The EU should be stronger and more united. Great Britain should belong to the Union.
Die EU sollte stärker und geeinter sein. Großbritannien sollte der Union angehören.
L'UE devrait être plus forte et plus unie. La Grande-Bretagne devrait appartenir à l'Union.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Erekat: PA* May Declare State via UN
YNET NEWS: Chief Palestinian negotiator: PA seeking global support for declaring statehood
Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat says the Palestinian Authority is making an effort to elicit international support for declaring statehood, Al-Ayyam newspaper reported Saturday.
According to Erekat, the PA intends to promote this issue in order to bring it for a vote at the UN Security Council. The Palestinians are interested in declaring a state in line with the 1967 borders, he said.
"The idea is clear and understandable," he said, adding that "now we mobilize" and criticizing Israel's policies in the West Bank which he said prompted the latest Palestinian effort.
The move would send a message that "settlements and other unilateral actions are null and void and do not establish rights or territory," Erekat said, noting that he spoke about the Palestinian initiative with both American and European officials. >>> Ynet | Saturday, November 4, 2009
*PA – Palestinian Authority
Denmark to Pay Immigrants £12,000 to Go Home If They ‘Can’t or Won’t’ Assimilate
MAIL ONLINE: Denmark is boosting cash incentives to entice immigrants to return to their homelands if they 'can't or won't' assimilate into society.
The offer now on the table is close to £12,000 for every person who takes up the offer to leave.
Critics of the measure say it sends the wrong message to foreigners but the centre-right government in Copenhagen is forging ahead with the plan.
The financial carrot is ten times more than that previously offered under a scheme which as been law since 1997.
'We thought it was important to substantially increase this aid so that immigrants who want to return home because they are not able to adapt to Danish society have a strong financial basis to start a new life,' said foreign affairs spokesman Soeren Espersen of the far-right Danish People's Party.
The offer is aimed at immigrants and refugees who 'cannot or do not want to integrate into Danish society,' said the head of the DPP's parliamentary group, Kristian Tuelesen Dahl. >>> Allan Hall | Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Bob Schieffer on Nadal Malik Hasan: Muslim or "Religious Nut?"
This video shows that people really do not have a clue about Islam and Jihad. These men talk through their hats! Little wonder we are lsoing the war against militant Islam!
Barack Obama Bows and Talks of Green Tea Ice Cream as He Pushes US Ties in Asia
THE TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama has bowed to the Emperor of Japan and revealed his childhood affection for green tea icecream as he pushes stronger US ties with Asia.
President Barack Obama is greeted by Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko upon arrival at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Photo: The Telegraph
There was talk of green tea ice cream, memories of a childhood visit to Japan and even a reference to the remote fishing town Obama as the US President set out his vision for US relations with Asia in a keynote speech.
He later bowed deeply to Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, upon arrival at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo for a private lunch before he headed to Singapore on the next leg of his Asian tour.
Beneath the signature charm and rhetoric, President Barack Obama's message was clear: the US fully intends to deepen dialogue with China and pursue greater cooperation with countries across Asia.
Speaking before 1,500 people in a central Tokyo concert hall on the second day of his whistlestop tour of Asia, Mr Obama also pledged his "unshakeable" commitment to Asian security and insisted that the US would not be "cowed" by North Korea's nuclear tests.
Calling himself "America's first Pacific President" during a 40-minute address, Mr Obama said: "I want every American to know that we have a stake in the future of this region, because what happens here has a direct effect on our lives at home.
"This is where we engage in much of our commerce and buy many of our goods. And this is where we can export more of our own products and create jobs back home in the process."
The president reaffirmed the alliance between Japan and the US, which spans nearly five decades and has recently been overshadowed by a dispute over the relocation of American troops in the southern Okinawa region, and their continued presence in Japan overall. >>> Danielle Demetriou in Tokyo | Saturday, November 14, 2009
Muslims Must Quit British Forces, Says Iranian Envoy Abdolhossein Moezi
Ayatollah Abdolhossein Moezi says the death of protesters in Iran was regrettable but unavoidable. Photo: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: The Iranian Supreme Leader’s representative in Britain has told Muslim servicemen and women to quit the Armed Forces, saying that their involvement in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars is forbidden by Islam.
The cleric, personally appointed by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to be his special envoy to the UK, also urged Muslims to defeat the opposition to the Iranian regime and keep the 30-year-old Islamic Republic alive.
In his first interview with an English language newspaper, Ayatollah Abdolhossein Moezi, director of the Islamic Centre of England, said he regretted that protesters were killed by the Iranian security forces after the presidential election in June but that their deaths were “unavoidable”.
Ayatollah Moezi, the most senior Iranian spiritual leader in Britain with thousands of followers from the Shia sect, said that it was wrong for followers of Islam to serve in the Armed Forces, especially in Afghanistan and Iraq where Muslims were being killed.
“Not only do I not accept it for Muslims to go there, I don’t accept non-Muslims to go there as well,” Ayatollah Moezi told The Times through an interpreter provided by him. “We say that Muslims are not allowed to go and kill Muslims. Do you think that Christians are allowed to go and kill Muslims?” >>> Richard Kerbaj | Saturday, November 14, 2009
Tehran Unlikely to Dissuade Muslims from Joining British Army
TIMES ONLINE: Anyone who counts Ayatollah Abdolhossein Moezi as a spiritual leader is unlikely to have joined the British military in the first place. He is the religious envoy of the same regime that calls Britain “the little Satan”.
Ayatollah Moezi is the director of the Islamic Centre of England, the London outpost of Iran’s neoconservative regime — a role to which he was personally appointed by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His leadership — as political as it is religious — is anathema to most British-Iranians, the majority of whom came to the country to escape the Islamic Revolution.
Shia Muslims, who traditionally take their spiritual guidance from imams such as Ayatollah Khamenei, are outnumbered in Britain by Sunni Muslims, mostly from Pakistan and Bangladesh, who do not all recognise any special priestly authority. >>> Catherine Philp, Diplomatic Correspondent | Saturday, November 14, 2009
Profile: Angela Merkel and the Talent of Seeming Ordinary
THE TELEGRAPH: Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, has the gift of making Germany seem routine, and worthy of little apprehension
Angela Merkel's studied ordinariness hides a ruthless and effective politician. Photo: The Telegraph
When the Berlin Wall came down, Margaret Thatcher was not the only person who worried that Germany might be about to become too interesting again. The reunited Germany, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall this week, is a very powerful country, the most powerful in Europe. Yet under the leadership of Angela Merkel, the scientist from the East, it arouses very little apprehension.
This week, Mrs Merkel, who successfully regained the office of Chancellor in recent elections, chose not to dwell on the fall of communist eastern Europe and the events that led to a reunified Germany. Instead of grandstanding and gladhanding she warned instead in a big speech that the country's economic problems would "get bigger before they get better". She added that the growing budget deficit would not prevent the government from pressing ahead with cuts in income tax in an effort to stimulate growth.
The focus on economics and tax cuts highlighted the qualities of Europe's latest superstar woman politician: she is a ruthless power player who does what is needed, yet she conveys an impression of magnified ordinariness, right down to the determination to continue doing her own shopping and to queue in her local supermarket.
Nobody can read Mrs Merkel's mind, a talent she developed while growing up in East Germany as the daughter of a Lutheran pastor. To be allowed by the regime to build a successful career as a scientist, without actually joining the ruling Party of Socialist Unity (though she was active in its youth wing), required a prodigious capacity to veil her own opinions, to seem unthreatening and to concentrate in a pragmatic way on the task in hand.
Mrs Merkel has an excellent sense of humour and often smiles, but people no more know what lies behind her smile than what lies behind the Mona Lisa's. >>> Andrew Gimson | Friday, November 13, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Débat sur l’identité nationale : Comment la France accueille ses immigrés
LE POINT: Ils sont vingt-quatre. Certains se sont mis sur leur trente-et-un, chaussures cirées et costume apprêté. D'autres ont préféré le confort de baskets et la chaleur d'un gros pull en laine pour affronter cette journée. Tous sont arrivés à l'Office français de l'immigration et de l'intégration (OFII) en avance sur leur convocation. Leurs regards se sont posés sur les grands drapeaux français et européens déployés à l'accueil : d'ici quelques heures, ils en seront. Ces immigrants auront leurs papiers français. Mais en attendant la remise de leur carte de séjour, un peu plus tard dans l'après-midi, les participants de tous âges sont venus aujourd'hui signer leur " contrat d'accueil et d'intégration " (CAI). Un passage obligatoire depuis 2007 pour tous les étrangers admis en France pour la première fois en vue d'une installation durable. Objectif : transmettre les symboles et valeurs de la République aux immigrés. À l'heure des débats initiés par Éric Besson , lepoint.fr est allé découvrir "l'identité nationale" telle qu'on l'enseigne aux nouveaux arrivants.
"Vous êtes sur la plate-forme d'accueil de l'OFII car vous allez recevoir votre premier titre de séjour", articule Christelle, l'auditrice en charge du groupe convoqué cet après-midi. Malgré un grand "bonjour" scandé à l'unanimité à l'entrée de la jeune femme, l'assemblée semble stressée. "Vous allez signer le CAI et vous engager par contrat à respecter les valeurs de la République française", continue Christelle solennellement, en parlant lentement. Aujourd'hui, tout son auditoire comprend le français : personne n'a eu recours à un traducteur ou à l'un des audioguides disponibles à l'entrée. Ousmane N'Diaye semble - comme le reste de l'assemblée - tendu. Ce Sénégalais de 34 ans s'est assis au milieu de la salle, comme s'il voulait se faire tout petit. Passer inaperçu, il connait cela par coeur : cela fait plus de quinze ans qu'il vit à Paris, sans papiers. Le grand gaillard écoute tout de même avec attention le film diffusé, "Vivre ensemble, en France". Tout un programme. >>> Par Louise Cuneo | Vendredi 13 Novembre 2009
Extraits : "Vivre ensemble, en France"
UN Meets Homeless Victims of American Property Dream
A United Nations special investigator who was blocked from visiting the US by the Bush administration has accused the American government of pouring billions of dollars into rescuing banks and big business while treating as "invisible" a deepening homeless crisis.
Raquel Rolnik, the UN special rapporteur for the right to adequate housing, who has just completed a seven-city tour of America, said it was shameful that a country as wealthy as the US was not spending more money on lifting its citizens out of homelessness and substandard, overcrowded housing.
"The housing crisis is invisible for many in the US," she said. "I learned through this visit that real affordable housing and poverty is something that hasn't been dealt with as an issue. Even if we talk about the financial crisis and government stepping in in order to promote economic recovery, there is no such help for the homeless." >>> Chris McGreal in Los Angeles | Thursday, November 12, 2009
New York Trial for Alleged 9/11 Mastermind
TIMES ONLINE: Five Guantanamo Bay detainees alleged to have masterminded the September 11 attacks are to be taken to the United States to stand trial in a civilian court in New York, an Obama Administration official said today.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four alleged accomplices will be brought on to US soil for trial as part of President Obama’s pledge to close down the detention centre in Cuba.
The Attorney General Eric Holder is expected to officially announce the decision today.
Mr Obama initially planned to close Guantanamo by January 22 next year but the Administration is no longer expected to meet that deadline.
The high profile trial will be an enormous legal and political test for Mr Obama’s approach to terrorism. If the case suffers legal setbacks the administration will face criticism from those who believe that it should have been held in a military court The case is also likely to force the federal court system to confront a host of controversial legal issues surrounding the President Bush-era counter terrorism programmes that started after the 2001 attacks. >>> Nico Hines | Friday, November 13, 2009
Zweierlei christlicher Umgang mit dem Islam: Christian Waber und CVP-Nationalrätin Barbara Schmid-Federer im Gespräch
NZZ ONLINE: Ein Minarettverbot verspricht laut einem EDU-Vertreter der Initianten eine Stärkung christlicher Werte in der Gesellschaft. Aus CVP-Sicht beeinträchtigt hingegen eine Einschränkung der Religionsfreiheit den religiösen Frieden und die Integration.
Was ist besonders christlich an einer Initiative, die für eine Religion eine Einschränkung vorsieht?
Christian Waber: Die Religionsfreiheit wird in keiner Weise tangiert. In der Schweiz können alle Religionen gelebt werden, auch die vielen Richtungen des Islam. Aber die Schweiz ist ein christliches Land. Und das erste der Zehn Gebote lautet: Du sollst keine anderen Götter haben neben mir. Allah und unser Gott sind nicht der gleiche Gott. Zu einem Minarett gehört der Muezzin, und er lobt Allah als einzigen Gott.
Vernachlässigt die CVP das Christentum, indem sie gegen die Initiative ist?
Barbara Schmid-Federer: Die CVP ist als politische Partei der Verfassung verpflichtet, versucht aber die ethischen Grundwerte des Christentums in die Politik einzubringen. Ein zentraler Glaubenssatz des Christentums ist die Gleichwertigkeit aller Menschen. Die Initiative können wir nicht annehmen, weil sie ganz klar eine einzelne Religionsgemeinschaft diskriminiert. Nur den Muslimen wird eines ihrer religiösen Symbole untersagt. Herr Waber, Sie widersprechen sich, wenn Sie die Religionsfreiheit bejahen, aber die Gleichbehandlung des Islam ablehnen.
Hätte das Minarettverbot vor dem Europäischen Gerichtshof für Menschenrechte Bestand?
Waber: Selbstverständlich. Artikel 9 der Europäischen Menschenrechtskonvention (EMRK) sieht ja wie auch der Uno-Menschenrechtspakt Ausnahmen vor. Und gerade das neue Strassburger Urteil über Kruzifixe in den italienischen Schulen zeigt, dass die Religionsfreiheit Schranken hat.
Schmid: Mit Ausnahme der Initianten sind alle Parteien und Juristen einhellig der Meinung, dass sowohl der Uno-Pakt als auch die EMRK verletzt werden.
Waber: Der Kern der Religionsfreiheit wird auch nach Meinung des Bundesrats nicht verletzt. Der Menschenrechtsgerichtshof akzeptiert beispielsweise das Schächtverbot.
Schmid: Wenn Minarette als Symbol verboten werden, ist das Feld frei für andere Forderungen. So könnte jemand Kirchtürme verbieten wollen.
Waber: Das ist doch kein Problem. Wenn eine solche Initiative lanciert wird und das Volk zustimmt, ist es ein demokratischer Prozess. Ist die Schweiz überhaupt ein christlicher Staat? >>> Interview: C. W. | Freitag, 13. November 2009
NY Gov. Paterson on Marriage Equality: The Advocate Sits Down with New York Governor David Paterson to Discuss LGBT Rights
Eurozone Emerges from Recession
BBC: The eurozone economy has emerged from recession after growing between July and September, figures have shown.
The 16 nations that use the euro collectively grew 0.4%, after shrinking by 0.2% between April and June.
The French and German economies both grew for a second consecutive quarter, confirming the eurozone's two largest economies are out of recession. >>> | Friday, November 13, 2009
Switzerland: Divided Over Minarets
Political Correctness Claims Thirteen Lives at Fort Hood
EXAMINER.COM: Yet another practitioner of the religion of peace has gone on a murderous rampage, this time at the US Army post at Fort Hood, Texas. The suffocating blanket of political correctness that dominates America and its military ensured that the perpetrator could operate in open and carry out his attack with ease. It is becoming apparent that anyone could have seen that he was an enemy of the United States and an aspiring terrorist, but the government and media template will be that he was simply a troubled individual acting alone, and that the attack had nothing to do with his Muslim faith. >>> Todd Keister | Thursday, November 12, 2009
Persecution of Doctor Who Treated Neda Soltan
TIMES ONLINE: As Arash Hejazi sat in an Oxford coffee bar, members of Iran’s Basij militia in Tehran were demanding his extradition outside the British Embassy.
The previous day the Iranian regime had sent an Oxford college a letter of protest over a scholarship given to honour Neda Soltan, the student killed during a huge demonstration against electoral fraud in Tehran in June. The letter also suggested that Dr Hejazi was responsible for her murder.
For Dr Hejazi, who had tried to save Ms Soltan’s life, that was the final straw. He decided that it was time to speak out. It was time to reveal how the regime has sought to vilify, punish and silence him ever since he told the world, immediately after Ms Soltan’s death, how she had been shot by a government henchman for peacefully protesting against President Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election.
Dr Hejazi is now living in exile in Britain, jobless and fearful, while back in Tehran the regime blackens his name and hounds his friends, family and colleagues. “I told the truth. I just did what I had to do, but there were dire consequences,” he told The Times. In short, a quirk of fate — that he happened to be standing near Ms Soltan the moment that she was shot — has turned his entire life upside down and made him “another victim of tyranny”. Iranian doctor Arash Hejazi who tried to rescue Neda Soltan tells of wounds that never heal >>> Martin Fletcher | Friday, November 13, 2009
If Forbes Can Put a Drug Baron on the List of the Most Powerful, Is It Such an Honour for Obama to Be Number One on That List?
TIMES ONLINE: He is Mexico’s most wanted drug lord, the head of a cartel that has brought billions of dollars’ worth of cocaine into the United States, a man with a $5 million (£3 million) price tag on his head — and he has been named by Forbes magazine as one of the world’s most powerful people.
Joaquin Guzman, known as “El Chapo” or Shorty, took 41st place in the new ranking, ahead of Presidents Medvedev and Sarkozy and Binyamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel. Guzman is the alleged head of the Sinaloa drug cartel that has funnelled up to $19 billion worth of cocaine into the US through tunnels under the border fence.
US Mosques and New York Skyscraper Seized Over Iran Links
THE GUARDIAN: Federal investigators moved to seize four mosques in the US and a skyscraper in Manhattan yesterday over their alleged financial aid to Iran, in an extraordinary step likely to worsen relations between Washington and Tehran.
Prosecutors in Manhattan filed a civil complaint in the federal court seeking the forfeiture of more than $500m in assets of the Alavi Foundation, which describes itself as a charitable foundation, and a company, Assa.
The mosques are in New York City, Maryland, California and Texas.
Prosecutors claim that the foundation and the company have been engaged in money laundering, with the cash sent back to Tehran.
The move could be designed to punish the Tehran government at time when its relations with the US are already strained over Iran's alleged nuclear weapons programme.
But the Obama administration also risks incurring the anger of American Muslims if the mosques, all Shia, are seized. The takeover of mosques would also raise constitutional questions around the right of freedom to religion.
The move comes at a sensitive time, with a debate under way in the US over the loyalty of American Muslims after the shooting at Fort Hood last week. Major Nadil Malik Hasan was yesterday charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder. >>> Ewen Macaskill in Washington | Friday, November 13, 2009
Libyen stellt Schweizer Geschäftsleute vor Gericht
DIE PRESSE: Der Streit zwischen Gaddafi und der Schweiz verschärft sich: Zwei in Libyen festgehaltene Schweizer sind wegen Steuerhinterziehung angeklagt worden. Libyen weist den Vorwurf der Geiselnahme zurück.
Zwei seit Juli 2008 Monaten in Libyen festgehaltene Schweizer Geschäftsleute sollen in dem nordafrikanischen Land vor Gericht gestellt werden. Ihnen werden unter anderem Verstöße gegen die Aufenthaltsbestimmungen und Steuerhinterziehung zur Last gelegt.
Die Affäre belastet seit Monaten die Beziehungen zwischen der Schweiz und Libyen. Die Schweiz wirft dem libyschen Staatschefs Muammar Gaddafi vor, die Schweizer festzuhalten, weil sein Sohn im Juli 2008 in Genf wegen Misshandlung von Angestellten vorübergehend festgenommen wurde. Die Schweizer Außenministerin Micheline Calmy-Rey sprach im Oktober erstmals öffentlich von einer "Geiselnahme".
Diesen Vorwurf wies Libyens Vize-Außenminister Khaled Kaim am Donnerstag zurück. Es gebe keinen Zusammenhang mit der Festnahme von Motassim Bilal (genannt "Hannibal"). Weil Bern jedoch einen solchen Zusammenhang hergestellt hätte, seien die bilateralen Verhandlungen erschwert worden. >>> Ag | Donnerstag, 12. November 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Spanish Region Takes Hands-on Approach to Sex Education
THE GUARDIAN: Officials launch campaign to teach young people about 'sexual self-exploration and discovery of self-pleasure'
It is a subject that would make most governments blush, but officials in the Spanish region of Extremadura have launched a major programme to encourage what could be described as a more hands-on approach to sexuality.
The region's socialist government has launched a €14,000 (£12,600) campaign aimed at teaching young people how best to set about "sexual self-exploration and the discovery of self-pleasure" – or to put it less delicately: masturbation.
"Pleasure is in your own hands" is the slogan of a campaign that has sparked political controversy and challenges traditional Roman Catholic views on people having sex, even on their own, for non-reproductive reasons. >>> Giles Tremlett in Madrid | Thursday, November 12, 2009
Iran Issues Tacit Warning to Saudi Arabia Over Attacks on Rebels
TIMES ONLINE: Iran warned Saudi Arabia yesterday not to become further entangled in supporting the Yemen Government’s drive to put down Shia Muslim rebels.
After a week of Saudi air raids and the imposition of a naval blockade by Riyadh to prevent weapons from reaching the insurgents, Iran issued comments that are certain to escalate tensions between the regional powers.
“Those who pour oil on the fire must know that they will not be spared from the smoke that billows,” said Manouchehr Mottaki, the Iranian Foreign Minister, in a clear warning to Saudi Arabia — which attacked Huthi rebels after they took control of a Saudi border town last week.
Iran is a majority Shia Muslim country and supports Shia groups across the region, particularly in Lebanon and Iraq, while Saudi Arabia is a Sunni Muslim state. >>> James Hider, Middle East Correspondent | Thursday, November 12, 2009
Argentina: Challenging the Church
Watch Journeyman Pictures video here | Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Yemen: Child Marriage
Watch Journeyman Pictures video here | Monday, November 09, 2009
Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty is usually equated with the Greek goddess, Aphrodite. Image: Google Images
Britons Are Ugly, Dating Website Concludes
THE GLOBE AND MAIL: Fewer than one in eight British men and just three in 20 women who have applied to BeautifulPeople.com have been accepted, according to the website
Britons are among the ugliest people in the world, according to a dating website that says it only allows “beautiful people” to join.
Fewer than one in eight British men and just three in 20 women who have applied to BeautifulPeople.com have been accepted, according to the website.
Existing members of the “elite dating site” rate how attractive potential members are over a 48 hour period, after applicants upload a recent photo and personal profile.
Swedish men have proved the most successful, with 65 per cent being accepted, while Norwegian women are considered the most beautiful with 76 per cent accepted, the website said.
Canadian women were accepted 24 per cent of the time, and men 23 per cent. And Americans? Thirty-seven per cent of women got in, and 24 per cent of men.
The way that BeautifulPeople.com accepts new members is simple. A potential member applies with a photo and a brief profile. Over 48 hours, existing members of the opposite sex vote whether or not to admit them, the site said.
Options are: “Yes definitely,” “Hmm yes, OK,” “Hmm no, not really” and “No definitely not.”
The site was founded in 2002 in Denmark and went live across the globe last month. Since then, the site has rejected nearly 1.8 million people from 190 countries, admitting just 360,000 new members. >>> Reuters | Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Dmitri Medwedew, Russlands Präsident, will sein Land zurück zur alten Stärke führen. Bild: NZZ
Medwedew will Rückkehr zum Weltmachtstatus: Russland soll seine «chronische Rückständigkeit» überwinden
NZZ ONLINE: Russland soll nach dem Willen von Präsident Dmitri Medwedew wieder eine Weltmacht werden. Dafür müsse das Land seine «chronische Rückständigkeit» überwinden und «grundlegend modernisiert» werden, sagte Medwedew bei seiner zweiten Rede an die Nation im Kreml.
Russland könne sich nicht mehr auf den Errungenschaften aus den Zeiten der Sowjetunion ausruhen. Bei der Erneuerung müsse sich das Riesenreich vielmehr auf demokratische Prinzipien stützen, betonte Medwedew.
Öl und Gas
Der Kremlchef kritisierte zudem erneut die «beschämend geringe Wettbewerbsfähigkeit» der russischen Wirtschaft sowie die hohe Abhängigkeit seines Landes von Öl und Gas.
Medwedew sprach von der «ersten Modernisierung in der Geschichte des Landes auf Grundlage der Werte und Institutionen der Demokratie». Er forderte seine Landsleute auf, sowjetisches Denken zu überwinden. >>> sda/dpa | Donnerstag, 12. November 2009
THE LOS ANGELES TIMES: The outspoken newsman says he has been urged 'to go beyond my role here.' Is politics in his future?
Reporting from New York - In a surprise announcement, CNN host Lou Dobbs resigned on the air Wednesday after a recent history of controversial comments on immigration, among other topics, drew heated protests from liberal groups and created friction within the cable network.
Dobbs said that CNN/U.S. President Jon Klein released him from his contract so he could pursue other opportunities. He did not offer specifics but suggested that he is seeking a role in which he will not be constrained from speaking freely.
"Over the past six months, it's become increasingly clear that strong winds of change have begun buffeting this country and affecting all of us," Dobbs said as he opened his daily program. "And some leaders in media, politics and business have been urging me to go beyond my role here at CNN and to engage in constructive problem-solving, as well as to contribute positively to a better understanding of the great issues of our day. And to continue to do so in the most honest and direct language possible." >>> Matea Gold | Thursday, November 12, 2009
9/11's Delayed Legacy: Cancer for Many of the Rescue Workers
THE GUARDIAN: A spate of cancer-related illnesses among New York's rescue services who worked at Ground Zero sparks fear of an epidemic
The chemicals and toxic fumes from New York's Twin Towers on September 11 2001 may have a long-term effect on rescue workers. Photo: The Guardian
A spate of recent deaths of New York police and fire officers who took part in the emergency operation at Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks has heightened fears that it could be the start of a delayed epidemic of cancer-related illness.
Five firefighters and police officers, all of whom were involved in the rescue and clear-up at the site of the collapsed Twin Towers, have died of cancer in the past three months, the oldest being 44. Three died last month within a four-day period.
Those three were Robert Grossman, a Harlem-based police officer who spent several weeks at the emergency site and died of a brain tumour aged 41; fellow police officer Cory Diaz, 37; and firefighter Richard Mannetta, 44.
In addition, John McNamara, a 44-year-old firefighter, died in September; and Renee Dunbar, a police officer in her late 30s, died in August.
The cluster of cancer deaths comes as Congress is under pressure to pass legislation that would provide federal help to emergency workers who have contracted illnesses since 9/11. Campaigners hope that a bill will be put to the House of Representatives by the end of the year that would set up a $10bn (£6bn) national fund for hundreds of people who now have cancer, respiratory illnesses and other diseases that may be linked to their work at the World Trade Centre site. >>> Ed Pilkington in New York | Thursday, November 11, 2009
Nicolas Sarkozy et le premier ministre israélien Benyamin Nétanyahou, mercredi sur le perron de l'Élysée. Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Le premier ministre israélien a été reçu, mercredi, à l'Élysée, alors que les relations bilatérales connaissent des crispations.
Blocage total du processus de paix, crise politique palestinienne, coup de froid franco-israélien : c'est peu dire que l'étape parisienne de Benyamin Nétanyahou se déroulait mercredi sous des auspices défavorables. Le premier ministre israélien a été reçu pendant une heure quarante à l'Élysée par Nicolas Sarkozy, alors que les deux pays traversent une période de tension, la France reconnaissant un «vrai différend politique», selon l'expression lâchée mardi par Bernard Kouchner. «Les entretiens ont permis d'aller au fond des choses, de façon dense, directe, détaillée, dans un climat de confiance, ce qui n'exclut pas des désaccords» , résumait-on mercredi soir dans l'entourage du chef de l'État.
Le «vrai différend» mis sur la table mercredi par Nicolas Sarkozy et Benyamin Nétanyahou s'explique aussi par les conséquences du rapport Goldstone, mettant en cause l'État hébreu pour crime de guerre. Israël a mal pris la position française, illustrée notamment par une lettre signée de Nicolas Sarkozy et de Gordon Brown, pour demander une enquête indépendante sur le conflit à Gaza. À la fin du mois dernier, cette crispation a notamment conduit Bernard Kouchner à reporter la visite qu'il devait effectuer en Israël et dans les territoires palestiniens. L'étape névralgique de cette tournée était à Gaza, où la France s'est engagée à reconstruire un hôpital, détruit par l'intervention militaire israélienne, fin 2008. Le ministre des Affaires étrangères avait finalement effectué un déplacement limité au Liban. Le voyage pourrait finalement avoir lieu «dans les prochains jours», a indiqué le porte-parole du Quai d'Orsay.
La pierre d'achoppement la plus saillante reste néanmoins la colonisation, que le premier ministre israélien propose non pas de stopper complètement, mais de limiter. Une offre saluée de façon inopinée la semaine dernière par la secrétaire d'État Hillary Clinton, véritable revirement de la diplomatie américaine, qui exigeait depuis des mois l'arrêt des implantations juives. Dans la foulée, Nétanyahou recevait, lundi à la Maison-Blanche, un accueil à huis clos et manifestement plutôt frais. Incompréhension à Paris >>> Alain Barluet | Jeudi 12 Novembre 2009
Ministry of Defence Civil Servants Paid £47 Million in Bonuses
THE TELEGRAPH: Civil servants at the Ministry of Defence have been paid £47 million in performance bonuses so far this year.
A total of 232 British service personnel have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001. Photo: The Telegraph
The MoD said the bonuses were paid for “exceptional performance” but the disclosure came as the Government faced increasing pressure over the lack of equipment for troops serving in Afghanistan.
There are 85,000 civil servants at the MoD — one for every two active soldiers, the highest level among the Allied nations — and about 50,000 will get a performance bonus this year.
Troops serving in Afghanistan would be “aghast” at the payments, the Conservatives said last night.
The bonus figure covers just the first seven months of the financial year. The MoD said yesterday that the bonuses would average less than £1,000, but a senior civil servant could pick up £8,000. Last year, the department had 95 employees who were on a salary of more than £100,000. A private in the Army can be paid as little as £16,681 a year, with a bonus of £13 a day for serving in Afghanistan.
British troops are dying in Afghanistan at a rate not seen since the Falklands conflict and polls indicate that voters are turning against the mission.
A total of 232 British service personnel have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001. Commanders have said that some of those deaths could have been avoided if there had been more helicopters available.
The bonus payments have risen sharply even as the MoD’s record has come in for growing criticism. In 2003-04, total bonus payments were £24.9 million. >>> Rebecca Lefort and James Kirkup | Thursday, November 12, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Why Is Britain Harbouring Bahrain's Dissidents?
THE TELEGRAPH – BLOG – Con Coughlin: I’ve just attended a seminar on Bahrain hosted by Field Marshall Lord Inge at the House of Lords where I was alarmed to learn that London has become a safe haven for a group of Islamic radicals who are trying to overthrow the Bahraini government.
I suppose, on one level, I should not be surprised by this revelation. After all “Londonistan” has long given sanctuary to Islamic militants of all persuasions – including several key al-Qaeda leaders.
But I am nonetheless surprised that, in the post-September 11 world we live in (not to mention July 7), the British authorities are still giving asylum to those who are trying to harm one of our key allies in the Gulf region.
Apart from being viscerally pro-British, the genial, Sandhurst-educated King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa is a key strategic ally in a region where the antics of Iran’s Islamic republic poses a major security challenge to the West. Bahrain provides the U.S. with a massive naval base, and would prove to be a vital asset to the West in the unfortunate event that a military conflict erupted over Iran’s controversial nuclear programme.
Bahrain has, I know, had its problems in the past, where relations between the Sunni ruling family, and its citizens, who are predominantly Shia Muslims, have, on occasion, been strained. Nor have these problems been helped by the unwelcome interference of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards which, on at least two occasions, have orchestrated plots to overthrow the royal family. >>> Con Coughlin | Wednesday, November 11, 2009
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Merkel and Sarkozy Improve Diplomatic Relations on Armistice Day
It’s such a pity that the British haven’t found it within themselves to get into the spirit of the EU, for the British, too, could have been part of this axis, the British could have been part of the entente. The British, alas, prefer to moan on the sidelines – they prefer to bemoan their loss of sovereignty, bemoan their loss of influence in the world.
TIMES ONLINE: France and Germany pledged themselves to renewed partnership at the core of the European Union yesterday as Chancellor Angela Merkel became the first German leader to mark Armistice Day with the French.
President Sarkozy stood beside Ms Merkel below the Arc de Triomphe in Paris at a ceremony of reconciliation that he staged as part of his plan for a grand relaunch of the old Franco-German axis. The immediate impact is a joint Franco-German list of candidates for the EU Presidency and other top Brussels jobs under the newly ratified Lisbon treaty.
"We share the same values, the same ambition for Europe, the same currency," Mr Sarkozy said. "So it is natural that French and German policy should be conducted more and more closely." Ms Merkel voiced German contrition over the suffering of the French in two world wars. "What happened cannot be forgotten, but there is a force that can help us ... the force of reconciliation," she said.
Ms Merkel, who has warmed to "Super-Sarko" after a bumpy first two years, called the reconciliation a miracle and a gift. "When there is antagonism between us, everybody loses," she said. "When we are united, everybody wins," she told a ceremony that included French and German military personnel.
"Lieber Nicolas" and "Chere [sic] Angela", as they addressed one-another, also conferred privately on the new EU posts. On Monday in Berlin they were reported to have agreed on Herman Van Rompuy, the Belgian Prime Minister, but the equation has changed with the withdrawal of David Miliband, who they supported for the new EU Foreign affairs post. >>> Charles Bremner in Paris | Wednesday, November 11, 2009
German Killer of Muslim 'Veil Martyr' Jailed for Life
THE TELEGRAPH: Alex Wiens, a German who stabbed a pregnant Egyptian woman, Marwa El-Sherbiny, to death in a courtroom in front of her husband and three-year old son, has been jailed for life for her murder.
The case of Alex Wiens, 28, who has admitted holding anti-Islamic and xenophobic views, shocked Germany and incensed the Muslim world, sparking protests from Egypt to Iran.
Security was exceptionally high for the trial, with 200 police officers and snipers securing the court in Dresden, the east German city where the killing took place in July.
Wiens, of Russian origin, was convicted of murdering Marwa El-Sherbiny, whom he stabbed 16 times with a kitchen knife, and given the maximum penalty. He also stabbed her husband Elwy Okaz, who was trying to defend her.
Their son, Mustafa, watched as his mother bled to death in the courtroom.
Mrs El-Sherbiny came to be knwon [sic] as the "veil martyr" as she was wearing a headscarf when Wiens murdered her.
Wiens was shielded by bulletproof glass, his head covered by a hood, his eyes hidden behind dark glasses, and his ankles shackled as the verdict and sentencing were read. >>> | Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Gay Unions Made Legal in Australian Territory
THE TELEGRAPH: The Australian Capital Territory has become the first region in Australia to legalise civil partnership ceremonies for same-sex couples.
Under the new laws, gay couples will be able to hold a legally recognised civil union ceremony in front of friends and family in the territory, which is home to the capital Canberra and the nation's parliament.
The region's legislators approved the bill, which moved by the local Greens party.
Andrew Barr, an ACT minister who is in a gay relationship, wept as he spoke in support of the bill.
"Love, trust and intimacy and commitment are found at the heart of all good relationships," Mr Barr later told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"I'm proud that this parliament will send that signal that my relationship with Anthony is equal to any other." >>> Bonnie Malkin in Sydney | Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Armistice Day Memorial Service: Nation Falls Silent to Honour War Dead
THE TELEGRAPH: The nation fell silent at 11am today as the passing of the First World War generation was marked at a moving Westminster Abbey memorial service for Armistice Day.
The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, senior politicians and the heads of the Armed Forces gathered for the ceremony in central London.
Former and serving military personnel joined members of the public in standing for the traditional two-minute silence to remember the sacrifice of those who have died for their country. >>> | Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Silence Marks Passing of WWI Generation
THE INDEPENDENT: The nation fell silent on Armistice Day as the passing of the First World War generation was marked at a moving memorial service today.
The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, senior politicians and the heads of the armed forces gathered for the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, in central London.
Former and serving military personnel joined members of the public in standing for the traditional two-minute silence to remember the sacrifice of those who have died for their country. >>> Sam Marsden and Laura Elston, Press Association | Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Sarkozy et Merkel commémorent ensemble l’armistice
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: PARIS | "Profondément émue" par la cérémonie, Angela Merkel a insisté sur le rôle déterminant de l’Europe et de l’amitié franco-allemande en Europe pour maintenir la paix et la prospérité.
Nicolas Sarkozy et Angela Merkel ont ravivé mercredi matin la flamme du soldat inconnu sous l’Arc de Triomphe. Crédits photo : Tribune de Genève
Nicolas Sarkozy et Angela Merkel ont ravivé mercredi matin la flamme du soldat inconnu sous l’Arc de Triomphe: un "geste historique" salué par le président français qui a voulu transformer les commémorations de l’armistice de la guerre 1914-1918 en journée de l’amitié franco-allemande avec la présence, pour la première fois, d’un chef de gouvernement allemand.
"En ranimant ensemble la flamme du souvenir, nous avons exprimé symboliquement, Madame la Chancelière, la volonté commune de nos deux peuples de garder à jamais vivant ce souvenir dans leur coeur", a déclaré ensuite Nicolas Sarkozy devant des soldats français et allemands, d’anciens combattants et des élèves des deux pays, ainsi que devant le Premier ministre, François Fillon, l’ancien président Valéry Giscard d’Estaing ou encore son épouse Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.
"En ce 11 novembre, nous ne commémorons pas la victoire d’un peuple contre un autre, mais une épreuve qui fut aussi terrible pour l’un comme pour l’autre", a souligné le président de la République, regrettant que les deux pays n’aient pas su faire la paix en 1918, "non seulement parce que les vainqueurs manquèrent de générosité, mais aussi parce qu’ils refusèrent de voir le destin tragique qui les liait aux vaincus et que l’indicible horreur de la guerre venait de révéler". >>> AP | Mercredi, 11. Novembre 2009
ZEIT ONLINE: Fünf Monate nach der Wahl hat sich Ministerpräsident Hariri mit der Opposition auf eine "Regierung der nationalen Einheit" verständigt. Die Hisbollah stellt zwei Minister.
Die neue Regierung ist besiegelt. Aus diesem Anlass treffen sich Ministerpräsident Hariri (r) und Präsident Suleiman im Präsidentenpalast in Baabda nahe Beirut. Bild: Zeit Online
Der Machtstreit im Libanon ist beendet, eine neue Regierung gefunden. Insgesamt sollen ihr 30 Minister angehören, zwei davon werden von der oppositionellen Hisbollah gestellt, kündigte der vom Westen unterstützte libanesische Ministerpräsident Saad al-Hariri an. "Endlich ist die Regierung der nationalen Einheit gebildet", sagte Hariri nach einem Treffen mit Staatspräsident Michel Suleiman. Damit werde ein neues Kapitel in der Geschichte des Landes aufgeschlagen. >>> Zeit Online, Reuters, dpa | Dienstag, 10. November 2009
Saudiarabien verhängt Seeblockade gegen Jemen: Drohender Konflikt mit Iran
NZZ ONLINE: Saudiarabien hat eine Seeblockade über die nordjemenitische Küste am Roten Meer verhängt. Zuvor hatte Iran die Länder der Region davor gewarnt, sich in die inneren Angelegenheit des Jemens einzumischen. >>> ap | Dienstag, 10. November 2009
11-Novembre: Merkel, première
leJDD.fr: Pour la première fois de l'Histoire, un dirigeant allemand, Angela Merkel, prendra part, sur les Champs-Elysées, aux cérémonies du 11-Novembre, aux côtés du président français, Nicolas Sarkozy.
Nicolas Sarkozy et Angela Merkel se croisent souvent ces derniers temps... Crédits photo: leJDD.fr
Le couple-franco allemand marche dans les pas de l'Histoire cette semaine. Deux jours après les commémorations du vingtième anniversaire de la chute du Mur de Berlin, conduites sans fausse note par Angela Merkel dans la capitale allemande en présence de Nicolas Sarkozy, la chancelière franchit le Rhin mercredi pour retrouver le président français sur les Champs-Elysées. Pour la première fois, un chancelier allemand a été convié à prendre part aux célébrations de l'armistice du 11-Novembre, 91 ans après la fin de la Grande guerre.
Les deux dirigeants déposeront ensemble une gerbe sur la tombe du Soldat inconnu, sous l'Arc de Triomphe, deux ans après la mort de Lazare Ponticelli, le dernier "poilu", et vingt-cinq ans après l'image hautement symbolique de François Mitterrand et Helmut Kohl, main dans la main, le 22 septembre 1984, sur le site de l'épouvantable bataille de Verdun. Le temps faisant son œuvre, les deux anciens pays ennemis sont aujourd'hui prêts à commémorer ensemble la "der des ders" *. Selon son entourage, Nicolas Sarkozy - qui, comme Angela Merkel est né après la Seconde guerre mondiale - aurait même l'intention de faire du 11-Novembre "une journée (…) de l'entente franco-allemande". >>> Nicolas Moscovici, leJDD.fr | Mardi 10 Novembre 2009
WELT ONLINE: Als erstes deutsches Regierungsoberhaupt nimmt Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel in Paris an den Feierlichkeiten zur Erinnerung an das Ende des Ersten Weltkriegs teil. Der Jahrestag des 11. November 1918 ist in Frankreich einer der wichtigsten Feiertage. Merkel legte einen Kranz nieder und soll eine kurze Rede halten. Jahrestag: Merkel und Sarkozy feiern Ende des 1. Weltkriegs >>> AP/ks | Mittwoch, 11. November 2009
*« la der des ders », c'est-à-dire la « dernière des dernières (guerres) » (The war to end all wars.) [Source]
British Bishop Richard Williamson to Go on Trial in Germany for Holocaust Denial
Accused: Roman Catholic bishop Richard Williamson (centre) arriving at Heathrow airport in London in February this year. Photo: Mail Online
MAIL ONLINE: British Holocaust-denying bishop Richard Williamson faces trial in Germany for an outspoken TV interview in which he denied that the wartime extermination of the Jews took place.
The ultra-conservative Catholic cleric was hit with a fine of nearly £12,000 today by a court for his comments made to a Swedish television interviewer - but he refused to pay it.
Because Holocaust denial is a crime in Germany - and because he gave the interview while on German soil - he was prosecuted in Regensburg, near to the birthplace of Pope Benedict XVI, where he gave the interview.
Under the German legal system, he was served with an ‘order of punishment’ informing him of the penalty.
Such orders are intended to cut down on bureaucracy and costs if both sides agree with the fine, which also would mean a criminal conviction.
But Williamson did not agree. He is to appeal, paving the way for a full hearing which could prove highly embarrassing for the church once more - even though Williamson can absent himself from proceedings to be represented just by his lawyer.
A trial judge will demand to know why he believes that six million Jews were not murdered by the Nazis and on what facts he bases his views on.
In the controversial interview, Williamson alleged that Nazi gas chambers had never existed and 'only 200,000 to 300,000 Jews' had been killed by the Nazis.
He went on to claim that historical evidence was 'hugely against six million having been deliberately gassed in gas chambers as a deliberate policy of Adolf Hitler... I believe there were no gas chambers.'
He added: 'I think that 200,000 to 300,000 Jews perished in the Nazi concentration camps but none of them in gas chambers.' >>> Allan Hall | Wednesday, November 10, 2009
Oxford’s Tribute to Student Neda Soltan Denounced by Iran
TIMES ONLINE: Iran’s regime denounced the University of Oxford yesterday because one of its colleges has established a scholarship honouring Neda Soltan, the Iranian student killed during street protests in Tehran over the alleged rigging of the presidential election.
In a letter sent from the Iranian Embassy, the regime claimed that Miss Soltan’s death in June was staged by its enemies. It accused the university of joining a “politically motivated” campaign that would “undermine your scientific credibility” and “make Oxford at odd [sic] with the rest of the world’s academic institutions”.
In response, the university emphasised that the decision to award the scholarship was entirely a matter for the college, Queen’s. Professor Paul Madden, Provost of Queen’s, said that the scholarship would help impoverished Iranians to study at Oxford.
Miss Soltan, a philosophy student, was 26 when she was shot in the chest during a demonstration over President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election that engulfed Tehran on June 20. Video footage of blood pouring from her mouth as she lay dying sped around the world. Miss Soltan became an emblem of the Iranian people’s struggle for freedom, and her death a symbol of the regime’s brutality. >>> Martin Fletcher and Greg Hurst | Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Prince of Wales' Tour of Canada Marred by Anti-monarchy Protests
THE TELEGRAPH: The Prince of Wales' tour of Canada has been marred by an anti-monarchy protest, with Quebec separatists clashing with riot police during a demonstration in Montreal.
Canadian riot police moved to the top of the street around 15 minutes before the Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall were due to arrive. Photo: The Telegraph
A hardcore group of more than 50 people, some wearing balaclavas or with their faces obscured by scarves, chanted slogans and held anti-royal placards outside the headquarters of The Black Watch of Canada Regiment which is due to receive new colours from Charles.
They gathered outside the building in the centre of Montreal chanting "majesty go home" and "majesty, majesty hey, hey - goodbye".
The separatists want the state of Quebec to become a country in its own right.
Canadian riot police moved to the top of the street around 15 minutes before the Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall were due to arrive.
They walked down the street in lines pushing the protesters back but they soon escalated into ugly scuffles with the protesters being hit by the shields.
At one point one man was dragged out of the crowd and held down by around four officers before being taken away.
When It Comes to Europe, David Cameron Is Howling in the Night
THE TELEGRAPH: The other 26 EU countries are not about to exhume the corpse of national sovereignty, says Simon Heffer.
Politicians find it hard to be honest with the public because the truth always hurts, and disaffects, a large portion of the electorate. The fraudulent debate being conducted about our economy, and how to revive it, is the result of this; and so, too, is the problem the Conservative Party has about Europe. That problem is back, mutating into a civil war, and it is going to get much worse.
It is curious that David Miliband should find it preferable to be the leader of the opposition of a glorified county council than to be the leading proconsul of an imperial power: he seems not to have accurately appraised the full reach of the superstate created by the Treaty of Lisbon. David Cameron, by contrast, seems to have worked that out, which is why he was so fervently opposed to the treaty's being enacted.
I do not doubt his sincere dislike of the treaty. Lisbon countermands any idea of a British democracy. That our Prime Minister should have signed it was a constitutional outrage. But Mr Cameron's inevitable decision to abandon his "cast iron" promise to have a referendum was handled extremely foolishly. He should have done it sooner rather than appear to have strung people along. I do not know whether he is obtuse or simply dishonest. I do not know at which point he realised that there would not continue to be a separate entity called the Treaty of Lisbon from which, by repealing an Act of Parliament, he could have Britain resile at any time. I do not know when he worked out that it was going to be consolidated into the governing treaty of the European Union. I do not know whether he has realised that the only referendum it is feasible for him to call, should he have the power to do so, is one that asks the public whether they wish Britain to stay in the EU, or to get out.
I do not like to impugn anyone's motives – even when he is Leader of the Opposition – but the mess Mr Cameron made last week in this desperate attempt to distract attention from his humiliating U-turn does raise further questions. In setting out his new policy towards Europe, he seemed to show a continued unrealism about the institution with which he is dealing. >>> Simon Heffer | Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Kritik and Wilders-Partei: Künstler bekommt nach Nazi-Vergleich Hass-Mails
WELT ONLINE: Nach einem Vergleich der Partei des niederländischen Rechtspopulisten Geert Wilders mit den Nazis ist der Sänger und Schriftsteller Herman van Veen mit Hass-Mails überschüttet worden. Er habe Tausende von E-Mails bekommen, in denen "widerwärtige, beängstigende Sachen stehen", sagte der international bekannte Künstler.
Schriftsteller und Sänger: der niederländische Künstler Herman van Veen. Bild: Welt Online
Herman van Veen ist mit Hass-Mails überschüttet worden. Der niederländische Schriftsteller und Sänger hatte zuvor die Partei des niederländischen Rechtspopulisten Geert Wilders mit den Nazis verglichen. Auslöser war nach Medienberichten vom Dienstag eine Rede zum 20. Jahrestag des Mauerfalls, in der van Veen vor totalitären Systemen warnte.
Dabei erklärte der 64-Jährige, die Partei für die Freiheit (PVV) sei eigentlich keine politische Partei, sondern eine Vereinigung, in der allein Wilders das Sagen habe. Man müsse aufpassen, dass sie nicht zu einer Art NSB werde. Die „Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging“ (NSB) der Niederlande war während der Hitler-Diktatur mit der NSDAP verbündet. >>> dpa/fas | Dienstag, 10. November 2009
Hillary Clinton Scrubs Ronald Reagan from History
THE TELEGRAPH – BLOG – Nile Gardiner: It’s bad enough that President Obama could not be bothered to attend the celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. But Hillary Clinton’s refusal to even acknowledge the role played by Ronald Reagan in the Wall’s demise as well as the downfall of Communism was highly insulting towards one of the greatest figures of our time, and reeked of petty and partisan mean-spiritedness.
The Secretary of State’s remarks yesterday in Berlin completely erased from history the huge contribution played not only by President Reagan but also by the United States in confronting the Soviet Empire. In her speech she applauded half of Europe, but could not bring herself to thank those Americans who bravely served their country and in many cases laid down their lives in defeating Communism, under Reagan’s leadership. >>> Nile Gardiner | Tuesday, November 10, 2009
