Österreich buhlt um Bayerns Raucher
WELT ONLINE: Die Wirte im Grenzgebiet freuen sich schon über neue Kunden. Aber die Kämpfer gegen Qualm rüsten sich auch dort

Wien - Erst die Touristen, dann die Studenten, nun die Raucher - in Österreich sorgt eine neue deutsche Welle für Schlagzeilen. "Bayern stürmen grenznahe Lokale", titelte die "Kronen-Zeitung" nach dem generellen Rauchverbot im Freistaat. Das "Aus für Glimmstängel im Weißwurst-Nachbarland" sorge für "lachende Gesichter bei heimischen Wirten". Schon 2008 seien die Umsätze in grenznahen Regionen um 25 Prozent "und mehr" gestiegen, nun würden die Wirte hoffen, dass ihnen das neue Gesetz noch mehr Asyl suchende Raucher aus Bayern zutreibt.

Bei den Vertretern der Wirte in den Wirtschaftskammern der an Deutschland grenzenden Bundesländer ist man nicht ganz so optimistisch. "Es ist ähnlich wie mit dem Tanktourismus", sagt Peter Frömml von der Wirtschaftskammer Oberösterreich: Wenn das nächste Gasthaus, wo man rauchen darf, nur ein paar Kilometer weiter weg sei als das gewohnte, würden sicher viele Bayern künftig jenseits der Grenze Fußball schauen oder ihren Stammtisch abhalten. Denkbar sei auch ein Zustrom an Ausflüglern und Bustouristen. "Das bayerische Rauchverbot wird die Gastronomie in Grenzbezirken sicher beleben", sagt Frömml, beziffern lasse sich das jedoch noch nicht. Der Oberösterreicher rechnet nicht damit, dass seine Heimat in näherer Zukunft von nikotinsüchtigen Bajuwaren überrannt wird, seine Kollegen in Tirol sehen das ähnlich.

Eins steht aber bereits fest: Das Votum der Bayern hat die Diskussion um das Rauchen auch in Österreich wieder angefacht und jenen Rückenwind verschafft, die das Volk mitentscheiden lassen wollen. Die Oppositionsparteien fordern in seltener Einigkeit eine Volksbefragung zum geltenden Gesetz. >>> von Elisalex Henckel | Donnerstag, 08. Juli 2010

KRONE.at: Innviertler Wirte erwarten bayrische Raucher-Touristen: Das in Bayern nach einem Volksentscheid beschlossene totale Rauchverbot in Gaststätten und Festzelten treibt nun Lokal-Gäste über die Grenze. "Wir erwarten uns jetzt natürlich schon weitere Umsatzsteigerungen", kalkulieren Wirte im Innviertel. Die ersten Raucher-Touristen hatten ja schon 2008 für Umsatzzuwächse gesorgt. >>> Kronen Zeitung | Mittwoch, 07. Juli 2010

Malaysian Islamic Courts Appoint First Women Judges
THE TIMES OF INDIA: KUALA LUMPUR: The appointment of the first two women judges to Malaysia's Islamic courts was hailed Thursday as a move to address the gender imbalance in the country's religious judiciary.

Premier Najib Razak announced the appointments, made by the king in May, as an example of the government's commitment to transforming the Sharia judiciary.

"The appointments were made to enhance justice in cases involving families and women's rights and to meet current needs," Najib was quoted as saying by state news agency Bernama last week.

Islamic courts run in parallel with civil courts in this Malay Muslim-majority country but women say they face much discrimination in Islamic divorce proceedings, inheritance and child custody cases. Continue reading and comment >>> AFP | Thursday, July 08, 2010

CNN Middle East Editor Leaves After 'Tweet' Praising Shiite Cleric Fadlallah
THE TIMES OF INDIA: WASHINGTON: Octavia Nasr, senior editor of Middle East affairs at CNN, is leaving the US television news network after sending a message on Twitter praising the late Shiite cleric Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah.

Nasr, who joined CNN in 1990, said in a "tweet" over the weekend that she was "Sad to hear of the passing of Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah... One of Hezbollah's giants I respect a lot."

She followed that up with a blog post on CNN.com expressing "deep regret" for her "tweet" about the man considered the spiritual guide of Hezbollah and who figured on a US "terrorist" list. >>> AFP | Thursday, July 08, 2010

Octavia Nasr has her regrets.

HT: Always On Watch

Anti-terror Stop and Search Powers to Be Scrapped
THE GUARDIAN: Police forced to abandon power to stop and search the public without reasonable suspicion after European court rules it illegal

Under new guidelines police will no longer be allowed to stop and search individuals without having to show reasonable suspicion of terrorist activity. Photograph: The Guardian
The police's use of controversial counterterrorism stop and search powers against individuals is to be scrapped immediately, the home secretary announced today.

Under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000, officers can stop and search anyone in a designated area without having to show reasonable suspicion. Interim operational guidelines to be issued to the police say that in future section 44 powers will be used only to search vehicles, and officers will have to have grounds for suspecting they are being used in connection with terrorism.

Section 44 stop and search powers were used on more than 148,798 occasions last year and have been a key element in the campaign against terrorism.

The home secretary's decision to scrap their use against individuals follows a ruling by the European court of human rights in January that the powers were unlawful because they were too broadly drawn and lacked sufficient safeguards to protect civil liberties.

The Strasbourg case was brought by peace protester Kevin Gillan and a journalist, Pennie Quinton, who were unlawfully abused when police stopped and searched them on their way to a demonstration outside the annual Excel centre arms fair in east London in 2003.

In an unexpected statement to the Commons today, May said she had taken urgent legal advice and consulted the police since the Strasbourg ruling was confirmed as final last Wednesday. "In order to comply with the judgment, but avoid pre-empting the review of counter-terrorism legislation, I have decided to introduce interim guidelines for the police," the home secretary told the Commons.

"I am therefore changing the test for authorisation for the use of section 44 powers from requiring a search to be 'expedient' for the prevention of terrorism, to the stricter test of it being 'necessary' for that purpose. And, most importantly, I am introducing a new suspicion threshold." >>> Alan Travis, home affairs editor | Thursday, July 08, 2010

What Isn't Wrong With Sharia Law?
THE GUARDIAN: To safeguard our rights there must be one law for all and no religious courts

Gita Sahgal says there is active support for sharia laws because it is limited to denying women rights in the family. Photograph: The Guardian
The recent global day against the imminent stoning of Sakine Mohammadi-Ashtiani in Iran for adultery is an example of the outrage sparked by the brutality associated with sharia law's penal code.

What of its civil code though – which the Muslim Council of Britain's Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra describes as "small aspects" that concern "marriage, divorce, inheritance, custody of children"? According to human rights campaigner Gita Sahgal, "there is active support for sharia laws precisely because it is limited to denying women rights in the family. No hands are being cut off, so there can't be a problem …"

Now a report, Sharia Law in Britain: A Threat to One Law for All and Equal Rights, reveals the adverse effect of sharia courts on family law. Under sharia's civil code, a woman's testimony is worth half of a man's. A man can divorce his wife by repudiation, whereas a woman must give justifications, some of which are difficult to prove. Child custody reverts to the father at a preset age; women who remarry lose custody of their children even before then; and sons inherit twice the share of daughters.

There has been much controversy about Muslim arbitration tribunals, which have attracted attention because they operate as tribunals under the Arbitration Act, making their rulings binding in UK law.

But sharia councils, which are charities, are equally harmful since their mediation differs little from arbitration. Sharia councils will frequently ask people to sign an agreement to abide by their decisions. Councils call themselves courts and the presiding imams are judges. There is neither control over the appointment of these judges nor an independent monitoring mechanism. People often do not have access to legal advice and representation. Proceedings are not recorded, nor are there any searchable legal judgements. Nor is there any real right to appeal.

There is also danger to those at risk of domestic violence. In one study, four out of 10 women attending sharia courts were party to civil injunctions against their husbands. Continue reading and comment >>> Maryam Namazie* | Monday, July 05, 2010

*Maryam Namazie is a rights activist, commentator and broadcaster and spokesperson of Iran Solidarity and One Law for All

Abu Hamza Extradition Halted by EU Judges
THE TELEGRAPH: Human rights judges have ordered a halt to the extraditions of Babar Ahmad and radical preacher Abu Hamza, both wanted in the US on terror charges.

The Strasbourg court said it wanted more time to examine possible human rights breaches if the men face trial on charges which could mean life sentences without parole.

Ahmad, a 36-year old computer expert, has been in a UK prison without trial for nearly six years, refused bail since his arrest in August 2004 on a US extradition warrant.

Radical preacher Hamza is also wanted on terror charges in the US.

Both appealed separately to the European Court of Human Rights on the grounds that their treatment and potential punishment could violate Human Rights Convention provisions on the ''prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment''.

The appeal prompted a stay of extradition proceedings pending today's verdict, which further postponed a final decision.

The ruling gives the UK Government until September 2 to submit observations and declares: ''The (Human Rights) Court decided to prolong, until further notice, the interim measures it had adopted indicating to the UK Government that it was in the interests of the proper conduct of the proceedings that the applicants should not be extradited while the cases were being examined by the court''. >>> | Thursday, July 08, 2010

Russian 'Spies' Formally Charged Amid Swap Claims
THE TELEGRAPH: The 11 people accused of spying for Russia have been formally charged, amid claims the US and Russia are planning to carry out a Cold War-style 'spy swap'.

Alleged Rusian spies Richard and Cynthia Murphy. Photo: The Telegraph
US Justices ordered two suspects detained in Boston and three in the Washington area to be transferred to New York, where they will join five already there at the next court hearing at the end of the month.

They are all accused of “conspiring to act as secret agents in the United States on behalf of the Russian Federation and nine of these individuals with conspiracy to commit money laundering,” the formal indictment said.

The charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years for money laundering and five for the conspiracy allegations.

It comes amid reports the Kremlin is planning to hand over Igor Sutyagin, a Russian academic jailed for spying for the CIA in 2004, as well as Sergei Skripal, a former colonel in Russian military intelligence jailed for spying for Britain in 2006, in return for the release of the alleged Russian spies. The names of the other "exchangees" were not disclosed. >>> Andrew Osborn in Moscow | Thursday, July 08, 2010

Turkey Says Joining EU Is Still Top Priority
THE TELEGRAPH: Turkey has moved to calm fears that it is drifting away from the West, asserting that joining the European Union is still its "first and most strategic objective".

Ahmet Davutoglu, the foreign minister, said in London on Thursday prior to a meeting with William Hague, his UK counterpart, that Turkey was continuing to work very hard on its integration into Europe. He acknowledged that Turkey's accession to the EU had been made harder by opposition from Germany and from France in particular, and by problems over the future of Cyprus, where the dispute with Greece is still very much alive in spite of optimism of a resolution in recent years.

Mr Davutoglu was critical of Western fears that Turkey was turning further to the East, partly as a result of being rebuffed by France and Germany.

The question "Are we losing Turkey?" he said, was an "insulting question". He said Turkey was seeking to bring Western "soft" powers of peace, mediation and multilateralism to its multiple talks with countries in its region. >>> Adrian Michaels in London | Thursday, July 08, 2010

British Conservatives Assail Hague Over Turkey’s EU Membership Remarks
TODAY’S ZAMAN: British Conservative Party members have stridently displayed their objections to Foreign Secretary William Hague’s remarks on Thursday that envisaged “the value of [the] future membership” of “Europe’s biggest emerging economy” -- Turkey.

Roger Helmer, member of European Parliament from the British Conservative Party, deplored Hague’s statement, saying, “British voters will not stand for Turkish membership -- nor will other EU states,” the UK’s Mirror daily reported on Sunday.

“We should also see the value of Turkey’s future membership in the EU in this light. Turkey is Europe’s biggest emerging economy and a good example of a country developing a new role and new links for itself, partly on top of and partly outside of existing structures and alliances, and is highly active in the Western Balkans, the wider Middle East and Central Asia,” Hague said while speaking at London’s Foreign Office on Thursday, which drew the ire of many Euro-skeptic Tories.

Hague said Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu will visit Britain next week as London seeks to improve its ties with Ankara. >>> Today’s Zaman, Istanbul | Monday, July 05, 2010

William Hague is clearly a naïve fool, and quite obviously he has a death wish for the West by wanting to Islamize Europe. Go ruin someone else’s civilisation, Mr Hague. The French and Germans have it right: There should be no place for Turkey in the EU.

It’s funny how the British are determined not to take their full part in the European Union, yet when it comes to screwing it up, they're in the first row. How reprehensible that propensity is! – © Mark

Three al-Qaeda Suspects Arrested in Norway Over Bomb Plot
THE TELEGRAPH: Three suspected al-Qaeda members believed to be linked to attacks in Britain and the US have been arrested in Norway.

Officials believe they were planning attacks with portable but powerful bombs like the ones at the heart of last year's thwarted suicide attack in the New York City subway. The three men had been under surveillance for a year.

Officials said the group had been attempting to make peroxide bombs, but that it was not clear whether the men had selected a target.

The Norway plot was allegedly organised by Salah al-Somali, al-Qaeda's former chief of external operations, the man in charge of plotting attacks worldwide. He was killed by a CIA drone last year. >>> | Thursday, July 08, 2010

Al Qaeda Terror Cell Busted in Norway

Belgian Undertakers Plan to Dissolve Dead and Flush Them Into Sewage System
THE TELEGRAPH: Belgian undertakers have drawn up plans to dissolve the corpses of the dead in caustic solutions and flush them into the sewage system.

The controversial new method is said to be less expensive and more environmentally friendly than running highly polluting crematoria or using up valuable land for graves.

The departed would go into the sewage systems of towns and cities and then be recycled in water processing plants.

The proposals are being studied by the EU and if approved, it would mean the procedure could be used across Europe.

However, opponents of the plans say it smacks of a Frankenstein callousness towards the dead and one survey in Belgium found many people found the idea "disturbing." >>> Allan Hall, in Berlin | Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Gay Cleric Blocked from Becoming Church of England Bishop
THE TELEGRAPH: An openly homosexual cleric has been blocked from becoming a Church of England bishop, The Daily Telegraph has learnt.

Members of the Crown Nominations Commission, which includes Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, rejected calls for Dr Jeffrey John to be made the next Bishop of Southwark.

The Dean of St Albans, who is in a civil partnership with another priest, was on the shortlist for the post and was considered to be a front-runner for the job.

David Cameron had been made aware of his nomination and is believed to have been supportive of promoting the homosexual cleric.

However, a secret meeting of senior Church figures has decided to overlook Dr John amid fears that his consecration would have provoked a split in the Church.

Conservative Anglican leaders had warned that evangelical parishes would not recognise him as a bishop and instead would seek “alternative episcopal oversight”.

But the snub will infuriate liberal clergy who believed he was the outstanding candidate and that his appointment would signal a move towards greater inclusion for homosexuals in the Church. >>> Jonathan Wynne-Jones and Martin Beckford | Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Related article here

Turkish Key Constitutional Reforms Annulled by Court
BBC: Turkey's Constitutional Court has annulled key parts of a package of government-backed constitutional reforms, reports say.

The court rejected an opposition appeal to scrap all of the measures, and said the remaining elements would be put to a referendum as planned.

The court annulled changes which would curb the power of the judiciary and the army, AFP news agency said.

The ruling AKP says the reforms are necessary if Turkey is to join the EU.

But the nationalist opposition and senior judges are against measures they say would threaten the independence of the courts.

There is a gulf of mistrust between the AKP and the two secular opposition parties, the CHP and MHP, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Istanbul.

The CHP believes the AKP has a hidden agenda to weaken the secular system and promote Islamic values. >>> | Wednesday, July 07, 2010

I find the BBC's way of writing offensive and lacking in erudition. Whoever writes for the BBC writes for people who are incapable of reading proper paragraphs, incapable of understanding normal English. The BBC's style of English could be renamed 'English for Dummies'! – © Mark

Sarkozy in Bedrängnis: Ermittlungen wegen illegaler Wahlkampffinanzierung
NZZ ONLINE: Nach den neuen Enthüllungen in der Affäre Bettencourt hat die Staatsanwaltschaft in Frankreich Ermittlungen wegen des Verdachts auf illegale Parteispenden aufgenommen. Auch wurden zwei Verleumdungsklagen eingereicht.

In Frankreich ist eine Schlammschlacht im Gange, deren Ausgang nicht abzusehen ist. Sie legt die Regierungsgeschäfte lahm, lässt die Burka-Debatte erstarren und untergräbt die Autorität von Staatspräsident Sarkozy. Im Mittelpunkt des politischen Orkans steht der Kassenwart der Regierungspartei UMP, Arbeitsminister Eric Woerth, dem unter anderem vorgeworfen wird, seinerzeit 150 000 Euro aus dem Privatvermögen der Milliardärin und L'Oréal-Erbin Liliane Bettencourt in Sarkozys Wahlkampf geschleust zu haben. Weiter lesen und einen Kommentar schreiben >>> Manfred Rist, Paris | Donnerstag, 08. Juli 2010

Socialists Doing What Socialists Do Best – Nannying: Blodwen to Filter the Internet for Australians
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: THE Prime Minister will push ahead with controversial plans for a mandatory internet filter despite acknowledging public concerns that it will interfere with ''legitimate use''.

In Julia Gillard's first comments on the filter since becoming Prime Minister, she told ABC radio in Darwin that the proposal was an effort to control the ''dark side'' of communications technology. Gillard to stick with web filter despite disquiet >>> Ari Sharp Communications Correspondent | Thursday, July 08, 2010

Pope May Have Helped Jews Escape
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: POPE PIUS XII, the controversial wartime pontiff, may have saved thousands of Jewish lives by secretly securing visas so they could escape Nazi Germany, a historian says.

Pope Pius, who was labelled ''Hitler's Pope'' because of his silence during the Holocaust, may have arranged the exodus of about 200,000 Jews from Germany just three weeks after Kristallnacht, when thousands of Jews were rounded up and sent to concentration camps.

The claim was made by Dr Michael Hesemann, a German historian carrying out research in the Vatican archives for the Pave the Way Foundation, a US inter-faith group.

He said that Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli - the future Pius XII - wrote to Catholic archbishops around the world to urge them to apply for visas for ''non-Aryan Catholics'' and Jewish converts to Christianity who wanted to leave Germany.

Elliot Hershberg, the chairman of the Pave the Way Foundation, said: ''We believe that many Jews who were successful in leaving Europe may not have had any idea that their visas and travel documents were obtained through these Vatican efforts.

''Everything we have found thus far seems to indicate the known negative perception of Pope Pius XII is wrong.'' >>> Simon Caldwell | Thursday, July 08, 2010

Priest 'Stole $1.3 Million in Church Money to Pay for Male Escorts and Hotels'
THE TELEGRAPH: A Catholic priest in the United States has been charged with stealing $1.3 million (£858,000) in church money over seven years to use for male escorts, expensive clothing and luxury hotels and restaurants.

The Rev. Kevin J. Gray, former pastor at Sacred Heart/Sagrado Corazon Parish in Waterbury, Connecticut, was arrested and charged with first-degree larceny, Waterbury police said. Arraignment was expected Tuesday in Waterbury Superior Court.

Gray, 64, used the money to stay at such hotels as the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City and on expensive clothing labels including Armani suits, said Capt Christopher Corbett. He also paid the college tuition and rent of two men he had met, Capt Corbett said. >>> | Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Pat Condell: The Pope Needs a Miracle*


*These are Pat Condell's views; they are not my own.

Ägyptischer Islamkritiker Abu Zeid ist tot
SARSURA-SYRIEN: Wer den Islam kritisiert, spielt mit seinem Leben. Morddrohungen mussten schon viele Journalisten, Redakteure, Schriftsteller und Politiker über sich ergehen lassen, was Gott sei Dank aber der Kritik an der Auslegung des Islam und des geschriebenen Wort Gottes im Koran keinen Abbruch tat.

In den neunziger Jahren lenkte ein Mann viel Aufmerksamkeit auf sich. Er wurde verbal hart angegriffen und erhielt Morddrohungen. Plötzlich galt der Gelehrte, übrigens selbst Muslim, als Abtrünniger.

Die Rede ist von Nasr Abu Zeid, der in den neunziger Jahren den Koran kritisch betrachtete und auch von anderen forderte, endlich zu erwachen und mit der Zeit zu gehen, als starr nach den Regeln des Korans zu leben, ohne über den Tellerrand zu schauen.

Abu Zeid stellte dabei keinesfalls in Frage, ob Gott Muhammad seine Offenbarungen durch den Erzengel Gabriel verkünden ließ. Er gab lediglich zu bedenken, dass das Geschriebene im Koran ein Werk von Menschenhand ist, was nichts Göttliches mehr hat und damit sehr wohl kritisiert und für moderne Zeiten passend interpretiert werden darf.

Obwohl er mit seiner Kritik wirklich Recht hat, wollte ihm keiner zuhören, zumindest nicht in der arabisch-islamischen Welt. Seine Worte klangen zu blasphemisch. Es war einfacher, ihn als Abtrünnigen zu bezeichnen, als sich mit der harten, aber gerechtfertigten Kritik auseinanderzusetzen. Weiter lesen und einen Kommentar schreiben >>> | Mittwoch, 07. Juli 2010

AFP: Egypt secular thinker Nasr Hamed Abu Zeid dies: CAIRO — Egyptian academic Nasr Hamed Abu Zeid, who was forced into exile and ordered to divorce his wife after being judged to be an apostate, died on Monday in Cairo, his wife said. >>> AFP | Monday, July 05, 2010

China: Christianity
Watch Journeyman Pictures video: Jesus Loves You, Comrades >>>

Maison Blanche : Pauvre Barack Obama...
Barack Obama. Photo : Le Point
LE POINT: Aux États-Unis, si l'on veut s'enrichir, il y a un employeur à éviter : la Maison-Blanche. Dès son premier jour dans le Bureau ovale, en janvier 2009, le président Barack Obama a annoncé qu'il gelait le salaire des membres de son cabinet, pour cause de récession. Un gel qui a été reconduit, selon le rapport annuel sur les rémunérations de la Maison-Blanche qui vient d'être remis au Congrès.

Les employés à temps plein les mieux payés sont au nombre de vingt-quatre, parmi lesquels le conseiller David Axelrod, le secrétaire général Rahm Emanuel et l'auteur des discours du président Jon Favreau. Ils touchent chacun 172.200 dollars par an. Barack Obama est mieux loti : il est payé 400.000 dollars par an. C'est le Congrès qui décide des hausses du salaire présidentiel et il s'est toujours montré plutôt pingre. La dernière augmentation remonte à 1999, date à laquelle il a consenti à doubler la rémunération présidentielle qui n'avait pas bougé depuis l'arrivée de Richard Nixon en 1969 ! >>> De Hélène Vissière, la correspondante du Point à Washington | Mercredi 07 Juillet 2010

Sarrazin muss vor Gericht
WIENER ZEITUNG: SPD-Provokateur der Volksverhetzung beschuldigt.

Berlin. Gleich mehrere Anzeigen wegen Volksverhetzung sind bei der Staatsanwaltschaft eingelangt. Sie richten sich gegen niemand Geringeren als Bundesbank-Vorstand Thilo Sarrazin. Der ehemalige Berliner Finanzsenator und jetzige Banker hatte Mitte Juni erklärt, dass die Deutschen durch die Zuwanderung aus der Türkei, dem Nahen und Fernen Osten sowie aus Afrika "auf natürlichem Wege durchschnittlich dümmer" würden.

Es gebe "eine unterschiedliche Vermehrung von Bevölkerungsgruppen mit unterschiedlicher Intelligenz". Bereits Monate zuvor wurde er in einem Interview mit "lettre international" deutlich: "Je niedriger die Schicht, desto höher die Geburtenrate. Die Araber und die Türken haben einen zwei bis drei Mal höheren Anteil an Geburten, als es ihrem Bevölkerungsanteil entspricht." Und er ergänzte, die Türken würden Deutschland genauso "erobern", wie die Kosovaren den Kosovo erobert haben – durch eine höhere Geburtenrate. >>> Von WZ-Korrespondent Markus Kauffmann | Mittwoch, 07. Juli 2010

Related:

MAIL ONLINE: Migrants ‘Make Germany Dumb’… >>> Allan Hall in Berlin | Saturday, June 12, 2010

We Have Not Learnt the Lesson of the July 7 Suicide Bombing
THE TELEGRAPH: In the five years since suicide bombers killed 52 people in London, placatory government policy on Islamist terrorism has achieved little but store up trouble for the future, argues Douglas Murray.

Whose law? Members of Islam4UK leave a London press conference in January. Photograph: The Telegraph
Tomorrow [Today] marks the fifth anniversary of the day suicide bombing came to Britain. On July 7, 2005 three young British-born men exploded their devices simultaneously on the London Underground. A fourth man detonated his an hour later on a bus in Tavistock Square. Together they left 52 people dead, many more injured, and a country only starting to realise that a problem it had long exported had found its way home.

While July 7 was the first time that jihadi terrorism had come to British streets, these were not the first streets to which British-born Islamists had brought terror. Two years earlier, two young British men had gone to Mike's Place, a bar in Tel Aviv, and carried out a suicide bombing. Almost a decade before July 7 – in 1996 – the man said to have been Britain's first suicide bomber died in Afghanistan, self-detonating to kill opponents of the Taliban forces he was fighting alongside.

By 2005 British-raised jihadis had fought around the world, spurred on by radical clerics at home, backed by British networks and allowed to operate by a government and security service who believed that this was a problem for other people. It took 10 years for Britain to extradite to France the Algerian man accused of blowing up the Paris Metro in 1995. Britain had become a soft touch: a magnet for foreign jihadis and a hub of home-grown radicalisation.

To coincide with the fifth anniversary of July 7 this week, the Centre for Social Cohesion is releasing Islamist Terrorism: the British Connections. It is a 500-page, telephone directory-sized work that aims to present an overview of every traceable Islamist convicted of Islamism-inspired terrorist offences and attacks over the last decade. It also examines the scope of British-linked Islamism-inspired terrorism threats worldwide since 1993, listing many foreign combatants and extradition cases and British citizens convicted abroad.

It presents a timeline of the jihad, a list of the major networks and analysis of the data, presenting the most accurate picture possible of what makes up a violent British Islamist. Terrorism expert Marc Sageman has already said it "will become the indispensable reference for any future inquiry into British neo-jihadi terrorism". Yet it is a work that neither the Home Office nor the Crown Prosecution Service, nor any other department of government, has got around to compiling. >>> Douglas Murray* | Tuesday, July 06, 2010

*Douglas Murray is director of the Centre for Social Cohesion

Related article >>>

Police Recover Busabala Missing Head


SHE WIRED: Uganda LGBT Volunteer Found Beheaded: A volunteer for the LGBT advocacy group Integrity Uganda was found beheaded on a farm during a search for a missing priest. >>> SheWired Editors | Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Wilders Nominated for Free Speech Prize
RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE: Dutch Euro-MP Barry Madlener, a member of the far-right Freedom Party, has put forward his party leader Geert Wilders as a candidate for the Sakharov Prize.

The prize, named after the Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, is awarded annually by the European parliament to individuals and organisations that have contributed significantly to freedom of speech.

"It's a scandal that someone in a European country should be prosecuted for defending a basic right such as freedom of speech," Mr Madlener commented. Mr Wilders is currently on trial in the Netherlands for inciting discrimination against Muslims through remarks in the press and his anti-Islamic short film Fitna. >>> © RNW | Wednesday, July 07. 2010

Inside Story – France: Banning the Veil


John Dalhuisen of Amnesty International talks absolute BS in this video, and so does Khola Hasan. The only person who speaks sensibly is Renaud Girard of ‘Le Figaro’. The fact of the matter is that these people have chosen to live in France, so they should integrate and adopt the ways of the state they have chosen to live in. Otherwise, they can get out. Find the nearest airport and fly away. – © Mark

France Debates Public Ban on Full Islamic Veil
VOA: French parliamentarians on Tuesday began debating a proposed law that would ban women from wearing the full Islamic veil in public places. 



It is estimated that there are between 400 and 1,000 women in France who wear the niqab or burqa, which covers the face, leaving only the eyes exposed. But the proposal to ban the burqa is being debated across France.



The burqa is a loose fitting garment worn over a woman's clothes that covers her entire body, leaving only her hands and eyes exposed. The niqab is a face veil, usually worn with a burqa. 


The French National Assembly is expected to spend the next two or three days debating the proposed legislation, which would ban full veil in public places.



At stake, say those behind the proposed legislation, is France's commitment to a secular society. And its commitment to equal rights for women.



Supporting the bill is the ruling Union for a Popular Movement, or UMP, several women's rights groups, and a number of Muslim clerics who say they are concerned by the growing number of fundamentalists in the French Islamic community. 



Jean-Francois Copé, president of the parliamentary group of the UMP, is behind the bill. He says the full veil is an attack on the values of the French republic. >>> Elaine Cobbe, Paris | Tuesday, July 06, 2010

From left, Erdogan, Nasrallah, and Fadlallah. Photographs: Ynet News
Erdogan Consoles Nasrallah Over Fadlallah's Death
YNET NEWS: Turkish prime minister calls Hezbollah leader to offer condolences over death of Shiite spiritual leader. Nasrallah thanks him for call and for his stand on Palestinian-Israeli conflict, saying 'your positions have given hope to the Arab and Muslim world'

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered his condolences to Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah over the death of Shiite spiritual leader Ayatollah Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah. The Lebanese movement's al-Manar network reported Wednesday that Nasrallah thanked Erdogan and the Turkish nation.

According to the report, Nasrallah spoke with the Turkish leader via telephone following the ayatollah's death which was publicized to Shiites throughout the world. Erdogan expressed his sorrow to the family of Fadlallah and the Lebanese people. Nasrallah thanked him for the call and for his stance in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, saying "your positions have given hope to the Arab and Muslim world."

The ayatollah was hospitalized after a brain hemorrhage and passed away on Sunday. >>> Roee Nahmias | Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Frankreich: Sarkozys Autorität schwindet dahin
ZEIT ONLINE: Farbige Skandale, politische Leere: Die Präsidentschaft von Nicolas Sarkozy tritt in das Stadium der Zersetzung

Der Glanz ist arg strapaziert: Frankreichs Staatspräsident Sarkozy und seine Frau Carla Bruni. Foto: Zeit Online
Jeden Tag kommt etwas heraus. Regierungsmitglieder logierten in Luxushotels, flogen in Privatjets oder rauchten Havannas im Gesamtwert von 12.000 Euro – alles auf Staatskosten. Frankreich ist in Skandalstimmung. Zwar gehört Aufregung um Vorteilsnahme und Parteifinanzen seit je zur Dramaturgie der Pariser Politikdarbietung, ganz gleich, ob Rechte oder Linke die Macht innehaben. Jetzt aber droht der Regierung die Kontrolle zu entgleiten. Ansehen und Autorität des Präsidenten zerbröseln, es ist bereits vom Ende einer Ära die Rede. Es geht um mehr als Dekadenz: Die Regierung diskreditiert sich selbst in einem Augenblick der nationalen und europäischen Krise, da das Land eigentlich politische Führung bräuchte. Und mit dem Respekt vor der Präsidentschaft von Nicolas Sarkozy droht das Reformprojekt zu scheitern, das mit ihm trotz aller Schwächen doch eigentlich verbunden war.

Am schlechtesten steht es um den Arbeitsminister Éric Woerth, als Verantwortlicher für die Rentenreform derzeit der wichtigste Mann der Regierung. Woerth muss sich gegen Vorwürfe verteidigen, als Schatzmeister der Regierungspartei illegale Spenden entgegengenommen zu haben – der gleiche Éric Woerth, der die Spenderin, die mutmaßliche Steuerbetrügerin Liliane Bettencourt, in seiner Amtszeit als Finanzminister vor Nachforschungen bewahrt haben soll. Ausgerechnet Woerths Frau wiederum kümmerte sich in jener Zeit um die Finanzen der Milliardärin und L’Oréal-Erbin. Am Dienstag gar behauptete eine ehemalige Mitarbeiterin Bettencourts, dass auch Nicolas Sarkozy persönlich Briefumschläge mit verbotenen Spenden entgegengenommen habe, als er ums Präsidentenamt kämpfte. Verhängnisvolle Zigarren >>> Von Gero von Randow | Mittwoch, 07. Juli 2010

Five Years On, Victims of 7 July Bombings Are Remembered
THE GUARDIAN: People gather at memorial to 52 victims of London underground and bus bombings to pay their respects

The Hyde Park memorial to the victims of the 7 July London bombings. Photograph: The Guardian
At 8.50am on the 7 July 2005, three bombs exploded on underground trains in central London. The explosions were followed, within an hour, by another on a London bus.

At 8.50am today, under a grey sky, a handful of people gathered quietly at the eastern side of Hyde Park, where 52 steel pillars represent those killed in the bombings.

They came to pay their respects, to remember loved ones, to be quiet for a few moments as the traffic rumbled past in the background. >>> Alexandra Topping | Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Les relations entre Obama et Nétanyahou se dégèlent
Benyamin Nétanyahou et Barack Obama se sont entretenus dans le Bureau ovale de la Maison-Blanche, mardi, à Washington. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Malgré leurs divergences, le président américain a reçu mardi le premier ministre israélien dans un climat d'apaisement.

Mardi, les photographes ont été conviés à la Maison-Blanche pour fixer sur la pellicule l'apaisement de la relation américano-israélienne. Barack Obama accueillait le premier ministre Benyamin Nétanyahou avec la volonté affichée de tourner la page d'une période de tensions inhabituelles entre Washington et l'État hébreu. Le programme tranchait avec l'accueil glacial réservé au dirigeant israélien en mars, sans photo ni point de presse commun, en réaction à la poursuite de la colonisation dans les Territoires occupés.

Rien de tel, mardi. Les deux hommes se sont retrouvés vers 11 heures, avant de s'adresser aux journalistes et d'aller déjeuner ensemble. Même s'il paraissait tendu et peinait à sourire, le président américain a souligné «l'amitié extraordinaire» qui unit ces «deux démocraties». La coopération a beaucoup progressé sur le plan économique et militaire même si la presse ne l'écrit pas, a-t-il dit, précisant que sa discussion de fond avec Israël avait un seul but : assurer une paix durable. Le premier ministre israélien, un peu contraint lui aussi, a confirmé d'«excellentes discussions» : « Tout ne se voit pas», a-t-il dit à destination des journalistes. >>> Par Laure Mandeville | Mercredi 06 Juillet 2010

WELT ONLINE: Obama und Netanjahu demonstrieren Einigkeit: Israels Premier Netanjahu und US-Präsident Obama lassen Verstimmungen hinter sich. Beide fordern direkte Gespräche mit Palästinensern. >>> Von Clemens Wergin | Dienstag, 06. Juli 2010

La presse française demande des explications à Sarkozy
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: AFFAIRE BETTENCOURT | La presse française estime mercredi que l'affaire Bettencourt-Woerth touche désormais le chef de l'Etat. Elle demande à Nicolas Sarkozy de s'expliquer rapidement afin de clarifier la situation.

"Depuis trois semaines, la parole est à laccusation" écrit Paul-Henri du Limbert dans "Le Figaro". "Si Nicolas Sarkozy veut éviter la crise de confiance qui se dessine, il doit parler et se défendre face aux attaques", ajoute-t-il. >>> ATS | Mercredi 07 Juillet 2010

American Teenagers Get High On Nutmeg!
 
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: La noix de muscade, «drogue» légale des ados américains: ÉPICE | Se procurer un produit légal disponible un peu partout et ayant des effets psychotropes? C'est possible. Les adolescents américains ont décelés dans la noix de muscade une façon de «faire la fête». >>> Rédaction online | Mercredi 07 Juillet 2010

Das Burka-Verbot in der Französischen Nationalversammlung: Gesetz sieht hohe Bussen bei Schleierzwang durch Männer vor
NZZ ONLINE: Die französische Nationalversammlung geht am Dienstag ein heikles Geschäft an. Auf der Tagesordnung steht das höchst umstrittene Burka-Verbot. Das von der Regierung beabsichtigte Gesetz könnte verfassungswidrig sein.

Die französische Nationalversammlung hat am Dienstag Beratungen über ein Burka-Verbot aufgenommen. Mit dem von der konservativen Regierung eingebrachten Gesetzentwurf sollen Burkas, Niqabs und andere Gewänder, die praktisch nur die Augen freilassen, aus der Öffentlichkeit verbannt werden. Weiter lessen und einen Kommentar schreiben >>> ddp | Dienstag, 06. Juli 2010

Queen Addresses United Nations General Assembly in New York
THE TELEGRAPH: The Queen told the United Nations it had “moved from being a high-minded aspiration to being a real force for common good” as she addressed the General Assembly in New York for the first time since 1957.

The Queen addresses the United Nations General Assembly. Photo: The Telegraph
In a reflective speech to an assembly whose members states have increased from 77 to 192 since her last visit, the Queen praised the UN for its work in reducing conflict, offering humanitarian assistance and tackling the effects of poverty.

The “waging of peace” was “perhaps the hardest leadership of all”, she said.

However, she warned that “so much remains to be done”, quoting Dag Hammarskjold, a former UN secretary-general, who “once said that 'constant attention by a good nurse may be just as important as a major operation by a surgeon’.”

She added: “Good nurses get better with practice; sadly the supply of patients never ceases.”

The Queen also warned that “new challenges” such as terrorism and global warming had emerged that had “tested this organisation as much as its member states”. On climate change, “careful account must be taken of the risks facing smaller, more vulnerable nations, many of them from the Commonwealth”, she said.

She said she hoped that, in another 53 years, “our sincerity, our willingness to take a lead, and our determination to do the right thing, will stand the test of time”.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh spent only five hours in New York, sweltering under heat health warnings as temperatures soared to a record 103 degrees. >>> Tom Leonard, New York | Tuesday, July 06, 2010

"A Rave from the Grave!" Doris Day: Move Over, Darling

Can You Feel The Love Tonight: Elton John Music Video HD

Elton John: Sacrifice

Andy, Rivals in Mosque Split
NEW YORK POST: Andrew Cuomo and his GOP challengers are splitting sharply on the hotly contested question of building a mosque near Ground Zero, even as they're in surprising agreement on the need to cut taxes and spending.

Attorney General Cuomo said he favored building the mosque, which polls show is opposed by most city residents, including many who say it would be an insult to 9/11 victims.

Cuomo, who polls show is the overwhelming favorite to be the state's next governor, said through a spokesman, "America is all about diversity and tolerance and, thus, we should let this project proceed, even though it may justifiably make some people uncomfortable and offend some of our sensibilities."

Republican gubernatorial designee and one-time Long Island Rep. Rick Lazio "opposes the plan to build the Cordoba mosque across from Ground Zero, and shares the concerns of many over the [proposed mosque's] imam's view that Hamas is not a terrorist organization," said his spokesman, Barney Keller.

"Rick views the questions surrounding the overseas sources of funding for this project as a potential security risk."

Buffalo builder and megamillionaire Carl Paladino, a Tea Party activist expected to challenge Lazio in the GOP primary, said, "I am dead set against the mosque at Ground Zero because it's an affront to Americans everywhere.

"It just doesn't make sense to build a needlessly bold and insulting statement on hallowed ground where radical Islamists declared war on America." Continue reading and comment >>> Fredric U. Dicker | Monday, July 05, 2010

President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet in the Oval Office. Photograph: The Wall Street Journal
Obama Says U.S.-Israel Bond Is 'Unbreakable'
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama, flanked by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, on Tuesday hailed the bond between the U.S. and Israel as "unbreakable" and said the two agreed on concrete steps to begin direct talks on Mideast peace.

The two, speaking with reporters in the Oval Office after meeting for about an hour, dismissed claims that relations between the countries had cooled in recent months and reaffirmed their shared interest, particularly in the area of national security and peace.

Mr. Obama said Mr. Netanyahu was prepared to take "risks" on Mideast peace and praised the prime minister for recently instituting a partial freeze on Jewish construction in disputed territories.

Mr. Netanyahu said the two discussed "concrete" steps they would take in the coming weeks to help move toward direct talks on Mideast peace. Mr. Netanyahu said it was "high-time" for he [sic], Mr. Obama and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to have direct talks on Mideast peace.

Mr. Obama said he hoped direct talks would begin before the moratorium on Jewish construction ends in September. >>> Jared A. Favole | Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Royal : «Il faudrait plusieurs Kärcher pour nettoyer (le) système Sarkozy»


LE PARISIEN: À l'article >>> Marie Astier | Mardi 06 Juillet 2010

Liliane Bettencourt dit comprendre sa fille

Nach Volksentscheid in Bayern: Nichtraucherlobby verlangt Qualm-Verbot in ganz Deutschland
Ein Mann entspannt bei einer Rauchpause: Gibt es nach dem bayerischen Volksentscheid für einen strengen Nichtraucherschutz auch in anderen Bundesländern schärfere Regelungen? Bild: Spiegel Online
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Die Bayern stimmten für das strengste Rauchverbot Deutschlands - Nichtraucherschützer verlangen jetzt bundesweit qualmbefreite Kneipen. Die Politik müsse das strikte Verbot im Arbeitsschutzgesetz einheitlich verankern, fordern sie.

Köln - In Bayern darf in Gaststätten, Kneipen und Bierzelten nicht mehr geraucht werden - ohne Ausnahmen. Nach dem Volksentscheid wollen die Initiatoren des strikten Rauchverbots bundesweit aktiv werden.

Das kündigte der Sprecher des "Aktionsbündnisses "Ja zum Nichtraucherschutz", Sebastian Frankenberger, im Deutschlandfunk an. Der Ausgang des Volksentscheids in Bayern habe gezeigt, dass die Bürger einen klaren Nichtraucherschutz wollten, sagte er zur Begründung. "In Berlin, Hamburg und Nordrhein-Westfalen - überall stecken Volksinitiativen in den Kinderschuhen." Die Politik sei gefordert und müsse ein striktes Verbot über ein Arbeitsschutzgesetz bundesweit einheitlich umsetzen, so Frankenberger.

Frankenberger, Lokalpolitiker der Ökologisch-Demokratischen Partei ÖDP, sieht auch die Basisdemokratie durch den Volksentscheid maßgeblich gestärkt. Es habe sich gezeigt, dass der Bürger wirklich mündig sei zu entscheiden und sich über Sachthemen informieren könne. Frankenberger forderte daher, auch auf Bundesebene direkte Mitbestimmung einzuführen.

Bei dem Referendum in Bayern hatten am Sonntag 61 Prozent der Wähler dafür gestimmt, das Qualmen in Gaststätten, Kneipen und Bierzelten komplett zu verbieten. "Dass wir so klar gewinnen, hat uns alle schon ein bisschen überrascht. Wir sind wahnsinnig stolz auf das bayerische Volk", sagte Frankenberger. Die Wahlbeteiligung lag bei 37,7 Prozent. >>> anr/dpa/ddp/apn | Montag, 07. Juli 2010

Volksentscheid Bayern: Tabakbranche fürchtet Dominoeffekt
MANAGER MAGAZIN: In Bayern gilt künftig der strengste Nichtraucherschutz in Deutschland. Die Tabakbranche verfolgt die Entwicklung mit Sorge. Sollte das Beispiel Schule machen oder der Bund den Arbeitsschutz verschärfen, seien Umsätze und auch Jobs gefährdet.

Hamburg/München - Nach dem Volksentscheid in Bayern, der das strengste Rauchverbot in Deutschland nach sich ziehen wird, hoffen die Nichtraucherschützer jetzt auf ein striktes Rauchverbot in der Gastronomie in ganz Deutschland. Die überragende Mehrheit der bayerischen Bürger habe gezeigt, dass sie einen strengen Nichtraucherschutz wolle. Das dürfte in anderen Bundesländern nicht anders sein, sagte der Sprecher des Aktionsbündnisses Nichtraucherschutz, Sebastian Frankenberger, am Montag. Frankenberger forderte die Politik auf, über ein verschärftes Arbeitsschutzgesetz ein striktes Rauchverbot jetzt bundesweit umzusetzen.

Der von Frankenberger und der Ökologisch-Demokratischen Partei (ÖDP) initiierte Volksentscheid war am Sonntag mit 61 Prozent Zustimmung erfolgreich. Ab dem 1. August darf damit ohne Ausnahme in öffentlichen Räumen in Bayern nicht mehr geraucht werden. Nur 39 Prozent der Wähler stimmten für einen Beibehalt der bisherigen Regelung, die wie in den meisten anderen Bundesländern auch das Rauchen etwa in Eckkneipen oder gesonderten Raucherzimmern in Restaurants und Diskotheken erlaubte.

Das zu einem erheblichen Teil von der deutschen Zigaretten- und Tabakindustrie gesponserte Gegenbündnis "Bayern sagt Nein", räumte am Montag seine Niederlage ein. Es sei offenbar nicht gelungen, ausreichend Raucher unter den Wählern zu mobilisieren. Für das Bündnis engagierte sich unter anderem der Deutsche Zigarettenverband (DZV), der Verein Mittelständische Unternehmen der Tabakwirtschaft (MUT) oder auch der Verband der deutschen Rauchtabakindustrie (VdR).

Bündnis der Tabakindustrie erleidet Schlappe

Enttäuscht vom Wahlergebnis zeigte sich MUT-Geschäftsführer Frank Hidien. "Das klare Ergebnis überrascht mich doch. Denn kurz vor dem Volksentscheid hatten Meinungsumfragen noch ein Kopf-an-Kopf-Rennen erwarten lassen", sagte Hidien im Gespräch mit manager magazin. Der Volksentscheid in Bayern dürfte einen Dominoeffekt in den anderen Bundesländern auslösen und damit auch Folgen für die ganze Republik haben. >>> Von Lutz Reiche | Montag, 05. Juli 2010

No 4 on Nazi Most Wanted List Dies Before Trial
THE TELEGRAPH: A 90-year-old former SS sergeant who was No 4 on the most wanted list of Nazi war criminals has died in Germany before his case came to trial.

Adolf Storms died at his home in the western city of Duisburg on June 28, according to German authorities.

Storms, who worked unnoticed for decades as a train-station manager, was charged by Brendel's office last November with 58 counts of murder for alleged involvement in a wartime massacre of Jewish forced labourers in Austria.

He was on the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Most Wanted list. >>> | Tuesday, July 06, 2010

New Dark Age Alert! More Cr** from the Councils of the UK! Swimming Pool Blacked Out to Appease Muslims [Should Read: Dark Age Loons]
DAILY EXPRESS: TOWN hall chiefs were yesterday accused of “political correctness gone stark-raving mad” for forcing pool users to swim in the gloom to protect Muslim women’s modesty.

The bizarre council diktat is the latest example of bureaucrats taking an extreme decision to avoid upsetting a minority group.

Residents are outraged after council chiefs ordered the windows of their glass-panelled swimming pool to be blacked out after complaints were received from Muslim groups.

That has meant all swimmers at Darlaston Leisure Centre in Walsall, West Midlands, have been forced to swim in a darkened, gloomy pool.

The centre won plaudits from architects for its “ultra-modern” design when it opened to the public 10 years ago.

But now council staff have covered ground-level ­windows with opaque film at a cost of £1,400 following complaints, mainly from Muslims concerned that they might be spotted in their swimwear.

Regular users of the pool are furious that the tinted windows, installed a fortnight ago, have plunged the pool into gloom – and all in the name of political correctness.* >>> Padraic Flanagan | Tuesday, July 06, 2010

*And in the name of a non-existent god and false prophet! The Anti-Christ! And Muhammad was the Anti-Christ because he denied that Jesus was the Christ, the crucified one, the one who suffered and died to save us. Ergo: Muhammad was the Anti-Christ. – © Mark

Return to the Scene of a Lynching
Iman Mansur and Doaa, the wife and daughter of Mohamed Msallem, an Egyptian lynched by Lebanese villagers, mourn at his funeral in Cairo. Photo: The Independent
THE INDEPENDENT: The killing of Mohamed Msallem shocked a nation. Two months on, Robert Fisk visited Ketermaya to find out what his death says about Lebanon

They didn't hang him from a tree," the police chief insisted to me. "They put a butcher's hook through his throat and hanged him from an electricity pole – that one, over there."

And sure enough, just opposite the clean little mosque of Ketermaya, stands the rusting pylon upon which Mohamed Msallem met his terrible end. His victims – two little girls and their grandparents – lie in their graves a few metres away, plastic flowers blessing the grey earth, not far from the tomb in which half their family were buried almost 30 years ago, among the 50 victims of an Israeli air attack.

Tragedy afflicts this little village. Conscience, too. Msallem was strung up by the people of Ketermaya, seized from the cops who had brought him back to the scene of the crime, stripped to his pants and then paraded through the streets to the taunts of the villagers, butchered by the peace-loving civilians who can still not believe what they did.

The lynching on 29 April shocked Lebanon. A country that has shrugged off its civil war – and is trying to ignore the next Hizbollah-Israeli conflict – is supposed to have reverted to tourism, Crusader castles and Roman ruins and fine restaurants. But Ketermaya is an awful reminder of the incendiary pain that exists beneath its soft landscape. >>> | Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Nach der Ölkatastrophe: Großbritannien fürchtet BP-Zusammenbruch
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Der Börsenwert hat sich halbiert, die Kosten der Ölpest summieren sich bislang auf 3,12 Milliarden Dollar: BP ist angeschlagen. Die britische Regierung fürchtet angeblich einen Zusammenbruch des Konzerns - ein Risiko, weil viele Rentenfonds betroffen wären. Derweil prüfen arabische Staatsfonds einen Einstieg.

Investoren aus dem Nahen Osten erwägen Medienberichten zufolge, dem angeschlagenen britischen Energiekonzern BP mit einer Kapitalspritze zur Seite zu springen. Die Londoner Zeitungen „Daily Telegraph“ und „Guardian“ berichteten am Montag übereinstimmend, der Golfstaat Kuweit prüfe, seine Beteiligung an dem britischen Energiekonzern von bislang 1,75 Prozent auf 10 Prozent aufzustocken. >>> | Dienstag, 06. Juli 2010

Libya Eyes Stake in 'Bargain BP'
THE TELEGRAPH: Libya has expressed an interest in building a stake in BP, describing the oil company as a bargain following its Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

The Libyan Government, headed by President Gaddafi, may not be welcomed as an investor in BP by the White House. Photograph: The Telegraph
Share[s] in BP rose 3.5pc to 333.3p in London, following weekend speculation that the company had been in contact with sovereign wealth funds about them buying stakes.

Shokri Ghanem, the chairman of Libya's National Oil Corporation, told a newswire that: "BP is interesting now with the price lower by half and I still have trust in BP. I will recommend it to the Libyan Investment Authority."

He later added: "I think that BP shares are good value for bargain hunters,"

BP denied that it was planning to issue any new equity, but a weighty shareholder buying up stock on the open market could still help provide a floor on the company's plummeting share price. It declined to comment on any talks with sovereign wealth funds.

The oil giant has lost half of its market value since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded and sank on April 20, triggering a catastrophic leak. Qatar, Abu Dhabi and the Kuwait Investment Authority, which already holds 1.8pc of BP, have also been linked to the company as possible investors. >>> Rowena Mason | Monday, July 05, 2010

Nicolas Sarkozy et Eric Woerth auraient reçu des enveloppes des Bettencourt
Éric Woerth. Photo : Le Temps
LE TEMPS: Plusieurs personnalités de la droite française auraient bénéficié du financement, en espèces, d’André et Liliane Bettencourt, à en croire l’ex-comptable du couple qui s’exprime sur «Mediapart»

L’ex-comptable d’André et Liliane Bettencourt affirme au site d’information «Mediapart» que le couple de milliardaires a régulièrement financé, via des enveloppes contenant des espèces, des personnalités de la droite française. Nicolas Sarkozy en aurait bénéficié.

Elle évoque notamment un épisode remontant à mars 2007, mettant en scène Eric Woerth, aujourd’hui ministre du Travail. Celui-ci, alors trésorier de l’UMP, se serait vu remettre, via le gestionnaire de fortune Patrice de Maistre, une somme de 150’000 euros destinée à la campagne présidentielle de Nicolas Sarkozy. >>> Agences | Mardi 06 Juillet 2010

Réaction : Affaire Bettencourt –– Sarkozy dénonce une "calomnie"
L'ex-comptable des Bettencourt affirme que des personnalités de la droite française, dont Nicolas Sarkozy et Éric Woerth, ont reçu des enveloppes contenant des espèces. Photo : Le Point
LE POINT: Les propos de l'ex-comptable de Liliane Bettencourt publiés par Mediapart mardi matin font l'effet d'une bombe. Claire T. affirme notamment que Nicolas Sarkozy, quand il était maire de Neuilly, de 1983 à 2002, était un "habitué" de la table des Bettencourt, et "recevait son enveloppe". "Tout le monde savait dans la maison que Sarkozy aussi allait voir les Bettencourt pour récupérer de l'argent", affirme l'ancienne comptable. >>> Par Cyriel Martin | Mardi 06 Juillet 2010

Nahm Sarkozy illegale Wahlkampfspenden entgegen?
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: In dem Korruptionsskandal der französischen Regierung steht nun auch der Präsident unter Verdacht: Einem Medienbericht zufolge soll er von der L'Oréal-Erbin Liliane Bettencourt 150.000 Euro in bar als Spende für den Wahlkampf 2007 erhalten haben. Ein Sprecher Sarkozys wies den Vorwurf als „absolut falsch“ zurück.

Frankreichs Präsident Nicolas Sarkozy hat einen Medienbericht zurückgewiesen, nach dem er von der L'Oreal-Erbin Liliane Bettencourt eine Spende in Höhe von 150.000 Euro für den Wahlkampf 2007 erhalten habe. Auf die Frage, ob der Präsident eine Barzahlung erhalten habe, sagte ein Sprecher des Büros von Sarkozy am Dienstag: „Das ist absolut falsch.“ >>> | Dienstag, 06. Juli 2010

Le dalaï lama fête ses 75 ans aujourd'hui
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: TIBET | Des milliers de Tibétains ont fêté mardi les 75 ans de leur leader spirituel en exil, le dalaï lama, ultime rempart contre la politique de la Chine au Tibet. Mais son âge et sa santé précaire posent avec une acuité croissante la question de la succession.

C'est sous une pluie battante que le dignitaire bouddhiste s'est adressé à une foule de quelque 5000 fidèles dans son temple de McLeod Ganj, au-dessus de la bourgade de Dharamsala, accrochée aux contreforts de l'Himalaya (nord de l'Inde). Sans se départir de son éternel sourire, le dignitaire a pris place au centre d'une scène devant un parterre d'adultes, d'écoliers et de touristes étrangers. >>> ATS | Mardi 06 Juillet 2010