declaring “peace in our time,” Hedding told journalists here.

“There has to be a grassroots movement that sends a message to politicians and leaders in Europe that there are millions of people who are demanding action on this issue [Iran],” said Hedding. >>> By Julie Stahl | October 17, 2008

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Iranians Lecture Foreigners on ‘Zionist Crimes’ and West’s ‘Lust for Power’
CNS NEWS: Dialogue is good and necessary, but until the Western “lust for power” is curbed, the world’s problems will remain, Iran’s leaders have told foreign visitors.

“The world will only see peace once calls for justice and the fight against oppression become an integral part of the quest for peace,” spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told a group that included political and religious figures.

Dialogue and visits and discussions could help overcome misunderstandings but are not enough “to control and check unpleasant features of global hegemonic powers,” which pursue superiority over others by exerting economic and political pressure or intervening militarily, he said.

Referring to what he called the “heinous massacre” of Iraqis, Afghans and Palestinians, Khamenei asked whether such “painful catastrophes” occur because of misunderstandings between nations or because of world powers’ “lust for power,” the Irna news agency reported.

The visitors are in Tehran for a religious conference hosted by former president Mohammad Khatami, who runs a “dialogue among civilizations” initiative and is expected to seek another presidential term next year.

The group includes former U.N. secretary-general Kofi Annan, former Norwegian and Italian prime ministers Kjell Magne Bondevik and Romano Prodi; former presidents of Ireland and Portugal Mary Robinson and Jorge Sampai; and Episcopal Bishop of Washington John Bryson Chane. >>> By Patrick Goodenough, International Editor | October 15, 2008

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Islam: Ce que l’Occident doit savoir

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Jetzt drehen uns die Scheichs eine lange Nase
BLICK ONLINE: DOHA – Unsere Banken wanken, müssen sich in die starken Arme des Staats retten. Ist das islamische Banken-System das Modell der Zukunft?

Wer den Schaden hat, braucht für den Spott nicht zu sorgen: Über den Westen fegt die Finanz-Krise hinweg, in muslimischen Ländern hingegen läuft das Geschäft prächtig: «Die islamischen Banken handeln nicht auf Pump, sondern mit tatsächlichen Guthaben», sagte der Chef der Qatar International Islamic Bank, Abdel Bassat El Schibi.



«Das bewahrt sie vor den Problemen, mit denen die Banken in Amerika und Europa gerade Bekanntschaft machen». Zum Glück für die Credit Suisse: Für sie nahte Hilfe in Form eines Staatsfonds aus Qatar in Höhe von 10 Mrd. Franken.



Bei einer «radikalen Umgestaltung» des weltweiten Finanzwesens biete der Islam deshalb zum Kapitalismus eine Alternative zur Verringerung der Risiken, sagte der Theologie-Dekan in Doha, Hatem El Nakraschaui. >>> SDA/zeb | 16. Oktober 2008

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Österreich in Uno-Sicherheitsrat gewählt
DIE PRESSE: Österreich ist für zwei Jahre eines der fünf nicht ständigen Mitglieder im Sicherheitsrat. Auch die Türkei wird nicht ständiges Mitglied.

Die Vereinten Nationen haben Österreich am Freitag für zwei Jahre als eines der fünf nicht ständigen Mitglieder in den Sicherheitsrat gewählt. Bei der geheimen Abstimmung konnte sich Wien schon beim ersten Durchgang mit 133 Stimmen durchsetzen. >>> APA | 17. Oktober 2008

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Bat Yeor on Islamic Jihad

Dhimmitude >>>
Wikipedia on dhimmitude >>>

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The Dhimmitude and Islamification of Britain

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Islam Will Destroy the World

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England Has Fallen to Islam

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Islam Spreading Fast in America

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Murder in the Family: Honor Killings in America
Part 1:


Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Hat tip: Always On Watch

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Kenya Seeks Big Airport for Obama
Obama’s grandmother, who still lives in the village where his father was born. Photo courtesy of the BBC
BBC: Kenyan MPs have called for an airport in the west of the country to be upgraded for Air Force One in case Barack Obama wins the US elections.

Mr Obama's father was born in Nyanza Province and the MPs say the local Kisumu airport should be expanded in case he wants to visit.

The Illinois senator is a local hero in his father's homeland, where a local beer has been named after him.

Mr Obama has never lived in Kenya and he has visited just three times.

The MPs from Nyanza Province said it was clear that Mr Obama was going to clinch the US presidency, the private Nairobi Star newspaper reported. >>> | October 17, 2008

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Malays Warned Not to Question Islam
ASSOCIATED PRESS: KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — An influential council of Malaysia's state rulers has warned people not to question the supremacy of Islam or the special privileges enjoyed by the country's ethnic Malay majority.

Racial and religious tensions have increased in the past year as minorities have become more vocal in their complaints about an affirmative action program that they say unfairly favors Malays. They also complain that their religious rights are being ignored.

In an unprecedented comment on current affairs, the sultans of nine states did not directly accuse the Chinese and Indian minorities of stoking anti-Malay feelings, but said recent statements and forums "held by certain quarters" had "caused provocation and uneasiness among the people."

Questioning the special position of Malays "can lead to disunity and racial strife that can undermine the peace and harmony," the state rulers said in a statement. >>> By Vijay Joshi | October 17, 2008

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Escaping God’s Closet: Revelations of a Queer Priest

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Horowitz Lambastes Islam in Near-Empty MacMillan
"The left is the fountainhead of anti-Semitism in this country - Jew-hatred." - David Horowtz
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD: David Horowitz opened his lecture on terrorism - part of "Islamofascism Awareness Week," a program of the David Horowitz Freedom Center - with a joke.

"I hope you checked your pies at the door," he quipped, recalling the incident in which New York Times Columnist Thomas Friedman was pied as he began his lecture in Salomon 101 last spring.

Three uniformed officers at the back and three at the front of the largely empty MacMillan 117 and Horowitz's own private bodyguard made any pies-to-the-face unlikely.

Horowitz, a Jewish writer and activist who holds adamantly pro-Israel views, said the purpose of his lecture was to counter "liberal orthodoxy" on campus. "You have one of the worst faculties in the United States," he said. "These people are communists - they are totalitarians."

The lecture was titled "Helping the Enemy to Win: Support for the Jihad on American Campuses."

"Islam is a fundamentalist religion," Horowitz said, adding that the Quran left very little room for interpretation when compared to the Hebrew and Christian Bibles. >>> By Ben Schreckinger | October 17, 2008

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America Headed Toward National Suicide If Radical Gets Elected
THE BULLETIN: Most of my mail from readers asks an important question: How has the greatest fraud, faker, liar and hypocrite in American presidential history managed to fool so many Americans? It is something that is constantly on my mind, as I consider Sen. Barack Obama to be the least qualified and most dangerous candidate in our history and that danger is compounded by our being in the most dangerous and uncertain times in our history.

Here's how I answer that question:

* The mainstream media has perpetrated the greatest piece of journalistic malpractice in history by converting itself to part of Sen. Obama's campaign apparatus. As they say, it is in the tank for Sen. Obama, and even if he were proven to be a pedophile, the mainstream media would merely praise his interest in children. There has always been some bias in political coverage, but the mainstream media is clearly over the edge and is deep into the worst kind of biased, fraudulent and dishonest reporting.

The mainstream media represents the major source of information for a huge segment of the population. I suspect if Sen. Obama supporters had been exposed to fair and balanced reporting during this campaign, Sen. Obama would have been laughed off the stage long ago, branded as unqualified, un-American and dangerous.

* Sen. Obama is a smooth and slick speechmaker and can be wound up by his handlers to say what people want to hear. For example, in the third debate, he didn't want to say he opposed offshore drilling, as he knows most voters favor it. So he slickly said he would consider it. That is the equivalent of the present vote he cast 130 times in the Illinois legislature - neither yes or no, a typical copout of the phony politician that he is. Many, unfortunately, judge candidates on their speeches, style, and charisma and don't bother to look at their record, associates, character and values. They judge the book by its cover and the easiest thing in the world is to phony up an attractive cover and title for a book. Unfortunately, few read the book or even scan a chapter or two. Yes, we may be on the brink of electing a blank slate.

* Sen. Obama has not been vetted but there is abundant evidence to indicate his actions, record, associates, character, and values are almost the precise opposite of rhetoric. He positions himself as a centrist, but has always been a far leftist. The classic example is his claim to be the nonpartisan savior that will rise above party and other divides and bring us altogether into an Obama-fashioned utopia.

In fact, he is a pure partisan, who almost always follows the party line (96 percent of the time according to one publication), who has never once took a strong stand against his own party on a significant issue and who has never once demonstrated a non-partisan approach to any significant issue.

He the most liberal man in the Senate, running with the third most liberal as his running mate. He has a history of extreme positions such as, in effect, voting in favor of infanticide and murder (his clear record against passage of the "Born Alive" bill in the Illinois legislature, to give infants born during a botched abortion the right to medical care and the right to life). He admitted during the debate that he voted present (not yes and not no) on that bill as well as on a bill to outlaw partial-birth abortion. He preaches on the difficult moral issue abortion presents but favors a bill that would outlaw all state restrictions on abortion. He views the main purpose of the U.S. Constitution to be the legalization of all forms of abortion and has never voted to restrict it in anyway (such as by requiring parental consent for minors). >>> By Herb Denenberg | October 17, 2008

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First Moroccan Mayor in the Netherlands
RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE: Rotterdam City Council has voted Ahmed Aboutaleb as its mayor. The current deputy social affairs minister and member of the Labour party will be the first ever Dutch mayor of Moroccan origin. The appointment still has to be officially approved by the interior minister. Mr Aboutaleb will succeed Conservative VVD party member Ivo Opstelten, who has been in office for ten years. >>> | October 16, 2008

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Iran Seeks Security Council Seat
THE JERUSALEM POST: The United Nations General Assembly will hold a vote Friday on Iran's request to become temporary member of the organization's Security Council.

Iran may be under three sets of sanctions from the UN Security Council over its nuclear program, but that has not stopped it from campaigning for the temporary membership.

The chances of Iran winning the Asian regional seat against rival Japan in Friday's voting are widely viewed as slim-to-none: Victory would require support from two-thirds of all General Assembly member countries that turn up for the secret ballot.

Yet experts said just being in the race at all may be prize enough for Teheran, which announced its candidacy in September 2007.

"As with many governments, the Iranian government sometimes finds it advantageous to portray itself as an outsider that's challenging the status quo," said Ian Hurd, a political scientist at Northwestern University in Chicago who has written about legitimacy and power on the Security Council.

"They may want to run and lose to keep that outsider status," he said.

Iran, which last sat on the Security Council in 1956, may be the only country to vie for one of the body's 10 rotating seats while under active sanctions. Rwanda already held a seat on the Security Council when genocide erupted there in 1994. Libya, which currently holds a seat, expressed interest but did not make a formal bid until after sanctions linked to the investigation of the 1988 Pan Am jet bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland were lifted in 2003, according to analysts with the Columbia University-affiliated Security Council Report.

UN rules allow any member country to declare its candidacy, but the charter instructs representatives to consider candidates' contribution to the "maintenance of international peace and security." >>> By Allison Hoffman, New York | October 17, 2008

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France Makes Anthem Threat to Fans
BBC SPORT: Football matches in France will be called off immediately if spectators jeer during the French national anthem, says the country's sports minister.

France's national anthem was booed in Tuesday's friendly win over Tunisia.

"Any match at which our national anthem is whistled at will be immediately stopped," said Roselyne Bachelot.

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said the booing was "insulting" and that in the event of a repeat it would be necessary "to call off matches".

"It's insulting for France, it's insulting for the players of the French team, it should not be tolerated," he added.

"I think we should stop the matches when the anthems, whichever they are, are booed." >>> | October 15, 2008

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Non esiste un Islam moderato
IL MATTINO DI PADOVA: C’è poco da contestare a Magdi Allam, gran parte di quel che dice sull’Islam è purtroppo tragicamente vero. Ha indicato imam che predicano dalle moschee tesi inconciliabili con la nostra civiltà

C’è ben poco da contestare a Magdi Allam, gran parte di quel che dice sull’Islam è purtroppo tragicamente vero. Ha indicato imam che predicano dalle moschee tesi inconciliabili con la nostra civiltà (anzi, di più: con la nostra sicurezza), e aveva sempre ragione, su quegli imam lo Stato ha aperto gli occhi con anni di ritardo, e quando li ha espulsi lo ha fatto male, con esitazione.

Ha sempre sostenuto che non qualche frangia dell’islam solitaria, separata e scismatica, è inconciliabile con la nostra tradizione e il nostro diritto, ma l’Islam tout court, e ciò che il cuore dell’I slam non si prepara alla conciliazione e alla convivenza, ma alla sostituzione della nostra civiltà. Ha detto che l’Ucoii predica la separatezza da noi, la non-conciliabilità, e talvolta ospita e protegge membri del terrorismo. Indicava i nomi.

Questo ha fatto sì che nella Consulta per l’Islam, che il governo interpella quando prepara dei provvedimenti sull’attività dell’I slam in Italia, l’Ucoii non c’è. Ha anche rivelato (pesco nella memoria) che l’Ucoii ha infiltrazioni in una moschea già attiva nel padovano e in un’altra che sta per sorgere. Magdi Allam ha toccato la punta più avanzata della sua contestazione all’Islam quando ha detto che (cito tra virgolette, uso parole sue) «l’estremismo si alimenta di una sostanziale ambiguità insita nel Corano e nell’a zione concreta svolta da Maometto». >>> di Ferdinando Camon | Venerdì 17.10.2008

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Europäische Union: Silvio Berlusconi will Russland in die EU holen
Foto von Silvio Berlusconi dank der Welt
WELT ONLINE: Die Pläne der französischen EU-Ratspräsidentschaft, ein neues Partnerschaftsabkommen mit Russland auszuhandeln, gehen Italiens Ministerpräsidenten nicht weit genug. Berlusconi will, dass Russland vollwertiges Mitglied der EU wird. Ein EU-Beitritt der Russischen Föderation sei schon seit langer Zeit sein "Projekt".

Italiens Ministerpräsident Silvio Berlusconi hat sich für einen Beitritt Russlands zur Europäischen Union ausgesprochen. "Ich betrachte Russland als westliches Land und mein Plan für die Russische Förderation ist es, dass sie in den kommenden Jahren ein Mitglied der Europäischen Union wird“, sagte Berlusconi am Mittwoch vor Journalisten in Brüssel.

Zunächst müsse die EU deshalb ihre Gespräche mit Moskau über ein Partnerschaftsabkommen wieder aufnehmen, die nach dem Kaukasus-Konflikt ausgesetzt worden waren. "Ich will noch weiter gehen. Ich habe diese Vision seit Jahren“, führte Berlusconi bei seiner Ankunft beim EU-Gipfel fort.

Berlusconi pflegt seit Jahren eine freundschaftliche Beziehung zu Russlands Regierungschef Wladimir Putin und hat den früheren Präsidenten bereits mit seiner Familie auf sein Privatanwesen auf der Mittelmeerinsel Sardinien eingeladen. Europäische Union>>>> | 16. Oktober 2008

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Wenn Christen zeigen, dass sie Israel lieben
WELT ONLINE: In Jerusalem demonstrieren Tausende Christen aus aller Welt ihre Solidarität mit Israel. Sie sind willkommen, auch wenn sie bunt geschminkt und mit der Bibel in der Hand auf der Straße für Chaos und Verwirrung sorgen. Unser Autor hat sich unter die Gläubigen gemischt und wird sogleich belehrt.

Wer den fatalen Fehler beging, am Mittwochnachmittag mit dem Auto nach Jerusalem zu fahren, war für einige Stunden beschäftigt. Die Innenstadt war abgeriegelt, Dutzende ahnungsloser Polizisten schickten zunehmend enervierte Autofahrer von A nach B und wieder zurück und die einzige zugängliche Ausfahrt führte ins palästinensische Bethlehem. Zur „Jerusalem Wanderung“ trieben sich 35.000 Fußgänger auf den Straßen der Heiligen Stadt herum.



Für die meisten israelischen Teilnehmer ist das so eine Art Wandertag: man packt sich den Rucksack mit Leckereien voll und treibt die Kinder bis zum Sacher-Park in der Innenstadt vor sich her. Doch für rund 7000 meist evangelikale christliche Teilnehmer, die aus aller Herren Länder angereist waren, um ihre Solidarität mit Israel zu bekunden, ist es ein ganz besonderes Ereignis. „Wir sind aus Kentucky hierher gekommen, weil wir Israel lieben“, sagt Jenny Robarge und zieht sich die Davidsstern Baseballmütze aus dem Gesicht. Es sei einfach Wahnsinn, hier auf den Spuren Jesu zu wandeln.

Unter den Christen herrscht Karnevalsatmosphäre, viele haben sich verkleidet oder geschminkt. Ausgelassen zieht die bunte Menge durch die Heilige Stadt, Männer und Frauen tanzen auf den Straßen und singen fröhliche Lieder. Sie schwenken Transparente: „Gott liebt sein Volk“ steht darauf oder auch nur „Genesis 12,3“. In jenem Vers verspricht Gott nämlich dem Volk Israel die Treue: „Ich will segnen, die dich segnen; wer dich verwünscht, den will ich verfluchen. Durch dich sollen alle Geschlechter der Erde Segen erlangen.“ Jenny Robarge und ihre Glaubensgenossen wollen nicht verflucht werden, und deshalb gehört dem jüdischen Staat ihre bedingungslose Solidarität. >>> Von Michael Borgstede | 16. Oktober 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Taschenbuch) >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Gebundene Ausgabe) >>>