General Election 2010: Nick Clegg Says Poll Points to End of 'Tired' Politics
THE TELEGRAPH: Voters are starting to believe that the May 6 general election may produce a break from the ''tired choices'' offered by the two parties which have dominated British politics, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said.

Nick Clegg has enjoyed a surge in support since the first televised debate. Photograph: The Telegraph
Mr Clegg was speaking as a second poll - in The Sun - put his party in the lead with 33% of support, against 32% for the Tories and 26% for Labour. The YouGov survey found Lib Dem backing was up three points since a similar poll was taken last Friday, and marks the first time the company has ever put the party in the lead.

Both of the main parties were today turning their fire on the Liberal Democrats, as it started to appear possible that the surge in Lib Dem support was not merely a temporary blip in the wake of Mr Clegg's widely-praised performance in Thursday's TV debate.

In a speech in London this morning, Conservative leader David Cameron will warn that a vote for the Liberal Democrats risks allowing Gordon Brown to ''limp on'' in power.

''The only way to get change, the only way to get the job done, the only way to get leadership and make sure we don't carry on with Gordon Brown is a decisive Conservative victory,'' Mr Cameron is expected to say.

Meanwhile, in a campaign bulletin to Labour supporters, Lord Mandelson predicted that support for the Liberal Democrats would fade once the public came to understand their policy agenda - including plans to cut child tax credits and child trust funds and an ''amnesty'' for illegal immigrants. >>> | Monday, April 19, 2010

General Election 2010: Louis Theroux Claims He Was Nick Clegg’s ‘Fag’ at Public School
THE TELEGRAPH: Louis Theroux, the documentary-maker, has claimed he used to wake Nick Clegg up in the morning when they were at boarding school together.

Nick Clegg, the winner of the televised leaders' debate. Photograph: The Telegraph
The television presenter’s claim that he was the Liberal Democrat leader’s “fag” at Westminster School has led to renewed focus on the latter’s privileged upbringing.

Until recently, much had been made in the election campaign of David Cameron’s well-off family and his elite education at Eton and Oxford.

But Mr Clegg enjoyed an equally comfortable start in life, as the son of a successful banker, Nicholas Clegg, who is now chairman of United Trust Bank.

The MP’s maternal grandfather had been president of ABN, the Dutch bank. Despite this, Mr Clegg regularly criticises the “greedy” bankers who triggered the worldwide financial crisis and wants a 10 per cent tax on profits in the financial sector.

His paternal grandmother was Baroness Kira von Engelhardt, a descendant of an Attorney General in the Imperial Russian senate.

Mr Clegg grew up in the picturesque commuter town of Chalfont St Giles, Bucks, but his family also owns a large chalet in the Alps and a chateau in France.

He was sent to school at Westminster School in London where fees for boarders are now £28,344 a year.

One of his peers was Mr Theroux - best known for his BBC2 documentary series, Weird Weekends – who claims that he used to wait upon the politician every morning and bring him a newspaper.

Mr Theroux said that he had been Mr Clegg’s “fag”, in the old-fashioned system formerly widespread in public schools whereby younger pupils had to act as servants for older ones, waking him up in the morning during term time and presenting him with a newspaper.

Speaking on BBC’s The One Show on Friday night, Mr Theroux claimed: “People sleep in different ways and with Nick Clegg the thing was that he was a very deep sleeper. I would bend over him and kind of push him.”

But Mr Clegg said: “I have no recollection of Louis Theroux waking me up in the morning.” >>> | Monday, April 19, 2010

Saudi Prince Appears in Mobile Phone Advert
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The appearance of a young Saudi prince, a grandson of the king, in a mobile phone advert has raised eyebrows in his country.

Prince Abdullah bin Meteb's lead role in a television advert for Saudi Arabia's second-biggest mobile phone operator Etihad Etisalat (Mobily), has sparked a debate among diplomats and Saudis alike on what it could mean for the absolute monarchy, which has always been secretive about its internal affairs.

"Why is a Saudi prince on a television commercial? And why did it have to be the grandson of the king and not someone else?" one Riyadh-based Western diplomat mused.

But others say the advert, starring Prince Abdullah, a professional rider, and his sponsorship deal with Mobily expose changes in the Saudi royal family in recent years as it becomes ever larger and younger.

There are several thousand Saudi princes, all descendants of the kingdom's founder King Abdulaziz, who died in 1953.

"They are getting closer to the public. The number of young princes eclipses the number of patriarchs in the Saudi monarchy which is getting more bourgeois in its lifestyle," said a Saudi analyst.

"Whether through their involvement in business life or in philanthropy, royalty is becoming part of the Saudi elite".

King Abdullah has repeatedly stated his commitment to modernising the world's largest oil exporter with political and economic reforms, but the closest the ageing monarch has come to reforming the monarchy itself was the inception in 2006 of a royal council to appoint future crown princes and kings. >>> | Sunday, April 18, 2010
KUWAIT TIMES: Saudi prince stars in TV commercial >>> | Monday, April 19, 2010

'I Am Oprah's Father,' Claims Farmer
THE TELEGRAPH: A poor Mississippi farmer has claimed to be Oprah Winfrey's biological father.

Noah Robinson, 84, a Second World war veteran, claimed a DNA test would show he was the talk show host's real father and said he had written to her year ago asking for one.

His claims, reported by the New York Post, could not be verified and Winfrey has not commented on them.

Mr Robinson told the newspaper: "I'm her real father. I haven't seen her since she was a kid. She was a little bitty thing." >>> Nick Allen in Los Angeles | Monday, April 19, 2010

Ireland's Blasphemy Law: Worse Than Blasphemy?
TIME: There could perhaps be no better (or worse, depending on your religious inclination) day to open a blasphemous art exhibition than Good Friday. As many Irish Catholics were dutifully attending church, a group of young, well-dressed Dubliners gathered in the Irish Museum of Contemporary Art to view an exhibition inspired by the country's new — and much loathed — antiblasphemy law.

The first artwork to greet the visitors to "Blasphemous" is a grotesque variation on Michelangelo's Pieta, with the Virgin Mary transformed into a malicious giant rat. Next is a multimedia piece called Resur-erection that references the Irish Catholic sex-abuse scandals of recent months and features stop-motion priests and bishops in suspicious scenarios. Another exhibit simply and bluntly declares "F___ Christmas" in baubles and fairy lights. The reaction of gallery-goers on opening day ranged from bemusement to gratitude that at least one venue in Dublin's capital was serving alcohol on the most abstinent of Irish religious holidays. But for curator K. Bear Koss, the objective of the exhibition is very serious: "We want to raise awareness about the new blasphemy law," he says, "and to celebrate the freedoms of discourse that the law seeks to stifle." >>> John O’Mahony, Dublin | Monday, April 12, 2010

From Poland's Tragedy, Hope for Better Ties with Russia
TIME: For decades the word Katyn, for the Poles, has stood for an unspeakable crime as well as tragedy. Henceforth, it will stand also for an additional national disaster — but perhaps also for hope.

In the past, Katyn signified mass murder committed in 1940 in a forest just west of the Russian town of Smolensk by troops of the Soviet Union, who killed defenseless Polish prisoners of war. The victims of the atrocity accounted for much of Poland's military as well as intellectual elite. The second Katyn tragedy — the April 10 crash on the approach to Smolensk airport of a plane carrying dignitaries to a ceremony commemorating that very 1940 massacre — led to the death of nearly 100 of the top political personalities of a newly independent, and once again democratic, Poland. Those who died on this modern pilgrimage of peace included Poland's President, Lech Kaczynski.

And yet it is possible that future historians will see in these combined events — and especially in the consequence of the second one — the beginning of a truly significant turning point in Polish-Russian relations. Should that come to pass, it would represent a geopolitical change in Europe of genuinely historic proportions. >>> Zbigniew Brzezinski | Thursday, April 15, 2010

Patriotism by Decree in Slovakia
TIME: As nationalistic laws go, the one just passed in Slovakia seems rather tame on the surface. Earlier this month, the Slovak parliament approved a "patriotic act" mandating that every school play the Slovak national anthem on Mondays and that each classroom display a set of state symbols: the flag, the coat of arms, the lyrics to the anthem and the constitution's preamble. However innocuous this all may appear to be, though, Slovaks are outraged that the government is forcing them, by law, to be more patriotic.

The legislation was sponsored by the Slovak National Party, an ultra-nationalist outfit whose controversial leader, Jan Slota, is known for his xenophobic slurs, which are often aimed at the country's ethnic Hungarians. But Slota maintains that he doesn't just want to instill more patriotism among the Hungarian minority —he wants Slovaks to have more pride in their country, too. (Never mind the fact that his own knowledge of the anthem proved spotty in an interview last week when he confused some of the words and got the author wrong.) "The children's relationship to their nation, to their homeland is not on a decent level," Slota tells TIME. "In America, the schoolchildren parade into a schoolyard, the flag is drawn, the anthem is sung and everyone holds hand over heart." >>> Katerina Zachovalova, Bratislava | Thursday, March 18, 2010

Gaddafi outet sich als Fan von Barack Obama
Bild: Kronen Zeitung
KRONEN ZEITUNG: Der libysche Revolutionsführer Muammar al-Gaddafi ist von US-Präsident Barack Obama und dessen außenpolitischen Vorstellungen begeistert. Bei einer Gedenkveranstaltung für die Opfer des US-Luftangriffes in Tripolis vor 24 Jahren sagte er: "Die Politik Obamas, so wie sie sich bislang darstellt, verdient es, dass man ihn unterstützt und dass man ihm dabei hilft, seine Pläne in die Tat umzusetzen."

Obama habe den Frieden als strategisches Ziel gewählt und sich von den "verrückten" US- Strategien der Vergangenheit verabschiedet. "Ich kann sagen, dass es derzeit keinerlei Probleme zwischen Libyen und Amerika gibt", erklärte Oberst Gaddafi. Das Verhältnis sei sogar freundschaftlich. >>> | Freitag, 16. April 2010

Hardline Turkish Cypriot Politician Wins Presidential Election
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Turkish Cypriot politician Dervis Eroglu has swept to victory in presidential elections, winning 50.38 per cent of the vote, unofficial final results showed.

Dervis Eroglu celebrates his election win at the party headquarters in Nicosia. Photograph: The Sunday Telegraph
Mr Eroglu's main rival, incumbent leader Mehmet Ali Talat, won 42.85 per cent of the vote, pending ratification by an electoral commission.

Mr Eroglu has vowed to continue peace talks amid fears his victory could grind reunification negotiations with the Greek Cypriots to a halt and scuttle Turkey's bid for European Union membership.

Mr Eroglu is seeking broad autonomy for Turkish Cypriots in reunification talks with Greek Cypriots – a position that the Greek Cypriots object to.

"It's time to find peace," he said.

"No one should expect me to leave the negotiating table," he told the crowd that cheered, honked horns and set off fireworks at an impromptu victory rally.

"We will be at the negotiating table for an agreement that will continue the existence of our people in this land with honour."

The island's division is already hampering Turkey's EU drive and could halt it if peace talks collapse.

Since Turkey is a Nato member such a move also could cripple closer co-operation between the military alliance and the EU, and increase regional instability. >>> | Sunday, April 18, 2010

Chypre du Nord: Eroglu élu au premier tour
leJDD.fr: Le Premier ministre et partisan de l'indépendance de la partie turque de Chypre, Dervis Eroglu, a été élu dès le premier tour de l'élection présidentielle, selon les résultats définitifs officiels portant sur la totalité des bulletins dépouillés. Il est crédité de 50,38% des voix, contre 42,85% pour son rival, le président sortant Mehmet Ali Talat. Selon la commission électorale, le taux de participation s'élève à 75%. Dervis Eroglu devra négocier le règlement du statut de l'île, divisée depuis 1974 entre une partie chypriote turque - non reconnue par la communauté internationale - et une partie grecque qui représente Chypre dans l'Union européenne. [Source: leJDD.fr] | Dimanche 18 Avril 2010

Pope Benedict in the Land of Nod!
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Pope Benedict XVI briefly nodded off in front of tens of thousands of people during an outdoor mass in Malta's capital, Valletta.

Bishop Guido Marini gently wakes up Pope Benedict XVI. Photo: The Sunday Telegraph
The Pope slumped forward around halfway through the mass, which was held just outside the historic stone walls encircling the city.

He had to be roused by the Vatican's master of ceremonies, Bishop Guido Marini, who was sitting next to him and gently nudged him.

"It was just for a few seconds," said an onlooker. "He slumped forward onto his chest."

Although the pontiff spent only 26 hours in Malta after flying in from Rome on Saturday, he had a busy and tiring schedule of events – meeting dignitaries and Malta's president, waving to crowds from his "Pope-mobile" and expressing his sorrow to a group of sex abuse victims.

But his apparent exhaustion is also a reflection of his age – he turned 83 on Friday. Pope falls asleep during mass >>> Nick Squires in Valletta | Sunday, April 18, 2010

Iran Calls US 'the World's Only Atomic Criminal'
THE TELEGRAPH: Iran has demanded America's expulsion from the international nuclear system.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the US were 'atomic criminals'. Photograph: The Telegraph
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei used an international conference in Tehran to condemn the US as the "world's only atomic criminal".

"Only the US government has committed an atomic crime. The world's only atomic criminal lies and presents itself as being against nuclear weapons proliferation, while it has not taken any serious measures in this regard," said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a message read to the summit.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for the establishment of a new international weapons regime that would stand independent of Western political interference.

The Iranian government staged the meeting in response to President Barack Obama's summit on nuclear security in Washington at the start of the week.

Iran condemned the 47-nation disarmament summit in Washington on the grounds that the United States holds one of the world's largest arsenals of nuclear weapons.

Officials boasted that 55 nations had agreed to travel to Iran – more than the number that assembled in Washington – but conceded that the ash cloud over Europe had prevent many delegates from reaching its capital.

In a rambling speech that contained a threat to quit the Non-Proliferation Treaty, Mr Ahmadinejad said a new "independent international group" should be set up to supervise nuclear disarmament.

"An independent international group which plans and oversees nuclear disarmament and prevents proliferation should be set up," he said. >>> Damien McElroy in Tehran | Saturday, April 17, 2010

Pope ‘Prays and Weeps’ with Malta Sex Abuse Victims
Pope Benedict greets the faithful in Floriana, Malta. Photograph: The Sunday Times
THE SUNDAY TIMES: Victims of clerical sex abuse in Malta have described how they wept as they prayed with the Pope today after he agreed to meet them on his trip to the island. They said that the Pope also had “tears in his eyes”.

The eight victims, who were abused systematically at an orphanage in Malta in the 1980s and 1990s, have long campaigned for the Church authorities to recognise their suffering in the face of decades of cover-ups from the Vatican downwards.

Vatican officials said that the Pope, who the Vatican claims has “done more than anyone” to clean up the Church, was “deeply moved” by the men’s descriptions of their experiences and had expressed “shame and sorrow”.

The Vatican confirmed that the men, who were “sexually abused by members of the clergy” as children and teenagers, had prayed with the pontiff in the chapel of the Apostolic Nunciature at Rabat, in Malta, after he returned from an open air Mass at Valletta, Lawrence Grech, 37, the spokesman for the group of former pupils at St Joseph’s Home, in Santa Venera, said: “We all cried”. He added: “After 25 years now I can go back to church.” Asked if the Pope had apologised for the abuse, he said: “He did not have to say sorry because the abuse was not the fault of one person.”

No media were allowed at the encounter, which began and ended with a silent joint prayer, Father Federico Lombardi, the papal spokesman said.

In a statement the Vatican said: “The Pope was deeply moved by their stories and expressed his shame and sorrow over what victims and their families have suffered.

“He prayed with them and assured them that the Church is doing, and will continue to do, all in its power to investigate allegations, to bring to justice those responsible for abuse and to implement effective measures designed to safeguard young people in the future.” >>> Richard Owen in Valletta | Sunday, April 18, 2010

Poland Bury [sic] President Kaczynski and His [Wife] in Krakow Cathederal
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Tens of thousands of mourners gathered in Poland's ancient capital for the burial of President Lech Kaczynski and his wife, but volcanic ash over Europe prevented many world leaders from joining them.

U.S. President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were among those forced by the ash cloud to abandon plans to attend the funeral in Krakow for Kaczynski and his wife Maria, killed in a plane crash in western Russia on April 10.

However, Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev managed to fly to the city, reinforcing a strong message of Russian solidarity since the crash that has raised Polish hopes for an improvement in long-strained ties with their communist-era overlord.

The funeral at Krakow's Wawel cathedral crowns a week of unprecedented national mourning for the Kaczynskis and 94 other, mostly senior political and military officials who also died.

Police said about 60,000 people had gathered in central Krakow ahead of the transportation of the Kaczynskis' coffins to Wawel cathedral where they were placed in the crypt alongside Polish kings, national heroes and poets.

In Warsaw, Poles had queued through Saturday night to view the coffins while they remained on public display. >>> | Sunday, April 18, 2010

LE MONDE – PORTFOLIO SONORE: En Pologne, dernier adieu à Lech Kaczynski >>> Le Monde pour LeMond.fr | Dimanche 18 Avril 2010

Polen nehmen Abschied von Präsident Kaczynski: Zahlreiche Absagen für Teilnahme an Trauerfeier in Krakau
Polen nehmen Abschied von Präsident Kaczynski. Bild: NZZ Online
NZZ ONLINE: Mit einem Staatsbegräbnis für den polnischen Präsidenten Lech Kaczynski sind die Trauerzeremonien am Sonntag zu Ende gegangen. Zehntausende Polen nutzten noch einmal die Gelegenheit, von ihrem Präsidenten Abschied zu nehmen.

Polen Letztes Geleit für Kaczynski - Vulkanasche hält Staatsgäste fern

Zum Staatsbegräbnis in Krakau hatten sich ursprünglich auch zahlreiche Präsidenten, Regierungschefs und gekrönte Häupter angesagt. Doch wegen der Sperrung weiter Teile des europäischen Luftraums sagten über 40 von ihnen ihre Teilnahme am Begräbnis kurzfristig ab, darunter US-Präsident Barack Obama und die deutsche Kanzlerin Angela Merkel.

Unbeeindruckt von der Aschewolke traf dagegen der russische Präsident Dmitri Medwedew mit einer Sondermaschine in Krakau ein. Auf den russischen Präsidenten, dessen Land eine schwierige Vergangenheit mit Polen hat, richteten sich am Sonntag die Augen vieler Polen.

Im Gespräch mit dem polnischen Regierungschef Donald Tusk sagte Medwedew vor der Messe, die Trauer habe beide Nationen verbunden. Auch künftig sei das russische Volk bereit zur Zusammenarbeit. Medwedew legte in der Marienkirche einen Strauss roter Rosen nieder und zündete eine Kerze an. >>> sda/dpa | Sonntag, 18. April 2010

Nick Clegg Defends Liberal Democrat Stance on Europe
THE TELEGRAPH: Nick Clegg has defended his party’s pro-European stance ahead of this week’s televised debate on foreign policy, after being accused of trying to take Britain into a "super-state".



The Liberal Democrat leader admitted the European Union was “flawed”, claiming it spent 15 years drawing up a directive on the definition of chocolate.

He insisted Britain was stronger working with the 27-member bloc rather than “raising the drawbridge” and standing outside it.

However he said the Lib Dems, if elected, would let the public decide on the basic question of whether Britain should remain within the EU by holding a referendum when the subject next arose.

His claims - made in a series of talks and interviews out on the campaign trail in south London - come ahead of Thursday’s leaders’ debate, to be broadcast on Sky News, which will focus on foreign policy.

He is likely to be characterised by the Conservatives as a fierce supporter of the European super-state, who would have made Britain’s recession worse by ditching sterling in favour of the euro. William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, told a Sunday newspaper that Mr Clegg would "sign up for anything that has ever been on offer or proposed from the European Union".

Mr Clegg himself has a Dutch mother and a half-Russian father, is married to a Spaniard and has worked in the European Commission and as an MEP. He gave an interview in fluent Dutch to a radio station based in the Netherlands outside the church where he was speaking on international development on Sunday morning.

Asked earlier how he would respond to attacks over his stance on Europe, he said: “Is Europe perfect? Clearly not. Anything that takes 15 years to define what chocolate is, is not a model of democratic efficiency. The European Union has come up with daft decisions.”

But he pointed to the banking system, terrorism, crime, disease and climate change as areas that cross national borders and claimed that the Conservatives opposed European measures that led to the arrest and extradition of one of the July 21 bombers, and the break-up of an international paedophile ring.

Mr Clegg asked: “Do we really think that we can pull up the drawbridge, and ranting and raving at Europe from the sidelines is really going to help us be stronger or safer? The weather doesn’t stop at the cliffs of Dover.

“I think we are stronger together and weaker apart.” >>> Martin Beckford | Sunday, April 18, 2010

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
HELLO!: Queen Margrethe II has the reputation of being Europe's most intellectual monarch [;] a reflection, perhaps, of the fact that the Danish queen attended no fewer than five universities, including Cambridge. She is also the first reigning queen (her namesake Queen Margrethe I acted as regent for her five-year-old son Olaf when he was elected king in the 14th century) in a country which has been headed by the same family for 49 generations.

The arrival of Margrethe Alexandrine Thorhildur Ingrid Oldenburg on April 16, 1940, at Copenhagen's Amalienborg Palace, a week after the country had been invaded by German forces, was interpreted as a ray of hope by the Danish people. At birth she was not the heir to the throne, however. That position was held by her father's younger brother, as by Danish law only males could succeed, but in 1953 the constitution was amended, allowing females to ascend in the absence of male heirs.

Photographs: Hello!
When the future of the 13-year-old princess the eldest of King Frederik IX's three daughters became clear, her royal training began in earnest. Initially educated at the palace, she received her school qualifications in 1959 before going on to study Political Science at numerous European universities. She spent 12 months at Copenhagen University, followed by a year's study of Archaeology at Cambridge. From there she enrolled at the prestigious Danish university Aarhus and attended the Sorbonne, rounding off her education at the London School of Economics in 1965. >>>

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, accompanied by her husband, Prince Henrik, marks her seventieth birthday at a gala dinner. Photo: Hello!
HELLO!: Queen Margrethe's 70th birthday celebrations kick off with glam gala dinner: The much-anticipated celebrations for Queen Margrethe's 70th birthday got underway in Copenhagen on Tuesday night with a glamorous gala banquet. >>> | Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Tüchtige Königin: Dänemarks Margrethe II. wird 70
Ein Prosit zum Geburtstag: Königin Margrethe II. von Dänemark feiert ihren 70. Geburtstag. Bild: NZZ Online
NZZ ONLINE: In Dänemark feiert Königin Margrethe II. heute ihren 70. Geburtstag. Margrethe bestieg den Thron im Jahr 1972 als junge Frau. Sie gilt als tüchtige Königin, die sich ausserdem mit Leib und Seele der Kunst verschrieben hat.

Die Chefin von Dänemarks nationalistischer Volkspartei, Pia Kjærsgaard, erinnerte sich in einem Streitgespräch, das sie mit dem marxistischen Dichter Henrik Nordbrandt führte, an eine Prinzenhochzeit. «Polizisten standen neben ihrem Dienstwagen, in dessen Fenstern dänische Fähnchen flatterten». Das habe ihr Herz erwärmt. Sie sei stolz auf eine Monarchie ohne Skandale als identitätsstiftendes Element. Auch der Republikaner Nordbrandt machte der Königin ein Kompliment: Vielleicht wäre die Monarchie schon abgeschafft, wenn Margrethe nicht «so tüchtig» wäre. Heute Freitag feiert die Königin ihren 70. Geburtstag mit einer Kutschenfahrt durch Kopenhagen. Eine Gegendemonstration von Republikanern auf dem Schlossplatz wurde verboten. >>> A. Kl. | Freitag, 18. April 2010

Related / Verbunden:

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Dänemark: Königin Margrethe wird 70 >>> Von Robert von Lucius | Freitag, 16. April 2010

VIDEOS – DOKUMENTAR: Die Königskinder: Frederik & Mary >>>

Princess Mary of Denmark >>>

Princess Mary of Denmark


Mary & Frederik of Denmark

Dhimmitude in der Schweiz! Extrawurst für muslimische Soldaten: Merkblatt für Kader schafft Rechtssicherheit
NZZ am SONNTAG: Ein Merkblatt regelt neu den Umgang mit nichtchristlichen Rekruten. Berücksichtigt werden Essenswünsche; die fünf islamischen Pflichtgebete müssen aber in einem Gebet zusammengefasst werden.

Die Armee geht bewusst auf die Bedürfnisse von Muslimen und anderen nichtchristlichen Religionsangehörigen ein. Vor der Sommer-RS können Rekruten dem Schulkommando melden, wenn sie aus religiösen Gründen kein Schweinefleisch essen. Möglich ist auch, dass sie sich mit eigenen Lebensmitteln verpflegen. >>> Matthias Herren | Sonntag, 18. April 2010

Sous les attaques, le pape Benoît XVI défend les valeurs chrétiennes à Malte
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: LA VALETTE | Le pape Benoît XVI a trouvé dimanche un accueil chaleureux sur la très catholique île de Malte qu'il a invitée à "défendre" les valeurs chrétiennes.

Le pape Benoît XVI lors d'une messe sur la place des Greniers à Floriana, à Malte, le 18 avril 2010. Photo : Tribune de Genève
Tout au long de sa visite éclair, il s'est félicité des positions défendues par le plus petit pays de l'Union européenne (443.000 habitants), comme l'interdiction du divorce et de l'avortement.

"Je vous encourage à continuer à faire ainsi. Tout ce que le monde d'aujourd'hui propose n'est pas digne d'être accepté par le peuple de Malte", a dit le pape dans son homélie prononcée en anglais, au cours de la messe célébrée place des Greniers à Floriana, devant des dizaines de milliers de personnes enthousiastes qui brandissaient des portraits du souverain pontife ou des drapeaux blanc et or, couleurs du Vatican.

"Votre nation doit continuer à défendre l'indissolubilité du mariage ainsi que la vraie nature de la famille", avait-il déjà déclaré, à son arrivée la veille, au président maltais George Abela.

Le message a été très bien reçu dans l'île qui compte 95% de catholiques. >>> AFP | Dimanche 18 Avril 2010

Iceland Volcano: First Came the Floods, Then the Smell of Rotten Eggs
THE GUARDIAN: Locals describe volcano's eruption, leaving them evacuated and homeless

Smoke and ash billows from a volcano in Eyjafjallajokull, Iceland. Photograph: The Guardian
A phonecall in the dead of night was the first inkling the people living on the Thorvaldseyri farm had that Iceland's glacier-covered Eyjafjallajokull volcano was about to erupt.

Hanna Lara Andrews, a half-English, half-Icelandic farmer who lives at the foot of the mountain which exploded on Wednesday morning with ferocious power, picked up the phone at 2am to be told by a civil protection official that she had only 20 minutes to evacuate her family, including her one-year-old son.

The warning was clear: if they stayed on their dairy farm they risked being washed away by torrents of meltwater unleashed by the release of energy that had just begun inside the volcano, no more than four miles above them. >>> Robert Booth and Severin Carrell | Thursday, April 15, 2010

Muslim University Plunged into Crisis After the Death of a Gay Professor
THE FREETHINKER: A MUSLIM university in India is in deep trouble following the mysterious death of a professor it had sacked earlier this year because he was gay.

Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, 64, was sacked from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in Uttar Pradesh (north India) after he was secretly filmed having consensual sex in the privacy of his home with a man described as a rickshaw puller.

Siras was found dead last week at his rented single-room accommodation, shortly after the Allahabad High Court had ordered his reinstatement. It is thought he may have committed suicide.

Originally from Nagpur, Siras had been a professor in the Department of Modern Indian Languages in Aligarh Muslim University for 22 years.

Students say that the popular professor never kept his sexual orientation a secret.

In February, after the Proctor of AMU received a tape showing Siras sex with another man, he was sacked without an inquiry.

Homosexuality was recently decriminalized in India. >>> Posted by Barry Duke | Wednesday, April 14, 2010

‘Apostate’ Pair Appeal to President Mubarak to Allow Them to Leave Egypt
THE FREETHINKER: A 15-year-old convert to Christianity has appealed to Egypt’s President Mubarak to allow her and her father to leave the country following a string of attacks against them by Muslim fanatics.

In the latest attack three weeks ago, Dina el-Gowhary had acid thrown at her.

Her father, Maher el-Gowhary, changed his name to Peter Athanasius after converting to Christianity 35 years ago. Several fatwas were then issued calling for the “spilling of his blood”.

According to this report, Dina addressed an open letter to President Mubarak of Egypt begging him to save her and her father, and allow them to leave Egypt. >>> Barry Duke | Sunday, April 18, 2010

White Supremacists’ Rally Sparks Violent Clashes in Los Angeles
MAIL ON SUNDAY: A white supremacist group rallied against illegal immigration in Los Angeles city centre yesterday as hundreds of counter-protesters gathered in a tense standoff that resulted [in] several arrests, thrown rocks and police in riot gear.

Police officers stood between the white supremacists and counter-demonstrators on the south lawn of Los Angeles' City Hall, where about 50 members of the National Socialist Movement waved American flags and swastika banners for about an hour.

Five people, all of them counter-protesters, were arrested at the demonstration.

The white supremacists, many of them wearing flack helmets and black military fatigue uniforms, shouted 'Sieg Heil' before each of their speakers took the podium to taunt counter-protesters with racial, anti-Semitic and misogynistic epithets.

'We will meet you head on,' one of the white supremacists warned the crowd from behind several phalanxes of police in riot gear.

Members of the Detroit-based group said they picked the location for their rally because of Los Angeles' large immigrant population. They accused some of the immigrants of stealing jobs and committing crimes. >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Sunday, April 18, 2010

Warschau nimmt Abschied: Zehntausende besuchen die Trauermesse für die Absturzopfer von Smolensk
NZZ am SONNTAG: Die Polen befinden sich im kollektiven Trauerschmerz, doch der politische Friede bröckelt. Schuld daran ist auch die Wahl der letzten Ruhestätte.

Trotz strahlendem Sonnenschein haben sich am Samstag in Warschau weit weniger Polen zu den Trauerfeiern für die Opfer der Flugzeugkatastrophe von Smolensk eingefunden als erwartet. Statt der bis zu 1,5 Millionen angekündigten Besucher kamen nach Polizeiangaben nur zwischen 60 000 und 80 000 zur Trauermesse auf dem zentralen Pilsudski-Platz zusammen. «Selten sind die Augenblicke der Geschichte einer Nation, in denen wir wissen und fühlen, dass wir wirklich zusammenstehen», sagte der seit Wochenfrist amtierende Übergangspräsident Bronislaw Komorowski. Das verunglückte Staatsoberhaupt Lech Kaczynski sei zu Lebzeiten nicht genügend geschätzt worden, hiess es unter spontanem Beifall während der Messe. >>> Paul Flückiger, Warschau | Sonntag, 18. April 2010

Zahlreiche Absagen für Teilnahme an Trauerfeier in Krakau: Merkel und Obama bleiben Beisetzung Kaczynskis wegen Einschränkungen im Luftverkehr fern
NZZ ONLINE: Wegen der Aschewolke nach dem Vulkanausbruch in Island haben zahlreiche Staats- und Regierungschefs ihre Teilnahme am Staatsbegräbnis für den tödlich verunglückten polnischen Präsidenten Lech Kaczynski und dessen Frau Maria abgesagt. Darunter sind Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel und Präsident Barack Obama.

Kaczynski und seine Frau sollen am Sonntag im Dom der Wawel-Burg in Krakau bestattet werden, der traditionellen Grabstätte der polnischen Könige.

Zum Staatsbegräbnis hatten sich zunächst zahlreiche Staats- und Regierungschefs aus der ganzen Welt angesagt. Die Einschränkungen im europäischen Luftverkehr nach dem Vulkanausbruch auf Island machten aber vielen Delegationen die Anreise unmöglich.

Die deutsche Kanzlerin habe in einem Telefonat mit dem polnischen Aussenminister Radoslaw Sikorski ihr grösstes Bedauern über die Absage geäussert, hiess es am Samstagabend in einer Mitteilung des Bundespresseamtes in Berlin. Sikorski wiederum habe volles Verständnis für die Entscheidung der Kanzlerin geäussert, deren Rückkehr von einem Besuch in den USA sich wegen der Behinderungen im Luftverkehr verzögert hatte. >>> ddp | Sonntag, 18. April 2010

Verbunden mit diesem Artikel / Lien en relation avec l’article:

leJDD.fr: Pologne: Obama et Merkel absents >>> V.V. (avec Reuters), leJDD.fr, Samedi 17 Avril 2010

L'Iran prône le désarmement
Comme Obama, le président iranien s'est prononcé pour un [monde] sans arme nucléaire. Photo : leJDD.fr
leJDD.fr: A l'occasion d'une conférence internationale organisée à Téhéran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a plaidé en faveur du désarmement nucléaire. Le président iranien a par ailleurs appelé à la création d'un "organe international indépendant" pour "empêcher la prolifération". Sa réponse à la conférence organisée par Barack Obama en début de semaine à Washington.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad n'était pas invité à la conférence internationale sur le nucléaire organisée à l'initiative des Etats-Unis, en début de semaine, à Washington. Qu'à cela ne tienne, le président iranien a décidé d'organiser son propre sommet. Celui-ci s'est ouvert samedi à Téhéran. En petit comité, toutefois. Quand Barack Obama réunissait 47 pays dans la capitale fédérale, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, lui, est simplement entouré de huit ministres des Affaires étrangères - Irak, Syrie, Liban, Oman, Arménie, Turkménistan, Centrafrique et Swaziland -, des vice-ministres de Russie, du Qatar et des Emirats arabes unis et d'un "assistant spécial du ministre chinois des Affaires étrangères", dit-on à Pékin. Le président de l'Organisation de la conférence islamique (OCI) et des représentants de l'Agence internationale de l'énergie atomique (AIEA) et de l'ONU sont également présents dans la capitale iranienne.

Dans son discours d'ouverture, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a lancé le mot d'ordre de la conférence: "L'énergie nucléaire pour tous, l'arme nucléaire pour personne". Le président iranien s'est ensuite prononcé pour le désarmement nucléaire, appelant de ses vœux la création d'un "organe international indépendant" chargé de lutter contre la prolifération nucléaire. Le dirigeant de la République islamique entend ainsi prendre à contrepied ceux qui le soupçonnent de vouloir se doter de la bombe atomique. Dans ce dossier, il n'a jamais changé de ligne: le programme nucléaire iranien a des visées exclusivement civiles. C'est pourquoi il est, a-t-il une nouvelle fois rappelé, "irréversible". Pour une suspension des Etats-Unis de l'AIEA >>> M.E - leJDD.fr, Samedi 17 Avril 2010

Gates Says U.S. Lacks Policy to Curb Iran’s Nuclear Drive
THE HEW YORK TIMES: WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has warned in a secret three-page memorandum to top White House officials that the United States does not have an effective long-range policy for dealing with Iran’s steady progress toward nuclear capability, according to government officials familiar with the document.

Several officials said the highly classified analysis, written in January to President Obama’s national security adviser, Gen. James L. Jones, came in the midst of an intensifying effort inside the Pentagon, the White House and the intelligence agencies to develop new options for Mr. Obama. They include a set of military alternatives, still under development, to be considered should diplomacy and sanctions fail to force Iran to change course.

Officials familiar with the memo’s contents would describe only portions dealing with strategy and policy, and not sections that apparently dealt with secret operations against Iran, or how to deal with Persian Gulf allies.

One senior official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the memo, described the document as “a wake-up call.” But White House officials dispute that view, insisting that for 15 months they had been conducting detailed planning for many possible outcomes regarding Iran’s nuclear program.

In an interview on Friday, General Jones declined to speak about the memorandum. But he said: “On Iran, we are doing what we said we were going to do. The fact that we don’t announce publicly our entire strategy for the world to see doesn’t mean we don’t have a strategy that anticipates the full range of contingencies — we do.” >>> David E. Sanger and Tom Shanker | Saturday, April 17, 2010

Media Hype? Nick Clegg Nearly as Popular as Winston Churchill
THE SUNDAY TIMES: NICK CLEGG, the Liberal Democrat leader who until a few days ago was little known to voters, is now the most popular party leader since Winston Churchill, a new Sunday Times poll reveals.

Following his decisive victory in last week’s television debate, Clegg has surged to a higher approval rating than Tony Blair at the peak of new Labour’s popularity.

Last night, as the YouGov survey showed that the three parties are almost neck and neck, Labour and the Tories desperately tried to respond to the Clegg phenomenon.

The general election has become a genuine three-way contest with the Lib Dems, on 29%, enjoying their strongest support in almost 30 years. >>> Jonathan Oliver and David Smith | Sunday, April 18, 2010

MAIL ON SUNDAY: Lib Dems in Front for First Time in 104 Years >>> | Sunday, April 18, 2010

Home Office Security Breach at Terror Court
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Secret documents containing intelligence reports and details of highly sensitive diplomatic negotiations have been mistakenly released by the Home Office to a suspected terrorist’s solicitor, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.

In a grave error which could undermine one of the government’s key counter-terrorism policies, more than 100 pages of secret documents were handed to Gareth Peirce, the human rights lawyer, who is representing an Ethiopian terror suspect who can only be identified by the letters ‘XX’.

The pages were accidentally left in a censored version of the Home Office’s case against XX, and should only have been disclosed to a special category of barrister who has been security vetted by MI5.

It can also be revealed that a similar mistake was made by Home Office lawyers last month in the deportation cases of two Pakistani students who were arrested during a terror raid in north-west England last year, but who were released without charge.

The latest error came during the Home Office’s preparations for a case at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) where the Ethiopian was opposing a bid by Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary, to deport him from Britain.

Robin Tam QC, for the Home Secretary, told last week’s court hearing that “inadvertent disclosures have been made by the Secretary of State” and that the mistake had been “disappointing”.

Mr Justice Mitting, the SIAC chairman, told Mr Tam: “This is becoming a habit.” >>> David Barrett, Home Affairs Correspondent | Sunday, April 18, 2010

French Villagers Hit by Floods Fight Demolition of Hundreds of 'Black Zone' Homes
THE TELEGRAPH: Storm Xynthia battered the French coast in February, but the residents are fighting the government's plan to force them out.

Georgette and Jacques Voyer lovingly constructed their home brick by brick, building a pretty bungalow perched on a sandy ridge among pine trees overlooking a vineyard.

Now the French government intends to flatten it. The property lies in a "black zone" damaged by terrible flooding in storm Xynthia in February, France's worst natural disaster for decades. Some 53 people died as 100mph winds whipped up huge waves that battered the coast.

Yet Mrs Voyer, 61, is adamant that her beloved home was untouched by the floodwater, and insists that she will not let demolition begin.

"If they come to bulldoze my house, then they will have to bulldoze me first," she said defiantly as her husband, a retired mechanical engineer, nodded in agreement. "There was no water inside our house at all. We are not flood victims. Yet they say it is now unsafe and must be destroyed."

The Voyers are not the only ones whose home is under threat despite having been spared the floodwater. It is one of a list of 1,510 properties scheduled for destruction in "black zones", affected areas in which everything will be levelled. The planned demolition will be one of the largest France has ever known.

The government has insisted that the drastic order must be carried out to ensure residents' safety because some properties have been badly damaged, and others have been shown to be vulnerable to future flooding.

"The state and the local authorities do not have the right to risk letting people return to areas where they could be in mortal danger," said the French prime minister, François Fillon, on Tuesday.

Residents beg to differ. Families who have made their homes in some of the most picturesque parts of unspoiled south-west France insist that many of their properties were in fact untouched by the floods. They accuse the government of over-reaction, amidst confusion over how compensation will be paid and claims that "black zones" have been drawn arbitrarily.

A mood of anger is spreading along the small coastal communities in the Charente-Maritime and Vendée regions, along the coast from La Rochelle. Law-abiding middle-class families like the Voyers insist they will not go. "You could put a million euros on the table, and we would not leave," said Mrs Voyer. >>> Harriet Alexander in La Faute-Sur-Mer | Saturday, April 17, 2010

Open Letter to US Jewry
YNET NEWS: Obama has potential of being known as president who betrayed Jews

It's true that I've left the American Jewish community and immigrated to Israel, but Jewish life in America provided me with countless opportunities to realize my dream of becoming a more informed, involved Jew. This community laid the foundation for a Jewish identity that now serves as my 'rock' - the one piece of myself to which I will always remain true. That is precisely why I write this letter in both desperation and disbelief.

I was admittedly frustrated by Jewish support for soon-to-be President Obama during election time in 2008, but ultimately, I understood. I understand that American Jewry is true to the term itself; we are Jews who are American. We are American in the sense that we are patriots, and we identify with America's noble pursuit of freedom, liberty, and justice. We're only a generation or two removed from one of history's darkest examples of oppression and complete absence of justice, and thus we identify with the oppressed among us.

We want healthcare and equality for all. We want a system of education that does not discriminate and that cultivates a productive, thoughtful, forward-thinking generation of young people. No argument here. I sincerely hope that in the near future, American Jewry will only have to concern itself with these issues; I sincerely hope that we will live in a world marked by peace, in which domestic affairs in our respective countries are legitimate, primary concerns.

The issue at hand, however, is that we do not live in that world. We live in a world at war, and though your average American does not 'feel it' - the American Jew should feel it. Currently, the fundamentalist Iranian regime is building a nuclear arsenal and has simultaneously called for the complete obliteration of the State of Israel. >>> Cori Chascione | Saturday, April 17, 2010

Barack Obama. Photo : leJDD.fr
Pologne: Obama et Merkel absents
leJDD.fr: Barack Obama et Angela Merkel ont été contraints d'annuler leur participation aux obsèques, dimanche, du couple présidentiel polonais. Raison de leur absence: le nuage de cendres volcaniques qui empêchent les avions de traverser le ciel européen depuis jeudi.

Alors que les Polonais ont débuté, samedi, l'hommage de deux jours aux 96 victimes de la catastrophe aérienne du 10 avril en Russie, dont le président Lech Kaczynski et son épouse, Maria, quelques grands dirigeants ne pourront assister aux funérailles, prévues dimanche. La cause de ces absences: le nuage de cendres crachées par un volcan islandais qui paralyse le trafic aérien au-dessus de l'Europe. Merkel, lost in translation >>> V.V. (avec Reuters), leJDD.fr, Samedi 17 Avril 2010

Nicolas Blancho: de l’ennui à l’islam
Photo : Le Temps
LE TEMPS: Le jeune président du Conseil central islamique de Suisse parle de sa conversion à l’islam. Il se distancie de l’idéologie radicale des mouvements salafistes. Mais il inquiète les associations musulmanes

Il n’y a pas eu de poignée de main. Ni au début, ni à la fin de l’entretien. Son interprétation rigoriste de l’islam lui interdit d’avoir ce genre de contact avec une femme. On ne s’en offusquera pas. Le président du Conseil central islamique suisse (CCIS) est du reste un jeune homme fort aimable. Son association, créée en janvier pour défendre les intérêts des musulmans sunnites, compte déjà 1000 membres passifs et suscite la curiosité des médias. Non sans exagération, Nicolas Blancho est décrit par la Weltwoche comme «l’islamiste le plus dangereux du pays», le «Ben Laden» de Bienne. Mais on ne va pas trembler devant un sourire aussi juvénile et affable.

La rencontre a lieu à l’Université Tobler de Berne. Le président du CCIS, vêtu d’un kamis noir (une tunique) et coiffé d’une chachia blanche (bonnet islamique), arbore une barbe rousse broussailleuse. Il s’exprime dans un excellent français. Qu’est-ce qui a bien pu pousser ce Suisse né à Bienne à se convertir à l’islam à l’âge de 16 ans? Sa mère, d’origine bernoise, est enseignante. Son père, un Français établi de longue date à Bienne, chef concierge d’un gymnase. Nicolas Blancho n’a pas été baptisé. Ses parents voulaient lui laisser le choix d’adopter ou non une religion plus tard. Ils ont été pour le moins surpris du résultat de cette option éducative. «Ils ne sont pas d’accord avec ce que je fais aujourd’hui, dit le jeune musulman. Mais ils me respectent parce que je suis leur fils.» Le président du CCIS, qui étudie l’islamologie et le droit suisse à l’Université de Berne, est entretenu par ses parents.

A la maison, la famille parlait de temps en temps de religion. Avec l’adolescence sont venues les grandes questions existentielles. Et la conviction croissante de l’existence d’un être supérieur. «J’ai lu la Bible. Je me suis intéressé au bouddhisme et à d’autres religions», dit Nicolas Blancho. A l’école, il s’ennuie. «J’y allais sans être présent. Je ne faisais rien pour évoluer. Je perdais mon temps avec les copains.» Parmi ses amis, il y a des musulmans, pas vraiment attachés à l’islam. Mais ces derniers le mettent en contact avec un imam qui cherche à faire traduire un texte du français vers l’allemand. A son invitation, Nicolas Blancho se rend dans une mosquée. Il est ému par le prêche de l’imam. Il commence à lire des livres sur l’islam. Il lit également le Coran. Et puis, un jour, il a la certitude qu’un Dieu unique existe. L’imam qu’il fréquente lui demande s’il veut se convertir. «J’ai dit oui. C’était une conversion du cœur.» >>> Patricia Briel | Samedi 17 Avril 2010

Volcanic Ash Cloud Leaves Shops Facing Shortages of Fruit, Vegetables and Medicine
THE TELEGRAPH: UK retailers face significant disruption to their supply chains due to a ban on air freight following the volcanic ash crisis.

Store groups face potential shortages of medicine, cut flowers and exotic fruit and vegetables due to the closure of British airspace, that was expected to have ended in England and Wales by 7am on Saturday.

Clothing retailers also face a backlog as their stock sits in holding pens around the world waiting to be flown from manufacturing hubs to the UK.

The ban on air freight has meant that fruits such as figs, papaya and coconuts, fresh flowers and pharmaceutical products – all of which are delivered by air – are not reaching their destinations in the UK. Air freight accounts for 25pc of the UK's international goods movements by value.

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) said yesterday that it fears the cost to business – and consumers – will escalate as the volcanic cloud casts its shadow further. >>> James Hall Retail Editor | Friday, April 16, 2010

THE TELEGRAPH: Volcanic ash cloud: dust falls across Britain – Volcanic ash from the Icelandic eruption has begun to fall across the country, coating surfaces with a fine layer of dust and raising fears over the danger posed to people with breathing difficulties. >>> Patrick Sawer | Saturday, April 17, 2010

Aktivität des Vulkans Eyjafjalla verstärkt: Aschewolke dringt weiter nach Süden – Herausforderung für Meteorologen
Bild: NZZ Online
NZZ ONLINE: Der Eyjafjalla spuckt weiter grosse Mengen von Asche aus. Regen – und damit ein «Auswaschen» der Luft – ist nicht in Sicht. Die Meteorologen stehen vor einem Problem: Es gibt nur wenige Messdaten zur Beurteilung der Lage.

Die Aktivität des isländischen Vulkans Eyjafjallajökull hat nach Angaben eines Geologen an Intensität zugenommen. Eine Aschewolke stieg nach Angaben von Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson von der Universität von Island 8,5 Kilometer weit in die Höhe. Der Wind habe die Sicht am Vulkan verbessert, so dass sich Wissenschaftler am Samstag erstmals aus der Luft ein Bild von der aktuellen Lage machen könnten.

Wenn festgestellt werden könne, wie viel Eis geschmolzen sei, könnten bessere Prognosen darüber erstellt werden, wie lange der Ausbruch anhalten werde, sagte Gudmundsson. So lange noch ausreichend Eis vorhanden sei, könnten sich weitere Aschewolken bilden. Der Flugverkehr würde damit noch längere Zeit behindert. >>> ddp/afp/Reuters/sda | Samstag, 17. April 2010

NZZ ONLINE: Vulkan auf Island soll noch tagelang spucken: Klebrige Aschewolke gefährdet Flugzeuge in ganz Nordeuropa >>> Alois Feusi | Donnerstag, 15. April 2010

NZZ ONLINE: Aschewolke über Europa wird nicht so schnell verschwinden: Isländischer Vulkan vermutlich noch mehrere Tage aktiv >>> sda/Reuters | Freitag, 16. April 2010

Deux jours de funérailles grandioses en Pologne
Des milliers de bougies ont été déposées devant le château du Wawel à Cracovie, où seront inhumés, dimanche, le président Lech Kaczynski et son épouse Maria. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: L'enterrement du très russophobe Lech Kaczynski pourrait mettre fin à des siècles d'incompréhension avec la Russie.

Des funérailles grandioses telles que la Pologne n'en avait pas connu depuis la mort de Jean-Paul II. Et un casse-tête inouï pour l'ambassadeur de Pologne à Paris, Tomasz Orlowski, chargé de remplacer au pied levé le chef du protocole, Mariusz Kazana, victime du crash de Smolensk.

Quatre-vingts délégations étrangères, de nombreux rois et chefs d'État, l'élite de l'État polonais, les plus hauts dignitaires de l'Église sont attendus dimanche à Cracovie pour les obsèques du président Lech Kaczynski et de son épouse, Maria. Si toutefois le nuage de cendres islandaises, qui a entraîné hier la fermeture de l'aéroport, daigne s'éloigner du ciel polonais. Un défi de plus en plus cauchemardesque pour l'ambassadeur Orlowski. Dans quel ordre placer les délégations ? Passe encore pour les têtes couronnées, Juan Carlos d'Espagne, le prince Charles ou Harald de Norvège. Mais pour les présidents ? La règle donne la priorité à l'ancienneté. Mais alors, quel affront pour Barack Obama ! À moins de se retrancher sur l'ordre alphabétique. Mais comment imaginer que le représentant de la Russie, Dmitri Medvedev, soit précédé par celui de la Géorgie, Mikhaïl Saakachvili ? D'autant, souligne un diplomate, que «depuis une semaine, les Russes se comportent de manière exemplaire». >>> Par Arielle Thedrel | Vendredi 16 Avril 2010

Williamson condamné pour «incitation à la haine raciale»
Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Le tribunal de Ratisbonne a jugé que l'évêque britannique devait s'acquitter d'une amende de 10.000 euros pour ses propos négationnistes tenus lors d'une interview à la télévision suédoise en janvier 2009.

Il aurait pu éviter son procès et la mauvaise publicité. Mais Mgr Williamson a refusé de s'acquitter de l'amende de 12.000 euros proposée par le tribunal de Ratisbonne (Bavière) dans le cadre d'une procédure simplifiée, comme le permet la justice allemande. Depuis le début de l'audience la semaine dernière, l'Allemagne attend avec impatience le jugement, tombé vendredi après-midi : l'évêque britannique est condamné à 10.000 euros d'amende pour «incitation à la haine raciale». Un jugement prononcé en son absence, car sa fraternité lui avait interdit d'y assister.

Dans une interview réalisée à Ratisbonne et diffusée par la télévision suédoise SVT1 le 21 janvier 2009, l'évêque catholique Williamson, membre de l'organisation intégriste de la Fraternité Saint Pie X, avait notamment déclaré : «Je crois qu'il n'y a jamais eu de chambres à gaz (…) Je pense que 200.000 à 300.000 Juifs sont bien morts dans les camps de concentration nazis mais qu'aucun d'entre eux n'est mort en raison de gazage ». Si Williamson a justifié ses dires par le « rapport Fred Leuchter », du nom d'un illustre négationniste américain qui prétend expliquer scientifiquement que les chambres à gaz nazies n'auraient en fait jamais servi au gazage des Juifs, les propos négationnistes de l'évêque avaient immédiatement provoqué l'ire de l'Allemagne et du monde entier. >>> Par Hélène Imatte | Vendredi 16 Avril 2010

Related / Lien en relation avec l’article:

DEUTSCHE WELLE: Holocaust: British Bishop Fined 10,000 Euros for Partial Holocaust Denial >>> msh/dl/AP/AFP, Editor: Chuck Penfold | Friday, April 16, 2010

Pope’s Visit to Malta Overshadowed by Paedophile Priest Scandal
TIMES ONLINE: The damage done by the child abuse scandal has been compounded by a lack of coherent response from those at the top

Graffiti. Photo: Times Online
A papal trip to Malta would not normally attract world attention, but these are not normal times in the Vatican. The Pope’s first overseas engagement since the sex abuse scandal embroiled the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy will take place in the full glare of the media — the same media that some of his supporters accuse of waging a campaign against him and their religion.

The blame game — the Vatican has also attributed its woes to homosexuals, the Holocaust, the Irish, and even the Devil — speaks to a wider problem in the Church’s handling of accusations that it conspired to cover up paedophilia committed by its clergy. Only in the past few days have Vatican officials scrambled to find a coherent strategy to try to control a scandal that has inflicted immeasurable damage on the institution.

“The problem is not that the Vatican line over the crisis has had unfortunate consequences,” said Andrea Tornielli, the biographer of Pope Benedict XVI and other modern pontiffs. “The problem is that there is no line.”

Even as the Pope faced accusations that he had covered up instances of clerical abuse while Archbishop of Munich from 1977 to 1982, and later as head of doctrine at the Vatican for 24 years, there was no co-ordinated rebuttal. In the corporate world, the response to such a public relations disaster would be crisis management, but the Vatican’s ancient bureaucracy, and a centuries-old culture of secrecy is ill equipped to meet the demands of communications strategies.

“We are not a multinational,” Father Federico Lombardi, the Pope’s spokesman, said recently. The Holy See, he said, “does not believe it is necessary to respond to every single document taken out of context”.

Asked during a rare briefing for reporters whether there had been urgent meetings in the Vatican over the abuse scandal, he looked baffled. Didn’t he feel that the Vatican was under siege? “No. We issue clarifications when necessary,” he replied, pointing to the publication on the Vatican website of church rules on abuse, making it clear for the first time that bishops must go to the police.

The reality, however, is that new abuse stories have appeared almost daily, and Father Lombardi, 68, a genial and mild-mannered Jesuit from Piedmont, northern Italy, has struggled without any apparent strategy or guidance from higher up in the Church.

Instead, stories involving abuse at the hands of priests have been dismissed as “petty gossip” or “idle chatter”. Contentious remarks by cardinals and bishops — blaming the stories on a Jewish conspiracy, for instance — have added to the furore. >>> Richard Owen in Rome | Saturday, April 17, 2010

David Cameron Gets Churlish
THE TELEGRAPH: General Election 2010: David Cameron dismisses Nick Clegg threat: David Cameron has insisted that the election campaign is still a two-horse race between himself and Gordon Brown as he dismissed the challenge of Nick Clegg. >>> Robert Winnett, Deputy Political Editor | Friday, April 16, 2010

TIMES ONLINE: Clegg victory hits pound on hung parliament fears: Sterling retreated against major currencies overnight after Nick Clegg’s winning performance in the televised campaign debate between party leaders fanned fears of a hung Parliament. >>> Gary Parkinson | Friday, April 16, 2010

THE TELEGRAPH: General Election 2010: If you feel strangely drawn to the Lib Dems, think again: Labour is the only party that will benefit from Nick Clegg's performance on television, says Charles Moore. >>> Charles Moore | Friday, April 16, 2010

Vandals Spray Paint Rio's Christ Statue
THE TELEGRAPH: Vandals have covered Rio de Janeiro's towering Christ the Redeemer statue with spray-painted graffiti, marring the world-famous monument in an act Rio's mayor called a "crime against the nation."

The vandalized Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro. Photograph: The Telegraph
The vandals covered the head, arms and chest of the 130-foot statue, which looks out over Rio's dramatic vista of beaches and mountains, using scaffolding that had been erected to carry out maintenance work.

"Those criminals will pay for what they've done. They will go to jail," Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes was quoted as saying in Friday's O Globo newspaper. "Rio de Janeiro and Brazil do not deserve this." >>> | Friday, April 16, 2010

When Pictures Paint a Thousand Words
What’s permissible in the States these days >>> Always On Watch | Friday, April 16, 2010
ATLAS SHRUGS: Update: Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer to Sue Miami-Dade Transport >>> | Friday, April 16, 2010

HT: Always On Watch

THE FREETHINKER: You can promote Islam on the side of US buses, but you can’t oppose it >>> Posted by Barry Duke | Saturday, April 17, 2010

Editorial: Catholic Church Must Confess Its Sins
THE DOMINION POST – OPINION: Former prime minister Helen Clark had a simple piece of advice for colleagues in difficulty: "If you're in a hole, stop digging." It is advice the Vatican would do well to heed.

Watching assorted cardinals and bishops attempt to dodge blame for the church's horrific record of child abuse is akin to watching fish flap about in the bottom of a boat. The more the prelates wriggle, the more deeply the hooks sink.

The Vatican has blamed the media and the permissive values of the 60s and 70s, it has compared offending rates within the church with rates in other institutions, it has preached the virtues of forgiveness and, just to demonstrate how completely it has lost touch with notions of right and wrong, it has attempted to draw distinctions between paedophilia (sexual relations with children) and ephebophilia (relations with mid-to-late adolescents).

Instead of recognising that it is getting deeper and deeper into a hole, it keeps digging. While the Pope apologises and urges Christians to repent for sins, senior church figures keep looking for scapegoats. >>> | Saturday, April 17, 2010

HT: Judah's Journal

Girl, 16, Banned from School for Wearing Hijab in Spain
THE TELEGRAPH: A 16-year-old schoolgirl has been banned from classes in Spain after refusing to remove her Islamic headscarf, re-igniting the national debate over the hijab.

Najwa Malha, who was born is Spain to Moroccan immigrants, has been excluded from classes at the state-run Camilo Jose Cela School in the Madrid suburb of Pozuelo after being told that her hijab was in violation of school dress code.

The decision has sparked debate in Spain where there are no clear guidelines over the wearing of Islamic headdress in state schools. >>> Fiona Govan in Madrid | Friday, April 16, 2010

How Israel Screens for Terrorists

Should Turkey Join the EU?
TELEGRAPH - DEBATE: Europeans are divided over Turkey's proposed membership of the EU. It is a largely Muslim nation, while the 27 other states are not. And while Turkey's huge economic potential is attractive, its human rights record falls well short of EU standards. Should this record bar it from joining the EU? Join the debate >>>

Israel Bans iPad Imports
THE TELEGRAPH: Israel has banned imports of Apple iPad, citing concerns the powerful gadget consumes too much capacity on wireless networks and could disrupt other devices.

Customs officials said they have already confiscated about 10 of the lightweight tablet computers since Israel announced the new regulations this week. The ban prevents anyone from bringing iPads into Israel until officials certify that they comply with local transmitter standards. >>> | Thursday, April 15, 2010

Hillary Clinton Tells Israel to Stop 'Settlement Activity' and Provoking Palestine
THE TELEGRAPH: Hillary Clinton has said Israel must stop 'settlement activity' and steer clear of comments that will provoke Palestinians.

The US Secretary of State urged "bold leadership" from all sides to resolve one of the world's most intractable disputes.

Speaking at a dinner attended by the ambassadors of Israel and several Arab states, Mrs Clinton urged Israel to "refrain from unilateral statements and actions" that could undermine peace.

"Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu has embraced the vision of the two-state solution," she said.

"But easing up on access and movement in the West Bank, in response to credible Palestinian security performance, is not sufficient to prove to the Palestinians that this embrace is sincere.

"We encourage Israel to continue building momentum toward a comprehensive peace by demonstrating respect for the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians, stopping settlement activity and addressing the humanitarian needs in Gaza." >>> Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Friday, April 16, 2010

SEC Charges Goldman Sachs with Fraud in Subprime Mortgage Meltdown
LOS ANGELES TIMES: The civil charges relate to Goldman Sachs' creation of collateralized debt obligations -- a complex, mortgage-backed security. 'The product was new and complex but the deception and conflicts are old and simple,' a Securities and Exchange Commission official says in a statement.

Reporting from New York
Goldman Sachs is being charged with fraud by federal regulators for its work in creating subprime mortgage bonds before the financial crisis.

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced on Friday morning that it was bringing civil charges against Goldman and one of the bank's vice presidents in Manhattan federal court. >>> Nathaniel Popper | Friday, April 16, 2010

THE GUARDIAN: Goldman Sachs charged with $1bn fraud over toxic sub-prime securities: Securities and exchange commission charges Goldman Sachs with conflict of interest in sub-prime mortgage asset sales >>> Andrew Clark | Friday, April 16, 2010

THE TELEGRAPH: Dow hit by Goldman fraud charges: The Dow Jones ended a six-day rally on Friday, hit by civil fraud charges against Goldman Sachs and investor disappointed over trading at Google. >>> AP | Friday, April 16, 2010