The EU should be stronger and more united. Great Britain should belong to the Union.
Die EU sollte stärker und geeinter sein. Großbritannien sollte der Union angehören.
L'UE devrait être plus forte et plus unie. La Grande-Bretagne devrait appartenir à l'Union.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Iran Accuses US and UK of Supporting Group Behind Mosque Attacks
THE GUARDIAN: CIA denies claims it has been backing Jundullah, the Sunni separatist group which has claimed responsibility for the bombs
The aftermath of the suicide bombings in Zahedan, Iran. A Sunni separatist group has claimed responsbility. Photograph: The Guardian
Iran is vowing to hunt down a Sunni separatist group which claimed responsibility for a double suicide bombing that killed 28 people at a mosque in the south-eastern city of Zahedan.
Jundullah – Arabic for "the soldiers of God" – said it carried out the twin attacks yesterday at Zahedan's grand mosque in retaliation for the execution of the group's captured leader. Provincial officials said a further 167 people were injured, some of them critically. Three days of mourning were declared. General Hossein Salami, deputy commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, claimed in Tehran today that the victims "were martyred by the hands of mercenaries of the US and UK". Ali Mohammad Azad, governor of Sistan-Baluchestan province, blamed "the intelligence services of arrogant powers."
The US and Britain – which are at odds with Iran over its controversial nuclear programme – issued statements condemning the attacks.
Shia worshippers were celebrating the birthday of the prophet Muhammad's grandson Hussein when the first bomb detonated, according to reports from the scene. A second explosion took place 15 minutes later as people rushed to help – a technique used by Sunni groups in Iraq to maximise casualties. The dead reportedly included several Revolutionary Guards.
Iranian media said the aim was to sow discord between Shias and Sunnis in the Sunni majority area, which borders on Pakistan. Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Baluchestan, has seen several mass casualty attacks in recent years. >>> Ian Black, Middle East editor | Friday, July 16, 2010
Greek Man Wins €160,000 for Turkish Yoghurt 'Slur'
THE GUARDIAN: Pensioner sues Swedish dairy to stop them using his image to brand a Turkish yoghurt carton
Minas Karatzoglou's face on tub of yoghurt in Stockholm, Sweden. Photograph: The Guardian
A tub of yoghurt and a shadow theatre puppet have raised the bar in the spectrum of passions that have long fuelled differences between Greece and Turkey. Just when the two Nato rivals appeared reconciled, a new spat has erupted over a man whose features have delighted children on both sides of the Aegean.
The row might have gone unnoticed had it not been preceded by a Greek pensioner suing to stop a Swedish dairy from using his image to promote its yoghurts. In principle, Minas Karatsoglu, 74, says he wasn't against his face adorning the cartons – although he was shocked to get a call from a friend informing him it had happened. It was more, he said, that the yoghurt was branded "Turkish" and by inference the self-styled patriot from Delphi was "baptised" Turkish, too. >>> Helena Smith in Athens | Thursday, July 15, 2010
Secret talks: Tony Blair was flown to Libya to discuss international and domestic issues with Colonel Gaddafi - days after denying he was an adviser to the dictator. Photograph: Mail Online
Brother Muammar! Blair’s Love-in with the Libyan Dictator
MAIL ONLINE: Tony Blair was flown to Libya for secret talks with Colonel Gaddafi just days after denying he was an adviser to the dictator.
Mr Blair was 'entertained as a brother', a senior Libyan government source has revealed.
He told the Daily Mail that the former prime minister had offered Gaddafi, with whom he is on first-name terms, 'a great deal of invaluable advice'.
They discussed a wide range of international and domestic issues, including lucrative investment opportunities.
The meeting, in Tripoli last month, came shortly after Mr Blair's spokesman flatly denied that he had any 'formal or informal', 'paid or unpaid' advisory role to Gaddafi.
The revelation will heap pressure on Mr Blair - now a Middle East peace envoy - over his links to the Libyan regime and potential conflicts of interest between his public and private roles.
It will also anger those who lost family members in the Lockerbie bombing, for which Libya has admitted responsibility.
Additional reporting: Peter Allen and Christian Gysin
Microsoft Co-founder to Give Away Most of His £8.7billion Fortune After His Death
MAIL ONLINE: The co-founder of Microsoft last night announced he will give away most of his £8.7billion fortune after his death.
Paul Allen follows in the footsteps of Bill Gates, with whom he started the computer giant, and vowed to commit his money to philanthropy.
Mild-mannered Allen, 57, who is unmarried and has no children, has donated millions to charity in his lifetime and said he wanted that to continue after he died.
Allen co-founded Microsoft in 1975 with Gates and resigned as an executive in 1983 as he overcame a first bout with cancer.
The episode brought him face-to-face with his own mortality and caused a huge change in his approach to life.
The 37th richest person in the world according to Forbes Magazine, he has spent the time since giving away more than £670million in grants and funding, largely through his Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.
He recently announced he was suffering from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, but has made a full recovery.
‘Today I also want to announce that my philanthropic efforts will continue after my lifetime,’ he said in a statement. >>> Daniel Bates | Friday, July 16, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Free Mexico Honeymoon for First Argentine Gay Newly-weds
BBC: Mexico City has offered a free honeymoon to the first gay couple to marry in Argentina under a new law.
The couple would have all expenses paid in the Mexican capital and in the beach resort of Cancun, the city's tourism secretary, Alejandro Rojas, said.
On Thursday, Argentina became the first Latin American country to legalise same-sex marriage.
Mexico City also allows gay couples to wed.
The city government would pay the air fares for the newly-wed couple and is seeking sponsorship from hotels and restaurants to finance the rest of the honeymoon, Mr Rojas said.
The offer was "a recognition of tolerance, but first and foremost a way to promote gay tourism in Mexico". >>> | Friday, July 16, 2010
Omar Bin Laden Wants To Date Drew Barrymore
THE HUFFINGTON POST: Newly single Omar bin Laden, the son of al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, says he dreams of a date with Drew Barrymore.
"I want to go to America, and I would love to meet Drew Barrymore," said Omar, 29, who recently split from wife Zaina, 25 years his senior. "I am single now and she is the most beautiful woman in Hollywood."
Yet it turns out the actress is not the junior Laden's sole interest in American popular culture. Speaking from a Doha, Qatar hotel in an interview with The Sun, he also professes an admiration for Jim Carrey, American football, rock music and Madonna. "She's such a great dancer for a woman of her age," he says of the Material Girl, 51. >>> Curtis M. Wong | Friday, July 16, 2010
Diplomatie : Les États-Unis répètent leur désaccord sur l'interdiction du voile intégral
LE POINT: Si le projet de loi visant à interdire le port du voile intégral dans l'espace public suscite des critiques en France, il fait aussi réagir outre-Atlantique. La diplomatie américaine a rappelé mercredi le désaccord de l'administration Obama, selon laquelle le texte s'en prend à la liberté de croyance. "Nous ne pensons pas qu'il faille légiférer sur ce que les gens ont le droit, ou non, de porter en fonction de leur croyance religieuse", a commenté Philip Crowley, porte-parole du département d'État. "Aux États-Unis, a-t-il ajouté, nous prendrions d'autres mesures pour assurer l'équilibre entre la sécurité d'une part, et, d'autre part, le respect de la liberté religieuse et des symboles qui lui sont associés." Une position partagée par la population puisque 65 % des Américains désapprouvent la proscription du voile islamique dans les lieux publics, tandis que 28 % toléreraient qu'il soit interdit, selon un sondage du centre de recherche Pew publié le 8 juillet. >>> lepoint.fr avec AFP | Vendredi 16 Juillet 2010
US Reiterates Disappointment Over French Burqa Ban
FRANCE 24: US officials have reiterated Washington's disapproval of a measure approved by French lawmakers earlier this week banning the wearing of face-covering Islamic veils in public. France's Senate will vote on the controversial bill in September.
US officials on Wednesday reiterated Washington's disagreement with a measure approved by the lower house of France's National Assembly banning the use of face-covering Islamic veils in public.
"We do not think that you should legislate what people can wear or not wear associated with their religious beliefs," said State Department spokesman Philip Crowley.
"Here in the United States, we would take a different step to balance security and to respect religious freedom and the symbols that go along with religious freedom," he said. >>> AFP | Thursday, July 15, 2010
Israels Außenminister will Gaza an Hamas abgeben
WELT ONLINE: Überraschender Vorschlag aus Israel: Außenminister Lieberman schlägt vor, den Gaza-Streifen der radikal-islamischen Hamas zu überlassen.
Der israelische Außenminister Avigdor Lieberman hat mit Gedankenspielen zur Zukunft des Gazastreifens für Überraschung gesorgt. Der ultra-rechte Politiker will nach einem Zeitungsbericht die Verantwortung Israels für den Gazastreifen an die dort herrschende radikal-islamische Hamas-Organisation abtreten. Im Gegenzug werde Israel die Grenzen zu dem kleinen Palästinensergebiet hermetisch abriegeln, schreibt die Tageszeitung „Jediot Achronot“ am Freitag.
Eine internationale Schutztruppe soll nach Vorstellung Liebermans dann die Grenzübergänge überwachen und den Waffenschmuggel durch Tunnel unter der Grenze von Ägypten zum Gazastreifen unterbinden. Die bisherige Blockade wäre damit aufgehoben. Waren könnten direkt von Europa aus in den Gazastreifen transportiert werden. >>> dpa/pku | Freitag, 16. Juli 2010
Being Outed Is a Blessing
THE GUARDIAN: It's a great shame a public figure like David Laws still felt a need to hide his sexuality as I once did
It was in New York in 1973 that I discovered the work of the Greek poet CP Cavafy. He was gay and in the closet. His only outlet of self-expression was his poetry. He wrote: "From all the things I did and all the things I said let no one try to find out who I was … Later, in a more perfect society, someone else made just like me is certain to appear and act freely." I wanted to agree with that but never thought it would apply to me.
In 2007 I resigned as chief executive of BP because I had made an untrue statement as to how I had met a boyfriend with whom I had broken up after an extended affair. He had sold his embellished tale to the Mail on Sunday. I attempted to keep it from publication, and in doing so I told a fabricated story (that I had met him running in Battersea Park, rather than through an escort agency) because I felt threatened about coming out. It was the same fear that had prevented me from going out to meet men in the usual way at parties, clubs and so on.
My chief worry now is that history seems bound to repeat itself. The recent resignation of David Laws, the former chief secretary to the Treasury, suggests that public figures continue to feel they have no choice but to cover up their sexuality.
When I was "outed" on someone else's terms it was an important and terrifying moment. But it also turned out to be a blessing. I was overwhelmed by the support and friendship of many people. Three years on, my life is much happier. I have a great partner and I feel much more relaxed about being open with people. I wish it could have been that way from the start. Continue reading and comment >>> John Browne | Thursday, July 15, 2010
Anti-smoking Law May Be Overturned in Government Review
THE GUARDIAN: Government could scrap Labour legislation to ban cigarette machines from pubs and tobacco displays from retailers
Cigarettes and tobacco products were supposed to have been removed from public display under a law passed under Labour. Photograph: The Guardian
Labour's legislation to ban cigarette vending machines from pubs and remove tobacco displays from shops and supermarkets could be scrapped by the coalition government.
The law was passed in the last few months of the previous administration, but the regulations that would have implemented the changes have been blocked after a campaign from cigarette manufacturers who threatened to seek a judicial review.
Rightwing thinktanks also claimed the bans would be "ineffective or counter-productive".
The possibility of reversing the Tobacco Act emerged in a reply to parliamentary question to the Department of Health, which said that given "the challenges facing business competition and costs", it would give further consideration to "the policy on display of tobacco products and sales from tobacco vending machines".
The vending machine ban was proposed by Ian McCartney, a former Labour minister, who said the machines gave young children access to cigarettes. The act also requires cigarettes to be sold "out of sight". Similar schemes have been introduced in Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Thailand and Canada. >>> Randeep Ramesh, social affairs editor | Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Iranian Scientist Was CIA Mole
THE TELEGRAPH: The scientist claiming to have been kidnapped and tortured by the United States was a CIA mole who spied on Iran's nuclear programme for several years, American officials have said.
Shahram Amiri arrives at Imam Khomini Airport with his wife and son. Photo: The Telegraph
Shahram Amiri was a vital source whose "significant, original" intelligence allowed his US minders to build up a comprehensive assessment of Iran's clandestine nuclear capabilities, the officials claimed.
The allegations are the latest twist in an increasingly perplexing saga that has embarrassed the United States and prompted jubilant crowing in Iran, which has long maintained that the CIA kidnapped Mr Amiri during a visit to Saudi Arabia last year.
Mr Amiri was reunited with his wife and seven-year-old-son after flying back to a hero's welcome in Iran on Thursday. He repeated allegations that he had been abducted, tortured by Israeli and American officers, and later offered $10 million (£6.5 million) to say that he had come to the United States of his own volition.
But US officials told the New York Times that Mr Amiri had in fact been a long-serving CIA asset working under cover at Tehran's Malek Ashtar university. >>> Adrian Blomfield, Middle East Correspondent | Friday, July 16, 2010
THE GUARDIAN: President says ban is part of a strategy to fight people trafficking and sexual exploitation rife in Spain
The Spanish government has put itself on collision course with the national press with the announcement that it wants to ban adverts offering sexual services from their classified sections.
The explicit adverts, which fill at least a page in most of Spain's dailies, are worth €40m (£34m) a year to the struggling newspaper industry.
President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero made the announcement during this week's state of the nation speech, saying it was part of a strategy to fight the people trafficking and sexual exploitation that was rife in the country.
"As long as these advertisements exist, they contribute to the idea of this activity as normal," he said.
The Association of Spanish Newspaper Editors responded by saying that the logical policy would be for the government to make prostitution illegal. "If it was illegal, then newspapers wouldn't carry the ads," a spokesman said.
If the ads are banned, newspapers will want to be compensated and, worryingly for Zapatero, El País, a staunch supporter of his socialist party, is the paper that earns the most from this form of advertising. With its left-liberal sensibilities and readership profile, El País is the Spanish paper that most resembles the Guardian, and yet it earns €5m a year from advertising prostitution. >>> Stephen Burgen in Barcelona | Friday, July 16, 2010
Barack Obama Warns that BP Oil Disaster Is Not Over
THE TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama has warned that the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is not over.
Although oil has stopped leaking into the ocean, the US President has urged Americans not to "get too far ahead of ourselves".
BP announced on Thursday evening that it had successfully capped the Deepwater Horizon oil well for the first time since April.
Underwater video footage showing no oil gushing from the well has led to widespread relief across America.
Speaking outside the White House, Mr Obama said that although the worst of the crisis was probably now in the past it would be several more weeks before it was finally over. Tests will continue for the next 24 hours to establish whether the cap will hold. >>> Robert Winnett in Washington | Friday, July 16, 2010
Symbol der europäischen Islamisierungsangst: Frau mit afghanischer Burka. Bild: FAZ
Burka-Verbot in Europa: Prävention ist das Gebot der Stunde
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: In Belgien gibt es kaum vollverschleierte Frauen. Also hat man sich mit dem Verbotsgesetz besonders beeilt. Die Burkadebatten überall in Europa enthüllen die Angst in der Öffentlichkeit.
Frauen, die einen Ganzkörperschleier tragen, wirken auf die meisten von uns befremdlich, mehr noch: Sie lösen ein aggressives Unverständnis aus. Denn Frauen, die sich mit der Verhüllung von Körper und Gesicht der Identifizierung ihrer Individualität und dem Kontakt entziehen, wecken den Verdacht, dass sie den Wert der Freiheit weder akzeptieren noch respektieren. Sie bleiben uns fremd.
Auch, weil sie uns so gut wie nie auf der Straße begegnen. Frauen nämlich, die den iranischen Tschador – sein Tuch lässt das Gesicht frei, kann aber jederzeit darüber gezogen werden –, die afghanische Burka mit ihrem Gitterfenster oder den saudi-arabischen Nikab tragen, der den Augen einen Sehschlitz zugesteht, gibt es in Europa so gut wie nicht. In Frankreich, wo mit mehr als fünf Millionen Menschen die größte muslimische Gemeinde Europas lebt, sollen es zweitausend sein. Dänemark zählt zweihundert. Für Deutschland und alle anderen Staaten gibt es nur Schätzungen, selten liegen sie im dreistelligen Bereich. Auch deshalb lehnt die Bundesregierung eine Debatte über ein Vollverschleierungsverbot ab.
In anderen Teilen der Welt jedoch schreitet die Totalverschleierung tatsächlich voran: Saudi-arabische Stiftungen etwa sollen Frauen Geld bezahlen, damit sie den Nikab anlegen. Das ist beängstigend. Aber es darf keine Legitimation dafür sein, dass derzeit in vielen europäischen Ländern eine hart geführte Debatte mit teilweise absurden Zügen um die Ganzkörperverschleierung tobt. >>> Von Karen Krüger | Freitag, 16. Juli 2010
Iran Scientist: CIA Offered Me $50m to Lie About Nuclear Secrets
THE INDEPENDENT: An Iranian scientist who says he was abducted and taken to the United States by the CIA returned to Tehran yesterday to a hero's welcome and claimed that he had been pressured into lying about his country's nuclear programme.
Shahram Amiri said that he was on the hajj pilgrimage when he was seized at gunpoint in the city of Medina, drugged and taken to the US, where he says Israel was involved in his interrogation. In the US, officials were reported to have admitted that Mr Amiri was paid more than $5m (£3.2m) by the CIA for information about Iran's nuclear ambitions.
The US claims to have received useful information from him in return for the money, but is clearly embarrassed by his very public return to Iran. The offer of a large bribe is reportedly part of a special US programme to get Iranian nuclear scientists to defect.
Flashing a victory sign, Mr Amiri returned to Tehran International Airport to be greeted by senior officials and by his tearful wife and seven-year-old son, whom he had not seen since he disappeared in Saudi Arabia during a visit 14 months ago. Iran said it was demanding information about what had happened to him.
The US says that he entered the US of his own free will and had relocated to Tucson, Arizona. The US is claiming that Mr Amiri, who had worked for Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, re-defected because pressure was placed on his family back in Iran, something he denied yesterday. Officials suggested that Iran had used his family to get him to leave the US. >>> Patrick Cockburn | Friday, July 16, 2010
Matrimonio Para Todos! Argentina Legalizes Gay Marriage
THE HUFFINGTON POST: BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentina became the first Latin American nation to legalize gay marriage Thursday, granting same-sex couples all the legal rights, responsibilities and protections that marriage brings to heterosexuals.
The law's passage – a priority for President Cristina Fernandez's government – has inspired activists to push for similar laws in other countries, and a wave of gay weddings are expected in Buenos Aires. Some gay business leaders are predicting an economic ripple effect from an increase in tourism among gays and lesbians who will see Argentina as an even more attractive destination.
But it also carries political risks for Fernandez and her husband, former President Nestor Kirchner. The vote divided their governing coalition, and while gay rights have strong support in the capital, anti-gay feelings still run strong in much of Argentine society, where the vast majority of people are Roman Catholic.
"From today onward, Argentina is a more just and democratic country," said Maria Rachid, president of the Argentine Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender federation. The law "not only recognizes the rights of our families, but also the possibility of having access to health care, to leave a pension, to leave our assets to the people with whom we have shared many years of life, including our children," she said.
The 33-27 Senate vote was tallied shortly before dawn, after a marathon debate that touched on religion, ethics, the legacy of Argentina's dictatorship and the challenges of raising children. There were three abstentions. Since the lower house already approved it, the law takes effect within days.
Gays and lesbians who have already found Buenos Aires to be a welcoming place to live will likely rush to the altar, but same-sex couples from other countries will need to live in Argentina before becoming eligible, and the necessary residency documents can take months to obtain. Argentina Gay Marriage Law: First Country In Latin America To Approve Same Sex Marriage >>> Michael Warren | Thursday, July 15, 2010
Néstor Kirchner Asks Catholic Church to 'Become More Modern'
BUENOS AIRES HERALD: Former president Néstor Kirchner considered that "Argentina took a transcendental step forward" by passing the same-sex marriage law and asked the Catholic Church to "become more modern."
"I speak from my religious formation, Catholic, but we aspire with all our strength for the Church to become more modern," Kirchner assured during a rally in the Buenos Aires province locality of Ezeiza.
For the UNASUR Secretary General, with "same-sex marriage" the country "is growing democratically." [Source: Buenos Aires Herald] | Friday, July 16, 2010
Ordination of Women? It’s a ‘Grave Crime’, Says Vatican
MAIL ONLINE: Making a woman a priest is as sinful as abusing a child, the Roman Catholic Church declared yesterday.
New religious rules published by the Vatican set both sins at the same level of gravity and recommended the same punishment for guilty priests.
Church officials in Rome insisted that the new version of Canon Law showed it was 'very, very serious in its commitment to promote safe environments'.
But it had the appearance of an own goal by Pope Benedict XVI in his attempt to cool the scandal over Catholic cover-ups of child abuse by paedophile priests.
Victims' groups protested that criminal offences against children should be given far greater weight than doctrinal arguments over whether women can be ordained.
The Vatican move also appeared badly-timed as it followed the debate in the Church of England over appointing women bishops that won worldwide publicity at the weekend.
The new rules mean that priests can be defrocked or excommunicated for paedophile offences, sexual abuse of mentally handicapped adults or attempting to ordain women.
Acquiring, possessing or distributing child pornography will be regarded as an offence on the same level as physical abuse of children.
More Than 2.5m Muslims Threaten to Leave Facebook After Four Islamic Pages Are Taken Down
MAIL ONLINE: More than 2.5million users will leave Facebook unless certain Islamic pages are reinstated, it has been claimed.
A template letter that has been pasted into numerous Facebook pages accuses founder Mark Zuckerberg and other senior members of Facebook of 'ignoring the feelings of more than 2.5million Muslims'.
The Muslim community is angry that four extremely popular Islamic pages were removed from the site and the letter warns that unless its demands are met Facebook's Muslim users will move to an Islamic alternative.
The letter demands not only that the pages are reinstated but that new rules are introduced which make it a violation of Facebook’s terms to post anti-Islamic comments.
And Facebook is given notice that unless the changes are introduced then 2.5 million Muslim users will leave to join madina.com, a social networking site for Muslims.
The letter reads: ‘Although you have attended the world’s best communication skills courses you have been most successful in growing great hatred and hostility between you and Muslims around the world, but seriously this time you have caused an almost unrepairable [sic] damage.’
It also accuses Facebook of ‘irresponsible behaviour’ for allowing to host ‘Everybody Draw Mohammed Day’ pages which sparked controversy for encouraging users to draw portraits of the Prophet. Continue reading and comment >>> Niall Firth | Friday, July 16, 2010
Is Apple Losing Its Touch?
THE INDEPENDENT: Crunch time for technology giant as public love affair with brand turns sour
Apple, the £150bn technology giant, is this morning preparing to confront the biggest public relations crisis in its history, amid technical problems afflicting its latest iPhone and a warning that "an emerging pattern of hubris" could wreck the public's love affair with the company.
It emerged yesterday that senior engineers warned early in the development of the new iPhone 4 that its choice of aerial could lead to dropped calls and poor reception. But the company ignored their concerns and when customers first complained about the fault wrongly blamed the problem on a software glitch.
Today the company will hold an emergency press conference in an attempt to reassure customers – and Wall Street – that it has the problem under control.
On Wall Street, where Apple has been the darling of investors for almost a decade since it unleashed the iPod music player on the world, its shares have tumbled, while the company faces a future of increased scrutiny by competition watchdogs and intense competition from newly-emboldened rivals.
Apple has summoned media and industry players to its headquarters in Cupertino, California, in a mood that is a far cry from the launch event with founder Steve Jobs last month. Then, with typical hyperbole, he declared it “the biggest leap forward” since the launch of the original iPhone in 2007, and 1.7 million people snapped up the new device in just the first two days, making it the company’s most successful product launch ever.
But users immediately started complaining of dropped calls and independent consumer tests laid the blame at the door of the phone’s aerial, which is built into the case of the phone. Continue reading and comment >>> Stephen Foley in New York | Friday, July 16, 2010
Release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi a Mistake*, Government Says
THE GUARDIAN: Announcement comes as Hillary Clinton says she will investigate claims BP lobbied UK government to release Lockerbie bomber
Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi was released by Scotland on compassionate grounds. Photograph: The Guardian
The new coalition government regards the release of the man convicted of the Lockerbie plane bombing as a "mistake", Britain's ambassador to the US has said.
Sir Nigel Sheinwald made the statement as the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, said she would look into claims by a group of Democrat senators that BP lobbied the British government to release Abdelbaset al-Megrahi to help it secure an oil deal with Libya.
The US Senate's foreign relations committee is holding a hearing into the release of Megrahi on Thursday 29 July, and BP officials have been asked to give evidence.
Last year, the decision to release Megrahi on compassionate grounds was taken by the Scottish government. At the time, Gordon Brown insisted he was not responsible for what happened, but he did say he "respected" the right of Scottish ministers to take the decision, a phrase that was taken as an endorsement of Megrahi's early release.
But last night, Sheinwald issued a statement that made it clear that the coalition government takes a different view. "The new British government is clear that Megrahi's release was a mistake," Sheinwald said.
He went on: "The British government deeply regrets the continuing anguish that his release on compassionate grounds has caused the families of Megrahi's victims in the UK, as well as in the US. >>> Andrew Sparrow and agencies | Friday, July 16, 2010
Geert Wilders to Spread Anti-Muslim Movement to UK
THE TELEGRAPH: Geert Wilders, the controversial anti-Muslim Dutch MP, has said he is forming an international alliance to spread his message to Britain and across the West in a bid to ban immigration from Islamic countries.
Mr Wilders will launch the movement late this year, initially in five countries: the US, Canada, Britain, France and Germany.
"The message, 'stop Islam, defend freedom,' is a message that's not only important for the Netherlands but for the whole free Western world," Mr Wilders said at the Dutch parliament.
Among the group's aims will be outlawing immigration from Islamic countries to the West and a ban on Islamic law.
Starting as a grass-roots movement, he hopes it eventually will produce its own lawmakers or influence other legislators.
Ayhan Tonca, a prominent spokesman for Dutch Muslims, said he feared Mr Wilders' message would fall on fertile ground in much of Europe, where anti-Islam sentiment has been swelling for years.
"So long as things are going badly with the economy, a lot of people always need a scapegoat," Mr Tonca said. "At the moment, that is the Muslims in Western Europe." >>> | Friday, July 16, 2010
David Cameron, Don't Follow Barack Obama
THE TELEGRAPH: When David Cameron visits America next week he will learn a lot – about how not to run a country, says Peggy Noonan.
Dear Mr Cameron, welcome young friend. Welcome to America. Bring your bright, dashing self to our shores. Speak your piece with affection and modesty and go home a wiser man.
As for your own leadership, here is some advice. Do not imitate Mr Obama. He has been a disappointment; learn from his mistakes. America is not Britain and Britain is not America, but the culture of our politics – the polls, the imagery, the fixation on sound bites, the nonsense, the essential shallowness of presentation and of thinking, the inability of political figures to think long term – has grown similar. To your detriment, by the way.
Shall I tell you what Americans think? We think you used to have fusty, occasionally dishevelled, pipe-smoking, brandy-taking, hopelessly avuncular figures as your leaders: no one cared what they looked like, though they were interesting to listen to, or at least to watch moving through murky waters – like Harold Macmillan. Mrs Thatcher, too, was this sort, though never dishevelled. Now you have leaders who are young, sleek, slick, who believe always and almost only in what used to be called public relations and is now called the brand. I name no names. And, actually, I don't mean to be harsh.
You can today go to any office of any great leader in America and Britain – business leader, church leader, political leader – and you will find the great topic of conversation, the great focus of attention, the object of daily obsession, is not the mission (making money, spreading faith, leading an anxious citizenry in the right direction) but how the mission is playing in the media. It's all they talk about. This is very sad but it is not my point, to which I return. (Actually, let me end this section with some political advice. Grow older quicker. Here is a secret of the voters of the Western democracies: we all miss old.)
In Mr Obama's poll numbers this week, CBS News reports 13 per cent of the people think his economic leadership has bettered their lives. That means 87 per cent do not – that is rather a lot. The Rasmussen Reports' daily tracking poll yesterday showed 43 per cent strongly disapprove of his leadership and 26 strongly approve. This is low. These are only two examples of the general slide you discern as people talk about Obama.
Here are the things he got wrong. In the middle of an economic crash, and in the middle of record-breaking federal budgets and budget deficits, Mr Obama started a new entitlement. This struck people, by which I mean almost everyone, as off-point. We are in a crisis, part of the crisis involves spending money we don't have, and our answer is to spend more? It wasn't a policy, it was a non sequitur. Continue reading and comment >>> Peggy Noonan | Friday, July 16, 2010
Peggy Noonan is a columnist for the 'Wall Street Journal' and was a speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan
Talk-show Host Tackles Afghan Taboos
Missing Iranian Scientist Arrives Home: A missing Iranian scientist who claims he was kidnapped by the United States returns to Iran, as U.S official says he provided "useful" information
THE TELEGRAPH: Argentina has become the first Latin American country to legalise same-sex marriage.
President Cristina Fernandez is a strong supporter and the new law is expected to bring a wave of marriages. Photo: The Telegraph
The move grants homosexual couples all the legal rights, responsibilities and protections that marriage gives heterosexual couples.
President Cristina Fernandez is a strong supporter and the new law is expected to bring a wave of marriages.
The approval came despite a concerted campaign by the Roman Catholic Church and evangelical groups, which drew 60,000 people to march on Congress and urged parents in churches and schools to work against passage.
Nine homosexual couples have already married in Argentina after persuading judges that Argentina's constitutional mandate of equality supports their marriage rights, but some of these marriages were later declared invalid.
Trotz Protest der Kirche: Argentinien erlaubt die Homo-Ehe
Lesbisches Paar vor dem argentinischen Kongress: Homo-Ehe ist Novum in Lateinamerika. Foto: Spiegel Online
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Der Widerstand der Katholischen Kirche war vergeblich, Demonstranten vor dem Parlament jubelten: Als erstes Land in Lateinamerika hat Argentinien die Einführung der Homo-Ehe beschlossen.
Buenos Aires - Nach einer 14-stündigen Debatte stimmte der Senat endlich zu. Mit einer Mehrheit von 33:27 Stimmen bei drei Enthaltungen beschloss Argentinien ein Gesetz, dass die gleichgeschlechtliche Ehe erlaubt. Das Abgeordnetenhaus hatte schon im Mai zugestimmt. Präsidentin Cristina Kirchner hatte sich für das Gesetz stark gemacht und bereits angekündigt, dass sie kein Veto einlegen werde.
Demonstranten für das Gesetz, die trotz winterlicher Kälte stundenlang vor dem Parlamentsgebäude in Buenos Aires ausgehalten hatten, jubelten. Denn das Gesetz ist ein Novum in Lateinamerika. Bisher hatte nur das lokale Parlament von Mexiko-Stadt im Dezember die Homo-Ehe in der mexikanischen Hauptstadt gebilligt. Buenos Aires gilt als eine der tolerantesten Metropolen Lateinamerikas gegenüber Homosexuellen.
Die Reform erlaubt gleichgeschlechtlichen Paaren die Ehe und räumt ihnen damit dieselben Rechte ein wie heterosexuellen Paaren, etwa bei der Sozialversicherung oder der Elternzeit. Schwule und lesbische Ehepaare dürfen zudem Kinder adoptieren. Um die Reform durchzusetzen, soll das Bürgerliche Gesetzbuch geändert werden und die Bezeichnung "Mann und Frau" durch "die Vertragspartner" ersetzt werden. Weiter lesen und einen Kommentar schreiben >>> als/dpa/AFP | Donnerstag, 15. Juli 2010
L'Argentine légalise le mariage homosexuel
Manifestation de soutien au projet de loi devant le Congrès à Buenos Aires. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Le vote du Sénat argentin fait de ce pays à très forte majorité catholique, le premier d'Amérique latine à autoriser le mariage homosexuel.
«Un jour historique». C'est ainsi que Miguel Pichetto, chef de groupe du parti au pouvoir le parti justicialiste (péroniste)-, a qualifié le vote du Sénat. Le texte, déjà voté par l'Assemblée le 5 mai dernier, a été adopté par 33 voix contre 27 et trois abstentions, après 14 heures de débat. il ne lui manque plus que la signature de la présidente Cristina Fernández, qui le soutient.
La loi modifie le Code civil argentin. La mention «mari et femme» est désormais remplacée par «les contractants». Les mariés de même sexe pourront également adopter. Ils obtiennent les mêmes droits que les couples hétérosexuels concernant la sécurité sociale, les allocations et les jours de congés liés à la vie familiale.
La partie était loin d'être gagnée. Mardi soir, des milliers de personnes étaient rassemblées en face du Congrès à l'appel de l'Eglise catholique pour manifester contre le projet de loi. «Nous voulons un papa et une maman», «Vive la famille», pouvait-on lire sur certaines banderoles. Un message de l'archevêque de Buenos Aires, Jorge Bergloglio, a été lu pendant le rassemblement : «L'union entre un homme et une femme est la voie naturelle pour la procréation : l'adoption d'une telle loi marquerait un grave revers». Au Sénat, les discussions ont été houleuses, et le vote serré. >>> Par Margaux Bergey | Jeudi 15 Juillet 2010
Argentina's Gay Community Celebrates Equality in Tango
Sarah Palin Attacks NAACP Over 'Racist' Tea Party Motion
THE TELEGRAPH: Sarah Palin has attacked a prominent civil-rights organisation which has officially branded the American tea party movement as racist, a day after Michelle Obama delivered the keynote speech at the organisation
The former US vice-presidential candidate urged President Obama and his wife Michelle, to "repudiate" the allegation and "set the record straight".
The National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) has passed a motion condemning the tea party movement – which is closely linked to the right wing of the Republican Party – for being racist.
In its motion, the NAACP says the movement has engaged in "explicitly racist behaviour" and calls for people to "stand in opposition to [the tea party's] drive to push our country back to the pre-civil rights era." However, Mrs Palin has hit back at the allegation.
"The charge that Tea Party Americans judge people by the colour of their skin is false, appalling, and is a regressive and diversionary tactic to change the subject at hand.," she said. >>> Robert Winnett in Washington | Wednesday, July 14, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: The financial adviser to Liliane Bettencourt, the heiress to the L'Oreal cosmetics fortune, has been detained for questioning along with three others, amid a scandal that has embroiled the French government.
Patrice de Maistre, financial adviser to the 87-year-old, was being questioned by investigators, according to an official in the prosecutor's office in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.
The others held include the celebrity photographer Francois-Marie Banier, accused by Mrs Bettencourt's daughter of milking the heiress out of €1 billion in gifts.
Mrs Bettencourt's former tax lawyer, Fabrice Goguel, and the manager of an island in the Seychelles that she owns, Carles Vejarano, were also being held for questioning, the official said. The official was not authorised to be publicly named because of judicial policy. >>> | Thursday, July 15, 2010
BP Admits 'Lobbying UK Over Libya Prisoner Transfer Scheme But Not Lockerbie Bomber'
THE TELEGRAPH: BP is facing fresh scrutiny into whether it was involved in the release of the Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi, after the oil giant admitted lobbying the British government over a prisoner agreement with Libya.
Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet Al Megrahi, left, after his release, with Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's son Seif al-Islam. Photo: The Telegraph
BP said it pressed for a deal over the controversial prisoner transfer agreement (PTA) amid fears any delays to negotiations would damage its “commercial interests” and disrupt its £900 million offshore drilling operations in the region.
But it denied claims that it had been involved in negotiations concerning the release of Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber freed by Scottish authorities last year.
It followed a letter from four US senators who had accused the company of having a hand in the release of Megrahi, who was released last year by the Scottish government on "health grounds" and compassionate grounds.
Mrs Clinton’s intervention came after the American Democratic senators called for an investigation into BP’s interests in Libya, as they tried to connect the oil group with a deal to free the convicted terrorist.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the company admitted it had lobbied the British Government over the controversial prisoner deal but denied any involvement in Megrahi’s release.
“It is matter of public record that in late 2007 BP told the UK Government that we were concerned about the slow progress that was being made in concluding a prisoner transfer agreement with Libya,” the company said in a statement.
“We were aware that this could have a negative impact on UK commercial interests, including the ratification by the Libyan Government of BP's exploration agreement.”
But a spokesman added: “The decision to release Mr al-Megrahi in August 2009 was taken by the Scottish Government. >>> Andrew Hough | Thursday, July 15, 2010
Liliane Bettencourt, France's richest woman. Photograph: The Telegraph
L'Oréal Heiress 'Pained and Vexed' by Daughter's Behaviour
THE TELEGRAPH: Liliane Bettencourt, the L'Oréal heiress, has said she is "pained and vexed" at her daughter's behaviour amid a legal battle that has set off a financial investigation drawing in the highest levels of French government.
Mrs Bettencourt, France's richest woman, was attacking a renewed bid by her daughter, Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers, to have a judge declare her incompetent to manage her own affairs.
Her daughter has alleged that her 87-year-old mother is subject to the undue influence of photographer Francois-Marie Banier, to whom she has given gifts worth nearly a billion euros.
"I am at once pained and vexed for I say to myself how, after so many years, someone who has lived close to me has such petty reactions at that," Mrs Bettencourt told France 3 television.
Her daughter first tried to have her declared incompetent in December 2009. The judge refused in the absence of a medical expertise, something to which Bettencourt has so refused to submit. >>> | Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Alejandro Freyre (left) and Jose Maria Di Bello had their marriage blocked in Buenos Aires in December. Photograph: The Guardian
Thousands Demonstrate Against Argentina Plans to Legalise Same-sex Marriage
THE GUARDIAN: Supporters of measure also take to streets to stage rallies in Buenos Aires and other cities
Thousands of demonstrators today gathered outside Argentina's congress in the capital, Buenos Aires, to protest against a proposal to legalise same-sex marriage.
Supporters of the measure also took to the streets in loud rallies in the city and across the country.
The House of Deputies has approved same-sex marriage and sent the legislation to the senate for consideration today.
The legislation – which would open the way to adoptions by same-sex couples – has been challenged by the Roman Catholic church and other religious groups.
The main slogan for the anti-legislation protest was: "Children have a right to a mother and a father".
The Argentine president, Cristina Fernández, has promised not to veto the measure if it reaches her desk.
Argentina remains mainly Catholic, but hostility to homosexuals has waned in the past decade – a trend mirrored across Latin America. >>> Associated Press | Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Gay Marriage Bill Splits Argentina
THE TIMES OF INDIA: BUENOS AIRES: Already known for having one of the most gay-friendly capitals in the world, Argentina is in the throes of a debate this week over granting the broadest marital protections to gay people in Latin America.
In what is expected to be a fierce discussion, Argentina's senate is scheduled to vote on Wednesday on a bill allowing gay people to wed. The proposed law has increased frictions between the Roman Catholic Church and the government of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, which is pushing the bill. >>> Alexei Barrionuevo, NYT News Service | Thursday, July 15, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: The US has warned India to honour UN sanctions against Iran after its foreign secretary criticised "unilateral" measures against Tehran over suspicions it is developing a nuclear weapons programme.
Phillip J. Crowley, a spokesman for the US State Department, said it was for India to decide what individual measures it would take, but warned its security would be threatened if Iran became a nuclear power.
Mr Crowley said India had a responsibility to persuade Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions. "This is about the danger of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, which will affect countries outside of the region, including India. So everyone has a responsibility to do what each country can to convince Iran to change its present course."
India has long-standing ties with Iran and has made a number of substantial investments in its oil and gas sectors. Its Congress-led government has said while it will honour UN sanctions against Iran, it favours dialogue and remains opposed to "unilateral" additional sanctions announced by the US and the European Union. >>> Dean Nelson, South Asia Editor | Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Tariq Aziz Fears for His Life in Iraqi Jail
THE TELEGRAPH: Saddam Hussein's former deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz has been handed over to the Iraqi authorities by the US in move his lawyer claims has put his life in danger.
He was among 55 members of the former regime's inner circle who were transferred along with control of Camp Cropper, the last American-run detention facility.
Iraqi security officials will take control of the camp from today as the US hands over roughly 1,600 Iraqi prisoners.
The move is part of American plans to cut troop numbers to 50,000 by the end of August in anticipation of all forces leaving by the end of next year.
Yesterday, Aziz's lawyer confirmed he had been transferred along with the other detainees on Tuesday night.
"Aziz called me and said he was being held in the Kazemieh prison in Baghdad," said Badie Aref. "He should have been released. What the Americans did violates the Red Cross code because they handed him over to his enemies. His life is in danger now." >>> | Wednesday, July 14, 2010
New Yorkers Can't Flee City's Bed Bugs – Even in the Hamptons
THE INDEPENDENT: It used to be the exploding population of rats in New York City that gave everyone the creeps, but today it's a different urban infestation that is gripping the imaginations – not to say sucking the blood – of its residents. The city does sleep occasionally, which is when the bed bugs come out to play – lots and lots of them.
Not so long ago, bed bugs barely registered on the radars of the pest control specialists in Manhattan. Across America, in fact, the squishy critters had all but disappeared thanks to the pesticide DDT. But since that chemical cocktail was banned the bugs have been making a spectacular comeback.
It is raining bed bugs in New York – they can fall kamikaze–style from ceilings on to sleeping victims. This week, part of an emergency room was briefly shut down in Brooklyn after one bug was discovered by nurses. The week before, the preppy clothing chain Abercrombie & Fitch was forced to temporarily shutter two of its Manhattan outlets to combat infestations.
Exploded suddenly then is the myth that bed bugs reside only in seedy hotels and crummier postcodes. No, they are "equal opportunity" bugs, according to New York magazine which reported this week that the infestation had reached The Hamptons. The filmmaker Joel Roodman and his wife, Jill Taft, were "shocked and horrified" to discover their $18,000 (£12,000) holiday rental in East Hampton, was "crawling". Ms Taft (a former model) sought treatment in hospital such was the extent of the bites on her face.
Exterminators report being called more and more frequently to commercial spaces. "We've had them in banks, grocery stores, movie theatres, judges' chambers, schools, dentists' offices – everywhere," said Jeff Eisenberg of PestAway, an exterminating company in the city. And we haven't mentioned hotels. Continue reading and comment >>> David Usborne in New York | Wednesday, July 14, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Shahram Amiri, the Iranian nuclear scientist, has described the moment he claims to have been abducted at gunpoint by the CIA while on a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
Mr Amiri, 32, said he was seized and spirited from the country after being offered a lift while walking towards a mosque.
He gave his account before flying home to Iran on Wednesday after taking refuge at the Iranian Interests Section of the Pakistani embassy in Washington earlier this week.
The US state department has insisted he was in the US of his own free will but Mr Amiri said he was kidnapped by secret agents in Medina, Islam's second holiest city, in May last year.
"A white van stopped in front of me... They told me in Farsi that they were part of another group of pilgrims and said 'We are going towards a mosque and we will be happy to take you as well'," he said.
"When I opened the door to get in and sit down, the person at the back put a gun to my side and said 'Please be quiet, don't make any noise'.
"As I opened the door, one of the passengers pulled out a gun and told me to be quiet. They gave me an injection and when I came around I was in a big plane. I was blindfolded. It was probably a military plane."
He said he was taken to "American territory" and put under intense psychological pressure to accept $10 million to make a video saying he had defected from Iran.
He was then allowed to settle in Tucson, Arizona, and live relatively freely on condition he did not talk about his abduction. >>> Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Democratic Divide Deepening? : House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in dust-up with White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs
New Threats to Freedom? : John Stossel on the latest challenges to our inalienable rights
U.S. Cartoonist on Terror Leader's Hit List: Radical cleric targeting Seattle woman for Muhammad cartoons
President Obama speaks to members of the media during his meeting with South Africa's President Jacob Zuma, in advance of the Nuclear Security Summit, at Blair House in Washington, Sunday, April 11, 2010. Photograph: Fox News
Obama Departs from Revised Policy, Links 'Radical Islam' to Terror Groups
FOX NEWS: In a rare divergence from administration policy, President Obama used the term "radical Islam" to describe the African-based terror group that took credit Monday for killing 74 people in Uganda during an interview Tuesday with the South African Broadcasting Corporation.
The interview came just three months after the administration removed such religious terms from its national security playbook and two months after Attorney General Eric Holder hesitated to link "radical Islam" to recent terror attacks and plots in the U.S. during questioning at a House Judiciary Committee hearing.
When asked about opinions attributing radical Islam's impact on the development and stability on the African continent, Obama called Islam "a great religion," but added that the radical version views as anti-Islam "any efforts to modernize, any efforts to provide basic human rights, any efforts to democratize."
"And I think that is absolutely wrong," he said. "I think the vast majority of people of the Islamic faith reject that. I think the people of Africa reject it."
Obama also accused terror groups such as Al Qaeda an Al Shabab of being racist. Continue reading and comment >>> FoxNews.com | Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Enchantée ma chérie ! Tu es mon trésor !
The Sarkozys lead celebrations for France's national holiday. Photo: The Telegraph
L'économie réalisée avec la suppression de la Garden-party est de 750.000 euros. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Cette réception avait été inventée par Valéry Giscard d'Estaing en 1979.
Rigueur oblige, le 14 Juillet de Nicolas Sarkozy sera d'une sobriété exemplaire. Régalien et discret. Le président de la République commencera le défilé à 10 heures pour le terminer à 12h15 exactement. Avant d'aller se reposer, probablement au cap Nègre, dans la propriété varoise de la famille de son épouse, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, jusqu'au week-end.
Mais le symbole de cette nouvelle sobriété est la suppression de la garden-party de l'Élysée. L'économie réalisée est de 750.000 euros. Cette réception d'été dans le vaste parc de l'Élysée avait été inventée par l'anglophile Valéry Giscard d'Estaing en 1979, qui l'avait baptisée «garden-party». La «garden» résiste à l'alternance Mitterrand. Et finalement, la «rupture» sera assumée par Sarkozy, au nom du train de vie exemplaire de l'État. >>> Par Charles Jaigu | Mercredi 14 Juillet 2010
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Erste Reaktionen auf die Freilassung von Roman Polanski fielen milde aus. Nach dem Auftritt des Sprechers des amerikanischen Aussenministeriums zeigt sich, dass die USA durchaus verärgert sind.
