Tony Blair - Islam’s Internal Struggle: King Abdullah and the Skeptics
This is Tony Blair at his fudging best! He fails to identify the true nature of Islam. No amount of cosmetics can change Islam’s nature. Fourteen hundred years has failed to change it; and neither he nor King Abdullah are going to change its true nature either. Not now, not ever!

He should understand by now that Islam is a complete way of life: Politics and religion form one integrated whole. It is fundamentally at odds with democracy. And no amount of sweet talk from either side will change this.

Recently, Gordon Brown went cap in hand to the Saudis for help to bail out the ailing and infirm Western economies. Any aid that may be forthcoming will come with strings attached. Those strings will be in the form of assistance in the promotion of Islam in the West, and more and more concessions. Further, the Saudis, and other Muslim leaders, are bound to try and silence all forms of criticism of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad in the West. Just wait and see what the near future will bring!

Tony Blair when he was in Number 10 appeased Muslims both at home and abroad. In so doing, he did a disservice to his fellow countrymen in particular, and to Westerners in general. It would appear that he is still peddling the same nonsense. But should we be surprised? Leopards never change their spots. - ©Mark

INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: The decision by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to hold an interfaith conference under the auspices of the United Nations is bold, courageous and potentially far-reaching.

To many people, especially in the West, his initiative may seem unremarkable. In fact, it is a major step forward in the long march to a relationship between Islam and other faiths that is not one of confrontation or distrust but of peaceful co-existence.

King Abdullah is not only the ruler of Saudi Arabia. He is the keeper of the two Holy Mosques, the religious sites at Mecca and Medina which, together with Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, constitute three of the leading holy places of Islam. He is also the leader of a nation that critics say has been slow to modernize, with fraught consequences for the rest of the world. But King Abdullah's decision to offer the hand of friendship and mutual respect to other religions by initiating the conference, which began Wednesday, has big implications - as the criticism of his initiative from some corners of the Islamic world indicates.

Within Islam today, there are two competing narratives. There is not a series of different trouble spots or issues that require disconnected focus and action. There is essentially one struggle, with two sides.

On the one hand, there are those who loudly declare that Islam has gone wrong precisely because its leadership has been prepared to work with the West, or because the West has sought to impose its values on Muslim societies. According to this narrative, Islam is engaged in a fundamental conflict with nonbelievers. There can be no reconciliation. Those who seek it betray Islam. Confrontation, or at least segregation, is inevitable. Instead of pursuing co-existence, instead of "diluting" the purity of Islam by trying to learn about and respect others of a different faith, Muslims should re-establish a mythical caliphate, an Islamic state in which governance is regulated by a rigid adherence to Islamic law and practice of centuries ago, as interpreted by today's hard-line clerics.

Though the number of believers who use this narrative as a route into extremism or violence is small, there are many more who buy its essential premise that we are two distinct cultures and civilizations in opposition to each other. They are encouraged in this belief because such a narrative plays to the more widespread feeling that Islam is treated disrespectfully by the West, that double standards apply in the handling of the Palestinian issue, and that the military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq were religiously motivated. Their appeal is sometimes falsely enhanced by a sense that the West has lost touch with basic moral values.

The second group does not desire to replicate Western society. Its proponents share concerns of a moral nature. But they also want to assemble a modern narrative about Islam and have started to do so. They know that the modern world cannot function unless people of different faiths learn to understand and respect one another. This narrative is absolutely founded in Islam, but it is engaged in trying to root out the exclusivist view of religion - not unique in Islam - as a means of shutting the door on those who follow a different faith.

It is the proponents of this modern narrative who want to use the Middle East's wealth to support a politics and culture in tune with the 21st century. They seek to draw on Islam's core belief in education as a means of ensuring that their people are enabled to become a distinctive part of the 21st century world but not distinct from it. And they point to a millennium of Islamic history, from Spain to China, which illustrates Muslim co-existence and acceptance of other faith communities.
Saudi Arabia is seen by many as home to those who espouse the first narrative. King Abdullah is showing how his country can and should be part of the second, that of peaceful co-existence.

This has important policy lessons for the West, especially with the advent of a new U.S. president. Those championing the outward-looking and peaceful view of Islam need our support. >>> Tony Blair | November 12, 2008

INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: Saudi Arabia, Missing Pluralism at Home, Seeks UN Platform to Promote It Abroad

UNITED NATIONS: Saudi Arabia, which deploys a special police force to ensure that a narrow sect of Islam predominates in the kingdom, is sponsoring a discussion at the United Nations on religious tolerance starting Wednesday.

More than a dozen world leaders are scheduled to attend the meeting, including President George W. Bush; the British prime minister, Gordon Brown; the Israeli president, Shimon Peres; and the heads of seven Arab states. King Abdullah, the Saudi monarch, and Peres were both expected as guests of Ban Ki-moon, the secretary general, at a dinner Tuesday night, a rare chance for an encounter.

The United Nations avoids religious discussions, so the two-day session of the General Assembly is officially being labeled as a meeting about the "culture of peace." Most of those attending are political rather than religious figures.

But human rights groups are crying foul that Saudi Arabia is being given a platform to promote religious tolerance abroad while actively combating it at home.

"It's like apartheid South Africa having a conference at the UN on racial harmony," said Ali al-Ahmed, a Shiite Muslim dissident from Saudi Arabia based in Washington.

Human Rights Watch issued a statement calling on Saudi Arabia to start the fight against religious intolerance at home by ending "systemic religious discrimination." >>>
By Neil Macfarquhar | November 12, 2008

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Islamic Radicals Make Mockery of Hate Laws

EVENING STANDARD: JUST days after Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced tough new measures to name and shame foreign-based extremists and prevent them coming from abroad to stir up hatred in the UK, firebrand preacher Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad cocked a snook at her new initiative, the Evening Standard can reveal.

More than 200 Muslims at a packed public meeting in Tower Hamlets were told by organiser Anjem Choudary: "We have a special surprise, a special treat for you. Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad will be joining us on a live feed from Lebanon." He added: "As Muslims, we will not submit to any man-made law, any government, or any prime minister - Bush or Brown - or [to] Jacqui Smith. We submit to Allah."

Choudary, who with Bakri led the fanatical Al-Muhajiroun organisation - notorious for its glorification of terrorism and the 9/11 attacks before its banning and dissolution in 2004 -warmed up the crowd, two Sundays ago, with his own inflammatory rhetoric.

"It is our religious obligation to prepare ourselves both physically and mentally and rise up against Muslim oppression and take what is rightfully ours," he said. "Jihad is a duty and a struggle and an obligation that lies upon the shoulders of us all. We will not rest until the flag of Allah and the flag of Islam is raised above 10 Downing Street."

To loud cheers of "Allah Akbar" [God is great], he railed: "There are three types of Muslims, those in prison, those of us that are on our way [to prison] and non-practising Muslims. Brothers and sisters, if you do not fear your home being raided by the Kufar [non-believer] police, you are not enforcing the Sharia."

Later, in front of a huge banner that exhorted "Muslims rise against British oppression", he introduced the star turn, 50-year-old Omar Bakri, who was standing by in Lebanon. A giant screen, six-feet high and six-feet wide, had been set up to project the image of the extremist known as "the Tottenham Ayatollah". He was refused re-entry to the UK in 2005 as "not conducive to the public good" after vowing that Muslims would "give the West a 9/11 day after day after day".

But when a problem with the live internet video feed failed to yield a picture, Mr Choudary phoned his colleague from the stage and put the receiver to the microphone. The connection was loud and clear and Bakri spoke for 15 minutes.

Apart from a group of elders with long groomed white beards sitting in the front row, most of the 200 men in attendance were Muslims in their late teens or early 20s, mostly dressed in shalwar kameez with westernised accessories - trainers, hoodies and jackets. At the back of the hall, segregated by partitions, were more than 50 women wearing burkhas.

"Do not obey the British law," Bakri told them. He praised his hero Osama bin Laden for being a warrior and exclaimed: "We must fight and die for Islam - this is the map and road to Jennah [heaven]." He said that Muslims did not need to obey man-made laws and that if anyone ordered them to, they should say they are Muslims "loud and proud". He branded the new anti-extremist laws "crazy".

Indeed, it is the new rules, announced two weeks ago by Jacqui Smith, that are meant to prevent "preachers of hate from spreading extremism in our communities". Yet here was Bakri doing just that, potentially grooming the next batch of homegrown suicide bombers. And there was not a uniformed police officer in sight. >>> David Cohen | November 10, 2008

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A Free Speech Crusade We Should All Be Proud to Join
EVENING STANDARD: Saudi bankers and Russian oligarchs love London, and not only for its chichi boutiques. English judges provide them with a unique and de-luxe service: the right to silence detractors from all corners of the globe.

Their behaviour is causing an international scandal but you would never guess it from the wretched response to the Daily Mail editor-in-chief's criticisms of Mr Justice Eady. The supposedly liberal-minded Lord Falconer, the former Labour Lord Chancellor, and Lord Lester, who once championed human rights, have burbled their defences of Eady, apparently unaware that all over the world honest people fear him.

I've been on the fringes of campaigns for freedom of expression for years, and could provide dozens of examples. But let us begin with the case that has made English law a laughing stock.

One of Barack Obama's first acts as president will be to sign into law the Libel Tourism Bill, which is sailing through the US Congress. America is an ally whose law has its roots in England but because of Eady it will not recognise the judgments of English courts.

Eady allowed the billionaire Saudi banker Khalid bin Mahfouz to sue Rachel Ehrenfeld, an American author. Ms Ehrenfeld had not published or promoted her book on the funding of terrorism in England. The sheikh had paid hundreds of millions of dollars in fines after the collapse of the corrupt Bank of Credit and Commerce International.

Eady shrugged and ordered that all copies of Ehrenfeld's book should nevertheless be pulped. >>> Nick Cohen | November 12, 2008

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Berlusconi and Erdogan to Meet in Turkey-Italy Summit in Western Province of Izmir
HÜRRIYET: High level officials from Turkey and Italy, including Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi, are set to meet at an intergovernmental summit on Wednesday in the Aegean resort city of Izmir.

After holding a tete-a-tete meeting; Erdogan and Berlusconi will co-chair the summit, the first such event ever to be held between Turkey and Italy.

The Italian foreign minister, minister of interior, minister of defense, minister of transportation and minister of economy and development are also expected to participate at the summit.

The two countries' foreign ministers will sign an agreement to found a Turkish-Italian university in Istanbul.

The ways of Turkey's participation in activities of G8, comprising world's leading industrialized nations, would be discussed in the first Turkish-Italian Intergovernmental Summit which starts on Wednesday.

Italy's assistance to Turkey's EU accession process would be confirmed and the ways of boosting Turkish-Italian cooperation would be taken up in the summit, Italian Ambassador in Ankara Carlo Marsili told the Anatolian Agency. [Source: Hürriyet] | November 12, 2008

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Yes, They Can … Impose Sharia Law
FRONTPAGEMAG.COM: Sen. Barack Obama became president-elect on the uplifting, if inexact, slogan, "Yes, we can."

This week, there is growing evidence that people who have in mind doing away with the presidency of the United States - and all other aspects of our secular, democratic and constitutional form of government - are similarly convinced of their inevitable success. Judging by the sheer audacity of their agenda, "Yes, they can" would appear an apt description of the prospects for the Saudis and other champions of the totalitarian program they call Shariah.

In the run-up to an emergency summit outgoing President Bush has called to address the now-global financial crisis, the oil-rich Islamists of the Persian Gulf led by Saudi Arabia have not only established that their petrodollars are indispensable to any solution. They also seem to have secured the Bush administration's acquiescence to the sinister strings attached to any bailout of the West in which they might participate.

Specifically, the Saudis and their friends want the United States to join those, particularly in Europe, who have accommodated themselves to Shariah. No, we are assured, they aren't taking about the brutal theo-political-legal code that features such barbaric practices as beheadings, floggings, stonings, amputations, female genital mutilation and mysogeny more generally.

All they want, those in the know insist, is for Washington to encourage Wall Street - more and more of which is owned by the U.S. government - to embrace Shariah-Compliant Finance (SCF). A Treasury Department seminar convened last week depicted SCF as nothing more than a kind of socially responsible investing vehicle that respects Muslim religious beliefs by eschewing interest-bearing transactions and those involving pork and "sin" stocks. So, what's the big deal? The Catholics, Methodists and Jews have their funds, why not the Muslims?

What makes the Shariah-Compliant Finance gambit both a big and troublesome "deal" is that, unlike these other religious traditions, Shariah's adherents are pursuing a global theocracy. They believe they must impose their agenda on everybody else, religious and secular alike, using violence if necessary. And SCF is explicitly described by leading practitioners as a complement to violent holy war: "financial jihad" and "jihad with money."

In other words, there is no such thing as free-standing Shariah-Compliant Finance. According to all of the recognized authorities and institutions of Islam, Shariah is a unified, indivisible program to which all faithful Muslims must adhere comprehensively.

Not surprisingly, therefore, the Saudis & Co. are not simply seeking to insinuate Shariah-Compliant Finance into our capital markets. They are also advancing creation of a parallel Shariah-governed society through various other means. >>> By Frank J Gaffney Jr | November 12, 2008

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The Road to Serfdom
TOWNHALL.COM: It's exciting that the world is so excited about Barack Obama. I'm excited, too. That he achieved the presidency says something good about America.

But the excitement also frightens me. It reinforces the worst impulse of the media and political class: the assumption that all progress comes from Washington. In a free society, with constitutionally limited government, the president would be a mere executive who sees to it that predictable and understandable laws are enforced. But sadly, the prestige and power of the presidency have grown, and liberty has contracted. That is not something to celebrate.

The infatuated chattering classes now demand "action" on the economy. They use positive words like "bold steps." The insufferable New York Times suggests the choice is "between a big-bang strategy of pressing aggressively on multiple fronts versus a more pragmatic, step-by-step approach .... " There is endless talk about how FDR ended the Great Depression and how Obama will apply similar "stimulus."

Please. FDR's "bold" moves didn't end the Depression. They prolonged it by discouraging capital investment. Hoover and Roosevelt turned what might have been a brief downturn into 10 years of double-digit unemployment.

Now Obama says, "we don't have a moment to lose," and he and the Democrats insist that government must unionize most of America by passing "card check" and taxpayers must throw even more money at American automakers.

This is the conceit of what Thomas Sowell calls "the anointed" (http://tinyurl.com/6me8d4). The politicians know best how our money should be spent. The "road to serfdom" is paved with such good intentions. >>> By John Stossel | November 12, 2008

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Saudis in Move to Improve Image of Islam
FINANCIAL TIMES: Saudi Arabia is sponsoring a two-day United Nations conference in New York to promote interfaith dialogue to improve the image of Islam as a religion that favours dialogue over violence.

The conference, which begins on Wednesday, is seen as part of the Saudi monarch’s efforts to promote a more moderate brand of Islam in a kingdom that has been accused of breeding extremism since the September 11 attacks in 2001. By sponsoring interfaith events, King Abdullah may also be hoping to advance the debate over radicalism within the kingdom.

George W. Bush, US president, and Gordon Brown, UK prime minister, are among those listed to speak. Shimon Peres, Israeli president, and Tzipi Livni, foreign minister, will also attend.

“The dialogue comes at a time when the world is criticising Islam,” the Saudi monarch told local media. “It is regrettable that some of our sons have been tempted by Satan or the brothers of Satan.’’

Last year the king met Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican; earlier this year, he arranged a conference of Muslim sects at the holy city of Mecca and, in July, he presided over a gathering of Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus and Buddhists hosted by Spain.

The Vatican, however, is sceptical about the merit of the New York summit and concerned that the issue of religious freedom for Christians in Muslim countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, which permits no churches, will be pushed aside. >>> By Abeer Allam in Riyadh | ©The Financial Times Limited 2008 | November 12, 2008

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California: Divisions Persist over Gay Marriage Ban
Gay ‘flag’ courtesy of Google Images
BBC: Waving rainbow flags and placards, thousands marched through east Los Angeles, chanting: "Gay, straight, black, white! Marriage is an equal right!"

This was one of more than a dozen protests that have taken place in California and beyond since election day last week.
The marches have been peaceful but people are angry and their protests are growing.

Many of the signs they carried conveyed their feelings: "When do I get to vote on YOUR marriage?"; ''Protect my marriage''; ''Stop the h8 (hate)''.

"H8" is a play on 8, for Proposition 8, a proposal on last week's election ballot to re-write the state's constitution to redefine marriage as the union of a man and a woman only.

It was among a string of local ballots taking place across the country. And California voters approved the measure by a margin of around 3%.

So on the same day Americans elected Barack Obama, in California a small majority voted to ban same-sex marriage.

Gay rights campaigners at the rallies say majority rule should not set the law.

The passage of Proposition 8 overturns a state Supreme Court ruling in May allowing gay weddings. Around 18,000 couples have had wedding ceremonies since.

Their marriages could now be challenged in court (although California's attorney-general says the state will defend them, as they were legal at the time) and no more can take place. >>> By Rajesh Mirchandani, BBC News, Los Angeles | November 12, 2008

ASSOCIATED PRESS: Gay Couples to Start to Marry in Connecticut

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — While there's anger and recriminations in California's gay-rights movement after voters there banned same-sex marriage, gay couples in Connecticut are at the opposite extreme: They're getting ready to pick up marriage license forms.

Superior Court Judge Jonathan Silbert has scheduled a hearing Wednesday morning to enter the final judgment in the case that allows same-sex marriages in Connecticut. Once entered, couples can pick up marriage license forms at town and city clerk's offices.

It's unclear how many couples will wed. According to the state public health department, there have been 2,032 civil union licenses issued in Connecticut between Oct. 2005 and July 2008.

The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled 4-3 on Oct. 10 that same-sex couples have the right to wed rather than accept a civil union law designed to give them the same rights as married couples.

The health department had new marriage applications printed that reflect the change. Instead of putting one name under "bride" and the other under "groom," couples will see two boxes marked "bride/groom/spouse."

Only Connecticut and Massachusetts have legalized gay marriage. >>> By John Christoffersen | November 12, 2008

Watch BBC video 1: Tim Lykowski believes the law should not be set by the majority >>>
Watch BBC video 2: Robin Tyler and Diane Olson want to defend their rights >>>
Watch BBC video 3: Black voters on the gay marriage law >>>
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I Will Have Credibility with the Muslim World, Says Obama

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Barack Obama Looks to Iran to Help Bring Peace to Afghanistan
THE TELEGRAPH: President-elect Barack Obama is planning to involve Iran in a major shift in US policy on the war in Afghanistan.

Aides said the incoming Democratic president wants to explore a more regional strategy in Afghanistan, including the possibility of negotiations with Tehran.

During the campaign, Mr Obama described Afghanistan as the central front in the war on terror.

He also said he was open to unconditional talks with Iran, later adjusting his position to say that proper groundwork would have to be in place first.

Aides also revealed he intended to renew the commitment to hunting down Osama bin Laden.

Security advisers to the president-elect were quoted as saying Mr Obama believes the Bush administration has scaled down the hunt for the al-Qaeda leader after years of failing to apprehend him.

US intelligence officials however have said that the search for bin Laden is as intensive, and warned that his group's threat would endure without him.

"This [al-Qaeda] is our enemy," a senior adviser told the Washington Post. "And [bin Laden] should be our principal target." >>> By Alex Spillius in Washington | November 11, 2008

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Le prince Charles va fêter ses 60 ans le 14 novembre 2008
Photo de Charles grâce à la Tribune de Genève
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: ANGLETERRE | Fils aîné d'Elisabeth II, reine du Royaume-Uni de Grande-Bretagne et d'Irlande du Nord, et du prince Philippe, duc d'Edimbourg. Le prince héritier du Royaume-Uni ainsi que des royaumes du Commonwealth, occupe la première place dans l'ordre de succession au trône d'Angleterre Toutes les galeries >>>

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Une nouvelle pyramide
 découverte en Egypte
LE FIGARO: Haute de cinq mètres, elle a été découverte à la nécropole de Saqqara, à une vingtaine de kilomètres au sud du Caire, la capitale.

Une pyramide vieille de 4.300 ans a été découverte à la nécropole de Saqqara, à une vingtaine de kilomètres au sud du Caire, a annoncé mardi le ministre égyptien de la Culture, Farouk Hosni.

L'équipe d'archéologues travaillait depuis deux ans sur le site, à environ 19 km au sud du Caire, mais ce n'est qu'il y a deux mois qu'elle a eu la certitude que la structure haute de cinq mètres mise au jour dans les sables était bien une pyramide.

La pyramide pourrait avoir eu une hauteur initiale de 15 mètres, selon le ministre. Elle a été construite pour la reine Sechséchet, mère du roi Teti, premier roi de la VIe dynastie de l'Ancien Empire. >>> lefigaro.fr avec agences | 11/11/2008

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Aufgepaßt! Die Zeit der großen Ernüchterung
DIE PRESSE: Angst vor sozialem Abstieg und einer Spaltung der Gesellschaft kennzeichnen das Zukunftsbild der Europäer. Zukunfts-Forscher Ulrich Reinhardt über Europa im Jahr 2030.

WIEN. „Das Schlaraffenland ist abgebrannt“ – so düster sieht das Fazit einer Studie über Europa im Jahr 2030 aus. Angst vor sozialem Abstieg, Unsicherheit und Vertrauensverlust kennzeichnen die Stimmungen und Erwartungen von 11.000 Europäern, die von der „Stiftung für Zukunftsfragen“ in Kooperation mit Europäischen Futuristen erforscht wurden.

Akuter Pessimismus oder kommt es wirklich so schlimm? „Ewig kann es so nicht weitergehen“, meint Ulrich Reinhardt, Geschäftsführer des Instituts für Zukunftsfragen. „Wir werden uns auf einem Niveau einpendeln, auf dem wir sicher sehr sehr gut leben können. Aber das ewige Wachstum und die Befriedigung immer neuer Bedürfnisse, das ist vorbei“, meint der Zukunftsforscher.

Die größte Angst der Europäer sei, dass die soziale Schere zwischen Arm und Reich weiter auseinandergeht. Vor allem der Mittelstand fürchtet einen Abstieg. Zwei Drittel der befragten Österreicher erwarten, dass diese Kluft bis 2030 in Österreich wächst. Mehr als jeder Zweite meint, dass es in 22 Jahren kaum mehr eine Mittelschicht geben werde. „Das ist sicher nicht realistisch, aber die Angst ist da, die Menschen erwarten, sich weniger leisten können“, so Reinhardt. >>> Christine Imlinger | 11. November 2008

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'Buddha Boy' Reappears after Year in Jungle
Photo of Ram Bahadur Bamjon, the ‘Buddha Boy’, courtesy of The Independent
THE INDEPENDENT: They asked not where he had been or what he had been doing. Instead thousands of jubilant devotees simply trudged to the remote jungle spot in south-east Nepal where a teenage "Buddha Boy" reappeared to preach to villagers, more than a year after he went missing.

Ram Bahadur Bamjon became famous three years ago when tens of thousands of people flocked to watch him sitting cross-legged under a tree for almost ten months. His followers - who say he is the reincarnation of Buddha - claimed that during this time he neither ate nor drank.

Then, last spring, his supporters said that the teenager was planning to go away and meditate for three years in an underground bunker. He was last seen in August 2007, preaching to crowds in Nepal’s Hallori jungle, around 100 miles south of Kathmandu.

Whatever encouraged Mr Bamjon to re-emerge is unclear, but police said that on Monday he appeared, long-haired, dressed in white and looking in good health, and preached to villagers for around 45 minutes. Local officials said he plans to speak to people for an hour a day for another week.

"Hundreds of devotees, including many from neighbouring India are trekking the five kilometres to see him," said one police officer, Prakash Sen. "He spoke to the devotees standing near a temple in the forest. He had shoulder-length hair and had his body wrapped in a white cloth. Since many people are walking to see him, I think he has some of the qualities Lord Buddha had." >>> By Andrew Buncombe, Asia Correspondent | November 11, 2008

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Calls for Prosecution after German Politician Says Obama Win 'a Declaration of War'
Photo of Juergen Gansel courtesy of Google Images
THE TELEGRAPH: German authorities have been called on to prosecute a far-right politician for describing Barack Obama's election as a "declaration of war" on white people and accusing his supporters of being "swept up in Obama fever which resembles an African tropical disease".

In a statement headed "Africa conquers the White House," Juergen Gansel, a deputy in the Saxony state legislature from the far-right National Democratic Party of Germany, said multicultural America was seeking the destruction of "pure" national cultures.

Accusing Mr Obama of aiming to destroy the US's "white identity", Mr Gansel said: "A non-white America is a declaration of war on all people who believe an organically grown social order based on language and culture, history and heritage to be the essence of humanity."

Warning that "Barack Obama hides this declaration of war behind his pushy sunshine smile," Mr Gansel, whose party sympathises with neo-Nazi groups, said that Mr Obama's election was the result of "the American alliance of Jews and Negroes".

He concluded by declaring his hopes that Mr Obama's government is unsuccessful.

"It would be a gross irony of history if the first black president drove his clientele of minorities to openly revolt due to his grandiose domestic failure, and the much-touted American dream became a nightmare," he said. >>> By Jon Swaine | November 11, 2008

WASHINGTON POST: Racism Rears Its Head in European Remarks on Obama: Some Public Figures Display Open Scorn

BERLIN -- Europe erupted in cheers to celebrate Barack Obama's election as president, but the continent is seeing its share of insensitive racial blunders, too.

Over the past week, a number of European lawmakers and journalists have made foot-in-mouth comments regarding America's black president-elect, suggesting that some otherwise respected public figures in Europe are far from enlightened on racial matters.

The day after Obama's victory, a leading Austrian television journalist said on camera that he "wouldn't want the Western world to be directed by a black man." A Polish lawmaker stood up in Parliament and called the election result "the end of the white man's civilization."

One of the milder gaffes came from Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. On Thursday, during a visit to Moscow, he praised Obama for being "young, handsome and even suntanned."

Berlusconi's remark caused a stir in Italy, as critics chided him for sounding like a fool. But the prime minister was unrepentant. "What's the problem? It was a compliment," he told journalists the next day. Anyone who did not get the joke, he added, was an "imbecile."

Some racist comments have come from people who have expressed such views before. "Africa Conquers the White House," read a headline on the Web site of the National Democratic Party of Germany, a political party that sympathizes with neo-Nazi groups. In an accompanying article, Jürgen Gansel, a party leader and an elected lawmaker in the German state of Saxony, blamed Obama's victory on "the American alliance of Jews and Negroes."

Offensive opinions have also originated from the other end of the political spectrum. Die Tageszeitung, a Berlin newspaper that supports socialist and leftist causes, predicted Obama's election in June when it published a large front-page photo of the White House under the headline, "Uncle Barack's Cabin." >>> By Craig Whitlock | November 10, 2008

DEUTSCHE WELLE: Jewish Group in Berlin Condemns Neo-Nazi Obama Slurs

A Jewish group in Germany is up in arms after a far-right politician characterized Barack Obama's triumph as a "US alliance of Jews and Negroes" and condemned the German public for supporting the US President-elect.

The Berlin chapter of a prominent Jewish group condemned racist statements made by a German deputy from the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) against Barack Obama's election as the first non-white President of the United States.

"Africa conquers the White House" is the heading of a statement issued from the office of the NPD deputy Juergen Gansel from the eastern German state of Saxony.

The NPD has never cleared the five-percent minimum for representation in the German Bundestag on a national parliamentary level, but the party holds seats in two regional states in eastern Germany, where its anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant platform has attracted a following among disaffected youth and the unemployed.

Gansel characterized Obama's election triumph as "the American alliance of Jews and Negroes" and even condemned the German public for their outpouring of enthusiasm for the US President-elect, who was born to a white American mother and a Kenyan father.

"Many people in the 'diverse' republic Germany have been swept up in Obama fever which resembles an African tropical disease," he said. >>> DW staff (df) | November 11, 2008

AFP: Jewish Group Mulls Charges over Neo-Nazi Obama Slurs

BERLIN — A prominent Jewish group said Monday it was reviewing legal options against a German neo-Nazi party for "racist" remarks calling Barack Obama's election a "declaration of war" on non-white America.

The Berlin chapter of the American Jewish Committee (AFC) condemned statements made by Juergen Gansel, a deputy in the Saxony state legislature for the far-right National Democratic Party of Germany, against Obama's election as the first African-American US president.

In a statement from his office entitled "Africa conquers the White House," Gansel said multicultural America sought the destruction of "pure" national cultures and that Obama aimed to destroy the United States' "white identity." >>> | November 11, 2008

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Tony Blair Bodyguard Fires Gun in Israeli Airport
THE TELEGRAPH: Tony Blair had to be rushed on to his plane at an Israeli airport after one of his British bodyguards accidentally fired his gun causing a security scare.

Nobody was hurt in the incident at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport and Mr Blair's spokesman said the former Prime Minister had not heard the gunshot.

But an Israeli police spokesman said that in the confusion Mr Blair was hurried on to his plane.

Accidental firings are taken extremely seriously in Israel and its Airports Authority has launched an inquiry.

"One of his bodyguards accidentally fired his gun, and the bullet hit the ground," said, Maayan Malkin, an IAA spokesman.

The incident took place as Mr Blair was leaving Ben Gurion, the main international airport in Israel, after spending a few days in the country in his capacity as international envoy for Palestinian development. >>> By Tim Butcher in Jerusalem | November 11, 2008

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Council Warns Staff Not to Use the Word 'British'
This must surely be Ron Davies’ second “moment of madness”! Why don’t these meddlesome politicians leave us all alone? - ©Mark

THE TELEGRAPH: A council is warning staff not to use the word "British" in case it upsets people from Scotland, Wales, Ireland or Asia.

New guidelines for town hall workers state that "many Scots, Welsh and Irish resist being called British" and says people from ethnic minorities should be called "British Asians" or "Chinese British".

Officials at Caerphilly in South Wales are warned that "the idea of 'British' implies a false sense of unity".

A guide on the use of the phrases has been drawn up for more than 9,000 council staff after being compiled by a race equality group led by shamed former Cabinet Minister Ron Davies.

It warns against using the word British as well as offensive words such as "negro", "spastic" and "half-caste".

The leaflet, called Equalities in the Delivery of Council Services, has been condemned as "political correctness gone mad" by Conservative MP for Monmouth David Davies.

It was drawn up by the Valleys Race Equality Council (Valrec) directed by former Caerphilly MP Ron Davies who resigned after what he called a "moment of madness" on Clapham Common.

Mr Davies, who is an Independent cabinet member on Caerphilly Council, said: "It's just for information, there's no advice or instruction.

"Of this council's employees, 3,900 describe themselves as white British, whereas 5,400 describe themselves as white Welsh.

"So this information is very much in accordance with the way that people in Caerphilly identify themselves."

The recommendations are contained in a document which advises staff how to deal with members of the public sensitively. >>> | November 11, 2008

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Barack Obama wehrt sich gegen Bush
STERN: Der noch amtierende US-Präsident George W. Bush hat seinem Nachfolger Barack Obama eine reibungslose Amtsübergabe versprochen. Dennoch gibt es Streit wegen umstrittener Vorhaben, die Bush noch durchsetzen will. Und auch wegen der US-Raketenabwehr hat es offenbar ein Missverständnis gegeben.

Der designierte US-Präsident Barack Obama will sich Versuche von Amtsinhaber George W. Bush nicht bieten lassen, in seinen letzten Regierunstagen noch umstrittene Vorhaben zu verwirklichen. John Podesta, Chef von Obamas Übergangsteam, sagte in einem Interview, die Regierung Bush versuche sogar noch in diesen Tagen "aggressiv, Dinge zu tun, die wahrscheinlich nicht im Interesse unseres Landes sind". >>> AP/DPA | 9. November 2008

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Österreich - Susanne Winter: Aufhebung der Immunität beantragt
DIE PRESSE: Der frischgebackenen Nationalrats-Abgeordneten der FPÖ steht nun ein Prozess wegen islamfeindlicher Äußerungen bevor. Der Staatsanwalt erklärte, man wolle damit das "Verfahren beschleunigen".

Der Prozess gegen die steirische FPÖ-Politikerin und nunmehrige Nationalrats-Abgeordnete Susanne Winter wegen ihrer islamfeindlicher Äußerungen könnte nun doch bald stattfinden: Wie der Sprecher der Staatsanwaltschaft Graz, Manfred Kammerer, am Dienstag erklärte, habe man dieser Tage einen Antrag auf Aufhebung der Immunität beim Präsidium des Nationalrates eingebracht. >>> | 11. November 2008

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Die Farbe des Krieges
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Grüne Uniformen, blutroter Mohn, Ruinen unter blauem Himmel: 19 offizielle Fotografen dokumentierten auf deutscher Seite den Ersten Weltkrieg - einer knipste in Farbe. Nun sind die spektakulären Zeitdokumente erstmals in einem Buch erschienen. Sie verändern unseren Blick auf die europäische Katastrophe vor 90 Jahren.

Der Erste Weltkrieg ist für die Nachgeborenen Horror in Schwarzweiß. Die Bilder der umgepflügten Landschaften Flanderns und Nordfrankreichs sind in das kollektive Gedächtnis Europas und der Welt in Grauschattierungen eingebrannt - und irgendwie schien das zum furchtbaren Geschehen auch zu passen. Dass auch über der Somme die Sonne schien und im Frühling Blumen in den Granattrichtern blühten, ist der Nachwelt bestenfalls aus Soldatengedichten bekannt, die den blutroten Klatschmohn über Gräberfeldern besingen.

Dass bereits im Ersten Weltkrieg in Farbe fotografiert wurde, wussten bis vor kurzem nur wenige Experten. Erst 2004, zum 90. Jahrestag des Ausbruchs des Ersten Weltkriegs, wurden die Medien erstmals in größerem Stil auf Farbaufnahmen aufmerksam, die französische Fotografen in den Jahren 1914 bis 1918 an der Front gemacht hatten. Dass auch auf deutscher Seite das Geschehen in den Schützengräben und in der Etappe von offiziellen Kriegsfotografen in bunten Bildern festgehalten wurden, ist bis heute so gut wie unbekannt. >>> Von Peter Walther

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LE FIGARO: Le 11 novembre 1918,
 une explosion de joie

Il y a quatre-vingt-dix ans, le clairon annonçant l'armistice sonna à 11 heures précises.

Il était onze heures précises, ce lundi 11 novembre 1918, lorsque le son d'un clairon, bientôt imité par des centaines d'autres, résonna sur le sol de France. Depuis plus de deux heures, déjà, les poilus engagés en Alsace célébraient la victoire tandis que, dans les Ardennes, les soldats américains redoublaient encore d'ardeur au combat. Bientôt, à l'arrière, les cloches de milliers d'églises allaient sonner la fin d'une abominable guerre engagée cinquante-deux mois plus tôt. Incrédules et fourbus, de premiers groupes de militaires commençaient tout juste à émerger des tranchées tandis que sur les grands boulevards de la capitale, sans attendre, les façades se paraient de drapeaux et de fleurs. >>> Cyrille Louis | 10/11/2008

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Europe Marks 90th Anniversary of Armistice
Nicolas Sarkozy lays this wreath during an Armistice Day ceremony in Paris.
GLOBE AND MAIL: DOUAUMONT, FRANCE — Leaders of a united Europe on Tuesday marked the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War, which tore the continent apart and cost millions of lives.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Britain's Prince Charles attended the solemn ceremony near one of the conflict's bloodiest battlefields. It was held in the northeastern French town of Douaumont, near the site of the Battle of Verdun.

There, an estimated 300,000 soldiers lost their lives in 300 days of ferocious fighting between French and German troops for control of River Meuse, a key strategic post on the eastern approach route from Germany to Paris. The French forces prevailed in December, 1916.

Prince Charles, Australian Governor-General Quentin Bryce, Mr. Sarkozy and Peter Mueller, president of German Bundesrat, laid wreaths at foot of massive French flag that soared over esplanade between two large fields of crosses — the burial markers.

Hundreds of people including veterans from other wars stood outside a huge stone ossuary in Douaumont, where the remains of unknown soldiers from both sides of the war are buried.

France has been reflecting on how best to keep the memory of the 1914-1918 war alive, following the death earlier this year of the last of the 8.4 million Frenchmen who fought in the conflict. Lazare Ponticelli died in March, at age 110.

Germany's last veteran from the war also died earlier this year, leaving only a handful of living veterans from the conflict. >>> Jenny Barchfield, Associated Press | November 11, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH: Armistice Day: Britain Remembers Its Fallen Soldiers

Britain fell silent at 11am to remember the countless soldiers who have given their lives for their country.

The three surviving veterans of the first world war, Henry Allingham, 112, Harry Patch, 110 and Bill Stone, 108, will attend a two-minute silence at The Cenotaph in Whitehall, London. They represent the Royal Air Force, the Army and the Royal Navy respectively.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown will lead the ceremony and Mr Patch will read an act of remembrance.

Earlier, at a major ceremony to mark the longest battle of the First World War on the 90th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice, the Prince of Wales joined French President Nicholas Sarkozy as guests of honour[.]

The Battle of Verdun in France claimed 300,000 lives over 10 months of trench warfare in 1916. >>> By Stephen Adams | November 11, 2008

DIE PRESSE: Australien: Ministerpräsident wünscht sich Weltfrieden

Premier Kevin Rudd erklärte beim Gedenken an das Ende des Ersten Weltkriegs vor 90 Jahren, das 21. Jahrhundert soll ein "wirklich friedfertiges" werden. In Canberra diskutiert man den Abzug der australischen Soldaten aus Afghanistan.

Down Under ist man optimistisch eingestellt: Mit einem Aufruf zu weltweitem Frieden hat der australische Ministerpräsident Kevin Rudd bei einer Gedenkveranstaltung am Dienstag an das Ende des Ersten Weltkrieges vor 90 Jahren erinnert. Das vergangene 20. Jahrhundert sei ein sehr blutiges gewesen, sagte Rudd in Canberra. Die Menschheit solle sich daher entscheiden, das jetzige, noch junge neue zu einem "wirklich friedfertigen und friedlichen Jahrhundert" zu machen, erklärte der Regierungschef. >>> | 11. November 2008

Obama Win Prompts Gun Buying Frenzy
BRISBANE TIMES: WASHINGTON - Sales of guns in the United States are on the rise as gun enthusiasts fear President-elect Barack Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress will impose new restrictions on firearms.

In the month of October, as Obama appeared headed for victory, sales of guns jumped 15 per cent, with about 150,000 long guns sold for a total of 1.18 million firearms purchased, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which checks police records of gun buyers.

Although more recent figures are not yet available, the spike in sales of rifles, handguns and semi-automatics began in the spring and surged in October.

"Certainly the election has something to do with it, certainly in October it did. As it got closer and closer and it looked more and more like an Obama victory, the sales went skyrocketing in late October," said Tony Aeschliman, spokesman for the National Shooting Sport Foundation.

In gun shops across the country, sales were brisk.

"They are afraid of gun control. The Second Amendment says legally by law we can have firearms. He's going to attempt to take that right away from us," said Jimmy, owner of the Republic Arms gun shop in Houston, Texas, referring to the president-elect.

At the Continental Arms gun shop in Baltimore, Maryland, the owner said it was clear Obama's electoral triumph was driving gun sales even if customers were not saying so openly.

"People are not really saying something, but I'm sure it does have something to do with Obama's election, because he's very anti-guns," said Jay, whose store has seen sales increase in recent weeks. >>> Virginie Montet | November 10, 2008

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BBC Radio Host Sacked after Call to Taxi Firm Requesting ‘Non-Asian’ Driver
MAIL ONLINE: A BBC Radio presenter has been sacked following a 'racist' call to a taxi firm, in which she requested a 'non-Asian' driver.

Sam Mason told the operator that 'a guy with a turban would freak her daughter out' insisting they send an English driver instead.

The ex-glamour girl, 40, called the firm to order a taxi for her 14-year-old daughter off-air, while presenting her BBC Bristol radio show.

After the operator branded her request 'racist', Mason insisted, claiming it wasn't the first time she had made the request.
She said: 'A guy with a turban is going to freak her out. She's not used to Asians.'

When the operator said it would not be possible to carry out her wishes, she said: 'You've managed it before.'

Mason, who has previously battled alcohol addiction, claimed she wasn't racist but insisted she was looking out for her daughter's interest.

Mason said: 'If it were me I wouldn't care if it had two heads, but it's my little girl we are talking about.' >>> | November 11, 2008

MAIL Oonline: ITV Sports Commentator Apologises after Calling Black Athlete Tessa Sanderson a ‘Spear Chucker’

Jim Rosenthal has been forced to apologise to black Olympic javelin star Tessa Sanderson after describing her as a 'spear chucker'.

The 60-year-old sports commentator was denounced as a 'racist' by critics.

They bombarded internet forums with angry messages, claiming that the phrase was insulting to ethnic minorities because of its supposed associations with 'uncivilised' tribes.

But Sanderson's former rival, Fatima Whitbread, defended Rosenthal.

She said that the phrase 'spear chucker' was common in athletic circles and did not carry any racist connotations. >>> Neil Sears | November 11, 2008

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Sarah Palin Says 'God Will Show Way' to the White House

THE TELEGRAPH: Defeated Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has said she hopes God will "show her the way" before she decides on any future bid for the White House.

The Alaska governor declined to say whether she was planning to run for the US presidency in four years, stating in an exclusive interview with the Fox News Channel that 2012 remained too far off.

"I can't predict what's going to happen a day from now, much less four years from now," Ms Palin said.

However the devoutly religious 44-year-old mother-of-five said that if God wanted her to run for the highest office, she hoped to be shown the way.

"You know, I have - faith is a very big part of my life. And putting my life in my creator's hands - this is what I always do," she said.

"I'm like, OK, God, if there is an open door for me somewhere, this is what I always pray, I'm like, don't let me miss the open door. Show me where the open door is," she added.

"Even if it's cracked up a little bit, maybe I'll plow right on through that and maybe prematurely plow through it, but don't let me miss an open door. >>> | November 11, 2008

ITN: Palin Puts Faith in God

Sarah Palin has refused to rule out running for US president in the future but said her decision would be guided by God.

Giving her first television interview since last week's historic US elections, the former Republican vice-presidential candidate said faith played an important part in her life.

She said: "Putting my life in my creator's hands, this is what I always do.

"I'm like, OK God, if there is an open door for me somewhere, this is what I always pray. I'm like, don't let me miss the open door.

"If there is an open door in 2012 or four years later, and if it is something that is going to be good for my family, for my state, for my nation, an opportunity for me, then I'll plough through that door." >>> | November 11, 2008

WELT ONLINE: Palin bittet Gott um Chance auf Präsidentschaft

Foto von Sarah Palin dank der Welt
WELT ONLINE: Kaum wurde Obama zum neuen Präsidenten gewählt, schon träumt die unterlegene Republikanerin Sarah Palin vom nächsten Wahltermin in vier Jahren. Sie bete darum, dass sie "eine offene Tür" für ihre weitere politische Karriere nicht übersehe. Die Republikaner tun sich damit aber schwer.

Nach ihrer Niederlage als republikanische Kandidatin für das US-Vizepräsidentenamt hofft Sarah Palin nach eigenen Worten, dass Gott ihr in der Frage eines möglichen zweiten Anlaufs auf das Weiße Haus "den Weg zeigen" wird.

In einem Interview mit dem US-Fernsehsender Fox sagte Palin am Montagabend, sie könne nicht voraussagen, was morgen und erst recht nicht, was im Jahr der nächsten Präsidentschaftswahl 2012 sein werde. Aber wenn es Gottes Wunsch sei, dass sie für das höchste Amt im Staat antrete, dann bete sie darum, dass er sie eine entsprechende "offene Tür" nicht übersehen lasse. >>> | 11. November 2008

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Bin Laden's Son Deported to Qatar
Photo of Omar bin Laden and his English wife courtesy of the BBC
BBC: One of Osama Bin Laden's sons is in Qatar after being deported from Egypt and Spain following failed asylum bids.

Omar Bin Laden, 27, has said he does not share his father's views and has not seen him since 2000.

His British wife, Zaina Alsabah Bin Laden (formerly Jane Felix-Browne) said their condemnation of al-Qaeda had put their lives in danger in the Mid-East.

Their legal status in Qatar was not known. They have also been unsuccessful in securing British visas.

Mr Bin Laden, one of the al-Qaeda leader's 19 sons, made his claim for asylum in Madrid during a stopover on a flight from Egypt to Morocco with his 52-year-old wife.

He said the petition was rejected due to "insufficient evidence of danger or threat to [his] life". An appeal against the ruling is also believed to have been rejected.

The couple were then barred from entering Egypt, where they have lived for the past year. It was not known why Egypt denied them entry. >>> | November 9, 2008

leJDD.fr: Le fils de Ben Laden apatride

Photo d’Omar Ben Laden et sa femme Zaina al Sabah grâce aux Google Images
Omar Ben Laden est apatride, mais pas sans famille. Son père, l'illustre chef présumé d'Al Qaïda Oussama Ben Laden, est toujours l'homme le plus recherché de la planète. "Pacifiste" et très critique envers le terrorisme islamique, Omar Ben Laden et sa femme tentent de s'installer en Europe, un "continent où il se sent en sécurité". Mais personne ne veut de lui.

Omar Ben Laden peine à trouver une patrie d'accueil. Il a eu le malheur d'avoir renié en 2002 son père, Oussama Ben Laden, chef présumé de l'organisation terroriste Al-Qaïda et ennemi public mondial numéro 1 depuis les attentats du 11-Septembre. Depuis six ans, il fuit l'Arabie Saoudite, dont il est originaire, et tente de s'installer en Europe. Samedi, les autorités espagnoles ont officiellement rejeté sa demande d'asile politique, estimant que "sa vie n'était pas en danger". Omar Ben Laden a débarqué samedi soir avec sa femme au Caire, mais une fois sur place, il a été interpellé et interrogé pendant plusieurs heures par la police égyptienne à l'aéroport du Caire. Dimanche, à l'aube, il a dû quitter le territoire égyptien pour Doha, capitale du Qatar.

La femme d'Omar Ben Laden, Zaina al Sabah, est britannique, mais se marier au Royaume-Uni n'offre pas automatiquement la nationalisation. Le couple vivait jusqu'à janvier 2008 en Angleterre, mais les autorités britanniques ont refusé de lui renouveler son visa ou de lui accorder un permis de séjour. Sa prochaine demande ne sera pas étudiée avant janvier prochain. Omar Ben Laden dispose seulement d'un passeport saoudien, mais la volonté du couple est claire: ils ne peuvent pas rentrer en Arabie Saoudite. "[Je] crains pour notre sécurité en raison des prises de position de mon mari" à l'encontre de son père, a affirmé Zaina al Sabah à la presse. >>> Par Gaël VAILLANT | Dimanche 09 Novembre 2008

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Obama Meets Bush at White House
BBC: US President-elect Barack Obama has held his first meeting with incumbent George W Bush since his last week's decisive election victory.

Watch BBC video: President Bush welcomes Barack Obama to the White House >>> | November 10. 2008
Both sides described the White House talks, which lasted just under two hours, as friendly and productive.

Few details were revealed as to their content but Iraq, the financial crisis and the issue of a smooth transition had all been expected to come up.

Meanwhile, reports suggest Mr Obama is set to tackle the Guantanamo Bay issue.

The incoming president has already indicated he could reverse controversial Bush administration policies soon after he takes office on 20 January.

On Thursday his transition chief suggested executive orders on issues such as stem cell research and oil drilling could be repealed.

The latest reports suggest his team is putting together a plan under which detainees in the widely-condemned detention camp in Cuba would be released or transferred to the US.

'Broad discussion'

Mr Obama and his wife, Michelle, both visited the building that will be their home for the next four years.

The incoming and outgoing presidents shook hands before heading to the Oval Office - Mr Obama's first visit to the famous seat of power.

First Lady Laura Bush, meanwhile, gave Mrs Obama a tour of the personal quarters of the White House.

Both men had taken care to speak respectfully about each other ahead of the talks - arranged, analysts say, with unusual haste because the US is at war and because the transition is taking place in the midst of an economic crisis.

Afterwards a statement from the president-elect said the discussions had been wide-ranging.

Mr Bush and Mr Obama "had a broad discussion about the importance of working together throughout the transition of government in light of the nation's many critical economic and security challenges", the statement said.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino, meanwhile, said Mr Bush had called the talks relaxed and constructive, but declined to comment on specifics. >>> | November 10, 2008

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Jerusalem Skeptical of Obama's Middle East Policy
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Not everyone is ecstatic about Barack Obama's victory in the US presidential elections. Many in Israel are concerned that, should Obama make good on his promise to talk to all comers, Israel could be left out in the cold.

Barack Obama was the candidate that the world wanted the US to elect. But in Jerusalem, his victory is not universally welcome. There are those, particularly within the Israeli Foreign Ministry, who worry that Obama will deviate from Bush's path of leaving well enough alone. While few would argue that American attention in the region is unneeded, some are concerned that Obama may go overboard and make good on his promise to negotiate with all comers. The Foreign Ministry is particularly concerned that Obama may look to smooth relations with Iran.

The concern is not that farfetched. During the campaign, Obama repeatedly said he would welcome a dialogue with Tehran. Many in Tel Aviv see it as a foregone conclusion that the US under Obama will begin seeking out such negotiations.

"That is the biggest danger for us, because we wouldn't be at the negotiating table ourselves," former Mossad leader Efraim Halevy said recently.

The danger, he said, comes from the fact that such talks would necessarily touch on Iran's relations with other countries in the region, like Syria and Lebanon, and with the Palestinians. "When our regional interests are up for discussion, we can't be represented by a proxy," Halevy said. Jerusalem is also worried that Obama may begin talks with Iran without preconditions. >>> By Pierre Heumann in Jerusalem | November 5, 2008

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Media Censorship On the Way
THE INDEPENDENT: Britain's security agencies and police would be given unprecedented and legally binding powers to ban the media from reporting matters of national security, under proposals being discussed in Whitehall.

The Intelligence and Security Committee, the parliamentary watchdog of the intelligence and security agencies which has a cross-party membership from both Houses, wants to press ministers to introduce legislation that would prevent news outlets from reporting stories deemed by the Government to be against the interests of national security.

The committee also wants to censor reporting of police operations that are deemed to have implications for national security.

The ISC is to recommend in its next report, out at the end of the year, that a commission be set up to look into its plans, according to senior Whitehall sources.

The ISC holds huge clout within Whitehall. It receives secret briefings from MI5, MI6 and GCHQ and is highly influential in forming government policy. Kim Howells, a respected former Foreign Office minister, was recently appointed its chairman.

Under the existing voluntary code of conduct, known as the DA-Notice system, the Government can request that the media does not report a story. However, the committee's members are particularly worried about leaks, which, they believe, could derail investigations and the reporting of which needs to be banned by legislation.

Civil liberties groups say these restrictions would be "very dangerous" and "damaging for public accountability". They also point out that censoring journalists when the leaks come from officials is unjustified. MPs Seek to Censor the Media >>> Exclusive by Kim Sengupta | November 10, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH: Media Could Face Reporting Ban on Issues of National Security

Plans for the security services and police to be given new legally-binding powers to ban the media from reporting matters of national security are being drawn up, it was claimed today.

The proposal is said to feature in a report due before the end of the year from the cross-party Intelligence and Security Committee, parliamentary watchdog of the intelligence and security agencies.

According to The Independent newspaper, unnamed sources at Whitehall say that the ISC will urge ministers to set up a commission to look into the proposal.

The ISC is appointed by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and reports directly to him.

Its membership is made up of long-standing and trusted members of the major parties and it is chaired by former Foreign Office minister Kim Howells.

It receives secret briefings from MI5, MI6 and GCHQ and is highly influential in forming government policy.

The existing DA-Notice system is operated on a voluntary basis and overseen by the Defence, Press and Broadcasting Advisory Committee (DPBAC), which brings together officials and representatives of the media.

Under this code of conduct, the Government can request that the media does not report a story which could compromise UK military and intelligence operations or lead to attacks that would damage the critical national infrastructure or endanger lives. >>> By Charlotte Bailey | November 10, 2008

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Radical Preacher Abu Qatada 'Arrested'
THE GUARDIAN: Supporters claim 'Bin Laden's right-hand man' held / Preacher faces judge over breach of bail conditions

Abu Qatada, once described by a Spanish judge as Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe, has been arrested in Britain, supporters said.

The Palestinian-Jordanian preacher was arrested for breaching his strict bail conditions after the authorities received a tip-off that he was planning to flee the country, according to the Sun.

The website of the London-based Islamic Observatory Centre said: "British police on Saturday morning detained brother Omar Mahmud Abu Omar (Abu Qatada)."

Qatada, who was convicted in his absence in Jordan of involvement with terror attacks in 1998 and of a millennium bomb plot, was released on bail in June from a maximum security prison in Worcestershire. Judges ruled he would not get a fair trial in Amman.

The Home Office said it could not comment on individual cases but it is believed that Qatada will appear before a special immigration judge tomorrow. >>> Haroon Siddique | November 10, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH: Why Are We Stopping Abu Qatada Leaving the UK?

News that Abu Qatada, once described as Osama bin Laden’s 'right-hand man in Europe', has been arrested for trying to leave the country is utterly baffling.

Qatada was locked up without trial in 2001 precisely because we were not allowed to throw him out of the country.

Article three of the European Convention on Human Rights prevented Britain deporting him.

After he had been in prison for several years, the courts then ruled that he could not be held indefinitely without trial, since that is obviously a breach of his rights, too. So he was released from jail and has been living under curfew in London.

The cost of the litigation and Qatada’s incarceration has been astronomical. In addition, the taxpayer has picked up the bill for benefits to look after him and his family.

If Qatada was planning to leave the country – apparently bound for Lebanon - it must call into question all the arguments made by his lawyers to block his deportation and the decisions of the courts to thwart it. COMMENT HERE >>> | November 10, 2008

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Das «Wort zum Freitag» in Gottes Ohr!
Der TV-Pfarrer Thomas Joller fordert angeblich ein islamisches «Wort zum Sonntag». Muslime sind begeistert, die SVP empört. Alles halb so wild, wie sich jetzt herausstellt.

«Religiöse Minderheiten wie die Muslime in der Schweiz haben bislang keine Plattform im Fernsehen. Das muss sich ändern.» So äusserte sich TV-Prediger Thomas Joller in der Zeitung «Sonntag» – und erntete Lob und Kritik zugleich. «Es wäre eine grosser Chance für Nicht-Muslime, ihre allgegenwärtige Angst vor dem Islam abzulegen», sagte Hisham Maizar, Präsident der Föderation Islamischer Dachorganisationen in der Schweiz. Integration und interreligiöser Dialog würden dadurch gefördert. SVP-Nationalrat Ulrich Schlüer warnt davor, den Muslimen «eigene Missionsstationen einzurichten».

Doch die Sache wird heisser gekocht als gegessen: «Die ganze Geschichte ist aufgebauscht», sagt Theologe Thomas Joller gegenüber Tagesanzeiger.ch/Newsnetz. Das Thema sei zwar in einem Interview zur Sprache gekommen, doch die Idee eines «Wort zum Sonntag» für Muslime sei nicht von ihm gewesen. «Natürlich wäre es schön, wenn auch religiöse Minderheiten im Fernsehen eine Plattform hätten», erklärt Joller, «aber ich fordere das nicht.» Es gehe ihm vielmehr darum, dass Muslime in der Schweiz besser integriert werden. Der Rummel um sein Zitat geht ihm nun selbst zu weit: «Dass das viele Schweizerinnen und Schweizer verärgert, kann ich mir gut vorstellen.» >>> Von Reto Hunziker | 10. November 2008

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Kristallnacht: The Night of the Broken Glass, November 9, 1938
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YNET NEWS: Remembering Kristallnacht

Abraham H. Foxman says Kristallnacht taught us that we must stop hate in its tracks

For those of us engaged in the fight against anti-Semitism, the commemoration of Kristallnacht which took place 70 years ago on November 9-10, has special meaning. Of course, Kristallnacht is important to remember because it was the moment when it became clear that Nazi hatred of Jews was beyond anything seen before. It is important to remember because there are yet those among us who lived through, witnessed it, and survived it. And it is important to remember because after Kristallnacht, the world no longer had any excuses for not acting against the barbarism of Nazi anti-Semitism. >>> Abraham H Foxman | November 9, 2008

YNET NEWS: Pogrom Witnessed by All

Despite Kristallancht being widely reported, world took no steps to punish Germany

The Berlin correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph reported on November 10: “Mob law ruled in Berlin throughout the afternoon and evening and hordes of hooligans indulged in an orgy of destruction. I have seen several anti-Jewish outbreaks in Germany during the last five years, but never anything as nauseating as this. Racial hatred and hysteria seemed to have taken complete hold of otherwise decent people. I saw fashionably dressed women clapping their hands and screaming with glee, while respectable, middle-class mothers held up their babies to see the “’fun.’”

This was just one of many reports that appeared in the international press after the Nazis instigated attacks on Jews throughout Germany and Austria on November 9-10 in what became known as Kristallancht, the “Night of Broken Glass. During the “orgy of destruction” at least 96 Jews were murdered, 1,300 synagogues and 7,500 businesses were destroyed, and countless Jewish cemeteries and schools were vandalized. An estimated 30,000 Jews were imprisoned in concentration camps.

Germans and Austrians witnessed and, in many cases, participated in the pogrom. They could not claim, as many would after World War II, that they were unaware of the persecution of the Jews.

Michael Bruce, a non-Jewish Englishman, provided this eyewitness account of Kristallnacht: “Hurriedly we went out into the street. It was crowded with people, all hurrying towards a nearby synagogue, shouting and gesticulating angrily. We followed. As we reached the synagogue and halted, silent and angry, on the fringe of the mob, flames began to rise from one end of the building. It was the signal for a wild cheer. The crowd surged forward and greedy hands tore seats and woodwork from the building to feed the flames.” >>> Mitchell Bard | November 9, 2008

YNET NEWS: Pope Says He’s Still Pained by Kristallnacht

On 70th anniversary of Nazi pogrom, German-born Benedict XVI invites worshippers to pray for victims, express profound solidarity with Jewish world; Chancellor Merkel calls on Germans to stand together against racism, anti-Semitism

Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Germans to stand together against racism and anti-Semitism as the nation marked the 70th anniversary of the Nazi pogrom known as Kristallnacht or Night of Broken Glass, after the smashed windows of the thousands of Jewish businesses and synagogues that were attacked and torched by Adolf Hitler's followers in 1938. >>> News agencies | November 9, 2008

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Merkel Urges Anti-racist Action >>> | November 9, 2008

Carla Bruni Blasts Berlusconi's Obama Remark
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: French First Lady Carla Bruni said she was happy no longer to be an Italian citizen after Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi joked about US President-elect Barack Obama being "suntanned."

France's First Lady Carla Bruni has criticized Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for joking about US President-elect Barack Obama's "suntan", and said she was glad to have given up her Italian citizenship.

"When I hear Silvio Berlusconi ... joke about the fact that Obama is ’always tanned’, it feels strange to me," she told le Journal du Dimanche newspaper in an interview published on Sunday. "Some people will no doubt put it down to humor, but often I find that I am pleased to have become French," she said.

The Italian-born model and pop singer became a French national and gave up her Italian citizenship after she married French President Nicolas Sarkozy in February.

Berlusconi had said on Thursday that Obama, who will be the first African-American US president, was "handsome, young and also suntanned". >>> cro -- with wire reports | November 11, 2008

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The ‘Defender of Faith’ May Never Be King
Photo of Charles and Camilla courtesy of The Telegraph
THE TELEGRAPH: As the Prince of Wales prepares to celebrate his 60th birthday, Andrew Pierce examines the hopes and fears of the longest-serving heir to the throne

The Queen's son and heir passes yet another milestone in his life this week when he becomes the first Prince of Wales to reach the age of 60 without becoming monarch.

It was in January, when he passed 59 years and 74 days, that Prince Charles reached the same age as his great-great-grandfather Edward VII when he finally ascended the throne on the death of Queen Victoria in 1901. Prince Charles is well aware that his 60th birthday on Friday will merely underline in the eyes of the public the fact that he is the longest-serving king‑in-waiting in British history.

There will be only two private celebrations, in contrast to the month of lavish parties at Buckingham Palace, St James's Palace, Hampton Court and Highgrove when he turned 50.

The Queen is hosting a concert and dinner at Buckingham Palace with 75 members of the British and European royal families on Thursday. On Friday, his birthday, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will meet inner-city youngsters to highlight the work of the Prince's Trust, one of the great successes of this complex man's long service to public life. On Saturday it is the Duchess of Cornwall who will host a private party at Highgrove for 200 close friends. Rod Stewart will provide the cabaret. The relatively subdued tone of the week – it coincides with the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War – will reflect the ambiguous mood of the Queen's eldest son.

The world's most famous prince, who has a fabulously privileged lifestyle, is prone to deep bouts of brooding. His 60th birthday will reinforce the mood of introspection. The Prince of Wales knows that with each subsequent birthday the pressure will grow in some quarters for the Royal family to skip a generation when anointing the next monarch.

Although he was born to be head of state and is still fired by a determination to hear the traditional, sonorous proclamation, "The Queen is dead, long live the King", in his blacker moods his fear is that the proclamation, "Long live the King" will be for William V, not Charles III. (In fact, some in his circle have urged him to be George VII, in honour of the Queen's father, because of the unfortunate historical associations with monarchs called Charles.)

The Prince of Wales is a deeply spiritual man who is often engrossed in books on religion. He falls to his knees before bed each night in silent prayer. He spends much of his private time in his walking boots on the moors at his beloved Birkhall in Scotland. Officials are often summoned to join him. "It's more like a 10-mile hike. We can be out there for hours," said one.

During the treks, he agonises out loud about the future of the planet, rainforests, the fate of small farmers, the threat posed by genetically modified food, the rise of the big corporations, the decline of the Church of England, and continuing deprivation in the inner cities. "He really cares. He always has," said the official. "He does not just moan about it. He gets on and tries to do something about it. He wants to change things. He could have been a different Prince of Wales but he has chosen to wear his conscience on his sleeve and take on causes, even though he knows people sometimes mock him." Prince Charles May Never Be King >>> By Andrew Pierce | November 10, 2008

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