Don't Link Islam to Terror, Islamic Chief Urges
REUTERS: GENEVA - The world's top diplomat for Islam called on Friday for an end to what he termed efforts to equate the religion with terrorism and said the 'demonization' of Muslims around the world must be fought.

But speaking soon after the U.N. General Assembly passed an Islamic-sponsored resolution condemning "defamation of religion" for the fourth year in a row, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said his group was committed to respecting freedom of expression.

There was a "rising tide of incitement to religious hatred and discrimination and intolerance targeting Muslims," he told a meeting called by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) at the United Nations in Geneva. The 57-nation OIC, based in Saudi Arabia, represents 1.5 billion Muslims.

"Attempts to equate Islam with terrorism should be stopped. Stereotyping and demonization of Muslims should be combated," said Ihsanoglu, a Turkish history professor who became OIC Secretary-General in 2005. >>> By Robert Evans | Friday, December 19, 2008

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Open Minds: Lessons from Arabia's Past
THE SUNDAY TIMES: To embrace modernity, says Adam LeBor, the Arab world must look back to its golden age

The Arab world is in crisis, besieged by modernity. No fully sovereign Arab state is a democracy with meaningful independent institutions where power passes peacefully by popular vote. Economies are sclerotic, but human-rights abuses are flourishing. The internet and globalisation are not opportunities, but threats. The Egyptian blogger Abdel Kareem Soliman was jailed in 2007 for four years for insulting Islam and President Hosni Mubarak. His trial lasted five minutes.

South Korea and Taiwan export more manufactured goods in two days than Egypt in a year; 35% of Cairenes live in slums; in Saudi Arabia, up to 30% of people live in poverty. Since 1950 the Arab population has risen from 79m to 327m, but real wages and productivity have barely moved since 1970.

Intellectual life is atrophying. More books are translated into Spanish in a year than have been translated into Arabic in the past 1,000, states the UN’s Arab Human Development Report. The authors trace much of the region’s problems back to Arab society’s methods of child-rearing (“the authoritarian accompanied by the overprotective”) which, they argue, “affects how the child thinks by suppressing questioning, exploration and initiative”. All of which perfectly suits the Arab world’s leaders and corrupt bureaucratic elites.

Should we care? Very much so. Already, poor economic opportunities, endemic corruption, education based on rote learning, state-sponsored Jew hatred, soaring youth populations and unemployment are a recipe for social catastrophe. Add the rise of radical Islam and the growth of Al-Qaeda and the mix becomes something explosive. >>> Adam LeBor | December21, 2001

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USA wollen Truppen am Hindukusch verdoppeln: Bis zu 30'000 zusätzliche Soldaten - Spätestens im Sommer einsatzbereit
NZZ Online: Die USA wollen bis zu 30'000 zusätzliche Soldaten nach Afghanistan schicken, um ein weiteres Aufblühen der radikal-islamischen Taliban zu verhindern. Die genaue Zahl der neuen Soldaten stehe noch nicht fest, sagte US-Admiral Mike Mullen in Kabul.

(sda/Reuters/afp) «Nach heutigem Stand werden es 20'000 bis 30'000 sein», sagte Mullen in der afghanischen Hauptstadt. Sie sollten spätestens im Sommer einsatzbereit sein.

Der Nato-Oberkommandierende in Afghanistan, US-General David McKiernan, hatte zusätzliche Soldaten angefordert, um vor allem im Süden und Osten des Landes gegen die wiedererstarkten Taliban besser vorzugehen zu können. Auch der künftige US-Präsident Barack Obama will dem Land mehr Aufmerksamkeit zu widmen. >>> | 20. Dezember 2008

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Hanged for Being a Christian in Iran
THE MORUNG EXPRESS: Eighteen years ago, Rashin Soodmand's father was hanged in Iran for converting to Christianity. Now her brother is in a Mashad jail, and expects to be executed under new religious laws brought in this summer. Alasdair Palmer reports. A month ago, the Iranian parliament voted in favour of a draft bill, entitled "Islamic Penal Code", which would codify the death penalty for any male Iranian who leaves his Islamic faith. Women would get life imprisonment. The majority in favour of the new law was overwhelming: 196 votes for, with just seven against.

Imposing the death penalty for changing religion blatantly violates one of the most fundamental of all human rights. The right to freedom of religion is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and in the European Convention of Human Rights. It is even enshrined as Article 23 of Iran's own constitution, which states that no one may be molested simply for his beliefs.

And yet few politicians or clerics in Iran see any contradiction between a law mandating the death penalty for changing religion and Iran's constitution. There has been no public protest in Iran against it.

David Miliband, Britain's Foreign Secretary, stands out as one of the few politicians from any Western country who has put on record his opposition to making apostasy a crime punishable by death. The protest from the EU has been distinctly muted; meanwhile, Germany, Iran's largest foreign trading partner, has just increased its business deals with Iran by more than half. Characteristically, the United Nations has said nothing. >>> Agencies | Sunday, December 21, 2008

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Only in Saudi Arabia! – First Women-owned Restaurant
LA TIMES: Saudi Arabia this month marked the opening of its first restaurant entirely owned and managed by women, local media reported.

But the establishment of this start-up business in the kingdom's Eastern Province did not come without complications. The designers of the project had to make sure that there would be no contact whatsoever between the female staff working in the kitchen and the male customers who visit.

A "separation wall" will isolate the food pickup area from the kitchen to prevent contact between men and the 10 or so women cooking in the kitchen. >>> | Decemebr 20, 2008

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Defence Secretary John Hutton: Taliban in Afghanistan 'Like the Nazis'
THE TELEGRAPH: Defence Secretary John Hutton has compared Taliban fighters in Afghanistan to the Nazis, saying British forces are defending Western values rather than borders as they did in the Second World War.

Mr Hutton said that the military campaign in Afghanistan was "a vital national security mission" just as the battle against Hitler was.

He also appeared disposed to sending more troops to the wartorn country, saying that the Taliban could not be allowed to outlast foreign forces.

Following a trip to Afghanistan in October, he admitted that a "poisonous cocktail" of Islamic extremism, 30 years of civil war, a thriving narcotics trade and powerful warlords mean British forces could remain committed to the country for "decades".

"The argument is very clear. This is where our national security is determined. We must tackle the threat at source, it's not just going to go away," he told The Times this week. "It is a struggle against fanatics that may not challenge our borders but challenges our way of life in the same way the Nazis did." >>> By Aislinn Simpson | Saturday, December 20, 2008

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World Council of Churches Meets in Tehran
SPERO NEWS: A symposium was held in Tehran where representatives of Christianity and Islam met to find points of commonality.

The World Council of Churches (WCC, Geneva, Switzerland) and Centre for Inter-religious Dialogue of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (Tehran, Iran) held their fifth symposium in Tehran on13-14 December 2008. 



Representatives of Islam and Christianity found new points of commonality during a two-day high level symposium of scholars and spiritual leaders in Tehran, and discussed models of co-existence between Christians and Muslims in different contexts. They explored further the conditions and principles that foster peaceful coexistence between communities of faith. 



The symposium, held at the invitation of the Organization of Islamic Culture and Relations in Iran, was a continuation of a dialogue between Iranian Muslim and Christian scholars related to the World Council of Churches (WCC) which began in 1995. Participants from the WCC included six Christian scholars from Europe, North America and the Middle East, together with representatives of the WCC member churches in Tehran. From Iran, participants included some fifteen scholars and religious leaders from Tehran and Qom. >>> | Saturday, December 20, 2008

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Plan Targets Shariah Ban on Leaving Islam
WORLD NET DAILY: Christian ministry calls for recognition people can choose religion

With Shariah law cited as the source of justice in most of the Islamic world, and new encroachments by the drastic religious rules into the West, a Christian ministry has launched a campaign to do away with punishment for apostasy, the act of leaving Islam for another religious faith.

The effort launched by the Barnabas Fund said in addition to those in other religions, there are brave Muslim voices already calling for the apostasy law to be abolished

"Although only Muslim leaders can make this happen, we as Christians can help the process, by speaking up for freedom of religion and belief and by encouraging others to do the same," said Patrick Sookhdeo, the international director of the fund. >>> © 2008 WorldNetDaily | Friday, December 19, 2008

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Muslim Congressman's Hajj Paid for by Muslim Brotherhood Front Group
JIHAD WATCH: The Muslim Brotherhood "must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and "sabotaging" its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God's religion is made victorious over all other religions." -- "An Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Brotherhood in North America," by Mohamed Akram, May 19, 1991.

What does that have to do with Congressman Ellison? Everything. The Muslim American Society paid for his Hajj. And what is the Muslim American Society? The Muslim Brotherhood. >>> Robert Spencer | Friday, December 19, 2008

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EU Parliament Bans Fitna
PRESS TV: The European Parliament has banned the screening of an anti-Islam film made by a right-wing Dutch lawmaker saying it incites hatred.

Leaders of various blocs in the European Parliament said Wednesday that they would not allow the film Fitna by MP Geert Wilders to be shown, reiterating their earlier decision taken in March.

EU Parliament President, Hans-Gert Poettering, and leaders made the decision after the film caused "problems" when shown in the Netherlands, said a spokeswoman for the parliament's presidency.

Earlier, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, said the movie was “offensively anti-Islamic.”

The screening of the film in the Netherlands sparked protests by world Muslims.

Wilders who is also the leader of the Dutch far-right Freedom Party (PVV), called the decision a kind of "censorship."

He had earlier expressed concern over the rapid pace of the growth of Islam in the West. [Source: PRESS TV] RZS/RE | Thursday, December 18, 2008

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Gordon Brown's Behaviour Is Simply Immoral
THE TELEGRAPH: We are still recovering from his inane observations of earlier this year on the usefulness of sharia in Britain and the rabble he leads as Primate of All England could not be a clearer advertisement of his talents. But we must give him this: what he said about the immorality of the Prime Minister spending (or, more accurately, attempting to spend) this country out of a recession was absolutely right.

It is time we stopped suspending disbelief and took account of two things. First, if the current economic miseries are a global problem, why are things so much worse here than anywhere else? Why is sterling taking a more or less unique hit on the world's currency markets? The answer is simple: it is that the fundamentals of our economy are so much worse than almost everyone else's, and that is because of the mess Mr Brown has made of running it, in one capacity or another, for the last 12 years.

Then we need to suspend disbelief about how we best get out of this mess. Why, when Mr Brown created it, should he be trusted to extricate us from it? Isn't that a little like suggesting al-Qaeda rebuild the World Trade Center? Isn't it quite clear that the best thing for Britain is to have these charlatans removed from power as swiftly as possible, even if it means replacing them with the Disney characters of the Tory front bench? >>> By Simon Heffer | Friday, December 19, 2008

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St-Priest: Une mosquée incendiée
leJDD.fr: Une dizaine de jours après la profanation d'un cimetière à Arras, s'agit-il d'un nouvel acte anti-musulman? La mosquée de Saint-Priest (Rhône) a été légèrement endommagée par un incendie, sûrement d'origine criminelle, devant une porte du bâtiment. Le feu a été vite stoppé par les pompiers. La ministre de l'Intérieur Michèle Alliot-Marie a dénoncé un "acte lâche et intolérable".

Un début d'incendie a légèrement endommagé samedi matin la mosquée de Saint-Priest (Rhône), avant que le feu ne soit rapidement circonscrit par les pompiers et par des fidèles présents pour la prière du matin. Le feu a brûlé le bas de la porte de la sortie de secours du bâtiment tandis que la fumée et la chaleur ont causé de faibles dégâts à l'intérieur. Seule la bibliothèque aurait été détruite. Selon des témoins, cités par la chaine d'informations en continu I-Télé, ce sont des cocktails Molotov, jetés sur la sortie de secours de la mosquée, qui ont provoqué l'incendie. D'autres témoins évoquaient la présence sur les lieux de palettes et de morceaux de bois. >>> Par Vivien Vergnaud | Samedi 20 Décembre 2008

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L'homosexualité divise l'ONU
leJDD.fr: Un tiers des pays du monde a prononcé jeudi aux Nations unies un appel à la dépénalisation universelle de l'homosexualité. Le texte, défendu notamment par Rama Yade, se fonde sur la Déclaration universelle des droits de l'Homme. Mais un autre tiers de la planète refuse la proposition. Une alliance de circonstances, qui va de l'Arabie Saoudite au Vatican. Les Etats-Unis n'ont pas pris position.

La déclaration se voulait historique et pourtant elle divise déjà les Nations unies. La France et les Pays-Bas ont présenté jeudi à New York, à l'ONU, un appel à la dépénalisation universelle de l'homosexualité. Le texte, dont Rama Yade et Maxime Verhagen, ministre des Affaires étrangères néerlandais, sont les inspirateurs, a reçu le soutien de 66 pays sur 192 inscrits, dont l'ensemble de l'Union européenne. Le texte prend en référence la Déclaration universelle des droits de l'Homme, dont on célèbre cette année les soixante ans. Lu en séance plénière par l'ambassadeur d'Argentine, Jorge Arguello, il réaffirme le "principe de non-discrimination qui exige que les Droits de l'homme s'appliquent de la même manière à chaque être humain, indépendamment de l'orientation sexuelle ou de l'identité de genre".

Car la situation des personnes homosexuelles ou transgenres (transsexuelles ou travestis) dans certains pays est réellement inquiétante. "Comment pouvons-nous tolérer le fait que des personnes sont lapidées, pendues, décapitées ou torturées uniquement à cause de leur orientation sexuelle?", a avancé la secrétaire d'Etat aux droits de l'Homme Rama Yade, en marge de l'Assemblée générale. Comme le rappelait le membre du gouvernement français, l'homosexualité est interdite dans 77 pays et punie par la peine de mort dans six nations (Arabie Saoudite, Emirats Arabes Unis, Iran, Mauritanie, Nigeria, Soudan et Yémen). En France, l'homosexualité n'a été définitivement dépénalisée qu'en 1982. >>> Par Vivien Vergnaud | Vendredi 19 Décembre 2008

DIE PRESSE: Kalifornien: Bürgerinitiative will Homo-Ehen annullieren lassen

Homo-Ehen wurden in Kalifornien abgeschafft, es können keine neuen geschlossen werden. Die Bürgerinitiative "Protect Marriage" will nun auch jene annullieren lassen, die bereits geschlossen wurden.

Nach der Abschaffung der Homo-Ehe im US-Bundesstaat Kalifornien hat eine Bürgerinitiative angekündigt, sie wolle die bis dahin geschlossenen Ehen zwischen Homosexuellen annullieren lassen. In einem Volksentscheid Anfang November habe die Mehrheit der Kalifornier sich klar gegen die gleichgeschlechtliche Ehe ausgesprochen, erklärte das Bündnis "Protect Marriage" ("Ehe schützen") in seinem Antrag an das kalifornische Verfassungsgericht. >>> Ag | Samstag, 20. Dezember 2008

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Stiftung: Clinton bekommt Geld von Scheichs und Schumi
WELT ONLINE: Um Interessenkonflikte zu vermeiden hat der künftige US-Präsident Barack Obama seine Mitarbeiter zur Offenlegung sensibler Daten verpflichtet. Da Hillary Clinton Außenministerin werden will, gehört dazu auch die Spenderliste der Stiftung ihres Mannes Bill. Zu den Top-Spendern gehören Ölscheichs und Michael Schumacher.

Der ehemalige US-Präsidenten Bill Clinton hat die Namen der Spender für seine Wohltätigkeits-Stiftung veröffentlicht. Unter den Top-Spendern der „William J. Clinton Foundation“ sind unter anderem das Königreich Saudi-Arabien sowie Ex- Formel-1-Weltmeister Michael Schumacher. Wie die Stiftung mitteilte, spendete Saudi-Arabien zwischen zehn und 25 Millionen Dollar, Schumacher zwischen fünf und zehn Millionen. >>> dpa/AP/PHJ | Freitag, 19. Dezember 2008

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Europäische Union: CSU will EU-Beitritt der Türkei verhindern
WELT ONLINE: Die CSU hat Außenminister Frank-Walter Steinmeier aufgefordert, die EU-Beitrittsverhandlungen mit der Türkei zu stoppen. Ein Beitritt sei angesichts der anhaltenden Verletzungen der Menschenrechte unerträglich. Am Vormittag hatten EU-Delegierte nach monatelanger Pause wieder Gespräche mit der Türkei aufgenommen.

Die CSU hat die Wiederaufnahme der EU-Beitrittsverhandlungen mit der Türkei kritisiert. Außenminister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) müsse "die völlig unrealistischen EU-Beitrittsverhandlungen mit der Türkei stoppen“ und stattdessen eine privilegierte Partnerschaft mit Ankara ansprechen, erklärte der außenpolitische Sprecher der CSU im Europaparlament, Bernd Posselt, am Freitag in München.

Es sei unerträglich, dass man mit der Türkei trotz massiver Verletzungen der Menschenrechte und der Religionsfreiheit über den Beitritt verhandele. Ein Kurswechsel zu einer privilegierten Partnerschaft verhindere, dass die EU „überdehnt“ und die Türkei „überfordert“ werde, so Posselt.

Nach monatelanger Pause hatte die französische Ratspräsidentschaft die Beitrittsverhandlungen mit der Türkei wieder aufgenommen. Nach EU-Angaben berieten EU-Delegierte mit dem türkischen Außenminister Ali Babacan am Freitag in Brüssel über Beitrittskapitel zu Fragen der Finanzströme und der Informationsgesellschaft. >>> KNA/dpa/ks | Freitag, 19. Dezember 2008

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John Lichfield: 'Greek Syndrome' Is Catching as Youth Take to Streets
THE INDEPENDENT: First it was Athens. Now the Continent's disillusioned youth is taking to the streets across Europe.

Europe exists, it appears. If Greek students sneeze, or catch a whiff of tear-gas, young people take to the streets in France and now Sweden. Yesterday, masked youths threw two firebombs at the French Institute in Athens. Windows were smashed but the building was not seriously damaged. Then youths spray-painted two slogans on the building. One said, "Spark in Athens. Fire in Paris. Insurrection is coming". The other read, "France, Greece, uprising everywhere".

It was a calculated and violent attempt to link disparate youth protest movements. Links between protests in Greece and France – and, to a lesser degree, unrest in Sweden – may seem tenuous, even non-existent. But social and political ailments and their symptoms transmit as rapidly as influenza in the television, internet and text-message age.

With Europe, and the world, pitching headlong into a deep recession, the "Greek Syndrome", as one French official calls it, was already being monitored with great care across the European Union. The attempt to politicise and link the disputes across EU frontiers may prove to be a random act of self-dramatisation by an isolated group on the Greek far left. But it does draw attention to the similarities – and many differences – between the simultaneous outbreaks of unrest in three EU countries. >>> John Lichfield | Saturday, December 20, 2008

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What Awaits Us!
Santa’s flight >>>
With thanks to Always On Watch for drawing my attention to Jacquie Lawson’s website

Sterling Slide Is Worst Since 1931
THE TELEGRAPH: The pound is suffering its worst slide since Britain was forced off the gold standard in 1931.

Sterling dipped closer to parity against the euro, with the single currency now worth more than 95p for the first time ever. The pound's fall came amid fast-growing disquiet about the fate of the UK economy and consumer sentiment next year.

The pound has now fallen by 23pc against a basket of other currencies, according to figures from the Bank of England. The fall is sharper than the devaluations in 1992, after leaving the Exchange Rate Mechanism, 1976, when the International Monetary Fund was forced to intervene, and 1949, when a host of countries slumped against the dollar.

The devaluation is only matched by the moment in 1931 when, under Ramsay MacDonald, the UK was forced to abandon the gold standard, plunging by more than 24pc against the dollar. The parallel is significant, since many economists have attributed the gold standard exit as one of the main reasons the UK enjoyed a relatively mild depression in the 1930s, while the US suffered mass unemployment and saw its economy shrink by a third.

The pound had fallen more than 1½ pence against the euro yesterday and was trading at 94.15 early on Friday. Late last night it fell as low as 95p, with the pound buying €1.047.

Traders are increasingly convinced that the Bank of England will follow in the Federal Reserve's footsteps and cut interest rates all the way to zero by early next year. >>> By Edmund Conway and Angela Monaghan | December 19, 2008

TELEGRAPH BLOGS:
Germany Is Already Collapsing >>> By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

TIMESONLINE:
Japan Cuts Rate to Just Above Zero >>> Rosie Lavan | December 19, 2008

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Schweden: Jugendliche randalieren auf Malmös Straßen
Foto von den schweren Ausschreitungen in Malmö, Schweden, dank der Welt
WELT ONLINE: Brennende Autos, Steine und Brandsätze gegen Polizisten. Nach Paris, Athen und Thessaloniki gab es jetzt in der südschwedischen Stadt Malmö in der Nacht zum Freitag schwere Ausschreitungen. Die Gewalt eskalierte, als die Polizei einen von muslimischen Jugendlichen als Gebetsraum genutzten Keller räumte.

Nach Räumung eines von muslimischen Jugendlichen als Gebetsraum genutzten Kellers ist es in der Nacht zum Freitag in der südschwedischen Stadt Malmö zu Ausschreitungen gekommen. Jugendliche zündeten Autos an und bewarfen die Einsatzkräfte der Polizei und Krankenwagen mit Steinen und Brandsätzen. >>> dap/AFP/ks | 19. Dezember 2008

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Le plan français pour la paix au Proche-Orient
Nicolas Sarkozy et son épouse en Israël, en juin dernier. Photo grâce au Figaro
LE FIGARO: Paris propose la création d'une agence internationale pour dédommager les réfugiés, ainsi qu'une police touristique internationale pour garantir l'accès aux lieux saints de Jérusalem.

Le 2 décembre, la France a présenté à ses partenaires européens ses «idées créatives» pour accompagner un traité de paix israélo-palestinien. Les 27 ministres des Affaires étrangères de l'Union européenne ont discuté du plan français, sans l'endosser, en raison, notamment, de réserves allemandes. Paris compte remettre cette feuille de route aux Tchèques, qui vont lui succéder à la tête de l'UE. «Obama ne sera pas seul, si les Américains décident de se réengager», affirme une source diplomatique à Bruxelles, qui a révélé au Figaro la teneur de ce plan. Paris a volontairement laissé Israéliens et Palestiniens négocier la délimitation du futur État palestinien, préférant concentrer ses efforts sur les autres litiges de leur vieux contentieux. >>> Georges Malbrunot | Vendredi 19 Décembre 2008

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Bush Shoe-thrower Asks For Pardon
SKY NEWS: The jailed journalist who threw his shoes at President Bush has asked for a pardon, a spokesman for Iraq's prime minister has said.

Muntadhar al Zeidi, who remains in custody, could face two years inside for insulting a foreign leader.
He requested the pardon in a letter delivered to prime minister Nouri al Maliki.

"It is too late now to regret the big and ugly act that I perpetrated," wrote al Zeidi, the Egypt-based correspondent for an Iraqi-owned television station.

He apparently went on in the letter to recall an interview he conducted with the prime minister in 2005 when al Maliki invited him into his home, saying: "Come in, it is your home too."

"So I ask for your pardon," al Zeidi wrote.

Iraq's president, Jalal Talabani, can issue constitutional pardons if recommended by the prime minister, with the exception of certain offences, including international crimes.

In Washington, a State Department spokesman confirmed the Iraqi authorities were dealing with the matter. >>> | Thusday, December 18, 2008

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Sarah Palin Urged to Speak on Racist 'Barack Obama State-government Circulated Emails'
THE TELEGRAPH: Sarah Palin, the Governor of Alaska, was under pressure on Thursday to respond to the discovery that staff members in her state's government had received and forwarded racist emails about President-Elect Barack Obama.

Photo of Sarah Palin courtesy of The Telegraph
One of the emails asked about the outcome of the Democrat's victory and concluded: "Another black family living in government housing!" Another, entitled "Night Befo Crizzmus," was forwarded dozens of times, according to the state's information technology division.

Administration commissioner Annette Kreitzer said: "It's embarrassing to the state."

Mrs Kreitzer said she alerted the office of Mrs Palin, the failed Republican vice presidential candidate in the recent election, about the emails.

Bill McAllister, a spokesman for the governor, said that the matter concerned individual actions taken by a handful of state employees among thousands.

But the lack of a denunciation from the governor failed to satisfy critics who have suspected her of disrespecting the African American community or of holding racist views herself. >>> By Alex Spillius in Washington | December 18, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH: Mother of Sarah Palin[‘s] Daughter's Boyfriend Arrested on Drug Charges

Alaska state police have arrested the mother of Bristol Palin's boyfriend on drug charges. Miss Palin is the daughter of Sarah Palin, the state governor and defeated republican vice-presidential candidate.

Sherry L Johnston was arrested on Thursday after officers served a search warrant on a Wasilla home. The 42-year-old Johnston has been charged with six felony drug counts.

Troopers did not identify the drug involved in a brief mention on the agency's website.

Johnston is the mother of 18-year-old Levi Johnston. Sarah Palin, John McCain's running mate in last month's election, announced in September that her 18-year-old daughter, Bristol, was pregnant and Johnston was the father.

Sherry Johnston was released from jail on $5,000 bail.

Meanwhile, Mrs Palin was under pressure on Thursday to respond to the discovery that staff members in her state's government had received and forwarded racist emails about President-Elect Barack Obama. >>> | December 19, 2008

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Archbishop Welcomes Credit Crunch 'Reality Check'
THE INDEPENDENT: The credit crunch is a welcome "reality check" for a society that has become driven by unsustainable greed, the Archbishop of Canterbury said today.

Rowan Williams also hit out at Gordon Brown's plans to combat recession by boosting spending, likening them to an "addict returning to the drug".

The head of the Church of England's outspoken comments came as he delivered a scathing assessment of "moral" failings in Britain's economy.

Interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he insisted the country had been "going in the wrong direction" for decades by relying on financial speculation to generate wealth quickly rather than "making things".

The UK had backed itself "into a corner", and must now rediscover "patience" and re-think the way it viewed material gain, he said.

Asked whether that meant the global financial crisis wracking the economy had been beneficial, Dr Williams replied: "It is a sort of a reality check, isn't it - which is always good for us.

"A reminder that what I think some people have called fairy gold is just that - that sooner or later you have to ask: 'What are we making or what are we assembling or accumulating wealth for?'." >>> By James Tapsfield, PA | December 18, 2008

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Barack Obama as a College Freshman
Photo of the cigarette-smoking Obama as a college freshman courtesy of TimesOnline
TIMESONLINE: Cigarette clamped between thumb and finger, a louche Barack Obama leans back with playful eyes and draws smoke deep into his lungs.

When he agreed to model for an aspiring photographer’s portfolio, the prospect of this image re-emerging 28 years later as he prepared to enter the White House as president probably never crossed his mind. >>> Tom Baldwin in Washington | December 17, 2008

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CONVERT THOSE MUSLIMS!
THE TELEGRAPH: Church leaders are to debate the contentious issue of whether Christians should be doing more to convert Muslims.

A discussion on the sensitive topic has been tabled for the next meeting of the Church of England's governing body amid fears that some clergy are ignoring their traditional missionary role.

Some members of the General Synod believe Christ ordered all Christians to recruit nonbelievers and followers of other faiths, and they want to see how many bishops and vicars agree with this view.

Among the speakers is likely to be the Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, who earlier this year warned that Church leaders had "gone too far" in their sensitivity towards Muslims and were not doing enough to spread the word of God.

At the end of the debate at next February's Synod meeting in London, bishops, clergy and lay members will vote on whether bishops should report to the Synod on "their understanding of the uniqueness of Christ in multi-faith Britain", and give examples of how the gospel should be shared. Church of England to Debate Whether Christians Should Try to Convert Muslims >>> By Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent | December 17, 2008

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Onward Christian Soldiers
THE TELEGRAPH: At the core of Christianity is a force for good and we should not forget that.

Dorothy Glen adores Christmas. The mother-of-three from South Shields usually has a tree, a Father Christmas, an assortment of snowmen (and women – no sexism here!) in her garden and myriad, twinkling lights decorating her home. Then she was ordered to remove them all by a housing association worker who claimed the display offended her Chinese and Bengali neighbours.

The Christmas-bah-humbugging jobsworths, who have become the self-appointed, self-important guardians of political correctness, are bound every year to prove their worth. Like the “Ho-ho Homes” that demand the output of a small nuclear plant to illuminate, the tetchy debate over politicians’ choice of cards, and the school “Nativity” plays that combine Hanakkah, Diwali and Kwanzaa, their antics are a staple of the festive run-up.

This year doesn’t disappoint: we have po-faced clergymen rewriting carols to reflect the tenor of our times – hence the uplifting inclusion of hoodies, single mothers, Aids sufferers, and lottery losers in a version of The Twelve Days of Christmas by the Rev George Fisher from Lichfield.

The Rev Stephen Coulter has gone one better and banned O Little Town of Bethlehem from his services in Blandford Forum, Dorset, because, he claims, it fails to reflect the little town’s recent troubles. (Why not ban all vicars from visiting the Holy Land before Christmas and returning home with ideas to ruin their parishoners’ celebrations?) >>> By Liz Hunt | December 16, 2008

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Shoot the Bastards at Goldmine Sachs!
MAIL Online: Investment bank Goldman Sachs is to pay £4.3billion in bonuses to its City workers.

Despite the financial crisis and the spectre of soaring unemployment, staff at the bank will get an average of £142,600 each.

The international group, which is estimated to have 5,400 employees in London, is already nicknamed ' Goldmine Sacks' for the large extra payouts it awards to its star performers.

Yesterday the firm posted its first loss for almost a decade. And earlier this year it was forced to accept a £6.5billion lifeline from the U.S. government after falling prey to the economic crisis.

Now, an amount equivalent to two thirds of that aid will be paid to its workers as bonuses. Goldmine Sachs: As Jobless Toll Soars, Investment Bank's Bonuses for Staff Are Cut to a MERE £4.3bn >>> By Karl West and Nick McDermott | December 16, 2008

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'Germany Has Underestimated the Threat of the Far Right'
Photo of the far right in Germany courtesy of SpiegelOnline International
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Germany has been debating the merits of a possible ban on the far-right NPD party following Saturday's nearly fatal stabbing of the Passau police chief by a suspected neo-Nazi. Media commentators say the country faces a very real threat from the far right and isn't doing enough to tackle it.

The near-fatal stabbing of Alois Mannichl, the police chief of the southern Germany city of Passau by a suspected neo-Nazi on Saturday shows right-wing extremism in Germany has reached a new and threatening dimension, write German media commentators. But they can't agree on whether the far-right National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD) should be banned.

Some say the calls for the party to be outlawed, voiced in recent days by leading members of the conservative Christian Social Union, the Bavarian sister party of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats, are a helpless knee-jerk reaction that will do little to tackle the root causes of lingering right-wing extremism in Germany.

The German government already tried once to ban the party under a provision of the constitution that permits neo-Nazi parties to be shut out of politics. However, the country's highest court refused to grant a main hearing in the case in 2003 because some of the senior NPD members called to testify were government informants.

But others say it's worth trying again -- a ban could at least hurt the far right by putting a stop to the public funds the NPD currently gets as a legitimate political party. >>> David Crossland | December 16, 2008

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Glasgow Bomb Plot: NHS Doctor Found Guilty of Terror Attack on Airport
THE TELEGRAPH: An NHS doctor has been found guilty of launching car bomb attacks on Glasgow airport and a London nightclub as part of a nationwide terrorist campaign.

Bilal Abdulla was the passenger in a burning Jeep driven into Glasgow airport on June 30 last year in an attempted suicide attack.

The driver of the Jeep, Kafeel Ahmed, a PhD student from India, died a month later from the burns he suffered in the attack.

The pair had earlier tried to blow up two Mercedes cars packed with gas canisters and petrol cans that they had left outside the Tiger Tiger nightclub in London's West End.

Woolwich Crown Court court heard the men also had two other cars in reserve and were probably planning a campaign of terrorist "spectaculars." >>> By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent | December 16, 2008

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Prison Bans Chapel Crucifix to Avoid Offending Muslims
MAIL Online: A prison’s new chapel will not contain a crucifix to avoid offending Muslim inmates, it emerged today.

Bosses at HMP Lewes have been told the traditional Christian symbol, featuring Jesus nailed to a cross, must not be used in the Grade-II listed Victorian jail’s ‘multi-faith space’.

The room - part of a £1million new block - has been split in two, with one half featuring heated foot baths so Muslim worshippers can wash their feet before prayer.

But the other side, dedicated to Christian prayer, contains just a simple wooden cross and portable alter - both of which can be removed if necessary.

According the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB), the traditional Christian crucifix was erased from the chapel’s blueprints after discussion with a Muslim imam. >>> | December 15, 2008

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Turkish Academics in Apology to Armenians
THE INDEPENDENT: Intellectuals break taboo to acknowledge genocide by Ottoman Turks

Around 200 Turkish intellectuals and academics are to apologise on the internet today for the ethnic cleansing of Armenians during the First World War, in the most public sign yet that Turkey's most sensitive taboo is slowly melting away.

"My conscience does not accept the denial of the great catastrophe that the Ottoman Armenians were subjected to in 1915," the text prepared by the group reads. "I reject this injustice and ... empathise with the feelings and pain of my Armenian brothers. I apologise to them."

Turkey accepts that many Armenians were killed during the collapse of the Ottoman empire, but insists they were victims of civil strife and that Muslim Turks also died. Most Western historians agree that the ethnic cleansing that killed roughly 700,000 Armenians amounted to genocide. >>> By Nicholas Birch in Istanbul | December 15, 2008

BBC: Turkish PM Scorns Armenia Apology

Turkey's prime minister has criticised a Turkish internet petition which apologises for the "great catastrophe" of 1915 when Armenians were massacred.

The petition was launched by more than 200 Turkish academics and newspaper columnists earlier this week.

Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "I find it unreasonable to apologise when there is no reason".

Hundreds of thousands of Armenians died at the hands of Ottoman Turks in 1915. Turkey denies that it was "genocide". >>> | December 17, 2008

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After 130 Years of Fundraising, Sally Army Told to Stop Rattling Collecting Tins Because It Might 'Offend Other Religions'
MAIL Online: For 130 years they have been part of Christmas, filling the air in towns across the land with music and carols.

But one thing is missing from the repertoire of Salvation Army bands this year - the percussion of rattling tins.

Members have been forbidden to shake their charity tins - even if it's done in time to the music - in case it harasses or intimidates people. One said she had been told it might also offend other religions.

Guidelines for branches organising public collections say tinholders should simply keep the tin still.

It means that when the brass bands start up they can rock and roll all they want - but if they shake and rattle, it could put them in conflict with the law.

Councils and police can enforce the no-rattle rule and have powers to prosecute or ban offenders. The restriction was branded 'bonkers' yesterday both by donors and longserving Salvation Army volunteers.

One collector told the Daily Mail: 'I've been doing this for more than 40 years and I fail to see how rattling a tin could cause offence. If I was shaking a tambourine I could do it all day - if I shake my tin, I could end up in court.' >>> By Paul Harris | December 15, 2008

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Sudan Enjoys Cool Beer Thanks to SAB Miller after Long Dry Season
TIMESONLINE: Since the imposition of Islamic law 25 years ago, having a cool beer in Sudan meant running the risk of 40 lashes. Today SAB Miller is preparing to open a brewery in the south of the country.

The company, one of the largest brewers in the world, plans to create a new beer and is investing £25 million in the plant, in Juba, the capital of south Sudan, which is governed by mainly Christian former rebels.

“We will not only be consuming but producing alcohol,” Samson Kwaje, the Agriculture Minister of south Sudan, said at the launch.

Tension is running high between north and south over disputed oilfields, with both sides apparently arming for war. To the southern politicians, who have an eye on full independence, the new beer is a statement of identity as much as a thirst-quencher.

When the Government in Khartoum introduced Sharia in 1983, alcohol was banned throughout the country. The imposition of Islamic law sparked an uprising in the south, which turned into a 20-year civil war, pitting the Christian rebels against northern Muslims.

In a peace deal concluded in 2005, the rebels won the right to a semi-autonomous secular government. Freed from the shackles of Khartoum's Islamic regime, beer lovers were the first to notice a peace dividend.

Entrepreneurs on bicycles would ride the rutted roads to Uganda, bringing back as many crates of alcohol as they could carry. Today restaurants in Juba offer wines, beers and spirits. >>> Rob Crilly in Nairobi | December 15, 2008

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The Incompenet Twerps to Let the the Pound Fall through the Floor...
THE INDEPENDENT: Treasury says protecting the currency is 'not a first-order issue' as Euro readies to overtake sterling in markets for the first time.

The plummeting pound will not be propped up by government intervention, ministers declared yesterday, as it emerged that they will simply hope Britain's beleaguered currency stabilises as broader measures to stimulate the economy begin to take effect.

Sterling has fallen to a series of record lows against the euro in recent days, and looks set to reach parity with the single European currency for the first time. Its fall has hit holidaymakers as well as the thousands of Britons living on the Continent, who have seen the value of pensions and savings plummet.

But ministers have made it clear no help will be forthcoming to stabilise sterling. The Europe minister, Caroline Flint, confirmed the value of the pound was not a "first-order issue" and Yvette Cooper, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said bolstering the currency had never been the Government's aim. Pound to Be Left to Its Fate >>> By Michael Savage, Political Correspondent| December 15, 2008

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Didn’t You Just Know It? ...
TIMESONLINE: Interpol notice urges arrest of Islam TV chief

A man wanted by Interpol for his links to an alleged terrorist organisation has been advising Scotland Yard on countering Muslim extremism, a Times investigation has discovered.

Mohamed Ali Harrath has been the subject of the Interpol red notice since 1992 because of his alleged activities in Tunisia, where he co-founded the Tunisian Islamic Front (FIT).

Tunisia has accused Mr Harrath, the chief executive officer of the Islam Channel in Britain and an adviser to the Scotland Yard Muslim Contact Unit, of seeking help from Osama bin Laden. It says that the FIT wants to establish “an Islamic state by means of armed revolutionary violence”.

Mr Harrath has been convicted in absentia of numerous criminal and terrorism-related offences by Tunisian courts and sentenced to 56 years in prison. Tunisia is an ally of the West in the fight against terrorism but is regarded by critics as a police or one-party state. Its secular Government regards those who advocate an Islamic state as a threat to its stability. Terrorism Adviser to Met Is on Wanted List >>> Richard Kerbaj in Tunis and Dominic Kennedy in London | December 15, 2008

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Sarah Palin's Church 'Set on Fire'
THE TELEGRAPH: A raging fire that police believe might have been set by an arsonist badly damaged the church attended by Alaska governor and Republican former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, causing about one million dollars in damage, officials said on Sunday.

Firefighters were called late Friday to Wasilla Bible Church in Palin's hometown of Wasilla, Alaska and found flames and smoke pouring from windows in the three-story building.

Five people who had been in the building - valued at between four and five million dollars - escaped unharmed, officials said.

"We are definitely treating it as suspicious and as potential arson at this point," said James Steele, chief of the area fire department.

"We just don't have any leads at all as far as the intent or motive in this," Mr Steele added. >>> | December 14, 2008

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Shoes Thrown at Bush on Iraq Trip
BBC: A surprise visit by US President George Bush to Iraq has been overshadowed by an incident in which two shoes were thrown at him during a news conference.

An Iraqi journalist was wrestled to the floor by security guards after he called Mr Bush "a dog" and threw his footwear, just missing the president.

The soles of shoes are considered the ultimate insult in Arab culture.

During the trip, Mr Bush and Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki signed the new security agreement between their countries.

The pact calls for US troops to leave Iraq in 2011 - eight years after the 2003 invasion that has in part defined the Bush presidency.

Speaking just over five weeks before he hands over power to Barack Obama, Mr Bush also said the war in Iraq was not over and more work remained to be done.

His previously unannounced visit came a day after US Defence Secretary Robert Gates told US troops the Iraq mission was in its "endgame". >>> | December 14, 2008

Watch BBC video: President Bush ducks as the shoes are thrown >>>

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Experts Can Only Guess as We Head Into the Unknown
THE SUNDAY TIMES: American Account

“DON’T project beyond the range of the known observations” is a rule followed by careful economists. In plain English this means, for example, that we know how American consumers behave when petrol prices move between $1 and $4 a gallon, “the range of the known observations”. But we haven’t much of an idea what consumers would do if prices rose to $5 — no experience, no data to inform our forecasts. Which is why we have to be very careful when predicting the effect of the various policies that are being adopted to fight the credit crisis and recession. We simply have no experience of this combination of events.

So we have reason to worry about the galaxy of stars that Barack Obama has assembled to help him right the American economy. They are so bright, so self-confident, so accustomed to being the smartest guy or girl in the room, that doubt is not one of the emotions with which they are familiar, as was true of the bright young “quants” (mathematical economists) who designed the models used to manage the risks taken on by Lehman Brothers and AIG. Something about hubris and nemesis comes to mind. >>> Irwin Stelzer | Sunday, December 14, 2008

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Senate Scandal Snares Obama’s Chief Aide
Rahm Emmanuel, Obama’s choice for Chief of Staff, already engulfed in scandal. Photo courtesy of The Sunday Times
THE SUNDAY TIMES: THE bullish, foul-mouthed but effective Chicago arm-twister Rahm Emanuel has come under pressure to resign as Barack Obama’s chief of staff after it was revealed that he had been captured on court-approved wire-taps discussing the names of candidates for Obama’s Senate seat.

Emanuel’s presence at the heart of the scandal threatens to roil the president-elect’s administration as a Chicago prosecutor builds his corruption case against Rod Blagojevich, the Illinois governor.

Blagojevich has been accused of plotting to sell Obama’s Senate seat - which is in the governor’s gift - in return for financial and political favours.

Republicans are salivating at the prospect of tying the president-elect to the notoriously corrupt Chicago machine in which he forged his career. Grover Norquist, an influential conservative tax reform lobbyist, said: “If Obama wants to be squeaky clean, he is going to have to cut all his Chicago friends loose. His chief of staff has fingerprints on the murder weapon.”

Emanuel ducked out of view last week, avoiding reporters’ questions and complaining of harassment and “death threats” as the news spread that he was the likely unnamed adviser cited by the FBI with whom the tainted Blagojevich hoped to bargain over the appointment.

For the “No Drama” Obama team, the spiralling controversy has been an alarming distraction in the midst of the US economic meltdown. Obama has yet to release a promised timeline of contacts between members of his transition team and the governor's office, while Emanuel is thought to be consulting lawyers. >>> Sarah Baxter, Washington | Sunday, December 14, 2008

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Greek Riots Spark Fear of Europe in Flames
THE SUNDAY TIMES: Seldom do Greek academics attain the heroic status that was bestowed last week on Christos Kittas, an eminent professor of pathology and rector of Athens University.

More comfortable in front of a whiteboard Kittas, a wiry figure with grey hair and a silver beard, found himself on the front line in what looked like a war zone.

From his palatial office on the first floor of the university, he organised a “human chain” of colleagues to defend the historic building from being ransacked in Greece’s worst street violence in decades.

“I’m terrified,” he confided on Friday as yet another column of demonstrators filed past the building, screaming abuse at police – “killers in uniform” – for having shot dead a teenager six days before.

“I haven’t slept in days now,” he added, sitting beneath oil paintings of previous rectors going back to the 1830s.

Downstairs, other teachers had formed a line on the steps to prevent hardcore demonstrators from breaking into the building and using it, as they had done previously, as a base from which to hurl Molotov cocktails and stones at police.

A week of protests and rioting by students venting fury over the death of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos has thrown Greece into turmoil, causing hundreds of millions of pounds of damage and focusing attention on economic, political and social woes. >>> Matthew Campbell | Sunday, December 14, 2008

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Make Sharia Part of UK Law, Says QC
DAILY EXPRESS: SHARIA law will “inevitably” become part of the legal system and work should begin now to incorporate it into British law, a leading barrister said last night.

Stephen Hockman, QC, former chairman of the Bar Council, spoke at a meeting organised by the website Islam4UK, where another speaker was Anjem Choudary, former head of banned fanatical group al-Muhajiroun.



Sharia law has become associated with executions, stonings and hands being cut off.



But Mr Hockman told the Daily Express: “Given our substantial Muslim population, it is vital that we look at ways to integrate Muslim culture into our traditions.



“Otherwise we will find that there is a significant section of our society which is increasingly alienated, with very dangerous results. 



“There should perhaps be a standing committee comprising Parliamentarians, lawyers and religious leaders to consider how this could be achieved and what legal changes might be framed.” >>> | Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Hat tip: Pastorius of iBloga, where you can also comment on this absurdity.

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Pakistan: A Haven for Islamic Terrorists, aka Jihadis
THE TELEGRAPH: More than twenty serious terrorist plots to stage attacks in Britain are being planned in Pakistan, Gordon Brown said.

The Prime Minister named Pakistan as a haven for terrorists planning attacks in Britain, revealing that around three quarters of the most advanced plots monitored by MI5 are have Pakistani links.

Officials say that the Security Service is aware of around 30 serious plots at any given moment, suggesting that at least 21 of them are tied to Pakistani groups.

On a visit to Islamabad, the Prime Minister delived a blunt demand to President Ali Asif Zardari to improve his goverment's work to prevent al-Qaeda and other groups operating in the lawless area that borders Afghanistan.

"The time has come for action not words," Mr Brown told Mr Zardari.

At a press conference, Mr Brown revealed that he had told Mr Zardari that "three quarters of the most serious plots investigated by the British authorities have links to al-Qaeda in Pakistan".

Many known terrorists including Mohammed Siddique Khan, ringleader of the 7/7 bombings, are known to have trained at al-Qaeda inspired camps in the Pakistani border areas.

In a private meeting Mr Brown told Mr Zardari he must do more to close those camps.

Mr Brown told reporters: "We must break the chain of terrorism that links the mountains of Afghanistan to the streets of Britain." Terrorists in Pakistan Planning over 20 Attacks on Britain, Says Gordon Brown >>> By James Kirkup in Islamabad | Sunday, December 14, 2008

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Rußland: Dutzende Oppositionelle in Moskau festgenommen
WELT ONLINE: In der russischen Hauptstadt ist die Polizei gegen eine verbotene Kundgebung von Oppositionellen vorgegangen. Dutzende Menschen wurden verhaftet. Zu der Demonstration hatte Ex-Schachweltmeister Garri Kasparow aufgerufen. Zuvor hatte er eine neue Bewegung – mit großem Namen – mitgegründet.

Die russische Polizei hat bei einer von dem Kremlkritiker und Ex-Schachweltmeister Garri Kasparow organisierten Demonstration in Moskau Dutzende Oppositionelle festgenommen. Das berichtete der Radiosender Echo Moskwy. Die Regierungskritiker protestierten trotz eines Verbots der Behörden im Stadtzentrum gegen die Politik des Kreml in der derzeitigen Finanzkrise sowie gegen die aktuelle Verfassungsänderung. >>> dpa/AFP/cn | Sonntag, 14. Dezember 2008

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Schon wieder eine Unruhenacht in Athen: Gewalttätige Ausschreitungen nach friedlicher Demonstration
NZZ am Sonntag: In der griechischen Hauptstadt Athen ist es die achte Nacht in Folge zu Zusammenstössen zwischen Jugendlichen und der Polizei gekommen. Die Beamten gingen am Sonntag gegen 1 Uhr früh gegen Teilnehmer einer Mahnwache auf dem zentralen Syntagma-Platz vor. Einige Jugendliche besetzten daraufhin die nahe gelegene Technische Universität.

In der griechischen Hauptstadt Athen ist es am Samstagabend erneut zu gewalttätigen Ausschreitungen gekommen. Kleinere Gruppen von Gewalttätern griffen Polizisten und Gebäude mit Brandsätzen und Steinen an. >>> sda | Sonntag, 14. Dezember 2008

DIE PRESSE: Athen: Angriffe auf Ministerien und Banken

Eine Woche nach dem Tod eines 15-Jährigen durch Polizeischüsse kam es am Samstagabend neuerlich zu Kämpfen. Die Demonstranten erheben zunehmend politische Forderungen.

In der griechischen Hauptstadt Athen ist es am Samstagabend erneut zu gewalttätigen Ausschreitungen gekommen. Stunden nach einem friedlichen Gedenkmarsch für den von einem Polizisten getöteten 15-jährigen Schüler griffen kleinere Gruppen von Gewalttätern am Abend Polizisten und Gebäude mit Brandsätzen und Steinen an. Nach Polizeiangaben kam es in mehreren Stadtteilen zu Angriffen auf Banken, Ministerien, Geschäfte und Polizisten.



Am Nachmittag hatten sich rund 2000 Schulkameraden und ihre Familien vor dem Parlament versammelt, um des vor genau einer Woche getöteten Schülers zu gedenken und gegen Polizeigewalt zu protestieren. Wegen des Todes des Jugendlichen wird gegen zwei Polizisten ermittelt. Der Polizist, aus dessen Waffe der Schuss stammte, hat erklärt, er habe Warnschüsse abgegeben. >>> APA | Sonntag, 14. Dezember 2008

WELT ONLINE: Griechen sehen in Unruhen einen Volksaufstand

Seit gut einer Woche flammen in Griechenland die Unruhen immer wieder auf. Eine deutliche Mehrheit der Bürger sieht darin nicht das Werk einer Minderheit, sondern ein Massenphänomen. Umfragen zeigen zudem, dass die Ausschreitungen der Regierungspartei enorm schaden. Viele Griechen wissen gar nicht mehr, wen sie wählen sollen.

Die Mehrzahl der Griechen stuft die seit über einer Woche andauernden heftigen Proteste von Jugendlichen in ihrem Land als „Volksaufstand“ ein. Sechs von zehn Griechen sagten in einer Umfrage der Zeitschrift „Kathimerini“, es handele sich um ein „Massenphänomen“ und nicht nur um eine protestierende Minderheit. >>> AFP/dpa/AP/cn | Sonntag, 14. Dezember 2008

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Grèce: "Nous voulons vivre et non survivre"
leJDD.fr: Pas frais, pas frais du tout. Il faut dire que la nuit a été courte pour Andreas, Kostas, Manos et Netalie. Mines défaites, vêtements en vrac, piercings en berne, le quatuor ne baisse pourtant pas les bras. En ce matin de sixième jour de lutte, ces desperados s'affairent encore à fabriquer des armes de fortune pour se" protéger" des assauts de la police.

Le petit groupe a une mission, depuis la mort d'Alexis Gregopoulos, 15 ans, tué par la police dans le quartier d'Exarchia, à Athènes, il y a une semaine : occuper l'Ecole polytechnique. "C'est le plus grand moment de révolte depuis mai 68, s'enflamme Andreas, 26 ans, étudiant en droit. D'ailleurs, on espère que notre combat va se propager en France et dans d'autres capitales européennes." En attendant, le groupe squatte le laboratoire qui sert à la fabrication de maquettes pour les étudiants en architecture. Le lieu a été classiquement saccagé et chacun y est allé de son tag ou graffiti, afin de marquer son passage. En cette fin de matinée blême, à l'aide de portes de placards et de gros fils électriques, les quatre lascars se concentrent sur la fabrication artisanale de boucliers qui serviront tout autant à l'attaque qu'à la défense, face aux forces de l'ordre. >>> Par Karen Lajon, à Athènes | Dimanche 14 Décembre 2008

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L'Iran veut que l'Opep diminue la prodution de barils
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: PÉTROLE | L'Iran fera cette demande lors de la prochaine réunion de l’Opep en Algérie mercredi.

L’Iran, deuxième producteur de l’Opep, a déclaré dimanche qu’il demanderait une réduction de 1,5 à 2 millions de barils par jour de la production du cartel à sa réunion extraordinaire prévue à Oran (Algérie) le 17 décembre, selon l’agence de presse Isna. >>> ATS | Dimanche 14 Décembre 2008

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Des bouteilles d'acide jetées dans un centre commercial à Hong-Kong
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: DRAME | Près de cinquante personnes ont été blessées samedi à Hong Kong par le jet dans un centre commercial bondé de deux bouteilles contenant un acide liquide, a rapporté la police. Celle-ci cherche à savoir s'il s'agit d'un acte volontaire. >>> ATS | Dimanche 14 Décembre 2008

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