Texas GOP* Platform Advocates Criminalizing Gay Marriage, Banning Strip Clubs, Pornography
THE HUFFINGTON POST: Texas Republicans recently unveiled a policy platform that includes a statement of support for legislation that would make it a felony to issue a marriage license to same-sex couples as well as for an official to perform a marriage ceremony for gay partners wishing to wed.

The 25-page proposal debuted last week as a guiding light for the state GOP over the next two years defines its position by saying:

Marriage Licenses - We support legislation that would make it a felony to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple and for any civil official to perform a marriage ceremony for such.

>>> Elyse Siegel | Tuesday, June 22, 2010

*GOP = Grand Old Party

Texas Christian Conservatives Who "Hate America"

Obama Embraces Incremental Response to Gay Agenda
ASSOCIATED PRESS: WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is chipping away at his long list of promises to gay voters but has yet to win the enthusiastic backing of the reliably Democratic voting bloc.

The Obama White House has accomplished more than any other on gay rights, yet has drawn sharp criticism from an unexpected constituency: the same gay activists who backed the president's election campaign. Instead of the sweeping change gays and lesbians had sought, a piece-by-piece approach has been the administration's favored strategy, drawing neither serious fire from conservatives nor lavish praise from activists. >>> Philip Elliott, AP | Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Umfrage: Europäer sehen sich von wachsender Armut umgeben
WELT ONLINE: Viele EU-Bürger glauben, dass in ihrem jeweiligen Land die Armut zugenommen hat. Vor allem Griechen und Franzosen sehen ihre Heimat verarmen.

Armut in Deutschland: Ein Mann sucht in einem Abfalleimer in Köln nach Verwertbarem. Foto: Welt Online
Immer mehr Europäer glauben, in ihrem Land habe die Armut in den vergangenen zwölf Monaten zugenommen. Wie EU-Sozialkommissar Laszlo Andor in Brüssel unter Berufung auf eine neue Eurobarometer-Umfrage mitteilte, sind bei Griechen, Franzosen und Bulgaren sogar mehr als vier Fünftel der Befragten dieser Auffassung.

In Deutschland gaben 57 Prozent der Befragten an, die Armut habe zugenommen. Das sind etwas weniger als im EU-Schnitt von 60 Prozent. Andor sagte, Armut stelle in der EU ein großes Problem dar. Die gegenwärtige wirtschaftliche und finanzielle Lage verschärfe die Situation. >>> KNA/cn | Dienstag, 22. Juni 2010

Weißrussland stoppt Gastransit in den Westen
WELT ONLINE: Der Gasstreit eskaliert: Weißrussland will die für Westeuropa wichtigen Transitleitungen für russisches Gas abdrehen.

Weißrussland dreht die Gaspipeline in den Westen zu. Bild: Welt Online
Im Gasstreit mit Russland hat die weißrussische Regierung angeordnet, den Transit von Gas nach Europa zu stoppen. Der autoritäre weißrussische Präsident Alexander Lukaschenko habe die Sperrung der Pipelines verfügt, meldete die Agentur Interfax aus der weißrussischen Hauptstadt Minsk.

Der russische Staatskonzern Gazprom schulde Weißrussland 260 Millionen US-Dollar (rund 212 Millionen Euro) für das Durchleiten von Gas nach Westen, sagte Lukaschenko. Von der Blockade wäre besonders das EU-Mitglied Litauen betroffen, da das baltische Land zu 100 Prozent über diesen Weg versorgt wird. >>> dpa/AFP/dma | Dienstag, 22. Juni 2010

Quand un député suisse rêve d'annexer la Savoie
LE FIGARO: Dominique Baettig, élu dans le Jura suisse, a déposé une motion surprenante au Parlement de Berne.

Comme l'Alsace en d'autres temps, la Savoie fait des envieux. Ce territoire majestueux, bordé par la chaîne des Alpes et le lac Léman, semble être l'objet de fantasmes. Dominique Baettig, élu dans le Jura suisse, a ainsi déposé une motion surprenante au Parlement de Berne. Dessinant la carte d'une «grande Suisse» de 25 millions d'habitants, sa récente proposition vise à «créer un cadre constitutionnel et légal permettant d'intégrer, en tant que nouveau canton suisse, des régions limitrophes dont une majorité de la population en ferait la demande ». Parmi les voisins de la Confédération, la Savoie figure en première ligne au vu du nombre de frontaliers qui y vivent - plus de 70.000 Savoyards traversent quotidiennement la frontière pour aller travailler, formant une population à l'identité croisée. >>> Par Marie Maurisse | Mardi 22 Juin 2010

Kuwait's Lost Treasures: How Stolen Riches Remain Central to Rift with Iraq
THE GUARDIAN: Hundreds of artefacts were plundered during Gulf war, and project to repatriate them is ongoing

The Kuwait National Museum is still trying to trace 487 priceless artefacts looted after Saddam Hussein’s invasion. Photograph: The Guardian
In a spacious but frugal office in Kuwait, a glossy catalogue lists the dozens of reasons why Kuwait and Iraq are still at daggers drawn after all these years.

Sheikha Hussa Salem al-Sabah thumbs through the pages of the booklet, pointing out the most egregious cases – page upon page of priceless treasures looted by Saddam Hussein's invading army 20 years ago and still missing: a dazzling 234-carat emerald the size of a paperweight; a slightly smaller gem inscribed with exquisite Arabic calligraphy; Mughal-era ruby beads.

"The Iraqis still don't understand the damage they did to us, not just financially, but for our souls," says the daughter-in-law of Kuwait's emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who maintains the dynasty's heirlooms. "It was emotionally wrenching and still is."

Though many of the priceless treasures have been returned to the collection in the bitter decades since, up to 57 remain missing – perhaps lost for ever. At the National Museum across town, they report that the whereabouts of another 487 treasures remain unknown.

Many of the pieces, Kuwaitis believe, now form the core of private collections in post-Saddam Iraq and around the Arab world. To the victims of the 1990 invasion they remain the central reason of a failure to close the unfinished business of the first Gulf war – just as the second one is beginning to wind down. >>> Martin Chulov in Kuwait | Monday, June 21, 2010

Emergency Budget 2010: Osborne Promises to Balance Books in Five Years
George Osborne holds Gladstone's original budget box as he leaves 11 Downing Street for Parliament today. Photo: The Independent
THE INDEPENDENT: A stern-faced Chancellor George Osborne delivered his "tough but fair" emergency Budget plans to Parliament, promising to balance Britain's books within five years.

In a statement issued after briefing Cabinet colleagues, Mr Osborne said the Budget aimed to protect children and pensioners and ensure the richest bear the largest share of the burden.

He then posed briefly on the steps of 11 Downing Street, flanked by his equally grim-faced Treasury team, before heading to the House of Commons to unveil his plans.

In his statement, Mr Osborne said: "My Budget is tough but it is fair. This is an unavoidable Budget because of the mess we have to clear up. So the coalition Government will take responsibility for balancing Britain's books within five years.

"We are going to do this fairly, protecting children and pensioners and ensuring the richest contribute the most. And it means getting enterprise going, because it is business, not Government, that will create the jobs of the future." >>> Press Association | Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Stanley McChrystal Forced to Apologise Over White House Attack
General McChrystal at a press briefing with US ambassador Karl Eikenberry. Photo: The Times
THE TIMES: The US commander in Afghanistan has been forced to apologise over a magazine profile in which he launches a blistering attack on the US Administration, mocking the Vice-President while his aides dismiss President Obama.

Tensions between the military and the White House burst into the open with General Stanley McChrystal’s interview with Rolling Stone magazine, in which he also denounces the US Ambassador to Kabul.

His aides were less than flattering about President Obama and frequently derided top civilian leaders, including the special envoy Richard Holbrooke. One anonymous aide calls the White House national security adviser James Jones “a clown”.

“I extend my sincerest apology for this profile,” General McChrystal said in a statement issued hours after the article was released.

“It was a mistake reflecting poor judgment and should never happened.”

General McChrystal, a former special operations chief, usually speaks cautiously in public and has enjoyed mostly sympathetic US media coverage since he took over the Nato-led force last year. But the article appears to catch him and his staff in unguarded moments. Read on and comment >>> Anne Barrowclough | Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Times Square Car Bomber Faisal Shahzad Pleads Guilty '100 Times'
THE TELEGRAPH: Faisal Shahzad has pleaded guilty to the attempted car bombing of Times Square car bomb "100 times," calling himself a Muslim soldier and defiantly warning of more attacks on the United States.



Reading out a combative statement in court, the Pakistani-born American citizen showed no remorse as he pleaded guilty to all 10 charges, including attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and terrorism.

"I want to plead guilty 100 times because unless the US pulls out of Afghanistan and Iraq, until they stop drone strikes in Somalia, Pakistan, and Yemen, and stop attacking Muslim lands, we will attack the US and be out to get them," he said, speaking in perfect English.

Asked by judge Miriam Cedarbaum why he tried to kill innocent Americans, 30-year-old Shahzad, who wore a white Muslim skullcap during the 90-minute proceedings, was unrepentant.

"Listen, you are attacking children with your drones in Afghanistan," he said. "I would not consider what I did was a crime. I'm aware it's a violation of the United States laws, but I don't care for the laws of the United States." >>> | Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Coalition Warns of ‘Hardest’ Budget
George Osborne will try to distinguish his measures from anything that Labour could portray as a Thatcherite attack on the poor. Photo: The Times
THE TIMES: George Osborne will claim today that the harshest Budget for 30 years will squeeze the rich more than it hits the poor. The Chancellor will seek to sell his package of record spending cuts and tax rises as being stamped by fairness as he tries to win public support for a four-year austerity drive.

Nick Clegg moved to pre-empt any revolt by Liberal Democrats last night by insisting that his party’s values were at the heart of Mr Osborne’s assault on the deficit. “This is one of the hardest things we will ever have to do,” he wrote in an e-mail to party members, an acknowledgement that the pain to come will put the coalition under immense strain.

Mr Osborne’s Budget statement is a watershed moment, when households learn how much they will have to suffer to help to pay off the country’s debts. Read on and comment >>> Roland Watson, Political Editor | Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Pakistan: Mit Burka verkleideter Deutscher festgenommen
WELT ONLINE: Er war bewaffnet und trug eine Burka: Im Nordwesten Pakistans hat die Polizei einen verdächtigen Deutschen festgenommen.

Im Nordwesten Pakistans hat die Polizei nach Angaben aus Sicherheitskreisen einen bewaffneten und mit einer Burka verkleideten Deutschen festgenommen. Wie am Montag weiter verlautete, wurde der Mann in Gewahrsam genommen, als er das Stammesgebiet Nord-Waziristan verlassen wollte.

Die Stammesgebiete an der Grenze zu Afghanistan gelten als Hochburg von Taliban- und Al-Qaida- Extremisten. In Nord-Waziristan soll es eine kleine Gruppe von Deutschen geben, die Kontakt zu Al-Qaida haben sollen. Das Auswärtige Amt in Berlin erklärte, es prüfe den Fall. >>> dpa/fp | Montag, 21. Juni 2010

Opium: Drogenkonsum in Afghanistan steigt rasant
ZEIT ONLINE: Innerhalb von fünf Jahren verdoppelte sich die Zahl der Heroin-Konsumenten. Auch der Gebrauch von Opium nimmt am Hindukusch rasant zu.

In Afghanistan wird mehr Opium gewonnen als in jedem anderen Land der Welt. Offenbar ist das produzierte Rauschgift aber nicht nur für den Export bestimmt: Wie aus einer in Kabul vorgestellten UN-Studie hervorgeht, ist der Drogenkonsum unter den Afghanen stark angestiegen. Demnach wuchs in den vergangenen fünf Jahren die Zahl der Opium-Konsumenten um 53 Prozent auf 230.000. Die Zahl der Heroin-Konsumenten nahm auf 120.000 zu, das ist mehr als doppelt so viel wie vor fünf Jahren. >>> Zeit Online, AFP | Montag, 21. Juni 2010

Crucifixion – Pablo Picasso (1930). L'image: Google Images
Arabie: un Yéménite décapité puis crucifié
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: CONDAMNATION | Le condamné a été exécuté à El-Baha, dans le sud-ouest du pays.

Un Yéménite et un Saoudien condamnés à mort dans deux affaires différentes ont été décapités au sabre lundi et le corps du premier a ensuite été crucifié pour donner l’exemple, a annoncé le ministère saoudien de l’Intérieur.

Dans la première affaire, le Yéménite Chaabane Nachéri a été condamné à mort pour être entré de force dans la maison d’un autre Yéménite, Dhayeh Manbahi, qu’il a tué par balle. Il a ensuite violé la fille de sa victime avant de l’exécuter par balle aussi, blessant par balle également la soeur de cette dernière, a précisé le ministère dans un communiqué.

En raison de l’atrocité de ces crimes, le corps du supplicié a été crucifié dans la localité de Jazan, dans le sud-ouest du royaume saoudien, pour donner l’exemple, selon le texte publié par l’agence officielle Spa. >>> AFP | Lundi 21 Juin 2010

Flag of Pakistan. Image: Google Images
Pakistan Continues to Support Terror Groups, US Report Finds
THE TELEGRAPH: Pakistan is continuing to support militant groups further undermining coalition efforts in Afghanistan and increasing the risk of terror attacks overseas, according to a new report by security analysts.

The study by the Rand Corporation, a non-profit research group, said the US should withhold some aid until Islamabad makes progress in tackling the insurgents on its doorstep.

If not, they concluded, Jihadi organisations would become increasingly capable of exporting terror, such as the attempted Times Square bombing on May 1.

"A number of militant networks – including al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad – remain entrenched in Pakistan and pose a grave threat to the state and the region," said Seth Jones, one of the authors.

"Pakistan has long used its support of militant groups as a foreign policy tool, so ending that will take time." Pakistan's commitment to tackling home-grown militants has long been questioned.

Groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba have their roots in Pakistan's conflict with India over Kashmir. Others were nurtured by Islamabad as they fought the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, before taking control of the country as the Taliban.

The Pakistani government is under pressure to launch a military offensive in North Waziristan, headquarters of the Haqqani network, one of the most dangerous insurgent groups operating in Afghanistan. >>> Rob Crilly in Islamabad | Monday, June 21, 2010

U.S.-born Al Qaida Spokesman, Adam Gadahn, Speaks
USA TODAY: Al-Qaida's U.S.-born spokesman, Adam Gadahn, has repeated the militant group's conditions for peace with America. Among other things, he's calling on President Obama to withdraw his troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, and end support for Israel.

Iranian Police Issue 'Badly Veiled' Warnings to 62,000 Women
THE TELEGRAPH: Iranian police have issued warnings to 62,000 women who were "badly veiled" in the Shiite holy province of Qom as part of a crackdown on dress and behaviour.

Colonel Mehdi Khorasani, the provincial police chief, said police had also confiscated around 100 cars for carrying improperly dressed women and said that "encouraging such relaxations are among the objectives of the enemy."

The population of Qom is more than one million, with most of them concentrated in the city itself which is Shiite Iran's clerical nerve-centre.

By law, women in the Islamic republic must be covered from head to foot, with their hair completely veiled and social interaction is banned between men and women who are not related. >>> | Monday, June 21, 2010

Walter Mixa, German Bishop and Ally of the Pope, Faces New Child Abuse Allegations
THE TELEGRAPH: A secret Vatican file on a disgraced Roman Catholic German bishop alleges he is a "severely alcoholic man" who sexually preyed on young priests.

The dossier was seen Pope Benedict XVI before he accepted the resignation of Bishop Walter Mixa of Augsburg last month.

Documents, compiled after Vatican investigators questioned members of Bishop Mixa's inner circle, have detailed a litany of alleged alcoholism and sexual abuse.

The new allegations have come to light following his demands last week that the Vatican review his case. He has accused Germany's Archbishop Robert Zollitsch and Bavaria's Archbishop Reinhard Marx of not behaving a "brotherly" manner and pressuring him to resign.

In the dossier, witnesses described the bishop as an alcoholic who had to drink wine and spirits throughout the course of his day to feed his addiction to alcohol.

Others accused him of carrying out sex attacks on young priests during his time as a parish priest. Following an sexual incident, Bishop Mixa would then "go to confession the next morning before he celebrated mass".

The bishop was also repeatedly referred to in the dossier as "out of touch with reality". >>> Bruno Waterfield | Monday, June 21, 2010

The Trouble with Dr. Zakir Naik
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Britain's decision to bar an influential Muslim cleric from entering the country underscores the failure of Indian secularism.

If you're looking for a snapshot of India's hapless response to radical Islam, then look no further than Bombay-based cleric Dr. Zakir Naik. In India, the 44-year-old Dr. Naik—a medical doctor by training and a televangelist by vocation—is a widely respected figure, feted by newspapers and gushed over by television anchors. The British, however, want no part of him. On Friday, the newly elected Conservative-led government announced that it would not allow Dr. Naik to enter Britain to deliver a series of lectures. According to Home Secretary Theresa May, the televangelist has made "numerous comments" that are evidence of his "unacceptable behavior."

The good doctor's views run the gamut from nutty to vile, so it's hard to pinpoint which of them has landed him in trouble. For instance, though Dr. Naik has condemned terrorism, at times he also appears to condone it. "If he [Osama bin Laden] is fighting the enemies of Islam, I am for him," he said in a widely watched 2007 YouTube diatribe. "If he is terrorizing the terrorists, if he is terrorizing America the terrorist, the biggest terrorist, I am with him. Every Muslim should be a terrorist."

Dr. Naik recommends the death penalty for homosexuals and for apostasy from the faith, which he likens to wartime treason. He calls for India to be ruled by the medieval tenets of Shariah law. He supports a ban on the construction of non-Muslim places of worship in Muslim lands and the Taliban's bombing of the Bamiyan Buddhas. He says revealing clothes make Western women "more susceptible to rape." Not surprisingly, Dr. Naik believes that Jews "control America" and are the "strongest in enmity to Muslims." >>> Sadanand Dhume | Sunday, June 20, 2010

Ayad Allawi: ‘I Won the Election, Now They’re Trying to Assassinate Me’
Ayad Allawi said that he had to turn to the Americans after the Iraqi Government refused his request for extra security around his home and office. Photograph: The Times
THE TIMES: The winner of Iraq’s parliamentary election, who believes that he should lead the next government, fears for his life after being warned of plots to assassinate him. Ayad Allawi, the leader of the Iraqiya block, told The Times that he had received warnings from American generals and Iraqi officials about detailed plots to kill him. US forces have recently put up more concrete barriers around his house in response to the threat.

Mr Allawi, Iraq’s first Prime Minister after the US-led invasion, said that the threats against him had multiplied since the elections in March. “I got a letter from the Americans saying that there is a plot against me. Then some other friends in high positions also told me the same thing. These are evil people’s designs,” he said.

Asked who might want to kill him, he replied: “I don’t know,” but then went on to suggest that the outgoing Government of Nouri al-Maliki was aiding the work of the would-be assassins. Read on and comment >>> Oliver August, Baghdad | Monday, June 21, 2010

Tarte tatin. Photo: Google Images
France, the Gourmet Nation, Is Too Worried about Food to Enjoy It
THE TIMES: It is a source of ancestral pride, a cornerstone of the national identity and a treasure so highly prized that President Sarkozy wants Unesco to place it on a World Heritage list.

But Gallic gastronomy is facing a threat that could remove all of the fun from mealtimes in France, according to the French National Food Council, which advises the Government on food policy.

The threat comes not from Anglo-Saxon fast-food outlets or industrial farms elsewhere in Europe. Instead, says a report published by the council last week, it comes from France’s own bureaucrats, who are bombarding their compatriots with messages designed to counter obesity, high cholesterol, heart disease and other ailments purportedly linked to eating habits.

There is little evidence to suggest that the campaigns are making France healthier. But they are producing the almost unthinkable consequence of putting French diners off their food, the council says.

“They are turning eating into a stressful experience and there is a risk that they will end the pleasure and conviviality that has always been an essential component of French gastronomy,” Alain Blogowski, interministerial secretary at the Food Council, told The Times.

He said that the French were becoming more concerned with fatty acids than with the flavour of their blanquette de veau or their tarte tatin. “We’ve got to get away from the idea that if you eat, you’re likely to fall ill.” Read on and comment >>> Adam Sage, Paris | Monday, June 21, 2010

Iran Executes Sunni Leader Abdolmalek Rigi
Captured Iranian Sunni militant Abdolmalek Rigi speaking in a taped statement on Iranian state TV. Photograph: The Times
THE TIMES: The Iranian Sunni militant leader Abdolmalek Rigi, who waged a deadly insurgency in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, has been hanged in prison.

“After the decision of the Tehran revolutionary tribunal, Abdolmalek Rigi was hanged on Sunday morning in Evin prison,” the state news agency IRNA said.

It quoted a court statement as saying: “The head of the armed counter-revolutionary group in the east of the country ... was responsible for armed robbery, assassination attempts, armed attacks on the army and police and on ordinary people, and murder.”

The hanging came after authorities exhausted legal requirements following months of interrogation and trial on charges of “being corrupt on earth; for waging a bloody campaign in Iran’s southeast”.

Mr Rigi, leader of the Sunni militant group called Jundallah (Soldiers of God) [جندالله], was arrested in February by Iranian intelligence agents while flying from Dubai to Kyrgyzstan. Read on and comment >>> Claire Sweeney | Monday, June 21, 2010

Pope Joan Film Sparks Roman Catholic Church Row
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: A new film based on the legend of Pope Joan – an Englishwoman who purportedly disguised herself as a man and rose to become the only female pontiff in history – has sparked debate in the Roman Catholic Church.

Johanna Wokalek stars as Johanna von Ingelheim in Pope Joan. Photo: The Telegraph
The film has fuelled disagreements over whether Pope Joan really existed or, as the Church has always maintained, she was a mythical figure used by the early Protestant Church to discredit and embarrass Rome.

For a Church that even in the 21st century remains staunchly opposed to the idea of female priests, a female Pope was anathema.

To make matters worse, the deception is said to only have been found out when Joan gave birth during a procession through the streets of Rome.

The medieval epic stars a German actress, Johanna Wokalek, as the female Pope, the American actor John Goodman as Pope Sergius and David Wenham, an Australian last seen in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, as her lover, a knight named Gerold.

It is based on a highly contentious story – that in the ninth century, a baby girl was born in Germany to English parents, who had moved to the Continent as Christian missionaries.

According to the legend, she grew up to be an unusually intelligent young girl and, frustrated by a lack of opportunity for women, disguised herself as a boy in order to enter a Benedictine monastery, calling herself Brother John Anglicus.

She studied for a while in Greece before arriving in Rome, where she so impressed the Vatican with her abilities that she became a cardinal and was eventually elected pontiff in 853, after the death of Pope Leo IV.

She supposedly ruled as head of the Church for nearly three years, before her deception was found out. >>> Nick Squires, in Rome | Sunday, June 20, 2010

Rahm Emanuel Expected to Quit White House
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, is expected to leave his job later this year after growing tired of the "idealism" of Barack Obama's inner circle.

Washington insiders say he will quit within six to eight months in frustration at their unwillingness to "bang heads together" to get policy pushed through.

Mr Emanuel, 50, enjoys a good working relationship with Mr Obama but they are understood to have reached an understanding that differences over style mean he will serve only half the full four-year term.

Friends say he is also worried about burnout and losing touch with his young family due to the pressure of one of most high profile jobs in US politics.

"I would bet he will go after the midterms," said a leading Democratic consultant in Washington. "Nobody thinks it's working but they can't get rid of him – that would look awful. He needs the right sort of job to go to but the consensus is he'll go."

An official from the Bill Clinton era said that "no one will be surprised" if Mr Emanuel left after the midterm elections in November, when the Democratic party will battle to save its majorities in the house of representatives and the senate.

It is well known in Washington that arguments have developed between pragmatic Mr Emanuel, a veteran in Congress where he was known for driving through compromises, and the idealistic inner circle who followed Mr Obama to the White House. >>> Alex Spillius in Washington | Sunday, June 20, 2010

THE TELEGRAPH: Profile: Rahm Emanuel – Speculation is mounting in Washington that Rahm Emanuel will quit after November's mid-term elections. Here is a profile of President Barack Obama's chief of staff. >>> Alex Spillius in Washington | Monday, June 21, 2010

Pope's Pantry a Hymn to Glories of Grease
NZ HERALD: Italians impressed by Pope Benedict's good health and quick mind at the age of 83 have been shocked to learn that the German Pontiff's favourite recipes are a suicidal mix of fried, buttery and carnivorous pleasures.

The glimpse of Joseph Ratzinger's culinary wish list is granted by a new book, Eat Like a Pope, which details, in all their greasy glory, the top dishes served in the Ratzinger household in Bavaria by his mother before the war.

A cholesterol roller-coaster, the recipes range from stuffed pigeon with butter, cream and sherry, to soup with liver and onion dumplings, to the "exquisite butter and jam biscuits" that young Joseph loved.

Publisher De Agostini says the book is already into its second edition since publication last month, despite coinciding with the child abuse scandal swirling around the Vatican.

But Italian weekly L'Espresso warned children against attempting to follow the Ratzinger diet if they wanted to grow up to be Pope themselves.

"With these dishes, there is the risk of not reaching adulthood at all," the magazine stated. "This is a triumph of animal fats, sugar and cholesterol." >>> Tom Kington | Monday, June 21, 2010

Shock for NZ Smokers
NZ HERALD: New Zealand smokers are exposed to much more nicotine from cigarettes than are Australians, possibly because of a preference for high-nicotine brands on this side of the Tasman.

The results come from a tobacco industry study, which also found New Zealand smokers are exposed to the greatest average amount of tar out of 5703 smokers in eight countries.

Nicotine is the addictive part of tobacco smoke, and tar is an irritant thought to be a major cause of lung cancer.

New Zealand researchers are lobbying MPs to make tobacco companies cut the nicotine level, eventually to the level where tobacco will not be addictive. >>> Martin Johnston | Monday, June 21, 2010

Gaza: Israël lève son embargo sur les marchandises «civiles»
CYBERPRESSE.CA: Pressé de desserrer l'étau sur la bande de Gaza, Israël a confirmé dimanche la levée de l'embargo sur tous les «biens à usage civil», tout en maintenant son blocus maritime pour empêcher l'importation de matériel de guerre dans ce territoire palestinien.

«A partir d'aujourd'hui, il y a un feu vert pour que tous les biens puissent entrer à Gaza sauf les équipements militaires et le matériel susceptible de renforcer la machine de guerre du Hamas», le mouvement islamiste qui contrôle Gaza, a déclaré à l'AFP un haut responsable gouvernemental.

L'allègement du blocus prévoit que toutes les marchandises civiles ne figurant pas sur une liste de produits interdits (comprenant les armes, le matériel militaire ou les équipements susceptibles d'être exploités à des fins guerrières) pourront entrer à Gaza, a précisé un communiqué officiel.

Israël va également autoriser l'entrée de quantités plus importantes de matériaux de construction, mais uniquement pour des projets approuvés par l'Autorité palestinienne du président Mahmoud Abbas, tels que des écoles, des établissements médicaux, des stations d'épuration de l'eau. >>> Gavin Rabinowitz, 
Agence France-Presse, 
Jérusalem | Dimanche 20 Juin 2010

'My own civil partner': Nick Clegg, right, laughs along as David Cameron makes a speech at the Gay Pride reception at Number 10. Photo: Mail Online
Cameron Welcomes Gay Celebrities to Number 10
MAIL ONLINE: David Cameron pledged his support for gay rights tonight before jokingly referring to his deputy, Nick Clegg, as 'my own civil partner'.

Gay celebrities and members of the Armed Forces partied at Number 10 as Mr Cameron became the first Tory Prime Minister to reach out to the gay community.

BBC newsreader Jane Hill and Today presenter Evan Davis were among almost 200 guests invited to the Downing Street drinks party.

Others included former Coronation Street actress Amanda Barrie, journalist Matthew Parris, and singer Duncan James, of the boy band Blue.

Gay representatives of all three branches of the Armed Forces also attended, in full uniform.

The event was designed to help reposition the new Government as a champion of equality after decades in which the Conservatives have been accused of anti-gay prejudice.

Government sources acknowledged that the No10 event, held in the run-up to the annual Gay Pride festival, was partly designed to repair the damage done.

But a source said it was also a sign of the coalition Government's commitment to equal rights.

Mr Cameron told guests that he backed 'equal rights and equal treatment', adding: 'I'm standing here as leader of the Conservative Party that has not always got that right.' >>> Jason Groves, Jack Doyle, Rachel Quigley and Sophie Freeman | Friday, June 18, 2010

Geert Wilders: Change Jordan's Name to Palestine
YNET NEWS: Rightist Dutch leader wants to end Mideast conflict by finding Palestinians 'alternate homeland'

Geert Wilders, who leads the right-wing Party for Freedom (PVV) in Holland, said last week he believes Jordan should be renamed Palestine. The Jordanian government responded by saying Wilders' speech was reminiscent of the Israeli right wing.

"Jordan is Palestine," said Wilders, who heads the third-largest party in Holland. "Changing its name to Palestine will end the conflict in the Middle East and provide the Palestinians with an alternate homeland."

Wilders added that Israel deserved a special status in the Dutch government because it was fighting for Jerusalem in its name.

"If Jerusalem falls into the hands of the Muslims, Athens and Rome will be next. Thus, Jerusalem is the main front protecting the West. It is not a conflict over territory but rather an ideological battle, between the mentality of the liberated West and the ideology of Islamic barbarism," he said.

"There has been an independent Palestinian state since 1946, and it is the kingdom of Jordan." Wilders also called on the Dutch government to refer to Jordan as Palestine and move its embassy to Jerusalem.

The Saudi Al-Watan carried Jordan's response to Wilders' speech. The kingdom's embassy in Hague was outraged, and said the Dutch ambassador would soon be summoned to explain. >>> Roee Nahmias | Sunday, June 20, 2010

Obama Harms Special Relationship
THE SUNDAY TIMES: A poll carried out in Britain and American [sic] reveals Obama's handling of the BP oil spill crisis is damaging relations between the two countries

President Barack Obama's attacks on BP are damaging relations, a poll found. Photo: The Sunday Times
President Barack Obama’s attacks on BP over the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico are damaging the special relationship between Britain and America, according to a poll carried out in both countries.

The YouGov poll, which questioned nearly 1,500 people in Britain and almost 600 in America, shows overwhelmingly that Obama’s strident attacks on BP are hurting the special relationship. By 64% to 2% in Britain and by 47% to 5% in America, people believe the president’s handling of the crisis has damaged relations.

For British respondents, Obama’s attacks have changed for the worse their attitude to America. Only 54% said they now had a favourable attitude towards America, compared with 66% when the question was asked before the oil spill. More than a fifth of people in both Britain and America, 22% in each case, think Obama is anti-British. >>> David Smith | Sunday, June 20, 2010

Change Muslims Simply Can’t Believe In >>>

War Militäreinsatz in Libyen geplant?
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Bundesrätin Micheline Calmy-Rey hat in einem Interview indirekt bestätigt, dass die Schweiz alle Optionen, auch militärische, geprüft habe, um die zwei Geiseln aus Libyen zu befreien.



NZZ am SONNTAG: Libyen warnt vor neuer Krise: Äusserungen von Calmy-Rey sorgen für heftige Reaktion des Ghadhafi-Regimes >>> Stefan Bühler, Heidi Gmür, Inga Rogg | Sonntag, 20. Juin 2010

Suicide Bombers Kill 26 in Crowded Baghdad Street
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Suicide bombers in two cars killed 26 people and wounded 53 in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Sunday.

Iraqis gather at the site of two car bombs in Baghdad's Mansur district. Photo: The Sunday Telegraph
The attackers drove down a crowded street and blew themselves up simultaneously.

The morning bombings followed attacks late on Saturday that killed seven people, underlining the dangers of a resurgence of violence in the face of a persistent political vacuum more than three months after a general election.

The bombers targeted the Baghdad branch of the Trade Bank of Iraq, the conduit for much of the government's foreign exchange transactions and its dealings with investors.

The bank is on a busy thoroughfare through the mainly Sunni Arab Mansur district that provides access from western Iraq to the fortified Green Zone government and embassy compound in the city centre.

The twin bombs marked the deadliest day in Iraq since May 10 when four bombs in the mainly Shia central city of Hilla and other attacks killed more than 100 people - the highest toll of this year. >>> | Sunday, June 20, 2010

Religious education: A young pupil studies the Koran at a Darul Uloom school in Mumbai. Photo: Mail on Sunday
Inside the Muslim Eton: 20 Hour Days Starting at 3.45am with the Aim of Producing Muslim Elite of Leaders
MAIL ON SUNDAY: The clock strikes 11am and boys spill out of classrooms into the corridor to move on to their next lesson.

There is no noise and no jostling. Instead they walk in an orderly manner, heads bowed respectfully and eyes downcast to avoid my gaze. The boys, all aged between 13 and 19, are dressed in ankle-length white salwar kameez and white skullcaps.

Their feet are bare. For this is no ordinary school. This is Darul Uloom*, a Muslim madrassa or religious school, set in the pretty Kent village of Chislehurst. It is one of 166 Muslim schools in Britain today.

Of those, 26 are Darul Ulooms, religious seminaries rooted in the Islamic orthodoxy of sharia. According to an ICM poll, almost half of British Muslims wish to send their children to Muslim-only schools.

‘Our parents represent the cross-section of British Muslim society,’ the mufti – an Islamic scholar – of one leading school in northern England told me. These parents include teachers, doctors and shopkeepers.

Secretive and protective, Darul Uloom schools have been operating in Britain for 25 years. But since 9/11 they have faced closer scrutiny by police who fear they may be academies of radicalism – something the headmasters deny.

Now, for the first time, a Darul Uloom has opened its doors to a British newspaper and allowed The Mail on Sunday exclusive access. Most Britons may have never heard of such schools. But their significance in the Islamic world is paramount and it is shaping young Muslims in Britain today.

Islamic experts regard Darul Uloom as the second most important Islamic academic institution in the world after Cairo’s Al Azhar university. The schools aim to create new leaders of the Islamic world. Read on and comment >>> Edna Fernandes | Sunday, June 20, 2010

*House of Knowledge: دار العلوم

Terror Cells, Comfy Cells!
MAIL ON SUNDAY: They have thought of everything. The walls are a cheery yellow, a colour designed to give an illusion of space. The chair and the thick mattress are an equally bright blue.

Daylight filters in through a Perspex domed window in the ceiling; there's air-conditioning, a private WC and basin, a desk, storage for clothes and books and even access to music and films. It could be any superior budget hotel, and it's in a great location - just ten minutes from London's Oxford Street.

The only thing that gives away that this isn't designed for weekend breaks is the 2in-thick steel door, the sound-deadening material, and a CCTV camera monitoring your every move (except for the 'exclusion zone' while using the en suite facilities).

These are the newly refurbished cells that make up the secure custody suite at Paddington Green police station. Whenever a terrorist suspect is taken into custody it's to 'a central London location'. It's no secret that it's here but cameras have never been allowed in before. Inside the terror cell: The London police station that has housed the failed July 21 bombers and Guantanamo Bay prisoners >>> Andrew Preston | Sunday, June 20, 2010

Suicide Tory Felt Humiliated by Expenses Revelations
MAIL ONLINE: The Commons expenses scandal has been blamed for an apparent suicide attempt by Tory MP David Ruffley, who threw himself under a train.

Former Shadow Police Minister Mr Ruffley, 48, jumped in front of an express train at London’s Victoria station during the evening rush-hour on Thursday.

The MP for Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk survived after the train passed right over him and he missed the live rail.

Mr Ruffley, one of the most popular MPs at Westminster, was among those who came under heavy criticism over his Commons expenses. >>> Simon Walters | Saturday, June 19, 2010

Islam’s Sisters of Sacrifice
THE SUNDAY TIMES: Videos made by the widows who became suicide bombers on the Moscow metro give a chilling insight into the radicalisation of women

Sitting on a carpet beside an AK-47 automatic rifle, her face concealed behind a black veil, Dzhanet Abdurakhmanova calmly addresses the shaky video camera. Her message is chilling.

In a soft voice, broken only once by a heavy sigh, the 17-year-old tells how she has sealed a pact with Allah in return for a place in heaven. “I have decided to fulfil my pledge,” she says. “God willing, I will become a martyr.”

Four days later Abdurakhmanova caught an early-morning train on the Moscow metro, more than 1,000 miles from her native Dagestan in Russia’s Caucasus region.

Strapped to her waist was more than 4lb of explosive packed with metal bolts and screws. At a station in central Moscow she detonated the charge. The blast killed 14 commuters and wounded dozens more. She was decapitated.

A second video, shot in the same place, shows another veiled woman who was identified by the security sources as Maryam Sharipova.

On the day that Abdurakhmanova set off her bomb in March, Sharipova, a 28-year-old teacher from Dagestan, killed 26 people by blowing herself up at Moscow’s Lubyanka metro station. More than 100 were injured in the two explosions, the first such attack in the capital for six years.

The videos, obtained by The Sunday Times, provide fresh insights into the indoctrinated minds of the two bombers. Both repeatedly call on other women to turn themselves into human bombs. Read on and comment (+ chilling video) >>> Mark Franchetti | Sunday, June 20, 2010

Spending Fiesta Is Over for Spain
THE SUNDAY TIMES: The country threatens Europe with a new debt crisis as its once vibrant economy falters, inflicting a painful human toll

Job losses has already provoked protests and is likely to worsen. Photo: The Sunday Times
Each day Joaquim Vizcaino, a 26-year-old Madrid University graduate, goes on the internet to look for a job. In the past six months he has had only one day’s work, as a driver, and he is getting desperate.

His girlfriend Letizia pays the £600-a-month rent on their two-room flat in the sprawling suburbs of Madrid and has supported him since he lost a job in marketing. Now she is beginning to lose patience.

“She keeps on telling me to go out and get a job,” he said with a grin as he drove her car to a doctor’s surgery on Friday for blood tests to find out why he has been losing weight. It might be stress: “I can’t even get a job as a waiter.”

Spain’s 20% unemployment — it is double that among the 16 to 25-year-olds — is surpassed in Europe only by Lithuania’s and is inflicting a painful human toll on what was once called the “Iberian tiger”, one of the most vibrant and dynamic countries of the European Union.

“For many years we lived extremely well,” said Ramon Tamames, a distinguished professor of economics at Madrid University, referring to a decade of extraordinary growth fuelled by low-cost loans from Europe.

“They were some of the best years in Spain’s history,” he added. “Now the party is over.” Read on and comment >>> Matthew Campbell | Sunday, June 20, 2010

Related / Lien en relation avec l’article ici

Reichste Frau Europas will ihre Tochter klagen
KRONEN ZEITUNG: Die 87 Jahre alte L'Oréal-Hauptaktionärin Liliane Bettencourt geht im Familienstreit um ihre angebliche Unzurechnungs-fähigkeit in die Offensive. Die reichste Frau Europas will nun ihre einzige Tochter Françoise klagen. Diese soll hinter einer illegalen Abhöraktion gegen ihre Mutter stecken.

Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers wirft ihrer Mutter hingegen vor, nicht ganz bei Sinnen zu sein und mit Geld um sich zu werfen. Allein der mit ihr befreundete Fotograf François-Marie Banier erhielt Geschenke im Wert von 993 Millionen Euro.

Vor einigen Tagen war bekannt geworden, dass ein Hausangestellter über Monate hinweg mit einem Diktiergerät die Privatgespräche der alten Dame belauscht hat. Die Aufzeichnungen ließ er der Tochter zukommen. Diese will sie als Beweis für die Unzurechnungsfähigkeit ihrer Mutter verwenden. >>> | Samstag, 19. Juni 2010

Verbunden mit diesem Artikel / Liens en relation avec l’article / Related articles hier/ici/here

Dominique de Villepin Launches New French Political Party
THE TELEGRAPH: The man who hopes to depose President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2012 has launched his new political party.

Observers consider that Mr Sarkozy has fared badly from the trial while Mr de Villepin has avoided any knock-out blows. Photo: The Telegraph
France's former prime minister, Dominique de Villepin, deployed the grandiose rhetoric for which he is famous as he addressed supporters attending the launch of Republique Solidaire.

"All those in our country who are overwhelmed by fatalism, by cynicism or by indifference can look at us here and know that something has been reborn in France, something that, in the coming months, will not fail to grow," he said.

"Because at the heart of our history there is an ambition stronger than politics [–] there is the love of France."

He added: "our destiny is in our own hands."

Referring to his hero General de Gaulle, who[se] wartime rallying call to occupied France 70 years ago was marked this weekend, Mr de Villepin: added: "In 1940 men, women, young and not so young responded to the call of an unknown general ready to abandon everything, their homes, their land, to attain once more what was essential.

"Today let us take up once more that torch of republican loyalty. Let us take up once more the torch of justice and liberty." >>> Kim Willsher in Paris | Saturday, June 19, 2010


Dominic De [sic] Villepin and the Clash of Class for 'le droit'
THE TELEGRAPH: Domenique de Villepin launched his new party with claims to offer an alternative to his arch rival, Nicolas Sarkozy.

Dominique de Villepin is France's modern day renaissance man. The former prime minister is perfectly capable of running the country while penning poetry, dashing off a couple of history books, philosophising in three languages and looking like a political pin up from central casting.

Nicolas Sarkozy is as near as it is possible to be to his polar opposite – brash, often irascible, from an immigrant background and with none of Mr de Villepin’s aloof grandeur.

As the two leading figures of the French Right, they have been forced together where necessary in the past, but they are much more comfortable at daggers drawn.

Now, the lofty disdain that Mr de Villepin feels for his more down-to-earth rival is about to split French politics in half as he embarks on what everybody in France believes is his attempt to prise the French presidency from Mr Sarkozy and seize it for himself. >>> Kim Willsher in Paris | Saturday, June 19, 2010

The Arrogant and Insensitive Tony Hayward! US Anger as BP Oil Spill Chief Tony Hayward Watches His Yacht Sail Round the Isle of Wight
THE TELEGRAPH: BP chief executive Tony Hayward has come under fire in the US for taking a break from the Gulf oil clean-up to watch his boat sail in a yacht race off the Isle of Wight.

BP chief executive Tony Hayward's boat Bob sails in a yacht race off the Isle of Wight. Photo: The Telegraph
In a statement, BP described the outing as "a rare moment of private time" and said that "no matter where he is, he is always in touch with what is happening within BP" and can direct recovery operations if required.

But Mr Hayward, who has come under fire for verbal gaffes that some said suggested he was tone-deaf to the mood in America, was immediately criticised in the US.

Rahm Emanuel, chief of staff to President Barack Obama, said it was another “gaffe” by the BP chief executive. “Well, to quote Tony Hayward, he’s got his life back, as he would say,” he told ABC television. “And I think we can all conclude that Tony Hayward is not going to have a second career in PR consulting. This has just been part of a long line of PR gaffes and mistakes.”

He added: “There’s really a substance here that matters. That’s clearly a PR mistake, but he’s made a number of those mistakes. What’s important is: are we capping the well? Are we capturing the oil? Are we containing the cleanup? Are we filing the claims? Are we also cleaning up the mess? That’s what’s important.”

Richard Shelby, Republican senator for the Gulf state of Alabama, said during a tour of areas affected by the spill: "People here are not on their yachts today.

"I believe it's the height of arrogance. He is the chief executive of BP, he was testifying in Washington and now he's going out on his yacht in England. That yacht should be here, skimming and cleaning up the oil." >>> Philip Sherwell | Saturday, June 19, 2010

Nonsense and Dhimmitude from Cristina Odone: It's Not In Our Interest to Ban the Burka
TELEGRAPH BLOGS – CRISTINA ODONE: Religious tolerance – and I mean of Muslims, too – is not only right, it is in our interest. When I read that Barcelona has become the latest European city to ban the burka in civic buildings, I shudder. Is there a faster way to create an “us” against “them” mentality? There are 300,000 (out of a population of 1.5 million) Muslims in Barcelona. Their reaction to such diktats will be twofold: resentment with an attendant sense of victimhood; and further segregation of women. Given that they will no longer be able to ensure their wives’ and daughters’ modesty (as they see it), Muslims may keep them behind locked doors.

An outcome to cheer about? Of course not. And Britons should be congratulating themselves for not having embarked on similar measures here.

Perhaps one of the reasons Britain has been spared the burka ban is that many non-Muslims have experienced intolerance, and decided they don’t like it. Once you hear that a BA employee and an NHS nurse were stopped from wearing a crucifix to work because such expressions of faith are inappropriate in our multicultural society, the appetite to ban a religious symbol wanes. Read on and comment >>> Cristina Odone | Saturday, September 19, 2010

Iran Cleric Says Dogs "Unclean" and Not to Be Kept as Pets
REUTERS: A senior Iranian cleric has decreed dogs are "unclean" and should not be kept as pets -- a move aimed at discouraging Western-style dog ownership in the Islamic state, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

Dogs are considered "unclean" under Islamic tradition but, while relatively rare in Iran, some people do keep them as pets.

By issuing a fatwa -- a religious ruling -- Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi has sent a clear message that this trend must stop.

"Friendship with dogs is a blind imitation of the West," he was quoted as saying in Javan daily. "There are lots of people in the West who love their dogs more than their wives and children."

Guard dogs and sheep dogs are considered acceptable under Islamic law but Iranians who carry dogs in their cars or take them to public parks can be stopped by police and fined.

The Koran does not explicitly prohibit contact with dogs, Shirazi said, but Islamic tradition showed it to be so. "We have lots of narrations in Islam that say dogs are unclean." Read on and comment >>> Robin Pomeroy, Tehran; Editing: Matthew Jones | Saturday, June 19, 2010

Schwedens Kronprinzessin hat sich getraut
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Kronprinzessin Victoria und ihr ehemaliger Fitnesstrainer Daniel Westling haben sich das Jawort gegeben. Eindrücke von Nicole Berchtold, SF-Sonderkorrespondentin, Stockholm.

Julie & Julia Official Trailer (2009)

Pre-Wedding Concert for Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden & Mr. Daniel Westling - Finale

Victoria und Daniel heiraten: Ein Ja-Wort, zum Heulen schön
Bild: Stern.de
STERN.DE: Eine Heirat, die wirklich zu Herzen ging: Trotz aller Etikette war die Hochzeit von Victoria von Schweden und Daniel Westling zum Heulen schön. Denn beiden war anzumerken: Es ist Liebe. Von Jens Maier

Die Nervosität war ihm sichtbar anzumerken. Als seine Braut ihm den Ehering ansteckte, zitterte seine ganze Hand. Immer wieder versuchte sie, ihn zu beruhigen, streichelte seine Hand. Doch die Anspannung, sie fiel erst mit einer Träne von ihm ab: Nachdem Kronprinzessin Victoria von Schweden ihm das Ja-Wort geben hatte, wischte er sich ein Tränchen unter seiner großen Hornbrille hervor. Und das schwedische Publikum, das draußen vor der Tür die Zeremonie verfolgte, wusste in diesem Moment: Ja, der ist der richtige für unsere Victoria.

Der Bürgerliche Daniel Westling und Schwedens Kronprinzessin Victoria haben am Samstag in der Stockholmer Domkirche geheiratet - auf den Tag genau 34 Jahre nach der Hochzeit von Königin Silvia und König Carl Gustaf von Schweden. Zehn amtierende Monarchen, der Hochadel aus ganz Europa und die Familie von Daniel Westling haben der Zeremonie beigewohnt. Mehr als 200.000 Menschen säumten die Straßen der Hauptstadt um dem jungen Brautpaar zuzujubeln. Die Hochzeit ist der Triumph einer großen Liebe, die viele Hürden überwinden musste. Eine Liebe gegen alle Widerstände >>> Von Jens Maier | Samstag, 19. Juni 2010

Zur Bildergalerie >>>
Zur Hochzeit >>>
THE TELEGRAPH: Sweden's fairytale royal wedding: The Swedish Crown Princess Victoria has tied the knot with Daniel Westling, her former personal trainer, in the country's long-awaited royal wedding. >>> Nick Squires | Saturday, June 19, 2010

THE TIMES: Sweden celebrates wedding of Crown Princess Victoria: Swedes lined the streets of Stockholm today as Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden married her former personal trainer. >>> Marcus Oscarsson, Stockholm | Saturday, June 19, 2010


LE FIGARO: Victoria de Suède s'offre 
un mariage très fastueux >>> Par Constance Jamet | Samedi 19 Juin 2010

La princesse Victoria de Suède se marie dans un cortège de polémiques
La Suède s'apprête à célébrer l'union de la princesse Victoria et de Daniel Westling. Mais le peuple suédois boude : la monarchie n'a plus son soutien, les hôtels sont vides et le faste de la cérémonie dérange. Photo : Le Monde
LE MONDE: Stockholm est en état de siège et de liesse pour ce qui est considéré sur place comme l'événement "people" de la décennie : le mariage ce samedi 19 juin de la princesse héritière Victoria. Née le 14 juillet 1977, descendante du maréchal d'empire Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, Victoria épousera Daniel Westling, désormais prince du Västergötland, que l'on peut maintenant appeler plus simplement prince Daniel, par ailleurs homme du peuple et patron d'une chaîne de clubs de remise en forme.

Depuis des jours, les rues sont pavoisées sur le parcours que va emprunter le cortège surveillé par une soixantaine de caméras de la télévision publique samedi après-midi. Les invités couronnés sont arrivés des quatre coins d'Europe. Les Suédois ont suivi depuis des années les péripéties du couple, tenus en haleine au gré des unes des magazines sur les bouderies, séparations, réconciliations.

Les reporters royaux ont laissé comprendre que Daniel n'était peut-être pas le bienvenu au sein de la famille royale. Victoria a imposé sa volonté. C'est une très belle histoire. Les Suédois respirent. Ils adorent cette jeune femme simple et forte, même si leur fond social-démocrate leur dit bien qu'il est injuste et antidémocratique qu'elle ne soit pas libre de choisir son destin, à l'égal de toutes les jeunes filles suédoises. >>> Par Olivier Truc, Stockholm, correspondance | Samedi 19 Juin 2010

Kronprinzessin heiratet Fitnesstrainer
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Victoria, Kronprinzessin von Schweden, gibt dem bürgerlichen Daniel Westling das Jawort. Das Paar heiratet vor fast Tausend Gästen im Stockholmer Dom. Einschätzungen von Nicole Berchtold, SF-Sonderkorrespondentin, Stockholm.