Mumbai Attacks: Blasts Heard across Indian City as Hostages Freed
THE TELEGRAPH: Blasts were heard across southern Mumbai on Thursday as Indian commandos prepared to storm the Trident-Oberoi hotel to rescue the last foreign hostages seized by Islamist militants in a series of attacks the night before.

Standoffs continued between the Indian police in Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) and heavily armed militants who a day earlier carried out seven coordinated attacks across the city that killed more than 100 people.

Witnesses in the Indian financial capital said a fresh round of firing was heard as commandos prepared to storm the Trident-Oberoi, a luxury hotel where as many as 200 people are believed to be trapped.

Police earlier said all of the foreign hostages had been freed from another five-star hotel, the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel, but AN Roy, the police chief of Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, said as many as 100 guests remained trapped inside their rooms.

Witnesses also reported continuing explosions and gunfire at the landmark hotel as a trickle of bodies and hostages were seen emerging from the building.

Eighteen hours after the attacks began, commandos had also gathered outside the Mumbai headquarters of the ultra-orthodox Jewish outreach group Chabad Lubavitch, where a rabbi is thought to have been taken hostage. >>> By Damien McElroy and Rahul Bedi in Bombay | November 27, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH: Mumbai Attacks: Six Foreigners Including British National Killed, Hundreds Injured

Six foreign nationals, including a Briton, have been confirmed among more than 100 dead following terrorist attacks in Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) in India.

Hundreds more have been injured, including seven British nationals, after teams of terrorists stormed hotels, cafes and tourist attractions in a series of coordinated attacks on the Indian city of Mumbai.

Hundreds of tourists were held hostage in two luxury hotels in the city. Local reports said among the dead foreigners were a British national, a 41-year-old Japanese man and a 49-year-old Australian.

Among the wounded are travellers from Australia, the United States, Spain, Norway, Canada and Singapore. Seven British citizens have been injured.

Sir Richard Stagg, the British High Commissioner in India, told the BBC: "We have visited most of the central hospitals where those injured have been taken and have met seven British victims who are in hospital at the moment and we understand there is likely to be some other injured of British nationality."

The death toll from the attacks stands at 101.

Indian troops have surrounded the Trident Oberoi Hotel and the Taj Mahal Hotel where tourists are being held by militants. >>> By Damien McElroy and Rahul Bedi in New Delhi | November 27, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH: Mumbai Attacks: The World Can't Ignore India's Islamist Terrorists Any Longer

India has suffered a gathering wave of Islamist terror attacks over the last five years, but it wasn't until yesterday afternoon that the terrorists really made the outside world sit up and take notice.

By targeting one of India's most iconic hotels, The Taj Mahal Palace on Mumbai's waterfront and holding hundreds of its wealthy foreign guests hostage, the Islamists have touched an international nerve at a delicate moment in the story of India's resurgence.

Despite the spate of attacks in recent years, including the 2006 train bombings in Mumbai that killed 180 people and bomb attacks this year in commercially sensitive locations of Bangalore and New Delhi, India has managed to retain its international image as a 'safe' place to visit and invest.

That all changed yesterday as the international news networks were filled with the voices of terrified Americans and Europeans, some of them on their mobile phones direct from the Taj Mahal Hotel, even as the bombs exploded nearby.

Such images will cause damage to India's status as an international investment destination at time when the economy is already suffering serious fallout from the global credit crunch.

Foreign capital, highly instrumental in India's economic resurgence, is fleeing India's economy at an alarming rate (more than £10bn this year), driving up the cost of borrowing and curbing the investment on which India's 'economic miracle' depends. >>> By Peter Foster | November 27, 2008

NZZ Online: Verheerende Terroranschläge in Mumbai: Viele Einrichtungen gleichzeitig angegriffen - Beträchtliche Opferbilanz

Bei mehreren gezielten Angriffe in der indischen Finanzmetropole Mumbai sind nach jüngsten Angaben über 100 Personen getötet worden. Gegen 250 Personen haben ernsthafte Verletzungen erlitten, wie die Behörden am Donnerstag mitteilten. Die Terroristen haben zwei Hotels, einen Bahhof sowie Spitäler und auch einen Flughafen unter Beschuss genommen.

hoh. Die Urheber der brutalen Anschläge hatten offenbar westliche Bürger im Visier. In den beiden Hotels, dem über den Subkontinent hinaus berühmten «Taj Mahal» sowie das Nobelhaus «Trident Oberoi», nahmen die Attentäter britische und amerikanische Bürger als Geiseln. Wie viele Personen die fundamentalistischen Angreifer in ihrer Gewahrsam haben, konnte bisher aber nicht ermittelt werden. >>> | 27. November 2008

NZZ Online: Landmarken des Fortschritts und des Wohlstands: Die Terroranschläge von Mumbai treffen wichtige Symbole

Die Schauplätze sind gezielt gewählt: Die terroristischen Anschläge in Mumbai treffen Landmarken von grosser symbolischer und historischer Bedeutung. Sie stehen für den Fortschritt und die Weltoffenheit der grössten indischen Metropole. >>> Von Isabelle Imhof | 27. November 2008

THE TELEGRAPH:
Mumbai Attacks: Who Are the Deccan Mujahedeen Terrorists?: The Deccan Mujahedeen, which has claimed responsibility for the terrorist attacks across Mumbai in India (formerly known as Bombay), appears to be the latest in a string of home-grown Indian Islamic militant splinter groups. >>> | November 27, 2008

LE FIGARO: Bombay : la police poursuit l'évacuation des otages

Les forces indiennes affrontent toujours des islamistes armés qui retiennent des otages, dont des étrangers, dans deux hôtels de luxe et un centre juif de Bombay, après avoir lancé une série d'attaques coordonnées. Plus de cent Indiens et au moins neuf étrangers ont été tués. >>> C.M., S.L. et L.S. (lefigaro.fr) avec agences | 27.11.2008

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Barack Obama Forced to Deny Abandoning 'Change' Amid Insider Appointments
Photo of Barack Hussein Obama courtesy of the Times Online
TIMESONLINE: Barack Obama today defended himself against his decision to pack his new cabinet with veteran Washington insiders and former Clinton officials, after a campaign in which he had promised “change”.

Mr Obama responded after announcing the former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker – a veteran of the Carter and Reagan administrations – to head a new economic panel to stop “groupthink” infecting his inner circle of White House financial advisers.

There have been mounting concerns, particularly from the liberal wing of his own Democratic party, that Mr Obama has pivoted sharply since his election to the centre-right with his choice of top cabinet posts.

His main economic advisers have close ties to the Clinton White House, and Mr Obama has even chosen Hillary Clinton to be his Secretary of State. His chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, also served Bill Clinton, and more appointments to be announced week will include [a] slew of officials who served in the last Democratic administration.

“What we are going to do is combine experience with fresh thinking,” Mr Obama said at his third press conference in as many days. He said he would be foolish, at such a “critical time in our history”, to pick people who “had no experience in Washington whatsoever.” He added: “What I don’t want to do is somehow suggest that because you somehow served in the last administration you are barred from serving again.” >>> Tim Reid in Chicago | November 26, 2008

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Lest We Should Ever Forget the Cruelty of Which Man Is So Capable

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Queen Elizabeth II Reflects on Her Life, Rare Footage

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Muslim Student's Fury after 118 118 Joke Service Sends Him 'Bernard Manning-style' Racist Gags
MAIL Online: A stunned Muslim was shocked after receiving two racist 'jokes' after texting a service run by directory inquiries service 118 118.

Kameron Abbas, 21, used the company's new joke text service with a friend 'for a laugh' after seeing it advertised on TV.

But he was horrified when he was sent a message saying: 'What's the difference between ET and an Asian? ET got the message and went home.'

Stunned Kameron then requested another, again using his friend Imran Shah's telephone, and received: 'How do you save a drowning Pakistani? Take your foot off his head.' >>> | November 26, 2008

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Christian Police Officer Sacked for Misconduct after Offering Officers 'Cure for Homosexuality'
MAIL Online: A Christian policeman who objected to being 'bombarded' at work by emails and posters promoting gay rights and events has been sacked for misconduct.

PC Graham Cogman, 50, responded to the 'politically correct' campaign by sending emails to colleagues which quoted religious texts and suggested homosexual sex was sinful.

The regular churchgoer was hauled before a disciplinary committee where he was advised by lawyers to admit a breach of the police code of conduct to save his job.

But he was ordered before another hearing following further allegations, including breaching a ban on using internal communication system to circulate a link to an American Christian helpline, and has now been fired by Norfolk police.

Speaking yesterday at the home in Sea Palling, north Norfolk, he shares with his wife Elaine, 46, and their two children, he said: 'The news that I have lost my job is only just sinking in and I am very upset.'

He confirmed he was considering an appeal against the dismissal and was continuing with plans to have his case heard by an employment tribunal on the grounds that he had been harassed over his Christian beliefs. >>> Andrew Levy | November 26, 2008

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Al-Qaeda Threat to New York Subway, Says FBI
TIMESONLINE: The FBI has received a “plausible but unsubstantiated” report that al-Qaeda terrorists may have discussed attacking the New York City subway system during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, US authorities said today.

Russ Knocke, spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, said that the FBI warning to New York law enforcement agencies meant that there may be an increased police presence in New York and other large metropolitan areas this weekend.

The report indicated that al-Qaeda terrorists “in late September may have discussed targeting transit systems in and around New York City”.

“These discussions reportedly involved the use of suicide bombers or explosives placed on subway/passenger rail systems,” the leaked memo, dated yesterday, said. “We have no specific details to confirm that this plot has developed beyond aspirational planning, but we are issuing this warning out of concern that such an attack could possibly be conducted during the forthcoming holiday season.” >>> | November 26, 2008

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Aussies Warned against Thailand Travel
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Australians travelling to Thailand have been warned that terrorists may be planning attacks against tourists and other places frequented by foreigners.

Authorities have advised tourists not to travel to the southern provinces of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Songkhla or overland to and from the Malaysian border.

Danger exists from ongoing violence in those regions, including terrorist attacks and bombings resulting in deaths and injuries on an almost daily basis, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in an updated travel advisory.

Australian travellers have also been warned to exercise a high degree of caution in the rest of Thailand, including in the capital, Bangkok.

"We advise you to exercise a high degree of caution because of the uncertain political situation and high threat of terrorist attack," the advice says.

Tourists should pay close attention to their personal security at all times and monitor the media for information about possible new safety or security risks. >>> | November 26, 2008

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Heil Hitler! Heil Obama!

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'Brown Is Like a Drunk Who Lost Family Silver Playing Roulette': Boris Johnson's Extraordinary Attack on PM
MAIL Online: The Mayor of London launched an extraordinary personal attack on Gordon Brown's handling of the financial crisis today.

Boris Johnson accused the Prime Minister of behaving like a drunk taking a "frantic and unprecedented gamble" with the economy.

"He is like some sherry-crazed old dowager who has lost the family silver at roulette, and who now decides to double up by betting the house as well," the Mayor said.

His attack came as City figures warned that the measures unveiled in the mini-budget posed a grave threat to the future prosperity of London.

One said the new 45 per cent tax rate on earnings above £150,000 would trigger a disastrous "brain drain" of the talent drawn to London during the boom years.

In an article in the London Evening Standard today, Mr Johnson's director of strategy, Anthony Browne, writes: "Alistair Darling has done far more to redistribute wealth here than anywhere else... It is almost as though the budget is the revenge of England on the affluent of Kensington and Chelsea.

"Even at first glance, London has little to cheer from this budget. Whatever the macro-economic arguments about a need for a fiscal stimulus to stave off recession, for the capital this is not really a spend now, pay later budget."

The Mayor described the Prime Minister as a "manic meddler" who was desperately trying to boost the economy to improve his own electoral fortunes.

He accused Mr Brown of treating Londoners like "a bunch of overweight and exhausted laboratory rats" who he hoped would do his bidding. >>> By Jonathan Prynn and Pipa Crerar | November 25, 2008

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Sex-on-the-beach Couple to Be Deported from Dubai after Jail Sentences Are Quashed
MAIL Online: A British couple convicted of having sex on a beach in Dubai had their three-month jail sentences suspended today, their lawyer said.

Michelle Palmer, 36 and Vince Acors, 34, were freed at Dubai's Court of Appeal.

The pair will now be deported and ordered to pay a fine of £170, Acors' solicitor in London said.

Palmer said today's ruling 'proves our innocence'.

Speaking afterwards on her mobile telephone, she said: 'I'm not saying anything. It just proves our innocence after all the bad stuff that was written. That's it.'

Hassan Matter, who represented the couple in court today, said: 'The judge has cancelled the jail. He refused the prosecution appeal (for the sentences to be increased).

'They are free. It's wonderful. >>> | November 25, 2008

Watch BBC video: Beach-sex couple to be deported >>>
Watch BBC video: Acceptable behaviour in Dubai >>>
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Fatwa Issued Against Italian Politician
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: A far right Italian politician -- nicknamed "The Sheriff" -- has reportedly been slapped with a fatwa in response to his anti-Islam, and anti-immigrant, rhetoric. But it may only encourage him.

He likes to express controversial opinions, like the notion that police should "ethnically cleanse" homosexuals or that immigrants in public parks should be "dressed up like rabbits" and used for target practice. But now Giancarlo Gentilini, the deputy mayor of the northeastern Italian city of Treviso, has reportedly had a fatwa declared against him.

"I defend my culture, my religion and civilization without any fear, and so it is natural that I will make some enemies," Gentilini, who belongs to the anti-immigrant, far-right Northern League party, told the Italian news agency ANSA Friday.

Gentilini's name can be found on a list of men to be killed on an Islamic Web site based in Lebanon, according to ilpadano.com, a news site with ties to the Northern League. The site's name is related to the term "Padania," which the party uses to denote northern Italy.

According to ilpadano.com, the fatwa was issued in response to Gentilini's "blaspheming" Islam. Police consider the reports credible, according to ANSA, which adds that the fatwa was issued several months ago.

Gentilini -- who served as mayor of Treviso for two terms before taking his current job -- has been no stranger to controversy. "I want to see a revolution against those that want to open mosques and Islamic centers," he told a Northern League gathering in Venice in September 2008. "This also includes the members of the church hierarchy here who say that we should leave them alone to pray. No, let them go pray in the desert. I'll open a factory to give them the carpets they need to pray on in the desert." >>> jtw | November 24, 2008

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Studie: Hunderttausende Türkinnen heiraten minderjährig
WELT ONLINE: Eine Studie bringt schockierende Details über die Ehepraxis in der Türkei ans Licht. Demnach werden mindestens sieben Prozent der jungen Türkinnen aus der Schule genommen und verheiratet. Zwei Drittel aller Frauen können sich nicht aussuchen, wen sie heiraten. Auch nach der Eheschließung gehen die Zwänge weiter.

In der Türkei gibt es rund eine Million „Kinderbräute“. Das geht aus einer neuen repräsentativen Untersuchung hervor, die die Zeitung „Hürriyet“ in Auftrag gab und aus der sie vorab berichtete. Mindestens sieben Prozent der türkischen Mädchen werden demnach von ihren Eltern vorzeitig aus der Schule genommen, um sie zu verheiraten.



Zwei von drei Frauen könnten sich ihre Ehemänner nicht selbst aussuchen, 60 Prozent der Türkinnen müssten ihre Ehemänner fragen, wenn sie aus dem Haus gehen wollten. >>> AFP/cn | November 25, 2008

BBC: New Laws against Forced Marriages

Image courtesy of the BBC
Laws to prevent forced marriages and protect those who have already fallen victim have been introduced in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The laws mean anyone convicted of trying to force someone into marriage could be jailed for up to two years.

A victim, friend or police can apply for a Forced Marriage Protection Order.

These court injunctions will forbid families from actions such as taking people abroad for marriage, seizing passports or intimidating victims.

Penalties for breaching an order include up to two years' imprisonment.

The legislation is the first to specifically target the problem of forced marriages.

Previously the issue had been dealt with through existing measures, such as those contained in the Children's Act, and immigration laws.

Clear message

Justice minister Bridget Prentice said: "This new law is a powerful tool that will help ensure that no-one is forced into marriage against their will and those already in such marriages will receive protection." >>> | November 25, 2008

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Cash to Name Babies for [after] Mussolini
Photo of Benito Mussolini courtesy of The Telegraph
BBC: A far-right Italian party is offering 1,500 euros ($1,900) to parents who name their children after the fascist dictator Mussolini or his wife.

The small Movimento Sociale-Fiamma Tricolore (MS-FT) party denies its gesture is racist and says the names Benito and Rachele are merely "nice".

The party also wants parents to buy cribs, clothes and food with the money.

The cash incentive is available in five areas of southern Italy and is designed to help the region's low birth rate. >>> By Duncan Kennedy, BBC News, Rome | November 24, 2008

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Saudi Girl Band Challenges the Rules Limiting Women
Photo of the Saudi band Accolade courtesy of The Telegraph
THE TELEGRAPH: A Saudi girl band is defying the strict Islamic regime's taboos on female expression of emotion and identity.

The band, called the Accolade, has written an underground hit called Pinocchio, that has been downloaded from their MySpace page. While they cannot perform in public, the four students have been able to stage gigs in private compounds and make studio recordings of their material.

Saudi Arabia maintains a strict code of control over women, based on Islamic precepts. The rules prohibit women from appearing in public alone or without an enshrouding veil. Women officially cannot make independent travel, education or medical choices without permission from a senior male relative.

There is even an injunction against women drivers.

One of member of the band told the New York Times that its formation was a demonstration of generational change. "The upcoming generation is different from the one before," said Dina, 21, a founder member and guitarist. "Everything is changing. Maybe in 10 years it's going to be OK to have a band with live performances."

But there are considerable risks in the limited exposure the women have sought. >>> By Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | November 25, 2008

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New Dark Age Alert! The Saudis' Dubious Interfaith Agenda at the UN
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: The country's lack of religious freedom betrays its lofty rhetoric. The real aim of its 'dialogue' is to promote a global blasphemy law.

WASHINGTON - World leaders gathering at the United Nations this week for a special session of the General Assembly to advance interfaith dialogue should have no illusions that their efforts will miraculously promote mutual respect between religious communities or end abuses of religious freedom.

Saudi King Abdullah, who initiated this week's special session, is quietly enlisting the leaders' support for a global law to punish blasphemy – a campaign championed by the 56-member Organization of Islamic Conference that puts the rights of religions ahead of individual liberties.

If the campaign succeeds, states that presume to speak in the name of religion will be able to crush religious freedom not only in their own country, but abroad.

The UN session is designed to endorse a meeting of religious leaders in Spain last summer that was the brainchild of King Abdullah and organized by the Muslim World League. That meeting resulted in a final statement counseling promotion of "respect for religions, their places of worship, and their symbols ... therefore preventing the derision of what people consider sacred."

The lofty-sounding principle is, in fact, a cleverly coded way of granting religious leaders the right to criminalize speech and activities that they deem to insult religion. Instead of promoting harmony, however, this effort will exacerbate divisions and intensify religious repression.

Such prohibitions have already been used in some countries to restrict discussion of individuals' freedom vis-à-vis the state, to prevent criticism of political figures or parties, to curb dissent from prevailing views and beliefs, and even to incite and to justify violence.

They undermine the standards codified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the keystone of the United Nations, by granting greater rights to religions than to individuals, including those who choose to hold no faith – or who would seek to convert.

Another stark irony hangs over the UN special session this week. Saudi Arabia is one of the world's worst abusers of religious freedom, a fact recognized by the Bush administration when it named it a "country of particular concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act in 2004. The king couldn't hold such a conference at home, where conservative clerics no doubt would purge the guest list of Jews from Israel, Baha'is, and Ahmadis.

The Saudi government permits the public practice of only one interpretation of Islam. This forces the 2-to-3 million Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, and other expatriate workers there to leave their convictions at the border, since non-Muslim places of worship are prohibited, non-Muslim religious materials risk confiscation, and even private worship is affected by the strictures.

It also violates the rights of the large communities of Muslims who adhere to Islamic traditions other than the one deemed orthodox by Saudi clerics. In the past two years, dozens of Shiites have been detained for up to 30 days for holding small religious gatherings at home. One Ismaili, Hadi Al-Mutaif, is serving a life sentence after being condemned for apostasy in 1994 for a remark he made as a teenager that was deemed blasphemous. The alleged crime of apostasy, in fact, can be punished by death. >>> By Donald H. Argue and Leonard A. Leo | November 13, 2008

*Donald H. Argue and Leonard A. Leo are members of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

ARUTZ SHEVA:
Saudi Interfaith Parley a Front for Global Law against Blasphemy >>> By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu | November 13, 2008

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Pope Questions Interfaith Dialogue

ROME — In comments on Sunday that could have broad implications in a period of intense religious conflict, Pope Benedict XVI cast doubt on the possibility of interfaith dialogue but called for more discussion of the practical consequences of religious differences.

The pope’s comments came in a letter he wrote to Marcello Pera, an Italian center-right politician and scholar whose forthcoming book, “Why We Must Call Ourselves Christian,” argues that Europe should stay true to its Christian roots. A central theme of Benedict’s papacy has been to focus attention on the Christian roots of an increasingly secular Europe.

In quotations from the letter that appeared on Sunday in Corriere della Sera, Italy’s leading daily newspaper, the pope said the book “explained with great clarity” that “an interreligious dialogue in the strict sense of the word is not possible.” In theological terms, added the pope, “a true dialogue is not possible without putting one’s faith in parentheses.” >>> By Rachel Donadio | November 23, 2008

LOS ANGELES TIMES Blog - Babylon & Beyond: Saudi Arabia: A Barber Spared Beheading

The king spared the barber.

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has rescinded the death penalty against a Turkish barber convicted of “cursing” the name of God.

Sabri Bogday, who cuts hair in the port of Jidda, was sentenced to beheading for swearing during an argument with his neighbor, a tailor.

Turkish media reported that Turkey’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia informed Bogday’s family that he had been spared.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul had asked the king to set aside the verdict.

After Bogday's arrest, the Arab News in Saudi Arabia quoted a lawyer who described how the court viewed using God's name in vain:

“Some judges consider it heresy and infidelity, and say that the accused cannot repent and so faces the death penalty. Others consider the statement to be disbelief, thus allow the accused to retract what he has said and repent and then set him free. ... Sentences in these cases are limited and considered rare, because the judgment is not based on something that is written.”

Saudi Arabia’s rigid Islamic laws carry the death penalty for crimes including murder, rape, drug trafficking, heresy and blasphemy. >>> | November 17, 2008

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Will Populist TV Be Popular?: Dutch Rightwing TV Company Launched
RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE: The word 'populist' is generally used as a smear against the new Dutch right wing. But the politicians and sympathisers launching the Populist Broadcasting Company are proud to use the term. They want to produce television and radio that puts respect for Dutch culture first, and counterbalances what they see as a ruling leftwing elite.

The political party Liveable Rotterdam is behind the new national radio and television organisation, dubbed the Populist Broadcasting Company.

The term populist has often been applied to the new rightwing parties and politicians that have caused a stir in the Dutch political scene in recent years. They range from murdered politician Pim Fortuyn, who tried to set in motion a "popular revolt" against the political establishment, to maverick former conservative VVD minister Rita Verdonk, to the controversial anti-Muslim MP Geert Wilders.

Elite


Although some might think Geert Wilders gets more than his share of media attention in the Netherlands, Liveable Rotterdam leader Ronald Sörensen believes the Dutch media is dominated by the left.

"All the other broadcasting organisations in the Netherlands are the mouthpiece of our socialist liberal elite. Let's have current affairs programmes where for once Mr Wilders and Ms Verdonk can feel at ease. They've constantly been blackened by the left." >>> By Michael Blass | November 21, 2008

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Jewish Youths Jailed for Neo-Nazi Attacks in Israel
THE GUARDIAN: A gang of Jewish teenagers were today jailed by an Israeli court for a 12-month campaign of neo-Nazi attacks.

The sentencing in Tel Aviv, which comes over a year after the arrest of the eight youths, closed a case that has sparked revulsion across the Jewish state.

The judge, Zvi Gurfinkel, sentenced the teens, aged 16 to 19, to between one and seven years in prison for a "shocking and horrifying" year-long spree of attacks that focused on foreign workers, gay people, ultra-orthodox Jews and homeless men.

The ring posted pro-Hitler video clips and recordings of their attacks on the internet. Its members also planned to attack Arabs.

They were arrested in September 2007 and reports said that searches of their homes unearthed Nazi uniforms, knives, guns and the explosive TNT.

Gang members had tattoos popular with white supremacists – including the number 88, code for "heil Hitler", H being the eighth letter of the alphabet.

The charges against them included painting swastikas in a synagogue and planning a birthday party for Hitler.

They were charged with offences including conspiracy to commit a crime, assault, racial incitement and the distribution of racist materials. >>> Angela Balakrishnan and agencies | November 24, 2008

LE FIGARO: De jeunes néonazis condamnés en Israël

Huit jeunes, dont trois mineurs, ont écopé de peines de un à sept ans pour avoir commis des actes racistes et violents contre des immigrés, des homosexuels et des juifs religieux.

L'un d'eux est le petit-fils de rescapés de la Shoah. Dimanche, huit jeunes tous originaires de l'ex-URSS ont été condamnés par le tribunal de district de Tel-Aviv à des peines de un an à sept ans de prison ferme pour «activité néo-nazie» en Israël.

Les membres de ce groupe, qui ont plaidé coupable, étaient jugés pour une série de délits racistes et des actes de violences commis entre 2005 et 2007. Leurs victimes, qui se compteraient par douzaines, étaient des travailleurs immigrés d'origine asiatique, des drogués, des SDF, des homosexuels, mais aussi des juifs ultra-orthodoxes.

Le groupe, qui se faisait appeler «Patrouille 36» et avait pour emblème un crâne, a également été reconnu coupable d'avoir projeté d'agresser des groupes punk à l'aide d'explosifs et d'avoir profané la synagogue Petah Tikva, dans la banlieue de Tel-Aviv, en dessinant des croix gammées sur ses murs. >>> J.C. (lefigaro.fr) avec AFP | 24.11.2008

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neo-Nazis, Israel,

Ensuring Women Get Their Say
ARAB NEWS: The first ladies of several Arab countries recently called for greater empowerment of women in the Arab world, so that women could play a role in building their countries and communities. They also stressed the need for promoting dialogue, between Arab countries on the one hand and Arabs and the international community on the other, to boost cooperation in the service of humanity.

Urging the empowerment of women is crucial to our region. We need to work harder to create a consensus in the Arab world to support women in leadership positions. The more we see women in power, the more people will get used to the fact that women are capable leaders. However, recruiting women to run for a local office is still a real challenge for our region. In the United States, there are many organizations that give women the support they need to reach decision-making positions.

Emily’s List, Emerge, The White House Project and The League of Women Voters are among the national organizations that pursue this goal. Emily’s List is a group that helps young women to become successful candidates for political office. It trains women so they improve eligibility and qualification for public office. There is a lot that we can learn from these organizations, and there are a lot of strategies that we can adopt in order to succeed in empowering women to run for public office. >>> Samar Fatany | November 24, 2008

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Gerichtsurteil in Spanien: Das Kruzifix muss weichen
SUEDDEUTSCHE: Erstaunliches Urteil in einem katholischen Land: Ein spanisches Gericht verbannt erstmals die christlichen Symbole aus einer Schule.

Der Katholizismus in Spanien befindet sich auf dem Rückzug. Der Zeitung El País zufolge will sich das Plenum der spanischen Bischofskonferenz in dieser Woche über deutliche Zahlen beugen: Demnach verliere die katholische Kirche in Spanien jedes Jahr 20000 Gläubige, sei die Zahl der praktizierenden Katholiken in den vergangenen 20 Jahren um 20 Prozent gesunken, gehe die Zahl der Messebesucher jährlich um 200000 zurück.

Am Samstag wurde überdies ein Gerichtsurteil bekannt, das die Kirche aus dem öffentlichen Raum verbannt: Erstmals hat ein Verwaltungsgericht angeordnet, dass Kruzifixe aus einer öffentlichen Schule verschwinden müssen. Der Leitung der Schule Macías Picavea wurde auferlegt, die seit 1930 hängenden Kreuze von den Wänden zu nehmen. >>> Von Javier Cáceres | 24. November 2008

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Abdullah Meets with Blair in Jeddah
Photo of Tony Blair meeting King Abdullah in Jeddah courtesy of Arab News
ARAB NEWS: JEDDAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah held talks here yesterday with Tony Blair, former British prime minister and special envoy of the Quartet to the Middle East.

"King Abdullah and Blair discussed the latest developments in the Palestinian issue and the stalled Middle East peace process," the Saudi Press Agency said.

King Abdullah arrived here on Saturday night from the Moroccan city of Casablanca and was received at the airport by Crown Prince Sultan, senior princes and high-ranking officials. [Source: Arab News] Monday 24, 2008

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Muslim Fanatics ‘Hijack British Prison’
SUNDAY EXPRESS: MUSLIM prisoners have launched a reign of terror inside a top security British jail.

The fanatics are forcing fellow inmates to convert to Islam or face punishment beatings.



One man who stood up to the thugs was branded with a lump of hot metal, according to a prison source.



The crisis at Whitemoor jail in Cambridgeshire has led to calls by staff for the 100 Muslim inmates there to be dispersed to other prisons round the country.



Some Al Qaeda supporters have set up a kangaroo court, sitting in judgment on prisoners and ordering punishments, the source said.



The violent disciples of Osama Bin Laden have targeted even the toughest non-Muslim prisoners, including killers and rapists.



Local Tory MP Malcolm Moss said: “They are a law unto themselves. The governor should sort these problems out.”


Mr Moss, who recently visited the jail with Prisons Minister David Hanson, added: “There is a fear in the prison about what Al Qaeda stands for and what they can do. There are threats made to people to make them convert and if they lapse it is even worse.



“It is not an easy situation for the prison officers working there. Either additional resources should be made available or better training.”



Brian Caton, general secretary of the Prison Officers’ Association, said: “We have been calling for the Muslim leaders to be dispersed to other jails. The service must step in to break up this gang culture with immediate effect.”

Concern over the way Whitemoor is being run surfaced last week when it was revealed an Al Qaeda terrorist had been training to be a stand-up comic. >>> By James Murrey | November 23, 2008

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Jews Slam Germany for Hosting Khatami
THE JERUSALEM POST: Three weeks after former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami visited Germany, the Central Council of Jews in Germany has launched a bitter assault on Social Democratic Foreign Ministry State Secretary Gernot Erler and the Green Party's mayor of Freiburg, Dieter Salomon, for welcoming him, accusing them of "pure appeasement" politics toward the Iranian regime.

Khatami, who served as president of Iran from 1997 to 2005, is now jockeying to replace the current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

On October 28, Khatami was invited by the University of Freiburg, in southern Germany, to deliver a lecture on "Dialogue between the Islamic and Western World."

Salomon praised Khatami's tenure as Iranian president, saying it represented "more rule of law, democracy and freedom for the [Iranian] people." He told the Badische newspaper, "We feel very honored" by Khatami's visit.

Khatami was also welcomed by Erler, Freiburg University dean Hans-Jochen Schiewer and the Reverend Wolfgang Sauer of the archdiocese in Freiburg.

His visit attracted barely any media attention and produced little controversy at the time, even though Khatami has described Zionism as the "continuation of fascism" and defended the French Holocaust denier Roger Garaudy.

In the wake of the visit, however, a public letter issued by the Central Council of Jews in Germany, co-headed by Dieter Graumann, has asserted that by hosting Khatami, Erler and Salomon aligned themselves with his reactionary politics. As outlined in the letter, Khatami advocates the death penalty for homosexuals, opposes women's rights, and represses minority religious and ethnic groups in Iran. >>> By Benjamin Weinthal, Jerusalem Post Correspondent in Berlin | November 23, 2008

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Ingushetia in 'State of Civil War'
BBC: Human rights activists and opposition politicians in Russia's southern republic of Ingushetia have told the BBC that the predominantly Muslim region is now in a state of civil war.

It is reported that more than 800 people have been killed in an escalating conflict which originally spilt over from neighbouring Chechnya six years ago.

Ingushetia is a tiny region with a total population of just 300,000.

"A lot of my human rights colleagues and politicians say it is now a civil war and I agree with that," Magomed Mutsolgov, director of the Ingush Human Rights organisation Mashr, says.

"In my opinion it is a war between the security forces and the local population. Many members of the security forces consider themselves above the law and the population outside the law," he adds.

A low-level insurgency involving Muslim fighters escalated dramatically last year with a surge of attacks on the security forces and also on people who have moved into the region from other parts of Russia.

"From July or August last year there have been three or four attacks every week," Tanya Lokshina, of Human Rights Watch, says. She recently compiled a major report on Ingushetia.

"There are a few hundred insurgents in total… who are Jihadists fighting to establish a Caliphate in the (Caucasus) region." >>> By Richard Galpin, BBC News, Moscow | November 23, 2008

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Somalia Sinks Deeper into a State of Total Disintegration
THE GUARDIAN / OBSERVER: Millions have fled their homes in terror; a raped 13-year-old has been stoned to death for 'adultery'; aid workers have been murdered by Islamist militias. While the world's attention is on the pirates off its coast, the failed African state is being ripped apart by violence.

Zam Zam Abdi fled Mogadishu after being threatened with death by the hardline Islamist militia - the Shabab. The message from the armed group once allied to the Union of Islamic Courts, the coalition that briefly seized power in 2006, was simple: if she continued working for her women's rights organisation in the Somali capital, she would be killed. The warning was posted on her office gates. But it is what happened to a friend and colleague, working for another organisation, that persuaded her to escape. He was shot dead and the same note left on his body.

'Most of us had to leave,' she said. 'We had emails and phone calls telling us to stop working. They used an expression famous in Somalia: Falka aad ku jirtid maka baxeeysa. May ama haa? It means - "Stop what you are doing or we will act. Yes or no?" Then someone spoke on the radio - a local leader called Sheikh Mahmoud - delivering the same warning.'

Zam Zam, 28, separates the chaos and violence that has pervaded her country since the overthrow of President Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 into 'ordinary Mogadishu' and 'not ordinary'. 'Ordinary', in Zam Zam's definition, describes her country's persistent clan warfare, even the heavy fighting in the city that drove her to leave before with her daughter when Ethiopian troops - supporting the internationally recognised government - shelled her neighbourhood in 2006 to drive the Islamic Courts out after six months in power.

In the ordinary violence and chaos, Zam Zam and her colleagues could still work, negotiating with the clan warlords. In common with the UN, Zam Zam believes that what is happening now is something else. Something terrible, exceeding perhaps even the bloodsoaked chaotic days of the early 1990s when Somalia was last plunged into anarchy.

It is Mogadishu that symbolises what is happening. A large proportion of its population - already jobless, hungry and surviving on aid - has fled the fighting in the city between the Shabab and the forces of the country's weak and rapidly imploding government, backed by its Ethiopian allies. The streets are stalked by assassins, kidnappers and suicide bombers. And the Shabab is threatening to overrun the country's south and centre. >>> Peter Beaumont | November 23, 2008

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Historic British Pub Re-Named – Was Offensive to Muslims
Photo of 'The Saracen’s Head’ courtesy of Up Pompeii
UP POMPEII: More politically correct dhimmi claptrap is being forced down the throats of the British people - this time in the City of Birmingham.

The historic Saracen Head pub is getting a mandatory name change - why? - you no doubt have already guessed the answer:

IT IS OFFENSIVE TO MUSLIMS >>> The Opinionator | November 22, 2008

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Hillary Will Be ‘Mother-in-law the President Cannot Shift’
THE SUNDAY TIMES: The appointment of Hillary Clinton as US secretary of state will place a two-for-one power couple at the heart of Barack Obama's cabinet, which could tie the president-elect’s fortunes to the conduct of Bill Clinton, the former president.

There has been no formal announcement of Hillary Clinton’s new role but the appointment was said to be “firmly on track” after negotiations with Bill Clinton over his charitable and business affairs.

Although the former president last week gave Obama’s team of vetters the largely secret names of 208,000 donors to the William J Clinton Foundation, which covers his presidential library and the charitable Clinton Global Initiative, they may turn out to include some ticking timebombs.

Several US news organisations are digging for more disclosures of controversial allies such as Frank Giustra, the Canadian tycoon who accompanied Bill Clinton on a visit to Kazakhstan and subsequently clinched a $425m mining contract there.

“Among the questions being raised are: who is paying for his speeches and who is paying for the planes he is flying on?” said a source familiar with the investigations.

Bill Clinton, 62, is said to have agreed to restrictions on his paid speeches and his role at the foundation in an attempt to avoid future conflicts of interest. An ally of the Clintons insisted: “Bill has said publicly that he will do whatever they want. Not just with the Giustra stuff, but with the library, the foundation, the donors - he has demonstrated a willingness to go above and beyond.”

However, he will not forgo the lucrative lecture circuit. Last Sunday, even as his wife, 61, was pondering whether to accept the job and resign as New York senator, Clinton was in Kuwait City delivering a reported $500,000 speech, paid for by the National Bank of Kuwait, on the world financial crisis. >>> Sarah Baxter, Washington | November 23, 2008

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Ministers to Hold Summit on Church Closure Crisis
THE TELEGRAPH: The Government will hold a top-level summit next month to tackle the crisis facing Britain's churches.

Ministers are to examine how extra funding can be given to churches, with one in five of them under threat of being closed.

Andy Burnham, the culture secretary, said there would be a new drive to make them central to community regeneration, backed up with financial support.

His comments follow The Sunday Telegraph's Save our Churches campaign, which has called on the Government to increase grants to churches and allow them greater freedom to make the buildings suitable for community use. The campaign has been backed by politicians, celebrities and leading church figures, including Joanna Lumley, Jools Holland, David Cameron and Archbishop Rowan Williams.

Mr Burnham said that the campaign had placed the issue on the Government's agenda. He pledged to rally his Cabinet colleagues behind the proposals.

"It's a really timely campaign because some churches are on the brink of viability," he said.

"We need to find practical ways of helping them. Sometimes it's beyond the means of the local congregation to get the access to the necessary finances to do the repairs that are needed." >>> By Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs Correspondent | November 22, 2008

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Who Would Be Part of the BNP?
TIMESONLINE: The British National Party’s leaked membership list was supposedly full of middle-class professionals. So where were they during its annual festival, asks Anna van Praagh.

It had all the hallmarks of a genteel country fete. Yet amid the fairground rides, Morris dancing and stands selling organic Welsh cakes, the BNP's annual summer festival had one rather less bucolic stall, at which revellers were invited to get their heads shaved.

The attraction was billed as being all in a good cause, a fundraiser for British troops. Yet, given the party's long association with skinheads and boot boys, one could be forgiven for construing it as some kind of party initiation ritual.

The BNP chairman, Nick Griffin, wreathed in pinstripes and smiles, and flanked by a coterie of intimidating, crop-haired security guards, laughed it off. "Men of a certain age tend to suffer from follicle problems," he told me as we stood outside a marquee festooned with Union Jack flags.

"You can't discriminate against them for that. Lots of the British rugby team are bald. That doesn't make them Nazis."

Since Griffin took control of the party in 1999, the BNP's high command has eschewed its trademark number-one crop haircuts, Doc Martens and Nazi salutes, replacing them with press releases, soundbites and appearances on Newsnight.

Last week, Griffin seized upon the publication of a list purporting to comprise the entire membership of the British National Party as proof that it had left behind its street-fighting days, and that it is now attracting a broad range of professionals: doctors, teachers, IT workers, clergy, more than a dozen soldiers, and a former Conservative constituency chairman.

He said: "Instead of the public being terrified, they can see we are not a bunch of knuckle-dragging morons but a party of people just like them. Long term, it's going to do us a great deal of good in the public's eyes."

However, The Sunday Telegraph has discovered that at least 30 people named on the list have criminal convictions. And there are thought to be many more. >>> By Anna van Praagh and Patrick Sawer | November 22, 2008

THE INDEPENDENT:
BNP Men Held over 'Racist Leaflet' >>> | November 24, 2008

SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Far-Right NPD Is a 'Serpent at Democracy's Breast'

A leading German politician is suggesting a way to deal with the far-right NPD -- cut off state funding. His proposal has met with some skepticism and on Friday many German papers argue that it could set a worrying precedent.

German democracy is having a tough time dealing with the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) which is steadily gaining political ground. Now there are calls to hit the party where it hurts -- in its pocket.

The NPD has been deemed "racist, anti-Semitic and revisionist" by the country's domestic intelligence agency, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. There have been calls to ban the party, but an attempt to have the country's Constitutional Court outlaw it failed in 2003 and the NPD continues to get state funding, consistent with Germany's campaign finance laws.

The far-right party is no longer confined to the margins of German politics. It has increased its membership to 7,000 and has a presence in the regional parliaments in two eastern states, Saxony and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. >>> | November 21, 2008

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Italie: Berlusconi récidive et dit éprouver de "l'envie" pour le bronzage d'Obama
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: ROME | Le chef du gouvernement italien Silvio Berlusconi a une nouvelle fois évoqué le "bronzage" de Barack Obama, et Naomi Campbell, affirmant éprouver de "l'envie", en dépit des polémiques qu'une remarque similaire a provoqué il y a 15 jours.

"Mon compliment à Barack est un peu envieux. Nous aimerions tous être bronzés comme Naomi Campbell et Obama", a-t-il dit, selon l'agence Ansa, au cours d'une conférence de presse à Pescara, sur la côte adriatique dans le centre de l'Italie.

Il y a 15 jours, au cours d'une visite à Moscou, Silvio Berlusconi avait qualifié Barack Obama, premier président noir des Etats-Unis, de "jeune, beau et même bronzé".

M. Berlusconi s'est défendu en qualifiant son commentaire de "plaisanterie affectueuse" et a qualifié ses détracteurs d'"imbéciles" et de "couillons".

Le chef du gouvernement a été vivement critiqué par l'opposition italienne pour cette "plaisanterie", également considérée comme une gaffe par de nombreux médias à l'étranger. [Source: TDG] afp | 23.11.2008

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Frankreich: Die Ring-Affäre der umstrittenen Ministerin Dati
Foto von Rachida Dati, Frankreichs Justizministerin, dank der Welt
WELT ONLINE: Frankreichs Justizministerin Rachida Dati wird für Nicolas Sarkozy zunehmend zum Problem. Sie begeht einen handwerklichen Fehler nach dem anderen und stößt mit ihrem Strafrechtsreformvorhaben auf scharfe Kritik. Ihr momentan größtes Problem ist jedoch ein diamantenbesetzter Ring.

Und dann auch noch die Geschichte mit dem Ring. Als hätte Rachida Dati nicht genug um die Ohren. Am vorigen Mittwoch veröffentlichte die Zeitung „Le Figaro“ ein Interview mit Frankreichs Justizministerin. Unter Druck geraten, nachdem 534 Staatsanwälte in einer Petition ihre Strafrechtsreformvorhaben als „unzusammenhängend“ kritisiert hatten, verteidigte die Ministerin ihre Pläne kühl.

Doch dafür interessierte sich kurz danach kaum noch jemand. Stattdessen sprachen alle nur noch über den Ring: Der „Figaro“ hatte das Interview mit einem Foto von Dati illustriert, das ein Fotograf des Blattes im Juni während einer Sitzung im Senat aufgenommen hatte. In der nun veröffentlichten Version fehlt allerdings ein kleines Detail, das auf dem Originalfoto deutlich zu sehen ist: ein 16.000 Euro teurer diamantenbesetzter Ring, Modell „Leins“ (Bindungen) aus dem Juwelierhaus Chaumet.

Die Fotoredaktion des „Figaro“ hatte kurzerhand entschieden, das edle Schmuckstück wegzuretouchieren. Man habe nicht gewollt, dass „der Ring Gegenstand einer Polemik wird, obwohl das eigentliche Thema die Beschwerde der Magistrate ist“, rechtfertigte sich die Chefin der Bildredaktion des Blattes. Doch nachdem herauskam, dass das Foto manipuliert worden war, entstand genau die Diskussion, die das Blatt der Ministerin ersparen wollte. Dem „Figaro“ blieb nur noch übrig zu beteuern, Dati habe mit dieser redaktionellen Entscheidung „nichts zu tun“ gehabt.

Die Ringaffäre traf Dati am Ende einer Woche, in der die 42 Jahre alte Tochter eines Marokkaners und eine Algerierin unter Beschuss stand wie selten zuvor in ihrer blitzartig verlaufenden politischen Karriere. Die erste Muslimin im Ministeramt, Frankreichs Antwort auf Barack Obama, sei vom „Emblem zum Problem“ für die Regierung Sarkozy geworden, schrieb das Magazin „Express“, und der „Parisien“ ist sich bereits sicher: „C'est fini.“ Die Geduld des Staatschefs mit dem Liebling der Glamourpostillen sei zu Ende, nachdem diese einen handwerklichen Fehler nach dem anderen begehe. >>> Von Sascha Lehnartz | 23. November 2008

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Boris’ Immigrants Amnesty Is 'Naïve'
THE OBSERVER: As London mayor's plan is attacked by Labour and his own party, a rift with Cameron looms

Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, was branded 'naive' yesterday after raising the prospect of an amnesty for illegal immigrants, a move that puts him in open opposition to Conservative leader David Cameron.

Johnson's plan to study the potential benefits of an amnesty was attacked by the government's Phil Woolas, who said it could lead to more people being exploited by traffickers. It was also ruled out by Johnson's own party, as shadow home secretary Dominic Grieve warned that an amnesty would be 'massively counter-productive'.

Woolas, the Immigration Minister, said: 'I think this is naive of the mayor. His comments might start with the best of intentions but will lead to more people-traffickers making more money and exploiting more vulnerable individuals.

'The UK Border Agency is committed to stopping illegal migration. We are putting in place the biggest shake-up of the immigration system for 45 years and are seeing the results. We are putting more resources into expelling foreign lawbreakers and last year we removed one person every eight minutes.'

Johnson's comments risk opening a rift between himself and Cameron, with whom he clashed on the issue of an amnesty earlier this year. It will do nothing to quell speculation that the maverick mayor is positioning himself as a rival to his party leader, particularly at a moment of Tory weakness in the polls.

Grieve told The Observer yesterday: 'Our policy remains unchanged. We're not in favour of having an amnesty, because the evidence is overwhelming that amnesties encourage more people to come into this country as illegal immigrants. We've considered this very carefully and remain firmly of the opinion that to have an amnesty at the present time with the current state of our borders would be potentially massively counter-productive. >>> David Smith | Sunday, November 23, 2008

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Obama nomme le prochain porte-parole de la Maison-Blanche
LE FIGARO: Pour ce poste sensible et très exposé, le président élu a choisi un fidèle qui l'accompagne depuis 2004.

Le président élu américain Barack Obama a nommé Robert Gibbs, son ancien directeur de communication pendant la campagne, porte-parole de la Maison Blanche, a annoncé samedi l'équipe de transition dans un communiqué.

Brillant tacticien, M. Gibbs, 37 ans, a été pendant la longue et rude campagne présidentielle le directeur de la communication et le porte-parole de Barack Obama, qu'il a accompagné dans tous ses déplacements, mettant au point les stratégies de communication du candidat démocrate.

Originaire de l'Arkansas (sud), Robert Gibbs avait rejoint l'équipe Obama pendant sa course au Sénat en 2004 et avait été la même année le porte-parole de John Kerry pendant sa campagne présidentielle malheureuse. >>> lefigaro.fr avec AFP | 22.11.2008

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The Religion of Love and Peace? 'Israel Spy' Put to Death in Iran
Photo of Ali Ashtari courtesy of the BBC
BBC: Iran has hanged a telecoms engineer convicted of spying for Israel, reports from Tehran say.

Ali Ashtari, an Iranian, was convicted in June of spying for Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency. A video said to be of his confession was broadcast on TV.

He was convicted of sending "sensitive information on military, defence and research centres" for three years.

Israeli officials were quoted in June as saying that Israel was not familiar with the case.

Announcing the execution, which reportedly took place on Monday, Iran's official news agency said the case against the 45-year-old was clear and his appeal was summarily dismissed.

"He had spied for Mossad for three years," the state news agency quoted the intelligence ministry's director of counter-terrorism as saying. >>> | Novemebr 22, 2008

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The Gathering Storm Radio Show: Robert Spencer Interviewed by Always On Watch and WC on Stealth Jihad
To the show >>>
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Muslims to Be Offered Sharia-compliant Pensions by Government
The game must now surely be about up! - ©Mark
THE TELEGRAPH: Muslims are to be offered Sharia-compliant pension funds by a new Government body.

The scheme to provide retirement funds for millions who do not already have a company pension is likely to include a special option that would not invest in companies deemed sinful under Islam.

Ministers are keen to get Muslims saving with the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority, as many who have low-paid jobs or who have moved to Britain in recent decades are unlikely to have put away much for their old age.

The decision to provide a Sharia-compliant pension fund is another sign of the growing influence of Islamic law in British public life and in particular the country's finance industry.

The prospect of some aspects of Sharia law such as divorce proceedings and dispute resolution being enshrined in the English legal system – raised by the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chief Justice this year – remains highly controversial because of fears that the system discriminates against women and that a two-tier approach would be divisive.

But more and more financial products are being tailored to cater for Britain's population of 2million Muslims.

The religion's holy book, the Qu'ran, forbids Muslims from making money from money, so they cannot use products that involve the charging of interest nor invest in traditional financial services firms.

Gambling, drinking and pornography are also seen as immoral under Islam, so Muslims cannot put their money into companies that promote these activities.

The Islamic finance market is estimated to be worth £500million already and is growing rapidly.

Families can already get Sharia-compliant baby bonds under the Government's Child Trust Fund scheme while the UK is likely to become the first Western country to issue Islamic bonds in order to raise money from the Middle East.

This year has also seen the launch of Britain's first Islamic insurance company and pre-paid MasterCard. There are a handful of wholly Islamic banks in the country and several more that offer alternatives to mortgages which do not involve the charging of interest. >>> By Martin Beckford, Social Affairs Correspondent | November 21, 2008

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Libia - Figlio Gheddafi: Tripoli pronta a investire negli Usa
VIRGILIO: Fondo sovrano "ha evitato lo tsunami" e ha scelto l'America

New York, (Ap) - La Libia è pronta a investire negli Stati Uniti parte del suo fondo sovrano, pari a circa 100 miliardi di dollari. Lo ha confermato il figlio di Muammar Gheddafi, Seif al Islam, senza precisare l'entità della cifra che Tripoli intende stanziare per i suoi investimenti.

"Siamo brave persone, piacevoli. Ci piace lavorare. Investiremo. Abbiamo amici negli States e apriremo un nuovo capitolo nelle nostre relazioni" con gli Stati Uniti, ha detto Seif al Islam Gheddafi in un'intervista all'Associated Press.

Il figlio del leader libico ha confermato che il fondo sovrano di Tripoli "intende investire in America" nonostante l'attuale crisi finanziaria. Senza precisare la cifra, Seif al Islam ha aggiunto che il fondo sovrano libico "ha evitato lo tsunami" finanziario perché si tratta di un fondo nuovo. "Siamo sfuggiti al rischio e adesso siamo in una buona posizione per investire", ha aggiunto.

Seif Gheddafi ha anche spiegato perché la Libia ha scelto gli Stati Uniti. "Questo è un grande paese con la maggiore economia al mondo e offre grandi opportunità", ha commentato. [Origine: Virgilio] APCOM | 22.11.2008

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"God Hates Australia!"
WESTENDER (Brisbane): Fundamentalist US Church accuses Australia of sodomy, idolatry, apostasy and peverted sex, among other things

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, are being urged to picket the Australian Consulate in Chicago, Illinois, in "religious protest and warning."

According to protest organisers, Australia is a "Sodomite nation, an evil and dangerous country practicing morbid idolatry and every form of peverted sex."

The Church went on to say "Their island insulation from reality is no excuse for their apostasy and their filfthy abandonment to Sodomy."

The Westboro Baptist Church is notorious for its uncompromising and vehement stance on social issues in the US, accusing even conservative religious leaders of being soft on homosexualtiy.

Since 1991, WBC has conducted over 34,000 peaceful demonstrations opposing "the fag lifestyle of soul-damning, nation-destroying filth."

The picket is planned for the morning of Monday, December 8. [Source: Westender] Undated

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Goodbye, First Amendment?
JIHAD WATCH: As Islamic nations pressure the UN to outlaw "defamation of Islam" -- by which they mean any honest examination of the motives and goals of jihad terrorists -- Obama's pick for Attorney General sends a disquieting signal. >>> Robert Spencer | November 21, 2008


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Opinion: Obama to Bridge the West and Islam
THE JAKARTA POST: Americans can be grateful to Indonesia for the contributions the Indonesian culture made to the character of a bright, sensitive, young boy named Barack Hussein Obama who was known to his Indonesian school mates from 1967 to 1971 as "Barry."

The United States will soon have a President who has a profound understanding and respect for Islam gained from having been immersed in "the real Indonesia" of the kampong during his first two years in Indonesia and from his later exposure to the tolerance and pluralistic attitudes at SD Besuki Mentang in Jakarta.

In The Audacity of Hope, the future President of the United States recalls that "our family was not well off in those early years; the Indonesian Army did not pay its lieutenants much. ...without the money to go to the international school that most expatriate children attended, I went to local Indonesian schools and ran the streets with the children of farmers, servants, tailors, and clerks."

Obama writes that he "remembered those years as a joyous time, full of adventure and mystery -- days of chasing down chickens and running from water buffalo, nights of shadow puppets and ghost stories and street vendors (kaki lima) bringing delectable sweets to our door." When his Indonesian stepfather left the military and obtained a job in the oil sector the young Obama was fortunate to attend SD Besuki Mentang, where he studied alongside Muslim, Christian, and Hindu students.

Today Obama knows the Muazzin's call to prayer by heart having lived in the shadow of a Mosque from when he was seven until he was eleven years old. He studied the tenets of Pancasila and can take to heart the motto enshrined on the Indonesian Coat of Arms, Bhinneka Tunggal lka (unity in diversity) which could well be the motto of his own administration. >>> Peter F. Spalding, Washington DC | November 22, 2008

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Malaysian Fatwa Council Bans Yoga for Muslims, Star Reports
BLOOMBERG: Malaysia’s National Fatwa Council today issued a religious edict banning Muslims from practicing yoga, saying it involves physical movements such as chanting that are prohibited in the religion, the Star reported today.

The decision was made after Zakaria Stapa, a lecturer at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, advised Muslims against taking yoga classes on concern they may deviate from the teachings of Islam, the report said.

More than 60 percent of Malaysia’s 27 million people practice Islam. The council is the religious body in Malaysia that issues fatwas for Muslims in the country. Their decisions are not legally binding. [Source: Bloomberg] By Soraya Permatasari | November 21, 2008

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British Terror Mastermind Rashid Rauf 'Killed in US Missile Strike'
THE TELEGRAPH: A fugitive British terrorist has been killed in a US missile strike in Pakistan.

Rashid Rauf, 27, who grew up in Birmingham, was killed along with at least three other militants in the attack on the house of a local tribesman in the North Waziristan area,

A US drone targeted the home in the village of Alikhel, part of a district known as a stronghold for al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

"The transatlantic bombing plot alleged mastermind Rashid Rauf was killed along with an Egyptian al-Qaeda operative in the US missile strike in North Waziristan," a senior Pakistani security official said.

Rauf, who has been on the run after escaping from a Pakistani jail nearly a year ago, was said to have played a key role in a liquid bomb plot allegedly targeting transatlantic airliners in 2006.

Rauf, a British national who used to live in Birmingham, escaped from Pakistani authorities after appearing before a judge in an Islamabad court in December last year. At the time, he could have faced extradition to Britain within weeks.

After the escape, Khalid Pervez, a city police official, said that Rauf managed to open his handcuffs and evade police guards taking him back to Adiala prison in the nearby city of Rawalpindi. >>> By Andrew Alderson, Chief Reporter | November 22, 2008

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Dallas se souvient de JFK 
et prie pour Obama
Photo de JFK grâce aux Google Images
LE FIGARO: L'anniversaire de l'assassinat de John Fitzgerald Kennedy ravive les inquiétudes avec l'arrivée à la Maison-Blanche d'un jeune élu noir qui lui est souvent comparé.

Pour Kenneth Salyer, le souvenir de l'assassinat de John Fitzgerald Kennedy le 22 novembre 1963 n'a jamais été si vivant que depuis la victoire de Barack Obama. Il partageait ses impressions cette semaine au 6th Floor Museum de Dallas, le musée érigé à la mémoire de JFK dans l'entrepôt de livres, d'où Harvey Lee Oswald tira depuis une fenêtre du 6e étage sur le président.

Ce n'est pas tant le souvenir de son impuissance face au président mourant qui fait surgir des larmes dans ses yeux, que le sentiment d'avoir vu disparaître à ce moment-là «l'espoir» que JFK symbolisait pour l'Amérique et qu'il retrouve aujourd'hui en Barack Obama. «Ce fut le jour le plus triste de ma vie, mais les deux hommes m'inspirent de la même façon, confie-t-il, tout comme Kennedy, Obama porte en lui cette promesse que l'esprit américain est bien vivant, qu'on peut construire un monde meilleur».

Kenneth Salyer était de garde au Parkland Hospital de Dallas, lorsque le président mortellement blessé arriva aux urgences peu après 12 h 30. Placé sur sa droite, du côté où une partie du crâne avait disparu, il avait pour mission d'enlever un corset que JFK portait en permanence, afin de pratiquer un massage cardiaque. Celui-ci s'avéra très vite inutile. Le plus jeune président des États-Unis fut déclaré mort à 13 heures. «Contrairement à ce qui se dit, Jackie Kennedy était bien restée dans la salle tout ce temps-là», tient à préciser le chirurgien. «Ce jour-là, dit-il avec émotion, je me suis promis que la ville de Dallas ne resterait pas seulement dans les mémoires pour avoir été celle où a été assassiné John Kennedy.» >>> Par Adèle Smith, envoyée spéciale du Fugaro à Dallas | 21. November 2008

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La Suède ratifie le traité
 de Lisbonne
LE FIGARO: Stockholm est devenu jeudi la 25e capitale européenne à ratifier le nouveau traité.

Les parlementaires suédois étaient réunis jeudi en session pour donner leur feu vert au traité de Lisbonne. Un projet de loi du gouvernement ayant reçu l'aval de la commission des Affaires étrangères, la ratification n'a pas rencontré d'obstacle malgré l'opposition, minoritaire, des Verts et de la gauche.

Cette étape franchie, Stockholm devient la 25e capitale de l'Union à avaliser le nouveau traité européen. Hormis l'Irlande qui a répondu «non» par référendum, le 12 juin dernier, la République tchèque, prochaine présidente du Conseil européen, doit encore se prononcer. >>> Alain Barluet | 21.11.2008

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Konkurrenz im Jenseits: Auf der Suche nach dem Leben nach dem Tod
Foto von dieser Englestatue in einem Friedhof in Hannover dank der Welt
WELT ONLINE: Gibt es ein Leben nach dem Tod? Gut die Hälfte der Deutschen glauben daran. Doch der Glaube an die Unsterblichkeit ist längst kein Monopol der Christen mehr. Friedwälder, bunte Beerdigungszeremonien und die Kommunikation mit Verstorben über das Internet zeigen – um das Jenseits ist eine Konkurrenz entbrannt.

Man kann an ein Leben nach dem Tod glauben, ohne an die Auferstehung zu denken. Zwar sind nach verschiedenen Umfragen gut 50 Prozent der Deutschen davon überzeugt, dass mit dem Tod nicht alles zu Ende ist. Aber im christlichen Sinne religiös sind sie damit noch lange nicht. Sogar 70 Prozent der befragten Schüler zeigten sich bei einer Erhebung der Zeitschrift „Eltern Family“ von einem Weiterleben überzeugt, doch glaubten dabei 19 Prozent „an ihre Wiedergeburt“, 14 Prozent an ein Wiedersehen mit der Familie oder Freunden. 13 Prozent stellten sich eine Existenz ohne Streit und Angst vor, nur neun Prozent ein ewiges Leben im Reich Gottes.

Offenbar gründen die Unsterblichkeitshoffnungen vieler Deutscher „nicht mehr in der rituellen Vergegenwärtigung einer Erlösertat, die den Tod durch Auferstehung relativiert“, wie die Soziologen Hubert Knoblauch und Arnold Zingerle schreiben. Die „Auferstehungsgläubigen“, erklärt der katholische Theologe Michael Ebertz, geraten in die Minderheit. Stattdessen ruhen die Hoffnungen der Menschen auf durchaus austauschbaren Garantiemächten. >>> Von Gernot Facius und Matthias Kamann | November 22, 2008

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Österreich: Winter wird auch „Tierbordell“-Satz vorgeworfen
DIE PRESSE: Die FPÖ-Politikerin und Peter Westenthaler (BZÖ) stehen vor der Aufhebung der Immunität. Gegen Winter gibt es neue Vorwürfe. Sie soll ein "Tierbordell" für muslimische Männer gefordert haben.

WIEN(oli). „Das wird der Immunitätsausschuss entscheiden“, heißt es offiziell aus der ÖVP. Dem Vernehmen nach dürfte aber auch die ÖVP der Aufhebung der Immunität der FPÖ-Abgeordneten Susanne Winter zustimmen. Da SPÖ und Grüne sicher zustimmen werden, wäre eine Mehrheit gegeben. Sogar FPÖ-Chef Strache zeigte sich gestern dazu bereit.

Grund des Auslieferungsantrags sind nicht mehr nur die Aussagen Winters bei jener FPÖ-Veranstaltung in Unterpremstätten, bei der sie davon sprach, dass der Prophet Mohammed nach heutigen Maßstäben ein Kinderschänder gewesen sei und der Islam jenseits des Mittelmeers zurückgeworfen werden müsse. Winter wird nun auch vorgehalten, in einer Grazer Schule gesagt zu haben: „Wir sollten im Stadtpark ein Tierbordell errichten, damit die muslimischen Männer dorthin gehen können und sich nicht an den Mädchen im Stadtpark vergreifen.“ Ein entsprechendes Schreiben erging an die Mitglieder des Immunitätsausschusses. >>> | 19. November 2008

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