Aide to Archbishop of Canterbury Sacked for Slur on Gay Row Bishop
MAIL Online: An aide to the Archbishop of Canterbury has been sacked after writing an insult to a senior bishop into an official document.

The Lambeth Palace staff member made an offensive reference to the Bishop of Rochester, the Right Reverend Michael Nazir-Ali, who has been at odds with the Archbishop over the issue of homosexuality.

The document in the affair, a list of candidates for job vacancies, included a reference to 'the a***hole Bishop of Rochester'.

It was copied to all 43 of the Church of England's diocesan bishops and to Downing Street.

The rogue word was noticed only after the paper had been circulated.

A Church of England spokesman yesterday confirmed the Lambeth Palace aide responsible had been sacked.

He said: 'When this came to light there was an immediate investigation. The person responsible admitted to it and was summarily dismissed.'

The culprit is widely assumed to have been someone who sympathises with the Church of England's gay lobby. The Church has declined to name him or her. >>> By Steve Doughty | Monday, December 22, 2008

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Polly Toynbee: My Christmas Message? There's Probably No God
THE GUARDIAN: It is neither emotionally nor spiritually deficient to reject religions that seek to infantilise us with impossible beliefs

Antidisestablishmentarianism is on the march. Which is odd, considering there is only the faintest whiff of disestablishmentarianism to fight. The Archbishop of Canterbury set this hare running with his usual confused mumbling into his beard. To disestablish the church would be "by no means the end of the world", he said bravely. He hastened to add that he did not want the church sundered from the state right now. And he would oppose "secularists [boo, hiss] trying to push religion into the private sphere". This sent the Telegraph and Mail into a spin, claiming a devilish distestablishment plot on the Labour backbenches - though they could find only three usual suspects. These MPs say the likely move to end the 1701 Act of Settlement that bars Catholics from the throne will make an established church impossible.

How likely is this? Look at how Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have promoted faith and religiosity as "community", and ask yourself if there is the faintest chance that Labour spends untold parliamentary time unpicking the cat's cradle of a relationship between church, Lords and crown? Frankly, if Labour had the inclination for constitutional reform, first priority should be ending our disastrous first-past-the-post voting system.

True, it is embarrassing to be the only western democracy that has theocracy built into its legislature. The 26 bishops in the Lords interfere regularly: they are a threat on abortion, and their campaign sank the Joffe bill, giving the terminally ill the right to die in dignity. Of course they should not be there, when only 16% of people will grace the pews on Christmas Day, and Christian Research forecasts church attendance falling by 90%. But a dying faith clings hard to its inexplicable influence on public life.

Labour has encouraged the power of the religions to a remarkable degree, consulting them on endless committees. To be an atheist is now unacceptable in a political leader: when Nick Clegg confessed his non-belief, he had to recant and re-define himself as an "agnostic". The BBC is increasing religious broadcasting; Radio 4 already does 200 hours. Is this by popular demand? No. An Ofcom survey put religion last in the public's interests. Expect a worsening clash in the new Equality Commission between religious rights and gay and women's rights. The Islington registrar who refused to conduct civil partnerships for religious reasons was an ominous landmark case.

This has been the year of religion's fightback against secularism - a word made almost synonymous with the spiritual and moral decadence of materialism. Angered by the runaway success of anti-God books by Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, AC Grayling and others, the different faiths - though each believes it has the one and only divinely revealed truth and often fights to the death to prove it - combine in curious harmony against secularists. >>> Polly Toynbee | Tuesday, December 23, 2008

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Pope: Saving World from Homosexuality Like Saving Rainforests
THE TELEGRAPH: The Pope said that 'saving' humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour is just as important as saving the rainforests.

In comments at the Vatican that are likely to provoke a furious reaction from homosexual groups, Benedict also warned that blurring the distinction between male and female could lead to the "self-destruction" of the human race.

In his address to the Curia, the Vatican's central administration, he described behaviour beyond traditional heterosexual relations as "a destruction of God's work" and said that the Roman Catholic Church had a duty to "protect man from the destruction of himself".

It is not "outmoded metaphysics" to urge respect for the "nature of the human being as man and woman," he added. >>> By The Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Monday, December 22, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH: Update: Pope Says Humanity Needs 'Saving' from Homosexuality

The Pope has said that "saving" humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour is just as important as saving the rainforests.

Pope Benedict XVI sparked a furious reaction from other Christian groups as he also suggested that a blurring of the distinction between male and female could lead to the "self-destruction" of the human race.

The pontiff was delivering his end-of-year address to senior Vatican staff and his words were later released to the media.

The Roman Catholic Church teaches that, while homosexuality is not sinful, homosexual acts are.

It opposes gay marriage and, in October, one leading Vatican official described homosexuality as "a deviation, an irregularity, a wound".

In his address to the Curia, the Vatican's central administration, the Pope himself described behaviour beyond traditional heterosexual relations as "a destruction of God's work".

He said the Roman Catholic Church had a duty to "protect man from the destruction of himself" and urged respect for the "nature of the human being as man and woman."

The pontiff added: "The tropical forests do deserve our protection. But man, as a creature, does not deserve any less."

His remarks were immediately denounced as "totally irresponsible and unacceptable in any shape or form" by the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement. >>> By Nick Allen | Tuesday, December 23, 2008

THE TIMES: Pope Accused of Stoking Homophobia after He Equates Homosexuality to Climate Change

Pope Benedict was accused of stoking homophobia today after a speech in which he declared that saving humanity from homosexuality was just as important as saving the rainforest from destruction.

The Pontiff made the remarks yesterday in an end-of-year address to the Curia, the Vatican's central administration. He said that humanity needed to listen to the “language of creation” to understand the intended roles of man and woman and behaviour beyond traditional heterosexual relations was a “destruction of God’s work”.

“The tropical forests do deserve our protection. But man, as a creature, does not deserve any less," Benedict told scores of prelates gathered in the Vatican's Clementine Hall.

"What’s needed is something like a ‘human ecology,’ understood in the right sense. It’s not simply an outdated metaphysics if the Church speaks of the nature of the human person as man and woman, and asks that this order of creation be respected.”

It is not the first time that Benedict has used the Curia speech to throw out a controversial idea – two years ago he complained that Islam had yet to learn the lessons of the Enlightenment – but the comments were quickly denounced by gay and lesbian groups, both inside and outside the Church. >>> Philippe Naughton | Tuesday, December 23, 2008

WELT ONLINE: Papst nennt Homosexualität Gefahr für Menschheit

Papst Benedikt XVI. hat gleichgeschlechtliche Beziehungen mit der Zerstörung der Umwelt verglichen. In seinem traditionellen Jahresrückblick vor der Kurie forderte das Oberhaupt der katholischen Kirche eine "Ökologie des Menschen" und bezeichnete Homosexualität als "Zerstörung von Gottes Werk".

In seinem Jahresrückblick vor der Kurie, dem Verwaltungsapparat des Vatikans, hat Papst Benedikt XVI. Beziehungen jenseits der traditionellen heterosexuellen Ehe scharf verurteilt. "Die Kirche soll die Menschen auch vor der Selbstzerstörung schützen", habe der Papst gesagt und eine "Ökologie des Menschen" gefordert.

Der Angriff auf gleichgeschlechtliche Partnerschaften schloss sich an eine Passage an, in der Benedikt XVI. die Notwendigkeit des Umweltschutzes hervorgehoben hatte. Die Kirche habe eine Verantwortung für die Schöpfung und müsse diese auch öffentlich wahrnehmen.

"Die Regenwälder haben ein Recht auf unseren Schutz", zitiert die Nachrichtenagentur Reuters das Oberhaupt der katholischen Kirche weiter, " Aber der Mensch als Kreatur hat nicht weniger verdient.“ >>> reuters/ks | Dienstag, 23. Dezember 2008

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Christmas Tree
To the tree >>>
BBC: Canada Braces for More Heavy Snow

Canada has been blanketed in snow from coast to coast after severe winter storms hit transport and left tens of thousands of homes without electricity.

Strong winds and snowfall have hampered relief efforts, with meteorologists forecasting more bad weather to come.

Coastal areas of Nova Scotia have been issued with storm warnings and Vancouver, Quebec and Ontario were also braced for more wintry weather.

Analysts say Canada may have its first countrywide white Christmas since 1971.

Several areas in the US were also bracing for an extended cold snap, with storm warnings in place across a number of states after a weekend of hurricane-force winds and heavy snowfall. >>> | Monday, December 22, 2008

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Saudi Beheaded for Murder
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: Authorities in Saudi Arabia have beheaded a Saudi citizen convicted of killing a fellow national after a dispute.

An Interior Ministry statement says Jassim al-Bahrani was executed Sunday in the eastern region of Ihsaa. He was convicted for killing his Abdul-Aziz al-Fozan in an argument over money.

Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islam under which people convicted of murder, drug trafficking, rape and armed robbery can be executed. The executions take place usually with a sword.

According to an Associated Press count, the execution brings to 91 the number of people beheaded this year in the kingdom. Last year, 137 people were beheaded — an increase from 38 in 2006. [Source: IHT] AP | December 21, 2008

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Turkey Breaks Company with EU in Gay Vote
HÜRRIYET: ANKARA - In an atmosphere where Turkey is being criticized for the slow pace of its EU reforms, the country refuses to sign a declaration calling all states to take steps to stop the criminalization of homosexuality, contradicting its commitments to the EU in promoting human rights

Turkey refused to sign a European Union-led declaration presented last week at the United Nations calling all states to take steps to stop the criminalization of homosexuality. The move contradicted Turkey’s commitments to the EU to promote human rights for all without any discrimination.

"It’s very frustrating for Turks who wish the state to become a member of the EU. Turkey’s position with regard to this issue is more important than Cyprus to us," an EU ambassador told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review after it became clear that Ankara declined to join the 27 EU countries who endorsed the groundbreaking initiative.

Co-sponsored by France and the Netherlands, the declaration urged all states "to take all the necessary measures, in particular legislative or administrative, to ensure that sexual orientation or gender identity may under no circumstances be the basis for criminal penalties, in particular executions, arrests or detention."

The appeal is based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states in Article One: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." Out of 192, 66 countries signed the document, saying they "are disturbed that violence, harassment, discrimination, exclusion, stigmatization and prejudice are directed against persons in all countries in the world because of sexual orientation or gender identity."

The signatories "condemn the human rights violations based on sexual orientation or gender identity wherever they occur," especially "the use of the death penalty on this ground," as well as their "arbitrary arrest or detention and deprivation of economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to health." >>> By Serkan Demirtaş | Monday, December 22, 2008

INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: EU Enlargement Commissioner Urges Turkey to Take Steps toward Admission

BRUSSELS: Turkey must overcome internal divisions and get back to long-delayed reforms early next year to show it is serious about wanting to join the European Union, the bloc's enlargement commissioner, Olli Rehn, said in an interview.

Rehn also said he expected more Balkan countries to apply for EU membership following Montenegro's move earlier this month, but he urged them not to rush in because they must first show a track record of reform.

He warned EU hopefuls in Southern and Eastern Europe not to take the financial crisis as a pretext to give up on reform, adding that these countries must be helped to avoid going into free fall because of the crisis.

Next year should also be the year of a settlement in Cyprus, Rehn said.

"Next year will be an important litmus test of whether Turkey is serious about its EU accession perspective," Rehn said in the interview. "After one or two years of domestic difficulties, we would expect Turkey now to put up a new gear and seriously start to pursue the reforms again."

Turkey began accession negotiations in 2005 and has made slow progress in satisfying the EU. Analysts say political distractions at home and a lack of appetite for further enlargement among EU states have pushed accession to the back burner in Turkey.

Turkish society has long been divided over the role of religion in an officially secular but predominantly Muslim country.

Turkey narrowly avoided a crisis this year over a public prosecutor's attempt to have the Constitutional Court ban the governing Justice and Development Party because of its Islamist bent.

"I am aware of the dilemmas of the Turkish society in relation with the more secular and more religious lifestyles," Rehn said.

"It is essential that Turkish society find a modus vivendi.

"There is too much energy used on internal tensions which could be used for pursuing legal and economic reforms that are required for EU membership."

He said it was essential for Turkey to reform its Constitution and increase freedom of expression, and religious and linguistic rights, to be in line with EU standards. He said trade unions and business federations were blocking a trade union law essential to Turkey's EU accession process. >>> By Ingrid Melander, Reuters | Sunday, December 21, 2008

LE MONDE: La Turquie négocie avec Bruxelles mais bute toujours sur Chypre

La Turquie a fait un pas supplémentaire dans sa marche vers l'intégration à l'Union européenne avec l'ouverture, vendredi 19 décembre, de deux nouveaux chapitres des négociations d'adhésion. L'un est consacré à la liberté de circulation des capitaux et l'autre à la société de l'information et aux médias. Cela porte à dix, sur trente-cinq, le nombre de volets des négociations ouverts depuis octobre 2005.

"La présidence tchèque, puis suédoise, pourra ouvrir de nouveaux chapitres comme l'éducation et la culture, ou la taxation, mais après, c'est terminé", prédit cependant Cengiz Aktar, directeur du département européen de l'université Bahçesehir d'Istanbul. Huit chapitres restent en effet gelés depuis décembre 2006 en raison du blocage sur la question chypriote : la Turquie refuse toujours d'ouvrir ses ports et ses aéroports aux navires et aux avions de la République de Chypre, qu'elle ne reconnaît pas. Les Vingt-Sept doivent réexaminer ce problème en 2009. >>> Istanbul Corresponance | Samedi 20 Décembre 2008

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Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) Rallies for ‘Khilafah’
THE JAKARTA POST: Thousands of Muslim women from the hardline Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) organization staged a rally Sunday calling for the country to enforce sharia law and establish an Islamic state led by a caliphate.

They marched through downtown Jakarta from outside the U.S. Embassy to the nearby State Palace, with some carrying their children.

The protesters reject the current system of democracy because it is a Western product and said it failed to bring prosperity to this predominantly Muslim nation. The rally was peaceful amid tight security.

Protest leader Febrianti Abassuni said the women's wing of HTI would intensify its campaign for an Islamic state this month to coincide with the commemorations of Mother's Day on Dec. 22, the Islamic New Year on Dec. 29, and in the lead up to the 2009 elections.

"This movement offers guidance for the people to contribute to the country's transformation in the upcoming elections," she added.

The protesters claimed khilafah, an administrative system based on Islamic ideology and led by caliphate, would be best for Indonesia and should replace Pancasila as the national ideology. >>> Desy Nurhayati | Monday, December 22, 2008

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America on the Brink: Predictions
NEWS WITH VIEWS: Political Correctness and Freedom of Speech

The first thing that Socialists do when they gain power is try to silence free speech. Conservative Talk radio hosts such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glen Beck, Laura Ingram, Lou Dobbs, etc. are already being criticized by “Progressives” in Congress. There is a serious effort underway right now to bring back a failed law, the oxymoronic "Fairness Doctrine," in a bold, open attempt to silence opposing political views. Internet news sites such as WorldNetDaily.com, NewsWithViews.com, DrudgeReport.com, InfoWars.com and many others will be silenced along with talk radio. In order for darkness (lies) to prevail, light (truth) has to be snuffed out.

Public scrutiny and criticism of elected officials will be forbidden. Any person exposing political corruption will be labeled anti-government. If they persist in attempting to correct that political corruption, they will be called a terrorist! All police departments around the country will be required to have terrorist units.

[In a communist country of my birth I remember that one could criticize any capitalist country one wishes as long as it wasn't yours or another communist country. Criticism of any official brought police in black uniform to your door usually at night when everyone was asleep.]

Religious Persecution and Sharia Law

Traditional churches will be attacked by Socialists, Feminists and Homosexuals. Christians will increasingly be ridiculed and called bigots because of their religious beliefs. Church services will be regularly disrupted. Under pressure, many church leaders will give-in, capitulating for the sake of peace. They will give up their moral principles, or face the anti-discrimination laws that will be passed to force churches, organizations and people to comply with the immoral doctrines of the socialist, secular humanists.

Since Christians are extremely apathetic today anyway, Islam will begin to become “acceptable” as an alternative to Christianity in America. It’s already spreading like wildfire in America’s prisons. Islamic (religious) Sharia law has gained a foothold in Great Britain and other European countries, with little or no opposition from Christian leadership. Sharia Law is not compatible with the U.S. Constitution or America's concept of religious freedom. >>> By Paul Walter | Monday, December 22, 2008

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The Greedy Bastards at ‘Goldmine’ Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch and Dresdner Kleinwort Just Can’t Steal Enough of Your Money!
BANKERS at four City firms have collected bonuses of more than £6.4billion this year, despite the worst financial crisis since 1929, it emerged yesterday.

While the rest of the country struggles under the ravages of the recession, London-based traders at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch and Dresdner Kleinwort have been notified of their bumper payouts.


They come despite the banks having reported a dramatic fall in profits and the Government bail-out of the banking sector.



Goldman Sachs has taken billions of taxpayer funds, as has Morgan Stanley.



And the huge payouts will hand further ammunition to those critics who blame the greed of bankers for the global economic crisis.



They believe such large bonuses have created a culture of short-termism and recklessness which fuelled the excesses in the run-up to the credit crunch and led to millions of jobs being lost. What Recession? £6.4bn Bonuses for City Bankers >>> By Mark Reynolds and Michael Pickard | Monday, December 22, 2008

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Archbishop of Canterbury Warns Recession Britain Must Learn Lessons from Nazi Germany
THE TELEGRAPH: The Archbishop of Canterbury warns today that Britain must learn the lessons of Nazi Germany in dealing with the effects of the recession.

Dr Rowan Williams risks causing a new controversy by inviting a comparison between Gordon Brown's response to the economic downturn and the Third Reich.

In an article for The Daily Telegraph, he claims Germany in the 1930s pursued a "principle" that worked consistently but only on the basis that "quite a lot of people that you might have thought mattered as human beings actually didn't".

Dr Williams, the most senior cleric in the Church of England, then appears to draw a parallel between the Nazis and the UK Government's policies for tackling the downturn, which he says fails to take account of the "particular human costs" to the most vulnerable in society.

"What about the unique concerns and crises of the pensioner whose savings have disappeared, the Woolworth's employee, the hopeful young executive, let alone the helpless producer of goods in some Third-world environment where prices are determined thousands of miles away?" he asks.

In an apparent reference to the Prime Minister, who has claimed to be guided by a moral compass, the Archbishop also observes "without these anxieties about the specific costs, we've lost the essential moral compass". >>> By Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent | December 21, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH: Put Aside Your Principles and Remember: All You Need Is Love

Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, says the first Christmas changed how everyone thinks about universal human dignity

Forty years ago this month, one of the greatest religious thinkers of the 20th century died. In his long career in Switzerland and Germany, he had published millions of words, played a crucial role in inter-church discussions across Europe, denounced nuclear weaponry – and, before the war, done most of the work in drafting for the German churches a statement of open defiance against the Third Reich. Some of his most powerful lectures were delivered in the bombed-out ruins of the theological department in Bonn when the war had ended and he was able to return to Germany after being driven out by Hitler.

Karl Barth was, by any standards, one of the most deeply principled intellectuals of the age, someone who was quite ready to pay the price of conscience in an insane and tyrannical state. It was probably only his Swiss citizenship that saved his life. So it's all the more surprising to read some of his words in a Christmas sermon preached in 1931, where he says that the real good news of Christmas is that we are given permission to be free from our principles. We need, he says, "to be able to live with principles, but we must also be able to live without them".

Why is this good news – and what has it got to do with Christmas, with this Christmas in particular and our current anxieties and hopes?

What Barth saw beginning to take its grip on Germany in 1931 was a system of "principle" that worked quite consistently once you accepted that quite a lot of people that you might have thought mattered as human beings actually didn't. As the nightmare decade unfolded, the implications of this became clearer and clearer. And what he was warning against was the temptation of unconditional loyalty to a system, a programme, a "cause" which was essentially about "me and people like me". It's about the danger of my agenda, our needs, the programme of this particular group, its safety and prosperity. >>> Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury | December 21, 2008

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Sarko Leaps to the Left
It is a well-known fact that Sarko’s new wife, Carla, is left-leaning. Since coming to power, determined to take France in a rightward direction, it is very noticeable that Sarko’s policies keep lurching to the left. One is therefore left asking the question: Are Sarko’s policies now being forged in the boudoir? In other words, is he allowing his head to be ruled by his nether regions? – ©Mark

THE SUNDAY TIMES: FEARS of an explosion of violence on New Year’s Eve have forced President Nicolas Sarkozy to abandon an education reform that was considered one of the cornerstones of his government’s programme after it prompted angry protests from students.

Sarkozy, 53, has often mocked his predecessors for backtracking on reforms after street protests. His volte-face last week after noisy demonstrations by schoolchildren exposed him to ridicule as well as baffling his supporters.

It emerged that Sarkozy feared the protests would spill over into Christmas and the new year, spiralling into a dangerous Europe-wide student uprising inspired by the scenes of mayhem in Greece, where protests continued last week.

“We don’t want a European May ’68 in the middle of Christmas,” Sarkozy told his ministers in a reference to protests four decades ago that led to the collapse of General Charles de Gaulle’s government in 1969.

Sarkozy also worries that celebrations on New Year’s Eve could erupt into rioting similar to the disturbances that set immigrant suburbs ablaze in France three years ago.

“Things are heating up everywhere in Europe, in Greece, but also in Spain, Italy and even in France. The slogan of the Greek students about ‘the €600 generation’ could easily catch on here,” he said, referring to complaints by Greek students about being unable to find jobs paying more than €600 (£557) a month.

The backsliding on reforms is part of a wider shift by “Sarko” since the global financial crisis resurrected lingering French doubts about capitalism. Having come to power on a platform of “work more to earn more”, the hyperactive French leader has lurched leftwards now that even America has lost some of its appetite for the free market. Sarkozy Drops Reform amid Fears of Riots >>> Matthew Campbell | Sunday, December 21, 2008

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Iran: Raid Closes Shirin Ebadi’s Offices
CNN: TEHRAN, Iran -- Nobel Peace Prize laureate and human rights campaigner Shirin Ebadi was briefly taken into custody Sunday as Iranian authorities raided and indefinitely shut down two of her offices in Tehran, she told CNN.

The Iranian authorities never gave her an explanation for the crackdown, and she was later released, she said, adding that there were no arrests in the raid, but the offices remain closed.

Speaking from her home, Ebadi said the closed offices belong to two non-governmental organizations funded by her Nobel Peace Prize earnings: the Center for Participation in Clearing Mine Areas, which helps victims of landmines in Iran; and Defenders of Human Rights Center, founded five years ago to report human rights violations in Iran, defend political prisoners, and support families of those prisoners.

Ebadi said Iranian authorities had no written justification for Sunday's raid, which she described as illegal. >>> From Shirzad Bozorgmehr | Sunday, December 21, 2008

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Labour MPs Back Separation of State and Church of England
THE TELEGRAPH: Ministers are coming under growing pressure from Labour MPs to disestablish the Church of England.

A growing chorus of voices is calling for the centuries-old link between Church and state to be broken after the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, ignited the issue last week by saying that it was “by no means the end of the world if the Establishment disappears”.

Three former ministers openly backed the idea of a separation, with one claiming that the majority of backbenchers would vote to end the special position the Church has enjoyed since the Reformation.

The calls prompted the Conservatives to accuse Labour of trying to dismantle the Church’s position by stealth. They demanded that the Government “comes clean” about a report being drawn up in Downing Street on ways to reform a key element of the established Church, the 1701 Act of Settlement, which bars a Catholic from ascending to the throne. >>> By Melissa Kite, Deputy Political Editor | Saturday, December 20, 2008

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First Peek at Caroline Kennedy's Policy Positions
NEWSDAY: ALBANY - In a first peek at her positions on policy matters, Caroline Kennedy supports gay marriage rights, restoring a ban on assault weapons and keeping the Bush administration's tax cuts in place for now.



She backs President-elect Barack Obama's drawdown plan for U.S. troops in Iraq and also supports abortion rights.



Kennedy aides offered the positions yesterday, after The Buffalo News last week sent her inquiries involving several policy areas she would have to consider if she were selected by Gov. David A. Paterson to succeed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.



In a trip to Buffalo and other upstate cities last week, Kennedy publicly announced her interest in succeeding Clinton, who has been nominated to become U.S. secretary of state in the new Obama administration.

In response to the questions about where she stands on the issues, Kennedy responded through an e-mail statement from her spokesman, Stefan Friedman.



Gun control: She supports gun control efforts and specifically wants restored the ban on assault weapons that was lifted during the Bush administration.



Gay marriage: She supports "full equality and marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples."



Death penalty: She opposes the death penalty.



Iraq: Kennedy "supports President-elect Obama's plan to work with our military leaders to begin a responsible withdrawal." >>> McClatschy Newspapers | Sunday, December 21, 2008

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Lehman-Chef Richard Fuld: Der Mann, der die Welt in die Knie zwang
WELT ONLINE: Richard Fuld führte Lehman Brothers, als befinde er sich im Krieg. Jahrelang ging das gut. Dann legte er die größte Firmenpleite der Geschichte hin – jenes Ereignis, das die Weltwirtschaft in die schwere Krise stürzte. Wie es dabei zuging, schildert Lehmans letzter Kommunikationschef und Ex-"Financial Times"-Chefredakteur Gowers.

Die Temperatur in dem Raum schien um mehrere Grad zu fallen, als die Stimme des Chefs durch die Telefonanlage drang. „Ich glaube nicht, dass wir heute Nachmittag pleitegehen“, sagte er, „aber ich bin mir nicht 100-prozentig sicher. Viele seltsame Dinge passieren gerade?“

Wir vier, die in der Niederlassung von Lehman Brothers in London zusammengekommen waren, schauten uns mit großen Augen an. Wir hatten gerade Stunden damit zugebracht, Journalisten zu beschwichtigen und Investoren. Jeden, der zuhören wollte. Das war unsere Aufgabe als Öffentlichkeitsarbeiter der amerikanischen Investmentbank.

Der Bank gehe es ausgezeichnet, sagten wir immer wieder, sie sprudele über vor Liquidität. Sicher, der Aktienkurs war in New York um 48 Prozent gefallen. Aber das war eine Panikreaktion nach dem Kollaps einer anderen Investmentbank und hatte mit uns nichts zu tun.

Doch nun gab ein Spitzenmanager im kleinen Kreis zu, dass ein jäher und ansteckender Vertrauensverlust diese Firma mit 26000 Mitarbeitern und einem 158 Jahren alten Namen hinwegfegen könnte. Erst da ist mir wirklich aufgegangen, wie furchterregend unberechenbar meine Welt geworden war. >>> Von Andrew Gowers | Samstag, 20. Dezember 2008

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Nouvelle nuit de violences à Athènes
LE FIGARO: Des centaines d'émeutiers ont affronté les forces anti-émeutes samedi soir dans le centre de la capitale grecque, jetant des bombes incendiaires, deux semaines après que la police a tué un adolescent.

À chaque jour ses manifestations et ses heurts en Grèce. Dans la nuit de samedi à dimanche, de nouveaux affrontements ont opposé des jeunes à des policiers, aux alentours de l'Ecole Polytechnique à Athènes, après une veillée organisée en mémoire d'Alexandros Grigoropoulos, 15 ans, tué par un policier dans le faubourg d'Exarchia, il y a exactement deux semaines. >>> J.C. (lefigaro.fr) avec AFP et AP | Dimanche 21 Décembre 2008

NZZ Online: Erneut schwere Ausschreitungen in Griechenland: Demonstranten attackieren Polizei

Im Zentrum Athens ist es in der Nacht zum Sonntag erneut zu schweren Ausschreitungen gekommen. Rund 150 Vermummte bewarfen die Polizei mit Molotow-Cocktails und zündeten Mülltonnen an. Zudem attackierten Unbekannte zwei Banken, den Parkplatz der Polizeischule der griechischen Hauptstadt und zwei weitere staatliche Gebäude.

(sda/dpa/afd/ap) Kurz vor Weihnachten sind die gewaltsamen Ausschreitungen in Athen wieder aufgeflammt. Nach einer Gedenkveranstaltung für einen 15-Jährigen, der vor zwei Wochen von einem Polizisten erschossen wurde, griffen Demonstranten am Samstagabend Sicherheitskräfte mit Brandsätzen und Steinen an. Die Vermummten bewarfen ausserdem den grossen Weihnachtsbaum in der Innenstadt mit Müll. Bei den Ausschreitungen wurden drei Pressefotografen verletzt. >>> | 21. Dezember 2008

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McKellen Criticises Faith Schools for Religious Teaching
THE GUARDIAN: Gay actor fears children are being taught homosexuality is a sin

The actor Sir Ian McKellen has said he fears that a growing number of faith schools are preaching religious doctrines — such as teaching that homosexuality is a sin — inside the classroom, giving children a "second-class" education.

The stage and screen actor has been touring UK schools this month to discuss homosexuality with pupils in the hope that it will reduce homophobia.

McKellen came out as gay on BBC radio 20 years ago, aged 49.

Speaking during a visit to Welling school in Kent, he said: "It worries me that there is an increasing number of faith schools in this country where it might be thought appropriate for religious views to invade the classroom.

"If that's happening, those kids are getting a second-class education."

He praised Welling, which is not a faith school, for being "one of the best in confronting homophobia". >>> Jessica Shepherd | Saturday, December 20, 2008

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Religionsfreiheit: Viele Länder unterdrücken christliche Minderheiten
Christen werden in vielen Ländern verfolgt. Bild dank der Welt
WELT ONLINE: Während in Deutschland Advent gefeiert wird, werden Christen fast überall dort, wo sie Minderheit sind, verfolgt. Sie werden an der freien Religionsausübung gehindert, ihnen werden Berufe verwehrt. Streng islamische Staaten drohen praktizierenden Christen mit der Todesstrafe.

Sie werden in Schule und Beruf diskriminiert, enteignet, gefoltert, vertrieben und ermordet. Das katholische Hilfswerk "Kirche in Not" legte in diesem Herbst eine sechshundert Seiten umfassende Dokumentation vor, in der die Verfolgung von Christen weltweit auf erschreckende Weise belegt ist. >>> Von Heimo Schwilk | Samstag, 20. Dezember 2008

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'Australian Taleban' Fully Free
Photo of David Hicks courtesy of the BBC
BBC: An Australian former inmate of the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay is now a free man after Australian police lifted strict controls on his actions.

David Hicks spent more than five years at Guantanamo Bay without a trial before admitting to charges of providing material support to al-Qaeda.

In return, he was allowed in May 2007 to serve out the last nine months of his sentence in an Australian prison.

Hicks, a convert to Islam, was captured by US troops in Afghanistan in 2001.

The former kangaroo wrangler was the first "enemy combatant" held at Guantanamo to be convicted by a US military commission. >>> | Sunday, December 21, 2008

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Saudi Court Rejects Divorcing Eight-year-old Girl
AFP: RIYADH — A Saudi court has rejected a plea to divorce an eight-year-old girl married off by her father to a man who is 58, saying the case should wait until the girl reaches puberty, a lawyer involved told AFP.

"The judge has dismissed the plea (filed by the mother) because she does not have the right to file such a case, and ordered that the plea should be filed by the girl herself when she reaches puberty," lawyer Abdullah Jtili told AFP in a telephone interview after Saturday's court decision.

The divorce plea was filed in August by the girl's divorced mother with a court at Unayzah, 220 kilometres (135 miles) north of Riyadh just after the marriage contract was signed by the father and the groom.

"She doesn't know yet that she has been married," Jtili said then of the girl who was about to begin her fourth year at primary school.

Relatives who did not wish to be named told AFP that the marriage had not yet been consummated, and that the girl continued to live with her mother. They said that the father had set a verbal condition by which the marriage is not consummated for another 10 years, when the girl turns 18. >>> | Sunday, December 21, 2008

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Somali Group Seeks Sharia Expansion
AL JAZEERA: Fighters with Al-Shabab, an armed group that has taken control of the southern city of Kismayu, have told Al Jazeera they plan to impose Islamic law across Somalia.

Kismayu, Somalia's third biggest city, was once one of the most dangerous places in the south of the country.

However, relative calm has been restored to Kismayu after the Al-Shabab Mujahideen Movement and one of its key allies, the Raaskambooni Camp Mujahideen, seized control of the city from local clans three months ago.

Abu Ayman, the leader of the Raaskambooni Camp Mujahideen, told Al Jazeera: "We want to use Kismayu as an example and a model of our rule to the rest of Somalia. >>> | Sunday, December 21, 2008

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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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