'Hero' Greek Woman Sets Fire to Drunken Briton's Genitals
THE TELEGRAPH: A 26-year old Greek woman has become an overnight national hero after setting fire to the genitals of a 23-year old drunken Briton who allegedly tried to sexually assault her in a crowded bar.

The unidentified woman from the fiercely proud island of Crete won herself even more praise by doing the right legal thing – turning herself over to police and the courts to be put on trial for what she claimed was her "right to self-defence".

She will face a magistrate on Friday to see if the case will go to court.

She is currently facing an investigating magistrate on charges of causing bodily injuries to the Briton and of endangering private property.

The Briton himself, whose name is expected to be released later, is currently in a private clinic in Heraklion, the capital of Crete island, being treated for second degree burns to his testicles and penis.

According to a police statement issued last night the incident occurred at a club in the notorious coastal resort of Mallia, which is dominated by young Britons seeking all-night revelry.

It alleged the Briton took down his trousers and started waving his genitals at a number of girls. He then specifically "forcefully fondled" the 26-year old Greek woman, asking her to take hold of his genitals.

After asking him to stop harassing her, the police said, she poured the alcoholic drink Sabucco on his genitals (an Italian brand type of Greek ouzo or French Pernod drink).

This again allegedly failed to stop his advances, so the woman seized a lighter and set fire to the alcohol-drenched genitals, local press reports said. >>> Paul Anast in Athens | Thursday, August 06, 2009

Just Ask Arafat
YNET NEWS: Does world remember why we needed airline security in first place?

Every time I travel overseas (and I must admit it happens often,) I undergo security checks at airports worldwide. Every time I ask myself how could it be that none of the billions of travelers who have been going the strict and annoying checks for years now dedicate a few seconds to thinking about the reason for this screening process, which has become an integral part of every flight by now. As if it’s pre-destined. Just like one needs a ticket and passport, one needs to stand in line and undergo a security check.

A whole generation (and in fact, two generations) of passengers are convinced that the need for security was born along with the first ever flight. However, we the older ones remember why every traveler now needs to undergo those checks. We also remember that many years ago we could fly from one location to another without any interruptions. The planes were slower perhaps, and there was no in-flight movie, but we could just board a plane and fly.

It is therefore odd that even those who still remember this ancient era do not think, or do not want to think, about the reason for the bothersome addition of security: The fact that one, Yasser Arafat, and the terrorist gangs he commanded, introduced the need of security checks after inventing the notion of hijacking planes for the purposes of extorting the Free World. >>> Noah Klieger | Thursday, August 06, 2009

Words Aren’t Enough
YNET NEWS: Obama has failed to sweep Israelis, Arabs because his message has remained vague

WASHINGTON – Barak [sic] Obama has been unable to sweep public opinion in Israel, and not because he did not bother to travel to Tel Aviv or Jerusalem or directly address the people. He has failed because his message is vague and it does not enable Israelis to understand what his next steps are, and how exactly we will be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Obama was elected US president mostly because he knew how to produce what the American public so direly needed: Hope. Yet among Middle East residents, Obama has been unable to produce hope, because he has not presented an orderly plan accompanied by a timetable. Obama said that the two-state vision is the solution. President Bush also said it before him, yet for eight years nothing happened.

Obama's Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, boasts that he spent his summer vacations on the beach in Tel Aviv. Yet even he cannot explain to his boss the essence of Israeliness: When you push Israelis into a corner, their response is reflected by two constitutive statements: "I won't be a sucker" on the one hand, and "I'll show you who's the boss" on the other hand.

When Obama pressured Israel and demanded that it curb settlement construction without indicating what the other side needs to do, he failed to move Israelis to his side; not even the ones who support his policy and automatically applaud any peace plan. The more he presses, the more assertive they'll become, while also showing him they won't be the neighborhood's sucker.

This Israeli disdain can easily turn into willingness to face a challenge, even if the price is heavy: Israelis only want to know there's a reason to do it.

Meanwhile, Obama also failed to give hope to the Palestinians and to Arab residents of east Jerusalem: He did not present a message that would prompt people to rally around it, such as what the Palestinian state will look like, what will its relationship with Israel be like, what will security guarantees be like, and what will Mideastern residents gain by backing Obama. >>> Orly Azoulay | August 04, 2009

Spinning Vinyl – Scott Joplin – The Entertainer


Chocotiger: The Entertainer

Don't Cry For Me Argentina

Queen Rania of Jordan: ملكة القلوب ملكة الاردن الملكة رانيا حماها الله

Queen Rania al Abdullah of Jordan (Official Website) >>>

Israeli Prime Minister Visits Scene of Gay Shooting
PINK NEWS: The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has visited the Tel Aviv gay youth centre where two people were killed last weekend.

Speaking today at the scene, he said the shooting bore "the markings of a terror attack".

Two people, a 16-year-old girl and a 26-year-old man, were killed and 15 were injured when a masked gunman opened fire on the LGBT venue on Saturday.

Police are still hunting for the gunman. The prime minister assured those present the police had his support.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu said: "We need to do this and we must bring security back into our lives. This is not just a blow to the gay-lesbian community. This is a blow to all Israeli youth and Israeli society."

He added: "Anyone who has suffered from gratuitous hatred, as an individual or in a group, knows how painful and unacceptable it is. This is something we must uproot from society as much as possible," he added. "I think Israeli society has made progress towards tolerance, and I hope and feel certain that we can make further progress."

The event was closed to the media. It was the first time an Israeli prime minister has visited a gay organisation. [Source: PinkNews] Staff Writer | Thursday, August 06, 2009

Turkish Nationalist Plotters 'Planned to Kill Prime Minister'
TIMES ONLINE: Members of a nationalist plot to overthrow the Turkish Government planned to attack the Nato headquarters in Turkey and assassinate 12 prominent figures, including the Prime Minister, a court heard today.

Fifty-two additional suspects, including a former senior policeman, were charged with involvement in the alleged campaign of chaos and violence that was to culminate in a military coup. A court accepted the third, 1,454-page indictment in the Ergenekon trial, charging the ultranationalist, ultra-secularist group.

Two four-star generals and senior figures from the security forces, business, politics, academia and the media are among the defendants as Turkey confronts for the first time what has long been known as the Deep State. The network is considered to be the true, military-backed power behind the throne in this mainly Muslim democracy.

Ergenekon, named after a mythical valley where ancient Turks once lived, is considered the latest incarnation of an organisation that has allegedly existed for decades under different guises. It was given a new impetus and its new title after the rise of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Prime Minister, whose party was first elected in 2002. His background as a political Islamist has helped the group to sway public opinion, but it is his reformist, pro-European Union actions and policies that are most offensive to this isolationist and anti-Western group’s hard core. >>> Suna Erdem in Istanbul | Thursday, August 06, 2009

President Obama's Approval Rating Plummets to 50 Per Cent for First Time
TIMES ONLINE: President Obama’s approval rating fell to just 50 per cent for the first time today as a growing number of Democratic congressmen across the country contend with angry mobs decrying his economic policies.

The screaming groups, who have hung effigies of Democratic politicians on nooses and even issued death threats, are accused of being orchestrated mobs paid for by conservative groups.

Yet they have captured the spotlight and point to the raging national debate over Mr Obama’s increasingly desperate push to reform health care, the centerpiece of his domestic agenda. The clashes also come amid deep concerns about the exploding budget deficit, a ballooning debt which is threatening the president’s entire economic policies.

After a month in which his poll ratings suffered a significant slide, a new Quinnipiac survey had his approval rating down to just 50 per cent. As in other recent polls, and more ominously for Mr Obama, a majority of Americans now disapprove of his handling of the economy and the issue of health care. >>> Tim Reid, Washington | Thursday, August 06, 2009

Hackers Crash Twitter
THE TELEGRAPH: Twitter has gone down after the microblogging website became the victim of what the company believes was a co-ordinated attack.

The site crashed at around 2pm UK time, and remained offline for several hours. Twitter users around the world were unable to use the service, and could not send or receive messages, known a tweets.

Twitter confirmed that the outage had been caused by malicious attempts to overload its servers. This technique, known as a distributed denial of service attack, is widely used by hackers, cybercriminals and spammers to flood a website's servers with access requests, leaving ordinary traffic unable to connect to the server, and causing the system to overload and crash.

Hackers use a network of compromised computers, called a "botnet", to launch these attacks. Computer users are often unaware that their machine has been infected with a virus, worm or malicious software that allows hackers to gain remote access to their PC.

Twitter said that although the microblogging service was up and running again, it was still defending against the attack, and was attempting to recover and provide a normal service. >>> Claudine Beaumont, Technology Editor | Thursday, August 06, 2009

Von der «Islamischen» zur «Iranischen Republik» : Präsident Ahmadinejad steht gefährlicher Protestbewegung gegenüber
NZZ ONLINE: Iran dürfte eine Phase der Transformation durchlaufen: Die Protestbewegung wird wohl nicht mehr aufzuhalten sein. Selbst wenn die nächsten vier Jahre Repression, Gewalt und Einschränkung der Meinungsfreiheit dominieren werden. Die Zeichen dafür, dass die Islamische Revolution am Ende ist, werden immer deutlicher.

Der Grundstein für vier weitere Jahre unter Mahmud Ahmadinejad in Iran ist gelegt. Am 4. August wurde der Präsident ein weiteres Mal vom obersten Geistlichen Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vereidigt. Die breite Protestwelle, die die Wahlen und allmählich auch das politische System in Frage stellen, scheint an dem Mullah-Apparat buchstäblich abzuprallen. Doch das Establishment in Teheran steht auf immer wackligeren Beinen.

Distanz zur Führung
Ein prominentes Zeichen dafür setzte der frühere Präsident der Islamischen Republik, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Er blieb sowohl der Ernennung als auch der Vereidigung von Präsident Ahmadinejad fern. Damit setzt der Gelehrte und frühere Staatspräsident ein deutliches Signal, dass auch die Elite des Landes zunehmend auf Distanz zur Führung geht. >>> hoh | Donnerstag, 06. August 2009

Gesellschaft: Reiche Länder haben die niedrigsten Geburtenraten
Bild: Google Images
WELT ONLINE: Je besser es den Menschen geht, desto weniger Kinder bekommen sie. Das zeigen Wissenschaftler anhand von Daten aus den letzten 35 Jahren. Sie warnen: In vielen hoch entwickelten Ländern sei der Trend zur Überalterung nicht mehr umzukehren. Um ihn zu mildern, müsse die Politik familienfreundlicher werden.

Es ist paradox: Den Menschen in Industrieländern geht es immer besser – und die Geburtenrate sinkt. Dass mit zunehmendem Reichtum weniger Kinder geboren werden, ist ein weltweites Phänomen. Die Angst mancher Länder vor Überalterung oder gar dem Aussterben der eigenen Bevölkerung sei aber unbegründet, schreiben US-Forscher im Wissenschaftsmagazin „Nature“ (Bd. 460, S. 741). Werde ein bestimmter Grad ökonomischer Entwicklung erreicht, drehe sich der Trend um. In den USA und den Niederlanden steige die Geburtenrate bereits wieder leicht an.

Die Wissenschaftler um Hans-Peter Kohler von der Universität Pennsylvania in Philadelphia analysierten für ihre Studie Daten von 1975 und 2005 aus 24 Ländern. Sie erfassten jeweils die Geburtenrate und den zwischen 0 und 1 liegenden „Human Development Index“ (HDI), der Wirtschaftskraft, Lebenserwartung und Bildungsgrad der Menschen eines Landes berücksichtigt. >>> dpa/ks/cn | Donnerstag, 06. August 2009

Umfrage: Deutsche haben kein gutes Image in der Schweiz
WELT ONLINE: Sie wohnen Grenze an Grenze, sprechen dieselbe Sprache und fahren im selben Gebirge Ski – und doch trennen Schweizer und Deutsche manchmal Welten. Vorurteile sind dabei keine Seltenheit. Ein Hamburger Unternehmen hat Schweizer nun befragt, was sie sich unter einem typischen Deutschen vorstellen.

Deutschland ist als Urlaubsland eigentlich nicht unbeliebt bei den Schweizern. In einer Online-Umfrage des Hamburger Unternehmens für Werbewirkung MediaAnalyzer gaben 81 Prozent der Befragten an, schon einmal in Deutschland Urlaub gemacht zu haben. Doch es scheint nicht allen gefallen zu haben, denn 54 Prozent empfinden das Image des Nachbarlandes als schlecht (47 Prozent) oder sogar sehr schlecht (sieben Prozent). >>> | Mittwoch, 05. August 2009

La vérité selon Obama
leJDD.fr: Aux Etats-Unis, l’administration Obama est à la peine pour imposer sa réforme de l’assurance-maladie. A tel point que la Maison blanche en appelle désormais aux citoyens américains, afin qu’ils dénoncent toute information "douteuse" sur le sujet.

On ne change pas une technique qui marche. Durant la campagne présidentielle américaine, le camp Obama avait lancé un site anti-rumeurs, consistant à rétablir ‘la vérité’ sur le démocrate. L’équipe du candidat avait alors invité les citoyens américains à rapporter les rumeurs les plus folles. L'efficacité de la méthode s'est rappelée au bon souvenir du président Obama. Dans un message posté sur le blog officiel de la présidence, le directeur chargé des nouveaux médias, Macon Phillips, demande ainsi à ses concitoyens de rapporter toutes les informations entendues sur la réforme de l’assurance-maladie, projet phare de la mandature démocrate. "Il y a beaucoup de désinformation sur la réforme (…) ces rumeurs se répandent (...) par les chaînes de courrier électronique ou les conversations ordinaires", écrit-il. Et d’en appeler aux citoyens américains: "Nous vous demandons de nous aider. Si vous recevez un courriel ou voyez quelque chose sur internet qui vous semble douteux au sujet de la réforme de l’assurance-santé, envoyez-le à flag@whitehouse.gov."

Le message n’est pas passé inaperçu dans le camp républicain. En colère, le sénateur du Texas, John Cornyn, s’est fendu d’un courrier à la Maison blanche, rendu public sur son site internet. "Je n'ai pas connaissance d'un quelconque précédent dans lequel un président demande aux citoyens américains de rapporter (...) ce que disent leurs concitoyens lors de discussions publiques, et qui serait considéré comme douteux ou hostile aux intérêts politiques de la Maison Blanche", écrit-il. L’élu républicain demande désormais à l’administration Obama de s’expliquer sur la manière dont elle entend utiliser les informations rapportées par les internautes, disant craindre une quelconque action à l’encontre des personnes ainsi dénoncées. Et d’exhorter la Maison blanche à "cesser immédiatement de dresser une liste d’ennemis politiques". Washington n’a pas commenté ce courrier. >>> Jeudi 06 Août 2009

President Obama's VIP Healthcare
LOS ANGELES TIMES: The commander in chief and his family get free treatment from a staff of four doctors. White House physicians see their role as mirroring the Secret Service, to protect the chief executive.

Reporting from Washington -- When President Obama says he has the best healthcare in the world, he isn't kidding.

The White House medical unit, with a staff of four doctors plus nurses and physicians' assistants, is steps from his office. Treatment is free for Obama and his family (as well as for the vice president and his family).

During the president's travels, a doctor and nurse ride in a limousine in his motorcade. An emergency medical technician comes too, with an ambulance.

Air Force One is stocked with equipment for an on-board operating room. On overseas trips, two medical teams usually travel with the president, one on the plane and one pre-positioned on the ground so the president will always have a rested doctor and nurse at the ready.

The first family receives VIP treatment at military hospitals. And Obama has virtually instant access to medical specialists that few, if any, Americans could duplicate.

"If the president comes to us this morning with a mole on his cheek, a dermatologist will be seeing him today," said Dr. Rob Darling, a retired Navy captain who was a White House physician for President Clinton.

During the Clinton administration, a White House doctor and nurse typically traveled with the first lady when she went overseas separately from the president, but she did not have a medical team embedded in her everyday entourage, Darling said.

A White House spokesman declined to describe the arrangements for Michelle Obama.

The personal physicians and access to military hospitals come on top of a choice of 10 family health insurance options that Obama receives along with all other federal employees.

White House spokesman Reid Cherlin declined to say which health insurance plan the Obama family has. But under the federal Blue Cross Blue Shield plan -- the most popular among government employees -- a doctor visit costs $20 and generic drugs are $10. >>> Mike Dorning | Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Barack Obama - Dumber than Dumb


Hat tip: Avenging Apostate at Pedestrian Infidel >>>

Japan Remembers Hiroshima

Broader Issues on Table in Pyongyang
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: While Negotiating Journalists' Release, Clinton and Kim Widened Talks to Security, Regional Concerns

WASHINGTON -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, in more than three hours of discussions with Bill Clinton in Pyongyang, drew the former U.S. president into a wide-ranging discussion of security and regional issues.

Former U.S. officials and diplomats say the meetings, attended by the top ranks of Pyongyang's security establishment, were part of a renewed campaign by Pyongyang to stimulate direct negotiations with Washington over the country's nuclear program.

President Barack Obama and his aides stressed Wednesday that they weren't viewing Mr. Clinton's trip as anything more than a humanitarian mission focused on securing the release of two detained American journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling.

Mr. Clinton returned to California Wednesday morning on a private jet with Ms. Lee and Ms. Ling, who had been arrested in March at the Chinese border and later sentenced to 12 years hard labor for illegally entering North Korea. Mr. Clinton's one-day visit secured their release.

"We were very clear this was a humanitarian mission," Mr. Obama said in an interview with MSNBC Wednesday. "We have said to the North Koreans there is a path for improved relations, and it involves them no longer developing nuclear weapons."

Mr. Clinton and his delegation were tight-lipped Wednesday about what transpired during a 75-minute meeting with Mr. Kim on Tuesday. They also attended a two-hour banquet hosted by the North Korean leader and his country's pre-eminent national-security body, the National Defense Commission.

U.S. officials briefed on Mr. Clinton's mission, however, are already outlining a broad discussion with Mr. Kim that focused on significantly more than just the two imprisoned Americans.

These U.S. officials indicated that Mr. Clinton expressed to Mr. Kim the necessity that his regime end a nuclear program that's feared to be stoking a broader arms race across Asia and the Middle East. >>> Jay Solomon | Thursday, August 06, 2009

Tough Times: Mobile Homes for Pilots
Jobs with an airline used to be among the most respected and envied but now at Los Angeles International Airport about a hundred airline employees - ranging from mechanics to pilots - are living in mobile homes parked just yards from one of the busiest runways in the world. Watch BBC video here

In Denial

BarackObamaExperiment >>>

Reforma

Evangelical Christianity: It's Glastonbury for God
THE INDEPENDENT: Church of England pews may be empty, but the fields of Somerset are rocking with a series of evangelical festivals this summer. Jerome Taylor joined the faithful

Rich Nathan is just about to wrap up his evening sermon when a loud and piercing shriek erupts from the back of his congregation. A woman in the crowd of 3,000 worshippers is shaking uncontrollably and wailing. "Jesus!" she cries. "Jesus I feel you!" Nearer the front of the stage, a small and equally exuberant group of faithful is receiving the Holy Spirit in other ways. Some rock from side to side, others simply mutter in hushed tones or raise their hands skywards.

It could be a scene from the American Mid-West – Pastor Nathan is, after all, a prominent Jewish-born convert to Christianity who leads a church in Ohio. But today's energetic act of mass worship is taking place in the rolling countryside of Somerset, just to the south of the picturesque town of Shepton Mallet.

As the leaders of Britain's more mainstream denominations scratch their heads and debate how to revitalise their congregations, evangelical Christianity in Britain is going from strength to strength. The number of evangelical churches in Britain has risen from 2047 to 2,719 since 1998 and their followers now make up 34 per cent of Anglicans, figures show.

Nowhere is the strength of British evangelism more apparent than at the numerous summer festivals that have sprung up and attract tens of thousands of people every year. Britain's first atheist summer camp, attended by 24 children last week, made headlines around the world. But just down the road an estimated 60,000 Christians of many different but predominantly evangelical hues will pass through the gates of the Royal Bath and West Showground over the next five weeks for a succession of festivals that offers a heady mix of Glastonbury and God. >>> Jerome Taylor | Thursday, August 06, 2009

Blackwater Accused of Murder in 'Crusade to Eliminate Muslims'
TIMES ONLINE: A series of allegations including murder, weapons smuggling and the deliberate slaughter of civilians have been levelled against the founder of Blackwater, the security company being investigated for shooting deaths in Iraq.

The accusations, including a claim that the company founder Erik Prince either murdered or had killed former employees co-operating with federal investigators, are contained in sworn affidavits lodged at a Virginia court on Monday night.

The company was the most prominent of an army of private security companies employed by the Pentagon and State Department to protect military convoys and guard US diplomats in Iraq

The accusations against Mr Prince are being made by two former employees, including a former Marine, who have sworn them anonymously as John Doe No 1 and John Doe No 2, because they said they feared for their lives if their identities were revealed

In one of the statements, John Doe 2, who worked for Blackwater for four years, alleged that Mr Prince “views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe” and that his companies “encouraged and rewarded the destruction of Iraqi life”.

They claimed that Mr Prince and other executives destroyed incriminating videos, e-mails and documents and hid their criminal behaviour from the US State Department. >>> Tim Reid in Washington | Thursday, August 06, 2009

When Being Gay Can Get You Murdered
HAARETZ: Israel has seen dozens of murders of homosexual men by sexual partners in recent decades. One prominent filmmaker believes that in a considerable proportion of these cases, the killer sought to "purify" himself of any suspicion that he was gay.

Ran Kotzer, today a senior producer at the Channel 2 television concessionaire Reshet, investigated the phenomenon while creating his 2003 documentary "Cause of Death: Homophobia." Kotzer said such murders have not received the attention they deserve, because the victims are often perceived as partly culpable in their own murders, simply by virtue of being homosexual.

Kotzer sees such crimes as homophobic murders, which usually stem from the perpetrator's feelings of guilt and the desire to "kill the homosexual within him." >>> Ofri Ilani | Thursday, August 06, 2009

Hebrew Anti-gay Facebook Page Hacked and Turned into Pro-gay Forum
HAARETZ: A user on social networking site Facebook managed on Wednesday to hack into an anti-gay group on the popular site, and change it into a pro-gay forum complete with homoerotic photos and videos.

The original group, "I also hate gays" had attracted over a 150 users and a spawn of copycat groups after it was started days after a shooting at a Tel Aviv gay center that left two dead and over a dozen wounded.

The group had featured a manifesto calling on people to join "if you don't care what happened on Saturday night, if you are tired of gay people talking about their sexual deviation" and saying its goal was to attract people looking to "shut-up Israel's homosexual community"

The group had featured a manifesto calling on people to join "if you don't care what happened on Saturday night, if you are tired of gay people talking about their sexual deviation" and saying its goal was to attract people looking to "shut-up Israel's homosexual community" >>> Benjamin L. Hartman, Haaretz Correspondent | Wednesday, August 05, 2009

US Journalists Return Home from North Korea with Bill Clinton
THE TELEGRAPH: Euna Lee and Laura Ling, the two US journalists freed after 140 days in captivity in North Korea, have returned home with Bill Clinton to a tearful reunion with their families in Los Angeles.



Euna Lee, 36, and Laura Ling, 32, were flanked by the former US president Bill Clinton, whose meeting with the reclusive Jong-il had secured their liberty during a surprise 20-hour visit to Pyongyang, as they gave their first account of their escape from a 12-year sentence of hard labour.

"Thirty hours ago, Euna Lee and I were prisoners in North Korea," said Miss Ling, struggling to remain composed. "We feared that at any moment we could be prisoners in a hard labour camp. Then suddenly we were told that we were going to a meeting.

"We were taken to a location and when we walked through the doors, we saw standing before us president Bill Clinton. We were shocked, but we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives [was over].

She added: "Euna and I would just like to express our deepest gratitude to president Clinton and his wonderful, amazing, not to mention super-cool team ... and the United States Secret Service who travelled half way around the world, and then some, to secure our release." >>> Toby Harnden in Washington | Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Lubna Hussein: Justice Deferred
THE GUARDIAN: Lubna Hussein's trial for 'indecent dressing' has been postponed. But whatever the result she has struck a blow for women's rights

The trial of Lubna Hussein was postponed for the second time yesterday. Under the pretext of attempting to determine whether Hussein had truly revoked her immunity from prosecution when she resigned from her UN position, the authorities have bought more time to find a face-saving resolution to the debacle. This is looking more and more unlikely as Hussein's campaign gathers momentum both at home and abroad.

Initially, she was viewed as something of a loose cannon in Khartoum. So many before her had suffered the pot luck fate of flogging and retreated to lick their wounds in private for fear of attracting more shame and indignity. In a naturally demure and modest society, any suggestion of inappropriate behaviour leaves a woman with no option but to try and minimise the damage to her reputation and quell the "no smoke without fire" whispers.

But now that spell has been broken. Around 50 female protesters braved tear gas and baton beatings from police outside court yesterday, tying their fate to Lubna's. An ancillary case is brewing as another journalist faces an exorbitant fine for criticising the government's handling of the case. By breaking through the self-imposed barrier of fear of what others would think, Lubna has stripped her punishment of all its power and turned the tables spectacularly. If ultimately she is flogged her "martyrdom" will be complete – if she is found innocent the government will be humiliated and public order laws made a mockery of. >>> Nesrine Malik | Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Une cartouche de fusil de chasse dans le courrier de Sarkozy
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: MENACES | Les services de sécurité de la République française ont intercepté une lettre de menaces avec munition adressée au président Sarkozy.

Une lettre contenant une cartouche de fusil de chasse de gros calibre, adressée au président de la République Nicolas Sarkozy, a été interceptée mardi par les services de sécurité, a-t-on appris mercredi de sources proches du dossier. >>> AFP | Mercredi 05 Août 2009

Who Is Really Being Dishonest About Islam?
AINA: In his "The Faith Divide" blog at the Washington Post's website, Eboo Patel took umbrage Monday at two recent reviews in the New York Times Book Review charging "Dishonesty About Islam in the NYT Book Review." Patel was angry at favorable reviews of what he called "Bruce Bawer's alarmist book Surrender" (about which he huffed, "the subtitle says it all: Appeasing Islam, Sacrificing Freedom") and Christopher Caldwell's Reflections on the Revolution in Europe (which was reviewed by Fouad Ajami). Yet while making the improbable claim that the New York Times printed material that was dishonest and negative about Islam, Patel showed himself to be not a little disingenuous -- suggesting that before he call these reviewers on their alleged dishonesty, he should look to his own.

"Ajami," complains Patel, "opens his piece by juxtaposing two disparate pieces of history: the departure of Spain's last Muslim ruler in 1492, and the terrorist attacks on Madrid in 2004. 'A circle was closed,' Ajami writes, 'and Islam was, once again, a matter of Western Europe.'" What is wrong with this? "The Muslim presence in medieval Spain," asserts Patel, "is widely regarded as a time of tolerance, good government and support for the arts and education. In fact, Ajami himself wrote a positive review of one of the many books on that era, Maria Rosa Menocal's The Ornament of the World. Placing Al-Andalus, as it was known, in the same breath as a ghastly terrorist attack - as if to say 'Here's what happens when Muslims are around' - is beyond questionable. A dead fish wouldn't want to be wrapped in a newspaper article with that level of intellectual dishonesty."

Funny that Patel should mention Menocal. Certainly her Ornament of the World is largely responsible for the contemporary myth of a tolerant, pluralistic, proto-multicultural Al-Andalus. But even Menocal, in that very book, admits that tolerance and pluralism went only so far in Muslim Spain, which institutionalized discrimination against Jewish and Christian dhimmis:

The dhimmi, as these covenanted peoples were called, were granted religious freedom, not forced to convert to Islam. They could continue to be Jews and Christians, and, as it turned out, they could share in much of Muslim social and economic life. In return for this freedom of religious conscience the Peoples of the Book (pagans had no such privilege) were required to pay a special tax -- no Muslims paid taxes and to observe a number of restrictive regulations: Christians and Jews were prohibited from attempting to proselytize Muslims, from building new places of worship, from displaying crosses or ringing bells. In sum, they were forbidden most public displays of their religious rituals. (Pp. 72-3)

So much for a paradise of tolerance and multiculturalism. Historian Kenneth Baxter Wolf observes that "much of this new legislation aimed at limiting those aspects of the Christian cult which seemed to compromise the dominant position of Islam." After enumerating a list of laws much like Menocal's, he adds: "Aside from such cultic restrictions most of the laws were simply designed to underscore the position of the dimmîs as second-class citizens." >>> Robert Spencer, FrontPageMagazine (JihadWatch)| Tuesday, August 04, 2009

The Islamic Mein Kampf
View ‘The Islamic Mein Kampf'* here
*Be advised that many of these images are disturbing, and will not be appropriate for minors. Viewer discretion is therefore advised.

Muslim Persecution of Christians
View ‘Muslim Persecution of Christians’* here
*Be advised that many of these images are disturbing, and will not be appropriate for minors. Viewer discretion is therefore advised.

Obama the Joker

Ahmadinejad Sworn in for 2nd Term as Iran’s President
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran addressed the parliament after being sworn into a second term as president. Photo: The New York Times
THE NEW YORK TIMES: BEIRUT, Lebanon — With his adversaries shunning the ceremony and security forces on the streets, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was sworn into office for a second term Wednesday, almost two months after elections that divided the nation and sparked Iran’s deepest crisis since the Islamic revolution 30 years ago.

Protests erupted outside the parliament building as he was inaugurated, with several people arrested and police using pepper spray to disperse demonstrators, according to news reports. Severe reporting restrictions in Iran hindered efforts to gauge the scale of the demonstration.

The official IRNA news agency said there was no “disturbance of the peace” on major streets and traffic circles in the Iranian capital during the inauguration, The Associated Press reported, quoting witnesses as saying at least 10 people were detained by police.

Witnesses said the detainees included protesters in black T-shirts in a show of grief over Mr. Ahmadinejad’s inauguration, The A.P. said. The state-run broadcaster Press TV said more than 5,000 members of the security and police forces had gathered around the parliament building while officers with sniffer dogs patrolled the area.

In a relatively low-key speech, news reports said, Mr. Ahmadinejad attacked foreign detractors, appealed for national unity, pledged a “stronger” foreign policy with “more effective new plans” and said he would “spare no effort to safeguard the frontiers of Iran.”

Speaking from a podium bedecked with yellow flowers, he did not directly allude to the huge street protests that have riven Iranian society since opposition leaders accused the authorities of rigging the June 12 election in which Mr. Ahmadinejad was awarded an overwhelming victory. His election was formally endorsed earlier this week by the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

On Wednesday, Mr. Ahmadinejad urged national unity, saying: "We should join hands as we move forward to fulfill our goals,” The A.P. reported. He said his government would “resist any violation of law and interference.”

“We will not remain silent, we will not tolerate disrespect, interference and insults,” he said. >>> By ROBERT F. WORTH and ALAN COWELL | Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Bill Clinton Secures 'Pardon' for Imprisoned Journalists after Meeting North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il
TIMES ONLINE: Bill Clinton burst back on to the global political stage yesterday in the unlikely setting of North Korea — and orchestrated an immediate and spectacular diplomatic coup.

Within hours of the former US President shaking hands with Kim Jong Il, his reclusive host, North Korea announced that two imprisoned American journalists would be pardoned and released. Laura Ling and Euna Lee, sentenced to 12 years of hard labour in June after being convicted of spying, are expected to be on board Mr Clinton’s private jet when he leaves Pyongyang today.

“We are counting the seconds to hold Laura and Euna in our arms,” their families said in a statement.

Mr Kim’s “special pardon” was a sign of North Koreas’s “humanitarian and peace-loving policy”, the state’s official news agency said.

The appearance of the world’s most gregarious former head of state in the rogue state took all sides by surprise. It also suggested that President Obama is prepared to use the formidable political skills possessed by the husband of his Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, when it suits him.

Mr Clinton’s success raised hopes that North Korea may soon be enticed back to multinational disarmament talks, after three months of mounting tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme.

The breakthrough came after what the North Korea media described as “sincere and exhaustive discussions” on a range of matters between Mr Clinton and Mr Kim. The North Koreans said the former US President had flown to Pyongyang bearing a “courteously conveyed” personal message from Mr Obama.

The White House denied that a message had been sent and described Mr Clinton’s trip as a “solely private mission”. Behind the scenes, the Obama Administration had approved the trip after North Korean officials were said to have told the journalists’ families that they were prepared to release them to Mr Clinton. The families then approached the former President.

In another striking break with tradition, footage of Mr Clinton’s arrival and images of his meeting Mr Kim were aired almost immediately on North Korea’s tightly controlled state television channel. >>> Leo Lewis in Tokyo, and Tim Reid in Washington | Tuesday, August 04, 2009

JK Divorce Entrance Dance!

LEMONDROP.COM:
Viral Wedding Video: The Divorce Version! >>> Andrea Zimmerman | Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Just in case you missed the wedding, here it is: Only in America! JK Wedding Entrance Dance, St Paul, Minnesota >>> Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Clinton in Nordkorea: Botschafter ohne offizielle Botschaft
STERN.DE: Fakt ist: Ex-US-Präsident Bill Clinton hat in Pjöngjang Nordkoreas Machthaber Kim Jong Il getroffen. Fraglich bleibt, ob Clinton geschickt wurde. Während nordkoreanische Medien behaupten, Clinton habe eine offizielle Botschaft überbracht, spricht das Weiße Haus von einer "ausschließlich privaten" Reise.

Die USA haben überraschend Bill Clinton nach Nordkorea geschickt, um die Freilassung von zwei inhaftierten Journalistinnen zu erwirken. Als erster hochrangiger US-Politiker seit neun Jahren traf der Expräsident am Dienstag mit Staatschef Kim Jong Il zusammen. Clinton habe "höflich" eine mündliche Botschaft von US-Präsident Barack Obama übermittelt, hieß es in einer Meldung der amtlichen nordkoreanischen Nachrichtenagentur KCNA. Kim habe sich dafür bedankt. Bei dem Gespräch habe es einen "weitreichenden Meinungsaustausch" gegeben. Das Weiße Haus dementierte umgehend, dass Clinton eine Botschaft Obamas überbracht habe. "Diese Berichte treffen nicht zu", sagte ein Sprecher am Dienstag. >>> AP/DPA | Dienstag, 04. August 2009

Paris critique la censure 
d'un sondage au Maroc
LE FIGARO: Le quotidien Le Monde et un hebdomadaire indépendant ont été interdits pour avoir voulu évaluer la popularité de Mohammed VI. Le roi y était pourtant plébiscité.

A l'occasion du dixième anniversaire de l'arrivée au pouvoir de Mohammed VI, TelQuel, le premier magazine marocain, s'est associé au Monde pour réaliser un grand sondage sur la popularité du roi. Cet exercice banal en Occident s'est révélé beaucoup plus périlleux au Maroc. Jamais auparavant un sondage sur la popularité d'un chef d'Etat n'avait été mené dans un pays du monde arabe, souligne le quotidien français.

Avant même la parution du magazine et de sa version arabophone, Nichane, dans les kiosques, le ministre marocain de l'Intérieur, Chakib Benmoussa, a fait saisir samedi le numéro contenant le sondage et l'a fait détruire. Lundi soir, c'était au tour du Monde de se voir saisi dès son arrivée à l'aéroport de Casablanca et privé de vente dans les kiosques. «La monarchie ne peut être mise en équation, même par la voie d'un sondage», a justifié le ministre de la Communication, Khalid Naciri.

La France a critiqué mardi cette décision de Rabat. «Nous sommes particulièrement attachés à la liberté d'expression, protégée par le Pacte international des Nations unies relatif aux droits civils et politiques qu'a ratifié le Maroc, et à son corollaire, la liberté de la presse», a assuré le porte-parole du ministère des Affaires étrangères, Romain Nadal. Cette réaction française à une décision politique marocaine fait figure d'exception dans les relations entre les deux pays. Ces derniers entretiennent des liens privilégiés et Paris soutient généralement les décisions de Rabat. >>> Caroline Politi (lefigaro.fr) avec AFP | Mardi 04 Août 2009

Communiqué du Groupe TelQuel: Forte condamnation des saisies de TelQuel et Nichane
TELQUEL: Le Groupe TelQuelcondamne avec force et énergie la saisie et la destruction de 100 000 exemplaires des magazines TelQuel et Nichane, dont il est l’éditeur, sur décision des autorités publiques marocaines. Samedi 1er août, alors que ces exemplaires étaient encore sous presse, le ministère de l’Intérieur a en effet ordonné leur saisie, puis leur destruction dans les locaux même de leur imprimerie. Les autorités reprochent à TelQuel et Nichane d’avoir voulu publier, en partenariat avec le journal français Le Monde, un sondage d’opinion sur le bilan des 10 ans de règne de Mohammed VI. Même si les résultats de ce sondage démontraient que les Marocains plébiscitent le souverain dans leur écrasante majorité – 91% estiment en effet que son bilan est « positif » à « très positif » – le porte-parole du gouvernement a jugé que « la monarchie ne pouvait être sujette à débat, même dans le cadre d’un sondage ». >>> Groupe TelQuel, Casablanca | Dimanche 02 Août 2009

International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Condemns Seizure of Magazines
IFEX: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today strongly condemned the order issued last Saturday by the Minister of the Interior to seize and destroy over 100,000 copies of two weeklies, TelQuel and Nichane magazines, which carried results of an opinion poll on King Mohammed VI's decade on the throne.

According to the Syndicat National de la Presse Marocaine (SNPM), an IFJ affiliate, the order was implemented while the magazines were in press. The ministry alleges that the publishers, the TelQuel group, contravened current legislation by publishing, in partnership with the French daily Le Monde, the results of an opinion poll assessing the last ten years of government since King Mohamed VI came to power.

"Once again the Moroccan authorities have scored an own goal. To mark the tenth anniversary of the king's accession to the throne, they have been trumpeting new liberties they claim he initiated in matters of press freedom and civil liberties," said Jim Boumelha, IFJ President. "By banning the publication of a mere opinion poll, the authorities have shown they are still prepared to behave as intolerant dictators."

According to the syndicate, the decision was doubly illegal as there is no legislative text that allows for the pulping of newspapers without a judicial order nor any legislation that forbids the publication of opinion polls. >>> | Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Bill Clinton Meets North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il for Talks
TIMES ONLINE: Bill Clinton, who flew into North Korea today on a surprise mission to secure the release of two American journalists, was taken from the airport into a rare face-to-face meeting with the regime’s “Dear Leader”, Kim Jong Il.

The unexpected summit meeting has raised hopes across the region that North Korea may soon be enticed back to multinational disarmament talks after three months of mounting atomic tensions and provocation.

North Korea’s official news agency reported that Mr Clinton and Mr Kim engaged in “sincere and exhaustive discussions” on a range of issues and that the former US president came armed for his encounter with a “courteously conveyed” personal message from Barack Obama. The White House quickly denied there had ever been such a message.

In another striking break with tradition, footage of Mr Clinton’s arrival and images of his meeting with Mr Kim were aired almost immediately on North Korea’s tightly-controlled state television channel – an indication, said close observers of North Korea, of how the visit will likely be used by the regime to parade its out-manoeuvring of the US.

It appears that the groundwork for the talks were well-laid and that Mr Clinton is likely to return to the US with the two journalists in tow on Wednesday. Although nominally carried out in a private capacity, Mr Clinton’s visit is believed to have the double purpose of both freeing Laura Ling and Euna Lee from their sentence of 12 years hard labour and of bringing North Korea back to the negotiating table on nuclear weapons.

Relations between Washington and Pyongyang have deteriorated rapidly since May after the unpredictable regime test-fired what it said was a nuclear device and declared the six party” multinational disarmament talks with South Korea, China, Russia, Japan, America “dead in the water”.

The Pyongyang state news agency put what experts said was a predictable spin on the visit, declaring that Mr Clinton had first appealed for the release of the two American prisoners and then for the opportunity to meet Mr Kim – a request that was graciously granted. >>> Leo Lewis | Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Schwul im Gottesstaat

ZEIT ONLINE: Auch Darius hat in Teheran gegen die Wahl protestiert. Obwohl er sonst lieber unauffällig bleibt. Er ist schwul, und auf Homosexualität steht in Iran die Todesstrafe.

Es war das erste Mal in seinem Leben, dass Darius nicht vor den Sittenwächtern weggerannt ist. Er stand inmitten einer Großdemonstration auf dem Platz der Revolution in Teheran. Reckte seine Fäuste in den Himmel und schwenkte ein grün bemaltes Betttuch. Grün wie die Hoffnung, grün wie die Parteifarbe von Mir Hussein Mussawi, dem gemäßigten Präsidentschaftskandidaten, dem Darius seine Wahlstimme gegeben hatte.

Einen Tag nach dem Protestmarsch sitzt Darius in seinem Lieblingsrestaurant im Zentrum von Teheran und zerlegt einen Kebab-Spieß mit der Präzision eines Chirurgen. Sein marineblaues Sakko verschmilzt mit den türkisfarbenen Kacheln an der Wand. Darius will ein alkoholfreies Bavaria-Bier bestellen, der Kellner übersieht ihn.

Darius ist geübt darin, nicht aufzufallen. Er ist schwul, und auf Homosexualität steht in Iran die Todesstrafe. Mehr als 4000 Männer, die Männer lieben, wurden seit der Islamischen Revolution an Baukränen erhängt. Darius lebt in ständiger Angst vor dem Regime. Doch als der Verdacht aufkam, dass Ahmadineschad das Wahlergebnis gefälscht hatte, fühlte auch Darius sich betrogen. Er wollte sich nicht länger verstecken und demonstrierte. Er ging für Gerechtigkeit und mehr Freiheiten im Alltag auf die Straße.

Auch unter Mussawi als iranischem Präsidenten würde es keinen Christopher Street Day in Iran geben, keine Aids-Schleifen oder Gay-Clubs. Trotzdem erhoffte Darius sich von dem Reformer eine verbesserte Situation für die Schwulen im Land. "Mussawi hat uns Presse- und Meinungsfreiheit versprochen", sagt er. Das könnte nach und nach zu größerer gesellschaftlicher Toleranz gegenüber Minderheiten führen.

Seine Meinung frei zu äußern, wagt Darius bisher nicht einmal vor seiner Familie. Sein Großvater war Ajatollah, ein geistlicher Kleriker, und seine Eltern würden ihn persönlich ins Gefängnis schleppen, wenn sie wüssten, dass ihr Sohn homosexuell ist. Das weiß er, weil sein Vater es einmal beiläufig in einem Nebensatz sagte. Seitdem lässt Darius vor ihm hin und wieder ein paar schwulenfeindliche Sprüche fallen. Nicht einmal sein Zwillingsbruder weiß, dass Darius auf Männer steht. >>> Von Carola Hoffmeister | Mittwoch, 01. Juli 2009

Iranian Queer Railroad >>>

Radio Raha >>>

Port du voile : Al-Qaïda menace la France
lePARISIEN.fr: Le numéro deux d'Al-Qaïda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, s'en est violemment pris à la France pour sa prétendue hostilité au voile islamique, estimant qu'elle «va payer pour tous ses crimes», rapporte ce mardi le centre américain de surveillance de sites islamistes SITE.

«La France prétend être un pays laïque alors que son coeur est plein de haine pour les musulmans», a déclaré le chef d'Al-Qaïda en réponse à une question d'un site islamiste sur une prétendue hostilité de la France au port du hijab.

«La France va payer pour tous ses crimes», a-t-il conclu. >>> leparisien.fr | Mardi 04 Août 2009

Austria’s Graf Gets Grief Over “United Tyrol”
REUTERS – BLOG: Breaking into the summer holiday lull, Austrian politics has gotten into a lather over a far-right populist’s call for a referendum on whether a mainly German-speaking region of northern Italy should rejoin Austria.

No matter how far-fetched, his proposal raised a hue and cry by challenging the taboo of old unreconstructed nationalism in a country restlessly determined to live down its Nazi past.

South Tyrol - Alto Adige in Italian - is an autonomous, Alpine province of Italy bordering Austria. It was annexed by Italy from defeated Austria-Hungary at the end of World War One.

Italy granted increasing self-government to South Tyrol in the decades after World War Two, defusing separatist unrest by Austro-German speakers. It is now among Italy’s richest regions, with an open border to Austria thanks to EU integration.

But Martin Graf, a rightist deputy speaker of Austria’s parliament, declared on Sunday that South Tyrol was actually “part of overall Tyrol”, and only “currently” within Italy.

The universal right of self-determination should apply for all “the German people” in Europe - just as those in old Communist East Germany got their wish to merge into one Germany at the end of the Cold War in 1990. “It’s time to ask the people if there should be one Tyrol,” Graf said. >>> Mark Heinrich | Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Beijing Forced Relatives to Blame Me: Uighur Activist
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: SYDNEY -- The exiled Uighur activist Beijing blames for inciting recent ethnic violence in China accused the Chinese government on Tuesday of forcing her imprisoned children to say she was responsible for the unrest.

China released a letter Monday it says was penned by close relatives of Rebiya Kadeer -- including two of her children -- blaming her for last month's deadly riots by minority Uighur Muslims in her native Xinjiang, which the government says left 197 people dead and more than 1,700 injured.

But the 62-year-old U.S.-based activist, who arrived in Australia on Tuesday, told reporters in Sydney that the Chinese government forced two of her children to speak against her. They are both in prison in China, where one was convicted of tax evasion and the other of subversion.

"If they .. refused to cooperate with the Chinese government, then their lives would be jeopardized," she said through an interpreter. "In order to live in China, you have to lie."

Ms. Kadeer, who lives in the U.S. state of Virginia, is in Australia to attend the Melbourne International Film Festival, which will feature a documentary about her life. >>> Associated Press | Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Three Policewomen Spend Full Day Dressed in Muslim Burkhas in Controversial 'In Your Shoes' Exercise
MAIL ONLINE: Three female police officers were ordered to dress up as Muslim women for the day just to see what it felt like.

They wore traditional burkhas as part of a scheme designed to help police interact better with the Islamic community.

Two covered their faces with hijab headscarves and niqab veils, leaving only narrow slits to see through, and another wore Muslim dress and a headscarf showing her face.

Critics yesterday lined up to denounce the scheme as ‘political correctness gone mad,’ and accused South Yorkshire Police of losing sight of its main objective.

Douglas Murray, of the Centre for Social Cohesion think-tank, said: ‘You just couldn’t make it up.

‘The victims of crime must be amazed that the police have so much time on their hands that they can spend a day playing dress-up.

‘This is a complete waste of police time and taxpayers’ money. It’s not the duty of police to empathise with particular sections of the community. It is the duty of the police to prevent crime and catch criminals.

‘After this are they planning to dress as members of other communities such as Hindus and Buddhists?’ >>> Andy Dolan | Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Protests at Sudan Woman's Trial
BBC: Police have fired tear gas at supporters of a Sudanese woman charged with wearing "indecent clothing" shortly before her trial was postponed.

The trial in the capital Khartoum was delayed for a month.

Under Khartoum's Sharia law, Lubna Ahmed Hussein could face up to 40 lashes in public if convicted.

Earlier, she told the BBC she was not afraid to be flogged publicly, saying: "Flogging is not pain, flogging is an insult to humans, women and religions."

She says she was wearing trousers when arrested and has resigned from a UN job that would have given her immunity to take on the case.

"If the court's decision is that I be flogged, I want this flogging in public," she told the BBC's Today programme.

She says she has invited 500 people to attend the hearing. >>> | Tuesday, August 04, 2009

From the Today programme

Lesson One in Britishness: Migrants Taught How to Claim Benefits
MAIL ONLINE: Immigrants are to be given instructions on how to claim benefits as their first step in a new life in Britain.

They will be told to attend ‘orientation days’ at which they will be given information including their right to claim handouts, according to plans published by ministers yesterday.

The instructions were set out in a Home Office paper on how immigrants will in future be asked to qualify for a British passport by earning points and credits.

At present those allowed entry into Britain gain citizenship almost automatically after five years.

Among the ideas put forward by Home Secretary Alan Johnson is that migrants should be encouraged to return to their home countries to stem a Third World brain drain.

Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said: ‘There are clear risks in depriving developing countries of people and skills they badly need. Government needs to do more to maximise the positive impacts on the developing world and mitigate the negative.’

Possible schemes include allowing workers or students into Britain for just two years before they take their new skills back home. >>> Steve Doughty | Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Workers Overwhelmed as B.C. Burns
THE GLOBE AND MAIL: Vancouver – One of the worst outbreaks of forest fires in British Columbia history is beginning to overwhelm the province's hard pressed firefighting crews.

Firefighters who have been battling for weeks in scorching heat to keep scores of raging fires at bay are being forced to let many fires burn unchecked so they can concentrate on those posing the gravest threat to communities.

Hundreds of new fires have been reported in the past few days and crews just can't keep up, information officer Radha Fisher said Monday. “There are a lot of fires burning out there, and right now, we have to prioritize.”

Gusting winds fanned dangerous fires on the outskirts of several municipalities overnight into Monday, forcing a new round of evacuations and more than doubling the number of British Columbians driven from their homes by advancing flames to more than 5,300.

“We're getting about 100 to 150 new starts a day. We've also seen some very aggressive growth on existing fires,” Ms. Fisher said. “It's a pretty extreme situation, so we have to concentrate our resources where there are property and people to protect. This is one of our most challenging years ever, and it's not over.” >>> Rod Mickleburgh | Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Watch CTVNews video here

Related:
Forest Fires Rage in Spain, Greece >>> AFP | Monday, August 03, 2009

Police Foil 'Suicide Plot' to Storm Australian Army Base
TIMES ONLINE: An Australian man has been charged with planning a terrorist act after police today foiled a plot by Islamic extremists to launch a suicide attack on army bases in Sydney and Melbourne.

Three other men are under arrest and a fifth is being questioned after a series of counter-terrorism raids across Melbourne shortly before dawn local time.

Around 400 police officers and members of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) swooped on 19 properties detaining several men, all Australian citizens of Somali and Lebanese background.

Authorities believe the group was at an advanced stage of preparing to storm an Army barracks in retaliation for Australia’s military involvement in Muslim countries. Members of the group had been observed carrying out surveillance on Holsworthy Barracks in Western Sydney and on other Army bases in Victoria.

Electronic surveillance also picked up discussions about how to obtain weapons to carry out what would have been the worst terror attack on Australian soil.

“The men’s intention was to get into the army barracks and kill as many as they could,” Tony Negus, Australian Federal Police acting commissioner said. They were “planning to carry out a suicide terror attack . . . a sustained attack on military personnel until they themselves were killed,” he said.

"This operation has disrupted an alleged terrorist attack that could have claimed many lives," he said. >>> Anne Barrowclough in Sydney | Tuesday, August 04, 2009