Pope's Preacher Says Attacks on Catholics Are Like Antisemitism
THE GUARDIAN: Jewish groups react with outrage as Vatican distances itself from 'non-official' remarks

Father Raniero Cantalamessa's remarks were described as 'repulsive' and 'obscene' by Germany’s ­Central Council of Jews. Photograph: The Guardian
Victims' groups and Jewish representatives expressed anger last night after the pope's personal preacher compared criticism of the Catholic hierarchy over cleric sex abuse with persecution of the Jews.

Addressing Pope Benedict and other members of the Vatican leadership at a service in St Peter's, Father Raniero Cantalamessa read a letter he said he had got from a Jewish friend. It said: "The passing from personal responsibility and guilt to a collective guilt remind me of the more shameful aspects of antisemitism."

Peter Iseley of the Survivors' Network of those Abused by Priests said: "To compare the discomfort that Vatican officials are finally feeling because of these decade-long cover-ups to the sufferings of the Jewish people down the centuries, especially during Holy Week, which was one of the most fearful times to be a Jew, is beyond even ridiculous."

The Jewish magazine, Tablet, called Cantalamessa "outrageously wrong". It said the church had "moved to cover up, paper over, and otherwise tacitly sanction paedophilia. Like the church, Jews know what it feels like to be victims of collective persecution. Unlike the church, Jews don't know what it feels like for their victimhood to be deserved."

Stephan Kramer, the general secretary of Germany's Central Council of Jews said: "It is repulsive, obscene and most of all offensive toward all abuse victims as well as to all the victims of the Holocaust.” >>> John Hooper in Rome | Saturday, April 03, 2010

Barack Obama Aims to Drive Gas Guzzlers Off the Road with Greener Laws
The Governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, popularised the Hummer but now the President is trying to call a halt to the American love affair with giant SUVs. Photograph: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: For decades they have thundered along America’s highways and choked up parking lots, a symbol of extravagance unchallenged by politicians, emissions standards or common sense.

They are the four-wheel-drive behemoths known to the US Government as “light trucks” and to consumers as SUVs (sport utility vehicles) — but their easy ride as the world’s most conspicuous mobile polluters ended this week.

In a coup that achieves something President Clinton promised but never delivered, President Obama has forced the big three US carmakers, and their unions, to accept tough mileage rules for cars and SUVs. The rules will cut emissions from vehicles by more than a third over the next four years.

Whether the new rules end America’s love affair with huge cars remains to be seen. But they are being introduced at a time when SUV sales are at a fraction of their peak level five years ago. Their demise coincides with the country’s first mass-produced “plug-in” electric car, which finally rolled off a Michigan production line this week.

From 2016, new cars and SUVs will have to deliver an average of 35.5 miles per gallon (42.6 miles per British gallon), comparable for the first time with European and Japanese requirements.

SUV mileage under the new regime is expected to average 28.8mpg (34.5mpg in Britain), or nearly three times that of the Hummer H1 that Arnold Schwarzenegger once drove into Times Square in New York to begin the vehicle’s transition from armoured personnel carrier into celebrity runabout.

The new rules end a notorious loophole in US law by which SUVs were exempt from emissions standards that applied to cars. This made them so much more profitable that at the peak of the sport utility boom, a single Ford plant was generating up to $15 million (£9.8 million) a day in pre-tax profits. >>> Giles Whittell, Washington | Saturday, April 03, 2010

Champagne-socialist Bliar Irritates Neighbours with Plans for His Little Country Pad
THE TELEGRAPH: A historic Buckinghamshire village has been blighted since Tony Blair moved into his £6m stately home, some neighbours claim.

The entrance to Wotton House. Photo: The Telegraph
Residents of Wotton Underwood say Mr Blair lives like a superstar and that they have had to endure helicopter noise and the presence of armed police.

One family has moved out, while others claim their children have been affected.

The picturesque village has been made a designated security area under the Terrorism Act, allowing officers to stop and search passers-by and ban photography.

Mr Blair and his wife, Cherie, are also having building work carried out. One resident claimed that a phone line installed for Mr Blair, who remains in close contact with world leaders, was mistakenly connected to her fax machine.

The complaints came as Mr Blair returned to national politics on Tuesday with a speech in support of Labour’s election campaign.

The Blairs bought South Pavilion, a 17th-century home in the village, for £5.75 million in May 2008.

The Grade I-listed property, once home to Sir John Gielgud, has seven bedrooms, ornamental gardens, a tennis court and swimming pool. It is the most valuable property in the Blairs’ £12 million portfolio. Tony Blair 'has blighted Buckinghamshire village' >>> Jon Swaine | Saturday, April 03, 2010

'Lebanese Derren Brown' Wins Reprieve from Beheading
THE TELEGRAPH: A Lebanese television psychic who is the equivalent of Derren Brown has won a temporary reprieve from a death sentence after being convicted in Saudi Arabia for witchcraft.

Ali Sibat, 49, had made predictions on an Arab satellite TV channel from his home in Beirut. He was arrested by the Saudi religious police during his pilgrimage to the holy city of Medina in May 2008 and sentenced to death last November.

He had been set to be beheaded Friday, the day executions are typically carried out in Saudi Arabia, but according to his attorney May al-Khansa, Lebanon's justice minister told her [that] her client would not be executed. She said it is still unclear whether the beheading had been waved [sic] or only postponed.

"Ali Sibat will stay alive this Friday but we don't know what is going to happen the next day, Saturday, Monday, any other day," she said. "What the (justice) minister told us was not enough for the family, it is not enough for me, because we really need Ali Sibat to be released." >>> | Friday, April 02, 2010

Related:

Beheading for Islamic Pilgrim? >>> | Friday, April 02, 2010

Moyen-Orient – Arabie: Un charlatan décapité?
leJDD.fr: On ne rigole pas avec les "charlatans" en Arabie saoudite. Même quand ils travaillent hors du pays, au Liban en l'occurrence. Ali Sabat devait être décapité vendredi pour avoir effectué des prédictions pour la télévision de Beyrouth. Il a surtout commis l'erreur de se rendre en pèlerinage à Médine. Un périple qui l'a conduit tout droit à la décapitation. La police religieuse en a en effet profité pour l'arrêter. Si son exécution a été reportée vendredi suite à l'intervention de la diplomatie libanaise, le "sorcier" n'est pas tiré d'affaires.

Il ne l'avait certainement pas vu venir. Ali Sabat, qui effectuait des prédictions pour la chaîne libanaise Sheherazade, diffusée par satellite, devait être exécuté vendredi en Arabie saoudite. Si son exécution a été reportée suite à l'intervention de la diplomatie libanaise, son sort reste encore incertain. II avait été arrêté en mai 2008 lors d'un pèlerinage vers Médine pour "sorcellerie et charlatanisme", des activités jugées polythéistes et contraire à la loi islamique.

L'homme n'a pourtant jamais exercé ses activités en Arabie saoudite mais depuis Beyrouth. Qu'importe, il lui a suffi de se rendre en pèlerinage dans la ville sainte de la péninsule arabique pour être appréhendé par la police religieuse saoudienne. Interrogé, il a avoué ses "crimes", en espérant être simplement renvoyé du pays. Le 9 novembre 2008, le verdict est tombé: peine de mort par décapitation. >>> Mathieu Olivier - leJDD.fr | Vendredi 02 Avril 2010

Pilger tragen Kreuze durch die Gassen Jerusalems. Bild: NZZ Online
Feierlichkeiten in einem schwierigen Umfeld: Christen in aller Welt gedenken der Leiden Jesu
NZZ ONLINE: Christen in aller Welt haben am Karfreitag der Leiden Jesu gedacht. Die Feierlichkeiten sind überschattet von den Missbrauchsvorfällen innerhalb der katholischen Kirche. In Jerusalem konnten die Pilgerzüge ohne grössere Zwischenfälle abgehalten werden.

Tausende von Christen in aller Welt haben am Karfreitag der Leiden Jesu Christi gedacht. Papst Benedikt XVI. rief während den Feierlichkeiten im Petersdom in Rom die Priester auf, «in der Gemeinschaft mit Jesus Christus Menschen des Friedens zu sein, der Gewalt entgegenzustehen und der grösseren Macht der Liebe zu vertrauen». Papst übernimmt Kreuz am Schluss >>> sda/dpa/afp | Karfreitag, 02. April 2010

Des fidèles finissent sur la croix
20MINUTES.ch: Des dizaines de personnes se sont flagellées, tandis que d'autres ont été «crucifiées» lors des traditionnelles cérémonies du vendredi saint aux Philippines.

Selon des responsables locaux, 30'000 touristes Philippins et étrangers sont attendus dans la ville pour les fêtes pascales.

«C'est la chose la plus douloureuse que j'ai jamais endurée, mais c'est pour le Seigneur et c'est ma pénitence», a déclaré Rommel David qui a entamé les «cérémonies» en se fouettant le dos en compagnie d'une dizaine de camarades dans la ville de San Fernando, au nord de Manille.

Une dizaine de personnes ont été attachées et clouées pendant quelques minutes à des croix à San Juan, près de San Fernando.

Les éphémères «Christ» sont ensuite emmenés dans une tente où des soins leur sont dispensés. >>> ats/afp | Vendredi 02 Avril 2010

Pâques : Le chemin de croix de Benoît XVI
Benoît XVI lors des cérémonies du Jeudi saint, hier à Rome. Photo : Le Temps
LE TEMPS: Les chrétiens célèbrent Pâques, et le pape va présider vendredi soir à Rome le chemin de croix, du Colisée au Palatin, qui rappelle le calvaire du Christ, alors que l’Eglise catholique traverse une crise inédite en se débattant dans les affaires de pédophilie

Depuis 2008, Benoît XVI, qui aura 83 ans le 16 avril, ne participe plus au parcours, qui commémore le martyre et la mort du Christ, ne prenant qu’à la toute fin la croix en bois. Vendredi soir, après la messe de la Passion du Christ à Saint-Pierre, il présidera la cérémonie depuis la terrasse du Mont Palatin, face au Colisée.

Cette année, le chemin de croix a une résonance particulière alors qu’une cascade d’affaires d’abus sexuels sur des mineurs de la part de prêtres et religieux, souvent couverts par leur hiérarchie, secoue l’Europe, notamment l’Allemagne, pays natal du pape, et les Etats-Unis. >>> AFP | Vendredi 02 Avril 2010

Des musulmans expulsés 
de la cathédrale de Cordoue
Une vue de l'intérieur de la cathédrale de Cordoue. Jusqu'en 1236, l'édifice était une mosquée. Une des plus belles au monde. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: La police espagnole a dû intervenir après qu'un petit groupe de musulmans autrichiens a entamé une prière au sein de la cathédrale de Cordoue. La pratique du culte musulman y est formellement interdite. Deux jeunes ont été interpellés.

Léger incident pascal dans l'ancienne mosquée de Cordoue, reconvertie depuis le 13e siècle en cathédrale. Six touristes autrichiens musulmans d'un groupe de 118 jeunes se sont mis en tête mercredi d'entamer une prière dans l'édifice. Guidés par l'un d'entre eux, les hommes ont commencé à se prosterner dans l'une des nefs. Mais seul le rite catholique est autorisé en ces lieux. Le personnel de sécurité de la cathédrale a donc rappelé à l'ordre les visiteurs et leur a signifié que le culte musulman était interdit.

Les choses se seraient alors envenimées. Un des visiteurs aurait même sorti un couteau rapporte le site d'information abcdesevilla.es. La police espagnole est finalement intervenue et a interpellé les deux plus récalcitrants d'entre eux. Deux policiers auraient été blessés pendant l'altercation. >>> Par LeFigaro.fr | Vendredi 02 Avril 2010

US to Drop Extra Security Against 'Terror-prone' Muslim Air Travellers
So what exactly is Barack HUSSEIN Obama playing at? Is he compromising the safety of non-Muslims so as not to offend his Muslim brothers? The dropping of extra security against ‘terror-prone’ Muslim air travellers is a measure as stupid as it is dangerous. How long will it take for disaster to happen, I wonder? And who’ll have blood on his hands then? If Muslims are insulted by the extra security needed, then they should stop trying to kill infidels, and if they did that, there would no longer be any need for any extra-ordinary security measures at all. – © Mark

TIMES ONLINE: The Obama Administration, facing protests from allies, announced today that it will stop requiring extra airport security screening for all travellers from "terror-prone" Muslim nations.

The United States will instead institute a "tailored" security system that relies on profiling individual travellers, based on intelligence such as their physical description or travel pattern.

Officials said that the new system would result in fewer passengers being pulled aside when travelling to America.

President Obama announced a crackdown on travellers from 14 "terror-prone" countries — 13 largely Muslim nations plus Cuba — after the failed "underwear bombing" of a Detroit-Amsterdam flight on Christmas Day.

Passport-holders and passengers from those countries were required to undergo full body pat-downs and manual baggage search as part of extra airport screening.

The emergency measures were intended to prevent would-be bombers like the Nigerian suspect from boarding US-bound planes.

Farouk Adbulmutallab has been charged with trying to blow up the Northwestern Airlines Flight 253 after he allegedly tried to detonate explosives hidden in his underwear, suffering severe burns but failing to bring down the plane.

Mr Abdulmutallab, 25, a former student at University College London, is understood to have told investigators that he was trained as a suicide bomber by an al-Qaeda affiliate in Yemen.

Mr Adbulmutallab's name was placed on a 550,000-name list of possible terror suspects, known as the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment database, or TIDE, after his father tipped off the US embassy in Nigeria about his concerns.

But Mr Adbulmutallab was never put on a 2,500-name "no-fly list" nor a 13,500-long "selectee" list requiring extra airport screening.

The blanket security measures imposed after the failed bombing affected all travellers from Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen and Cuba.

The list offended allies like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Nigeria and Algeria who are partners of the United States in the fight against al-Qaeda. >>> James Bone, New York | Friday, April 02, 2010

Worshippers Revolt in Church as German Catholic Leaders Admit Abuse
Archbishop Robert Zollitsch said that the Church had committed serious mistakes and done too little to help the victims of abuse. Photograph: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: German Catholic leaders openly admitted for the first time today that the Church betrayed and abused children in its care.

The admission by Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, came as Catholic priests across the country called on their congregations to pray for abused children.

But in many churches worshippers took the unusual step of expressing their unhappiness with the Church's management of the crisis.

Archbishop Zollitsch said that the Church had committed serious mistakes and done too little to help the victims of priestly abuse. “The caring responsibility towards the victims was insufficient in the past because of our own disappointment at the painful failure of the perpetrators, and out of a falsely understood concern for the standing of the church," he said.

It was as close as the Church in Germany has come to admitting that it covered up crimes committed by priests.

That, he said, was the "painful reality that we have to face up to". The Archbishop's words were notably blunter than those used by the Pope the previous day.

On Maundy Thursday he did not refer directly to the child abuse revelations now spreading across continents and confined himself to calling on Christians to respect the law. >>> Roger Boyes in Berlin and Ruth Gledhill | Friday, April 02, 2010

Beheading for Islamic Pilgrim?


Question About Saudi Justice


Related:

Saudis Display Their Barbaric, Dark Age Credentials! >>> | Thursday, April 01, 2010

The stones that were allegedly taken from the Berghof are thought by some to have been re-used in the construction of this roadside chapel. Others think they are not the same stones -- and are hoping the debate dies down soon. Photograph: Spiegel Online International
The Führer’s Flagstones: The Twisted Legacy of Hitler's Mountain Retreat
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: They may be simple flagstones, but they were once part of Adolf Hitler's mountain retreat in Obersalzberg. Now, a historian's claim that stones from the dictator's villa were used for the construction of a local chapel has many in the region up in arms.

It was a pleasant, dignified and very Bavarian celebration. There was a brass band, a group in lederhosen and dirndls, local dignitaries and even a close associate of the pope. All of them were there to attend the dedication of the Wegmacher chapel, a small roadside chapel in Obersalzberg, Adolf Hitler's mountain headquarters in the southeast corner of Germany.

Matthias Ferwagner, head of the building authority in the nearby town of Traunstein, told a touching story about a girl named Sophia who had cancer and placed daisies on the chapel's walls as a way of comforting her parents and how, shortly thereafter, the chapel was able to open its doors and fulfill its purpose of bestowing divine protection on Bavaria's road-construction workers and drivers.

Now, 13 years on, many of the guests who attended the dedication are starting to wish the chapel had never been built. It is difficult to ascertain, of course, whether the building is fulfilling is sacred function of protecting travelers. What is clear, however, is that the chapel is causing nothing but trouble in the secular world.

The red marble flagstones on the chapel's floor are now rumored to have an unpleasant past, and many locals fear that the nearly 10 square meters (108 square feet) of stone used to build it could become a pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis and National Socialist die-hards, thereby creating a problem for the tourist industry serving the surrounding area.

The reason for this apprehension is a belief held by some that these flagstones may once have adorned the terrace of the Berghof, Adolf Hitler's mountainside retreat on the Obersalzberg, towering above the town of Berchtesgaden. Florian Beierl, a historian who has been looking into the history of the Berghof, is one of those who adheres to this idea.

Since Beierl went public with his theory in the International Herald Tribune in February, the chapel has been a major topic of discussion in the region. And now that some people are calling for the chapel to be demolished, local newspapers, Bavarian television stations and the online media have been debating whether Beierl should have just kept his mouth shut. In his defense, Beierl says that sweeping his suspicions under the rug would have gone against the seriousness called for when dealing with Germany's Nazi past. >>> Connie Neumann | Thursday, April 01, 2010

Moscow and St. Petersburg Bombarded by Hundreds of False Terror Alerts
RUSSIA TODAY: Abusing widespread public fear after Monday’s Moscow metro bombings, hooligans have made hundreds of false phone call terror alerts.

Shortly after two deadly blasts rocked Moscow’s underground Monday, an unknown man called the St. Petersburg’s police and said there were bombs on the city’s two central metro stations. Ploshyad Vosstaniya and Gostinny Dvor platforms were immediately closed and guarded by the police. The call later turned out to be a false one. >>> | Friday, April 02, 2010

China’s Backing for Sanctions on Iran Still Unclear

RUSSIA TODAY: China’s backing for sanctions on Iran still unclear: The US announcement that China is willing to discuss new sanctions against Iran is neither being denied nor confirmed by Beijing. >>> | Friday, April 02, 2010

One of the Metro Bombers Could Be Teen Widow – Report

RUSSIA TODAY: One of the Metro bombers could be teen widow – report: A Russian daily has suggested that one of the suicide bombers who carried out attacks in the Moscow Metro on Monday could be a 17-year-old widow of one of Islamic terrorist leaders. >>> | Friday, April 02, 2010

Britain’s Most Senior Catholic Admits 'Evil' Clergy Abuse Has Led to 'Great Public Humiliation' of Church
THE TELEGRAPH: Child abuse committed by priests has led to “a great public humiliation” of the church, according to the most senior Roman Catholic in Britain.

Cardinal Keith O'Brien insists that the faithful must not turn away from the church. Photo: The Telegraph
Cardinal Keith O’Brien, the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, will also tell worshippers on Easter Sunday that the cover-up of “evil” paedophilia by senior clergy “brings shame on us all”.

However he insisted that the faithful must not turn away from the church, just as voters disillusioned by the state of politics should still cast their ballots.

His forthright comments on one of the most important days in the Christian calendar highlight the concern felt at the highest levels of the church about the effect of clergy sex abuse scandals unfolding around the world. >>> Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Good Friday, April 02, 2010

Gordon Brown Issues Easter Greeting
THE TELEGRAPH: Gordon Brown hailed Christians as ''the conscience of our country'' in an Easter greeting posted on the Downing Street website.

Gordon Brown outside Chequers, the Prime Minister's official country residence. Photograph: The Telegraph
The Prime Minister's Good Friday missive hailed the ''redeeming power of faith'' and said the forthcoming official visit of Pope Benedict would make this a special year for the UK.

''Easter is the most important date in the Christian calendar because it is when we reflect on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus,'' he wrote.

''Christians all over Britain and the world will be celebrating in their homes and churches and thinking about the redeeming power of faith. >>> | Good Friday, April 02, 2010

Warmest Wishes for Easter from the PM
NUMBER 10: The Prime Minister has wished those celebrating Easter all over Britain and the world a happy Easter.

Gordon Brown said how “incredibly grateful” he was to Christian churches for all that they do.

The PM said this year was a particular reason to celebrate, as 2010 will see the first official visit of His Holiness the Pope to Britain.

The PM said: >>> | Good Friday, April 02, 2010

The Real Face of Jesus?

La Chine contre des sanctions, assure Téhéran
LE TEMPS: Alors que Barack Obama a de nouveau appelé la Chine à collaborer à des sanctions contre l’Iran lors d’un entretien téléphonique avec le président Hu Jintao la nuit dernière, le négociateur iranien en visite à Pékin affirme ce vendredi que les Chinois sont convaincus que les sanctions sont inefficaces

L’Iran et la Chine sont convenus que l’arme des sanctions dans le dossier nucléaire iranien avait perdu de son efficacité, a assuré vendredi à la presse le négociateur iranien sur le nucléaire, Saïd Jalili, à l’issue de ses entretiens dans la capitale chinoise. «Nous avons souligné ensemble lors de nos discussions que cette arme des sanctions avait perdu de son efficacité», a déclaré M. Jalili lors d’une conférence de presse.

Le négociateur iranien a également appelé les pays occidentaux à changer leurs «méthodes erronées» et à «cesser de menacer l’Iran».

Les Etats-Unis ont affirmé cette semaine que la Chine avait accepté d’engager des «négociations sérieuses» à l’ONU pour l’adoption de nouvelles sanctions. La Chine n’a pas confirmé cette information. >>> AFP | Vendredi 02 Avril 2010

Saudis Display Their Barbaric, Dark Age Credentials! Saudi Move to Execute 'Sorcery Man' Sparks Protest
BBC: Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has been urged to intervene to stop the execution of a Lebanese national accused of sorcery in Saudi Arabia.

Amnesty International said TV fortune teller Ali Hussain Sabat seemed to have been convicted for "exercising of his right to freedom of expression".

Mr Sabat's lawyer said she had been informed unofficially that he could be beheaded by the end of this week.

But Beirut's envoy to Riyadh said the case was still being heard.

The condemned man hosted a satellite TV show in which he predicted the future.

He was arrested by the Saudi religious police while on pilgrimage to the country in 2008.

Malcolm Smart, head of Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa programme, said it was "high time the Saudi Arabian government joined the international trend towards a worldwide moratorium on executions".

The Lebanese ambassador to Riyadh, Marwan Zein, said on Thursday that he had not been informed that Mr Sabat's execution was imminent, AFP news agency reports.

His case was "still being considered by the court", the ambassador said.

There has been no official confirmation from Saudi Arabia, but executions there are often carried out with little warning. >>> | Thursday, April 01, 2010

Wife of Condemned 'Sorcerer' Pleads for Mercy
CNN: The wife of a Lebanese man facing a death sentence in Saudi Arabia for "sorcery" pleaded for mercy Thursday as Lebanon's justice minister asked the kingdom's rulers to halt his beheading.

Family members have been told that Ali Hussain Sibat, who used to offer predictions and advice to callers on a Lebanese television network, is scheduled to be put to death Friday. His wife made an emotional plea for his release during a CNN interview Thursday.

"All I ask is for the Saudi king and the Saudi government to show him mercy -- let him come back to his country and his family," Samira Rahmoon said.

Sibat was arrested by Saudi Arabia's religious police and charged with sorcery while visiting the country for an Islamic pilgrimage in May 2008, according to May El Khansa, his attorney in Lebanon. Saudi authorities have not disclosed details of the charge for which Sibat has been condemned and have not responded to requests for comment on the case.

"We can't understand how they could arrest him and charge him and sentence him to death," Rahmoon said. "It doesn't make any sense."

El Khansa said Wednesday that she had been told about the upcoming execution by a Saudi source with knowledge of the case and the proceedings. Lebanon's government says it has no confirmation that his execution has been set. But Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar said he has asked the Saudis to halt any scheduled execution and release Sibat, calling the punishment "disproportionate."

"I have asked them not to implement any execution in this case," he said. "As far as I know, such an act doesn't deserve such a punishment, unless there is something else -- something that I have not had the possibility to study or to examine myself."

Rahmoon said the family has been unable to contact Sibat "for a long time" and has received no official notification that her husband's execution date has been set.

"We don't understand how he could be executed without us getting any notification first," Rahmoon said. "How could they decide to execute him and not inform us?"

A law against witchcraft remains on the books in Lebanon, but is the equivalent of a misdemeanor, Najjar said. >>> Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN | Thursday, April 01, 2010

Lebanese TV Psychic Could Be Beheaded for Witchcraft
THE TELEGRAPH: The lawyer of a Lebanese TV psychic who was convicted in Saudi Arabia for witchcraft said her client could be beheaded this week and urged Lebanese and Saudi leaders to help spare his life.

Ali Sibat made predictions on an Arab satellite TV channel from his home in Beirut.

He was arrested by the Saudi religious police during his pilgrimage to the holy city of Medina in May 2008 and sentenced to death last November.

Lawyer May al-Khansa said she learned from an unofficial source that Mr Sibat, 49, is to be beheaded on Friday.

She added that she does not have any official confirmation of this.

"Ali is not a criminal. He did not commit a crime or do anything disgraceful," Mrs al-Khansa said.

"The world should help in rescuing a man who has five children, a wife and a seriously ill mother."

She added that Sibat's mother's health has been deteriorating since her son was sentenced to death.

The Saudi justice system, which is based on Islamic law, does not clearly define the charge of witchcraft.

Sibat is one of scores of people reported arrested every year in the kingdom for practicing sorcery, witchcraft, black magic and fortunetelling.

These practices are considered polytheism by the government in Saudi Arabia, a deeply religious Muslim country. >>> | Thursday, April 01, 2010

Vatican’s Troubles Grow

Fund Chief’s Funeral


THE TELEGRAPH: Gulf Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed al-Nahyan Found Dead in Morocco >>> Louise Armitstead, Chief City Correspondent | Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Serbia Issues Apology for Muslim Massacre


Related:

NRC HANDELSBLAD INTERNATIONAL: Serbia Apologises for Srebrenica Massacre >>> AFP, NRC, Reuters | Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Abus sexuels : Un avocat américain demande au pape de témoigner sous serment
Benoît XVI a condamné l’avortement lors d’une messe, mais n’a pas abordé les scandales de pédophilie qui bouleversent l’église catholique. Photo : Le Temps
LE TEMPS: Benoît XVI n’a fait aucune mention en lançant les célébrations pascales ce matin des affaires d’abus sexuels qui ébranlent le monde catholique. Un avocat américain vient de déposer une requête pour obtenir que le pape témoigne sous serment dans le cadre de plusieurs dossiers de prêtres accusés de pédophilie aux Etats-Unis

L’avocat William McMurry estime que le Vatican était au courant depuis longtemps du scandale des enfants violés par des prêtres. Selon sa requête, dont l’AFP s’est procuré copie, Benoît XVI était au courant de ce qu’il se passait aux Etats-Unis alors qu’il était encore cardinal et qu’il présidait la Congrégation de la doctrine de la foi - pendant les 24 ans qui ont précédé son accession à la papauté.

Il a, assure l’avocat, «découragé les procureurs de poursuivre les prêtres mis en cause et a encouragé le silence pour protéger la réputation de l’Eglise catholique». >>> AFP | Jeudi 01 Avril 2010

Lauter dümmes Zeug von Schröder und FDP: Altkanzler Schröder und FDP kritisieren Merkels Türkei-Politik
ZEIT ONLINE: Rüge vom Altkanzler: Deutschland müsse die Türkei auf dem Weg in die EU mehr unterstützen. FDP-Politiker schließen sich an. Sie verweisen auf den Koalitionsvertrag

Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel während ihres Besuchs in Istanbul mit Tayyip Erdoğan und seiner Frau Emine Erdoğan. Bild: Zeit ONline
Wenige Stunden nach dem Ende ihres Türkeibesuchs mehrt sich die Kritik an Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel. Neben führenden FDP-Politikern äußerte sich auch Merkels Vorgänger im Kanzleramt zur Türkei-Politik der CDU-Vorsitzenden. Gerhard Schröder forderte in einem Gastbeitrag für die Bild-Zeitung, die Bundesregierung müsse Ankara auf dem Weg in die Europäische Union stärker als bisher unterstützen.

"Die Türkei gehört schon jetzt zu den 20 größten Volkswirtschaften der Welt. Und das wirtschaftliche Tempo in der Türkei ist rasant. Diese Chance müssen wir Deutschen nutzen. Deshalb bin ich ein Befürworter der EU-Mitgliedschaft der Türkei", schreibt Schröder. Das Land habe sich unter der Führung von Ministerpräsident Tayyip Erdoğan auf einen mutigen Reformweg begeben. Während der Amtszeit Schröders als Bundeskanzler galt Deutschland als engagierter Förderer des Beitrittsprojekts.

Auch der aktuelle SPD-Vorsitzende Sigmar Gabriel übt scharfe Kritik an der Türkei-Politik Merkels. Gabriel sagte der Berliner Zeitung, Merkel mache aus innenpolitischen Gründen "Ideologie statt Politik" gegenüber der Türkei: "Sie opfert die wirtschaftlichen Interessen Deutschlands in den deutsch-türkischen Beziehungen, nur um innenpolitisch vor der Landtagswahl in Nordrhein-Westfalen von anti-türkischen Ressentiments profitieren zu können." Statt eine Debatte über den EU-Beitritt des Landes zu führen, solle die Kanzlerin konkrete Ziele setzen. >>> ZEIT ONLINE, dpa, Reuters, AFP | Mittwoch, 31. März 2010

“Blasts Carried Out by Chechens, Strategy Courtesy of Al-Qaeda” – Journalist

Medvedev Holds Security Meeting in North Caucasus

Malaysian Woman Escapes Caning Over Drinking Beer in Public
THE TELEGRAPH: A Muslim woman sentenced to be caned for drinking beer has had her punishment commuted, in a surprising turnaround for a high-profile case that raised questions about Malaysia's Islamic laws.

Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, a mother of two, received a letter from the Pahang state Islamic department informing her that the state's sultan had decided to spare her the caning, her lawyer, Adham Jamalullail, said.

The order is likely to cool down a fiery debate over whether Islamic laws should intrude into people's private lives in the Muslim-majority country. Many people had condemned the punishment, saying it showed conservative Islamists were gaining influence over the justice system.

Mr Adham said that "as a substitution for the caning, the sultan has ordered Kartika to perform community service for three weeks." >>> | Thursday, April 01, 2010

Resignation Is Not an Option for the Pope
TIMES ONLINE: It is Benedict XVI’s duty to implement worldwide the reforms already made by Catholic leaders in Britain

The paedophile abuse cases have become a big crisis for the Roman Catholic Church. A crisis for the laity, a crisis for the clergy, a crisis for the bishops and, increasingly, a crisis for the Pope himself.

It has caused great damage to the victims, who need to be considered first. In some cases the psychological damage will last a lifetime. The crisis has damaged the image that the Church has of itself; it has damaged the authority of the Pope.

Priests see themselves as men of spiritual values, disciplined in their personal lives and requiring considerable personal sacrifices, including the sacrifice involved in a life of celibacy. They usually have the respect of their own communities.

It is still the case that congregations usually trust their own priests; that is true of the Catholic Church and of the Church of England, but it is easy for the Catholic clergy to feel they may be suspected of criminal conduct with children, which they find as outrageous as does everyone else. Like MPs who have never abused their expenses, many priests must feel that they are suffering guilt by association.

Most clergy live relatively austere religious lives. The proportion who have ever had sexual allegations made against them is about one in 200. That proportion has been high enough to cast some degree of suspicion on the priesthood as a whole. The clergy are able to do their work because they are trusted, and that trust has been damaged.

The Catholic Church of previous eras had a policy that sexual offences should be hidden. This policy of “cover-up” has done the greatest possible harm, both to the victims, who were not believed, and to the spread of abuse. Until about ten years ago, most Catholic bishops thought it was their duty to protect the Church from scandal; they mistakenly believed that secrecy would act in the interest of the Church.

They protected paedophile priests from the police; they persuaded the unfortunate victims to sign secrecy agreements; they kept the stories out of the press; they moved the peccant priests from one parish or diocese to another. Families were persuaded that their children, who had suffered abuse, were fantasists or liars. The victims were made to feel that it was they who were guilty. >>> William Rees-Mogg | Monday, March 29, 2010

Iranian Nuclear Scientist Defects to US
THE TELEGRAPH: A leading Iranian nuclear scientist has defected to the United States and is working with the CIA.

Shahram Amiri, a nuclear physicist in his early thirties, disappeared in June 2009 after arriving in Saudi Arabia on a pilgrimage.

An ABC report said that US intelligence agents had described the defection as "an intelligence coup" in US efforts to undermine Iran's nuclear program.

Mr Amiri's disappearance "was part of a long-planned CIA operation to get him to defect," the ABC reported, citing unnamed people briefed on the operation by US intelligence officials.

On October 7, Manouchehr Mottaki, the Iranian foreign minister, charged that there was US involvement in Mr Amiri's disappearance.

"We have obtained documents that show US interference in the disappearance of Shahram Amiri in Saudi Arabia," Mr Mottaki was quoted as saying by Iran's Fars news agency.

He suggested that Mr Amiri had been arrested in Saudi Arabia and the United States was involved.

"We consider Saudi Arabia responsible for the situation of Shahram Amiri and we consider Americans to have been involved in his arrest," Mr Mottaki was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency. >>> | Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Moscow Bombing: Chechen Terrorist Claims Responsibility
THE TELEGRAPH: A Chechen terrorist who is Russia’s most wanted man has claimed responsibility for the Moscow metro bombings on Monday and promised to bring all out war to Russia’s streets.

Chechen-born Islamist extremist Doku Umarov. Photograph: The Telegraph
In a chilling video posted on an internet website considered to be a mouthpiece for Russia-based radical Islamists, Doku Umarov, a Chechen-born Islamist extremist, said he had ordered the attack on Moscow in revenge for an alleged massacre of civilians perpetrated by Russian special forces in February.

The alleged massacre occurred on the border between the southern Russian republics of Chechnya and Ingushetia and saw up to twenty-two people killed.

The authorities said it was a counter-terrorism operation and that the victims were Islamist militants but human rights groups claimed the victims were innocent civilians picking garlic in the forest.

“Therefore the war is coming to your streets and you will feel it on your own lives and on your own skins,” Doku Umarov told ordinary Russians in the video broadcast.

You will no longer ”serenely watch the war in the Caucasus unfolding on your TV screens, serenely watching and not reacting to the excesses and crimes of your gangs which are sent to the Caucasus under Putin’s leadership,” he added. >>> Andrew Osborn in Moscow | Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Related / Verbunden:

BLICK.ch: Der «Emir vom Kaukasus» soll der Drahtzieher des Blutbades sein: Russland jagt diesen Grössen-Wahnsinnigen >>> Von Christian Bischoff | Mittwoch. 31. März 2010

RUSSIA TODAY – VIDEO: Authorities Say Chechen Warlord Umarov Top Suspect In Moscow Bombings >>> | Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Chechen Says He Ordered Moscow Subway Attacks

Details of British Muslim Students Could Be Given to CIA
THE TELEGRAPH: Personal details of almost 1,000 British Muslim students could be placed on US terror watch lists because of the police investigation into the Detroit bomb.

Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab while on a school trip to London. Photograph: The Telegraph
Names, email and home addresses of members of the Islamic Society at the University College London (UCL) were handed over to detectives investigating the alleged attack on an aircraft by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab as it landed in Detroit on Christmas Day.

Abdulmutallab studied engineering at university in 2005/08, and was president of the UCL Islamic Society in 2006/07.

Names and email addresses of all members of the UCL Islamic Society and Royal Free and UCL Medical Islamic Society between September 2005 and June 2009 were handed over to police by the university's student union, according to a report in The Independent.

Police were then given telephone numbers and home addresses by the UCL Registry.

The newspaper said the information had been given to the CIA, and that the homes of more than 50 of the students have been visited by police officers, but nobody has been arrested.

Some of the students on the list were not at UCL at the same time as Abdulmutallab and many had never met him.

The newspaper said Mojeed Adams-Mogaji, the current president of the UCL Islamic Society, was told by police the personal details would be kept for seven years and would be shared with other intelligence agencies “if requested”. >>> Alastair Jamieson | Thursday, April 01, 2010

Jose Maria [sic?] Aznar Under Fire Over Attempt to Secure US Congressional Medal
THE TELEGRAPH: The former Spanish prime minister, Jose Maria Aznar, is facing accusations that he used £2 million of public funds in an attempt to "buy" the US Congressional Gold Medal.

The Conservative premier, who held office between 1996 and 2004 during which time he supported the US-led war in Iraq, is under investigation for claims he hired lobbyists to push US lawmakers to award him their highest civilian honour.

Spain's national Court of Auditors announced it would investigate whether payments made to Washington law firm Piper Rudnick during Aznar's term in office constituted wrongdoing.

Mr Aznar authorised 2.3 million euros in payments to the lobbyists ostensibly to "assist the Government of Spain in closer relations with the United States".

But it is alleged that the primary aim was to run a PR campaign that would secure the highest recognition for the Spanish leader with the award of Congressional Gold medal. >>> Fiona Govan in Madrid | Wednesday, March 31, 2010

What Took You So Long, Gord? Gordon Brown: 'Immigrants Must Honour British Values'
TIMES ONLINE: Immigrants who refuse to honour British values are unwelcome, Gordon Brown said today as he pledged to do more to meet the concerns of the “mainstream majority”.

Mr Brown said he agreed that it was unfair if newcomers took advantage of Britain’s freedoms without making a fair contribution in return.

But his attempt to meet voter concerns over immigration was undermined when he was criticised by the chairman of the national statistics watchdog for exaggerating the fall in migrant numbers.

Sir Michael Scholar said that the Prime Minister had used details in his weekend podcast that were “not comparable” when claiming a recent big fall in net inward migration.

Mr Brown conceded the point today, but stuck to his theme, saying that migrant numbers had fallen by tens of thousands in the past two years.

He defended Labour’s recent record on immigration as he sought to draw the sting from a potentially inflammatory campaign issue. >>> Roland Watson, Political Editor | Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Blue: Best In Me

Come hither, ya habibati! O hibbuki! Photo: Google Images
Sharia-compliant, Halal Sexual Fantasies! Online Sex Shop a Hit with Muslims
THE TELEGRAPH: An online sex shop for Muslims has been launched in the Netherlands to tap into a demand for erotica that does not offend Sharia law.

"We had about 70,000 hits in the first four days," Abdelaziz Aouragh, the founder of El Asira, said. The site went online last week and claims to be the world's first erotic webshop for Muslims.

The 29-year-old Dutch national said it targets married Muslim couples as an alternative to sites "that focus on pornography and the extravagant side of erotica" - things forbidden in Islam.

The home page of El Asira, which means "Society" in Arabic, is a sober black and grey street with a line down the centre, inviting women to enter on the left and men on the right.

Once inside, clients can browse in Dutch, Arabic or English through more than a dozen products, mainly massage oils, lubricants and tablets that claim to act as aphrodisiacs.

All ingredients are halal, or "permissible under Islam", said Mr Aouragh, and conspicuously absent is any type of pornography. >>> | Wednesday, March 31, 2010

El Asira’s First Muslim Halal Online Sex Shop
AFRIK.COM: Abdelaziz Aouragh, a 29-year old Dutch-Moroccan and a practicing Muslim, has launched El Asira, a rather unlikely, if not daring, enterprise in the Netherlands. It is the first halal "sex shop". The question is whether the concept, which is raising many eye brows, will be accepted by an increasing skeptical niche market.

Sensual stimulants, organic lubricating gels, pure power capsules for men or women ... El Asira, the first halal sex shop made in the Netherlands has opened its doors. Solely available on the Internet, the shop was inaugurated March 24 by Abdelaziz Aouragh, a 29-year old Dutch-Moroccan Muslim.

Halal? Really? Yes, says the young entrepreneur. "There is even a fatwa (religious decree, editor’s note) on the subject," he says. The fatwa was given after he contacted a local imam who in turn consulted with a Saudi Sheikh who gave his blessing, provided that the products are used, strictly, within the context of marriage.

The product range is diverse, from "Lovpil" capsules, to fight against everyday stress that "may affect sexual energy and pleasure", to "Gel Max", a lubricating gel that promises greater "sexual performance". Jewelry and lingerie will soon be added to their range of products. >>> Shahinez Benabed | Tuesday, March 30, 2010

New Sex Shop is a Sensation Among Muslims: Despite Their Conservative Views, Muslims Flock to Sex Shop Website
abcNEWS/INTERNATIONAL: The mere mention of sex in Egypt's relatively conservative society is forbidden or ''haram,'' the word used when something is deemed un-Islamic, or considered to be unholy. Even trying to conduct a search online with the word ''sex'' in the title leads you to a dead end stating, ''This URL or Page has been blocked.''

So how would Egyptians react to a new website selling erotic aids aimed at Muslims? Set up in the Netherlands the site has become an worldwide hit with 70,000 visits and counting in its first week of going live.

The website, ''El Asira,'' which means ''society'' in Arabic, was launched by Abdelaziz Aouragh, a Moroccan Muslim living in Amsterdam along with his business partner Stefan Delsink. Aouragh told AFP that "everybody is talking about Islam in a negative way," adding that "I am trying to get something positive out of the dark."

The online shop boasts products such as sensual stimulators for him and her and lubricants based on cocoa butter, water or silicon, all of which are ingredients that are ''halal," permissible or lawful in Islam.

"I knew that Muslims do have a need for sex products." Aouragh said. >>> Lama Hasan | Undated

Related:

NRC HANDELSBLAD INTERNATIONAL: Online Islamic Sex-shop Opens for Business >>> Hanina Ajarai and Joke Mat | Friday, March 19, 2010

Omar bin Laden Speaks Out
THE TELEGRAPH: Omar bin Laden was being groomed as ‘the chosen one’ by his notorious father Osama. Now the favourite son has turned his back on jihadism. But is he really the agent of peace he claims to be?

Omar bin Laden during a dinner party he and his wife Zaina held at his horse ranch near Cairo on September 11, 2008. Photo: The Telegraph
It is after midnight when Osama bin Laden’s fourth-born son, Omar, leads me into a nightclub called Les Caves de Boys in the centre of Damascus.

He brushes past the two heavyset Syrian thugs at the door and picks a booth in the back.

A dozen or so wealthy Arab men are drinking whiskey and watching Russian strippers put on a show – tame by Western standards, but as Omar sips a 7 Up, he follows their every move with boyish wonder. Russian women, he tells me, are the most beautiful in the world.

As a teenager in the mountains of Tora Bora, Omar had been his father’s chosen successor, the favoured son meant to lead al-Qaeda and carry on global jihad.

Then, in 2001, a few months before Osama bin Laden was to become the world’s most wanted man, Omar abandoned his father’s compound in Afghanistan. He left behind almost certain death for this: the world, Les Caves de Boys, life.

Past two in the morning, a statuesque dancer emerges for the grand finale. Dressed in a red rhinestone bra and panties, with a black shimmy belt and an ostrich-feather crown, she gyrates her hips as Omar watches, mesmerised.

‘Thank God my father doesn’t run the world,’ Omar grins.

To Omar, Osama bin Laden is neither a jihadist nor a mass murderer – he is a lost man, a fanatical father who withheld his love, beat and betrayed his children, and destroyed his family chasing his fantasy of becoming a latter-day prophet. >>> Guy Lawson | Wednesday, March 31, 2010

THE GUARDIAN: Osama bin Laden's Son: Why I Refused to Follow in My Father's Footsteps >>> Mark Tran | Wednesday, November 18, 2009

German Bishop Accused of Hitting Children with Carpet Beater
THE TELEGRAPH: A close friend and ally of Pope Benedict XVI has been accused of regularly beating children in his care.

Bishop Walter Mixa of Augsburg is facing claims he flogged and hit former pupils at a Catholic orphanage in Germany 30 years ago.

The Bishop, who was appointed by the Pope in 2005, is a controversial figure who has tried to explain paedophilia in the Church by claiming the sexual liberation movement must share a "significant" part of the blame.

He is accused of using a carpet beater on the bare skin of boys and girls as he screamed: "Satan is in you and I must drive him out."

Five alleged victims from the orphanage, in the village of Schrobenhausen, have claimed he also used a stick, a wooden cookery spoon and, when that broke, his fists.

Nuns of the Mallersdorf order who worked for him at the at the St. Josef children's home in Schrobenhausen also hit the children with "wooden brooms, wooden shoes, and clothing hangers," they said.

Hildegard Sedlmair, now 48, claimed she was beaten by him when she was 15. >>> Allan Hall in Berlin and Nick Pisa in Rome | Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Der «Emir vom Kaukasus» soll der Drahtzieher des Blutbades sein: Russland jagt diesen Grössen-Wahnsinnigen
BLICK.ch: MOSKAU – Er ist ein Islamist, ein Warlord und ein Grössenwahnsinniger: Nach dem Blutbad in Moskau machen Putin und Medwedew Jagd auf Doku Umarow (45), den mutmasslichen Drahtzieher. Wann sprengt er ein Flugzeug?

Doku Umarow: Der Rebellenführer will sich den Kaukasus Untertan machen. Bild: Blick.ch
Doku Umarow drohte schon im Februar: «Blut wird nicht mehr nur in unseren Städten fliessen, der Krieg wird in ihre Städte kommen.» Und er warnte vor explodierenden Zügen und Flugzeugen.

Jetzt ist die Prophezeihung wahr geworden: Im November fanden 26 Menschen nach einer Explosion in einem Schnellzug den Tod. Bei den zwei Selbstmord-Anschlägen von vorgestern im Zentrum Moskaus starben 39 Menschen, über 60 wurden verletzt. Wann erwischen Umarows Handlanger ein Flugzeug?

Putin und Medwedew haben den Islamisten aus dem Kaukasus nach dem Blutbad auf der «Roten Linie» zum «Staatsfeind Nummer 1» erklärt. Im Fadenkreuz der russischen Geheimdienste ist der Tschetschene aber schon länger, wie «Der Kurier» schreibt. Traum vom kaukasischen Reich >>> Von Christian Bischoff | Mittwoch. 31. März 2010

Amir Dokka Umarov: "There Are Thousands of Mujahideen …

Wütender Präsident: Sarkozy nimmt schöner Ex-Ministerin Dienstwagen weg
BLICK.ch: PARIS – Sie war der Star seines Kabinetts. Jetzt ist Sarkozys Ex-Ministerin Rachida Dati bös in Ungnade gefallen: Der Präsident entzog über Nacht ihr Dienstwagen, Bodyguards und Handy.

Früher war sie seine Justizministerin, ein Star im Kabinett. Als Maghreb-stämmige Französin verschaffte Rachida Dati dem französischen Präsident auch Sympathien bei den Einwanderern.

Doch als Sarkozy kürzlich an Abend im TV seine schöne Ex-Ministerin und jetzige Europaabgeordnete bei einem Auftritt sah, wurde er fuchsteufelswild, wie «Le Canard Enchaîné» berichtet: «Was macht die denn da?», habe er sich empört. «Im Wahlkampf hat man nichts von ihr gehört, und jetzt stellt sie sich vor die Kameras!»

Sarko fackelte nicht lang und griff zum Telefon«Noch in derselben Stunde» musste der Leiter der Polizei Datis Wagen samt Fahrer und den drei Leibwächter entziehen. Im Umfeld der konservativen Politikerin hiess es, ob die Anordnung von Sarkozy gekommen sei, sei unklar. «Klar ist, dass es eine Entscheidung des Innenministeriums war.» Letzte Fahrt vom Studio nach Hause >>> SDA/bih | Mittwoch, 31. März 2010

Rachida Dati Blamed for Sarkozy Affairs Rumours
THE TELEGRAPH: Former French cabinet star, Rachida Dati, has had her government security team withdrawn after being blamed for spreading rumours about the state of Nicolas Sarkozy’s marriage.

Rachida Dati. Photograph: the Telegraph
The president is said to believe his former justice minister, now an MEP, started talk that his wife was having an affair with Benjamin Biolay, a pop singer, while he was seeing his ecology minister, Chantal Jouanno.

She has now been deprived her of her chauffeur-driven limousine and three bodyguards in mysterious circumstances.

Mr Sarkozy has dismissed the affair allegations as idiotic “rantings” but is said to be privately bent on finding out who was behind them.

It is understood he took “retaliatory action” against Miss Dati, 44, the night his ruling Right-wing UMP party suffered a drubbing in the first round of regional elections on March 14.

The president was sitting at the Elysée Palace watching the fallout from his electoral debacle on the television, when Miss Dati appeared on France 2 — the French BBC1— and appeared to criticise his strategy.

Mr Sarkozy suddenly saw red, not simply because of her mild criticism, but because he suspects the former justice minister of spreading, or even starting, rumours about the state of his marriage.

He is understood to have instantly picked up the phone and ordered Frédéric Péchenard, France’s national police chief, to cut off Miss Dati’s limousine graciously provided by the interior ministry, her driver and police bodyguards “within the hour”. >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Les députés belges veulent interdire le voile intégral
Femme portant le niqab, un "voile intégral" qui ne laisse voir que les yeux. Photo : Le Monde
LE MONDE: Les députés belges membres de la commission de l'intérieur de la Chambre ont approuvé à l'unanimité, mercredi 31 mars, une proposition de loi visant à interdire le port de la burqa dans les lieux publics.

Ce texte doit être approuvé prochainement en séance publique mais, selon ses auteurs, il marque déjà une importante première dans un pays européen. "Nous devons ressentir de la fierté d'oser faire cette démarche alors qu'il y a aussi des débats en France, en Suisse, en Italie", a expliqué le député Denis Ducarme, membre du Mouvement réformateur (libéral francophone).

Le texte n'évoque pas explicitement la burqa ou le niqab. Il parle de "tout vêtement cachant totalement ou de manière principale le visage". Si la personne qui porte un tel vêtement n'est plus identifiable, elle sera punie d'une amende ou d'un emprisonnement (de 1 à 7 jours).

La notion d'"espace public" évoquée par le texte recouvre les trottoirs, les accotements, les passages aériens et souterrains pour piétons, les parcs, les jardins publics, les terrains de sport, les aires de jeu, les bâtiments à vocation culturelle accessibles au public et les bâtiments des services publics. >>> Bruxelles, correspondant | Mercredi 31 Mars 2010

LE MONDE: Débat sur le voile intégral : où en sont nos voisins ? >>> | Dimanche 28 Mars 2010

Al hamdu lillah! Belgium Moves to Ban the Burqa
TIMES ONLINE: The face-covering veil is set to be banned within weeks in Belgium, making it the first country in Europe to make the wearing of Muslim clothing illegal.

Women who flout the ban will face from one to seven days in jail or a fine of 15 to 25 euros.

While President Sarkozy is encountering obstacles to his plans to outlaw the face-covering niqab in France, Belgium's main parties are united behind the move and the influential home affairs committee voted for it unanimously today.

A vote in the full Belgian parliament is expected on April 22 and a "yes" vote seems assured given the political consensus.

"Wearing the burqa in public is not compatible with an open, liberal, tolerant society," said MP Daniel Bacquelaine, from a French-speaking centre right party who proposed the bill.

"The burqa is contrary to the dignity of women. It is a walking prison."

He added: "We cannot allow someone to claim the right to look at others without being seen.

"It is necessary that the law forbids the wearing of clothes that totally mask and encloses an individual."

Denis Ducarme MP, also from the centre-right Reform Movement, added: "This is a very strong signal that is being sent to Islamists. I am proud that Belgium would be the first country in Europe which dares to legislate on this sensitive matter." >>> David Charter, Brussels | Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Mission Destruction: Obama Opens Up East Coast for Oil Drilling
The President is due to announce his plans later today in scheduled remarks on "energy security". Photograph: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: President Obama will today announce plans to open huge swaths of the US coastline to oil and natural gas drilling, much of it for the first time.

The affected areas include 167 million acres (259,000 square miles) of ocean along the vast Atlantic coastline as well as eastern parts of the Gulf of Mexico and the north coast of Alaska.

The proposals, which Mr Obama is due to announce later today at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington in scheduled remarks on "energy security", are designed to reduce America's dependence on imported oil.

But The New York Times said it was far from clear whether they would achieve their more immediate political aim: winning crucial Republican support for energy and climate change legislation due to go before the Senate in the next few weeks.

"While Mr Obama has staked out middle ground on other environmental matters — supporting nuclear power, for example — the sheer breadth of the offshore drilling decision will take some of his supporters aback," the newspaper reported.

"And it is no sure thing that it will win support for a climate bill from undecided senators close to the oil industry, like Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, or Mary L Landrieu, Democrat of Louisiana."

The proposals would end a longstanding moratorium on East Coast exploration for natural resources, a move that would please oil companies but is likely to outrage environmental groups and residents of coastal areas. >>> Times Online | Wednesday, March 31, 2010

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Obama to Open Offshore Areas to Oil Drilling for First Time >>> John M. Broder | Tuesday, March 30, 2010

General Election 2010: Gordon Brown Warns Against Immigration 'Scaremongering'
THE TELEGRAPH: Gordon Brown has warned political parties against ''scaremongering'' about immigration in the general election campaign.



In a major speech on immigration in east London, the PM acknowledged it was ''legitimate'' for voters to express anxiety about the numbers of incomers and their impact on their public services and lifestyles, and said politicians must address these concerns.

But he said that net inward migration to the UK was in fact coming down and that no mainstream party was advocating shutting the country's doors to newcomers altogether.

He urged the major parties to present ''a united front'' against those who would ''bring down the shutters around Britain entirely''.

The real choice for voters on immigration at the election was between Labour's points-based system, designed to restrict non-EU entrants to those with in-demand skills, and Conservative plans for an annual cap on migrants, said Mr Brown. >>> | Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Immigration Comes At Hefty Price
NRC HANDELSBLAD INTERNATIONAL : Immigrants are expensive for Dutch society, but few people want to say it out loud for fear of the consequences, a study by a Dutch scientist has found.

The economic effects of immigration have become a hot-button issue in Dutch politics. The mere mention of the subject is often greeted with suspicion and loathing. But that didn’t stop scholar Jan van de Beek from writing his doctoral thesis on the issue. In his PhD research, which he defended at the University of Amsterdam on Tuesday, he answered two related questions: what kind of economic consequences did mass immigration to the Netherlands between 1960 and 2005 have, and why is it such a taboo to study the economic effects of these immigrants?

Van de Beek has come to conclusions the Netherlands may not like. Since the 1970s, little research has been done into the economic effects of immigration, for fear of playing into the hand of the xenophobic right. As recently as last year, populist politician Geert Wilders asked the Dutch cabinet to calculate the net costs or benefits imposed on society by immigrants. Cabinet refused to do so, which led to uproar amongst several opposition parties. The minister responsible called it “improper” to reduce citizens’ contribution to society “to a profit-loss analysis”.

The reluctance to study the matter has done well to conceal some unpleasant facts, Van de Beek claims. For one, the Dutch policy of recruiting workers from outside of Europe in the 1960s needlessly delayed the modernisation of Dutch industry. As the Dutch economy was modernised in the 1980s, many immigrants were laid off and became dependent on welfare. Even today, the Dutch welfare state mainly attracts immigrants that impose a net cost on the Dutch economy, Van de Beek found.

Van de Beek is a mathematician and a cultural anthropologist. He is interested in social problems and has a soft spot for numbers. “In 1999, I was writing my master’s thesis about Dutch asylum policy,” he said in an interview. “I wanted to devote a chapter to the economic aspects of the matter, because the asylum debate centres mostly on numbers. To my surprise, I couldn’t find any sources. Filling this gap became the subject of my doctoral research.” 43,000 euros per immigrant >>> Dirk Vlasblom | Tuesday, March 30, 2010

The Net Is Closing Around Pope Benedict XVI
NRC HANDELSBLAD INTERNATIONAL – EDITORIAL: Now that it has been revealed that the pope failed to act against the sexual abuse by clerics when he could have, he has become part of the problem.

The Dutch archbishop, Johannes Simonis, appeared on national television this week to argue that the Dutch Catholic Church had been ignorant of the massive sexual abuse that had taken place within its ranks over the last few decades. If there is one single Roman Catholic prelate who could not argue the same, it is pope Benedict XVI. Archbishop Simonis demonstrated a shocking naiveté by his choice of words. “Wir haben es nicht gewusst,” he said, German for “we didn’t know”. This phrase recalls the excuse German citizens used after the war to explain their failure to prevent atrocities committed by the Nazi regime.

Whether Simonis was telling the truth or not, the pope cannot possibly say he was unaware. In July of 1996, then cardinal Ratzinger, chief ideologist for the Vatican in his capacity as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, received a letter from the archbishop of Milwaukee in the United States. The archbishop asked Ratzinger for advice regarding two priests in his diocese who had sexually abused children in their care. One of them had done so at a school for the deaf. And ecclesiastical authorities knew of the abuse but failed to act.

Ratzinger never even bothered answering the letter. The New York Times revealed this striking example of the Vatican’s callousness and arrogance on Thursday.

The Church is hoping the matter will blow over. Papal spokesman Federico Lombardi called the case “tragic”, but said the Vatican did not learn about the case until the late 1990s. Lombardi made a splash before by going on the offence and saying sexual abuse is not exclusively committed within the Church. But the New York Times’ article goes a long way towards debunking this ‘pot calling the kettle black’ argument.

The net is closing around pope Benedict XVI. His letter to the Irish faithful last weekend was full of consoling words, but little promise of action. It was mostly political in nature and an attempt at damage control. >>> Editorial | Friday, March 26, 2010

Serbia Apologises for Srebrenica Massacre
NRC HANDELSBLAD INTERNATIONAL: The Serbian parliament passed a landmark resolution Wednesday condemning the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of over 9,000 Bosnian Muslims but stopped short of labelling the killings a genocide.

The ruling coalition of pro-Western democrats and socialists hopes to win EU and investor favour with measure, which was adopted after debate over nearly 13 hours broadcast on live television. The adoption of the text with a majority of 127 of the 173 lawmakers ends years of denial by Serbian politicians about the scale of the killings.

"We are taking a civilised step of politically responsible people, based on political conviction, for the war crime that happened in Srebrenica," said Branko Ruzic, whose socialist party was led by strongman Slobodan Milosevic during the 1990s.

According to the latest estimate by the International Criminal Court for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Bosnian Serb forces led by general Ratko Mladic killed 9,210 Bosnian Muslim men and boys after taking over the eastern enclave that was put under the UN protection. The massacre is Europe's worst atrocity since the Second World War.

Belgrade applied for European Union membership in December but must capture and send Mladic to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague before starting talks. The former general is believed to be hiding in Serbia. >>> AFP, NRC, Reuters | Wednesday, March 31, 2010

News Hub: Obama Steps Up Confrontation