Sunday, May 09, 2010
THE NEW YORK TIMES: More firmly and publicly than before, senior officials of the Obama administration on Sunday blamed the failed attempt to blow up a bomb in Times Square on the Pakistani Taliban, an accusation that should increase pressure on the Pakistan military to attack the organization in its bastions in the lawless tribal region of North Waziristan.
“We’ve now developed evidence that shows the Pakistani Taliban was behind the attack,” Attorney General Eric Holder said in an interview on ABC television’s news program “This Week.”
Later, appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” he said the Taliban in Pakistan “directed this plot” and may have also financed it. The Pakistani Taliban, he said, was “intimately involved” in the attempt on May 1 by Faisal Shahzad, an American citizen of Pakistani descent, to blow up gasoline and propane tanks secreted inside a Nissan Pathfinder parked on West 45th Street just yards from the heart of Times Square.
John Brennan, President Obama’s chief counterterrorism adviser, echoed Mr. Holder’s statements Sunday morning, saying that it appeared that Mr. Shahzad, a resident of Bridgeport, Conn., who spent five months in Pakistan until February, was working for Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. The TTP is believed by some military intelligence officials to have joined forces with Al Qaeda and may be hiding some of its senior leaders, including Osama bin Laden, who was the motivating force behind the 9/11 attack.
Until now, American officials have speculated that the Pakistan Taliban may have trained Mr. Shahzad during his visit to Pakistan, but Sunday’s statements were their most definitive about the Taliban’s role.
The conclusion that the Pakistani Taliban is behind the attempted bombing “underscores the serious threat that we face from a very determined enemy,” Mr. Brennan said on CNN’s ”State of the Union.” >>> Joseph Berger | Sunday, May 09, 2010
THE SUNDAY TIMES: US warns Pakistan over Times Square bomb attempt: The United States has delivered a tough new warning to Pakistan to crack down on Islamic militants or face severe consequences after the failed Times Square bombing. >>> Anne Barrowclough | Sunday, May 09, 2010
THE GUARDIAN: Liberal Democrat peer becomes first senior party member to publicly register disapproval of any deal with David Cameron
Lady Shirley Williams has become the first senior Liberal Democrat to break ranks and come out against the idea of her party striking a formal coalition deal with David Cameron, warning that it is not in the "Conservatives' DNA" to move properly in key areas.
Speaking to the Guardian, she said she would prefer the Lib Dems to agree to vote through key Tory bills rather than become coalition partners.
Asked if she thought an alliance was a good idea, she said: "No. Instead I think it would be better for us to offer them 'confidence and supply' and let them govern as a minority government, coupled with cross-party work in two areas: we need swift cross-party action to bring down the deficit, and action on political reform." >>> Allegra Stratton | Political Correspondent | Sunday, May 09, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Malta's citizens are up in arms over plans to rebuild the centre of their historic capital, which was bombed during World War Two.
It was built in the 16th century as a city fortress capable of withstanding attacks by marauding Ottoman Turks, but 500 years on a new battle is raging over the future of Valletta, Malta's historic capital.
A £90 million project envisages transforming the historic entrance to the World Heritage-listed city – a medieval gem which has remained little changed since it was built by the Knights of St John in the 1560s.
The avant-garde plan has been drawn up by world renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano, who has worked on the Pompidou Centre in Paris and Berlin's Potsdamer Platz. It was given the green light last month by Malta's government and is due to be completed by 2012 but has sparked a ferocious row among the Mediterranean island's 400,000 inhabitants.
It entails building a brand new parliament building, tearing down the existing city gate and turning Valletta's ruined Royal Opera Theatre into an open-air performance space.
The theatre, constructed in 1866, was badly bombed by the Luftwaffe in the siege of Malta during the Second World War and has lain in ruins ever since.
The then British colony was collectively awarded the George Cross by King George VI in 1942 in recognition of its bravery and resistance to the German and Italian onslaught, which brought the island close to starvation and surrender. >>> Nick Squires in Valletta | Saaturday, May 08, 2010
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Traditionalist Anglicans have warned that new proposals to pave the way for women bishops would force them to leave the Church of England.
In a move set to engulf the Church in a bitter row over the historic reform, legislation was published yesterday which will allow women clergy to enter the top ranks while giving almost no concessions to opponents.
While groups campaigning for female clerics to be treated equally expressed joy at the new plans, leading traditionalists reacted angrily to the development.
They claimed that the proposals were designed to "wipe out" those on the Anglo-Catholic and evangelical wings of the Church who do not believe it is in accordance with biblical teaching for women to be bishops.
The legislation, which would go before parliament if approved by the General Synod, could trigger a much larger defection of clergy to Rome than previously predicted. It follows a secret meeting held between the Vatican and three Anglican bishops last month.
The Rt Rev John Broadhurst, the Bishop of Fulham and one of those involved with the talks in Rome, said Anglo-Catholics would be "incandescent" and would effectively be "forced out" of the Church of England. >>> Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Sunday, May 09, 2010
NZZ am SONNTAG: Nach Frankreichs Präsident Nicolas Sarkozy denkt nun auch die Schweizer Justizministerin Widmer-Schlumpf laut über ein Verbot der Burka nach.
Noch 2007, als Christoph Blocher Justizminister war, erteilte der Bundesrat der Forderung nach einem Trageverbot für die islamische Ganzkörperverhüllung eine klare Absage. Aus «föderalistischen und grundrechtlichen Motiven» erwäge er keine Massnahmen gegen das Tragen von Burkas im öffentlichen Raum, schrieb die Landesregierung auf eine Interpellation von CVP-Präsident Christophe Darbellay.
Jetzt deutet Blochers Nachfolgerin Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf eine mögliche Kehrtwende an. In einem Interview des Thurgauer Lokalfernsehens Tele D sagte Widmer-Schlumpf auf die Frage, ob sie persönlich für ein Burka-Verbot sei, sie könne sich vorstellen, «dass man sagen würde, in der Schweiz wollen wir das nicht». Die Burka, so Widmer-Schlumpf weiter, «passt nicht zu unserer offenen und gleichberechtigten Kultur». Für sie als Frau biete das Kleidungsstück einen «diskriminierenden Anblick». >>> Pascal Hollenstein | Samstag, 08. Mai 2010
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Dans un entretien publié dans "Sonntag", la ministre de la Justice affirme qu’elle s’oppose à toute forme de déguisement sur la voie publique, ce qui concerne également la burqa.
"Dans l’espace public, j’aimerais aussi voir le visage de mon vis-à-vis et non seulement ses yeux", a expliqué Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf. Elle estime que la liberté personnelle s’arrête là où celle des autres est entravée: la liberté d’une porteuse de burqa s’arrête lorsque les autres se sentent agressés ou insécurisés.
Dans les contacts avec les autorités, le visage doit être généralement reconnaissable. La ministre de la justice considère que le port du voile islamique à l’école publique est problématique et que cette question doit être discutée avec les cantons. Il est cependant déjà admis que le personnel enseignant n’est pas autorisé à porter le voile islamique. Les enseignants doivent être "confessionnellement neutres". >>> AP | Dimanche 09 Mai 2010
THE SUNDAY TIMES: Ayaan Hirsi Ali is under threat from jihadists. It has not stopped her finding romance with the married historian Niall Ferguson
‘Why did you choose this place?” asks Ayaan Hirsi Ali, eyebrows arched in feigned alarm. She then giggles endearingly. We are in New York’s Algonquin hotel, just a few hundred yards from Times Square, where a Muslim would-be bomber parked a car full of explosives a couple of days earlier.
Radical Islamists have been trying for years to kill Hirsi Ali, a softly spoken politician turned intellectual who combines the beauty of a film star with the uncompromising zeal of an Enlightenment crusader.
She has been under siege ever since the ritualised murder in 2004 of her friend, Theo van Gogh, who had helped her make the film Submission, a blistering polemic about Islam’s treatment of women. A letter pinned to Van Gogh’s chest — or, rather, stabbed into place with a butcher’s knife — warned Hirsi Ali that “you will go down”. She went into hiding, eventually exchanging a career as a Dutch MP for exile.
Six years on, she is still preceded everywhere by a burly security man. “I’m on that endless list of names they have,” she tells me — every jihadist’s death list. It’s a grim, confining way to live, yet here she is, gaily teasing me about my tactless choice of rendezvous: she doesn’t seem remotely angry or distressed — radiant, more like.
“There is a new man in my life: Niall Ferguson, a British historian and TV presenter; the situation is a bit complicated. I am deeply in love and that feels great,” she told a Dutch magazine last week.
“We are both constantly travelling so it is hard to see one another regularly. On the other hand, we do not need to explain the situation to each other. I cannot say what will happen with us. There is still a divorce procedure going on and there are children involved.” She clams up now when quizzed about her romance, which has created a certain frisson in Britain because of Ferguson’s high profile and marriage to a former newspaper executive.
Yet I sense that silence on this is difficult and she seems to be talking as much to herself as me when she adds softly: “I just think no comment is best.”
All this might be dismissed as tabloid voyeurism had Hirsi Ali herself not turned her own most intimate history into fodder for public debate, first in her acclaimed 2006 memoir Infidel and now again in its sequel, Nomad. As a five-year-old in Somalia, she has written, part of her genitals were removed in a circumcision ceremony designed to preserve girls as virgins until they can be married off; she has since hinted that thanks to a sympathetic surgeon she got off lightly compared with other Somali Muslim women. >>> Tony Allen-Mills | Sunday, May 09, 2010
Nomad by Ayaan Hirsi Ali is published by Simon & Schuster on Thursday
MIRROR: Tories say no deal will be struck before tomorrow
Gordon Brown and David Cameron battled for Nick Clegg’s support last night by offering him up to SIX seats in the Cabinet.
The extraordinary bidding war was revealed as the Tories continued to try to cut a deal with the Lib Dems to allow Mr Cameron to become PM.
He desperately needs the support of their MPs to get past the magic number of 326 needed for a majority in the House of Commons.
Last night Tory sources said there would be no deal before tomorrow, despite fears of fresh falls in the finance markets when they reopen.
And Mr Clegg’s closest allies warned the Tory refusal to give in to their key demand of a referendum on Britain’s voting system was proving a “major roadblock” to any chance of a power-sharing deal.
Earlier, the party leaders put aside their differences to appear side-by-side at a ceremony to mark the 65th anniversary of VE Day at the Cenotaph in Whitehall. >>> Vincent Moss, Political Editor | Sunday, May 09, 2010
LE FIGARO: La Grande-Bretagne a indiqué dimanche ne pas vouloir participer au Fonds d'urgence envisagé pour aider les pays de la zone euro en difficulté.
La Grande-Bretagne refuse de participer, en y apportant sa garantie, au Fonds d'urgence envisagé pour aider les pays de la zone euro en difficulté, a indiqué dimanche le ministre des Finances britanniques. «Je pense qu'il est important que nous fassions tout ce que nous pouvons faire pour stabiliser les marchés... Soyons très, très clairs: s'il y a une proposition afin de créer un fonds de stabilisation pour l'euro, cela doit être du ressort des pays de l'Eurogroupe», a déclaré le ministre, interrogé depuis Bruxelles par la chaîne d'information continue britannique Sky News.
L'idée de départ était que la Commission européenne puisse emprunter en bénéficiant de la garantie de tous les pays de l'Union européenne, y compris ceux comme la Grande-Bretagne qui n'utilisent pas l'euro, puisqu'il s'agit d'un mécanisme de l'UE, selon des sources diplomatiques. Dans cette perspective, la Suède s'est dite prête à participer au Fonds, même si elle ne fait pas partie de la zone euro, a déclaré en début d'après-midi son ministre des Finances. >>> Par lefigaro.fr | Dimanche 09 Mai 2010
THE GUARDIAN: Alistair Darling rules out British support for euro: Chancellor says that responsibility for propping up single currency must be limited to eurozone countries >>> Zoe Wood | Sunday, May 09, 2010
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH – Editorial: For the sake of the nation, a deal should be struck, and quickly.
The ideal outcome from last week’s election, as we argued forcefully in these pages, would have been a government – preferably a Conservative government – with the mandate and majority needed to tackle the urgent problems that this country faces. We stressed that the haggling and uncertainty that accompany a hung parliament would make it all but impossible to restore the public finances to order, get a grip on immigration, reform the education system, and much else besides. Yet the absence of a strong government is about to cost us extremely dear in another way, too.
As we report today, Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, has persuaded other members of the eurozone that they can interpret a clause in the Lisbon Treaty so as to force every country belonging to the EU to contribute unspecified, and potentially unlimited, sums to bailing out insolvent members of the eurozone. It means that to keep the single currency going, in the event of future Greek-style collapses, Britain will have to write a blank cheque.
This cynical, underhand and anti-democratic move has been prompted by the stresses that the colossal budget deficits of the weaker members of the euro – Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Spain, Italy – have placed on the currency itself. Last week, France and Germany agreed that Greece should receive an emergency loan of 110 billion euros. The injection of cash is at most a stay of execution, not a solution to the problem, whose root cause is that Greece, being in the euro, cannot devalue its currency and so cannot make its exports competitive, and thereby earn the money it needs to repay its debts. The obvious solution is for Greece to leave the euro. But that would be a humiliation for Europe’s politicians and bureaucrats, for it would show that the fundamental objection to it – that it could not be viable across countries that are at such different levels of economic development – is correct. So, instead, they have decided that in future all the other members of the EU, including Britain, will foot the bill. >>> Telegraph View | Sunday, May 09, 2010
THE OBSERVER: The leader of the Liberal Democrats is playing high-stakes poker as both Tories and Labour try to woo him with offers of electoral reform and cabinet seats
As he was bundled through a baying press pack into a car waiting to speed him to yesterday's VE Day celebrations at the Cenotaph, Nick Clegg effected a physical transformation.
He was still the smart, political tyro who had shaken up the two-party system. He still looked like a man who had broken the mould: a pristine suit clashing with the jeans and anoraks of the camera crews huddled in the rain reinforced the image of a political big hitter.
But gone was the boyish, affable face of the centre left. Instead, here was someone different: steelier, tight-lipped, stern. Clegg is a man playing high-stakes Texas Hold 'Em. He knows he can win, but inside he is desperately trying to calculate the strength of his hand.
His authority has certainly been diminished by Thursday's disappointing performance at the polls that only a week earlier had promised so much.
But he can still be kingmaker – for either side. >>> Jamie Doward and Cal Flyn | Saturday, May 08, 2010
THE OBSERVER: Belgium doesn't exist, only Flanders and Wallonia as Dutch and French communites live apart. By Ian Traynor in Brussels
Twenty minutes north of Brussels, in Belgium's medieval royal seat of Mechelen, there's a science playground, just the place for the kids on a boring, wet Sunday afternoon.
Technopolis is stuffed with interactive gadgets and games, making education fun. There is also another message. When entering the complex, the paving stones are inscribed with a simple, direct statement. The message is in Dutch only, the language of Flanders, the bigger northern half of the country. You are told the size of Flanders in square kilometres and its population density.
There is no mention of Belgium. That does not exist. You are in a country called Flanders. That does not exist either, but if many of the politicians running this divided society get their way it is only a matter of time.
"Long live free Flanders, may Belgium die" was the battle cry ringing out in Belgium's federal parliament on Thursday as the 150 elected deputies cleared their desks and returned home to prepare to fight an early election next month, triggered by the latest collapse of the national government.
Following the last election in 2007, Belgium went without a government for six months because of the divisions and squabbling between Dutch-speaking Flanders to the north and French-speaking Wallonia in the south. Three years later, the same conflict has brought down the government again.
In most countries of western Europe, the third prime ministerial resignation in three years would be cause for alarm. In Belgium, the latest resignation – of Yves Leterme, the Christian Democrat prime minister – after only five months has instead been greeted with shrugs of indifference and expressions of relief.
"We are incredibly lucky to be here; this is one of the luckiest countries in the world," says a senior government official. "We are very successful." Which is true in many respects. But the political class running this wealthy state of 10.5 million people gives a very good impression of caring little for a country called Belgium.
"I'm Flemish, not Belgian," says Willy De Waele, mayor of the small Flemish town of Lennik, just south of Brussels. "There's no loyalty to a country called Belgium. There has never been a country that has lasted so long in conditions like this." >>> Ian Traynor | Sunday, May 09, 2010
MAIL ON SUNDAY: A British woman jailed in Dubai for kissing a man on the cheek has spoken for the first time of her nightmare ordeal in prison.
Charlotte Adams, 26, was deported on Friday after spending 23 days locked up alongside prostitutes and murderers for ‘indecency’.
A local woman claimed she saw Charlotte openly kiss and touch Londoner Ayman Najafi in a restaurant.
The harsh sentence may have been intended to send a warning to the Britons who flock to the five-star beach resorts of an emirate which styles itself as a playground for the jet-set – yet has laws that penalise any deviation from Islam.
In 2008, a British couple found having sex on a Dubai beach were, on appeal, given only a three-month suspended sentence.
Charlotte’s ‘crime’ means she is now banned from Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.
But as her plane took off for Britain on Friday, she said: ‘It is such a relief. I’ve thought of nothing else for the last few months.
‘I love this place and it makes me sad that I’ll never come back, although I think I’d struggle to ever feel free here again.
'But the laws need to evolve to match the culture here. At the moment, it’s all just hypocrisy.’ I was in prison with some prostitutes and a Russian woman who chopped up her boyfriend: Dubai 'kiss' girl reveals price she paid >>> Jo MacFarlane | Sunday, May 09, 2010
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The fear that began in Athens, raced through Europe and finally shook the stock market in the United States is now affecting the broader global economy, from the ability of Asian corporations to raise money to the outlook for money-market funds where American savers park their cash.
What was once a local worry about the debt burden of one of Europe’s smallest economies has quickly gone global. Already, jittery investors have forced Brazil to scale back bond sales as interest rates soared and caused currencies in Asia like the Korean won to weaken. Ten companies around the world that had planned to issue stock delayed their offerings, the most in a single week since October 2008.
The increased global anxiety threatens to slow the recovery in the United States, where job growth has finally picked up after the deepest recession since the Great Depression. It could also inhibit consumer spending as stock portfolios shrink and loans are harder to come by. >>> Nelson D. Schwartz and Eric Dash | Saturday, May 08, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Alistair Darling has agreed to consult directly with George Osborne and Vince Cable as European leaders looked poised to push through a new multi-billion pound bail-out fund part-financed by British taxpayers.
Mr Darling, who is still officially Chancellor of the Exchequer, will represent Britain at an extraordinary meeting of European finance ministers in Brussels today, slated to adopt far-reaching new powers for the Commission and its fellow bodies.
The meeting is the first major policy test for the hung parliament, coming with Britain in limbo between two governments. In a sign of the highly unusual nature of the situation, the Chancellor has privately committed to consulting before the meeting with his counterparts in the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.
However, despite the likelihood that Labour will be ejected from Downing Street imminently, Mr Darling will have the final say over Britain's vote on participation in the new scheme.
The proposal, tabled by Nicolas Sarkozy in an emergency meeting late on Friday night, will involve the creation of a €60bn "European stabilisation mechanism" designed to provide bail-out support for countries which may face similar strain to Greece in the coming months.
It is thought to be focused particularly on Spain and Portugal, both of whose leaders fear an assault by "bond vigilantes" in the market who have scented weakness within the eurozone. The plan will have fiscal implication for all European Union countries, including the UK. The key element is an extension of an existing bail-out package, already used to support Hungary and Latvia. >>> Edmund Conway and Bruno Waterfield | Saturday, May 08, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Britons living in Spain have been warned that some face "express demolition" of their houses under a tough new law announced by the regional government of Andalusia.
Owners of homes which are retrospectively judged to have fallen foul of regional planning rules can now be given just one month's notice that council bulldozers are being sent in, as part of a crackdown on excessive development in one of Spain's most popular regions.
Thousands of homes that were bought or built in good faith across the area are at risk since the regional authority began reviewing local councils' planning approvals - and concluded that in many cases, permission to build should never have been granted.
The threat of sending in bulldozers at short notice has horrified the estimated 5,000 Britons with properties in the hillsides of Almanzora, one of the worst affected areas 60 miles north of the coastal city of Almeria in southern Spain.
Hundreds of properties have already been served with demolition orders, but most homeowners had not felt under immediate threat because of Spain's slow-moving legal system. They believe that the fast-track demolition orders will change that.
"The fast-track orders could speed up the legal process and hasten demolitions," said Maura Hillen, who organised a mass rally against them in Malaga. To add insult to injury, after a demolition the victim would have to pay the municipality for the bulldozer. >>> Nick Meo in Costa Almeria and Fergal MacErlean | Sunday, May 09, 2010
LE TEMPS: Climat maussade pour la fête de l’Europe qui coïncide ce 8 mai, avec le 60e anniversaire de la déclaration de Robert Schuman. Le Conseil des ministres des Finances de l’UE doivent adopter dimanche à Bruxelles une série de mesures urgentes pour contrer la fièvre spéculative. Une nécessité également soulevée avec force dans le rapport « Europe 2030 » qu’ a rendu ce samedi le « Comité des sages » présidé par l’ancien premier ministre espagnol Felipe Gonzales.
La tempête boursière de ces derniers jours l’a rendue incontournable. Une nouvelle gouvernance économique de l’Union européenne, centrée autour d’un « mécanisme de stabilisation » pour venir en aide aux pays en difficulté de la zone euro, est désormais l’horizon imposé pour les Vingt-Sept, dont les ministres des Finances se réunissent en urgence dimanche soir à Bruxelles. >>> Richard Werly, Bruxelles | Samedi 08 Mai 2010
WIKI: Felipe González >>>
NZZ ONLINE: Dignitas hat menschliche Asche im Zürichsee versenkt – auch jene einer Frau, die eigentlich eine Friedhofbestattung wollte.
Vor knapp drei Wochen entdeckten Taucher 35 Urnen mit menschlicher Asche im Zürichsee. Der Fund provozierte Spekulationen über regelmässige Seebestattungen der Sterbehilfeorganisation Dignitas. Jetzt lässt sich nachweisen, dass die Organisation tatsächlich Asche von Verstorbenen in den See geworfen hatte. >>> Andreas Schmid | Sonntag, 09. Mai 2010
WELT ONLINE: Die sozialistische Minderheitsregierung in Portugal will noch mehr sparen und zwei große Infrastruktur-programme auf Eis legen: den Bau eines neuen internationalen Flughafenssowie eine Brücke. Das kündigte ein portugiesischer Regierungsmitarbeiter an. So soll das Haushaltsdefizit in diesem Jahr auf 7,3 Prozent verringert werden.
Angesichts der Sorge vor einer Ausbreitung der Schuldenkrise in Europa hat Portugal den Euro-Partnern versprochen, sein Haushaltsdefizit in diesem Jahr noch stärker zu bekämpfen. Ministerpräsident Jose Socrates habe am Freitagabend auf dem Euro-Sondergipfel in Brüssel angekündigt, seine sozialistische Minderheitsregierung werde noch mehr sparen und zwei große Infrastrukturprogramme auf Eis legen, sagte ein portugiesischer Regierungsmitarbeiter. Dadurch solle das Haushaltsdefizit in diesem Jahr auf 7,3 Prozent verringert werden. Bisher war das Ziel eine Reduzierung des Defizits auf 8,3 Prozent von 9,4 Prozent im vergangenen Jahr. >>> Reuters/cl | Samstag, 08. Mai 2010
WELT ONLINE: Für Altbundeskanzler Helmut Kohl steht außer Frage, Griechenland zu helfen. Schließlich gehe es um den Zusammenhalt Europas und das Fundament für eine stabile, erfolgreiche Zukunft. Auf WELT ONLINE schreibt er, wer Griechenland heute Beistand verweigere, versage vor den nachfolgenden Generationen.
Es ist gar keine Frage, dass wir in der aktuellen Krise Griechenland nicht allein lassen dürfen, sondern dass wir in Europa unserem Partner Griechenland solidarisch helfen müssen. Das liegt auch in unserem wohlverstandenen deutschen Eigeninteresse.
Wir müssen gerade in der aktuellen Krise bedenken, was das gefestigte Haus Europa und der Euro für uns alle, für Deutschland, für den Kontinent und für die ganze Welt bedeuten.
Mit anderen Worten: Wer Griechenland heute Beistand und Hilfe versagt, versagt vor der Welt und den nachfolgenden Generationen, denn er gefährdet das Haus Europa in seinen Grundfesten.
Das gefestigte Haus Europa kann uns nicht gleichgültig sein, denn es ist unsere Zukunft. Das dürfen wir nie vergessen. Wer wie ich den Krieg als junger Mensch mit all seinen Schrecken und seiner Not erlebt hat, kann aus eigener Erfahrung ermessen, welchen Wert das geeinte Europa für Frieden und Freiheit hat. >>> Dr. Helmut Kohl | Samstag, 08. Mai 2010
In der aktuellen Debatte über die Hilfen für Griechenland hat Bundeskanzler a.D. Dr. Helmut Kohl seine Position zusammengefasst, die er beim offiziellen Festakt zu seinem 80. Geburtstag am Mittwoch in Ludwigshafen dargestellt hat.
WIKI: Helmut Kohl >>>
Verbunden / Related:
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Zeal and Angst: Germany Torn Over Role in Europe >>> Marcus Walker and Matthew Karnitschnig | Saturday, May 08, 2010
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: THE Anglican Church wants Australians to have fewer children and has urged the federal government to scrap the baby bonus and cut immigration.
Wading into the population debate, the General Synod of the Anglican Church has warned that current rates of population growth are unsustainable and potentially out of step with church doctrine - including the eighth commandment, ''Thou shall not steal''.
In a significant intervention, the Anglican Public Affairs Commission has warned concerned Christians that remaining silent ''is little different from supporting further overpopulation and ecological degradation''.
''Out of care for the whole of creation, particularly the poorest of humanity and the life forms who cannot speak for themselves … it is not responsible to stand by and remain silent,'' a discussion paper by the commission warns.
''Unless we take account of the needs of future life on Earth, there is a case that we break the eighth commandment - 'Thou shall not steal'.'' >>> Josh Gordon | Sunday, May 09, 2010
THE NEW YORK TIMES: WASHINGTON — In the weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, the eloquent 30-year-old imam of a mosque outside Washington became a go-to Muslim cleric for reporters scrambling to explain Islam. He condemned the mass murder, invited television crews to follow him around and patiently explained the rituals of his religion.
“We came here to build, not to destroy,” the cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki, said in a sermon. “We are the bridge between Americans and one billion Muslims worldwide.”
At first glance, it seemed plausible that this lanky, ambitious man, with the scholarly wire-rims and equal command of English and Arabic, could indeed be such a bridge. CD sets of his engaging lectures on the Prophet Muhammad were in thousands of Muslim homes. American-born, he had a sense of humor, loved deep-sea fishing, had dabbled in get-rich-quick investment schemes and dropped references to “Joe Sixpack” into his sermons. A few weeks before the attacks he had preached in the United States Capitol.
Nine years later, from his hide-out in Yemen, Mr. Awlaki has declared war on the United States.
“America as a whole has turned into a nation of evil,” he said in a statement posted on extremist Web sites in March. Though he had spent 21 of his 39 years in the United States, he added, “I eventually came to the conclusion that jihad against America is binding upon myself, just as it is binding on every other able Muslim.” >>> Scott Shane and Souad Mekhennet | Saturday, May 08, 2010
Saturday, May 08, 2010
TIMES ONLINE: Nick Clegg has the full backing of his party's senior ranks as he prepares to strike a power-sharing deal with the Conservatives, one of the Liberal Democrats' negotiators said today.
David Laws described the leader’s talks with his parliamentary party and the Lib Dem shadow cabinet as “very positive and constructive” and said the party was determined to put the national interest before “party advantage” to deliver “stable and good government”.
Winning the backing of his party's most influential members was the first hurdle for Clegg as he attempts to form an alliance with the Tories after voters delivered a hung parliament.
Clegg pledged today that he would push for "fundamental" reform of the British electoral system. Ahead of a meeting with the Lib Dems’ 57 MPs and 72 peers, he added that he would prioritise fairer taxes, help for disadvantaged schoolchildren and a new approach to the economy.
Laws, who is one of four Lib Dem negotiators due to resume talks with their Tory counterparts tomorrow morning, said the MPs and peers endorsed the strategy “in full and completely”. >>> Amar Singh | Saturday, May 08, 2010
20 MINUTES: Environ 2000 opposants anti-gays ont pris d'assaut samedi la première marche d'homosexuels organisée en Lituanie.
Les 300 personnes prenant part à la Baltic Pride 2010, à Vilnius, ont été la cible de projectiles. La police a dû intervenir.
Les forces de l'ordre ont lancé du gaz lacrymogène en direction des opposants anti-gay qui lançaient des bouteilles, des pierres et des pétards en direction des manifestants, policiers et journalistes. Dix-neuf personnes ont été interpellées, selon la police. >>> ats/afp | Samedi 08 Mai 2010
KRONEN ZEITUNG: Nach Chaos, Streit und Panik beim Krisen-Gipfel der Staats- und Regierungschefs kämpfen am Sonntag die EU-Finanzminister um das Überleben des Euro. Die Europäische Zentralbank soll dazu mehrere Rettungspläne ausarbeiten. Zentrale Punkte sind ein Notfallsystem und eine Radikalkur für die verschuldeten Euro-Länder. Diese Reform gilt als letzte Chance. Denn für Montag wird ein massiver Verkauf europäischer Staatsanleihen auf den Märkten befürchtet. >>> Von Claus Pándi, Kronen Zeitung | Samstag, 08. Mai 2010
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: In der Not opfert die Europäische Union heilige Prinzipien der Währungsunion. Ob das die Finanzmärkte beeindruckt, zeigt sich erst am Montag früh. Es geht längst nicht mehr um die Griechen, es geht um den Euro als solchen.
Spätestens am frühen Samstagmorgen erhält Helmut Kohls alte Behauptung, der Euro sei eine Frage von Krieg und Frieden, eine neue Bedeutung. Es ist der Moment, in dem Nicolas Sarkozy das Wort von der „Generalmobilmachung“ in den Mund nimmt. Endlich seien alle Institutionen des Euro-Raums – die Europäische Zentralbank (EZB) inklusive – bereit, „ohne Gnade gegen die Spekulation zu kämpfen“, ruft der französische Staatspräsident mit martialischer Geste aus – und lässt keinen Zweifel daran, wie der oberste Feldherr in dieser Schlacht heißt: Sarkozy.
Ursprünglich sollten die Staats- und Regierungschefs des Euro-Raums bei ihrem Brüsseler Sondergipfel am Freitagabend „nur“ das in seinen Details schon feststehende Kreditpaket für Griechenland endgültig beschließen und ein wenig darüber reden, was aus der Griechenland-Krise mittel- und langfristig zu lernen sei. Doch je länger sich das Treffen hinzieht, desto klarer wird: Es geht längst nicht mehr um die Griechen, es geht um den Euro als solchen. >>> Von Werner Mussler, Brüssel | Samstag, 08. Mai 2010
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Die Deutschen sollen für griechische Schulden haften, damit der Euro stabil bleibt. Doch wenn Angela Merkel aus der Währungsunion eine Transferunion macht, verlieren die Deutschen das Vertrauen in den Euro. Das ist die größte Gefahr: für die Währung - und die Kanzlerin.
Warum soll Deutschland für die Schulden Griechenlands haften? Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel versucht das so zu erklären: Es gebe zur Rettung der Griechen keine Alternative, es gehe um die Stabilität des Euro, nur mit einem harten Sparprogramm könnten die Hellenen das Vertrauen der Märkte wiedergewinnen. Die Beschwörung der Zukunft Europas mag im Bundestag und Bundesrat Gehör finden, wenn der Finanzminister ermächtigt wird, für fremde Staatsschulden zu bürgen (Bundestag billigt Griechenland-Hilfe). Aber die allermeisten Bürger überzeugt das nicht.
Schließlich ist den Deutschen der Abschied von der bewährten D-Mark mit dem Gegenteil der von Merkel gebetsmühlenartig wiederholten Rettungsfloskel schmackhaft gemacht worden. Kein Euro-Land darf für die Schulden eines anderen haften, steht in den EU-Verträgen. Nur dadurch werde der Euro so stark wie die D-Mark, versprachen die Väter der Währungsunion. Nun soll das Gegenteil richtig sein. Jetzt sollen Deutsche für griechische Schulden haften, damit der Euro stabil bleibe. Wer soll das verstehen? >>> Von Holger Steltzner | Freitag, 07. Mai 2010
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Bundestag billigt Griechenland-Hilfe – „Die Euro-Zone steht auf dem Spiel“: Der Bundestag hat mit den Stimmen der Koalitionsfraktionen und der Grünen dem Hilfspaket für Griechenland zugestimmt. Auch der Bundesrat legte keinen Einspruch ein. Finanzminister Schäuble spricht von einer Entscheidung „für eine Zukunft in Frieden und sozialer Sicherheit“. >>> | Freitag, 07. Mai 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Margaret Thatcher keeps her counsel on hung parliament out of respect for the Queen.
While David Cameron is deluged with advice on the dangers of jumping into bed with Nick Clegg, the most respected voice in his party has decided to keep her counsel.
Baroness Thatcher will refuse to speak publicly about the implications of a hung parliament out of respect for the Queen, says her son.
"She knows it isn't for her [to speak out], and there is a lot to be said at the moment for keeping one's own counsel," Sir Mark Thatcher tells Mandrake. "My mother has the utmost respect for the monarch."
The 2nd baronet says his mother is sanguine about the result of the general election, which saw Cameron achieve a swing towards the Tories almost as big as that which propelled her into Number 10.
"She has always taken the view that general elections aren't about what the people want, but what is on offer to the people," he said.
In 2008, Lady Thatcher told me that Gordon Brown was the "greatest weapon in the Tory party's armoury". >>> Tim Walker. Edited by Richard Eden | Friday, May 07, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Protesters demanding proportional representation have picketed a building where Nick Clegg and his Liberal Democrat front-bench team were meeting.
Around 1,000 campaigners from pressure group 38 Degrees urged the party to fight for parliamentary reform.
They held up placards outside Local Government House which read: "Be brave - fair votes now" and "Be brave - demand PR".
A group of protesters, accompanied by a police escort, marched into Smith Square chanting "Fair votes now".
The demonstrators, mostly wearing purple, also waved placards and flags as the meeting of the Lib Dem parliamentary party continued inside Local Government House.
Senior Liberal Democrats today fully endorsed Nick Clegg's strategy on possible co-operation with the Conservatives, one of the party's negotiators said.
David Laws described the leader's talks with the parliamentary party and Lib Dem cabinet as "very positive and constructive". >>> | Saturday, May 08, 2010
RUSSIA TODAY: Greece paralyzed by protests, passes austerity bill: On Thursday afternoon the Greek parliament passed a package of strong anti-crisis measures in exchange for vast financial aid from EU countries. >>> | Published Thursday, May 06, 2010; Edited Friday, May 07, 2010
BERLINER ZEITUNG: Sydney - Ein mit einer Burka verhüllter Geldräuber hat in Australien eine Debatte über den muslimischen Ganzkörperschleiers wie in Frankreich und Belgien ausgelöst.
Cory Bernardi, Politiker der oppositionellen Partei der Liberalen, brachte das Thema mit einem Blog-Eintrag ins Rollen, in dem er sich für ein Verbot aussprach. >>> © dpa | Freitag, 07. Mai 2010
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: The burqa is no longer simply the symbol of female repression and Islamic culture, it is now emerging as a disguise of bandits and n'er do wells.
In Sydney this morning a man was robbed by a burqa wearing bandit who further disguised his (or her) identity by wearing sunglasses. The bandit was described by police as being of "Middle Eastern appearance".
Well of course he was (assuming it was a he) because the only characteristics the victim could see were the burqa and the sunglasses. Now unless the sunglasses had 'made in Iran' stamped on them, it's fair to say that the 'Middle Eastern appearance' line was attributed to the head to toe veiling of the Islamic burqa.
In my mind, the burqa has no place in Australian society.
I would go as far as to say it is un-Australian. To me, the burqa represents the repressive domination of men over women, which has no place in our society and compromises some of the most important aspects of human communication.
It also establishes a different set of rules and societal expectations in our hitherto homogenous society. Read on (+ video) >>> Cory Bernardi | Thursday, May 06, 2010
LE POINT: Le roi d'Espagne Juan Carlos, pilier de la jeune démocratie espagnole, a été opéré samedi à Barcelone d'un nodule pulmonaire bénin "sans aucune cellule maligne", à l'âge de 72 ans, et "se porte très bien" après l'intervention, ont indiqué ses médecins.
L'intervention qui a pris fin vers 11H45 (09h45 GMT) a permis d'extirper un nodule pulmonaire de type bénin, a déclaré en conférence de presse le chirurgien de l'hôpital clinique de Barcelone Laureano Molins.
Une première analyse du nodule pulmonaire extirpé dans la matinée, a montré qu'"il n'y a aucune cellule maligne" de type cancéreux, a-t-il ajouté.
Le souverain espagnol, âgé de 72 ans, "est éveillé et se porte très bien", a souligné le médecin, précisant qu'a priori aucun traitement post-opératoire ne serait nécessaire. >>> AFP | Samedi 08 Mai 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: King Juan Carlos of Spain is recovering from surgery to remove a growth from a lung, the Royal Palace said.
The palace said the 72-year-old monarch was successfully operated on in a hospital in the northeastern city of Barcelona.
Surgery was directed by doctor Laureano Molins Lopez-Rodo.
"It's good news, the lesion is benign," Dr Molins said at a post-operation press conference, adding that there were "no malign cells" in tissue removed from the upper part of the king's right lung.
Queen Sofia told journalists gathered at the hospital in the afternoon that doctors had said the king could be given the all clear to go home in four days.
"He has very impressive health," she said, smiling. >>> | Saturday, May 08, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Gordon Brown launched a "diatribe" and a "rant" at Nick Clegg during a telephone call with the Liberal Democrat leader after it was suggested he should resign, it was reported today.
The BBC reported the confrontation based on remarks by a "very senior Lib Dem source who is involved in the negotiations with the Conservatives".
The source told the BBC's Jon Sopel that during the leaders' conversation last night, the tone went "downhill" at the mention of resignation.
It was claimed Mr Brown's approach was to begin "a diatribe" and "a rant" and the source said the Labour leader was "threatening in his approach to Nick Clegg".
Mr Clegg was said to have came off the phone assured that it would be impossible to work with Brown because of his attitude towards working with other people.
Number 10 have denied the report of Brown's aggression, describing the chat as "constructive".
In contrast, the Lib Dem source said discussions between Mr Clegg and David Cameron, the Conservative leader, had been "convivial"[.] >>> | Saturday, May 08, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: The day that changed politics forever: When Gordon Brown called the general election for May 6, all three main parties believed they knew what the country wanted. But the voters had other ideas, says Matthew d’Ancona. >>> Matthew d’Ancona | Saturday, May 08, 2010
WELTWOCHE: Die Euro-Krise ist nur ein Symptom. Dahinter steckt die Fehlkonstruktion EU. Das europäische Einigungs-projekt ist auf allen Ebenen gescheitert. Von Peter Keller
Was Propheten wert sind, zeigt sich erst im Rückblick. 1999 ist der Bundesrat noch ganz offen auf EU-Kurs. In seinem Integrationsbericht, der die aussenpolitischen Ziele formuliert, ist zu lesen: Für den Beitritt zur Europäischen Union spreche überdies, «dass mit der Übernahme der Einheitswährung Euro [. . .] das Risiko von schädlichen Spekulationen auf den Schweizerfranken dahinfallen würde».
Heute steht der Euro am Abgrund und der souveräne Schweizer Franken ist stabil wie eh und je. Dafür beklagen EU-Politiker die Spekulationsattacken auf den Euro. Ironie des Schicksals? Oder bloss Pech gehabt? Weder noch. Der Euro war von Anfang an eine ökonomische Fehlleistung.
Die Finanzmärkte legen jetzt nur etwas unsentimental offen, was an diesem Konstrukt schon im Kern falsch angelegt war: Es kann keine vernünftige gemeinsame Währungspolitik für so unterschiedliche Volkswirtschaften geben wie das Kleinstfürstentum Luxemburg, den Industriegiganten Deutschland und Larifari-Staaten wie Portugal oder Griechenland. Der Euro ist ein politisches Projekt – und dieses Projekt ist gescheitert. Was jetzt abläuft, sind lebenserhaltende Massnahmen für eine klinisch tote Währung. >>> Peter Keller | Erschienen in der Weltwoche Ausgabe 18/10, Mai 2010
TIMES ONLINE: A measure of the determination, or perhaps desperation, with which Gordon Brown clings to power can be found in the counsel he chose when writing his post-election statement yesterday.
“Am back in my old office!” Alastair Campbell announced, with suitable incredulity, to friends in a text message from deep inside Downing Street over lunchtime.
He joined Lord Mandelson and Lord Adonis — those most pluralist of peers — to help the Prime Minister to draft words that could yet pave the way for the completion of what some call the “new Labour mission” but others have ridiculed as a wild Blairite fantasy.
There remain many obstacles to a “progressive majority” coalition with the Lib Dems, not least the reluctance of Nick Clegg himself. But the speed and confidence with which Labour has begun to navigate this uncharted terrain may just develop enough momentum to make it traversable.
The Conservatives had hoped that Labour would react to the loss of 90 seats — and a share of the vote that would have made Michael Foot blush — with the self-destructive mutual recrimination in which the party has so often indulged. >>> Tom Baldwin | Saturday, May 08, 2010
MAIL ONLINE: The former Bishop of Rochester's two sons have been set upon in a racial attack, it has emerged.
Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, the first Asian bishop appointed by the Church of England, last night condemned the gang assault.
Pakistani-born Dr Nazir-Ali, who retired last September, said: 'Any act of violence is concerning but it makes it even worse that it was racially motivated.
'My main concern is making sure the boys are OK. >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Friday, May 07, 2010
TIMES ONLINE: Harrods, the world famous department store, has been sold for more than £1.5bn to the Qatari royal family, Times Online can confirm.
Mohamed al-Fayed, the Egyptian owner of the London landmark, has decided to retire and will hand over the reins to Qatar Holding.
The firm was chosen because they would "maintain the traditions of Harrods", said Ken Costa, chairman of Lazard International - the investment bank advising the family trust on the deal.
Fayed received advances from Gulf-based suitors in the last two months, but initially offered them “two fingers” in a vehement refusal.
“People approach us from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar. Fair enough, but I put two fingers up to them all,” Fayed said last month.
“It is not for sale. This is not Marks & Spencer or Sainsbury. It is a special place that gives people pleasure. There is only one Mecca.”
But today Costa confirmed that the owner of Fulham football club has changed his mind. Harrods sold to Qatar Holdings for £1.5bn as Mohamed al-Fayed retires >>> Martina Lees | Saturday, May 08, 2010
TIMES ONLINE: David Cameron has invited Nick Clegg to transform British politics by joining a Tory-led coalition after voters delivered the first hung Parliament in 36 years.
Mr Cameron sketched out a possible deal for “collaborative government” as party leaders grappled with the most complicated election result in terms of Commons arithmetic since the 1920s.
Mr Clegg was keeping his options open last night after Gordon Brown tried to tempt the Liberal Democrats into power with a promise of full proportional reform to the voting system.
The initiative, though, was with Mr Cameron after he emerged with more votes and seats from a long election night most notable for dashing the highest hopes of all the parties.
The public wooing of Mr Clegg unfolded in three acts of extraordinary Westminster drama that promises to continue through the weekend with potentially far-reaching consequences.
The Tories would like to finalise a deal before markets open on Monday but the Liberal Democrat leader does not want to be bounced into something that he cannot sell to his party. >>> Roland Watson, Political Editor | Saturday, May 08, 2010
TIMES ONLINE: Eleni is busy. Beyond the doors of the kitchen you can make out her gentle bullying: agape mia, she seems to be saying, my dear, where are the dolmades for Table 3? And back in the restaurant, with its murals of the blue Aegean, she flits from alcove to alcove listening to the sour jokes from her German customers — “Eleni, don’t expect me to pay the bill for the next three years, you Greeks are already emptying our pockets.” The Germans may be angry with the Greeks but they are not about to go without their ouzo. As the country approaches a critical election tomorrow it is becoming clear that bailing out Greece has become a key issue for Germans. “It’s the dominant topic,” says Klaus-Peter Schöppner, the head of the Emnid polling institute. “People are asking what happens to us if we don’t help the Greeks?”
Other questions are beginning to nag the Germans, too: how much Europe do we really need? Suddenly the European project that was for so long the preserve of the elites — the scrapping of the mark, EU eastward enlargement — has become a matter of public debate. It was instructive to study the faces of German trade unionists on May Day as they made their routine pledges of proletarian support to Greek workers; the cameras captured the bemusement of the listening crowds. Solidarity with the Greeks? Paying them money from our taxes so that they could retire in their late fifties while we slog on until 67? Precisely what European idea makes that possible?
The vote that is bringing these doubts to the surface is being held in North Rhine-Westphalia, a region that encompasses the once heavily industrialised Ruhr Valley. There are big cities such as Cologne and Dortmund struggling with the economic downturn and the crumbling of multicultural communities, great swaths of farmland and also pockets of neglect, as impoverished as anything that can be seen in the heavily subsidised eastern Germany. Eighteen million people live in the region compared with only eleven million in the whole of Greece. It is ruled by a coalition of Christian Democrats and Free Democrats, just like the country as a whole.
The election has become a tight contest. If the Government collapses there, Angela Merkel will lose her majority in the Upper House of parliament — and the plans for a radical overhaul of the tax and health systems will be blocked by the Social Democrats. Popular frustration about Greece, and about Europe, has therefore become a critical factor in Ms Merkel’s future. >>> Roger Boyes | Saturday, May 08, 2010
THE GUARDIAN: G7 demands action from Europe after markets plunge / Fears that banks' exposure to debt could wreck recovery
The growing crisis in the eurozone threatened to undermine the global economic recovery as markets plunged across the world on fears that European leaders may not be able to contain the debt contagion spreading from Greece.
Stock markets in London, New York, and Shanghai dived following criticism that much delayed and half-hearted measures to rescue Greece were undermining confidence in wider efforts to kick start the world economy.
European shares finished the day at a six-month low while the Dow was down around 1% at 10,424. In Asia, the Shanghai stock market fell to an eight-month low of 2688, down 6.8% on the previous day.
An emergency summit of the 16 leaders of the countries using the single currency was held in Brussels , with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France demanding tougher and quicker regulation of the financial markets in what looked like a doomed attempt to contain contagion from the Greek drama.
One factor being discussed last night was to persuade the ECB to launch a new quantitative easing policy – entailing huge loans to distressed governments in the form of buying up their bonds. This is supported by the European Commission, Spain, Portugal, Italy and France, but is certain to run into German opposition.
With the pace of developments outstripping the ability of political leaders to respond, what was initially called as a summit to bless a €110bn (£95bn) rescue package for Greece turned into a frantic exercise in global crisis management.
Alarm bells were ringing in major capitals across the world where leaders voiced their exasperation with European attempts to contain the fallout from Greece. >>> Phillip Inman and Ian Traynor in Brussels | Friday, May 07, 2010
MAIL ONLINE: A former Serb general convicted of Europe's worst massacre since the Second World War had his neck slashed open by three Muslim prisoners in a British jail yesterday.
Radislav Krstic, 62, serving a 35-year sentence for war crimes, was in a critical condition in hospital after the attack at top security Wakefield Prison.
The Serbs were the deadly enemies of Bosnian Muslims during the Yugoslav civil war in the 1990s. At least one of Krstic's attackers is said to be a Bosnian Muslim.
The incident is a huge embarrassment to prison bosses because Krstic is regarded as one of Britain's most sensitive and high-profile inmates.
It is almost certain to be raised at diplomatic level and questions will be asked about how the suspects were able to attack him. >>> David Williams and Stephen Wright | Saturday, May 08, 2010
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