New Dark Age Alert! Summary Justice Taliban-style (Sharia Law)
Watch Sky News video: The Taliban are fighting to impose Sharia law throughout Pakistan. Alex Crawford has exclusive footage from the Khyber Agency, a region where the Taliban are in control. Her report contains scenes the moment before a death sentence is carried out. >>> | Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback & Hardback) – Free delivery >>>

New Dark Age Alert! Sharia Law Threat to UK Women’s Rights
Watch Sky News video: The imposition of strict Sharia law in some areas of Pakistan has raised concerns about women's rights. But as Victoria Gatenby reports, some in the UK believe its impact will be felt in Britain as well. >>> | Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback & Hardback) – Free delivery >>>

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Gays 'Offered Help to Be Straight'
YAHOO! NEWS (UK & IRELAND): A significant number of psychiatrists and therapists are trying to help lesbian or gay patients become heterosexual, according to research.

This is despite a lack of evidence that such treatments can be beneficial or even safe, the study in the journal BMC Psychiatry said.

The research found that one in six of the 1,400 mental health professionals surveyed reported having helped at least one patient curtail their gay, lesbian or bisexual feelings.

One in 25 psychiatrists or therapists said they would try to treat someone who was having such emotions if asked today.

Professor Michael King, from University College London, who worked on the study, said: "There is very little evidence to show that attempting to treat a person's homosexual feelings is effective and, in fact, it can actually be harmful. So it is surprising that a significant minority of practitioners still offer this help to their clients."

One anonymous professional who took part in the study said they would help a patient if they held a religious belief that forbade homosexuality. Another said: "The individuals I have worked with have all been very unhappy about their sexuality and wish they were heterosexual."

Professor King now wants to raise awareness amongst those trying to treat homosexuality.

He added: "The best approach is to help people adjust to their situation, to value them as people and show them that there is nothing whatever pathological about their sexual orientation. Both mental health practitioners and society at large must help them to confront prejudice in themselves and in others." >>> Press Association | Thursday, March 26, 2009

THE INDEPENDENT: One in Six Psychiatrists Has Tried to 'Turn Gays Straight'

Therapists admit using harmful practices to 'cure' homosexuals despite evidence they do not work

Gay Pride flag thanks to Google Images
Psychotherapists are offering to help "cure" gays and lesbians of their homosexuality without any evidence that such treatment is beneficial or safe. One in six said they had tried to turn gays straight, or reduce their gay or lesbian feelings, even though the mainstream medical view is that this is impossible.

The idea that homosexuality can be cured has a long and dubious history and the disclosure that a significant minority of therapists and doctors still think it is possible is "worrying", Professor Michael King, of the University College Medical School, said. "Heaven knows what they do. We didn't attempt to ask them because there is no evidence that anything works. We didn't expect it to be happening at this rate and we are really rather concerned. It ought to stop. It is distressing and harmful and there is absolutely no evidence it works," he said.

A study of more than 1,400 psychiatrists and therapists in BMC Psychiatry found that 222 (17 per cent) said they had treated at least one client to alter their homosexual feelings at some point. The researchers expected the cases to be concentrated in the past, but the 400 to 500 cases recorded were distributed evenly across the decades. "It is happening up to the present moment," Professor King said. It might only be the "tip of the iceberg".

Many therapists seemed uncomfortable with giving treatment, or admitting to it. When asked if they would attempt to change someone's sexual orientation if requested, only one in 25 (4 per cent) said they would – far fewer than the one in six who reported actually doing so. Pressure from clients demanding help because of bullying or discrimination or family pressures may have pushed the therapists into delivering it, the professor said.

The idea that homosexuality is an aberration from the norm which can be "corrected", rather than a natural state, was current for most of the last century. Everyone was thought to be basically heterosexual and homosexuality was regarded as a deviation from the norm, the result of "faulty learning" in childhood.

During the 1950s and 1960s, when belief in psychological behaviourism was at its height, aversion therapy was used to "cure" homosexuals. Male patients were given a slide show which included pictures of sexually attractive men and women and a lever that allowed them to change the slides. If they lingered too long over the pictures of the men, and did not move on swiftly enough to the pictures of the women, they received an electric shock. A variation of this treatment involved a drug that would make them vomit.

Aversion therapy, famously employed in Anthony Burgess's novel A Clockwork Orange to cure Alex, the leader of the Droogs gang, of his obsession with violence, was used up to the 1980s, but has since been discredited.

Other treatments included advice to masturbate to a homosexual fantasy and then switch to a heterosexual one near orgasm. Covert sensitisation was a method which required patients to counter homosexual thoughts with shameful fantasies of arrest by the police or discovery by their family. Hypnotherapy and psychoanalysis were also used. >>> By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor | Thursday, March 26, 2009

Nordkorea-Raketenstart: USA bringen Kriegsschiffe in Stellung
DIE PRESSE: Die US-Marine verlegt zwei mit Raketenabwehr-Systemen ausgestattete Kriegsschiffe in die Gewässer vor Japan. US-Außenministerin Clinton warnt Nordkorea erneut vor dem Start der Rakete.

Kriegschiffe ausgestattet mit Raketenabwehrsystemen in den Gewässern vor Japan. Bild dank der Presse
Nordkorea hat einem japanischen Medienbericht zufolge eine Langstreckenrakete in Stellung gebracht. Zwischen 4. und 8. April soll damit der Regierung in Pjönjang zufolge ein Satelliten ins All geschossen werden. Auch die USA bringen sich deswegen in Stellung: Die US-Marine hat zwei Kriegsschiffe in die Gewässer vor Japan verlegt. Die beiden mit Raketenabwehrsystemen ausgestatteten Zerstörer USS McCain und USS Chafee verließen am Donnerstag den Hafen im südjapanischen Sasebo, wie die US-Streitkräfte mitteilten. Weitere Kriegsschiffe in der Region halten sich demnach zum Auslaufen in den kommenden Tagen bereit. >>> Ag / Red | Donnerstag, 26. März 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Taschenbuch) – Deutschland & Österreich >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Gebundene Ausgabe) – Deutschland & Österreich >>>

Archbishop of Canterbury: Humanity Risks Environmental 'Doomsday'
THE TELEGRAPH: Humanity risks being "choked, drowned or starved by its own stupidity" unless action is taken to save the environment, the Archbishop of Canterbury has warned.

The Church of England has been at the forefront of efforts to encourage 'green' behaviour in recent years. Photo (GETTY) courtesy of The Telegraph
In his most apocalyptic predictions in recent years, Dr Rowan Williams claimed that the Earth is now facing a "whole range of 'doomsday' prospects" from climate change to the destruction of delicate ecosystems and even attack from "bio-terror" weapons.

He brushed aside the views of those who are sceptical about global warming or deny mankind is to blame, saying that it is impossible to deny that entire countries are in peril from rising sea levels.

And he told fellow believers that God is not going to intervene and protect the human race as we have a "terrible freedom" to decide our own destiny.

The Church of England has been at the forefront of efforts to encourage "green" behaviour in recent years, even suggesting recently that people should post fewer Christmas cards.

But in a lecture on responsibility delivered at York Minster , the most senior cleric in the Church used unusually direct language to spell out the scale of the threat facing the planet if "unintelligent and ungodly" attitudes to the environment prevail. >>> By Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Thursday, March 26, 2009

Condoms to Be Advertised Round-the-clock on TV
TIMESONLINE: Condoms are to be advertised round-the-clock on television under proposals published today.

In an attempt to cut the teenage pregnancy rate, which is the highest in Europe, the Advertising Standards Authority wants to relax the current rules. The authority also proposes to allow pro-abortion services to advertise on television for the first time in a move condemned immediately by anti-abortion groups.

The 9pm watershed on condom advertisements is to be abolished, although they will not be broadcast around programmes aimed at children under 10.

The change is outlined in a consultation by the authority beginning today on new advertising codes for broadcast and other media. Pregnancy advice services will be able to advertise on television but must make it clear whether or not their service includes abortion referrals.

The use of condoms was condemned last week by the Pope as a health measure that “aggravates” rather than protects against the problem of HIV/Aids infection.

Anti-abortion and Catholic groups believe that condoms encourage promiscuity and so have the opposite effect of what is intended, increasing rates of unwanted pregnancies and risking an increase of sexually transmitted diseases.

At present, condoms cannot be advertised on Channel 4 before 7pm and on other channels before 9pm, in order to protect younger viewers from “inappropriate” content. Britain’s growing teenage pregnancy rate, however, has prompted the proposal for change.

Baroness Gould of Potternewton, the chairman of the Government’s Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV, wrote to the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice in 2007 to request a review of the scheduling restrictions on condom advertising, noting that Britain had the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe and spiralling rates of sexually transmitted infections. Her group’s annual report had showed that young people believed television was one of the most effective ways of encouraging those of the same age group to use condoms. >>> Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent | Thursday, March 26, 2009

LE FIGARO: Sida : l'Église ne proscrit pas le préservatif

L'Osservatore Romano rend publique une étude, menée en Ouganda, mettant en évidence l'efficacité du préservatif dans la lutte contre la maladie.


Photo de préservatifs grâce aux Google Images.
La nouvelle peut surprendre après la polémique ouverte par Benoît XVI lors de son voyage en Afrique, mais l'Église catholique admet implicitement le préservatif pour lutter contre le sida. Son combat - totalement incompris - consiste à dire que ce moyen ne suffit pas, à lui seul, pour endiguer l'épidémie. Le quotidien officiel du Saint-Siège, l'Osservatore Romano, vient de le confirmer publiquement en admettant l'efficacité prophylactique du préservatif à condition qu'il soit associé à d'autres facteurs.

En première page de l'édition du dimanche 22 mars, un article sur «Église et sida» reconnaît que le préservatif est efficace «à 97 % contre l'infection» dans les meilleures conditions d'utilisation et «à 87 %» dans des conditions communes, comme en Afrique. Et le journal de citer l'expérience de l'Ouganda où des campagnes soutenues par le gouvernement, dites «ABC», ont été lancées contre le sida : «A» comme abstinence, «B» comme fidélité (be faithful), «C» comme préservatif (condom).

L'article précise aussitôt que l'usage du préservatif prévu par cette méthode n'est certes pas conforme «aux indications de l'Église», mais que les effets de ­cette campagne sont spectaculaires. L'Ouganda est ainsi «l'unique pays d'Afrique qui a obtenu de bons résultats» dans cette lutte contre le sida : «La fréquence d'infection dans la population est descendue de 15 % en 1991 à 5 % en 2001.»

«L'abstinence» en question est effectivement conseillée aux jeunes adolescents. L'âge moyen du premier rapport sexuel a ainsi été retardé de «15 à 19 ans». «La fidélité», recommandée aux couples, aurait permis de réduire de 60 % le vagabondage sexuel. La méthode prévoit, enfin, l'usage du préservatif. «Ces trois facteurs, insiste l'Osservatore Romano, ont une influence importante sur la réduction de l'incidence du sida.» >>> Jean-Marie Guénois | Mardi 24 Mars 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Broché) >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Relié) >>>

Obama Forced to Fight Own Party to Spend Taxpayers’ Trillions
TIMESONLINE: President Obama was huddled in talks yesterday with congressional Democrats over proposals that would pare his $3.6 trillion budget, raising question marks over how he would fund promises on healthcare, climate change and tax cuts.

Although the President was braced for ferocious opposition from Republicans, who warn that his spending plans will bankrupt America, he also faces growing hostility from a group of fiscally conservative Democrats alarmed by forecasts of a $9.3 trillion (£6.3 trillion) deficit over ten years. Barack Obama's Pledges in Peril as Blue Dogs Take a Bite at Budget >>> Tom Baldwin in Washington | Thursday, March 26, 2009

MAIL Online: Brown Spooked by the Markets: PM Accused of Heading Down 'the Road to Hell'

In London: Investors won't buy our bonds / In Europe: PM accused of heading down 'the road to hell'

Gordon Brown is in retreat on his Budget plans amid signs of City alarm over the soaring level of Government borrowing.

He pulled back from another debt-fuelled giveaway to kickstart the economy after Tuesday's intervention from the Governor of the Bank of England.

Downing Street insisted there was no rift between Mr Brown and Mervyn King over his bombshell claim that Britain cannot afford another 'fiscal stimulus'.

But the Governor appeared to have spooked the markets when it emerged that a routine sale of Government bonds fell short yesterday.

City experts blamed doubts over Mr Brown's economic policy for the Treasury's failure to find buyers for £120million worth of debt, or 'gilts'.

It was the first time since 2002 that the Government has been unable to sell its debt, and this will be seized on by those who have warned that there is insufficient demand for the volume of debt being sold by the Treasury.

Officials played down the significance of the shortfall, but economists said investors were beginning to doubt the Government's credit rating.

The Tories turned up the pressure on Mr Brown by insisting there was now a question mark over his ability to fund the crippling levels of debt needed to keep the economy afloat.

And the European Union added to his woes when its acting president warned that President Barack Obama's call for more borrowing and spending, backed by Mr Brown, was 'the road to hell'. >>> By Benedict Brogan and James Chapman | Thursday, March 26, 2009

Second Muslim Group Faces Having Links Severed with Government over Extremism Row
MAIL Online: A second leading Muslim group bankrolled by the taxpayer is poised to have its Government links severed in a bitter row over extremism.

The Mosques and Imams National Advisory Body, a central plank of Labour's anti-extremism strategy, has been dragged into the dispute. >>> By James Slack | Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Fat Cats in Terror after Anti-capitalists Attack Fred the Shred's Home
MAIL Online: Security will be stepped up around fat-cat bankers after the home of disgraced former RBS boss Sir Fred Goodwin was targeted by vandals.

A statement claiming to be from the group responsible for damage at his £3million mansion warned of further attacks, saying: 'This is just the beginning.'

The threat sparked fears of a terror campaign against those blamed for the collapse in the financial system.

The concern is that anti-capitalist groups will copy the tactics of animal rights militants by directly targeting individuals they hold responsible for the credit crunch.

Tensions are already high, with anarchists reported to be plotting mayhem at next week's G20 summit in London.

Their intention is to paralyse the Square Mile by staging sit-in protests and storming financial institutions, with the Bank of England and RBS among the top targets.

Effigies of bankers will be hung from lampposts. Security adviser Dai Davies, a former head of Scotland Yard's Royalty Protection squad, said: 'Risk assessments will have to be carried out by the police on individuals who are concerned about their safety. If there is cause for concern then appropriate advice will be given and pre put in place.

'The developments at Sir Fred Goodwin's home will almost certainly make some other high-profile bankers want to review their own private security arrangements.' >>> By Stephen Wright | Thursday, March 26, 2009

THE GUARDIAN: Banks Braced for City Riots During G20 Summit after Attack on Sir Fred Goodwin's Home

Financial sector staff are warned to keep low profile / Former RBS boss 'shaken' after early morning raid

The last time bankers faced angry demonstrations, some responded by pouring champagne or photocopied £50 notes from windows, but it is unlikely that protesters targeting the City next week during the G20 summit will be met by similar shows of bravado.

Many staff are being advised to dress down next Wednesday and Thursday to avoid being marked out as City workers - if they cannot avoid the protests entirely by working from home. Others have been advised to avoid leaving the office to attend meetings.

Concern about possible violence heightened when the home of former Royal Bank of Scotland chairman Sir Fred Goodwin was vandalised early yesterday morning, leaving three windows shattered and the rear window of his black Mercedes smashed. An anonymous email was sent to media organisations shortly after the attack threatening further action against "criminal" bank bosses.

The former RBS boss, who had not been at home and is at the centre of a row over the size of his pension from the taxpayer-owned bank, was said to have been "shaken" by the incident.

Many in the City believe aggressive media coverage of the financial crisis has declared a virtual open season on financial sector workers.

The financial advisory group Bluefin, which employs 500 staff in London, has set up a phone line offering staff updates next week. Staff have been told not to go to its office in Mark Lane in the City unless absolutely necessary. "As a responsible employer, the safety and wellbeing of our staff is always considered of paramount importance," a spokesman said.

A UBS spokesman said the bank would continue to assess the level of threat as it got nearer the time. "We are telling people to be cautious. If you have client meetings, do you need to have them here? Some of the banks have said dress down or try not to move around. It is all pretty obvious. "It is quite co-ordinated among the banks. We all talk to each other. I think it is different if you are in a landmark building, some are more obvious than others."

Another banker complained that we "are in an era of the demonisation of financial services". >>> David Teather | Thursday, March 26, 2009

Berlusconi an Arbeitslose: "Sucht euch etwas zu tun!"
DIE PRESSE: Italiens Regierungschef erklärte den Arbeitern eines von der Schließung bedrohten Fiat-Werkes: "Wer arbeitslos ist, soll nicht klagen, sondern sich neue Beschäftigung suchen."

Silvio Berlusconi trägt hier die Mütze eines Eisenbahners. Bild dank der Presse.
Der italienische Regierungschef Silvio Berlusconi rät Arbeitslosen, nicht deprimiert zu sein und sich zu beschäftigen. "Wenn jemand den Job verlieren, darf er nicht klagen, sondern muss sich engagieren, um eine neue Beschäftigung zu finden. Wer arbeitslos ist, soll etwas tun, ich würde nicht tatenlos herumstehen", so Berlusconi im Gespräch mit den Arbeitnehmern des von der Schließung bedrohten Fiat-Werks in Pomigliano D'Arco bei Neapel. >>> APA | Donnerstag, 26. März 2009

Den Haag: Iran nimmt Einladung zu Afghanistan-Konferenz an
WELT ONLINE: Der Iran wird an der Afghanistan-Konferenz der Vereinten Nationen Ende März in Den Haag teilnehmen. Unklar sei aber noch, auf welcher Ebene der Golfstaat teilnehmen wolle und wen die Regierung in Teheran entsenden werde. Eingeladen wurde der Iran von US-Außenministerin Hillary Clinton. >>> Reuters/AP/lk | Donnerstag, 26. März 2009

Joschka Fischer über EU: Keine Führung, nirgends
SUEDDEUTSCHE.DE: Auf dem Trittbrett durch die Krise: Nächste Woche treffen die Europäer beim G-20-Gipfel in London erstmals Barack Obama und zeigen ein Verhalten, das ebenso legitim wie fatal ist. Mehr als ein "Formelkompromiss" zur Bewältigung der Finanzkrise ist nicht zu erwarten.

Am Rhein und in Prag werden Nato und EU dem neuen amerikanischen Präsidenten huldigen, schöne Bilder, hehre Reden über die Zukunft des Transatlantismus - alles wie gehabt. Doch vor Straßburg und Prag findet, am 2. April, auf dem G-20-Treffen in London der transatlantische Ernstfall statt. Mit der Wahl Barack Obamas zum amerikanischen Präsidenten sollte alles besser werden - eigentlich. Die transatlantische Kontinentaldrift, die Europa und Amerika in den acht Jahren unter George W. Bush immer weiter auseinander gebracht hat, sollte gestoppt und sogar umgekehrt werden. Diese Hoffnung geht dahin.

Denn die Weltfinanz- und Weltwirtschaftskrise lässt die Differenzen zwischen Amerika und Europa voll ausbrechen. Europa weigert sich, sehr viel stärker als bisher finanziell bei der Bewältigung der beiden Krisen zu helfen. Gewiss, am Ende des Londoner Treffens werden sich die Staats- und Regierungschefs auf eine gemeinsame Erklärung einigen; ein Scheitern kann sich niemand erlauben. Aber die Unterschiede werden bestehen bleiben. Die einen wollen die Krise wegfinanzieren, die anderen wollen sie wegregulieren, und am Ende wird beides in der Erklärung stehen. So etwas nennt man dann "Formelkompromiss."

Die nationalen Medien der beteiligten Staaten werden anschließend ihre jeweiligen Regierungen für ihre "Tapferkeit" und "Durchsetzungskraft" preisen, werden von "Punktsiegen" schwadronieren, aber eine kraftvolle globale Antwort auf die schwerste Krise seit 1929 wird es trotzdem nicht gegeben haben. Keine Führung, nirgends. >>> Eine Außenansicht von Joschka Fischer | Donnerstag, 26. März 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Taschenbuch) – Deutschland & Österreich >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Gebundene Ausgabe) – Deutschland & Österreich >>>

MEP Dan Hannan's 'Brezhnev Apparatchik' Attack on Gordon Brown Is a YouTube Hit
THE TELEGRAPH: An MEP's withering attack on Gordon Brown in which he likens him to a "Brezhnev era apparatchik" has become a surprise hit on the internet.

Daniel Hannan challenges Godon Brown
Daniel Hannan, the Conservative MEP for South East England, publicly lambasted the Prime Minister over his economic record after he addressed the European Parliament on the global financial crisis on Tuesday.

With Mr Brown looking on, he told fellow MEPs that Britain was entering the recession in a "dilapidated condition", with an "almost unbelievable" deficit.

In a blistering riposte to the Premier's calls for a concerted international effort to tackle the crisis, he accused the former Chancellor of trying to "spread the blame" and called him a "devalued Prime Minister".

The three-and-a-half minute speech, which drew cheers and laughter from fellow MEPs in Strasbourg, was not covered on mainstream broadcasts.

But it was posted on the video sharing website YouTube shortly after the sitting and attracted 90,000 viewers within 24 hours after being picked up by US news outlets and political blogs.

In the most critical passage, he told the Prime Minister: “When you repeat, in that wooden and perfunctory way, that our situation is better than others, that we are well placed to weather the storm, I have to tell you, you sound like a Brezhnev-era apparatchik giving the party line.

"You know and we know, and you know that we know, that it's nonsense."

Accusing Mr Brown of losing his moral authority by failing to live up to his own rhetoric, he said that 11 years of his stewardship had left the entire country in "negative equity".

Every British child is now born owing around £20,000,” he said.

“Servicing the interest on that debt is going to cost more than educating the child.”

He added that Mr Brown, who hopes to strike a "global new deal" at the summit of G20 leaders in London next month, was “pathologically incapable” of taking responsibility. >>> By John Bingham | Wednesday, March 25, 2009

UN Urged to Reject Bar on Defamation of Religion
REUTERS: GENEVA - Some 200 secular, religious and media groups from around the world on Wednesday urged the United Nations Human Rights Council to reject a call from Islamic countries for a global fight against "defamation of religion."

The groups, including some Muslim bodies, issued their appeal in a statement on the eve of a vote in the Council in Geneva on a resolution proposed by the 56-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

Such a resolution, the statement said, "may be used in certain countries to silence and intimidate human rights activists, religious dissenters and other independent voices," and to restrict freedom of religion and of speech.

The resolution, its critics say, would also restrict free speech and even academic study in open societies in the West and elsewhere. >>> By Robert Evans | Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Galloway to Appeal Canadian Entry Ban
AFP: OTTAWA — Lawyers for British lawmaker George Galloway said on Wednesday they would appeal a Canadian border agency's decision to deny him entry for a speaking tour, over national security concerns.

The firebrand MP was to give a speech in Toronto at the end of the month.

But a spokesman for Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney told AFP he was deemed inadmissible by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) for having given cash and vehicles to the Hamas-run government in the Gaza Strip, which is listed here as a banned terrorist group.

Galloway's lawyer Jamie Liew told a press conference she would send a letter to the Canadian high commission in London denouncing its allegations that he has terror ties, and ask a federal court to review the CBSA decision.

His legal team would also ask for an injunction to allow him to participate in events planned for him in Canada, she said.

The member of the British parliament and his supporters accused Ottawa of "censorship" by refusing to let him tout his anti-war messages here. >>> Copyright © 2009 AFP | Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Iran Mulls Death Penalty for Offensive Blogs

Muslims in India

Gordon Brown Launches Damning Attack on Bankers
THE TELEGRAPH: Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, has launched a damning attack on the behaviour of bankers in a speech to Wall Street financiers in New York.

The Premier accused bankers of operating “outside” everyday human values and principles in the run-up to the global economic crisis. He said that “avarice” had developed over the past few decades and now needed to be tackled.

Mr Brown is on a global economic mission ahead of next week’s G20 summit in London. Speaking in New York, he said that new international standards governing banking – and banking bonuses – would now have to be agreed by world leaders.

At a breakfast for business leaders, Mr Brown said that values such as “honesty, integrity and working hard” may have been absent from the financial system in recent years.

“The principles and values we apply in our everyday lives, you have got to ask did we apply them to the running of our financial institutions?,” he said.

“There is a sense that the global economy was outside these standards that we applied in our everyday lives… a world without standards is going to be a world without stability”.

The Prime Minister warned the Wall Street financiers that the major challenge they now face was to ensure honesty in financial dealings. He described it as an “epoch-making era”.

“Markets depend on morality in the end,” he said. “We are building for the first time not just a global economy but a global society.”

Among those attending the breakfast at the five-star Plaza hotel were the president of Citibank, directors of Morgan Stanley, the president of Nasdaq and the president of Goldman Sachs. >>> By Robert Winnett, Deputy Political Editor in New York | Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Political Row in Denmark over Geert Wilders
RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE: Controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who was barred from entering the United Kingdom a month ago, has become the subject of a political row in Denmark. The Danish People's Party and the Conservative Party both want to invite Mr Wilders to a conference in Copenhagen in June on the theme of freedom of speech and radicalisation.

The two parties argue that Mr Wilders is an obvious choice to take part in the conference, following Britain's refusal to let him enter the country, and the fact that his life has been threatened by Muslim fundamentalists. Another point of view >>> By RNW News | Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback & Hardback – The Netherlands) >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – Denmark) >>>

Mother of Slain French Jew Ilan Halimi Calls for Public Trial
Ilan Halimi’s mother has called for a public trial. Photo (AP) courtesy of Haaretz
HAARETZ: The mother of slain Parisian Jew Ilan Halimi has called for a public trial so that her son's death "will not have been in vain", French newspaper Le Figaro reported Tuesday.

The trial, which will open in Paris on April 29, is scheduled to be held behind closed doors at a juvenile court, because two of the 30 gang members allegedly behind Halimi's murder were minors at the time of the act.

French law allows for a public trial to be held in certain cases where juveniles are involved. >>> By Haaretz Service | Wednesday, March 25, 2009

LE FIGARO: Affaire Fofana : la famille d'Ilan veut un procès public

Enlevé dans le but d'obtenir une rançon, Ilan Halimi avait été retrouvé agonisant près d'une voie ferrée le 13 février 2006. Photo d’Ilan grâce aux Google Images
La mère de la victime souhaite que l'audience fasse oeuvre de pédagogie afin que son fils, enlevé et torturé par une bande en 2006, ne soit pas «mort pour rien».

Le procès de Youssouf Fofana et de ses complices présumés du «gang des barbares», qui répondent du meurtre d'Ilan Halimi, doit s'ouvrir le 29 avril prochain devant la cour d'assises des mineurs de Pa­ris. Bien que la mère de la victime souhaite que les débats soient publics, ils risquent de se tenir à huis clos. Et ce, en raison de la présence, parmi la trentaine d'accusés, de J. et E., mineurs à l'époque des faits. Récemment, en effet, E. a fait savoir à la partie civile qu'elle voulait comparaître sans observateurs.

«Pour Mme Halimi, un procès public aurait une vertu pédagogique. Il permettrait de mieux comprendre l'engrenage criminel, de faire réfléchir parents et adolescents. C'est la loi du silence qui a tué son fils, il serait intolérable qu'elle s'impose encore aux assises, en cas de huis clos», s'indigne son avocat, Me Francis Szpiner. >>> Stéphane Durand-Souffland | Lundi 23 Mars 2009

YOU TUBE: Ilan Halimi zal - Never Forget

How Bush's Grandfather Helped Hitler's Rise to Power
THE GUARDIAN: Rumours of a link between the US first family and the Nazi war machine have circulated for decades. Now the Guardian can reveal how repercussions of events that culminated in action under the Trading with the Enemy Act are still being felt by today's president

Photo courtesy of Die Presse (Austria)
George Bush's grandfather, the late US senator Prescott Bush, was a director and shareholder of companies that profited from their involvement with the financial backers of Nazi Germany.

The Guardian has obtained confirmation from newly discovered files in the US National Archives that a firm of which Prescott Bush was a director was involved with the financial architects of Nazism.

His business dealings, which continued until his company's assets were seized in 1942 under the Trading with the Enemy Act, has led more than 60 years later to a civil action for damages being brought in Germany against the Bush family by two former slave labourers at Auschwitz and to a hum of pre-election controversy.

The evidence has also prompted one former US Nazi war crimes prosecutor to argue that the late senator's action should have been grounds for prosecution for giving aid and comfort to the enemy.

The debate over Prescott Bush's behaviour has been bubbling under the surface for some time. There has been a steady internet chatter about the "Bush/Nazi" connection, much of it inaccurate and unfair. But the new documents, many of which were only declassified last year, show that even after America had entered the war and when there was already significant information about the Nazis' plans and policies, he worked for and profited from companies closely involved with the very German businesses that financed Hitler's rise to power. It has also been suggested that the money he made from these dealings helped to establish the Bush family fortune and set up its political dynasty.

Remarkably, little of Bush's dealings with Germany has received public scrutiny, partly because of the secret status of the documentation involving him. But now the multibillion dollar legal action for damages by two Holocaust survivors against the Bush family, and the imminent publication of three books on the subject are threatening to make Prescott Bush's business history an uncomfortable issue for his grandson, George W, as he seeks re-election.

While there is no suggestion that Prescott Bush was sympathetic to the Nazi cause, the documents reveal that the firm he worked for, Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH), acted as a US base for the German industrialist, Fritz Thyssen, who helped finance Hitler in the 1930s before falling out with him at the end of the decade. The Guardian has seen evidence that shows Bush was the director of the New York-based Union Banking Corporation (UBC) that represented Thyssen's US interests and he continued to work for the bank after America entered the war. >>> Ben Aris in Berlin and Duncan Campbell in Washington | Saturday, September 25, 2004

YOUTUBE: Bush Family Facts

Islamisation Program

The DANGERS of Sharia Finance in USA

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback & Hardback) – Free delivery >>>

Sir Fred Goodwin* Attack: Bank Bosses Are Criminals Group Claims Responsibility
THE TELEGRAPH: A group calling itself Bank Bosses Are Criminals has claimed responsibility for vandalising the Edinburgh home of Sir Fred Goodwin, the disgraced former chief executive of RBS bank.

Sir Fred Goodwin’s house vandalised.
In an email sent to local newspapers, the group called for bank bosses to be jailed and warned: "This is just the beginning".

The attack saw the windows of Sir Fred's home, in Edinburgh's upmarket Morningside area, smashed, along with those of a dark-coloured Mercedes S600 saloon parked in the driveway.

Sir Fred is understood to be abroad and the attack is believed to have been reported to police by a member of his household staff at 4.35am on Wednesday morning.

Minutes afterwards, an email was sent by a woman using the name Moira McLeod and the address bankbossesarecriminals@mail.com.

The email read: "Fred Goodwins house in Edinburgh, was attacked this morning.

"We are angry that rich people, like him, are paying themselves a huge amount of money, and living in luxury, while ordinary people are made unemployed, destitute and homeless.

"This is a crime. Bank bosses should be jailed.

"This is just the beginning." >>> By Aislinn Simpson | Wednesday, March 25, 2009

TIMESONLINE:
Anti-capitalist Group Boasts of Attack on Sir Fred Goodwin's Home >>> Lindsay McIntosh in Edinburgh, Martin Waller, Nico Hines | Wednesday, March 25, 2009

*Sir Fred Goodwin was known as 'Fred the Shred' because of his ruthless cost-cutting.

Hazel Blears Cuts Ties to Muslim Council of Britain after It Refuses to Condemn Controversial Senior Member
Hazel Blears insists that the MCB take a firm stand on its deputy secretary-general, Daud Abdullah. Photos courtesy of the MailOnline
MAIL Online: Ministers have severed links with Britain's leading Muslim group in a blazing row over extremism.

Communities Secretary Hazel Blears is angry that the Muslim Council of Britain has refused to condemn a senior member who signed a public declaration in support of Hamas.

The document, signed by the council's deputy secretary-general Daud Abdullah, also seemingly advocated attacks on the Navy if it tried to stop arms intended for Hamas being smuggled into Gaza.

Mrs Blears has said that until the MCB - which was once considered the Muslim group closest to Labour - takes a firm stance against Dr Abdullah, relations with the Government will be suspended.

In response, the MCB said it was 'appalled by the highhanded and condescending action' of Mrs Blears.

Yesterday, the council - which has received at least £150,000 in Whitehall grants - released a provocative statement in response to the Government's anti-terror strategy, which threatens a tougher line against groups which promote extremist views. >>> By James Slack | Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Courtesy of MailOnline

British-run Orphanage in Bangladesh 'Is Islamist Training Camp'
Green Crescent madrassa and orphanage was being used as a training camp for Islamic militants. Photo courtesy of TimesONline
TIMESONLINE: An orphanage run by a British charity in Bangladesh has been raided by local security forces who say that it was being used as a training camp and arms factory for Islamic militants.

The Rapid Action Battalion said today that it had arrested four people, including a teacher and three caretakers, and was searching for the head of the charity, a British citizen known only as Faisal.

The arrests came after a raid yesterday on the Green Crescent madrassa and orphanage on the remote southern island of Bhola, Lt Col Munir Haque, an officer involved in the operation, told The Times.

“We found small arms – about nine or 10 in total – plus equipment to make small arms, about 3,000 rounds of ammunition, two walkie-talkies, two remote control devices and four sets of army uniforms,” he said.

“We also found enough explosives and other equipment to make several hundred grenades. We found some ordinary Islamic books, but others that are in line with extremists like bin Laden.” >>> | Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Sept civils tués dans un attentat dans l'est de l'Afghanistan
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: KHOST | Une bombe a explosé au passage d'un bus, dans l'est du pays, a-t-on appris auprès du ministère de l'Intérieur.

L'attentat s'est déroulé dans la province de Khost (est), près de la frontière avec le Pakistan, où les insurgés sont assez actifs.
"Un minibus transportant des civils et se dirigeant vers la ville de Khost a été atteint par l'explosion d'une bombe dissimulée sur le bord de la route ce matin", a déclaré à l'AFP le porte-parole du ministère de l'Intérieur, Zemaraï Bashary. >>> AFP | Mercredi 25 Mars 2009

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De l'alcool frelaté provoque la mort de dix personnes en Iran
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: RASHT | Vingt-sept autres personnes sont hospitalisées dans un état grave. Ce genre d'incident se produit régulièrement en Iran où l'alcool est interdit.

Dix personnes sont mortes après avoir consommé de l’alcool frelaté à Rasht, dans le nord de l’Iran, a annoncé le commandant de la police locale cité mardi par l’agence Mehr.

"En plus de ces dix personnes, 27 autres sont actuellement hospitalisées dont deux dans un état grave", a ajouté Bahman Amiri Moghadam. En novembre dernier, douze personnes avaient trouvé la mort après avoir consommé de l’alcool frelaté à Bandar Abbas, ville portuaire du sud de l’Iran.

Ce n’est pas la première fois que ce genre d’incident se produit en Iran, où la production et la consommation d’alcool sont totalement interdites sauf pour les minorités chrétiennes reconnues, comme la minorité arménienne. Celle-ci est autorisée à produire et consommer de l’alcool, dans la discrétion pour ne pas offenser les musulmans. >>> AFP | Mercredi 25 Mars 2009

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”The Way to Hell,” Says EU President
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: BRUSSELS: Trans-Atlantic tension over the handling of the global economic crisis intensified on Wednesday when the prime minister of the Czech Republic, which holds the European Union presidency, described the U.S. stimulus measures as the "way to hell."

Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek argued that the Obama administration's fiscal package and financial bailout "will undermine the stability of the global financial market."

Mr. Topolanek's comments, only a day after he offered his government's resignation following a no confidence vote, took European officials by surprise.

The rotating E.U. presidency lasts for six months and the country that holds it is supposed to speak on behalf of the entire 27-nation bloc.

The statement came just a week before a meeting of the Group of 20 leaders of the world's biggest economies in London which aims to forge an international consensus on the economic crisis. His comments also underlined potential ideological strains between Washington and Europe as President Barack Obama prepares to travel to Prague in less than two weeks for a summit intended to bolster transatlantic relations and show that the United States and Europe are united over economic policy. EU President Blasts U.S. Economic Stimulus >>> By Stephen Castle and Dan Bilefsky | Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Sarkozy prône
une «éthique du capitalisme»
Nicolas Sarkozy a défendu les valeurs de «l'effort, de la responsabilité, de l'honnêté», devant 4 500 personnes, mardi à Saint-Quentin. Photo grâce au Figaro
LE FIGARO: Mardi soir, à Saint-Quentin, le chef de l'État a fait la pédagogie de son plan de relance.

Quand l'économie va mal, il faut se tourner vers les «valeurs». Nicolas Sarkozy, mardi soir, à Saint-Quentin, est revenu aux deux valeurs qui ont été au cœur de sa campagne : le travail et la responsabilité. Il s'est longuement réclamé de l'une et de l'autre pour accuser ceux qui les discréditent : les capitalistes sans scrupules, les entrepreneurs qui ne sont pas «responsables», mais aussi les manifestants qui, en Guadeloupe, choisissent «l'intimidation» et «menacent la sécurité des biens et des personnes», ou les «voyous» qui «rouent de coups un professeur». Ou encore ceux qui seraient tentés de «céder à la démagogie» et au «populisme» en ne pensant qu'à leurs «difficultés et leurs intérêts».

Nicolas Sarkozy a plusieurs fois appelé au retour à une «éthique du capitalisme», qui serait une «éthique de l'effort, de la responsabilité, de l'honnêteté». «La dictature des marchés, ce n'est pas la liberté», s'est-il exclamé. Les dirigeants qui «préparent un plan social» et perçoivent malgré tout de «grosses rémunérations» sous forme de «bonus» ou de «parachutes dorés», «cela n'est pas responsable, pas honnête», condamne le chef de l'État, qui a réclamé un «devoir d'exemplarité ». Et si l'exemplarité venait à faire défaut, Sarkozy s'est dit prêt à intervenir. En particulier, il proposera à l'automne une loi sur le partage des profits, faute d'accord entre patronat et syndicats sur ce thème d'ici à juin. De quoi contrarier fortement la présidente du Medef, Laurence Parisot, qui refuse toute négociation sur le sujet. >>> Charles Jaigu | Mercredi 25 Mars 2009

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Angriff auf Dollar: China verlangt neue Weltwährung
DIE PRESSE: Die Forderung des chinesischen Zentralbank-Chefs nach einer weltweiten Leitwährung beflügelt ökonomische Theorien des "Weltgeldes". Aber auch die Verschwörungstheorien rund um die Weltwährungen Amero und Globo.

Bild dank der Presse
China hat eine neue globale Leitwährung unter Aufsicht des Internationalen Währungsfonds (IWF) gefordert. Der Chef der chinesischen Zentralbank, Zhou Xiaochuan, schrieb in einem Aufsatz, dass die gegenwärtige Krise erneut nach einer kreativen Reform des internationalen Währungssystems hin zu einer internationalen Leitwährung rufe.

Dollar zu unverlässlich

Zhou erwähnte den Dollar zwar nicht direkt, schrieb allerdings, die Krise habe gezeigt, wie gefährlich es sei, sich bei internationalen Finanzgeschäften auf die Währung eines einzigen Landes zu verlassen. "Eine überhoheitliche Leitwährung, die von einer globalen Institution gemanagt wird, könnte sowohl dazu genutzt werden, die globale Geldflüsse zu schaffen, wie auch sie zu kontrollieren", schrieb Zhou. Dies würde die Gefahr künftiger Krisen reduzieren und zugleich die Möglichkeiten zum Krisenmanagement erweitern. >>> ebl/ag | Dienstag, 24. März 2009

The British Way with Corpses Is Best
TIMESONLINE: Open-air funeral pyres are a tradition too far

It seems ironic that Davender Ghai, the 70-year-old Hindu campaigning to be allowed to conduct open-air cremations, is also founder of a charity called the Anglo-Asian Friendship Society. In pushing for something that most Britons would find abhorrent, he is surely doing for Anglo-Asian relations what Timmy Mallett has done for music.

There are many ludicrous aspects to his position, not least his claim that open funeral pyres are “central to our religions” and that he has the support of many “prominent figures in India”. If the belief really was “central”, it would have become an issue some time ago, but Hindus and Sikhs in Britain have been using traditional crematoriums without complaint for decades. >>> Sathnam Sanghera | Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Iran Has a Problem as 'Great Satan' Turns on the Charm
THE TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama's conciliatory and nuanced approach towards Iran confronts its leaders with their greatest foreign policy dilemma since the end of the war with Iraq almost 21 years ago, says David Blair.

Photo courtesy of Google Images
If Iran's leaders had the power to choose between a belligerent America threatening "regime change" and a conciliatory US President hailing their "great and celebrated culture", they would probably prefer to bask in firebreathing threats.

When the "Great Satan" looks suitably wicked – and throws around epithets like "axis of evil" – Iran's leaders can sit back and relax. They can afford to stage "Death to America" rallies and be as intransigent as possible.

Their difficulties only arise when the "Great Satan" stubbornly refuses to be remotely satanic. President Barack Obama's conciliatory and nuanced approach towards Iran confronts its leaders with their greatest foreign policy dilemma since the end of the war with Iraq almost 21 years ago.

Mr Obama's message on the occasion of Iran's New Year was a carefully crafted attempt to unsettle its leadership. Iran's "accomplishments" in art and culture had "made the world a better and more beautiful place", said Barack Hussein Obama, the son of a Muslim who carries the name of the founder of the Shia faith.

With his words carried in Farsi subtitles, Mr Obama added that Iran's many achievements had won the "respect of America and the world". This was a calculated appeal to the country's 70 million people, roughly two thirds of whom are under 30.

Any visitor to Tehran is struck by how young Iranians have embraced Western – and specifically American – popular culture. This does not simply extend to fashion, films, music and the regime's famously futile attempts to ban satellite dishes. What struck me on my last visit was how the bookshops outside Tehran University sell dictionaries of American idiom and helpful guides on how to adopt an American accent. >>> By David Blair, Diplomatic Editor | Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Netanjahus Rechts-Koalition steht
Netanjahu am Wahlabend - jetzt ist er am Ziel. Bild dank der Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung
FAZ: Die israelische Arbeiterpartei hat sich nach heftigem Streit für ihren Beitritt zu einer rechtsorientierten Regierung unter dem designierten Ministerpräsidenten Benjamin Netanjahu entschieden. Das bestätigte der Parteifunktionär Ofer Eini im israelischen Rundfunk. Auf einem Sonderparteitag gab es am Dienstag in Tel Aviv eine deutliche Mehrheit unter den etwa 1470 Delegierten. Damit hat Netanjahu jetzt formell eine Regierungsmehrheit von 66 der 120 Sitze in der Knesset.

Der Vorsitzende des rechtsorientierten Likuds verhandelt jetzt noch mit der streng religiösen Partei Vereinigtes Tora-Judentum, die weitere fünf Mandate einbringen könnte. Er hat schon Koalitionsvereinbarungen mit der ultrarechten Israel Beitenu (Unser Haus Israel) und der streng religiösen Schas-Partei unterzeichnet. >>> FAZ.NET/ Ap, dpa | Dienstag, 24. März 2009

Saudi Arabia's Shia Press for Rights
BBC: Underlying tensions between Sunni and Shia in the Middle East have escalated to full-scale crises in the past few years in countries such as Iraq, Lebanon, Bahrain, and, most recently, in Saudi Arabia.

Wahhabism, the dominant Saudi school of Islam, views the Shia as heretics. Photo courtesy of the BBC
Although they only represent 15% of the overall Saudi population of more than 25 million, Shia are the dominant population, according to the International Crisis Group, in key towns such as Qatif, Dammam, and al-Hasa, which are home to the largest oil fields and processing and refining facilities.

In February, clashes between Shia Muslims and the religious police in Madina, Islam's second holiest city, triggered a wave of unrest, resulting in the arrest of dozens of people.

Tensions were eased by King Abdullah's decision to release all the detainees but the situation remains volatile.

Many Shias in Saudi Arabia relate far more to fellow Shia in Iraq, Iran, Lebanon and Bahrain, than with fellow Saudis who follow the puritan Wahhabi school of Islam. Wahabbis often class the Shia as heretics, or even to have left the faith entirely.

And at a time when many Arab officials point to the predominantly Shia Iran as the most serious security threat they face, there is a general attitude in the Arabic media that suggests Saudi Shia are somehow led by or follow an Iranian agenda.

But Saudi Shias deny this and say they face unfair discrimination.

Accusations of discrimination are backed by many western governments, led by the United States, which repeatedly express their concerns about religious freedom in Saudi Arabia. >>> By Anees al-Qudaihi, BBC Arabic Service | Tuesday, March 24, 2009

US-Finanzminister Geithner will ein enges Korsett für Finanzsystem
TAGES ANZEIGER: US-Finanzminister Timothy Geithner und Notenbankchef Ben Bernanke wollen eine Neuordnung der Finanzmarktregulierung durchsetzen. Lücken in der Kontrolle von Finanzriesen [sic] müssten geschlossen werden.

Stärkere Überwachung der US-Finanzriesen: Ben Bernanke (Notenbankchef) und Timothy Geithner (Finanzminister). Bild dank dem Tages Anzeiger
«Alle Institutionen und Märkte, die ein Systemrisiko darstellen könnten, werden einer strengen Überwachung unterliegen, einschliesslich einer Begrenzung ihrer Risiken», sagte Finanzminister Timothy Geithner in Washington bei einer Befragung durch den Bankenausschuss des US-Repräsentantenhauses.

Es müsse verhindert werden, dass der Staat wieder mit einer Situation wie im vergangenen September konfrontiert sei, als der vor der Pleite stehende Versicherer AIG durch Eingreifen der Regierung gerettet werden musste. Notenbankchef Ben Bernanke sagte in der Sitzung, es bestehe ein «dringender Bedarf», neue Verfahrensweisen für die Kontrolle «systemrelevanter, wichtiger Finanzunternehmen» aufzustellen. >>> vin/sda/ap | Dienstag, 24. März 2009

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Comment Sarkozy a fait la pédagogie de la crise
Nicolas Sarkozy, à son arrivée au sommet européen de Bruxelles, le 20 mars. Photo grâce au Express
L’EXPRESS.fr: Silencieux sur la crise financière jusqu'à fin septembre, le Président de la République a ensuite multiplié les déclarations. Tantôt libérale, tantôt interventionniste, la doctrine économique de Nicolas Sarkozy n'est pas à une contradiction près. Mais sa communication en temps de crise obéit aussi à une logique très calculée. >>> Par Juliette Cua | Mardi 24 Mars 2009

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Villagers Burn Girl Alive in India
DAILY EXPRESS: A teenager has been burned to death at her home in India in an "honour killing" by neighbours.

Flag of India courtesy of Google Images
Four residents of her village in Ghaziabad, north India, allegedly set the 16-year-old Muslim girl alight after they suspected her of having a relationship with a boy.



Police claim residents kept a vigil on her house as they noticed the boy visited her frequently when her father was away. 



The four men then beat her, doused her with kerosene and set her on fire. >>> | Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Bibi Netanyahu: Likud Anglos

Porträt: Sie nennen ihn «Bibi» – den Falken: Wie Israels designierter Ministerpräsident Netanyahu am Comeback feilt
NZZ Online: Nur wenige Politiker sind so ehrgeizig wie Benjamin Netanyahu. Er wird in Israel gerne als Falke bezeichnet, weil er als Oppositioneller in den eigenen Reihen bekannt ist. «Bibi», wie der designierte Regierungschef gerne genannt wird, hat wie kein anderer an seinem politischen Comeback gefeilt.

Er gilt nicht nur in Israel als Hardliner. Benjamin Netanyahu ist ein Vollblutpolitiker. Einer, der opportunistisch seine Ziele fokussiert. Er kennt kein Wenn und Aber, geht zielstrebig seinen Weg und räumt, wenn es denn sein muss, auch seine eigenen Weggefährten aus dem Weg.

Aufgewachsen ist der 1949 in Tel Aviv geborene Netanyahu im verschlafenen Städtchen Cheltenham im amerikanischen Gliedstaat Pennsylvania als Sohn eines Professors für jüdische Geschichte. Er stellte die Weichen für seinen Werdegang früh. Netanyahu studierte am renommierten Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Architektur sowie politische Wissenschaften an der Harvard University und besitzt ferner einen Abschluss der Sloan School of Management. Ferner hat er eine Reihe von Publikationen zum Thema Terrorismus verfasst, die ihm auf seiner künftigen Laufbahn zugutekommen sollten. Netanyahu ist zum dritten Mal verheiratet und Vater mehrerer Kinder. >>> hoh | Dienstag, 24. Marz 2009

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Turkey Opposed to Danish Premier as NATO Chief
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: ANKARA, Turkey: Turkey does not back Denmark's prime minister becoming NATO's next secretary-general, a senior Turkish lawmaker said Tuesday.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen is seen as the front-runner to replace Jaap de Hoop Scheffer as NATO secretary-general when his term ends at the end of July.

Turkey, a NATO member, objects to Fogh Rasmussen because of the 2006 prophet cartoon crisis, his reported opposition to Turkey's EU membership and his stance on Kurdish rebels, said Suat Kiniklioglu, top foreign policy official in the prime minister's party.

"It is unacceptable that NATO be headed by an individual who has in the past rudely disrespected our values and religious beliefs," Kiniklioglu said in reference to Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that sparked Muslim protests.

Fogh Rasmussen defended freedom of speech amid the protests. >>> The Associated Press | Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Obama et Sarkozy engagent le dialogue avant le G20
LE FIGARO: Les deux présidents s'entretiendront mercredi, par téléphone, des enjeux du sommet international sur la finance mondiale qui se tiendra le 2 avril à Londres.

Nicolas Sarkozy devrait avoir une conversation par visioconférence mercredi avec Barack Obama (ici, les deux hommes à Paris en juillet 2008) (Crédits photo : Le Figaro)
Rencontres au sommet entre responsables américains et français. Après un entretien lundi soir à la Maison-Blanche entre François Fillon et le vice-président Joe Biden, Nicolas Sarkozy devrait avoir une conversation par visioconférence mercredi avec Barack Obama. À dix jours du sommet des principales puissances économiques mondiales, la France s'active pour défendre ses propositions en vue d'une réforme de la finance mondiale.

En visite aux États-Unis depuis dimanche soir, le premier ministre a enchaîné rencontres et entretiens avec des responsables politiques, économiques et bancaires. Son objectif est de confronter les réponses américaine et européenne à la crise, avec l'espoir de rallier l'Administration d'Obama à l'urgence d'une réforme de la régulation finan­cière. À New York et Washington, François Fillon a solennisé l'enjeu de la réunion de Londres. «Le rendez-vous du G20 est très important pour la résolution de la crise, car c'est d'abord une crise de confiance. L'absence d'accord, un accord a minima ou bien des divisions constitueraient un signal extrêmement négatif envoyé aux peuples et aux marchés» , a confié le premier ministre lors d'une rencontre infor­melle avec la presse après sa rencontre avec des acteurs de la régulation financière. À l'heure du petit déjeuner, François Fillon a pris le pouls de plusieurs banquiers et décideurs économiques américains, dont Éric Dinallo, directeur de la régulation des assureurs de New York, William Dudley, président de la Réserve fédérale de New York, ou encore Tim Ryan, président de l'association des grandes banques de Wall Street. Il est reparti avec le sentiment que la majorité est consciente, selon lui, de l'impact qu'un «mauvais accord» à Londres aurait sur le redressement des économies. >>> Bruno Jeudy | Mardi 24 Mars 2009

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Well, What Exactly Did You Expect the Pope to Say?
THE TELEGRAPH: It is absurd to expect him to move with the times.

Image courtesy of Google Images
When is a crowd of a million fans, fainting in the heat and being trampled to death in excitement, a sign of unpopularity? When you are Pope Benedict XVI, that's when. Despite the fact that his week-long tour of the African continent has been playing to record numbers, the Pontiff has had nothing but criticism from the First World press. He's a "disaster", he's "out of touch with the real world", his whole operation needs "a radical shake-up".

The failures, according to his critics, lie both in his medium and his message. The present Vatican has yet to come to terms with the worldwide, 24-hour blogosphere. The press office shuts up shop for the day at three in the afternoon. No one there has got to grips with Google. Stories leap out at strange times of the day and night, and they hadn't seen any of them coming. Bless… but who can blame them? It's a rum old world in which Jade Goody reaches near-sanctification for her telepathic relationship with the media and the Pope gets rubbished because he's baffled by it.

His message that Aids "cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which can even aggravate the problem" has infuriated health workers the world over. But what exactly is a Pope for? Is he there to make public service announcements in accordance with current scientific thinking, or is he there to stick up for what his Church has long believed in? The relationship between Catholics and condoms was strained long before Benedict XVI got the job. Millions of Catholic couples take the independent decision to practise contraception, but that is no reason for the Pope to change what he preaches. It is absurd even to expect him to move with the times. He's a religious leader, not an interior decorator.

Pope Benedict has yet to say anything I agree with. I don't think rock music is the spawn of the devil; it seemed to me barmy to take back into the church the bishop who had denied the Holocaust; and I wouldn't dream of taking contraceptive advice from a bachelor in his seventies. But then I'm not a Catholic. The Pope, it transpires, is. Deal with it. [Source: The Telegraph] By Gill Hornby | Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Al Jazeera Sets Out to Conquer America!
THE TELEGRAPH: Al Jazeera English, the international television channel belonging to the Emir of Qatar's news network, has a fight on its hands to conquer America.

Al Jazeera English focused on its American dream . Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
The USA has been the downfall of many a foreign export but when you're a broadcaster based in the Arab world, bankrolled by a Middle Eastern autocrat and associated in the popular mindset with terrorist videos, the endeavour begins to look near-impossible.

When the English-language channel was set up in November 2006 to provide impartial competition for CNN and the BBC, the reputation of its Arabic sister channel, Al Jazeera, was already controversial.

Some observers claimed that it broadcast videos sent to the station from terrorist suspects, while US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had wrongly suggested that the network showed hostages being beheaded.

Since this inauspicious start, the Al Jazeera English team has been manning the PR battle lines against lobbyists anxious to keep the channel off US television line-ups.

So how did the Al Jazeera brand begin to convince US audiences that it serves a serious broadcasting purpose?

Tony Burman, managing director of Al Jazeera English and former Canadian TV executive, has found some of the answers while the station has built up an audience of 140m households in 40 countries – including Israel.

Among Mr Burman's priorities has been busting a few myths, hiring journalists from well-established rivals and focusing news coverage on the developing world.

The English-language channel is carried by satellite television operator Sky in the UK. More astonishingly, its commercial team is on the brink of signing several contracts with cable and satellite operators to give it a reach right across the US. Al Jazeera English Focused on Its American Dream >>> By Rowena Mason | Monday, March 23, 2009

UK Population Must Fall to 30m, Says Porritt
THE SUNDAY TIMES: JONATHON PORRITT, one of Gordon Brown’s leading green advisers, is to warn that Britain must drastically reduce its population if it is to build a sustainable society.

Porritt’s call will come at this week’s annual conference of the Optimum Population Trust (OPT), of which he is patron.

The trust will release research suggesting UK population must be cut to 30m if the country wants to feed itself sustainably.

Porritt said: “Population growth, plus economic growth, is putting the world under terrible pressure.

“Each person in Britain has far more impact on the environment than those in developing countries so cutting our population is one way to reduce that impact.”

Population growth is one of the most politically sensitive environmental problems. The issues it raises, including religion, culture and immigration policy, have proved too toxic for most green groups. >>> Jonathan Leake and Brendan Montague | Sunday, March 22, 2009

Nine of AIG's Top Bonus Earners Agree to Repay Cash in Full
THE GUARDIAN: Nine of the top 10 recipients of ­controversial bonuses at the insurer AIG have pledged to hand back the money ­following a public and political outcry over multimillion-dollar rewards at the crisis-stricken company.

New York state's attorney general, Andrew Cuomo, revealed last night that most of the biggest winners from a ­controversial "retention scheme" at AIG have succumbed to pressure by forsaking their awards.

Of those working at AIG's financial products division, which ran up vast losses on toxic derivatives, 15 of the 20 top bonus winners are giving back the money.

Cuomo said: "A number of them have risen to the occasion and I applaud them."

The money being returned amounts to $30m out of the bonus scheme's total payout of $165m. Cuomo, speaking on a conference call, revealed that about $80m of the total went to Americans. Some of the rest is likely to have gone to British staff at AIG's key financial products office in London.

He expressed a hope that more bonuses would be returned and said he expected his office to recoup about $80m. >>> Andrew Clark in New York | Tuesday, March 24, 2009