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.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
White House Defiant Over Republican Backlash
TIMES ONLINE: A day after winning the health reforms on which President Obama has staked his first term in office, the White House dismissed threats to repeal the historic Bill and challenged Republicans to fight it on its substance.
Republican lawyers in at least 12 states announced repeal attempts yesterday, based on claims that the Bill to extend health insurance to 95 per cent of Americans for the first time infringes on states’ rights.
Robert Gibbs, Mr Obama’s press secretary, tried to disarm the legal threat that is turning into the spearhead of an angry Republican backlash to the Bill. “A lot of big pieces of legislation are challenged in some ways,” he said in the first White House briefing since Sunday’s late-night vote. Asked if he thought that the appeals would succeed, Mr Gibbs said: “We don’t.”
He also hinted at the battle to come in which Democrats will dare Republicans to claw back the new benefits and tax credits being made available to middle and lower-income Americans in the next four years as part of the $940 billion (£622 billion) legislation.
“If people want to campaign on taking tax cuts away from small businesses, taking assistance away from seniors getting prescription drugs, and a mother knowing that [her] child can’t be discriminated against by an insurance company . . . then we’ll have a robust campaign on that,” Mr Gibbs said.
It is a campaign for which Republicans are planning even as Democratic leaders in the Senate prepare to push through the final elements of a complex reform package that seemed dead just two months ago, but is now destined to change American society. >>> Giles Whittell, Washington | Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Hillary Clinton Warns of Gulf in US-Israeli Relations
THE TELEGRAPH: Hillary Clinton has warned Israel that it was creating a gulf in its relationship with the United States, escalating a row over plans to expand a Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem.
Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, ordered Benjamin Netanyahu to reverse a decision to build 1,600 homes for Israeli settlers. Photograph: The Telegraph
Delivering an unexpectedly robust address to America's most powerful pro-Israel lobby, the US secretary of state sent a strong signal that the Obama administration would not back down in its two-week stand-off with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister.
Speaking as Mr Netanyahu arrived in Washington for high-level talks, Mrs Clinton cautioned that Israel's refusal to halt construction in the territories it occupied after the 1967 Six-Day [War] was emboldening its enemies.
She also hinted for the first time that the United States could reduce its role in the Middle East peace process if Mr Netanyahu did not bow to demands that he reverse a controversial housing project in predominantly Arab East Jerusalem.
"New construction in East Jerusalem or the West Bank undermines mutual trust," she told members of the AIPAC lobby group.
"It exposes daylight between Israel and the United States that others in the region hope to exploit. And it undermines America's unique ability to play a role – an essential role, I might add – in the peace process."
Mrs Clinton's implicit rebuke sets the stage for an intriguing encounter between President Barack Obama and Mr Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday evening. >>> Adrian Blomfield in Jerusalem and Rob Crilly | Monday, March 22, 2010
Google Stops Censoring Search Results in China
THE TELEGRAPH: Google has stopped censoring search results in China in defiance of authorities there.
It is the latest step in a deepening row between the internet giant and Beijing over censorship and hacking.
Speculation had been mounting that Google was preparing to announce a decision to pull out of China, which is the world’s largest internet market by users, or at least shut down its Chinese search engine.
But instead it has decided to redirect users of its China search engine Google.cn to the Hong Kong-based Google.com.hk.
China has repeatedly warned Google that it will face consequences if it does not comply with censorship rules.
Google’s chief legal officer David Drummond said: “We want as many people in the world as possible to have access to our services, including users in mainland China, yet the Chinese government has been crystal clear throughout our discussions that self-censorship is a non-negotiable legal requirement.
“We believe this new approach of providing uncensored search in simplified Chinese from Google.com.hk is a sensible solution to the challenges we’ve faced. It’s entirely legal and will meaningfully increase access to information for people in China. >>> Nick Allen in Los Angeles | Monday, March 22, 2010
China Warns US Not to 'Politicise' Google Row
TIMES ONLINE: Google’s closure of its search engine in China should not damage Sino-US relations as long as it remains an isolated act by a commercial company, China’s Foreign Ministry said today.
The statement from Qin Gang, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, more modulated in tone than an angry tirade earlier from the State Council Information Office, signals that Beijing wants the US Government to keep out of the row over censorship.
Mr Qin said that the Government would handle the Google case “according to the law” and any repercussions would not damage Sino-US ties already strained over a currency dispute.
Mr Qin said: “I don't see it influencing Sino-US relations unless some people want to politicise it.”
Google had said two months ago that it would quit the mainland market if it were required to continue to submit to censorship after cyberattacks originating in China. >>> Jane Macartney, Beijing, and Mike Harvey, San Francisco | Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Google Goes Uncensored in China
German Nuns Investigated for Sex Abuse
THE TELEGRAPH: Two German nuns are under investigation for the alleged sexual abuse of children in the Pope's native Bavaria, as a Vatican expert warned that the abuse scandal rocking the Church is likely to drag on for years.
The two sisters, along with four priests, are at the centre of fresh allegations of the abuse of minors in the diocese of Regensburg in southern Germany.
The new investigation was announced by a spokesman for the diocese, although there were no further details of when and where the abuse took place or how many children were involved.
The diocese is acting on some of the 300 claims of sexual or physical abuse at institutions run by the Church which have flooded in since Germany was swept up in a scandal which has also caused shock and anger in Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and Brazil.
"The work of the last 14 days has shown us that serious wrongdoing was committed by spiritual leaders and members of the church," said the spokesman, Clemens Neck.
"We deeply regret what the spiritual leaders and church members did to these children and youths, and we ask for forgiveness on their behalf."
He said most of allegations dated back to the 1970s and had therefore expired under Germany's statute of limitations, but they would still be referred to the public prosecutors' office.
They concern the Etterzhausen school just outside Regensburg – a feeder school for the Domspatzen boys choir, which was led from 1964 to 1994 by the Pope's older brother, Georg Ratzinger, 86.
He has admitted that on occasion he slapped pupils in order to discipline them, but was not aware of any sexual abuse. >>> Nick Squires in Romen | Monday, March 22, 2010
Germans Travel to Poland for Work
THE TELEGRAPH: Unemployed Germans have begun travelling to Poland in search of jobs - in a dramatic reversal of the usual trend for immigrant workers.
Thousands of people from eastern Germany are now commuting across the border into western Poland in an effort to escape the downturn afflicting the region.
The strength of the Polish economy and the weakness of its once all-powerful German peer is behind the change in fortunes.
As many as 2,500 Germans are now registered to work in the region surrounding the north-western city of Szczecin but officials believe the real figure is far higher due to people working on the black market.
While some work in call centres, the construction sector has proved popular, and many workers prefer to go unregistered in order to pocket extra money.
In Uecker Randow, the German district that lies just a stone's throw from Szczecin, unemployment lies close to 20 per cent and the area is blighted by one of Germany's highest rates of long-term unemployment. >>> Matthew Day in Warsaw | Monday, March 22, 2010
Alcoholic Foods Off the Menu in Dubai
THE TELEGRAPH: Food lovers in Dubai are up in arms after reports that dishes such as coq au vin and rum-laced tiramisu could be banned from hotels.
Authorities plan to step up the enforcement of a 2003 law prohibiting restaurants from using alcohol in food preparation, according to local media reports.
Inspectors are said to be hunting for illegal alcohol inside sauces, soups and desserts.
The Dubai Municipality sent out a circular to hotel managers "strictly enforcing the ban on use of alcohol in food items and their sale," an official told The Khaleej Times.
"Though most regulations under the local order have been enforced properly, Article 15, which bans the use of alcohol in food preparations, their display and sale was not implemented effectively," said Ahmed Abdul Rahman Al Ali, head of food inspection for the municipality. >>> | Monday, March 22, 2010
Highlights of Speeches at Dem Caucus
Same-Sex Couples Wed in Washington
Monday, March 22, 2010
The Latest Radio Show
THE GATHERING STORM RADIO SHOW: If you missed the last radio show, why not come on over and hear a recording? I'm on it with Always On Watch and WC. The show was on March 12. To listen, click here. Hope you enjoy the show. – Mark
Villepin sur le point de créer son mouvement politique
Dominique de Villepin a prévu de tenir une conférence de presse jeudi pour exposer sa «vision de l'avenir». Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Dans la foulée des régionales, plusieurs proches de l'ancien premier ministre ont annoncé qu'il devrait achever son retour sur la scène politique jeudi, en prenant une «initiative (…) au service des Français».
Les lignes bougent au lendemain des régionales. Alors qu'à gauche, Daniel Cohn-Bendit en appelle à former une «coopérative politique», à droite c'est Dominique de Villepin qui s'apprête à lancer son mouvement.
Selon plusieurs membres de son entourage qui s'exprimaient dimanche soir, l'ancien premier ministre devrait en effet annoncer jeudi la création d'un «mouvement au service des Français». Dominique de Villepin «va parler jeudi de l'avenir. Il va prendre une initiative», a affirmé la présidente de «Club Villepin», Brigitte Girardin. Lundi François Goulard, député UMP du Morbihan et proche de «DDV», a confirmé que ce «nouveau parti politique» sera officiellement créé en juin, précisant qu'il «n'a pas pour l'instant de nom».
En Chine depuis une dizaine de jours, Dominique de Villepin doit rentrer en France en début de semaine. Il a prévu de tenir une conférence de presse jeudi pour exposer sa «vision de l'avenir». La création de son mouvement s'inscrirait logiquement dans le parcours de l'héritier du chiraquisme, qui tente depuis plusieurs mois de s'imposer comme alternative de droite à Nicolas Sarkozy. Une popularité inégalée à droite >>> Par Thomas Vampouille | Lundi 22 Mars 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: A prisoner addicted to tobacco is seeking damages after he was banned from smoking for swearing at a prison officer.
Lawyers acting for Jack Richard Foster claim the staff at High Down prison, Surrey, breached their client's human rights by submitting him to ''cruel and unusual punishment''.
They argued that, as a tobacco addict and habitual smoker, he should have been given nicotine skin patches, chewing gum or some other means to satisfy his nicotine craving during the period the smoking ban was in force.
Philip Rule, appearing for Foster, said at the High Court in London today the case also raised concern over the adequacy of the guidance given by Justice Secretary Jack Straw concerning the denial of nicotine to prisoners as a punishment for breaches of discipline.
Mr Justice Collins adjourned the case so that more information could be gathered. He said it should come on for a full hearing in June-July this year.
He described the legal issue raised as ''quite an important one for the future''. >>> | Monday, March 22, 2010
Bangladeshi Man Beheaded to Redden Bricks
THE TELEGRAPH: A Bangladeshi man was beheaded by labourers who burnt his head in a kiln in the belief this would redden their bricks, police said on Sunday.
Four suspects were arrested for murdering the 26-year-old bricklayer in a remote town in northern Bangladesh on the instructions of the brick-field's owners, said Golam Sarwar Bhuiyan, a local police chief.
"They said the owners were unhappy as the brick-field was not producing reddish bricks despite enough heating. A fortune teller then suggested that the brick-field needed a human sacrifice," he said. >>> | Sunday, March 21, 2010
Christian B&B Owners Turn Gay Couple Away
MAIL ONLINE: Police launched an investigation today after a Christian bed and breakfast owner turned away a gay couple because she said it was 'against her convictions' to let them share a bed.
Michael Black, 62, and John Morgan, have complained of unlawful discrimination after they were not allowed to take up their booking at the B&B in Cookham, Berkshire.
The couple had booked a double room at the £75-a-night guest house on Friday and were met outside by owner Susanne Wilkinson.
She later admitted she had turned the couple away because it was her policy not to let same sex couples share a room.
Mr Black and Mr Morgan, from Brampton, Cambridgeshire, say they were treated like lepers.
A Black Day for the US: America Takes Its First Shaky Steps Towards a Socialist State
If you thought this was merely healthcare reform, think again! President Barack Hussein Obama has just managed to pull off the biggest change in American politics – ever.
So now we know for sure what we had suspected all along. Now we know what he was talking about when he spoke about “change we can believe in”. For with this bill, Obama has managed to turn America away from raw capitalism. From now on, America will be working ever so assiduously towards Obama’s dream of a socialist state. Capitalism has seen the failure of the banking sector; and government intervened. We now see government intervening in the health of the nation. This is Obama’s coup de grâce. He has dealt capitalism as we have known it in America its death blow. America will never be the same again.
If you think this healthcare reform will end with this bill, think again. It will not. This health bill will usher in a multitude of changes down the road. All sorts of side industries will spring up in the new nanny state. Health and social workers, for a start, will be legion in years to come. They will interfere in many aspects of a person’s life. Personal responsibility has been dealt a nasty blow with this bill; and Obama knows it.
Furthermore, it will be very difficult to turn back from here, because these will become entitlements. Entitlements, once granted in a democracy are very difficult to take away from the electorate. Politicians depend on the voters to be re-elected, remember?
The cost of this healthcare bill is already astronomical. If you think it will end with this tab, think again. The costs of universal healthcare just increase and increase – always! The government can never find enough money to satisfy the needs of the healthcare system. There will be nurses and supervisors and managers and managers’ managers, and social workers and para-medics, to say nothing of equipment which is becoming evermore sophisticated and evermore expensive. Then there'll be all the free-loaders who will fly to America from abroad to take advantage of the first-rate healthcare that will be available to them – for free! To provide all these resources the healthcare system will need revenue; so, in years to come, taxes will have to increase and increase – steadily.
Nicolas Sarkozy’s Right-wing UMP Thrashed in French Elections
THE TELEGRAPH: Nicolas Sarkozy will seek to relaunch his embattled presidency on Monday after his Right-wing party suffered a crushing defeat in France’s regional elections, seen as a test of his popularity.
French current Socialist President of Poitou-Charentes region Segolene Royal. Photograph: The Telegraph
Mr Sarkozy’s Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) was on course last night to lose in all but one of 22 regions in mainland France. As one analyst put it, the president must reinvent “le Sarkozysme 2.0” — a new ideology to woo disillusioned voters in the run-up to 2012 presidential elections.
A coalition between the opposition Socialists and Greens, whose party is called Europe Ecologie, swept the floor in the second round vote marked by a low turnout - 51 per cent - and the lowest score for the Right in more than three decades.
As polling stations closed, exit polls gave the Socialists and Greens 54 per cent of the vote, the UMP 36 percent and the far-Right National Front just under nine per cent.
Despite pushing hard-line policies on immigration and security, the president’s allies were weakened by a strong showing for the National Front, which won no regions but was in 12 run-offs.
The UMP’s sole consolation, besides holding Alsace, was taking the Indian Ocean island of Réunion. >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Sunday, March 21, 2010
Regionalwahlen in Frankreich: Das angekündigte Debakel des Nicolas Sarkozy
WELT ONLINE: Nicolas Sarkozys Partei UMP erleidet bei den französischen Regionalwahlen eine schwere Niederlage – Sozialisten siegen in fast allen Regionen. Schon bald trifft Sarkozy mit Premierminister Fillon zusammen: Es wird damit gerechnet, dass der Präsident zumindest mit einer kleinen Kabinettsumbildung reagiert.
Regierungschef François Fillon nannte das Ergebnis von 36 Prozent "eine Enttäuschung" für die Bürgerlichen, für die er Verantwortung übernehme. Bild: Welt Online
Die Regierungspartei von Präsident Nicolas Sarkozy hat in der zweiten Runde der Regionalwahlen die erwartete deutliche Niederlage hinnehmen müssen. Nach ersten Hochrechnungen kam die UMP im Landedurchschnitt auf lediglich 36,1 Prozent der Stimmen. Die Sozialisten (PS), die in den meisten Regionen mit Grünen und Kommunisten gemeinsame Listen gebildet hatten, kamen dagegen auf 54,3 Prozent. Die rechtsextreme Front National erreichte landesweit 8,7 Prozent.
In den 22 französischen Kern-Regionen konnte sich die UMP lediglich im traditionell rechten Elsass durchsetzen. Selbst im ebenfalls in der Regel konservativ tendierenden Korsika setzte sich die PS – wie in 19 weiteren Regionen - durch. Im Languedoc-Roussillon siegte zudem mit Gerge Frèche ein Kandidat, der nur deswegen nicht mehr offiziell als Sozialist gilt, weil die Parteiführung unter der Vorsitzenden Martine Aubry den Provinzfürsten wenige Wochen vor der Wahl wegen als antisemitisch interpretierbarer Bemerkungen von ihrer Liste gestrichen hatte.
Die Regionalwahlen sind die letzten Wahlen in Frankreich vor der nächsten Präsidentschaftswahl im Jahr 2012 und gelten deshalb als wichtiger Stimmungstest. Sarkozy wird am Montagmorgen mit Premierminister François Fillon im Élysée-Palast zusammenkommen und über Konsequenzen aus dem Wahlergebnis beraten. >>> Von Sascha Lehnartz | Sontag, 21. März 2010
Boy Arrested After Wal-Mart Announcement for 'All Black People' to Leave
THE TELEGRAPH: Police in New Jersey have arrested a 16-year-old boy after a Wal-Mart store broadcast an order for 'all black people' to leave the building.
The boy has been charged with bias and intimidation after the racist message was relayed via the store's public address system last week.
According to police, the boy picked up a public-address telephone in the Wal-Mart in Washington Township and said: "All black people, leave the store now."
A store manager apologised for the announcement, and police reviewed CCTV footage to find the boy.
Rafael Muñiz, the Washington Township police chief, said that while the cameras did not record anyone speaking on the public-address system, images showed three people – the suspect, a young man and a woman – standing near the phone just before the announcement, and rushing from the store just after it.
If convicted, the boy, from Atlantic County, New Jersey, could face a year in a juvenile detention centre. >>> | Tuesday, March 22, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: In the second extract from his new book, Philip Johnston says we must restore traditional British common sense.
When I was growing up, there were two common phrases that you hardly ever hear today. One was: "It's a free country." The other was: "There should be a law against it." They tended to be uttered by people older than my parents who had been born not long after the First World War and may well have fought in the Second.
These phrases captured the essence of Britishness and why those wars were fought. We were, or imagined ourselves to be, "a free country" in a way that most European countries were not and had never been. That notion of being free defined us. We were not people subject to arbitrary state power and we both knew it and could say it. Perhaps this first phrase was used ironically at times; but when I heard it as a young boy it had a sense of certainty and permanence about it. What are we? A free country.
The second phrase also says much about the sort of country we were, and are no longer. There were, obviously, lots of laws but they were less restrictive of individual activity. They set parameters within which the "free" bit could be exercised and were governed by common law precedents handed down over the centuries. We had liberty; we did not have licence.
Yet there were clearly things of which many people, especially older ones, disapproved and that they sometimes wished could be legislated away, such as the looser morals that were on show in the 1960s. You could imagine an old codger leering at a girl in her thigh-high mini-skirt in 1963 (when sexual intercourse began, according to the poet Philip Larkin) and saying: "There should be a law against it." And if the girl had overheard, she would have replied: "It's a free country, grandad. Mind your own business."
However, neither of these phrases applies today. We are no longer a free country, not in the way previous generations would have understood the phrase; and as for the demand for laws, there almost certainly already is a law against it. >>> Philip Johnston | Sunday, March 21, 2010
'Bad Laws' by Philip Johnston (Constable) is out on Thursday and is available for £8.99 plus 99p postage and packing from Telegraph Books. Please call 0844 871 1514 or go to books.telegraph.co.uk
Historic U.S. Healthcare Bill Passes
Major Changes Ahead As Health-Care Reform Passes
Health-Care Reform Major Win for Obama Presidency
US Congress Passes Barack Obama's Historic Health Care Reform Bill
THE TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama has convinced Democrats in the US Congress to pass his historic health care reform bill, handing the president a victory that will give nearly every American the right to health coverage and could define his time in office.
“We proved we are still a people capable of doing big things and tackling big challenges,” said Mr Obama. Reprising his campaign mantra he added: “This is what change looks like, tonight we answered the call of history.”
His victory came by a narrow margin of 219 to 212, with all Republicans and 34 Democrats opposing. But it secured the most sweeping domestic reform since the 1960s that a few weeks ago seemed dead and buried when the Democrats lost a crucial Senate by-election in Massachusetts.
Though the president will sign last night’s bill into law, the process will not end until later in the week, when Democrats in the Senate are expected to complete a complex set of manoeuvres that will create a compromise bill.
The president therefore avoided a victory lap in comments made from the East Room of the White House shortly before midnight in Washington, though privately White House advisers said this was “a wonderful, wonderful night” and some could not contain their smiles as the president made his short, televised address.
As hundreds of angry protesters outside the Capitol chanted “Kill the Bill”, Democrats were able to muster they votes they needed after the president reached a last minute compromise with anti-abortion congressmen.
He agreed to issue an executive order as soon as the bill was passed that would prevent any circumvention of the existing ban on federal funding of elective abortions, which a small group of Catholic Democrats said was threatened by the language of the bill.
“This bill is complicated, but it’s also very simple: illness and infirmity are universal, and we are stronger against them together than we are alone,” said Steny Hoyer, the Democratic House Majority Leader before the vote. >>> Alex Spillius in Washington | Monday, March 22, 2010
Nile Gardiner: Congress Health Care Vote: A Dark Day for Freedom in America
THE TELEGRAPH: The passage last night of Barack Obama’s health care reform bill through the House of Representatives is yet another blow to freedom in America inflicted by the Obama administration. The legislation, which comes at a staggering cost of $940 billion, will hugely add to the already towering national debt, now at over $12 trillion. It is yet another millstone round the necks of the American people, already faced with the highest levels of unemployment in a generation.
It is also a great leap forward by the United States towards a European-style vision of universal health care, which will only lead to soaring costs, higher taxes, and a surge in red tape for small businesses. This reckless legislation dramatically expands the power of the state over the lives of individuals, and could not be further from the vision of America’s founding fathers. It has also been rushed through Congress without proper scrutiny, in the face of overwhelming public opposition, and with not an ounce of bipartisan support.
Above all the health care bill is a thinly disguised vanity project for a president who is committed to transforming the United States from the world’s most successful large-scale free enterprise economy, to a highly interventionist society with a massive role for centralized government. The United States has thrived as a nation for over 230 years precisely because of its love for freedom and its belief in free markets. Read on and comment >>> Nile Gardiner | Monday, March 22, 2010
This Time Change Really Is Coming to America
TIMES ONLINE: Barack Obama is wrong to suggest he knows what change looks like but right to urge the public to get ready
There was no champagne for the President, at least not in public. Instead there was a short walk to the microphone at ten to midnight and a low-key speech to weary reporters. Embedded in it were six words that he had waited a long time and twisted a lot of arms to say: "This is what change looks like".
It is hard to overstate the effect the reforms passed last night will have on the American way of life, because the unknowable changes may be even more profound than those that are already known.
Thirty-two million people will be forced or helped to buy health insurance for the first time. Ninety-five per cent of Americans will thus have coverage, up from roughly 85 per cent. The dream of universal coverage will not become a reality overnight, but it will come closer than ever in US history, and closer to levels taken for granted in other advanced economies. >>> Giles Whittell, Washington | Monday, March 22, 2010
Ein historischer Entscheid mit Folgen: Reaktionen zu Obamas Gesundheitsreform in der amerikanischen Presse
NZZ ONLINE: Grosses Thema in der amerikanischen Presse ist der knappe Erfolg von Obamas Gesundheitsreform im Kongress. Die Spaltung, die sich in der Frage zwischen den politischen Kräften abzeichnete, prägt auch die Meinungen in der Medienlandschaft.
Die Kommentare der amerikanischen Presse zur Verabschiedung von Obamas Gesundheitsreform im Kongress sind so kontrovers wie die Haltung der beiden wichtigsten Parteien. Die konservativen Zeitungen stützen die Meinung der Republikaner, wonach die Reform den Vereinigten Staaten eine Schuldenlast von unerhörtem Ausmass auflade. Die linksliberalen Blätter streichen den sozialen Fortschritt heraus, der Ungerechtigkeiten ausgleiche und Benachteiligten den Zugang zur medizinischen Versorgung garantiere. Graben zwischen den Parteien >>> Isabelle Imhof | Montag, 22. März 2010
MAIL ONLINE: Vote is compared to civil rights legislation of 50s and 60s / Reform leaves nation polarised as backlash begins / Democrats set to pay price in November mid-term elections / Final tally is 219 to 212
Barack Obama hailed the passing of his historic healthcare overhaul last night, declaring: 'This is what change looks like.'
The jubilant president was preparing to sign his £600billion plan into law after the House of Representatives passed the bill in a cliffhanger vote - a victory that U.S. presidents have been trying to achieve for nearly 100 years.
Many are already comparing the vote to just a rung below the enactment of civil rights legislation in the 1950s and 1960s.
But with the nation polarised by the healthcare debate, many are wondering if Mr Obama has made a historic mistake.
The cost to his party and himself could be crippling, analysts have warned. America is heading into mid-term congressional elections in November - and many are now worried that the Democrats are set to pay a high price for healthcare.
The damage to Mr Obama and his party is already considerable.
The president staked his domestic agenda on healthcare last summer. His stand generated the grass-roots 'Tea Party' movement, sparked angry town hall meetings across the nation, and saw his poll numbers plunge to below 50 per cent in some places.
Couverture santé : Obama remporte un vote historique
Le vice-président Joe Biden (en arrière-plan) et le président américain Barack Obama. «Nous avons prouvé que nous restions un peuple capable de grandes choses», s'est félicité le chef de l'Etat à l'issue du vote dimanche soir. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Après des mois d'âpres négociations, le président américain a remporté une bataille qu'aucun démocrate n'avait gagné en 100 ans de vie politique : donner à toute la nation une vraie couverture maladie.
«Nous avons prouvé que ce gouvernement, un gouvernement élu par la nation pour servir la nation, continue d'agir pour la nation. Nous avons prouvé que nous restions un peuple capable de grandes choses». Par ces mots, Barack Obama a salué sobrement dimanche le passage du projet de réforme du système de santé américain auquel il travaillait depuis plus d'un an. Une réforme dont il a revu certains objectifs à la baisse mais qui restera probablement le symbole de sa législature et fait aboutir un combat mené par les démocrates depuis un siècle.
Dimanche soir, à l'issue de dix heures de débats, la Chambre des représentants a approuvé par 219 voix contre 212 le texte adopté le 24 décembre par le Sénat, envoyant ainsi à une courte majorité le texte à la Maison-Blanche pour promulgation par le président Obama.
Dimanche après-midi pourtant, l'issue du vote était toujours incertaine. Pendant les débats, les républicains ont réitéré leur opposition à un plan jugé trop coûteux. Mike Pence, numéro trois de l'opposition, a ironisé : «Il n'y a qu'à Washington qu'on peut dire qu'on dépense 1.000 milliards tout en faisant économiser de l'argent aux contribuables». Mais les chefs démocrates ont fini par obtenir le ralliement du démocrate anti-avortement Bart Stupak et de ses partisans. Un précieux soutien rendu possible grâce au compromis passé avec Barack Obama qui s'est engagé à signer un décret pour réaffirmer l'interdiction des financements fédéraux pour l'avortement.
Certains démocrates ont néanmoins refusé de s'engager pour une réforme que les sondages disent impopulaire. Selon un récent sondage du Wall Street Journal, 36% des Américains jugent la réforme positive, contre 48% qui l'estiment négative et 15% sans opinion. Au total, 34 démocrates ont finalement voté contre le projet de loi tout comme la totalité des 178 républicains. 32 millions d'assurés supplémentaires >>> Par Pauline Fréour | Lundi 22 Mars 2010
Obama's Health Care Bill: Courageous Or Electoral Suicide?
THE TELEGRAPH: Catastrophic victory. Electoral suicide. An act of political courage that will rescue his presidency. The verdicts on Barack Obama's successful push to pass health care reform by the narrowest of margins are sharply divided.
In the short term, few would dispute that Mr Obama registered a significant political achievement. He showed that Democrats, holding power in the White House and both houses of Congress, could muscle a major bill through. Finally, he did something.
He put his personal prestige on the line by persisting with the measure despite the stunning blow of losing a Senate seat in Massachusetts in January largely because of popular discontent with it. Reforming America's health care system had eluded presidents back to Theodore Roosevelt, who left office 101 years ago.
But one man's courage is another's folly and the victory came at a huge cost for Mr Obama. He campaigned on a lofty vow to usher in a new era of bipartisanship in Washington. That died late on Sunday when health care passed without a single Republican vote – and with 34 Democrats voting against.
Never before had landmark legislation – the bill reshapes one-sixth of the American economy – been passed without even a smidgen of bipartisan consensus.
The process took 14 months and at times showed politics at its ugliest, with closed-door horse-trading (despite Mr Obama's trumpeting of a new transparency) and grubby deals like the notorious "Louisiana Purchase" and "Cornhusker Kickback".
Almost every other political priority was pushed aside and the "laser focus" on jobs that the White House kept promising never materialised. >>> Toby Harnden in Washington | Monday, March 22, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Thousands Rally Against Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
Police officers scuffle with protesters during an opposition rally in Moscow on Saturday. Photograph: Arab News
ARAB NEWS: MOSCOW: Russian police broke up an opposition demonstration in Moscow on Saturday, one of around 50 rallies across the country with thousands protesting falling living standards under Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
A coalition of opposition groups declared a national “Day of Anger” with nationwide rallies tapping into anger which has been rising since the economic crisis hit. The protests mixed local issues with anger at the federal government.
Opposition groups have been heartened by unusually large rallies in recent months. But riven by division they were unable to match the 10,000 people who gathered for a January rally in the western city of Kaliningrad, one of the largest in a decade.
“The mood has changed, but it has not yet turned into a movement,” said Masha Lipman, an analyst with the Carnegie Moscow Center think-tank. But for the micro-managers in the Kremlin “the stakes are extremely high,” she said.
At least 1,500 people turned out in the Pacific port of Vladivostok, raising their hands to support a motion to dismiss Putin’s government. Around 1,000 rallied in Saint Petersburg and hundreds gathered in several other cities.
“People have no work and they are fed up,” said Ivan Fotodtov, 26, a Vladivostok web designer who braved snow to protest rising bills cutting into his stagnant wages. >>> Aydar Buribayev | Reuters | Sunday, March 21, 2010
Obama "Confident" Health Insurance Reform Will Pass
We're Headed Straight Off a Cliff If Health Care Passes
FOX NEWS: Never has “I’m from the government and I’m here to help you” sounded more like an empty promise.
Pork is the preferred legislative meat for members of Congress, but this weekend they opted for bologna as they tried to convince the public – and themselves – that their so-called “health care” or health insurance “reform” monstrosity will be good for us. At least Castor oil was supposed to work even though it tasted awful. This bill not only tastes bad, it will curdle the best health care system in the world, which could be made a lot better, but will be made much worse with many of the provisions in this legislation.
Democrats now readily admit that Medicare is full of waste, fraud and abuse, but they want us to believe they can run an even larger venture without throwing additional money away. Amazing!
President Obama again claimed in Saturday remarks to the House Democratic caucus that the bill will reduce the deficit by $1.3 trillion. He must know that isn’t true because the money “saved” from Medicare cuts will go to pay for new spending. Only in Washington can you save money and spend money at the same time.
Addressing critics of the bill, President Obama said no one is “going to pull the plug on grandma.” They won’t have to. Grandma will be denied treatment because she will be too much of a financial burden on government. It’s called rationing. Grandma had better start working out, eating lots of oatmeal and hope she doesn’t get sick. Why do you think the president kept mentioning sick children? It’s because children are the ones who will get the most – and best – treatment. Rahm Emanuel’s brother, Ezekiel, has said government has a right to decide how many health care dollars you are worth. And if children with a lifelong taxpaying potential are worth more than grandma who is taking more from the tax pot than she is contributing, that’s too bad for grandma.
The president also said the bill will save money by requiring only one test by the doctor “not five tests.” But what if the first test doesn’t reveal the nature of an illness? Suppose a cancer is hiding in one organ and the test is for cancer in another organ? A second (or fifth) test might reveal the location of the disease, but under Obamacare, a government bureaucrat will allow just one test. -- It’s a form of Russian roulette. >>> Cal Thomas, FoxNews.com | Saturday, March 20, 2010
Tea Partiers Call Frank a "Fa**ot"
ADVOCATE.COM: Tea Party members who were protesting health care reform on Capitol Hill Saturday heckled a number of congressmen, including Barney Frank, as the lawmakers passed through the Longworth House office building. Frank, who is openly gay, was called "fa**ot," while Rep. John Lewis, a hero in the civil rights movement, was called "ni**er."
Frank told the Washington newspaper The Hill that he was also called a “Homo Communist” and told to “go homo to Massachusetts." He also had to call Capitol police “to move away” five or six protesters who were banging on his office door and yelling through the mail slot. >>> Advocate.com Editors | Saturday, March 20, 2010
France Loses Faith in Sarkozy
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: As the French go to the polls for their regional elections, many wonder whether France's love affair with Nicolas Sarkozy is well and truly over.
Sarkozy: Heralded as France's saviour when he took over from an ageing and lethargic Jacques Chirac in 2007, Mr Sarkozy has since then lost the support of a large chunk of his right-wing electorate. Photo: The Sunday Telegraph
It was just what the beleaguered party faithful wanted: a glitzy election rally with an upbeat message that their leader's huge reform programme was on track, with his ministers handling the economic crisis better than neighbours like Britain.
But days before France goes to the polls in regional elections, the man whose record and reputation are on the line was nowhere to be seen at his own party's final polling push – and his name was not directly mentioned.
Three years after President Nicholas Sarkozy swept triumphantly into the Elysee Palace to usher in what he promised was a new era of change for France, few from his camp will admit it – but he has become an electoral liability.
As his Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) fought against the prospect of losing control of the last of mainland France's 22 regions in the second round vote, the man standing amid the blue balloons and wild adulation in the eastern Alsace region was the Prime Minister François Fillon. It was his final stop in a race around France to muster the votes needed for an eleventh-hour victory.
Mr Sarkozy stayed away, hoping that by doing so these elections would be considered local affairs – a vote for who controls transport, schools and development budgets.
But however he spins it, the midterm regional elections are seen as a key test on how much the French have fallen out of love with their president, and the response is likely to be a humiliating slap in the face. >>> Henry Samuel in Strasbourg | Sunday, March 21, 2010
Yémen : Manif contre la fixation de l’âge du mariage
20MINUTES.ch: Plusieurs milliers de femmes ont manifesté dimanche devant le Parlement à Sanaa à l'appel des milieux islamistes et conservateurs contre un projet de loi fixant l'âge minimum du mariage au Yémen.
La loi, qui fixe à 17 ans l'âge du mariage pour les filles et à 18 ans pour les garçons, est très controversée. Photo : 20Minutes.ch
Le rassemblement a pris l'allure d'une démonstration de force contre cette loi controversée, fixant à 17 ans l'âge du mariage pour les filles et à 18 ans pour les garçons. Les manifestantes ont été amenées par bus entiers de Sanaa et des localités environnantes.
Certaines des manifestantes, dont plupart portaient le voile intégral, brandissaient un exemplaire du Coran et des banderoles proclamant «Ne bannissez pas ce qui a été autorisé par Allah», «Non aux manipulations des droits des femmes» ou encore «le Coran et la sunna (la tradition du prophète Mahomet) au dessus des traités contraires à notre religion».
Selon les islamistes, l'âge du mariage n'a pas à être fixé car l'islam ne l'a pas fait pas et le prophète Mahomet s'est marié avec Aïcha alors qu'elle n'avait que neuf ans.
Le mariage des femmes-enfants est largement pratiqué au Yémen, pays à structure tribale et où l'islamisme constitue une force non négligeable. >>> afp | Dimanche 21 Mars 2010
Angry White House Seeks to 'Modify' Israeli Regime
THE TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama's team hope to push Right-wing premier Benjamin Netanyahu into a coalition which will put peace talks on track. >>> Adrian Blomfield in Ramat Shlomo and Alex Spillius in Washington | Saturday, March 20, 2010
Niall Ferguson: TV Historian Calls for GCSE History 'To Be Made Compulsory'
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: History should be a compulsory subject for British students sitting their GCSEs, the historian and broadcaster Niall Ferguson has said.
British schools are failing to properly teach children about major events due to a “junk history” curriculum, which has left standards at an all-time low, he said.
Prof Ferguson, 45, who has also presented a Channel 4 series of the world’s financial history, attacked the subject’s decline, arguing it was badly taught and undervalued. >>> Andrew Hough | Sunday, March 21, 2010
Ali Khamenei : le peuple iranien a «défait» l'ennemi
Ali Khamenei assis à côté du portrait de son prédécesseur, l'ayatollah Ruhollah Khomieni. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Dans un message pour le Nouvel an iranien, le guide suprême du pays a dénoncé samedi «les ennemis de la République islamique» qui ont tout fait pour «défaire la révolution de l'intérieur».
Alors que l'année iranienne s'achève, le guide suprême du pays, l'ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a affirmé samedi, dans un message pour le Nouvel an (Nowrouz), que le peuple avait défait, durant ces douze derniers mois, l'«ennemi» qui complotait contre la République islamique.
«Les ennemis du pays et de la République islamique ont concentré tous leurs efforts, après 30 ans, pour défaire la révolution de l'intérieur», a déclaré l'ayatollah, dans un message lu à la télévision d'Etat. Une référence aux troubles qui ont suivi l'élection présidentielle de juin et la réélection controversée du président Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
L'année iranienne, qui se termine samedi, a en effet été marquée par des manifestations de l'oppposition qui ont fait des dizaines de morts. Dans le même temps, des milliers de personnes ont également été arrêtées. Le Guide suprême a précisé que la nouvelle année iranienne (21 mars 2010 - 20 mars 2011) serait «l'année du double effort et du double travail» pour assurer «plus de progrès et de justice» au pays.
Dimanche, dans la ville de Mashhad (nord-est), où il se rend traditionnellement pour la nouvelle année, Ali Khamenei s'en est de nouveau pris aux «ennemis» de la République islamique. «S'ils avaient réussi, les Etats-Unis et le régime sioniste auraient envoyé leurs forces dans les rues de Téhéran (soutenir les manifestants de l'opposition, ndlr), mais ils ont compris que cela leur porterait tort. Les dirigeants des pays oppresseurs (occidentaux, ndlr) ont alors commencé à faire de la propagande pour soutenir les fauteurs de trouble», a-t-il souligné. Il a également accusé le président américain, Barack Obama, de «comploter» contre l'Iran malgré son offre de dialogue. >>> Par lefigaro.fr | Dimanche 21 Mars 2010
Frauen hinten, Männer vorne: In Jerusalem wächst der Protest gegen ultraorthodoxe Juden und ihre Privilegien
NZZ am SONNTAG: Säkular gesinnte Israeli begehren gegen ultraorthodoxe Juden und ihre Privilegien auf. In Jerusalem wird gegen die Regel protestiert, nach der Frauen und Männer getrennt in Bussen zu sitzen haben.
Der Buschauffeur blickt irritiert auf. Es ist nicht üblich auf der Linie 56, dass eine Frau vorne einsteigt. Auf seiner Strecke ins Jerusalemer Quartier Ramat Schlomo, in dem ausschliesslich ultraorthodoxe Juden wohnen, steigen die weiblichen Passagiere immer hinten ein und knipsen ihre Zehnerkarten selbst mit einer am Haltegriff angeketteten Lochzange ab. Im vorderen Teil des Busses sind ausschliesslich schwarze Hüte, schwarze Anzüge und Schläfenlocken zu sehen – die traditionelle Tracht der Haredim-Männer, der Frommsten aller Frommen. «Nach hinten», zischen sie auch sogleich, schauen schnell weg oder halten sich die Hand vor die Augen, um nicht mit Weiblichkeit konfrontiert zu werden. >>> Silke Mertins, Jerusalem | Sonntag, 21. März 2010
Gehaltsexzesse bei US-Managern
NZZ am SONNTAG: Die CS zahlt einem Banker angeblich 11 Millionen Dollar für den Stellenwechsel
Im Rezessionsjahr 2009 sind in den USA Millionen Arbeitsplätze verloren gegangen, doch in den Gehalts-Checks vieler Unternehmenschefs hat sich die Krise kaum bemerkbar gemacht. Jahresgehälter in zweistelliger Millionenhöhe sind nach wie vor nichts Aussergewöhnliches. Das belegen die Pflichtmitteilungen, die die Börsenaufsicht SEC in diesen Tagen veröffentlicht.
Viele Vorstände konnten sich in den vergangenen Monaten sogar über eine deutliche Aufstockung ihrer Bezüge freuen. Zum Beispiel Thomas Ryan, Chef des Pharmakonzerns CVS Caremark. Er verdiente im vergangenen Jahr 30,4 Mio. $, wie am Donnerstag bekannt wurde. Im Vorjahr waren es 23,8 Mio. $. Selbst wenn er dieses Geld verprassen und gleichzeitig den Job verlieren sollte, müsste er sich anschliessend keine Sorgen machen: In seiner betrieblichen Altersvorsorge hat Ryan mittlerweile 44,6 Mio. $ angespart. Alleine 8000 $ bekam der erfolgreiche Manager letztes Jahr für die Teilnahme an einem Golfturnier. Es war Teil einer Wohltätigkeitsveranstaltung, bei der CVS Spenden sammelte. >>> Von Sebastian Bräuer | Sonntag, 21. März 2010
Hundreds Flee As Volcano Erupts In Iceland
YAHOO! NEWS UK / SKY NEWS: A volcano has erupted in the south of Iceland forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes.
The Eyjafjallajokull glacier, the island's fifth largest, started to spew smoke and lava from several craters along a rift popular with hikers.
Police declared a state of emergency and sent rescue teams to evacuate about 500 people living near the site. No injuries or damage to property have been reported.
Three Red Cross care centres were opened in nearby villages to help the evacuees. >>> | Sunday, March 21, 2010
English Defence League and Anti-fascist Protesters Clash in Bolton
THE TELEGRAPH: Dozens of people were arrested and several injured after violent clashes between anti-Muslim militants and anti-fascist protesters and police during a demonstration in Bolton.
The controversial Right-wing group The English Defence League (EDL) organised the rally.
A counter-demonstration by Unite Against Fascism (UAF) was held, and hundreds of police officers are battled to keep control of the rival groups.
The controversial Right-wing group The English Defence League (EDL) organised the rally.
A counter-demonstration by Unite Against Fascism (UAF) was held, and hundreds of police officers are battled to keep control of the rival groups. >>> | Saturday, March 20, 2010
Rise in Marriages Between Cousins ‘Is Putting Children’s Health at Risk’
TIMES ONLINE: The dangers of marriage between first cousins are to be highlighted by a leading professor, with a warning that their children are at risk of genetic defects.
Baroness Deech, a family law professor and crossbencher, will call next week for a “vigorous” public campaign to deter the practice, which is prevalent in Muslim and immigrant communities and on the rise. She will reignite a debate started five years ago when Ann Cryer, MP for Keighley, drew attention to the number of disabled babies being born in the town and called for cousin marriage to be stopped.
Fifty-five per cent of British Pakistanis are married to first cousins and in Bradford the figure is 75 per cent. British Pakistanis represent 3 per cent of all births in Britain but one third of children with recessive disorders. >>> Frances Gibb | Saturday, March 20, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Benjamin Netanyahu Rebuffs Hillary Clinton Demands
THE TELEGRAPH: Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has refused to buckle to US pressure to scrap a Jewish building project in East Jerusalem in a crucial telephone conversation with America's top diplomat.
Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: The Telegraph
Mr Netanyahu ceded little ground to Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, as he finally responded to a series of conditions she set out to end a 10-day standoff between Israel and its superpower patron.
The Israeli leader gambled that the Obama administration had lost its appetite for a prolonged diplomatic row by accepting just one of Mrs Clinton's demands in full as he agreed to make a "confidence-building" gesture to the Palestinians.
He refused to cancel construction of 1,600 settler homes which lie at the heart of the crisis, offering instead to delay their construction - a proposal understood already to have been made and rejected.
A freeze on further settlement building in East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in 1967, was also ruled out. Instead, he reportedly proposed to continue building, but in secret.
In keeping with a decision to soften the tone of US rhetoric, Mrs Clinton was guarded in her response, neither welcoming nor dismissing Mr Netanyahu's suggestions.
"What I heard from the prime minister in response to the requests we made was useful and productive," she said, speaking after a meeting of the Middle East Quartet negotiating group in Moscow.
The Quartet - which comprises the United States, the United Nations, Russia and the European Union - however joined Mrs Clinton in forcefully condemning Israel's construction plans. >>> Adrian Blomfield in Jerusalem and Andrew Osborn in Moscow | Friday, March 19, 2010
General John Sheehan Isn't the First Bigot to Blame 'The Gays'
THE TELEGRAPH: The week’s most ludicrous comment comes from US Army General John Sheehan, who has blamed the Srebrenica massacre on – wait for it – the gays. Specifically, “openly homosexual” Dutch soldiers, who presumably were too busy swapping grooming tips to notice 8,000 people being slaughtered. Amazingly, while a classic of its genre, it is far from the most preposterous thing homosexuals have been blamed for. The following have all – honestly and seriously – been blamed on gay people. Read on and comment >>> Tom Chivers | Friday, March 19, 2010
Dutch PM Appalled at Gay-Genocide Link
ADVOCATE.COM: The Dutch prime minister is lashing out at retired American general John Sheehan for blaming the Netherlands' inclusion of gays in the military for massive deaths during the war in Bosnia.
"The remarks were outrageous, wrong, and beneath contempt," Jan Peter Balkenende told reporters at a press conference, according to Reuters.
Other Dutch leaders decried Sheehan's assertions as well. The Dutch Defense Ministry said Sheehan's claims were "absolute nonsense" and that gay Dutch soldiers often work alongside the U.S. military in its NATO mission in Afghanistan. Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said Sheehan's statement was "the bizarre private opinion of someone without an official function." Renee Jones-Bos, the Dutch ambassador to the United States, said there was no evidence that his claims were correct. >>> Michelle Garcia | Friday, March 19, 2010
General David Petraeus Tipped as Republican 2012 Presidential Candidate
THE TELEGRAPH: Speculation is mounting that Gen David Petraeus could run as the Republican presidential candidate in 2012.
General David Petraeus with President Barack Obama. Photograph: The Telegraph
The shrewd and articulate military commander, credited with turning around the Iraq war, will deliver a speech at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire next week, a traditional staging post in the state where the first presidential primaries are held every four years. Each of the last eight presidents has spoken at the college on their way to victory.
It will be the latest in a series of speaking engagements where the head of the US Central Command region, which covers the Middle East and Central Asia, has veered well into foreign policy discussion and often faced questions about his political ambition.
His stock response is the same as any potential aspirant at this early stage - a flat no. But for someone who professes to have no interest in running for president he has a way of talking about it even when he hasn't been asked directly.
In a recent appearance at the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia Gen Petraeus turned a question about whether or not he planned to write a book upon retiring into an opportunity to deny he had political ambitions. On other occasions he has laughed off the notion of a White House bid in a slightly disingenuous manner. >>> Alex Spillius in Washington | Friday, March 19, 2010
Pope Archdiocese Faces 'Tsunami' of Abuse Claims
THE TELEGRAPH: The head of new taskforce set up to deal with sex abuse by Roman Catholic priests in the Pope's former archdiocese in Germany said the group had been overwhelmed by a "tsunami" of claims.
New reports have emerged almost daily of sex abuse cases involving Catholic clergy in several European countries. The spreading controversy threatens to overshadow a letter the Pope is expected to release on Saturday about the scandals that wracked Ireland.
Fresh claims emerged that Benedict XVI failed to do enough to safeguard children from paedophile priests when, as Joseph Ratzinger, he was the archbishop of Munich from 1977 to 1982.
"It's like a tsunami," said Elke Huemmeler, the head of the diocese's newly established Task Force on Sexual Abuse Prevention, the first of its kind in the German Catholic Church.
The body, which started work yesterday, will review about 120 cases of alleged sexual abuse – among the 300 reported across Germany since January.
Around 100 of the claims involve a boarding school run by Benedictine monks at Ettal, in the foothills of the Alps in southern Bavaria.
"It is all really terrible, but we are going to listen to everything," said Mrs Huemmeler. >>> Nick Squires in Rome | Friday, March 19, 2010
PM Report: Obama Tries to Close Health Deal
Online Islamic Sex-shop Opens for Business
NRC HANDELSBLAD INTERNATIONAL: The sex products Dutch Muslims used to bring back from the Middle East are now available online.
Abdelaziz Aouragh is a Muslim, lives in Amsterdam, and deals in sex articles. His webshop El Asira, which is for Muslims, will soon be selling Pure Power capsules which "heighten male performance, desire and pleasure", Desire capsules for women, sensual stimulators for him and her and lubricants based on cocoa butter, water or silicon. El Asira calls itself "the first Islamic online webshop for sex articles and care products". Its webshop should be open for business starting this weekend.
The combination of Islam and sex products is not an obvious one. When Aouragh's business partner Stefan Delsink suggested selling sex items, Aouragh was dubious. A day later he agreed. "I knew that Muslims do have a need for sex products. People bring them back from the Middle East and give them to young couples," he said.
Not knowing whether his religion would allow the trade in sex products, Aouragh visited an imam, who in turn consulted a Saudi sheik. It was allowed, he learned, as long as the products are halal and are meant to improve sex within marriage. "There is even a fatwa on the subject." That just left the problem of how to tell his parents. "It's a forbidden subject for the first generation here,” he said. Whenever his parents bring the matter up, Aouragh tries to quickly change the subject. “I tell them: yes, um, could I have some more tea?”
Abdelaziz Aouragh (29) is an orthodox Muslim with a Dutch trading instinct. He was born in the east of Amsterdam to a Moroccan carpenter. He has a pointed nose, a tuft of hair on his chin and thin oval glasses. He works at Schiphol airport assisting disabled transit passengers. His wife was born in Morocco and they have a three-year-old daughter. Last year they went on their first hadj, a pilgrimage to Mecca. Changing the image of Islam >>> Hanina Ajarai and Joke Mat | Friday, March 19, 2010
Möglicher Verzicht Israels auf Siedlungsbau in Ostjerusalem: Ministerpräsident Netanyahu will Vertrauen der USA zurückgewinnen
NZZ ONLINE: Israels Ministerpräsident Netanyahu hat den USA verschiedene Massnahmen vorgeschlagen, um das ramponierte Vertrauen nach dem jüngsten Disput um die umstritten Siedlungen in Ostjerusalem wieder zu stärken. Washington zögert noch.
Auch wenn es aus Israel heisst, die Beziehungen zu Washington seien intakt und der amerikanische Präsident von einem unzertrennbaren Freundschaftsbund spricht – die Ankündigung neuer Siedlungsbauten in Ostjerusalem während der Visite von Vizepräsident Joe Biden hat sichtlich Spuren hinterlassen. >>> hoh. | Freitag, 19. März 2010
AM Report: Final Health Vote Nears
ViewPoints: China, the New Dominant Economy?
Turkey Detains Military Figures in Alleged Plot Against Government
THE GUARDIAN: About 20 held in investigation into alleged rightwing network
Turkish police today detained about 20 people, including serving military officers, as part of an investigation into an alleged plot to topple the government.
The operation was part of an investigation into the "Ergenekon" network, an alleged rightwing militant group that prosecutors say had planned to overthrow prime minister Tayyip Erdogan's AK party government, according to broadcaster NTV.
The suspects were detained in eight cities, the television report said. No details of names were given. More than 200 civilians and retired and working officers in the military are on trial accused of membership of Ergenekon.
Close to 40 other officers, including generals and admirals, have recently been charged as part of a separate alleged coup plot. Critics accuse the AK party government of using the investigations to hound secularist opponents. >>> Agencies | Thursday, March 18, 2010
Allah to Get a Dutch PO Box
RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLWIDE: Ever felt like writing a letter to Allah? Well, now you can. From 21 March to 7 December, the deity will have his own PO Box in the Netherlands.
The PO Box is a project by artist Johan van der Dong, who was responsible for opening a hotline to God last year. God’s voicemail was very popular, over 25,000 people left Him a message.
The Dutchman intends to keep the letters unopened and says he will use them in his oil paintings. “What is in the letters is between the writer of the letter and Allah,” he told Dutch news agency ANP. >>> | Friday, March 19, 2010
