MEP Refuses to Sit Next to BNP Duo at Opening of European Parliament
TIMES ONLINE: The British National Party's two MEPs took their seats in the 736 member European Parliament this morning just one row behind David Cameron's new Conservative group.

Nick Griffin, the BNP leader, and his party colleague Andrew Brons were allocated seats 780 and 781 and immediately ran into controversy when Democratic Unionist Party MEP Diane Dodds refused to sit in seat 782 next to them.

After both took part in the election of a new parliamentary President, Mr Griffin showed his unerring ability to generate controversy by hitting back at Baroness Kinnock, the Europe Minister, for refusing to invite the pair to a reception for new MEPs tomorrow.

"I would not want to share a drink with Glenys Kinnock," said Mr Griffin, speaking to The Times outside the chamber.

"She is a political prostitute, simple as that. She and her husband started off their careers as anti-common market and now they are there not just with their noses in the trough, they are in the trough."

Mr Griffin further alleged that civil servants were being told to treat the BNP MEPs differently by denying them access to some information.

"We will test this by applying for information and see what comes back, and take it to court if necessary," he said.

Mr Brons said that they did not plan to boycott the European Parliament, where they sit on the right hand side of the chamber behind Polish members of the European Conservatives and Reformists.

The BNP failed to find enough like-minded MEPs from across Europe to form an official group, which would have brought extra funding and staff, but said they would work informally with neo-fascist parties including Jean-Marie Le Pen's Front National in France and Jobbik, the Hungarian nationalists with their own militia. >>> David Charter, Strasbourg | Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Video: Hanif Kureishi on Staging The Black Album
Dominic Cavendish catches up with author Hanif Kureishi whose 1995 novel The Black Album has been adapted for the stage and is about to be shown at The National Theatre.

Al-Qaeda Vows Revenge on China after Riots
TIMES ONLINE: Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network has taken up the cause of China’s Muslim Uighur minority with a pledge to attack Chinese workers in northwestern Africa in retaliation for mistreatment by Beijing of its largest Muslim minority.

Al-Qaeda's Algerian-based offshoot, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), has issued the call for vengeance, according to the South China Morning Post, which quoted an intelligence report from the London-based risk analysis firm Stirling Assynt.

It would be the first time that bin Laden’s organisation has threatened China or its interests — underlying the risks Beijing faces as it expands its economic investments overseas.

The assessment by Sterling Assynt warned that the threat should be taken seriously and said: “Although AQIM appear to be the first arm of al-Qaeda to officially state they will target Chinese interests, others are likely to follow."

The unrest in China’s westernmost Xinjiang region last week in which 184 people died — most of them Han Chinese killed by Uighurs — has elicited sympathy in much of the Muslim world for the minority Uighurs who face tight controls on their religious practices and discrimination in the workplace.

The report said: “The general situation of China's Muslims has resonated amongst the global jihadist community. There is an increasing amount of chatter . . . among jihadists who claim they want to see action against China. Some of these individuals have been actively seeking information on China's interests in the Muslim world, which they could use for targeting purposes."

The report is based on information from people who have seen the instruction from AQIM, the agency said. >>> Jane Macartney in Beijing | Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Pakistan Refugees Return to Swat
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Thousands of people began returning to Pakistan's Swat Valley after nearly three months of fighting that drove the Taliban from the region and created the country's worst refugee crisis in six decades.

Pakistan earned praise at home and abroad for its offensive in Swat, which began in April after the collapse of a peace deal that handed the valley just 100 miles north of Islamabad, the capital, to militants.

Under the protection of soldiers and helicopter gunships, refugees started coming back Monday. How Pakistan manages the return of the nearly two million people who fled the fighting will go a long way to determining whether it can solidify the army's gains in the strategic valley as it moves to retake more-formidable Taliban strongholds in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

In a reminder that the threat facing Pakistan has spread beyond northwestern regions such as Swat and tribal areas, an explosion Monday in the country's east killed at least nine people.

The midmorning blast in a farming village near Mian Channu, in Punjab province, appeared to have been caused by explosives stored in the house of a teacher who had set up a small religious school, a police official said.

He couldn't say why explosives were in the house, but two senior Punjab police officials said there was evidence the building was used as a meeting place for Islamist militants, who in recent months have stepped up attacks in previously peaceful parts of eastern Pakistan.

Separately, 13 suspected al Qaeda militants, including four Kuwaiti and two Saudi nationals, were arrested near Quetta, capital of the southwestern province of Baluchistan, Reuters reported. Security forces also recovered explosive-fitted jackets used for suicide bombing, an official said.

In Swat, officials have carefully planned the refugees' return, many observers say. Pakistani and international aid officials say they have mapped out how the government would ensure the orderly -- and voluntary -- return of residents to the valley and surrounding areas, where police and local government are nearly nonexistent, schools and clinics are shuttered, and many houses were destroyed or damaged in the fighting. >>> ZAHID HUSSAIN in Sakha Kott, Pakistan, and MATTHEW ROSENBERG in New Delhi | Tuesday, July 14, 2009

The New Face of Plastic Surgery in Iraq
LOS ANGELES TIMES: After a chaotic period helping victims of violence, plastic surgeons now find themselves ministering to a public interested in nose jobs.

Reporting from Baghdad -- There was a time when Baghdad's reconstructive surgeons were rushed off their feet trying to repair the terrible disfigurements caused by war.

These days, they're just as likely to find themselves giving Botox injections or performing nose jobs, as Iraqis take advantage of the calmer conditions to enhance their looks.

"Definitely we are performing more plastic surgery than before, mainly because the security situation of the country has improved," said Rida Ali, a plastic surgeon who estimates that half her patients are seeking cosmetic surgery, compared with less than a quarter a few years ago.

They include men as well as women, and most of them want nose jobs, which cost $600 to $1,000 each. Among the women, breast surgery is also popular, Ali said, but not the augmentations common in the West.

"In Iraq we do more breast reduction than augmentation," she said. "Some of the breasts we reduce in size are huge . . . and they cause back pain."

The trend has been fueled largely by the arrival of satellite television, which since 2003 has beamed into Iraqi living rooms the glamorous Egyptian and Lebanese celebrities who are reputed to keep regular appointments with their cosmetic surgeons.

The results aren't always what the patient expected.

"Our patients get all their ideas from TV, then they come to us and request the operation," said Mahdi Hameed Abood, a senior surgeon at the Wasiti Center for Reconstructive Surgery. "It's good having television as a source of information, but what you see on TV is not always reality. There are special effects, lights. People believe what they see and come to us expecting results that may be unrealistic." >>> Caesar Ahmed | Sunday, July 12, 2009

Deux journalistes étrangers enlevés en Somalie
L’EXPRESS.fr: Des miliciens seraient impliqués dans l'enlèvement de ces journalistes mardi matin dans leur hôtel à Mogadiscio.

Deux journalistes étrangers ont été enlevés mardi matin dans leur hôtel à Mogadiscio par des hommes armés, a-t-on appris auprès de la police somalienne.

"Plus d'une dizaine de miliciens à bord d'un véhicule armé sont impliqués dans les enlèvements. Ils ont désarmé les gardes de sécurité de l'hôtel avant de se rendre directement dans les chambres des deux étrangers", a déclaré un policier somalien, Mohamed Ali.

"Nous devons encore confirmer leurs nationalités et ce qu'ils faisaient en Somalie", a-t-il ajouté. >>> Par LEXPRESS.fr avec AFP | Mardi 14 Juillet 2009

Frauen in Afghanistan: Lieber Burka tragen als ungebildet bleiben
WELT ONLINE: Trotz des Sturzes der Taliban gibt es für viele afghanische Frauen noch immer keine Gleichberechtigung. Fatima Gailani, Präsidentin des afghanischen Roten Halbmonds, erklärt auf WELT ONLINE, die Mentalität des ganzen Landes müsse sich ändern. Sie kritisiert auch die Regierung, ist aber gegen ein Burka-Verbot.

Fatima Gailani: Bild: WeltOnline
Fatima Gailani, 55, ist seit 2004 Präsidentin des afghanischen Roten Halbmonds, des islamischen Pendants des Roten Kreuzes. Als Tochter von Pir Sayed Gailani, eines einflussreichen Mudschaheddin-Kommandeurs, wuchs sie in einer privilegierten wie politischen Familie auf.

Nach dem Sturz der Taliban nahm die studierte Islamwissenschaftlerin im Jahr 2001 an der Konferenz zur Zukunft Afghanistans in Königswinter bei Bonn teil. Schon damals war die Verbesserung der Lebenssituation der Frauen in ihrem Heimatland ein wichtiges Thema für Gailani. In den letzten Jahren, sagt sie heute, hat sich die Lage eher wieder verschlechtert.

WELT ONLINE: Wie muss man sich das Leben afghanischer Frauen heutzutage vorstellen?

Fatima Gailani: Eine gewöhnliche Frau in Kabul arbeitet, falls sie eine Ausbildung hat, als Lehrerin oder Regierungsangestellte. Wenn sie nach Hause kommt, dann ist sie diejenige, die kocht und putzt, und der Anteil ihres Mannes an der Hausarbeit ist Null. Eine Frau ohne Ausbildung arbeitet als Haushaltshilfe, Wäscherin oder Putzfrau. Dann kommt sie müde nach Hause und macht den Haushalt. Und schließlich sind da die Frauen, die - gebildet oder nicht - nicht arbeiten dürfen, selbst wenn die finanzielle Situation sehr schlecht ist. Das ist der schlimmste Fall. >>> Von Christina Neuhaus | Dienstag, 14. Juli 2009

Chinese Police Kill Two Uighur Men as Ethnic Unrest Flares
TIMES ONLINE: Chinese police today shot dead two Uighur men and wounded a third in the first official report of the use of firearms to quell unrest in the western, mainly Muslim region where a riot last week left 184 people dead.

Frightened residents of Urumqi ran into their homes and shops, slamming the doors, as police waved their guns and shouted. Reinforcements were rushed into the city, backed by armoured personnel carriers.

Officials said that officers opened fire after they were attacked as they tried to prevent three men from assaulting another with knives and rods.

"Police shot and killed two suspected lawbreakers and injured one suspected lawbreaker using legal means," said a statement released by the government of the capital of China’s westernmost region of Xinjiang.

State radio said that the two men who died were members of the ethnic Uighur minority. A third Uighur was wounded. >>> Jane Macartney in Beijing | Monday, July 13, 2009

Michael Jackson ‘Had Two Gay Lovers’, New Book Claims
THE TELEGRAPH: Michael Jackson had at least two gay lovers and would go out disguised as a woman for secret liaisons in motel rooms, according to a new book.

The star was allegedly “madly in love” with a half-Asian construction worker and had another fling with a Hollywood waiter.

Writer Ian Halperin claims in his unauthorised biography that “virtually everybody” around Jackson knew that the singer was gay.

Jackson’s affair with the builder, who was in his early 20s, began in Las Vegas in 2007, according to Halperin. “He rarely left his residence, but when he did, according to one of Jackson’s closest confidants, it was to meet a boyfriend at a run-down motel.

“Michael would leave the house in disguise, often dressed as a woman, and would go to meet his boyfriend at a motel that was one of Vegas’ grungiest dives. Michael was broke. He struggled to put food on the table for his children. It was all he could afford then.” >>> | Monday, July 13, 2009

Activists Push Ballot Initiative to End State Benefits for Illegal Immigrants and Their U.S.-born Children
LOS ANGELES TIMES: The measure would end public benefits to illegal residents, challenge the citizenship of their U.S.-born children, cut welfare payments to those children and impose new birth certificate requirements.

In a stretch of desert just north of the U.S.-Mexico border, men and women in khakis and the colors of the American flag recently gathered at a border watch post they call Camp Vigilance and discussed their next offensive in the nation's immigration wars.

The target: Illegal immigrants and their U.S.-born children who receive public benefits.

The plan: a California ballot initiative that would end public benefits for illegal immigrants, cut off welfare payments for their children and impose new rules for birth certificates.

"We will be out in full force to qualify this initiative," said Barbara Coe, who helped develop Proposition 187, the 1994 measure that would have ended benefits to illegal immigrants but was ruled unconstitutional. "Illegals and their children are costing the state billions of dollars. It's invasion by birth canal."

Supporters of the initiative, recently unveiled by San Diego political activist Ted Hilton, hope to challenge the citizenship of children born in the United States to parents who are here illegally. >>> Teresa Watanabe | Monday, July 13, 2009

Kim Jong Il soll Bauchspeicheldrüsenkrebs haben: Sender beruft sich auf Geheimdienstquellen
NZZ Online: Der nordkoreanische Staatschef Kim Jong Il ist laut südkoreanischen Medienberichten an Bauchspeicheldrüsenkrebs erkrankt. Der Bericht des Fernsehsenders YTN beruft sich auf chinesische und südkoreanische Geheimdienstkreise.

Bauchspeicheldrüsenkrebs wird gewöhnlich erst im letzten Stadium festgestellt. Ziehe man Kims Alter von 67 Jahren in Betracht, werde mit einer Lebenserwartung von höchstens noch fünf Jahren gerechnet, heisst es in dem Bericht vom Montag weiter.

Der südkoreanische Geheimdienst erklärte, er könne den Bericht nicht bestätigen. >>> ap | Montag, 13. Juli 2009

Hochrangiger Politiker warnt: «Der Iran kollabiert»
TAGES ANZEIGER: Der Staat breche zusammen, wenn nicht bald etwas geschehe, sagt der Drittplatzierte bei den iranischen Präsidentschaftswahlen, Mohsen Rezai. Er macht Ahmadinejad einen gewagten Vorschlag.

Um die jetzige Situation zu ändern, würden Entgegenkommen und Bruderliebe benötigt. Die Menschen und ihre Rechte müssten respektiert werden. Der konservative Politiker Rezai kritisierte in einem Eintrag auf seiner Internetseite vom Sonntag die Vorgänge während und nach der Wahl als Missmanagement der öffentlichen Wünsche.

Dies habe zu der Krise geführt, die der Westen jetzt ausschlachten könne. Gemäss Rezai muss die Islamische Revolution fortgesetzt werden. Einige Reformen auf der politischen Ebene seien nötig. >>> oku/sda | Montag, 13. Juli 2009

«Gang des barbares» : 14 accusés seront rejugés
LE FIGARO: Comme le demandait Michèle Alliot-Marie, le parquet va faire appel des condamnations inférieures aux réquisitions de l'avocat général. Les complices de Youssouf Fofana comparaîtront devant une cour d'assisses.

Il y aura un deuxième procès pour le meurtre d'Ilan Halimi. Quatorze complices présumés de Youssouf Fofana dans le meurtre d'Ilan Halimi seront rejugés devant une cour d'assises, a annoncé lundi le parquet général. Sont concernés notamment les deux complices jugés les plus actifs dans le rapt et la séquestration d'Ilan -condamnés à 15 et 18 ans, là où l'accusation avait réclamé 20 ans de réclusion contre chacun- et la jeune fille ayant servi d'appât pour attirer le jeune juif dans le piège, condamnée à 9 ans contre 10 à 12 requis.

Le parquet a ainsi suivi les voeux de Michèle Alliot-Marie. Dans la matinée, la ministre de la Justice avait demandé au parquet de «faire appel des condamnations inférieures aux réquisitions de l'avocat général». >>> B.F. (lefigaro.fr) | Lundi 13 Juillet 2009

Sudan Women 'Lashed for Trousers'
BBC: Several Sudanese women have been flogged as a punishment for dressing "indecently", according to a local journalist who was arrested with them.

Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein, who says she is facing 40 lashes, said she and 12 other women wearing trousers were arrested in a restaurant in the capital, Khartoum.

She told the BBC several of the women had pleaded guilty to the charges and had 10 lashes immediately.

Khartoum, unlike South Sudan, is governed by Sharia law.

Several of those punished were from the mainly Christian and animist south, Ms Hussein said.

Non-Muslims are not supposed to be subject to Islamic law, even in Khartoum and other parts of the mainly Muslim north.
She said that a group of about 20 or 30 police officers entered the popular Khartoum restaurant and arrested all the women wearing trousers.

"I was wearing trousers and a blouse and the 10 girls who were lashed were wearing like me, there was no difference," she told the BBC's Arabic service.

Ms Hussein said some women pleaded guilty to "get it over with" but others, including herself, chose to speak to their lawyers and are awaiting their fates.

Under Sharia law in Khartoum, the normal punishment for "indecent" dressing is 40 lashes.

Ms Hussein is a well-known reporter who writes a weekly column called Men Talk for Sudanese papers. She also works for the United Nations Mission in Sudan. [Source: BBC] | Monday, July 13, 2009

Another Side of Russia
Watch Journeyman Pictures video: A Right to Be Gay – Russia >>>

Ban on Tobacco Urged in Military
USA TODAY: WASHINGTON — Pentagon health experts are urging Defense Secretary Robert Gates to ban the use of tobacco by troops and end its sale on military property, a change that could dramatically alter a culture intertwined with smoking.

Jack Smith, head of the Pentagon's office of clinical and program policy, says he will recommend that Gates adopt proposals by a federal study that cites rising tobacco use and higher costs for the Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs as reasons for the ban.

The study by the Institute of Medicine, requested by the VA and Pentagon, calls for a phased-in ban over a period of years, perhaps up to 20. "We'll certainly be taking that recommendation forward," Smith says.

A tobacco ban would confront a military culture, the report says, in which "the image of the battle-weary soldier in fatigues and helmet, fighting for his country, has frequently included his lit cigarette."

Also, the report said, troops worn out by repeated deployments often rely on cigarettes as a "stress reliever." The study found that tobacco use in the military increased after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began.

Pentagon spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said the department supports a smoke-free military "and believes it is achievable." She declined to elaborate on any possible ban.

One in three service members use tobacco, the report says, compared with one in five adult Americans. The heaviest smokers are soldiers and Marines, who have done most of the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, the study says. About 37% of soldiers use tobacco and 36% of Marines. Combat veterans are 50% more likely to use tobacco than troops who haven't seen combat. >>> Gregg Zoroya, USA Today | Thursday, July 09, 2009

Britain Halts Some Arms Exports to Israel in Response to Gaza Conflict
TIMES ONLINE: Britain became the first country to halt arms exports to Israel in response to its Gaza offensive, rescinding five export licences for parts used on warships which were deployed in the conflict.

An Israeli official said that Britain had reviewed 182 licenses before deciding to revoke the five in connection with the Saar 4.5 class corvette. The British Embassy in Tel Aviv confirmed the move but said that it did not constitute an embargo on Israel.

"There are no security agreements between the UK and Israel," an embassy spokesman said. "UK policy remains to assess all export licences to Israel against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria.”

After the 23-day offensive six months ago, a number of MPs called on Gordon Brown to impose a complete arms embargo on Israel. A petition of more than 38,000 signatures calling for a ban was also posted on the Prime Minister’s website. >>> Sheera Frenkel in Jerusalem | Monday, July 13, 2009

Mord in Dresden: Ahmadinedschad nennt Deutsche "Sklaventreiber"
WELT ONLINE: Der iranische Präsident Ahmadinedschad hat den Mord an der Ägypterin Marwa in einem Dresdner Gericht als „vorprogrammiert" bezeichnet. Er beschuldigte die westlichen Länder, elementare Rechte der Menschen zu ignorieren und forderte den UN-Sicherheitsrat auf, Sanktionen gegen Berlin zu verhängen.

Der iranische Präsident Mahmud Ahmadinedschad hat den Mord an der Ägypterin Marwa El-Sherbini in einem Gerichtssaal in Dresden als „vorprogrammiert“ bezeichnet. „Der Westen prahlt mit seinem stets funktionierenden Sicherheitsapparat, aber dann kommt einer in den Gerichtssaal und sticht nicht einmal, sondern achtzehn Mal auf eine unschuldige Frau ein, und das vor den Augen des Richters, der Geschworenen und der Polizei“, sagte Ahmadinedschad in einer Kabinettssitzung in Teheran, wie die Agentur Irna berichtete. „So eine Tat ist definitiv vorprogrammiert gewesen“, so der Präsident.

Der UN-Sicherheitsrat sollte Deutschland nicht nur verurteilen, sondern gegen Berlin auch Sanktionen verhängen, forderte Ahmadinedschad. „Wieso werden sofort Resolutionen verabschiedet, wenn in einem anderen Land ein Tausendstel solch einer Tat begangen wird, aber in ihren (westlichen) eigenen Ländern werden die elementaren Rechte der Menschen ignoriert“, sagte der iranische Präsident, dessen umstrittene Wiederwahl vor kurzem wegen angeblicher Wahlfälschung zu schweren Protesten und Unruhen geführt hatte. >>> dpa | Sonntag, 12. Juli 2009

Malaise autour de l'affaire Halimi
leJDD.fr: La famille d'Ilan Halimi, ainsi que de nombreuses associations juives, ont fait part de leur colère au lendemain du verdict du procès des 26 membres du "gang des barbares". La mère de la victime, Ruth Halimi, réclame un nouveau procès, public cette fois. Michèle Alliot-Marie, garde des Sceaux, a demandé au parquet de faire appel du verdict. Le dossier prend une tournure politique.

Une manifestation est prévue lundi soir à Paris sur la place Vendôme, devant le ministère de la Justice. Une manifestation de colère à l'initiative de plusieurs associations juives qui contestent, tout comme la famille d'Ilan Halimi, un verdict trop clément à l'égard des complices de Youssouf Fofana, condamné à la réclusion à perpétuité assortie d'une peine de sureté de 22 ans. En réponse à l'avocat général Philippe Bilger, qui a déclaré qu'à ses yeux la peine était exemplaire, Ruth Halimi, la mère d'Ilan, a souhaité que l'on remette les pendules à l'heure et réclame un nouveau procès, cette fois public afin qu'il soit "plus percutant". Appel en partie entendu puisque la garde des Sceaux, Michèle Alliot-Marie, a demandé au parquet de faire appel du verdict. >>> Par Stéphane RIO, leJDD.fr | Lundi 13 Juillet 2009

Death in the Dorms: Iranian Students Recall Horror of Police Invasion
THE GUARDIAN: Victims tell of arrests, threats and beatings / Two women among five killed by officers

They came in the small hours, just as the dormitories were settling down for the night. Outside, Tehran was still in ferment, a city gripped by fury two days after a "stolen election". Inside the dorms on Amirabad Street, students were trying to sleep, though nerves were jangling; just hours earlier several had been beaten in front of the main gate to the university.

What happened next developed into one of the seminal events of Iran's post-election unrest: police broke locks and then bones as they rampaged through the dormitories, attacked dozens of students, carted off more than 100 and killed five. The authorities still deny the incursion took place. But the account pieced together from interviews with five of those present tells a different story.

"We were getting ready to go to sleep when we suddenly heard them breaking the locks to enter our rooms," said one of the 133 students arrested that night. "I'd seen them earlier beating students but I didn't imagine that they would come inside. It's even against Iranian law."

Forty-six students from one dorm were arrested and taken to the basement of the interior ministry on nearby Fatemi Street. It was there, on the building's upper floors, that the vote-counting and – claim opposition supporters – the rigging, was going on. Another 87 were taken to a security police building on Hafez Street. Students spoke of torture and mistreatment.

Five died: they were Fatemeh Barati, Kasra Sharafi, Mobina Ehterami, Kambiz Shoaee and Mohsen Imani – buried the following day in Tehran's famous Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery, reportedly without their families being informed. Their names were confirmed by Tahkim Vahdat, a student organisation.

Witnesses said the two women and three men were repeatedly beaten on the head with electric batons. Their families were warned not to talk about their children or hold funerals – like the parents of Neda Soltan, whose face became synonymous with the protest movement after she was filmed being shot dead in the street. >>> Saeed Kamali Dehghan | Sunday, July 12, 2009

Muslim Americans Encouraged, Hopeful after Obama
REUTERS: WASHINGTON - Iraqi Americans Wasan Alqaisi and Sumer Majid made a Fourth of July family picnic of kebab -- served on hamburger buns with slices of American cheese.

Celebrating Independence Day in the U.S. capital, the two Muslim women were doing what generations of Americans have done before them: blending their faith and lifestyle with a U.S. national identity.

Eight years after Middle East militants carried out the September 11 attacks, Muslim Americans are raising their profile, encouraged by the election of Barack Obama, a U.S. president proud of his Kenyan father's Muslim heritage.

The president, who is a Christian, used his middle name, Hussein, at his inauguration. He called for new dialogue with Islamic nations and named a special envoy for the Middle East on his second full day in office.

"We are more optimistic about the future for us here," said Alqaisi, an accountant. "They changed the way they communicate with the Muslim countries. We feel like we have more value here now. We hope that will continue in the future."

Like other immigrant groups in a country of immigrants, Muslims were drawn to the United States seeking opportunity and relief from poverty in their home countries. Arabs went to industrial centers, south Asian Muslims to the West Coast. Some arrived to study in universities; some arrived as slaves.

A 2007 Pew Research Center study says 21 percent of Muslim Americans arrived from abroad during the 1990s.

The September 11 attacks put a magnifying glass on what until then had been a largely invisible Muslim American community, prompting many to organize. The Patriot Act limited civil liberties. Many felt they were being profiled. The Council of American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil liberties and advocacy group, said more than 60,000 people were subject to new government actions such as interrogations, detentions, raids and the closure of charities.

CAIR reported a 64 percent increase in the number of civil rights complaints in the year after September 11, 2001. >>> Wendell Marsh | Sunday, July 12, 2009

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown: Wearing the Burqa Is Neither Islamic Nor Socially Acceptable
THE INDEPENDENT: To deny face-to-face interaction is to deny our shared humanity

I am a Shia Muslim and I abhor the burqa. I am offended by the unchallenged presumption that women covering their heads and bodies and now faces are more pious and true than am I.

Islam in all its diverse forms entitles believers to a personal relationship with Allah – it cuts out middlemen, one reason its appeal extended to so many across the world. You can seek advice from learned scholars and imams, but they cannot come between your faith and the light of God. Today control freaks who claim they have a special line to the Almighty have turned our world dark. Neo-conservative Islamic codes spread like swine flu, an infection few seem able to resist.

The disease is progressive. It started 20 years ago with the hijab, donned then as a defiant symbol of identity, now a conscript's uniform. Then came the jilbab, the cloak, fought over in courts when schoolgirls were manipulated into claiming it as an essential Islamic garment. If so, hell awaits the female leaders of Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Soon, children as young as four were kitted up in cloaks and headscarves ("so they get used to it, and then later wear the full thing," said a teacher to me who works at a Muslim girls' school) and now for the graduation gown, a full burqa, preferably with dark glasses.

White liberals frame this sinister development in terms of free choice and tolerance. Some write letters to this paper: What is the problem? It is all part of the rich diversity of our nation. They can rise to this challenge, show they are superhuman when it comes to liberty and forbearance.

They might not be quite so sanguine if their own daughters decided to be fully veiled or their sons became fanatic Islamicists and imposed purdah in the family. Such converts are springing up in Muslim families all over the land. Veils predate Islam and were never an injunction (modesty of attire for men and women is). Cultural protectionism has long been extended to those who came from old colonies, in part to atone for imperial hauteur. Redress was necessary then, not now. >>> Yasmin Alibhai-Brown | Monday, July 13, 2009

Doyle McManus: The End of Obamamania
LOS ANGELES TIMES: On his overseas trip, the president was met with a lot less cheering and a lot more tough talk.

Barack Obama has fallen back to Earth.

When he ran for president, Obama said his election would be "the moment the rise of the oceans began to slow." And when he made his first big foreign trip in April, he was hailed by adoring crowds -- and almost-as-adoring politicians -- in Britain, Germany, France and the Czech Republic.

But last week, in Russia and Italy, Obamania was little more than a pleasant memory. Yes, his international polling numbers are still high, but the president encountered hardly any adulation in the streets of Moscow or anywhere else. Instead, Russian strongman Vladimir Putin reportedly gave him a tongue-lashing over a two-hour breakfast, and the tent-bound refugees from Italy's April earthquake mostly wanted to know whether he could rebuild their homes. ("Yes, we camp," their banner said, pointedly.)

And the oceans are still rising too. At the Group of 8 summit, the developing countries said no to a timetable to stop global warming, the reason for the waters' rise.

That's not to say the trip was a bust; it wasn't. But it was far from a triumph, and that's a new experience for Obama's foreign policy team.

The hard reality of international affairs is that, just as the United States has interests, so do other countries. And when those interests conflict, all the charm and charisma in the world can't resolve the differences.

At the G-8 summit, the United States, Britain and France had hoped for a tough statement on Iran's nuclear ambitions. The closest they got to a warning was this: "We sincerely hope that Iran will seize this opportunity to give diplomacy a chance."

The summit's other accomplishments were mostly worthy half-measures. The developing countries wouldn't sign on, but the eight big economies agreed to try to for deeper cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, 41 years from now. After a personal appeal from Obama, member nations promised $20 billion to help poor countries grow more food, but much of the money turned out to be old pledges under a new name.

Obama went to Moscow to "reset" U.S.-Russian relations, which under George W. Bush had veered from unrealistic enthusiasm to bitter recriminations. He succeeded in changing the tone, but the concrete results were modest. The two nuclear powers agreed on a framework for reducing their atomic arsenals, but since both sides went into the talks wanting to cut, the nuclear issue was the easy part.

More difficult were the issues each country sees as its top priority: for the United States, the problem of Iran; for Russia, the desire of its onetime possessions Ukraine and Georgia to escape from Moscow's orbit. >>> Doyle McManus | Sunday, July 12, 2009

BNP 'Does Not Want All-white UK'
BBC: British National Party leader Nick Griffin has said he no longer wants to see an all-white United Kingdom.

Watch BBC video: Nick Griffin tells Andrew Marr he no longer wants to see an all-white United Kingdom >>>

Mr Griffin, who is due to take up his seat as an MEP for the North West, said the idea of a UK without ethnic minorities was "simply not do-able".

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Griffin said: "Nobody out there wants it or would pay for it."

He said claims that he was a fascist were "smears" but said the European Union was "very close to fascism".

Mr Griffin told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that the BNP would put more money into voluntary repatriation programmes for members of ethnic minorities "who want to go back to their lands of ethnic origin".

He added that Britain was overcrowded and "terribly unstable" as a result of its "multicultural experiment".

The BNP leader also defended his view that the EU should sink boats carrying illegal immigrants.

Mr Griffin said: "What needs to be done as an example is to sink a couple of boats near the shores of Libya - throw them lifebelts so they can paddle back, so they understand they will never get to Europe.

"Because the alternative is accepting that Britain eventually is going to end up like Africa." [Source: BBC] | Sunday, July 12, 2009

Watch BBC video: BNP chief rejects 'racist' tag >>>

Watch BBC video: BNP's first MEP attacks EU >>>

Panorama: Muslim First, British Second
Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:

Channel Four Interview: Nick Griffin

Die Diktatur der Mehrheit: In China werden Minderheiten systematisch schikaniert
NZZ am Sonntag: Die Aufstände der Uiguren stören Pekings Wunschbild der harmonischen Gesellschaft. Für viele Han-Chinesen sind Minderheiten minderwertig.

Die Woche in Urumqi endete schlimmer, als sie begonnen hatte. Viele Moscheen, in denen die Uiguren gewöhnlich zum Freitagsgebet zusammenkommen, blieben diesmal geschlossen. Damit wollten die Behörden neue Proteste verhindern, nachdem am vergangenen Sonntag bei ethnischen Unruhen nach Regierungsangaben mehr als 180 Personen getötet und 1080 verletzt worden waren. Die Botschaft war klar: Chinas Regierung weist den Uiguren die Alleinschuld für den Gewaltausbruch zu und sucht die Ursachen in deren muslimischer Religion.

Für die Uiguren kommt die Schliessung der Moscheen einer kollektiven Brandmarkung als Terroristen gleich, woran auch die Tatsache nichts ändert, dass im letzten Moment einige Gotteshäuser geöffnet wurden. Wer vor einer Woche noch skeptisch war, als beim Freitagsgebet Gerüchte über die Misshandlung uigurischer Wanderarbeiter in Südchina die Runde machten, kann nun kaum anders, als zu glauben, dass die Uiguren von Chinas Han-Mehrheit nichts Gutes zu erwarten haben. >>> Bernhard Bartsch, Peking | Sonntag, 12. Juli 2009

Obama's ‘Painful’ Ghana Visit
THE SUNDAY TIMES: AMERICA’S first lady, Michelle Obama, fought back tears yesterday as she toured a former Dutch slaving fort similar to the one in which it is believed her ancestors were held before being shipped to work on plantations in the deep south of the United States.

On the second day of President Barack Obama’s historic trip to sub-Saharan Africa, the first family flew from the capital, Accra, for a tour of the restored 17th-century Cape Castle, previously one of the biggest slave outposts on the West African coast.

“As painful as it is, I think that it helps to teach all of us that we have to do what we can to fight against the kinds of evils that sadly still exist in our world, not just on this continent but in every corner of the globe,” said the president.

Before the visit, Michelle Obama, whose great-great-grandfather, Jim Robinson, her oldest known relative, was born into slavery on a rice plantation in South Carolina, was made “Queen of the Cape Coast” by traditional chiefs of the region.

The couple and their children, Sasha, 8, and Malia, 11, then descended the narrow staircase into the dark dungeons of the ocean-side fort where thousands of slaves were kept for up to 12 weeks waiting for a ship to dock.

Thousands of shackled African slaves huddled in squalor before being herded onto ships bound for America through the “gate of no return”. Obamas tour slavers’ fort in ‘painful’ Ghana visit >>> Jonathan Clayton in Cape Coast, Ghana | Sunday, July 12, 2009

Church Accuses Government of Favouring Muslims
THE TELEGRAPH: Church leaders have accused the Government of giving preferential treatment to the Muslim community because of "political correctness".

Parishes are being starved of state funds to help the poor as a result of money being diverted to other faiths, senior clergy told the General Synod, which is meeting in York.

A report endorsed by Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, claimed that the Government had become "unbalanced" in its approach to faith groups.

It argued that the determination of ministers to tackle Islamic extremism in the wake of the London bombings on July 7, 2005, had led to a preoccupation with Muslim communities at the expense of Christian groups.

Subsequently, the report said, churches are facing a challenge to maintain their presence in poor parts of the country. >>> Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Saturday, July 11, 2009

NHS: "An Orgasm a Day Keeps the Doctor Away"
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: NHS guidance is advising school pupils that they have a "right" to an enjoyable sex life and that regular sex can be good for their cardiovascular health.

The advice appears in leaflets circulated to parents, teachers and youth workers and is meant to update sex education by telling students about the benefits of enjoyable sex.

The authors of the guidance say that for too long, experts have concentrated on the need for "safe sex" and committed relationships while ignoring the principle reason that many people have sex.

Entitled Pleasure, the leaflet has been drawn up by NHS Sheffield, but it also being circulated outside the city.

The leaflet carries the slogan "an orgasm a day keeps the doctor away". It also says: "Health promotion experts advocate five portions of fruit and veg a day and 30 minutes' physical activity three times a week. What about sex or masturbation twice a week?" NHS tells school children of their "right" to "an orgasm a day" >>> Roya Nikkhah | Sunday, July 12, 2009

Bremen im Fokus des europäischen Islamismus
WELT ONLINE: Mit einer Großrazzia ging die Polizei gegen ein Treffen europäischer Islamisten im Bremer Stadtteil Gröpelingen vor. Seit langem vermuten Verfassungsschutz und Landeskriminalamt dort ein Zentrum des Dschihad. Zentrale Figur der Bremer Islamisten ist der 28 Jahre alte René S., der sich selbst „Emir von Gröpelingen" nennt.

Karte: WeltOnline
Wenn René Marc S. (28) durch die Straßen des Bremer Stadtteils Gröpelingen streift, folgen ihm gleich mehrere Schatten. Seit mehr als einem halben Jahr wird der Deutsch-Türke permanent vom Verfassungsschutz beobachtet. Rund um die Uhr begleiten Beamte des Landeskriminalamtes (LKA) jeden Schritt des gebürtigen Bremers. Zweimal bereits wurde seine Wohnung durchsucht.

„Manchmal sind es fünf Autos“, sagt er, wenn man ihn auf seine Beschattung anspricht. Letztes Jahr erst zerstachen Freunde von ihm die Reifen eines Observationswagens. René S. gilt als potenzielle Bedrohung, als islamistischer Gefährder und Kontaktmann der europäischen Dschihad-Szene. Jetzt soll er in Bremen gar ein Treffen europäischer Islamisten organisiert haben.

Vor wenigen Jahren trat der ehemalige Katholik zum Islam über. Seither folgt er der fundamentalistischen Ideologie der Taqfiri. Taqfiris akzeptieren keine von der Sharia abweichende Rechtsordnung, ordnen sich demnach auch nicht der „Freiheitlich Demokratischen Grundordnung“ unter und ziehen sich in eine Parallelgesellschaft zurück, in der eigene Gesetze und Rechtsfindungsverfahren herrschen. Männer tragen nach Prophetentradition lange Bärte, kleiden sich in traditioneller Weise, und Frauen verpflichten sich zur Verschleierung.

Jede Erneuerung der Glaubenspraxis wird von den Taqfiris strikt abgelehnt. Die Anhänger stellen sich über die übliche Autorität der Rechtsgelehrten und entscheiden nach ihrer islamischen Überzeugung selbst wer ungläubig und ein Gegner des Islam ist. Zu letzteren zählen sie übrigens auch einen Großteil der Muslime. Den Dschihad gegen die „Feinde des Islam“ betrachten sie als gottgewollte Pflicht. >>> Von Florian Flade | Sonntag, 12. Juli 2009

Takfiri (Taqfiri) / تكفيري >>>

Fofana: Vers un nouveau procès?
leJDD.fr: Un verdict controversé. Le procès du "gang des barbares" achevé, les avocats de la famille du jeune Ilan Halimi ainsi que plusieurs organisations juives, demandent un nouveau procès. S'ils ne contestent pas la peine infligée à Youssouf Fofana, condamné à la réclusion à perpétuité, ce sont les peines des 25 autres co-accusés qui font débat. Une manifestation est prévue lundi.

Le verdict rendu dans l'affaire de l'assassinat du jeune juif Ilan Halimi en 2006 est critiqué par des organisations juives, dont le Crif, qui jugent certaines peines trop clémentes et veulent un nouveau procès. Le Bureau national de vigilance contre l'antisémitisme (BNVCA) a ainsi appelé dimanche à manifester lundi soir place Vendôme à Paris, non loin du ministère de la Justice, pour réclamer un appel du parquet général. L'Union des étudiants juifs (UEJF) se dit également choquée par le verdict, soulignant que tout a été mis en oeuvre pour "éviter de tirer les leçons" d'un meurtre antisémite.

Ce dossier devenu emblématique de l'antisémitisme et de la violence dans les banlieues pourrait désormais glisser sur le terrain politique. La voix du Conseil représentatif des institutions juives de France (Crif) est venue se joindre à celle de l'avocat de la mère de la victime, Francis Szpiner. Proche de la majorité présidentielle - il a été candidat UMP aux législatives en 2002 - il a exhorté la ministre de la Justice Michèle Alliot-Marie à susciter un appel du parquet général. >>> Par S.R (avec Reuters), leJDD.fr | Dimanche 12 Juillet 2009

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: La famille Halimi dénonce «l'indulgence» envers les complices de Fofana

ANTISÉMITISME | Pour l'ensemble de la communauté juive de France, les peines infligées aux membres du «gang des barbares» sont jugées trop faibles.

Une salle surchauffée. Après onze semaines de débats à huis clos, les 27 membres du "gang des barbares" font face à une salle pleine à craquer. Proches, journalistes et curieux sont venus vendredi en nombre entendre le verdict de la cour d'assises des mineurs de Paris. Dans le box des accusés règne une curieuse empathie, voire de l'indifférence. Le couperet tombe à 22h20 en l'absence de la famille d'Ilan Halimi, ce jeune homme de confession juive torturé et laissé à l'agonie le long d'une voie ferrée.

Impassible, le chef de gang franco-ivoirien écoute le verdict. Sans surprise, Youssouf Fofana âgé de 28 ans est condamné à la réclusion criminelle à perpétuité assortie d'une peine de sûreté de 22 ans pour meurtre avec préméditation d'Ilan Halimi commis à raison de l'appartenance vraie ou supposée de la victime à une religion déterminée. La peine maximale. Au cours du procès, il a reconnu – et s'en est vanté – avoir porté seul les coups fatals à Ilan Halimi. "Oui, c'est moi qui l'ai fait, vous savez bien que c'est moi qui l'ai fait... Et j'en suis fier", lançait-il le 28 mai dernier. Ce vendredi soir, aucune provocation de sa part. Crâne rasé, longue barbe, vêtu d'une chemise colorée africaine, il se contente de tapoter dans ses mains, mimant des applaudissements, assis au bout du box, seul, isolé. Les 26 autres prévenus font bloc; sur le banc des prévenus, ils ont laissé un vide entre eux et Youssouf Fofana. Comme pour souligner le rôle central de celui qui se surnomme "le cerveau du gang". >>> Jean-Noël Cuénod, Paris | Dimanche 12 Juillet 2009

Tony Blair Faces Disappointment in Bid to Become European Union's President
THE TELEGRAPH: Tony Blair faces disappointment in his bid to become the European Union's powerful new president after losing support among continental leaders.

The former prime minister's key backer, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, is said to have "changed his mind" about Mr Blair's suitability for the post.

Without Mr Sarkozy's support, Mr Blair's candidacy – which is unofficially backed by Gordon Brown and the British government – is effectively doomed.

Sources in Brussels now say the favourite for the job is Felipe Gonzales, Spain's charismatic socialist former prime minister, whose government collapsed in a sleaze scandal in 1996.

Europe's leaders are just beginning the complex horse-trading that will end in the appointment of an EU president and "high representative" – effectively the union's foreign minister – once the Lisbon Treaty has been finally fully ratified.

That could come in October when Ireland stages its second referendum on the treaty following a "No" vote last year.

Pundits expect a "Yes" vote this time round which would allow the treaty to pass into law in the EU's 27 member states.

Mr Blair, currently a Middle East peace envoy, remains the choice of 10 Downing Street and the Foreign Office.

A Foreign Office source told The Sunday Telegraph: "The new job is perfectly suited to a big personality like Tony Blair."

However, Mr Sarkozy, who enthusiastically promoted the former prime minister's bid, is thought to have altered his stance – partly because of Mr Blair's perceived "failure" to achieve any change in the Middle East.

He has now switched support to Mr Gonzales, 67, who has claimed that Europe has been "adrift for 20 years" and has become a mere follower of the United States.

Mr Gonzales also heads an EU "wise men's" group appointed by Mr Sarkozy – the perfect platform from which to launch a presidential bid.
Mr Gonzales's spokesman, Joaquin Tajar. said: "Sarkozy is in favour of Gonzales's candidacy once the Lisbon Treaty has passed."

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, and another key figure whose support Mr Blair would need, is now said by senior figures in Brussels "never to have been that keen on Tony getting the job in the first place." >>> Patrick Hennessy, Polticial Editor | Saturday, July 11, 2009

White House ‘Dirty Tricks’ Torpedo Palin
THE SUNDAY TIMES: Sarah Palin, the former vice-presidential candidate, has accused members of President Barack Obama’s administration of a dirty tricks campaign to derail her political career.

Palin’s bizarre announcement that she would quit her post as governor of Alaska on July 26 stunned political friends and foes and has been greeted with derision by a growing number of prominent Republicans. Some conservative insiders have accused the charismatic mother-of-five of succumbing to “paranoia”.

Among the many explanations for her abrupt departure – from an alleged desire to be free to pursue the presidency in 2012 to money worries and ethics problems – the theory put forward by her spokeswoman, Meg Stapleton, is that members of Obama’s White House are to blame.

Palin, 45, complained in her resignation speech on July 3 that she was being hounded constantly by “frivolous” ethics complaints. “This [is] political absurdity, the politics of personal destruction,” she said. “Todd [her husband] and I are looking at more than half a million dollars in legal bills to set the record straight.”

Stapleton told Time magazine last week: “A lot of this comes from Washington DC. The trail is pretty direct and obvious to us.”

Palin and her advisers believe the most damaging ethics accusation concerned “Trooper-gate”, when Palin was accused of pursuing a vendetta to get her former brother-in-law, Mike Wooten, sacked as an Alaska state trooper. A month before the 2008 presidential election, in which she was Senator John McCain’s running mate, the Alaska legislative council found Palin guilty of abusing her power after an investigator concluded that “impermissible pressure was placed on several subordinates in order to advance a personal agenda”.

Palin dismissed the finding as a partisan smear, but it furthered the impression that she was not presidential material after running Alaska, the least populous state in the union, as her own personal fiefdom. >>> Sarah Baxter in Washington | Sunday, July 12, 2009

Nudity Does Us All Good

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. Photo: Google Images
THE TELEGRAPH: Channel 4's Life Class delivers an important lesson on the human form, whatever the moral guardians of daytime TV say, writes Jemima Lewis.

"Art can never exist without naked beauty displayed," said William Blake. But the moral guardians of daytime TV take a different view. The Channel 4 programme Life Class caused conniptions last week by showing a woman sitting very still with no clothes on.

The point of the programme is to replicate a real life class, with the viewers at home encouraged to pick up a pencil. The camera stays fixed on the model from one angle, only occasionally cutting away to take a peek at what the "tutor" – one of a series of distinguished artists – has drawn.

It is filmed in a determinedly untitillating way, more Open University than Nuts magazine, and in fact the first three episodes went out last week without any kerfuffle. It was only on Thursday – when Kirsten Varley, a fashion model of uncommon loveliness, dropped her silky dressing gown and stepped on to the dais – that the forces of puritanism pricked up their ears.

Channel 4 was said to have had dozens of complaints: one viewer, who watched the programme while ill in bed, croaked: "It nearly gave me a relapse. It was adult viewing, not for screening in the middle of the day."

John Beyer, of the TV pressure group Mediawatch UK, said he had referred the matter to Ofcom after being contacted by scandalised parents. "Obviously, people feel this is not suitable for daytime TV when they have children at home," he opined. "It's a pity Channel 4 cannot revive its Watercolour Challenge show."

We all miss Watercolour Challenge, John, but there comes a time when you have to let go. As for the effect of Life Class on young minds: who are these children who have never seen a naked body before? And more importantly, why not?

Going naked in front of your offspring is one of the duties of parenthood. Studies show – and common sense suggests – that children from households where nudity is commonplace grow up to feel more comfortable in their own skin. We need the background scenery of other people's bodies – dumpy, scrawny, dimpled or lean – in order to be reassured that our own peculiarities are normal. >>> Jemima Lewis | Saturday, July 11, 2009

Dhimmitude Alert! More Sh** from the British Government!
THE SUNDAY EXPRESS: POLICE will be ordered not to charge Muslim extremists in many hate crime cases – to stop them becoming more militant.

Guidelines will tell forces to press for conviction only in cases of clear-cut criminal acts.

Officers will be advised not to proceed when evidence of lawbreaking is “borderline”.

Examples of crimes to which a blind eye may be turned include incitement to religious hatred or viewing extremist material on the internet.

Last night critics warned that the move could mean Islamic radicals being give the freedom to encourage violence.

Some saw the move as a politically correct attempt to appease extremists who hate Britain.

It could even mean officers tolerating many activities of Muslim preachers of hate like the hook-handed cleric Abu Hamza.

Tory MP David Davies said: “This sounds like abject surrender. Everyone should be equal in the eyes of the law.

“It doesn’t matter whether someone is suspected of incitement to hatred or shoplifting – they should all face the same risk of prosecution.

“There should be no special favours or treatment for any section of the community.” Take It Easy on Muslim Extremists, Police Told >>>

Hat tip: Always On Watch >>>

Barack Obama Tells Africa to Stop Blaming the West for Its Woes on Historic Ghana Visit
THE TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama has delivered the most challenging speech by a US leader in Africa for decades by castigating the continent's leadership for creating a culture of "brutality and bribery".

Adopting a tone his white predecessors never dared employ, the US President told Africa it could no longer blame the West for all its woes.

"Yes, a colonial map that made little sense bred conflict, and the West has often approached Africa as a patron, rather than a partner," he told the Ghanaian parliament. "But the West is not responsible for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last decade, or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants."

Seeking to jolt Africa's politicians out of a complacent belief that his shared ancestry with them would soften his rhetoric, Mr Obama spoke with withering directness.

Condemning tyrannical African leaders who "enrich themselves" amid the continent's chronic poverty, he promised fresh "partnerships" only with states that were well-governed.

For the kleptocrats and autocrats who still sprinkle the continent, he had a simple message: enough is enough.

"No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery," he said. "That is not democracy, that is tyranny, and now is the time for it to end."

Traditional "strong man" rulers must give way to "strong institutions" if they are to benefit from future Western assistance, he said.

"We have a responsibility to support those who act responsibly and to isolate those who don't," he told the country's parliament from a podium draped in traditional yellow and green kente cloth.

"Development depends on good governance, and that is the ingredient which has been missing in far too many countries. That's the change which can unlock African potential, but that is a responsibility which must be met by Africans.

"Africa's future is up to Africans." >>> Mike Pflanz in Accra | Saturday, July 11, 2009

Sir David Frost Interview: Reza Pahlavi
Watch YouTube video here >>>

Bizarre Goings On in the Desert Kingdom
BBC: A family in Saudi Arabia is taking a "genie" to court, accusing it of theft and harassment, reports say.

They accuse the spirit of threatening them, throwing stones and stealing mobile phones, Al Watan newspaper said.

The family have lived in the same house near the city of Medina for 15 years but say they only recently became aware of the spirit. They have now moved out.

A local court is investigating. In Islamic theology, genies are spirits that can harass or possess humans.

'Get out of the house'

"We began to hear strange sounds," the head of the family, who come from Mahd Al Dahab, told the Saudi daily. He did not want to be named.

"At first we did not take it seriously, but then stranger things started to happen and the children got particularly scared when the genie started throwing stones."

He added: "A woman spoke to me first, and then a man. They said we should get out of the house."

A local court says it is trying to verify the truthfulness of the claims "despite the difficulty" of doing so. Saudi 'genie' sued for harassment >>> | Saturday, July 11, 2009

Obama's Climate of Fear
TOWNHALL: Recently I had a long lunch with an old friend. He sits on the board of one of the largest and most successful publicly traded regional banks in America. He got his seat when that regional bank acquired the very successful community bank he built from the ground up. I will not name him or this bank, but I will pass on a few things he said to me.

He said, “Our bank’s leadership team and others I know at the local or regional level feel paralyzed and intimidated by the climate of fear created by the Obama administration. We believe we are targets of a very deliberate conspiracy.

“The new and proposed regulations will remove every competitive advantage of the community bank, and make every bank identical, forced to operate exactly as does Bank of America,” he explained. “Then, absent competitive opportunity, all of the independent banks will be greatly de-valued and handicapped. They’ll be vulnerable and easily rolled up into the handful of remaining giants … the small bank’s wealth made into fresh food for the insatiable hunger of the big banks’ deficits and losses. This is, I and others believe, the next step in Obama’s plan to take total control of the financial system and money supply, a requirement of dictatorship.“

What is most significant about these statements is the person making them. This is not some freak like the fellow Mel Gibson portrayed in the movie “Conspiracy Theory.”. He’s not somebody stockpiling food in a cabin hidden away in the woods, to escape to when anarchy erupts. Not anybody you would expect to hear express such thoughts. And he’s not a lone voice.

Another friend is the CEO of a mid-sized company that had been on an impressive trajectory of growth for the past three years but is now stalled. He and his advisers have reversed their viewpoint in the last few months. They are eager to sell the company if possible now rather than later. Why? They believe Obama is deliberately, systematically destroying the economy as a whole and is specifically targeting small business for extinction – because it’s too difficult to exercise dictatorial control over millions of small enterprises. >>> Dan Kennedy | Friday, July 10, 2009

President Signs Anti-Smoker/Anti-Liberty 'Family Smoking And Tobacco Control Act'
Photo: Diggers Realm
DIGGERS REALM: Last week I reported on the Family Smoking and Tobacco Control Act in my article "First They Came For The Smokers.... President Obama signed that law today which in essence not only further vilifies smokers as the bane of society, but claims it will lower health care costs, bans tobacco brands from sponsoring sports and entertainment events and will "save the children". American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, CEO John R. Seffrin actually said it finally "put an end to Big Tobacco's despicable marketing practices".

Some things they failed to mention that the bill will do is further infringe on personal civil liberties in this country, have an impact on southern states that produce tobacco and create a further black market and crime for cigarettes as they become more expensive.

As I noted in my article, there were a few curious things in the bill which gave certain "classes" of people preference over others. For instance they have banned all flavored cigarettes, including things like cherry, coffee and the pretty popular clove, but allowed menthol to continue to be used in cigarettes. Menthol seems to be the major preference of black smokers (and was introduced as an exception by the Black Caucus into the bill).

Not a smoker? You should still be concerned. The government is now telling companies which flavorings they can use in products, which companies can sponsor sporting and entertainment events and which agriculture industries deserve to exist.

If you think it stops at cigarettes and tobacco then just wait a little while. They will be going after soda soon, determining that cherry Coke is too enticing for young children and is affecting their weight. Or perhaps they will go after Burgers that contain cheese because some people just like cheese a little too much and can't resist, thus putting their health at risk. >>> Digger | Undated

Digger’s Opinion: Michelle Obama Is Not A Trend Setter And Not Particularly Attractive In Any Way
DIGGERS REALM: I'm about sick of the media's attempts to make Michelle Obama out to be some world trend setter or some overly attractive woman. I find her fashion sense unappealing to her body shape and size and I don't particularly find her attractive in any way. There it has been said. Something that it seems many are afraid to state openly for fear of being called a racist. As with immigration, this as well has nothing to do with race and everything to do with lies.

I'm not usually one to denigrate someone based on their looks, but I've had about enough of this bullshit about how gorgeous Michelle Obama is and the truth must be spoken. I won't go as far as saying "You can put lipstick on a pig...", but you can do a "glamor shot" of anyone after spending 3 hours putting makeup on them and portray them as something they are not. I believe this "false face" mentality is part of why this country is falling apart. >>> Digger | Undated

Somalia: ‘The Religion of Love and Peace and Compassion and Mercy’ Has Been at It Again!
TIMES ONLINE: Seven people accused of renouncing Islam and spying for the Government were beheaded in Somalia yesterday in a move that underlined the growing authority of the country’s Islamist insurgents.

The extremist al-Shabaab group is battling the interim Government in Mogadishu and has implemented a strict interpretation of Sharia in the parts of the country that it controls.

“Al-Shabaab told us that they were beheaded for being Christian followers and spies,” a relative said after the killings. A witness described seeing the decapitated bodies in the back of a lorry in the town of Baidoa.

The killings were the largest number to take place at one time. They were the latest in a series of beheadings, amputations and stonings to death ordered by al-Shabaab, which is accused of having links to al-Qaeda and is listed as a terrorist organisation by the US.

In areas that al-Shabaab controls, including most of southern Somalia and much of Mogadishu, numerous others accused of collaborating with the Government or committing crimes such as adultery, rape, theft or murder have been publicly executed, flogged or had amputations ordered in recent weeks. Seven Somalis beheaded by extremists for 'spying for government' >>> Tristan McConnell in Nairobi | Saturday, July 11, 2009

Sarah Palin Is Resigning Over Money, Says Levi Johnston
THE TELEGRAPH: The teenage father of Sarah Palin's grandson has claimed she is resigning because she wants to make money.

Levi Johnston, 19, whose wedding to Bristol Palin, 18, was called off earlier this year, says he believes the governor is resigning over personal finances.

Mr Johnston says he lived with the Palin family from early December to the second week in January. He claims he heard the governor several times say how nice it would be to take advantage of the lucrative deals that were being offered, including a reality show and a book.

"I think the big deal was the book. That was millions of dollars," said Mr Johnston, who has had a strained relationship with the family but now says things have improved. >>> | Friday, July 10, 2009

G8: Carla Bruni Under Fire for 'Snobbery'
THE TELEGRAPH: Carla Bruni, the wife of French president Nicolas Sarkozy, has been criticised by the Italian press for snobbery verging on 'boorishness' for snubbing the summit's official programme.

"Someone tell the first lady that snobbery to the nth degree where we come from is called boorishness," the paper Il Giornale said as the G8 was wrapping up in L'Aquila, central Italy.

On Thursday, the other G8 first ladies including Michelle Obama toured the city devastated by an April 6 earthquake, while Miss Bruni planned to visit the disaster zone on Friday.

Miss Bruni, who arrived in Italy late Thursday, also stayed away from the wives' audience with Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday. >>> | Friday, July 10, 2009

Jeb Bush fasst das Präsidentenamt ins Auge
WELT ONLINE: Er sagt, er wolle nicht Präsidentschaftskandidat werden – und heizt doch gleichzeitig die Debatte an, ob ein dritter Republikaner aus der Bush-Dynastie um das Weiße Haus kämpfen wird. Jeb Bush, ehemaliger Gouverneur von Florida, scheint mit einem höheren politischen Amt zu liebäugeln.

Jeb Bush, jüngerer Bruder des vorigen Präsidenten George W. Bush und von 1998 bis 2006 Gouverneur von Florida, sagte dem Magazin „Esquire", er wache nicht jeden Tag auf mit der Überzeugung: „Ich bin die Lösung der Probleme des Lebens." 



Ihn „schmeichelt es, wenn die Leute meinen Rat suchen", sagte der bei Exil-Kubanern und Hispanics sehr populäre Ex-Gouverneur, der zweimal mit klarem Vorsprung die Wahlen gewann und wegen der Verfassung kein drittes Mal antreten durfte.

Doch Jeb Bush, der Lieblingssohn des früheren Präsidenten George H.W. Bush senior, schränkte zugleich ein, er habe „derzeit" nicht die luxuriöse Situation, alles um eine Kandidatur auszurichten. Solch ein Satz, solche eine Einschränkung nähren Spekulationen. >>> Von Ansgar Graw

Gang Chief Jailed for Torturing French Jew to Death
YNET NEWS: Youssouf Fofana, head of the 'gang of barbarians' responsible for kidnapping, torturing 23-year-old French Jew Ilan Halimi to death in 2006 sentenced to life imprisonment; 24 other gang members also convicted

The leader of a group that called itself a "gang of barbarians" was sentenced to life imprisonment by a French court on Friday for kidnapping and torturing a young Jewish man for more than three weeks before leaving him to die.

The gang abducted 23-year-old Ilan Halimi in 2006, unsuccessfully tried to extort a ransom for their captive, tortured him until he was close to death and then left him near a train station. He died shortly after he was found.

The case shocked France and turned a spotlight on anti-Semitic violence in the poor, multi-ethnic suburbs around many big French cities.

Amid tight courtroom security, Youssouf Fofana, the gang's leader, who admitted killing Halimi, was sentenced to life imprisonment, the maximum penalty under French law, with a minimum period in jail of 22 years.

Twenty-four other gang members were handed sentences ranging from six months suspended to 18 years in prison. Two were acquitted.

"I am pleased that the Paris court of assizes has recognized the anti-Semitic character of this crime," Francis Szpiner, a lawyer for Halimi's family told reporters outside the courtroom.

"It was because he was Jewish that Ilan Halimi was killed and tortured. Noone can challenge this judicial truth." >>> Reuters | Saturday, July 11, 2009