Le très républicain «Chicago Tribune» vote Obama
LE FIGARO: VIDÉO - Depuis 1847, le quotidien de Chicago a toujours soutenu les candidats républicains. Cette fois, c'est le démocrate Obama qui a ses faveurs. Son éditorialiste a confié à notre envoyée spéciale les raisons de ce revirement historique. >>> Charlotte Menegaux | 29.10.2008

L’EXPRESS.fr: Barack Obama lance une gigantesque offensive télévisée

Le candidat démocrate a acheté une demi-heure en prime time sur les principaux réseaux américains. Barack Obama abordera les questions économiques. Ce show lui coûte plusieurs millions de dollars.

Tirant ses dernières cartouches de la campagne présidentielle américaine, le démocrate Barack Obama prévoit de mener une offensive éclair sur les chaînes de télévision avec une intervention de 30 minutes, mercredi, centrée sur les questions économiques.

Obama a acheté auprès de plusieurs réseaux, tels que CBS, NBC ou Fox, mais également auprès de la chaîne Comedy Central, une demi-heure d'intervention en "prime-time". >>> Par LEXPRESS.fr | 29.10.2008

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Somalia: Islamisten töten Dutzende Menschen
STERN: Bei einer Serie von Selbstmordanschlägen sind im Norden Somalias mindestens 25 Menschen getötet und mehr als 40 verletzt worden. In der Region Somaliland griffen islamistische Attentäter ein Regierungsbüro, eine Einrichtung der Vereinten Nationen und die äthiopische Botschaft an.

Bei fünf Selbstmordattentaten in Somalia sind am Mittwoch mindestens 25 Menschen ums Leben gekommen, mehr als 40 wurden verletzt. Von den Anschlägen waren die äthiopische Botschaft und das UN-Entwicklungsprogramm UNDP in Hargeisa im halbautonomen Somaliland betroffen. Die Attentäter durchbrachen in ihren mit Sprengstoff beladenen Fahrzeugen den Eingangsbereich und zündeten die Bomben. >>> DPA/Reuters | 29. Oktober 2008

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Isolation als letzter Ausweg
ZEIT ONLINE: In den USA steigt die Gewalt gegen homosexuelle Schüler. In Chicago soll ihnen eine eigene Schule nun Schutz bieten. Das Konzept ist umstritten

Lawrence King starb an einem Freitag im vergangenen Februar. King war 15 Jahre alt und schwul. Letzteres wurde ihm zum Verhängnis. Sein 14-jähriger Mörder, Brandon McInerney, verabscheute "Larry“ für dessen sexuelle Orientierung. Er schoss ihm während des Unterrichts zweimal in den Kopf. King hatte zwei Tage zuvor gewagt, McInerney zum Valentinstag einzuladen.

In Chicago soll nun eine Schule nur für schwule und lesbische Schüler eröffnet werden, um sie zu schützen. Der Fall Lawrence King mag zwar ein Extrembeispiel sein, doch immer mehr homosexuelle Jugendliche fühlen sich wegen ihrer sexuellen Orientierung unterdrückt.

Laut einer kürzlich veröffentlichten Studie des Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) versäumen homosexuelle Schüler in den Vereinigten Staaten drei Mal häufiger als andere Schüler den Unterricht, weil sie sich verfolgt fühlen. 86 Prozent gaben an, beschimpft worden zu sein, 22 Prozent wurden bereits körperlich verletzt. Mehr als die Hälfte der befragten Schüler (60,8 Prozent) fühlt sich in der eigenen Schule nicht mehr sicher. Und die Unterdrückung schlägt sich auch auf die Benotung nieder: Homosexuelle Schüler sind in den Vereinigten Staaten im Schnitt um eine halbe Notenstufe schlechter als ihre heterosexuellen Klassenkameraden.

Doch der Plan für den Pride Campus an der School of Social Justice ist in den USA umstritten. Gegner führen an, dass eine eigene Schule nicht dazu führen würde, Schwule und Lesben in die Gesellschaft zu integrieren, sondern im Gegenteil die Trennung noch vorantreiben würde. Sie fordern stattdessen Gesetze, die Schüler vor homophoben Übergriffen schützen sollen. >>> Von Martin Gantner | 24. Oktober 2008

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Britain at War

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Wafa Sultan on Sharia
Say NO to SHARIA! - Mark

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Nordkorea droht Südkorea mit "Zerstörung"
DIE PRESSE: Das kommunistische Land wirft dem Nachbarn eine "Lügenkampagne" vor und droht mit der Anwendung seines "gesamten Arsenals". Diktator Kim Jong-il befindet sich laut japanischem Geheimdienst im Krankenhaus.

Nordkorea hat Südkorea die Zerstörung seines "Marionettenregimes" angedroht. Das Militär des kommunistischen Landes warf dem südlichen Nachbarn am Dienstag eine "Lügenkampagne" vor und erklärte, sollte diese nicht beendet werden, werde die Armee "ihr gesamtes Arsenal" anwenden.

"Präventivschlag" gegen "Marionettenregime"

"Das Marionettenregime sollte sich darüber im Klaren sein, dass unser progressive Präventivschlag es nicht nur unter Feuer nehmen, sondern alles in Trümmer legen wird, was gegen unsere Nation und die Wiedervereinigung ist", hieß es in der Erklärung. Konkret kritisierte die Militärführung eine Flugblattaktion südkoreanischer Bürgerrechtler. Die Aktivisten haben in den vergangenen Monaten wiederholt kritische Erklärungen per Luftballon in den Norden geschickt.

"Wir bekräftigen unsere Haltung, dass wir eine entschlossene praktische Aktion unternehmen werden, wenn das südkoreanische Marionettenregime weiterhin Flugschriften verbreitet und die Lügenkampagne mit reinen Fantasiegespinsten fortsetzt", betonte das nordkoreanische Militär. Nordkorea hat die Aktion am Montag bei einer der wenigen Militärberatungen mit dem Süden scharf kritisiert.

Das Verhältnis zwischen den beiden Staaten hat sich seit dem Amtsantritt des neuen südkoreanischen Präsidenten Lee Myung-bak im Februar verschlechtert, der einen harten Kurs gegenüber dem Norden angekündigt hat. Die USA haben Tausende Soldaten an der innerkoreanischen Grenze stationiert. >>> 28. Oktober 2008

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David Limbaugh - Obama: Fundamental Change? Count on It
TOWNHALL.COM: I am sincerely worried that if Obama wins, the checks and balances incorporated into our Constitution may not be enough to prevent a radical and irreversible diminution of our individual liberties because a confluence of factors has emerged to create a climate conducive to fundamental change.

These factors are: a shockingly unknown candidate, whose mysterious past and numerous shady alliances are deliberately left unexplored by a corrupt, supportive media; the candidate's charismatic qualities that inspire a cultish loyalty; his intellectual trappings that create a fascination and allure among the intellectual elite, including some hypnotized conservatives; a major financial crisis that exacerbates the people's fears and uncertainties; a largely manufactured cloud of negativity placed over America by the media and a grossly partisan Democratic Party that places its self-interest above the national interest; and an apparently discredited Republican Party and conservative movement that have been blamed for our actual and perceived problems.

All of these could lead to entrusting this man with unprecedented power, giving him a license to operate with minimum scrutiny and an opposition party effectively impotent to oppose his radical blueprint for America. >>> By David Limbaugh | October 28, 2008

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RNW Launches Arabic Radio Programme
RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE: Radio Netherlands Worldwide is launching an Arabic radio programme called 'Huna Amsterdam' (This is Amsterdam calling). The Arabic department is venturing into a thick jungle of satellite and radio stations with its programme of daily news and current affairs. Nevertheless, Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW) believes it has something to add to the media landscape. 



The Arabic media landscape has changed considerably since the 1990s. Government-controlled state radio and television has made way for hundreds of border-crossing satellite stations such as al Jazeera and al Arabiyya: an enormous boost for press freedom in the Middle East. Nevertheless, these satellite stations are also struggling with the limitations placed on press freedom and the need for self-censorship, as they are often financed by Arab governments. 


New opportunities

Fourteen years ago, the emergence of satellite stations was the reason why RNW ended its shortwave radio broadcasts in Arabic. Now, RNW sees new opportunities, via the Internet, satellite, shortwave, mediumwave and FM.

There is a demand for independent, reliable news and analysis of events in this region. Radio Netherlands Worldwide's Arabic department will provide these using experts in the Western and Arabic worlds as well as the expertise that exists within its own editorial team. The 12 journalists in the team are from Morocco, Iraq, the Palestinian territories, Algeria, Libya, Sudan and the Netherlands. >>> By Nicolien Den Boer | October 27, 2008

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Prophet Mohammed Film The Message Set for Remake
THE TELEGRAPH: A remake of The Message, a movie about the life of the Prophet Mohammed, is to be filmed, its producers have said.

"The Messenger of Peace", to be shot around the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, was originally a 1977 Hollywood film made by Moustapha Akkad and starring Anthony Quinn.

It is often applauded by Muslims as an example of how commercial Western cinema can respect Islam.

Producer Oscar Zoghbi, who worked on the original, said: "We have only the utmost respect for Akkad's work but technology in cinema has advanced since the 1970s and this latest project will employ modern film techniques in its renewal of the first film's core messages."

Executive producer of the new movie, Hajja Subhia Abu Elheja, said: "Since 9/11, Islam's image has suffered tremendously.

"Now more than ever it has become important to bridge the gap of understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims."

"It is telling that only one great historical film has ever been made about Islam, a religion with 1.5 billion followers, whereas Christianity has been the subject of over 30."

The film's scriptwriter Ramsey Thomas, said: "In the 21st century there is a real need for a film that emotionally engages audiences on the journey that led to the birth of Islam." >>> By Chris Irvine | October 28, 2008

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Seal of Approval for Sharia Councils?
THE TELEGRAPH: Bridget Prentice, the Justice Minister, has put the legitimacy of Sharia rulings in the limelight again with suggestions that mediation on family disputes could go before English judges

Debate on the status of Sharia in the UK has been stoked by Bridget Prentice, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice, in comments last week that “Sharia has no jurisdiction in England and Wales and there is no intention to change this position”.

For good measure she added: “we do not accommodate any other religious legal system in this country’s laws”. And, as lawyers would say, for the further avoidance of doubt she threw in: “religious courts are always subservient to the established family courts of England and Wales”.

But her comments, in a parliamentary answer to Michael Penning, Shadow Minister for Health, brought criticism that ministers have now given the seal of approval to Sharia “courts”, or councils, in Britain.

The reason? The Justice Minister went on to say that in any family dispute dealing with money or children, if the parties to a judgment by a Sharia council want it recognised by the English authorities, they are free to draft a consent order embodying the terms of the agreement and submit it to an English court. This, she said, allows English judges to scrutinise it to ensure that it complies with English legal tenets.

That “add-on” does seem to raise the spectre of legitimising Sharia rulings. Religious courts already are widely used to settle personal disputes — any member of a religious community can use such a court and abide by its decision.

Decisions are subject to national law and can only be enforced when the religious court acts as an arbitrator under the Arbitration Act 1996 , the minister said — and then only when a decision is not contrary to public policy or English law. >>> Frances Gibb, Legal Editor | October 28, 2008

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The Telegraph: George W Bush in Pictures
To the Telegraph gallery >>>
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Belgian Cookery Show Cancelled after Cooking Up Adolf Hitler's Favourite Meal
THE TELEGRAPH: Adolf Hitler's favourite dish of trout in butter sauce is off the menu for a popular Belgian television cooking show after an outcry from Belgium's Jewish community and victims of Nazi concentration camps.

The banned footage shows Jeroen Meus, a 30-year-old Flemish TV chef, catching trout before cooking up the "favourite meal of an atrocious man" at Hitler's Kehlsteinhaus, Eagle's Nest, hideaway in the Bavarian Alps.

Belgium's VRT broadcaster has cancelled the programme after deeming it "too sensitive" to air as part of the popular Plat Préféré, or Favourite Dish, series profiling the menu choices of famous people.

"There was a wrong perception that the show about Hitler would humanise or, worse, glorify Hitler," said a statement by the broadcaster.

Contrary to popular belief, Hitler was not a strict vegetarian and enjoyed some meat and fish dishes including squab, liver dumplings, caviar and, his supposed favourite, succulent trout in butter sauce.

Michael Freilich, editor of Joods Actueel, a Jewish weekly based in Antwerp, joined with associations of Belgians deported to concentration camps to condemn the programme as "presenting Hitler as a simple man of the people". >>> By Bruno Waterfield in Brussels | October 28, 2008

MAIL Online: Outcry over Belgian TV Cookery Show that Teaches Viewers How to Cook Hitler's Favourite Meals

Trout with butter sauce said to be Hitler’s favourite meal. Photo courtesy of Mail Online
A TV show re-creating Adolf Hitler's favourite meal has come under fire from Jewish and political prisoner organisations.

In a programme for the Belgian series 'Plat Prefere' [sic], or 'Favourite Dish', cook Jeroen Meus goes to Hitler's haunts in southern Germany to prepare trout with butter sauce, 'a succulent festive meal'. It is due to be shown next week.

Criticism was led yesterday by Michael Freilich, the editor of Joods Actueel magazine, who said it was worrying that Hitler is being turned into a banal figure, thus sending 'the wrong signal' to a younger generation. >>> | October 25, 2008

HAARETZ: Belgian TV Scraps Show on Hitler's Favorite Meal

Amid widespread criticism, a Belgian public broadcaster on Monday scrapped a television show on Adolf Hitler's favorite meal.

Belgium's Flemish broadcaster VRT said the episode on Hitler's culinary tastes was too sensitive to air and did not fit the series Plat Prefere [sic], or Favorite Dish, which profiles the favorite foods of famous people.

Other episodes have featured more positively viewed subjects, including British singer Freddie Mercury, opera legend Maria Callas and artist Salvador Dali.

"There was a wrong perception that the show about Hitler would humanize or, worse, glorify Hitler," VRT said on its Web site.

A preview of the Hitler episode showed professional cook Jeroen Meus going to Hitler's haunts in southern Germany to prepare trout with butter sauce, which is believed to have been one of Hitler's favorite meals. >>> AP | October 27, 2008

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Foreign Preachers of Hate to Be Banned from UK
How many times have we heard this refrain from this government? Regardless of the number of times, sweet little is being done about the problem! Till now, this government has had nothing but milk teeth and has done nothing but pussy-foot around, preferring, it seems, not to want to upset our hardline Muslim detractors.

Jacqui Smith has certainly not proved herself to be this country’s most effective Home Secretary of all time; and she has come up with some rather inane suggestions in the past. Now she wants to “name and shame” the preachers of hate. Does she really believe that these people care a damn? In any case, if she understood the threat of Islam to Western civilization, democracy, our way of life, and freedom of speech and expression, she would understand that such people are not ashamed of their behaviour; on the contrary, they are proud of it. After all, they are working in the cause and way of Allah! - ©Mark

THE TELEGRAPH: Foreign-born "preachers of hate" will have to publicly renounce their views or be barred from the UK, under new plans to be unveiled by the Government.

Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, is to announce a package of measures aimed at making it harder for extremists to enter the country.

The new rules will also affect anyone suspected of advocating illegal action to stir up tensions, including anti-abortionists, far-right groups and animal rights activists.

It is expected that foreign-born extremists will be forced to retract controversial statements, and will have to refute specific allegations made against them.

Currently, the burden of proof lies with the authorities, who must show that alleged extremists still hold the views ascribed to them.

Those accused of advocating illegal action may also have to make a public statement of their support for democracy if they want to stay in Britain.

The new rules are also set to hand new powers to the Home Office to name people blocked from entering Britain and share their details with other countries. Currently individuals involved are guaranteed anonymity unless they choose to go public and fight their ban.

On Monday, Miss Smith said the Government planned to "name and shame" some extremists banned from entering the UK.

"Where it is in our interest we will name these people," the Home Secretary told MPs in the House of Commons.

"Coming to the UK is a privilege, and I don't want to extend that privilege to individuals who abuse our standards and values to undermine our way of life." >>> By Matthew Moore and Jon Swaine | October 28, 2008

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Help the White Working Class or Risk Surge in Far-Right Extremists, Says Equalities Chief
MAIL ONLINE: Britain risks a surge in Right-wing extremism if it fails to help its white working class weather the recession, the equalities chief will warn today.

Trevor Phillips will break with years of political convention to call for the law to be changed to enshrine positive discrimination in favour of disadvantaged whites.

His startling intervention in the race debate is a rebuke to Harriet Harman, who earlier this year trumpeted plans to make companies discriminate in favour of women and ethnic minorities.

Mr Phillips said ministers should allow councils and education authorities to introduce 'positive action' programmes aimed specifically at young whites unable to compete with highly skilled immigrants because the 'need is so great'.

And he warned that immigration has fuelled 'resentments that are real and should not be dismissed – resentments felt by white, black and Asian'.

The chairman of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission set out his thinking to the Daily Mail ahead of his appearance at a CBI event on immigration today alongside immigration minister Phil Woolas.

Mr Phillips said failure to help white families hit by the downturn could drive them into the arms of far-Right parties similar to those that have brought turmoil to Austria, Belgium and Holland.

He also warned that ministers needed to acknowledge the resentment by some whites over what they see as unfair help given to blacks and Asians. >>> By Benedict Brogan | October 28, 2008

MAIL Online: Financial Crisis Will Send One Million Immigrant Workers Home, Race Chief Says

Trevor Phillips, the chairman of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, has said that one million migrant workers will be sent home due to the global financial crisis.

Mr Phillips said that without the departure of the immigrant workers, unemployment in Britain would be closer to 3 million than 2 million.

The mass exodus would be one of the largest since 300,000 people a year left the country during the first World War.

Up to 400,000 Polish workers in Britain and Ireland are expected to lose their jobs and return home where job prospects are better.

Polish government advisers recently predicted that around a third of the 1.2 million Poles currently in the UK could also move to another country to seek employment.

In a wide-ranging speech at a CBI conference, Mr Phillips predicted migrants would begin to send home more cash in remittances, as they sought to help relatives in other countries gripped by the crisis.

And he said that, while it was no longer racist to debate immigration, the terms must be 'realistic and sober', not 'apocalyptic'.

Mr Phillips warned: 'At a moment when as the Prime Minister says we need to focus ruthlessly on managing our way through the combination of financial crisis and economic adjustment that rightly preoccupies most of us today, anything that fans the flames of anti-immigrant hysteria is merely a dangerous, divisive, distraction.'

He also insisted the UK was not 'full', but needed migration to be better spread around. At present, it is concentrated in London and the South East. >>> By James Slack | October 29, 2008

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Muslim GP Faces Sack over Homophobic Letter
THE INDEPENDENT: The head of the Islamic Medical Association sent a homophobic letter to a magazine for GPs, saying gay people needed the "stick of law to put them on the right path", the General Medical Council heard today.

Dr Muhammad Siddiq was working as a GP at the Walsall Teaching Primary Care Trust when he wrote the letter to Pulse in July last year.

A GMC fitness to practise panel, in Manchester, heard Dr Siddiq's letter read: "There is punishment and fine if you throw rubbish or filth on the streets, the gays are worse than the ordinary careless citizen, they are causing the spread of illness and they are the root cause of many sexually-transmitted diseases.

"They need neither sympathy nor help, what they need is the stick of law to put them on the right path." >>> By Harriet Shawcross, PA | October 28, 2008

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Farewell Israel: Bush, Iran and the Revolt of Islam

Farewell Israel: A political documentary - official website >>>

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Having Sex on Dubai Beach Set to Get Dearer
BBC: Two Britons found guilty of having sex on a Dubai beach could have their jail terms increased, their lawyer has said.

Michelle Palmer, 36, of Oakham, Rutland, and Vince Acors, 34, of Bromley, south-east London, were both sentenced to three months in prison.

But Hassan Matter said prosecutors had lodged an appeal, arguing the sentence was "not enough", and a judge would now have to decide whether to extend it.

Mr Matter has already lodged an appeal against the pair's convictions.

Both were found guilty of unmarried sex and public indecency at Dubai's Court of First Instance earlier this month.

They were also fined 1,000 dirhams (£160; $350) for being drunk in a public place and issued with deportation orders. Beach Sex Sentence ‘May Increase’ >>> | October 27, 2008

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Somalia: Christian Aid Worker Beheaded for Converting from Islam
COMPASS DIRECT NEWS: Anti-Christian violence spills into Kenya as Somali Muslims attack in Nairobi.

NAIROBI, Kenya, October 27 – Among at least 24 aid workers killed in Somalia this year was one who was beheaded last month specifically for converting from Islam to Christianity, among other charges, according to an eyewitness. Muslim extremists from the al Shabab group fighting the transitional government on Sept. 23 sliced the head off of Mansuur Mohammed, 25, a World Food Program (WFP) worker, before horrified onlookers of Manyafulka village, 10 kilometers (six miles) from Baidoa. The militants had intercepted Mohammed and a WFP driver, who managed to escape, earlier in the morning. Sources close to Mohammed’s family said he converted from Islam to Christianity in 2005. The eyewitness, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said the militants that afternoon gathered the villagers of Manyafulka, telling them that they would prepare a feast for them. Five masked men emerged, carrying guns, wielding Somali swords and dragging the handcuffed Mohammed. One recited the Quran as he proclaimed that Mohammed was a “murtid,” an Arabic term for one who converts from Islam to Christianity. Mohammed remained calm with an expressionless face, never uttering a word, said the eyewitness. [Source: Compass Direct News] | Monday, October 27, 2008

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Religious Law ‘Subservient’ to Family Courts, Says Minister
THE TELEGRAPH: But the Government fails to persuade non-Muslims that sharia is no threat to English common law.

Like most people, I am concerned about the spread of Islamic law in Britain. I thought it important to report last week that the law lords had condemned sharia law in Lebanon as “arbitrary and discriminatory” because it would have prevented a mother from bringing up her own child.

But before condemning the Justice Minister, Bridget Prentice, for her written answer in Parliament on Thursday, I think it is important to consider exactly what she said.

The minister was asked what guidance had been issued on the validity of fatwas and of other rulings issued by religious authorities to decide matrimonial disputes.

“We do not issue any guidance on the validity of fatwas or other rulings by a religious authority,” she replied, “because there is no need for such guidance. Sharia law has no jurisdiction in England and Wales and there is no intention to change this position.

“Similarly, we do not accommodate any other religious legal system in this country's laws. Any order in a family case is made or approved by a family judge applying English family law.”

A pretty robust reply, then. Why all the fuss?

Because the minister went on to point out that, in a family dispute dealing with money or children, the parties to a judgment in a sharia council might wish to have this recognised by English authorities. In that case, she explained, they were at liberty to draft a consent order embodying the terms of the agreement and submit it to an English court.

That draft would not be binding on the judiciary, she stressed. But the process “allows English judges to scrutinise it to ensure that it complies with English legal tenets”.

Now I am perfectly prepared to accept that judicial scrutiny may, in practice, be quite perfunctory. If that is so, we should not tolerate it: English judges must consider sharia-based consent orders with great care.

This is particularly important where children are involved. As the law lords told us last week, there is a “rule of sharia law dictating that at the age of seven a child’s physical custody automatically passes from the mother to the father or another male member of his family”.

I cannot imagine that anybody would seek approval of such an arrangement from an English court. It would be rejected immediately and could be set aside if approved in error.

And sharia-inspired financial settlements on divorce or separation may be rather less obvious. Under sharia, a woman is not regarded as equal to a man. There must be a grave risk that women will be treated less favourably by a sharia council than those claiming maintenance through a secular court. >>> By Joshua Rozenberg | October 27, 2008

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Verschwörung zur Ermordung Obamas vereitelt
TAGES ANZEIGER: Die US-Polizei hat nach eigenen Angaben eine Verschwörung von zwei Neonazis zur Ermordung des schwarzen Präsidentschaftskandidaten Barack Obama vereitelt. Das berichtet die Nachrichtenagentur AP.

Wie aus Gerichtsakten, die heute freigegeben wurden, weiter hervorgeht, wollten die zwei Männer laut Agentenberichten im Staat Tennessee einen Waffenladen ausrauben und dann eine vor allem von schwarzen Jugendlichen besuchte Schule überfallen. Ausserdem hätten die zwei Skinheads im Alter von 18 und 20 Jahren insgesamt 102 schwarze Schüler erschossen oder enthaupten wollen, hiess es.

Anschlag auf Obama als «finaler Akt» geplant

Ihr letztes Ziel nach dem Blutbad wäre Barack Obama gewesen. «Sie erklärten, das sei ihr letzter, finaler Akt, dass sie versuchen würden, Senator Obama zu töten,» sagte Jim Cavanaugh, ein Spezialagent der für Waffen, Sprengstoff und Alkohol zuständigen Bundespolizeibehörde, der Nachrichtenagentur AP. «Sie glaubten nicht, dass sie das schaffen würden, aber dass sie bei dem Versuch selbst getötet würden.» >>> cpm/ap/sda | 27. Oktober 2008

THE TELEGRAPH: White Supremacist 'Plot' to Assassinate Barack Obama Foiled

A neo-Nazi plot to assassinate Barack Obama has been uncovered days before the American presidential election.

US government agents say they have thwarted a plan by two conspirators to kill the White House front-runner and shoot or decapitate 102 black people.

Daniel Cowart, 20, and Paul Schlesselman, 18, were arrested in Tennessee on Wednesday and charged with possession of firearms, threats against a presidential candidate running and conspiring to rob a gun store, the Department of Justice said.

The plot is understood to centre on Tennessee where Martin Luther King was assassinated exactly 40 years ago. >>> By Toby Harnden in Pittsburgh | October 28, 2008

MAIL Online: Can the ‘Black Jesus’ Escape and Assassin’s Bullet?

Excluding the sneaking suspicion that the American electorate has collectively lied to the opinion pollsters for fear of appearing to be racists, it seems that only one thing can now prevent Barack Obama's date with destiny: an assassin's bullet.

This might sound alarmist, but drive past Obama's £1 million mansion in the affluent Chicago suburb of Hyde Park - one of the few mixed neighbourhoods in a city still shockingly segregated four decades after Martin Luther King based his civil rights crusade here - and you realise how seriously the threat is taken.

To the anger of his neighbours, who can no longer park in their own driveways without being subjected to airport-style vetting, the house is protected night and day by a dozen armed officers with 'Secret Service' emblazoned on their bulletproof vests.

The road, off-limits to all but local residents, is blocked by huge concrete slabs which detract from the eye-catching display of pumpkins that Obama's wife Michelle and two young daughters have laid around their front gate for Halloween.

Is an audacious attack really expected? Given that Obama has an unprecedented level of protection for a Presidential candidate, it is clear the authorities believe his life is in danger.

Since Obama entered the race, 500 death threats have been intercepted, and though many have been almost laughably half-baked, about a dozen were sufficiently serious for the suspects to be traced and questioned. >>> By David Jones in Chicago | October 29, 2008

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John McCain dénonce le triomphalisme d'Obama
Photo grâce au Figaro
LE FIGARO: Le candidat républicain attaque sans relâche pour faire mentir les sondages qui le donnent toujours derrière Obama. Mais moins loin.

Dans une semaine et un jour, les jeux seront faits. La nervosité est perceptible chez les électeurs démocrates qui n'osent encore croire à la victoire de leur favori. «On y avait cru les deux dernières fois avec Gore et Kerry. Les républicains vont tout faire pour créer des problèmes aux urnes le jour du vote, comme on l'a vu en Floride en 2000 et dans l'Ohio en 2004», dit Ann, une New-Yorkaise dont les craintes sont partagées par de nombreux partisans de Barack Obama. Au retour d'une visite éclair à sa grand-mère mourante à Hawaï, le candidat démocrate a mis en garde ses troupes dans les trois États de l'Ouest où il s'est arrêté pour tenter de faire définitivement pencher, de son côté, une balance traditionnellement favorable aux républicains.

«Nous allons devoir nous battre chaque jour qui nous reste, nous ne pouvons nous relâcher», a répété Barack Obama dans ses meetings à Reno, dans le Nevada, et au Nouveau-Mexique avant de gagner le Colorado. Ces trois États représentent globalement dix-neuf grands électeurs qui pourraient compenser une défaite en Floride ou dans l'Ohio, l'un des grands États clés avec la Pennsylvanie. À égalité avec McCain dans les sondages en Floride, Obama fera campagne mercredi à Orlando en compagnie de Bill Clinton. L'ancien président fera sa première apparition au côté de l'ex-rival de son épouse, qu'il avait sérieusement égratigné pendant les primaires. S'il est un État qui lui semble promis mais qu'Obama ne prend pas pour acquis, c'est la Pennsylvanie. Il sera aujourd'hui à Pittsburgh, où le racisme latent chez certains cols bleus est difficilement mesurable dans les sondages, puis dans le comté conservateur de Chester près de Philadelphie. >>> Jean-Louis Turlin | 27.10.2008

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Islam Shows Its Boundless Compassion Again! This Time in Somalia!
AFP: MOGADISHU — Thousands of people gathered Monday to witness 50 Somali men stone a woman to death after an Islamic court in the southern port of Kismayo found her guilty of adultery, witnesses said.

Aisho Ibrahim Dhuhulow, who had been found guilty of extra-marital intercourse was buried in the ground up to her neck while the men pelted her head with rocks.

"Our sister Aisha asked the Islamic Sharia court in Kismayo to be charged and punished for the crime she committed," local Islamist leader Sheikh Hayakallah told the crowd.

"She admitted in front of the court to engaging in adulterous sexual intercourse," he added.

"She was asked several times to review her confession but she stressed that she wanted Sharia law and the deserved punishment to apply."

The execution was carried in one of the city's main squares. Woman Stoned to Death for Adultery after Somali Court Ruling >>> | October 27, 2008

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Obama the Socialist? Turning the Home of Capitalism into the Heartland of Socialism?
Image courtesy of Google Images
THE TELEGRAPH: A radio discussion in which Barack Obama lamented past failures to bring about "redistributive change" as one of the "tragedies" of history has reignited fears he plans to introduce socialist-style economic policies.

Excerpts of his comments, made in the context of discussing historical wrongs against blacks, were broadcast on a radio station in 2001 but emerged on the internet.

In the discussion with Chicago Public Radio, Mr Obama, then just 40 and an obscure state senator and university law lecturer, was speaking about the US Supreme Court and noted that its history meant that "I'm not optimistic about bringing about major redistributive change through the courts".

Although his remarks were heavily analytical and academic, he spoke warmly of the notion of redistributing wealth, suggesting that there were other vehicles that [sic] the courts to achieve it.

"One of the, I think, tragedies of the civil rights movement was because the civil rights movement became so court focused I think there was a tendency to lose track of the political and community organising and activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalition of powers through which you bring about redistributive change. In some ways we still suffer from that."

The comments emerged as Mr Obama cast himself as representing "hope over fear" and, in a reference to Abraham Lincoln, "a politics that calls on our better angels instead of encouraging our worst instincts".

With the race for the White House entering the final week of a gruelling 21-month campaign, the Democratic nominee, with a comfortable seven-point lead in national polls, sought to portray his Republican rival John McCain as a clone of President George W. Bush.

"When it comes to the economy ... the plain truth is that John McCain has stood with this president every step of the way," the Illinois senator said. "Voting for the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy that he once opposed. Voting for the Bush budgets that spent us into debt. Calling for less regulation 21 times just this year. Those are the facts."

But what aides called his "closing argument" was potentially undermined by the emergence of the 2001 discussion, which was seized on by John McCain's campaign as proof that the Democratic nominee is a dangerous radical. Barack Obama Interview Reignites Fear of Socialist Agenda >>> By Toby Harnden in Pittsburgh | October 27, 2008


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Nun 'Attacked and Gang-raped by 40 Men' during Anti-Christian Attacks in India Slams Police for Shielding Attackers
Photo of Christian nun, Mina Barwa, courtesy of Mail Online
MAIL Online: A nun who was allegedly raped by more than 40 men during an outbreak of anti-Christian violence in India has accused local police of shielding her attackers.

The nun said she was sexually assaulted by a rioting mob at the end of August, days after the murder of a Hindu priest sparked attacks by Hindu extremists on the Christian community in the East coast Orissa state.

Nun Mina Barwa, aged 29, said she was dragged to a burned-out Christian home and was beaten with sticks and paraded semi-naked in the streets as mobs threatened to gang rape her.

Breaking down repeatedly while speaking to reporters in New Dehli, she said: 'They pulled out my sari and one of them stepped on my right hand and another on my left hand and then a third person raped me.'

'They had already torn away my blouse and undergarments and they went on beating me with their hands on my cheeks and head and with sticks on my back.'

More than half-a-dozen people have been arrested over the incident, but Barwa has called for a federal investigation as she 'had little faith in local Orissa police'.

'State police failed to stop the crimes, failed to protect me from the attackers, they were friendly with the attackers, and they tried their best to make sure that I did not make complaints against police.

'I was raped and now I don't want to be victimised by the Orissa police.' >>> | October 26, 2008

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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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