Sarah Palin Wig a Hit among Haredi Women
Photo of Sarah Palin courtesy of Google Images
YNET NEWS: Brooklyn wholesaler says its Palin artificial hairpiece has become one of company's most popular items since Alaska governor joined John McCain on Republican ticket

Don't be surprised if you see a few Sarah Palin look-alikes in Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods like Brooklyn's Borough Park.

A wig wholesaler there says its Palin wig has become one of the company's most popular items.

Georgie Wigs Vice President Shlomo Klein said Thursday that the company has sold about 50 Palin wigs since the Alaska governor joined John McCain on the Republican ticket.

"It's a very conservative yet fashion-forward look," Klein said. "It can be worn down, it can be worn up. There are a lot of styling options. The bun higher, the bun lower."

Klein's company caters to Orthodox Jewish women who must cover their hair after marriage as well as women who need wigs for medical reasons.

He said he doesn't think it's odd that Jewish women would model themselves on Palin, a devout Christian from a frontier state with very few Jews.

"She's pro-Israel," he noted. >>> Associated press | October 25, 2008

YNET NEWS: Sarah Palin Mesmerizes Israeli Filmmaker

Los Angeles-based director Elan Frank met Alaska's governor, Republican vice-presidential hopeful several months ago while filming documentary about extraordinary women, and was hooked

"Sarah Palin is a very special woman. She has a tranquility about her, no matter what the situation is," this is how Elan Frank, a California-based Israeli filmmaker, chooses to describe the Republican Party's newly chosen vice-presidential hopeful. >>> Dana Zimmerman | September 3, 2008

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There’s No Place Like Home
YNET NEWS: Global financial crisis prompts thousands of Israelis living abroad to return to Jewish state. Immigrant Absorption Ministry foresees 15,000 homecomings by end of 2009

The silver lining: The global financial crisis hitting world markets seems to have one favorable effect as far as Israel is concerned, as thousands of Israelis who have been living abroad for the past few years head back to their homeland.

According to the Immigrant Absorption Ministry, some 15,000 Israelis are expected to return to the Jewish state by the end of 2009.

The ministry launched a campaign encouraging Israelis living abroad to do just that in August of 2007, as part of the nation's 60th anniversary celebrations, offering a NIS 100 million (about $24 million) incentives package.

"The last few weeks have been crazy," Tali Naveh, who heads New York's Israel House, which tends to New York-based Israelis who wish to return, told Yedioth Ahronoth. "The phone has been ringing off the hook, and not just here, in all of out 10 centers on North America. People here have their American dream shattered."

Some 2,000 Israelis have returned home between August and mid October alone – a 50% rise from the same time last year. >>> Itamar Eichner | October 27, 2008

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Proposition 8: You Decide!


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Iranian President Is ‘Exhausted’
Photo of the exhausted Ahmadinejad courtesy of the BBC
BBC: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is suffering from exhaustion, his aides have said.

They were commenting after the Iranian leader cancelled several appointments recently, fuelling growing rumours about his health.

And Iranian state television showed him at two engagements at the weekend.

The president said he was not suffering from any illness.

"Thanks to God, I do not have an illness. Exhaustion is possible, but no illness," he said.

"Of course, we are also human beings, and sometimes we catch a cold."

Mr Ahmadinejad's political allies have insisted he will recover in due course, says the BBC's Jon Leyne in Tehran. >>> | Sunday, October 26, 2008

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Concern for US Woman Held in Iran
Photo of Esha Momeni, the Iranian-American student held in Iran, courtesy of the BBC
BBC: There is growing concern about the fate of an Iranian-American student who has been detained in Iran.

Esha Momeni, who is from Los Angeles, was doing research into the status of women in Iran when she was arrested on 15 October.

According to her lawyer, Ms Momeni, 28, was pulled over for a traffic offence in the capital, Tehran.

She is now being held in the notorious Evin prison near Tehran, which houses a number of political activists.

The authorities have not said why she is being held, though it may be related to the "One Million Signatures Campaign", in which women in Iran are pressing for more rights.

At the time of her arrest, police confiscated some film she had taken and also raided the place where she was staying, seizing some of her belongings.

Her lawyer has not been allowed to meet her and she has had just one telephone conversation with her family. >>> By Jon Leyne | October 26, 2008

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Immigration Intake 'Good for Business'
This title says it all! As long as business is well-served, the rest of us just have to put up with the dire consequences.

We should be asking ourselves not only whether immigration is good for business, but whether it is good for cohesion in society. - ©Mark

THE AGE: THE business community has urged the Government not to cut Australia's immigration intake, despite calls from the Opposition for a 25% reduction in the coming year.

Australian Industry Group chief executive Heather Ridout said a steady flow of skilled migrants was needed to maintain economic growth.

"You can't just turn the tap on and off," Ms Ridout said.

There was still a skills shortage, which was one reason employers were reluctant to put off workers even though the economy was slowing, she said.

Opposition immigration spokeswoman Sharman Stone said at the weekend that Australia's immigration intake must be cut by a quarter to help cope with the global financial crisis and relieve pressure on cities and the environment.

Dr Stone said the Government's plan for a record 190,300 migrants in 2008-09 should immediately be scaled back to the 2005-06 level of 142,930.

Immigration Minister Chris Evans said the Government would examine the mid-year economic figures and decide then whether the immigration intake should be changed. >>> Brendan Nicholson | October 27, 2008

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Dutch Police Officer[s] Swear Allegiance to Allah
RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE: Dutch police in the Gouda region have sworn in police officers who swore allegiance to Allah. The small Christian party SGP has demanded an explanation from the government.

Under current arrangements, police in the Netherlands can choose between the Christian oath ('So help me God Almighty) and the neutral vow ('I declare and promise...'). But it has been revealed that n Gouda, the option has existed for years for Islamic officers to use the oath that runs: 'In the name of Allah, the Merciful Compassionate, and he is my witness that I promise this.' The hand must be placed on the Koran for this. >>> Paolo Gallini | October 24, 2008

Hat tip: Infidels Are Cool >>>

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Federal Court Overturns Swimming Ruling
SWISSINFO.CH: Children cannot be exempted from compulsory swimming lessons at school even for religious reasons, the Federal Court has ruled.

In making the ruling, announced on Friday, the court overturned its own decision of 1993.

The case was brought by the father of two primary schoolchildren in the northern canton of Schaffhausen, who wanted permission for his sons to opt out of swimming classes. His request had been turned down at every level before failing at the federal court too.

In the 1993 case the court had ruled that it was permissible for a schoolgirl to be exempted from mixed swimming lessons.
It justified its change of position by saying that society had changed in the last 15 years. Exempting children from compulsory lessons would undermine efforts at integration.

The president of the relevant court said the judgement was not aimed against the Muslim community or against freedom of religion. It was designed to help schools fulfil their task of integration.
The judges voted three to two in favour of the decision. [Source: SwissInfo.ch: Comments accepted]
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Turkey's Ruling AKP Vows to Quit If Loses Local Elections in March
HÜRRIYET: Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) vowed to quit if the public support to the party falls sharply in March 2009 local elections, according to the reasoning of closure case, Hurriyet daily wrote on Sunday.

"We did not come to power by force. We do not say that we will not quit if we lose (the elections). We did not win everywhere in Turkey... If an inexplicable fall occurs, -we experienced these in 1989 elections-, then it is not consistent with the nature of democracy that you still stay in power. It brings political debates, " Hurriyet quoted the Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek as saying in the party's verbal defense he submitted to the constitutional court. >>> | Sunday, October 26, 2008

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Vague anti-Berlusconi à Rome
leJDD.fr: Quasi quotidienne ces derniers temps, la mobilisation contre la réforme du système éducatif italien s'est transformée en véritable raz-de-marée anti-Berlusconi ce samedi dans les rues de Rome. Plus de deux millions de manifestants ont répondu à l'appel de la gauche dans la capitale transalpine. Un premier avertissement d'envergure pour le "Cavaliere".

Rome, noire de monde... et rouge de colère contre son gouvernement. Samedi après-midi, plus de deux millions d'Italiens ont convergé vers l'antique site du cirque Maxime pour un immense rassemblement anti-Berlusconi, le plus grand qu'ait connu le pays depuis de nombreuses années. A l'origine de cette manifestation monstre contre le pouvoir en place, dont les principales figures de l'Etat, président du Conseil inclus, viennent de bénéficier d'une immunité très controversée accordée par le Parlement, les partis de gauche, au plus bas dans les sondages et écrasés par l'omnipotence du "Cavaliere", ont voulu sonner la révolte. A leur plus grand bonheur, la mobilisation a dépassé leurs espérances les plus folles. Offusqués du tour de vis sécuritaire instauré dans la Botte depuis le retour de la droite aux affaires en avril dernier, les manifestants ont aussi crié leur inquiétude face à ce qu'ils considèrent comme un démantèlement du système éducatif italien. >>> Par Nicolas Moscovici (avec Reuters) | Samedi 25 Octobre 2008

NZZ Online: Grossdemonstration der Opposition gegen Berlusconi: Angaben über Teilnehmer schwankt zwischen 2 Millionen und 200'000

Hunderttausende haben am Samstag in Rom gegen die Politik der konservativen Regierung von Ministerpräsident Berlusconi demonstriert. Zu der Grosskundgebung hatte die grösste Oppositionspartei im Parlament, die von Walter Veltroni geführte Demokratische Partei (PD), aufgerufen. Die Organisatoren schätzten die Zahl der Teilnehmer auf zweieinhalb Millionen; die Polizei sprach von 200'000.

«Das ist eine Demonstration gegen die Regierung, die die Probleme des Landes nicht löst.» Die Demokratie sei nicht der «Verwaltungsrat einer Firma» sagte Veltroni an die Adresse des Medienunternehmers und Multimillionärs Berlusconi. Dessen Regierung erweise sich angesichts der «schweren wirtschaftlichen und sozialen Krise» Italiens als «vollkommen unfähig». >>> sda/dpa/afp/apa | 25. Oktober 2008

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Obamas Vorsprung schrumpft auf fünf Punkte
WELT ONLINE: Der Vorsprung des demokratischen Präsidentschaftskandidaten Barack Obama in den Umfragen schien bislang uneinholbar. Doch einer neuen Studie zufolge hat McCain rasant zugelegt und kann nun doch mit Wirtschaftsthemen punkten. Obama macht sich auch wegen einer angeblich schon verfassten Antrittsrede unbeliebt.

Gut eine Woche vor der Wahl in den USA ist der Vorsprung des demokratischen Präsidentschaftskandidaten Barack Obama in der Gunst der Wähler auf nur noch fünf Punkte geschrumpft. Nach der am Sonntag veröffentlichten Umfrage von Reuters/C-Span/Zogby würden 49 Prozent der Wähler für den schwarzen Senator aus Illinois stimmen, wenn der nächste US-Präsident schon jetzt gewählt würde. Sein republikanischer Gegenkandidat John McCain könnte mit 44 Prozent rechnen. Obamas Vorsprung ist damit an drei Tagen in Folge deutlich geschrumpft: Am Donnerstag hatte er noch mit zwölf Punkten vorn gelegen.



Meinungsforscher John Zogby sprach von einer Trendwende für McCain, der sich in den vergangenen Tagen vermehrt wirtschaftlichen Themen zugewandt habe. Bislang hatten Wirtschaftsflaute und Finanzkrise in den Umfragen Obama Aufschwung gegeben. >>> Reuters/AFP | 26. Oktober 2008

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Republicans Fear Obama Would Turn America Sharply Left
Photo of Barack Hussein Obama courtesy of The Times
Republicans Fear a Barack Obama Victory Would Turn America Sharply Left: Bush’s election guru says Obama has copied his tactics and McCain’s last chance is to focus on tax and security >>> Sarah Baxter in Pittsburgh | October 26, 2008

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Democrats See Risk and Reward if Their Party Sweeps

WASHINGTON — The possibility of a victory by Senator Barack Obama combined with significant Congressional gains by his party could give Democrats extraordinary muscle to pursue an ambitious agenda on health care, taxes, union rights, energy and national security.

Democrats, who are within reach of the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster in the Senate, would also face high expectations, especially from the party’s more liberal quarters, that could be difficult to meet even with enhanced numbers in the Senate as well as the House. And they would be at risk of overreaching, a tendency that has deeply damaged both parties in similar situations in the past. >>> By Carle Hulse and David M Herszenhorn | October 25, 2008

leJDD.fr: La mauvaise conscience de l'Amérique blanche

C'était il y a soixante ans, autant dire une éternité. Barack Obama n'était pas encore de ce monde, et l'Amérique était à mille lieues d'imaginer qu'un Noir puisse un jour franchir le seuil de la Maison-Blanche.

Mary, pourtant, se souvient comme si c'était hier. Elle se rappelle de tout: Bismarck, son village au sud du Missouri, cet Etat du Midwest américain; ses copains à l'école, tous Blancs, comme elle; et ces Noirs qu'elle voyait travailler le long de la ligne de chemin de fer. Quand la nuit tombait, elle les regardait remonter à la va-vite dans le train qui quittait Bismarck. Ils avaient interdiction de passer la nuit en ville. Elle se souvient aussi du premier Noir à qui elle a adressé la parole. C'était un liftier de Saint Louis. Elle avait 18 ans.

Aujourd'hui, Mary Layton est une granny respectable, qui arbore une impeccable permanente grise. Elle ne vit plus à Bismarck mais dans la petite ville de Troy, comté de Lincoln, à l'ouest du Missouri. Mary est une républicaine pur jus, "croyante, anti-avortement et contre le mariage gay", comme la majorité des gens de ce comté rural. Le 4 novembre, elle va évidemment voter John McCain. Elle n'aime pas beaucoup Obama, qui samedi a rassemblé lors d'un meeting à Saint Louis, à une soixantaine de kilomètres de chez elle, plusieurs milliers de personnes: "Il ne défend pas la famille."

Et sa couleur de peau, Mary? "Je m'en fiche, assure la vieille dame. Que notre Président soit Blanc, Noir ou Jaune m'importe peu. Dans l'église que je fréquente, il y a plein de Noirs avec qui je m'entends très bien." Mary aurait donc tiré un trait sur le passé. La plupart des républicains, dans ce Missouri très conservateur où la ségrégation raciale à l'école n'a été supprimée qu'en 1954, disent d'ailleurs la même chose. La race d'Obama ne compte pas, et l'Amérique blanche est totalement disposée à voir un Noir à Washington. Mensonge? La couleur de peau reste-t-elle le tabou ultime, ou l'Amérique est-elle vraiment entrée dans une ère postraciale? "La plupart des républicains ne sont absolument pas racists", assure Dave Robertson, politologue à l'université du Missouri, de Saint Louis, qui tempère aussitôt: "De toute façon, les Américains n'oseront jamais dire ouvertement que les origines de Barack Obama les dérangent." >>> Par Antoine Malo | Mardi 21 Octobre 2008

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Islamic Bankers See Sharia System Strengthening
THE GUARDIAN: JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia - The global financial crisis is an opportunity for Sharia-compliant Islamic banking to further its position internationally, bankers said at a forum in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

Islamic banks have been barely bruised by the global credit crisis so far, although falling property and commodity prices and slowing economies are starting to affect the sector.

But bankers at the forum, on how the world finance crisis could affect Islamic banking, saw the sector strengthening.

"It is a must for Islamic finance to seize the opportunity that came with this global financial crisis," Ahmad Ali, president of the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) said at the discussion organised by IDB.

"Global investment banks should be set up that realise the Islamic economy and offer the world a new vision and different way to manage assets, invest wealth and create products." >>> By Asma Alsharif / Reuters | Saturday, October 25 2008

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Jo[e]rg Haider and His Boyfriend Revived an Old Tradition
TIMESONLINE: Past Notes: the number of gay men in Hitler's Brownshirts was well known

Jörg Haider's last hours - involving an argument with his boyfriend and a search for solace in a gay bar - has surprised those who thought the late far-right demagogue and father of two was a pillar of respectability. His party, the Alliance for the Future of Austria, will not be honouring his wish that his boyfriend, Stefan Petzner, should take the helm.

Now deputy leader, Mr Petzner has nonetheless revived an old tradition of the nationalistic Right. For his relationship with Haider had a parallel in the Nazi Brownshirt movement. Also known as the Sturmabteilung or SA, the Brownshirts were the Nazis' stormtroopers whose thuggery helped to clear a path for Hitler's rise to power.

Their chief of staff was Ernst Roehm. He counted his deputy, Edmund Heines, among his many male lovers. Although homosexuality was illegal, there was not much effort to conceal the widespread gay activity among the paramilitary groups. “It was quite well behaved but thoroughly gay,” the art historian Christian Isermayer recalled, having once attended a Brownshirt knees-up.

Indeed, many of the formative meetings of Germany's right-wing extremists took place in gay pick-up joints. In Munich, Roehm's favourite was the Nürnberger Bratwurstglockl. Two other leading Brownshirts, the bisexual Karl Ernst and Paul Röhrbein (widely known as “Frau Röhrbein”) planned the New Order in Berlin's notorious nightclub, Eldorado. >>> Graham Stewart | October 25, 2008

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Melanie Phillips: Is America Really Going to Do This?
THE SPECTATOR: The impact of the financial crisis on the American presidential election has somewhat obscured the most important reason why the prospect of an Obama presidency is giving so many people nightmares. This is the fear that, if he wins, US defences will be emasculated at a time of unprecedented international peril and the enemies of America and the free world will seize their opportunity to destroy the west.

Personally, I don’t give any credence to the ‘support’ for one candidate over the other that has been expressed by the enemies of civilisation (Iran and Hamas ‘support’ Obama, while an al Qaeda blogger ‘supports’ McCain). Their agenda is simply to sow confusion and promote American recriminations and disarray. Nor do I set much store by many of the remarks made by either candidate during the latter stages of this election campaign, since under this kind of pressure both will now say pretty much anything to win it. The New York Times has run a useful analysis of the candidates’ foreign policy campaign statements which shows how Obama has carefully tacked to the ‘hard power’ agenda while McCain has in turn nodded towards ‘soft power’.

No, the only way to assess their position is to look at each man in the round, at what his general attitude is towards war and self-defence, aggression and appeasement, the values of the west and those of its enemies and – perhaps most crucially of all – the nature of the advisers and associates to whom he is listening. As I have said before, I do not trust McCain; I think his judgment is erratic and impetuous, and sometimes wrong. But on the big picture, he gets it. He will defend America and the free world whereas Obama will undermine them and aid their enemies.

Here’s why. McCain believes in protecting and defending America as it is. Obama tells the world he is ashamed of America and wants to change it into something else. McCain stands for American exceptionalism, the belief that American values are superior to tyrannies. Obama stands for the expiation of America’s original sin in oppressing black people, the third world and the poor.

Obama thinks world conflicts are basically the west’s fault, and so it must right the injustices it has inflicted. That’s why he believes in ‘soft power’ — diplomacy, aid, rectifying ‘grievances’ (thus legitimising them, encouraging terror and promoting injustice) and resolving conflict by talking. As a result, he will take an axe to America’s defences at the very time when they need to be built up. He has said he will ‘cut investments in unproven missile defense systems’; he will ‘not weaponize space’; he will ‘slow our development of future combat systems’; and he will also ‘not develop nuclear weapons,’ pledging to seek ‘deep cuts’ in America’s arsenal, thus unilaterally disabling its nuclear deterrent as Russia and China engage in massive military buildups.

McCain understands that an Islamic war of conquest is being waged on a number of diverse fronts which all have to be seen in relation to each other. For Obama, however, the real source of evil in the world is America. The evil represented by Iran and the Islamic jihadists is apparently all America’s fault. ‘A lot of evil’s been perpetuated based on the claim that we were fighting evil,’ he said. Last May, he dismissed Iran as a tiny place which posed no threat to the US -- before reversing himself the very next day when he said Iran was a great threat which had to be defeated. He has also said that Hezbollah and Hamas have ‘legitimate grievances’. Really? And what might they be? Their grievances are a) the existence of Israel b) its support by America c) the absence of salafist Islam in the world. Does Obama think these ‘grievances’ are legitimate? >>> By Melanie Phillips | Friday, October 24, 2008

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Canadians Are a Censored People
CALGARY HERALD: For Maclean's magazine and author Mark Steyn, last week's not-guilty finding by the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal is no doubt a welcome respite from writing cheques to their legal defence team.

However, it is hardly a victory for free speech, or press freedom. All that happened was a government agency, after much deliberation, found their work acceptable.

That is the role of a censor, and Canada has one for each province, territory and Ottawa. All are endowed by their legislatures with the right to examine what appears in print, to see whether it is "likely" to "expose" various people and groups to "hatred or contempt."

Steyn's case arose from complaints by Muslim advocates to commissions in Ontario, B.C. and the Canadian Human Rights Commission itself, about an extract from his book America Alone, reprinted in Maclean's.

In it, Steyn speculated what large-scale Muslim settlement in Europe might mean for law and society there. The Canadian Islamic Congress complained the article was likely to expose Muslims to hatred or contempt.

In the end, the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal disagreed. However, it also pontificated that Steyn's piece contained historical, religious and factual inaccuracies, relied on common Muslim stereotypes and tried to "rally public opinion by exaggeration and causing the reader to fear Muslims."

So there. An arm of government has judged a publisher, slandered its professionalism, questioned its motives, but concluded it was not quite so bad Canadians shouldn't read it.

For the record, it was not Mark Steyn who caused readers to fear Muslims. It was Muslims who tried twice to blow up the World Trade Center, the second time with horrifying success. >>> Calgary Herald | October 20, 2008

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Turkey's AKP Fined after PM Broke Secular Principles
THE TELEGRAPH: Turkey's prime minister made a "determined and intense" effort to undermine the country's founding principle of secularism, the country's constitutional court has ruled.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the leader of the Justice and Welfare Party (AKP) who won a sweeping election victory last year, became the first prime minister ever to face legal criticism for breaching the secular provisions of the constitution.

Turkey's highest court had been asked to ban the AKP altogether and prevent Mr Erdogan from having any role in politics for five years. The judges refrained from imposing these penalties, choosing instead to fine the AKP, which has Islamist roots.

When the Court explained its decision on Friday, the justices said that Mr Erdogan had been guilty of "determined and intense activities" against article 68 of the constitution, which establishes Turkey as a secular state. >>> By David Blair, Diplomatic Editor | October 25, 2008

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Apple Inc. Comes Out against Gay Marriage Ban
ASSOCIATED PRESS: CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — Apple Inc. has joined the short list of publicly traded companies to oppose a ballot measure that would take away the right of same-sex couples to marry in California.

The Cupertino-based computer and iPod maker posted a notice on its Web site Friday pledging $100,000 to defeat Proposition 8. >>> | Saturday, October 25, 2008

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Migrant Row Minister Hit by Pie
Photo courtesy of the BBC
BBC: Immigration minister Phil Woolas has become the victim of a pie-throwing protester, angry at his call to limit UK immigration.

A member of the No Borders group threw a cream pie into the minister's face while he was speaking at a debate at Manchester University.

A spokeswoman for the group said Mr Woolas had been "spouting right-wing anti-immigration policies".

A Home Office spokeswoman said the minister declined to comment.

The No Borders group, which campaigns against immigration controls, were angered by Mr Woolas' recent remarks, in which he said the government would not allow the UK's population to rise as high as 70 million.

The Oldham East and Saddleworth MP denied that he wanted a "numerical cap" on immigration.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith later said Mr Woolas had not been "gagged" after her department pulled him from BBC One's Question Time.

Mr Woolas was targeted when he attended an environmental debate held at Manchester University student union on Friday afternoon.

As he arrived the minister was confronted with a mock "border control" and was asked for his passport.

Then, shortly after he began to speak, a woman rose from the audience and threw a pie, believed to be made of Bourbon Creams biscuits and vegan cream, into his face at close range. >>> | October 24, 2008

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‘Voice of God’ DJ Fired in the UAE
We have allowed these backward people into the West at our own peril! Just wait and see what will transpire. - ©Mark

BBC: A radio host has been sacked in Dubai after he angered listeners by impersonating God in a comedy skit about a phone call with the Almighty.

Virgin Radio host Revin John was satirising a story from the US in which God was subject to legal proceedings.

The spoof prompted complaints from listeners of "diverse faiths and nationalities", the station said.

Any portrayal of God or the Prophet Muhammad, is strictly forbidden in the Islamic faith, including on the radio. >>> | October 22, 2008

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Islamic Courts Cleared to Deal with Family and Divorce Disputes as Government Endorses Sharia
Photo courtesy of Google Images
MAIL Online: Islamic courts have been cleared to deal with family and divorce disputes.

Sharia tribunals will be able to decide how a Muslim couple divide their money and property and who gets the children.

The sole proviso from Jack Straw's Justice Ministry is that a formal law court must rubber-stamp the ruling.

This would be in the form of a two-page form sent to a judge sitting in a family court. The divorcing couple would not need to attend.

The decision follows nine months of controversy over the role of tribunals run according to Islamic strictures.

In February, Downing Street slapped down the Archbishop of Canterbury when he suggested the rise of sharia law seemed 'unavoidable'.

But in July, Lord Phillips, who has since retired as Lord Chief Justice, said sharia principles could be the basis for resolving family and business disputes.

Muslim ministers have warned that sharia should not have an official role because it accords unequal status to men and women.

Giving more weight to evidence from men could hand them a greater share of property and enhanced custody rights.

Lawyers said yesterday that using the secretive family courts to endorse sharia decisions would draw a veil over matters of wide public interest. >>> By Steve Doughty | October 24, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH: Sharia Rulings on Divorces and Disputes to Be Rubber-stamped by English Courts

Civil rights campaigners are angry that ministers have approved plans to allow Sharia councils in Britain the right to settle disputes regarding money, property and access to children.

They say such tribunals are institutions for male domination which treat women like second-class citizens.

Couples who choose to use the Sharia system must get the ruling rubber-stamped by a judge sitting in an ordinary family court.
But neither party has to attend this hearing and approval can be obtained by filling in a two-page application.

The endorsement of Sharia was announced to MPs by Bridget Prentice, a junior minister, in answer to a parliamentary question.

She said Sharia councils would still have no jurisdiction in England, and rulings by religious authorities would have no legal force.

But she added: "If, in a family dispute dealing with money or children, the parties to a judgement in Sharia council wish to have this recognised by English authorities, they are at liberty to draft a consent order embodying the terms of the agreement and submit it to an English court. This allows English judges to scrutinise it to ensure that it complies with English legal tenets."

Campaigners condemned the plans as unacceptable and said that the rulings were not compatible with English law, while the Conservatives insisted that should be safeguards for women.

Nick Herbert, the shadow justice secretary, said: "There can be no place for parallel legal systems in our country.

"It is vital that in matrimonial disputes where a Sharia council is involved, women's rights are protected and judgments are non-binding."

Another Conservative spokesman, Paul Goodman, the shadow minister for communities and local government, accused the Government of keeping the public in the dark and warned: "There must be one British law for everyone." >>> By Chris Hastings, Public Affairs Editor | October 25, 2008

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Haider Widow Halts Cremation amid Suspicions
THE INDEPENDENT: Jörg Haider's corpse was sent for a second post-mortem in Italy today after the Austrian far-right leader's widow voiced fears that that his death in a high speed car crash in early October might not have been an accident.

Senior members of his Alliance for the Future of Austria party said that Claudia Haider had serious doubts that her husband was killed as a result of drunk driving and suspected he may have been drugged.

Mr Haider died after his VW Phaeton limousine left the road and somersaulted several times in the early hours of 11 October.

He was driving at twice the speed limit, and an initial post mortem showed that he had four times the legal limit of alcohol in his bloodstream.

However his widow has refused to accept those findings and insisted that her husband's cremation, which had been due to take place earlier this week, be postponed indefinitely.

Mr Haider's former party colleagues said his body would be subjected to a second post-mortem in Italy and further tests by German pathologists to determine whether foul play may have played a role in his death.

Claudia Haider was said to be highly sceptical of Austrian pathologists' conclusions that the 58-year-old politician had consumed such a large amount of alcohol in such a short space of time. She was reported to have said that such behaviour was not in his character and that she feared that he may have been given drugs. Party officials have said there were no skid marks on the road at the accident site and he may have already been unconscious when he crashed. >>> By Tony Paterson in Berlin | October 24, 2008

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Sharia Incompatible with Human Rights: House of Lords
THE TIMES OF INDIA: LONDON: The House of Lords on Friday described the Islamic legal code Sharia as "wholly incompatible" with human rights legislation, a comment that could spark an outcry among Muslims in the United Kingdom.

The Upper House of the British Parliament has drawn sharp attention to the conflict between Sharia and UK law, calling the Islamic legal code "wholly incompatible" with human rights legislation.

The controversial remarks came amidst a debate in Britain over the appropriateness of incorporating Sharia courts into the UK's legal system, a move advocated by figures including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams and Lords Phillips, the new senior law lord.

The comments in the House of Lords came today as it considered the case of a woman who, if she was sent back to Lebanon, would be obliged under Sharia law to hand over custody of her 12-year-old son to a man who beat her, threw her off a balcony and, on one occasion, attempted to strangle her. >>> | October 24, 2008

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"Stoppt die Großmoscheen in Deutschland!"
Foto von Merkez-Moschee Duisbergs dank der Welt
WELT ONLINE: Am Wochenende wird im Duisburg die größte Moschee Deutschlands eröffnet. Ralph Giordano deutet den Prachtbau als Anspruch einer Minderheit auf Macht und Einfluss, der für Unfrieden zwischen den Religionen sorgt. Der Schriftsteller fordert einen Baustopp für solch repräsentative Bauwerke.

Am 26. Oktober 2008 soll in Duisburg die bisher größte Moschee auf deutschem Boden eröffnet werden – ein Anspruch auf Macht und Einfluss, ein verräterischer Schritt zu weit nach vorn, ein Zeichen tief integrationsfeindlicher Identitätsbewahrung. Zwischen der viel beschworenen Hinterhofmoschee und zentralen Großmoschee hätte es viele Abstufungen ohne den Abschreckungseffekt des Duisburger Modells gegeben.

Das aber ist nur die Ouvertüre, sollen nach dem Willen der türkischen Religionsbehörde in Ankara, Dyanet, doch weitere 200 muslimische Sakralbauten in der Bundesrepublik mit ähnlichen Dimensionen folgen.

Gegen diese Pläne, die Deutschland in eine Plantage von Großmoscheen verwandeln würden, rufe ich zum öffentlichen Widerstand auf! Wie auch gegen die erschreckende Blindheit und den Opportunismus der politischen Klasse gegenüber den unübersehbaren Zeichen einer schleichenden Islamisierung.

Viele der bereits bestehenden über 2000 muslimischen Gebetshäuser sind sogenannte Fathi-Moscheen, das heißt benannt nach osmanischen Eroberern und Unterdrückern wie Mehmet oder Suleiman – und nicht nach muslimischen Künstlern, Wissenschaftlern oder Dichtern.

Solange der Islam den Beweis schuldig bleibt, dass er mit Demokratie, Meinungsvielfalt, Pluralismus und Gleichstellung der Frau vereinbar ist, so lange spiegeln Megamoscheen in Deutschland nicht die Wirklichkeit der Migrations- und Integrationsproblematik wider.

Meine Einmischung in diesen Konflikt richtet sich nicht, wie mir immer wieder unterschoben wird, gegen die Muslime in Deutschland – würde das doch eine Homogenität vortäuschen, die die Verbandsfunktionäre fälschlicherweise immer wieder reklamieren. Meine Einmischung richtet sich vielmehr gegen alle, die ein anderes als das demokratische Deutschland im Sinne haben. >>> Ralph Giordano | 24. Oktober 2008

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China: Hui Muslim Community

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The Glory of Byzantium
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21st Century Britain: Islam or Christianity?

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US Commission: Yemen May Execute Christian Prisoners; Baha'is Face Deportation
BOS NEWS LIFE: WASHINGTON, USA -- The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom fears Christian prisoners in Yemen, who have been jailed "for months without charge" will be executed while Baha'i detainees may be deported to Iran to face “imprisonment” and "torture."

"The Christians, who are converts from Islam, could face the death penalty if charged with apostasy," the Commission said in a statement monitored by BosNewsLife Tuesday, October 21. "Some of the Baha'i prisoners could be deported to Iran, where the Iranian government has imprisoned and tortured Baha'is in recent years."

The Commission quoted sources familiar with the cases as saying that the Baha'is and Christians "were detained for sharing" their faith. "Since May, at least nine Yemeni Christians, who are converts from Islam, have been arrested in [the areas of] Sana'a and Hodeida and remain in prison. According to the State Department, some of the Christians were arrested for "promoting Christianity and distributing the Bible," although no formal charges have been filed by Yemeni authorities," the Commission said.

The Yemeni government prohibits conversion from Islam and the proselytizing of Muslims. "Given that apostasy is a crime punishable by death in Yemen, there is credible fear about the well-being of those imprisoned," the Commission added. >>> | October 21, 2008

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Austria in Disbelief after Haider Outed as Gay
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: PRAGUE: Austria has been suspended between shock, indifference and denial since Jörg Haider's successor, Stefan Petzner, said in a radio interview that the controversial and charismatic far-right politician, who died in a car accident this month, had been "the man of my life."

Petzner, the 27-year-old who took over from Haider as head of his right-wing Alliance for the Future of Austria, has made teary-eyed appearances on television since his death. Last Sunday, he told the Austrian radio Ö3 that he had felt a magnetic attraction for Haider, whom he met five years ago.

"We had a special relationship that went far beyond friendship," he said in the highly emotional interview. "Jörg and I were connected by something truly special. He was the man of my life."

Officials at Haider's party, which gained more than 10 percent of the votes in September elections, attempted to limit the political fallout from the confession by dismissing Petzner as party leader. But their requests that the radio interview not be rebroadcast were rebuffed by Austrian journalists.

Haider, 58, the governor of the province of Carinthia, was the son of a shoemaker; his parents were both active Nazis. He rose to national prominence in Austria over the last two decades, championing traditional family values, railing against the European Union and calling for an end to immigration. He had cultivated a macho, man-of-the-people persona, and was married with two daughters.

While his country has been clearly gripped by a somewhat un-Austrian outpouring of emotions, commentators there said the effective outing of Haider had been underplayed or largely ignored in the Austrian media, which tend to shy away from the private lives of politicians and other national figures.

While Vienna has an active, obvious gay community, homosexuality remains a taboo in some more conservative parts of the society, and Haider's supporters are intent on preserving his legacy as a traditional family man. >>> By Dan Bilefsky | October 23, 2008

WIENER ZEITUNG:
BZÖ Boss Named: Klagenfurt: Acting Carinthian Governor Gerhard Dörfler has been confirmed as new provincial governor by the provincial parliament. >>> | October 24, 2008

THE AUSTRALIAN:
Haider's Successor Axed for Loving Him: THE successor to Austrian far-right leader Jorg Haider has been forced to step down after he revealed he and the dead politician had a homosexual relationship… >>> | October 24, 2008

TIMESONLINE:
Far-right Austrian Leader Sacked for Revealing Gay Affair with Jörg Haider >>> | October 23, 2008

FRANCE 24:
Haider’s Lover Steps Down as Far-right Party Leader: Stefan Petzner, a former beauty journalist, was forced to step down from the helm of his far right-wing Austrian party shortly after announcing on Austrian radio that he and the notorious Joerg Haider, who dies Oct. 11, had been lovers. >>> | October 23, 2008

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Claudia Haider dementiert Gerüchte
KURIER: Die Witwe erklärt Verschwörungstheorien für "Unsinn". Die Obduktion solle auch nicht im Ausland stattfinden, stellt sie richtig.

Wilde Spekulationen kursieren um die verschobene Einäscherung von Jörg Haider. Witwe Claudia Haider weist jedoch die Gerüchte zurück: "Alle diese Gerüchte, wonach es eine Obduktion im Ausland gegeben haben soll, sind völliger Unsinn". In die gleiche Kategorie würden diverse Verschwörungstheorien fallen.



Der Leichnam ihres Mannes werde mit Sicherheit nicht irgendwohin ins Ausland gebracht werden, erklärte sie. Eine zweite Obduktion könne sie aber nicht völlig ausschließen. Zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt sei es aber äußerst unwahrscheinlich, dass sie sich zu diesem Schritt entschließe. Darüber hinaus wolle sie zu all den Spekulationen und Gerüchten, die derzeit kursieren, keinerlei Stellungnahme abgeben. Den Medienhype um den Tod ihres Mannes bezeichnete sie als "widerwärtig".



Die Witwe betonte, dass sie nichts verschweigen wolle, sie zur Zeit aber weder zu Interviews noch zu öffentlichen Stellungnahmen bereit sei. Eine Freundin Claudia Haiders bat darum, "ihr die Zeit zu geben, mit der ganzen Sache fertig zu werden". Die Witwe werde irgendwann öffentlich Stellung nehmen, allerdings müssten bis dahin noch einige Dinge geklärt werden. >>> apa/ce | Freitag, 24. Oktober 2008

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Frankreichs Richter mobilisieren gegen Justizministerin: Hunderte demonstrieren in Paris
NZZ Online: Frankreichs Justizministerin Rachida Dati gerät wegen angeblich übertriebener Selbstdarstellung und mangelnder Kompetenz zunehmend unter Druck. Die Richtergewerkschaften riefen am Donnerstag zu einem landesweiten Aktionstag gegen die Ministerin auf.

In Paris demonstrierten mehrere Hundert Richter und Rechtsanwälte in ihren Roben vor dem Justizministerium. Auf Transparenten forderten sie «Respekt für die Justiz».

Ein ehemaliger Berater der Ministerin sagte der Zeitung «Libération» vom Donnerstag, Dati sei «mehr daran interessiert, auf Zeitschriftentiteln zu erscheinen, als daran, sich in ihre Themen einzuarbeiten». >>> sda/dpa | 24. Oktober 2008

LE POINT: La fronde des magistrats met Rachida Dati sous haute pression

"Les magistrats ont des états d'âme parce qu'ils veulent être reconnus, entendus." La phrase a été lâchée mercredi à Bordeaux par Rachida Dati. Justement pour être "reconnue" et "entendue", la profession, à l'appel de l'Union syndicale des magistrats (USM, syndicat majoritaire) et du Syndicat de la magistrature (SM) organisait jeudi une grande journée d'action nationale contre la politique de la garde des Sceaux.

Plusieurs milliers de magistrats, rejoints par des avocats, se sont ainsi rassemblés en milieu de journée sur les marches de plusieurs palais de justice. A Paris, robes noires et robes rouges, hermine et décorations en évidence, ils se sont pressés sous des banderoles et affichettes demandant "respect pour la justice" ou clamant "justice bafouée, démocratie en danger". "Je suis là pour montrer que le pouvoir judiciaire est bafoué par la Chancellerie. La démocratie est en danger", a expliqué Françoise Froment, présidente de chambre et membre du SM. "La justice spectacle n'est pas la justice de la société", protestait quant à lui l'avocat pénaliste Benoît Chabert. >>> Par Charlotte Chaffanjon (avec agence) | 23/24.10.2008

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Wie das Weltreich Byzanz vor die Hunde ging
Das Weltreich Byzanz. Landkarte dank der Welt
WELT ONLINE: "Star Wars" oder "Herr der Ringe" wären ohne den Schatten dieses Imperiums undenkbar: Das byzantinische Kaiserreich prägte über tausend Jahre maßgebend die Kultur des Abendlandes. London widmet der einstigen Weltmacht Byzanz jetzt eine riesige Ausstellung und zeigt: Auch Supermächte überleben nicht ewig.

Wie aktuell eine Ausstellung über ein vor 550 Jahren untergegangenes fernes Reich sein kann, zeigt ein Blick in die Gegenwart. Zum Beispiel in die Politik: Da ringt die letzte Supermacht der Erde darum, mühsam errungene Positionen im Irak oder Afghanistan bis zum letzten zu halten. Oder in der Popkultur: Was wären "Star Wars", "Der Herr der Ringe" oder Isaac Asimovs großartiger "Foundation-Zyklus" ohne den Schatten eines fernen, schrumpfenden Imperiums, das seine Macht aus der diffusen Vorstellung einstiger Größe bezieht? Nichts.

Und deswegen ist die Ausstellung, die vom 25. Oktober an in der Royal Academy in London zu sehen ist, ein rechtes Déjà-vu. Denn an keinem anderen Beispiel lässt sich Geschichte und Wirkung eines siechenden Imperiums besser studieren als an Byzanz.

Byzanz war Rom, bis zum 29. Mai 1453, als die osmanischen Türken Konstantinopel eroberten und es zu ihrer Hauptstadt machten. Bis zuletzt nannten sich die Byzantiner "Rhomaioi", Römer, stellten sich ihre Kaiser in die Linie, die mit Caesar und Augustus 1500 Jahre zuvor begonnen hatte. Konstantinopel war das "zweite Rom" und sein Patriarch das Oberhaupt der orthodoxen Christenheit.

Vor allem aber war Byzanz für die meiste Zeit seiner Geschichte nicht der belagerte Stadtstaat, als der er im 14. und 15. Jahrhundert erscheint, sondern das reichste und mächtigste Reich des Abendlandes, ja die Frage ist erlaubt, ob es ohne die schützende Hand dieser alt gewordenen Großmacht die Chance gehabt hätte, sich zu formieren. >>> Vonberthold Seewald | 23. Oktober 2008

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Opinion: Tanya Cariina Hsu* - Death of the American Empire: America Is Self-Destructing & Bringing the Rest of the World Down with It
I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. - (Thomas Jefferson, US President; 1743 - 1826)

GLOBAL RESEARCH: America is dying. It is self-destructing and bringing the rest of the world down with it.

Often referred to as a sub-prime mortgage collapse, this obfuscates the real reason. By associating tangible useless failed mortgages, at least something 'real' can be blamed for the carnage. The problem is, this is myth. The magnitude of this fiscal collapse happened because it was all based on hot air.

The banking industry renamed insurance betting guarantees as 'credit default swaps' and risky gambling wagers were called 'derivatives'. Financial managers and banking executives were selling the ultimate con to the entire world, akin to the snake-oil salesmen from the 18th century but this time in suits and ties. And by October 2009 it was a quadrillion-dollar (that's $1,000 trillion) industry that few could understand.

Propped up by false hope, America is now falling like a house of cards.

It all began in the early part of the 20th century. In 1907 J.P. Morgan, a private New York banker, published a rumour that a competing unnamed large bank was about to fail. It was a false charge but customers nonetheless raced to their banks to withdraw their money, in case it was their bank. As they pulled out their funds the banks lost their cash deposits and were forced to call in their loans. People now therefore had to pay back their mortgages to fill the banks with income, going bankrupt in the process. The 1907 panic resulted in a crash that prompted the creation of the Federal Reserve, a private banking cartel with the veneer of an independent government organisation. Effectively, it was a coup by elite bankers in order to control the industry.

When signed into law in 1913, the Federal Reserve would loan and supply the nation's money, but with interest. The more money it was able to print, the more 'income' for itself it generated. By its very nature the Federal Reserve would forever keep producing debt to stay alive. It was able to print America's monetary supply at will, regulating its value. To control valuation however, inflation had to be kept in check.

The Federal Reserve then doubled America's money supply within five years, and in 1920 it called in a mass percentage of loans. Over five thousand banks collapsed overnight. One year later the Federal Reserve again increased the money supply by 62%, but in 1929 it again called the loans back in, en masse. This time, the crash of 1929 caused over sixteen thousand banks to fail and an 89% plunge on the stock market. The private and well-protected banks within the Federal Reserve system were able to snap up the failed banks at pennies on the dollar.

The nation fell into the Great Depression and in April 1933 President Roosevelt issued an executive order that confiscated all gold bullion from the public. Those who refused to turn in their gold would be imprisoned for ten years, and by the end of the year the gold standard was abolished. What had been redeemable for gold became paper 'legal tender', and gold could no longer be exchanged for cash as it had once been.

Later, in 1971, President Nixon removed the dollar from the gold standard altogether, therefore no longer trading at the internationally fixed price of $35. The US dollar was now worth whatever the US decided it was worth because it was 'as good as gold'. It had no standard of measure, and became the universal currency. Treasury bills (short-term notes) and bonds (long-term notes) replaced gold as value, promissory notes of the US government and paid for by the taxpayer. Additionally, because gold was exempt from currency reporting requirements it could not be traced, unlike the fiduciary (i.e. that based upon trust) monetary systems of the West. That was not in America's best interest.

After the Great Depression private banks remained afraid to make home loans, so Roosevelt created Fannie Mae. A state supported mortgage bank, it provided federal funding to finance home mortgages for affordable housing. In 1968 President Johnson privatised Fannie Mae, and in 1970, Freddie Mac was created to compete with Fannie Mae. Both of them bought mortgages from banks and other lenders, and sold them onto new investors.

The post World War II boom had created an America flush with cash and assets. As a military industrial complex, war exponentially profited the US and, unlike any empire in history, it shot to superpower status. But it failed to remember that, historically, whenever empires rose they fell in direct proportion. >>> Tanya Cariina Hsu | October 23, 2008

*Tanya Cariina Hsu is a political researcher and analyst focusing on Saudi Arabian and US relations. One of the contributors to recent written testimony on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the US Congressional Senate Judiciary Committee on behalf of FOCA (Friends of Charities Association) in its Hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., her analysis has been published and critically acclaimed throughout the US, Europe and the Middle East.

The first to break the barrier against public discussion of the Israeli influence upon US foreign policy decision making, in Capitol Hill's "A Clean Break" Symposium in Washington D.C. in 2004, as the Institute for Research: Middle East Policy (IRmep) Director of Development and Senior Research Analyst, Ms. Hsu remains an International Fellow with the Institute.

Born in London, she re-located to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2005 and is currently completing a book on US policy towards Saudi Arabia.

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Malaysia Bans Women from Wearing Men's Clothes and Lesbian Sexual Relations
THE TELEGRAPH: Malaysian women have been banned from "tom-boyism" and lesbian sexual relations in a fatwa from one of the country's top religious authorities.

According to the chairman of the National Fatwa Council, Abdul Shukor Husin, many young women admire the was [sic] men dress and behave, which is a denial of their femininity and a violation of human nature.

"It is unacceptable to see women who love the male lifestyle including dressing in the clothes men wear," he complained, adding, "(Masculine behaviour) becomes clearer when they start to have sex with someone of the same gender, that is woman and woman."

"In view of this," Dr Abdul explained, "the National Fatwa Council which met today have decided and taken the stand that such acts are forbidden and banned."

Male homosexuality - specifically sodomy - is illegal in Malaysia and punishable with up to twenty years in jail. Accusations of sodomy have twice been levelled against the opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in what he says are politically motivated attempts to destroy him. >>> By Thomas Bell, South East Asia Correspondent | October 24, 2008

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Credit Crunch: Its Punishment from God According to Ismail Haniyeh, the Leader of Hamas in Gaza
To the video >>>
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Vote for Me, or Else! Police Fear Riots if Obama Loses US Election
THE TELEGRAPH: US police fear riots could break out if John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, wins the election next month.

Law enforcement officials say the intense public interest and historic nature of the vote could lead to violent outbreaks if people are unhappy with the results, encounter problems casting their ballots or suspect voting irregularities.

Police departments say they cannot rule out disorder and are mobilising extra forces and putting SWAT teams on standby.

In Oakland, near San Francisco, police will have tactical squads, SWAT teams and officers trained in riot control on standby.

"We always try to prepare for the worst," said Oakland police department spokesman Jeff Thomason.

"This election is going to mark in history a change in the presidency: you're going to have a woman in the presidency or an African American as president. I think everybody around here is voting for Obama, so if he gets in the White House everybody's going to be happy.

"But we'll have our SWAT teams on standby and traffic teams here, so if something goes off we'll organise and take care of the problem."

There have also been internet rumours about plans for protests or civil disobedience by supporters of Democratic candidate Barack Obama if he is beaten by Republican rival John McCain on November 4. >>> By Catherine Elsworth in Los Angeles | October 23, 2008

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"Schlechtester Präsident aller Zeiten"
DER STANDARD: Die Stationen George "Dabbelju" Bushs: Nach acht Jahren im Weißen Haus hinterlässt der scheidende US-Präsident den Amerikanern ein schweres Erbe[.]

Das Budget ist aus dem Ruder gelaufen, die Army steckt im Irak fest, und das US-Renommee in der Welt ist so schlecht wie nie.

George W. Bush steht daneben. Grau, zerfurcht, so als ob ihn das Ganze gar nichts mehr anginge. Nicolas Sarkozy dagegen sprüht vor Energie und Selbstvertrauen. Der französische Präsident übernimmt das Ruder in Camp David, gestikuliert, will die Finanzkrise quasi im Alleingang lösen. Sein amerikanischer Kollege erfüllt seine Pflicht.
Die Bilder der Pressekonferenz vor wenigen Tagen auf dem Landsitz des Präsidenten sind die optische Übersetzung für den Begriff „lahme Ente". Damit werden US-Präsidenten eigentlich zwischen einer Wahl im November und ihrem Ausscheiden aus dem Amt im Jänner [Januar] bedacht. Bush dagegen muss sich schon vor der Zeit so titulieren lassen, kaum einer seiner 42 Vorgänger hat so viel Autorität in seinem Amt eingebüßt. [Quelle: Der Standard} | 23. Oktober 2008

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Pilgerreise nach Florida
SUEDDEUTSCHE: Traditionell wählen die amerikanischen Juden eher den demokratischen Kandidaten - doch diesmal können die Republikaner von einem Rekordergebnis träumen.

Bei Umfragen im Frühjahr hatten sich zwischen 61 und 65 Prozent der jüdischen Wähler für den Kandidaten der Demokraten, Senator Barack Obama, ausgesprochen. Im Laufe des Sommers aber gerieten diese Zahlen ins Rutschen. Einer Gerstein/Agne-Umfrage zufolge lag die Zustimmungsrate für Obama unter jüdischen Wählern im Juli bei 58 Prozent, während eine vergangene Woche veröffentlichte Umfrage des American Jewish Committee 57 Prozent ergab.

Nun droht ein weiteres Abbröckeln der jüdischen Unterstützung: Zwei unlängst von Obama-Gefolgsleuten begangene grobe Schnitzer im Umgang mit der Jüdischen Gemeinde lösten heftige Gegenreaktionen aus.

Zum ersten Eklat kam es, als jüdische Gruppen am 22. September eine Protestkundgebung gegen den Auftritt des iranischen Präsidenten Mahmud Ahmadinedschad vor der UN-Vollversammlung organisierten. Die Organisatoren hatten die republikanische Vizepräsidentschaftskandidatin und Gouverneurin Sarah Palin sowie andere Politiker beider Kampagnen eingeladen, bei der Demonstration eine Rede zu halten. Sarah Palin wurde indes auf Betreiben von Senatorin Hillary Clinton wieder ausgeladen.

Nicht nur jüdische Republikaner waren verärgert über die Brüskierung von Sarah Palin. Auch jüdische Demokraten reagierten irritiert auf die Initiative des Clinton-Obama-Lagers, durch die ein Konsens-Thema zum Spielball der Politik zu werden schien. >>> Von Rafael Medoff | 23. Oktober 2008

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Iran ‘Would Prefer’ Barack Obama Presidency
Photo of Ali Larijani courtesy of The Telegraph
THE TELEGRAPH: Iran would prefer Barack Obama to be elected as the next US president, Ali Larijani, the speaker of Iran's parliament, has said.

"We are leaning more in favour of Barack Obama because he is more flexible and rational [than rival John McCain], even though we know American policy will not change that much," he said.

Mr Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, has spoken about holding talks with the Iranian leadership "without precondition", a stance which has been ridiculed by his rival John McCain. >>> | October 23, 2008

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BAE Systems Executive 'Questioned over Alleged European Bribery'
THE TELEGRAPH: A senior BAE Systems executive has been arrested and questioned by the Serious Fraud Office over suspected bribery to win lucrative arms contracts, it has been reported.

Julian Scopes, the company's former head of government affairs, was interviewed by SFO officers at Guildford police station on Sunday, according to the Financial Times.

Alfons Mensdorff-Pouilly, a Viennese count who worked as a consultant for BAE, was arrested, questioned and bailed by investigators on the same day, having been intercepted en route from Vienna to his Scottish mansion. His lawyer told the FT he denies any wrongdoing.

Mr Scopes declined to comment, the FT reported, adding that the SFO said a 55-year-old man was arrested and interviewed on suspicion of corruption before being released on police bail to appear next year.

Mr Scopes, 55, who is also a former private secretary to the late defence minister Alan Clark, worked at the Ministry of Defence for more than 20 years before joining BAE Systems.

After taking up the role of head of government affairs, he was responsible for smoothing out dealings between the company and the MoD and other government bodies. He was made head of the company's Indian operation last month.

The interviews came as part of an international investigation into suspected bribes of high-level officials in countries including Austria and the Czech Republic. Officers raided a number of properties in Britain, Austria and Hungary last month. >>> By Jon Swaine | October 23, 2008

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Queen to Meet ‘Britain’s Schindler’ in Second Stage of Tour [of the Former Yugoslavia]
Photo of Nicholas Winton, "Britain’s Schindler", courtesy of The Telegraph
THE TELEGRAPH: The Queen is to meet a man known as "Britain's Schindler" because of his work saving Jews from the Nazis as she continues her tour of the former Yugoslavia.

The monarch will meet Sir Nicholas Winton, 99, as she travels to the Slovakian capital Bratislava.

The Nobel Peace Prize nominee rescued around 670 Jewish Czech children in the run up to the Second World War.

In 1938, Winton, then a young stockbroker, cancelled a skiing holiday to Switzerland and went instead to Czechoslovakia on a friend's recommendation.

There he found camps full of Jewish refugees who had fled Nazi-occupied Sudetenland, and set about trying to help them.

He transported 669 youngsters to Britain before World War II broke out and, without his intervention they would almost certainly have died. >>> By Charlotte Bailey | October 23, 2008

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Haider’s Deputy Reveals Gay Affair
Photo of Jörg Haider with Stefan Petzner courtesy of The Independent
THE INDEPENDENT: Conservative Austria was in a state of shock today after the male successor to Jörg Haider admitted to having a longstanding “special relationship” with the far right leader who died dramatically in a high speed car crash earlier this month.

Stefan Petzner – the 27-year-old who recently replaced Haider as leader of the right wing Alliance for the Future of Austria and has often appeared in tears on television since his death - effectively outed himself as the deceased’s gay lover while being interviewed on an Austrian radio breakfast show.

“I had to go to him. I had to go to him,” Mr Petzner said in his highly emotional interview as he recalled how he rushed to the hospital where the dead body of 52-year-old* [sic] Haider was lying after his fatal crash in early October.

Admitting that he felt a “magnetic attraction” for Haider, whom he met five years ago while working as a cosmetics reporter, Mr Petzner insisted: “We had a relationship that went far beyond friendship. Jörg and I were connected by something truly special. He was the man of my life.”

He insisted that Mr Haider’s widow, Claudia did not object to his relationship: “She loved him as a woman. He loved her as a man. I loved him in a completely different and personal way. She understood that,” Mr Petzner said. However, the young man’s sister Christiane suggested in a newspaper interview that Mrs Haider had not always been so understanding. “Sometimes Claudia was jealous because Stefan would spend more time with her husband than she did.”

Clearly embarrassed by the revelations, party officials today attempted to limit the political damage and cancelled forthcoming interviews with Mr Petzner. Their attempts to prevent his radio interview being rebroadcast, however, were unsuccessful. >>> By Tony Paterson in Berlin | October 22, 2008

*Jörg Haider was actually born in 1950.

YouTube Video: Stefan Petzner: Jörg Haider ist tot


DIE PRESSE: Neuer BZÖ-Klubchef Bucher: Kampfansage an ÖVP

Foto von Josef Bucher , der neue BZÖ-Klubchef dank der Presse
Knalleffekt in der Obmannsuche: Der 43-jährige Kärntner Josef Bucher wird überraschend neuer BZÖ-Klubchef. Der designierte Parteichef Stefan Petzner hatte Bucher selbst vorgeschlagen.

Am Ende der längeren konstituierenden Sitzung im Parlament des BZÖ am Mittwoch stand eine faustdicke Überraschung: Josef Buchner, 43-jähriger Kärntner aus Friesach wurde einstimmig zum neuen Klubobmann gewählt. Bucher wird fünf Stellvertreter haben: Den designierten BZÖ-Obmann Stefan Petzner, Ursula Haubner, Herbert Scheibner, Ewald Stadler und Peter Westenthaler. Petzner, der als Favorit galt, sagte nach der Sitzung, er selbst habe Bucher als Klubobmann vorgeschlagen.



"Ich glaube, dass wir uns sehr gut ergänzen", so Bucher über Petzner. Der neue Klubchef sieht in der Trennung der beiden Führungspositionen "überhaupt nichts Ungewöhnliches". Petzner sei als Stratege unverzichtbar, vor allem, da es in den kommenden Jahren einige Wahlen zu schlagen gebe. Petzner wiederum würdigte Bucher als Wirtschaftsprofi, der gerade in Zeiten der Finanzkrise absolutes Know-how vorzuweisen habe. >>> | 23. Oktober 2008

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Streit um das Kopftuch in der Türkei neu entfacht: Richter sollen das Parlament hintergangen haben
Foto von Erdogan mit seiner Frau dank der NZZ
NZZ Online: In der Türkei flammt der Streit um das islamische Kopftuch wieder auf. Das Verfassungsgericht in Ankara begründete am Mittwoch, weshalb es die Freigabe des Kopftuches für Studentinnen an den Universitäten des Landes gestoppt hatte.

Mit einer Mehrheit von neun gegen zwei Stimmen hatten die Richter im Juni eine vom Parlament mit grosser Mehrheit verabschiedete Verfassungsänderung gekippt. Die Kopftuchfreiheit verstosse gegen das Prinzip des Laizismus, erklärten die Richter jetzt in ihrer 20-seitigen Begründung, wie Zeitungen und Fernsehsender meldeten.

Kritiker warfen den Richtern vor, das Parlament entmachtet zu haben. Dieses hatte im Februar mit den Stimmen der religiös- konservativen Regierungspartei AKP von Ministerpräsident Recep Tayyip Erdogan und der rechtsnationalen Oppositionspartei MHP beschlossen, Studentinnen das Tragen des Kopftuches auf dem Universitäts-Gelände zu erlauben. >>> sda/afp | 22. Oktober 2008

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